A/n: Blonde marj and redhead Charlotte.
Word count: 4159
"OH MY GOD, SUMMER! SHUT. UP." Charlotte snapped. Her patience had burned to the end of the candlewick; she was done.
Everything she had worked for; everything she had built; everything she had cherished had been destroyed and lost in the ruins:
• Her marriage
• Her happiness
• Her love for her job
And most importantly, her Marjorie.
Her Marjorie? Marjorie wasn't hers - she never was, never will be. Marjorie is straight; even if she wasn't, she would never be interested in someone like Charlotte, especially not now.
"Excuse me?" Summer's strident tone boomed into her ears like rampant drummer.
"Yeah, you heard, how dare you comment on their divorce, you have no idea how much courage Eloise's mum must have had to walk away from something she spent years investing in?!" Bile burned the back of Charlotte's throat, and venom infected her words.
"You think that is courageous? Walking away from a marriage shows courage?!" Arrogance radiated of this woman like beetle to the dung.
"YES! She invested ten years into something that was destined to fail. To understand that and come to terms with that is one of the most audacious things she ever could have done. Cause look what judgement you get if you do?" Walking away from her own marriage was the bravest things she'll ever accomplish in her measly lifespan, shorting by the minute her- no. Marjorie hated her, so she hated herself.
"No, she took the easy way out. What's brave, is staying and making it work. Anyways, what would you know about failing marriages?" Blood should be warm like that coffee she indulged in this morning, but no, Charlotte's blood was blistering like molten lava.
Scream, shout, beg, cry - she didn't know what to do. 'What would you know about failing marriages?' WHAT WOULD SHE KNOW ABOUT FAILING MARRIAGES?!
Tears threatened her eyes, no. She wouldn't give this vile excuse for a human and her petty little sidekick satisfaction.
"Anyway, I see Carly has taken Latrine to softplay, so i'm gonna go," summer trailed herself, and those selfish words out of the door. Good riddance. Charlotte's heart felt like a glass ornament with a mallet smashing into it repeatedly.
Oh, when would she have her happy ending? Right, she ruined that. Twice.
"Did you just shout at a parent to shut up?" And that's when her heart dropped. Marjorie had heard, and she was disappointed, angry even. She was entitled to feel like that; Marjorie hated Charlotte, so Charlotte hated Charlotte - "an eye for an eye," right?
"Yeah.." She couldn't look Marjorie in the eye, not to watch her disappointment, in her oldest friend, shine through.
"Charlotte, I think it's best if you take the rest of the day off," no no please this can't be happening, "maybe you'll turn up to Reece's nursery with a better attitude." No, no, no! Loose tears fell, and she had to turn away to stop the darkest hallways of her mind spilling onto these damned carpets.
"F-fine..." Words barely audible, so much so she was surprised Marjorie even heard her at all. Before Marjorie could even utter another word, she ran to the staffroom, collected her belongings, and started the walk home. Sorscha had dropped her off this morning due to her car being in for a MOT, and her phone was dead, so she would have to walk home.
Charlotte still had 2 hours left of her shift; walking home would take her an extra 30 on top, so at least she would be home on time.
It's not like there is anyone to come home to.
It was 17:30, an hour and a half left.
Seconds into minutes into hours; she felt as if life was like an endless treadmill - eventually, she would stop moving forward. Muscles contracting with no time to relax.
