Charlie’s POV
I felt strange.
This morning i had gotten a cast put on my nose, and a blue cast on my right leg. Nurse Jazz also gave me a pair of blue and white crutches after explaining that I should keep weight off of my right leg for six to nine weeks.
Climbing the staircase with crutches was a struggle. My parents wanted to help me, but I dismissed them. If I’m going to have to live like this until my leg completely heals, I’ll have to learn to do things alone.
Ella and Clayton have been coming over every afternoon to hang out with me, mostly to complain about what’s been happening at school while I’ve been gone.
“Sweetie, there’s someone here to see you.” My mom barged into my room with a bright smile on her face. She moved out of the doorframe and allowed that someone to enter.
Why was she acting weird?
A familiar figure appeared through the door, dressed in his usual pitch black clothes.
Ace Caldwell was standing in my bedroom.
His eyes widened when he looked at me, taking in the cast on my leg and the one on my nose.
“Alright, I’ll be right downstairs.” Mom excused herself, giving me a smile before disappearing down the hall.
“What are you doing here?” I groaned, dragging myself upright.
“Mrs Dandry asked me to swing by and give you this week’s work.” He explained, holding up a thick yellowish envelope.
He didn’t have to do that. He could have just left it in my mail box, or left it on the front porch. He didn’t have to come inside.
Maybe he heard about the nerd getting beat up by the jock and wanted to see first hand.
“Thanks?” It sounded more like a question the way I had put it.
He placed the envelope down on my desk and began to walk about my room, as if he owned the place.
He traced his hand over the books on my bookshelf, then over the posters that were taped to my wall.
He made his way to the foot of my bed, taking a seat. “What happened to you?”
“Like you care.” I rolled my eyes.
“You’re right, I don’t care.” He shifted at the end of my bed, turning to face me.
“But I’m curious.”
“I’m sure everyone at school is already talking about it.” I picked at my fingernails.
“Must’ve missed it.” He tapped lightly on my leg cast.
“I got kidnapped and tortured by the mafia.” I joked.
His face was dead-panned before he bursted out laughing.
“You’re quite the character, Charlotte.”
That nickname made me want to break his leg.
“Is this our plant child?” He asked jokingly, reaching for the plant on the desk at the edge of my bed.
“I don’t know, I think you’ve been a bad parent.” I went along with it.
“Harry will forgive me.”
“Harry?” I queried.
“That’s his name, unless you wanted to name him?”
Ace flinched at the sound of my cat meowing.
I chuckled so hard that my ribs hurt. I winced at the pain.
“What the hell was that?”
“Cinnamon.”
“Huh?”
“It’s my cat, Cinnamon.” As if on queue, Cinnamon appeared from underneath my bed and hopped onto it.
“You named your cat Cinnamon?”
“What’s your point?”
Cinnamon walked towards Ace, curling his tail around his arm as Ace petted him.
I put a hand to my aching head.
“You look like hell.” Ace stated the bloody obvious.
I didn’t know he was also a psychic.
“I’d imagine this is what Robby Bramwell felt after you beat him up.” I retorted.
His entire mood changed. In fact, he scowled at me.
“He deserved everything he got.” He spat.
“I-” I started to say something but he just pushed himself off of my bed, taking ‘Harry the plant’ with him.
He paused in the doorway. “You’re just like everyone else.”
He was crestfallen, his tone soft and low-spirited.
Then he was gone.
I sighed dramatically as my two best friends entered my room with a cardboard box full of snacks and sodas.
“Why was Ace Caldwell in your house?” Ella asked immediately, sitting down where Ace had just been sitting only moments ago.
“He was dropping off my science work.”
“He seemed angry when he left.” Clayton stated, taking a seat at my homework desk.
“Isn’t he always angry?” Ella slightly laughed. “Shall we watch a movie?”
Throughout the entire movie, I couldn’t help but think about Ace. He had this whole bad boy reputation, but there was something about him, something I couldn’t quite figure out.
What did he mean when he said that I was just like everyone else?
Did he think I was judging him?
“Have you spoken to Stanley recently?” Ella wondered as the credits rolled on the screen.
“Nope.”
“He told me that he’s moving back to London.”
What?
“Oh.” Was all I could say.
Of course the first guy I developed a tiny crush on would end up moving. Just my kind of luck.
“He leaves tomorrow, did he really not text you?”
“Nope.”
At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if I ended up alone for the rest of my life.
I see a dozen cats in my future.
“What about Ryan?” Ella asked.
What now?
Clayton turned his head to face Ella, his brows furrowed.
“What about him?”
“He can’t stop asking about you.” Ella opened a packet of potato chips and began crunching.
“Really?” I asked.
“What does he care? His best friend is the one who beat you up.” Clayton said angrily.
“Ryan is a good guy, Clayton.” Ella explained.
They both argued for another fifteen minutes before they went home, leaving me alone in my bed.
I scrolled through Instagram on my phone, checking to see if Stan had posted any new pictures.
I don’t know why I felt like this. I barely even know him, i shouldn’t feel somewhat upset about him moving back to London.
A bunch of friend suggestions popped up on my feed, and I found an account with a familiar person in the profile picture.
Ace?
I clicked on his profile and viewed his Instagram.
His profile pic was a picture of him on his motorcycle. He only had a dozen posts, most of them involved him with his motorcycle.
He hadn’t posted in almost a year.
The last picture he posted was of him with an unfamiliar guy. They were smiling. And he wasn’t wearing his usual black clothes.
He actually looked happy.
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