“You guys have never had sex?”
“We have.” His eyes searched mine. “But we haven’t had sex on this trip.”
My eyes widened. “Oh.” I wanted to ask why, but I was scared of his answer.
“Hudson, let’s go down to the bar,” Clara called over to us as she danced along to a song in the kitchen.
“We have beers here, Clara,” Hudson called back, but he didn’t get up.
“I want to go to the bar.” She made a face. “Don’t be a spoilsport.”
“I don’t want to go to the bar. You’ve had enough to drink.”
“Who are you? My dad?” She left the kitchen and walked over to us. “Leave the little kids behind and let’s go be with the big kids.”
I gasped at her words. She’d never been so mean and rude to me before. I could see from across the room that Eden looked a bit shocked as well.
“Be nice.” Hudson frowned. “And maybe go and lie down. You’re drunk.”
“I’m not drunk,” Clara slurred.
“Come on.” Hudson jumped up and grabbed her arm. “Excuse me, Riley.” He gave me a small smile and escorted Clara out of the room.
“I guess they’re about to have some hot drunken sex.” Eden grinned at me, and I attempted a smile, though it was very weak.
“Yeah, who knows.” I walked to the kitchen and grabbed a soda, feeling overwhelmingly sad. “I wish today wasn’t our last day here.”
“I know,” Eden groaned. “I don’t want to go back to school.”
“At least we have college applications to look forward to.”
“Are you joking?” Eden gave me a crazy look. “I still have to retake my SATs, and I don’t know if my GPA is good enough to get into State.”
“Not trying for Harvard anymore?” I laughed.
“Harvard my ass.” She grinned at me. “My GPA wouldn’t even get me into the kitchen staff program.”
“Kitchen staff program?” I burst out laughing and collapsed next to her on the couch. “You always make me laugh, you goof.”
“You know it’s true. Shit, I may not even get into State. I may have to go to community college for two years.”
“Nothing wrong with that.” I smiled at her and rubbed her shoulders. “It’s cheaper.”
“You’re a doll, Riley, but I do not want to go to community college first.” She sighed. “I want to meet hot frat guys, and there are no hot frat guys in community college.”
“Eden, you do know you’re not going to college to meet guys, right?”
“What? I’m going to get laid.” She grinned.
“What do you think you’re first time will be like?” I sat back and sipped on my Coke.
“I hope it’s hot.” She grinned. “And I hope he’s hot as well. Tall, blond, maybe a surfer. And I hope he’s really into me.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, I would hope he’s really into you as well.”
“What about you? What do you want your first time to be like?”
“I want it to be magical.” I closed my eyes and thought for a moment. “I want it to be under the stars. I want there to be fireworks in the sky. I want him to hold me and love me and kiss me all over. I want him to—”
“Okay, this is sounding like a movie, Riley.” Eden laughed. “I do not foresee some random guy in college kissing you all over. More like a quick in out, in out, and bam.” She laughed. “That’s what Alexis told me her first time was like with Todd.”
“She had sex with Todd?” My mouth dropped open, and Eden nodded.
“Didn’t I tell you?” Eden squealed. “She and Todd had sex and he came within three minutes.”
“What?” I screamed. “Three minutes?”
“And he wasn’t wearing a condom yet.”
“What?” I screamed again.
“So she had to take a pregnancy test.” Eden shook her head. “Imagine if she got pregnant after three minutes.”
“That would be crazy.”
“What would be crazy?” Hudson walked back into the room with his shirt off and I tried not to gasp out loud. He was so hot.
“Nothing.” I shook my head, embarrassed.
“Alexis had sex with Todd and he lasted three minutes and now she thinks she might be pregnant,” Eden burst out.
Hudson laughed in response. “Is this a soap opera or something?”
“No, you know Alexis,” Eden rambled on. “My friend with the white-blond hair and the big boobs.”
“Uh, okay.” He shrugged and looked at me with a small smile. “What are you guys up to tonight?”
“I’m going out with that cute guy from Boston.” Eden jumped up. “I better go and get ready.”
“What about Riley?” Hudson frowned as he watched his sister run to the bathroom.
“Riley doesn’t mind, do you?” She looked at me and I shook my head.
“It’s cool. I’ll just watch TV.”
“Why don’t we go somewhere?” Hudson looked at me casually.
“I thought you and Clara were going to go to a bar.”
“No.” He shook his head. “No, we’re not.”
“Oh.”
“I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I think Clara and I are pretty much done.” He sighed. “It was a mistake to date her.”
“Why?” I asked him with wide eyes and excitement in my heart.
“I don’t think we are compatible.” He shrugged. “But let’s not talk about it.” He gave me a smile. “Want to do something tonight?”
“Okay.” I nodded and then thought back to my conversation with Eden. There were some parts that I hadn’t told her. Like that I wanted Hudson to be my first. “What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know. What do you think?”
“Maybe we can go swimming.”
“Swimming?” He looked surprised. “At night?”
“Well, you know. We only went that once and it was a bit of a mess.”
“You can say that again.” He laughed. “Okay then. Let me go and get my trunks.”
“Or maybe we can skinny dip this time,” I spoke slowly, not believing what I was saying.
His eyes blazed into mine in shock. “Are you sure?”