The Virginity Bet [#Wattys 2015]

Chapter 4

Charlie woke up to her phone buzzing. She was doing this new thing where every time she got a new text, she would frantically check to see if it was Caleb. You see, they had exchanged phone numbers a few days ago.

And this new habit of Charlie's didn't slip past Crystal. In fact, nothing slipped past crystal. So Charlie wasn't too surprised when Crystal called her on her bullshit.

"Are you checking to see if Caleb texted you?" Crystal had asked her one morning in the car on the way to school.

Charlie choked on her cup of coffee, "I'm doing no such thing."

Crystal smiled, "Bullshit."

"Whatever, Crys." She sighed, defeated and unwilling to challenge her sister.

As Taylor Swift's voice radiated through the tiny car, Crystal tried to speak over the music, "I can see how much you like him, Char. I think it's cute, actually, that you're finally picking one boy instead of hogging all of them. I mean, I used to like him, I guess, but he's a senior, and thats highly unlikely anyway, right?"

Charlie snorted, "I do not like Caleb Hughes. He's a chauvinistic pig."

"Maybe. But he's a chauvinistic pig that you're ga-ga for."

"As if, Crystal. You can have him."

"But I don't want him. There's this other guy..."

Charlie's eyes widened. Her sister usually picked a boy to fantasize over and she stuck to him for that year. It was a surprise to see that she liked another guy. "Who?" She asked, the curiosity getting the better of her.

Crystal bit her lip, "You have to promise not to tell."

Charlie smiled. That was weird. Crystal normally never asked her to keep it a secret. Not that she would ever tell anyone of the boys Crystal like. Charlie valued the honest, sister-to-sister conversations about boys she had with Crystal. That was really the only time they got along.

"I promise. You know me Crys, I would never. Plus, who would I tell anyway? I don't know any other sophomores. I'm a senior incase you're forgetting."

"Right. But the guy I like is a junior."

"What's his name?"

Crystal exhaled, "Logan Matthews."

Charlie held back a laugh as she realized that's the boy who asked her to be his date at his hot-shot party. "Really?"

"Yes, really. I think I'm really serious this time."

"You do know that he's more of an asshole than even Caleb?" Charlie questioned.

A shy look swept over her sisters face, and Charlie smiled, Crystal must have really liked him. When she didn't answer, Charlie sighed, "I have a theory about us, Crys. The problem with us Harper girls is that we like to pick guys that are assholes, because theres a part of us deep down that thinks, maybe just maybe, we can be the one to change that asshole for the better."

A cloudy look was in Crystal eyes, and Charlie immediately recognized it. She was thinking about our dad. But her quirkiness came back seconds later and she grinned, "You admitted it!"

"Admitted what?"

"That you like Caleb!"

Charlie blushed and she whistled, "Okay, so maybe, I have greater feelings for Caleb than I have for other guys, but that doesn't mean I like him!"

Crystal crossed her arms, and Charlie moaned defeatedly, "Okay, fine. I'm falling for him hard, Crys. But please... I mean it when I say not to tell anyone. This is the first time in a long, long time that I've thought about a boy like I have about Caleb."