Project GoldCrest ✓

Chapter 8

Charlotte

The next day, I received a text from Mickey while exiting class.

Mickey: I'm going to Fountain Falls Thursday night. I'll wait for you around the same time as when you joined me last time we were there. If you don't come, I'll know that you've chosen to not join me and I'll respect your decision by not speaking to you again about what happened that night.

My eyebrows rose as I read the long text, but slowed down as I realized that he was giving me a chance. A chance to run away from all this, and never look back. If I didn't show up, then I could bury everything I saw. Bury all the questions and the curiosity.

Bury the excitement.

What excitement? I quickly put my phone in my pocket. I mentally rolled my eyes, and paused my hand mid air on its way to flipping my ponytail.

Silently huffing, I walked faster to reach my friends. They asked me what was going on, probably because my facial expression had changed, and I lied saying that I was worried about my boyfriend. I didn't know and did not care whether they believed me or not.

As we walked through the hall toward the cafeteria, I studied them.

Chrissy's dirty blonde hair made her look like a normal teenager. And she probably was. Her face had a certain innocent feature. She was a carefree character but rarely expressed herself.

Sophia was different. She had strawberry blonde hair which made her look super innocent. I barely knew her, but I was sure that her supposed innocence was just one of the outer layers of her personality. I had no way to be sure. But somehow I was, because she just seemed like a giant mystery to me. And it had only been two weeks since we befriended her.

Then there was me, that friend who lied to you because she didn't want to truly open up about what was happening to her. What the hell is happening to me?

When did I start behaving like this, I wondered.

Once we had sat down and started eating, I felt detached from the conversation that took place. But my friends didn't notice. I barely heard Chrissy droning on and on about something while Sophia kept nodding her head.

I missed Keeley. I missed Corrine and Candace. I missed my friends so much, that I could feel the yearning in my chest become deeper. In the past, when we'd spend break time together, we'd talk about stuff freely. Whether it were bad dreams, or whatever felt weird. Strange how my memories of them felt incomplete. Especially the twins, as they were the glue. I recognized the fact that it was a long time ago, and that was probably why.

Part of me wished that Keeley hadn't changed schools last year. Even though our friendship had been failing ever since the twins moved away, part of me felt like we could have eventually become close again.

I shook my head, trying to chase away those thoughts. I didn't even want to wonder why I was suddenly feeling like this.

I slowly rejoined the conversation towards the end, when we started walking to the girls bathroom.

On the way there, I saw Mickey. I didn't even want to bother with locking eyes with him because I knew he'd distract me while I wanted to think, yet somehow I did. He was talking with some of his classmates, but wasn't paying them attention as he'd turned to face me for a moment.

I turned around without warning when we eventually passed them, breaking eye contact.

This is all your fault, Michael.

When I went home that day, I happened to be watching TV when my mother found me.

"How is your reunion planning coming along?" She moved to sit next to me on the sofa.