Severed Feelings

we live our lives like we’re ready to die

If there was one thing about the O’Callaghan’s that I disliked, it was their overprotectiveness that they held for each other and the people whom they conversed with. It wasn’t all bad, but as I sat on the staircase with Imilee beside me, I could feel the negative side effects of becoming an official part of the O’Callaghan clan.

In the living room below, Mr. O’Callaghan was not so nonchalantly flipping through the newspaper on the sofa. Ross was sitting beside him, focusing on the baseball game playing muted on the television. He looked like he’d just rolled out of bed – his hair messed and tangled in curly knots and the tee-shirt he had on wrinkled to the point of no return.

Shane was sitting on the bowed window, staring out into the street, awaiting the moment Maverick Slade pulled his car into the driveway, and beside him, leaning against the wall, was John looking unhappy with his long arms crossed over his Petty shirt.

Kennedy and Jared were waiting on the other sofa, glancing to John and texting on occasion.

The room was over flowing with testosterone. There was no denying that.

My knees kept knocking together, both out of boredom and anticipation.

There was no way I was getting out of the house with Maverick without the poor kid getting a proper dose of intimidation and warning. However, just because it was almost certain to happen didn’t necessarily mean that I wouldn’t try to get him out of the house unscathed.

“What is going on in here?” Mrs. O’Callaghan asked from the doorway to the kitchen. Her eyes were wide as she examined the eerily quiet room.

“Savannah has a date!” Shane blurted out.

It didn’t take but two seconds for the wires to snap together in her head. “Boys… This is Savannah’s first date! Behave yourselves.”

“Would we do anything else, dear?” Mr. O’Callaghan asked, flipping another page in his newspaper.

She shot him a warning look before looking sympathetically to me. “Don’t mind a word these boys say, Savannah, honey. You have fun, okay?”

I only got the opportunity to nod once before Shane shot up from his stake at the window. “He’s here! He’s here!”

Imilee was the first to shoot up from her spot beside me.

My heart started racing in my chest as I saw Mr. O’Callaghan set aside his paper and Ross turn off the television in his peripheral vision.

“John the fourth…” I heard Mrs. O’Callaghan warn once before disappearing into the kitchen once more.

The thought of running popped into my head – a complete vision of me bolting from the staircase, climbing out the kitchen window and running for the safety of my own house. Unfortunately, before I could make that fantasy a reality, Imilee swung open the door with a wide grin crossing her face and Mavrick was there, standing in the doorway looking like his usual self: perfection.

The room suddenly felt a whole lot smaller.

“You must be the boy taking Savannah out tonight…” Mr. O’Callaghan stated after crossing the room to stand in front of him.

Maverick, cool as ever, nodded and smiled as he stuck out his hand. “Yes. I’m Maverick Slade, sir.”

“Yes, and I’m the man that never wants to hear that you’ve hurt this beautiful, young lady. Understand?”

“Loud and clear, sir. I have no intention of doing that…”

It was my cue to step in and get the hell out of the house before another word was spoken. This was man territory and I didn’t want to risk anyone fighting it out to prove who held dominant among them.

“Well, thank you Mr. O’Callaghan. We should go, though. Right Maverick? Don’t want to miss the movie…” I shoved him out the door and slammed it behind me and almost dragged him out to the car all by myself.

Unfortunately, the embarrassment I was already feeling was only heightened when John followed us out and forced us to stop just outside the car.

“Hey. I just wanted to say something and then you guys can go off and do whatever for the night…”

“John-” The word was meant to come out as a warning but it sounded more like a plead as it escaped my lips.

He held his hands up, almost in surrender, but he continued anyway, looking at Maverick, “My dad isn’t someone you have to worry about… He’s about as harmless as they come. However, I’m not. You hurt Savannah in any way – and I mean any – I will hurt you.”

It was the first time I’d ever seen John like this. His green eyes, usually light and filled with teenaged mischief, were dark. His entire body posture was radiating tenseness and anger.

John.” It was my last attempt at a warning and he reluctantly backed down.

“Have fun you two,” he offered coldly, glaring at Maverick before backing away.

The car ride to wherever Maverick was taking me was initially quiet. I was too embarrassed to say anything and Maverick didn’t know anything about me to ask any comfortable questions.

“I’m sorry.” I finally blurted, sparing a glance at him. “…for them, back there.”

He cracked a smile – his infamous, lady-killer grin. “Don’t even worry about it, Savannah… I’m not intimidated by the O’Callaghan’s. John’s a whole lot of talk.”

But the thing was I could feel that John wasn’t. He meant every word he said. Every syllable was reinforced by the tense muscles in his shoulders and way his fists kept clenching. His eyes were enough of a warning for me.

“I was thinking we could catch a movie and get some dinner: a totally unoriginal but traditional date.”

Maverick grinned at me and I couldn’t refuse. He wasn’t the punk, arrogant kid I’d originally pegged him to be. He was actually normal and nice considering the berating he’d just taken. I couldn’t help but to feel the flutter of my heart and to smile back at him.

“I don’t mind unoriginal.”
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...Hi guys... I'M SO SORRY IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I'VE UPDATED!! Finals week arrived, move out day crept up, mother's day, my birthday, my mother's birthday and work happened in my life and I lost motivation. So I apologize. I actually have an idea of where I want to bring this story so that might get the ball rolling a little more...

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