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12

I returned home a few hours later and headed straight for the shower.

After doing what little homework I had, I spent the next half hour making myself beans and rice. My mom was hardly ever home during the week, as she had so many jobs I couldn't even keep track of them anymore.

I put on my favorite workout playlist and began to dance as I made my food. It made life a lot more enjoyable especially since most of the time, the house was extremely quiet.

As it neared around 7 p.m., I began to finish making my food. I was still dancing when I heard a chuckle behind me. I froze and turned around to see Charlie with a huge smile on his face.

"What are you doing here? Didn't you have enough of me already?" I laughed and so did Charlie but then his face grew serious. "I could never have enough of you." There it was again, the butterflies in my stomach. My face began to heat up and I couldn't hide the smile that fought its way onto my face.

"Anyway, I came here to stay with you. You couldn't sleep last night and I know it's going to happen again." I looked down to my feet, knowing he was right. "Charlie, you didn't have to come." He shook his head with a small smile on his face. "I was in this part of town anyway. I figured I would stop by." I gave him a knowing look. "You're a terrible liar." I rolled my eyes to see him laugh. "I least I can partially lie, while you however, can barely get one word out of your mouth when trying to tell a lie before you completely mess up." He smirked causing my face to slightly heat up. Damn, he was good at that.

From that point on, Charlie promised to stay with me every night.

~

It was three weeks since Alyssa and I's fight. We hadn't talked to each other since, but of course it was still affecting me. I walked around school, a smile never seen on my face. In class, I would sit and zone out.

Charlie turned to me in English class that afternoon. "Why are you still thinking about Alyssa? I mean, you both stopped being friends for a reason." I merely shrugged my shoulders and sighed. "I don't know, I just can't explain why."

For the first time in the world, I finally knew exactly why. When you are best friends with someone, all you want to do is hang out together, because you get each other, you are best friends. Until one day she kisses the boy you have liked since freshman year and you stop talking to one another. You did everything together, you had each other's back. How can someone be expected to just not think about the best friend they used to have? That's like if you only drive to work a certain way because it's what you've done for years and all of a sudden, you're never allowed to go that way again and people wonder why you're so angry about it. Because it's an inconvenience. How can you go from doing something for so long and then be expected not to do it ever again?

It's like when you've lived in a house for years and then you're evicted and have to move somewhere else. Are you just supposed to be okay with that?

~

After English class, I was walking down the hallway when my water bottle fell from my hands. It rolled down an abandoned hallway and I ran after it. As I reached the water bottle, it hit into the foot of someone. He was making out with a girl but I couldn't quite make out their faces as they were occupied. They stopped when the bottle hit their foot and I immediately recognized the boy as Logan, but he wasn't kissing Alyssa, it was someone else. He was cheating on her. Anger began to rise in me and my fists were clenched. How could he do this to Alyssa?

"What are you doing? How could you do this to Alyssa!?" With every second that passed, the more my anger rose. "Like you care. It's not like you're friends anymore." He scoffed in my direction. "We may not be friends anymore but it doesn't mean I don't care anymore." Logan laughed. "Whatever. You better not tell her, or else I'm gonna make sure something even worse than finding out I cheated on her, happens." I didn't realize what I did until it was already too late. I had punched Logan right in the face. He fell back into the lockers, sliding into the ground.

I knew that I was caught as soon as I heard my name being yelled by the principal who was standing behind me. I didn't regret what I did though.

~

Ten minutes later, I was sitting in a chair facing the principal. He was currently trying to call my mom. I knew she wouldn't answer though, she always had her phone off while working and she wouldn't be home tonight as Friday nights were spent at Andrew's house.

After repeatedly trying to reach my mother, the principal gave up, finally giving me a chance to explain my side of the story. Once I did, he had a knowing look in his eyes. "The same thing happened to my friend and I in college. We had a major fight and when someone messed with him, I wished I did what you did. You're free to go but take this as a warning, I might not be so lenient next time." I thanked him and headed out of the general office only to find Charlie waiting for me.

"I heard what happened. I can't believe you did that for her even after everything she did to you." A small smile appeared on my face as I spoke. "She was my best friend."