[sic]

17. Virgins

“See your future?”

“Yeah. It’s laid out flat. You know…finish college, get a degree in business, get a job, get a new car, get a house, work, get married, make babies, die. Right?”

“That’s the way life’s supposed to work.”

“But I’ve missed you guys. Things aren’t the same. No one will ever see me like David does, like you all do. No matter where I end up, I’ve got to be near you guys. I can’t see myself meeting anyone else who means something.” She took a deep breath. “And look at you,” she continued. “You’re doing great.” No sarcasm. “You don’t give a shit about what anyone thinks, do you? You do your own thing. I find that sexy. Plus, I know a secret.” She pressed her lips together and grinned. A hand snaked up the back of my neck. Long fingernails raked over my scalp, sending ripples of pleasure down my arms and legs.

What the hell? I’m single. Nora seemed to have written me off. Yes, Emily might be insane, but…

We stopped at my favorite spot, a secluded little patch of land on an ancient farmer’s property about ten minutes from town. ‘Private Property’ signs were posted everywhere, but I’d never seen another human being here. The waterfall stood short and fat, ten feet of channeled water.

We got out of the car and walked over to a rocky embankment next to the pond where the falls emptied. I pulled the tiny metal pipe and bag of weed from the side of my shoe, then curled my legs under me and sat on a large, flat rock. We took turns puffing out of the pipe and sucking down deep breaths of acrid smoke.

It was obvious Emily was new to this. She coughed on her first time, like everyone did. Then she started giggling even more. Strange, being more experienced at something than the cooler upper-classman girl who always seemed to be a step ahead of me; who’d always been able to screw with me, embarrass me, and tease me. For once, I had more experience than Emily.

The sun seemed to shine onto the surface of my brain, some cruel doctor scoping me for secrets. Worse still, Emily’s eyes were impossible to read behind her giant, bug-like shades. I wished desperately for sunglasses, if only to be on even footing.

“So, you mentioned a secret?” I asked, slowly relaxing around Emily, quite possibly for the first time.

“Oh, c’mon. I know David tagged you. This isn’t fair. You can’t…you can’t keep Eureka to yourself. You gotta let us play, Jacob.”

But, hadn’t David left me to decide? “Do you want to?”

“Yeah, I want to. I’m here, aren’t I?” She giggled.

I tasted bitter, crimson lipstick on the pipe. I put it away before she became too far gone to talk.

Emily slid forward. My nervous system got scrambled by the pinprick sensations of long hair brushing against my forearms.

She didn’t stop pushing toward me. Her thin tongue slipped from between lips, she playfully licked my upper lip. “This slapping each other on the back thing, this ‘tagging,’ it’s so childish,” Emily whispered, reaching into her purse and presenting a condom gripped between two fingers. “How about we try something a little more intimate instead? I’d say I still get to be It.”

I gulped. I was a virgin, though not for lack of trying. And Emily sat there, offering herself to me for no particular reason. My heart acted as mallet on my eardrums. Shocked, excited, and confused all at once. It seemed so forced, not the least bit natural or romantic. Okay, yeah, I wanted to sleep with her. Who wouldn’t? But in my nervousness, I needed time to think. My body became a quivering mess.