Crush On Her

Reversed Roles

     "Yes, I will be providing everything you'll need for your booth," Ms. Decker told her class. "Next week we'll start on posters and baskets and bundles and everything else we'll need to make sure people will want to buy what you've grown. Fun, right? Exciting!"

     The class chuckled softly, if only because of Ms. Decker's thrilled expression. Then they all stood by her insistence and headed up toward the greenhouse. Charlie went straight to her flowerbeds to stare at her crops in awe. Two more weeks and she'd be able to harvest them, care for them out in the open, and, eventually, sell them to someone who would hopefully love them as much as she did. She thought she might keep one of each for herself to taste.

     "We're going to get that A," said Jessica, stepping up to the flowerbeds.

     Charlie only nodded. It had been slightly awkward between them since she had that talk with her mother about her feelings. She didn't enjoy it, and she could tell that Jessica didn't either, but it was difficult for her to come to terms with it all.

     "Do you think you'd want to come over tonight?" Jessica asked, taking another step and lowering her voice. "My mom's been asking about you."

     Needlessly, Charlie fiddled with a cucumber vine. She had been avoiding Jessica's house lately. "I don't know..." She continued to mess about, not daring to look up. But Jessica stopped talking and moved away. Charlie's shoulders drooped at that. She turned and sat on the edge of the flowerbed and waited for her turn with the hose. She glanced at Jessica occasionally, unsure how to proceed. In the end she waited until class was over and everyone was heading down the hill.

     "Jessica, wait," she said, hurrying to catch up.

     Jessica stopped at the bottom of the hill. "Yeah?"

     Charlie blushed, adjusting her glasses. "I..." She wanted to spill everything then, but she saw Ryan coming. She licked her lips. "Do you still want me to come over tonight?"

     "Yeah, of course! Do you want to come?"

     Charlie nodded.

     "Great! I'll tell my mom. She'll be happy. Vince, too."

     Charlie managed a soft smile, and she breathed easier when Jessica walked away. When she was in her car and Ryan was sitting beside her she wished she had told Jessica that the reason she wanted to come over was to have a serious talk. Jessica thought they were simply going to hang out. Charlie didn't want to burst that bubble, but she was going to. If she put it off any longer she feared she'd never salvage her relationship with Jessica at all.

     So when Ryan was gone and she was home gathering her strength, she was glad that her mother came home early. She informed Lena about what she was going to do and it eased her anxiety ten-fold. If things went wrong, at least she'd have someone at home who would be waiting for her with love and support.

     After a few more minutes of calming talk, Charlie texted Jessica she was on her way, then went off with well wishes from Lena. She did breathing exercises the whole way to Jessica's, her nerves nearly getting the best of her. But she managed to bring herself to a soft neutral as she pulled up to her destination and parked. She put on her bravest smile then went to knock on the door, making her smile bigger when Peggy answered.

     "Charlie!" Peggy cooed, bringing Charlie in for a big, loving hug. "Ah! I've missed you!" She pulled back and brought Charlie inside. "You're the only one who really knows how to compliment my dinners. Where have you been? Don't tell me my experimenting with that risotto recipe made you sick."

     Charlie blushed and righted her glasses. "No, not at all. That was very delicious. I was just... not feeling too well."

     Peggy pouted in sympathy and touched Charlie's face. "Are you okay?"