Becoming Better

Chapter 25 - Bright Lights

Mara was expelled for what she tried to do to Charlie. She hadn't actually hurt her, but she came close enough. That combined with what Charlie told the Dean about her previous behavior, like her threat and the incident on the stairs, was more than enough to get her kicked out. Mara's parents did come home from their trip, but instead of just putting her into another school, Charlie heard she got sent to a program for troubled teens.

Alex, Jessica and Rachel were super apologetic for not listening to Charlie earlier. They all felt really embarrassed that they had been so blinded by Mara's money and popularity. Charlie accepted their apologies, but still felt uneasy about her friendship with them. It was going to take a while for her to forget how quickly they turned on her.

No one was more upset about the attack than Taylor. She felt so guilty for not sticking up for Charlie earlier, she cried. Plus, she had been at the game on Saturday, but just like Charlie thought, she hadn't had any cell service.

She hugged Charlie tightly. "I can't even imagine how I would have felt if you had actually gotten hurt. I wouldn't have forgiven myself, I swear."

Charlie held her. "It's ok, Tay. High school can be rough sometimes. I didn't want anyone to turn on you for taking my side."

"I love you Charlie," she said. "Next time I won't be such an idiot."

Charlie laughed. "I love you too. I hope to god there won't be a next time."

For about a week after it happened, it was all anyone would talk about. The rumor mill went into overdrive. Anyone who had been at the game had something new to add to the story, and everyone wanted to ask her about it. It was slightly overwhelming. But eventually the dust settled, and they moved on to the next thing.

Charlie wanted to tell Shawn about what happened, but she figured it was for the best that she didn't. Contacting him would be too painful for the both of them. He had been absent from social media ever since she broke up with him, so she had no idea what he was up to. She wondered if he would move on quickly. The thought was like a kick in the stomach.

The good news was Charlie no longer felt like a social pariah. And now that she wasn't so distracted by all drama, she started to do better in her classes again. One day her English teacher, Mr. Ross, asked her to stay after so they could talk.

"Charlie, why aren't you in AP English this year?" he asked. "You're a really good writer."

"I got kicked off the honors track last year," she explained, embarrassed. "My grades slipped below the threshold. It was kind of a weird year. Probably messed up my chances of getting into college."

"Why do you say that?" he asked. "Your grades are still decent. If you keep doing well this semester, you can pull your GPA back up. Do you have any interesting extra-curriculars to put on your applications?"

"No," Charlie said. "I mean, I played Soccer Sophomore year, but I didn't even try out Junior year or this year."

"My advice is to get another extra-curricular under your belt this year, and to keep your grades up. You might be surprised where you get accepted," he said.

Charlie thought it was probably too late in the year to join any clubs or teams. "What can I try out for this far into the semester?"

He smiled. "Do you like theater?"

At Mr. Ross' suggestion, Charlie attended auditions for the winter play. They were doing a shortened adaption of The Philadelphia Story. The play director was also the drama teacher, Mrs. Newman. She gave a speech before the auditions started about what she wanted to see from everyone. The play needed a strong female lead as the main character, Tracy Lord, but also a couple strong male leads as well. Charlie had never tried acting before, but she was good at memorization. There weren't any monologues in the play itself, so everyone was asked to prepare a monologue from a work of their choice. Charlie had looked some up online and picked a contemporary monologue from a play called "Good People."

Charlie waited backstage for them to call her name. Her heart was pounding a million beats a minute. Her stomach was in knots. She hoped her nerves wouldn't get worse and that she wouldn't freak out when she got out onstage.

They called her name. Charlie walked out, looking around. She winced slightly. She hadn't been on a stage before. The lights were bright, so bright that she couldn't see much of the audience, just the front row.

"What will you be presenting for us today, Charlie?" Mrs. Newman asked.

"This is a monologue from a play called Good People, the character is Margie Walsh," she answered.

Mrs. Newman nodded, acknowledging she knew the play. She motioned for Charlie to start whenever she was ready.

Right then... the strangest thing happened. In that moment, all of her nerves completely disappeared. She could see the lines of her monologue clearly in her mind. She felt completely calm and ready. She breathed in deeply, put big smile on her face, and began. 

***Looks like Charlie might have found something she's good at? Will she get a role? Also if you miss the boys don't worry. I promise they're not gone. Xx