Petals and Thorns / l.h ✔️

6

~Juno's POV~

On Saturday morning, I woke up later than usual at about ten AM, excited that it was the weekend. That meant that I had no school, and it also meant that my parents both had the day off today, which in turn meant that they'd be here to take care of Anais, so Luke wouldn't have to come over.

Weirdly enough, some part of me liked Luke. Maybe it was the dumb part of me, the part that liked him, but some other part of me also got irritated with him. It didn't seem as though he was an asshole or anything and I really didn't think he was one. I was sure he just got a kick out of making me mad, but that never made it any easier for me to not get mad. It still always worked, whatever he did, and yet I didn't hate him for consistently annoying the life out of me on purpose.

Laying in bed, I forced my thoughts out of my head and slipped out from underneath my covers, my feet touching the cool wood floors as I walked towards my closed bathroom door. The air conditioner was turned on, cool air filling the house as I opened the bathroom door and walked in with a flick of the light switch. I badly felt like I needed to take a shower. So I started up the shower and let the water begin to heat up, stripping off my clothes before I brushed my teeth. The mirror was already beginning to fog up because of how quickly the water got burning hot, fogging up not only the mirror but the entire bathroom, making my skin feel sticky. It felt uncomfortable and gross, to say the least.

When I finished brushing my teeth, I got into the shower and began to get clean, starting with washing my wet hair. I shaved my body after I had finished doing everything else, making me take a little longer than I normally would. By the time that I had finished and was out of the shower, probably an hour or so had passed. It just took me so long to shave and feel like I had done it thoroughly.

After I did finish, though, I wrapped a towel around myself as I stepped out, covering myself. The air in the bathroom was still warm from the water fogging it all up, making it warm and humid. I left my bathroom and the second I stepped out, that was when the cold air hit me, making goosebumps rise all over my skin. It almost felt a little refreshing, though, after being in the humidity of my bathroom, so I didn't mind it at all. I began to debate whether I wanted to get dressed, but then I decided to just crawl into my bed and lay on my stomach, phone in hand. On the screen was a text from Reba as well as a text from Knox, who was my other best friend. Knox, Reba and I had been friends for a few years and we all loved each other. They were the best friend group that a girl could ask for.

Reba was texting me to tell me to hurry up and answer Knox's text in our group chat, while Knox had spammed me with messages, all of them asking if I wanted to go with them next weekend to a party. Knox was quite the partier and often tried to drag us along, but I always refused. I had gone one time in the tenth grade and, after far too many drinks, I had gotten very drunk. The next morning, I woke up alone in a bed with my virginity gone and after that, I never went to another party again.

To be honest, losing my virginity like that had really upset me because I had been drunk. Hell, I had been so drunk that not only did I still have no clue who even took my virginity, but I also didn't remember the events of it at all. But the blood on the sheets and my naked body had been more than enough for me to put all of the puzzle pieces together. I hadn't ever thought I'd lose my virginity like that, nor had I wanted to. It had really upset me for months, because I felt both sad and ashamed. I was ashamed I lost it to some random guy and upset that I not only didn't remember it, but that I was unable to lose it the way I had wanted. I always had thought my first time would be with someone I loved and cared about, not with a random guy while I was blackout drunk at a party. Shit happens, I guess.

Not even having to think it through, I texted Knox back a simple and firm 'no' before I put my phone down. He had asked me to several parties since the first one, and I always said no, but he always asked me anyways. I guess some part of me appreciated that he was asking me even though he definitely already knew my answer, because I thought it was sweet that he didn't want to make me feel excluded or unwelcome, even though he knew I wasn't interested in going. It was sweet of him to still ask.