A year after losing her older sister in a tragic accident, Charlie's Mom marries the father of the most popular boys in school. Still grieving, Charlie struggles to accept her new family and gets involved with her stepbrothers worst enemy, the capta...
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CHAPTER TWO
• CHARLIE •
The morning after the party was very distressing.
I had an awful headache, an unsettled stomach and excessive thirst. On top of this, I had a rude awakening, which manifested in two ways.
The first thing that greeted me was my phone screaming at me. Joe's name flashed across the screen as the light invaded the pleasant darkness of my room like an unwanted guest at a party.
I grumble, picking up the phone. "What do you want, Joe?"
Shouldn't there be an unspoken rule between friends that we do not call each other the morning after drinking?
"Morning, sunshine. Just checking you're alive." I hear Joe chirping.
Over the line, birds twitter, telling me he was likely walking along the beach on his way to work while still in bed wearing my ocean-wave patterned pyjamas.
I run a finger through my knotted blonde hair and sit up. "My head hurts."
"And who's fault is that?"
As much as I hate to admit it, I shouldn't have sparked the little drinking contest that led to the three of us in the pool. But, after what happened with my stepbrothers, my friends and I kept drinking.
"Mine," I admit, scowling. "Can you leave me alone now? I love you, Joe, but your smugness is annoying me."
Joe let me go, and I hung up the phone before reluctantly forcing myself out of bed. Walking over to the window, I notice a giant bruise on my leg from God knows where. I open the curtains, instantly blinded by the bright Florida morning sun.
Looking out at the garden, I see it is a mess. Red cups and beer bottles litter the lawn, the outdoor fairy lights lie in a tangle on the grass, and the outdoor furniture has been turned upside down. I realise our parents will be back soon, meaning cleaning up was how I would spend my Saturday.
When my attention turns to the pool, my jaw drops. My stepbrother, Tommy, is lying in the middle of the pool on a pink lilo — naked. He lies on his tummy with his ass in full view. I don't think you need much more of an explanation. You can imagine a football player from your school butt naked on a lilo.
I am going to kill him.
I storm out of my room and go straight to Harry's. Not bothering to knock, I force open the door, and the light from the hallway follows me into his pitch-black room.
Harry is lying in his bed, looking dead. He doesn't give me any sign that he has noticed I have entered his room. Instead, he lies peacefully on his front, his blue duvet cover draped lazily over his body. He seems very much out of it.
