A Safe Bet

Harlow smiled, feeling a little nervous. John waited for her to speak, but she couldn't get her mouth moving.

"Okay, I'll start, then." John said, saving the day. He grinned when he saw Harlow's relieved face. She wanted to tell him things--but she was kind of afraid. What Eric told her frightened her a little bit. John was falling for someone like--well, her?

"Well, my name is John Cornelius O'Callaghan the fifth. I will be a future Sun Devil. I'm a fuck up," He chuckled. "I tend to disappoint a lot of people but I think my ego is big enough to not let anyone bring me down. I like taking risks?" He shrugged. "I mean, I think AP Psychology was a risk--and well, it brought me to you..."

Harlow looked up from playing with the dirt beneath her and her eyes met with his green ones. He looked sincere and Harlow's heart fluttered at the thought. Oh, God. Why did her heart flutter?

John cleared his throat and continued, "Ever since I was a little kid, I've been into music. My dad always played for me and he's the one who got me into it. Tom Petty...Ryan Adams...and all that shit." Harlow stared at him, intrigued by his words.

"Eric, Jared and Tim are my best friends. I've known Eric since middle school, and we've been James and Sirius ever since." Harlow laughed. She loved when he used Harry Potter references. John grinned and continued, "Jared and I have been friends since middle school too. I guess you can say that the three of us were like the Marauders, only without Peter Pettigrew." Harlow laughed again.

"Now, Tim. I met him at a party my freshman year of high school. That guy saved my ass from picking a fight with a junior. I was drunk as fuck--"

"What a surprise." Harlow said, sarcastically. John chuckled and said, "I know, but like I said, I was a risk taker. I wanted to know how beer tasted like, and surprisingly, I liked it. Anyways," He continued. "Tim saved my ass and ever since then we've been buds."

"My other friends," John gestured around. "Like Garrett and Pat, well, Pat is Tim's little brother, so obviously we're friends. But Garrett, I met him while his band, called Short Bus (although, I think they broke up...) and I totally thought he was a douchebag."

Harlow threw her head back and laughed. "Why? He seems like a such a sweet kid."

"I know." John nodded. "But I just thought that until we got to talking--he turned out better."

Harlow smiled and John turned to her and said, "What about you? How is like being Miss Perfect and--"

"I'm not perfect." She shook her head. John furrowed his eyebrows and said, "Sure you are. You're extremely smart and beautiful"--Harlow's heart jumped--"and you're very caring, you think highly of everyone and think they should get second chances. I mean...thats what you did to me. Harlow, you're perfect." He smiled.

Harlow couldn't help but grin, foolishly. "I am smart. I mean, I get higher grades than my sister could ever get." She scoffed. "But it's never enough for my parents."

Harlow froze. She couldn't believe she just said. John scooted closer and said, "What do you mean?"

She shook her head. "Nevermind." She shouldn't have said anything.

John rolled his eyes. "Har, it's me. You can tell me anything--I mean, I just did."

Harlow looked into his eyes. His bright green, and sincere eyes. She sighed. It couldn't really hurt could it?

"Well, everyone knows that Elena is absolutely beautiful. I mean, we're twins but we're obviously not identical. She clearly got the better genes, and my parents know that. They agree with that and they know that I am the one who got the brains out of the two of us." She looked up at John's concerned eyes. "They expect me to be the smartest that I can be and even when Elena gets a C on something, they praise her. If I get to much as an eighty percent, then I get hounded."

"Harlow..." John sighed. "I think you're beautiful. Hell, I think you're even more beautiful than Elena."

Harlow scoffed. "That's sweet, John, but you know that you think Elena is a lot more beautiful than me."

She felt John's fingers under her chin turn her head towards him and he said, sternly, "What makes you even more beautiful than Elena is your personality, Harlow. You are beautiful on the outside, just like Elena is--but you have so much good in you that it overshadows and it makes you even more beautiful."

Harlow smiled and looked away, to avoid John see the blush on her cheeks. No one had ever made her feel like that.

"So? Tell me more." He whispered. Harlow turned to him and smiled, "Well, other than the pressure of my family life, I guess, Aimee is my relief. She's practically the sister Elena never was and we've been attached at the hip ever since sixth grade when we were partnered in P.E to play T-ball together." She grinned at the thought of her best friend.

John smiled. "You've finally opened up to me."

Harlow laughed. "Oh, not everything, John O'Callaghan."

"Oh?" He furrowed his eyebrows. "Whatever do you mean?"

"There are some things a girl should keep inside." She shrugged, grinning. John laughed and said, "Okay, can we play twenty questions, then?"

"You already know enough about me, John." Harlow said, nervously. "I mean, theres a line between student and tutor confidentiality."

John's smile flickered. "Really? I thought at this point it was something more than that, Harlow. I mean, I don't know about you, but I completely forgot you were my tutor for a little bit there."

Harlow shrugged. "I'm still your tutor."

John leaned in closer. "I think there is a little but more to that.

She couldn't keep her eyes off of his lips as he came closer. John's eyes never left hers and she looked up to see his face coming closer and closer.

Harlow immediately pulled away and cleared her throat. John did the same and he smiled at her and said, "Come on, Harlow. Aren't I your friend yet?"

She laughed and said, "Sure, John."

John pulled his fist in and exclaimed. "Yes!"

"Why do you want to be my friend so badly? Why am I that great?" She scoffed. John stared for a second before saying, "Because you're a great person and to be honest, I need someone like you in my life."

"Why do you say that?"

John shrugged. "It's inevitable that I'm going to fuck up some more in my life. It's just in my human nature, no matter how hard I try to be good, I'll fuck up eventually." He whispered. "I could always have you in my life who won't give up on me, right, Harlow? Would you be there for me if I fall?"

Harlow stared. His green eyes were hard on her but his expression was hard and serious. Harlow felt like it was a new step in their relationship. They established trust and friendship and loyalty; like they were on the road to something more. She suddenly felt nervous--why did she have the sudden urge to kiss him?

Harlow nodded her head. "Of course I will, John."

~

"Did you do it?" Halvo asked. John gave him a 'shut up' look and he glanced outside; Harlow was still there. He had only come in to get some water for her.

John didn't say anything but his best friend already knew. "Yes! You did it! You totally got through to her, didn't you?"

"Not completely." John said, in a low voice. "Would you shut up, Halvo?

"What did you say?" Eric asked, in a quieter voice. They both kept glancing at the girl sitting, alone, outside, but wasn't moving anywhere.

John shrugged. "I just told her everything about me. Then she kind of opened up about herself. She's keeping some things from me but I think I can crack into her in time."

"In time?" Halvo scoffed. "Dude, prom is in two months. People are already prom shopping. Melanie in my english class said she--"

"Halvo, shut up." John said, staring at Harlow through the glass. He was sick of hearing about prom.

Eric looked from him to her and said, "You're totally falling for her."

He didn't say anything. "Come on, dude, everyone knows it. It's blatantly obvious. You don't need to hide it."

John still didn't say anything. He just looked at Halvo, with the bottle of water for Harlow in his hand and said, in a dead voice, "I'll break her wall down. Just give me some time, and I can do it."

He turned around and walked back out the door. Through his walk, all he could think about was how he shouldn't hurt her and should just kiss her right then and there. But the tiny little voice in his head told him to keep moving and to keep the bet. He was John O'Callaghan and his reputation would never change.

Not even for someone like Harlow Peterson.