Page 17 of Traces of Her
Eleven
ROWENA
AFTER THE NIGHT CHARLIE cut Jared off, life didn’t go back to normal like it was before. Charlie became distant and paranoid. He almost never left his room and when he did, everything was locked up tight. I no longer helped him after he got his supply now. He cut, weighed and bagged it all himself and handled all of his dealings alone. I still wasn’t supposed to be around, but now he wanted me out of the house completely. I understood. It was his house and I did nothing to contribute to living here. I was living here for free now.
Our conversations slowly began to dissipate, so our living arrangements were never discussed. Charlie came and went, doing his own thing and I did the same. Any talks we had, had become small meaningless words exchanged in passing. For now, it worked. I could mind my business and was content with my own company. The ball was in his court for what happened next.
I spend most of the day cleaning and doing the wash. After folding the last load of laundry, I throw on a light sweatshirt and grab the small grocery list that I made this morning. Charlie always gave me an envelope with some money in it each week and I never questioned it. I tried to use as much of the money toward our actual living, rather than my leisures.
I pull some cash out of the envelope I have tucked in my dresser and shove them into the front pocket of my jeans. I slip into a pair of sneakers and quietly make my way out the front door. Lightly jogging down the steps, I don’t notice Charlie until I bump into him.
“I’m so sorry,” I say, bracing myself against the handrail and regaining my balance.
He gives me a small smile. “No worries,” he pauses. “When you get back from the store come to my room. We need to talk.”
I swallow hard with a feeling of dread filling the pit of my stomach. Plastering on a fake smile I give him a curt nod. “I won’t be too long,” I say and head down the street to the corner store.
My shopping trip quickly comes to an end with my short list and frayed nerves. I may not have even gotten the correct things on my list. All I could think of was what this talk was going to entail. Who could possibly know what the hell it would have to do with?
I tightly grip all of the bags and shuffle back down the street to the house. The walk is short, but my thin arms ache from the heavyweight of the grocery bags. When I get to Charlie’s, I go to insert the key into the lock but the door is already unlocked and slightly open. It feels wrong. Everything feels off, this isn’t something he would normally do.
Red flag number one that I choose to ignore.
I carry the bags into the kitchen, yet again finding the house to be silent. The unsettled feeling inside me intensifies. I quickly put whatever cold groceries into the fridge and freezer and leave the rest in the bags before heading to Charlie’s room. His door is slightly ajar, so I push it open with my foot and find him sitting on the couch snoring. I push the door closed and kick his feet off of the coffee table, causing them to hit the floor with a loud thud.
“The fuck?” he says loudly, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. When he pulls his hands away from his eyes, he’s met with my smiling face sitting across from him.
“Rise and shine,” I say, leaning back into the couch. He yawns, stretching his arms out above his head. “What did you want to talk about?” I inquire.
A smile tugs at the corner of his lips as he gives me a slight shake of his head. “Always so straight to the point.”
“That’s what always makes the most sense,” I counter.
“Whatever you’ve been through, Ro, has made you wise beyond your years,” he says quietly with a look of admiration instead of pity in his eyes. “Maybe one day you’ll share your story with me or with someone.”
A moment passes. “Yeah, maybe,” I say indifferently. “So, you wanted to talk?”
Charlie stares at me and blinks a few times before letting out a sigh. “I wanted to apologize for the shit that went down and how I handled it afterward.”
“It’s cool, Charlie,” I pause. “I fucked up and shouldn’t have been in there in the first place.”
“It’s not. I’ve grown fond of you and I’m the only one who has your back.” He shakes his head, clenching his jaw. “I’m sorry that happened, okay?” he says in a rush.
I nod. “We’re good, Charlie. I promise.”
A loud bang rings as the door is shoved open, slamming into the wall.
“Oh, a promise? I love a good promise,” Jared sneers from the doorway. Pushing off the door jam, he stalks into the room as Charlie and I scoot to the edges of our seat. Charlie goes to stand up and Jared pushes him back into the couch with one hand on his chest. “Remember that time I made you guys some promises?”
“What do you want, Jared?” Charlie asks, his voice laced with anger.
“Meh.” Jared shrugs. “I’m not quite sure yet.”
“You need drugs? Money? What?” Charlie’s struggling to keep calm. On the other hand, I haven’t moved an inch from my spot and have barely taken a breath.
Jared laughs and claps his hands together. “Bravo! Bravo! Can we get an encore of your bullshit pathetic attempt at bargaining with me?”
Charlie’s eyes widen and he glances at me before looking back at the ticking time bomb in front of us. “Look, Jared, I’m just tryna keep the peace here, ya know?”