Sunday morning Charlie woke up screaming, her whole was in agony. Everyone else woke up with a startle. The twins woke up confused, both looking around trying to figure out what was going on before getting up and dragging themselves out the bedroom. Denny woke up jumping out of bed and stumbling over his messy room. Kim slept in the living room with Jared and the both woke up to Quil getting up and instantly running down the hallway to his imprint. Quil flung the door open to see Charlie rocking back and forth with her knees up against her chest. She wore only a sports bra and boxers, she was drenched in sweat.
"Quil, my body hurts," Charlie managed to get out between her teeth rattling against each other. Denny finally made it into the room next still wiping sleep from his eyes.
"I'll draw a bath, you just get her in to it," Denny told Quil as he left the room. Quil watched as his imprint rocked back and forth, eyes wide and wild. Her hair matted from the sweat and restless she must have been having all night. She survived the first day without drugs, today marks number two if she can make it through.
"Come on, lets go sit in the tub. It'll ease your muscles. That's what is hurting right now," Quil gently scooped Charlie into his arms. She felt light as a feather as he carried her down the hallway. Everyone made themselves seem busy to not embarrass her. Denny walked out of the tub, laying a quick kiss on Charlie's face. Quil shut the door behind them before lowering her to the tubs edge. Quil turned around so she could undress but she just scoffed.
"Quit being a baby, you like me and I like you. You were bound to see me naked at some point right?" Charlie tried to act like this wasn't the first time a man she liked was about to see her naked. Sure, she's got naked and streaked before. Yes, women see her naked at the club all the time. Yes, the man who raped her saw. But never a man she liked, a man who liked her. Charlie stripped quickly and slid into the bathtub. It was warm and smelled like lavender. Quil sat on the floor staring at the ceiling, he was still thinking about how she listened to the stories last night. It's like she was memorizing everything in her head. He just hoped nothing slipped up anytime soon to where she'd put pieces together.
"You have a meeting in an hour but don't rush. Let your muscles relax," Quil told her as he checked his phone for the time. It was nine.
"Could you ask Kim to bring me clothes? Sweats and a hoodie is fine. I don't care today," Charlie sank lower in the tub, covering the rest of her body to where only her face was left floating. Quil sent a quick text to Kim to grab the clothes and to also grab some ibuprofen to keep the pain down a little bit.
"Can I come in?" Kim knocked on the bathroom door quietly, so quietly that Charlie didn't even hear. Quil unlocked the door and let Kim in who sat everything down in the sink and handed Charlie the pills which she gladly took.
"Thank you," Charlie said before she disappeared back under the water. Charlie loves floating in tubs. She loved floating in the ocean too but Jared put a stop to that idea last night. She loved the feeling of being weightless and if she couldn't do drugs go get that feeling then this was the second best option.
"Jared and I are going to go get the snacks and stuff for today. Denny is making coffee for you two before he heads to the grocery store. The boys are gonna go and get sparkling cider for today inside. You want any specific movie? Denny said it was my turn but you know I'm not big into movies," Kim looked back at Quil as she went to go leave for the errands.
"No, I don't care what we watch. Hey, mind grabbing some chocolate and twizzlers down at the store? Along with gatorades and stuff like that? Vomiting is also a withdrawal sign and she hasn't yet but..." Quil watched as Charlie lowered herself completely under, air bubbles blowing out her nose.
"Sure thing. Good luck today," Kim waved at both of them before leaving. Charlie popped up gasping for her before wiping her face off and pushing her hair back. She unplugged the drain as Quil handed her a towel. She stood up to where Quil could feel his mouth drop as he took in her naked body for the first time. Her hair was more faded then ever now after being completely under the water, so much so it was mainly just bleach blonde with some purple left. Water droplets were covering her tattoos and silky skin. She had scars on her upper thighs that he didn't notice earlier. She had scars on her lower stomach as well. He must have stared at him for too long because Charlie quickly wrapped the towel around herself.
"I use to cut back in high school," Charlie told him as she stepped out the tub. She would tell him about it another time but not now. She dropped the towel and pulled on the sweatpants and the flannel that was Quils, the first one he had given her and she kept. She ran a brush through her hair quickly before just throwing it up into a bun.
"Are you ready?" Quil asked as Charlie stared at her reflection in the mirror.
"Yeah, I'll grab my slippers and phone," Charlie opened the bathroom door and saw all her stuff already on the counter along with two travel cups of coffee. She loved Denny more than air right now. She grabbed her stuff and the cups before having Quil open the front door. Quil took his cup and they walked in silence to the elevator. Neither one talked again until they were outside of rec center.
"Ready for day two?" Quil asked as they walked up the steps. Charlie was looking around at some of the group members sitting on the steps smoking cigarettes. She saw a girl about her age that was skinner and had track marks all up and down her arms. She walked straight over to her and asked for a cigarette. Quil followed silently, he knew that this was a possibility. Getting rid of one addiction to pick up another.
"What's your name?" Charlie asked as she lit the cigarette and took a long drag letting it fill her lungs.
"Mary. You?" The girl was visibly shaking and her eyes were farting everywhere, looking at everyone.
"Charlie. You new too?" Charlie looked at Quil behind her who gave her a small smile. God, what did he do to deserve a woman this beautiful.
"Day one. Court ordered," Mary responded before taking one last hit of her cigarette before stomping it out with her flip flop.
"Day two. Boy friend ordered," Charlie broke up the word not sure if he was her boyfriend or not yet. He sure did act like it but she was still too scared to ask. She knew he liked her but if he keeps attending these meetings then maybe he'll learn how ugly her past is and stop.
"Then you got a keeper. Nice to see I'm not the only new face," Mary opened the door for them as Charlie stomped out her own cigarette. Quil followed and once again took his seat in the back. Charlie went up and sat next to Mary. Miss Gomez got up to introduce herself and everyone said hello, once she sat back down it was anyone's turn to share. An older man with one arm and a leather jacket got up and walked to the front.
"My name is Mark," he told the group while he waited for everyone to respond with hello. "I've been sober for a year now but lately with the summer turning into fall I've been wanting to drink again. It always warmed me up while I lived out on the streets but...I don't live on the streets now. I work, I live in a studio above the job, I have heat...but it doesn't warm my insides," Mark looked at his feet as he talked. He looked about fifty with the grey stubble growing on his face. Quil just wanted to know what happened to his arm. Miss Gomez asked him what did he think he could do to warm up his insides in which eventually they fell upon running, letting the work out put a healthy burn through his body. Mark took his seat in the front row before a few others got up. Soon Charlie stood and walked slowly up front.
"Charlie, day two. Why don't you tell me what got you started on the drugs and alcohol abuse? What fueled you?" Miss Gomez took a sip from her paper water cup before crossing her legs. Charlie wasn't expecting such a hard hitting question. She had only ever shared this information with Denny and the boys. She looked at the ceiling trying to think of the easiest way to say it.
"I'll count to five. At each number you say a reason," the girl with the missing teeth from yesterday called out to her as a lifeline. Charlie nodded before pulling her shoulders back and standing up straight. She could do this.
"One," the girl said while holding a finger up in the air. Others joined.
"Foster system sucks and is too overcrowded to really be able to protect every child," Charlie put the first one simply. The foster system led many kids down the wrong path, especially when they place them in the wrong homes.
"Two," another person said while everyone changed the amount of fingers they had up.
"A foster dad raped me countless times for a long time until another foster child in the home overdosed," Charlie barely got the words out as she shut her eyes. She could feel the stares but she could feel his hands on her body as she pictured it.
"Three," Miss Gomez called out while putting up another finger.
"The drinking and getting high numbed it all. Made me forget what he was doing, what he did. Made me not care. I watched a lot of kids in my foster homes die from overdose or alcohol related incidents and I always wished it was me," Charlie kept her eyes closed. She just wanted to stop there. Her stomach was turning and her body was heating up.
"Four," Mary said as everyone held their breathes waiting to see what was coming next.
"I overdosed and I let my best friend find me. I was hoping I could have just died but I didn't. He saved me and I just wish he hadn't sometimes. I can still see that monsters face everytime I go to sleep," Charlie could feel the wetness one her cheeks from the tears. The last one was coming and she knew it so she tried her best to hold her ground even though her body was telling her to run.
"Five," Quil shouted from the back of the room. That voice was all it took though for Charlie to relax and remember why she was here.
"I do and did all the things because it made feel normal. Like I was in control of something. I strip because I'm in control. I work with animals because I can help them when no one helped me. I wanted to die because I felt trapped and used and broken and pathetic," Charlie couldn't finish anymore, words were no longer forming in her mouth. Miss Gomez stepped up to the stand and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Charlie open your eyes. You are not broken or used or pathetic. You may feel trapped but that's all in your mind. You need to free yourself from the cage," Mizz Gomez gave Charlie a tight hug before sending her back to her seat. For the rest of the group Charlie was silent. Numb. Miss Gomez was right about her being trapped inside her own cage but she had no idea on how she was going to get out of it. Soon enough the hour was up and everyone was leaving. This time Charlie didn't bolt out, she instead grabbed Quils hand and walk side by side with him. The heat from his body made her muscles relax.
"You did great today," Quil told her as they turned the first corner away from the rec center.
"If this was day two then what will tomorrow be like," Charlie jokes around with a flat voice. She was tired from not sleeping well and just not feeling well. They turned another corner before Charlie pulled away and went to throw up in someone's flower bed.
"You okay?" Quil asked as he walked to rubbed her back lightly. Charlie stood up and wiped her face off with the sleeve of her shirt.
"Yeah, can we go to the store real quick? I need something to settle my stomach," Charlie didnt wait for an answer before heading in that direction. Quil grabbed her arm though and made her pause.
"Get on my back," Quil crouched down not giving her much as an option. Charlie gently placed herself on his back before he stood up and adjusted her to where she was safe and he was comfortable. They walked in silence over to the dollar general.
"Who got snacks today? Do we need to grab them?" Charlie asked as she grabbed a two liter of ginger ale and a box of crackers.
"Kim and Jared got everything. We don't have to get anything today," Quil told her as she also grabbed a pack of gum, black and purple hair dye and a can of soup.
"Well, do you need anything?" Charlie asked before stopping in front of the check out. Quil shook his head but all he wanted to say was you. If it was Paul or even Jared they both would have used that line on her.
"That'll be 24.95," the teenage boy behind the register told Charlie as she pulled out twenty dollars from her wallet and handed it over.
"Here's your change," the boy handed her back a buckle before turning back to playing on his phone. Charlie got back onto Quils back as they walked to the apartment.
"Dying your hair?" Quil eventually asked as they rode the elevator up to her floor.
"It needs to be done. I'll keep the two strands in the front purple though," Charlie told him as they walked down the hallway and through the front door. Let Sunday family day begin.