Page 125 - The Life of A Teenage Girl (Stories About Finding Your Way)

SO… THAT WAS FRIENDSHIP?

“Oh, yeah. I know.”
“Well, I’m Charlie—but people call me Charls.”

“Oh, nice. I actually thought the name Charlie was meant for

boys.”
“Really?” I tilted my head, getting a bit interested.

“Yeah! And honestly, I marked it in my notebook—‘Names for
Boys.’”

I didn’t know if what he said was that funny, but I couldn’t hold
back my laugh—it slipped out louder than I meant, and a few heads

turned. He had a really good sense of humor—the kind of person you

don’t get tired of talking to. I had a feeling we’d get along well.
At home, Mom and Dad were still arguing, but this time it

escalated. Dad raised his hand like he was about to hit her, and without
even thinking, I stepped in. I grabbed his arm and pushed it back before

he could do anything.
My voice shook as I said, “Dad, what are you doing?”

He froze, completely stunned—like even he couldn’t believe what

just happened. “Uh, I… I—”
“Did you just try to hit Mom?” My voice was breaking down. I

didn’t want to cry, but… I could see Mom’s tears dripping down.

Mom then turned to me and said, “Oh, honey, he was just… about
to wipe my tears. Yeah… tears.”

“Wipe your tears? Mom, why do you keep lying to me? First, I
hear you guys talking about a financial problem, and then you tell me

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