Charlotte's Tangled Web: L.B. Pavlov (42 page)

Nick sat with me as we drove from the airport to the hotel. He was asking me all about Daniel. I told him how he had been texting me, and he seemed happy for me. He told me to be cautious, but he was happy I would finally get some answers. When we got to the course, Coach Little came up and jogged the course with me.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“I’m really good, Coach Little,” I said happily.

“You seem good,” he replied. “I know you are only a freshman, Charlie, but I think you can do some great things on Saturday. I believe in you. You are our lead runner. You set the bar for everyone else, so go out there and give it everything you’ve got. The top ten runners are all within a few seconds of one another, so don’t lose sight of that front group, OK?” he advised excitedly.

“OK, I can do that,” I assured him with a smile.

“How’s the heart doing?” he asked.

“Well, Daniel and I have been texting, so that helps the heart a little bit,” I said softly.

“Of course it does. I’m happy you are getting that resolved, Charlie. You deserve it,” he said as we finished the course.

Saturday morning when I woke up, I had butterflies in my stomach. I looked at my phone, and there was a text from Daniel. It made my heart flutter.

Good luck today, Charlotte! You’re going to do great! I am always proud of you.

I’m so nervous, Daniel. I wish you were here with me. Good luck at your game. I really want to go to that Rose Bowl, so you have to have a great game!

I was actually surprised by what I wrote after I had sent it. I couldn’t believe had I told him that I wished he was here. But the truth was, I did wish he was here. And I didn’t care if it was right or wrong to say it. I was scared, and I wanted him with me. That would never change.

We were at the starting line, and I was terrified. It was a huge meet. Every good team and every good individual were at that race. My teammates were the best. We were in our huddle, and we did our chant. We all hugged, and Amelia turned to me and said, “Lead us to victory, freshy,” and we all laughed nervously.

The gun went off. It was an aggressive start. There were so many girls, and everyone was clustered together. I had learned to maneuver myself and get out of the way. Misty was to the right of me, and I almost got cut off at the turn, and she yelled, “Go,” letting me know I should turn in front of her to make the corner. I was off.

There was a large pack up front—maybe twelve girls in the pack, and I was in the back of it. I told myself to stay with that group of girls. It was a blazing pace, but I told myself to stay with them for as long as I could. With one mile to go, there were only maybe eight of us in the pack at that point. I was so fatigued. My legs were growing numb. Then I heard her voice. It was my mom. She told me to stay calm, and to relax my breathing and my arms. I suddenly felt peaceful.

With eight hundred meters to go, I heard Coach Little yelling at me to move to the outside and start kicking now. I thought I was kicking already. I didn’t know if I could go any faster, but I did what he told me to do. He knew what I was capable of. I moved to the outside, and I started to go. A few more girls started to fall off, and we were in an all-out sprint now. I could see the finish chute. I was pumping my arms as hard as I could. There were maybe five of us in the sprint-out, and I just kept pushing with all that I had. I had no feeling in my legs anymore. Only adrenaline was carrying me by then. I leaned into the chute. I looked up as I grabbed hold of the ropes, and I was dumbfounded: I had finished in third place.

I wondered what our times were. A girl from Oregon had won, and I couldn’t believe that I had sprinted it out with her because she was my idol. I couldn’t believe I was standing in the chute even near her. I felt so good. I turned around frantically to find my teammates. As soon as I made it out of the chute, I ran back to cheer. Misty was coming in next, and she was doing great. Amelia was close behind her, followed by Jen, and then Pearl. Our top five girls had all finished in the top sixty. Our score would be good. I could finally relax, and I had made it through my first college season.

Everyone was celebrating. We had finished in third place as a team. The boys had finished in second place, and Nick was the overall winner. I met his family, and they were all so sweet. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed my father. I jogged over. He had tears in his eyes. “Wow, Charlotte, you are amazing in every way,” he said.

“Thanks, Dad! It was a good day for everyone,” I said, smiling.

“You’re coming home Wednesday, right?” he asked.

“Yep, I’ll see you on Wednesday,” I said.

“Do you need a ride from the airport?” he offered quietly.

“No, Dad, I’m good. A friend is picking me up. But thank you,” I said, and I hugged him. It was the first time that my father and I had hugged in a long time.

“Charlotte, do you think we could find some time over Thanksgiving weekend to talk? There are some things that I need to talk to you about,” he said nervously.

“Yes. Is everything OK?” I asked anxiously.

“Oh yes, just some wrongs that I need to right,” he said.

“Oh OK, sure, Dad. I better get back to my team. Thanks for coming,” I said, smiling at him.

“Sure, sweetie,” and he winked at me.

My dad almost seemed recognizable. Something had happened. He seemed like his old self, before he had gone absolutely crazy. I ran to get my bag and checked my phone. He was there again. My heart started to race. Maybe Daniel and I really could get back on track somehow.

I’m about to start the game. Please text me with your results right away. The Stanford news takes a few hours, and I can’t wait. Don’t be nervous. You’ve got this! I know you are biting your lip! So stop it!

Lip is released, thank you. It went well, Daniel! I got third place, and my team got third place! Yahoo! I can’t wait to hear about your game. Please text me after! I will be anxious. Oh, my dad came to the race, and he actually seemed like he was somewhat back to normal. Maybe things are turning around.

I was truly happy. Our season had come to an end, and my team had finished well. I was happy with how I had done this season. I took a deep breath because I had survived. When I had come here six months ago, I was so scared and so sad. And I had made it. I was going home on Wednesday, and I was actually excited to go home. Life was returning to normal.

We had rushed back to the airport, and we were on our flight home. I hadn’t heard back from Daniel, and I hoped his game was going well. I had to turn my phone off until we landed.

By the time we got off the plane, we were all exhausted. Misty, Nick, and I had loaded our stuff into her car, and we were driving home. I was so tired; it had been a long day. I turned my phone back on during the car ride home. There was a text from Daniel.

Congratulations! You are unbelievable. I’m so proud of you. We won our game. It went really well. I can’t wait to see you on Wednesday. I have so much to tell you, Charlotte. And I’m really happy you spoke to your dad.

Yahoo! I’m so happy for you. I have a lot to tell you too. Mostly, I just really, really, really need to see you, Daniel. It’s been too long, and I’m so lost when I am not with you. Can you tell that I’m really tired because I’m so emotional? Sorry. See you Wednesday.

I like when you tell me how you feel. I am completely lost without you. Get some rest tonight. Sweet dreams, Charlotte.

Can I ask you something?

Anything.

Are you dating Crystal Bryant?

Absolutely not!

Now I can have sweet dreams. Thank you.

I will explain everything Wednesday.

I hope so. Good-night, Daniel.

Good-night.

My heart was pounding. I couldn’t believe how much I had missed him. I was so happy just to have him in my life again. And I was anxious to find out what he had to say on Wednesday.

Misty and I both slept most of Sunday, and when we finally got up, we ordered pizza and studied the rest of the night. Monday came and went in the blink of an eye. I had to get a lot done before I went home on Wednesday, so I was busy. Daniel and I had texted just a few more times on Sunday and Monday. Tuesday morning when I woke up, I checked my phone. I was becoming so dependent on those texts from Daniel. I loved hearing from him. But this time, when I looked at my phone, I knew right away that something was wrong. Daniel had texted me early in the morning.

Charlotte, something has happened. I can’t explain now. Please know that it isn’t true. I’m so sorry.

What? I don’t understand what that means. Are you OK?

I didn’t understand. What was this? Did he mean to send this to me? Was there more that he had to explain now? I looked down at my phone. I had a notification from Notre Dame news. I clicked on it, and there it was. The headline read “Pregnant Freshman Accuses Hollingsworth of Fathering her Baby.”

My heart felt like it had stopped beating as I read the article. Are you kidding me, I thought. It was not a dream; it was for real. The freshman girl was none other than Crystal Bryant from our very own St. Viator’s High School. She claimed that she and Daniel had an ongoing affair and that she had become pregnant with his baby. Notre Dame would now have to investigate, and Daniel would be suspended and lose his scholarship if he was found guilty. Being a Catholic school, Notre Dame would not allow the student to remain at the school if the allegations were true. The article went on to say that these accusations had huge ramifications for both Hollingsworth and the Notre Dame football team as they prepared to head to the Rose Bowl in the next couple of weeks. Head Coach Lee Armsworth said, “Daniel [Hollingsworth] maintains his innocence, and he has the support of his coaches and teammates. Daniel is a good kid, and I have no reason not to trust him.”

I was beside myself. Is that what he wanted to meet with me about on Wednesday to tell me? That Crystal was pregnant? After he insisted he wasn’t dating her? What did the text from him mean? Why did he say it wasn’t true? Did he mean the pregnancy wasn’t true? Or that he would be kicked out of school? Did he just not want me to hear about it this way? I couldn’t even comprehend what I had just read. Daniel would be a father. It was officially over. There would be no turning back now. He would be officially attached to Crystal Bryant for the rest of his life. I fell back on my bed, and the tears started coming down my cheeks. I was done. This was officially too much for me. And he had just lied to me when he told me that they weren’t together.

I had known Daniel for most of my life, and he was the most honest person that I knew. Daniel never lied. He was a straight-shooter, and I counted on that from him. Had he completely changed? I decided to throw on my running shoes and go for a run. I ran for a long time, and I tried to clear my head. I decided that I would not be going home tomorrow after all. I would stay here at school. I couldn’t go home now. I needed to stay away from Daniel, and he obviously had plenty on his plate right now and far too much to possibly explain to me on Wednesday at this point. Hadn’t I been hurt enough? Why was this happening?

I went back to my room, and I e-mailed Lenora. I told her something had come up, and I wouldn’t be able to make it home for Thanksgiving. I asked her to please let my father know that I wouldn’t be coming home after all. I called the airline and canceled my flight. I would stay on campus; I was sure that other students stayed on campus too. I wouldn’t even tell Misty because she would just feel bad for me. She and Todd were driving to her parents’ house late that night. They wouldn’t even have to know I was staying here because I wasn’t supposed to leave until the next day. I took a shower, put on some cozy sweats, and slipped into bed. I couldn’t think about it anymore.

There was a knock at my door. “Charlie? Are you OK?” I heard Misty’s sweet voice ask.

“Oh yeah, just took a little nap. Are you getting ready to go?” I asked her quietly.

“Yes, it’s six o’clock. You’ve been asleep all afternoon. Are you OK?” she asked again in her naturally kind and caring voice.

“Oh yes, I think I’m just tired,” I said.

“OK, good luck tomorrow. You have to text me, OK?” she said softly. And then she leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

“I love you, Charlie!” she said as she gave me a big hug.

“I love you too, Misty. Drive safely,” I said, and I closed my eyes, trying desperately to escape the news that had just resurfaced.

I slept through the rest of the day and night, and when I woke up Wednesday morning, my entire body ached from a combination of both sadness and hunger. I quickly showered, dressed, and grabbed my backpack. I had to attend one class that morning. My phone was filled with texts from my brothers, my father, Kathleen, and Steph, all of them asking when I was coming home. I quickly texted Kathleen and Steph and told them that something had come up at school, and I wouldn’t be coming home after all.

The text from my father said that he would be at a preliminary hearing at Notre Dame today because Grace and Tom had called him and asked him to represent Daniel. He said that he had to try to help Daniel, but he would be home late that night, and we could talk then. He obviously hadn’t spoken to Lenora yet. My head started to spin. I wondered why Daniel needed a lawyer if his girlfriend was pregnant. It wasn’t like Daniel to not just own up and do the right thing. And what kind of girlfriend goes to the press about her pregnancy? Crystal would also be kicked out of Notre Dame for this. What could she be thinking? Maybe she was mad that he was going to meet with me to explain the pregnancy.

None of it made any sense, but really, nothing made sense anymore. The texts from my brothers asked what time I would be coming home and if I had heard what had happened to Daniel, and how upset everyone was. I quickly texted them all back and said that something had come up at school, and I wouldn’t be able to come home after all. I had a busy couple of days and probably wouldn’t speak to them until later next week. I didn’t want to talk to anyone—at least not right then.