Playing Life Counselor

Throughout the entire weekend, Charlie has been distancing herself from a particular boy with hazel irises. Hayden has tried to reach her several times, via text and phone call, but the girl hasn't bothered to respond to him. There's no need for her to. He's the one that closed up tighter than a clam when she asked him if he wanted to talk about whatever it was that had his panties in twist!

She's not going to waste anymore of her precious time on someone who doesn't appreciate the effort.

It's that horrid day of the week most students dread again. That's right, it's Miserable Monday. Funny how the weekdays seem to drag on for eternity, but the weekend seems to end in the blink of an eye. This year's homecoming is exactly four days away and because Charlie's been giving Hayden the cold shoulder, they haven't been able to properly review the details.

Like what time Hayden would be picking her up, the color of her dress, and all of that other jazz she could honestly give a damn about.

In calculus, Charlie and Ethan are sitting next to each other like they have been for the last couple of days. Mariana doesn't utter a single word to him and goes straight to her seat. The two of them are genuinely stunned with her lack of interest in Ethan. However, they don't think too much about the matter. Their focuses are geared towards each other.

Luckily for them, today's lesson consists of reviewing for an exam they have this Friday. The test might make up twenty percent of their grades for the first quarter, but neither one of them feels anxious about it. The same cannot be said about the rest of their classmates though. Leave it to Mr Gherardi to torture his students before the big dance.

At least they could get hammered and have the time of their lives without having to worry about anything else, except for, well, making it home alive to see another day, of course. 

Ethan steals a glimpse of Charlie with the assistance of his peripheral vision. When he sees Mr Gherardi turning his back to the class, he quickly crumples up a piece of paper and tosses it onto her desk. Yeah, they're passing notes. Ethan has always been an old fashioned guy, sort of.

He hasn't passed handwritten notes since middle school, but he finds the thrill of it is much more enthralling than texting, especially because they're in high school now.

Being a total math lover, Charlie would usually never condone such behavior to take place during her favorite subject.

But...

Ethan is an exception.

Without even recognizing that she is being pulled away from the equations and functions she finds salvation in, Charlie unfolds the note and reads the message inside.

She scribbles down her reply, crumples the paper again and returns it to the boy. They have been doing this the entire period, and thanks to their stealth and discretion, they have not been caught. The other students are too nervous about the exam to pay attention to them as well.

The bell rings and Charlie and Ethan walk out of the room together. "You should have been taking notes like everyone else," says Charlie.

"What about you?" Ethan rebuts.

"I don't need to. This stuff is a piece of cake. I'll probably finish in thirty minutes or less, and that includes going back and double-checking my work." She brags, with a dismissive flick of her hand.

"Then how about you help me study?" he suggests, his face lighting up with hope.

The girl cackles and stares at him with a raised brow. "And why would I do that?"

"Because we're friends?" he answers.

"Nice try, but that's not good enough. Figure it out on your own, or go see a tutor. My time is too valuable to be spent on a peasant like you." Charlie declares.

"So now I'm a peasant, am I?" Ethan can't help but scoff incredulously. "What does that make you then?"

The girl doesn't even skip a beat. "The noble knight, of course."

"Good thing you said that. If you said you were a princess, I would have dropped to the floor, and died from laughter. I can't imagine you in one of those frilly dresses." He attempts to imagine it and shudders.

"Why would I want to be a princess? That posh life is too dull for me." Her answer doesn't surprise him. She is Charlie. The pair comes to an automatic halt in front of the girl's class, and she turns to look at him. "See you after school?"

"See you after school." He nods.

Second period wraps up rather briefly and when Charlie crosses the threshold and steps into the hallway, she is greeted with the sight of Hayden. He is standing across the way with this innocent countenance plastered across his face, which has Charlie nauseated. She doesn't have anything to say to him and journeys towards her third period. 

"Hey," calls Hayden as he chases after her. She doesn't acknowledge him and keeps moving forward. He expected this much. "Charlie, I'm sorry about what happened last week. But you can't keep ignoring me like this."

The students around all have their ears and eyes wide open. Could this be their first lovers' quarrel? Then, a teacher enters the premises, barking at them to get to their classes. They moan and groan in protest, but the threat of a week's worth of detention gives them the incentive to move along.

The corridors begin to thin out and Hayden is still following Charlie like he's some lost puppy.

Why does the gymnasium have to be located at the back of the damn building?

Realizing that she isn't going to speak to him, Hayden finally grabs the crook of her elbow and pulls her back. "We need to talk," he announces.

"Actually, we don't." She retaliates by yanking away harshly. Her pace rapidly increases. She wants to get as far away as she could from him. Unfortunately for her, the boy's long legs are more than capable of staying in sync with hers.

"Charlie, I've apologized to you a dozen times already. What else do you want from me?" He questions, his tone laced with irritation. That had done it. Reaching her breaking point, Charlie abruptly stops and whips her head towards him. Her eyebrows are stitched together while her eyes are burning with fire. The corners of her lips are also curled downwards. Enough is enough.

Her life had been so simple before all of this happened.

"The real question should be: what do you want from me, Knight? Need I remind you that you were the one who didn't want to talk? I'm not going to wait around for you and do everything you tell me to do. I'm not some domesticated animal you can teach tricks to."

"I told you that I have a lot going on. Why can't you get that?" Hayden returns.

Charlie isn't a clairvoyant. "How do you expect me to understand when you won't even tell me what's wrong?" She spots her escape. "Now if you're done, I have to use the bathroom. Don't bother waiting. I'm not going to change my mind."

Crestfallen and disheartened, Hayden finds himself standing immobilized as he watches her stalk off. He wants to tell her what's wrong, but it's easier said than done.

He doesn't want this to be real.

He wants it to be a nightmare. A horrifyingly terrible debacle, which would soon come to an end.

However, if he talks about it out loud, he will have to accept the truth.

He will have to accept the shattering reality his life has become; and he's not ready for that.

Charlie turns into the restroom, and freezes at the entryway due to the sound of somebody sobbing hysterically. What has she walked into now? She's avoided one disaster, only to stumble with another. Slowly, she starts to back out until she hears the girl speak.

"I don't know what to do with my life anymore." The voice sounds familiar and as she continues to listen, Charlie registers who the owner is.

"I can't take this, Andy. Just because I like sex, doesn't make me some slut. How is today's society even fair? Guys can proudly boast about all the girls they've banged and are constantly praised for it. But when a girl does it, god forbid, she's a filthy, little whore, who apparently has STD stamped across her forehead."

The frustration is adamant and Charlie finds herself rooted to the floor, listening in on a private conversation, which is definitely not meant for her ears... again. She must have been talking to this Andy person on the phone because Charlie could only hear her.

"I didn't give that douchebag the clap, but nobody believes me! I might have made out with him, but I sure as hell didn't sleep with him. He must have contracted it from somebody else and decided to blame me for it because I wouldn't have sex with him!"

Charlie's eyes triple in size. "I'm seriously thinking about transferring. I—I can't breathe living in place where I'm always being judged so harshly."

She's broken. Scared. Exhausted. Fed up. She doesn't want to carry on like this. It's too detrimental for both her body and her mind. "Okay, I'll talk to you later. Bye." The stall door swings open and Charlie casually walks in, as though she's just arrived. Marianna quickly wipes away her tears before she sends her a distasteful look. "What do you want?" She sniggers.

"To take a piss. Isn't that obvious?" Charlie answers nonchalantly.

"Then go. What the hell are you waiting for?" she snaps. 

Charlie scoffs and walks towards one of the stalls. Is this the same person she heard bawling her eyes out moments ago? It doesn't seem like it. Inside, one part of her is urging the girl to ignore the situation, while the other part is begging her to intervene. Why? Because Charlie knows everything Mariana had said is true.

She inhales deeply and turns back around. "Look, I'm sorry about all of the shit I've said to you, but in my defense, you started it."

"I don't need your pity, queer." Mariana glares at her through the mirror.

Her snide and derogative nickname results with Charlie blowing up like a nuclear bomb placed in a tight and confined space. "Oh my fucking god! I'm not pitying you and I'm not a queer! I'm actually trying to apologize, Mariana and right now, you're making it extremely difficult."

"Did I ask you to apologize?" she questions haughtily.

"Could you stop being such a stuck up bitch for a second and just listen?" Mariana grits her teeth yet remains silent. Charlie takes this as her cue to resume. "Has it ever crossed your mind that your attitude towards the kids in our school, along with the way you treat them, is the reason why nobody in this fucking place is willing to believe you? If you don't want to be judged, then you should stop criticizing other people. Don't dish out something you can't accept in return."

Mariana flinches and lowers her gaze. Her heart constricts, and she doesn't lash out.

She knows she's not an angel.

She knows she treats people like they're invisible, but to hear somebody actually say it to her face makes it all the more real.

How did she turn out like this anyways? She hadn't always been this kind of toxic person.

Like Charlie said to Hayden, life changes people.

"If you can't do that, you can also let all of the hate go in through one ear and come out the other. That's what I do. What I'm trying to say is that, you're right. Life isn't fair. The society we live in is screwed up. Double-standards are everywhere. No matter what you do in life, you have to remember that you will always be judged for your actions. It's inevitable. So, you might as well do whatever you want and stop caring about opinions that aren't your own.

That's the only way you'll survive."

"Whatever," Mariana starts to leave, but before she exits, her step falters and she glances over her shoulder. "See you in class tomorrow... Charlie."

- - -

Author's Thoughts: Because I don't want you to forget that EVERYONE has their own problems, and that we are all humans with feelings.

I'd like to dedicate this chapter to cantfitanymoreinit and ibrorschach. Thank you for reading <3 Also, if you haven't voted please do because the only way this story will get ranked is through the recent amount of votes. It'd mean alot to me. I hope you have a good day!