The Runt of the Litter

Run a Crooked Mile

What's up, bitches?

Nah, I'm just kidding- This is a Charlie chapter! Requested by the one, the only Cookiemonstar1912. She asked for Charlie, and I quite literally cannot believe I've never posted a chapter with Charlie in it. I simply had to write this. That being said (written?), it took me almost a month to write and post this (*facepalm*), because writing incredible characters for the first time makes me very nervous (*sweats furiously*).

Okay, this note has been eclectic at best, chaotic at worst, but I started class this week, and it's late (early?), and I'm sleep-deprived, so please excuse it. (I promise the chapter is more coherent.)

And, of course, thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read, vote, or comment on the last chapter (and any before that). I appreciate you all more than I can say ❤️

This takes place directly after Something Will Grow, You Know (which is the chapter based on the episode Lebanon where John returns), so, as in that chapter, Anna is sixteen.

Run a Crooked Mile

Locker doors slammed shut around her, and Anna still stood with hers open. The bell had rung to signal everybody had five minutes to get to class, but she was in no hurry. She stood slouched against the cool metal of her locker and stared at the books stacked inside without making a move to pick any of them up. She couldn't seem to make the gears in her head turn enough to even think what her first class was or what she'd need for it.

What she really wanted was to go home and lay in bed all day. She hadn't gotten enough sleep, and she didn't have any food in her system. She was running on nothing but caffeine and will power, and Anna didn't have much left by way of will.

She pulled out all of her books and shoved them in her backpack, let it look like that was what weighed her down as muscle memory led her to her fourth class of the day. English. And, unlike last semester, she didn't share the class with Kate.

She hadn't done the homework, so obviously this had to be the one day the teacher gave out a freaking quiz. She scribbled out the most BS answers she'd ever seen in her life and prepared herself to get a zero whenever that quiz was passed back out. One glance around the room told Anna that half the class was as exhausted as she was, but most of them were probably hungover. She was probably being lumped in with them, presumed hungover after Skip Day. But, hey, so long as she wasn't the only one to fail the quiz, Anna would take it.

The day dragged on, and she barely managed to stay awake through her last period. By the time the final bell rang, she felt light headed from hunger after not having eaten all day, and she was in a very bad mood. All she wanted was to go home and sleep.

Kate was waiting for her in the hallway when she got out of class.

"Must be nice to end your day with a free period," she snarked and adjusted her backpack on her shoulder.

"It is nice," Kate replied simply. "What's wrong? You seem pissed."

"I'm not pissed. I'm tired. And hungry."

"I told you to eat lunch."

"Yeah, congratulations, you told me so."

Kate gave her a deadened look, and Anna took the hint. Stop being an asshole.

"Sorry," she offered unhappily. She used one hand to rub her bloodshot eyes. "You're right, I'm in a pissy mood. But I just need to get some sleep."

"I'm surprised you didn't sleep like a rock last night after yesterday. Man, I think I went to bed at ten."

After yesterday, but Kate didn't know that Anna's yesterday had been overshadowed by more unbelievable events than the ghost of a serial killer and a broken up high school party. Anna had no intention of telling her either. Not yet anyway. Maybe eventually, but only if she couldn't deal with everything without talking about it. And she had the feeling that this was the kind of thing she would end up keeping to herself solely because there wasn't another person in the world that could understand. Kate would try, and she would listen to as much or as little as Anna gave her. But it wouldn't help to just say she felt inside out if all Kate could give her in return was empathy.