honestly idek if i like this book or if its making sense or if its going anywhere
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Charlie didn't show up to class that week. She didn't show up for her shift at the café either.
When Tyler and Dakota arrived at the shelter, they weren't met with the usual cheeriness of Charlie. Instead, an elderly man with gray hair greeted them.
Dread filled Tyler's gut.
He knew he should never have left Charlie's side. He should have skipped rehearsal and basketball practice all together.
"Tyler?" He was met with big, puppy dog eyes. "Where's Miss Charlie?"
"I don't know, Kota."
—
From: ty
(4:45 p.m.) where are you?
From: ty
(4:50 p.m.) just tell me you're okay
From: ty
(5:15 p.m.) i'll come by your dorm after i drop dakota off, okay?
From: ty
(10:03 p.m.) you weren't there
From: ty
(10:04 p.m) char, im worried
She turned her phone off at ten-thirty. She itched to reply, just to offer some remedy to the pain she was causing him. Nonetheless, she tucked the void device into her back pocket and began rubbing her hands together. She should have thought to bring another layer, a jacket or a pair of gloves possibly.
She stood huddled in the shadows of an alley beside a local bakery, enjoying the faint scent of warm bread wafting from the building. She had a few memories of the place, one in particular where Xavier had forgotten to feed her and chased her from the house after she interrupted his nap. She'd walked for hours in her torn tennis shoes and purple skirt, her stomach rumbling uncomfortably with each step. A hunched, gray-haired woman was busy fumbling with the lock of the door, which had a bright CLOSED sign hanging from it.
"Here," she mumbled, taking the keys from the woman gently and twisting the lock into place for her. The woman turned to her with a kind smile. In her young, ten-year-old mind, Charlie wondered if she'd have as many wrinkles when she was that old.
"Thank you, my dear." The woman's eyes took in her appearance slowly, her dim eyes widening considerably as she took in Charlie's bare, scratched knees. "Oh, how come you're not wearing a coat?" Charlie shrugged. She didn't want to tell a stranger that she didn't have one. "Well, you must be freezing in this weather. I must have something in the shop, if you'd like. I'll even offer a nice, chocolate-chip muffin."
