Unbound

Charlie hated to admit it, but her mother was right. Makeup does cover just about anything. Lisa had left the hotel room shortly after hitting her and Charlie was now in front of the bathroom mirror applying cover up. She winced slightly as her hand grazed the tender spot on her cheek. After changing out of her white sundress into an old pair of jeans and a fitted t-shirt, she walked back to the bedroom area of the hotel room past the kitchen, not bothering to grab another apple. She didn’t feel like eating anymore.

“Why couldn’t I just keep my mouth shut?” She wondered aloud as she lay across one of the beds on her stomach to watch television.

She was in the middle of watching an old re-run episode of Friends when she heard a faint tapping on the sliding glass door of the balcony.

“Jo?” Charlie asked, sliding off the bed and walking to the door.

“Hey Charlie!” Jo said excitedly as Charlie opened the sliding door for her. “I’m here to spring ya.”

“Spring me?” Charlie asked quizzically as Jo stepped inside the room.

“Yeah, is the Warden around?” Jo asked, looking the room over.

“The war- oh, no she left.” Charlie said, realizing whom Jo was referring to.

“Excellent, we can go out the easy way.” Jo said, taking her hand and pulling her towards the front of the large hotel room.

“Wait a minute,” Charlie said, stopping. “How’d you get up here?”

“My room’s a few down that way.” Jo said, jabbing her thumb to her left. “I just climbed over the balconies until I got to yours.”

“Do I want to know how you knew what room I was in?” Charlie asked as she grabbed her I.D. and cell phone from her purse on the chair by the door and slipped them into her back pocket.

“I asked someone at the front desk.” Jo said simply, walking with Charlie out the door.

“You’ve done this before, haven’t you?” Charlie asked.

“Once or twice.” Jo laughed as she and Charlie stepped onto an elevator.

“Gerard, dude are you coming?” Frank asked, popping his head in the bedroom area of their hotel room.

“Where?” Gerard asked tiredly as he turned a page in the book he was reading.

“We’re all going down to the casino.” Frank said, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder. “Wanna come?”

“I guess.” Gerard shrugged as he tossed his book down and got off the bed he was lounging on.

“Wait a minute.” Gerard said as the five of them stepped onto an elevator. “Who said you was allowed to gamble again?” He asked, pointing at Frank.

“I got better, I promise.” Frank said, pushing the button for the ground floor. “I won’t bet it all this time.”

“Oh you got better huh?” Gerard asked skeptically as the doors closed and the elevator descended. “How?”

“Mikey taught me how to play poker.” Frank said proudly.

Gerard had to stifle a laugh. “You…Poker?”

“Yep.” Frank said.

“But you can’t lie.” Gerard said.

“You’d be surprised.” Mikey said. “He’s not that bad.”

“Alright well you’re in charge of watching him then.” Gerard said, pointing at Mikey as the elevator doors opened.

“Kay.” Mikey said as the five of them walked in the direction of the casino.

“Hey me and Bob are gonna hit the slots.” Ray said as they walked off.

“Well I guess it’s just us gu-” Gerard started, looking to his left where Mikey and Frank were standing. But they were already heading over to the poker tables. “guys.” He finished flatly. Gerard sighed, turning around then smirked, spotting the neon sign for the bar.

“Hey! Bartender!” Jo called over the thumping rock music blasting in the bar. “Two beers please.” She said as she and Charlie sat down in two barstools.

The two of them watched as the rugged looking man nodded and pulled two bottles from under the bar. He set them down then removed the caps with ease using his thumbs.
“Put them on room 165’s tab.” Jo said. “As well as all the other drinks tonight.”

“No, Jo I can’t let you pay-” Charlie started.

“Nonsense.” Jo said waving her hand. “It’s my treat.”

“Thanks.” Charlie said before taking a long swig of her beer.

Jo watched in shock at Charlie as she downed almost half her beer in only on sip. “Damn!”

“What?” Charlie asked shyly, setting her half empty bottle on the bar. “Didn’t think I could drink?”

“You are without a doubt my new best friend.” Jo said still with a look of shock now mixed with adoration on her face.

Charlie returned the smile and took another, smaller, sip from her beer. She nodded her head to the song playing loudly, not knowing it but still liking it nonetheless. Some of the lyrics caught her attention though.

No one can ever slow me down. I'll stay unbound.

“If only.” Charlie thought to herself.

I never viewed my life as something... slipping away

“Well I do.” She said aloud.

“You say something?” Jo asked.

“Oh…no.” Charlie said quickly.

“I’m gonna dance, do you want to?” Jo asked, standing up from her seat.

“No, you go ahead.” Charlie said. Her gracefulness only covered walking in heels. Dancing was a whole different story.

“You’re sure?” Jo asked with a concerned expression on her face.

“Trust me, you don’t want to see me out there.” Charlie said, nodding over towards the dance floor.

“Alright, I’ll be back in a bit.” Jo said before walking away.

“Bye.” Charlie said, turning back to her now almost empty beer.

“Hey can I get a beer?” A man called to the bartender as he slid into Jo’s now vacant seat. He was dressed in dark jeans, from what Charlie could see by the dim light of the bar, and a black button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up his forearms. His hair was black, obviously dyed, but it suited him, as did the length of it. He was someone her mother would immediately disapprove of which is why she was instantly drawn to him. Well, that and his gorgeous hazel eyes. She was staring at him for a moment before snapping out of it as the bartender set the man’s beer on the bar.

“Hey, this is my friend’s seat.” She said quickly, realizing that Jo would have nowhere to sit should she return soon.

The man turned on the stool to get a better look at who was talking to him but his curious expression changed almost instantly to one of irritation as if he had already met Charlie and strongly disliked her.

“And?” He asked.

Charlie was taken aback from his harshness and stammered over her next sentence. “Well…she’s going to need it when she gets back.”

“Well she’s not here now, is she?” He asked.

Charlie gave him a dark look before turning back to drink the rest of her beer.

“That’s what I thought.” The man muttered quietly, but loud enough for Charlie to hear it.

Charlie slammed her empty bottle down and looked at the man again. “Exactly what is your problem?” She demanded.

“Nothing at all, Little Miss Size Negative One.” He said.

“Excuse me?” She said angrily.

“You heard me.” He said, taking a swig of his beer.

“You have a problem with my size, is that it?” She asked.

“That’s exactly right.” He said with a mocking tone to his voice. “I guess you really aren’t as dumb as you look.”

Her mouth opened in shock but then her expression changed almost instantly livid. “You-” But words couldn’t express her anger at that moment.
“How dare you!”

“Dare I what?” The man sneered. “Tell the truth?”

“What gives you the right to judge people by their size like that?” Charlie demanded. “You know nothing about me, you don’t even know me!”

“I don’t have to know you.” He said. “But you pageant girls are all the same. Same old spoiled rich girls who know nothing about life, nothing about pain, or even the meaning of hard work.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about, do you?” Charlie half shouted. “You could never fathom the shit I go through on a daily basis. You-”

“Hey, guys.” The bartender said, interrupting her. “Could you take this somewhere else? You’re scaring away my customers.”

“No problem.” The man said darkly, slamming down some money for his beer and walking away.

“Hey I’m not finished with you!” Charlie said angrily as she followed him outside of the hotel’s bar and across the hotel’s lobby.

“Well I’m finished listening.” The man called back to her as he walked to the elevators.

She caught up to him as he was waiting on an elevator.

“You think you’re so much better than me don’t you?” Charlie demanded. “You think that just because I compete in pageants, that I’m some brainless bimbo in a swimsuit. Well you know what? You’re wrong.”

“I’m wrong huh?” He asked, whirling around to face her. “It seems to me that I was dead on with the weight thing. Look at you.”

“What about me?” She asked.

“Starving yourself to fit in a size zero dress?” He asked. “That’s just pathetic.”

“I am not starving myself!” Charlie shouted.

“Oh really?” He asked. “What’s the last thing you ate today?”

Charlie stopped, realizing that if she answered that truthfully it would only prove his point.

“That’s what I thought.” He said as the elevator doors opened and he stepped on. “Pathetic.”

“I am not pathetic!” She yelled, following him on.

“You just followed me out of a bar to make a point which you couldn’t.” He said as the doors shut and the elevator started going up. “I’d say that’s pretty close.”

Charlie raised her hand to hit him but thought better of it. She wasn’t like her mother.

“What?” He sneered. “You afraid to hit me?”

She ignored his snide comment and pressed the button closest to the floor they were coming up on. The doors opened almost immediately and she staked off. But she didn’t get more than two steps from the elevator before she suddenly felt light headed, and collapsed.