Secrets Are Only Skin Deep

Chapter 1 -A Very Special Day

The nurse put the syringe in the sleeping girl's arm. "Don't worry, hun," she whispered. "Tonight'll be over soon enough."

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Yawing, Charolette sat up in bed and stretched. She looked at her cell and sighed. It said "October 27, 6:23 A.M." She smiled and closed her phone. "Patrick's birthday," she said to herself, climbing out of bed.

She showered and dressed, trying not to itch a bump. "Leave it alone," she told herself. "The doctor said to leave it alone."

Eventually, she left her house and started for the gas station, constantly fixing her backpack. Her phone soon rang. "Hello?"

"Char? Hey, it's Mariana."

"Oh, hey, whatcha need?"

"My gram's in the hospital, so I won't be coming to school today, no need to wait for me at the gas station, mmmkay? Well, I gotta go, so, bye!" Mariana hung up before Charolette could respond.

Charolette put her phone in her pocket and turned toward the school. 'Great,' she thought. 'Just great. I'll never be able to talk to Patrick without Mariana here, even just to say Happy Birthday....' Sighing, she walked into the school building.

The halls were packed and Charolette could hardly get to her locker. As she got her Geometry things from it and put her bag away, Charolette noticed Patrick seven lockers over. "Just go tell him..." she told herself, shoving her face in the locker. She sighed with new confidence and turned back to his locker.

But Patrick was gone.

So Charolette shut her locker in defeat and went to Geometry.

She didn't listen at all the whole lesson. At first, she was trying to figure out when to tell him "Happy birthday," but then decided on a note -

     Patrick, Happy birthday! I know I'm probably not the first to tell you, but I still wish you the best! Char

- and slipped it in his locker after class.

During History, she worried he wouldn't notice it, or she had accidentally put it in the wrong locker. During English, she was almost positive he'd just thrown it away without even looking, but at lunch, her mind changed as she ate her potatoes.

"Hey, Char," a soft voice above her said. She looked up and saw Patrick. "Mind if I sit here..?"

Amazed, Charolette nodded. "Umm, what brings you to, uhh, my lonely table?" she asked as he sat.

"I found your note-" he replied simply, taking a drink of milk, "-and I thought I'd thank you, 'cause you're the only one who remembered."

"Oh!" Charolette said, moving her chestnut brown hair out of her face. "Really? I thought Mason would have-"

"Remembered?" He finished. "No."

"I thought he was your best friend. He should have."

"Oh, it's alright. Doesn't vex me any." Patrick stood. "Umm..Could I get your tray for you?"

"If you really-um-I guess if you want to." Charolette set her throw-away spork on the tray and let Patrick walk away with it. 'Wow...' she thought. 'He actually read it..'

Patrick came back and grabbed his books. "Don't I have Spanish with you next?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, could I escort you there?" he asked, putting Charolette's books on top of his own.

Spencer stood, trying to hide her blushing. "Oh, uh, sure," she said, "but, you know, I could, uh, carry my own books."

"No, I got it." Patrick smiled nervously as they started walking.