Teenage Casanova

She was about to lose her damn mind.

“You have a date?!” Hannah stared at her sister who was pacing back and forth in their suite. “You have a date?”

Kennedy wanted to turn around and just slap her sister across the face to make her realize the point; she had a date. Or…maybe it wasn’t a date? He only asked me to come. She tried to reason with herself. A plus one…not a date. Or was it? Did she even want it to be a date?

Of course not.

“Yes, Hannah,” Kennedy sighed as she stopped walking and ran a hand through her hair. Wait that was definitely not what she was going to say. “I have a “kind of” date.”

“What the hell does a “kind of” date mean?” Hannah made a face. “Either it’s a date or it’s not a date.”

“Then it’s not a date…or it is a date…Damn, I don’t know!”

Hannah just laughed, enjoying her sister squirm with trying to figure out what was going on. “Well…”

Kennedy glanced back in her direction. “Well what?”

“Well, what’s it like?” Hannah leaned over the couch, acting like some school girl who wanted to hear about her friend’s new crush. “Tell me about him!”

“I don’t even know anything about him!” Kennedy groaned as she flopped back onto bed in the other room. “I should just cancel.”

“You are not cancelling your date!” Hannah rolled her eyes as she jumped off the couch to scurry in her sister’s direction.

“Not a date!”

“Fine, you’re “kind of” date. Still, you’re not cancelling. You’re going.” Hannah was already throwing open the closet door, going through her things.

“You can’t actually make me go, you know?” Kennedy propped herself up on the bed with her elbows and raised her eyebrow at her frantic sister. “What in the world are you doing?”

“You can’t just wear jeans and a t-shirt, Kenny.” Hannah mumbled as she flew through many different outfits, trying to decide on one.

“We aren’t little kids anymore, Hannah Banana,” Kennedy rolled her eyes, which was beginning to become a usual thing around her sister. “I hate when you call me Kenny.”

“You look best in black, I think.” Hannah ignored what her sister was saying and continued to yank multiple things from the closet.

“You’re not even listening to me.”

Kennedy pulled herself from the bed and decided to take the chance to escape while she had the chance. It wasn’t like she had to decide if she was going right now, and she especially didn’t have to decide on an outfit yet.

She grabbed her bag from the table and slipped on her flip flops before heading right out the door. She felt relief cross her as she didn’t manage to see Harry in the hallway. She was sure if he would have been there she would have probably agreed right away to go.

She made her way down the hallway and quickly pressed the down button on the elevator. She tapped her foot impatiently as she became so lost in thought.

There was just something about him. He was mysterious and he made her question everything she ever believed in. To any other person, she probably would have turned him down straight up. She wasn’t the dating type at all; she preferred to spend her time alone.

But Harry…she knew there was something different about him that made her not turn him down completely. Maybe it was because he was a new face and not somebody she went to school with. Maybe it was because of the way he stared at her.

Or maybe it was because she was just insane.

Kennedy walked out of the lobby to take to the city. She had only been there for three days now and she’s barely seen anything but her hotel room. Well, and the boy next door.

The sunlight was blaring down just like every normal day in Barcelona. And of course, she had forgotten her hat. She sighed just a little, but then shook her head. Now, she had a destination set in her head. The perfect reason to get out and explore her surroundings.

As Kennedy walked down the street, she looked took in a deep breath and smiled. Even though it was terribly hot, it was flat out beautiful in the city. She couldn’t deny that. When she first found out they were coming to Spain, of all places, she wasn’t necessarily thrilled. Spending days in bikinis on the beach and dealing with the heat wasn’t on her “to-do” list, but now that she was here, she couldn’t help but relish in the natural, rustic feeling of Barcelona.

She was stuck here until the end of the summer, so why not make the best of it? “When in Rome,” she mused silently, smiling only to herself. “Or... Spain?”

Eventually, Kennedy neared a local market with vendors lining each side of the street. People were flocking to these small, makeshift shops, and the sound of the merchants yelling about their products flooded the streets. Kennedy strolled past some of the shops slowly until her eyes fell on a fruit stand.

She walked to the edge of the table, eyeing the fruit. The vendor walked over towards her with a smile. It was like everyone here was smiling. They were bubbly, and just all around attractive people. Kennedy wrote it off to the sun exposure. “Maybe I should get in the sun more often.” She laughed softly to herself and smiled up at the man.

“Want to buy some fruit?” he asked, his words dripping with the alluring Spanish accent.

She looked over the table for a moment until she spotted something. “Are those mangos?” She pointed her finger over towards the orange-red fruits in a basket.

“Oh, yes! The finest around. Would you like some?” Kennedy gave him a polite nod as he moved to the fruit. He took a few and put them into a small wicker basket before trading them for her money. After she got her fruit, she moved down the line of shops, still in search of a hat.

Finally, close to the end of the market, she found a seller in front of a table covered in scarves, sunglasses, and, thankfully, hats. Her eyes were instantly drawn to a pastel yellow wide-brimmed sun hat sitting on the corner of the table. She picked it up and, after looking it over for a moment, she handed the money to the woman and pulled it onto her head. Perfect fit.

She thought back to Harry and his nickname he had given her. “Hat girl”. A part of her couldn’t help but smile knowing that he had thought about her that much to give her the nickname.

When she saw him again on the balcony, she knew something was different about him. She liked the way he had looked at her then. Before they talked and before they were face to face. He held a look of pure shock from seeing her. Like he had been waiting all his life for her to come back into his life, when reality it had only been a day.

As much as he gave her a weird feeling when they had met outside her door, she still couldn’t shake that initial moment on the balcony. She knew they shared something then. She wasn’t exactly sure what, but she liked it. And that scared her.

She made her way back down the line of stands to find her way out. As she neared the end, she couldn’t help but stop and look in the direction of an older woman.

She was leaning against a pole at the end of the stalls, watching everybody as they walk. She kept a scarf over her head, shielding her from the sun that was beaming down. She was wrinkled and dirty and Kennedy couldn’t help but feel her heart drop as she stared at the woman. She looked in bad shape, but the woman was still smiling.

Kennedy couldn’t help but let her feet carry her in the direction of the woman and she was soon kneeling down in front of her. The woman just smiled, her eyes hinting at confusion from Kennedy’s presence.

She looked so hungry as she eyed Kennedy’s basket of fruit, but she didn’t beg. Kennedy pulled one of the mangos out and held it out for the older woman. The woman’s eyes lit up with desire as she glanced at Kennedy. She shook her head back and forth, feeling too bad to ask for her help. But Kennedy just held it out further, insisting.

“Please. It’s okay.”

Tears filled the woman’s eyes as she took the mango from Kennedy and held her hands for a minute. Kennedy had never seen such a look of gratitude from anyone in her life. It made her smile so widely.

“Que Dios te bendiga,” the woman whispered, her hands shaking in Kennedy’s. Kennedy wasn’t exactly sure what she had said, but the look she held on her face made her know that the woman was thankful for her help.

Kennedy picked up her stuff and began to head out of the market. She had spent enough time sightseeing, and decided it was time to head back to the room. But then, everything went just a bit too fast.

Maybe Kennedy had stepped out into the street too quickly.

Maybe the guy on the motorcycle just wasn’t watching what he was doing.

Either way, the mangos in her basket went flying after the vehicle sailed past her, just barely missing her. She jumped back from the curb away from the street, and completely lost her balance, causing her to fall backwards and land on her rear on the sidewalk.

The motorcycle screeched to a stop and the guy turned around towards her. “Jesus Christ, watch where you’re going!” Kennedy yelled as she stood up to dust herself off.

The boy laughed deeply. “You alright there, love?” As she was picking up the mangos that had scattered along the street, she rolled her eyes.

“Well, for a girl who almost just got splattered by some guy on a motorcycle, I’m surprisingly good.”

She picked up the last of the fruit and stood up straight to glare at the boy. He still had his helmet on his head, his eyes the only part of his face that was visible. But, those eyes left her wanting to see more. They were a rich brown color and were encircled by a line of thick eyelashes. If his eyes were that pretty, there’s no telling what his face looked like.

He let out another laugh. “Well, you were the one not watching where you were walking. Maybe you should try to work on that.”

Kennedy huffed and stepped closer to the vehicle. “It was not my fault!”

“Whatever you say, blue eyes.” She froze, unable to speak. She looked like a fish out of water, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to form her words. “Don’t hurt yourself there.” She couldn’t see his face, but she could tell he was smirking.

Kennedy was just about to turn and walk away, but the boy reached over towards her and grabbed a mango from her basket. “Hey!” she protested. The guy proceeded to pull a pocket knife from his pocket and cut into the fruit. He cut a small square from the meat of the fruit before pulling his helmet up just a tiny bit and popped it into his mouth.

“Nice choice,” he murmured as he chewed. “So, what’s your name?”

She stood there, still completely shocked. “I- I’m not telling you.”

“Aw, come on,” he laughed. He reached a hand up to scratch his neck, which drew Kennedy’s eyes to the tattoos that were scrawled all over his skin. One big one plastered on his forearm caught her attention the most.

“Zap?” she murmured, her eyebrows scrunching together in confusion. “What’s that mean?”

He looked down towards his arm and then back at her. “Tell me your name and I may tell you that.”

Kennedy sighed just a little, but couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. “You’ve got me curious now.”

“A name is all I need.”

“Fine,” she exhaled after a moment. “My name’s Kennedy.”

“Kennedy,” the boy drawled. “Interesting name.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he revved the motorcycle to life once again and gave her a small salute.

“Wait, you didn’t tell me about your tattoo!”

“All in good time.” He gave one final laugh before lurching forward on the bike. “See ya, Kennedy!” he called over his shoulder as he kicked the bike in gear and continued his way down the street.

“Oh Kennedy,” she sighed internally, “what in the world are you doing?”



Kennedy found herself doing breathing exercises as she stared at herself in the mirror. Somehow, something in her told her that she should go tonight. Why not? It wasn’t like it was technically a date. It was just two acquaintances going to have a good time together.

But that didn’t stop Hannah from practically using her as her own doll and dressing her in the most tight black dress she owned. “I can hardly breathe in this!” Kennedy made a face and turned back to face her sister.

“You look great!” Hannah placed her hands on her face and smiled widely. “I’ve never seen you so…so beautiful!”

“Gee, thanks,” Kennedy rolled her eyes as she did her best to bend over and grab her worn converse out of the closet.

“You are not wearing those! It totally clashes with the outfit!”

Kennedy held the shoes up, staring at her sister like she was crazy. “Why not? They’re just shoes. What do you expect me to do, go barefoot?”

“Wear some of my heels! Don’t ruin my masterpiece with those dirty things!” So much disgust crossed Hannah’s face as she stared at Kennedy’s shoes.

“Hell no. I am not wearing heels. Do you want me to break my neck?” She shuddered at the thought of walking down the stairs and becoming the next tragic story in the news. Stupid girl breaks neck because of heels. Yeah, there was no way that was happening. “Plus, I have big feet. I wouldn’t fit.”

“Very true. You weren’t blessed to have beautiful feet like me,”

Kennedy let out a huff as she pulled her shoes on her feet and quickly tied them. Hannah had a point. She did look a bit ridiculous, but she didn’t really care. It wasn’t like she was trying to impress Harry. She just wanted to have a good time.

But a part of her was still nervous. She didn’t know Harry. She didn’t know a single thing about him besides that he was, she had to admit, gorgeous. He was the type of guy that would have definitely gone for Hannah without giving Kennedy a second look. And she didn’t understand why this guy was so obviously pursing her.

“You look a million miles away, Kenny,” Hannah laid on the bed as she smiled at her sister. Kennedy rolled her eyes and gave Hannah a quick glare afterwards, obviously hating her nickname. “Fine, fine. Sorry. What’s on your mind?”

“I’m nervous,” Kennedy admitted, feeling at that moment she could just throw up. “I know I shouldn’t be, but I am.”

“It’s normal to be nervous before dates.”

“It’s not a date,” Kennedy sighed, sitting on the back of the couch so she could face her sister. “I don’t want it to be a date.”

“So why exactly are you going?”

Hannah had her there.

She had no idea why she was so stressed about this when she could have easily bailed. She didn’t say she was actually going. She didn’t have to prove anything. She didn’t have to go to please him.

She didn’t have to go at all.

But, as much as she was protesting, she knew she was too good of a person to just not show up. She could imagine Harry’s face now, waiting for her all night. He could easily be devastated and would have no idea why Kennedy wasn’t coming.

Maybe it was best if she just went next door and told him she couldn’t come. That would be good, right? She would at least feel a little better with herself if she told him face-to-face.

“Earth to Kenny,” Hannah waved her hand as she was suddenly in front of her. Kennedy jumped at the closeness and sighed. “So, are you going or not?”

“I don’t think so. He seems like a nice guy, but…I’m just not looking for a boyfriend.”

“Jumping the gun there, aren’t you?” Hannah laughed. “Maybe he just wants a quickie.”

“You’re ridiculous. Harry doesn’t seem like the type of guy who sleeps around.” Kennedy just smiled. “He’s a nice guy. He wouldn’t do that.”

“You never know, baby sister. Boys can surprise you.”

It was true. She didn’t know what Harry was like. All she had gotten from him was that he was very forward and very kind. But that could easily have just been a front. Who knows what kind of guy he was behind the nice guy act?

For all she knew, he could very easily have been a serial killer.

But in her heart she knew that wasn’t true. He honestly seemed like a good enough guy to her. And even though she felt this way, she just couldn’t find it in her to go out with him. She hardly knew him and she just wasn’t ready for that.

She pushed herself away from the couch and headed towards the door. All she had to do was tell him she wasn’t going and then walk away. She didn’t have to stay and talk to him. She didn’t have to wait for his sad expression. She just had to say no.

But as she walked away from her door and was soon standing in front of his, ready to knock, she pulled away. What was she doing? She couldn’t just turn a guy down face-to-face! She would be frozen in place and be forced into either saying yes or getting so upset by seeing his sad face that she wouldn’t have a choice but to go with him.

She shook her head and began to walk down the hallway, not ready to face him. But, her conscious stopped her. She couldn’t just leave him hanging. He could be waiting all night for her to show and miss his party.

She found herself moving back down towards the door, ready to break the news to him, but, once again, she was stopped. She started to feel like she was playing her own game of tug-of-war and she wasn’t quite sure which side was winning.

Kennedy sighed and tried to calm down. She knew that telling him straight up that she wasn’t going was the right thing to do. That’s what she would want in the end. Being stood up was no fun.

She once again made her way back down towards his room, pausing when a maid and her cart was blocking the path and waiting for someone to answer Harry’s door. She gave the woman a smile, waiting patiently in place.

This was what she had to do. She had to say no.

She felt her breath hitch in the back of her throat when she heard the door open. Just say no. Say no. She closed her eyes, praying that she could get through this.

Harry…I’m freaking out. Please don’t cloud my judgment on this decision.