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Friday Night.
The last weekend before the last week of school.
It had been a rough month, let alone, school year. But hey, they made it!
The group, which consisted of Fritz, Susie, Jeremy, Gabriel, Cassidy, Evan, Elizabeth, and Charlotte, had gotten into the main skate and dance room at the local "Classic Fun Center". This was to burn off some energy away from the older kids who were... not feeling their best, and it didn't help that Mr. Afton and Mr. Emily forced their kids to be together despite the obvious tension between their two daughters.
Charlotte Emily and Elizabeth Afton.
Chocolate and vanilla, peanut butter and jelly, the sun and the moon, two peas in a pod; the list went on.
The two love-struck girls were shunned by a young world that took too much for granted. One free yet lost, the other perfect yet trapped.
They just had a harsh wake-up call a few weeks before, reminding them that the world constantly threatened to break them apart. It led to some... unfortunate moments, but they managed… barely.
Awkward silence, apologetic and shy glances, whispers meant for their ears but told to others out of fear.
It was not fun.
Now they had to pretend everything was fine and that they hadn't just fought over what to do about their secret relationship. About the countless kisses, hugs, cuddles, and moments of... exploration.
But they faked it anyway.
Charlie's mind was a mess as she sat there, absently and rather anxiously, tapping the table top repeatedly as she waited for her friends to come back with everyone's skates and food. Her eyes were glued to the green bracelet that had been on her right wrist for as long as she could remember.
Meanwhile, a pair of darling sunny forest eyes sparkled rather dimly as they subtly watched the nervous brunette. They belonged to the struggling Elizabeth who sat next to her timid brother, Dave, who everyone called Evan.
He was the glue for everyone, a total sweetheart with a silly, crooked, toothy, bright grin. So, of course, sisterly duties called for Elizabeth to be around him at all times to ensure whoever tried to pick on him would rightfully suffer. Her wavy, illuminating, perfected, ginger hair was a warning sign to everyone, well, except for Charlie. In her own words, such colored warnings failed since she diagnosed herself as color blind. Typical.
"They didn't have lemonade, so I got some Sprite instead," Cassidy suddenly appeared to hand Evan a soda, effortlessly ruining Charlotte's fragile moment of peace as the raven-haired girl sat down next to the tomboy.
"Thanks, Cass..." the boy whispered as he took the drink into his shaky hands.
"No problem. When the others get back, you and I have some arcade nerds to beat!” The punk grinned and chuckled before turning her attention elsewhere. Some minutes of tense and still awkward silence went by before laughter echoed nearby.
"Bet you 10 bucks that I can beat you at Mario Kart!” Gabriel rolled his eyes and huffed as Jeremy challenged him while the Bonnie fan slid into the plush booth next to Evan.
"Alright, fine, but only after food and dessert." The taller boy confirmed the shorter one's proposal with a small smirk.
"Then one of you guys will play me in laser tag, right?" Fritz asked hopefully as him and the bouncy blonde girl arrived while everyone at the table groaned. "Oh, come on! Quit being so dramatic!" He egged before Evan responded, and Susie put down everyone's skates.
"I'll play, but Jeremy says you cheat... " He chirped gently before Jeremy interjected and tapped Evan's side with his elbow.
"Because you do!” He scoffed and crossed his arms defiantly as he dramatically melted into the seat further and glared at Fritz, who had taken a seat next to Charlie.
"No! You're just slow!” Fritz jeered back with a challenging grin before his eyes sparkled with an almost invisible blaze.
"No one normal can run that fast!” Another protest came out of Jeremy before Susie finally sat beside Elizabeth and sighed.
"Boys..." she giggled and covered her mouth as she watched Cassidy snort, and Liz rolled her eyes. Suddenly, Gabriel grabbed Charlie's shoulder and pulled her into a side hug with a smirk.
"Hey now, that's friendly fire! Char runs just as fast as Fritz, and she topples me in wrestling anyway! If anything, she should be one of us boys.'' The leading boy chuckled with a proud look as he patted her back and the four boys murmured in agreement.
"Oh gee, Gabe... thanks.“ Charlie swallowed nervously as she squirmed from all the new attention and glanced at the cheerily oblivious boy with an awkward smile. Susie giggled so much that she had to bury her face behind her hands.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth scoffed, well, somewhat. She made a face as she unconsciously stared at Charlie before her eyes darted away. Ironically, the brunette did the same even if the pair refused to make eye contact. Charlotte was most certainly NOT prepared for so much attention after having such a harsh fight with Liz.
On a different note, Elizabeth could have sworn that the second Gabriel made his ridiculous comment, Cassidy's face both lit up with excitement and darkened with mischief
"Hey Liz," Cassidy began as she leaned over and whispered from her squished seat between the wannabe lady and the stupid girl tramp. As if curved seating booths weren't awkward enough. "Be honest... would you marry Charlie if she were a guy?"
Oh, that teasing face... It was like she knew that she struck Elizabeth's core. The posh girl wanted to wipe that smug grin off the punkette's face with several punches and smacks.
How dare she? Charlie and Elizabeth had such a sacred bond that anyone would be jealous of! But… Maybe… Oh, only if...
"Shut it, Cassidy, that's a ridiculous question." Elizabeth finally hissed with gritted teeth and a resolve that sounded too similar to defeat.
Luckily, the hushed conversation was unheard, and then Fritz managed to interrupt it by sighing both dramatically and loudly to snatch everyone's attention.
“Can we go yet? I wanna play something!" He complained, to which everyone agreed.
"Alright, the food should be here soon," Susie said as she got out of the booth and joined the rest who had jumped out of their seats after checking her watch.
"You guys go ahead, I'll stay and wait for the food." Charlie chuckled and crossed her arms tightly as she stayed put. In her mind, she just didn't want to risk any more embarrassing moments.
Unfortunately for her, while she zoned out and watched everyone leave, she didn't realize that one person stayed. It felt like a good second of loneliness, one much needed for the Emily.
"So…" A soft, proper, and English accented voice slipped into Charlotte's unsuspecting ear, making her jump before staring innocently at Elizabeth.
Well shit.
"S-so?…" Charlie cleared her throat and swallowed, her eyes glancing around the skating rink and her thumbs brushing against each other as she twiddled with them.
"I'm tired of playing these games, Emily, and you know it." The Afton girl declared smoothly, but her tone was strict, causing Charlie to flinch and curse at herself internally.
Fuck.
"…Listen, Liz, I-" She tried to begin but was interrupted from the sound of a guitar riff followed by cheers and applause.
Right. A live band. Great.
Charlotte swallowed harshly as her eyes darted between the stage with the entering band and the table. She was unable to even make eye contact with Elizabeth's arm. Luckily, her dilemma was shortened when some emo worker came trudging over with pizza and drinks.
"Order for Susanna Smith?" He asked in a monotone voice, the kind that made Charlie immediately realize that this guy probably wanted to die rather than serve meals to teenagers at some skating rink arcade place. Yikes.
"Y-yeah, I can take it," Charlie immediately offered, ignoring the sudden stutter as she jumped up to help the man. Once everything was settled, the poor dude just fished out some order card or receipt thing and handed it to her.
"Just go up to Frankie and hand this to her, she should give the skates to you or whatever…" He grunted before sluggishly trudging off, somehow, in skates. He left behind the tense teens, who were both shocked and a bit confused. But it was whatever to Charlie, who snapped out of her slow processing moment and took the opportunity to escape.
"I'm… I'm gonna go get the skates…" Charlie mumbled as she slid out of her booth seat and rushed through the sidelines, leaving Elizabeth to coldly ponder the predicament that the girls were in.
She stared without any hint of emotion in her eyes at the spot where Charlotte had disappeared.
The Afton girl couldn't help but wonder if there was more to this… game, or if she had truly broken the Emily's heart.
“Next up, we're gonna sing a cover of Eye-To-Eye by Tevin Campbell, a beloved classic if you ask me!”
“…ugh, now that's all we’re going to hear in this entire building…”
“Got myself a notion
And one I know that you'll understand
To set the world in motion
By reaching out for each other's hand
Maybe we'll discover
What we shoulda known all along, yeah
One way or another
Together's where we both belong”
The noises of the arcade machines were almost overwhelming. Laughter and constant chatter filled every corner.
Charlotte could hardly escape the moment— hiding from the bitterness of Elizabeth's cold looks and running from social cues. Her hand was sweaty and constantly tightened around the receipt as she waited in line for the order of skates.
“How can I help you?” Frankie, an older woman in her 40's, but seemingly cheery and sweet. Charlotte had been the last in line, so apparently to Frankie, the girl was very patient.
“If we listen to each other's hearts
We'll find we're never too far apart
And maybe love is the reason why
For the first time ever, we're seeing it eye to eye”
“H-hi, I'm here for an order under Susanna Smith?” Charlotte chirped and forced a smile as she handed Frankie the slightly damp paper.
“You seem nervous sweetheart,” The woman chuckled as she handed a man in the back the paper and let him pull out the different sizes of shoes. “Not sure what you're going through, but maybe dance it out a little? That always helps me.” She suggested before the aid brought over the several pairs of skates and let Charlotte grab them all.
“If a wall should come between us
Too high to climb, too hard to break through
I know that love will lead us
And find a way to bring me to you
So don't be in a hurry
Think before you count us out, oh
You don't have to worry
I won't ever let you down”
“Oh… thank you, I-I'll consider it!” She laughed nervously and shoved the skates into her arms, stubbornly hurrying away back to the table with an awkward smile.
Her mind was racing— was she nervous? What the hell— of course she was! The girl wanted nothing more than to curl up and die at home. So she spent a few moments, kneeling and organizing the skates by size, then grabbing her own and putting them on. She didn't dare look to see if Elizabeth was still there, let alone, make eye contact with her.
“If we listen to each other's hearts
We'll find we're never too far apart
And maybe love is the reason why
For the first time ever, we're seeing it eye to eye"
Charlotte then stood up, testing the skates as the live band began to play, ignoring the feeling of Elizabeth's eyes narrowing down on her.
“I'll be out on the rink if you need anything…” She spat out shyly and swallowed before awkwardly zipping away, her eyes downcast as she escaped the cold gaze of the Afton.
The feeling of the smooth rink underneath Charlotte's feet was relieving, and slowly she felt less tense. She went around the rink, doing laps and picking up speed. Eventually, she began to try out a few tricks afterwards, finally getting enough wind to try and do a backflip, which she somehow landed and recieved a few claps and whistles from those who were impressed, especially this one girl.
Black hair, dark eyes, and glossy lips with a rock n’ roll attire. She met Charlotte's eyes and bit her lip with a small smirk, winking before going back to her group.
Immediately, the tomboy looked away and went to a corner, feeling her skin heat up and her mind reel. Although she felt more… nervous than flustered. Charlotte realized why when she looked up and saw Elizabeth glaring at the girl.
Right. Jealous British girl.
My jealous girl…
The thought was spontaneous, and made Charlotte freeze as she leaned back against the metal railing. Her knuckles turning white from how tight she held onto them.
There was no denying her feelings anymore.
She loved Elizabeth. More than she should.
It was a final blow in comparison.
“So? Who was she?” Elizabeth's voice cut through Charlotte's daze, making the girl jump and snap her head up.
“Huh?-” She stammered breathlessly before looking around and shrugging. “Some stranger… she was just impressed I guess…” Charlotte concluded as her hand reached up and tugged at the collar of her shirt.
“Tch…” Elizabeth scoffed and rolled her eyes, illiciting a snicker from Charlotte.
“What?” The brunette asked softly and tilted her head, studying the ginger with her warm, brown, puppy eyes.
“You know I hate that.” The other girl retorted before crossing her arms and swallowing harshly as she glanced away.
“Hate it when stranger’s are impressed by my existence?” Charlotte questioned with a small snicker and shook her head, nervously rubbing her arm as she stared down at the rink's floor.
“When they wink at you and bite their lip, acting all pretty for your attention, Charlie.” Elizabeth corrected her slyly before scoffing and looking away.
“…are you jealous?—”
“Of course I’m fucking jealous!” She snapped back, catching the Emily off-guard.
“If you're ever lonely, stop
You don't have to be
After all, it's only
A beat away from you to me
Take a look inside and see, yeah”
“…Look, I’m sorry, Charlotte, I shouldn’t have said those things in the first place, I didn’t know and I was being cruel about it, and…” Elizabeth began, her admission falling out of her mouth quicker than the speed of light.
“And you know… you know I love you… even if it’s wrong and-and-” She continued, only for her voice to crack and falter. But her teary eyes immediately darted to meet Charlotte’s as she felt those oh-so familiar calloused, shaky, and stupidly sweet hands on her skin, cupping her face.
“It’s okay, Elizabeth… just… let it go.” The tomboy whispered as one of her black stained thumbs brushed against the Afton’s pale and freckled cheek, wiping away a tiny tear.
“…do you uh…” She tried to change the subject, hesitating as a bright blush covered her cheeks. “Wanna dance with me?”
“If we listen to each other's heart
We'll find we're never too far apart
And maybe love is the reason why
For the first time ever we're seeing it eye to eye”
“I’d… I’d like that.” Elizabeth whispered back hoarsely as she came around the rails, her skates already on and neatly tied. What she didn’t hesitate with was making herself comfortable in Charlotte’s arms, and buried her face into the Emily’s shoulder.
She even felt Charlie shiver as she slid her hands up from her lower back up to her shoulders as the two girls swayed and spun on the dance floor.
“… I could stay awake just to hear you breathing
Watch you smile while you are sleeping
While you're far away and dreaming
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender
I could stay lost in this moment forever
Where a moment spent with you is a moment I treasure”
“…now if only the singer was a girl...” Elizabeth teased with a giggle, grinning against her shoulder
“Oh? This is also coming from the same girl who said I can’t sing for shit, no?” Charlotte teased shamelessly as her hands fell to Elizabeth’s waist.
“You sound like a dying horse, babe, I would know.” She chuckled and snuck her hands all the way into Charlie’s hair and leaned in, letting the tomboy steady her by the hips as they rested their foreheads against each other.
“… Don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna to fall asleep
'Cause I'd miss you baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
'Cause even when I dream of you (even when I dream)
The sweetest dream would never do
I'd still miss you baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing”
“Hear that? It’s our song.” Charlotted teased and smiling brightly as Elizabeth scoffed.
“If you don’t stop making this corny…” She began with a threatening tone before brushing Charlotte’s messy hair back and smirking, watching her lover laugh and reach up to cup Elizabeth’s face once more, pulling her in for a passionate kiss, stealing both of their breaths, then melted into several more kisses.
“Dude, that was absolutely killer!” Fritz beamed as he appeared with the rest of the group from the inside of the laser tag arena.
“You can say that again!” Gabriel laughed as he ran alongside Fritz, the two boys hurrying back towards the skating area.
“Oh, Charlie should have gotten our skates by now, let’s hurry!” Susie realized before pausing to lace her fingers with Jeremy’s, tugging the boy along while he yawned and grumbled but followed along.
“So… how much you wanna bet your sister and Char are making out right now?” Cassidy asked as Evan and her waltzed along behind the other four.
“20 bucks if they’re hugging at the same time.” Evan said as he popped a sucker out of his mouth and smiled as Cassidy, who was dying of laughter.
“Deal!” She grinned before the group eventually made their way back.
Then, Susie gasped, and her hands flew to her mouth before Jeremy snorted and began to laugh with Fritz sticking his tongue out and Gabriel smiling and shaking his head.
"Let me guess?” Cassidy began as she and Evan moved past Susie, who had begun to squeal, and were greeted with the sight of Charlotte and Elizbeth kissing obliviously with their arms wrapped around them like it was the end of the world.
“Gross.” Evan grunted and held his hand out expectantly, making Cassidy slam a crumpled up 20 dollar bill into his palm and whooping despite losing money. She knew Evan would probably spend on her later anyways.