Charlie Watkins was a name that had slowed conversations and straightened shoulders for years. Once, long ago, he had been part of the same orbit as Edward Sterling and Elena — a reckless, talented boy who loved fast thrills more than plans. He had wanted Elena in the way young men want what they cannot have. She and Edward were already together. The rejection landed on Charlie like a bruise, and he walked into the dangerous comforts: drugs, alcohol, gambling. Those habits ate away the edges of him until his family washed their hands of him.
There was a night everyone in town remembered in whispers. Charlie showed up at Elena's door and made a scene, furious and volatile. He and Edward fought. The argument finished with Charlie leaving the city, a ruined friend with nowhere to anchor. People assumed that was the end of the story.
