Critical Screening

Chapter 36

"That's the thing about needs. Sometimes when you get them met, you don't need them anymore." Carrie Bradshaw said from the infamous Sex and the city. And that's true, with some and then there are those others that once you get them you grab on for dear life, because you realize them you need them more then you thought.

Since last July when Charlie Radin walked out of the Manning house hold she knew she needed Kale, she knew that if they never talked again she would still need him, the amount would slowly recede but never extinguish.

And as she stood in front of him in the dorm hall way, soaking wet from walking through the rain and crying for what seemed like hours she realized that she needed him more now then she ever had before.

Her mother had just died and no one in the world could understand it the way that Kale Manning could, no one would feel the same about Mrs. Radin as Kale would and coincidently she was standing outside his door and coincidently he was staring right back at her.

She stood for a moment afraid that any one faultier could ruin her chance, chance at what? She had forgotten what she had come here for and after a few minutes of silence, she couldn't even say what she wanted to. "are you okay?" Kale finally asked as they're eyes finally broke apart.

"My mom died." She said quietly looking down at the ground. "Jesus." He muttureted under his breath. "come on." He said pointing towards the door. "I can't I have to get home, I have to get my shit, I have to get to the train station…."

"Chase just come inside." The words rang through her mind like a beacon of hope of as followed him inside of the dorm room, the large wooden door closing behind her softly. She whipped the tears swiftly from underneath her eyes and took a deep breath, looking out of the small window that took up much of the room it seemed.

Charlie crossed her arms, her hair was damp and she was shaking from the cold and the shock, the feelings and the anticipation. "here." He said quietly walking into her view handing her a pair of sweatpants and a shirt. She reluctantly took them in to her arms but didn't budge to put them on her body. "I don't know what I'm doing here." She said looking towards him slightly. "I have to get home."

"Let me take you." Kale said almost instivevly. "I was going home tomorrow anyway; a few hours won't make a difference." "I can't…" Charlie dropped the clothes on the bed next to her and turned around. "Yes you can." Charlie shook her head crossing her arms. "Charlie my mothers best friend just died, and that woman just happens to be my best friends mother, now let me take you home."

The sternness of his voice was threatening yet hopeful as he walked towards the door. Charlie waited a moment and followed him out towards the car in the parking lot, the rain beginning to subside. The sat awkwardly in the car next to each other, no matter how many times they had shared a car ride together it was never cut with this much tension, this much secretiveness or sadness.

She ran her fingers through the rim of her hair letting the blonde mess fall further from her face. "You know I didn't come to you for a ride…" Charlie said softly. "Then what did you come for?" He replied the two of them finally speaking an hour into the ride. She looked out of the windshield of silence just thinking.

"Did I ever make you watch that episode of Dawson's Creek when they all have Saturday detention?" "Sure." Kale responded. "well during truth or dare Abby makes Joey and Dawson kiss, which changes the feeling for the rest of the day. And remember at the end Joey is crying because she is so beside herself because she loves Dawson to the point that it hurts but she can't admit it to him because she's afraid it might hurt more, but he doesn't understand it." Kale nodded confused as he kept one eye on the road.

"I came to you because I've been Joey for the past six months and I came to you in the rain because I finally wanted to be happy, I wanted to say the words that you were ready to say a long time ago, then I got here and I got a phone call saying my mother died…" Charlie took a deep breath. "Charlie." "and now im thinking I was either all wrong or I was perfectly right and the phone call was just another bump in the road."

"Then why don't you say it." Kale Manning said optimistically. "Because I'm ten times more afraid to say it now, then I was before." She gulped as she leaned her head against the glass window the cold air pressed against her skin. The time passed as Kale drove off the exit the cars tension lightened somewhat as he drove through the town.

"Who was that girl anyway? At your dorm." Charlie asked quietly looking at the window. "Shane." "And she's…?" Kale shrugged. "A girl." Charlie nodded consequently. "how's Ian." Kale questioned. "I haven't spoken to him since graduation." She said shaking her head. "Why you guys have a fight." "I told him he wasn't the father."

Kale gulped. "Did anything happen between you guys." "No?" Charlie said unbelievable. "How about you and Shane?" "No." He said red in the face. "Nothing that mattered anyway." "Yeah that what I meant."

And that's how you know who your friends are. When you can have the biggest fight of your friendship and not talk for months, you see each other for two hours and in a strange way its like nothing has changed, even though it has. But today Kale and Charlie could still bring themselves to talk to each other through the muck of awkwardness and issues they had on the other side.

Kale pulled into the Radin's drive and parked the car and Charlie's heart stopped. "do you want me to go in with you?" "really shooting for the most awkward day ever aren't you Kale." Charlie said sarcastically without looking at him. "do you want me to…" He began again. "Yes…please." Kale Manning nodded as he got out of the car beside Charlie and walked up to the house and walked inside.

"Dad!" She called letting the door slam behind them. "Dad!" "Charlie is that you?" Mr. Radin said coming out from the kitchen. He was wearing his usual business suit but it was in a shamble. His tie was loose around his neck his top buttons seemed to missing and his hair went in every direction and which.

"what the hell happened dad?" Charlie said despaired. "last night she started having seizures, she went into the emergency room, they said a blood vessel popped in her brain, they couldn't do anything sweetie…" Charlie began to shake mildly as she stared at her father. "and now what huh?" She asked growing with anger as Mr. Radin just seemed to stare at her with all the angst in the world. "I told you! I fucking told you to get her help and you did absolutely nothing."

She took deep breaths. "you don't listen to anyone! Well listen now! You drink to much and that's why you never see me, I stay out all night and you don't notice, I come home drunk and you steal my bottles of vodka, I come home pregnant and you demand I get an abortion!" "Charlie." Kale said timidly from behind her.

"I come home crying and you tell me to go give mom her pills, I tell you to find her help and you send me and Radin off to college, my mother doesn't remember me and you let her die! You don't get to pretend to care now, you don't get to apologize or tell me to remember the good times because she is never coming back! And I don't have any good times left to remember because of you."

Mr. Radin stood there silent as his daughter screamed in his direction. "now wheres Radin." Charlie Radin demanded. "he didn't get here yet." She nodded her head once and pounded across the house and slammed the front door behind her. Kale coming out quickly behind, ready to protect and comfort, did he forget that he started the conflict?

Charlie sat on the damp stairs to the porch as Kale Manning came out of the house calmer and quieter. "are you okay?" he asked wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Charlie turned her head to the side looking at him with such a glare she back off of her and questioned his stance. "do you remember that you were the one that decided we shouldn't talk anymore? I mean you do concept that you told me that you couldn't be around me right?"

He nodded. "and you are aware that you cant have it both ways because if you could I wouldn't have been absent from your life for months." "Charlie, your mother just died, you just screamed at your father and I cant comfort you? That's the one thing I have left that I haven't messed up, that I can understand and I cant do it?" She shrugged. "you cant have it both ways."