(Untitled)

[teenagerenegade]

Normally, though Charlie loves snow. He grew up in Upstate New York, so he figures that it's kind of a requirement. He worries about Edmund, though. He knows what he went hrough. He does his best to keep him warm. Today, he built a snowman outside their hut (he spends less and less time at his own hut), stayed out in the snow until his cheeks

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[sluttylyingliar]

There's a train taking people around the island. A Christmas train. A Christmas train that Santa rides around in, apparently. If the one vial of coke Rachel had left wasn't still full, she'd swear up and down this whole thing was some crazy trip she couldn't come down from. She rolls her eyes as the train slows down to dump her off as she trudges the rest of the way, past the candy canes and twinkling lights and creatures and shit. God, she really hopes she gets that job as a stripper. Something normal, at least.

She makes her way up to the compound, shuddering at the cold and nods at some kid standing in the middle of the stairs. As she passes she slows down, taking a moment from her silent bitching to notice that the kids looks like he's about to freeze to death and upon further reflection, maybe just took a bottle of pills. Great.

"Hey," she says, walking back down. "If you stay out here like that, you're going to literally freeze your balls off."

[teenagerenegade]

Charlie barely notices her at first. He's still looking down at the note in his hands, and Jesus Christ, if Kip actually killed himself, if Charlie actually let that happen then he's never going to forgive himself. It's not enough pills to have killed himself, though, is it? It isn't.

She speaks to him and it occurs to Charlie to look up. He's not sure if he's been crying but he wipes at his face anyway.

"I'm okay. I've got layers."

[sluttylyingliar]

Damn. This kid is seriously screwed up. Rachel knows, she's kind of an expert on that. "Okay, listen," she says, snapping her fingers to get his attention. "Did you take those? You need to go to the clinic if you did. You want to go back inside with me? I'm going to get coffee. I can make you some."

[teenagerenegade]

Charlie blinks, his eyes on her face and then he shoves pill bottle and note into his pocket and clears his throat.

"Yeah, coffee would be good," he says, voice hoarse. "I didn't take them."

[sluttylyingliar]

"Okay, good. Come on, you're freezing," she says, trying for more gentle, less bitchy. She can totally do less bitchy, if she wants to. And this kid has been crying. "I'm Rachel. And I realize I'm a total stranger but I don't really no anyone anyway, but whatever. Are you okay? Do we need to like, find someone?"

[teenagerenegade]

Charlie doesn't exactly notice girls anymore, not with Ed around, but he does notice that she's pretty, in a completely different way to Ally or Luna. He rubs his hands over his face again, and it occurs to him that he can't feel either his hands or his face.

"No, I don't need anyone. I'm fine."

[sluttylyingliar]

"No your not," she snorts, steering him back up the stairs. "But that's the beauty of me being a total stranger. You can just dump on me and I can't really judge you, or if I did, it doesn't matter. What the hell do you care what I think? Come on. I'm getting you coffee."

[teenagerenegade]

"Maybe I wouldn't talk to anybody about it," says Charlie, turning to follow her, letting her steer him. He's started to shiver pretty violently under his layers.

"I'm fine. It'll be fine."

There's fuck all he can do.

[sluttylyingliar]

"Listen, kid, you look like you're about to have a nervous breakdown, so the fine thing isn't going to fly. I'm the queen of fine. You're going to dump on me. Over coffee," she informs him.

"What's your name?"

[teenagerenegade]

Charlie's spent a lot of time in therapy in his life, and, contrary to what his Mom might think, he's actually pretty aware of his own emotional state, and he's got to think that a nervous breakdown would feel more catastrophic than this.

"They don't call them nervous breakdowns anymore," he says, almost absently. "Charlie. My name's Charlie Bartlett."

[sluttylyingliar]

"Alright, Charlie Bartlett, I'm Rachel Gatina," she says, looping her arm with his, all but dragging him back through the newly revamped compound. "Do you want to talk about it? I'm willing to listen and then give you admittedly bad advice. Or find you some better advice, at least."

[teenagerenegade]

"Hi, Rachel."

She's warm against his side through the layers of sweaters and he lets her drag him and she sort of reminds him of Susan, the way she just manages him without waiting to see if he even wants her to.

"You know, I'm...not sure if I want to talk about it or not.

[sluttylyingliar]

"Fair enough," she concedes as they make their way past the lights and wreathes and giant Nutcrackers. "But if you don't talk about it eventually, you'll repress everything and that leads to irresponsible choices. I read that once on a pamphlet for rehab. Which I didn't go to, by the way. Thus the irresponsible choices."

[teenagerenegade]

"I've always been pretty good at making irresponsible choices," says Charlie, which is an unlikely admission from someone as clean-cut as Charlie. "I'm honestly pretty fantastic at fucking up."

[sluttylyingliar]

"Me too," she says, cheerfully. "Which is why you shouldn't feel bad about telling me whatever shit you've done. I showed up here with a needle of heroin in my arm and I've got blow in my back pocket. Seriously, not exactly Mother Teresa."

[teenagerenegade]

"Wow."

For a moment, Charlie's quiet, head ducked, and then he glances up at her, and there's maybe a faint flicker of what he usually looks like in his eyes.

"I just had Ritalin and Wellbrutrin."