Hey guys, hope you enjoy this chapter. I didn't really have much time to proof read it, so hopefully there aren't any big issues here. Let me if there is something I need to fix. Happy reading!
"If I have to choose, I'm going with Book 4. The tri-wizard tournament just can't be topped for me." Henry said as the three friends walked down the halls of school one day. They had been discussing the different books of Harry Potter as there had been a marathon of the movies the previous weekend on tv.
"No way, book 5." Charlotte retorted. "The ministry of magic was just so intense."
"But Sirius dies."
"Well yeah, but just because he dies doesn't mean the book wasn't good. It's a turning point for Harry. He has to find the strength to continue even though he realizes he is going to lose people along the way."
"Most people would say book 5 is their least favorite." Jasper piped in.
"I'm not most people then." Charlotte smacked him on the shoulder. "What's your favorite book then?"
"Hmm…" Jasper thought. "Book 6."
"Half Blood Prince? Why?"
"Oh I don't know." Jasper smiled. "Probably because Ron and Hermione are my favorite couple in the series, and there are a lot of little moments in that book between the two of them."
Henry scoffed. "Ron and Hermione are your favorite couple? I didn't know you were so into the characters that much."
"Well you know, I guess I just like the fact that they are best friends." He looks between Henry and Charlotte. "They've known each other for so long. Always liked the other, but never really knew the other one liked them."
Charlotte's eyes got wide.
Henry chuckled. "Okay, Jasper. We need to get you a girlfriend. So you can have a real romance story instead of being obsessed with one from a book.
The three started walking towards the east wing of the school. They all had chemistry together next. "Speaking of romance." Henry said as he pointed towards the wall. There was a poster hanging next to the water fountain for the upcoming spring fling dance. "Student council finally put together a dance this year."
"I'm surprised they were able to convince the principal after last year's stink bomb fiasco." Charlotte reminded them.
"Did they ever find out who was responsible for those?" Jasper questioned.
"I don't think so. Probably some freshman without dates who were trying to be cool." Henry leaned against the poster. "So…Charlotte. You want to go?"
"What?"
"To the dance." Henry stated. "With me." Henry didn't know what possessed him to ask her to the dance, but when he saw her face change from shock to fear to something he couldn't quite distinguish, he backtracked. "I mean, you and me, going to the dance together…as friends! You need a date, but no one said your date can't be a friend."
"Um…" Charlotte stalled. "Actually I can't go with you."
"Oh. Okay then." Henry rubbed his neck with his hand in his discomfort.
"Jasper and I already said we would go together."
Jasper looked at her. "We did?"
She looked back at him and her eyes were wide and she nodded. "Yeah, remember?"
"Oh, yeah. Um, right. We did." Jasper said. He turned to Henry. "Charlotte and I said we would go together. As friends!" He made sure to emphasize the friends part.
"Alright. Well I'll just take someone else then. Maybe I'll call Shelby, ask her." Henry said as he pushed off of the wall. "I'm going to hit the restroom before Chem. See you guys in class."
Jasper and Charlotte watched as Henry walked into the men's restroom. Jasper turned to his friend. "What was that about? Why did you say we had agreed to go to the dance together?"
"I'm sorry." She apologized. "I panicked."
"Why? He asked you to the dance. You should have said yes."
"I can't go to the dance with Henry. Especially as friends. It will be too much like a date, but not a date." Charlotte sighed. "And the whole time I'll be wishing it was a date!"
"So your answer is to rope me into this mess?"
"Jasper. Come on, just go with it. Were you planning on taking someone else to the dance?" She asked.
"Well no."
"Then please, for me?" She begged.
"Okay. I'll go with you to the dance." Jasper folded his arms across his chest. "But you had better pick me up at seven and not a minute later. I don't like to be kept waiting."
Charlotte chuckled at her friend. "I'll even bring you flowers."
Tonight was the dance. The school hadn't thrown one in a while and most everyone was going. Henry had wanted to go with Charlotte, even if it was just as friends. He would hope that he would have the courage to see if he could make it something more during their night, but he would have been just as happy to be her date so that no one else could be. Henry supposed that Jasper being her date was the next best thing. At least he knew his friend wasn't interested in her in a romantic sense.
They had been running a bit late that evening, seeing as he had to go across town to pick up Shelby. But they still made it to the dance at a decent time. Walking into the school, he saw a bunch of people hanging out in the front lobby, probably because the gym always got a bit hot. He looked around for his two friends but didn't see them.
"So this is your school, huh?" Shelby asked. "It looks really nice. I like the purple."
"Yep, this is it. Where I come every day to learn." Henry walked her into the gym. "Jasper texted me and said he saved us two seats at table 3. Let's go find them."
From across the gym, he spotted Jasper at the drink table. He hadn't seen him or Charlotte since he and Shelby walked into the school. He walked Shelby to their table and told her he would bring her back a drink.
"Hey, I've been looking for you guys. Where's Charlotte?" Henry asked as he approached his friend.
Jasper looked up at the blonde boy. "Oh, she's talking to some of her girlfriends from AP English over there." They both looked a ways over and saw their friend talking to two girls they recognized. Charlotte was laughing at something one of them said to her.
"How long have you been here? Sorry we're a bit late." Henry apologized.
"Oh that's cool, we haven't been here long. Maybe 20 minutes. You know Charlotte likes to be on time for things."
Henry chuckled. "Yeah, that's her alright." Henry poured himself two drinks from the punch bowl. "So any hot gossip going down yet?"
"Well so far Jenny Jacobson and Grant Kohler have broken up and gotten back together since the dance started." Jasper informed him.
"Jeez."
"And then Carter Nesbit busted a move during one of the first songs, and twisted his ankle."
"Poor guy…" Henry shrugged. Carter wasn't the most coordinated guy in their year.
"So where's Shelby?" Jasper asked.
"Oh she's sitting at the table. I told her I would bring back some drinks." Henry grabbed the drinks off the table. "You should grab Char and come say hey."
"Yeah, we'll be over in a minute."
30 minutes pass and the dance is in full swing. The four were sitting at their table after dancing for a while. The door prizes had already been announced and the principal had already given his usual "keep it clean and appropriate" speech.
"So you guys having fun?" Jasper asked the rest of the table.
"Of course. I appreciate you inviting me Henry." Shelby put her hand on his shoulder.
"You're welcome. I'm glad you're having a good time." Henry smiled back at the girl.
Charlotte sighed. "I'm getting kind of tired. I knew I shouldn't have worn these shoes."
"Girl I know! Aren't heels the worst?" Shelby agreed. "I've already took mine off and retired from dancing anymore tonight. Thank goodness I don't wear them often. Perks of being tall I suppose."
"Wish I knew how that felt…" Charlotte looked away from the table.
At this moment the songs changed from fast to slow. The group hadn't been slow dancing tonight. Jasper and Charlotte were here as friends, and Henry had cleverly been avoiding Shelby whenever he knew a slow song was due to arrive. He turned towards Charlotte. He knew this song was one of his best friends favorites.
"You want to dance?" Henry asked.
Charlotte looked around. "Who, me?"
"Yes, you, silly." He looked at Jasper and Shelby. "You guys don't mind us ditching for a song huh?"
They shook their heads no so Henry got up from the table and held his hand out for Charlotte. "Come on. I know your feet hurt, but it will be worth it."
Jasper turned to Charlotte and gave her a knowing look. As the blonde and the curly haired girl left the table he turned to Shelby. "Come on Shelby, let's go get some snacks from the dessert table."
"I'm hoping for something chocolate. I've got a serious sweet tooth." She followed him across the gym.
Henry and Charlotte had made their way to the middle of the dance floor and the two had started dancing to the song being played over the loudspeakers. Henry had been a bit nervous, and was surprised that he had the nerve to ask her to dance.
"So…" Henry started. "How's your night been?"
"Good." She answered. "How's yours?"
"Great. Just great." He said awkwardly back to her. "How are your feet? If you want, you can take off your shoes."
She giggled. "It's okay. I can deal. I need them otherwise I'll be too short to dance with you."
"You know Char, there's nothing wrong with being short."
"I know. It's just kind of upsetting when you see girls who are at least average height or who are tall, and you realize they look way better standing next to their boyfriends, and you know that they probably never have to climb on the kitchen counter to get a glass out of the cabinet. Life is hard down here."
He smirked at her. "Well if it means anything, I like that you aren't tall. You're perfect just the way you are."
"You're being awfully sweet tonight. What do you want?" She asked.
"Why do you think I want something?"
"I just know you."
"All I want Char, is to dance with you tonight like this." He pulled her a bit closer to him. "Is that too much to ask?"
"I guess not." She sighed. "What about Shelby though? She's your date. Don't you think she might be a bit upset about this?"
"Eh, I'm not sure I'm really that into her. She's a nice girl, but not for me. I get the feeling from her that she feels the same about me. I'd love to be friends but I don't think we will be anything more."
"I'm sorry it's not going to work out for you." She frowned at him.
"It's alright. I'm not that upset. I actually kind of have a thing for someone else."
"Oh my word! You waste no time do you?" Charlotte chastised him.
"No no! It's not like that." She had pulled away from him a bit and he pulled her back in. Henry didn't know what had possessed him to say what he was about to but he realized there was no going back. "It's actually someone I've had a crush on for awhile, I just didn't realize it until recently."
"Someone you know from school?" She asked.
"Well sort of. I've know her pretty much forever. She knows nearly everything about me. She's been the best friend a guy could ask for, and I'm hoping that after tonight, she'll become more than my best friend."
Charlotte pulled away a bit from the boy holding onto her and looked into his eyes. Usually his eyes were playful, but this time they were more serious than she had ever seen. "Henry…I…" She shook her head. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"You don't have to say anything right now. Just know that…"
Beep…Beep…Beep.
The two looked down at Henry's wrist and saw his watch light up. Ray was calling.
"You'd better answer that." Charlotte acknowledged the watch. "It could be important."
"Uh, yeah. I'll go outside and answer it." He put his hands on her shoulders. "Stay here okay. I'll be right back. Don't move."
Walking outside he went around the dumpster to block his view of anyone who might wander out after him. He opened the watch.
"Hey Ray. What's going on?"
"Oh hey Henry! Just wanted to see how the dance was."
Henry shook his head at his boss. "Are you for real right now? You called me to see how the dance was? Why couldn't you have just asked me tomorrow when you saw me at work?!"
"Jeez sue me for being curious at how your night was. What crawled up your pant leg?"
"I'm sorry okay? This was just some bad timing."
"Did I interrupt a moment between you and Shelby?" Ray asked.
"No. Me and Charlotte."
"What?!"
Henry sighed. "Yeah. I asked her to dance, and apparently I thought it was a good idea to throw it out there that I had feelings for her."
"Wow Henry. I'm proud of you." Ray smiled at his sidekick. "And I'm sorry I interrupted."
"No it's okay. It's probably for the best. You stopped me before I said anything too crazy and scared her off. I think I've only mildly freaked her out."
"Well, I'll let you go so you can go back in there and continue with what you were doing, You'll let me know how things go so that when you guys come to work tomorrow I'll know whether or not to scream excitedly?" Ray asked.
Henry chuckled at his boss. "Yes, Ray. I'll let you know whether or not you can scream excitedly."
After talking to his boss, Henry went back inside the school. He checked his hair in the reflection of the display case in the hall before walking into the gym. He searched the floor for Charlotte. She wasn't where he left her and he figured she was back at the table sitting down. She did say her feet were hurting her. But upon arrival at the table, he only came upon Shelby.
"Hey. Where's Jasper and Charlotte?" He asked her as he sat down.
"Oh they went home." She answered.
He frowned in response. "Home? But the dance isn't over."
Shelby shrugged. "Well it is getting kind of late. I bet they were getting tired. Or maybe they wanted some alone time."
"Huh?"
"Well aren't they dating?"
"No! They are just friends." Henry stated.
"Oh, I thought we were kind of on a double date at your house that one night. And then tonight they were here together…"
"As friends!" Henry reiterated.
"Okay! I believe you." Shelby raised her hands up in defense. "Listen, speaking of leaving I have to get going too. I got a text awhile ago from my uncle. Something about needing to come home. I hope you don't mind me skipping out, but he's waiting for me outside."
"Oh, that's alright. Let me at least walk you out." Henry started to stand up.
"No, that's okay! Don't worry about it. I'm pretty sure I can find the way. You stay, it's your dance. Have a good time."
"If you're sure."
"Of course I am. I'll talk to you later Henry."
He waved as she left the gym. He was just reminded that he was going to have to call her later and explain to her that he wasn't wanting anything more than friendship from her. He figured she felt the same way but wanted to make sure they were on the same page. That way, he would be able to start a relationship with Charlotte. That is, if she wanted to. Why would she leave after he told her he would be right back. He had left the conversation pretty unfinished, she wouldn't just leave…or would she. Was she scared of what he said? Is that why she left? Had he just ruined not only his chance of dating her but also their friendship?
"Aw man." He chugged his glass of punch that he had left on the table a while ago. "Ugh, warm."
He spent a few minutes sitting at the table, waving and saying hey to the few people in his classes as they walked by, before he decided to get up. He was going to quickly hit the men's room and then just call it a night. He walked out into the hallway and started to unbutton his button down shirt. It was way too hot in that gym.
Just before he pushed the door to the mens room open, he stopped. He listened close and heard someone banging on the door next to the restroom which happened to be a supply closet. "What in the world?" He pulled the closet door open and inside he saw a familiar face. "Jasper?!"
His friend had been tied up with rope and duck tape had been placed over his mouth. Henry quickly rushed forward to help him.
"What on earth happened? Who did this to you?" Henry quickly asked.
"It was Shelby!" Jasper choked on air.
"Huh? I don't understand. I went outside to take a call from Ray and when I came back she said you and Charlotte had gone home."
Jasper thanked his friend as he untied the rope from him. "While you danced with Charlotte, Shelby asked me to give her a tour of the school. Then she tied me up and duck taped my mouth and stuck me in this closet."
"Shelby did this? I know you aren't the strongest buddy, but you really couldn't have fought off a girl?"
"She had help."
"Who?" Henry asked.
"You remember she said she had an uncle, who lived in her basement?"
"Yeah."
"It's Jeff."
"Jeff? As in Jeff?"
"Yes Henry. That Jeff." Jasper got up and rubbed his wrists where the rope had been. "I overheard Shelby and him talking. He's working for Drex."
"Oh god. She's known who I was the whole time. How?" Henry questioned.
"I'm not sure." He shook his head.
"Oh god. Charlotte!" Henry panicked. He took Jasper's phone from his pocket and dialed her number.
"What are you doing?" Jasper asked.
"I'm calling Charlotte. I had to leave our dance to go outside to answer the call from Ray. I told her to stay there and I would be right back, but when I returned to the gym she was gone. I thought she had gone home like Shelby said but now I'm not so sure. So if she answers, she's safe." Henry tapped his foot in his anxiousness.
"Okay but why do you need to call her from my phone?"
"I might have told Charlotte that I had feelings for her during our dance tonight and I don't know how she took it, so I don't want that to influence whether or not she picks up. I need her to think it's you who's calling."
Jasper tilted his head. "You told Charlotte you had feelings for her?"
Henry shrugged. "Well…sort of, kind of…maybe. Yes."
Jasper chuckled. "I knew it."
Henry huffed. "Okay I've called her twice and she's not answering. We have to go. We have to get to the man cave."
"You think they kidnapped her?"
"I never should have left her alone in that gym."
"Henry, we didn't know that Shelby was going to do this. Don't blame yourself." He put his hand on Henry's shoulder. "Come on, let's go to the man cave and talk to Ray. We'll find her Henry."
Dun Dun Dun! Where is Charlotte? And props to Henry for admitting his feelings. You go Henry! Drop a review if you could, please!
