CHASING CHARLIE GRAY

12

Since that pool incident, I'd avoided Charlie Gray as if she were the plague, making up excuses for why I couldn't come over or just plainly dodging her calls.

I was horrible at confrontations and the anxiety of it all had left my stomach churning and I didn't know what to make of it. It'd been a few days and I had worried myself to the point that I couldn't even eat, much less get some semblance of sleep before school.

Did Charlie Gray like me like that?

No of course not, I'd just misread the whole thing.

The entire situation had led me to obsess over every detail at 6 in the morning. I shouldn't have run, the look on her face when I had left after breakfast said so but there was nothing I could do about it now.

" Gia" My mom knocked before opening the door to see me.

" I'm off" I nodded.

"Honey are you okay?"

No, A girl held my hands and I'm freaking out because I don't know if it was a friend thing because I've never had a friend like her before, what about you mom?

"Yeah I'm okay"

But of course she didn't believe me.

"You look anxious, are you anxious?" My lips turned downwards at her assumption and I nodded again.

I felt like crying, this was stupid.

" I thought so" She left her luggage at the door and squeezed me into a hug, my face smushed against her freshly pressed suit.

" I gotta go but I'll call tonight okay?"

Another nod.

"I filled your prescription last week so it should be in the cabinet, take it and stay home today okay? I love you"  A kiss to the forehead and a flurry of motion and she was gone.

It'd been a long time since I'd felt like this, like the world was moving too fast and I couldn't keep up. It wasn't even Charlie's fault, no one's really.

I followed my mom's instructions and dry swallowed the pale yellow pills before laying back down and waiting for the drowsiness to overtake me and grant me some type of release.

When I came to again, someone was pounding at the door.

How long had they been knocking like that?

I heaved myself off my bed and down the steps, nearly missing the final step in my haste to answer the door.

"Sorry, I was sleeping" I mumble rubbing my eyes and yawning still.

"No worries, I got time"

All the blood left my face at her voice.

"Hey "

Her eyes narrowed and she pushed off the door to stand infront of me and I involuntarily stepped back allowing her to step through the door before pushing it shut and moving to sit on the couch, her head thrown back with her eyes closed.

"You shouldn't have me chasing you like this, it's bad for my health" She huffed, sinking further into the couch.

"How'd you even find out where I live?"

"That's besides the point" She waved her arm tiredly before dropping it on the back of the couch.

"Why are you avoiding me?" She raises her head to ask me this and it would be around this time the nervousness would settle in but the happy pills were still in effect and the drowsiness was still there as well.

Something about me being tired took away my ability to lie. I made my way over to her and layed down besides her, resting my head in her lap. She looked surprised for a second or two before leaning back and running her hand gently down my hair.

"I'm sorry" The words leave me in a single breath and her hand falters on my head before continuing on in the same manner.

"It's okay I get why you would run, I did come on too heavy" She chuckled.

"So you do like me like that" My brain to mouth filter always seemed to dissipate the moment these things entered my bloodstream.

She looked down at me wearily.

"Are you okay? You're a little too bold to be asking me that after you ran when I held your hand"

My cheeks warmed considerably at that, though the full effect of her words didn't register in my medication muddled mind.

"I'm fine just tired"

We sat in silence after that, the constant smoothing of her hand over my hair lulling me back to sleep.