"I remember this." I gave a small smile down to the crinkled drawing. There I was, looking at a shirt dangling just above my head. "I remember the day you drew this."
Charlie hid his smile from me turning his head to the side. He had such a fantastic smile I never understood why he did that. His tan skin looked like he was glowing, like he should be in a magazine. At least, I thought so.
"The look on your face." He shook his head, the smile staying in place.
"I forgot how good you were," He looked up. "Drawing, I mean." I blushed.
"Is that the only thing you remember I'm good at?" A sexy smirk, lazily rolling across his face.
"Oh, please." I scoffed, rolling my eyes with a smile.
"I think you need a refresher." Charlie slowly started to crawl towards me on the couch.
"Charlie!" I chided, putting my hand on his chest to slow him. I felt something wet, there on his chest and pulled my hand away to see. It was red, it was all red. My hand, his chest, blood was streaming from him, running down my forearm. He was gasping for breath.
"CHARLIE!" My distorted voice broke through my consciousness.
"Scarlett! Scar wake up!" Someone violently shook my shoulders. "Scar!"
I surged forward, a gasp stifling my agonizing screams. My breath was quick and heavy, my clothes sticking to me in a damp sweat.
Charlie! Where was Charlie?
"Hey, you're all right." I jumped to see the face appearing next to me. "You're safe." Derek tried soothing me.
"Charlie." I whimpered looking around for him. All there was: a dark and empty bedroom. Everything seemed to look out of place, maybe it wasn't but it didn't feel good.
"Scarlett." Derek said a little more firm, pinching my chin and aiming it back towards him. "I'm here."
I looked at him, tears threatening to spill over, throat tight.
"Hey, I'm right here." He came quieter again.
Letting out a stifled cry, I shoved my face into his chest and he held me hard.
* * *
"Do you believe in God?" I whispered toward the ceiling. Derek was lying next to me, my head sort of on his shoulder.
We were both uncomfortable.
I heard him sigh, a deep one.
"I..." He grew quiet, thinking. "Haven't thought about him in a long while."
Then we were both quiet. It felt like an eternity had passed. There was a heavy silence, that paired with the dark room felt like I was being smothered. Derek's encroaching body heat didn't help. I felt like I was being closed in. Like the room was shrinking. Derek wasn't in the room, he was one of the walls, getting ready to crush me.
"Charlie does," I realized what I'd said. "Did." I cast my eyes down to the end of the bed, instead of watching the ceiling fan spin around and around pointlessly. It didn't even move the air, it had no purpose.
I abruptly pushed myself up from the bed, and stepped down onto the cool floor. I went over to my small desk and grabbed the open switch blade out of my pencil cup. Standing back up on the bed, I proceeded to wedge the thin blade between the base of the fan and the drywall.
It made this horrible squelching sound, as the ceiling around the fan cracked and flaked off. I shoved the blade deeper into the crack to separate it.
"What are you doing?" Derek sat up, leaning back on his hands. He squinted up at the fan, then me.
"Its pointless!" I grumbled, a little wince in my voice as I put effort into prying the fan off. "Pointless things shouldn't exist." I shook my head once, cranking my blade the opposite direction. I started to lose my balance, my legs shaking as the weight on the bed shifted till Derek was standing next to me.
His hand came over mine, surrounding it in warmth. Every part of me felt cold except for that hand. He took the blade from me. I thought he was going to make me get down, but instead jabbed the blade into the drywall and began to cut around the fan base. There was white dust everywhere, the fan began to creak and groan as Derek put his weight into it.
A loud crack, and he was holding the disconnected, pointless thing by the neck. The right corner of his mouth twitched, close to a grin but not at all really. He stepped off the bed and set it down on the floor. I took the liberty of shaking the dust from the covers and onto the floor, that I'd probably never sweep.
We both laid back down, and fell asleep.
* * *
Thwack, thwack!
"Scarlett open up!" I jolted awake. "Hey, It's Ranger!" A booming voice came through the door. I looked at a now awake Derek, and quickly ran my hand through the top of my hair to smooth it. I threw the covers off, and made my way quickly to the door, but not before glancing at the alarm clock on the nightstand next to Derek. Three AM read the device in electric green flashing numbers. That only added to my anxiety.
I paused a second at the door, I looked to my left at the floor length mirror, I was a wreck.
"Range, I'm not really up to hang out right now." I raised my voice a little to get through the door.
"Scarlett, you want to open this door." He sounded wary. My heart rate picked up a little. I opened the door swiftly.
Ranger, red faced and sweating a little greeted me with Max's arm around his shoulders, knees weak. His head was hung low to cover his face, but I could smell the Gin from here.
"I found him trying to fight these two idiots at the bar." I stepped aside as Ranger half dragged him in. "He couldn't even punch straight, I didn't know where else to take him... under the circumstances." He means Charlie.
"No, no I'm glad you did." I wrapped Max's other arm around me and helped walk him to the bed, dropping him down onto it. Derek was already up and on his feet glowering in the nearest corner.
Unmoving, Max's even breathing showed in the rise and fall of his chest, he was out of it.
"Hey, man, how's it going?" Ranger leaned to shake Derek's hand.
"Hey." Derek said deeply.
"You're good here?" Ranger started making his way back toward the door, eyebrows raised waiting for an answer.
"Ye-yes." I stuttered. "I've got him. Thanks again." I sat down on the bed next to Max who was half off of it.
"Did you know he was drinking?" I gazed down at Max, lightly stroking the length of his cheek. I heard the door click as Ranger exited.
Derek shook his head once, lips pressed tightly together as he looked down at Max with a hard face.
"Max." I shook his shoulder slightly. No response. "Max." I shook him harder. His eyes were still closed but he managed a whimper. Derek helped me drag him up the bed and tuck him in.
"I'm gonna head back." Derek began.
"No," I stopped him. "Stay. Please stay?" I pleaded with him. Last thing I wanted was to be alone with Max.
He sighed, and sat down in the arm chair at the corner of the small room. I watched him slump down into it and lean his head all the way back, his laced fingers resting on his stomach. I felt a little relief, and made my way to the closet to grab an extra blanket for the floor bed I was going to make.
Now all that was missing was Tyler. Just like the old days.
