Find Me

Chapter 2

Charlotte

It had been two weeks since I slipped. I had three huge projects due this week and I am ready to go out tonight with Laura and Becca. Usually, I am super cautious about drinking and if they both weren’t going to be there I would not be going, but all of us had a rough week and need to let loose some. I send them both a text: Door is unlocked, come in when you get here, put my phone on the charger and turn the speaker up. I am finishing my makeup and about 3 beers in when Laura arrives, already pretty tipsy. “Heeyyyyy” she yells wrapping her arms around me.

“Hi, you feeling okay there?” I ask with a smile, but I am only half joking.

She stands up straight, “great, I am doing great, and you look so pretty. I brought some tops for you… just incase you were feeling up to it” she bursts out rapidly.

“You know I am not comfortable with shirts that show a lot of skin, so while I appreciate the offer, no thanks.” I say as I look at the crop tops and low cut shirts that she is holding.

“Fine. Also, Becca is meeting us there, she got home late from work.”

“Okay, thanks” I said, lining up two shots for us. We each take one and Laura turns up the music super loud. We laugh and as I am about to turn it down I hear something.

Thump. Thump.

“Did you hear that?” I asked Laura, and begin to turn it down.

“No, what are you..” she stops as we hear it again, “oh.. yes. Yes, I do hear it” she giggles as I fully turn the music off.

“I think someone is at the door” I say and look through the peephole. “Ohmigod…guess who it is” looking away from the door, Laura looks at me with an empty expression. “Its him, that hot guy that I fell in front of!” I said.

“I can hear you behind the door you know” his deep voice rattles.

We both erupt in laughter. Normally, I would be totally cool and in control here, but I have been drinking. Opening the door slightly, I ask, “can we help you?”

“Yeah, your music is so loud it is nocking stuff off my shelf. I don’t mean to ruin your night, but could you turn it down a little bit?”

Laura and I look at each other and giggle. “There is no music playing” Laura says and slaps her knee at her joke.

“Yeah, uh, I get that… you know what, sorry I came over here. Have a good night ladies,” he said with that awkward smile again.

Without thinking I say, “do you live here, and why do you make that face? Is it a frown, a smile, a… uh.. I don’t know what else to call it”

His brows furrow together, “excuse me?” Me, being drunk, I do an impression for him.

Liam

I don’t really talk to people, and I never go to the building events so I have no clue lives on the floor with me. I live in honors housing, so usually it’s pretty quite and I am rarely bothered. Tonight though, my neighbor is blaring music, my photos are falling off the wall, and two books have fallen from my shelf. I am already in a bad mood, I did not sleep well and I didn’t go for a run or eat breakfast this morning so everything is out of whack. Angrily I unlocked my door and open it. I walk to their door and knock. The music is so loud that they cannot hear me so I pound on the door. Just as I pound again the music turns off and I hear a voice somewhat slurred say “its him, that hot guy that I fell in front of!”

“I can hear you behind the door you know” I grumble, but part of me relaxes knowing who it is. Also, she thinks I am hot? She sure didn’t show it; in fact I would have guessed she found me repulsive from the way she acted. I hear laugher from inside and the door cracks with two sets of eyes poking out, “can we help you?” She asks, while her friend stands behind her laughing.

“Yeah, your music is so loud it is knocking stuff off my shelf. I don’t mean to ruin your night, but could you turn it down a little bit?” I didn’t know she lives here and I am actually really surprised I haven’t seen her coming and going from the room. What are the odds?

The girls looked at each other and burst out laughing. “There is no music playing,” the girl’s friend says and then slaps her knee at her own joke, if you could call it that.

They are clearly intoxicated and from dealing with my dad and my freshman year roommate, I know it’s useless to argue with them. “Yeah, I get that… you know what, sorry I came over here. Have a good night ladies.” I nod my head and start to turn around.

“Do you live here, and why do you make that face? Is it a frown, a smile, a… uh.. I don’t know what else to call it," she questions.

I turn around, confused, “excuse me?” She makes a face, pulling her lips together and tucking them inside her mouth. I try to mimic her and find that it is very easy and I realize I had just made that face.

“I do live here, and sorry that my facial expressions are not up to your standards” I huff, walking back to my room. I think they left shortly after, as I could no longer hear their voices and the music never turned back on.

For being so tired, I could not sleep. Every time I closed my eyes I kept thinking about that girl, who’s name I still don’t know. There is probably a name tag on her door, all of them do. I think about getting up and looking, is it weird to look, especially at 1 in the morning? Definitely, but maybe it will help me sleep, I reason with myself and decide to look.

I put on sweatpants over my boxers and crack open my door. I look both ways down the hallway and make my way to her door. The sign on it says Charlotte. I think about it for a second, I would not of guessed that to be her name. She has dark blonde hair, blue eyes, pale lips, freckles, and an athletic figure. While I would not call her a model, she is plain, but pretty in her own way.

“What are you doing” a slurred voice whispers loudly a few steps down the hall. I glance up, knowing I look guilty. Charlotte stands there looking at me with her hands on her hips.

“Sorry, I, uh, um, well… to be honest I was wondering what your name was so I was looking at your door” I said, figuring the truth was the best answer. She took a couple of steps and stumbles forward. I step quickly to try and stabilize her but she hastily takes a step back and starts to fall. I grab onto her arm and pull her to me, trying to keep her upright. I look into her face and am shocked. She has a frightened expression and I think it broke part of me. There was something else, something that made me want to comfort her, but I don’t know how. She struggles to get out of my embrace but she is so unbalanced that she just keeps falling.

“I’m not going to hurt you, I promise,” I say, trying to comfort her. “Where are your keys, I’ll help you into your room."

“Will you leave after?” She asks in a small voice, almost like a child.

“If you are alright and want me to, then yes.”

“Okay, I don’t know where my keys are. I think I left them in there” she says, pointing to her door. “I forget them all the time and security yells at me when it’s this late” she giggles.

“Okay, well how do you normally get in then?”

“I climb through the window, but I am too drunky drunk,” she slurrs.

“You climb through the window. Are you being serious?”

“Shhhhh, don’t tell anyone” she whispers. “I don’t drink and then it’s no problem at all” she says laughing.

“But you did drink, a lot if my guess is correct” I retort, slightly annoyed. “Since you are in no state to climb through your window, and your door is locked, how are you getting in your room?”

“I never said it was locked,” I barley understand her. I support her and walk back to her door. I try the knob and it doesn’t budge.

“It is locked,” I look at her.

Laughing and throwing her head back she replies, “I didn’t say it wasn’t!”

“Well what do you want to do? I can call security for you and..”

“NO!” She yells, cutting me off, adding in one long breath, “please don’t call them. They hate me and I don’t want them seeing me like this, I am a mess. I don’t want to be left alone with them, please don’t leave me alone with them.”

“I won't leave you alone with them, but what else can I do?” I ask her as I see her eyes start to close and I am now holding her up almost completely.

“Please don’t let them hurt me” she mumbles as the rest of her body weight shifts into my arms and I can feel her face rest on my bare chest. I don’t know what this girl went through, but I am pretty sure it has f****d her up. Shifting her weight, I pick her legs up, carrying her to my room. How is it that I am stuck doing this? Am I really stuck? I think about it, in a strange way, I want to help Charlotte and be there for her, and it is something I haven’t felt since… I don’t think ever.

I lay her in my bed, taking my comforter for myself to use on the floor. I cannot help but to think about what she said. Has someone hurt her? Why is she so scared of being left alone and who did she not want to hurt her? I lay down on my make shift bed, right next to my real one, so if she were to wake up I would too. I tell myself it’s for her safety, but really I just want to be there for her.