Song: Wouldn't Change A Thing by Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas from the movie; Camp Rock 2

Chapter Forty: 'Hey bottle of whiskey, let's be friends'

I hesitated.

Why?

Why not? I don't think I should actually have come.

But you need to sort this out once and for all.

True.

I looked around. I never noticed how this neighborhood was so quiet. Oh yeah. It never is. I don't like it this way. I knocked.

I didn't have to knock again because he was at the door in seconds. "Hi."

"Hi."

He gestured for me to enter.

"Can we just sit here? On the porch?"

He thought for a while. "Sure."

Without him having to lead me again, I walked to one of the chairs on it and sat down. He sat down to, but with a good distance between us. Smart.

"Talk."

"Where to start?"

"Talk Ax. You have 15 minutes. And don't start with telling me you love me. I really don't want to hear it." I really, really don't.

"But I do love you."

I turned him with a very aggressive look.

"Can you just go sleep with some random girl like you always do, and stop lying to yourself? You do not love me, Axel. You're confused."

"I do. I don't want some random girl. I want one that's unique like you."

"I'm not different."

"Yes. You are. You don't care about how you look and you still look beautiful. You don't try to impress me. You're just you. Yourself."

"A lot of girls out there don't care about how they look, and still look beautiful. Although, I may not try extra hard, I care. And not every girl tries to impress you. I know Zahra doesn't."

"But-" I cut him off. "Can we just skip to the part where I tell you I can't be friends with you because of what you did to Leyla and I'll only forgive you because I want peace?"

"No. Cos that part's not coming."

"I see." I nodded. "Then my work here is done." I stood up to leave.

"Why did you stop loving me?"

I stopped in my tracks and turned to him. He was still sitting.

"Excuse me?"

"Why did you stop loving me?"

"I never loved you. For goodness' sake, where did you get that from?"

I didn't love him. I had a crush on him. Big difference. And nobody but Shane, Shayna and Reveka knew.

"When we were 13. The night I..." He struggled to find the words and I was pretty sure I had plenty.

"Rejected me?"

He looked down. "Something like that."

"Something like that? You straight out told me you didn't want to be my friend anymore, and I was such a creep."

"I was a jerk back then."

I scoffed. "I see much hasn't changed."

He stood up and I took a step back. "I'm not the same, Char. I'm different now."

"Oh you are? So explain to me what using a girl that you know likes you to make another girl jealous, then you try to kiss that other girl while you're still dating the girl. It has jerk written all over it."

"I did it for love. Love makes you do crazy things."

"You do not even know what love feels like Axel. When will you ever change?"

"I'll change for you."

"No. Change for someone who loves you back."

"I want that to be you. I fell in love with you once I realized I missed your presence. I've regretted that night so much."

"But you waited until two years after to start talking to me again, and you weren't even being friendly about it."

"I knew you wouldn't want to be my friend again so I needed to find another way to get you to talk to me."

"And that's the best way you could think of? It doesn't matter Axel."

"You loved me before? You could try again." 

"It's too late."

"Why is it too late?" His eyes trailed to something behind me. "Zane." He said slowly as if registering something. "You're with Zane now."

"I'm not with anybody."

"So why not give us a chance?"

"We don't fit together Axel. I don't like you and even if I did, I wouldn't do that to Leyla."

He tried to reach out to me, but I backed away.

"I came here to tell you that unless we move past this and be friends, we can't be anything more."

He slammed his eyes shut, then opened them again. "We can't be friends, Char. I can't be just your friend."

I nodded. "I guess you've chosen then." 

"I didn't choose anything, but for you to love me."

"I can't love you Axel. Don't you get it?" I backed away. "Your 15 minutes is up."

"No it's not."

"It is." I turned around and began walking away. "If you can't be my friend, please stay away from me Axel. I don't want any trouble. But I want peace so I'm not going with any malice towards you."

"Char-"

I cut him off. I stopped in my tracks, but didn't turn. "I never loved you Axel. Love is a big word. Wherever you heard that from, the person is wrong."

And without waiting for him to reply, I walked into the car and drove off.

*******************************

I groaned.

"Why are you always here?"

"It's none of your business." Skyler snarled.

Reveka looked at me, then looked at her, then looked at me. "This," She gestured between me and Skyler. "Is not my age."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh so when it's Bruny, it's your age."

"Well duh." She joked before walking into her room, to drop her bag, and then going downstairs.

I looked back to Skyler. "You're kinda blocking my pathway into my room." I gestured as she was standing in front of my door.

"I guess because of the amount of food you eat, that you're too fat."

"You're actually the fat one seeing as you're blocking my whole door."

"Charity, you need to watch your mouth."

I rolled my eyes. "Aren't you tired of this back and forth?"

Her eyebrows creased, but she kept her glare steady. At least she has a talent other than just standing there looking pretty. And now, a little crazy.

"You know, the you insult me and call me names and then I talk back and then you act a little crazy and then storm off."

"Oh you're right. I am tired of it. Let me just step out of your way so you can enter your room."

I gave her a weird look. 

"What's up with your face?"

"What do you mean? I'm smiling."

"Yeah that's the problem."

"I always smile, just not to you."

I stepped around her to enter my room. "This isn't a pretty one."

I opened my door, and walked in. Or at least tried to. I tripped over something and felt flat on the floor.

I heard giggling. I looked up to see Anastasia, Hannah and Amelia in my room. I groaned at the pain in my elbow that I landed on.

Okay, this has got to stop.

"I guess you were the fat one after all, seeing as you can't even carry yourself."

I stood up angrily and yelled. "Are you insane? I could have broken something."

Anastasia raised a hand to her lips. "Are you serious? You didn't get to break anything?" She shrugged. "Better luck next time."

I gave her a look of disbelief. "There's seriously something really screwed in your head."

"Don't talk to her like that." Amelia warned.

"Would you just shut up for once?" I yelled at her. "All of you are insane and obsessed and don't have anything to do with your lives. And that's why you keep following me around and playing pranks like this. I preferred it when it was just Montana, here." I pointed to Hannah. "Because she didn't have a smart bone in her body."

"Hey!" She cut in, but that wasn't stopping me. Someone needed to put these four brainless baboons in their place. "What did I do to deserve this? Why won't you just leave me alone? And the Charity name is just really pathetic."

When I was done, they were all silent for a while, before Skyler glared at me and spoke up. "I didn't have a problem with you when you were just a nobody, but now you're just a wannabe whore."

"Do you mean I want to be a whore or that I'm a wannabe and a whore?"

"Both." She half yelled.

"Okay. Okay. I get it."

"I want you to stay away from Zane." Skyler said and Anastasia supported.

"I want you to stay away from Xander."

"And I want you to stay away from Axel." Amelia, lastly, said.

"Are you all insane? No honestly. I mean Zane and Xander are my friends and Axel is my neighbor. You Hannah, have been on my neck for years. How many times will I have to explain to you that a boy and girl can have a simple friendship with no strings attached?"

"I still don't understand it."

I nodded, annoyed. "Of course you don't."

"You Amelia, would be able to see that Axel and I have nothing going on whatsoever."

"Then where are you coming from?"

What? How would she know that?

"Are you following me?"

"No." She answered too quickly.

"You're following me aren't you?"

"I didn't follow you. I overheard you guys in school."

"Of course you did. And so what I'm coming from Axel's house? It's none of your business."

"It's my business if he's my boyfriend."

"Good luck explaining that to him." I snorted.

"And you two," I pointed to Anastasia and Skyler. "What happens when I'm no longer friends with Zane? Do you think he can date the two of you at the same time?"

"We'll take turns." Anastasia pointed out as if it's the smartest thing she had ever said.

My nose scrunched up. "That's disgusting. Just get out. All of you."

They didn't move. "I mean it."

They still didn't move.

"Okay this has got to stop." I pushed past them and headed for Dad's office. At least he's at home today.

When I got to his door, I didn't knock. I just pushed it open and walked in. Ignoring his alarmed face, I began talking. "I can't stay in this house if you can't put a leash on your daughter and her friends."

His eyebrows creased. "What are you talking about?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose in annoyance. "Anastasia and her friends are hella annoying."

"Anastasia?"

"Yes, your only daughter, Anastasia, remember?"

"Her name is Arabella, and she's not my only daughter."

My eyebrows shot up. "I didn't know Aaron was a girl."

"I'm talking about you, Nora and.... Natalie." He said, his eyes downcast.

"Do not even mention her name." I said in between gritted teeth.

"So your mother told you. Did she tell Nora too? Is that why she hates me so much?"

"She doesn't even know and she already hates you."

He stood up. "I said I'm sorry. Won't you ever forgive me?"

"You hurt us a lot dad. And coming back two years later with a new family doesn't make it better. It just shows us you moved on without us and you don't need us anymore. And don't give me that bull crap about coming back for us, because I know you were transferred here by your job. The one you got because of your wife. Is that why you're with her?"

"Of course not. I fell in love with her."

I nodded slowly. "Then fell out of love with us."

"No. I love you all. I even love your mother."

"Is what you did called love? Because if that's what it is I need to crosscheck my definition."

"I was drunk most of that holiday."

"You can't keep using that as an excuse."

"I'm not. I can just barely remember what I did."

"Oh." I nodded. "Well, let me remind you. You lost your job, so you decided 'Hey bottle of whiskey, let's be friends'. Whiskey introduced you to the rest of his friends, vodka and beer, and you all became best friends. You brought women home daily when you knew it'd hurt mum." I listed with my fingers. 

"And since Shayna was the only one at home that holiday, mum needed to keep sending her to her friends' house so you won't lay a finger on her. And like a predator to prey, the moment she stepped foot into that house, you would have raped her if mum didn't walk in. Then you disappeared. We came home that holiday, and you were gone. How do you think that made us feel? We were left thinking what went wrong. What we did wrong? Is that love?" I practically yelled at this point.

"He did what?!!" The door opened to reveal Reveka.

Oh God!

*************************

I know there's no Zane, but the last two or two and a half chapters have just been one day. There's more coming. I hope you enjoyed this anyway.

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