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"sorry." amerie scoffed. "i just have feelings about darren dating the most probbo person in our school."
"the most probbo person in school?" daisy questioned, leaning over the wall behind her friends. "why are we talking about mr spencer white?"
"oh, hey daisy." quinni greeted her friend.
amerie watched as daisy moved around the wall and sat beside darren. she wore a cheery look on her face and amerie knew she was serious when she said they should forget anything happened and act normal at school. the girl cleared her throat. "no. uh, we're talking about cash."
"oh, okay, he's not probbo. sure, he deals drugs, but i mean who doesn't?" darren questioned.
"i mean... i don't. but i'm with you, cash is actually a really sweet guy." daisy said to them. "and i'm happy for../ whatever you guys have got going on."
"see, i like to mind my own business—"
"no you don't." the girls spoke in unison, cutting them off.
"oh, okay." darren scoffed. "anyways, has something happened between you, bee and cash? or am i reading into things too much?"
the front door of the laine's home flew open again and the girls clung onto each other, afraid that mitchell riley had already returned so quickly. but it was just douglas piggot and he was sweating like a pig.
"no." daisy immediately rose from the couch in phoebe's defence, not wanting to have to deal with another eshay. "no, you need to get out!"
"daisy—daisy, listen to me." cash said in between laboured breaths. "yes, i knew he was going to come here. but i didn't know what he would come for. i—i ran all the way here." he saw the girl sobbing on the couch and his heart broke. "what—what happened?"
daisy blinked herself back into reality, but amerie had already noticed how emotionally distant she was for a second. the girl shook her head. "nothing in particular." she lied. "i mean we've all known each other for years- like we've been going to the same school."
"hmm... i don't believe you." darren hummed. "but i'll let you get away with it for now."
daisy nervously laughed, twirling her long, dark hair. and that's how darren could tell she was hiding something— the three had been friends since the first day of year eight, and they knew her all too well. "come on, it's nearly time for assembly."
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phoebe was striding alone through the corridor when she turned a corner, she bumped right into someone. "oh, i'm sorry."
"no wuckas." malakai shook his head.
"oh hey, malakai." phoebe greeted him with a comforting smile. "how are you doing?" she asked gently.
"yeah, i'm good." malakai nodded. there was an awkward silence, so he decided to speak up and fill it. "uh, my phone was playing up, so i'm sorry i didn't text you back."
"your phone?"
"yeah, pretty funny story— i dropped it." malakai chuckled to himself.
"i've been thinking about you—worrying about you." phoebe told him. "it's been days since we last spoke, made me feel anxious."
"i just— i needed some time." malakai told her. "i'm sorry that i disappeared. let me make it up to you, all right? tonight. my treat."
but phoebe was too focused on the boy's lack of eye contact rather than growing excited about the potential of their first date.
"please." malakai asked, feeling her scepticism. "come on."
"and we can talk properly then?" phoebe asked.
"yeah. sure thing." malakai nodded.
"okay, good."
the second bell rang. "don't want to be late for assembly. come on." malakai spoke. he hesitated before taking her hand and making his way to the gym. phoebe smiled at his gesture, allowing him to lead her inside. when they entered, nearly everyone was already in their eats. harper turned around and saw the two, her face plummeting at their hand-holding— she thought they had broken up.
"good morning, everybody. so i have an announcement. it's really very thrilling. hartley high has been selected to kick off the city of sydney interschool basketball semifinals." woodsey spoke. phoebe began to clap, along with the rest of her school. "which will garner some much-needed positive attention after the map debacle."
"map bitch!"
"put a sock in it, spencer." woodsey warned, making bee grin. "it's actually a very big honour and we would like all of you to do your bit and help us clean up our school."
"don't actual cleaners do that, miss?" ant questioned with genuine curiosity.
"great contribution, anthony. anything else?" woodsey shut him down. "as a little incentive, the student who picks up the most bags of rubbish will receive a playstation—" everyone gasped with excitement. "gift voucher. valued at $50. it's still a lot."
"i want that gift voucher." quinni announced."
"and, yes, the cleanup is compulsory. you will be handed out schedules in the first period." woodsey concluded. "thank you."
bee picked up her backpack and stood up, ready to leave. ant noticed her movement and quickly got to his feet. the boy rushed over to her, despite spider and dusty's words of warning. "hey, are you going to take part?"
"i mean, it's compulsory." phoebe shrugged, walking over to the door. ant followed right behind her like a lost puppy.
the two had a pretty emotional night. ant helped phoebe take her makeup off and get ready for the night. the two ended up just going to sleep in her bed. but in the morning at breakfast, phoebe's cold demeanour towards him returned, and it was like nothing had changed. she even drove to school without him.
"yeah, yeah." ant nodded. "good point."
"do you need something, ant?" phoebe sighed.
"i need your friendship." the boy pouted.
she just scoffed. "yeah, and i need friends who aren't fucking weirdos."
"i'm not a weirdo!" ant exclaimed. "bee, i promise i didn't say anything. but i'm really sorry for making those jokes—it was stupid. and i really miss you."
phoebe had held her grudge for much longer than she thought she would. her expression softened when she saw ant's desperation. she let out an exasperated sigh, "fine. only because i love you."
ant hooted with excitement, pulling her into a tight hug, which made her laugh. "thank you, thank you, thank you! i love you."
see, most people thought anthony was older than phoebe and that their relationship was more of a protective older brother and younger sister dynamic. but in reality, phoebe was a good five days older than ant— making it an older sister and annoying younger brother dynamic. and she never let him forget those five days.
"this doesn't mean stupid spencer and dumb dusty are off the hook." phoebe said, wagging her finger in his face.
ant held his hands up in defence. "okay, okay." he thought for a second. "hey that's alliteration, isn't it? what does that make me? attractive ant—"
"it was annoying ant." phoebe interrupted him.
"really?" ant frowned. "huh... that kinda sucks. would that make you bitchy—" he saw the expressionless look on her face and cleared his throat. "beautiful bee?"
"yes!" she smiled. "i like that."
ant threw his arm around her shoulder, "come on."
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"so we all agree that porn has given us unrealistic ideas of what sex should look like." jojo explained, drawing a line under the 'or not to porn' side of the chalkboard. "but is it all bad?"
"when you watch as much as ant does." spider remarked.
"yeah, and how'd you know how much he watches?" daisy challenged. "because you two watch it together." she whispered.
"oh fuck off." spider scoffed.
"haha, very funny." jojo rolled her eyes at them. quinni raised her hands. "yeah?"
"it can be helpful if you don't know what you like." quinni said.
"or who you like." sasha added, smiling at her. "i one-hundy percent figured out i was into girls by watching lesbian porn."
"oh, my God. me too." spider gasped.
"i thought i learned everything i needed to know about gay sex from porn." darren spoke from beside daisy. "but it's not real."
"okay, go on."
"well, since you can't just jump on a dick without warning." darren explained. spider scoffed and chuckled at their words. "i mean, you have to douche first, it takes time—" they turned around to see spider laughing. "sorry. is there something you want to say?"
"no."
"it must be hard, hey?" darren placed a hand on their chest. "being jammed so far in the closet you're practically in narnia?"
everyone burst out into laughter as spider just rolled his eyes. "you wish, yeah." darren looked disgusted.
"all right, come on." jojo ordered. "come on."
"miss. i find porn a bit hectic." missy admitted. "if that's what sex is supposed to look like, i don't think i want it."
"yeah, yeah. i agree. i feel like it's all about getting a guy off." amerie added.
"isn't it?"
amerie turned to look at him. "and not at all about what girls actually want." spider's taunting face fell and daisy detected it, she wondered what had gone on between the two of them. she couldn't ask spencer because she hated his guts, but she also couldn't ask amerie because daisy had just called it quits with her.
"miss, see i don't understand the point of sex." phoebe said, honestly. "i mean unless you want to have a baby, what's the point?" daisy was taken aback by her question, not expecting her to have that much confidence to say something like that. cash mirrored her stunned expression and the two held intense eye contact.
"i am so glad you asked that, bee." jojo gave her a smile. "see, a lot of people share the same views as you. but i want to teach you guys that sex isn't just about procreation, it can be an act of affection, love or pleasure."
the girl rested her head on her hands as she leaned in closer, extremely interested in this topic. malakai glanced over at her, he wanted to know the backstory of her newfound curiosity.
"and that's why i want to talk to you about pleasure." jojo explained. "specifically, your pleasure."
"isn't that illegal, miss?" ant asked, making bee giggle from beside him. ant glanced over to her, a smile on his face that they were back to normal.
"yeah, i get why you think that, ant, because it feels scary. right?" jojo questioned. "you know, teenagers actually knowing what they want."
"i want that playstation gift voucher." quinni said.
"i want a good almond milk."
"i want my dad to be proud of me." ant frowned, making everyone 'awh'. phoebe rested her hand on top of his as a sign of reassurance.
"learning to communicate with your sexual partners about what you want and desire is important." jojo explained. "i know you might think it's embarrassing or even silly, but sex doesn't have to be painful, physically or emotionally." she said the last bit directly to bee.
"okay." the girl nodded.
"so let's try something this week, yeah?" she walked over and picked up her wooden letter box. "i want you to put in this box things you like— things you derive pleasure from. it can be whatever you want, just make sure it's honest, yeah?"
"yeah."
"then next class, we're gonna go through them and start to normalise expressing our wants and desires." jojo concluded. the bell rang and everyone got up from their seats. "thank you, everyone. hey, good luck with the playstation."
"thanks, jojo." quinni smiled.
⎯ ❃ jania speaks!
hiii! hope everyone is okay and enjoying the story, i love my bee and daisy sooo much