Charlie's Web

Charlie

A blinding ray of light carved through the calming emptiness. One millisecond of time had passed between a state of limbo and a limited awareness of physical being. A stretch and crack of stiff fingers brought an unsettling attention to the pain sweeping throughout my body. The ache was rooted deep in the pit of my stomach, quickly radiating outwards and upwards, mercilessly shooting sharp, prickly spikes into my already throbbing brain. Crust-filled eyelids slowly peeled from their resting place, day old makeup had fused together, making it nearly impossible for my eyes to open. The two dark slits darted around the room. Everything went by in a blur, as soon as I allowed my eyes to focus on the dark dresser in the corner of my room, my vision seemed to spin in every direction. My weakened body barely made it off of the bed before the acidic liquid came rushing out of my stomach, making my eyes burn with tears.

I stayed like that for a while, still too out of it to make it to the bathroom, continuing to take slow sips from the water bottle that had sat on my bedside table. I wasn't exactly sure who had brought me home, there was no way I would've made it back alive on my own. It must've been C or Ben but honestly, it didn't really matter. I arrived in one piece, and it seemed they were nice enough to provide ample water and gatorade. A loud buzzing snapped me out of my thoughts, aggravating my already throbbing head. I slammed my hand onto the covers, blindly groping around until I came into contact with the small vibrating device. Sighing heavily, I pressed the phone to my ear.

"What."

"Where the fuck did you go last night? Who took you home?" C's voice came out as a scolding. I could imagine her standing in her room with her arms crossed over her chest, waiting to lecture me.

"I don't know. I assumed you did," I shrugged as if she was in the room, "I don't really remember anything."

"My God, Charlie. We were so worried about you, one second you were there and the next you were gone. And you don't even know who took you home? They could've been a serial killer, or-or a rapist," her voice continued to raise in pitch, causing me to lower the phone from my ear slightly.

"I'm really sorry, C. I didn't think I was going to get that fucked up. Anyways, I got my karma for ditching you guys, I've been throwing up all morning. It feels like my stomach is about to fall out of my ass," I laughed, trying to lighten the mood. Caroline was a great friend but she worried too much.

"Good, you should be throwing up. You basically just poisoned your body, of course it's fucking pissed at you. Me and Ben are coming to get you, we'll go get breakfast or something. Be ready in twenty," her firm voice left no room for argument. After stating her demands she hung up, leaving me to slowly work up the courage to stand on wobbly legs. Gravity seemed to pull me down as I rose from the floor. My vision went blurry as I stood, causing me to sway back and forth until my messy room came back into view. The place was a shit show, vomit on the floor, clothes and undergarments strewn everywhere, my desk was covered in old roaches and my rolling tray, while dark ash scattered across the light wooden surface.

Sighing, I left the nightmarish room behind, making my way to the kitchen to grab paper towels and cleaning products. There was no way I could leave until I'd at least cleaned the vomit up. It was truly disgusting. Holding my nose with one hand, I quickly wiped up the mess, chucking the soiled paper towels into the trash can.

I picked up a random shirt from the pile of clothes near my bed, quickly slipping out of my old clothes and into the oversized tee. The stale smell of cigarettes and sweat attacked my nostrils. It was a mystery as to how long any of these clothes had been laying on the floor of my room. Mostly, laundry wasn't something I did often, it wasn't like we had a working washing machine at the house. There was a laundromat a few miles away but it wasn't always easy to find a ride there and back. The stained shirt would have to do for the moment, I'd ask Ben to take me after we were done eating.