waiting for a farewell from Charlotte.
That suited Charlotte just fine. She put the
handset back onto the receiver and was just going to head up to the
kitchen for a drink when there was short knock at the door. Opening
it, she was surprised to see Jake there. "Why aren't you at
school?"
"I ditched PE. I'll head back in a few. Toby
alright?"
Charlotte leaned against the doorframe.
"Yeah, he just needed to clean himself up and calm down a bit."
"He seemed pretty upset, vomiting like that,
shaking away like nothing else."
Charlotte eyed him cautiously. "He isn't a
fighter. He was worried he'd gone a bit overboard and hurt Damian
more than he meant to. It was an adrenaline thing, you know, like
when you ran that cross country last year flat out and won only to
puke your guts up over the finish line."
Jake laughed at the memory. "Yeah, thanks
for the reminder. My finest moment. Made all the richer by puking
on Ellie's shoes. Fair enough, I get that."
Charlotte grinned at the memory. Jake's
mortification had only slightly eclipsed Ellie's. "You should just
get over yourself and ask her out."
He shook his head, suddenly looking
sheepish. "Nah. She'll say no. She's too pretty for me."
"That's about the dumbest thing I've heard
in my life. You're a nice guy. You always have been."
Jake looked down for a moment, studying the
doormat intently. "Not always, Charlotte. What Damian said today,
it's not much different to the sort of things I've said about you
before. I've just picked my time and place better. And I've never
said it to one of your boyfriends." He glanced up then, looking
contrite. "At least, not while he was your boyfriend, anyway."
"I've never had any boyfriends for you to
say it in front of." She shrugged. "Whatever. Look, ask her out.
She's not like what I was, in the past. She really isn't. No matter
what Damian has said about her, it's not true in her case and I
know he's spread shit about her, but he's a liar."
Jake nodded at that. "Yeah, I know he is.
That's one of the reasons why we let him get a pounding for so long
this morning. I probably would have let it go for longer but when I
saw him try and bite Toby I thought, whoa, no way. He'd end up with
some gross infection and need to have his arm taken off or
something. Anyway," Jake shrugged, sending Charlotte a half smile.
"I told Toby I'd follow up on it and I did. There's nothing really
wrong with Damian except for bruises, a couple of cuts, and a split
lip. He's fine. And he's not saying anything because he's too
embarrassed at having had his arse kicked to the curb in front of
all those girls." Jake laughed at that, but Charlotte could only
muster up a small smile. "Well," he continued, "I gotta go, can't
cut Science. That would be really pushing it. I'll see you
tomorrow, yeah?"
Charlotte nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, Jake, for
checking in and having Toby's back."
"No worries. Toby's a good guy. He's a mate.
I'll always have his back over someone like Damian. No
question."
"Ask her out, Jake," Charlotte persisted.
"Today. I mean it. You came off as a bit of a secondary hero this
morning, throwing yourself between them. She'll think it's a turn
on and totally say yes. It's perfect timing."
Jake looked at her with a crooked grin, his
head leaning to one side. "Are you just shitting me for a
laugh?"
Charlotte shook her head. "Absolutely not! I
mean it. Don't be a loser, trust me."
He shrugged and turned away from her,
heading down the front steps. "I know where you live if this all
goes wrong," he called over his shoulder.
"It won't!" She shut the door as he left the
yard and resumed her trek up to the kitchen, finding Toby there at
the table, picking at a sandwich, wearing only a pair of loose
shorts. "Hey," she said to him as she entered the room. He didn't
look up at her. "That was Jake at the door."
"Yeah. I heard."
"Why didn't you come up?" She pulled out a
chair beside him, plonking down onto it sideways so she could face
him.
"I didn't feel
That suited Charlotte just fine. She put the
handset back onto the receiver and was just going to head up to the
kitchen for a drink when there was short knock at the door. Opening
it, she was surprised to see Jake there. "Why aren't you at
school?"
"I ditched PE. I'll head back in a few. Toby
alright?"
Charlotte leaned against the doorframe.
"Yeah, he just needed to clean himself up and calm down a bit."
"He seemed pretty upset, vomiting like that,
shaking away like nothing else."
Charlotte eyed him cautiously. "He isn't a
fighter. He was worried he'd gone a bit overboard and hurt Damian
more than he meant to. It was an adrenaline thing, you know, like
when you ran that cross country last year flat out and won only to
puke your guts up over the finish line."
Jake laughed at the memory. "Yeah, thanks
for the reminder. My finest moment. Made all the richer by puking
on Ellie's shoes. Fair enough, I get that."
Charlotte grinned at the memory. Jake's
mortification had only slightly eclipsed Ellie's. "You should just
get over yourself and ask her out."
He shook his head, suddenly looking
sheepish. "Nah. She'll say no. She's too pretty for me."
"That's about the dumbest thing I've heard
in my life. You're a nice guy. You always have been."
Jake looked down for a moment, studying the
doormat intently. "Not always, Charlotte. What Damian said today,
it's not much different to the sort of things I've said about you
before. I've just picked my time and place better. And I've never
said it to one of your boyfriends." He glanced up then, looking
contrite. "At least, not while he was your boyfriend, anyway."
"I've never had any boyfriends for you to
say it in front of." She shrugged. "Whatever. Look, ask her out.
She's not like what I was, in the past. She really isn't. No matter
what Damian has said about her, it's not true in her case and I
know he's spread shit about her, but he's a liar."
Jake nodded at that. "Yeah, I know he is.
That's one of the reasons why we let him get a pounding for so long
this morning. I probably would have let it go for longer but when I
saw him try and bite Toby I thought, whoa, no way. He'd end up with
some gross infection and need to have his arm taken off or
something. Anyway," Jake shrugged, sending Charlotte a half smile.
"I told Toby I'd follow up on it and I did. There's nothing really
wrong with Damian except for bruises, a couple of cuts, and a split
lip. He's fine. And he's not saying anything because he's too
embarrassed at having had his arse kicked to the curb in front of
all those girls." Jake laughed at that, but Charlotte could only
muster up a small smile. "Well," he continued, "I gotta go, can't
cut Science. That would be really pushing it. I'll see you
tomorrow, yeah?"
Charlotte nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, Jake, for
checking in and having Toby's back."
"No worries. Toby's a good guy. He's a mate.
I'll always have his back over someone like Damian. No
question."
"Ask her out, Jake," Charlotte persisted.
"Today. I mean it. You came off as a bit of a secondary hero this
morning, throwing yourself between them. She'll think it's a turn
on and totally say yes. It's perfect timing."
Jake looked at her with a crooked grin, his
head leaning to one side. "Are you just shitting me for a
laugh?"
Charlotte shook her head. "Absolutely not! I
mean it. Don't be a loser, trust me."
He shrugged and turned away from her,
heading down the front steps. "I know where you live if this all
goes wrong," he called over his shoulder.
"It won't!" She shut the door as he left the
yard and resumed her trek up to the kitchen, finding Toby there at
the table, picking at a sandwich, wearing only a pair of loose
shorts. "Hey," she said to him as she entered the room. He didn't
look up at her. "That was Jake at the door."
"Yeah. I heard."
"Why didn't you come up?" She pulled out a
chair beside him, plonking down onto it sideways so she could face
him.
"I didn't feel
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