by D. K Lake
"Hey. Do you know what time it is?" I ask.
The blond one looks over her shoulder and bursts out laughing when she looks at me.
"What's funny?" I ask.
She ignores me and the other girl turns around and giggles at me.
"Seriously, what's funny?"
They both ignore me.
I stomp over them and walk over to a guy looking at his phone.
"Can you tell me what the time is, please?" I ask.
He doesn't look up from his phone but answers, "Two."
"Two? In the morning?!"
"No, two in the afternoon." He rolls his eyes but still doesn't look up at me.
Two? I had been asleep for...three hours-ish.
I shake my head and walk around the garden, surveying the aftermath of the party.
Red cups cover the grass, random pieces of clothes and shoes are scattered around, including a pair of knickers and three bras, and there are wet towels everywhere. There's a guy asleep on the floating unicorn in the middle of the pool, and when I get closer I realize it's the same guy from earlier that wouldn't stop talking about his cat. The garden is covered in toilet paper and party streamers, people are asleep on the sunloungers, there's a golden Labrador dog running around with a rope toy in its mouth, and there are condoms hanging from the trees.
The dog runs over to me and I pet him on the head before he runs off into the trees. I wander around the garden and end up on the dock right at the bottom of the garden and sit down, my feet dangling over the water.
"Where are my shoes? Seriously?!" I say out loud, noticing I don't have any shoes on.
Who stole my shoes? So not only had I lost my cell, but I had also lost my shoes. I highly doubted my t-shirt would still be in the bathroom.
I look back at the house and notice Nessie's light is off. She must have gone to bed. I hear someone clomping over the wooden dock behind me and glance over my shoulder to check it's not some idiot about to push me in and I see Nessie shuffling this way, wearing a pair of shoes that aren't hers and are too big for her feet. She slips them off and sits down next to me.
"Hey." She smiles and hands me my phone. "Found this in my room."
"Thanks. I'm sorry, I fell asleep. I've only just woken up."
"It's ok, I came to check on you a few times. Sorry about your face. Mitchel shoved the guy in the pool after he did it."
"Did what?" I ask, confused, and what did she say about my face?
She laughs. "You obviously haven't seen your reflection yet."
"Whhhhy?" I pull out my phone and try to take a picture with the flash on to see my face.
"What the hell? Who did that?" I stare at the photo of my face, someone had been kind enough to draw a penis on each of my cheeks. I groan and Nessie hands me some toilet paper that is strewn on the dock. I spit on it and start scrubbing.
"Here, let me do it." She spits on the paper and wipes my face.
"You basically just spat on my face." I laugh.
"Be glad it's just my spit. I had to stop some drunk guy from urinating on you ten minutes ago."
"What is wrong with people?"
"They're drunk, that's what."
"I see you've sobered up. Have you been in your room for most of the night?"
"For some of it." she says and goes quiet.
"Ness?"
She sighs and chucks the tissue into one of the boats.
"Did something happen? Did you run into JT again?"
"No. He's in the games room playing pool with Mitchel and Boston."
"They're still here?"
"Yup. I caught Mitchel out here a few times, checking on you."
"Oh..."
"He looked really upset earlier when he was out here, just staring at you like some lonely creep. I asked him if he was ok but he just blanked me."
I still haven't told her about me moving.
"Ness, there's something I need to tell you."
I open my mouth about to tell her and she randomly blurts, "I lost my virginity."
I stare at her with my mouth hanging open.
"What? Wh-how?"
She shakes her head and laughs but I can tell she's upset.
"Ness, what happened?"
"I...I slept with Zeke."
50
After I pick my mouth back up off the dock, I turn to her and say, "Zeke Tellerman?"
I don't know why I feel the need to say his name because we only know one Zeke.
She nods and starts crying, and I wrap my arms around her.
"I shouldn't have left you alone. How did it even happen?" I ask.
"I thought you already knew about the birds and the bees?" she jokes between sobs.
"No, silly, I want to know how you ended up in bed with Zeke?"
"You know when you left and I went to the bathroom?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, I bumped into Zeke...and, we started kissing."
"Just like that? You started kissing in the bathroom?"
"No, after I had been to the bathroom he was still in the hallway, we talked for a bit and then we somehow ended up kissing, and one thing led to the another and then we were in my bedroom, I was naked, he was naked....and it just sort of happened."
I blink a few times to clear my head, trying to process this information.
Zeke Tellerman?
"Did you use protection?" is my first question.
"Of course."
"I didn't even know you liked Zeke."
"Neither did I. It all happened so fast." She shakes her head again. "I don't want to talk about it right now. Can we pretend I didn't just tell you that?"
"Um, ok."
"I will tell you everything but not right now. So what was it you wanted to tell me about?" She changes the subject, and wipes her eyes with the sleeve of the jacket she's wearing, it's not even hers, it looks like Stephen's, though.
I let go of her and give her some space and drop my hands in my lap.
"Does this have anything to do with Nebraska?" she asks.
"Why would you think that?"
"Stephen said you were talking about Nebraska. Isn't that where your mom just got back from?"
"Yes. She went over to see my Aunt Jane and she landed herself a new job and a place to live."
"A job? I don't understand, is she leaving?" Nessie asks and furrows her brow, using her arm to push the hair off her forehead.
"Yes, she's leaving on Monday. And I'm going with her."
"What? She's moving, for reals?"
"For reals? Did you really just say that?"
"Don't avoid the question, Kelsey."
"Yes, she's moving."
"When did you find this out? Why haven't you told me?!" she squeaks.
"I only found out today after school. That's why I called you, it was right after she told me. Paige isn't happy about it and they were fighting over it."
"And this is happening on Monday? Why so soon? Why leave at all? What is she thinking? You're in your last year of school, why would she move you now?"
"Because she thinks this will be good for us, a fresh start....fewer distractions."
"Distractions? You mean boys?"
"Yup."
"Why is your mom so anti boys?"
"Because Aunt Jane got knocked up at fifteen and Mom is always drumming it into us the dangers of premarital sex."
"Your mom is so old fashioned. Anyway, I thought she was sticking you on birth control?"
"Well, she was going to, but she obviously decided moving would be easier."
"What makes her think you won't meet another guy in Nebraska?"
"Because from the looks of it, there aren't many teenagers, just cows, and fields."
"What has Mitchel said about you moving?"
"What can he say about it? We're not together, together."
"You know what I mean. Have you told him? How did he take it?"
"He wasn't happy. He told me I can't leave, but it's not his choice."
/> "Your mom can't be serious about this?"
"She is. She was packing when I left. And the best part is my little sister blames all this on me and now hates me even more."
"You can't leave, who will I have to kick Amber's ass if you leave?"
"I don't think Amber is coming back."
"So? There might be another evil ginger that takes over the school."
"You're the only ginger left."
"Fair point, but still, you're my BFF. Who will have my back if you leave?"
"I'm sure JT will keep an eye on you."
"JT got expelled and we're not talking."
"You say that now..."
"No, it's definitely over."
"Over? I didn't even know it had started."
"I dunno...I thought he liked me."
"He did. He does!"
"He slept with that girl."
"Because you upset him. Seriously, you need to talk to him instead of provoking him."
"It's too late now anyhow. But enough about JT. You. Can't. Move. I forbid it."
"You forbid it?"
"Move in with me."
"You know our dads are good friends. Mom will get my dad to talk to your dad and I won't get a choice. I have to go otherwise, I'll have to move in with my dad."
"This can't happen. Monday is like two days away!"
"I know. Mom wants me at home packing."
"You can't go home. If she wants you to move she can pack your shit for you."
"Believe me she will. She's probably got most of it boxed up already just to annoy me."
"So what now? You leave and we never see each other again?" she pouts.
"A little too dramatic, we will see each other, on holidays, and senior year will soon be over. I just need to figure out what to do after school."
"Well, if you go to college she can't stop you from moving back, or if you decide not to go to college and work instead you can move back anyway and we can get a place together. Does she really think moving you away will fix everything?"
"I have no idea. But I don't have a choice."
Nessie sighs and throws an empty can into the little boat that is already full of bottles and litter.
"Who is cleaning all this up tomorrow?" I ask.
"I don't think Stephen could get anyone to come out this far to clean on such short notice so he expects me and you to do it." She points at herself and then at me. "But if he thinks I'm spending our last days together picking up other people's crap and climbing up a ladder to pick condoms out of the trees, then he needs to think again. Did you see the rubbers in the trees?" she asks with a smirk.
"Yes. I'm sure your mom will love it."
We both giggle.
"I can't believe you're leaving me."
"I know but it's not forever, and I'm hoping she'll let me have my laptop back so we can chat and Skype. But if not I have my phone that I refuse to give back to her, and Dad still pays my phone bill so she can't do anything."
"There are like a million messages from your mom. I didn't read them, I guessed she was mad at you." Nessie yawns. "I think it's time I actually got some sleep otherwise I won't be able to get up tomorrow and we have things to do."
I yawn as well. Nessie's yawns are infectious.
"Things to do?" I say after I've finished yawning.
"Yes, things. I don't know what yet, but there will be things to do before you leave. We have to go rollerskating one more time together and grab a slushie, and I'm sure there's a movie we could go and see. And we have to go for pizza."
"I'm still tired, I could fall asleep again, but not out here. I don't want to wake up with a vagina on my face." I say, laughing.
"We can stay in my room...but there's blood on the sheets, they need changing. I haven't been back in there since..."
She starts to tear up again.
"Hey...it's ok, I'll change the sheets."
"No. I don't want you-"
"Ness, it's fine. I'm not worried about a little blood. You know I'm dying over here, my best friend loses her virginity and won't talk about it. Can we talk about it yet? Pretty please."
"No...yes. Ok."
"So you definitely used protection?"
"Yes."
"Did Zeke clean up...you know?"
"Yeah, he went into the bathroom and got rid of it after."
"So are you two..."
"No. It was a one-time thing. But he freaked out a little."
"Freaked out?"
"He didn't know I was a virgin...and when he saw the blood he put two and two together and started getting all upset and started apologizing."
"Apologizing?"
"He said he would have been more gentle if he had known it was my first time."
"Did it hurt?"
"Well, I'd had a lot to drink and I still felt it. I just bit my lip and dug my fingernails into his arms. It kinda stung...I can't really explain it."
"Where is he now?"
"After he found out he got all weird and left the room pretty quickly."
"No after sex cuddles then?"
"No, he bolted. I've never seen a boy run so fast to get away from me."
"He's probably upset he hurt you. Zeke's a softie at heart."
"I did tell him it was no big deal."
"And what did he say?"
"His exact words were, 'please don't tell JT I did this to you, he'll kill me!'."
"What?"
"I know, right? Like JT would care anyway."
"I don't know about that. Zeke's probably right."
"Don't you start. JT and I aren't together, so it's none of his business who I sleep with."
"Where did you say he was?"
"In the games room with Mitchel and Boston, he's wasted, though."
"How are they getting home tonight?"
"I have no idea. They're probably not planning on leaving until tomorrow. But I don't think Boston is drunk, he was drinking water earlier."
Nessie yawns again and I start yawning.
"Ok, let's get those sheets changed and then we can get some sleep."
"I think the sheets I put in the dryer earlier will be ready now. I'll go fetch them while you strip the bed. Here's the key."
She hands me the key to her room. We both stand up and she sticks her hands in the pockets of the jacket she's wearing.
"Do you think I'm a horrible person?" she asks.
"Why would I think that? You're my best friend."
"Because I slept with Zeke, it was meaningless. I'm not in love with him, he's not in love with me, it was just sex. I'm like all the other girls at school. Everyone will be calling me Slut-Ness on Monday."
"No, you're not. One, you're nothing like the girls at school. I think you have to sleep with more than one person to be classed as a slut. Two, no one will find out about this. I doubt Zeke will tell anyone in case it gets back to JT. Three, it's not like it was a random stranger, it was Zeke. At least you know his surname and it wasn't some random guy you picked up at a bar. Four, we all make mistakes, but it's in the past. Tomorrow we can all pretend it didn't happen if that's what you want. No one has to know. And I don't hate you. You were upset, a little drunk-"
"A lot drunk."
"A lot drunk. But at least it wasn't Cole."
She snorts. "I don't know what I ever saw in him."
"I think it was the drink that made him more attractive or something. You couldn't have fallen for his personality because he has none."
We both giggle and walk back along the dock and three boys push past us, carrying a box of fireworks.
"More fireworks?" I ask.
"No idea." Nessie mutters.
We enter the kitchen and I raid the fridge for anything non-alcoholic and find a can of Coke.
"I'll go get the sheets and meet you in the laundry room." I say.
She nods and heads off down the hallway.
The atmosphere is a lot calmer, the music is on low and there is only one girl dancing on her own wi
th her eyes closed. I keep an eye out for anyone I know. I walk through the living room and around the couches that have been moved for some reason, there are a few people still sitting around, talking and smoking what smells like pot, and there are quite a few people passed out, and I spot two other people that ended up with dick drawings on their faces. I feel better knowing I'm not the only one.
I see Zeke at the back of the room, he's sitting with two other boys with a beer in his hand, but he looks as though he's not even listening to whatever they are saying, he's just staring at the floor lost in his own thoughts.
I glance down the hallway on my way to the stairs and can hear Boston laughing somewhere. I pass a guy asleep on the stairs, I don't even know how that is comfortable. I unlock Nessie's door, leaving it ajar, and flick the lights on and cover my eyes.
Too bright. I quickly turn them off again and flick the lamp on. Much better.
I lean over the bed and my phone slips out. I quickly pocket it again, refusing to turn it on just yet. I am too tired to deal with Mom's messages right now. She's probably threatening to send me to the nuns by now.
I quickly get to work and start stripping the bed. I roll the sheets up and I'm about to go back downstairs when something bright catches my attention outside.
I drop the sheets on the bed and go over to the window.
There is a fire at the bottom of the garden, and when I look closer, I can see the boys have lit one of the little rowing boats on fire. Idiots.
Stephen is already out there, yelling at the three of them. I shake my head and turn around and freeze when I see Mitchel standing on the other side of the bed.
"Mitchel!" I gasp.
His tall silhouette casts a shadow on the wall which makes me jump.
He ignores me and looks down at the bed and sees the sheets.
The bloody sheets.
Shit.
I thought I had rolled them up properly but then I dropped them to look out the window. Mitchel's eyes slowly move back to mine.
"That's not mine." I say before he gets the wrong idea.
"Whose is it then?" he asks in a quiet, low tone.
"It's Nessie's." I whisper, moving closer.
"Nessie's?"
"Yes, Nessie's."
He looks back at the sheets then back at me and his whole posture changes and he relaxes a little and runs a hand through his hair.
"I thought...I thought you..." He looks away and trails off.
