#⭒ w o r d s ⭒┊ ❛ our most inexhaustible source of magic ❜

[jupiteriancore]

MEET THE CLUBHOUSE: CHARLIE.

the sun disappeared below the horizon, making way for a sky that was now a beautiful mix of yellow, red, and orange. the slight breeze—which was weird for early september in california, but welcomed—picked up, sending a chill down charlie's spine. her hands flew up to rub her arms in effort to warm up, but it did absolutely nothing to fight off the chilliness she was starting to feel. "damn me for not bringing a jacket," she thought, although much to charlie's own defense–it was 95 degrees earlier. charlie's fingers messed with the hem of her shirt as she continued walking along the rugged sidewalk, the steps of her sneakers sounding in a quiet, gentle beat.

another round of her mother's resentment induced rage had sent charlie out the door—narrowly dodging the glass vase that had been hurled at her as she reached for the doorknob. "you're the worst thing to happen to me!" was the last thing she heard before ceramic shards scattered near her, with some landing in her fluffy, honey colored hair. charlie spent a grueling five minutes picking them out after she left, the tiny pieces of glass occasionally pricking her fingers, leaving tiny dots of blood in their wake.

charlie's life had been marked with rejection since the day she was born. her father didn't want her, ending his affair with her mother the moment he found out she was pregnant. her mother doesn't want her—blaming her for her father's absence as if she asked to be here or to be created. but it was no use trying to explain that important fact; her mother would continue to see her as the one who drove the man she loved away, as the unnecessary burden. it would have been a harrowing realization if charlie hadn't numbed herself to the sting of being rejected by the person she unironically still loved unconditionally.

charlie broke out into a sprint the moment she made it onto the familiar street. justice's grandmother's house sat in the middle of the cul-de-sac, the porch light serving as a beacon of hope in her otherwise dim world. her feet didn't slow down until they touched the steps leading up to the front porch, and charlie leaned against the post as she tried to catch her breath. her eyes caught a glimpse of christian through the screen door as he sat on the couch with melli and joshua, their eyes glued to the laptop on the coffee table.

as if he could immediately sense her presence, christian looked up, a look of concern etching across his features. "charlie? what brings you here at this hour, mate?"

"no reason. just missed you guys," she lied, offering christian a small smile that didn't reach her eyes as she opened the screen door and walked inside. "mind if i spend the night? it's been a minute."

christian kept his eyes on her for a moment, an eyebrow raised at her obvious lie. he knew there was something wrong, but he'd witnessed charlie's conversations with the rest of the house enough to understand that trying to pry would simply lead to her changing the subject until the concern was dropped. "you know you don't have to ask, of course."

"thanks, i'll be quiet." charlie avoided christian's gaze as she kicked off her sneakers and left them by the front door. despite being 22 years old, it made her feel like a child. she knew what he was thinking–knew that he knew she was hiding something, but she didn't want to talk about it. the house was her safety zone; all she needed was the peace that she never experienced while under her mother's roof. besides, she might end up letting the carefully built dam break if she told anyone here about it.

and she refused to let that happen.