Home Run

Charlie’s POV

I have been stuck in this house all fucking day, and I’m so fucking bored. I have tried everything I could think of so I wouldn’t be bored. I took a shower, cleaned everything, even Keegan’s room, and I wouldn’t dare anyone to go into his room. You don’t know what you’re going to find in his room. This time, I got lucky. I only found a pizza box that looked like it was probably only a week old. A few times that I have cleaned his room, I would some food item, like a sandwich, and it wouldn’t look like a sandwich by the time I got to it. His room also doesn’t smell the best either, so I stay out of that room as much as I can.

Right now I’m sitting on the couch watching TV, and the TV isn’t on; that’s how bored I am. My brother was upstairs doing whatever he does in that room. I don’t know how he can stay in the room and not die. We always keep his door shut because of the stench. It lingers all over the house and makes the house smell really bad. The smell has caused some of his friends to not come over, and Hallie didn’t mind it that much, but since she was my only friend and not my friend anymore, causing me to not have any, so I don’t have anyone that complains.

I got up off the couch and headed upstairs to my brother’s room. When I got to his door, I could hear him listening to some band that I have never heard of. I knocked twice and opened the door. He was sitting in front of his laptop, engaged in some stupid game he plays.

“Hey, are you doing anything important?” I ask him, sitting next to him on his bed.

“No, why?” He asked, closing out of his game.

“I wanted to know if you wanted to go down to the pier with me and get some ice cream.”

“Yeah, sure, just let me change my pants.”

I got up off his bed and left his room. I went into my bedroom and grabbed a pair of flip-flops before heading back downstairs to the kitchen. I grabbed my wallet off the counter and got a ten dollar bill out before walking back into the living room, where I saw Keegan coming down the stairs.

“Alright, I’m ready to go.” He said.

We exited the house and started walking to the pier after Keegan locked the front door. The weather was really nice. It wasn’t too hot for it being the summer in Huntington Beach, and I was happy about that. I’m not a fan of hot weather. When I tell people that, they think I’m fucking crazy because I live in one of the hottest places in the United States. I just tell them that I have lived here my whole life, and I don’t have the courage to leave, which is the truth. I can’t see me living anywhere else besides California.

When we got to the pier, there was a lot of people, but mostly teenagers that were so fucking immature. They were throwing food at their friends, and girls were complaining about the humidly messing up their precious hair. Thank God I’m not like that; I really don’t care what people think about me.

“So, what do you want to do now?” My brother asked me while he was people watching.

“Let’s get some ice cream.” I told him, leading the way to my favorite ice cream place on the pier.

When we got there, there was a line, as usually, but we didn’t mind because we had nothing better to do. Keegan and I talk about nothing while waiting in line to just past the time. Since we live together, we know what each other does throughout the day, so we really don’t have anything to talk about ever.

When it was our turn, I told the cashier that I wanted peanut better ice cream in a cup, and Keegan told her he wanted mint chocolate chip on a cone. She gave us our ice cream, and we found a table right by the beach. After we sat down, I took a bite of my ice cream and just stared out into the water with nothing on my mind. The beach does that to you. It's so calming, it makes you forget everything that’s on your mind.

“So, have you talked to Zack lately?” Keegan asked me after taking a lick of his ice cream cone.

“No I haven’t.” I told him.

It has been about a week since Zack came over to our house, and going to the beach. I thought that that moment at the beach would have made us closer, we would talk to each other every day, but I guess that isn’t the case. He hasn’t called me or texted me all week. I know that I haven’t made the effort either, but I shouldn’t have to. When I was in high school, all the girls wanted to text the boy that they liked, and all of her friends would tell her that she couldn’t because the guy is supposed to chase after you. They also said it was a sign of desperation, and I’m certainly not desperate, I just like him.

“Did something happen between you guys?” He asked again.

“What do you mean?” I asked back.

“Like something bad.”

“I didn’t think so. We just talk about his break up, and then we went to the beach, and he told him he was glad I was his best friend.”

“Well, that’s weird because you guys are always texting each other and talking to each other on the phone.”

“I know, right.”

“I was going to talk to you about it earlier in the week because I thought that you guys weren’t talking for a few days, and then it turned into a week, so I thought that something was wrong.”

“Yeah, I’ve been tempted to call him, but I’ve been afraid.”

“Why?”

“What if he doesn’t want to talk to me anymore?”

“Why wouldn’t he want to talk to you anymore?”

“That the thing, I don’t know.”

“Then I guess something’s wrong with him.”

“Huh?”

I was totally confused by that statement. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Zack. He was perfectly fine a week ago.

“Charlie, you’re an awesome girl, and I’m not just saying that because you’re my sister. I’m saying it because it’s the truth. If you weren’t my sister, I would totally be friends with you, no question about that. The same thing goes with Hallie. If she can’t accept the fact that you know Zack and Avenged Sevenfold, then she shouldn’t be your friend. If she really was your friend, she would have acted differently to what happened to you, so don’t try and be her friend. Plus, I think she’s jealous.”

I was shocked at what my brother said about me. I never knew that he thought this stuff about me. I always thought he thought of my as his annoying little sister, and he never wanted to tell people that we were related.

“That’s sweet of you to say.” I told him, smiling.

“Hey, I’m just speaking the truth.” He said, smiling back.

“Wait, why would she be jealous of me?”

“Hello, well first, you are Charlie Roberts, there’s no one like you. Secondly, you got to meet a famous band and become friends with them. We all know that Hallie liked one of the band members, but she never told you which one it was. I have a huge feeling it was Zack. The way she would tell you that you would never get to meet him and never be that close to the stage and about how you liked the baseball team as him. Come on, everyone in this area likes the same team, so I don’t know what she would say that.”

“You know what, I never thought about that. She never told me who she liked, and every time I would talk about him, she would get this look on her face that I could never figure out.”

“There you go. We both figured out why she would always bitch at you all the time.” He laughed.

“Yeah, thank God.” I laughed back. “Hey, I have another question, and I want you to be completely honest with me.”

“Okay, what?”

“If Zacky had to choose between me and Hallie, who do you think he would pick?”

My brother looked at me with an “are you serious” look.

“Charlie that is the stupidest question I have ever heard to come out of your mouth. Of course, he would pick you. I can tell off the bat the Hallie isn’t his type, you are. Hallie is a bitch, and I don’t think Zack wants to put up with that all day, every day.”

“Hey, I just wanted to make sure.”

‘Well, since you’re sure now, and we’re both finished with our ice creams, let’s go take a walk around here. I want to see if I can find some naked women.” Keegan smirked at me.

“You are so disgusting.” I told him, slapping his arm.

He laughed, and we started walking further down the pier, continuing to spend brother/sister bonding time.

Zacky’s POV

I have been sitting on my couch for the past week, confused about my feelings. When I went to the beach with Charlie, I got this feeling that went through my body that I couldn’t explain. It all started when I had the guts to pick her up and spin her around. The electric shock that came from her back and went into my chest affected me a lot. I can’t describe it.

This has affected me so much that I haven’t left my house the whole week. The guys have tried to get me to go out and drink with them, but for some reason, I just couldn’t. To me, going to the bar and being surrounded by all those women would make me feel guilty. From the moment I saw Charlie at the baseball game, I knew that someday we would have some kind of connection, and today was the day.

“Okay, man, seriously, you need to get out of this house and hang with us.” Matt said, barging into my house.

I just ignored him until he came into my living room where I was sitting.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I told him, still not looking at him.

“You have been in this damn house for over a week and not talked to any of us. We’re kind of worried about you. Have you at least showered?” Matt asked, coming to sit down in the chair across from me.

“You guys don’t have to worry, and yes I have fucking showered. I haven’t gone over the deep end that far.” I told him, glaring a little bit.

“Sorry, man, we just don’t know what’s up.”

I sighed and looked away from him. I didn’t really want to tell him what was going on because I knew that he was going to call me a pussy, and that wouldn’t go well with me. I am definitely not a pussy.

I finally gave in and started talking.

“I have been having this feeling.” I started.

“About what?” Matt asked.

“Charlie”

“What’s the feeling?”

“I can’t explain it. When we went to the beach, and I picked her up, I felt an electric shock go through me, and I don’t know what it was.”

“Well, do you like her?”

I didn’t really think about that. I just out of a relationship, and I didn’t think about liking anyone else for a long time. I have only known Charlie for like two months. Is that enough time to like someone?

“I didn’t really think about that, and I just got out of a relationship.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t like someone.”

“But, I haven’t known her that long. That doesn’t seem right.”

“You can’t set a time when you’re going to like someone; it just comes naturally. You can’t stop it.”

“So, what am I supposed to do?”

“Call her up and ask her out on a date.”

“What if she doesn’t want to? Then, it’s going to be awkward if she says no.”

“Well, I guess that’s the risk you’re going to have to take.” Matt said, standing up and heading towards the front door. “If you like her, dude, you need to grow some balls and ask her out. I got to get back home. Val was making some kind of cake, and you know me with cake.”

He left my house, and I just thought about what he told me. I grabbed my cell from my coffee table and scrolled to Charlie’s name in my contacts. I took a deep breath, pushed send, and waited for her to pick up.