Charlie. (Larry Stylinson)

Amiss.

October 11, 1988.

Autumn is beautiful. I've never looked at it quite like I did today. Something about the leaves' change of color and the various degrees in weather; never hot but never cold. I made a flower crown yesterday. I thought it was spontaneous and different, something out of my element. Mum was a little upset about me picking the flowers from her garden; told her I'd repay her by helping plant more seeds; watching them grow and such. Growth. It's a scary word. I think I've done a little of that over the past two months and I'm starting to think that I'm growing up faster than I would like. It's exciting though. Niall says I've grown a little. We're no longer the same height. I'm as tall as Liam now, but never as muscular. He's been a hit with the ladies. Well, one in particular. She makes him whole, he says. She makes him smile. Louis makes me smile. Can I ever do the same for him?

I approached him just as I said I would. I was nervous, palm-sweaty nervous. I figured that was a good thing, kind of made me realize how much of an affect he had on me; how much he was starting to mean to me. He was hanging around some guy - Nigel or Nick, or something. I've never been good with remember most names. I said hi - well, because it's formal and it was the first thing that came to mind. Surprisingly, he didn't scowl or have his nose up in the air. I told him about the party, about how exciting it would be - all the aspects of Halloween and such. I'm sure I rambled on a bit; but I guess it was enough because he said he's be there and willingly accepted the invitation.

Oh, and my boss gave me a slight raise, but it means delivering newspapers to a few more homes than usual. Going to save up for a costume.

Princeton Academy High.

[The Cafeteria]

It's been a week of Charlie and Daniel eating lunch together - Daniel's intrusiveness and Charlie's timid ways. And it's almost as if they go hand-in-hand, giving each other some sense of ease, comfort, and company; even when Charlie is reluctant to say more than a few words. His head is always caught between the pages of Harry's journal and, every time he takes a glance at Daniel, the boy is already looking at him with a smile playing upon his lips. Charlie rolls his eyes and tells him how he finds it annoying, though he truly doesn't; and Daniel only laughs, and then shifts his focus back to his meal, but only until Charlie isn't paying much attention to him anymore. Daniel always goes back to being analytical. He's not sure why the green-eyed boy is so intriguing, but he follows that curiosity wherever it leads him; and somehow he always finds himself back at the same lunch table, seated across from Charlie.

"May I ask what you're reading?" Daniel asks, a posh, and curious, tone.

"You may not," Charlie states, eyes still gazing onto the words of his late-father. Charlie chuckles, and then slightly shakes his head. He doesn't bother Charlie for the remainder of their lunch hour. He knows there's always tomorrow.

Charlie doesn't eat dinner that night, tells Louis that he's not feeling well and would rather head off to bed early. Louis' smart, has an inkling that the issue is deeper than that; but he knows that it's just one of those days that it hits his son all over again that someone's not there; and his thoughts are answered when he passes by Charlie's room, later that night, and hears muffled-crying. Louis calls Niall later that night because he doesn't have a clue what to do anymore and he just needs to hear Zayn's deep and meaningful words of encouragement.