The Runaway

Chapter Four

By the time I had finished my first slice of pizza, I was definitely feeling the presence of alcohol in me.  My world was slightly dizzy, yet I was feeling great.  I knew that Rosie, Elliot, and Carson weren’t as drunk as I am, but they seemed to get a kick out of the drunk me.  They asked me endless questions about my life, though I refrained from telling them details about why and how I left, as well as my lack of friends. 

         The more time went on, the more personal the questions got.  Rosie took a bite of her third pizza (I would never have known she ate that much because of how skinny she was), and pointed a finger at me.  “Okay Finn,” apparently they had all adopted Elliot’s idea to call me by my last name, “how many guys have you slept with?”

         If I had been sober, I would have probably mumbled something about having to go somewhere and leave.  But since I was slightly drunk, my response slipped out before I could stop myself.  “Zero.  Nada.” 

         All three of their eyes widened, followed by just a few seconds of silence.  “How old are you again?”

         “Twenty-three….” I said, looking down at the table in embarrassment. 

         “It’s okay, Stella, there’s nothing to be ashamed about.”

         I frowned.  “Yeah there is!  It’s sad.  I’ve never been in a relationship before.  I’m so inexperienced, it’s laughable.”

         “I’m sure that’s not true.” Rosie said, as the boys stayed silent.  They probably thought I was such a loser.

         “I was so shy in high school and college that no one ever noticed me.  And I never had those wild college years to make out with random guys, I just lived at home.  I’m such a loser.”

         “No you’re not.” Elliot said, which surprised me.  “Trust me, guys are assholes.  I am one myself.” He said, and Rosie nodded in agreement.  “They are too stupid to see the good ones since all of the bad ones are throwing themselves at them.”

         “Wow Elliot, I never knew that you actually had a clue of what you were doing.” Rosie said, impressed.

         Elliot nodded, then looked back at me.  “From what I can tell, you’re an awesome girl.  You know what you need?  To just get laid.  It’s not that hard, trust me.”

         “Elliot!” Rosie spat.

         “Rose, I agree with Elliot on this one.  At this point, she has nothing to lose.  What she needs is experience, and this is a great way to do it without pressure.” Carson said.        

         “This is why guys are never good at relationships.” Rosie pointed out, glaring at Carson.  “Don’t listen to them, Stella.  You don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to.  The right guy will come along and they won’t care that you’re still a virgin.”

         I winced once she said The Word, which seemed like an insult even though Rosie didn’t mean for it to be.  I had always told myself that I was saving myself for my first boyfriend, that I wouldn’t sleep with anyone unless I was in love with him.  But waiting for that was like waiting for summer as it snowed outside, useless.  Maybe I did need just one wild night to gain confidence in myself.  Maybe I needed to feel like someone wanted me, even if it just was to get me into bed.  The only people in New York who knew how inexperience I was were the three people staring back at me, waiting for a response. 

         “No Rosie, they’re right.  I need to just do it.  Without feelings, with no strings attached, with no pressure on me.  Let’s go find me a guy!” I said, excitedly.