“So can I talk to you for a second?” she said when we were done. Her gaze wandered over to the corner where Ryan and Tyson were shooting hoops for prizes.
“Of course.” Her tone made me worried.
Morgan hesitated, nervously playing with her leather cuff bracelet. “I’ve been thinking a lot lately about taking the next step with Tyson — you know.”
It took me a second to realize what she was taking about. In a way I did know. It was Nate’s continual pressure on me to take that next step that had led to the demise of our relationship, or at least to the revelation that he was a cheating snake.
“Okay.” I prodded her to continue. I didn’t feel like I could contribute much since I had zero experience when it came to actual sex, but it was clear that Morgan needed to talk.
“I know we’ve only been dating for a few months, but he’s a senior. I don’t want to wait until he leaves. And I also didn’t want to be a big cliché and do it after prom. I don’t know.”
“Well …” I tried to stall since I had no idea what to say next. “I guess … if you’re not sure, you should probably wait until you are.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “You’re right. I do know that I want it to be special. I don’t want to make this a Club issue or anything, but I wonder if there’s someone I should talk to?”
“I know that Amy has … experience.” The fact that I couldn’t say “lost her virginity” or “had sex” out loud made it clear that I was not the right person to have this important conversation with. “But if I remember correctly, it wasn’t that great. I’m sure someone else has done it with better results; that information wasn’t exactly on the Club’s registration form.”
“It wasn’t? That’s a shame.” She laughed. “Well, I really appreciate you listening.”
“Of course, anytime. You know that.” Even if I was completely inadequate on the subject.
“So what about you?”
I responded with my most mature “Huh?”
“Have you and Ryan talked about … ?” She let the thought hang in the air.
“No!” I said with a little too much horror. The way I was handling this conversation made it painfully clear that I wasn’t ready to take that next step. I tried to fight the memories of Nate’s betrayal as they surfaced. I could still practically hear the echoes of Nate and that girl’s cruel laughter when I caught them.
Of course this now had me wondering if Ryan was considering it. I knew he and Diane had planned to do it, but never went through with it.
“Hey!” Tyson came over to us, followed by Ryan, who was clutching a stack of tickets. “What are you two talking about?”
“NOTHING!” Morgan and I shrieked in unison. We were so busted.
Tyson laughed. “Okay, okay, I get it. Girl stuff.”
I actually didn’t think he got it at all.
Morgan looked at Tyson’s empty hands. “So I take it that the game didn’t go well?”
Tyson gestured in defeat toward Ryan. “I should’ve known better than to challenge a jock to a sports game.”
“I did warn you.” Ryan put his arms around me and I bristled a little at his touch. He pulled back, sensing my discomfort. “We can do a guitar game if you feel like that would even the score.”
Tyson scrunched up his nose. “Playing guitar in a video game and in real life are two completely different things.”
Morgan decided to up the ante. “How about the three of us play the guitar game and I’ll school you both? Loser buys the pizza.”
There was no way Tyson and Ryan were going to take that from Morgan.
As we headed over to their game, Ryan pulled me in close. “Everything okay? You seem a little distant.”
“Yes, I’m fine,” I lied.
He stopped walking and faced me. “Listen, Bloom, you forget that I know you well. You’ve got that look on your face that means you’re either confused or worried, maybe a bit of both. So again I’ll ask, is everything okay?”
I looked at Ryan and couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. I was being silly, worrying over a conversation that didn’t need to happen for months, maybe even longer.
The best part of dating someone you’ve known practically your entire life is that you know what kind of person he is. Ryan would never force me to do anything I wasn’t ready for. I was stressing for no reason.
I leaned into him. “Everything’s great.” Then I surprised him by planting a kiss on his lips.
“Wow!” he exclaimed once I pulled away. “That was awesome and so public.”
I ignored his (completely justified) teasing and dragged him by the hand to where Morgan and Tyson were waiting.
“Okay, guys, I’m in.” I reached into my jeans pocket for change. “And fair warning: My parents pretty much require Beatles Rock Band family game night on a weekly basis. Get ready to hand over those tickets and buy me some pizza.”
Ryan may have been the jock, Tyson the rocker, and Morgan the gamer, but none of them had anything on me during that game.
I used my winnings to get Ryan a mini basketball with the Chicago Bulls logo. It seemed like a girlfriend thing to do … and I figured it was as good a time as any to start being a better girlfriend.
ELIZABETH EULBERG is the author of The Lonely Hearts Club, Prom & Prejudice, Take a Bow, Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality, and Better Off Friends. You can find her on the web at www.elizabetheulberg.com
Copyright © 2014 by Elizabeth Eulberg
Published by point, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC, POINT, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
First edition, December 2014
e-ISBN 978-0-545-79972-0
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
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