Part One: Chapter Four

Part One: The Spider

At four thirty, Chuck awoke to the darkness. She exhaled and began to dress for school. After tossing on her glasses, wishing instead for her contacts, she brushed her dark brown curls back into a ponytail. Her fingers caressed the faint white line along her neck. After a final practice of her awkward introductory smile in the mirror, she popped her knee out of its joint to relieve the lingering pain if only for a moment. Then she plodded down the stairs.

“Charlotte, you’re up early.” Mr. DiRagno stated blandly.

“Yes, sir. My leg was hurting so I thought I’d get some ice…”

He grunted, “You should’ve asked Ellen.”

Chuck pulled back a bit. “I’ll remember that for next time.”

Mr. DiRagno stalked off.

A shudder trickled up Charlotte’s back as she headed into the kitchen.

Ellen was in there furiously preparing breakfast.

“Hello.”

With a knife in her hand, she whipped around. “Oh. It’s you. You scared me.” She returned to chopping.

“Would you like some help?”

She snorted a laugh. “I doubt a little rich girl like you has ever lifted a knife.”

Chuck slid a knife out of the butcher’s block on the counter. She maintained eye contact with Ellen as she thinly sliced half of an onion. “Well?”

“Who taught you to do that?”

A wistful sigh passed her lips. “My mom did. She was an amazing cook. She made the greatest sauce I’ve ever smelled.” Charlotte reached into her unfamiliar skirt pocket to pull out a familiar photo. “That’s her.” She smiled pointing to a woman with curly dark hair in the photo.

“Is that your father?” Curious, Ellen pointed to a tall thin man with light hair and glasses.

Chuck nodded.

“And who’s this?”

Chuck was a bit sad as she explained, “That’s my big brother, Robbie. He just won his last football game as a high school senior. He had an athletic scholarship to BC.”

“Charlotte, you’re crying.”

“J-just ignore it. It happens a lot-t. I miss them.” Chuck tucked the photo away. She wiped away tears.

“Ellen, I want my breakfast served promptly at six thirty if that’s not too much to ask of a maid. Charlotte, you don’t need to be nice to the help.” Mrs. DiRagno sauntered through the room.

“I was offering her some help. If I’m going to live here, I might as well help out.” Charlotte explained.

“You’re not a maid, Charlotte.” Mrs. DiRagno chimed. “I won’t have you doing housework. Do you understand?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Breakfast was just as uncomfortable as dinner. Mr. and Mrs. DiRagno barely spoke as they picked at toast and fruits.

Chuck couldn’t stomach anything before her first day. She sat silently, cleaning the lenses of her glasses on her maroon sweater. At six, Charlotte left the house, taking down the main road for the red brick high school. Her gut fluttered at the sight of the school. She was close enough to touch the sign in the front of the school.

Other girls flooded in, not noticing Charlotte.

Chuck exhaled and swallowed and gained the courage to enter the building.

Inside, it seemed like any other school with brick walls, and a main office upon entry.

Her unsteady feet guided her up to a woman in the office. She gave Chuck a friendly smile and asked what she could do for her.

“I’m Charlotte Montgomery. I’m new…”

“Of course! Of course! Here’s your schedule, and your student handbook and your student agenda. I heard about your leg; do you want your handicapped pass?”

After blushing, Chuck snapped defensively, “I’m not handicapped.” Charlotte thanked her nonetheless and went to leave, but the woman beckoned, “You have a guide on your first day. Elizabeth Johnston will help you around. We made sure that the two of you had all the same classes.”

A girl with brown hair with streaks of highlighted blonde came over, grinning as well. Her most distinguished feature was a pair of shining blue eyes. “Hi! You must be Charlotte. I’m Lizzie. Let me show you to your locker.” Lizzie hooked arms with Chuck and dragged her off.

“Um…Lizzie?” Chuck stumbled behind her as her leg began to burn.

“Yeah, Charlotte?”

She explained, “You’re making my leg hurt.”

After halting, Lizzie apologized. “So why’d you transfer?”

“I just moved to town.”

“From where?”

“South east part of Massachusetts near the Rhode Island border.”

“Oh, okay. So this is your locker, number one one five eight. Do you have any siblings?”

Chuck wasn’t sure how to answer. She decided on, “Not anymore.”

Lizzie’s pep seemed to fade ever so slightly. “Oh…I’m so sorry. Is that why you moved?”

“Yeah, it is. Do you have any siblings?”

Lizzie answered chipper, “I have a twin brother, P.J.”

Nodding, Chuck opened her new locker to inspect its condition. The phrase, ‘Screw you, b***h’ was etched on the inside. “Now I have high hopes…” She mumbled sarcastically.

“Not everyone is like that.” Lizzie grinned. “So are you ready for history?”

Chuck shrugged. History wasn’t a challenge for her.

“Well, come on then, Charlotte!”

Charlotte trailed slowly behind her. “I actually don’t like being called Charlotte… I prefer Chuck…”

“I’m sorry…Chuck.” The word sounded awkward as it usually did to anyone outside of her immediate family. Charlotte was just too formal for her liking.

The door to her first class opened. A room full of gawping teenage girls in dark crimson sweaters stared at her.

After moving her gaze from the chalkboard, a woman who looked older than Mrs. DiRagno scrunched her wrinkled sagging face in immediate disapproval. “Take your seat, Elizabeth.”

 Lizzie scuttled over to her seat instantly.

“Sorry to stop our lesson for the moment girls, but, you know that some students love to make a scene by waltzing into a new school in the middle of the semester. I want you to read pages one fifty to one sixty. Take notes. No talking.”

Charlotte blushed a little at the thought of drawing attention to herself.

The woman snapped urging Charlotte to her desk. Once Chuck stumbled over, the woman began, “My name is Mrs. Warner. I doubt some grimy public school taught you anything and you can bet I’m not going to waste any time catching you up. There is no talking, eating, drinking, gum chewing, instant messaging, leaving, smoking, or talking. Especially talking. When girls gather they gossip and my classroom will not be part of that. Any questions, Miss Montgomery?”

Charlotte was shaking from her harsh speech. She dared not open her mouth. A shallow cough sounded from somewhere behind her; Charlotte thought it may be a warning.

“Miss Montgomery, were you listening to me? I asked if you had any questions.”

With her gaze directed at the floor, Chuck answered in barely a whispered, “No, ma’am.”

“Look me in the eye, girl. When you look at the floor and tremble, it’s a sign of weakness. Just how weak are you, Miss Montgomery?” Her slithering tone crawled through Charlotte’s skin.

Chuck moved up her chin slightly enough to see beady coals in sockets glaring at her. She had been told her own eyes were at times hard to stare at, but never to the extent where even if one wasn’t focusing on her eyes, he knew they were watching him.

“Now sit, Charlotte. The desk behind Ericka will do.”

Her eyes scanned the room; a girl with a small smile waved to her. Relieved, Charlotte tucked herself behind the dark-haired girl and began to read the assigned pages in her newly received textbook.

After class, Chuck sighed.

“Don’t worry. Mrs. Warner is probably the meanest person in the building,” Lizzie assured her with a grin. “I have to grab some books out of my locker. Do you want to follow me or…”

“I actually have to use the bathroom…”

“It’s that door on the left. Then follow the main hall until you see room one oh four. That’s English class.”

Absorbing the directions, Charlotte nodded. She tucked into the restroom. It was partially defaced, as any other public restroom would be.  It emitted the faint distinct odor of urine.

“Well, haven’t seen you ‘round these parts ‘fore, have we girls?” A tall wide girl smirked down at Chuck, who, for once, cursed her small stature silently in her head.

“I’m new,” Chuck grumbled quietly. Being careful to avoid the girl and her gang, she stepped by them.

“You said you’re new. Seems to me like you need a little initiation ceremony, four eyes.” She snatched Chuck from behind and shoved into one of the stalls.

“Let go! Let go!” In her grasp, Chuck squirmed and flailed her limbs in a feeble attempt to shake free. In these vigorous movements, her backpack fell off.

The girl dropped Charlotte with her head on the rim of the toilet. “Ready? And a one two three!” Her thick fist shoved Charlotte’s head into the grimy grey bowl. While her other hand flushed the toilet, the rest of the girls in the restroom began to scour through Charlotte’s backpack.

Water swirled around Chuck’s head. She held her breath unsure of the bacteria in the filthy greenish water. Her glasses were crooked on her face and she feared that they would fall into the drain. After inhaling the nasty water, she coughed.

The girl whipped Chuck’s head out of the water. “Welcome to Leman’s!”

Chuck wiped her face off and squeezed the excess water from her hair. After standing up, she dunked her hand back into the water and pulled out her glasses. Her heart sunk as torn pages along with a ripped cover littered the floor of the bathroom. As an athlete, Charlotte had some unspoken immunity to bullies at her old school. With her leg and her glasses though, she figured that was going to change.

Author's Note

Huppy Readin'

Reviews

[Ardeth Lane]

I hate it when people bully others, and hope Chuck gets to punch them in the face for it one day. Seriously, like, in the face. Between the eyes. Maaaybe break their nose. Good chapter though, it's sad how stuck up the DiRagno's are. Not family people are they? I'm really excited to see why they adopted her though. :) Good job! Good job!