Chapter 10

Charlotte noticed that people weren’t treating her the same way they used to. Everyone seemed more friendly. They offered to do things for her and wanted to be around her more often. It was mostly male friends of hers that had never showed romantic interest. It seemed like guys, in general, wanted to be around her more. She didn’t really understand, but it was hard to ignore. James had noticed too. He was starting to get really protective of her. He would keep his hand on her at all times when they were around other people. He made sure everyone knew she was his.

It was a few days after the nightmare with Kyle that Charlotte was invited to a house party. It was James’s brother having the party and it was just going to be a few close friends. Charlotte felt safe being at James’s house, so she agreed right away. As a treat for James, she even put on a summer dress from the back of her closet. It went to the knee and had a few layers. It was a mix of orange and hot pink. The shirt that matched was a cropped t-shirt. The outfit was mostly stomach and shoulder. For the first half an hour, James was glued to Charlotte’s side. Once he was confident with the attendees, he left Charlotte to engage in a conversation with his brother’s girlfriend. She was into a lot of the same nerdier things as James. It was something they bonded over. He didn’t find it easy to bond with anyone, so Charlotte was happy that this was developing into a friendship for him too. Charlotte made her was over to Jamie, one of the only other girls at the party. She was James’s cousin and Charlotte and her had started to become friends. Jamie was telling Charlotte about school when Charlotte couldn’t focus on her words anymore. Staring past Jamie, Kyle was quickly approaching. He walked up to Charlotte, grabbed her chin and pressed a forceful kiss to her lips. She stumbled back, her words getting stuck in her throat.

“Excuse me?” James’s voice was deeper than usual. Kyle spun around to face him.

“What?” He barked. James motioned towards Charlotte.

“That’s my girlfriend you’re harassing.” He spoke calmly. Charlotte moved away from Kyle, moving to stand by James’s side. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders tightly.

“What the fuck? You’re cheating on me?” Kyle barked. Charlotte shook her head.

“We went on one date.” She corrected. Kyle scoffed loudly.

“It was more than a date. Or are you that friendly with everyone?” He insulted. Charlotte bit her lip. James stepped forward putting one of his hands on Kyle’s shoulder. He squeezed as his other hand became a fist and smashed into Kyle’s nose. It started pouring blood. James let go of his shoulder and he stumbled backwards. James put his arm back around her.

“Don’t touch my girlfriend again.” He growled. Kyle put his hands up, then stumbled his way to the bathroom. Charlotte sunk against James’s side.

“I’m sorry.” She groaned. James shook his head.

“You didn’t even do anything.” He corrected. Charlotte shrugged.

“I did something, because this keeps happening and I don’t know why.” She whined. James nodded.

“This is just teenage bullying. Spreading rumors and misinterpreting situations to mean wildly inaccurate things. It’s supposed to be more sophisticated, but it’s just stupid and messy.” He reasoned. Charlotte smiled. She loved his intellectual side. She would listen to him talk for hours. It usually meant he was high. That’s when she realized his eyes were a bit red too. She squeezed his hand.

“Do you want to go upstairs?” She asked softly. At first, he didn’t seem to hear her. She took a step forward, which prompted him to move. He quickly dragged her through the party and up to his bedroom. Once they were inside, he locked the door.

“What’s up?” He asked, trying to sound casual. Charlotte took his hands in hers and pulled him towards her as she backed up towards his bed. She sat down, and motioned for him to sit beside her. He sat down cautiously, adjusting himself to face her. She leaned forward and kissed him. She could taste the joint on his lips. She licked over his lips and into his mouth. He let out a moan. She started running her hands up his arms. Moving them to the bottom of his shirt, she pulled it up and over his head. She leaned forward and kissed his chest. She liked how his heart would flutter every time. She reached for his pants, but his hands grabbed hers.

“We can’t. I don’t have anything.” He huffed. Charlotte wrapped her hand around his.

“We won’t need anything for this.” She hinted. His jaw fell open. Charlotte kissed his bottom lip, then motioned for him to lay on the bed. Once he’d adjusted, she undid his pants and pulled them down. She moved between his legs, looking at him through his boxers. She kissed him through the fabric, feeling him twitch. She didn’t tease him for long. She took him in her mouth and caressed him as he jerked into her. He didn’t last long, and she made sure to leave no mess. He grabbed her by her hair and pulled her mouth to his, sloppily kissing her.

“Fuck.” Was all he could say. Charlotte nodded.

“So it was good?” She asked shyly. James laughed and kissed her again.

“Fucking amazing.” He exhaled. Charlotte nodded.

“I’ve never done that before.” She confessed. James abruptly sat up.

“Shut up.” He argued. She laughed and shook her head.

“That was the first time I ever thought of it.” She added. James kissed her again.

“Every part of your body is amazing.” He gushed. Charlotte rolled her eyes.

“Shut up.” She groaned, playfully hitting his shoulder. James wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down on the bed with him. He adjusted so he was draped over top of her. He pretended to snore.

“You still have to take me home, dork.” Charlotte interrupted. James was quiet for a second.

“Spend the night.” Charlotte sat up.

“What?” She squeaked. He sat up with her, putting his hand on her lower back.

“My parents aren’t coming home. My brother won’t notice. Just, stay with me for the night.” He plead. Charlotte was quiet for a minute, then she nodded.

“I would like that.” She agreed. They snuggled in silence for while. It seemed like neither had enough as they stirred in bed. He moved between her legs and made her see stars. He rubbed himself against her stomach. She wanted more. She guided him as she lifted her hips. When he slipped in, they both gasped, clutching to the last bit of their sanity. He started slow, but picked up his pace. The more he thrust, the louder Charlotte was getting. James tried to kiss her quiet, but there was no use. She sounded like an animal. His chest tightened and he gave himself to the experience. It was a beautifully violent orgasm for both of them. It hurt after. He went to the bathroom and got a warm washcloth to clean her off. She got back into her underwear, but left her clothes on the floor. James got into his boxers, then dove into bed with her. They kissed until they finally fell asleep.

In the morning, Charlotte had to rush to get home early enough that no one would notice she hadn’t been there. James dropped her off a block away and she crept into the quiet house. She quietly tip toed up to her bedroom, careful to avoid the steps that creaked. She made it up to the top of the stairs before there was a creak. It was in the hallway outside her door. She shrugged as she headed into her room. She was able to close the door quietly. She immediately stripped naked. She picked up her underwear and tossed them into the hamper. She picked the bra up and hung it off the handle of her dresser. She took the wet wipes out of her top drawers and cleaned herself off again. Although she trusted James, they were both out of it. She didn’t know how well he had done cleaning. She tossed the used wipes into the garbage and got into a night gown. She left her clothes on the floor as she climbed into her bed. She tucked herself in, then tossed and turned a bit to make the bed look rested in. it wasn’t the first time she had been out over night. She was practiced.

She was laying on her back staring up at the ceiling for an hour before she heard movement in the house. Her little brother started singing to himself as he went downstairs. Shortly after, she heard her mother get up and head down to set him up with breakfast. Charlotte took the opportunity to sneak down the hallway to the bathroom. She ran a super hot shower and climbed in. No matter how many times she scrubbed herself, she didn’t feel clean. She couldn’t stop thinking about the situation with Kyle. She also worried that Sam may have had a similar experience with Mike. She didn’t know how she was going to ask, but, it was definitely a topic that needed to be brought up. Charlotte knew Sam would feel guilty, but she didn’t want her to blame herself. Charlotte slowly sat down on the cold porcelain, pulling her legs to her chest. She started sobbing into the water. She hated how she couldn’t defend herself and just let things happen. She had been doing it for a long time already. When she was younger, she didn’t want to be involved in the antics of most of her friends. They would tease her until she went along with the plan. In order to be included, she stopped voicing concerns. Of course, they often got in trouble. If you have to sneak around, then you’re doing something wrong. Punishment follows. That’s what Charlotte was raised to believe anyway. So that meant she must have done something wrong in order to be deserving of the punishment. She thought about it as she got out of the shower and walked back to her bedroom. She closed the door and dropped her towel. She winced as she stepped into her underwear. She was really sore. Despite the pain, she couldn’t help but smile to herself. When she closed her eyes, she could still feel him. She could still see the way his eyes rolled back into his head. She had never seen him lose control like that. She thought it was sexy. She would have to figure out how to put the events of the night into a poem. It deserved to be highlighted and looked at like a work of art. It felt like every time Charlotte and James were together, they were weaving more of the tapestry that created their life story. She couldn’t wait to see what the picture would look like in the future. Although she was nervous, she knew she had to talk to Sam. Sam needed to know the type of guy Kyle was, since Mike was his best friend. It was early, but Charlotte didn’t care. She dialed Sam’s number. Sam had her own phone line in her basement loft. It rang a few times, but Sam eventually answered with a groggy greeting.

“Sam, I need to talk to you.” Charlotte blurted.

“Okay?” She prompted Charlotte to continue.

“Have you gone on your date with Mike?” She asked sharply. Sam laughed.

“We’re going on Saturday.” She corrected.

“There’s something you should know. If Kyle and Mike are anything alike,” Charlotte paused.

“You need to be careful. Mike’s intentions may not be as pure as yours are. If he tries something, don’t feel like you have to go along with it if you don’t want to. If you do, then go for it!” Charlotte tried joking. Sam was quiet on the other end of the phone.

“Charlotte, what happened with Kyle?” She asked under her breath. Charlotte took another deep breath.

“Nothing.” She dismissed. Sam was quiet again.

“Charlotte?” She asked softly. Charlotte rolled her eyes.

“Nothing bad, okay? Just, nothing I wanted either.” She simplified. Sam was quiet again.

“Should I cancel?” Her concern was audible. Charlotte sighed.

“No. Just, keep your head on your shoulders and have an escape plan ready. Call Robert or something. He’ll get you out of the situation.” Charlotte suggested. Sam was quiet again.

“I’m so sorry.” She sobbed. Charlotte shook her head.

“I knew you were going to blame yourself, but, it’s not your fault Sam. You didn’t know.” She tried reassuring. Sam started crying heavier.

“I shouldn’t have pushed you into it!” She screeched. Charlotte laughed.

“Look, it happened. I just want to make sure it doesn’t happen to you.” She assured. Sam sniffled.

“I really appreciate that.” She whined.

“You know I’ve always got your back.” Charlotte assured. They hung up the phone and Charlotte went on with the rest of her uneventful day. If her mother knew she had been gone, she didn’t say anything.

Kyle did not take the rejection very well. In the days that followed the house party, he had warped the events of the date to suit his narrative. He told everyone that Charlotte had invited him back to her place. As soon as they got there, she threw herself at him, kissing and touching him. He made her sound like a cock-starved slut, begging him to use her. He said he only did exactly what she asked him to do. Of course that was the version everyone seemed to believe. Except James. He said he believed Charlotte and in his mind, she was a victim of assault. It made him want to protect her from everything and everyone who threatened her safety or well-being. Unfortunately, Kyle wasn’t the only one telling lies about her. A few other classmates had said she did things with them that she hadn’t. This led Charlotte to tell James all about her relationship with Robert. She needed him to know that was the only genuine encounter she had that didn’t involve him. James hadn’t asked if she was dating someone else while they were broken up. She didn’t go out of her way to tell him because she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. It was a miscommunication. Charlotte promised she would be more forthcoming with James in the future. He trusted her completely, never doubting her version of events.