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I fell silent. What he said connected a few dots, but also brought up a slew of other issues. “That’s why he came home yesterday and asked me about you?”
Not knowing what Dad had been asking about, I had avoided his questions all together. Which now may not have been the smartest idea. If he had any inkling that Charlie and I were friends, then my actions would have made him even more suspicious.
“What did he say?” Charlie exclaimed, launching himself forward.
“He asked if you and I had been talking. I ignored him, like I usually do. It’s none of his business.” It didn’t seem like a big deal last night, but now I realized my mistake.
A look of panic washed over Charlie’s face. He may have also stopped breathing.
All of this was bigger than just me. It wasn’t only my life I worried about.
Right now, I was terrified for Charlie. Scared for him and what it meant for soccer.
“Una… he’s mycoach. You already said if he found out, he’d bench me!”
I didn’t know what to say. Telling him I’d talk to Dad and make sure that didn’t happen didn’t seem like a reasonable idea. The more I told Dad, the more he’d be upset. Dad would be more pissed at me for being a distraction to a player than he would be at Charlie, but he wouldn’t be super happy with Charlie, either.
Dad never had to give the ‘my daughter is off limit’s’ speech before, because no oneknewI was his daughter. But when they found out, he let me know he told them all.
Charlie broke that rule.
And I let it happen.
“When it rains, it pours,” I muttered, fiddling with my keys. It pained me to have to add to the tension in the car, but I had to. “The Fairy Godmother found out. She didn’t name you, but I doubt that’ll take too long.”
Charlie leaned over, placing his elbows on his knees, lowering his head, and rubbing the back of his neck.
I stared at him, not knowing what to do. I wasn’t the most empathetic person on the planet, but I also hated seeing him so upset. Solutions were literally my line of work, yet here I sat, not having any clue how to make this all better.
“I think it was Aria. She was nosing around when she shouldn’t have been the other day.”
Charlie shook his head softly. “Navin saw us playing soccer…”
My entire body shut down at that statement. I didn’t have to ask, but I knew Charlie didn’tonlymean soccer.
“Did he tell the Fairy Godmother?” I whispered, unable to speak any louder than that.
Sitting up, he rested one elbow on the windowsill, cradling his head in his hand, and looked at me. “I don’t think so. If he did, then the post would have been about me and not you, right?”
“True. Then Aria has to be behind the leak. She’s getting her revenge.”
Charlie’s frowned deepened. “Aria doesn’t seem like the person for a revenge plot.”
We could play this guessing game all day and still get nowhere.
“Is Navin going to say something?”
Charlie shrugged. “Not sure. I don’t think he has yet. He told me yesterday, when he saw me all zoned out and stuff. I wanted to ask him about it, but I… well, if I did, then it would confirm everything he saw. I figured I’d talk to you first.”
Frustrated, I tapped my forehead on the steering wheel. “This is why I don’t get involved in love. It’s too messy.”
“Una?” Charlie whispered, a bit of confusion in his tone. “What did you say?”
I didn’t just say that out loud… did I? Did I admit something to Charlie that I hadn’t even admitted to myself?
“It’ll be okay. This doesn’t have to change anything,” he breathed, barely over a whisper. But I heard him loud and clear.
“It changeseverything.”
