In Charlotte's Eyes

Reluctant Acceptance

Somehow, Rebecca was able to give Parker a surprising amount- for a druggie -of ten thousand. Not that he was complaining. Aaron also gave him an extra one thousand. Parker supposed that he just felt impulsive while he was high. So, in total, he accrued an amount of eighty thousand. Two-fifths of the amount Charlotte would need. Much more than he was expecting to give her initially. He felt good to be able to get that much in support of her.

Now, all that was left to do was actually hand her the check. That was the easy part.

He drove to her house in the evening, after they both got off work. The check in his hand, he knocked on her door with the other. He hid the check behind his back.

When she opened the door, she widened her eyes in pleasant surprise. “Oh! Parker!” She smiled.

“Hey, Charlotte! Surprise!” He laughed lightly.

She snickered. “Definitely a surprise.” She raised a brow at him. “Wanna come in? I was just about to eat dinner.”

“Oh, no no.” He waved his free hand. “I already ate. Besides, I need to get home soon; I have a few chores I need to get done.”

“Oh. What'd you come over for, then?” She asked casually.

“I wanted to give this to you.” He revealed the paper slip, holding it out for her to take.

She looked at it, confused. “Huh.” She gently grabbed it from him. “This is..” She flipped the slip over to its correct side up.

Parker giggled. “Surprise!” Charlotte processed the contents of the check. Eighty thousand dollars. Memo: to help pay for her mold treatment. She squinted her eyes at the check. “Everyone was so generous. I got Kylee and Leon to help out, naturally. I even got Suzuki, Carlos, and Aaron to pitch in for you.”

“..Oh.”

Parker chuckled somewhat nervously, putting a hand on the back of his neck. Her reaction wasn't what he was entirely expecting. “I-I know it's a bit overwhelming to be receiving so much money so suddenly, but we wanted to get the money to you as soon as possible.”

“Um. Why did you do this?”

His smile disappeared. “Huh? Because we care about your health.”

“B-” She shook her head. “I told you I didn't need help, didn't I?”

Parker’s eyes darted between her and the side. “Well- yes. But I- did it anyway.”

Ah. An insult to her. He didn't care about her wishes. None of her friends respected her. “Oh.”

The word came out so bitterly, filled with such venom, that it intimidated Parker. Nevertheless, he stood his ground. “Charlotte, I know you said you didn't want help, but, please.” He took a quick, big breath. “All of us gave a lot of money in order to aid you through this scary circumstance.”

“Parker, I-” She took a breath. “I really.. really.. don't need your help.”

“Charlotte, please! It's not just me, it's everyone! Won't you accept our help? Please. Just take it.” His voice sounded pathetic.

Charlotte looked at the fat check again. Eighty thousand dollars. Begging to be taken. She read the memo again. For her mold treatment. Those words meant zilch to her. In a vacuum, she would be foolish to turn down such a large sum of money. They wanted to “help” her so bad, so much so that they'd spit on her desires to do so. Well, she could play the disrespect game with them.

She began laughing. Parker smiled a little, awkwardly. Was her laughing a good thing? It sounded genuine. She eventually stopped herself, shaking her head. “Right, right.” She took a breath, composing herself. “Fine. I'll take your money.”

Parker sighed in relief. “Great.” He chuckled. “Ah- but, one more thing.” Charlotte hummed, watching intently. “Please be less reckless in the future. Kylee, Leon, and I want to see you be more wary of your safety during our spelunking trips.”

Charlotte bitterly looked away. “Parker..” She muttered.

“Please. If something like this were to happen to you again, we won't be able to continuously help you by throwing money at you. That is the only thing I ask for in exchange for our money. Okay?”

She glared at the floor. Then at the check. They were trying to control her. They thought money would be enough to change her. She silently growled. They were wrong.

“Alright.”

Parker smiled genuinely. “Thank you, Charlotte. Thank the others later.”

“Yeah.” She murmured. “Goodnight.”

She closed the door, but just before it shut, she heard Parker’s cut off, “Goodnigh-”

-