Age Is But a Number

Saturday crept up on Charlotte and Caitlyn quicker than they realized. Kevin explained to them over the phone that he and his brothers would be picking them up a half past six to go to the very expensive restaurant the two girls chatter about. They joke that salad must cost more than their own sports equipment.

It was a formal restaurant, which meant dresses. Fancy, puffy dresses. Luckily Caitlyn and Charlotte are the same size, and luckily Caitlyn is the social butterfly who does not mind going to the Homecoming and Winter Formal dances.

Caitlyn picked out the dress Charlotte would wear, saying she knew this one would look better on her than it did on Caitlyn.

“I‘ve seen it on you and it looks great,” Charlotte reassured Caitlyn.

“But sweetie, you fill it out better,” Caitlyn explained. This made Charlotte blush. “Now go put it on. It‘s almost time to go.”

Charlotte stripped down and began to put the dress on. It was a pearl white dress with thick straps. Light pink, see-through, glittery material twisted around her torso in a diagonal way till it reached her waist. From there it flowed down in loose waves and covered her feet, but barely touched the floor.

“Oh, gosh, Kevin is going to die when he sees you,” Caitlyn teased.

“And Nick is going to die when he sees you,” Charlotte replied with a smirk.

Caitlyn’s dress was a silky midnight blue strapless mermaid dress. It fit her shape perfectly - both of their dresses did. While Caitlyn wore her black hair down with neat curls that barely touched her shoulders, Charlotte wore her red hair up in an elegant way with a couple strands of hair hanging loose on her shoulders. Their hairstyles reflected their personalities in a way.

“Charlie, you look nineteen, not fifteen,” Caitlyn told her.

“And you look twenty,” Charlotte replied. “I hope Kevin doesn‘t think I‘m nineteen.”

“Not Joe or Nick?” Charlotte realized the little hint she dropped and tried to cover it up, but Caitlyn had caught her. “Ha! You are thinking about Kevin.”

“I don’t like him if that is what you‘re thinking.”

“But Charlie I think he likes you.”

“No, nope, never.” She made her way out of Caitlyn’s room and to the living room. Caitlyn followed behind.

“Why would you say that? I hear it in the way he says your name!”

“No you don‘t,” Charlotte protested.

“Yes I do.”

“Nope.”

“Yep.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Yeah you do.”

“No I don‘t.”

“Ha!” Charlotte shouted, pointing. “You admit it!” Caitlyn gasped as Charlotte jumped around in a circle in victory.

Then the doorbell rang.

Caitlyn froze, screamed, and then began to hyperventilate. Charlotte stared at her with her eyebrow raised and mouth slightly agape. Though she has seen that reaction from Caitlyn before it still makes her wonder what makes her react that way.

“Breathe spas pants,” Charlotte ordered. “They are just three brothers who have a career in music.”

“What if it was Billie Joe from Green Day?”

Charlotte gasped and let out a small yelp, then covered her mouth. Caitlyn gave her a look. “Hey, it‘s different. Billie Joe has better music.”

“Excuse me?!” Caitlyn snapped, putting her hands on her hips.

Charlotte did not really mean it - well, she did, to an extent - and left Caitlyn steaming as she went to the door and opened it. Kevin stood there in a black suit with a black button-up underneath. Something about Kevin in all black, smirking the way he was, made Charlotte’s heart skip a beat and gasp. She mentally scolded herself for doing so and said hello to Kevin nonchalantly.

“Hi Charlotte,” he said to her as she turned around and went to grab her purse. He smiled over at Caitlyn and waved.

“Hiya Kevin,” she said happily. She, too, grabbed her purse and made her way to the door.

“After you,” Kevin said, waving towards the car and taking a step to the side. Caitlyn smiled and walked to the car. Nick got out of the car and was holding the door open for her.

Kevin was still standing aside, holding his hand out towards the car, repeating what he said to Caitlyn. Charlotte looked right past him at the sleek car awaiting her. She walked by him without one glance, but had to turn around and lock the door. She still did not look at him but sniffed, ignoring Kevin’s presence and wonderful scent.

Kevin just smiled and laughed.

“Oh man, we got some pretty girls with us tonight!” Joe shouted from the passenger seat after he checked the two friends out. “How are you two beautiful ladies tonight?”

“We‘re great, Joe,” Caitlyn said, blushing like mad not only from Joe’s compliment, but that she was sitting next to Nick, the Jonas Brother she was head over heels for.

“Charlotte?” Joe asked. Charlotte had just got in and tilted her head at Joe. “I asked how you were. You‘re okay, right?”

“O-oh, yeah, fine,” she replied. Nick got into the car next to Caitlyn, who was in the middle.

“Good,” Joe approved. “I hope you girls are hungry.”

“Starving,” both girls announced, then giggled.

“Well then let‘s get a move on, shall we?” Kevin said, getting back onto the main road and heading to the restaurant where his parents, Caitlyn’s mom (she was spending the day with Denise and decided to head to the restaurant with her), and little Frankie.

---

“Don‘t be shy, girls,” Kevin Sr. assured the girls. “Order whatever sounds good.”

“What if it all sounds good?” Charlotte questioned. She heard four brothers laugh, which made her feel happy.

“Too bad,” Joe replied.

After a few laughs, everyone was ready to order just as a waitress came. She got all of their orders, refilled some drinks, and walked away. The three brothers of course did not go unnoticed and some people, like a couple teenage girls, had begun whispering and giggling.

“Do people always whisper and point when you‘re around?” Caitlyn asked Nick, who had claimed a spot next to her before anyone else did.

“From time to time, yes,” Nick answered. “You get used to it after a while, but I don‘t think I can ever get used to girls chasing us.”

“Yeah, all those girls. Do some ever catch your eye?” Caitlyn asked curiously.

“Like one is now?” Caitlyn’s heart skipped a beat and asked him to describe her. “Well she happens to have jet black hair, pretty dark eyes -”

“Is she, oh, I don‘t know, Japanese?” Charlotte asked, knowing it would make the two blush. Which it did. Charlotte was beginning to warm up to them and become a little less shy.

“Actually yeah, she is,” Nick answered. He winked at Caitlyn and took a sip of his Diet Coke, leaving Caitlyn breathless. “But you know,” Nick continued, getting Charlotte’s attention, “Kevin there” - Kevin pursed his lips - “has a little crush on someone as well.”

“Does he now?” Charlotte asked, becoming uninterested. Actually, she was dying to know, which she didn’t know why and would never let the others see that.

“Yeah, she has auburn hair and -”

“Gee I wonder when that food coming - I‘m starving,” Kevin interrupted, embarrassed and not wanting Charlotte to hear about his crush just yet.

Him and Charlotte exchanged glances, both of their hearts going crazy within their chests. Charlotte didn’t like it; her heart did not need that strain of beating so quickly. Not that she did not like it.

---

Though Charlotte did not like the band of brothers nor did she enjoy their music, she found herself enjoying their company. Joe and Kevin sensed her shyness fading and tried to make her as comfortable as possible. Kevin could tell right away that she had a quiet personality, like Nick’s, and knew how to get her to talk. Joe, of course, was just cracking jokes to get her to laugh and open up to him more. Nick, well, he was absorbed in a conversation he was having with Caitlyn and did not really notice anyone else, unless they called him.

“You know, we do have our own baseball team,” Joe announced, a little smug. “We could, you know, go play ball and we can show off - I mean, play a friendly game of ball.” He leaned back in his chair. “And I can watch you cry as you lose.”

“Whoa, whoa, now Joe,” Charlotte said, her competitive nature when it came to anything having to do with a ball and a bat coming out. “What makes you think you‘re going to lose, huh?”

“Have you not seen us, the Road Dogs, play before?” Kevin questioned.

“Actually no, Kevin,” Charlotte answered. She put her chin in the palm of her hand and batted her eyes. “I‘m not a fan, remember?”

Kevin just cleared his throat. Caitlyn and Nick had joined in the conversation.

“To tell you the truth, Charlie,” Joe began, “you don‘t look the softball type.”

“Oh no he didn‘t,” Caitlyn said. “Joe better stop where you are right now or -”

“Or what?”

“I‘m not getting into this,” Caitlyn announced. “I play volleyball, not softball.”

“Softball?” Kevin asked. “I‘m guessing you do, Charlie.”

“You bet,” Charlie replied. “And I could beat you and your little Road Dogs any day, any time, anywhere.”

There were a few moments of silent and Frankie added in a soft voice, “Poned.”

“Now hang on here a second, Charlotte,” Nick said. “Are you saying we should have a game? Road Dogs against . . . ?”

“Against me and my team,” Charlotte finished. “Ready to be beaten by a high school softball team, boys?”

High school? Kevin thought. He figured that dropped her age a bit if she was still in high school. Maybe she was eighteen. Oh well, he still found himself falling for her.

“Bring it,” Nick said, his competitiveness firing up.

“Where should we play?” Kevin asked.

“I know the perfect place,” Charlotte answered. She told them about the baseball diamond near her old house and gave them directions. They decided that they would play tomorrow around noon, but Charlotte said her and Caitlyn were busy. The doctors said to wait a couple weeks before doing any physical activity, after they do their two-week check up on her abortion. They guys did not question the rescheduling to next Sunday.

Charlotte was already texting her teammates and though not all of them were going to be able to come, nine were coming, and that was all that was needed.

“An audience is welcomed, correct?” Denise asked them.

“Of course, we need witnesses to the boys‘ crying when they lose,” Charlotte answered. Frankie Jonas was laughing at the sight of his older brothers’ shocked faces.

.:-:.

“Well, girls, I think you‘ve made some new friends,” Mrs. Matters said to the two friends. “Don‘t you?”

“Yeah, I do,” Caitlyn answered.

“I didn‘t think I‘d become friends with the band I do not like,” Charlotte added.

“I bet you didn‘t think one would like you, either,” Caitlyn teased.

Mrs. Matters picked up the picture of her deceased husband, the one Caitlyn did not have her Japanese features from (her dad was completely redneck while her mom was Japanese), and showed it to the girls. “We approve, Charlotte,” she said, and that made Charlie blush madly.

Caitlyn was laughing, but Mrs. Matters told her that she approved of Nick as well and she stopped laughing, blushed, and ran off to her room.

.:-:.

“Mom, please -” Kevin begged, blushing and embarrassed.

“What? I‘m just saying I approve of Charlie,” she said innocently. Kevin let out a groan while Nick laughed at his oldest brother. “Nick, I approve of Caitlyn as well.”

“A-ha-ha - what?” Nick asked, shocked. He began to stutter. “Oh, er, wh-why would you say that, Mom?”

“Nicholas please, don‘t act like you weren‘t making googly eyes at the girl the whole night.”

“Yeah, Nicholas,” Kevin chimed. Nick punched him lightly on the arm.