Remember This✔

Chapter Twenty

Charlie knocks on Aubrey's apartment door and leans his head against it for a moment to acquire the few seconds of peace he has left. When the door opens Charlie's jaw is knocked down to the floor. Aubrey's waved and brushed-back hair contains so much hairspray that Charlie can taste it and she's wearing a tight, red dress with thin straps that complement her newly fake-tanned skin. Her face homes so much make up that she's almost orange.

"What the hell is this?" Charlie says.

Aubrey rolls her eyes and turns around. "I told you, my friend's having a party."

Charlie steps into the apartment and tries his hardest not to slam the door. "Do you ever listen to me? I don't want to go to a party, Aubrey."

"I don't get what the big deal is, your friends are going too." Aubrey rushes around her kitchen, adding items into her purse as Charlie drifts over to the table. "It'll be fun, Charlie. Remember what that is? Fun?"

Charlie leans back into the chair and clenches his jaw. He knows if he leaves this time then their relationship won't recover, it'll be over and part of him actually feels glad about it. This is why they fight all the time, because neither of them can compromise.

"I thought we were having a night in together," Charlie says.

"We'll do that next week," she mutters as she stares into a small, flip-up mirror. "The cab will be here in a minute. We've got all day tomorrow anyway; we'll probably need the rest with the hangovers we're about to have."

"I need to be home by ten tomorrow to take my sister shopping. I promised her."

"Fine," Aubrey says. "But don't wake me up if I'm still asleep."

Charlie isn't surprised that she hasn't asked to come with them, Aubrey doesn't have the patience for kids, not even for his sister Jasmine. She's never really made the effort to get to know her and Jaz has noticed. Whenever Aubrey comes around the house Jaz locks herself in her room and pretends to do homework. Charlie doesn't know how to resolve it but it bothers him.

"Cab's here!" Aubrey yelps.

Charlie stands up slowly and watches as Aubrey digs through her purse to make sure she's got everything, probably everything but money. No doubt he'll be paying for the cab. Her logic will be that her money goes on rent and bills and he gets given a monthly allowance that he has no need to spend on anything other than his car. Another great topic of argument that they like to indulge in from time to time.

"Try to be normal," Aubrey tells him as they leave the apartment. "Don't glare at people or do that threatening stance thing that you do."

"What threatening stance?"

"Never mind." She locks the door and then walks right by him. "Just try and be nice."

"If someone's being a dick then I won't be nice," Charlie says.

"I'm not talking about those people; I'm talking about everyone else."

"Oh. Fine."

They walk in silence through the apartment building and they slide into the back of the cab. Aubrey has already booked the cab online so the driver doesn't say a word, not even a greeting. He just types something into his phone and then pulls onto the road.

"I'm so excited," Aubrey says as her legs bump each other. "Aren't you excited?"

Charlie stares at her but she's not even looking. Her attention is on the window and he knows no matter what he says back she'll ignore. This has been the strangest day of his life so far and he can't imagine it could get any better than saving someone's life. He wants to tell someone just to get it off his chest but Molly was right; it's her story, not his. They both need to move on.