The Meaning of Charlie Armanio

I

SECOND PERIOD ENDS and everyone in my Geography class exits the class in a frenzy.  I shut my textbook and walk up to my teacher's desk when I see her waving me over.

"You want to see me, Miss Faren?" I announce my arrival and she looks up at me from her bent position over the class register and smiles warmly. She stands straight and pushes her glasses high to rest on top of her brown hair.

"Ah yes, Chloe, I did," she clears her throat. "You don't happen to know where Mr. Armanio is today, do you? It's very unlike him to skip class."

I clutch my Geography Textbook closer to my chest and sigh, "I haven't a clue, Miss Faren. I think he probably overslept or something; he was up very late last night –"

Fighting with his dad.

"Finishing his project but, I think he'd be back before lunch."

"Okay then, thank you, Chloe. If you do ear anything about his whereabouts please inform me," she dismisses, waving her hand about to shoo me.

"Sure thing, Miss Faren, have a good day."

"You too, Chloe," she replies as I exit the classroom and head for my locker. It was weird to be walking alone as that Charlie was always stuck to my side like a bug. But now that he isn't, everything in school seemed a little of course somehow.

It isn't like Charlie to miss school – even once. Charlie was punctual and hardworking and he wouldn't waste any opportunity of coming to school. He is constantly worrying about his honour role and would let nothing get in his way.

"Hey, Chlo," Elle calls quietly, waving her hands at me to get my attention. She walks briskly towards me, ducking her head even further downwards when she passes by Joshua Hue, this soccer team player she has a crush on. At first, I think nothing of it, but then, I take a closer look at her and even she seems to have shifted of course. She was dressed in a lose grey shirt and baggy sweats and her eyes are red.

"Did something happen while I was gone?" I ask when she reaches me as I turn around to turn in the combination of my locker.

"Why would you say that?" She hurriedly says, glancing around the hallway quickly and then letting her eyes find mine again.

"I don't know," I shrug, looking back at her through the mirror in my locker as I opt my Geography book for my notebook. "Everything seems sort of different now that I'm back;" I say, shutting my locker, "like Darcy and Josh aren't even looking at each other now. You're not wearing any mind blowing creation by your mom; the Soccer Team Boys are not being –" I pause for effect, "– the Soccer Team Boys and don't even get me started on Charlie –"

"Where is Charlie, by the way? I've been looking around for him forever," she interrupts, ducking from another senior who walks closely by her. "I need to talk to him."

"That's just the problem! Charlie is absent!" I state and she gasps dramatically, placing a hand on her chest.

"Charlie? Are you sure? Maybe he just wasn't in class," she replies, but then taking in her words again she realises that they don't make sense because it's as simple as can be: Charlie doesn't skip school. "Try calling his mum."

"He was at his dad's last night when I got back so I'll call Mr. Deaton later on."

"Yeah, you should," she says, rushing into the library seat in front of me, "I'm actually kind of worried."

"Don't worry," I say, opening my book, "I know he's fine. Charlie is super careful."

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