this is the story of a girl ( london )

[charlotte marie bennett]

Like it was any surprise Charlie was in the hospital again. She had fallen down a flight of stairs at the hotel as she left her fellow junkie's room. She didn't know who he was nor did she care. She got her fix and she was happy. Maybe a little too happy. Her fall caused her to break an arm and have a slight concussion. She simply giggled the whole time doctors were prodding her with needles and all kinds of instruments to check her heart rate and all that kind of fancy stuff.

The needle prodding felt like it tickled to Charlie. The marks on her arms clearly showed many other puncture marks from the needles she used. She never used anyone else's needles. She was smart enough to not get herself into trouble with HIV. She always used her own needles and always sterilized them in rubbing alcohol before and after. Her needles were like her cell phone, always on her and she was always careful with them in everything she did. Charlie liked the high but no way was she going to kill herself over it.

The drug abuse only got worse as she moved to West Clair Valley. This town was full of all kinds of snobby, stuck up teenagers. Granted, Beverly Hills wasn't much better with the celebrities and rich people but it was more tolerable than this little wannabe town. Charlie hadn't made any friends in this town yet. It had only been two months since she moved here but it was like everyone avoided the new kid. Like she cared. She had her friends back home whom she still talked to on a regular basis. She loved her friends from Beverly Hills and not only for the fact that most of them were drug users like her.

Charlie had a hard time trusting people because of her step father. She could do without men unless they were smoking hot and she wanted to sleep with them. Other than that, Charlie didn't bother with having male friends except one. And he wasn't even in this town so what did guys here matter to her? They were nothing.

As she sat in the waiting room for a taxi, Charlie looked around at the people. How pathetic were some of them, coming to an emergency room just for a stupid head cold or something like that. Charlie was all wrapped up and on plenty of pain meds but the waiting was making her antsy. She needed a cigarette. She needed something to help her. The hand not in a cast started tapping on the cast on her other arm. The random phones ringing, the little noises of clocks and toys were making her go insane. She needed an escape.

Finally the doctors came out and asked her how she was feeling. "Fantastic," she told them sarcastically. "Can I just go now?" she asked impatiently. A female doctor told her that they needed to fill out a few more papers for her to sign and she'd be free to go. Charlie sighed and sat back down. A few minutes later and Charlie was outside of the hospital. She knew better than to light up right outside the doors. So as she walked to the edge of the first section of the parking lot, she dug in her pocket for her pack. She took one out by holding the cartridge between her cast and her chest then proceeded to put it back in her pocket. Putting the cigarette between her teeth, Charlie dug once more for her lighter and lit the cigarette. The first inhale felt amazing.