Free Charlotte Powers 1: Power Down by Ben White Page B
Authors: Ben White
kind of didn't," I said. "In a way it was chosen for me, and in another way it was kind of an accident that I came here at all."
"Oh," she said. She thought about this for a while, then nodded like she was satisfied.
"By the way," I said, "I was thinking about our names, how they're the same and everything—"
"I was thinking about that as well," she said, really seriously. "It could cause confusion. You could call me by my last name, Crescent, if you want to."
"Um, that seems a bit formal," I said. "How about a nickname?"
"Nickname," she repeated. "Do you have a suggestion?"
I almost said that I've been mostly calling her Other Charlotte in this journal, but then I thought that she might feel strange that I've been writing about her. So I kind of just blurted out:
"C2? Like Charlotte Two, um, sorry, that kind of makes you seem secondary—"
"That seems fine, if it's okay for you to call me that," she said. "What I mean is, if you'd like to call me that, I wouldn't have any problem with you doing so."
Of course, I don't have any problem with calling her C2. It even kind of sounds like a robot-y kind of name, which suits her, even if she isn't actually one (although I still kind of have some suspicions, Mum and Dad both have more than a few stories about artificial humans). Anyway, it doesn't really matter if she's a robot or not, what matters is that she's my friend, my first REAL friend, and I'm so happy to have someone to talk to about things. About ANYTHING really, I didn't realise just how lonely I was getting until I went to her house for dinner, or how much I missed eating with other people around. I don't know why, but eating by yourself is just so lonely and somehow sad.
Anyway, after we'd chatted a bit more I felt like I should get back here (to my apartment at the school I mean), it gets dark early around here and I thought I should catch the bus, but her father insisted on dropping me off in his adorable little car, it's really old and makes this amazing shaky noise when he's driving it, it kind of feels like it could fall apart at any moment, I love it and had SO much fun riding in it, it was even more fun than riding on the bus. He was a bit surprised that I live at the school by myself, apparently the student apartments are mostly for visiting sports teams (which explains all the spare futons in the cupboard) and they're not usually used for boarders 'these days', I guess in the past there were more students living at the school. He also got a bit weird about my friendship with C2 again.
"It's really very nice of you to make such an effort for Charlotte," he said. "I know it must be difficult."
I didn't say anything except 'it's okay, I really like her', but I was actually thinking something more like 'why would it be difficult? She's a bit weird and maybe comes off as a little creepy but once you get to know her she's really nice and sweet and caring—but you KNOW that, you're her FATHER'. Why is he so weird about her? It's like me being her friend is somehow a drain on me, like she's bad or something. I'm grateful to have her as a friend, REALLY grateful! She's about the only person my age I've met here who's even TALKED to me! (Aside from rotten old Veronica Flux and she REALLY doesn't count.)
Anyway. It's weird but he's still nice, and C2's mum is too, she gave me some leftover meatloaf in a little plastic bag so I could make sandwiches for tomorrow. So thoughtful, I almost cried. Families are GREAT, even other people's families.
So, now it's dark outside and I'm full and feeling happy from going to my friend's house for dinner, so I think I'm going to take a shower and go to bed.
xx48.11.11 / 11:11 / Friday
Sneaking an entry during class. Eleven-eleven eleven-eleven, woo!
xx48.11.11 / 15:17 / Still Friday
No C2 all day! I cannot even EXPRESS how disappointed I am. Instead I got the same old half-empty lunch room and conspicuously uncrowded classrooms. All in all, a dull,
"Oh," she said. She thought about this for a while, then nodded like she was satisfied.
"By the way," I said, "I was thinking about our names, how they're the same and everything—"
"I was thinking about that as well," she said, really seriously. "It could cause confusion. You could call me by my last name, Crescent, if you want to."
"Um, that seems a bit formal," I said. "How about a nickname?"
"Nickname," she repeated. "Do you have a suggestion?"
I almost said that I've been mostly calling her Other Charlotte in this journal, but then I thought that she might feel strange that I've been writing about her. So I kind of just blurted out:
"C2? Like Charlotte Two, um, sorry, that kind of makes you seem secondary—"
"That seems fine, if it's okay for you to call me that," she said. "What I mean is, if you'd like to call me that, I wouldn't have any problem with you doing so."
Of course, I don't have any problem with calling her C2. It even kind of sounds like a robot-y kind of name, which suits her, even if she isn't actually one (although I still kind of have some suspicions, Mum and Dad both have more than a few stories about artificial humans). Anyway, it doesn't really matter if she's a robot or not, what matters is that she's my friend, my first REAL friend, and I'm so happy to have someone to talk to about things. About ANYTHING really, I didn't realise just how lonely I was getting until I went to her house for dinner, or how much I missed eating with other people around. I don't know why, but eating by yourself is just so lonely and somehow sad.
Anyway, after we'd chatted a bit more I felt like I should get back here (to my apartment at the school I mean), it gets dark early around here and I thought I should catch the bus, but her father insisted on dropping me off in his adorable little car, it's really old and makes this amazing shaky noise when he's driving it, it kind of feels like it could fall apart at any moment, I love it and had SO much fun riding in it, it was even more fun than riding on the bus. He was a bit surprised that I live at the school by myself, apparently the student apartments are mostly for visiting sports teams (which explains all the spare futons in the cupboard) and they're not usually used for boarders 'these days', I guess in the past there were more students living at the school. He also got a bit weird about my friendship with C2 again.
"It's really very nice of you to make such an effort for Charlotte," he said. "I know it must be difficult."
I didn't say anything except 'it's okay, I really like her', but I was actually thinking something more like 'why would it be difficult? She's a bit weird and maybe comes off as a little creepy but once you get to know her she's really nice and sweet and caring—but you KNOW that, you're her FATHER'. Why is he so weird about her? It's like me being her friend is somehow a drain on me, like she's bad or something. I'm grateful to have her as a friend, REALLY grateful! She's about the only person my age I've met here who's even TALKED to me! (Aside from rotten old Veronica Flux and she REALLY doesn't count.)
Anyway. It's weird but he's still nice, and C2's mum is too, she gave me some leftover meatloaf in a little plastic bag so I could make sandwiches for tomorrow. So thoughtful, I almost cried. Families are GREAT, even other people's families.
So, now it's dark outside and I'm full and feeling happy from going to my friend's house for dinner, so I think I'm going to take a shower and go to bed.
xx48.11.11 / 11:11 / Friday
Sneaking an entry during class. Eleven-eleven eleven-eleven, woo!
xx48.11.11 / 15:17 / Still Friday
No C2 all day! I cannot even EXPRESS how disappointed I am. Instead I got the same old half-empty lunch room and conspicuously uncrowded classrooms. All in all, a dull,
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