Behind the Veil
a fanfiction by Emma

Chapter Nine

Fall
Mid November

So ... the past couple of days have been awkward. I mean, how COULDN'T they? KREG asked CHARLOTTE out. As if she'd actually say yes.

No offense to Kreg, but he's a little ... erm ... strange.

"Um, coffee?" Charlotte asked me.

"Yeah ... sure." I said, pushing my cup towards her.

Our conversations lately have been about three - five words.

"Here."

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

"So ..."

"So ...?"

"I'm thinking of saying yes to Kreg." Charlotte said sitting down across from me at the table.

Woah ... seven words.

"Wait ... you're thinking of saying yes to Kreg?" I asked her.

She nodded, "He is really sweet, and he's my friend, one date couldn't hurt."

"You're thinking of saying YES to Kreg!" I whispered.

Charlotte groaned, "Yes!"

"Why?"

"I just said why!" she snapped at me, "He's nice, and he's my friend, and it wouldn't for me to just live through one date!"

"Yes, that's true. It wouldn't hurt you," I said, "But it would hurt Kreg. Charlotte, Kreg said he loves you."

"What!?" Charlotte almost shrieked, "When?!"

"The day he asked you out. He told me."

"He told you he loved me!?"

"Well, he said he loved somebody, he didn't really tell me it was you. So I didn't know until he came in here and asked you out."

"So that explains the whole 'spit take' thing." Charlotte murmured.

I laughed nervously, "Heh ... yeah."

"So ... you don't think I should say yes?" Charlotte questioned.

I shook my head.

"Okay ... I'll think about it. I just don't want to hurt his feelings." she said.

"Totally understand. But he is a little weird." I commented.

"He's sweet."

"I didn't even know he had feelings." I mumbled.

Charlotte laughed and whacked me in the arm.

I guess things were sort of back to normal.

I was standing in George's Market putting cans on the shelf, I only had a few more to go, and then my day was over. I could finally go home and sleep – well, try to sleep, I never knew what night my dreams chose to torture me.

"Chad?" Kreg said coming up to me.

"Yes, Kreg?" I mumbled.

"It's been a couple of days ... do you think Charlotte has made up her mind?"

I shifted my feet, "Uh ... well. I don't know." I lied.

"Oh ... you haven't really talked about it with her?" Kreg asked.

I shook my head, "No."

"I thought you two were best friends." Kreg said with his eyebrow raised.

"We are. We just don't talk about our romantic lives with each other."

"Why not?"

Because of Sonny ...

"Because we just don't." I snapped at him.

"Well, don't you think you could ask her if–"

"Sorry Kreg. I have to go." I said, walking into the staff room and grabbing my coat, "See yah!"

I started down the street and started to pass Ms. Maria's dance studio.

"Oh Chad, darling! Have you heard the lastest news? Kreg and Charlotte are dating!" she said with her sugar-sweet voice.

I turned my head to her, "They're not dating." I stated, "Kreg only asked Charlotte out."

"Oh really? Well Gabi must have got it wrong then ..." Ms. Maria mused.

"Yes, she must've." I mumbled.

"What's been going on with you lately, Chad?" Ms. Maria asked me.

"Nothing." I said.

"Is it about Charlotte? Because I think she's nuts about you, you should ask her out, just on one date. See how it goes."

"No, Ms. Maria. Charlotte is my friend – my best friend – I'm not going to ask her out. Plus, I don't think Kreg would like that."

Ms. Maria cocked her eyebrow, "Don't kill me Chad, but you sound jealous."

"I'm not jealous!" I yelled.

"Okay, okay!" Ms. Maria said, putting up her hands as a defense.

"I'm going to get coffee." I said, walking past her dance studio and into Charlotte's.

"Oh hey, Chad." Charlotte said, as I sat down on one of the stools.

I grunted in response.

She leaned on the counter, "I told Kreg no." she whispered.

"Really?"

"Yeah. He was actually fine about it, he understood, but he sounded heartbroken." she said with a sigh.

"Yeah, well you should've expected at least that." I mumbled.

"Yeah, I guess. So what can I get you?"

"Um, a cheeseburger, a coke and a piece of pie for desert." I said.

"Okay."

In about fifteen minutes Charlotte set my order in front of me.

"Hey, Chad can I ask you something?" she asked.

"Yeah sure." I said.

"Were you jealous?" she asked.

"What?!"

"Of Kreg asking me out, were you jealous of him?"

"No." I said, sternly.

"A lot of people said you were, and it kind of looked like you were." Charlotte commented.

"Well, I wasn't." I said.

"Then what was it? Because something was wrong." Charlotte said softly.

I sighed and stared at my hands, "You look like Sonny right?" I whispered.

I heard Charlotte say a "Mmhmm."

"Well, it was like ... seeing Sonny with someone else – even if it was Kreg – and ... I ... it hurts to picture her with someone else." I told her.

"Well, if you think about it she probably is with someone else." Charlotte blurted out.

Sonny ... with someone else? Not with me. Because she didn't love me. "I don't think I love you."

I started to shake, and hyperventilate, everything around me started to spin.

"Chad? ... Chad? .... Chad!" I heard Charlotte say.

I felt her grab me and pull me somewhere, but I was too dizzy to notice where she took me, she sat me against what I think was a wall.

"Chad, Chad you're okay. Okay? Look at me, you're okay, you're fine. Okay? Take this bag, and breath, slowly." she whispered to me, holding up a paper bag to my mouth, "In ... out ... in ... out ... in ... out." she said along with my breathing.

I pushed the bag away from the mouth, and swallowed leaning my head back on the wall. She had taken me into the back I realized now.

"Chad, you just had a panic attack." Charlotte said to me very sternly.

I nodded, "It's not like it's never happened before." I whispered.

"What?!" she hissed.

"They used to happen all the time ... after s-she left. Tawni Hart used to help with them. Calm me down and stuff." I said.

"You were ... close to Tawni Hart?" she asked.

"Yeah ... she was ... kind of my best friend back then, I guess. She was really the only one who talked to me like a normal person – or actually talked to me at all.

You see, after ... she left, Grady Nico and Zora all hated me, they thought I was the one who broke up with ... her, and so they wouldn't talk to me. Only Tawni knew the truth, she was the only one who would believe me. So ... I started having the panic attacks ... maybe, a few months after. Yeah. I thought they were over, I guess not."

"It's my fault I brought it up." Charlotte said.

"No, it's fine. I have some of the medication at home I can take for a few weeks, I'll just go home." I said standing up.

"Don't you want to eat?" she asked.

"I'm not really hungry anymore ..." I whispered.

"Well, I'm not going to let you walk home alone, I'll drive you. I'll get my truck, just wait outside. C'mon." she said.

"I need to pay." I said.

"No, it's on me. Now, come." Charlotte said, taking my sleeve and pulling me.

I grabbed her hand and made her look at me, I kissed her on the cheek and forced a smile.

"Thank you." I said.

"For what?"

"Just ... thank you."

Authors Note:
Okay -- FINALLY -- here it is. See? All resolved, AND you learned something new about Chad and his past without Sonny.

Pay attention to my blog, guys, ( . ) I'll be posting a Behind The Keyboard thing about this chapter probably by tomorrow. :)

Please review! :D It would be GREATLY appreciated!