Dancing with Danger

CHAPTER EIGHT: Losing My Resolve

Chapter Eight: Losing My Resolve

I stood right before our classroom door, afraid of what will come after when I see Charlie. I felt bad, I felt like I owed Charlie an explanation despite that I have never confessed a single thing, except the fact that I missed him too. I inhaled deeply before going in. What was kind of scary about it was that Charlie sat right next to me, meaning I couldn't avoid him even if I wanted to. I didn't know whether I should bring it up or not, we weren't anything anyway.

I found the seat next to me occupied by Joan, who was supposed to be seated next to Richard but this time, it was Charlie. They switched seats and the first thought that came into my mind was how immature that was. Just because he saw me with someone else shouldn't mean anything. As much as I wanted to walk right up to him and ask what the problem was, I didn't want to seem too aggressive and I didn't want people to talk about it.

I reluctantly sat down, sliding my body lazily onto my chair and smiled to Joan.

"Charlie asked to switch for a bit," she said.

"Oh, okay," I replied, having nothing else to say.

Charlie stayed there the entire day. At one point, one of our teachers had asked why he was seated there and he was quick to explain that he couldn't see the what was written in the board clearly and how Joan was nice enough to switch seats with him, considering she was wearing glasses. I sighed exasperatedly, thinking it was a load of bull but it wasn't like I could object.

"I think Charlie's avoiding me," I whispered to Megan as we placed our trays on our lunch table.

"Why?" she asked, looking up at me as she sat down.

"I met my neighbor Gabe last weekend, and really, he's just everything every girl would like," I said, with matching hand gestures for Megan to understand how beautiful Gabe was. "I ran into him this morning, he was jogging and I was walking to school. Charlie saw us and he hasn't spoken to me since this morning."

Megan looked at me with a small smile. "Am I missing something here?"

I completely forgot to mention that Charlie kissed me. It only made sense that Megan couldn't put the pieces together since, even if she knew there was something there.

"Well, he kissed me," I whispered to her.

Megan squealed and I had to shut her up by slapping her arm. "Seriously? When was this?" she asked excitedly.

"Last week, when Ms. Hamilton asked to us to stand outside," I said. "We were talking about this choosing thing, long story. Anyway, there, he just took me and kissed me."

"And?"

"That's it."

"What did you do? And how does it feel?" Megan asked, obviously feeling giddy inside with her big smile.

"Moist," I said. "I didn't do anything though. Like, it took me by surprise and I didn't want it then so I just felt."

Megan shrugged. "You are oddly conscious with skinship. So despite all that, you think he switched seats because he saw you with someone else?"

"It's the first time he sat away from me."

"Julia," Megan said, stretching her arms to hold me by the shoulders. "You like him, right?"

"I think so," I said, a little reluctantly.

"Then just go ahead and clear things out. I mean, he kissed you so he obviously likes you, or in the least, there's something there," Megan explained. "So just go there and tell him Gabe is just your neighbor. I don't even know why you don't just say that."

"I should do that," I agreed. "I mean, we're close, right?"

"Right!"

With that resolve, I made sure I would be able to talk to him right after class. Honestly, I thought he'd want to talk to me. He was that kind of person. He was the kind of person who couldn't keep something to himself too long but Charlie left the room as soon as the bell rang. I saw him. He wasn't in a hurry but he sure didn't wait for me. But I still had that same resolve in me, even if I partly felt like I was running after him.

"Hey, Char-" I almost shouted when I got a little close to him, only to be interrupted by what I saw outside the school gates.

Charlie walked, holding the straps of his green backpack with both his hands. He made his way towards a girl with long black hair and was tanned from head to toe. She was smiling with the sight of him and I couldn't believe I watched them. It also looked like people knew her by the way some girls from the same year I was in, said hello to her and she gladly greeted them back with a smile.

I stood a few feet away from them and she didn't even notice because she was looking at Charlie, with her big eyes, as if he'd disappear any moment.

"I missed you," she mouthed to him, considering I couldn't hear them. With Charlie's back facing me, I didn't know what he said or what he was saying and I wished he didn't say it back.

Charlie began walking to the other side of the street, opposite of where I, or we, always walk and I knew right then that he wasn't going home. The tanned girl quickly followed behind him, entangling her arm into Charlie's.

Who was she? It didn't even matter. It was the way she smiled, the way she said I missed you and how he wasn't on his way home. It was all that that made me lose my resolve and feel a slight pang in my chest.