Love At First Fight

Chapter Twenty Two

A/N: There's Violet off to the side---}}

Violet

Trevor's advice sticks with me all throughout the night as I struggle to get any sleep. My headache has increased tenfold and doesn't seem as though it's going to go away any time soon. Angie basically passed out as soon as we picked her up, seeming to have had quite a bit of fun hanging out with Jody. 

Sleep has been something that I haven't been able to find at all tonight. Aside from the fact that my body feels as though it's about to completely shut down, Trevor's words have been what's been bothering me the most. 

Don't you think that you're being a little bit selfish?

Am I being selfish? Should I just go to the police right now and confess everything to them? Would it really be safer if Angie and I were to just be thrown into the system?

I roll out of bed, careful not to wake up the slumbering girl as I tiptoe out of the room. I  rub at my eyes, my eyes watering from lack of sleep.  

There are just too many risks that could happen no matter what I do. If Angie's here with me then I can at least have control over what happens. As long as I keep my eye on Angie she shouldn't run into Carlos. As long as the both of us are careful then nothing bad should happen. But if Angie and are taken away then there isn't exactly much that we can do. As soon as we're put into the system then I pretty much lose all control over what happens. And losing control over this situation is the last thing that I want to happen, 

But at the same time, what if going to the police is what's best for us? As hard as I'm going to try, I know that there's the possibility that Angie could end up running into Carlos again. He lives right downstairs for God Sake. What if something even worse than last time happens? What if I'm not here to help her next time? 

I limp down the stairs, my body feeling heavy with the weight of my thoughts. I cough loudly as I stick close to the wall, holding myself up as I move towards the kitchen. I pause for a moment when I see a light shining from the room, but continue to move into the room anyhow. I need an aspirin and I know that Mom keeps some in the cupboard.

When I walk into the kitchen I'm not at all surprised to see Carlos leaning up against the with a glass of wine in hand. He looks up when he sees me stumble into the room, but doesn't say anything as he looks back at me. He looks cleaner today, more put together, but still messy all at the same time. His hair is combed neatly, but his t-shirt is raggedy and full of stains. His posture is slouched but alert as he stares me down. 

"Huh," Carlos lifts his wine glass up to his lips and takes a small sip as he watches me. "I almost forgot that you lived here."

I'm taken aback by the fact that he's actually speaking to me. It's been a long time since he actually said anything to me in anywhere close to a normal tone. It doesn't usually take much for the two of us to spark up an argument, especially if he's been drinking. 

"Surprise," I mumble as I slip by him to get to the cupboard. I open it up and peer inside, quickly finding the tiny container of pills.