Wattpad Block Party - Summer Edition III (August 2017)

Hazzer123 Presents: Eliza and Charlotte [EXCERPT]

Author's Note: Hi guys! For those of you who don't know me, my name is Hayley! I'm nearly twenty-one, a cat lover, an activist and a cake enthusiast. A few years ago, I started out writing a short story about a young transgender girl, and somehow, I've spanned the story into three separate parts. This is an excerpt from the third, which I will be posting in full on the 1st of September. You don't have to have read the previous stories in the series to understand this one, but it probably helps for getting to know the characters and their motivations! Either way, I hope you enjoy this excerpt, and that you'll be back on September 1st to read the rest!

Post:
It's funny how life settles into a routine. One minute your life is chaos – you're getting drunk at university parties, calling your girlfriend at 3am to tell her you love her, making impromptu trips home to surprise your mum, and crying each day knowing your best friend could be dying. And then suddenly that's over, and your best friend is getting better, coming out of hospital - maybe for good this time. You made a pact when you were sixteen that you'd live together some day, and so that's what you do. Your girlfriend moves in too, and you spend blissful evenings in each other's company, laughing at puns that would make anyone else squirm, painting the walls of your flat every shade of the rainbow, and eating Chinese food as the three of you huddle in bed, watching endless episodes of Friends. Life is good. You like your routine.

And then the equilibrium slips.

We'd been staying in Paris for a few nights for fashion week. Eliza had spent the whole time with stars in her eyes, watching the models on the catwalk in awe. She loved the colourfulness of it – she'd been waiting for pops of colour to come back into fashion. The magentas and oranges and lime greens had head turning each time, and on the flight home, she pressed her hand against the window, homesick for Paris already. We arrived home and Jonny was playing video games on our old TV, his three day old socks reeking from their position on the arm of the sofa. Eliza wrinkled her nose, whacking Jonny with her scarf in annoyance.

'Don't you ever change your socks? You were wearing those when we left.'

Jonny grinned, blonde hair flopping in his eyes. He had the skater look going on. He said he couldn't afford a haircut, but he refused to let Eliza chop it for him.

'The washing machine's broken.'

'Again?' Eliza sighed, dumping her overnight bag. She stepped gingerly over a pizza box, kicked an empty bottle of beer out of the way and crouched by the washing machine to examine it. 'You know, just because the washing machine's broken, doesn't mean you can't keep the rest of the flat clean. And there's a laundrette five minutes away. There's no excuse for those disgusting feet of yours.'

Jonny hopped off the couch and wriggled his toes in Eliza's face. She tried to look angry with him, but she ended up giggling, swatting his feet with her hand. Jonny scooped her up and twirled her around in a hug. I smiled. Six months earlier, he wouldn't have been able to pick up a bag of groceries, let alone a grown woman. He set her down on the floor with a kiss on her cheek.

'I've missed you guys. Come here, Charlotte!'

I let him whirl me around in a circle too – I suspect he just liked to show us that he could – and tiredly make a cup of decaf tea. After four days of strong Parisian coffee, I was in need of some good British tea. Our flight was late, and the sun was long gone. Eliza and I both had work in the morning, and the thought made me nauseous. As I drank my tea, Eliza and Jonny were arguing over the washing machine.

'Just leave it! There's nothing we can do until morning.'

'I can't just leave it, I won't be able to sleep knowing it's broken.'