Last Kiss Goodbye • Teenage Juice Ortiz

60 - Emotional Friends

Jordy was always so open about her sexual experiences that it felt natural to do the same, even though it was new to her. But she knew there was nothing she needed to be ashamed of around her friend. 

Jordy smiled. "You liked it?"

With a dry throat she nodded. "Yeah. It uh – it felt amazing."

"And he didn't try to push for more this time?"

"No, he's very careful."

Jordy gave her a hug and leaned with her head against June's shoulder. "I'm so happy for you. That things are going so well between you two. You both have a lot on your mind, but you really are a strong couple."

"I hope so," she answered softly. "I hope everything stays this way once we go back to school and have our own groups of friends..."

"Hmm, yeah..." Jordy studied her face. "I wonder how Beth will react."

June sighed. "I rather don't think about that. As soon as she's home, I'm going to tell her that we're together. Hopefully she won't be too mad."

"And if she does, it's her problem," Jordy huffed. "You love him and he loves you. She got no choice but to accept that."

June nodded silently. 

"Junie..." 

She looked to the side when she heard Jordy's stern voice. 

"Whatever she's going to tell you – you're not going to give up Juan, will you?"

"No," she muttered. "Of course not. He means a lot to me."

But that didn't mean that she wasn't dreading the conversation. 

. . .

June took a deep breath before she rang the doorbell. Both Jordy and Juan had offered to go with her, but she was sure Beth wouldn't even let her speak once she saw Juan and her together, and taking Jordy with her had neither sounded like a smart idea. Her friend would obviously pick June's side and she didn't want Beth to feel attacked. 

Moreover, this was something between Beth and her. She had chosen to be with Juan, so it was up to her to tell her friend the news. 

Nevertheless her hands felt clammy and her heart was pounding so heavily in her chest that it hurt. Reflecting on their past conversations about Juan, she couldn't see this end well. But she had to try. 

The door swung open. 

"Hello June." Beth's mom gave her a forced smile. It made June feel small; it felt like the woman could look right into her head and concluded that she was about to betray her daughter. 

She shook off the discomfort. Long before Beth and she had been disagreeing with each other, Beth's mother had scared her. She always looked so severe, as if she could become angry any moment. 

"Hello, ma'me," she answered politely. "I heard Beth came home yesterday. Is she around?"

The woman nodded shortly. "She's in her room."

By taking a step to the side, she let June in. Crossing the hall, she made her way to the stairs. The walls were empty; the whole house felt impersonal, as if they had removed every memory about their deceased daughter. 

The stairs creaked as June went upstairs. She felt like an intruder and wished the woman had called for Beth. She knocked on the door. 

"Beth?" she asked quietly. 

It didn't take long before the door was opened. 

"Hey!" To her surprise, Beth pulled her into a warm embrace.