Whiskey & Charlie by Annabel Smith

how to steal another man’s chicken.”
    â€œI don’t know what you’re talking about, Whiskey.”
    Whiskey nodded slowly. “So what really happens after she shuts the door and puts on the music?”
    â€œWe practice the dance.”
    â€œBullshit, Charlie!” Whiskey sat up suddenly, slammed the side of his fist against the wall. “When did you ask her?”
    â€œAsk her what?”
    â€œDon’t screw around with me, Charlie. I already know you asked her.”
    â€œI don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    â€œI’m talking about Anneliese, dickwad, and the fact that she’s going to the prom with someone else. Ring any bells?”
    â€œI don’t know anything about it,” Charlie repeated.
    Whiskey looked at him hard. “So you’re saying you haven’t asked her?”
    Charlie shook his head.
    â€œYou haven’t hinted at it though?”
    He shook his head again.
    â€œBut have you ever said anything that might have made her think you were going to ask her?”
    â€œWe’ve never talked about it.”
    â€œNever?”
    â€œNever.”
    â€œSo you’re not planning to ask her?”
    â€œJesus, Whiskey, what is this? The Spanish Inquisition? I said no, didn’t I?”
    â€œWell, that’s good,” he said eventually. “That’s good. Because we’re decent men, aren’t we, Charlie? We wouldn’t take what belonged to each other, would we?”
    She doesn’t belong to you , Charlie thought, but he didn’t say so. He only shook his head again, worn out by the conversation.
    â€œShake on it?”
    Charlie sighed.
    â€œI’m asking you to shake on it,” Whiskey insisted, putting out his hand.
    Charlie shook it impatiently. “There you go. Are we done now? Happy?”
    â€œClose as I’ll get,” Whiskey said, getting up off the bed. “Close as I’ll get.”
    x x x
    Needless to say, there were no more rehearsals with Anneliese. When Kelly Varga broke up with Todd Jackson that week, Whiskey asked Kelly to the prom. During their biology class, Melissa told Charlie she was going with Brett Speedman. Charlie didn’t even care. Miserably, he asked Bronwyn, couldn’t even bring himself to feel bad about how excited she was, bringing in a piece of fabric from her dress so he could match his accessories to hers, if he wanted . He heard, from Marco, predictably, that Anneliese was going to the prom with Todd. A neat swap.
    He told himself that if he could get through the last week of term, things would settle down. Once the ballroom dancing was over, he would hardly ever see Anneliese, have no reason to speak to her, would stop thinking about her eventually. There was only the prom itself to be endured. One dance with her, less than five minutes, and it would all be over. Charlie thought he could do it.
    But he hadn’t counted on Anneliese, on her lipstick and the strands of hair curled against her neck. He hadn’t counted on her strapless dress, on the fact that he would have to touch her bare shoulder with his left hand. It took him to pieces.
    â€œYou look beautiful,” he said before he could stop himself.
    â€œNot as good as Bronwyn though,” she said cattily.
    â€œDon’t be like that, Anneliese, please. You must know I wanted to ask you.”
    â€œThen why didn’t you, Charlie?”
    â€œI couldn’t, not after Whiskey had.”
    â€œBut why not?”
    â€œHe’s my brother, Anneliese.”
    â€œI don’t see what difference that makes.”
    He felt despair. He didn’t know if he had ever truly felt it before.
    â€œIt wouldn’t be right. I can’t explain it. I’m sorry.”
    Anneliese bit her lip and looked away from him. Charlie did not think about his heel-toe action or remembering to sway slightly on his chassés. The dance they had spent all term practicing