Sell Your Soul

Cali was awakened when Maria opened the door. She sat up slowly, looking at her friend. The door was still open, and Matt followed Maria in. Cali half smiled.

"Hey, guys," she said.

"Cali, you were right," Maria replied, sitting on the back of the couch. "I owe you a million right now."

"No problem," Cali said. "I think I'll leave you two to yourselves. I'm tired."

She stood up and opened the cupboard. She got out a box of crackers and walked to her room at the end of the hall. Matt stopped her and said, "Cal, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Sure, what's up?" Cali said.

"I wanna thank you," he said. "I know it was probably hard for you to talk to Charlie, but whatever you said to him must have worked. He's actually walking around and doing other things now."

"I just told him he needed help," Cali said.

"Well maybe he needed to just see you," Matt replied.

Cali bit her lip and said, "I did too."

"I also wanted to thank you for getting me and Maria back together. I didn't think you would, considering everything, but you did."

"I know she loves you. She may not have known it then, but she knows it now."

"Well, thanks." Matt smiled and hugged her.

She patted him on the back as he walked back to the kitchen. Cali sighed and opened the door to her bedroom. She lay down on her bed, her legs and arms sprawled out every which way. She opened the box of crackers and reached in.

Within an hour, the crackers were gone. But the less crackers she had left, the more she began to think. Maybe she shouldn't have been so heartless toward Charlie. After all, it wasn't totally his fault. And that look he had in his eyes...

Cali shuddered to think what he would have done to himself. She needed a drink to clear her head. She tossed the box into the trash and opened her door. She glanced into Maria's room momentarily, and she saw Matt and Maria curled up on the bed, the blankets piled over them. Cali smiled and continued down to the kitchen.

She pulled a bottle of beer out of the fridge- though, she would have preferred something heavier. Maria never kept much alcohol around. She took a swig of beer, and she took a couple bottles back to her room. She sat down on her bed and put her iPod on. Of course, the first thing that came on was "Black Dahlia" by Hollywood Undead. She closed her eyes.

Instead of hearing the voices of whichever one was singing at whatever time, she kept hearing Charlie's voice.

"No...no, I need you."

She took a drink, and she wiped away tears.

"I need you, Cali...I messed up..."

She turned over, and she curled up in a little ball. When she closed her eyes, she saw him holding her hand in the ocean.

Charlie touched her belly button ring and said, "I'm not scared of you." He slid his hand into hers. She kissed him, but was soon interrupted by Charlie splashing water at her.

"Charlie!" she screamed.

He ran further out into the ocean, yelling, "Whatcha gonna do about it?"

Cali ran after him and tackled him into the water. They sat so only their necks were above the water. He looked into her green eyes and touched his lips to hers.

She opened her eyes again, staring at the wall. She just lay there, not moving or saying anything or even blinking. The song on her iPod changed to "Last To Know" by Three Days Grace, but she didn't have the energy to deal with changing it.

She didn't make it past the first chorus before bursting into tears.