“Wait, what? I don’t understand.” His brows furrow, lips parting in disbelief. “She flew all this way to see you. What happened?” He shuts the drawer and slides onto the couch.
“Apparently when she showed up, Charlotte came out of my room wearing my clothes. She accused me of cheating on her. I don’t even know what the fuck she was doing in my room last night. Please tell me there’s someone who can vouch that I didn’t sleep with Charlotte.”
He sighs. “I wish I could tell you, man. I left with Katie after we played beer pong, so I don’t know what happened after that.” He shakes his head, placing a hand on my shoulder. “This has to be a misunderstanding. I know you’re not capable of doing something like that. Maybe you should go talk to Charlotte.”
After I pull myself together enough to be seen in public, I barge though the girls’ dormitory and demand someone to tell me where Charlotte’s room is.
“She’s in room 102.” A short brown-haired girl points to the hall on the left.
I stomp down the hall, avoiding everyone’s stares as I locate her room. “Charlotte, open up the fucking door!” I yell, pounding the door with my fist.
The door swings open and Charlotte standsthere with a towel slung across her shoulder and a bag of toiletries in her hand. “Oh, hey, babe. I was about to hop in the shower.” She leans into me, placing her hand on my chest. “You’re more than welcome to join me if you’d like.”
I shove her off of me. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
She scrunches her brows. “What are you talking about?”
“Annalise broke up with me because ofyou! She thinks I cheated on her. You destroyed our relationship!”
“I didn’t know you were still together, I swear!” Charlotte throws her hands up in defense. “I was shocked when I saw her. You told me you broke up with her before we slept together.”
“Stop lying!” I snap. “She’s the love of my life. I would never do that to her.”
“Maddy Bear, why would I ever lie to you?” she says, placing her hand on my cheek.
Who the hell does she think she is? Calling me by the nickname Annalise gave me—which is something I’ll probably never hear again.
“Don’t fucking call me that!” I shout, swiping her hand away.
“Why are you being such a jerk? You were so loving and tender last night.”
“Tell me the truth, Charlotte!” I bang my fist on the door, the impact making her flinch and jump back. “Why the fuck were you in my room last night? And why were you wearing my clothes?”
She rolls her eyes. “I told you already. We slept together. You ripped off my clothes and I needed something to wear, so you gave me yours.”
“You’re lying.” I shake my head. “I would never do that to her. I love her too much.”
“You really don’t remember what happened?” she says, lifting her eyes to mine.
“I was fucked up, Charlotte. I don’t remember jack shit.”
She pauses for a moment, taking a deep breath. “Okay, so I might have made up the part about you telling me you broke up with Annalise…”
I knew it. I knew I didn’t sleep with her.
“But I didn’t lie about us having sex. I didn’t want you thinking less of me for sleeping with you while knowing you were still with Annalise. I’ve been in love with you since high school. What we had back then was more than just a fling to me.”
All the air leaves my lungs. The room starts spinning. Charlotte continues talking but I can’t hear a word she’s saying.
Fuck. Did I sleep with her last night? Did I mistake her for Annalise?
No—this can’t be true. Charlotte can’t be trusted. I have to find out the truth.
In the days that followed, I combed through social media posts and tried to make a list of everyone who attended the party. It was impossible to find out who all was there because there were so many people who came and went at different times. I know Annalise wouldn’t believe my word alone, so I was desperate to find proof that Charlotte was lying.
I contacted everyone I could, asking if they saw me interact with Charlotte or if they saw her go into my bedroom. But no one seems to know a thing. I feel so helpless.
I call Annalise’s cell, hoping this time I hear her voice on the end. But, just like the other hundreds of times I’ve called, it goes straight to voicemail.
