From Pit to Palace: Charlie Emerged

Chapter 18: Charlie, please help us

Chapter 18

Cold sweat broke on Rachel's forehead as she paused. A pang of heartbreak hit her as she watched Megan, her best friend, walking away with Franklin without turning back.

Her jaw tightened, her face twisted with frustration. “Why are you stopping us? Franklin ordered the meal. You should go after him to pay and not us!”

“Yes!” Erika quickly tilted her head, her voice breaking with emotion as she continued. “We only ate because he instructed us to. You can't hold us responsible!”

“When you get to our boss, you can explain that to him!” The waitress replied apathetically. Then she turned to the security guards, “Bring them to the boss.”

The security guard was about to grip Rachel when she yelled, stepping backward, her face twisted as if irritated. “Don't touch me, I'll pay!”

He halted in his steps. “Just yours?”

“For both of us!”

A flash of surprise passed through Erika's eyes as she glanced at Rachel. She was her best friend and she knew every detail about her. Knowing pretty well that she couldn't afford such money, Erika furrowed her eyebrows and asked. “You're going to pay for both of us? Do you have such money with you?”

“No, I don't.”

“How do you intend to do it then?”

Rachel bit her red lips, as if regretting what she was going to say. “Charlie.”

“Charlie?” Erika repeated, a hint of irritation laced in her voice.

“Yes, him. He's the only person who can help us right now. It seems he has won a lottery. We can ask him to help us and we'll pay him back later.”

Erika and Rachel weren't from well-off families, and they were always held accountable for any single penny they spent, so the idea of calling their parents to ask for $2,500 to pay for a meal sounded absurd. Because there was a lie they could come up with at that critical moment.

The duo, unfortunately, shared in the same fate, which they found uncomfortable, but they couldn't fight fate, so they accepted it.

However, they decided to perch around Megan just to swim in her luxury since her family was well off, although not popular, and she had a rich boyfriend.

Erika couldn't say a word. She thought about it, and truly, that was the only way out. She bit her lips and nervously inquired, skepticism in her voice. “Do you think he's going to help us after everything we've done to him?” She lowered her face.

“I think there's no harm in trying. If we reach out and he refuses to assist then we'll face our fate.”

Erika sighed.

Rachel reached out to her phone, opened her W******p account, and then located the class general group chat to retrieve Charlie's contact. She didn't have his number stored in her phone so she went there to get it.

Retrieving it in two minutes, Rachel nervously dialed the number, stepped away a bit, pressing the phone to her ear as she waited for the phone to ring.

Meanwhile, outside the compound, the cool breeze blew, overturning dry leaves and sending them flying across the road.

Two figures stood at the roadside, their clothes hanging high, the effect of the cool breeze evident. Cars drove past, shimmering under the street lights before disappearing into the distance.

These two young men were Charlie and Duke. The others had all departed.

“Wow, man!” Duke couldn't help but shout in excitement. “Do you see how humiliated Franklin got? The last sentence you made was even more humiliating! I love it! Now, he can hide his face all day in shame because soon, it's getting to the group chat.”

Overwhelmed with joy, Duke seemed to forget who Charlie truly was. But just then, he winked, his excitement slightly vanishing. He looked around, ensuring no one was hearing. “How did you do that?” He asked.

Charlie didn't glance at him. “Do what?” He replied, as if not knowing what he was saying.

“That huge sum of money, of course! How were you able to come up with it? Did you win any lottery? You can tell me, I'm no stranger to you. I won't spill the beans.”

Charlie looked at him, then hesitated before nodding. “Yes, I did. $200k,” he lied. He wanted to tell him the truth, but he knew Duke wouldn't believe him if he did. Besides, Donald had warned him against revealing his true identity.

“Whoa, that's huge!” Duke's eyes swung open in surprise. “I knew that there was more to this! Anyways, I'm here for you. And also happy that that rich brat learnt his lesson today.”

He then nudged Charlie playfully. “Tomorrow, remember, you're going to treat me. You know I didn't eat tonight because I was afraid.”

“Don't worry, I will,” Charlie responded softly, then pulled out a one-hundred-dollar note and gave it to Duke. “Hold it in case the school gate is locked. If you knock and the security guard is proving stubborn to open it for you, tip him with it.”

Duke accepted it and smiled widely. “How could you encode money's language so perfectly? Guess, money fits you well,” he joked. “Anyway, thanks, man. Good night. See you tomorrow in class.”

Charlie waved his hand to him in farewell as he watched him leave. They were both living separately. While Charlie was living in a rented apartment, Duke was staying in the hostel.

The atmosphere suddenly became still but just when he was about to flag down a cab, his phone started to ring. He paused, staring at the unknown number.

An unknown number at this time of the night? He mumbled, frowning. He stared at it until it ended and a sigh escaped his lips.

Just then, his phone vibrated and started to ring again. The same number.

Hesitating, he picked. “Hello, who are you?” He asked, almost sounding rude.

“Hello Charlie, it's me. It's me, Rachel, your ex-girlfriend, Megan's friend. I'm trapped here with Erika. You remembered what happened, didn't you? Please, we need your help or we'll die here,” she spoke with cracking emotion, desperation in her voice.