Merry Christmas Eve Eve everyone! Love, IJKS xxx

Chapter Four

One week later, term had officially started and everyone on the corridor was preparing to start their classes. Sitting in front of her mirror, Charlie sighed and ran a brush through her hair. Everyone around her seemed to have joined groups and buddied up – except her. Rachel, Martha and Leah were all pretty much inseparable and Martha seemed to particularly enjoy flirting with Jack and Hugo. Everyone, including her next door neighbour, Joey, seemed to have joined teams and groups and things. And aside from a trip to the gym with her and Brax, Charlie had not joined in with anything. She felt more isolated than ever.

"Sort it out, Buckton," she told herself.

Taking a deep breath, she headed out of her room and towards her first class of the day.

Joey sat at the back of the huge lecture hall with Martha, Brax and Hugo for their introduction to Business Studies. It was only an elective for Joey, with History being her passion, but her family had pointed out that if she wanted to follow her dream of running a fishing trawler business then she would need to have some knowledge and experience.

"Do you want to go to the pub tonight?" Brax whispered as they watched their lecturer set up at the front of the class.

"Sounds good," Joey agreed readily.

"Count me in," added Hugo.

Everyone turned to Martha who looked a little awkward

"I've um... I've got a date with Jack," she admitted.

Hugo tried not to look annoyed at his cousin winning the girl over him.

Charlie was the first to arrive at her Criminology lecture. She sat at the front with pens and paper at the ready to take down copious amounts of notes. She glanced up as Angelo and Watson walked into the room together. They exchanged glances before coming to sit with her, one on each side. Reminding herself that they were just trying to be friendly, Charlie tried not to will them away. She had three years of University to go before she enrolled as a police officer and although studying and succeeding was her aim, she supposed she had to at least be polite to people.

"You're not allowed your phone on in here," she pointed out when Watson's phone beeped with a text message.

Watson looked suitably chastised, prompting Angelo to point out that the class hadn't yet started.

"Well, it's going to start in a minute," Charlie said. "So we should all be ready."

Angelo rolled his eyes, wondering how a girl who was so hot could be so uptight. Watson leant across and revealed that they had been invited out for drink that night.

"Sounds good," Angelo eagerly agreed.

He was determined to have the full University experience over the next three years and he gathered that including lots of sex and lots of drink. He was eager for both.

"Charlie?" Watson asked shyly.

"I'm busy," Charlie replied, writing the date on the top of her notepad. "I don't know if either of you have heard but we're here to get good grades and make something of ourselves and the last time I checked, drinking beer didn't result in essays getting completed."

Watson nodded and turned her phone off. Angelo rolled his eyes again and muttered something about lightening up. Charlie was about to retort but was interrupted by the arrival of their lecturer. She immediately set herself into work mode.

"Well, I think we all deserve a good blow out tonight," Joey declared as she, Brax, Hugo, Angelo, Watson, Nicole, Angel, Shane, Shannon, Curtis and Selena made their way down the corridor.

"Yeah, I can really have a grand night out on orange juice," Nicole remarked.

Joey chuckled and threw her arm around her.

"You don't need to drink to have fun," she said.

They spotted Charlie walking from the kitchen to her room.

"Some people do," Angelo remarked, nodding towards her.

"Should we...?" Joey wondered.

She didn't want to leave anyone out and she gathered that Charlie was not making friends easily.

"I wouldn't bother," Angelo said. "We mentioned it when Watson got your text and she wasn't interested."

"She was pretty rude, actually," Watson admitted.

Affectionately, Joey caught hold of her hand and gave it a squeeze. Glancing up again, she saw Charlie shut her bedroom door.

"Maybe we should just check," she said, breaking away from the group.

"Sweetheart, I don't think Charlie's the kind of girl that's going to put out for you," Brax said.

Joey coloured and poked her tongue out.

"I can be friendly without wanting to sleep with someone you know," she said, knocking on room ninety six.

"Can you?" Hugo asked. "Tell me how!"

"I haven't mastered that yet either," Shane admitted.

He glanced a little anxiously at Angel. If there was anyone he wanted in the whole world it was her but so far, he hadn't had any luck.

Charlie was just taking her shoes off and settling down with a Cuppa Soup when there was a knock on the door. Grumpily, she opened up and saw Joey standing there, looking casual in ripped stonewash jeans and a figure hugging retro t-shirt. She looked gorgeous.

"We were heading out to the student bar," Joey explained, nodding to the retreating gang.

"And?" Charlie snapped.

Joey forced herself not to bite back at how abrupt the girl was all the time.

"And we were wondering if you'd like to come," she said.

"If I want to waste my time getting drunk then I'll do it on my own terms," Charlie said. "You don't need to keep inviting me every time you all decide that socialising is more important than studying."

Offended, Joey glared at her.

"Studying is very important," she agreed. "But also, you have to live here. You can't live your life without people in it so maybe it would be nice to spend time with your housemates."

"I'd rather not," Charlie replied curtly, promptly shutting the door.

Shaking her head and noting to herself not to bother including her neighbour anymore, Joey caught up with the people she had actually made a connection with during her first week away from home.

Next time… Charlie and Joey clash at Martha's birthday party…