Later that evening, I get a text from Charls:
“Hey, we should talk. You free tonight?”
I text him back, “Yes,” and then head out. On my way to the frat house, I remember that I need to pick up something from my art class. I had left my art supplies that Lizzie gave me for Christmas in the classroom and I don’t want to leave it behind over the summer.
Lucky for me, my professor is still there, so I am able to collect it from him before he leaves.
On my way back to my car, I pass by the campus lake through the park.
“Well if it isn’t the backstabber,” I hear someone call from nearby.
Startled, I look up and see Clare standing just ahead of me. “Clare? What are you doing out in the night?”
“That is none of your business,” she snaps. “You sure have some nerve. I know what you did to the Tri-Fruhms.”
I roll my eyes. “Whatever.”
“You little bitch,” Clare sneers. “You think you are so perfect don’t you? You just waltz into campus thinking you’re some big shot and can run everyone’s lives! Just take whatever you want and destroy other people’s lives in the process!”
I arch an eyebrow. “Really? Says the girl that framed me for cheating and then cheated with my boyfriend!”
“He was my boyfriend first!” Clare shrieks. “He was off limits! And then you just showed up at the party and started making out with him. You didn’t even bother to find out first if he was taken!”
“How was I supposed to know you two had been together? You never said anything! I’m not a mind reader!”
Clare scoffs and looks away.
I step back and give Clare a look of pity. “You know what I think? I think you were jealous of me.”
Clare whips her head back up with her eyes widdened. “What?”
“Yes! You were so jealous that you were willing to frame me and degrade yourself by making a sex tape just to try and top me. It’s pathetic!”
“How dare you!” Clare screams, but I can see from her face that its true. She is totally the one that sent out that sex tape.
“Does Brad know you did that?”
Clare’s nostrils are flaring. “That is none of your business!”
“I’ll take that as a yes! I’m sure he wasn’t too happy about it. I wouldn’t be surprised if he dumped you. Brad doesn’t seem like a guy that would want an obsessive freak like you as a girlfriend. That’s probably why he dumped you in the first place.”
I barely finish my sentence when Clare tackles me to the ground. I am so shocked that at first I don’t know how to react. But when she tries to grab my neck, I wrestle her off and pin her to the ground. She then tackles me back down and tries to strangle me again, but I flip her off and she lands on her butt.
“Don’t ever come near me again!” I snap. “Have a nice life Clare.” And with that I walk off, the sounds of her cursing fading behind me into the night.
“Took you long enough,” Charls says when I walk through the Alpha Annya’s front door.
“I’m sorry, I ran into some trouble.” I glance around the room. “Brad isn’t here is he?”
Charls shakes his head. “No. He went out.” He then takes my hand. “Come with me.”
He leads me through the kitchen and out the backdoor to the balcony. We then take a seat on the cool wooden floor. Up above us, the stars have started to show and I can see them twinkling up above.
“So how have you been?” Charls asks me.
“I’ve been okay, just busy trying to bring all my grades up. After all the damage I did to them during the whole Brad thing, it was no easy task.”
Charls chuckles. “Definitely not. You think you did well on your finals?”
“You know what? I think I did.”
“That’s good.” Charls looks up toward the sky and I look over at him. He looks so relaxed as he stares up ahead. I feel my heart beginning to race again.
“So Charls, back at the club, we were talking about…well…us.”
Charls looks back at me. “We were.”
I smile. “So what was it that we had said?”
Charls grins. “Well, I think I remember saying something about caring about you a lot and you saying the same to me.”
I feel my cheeks going red. “That sounds familiar.”
We both then cuddle together and watch the stars for a while. The warm spring air passes over us and I can smell honeysuckle in the breeze.
“So about that night,” Charls says slowly, and I lift myself from him.
“Yes?”
“It wasn’t a one night stand to me.”
I feel my cheeks getting warmer. “It wasn’t?”
Charls shakes his head. “No. Abby, I have feelings for you. I have for a long time.”
I feel my heart pumping quickly in my chest. “I do too.” I then sigh. “I guess you just kind of caught me off guard that night. I didn’t know you felt that way. But then you kissed me, and it changed everything.”
“Did it?”
“Yes, it did.”
Some of Charls frat brothers come trampling outside, so Charls walks me back to the front of the house.
“Sorry about that,” Charls says looking uncomfortable.
“No problem. I’m just glad Brad wasn’t one of them.”
“Yah, he’s been on my case lately. He thinks I’m trying to zone in on you.”
I giggle. “Well aren’t you?”
Charls smirks. “Guilty.”
Charls leans down and is about to kiss me, when I pull back.
“What is it?” He asks confused.
“I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t want to, its just. I don’t know…”
“You still have feelings for Brad?”
“No!” I shake my head, but then shrug. “Well, I guess a little. I was kind of…in love with him.”
Charls nods. “Understood.”
He looks slightly disappointed, so I reach over and take his hands into mine.
“But that doesn’t mean that I don’t want you Charls. I do. That night we had, I know it didn’t come from nowhere. I obviously already had feelings for you and that night they just…escalated.” I bite my lip. “What I need right now is some time. I need time to get over Brad. I don’t want you to be a rebound.”
Charls frowns. “I don’t think that.”
“I know you don’t, but I feel like I might. I just need some time. Can you give me that?”
Charls kisses each of my hands and smiles. “Of course. I’ve waited this long. So I guess I can wait a little longer.”
He then takes my hand and walks me over to my car; my soul feeling like it’s soaring high in the clouds.
-Evanglina
The Lives of Lizzie & Abby 