Playing Tweedledee & Tweedledum

The sun is beginning to set. The process is gradual and the departure of the blazing sphere of fire brings a peachy orange glow mingled with a soft coral rose to the sky. Nightfall arrives and the darkness swallows up everything in its path. It's Friday and instead of lazing around on her couch like she normally does, Charlie is stuck at the cage.

The employee who was supposed to be working had called out sick earlier and because no one was available to take his shift on such short notice, Paul had asked his baby cousin to come in as a favor. Since she didn't have anything else planned for the night, she decided to be a good sport and help out.

There is a decent amount of people inside. They are all regulars, which means that they know what they're doing and don't need much assistance. Charlie is at her station behind the front desk, looking through her phone for something—anything—that would help pass the time more quickly. The device vibrates in her palm and a notification appears on the screen. It's another message from Jillian.

Matt Lombardi, one of Ian's many friends, is throwing a back to school bash tonight at his place and Jillian has been trying to convince her to go for the past week. As entertaining as it sounds to watch people get completely hammered while making themselves look like idiots, Charlie has no intention of attending. She never does anything at those parties anyways except for maybe drinking a beer or two and that's only if she isn't the designated driver.

Besides, if she agrees to tag along, she would probably have to catch a ride with Jillian and Ian which means she'd be the wretched third wheel.

No thanks.

It's only the second week of school and people are already finding excuses to go out and get drunk off their asses. It seems like they have their priorities misplaced. Even though Charlie drinks every now and then, at least she is aware of her limit unlike other people her age. For the umpteenth time, she rejects the invitation, using the excuse that she'd be swamped after she got off of work. Sometimes, she forgets how persistent her friend can be.

"Can I get a bat? I forgot mine at home." Charlie tears her eyes away from her phone and glances up to find Hayden standing on the other side of the desk with a crisp five dollar bill out. "I only need it for an hour," he says, not looking at her but instead at his feet.

"Sure." Charlie hops off of the stool and retrieves a titanium bat from the rental closet. She hands it to him in exchange for the money.

"Thanks," is all he says before he leaves.

After the confrontation on Ethan's lawn, Hayden hasn't spoken to her as much as he used to. Not that she really cares. He still sits near her in all of their classes, but they do not exchange any words of acknowledgment. Many people, specifically the girls who are obsessed with him, have noticed the drastic change in his behavior and have tried to cheer him up to no avail. He doesn't flash his pearly-whites as generously as he used to and when he talks, his voice is low and timid.

Charlie doesn't think his sulkiness is in any way connected to her callous declaration. She assumes he is weary only because of his secret relationship with Cecilia yet she does not pity him.

Cecilia did have a valid point. Hayden knew what he was getting himself into from the start. He was the one who decided to date a girl who was practically forbidden to look at anything else other than her textbooks. Therefore he should have been prepared for the inevitable repercussions. He made his own bed and now he had to lay in it.

Paul returns to the cage a few minutes before the clock strikes 9:30. They typically close at eleven o'clock on Fridays and Saturdays but since the crowd has died down, he tells Charlie she can leave early and she does without complaint.

As she vacates the facility and climbs into the rusty pickup truck, she spots Hayden pacing back and forth in the parking lot with his phone pressed up against his ear. The hood of his car is propped up, revealing the engine. Something must have happened to it.

"Leave it alone," Charlie tells herself as she drives by. Her eyes flit over to the rear-view mirror where she can see his perplexed expression. Her grip on the steering wheel tightens, causing her knuckles to turn white. Even if they aren't friends, she can still offer him help.

Hayden has been trying to reach his mom, but she isn't picking up. He dials his father next and gets nowhere. As he is ransacking his brain for someone he can call, he is blinded momentarily by a car's headlights. Wanting to protect his eyes, he instinctively raises a hand up and shields them. He hears a car door open and then shut. A dark silhouette appears and approaches him.

"What's wrong?" Charlie strolls straight to the car to see if she is able to diagnose the problem.

The bewilderment is written all over Hayden's face as he stares at her with rounded eyes. Then he snaps out of it and answers her, "My battery is dead. I must have left my lights on or something."

"Okay. I'll jump-start it for you." She announces. She takes one step and stops as Hayden speaks to her.

"Why would you do that? I thought you said we weren't friends," he mutters bitterly.

Her back is the only thing he has a clear view of. "We're not; but since you're a customer here, it's my job to help you out," she reasons before she goes and fetches the jumper cables. She makes sure that both of the automobiles are turned off before she proceeds.

Charlie attaches one red clip to the positive terminal on her battery along with a black clip to the negative terminal. The second red clip gets placed on Hayden's battery while the other black clip is holding onto a piece of metal. The entire time Hayden is standing there motionless, his thoughts in a whirlwind. He returns to reality when she tells him to start his car. The vehicle is resurrected and he gets out in order to express his gratitude. "We have to wait at least five minutes before you go anywhere. No need to thank me yet," she states as she leans against her bumper.

He nods his head slowly and joins her. Nothing but the rumbling of the engines greets their ears before Hayden musters the courage to talk. "What happened to us?"

Crossing one leg over the other, Charlie tilts her head back and gazes at the raven-colored sky hovering high above them. She had been anticipating this. "Life," she remarks vaguely.

"I'm being serious here, Charlie. What happened to us?" Hayden reiterates, this time more firmly.

"What do you want me to say?" she sneers, irked. "People change; they grow apart. Shit happens and you get over it. You and I are no exception. That's all there is to it."

Hayden isn't quite satisfied with her reply. He wants to ask her to elaborate but holds back when she receives a phone call. He sees that it is Jillian ringing and, to his astonishment, Charlie doesn't answer. That's right. How could he let that slip his mind? It must be difficult for them. Coming out isn't as simple as it sounds. It's easier said than done for some people. "Are you okay?"

Charlie looks at him, slightly confused. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Did he think that his absence had a vast impact on her life? Because it didn't.

"It's nothing," he denies. "But if anybody gives you a hard time, you can tell me."

"And why would I do that?" She purses her lips out and cocks her head to the left. "I can take care of myself."

Pushing himself off of the truck, Hayden smiles and walks to his car backwards. "Because from here on out, you and I are officially friends again."

"Whoa, there buddy. I never agreed to that," says Charlie as she stands upright.

"But you did. As soon as you came back to help me I knew that you still considered me a friend, whether you choose to admit or not." He hops into his vehicle and rolls the window down. His head pops out a second later. "Thanks again, Charlie. Drive safe. I'll see you Monday."

Utterly speechless and dumbfounded, it takes a minute for Charlie to react. By the time her sanity recurs, however, Hayden has already vanished, giving her no chance to repudiate his preposterous statement. Her phone goes off again and after she gets settled in the truck, she slides the green call icon across the screen. "The answer is still no," she heaves.

"I don't care. You're coming with us whether you want to or not," Jillian dictates over the line. "I need you to stick with me throughout the night in case some creep tries to hit on me. Ian and I decided to keep our relationship on the down low so it'd be suspicious if we showed up together without you in the picture. Everyone knows we're like Tweedledee and Tweedledum."

"Tweedle-what? Wait, why don't you guys want people to know you're dating?" Charlie questions.

"The twins from Alice in Wonderland. Did you not pay attention in Mr Werth's English class freshman year? And well, you know how pessimistic and nosy kids at our school can be. We want to hold off announcing our relationship for now. We trust each other," Jillian explains.

"Why do couples make dating so complicated? I don't get it," she mumbles, her mind involuntarily wandering over to Hayden and Cecilia. She thinks about it and finally yields to the idea. "Because I'm an amazing sister and friend I'll go on the condition that I am not the appointed designated driver. I've had a weird night. I need a drink."

"Deal!" her friend exclaims enthusiastically. "I'll meet you up at your house then!"

Charlie arrives on Evergreen Street fifteen minutes later. As she turns into the driveway, she catches sight of Jillian's dainty white 2003 Subaru Forester parked out front. "I'm home!" she shouts, tossing the keys onto the table.

"I'm in your room!" her friend hollers from the second story.

She passes by Ian who is sitting on the sofa, flipping through the channels. "What is she doing up there?"

"No clue." He shrugs. "She just brought her entire wardrobe over."

"What?" Charlie pales and hastily ascends the stairs. She swings her door open and is greeted with a disastrous scene. Charlie may be a total slob when it comes to eating, but she has always managed to keep her room neat and tidy. It's one of her pet peeves. "What have you done?" she cries hysterically.

"I need you to help me pick an outfit." Scattered all over her bed and carpet are dresses, skirts and a variety of tops. A row of shoes, ranging from heels to flats, is lined up on the window daybed and Charlie has to pause to catch her breath.

"Why can't you go like that?" she questions.

"Are you kidding me? I look terrible!" Jillian exasperates, gesturing to the attire she has on. She is adorned in a pair of light washed skinny jeans and a white tank accompanied by a beige blazer. It's a cute outfit, but apparently it's not party-worthy enough for the girl.

"You're being dramatic," Charlie points out. "If you look terrible, I must look hideous," she claims, referring to the dark denim jeans, baseball tee and cap she has on.

"It's not the same. You can pull of the casual jeans and t-shirt look effortlessly. I can't!" Jillian stomps her feet like a five year old throwing a tantrum.

"I can't deal with you right now. You've destroyed my safe haven. I'll wait for you downstairs. It pains me to see my room in such a chaotic state. Come down when you're ready," Charlie orders as she marches back to the living room.

"It's a mess up there, isn't it?" Ian laughs.

His sister glares at him, yet says nothing. Then the doorbell rings and she goes to answer it. "So when are we leaving?" A young man with sandy blonde hair and steel gray eyes questions once the barrier is no longer in his way. He is dressed in khaki pants, an olive green button-up and combat-boots. A dog tag dangles around his neck and Charlie's breath gets jammed in the back of her throat. She couldn't believe it. Her shocked expression has the boy grinning and he leans in. "Did you miss me?"

Charlie doesn't like getting emotional but tonight she makes an exception. Overwhelmed, she throws her body forward and wraps her arms around the boy. She hangs onto him as though he would disappear on her at any moment. His warmth and touch tells her that this is all real and she tightens her hold. "I'm so happy you're okay, Jack."

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Author's Thoughts: Ohhhhhh man. Hayden thinks Charlie is dating Jill, too? What are with high school kids and jumping to conclusions? The ending paragraph though :O who is this mysterious Jack who can make our Charlie like this? Any guesses? There's a small hint in chapter 2.

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