DRESS || ( charlie dalton )

xiv. of love letters and fatherly love

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊·̩̩̥͙

DRESS
(( — DEAD POETS SOCIETY — ))

—chapter xiv. of love letters and fatherly love

IT HAD ONLY TAKEN a few minutes for charlie to show up at neil's door, frantically asking if his girlfriend was there.

neil opened the door so charlie could see loraine sitting on the bed.

"charlie" loraine said relieved. she stood up from the bed and hugged him.

"i'm so sorry" he was holding her cheeks in his hands, like he was searching her face for any signs of hurt. "i don't know how it got out! i swear i didn't tell anyone anything"

"i know" loraine tried to calm him down, but charlie wasn't having it

"as soon as i find out whoever did this..." he muttered "i don't even care what they say about me, they could say anything for all i care. but they don't get to say anything about you" he kissed her forehead, but his ranting was apparently not finished yet. "do you know that the worst thing about all of this is?" he turned to look at neil, who raised his eyebrows "they're only calling her names, even after they accused me of the exact same thing"

"it's worse that i did it. we both know why" loraine combed through charlie's hair "it doesn't matter, charlie"

"yes it does, ray" charlie was getting frustrated, while loraine stayed perfectly calm.

she sat down on neil's bed again. charlie joined her and neil sat across from them on todd's bed.

she took charlie's hand. "neil said that most boys are believing that it's only a rumor"

"i don't care" charlie shook his head "they're saying awful things. things they shouldn't just say about you but me too! somehow they treat me differently"

loraine and neil exchanged a look. "that's how it's always been, love" loraine drew circles on charlie's back

charlie sighed. "you shouldn't be comforting me" he muttered, his face hidden in his hands "and i think you should be a lot angrier"

"i am angry" loraine declared "but getting loud won't help us"

"what can we do?" neil asked "i already told knox, cameron and pitts to keep telling everyone what bullshit this is. and meeks is trying to find out who started spreading that rumor"

"good" charlie nodded

"thank you, neil" she took a look on the watch on todd's desk. "it's late, i think we should just go to bed and take care of the rest tomorrow, everything is gonna go back to normal, alright?"

neil and charlie nodded and loraine smiled her brightest smile. then, with only a few more words of goodbye, she left the room.

after she had closed the door, she leaned against the wall, listening to neil and charlie converse.

"i don't know how she does it" she could hear charlie say.

loraine clutched her hands, breathing deeply and trying to hold back the tears. she knew that she could've told neil and charlie how much this really hurt her, but she didn't want to worry them any more.

"she's the strongest person i know" neil replied "and whoever spread this rumor doesn't even deserve for her to care about it"

"you really think she doesn't care?" charlie asked. loraine could hear the doubt in his voice and almost felt his eyes wandering to the door in worry