Behind the Veil
a fanfiction by Emma

Chapter Three

Summer/Fall
September

I stood at the counter grabbing things Kreg slid down to me and put them into a paper bag.

This job was crap.

For hours on end I stood here, at this counter and put things in bags, or dragging food over a little check out thingy and sliding it down to put it into the bag.

Oh joy.

"You're doing it wrong." Kreg said to me, sliding me a pack of sandwich-ham.

"What?" I asked, staring at him in disbelief.

"You're doing it wrong." he repeated, in the same dead-pan voice he always had.

"Doing what wrong, Kreg?" I asked blankly,

"You're putting the products in the bag wrong, Chad. That's what you're doing wrong."

You've got to me kidding me.

"Never put bread in first, it's the rule, whatever you put on top of it will just smush the bread, making it hardly editable."

I rolled my eyes at this boy's insane behavior. Only Kreg would fuss of how to put things in a grocery bag.

"You have to put cans, and other heavy objects in first. Then - if there's eggs, put them in next - then you put the soft things like bread, muffins, and fruits on top. It's just the simpler way to do it."

"Kreg ... would you perhaps like to be putting the items in the bags?" I asked.

"Well if you insist." Kreg scoffed, pushing me out of the way, starting to unload all of the items I had placed into the bag.

I grumbled into Charlotte's diner and sat down at a table. Charlotte came over to me, her big framed glasses shining, and her jeans and hoodie, she was always insanely casual.

"Bad day at work?" she asked, her eyes popping out at me.

I sighed, "Yep."

"Now who told you that living there, would be hell?" Charlotte asked, sitting down across from me.

"You." I mumbled.

"Yes, that's right ... me." Charlotte giggled, "I was right." she said in a sing-song voice.

"Psh, no you weren't! Because I was completely fine today actually ... it was only Kreg, but I can get used to Kreg ... he's just a little strange."

Charlotte raised her brown eyebrow at me, "You're crazy." she commented.

I flashed her my famous smirk.

"Anyway ... I have a question for you." Charlotte said.

"Shoot."

"Every year, here in Scarlet Springs, we have a Summer Blaze. And I want you to come with me." Charlotte said, her head high.

"Like a date?" I questioned.

"HA! No." Charlotte said with a loud laugh, "More like, a friend taking a friend outside. Because that friend only steps out of his house to eat and go to work."

"Not true!" I protested.

"Fine, you go out to get groceries, but other than that I've never seen you anywhere." Charlotte said.

I let out a breath ... maybe I didn't like going out a lot.

"So, you're coming. Okay?" Charlotte concluded.

I smirked, "Okay. Fine I'm going to go."

"Good."

My smirk dropped. I didn't want to do that again.

"I-I mean ... okay." Charlotte said fast, getting up from my table.

"Couldn't we still be friends?" she said, staring at me hard. Hope in her eyes.

But I couldn't say yes. Not now ... I was too broken.

"No." I growled, and I turned walking away.

"Chad! Chad, please! Please try to understand! Chad ... CHAD! CHAD PLEASE!"

Though I had left, my vision stayed where Sonny was, tears falling from her eyes, fast. Like rain, cracks of lightening crashing over her, as she still called out to me. Her voice finally dying out, until she herself faded away. The lightening stayed.

BOOM BOOM BOOM

"COOPER OPEN UP!"

I bolted upwards from my couch to a banging on my front door, I rubbed my eyes and got up off the couch, to open my door. There was Charlotte ... in a dress ... I never thought I'd see Charlotte in a dress. It was blue ... a very light blue, but it was still blue ... a very pretty blue. A blue I remember looked very good on ... on Sonny. And her ... her hair ... it was ... curled ... and she didn't have her glasses on.

"Y-you're glasses ..." I started pointing at her face.

"It's not nice to point, Cooper ... and you know ... there's a little thing called contacts. I use them once in a while."

I stared at her face ... her eyes ... they-they were brown. I knew they were brown before but ... not that brown ... not that ... beautiful brown. I hated that brown. That was the brown of Sonny. I thought no one else in the world had eyes that brown.

"Do-do you happen to have your glasses?" I asked shakily.

"Um, at my house yes." Charlotte said, staring at me confused.

"Oh ... okay, never mind then." I said, swallowing hard, "You ... you're wearing a dress."

"Yeah, I'm a girl. We tend to like to look pretty sometimes." Charlotte said, crossing her arms, and smirking, "Now stop staring, we have to go. The Summer Blaze is going to start soon."

Stop staring?! How could I stop staring?!

"C'mon, Chad." Charlotte said, reaching out and trying to take hold of my hand, but I flinched away before she even could make contact.

"Are ... are you okay?" Charlotte questioned.

I blinked and stared at the ground, "Yeah ... I'm fine. L-let's go." I finished, pushing past her and out the door.

We spent hours at the Summer Blaze, eating cotton candy, talking about work, and things. Yet I didn't even look at her once, I couldn't. It was ... to painful ... in a way, I guess.

Charlotte tried to get me to look at her a few times while she was talking, she tried to put her hand on my shoulder, but I flinched away causing her to ask, "Are you okay?" and he to answer, "Yeah. 'Course."

She was walking next to me now, telling me a strange story about when Kreg thought it'd be a good idea to get a cat. Or something like that ... I had trouble paying attention.

"So finally, he had to sleep outside until the Animal Rescue Crew could get rid of the terrifying thing. But that even took a few–"

I snapped there and then, "Charlotte, go get your glasses! Change into jeans and t-shirt ... now ... PLEASE!"

Charlotte stared at me confused, and a few people around us heard my random outburst.

"What? Chad, what's your problem today?" Charlotte snapped at me, stepping close to me. To close. I had to step back.

"Y-you ..." I stuttered, "You look like her ..." I whispered.

"Like who?" Charlotte asked me, clearly confused.

I bit my bottom lip. Could I make myself say it? Could I? I had to ... I had to tell her ... something in me said, "You have to ... you just have to."

"Like ... S-Sonny Munr-roe." I whispered.

Charlotte sucked in a large breath and stepped back from me.

"Y-you mean your girlfriend from nine years ago?"

"Eight years ago." I corrected her in a whisper.

"Eight years ago. But still ... Chad ... that was ... that was eight years ago, aren't you over it? Y-you were the one who dumped her."

"No ..." I growled, "She was the one who ... who ... broke up with ... me."

"Oh ..." Charlotte whispered, "I still don't understand ... eight years ago, Chad. Eight. What's the problem?"

My lip trembled slightly, but I bit it harder to stop myself, "J-just because she b-broke up with me ... eight years ago ... doesn't mean I-I stopped loving her."

"Chad ..." Charlotte whispered.

"No ... don't ..."

"This is why you're always upset, isn't it?" Charlotte snapped.

"Charlotte, don't start ... pl–"

"No ... that's why you don't come out of your house .... EVER. Because you're ... depressed–"

"I'm not depressed."

"Really, Chad, really?"

I flinched.

"Because, I think that being hung over a girl for eight years ... a girl you haven't seen for eight years!" Charlotte yelled.

"How do you know I haven't seen her?" I asked.

Charlotte stopped, "It-it was just a guess."

"A pretty good guess." I said, staring at her confused.

"No ... no we're not changing this on me!" Charlotte snapped, "You need to get over it! Because she's not here! She's not here Chad! You're n-not near h-her! And you seriously need toget some help, or something!"

"YOU'RE NOT GOING TO TALK TO ME ABOUT THIS!" I yelled at her, causing Charlotte to step back, as I unleashed eight years of rage, "I'M NOT GOING TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THIS! THIS IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! SO JUST SCREW OFF, AND SHUT UP!"

"GO TO HELL!" Charlotte yelled at me.

"BACK AT YA!"

We then stormed off in opposite directions of the town.