Lies 1-50

If you're reading this, I've gone to live in Europe somewhere. You'll never see your son again. Don't come looking for him. He's gone, along with me. Don't try to locate us, my family has cut off all ties with you. Do not call my cell. Do not e-mail. Do not write any letters. Contact him in no way. Good-bye. -Molly-

"Skinner what did you do?"

"Nothing."

"Skinner."

He tipped the bottle back deeper into his throat and I yanked it out of his mouth.

"HEY!"

"Pull yourself together."

"I am together."

He grasped for the bottle in the dark of his hotel room. He wanted his own, and we all understood. After Molly left... Well he just wasn't the same.

"You are not together. Skinner, if you loved her why didn't you tell her?"

"I did."

"And she left?"

"No, I told her I loved her, but I was in love with someone else."

"Why the hell would you do that?"

"Because Char, it's true."

"Well this girl can't be more important than the mother of your child!" I cried in a harsh whisper.

"...Char, it's not a girl... I'm still in love with Drake..."

"Skinner. Oh my God. Oh. My. God. Skinner, you... loved Drake?"

"This isn't exactly how I wanted it to come out... I'm bisexual. I just wasn't sure until Drake died. I miss him so much Char."

I took a swig of the wine I had been holding back from him. "Well, you aren't gay, are you?"

"No."

"Oh. Well... that's nice... um..."

"CHAR!"

"What? I just don't need another one of my friends just suddenly pushing a different sexual orientation on me. Remember what happened with Damien?"

"Yeah."

"I'm okay with this, I really am, but... have you told the guys?"

"No. You won't will you?"

"Not if you don't want me too."

He took my hand in his and suddenly whispered, "Char? I love you."

"I know Skinner."

And suddenly his lips were on mine. I pushed him away and gasped, "Ski-!", but he was on me again.

I dug my nails into his arms and pushed him back. "Skinner! How dare you?!" I pressed myself into the wall nearest to me and wiped off my mouth in disgust.

"Charlotte, I'm sorry."

"I can't believe you'd do that to me." With a pounding anger in my heart, I pulled open the door and slunk back to Noah's and my room with my arms crossed tightly across my chest.

He was reading my copy of The Thorn Birds when I opened the door with a twisted look on my face.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I hissed and pretended it was true. I just wanted to shower, I felt so unclean.

"Charlotte, tell me the truth."

"NOTHING! Good God! Leave me alone!"

"No Charlotte! TELL ME! WHAT HAPPENED!"

It was the first time he yelled at me and it hit me harder than I expected it to. The salty water built up in my eyes and I couldn't help but collapse into his arms.

"Oh, honey I'm sorry."

He ran his fingers through my hair and I let my eyes dry on his shirt.

"Skinner kissed me. Noah, I'm so sorry. I was just trying to comfort him and he threw himself at me. I pushed him off but he did it again anyway. I'm sorry."

"Love, don't be sorry. It's not your fault. I'll have a talk with him in the morning."

"Noah..."

"What love?"

"I'm going to take a shower. Save me a spot in bed."

"Okay," he said with a mischievous grin.

I stood up and walked to the bathroom and stripped off my filthy clothes. I got in the shower and washed myself off as throughly as possible, scrubbing my lips so hard with the wet washcloth that they started to bleed. I sucked on my bottom lip as I dried off.

"Noah?"

There was no answer so I stepped out into the room, expecting him to be asleep. He wasn't in bed so I quickly got dressed and found my way to Skinner's room.

"...That's what she told you? HA! She threw herself at me."

I opened the door just as Noah's fist collided with Skinner's face. Noah said to him, "If you ever touch her again in a more than friend way, I'll cut off your man-part and feed them to you when you aren't expecting it. Hell I'll be just like Titus all over again!"

Noah saw me watching and led me out on his arm like a prize. Suddenly I felt like a prize, but one that you find at the bottom of a cereal box and not one you win. I was the lucky cheerio that the toddler picked out of the box first and flung across the room into the hands of his mother who approved and handed it back for the baby to eat. I was the sugar in his frosting on his cake, and I loved it.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you." He muttered his apology as we climbed into bed.

"No, don't worry about it."

"But I am. I'm sorry. I love you."

"I love you too."