Here I go.
I am going to ask him.
Almost there.
I sluggishly dragged my feet towards Charlie's general direction. I mean, it was okay to be nervous (what I was planning to do wasn't exactly conventional), but this anxious feeling I kept getting was beyond me. I mean, how hard could it b--
A hard shove was suddenly gifted to me and I stumbled forward in the most ungraceful way possible. Thank you for that, lack of coordination. This rude shoving of sorts was, of course, my best friend's doing. It didn't surprise me--like at all--but I shot her a dirty look nonetheless. It translated into something like: I am going to get you back for this, bitch. Feigning innocence, Cindy simply set her thin lips in an I-can-do-no-wrong sort of smile. I waited for the usual flash of guilt in her grey eyes to appear before returning to my task. I calmly collected myself and then, began to slowly walk again. I was about to bargain with Charlie, who, according to Cindy, was apparently a devil. But I knew better, Cindy was just overreacting. Charlie was far from a saint, but he wasn't evil; he wasn't Satan. So, I approached him anyway. I had nothing to lose.
Sarcastic Voice In My Head: You make it sound like it's a life or death situation.
I really needed to stop that voice, because at this rate, I was gonna have to kick my own butt for being so annoying.
"Hey! Charlie, buddy, how's it going?" I said once I was an arm's length away from Charlie. I cursed myself for having a little too much fake enthusiasm. It was such an I-need-a-favour giveaway.
"What's the catch?" he deadpanned, looking bored as ever.
I pretended to get hurt, putting a hand on my chest for effect. "Oh, that's right! People aren't supposed to care about their friends' wellbeing," I muttered with a roll of my eyes.
Charlie gazed at me with his amber eyes. I felt like I was being psychoanalysed by a shrink, but I perished the thought. The boy didn't know me, how could he possibly understand anything that concerned me? That's right, he very well can't.
"You're wasting time, kid. Get going," he sighed dismissively.
Oh, boy. Did he seriously just call me 'kid'?
"Fine," I grumbled, dropping the nice act. No point in lying now, he was being difficult. "I need you to do something for me."
Charlie didn't bother looking up from what he was doodling on the corner of his textbook. "Go on, spit it out."
"I can't tell you until I know you're agreeing to it."
"Do you hear yourself, Eli? I don't even know what I'm getting myself into and you're asking me to agree!"
Sarcastic Voice In My Head: He's right.
I racked my brain for something witty to say. It seemed impossible for a while, but a comeback came to mind eventually. "Oh, you're going with that? Okay." Given, it was a pretty shitty comeback.
Charlie smirked as if he had won. He was wrong.
I whipped out my phone from my pocket, feeling excitement fill my entire being; I was buzzing now. "So, tell me, Charlie, since you like knowing the details of an agreement first, what's the third page of Apple's terms and conditions on about? You know, since you've read and agreed to it."
As planned, the smirk vanished from his face rather quickly. It was like one of those infomercials, when the actor wipes a stain on the counter using the special cleaning spray they're advertising and it disappears like magic. Anyway, now that I've laid the groundwork, I went on to fulfil my real purpose.
"So, do you agree?" I asked and this time, he looked a little defeated. It was a sight to remember.
"Okay, you win, I agree. What's in it for me?"
"I can get you a hot date," I suggested, hoping that would do.
Unfortunately, Charlie only huffed a laugh. "Excuse me," he said, "but I am very capable of getting my own dates."
"I'll buy you a new skateboard?"
He shook his head. "I hardly skate these days, and my board still works, so I'm gonna say...no."
What would a guy like Charlie want? I asked myself; I really had no clue. "So, uh, do you have anything in mind?"
"What do you need my services for?"
Suddenly, the perfect idea entered my mind. "I'll set you up with Penny."
My friends, that got his attention.
Bingo.
Charlie gazed up at me, completely intrigued by my last sentence. Of course, anything with Penny got Charlie's vote. He'd always had a little crush on her and everybody knew because it wasn't exactly a dirty little secret that he was trying to keep low key.
"In or out?" I asked, but I already knew what he was going to reply.
"Fine, I'll do it."
Knowing I was right made me do a little happy dance in my head. "Okay, now let's talk--"
"But I have one condition."
As soon as I heard 'but', I started to question what I was doing. I started to wonder if Cindy was right; if this really was a deadly bargain. Shortly after his statement, he instructed me to close the door. I did and for a moment, it felt like we were escaping; but instead of tenebrous woods, we were just in his quarters, looking like a pair of morons. I plopped down on his bed and studied his bedroom as I waited for him to elaborate. Now I noticed that Charlie's room was fairly large in comparison to Cindy's. There were rock posters on the wall, a big amp and stereo system on the left, some guitars in the corner, an average-sized keyboard, and also a drum set. With all that equipment, Charlie would be fit to start his own one-man band. I wait for his much awaited condition but it never comes. He just sits there, half spinning on his chair, in front of his work desk, drawing. I clear my throat, making him look at me.
"What?" he asks, incredulously. "You haven't even told me what I have to do yet." Oh, that.
I take a deep breath. "I want you to set me up."
He raises one brow. "For college?" he jokes. God, no.
"With..." I haven't even finished my sentence and a wicked grin already plants itself on his face. I wanna slap it right off him.
"Oh, so the little girl has a thing for Drew."
I think I just heard his name! My insides flip and I perk up just a tad bit more after hearing it. It's my first tidbit of info on my Mystery Guy. "Do not!" I protest, but my face, my excessive blushing in particular, says it all.
"Do too." I throw a pillow at his face. Direct hit. I smile victoriously. "I'll do it."
I stare at him, shocked. This is easier than initially thought. I mean, we're talking about Charlie. There's bound to be some kind of catch. For crying out loud, his life motto is Everything has a price. He can't just-
"Teach me how I should act around her," Charlie mutters sheepishly and it's adorable.
"Teach me how to properly interact with the male species," I counter like an awkward turtle.
He puts his hand out for me to shake and spits on it. "I want to be sure."
I bite my lips, thinking about how unhygienic this is. "Can't we sign a written contract instead? Maybe something with less germs?" I suggest hopefully. He chuckles but shakes his head. Taking a deep breath, I grab his hand and shake it as quickly as humanly possible. "I, uh, need to go to the bathroom." I race outside and wash my hands with soap and water, adding some hand sanitizer afterwards just to be sure.
Gah! The bacteria! I can't let it spread. It's saliva, geez. Boys... I'll never really understand them.
At least I have my deal. That's all that matters. A couple minutes later, I was briefly asked to go home. I've no choice, it's a school night. That is, after I told Cindy all about the agreement. Though, I never said a word about his lovely request. I don't know. A part of me just wants it to keep that between us. I mean, sure Cindy knows that he has a soft spot for Penny, but she doesn't have to be acquainted about the whole issue. I think I'm doing Charlie a favor here. That better get me a good result. I've already risked germ contamination. What more can that damn boy ask for?
I sigh, upon remembering that our first lesson and many more to come will be held on a Saturday, morning to evening. I don't know what the heck I have to know to get asked out. Or what he has to, for that matter. But hey, he might be a knucklehead, but he is a guy. I'm sure he knows how to persuade. That's why the following week, I've only known a few bits and pieces about this so-called Drew.
I know his name is Andrew James and that he's seventeen. He lives in in Lincoln Bay with his parents, his younger brother, Leonelle, and his baby sister, Agatha. And... that's about it.
As usual, I hang around with Cindy. I told her that we shouldn't bother with sitting with her brother and his friends because I can bearly remember how to breathe when I'm around him. No cliché intended.
Do you ever get that feeling around someone?
I do.
Does your stomach get butterflies?
Of course!
Do your vocal cords forget to work properly?
Cough, cough, yeah...
Do you remember how to breathe?
I don't.
You see, that's what happens to me. I get all these odd disorders when he's near. By he, I meant Andrew. I wonder how other people act so calm around a person they like. I envy them, actually. Hopefully, by the end of our research and study I'd be able to understand.
I slept heavenly that Friday night. I didn't party. Although, I don't like parties all that much anyway. I bet Cindy went. Who knows, maybe Drew did too. Unfortunately, my early morning thoughts were rudely interrupted by someone outragous shaking me by the shoulders. "Mom, it's Saturday." I grumble, hiding deeper under the covers. I also turn my back from her for more protection. She stops, thankfully.
"Oh, she knows. We both do. She even let me barge in and wake you up."
What time is it? Oh yeah, too early. "Is that you, Charlie?" I ask, annoyed.
"Oooh! This looks delicious," I hear him say, making me groan.
I don't have anything edible in here, Charlie.
"Dear Diary, yesterday I found out that..."
Without another second to lose, I bolt up and steal the little blue notebook away from him. Quick as lightning. He laughs at his not-so-brilliant plan before taking notice of my clothing. He suppresses yet another laugh and says, "Seriously? Matching banana pajamas?" I see a glimpse of myself in the mirror and hurriedly take my pillow for cover. Charlie plops down on one of my bean bags and grabs a stuffed penguin.
"Lesson number one, guys like girls who have good taste. You know, girls who actually dress nice." He exaggerates the words "good" and "nice" as if I clearly don't qualify for both. I do, right? In order to hide my embarassment, I roll my eyes.
"I'm taking a shower first." He nods and examines my CDs. I leave him there. It's not like he's going to snoop around. Well, I hope he doesn't.
The two of us spend most of the day in my room talking, listening to music, and mucking around. It's sort of weird because we never actually talk. And now? We're bonding like best friends because of a deal. A deal. Did I say bonding? Yeah, I did. I meant hanging out. We're hanging out, that's it.
"So when are you actually going to tell Drew to ask me out?" I ask a little too eagerly.
"I won't. He has to figure that out by himself," he informes me.
I give him a funny look. This is so not part of the deal. "But you said-"
He waves dismissively at me. I smell a discussion coming on and I like it.
"You see, guys like a challenge."
"A challenge," I echo, nodding and he continues.
"If he gets a hint that you're already in too deep, he wouldn't think too much about trying to get you. He'll think you're easy."
"How come?" Who knew male logics are like that?
Charlie grins at me, exposing two little dimples on either cheek. "Because he doesn't have to work for your attention. God, don't you watch chick flicks?" he states, chuckling.
I frown at him. "But that's a little mean and, by the way, I do watch chick flicks!"
"That's just how it is. You obviously don't catch on quickly," he smirks at me, making me scowl in return. "Now, let me ask."
"Ask away."
He runs his fingers through his maple coloured locks. "Why does a girl always have a crush? I mean it's as if they need to have one every year."
This time, it was my turn to be wise and all-knowing. "I don't know. In my opinion, I think a girl has a certain crush because she will feel like she has to be attached to something to keep going."
He looks so confused that I couldn't help but laugh. "Can you elaborate on that?" he asks.
I nod. "Well, sometimes that person can be her reason to wake up and go to school. Although, I also refer to that person as an alibi. But all girls are different and, therefore, we have different reasons. The main thing is that we want to be attached so that we have that feeling of purpose. That there's a reason that you're here."
He smirks at me like he knows something and says, "So Drew's your alibi, eh?"
I punch him in the arm and he rubs it. His face still looks as annoying as hell. He's lucky he's cute. If he isn't, I would've thrown him out of the house.
"You think I'm cute?"
My mouth drops open and I stare at him, dumbfounded. "Do you want to get kicked out the balcony?" I ask defensively, an evil smile gracing my lips.
He smiles goofily at me again and the twin wells on his cheeks make their special reappearances. "I know you won't, El."
I fold my arms across my chest and stare at my balcony. I totally can but I don't want to. Sure, sometimes I want to shoot him for being so irritating, but I won't really hurt him. After all, he's one of the few boys who I'll never even try hurt.
* * *
Love Song is on the side. So is Charlie (Gregg Sulkin). Just please ignore the name 'Alex' on the photo. I don't even know why it's there.
Anyway....
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J~