My mother was a genius. My father commanded respect. When they died they left no instructions, just a legacy to protect.

.

"Remember children, there are no stupid questions."

"If Ariel ate sushi at any point, would that be considered cannibalism?"

"Why do I even try?"Brendon whispered quietly to himself"Dan, what the actual ever loving fuck is wrong with you?"

"I'm not drunk!" Dan shouted as he covered Skye's face with a blanket lying on the floor. Nobody could exactly remember when this blanket was brought there or what was its purpose, so if the circumstances were different, Skye would have freaked. Luckily for them all, she was peacefully sleeping on Quinn's lap. "Actually, I am. Just one beer, nothing more, nothing different."

"The expression is--"

"Okay, I had three. But no drugs. No drugs. Drugs are bad, Brendan."

"Did you honestly call me Brendan? Did he call me Brendan?"

"Relax, dude. People get my name wrong all the time."Quinn said while yawning"Plus, I'm sure that if you asked him now he would probably refer to Skye as sky without an e."

Brendon sighed and sat down on the wooden floor. He rubbed his eyes and tried to shake off his sleepiness. Seconds later, Dan punched the floor two times. "Real talk now, Sky's the bomb. Beautiful, smart, blonde hair and a bloody prince!"

Quinn and Brendon exchanged puzzled looks. Newt grabbed the blanket from Skye and placed it beneath his head as a pillow. "There is a side of me that thinks he's talking about the Winx Club."

"There is no way--"

"And he was a twink. That Specialists uniform might have other fools but not me!"

"And he's talking about the Winx Club." Quinn concluded, clearly disappointed. She intertwined her fingers and pressed them hard against her forehead. She really didn't deserve this torture that late in the evening. Especially with school tomorrow. Newt glanced at her briefly and smiled comfortingly. Quinn remained silent and gently placed her left hand on Skye's back. "Should we wake her up?"

"There really isn't a point. Dan's obviously high, Newt is half-asleep, you're tired and being in a treehouse at three in the morning is too scary for me to handle."

"How many people have been murdered in a treehouse, Bren?"

"No one Newt. But I don't want to be the first one."

"If you don't all shut up,"Skye mumbled as she buried her head in Quinn's dress"I will personally make sure you're the first people to die in a treehouse."

"You Howells are insufferable." mumbled Brendon"Wait, why is Dan so quiet?"

"He's found a moth."

"I'm not even gonna ask."

"Remind me what's the point of this?"

"The point," began Newt"is that tomorrow, or actually today, is a very bad day."

"That's because you're not letting me sleep."

Newt ignored Skye and continued. "You may have noticed that Charlie isn't with us in this special meeting."

"Oh yeah! Charlie boy. Charmander. Charz." Dan laughed receiving many puzzled looks from the entire group.

"As I was saying before this, whatever it was, it's Charlie's parents' death anniversary." Brendon nodded silently. Quinn looked down, she should have realized that their meeting was about this. She had been so caught up with her own life that she had completely forgotten about poor Charlie who must have felt trapped and alone for years. Newt's statement even made Skye get up and Dan try looking more concentrated. "This morning he might be a wreck. Or not. I don't know how he deals with it. But we must be careful with how we're treating him, don't upset him and just try to do whatever will make him happy."

"You got it, boss." Brendon told Newt"Quick question though, how did you manage to leave the house without Charlie noticing?"

"Let's just say that Quill is going to be looking for the couch's pillows."

.

Charlie Smith is a happy guy for the most part. He smiles and gets through every day with a relative success. Things could be worse, naturally, but Charlie tends to remain optimistic no matter what comes. He smiles through the bickering he and his aunt do, he smiles when Newt cries and wonders if things will be better one day for them, he smiles when Matteusz looks at him during Physics. He even smiles when Finn Hudson will push him-accidentally, as he claims-while muttering some insult.

However, out of the three hundred and sixty-five days of the year, there is one day when he doesn't smile.

When that day comes, Charlie gets up from his bed quietly and remains silent for the entire morning. It helps that Quill is never talking to him that day. If it's the weekend or she doesn't have a class, she remains inside her bedroom and doesn't acknowledge anything. Whereas if she's working, she gets up earlier than usual and leaves long before Charlie is awake.

When that one day comes, Charlie doesn't have an aunt and Quill doesn't have a nephew. They don't live together. They are teacher and student. They are strangers. At least, that was how things used to work out between the two of them while they lived alone.

"I made breakfast." Newt announced proudly"And some black coffee for Quill, she is a bit more murderous when she hasn't had her morning coffee."

Charlie looks at his cousin from head to toe, uncertain of what to say next. He decides to remain silent and just grab the piece of toast in front of him. Newt anticipates a comment or even a facial expression. Nothing comes. Still, he decides not to push it and sits near Charlie. Soon enough, they hear heels tapping the floor. 

Quill enters different than usual. She's already dressed for work, briefcase on hand, and seems to already have had her morning coffee. Nevertheless, she looks at Charlie and then at Newt and grabs a small cup of black coffee. She drinks it in seconds and leaves the house. Charlie doesn't know how to react, he assumes her behavior was expected but still can't help feeling bad for Newt. Speaking of Newt, he sees Charlie stuffing another toast in his mouth and smiles.

Charlie doesn't smile back.

Newt's smile drops from his face but today, Charlie can't do anything about it.

.

"I'm just not a fan of musicals."

"Sure, and Tanya hates Seraphin."

"It's the hair, I'm telling you." Tanya cuts in. Ram chuckles and the younger girl returns to her texting. None of them know who exactly Tanya had been messaging lately but Matteusz had a feeling it was a girl. A special girl.

"All I'm saying is that I shouldn't bother with auditioning for Mr. Schue's musical. We all know that he's going to pick his star student, Rachel, and probably his protege Finn. Then miss Sylvester will force him to add the cheerleading squad and the only  part available will be the one of the grass."

"That was one time." Ram joked but April continued determinedly.

"It's not even that I mind Rachel always getting the biggest roles. I mind the fact that Finn Hudson is somehow always the other lead even if he has an artistic talent about as big as my finger."

"You have to admit though that it was funny when he hit Rachel's nose with his elbow." Tanya laughed"Matteusz, you should have been there! It was the best thing to have happened in this damn school."

"This school and injuries go together from what I've seen." Matteusz mumbled,"It's a bit worrying."

"You tell me? I almost lost my leg at last year's prom."

"That's an exaggeration, Ram."

"It was not and you know it." Ram replied dramatically. April laughed and smiled at him. Tanya lifted her gaze and looked at her friends smirking. Matteusz was planning on asking her the reason behind such a stare, but Charlie entering the school caught his attention. Charlie always caught Matteusz's attention for various reasons and the fact that he always dressed in pastel colors really helped.

However, today was different.

Today something was off but Matteusz couldn't put a finger on it.

.

The first person from his friends that  Charlie sees in his class is Quinn. She's wearing a baggy shirt with way too long sleeves that almost cover her fingers. She approaches Charlie slowly until they are only inches apart and wraps her hands around him. Charlie awaited this. He expected Newt to be the first one to act like that but he figured that Quinn was always more emotional about it. After all, she was the first to witness Charlie's downfall.

Eventually, Charlie hugs back. Quinn was always shorter than him but at that particular moment, she seems smaller than usual. He feels the bones of her back and if things were any different, he would have thought about that detail more. But things weren't different and the only thing that Charlie could think at the moment was his parents' face.

He wants to cry but can't because a)he's in public and b)he doesn't want his classmates to look more down on him than usual. This is why he simply takes one deep breath and holds Quinn as tight as he can. He sees Matteusz looking at him as he walks to his own class and catches Rachel Berry staring from the row behind them.

He can't deal with either of them right now.

"Are you okay?" Quinn asks and she knows it's the dumbest, yet most appropriate, question in the world.

"Yeah. Don't worry about it." he lies. He's truly sorry because he wanted to cry, still wants to actually, and he wrongly reassures her not to worry. Then again what could anyone expect from him? He was just a kid, a young and silly child, who shouldn't have to have his shit together just yet.

.

Skye stares that notebook for a little bit too long for it to be normal.

It isn't really as if she's looking at something specific. She just lets herself space out and contemplates about life. Actually, not life per se but the two main problems she's dealing with. For starters, she's almost certain that Dan has relapsed again. She isn't surprised but hurt. More hurt because Dan hasn't spoken to her about it and prefers to hide bottles under the bed as if she's messy enough not to notice.

Secondly, there is the fact that Charlie is going to be suffering this very day and Skye isn't sure how she must react. She isn't even sure how Charlie is going to react. She had managed to spend years ignoring that day and not paying attention to Charlie and suddenly all the guilt from these years is back and stronger than ever. She shouldn't have shut him out. But she did and now she wasn't ready to deal with the aftermath.

"Skye, right?"

"Huh?" Skye looked up and saw Matteusz towering over her. The boy was sometimes too tall for her liking. "Matteusz, hi."

"Can I talk to you about something?"

"Is that a wise choice?"

"It's the only one I have available." Matteusz explained,"Is Charlie okay?"

Crap.

"Define okay."

"You know, emotionally."

"Okay as in everywhere I go death follows but I must remain a somewhat functional human being or okay as in I'm depressed and want death?"

"How is either of these okay?"

"I don't know, that's why I asked you to be more specific."

"He's just been very quiet today and avoids me with every chance he gets. I'm worried about him."

"It's a bad day for him." Skye simply says"You should probably kindly confront him. Although, judging from your vibe, you couldn't approach him any other way. Ask him what's wrong and I'm sure he'll tell you what's going on."

This is where the world had come to. Skye who always minded other people's businesses was being cryptic when Matteusz needed her. Karma was definitely going to hold a grudge against her after that one. 

"Okay, I will. Thank you Skye." and with that, he left her alone.

Before Skye managed to relax again, another person was standing next to her. "I'm going to save you time and advise you to leave while you have time and avoid going into this dark hole that is my mind right now."

"That's a very dark way of thinking," Grant told her grinning.

"Yeah, I'm punk and edgy like that."

"Your notebook is pink."

"Pink is punk."

"And you're sitting on the floor, blocking some poor kid's locker."

"The floor is also punk."

"Sure it is." Grant chuckled and sat next to her. They both remained sitting next to each other without saying a word for about a minute. "You're quiet."

"Must be a relief for you. People tell me I'm a bit too chatty."

"Nah." he told her"Don't get me wrong, you honestly never shut up."

"Thanks."

"But that's what makes you who you are. It's part of your--"

"Charm?"

"Quirkiness and annoyingness are what I was about to say but sure, suit yourself."

"Dick." she smirked in a cheerful way. 

"Am I though? Because here you were having a what seemed to be an existential crisis and I made you laugh."

"Don't get too worked up on details, robot."

"New nickname?"

"Golden boy didn't fit anymore since you have been seen with me in public."

"Fair enough." he simply said and turned to look at her. "So what's the deal with you today?"

"I don't really want to talk about it."

"Are you sure?"

"No." she whispered and shoved the notebook inside her bag. "So please drop it before my mind blows up and I actually change my mind."

"If that is what you need right now."

"Yep."

"I did bring something with me, though."

"Please be a candy bar."

"It isn't."

"Buzz killer." Grant ignored her and took out a plastic bone from his backpack. "Should I go fetch?"

"No. I was cleaning up the basement yesterday and found my dog's old toy. It's in pretty good shape and I know that you have a dog, who I doubt has any toys--"

"He has me, what else could he want?"

"so I thought you may want this." he hesitantly placed the toy on her lap and let Skye examine the toy.

"Oh, it's a squeaky one! I love those, I'm sure Buddy will as well." she smiled"Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah no problem."

.

"I know something is wrong."

"It's nothing."

"It's something." Matteusz shots back and he's sure that Charlie and he sound like a couple of children fighting at that moment. "Charlie, please, don't shut me out." his own words hurt "Don't lie to me."

It's such a hypocrite move for him to say that. He lies. Matteusz does it a lot. He can't ask for the honesty he hasn't given. If Charlie knew how many lies and excuses he had told his friends about their relationship, he was certain that the blonde would never speak to him again. Yet, whatever he was doing and saying was for their own good. For Charlie's good. For April's good. For his parents' good. He was only trying to fix things.

Same went for this situation. He just wanted Charlie to be happy.

"Please, don't worry about it. It's what's best for the both of us."

"I can't just ignore your sadness. Something is bothering you and I want to know what it is because I,"-he stops mid-sentence-"care about you. A lot."

It isn't a lie.

If something, this might be the one single truth Matteusz has said this week. The only thing it can be is an understatement. He doesn't just care about Charlie. He loves him. But love is something eternal and they are just kids so he can't bring himself to outer this words just yet. Besides, these words would accompany the vow of a little picture perfect domestic life that Matteusz wasn't sure if he could offer.

Charlie opens his mouth to speak but the bell rings.

"Drop by my place today after school."

Matteusz nods.

.

When Charlie returns home, he finds himself pacing around the kitchen. He's stressed and panicking and doesn't even know why he asked Matteusz to come. What was he glorious plan anyway? His head keeps buzzing and the fact that Newt constantly smothers him and asks him if he wants anything isn't helping. He feels like he's going to explode.

Suddenly, the door opens and Quill walks in. She puts her briefcase on the counter and ignores both an anxious Charlie and Newt. She grabs another cup of morning coffee along with a big bar of chocolate and walks to her room. Charlie isn't sure what happens at that very moment but it somehow makes him furious. He stops pacing and follows Quill to her room. Newt panics and runs after him, uncertain of what to expect.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" the question catches both Quill and Newt off guard.

"Excuse me?"

"I get it. I get what we were doing all these years but this is just weird and wrong. It's so stupidly wrong."

"What has gotten into you?"

"My parents are dead!" Charlie shout at the top of his lungs "Your sister is dead! Why don't we acknowledge that? Why don't we talk about it? Why do we refuse to speak to each other for heaven's sake?"

"Charles, I--"

"No, shut up. For a moment, just shut up and listen to me, yeah?" Charlie cuts her off"I know you didn't like my mum. I know you don't like me and I sure as hell know that you hate this situation we're in. But guess what? So do I. There is nothing we can do though. We're stuck like this. You with me and me with you until I'm eighteen. It's just how things are."

"Charlie, maybe--" Newt tries to say but Charlie ignores him.

"What I don't understand is that even though we both lost family, we absolutely hate each other. I don't even know why. I should hate you, you know, I have every right. We were going to pick up you from the airport when it happened. If you hadn't come, they would still be here."-Quill seemed to be taken aback by that comment-"But the weird thing is that you hated me first when you had absolutely no right. I was a kid. I am a kid! But you don't care about that, do you? Why don't you care? Why don't you even pretend to care?"-he punches the table in front of him startling Newt-"You should hate yourself. This is your fault!"

Quill said nothing. Charlie huffed in reply and stormed off the house. Newt stood there, examining Quill who also looked at the void emotionless.

"I," Quill ignored whatever Newt was about to say and walked inside her room closing the door behind her.

.

When Matteusz found Charlie waiting for him outside his house, he knew something had gone very wrong. When the two of them went to a cemetery, he was certain that wrong couldn't even begin to describe how the situation was. 

They walked for some minutes until they stopped in front of two graves. Charlie sighed and kneeled down. Matteusz mimicked him. "Matteusz, meet my parents."

Matteusz looked at Charlie with sad eyes and then turned to the graves. He looked at the date and realized that it was the same as today. That explained a lot. He reached out for Charlie's hand and held it tight. 

"I just miss them a lot, you know?" Charlie asked"Things would have been a lot different if they were still around. I would have been a lot different."-he rubbed his eyes-"The worst thing is those days like these, everyone whispers and treats me differently. They rarely bully me days like these even." he chuckled sadly.

"Charlie, I--"

"Times like these I realize that I'm truly the most broken version of myself." he said in a mix of laughing and sobbing"I don't even know why you stick around. You're so good and kind and sweet and the most beautiful person I have ever seen, you could do so much better than me."

Matteusz can feel Charlie's heart break with every word and at the same time, he can feel his own heart aching.

"I'm just a lost boy who can't even deal with his own issues and feels the need to throw regular tantrums to feel better. I'm,"-he stopped and took away his hand from Matteusz's reach-"I'm no good."

Matteusz took a long breath and placed his hand on Charlie's shoulder. "That's not true, okay? I'm not even half as good as you think of me. And you? You, Charlie, are an extraordinary person. You have been hurt so much and you still carry on because you're Charlie Smith and you can do anything. I know you can." Matteusz smiles"And if you're a lost boy like you say, I promise I will find you."

At that moment, Charlie lets a breath he didn't know he was holding escape his lips and moves closer to Matteusz. The two boys hug each other tight and bury their heads on each other's shoulders.