CHASING CHARLIE GRAY

2

I'd been in class with Charlie Gray the entirety of high school and there were only two things i knew about her.

One, she used to swim-I'm talking Olympic world record holding type swimming - and two, she doesn't anymore.

Charlie Gray was a big mystery to me and everyone else in Nowhere.

Once I got home, i sent a message to her on Facebook telling her about the project and asking when we'd be able to meet.

The problem with this was that Charlie hadn't made a single post on her feed since around the time she stopped swimming and that was a little over a year ago.

The weekend had gone by and i didn't get a response so i settled for asking around school but no one i talked to seemed to know anything about her. In junior year, Charlie had been best friends with Kate Spencer. I knew that because almost every other picture on Charlie's Instagram was a photo of her and kate. Her photos got millions of likes. Another account she hadn't been active on since she stopped swimming.

I stopped Kate right after fifth period and boy was that a mistake.

  " hey!, hey kate!" i called.

She was with her other friends off to one side giggling and talking softly.

The look she gave me made me wish I'd never said anything at all but i needed information and as far as i was concerned she was the only one who could give me what I needed.

" i was hoping to talk to you for a moment" i requested.

" what do you want?" she asked, face creased into a frown.

" i just want to know if you could pass a message onto Charlie for me, we have a project to do together for-"

" stop right there, you do know that we aren't friends right?" she asked, hand against her hip and eyebrows raised in disbelief.

I did not.

" Never mind then but thanks anyway"  i turned swiftly, heading in the opposite direction from kate and her friends. The way they stared at me as she talked made me feel like i was shit beneath their shoes. Disgusting and annoying.

So much for that.

There was one other option and that was the secretary. I'd have to go get Charlie's number from the office like a true stalker.

Great.