Same day...
It was mid afternoon, way to bright out for Charlie's taste, but alas, he had things to do. So he pulled on his sun glasses and his hoodie and wondered over to the board walk to meet up with an old friend.
As usually, there Tommy was at the corner of the little grocery store that sat on the board walk, hands in his pocket, greasy black hair smeared to his forehead, looking miserable as usual. Charlie watched him for a moment, trying to make himself turn back. He wanted to think he had something to live for, a reason to be good. On the island, that was Claire.
But he didn't have Claire any more, or Aaron. They had a life of their own. A nice little house in the suburbs that didn't hold much from for a washed out junkie. He took a deep breath, and headed over to the corner.
At first, Tommy didn't take much notice to him. The bloke was to burnt out to realize who he was speaking to. His eyes were swollen and red. Beads of sweat streamed down his face. He looked terrible.
"Charlie?" he questioned after a long pause, his voice hoarse and raw. "In the flesh" Charlie replied, forcing a smile. "Hey man! I thought you were dead!" Tommy exclaimed, giving him a great big hug. "Fraid not" Charlie replied sarcastically, not doing much effort to return the gesture.
"Wow. A whole year on an island, huh? You must be in hell right now." Tommy noted in amusement. "Is it that obvious?" Charlie questioned sarcastically. Tommy gave a hoarse laugh at the remark, witch transformed int a cough. "We'll don't worry. I've got you covered" He assured, once the fit subsided. He placed his arm around Charlie's shoulder and began leading him behind the little grocery shop.
"Your my savior" Charlie noted sarcastically. "You know it" Tommy replied, laughing again. They stopped at the end of the ally where a couple boxes laid about. "So, where are you staying?" Tommy asked curiously as he knelt down and opened up one of the boxes.
"Um...no where" Charlie answered bluntly, looking around in paranoia. "No where? What do you mean nowhere?" Tommy asked, shooting him a curious glance. "I'm officially homeless" Charlie explained with a sarcastic grin. Tommy just laughed. Charlie frowned, not sure why his friend seemed so amused.
"Man, you can't get a break can you?" Tommy asked sarcastically, laughing once again. "Guess not" Charlie shrugged, still not seeing the hummer in his situation. "Well, like I said. I've got you covered" Tommy confirmed, rising to his feet and placing a little bag in Charlie's hand. Charlie looked down at the little plastic baggy, mesmerized.
"This should tide you over for a bit. You can swing by my place, get yourself washed up, you and I can head to the pub, have a couple drinks, catch up. Then we'll find you some nice bird to shack up with for the night. How's that sound?" Tommy purposed, laying a hand on Charlie's shoulder. Charlie hand been starring at the bag the whole time. Finally, he broke out of his daze and looked up.
He looked around again, still paranoid. After all, they were in a pretty public place. He spotted someone at the end of the ally, and panicked for a moment. Then he realized it was just a women, probably looking for groceries, who just happened to glance over at them as she walked bye. He took a deep breath and turned back to Tommy, trying to remember what he had just said.
"Oh, uh..I don't know if that's a good idea" Charlie explained, sounding a little unsure. "What do you mean?" Tommy questioned, giving him a confused look. Charlie didn't know what to say. "I don't know. I just, I'm not in the mood" he explained with a shrug. "Not in the mood for what? Drinks? Showers?" Tommy questioned teasingly.
"No, sex" Charlie confirmed in an annoyed whisper. Tommy shoot him a confused look. "Not in the mood for sex? Did you hit your head or something?" Tommy asked, eyeing him in concern. "No, I just...look, can't I just crash at your place for the night?" Charlie questioned, hopefully.
"No" Tommy scoffed in reply. Charlie looked confused. "Look man, I want to help you out but I can' just take care of you. If you want to get back on your feet you have to do it on your own" Tommy explained simply. "Help me? Since when is pumping someone full of drugs and bear and sending them off to bed with a stranger considered help?" Charlie questioned in frustration.
"Hey, no ones forcing you to take the shit! You came to me. If you don't want it, fine. But don't come down here giving me your redemption bull shit." Tommy exclaimed in annoyance, and snatched the bag out of Charlie's hand. He shoved it into his pocket and began to walk off back to his post.
Charlie waited for a moment, considering. "Wait-" He called with a sigh. Tommy stopped and turned around. "I'm sorry, all right? I'm just..moody" Charlie explained, apologetically. "Your always moody" Tommy reminded him sarcastically. "Give me a break, I'm homeless. I haven't bathed in forever, I'll be surprised if I can even get a women" Charlie explained sarcastically.
"Don't worry. We'll get you cleaned up. Trust me, the girls will be all over you" Tommy assured, patting him on the back. Charlie smiled. "I hope your right" He muttered in amusement. Tommy smiled. "When have I ever been wrong?"
end
for now
So, now we get to hear what's been going with Charlie. Makes things a lot more interesting, don't you think? Ps, sorry about the crappy spelling! I'm being realy lazy with this one.