Our Love Page 23

  "Michael, come back!" Ashley yelled as I was getting closer to the two.

  I could feel Chris running after me, but I didn't care. I had to get to the bottom of this once and for all.

  As I finally got up to the two, Charlie looked and quickly released herself from Derrick.

  "Why stop now. It no point trying to hide your relationship," I said.

  "Let me explain Michael."

  "Now the situation is reversed. Just a moment ago, I was saying the same thing. But wait, you didn't let me explain myself. So why should I give you the same benefit?"

  "Michael, I'm sorry about this. I was going to tell you about Derrick, but..."

  "But what, you didn't have the heart to tell me? Or because you thought you could have your cake and eat it too. Which one is it?"

  Charlie looked at me with her puppy dog eyes, which I thought was real cute at first, but now, it was really annoying.

  "Don't pull that crap on me. You know damn well this was going to happen."

  "Why don't you leave her alone Michael. She doesn't need this after what you've done," Derrick said.

  "Stay the hell out of this, Marberry. Nobody asked you to speak."

  "I think I need to step in," Derrick said as he came up to my face.

  "Get out of my face punk," I said as I push Derrick away from me.

  "Stop it you two," Charlie said as she came between me and Derrick.

  "Let me talk to Michael alone," she said as she was looking at Derrick.

  Derrick shook his head.

  "I'm not leaving you alone with him."

  "Please Derrick, leave us alone."

  Derrick looked at Charlie and sighed.

  "Fine, but I'll be keeping an eye on you," he said while looking at me.

  I stuck out my middle finger at Derrick as he walked over to the tree where I was standing at before.

  Charlie looked at me as she started to cry again.

  "I'm so sorry Michael. I didn't want you to find out this way."

  "How did you want me to find out Charlie? When were you going to tell me that you still had feelings for your ex?"

  "I didn't know how to tell you."

  "You could have been honest with me Charlie! That how you could have told me."

  "Oh, like you were with me? When were you going to tell me that you slept with Eva? Or that you had a child with Brandy? When were you going to possibly tell me all that?"

  "We both had secrets, but I never lied to you about my feelings for you. I love you with all my heart and soul. You the one I always wanted to be with. But you, you didn't want to be with me. You wanted to be with Marberry."

  "That's not true. I never lied about my feelings for you. I always loved you."

  "So what are you saying? You had feelings for me and Derrick?"

  "Yes, I did," Charlie said silently.

  "That's not possible Charlie. You can't be in love with two people!"

  "I didn't believe that either, but it can happen. I know because it happened to me. Michael, you are a great person with a great heart. That's one of the reasons why I fell in love with you."

  "Save it Charlie. I don't want to hear your lies anymore. It all makes sense now as to why you didn't admit that you loved me...you still had feelings for Marberry. Did you sleep with him too?"

  "No Michael, I didn't. You're the only person I slept with."

  "Why should I believe you? You lied to me about your feelings for your ex and then you lied about why you transferred to Belmont."

  Charlie looked at me in total shock.

  "How, how did you find out about that?" she stammered.

  "I was listening to your conversation with Derrick. Why didn't you want me to know about that Charlie? Were you ashamed about it?"

  "No I wasn't. I didn't think it was a big deal about my transfer. I figured it was no one business."

  "Not even me! I was supposed to be your boyfriend!" I yelled.

  Charlie looked at me as she broke down into tears. I rolled my eyes at Charlie and her behavior.

  "After all the shit I got from you about Eva and Brandy, how in the hell are you going to stand here and act like you're the victim? You were doing just as much dirt as I was and more."

  "I know I haven't been the perfect angel, but at least I didn't sleep with your best friend. At least I didn't go around pretending that I was just friends with someone, knowing good well that there was more there. At least I didn't have children with anyone and fail to mention it to the person that I loved."

  "You're right, you didn't do those things. But at least I was true to myself and my feelings. At least I didn't lie about being in love with someone knowing good well that there was someone else in the picture. At least I didn't do that," I said.

  Charlie looked at me with pitiful eyes.

  "I understand that right now we're both upset over what happened. If we can talk about this tomorrow or next week...."

  "There's nothing to talk about! What done is done. There is nothing that can change that. And to think that the people around us were the ones trying to break us up, I never thought it would be us doing the damage to ourselves."

  After I said my last comment, I wanted to turn around and walk away from Charlie and everything that has occurred tonight. But for some reason, I couldn't leave her. I couldn't walk away from everything that had happened between us through the past few months. I wanted to go back to the day we first met, the night we first kissed, the night we made love. I wanted to look at Charlie's beautiful smile, feel her soft lips on mine. But as I looked at Charlie now, all I could think about was the misdeeds she'd done and the kiss I saw between her and Derrick. I knew what I did was wrong, but even if I didn't sleep with Eva or were involved with Brandy, it didn't change the fact that Charlie still had feelings for her ex-boyfriend.

  Derrick walked back over to us in an impatient trance.

  "You finished?" he asked Charlie.

  I looked at the two and suddenly all my anger came back inside of me.

  "I have nothing more to say to Charlie. Now why don't you two get off my property?" I said.

  I turned around and started to walk away. While Charlie was yelling out my name, I pretended like I didn't hear her. No matter how much I loved Charlie, I couldn't forgive her for what she did to me. I didn't ever want to hear the name Charlie Perry, let alone see her ever again.

  29. Charlie

  After the disastrous night at Michael's, all I wanted to do was go home and locked myself in my room for the rest of my life. And that's what I did. For the weekend anyway. I didn't answer anyone's phone calls or go downstairs to eat. All I wanted to do was lay in my bed and sulk. Just the look on Michael's face when he confronted Derrick and me was painful enough, but the words he lashed out at me only made me sick to my stomach. What he did to me was terrible. He slept with my best friend and was involved with someone I became close with and had a child with her, but to be honest, I had to agree with Michael about my mistakes.

  Although he had done all those things to me, nothing could compare to what I did to him. I hurt him in the worst way possible. I gave my heart to someone else. As I lay in my bed, I looked out at the window and sighed. Everything was perfect between Michael and me. We were happy. But Michael was right. With our lies and betrayal, we were the ones who broke up our relationship.

  As my alarm clock started to go off, I realized that I couldn't stay in my room forever. I had to face reality. No matter if I wanted to or not. After a few extra minutes of staying in the shower and carefully getting dressed, I dragged myself downstairs as if it was my last day on earth. My mom was in the kitchen with a cup of coffee when I finally walked in. She looked at me with a surprised look on her face.

  "I see you finally came back to the real world."

  I smiled weakly as I sat down on a bar stool near the breakfast nook.

  "I guess I had to come out of my room eventually," I said as I grabbed myself a piece of toast.

  My mom no
dded her head in agreement. She came over to me and gave me a hug. Just the warm touch from my mom made my eyes swell up with tears.

  "Aw honey, I hate to see you like this."

  "I'm trying to be strong, but it hurts so bad."

  "I know you're hurting baby."

  As I pulled apart from my mom, I looked at the piece of toast I just grabbed and realized I'd lost my appetite.

  "Mom, I don't know if I can go to school today. I don't know if I can face anyone right now. Half the school was at that party Friday, and I'm very sure everyone found out about Derrick and me. How am I going to walk down the halls without someone pointing their fingers at me saying she's the one who broke Michael's heart?"

  "What about what Michael did to you? He slept with your best friend Charlie. In my opinion, this happened for a reason. This was a wakeup call for you to realize that you're better off without him."

  "Of course you would say that. You never liked him in the first place. What Michael did was wrong, but I had to realize that we weren't together at the time. That's how everyone's going to see it. The whole student body at Belmont believes that Michael Collier is a living legend. They figure he can do no wrong, no matter how much he screws up. As for me, everyone is going to look at me as the girl who transferred to Belmont with a criminal record and a secret relationship."

  "Charlie, when have you ever cared about what people thought about you? You always had a positive attitude about any situation, no matter if it was good or bad. Why all of the sudden are you giving up on things?"

  "Because there's nothing to fight for," I said as I got up from my seat.

  I looked at my mom and sighed.

  "I'm sorry if you feel like I've changed, but I'm tired of pretending. I'm tired of always putting up a front when things are bad. Today, all I want to do is go to school so I can come back here and sulk some more," I said while heading to the door.

  My mom went over to the front door and stepped in front of me.

  "Charlie, I know what you going through is terrible, but you need to realize that you are a strong person. You can overcome this just like any other situation you face. Just remember that you are a Perry, and a Perry never gives up. They never back down and they never submit to adversity."

  I knew what my mom was saying was true, but my heart just wouldn't allow it. Right now I didn't feel strong. I feel like I've been defeated in every way possible.

  I smiled at my mom as I went up to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

  "I know Mom. I know," I said silently as I walked past her and out the door, leaving my mom shaking her head as if she didn't believe a word I said.

  While driving to Belmont, all I could think about was the rough day I was about to experience. All the rumors, the whispers, and the pointing. The mean looks people were going to give me. And the worst part of all, seeing Michael for the first time since our altercation in front of his loft. As I approached Belmont's parking lot, Rebecca Ferguson "Nothing's Real but Love" started to play on the radio. I put my car in park and lay the back of my head on the headrest. A tear started to roll down my cheek as I remembered when Michael and I first kissed. As I closed my eyes for a brief second, I knew that I couldn't stay in my car forever. I had to face the student body. And most of all, I had to face Michael.

  "Here I go," I said as I got out of my Mustang.

  As I stepped into the familiar halls of Belmont High, I got a taste of what I was up against for the whole day. Practically everyone stopped what they were doing and landed their eyes directly on me. I felt like the whole school became isolated as I started to walk down the hall. The hallway was so still, I swear a pack of wild dogs could have run through there and no one would have noticed. Some people were pointing and talking, while others just gave me evil stares as I walked toward my locker. As I tried to remember my combination, all the memories of Michael and me flashed through my mind. We shared some pretty good memories near my locker. As I opened it, the first thing I noticed was a picture of me and Michael taken at the homecoming game. As I stared at it, I wanted to cry, but I didn't think I had any tears left. As I took out my English book, the thought hit me that I had English first period.

  "Damn," I said to myself as I closed my locker.

  I didn't think about seeing Brandy and Danielle this early in the morning. Or any time for that matter.

  Time to face the music, I thought as I headed down the hallway.

  When I reached Mrs. Waters' English class, I felt like all my energy was starting to drain from me. I didn't know how much I could take of the constant stares and the whispering. But when I saw Brandy's face and the expression she was giving me, I knew it was just the beginning.

  I gave Brandy a mean glance as I went to my seat and sat down. I don't know why Brandy is upset with me. I should be the one pissed at her after what she did to me.

  As I took out my English book from my tote bag, Brandy looked over at me and started to rant and rave at me as if I was her child with my hand caught in the cookie jar.

  "How could you just sit there and draw dirty looks at me after what you've done to Michael. And to think that we were friends. I should have known what you were all about since you came from Parker."

  I looked at Brandy with a surprised look on my face. I couldn't believe she was upset with me! What right did she have to lash out at me after keeping a secret like a child from the guy she supposed to be in love with.

  I started to laugh at Brandy's rude remark.

  "What the hell so funny?"

  "You and your behavior. What were you smoking before you came to school? Yeah I admit I did some pretty foul stuff to Michael, but what you've done to him was ten times worse than what I ever could. How could you not tell him that he had a child, Brandy?"

  "Don't even go there with me about Michael and my child. That is my business over why I didn't tell him, so leave my child out of this."

  "But how could you not tell your child who his father is?"

  Brandy jumped up from her seat and came over to me with an angry look on her face.

  "I told you to keep my son out of your mouth. Just because you're living a miserable life right now, doesn't mean you can keep talking about my son to make yourself feel better."

  "It not even like that Brandy and you know it."

  I smiled at Brandy.

  "You're glad Michael and I broke up, are you? You probably never wanted us to be together because you wanted him all along. So what's your strategy now that Michael is single? You're going to try to be the good friend and console him during his time of need, or are you going to give him space before you prance on him like a horny female."

  Brandy looked at me and smiled.

  "Why do you care? I thought you were with your ex-boyfriend. Besides, no matter whom Michael chooses to be with, she will be a whole lot better than you would ever be for him."

  "Please Brandy; you don't want Michael to be with anyone else."

  "You're right Charlie. I do want Michael, and I will have him. And this time, I'm not letting him go," Brandy said as she went back to her seat.

  I sighed as I opened my English book. Brandy is the least of my problems, I thought as I turned my head toward the book. Danielle walked in with a huge smile on her face. I assumed the smile she had was due to my expense.

  She came over to me and shook her head.

  "Who would have thought that you had the guts to come to school today? I guess you are tougher than I thought."

  Usually I would have a smart remark to come back on, but today, I didn't have the strength to argue with Danielle.

  "Leave me alone, Danielle," I said quietly.

  Danielle looked at me as if I told her outfit was on point today. She was actually taken aback by my reaction.

  "What's wrong, Charlie? You feel distraught because no one likes you. Well get over it. No one is going to be sympathetic toward you over what happened. Not only are you a cheater, but a criminal too. What a perfect combination f
or you. I knew what you were all about when I first laid eyes on you. And for that, I think there are some actions that need to be addressed."

  "What are you talking about?" I asked.

  "Even though I'm not a cheerleader anymore, I still want to see what the future holds for the squad. Since you failed to mention to anyone that you have a criminal record due to assaulting one of your fellow teammates, I believe Brandy should address this to Coach Catchings and have you banned from the squad immediately."

  I looked at Danielle and rolled her eyes. No one, especially Danielle, has any authority to have me kick off the squad. The only person who can is Coach Catchings.

  "Whatever Danielle. Your threats don't faze me. It's too late in the semester for any changes to occur within the squad. You're not on the squad anymore so your opinions don't matter."

  "But mine do," Brandy said abruptly.

  I looked at Brandy and shook my head.

  "In case you forgot, I am co-captain, so I can try to get you off the squad before the big cheerleading competition next month."

  "What if you do? What the hell you're going to do for a captain?"

  "I can always get Danielle back on."

  I looked at Brandy in disbelief. I couldn't believe she would do this to me? After all I had done to make the team what it is today. The team was nothing before I stepped in and turned everything around!

  She can't do this to me. At this point, cheerleading was my life, and if Brandy took that away from me, I'd have nothing left.

  "You hate me that much, that you would put Danielle back on the squad?" I asked.

  "I'm doing what's best for the team, and right now, you're not it," Brandy said while looking at Danielle.

  "Nicely done," Danielle said smiling.

  "Thank you for the suggestion."

  "You know what; you two can go to hell," I said as I got up from my seat. I grabbed my books and tote bag and started walking toward the door. While going, I knocked into someone coming in, causing him to drop his books on the ground.

  "Thanks criminal, for knocking my books down." he said angrily.