Dylan: I’ll learn how to use it on my own. I don’t need help.
Jared: No, I…
Dylan: You can’t just take it away now that I’ve gotten a chance to ride it. If I have to come inside, I’m just going to stare at it through the window all day being unhappy.
Jared: Dylan, I–
Dylan: And I don’t want to be unhappy on Christmas. Come on, please? It’s so much fun. It’s going to ruin the whole day if you make me wait to ride it.
Jared: Don’t be dramatic. I—
Dylan: I’m not being dramatic! Do you call the boys dramatic?
Jared: I…I…
Tate: *laughing
Madoc: *making whipping sound
Dylan: Just twenty more minutes.
Hawke: An hour.
Dylan: Yeah, an hour. Then we’ll come inside!
Hunter: Hey, Dyl. Let me ride with you.
Dylan: Don’t call me Dyl, Dork.
Hunter: Fine. Let me ride with you. *walks to four-wheeler
Kade: *grabs him and pulls him away* You go be Hawke’s sissy. I’ll ride with Dylan.
Kade: *looks at Dylan* Scoot back. I’m driving.
Dylan: Fat chance. You want to ride with me, climb on behind. I’m driving.
Kade: *smirks, climbs on behind and then leans forward into Dylan’s back, placing his hands on the handlebars and pushing hers out of the way.
Dylan: Hey!
Kade: I always win. You know that by now. *speeds off, followed by Hawke and Hunter
Madoc: That’s my boy. You can’t learn skill like that.
Jared: *scowls and glares at Madoc
Madoc: Oh, come on. Things are going to get real interesting in a few years. She doesn’t stand a chance. You know that.
Jared: Shut up.
***
Quinn Caruthers is seventeen. She’s sitting at the kitchen table, at night, and Jared, Madoc, and Jax walk in.
Quinn: Hey, can I ask you guys a question?
Jared: Mmm hmm...*searching for food
Madoc: *searching for food* Yeah, what is it?
Quinn: Well, it’s kind of personal.
Guys: *still searching for food
Quinn: Well, um...I kind of wanted to know...what does sex feel like for a man?
Guys: *stop and shoot their eyes over to her
Jax: *snorts
Madoc: Um...
Jared: *looks like he swallowed something bitter
Madoc: It feels like...warm apple pie.
Jax: *laughing
Jared: *scowling* Don’t be an idiot. *looks to Quinn* And you don’t need to know that yet.
Quinn: I’m seventeen.You’re telling me you guys were virgins at my age?
Madoc: *smiles at Jared* Come on, man. She’s practice for Dylan. You’re going to have to deal with this sooner or later.
Jared: It feels good, alright? Is that what you wanted to know?
Madoc: Yeah. It feels...*takes a deep, wistful breath* REALLY good.
Jax: Yeah, really good.
Quinn: Good. That’s it? Come on, guys. I can’t ask Dad. And I’m not going to ask Hawke. He’s a year younger, and I’m not having him educate ME on that stuff.
Jax: *stops with spoon raised to lips* Hawke’s having sex? *looks around to the guys* Fuck, I gotta go. *puts bowl down and leaves room
Jared: *sits down, eating* Why do you want to know?
Quinn: I’m curious. I want to know what men like.
Jared: Everything. And you can find out in college. After college. When you’re married. Not in high school. You understand? Every single high school guy is an asshole. Every single one. I promise.
Madoc: Hey. I have two boys in high school
Jared: *raises eyebrow to Madoc and then looks at Quinn* Every. Single. One. Got it?
Quinn: *rolls eyes
Don’t worry, Quinn. You’re about to be the least of their problems.
***
Jared is shopping for tampons. He and Tate are texting...
Jared: Okay, I’m here. What do you need again?
Tate: They’re in a black box. They say Kotex on them.
Jared: Jesus.
Jared: Like WHERE are they?
Jared: Left, right, top, bottom?
Tate: Do you see the black boxes?
Tate: Jared?
Tate: Are you in the tampon aisle?!
Jared: No.
Jared: I’m staying in the vitamin aisle until you tell me exactly where they are, so I can grab them.
Tate: Dude…
Tate: You’re going to have to go through the check-out, you know.
Jared: Fuck.
Jared: People are watching. I don’t want to be here anymore.
***
Madoc is shopping for tampons. He and Fallon are texting...
Fallon: Where are you already?!
Madoc: At the store
Fallon: Hurry up!
Madoc: There are way too many choices here. It’s ridiculous. Do you need super absorbency?
Madoc: And what’s the difference between a plastic applicator and a non-applicator? I Googled it, and did you know there are sixteen ways women are using these things wrong?
Madoc: I mean, what are you chicks doing with them? I’m actually a little freaked out for you.
Fallon: Madoc...
Madoc: They have gentle glide and something called 360. Does that mean they rotate?
Madoc: Sounds kinky.
Madoc: And they have Sport Fresh, but that sounds more like Tate. She’s sporty. I’ll get those for her.
Fallon: YOU ARE NOT THERE TO GET TATE TAMPONS!
Madoc: Oh, right.
***
Alright, I did Jared and Madoc’s tampon adventures, so here’s Jax!
Everyone’s at his house for a cookout...
Jax: I forgot the hot dogs! Be back in a minute!
Juliet: Wait! There’s a list on the refrigerator!
Jax: *rubs face with hands* There’s always a list. What the hell? I need ONE thing.
Madoc: *snort
Jax: Wait, what’s Kotex?
Juliet: Jax! Shhh!
Jared: *shaking head* I could tell you, but I don’t care to relive that.
Tate: Oh, my God. What a baby. It’s tampons, Jax.
Jax: *cocks eyebrow, looks at girlfriend
Juliet: *shrugs* I need them, and I do your laundry, so...
Madoc: Do you want me to go with you? I’m kind of a connoisseur with that shit now.
Jax: *rolls eyes* When do you need them by?
Juliet: I’m expecting my period next week. I’m sure you can work up the courage, big boy. I promise, no one will think they’re for you.
Jared: It was pretty fucking horrible. People looked at me.
Juliet: Oh, would you shut up? Knowing Jax, he’s going to get one of his flunkies at the Loop to do it for him, and he needs to man up.
Jax: *fiddling on phone
Tate: I’ll go with you, Jax. It’ll be a piece of cake.
Madoc: Well, I want to go, too.
Fallon: And then you’ll be there all day debating sleek fit and regular fit.
Madoc: I’ll show you a sleek fit.
Jax: *fiddling on phone
Juliet: Jax, just do it. Buy some condoms with it if it makes you feel more like a man.
Madoc: Come on. Let’s all go.
Jared: I’m not going.
Jax: *fiddling on phone
Juliet: Just go, please! We need hot dogs on the grill, and this is ridiculous.
Jax: *heaves sigh, puts phone away* Okay, Kotex tampons will be delivered day after tomorrow. I ordered you six, thirty-six-count boxes, and the order will automatically repeat every six months. Four-hundred tampons is enough for a year, right? I love Amazon. They have everything.
Juliet:...
Jared: ...
Tate: ...
Madoc: ...
Fallon: ...
Jax: What?
Jared: You o
rdered them online? I didn’t know you could do that.
Jax: Work smarter, not harder. I’m going to get hot dogs.
THE END
Acknowledgments
To Katie Harder-Shauer—thank you for searching for all of this content!! It saved me lots of time, and I really appreciate all of your help. Xoxo
To everyone else—thanks for your love of these characters! They live, because you keep them alive. I hope you love the next generation, and enjoy the glimpses of Jared, Tate, Madoc, Fallon, Jax, and Juliet.
‘Under a Black Flag We Shall Sail!’
(Yeah, you’ll find out what that means)
xoxo Pen
About the Author
Penelope Douglas is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Her books include the Fall Away Series, Corrupt, Misconduct, and Punk 57, due out September 20, 2016.
She dresses for autumn year round, loves anything lemon flavored, and shops at Target almost daily. She lives in Las Vegas with her husband and their daughter.
Subscribe to her blog: http://penelopedouglasauthor.com/news/
Be alerted of her next release: http://amzn.to/1hNTuZV
And she’s very active on social media!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PenelopeDouglasAuthor
Twitter: @PenDouglas
Website: www.penelopedouglasauthor.com
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1xvDwau
Instagram: https://instagram.com/penelope.douglas/
And all of her stories have Pinterest boards if you’d like to enjoy some visuals: https://www.pinterest.com/penelopedouglas/
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