"This isn't funny!" Henry exclaimed as he sat at their usual table at Score. Across from him were Jasper and Piper, both of whom were busy cackling at his latest bout of misfortune. He sighed heavily and laid his head on the table, groaning loudly in an attempt to drown out their laughter.

"It's super funny, I'm sorry," Piper said through her laughter. "Your ex showing up and working with you while you have a girlfriend? This is shit you see on TV!"

"Especially because he hasn't broken up with Camille yet but if he does now, she'll definitely think it's because of Charlotte," Jasper said with a chuckle. "God, babe, you were so right about his life being an entertaining mess." At that, Henry lifted his head and glared at his best friend.

"You're supposed to be on my side!" he bemoaned. The raspberry blond took a sip of his beer before looking at the other.

"I am on your side! But you're kind of being ridiculous! Plus, I can't smoke anymore and it makes me miserable so it helps to focus on your misery instead," he explained. "Charlotte working with you shouldn't be an issue if you go about this with a level head." At that, Piper snickered and took a sip of her neon-colored soda.

"Level-headed and Charlotte can never be in a sentence when it comes to Henry," she said. The blond sighed in defeat and slumped back against his seat.

"She's right. Charlotte drives me insane and I don't think I can handle working with her. I'm already thinking about how pretty she is…"

"Then break up with Camille," Jasper said simply before gasping. "Oh wait! I told you to do that already and you fucking didn't!" Henry rolled his eyes and sighed as his sister and best friend discussed his ever problematic love life.

Breaking up with Camille wasn't an easy task. It reminded him of when he was torn between Bianca and Veronika, he liked both of them and didn't want to let either go. And he had that same issue with Camille. Sure, he didn't necessarily love her as she loved him and he didn't feel the same about her as she did, but being with her was nice. It was a nice distraction from Charlotte and she made him feel loved and adored, something he had really missed. Breaking up with her would mean losing that, it would mean losing affection that he had really craved and enjoyed. And why lose that when she was rather happy with him too? He just couldn't do it.

The next few days weren't easy for him. Henry used to pride himself on being cool around girls and being the charming one, but Charlotte was different. She knew him, she knew everything about him, there was no being cool with her. She could read him easily, she could take him down with her words alone, and she definitely knew he wouldn't be joining a band anytime soon. She also knew him intimately and knew about all of his mistakes and misdoings, so how could he flirt with someone who wanted nothing to do with him? And it was incredibly hard because he wanted to flirt with her. But she made it clear that they were only going to be friends and he was determined to not lose that.

But damn was it hard.

It was summer and Ray was a cheapskate, so he often refused to use the central air system in the Man's Nest just so he could save a few pennies. That meant that Charlotte was often in shorts and crop tops and God, was she ever so tempting. He felt like a Victorian man seeing a woman's ankle whenever he saw her smooth legs or her toned stomach. And, fuck, that ass was amazing as always. He was stuck between a rock and a (very) hard place.

"Hey, it's time to test your force field," Charlotte said to Henry one day. She had been working with them for a few weeks at that point and he had done a decent job of either avoiding her or making sure they weren't alone together - both for what he assumed would be her comfort and for his own sanity. Also, he knew Camille would appreciate it once she found out about her working there. But now he had no choice but to be alone with her and it made him a little nervous. He swallowed thickly and nodded, standing up and going to the back with her.

"Have you had any issues lately?" she asked. He shook his head and folded his arms as they entered a back room that was filled with a bunch of weapons and gadgets that Schwoz had created.

"Nah, everything's cool! So, I guess we don't have to test anything then!" he said quickly and turned on his heels. She grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back in, causing him to sigh dramatically.

"What's your problem? You've been acting like I have the plague or something," she said. He turned to look at her and almost instantly regretted it. It was another hot day in Swellview and she was wearing a top that had a wide neckline and puffy sleeves but had ribbed corset-like boning, so she had plenty of amble cleavage that seemed to suck his eyes in any time he looked at her. Thank God she had on some oversized jeans so he wouldn't be distracted by her butt too. He cleared his throat and blinked a few times to get his mind back on track. Back…track…she has a nice back and rack…

Gah! Focus!

"I'm just…leaving you alone like you probably want," he said as casually as he could. But it seemed to work as her face fell a little and she shrugged.

"Touché. I guess I thought we were on better terms," she said as she walked over to the wall of gadgets. He watched her and felt a little guilty. They were on better terms, way better than they were before. They were actually talking and hadn't had an argument since March.

"We are! I just-"

"I'm sorry," she said suddenly. He paused and looked at her in confusion.

"What?" he asked. She faced him and sat halfway on a table.

"I'm sorry. For…everything. This whole time I've been almost blaming you completely for everything but I'm totally responsible too," she explained. He felt like he was on a completely different planet. Was this some kind of elaborate prank? He looked around for cameras before looking at her again.

"What? Char, come on, we've already gotten past this. We've made our mistakes and apologized," Henry said dismissively. Charlotte shook her head.

"I apologized for some things but not all, you know?" she started before sighing. "This is going to sound so self-centered but it's my truth. I didn't realize how fucked up it was that I didn't tell you about Eddy until it happened to me with Jack. That shit sucks. And I'm not happy that you hooked up with Tati but I can't hold that against you anymore. I messed up our second chance, I hurt you terribly, and I was incredibly wrong. Henry, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for blaming you, I'm sorry for keeping things from you, I'm sorry for…not being a good friend."

Henry felt his chest tighten as he listened to her. Truthfully, he never expected her to ever say anything like that to him. He had accepted his role in their multiple downfalls and had mainly blamed himself once he thought about everything. But hearing her say all of that was incredibly sobering and he didn't realize how badly he needed to hear her say it. He licked his lips a little and looked away to collect himself and process everything she said.

"I appreciate that," he said finally. He looked at her again and walked over to her. "And I'm sorry for the things I said and did years ago and I'm sorry for all that bullshit with Tati. But…we're good now and I hope we can be…friends again." She nodded with a smile.

"Of course. You've been my best friend for years, I know it'll be impossible to go on living my life without you," she said. He chuckled a little and bit down on his lip as their eyes met.

It seemed like everything faded to black as they lost themselves in each other's eyes. Henry missed her, he missed her more than she'd ever know and he wished they could go back in time and change how things ended up. Hell, sometimes he considered tracking down the Time Jerker and asking him to rebuild his time machine so he could do exactly that. Charlotte missed him too and she didn't even realize it. She was still mourning the loss of her relationship with Jack but she wasn't as sad as she was when she broke up with Henry. It reminded her of when she found out Eddy cheated. Sure, she was upset, but she wasn't as devastated as one should've been. Neither of them affected her the way Henry did, and neither of them changed everything about her the way he did. Before she knew it, he was leaning in closer and she inhaled sharply. No, they couldn't go down this road again.

"How's your girlfriend?" she asked as he got dangerously close. He froze up almost instantly and blinked a little before chuckling nervously. Truthfully, he had genuinely forgotten about her in that moment. He pulled away from her and ran his hand over his hair sheepishly.

"Uh…she's great! Camille's great! S tier girlfriend honestly," he said with a chuckle. Charlotte grinned and nodded as she stood up again and grabbed a weapon from the wall.

"Awesome! Maybe we can all go out to dinner someday soon," she said. He grimaced at the idea. Something about having dinner with his girlfriend and his ex sounded…less than ideal. Especially since he hadn't told her yet that Charlotte was back, let alone telling her that they were working together. He stood in front of a wall that had a large target on it - something that was rather on the nose - and looked at the girl on the other side of the room. The weapon was almost bigger than she was and he couldn't help the small smile that grew on his face. She was adorable.

"Yeah, maybe we can- Oh!" He clenched his fists quickly and put up his force field as she suddenly fired the blaster, the force field reflecting it and causing it to hit the wall behind her. She looked in surprise before looking at him again, the two sharing an impressed laugh and high-fiving each other.

"Nice!" she cheered. The two chatted excitedly as they walked back to the main area of the Man's Nest and Henry couldn't help the smile on his face. Things were feeling normal again, they were feeling good, and he was happy. He was happy having Charlotte by his side again.

But for Camille, things were a little different. No, they weren't different, they were the same, and that was worse in her eyes. It was now mid-July and Henry still hadn't returned her feelings of love and still seemed uninterested in her. And she absolutely hated it. Even worse, she hadn't had the chance to check his phone again so she didn't know if he was still texting Charlotte. And it was the not knowing that drove her crazier because every time he looked at his phone, she wondered if it was her. Every time he smiled as he spoke on the phone, she wondered if he was talking to her. Every time they had sex, she wondered if he'd rather be inside her.

It was a sickening feeling and she hated how insecure she had become. She used to pride herself on being better than girls who constantly suspected their boyfriends of cheating. She was a cool girl who could get down with the guys easily and could even check out girls with her boyfriend, but now she was struggling to maintain that behavior as it didn't seem to completely win Henry over. She wasn't sure what kind of girl he wanted — did he want the cool, down for anything girl? The girly girl who was scared of bugs and wore pink? The nympho? The homemaker? She didn't know, but she was going to try every persona she could until he finally said he loved her.

Today would be a mix of the nympho and the homemaker. She planned on visiting Henry at work with a homemade lunch while wearing a low-cut mini dress and her hair - now long red box braids - pulled back into a neat ponytail. She was sure he would both be appreciative and go crazy over how good she looked. She was a bombshell and he would be a fool for losing her.

As she reached the school, she had a pep in her step as she climbed out of her car. She had a good feeling about this. What man wouldn't be happy about his girlfriend spoiling them with homemade lunch while dressed like a complete baddie?! She couldn't help but pat herself on the back for this genius idea. She grabbed the lunch from the car and happily strolled into SWAG, expecting to see kids learning whatever they were taught at the academy by Ray who seemingly didn't know what he was teaching either. Except, instead of walking in on eagerly learning pupils, she was met by an almost empty room with only Charlotte inside by the window.

The young woman seemed just as surprised to see her as she looked up with a startled gasp. Upon seeing her, she placed a hand on her chest as she laughed a little and looked towards the back before looking at Camille again. She wasn't expecting her and she wasn't sure if Henry was expecting her either. Camille stared at the other both confused and a little annoyed. What the hell was she doing there?!

"Hey, Camille! Long time no see!" Charlotte greeted. Camille forced a smile onto her face and nodded as she clutched the bags tightly in her fists.

"Yeah! Wow, what are you doing here? I thought you were in Europe," she said. At that, the other woman blinked a little. Had Henry seriously not told her that she had come back in June? She made sure to keep her composure, not wanting to cause any issues between the couple. That was none of her business and she was going to stay out of it.

"I came back…a few weeks ago and I've been working here," she answered simply. At that, Camille couldn't hide the way her face fell. Weeks? She was working there? And Henry hadn't told her?! She was almost dizzy as she processed everything as well as she could. She wanted to hunt Henry down and interrogate him like a power-hungry detective. She wanted to curse him out for lying to her and not telling her that his ex — who he was clearly still in love with — was working with him! Literally, what the fuck?!

Meanwhile, Charlotte was left in an incredibly uncomfortable position. She never wanted to interfere with Henry's relationship, especially considering the past of their relationship. Had she missed him? Sure, but she told herself she only missed his friendship and nothing more, so she had no reason to dislike Camille. But now she was stuck between a rock and an increasingly angry girlfriend and she may have put her foot in her mouth and fucked Henry over. Oops. She was about to look for an excuse to get the hell out of there when the other suddenly spoke up.

"Charlotte, can I ask you something?" she asked without looking at her. She swore in her head and kicked herself for not running away earlier. She licked her lips anxiously and nodded as she looked at the other young woman.

"Yeah?"

"Is…is there anything going on between you and Henry?" she asked. Charlotte sighed, knowing the question was coming but her stomach was still twisting with nerves. Why was she scared to answer something innocently?

"No," she breathed out. "We've gone through a lot and we struggled a lot but now we're on good terms again and we're friends. We're just friends, Camille. I promise." The other woman nodded softly and remained silent as she processed everything. Charlotte wanted to run now more than ever but her feet just wouldn't move. She was stuck there. Finally, after what felt like a century but was probably only a few seconds, Camille cleared her throat and looked at her boyfriend's ex.

"Look, I never wanted to be this girl, but I have to be. I love Henry, I love him a lot, and I think I'm good for him. We're good together and I don't want us to lose what we have, but there's a problem. A big problem."

"What…what's the problem?" she asked.

"You."

"Me?"

"Yes, you. Charlotte, he's still in love with you, and even when you were off with a different man, he wanted you! And God, I don't know why because you treated him like shit!" she said. Charlotte's mouth fell open in offense and she started to respond but Camille continued. "I'm competing with you, I've been competing with you these past months and it's been hard as hell without you here, and now that I know you're here, it's even worse. The fact that he didn't tell me you were here only confirms my fears." Charlotte folded her arms and frowned a little. She couldn't argue with her, she couldn't argue with how she felt no matter how senseless she thought they were. There was nothing going on between her and Henry but she knew saying that again wouldn't satisfy her.

"So, what do you want me to do?" she questioned. Camille sighed and took a deep breath as she folded her arms as well.

"Stop talking to him. Leave him alone," she said. At that, Charlotte couldn't help but scoff and roll her eyes.

"Camille, we work together!"

"All you need to do is say 'hi' when you come in, 'bye' when you leave, and 'yes, no, maybe, or I don't know' to any of his questions." Charlotte's mouth dropped open in shock. This was insane! It was almost worse than Bianca's three feet rule! How was she supposed to not have a conversation with her friend and coworker? And how did Camille not see how absolutely stupid and insane of a request that was?! She was about to argue against it when Camille said something that stopped her in her tracks.

"Charlotte, please, you have to understand. You've completely ruined him and I'm trying to fix him and make him happy again. This is the only way to do so. Let me fix what you destroyed…"

Destroyed? Had she really destroyed Henry? She never thought about it like that. Sure, she knew they had done considerable damage to each other and they had become unhealthily attached to one another, but would she ever go as far as to say she destroyed him? She messed up a lot and hurt him just as much as he hurt her, but did she go further? Just hearing it shook her and she went over everything they had gone through in her head. Maybe Camille was right, maybe she was no good for him and it would be best if she just avoided him as much as she could. She swallowed thickly and nodded her head a little.

"Okay…fine. I'll keep my distance," she said. Camille smiled and let out a relieved sigh.

"That really means a lot to me, Charlotte. I know it's super crazy to be this insecure but I really do love him and I want him to know that he can have a successful relationship and be with someone who loves him." That stung. That stung more than Charlotte understood. She did love him, she loved him as a friend - nothing more of course - and she thought that was a valid form of love. But apparently, it wasn't and Henry deserved better. He deserved better than her. She simply nodded her head a little and Camille took out the lunch she made for him.

"Give this to him when he gets back, okay? Thanks again," she said happily. Turning on her heels, she left the school and left Charlotte there to stew in her words and her newfound guilt.

Her body ached with regret and sadness. Destroyed. She had somehow destroyed Henry and she never noticed. She felt awful, she felt selfish, and she felt like she would never be able to make it up to him. And she found herself mourning again as she did for all those years they were apart. She mourned for their friendship that she had only just gotten back and she unknowingly mourned for the relationship they would never have again. She and Henry were truly over.

A/N: Hello! I wanted to apologize once again for my lack of updates. I've been having health issues that developed into a short hospital stay. I'm doing better now and I'm getting better, so hopefully, there should be regular updates again. Thank you for being so patient and understanding!