Midnight Butterfly

one.

Charlie and I just got home from the hospital. He dropped his leather jacket on the couch and went straight into the kitchen. I closed the door behind me and followed him. I took a seat at the table and put my head on my hands.

"Want a drink?" Charlie asked.

"I'm good." I sighed looking over at him.

It was only four o'clock and he was already drinking scotch, but I wasn't surprised.

"Charlie I'm- "

"Save it Max. There's nothing anyone could say that would make me feel better." He cut me off.

"I just don't get it. Why would she do this?"

He took another gulp from his cup and shook his head.

"What are you going to do now?"

"Max please stop alright? Just leave me alone right now."

"Leave you alone? Charlie, you should be at the station trying to help figure out what happened. I know this is hard but we'll never get closure if we don't find out why Carly killed herself."

"Max give me a fucking break alright."

"Did you ever even love Carly?"

"What did you just say?"

"I mean you never liked her until I mentioned her."

He laughed. "You know maybe Carly killed herself because you tried to kiss her. Maybe she felt guilty."

"That's not what happened and you know it."

"Yeah right." He poured himself another drink.

"At least I treated her like a decent human being. All you two did was argue."

"You know what Max fuck you okay. How dare you question my love for her. How dare you question your own brother, especially after I took you in."

I sighed.

"Now if you'll excuse me I have to make some calls." He exit the kitchen.

I ran upstairs to my room and shut the door. I slay on the bed facing the window. It started to pour, and so did my eyes.

Carly was my brothers' girlfriend. The three of us went to high school together. I was just a sophomore when they were juniors but I was in love with her. Carly was so kind, long strawberry blonde hair with gentle hazel eyes. She was perfection. It wasn't until I mentioned her to Charlie when he started talking to her. And of course, no one could resist his charms. He was bigger than me, fit, better looking, smart, everyone liked him. When they graduated they went to the same college just to stay together. Now at twenty-three they live together in their small house just outside of town. As for me, after I graduated high school I got kicked out of college my first month because I was an addict. All thanks to the charming role model father I had growing up. Charlie was the lucky one of us who had friends to run away to when dear old dad was home and drunk while mom was out at work. A year ago, I decided to check myself into rehab, now here I am a couple of months since I left, living with my brother, trying to get my life together.

But today, my life was far from being together. Carly killed herself. Jumped from the top of her parents four story home in the middle of the night. She landed right on her head and died almost instantly. Nobody knows why she did it.

Before I knew it I had cried myself to sleep. I woke up to the sound of breaking glass. I rubbed my eyes and opened my bedroom door. Out in the hallway I looked down the stairs. Charlie was on the ground picking up the broken glass, crying.