she was sitting next to Sophie.
“I’m not sick,” Sophie said.
“Just PMS,” Carrie Anne said not so quietly.
“Thanks, Carrie,” Sophie snapped. “Why not tell the whole world.”
“Sorry.”
“You weren’t at youth group last night,” Hannah pointed out.
“Thanks for letting me in on that.” Sophie made a face.
“Why are you cutting youth group?” Jenny asked.
“Homework.” Carrie Anne looked skeptical. “Or so she claims.”
“Well, you missed the big talk.” Hannah grinned.
“The big talk?” Sophie frowned.
“You know, the old back-to-school sex talk we get every year,” Kelsey said.
Sophie chuckled. “Guess I didn’t miss much then.”
“I’ll say,” Jenny agreed. “And this year they took it to a whole new level.”
“Huh?”
“Yeah,” Carrie Anne said. “First Phil talked to us together like usual. Then he and Jeanette broke us into two groups.”
“Girls and guys were separated,” Hannah said.
Sophie shrugged. “That actually sounds smart.”
“Except that Jeanette decided to get really explicit,” Kelsey said.
“Explicit?” Sophie echoed.
“ Embarrassingly explicit.” Jenny giggled.
Carrie Anne lowered her voice. “Yeah, she really laid it on the line.”
“How so?” Sophie leaned forward with interest.
“She defined sexual purity,” Kelsey said. “Specifically.”
“Specifically?”
“Uh-huh.” Kelsey nodded.
“Meaning?”
“Like we’re going to talk about that here.” Carrie Anne glanced nervously around the noisy cafeteria.
“Come on,” Sophie urged her friends. “Just tell me what she said.”
“Like you even need to hear it,” Jenny teased. “You’re like the queen of abstinence anyway.”
“Yeah,” Kelsey agreed. “You don’t even date.”
“I had to practically threaten her to go to the homecoming dance,” Carrie Anne added.
“So you are going?” Hannah asked.
And then they were all talking about the dance and what they were going to wear and how Carrie Anne’s mom had already said the girls could make a special dinner at her house to save the boys some bucks. Then they were menu planning, and Sophie tried to act interested and like she was still one of them. She even promised to make cheesecake for dessert.
“We’ll go dress shopping on Saturday,” Kelsey said. “That way our dresses will all look good together.”
Then they started to argue over skirt lengths and whether pastel or bright colors were cooler and what clashed with what. Sophie was relieved when the first bell rang and she was able to escape the planning frenzy.
“You’d think we were planning our weddings,” Sophie said as she and Carrie Anne took their lunch trays to the drop-off area. “Why all this obsessive craziness?”
“Because it’s fun. Plus it’ll be good practice for the prom.” “So you’re already planning to go to the prom now?” Sophie frowned as she dumped the remainder of her lunch in the garbage can.
“Why not?”
As Sophie dropped off her tray, she could think of dozens of reasons why not. At least where she was concerned. Prom was usually in late April or early May. By then Sophie would be full-term pregnant and probably bigger than a barn. By then all her friends and the universe at large would know her “little” secret. And by then Sophie would be a great big portion of supersized humiliation.
10
“Feeling better today?” Mr. Young asked.
Sophie gave him a big smile as she entered the classroom. She was ready for this now. No more dramatics—except for what she hoped would be an award-winning performance of normal. “Yeah, I’m feeling fine now. Thanks.” She handed him her opinion piece. “Sorry about yesterday. I think I ate something bad at lunch or something.”
“Well, I had one of their cheeseburgers today, and I can understand how that could happen.” He chuckled, then glanced down at her paper and headed to his office.
She was relieved that he hadn’t pressed her about
“I’m not sick,” Sophie said.
“Just PMS,” Carrie Anne said not so quietly.
“Thanks, Carrie,” Sophie snapped. “Why not tell the whole world.”
“Sorry.”
“You weren’t at youth group last night,” Hannah pointed out.
“Thanks for letting me in on that.” Sophie made a face.
“Why are you cutting youth group?” Jenny asked.
“Homework.” Carrie Anne looked skeptical. “Or so she claims.”
“Well, you missed the big talk.” Hannah grinned.
“The big talk?” Sophie frowned.
“You know, the old back-to-school sex talk we get every year,” Kelsey said.
Sophie chuckled. “Guess I didn’t miss much then.”
“I’ll say,” Jenny agreed. “And this year they took it to a whole new level.”
“Huh?”
“Yeah,” Carrie Anne said. “First Phil talked to us together like usual. Then he and Jeanette broke us into two groups.”
“Girls and guys were separated,” Hannah said.
Sophie shrugged. “That actually sounds smart.”
“Except that Jeanette decided to get really explicit,” Kelsey said.
“Explicit?” Sophie echoed.
“ Embarrassingly explicit.” Jenny giggled.
Carrie Anne lowered her voice. “Yeah, she really laid it on the line.”
“How so?” Sophie leaned forward with interest.
“She defined sexual purity,” Kelsey said. “Specifically.”
“Specifically?”
“Uh-huh.” Kelsey nodded.
“Meaning?”
“Like we’re going to talk about that here.” Carrie Anne glanced nervously around the noisy cafeteria.
“Come on,” Sophie urged her friends. “Just tell me what she said.”
“Like you even need to hear it,” Jenny teased. “You’re like the queen of abstinence anyway.”
“Yeah,” Kelsey agreed. “You don’t even date.”
“I had to practically threaten her to go to the homecoming dance,” Carrie Anne added.
“So you are going?” Hannah asked.
And then they were all talking about the dance and what they were going to wear and how Carrie Anne’s mom had already said the girls could make a special dinner at her house to save the boys some bucks. Then they were menu planning, and Sophie tried to act interested and like she was still one of them. She even promised to make cheesecake for dessert.
“We’ll go dress shopping on Saturday,” Kelsey said. “That way our dresses will all look good together.”
Then they started to argue over skirt lengths and whether pastel or bright colors were cooler and what clashed with what. Sophie was relieved when the first bell rang and she was able to escape the planning frenzy.
“You’d think we were planning our weddings,” Sophie said as she and Carrie Anne took their lunch trays to the drop-off area. “Why all this obsessive craziness?”
“Because it’s fun. Plus it’ll be good practice for the prom.” “So you’re already planning to go to the prom now?” Sophie frowned as she dumped the remainder of her lunch in the garbage can.
“Why not?”
As Sophie dropped off her tray, she could think of dozens of reasons why not. At least where she was concerned. Prom was usually in late April or early May. By then Sophie would be full-term pregnant and probably bigger than a barn. By then all her friends and the universe at large would know her “little” secret. And by then Sophie would be a great big portion of supersized humiliation.
10
“Feeling better today?” Mr. Young asked.
Sophie gave him a big smile as she entered the classroom. She was ready for this now. No more dramatics—except for what she hoped would be an award-winning performance of normal. “Yeah, I’m feeling fine now. Thanks.” She handed him her opinion piece. “Sorry about yesterday. I think I ate something bad at lunch or something.”
“Well, I had one of their cheeseburgers today, and I can understand how that could happen.” He chuckled, then glanced down at her paper and headed to his office.
She was relieved that he hadn’t pressed her about
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