What Happened Before September Ended?, chapter 2
Charlie heard a knock at her bedroom door. "Who is it?" She climbed of her bed and headed for the door. "Me..." Jimmy's voice trailed off a bit. She opened the door and let him in. "Hey," she said. She looked at his eyes. That was what was wrong with her picture. That was what was wrong with him. His eyes. They had the same sad look to them as Pete's. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Nothing. It's just... Oh, nevermind." he said, having second thoughts of telling her. "It's just... What's up with your brother?" She turned crimson. "Pete's just been... Upset. Him and Sarah have been going out for like... Forever. They moved in together and their gettin' married too, supposedly after the war," she looked up at him. "But she thought maybe it wouldn't hurt so much if they weren't living together anymore, so she asked him to move out. She was calm, she still loves him, he still loves her. It's just those... Morons who started the whole thing!" Charlie smashed her hand down on her desk and knocked down the same picture Pete had in his room.
"She's like family. She's the nicest person ever, no one understands how much my brother loves her, or how much she loves him back." Jimmy felt embarrassed for asking now. "She's pregnant, right? What are they naming it?" Charlie sighed. "They don't know. She's almost due and he STILL wants to go, I don't get it. He's so stubborn, always wants to be the hero... Even if it costs him his life. HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND, his, isn't the only life it costs... It costs all of ours too!" She leaned into his blue dress-shirt and started to cry. Jimmy didn't know what to do, so he hugged her... Tried to comfort her. "It's okay... Maybe he just doesn't realize that yet. He will, then maybe he'll change his mind." "No... He... W-won't... Listen to... Me!" She said in between sobs.
"Well, why don't you sit down." So she sat on the bed and tried to calm herself down. "Why don't we play twenty questions?" He asked. It was a stupid game in his opinion, but it did make people think about nothing. "What was your favorite toy as a kid?" He asked. "A pink elephant named Pinky," she giggled a little bit, wiping the wet spots from her eyes. "Same question." He laughed. "A stuffed dog named Roger." "Roger? Well, at least yours had a normal name." He shook his head in disagreement. They laid down on the bed a stared at the ceiling. "Food you would never eat." Charlie asked, making a funny face. "Hah- potato salad. It always looked weird, so I've never even attempted to try it." "It was liver for me. Actually- a lot of meat. I kinda only eat a little bit of meat. I don't know why." Their conversation went on for a long time. With their parents drinking downstairs, their was a possibility that Jimmy was going to spend the night. So he pulled out a sleeping bag from the Walker's spare closet and camped out in Pete's room.
***
In the morning, Charlie barged in the room and jumped on him. "GET UP!" He sat up and groggily wiped his eyes. "Wha?" She kissed him. "Our parents won't be up for a while, wanna go somewhere?" She looked to angelic, so perfect, he thought. "Sure, one sec." and he grabbed his clothes from the side of the bed to change and walked out the bedroom door in his boxers. "Uh- miss, could you direct me to the bathroom?" She giggled. "That way," and she pointed to the right.
Ten minutes later, Charlotte took the keys to her parents car, and got in the drivers seat. "Are you allowed to just take your parents car?" Jimmy asked her, raising an eyebrow. "Well, Pete took the other car, what do you expect me to drive? A box?" "No." She started the ignition and drove in the direction of Sarah and Pete's house. "Where are we going?" Jimmy asked. "You'll see." "Well, it looks like we're not going anywhere, you're not gonna bring me somewhere and kill me are you?" His eyes got big. "NO!" She said, just as they pulled in the driveway to see Pete's car there. She grabbed a key outta her pocket and unlocked the door, entering the house, unknown. "Are we allowed to do this?" Jimmy asked. "Yea." Charlie said, sneaking though the hall towards the bathroom, opening the medicine cabinet and pulling out two party horns and placed one in his hand. "What are these for?" He asked, and looked towards the bedroom door, wide eyed. "What do you think!" Jimmy gulped and quietly followed her down the hall. Charlie creaked open the door to her brother's room and pushed down hard on the button.
"What the hell!" Pete screamed sitting up as the twosome started laughing. Sarah just sat up in bed and rubbed the side of her head. "Wha?", and she looked at Jimmy. "Um... Hi, you must be Charlie's new boyfriend..." Jimmy and Charlie's faces both turned crimson and they looked at each other. Pete rolled his eyes. "Yea... That's him." "Um... Hi, you're name's Sarah? I'm Jimmy," he held out his hand to greet hers. "Hi Jimmy," was all she had to say.
Jimmy also saw the scar of war in her eyes. He tried not to pay attention to them, for he thought the piercing blue of them would burn a whole right through him. She was nice and all, it was just the uncomforted of seeing the same reflection in each of their eyes. Was it in his eyes too? He thought. If it was, his eyes should have been blinded with scars... Not just of war... But of his past.
*flashback*
"Just shut up!" Jimmy yelled, throwing his guitar on his bed. He could hear his parents fighting from downstairs, then his father coming up stairs. "Jimmy! Be quiet up here!", and he smacked his son across the face. Jimmy glared at his father from the spot he had fallen on the floor. His father had been drinking lately... And gambling dangerously. Mr. Hubert left his son there, slammed the door and walked into his own room. Jimmy could hear him grabbing clothes from the drawers and through them all in gym bags, and his mother yelling from the bottom of the stairs. His touched the side of his face. It was swollen, but nothing a little bit of drugs couldn't fix. He snuck out the fire escape and ran across the yard towards the direction of the street he had in mind. 'There had to be someone selling here, ' he thought. 'my face hurts'. Just then, he saw Steve, his buddy walk down the street towards him. "Got anything?" Jimmy asked. Just then, Steve pulled out two joints, stuck on in his mouth and gave the other one to Jimmy. "What happened to your face... It's like, bashed in!" Steve said, passing Jimmy the lighter. "Shut up, it was my old man, I'm gonna hit him back one of these days." Steve looked at him sympathetically. "You should've done that a long time ago..." Jimmy shook his head. He secretly was afraid of his father. His mother too. He didn't like being caught in the middle all the time.
***
He was sitting on a picnic bench. Next to Steve. And Kat. They'd been going out for two years and he still had the sneaking suspicion that she wasn't only going out with him. She drank too much. Smoked to much. Did drugs to much. His dad left. His mother was always hysterical and he felt he was losing his mind. And when she spoke the next words, he lost it, "Jimmy, I'm sleeping with him." Steve looked at Jimmy, who looked about to break down like a child. "Whatever." "You'll be a great memory." He turned around and leaned in close to her face, making sure she could see deep inside his eyes, maybe fear him. "I never loved you," and he stormed off, happy seeing the bewilderment on her face. Steve didn't follow, he knew Jimmy got violent when he wanted to. So he stayed clear.
*present*
He hadn't heard from Steve and Katrina since that day. Steve had tried to phone him a couple times after that. H ended up in rehab for quite a long time to get off all his dirty habits, he forgot Katrina's name, just called her Whatsername whenever he talked of her, when he needed too. His parents got back together, his father stopped drinking, his mother was home more, he got along well with people, usually. Except the odd occasion. "You okay?" Charlie asked cheerfully beside him. "Yea. Why wouldn't I be?" she looked concerned. "You're crying." He wiped away the tear lingering on his cheek and smiled. "Yea, just thinking." "About what?" Sarah asked. "Why don't we go to the beach?" Jimmy suggested. They all agreed. They had to make something of the day, before it was slept away... Or even worse. Wasted...
"She's like family. She's the nicest person ever, no one understands how much my brother loves her, or how much she loves him back." Jimmy felt embarrassed for asking now. "She's pregnant, right? What are they naming it?" Charlie sighed. "They don't know. She's almost due and he STILL wants to go, I don't get it. He's so stubborn, always wants to be the hero... Even if it costs him his life. HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND, his, isn't the only life it costs... It costs all of ours too!" She leaned into his blue dress-shirt and started to cry. Jimmy didn't know what to do, so he hugged her... Tried to comfort her. "It's okay... Maybe he just doesn't realize that yet. He will, then maybe he'll change his mind." "No... He... W-won't... Listen to... Me!" She said in between sobs.
"Well, why don't you sit down." So she sat on the bed and tried to calm herself down. "Why don't we play twenty questions?" He asked. It was a stupid game in his opinion, but it did make people think about nothing. "What was your favorite toy as a kid?" He asked. "A pink elephant named Pinky," she giggled a little bit, wiping the wet spots from her eyes. "Same question." He laughed. "A stuffed dog named Roger." "Roger? Well, at least yours had a normal name." He shook his head in disagreement. They laid down on the bed a stared at the ceiling. "Food you would never eat." Charlie asked, making a funny face. "Hah- potato salad. It always looked weird, so I've never even attempted to try it." "It was liver for me. Actually- a lot of meat. I kinda only eat a little bit of meat. I don't know why." Their conversation went on for a long time. With their parents drinking downstairs, their was a possibility that Jimmy was going to spend the night. So he pulled out a sleeping bag from the Walker's spare closet and camped out in Pete's room.
***
In the morning, Charlie barged in the room and jumped on him. "GET UP!" He sat up and groggily wiped his eyes. "Wha?" She kissed him. "Our parents won't be up for a while, wanna go somewhere?" She looked to angelic, so perfect, he thought. "Sure, one sec." and he grabbed his clothes from the side of the bed to change and walked out the bedroom door in his boxers. "Uh- miss, could you direct me to the bathroom?" She giggled. "That way," and she pointed to the right.
Ten minutes later, Charlotte took the keys to her parents car, and got in the drivers seat. "Are you allowed to just take your parents car?" Jimmy asked her, raising an eyebrow. "Well, Pete took the other car, what do you expect me to drive? A box?" "No." She started the ignition and drove in the direction of Sarah and Pete's house. "Where are we going?" Jimmy asked. "You'll see." "Well, it looks like we're not going anywhere, you're not gonna bring me somewhere and kill me are you?" His eyes got big. "NO!" She said, just as they pulled in the driveway to see Pete's car there. She grabbed a key outta her pocket and unlocked the door, entering the house, unknown. "Are we allowed to do this?" Jimmy asked. "Yea." Charlie said, sneaking though the hall towards the bathroom, opening the medicine cabinet and pulling out two party horns and placed one in his hand. "What are these for?" He asked, and looked towards the bedroom door, wide eyed. "What do you think!" Jimmy gulped and quietly followed her down the hall. Charlie creaked open the door to her brother's room and pushed down hard on the button.
"What the hell!" Pete screamed sitting up as the twosome started laughing. Sarah just sat up in bed and rubbed the side of her head. "Wha?", and she looked at Jimmy. "Um... Hi, you must be Charlie's new boyfriend..." Jimmy and Charlie's faces both turned crimson and they looked at each other. Pete rolled his eyes. "Yea... That's him." "Um... Hi, you're name's Sarah? I'm Jimmy," he held out his hand to greet hers. "Hi Jimmy," was all she had to say.
Jimmy also saw the scar of war in her eyes. He tried not to pay attention to them, for he thought the piercing blue of them would burn a whole right through him. She was nice and all, it was just the uncomforted of seeing the same reflection in each of their eyes. Was it in his eyes too? He thought. If it was, his eyes should have been blinded with scars... Not just of war... But of his past.
*flashback*
"Just shut up!" Jimmy yelled, throwing his guitar on his bed. He could hear his parents fighting from downstairs, then his father coming up stairs. "Jimmy! Be quiet up here!", and he smacked his son across the face. Jimmy glared at his father from the spot he had fallen on the floor. His father had been drinking lately... And gambling dangerously. Mr. Hubert left his son there, slammed the door and walked into his own room. Jimmy could hear him grabbing clothes from the drawers and through them all in gym bags, and his mother yelling from the bottom of the stairs. His touched the side of his face. It was swollen, but nothing a little bit of drugs couldn't fix. He snuck out the fire escape and ran across the yard towards the direction of the street he had in mind. 'There had to be someone selling here, ' he thought. 'my face hurts'. Just then, he saw Steve, his buddy walk down the street towards him. "Got anything?" Jimmy asked. Just then, Steve pulled out two joints, stuck on in his mouth and gave the other one to Jimmy. "What happened to your face... It's like, bashed in!" Steve said, passing Jimmy the lighter. "Shut up, it was my old man, I'm gonna hit him back one of these days." Steve looked at him sympathetically. "You should've done that a long time ago..." Jimmy shook his head. He secretly was afraid of his father. His mother too. He didn't like being caught in the middle all the time.
***
He was sitting on a picnic bench. Next to Steve. And Kat. They'd been going out for two years and he still had the sneaking suspicion that she wasn't only going out with him. She drank too much. Smoked to much. Did drugs to much. His dad left. His mother was always hysterical and he felt he was losing his mind. And when she spoke the next words, he lost it, "Jimmy, I'm sleeping with him." Steve looked at Jimmy, who looked about to break down like a child. "Whatever." "You'll be a great memory." He turned around and leaned in close to her face, making sure she could see deep inside his eyes, maybe fear him. "I never loved you," and he stormed off, happy seeing the bewilderment on her face. Steve didn't follow, he knew Jimmy got violent when he wanted to. So he stayed clear.
*present*
He hadn't heard from Steve and Katrina since that day. Steve had tried to phone him a couple times after that. H ended up in rehab for quite a long time to get off all his dirty habits, he forgot Katrina's name, just called her Whatsername whenever he talked of her, when he needed too. His parents got back together, his father stopped drinking, his mother was home more, he got along well with people, usually. Except the odd occasion. "You okay?" Charlie asked cheerfully beside him. "Yea. Why wouldn't I be?" she looked concerned. "You're crying." He wiped away the tear lingering on his cheek and smiled. "Yea, just thinking." "About what?" Sarah asked. "Why don't we go to the beach?" Jimmy suggested. They all agreed. They had to make something of the day, before it was slept away... Or even worse. Wasted...
