The High Life
Hey guys, back again. Thanks for the fantastic reviews. I probably wouldn't keep going with this story without them. But please, I want more. Call me greedy but more than 2 a chapter would be great!
A couple of quotes from Higher Ground are used in this chapter.
I own any characters you don't recognize.
Chapter 5: Peaches and Cream
It was 6pm and the sun was just starting to set over the famous Horizon. Peter was walking back to his office after a hectic day. It was quite a frosty night, nothing out of the ordinary for the high hills of Vancouver. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a person on the soccer field. It was Charlie. He was amazed at how good she was.
"What?" H e realized that she was talking to him.
"Group in 5 all right", Peter said finally. He didn't know how he could get through to Charlie. He knew that she'd be a tough one to crack but he hadn't bargained on this.
"Yeah, whatever", Charlie sounded disinterested as usual and Peter left.
Charlie looked back and through the ball with rage in the opposite direction.
Within 10 minutes the group was crowded around in the mess hall waiting for Peter to get on his high horse and throw a speech.
"So guys, tonight's group is gonna be a little different. Nobody's going to have to share there feelings at all..."
"Peter, what are you talking about", Ezra interrupted.
"Who's up for a game of football?" he said grabbing the ball.
"Football?" Binna wasn't convinced, "All right what's the catch?"
"No catch", Peter said simply, "It's purely for your entertainment". As the group cheered he glimpsed at Charlie who knew exactly what was going on. And she didn't like it.
"Forgive me Peter if I don't share there enthusiasm", Charlie said blandly.
"Oh come on, Charlie", Peter said, "Little football never hurt anyone".
"I'm guessing this is compulsory", she said
"No, it's not compulsory, but whoever refuses is on kitchens for a month", Peter joked. She screwed her face up at his lame attempt at a joke.
"So, teams, Damien, it would be a sin for me not to appoint you captain of the red team, and uh... Charlie, since you're so keen on joining us, what about you for the blue team?"
"You're kidding me right?" Charlie blurted, "I don't even want to play".
"Tough, guys, choose your teams".
After many arguments and annoyance the teams were chosen and they were on the field. Charlie, Kat, Patrick, Shane and Binna were against Damien, Ezra, Cristina, Mac and Peter. They were coming to the end of the game and it was a close tie.
"Ok, so what are gonna do", Ezra asked.
"I don't know, just give the ball to me whenever you can", Damien simply replied. The teams got into there positions.
"I'm gonna beat you so bad", he told Charlie.
"What? You want me to come back with some cheap comment about how I'm gonna beat your ass?" Charlie was almost laughing at his competitiveness, "Sorry, I just don't care that much".
The whistle blows and the game is going well. Mac has the ball but as she throws it to Ezra, Patrick grabs it and passes it down until they get a goal.
At the end of the game, Damien's team has one by 2 goals.
"Told you I'll beat ya", Damien said to Charlie.
"Well jeez, I just don't know how I'm going to be able to get on with life now", Charlie walks off as Patrick laughs at her sarcasm.
"Hey, wait up", Damien says unexpectedly. She jerks back and looks at him.
"What?" she was getting agitated?
"Where'd you learn all that, you were pretty good out there", he said
"I learn from the best", she replied.
"Well, who?"
"You wouldn't know him", she stated. "Look, I gotta catch up on some reading, your ditzy girlfriends over there looking a bit green; you might want to rescue her from looking like a loner".
"What do you have against her huh? I mean what has she ever done to you?" Damien asked.
"Nothing besides breathing", she retorted.
"You shouldn't pay her out so much, she's not as strong as most people".
"Well, that's what you get when you've held a silver spoon in your mouth for that long, I guess", Charlie was getting impatient.
"What so you hate people with money, is that it?"
"No, I hate people who use there money to get what they want", Charlie corrected him.
"When has she ever done that?" Damien asked.
"Of course you wouldn't realize it, because you do it too".
"What? I don't..."
"You use the fact that your so popular and everybody loves you to get you want"
"And you don't? Your always going on about how hard done by you is and how you're so much worse off then us", Damien was getting fired up.
"Hey, I don't use that, that's just my reality which I have to deal with".
"Well it's not my reality, so you don't have to keep forcing it down my throat"
"You don't have a reality. You have Cristina, football captain takes the prom queen, that's fantasy land", Charlie said hotly
"You don't even know what you're talking about", Damien turns away.
"I know a lot more than you think", she turns to leave in the opposite direction. Before she leaves she back steps.
"Oh, and speaking of reality, did you know Cristina's crushing on the mail boy. I saw them kissing. Peaches and cream with salsa on the top. Your reality sucks doesn't it?" He walks off angrily as she just smiles.
Lauren sits in the mess hall as Damien comes in hot tempered.
"Is it true?" he says angrily.
"Is what true?" Cristina is clueless.
"You and the mail boy. Is it true?"
"Who told you this?"
"So it is?"
"Yes it is, Damien. You were gone for three weeks, Michael was there for me. Where were you? Oh, right, I forgot, where not allowed to talk about you. It's like a big secret. I know nothing about you Damien. I don't even know why you're here. You didn't trust me enough to tell me".
Damien stands there not knowing what to say. "Look I got to go, Peter wants to talk to me", Lauren said.
"So that's it then?"
"What else is there to discuss? You've never been in this thing Damien, you were just there because you had nothing better to do", Lauren picked up her things and left. Damien sits down, stunned and annoyed. Everything she had just said was in some ways true. But was that a reason for her to cheat? He didn't know. Standing at the doorway was Charlie. He hadn't realized she was there until she sat down across from him. The two said nothing and for a while they sat in silence.
"Look, I'm sorry, alright", she said finally.
"About what?"
"You know what", she continued.
"Well, there are so many things you could be sorry for; I'm still not sure which one".
"Forget it", she says shaking her head in a 'should have known' kind of way.
"You don't...have to be sorry", He spoke up again, "It wasn't your fault, don't kill the messenger right".
"Right", Charlie said, "I mean, you know, with the exception of the mail boy". He laughs at her lame joke and they sit there in silence all the while comforting each other
Hope you liked it. Back again soon. Keep the reviews coming.
Next chapter, Charlie is bonding and getting along with all her peers. She and Damien have an unexpected moment and the group throw a party for Mac. Also there's a new admit.