Author's Thoughts: I hope you had a good week. I also wanted to say thank you all soooo much for getting this story ranked 297! Please be patient. The next chapter will be worth it!

I would like to dedicate this chapter to dontcrybecauseitsova and Soriya_Ortega! Thank you for voting and giving my story a chance! Please vote and comment if you'd like to :) Also check out Jack's story if you'd like. The second chapter is up!

Playing for Something Real

The next two days, needless to say, are extremely uncomfortable and absolutely morbid for everyone residing within the Whitmen household. Chase is now in the wind, nowhere to be found. Ever since the big falling-out he and Mr Whitmen had, no one has managed to get into contact with him. Whenever they call, they would immediately be directed to his voicemail. No matter how many pleading messages his siblings flood him with (through both text and voice messages), the outcome would be no different.

An issue like this has never occurred before. Therefore, none of the Whitmen children have a clue on how they should go about mending the situation. They are, however, well aware that it will not be a facile task to accomplish. The funny thing about parents and their children is that they tend to share similar traits with one another.

Chase and Charles are no exception. Both of them can be as stubborn as a boulder sometimes, especially if they believe they're not in the wrong. But even if they're not right, they would never admit to it either.

Out of everyone in the house, these two are probably the most obstinate and headstrong. Sure, Charlie could be just as bad if she tried, but the difference with her is that she knows when she's wrong. She's not afraid of owning up to her mistakes and that's what sets her apart from her father and oldest brother. In her opinion, they are both at fault for respective reasons.

Yes, Chase shouldn't have kept them in the dark about the fact that he had been kicked out of school. But after hearing what he had to say and witnessing the torn expression on his face as their father scolded him, Charlie can't help but understand why her brother did what he did.

Mr Whitmen, on the other hand, could have handled the matter better as well. There's no doubt about that. If he wanted space to breathe and think, he should have just stepped out for a moment instead of acting rashly. Because of his impulsive words, Chase is gone and the atmosphere at home is all but pleasant.

Nick, Ian and Charlie have all talked, trying to come up with a plan, which would hopefully solve the problem at bay, but, so far, they haven't been all that successful. On numerous occasions, they have each attempted to approach Charles. They could barely get in five words before the man would brush them aside, using any kind of excuse he could think of that would allow him to leave the conversation unfinished. If worst comes to worst, they might have to conduct an intervention, where they corner him, ultimately providing no chance for him to evade their clutches.

In fact, the three of them have been so engrossed with trying to sort this whole thing out that they haven't had the time to pay attention to anything else. Much to his dismay, Nick had to cancel the date he had scheduled with Skylar for this weekend, but luckily for him, she had been understanding. She even accepted his offer for a raincheck without a complaint.

Ian, of course, couldn't focus properly and celebrate his five-month anniversary with his lovely girlfriend since he was consumed with anxiety the entire day. However, Jillian, as expected, had been nothing but patient and supportive. Why do you think he fell so hard for her? This is just one of many reasons too.

As for Charlie...well, let's just say at least she doesn't have to worry about restraining herself from pouncing on the guy who lives just across the street from her. The truth is, all she wants to do right now is resolve this issue and move forward as soon as possible. Her family may not be perfect but what family is?

Instead of avoiding the disaster and running away from it (like her father and brother are doing), Charlie is determined to run straight into the storm and seize the bull by its horns. Why is there a bull roaming around during a storm? Who knows. But you get the picture, don't you?

Too bad it's not that easy.

"Your dad still hasn't mentioned what happened?" Jillian questions as she and Charlie make their way towards their homeroom.

"Nope," she huffs agitatedly, shaking her head. "Hell, he barely says anything! It's starting to get frustrating. I don't know what the fuck I should do."

"I'm going to tell you what I told your brother," Jillian begins. They reach the room and take their seats. "Sometimes, all you can do is wait," she declares. "When your dad and Chase are ready, they'll work it out on their own. For now, you shouldn't worry about it too much."

"What if they're never ready?" Charlie answers, her eyes focused on the desk.

"They will be," Jillian assures with a beaming smile.

Her words cause her best friend to lift her chin up and turn towards her. "How do you know?"

"Because it's your family we're talking about here, Charlie," she explains like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "You guys love each other to bits and pieces. I'm positive they'll reconcile sooner or later. It'll just take some time."

Inhaling deeply, Charlie nods. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"I know I am." Jillian laughs, flipping her hair over her shoulder. Before she speaks again, she glances around to make sure nobody is eavesdropping on their conversation. At the moment, there are only five other people in their general vicinity, including their teacher. They all seem preoccupied with their own business though and she deems it safe to speak.

"Do you know what's up with Hayden?" She makes sure her voice is low. "He's been gloomier than you've been these last few days. It feels like he's got his own personal raincloud hovering over him wherever he goes."

Charlie quirks a brow. "He has?" She hasn't even noticed. Then, she shrugs. "I don't know. He did tell me he and Cecilia got into fight a few days ago." After, she recalls what else happened and snaps her fingers. "Oh yeah, apparently they both thought you and I were secretly dating, which was also another critical factor as to why I was the perfect candidate for this,"—her eyes scan the room and she leans in—"whole fake dating thing."

"Are you kidding me?" Jillian snorts incredulously.

"Does it look like I'm in the mood to make jokes?" she asks.

"Wow, and here I was thinking how calm and relaxed Cecilia has been with her boyfriend holding hands and hugging you," the blonde mutters. "She must have assumed you were a safe choice since nothing could ever happen between you and Hayden. Don't you think it's time for you guys to pretend to breakup now? The spotlight is no longer on you guys."

"Trust me," Charlie exhales, "I want this thing to end too but I haven't gotten the chance to bring it up yet."

"What about Ethan?" Jillian presses.

"What about him?" Charlie returns.

"Is he doing okay? He hasn't been in school for what, like, four days now?"

"Fuck, I totally forgot to check up on him," Charlie groans, slapping her forehead. Next, she yanks her phone out, ready to send a text to him.

"I was wrong before," states Jillian as she smiles at her friend's slightly frantic reaction.

Charlie looks up, her thumbs still hovering over the keyboard. "About what?"

"About you not having a type," she proclaims.

Instantly, her interests are aroused. "What made you change your mind?"

"Ethan did," Jillian says softly. "You like him."

"Is it that obvious?" the brunette grumbles. How is it that people are noticing the pleasant feelings she harbors for the guy when she, herself, just realized them?

"Yes." Jillian nods with a dopey grin. "But only because I'm your best friend. It's my job to know these things about you. I mean, the lame excuses you make just so you could see him are all the evidence I need."

"God, do you sound like Alex," she mutters as she tries not to roll her eyes. The two of them continue talking quietly amongst themselves, completely ignoring the morning announcements and the chatty students floating around them. The bell sounds soon after and they exit the class.

Out in the hallway, Jillian notices a familiar head of dark brown locks emerging from the sea of people and approaching them. She nudges Charlie's side and fights the urge to pull the corners of her lips up and forming a wide smile. "Crush alert," she teases under her breath.

Charlie trails her line of sight and spots Ethan, alive in the flesh, making his way towards them. His hair is pushed up out of his face and he has on a pair of beige khakis, a light gray V-neck, topped off with a short-sleeved, dark blue button-up, with the buttons all unfastened. "Jill," she hisses, a faint layer of blush settling over her cheeks.

"Sorry not sorry," her friend giggles. "It's not every day I get to tease you about something like this." Then, the boy reaches them and Jillian flashes her pearly whites at him. "Hey, Ethan," she greets exuberantly.

"Hey," he replies with a small smile, his eyes immediately landing on Charlie.

"Well would you look at the time." Jillian taps the watch wrapped around her wrist and turns to her friend. "I've got to get to class. You two kids try not to enjoy yourselves too much." Before Charlie could curse at her, she gallops off.

"Hi," Ethan breathes once it's just the two of them.

"Hey," Charlie answers, thankfully avoiding any awkward episodes. "What are you doing here? Did your fever go away?"

"Mhm," he hums. "I got cleared by the doctor this morning."

"Sweet. I'm glad you're germ-free now. Well, sort of. You should have stayed home today though. It's Friday and the week is basically over."

"I would have," Ethan states, "but I couldn't."

Charlie purses her lips out. "Why not?"

"Because all I could think about was you," he admits, stunning her with his straightforwardness. Those pesky little butterflies invade her stomach yet again and she barely manages to maintain her composure. Charlie never thought she'd be the type of girl who'd easily swoon at mere words, but what do you know? Her heart is thrashing wildly against her chest cavity as she stares into his beautiful cobalt irises.

"You never did come back Tuesday, you know," Ethan adds in, his voice timid. "In fact, I haven't heard from you at all in the past forty-eight hours. Did I—do something wrong? Was it because I said I wanted to kiss you? I'm not going to lie and tell you I made a mistake because I didn't. This is how I feel and I shouldn't have to apologize for my feelings."

"What? No," denies Charlie feverishly. Why does she feel like an awfully terrible person? It's not like she did it on purpose. "Shit, I'm sorry. It's got nothing to do with you. My family is a bit of a mess right now and I've been busy trying to come up with ways to fix the problem. I didn't mean to forget about you, I swear."

Her rambling causes him to chuckle as his worries are put to rest. "That's a relief," he heaves. "Not the part about your family being a mess. I mean the part about me scaring you off not being true. I was worried you changed your mind."

"Look, I know I like to tease you a lot, but what I told you the other day, I was being serious," Charlie declares firmly. "I wouldn't joke around with people's feelings like that. I'm not that cruel."

"I know you're not," he says. "It's just—compared to Hayden, I'm not as perfect and I thought you were regretting the choice you made when you told me I had a chance."

If only he knew the truth.

"I don't want perfect," Charlie replies as she holds his gaze. "Perfect is overrated. I just want something..." What's the word she's searching for? That's right. "Real. I just want something that's real," she repeats in a dazed manner.

It's as though the imaginary weight, which has been sitting on top of his heart, suffocating the organ these last couple of days, has disappeared. Brazenly, Ethan takes a step closer to her, their eyes still locked together. Now the uneasy discomfort has been replaced by an enthralling sensation that definitely surpasses pure bliss by a mile. "Well you're in luck because I can do real," he announces.

And with their hearts being mirror images of one another and radiating smiles draped across their lips, Charlie and Ethan journey towards their calculus class side by side. Their hands would occasionally brush up against each other yet neither one of them is willing to pull away.

Because what they have is real and they refuse to give it up.