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I sigh, and with that long, drawn-out breath, all the anger I felt for her drifts away. “I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have gotten so mad. You’re allowed to have your secrets.”
“No.” Charlie shakes her head vigorously, her limp hair swinging with the quick motions. “I was hiding Mike from you. I didn’t want you to know. I didn't want you to judge me.”
I chuckle and tentatively rest a hand on her shoulders. “Why would I judge you? You know about my relationship with the bros. I can’t judge anyone for their relationship decisions.”
Charlie inhales deeply and I get the sense she’s desperately trying not to cry. “Mike and I broke up.”
“Why?” God, I hope this isn’t because of what I said. “What happened?”
Charlie rolls her eyes and she wipes the tears streaming down her cheeks. “We got into this really big fight over break. I wanted us to actually go out and do something, but he told me he couldn’t.”
“Why?” I ask, my anger rising once more. I have a feeling I’m really going to hate the answer.
“Because he was ashamed of being with me!” Charlie wails and presses her face into her palms. Her shoulders shake and she sobs into her hands.
“What?” I shout, cringing as several students enter the class, their eyes widening on me. “Why would he ever be ashamed of you?” I ask in a softer voice.
Charlie lifts her face from her hands and she pushes my hand away from her shoulder. She snatches her purse from my desk, rifling through it violently while she says bitterly, “Apparently I’m not cool enough. Nor am I sporty.” She seizes a packet of tissues and scrubs it under her eyes, smearing black eyeliner and making her look even less like Charlie and more like a raccoon. “I told him that he’s nothing to write home about.”
I bite back a snort. Charlie has him there. Mike might have the athletic bod, but there is legit nothing inside his head. I’m sure if I rapped my knuckles against his skull, it would echo. “What did he say to that?” I ask, my curiosity making me bold.
Charlie scoffs and shoves her used tissue back inside her purse. “He told me that I’m being rude. So I left.”
“Good,” I say with a nod. “You don’t need that.”
“That’s what I thought. But… but—” Charlie sniffs and more tears stream down her flushed cheeks. Her hands tighten on her back. She clenches her jaw, her eyes squinting, but I fear the dam has already broken. “But he already has a new girlfriend!” she wails and slams her head onto the table in the most dramatic way possible.
“Oh, Charlie.” I take her hand and tug her toward me, wanting to wrap my arms around her and give her the tightest bear hug. “It’s going to be okay.”
“How does he have a new girlfriend?” Charlie asks while pushing me away. “How is it possible? He’s not even that hot!”
I shrug. “He’s a guy. It’s what they do.”
“I thought he liked me.”
I look around the room, noticing that several students are staring at us while others are pretending to read a book. Looking at the clock, I notice we still have about five minutes until the teacher comes. It’s the first Monday after break. I’m sure there’s not going to be anything substantial to do today besides hand in our projects.
“Why don’t we get out of here and grab some coffee?” I say, already standing up and throwing my purse over my shoulder. “We can put our projects on teacher’s desk and get out of here. You’re definitely in no mood to do anything today.”
Charlie tilts her head toward me, her eyes glimmering with more tears, her face flushed and swollen from crying. Her head bobs up and down, and she takes my hand.
***
Charlie’s eyes flutter closed and her hands wrap around the coffee. I copy the motion, smiling when the mug’s warmth seeps into my chilled palms. There’s nothing better than skipping class to have a coffee with a friend. Especially at a coffee shop where Lucas works. I catch him smiling at us from the counter. The line isn’t so long today, but I suppose it’s due to everyone being in class. I wink at Lucas, watching him perk up like a dog excited about getting a treat. I chuckle and shake my head, my gaze drifting to the window next to us, speckled with frost.
“So, you’ve heard all about my terrible break,” Charlie rasps. “How was yours? Did you go to Chicago and see Hunter?”
I clench my jaw in an attempt to hold back a grimace, but Charlie’s head tilts in this annoyingly understanding way, which means she can see my pain written all over my face.
“What happened?” Charlie asks and I watch her lift the mug to her lips. Gone is the brokenhearted girl. Confident Charlie has returned, for now.
I look off into the distance, focusing my attention on a couple walking down the street, their hands tightly laced together as they snuggle close to keep warm. There’s no way I can look at Charlie right now, or Lucas, for fear of having my own breakdown.
“Hunter is having some issues,” I say to the window.
“Did he fall off the wagon?”
I hear her suck in a breath as my head bobs up and down.
