traumatized minds, luke hemmings

financial and emotional burden.

Tackling homework and baseball was beginning to become a chore for Charlie.

With Luke being a doctor – Charlie felt as though she was forced to be as good as she could be in school and in each study. Being in an AP class, doing sports, extra credit – The whole shabang.

And baseball was another story.

Practice being from the end of a school day to 5 pm at night was beginning to render her homework slightly undoable. With dinner right when she got home, and then trying to finish some odd assignments.

A week after she had met Sierra Deaton, she was sitting in her office while Luke was doing rounds as a doctor. Sierra was helping Charlie with her homework – assuring her that even doctors hated math.

"It's going to be okay, honey," Sierra insisted, bringing her hand to Charlie's shoulder. "Don't stress yourself out. You're overthinking this."

Charlie sighed dramatically. "I just – it's hard."

Sierra smiled sympathetically. "How come you signed up for 2 AP classes if it's hard, love?"

Charlie looked up at Sierra. The real reason she joined AP classes was because she wanted to show Luke she wasn't a total failure – and wasn't going to grow up to become a deadbeat drug addict mother like her own was.

"College." She simply answered behind her white lie. "I wanted to get into a good college."

Sierra nodded. "I see. Well, don't you worry. You have my number – if anything goes wrong, you can just call me."

30 minutes later, Luke had picked Charlie up from Sierra's office and packed her up into the car and began driving home.

"Just so you know," Luke said simply. "Me and the guys are going out tomorrow night. Is that okay?"

Charlie nodded. "Of course it's fine, Luke. It's your life – don't let me get in the middle of it."

Luke snorted a laugh and said, "Charlie, you're quite literally one of the main things in my life – of course you're in the middle of it."

That night, after Charlie had eaten dinner, she was upstairs and on the phone with Theo – one of her now best friends. He was rambling about the man he had met the other day, the one Charlie liked— Beck.

"He just gives me an off feeling," Theo claimed, sitting on his desk and spinning in his chair. "He irks me."

Charlie frowned. "You met him for like 5 minutes."

"And he sounded like a dick for those whole 5 minutes." Theo claimed.

Charlie laughed a little. "What's the term? Don't judge a book by its cover?" She tapped her chin.

"I've read two pages of that book." Theo humored. "What are you up to?"

"Homework," Charlie pulled out her Macbeth book she was reading for her AP english class. Theo smiled.

"Always' doing homework, aren't you?"

I guess she was.

The next day went by fast. With Beck driving her home from school and being slightly irritable, she assumed her day wasn't going to be the best.

She ate dinner quickly after she had finished homework and watched as the 4 guys she lived with began getting ready for their night out.

Having the house to herself wasn't odd for after school, but for the night? What if a murderer entered the house and killed her?

"You're going to be just fine," Luke declared. "We have cameras everywhere and there are thousands of kitchen knives Ashton insisted on buying. If anything were to happen, you'd be fine."

"I know." Charlie said.

Luke smiled and sat next to her on his bed. He brought her in for a side hug, the smell of his expensive cologne entered her nostrils. Luke kissed the top of her head and whispered. "If you want us to come home, call me."

She agreed – but knew she wouldn't.

Inside, she felt like she was becoming a financial burden. She didn't want to be an emotional burden and deny her family their own time.

"Remember that 911 is the emergency number," Luke said, causing Michael to roll his eyes, "And you have our numbers in your phone. Do not answer the front door by any circumstances."

"I know." Charlie nodded. "You've repeated yourself at least 30 times."

"We love you," Luke smiled, kissing Charlie's forehead before exiting the house with his best friends.