Stalking Charlie

Triggered

Alex Stone

The diner was closed temporarily. They had to clean all the blood and talk to the police. Mr Brewer was furious about what happened in his diner, and wanted to file a lawsuit against Natasha and Ian.

To say that my father was furious is mildly putting it. He was beyond mad about what happened to me.

"I told you before, you should have security here!" I can hear my dad screaming his head off to Mr Brewer.

"Marco, we didn't need it before, this is a family diner! We've been here since your folks came here and everyone knows not to do something stupid here! It's those kids-"

"Not. An. Excuse."

That was my cue to interfere. I stood up and entered my employer's office without knocking. My father is towering over Mr Brewer, his body ready to pound him to the ground. He was never a violent man around me and Nick, he's always been calm and cool. But if his tone is like that..

"Dad. Stop it." I said, pulling at his arm. His muscles are taut with anger, his face a mask of fury. It softened when he saw me, enveloping me to a tight hug.

I hugged him back, assuring him again and again that I'm not hurt. That I'm fine. That it wasn't anyone's fault but Natasha and Ian.

"You have to quit, honey. Leave this place, please. You'll kill me with worry." he pleaded, kissing my hair.

I nodded in agreement to calm him. He held me tighter. We were like that when Nick arrived.

"Are you hurt?" he asked right away, scanning me up and down. He held my face with his two big hands, looking at my eyes.

Dad did the same thing when he arrived. It was becoming eerily apparent how much of the same cut they are.

"No, I'm fine now." I said solemnly, wanting to ease the panic he got in his eyes.

"But there's blood outside! And they said-"

"It wasn't mine. It was Ian's. Stop worrying." I told him, holding his hands.

Nick put my head on his chest, kissing the top of my head. I could feel his heart thumping fast against my cheek, and I can feel how scared he was for me.

"I love you." I said out of nowhere. I don't know why I said it, but I did anyway. He looked into my eyes again, worry still written there.

"I love you too." he said seriously. He let me take his hand and pull him outside, Dad silent behind us.

I was the first to see Charlie. She was standing rigidly in the middle of the diner, her face frozen. Her fists are clenched to her sides.

"Cassie.."

She looked around me, and I noticed something in her eyes that I haven't seen before.

"Charlie." Dad called her, probably noticing something off with her too.

Without her sunglasses, her eyes are glassy and bright. Am I not used to see her eyes anymore?

No, that wasn't it.

Without uttering a word, Charlie took the nearest stool, then threw it to the diner's glass window with all her might. A loud crash sounded as the window broke to many pieces, bits of glasses flying everywhere.

"Charlie!"

There was a piercing scream, and it echoed inside my head. I felt Nick leave my side and joined our father to help subdue my bestfriend. The remaining policemen inside the diner and Mr Brewer was confused and shocked on what was happening.

"Charlie!" I heard my father slap her. Nick grabbed her waist and held on to her.

"Fuck you!" she screamed at him, her hands reaching out to hurt my dad.

My Dad easily twisted her arms and held her against him. He signalled for Nick to let her go, and my brother did. Dad took her out of the diner without difficulty.

I ran after them, I caught up with them in time to see my father slam Charlie against the door of his car.

"You wanna fight me?! Huh?!" Marco bellowed at Charlie, his face angry. There was blood in his left cheek, Charlie must have clawed at him.

"Dad! What are you doing?!" Nick interfered, standing between Marco and Charlie.

"I'm not gonna put up with this anymore! My own daughter was hurt! I don't give a fuck about you, or your problem! Go back to your father!"

"I don't have one!" my bestfriend screamed back, there was tears rolling down her face. She turned her back on us and started pounding on the car's window.

"Charlie, stop it!" Nick pleaded, holding her waist and hugging her tight. I stepped beside my father, holding his arm. His face looked older, his eyes are tired. He brought his hand over his face and rubbed on it furiously.

"T-there was blood in there, Nicky." I heard Charlie's choked voice tell my brother. "There's plenty. I-I didn't kill anyone. D-Did I?"

My father's head jerked, his jaw clenching. We heard Nick tell her that no, she didn't kill anyone. And that everything's fine.

I frowned up to my father, but he didn't say anything. He held my hand and squeezed on it assuringly.

Charlie calmed down in my brother's arms. My father went back to the diner briefly to talk to Mr Brewer about the window. He also called for someone to clean it up. He instructed Nick to get her inside the car and not to let her go.

She was silent the whole ride. Her eyes were blank, staring out the window sightlessly. Nick's arm is around her, and I could tell that he's worried and confused.

Dad made Charlie take a couple of pills when we got back home. He also talked to someone on the phone, and after that he announced that he and Charlie will go somewhere.

"Nick, don't leave Alex." he told my brother. "Don't leave the house. Call me right away if anything happens. And don't wait for us."

Charlie's sunglasses are back on, hiding her eyes. She avoided me and Nick, waiting for Dad inside the car. They left without saying goodbye.

I was in the shower when I remembered Charlie's eyes back at the diner. They were different somehow. And scary.

I realized that her eyes was crazy. It spoke for her, it was seeing different things, a different story. It was hurt, scared and insane.

I looked at myself in the mirror. People keep asking if I was hurt, they were afraid that I'll be traumatized about what happened. To be honest, after I cried it all out with Lukas, I'm now fine.

Lukas. He told me not tell Charlie that he's here. He said they're not friends, and he's just here because Devin told him to, to follow up on what's going on with his sister.

She's not exactly.. fine.

Charlie's traumatized. She's hurt. And broken.

I wrapped my bathrobe around me and went to my room. I turned to see the door to my father's study open.

"Dad- Nick!"

Nick was sitting behind Dad's desk, a folder in front of him. His face is still, and he looks sick.

"She's fucked up."