The Bad Boy Next Room (Charlie and Taylor)

"Friends?" Tristan repeated. "Actually, I was kinda hoping you'd date me. My therapist and I set a goal for this year, and getting a girlfriend is part of it."

Charlie, "..."

"Pfft! Haha!" Taylor laughed his heart out. He pointed to Tristan and said, "No, that's not happening. She is my girlfriend."

Charlie, "???"

"What?" Tristan reacted. He shook his head and took out his phone and stylus pen, seemingly crossing something out on his notes. "Bummer, you were on the top of my list."

Charlie, "..."

"Okay, let's eat first. And don't hurry up on dating," Taylor said. "I'll talk to your therapist about delaying that part of your goal."

They chatted while having breakfast. Taylor mainly asked his brother about their home. Charlie learned that, apparently, Tristan used to live with Taylor in the condo, but after the last fight incident, their parents decided to take Tristan back home. Their father took Tristan to school daily.

Taylor drove Tristan home around ten in the afternoon. He returned in the evening, and Charlie had the chance to ask him about Tristan.

They sat on the living room sofa when Taylor shared, "Tristan is a level one in the spectrum, meaning he requires less support, but he is smart. He memorizes dates, locations, and anything about technology, like when the Samsung S24 was released and its specs. My brother is amazing. I think he is one of the greatest geniuses out there. However, his emotional maturity is still that of a fifteen-year- old."

When Taylor turned to Charlie, he was shocked. He asked, "Why are you crying again? I wasn't telling you any drama!"

Charlie laughed. She sniffed her tears away and said, "I just think you are an awesome brother."

They covered some of Tristan's past treatments next, including how Taylor met Carl's family. He narrated, "Carl and Tristan have the same therapist. That's how I met Carl's family. His parents asked for help with basketball because it was Carl's fixation. No one would understand such fixation more than I do, having Tristan as my brother."

"Do you and Tristan spend time together at school?" Charlie asked.

"Yes, we do. You just don't hang around the College of Engineering often. Tristan also has his friends, and I try to leave him alone so he can be more independent," Taylor revealed.

"So, you knew that Tristan knows me?" Charlie asked.

"Honestly, he has mentioned you. I'm pretty sure, he had asked me to look at you in the previous games. He called you Luke's girlfriend, but I had forgotten about it. It only came back to me during the general assembly," Taylor revealed. "When I found out you were Luke's girlfriend."

Charlie paused, and then she remembered what Taylor told her yesterday. She asked, "Is Tristan the reason why you get into fights?"

Taylor sucked in a deep breath and admitted, "Most of the time, but there were two instances that did not involve Tristan. One time, this punk just sprayed paint on my car. Of course, I gave him a piece of my fist. In another instance, a student stole my wallet. I chased after him. My friends helped me. I did not touch him. My friends did, but because I was known to pick up fights, many students thought it was me."

"Well, what do you know," Charlie softly said, studying Taylor's athletic face. "Taylor West isn't such a bad boy after all."

"Don't get me wrong, Charlie. There's a bad side of me too," Taylor said seriously. He smirked and added,

"Like how I'm dangerously handsome Haha! Look at your

-

face!"

"Seriously," Charlie grumbled.

"You don't admit that I'm handsome?" Taylor asked.

Charlie got up from the sofa. She shrugged and said, "You are okay."

"What?" Taylor reacted with his brows meeting.

Charlie laughed. She turned around and said, "Goodnight, Taylor!"

***

The next day, Taylor woke up late. He ran to the bathroom only to find Charlie inside.

"Charlie! Hurry up! I'm late for practice!" Taylor screamed, banging on the door. "This isn't your bathroom time, Taylor. We had a schedule for a reason!" Charlie yelled back.

"I know, but could you hurry up!" Taylor requested.

Ine

Unfortunately for him, Charlie took half an hour to finish. When she stepped out, she looked furious. She said You cut my showering time to half! Don't do that again!"

'Half? Who showers for an hour?' Taylor asked himself.

In the meantime, he ignored her complaints. He bathed and was done in fifteen

minutes! Just as he was leaving, he noticed something hanging from the towelnoveldrama

rod.

"What is this?" Taylor muttered, checking the material. At first, he was confused, but when he realized what it was, a sly grin formed on his face.