Another one!

SM owns the characters; i own whats left. :(

The Ghosts' Adversary

When Charlie walked into the house, I was already sitting at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of ramen. Since I didn't have a way to get to my snacks (because they were in my M.I.A. truck) I had to settle for Charles cheap, but oddly satisfying alternatives. I knew that I couldn't be held out from food for long.

A really big side effect of being doped up all the time is the munchies. I used to pick at all of the pot heads because I thought it was just unfortunate to be brought down so low from just a simple hunger. I was soo wrong. I soon realized that it was not just a hunger, but more like an unnerving beast in your belly that has to be filled. Though not only filled, but stuffed with the unhealthiest, greasiest, fattening foods you could ever find.

I felt it hours after I took the first dose of my meds. I had never been high until that point in my life so I was already hyped up and practically skipping around with giddiness. I was passing by the kitchen on one of my trips around the house when something made me pause. In my very fuzzy thinking I decided to stop to get a bite to eat. But soon a bite turned into much more. Before I knew it, I ate every snack food in the pantry plus the fridge just because it felt really good to do so.

Since then I learned really quickly that if I wanted to live to see thirty I had to learn how to control it. Mainly because it was apparent that I would have to spend the rest of my life under the influence of something and I didn't want to end up over weight. It would just give the doctors more things to nag me about.

But I think the ramen would do good for now. I had to admit that it tasted really good and warmed my insides after being outside in the rain for most of the day.

I looked up from the bowl, to Charlie. He was hanging his jacket on the coat rack. He didn't pay me any mind; not that I necessarily cared, but it was a new and refreshing thing to witness from a person in this town. I guess that meant I had to start the conversation out.

"Hey Charlie," I said slurping a noodle that was hanging from the corner of my mouth.

"Yeah kiddo?" He was in the process removing his boots so his words were muffled.

"You are home early. How was your day?" I asked. That's a regular question kids ask their parents right?

He had moved over to the fridge to start rummaging through it. "It was great. I went fishing with some of my friends from the station and a few other guys from the Indian reservation." He apparently found what he was looking for because he tore off the wrapper and popped it in the microwave.

Charlie turned back toward me. "You remember Mr. Billy right and his son Jacob? They were… umm at your birthday party I was last at." He gave out a nervous laugh.

Oh now I know. The same birthday he was drunk at. He made a fool out of his self. I was surprised he still had those friends. Anyway getting off subject; I think he asked me about some people.

"Well yeah, it's been a while but I'm pretty sure I can still tell who they are."

"Oh well I don't know about that Bells. His son has turned into a brute of a boy. Actually now that I think of it, all of the boys his age on the rez are just a big as him." Charlie's eyes looked at me.

Uh oh, He's smiling again. I'm starting to hate whenever he smiles.

"If you think you might be interested I can get something arranged for you to meet…"

I cut him off immediately. "Uh… No thanks. Like at all. I not the type for blind dates."

He was still smiling. "Okay just think about it."

I was thinking about throwing up. Just imagining meat headed boys trying to get my affection was way worse than ever meeting Mike's sorry ass.

"Ummm…" I sighed and slid the bowl away from me, then cleaned my mouth with a napkin. Oh here we go. Charlie noticed how the conversation changed from friendly chatter into something totally different.

"What's up?" He removed the packaging from the microwave to the dinner table.

"I had an incident today in a parking lot." I paused to see if he was fully listening. "While I was shopping for some snacks."

"Yeah I noticed that the truck wasn't outside." His eyes brows scrunched together. "What happened?"

"Nothing bad. I umm… just sort of fainted, and a girl named Alice took me to her house because her dad was a doctor. But my truck was left in the parking lot, so she offered to drive me home. And here I am now. I swear I'm fine, just a little shaken up."

Of course I had to leave out some key points in my story, like why I fainted, but I didn't want to scare off my parent guardian the first day I meet him.

Charlie's eyes shot up when I said I fainted and they stayed like that until I finished zipping through my story. It was amusing to see his face frozen in such a way.

"Charlie?"

"Um yeah? OH! Sorry, I was thinking. So what is Alice's last name?"

"Oh it's umm… Well I don't know. But I'll figure it out soon." I shrugged. I figured being on first name basis was enough. Although I think that now that we are, best friends, as she so happily put it, I need to find out what it is.

"Okay. Well…" I was mentally flinching from Charlie. He liked using his hands when he spoke and every time they swung my way I jerked. "I guess I could drive you to school in the morning."

I froze. Did he just really say that?

"That's all?"

"Well yeah. What else can you do? I'm just glad you weren't hurt and that this Alice person was there for you. What did you expect?"

My eyes shot up. He was glad I wasn't hurt? Never had I heard this before. Whenever I was with Renee, she would hope that I would hurt myself so that I wouldn't be in her way for longer than needed.

She said the hospital is the place where naughty children spent timeout. I just took her word for it because it seemed every time I was "disobedient" in Renee's presence I ended up spending the night in the emergency room.

She always told the doctors that I was so clumsy and my medication only made it worst. Other times I wouldn't be so lucky, so I had to go to sleep trying to breathe around bruised ribs. So Charlie really wanted to know what I expected from him?

I shook my head. "Nothing, nothing at all." I didn't feel like eating anymore which was saying something.

"I'm going to get ready for bed."

"Okay. You need your rest; you have a big day tomorrow." Charlie gave me a shallow more sincere looking smile. His age creases at the corner of his eyes didn't essentially help his appearance, but it made him look wiser in some way, like a true father should look.

I felt the safest I have ever felt in a long time, looking at him. It was a stupid feeling because someone could easily take advantage of it. But I think I over look his past mistakes and forgive him. I see he is really trying to get in my good favor and he has never meant me any harm. Like I said before, he is just too damn nice.

I sighed and began my march upstairs.

"Good night Charlie."

"Good night Bella."

A little peaceful scene before the drama starts. I think I overexaggerated on the munchies, sooo... oh well!

I will write again when I can. These summer storms are killing me! If I can write uninterupted by the power going out for one night, then i will be at peace with the world. until then... Chao!