only pulled C’s in the class.
“And you didn’t tell me?!”
Maddie was frankly surprised that Jo seemed so interested all of a sudden. When she’d first told Jo about Charlie, after she swooned over his dark blond curls and bright blue eyes in freshman year homeroom, Jo had barely responded, and she’d never asked about him after they’d started dating. Hell, three seconds ago, she hadn’t even been able to remember his name.
“When?” Emma asked. “Is that too personal?”
“Nope,” Maddie said. “April 22, Holiday Inn Express, Brantley Boulevard, Fayetteville, North Carolina.”
“Wow,” Skylar laughed. Maddie just shrugged.
“People say you never forget your first time,” she said. She knew she never would.
Charlie had wanted to do it from the very start, of course, but Maddie thought fifteen was way too young, and besides, since her own mom had given birth to her at seventeen, Maddie was determined to graduate high school before engaging in any behavior that could possibly land her in the same situation.
They’d come close once, when Maddie had come over the night Charlie’s parents went away to Myrtle Beach for their anniversary. He’d pulled out all the stops, lighting candles, buying flowers, playing soft emo music, and even changing his sheets, and Maddie’s heart had felt like it was going to burst out of her chest as she took off her clothes. He’d been gentle and nervous and said all the right things, and they’d gone further than they ever had before. But when he asked her if he should get a condom, Maddie knew she wasn’t ready. It felt too fast. He’d assured her that it was okay and held her face in his hands and told her he loved her, and she’d left feeling weightless and giddy, so lucky to have a boyfriend who would wait for her.
With
her. But after a few months, Charlie had clearly grown tired of waiting.
“It’s not
normal
,” he would say petulantly when she pulled away in the backseat of his Toyota, which he eagerly drove into the woods on days that he could convince Maddie to ditch drama club to fool around. “We’ve been dating for a year. You love me, I love you . . . it’s just what happens next, Maddie.”
“How special,” she would reply. “Intercourse! The next step in the manual.” It had reminded her of health ed class, where the nether regions of the human body were bisected on diagrams, with arrows leading to various canals and ducts with ominous-sounding names.
A week before the junior prom, he’d threatened to break up with her.
“I’m not a total douchebag,” he’d said—inarguably a great start to any romantic monologue—“but I can’t pretend it doesn’t matter.” They’d been standing in the parking lot behind the Super Dog & Dairy, where Maddie worked an after-school shift, and Charlie had looked like he might cry. Maddie had been prepared to stand her ground, but as she’d listened to him stammer about commitment and trust, she’d realized that Charlie was the only solid thing she had in her life, at least since camp had ended. Things between her mom and Eddie were bad, and if they got divorced, Maddie realized she’d probably have to move to Alabama to live with her grandma. So she’d done what she thought she had to not to lose him. Hence the Holiday Inn Express. Hence the turned-down thumb.
“Okay, I’ve got one,” Skylar said, grinning. “Never have I ever . . . gotten a bikini wax!” Maddie was relieved that the spotlight was off her, and delighted when Skylar turned down her right pointer finger.
“What?” Skylar asked innocently. “Just me?”
“
Why
?” Jo asked, wincing.
“My cousin gave me a spa certificate for my birthday, and I just thought . . . why not?”
“Did it hurt?” Emma asked. “I once got my upper lip waxed, and . . .” she shuddered. “Never again.”
“And those were just the lips on your
face
,” Maddie cracked. They laughed so hard the rafters shook.
“Okay,
“And you didn’t tell me?!”
Maddie was frankly surprised that Jo seemed so interested all of a sudden. When she’d first told Jo about Charlie, after she swooned over his dark blond curls and bright blue eyes in freshman year homeroom, Jo had barely responded, and she’d never asked about him after they’d started dating. Hell, three seconds ago, she hadn’t even been able to remember his name.
“When?” Emma asked. “Is that too personal?”
“Nope,” Maddie said. “April 22, Holiday Inn Express, Brantley Boulevard, Fayetteville, North Carolina.”
“Wow,” Skylar laughed. Maddie just shrugged.
“People say you never forget your first time,” she said. She knew she never would.
Charlie had wanted to do it from the very start, of course, but Maddie thought fifteen was way too young, and besides, since her own mom had given birth to her at seventeen, Maddie was determined to graduate high school before engaging in any behavior that could possibly land her in the same situation.
They’d come close once, when Maddie had come over the night Charlie’s parents went away to Myrtle Beach for their anniversary. He’d pulled out all the stops, lighting candles, buying flowers, playing soft emo music, and even changing his sheets, and Maddie’s heart had felt like it was going to burst out of her chest as she took off her clothes. He’d been gentle and nervous and said all the right things, and they’d gone further than they ever had before. But when he asked her if he should get a condom, Maddie knew she wasn’t ready. It felt too fast. He’d assured her that it was okay and held her face in his hands and told her he loved her, and she’d left feeling weightless and giddy, so lucky to have a boyfriend who would wait for her.
With
her. But after a few months, Charlie had clearly grown tired of waiting.
“It’s not
normal
,” he would say petulantly when she pulled away in the backseat of his Toyota, which he eagerly drove into the woods on days that he could convince Maddie to ditch drama club to fool around. “We’ve been dating for a year. You love me, I love you . . . it’s just what happens next, Maddie.”
“How special,” she would reply. “Intercourse! The next step in the manual.” It had reminded her of health ed class, where the nether regions of the human body were bisected on diagrams, with arrows leading to various canals and ducts with ominous-sounding names.
A week before the junior prom, he’d threatened to break up with her.
“I’m not a total douchebag,” he’d said—inarguably a great start to any romantic monologue—“but I can’t pretend it doesn’t matter.” They’d been standing in the parking lot behind the Super Dog & Dairy, where Maddie worked an after-school shift, and Charlie had looked like he might cry. Maddie had been prepared to stand her ground, but as she’d listened to him stammer about commitment and trust, she’d realized that Charlie was the only solid thing she had in her life, at least since camp had ended. Things between her mom and Eddie were bad, and if they got divorced, Maddie realized she’d probably have to move to Alabama to live with her grandma. So she’d done what she thought she had to not to lose him. Hence the Holiday Inn Express. Hence the turned-down thumb.
“Okay, I’ve got one,” Skylar said, grinning. “Never have I ever . . . gotten a bikini wax!” Maddie was relieved that the spotlight was off her, and delighted when Skylar turned down her right pointer finger.
“What?” Skylar asked innocently. “Just me?”
“
Why
?” Jo asked, wincing.
“My cousin gave me a spa certificate for my birthday, and I just thought . . . why not?”
“Did it hurt?” Emma asked. “I once got my upper lip waxed, and . . .” she shuddered. “Never again.”
“And those were just the lips on your
face
,” Maddie cracked. They laughed so hard the rafters shook.
“Okay,
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