[Problematique]

First part's just introducing the characters of the story, and the situation that the main character has been put in. Kinda long, but worth the read if you actually care about character development and storyline. If not, that's fine too. Keep making regular check ins if you are one of those people that just like the fun part, and I'll tell you in the first line that that post is where the action is happening. It shouldn’t be much later than the third post. I don't think length will be a constant in this story, so expect shorter future chapters.




Charlie Master sat in his room, clad in the best clothing he owned, Rage Against the Machine's Take the Power Back playing over his stereo at max volume. He rolled himself flat onto his bed, thinking of how his mother had just royally screwed his life. Earlier in the day, his face wore a bright, warm(fake) smile, he was standing at the alter, giving his mother away to another man.

Tim wasn't necessarily bad. Charlie couldn't judge guy's looks very well, although he could tell Tim was handsome, especially for his age. He wasn't in the best financial situation, a police officer doesn't exactly make three figures a year, but he was certainly in a better position than his own mother, a certified nursing assistant. This also meant he wasn't with Charlie's mother for her money. No, Tim wasn't a bad guy. He was actually a pretty good one, if we're being completely honest. But sometimes good men don't spawn children of such high standards.

Natalie was Tim's daughter. She didn't have bad intentions, but that surely doesn't mean she was perfect. Natalie was into all the latest crazes: Ne-Yo, Soulja Boy, Black Eyed Peas, and anything else Charlie despised. Charlie didn't hate Natalie for her music tastes. He wasn't that prejudiced, but he did hate her need to be popular, which she was, and her constant jumping on the bandwagon of the forever so high and mighty, whoever they were at the time. He hated how she shot him down at every chance, even when he had first tried to be polite, just because she knew that's what her friends would've done.

He didn't understand any of it. He realises that some people don't like others, but she made absolutely no sense. She does it because they would've done it, but they would've only done it because she would've done it. Just a constant cycle, a constant psychological nightmare. Charlie hated not understanding it. He was good at reading people; he knew how she acted, how she would act in the future, but he had no idea why. He hated her for it, for her unreasonable predictability.

But none of it mattered now, his mother was married to Tim, and Natalie was in his house for good. Two more years at least, until Charlie made of to college, and escaped. He took off his nice clothes, threw them to the corner, and slipped some jeans over his boxers. He took a second to look at his chest, hairless, and barely defined. He wasn't worried about the hairless part, he didn't particularly like the idea of chest hiar, and thought none of it. Definition of the abdomen and chest didn't really matter either, any girl worth a date would be perfectly fine with his body, and happy with his personality.

He slipped a plain, black t-shirt over his body without a second thought on it. He ran his fingers through his shoulder length, light-brown hair, just to ruffle it up after being confined to neatness all day. Turning off his stereo, he stepped out of his door, into his hallway, and walked to his living room, Natalie sitting on the couch, their parents talking in the kitchen. "Hey," he managed to make out, a half-of-a-tenth-wave following.

Tim and Laura were laughing loudly, obviously both happy with the new living arrangement. "I'm so happy we're finally all together!" Laura shouted as she saw the entire family had gathered within earshot. Charlie made no comment that the living arrangement had been the same for two months, and that it was just now a legally binding living arrangement. "I can see the nice clothes didn't last long on you, Charles. It was nice while it lasted."

Charlie smiled. "It's summer, the shirt was long-sleeved. How do you expect me to go around like that all day?" he asked.

"You're right. The dark jeans and pure black shirt will keep you much cooler," Laura said. The smile melted off her face, "Anyway, Tim and I are off. You two, please keep out of trouble. No friends over, period. Be back home before eleven each night, I'll be calling at eleven fifteen to make sure you are. And I want to hear two voices. Keep clean, don't use all the money in one night, you know the drill." The smile came back to her face, "And for God's sake, Charlie, please don't touch the stove or the oven. And use the microwave only when necessary. Tim sold his house already, so we have nowhere else to go."

Charlie chuckled, "Sure mom, China Garden or Pizza Hut every night, and I'll eat cold leftovers for lunch."

Tim clapped his hands, "Ok then, off we go! Natalie, same rules. Except you can cook whatever." He threw a playful grin at Charlie, who returned the gesture, while Natalie threw a Can't even cook, what a loser look at him. Tim grabbed his new wife, still in her wedding dress, and hoisted her into the air. "We'll see you two in two weeks. Have fun," Tim said as he brought his squealing wife out the front door, and closed it with his foot.

"Have fun." Tim, for a second, thought he might regret speaking those words to his sixteen year old daughter and the sixteen year old boy who would be living with her for two weeks. He brushed the thought aside. He had almost thought about not having a honeymoon, for that very fear. Then he started paying attention. After seeing the hate between the two, he knew he could trust his daughter with Charlie.

As soon as the sound of the car driving disappeared, Natalie was on her cell phone. "What are you doing?" Charlie asked.

Natalie smiled, "Calling Nellie over, idiot." Charlie rolled his eyes, and thought for a second. He realised this was probably the best idea Natalie had ever had, although he could easily tell she hadn't been the original mastermind behind it. Charlie voiced his opinion, and rebelled occasionally, but Nellie Turner, that thing was the devil. Worse than Natalie by far, but she had started sucking Natalie in the month before.

Charlie and Nellie weren't on best terms, but that's one of the reasons Nellie liked coming over so much. She tormented Charlie, with the help of Natalie of course. Nevertheless, no one would ever find out if Charlie had a couple of his friends over as well. He normally didn't associate with guys, due to a severe pigheadedness in about ninety-five percent of them, and he hardly ever spent a whole lot of time with his girl friends outside school, due to no car and plain out strict parents, but this was his chance. His mother was blinded by love, and who said he couldn't take advantage? Ok, well, she did, but that's besides the point. Charlie thought for a second; he'd love to have Steph and Alex over.

Steph, the outgoing girl, extremely pretty, standing at a mere five feet, a dwarf next to Charlie's five foot nine, was always fun to be around. She mingled with both the populars and outcasts, but identified with the outcasts more. Everyone loved her, you could try not to, but you'd fail. Charlie knew she'd bring fun into the place he was in, which he seriously needed at the moment. She was within walking distance, and they hung out a bit, so Charlie didn't particularly miss her, but he loved having her around.

Alex, very nice, she couldn't be mean to anyone if she wanted to. Cute, not pretty, hot, or sexy, but incredibly cute. Charlie loved her, no denying it. She knew this, he knew she knew, she knew he knew she knew, and so on. She loved him too, he was the brother that she, being an only child, had never had. But nothing more. It was never a problem, they didn't talk about it, to anyone. Everyone knew, but they all read the invisible memo. Charlie wanted to spend time with her, that was it. She lived down the street, but he was hardly allowed over, and she was never allowed in his house. They'd seen each other maybe three times since Tim and Natalie had moved in two months ago, when school got out.

Charlie thought over how it'd work, it came out relatively easy. He'd call Steph, who'd tell her parents she was spending the night at Alex's house, a thing they didn't do often, but it wasn't unheard of. Then Steph would call Alex and ask her dad if Alex could sleepover at her house. He'd of course say yes, you just couldn't say no to Steph, and then hand the phone to Alex, who would then get ok to move from Steph. They'd both leave, each child's parents not expecting them back for at least a day, and make way to Charlie's house. A perfect plan, no way to go off track.

Charlie first called Alex's house, telling her father he had a summer reading question. He permitted Charlie five minutes on the phone with his daughter. He quickly ran the plan over her, and she agreed with, "Yes, I do think that's how the author intended it to happen." Charlie got the hint and hung up, calling Steph. He explained the scheme to her, told her to wait half an hour or so, then call Alex. Steph agreed, then they exchanged See ya laters and hung up.

About fifteen minutes later Charlie heard the doorbell. He thought it too early for them to be here already, but answered with anticipation anyway. He opened the front door, and his smile quickly fell off. Standing in his doorway, was of course none other than, Nellie Turner.