Forever by Judy Blume Page A

easy. It usually requires mutual education. It takes time, effort, and patience to
     learn to make love.
    That made me feel better about last night. It’s funny, because I
     used to think if you read enough books you’d automatically know how to do
     everything the right way. But reading and doing are not the same at all.
    Question three didn’t interest me that much so I jumpedahead to question four, which made me very angry. Why should I
     have to think about the end with Michael when we are just at the beginning ? And I didn’t like the way he said, Rejection is rejection whether we call it divorce, puppy love or
     adolescent turmoil . Anyway, who says a relationship has to end?

    â€œWhat did you think?” Mom asked over breakfast.
    â€œAbout what?’
    â€œThat article?”
    â€œOh . . . well, it was pretty good.”
    â€œDid you agree?”
    â€œWith some of it . . . like a person shouldn’t
     ever feel pushed into sex . . . or that she has to do it to please
     someone else . . .”
    â€œI’m glad you feel that way,” Mom said.
    â€œI’m answering you hypothetically,” I told her,
     “not personally.”
    â€œYes, of course.”

    â€œYou’ll never believe who called me yesterday,” Erica
     said. We were sitting in English, which we both have second period. Mr. Frazier
     wasn’t there yet.
    â€œTommy Aronson?” I asked.
    â€œHe called you first?”
    I could see that Erica was surprised, and hurt too. “Just to get
     your number,” I said.
    â€œOh, wow . . . for a minute I really
     wondered.”
    â€œDid you go out with him?”
    â€œNo . . . but he came
     over.” Erica must have seen some expression on my face that made her add,
     “We didn’t make out, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
    â€œI’m not thinking anything . . . what you do is
     your own business.”
    â€œNot that he didn’t try,” Erica said, “and not
     that I wasn’t curious . . . he has a very sexy body.”
    â€œSo how come you didn’t?”
    â€œBecause he’s so dull . . . he doesn’t
     have an idea in his head. Compared to Artie he’s a real
     nothing . . . even if he does have a perpetual hard-on.”
    We both laughed as Mr. Frazier walked into the room, smoothing down his
     hair. His zipper was at half-mast, as usual.
    I was surprised that Erica didn’t say anything about the fact that I
     am no longer a virgin. She said she’d be able to tell in a minute. I was sure
     she’d ask me all about it. So in a way I will always be grateful to Tommy Aronson
     because if she hadn’t had him on her mind she’d have put me through the
     third degree. And I’m not sure that I’d have told her the truth.
    About school, I have two things to say. One, senior year is a bore, except
     for activities and history, and two, everyone is just marking time until graduation and
     all the teachers know it.
    About my other friends, which I also haven’t mentioned, I already
     know that after graduation we won’t be seeing much of each other. It’s funny
     how you can grow away from your friends, when just a few years ago theywere the most important people in your life. We used to travel in a
     pack—there were eight of us and we did everything together. We still share a table
     at lunch but I don’t talk to them on the phone every night, the way I used to, and
     I certainly don’t share my innermost thoughts with them either. Erica is the only
     one of them I really care about now.
    I used to be best friends with Janis Foster. Since ninth grade Janis has
     been going with Mark Fiore. He’s finishing his first year at Rutgers now.
     Naturally Janis is going to Douglass. She and Mark have their entire lives mapped out.
     They know exactly