Chapter Twenty Seven

It had been a painful month of failed apologies from Joey to Charlie. Every word seemed to have fallen on deaf ears and every day, Joey's heart broke a bit more. She hated herself for letting her girlfriend down. And she knew she would do anything to get her back. But it seemed like Charlie had completely shut down and didn't even want to try and work things out.

"Hi, Charlie," she greeted softly when she saw her ex-girlfriend walking down the corridor, out to class. "How are you?"

"Not interested," Charlie said bitterly, brushing past her.

Joey's heart sank as she watched her depart. She gazed after her until she was long out of sight. Sighing heavily, Joey headed into her own room and flopped down on the bed. Staring up at the ceiling, she wondered if there would ever be any way back to Charlie's heart.

Charlie walked back along the corridor after her lecture. She had time to pack and then she would be going home to spend the weekend with Ruby.

"What do you want?" she demanded, sighing heavily when she realised that Joey was parked outside her door.

"I need to talk to you," Joey said urgently.

"When are you going to figure out that I don't give a shit about anything you have to say?" Charlie snapped.

Joey shifted into a sitting position to her knees.

"Charlie, I love you so much," she said desperately. "Please, please give me another chance."

"What, to lie to me again?" Charlie said, anxious to get into her room and start packing.

She was desperately looking forward to seeing her daughter for the weekend.

"I swear I will never lie to you again," Joey told her. "I will spend the rest of my life proving how..."

"I don't care!" Charlie bellowed, surprising both of them. "Do you have any idea how much it took for me to let you in? I gave you my heart. I let you spend time with my daughter! I called you my girlfriend and I was even considering sleeping with you! I gave you everything I had you just trashed it. I never want to be with you again. You're a hateful, spiteful, cruel person and I don't want to have anything to do with you."

"But... but I'm different to what I was before," Joey begged tearfully. "I'm a better person. I'm not the same girl who made that bet and that's because of you, Charlie. You made me into a good person and I'm so sorry for everything that happened. If you'd just..."

"I'm not interested," Charlie said, shoving past her and unlocking her door.

She turned back, looking sadly at Joey, still on the floor.

"Please," she said more gently. "Please just leave me alone."

A few days later, Joey was no happier. Brax had gone home for the week to sort out some sort of trouble at home with his brothers but he'd left her his car keys. Subsequently, Joey had gone out for a drive. It was getting late and she was tired but for as long as she could keep her eyes open, she was keen to keep driving and listening to music. Her iPod seemed full of tragic love songs that made her think of Charlie constantly.

Hearing her tummy growl loudly over the music which was at a substantial volume and turned off to grab a McDonalds takeaway to eat at home. It was a week day so Charlie would be around. She didn't really do anything in the evening except studying now.

On the top floor of Kent House, nicknamed The Penthouse, Charlie was charging round her room, frantically throwing clothes in her case and praying that she wouldn't miss the bus back home. Tears ran down her cheeks but she didn't even have the time to wipe them away. Her heart pounded as she checked that she had everything.

Storming out of her room, she slammed the door and hurriedly locked up. Whirling back around, she charged down the corridor, not looking ahead in time to stop herself running straight into Joey. Both women landed on the floor. Joey's milkshake went flying and made a mess on the floor.

"Charlie, what's wrong?" Joey asked, noting the fright in her former girlfriend's eyes.

Charlie just pulled herself to her feet and tried to run off.

"Charlie!" Joey said desperately, grabbing hold of her hand.

"Ruby's in the hospital," Charlie explained frantically. "She's unconscious. I have to go."

"How are you getting there?" Joey asked, also panicked.

"Why does that matter?" Charlie demanded, breaking free from her grip and trying to leave again.

"Brax left me his car," Joey explained. "I could drive you. It'll be quicker than the bus."

Charlie hesitated. The last thing she wanted to do was spend an hour in the car with Joey. But if it would bring her closer to her daughter quicker then she had to take it.

"Would you?" she asked anxiously.

Abandoning the mess on the floor, Joey nodded and they hurried out of the building together.

Next time… in the car, Joey explains herself to Charlie…