Heartbeat misses Nick Charlie

I knew something was wrong when Charlie slumped in the car at 3:15 p.m.I greeted him with only a small grunt, and he closed his eyes and leaned against the window as soon as the door closed.

I waited a while to see if he had anything to say.But he didn't. "What's wrong?"

"It's okay," he said, without moving.

"Have you had a bad day?"

"Hmm." I didn't continue to ask, and drove away directly. If he wanted to say something, he would naturally say it. I understand him.You can never force him to speak if he doesn't want to say it himself.

He seemed to be in a better mood when we got to Charlie's, so I didn't bring it up.But he should still be angry, staring at the computer without saying a word while I greeted his mother.It took him at least half an hour to decide what to wear to Harry's party, and he was wearing the same plaid shirt and jeans anyway.He eats dinner a lot slower than usual, which usually means he's stressed out.On the way to Harry's house, his legs were shaking up and down.

Maybe he's mad at me, but I can't figure out why.

I pulled over and Charlie walked in front of me and Tori (Tori is Charlie's older sister who came with us).

"Did you fight?" Tori asked. "It looks like he's mad at you."

"Not as far as I know, and I don't know what happened."

"Oh." She didn't ask any more.

Harry Green lived in a cottage off Main Street, and his big parties made him the most famous guy in Truham.Generally speaking, by 11:12, everyone will be crowding in the basement and dancing to the loud electronic music; Sleeping on the stairs, messing around in different rooms, or just having a high in the garden.It’s no exaggeration to say that the music in Harry’s basement was loud enough to shake the floor.There was a lot of people standing here—mostly upperclassmen, but there must have been a few 2th and 10th graders and even students from the middle school on the other side of town.I thought it would be fine if we stayed in the garden, but suddenly it rained heavily outside, so it must be summer.

It wasn't long before we were inside that Tori ran off to find her friend, and Charlie trotted into the kitchen looking for something to drink.As I expected, the table was covered with bottles and plastic cups.Charlie downed a shot of vodka in one gulp, followed by another.I think it's time to talk to him.

I touched his arm. "Hey." He looked up at me, taking a sip of the vodka lemonade he just made. "Um?"

"Are you okay?" He nodded abruptly, a little too excited. "I'm fine. What's wrong?" I shook my head. "You seem a little irritable." He looked away again, pouring more vodka into the glass. "I'm just... just a little stressful studying for exams, and I'm just in a bad mood." This explanation seems reasonable, but then again, Charlie doesn't bat an eye when he tells a lie - he's told a lot of people lie.In order not to be known by his classmates that he has anorexia, he lied; he was not sure whether his parents would allow him to hang out with me, he lied; in order not to be disliked by his classmates, he lied to Principal Shannon.But to be honest, he almost never lied to me, but occasionally I could see that he would lie to keep me from worrying, and probably this is the case now.

He took another sip of his drink, his eyes scanning the room. "Best coast," he said.

"what?"

"It's a Best Coast song." I didn't even notice it was playing in the room.I wanted to say something, but he interrupted my thoughts.

"We should get drunk." I smiled. "I still have to drive."

"Oh, how boring."

"You can drink to your heart's content."

"Right on my mind."

"How about we go say hello to everyone first?" He handed me a glass of lemonade. "Okay." He posted it, so close that I thought he was going to kiss, but we were surrounded by people drinking and chatting.But he just looked up at me, and I saw the cold eyes under the dark hair, the smug smile, the provocative dimples on his cheeks.He exuded a charm that I couldn't resist when we first met. I was a little confused, but my honest body responded strongly.

"Nick," he murmured softly, if I hadn't been staring blankly at his lips, I probably wouldn't have heard it.

I smiled uneasily, not knowing what to say.Although we do not reject public displays of affection, we have never done it in front of so many people.What is he trying to do?

"I want to go to the bathroom and have a drink with you later," he whispers, walking away before I know it.