Well at least he’s got his pants on , Ari thought, thanking God for small favors.
He jerked awake at the sound of her entrance. “W-what?”
Catching sight of his South Park t-shirt, Ari grabbed it up off the floor and threw it at him. “Get up. Now.”
“Ari?” he mumbled, pulling the shirt off his face. His eyes widened and he sat up, swaying a little. He shot a look at Vivien next to him and then paled, glancing back up at Ari. “What are you doing here?”
She narrowed her eyes on his face and leaned closer. He reeked of tequila. “Are you wasted?”
He winced, clutching his head. “Ari, keep it down, Christ.”
“I’ll keep it down if you get up and get dressed and leave here with me.”
Charlie’s expression changed instantly at her demand. He glared up at her. “What the hell are you doing here, anyway, Ari? You shouldn’t be here. You’re not my mom. I’m a big boy.”
Fury shot through her. This wasn’t the boy she loved. The boy who had wanted them to take a year out before college to travel the world together before he headed back to the States to study Architecture, hoping that whatever Ari decided to do she’d follow him. No… she didn’t know who this person was. But she sure as hell knew she was never going to get him through his brother’s death if she continued to let him wander down this path. “A big boy, huh? Well start acting like it, you drunken douche!” she huffed and dug into her bag, pulling out his cell phone and throwing it at him. It smacked against his chest and she enjoyed the look of surprise on his face. “You left your cell at my place. I thought I’d return it. And now I’m getting you out of Loserville. Come on,” she snapped, kicking one of his sneakers towards him.
He kicked it back at her. “Ari, quit it. My head is pounding. Just go to school.” He leaned back against his pillow, as if preparing to go back to sleep. Vivien hadn’t even moved, clearly having passed out rather than fallen asleep. “I’ll see you at your party tomorrow.”
“What’s all the noise?” Mel came up behind her and she sidestepped him, shivering at the feel of his breath on her neck. He reeked.
“Ari’s just leaving,” Charlie mumbled.
“I’m not leaving without you.”
“Then I guess you’re not leaving.”
Mel chuckled. “Sounds good to me.” He slid an arm around her waist, pulling her towards him. “We can have some fun, Princess.”
“Get off!” Ari pushed at him, but he wouldn’t let go.
Charlie was there in seconds, having moved pretty fast for someone who’d been complaining like a little bitch about his hangover. He shoved Mel up against the door frame, his face scrunched up with anger.
“Hey, man, relax,” Mel laughed unsurely. “Me and your girl are just talking.”
Repulsed at the thought of her and Rickman coupled together, even in just a sentence, Ari balked, “Ugh—”
“Shut up, Ari,” Charlie growled, shoving Mel out of the door before turning to scramble for his things. He yanked on his shirt, stuffing his feet into his sneakers and reclaiming the cell she had thrown at him. Glad that something had convinced him into action at least, Ari ignored the biting pain of his fingers curled around her upper arm, dragging her out of the house.
She smiled as they stumbled down the porch steps and annoyance burned in his gaze when he caught her smug expression.
“Don’t.” He shook his head angrily, pale with the hangover. “You think you’re so funny, don’t you?”
“I think I got you out of there.”
He laughed bitterly. “Yeah, well, now I have nowhere to go.”
Ari sobered, thinking about the room back at the Creagh’s. So cold. So empty. Such a stark reminder of everything Charlie’s family had lost. Suddenly she understood why he truly thought that. Sighing sadly, Ari nudged him with her shoulder. “Come on. I know a place.”
When she returned to her bedroom with a glass of water, a banana and some aspirin, Charlie was already out for the count. He lay sprawled across her comforter, his sneakers kicked off, his hands bunched up under her pillow, his pale face relaxed in sleep. Aching for him, Ari set the tray down on her bedside cabinet and scrawled out a note for him, telling him to take a shower when he woke up and to eat whatever he wanted.
She was late for school now, but it beat sitting around waiting for Charlie to wake up. She was afraid when she got home he wouldn’t be there but on the other hand she didn’t know what she’d say to him if he woke up to find her still there.
All day Ari half-listened to her friends as Rachel went over the final list of things still needed for the party and as Staci and A.J. had their usual ‘cute’ disagreements. Instead she pondered the fact that she had really messed this one up. For two years she’d had the opportunity to get Charlie the help he needed, to speak to an adult about what was really going on with him, to even talk to her dad. But she’d put it off and put it off, calling it a phase. And now Charlie was eighteen. He was on his own and Ari was just waiting for him to tell her that he had decided to drop out of school. She could feel it coming.
Ari had to let him know that she was there. Maybe she could convince him to talk to someone… like a therapist or something…
Maybe.