My hands balled into fists, but I could feel America’s hand on my shoulder.
“C’mon, Abby. I need to talk to you,” America said.
Abby blinked a few times. “About what?”
“Just come on!” America snapped.
Abby looked to Parker. “I’m sorry, I have to go.”
Parker shook his head, angry. “No, it’s fine. Go ahead.”
I took Abby’s hand as she stepped from the Porsche, and then kicked the door shut. Abby flipped around and stood between me and the car, shoving my shoulder. “What is wrong with you? Knock it off!”
The Porsche squealed out of the parking lot. I pulled my cigs out of my shirt pocket and lit one up. “You can go in, now, Mare.”
“C’mon, Abby.”
“Why don’t you stay, Abs,” I said. The word felt ridiculous to say. How Parker could utter it with a straight face was a feat in itself.
Abby nodded for America to go ahead, and she reluctantly complied.
I watched her for a moment, taking a drag or two from my cigarette.
Abby crossed her arms. “Why did you do that?”
“Why? Because he was mauling you in front of my apartment!”
“I may be staying with you, but what I do, and who I do it with, is my business.”
I flicked my cigarette to the ground. “You’re so much better than that, Pidge. Don’t let him f**k you in a car like a cheap prom date.”
“I wasn’t going to have sex with him!”
I waved my hand toward the empty space where Parker’s car sat. “What were you doing, then?”
“Haven’t you ever made out with someone, Travis? Haven’t you just messed around without letting it get that far?”
That was stupidest thing I’d ever heard. “What’s the point in that?” Blue balls and disappointment. Sounded like a ball.
“The concept exists for a lot of people. Especially those that date.”
“The windows were all fogged up, the car was bouncing . . . how was I supposed to know?”
“Maybe you shouldn’t spy on me!”
Spy on her? She knows we can hear every car that pulls up to the apartment, and she decided that right outside my door was a good place to suck face with a guy I can’t stand? I rubbed my face in frustration, trying to keep my cool. “I can’t stand this, Pigeon. I feel like I’m going crazy.”
“You can’t stand what?”
“If you sleep with him, I don’t wanna know about it. I’ll go to prison for a long time if I find out he . . . just don’t tell me.”
“Travis.” She seethed. “I can’t believe you just said that! That’s a big step for me!”
“That’s what all girls say!”
“I don’t mean the sluts you deal with! I mean me!” She held her hand to her chest. “I haven’t . . . ugh! Never mind.” She took a few steps, but I grabbed her arm, turning her to face me.
“You haven’t what?” Even in my current state, the answer came to me. “You’re a virgin?”
“So what?” she said, blushing.
“That’s why America was so sure it wouldn’t get too far.”
“I had the same boyfriend all four years of high school. He was an aspiring Baptist youth minister! It never came up!”
“A youth minister? What happened after all that hard-earned abstinence?”
“He wanted to get married and stay in . . . Kansas. I didn’t.”
I couldn’t believe what Abby was saying. She was almost nineteen, and still a virgin? That was almost unheard of these days. I couldn’t remember meeting one since the beginning of high school.
I held each side of her face. “A virgin. I would have never guessed, with the way you danced at the Red.”
“Very funny,” she said, stomping up the stairs.
I went after her but busted my ass on one of the steps. My elbow cracked against the corner of the concrete stair, but the pain never came. I rolled onto my back, laughing hysterically.
“What are you doing? Get up!” Abby said as she tugged on me until I was upright.
My eyes turned fuzzy, and then we were in Chaney’s class. Abby was sitting on his desk wearing something that looked like a prom dress, and I was in my boxer shorts. The room was empty, and it was either dusk or dawn.
“Going somewhere?” I asked, not particularly concerned that I wasn’t dressed.
Abby smiled, reaching out to touch my face. “Nope. Not going anywhere. I’m here to stay.”
“You promise?” I asked, touching her knees. I spread her legs just enough to fit snugly between her thighs.
“At the end of it all, I’m yours.”
I wasn’t exactly sure what she meant, but Abby was all over me. Her lips traveled down my neck, and I closed my eyes, in a complete and total state of euphoria. Everything I had worked for was happening. Her fingers traveled down my torso, and I sucked in a bit just as she slipped them between my boxers and settled on my junk.
Whatever awesomeness I’d felt before, it had just been surpassed. I twisted my fingers in her hair, and pressed my lips against hers, wasting no time to caress the inside of her mouth with my tongue.
One of her heels fell to the floor, and I looked down.
“I have to go,” Abby said, sad.
“What? I thought you said you weren’t going anywhere.”
Abby smiled. “Try harder.”
“What?”
“Try harder,” she echoed, touching my face.
“Wait,” I said, not wanting it to end. “I love you, Pigeon.”
My eyes blinked slowly. When my eyes focused, I recognized my ceiling fan. My body hurt everywhere, and my head was thumping with every beat of my heart.
From somewhere down the hall, America’s excited, shrill voice filled my ears. In contrast, Shepley’s low voice was then peppered between America’s and Abby’s voices.
I closed my eyes, falling into a deep depression. It was just a dream. None of that happiness was real. I rubbed my face, trying to produce enough motivation to drag my ass outta bed.
Whatever party I’d crashed the night before, I hoped it was worth feeling like pulverized meat in the bottom of a trash can.
My feet felt heavy as I dragged them across the floor to pick up a pair of jeans crumpled in the corner. I pulled them on, and then stumbled into the kitchen, recoiling at the sound of their voices.
“You guys are loud as f**k,” I said, buttoning my jeans.
“Sorry,” Abby said, barely looking at me. No doubt I’d probably done something stupid to embarrass her the night before.
“Who in the hell let me drink that much last night?”
America’s face screwed into disgust. “You did. You went and bought a fifth after Abby left with Parker, and killed the whole thing by the time she got back.”
Bits of memories came back to me in scrambled pieces. Abby left with Parker. I was depressed. Liquor store stop with America.
“Damn,” I said, shaking my head. “Did you have fun?” I asked Abby.
Her cheeks flushed red.
Oh, shit. It must have been worse than I thought.
“Are you serious?” she asked.
“What?” I asked, but the second the word came out, I’d regretted it.
America giggled, clearly amazed at my memory loss. “You pulled her out of Parker’s car, seeing red when you caught them making out like high schoolers. They fogged up the windows and everything!”