Charley was sitting in the living room of Jerry's house, calling every distant relative and any friends that he knew of his mother having, getting together any and all plans for his mother's funeral, and basically, it was taking the life out of him in just that short two hours that he had been busy away working, but he had to do this, him and him alone. He felt the more he kept his mind busy on planning her funeral, the less time he had to think about the fact and come to the realization that she was actually dead.
"Yes well it was a shock to me too Aunt Gretchen," Charley said with a sigh of annoyance. She had already talked his head off for a complete thirty minutes and frankly, he was ready to be done talking with her. "Well good, I'll see you on Saturday at the funeral, bye."
Before his aunt could speak another word, he hung up with a brief close of his eyes and a sigh - just as Jerry walked in, a cup of hot chocolate in hand.
"Hey, I thought you could use this," Jerry said as he walked over and handed him the cup.
Charley stared at the cup with attitude.
"No thanks," Charley replied with a shake of his head.
Jerry stared at Charley with disdain before shaking his head, putting the cup on the coffee table, and sitting down beside Charley on the sofa.
"So, do you need any help?" Jerry asked.
"Nope, I'm just about done, once I call the funeral director back and confirm the funeral for this Saturday at noon," Charley said while shuffling through papers on his clipboard and without even looking at Jerry once.
"You sure?" Jerry asked. "Because you look like you're exhausted-"
"I said I don't need any help!" Charley yelled as he stopped shuffling through papers at that moment. "Look why don't you just leave me alone. Get out and leave me alone!"
Jerry stared at Charley with instant anger and within an instant, Jerry shot up off the sofa and was about to grab Charley around the throat and choke the shit out of him, but he restrained himself. At that moment, he did everything he could to restrain himself.
"You know I am sick and tired of your attitude Charley," Jerry snapped. "Yes your mother died, it's heartbreaking, tragic even but it also left you with nowhere to go except some decrepit foster home, which you didn't want to go to in the first place. So the way I see it, I'm helping you out and so you will start showing me a little respect around here or-"
"Or what, Jerry?" Charley snapped as he tossed his clipboard down and shot up off the sofa, staring at Jerry daringly. "You'll become the bloodsucking monster I always knew you were? Show you respect? For what? You're not my father! You're not even my friend! You're not even human! You're just an old, aging, wannabe human bat who spends his time preying on women to feed off of all while living in this God-awful, hideous house!"
At that moment, Jerry felt the rage rush all through him, rage that he wouldn't be able to contain at that moment. Within an instant, Jerry grabbed Charley by the throat and swung him around, and threw him across the floor, causing him to scrape his head alongside a small table behind him, which then resulted in his head bleeding. Jerry was just about to walk over and finish Charley off but Billy walked in and grabbed Charley's arm.
"Jerry, what's all the yelling about?" Billy asked. "What-"
Billy stopped as he looked over and saw Charley sitting up on the floor, holding his lightly bloody head.
"Jerry!" Billy retorted as he walked over and helped Charley up to his feet.
At that moment, Jerry stared at Charley and Billy in a bit of shock at what he had just done. Of course, Jerry knew exactly what he had just done, but it still shocked him. As Jerry stared at Charley with guilt, Charley yanked away from Billy with anger.
"Are you all right?" Billy asked.
"I'm fine, get off me!" Charley yelled as he wiped the streaming blood off his forehead away. "I'm getting the hell out of here."
As Charley walked past Jerry, Jerry grabbed his arm.
"Charley, wait," Jerry said. "I'm-"
"Get off me!" Charley yelled as he yanked away from Jerry. "Don't you ever touch me again damn it! The hell with you! I'll find somewhere else to live!"
"Charley no, wait all right, I'm sorry," Jerry said as Charley stuffed his clipboard full of papers into his backpack and swung his backpack onto his back.
"Charley wait," Jerry repeated as he grabbed Charley's arm once more.
"I said no!" Charley yelled with angry emotion, as he pushed Jerry away from him hard. "I'm done with staying here with you!"
Before Jerry could say another word, Charley turned and stormed out of the living room, swung open the front door of the house, and stormed out, leaving the front door wide open.
As Jerry stood there, staring with guilt and upset, Billy walked over to him with a look of confusion.
"Jerry, what happened with you two in here?" Billy asked.
"We got into an argument," Jerry said as he stared down at the floor with a frown of upset. "He said some things and I flew off the handle. I shouldn't have but I did."
"Jerry," Billy began, "I-"
"Don't." Jerry snapped before storming out of the room himself.
Later
As Jerry paced back and forth in his bedroom, he could feel all of these emotions running through him, anger, upset, hurt and even worry, the last emotion was the one he couldn't understand why he was feeling though. Why was he even worried that Charley was out there somewhere, on the streets at close to midnight, filled with anger running through his veins, and with Jerry having no real idea where Charley was? Why did Jerry care? Jerry cared because for some reason, Charley reminded him of what he used to be - before he became immortal, and because Charley reminded Jerry of himself, Jerry felt sympathy for the teen. He knew why Charley was lashing out at him and it wasn't because Charley hated Jerry for being a vampire. It was anger, anger over the fact that his mother died. Jerry knew that, which is why Jerry felt so guilty for retaliating back at Charley the way he did.
As Jerry leaned his hands up against the mantle of the fireplace in the room and dropped his head and closed his eyes with a frown, Jerry felt guilt run all through him, absolute guilt.
It was around twelve-thirty in the morning as Charley climbed up to Amy's half-cracked open window. As Charley peered into her window, he saw Amy's bedroom dark and Amy in bed, sound asleep. While holding onto the ladder that was leaning up against the side of the house, a ladder that Charley had found in the garage of Amy's parent's house, Charley knocked three times on Amy's window.
"Amy!" Charley called out in a low whisper. "Amy wake up!"
Within a few seconds of Charley knocking more on the window, Amy awakened and sat up in bed while rubbing her eyes.
"Charley!" Amy yelled out as she jumped up, rushed over, opened the bedroom window, and helped him inside. "Charley, what are you doing here? It's twelve-thirty at night!"
"I know but I need to stay here, just for the night," Charley said in a low voice, a small bandage covering the bruise he developed on the side of his head, due to him being thrown across the room by Charley.
"What?!" Amy said. "Charley, you can't, my parents are right in the next room, besides I thought you were staying with Jerry, and - what happened to the side of your head?"
"Jerry attacked me," Charley said as he walked around Amy and sat down on the side of Amy's bed.
"What?!" Amy asked as she sat down beside him. "Why? What happened?"
Charley sighed with a brief close of his eyes and a shake of his head.
Later
"And so then I just grabbed my bag and got the hell out of there," Charley said. "I can't stay there Amy, I mean he's just repulsive and-"
"And he's also the one who kept you from going to a foster home Charley." Amy interrupted.
"What?" Charley snapped. "So what? You're taking his side?"
"No - Charley," Amy said with a sigh, "from what it sounds like to me, you're the one at fault here."
"What?" Charley snapped as he stood up in anger. "Amy, how could you say that?"
"Charley no listen, ok?" Amy said as she took his hands into hers and pulled him back down to sit. "Despite Jerry being a vampire, he's the only one who took you in and it seems to me like he's trying to - extend an olive branch to you and become friends with you. So why don't you just put aside your dislike and give him a chance? I mean he must care if he decided to take you into his house to stay. So will you just give him a chance Charley? Please?"
Charley hated hearing sound advice from Amy, especially considering the sound advice was regarding the acceptance of someone like Jerry. After Amy kissed him on the lips, Charley sighed with a roll of his eyes.
Later
Theme Song: "Your Time Is Up #2" ~ Fright Night (1985) Soundtrack
It was close to one in the morning when Charley walked into Jerry's house and as Charley walked past the living room entrance, Jerry, who was sitting on the sofa, got up and walked out into the hallway.
"Charley," Jerry called out.
Charley sighed as he stopped and turned around toward Jerry.
"Jerry," Charley said in a low, guilty voice.
"Charley," Jerry began, "Look I'm-"
"No wait," Charley interrupted. "Let me start first. Jerry, I'm sorry okay? I know I've been a pain in the ass while here and I'm sorry. I just - all this is hard on me and it's all new, this - being here but - I'd like to be friends with you, if you want."
Jerry briefly and lightly smiled and nodded.
"I'd like that Charley," Jerry replied, " and I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have lashed out and attacked you and I'm sorry. So - friends?"
As Jerry extended his hand for Charley to shake, Charley walked over and shook it.
"Friends," Charley replied with a faint smile.
"Well, I'm going up to bed. Goodnight Jerry." Charley said.
"Goodnight Charley," Jerry said before Charley turned and dashed up the stairs.
Later
It was close to four in the morning as Charley rolled over on his side, continuing his sleep when he heard a loud, horrifying scream vibrate through the entire house, a scream that came from the voice of a female. It was a scream that jolted Charley awake instantly and caused him to shoot up in bed with alertness. As Charley heard silence following the scream, he jumped out of bed, rushed towards the door, swung it open, and rushed out into the hallway. As he shot his head left and then right, Billy opened the door to a room across the hall and look startled seeing Charley there.
"Charley, oh hey, what are you doing up?" Billy asked in a slightly nervous way.
"I heard screaming," Charley said, "what's going on-"
"Nothing," Billy interrupted with a slight shake of his head and a shrug. "it was - nothing."
Charley stared at Billy with suspicion.
"Jerry killed another girl didn't he?" Charley asked.
Billy rolled his eyes with a scoff.
"Kid look," Billy began, "you're-"
"Ugh he did," Charley interrupted with a look of disgust. "Jesus I think I'm going to be sick."
Before Billy could say another word, Charley turned, walked back into his room, and slammed his door shut.
Saturday
Theme Song: "The Funeral" ~ Band Of Horses
Eleven a.m. Saturday morning, Charley was up early and dressed in an all black suit for his mother's funeral. As he stood in front of a floor-length mirror in the hallway, staring at himself, it reminded him of when he was five years old and was standing in front of his bedroom mirror, staring at himself in his new clothes for the first day of school. He could remember in his mind, his mother coming up and hugging him from behind. He could remember her telling him how proud she was of him and how she hoped he was excited for his first day of school. He remembered the love and warmth she showed him on that first morning of school.
As tears clouded and then streamed from his eyes, he wiped them away and forced himself not to break down, not then, not even on that day. He couldn't - even though he wanted to. As more tears clouded his eyes, Jerry walked into the hallway.
"You look nice, your mother would be proud," Jerry said.
Charley glanced over at Jerry and contrived a brief, faint smirk.
"I hope so," Charley replied. "I'm sorry you can't come but-"
"It's fine," Jerry replied. "at least Billy's going with you."
"Is he ready to go by the way?" Charley asked.
"Yeah, he's out by the car," Jerry said.
Charley nodded as he walked past Jerry.
"See you in a little while," Charley replied as he headed towards the front door of the house.
Later
At Holden's cemetery, Charley's mother's funeral was packed with long distance relatives and a few friends, including Ed, Amy, and Peter. An older, male minister holding an open bible stood next to a big, colorized photo of Judy Brewster and a polished, expensive looking, closed red coffin.
Throughout the entire funeral, all that was replaying in Charley's mind, were the many visuals of his mother, from his mother's smile, to her laugh, to the sound of her voice, to the words of advice and concern that Charley's mother would often give to him, and the more Charley thought of it, the more it made Charley nauseous, nauseous with grief and emotional pain. The words the minister was speaking seemed to only sound like gibberish in Charley's ears.
And as Charley saw the minister close his bible, tears streamed from his eyes. Shit, Charley knew what that meant. It meant that it was over. This was the end. After a few seconds, as the family and friends started to turn and leave, Charley remained there, staring at his mother's coffin. He couldn't leave, like a child not wanting to leave his mother's side, Charley couldn't leave, he didn't even make a single gesture towards Ed, Amy or Peter as they hugged him close and said a few words to him before leaving the funeral themselves. As Billy tapped Charley on the shoulder, Charley wiped streaming tears away.
"Charley, you ready to go?" Billy asked.
"Um, can I just stay here for a while?" Charley asked.
"By yourself?" Billy asked.
"Yeah," Charley said, not taking his eyes off his mother's coffin for one second.
Billy nodded with a slight shrug before patting Charley on the shoulder.
"Sure," Billy said before turning and walking away.
As Charley heard the last of the cars of family and friends drive off and away - including Billy, Charley closed his eyes and took in the silence he heard all around him. He hoped in that moment that he would be able to feel his mother's presence in some way, but he couldn't, he didn't. For the first time in his life, despite having a girlfriend and having friends like Ed and even now, Jerry and Billy, for the first time in his life, Charley truly felt alone. As he walked closer to her coffin and sat down on the ground in front of him, tears clouded his eyes once more, tears of continued grief, tears of sadness over the anger he felt that he had lost his mother at the young age of only seventeen years old.
As Charley continued sitting there, he had become unaware that daylight had left the entire cemetery area and had been replaced with night, and as Charley continued sitting there, he was unaware that Jerry was walking up behind him. The sound of a crumbling leaf was what made Charley turn and look behind him to see Jerry standing a few feet away.
"Billy told you to come here?" Charley asked.
"He told me you wanted to stay after the funeral but coming here was my decision," Jerry replied. "How was it?"
"It was somber," Charley replied as Jerry sat down on the ground next to him. "I think she would've liked it."
"How are you holding up?" Jerry asked.
Charley frowned briefly while continuing to stare at the coffin.
"I feel - like this is all some kind of bad dream that I keep wanting to wake up from but I can't," Charley said after a few seconds of silence.
"I know," Jerry replied.
Charley glanced at him with an instant attitude.
"You know?" Charley asked with coldness. "How? How could you possibly know what I'm feeling?"
"Because my parents were murdered when I was eleven years old," Jerry replied. "It was the worst day of my life and my sister Regine's. Regine and I were never the same after they died."
Charley sighed with a brief close of his eyes.
"I just don't understand why," Charley said. "Why my mother, why her, why - now? Why when-"
Charley stopped as he frown and tried his best to fight back the emotion he felt welling up within him.
"Why when she was the only family I really had," Charley said with a now tearful voice. "I just don't know how I'm going to cope with the fact that she's gone now. I just- don't."
As Charley broke into sobs, Jerry pulled him into a consoling hug. It was a hug that Charley needed at that moment, a gesture that symbolically encouraged Charley to finally release all of the emotional pain and grief that he had been holding deep inside him, for days.