The Virginity Bet [#Wattys 2015]

Chapter 17

"W-What do you mean?" She asked, startled. Because I used to be just like you, Charlie. What was that supposed to mean? She thought.

"I can see right through you." He said with a sad smile on his face, "You tell people you're okay every day. You tell the lie so much, that you even start to believe it yourself. You do a really good job at it too-"

She interrupted him with a bitter laugh, "It comes with experience."

"But" he said, ignoring her intrusion, "There's one thing you can't fake on a fake smile."

"And what's that?" She asked, humoring him.

"It's all in the eyes."

She looked back at the sky, not expecting that answer.

He continued, "When you smile, it doesn't reach your eyes. You're always cold... and distant. Sometimes when you're having fun, you forget about how much of a mess your life is, but when all is said and done, you remember. You remember that you're just a deeply unhappy person. You know you're broken, so you push people away, because you don't want them to waste their time on you." A single tear rolled down his eye, "You're just depressed. But you fake it so well, the people around you even start to believe it. Atleast the ones who don't look closely enough."

"Exactly." She whispered. She couldn't help the hot tears from dribbling down face. She looked her lips and grimaced at the bitter taste.

"You deserve so much better than them, Charlie."

"Than who?" She asked, confused.

"Everyone at this shitty school. Lucas... Caleb... everyone. You deserve better."

"You don't even know me, Oliver." She said gently, "You don't know them."

"You're right. I dont know them, personally. But I know people just like them. I used to be them. I used to be you too, then I realized, for once, it was time to just be me. Plain old me. You can realize that too, Charlie. And you can stop pretending that everything is okay, because it's not. You can accept the fact that everything is screwed up."

"You think I don't know that everything is screwed up?" She yelled, banging her fist on the log, "You think I don't know that?" She shook her head, "I know. I know that I'm messed up. I know that I'm broken. I know that I'm a lost cause. There's just nothing I can do about it."

"You can let it go. You can cut loose all of your chains with Lucas. With Caleb. With everyone. And you can start over."

She snorted, "Start over? They're the only people I have, Oliver."

"I understand." He said, dropping the subject.

"Thank you." She said, sniffing.

"I'm so sorry, Charlie." He mumbled, referring to the bet everyone has to see who could get into Charlie's pants first. He wanted to tell Charlie, but if he did, he knew she would do something stupid. He knew she would feel like there was nothing left to live for. He knew she would only get even more depressed than she was, and push everyone away from her.

She thought he was talking about her sadness, so she said sincerely, "Thank you. I appreciate that."

"I wish they wouldn't toy with your feelings." He added, tilting his head to the side.

She bit her lip, "Me too."

"Let's talk about something else... like..." He started, trying to change the subject.

"You." She finished.

He grinned, "What do you want to know, Charlie?"

She put her hands on her chin, as if thinking, "Let's start with why you're being so nice to me? I mean, I don't really know you, but you're ditching class to make me feel better."

"Don't flatter yourself, Harper." He rolled his eyes playfully, "You're not the only one who has bad days. This wasn't just for you. I needed it too."

She nodded understandingly, "Do you wan't to talk about it?"

He shrugged, "Not really. It's irrelevant."

She swallowed her tears back, "You're a really good guy, Oliver."

He licked his dry lips, "No, I'm not, Charlie."

"Oh, shut up." She muttered, "You're the nicest guy I have ever met."

"You clearly haven't met many guys."

She threw her head back laughing, "That is so not true."

He joined her in laughter, "How does it feel to have guys throwing themselves at you every second of every day?"

She sighed, "It gets old."

He looked at her with sympathy. "Charlie. This is going to sound really awkward considering we just met, but... don't have sex."

She choked on her spit, "What?"

He had to figure out a way to get her to not give up her virginity until high school was over. If she did, the guy would have to show everyone the pictures. Everyone would see Charlie's naked pictures. He couldn't let that happen. "Just, please."

Charlie was quiet for a few minutes, then she burst out laughing, "You're so weird, Oliver!"

He glared, "I'm serious."

She rolled her eyes, "Okay, stupid. Just stay out of my sex life! Perv..."

He shook his head, laughing, "You can't trust them, Charlie."

She had a look of confusion on her face, "For all I know, I can't trust you, Oliver. I just met you less than an hour ago."

He jumped off of the log and offered his hand to Charlie. She snorted and got down from the log without taking his help. "I don't need your help to get down from a log."

He glared, "It's called being nice."

"Aha!" She accused, "So you admit you're nice."

He sighed, defeated, "Just shut up and keep your pants on, Charlie Harper."

"You are such a creep! Stop talking about that." She mumbled, a little freaked out that he kept talking about her sexual relations.

"Okay, I'm sorry, alright? I just don't want you to get yourself into something that you do't want to do. Guys my age only want sex. They play you, Charlie. I'm just asking you to be smarter than that. Don't let them play you like that."

"You're not my boyfriend. And you're not my dad. And I'll do what I want." She snarled.

He held his hands up in surrender. "Fine." He said, annoyed.

She sighed, "If we go back now, we can make it in time for third period."

She started walking away, and Oliver quickened his pace in order to keep up with Charlie. When she was about to go back into the school from the back entrance, he grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

He asked in a gentle voice, "Why are you so afraid to be happy?"

She sadly smiled and said right before she walked into the school, not looking back, "I'm not afraid, Oliver. I just don't deserve to be happy."