Age Is But a Number

Charlotte walked out of the room and grabbed Caitlyn’s arm as she made her way to the front door. As she dragged Caitlyn with her she tried to hold back tears. Caitlyn did not question her behavior, just followed behind her.

Charlotte dragged Caitlyn all the way down the stairs and stopped to ask her if she had her cell phone. Caitlyn showed it to her and Charlotte just nodded, beginning to walk down the sidewalk, in the direction of the beach. She gets paranoid if she doesn’t have a way to call someone or the police, especially after her dad attacked her last month.

“Are we going to the beach?” Caitlyn asked. Charlotte nodded, crossing her arms. “What happened, sweetie? Talk to me.”

“Kevin told me he likes me,” Charlotte answered and looked down at her feet.

“And I take it that is a bad thing.”

“Of course. There are so many reasons why it’s bad.”

“Like . . . ?”

“For one I‘m fifteen, he‘s twenty-one. Two, your mom and his mom will definitely not like the idea of us together and will not let us date. And last, I have my homicidal father after me and if he finds me with a guy he will not hesitate to kill him to get to me. Kevin will protect me – I know that for sure - and that will tick my dad off. He won‘t stand it.”

“I understand all of that, but, that is not the only reason you are upset,” Caitlyn said. “He already told us what happened, but how about you tell your story?”

Charlotte’s heart ached, a more painful ache than when she overworks it. Charlotte answered some questions, like how she got in: Kevin’s door was slightly ajar. “This was all after he told me he likes me and freaking kissed me.”

“He what?” Caitlyn asked, shocked about both things.

Charlotte explained what happened on the car ride to the hotel. She took a shaky breath in, and then out. “He saw me and try to tell me it wasn‘t what I thought it was. I didn‘t believe him and figured I should let them continue so I came back. We talked when he came back. He explained that it wasn‘t his fault, that she came onto him. I told him that it wasn‘t going to work between us and told him the same reasons I told you.”

“And then what happened?”

Charlotte sighed as a tingling sensation began on her lips, as they suddenly felt warm. “He - he kissed me again. When I told him to stop, he tried kissing me again. I - I slapped him.”

“Gosh Charlie, the boy can‘t help it if he loves you,” Caitlyn said, messing with a strand of her hair. Charlotte raised her eyebrows at her. “I hear it from his brothers.”

“I, uh, also told him about the miscarriage,” Charlotte admitted. Caitlyn’s jaw fell slack. “I was caught up in the moment of explaining why I‘m not the person he wants to be with. It just spilled out.”

“Dang, girl. And he didn‘t react the way you thought he would, right?” Charlotte nodded. “He‘s such a good guy. He really cares for you, Charlotte. Nick tells me the way he talks about you.”

Charlotte rolled her eyes and continued walking without saying anything more. She had gotten it out - well, mostly. Caitlyn reached over for Charlotte’s hand, gave it a reassuring squeeze, and then let go.

.:-:.

“Charlotte! Charlotte, I‘m sorry!” Kevin shouted, holding the cheek she slapped for the second time. “Gosh you slap hard.”

“She slapped you?” Joe asked. “What did you do?”

“I, uh, kissed her,” Kevin answered bashfully.

“That bad of a kisser, huh?”

“N-no! I kissed her, she told me to stop, and I tried to kiss her again. She slapped me. Again. I kissed her in the car and she slapped me then, too.”

“Kevin,” Nick called, putting his arm up. Kevin came over to him and Nick put his arm around his shoulders. “When a girl tells you to stop, you don‘t try to kiss her again, or you will get a red hand mark on your cheek.”

“I figured that much!” Kevin shouted, getting out of Nick’s grip. “I - I couldn‘t help myself! Today is just a day where I don‘t have any self-control. I‘m such an idiot!”

“First, tell us what happened in there - other than that,” Joe said, sitting down on the arm of the hotel couch.

Kevin explained what was going on out there on the porch and his brothers listened intently. Kevin also told them about the miscarriage Charlotte had. It was out in the open anyway.

“Dang,” Joe commented. “She was actually pregnant.”

“She was raped,” Nick added in shock. “I thought she left before anything bad could happen, but it already happened.”

“Think she should report it?” Joe asked. “I mean, this girl on the news, Rosemarie I think, she reported being raped - and she was pregnant too. The dude who raped her was psycho enough to cut her last name into the arm of his last victim.”

“Yeesh,” Kevin commented and flinched. “That‘s harsh. But with Charlie it explains why she was so upset when we were at the golf course, when you said that she left before anything worse could happen. I was talking to her about her heart condition and she was upset because she wants to go pro with softball. She thinks her heart condition is holding her back, and I told her how you -” he pointed to Nick and Nick raised his brow “- don‘t let your diabetes stop you. She mentioned how you‘ll be able to have kids while she won‘t. Apparently it can be fatal for her.”

“Seriously?” Joe asked.

“Yeah, actually,” Nick answered. “I was curious and looked her heart condition up on the internet. Women who have the heart condition have had children, but it was completely risky and dangerous for both the mom and baby.”

“So even if she didn‘t have the miscarriage, she still could have lost the baby.” Nick nodded. “Wow.”

“The same night she also told me that when she was fourteen the doctors told her she had around ten years left.”

Joe’s eyes bulged out of his head and Nick’s heart faltered a few beats. “What - what do you mean?” Joe asked, completely in shock. “She‘s nine - oh, wait, that‘s right. She‘s still fifteen, not nineteen. I thought she was going to have, like, five years left.” Nick gave him a look. “I know, it‘s still nine years, but that‘s still enough time for us to spend with her.”

“Guys, please don‘t act all different around her now that you know all this,” Kevin said to them. “You know how she is.”

“Angry, hates pity, snappy, a little physical,” Joe began to list. “Funny, caring, has a pretty smile and someone who is easy to love?” His brothers gave him looks. “What is with the looks? Yes, I pay attention to her, so what?”

“Nothing, it’s just that I thought I was the only one who noticed - you don‘t like her too do you?!” Kevin asked, beginning to lose his cool. “That‘s the last thing I need!”

“Whoa, Kevin,” Joe said, poking Kevin in the side. He had a clear shot since Kevin threw his hands up in exasperation. “Calm down.”

Kevin flinched and threw his arms down. “But if you do like her you would definitely have a better chance. She sure as heck doesn‘t hate you right now.”

“Kevin, listen to me: I don‘t like Charlotte in that way whatsoever. She‘s a great friend. And she doesn‘t hate you. She‘s just angry. You know how she is. She‘ll probably forgive you tomorrow. You can hold out that long can‘t you?”

Kevin sighed. “Yeah . . . yeah you‘re right. Sorry. I‘m just a bit tense right now.” Joe poked him in the side again and Kevin twitched. “Dude, stop.” Joe did it again. “Ah! Dude, stop!”

“I‘m wondering if poking you will help calm you down, like it sometimes did with Coco, remember?” The three brothers had a flash back to their old dog Coco. “So is it helping? You feel better?”

“Yeah, I‘d feel even better if you threw me a bone,” Kevin answered, sarcasm hanging on his words.

“Oh sorry, I gave the last one to Nicholas.”

“Dude, what‘d you do that for?” Kevin asked Nick.

Nick shrugged. “It was a chicken bone, how could I resist?”

Kevin gasped. “You‘re going to die! You can‘t chew on a chicken bone!”

Nick pretended to choke and the three of them started laughing. Then he thought about it for a second. “Did we really have that conversation?”

Kevin and Joe looked at one another and shrugged. “Seemed to ease the tension,” Kevin answered.

.:-:.

“Charlotte, it‘s getting dark,” Caitlyn announced. “I think my mom is going to start worrying when she doesn‘t see us in our room or with the boys.”

Charlotte nodded. She didn’t really feel like seeing Kevin again, but . . . it was inevitable. She sighed and got up from her spot in the sand. She looked out into the ocean; the sun was setting and creating wonderful colors on the water. She stood there in awe at the beauty until Caitlyn called for her and she hurried off to catch up with her.

As they came closer to the hotel the sun had already set, and little twinkling lights lit up the dark sky above them. Charlotte looked up and admired the sky too. The light breeze felt nice. Looking up at the sky reminded her of the many times she would stay out at the baseball diamond late at night to avoid going home. It felt good to not have to worry about going home, since home was now with Caitlyn, not with dear old dad.

Speak of the devil, and he will appear.

“I knew I‘d find you,” a soft voice came out from the darkness, soft like the caress of the wind.

Charlotte and Caitlyn turned around. Charlotte got in front of Caitlyn. She wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Caitlyn’s heart had stopped as she saw something shine in the moonlight: a knife. They both wondered if that was the same knife he used to stab Kevin. It probably was.

“Out on a little vacation?” Harold asked the two girls. Mostly his daughter. “I wish I could go on a vacation. Unfortunately I‘m a little low on my sales. You know why? Because you‘re not there. I need you there.” He stepped closer. “And you‘re coming with me, no questions asked.”

Charlotte casually looked behind her to make it look like she was looking at Caitlyn. She was actually calculating how far away the hotel was, including stairs. If the two of them ran, would they make it without getting caught?

“Did you hear me -” he called her a female dog and his grip tightened on the knife. “I said you‘re coming with me!”

“Over my dead body,” Charlotte answered. She turn and ran, grabbing Caitlyn’s arm and dragging her with her.

Charlotte began to panic when she heard footsteps coming closer and closer. Her heart was beating faster and faster. Hopefully she could hold out. She had to.

Harold, however, was getting closer. They took a sharp turn to get up the stairs and she felt a tug on her shirt. He yelled cuss words and demands at her; his grip was too tight on her shirt for her to get free, but she was strong enough to resist his pulls. Charlotte turned around and kicked him square in the nose. A loud crack was heard and as she ran up the stairs he took some of her shirt with her. Of course she had to pick the shirt with the weak fabric.

Caitlyn reached the door first, banging on the boys’ door. Charlotte decided to try her door. The boys’ door was locked, so she began banging on hers when no one came to answer the boys’ door. From the corner of her eye, Charlotte saw the silhouette of Harold and she began to bang even harder on the door while begging and pleading for someone to open it.

Kevin was the one to finally answer.

“Charlotte, what‘s -”

“Move, move!” she shouted, running inside and pulling Caitlyn in. “Lock it, lock it now! Hurry!”’

They shut the door just as a dark figure came to the door and reached his hand out towards them in an attempt to reach Charlotte before the door closed. They heard cussing and another crack. The door wasn’t shutting. Fingers were on the door frame. Charlotte’s eyes narrowed and something flared through her veins, something warm and inviting, ready to cause pain. She pushed against the door, crushing his fingers even more. He screamed louder. She opened the door and slammed it, hoping to crush his fingers again. He moved them away too fast and all they heard was muttering and their own breathing.

After a few moments of no sound other than Charlotte‘s labored breathing, Kevin put his hand on Charlotte’s shoulder. “Charlie, I think he -”

She punched the door. That feeling flared up through her veins once again and she punched it again and again. Her knuckles were screaming in pain and were already starting to bleed. Tiny splinters were being embedded in her skin. Soon she began to cry and she fell to her knees, asking no one why he came after her, how he found her, and why she was such a danger to her friends.

Kevin knelt down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. She flinched and looked at him with a look he’s never seen before, an expression so scared and hopeless, and he stared intently at her eyes. They were reddening with the tears. She realized it wasn’t Harold that had a grip on her, but Kevin, and she fell into his arms, burying her face into his shoulder, hyperventilating and feeling so much anxiety and panic that it made her heart beat even faster than it already was.

“Call the police,” Kevin ordered. “And someone call mom. We have to leave.”