Getting Over Charlie Miller

Chapter One - Gossip Spreads Quickly

‘Loopy Lou, you there?’ Adam’s deep voice asked sympathetically. ‘Are you ok?’

‘You know I hate talking on the phone.’ I replied in a monotone before ending the call.

From under my bed there came the sound of a new Facebook message. I moaned before performing acrobatics in order to retrieve my laptop and took great pain to open it up. Awaiting me was a new message from a certain Adam Harrison (along with several ignored ones from a certain other person.)

A sudden urge overcame me while I had Facebook open. Before I could control my hands, they were navigating to Charlie’s timeline. My heart felt as heavy as a rock as I scrolled down and down, the tension in the room building while I waited to discover my fate. There it was. Under ‘relationship status’…’Single.’

There was the confirmation. And it hurt. I couldn’t comprehend what I was feeling in this moment, I’d never been hurt like this before. I felt like everyone and everything I love had disappeared, and I was left with myself. Alone. I had never felt so alone in my entire life. It was all I could do to suppress the cry that I could feel coming due to the large lump in the back of my throat.

Then came another ping. Adam was getting impatient. My fingers clicked the chat window open while my brain was on hold. ‘Are you ok?!’

‘No.’ I replied, while simultaneously asking myself the same question. I felt the answer was pretty obvious.

‘What happened?’ An instant response arrived.

Once again, I rolled my eyes, a particular bad habit of mine. This message was getting ignored, I’d fill him in when I had figured the answer out for myself. I didn’t even know where it had all gone wrong.

***

The next day in school was absolute hell, but then it was always going to be. At least the morning routine was as usual. Well, until I got into the car with Matthew. The moment I made an appearance for breakfast, I knew something was up. Normally he’d spend at least fifteen minutes in the shower, having slept in, and then grab an apple before hurrying so he wouldn’t be late to school. But that day he was waiting for me in the kitchen with my breakfast laid out in my place, and a steaming hot cup of tea awaiting me.

‘Thanks.’ I looked up at him in surprise.

He just nodded in response, and continued to watch me while I consumed what he’d prepared for me. Once we were safely inside his silver Astra, and out of the hearing range of parents, Matthew turned to me. I noticed that there were black circles under his grey eyes, and he clearly hadn’t had time to style his hair into its usual ‘messy but stylish’ look. His tie hung several centimetres below his top button, and his white shirt was hanging out of his trousers.

I leant over and tightened his tie before asking, ‘What’s with the outfit?’

‘I had no time this morning.’ He said shortly, turning his key and starting up the engine.

‘You don’t look like you got much sleep’, I remarked a few moments later. ‘Is something up?’

‘I could ask you the same thing.’ Matthew snapped, looking at me in the mirror.

‘I don’t want to talk about it.’ I returned my gaze to my entwined hands in my lap.

The rest of the journey to school was spent in awkward, tension-filled silence. When we arrived at last, I near enough leapt out of the car in my excitement at escaping the whole situation. Just as I was about to walk away to registration, Matthew called me back.

‘He’s hurt you.’ He stated gruffly, his eyes staring into my identical pair.

‘It’s nothing.’ I surveyed the surroundings for eavesdroppers. ‘Honestly.’