A year after losing her older sister in a tragic accident, Charlie's Mom marries the father of the most popular boys in school. Still grieving, Charlie struggles to accept her new family and gets involved with her stepbrothers worst enemy, the capta...
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• CHARLIE •
I felt their eyes burning up at me. As I looked down on my stepbrothers and their friends.
"Do you have a death wish or something?" Tommy asked me, disbelief wrapping itself around his words.
I laughed in response, and raised my bottle of vodka, knowing this would only annoy them more.
"We really should tell our parents that she does that." Harry said, turning to his brothers'.
"Does what?" I asked.
Harry looked back up at me, seemingly surprised that I heard him.
"I'm only above you — I can still hear you."
"We should tell them about your habit of climbing out of the window. This is the third time you have done it." Tommy sighed.
"Aren't you grounded?" Harry replied, irritation seeping into his words.
I raised my eyebrows. "Have I left the house?"
The boys looked at me, not knowing what to say. I took another sip of vodka.
"You shouldn't be drinking on the roof, Charlotte." Tommy warned.
"Since when do you tell me what to do? Hell, since when do you care what I do?" I asked.
"Do you ever just do as you're told?" Sebastian huffed.
"You're not the boss of her, Sebastian." Joe argued, coming to my defence.
I watched as Sebastian clenched his fists at Joe's remarks. It was quite satisfying how much I infuriated Sebastian. Maybe I didn't need to bother trying to get them back with Billy or anything else after all and I still had to think about my conversation with my Mom. But I couldn't deny it was satisfying how just breathing seemed to get under their skin.
"Charlie, please just come down. Okay?" Tommy asked, his voice sounding softer. "I don't fancy explaining to our parents why you fell off of the roof whilst drinking — or whilst we were supposed to be keeping an eye on you."
I furrowed my eyebrows. "An eye on me?" I laughed. "Why on earth would you be keeping an eye on me? I am sixteen — the same age as you — I can look after my self."
I shook my head, irritated. I knew my Mom had probably complained to them about me. I hadn't realised her complaints would develop into requests to watch me like I was a child that might put her hand in a fire.
"You see, Charlotte." Harry began, judgmentally raising his eyebrows at me. "I don't find you very convincing. You are up on the roof."
"And drinking." Tommy added.
I turned to Joe to see him looking anywhere, but at my stepbrothers. He had his jaw clenched and his blue eyes had been narrowed into a fine line. We couldn't continue this exchange. The last thing I wanted was for Joe to lose his temper on the roof of all places.
