Wild (Cherik Book One)

Sad in the Summer: Part 2

A/N: Okay, so this is the chapter where everything comes to a head so please proceed with caution. This is a very rough chapter and took me several tries to write and get down in a respectful and appropriate way. The proper trigger warnings include: Domestic Abuse, Violence, Panic, Blood, Fighting and Erik not being a very good driver. Please, please be careful <3 So, here we are Sad in the Summer: Part 2!

_________ERIK___________

There are several moments in a  person's life that can be considered defining. A moment that changes any and all events moving forward. A change in the tides that either breaks or makes a human being. And the night of July 3rd was one of those moments for a particular young man. Erik Lehnsherr's defining moment was moving quickly towards him like a freight train without breaks. Faster and faster, showing no sign of slowing. Rattling foundations inside of his chest, young lungs recoiling against the air. A squished pack of cigarettes rotting in his back pocket. A boy with no fixed moral compass besides one face that points him due north every time.

    Erik wasn't sure how long he was standing there. He was aware it was longer than normal but couldn't find the will to move. His heavy feet glued to the cream shag rug beneath his feet. The rumble of the bass from outside shivering into his toes in a steady vibration. His dark eyes trained heavily on a fixed point in the room. The white oak front door had been slammed on its hinges, the noise echoed in his brain. The scene replayed in the reflection of his concern like an old tape. Rewinding and playing on a loop as if he was searching for something. A clue, an explanation perhaps of why Charlie had acted the way he had. Any sort of concrete evidence to a horrible hunch. The whole thing felt wrong, it felt rushed. Erik felt his breathing hitch as his heart had a cage fight with his ribs. I don't always need you to be there. Charlie's voice cut into him like the sharpest knife. There was a fearful expression in his eyes that didn't match the words leaving his mouth. And that fearful expression was the exact reason Erik Lehnsherr felt every nerve in his body buzz.

    "Erik! Dude, you're missing all the fun!" Alex Summers drunken voice rung in Erik's ears, gripping him back to reality.

    "Hm? Oh, I think something is wrong with Charlie," Erik thought aloud.

    "Erik, you've got to calm down, okay? Nothing is wrong with Charlie. He and Jack got into a little argument and left. Bothering him won't help and showing up in the middle of said argument definitely will complicate things. Just call Charlie in the morning," Alex took another hefty swig of his beer before throwing an arm around Erik. Despite Erik being a couple inches taller, the sheer force of Alex was enough to shrink him down to an uncomfortable hunch. Erik grimaced at the smell of Alex's breath before looking back to the door. A ghost of an outline appeared for a moment, a tattoo of concern in Erik's pupils.

    "I usually would but Alex, something doesn't feel right," Erik shook his head.

    "Charlie is going to be just fine. I promise, now please enjoy the party. I won't see you for a couple weeks man," Alex dragged Erik away from the door and back outside. This is wrong. This is so wrong.

    Erik was rejoined with the crowd of dancing teenagers as they danced and sang along to Marina and Angels chants. But, there was a disconnect. A black and white urgency that dripped into gray over Erik. All Erik could think about was all the times Charlie had saved him from himself and those around him. How many times Charlie had been there based on an unexplainable hunch. Was this how he had felt? Like the world was swallowing him up right there in Alex and Darwin's backyard? All Erik could see were the crystal blue eyes that progressively dulled down to a flickering glow. The eyes that had so clearly pleaded for him to notice. To notice something was absolutely wrong.