ONLY ANGEL | JJ MAYBANK

TWO... a date with agatha

Smiling smugly, Charlie nodded. "It's a proper epidemic, that's what it is. My memory's a little fuzzy, but if I can recall correctly, the owner's of those phone numbers were very generous with their tips."

"Yeah, I saw that. You sure you're only bartending there? There were quite a few one dollar bills in that stack..."

Collins laughed as Charlie kicked her playfully from under his blanket. "It's basic economics, Collins. I'm the supply and I am in high demand. You know what that means? It means that the price for my attention goes up in value."

"How is it that you're half asleep and still capable of spewing nothing but crap?" Collins shook her head before pushing herself up to stand.

"It's all inherent at this point, I'm not even sure if I'm awake right now. I've dreamt of more mundane things than having a conversation with my sister." Charlie threw his arms behind his head and closed his eyes, but remained awake to keep talking. "I wasn't totally out of it last night, though, I still managed to grab you a club sandwich and fries. It's in the fridge if you want it."

Collins snagged the white take-out box out and inspected the food. Usually when Charlie got leftovers, there was something wrong with it. Last time, one side of the cut of salmon Charlie had grabbed had been burnt to a crisp while the other side was cooked to perfection. The sandwich looked to be in perfect condition.

"Thanks, Charlie." Collins told him. She used a knife to cut it in half, walking over to split it with her brother.

Sitting up, Charlie took his half and the two tapped sandwiches before taking a bite. "I heard a storm's coming today." Charlie stated through a mouthful. "Better not make any plans."

"Shoot, you think you could take me to the library before it hits? I'm in need of an exchange." Collins picked at the piece of turkey hanging off the side of her sandwich and popped it into her mouth.

"Yeah, sure." Charlie agreed, finishing the last bite before moving onto the fries. "Is it okay if I just drop you off though? I'm working a shift with Heyward to prep for Hurricane Agatha." He bellowed the name like he was the narrator announcing the titled monster of a film from the 1930s. Dun-dun-dunnnn. And a crash of thunder to top it off; perfect mood for an oncoming storm.

Collins just chuckled, "Sure, no problem. I'll stay near town and we'll meet up after you're done." Once they'd finished their meal, she started clearing the mess away before she started getting ready. As she was brushing the plethora of knots out of her hair, a thought occurred to Collins; without breaking from her current task, she started to speak to Charlie in the most casual approach possible. "You know, Heyward's probably gonna need a lot of help with the storm when it comes and goes. Maybe I could help out?"

She knew it was bold of her to ask, but she had to try at least. She felt useless when Charlie was spending so many hours making money for the two of them. Now that she had more time on her hands, it would be beneficial for her to actually use them.

"Not a chance with this job. We're gonna be sandbagging, it's hard work." Charlie refuted, squeezing past her to splash some water on his face. "Besides, didn't I already tell you that you're supposed to be doing ACT, SAT, or whatever the T- prep?"

"That's not gonna take all day, Charlie. Let me help out. If I can't work for Heyward then I'll find somewhere else that's more of my speed. Just think about it."

And even though all she'd asked of him was to consider her proposal, Collins knew deep down that even if Charlie agreed to do just that, his answer would still be the same. "Let's go or I'll be late."

Collins stood in defeat while Charlie left the house. She really needed to find a way to make some money. She didn't understand why Charlie was so adamant. She wasn't doing it because she didn't think he could provide for her, she wanted to do it because it would be in both of their best interests. Charlie's mentioning of her upcoming tests had only reminded her of all the expenses that were inevitably coming up. It hung over her like a 200 pound weight on her shoulders.