Perdetevi.

“Don’t tell Dad.”

“I have to.”

Monica didn’t know what to do. The logical choice was to tell their Dad. But she’d never seen Charlie look so serious. His hand shook and he kept toying with the hem of his shirt. Monica felt sick. So much had changed in only a few moments.

The nightmares were back again so she’d gone to Charlie, like she always did. But instead of asleep in his bed, he had been holed up in a corner of his room with a couple of friends and a pile of joints between them. She noticed Ricky among them and frowned, of all of Charlie’s many friends, she’d never liked Ricky much. Monica ran to the kitchen with Charlie following close behind.

They spoke in hushed voices, Charlie was pleading and Monica was disappointed.

“Please,” Charlie said. “You know what he’ll do, don’t you?”

“I do.” Monica shivered. “Military school.”

“It’s not life or death. You don’t have to tell him.”

“But… I do.”

“There’ll be a fight. A big fight, all over a little weed. It doesn’t matter.”

There had been a lot of fights and she should have been used to them by then. She was a runner though, she ran from uncomfortable situations. When there were fights, she would hide out in her room. She didn’t want to listen to another one. They terrified her, who knew if the next one would be the last and Charlie would move out or Dad would leave and never come back? But drugs? Surely that was a good reason to cause an argument. Nausea built in her stomach just thinking about another argument.

“It’s a gateway drug.” Monica whispered.

“It’s not a damn gateway drug. Do you believe everything you hear?”

“Please, Charlie.”

Charlie’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t tell.”

“I have to!”

“No you don’t. I won’t do it again, okay?”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Monica, come on, you know me. I won’t do it again, promise, just don’t tell Dad.”

Monica eyed Charlie, his pinky finger stretched out to her desperately. She didn’t know what to do. Her mind was racing through her options and she desperately wanted to avoid another fight. She was upset and angry and disappointed but the look in Charlie’s eyes sold her.

“Okay.” She uttered reluctantly, linking her pinky with his. She had friends who smoked weed every once and a while, they acted stupid but they were OK.

Charlie smiled. “Promise?”

“Promise.” She whispered.

“Thank you.” He grabbed her in a tight hug and kissed her forehead. “You’re the best.”

He lingered for a few minutes, perhaps just to make sure Monica wouldn’t go run to Dad, and then he went back to his room. Back to his friends and his marijuana. It was later when she regretted not going to Dad immediately. She lay on her bed all night, thinking about how in the next room her brother was high with his buddies. He seemed like a different person all of the sudden. Not Charlie but someone else because she couldn’t imagine Charlie chasing a high. He was the good one, with good grades and good friends and a future.