Sell Your Soul

The text read we're going out to eat with Aron b4 he leaves again. u wanna come we'll be @red. k?. Cali smiled, but she didn't reply. Honestly, she didn't know if she was hungry or not.

She sighed and picked up her new sweatshirt. She pulled it on over her OTEP shirt and inhaled the scent of new clothes. She didn't really know what that scent was, but it was familiar everytime she put on new clothes.

She suddenly wanted to go for a walk, so she slipped on her black Converse high tops. She drew up her hood and zipped the sweatshirt up to the middle of her chest. Her long hair fell perfectly out of the hood, and it draped over the zipper. She opened the door to the apartment and stepped into the hallway.

After shutting the door, she saw her neighbor, Ms. King. They exchanged waves, and Cali attempted to smile politely at her. She shoved her hands into her pockets. She jogged down the steps, trying not to trip and look like an idiot.

She made it outside and looked up at the sky. Clouds were rolling in from the west, and she regretted wanting to take a walk. It was too late now, though. She was in the mood to clear her head, and she was already outside.

The wind was starting to pick up, and it pushed at her back. Cali watched as a Del Taco bag rolled along next to her, and she chuckled, thinking it was following her. She stopped, letting it get away from her, and she sighed.

A black Escalade pulled up slowly beside her, with dark tinted windows and spinning rims. She thought of Dillon until the window rolled down. A scruffy-looking man leaned out, his buddies laughing in the background.

"Hey, baby!" he shouted. "Need a ride?"

Cali didn't say anything, but she pulled out her phone like she was calling someone. The man's expression changed, and he leaned back in the car.

"No hard feelings, hun," he shouted before rolling up the window and driving away.

Cali grimaced and put her phone back in her pocket. She put her hands back into her sweatshirt and continued walking.

As she crossed through an alley, she found a can to kick. She kicked it for almost a block before it escaped to the street and was hit by a beat-up Ford.

The sky was almost black now, and Cali heard a low rumble of thunder. The sky lit up occasionally in the distance, and she was glad she was a relatively short woman.

She turned down another street, unsure of where exactly she was walking to. She stopped at a bench under a street light, and she at down on her hands. Her feet, toes pointing into the ground, bounced up and down, causing her legs to shake. She shivered as the wind whipped past her, and it caught her hair.

A bus stopped and opened its doors. A few people got off, but the bus didn't leave. Cali watched the driver, a stout woman in her late 40s. The driver looked at Cali.

"You gettin' on, precious?" she asked.

The left corner of Cali's mouth tilted upward slightly, and she said, "No thanks."

"Alright," said the driver. "Have a nice night."

She shut the doors, and the bus rumbled away. Cali looked off to the east, and she stood up. She kept walking, her back to the storm. Thunder boomed again, louder this time than the last few.

The rain began as a soft drizzle at first. She didn't mind it so much, but it made her mostly bare legs start feeling a bit chilly. Then, the rain began falling in steady drops, and she really got cold.

She still had no idea where she was walking to, but she just wanted to get out of the rain. The thunder crashed again, and she slipped on the curb in surprise. A man nearby rushed to help her, and she let him since he didn't look like too much of a creeper.

"You okay, miss?" he asked.

Cali nodded and said, "Yeah, I just hit my knee."

"Can you get home alright?" he asked.

Cali looked around. This neighborhood was familiar. "I know a friend around here. I think I'll be fine."

"Okay," said the man.

"Thank you anyway," she said as he helped her to her feet.

"It's no problem. You just go on and get out of the rain."

Cali smiled and nodded. He left her there, after she assured him she'd be alright, and she glanced around. This block was familiar. She turned around and found herself staring up at a familiar house. There were a couple of cars in the driveway, and a few lights were on in the house. She took a step forward, her knee shaking. She felt a tear slide down her cheek, but she couldn't be sure because of the rain.

She limped up the driveway, now sure she was crying.
----------------------------------------
There were three sharp knocks on the door, and Charlie sighed. The guys and Maria had all gone out for dinner, but he'd chosen to stay home. He set his beer down on the end table and stood up. The thunder boomed again, and whoever was at the door knocked again.

He rubbed his eyes, trying to look more awake than he actually was, and he shook the sorrow from his mind. He sighed again and opened the door.

His heart stopped.

Her eyeliner was running down her cheeks, and her clothes were soaked through and through. She had pulled her hands up into her L.A. Pride sweatshirt, trying to keep herself warm. She shivered.

"Charlie," said Cali. Her voice waivering.

She stepped toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He brought his lips down to hers, and he put his hands around her waist. She pulled him closer, and he continually let his lips and hers move together as they had done before.

They stood there, holding each other and kissing, in the doorway. They never pulled away, not even when they had stopped kissing. Charlie rested his forehead against hers, and Cali looked up at him.

She pulled herself even closer and whispered, "Charlie..."

He touched her cheek with his lips and said softly, "I love you..."