Just My Luck

Late

"What?" Avery asked. Charity shot him daggers with her eyes, since this was supposed to be a secret.

"We don't have time for this!" He said, reading Charity's thoughts about her plan. He unravelled a weathered piece of paper.

Michael Ashton,
I have been lenient in your punishment so far. But, because of your blatant disregard for my deadline, you have forced me to take action. Watch your back, since now not only you, but your family and friends lives are all in danger.
Sincerely
KX

Charity stood there in shock, while Avery was panting into a paper bag. She placed her hand on the bookshelf for support, and was breathing heavily.

"What does that mean?" Asked Charity.

"Whatdya think Nancy? It's a death threat!" Todd practically shouted, causing a few heads to turn.

"But who's doing this?" She asked, maintaining her composure.

"KX." Said Avery, once she was able to breathe again.

"But Who is that?" Charity asked.

"Charity, do you have the envelope?" Asked Todd. She rifled through her bag, and pulled it out. Avery's face was more confused than shocked.

"Another one?" She asked.

"His name is James. James Lancaster." Whispered Todd. Avery looked around, as if someone could hear them.

"He goes by the moniker, 'king of diamonds' cuz he's one of the biggest drug lords, and he's totally loaded."

Everything fell into place, and Charity's jaw involuntarily fell agape. How had she have not put it together?

"What are we gonna do though?" Asked Avery. They all looked at each other, a shared sinking feeling in their stomachs.

"What's going on gang?" Asked a familiar voice. They all snapped their heads, to find Michael standing behind them. His eyes had a new tiredness to them. His face was blotchy, and he had a small purple bruise just above his lip.

"Uh, nothing," Said Todd, "no gang related activities here!"

"Yeah, like, we're totally not doing bad stuff." Avery giggled nervously, her eyes darting around the room. Charity barely kept herself from rolling her eyes.

"Nah, just joking around." She smiled convincingly, giving him a small peck on the lips. He flinched from the pressure on his bruised lip, but quickly hid it.

"So, did you get home okay last night?" Michael asked. Charity and Todd made eye contact, before she nodded.

"Cool. So I was thinking we could hangout in the park after all this."

"No!" Snapped Charity. Michael's thick eyebrows raised in shock, as she realized how weird that sounded.

"I mean, let's hangout here!"

Michael nodded, but doubt was written on his face like the splotches of purple scabs. Michael untangled himself from her embrace, and murmured something, before heading off. She smacked her palm to her forehead, and sighed.

"Geez Avery." Laughed Todd.

"What?" She said, though she was smiling too. Charity put the new letter with the old one, and quickly got back to work.

What was happening to her? Every summer previous to this one had been mostly night time walks and playing in the park with Shelby.

If she had never gone through with that stupid plan at the beginning of the summer, her life wouldn't currently be in danger.

Well, there's no point in waiting around. In life, there are two types of people. The type that hope and wish there troubles will go away, and the ones who go out and fight it.

And Charity was definitely a fighter.

She passed the next few hours by running plausible ideas through her mind. She could tell Avery was trying to downplay her concern, since she didn't make eye contact, and her breathing was heavier.

That's when she felt a pair of comforting arms wrap her gently.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"I'm sorry." He said.

"Don't be. I've just been really stressed lately." They stayed like that for a while. Even though she had only known Michael for a brief period of time, she just couldn't put her finger on the familiarity in his face.

His black hair had grown a bit, causing it to curl at the ends. She didn't mind this, since her hair had also grown. Her hair was now moving towards her upper back. She sighed softly from the relief of his comfort. It had been so long since she had gotten to really talk to him.

"My friend's having a party for the end of summer, I was hoping you'd wanna join me?" He asked.

That feeling in her stomach started gushing back up towards her throat, threatening to bust at the seams. Michael turned to see the sullen expression carved into her face.

"It was only a suggestion, we don't have to."

"No, no, I'd love to go!" She paused, not hiding her discomfort very well. She had to go, otherwise he could get hurt.

"Okay?" He said, a little confused by her sudden chirpiness. She smiled and nodded, proving his doubts even more.

"I needa pee." She said, escaping his embrace. She rushed to the washroom, but could feel the lingering eyes of a very concerned and confused boy.

"C'mon Charity!" She said to herself in the mirror. She splashed some cold water on her face to try and dim down the redness that came from all the lying.

She checked herself  in the mirror. She looked worse than she thought possible. She was wearing adidas shorts with a baggy tank top and a grey sports bra. Her hair was pulled into a low messy bun, and the bags under her eyes had a brownish-grey tinge to them. Her lips were even worse, having split from being chapped. Her cheeks were flush and her aura was all around morose.

She tried to smile, but it was no use. It hurt her already split lips, and couldn't cover her stressed eyes. She had to take deep breaths and get some water, before facing the bed she had made herself.

"Well," She sighed, "I guess I'm going to a party."