Disclaimer: I do not own anyone you recognize. I only own Charlie and my friend owns my other oc Elizabeth.

Note: I don't know if I'm spelling the names right of the guys that are John's friends, but if they're misspelled I'm sorry. I don't know if John has a dog or if it's named what I named it. Remember ITS FICTION! Also for clarification if it says Mark…with a K then it means Mark Jindrak. If it says Marc…with a C then it means Marc Predka or as everyone else calls him Trademarc.

Chapter 5

"Really? Wow that's cool. I'm guessin you're goin."

"Yeah. Hey you ok Charlie?"

"Just been crazy the past few days that's all."

"I hope things get better."

Charlie looked at the object Elizabeth set down on the bed in front of where she sat. It was a picture of her and John taken during one of the breaks before the fight. She quickly wiped away any tears that had fallen as Marc came in the room.

"Well I gotta go now Darla. Have fun at the signing ok."

"Oh I will. Hey did you ever get a copy of the unedited CD yet?"

"No I never got a copy of their unedited CD why?"

"Well I was gonna get you one autographed as a late birthday present. Wanted to make sure you didn't have one yet."

"No I don't. Thanks girl. Look I'll call you later ok?"

"Ok. Bye."

Charlie flipped her phone shut and looked at the couple sitting on the bed in front of her.

"What signing is Darla going to?"

"John's and Marc's tomorrow in New York."

"Wow."

"Yeah what a cowinkadink right? It's a late birthday present for me."

"Got a picture of this chick?"

Charlie took out her laptop and signed online. After opening her email she showed Marc and Elizabeth the recent pictures that Darla had emailed her.

"I'll keep a look out for her."

"Why?"

"So I can sign to Max on the CD."

"Honey her friend doesn't know that she knows you."

"Huh?"

Charlie explained why things weren't told to others.

"It's all gonna come out when the video is released though."

"I know. We just wanted to keep things quiet for awhile though."

"Ok."

"Still haven't heard from him?"

"Nope. I've tried calling the house and his cell. I left a message on each that when he was ready to talk I was here."

"I'm sure he's busy Max."

"Yeah…"

The next day at the signing, Marc kept an eye out for Charlie's friend.

"You expectin someone or something?"

Marc looked at his cousin as they signed autographs and posed for pictures.

"Yeah Max's friend Darla. She got Max our CD and is getting it signed for her as a late birthday present."

John got really quiet when his girlfriend was mentioned. He'd gotten her messages. He'd heard the emotion in her voice and it killed him. But he didn't think he was in the wrong. He quickly brought a smile back to his face.

"There she is. She's coming up now."

John acted as if he didn't hear his cousin, but Marc knew better. While John was signing the CD for Charlie, Marc noticed he signed to CC. When one of their friends asked him about it later John just said he thought that's what the girl told him. Again Marc knew better. He waited until they got into the rental car that was driving them around before talking to his cousin.

"You could call her you know?"

John just continued looking out the window.

"What's goin on man? I know she's tried callin you. I wouldn't push on this whole issue with you normally, but I see her everyday. I see the hopeful look on her face when the phone rings. I see the hurt look on her face when she sees Lizzie and I together. You're my cousin and my best friend…and I'm sorry man but you're being an asshole right now to her. If you're not careful you're gonna end up losin her."

John finally looked at his cousin and Marc recognized the look in his cousin's eyes as one he'd seen on Charlie.

"I know. I just…I don't think I was in the wrong."

"You two agreed the only time she'd have to really be in front of the camera was that one part. Throughout the rest of the video she'd be in the background. She's seriously freaked out being in front of a camera…you knew that man. Yet you still did what you did. How can you think you're not in the wrong?"

John placed his head in his hands and sighed in frustration. He knew his cousin was right, but his pride wouldn't let him admit it. Now he deeply regretted what he'd done. He knew he was gonna lose Charlie after she saw the video. He hoped if maybe he went and apologized and made everything ok that maybe she wouldn't be so mad and hurt. Though that's what he wanted to do, it wasn't what he did.

"Hey Charlie got everything set up?"

It was now two weeks later. Charlie was sitting in her new apartment. Her place back home had sold quickly, and she'd found an apartment that placed her in between John's and Marc's distance wise. It was a three-bedroom apartment with two bathrooms. She'd turned one of the rooms into a dark room and the other into a guest room. She sighed into the phone after unpacking the last box.

"Yeah. Everything looks great. I've got it just the way I want it."

Mark smiled. He could tell she was happy to be living in her new apartment. Things were going great with their friendship. They'd gotten even closer last week when Charlie had come to Georgia for her dad and his mom's wedding. Apparently her dad had served the divorce papers way before he'd told Charlie. The reason her dad had been sleeping in a different room for so long was because her parents were divorced. She was happy for her dad and stepmother though. Thing were going great for them. Things with her and John weren't so going great. He still hadn't called her and hadn't returned the two new messages she'd left. Tonight was the night that John and Marc's new video was premiering on RAW and from where John sat in his locker room, he really hoped she wouldn't be mad.

"Mark I gotta go. Lizard and Marc are here to watch RAW."

"Ok."

"I'll call you later ok bubba?"

"Ok. Later sissy."

"Bye."

Charlie sat in her living room with Marc, Elizabeth, Chaos, Esoteric, 7 L, and a few others. By the end of the premiere everyone was in shock…except for Charlie. She felt she'd cry. Elizabeth sat next to her boyfriend glaring.

"Don't look at me like that Lizzie…"

"Are you gonna try to tell me you didn't know about this?"

"No I didn't know she was completely cut out of the video. How the hell was I supposed to know he'd do that? I wasn't with him when he did all the final stuff."

"Lizard don't blame Marc. He's right. He wasn't there the day John did the final editing and stuff."

"How do you know?"

"Because I was with him that's how. He was helping me with some things."

Before Elizabeth could get out a word, Marc had asked everyone to leave. While he talked to Elizabeth in the guest room, Charlie sat on her balcony talking on the phone.

"Are you ok Charlie?"

"No I'm not."

"I swear I didn't know about this."

"I know. No one did."

"He's gonna call you later you know."

"Doesn't mean I'll answer."

"He'll come by when he gets home."

"Shit. I don't want to see him."

"You could come here."

"Where's here?"

"Columbus, Ohio. I can call the airport and have a plane ticket waiting for you."

"Actually…I can get my own way there. All I gotta do is call my dad and see if he can part with his jet for a few hours. Just tell me your hotel information and I'll meet you there in a few hours."

Charlie wrote down the information that was being told to her. After hanging up with her friend she made a call to her dad. He was more than happy to lend her his jet telling her to call him when she landed. After talking to her dad she made her way to her room and began packing. When Marc and Elizabeth came to tell her they were going back home, they noticed her packing.

"Um Max?"

"Yeah Lizard?"

"Where are you going?"

"Columbus, Ohio."

Charlie ushered them out of her apartment and carried her bag down to the parking lot. Just as she was about to drive her car to the airport, Marc stopped her.

"I'll take you."

"Thanks."

On the way to the airport both were silent. Marc couldn't take it anymore and asked something that'd been bothering him.

"What or who is in Ohio?"

"A friend."

"Just a friend?"

"Yes Marc. I'm not a cheater you know that. Although he's making it perfectly clear there's no relationship anymore."

Marc didn't know what to say to that. Since they'd gotten into the car, Charlie's cell phone had rang way more than once. Each time Charlie just pressed the button to ignore the call.

"You gonna talk to him?"

"Why is it when I wanted to talk to him, he didn't want to talk to me. Now all of a sudden he wants to talk and I'm supposed to be ready to talk. That's fucked up."

"I didn't say that Lee. All I asked was if you were gonna talk to him."

"When I get back if he's home I will. At this point I think us talking needs to happen face to face not over a phone. That way I can look into his eyes and tell if he's telling the truth or not."

"You think he'd lie to you Lee?"

"At this point…when it comes to him…I don't know what to believe Marc. All I know is I fell in love with him very quickly and it resulted with me getting my heart broken."

When Marc dropped Charlie off at the airport he made one last request.

"Just don't do anything stupid ok Lee? That's all I ask."

"I know. I won't."