Charlie (UNREVISED)

Chapter 20

After another hour of eating and chatting, Angel wanted me to explain things further on what happened at school with Cora and Ally.

I reluctantly walk up the stairs with Angel behind me, not missing the look in my dad's eyes.

He doesn't know what's going on at school, for I haven't told him any of it. But he's smart enough to know something is going on.

Maybe i'll tell him at some point, but i'm trying to keep my stress as small as possible, even if it's not working, and I don't want to make it worse with my dad in the way.

I close the door behind us, taking a seat on the window and Angel follows, sitting next to me.

"So what's been going on?" He asks and I sigh, brushing my hair back and looking up at the stars that twinkle brightly without a cloud to hide their beauty.

"The cheerleaders haven't been liking me very much... I've been stopping their fun, as they say."

Angel raises an eyebrow, confused. "Fun?"

"Don't you know they bully Cora behind everybody's backs? They seem to be the only people who acknowledge her existence, even if it's for all the wrong reasons."

Angel gives me a look a pain. "I kind of knew things were hard for her... But she never told me anything..."

I hesitate, leaning against the window and looking down at my hands as they twist to give me something to do. "Well Cora didn't really tell me either. I found out. I stopped the cheerleaders from whatever they were doing, making sure it didn't escalate and they didn't like that."

I glance up at Angel who seems to be listening intently and I relax under his gaze.

For some odd reason, things feel very... different between us. I wouldn't say it's a bad different, but it's odd. Ever since that day out of school I feel as if we grew closer than we already were. We saw sides of each other that probably nobody has seen before. It made me feel special in a way, but it does make me nervous.

I'm pretty much lying to him. I have lied to him, about a big portion of myself, and I knew that when he found out, if he ever did, things will go downhill very fast.

I swallow, turning my head away from those sad thoughts as I sigh. "A lot of things have happened since I came here. Making friends with Adler made the other football players have some sort of respect for me. It rubs me the wrong way, but that's just what it is I guess. They won't help Halley and the other captains with their schemes against Cora anymore. All because of me."

I turn my gaze away again, letting my head fall against the wall of the window seat, staring up at the ceiling. "The cheerleaders are suspicious of me. They pretty much know i'm not from around this part of town, but they're also trying to figure out how I know whenever Cora seems to be in trouble. It makes them wary of me, and because of it, they'll be coming after me now."

I glance at him. "You must have heard the rumors."

Angel tenses, not meeting my eyes before nodding. "I don't understand... Why are those rumors so weird?" He asks and I don't respond, making him squint his eyes at me in suspicion.

"How do you know when she's in trouble? You knew that one time we had our big fight in front of the school. How did you know? We were nowhere near wherever you were running off too."

I still don't respond, and he hesitates before frowning. "Is that the only reason they're interested in you? Because you stole their football players from them?"

"They think i'm hiding something."

"Are you?"

"No."