Chapter 6

I've looked in the library, gymnasium, locker room, and auditorium. She wasn't in any of those places. Where the heck is she? I decide to look in the last place that I can think of... The music room. I jog down the hall towards the music room since it's my last hope at finding her before the bell rings for third period. I walk into the music room only to see her playing a sad tune while sitting at the piano. I lean against the doorframe and watch her play since her eyes are closed and I don't want to startle her. "You know that you can join me, right?" She asks before she opens her eyes and turns her head in my direction I walk towards the bench which causes her to slide over so that she can make room for me. When I sit down on the bench we both remain quiet, it was so quiet that you could hear our ragged breaths. "Not that I hate it, but why is you hair down?" She asks in confusion which causes me to tense as I start to fidget with my hands "I, um, started to get a headache. So I took it down" I say which causes her to scoff "I know that you're lying to me" she says with a tone that lets me know that she's smirking "I'm not lying" I say which causes her to scoff "Look me in the eye and tell me that you're not lying" she says in a challenging voice I take a deep breath in and out before I slowly turn towards her and angle my head so that she can't witness my red cheek. She closely observes me before she reaches out to push the hair away from my cheek. This is it. She's going to know what has been happening since school started. Before she gets the chance to touch my hair the bell goes off for third period which causes me to let out a breath of relief. I quickly stand up before placing her backpack on the bench, where I was previously sitting, and running out of the music room towards my class. Oh my god. That was too close. I was able to successfully avoid Charlotte for the rest of the school day, so she hasn't been able to seen my cheek. I look at myself in the mirror behind the front door and notice that I look exhausted. I move the hair away from my cheek and notice that it's a light purple shade. Great, now I have to hide it until it heals. I walk into the kitchen only to stop in front of the freezer so that I can grab an ice pack. I place the ice pack on my cheek before I jog upstairs so that I can start on my homework. As soon as I walk into my room I throw my backpack on the bed and walk into my closet so that I could change into a pair of comfy clothes. I decide on an oversized black hoodie paired with white night shorts. I find a pair of white knee length varsity sock and put them on. When I walk out of my closet I hear my phone buzzing on my nightstand. As I walk towards it I see Charlotte's name flashing across the street. I grab the phone and swipe right before I place the phone near my ear and speak into it. "Hello?" I ask in a weird voice since I forgot that I have a bruise on my face and accidentally touched the phone to my face "I'm coming over" Charlotte says which causes me to roll my eyes Usually she just comes over without saying anything. "You can't" I say as I sit on the bed and start to pull out my homework and textbooks "And why is that?" She asks with a curious voice "One, because it's my house" I say matter of factly "and two, because my mom just went to work so I doubt she'd be pleased to find out that you slept over" I say "You make it seem like we've never had hangouts while your mom wasn't there," she says in a confused voice "I know that you're hiding something from me, but I don't understand why" she says with obvious disappointment which causes me to sigh "I'm just not feeling well, I'll talk to you tomorrow" I say before I hang up and stare at the wall with a frown I get snapped out of my thoughts by my phone singing from three text messages. I immediately frown when I see who they're from. Maddie- I hope you learned your lesson today Maddie- I see you've made a new friend, that's great. Maddie- Now you can leave MY Charlotte alone She's been cyber bullying me ever since a month ago when she caught me and Charlotte hugging. I honestly think it's crazy how obsessed she is with Charlotte, which is why I'm scared of what she might do if I tell someone about what she's been doing to me. I hear a knock on the door downstairs which causes me to groan in annoyance. Why does everyone want to bother me today. I fix my hair so that it's covering my cheek before I pull my hood up and onto my head. I quickly make my way downstairs before opening the door only to be met with Charlotte holding a tub of ice cream. I sigh which makes her sadly smile. "I know that you don't want to see me right now, but I really don't feel comfortable being alone right now" she says which makes me pout as I see a tear roll down her cheek If she started with that on the phone then maybe the call would've went a little bit differently. I wipe her tear away before I pull her into a hug. "It's okay, I'm here for you" I say as I walk her inside and close the door Charlotte has separation anxiety. Her parents neglected her when she was eleven and went on a trip when she was twelve. They left her with my mom and I before they got on a plane so that they could fly to Hawaii. They told her that they would be back whenever they felt like it and barely acknowledged us when they dropped her off. Long story short, they never came back. We have no clue where they are nor do we care, but when Charlotte is left alone for too long she either gets panic attacks or she breaks down and wrecks things. A couple of times when she's spent the night she gets very bad nightmares. There has been countless times where I had to wake her up and calm her down. She's been through a lot, but even through it all she tolerates hate from nobody. "I have to do homework, I can put on a movie for you" I suggest as we walk up the stairs and towards my bedroom "No, I'll help you" she says in a small, fragile voice. I nod as she removes her shoes and climbs onto my bed. I sit beside her and place my textbooks on my lap along with a couple of papers. She lays her head on my shoulder which makes me smile. I'm so happy that I'm able to comfort her in these moments.