Where is Louise Bauman? + Original, Book 1 ✔

12

- Dear Society; Madison Beer -

Charlie looked over in complete shock, her face turning a deep shade of crimson red. She stumbled over her words, not knowing what to say as Ren smirked at her, looking her up in down in admiration. "Beautiful, I mean." He corrected himself, glancing over his shoulder to make sure that her mother hadn't followed him down the hall to her room once she'd let him into the house.

"H-how- I th-thought-"

"All I had to do was take a quick shower and change, Char." Ren let out a chuckle, "I wasn't going to take too long to get ready. The drive to and from my house took longer than me getting ready."

"I was just- it was here and-"

"It's okay that you were trying it on," Ren told her as he walked up to her. He stopped directly in front of her, their faces only inches apart. "It looks good on you. Wear it."

"Did you leave this here on purpose?" Charlie bluntly asked, wondering if her mother really was right, or if it was all in her head.

"Maybe," Ren admitted, stepping away from her and toward her bedroom door.

"Maybe?" Charlie responded, looking at him in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean? You either meant to or you didn't, Renfrow."

"Well, if I did would that be weird?" He asked, looking back at her. When the girl didn't say anything he just pursed his lips, glancing at the missing poster that was half-made on her desk. "We should get going if you want to get all your detective stuff done today."

"R-right." Charlie shut her eyes for a moment, beginning to take the jacket off. She got it about halfway off before Ren spoke up again.

"Don't. It matches your outfit, I like it."

Charlie stopped, a smile forming on her face as she slipped the jacket back on. It slid on perfectly, forming around her body, radiating warmth. She felt her heart race as Ren smiled bigger, biting the inside of his lip as he nodded his head in the direction of the doorway, a signal to tell her to follow him out to his car. She couldn't help but think as she did when she'd woke up that morning, that if this were in any other circumstance, this would be perfect.

Things were going great. She was getting closer to Ren and she was wearing his jacket. She was going to be sitting in the front row bleachers at the homecoming game cheering him on. She slept next to him the night before and was spending the day with him. This was all she'd wanted for years, and although she really was genuinely happy, she wasn't as happy as she should be.

Louise Bauman was to thank for that. Sitting in the back of her mind was a giant plethora of emotions. Guilt, sadness, and curiosity, and that was only to begin with. Sitting in the back of her mind were burning questions dying to get answered, and Charlie wasn't going to sleep well at all until they were.

Following Ren out of her bedroom after grabbing all of her things, she said goodbye to her mother who sent her a smirk. She didn't say anything as she knew it would embarrass her daughter, no matter how much she really wanted to, but instead just told her to stay safe and to check in every once in a while if she could. They also exchanged their 'I love you's', and she once again told Ren it was nice meeting him and to come around anytime he wanted to, basically letting him know she approved of him in a way that wasn't so obvious.

When the two teenagers were finally out of the house and into Ren's shiny jeep, it was silent. They didn't know what to talk about, whether to talk about Louise or to talk about something else, as things had changed since the last time they rode together in the same vehicle like this.