Wrecking Ball

As soon as Charlotte walked into the party with Eric and Cassidy she was ready to leave. People were already drunk and the girls were dancing slutty on any guy they could find. They wanted to find a guy for the night to try and cure the loneliness they felt. Too bad their cure would only last for the night; they would wake up in the morning feeling as lonely as ever.

“This blows. I already want to leave,” Charlotte mumbled.

“Please just stay for an hour,” Cassidy pleaded.

“Fine, but don’t complain when I tell you it’s time to leave.”

“Thanks!” Cassidy replied before running over to her friends.

“Thanks for doing this even though you didn’t want to, Charlie J.” Eric said using the nickname he had given her when they were younger. 4 year old Eric couldn’t pronounce Charlotte Jacqueline so he shortened her name to Charlie J. Charlotte was a sucker for that old nickname and he knew it.

“Well you definitely owe me Halvo.”

“Oh, I could rock your world baby girl,” Eric suggestively said with a wink.

“Get out of here,” Charlotte laughed as she lightly hit him.

“Will you be fine by yourself? I know this isn’t really your scene.”

“Halvo, I’m a big girl. Go hang out with your friends and get drunk. Don’t get too drunk though because I will chop off your balls if you throw up in my car.”

“Yes ma’am,” Eric said before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek and running over towards his friends.

People never understood why Eric and Charlotte were such good friends; they were extremely different. He was the slacker who loved to party and only worried about the present while she was the goody two shoes whose goal was to get out of Tempe. They had been friends since the age of two though and those kinds of friendships didn’t just disappear.

Charlotte sighed once again and looked around the party. She just had to last fifty-eight more minutes and then she could head home where she could pop in a movie and cuddle with her blanket. That sounded like a much better way to spend a Friday night.



“There she is,” Pat nodded towards the door as Charlotte, Cassidy, and Eric came walking in.

“There who is?” Jared asked while giving both Pat and John questioning looks.

“Well actually it’s there they are: Cassidy and Charlotte Roberts. I like Cassidy but her parents won’t let her date until Charlotte dates so John’s going to ask Charlotte out.” Pat explained the situation to Jared.

Jared snorted and said, “That’s not going to happen.”

“Why not? John can get any girl he wants,” Pat said.

“Not Charlotte Roberts. No guy can get her. She’s hot but she doesn’t know it which makes her even hotter. What she does know though is that all the guys in Tempe are losers, which I kind of agree with her. Anyway, she doesn’t want to date anyone because that would mess with her plans.”

Pat looked crestfallen for a second before smiling and saying, “Well if anyone can get Charlotte to go on a date, it’s John. I’m going to go over and say hi to Cassidy. Talk to you guys later.”

Jared waited until Pat was out of earshot before turning to his best friend, “You’re so fucked bro.”

John groaned, “I know. Charlotte Roberts is the only girl who has ever rejected me. I know that was in sixth grade but still.”

“You couldn’t hold on to her anyways.”

“What are you talking about?”

Jared gave John a look and said, “John, you go for the ditzy types that are so madly in love with you they’ll do anything you say. That’s not Charlotte. She’s smart and independent.”

“Hey guys, what’s up?”Halvo asked as he walked up to the two boys.

“Halvo, I need your help,” John said.

“Jared, you know to keep the Jack Daniels away from John! He has to be extremely drunk if he’s asking me for help,” Halvo said.

Jared laughed but John just rolled his eyes before saying, “All I’ve had to drink is a few beers. I seriously do need your help though.”

Halvo gave his best friend a wary look as he said, “Okay?”

“You’re friends with Charlotte right?”

“Yeah, we’ve been neighbors for sixteen years.”

“Why doesn’t Halvo just date her?” Jared asked.

“That’s a great idea. Halvo, will you date Charlotte so Pat can date Cassidy?”

“I would love to date Charlotte but it’d never work. I mean it’d be weird because she’s kind of like my sister plus Charlotte has her whole ‘no dating anyone from Tempe’ rule. She’s like the perfect girl that’s unattainable.”

“Tell me about it,” John mumbled.

“Why do you want me to date Charlotte, anyway?”

John quickly explained the situation to Eric. He told him how he promised Pat he’d help, and John was going to at least try to go through with that promise.

“John, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” Eric sighed.

“Eric, it’s not like I’m trying to make her fall in love with me. It’s just one date.”

“I agree with Eric. Playing with people’s feelings is dangerous territory,” Jared spoke up.

“Listen, I’ll ask her out on a date and then while we’re on the date I’ll tell her the reason why I asked her. She seems like a reasonable person and I’m sure she’ll understand. Plus, won’t she want her sister to be happy?”

Eric looked warily at John for a couple seconds but finally said, “Fine, you can try to get Charlotte to date you. I really don’t think it will work though. If it does work, you better not hurt her. You may be one of my best friends but Charlie is also and I will kick your ass if you hurt her.”

“Chill bro, what could go wrong?” John shrugged but at that point in time he had no idea just how wrong the situation would turn out.



“You do know that the party’s inside, right?”

Charlotte looked up and saw the tall, lanky boy she had known since kindergarten smirking down at her.

“Yes O’Callaghan, I know. I just don’t feel like being at this party. A giant drunken orgy isn’t my idea of fun,” she replied.

“So your idea of fun is laying down in the Kirch’s yard?”

“Yes.”

John chuckled and asked, “Why are you lying down anyway?”

“The stars are beautiful. I love just looking up at them.”

“I feel the same way about you. You’re beautiful and I love looking at you.”

“And now the moment is ruined by your pick-up line. Thanks for that, John,” Charlotte grumbled as she stood up and brushed the dirt from her skirt.

“You know, most girls at our school love it if I said that to them.”

Charlotte quickly turned around and glared at John as she said, “I’m not like most girls at our school; you of all people should know that. My IQ is higher than 50 and my goal in life isn’t to sleep with John O’Callaghan, Mountain Pointe High School’s baseball star.”

“So I can’t tell you that I think you’re beautiful?”

“No, you can’t,” she said as she walked back in the house. Much to her annoyance, John followed.

“I’m just telling you the truth, Charlotte.”

“No, you’re just trying to get into my pants,” she said before walking over to Eric. “Eric, tell your friend to stop hitting on me. It’s annoying and I know he just sees me as some type of conquest, but I’m not going to sleep with him. Now, I’m ready to go. I’ll go get Cassidy and meet you by my car in five minutes.”

Charlotte then turned away and walked away from John O’Callaghan which made her smarter than every other girl at their school, at least for the time being.