Guarded

03

An hour later, I was showered and dressed in a long maxi skirt with a slit up the side and a white crop top. I threw my hair up in a high ponytail and added hoop earrings. I managed to get away with the minimal amount of makeup Lizzy would let me as well. We headed into my car this time and were enroute to the Rose Bowl again.

As Lizzy happily played One Direction the entire car ride there, I drowned out their songs in my own thoughts of my memories with Harry. I recalled our first fight, if you could call it that.

It was Christmas time. Harry and I had been inseparable since the summer fete and my parents and his parents were friends and happy to see the both of us together. But I don’t think they put too much stock in our relationship since we were so young, even though I taunted him that I was a few months older than him. I had just turned 14 and he was still 13.

 

We were exchanging presents in my room when Harry pulled out an extra box that had been wrapped what appeared to be six times in old newspaper wrappings.

 

“What’s this?” I asked, my eyes widening at the sight of the poorly wrapped but clearly thoughtful box.

 

We had already opened our gifts to each other, well, parent approved gifts and I had told him that I was ‘ready’ and he was excited to hand me his present then. “I think this will make things more special,” he said.

 

I carefully unwrapped the paper from the box and folded it. “Hurry up, Annaleise,” he said, his excitement growing in his voice.

 

I opened the box and removed two lacy items. I held them up. One appeared to be a thong and the other was a bra. I looked at him. “This?”

 

He nodded. “You don’t have to put them on, now. You can wait, until, you know, New Year’s.”

 

When I told him I was ready to lose my virginity, we planned to for it to happen on New Years when we knew both of our parents would be out and we had our pick of free houses.

 

I held up the bra. It was huge. The size was 40DD. I checked the size on the thong. It was an XL. I threw them back at him and huffed.

 

“What? You don’t like? I spent all my money on them..” He actually looked really sad at that moment and I did kind of feel bad. But he thought I was huge.

 

“Look at the size tags, Harry,” I hissed.

 

He shrugged. “I was just guessing, you know. I mean, I’ve never seen you fully naked and I just guessed comparing you to some of the other girls.”

 

I turned away. He would have actually gotten away with his horrible gift had he not mentioned other girls he had been with. If I was ever insecure about anything in my relationship with Harry, it was our sexual relationship because it was non-existent. We hadn’t done more than make-out and feel each other up with clothes on. But he had gone all the way with a few girls.