Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!
Charity was lucky. She managed to sneak into her house without waking her dad up. It truly hadn't been easy. Mainly because Logan had tried to follow her in. Whispered threats didn't seem to carry as much weight, but Logan finally realized that leaving with all of his appendages was far better than staying without some. The last thing she thought about before passing out was the hurt look on Lauren's face when she had realized that Charity was jealous of her and Tyler.
It was after 2pm when Charity finally woke up on Saturday. She showered and got dressed and went downstairs. Her dad was in his study, presumably writing. He only shut the door when he didn't want to be disturbed, so Charity went to make herself some food. She was just about to put a frozen pizza in the oven when her dad came into the kitchen.
"Good morning, sleepyhead." He teased her good naturedly.
"Whatever, like you even noticed I wasn't up yet." She replied with a smile. It was common knowledge that when he was writing he tuned the rest of the world out. He shrugged with a smile.
"So, I'm going out tonight. What are your plans?" He asked her as he poured their lemonade.
"I don't have any yet. Where are you going?" She asked curiously. Her dad seldom went out and this would make the second time this week.
"I'm going to dinner with a friend." He said with a slight smile.
"A female friend?" Charity asked slyly. She assumed the answer was no. Her dad never went out with a woman unless her mom was with him.
"As a matter of fact yes. Peyton Sawyer." He said, winking at her. Charity was taken aback by her dad's answer. Why would he be taking his old girlfriend out to dinner? She remembered her mom saying that she and Peyton had been friends, but Charity couldn't imagine her mother being okay with the situation, regardless.
"Does mom know?" She asked bluntly. Something was wrong, she could tell by the way her dad sighed and bent down over the counter to be on eye level with her.
"I didn't want to tell you this, just yet, but your mother and I are getting a divorce." He said quietly. The words Charity had least expected to hear had come out of his mouth. The glass of lemonade she had been holding, dropped, shattering glass all over the floor.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'll get the broom." Charity said quickly. Her dad put his arm out to stop her.
"It's okay, I'll get it. Are you sure you're okay? Do you want me to cancel my plans tonight?" He asked worriedly.
She didn't want him to go out with Peyton, nor did she want to have to spend the whole night avoiding the subject with him.
"No, dad, I'm fine. It was just a shock really." Charity said, nodding. He held onto her arm for another few seconds before nodding and letting her go. She quickly ran upstairs to her room. She was careful to shut her door quietly, although she was tempted to slam it. She needed someone to talk to. She desperately wanted to talk to her mom, but who knew what time it was in Paris just then. She decided to call Tyler. He was the only person here who wouldn't bitch her out for calling. She dug through her backpack for his number. She dialed his number with shaky fingers. She felt traitorous just calling him.
"Hello?" He answered. Just the sound of his voice gave her chills.
"Tyler? It's Charity." She replied nervously. She hoped she hadn't woken him up.
"Hey. I'm glad its you actually. Did you have a good time last night?" He asked her. She couldn't contain her smile at his words.
"Nah, that was the lamest party I've ever been to." She deadpanned. The line was quiet for a few seconds.
"I'm kidding! It was fun. Have you talked to Logan? He tried to come home with me last night." She said, laughing.
"Really? Sounds kinky." He teased.
"Oh yeah, Logan is the man of my dreams." She replied sarcastically. She loved the sound of his laughter.
"So, what's up?" He asked.
"I'm kinda having a bad day. I needed a friendly voice." She told him.
"What's going on?" He asked curiously.
"My dad told me that he and my mom are getting a divorce. My mom's in Paris, so I can't talk to her and let's just say no one from Raleigh misses me." Charity explained.
"Wow, I'm sorry. Listen, let me make a phone call real quick. You be ready to go at 8pm and look good, I'll do the rest. I'm not taking no for an answer. See ya at 8." Tyler said, hanging up.
Charity spent the rest of the afternoon upstairs, avoiding her dad. She heard him call out that he was leaving early in the evening. She showered and changed into a short jean skirt and a low-cut sparkly top. She added some silver earrings and some sandals. She blow-dried her hair and shook it out for a tousled look.
At 8pm on the dot her doorbell rang. She hurried down the stairs and paused to check her reflection in the mirror before answering the door. She opened the door and saw Tyler and a boy she'd never met, standing on her porch.
"Hey Charity. This is Derek, Derek, this is Charity. Derek's a good friend of mine, he was on the basketball team with me before he moved this summer. Now we have to play against him instead of with him." Tyler said, introducing them.. Charity surveyed Derek. He wasn't bad looking. Not at all. He was tall, like Tyler, but with jet black curls and big green eyes.
"Nice to meet you." She said politely, holding out her hand. He shook it with a smile.
"Well kids, let's get going. The movie starts in twenty minutes and Lauren is waiting in the car." Tyler said, rushing them down the steps.
Charity nearly tripped over her feet. She was going on a double date with Tyler and Lauren? Fabulous. She had no idea if Lauren even remembered talking to her last night. Lauren had been pretty drunk, after all. But Charity hadn't been. She still remembered the hurt look on Lauren's face with perfect clarity.