Charlotte sat in the common room just below the dorms, surrounded by her friends. Shreya was in the midst of a lively conversation with Zeph, who was listening intently at her tale. To the side, Griffin sat at the edge of his seat, confused but making an effort to understand them. Beckett was across from her, a book in hand. His brows were knit together, head almost burrowed into the pages. All in the meantime, Charlotte had a textbook on her lap but she failed to open it. Normally, her assignments would be done by now. However, someone managed to distract her every single time she cracked open the book. It was none other than Beckett Harrington. She absolutely hated him.
From the very beginning of her time at Penderghast, he had been nothing but a pain in the ass. Luckily for her, she had to spend a detention with him later on in the day. Whenever Charlotte brought up a point, he would always counter with a condescending remark. Granted, it may not have seemed like a big deal but it sure did to the fire-att. At the mere sight of her, Beckett seemed to tense up, clenching his jaw. His face fell back into its stoic default; eyes cold and almost as if there was a storm brewing. It wasn’t because he was a metal-att, that’s no excuse. No, it was because he was constantly on her mind.
She knew one thing for sure, it was not a crush. Despite Shreya and Zeph’s constant mockery, it was nothing close to a crush. How could she have feelings for the biggest asshole on campus?
“Charlotte? Earth to Elthridge?” She snapped out of her thoughts, head shot up at the sound of her name. “Hm?”
“We’re going to Penn Square, at least the cool ones are.” Shreya gave an ice cold glare towards Griffin who shrugged, “I have thief practice.”
She rolled her eyes, “Back to the point. Want to come along? I heard that they added a few more pop-up shops that I’ve been dying to see! When does your next class start?” Charlotte pressed the button of her phone and the screen glowed, 12 PM. Her eyes widened in panic as she stood straight up. “Crap! I’m going to be late to class, sorry! Don’t have too much fun without me! Bye!” She collected her things, leaving in a frenzy. The group said their goodbyes and waved farewell.
“Bye, Sunshine.” Beckett muttered. Zeph looked at Shreya, who gasped and leaned back in her seat. Griffin simply chuckled. “Sunshine,” she squeaked “I knew it!” The enthusiastic friend practically jumped out of her seat, pointing back at the flustered guy. “You have a thing for Charlotte!”
Beckett’s heart stopped as his voice got stuck in his throat. His cheeks turned into a bright pink as he stammered, “N-no. I don’t know what you’re talking about. If anything I despise her.” Punctuated with a cough, trying his best to cover it up. It didn’t work.
“Oh sure. Totally. It’s not like you just called her sunshine! It’s a horrific pun, but you have a valid excuse! Oh my god,” she paused to take a deep breath as Zeph continued her thought, “we need to make this happen!” They squealed.
“Also, if you ‘despised’ her so much, why are you hanging out with us? We haven’t talked a whole lot yet.” Zeph questioned.
“We live in the same building.”
“You would have sat somewhere else if it weren’t for her.”
“I wanted to get to know everyone better?”
“Nice try, but we already know you from what Charlotte’s said.” Charlotte told them about me? He tilted his head and sat a bit straighter, “What’d she say?”
“Only the bad stuff. Imagine all of the synonyms for infuriating.” His heart sunk. Wait, why did he care about what she thought? Something about Charlotte made him feel- no, he cut himself off. He did not feel anything but anger towards her. He knew that if he stayed here, the teasing would not end.
“Um, I’m running late for my..class..so I’ll just make my way out.” He tugged at his shirt and scrambled to get away from his company as fast as he could. “Bye, sunshine!” A high pitched voice called.
He would never be able to live this down.
Charlotte burst through the doors of the library with seconds to spare. She stopped in her tracks to admire the books, flying above her head. Yeah, makes sense. There were floors and floors filled with shelves, massive columns at the end and a grand chandelier at the very center. They must have a good source of funding. She found Beckett surrounded by mountains of books at a table. He tapped a bookmark on the wood as he scanned through the pages, head resting on his arm. Okay, Charlotte; she thought to herself. You can do this. Only three hours with him. It could be worse.
She took a cautious step towards him, “Okay let’s get this over with.” He peered at his watch, “Just a few minutes late, but no time like the present.” She rolled his eyes only to be met with a glare, “Familiars aren’t allowed in the library. Did you not read the sign?” Charlotte glanced at Tim, who croaked happily in her arm. “Oh. I guess I’ll just bring Tim up to my room.”
“Don’t be silly, just tell him to go off to the ether,” he stated as if it was common sense. Looking down at the Gorgue with an unsure look on her face she questioned, “Go off to the ether?” Almost instantly, Tim disappeared. Charlotte pointed at the book that sat open, “So what are you reading? There bound to be some interesting stories here!” He immediately tucked the bookmark between the pages and shut it closed.
“I’m not here to start a book club, Charlotte. I’m only here because you got me into this mess.” He walked away towards the shelves. “Are you kidding me, Harrington?!” she cried out. The students in the library all turned their heads towards her. She huffed, slowly heading towards the shelves dreading the next few hours.
As if an eternity had passed, she slid a book into its rightful place and turned around to lean against the shelf. Beckett had his back to her, deep in concentration. It seemed as if he was always in his own world, distant from everyone else. He peered over his shoulder to meet a pair of dark brown eyes. “Taking a break already?”
“If I have to look at another book about the Eloquent History of Macicks and Attunements, I’d set this place on fire.”
“I suppose you’re right, this is even making me hate the library.” A brief silence followed before she spoke up, “I never got to say thanks for what you did back there. You didn’t have to do that.”
“Oh I’m well aware, just don’t make this a big deal.” He turned and faced Charlotte who scoffed, “Why are you always like this? It hasn’t even been a full week yet, and you’re already giving me a headache!”
“I beg to differ! You are just,” he paused to think of something to say but nothing came to mind. “You’re impossible! You are the reason why I already have a detention this year!” She stood up straight, squaring her shoulders. “Why is everything my fault, huh? Looks like all I ever do is screw up!” She took a step towards him, tilting her head up to look him in the eye. His jaw was clenched as she poked his chest with her finger, “I’m just trying my best and you’re sitting on your high horse yelling at me for god knows why. One warning is no big deal! So what? Do you hear how ridiculous you sound right now? Why does this matter so damn much to you?” Her voice was loud, seething with fury. He matched the furious look in her eyes, faces only inches apart. Her cheeks were red, from her outburst. He never noticed her faint freckles until now. Breaking away from her gaze, he gave her an answer.
“Because I have to excel.” Taking in a deep breath, his posture seemed more relaxed. She backed away, giving him space. “If I’m not at the top or if I don’t win the Attuned Magickae Uirtus Award, then all of this would mean nothing.”
“You’re saying that all of the experiences and memories you make don’t mean anything in the long run?”
“It’s not like that, someone like you wouldn’t get it.” He turns away, casting a spell to round up the books flying overhead, but one manages to escape. “Someone like me.” Charlotte mutters. He walks away, chasing down the book as she shelves one book after the other.
Moments later, he returns and the silence is thick. Suddenly, Charlotte darts on top of a chair, jumping up to get a hold of a book. Beckett stops himself from smiling, “You’re going to hurt yourself.” She looks down at him, “You actually care about my wellbeing? I’m shocked.”
“I care about not causing a scene in the middle of the library. There’s an easier way to do it.” He casts the same spell from earlier, the book fluttering into his hands. “Okay, now you’re just showing off again.” she claims, jumping down from the chair. “I guess I can teach you how to do it. You know, to prevent you from making a bigger fool of yourself.” His hands are in his pockets as he looks at the ground. “To think, we were finally having a heart to heart moment.”
He guides her through the steps and after a few minutes, she executed it perfectly. The task was complete and they went their separate ways. Charlotte couldn’t stop herself from thinking about him, as she could’ve sworn she saw him smile.