"Charlotte's leaving," Piper said suddenly as she stared at her phone. She had gotten a text and was surprised to see that it was from Charlotte and even more surprised to see what it said. She and Jasper had made their way to the lounge area by the indoor pool, the two of them sitting together on the loveseat and enjoying champagne as they chatted it up with the wealthy elite. It was fun for her to rub elbows with famous people and increase her online following, but she had noticed that Charlotte and Jack had disappeared for a while and was just about to go look for her when she got the text. Jasper looked at her curiously when she announced the contents of the text.

"She's leaving with Jack," she added with a slight grin. "She said she'll explain everything to me tomorrow." The raspberry blond nodded but frowned a little.

"I hope everything's alright. You think it has something to do with Henry?" he asked worryingly. She shrugged dismissively and put her phone away.

"Hopefully not but she left with Jack and somewhere Henry is feeling miserable. This night was a success in my eyes," she said with a smile. He chuckled softly and nodded. He looked at the phone and noticed that it was starting to get late. Since Charlotte was gone, it was probably time for them to head out too.

"I guess I should take you home now. Ready to go?" he asked. The blonde bit down on the corner of her lip as she thought it over. Truthfully, she wasn't ready for the night to end because she still wanted to spend time with Jasper. She hadn't told him that she had forgiven him but deep down she did, and she wanted to remain close to him as long as she possibly could. But she wasn't going to say any of that out loud just yet.

"We can go but I don't know about going home just yet…I'm sure Henry is heading back home and is gonna be all mopey and miserable and as much as I enjoy his misfortune, I don't want to deal with it tonight," she explained with a soft sigh. "Plus, someone gave me champagne and my parents are gonna kill me if they smell alcohol on my breath." He scoffed and leaned back against the loveseat.

"If I didn't give you any, you would've killed me. But okay, where should we go since you don't want to go home?" She shrugged and did her best to look as nonchalant as she possibly could.

"Can I hang out with you at Charlotte's place?" she asked. He looked at her and hesitated before taking in a deep breath and nodding as he exhaled.

"Yeah…yeah, alright."

Meanwhile, a heartbroken Henry finally managed to regain the feeling in his legs and slowly made his way downstairs. He wanted to go home and get home as soon as possible before he had a meltdown in public. He needed to preserve some of his remaining dignity. He inhaled the cold air as soon as he managed to get outsiders, sliding his eyes shut as he walked down the marble steps. He could hear the music playing from inside and the sound of people talking but he still felt so extremely alone. And unfortunately, it was all his fault. Sure, he could blame Tati, or Charlotte, he could even blame his parents for having him. But at the end of the day, he was where he was because of his own actions.

And he hated himself for it.

"Henry!" He sighed heavily and felt his shoulders deflate as he heard the sharp familiar voice. He opened his eyes and looked at Tati who stood before him with a frown and messy mascara as if she had been crying. She hugged her jacket close to herself to keep herself warm and her foot tapped rapidly and impatiently. He shook his head a little and simply walked past her to find his car, but she quickly grabbed his arm and yanked him around to face her.

"Are you seriously abandoning me here?! Are you fucking joking?!" she practically screamed.

"I'm not abandoning you here. I told you to go home. You chose to stay out here in the cold," he replied coldly. He turned again and walked away from her, leaving her shocked and frozen for a few seconds before she followed him.

"You're a fucking dick! You're gonna give all of this up for Charlotte Page?! Seriously?! I gave you a fun time, great sex, and helped you get over her breaking your heart and you still choose her over me?!" The blond sighed heavily as he reached his car. He unlocked it and turned to look at the young woman again.

"Look, I don't know what kind of contest you're running with Charlotte but in my eyes, you'll lose every time. You were just someone for me to have some fun with and distract myself but you also made me miserable and you fucking lied to me. I want nothing to do with you, Tati." She felt her tears building up and her bottom lip trembled slightly. She couldn't believe she was losing to Charlotte again, she couldn't believe all her work was going down the drain.

"You know, I gave up a four year friendship for you," she said with a shaky voice. He scoffed and chuckled humorlessly.

"Four year friendship? She told me you slept with her fiancé too, Tati. I don't think you even liked me, you just knew I was someone Charlotte cared about and decided to go after me because you're living vicariously through her and see her as some type of competition. You're pathetic and insecure and need to get over yourself. Goodbye, Tatiana."

He climbed into the SUV and closed the door, locking it and ignoring her as she shouted at him through the window and banged on it. Maybe he should've had the courtesy to take her to Santa Clara, but his mind was occupied with the fact that he had lost Charlotte and he saw her as one of the reasons she was gone. He didn't want anything to do with her anymore. He turned on the vehicle and blasted the classic rock radio to drown her out as he pulled off and drove away, leaving her screaming and ranting in the cold December night.

The drive home was long and sobering since he was alone and left with his own thoughts. He hated being alone with his thoughts because they were all filled with insecurities and guilt, as well as self loathing for his stupidity. It was bad enough to get it from everyone else but coming from himself just stung even more. A part of him wished the Time Jerker's time machine still worked so he could go back in time and slap some sense into his old self. Maybe he would go back four years and tell himself to shut up and just let Charlotte go to school and come back to him. Maybe he would go back a few weeks and tell himself to stay away from Tati and stick with himself until things settled down.

Maybe he'd go back and stop himself from ever going to Dystopia.

He sighed once again as he pulled into the driveway of his home. Turning off the SUV, he slumped back against the seat and stared out blankly. He was feeling so many things and he loathed all of it. He was angry at Charlotte for leaving him but more at himself for ruining everything, he was sad that he lost her forever, and he was devastated that he chased all of his allies and friends away. Jasper hated him, Piper was indifferent towards him and enjoyed his misfortune, and Charlotte was done for him. He was truly alone.

He climbed out of the car and made his way inside, silently trudging up to his room and slumping against the door as he closed it behind him. He turned on the light and looked around the empty room before his eyes landed on his wall. Underneath the pictures that once hid weapons now hid his drug stash. He still had a little bit of coke left, along with some shrooms, acid, and ecstasy. He could take any of them and he would easily forget about tonight and his troubles. It's what he usually did and it always worked out for him…temporarily. But temporary relief was better than constant agonizing.

The blond climbed onto his bed and pulled the picture frames aside to reveal the hidden crevices, grabbing the small baggies filled with mind-numbing drugs. He leaned against the wall as he looked over the bags. He could easily take a tablet of LSD and go on a trip that would take him away from his miserable reality. Biting down on his lower lip, he thought it over for a moment before climbing out of bed and making his way to the bathroom then dumping the drugs into the toilet. He had his weed hidden elsewhere and would keep that for later, but he was done with the hard drugs. He was done with using them to numb himself from the real world.

Watching the drugs flush down the toilet, he sighed heavily and tossed the empty bags in the garbage. He returned to his bedroom and climbed up the stairs to his loft, plopping down on his couch and taking out his phone to dial a number. He leaned back and waited for an answer as he scratched the back of his head.

"Personal cell phone of Ray Manchester, Swellview's Heartthrob, Ray speaking!" the voice answered. Henry rolled his eyes.

"Ray…"

"Oh, hey Henry! What's up?"

"Ray…Ray, I need help."

In California, a black Bentayga Hybrid drove up the smooth and occasionally bumpy streets. Inside, Jack and Charlotte sat in the backseat as the driver drove to a cabin in the mountains per Jack's request. The young woman kept her gaze outside the window, watching as everything outside zoomed past them and doing her hardest to keep herself from crying again. She wasn't going to cry over him anymore but it was hard not to. The brunet rubbed his knees nervously and looked over at the woman next to him.

Charlotte Page was a woman he was always enamored with. Even when he was eight years old and they first met at summer camp, he always found her incredible. He loved her curls, he loved her brown skin, he loved how smart she was and how she knew everything, and he loved when they were partnered up on a craft together. By the end of their time at camp, he was completely infatuated with her, and even more so when they shared their first kiss.

His family soon moved to California to work on his budding career as a child actor but they often reconnected every summer and winter, and every time Jack found himself more enamored with Charlotte. They were 13 when he finally asked her to be his girlfriend and they started their years of on and off and long-distance relationships. But as he gained more fame and worked harder, the two of them grew distant but still did their best to stay in touch. And he would often sneak off to Swellview to have a secret date with her and spend as much time as he could with her. And it was good enough until she moved to Dystopia and wanted more.

And of course, he couldn't blame her. She spent her entire adolescence in a long-distance relationship with a celebrity who was often touring around the world and couldn't even be with her for more than a day. Sometimes, he'd try to fly her out to join him, but she'd be so committed to work that she couldn't join him. She needed a full time commitment and a boyfriend who would be there constantly, and she deserved that but he couldn't give that to her. So they broke up officially and fully, and Jack was on his own for the first time in years.

It was hard. Sure, he had girls who would throw themselves at his feet and would do anything to be with him. But there was no one like Charlotte. She was just…perfection in his eyes and it was hard to move on from that. So when he saw that piano player at the mall, he knew this was his chance to get back with the first and only girl he ever loved. He just didn't expect it to derail into her being in tears because she had some kind of history with that blond waiter from the restaurant. But she was with him now, and if he played his cards right, she could be with him again forever.

"So um," he started as he cleared his throat, "looks like you and that guy have some intense history going, huh?" She sniffled a little and nodded as she turned her head to look at him. She gave him a sympathetic smile and sat up straight.

"Yeah…God, I'm so sorry, Jack. I'm sitting here moping over another guy and I made you leave your own party." He shook his head and reached over to take her hand.

"It's cool, I get it. Besides, that party was started by my company so I can rub elbows with other celebrities and industry big wigs but I always hate them. Having people swarm me and stroke my ego so they can get something out of me is no fun. I was going to try and leave as soon as possible anyway," he explained. She nodded in understanding and scooched closer to him before laying her head on his shoulder. With a small smile, he moved an arm around her and held her close to him, relishing in the feeling of having her so close once again.

When they reached the cabin, Jack escorted her inside and told her to get comfortable as he got her a drink. She sat down on the couch and slipped off her shoes with a sigh. It was a nice place, much smaller and more intimate than the mansion they just left but it still had hints of luxury in the furniture and decor. She felt a little out of place. She wasn't someone who usually wore designer dresses or hung out in fancy homes. The only comforting thing was that she knew Jack was the same way. All of this was just a result of his hard work since he was a child, it wasn't to show off his wealth and flex on the less fortunate.

"Here," the young man said softly as he handed her a glass of wine. She thanked him softly and took the glass, taking a small sip of it before sighing softly. He sat down next to her and placed his glass down next to hers before staring at her curiously for a few moments. "Do…you want to talk about it?"

"No, I want to move on," she said with a small nod. He shook his head and rubbed her knee gently.

"You're upset. Let's talk about it, it'll help," he insisted. She looked at him and smiled at his comforting warm brown eyes before taking a deep breath.

"After you and I broke up, Henry and I got together, and it was amazing but short-lived. I got accepted into Harvard and we had this massive fight because he didn't want me to go but I thought we could make it long distance. Anyway, we said horrible shit to each other and broke up and I left. I went to Stanford, tried to live my life, and four years passed without us talking to each other. Then I go home for the holidays and he shows up too. We kind of made up but I stupidly don't tell him about my engagement, he finds out at Thanksgiving dinner, and everything goes to shit. He hates my guts, my 'best friend' lies to him and starts sleeping with him, she calls my ex here to fuck with me and I find out she was even fucking him. I go to confront them and find them in bed together and now…I'm done."

She sighed deeply and shook her head. "He's hurt me so many times, he's used my heart like a toy and tossed me away whenever he's felt like it, and I can't do it anymore. I told myself that night not to cry over Henry anymore and I won't. I'm done." Jack inhaled deeply as he processed all of what she told him. It was a lot and he could definitely see why she was upset.

"Char, there's nothing wrong with crying over him. He was a big part of your life and broke your heart. It's okay to cry and be vulnerable," he said gently. She shook her head quickly and downed the rest of her wine before exhaling hard.

"No, he's been the cause of too many of my tears and I'm not allowing it anymore. I just want to move on, you know? I want him gone from my head, I want him out of my hair, I want his touch off of my skin, I want to forget about him completely but I just…I can't do this…" She broke down into a fit of whimpers and she gripped the fabric of her dress firmly as he kept her head down. The sight of her like that completely broke Jack's heart. He shifted closer to her and moved his arm around her again, pulling her close so she'd lay her head on his chest. As she took a few shaky breaths, he rubbed her arm gently and pressed a gentle kiss atop her head.

"Let me help you," he mumbled. She pulled away from him and wiped at her eyes before she looked at him curiously.

"What?"

"You want to forget about Henry and move on from him, let me help you. Let's get back together," he offered. The young woman let out a breathless chuckle and shook her head.

"I can't use you as a rebound, Jack-"

"Charlotte," he interrupted as he took her hand in his own, "I still love you. I get what you're going through. I tried to get over you after we broke up but I couldn't, you're the only woman that I want to be with. I don't care if I start out as a rebound but I know that if you're with me, not only will you forget about Henry, but you'll be incredibly happy. I'll give you anything and everything you could ever want, and I'll never treat you like Henry did. We don't even have to 'officially' be together, we can just have fun."

Her heart pounded against her chest. Everything he said was what she'd always wanted to hear, but words that she wanted to hear from Henry. It was nice to hear them from Jack but it was almost too late and she knew it wouldn't work or last long before he'd have to go on tour. But she had another thought pop up. Why not have some short-term fun? Why not be with someone who wanted to be with her and she knew was a kind and sweet man? She'd known Jack since they were eight and he still seemed all the same. She was tempted, but she was Charlotte and she always worried about the what if.

"I don't know…Jack, I care about you, but I'm just worried about how this all will end," she explained quietly. He shook his head quickly and gently grasped her chin so she'd look at him.

"Don't worry about the end, just enjoy the now. Just…let me do everything that he couldn't do for you," he said. Her cheeks heated up as she blushed and her eyes shot away from him quickly as she let out a few shaky breaths. She wanted to…she wanted to so badly…

"You don't have to be so strong anymore, I'll take care of you," he added. She looked at him and met his gaze, feeling her heart skip a beat. Fuck it. She leaned in and kissed him softly. She was going to do it, she was going to move on from Henry and allow herself to finally be happy. She was miserable with Eddy, she was miserable her entire time back home, and now this was her chance. As Piper said, the best way to get over one man was to get underneath another.

So she let herself melt into Jack's arms as he kissed her with such passion. She relished in the warmth of his body close to hers and the softness of his lips. He was familiar and comfortable and he was making her feel so much better. She liked the feeling of his hands on her skin and when he asked if they should take it upstairs, she readily agreed. He was going to take care of her, and she was going to let him.