Sins of Our Fathers (Charlie and Jesse)

[Sasha Adams]

Sasha hadn't been sleeping well recently. Her dreams had been infected by memories of her father's anger, and all the times she'd seen him strike her brothers. In her dreams he flew to the East Coast from Los Angeles, threatening to take both her and Jesse back with him. 

During the day this possibility seemed less likely, but the fact of the matter was that this was having a detrimental effect on her sleep. And so she had decided to seek out the dorm monitor Jesse was always going on about. She had yet to have a formal introduction to him, but if he was half as wonderful as her brother claimed then he should surely be able to help her. 

Only, now that she was on the first floor of the dormitory building she realized she didn't actually know where she was going. There were a few students gathered in front of the TV, and someone grabbing a soda from the vending machine. 

She approached the nearest other student, clearing her throat anxiously. 

"'Scuse me, can you help me?"

[Deleted]

Charlie started at the television at a distance, peering between the heads and bodies that gathered in front of it. He wasn’t really sure what show was on; instead, he absentmindedly gazed at the flickering screen, his head contently empty. He was planning on stopping by the dorm’s common room to grab a quick drink, but easily got distracted and lingered far longer than he planned to.

He was vaguely aware of the sounds around him: the sound of a soda falling from its position on the rack and clunking into the dispenser below, the catchy tune of a commercial playing, and a girl clearing her throat next to him.

The last noise caught his attention, but he still turned his head slowly, struggling to comprehend what she was saying, still affected by the lull of languor. However, it only took him a few moments for his brain to catch up to his senses, and he realized that she was asking for assistance.

He looked down and grinned at the girl who almost stood a foot below him, shrugging and responding, “I’ll try at least! What’s the problem?”