Chapter 17: Charlotte

10 Years Later

Charlotte POV

It's okay. It's okay. It's not like I'm confessing to murder or something like that.

No, it's so much worse.

Ever since I was six years old, I'd lived with my Aunt Bella and Uncle Edward and I'd loved it. My parents, killed protecting the lives of me and my younger sister, Gisele, wanted us to live with the only family we knew, Bella and Edward. So we'd lived with them ever since.

I wasn't complaining—I loved Aunt Bella and Uncle Edward. I just missed my parents. Growing up, I knew they were never going to be there for the important milestones in a girl's life.

Like when I was nine and had my first sleepover party, Aunt Bella helped me plan it and host it instead of Mom. Aunt Bella took me shopping for a new nightgown to impress my friends with instead of Mom. Aunt Bella took me to the grocery store and let me get a three-layer pink cake covered with candy roses instead of Mom.

Or when I was 14 and went on my first date with Glenn Peterman to the movies. Uncle Edward interrogated him instead of Dad. Uncle Edward threatened him with bodily harm if he hurt me, broke my heart, or brought me home after curfew instead of Dad. Uncle Edward was the one who told me I looked beautiful instead of Dad.

Or when I was 15 and came home crying because Liz Cromwell was teasing me because I was flat-chested and thin as a board while all the other girls had boobs and curves. It was Aunt Bella who took me to the mall to go shopping to make me feel better instead of Mom. It was Aunt Bella who reassured me I would get boobs when I was a little older and that I was just maturing slower than the other girls in my grade instead of Mom. It was Aunt Bella who told me she was a skinny, flat girl in the beginning of high school too instead of Mom.

Now, however, at 16, I was coming to a big milestone—my first official boyfriend. I'd gone on dates with boys before, but I'd never had a boyfriend. As of Wednesday, I did. He was the sweetest, kindest, most genuine boy I'd ever known, and I was so happy we were finally dating. We hadn't kissed or anything yet, but I knew he wanted to get the approval of Aunt Bella and Uncle Edward before we got too serious.

I understood.

I stood in my room, pacing. Gisele was stretched out on my bed, reading the latest issue of Vogue while Olivia and Emily sat on the ground, painting each other's nails.

"Be careful," I told them. "I don't want any of that getting on my carpet."

"I know," Olivia said, shaking out her bronze curls. She dipped the brush in the bottle again before painting Emily's nails a shiny blue color.

"Olivia, I said not blue!" Emily complained, pulling her hand back and wiping her nail on a paper towel. "I said clear or light pink!"

"Emily, you're so boring! Why not use a cool color? Something people will actually see!"

"I don't want a bright color on my hands! I want to blend in, not stand out, okay?"

Olivia sighed. "Fine." She picked up a bottle of light pink polish and painted her twin sister's nails.

Emily and Olivia, even though they were identical twin sisters, were completely different. Olivia was very girly, into fashion and extremely outgoing while Emily was shy and preferred to blend in. She didn't care about hair, clothes, or make up. I was shocked she was letting Olivia paint her nails.

"Did you know fur is in this season?" Gisele asked, not looking up from her magazine.

"No it's not," Olivia scoffed. "That's just something Anna Wintour is saying so she doesn't seem like such a hag when she wears it. Even if it is in, which I highly doubt, I would never wear it. Wearing fur is so disgusting. I can't believe people find it fashionable to wear a coat made of baby bunnies." She gagged before moving onto Emily's toes.

"Why are you painting my toes?" Emily asked. "It's not like anybody's going to see them."

"Charlotte, are you going to tell Aunt Bella and Uncle Edward or not?" Gisele asked, looking up from her magazine.

"I will."

"Aren't you going out with him tonight? Shouldn't they know about him before he comes to pick you up?" Olivia asked.

"I guess. Well, he said he wants to meet them before we go out."

Emily laughed. "He already knows them! It's not like he's meeting them for the first time!"

"Well he wanted to meet them as my boyfriend, okay?" I said, giving my sister and my cousins a look. My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey," came my favorite voice. "I'm on my way over. Are your aunt and uncle ready to meet me?"

"Honey, they already know you," I reminded him.

"I know, but they're meeting me as your boyfriend."

I sighed. "Yes, they'll be ready for you when you get here. I'll see you soon."

"Bye."

I hung up the phone and put it back in my pocket. "I guess I better go down and tell Aunt Bella and Uncle Edward about our visitor." I shook out my blonde curls and headed downstairs. Aunt Bella was sitting at the kitchen table, reading a book while Uncle Edward was standing at the counter, chopping up chicken for dinner.

"Hey, sweetie," Uncle Edward said, greeting me. "What's up?"

"Um, Uncle Edward? There's someone coming over tonight who I want you to meet."

"Who's that?" Aunt Bella asked, looking up.

"My boyfriend," I said quietly.

"Boyfriend?" Aunt Bella asked. "I didn't know you had a boyfriend."

"Well, it just happened this week, and he didn't want to take me out before introducing himself first. That's okay, isn't it?" I asked.

"Of course it is," Aunt Bella said just as the doorbell rang. "I'll go get the door. Edward, put the knife down!" she said, glaring at my uncle. I turned around and saw Uncle Edward holding the knife in his hands.

"Aww, man!"

"Now!"

Uncle Edward grumbled as he put the knife on the counter and the two of us headed into the living room.

"Evan! What a nice surprise!" I heard Aunt Bella say. "Why don't you join us in the living room? We were just waiting to meet Charlotte's boyfriend."

"Uh—"

"Well, come on," she said. Evan Newton and Aunt Bella came into the living room and took a seat. Bella sat next to Edward while Evan sat next to me.

"Um, Aunt Bella?" I asked.

"Where is that boyfriend of yours? He really should be on time, you know."

I looked over at Evan and stifled a laugh. "Aunt Bella, he's already here."

"Where? I didn't see him come in."

"He's in this room," Evan said.

"What?" Uncle Edward asked.

"Aunt Bella, Uncle Edward—I'm dating Evan."

"WHAT?" they both shouted at once, rising to their feet and glaring at both of us. I shrunk back into the couch as Evan took my hand.

"Charlotte—I don't—ho could—your parents—" Aunt Bella stuttered, trying to form a cohesive sentence.

"Do you know what your father would say if he found out you were dating the son of an Eagles player?" Uncle Edward said, glaring at Evan.

"He's like your brother!" Aunt Bella shrieked. "You two were raised together!"

"Aunt Bella, Uncle Edward—chill!" I shouted at them. They both looked at me, shocked. I had never once raised my voice to them. "Evan and I have been good friends for a long time, but we've started growing closer recently. I thought you would approve—you know him and know how he'll treat me. I really care about him, so please let me go out with him!"

They both looked from me to Evan. I saw the unhappy looks in their eyes, and I knew at once that they were going to say no.

"Okay," Aunt Bella said.

"What?" I asked.

"What?" Uncle Edward asked.

"I said okay. You can go out with him." She turned to Evan. "But I want her home by nine-o'clock. And no funny business, understand? If you break her heart, I'll have some choice words for your parents."

"I can't believe Emmett's daughter is dating the son of Mike Newton," Uncle Edward groaned. "He must be either rolling over in his grave or laughing at this."

"I'm going to go with rolling over in his grave," Aunt Bella said.

"Thank you so much, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen," Evan said, standing up. "I promise to have her home on time and to keep her safe. You don't have to worry about us."

"Uh huh, that's what they all say," Uncle Edward muttered. I gave him and Aunt Bella a kiss before exiting the house and hopping into Evan's car.

********

Sophomore year went by in a flash. Soon, it was junior year, which meant studying for the SATs and tough classes. Evan and I made it through the summer and were hailed as Beverly Hills High's golden couple. While I was stressing out about SATs, Evan was stressing out about college applications.

He had been recruited to play football at USC, Alabama, and the University of Florida. His dad was trying to push him towards Florida, saying he was likely to be drafted by the Eagles if he went there.

His mom, on the other hand, was pushing him towards Notre Dame or Boston College, the top Catholic universities in the country.

His Uncle Seth and Aunt Cynthia were pushing him towards UC Berkley, their alma mater.

His dream school was Harvard.

"Like I'll even get in," he said one day while we were sitting in the park. "I mean, they only take the best."

"Baby, stop stressing. You have perfect grades and got a 2350 on the SATs. They'd be stupid not to take you." I rolled onto my back on the blanket we were laying on, looking over one of my practice tests. "Besides, it's me you should be worrying about."

The test was removed from my hands and Evan was hovering over me. "Charlotte, how many times do I need to tell you? You'll do great. You've been studying your ass off for the past six months. If you don't get a perfect score, I will write a strongly worded letter to the ETS on your behalf." He bent down and kissed me on the lips.

There were many things in life I enjoyed, but none of them came close to kissing Evan. His lips were always so soft and warm. They made me forget what I was doing and made me want to keep kissing him. Of course, kissing was all we did.

II would have loved to go further with my boyfriend of over a year, but Evan had his rules. Like nothing more than second base. At least not until I was out of high school. He was so concerned with preserving my innocence, or virtue, or whatever you want to call it. Even though we were making out on the grass, I knew Evan would stop us soon. That was his routine: a few minutes of kissing followed by him putting the brakes on and going back to studying.

"Charlotte? Evan?" someone asked. Evan pulled his lips away from mine and we looked to see who was behind us. Bryant, Evan's 16-year-old brother was standing there, smirking at us. "Are you both trying out for the tonsil-hockey team?"

"Beat it, Bryant," Evan growled.

"Good idea. I'll just go home and tell Mom what I caught you doing. I'm sure she'll still be okay with you and Charlotte studying alone in your room."

"Okay, and I'll tell her who really broke Grandma Sue's flower vase."

The smile fell from Bryant's face. "You wouldn't! Maribel was grounded for 3 months for that!"

"Then you'll conveniently forget you saw me here, okay?"

Bryant scowled. "Fine," he said before stalking away.

"Aren't little siblings so sweet?" I said, kissing him on the cheek, trying to get him to resume where we left off. Unsurprisingly, he rolled to the side and starting working on his college applications again. I sighed before slipping back onto my stomach to keep studying for my SATs.

"Evan, are we ever going to do more than just kiss?" I asked him. He turned and looked at me. "I mean, I love kissing you, but you're always treating me like this porcelain doll that will break if you're too rough with me."

"Charlotte, that's not it."

"Then is it the fact that you don't want me? That you'd rather be with someone older and more mature? Someone more like Jamie Broughton?"

"Lola, why would you say that? I love you, and only you. Of course I want you, in every way possible. And we will go further eventually. Just not yet."

I looked into his green eyes. "Okay." I stretched my neck and kissed him on the cheek. "Now, about this college essay…"

********

"Charlotte, you look so beautiful!" Aunt Bella gushed as I walked down the stairs in my prom dress. It was time for Evan's senior prom, and I was obviously his date.

"Are you sure it looks okay?" I asked, spinning in a circle to show off every aspect of the dress.

"Charlotte, stop worrying. You look amazing in everything you wear," Gisele said, looking up from her magazine. "But that dress is seriously hot on you. Evan isn't going to be able to form coherent sentences when he sees you."

I looked down at the gown—a white dress with a clack bodice. I had my hair straightened and pulled into a side bun while I wore drop earrings and the necklace Evan had given me for our one-year anniversary. "But what if he doesn't like it?" I asked.

"Then I'll punch him in the stomach," Emily said, smiling sweetly.

I laughed. "This is why I love you guys." I kissed my sister and my two cousins on the cheek before taking a seat on the couch next to my uncle. "Cheer up, Uncle Edward. Evan's a really great guy."

"I know that," he said. "I just don't know how your dad would feel about you dating the son of his biggest enemy—"

"—who became one of his best friends," Aunt Bella finished. "Emmett would be happy for Charlotte, and you know that, Edward. Now get up so I can get a picture with you and Charlotte before Evan arrives." Uncle Edward stood up and Aunt Bella took our picture. No matter how wealthy my aunt and uncle were, they still acted like every other parent when their kid (or in this case, niece) went to prom.

The doorbell rang. There was lots of squealing and running as Olivia, Gisele, and Emily raced to answer the door. "Hi, Evan," the three of them said in unison.

"Hey girls," he said, walking into our house. I stood by the couch as he was led in by Olivia with Gisele and Emily following him. When he spotted me, he stopped dead.

"Is it okay?" I asked, spinning around. He didn't say anything. "It's not right for the prom?" I said, my face falling. "I can go and change if you want…"

"No, it's perfect," he choked out. "You look perfect," he said, walking up to me and taking my hand. "Oh, I got you this," he said, pulling out a pretty red corsage and slipping it onto my wrist. I gave him a kiss and heard the camera click.

"Aunt Bella!"

"Sorry!" she said, grinning at me. "I just don't want to miss a single moment of this. I mean, it's not every day your eldest niece goes to prom!"

I rolled my eyes as she began taking pictures. Once we had been photographed with everyone and their third cousin, we were finally able to leave. Evan had rented a limo for the two of us, so we climbed inside and headed towards prom.

"So, did I do okay?" he asked as the driver sped down the road. "Is it perfect?"

"It is," I said, kissing him on the lips.

"Well, I have a surprise for later," he whispered in my ear.

"Really?" I asked. "What is it?"

"Well, it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you!" he said, taking my hand in his. The rest of the way, I kept my head on his shoulder while he wrapped his arms around my waist.

When we arrived at the hotel, Evan helped me out of the car and the two of us headed into the prom. We made it to the table with all of Evan's friends and took a seat. Every single guy at the table was staring at me in awe.

"Uh, hey," I said to all of them.

"Hey, Charlotte," Evan's best friend, Ajay, said, smiling at me.

"Can you tell me how this loser snagged the hottest chick at BHHS?" his other friend, Max, asked, pointing to Evan. I blushed a deep shade of red. Evan responded by grabbing my face and pulling me in for a kiss.

I spent most of dinner eating and talking to Ajay's girlfriend, Emma, who was also a junior, and ignoring the glances I was getting from every other male in the room. Eventually, the music started and Evan pulled me onto the dance floor. We began spinning around in circles. When the slow songs came on, Evan would pull me onto his face and hold me close. I would always rest my head on his chest and listen to his heart beat.

"I love you," I said during 1, 2, 3, 4 by the Plain White T's.

"I know that," he said.

"It's just, you're going away to college on the other side of the country, and I'm never going to see you anymore," I said, wiping away the tears in my eyes.

"Charlotte…"

"No, listen to me. You're going to go to Harvard where you're going to meet a really smart girl. You're going to forget all about me and get married to her."

"Charlotte, that's not going to happen. When are you going to realize that I love you and only you?"

I looked up at him and saw him smiling at me. "I need some air," I said, letting go of him and heading outside. Luckily, there was only one other person out there, so I was able to think. Evan was going away. I knew this was coming eventually, but I wasn't ready for it to be so soon. I loved him more than anything, and I was terrified he was going to meet some girl at Harvard and forget all about me.

"Are you okay?" someone asked me. I turned and saw Luke Kenby, a senior I had gone on a date with once before I started going out with Evan, sitting next to me.

"Oh, hey Luke," I said. "I'm okay."

"You're crying," he observed, wiping away one of my tears. "Did Evan do something to you? If he did, I'll kill him…"

"Luke, he didn't do anything. I'm just upset since he's going to be leaving soon for college. I'm not ready to be alone."

"You're not going to be alone. You'll still have all your friends. And you'll see Evan during breaks. Maybe you can even go visit him on your breaks."

I smiled. "You're right. Thanks, Luke," I said, getting up. "You're a great friend."

"You know, you look amazing tonight. Why is it we never had more than one date?"

"Because I was in love with Evan. I dated you to make him see I was datable."

"Oh, yeah. Here, let me walk you inside."

"Thanks, Luke" I said, taking his arm. When we approached the door, I tripped over something. Luckily, Luck was there to catch me. He lifted me up, but instead of bringing me inside, he carried me over to the bushes on the side of the hotel and threw me on the ground. Then, he began kissing me. "Luke, what are you doing?" I asked, trying to push him off.

"Of, come on, Charlotte. We both know you want me. It's the perfect time—no Evan here to stop us." He bent his head back down and began trailing kisses down my neck, moving to my chest.

"Luke, stop!" I screamed. "I want to go back inside—take me inside!"

"No," he snarled, grabbing the top of my dress and ripping it at the seam so my pretty strapless bra was exposed. "I've always wanted you, and I know you've wanted me. Why don't you show me how much you love me."

"Luke, no! Stop, get off me!" I shouted, trying to push him off, but it was no use. He was bigger and stronger than me. "Help!" I screamed. "Somebody help me!"

"Shut up," he said, shoving his hand over my mouth to muffle my screams. He moved his free hand to his pants and unzipped them, pulling himself out. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a condom, shoving it into my hand. "Put it on me," he said, grinning.

I shook my head as tears fell down my cheeks.

"That wasn't a request, Charlotte. Put it on unless you want me to hurt you."

My hands shaking, I ripped the package open and pulled out the rubber circle. I reached my hands up and began to roll it on him, crying the entire time. I knew he was about to rape me, and I there was nothing I was able to do to stop it.

"Excellent," he moaned as my small hands slid up his shaft, sliding the condom on. Once I had let go, he looked down at me in my tattered dress. "Kiss it," he said, pointing to his dick.

I shook my head again.

"Do it!" he shouted, pulling me off the ground so my mouth was right next to his hard shaft. I shook my head again, and he hit me on the side of my head. "Do it now!" Tears falling down my face, I slowly moved my moth forward and lightly kissed his penis. When I was pulling away, he grabbed my hair and shoved himself inside my mouth, rocking back and forth. I tried to pull away, but he was holding me there so I couldn't move.

I started gagging and crying, but there was nothing I could do to stop it. I tried screaming, but every time I opened my mouth wider, he shoved himself farther inside.

"Go on, suck it," he moaned. "Suck it like a lollipop, Charlotte. Go on, I know you want to."

I started gagging again and sat still, waiting for Luke to finish. When he finally pulled himself out of my mouth, I started screaming until he forced me back on the ground and covered my mouth. He ripped the skirt of my dress until my thong was exposed. He moved his mouth down and started pulling my thong off me with his teeth.

His mouth brushed against my leg, and I shivered. This didn't feel nice like when Evan kissed me—it felt wrong and I felt dirty. I just kept sobbing as Luke pulled my thong further and further down my leg until I was completely exposed. He lifted my legs over my head and I prepared for him to penetrate me.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, you bastard?" someone shouted, yanking Luke off me. I looked up and saw Evan holding Luke by the collar of his jacket, looking at him with pure hate. He dropped him on the ground before he began punching him. Once Luke had been beaten to a bloody pulp, Evan leaned next to his head. "If I ever see you even look at her again, I will kill you. Now get lost." Luke jumped off the ground and sprinted away, his dick still hanging out of his pants.

Evan turned his gaze on me. I was lying on the ground with my panties round my ankles and my dress ripped to shreds.

"Baby, are you okay?" he asked, kneeling beside me.

"Oh, Evan!" I said, sitting up and wrapping my arms around his neck. "I thought he was going to rape me for sure," I sobbed into his jacket. "I thought no one was ever going to hear me. I thought I was just going to have to lie here."

"Shh," Evan said kissing me on the top of my head and pulling me into his arms. He lifted me off the ground and carried me over to the limo. He placed me in the backseat then climbed in after me. "Peter, can you drive us back to Charlotte's house?" he asked.

"Of course, sir," the driver said, pulling out of the parking lot.

"But what about your prom?" I asked him. "Don't you want to stay?"

"Sweetie, you were just attacked. There's nothing I care about more than you, okay? You need to go home, and honestly, I only brought you to my prom because I knew you wanted to go. I could have cared less." He kissed me on the cheek.

"You really did that for me? Wow, you must really love me."

"More than anything else."

I looked up at him and took a deep breath. "Okay, we're going to try long distance. I don't like it, but I don't want to lose you. Anyways, you can come over breaks and I'll come to visit you while you're in Boston. Then next year I'll go to school in Boston. We'll make this work."

"Wow, you must really love me," he said.

"Of course I do," I said, kissing him on the tip of his nose. "Why else would I put up with you?"

He wrapped his arms around me and held my close while Peter drove me home. Sitting there, I knew we would be okay next year. Even though he was going away, we would make it. Evan and I were meant for each other. I had known that since I was six years old and he had protected me from the man who had brought us to the island. I had realized I loved him when I was eight years old and he had given me the last ice cream fudge bar when I was over his house, even though he really wanted it. I realized how much I loved him when I was 15 and saw him kissing Fiona Taylor during school. I realized I was going to marry him when I was 17 and he saved me from being raped by Luke.

Evan Howard Newton was the boy I would someday marry.