“I trusted you!” I yell. “Why?” My voice lowers a few pitches and tears begin to roll down my face. “Just why?” I don’t even give her a chance to respond before I turn around and walk out. Yesterday my best friend, my sister in everything but blood, betrayed me. 

This story started a few months back when I developed a crush on a guy in one of my classes. Charlie’s a junior, a year older than us. I told Lea about him of course and when we saw him or passed him in the hall she teased me—like all good friends do. I was working up the nerve to talk to him and was finally going to do it, and by talk I mean a real conversation not “Can I borrow your pencil”. But when I walked over to Lea’s locker a few minutes ago to tell her this, I found her leaning against it—and Charlie leaning right next to her. She whispered something in his ear and he laughed. I stared at them for a moment before yelling “I trusted you! Why?” My voice lowers a few pitches and to my horror my eyes start tearing up.. “Just why?” I turn and run out of the school. Lea doesn’t have a chance to catch up with me because I’m in my car and driving away by the time she gets away from Charlie and out the doors. Charlie. Oh goodness what must he think of me now? I don’t go home, because that’s where she’ll check first if she tries to follow me. And unfortunately she owns a key to my house too, so I can’t just lock her out. I go to the library instead and hide out in the non-fiction section (ew nonfiction sucks) because she’d never look here. After a while (a while being most of the day), my whole body starts to cramp and the library is about to close. So I go home and don’t leave my room for the next couple of days. I block Lea’s number and spend most of my time sleeping, binging, and reading. My parents don’t question it and don’t worry too much because it’s the weekend. After a few more days of my moping though, they tell me to get it together and that I’m going to school tomorrow, like it or not. This makes me even more grumpy and I escape back to the library. (The YA section this time) A few hours later I get hungry and go a few doors down to a cafe to grab a snack. Guess who’s there. The one and only Charlie himself, waiting for his order. He sees me before I can duck out and smiles at me. But I notice that it isn’t a pity smile, it's a sympathetic one. Now I can’t pretend I didn’t see him because I literally made eye contact so I wave to him before getting in line. It’s fairly short and all I get is a few scones so my order ends up coming out about the same time as his. As we go to grab our stuff he says “Hey, are you going to church tonight?” I give him a weird look. I didn’t realize he knew we went to the same church. “Wasn’t planning on it.” I shrug, trying to seem nonchalant. “Not that I have plans but…” I gesture to my “outfit”. It’s sweats, and an oversize hoodie over an oversize shirt and my hair hangs limp behind me in a sad attempt at a bun. “It’s okay. You still look pretty.” That surprises me so much that I almost drop my food. And then I distract myself by shoving a huge bite of scone into my face. “Urphm. Fanfg roo.” He laughs. I made him laugh! for a moment I forget why I look this way in the first place. Then I remember, and my growing smile disappears. “Um. I don’t know about church though… I just walked here and if I went back home to get my car I would be late.” He ignores my excuse with a wave of his hand and says “I could drive you.” I grimace. “Thanks, but I’ll pass.” Then I walk out, munching on my scones. I get home and start walking upstairs to my room, but it seems Charlie’s planted an idea in my head and I can’t get it out. I groan and turn around and get in my car. Speeding a little bit, I make it to church, on time, but barely. I walk in just as they’re opening the doors to the sanctuary and pick a seat. I plop down on a chair in my usual area. I take my hoodie off, revealing a severely crinkled shirt. Oh well. Too late now. A few moments later, after the hype song has started and I’m awkwardly clapping my hands at my seat instead of in the mosh pit, I notice Someone a two seats down in my peripheral. It’s Charlie. He gives me another one of his small smiles that I ignore and turn back to the front. I love to sing and belting is a great way to get feelings out, so I belted every single song. Then they did one of my all time favorites which was awesome. But after that song, there was one that always hits. And boy does it hit. My voice stopped working sometime during the second verse and I was so overwhelmed I just kind of fell back into my seat. A few songs before I noticed Charlie sit down and pray (mostly because I wasn’t giving God the focus He deserved). He was still doing that and after collapsing into my chair and crying for a long time, I noticed him glancing at me while I was swiping my eyes. Then he reached over, no questions asked, put his arm around my shoulders and began praying for me. None of it had to do with anything he’d witnessed or knew about me, but it was all true and exactly what I needed. I started crying really hard all over again and after he finished praying for me, he wrapped the other arm around me and I leaned against him.

The message was about forgiveness, which made me start crying again and realize that I reacted extremely harshly to Lea and needed to apologize. I’m going to do it tomorrow though, in person like she deserves.

After service I turn to Charlie. “Okay. I have a question. Please answer honestly.” I say. He nods his consent and I continue. “Do you like Lea? What really happened the other day?” I stretch out the words and say them carefully and clearly He looks at me, completely caught off guard and really confused. Then something seems to dawn on him. “Oh! Are you thinking about when we were talking the other day?” I tentatively nod. “She was telling me about you.” Charlie says gently. “Cheese and crumpets.” I swear. “I haven’t talked to her in nearly a week because I thought y’all were flirting and I have a crush on you and it was really—“ I break off suddenly and blush furiously when it hits me what I just admitted. He gives me another small smile. “I know. That’s what your friend Lea was telling me about. Well, that and the time you walked off with popcorn popping in the microwave and made a mess of your kitchen.” My lips can’t help but curve a little at the memory. I sniffle, still stuffy from crying so much, and say in a snot-ridden voice, “I maintain that it was an accident.” He gives a short little laugh and we both look up as the announcements finish and the pastor dismisses us. He hands me my jacket and we walk out of the church together into the night.

As we do, I get the sense that this is the start of something new and wonderful.