When we got to the train station I didn't expect to see Michael, Ashton and Calum waiting for us. I honestly didn't have a clue why they were there or how they knew we were going to be there because as soon as they saw us they yelled my name and made their way in mine and Luke's direction.
"What are you guys doing here?" I asked looking confused at the group of boy and they just grinned at me.
"We're coming to help!" Ashton said smiling, but I couldn't think anything positive that could have come out of their very kind suggestion.
"No, you're not." I said. "Charlie would kill me if I brought people. She thinks that it's showing her off like a freakshow, why would I let you come?" I walked past them briskly trying to find the next train to Leeds train station and thank god for me that the next one departed in ten minutes.
"But, we haven't met any of your friends!" Calum moaned as he followed me like a lost puppy, the other guys trailing behind him.
"You can meet her another time, not when she's in a crisis." I told them as I payed for my ticket and made my way to platform 12 which is where my train is going to be at. I knew that the state that Charlie was in was a very critical state and she will be very vulnerable and rude, I don't want the boys to meet her like that. They can meet her when she's more stable and from my past experiences of helping her, less drunk.
"Too late, I've bought my ticket I'm coming!" Ashton said as he walked beside me and I groaned in frustration. I don't see what these guys don't get about not being able to come, it's not that I don't want them to come - well actually I don't - but this isn't a fun trip, this is for me to be there for my bestfriend and it's all incredibly personal stuff.
"For gods sake fine!" I gave up, sticking my hands on my hips I looked at them all as if they were usually badly behaved children and I was giving them their last warning. "But you do not talk to her unless she speaks to you, the less you talk the less pissed off she'll be with me."
"YAY! ROADTRIP!" Calum shouted and raced for the end of the platform for the end carriage of the train. Closing my eyes and immediately regretting the decision I made to allow them to tag along I slowly followed them into the end carriage.
--
Finding that Charlie was at her house, I knew exactly where she was. She went to that horrible nightclub again. I was fed up of her giving up on herself and drinking away everything, if she carries on the way she is she's going to end up with alcohol poisoning.
"Well where is she?" Michael asked me looking worried and he wrapped his arm around me as he probably thought that I was worried that she wasn't at home.
"She's at that god damn nightclub?" Luke asked from behind me and I laughed nodding my head.
"Yeah it's only down the road, but someone's going to have to call a cab because we won't be able to drag her on foot back to her house." I told them picking up my speed as we drew closer to the bar.
"It seems like you've done this a lot." Ashton observed and I could tell he was asking the question of how many times I've done this.
"Yeah, I have." I sighed feeling slightly sorry for Charlie and that she has to go through this, nobody should have to go through what she does. "She has a lot of panic attacks." I told them not wanting to just open up saying that she's a Clairvoyant, although I think that Luke knows as we were talking about her earlier today.
When we finally made it to the club I saw Charlie sat on the path smoking a cigerette and her shoes no where in sight. I slumped my shoulders feeling an overwhelming feeling of sadness run through me at seeing my bestfriend in this state in the middle of the street.
"So where's Charlie?" Calum asked jumping up and down looking almost excited.
"There." I said pointing towards my bestfriend and started walking towards her. When she looked up and I could see her face I automatically knew that she had been crying. Quickly she stood up and pulled me into a hug.
"Oh god, I'm sorry Ri but he wouldn't stop fucking barking!" She cried into my shoulder before pulling away and looking at me. "I needed to fade it out, I couldn't deal with it." she sobbed.
"It's ok a taxi is coming, we're going to take you home and sort everything out ok?" I asked pulling away completely to look at her face.
Charlie sniffed and looked at me with a slight disgust on her face, "We?"
"Yeah us aswell!" Calum grinned at Charlie and her face fell.
"You fucking brought people? I'm not a fucking freakshow." she said through gritted teeth, and I'm not gonna lie, when Charlie is angry she's extremely terrifying.
"How about we get you home and we'll explain everything." I said which caused her to glare at me before backing down and slumping her shoulders and honestly, I felt quite victorious.
When the taxi arrived and we all managed to fit in the car and I told the driver the directions back to Charlie's house. When we arrived, Luke payed the driver and I got her house keys out of her purse opening her front door and letting the boys inside.
Quickly I showed the boys to the living room and then took Charlie upstairs for her to change and get sorted. I pulled out her long black shirt and made her change from her skin tight dress and she left into her bathroom.
When she re-entered her bedroom she was in the top and her make up from underneath her eyes were gone, however she still had pretty heavy make up on her eyelids and her eyebrows were still coloured in perfection. Her hair did look like she needed it cleaning and it was soaked in sweat from being in the club, but somehow she looked amazing.
I watched Charlie as she made her way towards the top drawer of her dresser and pulled out a fresh packet of cigerette and a lighter. I rolled my eyes at her addiction to cigerettes and followed her as she started to walk down the stairs and into her living room. Noticing her sitting up as the sight of Ashton in her seat I chuckled knowing exactly what her improvement in posture meant as she made her way to where he was sat.
"I'm a fucking human being, not a chimpanzee." Charlie said angrily at the group of boys as she moved to stand infront of Ashton - who seemed to think that today was a good day to wear a bandana, which was bad judgement on his part seen as Charlie hated guys that wore bandanas. "You're in my fucking seat, do you mind?" Ashton mumbled an apology and moved to go and sit on the floor and I was extremely angry at Charlie with the way she was reacting. Sure I was out of line bringing the boys, but it's not their fault, "Ariel, why the fuck are these arsewholes here?" Charlie asked looking up at me as she pulled out a cigerette from the cigerette box and lit it. Michael cringed as he smelt the smoke when Charlie blew it out into circles, after Charlie's second intake she blew it straight into Michael's face causing him to cough violently.
After witnessing what Charlie just to Michael I suddenly got incredibly angry and snapped at her. "Charlie stop being a bitch." I told her snatching the cigerette away from her hand.
"I asked for you, Ri. Not an audience of my fucked up life." Chalie gritted her teeth at me with glaring eyes. "If you don't give me back my fucking cigerette I won't hesitate to tell this guy who's in this room." she threatened pointing to Luke.
"What do you mean?" Luke asked looking slightly scared of Charlie, which I am sure gave her a big thrill as she loves it when she knows she can frighten someone.
"Don't even dare, Charlie." I told her kneeling infront of her and looking directly into her grey eyes. "Don't take out your fear and anger out on others they don't deserve it."
Sighing in defeat Charlie mumbled an apology - which I wasn't satisfied with - to him and leaned back on her setee and took back the cigerette from between my fingers. "Well, if they're not leaving who are they?" she asked looking at each of them then suddenly her facial expression dropped even further "Shit."
"What's wrong?" I asked extremely concerned, I knew that face and it was never a good sign.
"Ariel, how many people did you bring?" She asked looking around the room, looking almost frightened and I was terrified to know how many people were actually in the room.
"I brought four." I told her smiling, hoping not to panic her and hoping that me smiling will calm her down and not over panic.
"Can you point to who you brought please, just so I know who's here and who isn't." She asked looking around the room and I could see her eyes fixate on blank spaces, telling me that someone was stood there.
"This is Luke," I pointed to the boy that took me to meet Benji and Joel Madden earlier. "This is Michael, you know the guy from twitter?" She nodded her head when I pointed to Michael. "That's Calum," I pointed to the weird boy that was tanned and owned a few tattoos to which Charlie nodded her head, seemingly calming down from knowing who was dead and who was alive. "And that's Ashton that you rudely told to move." I gave her a look that told Charlie that she should apologise for her behavious towards Ashton.
After Charlie apologised, she seemed to settle a little bit better and have a conversation slightly better. Of course she was slightly dodgy at times and got a little pissed when the guys nearly made her do a group reading, but pretty good considering that she was drunk. To say that I was proud of her was an understatement, I thought she was going to do a lot worse than what I thought she was going to do. But after everything I was happy with how things played out.