Natalie has lived on Forest Ave street for four years and doesn't expect anything interesting to happen. At least, not until a new family moves in a house only one look from her window away.
Not that I'm one to care about ranking but this story was...
I had noticed a gradual change in Charlie's behavior for the past week. That was how much time had passed since the party Dean and I threw. Dean and Dale had gone back to their parents, leaving me and my parents alone. Despite my cousins leaving and freeing up even more of my time, Charlie seemed more distant.
Not, of course, in the way of seeing me. Even though he had fixed my car completely last week, we still spent most breaks between classes together, often hung out in the parking lot. There was rarely an evening when he didn't walk up to my window and message me.
Charlie was more distant in a secretive way and I had noticed that immediately.
i found your CD from when we drove out my car haha, want me to give it to you now? :))
It was not like I was always the one messaging him first.
no, im not home right now, later maybe
It was that his responses seemed uninterested and unfamiliar to me.
''Well, if he's lost interest in you for whatever reason... he's kind of an idiot,'' Ruby said, as the two of us walked down the school hallway.
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''Apparently...'' I replied. ''we watched Underworld a few days ago and even though it seemed interesting to him and we both enjoyed the movie, he just sort of left afterward. Well, not that I expected him to sleep on the couch or in my bed-''
''I get it, yeah,''
''He's stopped constantly flirting with me, like, in that cute and awkward manner that he always did,''
''Maybe something happened in his family,''
''I would have known. He tells me that stuff,'' I explained. ''plus, there's always something going on. Not like in a big dramatic way, but more of small arguments. It's a big family...''
''Hard to say. Have you asked him upfront about it?''
''In a very weirdly-combined text, yes,'' I replied and showed Ruby the message.
hey, i'm almost done tutoring for the day. Want to hang out later? Unless you're not feeling like it ;)
i'm trying to finish my homework so probably not today
I had taken the chance to try to find out Charlie's issue.
are you feeling well? I sort of noticed that you've been a little unfocused for the past few days...
Charlie had taken long to reply with such a small message.
yeah don't worry about it all good
''Despite his syntactical errors, what's more worrying is that that message was two days ago!'' Ruby said and looked away from my phone.
''And to that, I replied with 'okay' and tried not to bother him... although I wanted to,'' I explained and put the phone in my pocket.
