The Long Weekend 12

Author's Note: Hey everyone! This is my summer one shot. It's a nice change of pace to do something upbeat and funny. This is inspired by one of my favorite new artists The Weeknd, more specifically, his track "Gone". I highly suggest listening to it during the *ahem* steamy scenes. And please excuse my Russian. I am fascinated by the language, but I might be a little rusty with some parts. Happy Reading! ~N4M.

********

"So what are you going to do?"

Charlie focused on the television screen, determined to evade the question that'd been haunting her for the past two days. She didn't want to discuss the particulars on the situation; all she wanted at the moment was to clear her mind, courtesy of the trashy reality show in front of her.

Katia was not to be dissuaded. With a determined gleam in her green eyes she stomped over in front of the television, blocking Charlie's line of vision.

"Oi!" Charlie exclaimed. "Will you please move your giant ass?"

"First off, my ass is nowhere near gigantic proportions. Secondly, I asked you a question: what the hell are going to do?"

Charlie sighed irritably. "Kat, can we please not do this right now?" She normally loved her spunky roommate with her indefatigable cheerfulness, but today she was clearly not in the mood to deal with Katia and her "Pollyanna" routine.

"Charlie!" her roommate whined.

"Katia!" Charlie shot back, with equal whine.

Katia huffed loudly, her hands balled tightly.

Charlie suppressed an irritated groan. The so-called intervention was going nowhere fast.

As if sensing Charlie wasn't going to budge on the issue, Katia moved from in front of the television before plopping soundly on the couch next to her roommate. Charlie could tell she was irritated. She sat on the couch, arms folded and silently fuming as she pretended to watch TV.

Charlie knew better than to trust that scene; on the outside it appeared she was admitting defeat, but Charlie knew Katia was plotting several different ways for her to open up. Charlie could practically hear the "BUTTING IN" alarm going off in her roommate's head.

She played along, eyes glued to the screen as she waited patiently, counting down the moments. 3...2...1...

"You know you can't stay here like this all summer."

Charlie grinned. Right on schedule, she thought.

"I'm not staying here like this all summer. I'm staying like this for now."

Katia huffed again, her patience wearing thin.

"And stop huffing!" Charlie exclaimed. "You're making it hotter in here with your dragon breath."

Katia shot her a murderous look before slapping her soundly on the shoulder. "I do NOT have dragon breath. And stop being so pissy! Yes, it sucks that Brent dumped you, but you used up your cunt allowance two days ago so cut the attitude."

Charlie winced; Kat was a very easygoing person who normally put up with Charlie's terrible behavior with the patience of a saint. But today she was clearly not in the mood for attitude and fuckery. Charlie knew she'd gone too far. "Sorry Kat," she said sheepishly.

Katia immediately softened, her bad mood disappearing as quickly as it surfaced. "I'm sorry too. I know you're having a difficult time with this breakup. That's why I want you to get up off the damn couch." Her eyes were filled with genuine concern.

Charlie shrugged. "You know what's funny? I actually am fine with the breakup. Brent was terribly useless. I think what I'm upset about the most is missing out on our Atlantic City trip. What the fuck am I supposed to do for the next few days?"

"You can come with me and Leslie and the girls."

"No fucking way," Charlie said with a snort. "You know perfectly well I can't stand Leslie and her two minions. Besides, you guys already made concrete reservations. I can't impose on them."

Katia and a few of her sorority sisters were going on a "Gal Pal" trip to Myrtle Beach. She initially invited Charlie, who flatly refused. A long weekend trapped with a bunch of giggly bitches in a hotel room was definitely not her idea of a good time.

Besides, it'd had been easier to refuse when she was planning to go with Brent to Atlantic City. He was attending some writer's conference and invited her along. She wasn't looking forward to Brent abandoning her in a Jersey hotel room while he went to boring seminars but she figured the beach and boardwalk would be enough to occupy her time.

Who could pass up a free vacation? But then she and Brent got into a huge fight last week and now she was stuck boyfriendless, best friendless, and apparently vacationless.

It was barely July and the summer was already sliding into Suckville. "I know you're trying to be helpful, Kat but I'm going to be fine. Really." Just to emphasize her point she attempted to smile although it probably looked more like a painful grimace.

Katia rolled her eyes. "If you say so." She shot

Charlie a wary look. "Are you sure you're fine about Brent?"

"Yes, I really am. We were only dating for two months, Kat. It wasn't like I was already picking out my wedding gown. I'm better off."

"I suppose. Now you're back in the saddle, just in time for a summer romance!"

Charlie rolled her eyes. "Only you would get that excited over something so ridiculous."

Kat giggled. "It is not ridiculous, it is romantic."

"I wouldn't exactly call fucking a stranger for a few weeks and then peacing out romantic."

"Well it doesn't have to be just a few weeks. Suppose you meet THE ONE and fall in love."

Charlie rolled her dark brown eyes. "Girl, Imma need boots to wade through all this bullshit you're talking. There's no such thing as THE ONE. And even such a thing existed, I'm sure as hell not gonna find it in this boring ass town."

Katia shrugged. "Yeah, you might be right.

Everyone is gone for the summer, either on vacation or home until school starts. The downside of staying in a college town during the summer season."

"I even took time off from work, but I think Dale will give me a couple of shifts back."

"That's because it'll give him more time to ogle your ass while you shelve books," Katia said with a grin.

Despite her grimace, she couldn't help but smile with her roommate. Charlie worked at an alternative book store for the summer break. It was pretty simple work and it gave her a lot of time to catch up on her reading.

Her manager Dale was a decent guy but he had a painfully obvious crush on her. Normally he kept it in check but there were a few awkward encounters, the most recent one involving several bottles of wine at an impromptu employee barbecue, and an uncomfortable drunken grope-fest in an upstairs hallway.

Needless to say when Charlie stumbled into work the next morning still hungover and completely reeking of stale wine Dale pretended like things were normal and she was only happy to play along. Things eventually died down, but Katia still loved to tease her.

"Can we please not bring that up? I am in the middle of a pouting spell." Charlie slumped further into the couch cushions.

"Aww, there's no need to pout," Katia said sympathetically as she patted Charlie's head reassuringly. "I said you could come to the beach with me."

"Katia, I'd love to but I can't. You know I'm saving up for my new camera; I don't really have the funds for an all-out vacation. Atlantic City with Brent was pretty much a free trip, that's why I was so keen on going." She sighed longingly, a pang of regret sharp in her chest as she thought about missing out on the boardwalk and beach. Dammit, this summer suck was really starting to get on her nerves.

"Well since you're not leaving, I guess it's a good time to tell you that you're going to have a temporary roommate."

Charlie's cinnamon-colored gaze fixed pointedly on her friend. "Say what?"

Katia flipped her dark hair over her shoulder.

"No worries; it's no one crazy. My brother just needed a place to crash. He's gonna be in town for the weekend."

A single ebony eyebrow rose in surprise. "Your brother? The mysterious hockey playing brother I've never met?"

"That's the one," Katia said with a nod. "Gavril.

He's back for something big event. He didn't really explain the situation. Gavril isn't big on explanations. He called a few days ago saying he was coming back and reminded me that technically since this place belongs to Papa, he was entitled to stay."

Charlie nodded silently. She didn't want to inform her best friend that her brother sounded like a Grade-A douchenozzle. It definitely wasn't her place to point that out. "So I take it he's staying in the spare room?"

"Yeah," Katia replied. "I am sorry Charlie. I only agreed to it because I thought you were leaving with Brent."

"It's not a problem Kat. Technically he's right; this is your Dad's house. I can't stop him from staying here. Besides, with work and stuff I'll be so busy that I probably won't see him."

Katia nodded. "Probably. He is a good guy though; a bit gruff but he's a teddy bear."

"Uh-huh. And when will this gruff teddy bear be making his appearance?"

"Today. He didn't exactly say when."

"Ugh...Kat." She wasn't in the mood to deal with company. With Katia gone she was content to wallow in her lameness with ice cream and a marathon of zombie movies. But no, now she had to babysit a grumpy old man.

She knew very little about Katia's older brother.

While she'd already met Katia's parents and her younger brother Kirill a few times before, Gavril always seemed to be absent from the picture. She wasn't sure what he did exactly, but he was always traveling.

The only thing she remembered about him was he went to Eastbrooke University, just like they did, and he lived in this very house. The Denisov family purchased the house years ago when Gavril was in undergrad.

When Katia came to Eastbrooke she lived in the dorms, where she met Charlie. Sophomore year they moved into the house and by that time Gavril was gone.

Had it been another time, she might have been enthusiastic to meet him; but given her current foul mood, entertaining another person was not very high on her to-do list.

"If it's a bother..." Katia started.

"No, no. It's not a problem. I suppose it would be nice to have someone else in the house."

" Thanks again for being so cool with this. I know I kind of sprung it on you."

"Oh it's okay. You'll definitely owe me. I want a fabulous souvenir from the beach."

Kat laughed. "It's a deal." She glanced up at the clock on the cable box. "Well, I'd better get going. I have to pick up the girls. They're all at Blair's house." She rose from the couch with Charlie following suit, walking with her to the front door where Katia's bags were stacked.

"Alright well I'm off," she said.

Charlie gave her a quick hug. "Have fun babe. And if you can, pick up some hot lifeguard and fuck the tan off of him."

The girls smiled. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind. And you...you stay out of trouble."

Charlie shrugged. "How much trouble could I possibly get into by myself in only a weekend?"

Katia smiled knowingly, her green eyes twinkling.

"Knowing you, I'm sure you'll find a way." She slung her purse and duffel bag over her shoulder and grabbed the handle of her pull suitcase.

"I'll see you Sunday." Charlie watched as her roommate lugged her stuff down their steps. Quickly she packed up her Ford Explorer. Before pulling away, she honked the horn twice and Charlie waved, watching as she headed down the street.

And just like that, Charlie was officially alone.

Shutting the door, Charlie made sure it was locked before walking into the living room and settling back on the couch. She didn't know what to do with herself now that Katia was gone. Since meeting her freshman year, they both gravitated towards one another simply because of their outcast nature.

Katia had only arrived from Russia two years prior. She was a beautiful girl, with inky black hair that fell in soft, lazy curls and wide green eyes that were always smiling.

Guys approached her all the time, but she was painfully shy and quite awkward despite her bombshell looks. She was much more comfortable with her instruments; she was a gifted musical prodigy, excelling at almost everything her nimble fingers touched. Her favorite was the piano. She was studying music and musical theory and hoped to be a concert pianist one day.

Whereas Katia was sweet and agreeable, Charlie was the loudmouth. When she arrived at Eastbrooke, she had the honor of being the only black girl on her floor. What made matters worse, at 5'11 she was taller than most of her blonde and petite counterparts. Charlie stuck out like a sore thumb, with her wild natural hair, dark chocolate skin, and boyish name.

The girls bonded over their love for cheesy zombie movies and popcorn mixed with M&Ms. They were completely opposite but they balanced each other out. She wasn't ashamed to admit that she was going to miss Katia. Charlie sighed loudly, lying down on the couch. There wasn't shit to do;

She could spend the weekend with her parents. But her father was currently vacationing with wife number two in Fiji and her mother was busy taking on the corporate world as a finance manager.

Either way they were too wrapped up in their own petty lives to pay her much attention.

Charlie glanced up at the clock. It was only 2 in the afternoon and she was already bored to tears.

She could feel herself starting to get crabby, and that wasn't good. With another loud sigh she settled back onto the brightly colored pillows on the couch. At least she could lose herself in mindless reality television to kill time before Katia's brother showed up.

Before she realized it, Charlie was fast asleep.

********

She awoke with a start, a loud noise jarring her from her slumber. Charlie jerked up suddenly. It was pitch dark in the room, save for the cable box illuminating the current time in bright blue.

It was quarter to eleven. She peered around and quickly noticed the other light in the room was coming from her ringing cell phone.

Stretching languorously, Charlie reached over and grabbed her phone up. "Hello?" she rasped.

"Hey boo" a breathy voice replied.

Still a little disoriented, Charlie rose slowly. Stumbling blinding, she eventually reached the floor lamp near the television and turned it on, instantly feeling better once she could actually see.

"Charlie? Charlie are you still there?" the voice practically yelled.

Charlie rolled her eyes. "Yes Mimi, I'm still here. What's up?"

"Well damn, if you're gonna be all stank about it I'm just gonna hang up the phone."

"Yeah yeah yeah," Charlie said. "What's up?"

"Did I disturb you or something?" Mimi asked.

"From what? From all the nothing that I'm doing?"

Mimi chuckled. "You're in rare form, I see. I just called to let you know a bunch of us are out at The Beanery for drinks and pool. I know you're home alone and figured you could use a night out."

Charlie winced. Mimi worked with her at the bookstore. She was cool people, although the crowd she ran with wasn't Charlie's scene. They were denim cutoff sporting, scarf wearing, moustache tattooed ironically on their index finger hipsters. That shit annoyed the hell out of her.

Normally she would have made an excuse not to go, but she was bored and desperate. Spending the evening listening to over-privileged suburbanites discussing the various pro-vegan organizations they followed on tumblr was honestly better than sitting at home pretending not to watch episodes of Jersey Shore.

"Are you guys already there?"

"We just showed up. Take your time getting ready. It's still a little dead in here."

"Okay. I'll see you in forty-five." Charlie ended the call. Well at least she had something to do. She noticed she'd gotten a text message from Katia saying they finally made it to the beach.

She typed back a response as she walked towards her room.

Fifteen minutes later she was showered and nearly dressed. It was still a little humid out, so she left her curls un-straightened, putting a little mousse in for definition. She padded barefoot down the hall to the bathroom, clad only in her blue bra and skinny jeans. She brushed her teeth quickly and then applied her make-up, carefully putting a thick line of black kohl on each upper lid and then adding a touch of clear lip gloss.

Back in her room she put on a tight v-neck tunic shirt, a lovely shade of green that reminded her of emeralds and showed off "the girls". She slipped her feet into shiny gold ballet flats.

When she grabbed her gold wristlet purse, she realized Katia's brother hadn't arrived. Charlie picked up her phone and typed out a quick message to Katia, informing her that she was heading out and asked where her brother was.

By the time she sprayed on her perfume and slipped her cash and keys into her wristlet she had a reply from Katia. "He got held up. Won't be there until late. No worries, he has a key. Just go out and enjoy yourself. Have fun with Hipster Shore."

Charlie chuckled at Katia's dig. She knew she hated Mimi's pretentious friends. She slipped on a few rings and a handful of colorful bracelets and then headed out the door. It was a nice night out; a little humid but not completely unbearable. Charlie started off down the sidewalk, headed in the direction of the bar.

Luckily for her The Beanery was only three blocks from her house. It was incredibly convenient to not have to worry about a designated driver. She never got drunk anyway; a nice buzz was good enough for her. Her street was pretty safe; nevertheless she was always prepared.

She walked with her keys between her fingers and there was mace in her wristlet. Some nights if she was feeling adventurous she would even walk with her taser.

She reached the bar quickly. After flashing her ID at the door, she stepped inside. The Beanery was fairly busy for a Wednesday night. When school was in session there was normally a line wrapped around the building and the queue up at the bar was a disaster. Tonight it was packed, but not enough to be annoying.

Charlie sauntered up to the bar, quickly catching the attention of the male bartender. She ordered a Grolsch, which he slid down to her after popping the swing-cap. Charlie smiled and set down money for him before walking away.

The Beanery was a large bar, one of the largest in the town. The main room was long, sporting a bar that covered one wall of the place. Tables and chairs lined the opposite side of the bar as well as several flat screen televisions. Off to one side there was the pool room, with several pool tables, arcade games, and gambling machines.

There was another, smaller bar inside that room. Charlie wandered off to the pool room where she discovered Mimi and her friends holding court.

"Charlie, you're here!" Mimi cried excitedly. Jumping up from her table, she bounded over to

Charlie, wrapping her in a vice-like hug. "I am SO GLAD to see you!"

"I can definitely tell," Charlie said with a squeak. "Mimi...can't breathe."

"Oh shit," Mimi said, releasing her immediately.

"Sorry." Charlie was always taken aback by her strength. At 5'3, Mimi made Charlie feel like a giant. She was a sassy redhead with a charming nature. They had worked together at the bookstore for nearly two years. They weren't extremely close, but Charlie always enjoyed her company.

Her friends, on the other hand, were a different story. Charlie turned to the group of individuals staring at her, various gazes ranging from mild curiosity to complete indifference. Charlie plopped down in an empty chair. Well this is going to be a great night, she thought with a frown.

"Hey assholes, be nice and say hi to Charlie." Mimi joined them and picked up a glass that undoubtedly held Pabst, the drink of choice for ironic hipsters everywhere. Charlie couldn't help but smile.