"Charlotte?"
"Ashton? Shit, what are you doing on Luke's phone? Where's Luke?"
"Um, he's in the bathroom." I said slowly turning away from Michael and Calum who were watching me intently, "What's the matter is everything okay?"
"Yeah," she answered much too quickly, "Everything is fine."
"Are you crying?" I asked thickly.
"No." She laughed, "What do I look like some kind of sissy?"
"Sorry," I mumbled, "So uh, how are you?"
Take a deep stuttering breath she replied, "Fine, how about you guys, how long have you been gone now, it feels like forever."
"Two months." I replied.
"That's a long time." She mumbled.
"Yeah," I sighed, "How's like school?"
"oh that, um, I'm taking the rest of the year off." She muttered.
"You are, seriously? You're parents let you do that?"
"No," she mumbled sounding tired, "I'm staying in a hotel right now."
"What?" I demanded.
"Let me guess, she's pregnant with Brad's baby?" Calum laughed.
"Shhh!" I snapped, walking away from him.
"What?" Charlotte sighed, her voice dull and tired, dead.
"Did your parents kick you out?" I demanded.
"It's a long story." She mumbled, "I'm fine though, I'm working the video store so it pays for my room."
"Charlotte that's not okay!" I cried.
"Life's not fair." She muttered, "She's a real bitch, she screws us all."
Suddenly the door swung open and Luke strode in, wiping his wet hands on his pants.
"Is that my phone?" He demanded, "Who are you talking to? Is that Charlie? Tell her I say hi! No, wait, give it here."
Crossing over to me he snatched the phone from my grasp and crossing over to the corner of the room, leaned against the wall with his back to us.
"What did Char-lot-of-dicks want?" Calum sniggered.
"She dropped out of school." I informed him, "Apparently she's living in a hotel."
"How's she paying for that, working the corner?" Calum laughed.
"It's not funny." I sighed, "I don't know what happened to her but she just sounds so..... Dead."
"Crack will so that to a person." Calum laughed, "Living that hooker life."
"Shut up Calum." Michael snapped.
"Yeah," I mumbled, "We don't know what happened."
"What happened to who?" A voice questioned behind me.
Letting out a shriek of alarm I whirled around and was startled to find a scowling Luke.
"No one." Calum laughed, "I don't like talking about sluts; it just gives them the attention they want."
"You better not be talking about Charlie." Luke warned.
"And what if I am?" Calum laughed.
"I'll get the last laugh." Luke replied, "Because she's coming here."
"What?" Michael cried.
"She'll be here on Friday." Luke sighed.
"What the hell, don't we get a say in this?" Calum demanded.
