Chapter 3

Charlie looked up and met the guy’s gray eyes. His eyes were so beautiful, but this man was angry… and had a cut on his lip!

‘Taylor West?’ Charlie silently named. Her heart raced as she mused, ‘How did he get into a fight early in the morning?’

“I said, watch where you are going!” He repeated. His tone was sharp, and his eyes narrowed. He grabbed a younger student next to him and demanded from Charlie, “Apologize to him!”

“I’m sorry. I was in a hurry,” Charlie explained.

“It’s okay. It’s okay, Taylor, I’m fine,” the younger student said.

“Head back to class,” Taylor told the young man and the latter nodded. He smiled at Charlie before leaving.

“Look, I’m sorry. I need to go to class,” Charlie said. Taylor did not respond, so she took off.

“Do I know you? You look familiar?” Taylor later asked.

Charlie turned around and raised her brow. She answered, “No, we have never met.”

“Okay, well, watch where you are going next time,” he said curtly.

Just then, a group of students emerged from an office. Charlie quickly realized she was standing before the Dean’s Office for the College of Engineering. The students who had just stepped out looked roughed up. One had a broken nose, while another sported a cut above his brow, and three had bruised faces.

Charlie was horrified. She followed their gazes, and they landed on Taylor. It was the only time she saw Taylor’s bruised knuckles.

‘So, he did this to them? To all of them?’ Charlie has heard of this. Taylor West often got into fights on campus. This was one reason Taylor was known as the school’s bad boy.

“You won’t get away with this, West!” The guy with a broken nose said.

Taylor smirked their way. With a faint laugh, he said, “I already have, Garcia.”

He shook his head and left just like that.

In the end, Charlie was incredibly late for her class. Thanks to the drama at the College of Engineering, which she had willingly eavesdropped on.

Charlie stepped into her Business Law class, instantly drawing everyone’s attention as heads turned her way. The professor shot her a disapproving look and remarked, “How nice of you to finally join us, Miss King.”

“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” Charlie responded. Her face flushed as she looked around. She caught Sofia staring at her, so she averted her gaze. Charlie, instead, sat on a different seat. She knew Luke was also in the front row, but Charlie never glanced his way.

After the class, Charlie walked out, but not fast enough. Luke caught up with her and grabbed her arm. He said, “It’s not like you to be late for class. Where have you been, Charlie?”

Charlie pulled her arm away. She answered, “It’s none of your business, Luke.”

“Ashley tells me you haven’t been home,” he said.

“Again, it’s none of your business,” Charlie responded before running to her next class.

“Charlie.”

“Charlie!”

Luke called again and again, but Charlie ignored him.

For the rest of the day, Charlie successfully avoided confrontations with Luke, Ashley, Sofia, or any of Luke’s friends. Since they were in the same department in college, it was natural for her to encounter them, but Charlie pretended not to know them.

Everywhere she went, students in the College of Business talked about their breakup, but she did not give them the pleasure of reacting to their gossip.

Charlie concluded that one day, those who hurt her would be out of her life for good. She simply needed to take it one step at a time.

Over the weekend, she would move out of the apartment she shared with Ashley and Sofia. Then, she could look into changing classes. After the semester, she might complete her studies in Halliport and leave Luxford for good.

***

Saturday arrived in no time. Charlie had visited several rental houses and apartments—at least from the outside. Three of the five homes gave off an eerie vibe, even at first glance.

“Scratch that,” she muttered while marking it off her notebook. She was back at the hotel, eating late lunch at the restaurant.

The other two houses were a bit far. Charlie bit her lip and considered, “It’s time to get a car - no wait -”

She might move to Halliport next semester. Buying a car would be inconvenient because she would need to sell it again in a few months.

With that, she returned to the internet and searched for potential houses again. Surprisingly, she found a new rental listing! It read: [ Looking for a co-tenant for a two-bedroom condo unit at Fernwood Residence. Rent is $3,000 monthly, with a required two-month deposit and one-month advance payment.]

“$3,000? Just to share a two-bedroom condo?” Charlie found it too overpriced, but it seemed reasonable given its prime location. It was right across from Luxford University! Besides, wealthy students would likely jump at the offer.

Charlie immediately called the number on the ad and scheduled a viewing ASAP. The person who arranged the viewing was the building’s property manager. At first glance, Charlie was impressed!

The apartment was tastefully furnished with a modern, minimalist design. The earth-colored furniture stood out, and although the decor was simple, it was clear that the pieces were high-end.

When the building manager showed her the room she would occupy, she reacted, “Love it!”

“You get to use everything, but with care. That is why the deposit is worth two months,” the building owner said.

The best part was the view of the school. They were on the 15th floor, so she could see the entire campus from the living room balcony.

“I’ll take it!” Charlie excitedly said.

The condo owner was Tanya Dawson, and Charlie immediately assumed she would be living with this lady. She asked, “Where is Miss Dawson? What is she like as a resident owner?”

“I’m not particularly sure where she is, Maam. I’m new as a property manager, but from what I heard, she pays homeowners’ dues on time. We have not received any complaints about her from the neighbors,” the building manager said. “I can call Miss Dawson if you like?”

The building manager quickly was on a conference call with Miss Dawson. The lady requested to speak with Charlie, and upon seeing her, she reacted, “Oh, you are a girl!”

“Um. Yeah,” Charlie answered. “Is that a problem?”

The connection was unstable, causing Miss Dawson’s voice to cut in and out. “You’ll be—are you sure?”

“Wait,” Miss Dawson said.

Charlie could barely hear anything, but she could see Miss Dawson speaking to someone on another phone. Aside from that, the building manager distracted her by saying, “She is out of the country. My colleague says she is out almost all the time. The signal is bad.”

Later on, Miss Dawson said, “Okay - if you are sure. You - move - in any time! You - pretty nice. I like you!”

Charlie was just so over the moon about finding an apartment. She did not think anything else and simply signed the contract and paid with a check.

On a Sunday, she returned to the apartment she shared with Ashley and Sofia. The hotel she was staying at helped her make the arrangements for the move. A van was enough to carry everything she had accumulated in the last three years.

Usually, Ashley and Sofia slept in on a Sunday, but the movers awoke them. They both gathered in Charlie’s room, explaining their side.

“I know we hurt you for lying, but we did not know how to tell you,” Sofia said with her brows meeting. “Luke warned us from telling you, and our boyfriends told us not to tell you.”

“Please, Charlie, talk to us,” Ashley pleaded.

Charlie tried to ignore them while she put some of her books in a box. She sighed and turned to the girls, saying, “I don’t know, Ashley, Sofia. I guess I expected you to be on my side. You are not even mad at Luke for what he did! And you seem to love Regina, given how you had already invited her into our apartment without my permission.”

“And remember how you cheered them on at the cafe?” Charlie pointed out. “I felt blindsided. I confided in you, and you all made me believe in what he said, but all along, you knew he was cheating on me!”

The two fell silent, but soon Ashley reasoned, “We can’t say no to Luke.”

“Oh, so he is god now?” Charlie said before rolling her eyes. “I’m not expecting you to cut him off. You were friends before me, but I expected you to do what is morally right!”

“Don’t get so affected, Charlie,” Sofia presented. “You’ll find another guy.”

“This isn’t about a guy!” Charlie retorted. “This is about fairness! Is it right for him to deceive me? No, and you should not have tolerated him! If you were in my shoes, how would you feel?”

The two ladies fell silent, but later on, Sofia reluctantly asked, “Are you really moving out? How about the rent? We were supposed to split the rent cost.”

“Why don’t you invite Regina to be your new housemate?” Charlie suggested. She smiled, grabbed her box, and walked past Ashley and Sofia.

While Charlie said that, she never expected her so-called friends to take her suggestion to heart.