Death of the Perfect Girl

40- The User

      Charlotte walked down the hallway watching student scurry to their classrooms. Her phone had buzzed in her pocket a few times but she hadn't bothered to look at it. She walked into the library knowing Sadie was supposed to meet her there for their free period.

Sadie sat at one of the tables with her hands on her head and a group of girls around her. One of them rubbed her back.

"It's okay, Sadie," she frowned. "I'm sure he'll just get suspended."

Charlotte squinted at her. "What happened?"

Sadie looked at her. "Did you not look at your phone? Where the hell were you?"

Charlotte shrugged and sat down. "Is Mason in trouble?"

Sadie nodded dramatically flipping her hair. "He fought Chris."

"For?"

"Poppy-"

Charlotte raised her brows.

"- or Fisher. I don't know."

"What do you mean for Fisher?"

"Fisher and Chris were fighting," a girl said getting a little too excited. "Or should I say Fisher was getting beat up. It seems like he may have hit Chris in the head or something because Chris was bleeding from the back of his head. But he beat Fisher really bad. And Mason showed up and beat Chris up for him."

"And now he might get suspended," Sadie put her hand under her chin and sulked.

Charlotte took her phone out. "Serves him right," she mumbled.

"Excuse me?" Sadie sat straight. "I'll ask again. Where were you?"

Charlotte rolled her eyes then she looked at the girls. "Can you give us a minute?"

The girls stood up and walked away.

"I was with Poppy," Charlotte looked at Sadie.

Sadie shook her head. "So, you two are besties now? First a sleep over and now you ditch me for her-"

"First of all, I only slept over at her house because she needed company. Something happened and she needed someone with her-"

"What happened?"

Charlotte shut her mouth, then she looked down at her phone. "I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because she told me in confidence."

"See? You two are keeping secrets now. You're besties-"

"I'm only doing this so Liam would like me," Charlotte leaned closer to Sadie and whispered.

Sadie froze then she smirked.

"She's annoying as hell, to be honest. She's a softy. Hate people like that."

"I knew you wouldn't just abandon me for her."

Charlotte shrugged and forced a smile on her face feeling a little bad. She was being nice to Poppy to get closer to Liam, but she also liked Poppy. As soft as Poppy seemed to be, she was humble, unlike Sadie.

"So," Sadie leaned closer to Charlotte," tell me what she told you."

"About-"

"What made you sleep over at her house? What is this secret?"

"I can't tell you. I don't trust you enough to."

"Why would you not trust me-"

"Because you put everything on your little YouTube channel."

"It's not little anymore. I'm almost near 100k. Come on. I swear to you. I won't tell anyone."

Charlotte gulped. "I really shouldn't-"

"You're my best friend. Not hers. We don't keep secrets-"

"Mason assaulted her," Charlotte shut her eyes and whispered. When she reopened them, Sadie sat silent staring at her.

"She lied to you-"

"No she didn't. You should've seen her. She said he went up to her room with her-"

"Poppy is a liar, just like the rest of her family."

Charlotte furrowed her brows. "What are..." Her eyes grew. "Do you know Poppy's family?"

Sadie looked down. "Just drop it. And drop that lie she told you."

"If you don't believe me, ask your boyfriend. He literally searched for her yesterday to beg her for forgiveness." Charlotte stood up. "I'm not going to sit here and have you call me a liar."

Sadie looked at her.

"Ask your boyfriend."

*  *  *

Sadie sat in the car with Charlie. "You'll get your money," she stared out the window. "Just have patience."

"You've said that for the past few months," he looked at her. "I need my money, Sadie."

"You don't want me to blab about you to my cop mom, do you?"

Charlie glared at her.

They sat in silence for a while then Sadie sighed. "Don't drop me off."

"What?" Charlie kept his eyes on the road.

"I have to talk to your brother about something."

"His fight?" Charlie smirked," I heard it was about Poppy."

"I heard it wasn't," Sadie turned to him.

He snickered. "...So? What do you have to talk to him about?"

Sadie ignored him, staring at her phone.

"I have no one to tell. I literally choose not to have friends because I hate gossip."

She continued to stare at her phone.

"I'll give you a fifty percent discount on your next buy."

Sadie lifted her eyes from her phone. "Fine. Take me home then."

"What? Come on. Fifty percent-"

"If I tell you, I won't need to speak to Mason anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because you're going to tell me how he reacts to the question."

"What question?"

"Don't tell him I asked. Just go to him and ask him and tell me how he reacts."

Charlie turned to Sadie in suspension. "What's the question?"

Sadie's eye lid twitched and her brow raised as she thought about the question. "Ask him if he touched Poppy."

Charlie furrowed his brows. "Touched as in what-"

"Rape! As in rape."

"Wha... I don't understand-"

"He drove her home Saturday night and she told Charlotte that he tried to rape her."

Charlie squeezed the steering wheel, completely outraged. "He wouldn't do something like that. Why the hell would she say that-"

"That's why I need you to get his reaction when you ask. I need to know if he did this. You guys act like you hate each other but I know you tell each other everything. You were friends before you became step brothers."

Charlie stared at the road feeling confused and furious. Mason couldn't have done what Poppy had said.