In his bedroom, Charlie sat at a computer playing a video game, the soft glow of the screen feebly lighting the darkened room. He glanced down at his phone sitting on the desk before him. Noting the time, 7:35pm, he looked out the window.
From his room he could see down and across the street to Marina’s house. It seemed every light was on, inside and out, and he could vaguely hear the bass of obviously loud music.
“I guess I should head over,” Charlie said to himself with a sigh.
He longed for the days when Marina’s friends were his friends, but sadly, that was no longer the case. Within the first year of high school, Marina’s looks had landed her within the ranks of the most popular, which was something Charlie had never been. He didn’t like her friends, and he could tell they didn’t like him, but he had many of his own, so it had never been much of an issue between them. It was only times like these, when Marina would invite him to her increasingly-frequent parties, that friction arose.
Charlie reluctantly switched off the computer and left.
Charlie walked through Marina’s living room. It was full of his classmates—some of which he knew, many of which he didn’t—all drinking and having a good time. The din of conversation fought against the music playing loudly from speakers connected to a nearby laptop.
A drunken boy bumped into Charlie and quickly turned to him. Charlie knew his name, but just couldn’t quite recall it.
“Sorry, man,” the drunken boy said before recognising his subject. “Hey, Charles. What’s goin’ on?”
Charlie felt awkward being personally addressed by someone he had never once spoken too.
“Not much,” Charlie said, playing along.
“Hey, Rina’s been lookin’ for you all night,” the boy said. Before Charlie could respond, he added, “I don’t know what she sees in you, man, but you are one luckily dog.”
Unsure whether he should take that with pride or insult, Charlie deflected the conversation. “Do you know where she is?”
“Nah. Last I saw, she was outside,” the boy said, gesturing towards the back of the house. “But that was a while ago.”
“Thanks,” Charlie said, turning to leave.
“Good luck, man,” the boy said, slapping Charlie on the back as he passed.
Charlie wondered if all of Marina’s friends saw him in this way, dismissing the thought as quickly as it had come.
The back patio was just as full of people as the house was, though the music wasn’t quite as loud. Charlie exited the house, crossed the patio, and continued through to the backyard. There he spotted Marina with a group of friends, just a few metres away, and was completely taken aback. Marina looked stunning in her bright red dress, high heels, and jewellery, with her hair and makeup all done up too. Charlie had always thought Marina was pretty, but he’d never seen her like this before. If her aim was to be the centre of attention, her effort had surely paid off.
In his distraction, Charlie had failed to notice the cigarette Marina was holding until she put it to her mouth. Charlie’s awe was instantly shattered, replaced by the return of disappointment.
Marina turned to exhale, so as to not blow smoke in her friends’ faces, and noticed Charlie standing there looking at her. Her face lit up with a smile and Charlie forced a grin in return. Excusing herself to the group, Marina quickly ran up to Charlie and wrapped her arms around him.
“You came!” Marina said, a little over-excited. “I thought you were going to ditch me.”
Unlike the last time, Charlie didn’t delight in this embrace. His sudden drop from admiration to disappointment, coupled with his existing anxiety of being the odd one out, razed his characteristic restraint.
“Whoa,” Charlie said, “you reek of smoke.”
Marina pulled back. Holding him by the shoulders, she looked Charlie directly in the eyes.
“Please just try and have a good time,” Marina pleaded. “For me?”
Charlie sighed and grinned, powerless to her whiles. “Ok.”
Marina smiled and kissed him on the cheek. She let go and took a step back.
“There’s plenty to drink in the kitchen, so go and grab yourself something,” Marina said. “I have to get back to the girls, but I’ll come and find you, ok?”
“Ok,” Charlie said.
“Have. Fun,” Marina stressed, smiling again before returning to her group.
Charlie scanned the crowd for any allies. Coming up empty, he stole one last glance at Marina before turning back inside.
Charlie sat alone on the sofa in the middle of Marina’s living room. He had a drink in his hand, but it was the same one he’d had for the last hour—alcohol never really was his thing.
The sense of boredom he’d felt since arriving had not gone away, and he entertained himself by watching the drunken behavior of those around him with disdain. He scorned their need to consume alcohol in order to have fun. That is, until realizing that he, himself, was not having any, at which point scorn turned to envy, and envy to sadness.
Through the crowd, Charlie spotted his lady in red coming towards him, instantly evaporating any trace of sadness. It was short-lived, as he noticed she looked sickly and was holding her stomach. Dumping his drink on the coffee table, he jumped from his seat to meet Marina halfway.
“Are you ok?” he asked, obviously concerned.
Marina shook her head. “I feel sick.”
“How much have you had to drink?”
“Hardly any.”
“What about cigarettes?”
“It’s not that.”
“How do you know?”
“I just know,” Marina snapped.
The truth was, she knew because she had experienced that before.
Early in her smoking career, at a time when supply was regulated by the charity of others, Sarah had managed to procure her first actual packet. With the residual thrill of partaking in an adult activity, combined with the excitement of having their own personal stock, the two of them sat in the local park one night and chain-smoked the entire lot.
Ten cigarettes later, Marina’s head was swimming and she started to feel nauseas. It wasn’t long before a headache also materialised. The experience was almost enough to put her off completely, though the next time the opportunity presented itself, peer pressure inevitably tipped the scales in smoking’s favor.
Charlie put his arm around Marina. He didn’t need to know the cause. His only instinct was to get her somewhere comfortable and safe.
“Come on,” Charlie said, “I’ll get you to your room.”
“No, I want somewhere quiet,” Marina said. “Can we go to your house?”
“Ok, sure.”
They crept their way to the front door, and out. The other partygoers simply assumed she was going to throw up, and carried on with their night.
Marina entered the darkened living room of Charlie’s house, sitting down on a nearby sofa. Charlie turned the lights on and sat down next to her.
“Do you want me to get a bucket or something?” Charlie said.
“No, I should be ok,” Marina said. “I wouldn’t mind a blanket though. I’m a bit cold.”
“Ok.”
Charlie stood and moved to the linen cupboard, removing a folded blanket from within.
He returned to Marina and handed it to her. “Here you go.”
“Thanks,” Marina said, wrapped herself up in it. “Can I stay here tonight?”
“Of course,” Charlie said. “What about the party though?”
“The girls are staying the night,” Marina said, “so they’ll keep an eye on things.”
She laid down and pulled a cushion under her head.
“You can have my bed if you want,” Charlie said.
“The couch is fine,” Marina said, closing her eyes.
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
“Ok then,” Charlie said. “Just call out if you need anything.”
“I will.”
“Good night then.”
“Night.”
Charlie switched off the light.
“Charlie?” Marina said.
“Yeah?” Charlie said, turning back to her.
“Thank you,” Marina whispered, drifting off to sleep almost instantly.
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