Charlie Whitmen loves sports, junk food, video games, cars and basically anything-if not everything-your average teenaged boy would find interesting. But wait a second, Charlie isn't even a boy! Oh no, she's actually a girl!
Bet you didn't see that...
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Playing His Confidante
A strained smile greets Charlie as she stays rooted to the floor. With slow and steady steps, Hayden trudges up to her, his face lacking the vibrant colors it often held. "What are you doing here?" He doesn't sound hostile or flustered; in fact he sounds very much like his usual self. His behavior does not resemble someone who has just been in a fight either, which has Charlie questioning if what she had just witnessed was real or simply a figment of her imagination. She glances through the big windows and spots Cecilia with her nose buried in a mountain of textbooks. So it really did happen.
She takes a deep breath and gathers her thoughts in order to form a coherent excuse. "I was heading to my locker," she lies. He nods and she takes this chance to make her escape. "See you in class then." Charlie has no intention of sticking around for the waterworks that might ensue and is prepared to get as far away as she possibly can from the guy. Who knows what he could do in this kind of emotional state. He might even do something as crazy as confide in her and being somebody's diary is not what Charlie wants to do with her life. She's got other plans in mind.
Besides, she'd be putting herself in an extremely uncomfortable position if she stays here any longer. In case you haven't noticed, Charlie isn't the most empathetic soul out there which means her consoling skills suck. She couldn't help Hayden out even if she tried. It'd just be downright awkward and super weird. She wouldn't even know what to say or where to start. Therefore, the best thing she could do for both of their sakes is to get out while she still has the chance.
Freedom is at the tips of her fingers. It is so close that she could almost taste it on her tongue. The keyword being almost. "Hey Charlie. Do you have a minute? I really need a friend right now," Hayden admits timidly. Yes, Charlie could be a complete bitch and pretend like she hadn't heard him but the stutter in her step gives her away.
Against her better judgment, she swivels around and walks back towards him. She'd consider this as her punishment for eavesdropping when she shouldn't have been. "Baseball field?" she suggests.
"Baseball field."
The two of them are sitting in the dugout, hiding from the harmful, cancerous rays of the sun. Hayden hasn't spoken a word since they left the building and Charlie has the urge to get up and leave. She doesn't know how much more silence she can endure before she finally cracks. Is this what comforting someone looks like or is she doing it wrong? "You heard everything, didn't you?" He remarks at last.
"What?" Charlie coughs, startled by his question.
"Back inside," he specifies, not sparing her a glance. "You heard the fight I had with Cecilia, right?"
Great. Hayden caught her red-handed which means there is no point in trying to deny it. She has to come clean now; she doesn't have much of a choice. "I didn't mean to," she says, kicking the dirt beneath her feet. "You guys just started talking before I could leave."
