The warm tears that once threatened to spill, now rolled down my cheeks. I felt ashamed and humiliated—and I wasn't even sure why.

I glance down at my knee-length dress, thinking how foolish her assumptions of me were. Regardless of my attire, they were foolish.

"Vi?"

I spin on my heel and see Neil sporting a sympathetic look.

I quickly wipe my tears, "I'm fine."

"You don't have to lie, I overheard."

My fake 'I'm fine' smile fades instantly, the tears resurfacing in my presumably already puffy eyes.

"You know none of that's true, right?"

"Thanks, Neil," forcing a half smile, I nod slowly. A futile attempt to convince him that all I had overheard hadn't affected me.

"Charlie's mother is old-fashioned and, well, mean. Why do you think he's such a rebel?"

I smile. I truly don't know what I would do without Neil.

"Don't tell Charlie, okay?" I insist, my demeanour becoming sombre again.

"Why not?" Neil asks dumbfounded.

"Because, I don't want to ruin his night," I smile once again, nodding my head towards a flushed Charlie being dragged every which way on the dance floor by a group of older ladies.

"Fine," Neil huffs, but I can see a small smile toying at his lips at the sight of Charlie's current predicament.

The evening went on to be relatively uneventful.

That is, until a red-painted finger nail tapped repeatedly at my shoulder.

"Violet," the woman breaths lowly, "can we speak...privately," she finishes, gesturing to the crowded room full of people.

I nod, slowly and hesitantly.

She leads us over towards one of the few quiet corners of the house.

"Dear, listen," she begins, and by the patronizing tone of her voice, I sense this conversation will not have a favourable outcome. For me, anyways.

"Charlie comes from a very..." she stumbles over her words for a brief moment before seeming to find those fitting.

"Affluent family. We have certain... certain expectations for him. And well, you see..." she pauses again, scanning over the crowd of people in the large dining hall.

"Ah, yes, Elizabeth!" Ruth beckons a tall girl, whose long blonde hair flowed behind her as she skipped towards us.

"Elizabeth, this is Violet. Charlie's...friend." I internally scowl at her choice of words, but decide against commenting. Elizabeth smiles politely at my stoic frame.

"Violet, Elizabeth will be valedictorian of her class this year. She's a competitive chess player, and has scholarships to Yale in the fall."

Elizabeth smiles, her cheeks turning crimson, clearly uncomfortable by Ruth's rundown of her achievements.

"Congratulations," I say, forcing my sweetest smile.

"You see, Violet," Ruth says, shooing away Elizabeth, and turning towards me once again.

"Charlie and Elizabeth they just...make sense. Have you met Knox, or Pitts?" Ruth inquires entirely serious. Her face free of any wrinkles but the crows feet lined by her hard eyes.

"With all due respect, Ruth." I spit her name with enough venom to shock the both of us.

"-I'm very content with Charlie, and he's very content with me. And frankly, the last time I checked it was a twosome. We're not looking to add Elizabeth- or yourself, for that matter. So, respectfully, mind your own God damn business."

Her mouth hung open in complete shock. Part of me regretted my little outburst, because it only proved exactly what she's been alluding to all night: I'm not prim and proper enough for Charlie.

But, on the other hand, it felt so good to finally tell her off. I mean, someone's got to, right?

I spin on my heel, sprinting as quickly and as far away from this party as I can.

I glance at the clock on the wall and sigh. I will probably have to stay until at least midnight, since it's a New Years Eve party after all. What a nightmare. That meant enduring this party—if I could even call it that—for quite some time longer.

"Violet!" Charlie rushes towards me, placing his hands on either side of my shoulders, then moving them upwards to gently cup the sides of my face.

"Charlie?" I mimic, feigning the same mellow-dramatic tone.

"Neil told me what happened."

The blood instantly rushes from my face.

Of course.

While I don't doubt that Neil's intentions were good, I really wished he'd keep this one secret.

"I'm going to speak with her! I just can't believe it, well... actually I can. Not because of you or anything, but because of her. I mean... she's always like that. Not that I bring a bunch of girls home! I mean your the first, but I-"

"-Charlie!" I shout, quickly putting an end to his angry rambling.

"It's alright, really."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asks, his tone both offended and hurt.

"I didn't want to ruin your night," I admit earnestly.

His face falters. "Do you really think I care about these fancy parties?"

I shake my head. "No, but what about your parents? I don't think I made a good impression."

"Look," Charlie sighs after a moment of silence, placing his hands on my cheeks again.

"I love you. My parents rarely approve of anything I do. Honestly, I'd be more concerned if they didn't have any objections. 'Just means you're exactly my kinda girl, not theirs."

I giggle, resting my head on his chest. His arms engulf me even closer.

"Hey, look at the time," Charlie smiles, glancing at his wristwatch.

11:59.

It's almost midnight.

It's almost an entirely new year.

1960.

A new decade.

New adventures, new challenges, new struggles, new laughs, and new memories.

As long as I was with Charlie, I was ready for it all.

"Come with me." Charlie grasps my hand, leading us out of the party, and into the cool night air.

The sky was black and cloudless. Stars were scattered about and the moon shines brightly. I could faintly hear crickets in the forest. It was beautiful.

We sit, knees touching, on the porch steps. His arm fell loosely around my back, my head resting atop his broad shoulder.

The dark sky is suddenly illuminated by flashes of pink's, green's, purple's, yellow's, red's, and blue's. Sparks flying about in the velvet night sky, and falling in every which direction.

"Wow," I breath, "it's beautiful."

"Like you," he smirks.

"When did you become so corny?" I tease.

"Hey, not corny, romantic." Charlie corrects.

"Happy New Year, Vi."

"Happy New Year, Charlie."

I smile, feeling his soft lips make their way to mine.

: hiiii & thanks to everyone who has read/continues to read this story !!!!!

The story is almost finished 🥺🥺

So I'm trying to post these last few chapters as close together as possible (fingers crossed!)