The night carried on in a usual fashion and when I say usual fashion I mean it was more like something out of a movie then my actual life. Flirting with Adam was easy I'd been doing it this whole weekend but now it felt a little forced and a little shamefully, I might add but it was working wonders. The dip in the pool must have been the game changer since we were walking out toward his car. My hair was still damp and the cool air hit me hard making goosebumps arise everywhere. The majority of my clothes were dry but there were parts that were wet from my bathing suit underneath.
"You're sure you're okay to drive?" I questioned walking close to his side through the baseball fields to the back where everyone parked their cars.
"I'm surprised you know where you're going," I tried to keep the conversation going. If I paused to think, I might reconsider.
"Well I did used to go here." Adam seemed nervous, "And I drank pop most of the night anyways." He guided me towards his car.
"So do you want me to drop you off at home?" He paused between sets of words. He was trying to be subtle unsure of how to ask such a thing without being too forward or full of himself.
I debated the lameness of my excuses not to go home and I picked the most believable, "My parents would freak if I came home this late," I spoke tucking into the passenger side of his car. It was no beetle but at least all it's tires were inflated.
Adam got into the drivers seat. He buckled his seat belt sitting there quietly without looking at me, "I can call a friend and you can drop me off there." I should have paid more attention to him this weekend.
He was doubting. He sat there thinking of his choice. Now I needed to force his hand quick, metaphorically not literally, at least not yet.
"I'm sure Zack is still wake. I'll give him a quick call," I spoke while searching for my cellphone.
"If you want you can stay at my place?" He asked forcing the words out quickly as if he didn't the words wouldn't have come at all, "No funny business I promise," he insisted but not matter how polite a guy is still a guy.
"Funny business," I laughed at his choice of words. This was able to open him enough for him to crack a smile even though he was nervous, "I haven't even decided if you get a goodnight kiss yet," I told him although I knew it wasn't true.
"Not even a kiss," he whined although I knew he was taking his leads from me.
"I don't know I can't remember if our last kiss was a good one or not." My memory was still intact. I remembered that in-fact he was a very good kisser but I had to make him feel like this was his idea. If not I would seem desperate.
"Maybe just one to jog you memory?"
Hook, line and sinker.
I cranked my neck to look at him. He had subtly inched closer and closer while we were talking. The journey from his lips to mine were not a long one but was very rewarding. He kissed me knowing this one counted. His thumb held onto the side of my face his other fingers curled softly around my neck.
We kissed each other deeply, losing our breath. We'd break for a moment, shift and continued. Adam's hand touched my midsection lightly before his hand traveled to my lower bag. Before too long and without me realizing he had pulled me over to his seat taking me by surprise.
I stopped kissing him for a moment, pulling away, my back touching the steering wheel of his car. Adam barely flinched at me pulling away. He went for the only other thing available. He kissed the crook of my neck causing a sinful sigh to come from my mouth.
I wasn't stupid enough to know that I had given him the green light.
Adam pulled off my shirt, pulling it over my head and tossing it into the passenger seat. Instead of sitting there like a limp noodle I put my hands up to stop him. He barely realized the gesture.
My hands rose pushing his shoulders back against the drivers seat, "We should get to your house," I spoke trying to catch my breath.
His chest heaved against mine. He nodded. I stared at him trying to depict if he was offended or not. Adam was gorgeous. His ocean filled eyes were bright and smiling. His short blonde hair felt smooth under my hand.
"It is getting late," he responded looking at the time.
I slithered off his lap, crawling over the center console and back into my seat. For some reason getting back here was less graceful. I lifted my bottom up off the seat pulling Zack's t-shirt back over my head.
Adam grove off after I put my seat belt on. He drove through the streets of my home town. It was easier now that I was on familiar streets, "Eden?" Adam spoke while I took my gaze of the sleeping town.
"Yes," I replied looking at him.
He just turned and looked at me before looking down. His hand was resting palm up on the center console. Now, it doesn't take a genius to know what to do. My fingers interlocked within his resting there while he drove.
"It's not too far," he told me in case I was getting nervous.
We headed towards our local college. One that I had already received an acceptance letter too. Adam drove passed the campus, the dorms and towards the townhouses build for the students. He parked his car in the driveway and my heart started pounding in chest, hard and fast.
Adam got out shutting his door. It took me a moment to gather myself before I got out. The heat the collected in the car made it freezing when I opened my door. I followed Adam up the steps where he was digging out a key to the front door.
He grabbed my hand once we entered and led me through the empty house to a room in the back, "Don't mind the mess," he seemed a little shy opening the door revealing a slight disaster. His clothes littered the floor, textbooks and papers were scattered across the desk, the floor and the bed.
Oh God don't even look at the bed, Eden, I told myself.
"I wouldn't have cleaned up if I knew." he stopped himself from talking; too afraid to dig himself a whole that; that sentence could have led.
"Do you have some dry clothes?" I asked gulping afraid of being too bold.
"Yeah, yeah sure." Adam closed the door behind us setting his keys on his night stand. He ventured into his closest, most likely trying to find anything that was clean.
"Is this okay?" he brought me out a shirt with the college name and logo it.
"That should be fine." I hopped he couldn't see my knees shaking.
I was nervous, like anyone would be. I was in a strangers house, correction a strangers bedroom and neither of us were clear on the others intentions. It's not like there was a look for "I'm going to sleep with you to piss off the Queen Bee of my high school and save every one from her evil clutches and also so a tape won't circulate the internet tomorrow morning". Maybe if I viewed it as a noble quest to free my people from slavery it would be easier to take one for the team.
I was so lost in thought that I hadn't noticed Adam changing. He had pulled off his shirt and was now undoing the belt on his jeans. I stared at his back watching his shoulders and arms move.
Mimi's words came into my head, it could be worse and I nodded in response.
"Is that how you get all the girls?" I asked him forcing him to turn around which was a terrible idea on my part.
I wondered if I was drooling.
"What do you mean?" He asked pulling on a new shirt.
"I mean you taking off your clothes in front of me after a make-out session like that. You're not very nice." Where this bold side was coming from I had no idea.
"I was actually trying to be a gentleman and give you privacy so you could change," he spoke taking a couple steps closer to me, "but I guess you didn't want to change?" he questioned.
I stared at him with a blank expression on my face, the shirt still in my hands. I set the shirt down on part of the bed that wasn't covered with papers and notebooks.
"No, I wanted you to watch." I almost wanted to slap my hands over my mouth. It took me a couple seconds to realize my inner thoughts had actually formed words and spoke.
I watched Adam chew on his bottom lip, half excited and half nervous. One by one I pulled off Zack's shirt, my shorts and until finally I was standing in front of him stark naked. He had watched intensely every step of the way. Adam closed the gap between us, "Eden I don't want you to feel like you have to right now for some reason." he was sweet.
"I want too," I spoke into his chest. Looking up he kissed me softly.
* * *
I didn't sleep. I laid there on half the bed while Adam slept. I waited until he was fully asleep before I pulled out my phone and texted Sandra at three in the morning. She replied after a minute or so.
I slowly rose from the bed looking around for where I had left my clothes. I slid back into my shorts but my bathing suit was still too damp. It would be awkward and uncomfortable to put back on.
My phone lit up once again.
Sandra: Five minutes. Watch for my car.
I didn't reply and ignored the fact that she was most likely texting and driving.
I was careful with my steps, mainly because I didn't want to wake Adam up and explain why I was taking off so mysteriously. I looked around Adam's room mainly out of boredom but also I was curious.
I didn't know him to well.
On Adam's dresser he had many things. Pens, pencils, his phone and a lot of photos on the wall behind it. He had photos of his family and his friends. I studied these photos. They were all just tapped to the wall with sticky-tack. I pulled one off the wall studying the faces in the photo.
My phone buzzed in my pocket signalling that Sandra was here. I hurried out of Adam's bedroom and exiting the house as quick as I could. Sandra waited, parked on the side of the street.
I got in the car muttering a thank you.
"Should I put a towel under you or will you be fine?" Sandra asked to which I gave her a swat and responded with, "don't be gross."
"I'm just kidding," she snickered, "On the way here I came up with about ten others that I'll tell you later when you're less up tight," she laughed. She was killing herself with her own jokes while she drove towards Stella's house.
I stared out the window ignoring most of what Sandra was saying. By this point I was tired and didn't care anymore. I only had one thing left to do and all of this made sense.
We parked in front of Stella's house. I remembered marching up these steps the first time, I was so nervous but now I had purpose. There was nothing anyone could say at this moment that would bring me down.
All the girls gathered in the small living room. Most of them were sleeping across each other or leaning on each other. We were all exhausted from this whole weekend, mentally and physically.
It didn't take long for Stella to wake everyone up. I was the last to arrive.
"What took you so long?" Stella snickered everyone else's eyes just opening from their naps.
"Well it wasn't quick," I replied. She rolled her eyes.
"Everyone listen up," Stella arose everyone who was still asleep. Mostly by vibrating their shoulders until they were wide eyed.
"I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend but I'm going to call bullshit on someone completing their challenge. I know for a fact that Eden Quinn did not finish her challenge." Stella crossed her arms, "And you'll have to pay for the consequences."
"What makes you so sure I didn't do it?" I questioned.
Stella seemed sure of herself but so did I.
"Well, I dared little miss Virgin here to ditch her V card tonight and I'm sure that you didn't do it and if you say you did; that just makes you a liar." Stella glared across the room as if being called a liar was the most hateful thing she said to me before. As if.
"Jesus Stella, what do you want a full physical?" Jordan chimed in rising from her resting spot and standing by me.
"Jordan, ew, no," I whispered. She was obvious over tired but her typical Jordan self none the less.
"Shut up, retard," Stella hissed. It was obvious she wanted this show down between me and her, alone.
"Stella, Stella, Stella." I took small steps towards her.
"Don't you recognize this shirt?" I held it out letting her read the print.
"No," she spoke too quickly.
"Well maybe this will help you remember." I pulled out the picture and handing it to Stella.
I watched as her eyes grow wide looking at the photo of her and Adam. Her hands grabbed the photo so tightly I thought it might rip, "oh and by the way. Adam, says hi." The smirk across my face couldn't be missed.
I had too much adrenaline. I felt like I had just dropped the mic in a rap battle.
Everyone stayed there in pure silence for a moment while everyone one else put the pieces together. Once the light bulb went off everyone's jaw dropped including Stella's.
"You little bitch," Stella shouted at me.
It was clear that Stella wanted to hit me, even maybe more then that but she refrained keeping her distance. That's when I realized the crowd of people behind me. Mimi, Jordan, Sandra, Brittany, Sydney and a couple more had gathered as back up.
"I'm going to make you pay," she muttered too mad to think straight.
"With what? The video camera that I have?" I smiled her eyes getting even bigger.
"What!" she shouted looking over at Nancy who was as small as a mouse.
Stella screamed for a good long while, "It's over," I told her before turning around and walking away.
The best walk out of history was done today.
I headed towards the main doors when something moved out of the corner of my eye. It was Zack leaning against the wall. I could see him shaking his head before he turned around and walked away. I heard his door slam in the distance while I exited the house.
He had heard it all.
"Holy shit, Eden," Mimi shouted thrilled that this was over.
"You have some major balls," Jordan sung beside me.
"More like she... Oh never-mind," Sandra stopped when I gave her a glare.
While everyone was cheering and excited that they had won I realized that I had lost. I lost Zack who most likely will never speak to me again and some of my dignity. It was something that I would never get back.
"I told you it was your ace," Sandra said getting into her car. I did the same since I had no other way of getting home.
"So how was your first time?" she asked.
"I followed my own advice." I turned looked at her and smiled.
She returned the smile. Maybe her words of wisdom were worth more than I had thought at the time.
"Which was?" she was insisting on more information.
"Can you keep a secret?" I asked and she nodded.
"Be me. I'd Eden Quinn and I'm smart enough to know that I didn't have to sleep with Adam to ruin Stella. I just needed Stella to think I did. That's all." I mumbled sinking low into my seat.
"What about Zack?" she brought up the topic I didn't want to think about.
"He'll hate me forever," I sighed.
"Probabbly," she agreed.
We sat in silence for a long while until we reached my house. Sandra parked the car on the street waiting for me to leave but I couldn't. I couldn't open the door and let this weekend end because if it did; that meant I had to face the reality of what I caused.
"See you at school?" Sandra tried to be comforting.
"See you at school?" I mimicked her farewell because my brain was too drained to form my own words anymore.
I left her vehicle and headed around the house into my carriage house. It was a small level above the garage that I called my own. It had my bedroom and my own bathroom. My perks for being the oldest child.
I walked up the stairs listening as they creaked. I kept a mindful eye of the house making sure no lights came on, they didn't. I fell into bed laying there contemplating moving to a different school or not showing my face at all but then that could even be worse then going.
I guess it was my time to deal with the aftermath that I caused and it was going to be ugly.