Chapter 1

Four years later...

"Hi! This is Meredith. I can't answer the phone right now. Please leave a message after the beep and I'll get back to you." 

 "Damn it," I cursed as I still held my phone to my ear. "I can't believe this - no! I can't believe them!" I growled, then dialed my mom's number, but it went straight to voicemail, again.

"Any luck, Charlie bear?" my best friend since freshman year, Mike, asked as he drove towards UCLA for our graduation.

I didn't answer; I was fuming, seething in anger as I prodded hard on the keys of my cell phone. I couldn't resist sending a very upsetting text message to my lovely mother asking why they were not here, in Los Angeles, to attend my graduation. I specifically told Caroline a week ago about it and when I tried to call them about their arrangements, all I got was the voicemail - the whole week.

Despite the anger, I wondered if  this was payback for missing my own high school graduation four  years ago. Could it be? But then again, I thought we were already past that stage when I called six months after I left to apologize, why I suddenly left and told them not to terrorize Caroline for not saying anything.

And then there's not coming home for breaks and holidays.

For the last four years, I had exhausted all means of evasion I could think of why I couldn't come home. The web of alibis I had accumulated seemed to compile like a thick book and the saddest part of it was to avoid a certain someone who I couldn't seem to forget.

Yeah, him.

He still invaded my every thought, and there was not one day that I wasn't thinking about him.

It sucked.

"Charlie bear?" Mike asked again.

I looked up from my phone and turned my head to him. "Oh," I said, shaking my head. "I'm sorry. It's just that -- "

"It's okay," he interrupted, then grinned, still eyeing the road. "Maybe this is payback for missing your own graduation," then he snickered like a dork.

This was what I loved about Mike - great minds think alike.

Michelangelo, or Mike as he liked to be called, was of Italian descent: broad shoulders, muscular, tan skin, dark brown hair styled in a buzz cut and his eyes, damn those light brown eyes that could  make any girl weak in the knees! And let's not forget his cool tattoos on his left arm and collarbone.

He is what you call a 'womanizer', not a 'playboy' which he strongly tried to differentiate to whoever called him any deplorable name relating to his lifestyle. As he always stated, he was not a playboy because he doesn't bang and go. The difference was that he bangs and actually develops a relationship with a girl - relationship meaning more on the physical side - then drops them like a hot potato maybe three weeks to a month. Two months was his longest, surprisingly.

We had a couple classes together since we belong to the same department. He tried to make a pass at me during freshman year and believe me, he did everything he could to make me swoon, but I was immune. I wasn't sucked into his vortex because like I said, there was only one guy on my mind and I guess you already know who that is.

Eventually, he gave up and we became good friends then... to best friends and yes, he knew what happened between me and Dalton. He even said that my life was like a soap opera.

I snorted. "Yeah right, but come on!" I threw my hands in the air out of exasperation. "It's my graduation and granted with the highest honor!"

"I'll take a video of you and post it on YouTube," he offered, chuckling.

I growled. "Not helping, Mike."

He chuckled, low and deep. "Chill out, Charlie; it will be fine," he assured then took a quick glance at me then back to the road again. "How about this - let's go out tonight for drinks and get piss drunk. What do you say?"

I frowned. "What about your parents?" I asked. " Are they coming today?"

All of a sudden, his jaw clenched and his hands tightened on the steering wheel. His knuckles had turned white from squeezing the life out of it too hard. 

"They're not coming," he responded, tone clipped and brisk. "They're in Macau or something."

Though brought up to a world of money and privilege that comes with it, Mike didn't have a good relationship with his parents. They were a bunch of workaholics who never took a pause to ask their son what he'd been up to or just to say a quick hello. I thought I had it bad, but I realized there were some people who had more crap to put up with.

"Oh," was all I said.

He shook his head. "It's fine, really," he glanced my way again and sent me a tender smile, "as long as you're here, I'm okay."

I could have given him an awed expression, but I had no wish to die so young if he doesn't look back, eyeing the road, like right now.

"Watch the road, you ninny!" I scolded, slapping his arm, causing him to chuckle then went back to eyeing the road. "I'm too sexy to die."

He snorted. "Sexy? You?"

I nodded, batting my eyelashes. "Heck yeah, I'm sexy."

He scoffed and released one hand from the steering wheel while the other was still gripping on it and he then made hand flourishing motions to his body. "This, my friend, is what you call sexy," then he patted his abs, "these babies right here are all natural - steroid free."

And it was true. He worked hard to get those abs that I admit were toned and defined. Working out for him was like a religion and he took it very seriously. He even once forced me to work out with him on a Sunday afternoon.

"Gee, conceited much?" I asked, laughing.

As I looked out the window, I saw that we had arrived in UCLA. The parking area was swamped with cars, I assumed from parents and relatives who took their time off to see their cousins, sons and daughters graduate. I was envious in a way, yet, at the same time, frustrated why my family couldn't make it to my graduation, but there was no use fretting. Even if they'd get their butts here as fast as they could, it would be too late. What's done, was done.

Mike spotted an empty space which was way over to the edge of the lot. He parked swiftly, cut the engine off and turned to face me.

"Ready to graduate, Charlie bear?" he asked, smirking.

I quietly chuckled. "You bet, Michelangelo."

He groaned. "Please don't call me that," then he got out of the car and shut the door tight.

I got out too and closed the door. "Oh, I know you love that name," I teased as I propped my arms on top of his car.

He mimicked my moves. "Well, I don't. It makes me sound so old."

I rolled my eyes. "No, it doesn't," I retorted.

He opened his mouth to say something smart ass, instead he closed his mouth, choosing to shut up. Smart boy.

We lapsed into silence; a comfortable one. We just stood there with our arms propped on top of his car, staring at each other, looking thoughtful. After Dalton, I swore to myself that I wouldn't have a guy as a best friend because I was scared of history repeating itself. It was my defense mechanism, but when I met Mike, he made me realize that I was just being stupid and foolish.

"Hey, Charlie," he finally spoke.

I sighed. "Yeah, Mike?"

"Everything's going to be fine," he said softly.

Before I could say anything, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I dug for it, did a once over on what the screen read out and frowned.

Mom.

Now she's available all of a sudden?

The anger that completely subsided a while ago had spiked back up, seeping into my veins. I had been trying to get in touch with them all week and if they'd think I was just peachy for them not being here, they better think again.

I pressed the answer button and held it to my ear. "Give me one good reason why you're not here?" I spoke with so much acid, I swear even toxic waste couldn't even compare to its acidity.

"Well, hello to you too Charlie," my mom greeted dryly. "Is that how you greet the person who carried you for nine months?"

I scoffed. "If that person didn't care about my graduation, then yes."

She sighed. "Look, I'm sorry that we can't make it. We are sort of... busy right now."

That ticked me off even more. Busy? What on Earth could be more important than see her eldest daughter graduate?  

Having tea with the Queen of England perhaps?

"Oh, yeah?" I asked, seething with anger. "What is more important than my graduation, huh, mom? Enlighten me so I can understand your busy schedule."

"Charlie, that's not fair," mom counteracted. "You didn't even come home during breaks and holidays."

I felt a slight guilt of that reminder, but I pushed that thought at the back of my mind for now. Guilt was timeless, I could do that later, but I had more pressing matters to attend to, like pissing off my mother for example.

"That's besides the point. The point is that it's my graduation and I'm granted with the highest honor, mom," and I added, "I am going to give a speech..." and through the last sentence, the words slipped out in a whisper. "I even included you guys in my speech... on how grateful I am to have you as my family."

My mom was speechless for a moment. I guess she missed the memo that I was doing well in school. She knew I was smart, but she didn't know I was capable of achieving something great. She was too busy fussing over Caroline, dotting on her every move, but I didn't complain. She was my mother and I could never hate her for showing favoritism.

But now, however, she crossed the line.

"I'm sorry, Charlie," she murmured, almost above a whisper.

I sighed. "You know what, forget it. I gotta go - I have to go to the field for the ceremony."

"Wait, don't go yet, Charlie," she said, preventing from hanging up.

I rolled my eyes. "What, mom?"

She cleared her throat. "There is a reason why I'm calling you."

"What?" I asked.

"We want you to come home."

I groaned. "Mom, you know I can't do that. After graduation I am going to look for a job so I'll be busy." I lied through my teeth. I was in my alibi mode again and god, I hate it so much.

"Charlie, you need to come home," she pleaded in earnest. "It's important and if you don't, Caroline would be devastated."

I scoffed. "That's over dramatic."

"Charlie..." my mom warned.

I sighed. This is really getting old. "Tell me why I need to come home."

"Honey," she started, "Caroline and Dalton are getting married. Isn't that great?"

I felt like I was being punched like a wounded animal without given any reason why. Though the blow was psychological, that stinging pain was there, taking out a huge chunk of air, making me breathless. My throat constricted, like someone was squeezing my windpipe and my head reeled, tipping my world to its axis, then my vision blurred like an out-of-focus camera.

"M-m-mom..." I stuttered, "I have to call you back," and hanged up, cutting her protest.

They're getting married, Caroline and Dalton.

Married.

The word married echoed in my mind over and over again.

I felt a hand squeezing my shoulders and I looked up. It was Mike, staring down at me with such concern.

"Is something wrong, Charlie bear?" he asked. "You look pale."

I put my phone back in my pocket, not knowing what to say to that.

With a shaky breath, I gaze back at Mike with a pained smile. "Let's get crazy drunk tonight."

They said the best remedy to ease a broken heart is through intoxication. Though this heart of mine had been torn, ripped, prodded and shredded to deformed fragments before, today, it was non-existent.

Eff my life.