Mystic Bar
Charles strode into the bar, he would be lying to himself if he said that he was not affected by how his dad always treats him so different. Sometimes, he can't help but blame his sister... he knows that that was a bad thing to do as he loves Clarie very much.
After leaving the house five years ago, he's approaching age twenty and it's hard to believe that he still feel this emotions in him.
Charles laughed and mocked himself for been so weak.
"I'll have vodka please... on the rocks" Charles said as he took a seat on the bar stool and placed his phone on the table, by his side.
"Vodka on the rocks coming right up" The bartender said but as he looked up at the costumer, a look of surprise graced his face.
"Boss!" The bartender said as he bowed his head. He might not be one of the top executives who could see the boss, but he happened to see their manager walking behind him once; and who else is capable of achieving such feat other than the boss.
"Keep it down!" Charles said sending a stern look his way. Coupled with his cold and unfeeling personality, being in a bad mood at present wasn't really helping matters. The poor bartender at the receiving end was shivering in fear, all this was going unnoticed by the crowd as it was a Friday and the bar was popping.
"Nick right?" Charles said as he read the name tag on the bartender, earning a bod from him.
"If you still wanna keep your job, I suggest that your lip remain sealed. Forget whatever happens tonight and trust me if a word comes out about this, I guarantee you'll never be able to get a job in Los Angeles." Charles threatened.
"Yes boss"
"Now, get me my drink" Charles said as Nick picked up his pace.
"Here you go" Nick felt that it wasn't wise to keep calling him boss after all what Charles had said.
Charles looked at the bottle of Vodka, a look of struggle flashed through his eyes but it settled down as quickly as it came as he poured the Vodka into the glass cup and drained it.
Cup after cup, Charles seemed to ignore all presence around him as he drowned in his thoughts. He seemed to recall what happened five years ago that caused him to leave the place he called home.
*Flashback*
It's been close to five years since Clarie left for England for rehabilitation. Thirteen year old Charles has been drowning in guilt all these years. He has also been having a very difficult time sleeping.
He woke up from bed panting. He looked outside and thought, 'It's raining'. The thunder and lightening seems to remind him of that day.
"Another nightmare" Charles signed as he got down from bed and reached for the lamp on his bedstand. He put it on and looked through his drawers, he easily found what he was looking for, a small bottle of Zolpidem sleeping pills. He took a pill and went downstairs to get a cup of water.
Walking down the stairs and was so stressful as all their elevators has been removed because of Clarie. As he stepped into the dinning room to move to the kitchen, a dim illumination contrasted against a figure, which he quickly identified as his dad. He moved so stealthily not as to alert his dad, as his dad's attitude towards him was not encouraging and very disturbing. Halfway to the kitchen, his foot seemed to have stepped on something causing a distrubing noise in the silent atmosphere.
"Whose there?" Javier was quick to turn on the light, as he laid his eyes in the figure few steps away from him, his eyes steeled.
"It's you. What are you doing here?"
"I couldn't sleep and I came to get a glass of water" Charles answered his eyes darting to the empty alcohol bottles on the table.
"You couldn't sleep, eh? Have you ever thought that that might be your punishment for what you did that day?" Javier's words seemed to shake Charles as he continued to stare at his dad, his fingers clenched by his side.
For the past five years, his dad had been either commenting sarcastically or belittling him as a coward, not capable of doing anything right or anything at all. But today, his words seems to hammer down at him as the memory he tried to bury in his heart tried to surface.
"Da..d"
"Don't call me that! I've no such son, who failed to protect his own sister, shivering in the corner like a rat. Why huh? Why didn't you protect your sister? Why did you let her go through all that? Was that how I raised you? You promised me that you would protect your sister and your mother, did you stick with that promise? Did you?!" Javier shouted as he smashed the glass cup at his son's feet.
Charles felt something running down his cheek, he reached towards it and saw blood on his finger. He looked up at his Father in disbelief. The roaring of thunder seemed to increase, as the rains angrily beat the windows.
Javier looked at his son's bloodied face, he didn't intend to hurt him. At that moment, it seems that his senses which was robbed off him returned.
Bella ran downstairs as the sound of the glass breaking woke her up.
"Jav..." She said as she rubbed her eye. "What's going on in here?" Bella said as she looked at her husband and back at her son. Seeing her son's sorry stare, she seemed to understand what transpired between the two of them.
"Jav, how could you?" Bella said as she rushed towards her son, looking at her husband she felt disappointed. She knew that it wasn't easy for him as he felt that it was his responsibility to keep his family safe but she wouldn't tolerate her husband hurting her son. What happened affected the whole family, it isn't right to take it all out on a kid.
Charles brushed off his mother's hand and ran upstairs. He brought out his suitcase and began to pack his clothes, afterwards he took his wallet and removed the card given by his father and also his sim card from his phone.
He looked at his own private saving card and wondered how much was in it as he got a lot of monetary gifts for his birthdays.
He closed his wallet, grabbed his suitcase and his drug from the draws and walked downstairs.
Javier looked at him and his eyes trailed the suitcase, his mother, Bella looked at him with widen eyes and tried to stop him.
"Charles dear, you don't need to pay attention to your Dad. He's just drunk and doesn't mean what he's saying"
"He's definitely not my Dad. No dad will ever hurt his child." Charles said to his mother, he turned his face to his Father and said, "I know what I did that night was wrong. I'm a coward? Yes, I acknowledge it. But you know what Father? You are a much bigger coward."
"Krack" The glass cup which Javier just took to resume his drinking was broken in his hands. He looked at his son, anger filling his eyes as he said, "Get out if my house!"