Wrecking Ball

“John!”

John groggily looked up to see who was calling his name on this early Monday morning.

“Damn, O’Callaghan. How do you get all these girls on your jock? You go on a date with Charlotte Roberts on Friday and now her sister is calling out your name.” One of John’s teammates shook his head in disbelief as he walked towards his locker.

John chuckled knowing that the guys had no clue what was really going on. Charlotte still hated John’s guts and Cassidy was probably going to yell at him for forcing her sister to go on a date with him. Girls, especially sisters, were protective like that.

“Hey Cass. What’s up?” John smiled at the shorter blonde girl. Like John had told Pat, Cassidy Roberts was hot and he’d heard quite a few guys make sexual comments alluding to what they would like to do to her. John knew he was probably in the minority with this thought, but he thought Charlotte was prettier. Charlotte was more mysterious, mature, and driven. Not that Cassidy didn’t have goals, but you could tell Charlotte wanted to get out of Arizona whereas Cassidy would be fine living there her whole life. John’s date, even if it was fake and a tad forced, just solidified his feelings for Charlotte. Ever since elementary school, John had been slightly in love with, in awe of, and even a little afraid of Charlotte. She knew what she wanted out of life and wasn’t going to let anyone stand in her way.

“So, how was your date with my sister on Friday?”

“Umm, it was good. Charlotte wasn’t happy about it at first, but she ended up having a good time…at least I think she did,” John trailed off. No one confused him more than Charlotte Roberts.

“Ok, John, I’m just going to cut to the chase because the warning bell is going to ring soon,” Charlotte said. “Am I going to be able to date Pat or not?”

“Uhh…what?” John asked, slightly taken aback.

“Listen, Pat told me about your guys’ plan and I think it’s brilliant.”

“Cassidy, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. I’m not using Charlotte or anything.”

“Whatever, it’s fine. I just want to be able to date Pat.”

“I don’t want to disappoint you, but Charlotte said there wouldn’t be a second date for us,” John sighed.

Cassidy rolled her eyes and John knew she was annoyed with her sister, not with him. “Keep trying. I really want to date Pat and you seem like you want to go on another date with Charlie. Keep your head up O’Callaghan.”

John held back a laugh at Cassidy’s words of encouragement. “You got it, coach.”

“Well I guess go, fight, win.” Cassidy said before turning around and heading towards her class.

John shook his head as he thought about how the Roberts girls were more than he bargained for.



“So a little birdy told me that you went on a date with John O’Callaghan on Friday,” Madelyn smirked at Charlotte as the two of them and Kaitlyn sat down at the lunch table.

Charlotte rolled her eyes. “First of all, your cousin has a big mouth. Secondly, it was only for the stupid baseball raffle that John forged my name for.”

“Well, did you have a good time?” Kaitlyn spoke up.

“Surprisingly, I did. O’Callaghan may not be as bad as I thought. I mean, I still think he’s totally full of himself and has no goals, but he may not be a complete douchebag.”

“Get to know me a bit better Charlie, and you might realize that I’m not a douchebag at all,” John smiled as he put his tray down next to hers and sat down next to her.

“What are you doing, O’Callaghan?” Charlotte asked.

“The guys and I decided we needed some estrogen in our lives, so we decided to sit with you lovely ladies for lunch today.”

Charlotte looked around to see that the rest of the guys who sat at John’s table – Eric, Jared, and Kennedy – were all setting their trays down also. She gave Eric and “what the heck is going on?” look and he just shrugged his shoulders. She was about to tell the guys to go back to their table when she noticed that Madelyn and Kennedy were already in their own little world and she knew she should be a good wingman. She sighed but didn’t protest John sitting next to her.

She continued eating in silence until John leaned towards her and said, “So, are you going to sit there and pretend like I don’t exist or are you actually going to talk to me?”

Charlotte rolled her eyes and turned towards John. “I was planning on ignoring you, but I have a feeling that you won’t let that happen.”

“Looks like you’re starting to learn more about me,” John smiled. “Do you bring your lunch every day?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Charlotte looked down at the unappetizing school food on John’s plate and then back up at him. “The better question is why do you eat that?”

“Touché,” John laughed.

Charlotte finally got used to the idea that the boys had sabotaged their lunch table and began talking to the rest of the guys. She would never admit this to John, but she actually enjoyed having the boys sit with them.

“See, that wasn’t so bad,” John smirked at Charlotte as the pair walked over to the trashcans to throw their food away.

“Well, it wasn’t the worst lunch I’ve ever sat through,” Charlotte shrugged.

“Come on, you have to admit that you enjoyed yourself.”

“Maybe.”

“Watch out, Charlotte. One day you might actually want me around.”

“Don’t hold your breath, O’Callaghan.”

“Don’t worry Charlie, your secret is safe with me.”

“What secret?” Charlotte scoffed.

“You’re slowly starting to like me,” John winked.

Charlotte was at a loss for words momentarily and by the time she thought of a response, John was already lost in the crowd of the hallway. This may have been the first time John left Charlotte speechless, but it wouldn’t be the last.