Crush On Her

A Crumbling Decision

     There was no one or nothing to wake Charlie up in the morning so she slept in without a choice. But eventually she stirred into awareness some time past noon and was startled by her surroundings. She fumbled about for her glasses, barely remembering that she was still at Jessica's, and fought to keep her anxiety in check. When she could see clearly and assured herself that she was in a safe place, she looked around and found herself alone. That didn't bother her too much since she was sure the Trapasso household functioned on the weekends in a way that she wasn't a part of. 

     She hauled herself out of Jessica's bed and padded to the bathroom, only slightly surprised that she didn't encounter someone on the way there. She used the toilet, brushed her teeth with an extra toothbrush left on the sink for her, then walked out to the hall, curious as to why no one called for her yet. Surely someone cared that she was there. She smelled breakfast, too, and again wondered why she wasn't wanted- either to eat or to help cook. Quiet, she went downstairs in search of a familiar face.

     "-unfair," she heard Peggy finish saying from kitchen as she neared it. She stopped, wanting to know if her sleeping in was the reason for Peggy's upset. She really didn't want to be the reason her host was upset.

     "So?"Jessica responded a moment later. There was a clattering of plates in the background. "You can't do that again."

     Charlie paused, unsure if she should leave or enter. Something serious was being discussed and she shouldn't have been eavesdropping.

     "Why not? She needs a push. So do you."

     "I don't need anything like that, and she definitely doesn't. We already came to an agreement so that's where it's going to stay, mom. Seriously. That's just how it is."

     "Don't say that. She obviously likes you, too."

     "Yes, as a friend. We've already talked about it."

     Charlie felt more uncomfortable hearing what she wasn't supposed to be. She was being talked about.

     "I know you have," Peggy said. "But come on. She may have wanted to be friends then but she's obviously feeling more about you now."

     There was a tense silence. "No she doesn't."

     "Yes she does. All she needed was to see you as you, and now she has. Without your silly anger games to cloud her judgment I think she really likes you. Being friends was exactly what she needed from you to see that you're worth liking more."

     "Mom, that's not how it is. Yeah, she might like being around me more since I don't have my anger episodes or whatever, but we're just friends. It's better that way. As friends I don't scare her."

     Another tense silence. "Oh, Jessica, honey..."

     "It's fine. Being friends with her means I don't get stupid. Crushes make me stupid and that scares her. So friends it is."

     "Well, what if she decided she suddenly wants to be more than friends?"

     Jessica sighed. "Mom, that's never going to happen. Are those done yet? The plates are set out."

     Blushing, Charlie silently returned upstairs to give Jessica and Peggy's conversation time to die down. She only took a moment to think about what she heard downstairs. She didn't think she liked Jessica that way, but she did cherish her. Anyway, even if what Peggy had said was the case, Jessica didn't have faith in herself to act like a normal girlfriend, that much was obvious. Jessica thought of herself as a better friend than anything more. She didn't think she could control her crush-anger issues.