Changing paths

A little word called jealousy

    
 Charley’s POV

‘Yeah you and Ashy have some fun’ I tried to say as happily as I can.
    I didn’t know why I had said it to be honest. Did I really want to watch that girl dancing with my girlfriend? No. I didn’t want to be seen to be possessive though. I watched as Ashley held out her hand and Lana take it before disappearing into the crowd. I knew I shouldn’t be jealous. ‘I know I shouldn’t be jealous’ I repeat to myself out loud.  But I couldn’t help it. I was officially turning into that jealous girlfriend type that I hadn’t ever wanted to be so I decided to take my leave. I grabbed my bag and left Charley, Lana and the rest of my friends behind.

Ashley POV

   After Lana had left I decided to try and find Charley. I had no idea where she had disappeared to and she hadn’t even messaged me even after I left a gazillion messages. Eventually I find Joe alone by the bar.
   ‘Where’s Laura to?’ I ask.
   ‘She’s just popped to the toilet. Where’s Charley to?’ he asks looking around to find Charley. I shake my head.
   ‘That’s what I was going to ask you. She disappeared a little while back’ I said checking my watch and realise that it had been almost two hours since I last seen her.
   ‘So who have you been with?’ he asks. I don’t know why but I look away before looking back to Joe.
   ‘Lana’ I say.
    Joe doesn’t have time to reply as Laura almost skips over to us. She looked pretty drunk and totally confirmed this as she threw her arms around me and Joe before almost falling over. We catch her and walk her over to a seat. Joe goes off to get some water for Laura leaving me with babysitting duty.
   ‘Where’s Charley?’ Lana mumbles.  I shrug.
   ‘I honestly don’t know. Why’d you ask?’
   ‘I saw her a little while ago looking pretty annoyed about something. She didn’t even stop when I ask her where you were’ Lana continues to mumble.
    ‘I was with Lana’ I almost whisper but Laura catches what I said even over the music, she was almost smiling.
   ‘You and Lana get along well then? Did you find out where you knew each other from?’ Laura questions.
   ‘I guess we do get along well and yeah we did. Remember that girl I told you guys about. Just before I met you in that bar? Well its her’ I get no reply. I look around at Laura who has fallen asleep.

   After getting Laura home safely with Joe, Joe walks me back to my house. It felt good to get some fresh air and it made a noticeable difference with clearing our heads.
   ‘You know Lana. Well remember when I told you about that girl last year in the bar. Well it just so happens to be her’ I finally spill.
   Joe makes a coughing sound before finally bursting out laughing. I shove into him annoyed.
   ‘Why the hell are you laughing? It’s not funny’ I huff storming off in front.
   ‘Wait up’ I hear Joe from behind running up to me before I finally slow down. I look at him frowning. ‘It’s just out of all the people to meet. You bump into someone you practically obsessed over for months…What does Charley think about your sudden new friendship?’
   'I did not obsess! It was a stupid crush!'
   In all honestly I never thought about what Charley thought which sounds really bad of me but as far as I knew Charley didn’t know that me and Lana had already met or…’oh.’ I say stopping dead in my tracks. Joe almost continues walking off without me before turning back to me with a questioning look.
   ‘What is it?’ he asks concerned.   I was so stupid.
   ‘Charley may know who Lana is. I told Charley when I first met her the short version of the funny story of how I had fallen for someone I had literally fallen down for. And I had left Charley and Lana together when I went to the bar so…’
   ‘There’s a chance that Charley knows that you obsessed over Lana and now she’s in your life and Charley’s pissed at you for A not telling her and B for becoming besties with Lana’ Joe finishes my sentence with a harsh version of events.
   ‘Don’t make it sound worse than it is. And we’re not ‘besties’’ I air quote the word besties. ‘Charley’s fine. I’ll see her tomorrow, she was probably just tired’ I lie. I remember back to the way she had looked at Lana. I didn’t know if Charley was the jealous type but I was betting that after the way she had acted tonight she had found out who Lana was. I’m with Charley and Lana’s with Tyler. There really wasn’t anything to be jealous about.

I woke up feeling a lot worse for wear. I hadn’t even drank that much but I didn’t get much sleep either I rolled over and groaned. Suddenly I felt something on my bed or rather someone as I see my little brother jumping up and down at the end of the bed before jumping on me.
    ‘What you doing in my room!’ I shout. Unfortunately he’s as persistent about things as his older sister so he just carries on smiling and just annoying me.
   ‘Mum told me to wake you up. Its dinnertime’ he grins. Dinnertime? Maybe I had slept a lot longer than I had thought that would explain why I felt like crap.
   ‘What’s the time hobbit?’ I tiredly grumble.
   ‘It’s one o’clock sleepy head. What happened to you? Too much kissing Charley’ he laughs making kissy noises. Little brothers also meant they were way to inquisitive and annoying all at the same time.
   ‘That’s it!’ I shout before jumping for Tom and grabbing him by his legs. I dangle him upside down and he just continues laughing whilst squirming out of his big sisters grasp. ‘Repeat after me hobbit ‘I won’t ever annoy Ashley again.’’
   He wriggles even more before sighing and giving up. ‘I won’t ever annoy Ashley again.’
   ‘Better’ I grin before letting him go. I watch as he runs away as fast as he could.
    ‘Muuummmmm!’ he yells from somewhere in the house.
   I knew mum would have a go at me for picking on my little brother later. I enjoyed family life, it took my mind off the other people in my life for a short while. I guess it was time to see Charley.

As I approached the student halls she lived in I paused anxious of the response I was going to get. Was she angry or hopefully happy? I took a deep breath before knocking on her door. I heard the locks unbolt from the other side before the door opened slightly. Charley looked around before seeing it was me and opening the door completely.
   ‘Hey’ I smile. She was smiling too but she looked like she hadn’t got any sleep either.
   ‘Hi Ashy’ she said before giving me a hug. ‘Sorry I left you last night.’
   ‘Don’t worry about it’ I lie. Of course it worried me that she wondered off by herself and without telling anyone.
   I took a seat on the sofa and she sat on a seat opposite me rather than beside me. I felt like a school kid about to be told off.
   ‘Why didn’t you tell me about Lana?’ she finally asked.
    ‘I don’t know’ I shrug.
    ‘How long have you known it was her?’
    ‘Since we met at new years’ I sigh truthfully.
    ‘And you never thought of telling me that she was the same girl you were obsessing over when I first met you. The clichéd story of falling for a stranger.’
   ‘It never mattered. I don’t even know her. Besides why are you getting jealous? It was a stupid crush on someone I didn’t even know before I met you. I’m with you she’s with Tyler not to mention straight!’ I practically yell.
   ‘I’ve never been the jealous type but I really don’t want you seeing her.’ Charley sighs.
   ‘I’m not in a possessive relationship. You can’t tell me who I should and should not be friends with Charlotte! Even if I never saw Lana again I don’t want to be in this kind of relationship’ I say exasperated. ‘Is this how you actually feel? I can’t see people based on you being jealous?’
   ‘I guess I guess so’ she stutters. It’s the first time she has stuttered for a long time.
    ‘I don’t get jealous when you go out with your friends or tell you who you can’t and cannot be friends with. I’m pretty sure Phoebe has the hots for you but I shrug it off. Why? Because I know you're with me!’
   ‘I know. I know!’ she cries. The tears are rolling down her face. I wanted to comfort her but this wasn’t the right time.
    ‘I can’t be in a relationship like this. I don’t get told what to do even by you’ I almost whisper.
    I stand up and leave Charley crying. I shut the door behind me whilst taking a deep breath. ‘Have I just broken up with Charley?’ I whisper to myself before walking away.