ANSWERS

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Home at last. I can't remember the last time I was greeted with the fragrance of vanilla and clean linen which floated around us as soon as Charlie shut the door behind us, placing my bag on the floor, sighing slightly. Everything seems a lot brighter, even the cream coloured walls that used to dim the room now some how seem brighter and more alive. However something felt not right. I gazed around in the hallway, trying to scoured my memory to try and spot the difference since the last time I was here.

"It's the picture of us on the last day of school. That's the one that's missing." Charlie said randomly. I looked at her with slight confusion, wondering as to how she knew what I was thinking. "I know that face. The one where you frown your eyebrows a little and you bite your bottom lip slightly. It is your concentration face." She unfortunately pointed out correctly, as much as I wanted to argue with her and say that I don't have a concentration face; I know that she is right and always is. "It's one of my favourite pictures of us, so I swore to carry it around with me until you woke up. Oh my, I have just realised how pathetic that sounds" Charlie said blushing a little and hiding her face away from me, as she fished the photo out of her bag and placed it back in its usual spot.

I couldn't help but smile at it, remembering exactly how that moment played out.

***

"Go on go up to her, get her to sign your shirt or something. You know you want to, you wont shut up about her and plus she is your GIRLFRIEND. Go on I dare you!!" Noah teased, pushing me forward. But I stepped right back to where I was standing before and punching him in the arm. I discreetly looked over to the gaggle of girls crying, writing on their shirts and taking an uncountable amount of selfies. How many photos does one girl need?

"Are you having a laugh mate. You want me to go and talk to Charlie in front of a bunch of emotional teenage girls. It's like your planning my death sentence. I'll just wait till she's finished" I turned back around, to see Noah covered in drawings and graffiti, I rolled my eyes at him thinking about how stupid he is.

"What? Do I have something on my face."

"No. You have a little something right there." I gestured an imaginary circle with surrounded him. "You do realize that all the guy's deliberately all used permanent marker." Noah's face went from a smile to deadly serious fast. "Why do you think I said no? You are such an idiot" Noah stayed silent for a while before letting out a string of swear words and shouting about how his mum is going to kick him out of the house because of some the "interesting" artwork which was scattered all over him.

"Hey you!" Charlie chirped as she came over.

"Hey Char-Woah ok!" I choked as Charlie flung her arms around my waist suddenly, taking me by surprise. Not that I complaining. I laughed with her. "Someone's happy to see me" Charlie laughed softly, playfully shoving me.

"Noah, can you take a picture for me please?" She asked politely whilst handing over her phone to a still panicking Noah. "Nathan catch." and she jumped into my arms, with one arm wrapped around my neck and the other stretched out above her head."Your stronger than I thought. I honestly thought that I would end up on the floor in seconds. I stand corrected." She admitted.

"I would never let you fall. Unless it's with me." I winked at her.

"Smooth Evans." 

***

I smiled at the memory of that day and watched as she gently placed the picture back in its rightful place next to the another picture taken that day. It was one with all four of us Noah, Emily, Charlie and I wearing our leavers jumpers with our backs facing the camera and our arms wrapped around them. An artsy picture that Emily and Charlie insisted us on taking.

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