invisible string • Gracie Abrams

020 good riddance

CHAPTER TWENTY
good riddance
•

SADIE'S penthouse was practically a second home to charlotte and her friend group, but especially to charlotte, who had her own room since sadie saw no point in two guest rooms. she opened the front door with her own key after barely managing to get to the building after her long day of filming, and trudged into the penthouse.

"sades, i'm here," she called out, pulling off her shoes and walking down to the living room.

there, sat spread across the room was marcus, matthew, caleb, and sadie, all looking questionably sick with worry and eyes immediately darting to charlotte the second she walked in. last time they all sat full circle looking like this was when someone ate caleb's last blueberry muffin and he insisted on a full interrogation go figure out who did it.

"okay, who stole what," charlotte asked, setting down her bag and hopping onto the couch beside matthew, laying her legs over his. but they didn't respond. she looked at matthew who wasn't even looking at her, "matt?"

he sighed and met her eyes, a sad expression on his face. before he could say anything, he pulled his ex into a warm hug, burrowing his head into her neck. charlotte comfortingly put a hand on his back of his head and ruffled his hair.

"okay you guys are freaking me out..."

matthew pulled away and cleared his throat, "charlotte, jude called us late last night."

"yeah, it was right after he dropped you off at gracie abrams' apartment apparently..." sadie added.

marcus snapped his head to charlotte, "yeah wait, what's that whole gracie situation about, are you two—"

"marc, not the subject right now," caleb said in his fatherly voice, leaning forwards to look at charlotte. "charlotte, he told us um... well actually you told him that you got drugged by someone at a club?"

"oh that's what this is about." charlotte's eyes widened, her gut sinking. shit i didn't want them to know this... "yeah... um we didn't really talk about it much though."

"and not with us either, you didn't tell us?!" sadie said, her voice raising only because of how much she cares. "and since when do you go clubbing alone?!"

charlotte's eyebrows crinkled, "i didn't think i'd have to say anything, nothing happened, and i wasn't alone i was with lily rose depp." she replied.

"wait but jude said that gracie, like, saved you," marcus said in confusion.

charlotte didn't notice until now how uncomfortable she felt talking about getting drugged and literally probably almost raped. and what wasn't helping was that she didn't want to reveal that gracie had to come rescue her and a mere few days later they actually started dating. besides if her freinds want to get her to file a police report, which they obviously will, she would have to mention that gracie picked her up. and since the news will probably get into that case, they'll obviously find out and then people will know gracie and charlotte don't hate each other. and what's worse is charlotte will be seen as the actress who got roofied by lily's friend, and will then be appearing on every talk show to discuss it.

she sighed though, knowing the four wouldn't drop this if their life depended on it, "she did. lily called her to pick me up and i slept over there." matthew seemed to smirk a little. "but it's not like i wanna press charges or anything—"

"dude, you need to press charges before this guy goes to another girl," caleb said, sadie nodding at him with her arms folded.

"lily um dealt with him," charlotte said unsure and unconvincingly.

"y'know what, if you're not going to deal with him i will, what's his address," matthew demanded.

before charlotte could answer, caleb pulled matthew back by his shoulder, "okay you're not going all fight club and getting bruised over this, you're walking for prada next week. i'll do it."

marcus then raised his hand, "hell no, you're filming you can't get in the middle of this—i'll do it."

"literally none of you three can even through a punch," sadie said. "we could get him cancelled—"

"guys just drop it c'mon, i don't wanna make this a bigger deal than it already is, let's just watch a movie or something," charlotte groaned, getting anxious.

a little moment of silence occurred where charlotte stared into all of their eyes.

sadie sighed, "we just wanted to make sure you're okay."

charlotte gave her a soft smile, "i'm okay, i promise. he didn't kiss me or anything, i'm okay. and i'm sure lily probably threw him to the streets."

marcus then cleared his throat, "so now that that's talked about... are we gonna talk about how gracie picked you up. and also that you guys have been seen a lot together recently..."

fully knowing she wasn't at all ready for this conversation. the only person she's confessed to liking gracie about, other than her of course, was jude. and matthew didn't seem all that estatic when he found out gracie and charlotte were associating, and she and gracie did agree to keep things private even before they started dating.

"yeah, i um haven't talked to her since she picked me up from that night with lily." charlotte said.

matthew, marcus, and caleb nodded, but not sadie. the redhead stared at charlotte in that way were she seems to be analyzing every little piece of her. she then titled her head head and mumbled a "i thought you said you two were friends?"

charlotte backtracked to the night sadie called her after gracie and her were photographed at that event infront of the washroom, and nodded, "yeah we just drifted i guess. didn't expect it to last anyways right?" she chuckled, praying sadie wouldn't catch on.

and honestly, it hurt already to talk about her and gracie's relationship that way.

"good riddance," matthew sighed. "i kept worrying she'd screw you over like her dad did to yours. i don't trust her."

charlotte clenched her jaw. if there was one time at all that she actually felt anger for once towards matthew it was now. but really, he wasn't saying anything too bad, considering the charlotte who didn't know gracie well a few months back would say the same thing. matthew just didn't know her like she did.

instead of shoving him, she nodded with a slight smile, "yeah, thank god she didn't."

"so," sadie said, finally clearing the gracie abrams topic for now. "who wants to stay over tonight and watch the scream collection?"

"havent you seen the screams like twenty times," caleb asked, but sadie just shrugged in response and leaned into his arm.

"i can't stay over anyways, i'm doing this IMBd interview tomorrow morning with Maddie," charlotte replied.

now that she reminded herself of that interview, only a couple hours away, charlotte felt nerves rushing all over her body. she was obviously going to have to dodge every gracie question shot at her, which she already proved to be difficult to do with her friends. she then mentally slapped herself for realizing that there was no way the interviewer wouldn't ask, considering she so stupidly in a fit of annoyance acted like she didn't know who alex monaghan was. sure she didn't actually know him before she met gracie, but since she appeared right after the breakup it would be hard for her to not know.

"charlie, you okay?" matthew asked in a whisper over marcus and caleb loudly trying to find where to stream scream1.

charlotte noticed her bouncing leg and rapidly tapping fingers against the couch and stopped her movement, "mhm," she nodded. "i'm fine."

_

soph!
ugh ik this chapter was shorter, but i might have two out tomorrow!!