The Virginity Bet [#Wattys 2015]

Chapter 25

"When am I getting out of here?" Charlie grumbled, hurt.

As if on cue, a doctor walked in and smiled at the two. "Actually, it turns out your case was very minor. You're a very lucky girl. Sometimes these can get really serious. You'll be getting out tonight. Unless of course, you feel that you need to stay a few days longer."

"What was my case, exactly?" A confused Charlie wondered.

"You had a small case of Cardiac Arrest, mainly due to shock."

Charlie nodded. Little did he know.

"So she's going to be okay?" A timid girl asked from the doorway.

Everyone turned to face the voice, and Charlie thanked god Kylie was here for her. The tears immediately rushed out of her eyes, and Kylie ran to her, softly hugging Charlie.

"I'm s-so glad you're h-here." Charlie said while crying.

The doctor pulled out a clipboard and started checking off a few things on it. Kylie nodded, "I'm here sweetie."

"Lucy isn't." Charlie bitterly spat.

"Forget Lucy, okay?" Kylie mumbled. She pulled away from Charlie.

Charlie turned to the doctor and said, "Is there any chance I can get out of here before tonight? I really need to talk to someone."

The doctor thought about it. "I can get you out of here in a few hours at best."

"Thank you." Charlie mumbled. She started drifting into a deep sleep before she heard the doctor say, "That's probably the anesthesia kicking in."

-----

Surprisingly, Charlie was able to walk properly, and didn't feel any side effects of her Cardiac Arrest.

She was walking up the steps to her porch with her mother and sister in tow.

"Um, mom?" Charlie asked as they were entering the house. "Is it okay if I speak to Caleb?"

"I don't think thats a good idea." Her mom and sister said in unison.

They glared at each other and finally her mom said, "If you need to talk to him, I understand. Just don't take too long?"

"Okay. Thanks mom." Charlie said, walking into the house.

"A-Aren't you going to go speak to him?" Her confused mother asked.

Charlie looked at the floor. "Yeah. I'm going to wait for him- at the spot."

"The spot?" Her sister asked.

Charlie nodded and walked away, up to her room. She locked the door behind her and stared out the window.

She was hurt to see that Caleb's blinds were closed. Charlie got a blanket from her closet and snuck out onto the tree. She waited there with the blanket draped over. A few hours later, Caleb's window opened.

"Why are you here?" Caleb whispered to her.

Charlie frowned, "I wanted to see if you cared at all."

"Huh?" He asked.

"Once, you told me that you came out here on the tree when you were upset about something. So does this mean you're upset?" She asked him with tears in her eyes threatening to spill out.

"Of course I'm upset, Charlie." He sighed, pulling himself onto the tree.

"Can I ask you something?" She asked him, looking into his big, beautiful eyes.

He nodded and she whispered, "Does this have something to do with all the boys in school liking me?"

That's when Caleb started explaining, "It was bet. To see who you would give your virginity to. 500 bucks, and respect from like everyone. They needed proof. That's why I took the video and showed it to everyone..." He said simply.

Charlie nodded, not even fazed. "Was it all just a bet for you?"

Caleb cupped her cheek in his hand, but she lightly pushed it off, shaking her head.

He bit his lip, "At first, that's all it was. Until I fell in love with you."

"So if you fell in love with me, why would you do this to me? Why would you show everyone what I look like naked? That's such a violation of privacy. I lost all my friends. No ones going to look at me the same again."

"Because I know that I don't deserve you." He said. "Because you're such an amazing person, Charlie. I've never met anyone like you before. I understand how much you probably hate me right now Charlie. But it doesn't matter, because I did exactly what your father did to you eleven years ago. What Luke did to you three years ago. Because I'm just the same as them. Because I don't deserve you either. High school is... dumb. I know that now. I know that I shouldn't have toyed with your feelings like that, not for anything.

But I love you, Charlie. I love you so much that I can't let you love me back. One day, like you told me last night, you're going to find a boy who loves you for who you are. I won't forget you, just like I haven't forgotten Mia." He finished.

"So... what else have you lied to me about?" She whispered.

"There is one thing." He mumbled looking up at the sky. "You remember that day you heard my mom arguing with me about her new boyfriend and I told you I'd be waiting for you at our spot, but you caught me sleeping with some other girl?"

Charlie nodded, "I remember."

"It was Lucy." He whispered.

Charlie shrugged, "Okay."

"And I did love a girl before I loved you. Her name was Mia. She was perfect. You remind me of her so much. I never played with Mia's feelings. When I fell in love with her, I was a completely different person. It didn't start out as a lie. We were in love. But she died. Leukemia.

"I'm sorry Charlie. I love you, but I don't expect you to forgive me." He ended.

Charlie weakly smiled at him. "That's where you're wrong, Caleb. I do forgive you. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. You just helped me realize a few things. You made me realize that heartbreak is a part of life. I love you too, Caleb. But it just seems that fate doesn't want us to be together. I'm glad that you see where you went wrong in what you did. But I do forgive you, sincerely. But I can't forget. So we're okay. We're not best friends, Caleb, but I don't see the reason for me to hate you. I hope you have a wonderful life."

"Can I... have a goodbye kiss?" Caleb asked.

Charlie leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodbye, Caleb."