2001

"Charlie!"

"God, Liz! You scared me!"

Charlie pressed her hand to her chest, where her heart was beating wildly. Oh, that Liz with her habit of sneaking up silently!

"What are you hiding there?" Liz craned her neck, trying to see the inside of the closet behind her sister.

"I'm not hiding anything! Will you stop snooping around here?" Charlie got angry.

"You are hiding something." Liz narrowed her eyes. "If you don't show me, I'll tell our mother!"

You are such a snitch!" Charlie stamped her foot, but she stepped back from the closet.

"Wow! What a beauty, Charlie!"

Liz gazed admiringly at the soft peach dress of silk and lace. Charlie was not afraid that their mother would see the dress. It's quite opposite, she would only be happy to see her daughter in something other than pants and shorts. Charlie did not want too much attention, because the family would certainly make a big event out of it.

"What is it for you?"

Liz stared suspiciously at a blushing Charlie.

"Liz, don't even bother!"

"Does it happen to be connected with the ball this Saturday and one shaggy guy?" Liz asked with a smile.

"It's none of your business," Charlie grumbled as she put the dress back in the closet.

Liz is so annoying!

"Hm. It just got weird."

"What?"

Liz slightly arched her thin brows.

"Melissa Matthews said her little sister had already asked Oliver Scott to come to the ball with her."

"Ollie?" Charlie's eyes widened. "My Ollie?"

Liz shrugged.

"Maybe not yours already."

Charlie gave her sister an angry look and ran out of the room. She had to find out immediately what Liz was talking about.

Ollie invited some girl to the prom? What is this news?! Yes, they did not agree that they would go together, but Charlie did not think that this was required.

The girl wheeled her bike out of the garage and headed towards Ollie's house, which was on the next street.

Ollie's room was on the second floor, but Charlie had no problem climbing a tree whose branches reached the roof, and she climbed onto one of them, and from there she had to whisk through the window. Once she was in the room, Charlie saw that it was empty.

Charlie paced the carpet with her hands on her hips, breathing loudly in anger. Well, where was he? His lacrosse practice was supposed to end half an hour ago. It would have been easier if she and Ollie had cell phones, almost everybody at school had cell phones, but her parents together with Ollie's parents thought it was too much.

Charlie was on her fifteenth lap when the door opened, when Ollie walked into the room with boots over his shoulder.

"Damn it, Charlie!" The boy shuddered, he was not expecting to see anyone.

"Oliver Scott, did you invite someone to the prom?" Charlie attacked him without wasting time on greetings - they saw each other today already.

"Um... Yes." Oliver hesitated, feeling blood rush to his cheeks. Only after he invited Holly Matthews he realized Charlie might not be thrilled about it.

"Did you fall in love with her?" The girl asked sullenly. She was confused at first, but then she got angry. She tried on a mountain of dresses like an idiot until she found one she thought he would like.

"Charlie, don't be stupid!" Ollie opened the closet doors, tossing his boots into the depths of the closet. "Listen, this is just a ball. You said it yourself that these gatherings suck."

Charlie rolled her eyes: the bastard is using her words against her!

"Yes, it sucks, but I thought we'd go there together to make fun of the fools who care about it," Charlie lied without faltering.

"We will! The only thing that will be different is that I will come with Holly. Is that a problem?"

Ollie stared at her, waiting for an answer. Charlie wanted to show him her tongue, but then she remembered that they were already fourteen. It is impossible to express all manifestations of feelings through sticking a tongue out.

But what an idiot Ollie is!

How could he think that she was ready to have fun if Holly was gonna be there, who, of course, finds him attractive. Not that Charlie herself thought he was that handsome, although Ollie had gotten so tall over the past summer and his shoulders had become wider from playing lacrosse. He also wore long bangs, even though she teased Ollie about resembling a poodle.

"As you wish. If you want to come with Holly, then come."

Charlie's words and appearance did not match. She didn't know what to say to discourage him from going with another girl, and she was especially annoyed by that.

"That's what I'm planning on doing," Ollie said defensively, glaring at Charlie unfriendly. It was their first conflict in a long time. And it's not even that Ollie really wanted to go to the ball with Holly Matthews, but he was tired of the guys from the team teasing about him and Charlie.

"Congratulations! Now I can come with someone else as well," Charlie blurted out before she had time to think. "I used to think you'd be alone, but now if you're with Holly..."

"Who are you coming with?" Oliver cut her off. He suddenly didn't like the idea that Charlie could go to the prom with some boy from their school.

" Doesn't matter." Charlie raised her chin. "You'll see him yourself on Saturday."

And using the same way she entered, Charlie left Oliver Scott's room, wondering how to get out of the situation now.

***

"Hey Alex!"

Alex Williams flinched and turned around, his eyebrows raised in surprise at the sight of Charlie Pierce lurking behind a locker. Actually, her name was Charlotte, but everyone, including the teachers, called the girl Charlie.

"Come here!"

Charlie pointed at Alex, and he came closer.

Charlie knew that Alex played with Ollie in the same lacrosse team, even though they weren't friends. This was the main reason why she decided to invite Alex to the ball. The girl was very nervous and hoped that Alex would not turn her down.

Ollie should regret bringing Holly with him when he sees her with Alex Williams.

"What is it, Pierce?"

Alex was intrigued. Yes, Charlie is a pretty girl, although she dresses and acts like a typical tomboy. But she was inseparable with Oliver Scott, everyone knows that.

"Have you asked anyone to come to the ball with you?" Charlie blurted out in one breath.

The boy shook his head in confusion.

"Nope."

"Will you come with me?"

"Aren't you going with Scott?" He asked suspiciously.

Charlie clenched her jaw.

"Will you go or not?"

Alex agreed without thinking twice, and he and Charlie agreed on the upcoming Saturday.

Well, hold on, Ollie.

***

Charlie looked angry all week and avoided Oliver, but he did not apologize, believing that his friend was acting childish. If she doesn't want to talk to him first, then be it.

Sometimes Ollie would forget about their argument and dialed her number, but then he stopped himself and hung up.

He didn't want to admit it, but Ollie really missed the long conversations with Charlie. For the majority of their lives, Ollie and Charlie talked to each other almost every day, except when someone was away to visit relatives or summer camp.

So by Saturday, when it was time to get ready for the ball, Ollie got quite bored. Screw this Holly Matthews! All he could think about was Charlie!

Ollie was also pissed off about her going to the prom with Alex Williams. It wasn't that Oliver didn't like Alex, but any guy who was attracted to Charlie in one way or another made him dislike them.

Ollie realized it was a mistake to ask Holly out a minute into their date. His companion chatted nonstop about some stupid things, which made him bored. Only good manners he got after his mother, kept Ollie from asking Holly to shut up. But about half an hour after the prom started, the appearance of Charlie made Holly's chatter inaccessible to Oliver's ears.

Charlie and Alex entered the gym, decorated for the dance night.

Charlie was wearing a dress - a beautiful pale peach dress. Her hair was gathered at the top of her head and fell in soft ringlets over her bare, fragile shoulders. Ollie had never seen Charlie, his Charlie, wearing a dress until tonight. And something strange happened to him: although he was sincerely admiring her, Ollie also felt angry, because this dress made Charlie someone else.

Ollie could not take his eyes off his friend the entire evening, even when he was dancing with that boring Holly. And Charlie did her best to pretend not to notice him. Ollie really hoped that this was just her ploy, because Charlie could not forget about him.

Having seized the moment when Williams was out somewhere, and Charlie was left alone, Ollie made up his mind and approached her.

"Why are you dressed up so funny, Charlie?" Ollie asked with an angry sneer. "Did you try to impress Williams?"

The girl shot him an angry look, but at the same time her lower lip twitched. She wanted to be beautiful, and first of all for him, but he considered her stupid and funny!

Charlie wanted to cry.

"You are such a fool, Oliver!"

"You are the one who is a true fool, Pierce!" Ollie got even angrier.

Charlie nudged him in the chest and left, and he dejectedly wandered back to Holly Matthews.

That evening, Oliver Mason Scott kissed a girl for the first time, while at the same moment Charlotte Pierce was crying in the toilet stall because of her best friend.