One of the things that Charlotte Rose Johnston loved the most, besides lacrosse and hockey, was her privacy.
It was time for her new adventure, and being that she received her first Division 1 athletic offer to play men's ice hockey at the Universit...
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Winter was a depressing time for Charlotte, and one she would much rather spend alone. As she walked by her lonesome down the concrete sidewalks of the Ann Arbor campus, a chilly wind threatened to send her spinning off balance.
Charlotte was alone in their dorm. Luke must've taken a detour somewhere with his friends. Of course she wouldn't fit in. Right when her head hit the pillow, Charlotte passed out cold still in her practice clothes.
Suddenly, she was back at the lake house. Her mind flashed to a memory of her mother in a wheelchair in the next room over, watching the snow fall in thick layers, freezing over the lake. She could hear her breathing assistant device, and the sweet sound of her voice humming just over the familiar buzz. Her hair had completely fallen out by now, but her features still held a special beauty that was unlike anyone Charlotte had ever seen before.
A warm glow was cast around her. It was heavenly as it framed her frail, hunched body. But how beautiful she was.
Charlotte stood in the kitchen silently, absorbing the comforting feeling of her mother's presence for what may be the final winter- no don't think like that- she would be fine. Stay positive. Her mother was too far to notice her young daughter's gaze, and the sound of the machine that kept her absorbing oxygen drowned out any outside noise.
It wasn't until Charlotte heard footsteps approaching on the hard tile that she hastily attempted to wipe the water that was covering her rosy cheeks. Avoiding eye contact, Charlotte's light eyes were locked into the horizon in front of her, where windows were wide as the wall that framed them.
"She's gonna be okay,"
Charlotte did not need to turn to know who was standing next to her and offering her words of encouragement. Even at their current age he towered inhumanely taller than her, and she could see his messy curls out of her foggy periphery.
"Hey," he continued, hesitating before placing a hand on her opposite cheek and turning it in his direction, "-be strong for her. She wouldn't want you to spend your time with her crying,"
Charlotte leaned into his tender touch, a cold tear dropped into his palm. Shutting her eyes, she huffed out a sigh from her nose and slowly nodded.
He took it as an invitation to pull her into his much larger arms, and she stood still as a board. He tucked her head close to his chest and played with her long, strawberry colored hair. They swayed slightly before Charlotte eventually broke contact by squeezing the sensitive part of his side, causing him to cackle out a broken up laugh. Through hooded, teary eyes, Charlotte managed to smile and scoff out a dry laugh.
"C'mon, Rose, let's go see what Jack and Quinn are up to. They told me they were gonna try and clear a patch of ice for us to play 2v2 on,"
"Yeah, so we can fall in, get hypothermia, and die?" Charlotte retorted, slinging an arm around the back of her much taller friend.
He grinned from ear to ear, flashing his perfectly white teeth.
"Precisely."
Unbeknownst to the pair, Charlotte's mother had heard the entire exchange. A subtle smile fell onto her dry lips. Keeping her eyes trained on the sun lit frozen lake in front of her, she tried to imagine a future where she was gone, and Charlotte did not have Luke by her side.
And she couldn't.
Macey Rose Johnston genuinely giggled for the first time since her diagnosis.
With those boys, she would always be safe.
Charlotte sat up quickly with a lurch, bunching her covers under clamped hands. Her heart pounded in her chest rapidly, and her breaths came in rough gasps. Her dream was more of an uncontrollable memory, and it stung. Her heart physically ached. To see her mother watch the snow fall one more time, and to feel warm arms wrapped around her shivering body was too startling.
Eyes focusing on the dimly lit room around her, the alarm clock balancing on her vanity across from her bed frame showed the time as 3:33am.
With a heavy sigh, she rubbed her restless eyes and raked a hand through her messy hair. Insomnia had become normal for the girl. She treated it with the only therapy that she could process.
Against the opposite wall, Luke's bed was lit by a small lamp. Remembering back to their sleepovers from the past, Charlotte could hear Luke's older brothers teasing him about his lighting situation while he slept. He could never fall asleep in complete darkness.
From her safe perch, Charlotte let her heartbeat lower in rate while watching the boy curled comfortably in his gray comforter. A soft snore filled the room and his face was so still. She studied his milky white skin and the scar on his chin from when he had tripped on his own feet while hiking all those years ago. Her eyes raked over the waves of brunette hair, highlighted blonde by the past summer- the first summer on the lake she decided to avoid. Her emotions spiked with jealousy at whatever girl must have been keeping him occupied instead of her. All their inside jokes, late night microwave s'mores, and Netflix marathons must've been replaced with another person's presence.
The Hughes brothers couldn't get along without some mediation, and normally Charlotte was just the girl for that. She was there to send Quinn a warning look when he had too much attitude. She was there to bop Jack on the back of his head when he got too cocky. She was there for Luke. To comfort him. To speak with him about his dreams and future. She was there to be his best friend. After all, they were the same age and had been defensive line mates since Charlotte moved to the Arbor.
Shaking the history from her cloudy brain, Charlotte watched his chest slowly rise and fall, hands tucked closely to his chest. In this state his lips were parted slightly and peacefully, his eyebrows were relaxed and smooth, and he couldn't give her those begging eyes that she so ignored.
Staying away from him for the summer had made the girl realize how much she truly needed him and the close proximity was terrifying.
She had to get away.
Charlotte tied up her running shoes and took off.
aww charbug ur so cute ily also trying to keep chapters around 1000 words
