begin again - charlie gillespie

chapter 7

the rest of the day went on smoothly. even though we were all busy trying to do our jobs, the day was filled with laughter. 

i had left everybody on our last task of the day which was the rehearsals of the song bright. kenny didnt really need me there so i had gone off to set up the schedule for next week. i finished my work before their rehearsal end time so i walked over to watch them practice.  

"oh if it isnt the lovely olivia!" kenny exclaimed as i walked through the door. "kenny you're too sweet" i say back to him. "i finished my work and i wanted to watch them practice a bit, if thats okay?" kenny smiled at me "they really grow on you huh? of course you can stay olivia. maybe you can help with the criticism, give us your opinion" i nodded.

"olivia ive missed you so much" madi says hugging me. "ive only been gone for like an hour" 

"yeah exactly, a full hour alone with these idiots" madison says getting back to her position. 

"you know, we can hear you. we have these things called ears" owen says flapping his ears back and fourth.

madi sticks her tongue out at owen as kenny makes his way back to us. "okay! we'll run through it two more times and we're done for today. i want to see your all this time okay?" kenny tells the band. i step back to stand behind kenny and watch them. 

madison starts playing the first notes and im hooked before she even sings anything.

"Sometimes I think I'm falling down
I wanna cry, I'm callin' out
For one more try to feel alive
And when I feel lost and alone
I know that I can make it home
Fight through the dark and find the spark"

so young and so talented. she has so much to give. my eyes move to jeremy playing the bass, its like that's what he was born to do. so happy. owen comes into view next, playing the drums so effortlessly while they all sing the chorus. i cant help but smile at him. our eyes meet and he sends me a wink, my face instantly heating up. i look away and my eyes land on charlie just to find his already looking at me. 

"And times that I doubted myself
I felt likе I needed some help
Stuck in my hеad with nothing left
I feel something around me now
So unclear, lifting me out
I found the ground I'm marching on"

he sang with his eyes never leaving mine. i felt my heart swell seeing how passionate he still is about music. god how ive missed his voice.

i finally tear my eyes away from charlie and look back at everyone else. i cant help but feel so proud as the song comes to an end. kenny turns to me and asks "well olivia, what did you think?" i turn my head towards him "they are remarkable kenny, the song is already stuck in my head" i joke and kenny laughs. 

"that was perfect guys. no need to run it again, you can thank olivia for that. go home and rest, see you guys tomorrow!" 

"olivia is the best" owen says fondly and i feel my face heat up again. "she doesnt even like you" jeremy teases and we all burst into laughter. 

we all make our way back to our trailers, madison following me into mine. 

"can i ask you something?" madison says as i pack my stuff away. "sure, anything" i smile as i sit down next to her.

"what happened between you and charlie?" she says and my smile fades. "you dont have to tell me if you dont want to, its just kind of obvious that there's a tension between you two. i figured maybe you'd want a friend to talk to." i play with the rings on my finger, thinking about that night.

madison stares at me waiting for a response "we dont have to talk about anything, just know im always here when youre ready." she says sweetly.

i sigh and take a deep breath. "charlie and i met in high school." i continued to play with my rings, trying my hardest to not let my emotions take over me. 

"we sat next to each other in a class and we became really good friends, best friends even. i had a crush on him since he first walked into that classroom. he was late, as always." i laughed a bit "i never thought he saw me as anything more than a friend. a lot of girls at school would kiss the ground he walked on, i always thought he'd end up with one of them." i finally look at madison and she's staring at me with kind eyes. she leans over and puts her hand in mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "until one afternoon he asked me on a date. from there we went on a date almost every day for about a month until he finally asked me to be his girlfriend. being with him was the happiest i had ever been." i say sadly, squeezing her hand trying to keep my tears in. "he was the perfect boyfriend. he was my first true love." one tear falls, then another. "we lasted three years, madi. three years. and one day, he just left. he said he had to be on his own for a while. a break." more tears fall. "he left as if i was nothing, like i never mattered to him." madison's arms find their way around me as i lean into her and cry. "next thing i knew, he had moved and deleted all his social media. i never heard from him again. until now." 

madison sits me back up and wipes my tears. "you didn't deserve that, especially not without an explanation. im sorry you had to go through that kind of heartbreak." tears keep flooding out of my eyes. "thank you for being so caring. i haven't talked about it in a while." i smile at her wiping my eyes again "im here for you, always." she squeezes my hand again. "what are you going to do?" madi asks me. 

i sigh again. "i don't really know what to do. i never really got over him, you know? i was going to talk to him today and just hear him out i guess. maybe find closure. get past this? i dont want to go on the rest of the filming process holding a grudge against him or being scared or angry." 

"yeah i understand. im not going to tell you what you should or shouldn't do. your heart will know when the time comes. but i will say this. i want you to enjoy this filming process. its your dream job. you've worked hard to be here and don't let anybody take that happiness from you." i smile at her words. "you're right, ill probably talk to him tomorrow though. this has been emotional enough for today. thank you mads." we both laugh together. "anytime liv."

we start heading out of my trailer and walk towards the parking lot. i hug madison goodbye and get into my car. i sit there for a bit trying to warm up. it's so cold at night here. i open my spotify and start playing music. love of my life by queen starts playing. 

love of my life, you've hurt me

from my rear view mirror i see two figures. a boy and a girl. 

you've broken my heart and now you leave me

they hug each other for a long time. for some reason, i cant look away.

love of my life, cant you see?

when they pull away. the girl stands on her tip toes and places a kiss on his cheek. 

bring it back, bring it back. dont take it away from me

she gets in her car and he walks away into the light.

because you dont know, what it means to me

i feel my heart crack a little as i realize it's charlie.

authors note:

i feel like madison really is that friend lol thank you so much for those who are reading and voting. it means the world to me. hope you like this chapter. love you dont forget to drink water. - cyn <3