Happy Everly After

Chapter 12

Charlotte squinted her eyes at me, tilting her head as if Riley was the last thing on earth she expected me to be upset over. Her brows gathered and her mouth hung open in surprise as she struggled to understand what could have caused my distress.

Suddenly, her eyes bulged, and she blurted out "did he tell you? Oh god that's it, isn't it?" She began pacing back and forth, her words tumbling out in a frantic pace. I was confused and trying my best to keep up.

"Tell me what, what are you talking about?!" I demanded.

But instead of answering, Charlotte covered her face with her hands and peeked through the gaps at me. I urged her to continue, my eyes filled with questioning looks.

"Well, spit it out", I prodded.

With her face still hidden behind her hands, Charlotte's muffled voice spoke again. "I'm the biggest hypocrite", she said, lifting her head to look at me. "I've been seeing Riley".

Internally, my system was wreaking havoc, but no sound left my lips. I continued to stare at her, dumbfounded as I slowly digested the words.

Seeing Riley? The thought made bile rise in my throat.

"Please Everly, say something", Charlotte pleaded.

"This is a joke, right?" I laughed nervously.

Moving closer to me, Charlotte's expression shifted from dreamy to uptight. "I'm deadly serious. It just kind of happened and... well, we both like each other. And when I really think about it, he's so much more mature than Owen".

"Oh god!" I felt sick to my stomach.

Charlotte's happy face suddenly changed as realisation set in. I held my head in my hands as waves of nausea washed over me.

This can't be happening. He's a monster. How did I let this happen? I can't let this happen.

"You're right, you are a hypocrite, Charlotte. Riley? Of all people", I turned to look at her, my face contorted in disgust.

She looked taken aback by my reaction, and I instantly regretted the harshness of my words. But I couldn't help it. The thought of her with him made me sick.

"What, do you think he's too good for me?" Charlotte's voice was defensive.

"Cut it out, Charlotte. You know I'd never think that".

"Well", she huffed impatiently, her mouth turned down in a frown. "Then what's the problem?"

I could feel a headache coming on as I tried to find the right words. "I'm just going to be straight with you. I think you're too good for him. He's scum, and you deserve better".

Instantly offended, Charlotte's mouth hung open in shock. "You don't know him like I do, Everly. He's been there for me when you haven't".

Her words stung. But I couldn't back down now.

Slowly shaking her head in disbelief, Charlotte continued to defend Riley. "He's always spoken so highly of you".

I couldn't help but laugh bitterly as the absurdity of the situation hit me. I don't know what came over me, but I began laughing hysterically as tears rolled down my cheeks. I couldn't stop myself.

"I'm done with this. We'll talk later", Charlotte said as she stormed off and slammed the car door behind her.

"Wait!" I called after her weakly, but she didn't hear me. Sinking back into my seat, I stared up at the roof of the car and let out a shaky breath.

I wondered what had just happened, feeling as though I was losing it.

A solitary tear rolled down my cheek, landing on the seat beside me. This day had gone from bad to great to fucking horrendous in the span of a few hours.

With school almost over, I decided to avoid any further drama by waiting in Owen's car. I sent a text to both him and Charlotte, asking for a ride home. Charlotte didn't reply, confirming her anger towards me. Owen responded that he had seen her crying, but she didn't want to talk to him. Instead, she told him to ask me. Curiosity piqued; Owen confirmed that he would give me a ride home.

I sat there in silence, feeling emotionally drained and utterly alone. This day couldn't get any worse.

The steady stream of students flowed from the school gates, their chatter and laughter filling the air. Suddenly, I spotted Miss Levine and quickly ducked. She was my favourite teacher, but I didn't want to risk her discovering that I had practically skipped the whole day. Art class had been my favourite, and I couldn't help feeling a tinge of disappointment at missing it.

Crouched low, I watched as students made their way to their cars, hoping none of them would spot me. The sound of a car door handle clicking caused me to nearly jump out of my skin. Owen slid into the driver's seat with a mischievous grin on his face.

"You know, I could see you from miles away", he teased. "You're kind of hard to miss with that red hair". He looked me up and down, "plus you're not even crouched down properly, you just look deformed and uncomfortable".

I shot him a warning look, "thanks for pointing that out, Owen. You always know how to make a girl feel special".

A cocky smile spread across his lips as he started the car. He looked at me, "now King, we both know I do".

I pretended to be annoyed but couldn't keep a straight face. Owen always knew how to make me smile and I couldn't deny it. He was right.