Chapter 9

As Taylor had promised, he was up early and about to leave for basketball practice at seven a.m. He was already in his basketball jersey, but given the bad weather, he wore a jacket over his frame. He was really tall. At six feet, he towered over Charlie.

Taylor caught Charlie having another food delivery. He frowned and said, "It's not healthy, you know. You should cook on your own. There are a lot of videos on You*Tube."

Charlie unpacked her food and said, "Oh, I can cook. I just haven't done my groceries yet."

That was a lie. Charlie wasn't good at cooking, but she knew it was about time to learn. She had to admit it: Sofia and Ashley somewhat spoiled her by doing most of the cooking. Her contributions to the previous apartment were mostly cleaning and washing the dishes.

"Anyway, I have to go," Taylor said, his voice still a little hoarse. I'll be back at noon."

"I won't be here," Charlie said.

"Good!" Taylor said before leaving.

Well, she did not die. Thank god. Charlie concluded she might just survive the rest of the semester as Taylor's roommate.

After breakfast, she took a bath and got dressed. Then, she checked with her professors to see if there were any classes she could swap times with. Charlie successfully changed the times of three of her classes.

One of the classes Charlie had successfully changed was marketing. Instead of attending it in the morning, she switched to the 4 p.m. class. She was pleased with this change as it meant she would not have to see Luke. However, when she entered the classroom, she was surprised to find Regina there instead.

The entire class stared at Charlie. They all knew her, of course, but they also knew Regina. The word had gone out that Luke had a new girlfriend.

"What? Charlie is in our class? But Regina is here too."

"This is awkward."

"Charlie is going to see Luke pick up Regina."

'Great,' Charlie grumbled. She ignored the stares and the gossip and simply focused on the class.

There was a time when the professor excused herself, leaving the class alone. Charlie diligently read her book when the girl beside her whispered, "Regina Wyatt. That's her name. She is a transferee from Braeton City. She is in her third year of taking marketing. Just in case you don't know."

Charlie stared at the girl beside her. This girl had short black hair and very pale skin. She wore black-rimmed glasses and was dressed in a knitted blouse and jeans.

"I'm Dawn, " the girl said. "I'm a business management major, just like you. We've had maybe three classes together in the past."

"Oh, Right. Dawn Rivers? I'm sorry. It's been a while," Charlie said, feeling guilty.

"It's okay," Dawn smiled. "Luke used to take you away after classes. You only had time to be friends with his friends."

Charlie paused.

Dawn was right!

Her world revolved around studying and Luke; she had no close friends beyond their circle. While she met other students, she never formed deep connections with anyone else.

Smiling back at Dawn, Charlie said, "I regret it."

Dawn chuckled. She said, "It's okay. It's understandable. I thought Luke was great… until I heard about him cheating on you." She stretched her hand to Charlie and added, "I admire you. You are smart and beautiful. I think he made a big mistake."

Charlie just smiled at Dawn. She replied, "I don't want to talk about him. He has his own life, and I have mine."

"Okay." Dawn smiled. "All the more, I respect you."

When class ended, Charlie and Dawn went to the ladies' room together. While freshening up, Dawn asked, "Hey, Charlie. Regina has actually told some of the girls how she had moved in with Ashley and Sofia and that you left."

"Um. Yeah," Charlie confirmed.

"Why did you move out?" Dawn asked.

"Because she couldn't take it." Someone said. Charlie and Dawn then turned to find Regina walking into the ladies' room. "Isn't that right, Charlie?"

"Yes, my friends betrayed me, so I left," Charlie answered without hesitation.

It was cold, but Regina wore an A-line skirt and a fashionable blouse. The only thing that gave her warmth was her black coat. She started reapplying her makeup. Two of her friends were with her too.