Something There

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty:

"Hey Lex! Are you okay? I tried to come after you but Bryce stopped me and said it would be better if he did it himself," Charlie calls out, knocking on my door before opening it up and stepping into the room.

I sit up in bed at his arrival, pulling my earbuds out of my ears and giving him a small wave.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks. It all just brought back some really awful memories so I really needed to get out of there," I tell him with a grateful smile, and he beams at me.

"I'm glad to hear," he says, leaning against the doorway. "And I'm sorry about the memories. I still feel like shit knowing that you had to go through that."

I shake my head at him. "Really, Charlie, it's all right. I've gotten over it," I say, giving him a small smile that he quickly reflects.

"All right. I'm glad to hear. How about you come downstairs and keep me company until Mom and Dad get home? I'm lonely," he pouts, and I laugh at him.

I nod, saying, "Sure. I'll be down in just a second," which makes his grin wider as he turns around, walking away from my room and down the stairs.

Reluctantly, I climb out of the warmth provided by my bed, smoothing out my shirt and twisting my hair over one shoulder.

Maybe I should cut it. I can't remember the last time I've had my hair cut.

I'm staring at my reflection in the mirror now, surprised by the sudden light in my eyes. I never usually look this happy, but right now my cheeks are flushed a slight shade of pink and I can't help but to crack a smile at myself.

I'm so completely and utterly grateful that my mom and I are finally being transparent with our feelings. I would feel incredibly guilty to go off to college without mending our relationship, and so there's a hefty weight off my chest now that things seem okay between us.

I'll have to remind myself to thank Bryce later, knowing that if it weren't for our little agreement, I probably wouldn't have done anything about my own family situation.

Truth be told, I'm just glad to hear that he's quit smoking. I don't understand the appeal, or how he even began in the first place.

Taking a deep breath in, holding it for a few seconds and then exhaling, I walk over to my closet, switching on the light. I sift through my clothing before finding a bright red sweater that looks warm enough, so I tug it off the hanger before pulling it over my head. I then reach down the front of my shirt, realizing that my cherry blossom necklace had been tucked under my shirt all day.

I don't know if Bryce has caught on to the fact that I wear it everyday, but he hasn't said anything about it so I can't be sure.

Stepping out of the closet, I switch off the lights before shutting the door, heading out of my bedroom and down the stairs.

I find Charlie sitting at the island in the kitchen, his laptop open as he types away.

"Hey," I say, greeting him as I step towards the refrigerator, grabbing a glass from the cupboard.

He gives me a friendly wave, then pulling out the stool beside him an patting the seat, gesturing for me to sit down. I nod to him, first holding my glass below the after dispenser to fill it up.

The glass only gets to fill about a quarter of the way before my phone begins ringing from my pocket. I sigh, setting the glass down on the counter before pulling the buzzing phone out.

Bryce. Of course he's calling me even though we saw each other an hour ago.

"Who is it?" Charlie asks me, and I mouth the name 'Bryce' to him. He gets a knowing smile on his face.