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Chapter Twenty
Charlotte
Things haven’t gotten any easier. Clearly, the fact that I’m still on campus and haven’t been kicked out should be message enough that I was wrongly accused, but of course people don’t see it that way.
With the university failing to release any kind of statement about my innocence, rumour and speculation were still rife all over campus. Charlie was, at least, suspended for a week for his part in the revenge porn. A joke really, but the school gave out the minimal punishment they could to get me off their backs. They didn’t like my threat of involving the law at all.
And today he’d be back. I was dreading it. My name is splashed all over campus too. I’ve tried to keep my head held high, to turn a blind eye, ignore the comments and jeers, but I’m tired. Having the guys back in my life has made me realise how lonely I am. As awful as Charlie was, at least he offered sporadic company. The highlight of my life at the moment is whenever one of the guys calls by, but I rarely know when that’s going to happen.
“That’s her,” the whispering starts as soon as I enter the campus coffee shop. It’s like a buzzing of angry voices hitting me all at once, stinging.
“I heard she fucked them both!”
“What, father and son? At the same time?”
“No the prof and the dean. It’s how she got away with it.”
“Charlie said he shared her with all his friends.”
“He was only dating her for a bet.”
“She writes essays in exchange for sex.”
“I heard she was easy.”
“Charlie said she was frigid.”
“Probably too tired to put out for him after spending all of her time working on her back.”
The laughter is what hurts the most. Do they not realise I can hear them? Of course they do. They just don’t care. Can’t they understand that their words hurt? That, even if anything they said was true, it’s rude and hurtful and unkind to point and whisper and laugh?
I leave. I don’t even grab my drink to go, I just leave it on the table. I grab my bag and race out of the door, slamming into someone because I’ve got my head down, trying to be invisible.
“Ooof! Sorry!” I cry, trying to sidestep the chest I’ve hit. I move right as it goes left. Repeat. I can’t get past.
“Well, well, well,” a cold voice drawls. “If it isn’t the campus slut.”
“Don’t,” I whisper.
“Oh sorry, do you prefer whore? Prostitute? Jezebel?”
“Charlie, don’t,” I cringe at the pleading, begging tone of my voice. Fuck. Where’s my strength when I need it? Why am I always Charlotte when it comes to dealing with him? Why can’t I be takes-no-shit Raven?
He just laughs. The sound turning my stomach and sending shivers down my spine.
“Please Charlie, I’m sorry about the way things ended. You’ve had your fun. Please, can we let it go now? Call it a day.”
“I’m not even close to being done with you yet, Charlotte.” The way he says my name has bile rising up my throat. “The way I see it, my fun is only just beginning.”
I try to step past him but he shoves me. I stumble and fall, landing off the path and in the mud. I can feel everyone’s eyes on me through the window of the coffee shop. I feel rather than hear their whispers, their laughs. Tears prick at the corner of my eyes, but then Charlie spits at me, a large white gob landing right by my feet, and rage fills me.
I scramble to my feet and shove him back.
“Fuck you, Charlie! I’ve tried to be nice about this. I could have gone to the police about what you did, but I was kind.”
He laughs, without even looking back at me, and walks away. The coffee shop door jingles and a cacophony of sounds assault me for a moment before the door closes once more. For a second I contemplate storming in there after him, but I don’t. I don’t want to make a scene. Instead, I dust myself off and head to class.
Literature. Great. I forego my favourite front row seat in favour of hiding at the back. I try to keep my head down but I’m still the centre of attention. I don’t raise my hand once in class, and Charles doesn’t look my way at all, even though he must know I’m not in my usual seat. It’s miserable. I’m miserable. My literature class was the one joy I had and that’s been taken from me.
