Virgin Lips

6. Teen boys are dumb

"Sooooo ..." Joe leaned in, yet pulled back at the same time, pretty much invading my personal space yet keeping the pizza from me. Yes, yes, I am eating pizza for dinner two nights in a row, don't judge me. I gave Joe a dirty look, because you don't dare keep food from a starving woman, but he only chuckled, letting himself in. Again, the only guy ever allowed into my safe haven. He's pretty much the baby brother I never had. Sometimes I think I would have been less awkward, had I had a sibling to practice sociality with.

"Joe ..." I warned, not in the mood, when he plopped onto my couch, leaving the pizza onto my coffee table.

"Yes, Joy ...?" He grinned sheepishly, you know, that teenage grin boy scouts have, halfway between annoying know-it-all and impish little monster that torments you. I like how he feels comfortable with me, to be honest.

I sighed, walking up to the love of my life – pizza, obviously, duh –, "I warn you," I said, grabbing a slice, and taking a bite, "Scott was a bigger asshole than usual today, so I'm not in the mood."

In response, Joe scoffed, grabbing a slice of pizza for himself, and leaning back. "Is Scott ever not an asshole?"

I shrugged, sitting beside him, leaving a seat in between. Joe is probably the one person in my life that understands the importance of personal space. He's the same, doesn't like people getting too close. "I guess those 3 minutes after his quickie with Mandy. So, what do you wanna watch?" I asked. He doesn't work on Mondays, but he does pick up dinner for us and we watch movies together. Told you, he's my brother from another mother, and one of the very, very few people I am comfortable around. Actually, he's probably the only one I am really close to, even more than Hope and Faith. To think I've always hated teenagers, even when I was one.

"Hmmm ... Transformers?" Joe gave me a pleading look.

I rolled my eyes. "You only like that because of Megan Fox."

"Well, duh!" He laughed.

"What happened to 'I don't like skinny'?"

"I never said that, did I?" He munched on another slice of pizza.

I sighed, taking a bite for myself. "I liked you better when you were an awkward kid only interested in his videogames." I teased.

"I still am." He plopped his head back against the couch, suddenly in a mood. Ahhh, to be a teenager prey of raging hormones that change your mood quicker than you can say your name.

"Chloe still not giving you the time of day, huh?"

Joe sighed, staring at the ceiling. Judging by his antics, sometimes, you'd think he's 20 years older than he actually he is. "She's a 10, I'm a 2 at best ... what can I expect?"

I rolled my eyes, taking another slice of pizza. "You're a nice guy."

"Which means I don't get the girl."

"That's not true."

"Don't girls like bad boys?"

I chuckled a bit. "Say, have you been on your sister's Wattpad again?"

"Maybe."

"Joe ..."

"Well, I'm 17 already and I've never had a girlfriend. That makes me a pariah, doesn't it."

"Using the word pariah at 17 years old makes you a pariah, Joe." I teased.

He rolled his eyes, but secretly chuckled. "Where's Ben, by the way?"

I gulped, my hand stopping mid-air as it was bringing another slice of pizza to my mouth. "How would I know?"

"Well ... he seemed pretty taken the other day ..."