“Whatcha got there?” he asked as he began unclasping his own lunch box and began to carefully arrange his food before him. 

Jade couldn’t even answer. Why, of all people, would Davey Marchand want to sit with him? There were so many little boys and girls who eagerly scooted aside for Davey to sit beside them but he was sitting next to boring little Jade instead! He was everything Jade wished he was. Davey was a handsome little boy who was well-mannered, intelligent, creative, well-dressed, friendly, and just had a natural charm about him that drew people around him. Jade was, well, not handsome, shy, quiet, and practically non-descript (in his opinion, at least).  Yet, here was Davey, sitting beside him as if he had been since always.  Davey leaned closer to see what sandwich had clutched in his hands.

“Peanut butter? Lucky! I got egg salad today! Yuck!” he groaned with a wrinkle of his nose.  Jade only silent nodded, unsure what he was supposed to say. “Sorry?”

Davey laughed and shook his head. “It’s not your fault that I have egg salad. What are you sorry for?”

Jade only shrugged, wondering if Davey was going to trick him to doing something stupid. He couldn’t imagine any other reason why this boy would want with him. 

“Tell you what; I’ll give you my brownie if you give me the other half of your peanut butter sandwich.” 

The brownie looked and smelled just the way a brownie should. It was a rich, chocolaty brown with the biggest chunks of chocolate embedded in it. It had been so long since Jade had any kind of nice dessert like that.  Davey continued speaking,

“My mom said it’s rude to give things you don’t like to other people so I’m gonna give you my brownie. Besides, we have lots more at home so you can have this one.” he announced.

From that day forward, because of a peanut butter sandwich and a brownie, Davey and Jade became inseparable. Davey often invited Jade to his house for all sorts of activities. Jade came over so many times, that Davey’s parents fondly called Jade their “other son”.  As much as Jade loved Davey as a brother, there were times that he was secretly envious of all that Davey had. Davey lived in a very nice, tasteful house in a good neighborhood. Not only that, Davey’s family was very close and did all sorts of things together.   Jade lived close to a rough neighborhood and a shabby apartment with his mother. He didn’t remember his father (who died when Jade was still an infant) and his mother was often working more often than not. Still, she did her best to care for him and loved him unconditionally. She always bought him books from the library where she worked and read to him nightly.   As the years went by, Davey and Jade still remained best and closest of friends while their personalities couldn’t be any more different. In high school, they met a young man named Adam Carson. The three boys did everything together, going to the movies, paintballing, eating out, or anything else they could think of to do in their small town.  However, his fourth and most impactful influence came in the form of a Mr. James Olson.  Mr. Olson was an older gentleman who had no children of his own. Thereby, he viewed each and every one of his students as his child for twenty-five years. He wanted to teach more than just philosophy and the mind, he wanted to teach his students the value of life and humanity. Mr. Olson wanted all his students to be happy with whatever they chose to do and wanted to be like a father to his students.  On the first day of class of his senior year, Jade caught Mr. Olson’s attention with a very astounding observation, making him unique and special in his eyes.

“Before we get into a philosophic discussion (which I know you’re all so excited to partake in), I would like to ask you what perception is?” Mr. James asked after introductions and rules were explained.  The students in the room all looked at each other blankly. They were going to start discussing material…today? It was only the first day of class! No teacher ever taught anything on the first day!

“Um…isn’t it, like, what you…I dunno…think?” asked a loud athlete sitting all the way in the back row.

Mr. Olson’s eyes lit up. “Why yes, in a brief sentence, that is exactly what it is! But I’m looking for something a little deeper. What else can anyone tell me?” “Anyone?”

Much as Mr. Olson loved to teach and loved having new students, this part always frustrated him when the students stared blankly at him. He didn’t mind at all in the slightest if they guessed incorrectly. The fact of the matter was that they cared enough to try!  His eyes searched the room and a small pit of disappointment began to grow in his stomach. None of his students appeared to be remotely interested in the topic at hand!  He saw a tall, thin, boy sitting directly in the middle and decided he would just call on him.

“You sir, what is your name?” he pointed enthusiastically at Jade.

“M-my name?”

“Well, yes my dear boy. Your name! What would I call you then if not by your name?”

“It’s Jade..Puget.” he finished lamely.

“Ah, Mr. Puget, perhaps you can inform us what you know about perception.”

Jade glanced about the room nervously. He had to answer in front of all these people? Taking a deep breath, he said. “Our perceptions are in the forms of awareness to the world and are resultant from our cognitive thinking and stimuli.”

Mr. Olson stared at Jade for more than a few seconds, completely speechless. Never, in all his years of teaching, did someone hit the nail on the head that way, perfectly segueing into his lecture.  This boy had spoken so softly and timidly but what a genius mind he must have!

“Yes…yes that’s absolutely right…my boy, how did you know that?” he asked breathlessly.

Jade looked slightly flushed and embarrassed by the silence of his classmates. “I read it, sir. “

Mr. Olson gave a faint nod and continued with his lecture but kept replaying Jade’s answer in his head. He would have to speak to him after class. It was almost as though Mr. Olson had discovered a new species of “teenager” and was eager and desperate to learn everything he could about it.  When class and the school day was over, Mr. Olson called out to him as he was busily organizing his satchel.

“A word with you if you please, Mr. Puget?”

Jade nervously asked the teacher what he wanted to speak to him about. He swelled with pride when his teacher, whom he began to respect immensely after one class period, praised him so richly. He was even more excited when Mr. Olson had loaned him two or three more philosophy books to read in his spare time. “When you have finished, you may bring them back to me and tell me what you have thought.”

Mr. Olson had quickly become Jade’s favorite teacher in just a matter of days. He would quickly read the books he was loaned and discuss them thoroughly with Mr. Olson after school one day or during lunch. It gave him pride that a teacher as smart and competent as Mr. Olson valued and sought out his opinion so much. While all of his teachers were kind to him and seemed to like him just fine, Mr. Olson seemed to be a much more genuine person about the whole thing. What Jade liked best though was Mr. Olson talked to him about more than just a philosophy book. He seemed to genuinely care about the boy and his future, helped him apply to university and scholarships, wrote him glowing letters of recommendation, and even taught Jade a few new hobbies such as photography.  Jade even sometimes thought of him as the father he never had.

          One day, Jade Puget did the most unheard thing he could have ever done. He didn’t come to school one day. Mr. Olson was a bit alarmed and surprised at Jade’s absence but decided to chalk it up to illness and or exhaustion. Days went by and Jade was still not in school. Almost two weeks passed and Mr. Olson couldn’t understand for the life of him where Jade had gone. He knew that Jade was good friends with the Marchand boy, another bright student of his, so he thought to ask him about his friends disappearance. 

“Mr. Marchand, may I speak to you about something? I will write you a pass so you will not be late to your next class.”  Interesting, he thought. The boy’s face blanched a little. Does he know something, I wonder?

“I just need to know, Davey, if you know where Mr. Puget has been for the last few days? I understand that the two of you are very good friends and surely you know where he is and what is the cause of his absence.”

“No sir, I don’t.” Davey said quickly, eyes shifting towards the door.

“I am getting a very strong feeling that you do, indeed, know where Jade is and I would like you to tell me.” He pressed.

“I really don’t know. I’m sure he’s just very exhausted from all his studying.” Davey let out a nervous chuckle. 

Mr. Olson stared at Davey for a few minutes. Not only was the boy lying through his teeth, but he was covering for Jade in some fashion or something terrible had happened and he was too afraid to tell.

“I will ask you this only once more. If you do not tell me where Mr. Puget is, you and I will be going to the Principal’s office and we will have a little talk about your upcoming graduation. After all, suspension in the last two months of school results directly in not walking with the class.”

Davey looked even more terrified but still, he kept his resolve. “Jade is fine, sir. I do not know where he is or when he will be back.”

Mr. Olson pounded his hand on his desk. “Damn it, boy! Tell me where he is or so help me, you will be expelled from this school!”

Davey looked positively ashamed of himself and bent his head low and eyes downcast to the ground. “I made a promise, Mr. Olson. Jade is my dearest and best friend. I could never break my word to him. No matter how much I want to...I swore to him I’d never tell.”

Mr. Olson sighed, “My boy, you are wonderful friend to this boy and a very noble human being to value your friendship with Jade so highly and your honor. However, if he is doing something he shouldn’t be, I need you to tell me. It would be worse if you didn’t.”

“He’s going to drop out of school, Mr. Olson. His mother, she’s very sick and has been hospitalized. Their insurance can only cover so much and well, it isn’t enough. Jade told me that he has a job at the bookstore and he uses his money to help pay the bills of the apartment, for the groceries, and everything else they need. I have begged him to stay in school and that my family would be more than willing to help but he told me that this is what he has to do and he can’t keep relying on me to help him through everything. He said the only way I could help him was to not say anything. I’ve let him down now…I broke my word to him!”

After Mr. Olson consoled a distraught and panicked Davey, he managed to reassure him that he would not let his divulging of Jade’s secret affect their friendship. “I’ll tell him the truth and I will say to him that I threatened you with expulsion.” He got Jade’s home address from Davey and before he left Davey asked him almost tearfully, “Sir, please help them. Do what I couldn’t do.”

          Mr. Olson was slightly shocked when he came to Jade’s apartment. He had no idea that the boy was living in these sorts of conditions! Like I did, he thought to himself.  He knocked firmly on the door but no answer came. This time he knocked again with much more force. Jade opened it and his eyes nearly fell out of his head.

“Mr…Mr. Olson? Wha-what are you doing here? How do you know I live here?”

“Son, we have to talk. Mind if I come in?”

It suddenly dawned on Jade. “Oh my God…he…Davey told you, didn’t he? He…that damned liar! He promised he would never tell!!! I…I thought he was my friend! How could he!” he nearly shouted.

Mr. Olson held up his hand, “Calm down, Mr. Puget. If you let me in, I will explain everything to you. This is very important.”

Jade almost said no and nearly slammed the door on his face but Mr. Olson was a big man and something told him that if he even tried to shut the door on him, he would simply shove it back open and come in anyway. Jade stood aside meanly, almost wanting to run out, find Davey, and beat him senseless! That little bastard! He’s supposed to be my goddamned best friend!  Mr. Olson shut the door behind him and followed Jade to the small living room. The apartment was in complete disarray. He didn’t mean to look around but he saw that Jade looked highly embarrassed and upset.

“I…uh…didn’t have time to pick up…I didn’t think…”

“It’s alright, it’s completely understandable. Before you think Mr. Marchand is a complete and absolute traitor, I must tell you that I forced him to tell me. He lied to me about you several times before I threatened him with expulsion and even then he wasn’t willing to tell me.  You have quite a friend there, Mr. Puget. He is very worried about you, as I am. Would you care to tell me what is going on?”

Jade immediately felt guilty that he wanted to beat up Davey or that he was mad at him to begin with. Poor Davey almost got expelled over him just because he didn’t want to break his promise. Not only that, if he were in Davey’s position, it would be easy to be intimidated by Mr. Olson.  Jade couldn’t even look at Mr. Olson, he would never understand what he was doing. He told Mr. Olson everything that had been happening in the last few months, things he had never told anyone before, not even his best friends. His mother’s library had to be closed down and she was out of a job, she tried looking everywhere but it seemed she was never what people were looking for. Mrs. Puget just couldn’t settle for a part time job like Jade had as she had a son to feed and eventually put through university. Everywhere she went, rejection came too. Suddenly, she became ill and then had to be hospitalized. Jade was completely and utterly devastated. In the hospital, while holding his mother’s hand, he promised himself that he would fix all of this without anyone’s help. They couldn’t afford to fall in debt to anyone, especially when they were struggling to cover the preexisting ones. He asked his employer to give him a full time job and he would use his wages to pay for what he could.  Mr. Olson’s heart broke for the boy. Only eighteen years old and carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Eighteen year old boys weren’t supposed to worry about making ends  meet, they were supposed to be worrying about college, their studies, meeting friends or tentative relationships.

“You really think dropping out is going to make your problems disappear?” he asked quietly.

Jade still kept staring at his knees, “If I don’t work, then who will? We don’t have anything else.”

“I thought the same thing, when it was my father in that hospital bed.  I’m not so different from you, Mr. Puget. I dealt with the same things you did and my mother never went to college or had a degree. There was no need for a woman to do that during her day. She had five children to raise and a sick, crippled husband to care for. She couldn’t just go out and get a job like that. I proposed to quit school and become a mechanic. It was my English teacher, actually, who stopped me from making the worst mistake of my life though. The same mistake that I refuse to let you make.”

“How did you…what did your teacher do?”

“The same thing I will do for you, my friend.  He told me that if I stayed in school and graduated on time, he would help pay for the expenses of my house. Of course, I ardently refused him but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. So I stayed in school, I went to college and got my degrees and my family did just fine without me. My mother found work while my father came home from the hospital. You only have to let someone come in and help you. I live alone, Jade. I don’t have a wife or children to provide for so I make more than enough for a single man. If I help you through this, you must make the same promise I made. Stay in school and go to university. You will get plenty of scholarships based on your academic performance. I will explain to your other teachers discreetly about your situation to let them give you time to get back on track.  Does that sound like a fair deal?”

For the first time in many years, Jade began to cry. Shortly after Mr. Olson left his apartment, Jade went and found Davey. Before Davey could apologize, Jade hugged him tightly and thanked him profusely for helping him.  Mr. Olson then gave Jade and his mother five hundred dollars a month while Jade studied his complete and absolute hardest.

 Graduation then came and Jade was chosen as his class valedictorian.  He, Davey, and Adam made their way to University of Berkeley where they met their latest addition to their group of friends, Hunter Burgan. Jade graduated from University with honors and then received a Masters in Philosophy and Education.  At age 28, he had just landed a teaching job at a new high school with Davey and Hunter also becoming his fellow colleagues. Davey became an English teacher while Hunter taught Chemistry. Adam was once a math teacher but worked his way to becoming the principal at the same high school. Jade was living comfortably in his small, yet tasteful house and sent money back to his mother monthly. He simply knew that he was going to love being a teacher and all the things that came with it, but little did he know that it almost cost him his life.  

Charlotte woke up slowly, smiling softly when she glanced over at her clock. It felt absolutely luxurious to wake up on her own accord and to not have some ugly alarm clock screaming at her to get up.  Her husband was sound asleep beside her, his arm draped over her waist. She smiled as she looked over at him. He looked so handsome when he slept. Then again, he was just a handsome man in general. Gently, she eased his arm off of her so she could get off of bed. After washing up in the bathroom and getting dressed, she headed downstairs to fix breakfast.  She knew he would wake up to the sounds of her cooking (what with all the cluttering of pots and pans).  Poor man was absolutely exhausted from his work, he had returned just last night, looking dead on his feet but thrilled to see her again.  He deserved a little pampering now that he was home.  As she was washing out one of the pots she was going to use, she could hear her husband’s footsteps coming down the steps. Charlotte pretended to not even notice, knowing full well what he was trying to make as little noise as possible.  A little smile crept up upon her lips when she felt his arms enclose around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder.

“You knew I was coming, didn’t you?” he said, turning his head so he could kiss her cheek.

“Of course I did. You’re not as light-footed as you think.” she teased.  Charlotte heard him give a huff of mock indignation. 

“What? Me? Noisy?! That’s impossible!” he said indignantly, the laughter creeping into his voice.

“Oh, excuse me, I’m sorry I said that the quietest man in the universe was noisy.” she said with a giggle. 

“As you should be!” he grinned, spinning her around so she could face him.

Charlotte smiled up into Davey’s smiling face. His eyes were always laughing and cheerful, except on the days he was leaving her for weeks and sometimes months on end. She knew this and had accepted this as a fact of life. Of course she would miss him terribly, but it only made her value whatever time they spent together more. Charlotte loved him far too much to have left him for France. Just as he had walked out of the airport, two year ago, Charlotte came running out after him. She didn’t even make it anywhere near the baggage check. The Symphony would perform without her and last she heard, it was doing just fine without her. Now, she was a voice teacher in a nearby university and couldn’t have asked for a better job.  Honestly, she couldn’t have even asked for a better life.   Here she was, standing in her kitchen with her beautiful husband making her love him more every time she saw him.  He brought out the best in her as she brought out the best in him and they couldn’t have been happier.

“Hello?” he asked somewhat nervously.

“Hey, Davey! It’s me.  Listen, are you really busy right now?” asked a very excited sounding Charlotte.

“Um..not really. What’s going on?” What could she be so excited about? He hoped she didn’t suddenly meet some guy and she wanted to tell him about it.

“I have something really important to tell you guys. Can you meet me at Maple’s in half an hour? The rest of the boys will be there since this is pretty important.”

Davey agreed and put down the phone. After spending close to ten minutes deciding what to wear, spending another fifteen minutes getting ready, he was out the door. As he drove on, he tried to come up with several different ideas as to why Charlotte was getting the band together to tell them something. She sounded very happy, so what could it be?  Davey stepped inside the coffee shop and found Jade, Hunter, and Adam all waiting for him. Charlotte was not there yet.

“So, do you guys know anything about this?” asked Davey as he pulled out a chair.

Nobody knew anything but before they could think anymore of it, Charlotte entered and made her way to their table. He felt butterflies in the pit of his stomach as she drew nearer. The happiness and excitement was making her face glow and her eyes sparkle brilliantly. If only I could make her do that, Davey thought as he forced a weak smile at her when she sat down.

“You’re probably wondering why I called all of you out here, so I’ll get to the point.” She could hardly contain her excitement.

“I wasn’t!” said Hunter cheekily.

Charlotte giggled and said, “I bet you weren’t. Anyway, I got a call from my old maestro from Paris. Apparently, there has been a huge demand that the symphony hall needs to be reopened. However, in order for them to do that, the symphony hall won’t reopen without its former orchestra members. I haven’t made a formal acceptance since I wanted to let you know this first but, I really, really would love to go back to France. “

The four men stared blankly at her. Davey’s fingers turned white on the table from holding it so tightly. What? She wanted to go back to France? She was going to quite the band?!  Before he could speak, Jade spoke up.

“Wait so…are you quitting the band then? I mean, I know that you weren’t as crazy about touring like the rest of us but was it so bad that you want out? Completely?”

Charlotte sighed, “That’s not it at all Jade. I loved being in this band and everything but I really loved what I used to do before. Touring wore me out and I like the stability of just staying in one place. I don’t want to completely abandon my work with you guys. I thought I could still write music and prerecord keys for you guys, should you still want me to.”

The rest of the band just looked at each other, unsure of what to do. No one could force Charlotte into staying with them and if she was going to be happy doing another project, then maybe that’s where she was better off. Besides, she was still offering to write music for them and help them. 

“Well, Charlotte, we’re all going to miss you like crazy. You’ve been an awesome keyboardist and a fantastic band member.  We certainly hope you still want to write music with us as we would really appreciate it. Congratulations on getting your old job back,” smiled Jade.

Charlotte thanked them all profusely and got up to hug them all. Davey felt terrible. How could she do this? What was she thinking? Charlotte couldn’t leave! He could understand her not wanting to be in the band but she couldn’t leave the damn country. When would he ever see her again?

“Davey?” Charlotte’s voice cut into his thoughts.  He forced himself to look at her.She looked so happy and excited. How could he take that away from her?

“Congratulations.” He feigned a smile and held his arms out to hug her. What could he do? Was there any way that he could convince her to stay?

“So when do you leave?” he asked nonchalantly, avoiding her gaze.

“A month and a half from now.” she answered.

A month and a half, he thought. Davey quietly promised himself that he would do whatever he could to change her mind but without her knowing it.

          Time was not in Davey’s favor. Much to his annoyance, he had quite a few things he needed to do himself and whenever he had time on his hands, Charlotte was busy. There were only a few days left until Charlotte was going to leave for good. A part of Davey had resigned himself to it. She didn’t know how he felt and it was way too late to say anything now. Besides, he always thought that a little part of her was still mad at him for what he did when they were in high school. He tried to think of why he did that, so he could really and truly apologize but what excuse did he have? None really. Just a selfish teenaged attitude and exceptionally bad judgment on his part was all he could think of.  Then again, maybe if Charlotte knew and that he really was sorry, she would come to see that she should be with him.  Sighing, he dragged himself up to his room to go to bed. Obviously, he was going to look and feel like garbage when he would “wake” up in the morning.  As he closed his eyes, attempting sleep, his phone began to ring.

“Hello?”

“Hi…it’s me…are you sleeping?” her voice instantly had him sitting upright and wide-eyed.

“No, no, I was awake…what are you doing?”

Charlotte sighed, “Just finished packing…there wasn’t a whole lot to begin with so it got done in less than an hour.”

“Oh.” That was all he could say. What else could he do, jump and down for joy that the woman he loved was leaving?

“Listen…can I ask you something?” she asked quietly. Charlotte’s voice sounded somewhat strange to him, but unreadable.

“Um...sure?”

She paused for a moment before speaking, “How do you really feel about me leaving?” She said this so seriously, almost as if Davey were in trouble with her.  He couldn’t answer right away. Davey remained silent, unsure what to say and felt like he was going to be sick.  Should he tell her the truth? What would it matter, she was leaving him anyway.

Charlotte continued to speak, “I saw the way you looked when I told everyone what I was going to do…you weren’t happy. You said you were but I know you better than that. Tell me what is going on.” 

He still said nothing. Charlotte’s voice prompted him again, “You have to answer me. I’m not going to be satisfied with silence.”

“Of course I wasn’t happy…you’re my best friend and I don’t know when I’ll ever see you again. This is what you want to do and this is what will make you happy, how can I possibly stop you?” he said in a weak, almost broken voice.

The quiet on both ends was stifling, it was almost unbearable that Davey just wanted to hang up. His hands began to tremble intensely.  Charlotte listened some more, waiting to hear something more but Davey wasn’t speaking. She felt so disappointed. She didn’t know why but she felt that there should have been some other explanation. This wasn’t enough.

“Is that all...it can’t just be that.” She said barely above a whisper.

Davey swallowed hard. Tell her, his conscience kept saying. She deserves to know. You need to know. With great reluctance he answered, “Yes. That’s all.”

“I see.”

The silence returned to drown them both in discomfort and unhappiness.

“Ok then…sorry to have bothered you.” Charlotte muttered dejectedly.

“You didn’t bother me…really.” Davey answered quickly.  Charlotte didn’t sound convinced. She sounded more upset for whatever reason.  Charlotte barely said goodbye as she hung up.  She began to cry afterward. She couldn’t say what she was crying for but she just felt so sad and disappointed that he had nothing else to say.

          Charlotte was due to leave at noon the next day. She felt so restless and agitated, there was nothing to do in her empty apartment. All her belongings had been packed away, all her last commitments had been completed and now, all there was left to do was to just wait for tomorrow.  Her little piano was going to shipped out a few weeks after she got to France but for the mean time, it was just sitting against its wall forlornly.  She honestly didn’t feel like playing anything at the moment, although her piano always calmed her nerves.  God, it was only 8 in the evening! Charlotte was far too keyed-up to go sleep but what was there to do? Before she could think about that anymore, she heard knocking on her door. Confusedly, she went to answer it. Much to her utter shock and surprise, Davey stood in the doorway with a bag of some sort in his hand.

“Hi…thought I’d stop over and bring you something to eat. Also, I just wanted to hang out with you before you…you know.” He faltered as he lifted the bag to indicate the food.  He nearly came undone when Charlotte gave him her signature brilliant smile.

“Thanks! I was thinking about going over next door to pick something up. It’s like you read my mind! Is there enough for both of us to eat?” she asked as she took the bag from him.

“Uh…I don’t think so. There is only one box, don’t worry about me though.”

“Then we’ll have to share. I’m afraid we’re going to have to eat out of the box and on the floor as you can see my stuff is gone now.”

“Really, I’m ok. I brought it for you.” Davey protested. Charlotte only frowned at him.

“Come on, I want you to eat with me. You know how I...”

“Hate eating by alone when anyone else is around and not eating.” Davey finished with a smile.  Charlotte used to refuse to touch her food until she saw that somebody else was eating too.

They sat on the floor, cross-legged, and opened the box of vegan Thai food. Charlotte’s eyes lit up with happiness. “Oh, you genius man! This is exactly what I wanted to eat. I haven’t had Thai in forever!”

“Makes two of us. I could smell it as I was out and then I thought I’d bring some over to you.”

“Well, aren’t you sweet?”

“I try.”

As they ate, they mostly made small talk but talked of nothing of great consequence. When their meal was over, Davey couldn’t help but feel a pit of defeat in his stomach. He didn’t have anything to stay for now and he might as well just head home. How he didn’t want to though. Davey wanted to try and sway Charlotte from leaving. Maybe, she might just stay because he asked her to. No…Charlotte wouldn’t just do that. He couldn’t tell her anyway because it would get in the way of her happiness. 

“So, it’s back off to France…but this time I’m sad instead of what I was like 16 years ago.” Davey mumbled to himself.

“What did I do? To make you say what you said to me?” Charlotte asked sadly, but barely above a whisper.

“You didn’t do anything. I was just stupid. I had no excuse. I never had a reason to do that to you. I had one of the best things I could ever ask for and I couldn’t be grateful for it. I regret it every day now.”

Neither one said anything. Davey and Charlotte couldn’t even look at each other. Suddenly, Charlotte began to sob. She pressed her hand to her mouth to stop herself but it was just a useless gesture.  Davey paled considerably and awkwardly pulled her into a hug. Charlotte just cried into his shoulder as Davey held her tighter.

“ I loved you so much…it broke my heart when you told me all of that. “

“Charlotte, I’m sorry. I don’t have an excuse or a reason. Please, I’m so sorry.” He choked out as he patted her back slowly.  

Charlotte only cried more as Davey held her closely. Eventually, her crying subsided and she only lay still. Slowly, she sat up properly and said hoarsely.

“I have something for you. I wanted to give it to years ago. As a parting gift of sorts. I think I can let you have it now.”  She got up slowly and went into the other room. Presently, she returned with a yellowed envelope that seemed old.  There had been writing on the top but it had faded away from the years.  Charlotte opened it and pulled out the paper from inside and set it on the music stand of her piano. She sat down on the bench and patted the seat next to her for Davey to sit. He made his way over hesitantly and looked at her questioningly as he sat. Charlotte said nothing but she began to play. There were no lyrics to this song but it didn’t need any. It was one of the most beautiful things that Davey had ever heard in his life. The melody was so tragic and melancholic but it had something else in it that moved him beyond anything else.  He hardly even noticed when the song was over. 

“Charlotte…you wrote this?”

She could only nod her head. Tears were coursing down her face again.

“What is it called?”

She smiled weakly as the tears continued to fall. “It’s called ‘David’.”

Davey’s own eyes had become wet with tears. “Charlotte…you can’t go.”

Charlotte drew back in surprise. “Davey, it’s too late for that. I have to go. I..”

He shook his head firmly, “No, you don’t. You don’t have to go. I don’t want to you to go. I can’t keep quiet about this anymore. I wanted to tell you when you first told us but I couldn’t do it. You just can’t leave.”

“Davey, what is here for me? A lousy apartment? A city that I just want to get away from? A band that I never really felt a part of, despite everyone’s good intentions? There is nothing for me here!”

“Look, you don’t have to live in this apartment. You don’t have to be in LA. You also don’t need to be in the band if it just wasn’t for you, but for God’s sake, don’t go!”

Charlotte was getting visibly more and more upset. “I thought you were happy for me! I thought you were going to let me do what I wanted and that you wouldn’t stand in my way!”

He looked at her sadly, “How can I be happy for you when it means that I lose you?”

The silence between them was deafening. Davey slid closer to her, his face inches away from hers. “You can’t go…because I need you here. I need you because I love you.”

Charlotte could only stare at him. She shook her head furiously and backed away a little. “No. No, don’t say that. You’re lying…”

“No, I’m not. I’m being completely honest with you.”

“You can’t love me! No one can! You…” before Charlotte could finish her sentence, he had gently laid his lips to hers.  It was not a demanding or urgent kiss, it was almost sad and hopeful all at once.  When they slowly broke apart, Davey rested his forehead against hers and murmured loud enough for only Charlotte to hear.

“I can love you and I already do.”

Charlotte kissed his face softly, just as he had with her lips.  She stood up slowly and held out her hand, looking him straight in the eyes.  Wordlessly, he slipped his hand in hers and he followed her into her bedroom, closing the door silently behind them.

          “I never stopped.” Charlotte said softly as she leaned her head against Davey’s heart. 

“Never stopped what?” he asked, pushing the stray stands of hair out her face.

“Loving you. I guess I never did get over you, like I thought I did. Sometimes, I would wonder what you were doing, if you were happy, what you did for a living.”

“You don’t have to wonder anymore. If you stay with me, you’ll never have to wonder. “

Charlotte only could look up at him. “Davey…I can’t stay here. Even if I wanted to, I can’t. I made a commitment to these people. It’s too late now.”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It broke his heart into a thousand pieces. Yet, he sadly knew in the back of his mind that she would still leave. No matter what he did or said.

“I know.” he choked out.  But I tried…and it was all for nothing, he thought.

          “So this is it then.” Charlotte said, not meeting Davey’s eyes as they stood in the airport the following day.  Davey couldn’t say anything.

“Please, Davey. Don’t do this. You’re making this so hard for me.”  She begged. He only shook his head and looked away, unsure of how he felt at the moment. He wasn’t sure if he was angry, sad, or confused. More so, he didn’t even know who to direct it to.

“Goodbye…” she murmured, not even trying to stop the tears.  Before she could even turn, Davey suddenly pulled her to him and kissed her hard. 

“Don’t forget me…please don’t forget me.” He muttered as he backed away from her, finally letting Charlotte go forever.  And that was all there was to be for them. A broken parting.

“Hey, I’m sorry, did I keep you waiting long?” she asked, pulling out the chair across from him.

“Hey. No, you got here right on time. I was just a little early, that’s all.

Davey nervously cleared his throat, giving her a small smile. Why was he feeling shy around her? Its only Charlotte, he thought.  There is nothing to get all worked up over.  He watched her order her coffee, paying attention to the way she tucked her hair behind her, listening attentively to the waiter, and the way she smiled her thanks to him. 

“Sir?” the waiter asked, interrupting his stream of thought.

“Oh, sorry.  Vanilla Chai Latte with Soy, please.” he ordered quickly.

They were left in an awkward silence again, something that had been happening quite frequently as of late. Charlotte was staring at her saucer, nervously running her hand through her hair. Davey finally broke their silence.

“I didn’t take you away from a rehearsal, did I ?”

“Hmm? No, of course not. I have to be there at 4 this afternoon, though.”

They were quiet again, neither of them sure what to say. Where had this awkwardness stemmed from? Things hadn’t been the same since Adam’s wedding, causing some strange sort of distance between them. They both noted it, but neither wanted to speak of it, not wanting to know what was the reasoning behind their silent, awkwardness.

“So…Jade and I are going to play San Francisco for Blaqk Audio first.”  

“Yeah, he told me. When is it?”

“Next Monday, at six.”

Charlotte nodded, about to say something until the waiter returned with their drinks. Davey sipped his first but saw Charlotte was not even looking at hers. He raised an eyebrow questioningly and then suddenly smiled.

“You still do that, huh?”

“Do what?”

“Drink your coffee cold. You hate hot drinks, your drink has to be lukewarm at most or you won’t drink it.”

She smiled sheepishly and nodded. “That’s never changed. I’ve always been that way. I don’t understand how you can start drinking something hot right away.”

“I’m freezing right now. I need to get warmed up.”

They spent the next few minutes making random small talk, as if they were total strangers.  Their conversations would instantly fizzle out and a lapse of silence would follow until one of them would uncomfortably say something to break the even more uncomfortable silence.

“Isn’t odd? We were never like this before.” Charlotte murmured after they sat quietly for a few moments.

“Like what?” Davey asked, knowing full well to what Charlotte was talking about.

“Awkward! There was a time when we were able to talk about everything and nothing but now…”she trailed off.

“Now we can’t.” Davey lamely concluded.

“Why? What happened?” Charlotte asked quietly, sounding sad and even a little hurt.

He paused, unsure of what to say. Maybe because you’re not Charlie anymore. Maybe because I don’t want to say anything to disappoint or upset you. Maybe because I don’t know how you feel about me, Davey thought.

Neither one had anything to say to fill the void this time. Charlotte absolutely hated this feeling. This was a worse feeling compared to hating Davey as she did almost a year ago. She wasn’t even sure what this was. 

“I’ll see you later then.” She said, pulling out her money to pay for her coffee that she never drank.

Wait, she was leaving? Why?  “Wait, why?” Davey asked confusedly.

“Look, Dave. What did you even want to talk to me about? So far this whole time here has been so uncomfortable for both of us. I should just go now.”

“No, not yet. Please, you haven’t even drunk your coffee.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll pay for it.”

“That’s not what this is about. You just got here less than 20 minutes ago.”

“And? What’s the point if you don’t want to talk?”

“Did you ever finish the “masterpiece”?” he blurted out.

Charlotte stopped fumbling for her change and looked up at him, unsure what he just asked.

“What?”

“The painting. You were painting this picture about 15 years ago. What was it anyway? You never told me, even though I kept begging you to tell.”

How could Davey remember the painting? It was a project that Charlotte was working on when she first met Davey. She had been sporadic about the painting, leaving it alone for months at a time.

“You remember the painting? Oh gosh, it’s been so long. But I know exactly what you’re talking about. It was a portrait of my parents, for their wedding anniversary. I didn’t tell you because I thought you would spoil the surprise for them. I’m amazed that you remember that.”

“You’d be surprised how much I can recollect.”

“Like what.”

“That oranges are your favorite fruit, you love rainstorms, you wanted to marry Beethoven, you hated cheerleaders and jocks, you wanted to live in a big house with a sunroom and a library in it.”Davey recounted. “Those are only a few, though. Oh and my favorite, you thought all old men were pedophiles.”

A smile of surprise lit up Charlotte’s face. “That’s right! My goodness, you remembered all of that and then some?”

The next hour and a half was nothing at all like the initial twenty minutes. They were talking easily with each other of things past and present. All awkwardness had evaporated and was replaced with a familiar and comfortable atmosphere. Charlotte consulted her watch and frowned.

“Sorry, Dave. I have to go to the symphony hall in half an hour. “

He felt that sinking feeling of disappointment again. Just when he and Charlotte were actually making decent conversation…

“So, I’ll see you next Monday, yeah?” she asked as she tied her scarf on.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Oh! I almost forgot! Here you are.”

Charlotte pulled out a little envelope from her purse and laid it by Davey’s saucer. They said their goodbyes again and Charlotte left, the bell chiming behind her. Davey opened the envelope and saw his ticket to her show inside.  Smiling to himself, he began to come up with an idea.

          Charlotte scanned the audience, looking for anyone that she knew. She knew that Jade and Hunter couldn’t make this performance but came to an earlier showing the day before. Adam and Jennifer were going to see next week’s performance. But where was Davey? She had given him his ticket for today and he said nothing about needing to exchange it for a later date. She made sure that he had a ticket for the front row so she could see him but he was not here yet. It’s ok, she told herself. He’ll come soon. Maybe he is running a little late. Dave will walk in any moment now.  The conductor stepped onto the stage and took his place on his stand.  Charlotte prepared her sheet music and positioned her hands over the keys, but still made one last glance through the auditorium, searching but did not find who she was looking for. He has to come, Charlotte thought worriedly. Davey said he wouldn’t miss this. Where is he?  The conductor tapped his baton on his music stand and raised it high in the air. She forced herself to pay attention and began to play.

          Davey quietly watched from the far left of the stage. He was going to watch from backstage and surprise Charlotte after the show. After arranging to have a backstage pass with the organizers, Davey slipped in the back after all the performers had filed onto the stage.  From where he was standing, he could see Charlotte’s profile in clear view. She looked so contented yet focused on her task at hand. He could tell that she had missed this kind of performing and was only happy to have this opportunity again.  And to think that nobody wants to hear this kind of music, he thought in amazement as the orchestra played on.  The conductor took the microphone that was standing a few feet away from him and announced that the Symphony had a special musical guest with them this evening. He introduced Charlotte and much to Charlotte’s surprise, the applause was greater than what she had thought it would be. Charlotte felt so hurt and sad that Davey had not come. The concert was going to be over after she sang and he missed all of it. How could he do this to her? Davey promised he would come, told her that he was looking forward to it and now this. I guess his ability to hurt you never changed, Charlotte thought sadly as she tried to smile at her audience. The swell of the music behind her began and she stood up a little straighter, firmly thinking to herself to forget Davey and just sing. 

          He had never heard anything so beautiful in his life. Every word that came out of her mouth was perfect. Davey couldn’t understand any of it but it moved him beyond anything else. Charlotte was beautiful too, with her hair loose and dressed in a simple black dress. Then he knew. He loved her more than anything in the world. He would do anything to make her happy, make her love him in return. He loved everything about her; her smile, the way she rolled her eyes and huffed when she was impatient, the way she ran her hand through her hair when she was nervous, her laugh, the way she sighed quietly when she was sleepy. He had been waiting for years to meet someone like Charlotte. Davey had never even come close. The final notes ended quietly and the applause was deafening. Charlotte did a slight curtsey, trying her best to smile as roses were being tossed onto the stage and people were cheering loudly. He never came, she thought. He lied to me.  The orchestra gathered their things and began filing backstage. Charlotte lingered a few moments, still foolishly holding onto the possibility that Davey had come and was all the way in the back, not coming to claim his seat because he was late or whatever reason. You should have seen this coming, she told herself. Davey doesn’t care about you, he never has.  But she thought he did! She could have sworn that Davey was a much better person than what she last remembered him as.  Dejectedly, she made her way back stage.  She nearly strode right past Davey without even looking at him until she felt a tap on her shoulder.

“Congratulations on such a fantastic show! And you said I wouldn’t like it.” Davey said with a grin.

Charlotte’s jaw practically dropped. What was Davey doing here?

“You came?” she asked, her voice barely audible. Her expression was overcome with surprise.

“Of course I came! What, did you think I wouldn’t?”

“I didn’t see you…I kept looking for you…” she said more to herself than to him.

“I called the organizers and asked if I could get a backstage pass. I wanted to be the first to congratulate you on such a wonderful show. Oh and this is for you.”

Davey handed her a bouquet of red and cream colored roses. She took them wordlessly, still surprised and shocked. Charlotte looked up at him, her eyes wet and glistening with tears.

“I can’t even tell you…how much this means to me.”

“You’re welcome.” Davey said with a little smile.

Charlotte threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Davey slowly hugged her back, gently shushing her as he felt her tremble. Davey was absolutely thrilled at the reaction he had elicited from Charlotte.  They stood like this for a few minutes until she finally pulled back slowly. Her face was tracked with tears and her mascara had run a little.

“Thank you. Truly, this meant everything to me.” She whispered.

Davey wiped away the tears with his thumbs and smiled gently at her. 

“I was honored to come. Thank you for inviting me. Come on, go get your coat and I’ll get you something to eat. “

          The drive back from the restaurant was silent. Davey snuck a few glances toward her ever so often, wondering what she was thinking. Did it really matter so much to her that he came? Was it possible that she had feelings for him as well? How he wanted to ask, put his worried thoughts to rest, but the words refused to come together in his mouth. They soon pulled up to Charlotte’s apartment and Davey turned off the ignition. Davey and Charlotte just sat in the car, not looking at each other.
“Thank you, Davey for everything.” She murmured.

“Of course, Charlotte. I was only happy to.” 

“Goodnight.” She whispered and unlocked her side of the car.

What are you doing, he thought. Go walk her up! Davey quickly let himself out and opened Charlotte’s door for her.  As they walked up to Charlotte’s apartment, Davey’s heart was pounding heavily. Would she invite him in? Did she suspect how he felt about her? They reached her front door and Davey stared down at his feet. Charlotte coughed quietly and pulled out her keys.  Just as she put her key in the lock, Davey said quietly,

“I should probably be heading home myself.”

Charlotte looked up and felt a huge wave of disappointment. She was just about to invite him in too.

“Are you sure you have to go now? Do you want to come in at least for a little while?” she asked hopefully.

He sighed and smiled ruefully at her. If he went in, anything could happen. Davey especially didn’t want to ruin anything or act on something that possibly wasn’t there.   “I would love to, but it’s getting pretty late. Maybe some other time.” He hated himself for saying that, but it was probably better this way.

“Goodnight, Charlotte.”  

He walked down the stairs, wishing he had just said yes. Why did he have to lose his nerve?  As he reached his car, Charlotte called out to him.

“Davey, wait!”

As he turned to face her, she hugged him once again and kissed his cheek.

“Goodnight.” She said softly.

She turned around and left, leaving a very besotted Davey behind standing alone.

“I teach kindergarten! It’s such a fun, fun job!” she gushed.

“Oh really? How nice” he murmured, trying to sound interested.

 If she were to gush with happiness once again, he was sure she would explode. While Davey didn’t mind happy people in the slightest, this woman was beginning to frighten him.  Sarah, his date, had been mentioned to him by their mutual friends. Seeing that it had been some time since Davey was last in a relationship, he decided to meet this lady.  Now, he was regretting it.

“Well, don’t you?” she piped up, breaking his stream of thought.

Davey shook his head as he broke out of his reverie. “I’m sorry, what did you ask me?”

“Don’t you just love coffee shops? They are just so charming!”

“Oh yes…very much.”

He slumped back in the hard, wooden seat. He grew tired of all the incessant chatter from this woman. Davey didn’t want to talk about the charm of coffee shops or whatever else she was going on about. A part of him berated himself for leading this poor woman on into thinking he was interested. She was a perfectly nice girl, but just entirely wrong for him. 

“What’s wrong? You’re awfully quiet.” she asked.

He shook his head, smiling slightly. “I’m sorry, but today is just an odd day…I’m not feeling so well right now.”

“Awwww….well, let’s go out and turn that frown upside down!”

What? Turn that frown upside down? What was he, one of her five year old students?  Davey groaned inwardly…there was no way he was going to last with a kindergarten teacher…especially one that didn’t seem to leave her teaching attitude behind.

          Charlotte gave an awkward smile to the shy and incredibly nervous man across from her. Poor thing, she thought. He looks like he is going to die if I ask him another question. Since the moment he picked her up, her date Brian would nervously look around, become terribly startled when she would ask him a question, and would not make eye contact with her.  When Charlotte smiled at him, his face turned beet-red and he gave a little squeak of alarm.

“So….what do you do?” she asked politely.

“Um…I…umm…I’m…d-d-data pro-c-c-essor” he stumbled out. 

Oh man! A data processor? What a fun guy he was turning out to be! Charlotte smiled again, trying to encourage the shaky man to relax but it only caused him to drop his water glass in shock. She sighed to herself…hating the fact she was so desperate for a date with Mr. Excitement himself.   The rest of the evening progressed onward like this. Not once did he ask her anything about herself or even attempt at initiating conversation. Thinking it would be best to put him out of his misery, Charlotte told Brian that she was ready to go home. As soon as the words left her mouth, a huge look of relief swept his face.  He eagerly dropped her to her apartment, zooming off into the night. Charlotte heaved a sigh and trudged up the stairs. 

          Flipping on the lights to her apartment, she felt a wave of sleepiness overtake her.  Before she went to her room, her phone began buzzing wildly in her purse. She cocked her head as she pulled it out? Who would be phoning her at this time?  Upon looking at the caller I.D, she smiled and answered.

“Aren’t you supposed to be on a date?”

“No…I got out of it early....I couldn’t stand that woman anymore” Davey groaned.

“Why? She seemed so nice!” Charlotte exclaimed.

Davey snorted derisively, “Yeah a little too nice. I swear, she was so saccharine…I thought I was going to be a diabetic just listening to her!”

“Ouch…was that all?”

“Oh, and I refuse to be spoken to like a kindergartener too! I already did that stint years ago and once was enough!”

Charlotte frowned, “I don’t follow…”

He sighed impatiently, “She’s a kindergarten teacher! Sarah was talking to me like I was little kid! When I realized I was out of gum, I asked her if she had a piece. You know what she has in her purse? Suckers! I’m not kidding!”

“Sounds better than I dealt with”

“Oh yeah, how was …um..is it Brian?”

“Yeah.”

“And?”

“Nervous. As. Hell. Wouldn’t say a word to me and if I asked him a question, he got so bent out of shape that he’d spill water on himself, stutter, turn red.  He was in such a hurry to get me off his hands.”

“Ha! Well wouldn’t anyone?”

“Shut up!”

“Just kidding…what does he do?”

“You’ll never believe it, but it fits him perfectly.”

“I take it he probably doesn’t work with the ladies.”

“Guess. Come on, you won’t get it in a billion years.”

“Accountant?”

“Nope”

“Scientist?”

“Wrong again.”

“Well, what is he?”

Charlotte was silent for a few seconds before dramatically answering, “A data processor.”

Davey made a hissing sound of pain. “Oh-ho! OUCH! Oh man oh man! You poor thing! And you’re still alive.”

“I know. I’m surprised too.”

Davey and Charlotte spent the next few hours talking about their dates and laughing over them among other things. Upon hanging up, their evenings suddenly felt a little better.

The sound of glasses clinking together coupled with laughter and overall mirth created a nice, quiet wedding atmosphere. Adam and his new wife were animatedly chatting with their respective in-laws, practically glowing with pride and joy for their special day. Several guests were mingling with each other, admiring the bride and her wedding gown. Some couples were dancing slowly, barefoot, on the grassy lawn. The majority of wedding guests had gone home but a decent amount of relatives and friends remained, still in full reception mode.  Charlotte had taken off her painful, constricting shoes and watched the couples on the lawn dancing. The damp grass felt heavenly against her aching feet. What on earth possessed her to buy those heels anyway? As she watched the couples dance, she couldn’t help but feel slightly envious. How lucky all these men and women were; to have someone to dance with or to share cute, silly little couple jokes with. They were so fortunate to have someone to be in love with. Here she was, alone, as usual. Sighing, she sipped her iced tea, still watching the couples, and not even noticing someone coming to sit beside her.

“Don’t you look excited.” said Jennifer, Adam’s bride, as she sat down.

Charlotte quickly looked up and profusely apologized, complimenting Kayleigh on the wedding. Jennifer smiled.

“Nah…it’s ok. I’m just glad that today it’s finally over. Don’t get me wrong, I was and still am excited about my wedding but I’m beat. And don’t worry, it’s a total bum-out to go to a wedding by yourself.” She said kindly

Charlotte and Jennifer sat in silence for a few minutes until Jennifer spoke up, “You know, Davey didn’t come with anyone either and he, like you, is by himself.”

Charlotte scanned the tables and chairs and saw Davey in a very similar position. He was staring off into space, with his chin resting in his hand as he stared off towards the lawn.  Before Charlotte could speak, Jennifer grabbed her hand and led her to Davey. She tried to protest but Jennifer seemed to have become temporarily deaf. She tapped Davey on the shoulder and said firmly,

“Dance with her. She’s just as bored as you.” With that said, she left them utterly surprised.  They just stared after Jennifer until she came back and nearly pushed them to the lawn. “I mean it!” she said laughingly, but tried to look serious.  This time she left and didn’t look back to check on them.  Charlotte and Davey stared at each other awkwardly, then staring at their feet.

“So um…do you even…want to dance?” she asked timidly

“Do you?”

“Only if you’re ok with it…I guess we could.”

Davey nervously cleared his throat and held his hand out to her. Charlotte took it shyly and they danced silently, feeling awkward and uncomfortable.  This is stupid, Charlotte thought. We’re only friends and we’re acting like we’re 7^th grade crushes! 

“I like this song.” She said, trying to make conversation.

“Yeah, it’s nice…I mean for a wedding and all. Adam told me that Jennifer is a huge fan of Coldplay.”  Davey answered as Chris Martin’s voice soothed away their initial nervous feelings.

“You mean, more than she likes us?” Charlotte asked with a little smile.

Davey chuckled, “She better not! What kind of loyalty is that?”

Davey accidently stepped on Charlotte’s foot, causing her to gasp in pain.

“Oh man! I’m so sorry!” Davey apologized, feeling mortified that he stepped on her.

“Wait, where are your shoes?” he asked puzzedly.

“I took them off, they were killing me. Don’t worry, it was only an accident.”

“Wait, hang on.” Davey bent down and slipped off his own dress shoes.

“There. Problem solved.”

They danced in silence again, occasionally saying a few words to each other. Davey couldn’t help but notice how pretty Charlotte was looking tonight.  She had pulled back her dark hair partially, leaving the ends curled loosely. Charlotte was wearing a dark blue one shoulder dress that made her look very elegant.  He also couldn’t help but inwardly thrill when he would make her giggle or laugh at something he said. 

“Oh! I forgot to tell you something.” Charlotte said, her voice cutting into his thoughts.  “I got an offer from LA Chamber Orchestra to perform a few shows with them. Apparently they had heard of my work from before and want me to do special guest performances.”

“Charlotte that’s great! When do you start?” Davey wanted to know, feeling very happy for her.

“I believe my first show is December 14^th…three weeks from now.”

“That’s really, really fantastic Charlotte. Think you could score me a ticket?”

Charlotte looked surprised at first and then somewhat hesistant, “I could but are you sure you want one? You might be very bored and might not enjoy it.”

Davey rolled his eyes. “What, so you don’t want me to come? I see how it is.”

“No! No! It would be really nice if you did but you don’t have to if you don’t really want to.”

“Of course I want to come! Why else would I ask you for a ticket?”

“Maybe you were trying to be nice?”

“And if I was, is it so wrong?”

“No.” she said almost in a whisper.

“Look, Charlotte. I do, honestly and sincerely, want to see you perform. If you don’t want me to come, that’s an entirely different matter.” Davey said gently.

“Why?” she asked, looking him square in the eye.

For a moment, he was at a loss for words. Why did he want to? His face grew warm all of a sudden. Maybe if he went he would make her happy, make her eyes light up and sparkle, or make her smile her beautiful smile at only him.

“I just do.” Davey said softly.

Before either one of them could say anything else, someone called out that Adam and Jennifer were leaving.  Davey and Charlotte stood rooted at the spot.

“We should go and say goodbye.” Charlotte said quietly, looking at her feet.

Davey sighed, “Yeah, we should.”

Charlotte walked away first, her cheeks flushed pink and it wasn’t from the slight cold.  Davey followed, feeling slightly disappointed, for whatever reason.  As they waved their goodbyes to the bride and groom, Davey quietly watched Charlotte from the corner of his eye. What did she think of him? Did she feel as happy after talking with him as he was with her? Was she afraid of him?  After the limousine pulled away, Davey slinked away, leaving unnoticed by all except one. Charlotte watched him walk away, wishing he wasn’t and that they were still dancing quietly together on the lawn. 

“Having fun up there?”

Grinning, he flipped over the paper and wrote back.

“Having the time of my life…ain’t nothing better to smell mothballs and getting elbowed over and over again.”

He tossed the paper behind his seat and waited for a response. It came back on a bigger piece of paper.

“Well, if it’s of any comfort to you…a little kid is kicking my seat a lot. You’re lucky I don’t have RLS to make your flight so much more enjoyable.”

“I’d have to break your legs if you did…I might just break this dude’s arm next to me.”

“Why! David Marchand you would really do such a thing? Didn’t your mother teach that it’s not nice to talk to ladies that way?”

“Whoever said you were a “lady”?”

“….Asshole….”

“Case in point…what kind of lady talks that way?”

“An angry one…one that might just kick your seat to get even with you.”

The next hour or so passed between Davey and Charlotte tossing notes back and forth to each other until Charlotte told him she wanted to sleep.  Before she did, she handed a book over to him with an additional note.

“Knock yourself out son…you might want to and hang in there!”

Davey spent the rest of the flight reading the book and then sleeping fitfully. Fortunately for him, he awoke from a very odd dream when the pilot made the announcement they would land in Charles De Gaulle in ten minutes time. Thank God..he thought as he winced when the boy elbowed him again, grunting an apology. 

          The Parisian streets were buzzing with activity. It seemed that everyone walked with purpose (save for the tourists trying to take everything in) and had almost a business-like air.  The band had a day before their show to relax and explore. Charlotte was looking positively at home (well…why not?) and was enjoying a cappuccino and observing the people.  Suddenly, she let a squeal and leapt up out of her seat. 

“Thierry!”

The man whom she screamed to dropped his jaw and laughed aloud, throwing his arms open and hugged Charlotte tightly.  The rest of the band looked up in great surprise. They couldn’t understand what just happened or a word being said as the two spoke in rapid fire French excitedly. Jade leaned over next to Davey and whispered.

“Old boyfriend?”

“I guess so…she seems happy though.”

A little too happy, he thought. Davey didn’t like the look of this “Thierry” very much. Too perfect looking, in his opinion. Thierry was taller than Davey and bigger. His teeth were too white and too straight. His eyes were too blue and his hair was too black and too well-combed. Something about him screamed “IDIOT” in Davey’s eyes.  Charlotte eagerly grabbed his arm and led him over to the rest of the band.

“You guys, this is my old friend Thierry Devereaux. He was a violinist with me when I was in the conservatory!”

Devereaux? God..what a stupid name! Davey thought. It sounds pompous and probably made up.  Davey gave him a half smile and a half-hearted handshake when he was introduced.  He didn’t like this man, for whatever reason.  Come on Davey, don’t be like this. You hardly know him and he could be a perfectly nice guy. Why are you acting so weird about him? He’s only Charlotte’s friend.  Thierry said something to Charlotte in French and she looked a little too excited. 

“Guys, Thierry and I are going to go grab some lunch. I’ll come back to the hotel around 5 or so ok? I’ll see you later.” Grabbing her bag, she and Thierry were off and chatting animatedly.  Davey stared after them, hoping it would be the last he would hear or see this fool. He turned to Jade.

“Is it just me…or did you think that guy was totally fake?”

Jade grinned, “His teeth are kinda biggish, but he seems pretty nice.”

“Seems fake as hell…I don’t know what was going on with Charlotte! She was acting like a giddy little school girl!”

Jade cackled wickedly, “Somebody’s jealous! What, Dave? Feeling threatened?”

Davey shot him a look. “Threatened? What for? It’s not like I have a thing for her! It’s just that it’s really unsettling to see her acting this way.”

Jade rolled his eyes and grinned. “Yeah sure…so when’s the wedding? Ouch! What the hell did you do that for?!”

Davey glowered at him, “To get you to stop acting like a moron. Honestly, if you knew Charlotte like I did, you would think this was creepy too!”

Jade said no more on the subject, but kept giving Davey maddening looks but promptly stopped when Davey kicked him again and gave him the death look. Back at the hotel, Davey texting his brother when Charlotte walked back in with a goofy grin on her face. Davey inwardly groaned.

“I see you haven’t been spirited away…where’d you guys go and eat?” he asked nonchalantly.

“Oh, just this old café where he and I would go and eat after rehearsals…fond memories and all.”

Davey only grunted in response.  His head jerked up when he heard Charlotte say,
“I  put him on the guest list for tomorrow’s show, it’s cool right?”

“Uhh…sure. I mean, did you talk to Smith?”

“No….I didn’t think I had to. I thought you guys invited people all the time and never had to deal with Smith…”she said slowly.

Damn! He thought angrily…she caught me. “Oh well, I guess it’s alright then.”

“Good! I can’t wait for tomorrow then!” she said brightly, heading into the bathroom.

Davey rubbed his face and groaned. It wasn’t that he was jealous at all it was only that this man seemed like a complete fool with no substance. Charlotte could do better than that!

          The Paris show went off quite well, lots of excited and enthused fans as usual. What unnerved Davey was every time he turned around to give Adam or Charlotte the cue, he saw Charlotte looking to her left (offstage) and flashing a smile. He wanted to walk over there and punch this idiot Thierry for distracting Charlotte too much. Why on earth did she have to invite him to the show?  Huffing to himself, he forced himself to perform and pretend that Mr. Fakereaux wasn’t backstage.  When the show was over, Davey wanted to puke a little when Thierry lifted Charlotte into a hug and spun her around a little.  Oh God…if that isn’t a guy wanting to get laid…I don’t know what is!  Much to Davey’s annoyance, the idiot had to come up and talk to him in his perfectly French accented English.

“You are a wonderful singer, David. I see why you’re band is so…how you say…successful? Yes, that’s the word. Successful!” he smiled brightly.

Davey’s face nearly dropped. Did he just have the nerve to call him David? This was too much! Only his mother or cousins called him David! Certainly not some fake, pompous Frenchman who he didn’t like was entitled to do so! Davey cleared his throat curtly and responded with a hint of sarcasm.

“It’s Davey…and thank you kindly.”  With that, he turned on his heel and walked away. 

Thierry turned to Charlotte and spoke to her in French again.

“Is he always like this?”

“Like what?”

“Ummm…curt?”

“No, I don’t know what’s the problem. He’s been this way since yesterday.”

“I don’t think he likes me…perhaps he is jealous?”

Charlotte scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Oh God no, not him. Trust me, he would certainly not be jealous of you. He has no reason to be. Davey doesn’t like me that way at all.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure.”

“Tell him you’re going to dinner with me and see what happens.”

Sighing and rolling her eyes, Charlotte went over to Davey and announced this very non-emotively. Davey’s eyes flicked up to Thierry and gave a half nod and shrug, muttering for her to have a good time.

“See! I told you he is jealous!” Thierry smirked when Charlotte returned.  She smacked his shoulder and told him to stop being so foolish.

          It was close to 3:00 in the morning when Charlotte returned back to the hotel room. Amazingly, Davey was still awake. 

“Oh....so you’ve returned.” He said indifferently. 

“So I have…” she said slowly, trying to detect the jealousy that Thierry kept insisting was there.

“Where’d you guys go?”

“Oh…just to his apartment for a quick dinner…”

“His apartment, huh?” His apartment??? God, that man was totally desperate! He must have known every restaurant would have been closed by the time the show ended! That sonuva…

“You know Davey, he thinks you don’t like him very much.”

“Pfffft! What makes him get that idea? I didn’t do anything!”

“Well…you were less than friendly to him when he complimented the show.”

“That was because he called me David! Nobody damn calls me that except my mom or my cousins!”

Charlotte began to giggle. “So if I called you David…what would you do.”

“I’d ignore you since I would know that you were trying to annoy me on purpose.”

“Awwww! Spoil all my fun!”

“Sorry dear.”

“So you’re not jealous, like he is suggesting?”

Davey pulled a disgusted face and rolled his eyes. “Why would I be jealous? What’s to be envious about?”

Charlotte pretended to not care about what he said. “Yeah really…that’s what I kept telling him but he kept insisting. I thought it was him who was jealous since he kept asking about you…after all, we dated a while back.”

Davey nearly dropped his water bottle on his foot. “Oh you did?”

“Yeah…why, does it surprise you?”

Oh boy…she was staring straight at him. He was going to have to come up with a good one really quickly.  “That just means that I lost a bet to Jade…he kept saying you guys were a former couple and I said friends…so now I have to pay him.” He lied quickly.

“You guys seriously bet over that?”

“Sad, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, no kidding! Guys are damn crazy.” She muttered as she headed over to the bathroom.

A part of Charlotte felt slightly disappointed. It would have been kind of nice if Davey was jealous over her but they were only friends of course, completely unlikely. Deciding to forget about that, she chose to just get ready for bed and put it from her mind.  Davey sat on his bed rubbing his eyes and temples. Jesus…they dated? That just made everything worse! Now she would probably be phoning him up at every chance she got. Oh Dave….what’s going on, man? You said you weren’t jealous, so what’s all this? Alright, he conceded to himself, you’re a little jealous but you’ll get over it. You’re just lonely that’s all.  Shaking his head and yawning, he decided to call it a night, slightly thankful that they would be leaving France early next morning so he wouldn’t have to see “Thierry” again.

          A few days later, Charlotte was painting her nails on the bus but was having trouble with her right hand. She always hated painting her right…the nails never looked right. Unfortunately for her, she was completely right-handed so even attempting to dabble a bit of polish on her right hand nails was an accident waiting to happen.  Honestly, she could have gotten a manicure in London, but she thought it was far too overpriced and pointless when she could do it herself for free.  Damn it! She screwed up her thumbnail. Sighing, she pulled out a cotton swab to wipe it clean. As she was cleaning her thumb, Davey stepped back on the bus after talking to a journalist.

“Having troubles?” he smirked, putting his bag down on his bed.

“Thank you, Captain Obvious…that wasn’t apparent to me.” She answered without looking up.

Davey chuckled, “Ow! Harsher than usual, huh?”

“Warranted though.”

“Touché”, Need help?”

“Please?”

Davey took a seat across from her and took the bottle of polish from her and told her to steady her hand.  He looked very concentrated and deep in thought. Charlotte giggled a little at his expression.

“What?” he asked looking up.

“You look like you’re reading a very difficult book instead of painting nails.”

“Sorry…I just want to do a good job.” He grinned sheepishly.

They were silent for a few moments again until Davey spoke up.

“So, tell me, why did you and Thierry break up? Err..are you guys still together?” he asked somewhat nervously.

“We were just different people…I mean, we were better off as friends rather than being a couple. He said that I seemed too far away for him. “

“Oh.”

“Why do you ask?” she asked quietly.

“Just wondering.” he mumbled, forcing himself to concentrate again. She had pretty hands…where did that come from? Knock it off Dave, he mentally berated himself.

“Davey, were you…were you jealous of Thierry?”

Davey sighed, he couldn’t really lie about it. Something told him that she would catch him if he did. “Well…a little.” He relented.

“Oh, Davey! Why?” she wanted to know.

“I don’t know…I just was for some reason. Look, Charlotte, I’m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable or anything. Really, I don’t want to cause problems.”

“No, no. It’s fine…but really, what were you jealous of?”

“I just didn’t understand why a guy like him could make you so…I don’t know…excited and giddy. Not really used to seeing you like that.”

“Did it offend you?”

“No! It didn’t offend me. It was just kind of strange. Well, your nails are done.” He said quickly, getting up and heading toward the exit of the bus.

“Thanks…for doing my nails..” she said somewhat lamely. Davey only gave her a tight-lipped smile and left.  Charlotte sighed, wondering why people, men in particular, were so unfailingly complicated.

My oh my....what have we here? Hope you all like it and you know what to do please. Thanks so much for all of you who have been faithfully reading and also to those of you who have just joined in. I wouldn't be doing this had it not been for any of you. Thanks!

“You alright? I heard you weren’t well this morning…”

“You heard? How so?”

Davey looked a little sheepish and sighed, “Well…uh…I heard you throwing up but I didn’t want to say anything to embarrass you and well, you know, give you your space…I remembered that you said you hated it when people fussed over you when you were sick so I didn’t want to get in your way.”

It still never surprised her how Davey seemed to remember all these little things she had told him years ago. He must have an excellent memory.  Charlotte said nothing, unsure of what to say. She could tell him she was fine but something told her that he would be able to see right through that.

“It was just nerves…I’m sure I’ll be fine soon.”

Davey looked at her oddly but nodded anyway.

“You sure you don’t want anything? Have some water but drink it in slow sips, it’s really good if you have nerves.”  Patting her shoulder, he got up to go and talk to a journalist for the pre-show interview.   Charlotte really should have listened to Davey, but opted for just doing her breathing exercises and felt a little calmer.  When Smith announced for them to head backstage, everyone began picking up their equipment and did other quick, last minute things before walking out. Jade was positively glowing and fell in step beside Charlotte.

“Isn’t this exciting? I swear this is what I live for! It can get kinda tiresome but I miss performing when I’m not doing it. You’re going to be great, the kids will love you!”

Charlotte smiled weakly and tried to return the sentiment but she honestly was feeling somewhat dizzy again.  She shook her head a little to clear it off, but the dizziness seemed to linger. It’s just nerves, Charlotte, you’ll be fine after the first song. Just think, you’re in Le Conservatoire again, you were born for the stage, it’s the best thing you’ve ever done. Memories of previous performances came back to Charlotte as she walked in the corridor. Hundreds of people had come to see her and L’Orchestre. People threw roses upon the stage and called for an encore each time.  Charlotte felt a bit calmer after the little trip down memory lane but was broken out of her reverie when she hear the guitar tech loudly tuning Jade’s guitar right next to her.  Davey was stretching his legs and arms, shaking them as well to get ready for a very active performance as were Jade and Hunter. Charlotte did her finger exercises, seeing that she was going to be sitting on a lower riser next to Adam.  The curtain parted and she and Adam went out first, followed by Hunter, Jade and then Davey. Charlotte nearly took a step back when she heard the screams and shouts that erupted when Davey stepped out onto the stage. He was obviously well-loved. It was as if he were their beloved hero who had graced them with his presence. How funny that this was the same Davey who had trembled violently on his first performance when he sang in choir and was now looking more confident and somewhat powerful when he took the stage.  Glancing at the setlist lying next to her feet, Charlotte poised her fingers and got ready to play. Davey turned in their direction and nodded his head slightly. Then it began.

          Why? Why of all places did they have to put her directly under the lights? It got so unbearably hot under there and there were times she just wanted to grab a water bottle and douse herself with it. On top of that, she was still feeling dizzy and felt that everything around her seemed a little too blurry. The first three songs went off very well, better than she had expected. Not only that, she was very warmly received by the audience and they seemed to be very happy with her performance so far. Midway through the fourth song, her vision began to blur again. Why were there two Daveys on the stage?  Jade seemed to be moving impossibly faster than usual.  She shook her head to clear her head but it didn’t help in the slightest.  In fact, her head felt heavier and lighter and her neck couldn’t support the weight. Everything seemed to lighten and darken at the same time. It was so very hot. In seconds, everything went black.

          A loud thud reverberated on the stage as Charlotte lay in a crumbled heap. An awful sound of collected gasps and screams filled the arena and the sound of feedback pierced the air as Davey threw his microphone down. Adam was kneeling beside Charlotte and propped her up to give her some water. Charlotte only coughed up the water as it dribbled down the sides of her mouth. She looked around at each band member, feeling utterly confused and then the realization hit her. She fainted onstage. How on earth did she faint? A part of her felt so angry with herself and another part wanted to just curl up under the earth and stay there till kingdom come. It must have looked positively helpless and weak on her behalf, like a typical delicate “woman” who fainted upon the idea of doing anything that sounded like exertion. 

“Charlotte?! What happened? Are you alright?” Hunter nearly shouted, looking extremely panicked and concerned.

She barely nodded her head. Charlotte felt like she really let the band down. It was their first show for their new tour and she had to go and ruin it by passing out.

“Do you still want to play? If you don’t, that’s completely fine. It’s your choice.” Davey said gently.

Charlotte couldn’t ruin this for them. It wouldn’t be fair to the band and as long as she got a little more water to drink she would be fine.  She nodded her head and stood up on her own, with all four of them hovering very closely to make sure she didn’t fall again. The audience erupted in cheers when they saw a recovered Charlotte standing up again, albeit looking a little shaken.  After taking a long swig of water, Charlotte carefully sat back down and got her mind back onto the task at hand.

          After the show, instead of meeting fans, Charlotte snuck back onto the tour bus. She wanted to meet fans and talk to them, but she thought it would just be better if she just went to sleep so she could wake up feeling rejuvenated after tonight’s debacle.  Her face still flushed warmly at the thought of her passing out. “Stupid, stupid Charlie….” She muttered to herself.  Charlotte could only hope this wouldn’t ever happen again, to save herself the embarrassment the next time. Curling up on her bed, Charlotte closed her eyes and tried to sleep.  Just as she did, she heard the bus door open and footsteps heading in her general direction.

“Charlotte? Charlotte, honey, you ok?” Davey asked outside the curtain.

Charlotte pushed the curtain away and scooted over for Davey to sit down. He had a bottle of juice in his hand.

“Please drink this. You’ll feel better.”

He watched her drink up slowly. “Well, what a way to start a tour, huh?” he said with a little smile dancing upon his lips.

Charlotte’s face flushed again and she shook her head. “Davey, I’m really sorry about that. Honestly, I don’t know what happened. That never happens and I didn’t mean to ruin the show.”

Davey gave her a look of complete surprise  and mild irritation, “What are you sorry for? You can’t possibly be sorry for passing out! These things happen all the time. You didn’t ruin the show either, in fact if anything, I have to really hand it to you for continuing to play when you had every right to stop. You handled it a lot better than much more experienced musicians would. Hell,  I even passed out  on a show for our last tour and I’ve been doing this since I was fifteen, It’s not at all your fault. “

“Yeah, but I’ve been performing for years and this has never, ever happened to me.”

“I don’t mean to be rude, but uh…playing in a restaurant or a club isn’t the same as a concert.”

Charlotte smiled a little, “No, no that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about when I was in France. I was a concert pianist and lyric soprano. I’ve been performing since I was twenty one after university. It’s only been a year and a half since I last performed.”

“What happened? I mean, why aren’t you still there or doing that?”

Charlotte sighed, “The Conservatoire closed down. Attendance for those concerts went down considerably over the years. I tried finding work elsewhere but I didn’t agree with the way a lot of the French record labels ran their business, and let’s face it, nobody was looking for a singer like me. Too old fashioned, to say the least. So in hopes of finding a chance to work elsewhere, I returned to America.”

“Why don’t you sing for us sometime? Sometimes we have female vocal parts on the songs and we’ always have to look for someone. And I still want to know why you’ve never said anything.”

Charlotte chuckled dryly, “I don’t think I’m what this band is looking for, vocally speaking. I don’t think opera is a good fit at all.”

Davey grinned, “Hey, you never know, we might just do a rock opera next time.”

“And that would forever end your career.”

“Ouch! No, but really, you did great tonight and don’t worry about the passing out. I’m going to leave you alone and let you sleep.”

                As Davey left her part of the bus and headed to his own bunk, he didn’t know why he wanted to hear Charlotte sing so much. He didn’t have any more time to think on the issue since the rest of the band came on the bus and they just discussed the first show. Their next show was back Phoenix so they were leaving that very evening. Tiredly, Davey turned over on his bed and fell asleep soundly, exhausted and happy after another wonderful performance.

          A good three weeks later, the band was in Chicago meeting their beloved fans outside of the venue after a show. Of course, the majority of adolescent girls were flocking around Davey.  Hunter was exchanging jokes with a young man while Adam and Jade were busily signing things for a group of excited boys and girls. Sometimes Charlotte has people come up and speak to her, but she was still relatively new and most fans wanted to mostly meet Davey or Jade.  She was watching with an amused little smile as a girl was sobbing her eyes out when she was trying to speak to Davey. He looked a little uncomfortable but was trying to calm the girl down.  Smith made eye contact with her and mocked the way the girl was crying, making her laugh a bit.  Just as she turned again, a boy (much taller than herself and seemingly under the influence) stood before her.

“Um…hi. Do you want me to sign anything?” she asked politely, albeit it nervously too.

“Why are you in this band?” he asked quietly, but a little angrily.

“Ummm…because the band asked me to join them.” Oh great, she thought. One of those.

“You shouldn’t be here. You’re fucking up AFI’s music. They were fine before you came.”

“Look, I was asked to join because the band wanted to change. If you can’t appreciate that, I’m afraid you aren’t going to like anything else they do because they are only going to change some more. Oh and by the way, it’s my music too.”

The boy got angrier and said, “What the hell did you say to me? Shut your damn mouth, bitch! AFI and the fans don’t need you! Stop screwing up their music!”

Charlotte only rolled her eyes and began walking away. Much to her surprise , the boy kept following her and was yelling more obscenities to her. The part that was overheard by Davey (unfortunately for the boy) and made Charlie stop dead in her tracks was not a good one.

“I bet you sleep with all of them and they only feel sorry for an ugly bitch like you so they offered you a “real” job to stay with them and to cover it up!”

Davey strode away from the line of girls and tapped the boy on the shoulder while Charlie was storming back over herself to let the boy have a piece of her mind. Problem was, Davey was already at it.

“What the hell, kid? What’s your problem?”

“Why did you fucking give her a spot in the band? Are you sleeping with her or something? She’s hideous, the least you could have done with sleep with a better looking “keyboardist”.”

“You’re a goddamn idiot! No one is sleeping with anyone and she isn’t ugly! You need to calm the hell down and get it together. If you don’t like her being here, then why are you talking to her? Fucking grow up!”

Charlotte pulled Davey’s arm. “ Come on, let it go…”

The boy wouldn’t take Davey’s answer seriously and yelled again, “You are sleeping with her! You guys are go on the bus right now and get it on!” Since the boy had some kind of “substance in him” he grabbed Charlotte around her waist and pulled her to him. Davey shoved the boy hard and yanked Charlotte by the arm.  Before anything else could happen, Smith had returned with security guards and had the boy taken away. Not wanting anymore trouble, Smith shooed the fans away and got the band on the bus.  Davey told the others what had happened, which got the others fired up.

“What a dumbass! You’re alright though, Charlotte?” asked Adam giving her a hug.

She smiled slightly. “Yeah, I’m fine now. The kid was probably high or drunk or something.”

“Or both.” Chimed in Hunter.

Davey hung back quietly during all this. The last time he had ever gotten so angry was when he and Charlotte got in their big fight. He knew Charlotte could easily take care of herself and wasn’t the kind of woman who asked for help but a huge part of him wanted to protect her and look out for her. When all the commotion had died down and everything went to its usual quiet, Charlotte slipped over to Davey and sat beside him.

“I didn’t say this earlier but I should have. Thank you for coming to my defense and stopping that kid. It was really kind of you to do that for me.”

Davey smiled and squeezed her shoulder. “Hey come on, it’s too late to be getting all emotional on me like that.”

She giggled and playfully smacked him on the arm. “You dork! God, remember how we used to always say that whenever we said anything nice to each other.”

“Yeah and you still smack me and call me a dork too. That didn’t change either.”

Charlotte laughed again and put her head on his shoulder. “Man…we were so weird when we were young.”

Davey couldn’t keep the smile from his face when he remembered a certain instance from school. “Remember when you filled Bret Anderson’s locker with all the little girl toys like dresses, dolls, and teddy bears. And when it all came pouring out, everyone was making fun of him for playing with little girl stuff. That was your finest.”

“Oh yeah! I remember that. It was because earlier in the week, he purposely walked by me and spilt coke all over one of my art projects. I was so pissed off!”

They talked and laughed about past memories and fun times that they shared that year in school.  Eventually, Charlotte began to yawn and was close to falling asleep. She said goodnight to Davey and thanked him again and went to her bunk. She fell asleep happier than she had in years.

“Isn’t this exciting? Your first ever tour! You’re going to love it, it’s a great time!” Adam happily enthused.

Charlotte smiled weakly, but turned away. Adam, however, could easily tell that Charlotte wanted to just crawl under the Earth and stay there. He gave her arm a comforting squeeze.

“Hey, you’ll be alright. I remember our first big tour and I was scared shitless. More so when I actually got on stage the first time. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever experienced though, it’s the greatest feeling in the whole world when you’re up their playing for hundreds of people. You’ll be ok after you’re first show. Besides, you got us and the roadies to look after you too. We won’t let anything bad happen.” He said gently.

Charlotte finally gave him a real smile. Adam was certainly a sweetheart, a goofball, but a good man nonetheless. He really did make her feel better with the assurance that the band was there for her and had her back.  A few moments later, Davey at last arrived.  His face was absolutely glowing with joy and excitement. He was almost like a little child at Christmastime.  The rest of the band and road crew eagerly greeted him and clapped him on his back, teasing him for being the last to show up, when he was usually the first.  He was in a fantastic mood, laughing and smiling at all the little jokes and beaming happily at everyone. His eyes locked with Charlotte and he quietly said hello. While the tension between Davey and Charlotte was virtually extinguished, they were still very awkward around each other and were more or less on civil speaking terms.  However, Davey was far too thrilled to be feeling awkward or shy for any reason and was dying to get on that bus.  At last, it was finally 5:20 and the bus began to be loaded. The band eagerly clambered on and reclaimed their former bunks. A special section for Charlotte had been sectioned off with a thick curtain (so she could have her privacy) in the back of the bus. Feeling like a five year old on the first day of Kindergarten, she made her way back to the bus and pushed the curtain aside. Although it was just a standard bunk, she couldn’t help but feel so very excited at the same time.  Setting her bag in the back of the bus, she fitted her belongings in the little cubbies. Jade popped his head inside the curtain and smiled happily.

“Do you like it? I know it isn’t a whole lot but we wanted you to have your own space and privacy for sure…you know, so you’re comfortable.”

“I love it. It’s very snug that way. Thanks for looking out for me, it’s very thoughtful of you.”

Jade grinned and pulled his head out.  Charlotte pushed the curtain back part way (so she didn’t seem like she was trying to keep everyone out so soon) and watched the busy and excited atmosphere of the other band mates unloading their smaller belongings in their cubbies.   She wished she could have some story to contribute too as they were all reminiscing about past experiences on the bus and being able to laugh at their old stories.   Smith checked his watch and saw it was 5:29.  Telling the bus driver they were ready to go, the bus roared up and lurched forward. With a loud hiss, the bus and AFI were on their way to San Diego.

          Charlotte curled her legs beneath her and pulled out her book. The band had gotten unusually quiet. Jade was programming music on his laptop (he had earplugs on), Adam was texting someone busily, brow furrowed in deep concentration, and Hunter was already out like a light.  She heard footsteps nearing her side of the bus. Davey was heading into the bathroom (which was located almost exactly next to Charlotte’s curtain) and gave her a polite nod as he was about to enter in. His eyes fell upon her book and they widened with happy surprise.

“Les Fleurs du Mal? Oh man, I haven’t read that in years. I remember it was my favorite book back in high school.”

“It’s been a while for me too, but I’ve never read it in English. I grew up reading it only in French.”

Davey remembered that Charlotte had told him long ago that nearly all the classic literature she read was in French and very rarely did she read in English, lest she was required to.

“I remember that. You said that it would annoy you reading in English since it wouldn’t be as nearly poetic, with the exception of Byron and Whitman.”

Charlotte was quite surprised. She hardly expected Davey to remember that but somehow he did. They were both silent, awkwardly staring at each other, until Davey muttered he had to use the bathroom.  Inwardly, Charlotte sighed. She hated the awkwardness. It was better when she hated him to no end but now that she didn’t, she didn’t know how she felt. It was probably best if they went back to the “less than ten words a day” repartee and just act like neither one was there.  As Davey left the bathroom, he didn’t stop to talk to Charlotte again, like her, he hated feeling awkward around people. He felt like the awkward teenager he was in high school all over again, not exactly feelings he would like to revisit either. A part of him wanted to like Charlotte and get along with her just as well as he did with his other band mates, but he didn’t see the point in giving anyone that much attention, especially if they didn’t want it. Shrugging, he made his way over to his bunk to finish some very important texting at hand.

          After several hours of being on the bus from Oakland to San Diego, they had now finally arrived to their hotel. Smith was busy checking the band in and found that due to a booking error from when Smith initially made the reservations (it wasn’t his fault and he was not a very happy camper), the band mates would have to share rooms. For the band mates, they only shrugged this off as they were so used to being around each other, it really didn’t make a difference to them if they had to share a room. Charlotte, inwardly groaned at this. Come on, Charlotte, be reasonable here. This is what being in a band is all about, close proximity to everyone. Besides, no one is going to try anything with you and they’re all very respectful of your privacy.  Hunter and Adam immediately claimed each other as roommates for the night when Jade suddenly piped up and claimed Smith.  Jade also secretly thought this would be a good chance for Davey and Charlotte to learn to start getting along with each other better too.  Davey shot Jade a look, one that said, “Are you serious? You’re not really expecting me to share a room with her, are you?”  Charlotte groaned even more to herself. Damn it.  Yet the matter was already decided and no one was willing to “trade”. Idiots, Davey thought irritably at their stubbornness. Charlotte was thinking the very same thing.

          After an afternoon of retail and caffeine therapy, Davey headed back up to his hotel room that he had been forced to share with Charlotte. He figured that as long as he treated her like an indifferent roommate, things would go smoothly and wouldn’t be as bad as he thought. Davey unlocked the door and found Charlotte fast asleep on her bed. She was curled in a fetal position and her hair fell in her face, lips parted slightly.  She stirred slightly and her eyes fluttered open when she heard Davey coming in.

“Sorry…I didn’t mean to wake you.” he said sheepishly.

Charlotte gave him a sleepy little smile and said it was alright. “I needed to get up anyway.”

She nodded towards his shopping bags, “Busy afternoon?”

“You bet.”

They went back to their usual silence as Davey began putting his new clothes back in his suitcase. Charlotte picked up her shoes and handbag and left the room quietly. Davey almost wanted to ask her where she was going, but then thought better of it. Besides, it’s not like I would have cared either way, he thought.

          It was now close to 10 pm. Charlotte had still not returned. In the back of Davey’s mind, he wondered if he should go and ask the others if they had seen her. She had been gone for an awfully long time and went away alone. Did she get lost somewhere? Davey phoned her cell phone a few times to see but no answer, in fact it went straight to voicemail. Oh God…tell me we haven’t lost our keyboardist already, before our first show tomorrow.  Seeing that nothing was happening, he went back to his book and just assumed that Charlie would walk in any minute.  He glanced at the clock again, sometime later, and saw that it was nearly 10:45. Where on earth was she? She had been gone since 4:15 and still gave no indication that she was coming back.  Davey had gone and asked the other band members where she had gone but no one seemed to know. Just as Davey touched the doorknob to his room, he immediately felt sick. A terrible, anxious feeling hit his stomach and took hold of him. What if Charlotte was hurt? What if someone found her alone and…Davey didn’t even want to think of the last part.  Fear gripped him and he felt his hands shake violently.  He broke out into a run and ran down the sidewalk. He asked all sorts of people if they had seen anyone that looked like Charlotte and to his frustration and anxiety, nobody seemed to either. He ran into a coffee shop and nearly begged the barista if he had seen Charlotte.

“Yeah, she was here just a little while ago. She asked where the nearest beach was and she’s down over at La Jolla Shores, it’s the closest one here.”

Davey thanked him profusely and hurried over.  Once he got to the beach, he began his search. He saw a few couples, walking hand in hand, a man walking his dog, and some teenagers kissing on the bench. It felt as if a huge weight dropped from his chest when he saw a very familiar looking figure sitting on a giant rock, just right next to the water. While a part of Davey wanted to yell at her for worrying him so much, another side of him felt very understanding towards her and her desire to be alone. She hadn’t meant to cause any harm, she just needed time to herself. Charlotte was going through a lot at the moment and was probably feeling very overwhelmed with all the new things happening to her at one time.  Slowly, he made his way over to her.

“Hey…I was wondering what happened to you.” he said quietly, as he got up on the rock next to her.

Charlotte looked completely surprised when she saw Davey’s face.

“How…how did you find me?” she wanted to know, somewhat startled too as she was completely deep in thought until Davey’s voice broke through.

“I got kind of worried since you had been gone for a long time. A barista at the coffee shop told me that you had come here so here I am. For a minute there I thought you had run away.”

“You…you were worried about me?” she asked quietly.

Davey was silent too. Of course he was worried about her, but why? It seemed somewhat ridiculous to himself too. Seeing that earlier he saw her as the “indifferent roommate”, he was amazed that he had become so afraid for her and for once, not angry with her for frightening him so.

“Yeah…I was. I know, it sounds kind of weird…coming from me that is. But I was.”

“I was going to come back…I wasn’t going to leave the band.”

“Oh, I know. But I, you know, thought something bad happened. You didn’t answer your phone so I..um…kinda freaked.”

Charlotte didn’t say anything, she only turned back to looking at the ocean. They both sat in a deep silence. But this time, it wasn’t at all awkward or tense.

“It’s beautiful out here. I can see why you wanted to come.” Davey spoke after a while.

“This was one thing I missed the most when I was in France. I mean…Normandy is nice and all and so are the other beaches but this feels better to me.”

Davey mentioned that it would probably be best if they returned to the hotel. Charlotte nodded and slid down from the walk after Davey. They walked alongside each other, slightly shivering from the sea breeze.

“Davey? I’m sorry to have worried you so much. I just needed to…”

“It’s ok, Charlotte. I know why you did and it’s completely understandable. I’m not mad or anything. Just a little worried then but it’s alright now.”

She quietly said her thanks but didn’t say another word as they walked back to the hotel.  They silently made their way back to their room and got ready for bed.  As Charlotte slept, Davey found he had a lot to think about. He felt as if he knew Charlotte better than he ever had in that moment of finding her. Here she was, this lonely woman, suddenly thrown in with such an established group of people, unsure of herself and her capabilities. While they were all (well…maybe except him) to be kind to her, she still wasn’t being fully acclimated to the band. She felt too new and too lost amongst them. Not only with all that in the mix, Charlotte also felt directly responsible if the band were to start losing popularity for their new decision.  She really didn’t have anyone to turn to at all about her issues but herself.  Davey knew right then that he needed to be there for her. The past was history and they were both different people now. Charlotte needed a friend and somebody she could trust, somebody who understood her better than anyone. Feeling much more at peace and mood lighter, Davey went to sleep. 

          The whole time Davey spent thinking of what had transpired that evening, Charlotte also quietly lay awake in her bed, thinking of what had happened as well. Davey, the one who was the most indifferent to her, was the one who had come running to find her. He, of all people, was worried about her and her safety and went through quite a bit of trouble to find her and see to it that she was alright. Then, on top of that, he wasn’t even angry or annoyed with her. Davey had been exceptionally kind and understanding towards her.  Charlotte sighed a bit. Maybe it was time for her to completely forget all that happened before and start anew. He deserved better than how she treated him.  Smiling slightly, she turned over and closed her eyes and let sleep take her away.

 Awwww...they finally get eachother and are going to be friends! About damn time too! Oh yes...it'll be fun to see where this baby goes. I'm just excited that I'm pushing 10 chapters!  Oh yeah, it's a little longer than 10 so be warned. Ok peeps...you know what to do by now.

Cheers

Davey had gone out earlier that day to visit his girlfriend, Kristina while the rest of the band (it was them who encouraged Davey to leave before Charlotte arrived) sat in a lounge, feeling exhausted and tired.

“Y’know, as sweet as Charlotte is, she is being completely stubborn and unreasonable in all this. Dave said sorry and that incident was 16 years ago. Hell, I’ve said and done stupid things as a teenager too but you don’t see people holding me accountable for it. “sighed Hunter as he sprawled against the couch.

“No way, no offense to Davey and he’s a great guy and all, but what he did was messed up. Stuff like that never leaves you and what if it was you, someone who only had one friend and they just humiliate and insult you, you wouldn’t forgive it either.” responded Adam, who was nursing a cup of tea.

Jade, sitting at a table with his head in between his hands and looking positively tired, looked up and said quietly.

“Guys, don’t do this…we’re not taking anyone’s side. As far as I’m concerned, they’re both being stupid and it’s driving all of us crazy.  Davey is starting to pressure me into letting her go but I really like the work she’s been doing. I’m half tempted to do so, on the other hand, letting her go might just bring things back to normal. What do you think, should I do it?”

Adam and Hunter looked at each other uncomfortably and shifted in their seats. The truth was, despite the Davey issue, they had all gotten quite fond of her and were very excited with the new and creative energy she was bringing to the band.  Presently, Adam cleared his throat.

“Shouldn’t we give her a formal warning and tell her that if she doesn’t stop it, we won’t have a choice but to do so?”

Hunter spoke up slowly. “But then, in order to be fair…we would have to do the same for Davey since he starts a lot of it too.”

Jade and Adam looked at Hunter with shock. He was right, they did want to be fair, but letting go of Davey would be absolutely horrible. Davey was one of the original members of the band and ultimately, the centerpiece of it. More than anyone, he had struggled and fought to make this band what it was to this day. Losing Davey would completely kill the band. Yet, just as Hunter said, being fair was important to them and what if Charlotte turned around and sued them for letting her go but not him and not even warning him to stop?

Jade finally spoke, “Alright, here’s what we do, should they fight again and if it isn’t a little one, we tell it to them both. We sit them both down and we tell them plain and simple that if they can’t stop what they are doing, we’re going to have to fire someone.”

Just as Jade finished speaking, Charlotte had come into the studio and was talking to the sound engineer. The three men exchanged nervous glances but cleared their throats. Not until the next fight, thought Jade to himself as he picked up his bag and got out his laptop.

“Morning, Charlotte” he said with a tight smile on his face, trying not to make eye contact with her.

“Morning!” she said cheerily and seating herself in between Hunter and Adam.

“So, I wrote a little more last night and I thought it could work for track 3 specifically.”  She said matter-of-factly.

Jade looked up in curiosity. Track three was proving to be quite a difficult song and they weren’t sure if the musical treatment they had was right for it.  Without asking, Charlotte sat and played what she had composed. It was perfect, really. It brought quite a different angle to the song that they had not even considered but it didn’t at all detract and ruin the elements they liked. Suddenly, Jade began to feel guilty at the fact he was thinking of letting her go, especially if she was producing such phenomenal pieces of work and was ultimately taking the album somewhere very good. He nodded approvingly and told her how good her work sounded. Just as he finished speaking, Davey stormed into the lounge and looked unbelievably upset.

“Kristina just dumped me!” he announced angrily and nearly threw down his bag.

The band mates paled (except Charlotte) and asked for details.

“She said that I was spending way too much time working on the band when I should have been with her. She said that I have been too inattentive to her and seem to have forgotten all about her. Yeah right! I goddamn spend all my free time with her. Kristina knows what this band means to me and she said she’d support it!”  Davey nearly shouted.

The men were silent, unsure of what to say. Kristina was certainly a demanding girl but of course they dare not tell Davey that. Truth be told, Kristina was not one of their favorite people but in Davey’s eyes she was perfection. 

Then the worst possible thing happened. Charlotte spoke.

“I notice you tend to have that problem with girls. You tend to “forget” them and act like they were never there. Smart woman, for breaking up with you first.”

For a moment there was nothing but dead and awful silence. Adam and Hunter looked positively mortified. Jade went three shades whiter than what he was before and his hand flew up to his mouth in shock. Was Charlotte out of her mind?

Davey froze. His back was initially to Charlotte but he very slowly turned to face her.  The expression, “if looks could kill” suddenly became the understatement of the year. Nothing but pure rage and hate filled his face and the muscles in his jaw began to twitch.

“What….did you say?” his voice was a deadly quiet but so full of anger.  Jade nearly wanted to faint when Charlotte slowly stood up and came face to face with Davey, face and voice as calm as if she was discussing the weather.

“I said, smart woman, for breaking up with you.”

Davey could only stare at her, his hands shaking violently again and he flexed his fingers to keep himself from doing something illegal.  Without removing his gaze, he asked the band to leave.  Jade was about to protest but was immediately silenced by Davey’s “NOW!” Slowly, the three men trudged out and cast baleful glances at each other. Charlotte was surely going to die.  Standing by the door, they stood closely to make sure that nothing escalated out of hand. Davey was one of the least violent people they knew but this was far too much.

          Davey stared at Charlotte, who was defiantly staring back at him.

“Sit down. We’re going to resolve this once and for all.” He said, voice still frighteningly quiet.

“I prefer to stand, thank you.” She countered, voice just as chilly and countenance mirroring Davey’s.

“You are, without a doubt, a real pain in the ass. I’ve put up with your shit for way too long and now it needs to end. What I did was 16 years ago and if I knew that this is who you were going to turn into, then maybe I did the right thing then. I’ve listened to you criticize and insult me in front of MY bandmates and tell me that my work was pointless and I barely ever responded. Let me tell you something, you think you’re so damn perfect for being able to what, read and write music? Big fucking deal. Lots of people can do that and it doesn’t make them special. Unlike you, ‘Charlie’ I actually was able to make friends when you left. I didn’t fall to pieces and you know what, I became a better person for it. I’m the one with the band and I’m the one that actually became someone. Look at you, you’re the one who’s living off of Welfare and has to work dead-beat jobs. Oh and the other thing, I at least have been in relationships unlike you, who probably was never asked out by a man for the fact no one would ever want you.”

Now it was Charlotte’s turn to go quiet. For a long time she didn’t even look up at him. When she did, her eyes were wet but she forced herself to stay strong.

“You bastard…you fucking bastard. You don’t know who I am or what the hell I’ve been through! I was a better person before I met you. I was happy. I loved my life and everything about it! I didn’t care if people talked about me and made fun of me. After you became the idiot that you are, you destroyed me. I couldn’t eat or sleep without wanting to cry. I couldn’t even be myself anymore without feeling badly or feeling ashamed of myself. All because of you. For 16 years I have felt worthless and hopeless all because of you. You took away my confidence and self-esteem and crushed it under your goddamn foot! I never deserved that. I never, ever deserved any of that but you obviously thought I did. All for what? For wanting to be your friend?! For being there for you when nobody else was? I didn’t join this band for you, I joined it because I want to be somebody too and I refuse to let you take that from me as well. You’ve hurt me enough already.”

“Well, go be someone somewhere else. This isn’t your choice to make. I want you to leave right now.”

Out of nowhere, Davey felt a stinging slap across his face. His head jerked in the opposite direction and when he brought his hand up to the side of his cheek, it still felt warm. In surprise he looked at Charlotte, whose hand was still held up but tears were freely pouring down her face. Unsuccessfully she tried to stifle a sob, but it was too late, she ran out the door and pushed past Jade, Adam, and Hunter. The three men ran into the room to find Davey, still holding his hand to his cheek and looking extremely shocked and surprised.

“What did you do?!!” Jade nearly screamed. “What happened?”

“She..she hit me.” He faltered. “I kicked her out of the band…and she hit me.” He said more to himself than he did to them.

Jade went ballistic. “YOU KICKED HER OUT????!!!!!! GODDAMNIT DAVEY THAT IS NOT YOUR CHOICE TO MAKE! YOU CAN’T MAKE DECISIONS LIKE THAT WITHOUT CONSULTING ANY OF US!!!!! GO BACK OUT THERE AND BRING HER BACK!! I SWEAR, YOU TWO NEED TO RESOLVE THIS NOW BEFORE I KICK BOTH OF YOU OUT!!!

Davey suddenly flared up again. “Kick me out??!! Excuse me, Jade? But I brought YOU into this band. You have no business throwing me out. I did nothing wrong! She’s the one who’s absolutely insane and now she’s gotten inside of your head!” he nearly screeched.

 “Davey, this has gone on far too long. It’s taking a toll on myself, Hunter, and Adam. This is not what our band’s about. If you would actually realize what your actions are doing to us, like the real Davey would, you wouldn’t let this go on. You and Charlotte are tearing this band apart and it needs to stop. Please. I’m asking you as a friend. We can’t lose either one of you and we don’t want to but AFI is going to die if this keeps happening. She’s part of this band now. Band members don’t do this to each other. “ Jade said quietly, looking extremely sad and hurt.

The look on Jade’s face brought Davey back to his senses. Jade was right about a lot of things, and this he couldn’t have been more so.  He was only looking after their dreams and their livelihoods and Davey nearly destroyed it without realizing it.  Slowly he nodded, feeling much more empty and hollowed out. Quietly, he approached Jade and hugged him.

“I’m really sorry. I never meant for things to get like this. I didn’t want for it to ever involve you guys.”

Jade smiled weakly at Davey. “I know you didn’t. Just please bring her back and sort things out. We have an album to record, after all. You don’t have to like her, but please be civil.”

          Davey went outside the recording studio to look for Charlotte. He saw her car parked in the front so obviously she hadn’t left yet.  Where could she have gone?  He turned the corner and wave of guilt washed over him. Charlotte was sitting up against the wall and was sobbing her heart out. Davey always felt badly when he saw people crying but knowing that he was the cause of Charlotte’s tears made him feel worse.  Slowly and carefully, he pulled Charlotte up and held her quietly for a few minutes. Surprisingly, she didn’t struggle and she only slumped up against him, still crying.

“Shhh…shhhh…Charlotte….please stop. I’m sorry. Please, I’m sorry. Come back inside. Come back to us. We all want you to come back to us. Nobody wants to see you go.” Davey murmured, gently patting her back.

“Davey, I’m so tired…no more…”

“I’m tired too…you’re right…no more fighting. That’s over now. Please come back.”

Charlotte looked up at him with tired, red rimmed eyes and slowly nodded.  Davey put his arm around her waist and carefully led her back in, feeling more tranquil and relieved than he had in a long time.

Wow...that was really something wasn't it. Let's hope they can make nice now. I have a quick something to say. Thank you, whoever it is, who has added me as a favorite. It really was a nice surprise and very good boost to my day as it really sucked today. Thank you to everyone who has been reading this story dilligently and leaving me such nice notes. It inspires me to keep on going for this. And now my usual of critique, comment,  and buzz please!

Cheers

“Where are you going? What’s the matter?” asked Jade with the look of utmost surprise and dismay on his face (it was evident in his voice too).

“I can’t be part of this band, Jade. I’m sorry…not with him.” She said the last part more to herself than to him as she was unlocking her car. He tried to push her hand away from the handle.

“Him? You mean Davey? What’s wrong with Davey? He’s a perfectly nice guy. We all are…I think.”

Charlotte turned suddenly, eyes flashing. “No he’s not! He’s not a “perfectly nice guy” at all. He’s the complete opposite of what you say. And for that…I think you’ll have to find another keyboardist.”

She attempted to get in her car again but Jade kept blocking her attempt. This time, Davey had come out of Jade’s house and trudged over to the scene. What was the matter with her? She only looked at him and now she was…oh wait. A wave of guilt and remorse swept over Davey when the realization hit him. Quietly, he came over behind Jade and elicited a very angry response from Charlotte.

“GO AWAY!!” she nearly screamed

Jade tiredly glanced at Davey. “I’m assuming you’ve already met?”

“Um…we have, “ said Davey contritely.

“Care to tell me what is going on here?”

“Charlie and I (“It’s Charlotte” she interjected) went to high school together and well…we had a bit of a falling out…”

“Excuse me? We? Oh no...there is absolutely no “we” in this. I didn’t do anything to you. You’re the one who pretty much told me to go to hell and you didn’t care what happened to me. So leave “we” out of this!”

Davey looked at her blankly, “I didn’t say it was your fault…”

Jade quickly interrupted (judging by Charlie’s very angry expression…one would think she was going to kill Davey), “Look…whatever happened, I’m sure it’s all a thing of the past and Davey is plenty sorry for whatever he did. Can you please come back inside and we can talk band?”

This response from Jade quickly gained the very furious stare from Charlotte and the nervous one from Davey.  She shook her head in disbelief and gave one very firm push to Jade’s hand from the door handle. Just as she opened the door and sat in the seat, Jade spoke again quickly.

“Are you sure you want to go back to the old job you had before? A job that you weren’t even sure was paying you honestly and a damper on your potential?”

Charlotte sighed and put her head against the steering wheel, turning her face away from both men. Unfortunately, Jade was right. She had been suspecting that the restaurants she played in were not paying her properly, but she was never sure as there was never any set salary. Not only that, she could rarely play her own compositions (few restaurants allowed it). Her greatest fear was that she would have to be supported by others and by other’s charity and with the way she was going…it looked to be looming upon her soon enough. Yet, how was she supposed to work with a man that she was absolutely repulsed by? How was she supposed to go to work with him and be in such close proximity to him for days on end? Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place. Come on, Charlotte…don’t let some stupid man get in the way of you doing something you’ll love and your chance of living as you want to, without being a burden to others.  She slowly turned towards Jade (who had gotten quite pale at this point) and slowly nodded.

“Ok…I’ll join the band.”

Jade was far too relieved and excited that he nearly dragged Charlotte back to the house, eagerly discussing upcoming plans and ideas. Davey, meanwhile, was quietly standing by the car and in deep thought. Now what am I going to do? I now have a band mate that completely hates me but she’s one of the better people for this job. Sighing, he went back inside thinking he deserved a very nice vegan treat for all of this.

          Charlotte, Jade, and Davey were all in Jade’s house two weeks after Charlotte joined, and were now busily putting together the new songs. Charlotte was the only one who could read music and had specifically said that she would compose the keyboard parts.  Charlie played a few lines and Davey. Davey spoke up (although it probably wasn’t wise)

“The last part sounds a little iffy…maybe if you could revise it?” he suggested

Charlotte gave him a less than pleased look. “And what, pray tell, is wrong with it?”

“I don’t know…it just sounds a little awkward for the melody.”

“Perhaps you should consider revising the melody. I think it sounds fine.” she said curtly.

Davey stared at her, irritation bubbling under his skin. “No. The melody is fine, that last part should change.” he said forcefully and with a hint of annoyance.

“You sound like you’re such an expert on composition…here, you fix it if you don’t like it.”

“Charlie, come on. What’s the problem? I just made one little suggestion and you’re taking it really personally.”

“Am I? Hmmm…I just think it’s a little much that somebody who doesn’t even know how to read music finds himself in a position to be making judgment. Oh and the other thing, you can quit calling me “Charlie”. It’s a boy’s name after all.” She snapped.

What. The. Hell. Davey thought. Is she this petty? That was bloody 16 years ago!

Before Davey could answer, Jade came back from the kitchen with a few bottles of juice.

“So how’s it going?” asked Jade cheerfully. The truth was, he heard the entire argument from the kitchen and stepped into his “mediator” role. Davey looked relieved that Jade had finally come back.

“You know what? How ‘bout Jade listens to that part. He can tell us if it needs to be changed.” said Davey. Perfect, Jade is totally going to side with me on this one.

Charlie played the two lines and Jade listened. He looked at Davey skeptically.

“I actually kind of like it. What’s the matter with it?”

Davey wanted to smack Jade up the head, especially since Charlie looked far too smug.

“It sounds awkward…I don’t know if the melody will work with it.”

Jade shook his head. “The melody is just fine too, nothing so far needs to change. If you sing over it and maybe sing a little higher, it’ll sound good.”

Davey was quiet. In all honesty, Jade was being fair to both himself and Charlotte. He only shrugged and quietly mentioned they needed to move on to another piece.

          By the end of the evening, Davey was positively fuming. His hands were shaking violently and he thought he was going to punch a hole in Jade’s wall. Charlotte was just a complete demon who was going to make his life hell. Every time he opened his mouth, Charlotte made some snide comment and some other annoying gesture. A single hour couldn’t go by without Jade having to step in and end the argument. Seeing that nobody was willing to get along, Jade called the writing session over (and looking irritated).  Jade pulled Davey to the side and threw his arms up in frustration.

“What the hell is the matter with the two of you? I swear, you’re both worse than little kids! Every ten minutes, I have to stop one of you from killing each other! You had better get yourselves out of this before tomorrow or else we stop working on this record.”

Davey flared up, “Me? It’s totally her! All I did was make one suggestion and she starts getting personal and starts attacking me! Every time I opened my mouth, she had to say something uncalled for and you know it. Don’t yell at me for something that isn’t my fault. You’re the one who wanted her in this band, not me!”

Jade shook his head, “ I’ll talk to her too. But seriously, you both need to stop this. What did you do anyway, to piss her off so much?”

“Nothing! She’s just mad for stupid stuff from sixteen years ago!”

“That’s what I want to know. What did you do if she’s this mad about it?”

Davey rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “Charlotte and I were best friends during freshman year of high school. The summer going into sophomore year, she left for France and that was when I met you, Mark, and Geoff. I just changed a lot and when she returned, I wasn’t the same guy anymore. I stopped talking to her and she didn’t really want to let go so I really yelled at her. I never saw her again until you brought her over. I’ll admit, I was a jerk and shouldn’t have been so mean but come on, we all do stupid stuff when we’re young so I don’t understand how 16 years hasn’t changed anything.”

Jade silently took all this in. Presently, he spoke. “Perhaps you should just try apologizing. Maybe that’s all she wants to hear, a straight up, ‘I’m sorry.’ Tell her 16 years has changed you and you’re not the same kid you were. But please, do this soon so we can get back to writing our record, without any more of this garbage.”

          The next day, before heading into Jade’s house, Davey approached Charlotte as she was getting out of her car.

“Hey, Charlotte? Can I talk to you real quick?” he asked politely.

She regarded him coldly, arms crossed over her chest and raised an eyebrow, not speaking.  He cleared his throat nervously and started.

“Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot yesterday. I know you’re pretty pissed off with me and I completely see why, but listen I just wanted to formally apologize to you and tell you that yeah, as a kid, I was pretty rude. I’ve grown up though and I think we should just bury the hatchet.”

Charlotte scoffed and shook her head. That was perhaps the worst apology she ever heard. It was obvious that Jade probably told him to say sorry as he just wanted to peacefully write the record. She didn’t have a problem with that at all, what she did find bad was that Davey didn’t even sound sorry and it wasn’t genuine in the slightest.

“What?” asked Davey, annoyed that she scoffed at him.

“You don’t get it do you? If you were sorry, you would at least sound like it. You’re only apologizing because Jade made you. Pretty sad that a grown man still needs to be told to apologize and can’t even make it sound genuine. You really hurt me, Davey. After everything I did for you, you just threw it all back in my face and now you’re only trying to make nice because someone else had to tell you. You can take your ‘apology’ and shove it.”

With that, she shoved past him and marched into Jade’s house. Davey never felt so pissed off in his whole life. What a bitch, he thought with a poisonous rage filling him. He tried to do the right thing by saying sorry and she just insulted him even more!  He went inside Jade’s house and went straight to Jade, who was patiently waiting to see what came about.

“There’s nothing I can do. I apologized and she told me to shove it. I did my part, it’s not my problem if she wants to be a bitch and not accept it. We are going to work on this record, with or without getting along.” he snarled. Jade stared after him as he stormed away. Sighing, he just hoped that Adam and Hunter would be able to back him up when Charlotte and Davey fought.