Charlotte's Tangled Web: L.B. Pavlov (25 page)

Coach Miroballi and I had decided that I would run all four events at regionals. I was excited and ready for the challenge. He believed in me, and I wanted to make him proud. The best part of all was the four times eight-hundred-meter relay because Kathleen, Steph, and I were all on it together, and Maddie Owens was the fourth girl, and we liked her a lot too.

I was also getting excited about prom. Regionals was Saturday morning, and prom would be later that night. I was so excited to wear my dress. The shoes and purse were also beautiful, and I would probably be the only girl who didn’t have sore feet at the end of the night because most of the others would be wearing four-inch heels.

The following week was the state meet, and then track season would be over. Graduation was the week after that, and then high school would also be over. Time was going by so quickly. I was looking forward to summer break, though. Daniel and I had both decided to spend our last summer at home, and I would not pack up and leave until the middle of August. Coach Little had agreed to let me do my summer training in Indiana, but I would follow his schedule. I wanted every last minute I could have at home with Daniel.

I walked out of practice, and Daniel was standing in front of his truck smiling. I stared at him, thinking about how much I would miss him standing at his truck waiting for me next year. He gave me a huge hug and spun me around. “Easy day today?” he asked.

“Yes, we’re really winding down, so it was a fun, easy practice,” I said, smiling as I climbed into the truck.

“My mom invited everyone over for dinner. Lenora is coming. I guess your dad is working late, so he won’t be able to make it,” he said. “She is barbequing ribs and chicken, and the house already smells so good,” he added, laughing.

“Oh good, that sounds great. I wish my dad wasn’t working so much. Aside from track meets, I hardly see him,” I said, suddenly deep in thought. Why
was
he working so much? He worked late every night and really only took a break for track meets. What would happen when I was away at school? Would he work himself to death?

“Why are you biting your lip?” Daniel asked flirtatiously, smiling at me. “What are you thinking about?”

“I just hope my dad’s OK. He sure is working a lot lately,” I said as we pulled into his driveway. “I’m going to take a quick shower, and then Lenora and I will be over soon,” I said and gave him a hug.

“Sounds great, I’ll see you in a few.” He winked.

.

chapter
11

surprise! surprise!

I stopped at the mailbox on my way to the house, but it was already empty. Someone had beaten me to it. I walked in the door calling, “Hello, I’m home!”

“Hi, sweetie. I’m just in the kitchen making some potato salad to take over for dinner,” Lenora replied.

“Did someone get the mail?” I asked, curious about the empty box.

“Yes, honey. I was out talking to the gardener when the mailman showed up. It’s all on your dad’s desk,” she hollered back.

I ran into Dad’s office and fumbled through the pile. There it was: a letter addressed to me from Notre Dame. Thank goodness Dad wasn’t home. That would not have been a good thing. I tucked it in my backpack, gave Lenora a hug as a passed through the kitchen, and raced upstairs. I tossed everything on my bed, and my heart began to race. I mentally prepared myself for the rejection and reminded myself that whatever happened was meant to be. At least I had tried. I tore the envelope open and stared at the words on the page:

Dear Miss Charlotte Ford,

Congratulations. You have been accepted to the University of Notre Dame.

I stopped reading. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I had actually been accepted. I could go to school with Daniel. We could stay together. I would be close to home, and I could keep an eye on my dad. I could see Lenora all the time. I would be at school with all three of my brothers. I would be able to drive to see Kathleen and Steph. I hadn’t realized how badly I wanted to go there until I got the acceptance letter. I read the rest of the letter, and found that I had a few weeks to get payments made and fill out some final paperwork. I folded up the letter and hid it behind my bookshelf.

I thanked my mom for showing me the path that I should take. I had always felt like she was steering me in the right direction throughout my life. I wasn’t going to tell anyone yet. I had some time to get my ducks in a row, and I wasn’t up for a big fight yet. I would wait until after the state meet and then talk to Dad, Daniel, and, of course, Coach Little.

I showered quickly and pulled on one of my favorite cotton sundresses to be comfortable. I let my hair air dry wavy and swiped on a little mascara and a dab of lipgloss. Then I ran down to get Lenora. “You are awfully jolly this evening, Charlotte, are you getting excited for prom?” she asked sweetly.

I couldn’t tell her why I was so happy. I couldn’t tell anyone. I had to do this correctly. I would have to handle this properly to make my dad understand why this was a good decision. “Yes! I can’t wait for prom!” I beamed.

I grabbed the tray of brownies that she had made, and she grabbed the potato salad, and we walked over to the Hollingsworths’ for dinner.

Dinner was wonderful. I got up to clear the table, and Daniel insisted that I sit down and rest while he cleared. Everyone was laughing. Daniel had a way of charming his mom and Lenora into doing things for him, so this act was impressive. I was sitting in the kitchen, watching him load the dishes in the dishwasher. He was talking and laughing, and I couldn’t stop thinking about how happy I was that we would get to be together next year. I couldn’t wait to tell him. I wondered how he would handle the news. I hoped that he would be happy. I know that he wanted us to be together, but he was also extremely supportive of me attending and running at Stanford. I thought I could convince him that this was a better plan for us—or at least I hoped that I could.

My dad and Coach Little would be the tougher ones to sell. I hoped that everyone would understand. I would wait until after the state meet when my brothers were home and there were more distractions.

“What are you thinking about over there?” Daniel asked, smiling at me. His green eyes twinkled when they met mine.

“Just thinking about life I guess,” I said vaguely.

Daniel dried his hands and came over to sit by me. He was wearing loose-fitting, faded jeans with a simple, fitted, white T-shirt and flip-flops. His hair was longer than usual because school was almost out and he wasn’t cutting it. His face was tanned from the warmer weather, and his cheeks were rosy. He looked at me with his amazing green eyes. His weren’t typical green eyes; they had golden speckles in them, and they would change from dark to lighter shades of green depending on what he was wearing. I could stare into them all day. Daniel had absolutely perfect teeth—no braces needed. He was just born looking that good. His lips and smile were mesmerizing. It was difficult for me to be this close to him and not pull myself into his lap and press my lips to his.

“Hellooooooo?” he crooned, looking at me and cocking his head to one side, trying to figure out why I was so distracted.

“Oh gosh, I’m sorry. My mind was wandering,” I said shyly.

“Where was it wandering to?” he asked in his dulcet voice.

“Um, well, I was actually admiring how beautiful your face is,” I said, feeling my face blush.

Daniel beamed at me, pulled me into his lap, and wrapped his arms around me. “Really?” he said flirtatiously. “Well that’s just fine with me,” he said, laughing, and he kissed the side of my neck.

This simple contact sent a rush through my body that made my heart race and my face flush. He laughed and stroked my hair. “So, have you started your valedictorian speech yet?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Yes, it’s all done! I couldn’t handle not having it finished, so I got it done today during Spanish class because we were watching a movie,” I said, laughing.

“Of course you did,” he said proudly.

“I will practice it a few times next week. I’m dreading reading it in front of everyone, though. I am not a good public speaker,” I said with my hands over my face, already dreading the thought of giving this speech.

“You are an amazing public speaker. Everyone gets nervous, Charlotte. You’re going to be incredible,” he said sweetly. “OK, let’s get you home. You have regionals and prom on Saturday. You need to get your rest,” he ordered, lifting me up to my feet.

“I can’t wait for prom,” I said, and I planted a kiss right on his perfect lips.

“Neither can I, and I can’t wait to see you in that dress,” he said mischievously.

Saturday I spent most of the day at Charlotte’s track meet. Her brothers would be coming next week for the state meet. They stayed at school during regionals to study for finals. My parents were there, and Jack Sr., Lenora, and Carl came for a few events. Even Bruce and Debbie came for her last event to see her run.

Charlotte was very touched that they made that effort to come see her race. I hung out with Edward and Jacob, who for some reason I was now calling “Fave” as well. We had teased him so much about being called Fave that now we were actually calling him that. We laughed all afternoon about that one. We decided he must be our favorite boyfriend for Steph too.

The girls’ relay team had won regionals, and they had qualified for state, which they were stoked about. Charlotte was so happy to get to share that moment with her two best girlfriends, but she had a full day. She raced and won all four of her events, and it was a lot of events for her to compete in. The state meet would be run over two days, which would be better for her; however, the competition would be steeper. I hoped it wasn’t too much for her to now have to get dressed up and go to prom.

“Hey!” Charlotte came running up to me, smiling.

Before I could say a word she jumped in my arms. “I’m excited for tonight! You aren’t too tired from sitting in the stands watching your girlfriend all day, are you?” she teased.

“I’m excited too, and I’m really proud of you. You ran great today,” I said, smiling at her. I truly was proud of Charlotte in every way. She was such an amazing runner, and she was really humble about her achievements. People stared at her as she walked through the stadium, and she appeared clueless that people were pretty awed by her. She was a brilliant student, and she worked really hard for everything that she had achieved. Most of all, she was the kindest person that I knew.

“Thank you! You are a patient boyfriend to sit here all day in this heat,” she said. “I hope you’re hungry because I’m starving!” she said, laughing, and grasped my hand to head to the truck. We ate a quick lunch, and then she was off to get ready for the dance. I decided to take a quick nap because it would take me a whopping twenty minutes to get ready.

I went out to pick up the corsage when I woke up from my nap. My mom had of course gone with me to order it a few days ago, and she requested every possible upgrade. When I saw it, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Wow! I thought it was going to be a flower on some ribbon,” I said, laughing.

“Well, you upgraded to the ‘bling’ package, sir,” the girl said nervously.

“Oh no, it’s great. I just didn’t know they made them like this,” I said, reassuring her that I was pleased.

The corsage was basically a rhinestone bracelet with a couple of roses that appeared to also have jewels attached to them. Charlotte would love it, and my mom knew that. When I got home, jumped in the shower, threw on a little hair gel and cologne, and slipped into my tuxedo.

“Daniel,” my mom called from downstairs, “your friends are here, and we need to head over to the Fords’ for pictures, honey.” I could hear the excitement in her voice.

When I got downstairs, a large group was coming through the door to meet me: Sean and Morgan, Edward and Kathleen, Fave and Steph, and Gomez and a girl he had liked for two years and had finally asked out named Krista,. In addition, there were a few friends from the team: Stefan and Alexa, Liam and Hannah, Chase and Sophia, Ashok and Irene, Logan and Nicole, and Luke and Sara.

The limo waited outside while we went over to Charlotte’s for pictures. The Fords’ house had the best backyard for pictures, and it could accommodate a large group. Lenora had made lemonade slushies and tons of appetizers. Jack Sr. greeted everyone at the door as tons of parents started arriving to take pictures. Everyone was steered out back to shoot photos, eat, and visit.

Lenora and I waited at the bottom of the stairs. Charlotte yelled down that she was on her way. When I looked up and saw her walking down the stairs, I stopped breathing momentarily. She was absolutely breathtaking. Charlotte was a strikingly beautiful girl when she wore no makeup and her hair in a ponytail, but this was a more dramatic and jaw-dropping look.

She had curled her hair and then pulled it back into a loose, low bun. She had loose curls that fell around her face and around her delicate neck. Her eyes were lightly lined and smoky, and when her gaze met mine, I was mesmerized by her stare. Her cheeks were shimmery and looked like they had been kissed by the sun. Her lips were shiny and plump and covered in a light pink color that begged to be tasted. Her dress fit her perfectly, and clearly there was a reason she had been drawn to this gown. It was elegant, feminine, and gorgeous, just like her. It hugged her tiny curves. A gasp finally escaped my throat.