Much later when Charley arrived back over at Jerry's house, with his belongings, it was Billy who showed him the guest room where he would be staying, and surprisingly the room was nice and spacious, with a bed bigger than his in his room in his mother's home. A medium-sized television sat a few feet away from the bed. Despite the room being big and nice, it had a dry, musty smell to it. After Charley finished unpacking in his room, he dashed downstairs where he walked up on a short, stumpy lady with glasses and her hair in a bun, wearing a brown skirt suit and looking to be in her late fifties. Her name was Mrs. Williams and she was talking to Jerry by the front door. She had arrived a good thirty-five minutes before Charley had arrived back at Jerry's house.
"So, that's the gist of it for now." Mrs. Williams said while writing on a clipboard in her hand. "And, ah, here's Charley. Hi son, how are you holding up?"
Charley gave a quick glance at Jerry, who was staring at him with intensity, before nodding and looking away from Jerry.
"I'm - coping, the best I can," Charley replied in a low voice.
Mrs. Williams patted Charley on the shoulder with a smile.
"Good son," Mrs. Williams replied. "You're lucky to have Jerry here as your guardian. He's been speaking so highly of you during the entire time I've been here, so I think you'll be in good hands with him."
Charley shot a look over at Jerry in disbelief.
"Really?" Charley asked. "He said - all good things? That's surprising, considering that it's coming from Jerry."
In an instant, Jerry flashed Charley a look of anger. There was Charley's fiery attitude again, and it caught the attention of Mrs. Williams, as she shot a confused stare over at Jerry, to which Jerry quickly contrived a smirk.
"Ah yes," Jerry said, his eyes slowly shifting over to Mrs. Williams, "Charley knows I don't like to brag about him. I'm very modest is what he means."
"Ah, I see." Mrs. Williams said with a laugh and a nod, to which Jerry contrived a brief laugh as well. "Well, Mr. Dandridge, I will be in touch regarding a court date and you have a wonderful night. You too Charley."
"Thank you, Mrs. Williams," Jerry said as he opened the front door for her. "I look forward to hearing back from you."
As soon as Jerry closed the door after Mrs. Williams walked out, Charley turned to walk away.
"Hey wait," Jerry said, "are you going up to rest? Because if so, before you do, let me fix you a quick meal-"
"I'm not hungry," Charley said coldly as he continued walking towards the stairway.
Quickly Jerry walked after him and stepped in front of him, blocking him from getting up the stairs.
"Hey wait," Jerry snapped. "Look you think you could try dropping that attitude of yours?"
"Or what Jerry?" Charley snapped. "You'll turn me into the four-hundred-year-old blood-sucking bat that you are?"
Jerry rolled his eyes and sighed as Charley smirked briefly.
"You're repulsive," Charley said before pushing Jerry to the side and walking up the stairs. Immediately Jerry grabbed Charley's arm and pulled him with force back towards him, a move that made Charley jump for a second in fear.
"I offered to be your guardian, but don't PUSH it, Charley." Jerry snapped while staring directly into Charley's eyes. "Are we clear?"
Charley yanked his arm away with anger while staring at Jerry with attitude.
"Crystal." Charley snapped before rolling his eyes and storming up the rest of the stairs.
As Jerry walked into the kitchen, he saw Billy by the kitchen island fixing two, bologna sandwiches. When Billy saw Jerry, he smiled briefly.
"Hey," Billy said, "I thought the kid might want dinner so-"
"Kid?" Jerry asked with a roll of his eyes. "More like a smart-mouthed - teenage runt"
"He's still giving you a hard time huh?" Billy asked.
Jerry sighed as he sat down at a nearby table with a shake of his head.
"I don't know Billy. I mean I - just don't know if I can deal with his attitude for a year without killing him I swear." Jerry replied.
"Oh come on Jerry," Billy said, "all teens are like that. Besides, maybe it's because his mother JUST died yesterday. I mean he's in the middle of the grieving process right now, you of all people should know that. Give him some time to come around."
"Yeah," Jerry said before sighing.
Billy walked over and handed Jerry the plate of sandwiches.
"Here, go up and give this to him," Billy said. "He'll thank you for it - maybe not tonight but..."
Billy stopped as Jerry laughed, which resulted in Billy laughing as well.
Theme Song: "Don't Do Anything I wouldn't Do" ~ Fright Night Soundtrack (2011 Remake)
As Jerry walked up onto the second floor with the plate of sandwiches, Jerry stopped a few feet away from Charley's closed door, as he heard light, muffled noise from inside the room. As Jerry slowly walked over to the door and creaked it open, he saw Charley sitting at a desk with his back turned to the door, sobbing. There was no doubt in Jerry's mind what Charley was sobbing over, of course, and at that moment, Jerry felt a sting of sympathy for the young teen. As quiet as he could, Jerry walked in and placed the plate of sandwiches on a small table by the door, and turned to walk out - but not before looking back at Charley with one last stare of sympathy. Jerry wanted to go over and console Charley the way he wished someone had consoled him and Regine when they were children, grieving over their parents' death, but Jerry decided not to, now wasn't the time. Charley needed his time alone at that moment, he needed his alone time to grieve, and that's just what Jerry gave him, as he stepped further out of the room, closing the bedroom door behind him.
The Next Morning
Theme Song: "Armies Of The Night ~ Fright Night Soundtrack/"Little Bitty Pretty One" ~ Thurston Harris
It was seven-thirty in the morning when Charley, fully dressed for school, walked into Jerry's kitchen and turned on the radio, with the song "Armies Of The Night" by Sparks blasting from the radio. With a yawn, Charlie walked over to the fridge, opened it, and grabbed a carton of orange juice. He walked over to the counter, open the cabinet, grabbed a glass, and poured orange juice into it. Just as Charley was about to take a sip of the orange juice, the song on the radio changed to "Little Bitty Pretty One", a 50's song by Thurston Harris - one of Charley's mother's favorite songs in fact.
Instantly upon hearing the song, it sent Charley into a mental flashback, a flashback of when he was seven years old and his mother would dance with him around the kitchen to that very song. As Charley closed his eyes and envisioned the memory more, he could see the flashback even more perfect now. He could even hear the laughter he shared with his mother as she held his hands in hers and swung him around the kitchen while dancing. He could remember perfectly how the outside sunshine from the kitchen window illuminated her face with radiance as they danced around the kitchen. The memory was so strong and vivid for him, that he didn't even hear his name being called from behind him.
"Hello? Charley?!" Billy called from behind Charley.
As Charley opened his eyes that were filled with tears, tears that were now streaming as Charley broke out of his flashback remembrance within an instant and turned to look at Billy.
"Oh, yeah, what? What is it?" Charley asked with sharpness as he wiped his streaming tears away quickly.
"Charley it's seven-thirty in the morning and you're blasting music in here," Billy said with upset. "Why?"
Charley stared at him as if he were nuts.
"It's a school day Billy," Charley said with attitude.
"So this is what you do usually when you're getting ready for school?" Billy asked. "Blare music loudly throughout your house, waking your mother up at the crack of dawn?"
Charley looked at him with instant anger.
"Don't you ever speak one word about my mother again!" Charley snapped with a roll of his eyes before pushing past Billy and walking out of the kitchen.
Billy scoffed with a shake of his head before turning and walking out after Charley, with Charley bumping into Jerry in the hallway.
"Charley oh hey, was that you blaring that loud music?" Jerry asked, looking half asleep.
Charley sighed with a roll of his eyes.
"I was, now I'm not. I'm off to school, bye." Charley snapped before walking around Jerry.
"School?" Jerry asked. "Well, actually I thought you'd stay home so we can plan your mother's funeral-"
Jerry stopped as Charley stopped dead in his tracks with his back to Jerry and Billy. As Charley looked down and to his right, he shut his eyes tight with a frown. The word "funeral" meant that his mother was gone, truly gone.
"I - can't - now." Charley forced himself to spew out after a few seconds of silence. "I'll do it this evening."
"Well I thought that Billy and I would help you," Jerry said. "I mean-"
"No!" Charley shouted strongly, almost with a hint of emotion. "She was my mother, you two didn't know her. I'll get started on planning it myself when I get home."
Jerry sighed, slightly irritated.
"What? Charley no," Billy said, "look come on-"
Billy stopped as Charley angrily opened the door to the house and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
"Still want to be his guardian?" Billy joked with a smile to Jerry before chuckling and turning to walk away.
Jerry's patience was running thin with Charley, it was running thin with Charley fast. Grieving or not, there was one thing Jerry was not going to tolerate, and that was disrespect, especially continued disrespect from some seventeen-year-old kid who wasn't even his own son. Jerry was sure that one more rude, attitude-filled conversation with Charley was going to make him snap and become the rabid, vicious monster that Charley had never seen him become, and that for Charley's sake, Jerry hoped would never appear, but it was coming close, dangerously close to a very short tipping point for Jerry.