(Warning: suicide - this scene will be marked with a horizontal line)

So far, being back in Swellview was uneventful, and Charlotte was more than grateful for that. It was a beautiful Sunday morning and Charlotte yawned softly as she climbed out of her bed. It felt nice to sleep in her old childhood bed, it was just as cozy as she remembered it to be. She walked over to her window and opened it to feel the cool November air and listen to the birds sing. Yesterday, she and the girls spent the day exploring Swellview and going to all of her old favorite spots before returning home to help her mother plan for Thanksgiving in just a few days. Even though it was just going to be the four of them, Uncle Roscoe was coming and that man could eat, so her mother would have to cook a lot of food. It was nice to be home. Especially because she didn't have the same worries and anxiety that she had last time she was home; Henry hadn't been home either and there was no chance in him being there while she was there. She simply avoided the Hart residence and talking about him or them, even when her friends prodded her.

The only thing she had to deal with was the fact that the memories wouldn't go away, even in her bedroom. The two nights she spent there were characterized by disordered sleeping, where she'd sleep then wake up and look at her window, expecting to see Henry there. When she'd go to her closet, she'd pause for a second by the empty bowl of gummy bears and think back to how he used to binge on them whenever he was there. Taking her friends to Nacho Ball and Fred Lobster yesterday reminded her of all the times she and Henry ate there. Being in Swellview suffocated her with memories of him and it made her miss him more. She absolutely hated that she still missed him after four long years. She was supposed to be over him, she was supposed to move on and be happy without him. But all she did was throw herself into a committed relationship that really only should've lasted a month or two, and now had to contemplate on whether she was actually going to marry a man who cheated on her and even hit her once. A dry chuckle left her. She was pathetic and that was a word that was never meant to describe Charlotte Page. But two weeks with Henry broke her in ways she genuinely didn't understand or realize.

With a heavy sigh, she finally pulled herself away from the window and walked into her bathroom. The worst thing about missing a relationship from four years ago - one that only lasted two weeks - was that everything she did brought back memories. As she stripped from her pajamas and entered her shower, she was overwhelmed by one particular memory from Dystopia. It wasn't sexual (though they did have a couple of fun times in the shower together), but it was a moment that happened after a mission went wrong. They heard about a guy who was freaking out in the office that he was recently fired from. He had a gun and people were scared of what he was going to do with it since he already shot a security guard, so they called the three of them to go and deal with him. The man was a wreck and had locked himself in his old office and it took a lot of convincing before he let Charlotte in to talk to him. They talked about how his wife left him because he lost his job and took their kids, how he lost his job because he was so depressed that he struggled to focus and kept messing up his tasks, and how he felt so hopeless and how no one would miss him if he was gone. She didn't know how long it took her to convince him that all would be okay and to finally leave the office, but she did and he joined her side. She opened the office door and they took one step out before he stopped. She looked at him and saw the horror on his face - he saw how scared people were, he heard the guard groaning in pain, he saw the handcuffs in Henry's hand. He had caused too much damage to go back. So, he raised his gun to his head and Charlotte screamed for him to stop.

The gun went off.

Henry ran to Charlotte and pulled her close to him as something wet splattered onto her.

There were screams and terrified cries but all Charlotte could hear was the hard thump of his body hitting the floor. She could feel Henry's body trembling despite his strong protective hold on her. He tried to keep her from looking but she was stubborn and looked anyway.

She wished she didn't look.

She kept herself together, sitting still in shock on the way home. Henry and Jasper spoke somberly to each other but she was completely checked out during the drive. When they reached her apartment, Henry walked her inside and left her in the living room as he went to get her some water. She sat down on the couch and ran her fingers through her curls when she felt something wet. Something wet and sticky and even chunky. She grabbed one of the chunks curiously and pulled it out, looking at it in her hand and feeling her heart plummet to her stomach. It was…a piece of his brain. She had his blood and brain matter all over her. She was covered in him. Her hand trembled and her breathing quickened as she stared at the pale pink chunk in her hold. Her vision blurred with tears and she didn't even hear Henry calling her name before she finally let out a blood curdling scream. All she could do was scream and wail in a mix of terror and heartbreak, her entire body shaking with her shrieks. All she could see and feel was his blood, his brain matter, the look on his face, the gun to his head, and his body lying there on the white tile ground that slowly turned red as a pool of his blood spread slowly.

The next thing she knew, she was in the shower and lukewarm water was hitting her face. She looked around in confusion and felt Henry's strong arm around her waist and his hand gently combing through her curls. His lips were moving quickly as he muttered something and it took her a bit to realize that he was saying "you're okay, you'll be alright" over and over again. He was clearly shaken and she could feel the way he trembled as he held her, but he seemed determined to get all the blood out of her hair. They were both still dressed though their clothes were now drenched and her multicolored one piece was slightly stained with watered-down blood. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion and high speed at the same time, her head was light and dizzy, and her eyes were sticky from tears that she didn't realize she had cried. She looked up at Henry as he cleaned out her hair and he kept her close, his mantra coming out rushed and almost frantic but they were still comforting somehow. He was comforting to her. It was such a horrible and traumatic night but at that moment she realized one thing. She was in love with Henry Hart.

In the present, Charlotte sighed heavily and leaned her head back to let the warm water rain down over her body. She had to stop thinking about him, she had to move on at some point. They were over, they made their choices. She wasn't 19 and young and naïve anymore. She was 23, she was an adult, and had to live her life without thinking back to a small relationship she had. A small, short-lived relationship that ended years of friendships. There was no use in mourning it anymore. She sighed once again and finished her shower, drying off her skin and blow drying her hair. She put in some leave-in conditioner and some oil to nourish her curls, letting it soak in as she went back into her bedroom to get dressed, greeted with the sight of Jasmine and Tati on her bed.

"Girl, this place is so boring," Tati whined as she laid upside down on the bed, her head dangling off the bottom and her white joggers covered legs up in the air as she swung them back and forth idly. Jasmine simply nodded in agreement as she sat by the pillows in black sweats and a matching black cropped hoodie with a white tank top underneath.

"Don't get me wrong," she added, "we love seeing Swellview! But I was hoping to see Captain Man! And this one probably wants to party." She gestured to their caramel skin friend who nodded eagerly.

"I do! Who are the best plugs around here? I didn't bring enough weed and I'm already close to smoking all of it," she stated and Charlotte just laughed.

"I promise, after Thanksgiving, things will pick up a lot more around here. And I don't know anything about plugs, you'll have to just be sober," she said with a chuckle. The brunette gasped loudly and slid off of the bed, rolling over and quickly getting up on her feet.

"Stay sober?! Through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and greet the New Year sober?! No, hell no. Absolutely not." She shook her head quickly, her loose curls flowing ever so gracefully despite her frantic movements. The youngest snorted and boasted a playful grin.

"And you potheads say it's not addictive," she said and the older woman turned to look at her.

"It's not!" she argued but Jasmine only laughed.

"Then stay sober!"

"I don't want to!"

"Because you're addicted!"

"Bitch! No! I've explained this to you so many times!" Charlotte rolled her eyes as her friends proceeded to argue. She got dressed, opting for a matching black and yellow tracksuit with a Nike sports bra underneath and covered up once she zipped up the jacket. She took her hair pick and gently picked out her curls, deciding to go with a simple afro for the day. It was going to be another chill day, mainly helping her mom prepare for Thanksgiving by going grocery shopping with her and meal planning. Satisfied with her hair, she turned to look at her friends who were still bickering over whether weed was addictive or not. She shook her head and smiled a little at the sight. It reminded her of the petty little arguments that Henry and Ray or Henry and Jasper would have. Damn, there she was thinking about him again.

"Come on you crazy bitches, we need to go help my mom today," she said before leaving her bedroom. She heard them bickering a little behind her as they followed, causing her to laugh a little. She made her way down the stairs, ready to enjoy another day at home when she suddenly froze in place. Her hand held onto the railing tightly and she stopped breathing for a second, her mind slowing to a stop before racing rapidly and scrambling for something to do. She almost fell down the stairs when her friends bumped into her, not realizing she had stopped. She only lunged forward slightly but her hold on the railing kept her from toppling completely, though she still stood frozen on the stairs.

"Char? What's going on?" Jasmine asked as she stared at her friend. She didn't speak, she couldn't speak, all she could do was stare at her mother on the couch talking to a familiar figure. Finally, her brain woke up and told her to run back upstairs. But it was too late. The figure turned and looked at her, her green eyes lighting up with excitement and a big smile spreading on her face as she stood up.

"Charlotte!" she exclaimed and Charlotte slowly and stiffly forced a smile onto her face.

"M-Mrs. Hart!" she croaked out and her friends behind her instantly understood. This was one of the main people that she had every intention of avoiding. She hesitantly made her way down the stairs and walked over to the couch, giving the woman a hug.

"Wow, it's been so long! You look great!" Kris complimented with a gentle squeeze then pulled away from the hug to look her over. Charlotte kept the tight smile on her face and forced out a chuckle as she nodded.

"It has been a long time! Thank you, Mrs. Hart, you look great too."

"See Kris, my idea worked out perfectly," Diana said and Charlotte looked at her mother curiously as the blonde woman nodded eagerly.

"You're so right, I honestly can't thank you enough," she responded. The young woman furrowed her eyebrows slightly and looked between the two mothers.

"What idea?" she inquired and her mother beamed.

"You know how I wrote you that letter about how badly I missed you and wanted to see you for the holidays? Well, I told Kris to do the same thing and it worked!" she answered and Charlotte felt her heart stop beating for a moment. Her mouth went dry as she opened it to speak but no words came out.

"Yep!" Kris confirmed and Charlotte turned her attention to her. "I sent Henry a letter telling him all of my thoughts and even sent plane tickets for him and Jasper. And by golly, it worked! My son is finally coming home!" There were tears building up in her eyes as she pressed her hands against her chest. Charlotte's heart (which still wasn't beating, which meant she had to be dead at this point - and boy did she wish she was) sank to her feet and her stomach began to do cartwheels. On the stairs, Tati and Jasmine's mouths fell open at the news and they knew Charlotte was internally losing it. And she absolutely was. Her palms quickly grew sweaty and she started to fidget slightly as she transferred her weight from one leg to the other, then back to the other, then back to the other again as she swallowed a heavy lump in her throat.

"And you know what's funny?" Diana started with a happy grin, "He texted Kris on Friday! The same day you came home!" She looked to her daughter and expected her to match her excited smile, but was instead met with a look of almost horror and dread. Her smile almost instantly faded and she knew something was wrong. Something happened between her and Henry. Kris was completely oblivious thanks to her own excitement.

Charlotte felt like the entire room was spinning. She could barely tell what was up and what was down. A part of her told herself that she was overreacting. This was Henry, her childhood best friend. It wouldn't be such a big deal to see him, especially because she was supposed to be over him. It was only two weeks. A bigger part of her told her that she had every reason to be freaking out because this was Henry and even if they were only together for two weeks, those weeks changed both of them forever. Those weeks showed her how intense and intoxicating love could be and how painful and devastating it was. It completely changed the course of her life and as much as she tried to tell herself she was over it, over him, she just wasn't. And she wasn't ready to face him again.

"What an amazing coincidence!" Kris gushed then looked at Diana again. "Anyway, I came here to thank you again and ask if you all wanted to maybe combine our thanksgivings? You all can come over to our house and bring your meals over so we can all have one big reunion and Thanksgiving!"

No. No, they couldn't do that. Charlotte looked at her mother with a panicked look but she was distracted by Kris' offer.

"That would be wonderful! That way we can all see each other again and catch up on lost time!" she happily agreed and Charlotte felt sick.

"Mom!" she called out much louder and faster than she wanted to. She quickly cleared her throat when the mothers looked at her curiously and she put on a smile to feign calmness. "Um, wh-what about Uncle Roscoe? You know how much he eats, it wouldn't be fair to the Hart family to have him eat them out of house and home." She hoped that her mother would agree that her obese brother would be a good enough reason to not take Mrs. Hart up on her offer, but she just shook her head and waved a hand dismissively.

"We'll cook more than enough for Roscoe and for all of us, then we'll add what we have to whatever the Harts have! I'm sure there will be more than enough food," she reasoned and Kris nodded in agreement.

"Yeah! I even went out to buy more groceries because Jasper is coming too and he eats a lot as well. There will be a lot of food," she explained with an excited smile. Charlotte gave them a small smile as they continued to talk about Thanksgiving and make their plans, all the while her knees felt weak and she felt sick to her stomach. She quietly excused herself before quickly rushing to the stairs and running up them and past her friends, who quickly ran after her. She ran into her bedroom and sat on the trunk in front of her bed, doubling over and panting heavily. She couldn't do this, she couldn't deal with seeing Henry again.

"Isn't it funny how life works? It's like fate wants you two to be together!" Jasmine said as she entered the bedroom with Tati quickly following. The two stopped at the sight of their friend and shared a concerned look.

"Okay, what the fuck did he do to you for you to be reacting like this?" the brunette asked as she went over and knelt by the shaking woman. She looked up at her with tears in her chocolate brown eyes.

"I can't see him again…"

"Char, it's been four years…" the youngest reminded her as she joined her side.

"Yeah, this is like a massive overreaction for what was just a two week relationship," Tati added. The thing that truly stung was that Charlotte agreed, she was overreacting. There was no reason for her to be this upset and this nervous about seeing someone she only dated for a few weeks. That was their perspective because she never went into detail about the two of them. But even with the perspective, even with their history, she didn't know why she was so scared to see him again.

"Okay," Diana said as suddenly entered the bedroom, "what's going on?" She knew from the way her daughter reacted to their new Thanksgiving plans that something was wrong, she knew from the moment she got home that something was wrong, and she was tired of being patient. She looked at her daughter who sat up straight on the trunk and nervously rubbed her thighs, her eyes refusing to meet her mother's.

"Mom, please don't combine our Thanksgiving dinner with the Harts," she pleaded.

"Why not? They're our closest friends and you haven't seen them in so long! Plus, Henry is coming home!" she insisted.

"You can handle one dinner with an ex, Char," Tati told her before standing up straight and Charlotte squeezed her eyes shut to avoid seeing her mother's reaction. The older woman blinked in surprise at that statement and looked at the young women in surprise.

"Wait…ex?" she asked slowly and the other girls shared a look before looking at her as well.

"Yeah, Henry and Char dated in Dystopia. That's how they met," Jasmine explained and Diana had to sit down on one of the ottomans.

"What?! But Henry and Charlotte have been childhood friends since kindergarten!" Charlotte squeezed her eyes together even tighter. Maybe she could will herself to explode or force her heart to stop beating permanently. She couldn't see her friends' jaws drop open in surprise before Jasmine squealed in excitement.

"Another piece to the Chenry puzzle!" she gushed excitedly and Charlotte finally opened her eyes to glare at her. She almost fell over when Tati pushed her shoulder.

"We thought you and Henry only became a thing in Dystopia! Oh, y'all have a history!" she gasped and the other rolled her eyes.

"You two never asked for all that detail," she mumbled and refused to look at her stunned mother. The older woman's mind was reeling and she wanted to ask more questions about the relationship but she could tell her daughter was reaching her limit. Instead, she joined her on the trunk and sighed.

"Okay, I kind of understand why you don't want to have dinner with the Harts, but your reaction is so much bigger than a relationship gone sour reaction. What happened?" she asked gently but the curly haired woman shook her head.

"I don't want to talk about it…"

"That's what she tells us every time we ask," Jasmine said with an exhausted sigh.

"Char, honey," Diana started, "I need to know so I can understand, and then maybe I'll tell Kris that we can't make it. But until I know, we're going."

"I got it!" Tati shouted suddenly, causing all the women to jump in surprise. She clapped her hands together once then pointed to Charlotte, "He knocked you up then left you to get an abortion alone and didn't even give you bus fare!"

"What?" Jasmine deadpanned.

"What?!" Charlotte snapped with knitted eyebrows.

"Charlotte!" Diana yelled and glared at her daughter. The curly haired woman looked at her mother and scoffed before standing up.

"No! What?! No! That's not what happened!" she explained and rubbed her temples. She could feel a migraine coming on.

"You better not be making no babies out there!" Diana lectured her stressed out daughter.

"Mom!"

"Okay, but what can be worse than that?!" Tatiana said with a chuckle and dodged an irritated smack from Charlotte.

"If you tell us what happened, her crazy ass can stop making up theories," Jasmine explained and Charlotte let out an exasperated sigh. She threw her hands up in the air in defeat then dropped them and smacked them against her thighs.

"Fine! Fine, I'll talk about what happened!"