AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Anxiety begins rippling through me as I rise to my feet and peer through the peephole. It’s definitely not a package deliverer—unless my best friend recently changed jobs. Laura is standing less than a foot away from me on the other side of my door.
Fuck.
I’m just going to ignore it. My place is obviously not in a state for visitors. If I don’t answer, she’ll leave, especially if she thinks I’m not here.
“Charlotte!” she shouts and pounds on the door again.
I’m not answering it. I can’t.
“I know you’re in there! I heard you scream! Open the door!” she pleads.
Dammit.
Not happening. Today, more than any other day of my life, I do not want to talk about work. I don’t want to discuss how I majorly fucked up, not just for me, but also for her.
I stay quiet.
“I’m not going away!” she warns, and panic begins settling into my chest.
Goddammit, you persistent woman!
My lungs beg to scream, to release some frustration. But instead, I rush over to my couch, rip off my purple beanie, flip my head over, and situate my wig on my head. Right as I’m about to stand upright, I hear a bone-chilling noise—the sound of a key sliding into my door.
Shit, I forgot she had a key!
But I also never thought she would just bust inside.
Whipping my head up, I pull the wig into place and scoop all of my pill bottles into my arms. Right as I’m turning around and taking off for my bedroom, the door clicks and opens.
“Why in the hell wouldn’t you open the door?” Laura protests, shutting it behind her after she steps inside.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuckity. Fuck!
I just need to get these bottles out of my hand, and I might still be able to salvage this. Taking another step toward my bedroom, I stay silent, physically unable to say a single word to her. Not until I know that everything I have worked so hard for will stay exactly where I want it—buried.
“Charlotte! Are you seriously just going to ignore me like I’m not here?!” she practically shouts at me.
I force out an excuse through my clenched teeth. “I’ll be right back.”
My steps get faster as I try not to run into my bedroom and away from her. But this proves to be difficult. Laura and I have been best friends forever. If she were acting even a sliver of how I am, I would be freaking out and so confused. I’m not completely surprised she showed up, but I’m very disappointed in the universe for letting it happen at all.
“Charlotte, stop.” Her voice cracks, and my gait wavers, but I push forward.
When I walk through the doorframe of my destination, a slight pulse of satisfaction thrums through my chest. So close to keeping everything in order and just as it should be.
But that glimpse of hope is shredded as I hear Laura race after me and into my room.
“You are not getting off that easily!” She jumps in front of me, and the world around me spins.
Everything I have been protecting and keeping quiet is shattering into a million pieces.
“Charlotte?” she asks, sounding a million miles away.
Tears fall down my cheeks, and I can’t look away from my feet. This was never part of my plan. This wasn’t supposed to happen. No one was ever supposed to know.
“Charlotte?” she whispers this time, her voice starting to tremble the way my entire body is.
My head starts shaking, slowly at first and growing faster and faster until it’s completely uncontrollable.
