It's Not Your Fault. It is my Fault

One

She hated plane rides. They were loud and sweaty. Not to mention the 10 hours she would be spending cramped together with strangers, she didn’t even get on the same plane as her mom. Her mom had gone a few weeks earlier for the wedding and didn’t have enough money to take her daughter. She didn’t really want to go to the wedding so it was fine. 

On her right, sat a large man with a shaved head and a beard. She didn’t understand why he shaved his head and not his beard. Within the first half-hour, he had started with the small talk, “So, what brings you to London”?

“My mom, she met a guy a year back on a business trip, and they got married”. She mumbled slouching in her chair.

“I’m Alfie, my pals and I had a music gig in ‘The Big Apple’ and we’re headed back home now”. He waved to a guy a few rows back. 

She nodded and didn’t say anything. When he didn’t seem interested anymore she slipped on my headphones and took out my sketchbook. She was drawing a person with a cat, no one in particular, just a person. 

She fell asleep for about an hour halfway through the flight and kept drawing for the remaining time. The flight was long and by the time it was over she was tired and starving.

Her mom, new step-dad, and step-brother would be waiting in the car to pick her up so she had to find her way out of the maze that is an airport. 

The first stop was food, she found a small café and bought a sandwich with the money she had in her pocket and ate it while she was walking to pick up her luggage. She waited at the luggage conveyor for a few minutes before her suitcase came through the black flaps. She grabbed it and followed the instructions that her mom had texted her, up the stairs, second right, first door out, the second pillar, blue car. “Simple enough”. She thought. 

She made her way out and scanned the row of cars until she saw the car she was looking for. She walked up to it and her mom came out of the passenger seat and hugged her. 

“How was the flight sweetie? I missed you, I wish you were here for the wedding. It was beautiful”.

“I bet, the flight was fine. Missed you too”. She replied 

“Now Charlie, put your stuff in the trunk and go say hello to your new dad and brother”. Charlie shoved her suitcase and backpack into the trunk and got into the back seat of the car.

The man in the front seat turned around and stuck out his hand, “I’m Dan and that’s my son Noah”. 

Charlie shook his hand “I’m Charlie”.

“It’s a shame we couldn’t formally meet before we would be crammed in the same house together, but schedules never seem to work out. Do they”? Dan chuckled.

“Yeah”. Charlie replied. She looked over at Noah. He was a skinny guy with sandy blond hair and brown eyes. He was wearing jeans, some white sneakers, a shirt from some music festival, and a gray zip-up sweatshirt. He seemed to be about 16 to 17.

“Hi, I’m Noah”. He said.

“I’m Charlie”

“I like that name, it’s different from most girls. You see my name is normal, it's boring. I wish I had a name like yours”. He talked with his hands.

“It’s nothing special, I wish I had a name like yours, it’s easier to blend in that way,” Charlie replied, “I’m going to be a freshman, you look like a senior”.

“Yep, I’m officially old,” Noah laughed, “just kidding, it’s my dad here that's the old one”.

Charlie laughed, “You know you're not what I expected, I kinda expected you to be more like me, I don’t know why”.

“I expected you to be more like me, I’ve never had a sibling before. I’ve had my friend’s siblings who are practically siblings to me, but never an actual sibling”. Noah said.

“I had a little sister, Leah, in New York. She died with my dad.”

“Oh, I’m sorry”. Noah put a hand on Charlie’s shoulder.

“It’s not your fault, it fine”.Charlie replied. Noah took in what Charlie was wearing, black combat boots, cuffed black jeans, a white shirt tucked in, and a red flannel over the top. 

The rest of the ride was full of conversations about people getting to know each other. It was strange how fast Charlie became friends with Noah. Noah did make friends quickly with his over the top extroverted personality, but on the other hand, Charlie usually took quite a while to warm up to people. In New York, Charlie really only had two friends. 

After an hour their car pulled up to a small house. “Welcome to our humble home.” Dan announced, “We only have two bedrooms so you and Noah do have to share, there are two beds don’t worry”. 

“That’s fine”. She didn’t say it but it was definitely an upgrade from her three-room apartment back in the U.S. Charlie took her backpack and Noah took her suitcase a showed her around the house. It wasn’t big, but it was big enough for Charlie.

“That’s the kitchen, and that’s the living room,” He pointed around the house at the respective rooms, “Heres the closet where we hide the bodies-oops-I wasn’t supposed to tell you that”.

Charlie laughed, the closet had shoes and jackets. She followed Noah though the rest of the tour ending in their bedroom. The room had two beds at one end of the room, two desks, and two dressers. The walls were painted a light gray and the floor was dark wood with a small circular rug.

“My Dad made sure we had two of everything, I’ve inhabited the left side, so you can have the right”. Noah put Charlie’s suitcase next to her dresser. Charlie placed her backpack on one of the beds. 

“What’s it like here, like, in school”? Charlie asked

“I don’t think it’s much different from America, we have different histories, but the people are similar, I think”. Charlie was reassured by this, school was always a stressor for her, not the academic part, she was smart, it was the social part that stressed her out. She was almost half a foot taller than average, and people picked on her because of it. 

“Noah, Charlie! We're going to get dinner come down”. Charlie’s mom yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

“Coming, Amy”! Noah replied. They both called their step-parent by their first name, Charlie called Dan Dan, and Noah called Amy Amy.

Charlie and Noah went to their parents.

“We don't do this often, but we’re going out to celebrate Charlie’s arrival”. Dan said. At the thought of this Charlie scrunched herself up a bit, it was weird to her that someone would do something to celebrate her.

“That’s great Dad,” Noah said, “Where are we going”?

“Just a place in town, Robinson’s”.

“Are you sure it’s not too fancy”? Asked Charlie. Due to her shy nature, she was very conscious about money spent by other people for her. 

“Common Charlie, let people do things for you”. Amy said, placing her hands on Charlie’s shoulders.

Charlie nodded, “Ok, just don’t do anything unexpected”. She directed at Dan.

They headed back to the car, Noah bumped Charlie with her elbow, “Hey it’s fine, my dad won’t do anything crazy”.

“Hopefully”.