jogging towards 2nd

2st

Benny
I got back from the sandlot and went to see Harper because she didn't seem herself earlier.
I opened the front door, silent. I walked into the kitchen and saw that Cher's head was slumped down into her hands.

"Cher?" I questioned, she looked up at me then giggled. "Benny right?" She said giving me a smile, I was confused.
I looked around the kitchen and saw that there was a half-gone jar of whiskey sitting by Cher, fuck. I thought.
"Cher drink this." I said handing her a water bottle, she refused.
"oh buddy I don't need anymore of that hard alcohol, I'm done for the night." She wouldn't take the freaking bottle.
"Charlotte drink it, it's water." I said forcing the water bottle towards her. "Am I in trouble?" She asked taking the bottle.

"No you tell me?" I said, "well sorry. I just- the pain won't go away, it's there every morning and doesn't ever stop." She said hitting her head into her palms, I was very confused. "Cher what's wrong, what do you mean pain?" I asked.
"Mom, she's not here. I need her. But she's not here- it's causing me pain without her here." Cher said, I was quiet.
"Yea I don't know what can fix that pain, but I can tell you- you need sleep." I said helping her up the stairs, we made it to her room and I put her in bed.

"Benny?" She asked, "yeah?" "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I took this all out on you, you didn't need to hear it. I'm sorry." She kept apologizing, "it's good." I said walking out of the room and went back downstairs towards the door, someone stopped me.

"Cher drank her pain away again?" I heard Harper question, "um yeah. Does she do this often?" I asked.
"Some days worse than others, but yeah." Harper paused, "not when I'm home tho. I usually find her asleep on the couch and just tell James 'she was too tired'." She continued then sighed.
"I think he knows what she's doing. He's smart, he knows what alcohol is. And probably knows cher uses it."

"Yeah. She should get some help, as a suggestion. It will help with her pain, it might with yours too if you try it." I said, Harper stayed quiet. Well worth a shot I guess. "Well I have to eat dinner, see you tomorrow. Love you harper." I said.
"You too Benny." She replied as I walked out the door.

Harper
Do people think I need counseling? I mean I'm fine, I think- maybe not 100 percent. But nobody's perfect.
"James dinner." I said going upstairs to see him listening to music, "Mkay be down in a bit." He said.
"Hey James?" I asked at the table, "yeah?"
"Do you have a feeling in your gut that like hurts to think about, like does it hurt to talk about mom?" I asked him.
He thought for awhile, "sometimes. But not usually, I just think of happy memories." James said. "What about you?"
"Yeah I miss her." I said taking a bite out of the mac-n-cheese, "me too." He said.

After dinner, James and I watched cartoons on the couch till 9:30, "buddy bedtime." I said shutting off the tv.
"Aw man, ok." He said giving me a hug, I kissed his cheek night then he went to bed.

Cher finally decided to come out of her room about 10 minutes later, "my head. It's burns, can you get the Advil?" She asked me, "yea." I grabbed 2 pills and a glass of water for her, she drank and swallowed them perfectly fine.

"Was I bad this time?" Cher asked sitting next to me on the couch, "I don't know. Ask Benny, he took care of you." I snapped, honestly I'm just mad when she's back to normal at first. She acts like nothing happened, then expects us to have taken care of her.

"Sorry. I can't control it." She said, "bull-crap!" I yelled, her jumped at my shouting, "Harper stop. James is in bed."
"No, you act like you are hurt, then drink away your problems. Then you act like nothing happened, well guess what? Some other people also are feeling like shit inside but do they get drunk and act like a fool in front of their family? No!"
I yelled, Cher was shocked. "I'm sorry." She said, "stop this is your problem. Sorry doesn't fix everything." I said storming off to my room, that girl. Ughhhhhhh.

I slammed my door shut and plopped on my bed, sisters are the literal worst.
I heard my phone buzzing so I picked it up, hmm aunt Sophie?

"Hello?" I spoke into the phone
"Hey Harper it's me aunt soph. I was wondering how you were doing and all." She said.
she calls me about 1 time a week to check up on us.
"Hey soph I'm good, how bout you?"
"Good listen i got a job offer in salt lake and I was wondering if I took the offer, if I could come live with y'all. Just for a little while until I find a house of my own." She said, good to me but what about Cher? And James, I mean that would be ok with them right?

"Soph?" I asked after some silence, "yeah harper."
"I would have to ask the others but I will let you know soon."
"Ok it's ok if you don't want to, I just thought it would be a change for me to come live with y'all." She said, yeah.
"Well love you Sophie." I said, "love you more." She replied and I hung up the phone, then there was a knock on my bedroom door. I opened the door and saw cher. Her eyes were still puffy from all her crying, when does it end?!

-end of chapter-