Sooner or Later.

-forty three-

-james-

I blinked open my eyes and a sharp pain immediately came into my head.

"Fuck." I grumbled.

I rolled over to see it was half past ten.

Today was our first day back since February break.

I'd already missed most of our classes so I just decided not to go.

I walked downstairs to get an aspirin and my mum was home.

"Mom what are you doing home?" I asked.

"Becca is sick and in bed." My mum sighed

"Oh." I said.

"How's Charlie?" She asked obviously not noticing my hangover.

"Uh.. Not good." I said.

"Why what's wrong? Is she okay?"

"She's fine her dad is sick. Really sick." I said looking down.

"Oh." My mum said.

Even the mention of a Dad got my mum upset.

"I'm gonna go see what she's up to." I said swallowing the two aspirins and walking out the door.

"James." My mum called back.

"Keep her close, you know what losing a father does to people." She said referring to the many nights I stumbled home drunk out of my mind.

I nodded at her and shut my eyes.

Charlie was probably at school so I decided that I'd wait at her house until she was home.

I knocked on the door and her mom answered.

"Hi James." She said letting me in.

"Hi um is Charlie home yet?" I asked.

"No but she should be home soon you can wait upstairs for her." Her mom said shutting the door behind me.

I excused myself and I walked up the stairs and into her room.

It was neat like always.

I've never seen her room messy once.

Ten minutes later she walks into the room and her eyes widen as soon as she sees me on her bed.

"Hi Charlie." I said sitting up.

She sighed and put her things down.

"Hi." She said.

Charlie sat on the opposite side of the room.

We sat in silence until both of us spoke up at the same time.

"I'm sorry." We both said.

"Wait why are you sorry?" She asked.

"For not telling you about you dad and not saying that I love you last night." I said.

I was also sorry for wanting to hook up with Lauren so badly but I'm not even sorry I'm mad at myself.

"Well I'm sorry for saying that you mean nothing to me because you mean the world to me and I feel awful about saying those things." She said.

"You were just upset it's okay-"

"No it's not okay." she said.

"You always forgive me so easily no matter what it is." She said walking over to me.

"You do that for someone you love." I said.

She sighed.

"You've been going through so much with your dad that I can't not forgive you. You already have too much on your plate as it is and I need to be there for you." I said.