Jenga

Chapter Seventeen- Let's Pretend We're Star-gazing

ATTENTION! IN THIS CHAPTER I USED SOME JEWISH CUISINE, SO IF YOU DON'T KNOW THEM JUST SEARCH IT UP.

Wisty, without answering, walks straight past me and sits down at the table. I do so as well, and Max and Jen follow.

"I didn't know you guys know each other," Max says. 

"Me . . . either," Jen adds, "Noa, are you alright?"

No. I'm not alright. I'm torn, I'm shaken up. Anyone with sense can see that. "Charlie, you lied to me," I say. "You said it wasn't her, but here she is in your living room! What am I here for, then? Why did you invite me?"

"I didn't lie to you. Honestly, I didn't know she was coming today," Charlie says. How can he be so calm?

"Noa, I think you're misunderstanding the situation. Arranged marriages are common in Jewish families. I don't want this either, I'd rather have you with him, but Robert loves to act on his own," Jen explains.

Arranged marriage? You've got to be joking. Last time I checked, we were in the 21st century. "So? Why Wisty?" I ask.

Charlie answers, "Why else? The wealth her family has."

I clench my fists and grit my teeth. I'm starting to hate this. And it's hard for me to hate something. "Why don't you tell me anything? Do you think keeping everything to yourself will solve all of your problems? Do you really believe that?"

Charlie says nothing, like usual, so Jen says, "Well, that aside, let's eat! I'm starved!" I can tell she wants to take care of the issue later.

"Um, Jen . . . what is this?" I point to my plate with orange looking water and small white things inside. It looks weird. 

"Huh? That's chicken soup and kreplach. Next to that is lokshen, and next to that is borscht soup. Didn't Charlie warn you?" Jen answers.

Hearing his name makes me stab the lokshen on my plate with my fork. I want to quit liking him so badly right now. But I can't. I know I can't.

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Thank goodness there is no school today. I wouldn't be able to look at neither Wisty or Charlie. So now, I'm just sitting in my bed, throwing a paper airplane around in my pool of sorrows.

But when I throw it for the fifth time, if flies out of my window. I let it go, and don't go after it. I close the window though, and get back in bed. Seconds later, while I'm making a new one, I hear banging  that sounds to be coming from my window.

I get back up and see that rocks are being thrown at my window. By, none other than Charlie, who has my paper airplane in his hand.

I open the window and peep my head outside. "What do you want?" I shout.

"I want you to forgive me!" he answers. Oh, please.

"Go away!"

"Noa, please! You know I don't want to marry Wisty!"

"Who cares?! Your father arranged it, right? Who cares about what you want?! Why didn't you come inside through the front door like a normal person, anyway?"

"I tried, but your brother kicked me out!"

"Serves you right."

Charlie is quiet for a few seconds, then he, still holding the paper airplane, starts to climb up the wall. What is this, Rapunzel mixed into Romeo and Juliet?

"Get down! You're going to hurt yourself!" I say this, but at this moment I can't care less whether he falls or not.

Of course, he doesn't listen. Alright, I tried. I give up; he can do whatever he wants.