The woman had come back into the town with more knowledge than she had left with and some said that knowledge was power. Whether or not she agreed was beyond her. Because here she was completely knowledgeable and yet absolutely unable to do anything—she didn’t have the means or the slightest idea of how to even begin to approach all the issues. She was powerless. So exactly what did she get from knowing what she now knew? It had taken away whatever little peace of mind she had, whatever ignorance that Charlie had been able to claim. The information from Brock’s parents had taken that from her. It was only two years ago that he borrowed, because in the beginning his trust fund and his parents’ support had still been with him. When the money was being used for other reasons, drugs being one of those things, that was when they began to cut back, hoping it would help their son get back in line. Instead, they found their immature twenty three year old embroiled in a mess that he didn’t know how to get out of. For those two years, no one knew what happened but as the time grew nearer, he was less and less reachable, his phone always coming as busy. Whatever she needed always came so Charlie didn’t suspect a thing, but then again, something like this wouldn’t have crossed her mind even in her wildest dreams. Which was why once she was back, she did a little digging of her own, knowing the reputation of the Collier family but never having put too much belief in it. Because her relationship with Rafe and Gemma had always been a good one—or at least she thought. Rafe had still agreed to help her now, but it was the other that Charlie was worried about. Maybe not even worried. It was the wrong word. No, disappointed? Was that it? Betrayed, maybe. She had been someone who nonetheless had looked out for Charlie back in high school. Though the ginger hadn’t been the one to go out of her way, she admired the way the taller blonde held her own. She looked up to the manner in which she was able to keep her head held high and her heart unwavering despite the words of others. It was something she envied about her—the confidence. But here she was, wondering if her childhood role model had ended up disappointing her as well. Standing in the empty space of her store, lights off surrounded by nothing but the moonlight streaming in through the windows, Charlie waited for the other, with a desire for answers fresh on her mind. { gemmacollier }