Lies for Truth

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Ariana was a little nervous as she knocked on Charlie’s apartment door. She knew enough about him to expect anger that she was showing unannounced but after that she was clueless on what else to expect.

A small woman about five feet even opened the door; her hair was a light brown as were her eyes. “Mrs. Lowell?” Ariana asked.

“Never have been, call me Carla. You’re a nice innocent looking thing, what do you want?” she had the raspy voice of a smoker.

Ariana chuckled nervously and thought back to what she did with Jax in the car, that was far from innocent but it seemed in some ways that label still applied to her. She stood in front of this woman who was shorter then her and yet nervous out of her mind. “My name is Ariana; I go to school with Charlie.”

“Oh please don’t tell me you’re one of those tots lusting after him because---”

“No.” Ariana jumped to clarify. “I’m helping him with his school work.”

“Oh.” Carla chuckled. “I’m sorry, come on in. My knucklehead son is around here somewhere.”

Ariana stepped through the door into a living room that was in need of some cleaning. The coffee table was piled high with beer cans and newspaper, the smell of cigarette smoke clung to the air and the couch was a bit faded from its blue color. On the couch sat a man she assumed was Charlie’s father.

“Who’s this?” the man asked, glancing away from the TV to peer at their guest. “New chick banging Charlie? You don’t really look his type.”

Ariana felt her face turning red, these were some of the bluntest people she had ever met. “No I’m helping him with his school work.”

The man lost interest in the TV and kept his eyes on her. “He could use it, I think that boy was dropped on his head a few times as a baby.”

“Owen.” Carla said the man’s name with a sigh. “Stop knocking my parenting skills.”

Owen scoffed. “If you had any he wouldn’t be the pain in the ass piece of shit that he is.”

Carla’s mouth set in a thin line, she turned away toward Ariana. “Down that hall, last door on the left is his room.”

Ariana was grateful for the out Charlie’s mom handed her; she didn’t want to hear anymore of the argument or the hateful things coming from Owen’s mouth.

She moved quickly from the living room and down the hall. Charlie’s room door was open halfway but he was wearing headphones so loud she could hear the music. She stepped into the room and tapped his shoulder. He opened his eyes and pulled the headphones off. “That explains why you didn’t hear all that in the living room.”

His brown eyes went wide. “Hear all what? What are you doing here?” he jumped from the bed and went to close the door.

“We had a study session.”

“Shit, it’s pretty stupid for you to be here. Did Owen say anything weird to you?”

Ariana felt her head spinning in circles with questions. “Not really, he isn’t your real dad?” she thought it was odd he called Owen by his first name, she would never do such a thing with her parents.

“No, he’s the douche bag my mom hooked up with two years ago. My real dad was some drunk who skipped out when I was six and ever since then mom has to find one lowlife after another.” Charlie ran his hand a few times over his short blonde hair.