Loves Me Not

*REVISED* Chapter Forty-two

I knock on the door heavily, the sound echoing up and down the hallway as I wait for Charlie to open the door. I start to bang on the door again just as he swings it open, his hair wet

"Oh," I step back, not expecting him to be wet and partially clothed. "Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"Not at all," he smiles as he runs the towel over his hair. "Come on in."

I walk into the room and look around, seeing that it looks almost exactly the same as it did the last time I was in there. Except I notice some suitcases by the door.

"Did you just get back from East Greenbush?" I ask, looking at the luggage.

He shuts the door behind me as he walks over to his bed, dropping the towel on it as he stands next to it. "Actually I just got back from vacation with my family."

"Oh, where'd you go?" I ask politely, waiting for the pleasantries to be over with so I can ask the important questions.

"The Hamptons." He shrugs, pushing his hair off of his face. "This is the first time in a couple years we've gone out there."

"The...Hamptons..." I repeat slowly, the wheels turning in my brain.

"Yeah," he laughs awkwardly as he looks intently at my face. "But what's up? Need me you to rescue you so soon? School doesn't even start until tomorrow."

I laugh along with him, although my mind is still stuck on what he just said.

"Did you know that Ellie was just in the Hamptons?" I ask.

"Uh, yeah," He says, running a hand through his hair again. "I think I bumped into her once or twice while I was there."

"You think...you bumped into her..." I can't keep my mouth closed as I keep looking at him, Ellie's words from the room echoing in my mind.

"Why did you agree to pretend to date Ellie?" I ask suddenly.

He crinkles his eyebrows as he smiles, the right side of his mouth pulling up higher than the other. "I told you she doesn't matter. I just want you, KD."
"No, no, no." I shake my head, redirecting him back to the topic he was trying to abandon. "Answer the question, Charlie. What are you getting out of this?"

His eyes narrow almost unnoticeably, before his smile takes on a different quality. "I guess you've been talking to Ellie."

I cross my arms over my chest as I walk over to one of the few bare walls and lean against it. "And what could she have possibly told me that you didn't already?"

He doesn't answer my question, sitting down on the bed and looking at me carefully.

"What's going on Kaiy?"

"That's what I'm asking you." I laugh. "But you won't tell me anything!"

He laughs too, his tone almost as fake as mine. "There isn't anything to tell."

I look at him carefully. Why can't he just answer the question?

What is it that Ellie said on New Years? I can't trust everything that Charlie says? That I need to be careful around him.

"So what did you have to lose?" I ask. "I mean, there must have been some reason you agreed to do it. Ellie said your parents have some type of control over you. What is it?"

He laughs again, but this time the dry sound makes the smile fall from my face. "Kaiydeen, I like you okay? But this isn't a conversation we're going to have."

His face holds the frown on his face for another few seconds before he smiles again, the warm look on his face in direct contrast to how he looked a few seconds ago. I wonder which one of them is the real Charlie?

"But it was good seeing you again," He smiles as he stands up from the bed and stops walking toward the door. He places his hand on the door and turns it, although he doesn't open it just yet. "Was there anything else?"

I shake my head before I walk to the door, waiting for him to open it. He does so with a grand gesture, sweeping gesture as he smiles even broader.

He leans against the open door as I walk past, swaying slightly as he tries to steady himself. "I should be free later if you want to grab something to eat off campus."

I look at him bewildered before I leave, not responding to his suggestion.

My head is in the clouds as I walk out of the building and down the sidewalk that leads back to my dorm. I huddle in closer to myself as I try to figure out what is going on.

There are things going on that I don't understand. Things that affect me even when I don't realize it. And now I have two different versions of a story: Ellie's and Charlie's. And the only thing that they have in common is that they are pretending to date each other. Ellie says she was doing it to go to Syracuse and Charlie... Well he refused to say. It seems like there is something else I'm not seeing. And neither of them want to tell me what it is.

Before I know it I am standing in front of the dorm to my room again. I push open the door, wondering what's going to happen between Ellie and me now.

Ellie is still in the same exact spot, her chin a trembling and snotty mess as her back pressed against the wall. I lean against the now closed door, my chin trembling as I stare at her.

"I think you were right," I whisper, as I push over off of the door and stumble over to my bed, my legs barely holding me up long enough to make it there.

I collapse on top of my comforter. "I'm sorry, Ellie, I should have listened to you."

A choked sob bursts out of her lips as she runs across the room unexpectedly, throwing herself into my arms as she starts to sob uncontrollably. I pull her in close to me, all of our harsh words forgotten as I wrap my arms around her back and just lay there. But tears stream down my face as I struggle to digest all of the accusations we've thrown at each other over the past hour and all of the deceptions that have happened over the last month.

"This is all just one big mess, huh?" She laughs weakly, her tears dripping onto my neck.

"Yeah it is," I whisper back, my tears blending into her hair.

"I know this all seems stupid and unnecessary," she says, "but Kaiy, I need to go to that school."

I don't reply, not knowing what I could possibly say at this moment.

"I have to," she whispers again. "I just have to."

"I know you do." I free one of my hands as I start to stroke her hair, going lightly so I don't get my fingers tangled. "I know."

She clutches me tighter as her sobs quiet, my neck slowly starting to dry as her tears gradually stop, but neither of us let go.

"What am I gonna do?" She whispers into my neck.

"We'll figure out something Els." I lean back from her so I can look at her face

"You'll help me?" Her tear-reddened eyes look up into mine in shock. "Even after everything I've done you'll still help me?"

I don't answer, holding her tightly as I stare at the black tv screen. Will I help her? She is my best friend after all. We should both try to do what's best for the other.

I smile weakly before I pull her back to me, herhead resting on the key on my chest. "I'll help you and you'll help me.Besides, what're best friends for?"    

A/N I'm so sorry y'all!! Thanksgiving got the best of me and I had to visit my relatives so I wasn't able to post like I promised! But here are two new chapters! Let me know what y'all think!

Much Love,

Naomi