Chapter 5 The Catch

Mia

The air left my lungs in one loud, sharp gasp.

Standing before me with her arms crossed and her mouth hung wide open like she had just experienced a scandal, was Charlotte.

“Charlotte,” I breathed, my voice barely above a whisper. Seeing her stand there before me, her eyes scanning me with that judgemental and dreadful stare, I couldn't help but keep my gaze down. I couldn't bring myself to look her up in the face… the guilt and fear was tearing me up like a sword.

She didn't speak at first. She just stood there, her eyes pinning me in place, like there was something exciting about me she was trying to piece out.

“So it's true,” she finally muttered, disbelief echoing through each word.

“What…” I struggled to catch my breath. “What's true?”

“Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about, Mia.” Her voice was low, but it carried that sharp, disappointed edge beneath it.

“All these while you've been acting strange, I suspected something was wrong, but I waved it off, concluding it was probably one of those times you needed some alone time.” She let out a bitter laugh, her eyes drifting past me towards the locker room behind. "Guess I was wrong about that, huh?"

Her gaze snapped back to mine, her eyes sharp as shards of glass.

"So this is what it was all about. All the distance, the secret glances, the excuses. You've been sneaking around with the captain this whole time?”

"What?! Sneaking around with the captain?" I repeated, the words hitting me like a punch to the gut. "God, no. You know I'd never do that.”

“Oh really?” She scoffed bitterly. “Okay then, explain this to me. A bunch of girls tell me you’re in the locker room with the captain, so I come straight here, and guess what? He walks out, and not even five seconds later, you follow. So tell me–what exactly am I supposed to call that, if not sneaking around?”

A soft sigh escaped my lips as I stood there… defeated and speechless.

I don't know what hurt more–the fact that she was that mad at me, or the fact that she was not willing to listen to anything I said to her.

“Charlotte, I can explain. It's honestly not what you think.”

She shot me a look, and it instantly felt like I was reporting to a court body other than my friend. I'd never seen that disgusted, aggravated side of her until now.

“Of course. More excuses.”

“Charlotte, can you please just let me talk?” I choked out. At this point, her nonstop jabs were becoming too much for me to handle. I just couldn't stand them anymore. “I know. I get it. I've been distant lately, and I've been avoiding you for no good reason. But seriously… you can't possibly think there's something going on between me and Chase. We were just having a friendly conversation. That's all.”

“Friendly conversation,” she repeated, letting out a bitter, almost disbelieving laugh. “What do you take me for? Some naïve kid who can easily be swayed?”

Before I could respond, she reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder. Her voice was softer now, but there was an empty feeling beneath it.

“You know what, Mia? It's fine. You really don't owe me an explanation. You're free to be with whoever you want, after all. And I'm sorry–for the way I spoke to you earlier. That wasn't fair.”

She turned to leave, but I grabbed her hand as quickly as I could, pulling her back gently.

Seeing her that hurt because of me… it broke something inside me.

I stepped close towards her, trying to catch her eyes. "Charlotte, listen to me–please. There is nothing going on between us. I swear it. He just stepped in when those bullies wouldn't back off, and then he asked me to talk for a minute. That's all. I know it was stupid to go with him. I shouldn't have. I get that now. But please–please don't tell my brother about this. If he finds out, he'd be so mad. And I'm not sure I can deal with that right now.”

She remained silent, looking me dead in the eye… like she was still trying to consider her response.

Then, after what seemed like an eternity, she nodded slowly. “It's okay, Mia. I just needed to be sure you were truly fine and in your right senses. I was really worried when I couldn't find you anywhere.”

“I'm sorry I got you feeling that way. It was never my intention to get you so worked up over me.” I muttered, my voice tight with regret.

For the first time in weeks, a wide smile broke from her lips. She wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug, her soft fingers pinning me to her bosom. “You don't realize how much I've missed you, Mia. I thought I was gradually losing you to someone else.”

“Oh come on, Charlotte.” I mumbled with a teasing smile. “To me you're no longer just a friend… you're my sister. I can't ever imagine losing you for anything.”

“Okay… enough pleasantries. I actually have some hot gists for you.”

My eyes instantly lit up with excitement. “You do?”

"Of course," she said with a nod. "But first, you have to promise me you won't get mad."

I rolled my eyes, already bracing for whatever ridiculous thing was about to come out of her mouth. "Fine. I promise I won't get mad. Just spit it out already."

"Okayyyy so—"

The rest of her sentence was swallowed by the sudden, sharp buzz of my phone slicing through the air.

"Sorry… just a minute." I muttered and quickly stepped aside. I pulled out my phone and glanced through the screen, my thumb moving faster than my brain could catch up. Then I froze the instant I saw the message.

“First task tonight. Private tutoring at my apartment. 9 PM. Be punctual.”