Forty-five minutes later, I hear the sounds of Heather’s sporty little Scion pulling into the driveway of my two story little cottage house. I grab my purse off the bed and run downstairs to meet her.
Heather
Jones is perpetually late. A good rule of thumb when it comes to her, is to take whatever time estimate she gives you, and double it. Being chronically late is as much a part of her as her bubbly personality, or her looks. I’ve accepted it, just like I’ve accepted her sweetly goofy laugh, and the fact that she drinks too much.
She comes bouncing out of
the driver’s side as I’m locking the front door. She looks good in her skinny jeans and a lacy pink top that works with her freckled pale skin. Her long strawberry blonde hair is pulled back into an artfully messy bun, with wispy locks framing her heart-shaped face.
“Which mall do you want to go to?” she asks as I
jump down the steps to meet her. “And what are we shopping for?”
“Hm, let’s go to Town Center,” I say, naming one of the two malls in our midsized town of Golden Valley, California. “
They have a Kiss n Tell.”
Heather
’s eyes widen. “You’re going shopping for lingerie?”
“
I need more bras,” I say, quickly getting into the passenger side of the car. I immediately jump back up when my butt comes into contact with something sharp and hard on the seat. Ugh, a Whoppers box! I throw it onto the floorboard along with the rest of the boxes, candy wrappers, and crumpled napkins.
“Dude.”
Heather climbs back behind the wheel. “I know you—you don’t randomly shop for lingerie. Are you finally going to have sex with Johnny?!”
I cringe at her
overly loud voice. “Um…no. Maybe. Let’s just say I’m open to the idea.”
“You want your first time to be during a wild party?”
Heather’s tone is perplexed.
“I know, it’s weird. Bad timing, and all.” I bite my lip. “I just decided tonight is the night—and I don’t want to back out. There won’t be any time before
, and I don’t want to wait until after when he’ll probably be tired and hung over.”
Heather
sits in silence for a second before she starts the car. “Wow. Are you sure about this, Jule? It’s a big step for you.”
“Yeah, I know.” My fingers nervously tangle into the end
s of my ponytail. “I just—I don’t know what I’m waiting for, anymore. I think I just want to get it over with, you know? Just get it out of the way.”
“Huh
.” Heather sounds less than impressed at my reasoning. She backs out of my driveway, turning all the way around in her seat instead of using the rearview mirror. “So how nervous are you?”
“Petrified,” I admit. “We’ve done almost everything else, b
ut…I don’t know. I’m worried that it will suck, and Johnny will be disappointed.”
Heather
grins impishly as she turns out of my cul de sac. “That’s why I only deal with my own kind. I don’t have to worry about anything ‘throbbing’ at me. Sounds kind of gross, or painful. Like a toothache.”
“Yuck.” I m
ake a face. “You’re no help. Maybe I should watch some porn?”
She laughs. “Yeah, ‘cause
that’s
like real life. Don’t even worry, Jule! Johnny knows what to do. You know he’s had lots of experience. According to his reputation, that boy has had more—”
“Don’t remind me,” I cut her off, my e
xpression turning sour. You don’t have to go to Leclare Academy to hear of Johnny Parker’s…aptitude for certain horizontal activities.
Heather
lets the smile fall from her face. “Hey, don’t worry, baby doll. You should be proud you held out against him this long! You’re the longest relationship he’s ever had, right? And I bet you’re the only straight girl around who hasn’t just dropped her pants at the sight of him.”
Her expression goes a little dreamy, and I know she’
s probably thinking about girls dropping their pants right now. She’s such a perv. “You’re right,” I say after taking a deep breath. “I’ll just concentrate on finding a hot outfit to wear tonight, and I’m sure Johnny will take care of the rest.”
“Woo hoo!” she cheers, accelerating sharply. “Let’s g
o celebrate first. I could go for some cherry pie!”
I sink down in my seat.
Shopping with
Heather is never an easy experience. Me, I come for something specific, I get it, and I don’t linger. Heather has to go in every store and browse, looking at things she has no intention of buying. Like a clock radio. She would never use it, so why must she compare prices and specs?
Finally
, I get her to Kiss n Tell. She happily peruses the displays of bras and panties, looking for the perfect set for me. Since I do most of my underwear shopping in the comfort-over-style section, I let her have free reign. Johnny’s seen my plain underwear before, and though he’s never complained, I want to surprise him with something hot tonight. I trust Heather to find something that will look good on me.
I’m so nervous! I’ve gone to pee three times since we got here, and my bladder still feels uncomfortably full. Am I really going through with this?
Look, I’m no innocent maiden, but technically, I am a virgin. Johnny and I have done…stuff. I mean he’s very good with his hands, but—
“I’m thinking of getting my tongue pierced,”
Heather says out of the blue, snapping me out of my dirty daydreams.
“Your parents would freak,” I reply immediatel
y. Mr. and Mrs. Jones are pretty conservative, and dote on their only daughter. “Remember the time you put that purple streak in your hair?”
She rolls her eyes. “Yeah,
you would think I murdered a puppy. If I ever told them that I like girls, they’d probably have Father Dan perform an exorcism. Oh, hey, this would look great on you—try it on.”
She holds out a sparkly pink push-up bra em
bellished with rhinestones, with matching garters, and a lacey thong.
I flinch away, like it’s g
oing to bite me. “Garters?” I hiss, looking around. “Really?”
“Hell, yes, garters. They’re sexy!
”
“I can’t wear this,” I say, shaking my head.
“Just try it on.” Heather pushes them at me.
“Come with me, then
,” I beg.
No, I’m not worried about getting naked in front of my lesbian friend. We’ve kno
wn each other since the eighth grade, and she’s like a sister to me. Besides, I happen to know her type, and I’m not it.
“How does it…?” I gesture to the garters as I stare critically
at my reflection in the changing room mirror.
“They attach
to thigh high stockings,” Heather says. She takes a step back and looks me up and down. “Very hot. You should definitely get it. But that can’t be your only set. I’m gonna go find you a few more things to try on. Be right back.”
Before I can stop her, she opens the door—wide—and saunters out. Before she shuts it behind her, I can distinctly see a guy waiting at the entrance of the changing rooms, craning his neck at an unnatural angle to gawk at me. I jump forward, and slam the door shut.
Sighing, I stare at my reflection again. Okay, well…I guess it’s sexy.
I’m not self-conscious about my looks. Enough
people have told me that I’m pretty, that I’d have to believe it—or be deliberately obtuse. But I also realize that I’m far from the most attractive thing out there. Basically, I’m pretty enough to get hit on by guys, but not enough to be seen as a threat by the most popular girls at my school. Which is okay by me.
I’ve been told I look like a living doll, with my big cat-shaped dark eyes, little nose, and big pouty lips.
Johnny calls me Teeny for a reason—I’m only 5’3” with a slight build that I like to whimsically describe as wood nymph-ish—but others call scrawny. I know I look deceivingly delicate and fragile, but I’m actually pretty strong. I enjoy playing sports, and I’ve got these bony knuckles—I pack a mean punch.
Okay, I lied when I said I wasn’t self-conscious about my looks. If there’s one thing…it’s my head. It’s big. Like, I’m pretty sure I resemble a lollipop at times. My mother told me
that when I was a baby, my height and weight were in the fifteenth percentile, but my head was in the ninety-fifth! Nothing was wrong with me—they monitored my growth, and it turned out I just had a giant melon. I wasn’t self-conscious about it until she told me that story—then I looked in the mirror and—gack! Pumpkin head!
I used to wear hats, because I thought it would cover up my deformity, but it wasn’t until
Heather finally told me that they only brought attention to my big head that I realized my mistake. So, now, I just keep my blonde hair straight and down to my butt, hoping to cover up my insecurity with a whole lot of hair. People don’t even really notice until I point it out, then they’re like, “No, your head’s perfectly…oh.” And then they trail off because they can see what I’m saying. I guess the big head contributes to my doll-like appearance, but damn, some days I feel like a member of the lollipop guild.
“Grooming issues,” Heather says absently after I’ve dressed and joined her at the display of bras.
“What about them?”
“Are you going to shave it?” she asks, point blank. “I mean, it’s fine now, but if you want to go for the wow factor, maybe you should consider the—”
“No!” I say hastily. “
Can you hold this? I have to go find a bathroom again.”
She shakes her head. “S
houldn’t have drank all that lemonade.”
“Yup.”
I throw my lingerie over her arm, and scurry out to find a restroom. I hate my nervous bladder.
Afterwards, I start walking, so preoccupied with my thoughts that I don’t realize I’
ve passed the store a while back. I turn abruptly—and smack right into a solid chest.
Strong arms reach out to steady me.
“Whoa, you okay?” a familiar male voice asks, sounding amused.
“I’m sorry!” I gas
p. Then I look up at an adorable face with twinkling blue eyes. “Rob!”
“Hey, there, Juliet. It’s been a while.”
Heather’s auburn haired brother greets me with a smile.
“Yeah.” I laugh self-consciously, untangling myself from his arms. “How are you? How’s college life treating you?”
“Good, and good.” He runs a hand through his hair and gives me a quick scan from head to foot. “What about you? What have you been up to?”
“I’m doing good,” I say inanely. I gesture at nothing. “I’m here with
Heather. We’ve been shopping.”
He chuckles. “Yeah, that sounds like my sister. So, where is she?
I’d like to say hi.”
“Oh, she’s in…uh…” I fumble with my words, my cheeks heating slightly. “She’s
in that store…down there. You can walk with me, if you want.”
“I want,” he says, and falls into step beside me. He waits a beat, then turns to me. “So, you’re looking good. Are you still seeing that g
uy? Ron, or whatever his name is?”
I glance at him, surprised that he even knew I was dating someone. “His name is
Johnny, and yeah, we’re still together. What about you? Are you breaking hearts left and right at UCLA?”
He smiles bashfully and shrugs. “Nah, I’m too busy studying my ass off these days. It doesn’t leave me much time for socializing. This is the first time I’ve been home since the Fourth of July.”
“They’re really cracking the whip, huh?” I struggle to keep up with his lanky gait. “So when did you get back into town? Heather didn’t mention you were at home.”
Rob notices me scurrying along, and immediately slows down
. “I’m actually staying with friends,” he confesses. “I was going to drop by tomorrow to see the family. So, uh, do you guys have any plans tonight?”
“Yeah, we’re going to a party at my boyfriend’s. You’re welcome to come,” I offer
, tucking a stray lock of hair behind an ear.
He shoots me a quick glance. “Nah, I think I’ll pass. Thanks for the invite, though. Hey, I wanted to ask you…”
“This is the store.” I stop abruptly in front of Kiss n Tell and its neon pink display window full of bras and panties.
Rob blinks twice, then his face darkens. “
Heather’s shopping for lingerie?” he mutters, and strides right in.
Yeah, Rob doesn’t know
Heather prefers girls over guys, so his big brother instinct is in high gear. I’m sure he thinks his little sister is buying sexy underwear for some guy he is duty bound to crush. I have to warn her.
Heather
sees me before she sees him. Her arms full of lacy lingerie, she starts over to me. “Jule, how do you feel about crotchless panties?” she jokes, laughing. “Johnny would be so shocked if you…”
She trails off as her gaze passes over, then locks on Rob standing behind me. “Rob!” she shouts happily, bounding forward to give him a hug, mindless of all the lingerie she’s carrying.