Author's Note: Chapter Eight...where things get rocky.
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Disclaimer: Ariel, Terry, Caroline, and the Dragon are mine
The way he wraps his arms around my waist, dragging me close and engulfing me in his body heat, makes my heartbeat quicken with anticipation for his lips to be on mine. And he delivers, as I knew he would. My hands go immediately to his hair. I'm obsessed with that hair, the way that it can be so easily mussed out of place amazes and fascinates and captivates me and makes me want to tangle my fingers in it forever, if only to mess it up more. He pulls away for a split second to smirk and whisper, "I knew you'd come around," before diving in once more. He bites my bottom lip, not asking, but demanding for entrance that I gladly allow. Kissing Charlie Dalton under the stars is the most amazing feeling in the entire world, except for maybe one other thing with Charlie Dalton…
But being caught by Terry is like a cataclysmic event. "What the fuck is going on?"
I have no idea what Terry is doing up so late, probably sneaking a smoke, but the acidic tone in her voice and the murderous glint in her eyes are enough to make my blood run cold. "Terry," I whisper in surprise as she advances upon us. Charlie's arms are still casually wrapped around my hips as he smirks in her direction.
"Well Clyde, I never would've guessed you'd be the one to catch us," he sneers. "But I did suspect you'd be unhappy about the situation."
Terry shoves him directly in the chest, causing him to fall back a few steps, his smirk never faltering. "You are not permitted to call me that, Dalton." She pushed him again, but Charlie stood his ground this time, cocking his head to the side and raising his eyebrow to annoy her. "Stop messing with Ariel as well," she hissed.
Now I was confused. I knew Terry cared about my well being, and I knew she thought Charlie was a bad influence, but I had no idea she was this opposed to the boy. I also knew there had to be a deeper motivation behind Terry's apparent dislike, because Terry didn't hate people for no reason, she just wasn't like that.
"Who said I was messing with her?" Charlie asked, although it didn't appear as if he was being serious, considering his grin grew with Terry's anger.
Terry let out a fake laugh and ogled Charlie with doubtful eyes. "Who don't you mess with?" she scoffed.
For one moment Charlie's cool demeanor faltered, and in that instant I wanted to know the truth. Because it was obvious that something I had never been informed of had transpired between them, and I wanted, no, needed, to know what it was. Charlie opened his mouth to reply but I interrupted loudly, "Stop! What is going on?"
"It's nothing, Coot," Terry shot at me, not bothering to take her eyes off of the Welton student before us.
"No," I said, finally stepping up, "Don't 'nothing Cootie' me. I've taken that for years, but not now. I want the truth, and I'm going to get it if I have to tie both of you to a tree and beat it out of you."
"Kinky," Charlie chortled approvingly.
"That's not what I meant," I snapped with enough venom to keep him from saying anything more on the topic. I turned to Terry, who was breathing heavily, her shoulders moving rapidly up and down, as she glared in Charlie's direction. "Now talk," I ordered, the first time I had ever told her to do anything.
She licked her lips. "Why don't you let lover boy tell you?" she sneered.
"Because I want to hear it from both of you, dammit!" This caught her attention. I rarely cursed. I had been raised with the theory that if I did anything bad, including swearing, God wouldn't let me into his heavenly kingdom. Bull shit. I was already pregnant, so what the hell.
Terry's mouth was slightly agape, staring at me in disbelief. "Alright," she relented. She glanced over at Charlie before returning her gaze to me and continuing, "Freshman year, you remember that Christmas party we went to?" I nodded, how could I forget? Some creep called Mutt Sanders had tried to feel me up multiple times and I couldn't find Terry to tell her we needed to exit the scene. And then it hit me like a semi without breaks. My eyes widened and my neck snapped between my best friend and the father of my child. Terry wasn't looking at me and Charlie was attempting to stab Terry with his eyes. "You knew I was with a guy," Terry explained, trying to make it sound as if I had somehow subconsciously known. "You just didn't know what guy I was with."
"It wasn't a big deal," Charlie cut in, stepping forward.
"It was to me!" Terry shrieked.
A light flickered on inside the dorm. "Shh," I warned, glancing back and forth between the building and my feuding friends.
"Don't 'shh' me Ariel," Terry growled before spinning to face Charlie, who looked about ready to jump the boat, "It was my first time. You promised we'd be together, for real."
Charlie raised an eyebrow. "I was young," he defended himself, "Not to mention drunk. How was I to know that every girl was going to want to be with me?" He puffed his chest out a little at the thought.
I narrowed my eyes and sarcastically let him know, "I don't think that helped much."
Terry turned to me. "Do you see why I don't want you being around him? He'll use you and then just drop you." She grimaced at Charlie. "You can't believe anything he says. He's like a disease."
"Ouch," Charlie snickered, placing his hand over his heart dramatically.
Another light turned on inside the dorm, followed by three more. "Um…" I tried to get their attention, but they were too busy verbally sparring to pay any mind to me.
"You are! You infect girls with your charm and then leave them for dead," Terry reasoned, her volume raising.
"Well, unlike with you," Charlie retaliated, "I actually care about Ariel."
Terry laughed wildly as a few more windows glowed to life. "Cut the gas," I hissed at the two of them, wishing they would just shut their mouths. Lady luck was not on my side that evening though.
"You only care about Ariel until you two play backseat bingo, and then, like with the rest, you'll drop her flat," Terry hypothesized.
Charlie smirked. "If only you knew," he replied in a low voice, as if threatening.
This shut Terry's mouth and she heatedly rounded on me, "What does he mean by that?" Her eyes were dark holes as she slowly crept towards me.
I gulped. Great, my pregnancy was going to be announced in the middle of the night to my best friend and whoever was awake in the dorm.
"It doesn't mean anything Terry," Charlie saved me, "It was just a way to get under your skin."
Thankfully, Terry took his word, believing me to be too much of a goody-good to actually do anything with a boy. And really, that was usually the case. Charlie Dalton was a fluke in my timeline of boys. Typically I ran in the opposite direction the moment any guy showed interest in me, but Charlie had had a different effect. I could see where Terry got her reasoning from.
"Just go to hell," Terry finally dismissed.
Charlie tipped an imaginary hat at me and gave Terry a dark look, "That's where I was heading." With that, he turned to vacate the area, a wise idea considering the amount of students now awake.
Terry placed her hands on her hips. "I warned you Cooter," she said. For the first time she looked up and noticed the windows blazing with light. "Good job," she grumbled as she pushed past me and back inside.
I bit my lip, standing in the cold with nothing but the memories of what had previously been a magical moment. The fact that the Dragon was probably up and roaming the halls, searching for empty beds, didn't register until I heard the door creak open again and Terry's voice crying, "I caught her out here with Charlie Dalton." I spun to stare at my friend in horror. Terry was selling me out because Charlie was now interested in me. Shit. "They were…they were…oh, I just can't say." Stupid Terry and her stupid acting lessons.
The Dragon clasped my arm and dragged me inside. "The headmistress is not going to be happy having to deal with you tomorrow about this matter."
I snickered, raising an eyebrow. "And I supposed you're not too thrilled either?" I asked sarcastically. Terry and the Dragon were so taken aback by my sass that neither of them said a word until the Dragon began yelling at girls whose heads were popping out of their dorms to find out what was going on. "Back to bed with the lot of you!"
Terry retreated to her room, which was a few doors before mine, and Mrs. Draggin deposited me at my dorm. "You better get some sleep," she advised, "Because tomorrow morning you're the first thing on Headmistress Quarry's list of things to deal with."
I pursed my lips and slammed the door once she had walked away. I turned to face my bed and realized the lights in my room were off. Glancing over at Caroline with a peculiar look I realized she was still snoring. That girl was definitely odd.
I walked slowly to the window, and there, in the distance, I could see Charlie making his way back to Welton. Despite the facts that my best friend hated me, the majority of the school knew about the outburst between Terry and Charlie, and that I was going to be in very hot water the next morning, I smiled, placing my fingers against my mouth where I could still slightly feel the pressure of Charlie's lips if I thought hard enough.
Author's Note: Terry and Charlie? Ew. Ariel and Charlie? Yay! Getting Charlie for Christmas? Priceless.
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