“Get the hell out of my apartment. Don’t you ever come back here George. Do you understand me.”

He stumbles back and looks dumbfounded. Realization seems to hit him as I walk him backward the rest of the way to the door.

“I’m sorry Charlie. That wasn’t a good thing. Let me start over.”

I slam the door in his face. I’m shaking with anger. What if he led Corky right to my house? I was safe here and now I could possibly be in danger.

I want to see Ada. I contemplate what might happen if I just go to her house. She won’t like that. She is a girl who likes to know what’s going on. I war with myself back and forth drinking my beer and pacing in my kitchen.

She may not like it and she may not want me to, but I’m going to her house. I want her to know I’m there for her even if she decides to push me away. I can’t fix whatever’s changed in such a short time if she won’t talk to me. I go get my personal car and start the drive to her house. It’s getting close to eleven and I know she’s probably already asleep since she has class tomorrow, but I can’t help myself.

I make my way up to her door and find my heart is beating really hard.

“Addy, let me in I want to see you.” I knock again and still get no answer. I knock louder. Her neighbors are going to start to get upset.

“Charlie, go away.” I finally got a response and it’s not a great one, but it’s a response.

“What do you mean? Talk to me, Ada. Tell me why you changed your mind.” Yelling through the door is drawing attention now. There is a door cracked down the hallway.

“I just did Charlie. Please leave.”

“Did you change your mind about me too?” My breath catches in my chest. I don’t want to know her answer.

“Yes,” I hear footsteps as she runs away and a door slam inside the apartment. I hit the door hard in frustration and then make my way out as more doors open.

I don’t understand what could have happened. There wasn’t any difference between yesterday and today. I didn’t call her until five but I’d kissed her goodbye this morning. The only thing I can think to do is go to the bar. So that’s what I do.

I avoid any bars I’ve been to before and I’m surprised when I walk in to find Paulie at this one. I didn’t know he drank. I slide into the barstool beside him and the two of us drink together for a while.

I tell him all about my issues with George and Ada. I feel like unloading on him is unfair, but I really look at him like a father figure. I certainly don’t have a real one in my life. He listens and drinks. It’s a nice night. After a while, he leaves to go home to his wife and I stay drinking and reflecting on everything I did and everything I said to Ada.

I’ve never let a girl get to me like she is. It’s unnerving and I don’t like it.

After a few drinks and more missed calls from George, I take a cab home, throw my phone in the toilet and fall face first into bed.

At three in the morning, I awake suddenly. I’ve been having a nightmare of Ada being at Corkys with me. I blame George and then I re

member I threw my phone in the toilet.

I’m pleased to find I just threw it at the toilet and thankfully it went into the trash can. I check it for messages from Ada. The hangover is already starting. I will figure this out.

Chapter Eighteen

Ada

Tuesday, I just go through the motions at work. I don’t want to think about Charlie and he’s all I can think about. I get to substitute for a nicer teacher. Mrs. Martinez is a nice older teacher who doesn’t secretly hate me while pretending to be nice. It doesn’t help that I’m hungover and perhaps a little bit still drunk when I get to the school. I decide I need to go get some coffee before I start a new adventure in substituting.

I will say since I talked down to the blondies and told Madeline’s class I’d make them have Saturday detention they haven’t really spoken to me. It’s nice. After homeroom, I teach her math class. By teach I mean I supervise while they do the assignment she left. I’m a terrible math person. I can barely add and subtract. Fortunately, they don’t require you to be good at math to sub for a math class.

Before I know it, I’m having a quiet lunch at the desk and catching up on my reading. I’ve only thought about Charlie three times in the past hour. My music class isn’t until one so I decide to go walk the track and get in some much-needed exercise.

I immediately regret my decision having forgotten it’s free period for the English teachers and they are there in their matching tracksuits, a rainbow of spandex and sweatbands. Each of them is very fit and a little intimidating when you look at their bodies. I am just walking in the dress pants and shirt I wore to work. I wasn’t planning on working up enough of a sweat to make workout clothes necessary. They’re definitely going to make me look bad.

I head to the track passing them as they stretch. Making it a full lap before they actually start walking gives me hope they will just ignore me. I have no such luck as they immediately catch up.

“So, word on the street is you’re seeing Charlie Maxwell,” Madeline says as she walks beside me. Hallie and Penny are on the other side so I’m trapped in a blond sandwich. Each of their water bottles filled with ice clink as they move their arms walking fast. I find myself speeding up to keep up with them and wonder how that happened.

I don’t want to answer her. Who says word on the street? They’re always trying to sound much cooler than they are.

Tags: Mia Ford Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net