Critical Screening

Chapter 38

""Even when we're together, you're someplace else. You leave and you don't kiss me goodbye. We're at dinner and you're on your cell phone the whole time. You never leave notes anymore about where you're gonna be, so I have no idea where you are. You haven't forgiven me."" Logan demanded. ""What are you talking about?"" But Rory knew exactly what he was speaking of and what he was saying was the truth.

Forgiving someone isn't easy. But forgiving yourself is even harder. And without the forgiveness the world wouldn't be a very nice place, many things wouldn't be the way they are and we would all be a lot less happy.

The air was cool and it was strange to be home. Suddenly things began like they use to and that was even worse then the cold air. It was too remembrance of the high school days and the times that were suppose to left behind.

Charlie Radin's cell phone rang one afternoon the night before Thanksgiving; the week was coming to a disastrous end. "Hey Charlie." Nicholas Cameroon said into the phone, a jolly tone in his voice and a happy remembrance. "Hi Nick, how are you doing?" Charlie said into the phone solemnly.

"Look Charlie, I heard about you mom… I am so sorry." The constant lump in Charlie's throat thickened. "I just got in yesterday otherwise you know I would have been there." "I know…Thanks." She finally as he stopped mumbling.

"Well." He continued in a lighter tone. "Did you hear about the party tonight?" "You just got home Nicholas and your parents are leaving?" Charlie replied sarcastically. "It's not at my house Charlie, it's down at the bay." He said susioucously. "What bay?" "The one on the golf course… the one that is private property." Charlie could feel herself smile that mischievous feeling of getting into trouble and causing ruckus ran through her body as it use to went to parties drinking till she turned sick.

"Danny Sullivan apparently has been planning it for months, anyway if you want to go, your going to need the password and how to get there." "Password?" Nicholas laughed slightly. "Yeah, we don't want everyone getting in there or the cops with catch us. Do you want to just go with me and Kate?" Charlie shuttered slightly and finally answered: "sure." "Great! I swing by and get you're around eight!" He said quickly before hanging up on the other line.

Charlie Radin rolled her eyes not knowing if this was right or not, but either way this was where she was headed. And when the clock stroke eight o'clock and a car horn beeped loudly outside there was no looking back even with the uneasy feeling lurking in the back round.

"Hey guys!" She said with a fake happiness as she slammed the car door shut. "Charlie!" Nicholas said as he sped off towards the main road. "We are going to be late." "Late for what?" Kate turned around slightly in her chair looking in Charlie. "The way that Danny set it up was that he got a couple kids to steal twenty or so golf carts but if you don't catch one of the carts before they leave they you have to walk there, but since none of us is big golfies no one really knows how to get there."

"So if we miss a cart? We're screwed?" Kate nodded and turned back around in her seat as Nick pulled into a parking spot by the side of the road. "Come on." He said opening up his door rushing hand in hand with Kate his good friend on his other side as they snuck behind the clubs headquarters.

Danny stood there smacking the back of a few white golf carts before the sped away underneath the moon light shifting between the numbered holes further into the night. "Hey Charlie!" He said giving her a quick hug before shaking hands with nick. "Just in time." He said pointing to another cart on the side of the brick building. "Come-on." He continued jumping to the driver's seat, Charlie by his side Kate and Nicholas on the back seats.

"And where did you get the idea for this party?" Charlie asked as the cart bumped along the curves of the grass plane. Danny shrugged as he parked next to a tall tree in the mist of a sand pot next door. "Wow good party Dan." Nicholas cracked jumping off the seat. "We have to walk down to the bay Cam; if we all parked right next to it the cops would catch us."

The foursome walked across the perfectly cut green grass. Soon the quiet noise of chatter and music came blasting from just near a small man made lake. Lights sparkle around the people gathered around dancing and drinking several men walking around carrying platters gathered with small shot glasses. "Now isn't this a party Nick." Danny said laughing as he went towards the loud music.

Charlie stood there in awe as someone called across to Kate and she went jogging towards the group. Nicholas still laughed as he stood there happily. "So how have you been Charlie?" He asked looking at her with a smile. She shrugged with a half smile raised upon her lips.

"Actually not that good." She said looking back at him. "That's completely understandable with your mom and…" "It has nothing to do with my mom." Nick nodded. "I was unhappy before I left and it thought college would fix everything but it..." "Didn't." Nicholas said finishing her sentence.

"It actually might have made things worse, being away." "You're smiling now." Charlie nodded. "I missed you guys strangely enough, I thought I wanted to leave high school but I think I really just wished it lasted longer." Nicholas smiled as he looked over at another group of four rushing towards the party. "Then shall we go?" Charlie nodded as Nick wrapped his around her shoulder as the walked in unison towards the group of friends that they had missed so dearly.

Charlie wondered along the rim of the part alone looking at all the familiar faces that had seemed to go sour in last few months. And in a way it wasn't strange to see anyone and it was just like another Friday night, everyone here to get drunk, laid and party. "It has been to long little Radin." Danny said wondering towards Charlie with two drinks in his hands and a grin across his face. "And you would think so." He said with a slight smile. "Nice party though, quite the planning." He handed her a cup filled with a strong smelling clear drink and gave the blonde bombshell a quick hug. Charlie took a sip from the drink contorting her face in strange directions. "So your name is all but clear for Scrathmore I hear." "What are you talking about Danny?" She asked sarcastically as she dug her mouth into the red cup. "Charlie!" She yelled. Her deep blue eyes just as her brothers and her darkened hair now lightened to its natural color that Charlie knew. "Hey Lauren." She said hugging her tightly as she ran into her arms. Danny waved goodbye walking into the deep crowd near by mass Lauren Manning glowed. "I am so sorry about your mom." Charlie nodded. "Thanks... I saw you at the church." Lauren nodded awkwardly. "Anyway... how's school and stuff. I see you're finally invited to one of these wonderful parties." Charlie said rolling her eyes. "It's good actually. But as you may know your name is nothing of empty from those halls." "And what does that mean?" Charlie asked crossing her arms slightly confused but on the other hand didn't want to know what she was speaking of but Lauren Manning continued. "Word got around that Ian cheated on you with Emma." "That was a long time ago now, and neither of them is even in the school why does anyone care?"

Lauren smiled slightly. "Well Emma is still in town never left for college and she's dating some senior, Kelly Stevens." Charlie's eyes widened. "Yeah, you heard right. Anyway between Emma's new way and all those new rumors, you have turned out to be less of a slut as everyone thought. Maybe with my own words have pushing what people thought of you out of the way. But Emma thought she had in for you then she diluted." Charlie smiled. "That saves me a revenge scheme." Lauren smiled. "Everyone loves you Charlie, you're a legend of the sort, strange but it's true." "Thank you Lauer." Charlie said giggling as she walked away closer to the rest of the people partying closer to the bay as she sipped the rest of her drink. It was dark and the moon was shining across the water, the air was still and suddenly a course swing of awkwardness swung across Charlie's blonde hair. She turned around quickly looking at Kale walking down the hill to where Charlie stood looking out onto the man made water. "How you doing?" he asked quietly as he stood next to her wearing a sweatshirt over his smooth arms. "Well I just found out that Emma Watson is a lesbian so as of ten minutes ago...better." Kale cracked a smile as he sat down on the damp grass, Charlie followed suit. "Well isn't there always a bright side to life." He said with a soft laughter to his voice. Charlie pulled her long lean legs to her chest and let her arms cross over them tightly as they sat in silence together.

"When do you go back?" She asked. "I have to be back by Monday." She nodded. "Without eating my head off with television references when we go back to school what happens?" There was a slight quiet as he spoke before Charlie took a deep breath letting her hot air hit across the cool air around her. "It's funny that you would ask that." she said quietly. "Because I'm still not sure...I'm not sure about a lot of things Kale." "I know. I know I don't mean to put you on the spot but..." "But you are." Charlie replied starkly as she looked over at him. "And I think you might know that.

And I know you're searching for something I can't give you right now, right here. I know I probably sound like the biggest tease...but with you its different everything is." He nodded. "I'm sorry." Charlie got up crossing her arms around her boy cold with the breeze hitting every moment area of skin. "I think I'm going to get going...you want to come?" Kale Manning nodded walking next to her across the gold course. They left the gold carts behind as the music faded away but the moon only brightened as they crossed over the green grass the quiet rushing around their minds coming closer to the parking lot. "You know what's weird?" Kale asked quietly with a happy sense to his as they walked. "What?"

"I have known you all my life. I've gone through most of everything that mattered to me with you and the one thing that broke us up the one thing that drove we apart were three small words. Words that were there all our life's words that we have always felt and always will no matter what happens..." He broke the speech for a small moment and took a deep breath as they walked together, "But for the longest time I blamed you for loosing my best friend, I blamed you Charlie for not telling me the truth about you and Ian and I blamed you for the rumors but maybe the weirdest part is that it was no ones fault it was something that had to happen, it had to happen because that's growing up and sometimes growing apart is part of that journey. What I'm saying is that I never should have blamed you and for that I'm sorry. And i've said it before and now I'll say it again but I don't want you to say anything back...I love you Chase and I don't how it happened and I don't know when but I do."

Kale use to believe that forgiveness was the key. He needed to forgive her and she needed to forgive Ian and everything would be okay as long as they were all on good terms'. But life doesn't work that way and sometimes everything isn't a happy ending and sometimes you don't always make nice. So in the end you don't need to forgive and forget because without certain parts of your life, your not who you are. You cant forgive everyone who has ever done wrong to you because then there wouldn't be unforgivable acts.