Chapter 14 – Go Lose Your V-Card
I ran down the stands and jumped into Jacob’s waiting arms. He twirled me around, making the lights in the stadium blur around us.
His body was warm even though the air was cold. And I never wanted to let go.
“Great game,” I whispered against his lips.
“I always do better when you’re cheering for me.”
I thought he’d set me down, but he kept his hands on my thighs, holding me against him.
“I was thinking,” he said.
“What were you thinking?”
“Well, more wondering really.”
I wrapped my arms a little tighter behind his neck, trying to hold on to his warmth. “What were you wondering?”
“If you’re ready to go further.”
“Further...where?”
“Well I was just wondering about that stuff your dad is always saying. About you waiting for marriage...”
I laughed. “My dad is insane.”
Jacob laughed. “Maybe a bit.”
We both just stared at each other.
Jacob cleared his throat. “So you’re not? Waiting until marriage?”
I shook my head. Wait. Jacob had started this whole thing with asking if I was ready to go further. “Are you asking me if I want to do it?”
He laughed. “Very eloquent. But...yeah, that. And it’s okay if you’re not ready. I don’t mind waiting. We just haven’t talked about it and...if I’m being honest, I think about it a lot.”
“A lot, huh?”
He pressed his lips against mine. “You’re all I think about,” he whispered.
I wasn’t sure if there was a normal time to wait for this sort of thing.
But I loved everything I did with Jacob.
I loved everything about him. Each day I fell more and more in love with him.
We’d settled into this routine. We’d take turns going to each other’s houses during weekdays to do our homework together.
And I’d always go to his house whatever weekend night there wasn’t a party, for family movie night.
And we’d sneak away on Sundays to make out when everyone else was busy watching the Giants. “You’re all I think about too.”
He smiled. “I want to make your first time special.”
“Maybe we can make a whole thing of it. Let’s do it on Halloween. There’s like a million rooms at the Caldwell mansion.”
Jacob laughed. “I’m happy to wait another week, but I don’t want to have sex with Ginny Weasley. I want to make love to you. And I don’t want to do it in some random room at my grandparents’ house. I want it to be perfect.”
I felt my cheeks turning red. We were dressing up as Ginny and Harry for the annual Caldwell Halloween party. Even though Jacob looked much more like how I pictured Viktor Krum. “Then how about tonight? After the victory party?”
“How about we skip the party? I thought maybe we could drive out of the city.”
“Shouldn’t we get a hotel or something?”
“Um...I was thinking more of a picnic in the back of my pickup truck. Somewhere out under the stars.”
“It’s freezing.”
“It’ll be memorable,” he said. “And I promise to keep you warm.”
I laughed. “You’ve been planning this for a while, haven’t you?”
“More dreaming of it, really.”
I slowly nodded. “That actually sounds really perfect.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. But...I need to go to the party for just a bit. I promised Sophie I’d be her wingwoman.”
“For what exactly?”
“Honestly, I have no idea. I thought she was going to ask Eli out, but she didn’t think that would make Mr. Halifax jealous enough.
I don’t know what her next move is. But she’s kind of...
” I didn’t really know what to say. I could tell that Sophie was frustrated.
But it was more than that. She was hurting.
It was like her heart was slowly breaking every time Mr. Halifax ignored her.
“I just don’t want to leave her hanging. ”
“That’s fine.” Jacob slowly set me down. He pulled his varsity jacket tighter around me to help keep the cold away. “It’ll give you some time to warm up anyway. I’ll meet up with you at the party.”
“And then we’ll go for a drive.” I smiled.
He kissed the tip of my nose.
One of his teammates looped his arm across Jacob’s shoulders. “Great run, man.”
I walked off the field as the guys headed to the locker room.
Sophie caught up to me at the entrance of the stadium.
“So what exactly am I doing again tonight?” I asked. “I can’t stay long, because Jacob has this whole thing planned. So give me the rundown.”
“Oh, what kind of thing?”
I never kept stuff from Sophie. But recently, I was worried that my over the top happiness was wearing on her.
Not that she wasn’t happy for me. I knew she was.
But it was hard to put on a smile for your best friend’s love life when your own was in shambles.
I’d know. I’d been doing it my whole life. “Nothing,” I said.
“Obviously it’s something.” She bumped her shoulder against mine. “Tell me. I’m living vicariously through you this year because apparently Mr. Halifax refuses to date his students.”
“You really want to know?”
“Of course I want to know.”
I smiled. “I’m going to do it with Jacob.”
“Do what?”
“Sex,” I whispered.
“Wait, really?” She squealed. “I had a feeling that tonight would be a big night. You’re finally losing your V-Card.”
I smiled.
“I’m really happy for you, Scar.”
“Thank you. But back to your thing.” We climbed into her car.
“Right,” she said as she pulled the car out of her spot. “Here’s the plan. Obviously I can’t ask Mr. Halifax to the Sadie Hawkins dance. But what if we moved the dance to him?”
“What?”
“You’re the school president. You can do whatever you want.” She turned out of the school.
I laughed. “That’s not how it works. There’s a whole council.
” Although I was pretty sure the only thing the president did was help plan the dances.
I’d been weirdly enjoying student council.
I would have felt bad about cheating to become president, but the girl who’d actually been running told me how relieved she was that she didn’t win.
Apparently her parents had forced her to do it.
And I was having fun making this year’s Sadie Hawkins dance the best one ever.
“Then get the council to move it. I heard through the grapevine that Mr. Halifax isn’t going to be chaperoning the dance. Which means he won’t be in teacher mode. So if we can move the dance to wherever he’s going to be, he’ll be in...out of school mode. Which means he’ll hook up with me.”
“He’ll probably just be in his apartment if he’s not working, right?”
“Then I’ll text him and tell them there’s an emergency wherever we move the dance to and he’ll come.”
I stared at her. “You have his number?”
“Maybe.”
“It’s a yes or no question, Soph.”
“I may have recently acquired his number. But I haven’t used it yet. I need to wait until just the right moment. And I’m thinking that moment is the fake emergency Sadie Hawkins dance.”
“The Sadie Hawkins dance is always in the school cafeteria. Always.” It was one of the only dances held at Empire High instead of a ballroom somewhere. It was supposed to be old school. That was the whole point.
“Not this year.” She pulled to the curb.
“Why are we at my place?” Oh no. Had she set up the party in Natalivanka’s mom’s apartment without consulting me?
“Don’t you want something a little sexier to slip into for your first time?”
I was wearing leggings, an Empire High long-sleeved t-shirt, and Jacob’s varsity jacket. I guess she had a point. “Yeah, I’ll be right back.” I hurried into the apartment and hit the button for Natalivanka’s floor.
I used my key, went up the trapdoor in my secret lair, and threw open the door to my closet.
I stared at my first time silky pajamas that my mom had gotten me.
I’d worn them for photos for Leo. And I’d worn them to sleep in beside Axel.
But I didn’t really have time to overthink it.
I grabbed the silky pajamas, shoved them into my purse, and ran back down the spiral staircase.
Sophie was waiting for me in the car. “All set?” she asked.
“Mhm.”
She hit her foot on the gas. Whoever was throwing the party was only several minutes away from my place. We climbed out of the car and headed into the building.
It was more old-fashioned like Sophie’s place. There was elevator music and crown molding everywhere. And now that I was worried Sophie was going to throw a party, I was very aware of how loud the music was before we even walked into the apartment.
The place was absolutely packed. And someone blew smoke in my face as I walked down the hall. I coughed and waved my hand through the air. I was not going to do hard drugs right before my first time.
My first time. The words settled around me. I remembered one of the very first texts my kiss thief had sent me. He told me he was going to steal all my firsts. This would be the first one he didn’t take.
I’d been so concerned with my first kiss for years that I hadn’t thought much past that. But I always thought my first kiss would be with Axel. So I guess my first time would have been with him too.
As if the universe knew I was thinking about him, I walked into the kitchen and immediately locked eyes with Axel. He was standing by the keg getting a refill.
My feet froze.
He lifted his cup and stared at me over the rim. And then he took a puff of a joint.
Gigi’s arm was wrapped around his waist, but he ignored her. He kept staring at me.
“Thirsty?” Sophie asked.
“No, I’m good.”
“One drink might be a good idea, I think.” She pulled me toward the keg.
Gigi rolled her eyes when she saw us. “Shnookums.” She put her hand on Axel’s chest like she was clawing his heart out. “There’s an empty room down the hall. Let’s go.”
“I’ll meet you there,” he said, while still staring at me.
She sighed. “Fine.” She uncurled herself from him, gave me a death stare, and walked off.
“You two make an adorable couple,” Sophie said and grabbed two empty cups to fill up.
“Thanks,” Axel said.
“I was being sarcastic.”
Axel took another pull of his joint. “How’s the Mr. Halifax thing going anyway? Have you gotten him arrested yet?” He laughed.