Charlie Robin Styles [Addition to We're Having Our Baby]

That Stupid Band

Charlie's P.O.V. Charlie 14, Sophia 5, Avery 2

"Hey, wasn't your dad in that boy band from the 2010s?" Clarissa takes a seat next to me at the lunch table. We're only a week into the school year so I don't know many people yet, but I do know that I don't like Clarissa.

"Yeah, he was," is all I say and then I go back to eating my lunch.

"What was it called again?" she asks, and I can't tell if she's joking or not.

"One Direction," I mumble.

"What? I couldn't here you. Are you embarrassed to talk about it? I mean, I would be too," Clarissa laughs, and her friend Rebecca joins in.

"One Direction was actually really good," Quinten, the boy from my math class, says.

"Q is right. Plus, your dad was really hot," a girl named Valerie, I think, tells me, and I cringe.

"Really? Let's look up a picture," Clarissa immediately gets her phone out from her bag to google my dad's band. I don't even think we're supposed to have our phones out at school. I debate calling a teacher over to take it away and stop this conversation, but that will just get me picked on even more.

"Oh my god! Your dad had long hair? He looks like a girl," Clarissa and Rebecca continue to laugh as they scroll through her phone.

"You didn't know that?" Valerie asks, "My mom is obsessed with One Direction. She's like totally in love with Harry. Sorry- I mean your dad."

"Damn, Charlie! Your dad is fucking hot! Watch this video, you guys" Clarissa turns her phone sideways and Lights Up starts playing.

"Oh my god guys, come on," I say in a joking way to get them to stop. I don't mind if people talk about One Direction or my dad's music, but this is getting way too uncomfortable.

"Charlie, you are soooo lucky," Rebecca tells me.

"No, her mom is the lucky one!" Clarissa yells.

"Is this you?" Valerie, who was on her phone too, shows me a picture from the premiere of the Disney movie my dad wrote a few songs for. I was only in first or second grade, so I don't remember it too well now.

"Um, yeah."

"Holy shit! Did you get to meet Olivia Rodrigo? She was in that movie, wasn't she?" Valerie asks.

"She was, and yeah I've met her a few times. She's pretty cool."

"You should like, invite us over sometime," Clarissa turns off her phone and directs the table's attention to me again. "Maybe you could throw a party or something! I bet the whole freshman class, no the entire school, could fit in your house! Wouldn't that be awesome guys?" She turns to the rest of the table and most of them nod in agreement. "I mean, I'm sure your parents are out of town a lot. They're celebrities or whatever, so I'm sure they're busy."

"They're home a lot actually," I tell her.

"Damn, that sucks. You should still have a party though. I bet you'd make a lot of friends."

"I'm okay with the friends I have now, but thanks," I smile, trying to be nice but also give her the hint that I'm not interested in anything she has to say.

"Hm," she turns back to face her lunch and begins eating. But her, Rebecca, and Valerie continue looking at pictures of my dad on their phones.

I decide I'm not hungry anymore, so I get up to throw away the food that I barely touched. I'm about to sit down at an empty table when Quinten, or Q as some people call him, walks up beside me.