9:59 PM
Jennifer’s head is turned towards the window and she has to squint to see — she's blind without her glasses. She closes her eyes and lets out one last breathe as if to say "I'm ready."
"Owwu"
…
"Oh"
…
"What happened?"
…
"I'm done."
"That wasn't so bad. I expected worse. It hurt, but in the good kinda way, ya know? Claire told me it would be like that,” said Jennifer.
“Ugh, Claireee…” Tom says under his breath with a hint of disgust.
“Well, thank you," she says sheepishly, not knowing what else to do.
After an embarrassing peck on the cheek, he leaves.
***
"Dude, but I'm pretty sure she was looking at the clock," Tom says shaking his head.
"Nah man, I'm sure she didn't. Don't worry."
"Well I looked. One minute. One fucking minute. Actually, a little less but I have to round up. That's okay, right?"
"Yeah man, chill out. It's happens to everyone. You'll get better and she'll want more," Chris says, nodding and grinning.
Chris is kind of creepy but he's Tom's friend and Tom needs support right now.
It’s been 16 hours now since Tom lost his virginity to Jennifer. Tom has had his eye on Jennifer since the eighth grade. He loved her smile, her eyes, her hair and the way she dressed. She had an annoying voice, everyone thought so too, but he didn’t care.
They started as friends in English class and Tom was always there for her, stuck in the friend zone. He was okay with this though. He figured this was good enough; he thought she was way out of his league anyway.
As terrible as this was, he saw the friend zone as an investment – a term he heard his dad throw around a lot and one that he quickly adopted. It made him feel smart. An investment that he thought, may, pay its dividends (another one of those words) further down the road but one that he was willing to take a loss on if nothing played out.
It was the last thing he expected but he just struck gold. Except, it was like he spent all the gold on one lame night in an arcade instead of a crazy trip to Vegas. It was anticlimactic and he was embarrassed. He had no idea how he’d ever look at Jennifer again.
***
“Claire.”
Jennifer rolls her eyes.
“Claire.”
“CLAIRE,” Jennifer sternly whisper-yells.
Claire is too busy wrapping her lips around a sucker while looking over her shoulder at Jason to hear her name.
Jennifer nudges Claire’s shoulder, says something about how dirty she is and then finally lets it out.
“I lost my virginity last night,” says Jennifer.
“To Jeremy?” she asks.
“Ew! Gross!” Jennifer says. “To Tom.”
“Oh, I would do it with Jeremy,” Claire says, not impressed. “Well, how was it?”
“I was so embarrassed. And kinda scared and it was just like you said it would be and it kinda hurt but it felt good in that weird way like you said and it felt like it lasted forever. I couldn’t look at him though. I looked out the window. At the stars. It was really nice.”
“Eww,” Claire says. “You’re so lame.”
Claire isn’t the best of friends, but she’s Jennifer’s friend and she obviously needs some support right now.
It’s been 16 hours now since Jennifer lost her virginity to Tom. Jennifer has had her eye on Tom for years. Since the eighth grade actually. She didn’t know what it was. Maybe it was his smile, his eyes, his hair or maybe it was the way that he always wore cargo shorts and a hoodie no matter how warm or cold it was outside. Everyone thought he was a little nerdy, and you know what, maybe he was, but she didn’t care.
They started as friends in English class and Tom was always there for her. She had quickly put him in the friend zone but she loved having him around. He was such a sweetie and she was so grateful to have him there when her mom got mad at her or that one time that Chance broke up with her or that other time Claire told everyone that she made out with Trevor under the bleachers. “I NEVER did that,” she’d try to explain, but Tom didn’t let off that he cared.
It was the last thing she expected to do that Friday night but she was very happy with her decision. It was like the planets were aligned and for the first time she realized how compatible her sign was with his.
He was slow, careful, respectful and everything that she had wanted. The whole thing was embarrassing, there was no doubt about that, but she was still excited to see Tom again.
***
The bell rings and class is dismissed. High-schoolers flood the atrium.
Jennifer is listening to Claire gossip about something she doesn’t care about. She wishes she wouldn’t be so rude sometimes.
Tom is taking a punishment from Chris as he punches him in the shoulder repeatedly and makes fun of his band hoodie. Chris goes silent for a second and Tom barely notices until he gets shoved again.
“Dammit dude!” Tom runs into someone and turns around to apologize while flicking Chris off.
“Jennifer.” His face is frozen in shock.
“Tom!” She says with the biggest smile.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay! How are you?!”
“...uh…just...peachy?” Tom says, his face bright red. He shuffles away quickly, leaving Jennifer a bit confused.
“Just peachy?” Chris asks, as they move down the hallway, embarrassed for his friend. “What the fuck dude, you’re so lame! That’s something my grandma would say. Go talk to her, she obviously likes you.”
“Really? You think?” Tom asks.
“Yes! Go!” says Chris with a shove.
Tom chases after Jennifer, his heart racing, holding back a smile.
He’s going to be late to Chemistry but everyone knows that Mrs. Patterson is too old, too deaf and too oblivious to notice. And he doesn’t care; he’s in love. At least he thinks.
"What happened?"
…
"I'm done."
10:00 PM
“Ugh, Claireee…” Tom says under his breath with a hint of disgust.
“Well, thank you," she says sheepishly, not knowing what else to do.
After an embarrassing peck on the cheek, he leaves.
***
"Dude, but I'm pretty sure she was looking at the clock," Tom says shaking his head.
"Nah man, I'm sure she didn't. Don't worry."
"Well I looked. One minute. One fucking minute. Actually, a little less but I have to round up. That's okay, right?"
"Yeah man, chill out. It's happens to everyone. You'll get better and she'll want more," Chris says, nodding and grinning.
Chris is kind of creepy but he's Tom's friend and Tom needs support right now.
It’s been 16 hours now since Tom lost his virginity to Jennifer. Tom has had his eye on Jennifer since the eighth grade. He loved her smile, her eyes, her hair and the way she dressed. She had an annoying voice, everyone thought so too, but he didn’t care.
They started as friends in English class and Tom was always there for her, stuck in the friend zone. He was okay with this though. He figured this was good enough; he thought she was way out of his league anyway.
As terrible as this was, he saw the friend zone as an investment – a term he heard his dad throw around a lot and one that he quickly adopted. It made him feel smart. An investment that he thought, may, pay its dividends (another one of those words) further down the road but one that he was willing to take a loss on if nothing played out.
It was the last thing he expected but he just struck gold. Except, it was like he spent all the gold on one lame night in an arcade instead of a crazy trip to Vegas. It was anticlimactic and he was embarrassed. He had no idea how he’d ever look at Jennifer again.
***
“Claire.”
Jennifer rolls her eyes.
“Claire.”
“CLAIRE,” Jennifer sternly whisper-yells.
Claire is too busy wrapping her lips around a sucker while looking over her shoulder at Jason to hear her name.
Jennifer nudges Claire’s shoulder, says something about how dirty she is and then finally lets it out.
“I lost my virginity last night,” says Jennifer.
“To Jeremy?” she asks.
“Ew! Gross!” Jennifer says. “To Tom.”
“Oh, I would do it with Jeremy,” Claire says, not impressed. “Well, how was it?”
“I was so embarrassed. And kinda scared and it was just like you said it would be and it kinda hurt but it felt good in that weird way like you said and it felt like it lasted forever. I couldn’t look at him though. I looked out the window. At the stars. It was really nice.”
“Eww,” Claire says. “You’re so lame.”
Claire isn’t the best of friends, but she’s Jennifer’s friend and she obviously needs some support right now.
It’s been 16 hours now since Jennifer lost her virginity to Tom. Jennifer has had her eye on Tom for years. Since the eighth grade actually. She didn’t know what it was. Maybe it was his smile, his eyes, his hair or maybe it was the way that he always wore cargo shorts and a hoodie no matter how warm or cold it was outside. Everyone thought he was a little nerdy, and you know what, maybe he was, but she didn’t care.
They started as friends in English class and Tom was always there for her. She had quickly put him in the friend zone but she loved having him around. He was such a sweetie and she was so grateful to have him there when her mom got mad at her or that one time that Chance broke up with her or that other time Claire told everyone that she made out with Trevor under the bleachers. “I NEVER did that,” she’d try to explain, but Tom didn’t let off that he cared.
It was the last thing she expected to do that Friday night but she was very happy with her decision. It was like the planets were aligned and for the first time she realized how compatible her sign was with his.
He was slow, careful, respectful and everything that she had wanted. The whole thing was embarrassing, there was no doubt about that, but she was still excited to see Tom again.
***
The bell rings and class is dismissed. High-schoolers flood the atrium.
Jennifer is listening to Claire gossip about something she doesn’t care about. She wishes she wouldn’t be so rude sometimes.
Tom is taking a punishment from Chris as he punches him in the shoulder repeatedly and makes fun of his band hoodie. Chris goes silent for a second and Tom barely notices until he gets shoved again.
“Dammit dude!” Tom runs into someone and turns around to apologize while flicking Chris off.
“Jennifer.” His face is frozen in shock.
“Tom!” She says with the biggest smile.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay! How are you?!”
“...uh…just...peachy?” Tom says, his face bright red. He shuffles away quickly, leaving Jennifer a bit confused.
“Just peachy?” Chris asks, as they move down the hallway, embarrassed for his friend. “What the fuck dude, you’re so lame! That’s something my grandma would say. Go talk to her, she obviously likes you.”
“Really? You think?” Tom asks.
“Yes! Go!” says Chris with a shove.
Tom chases after Jennifer, his heart racing, holding back a smile.
He’s going to be late to Chemistry but everyone knows that Mrs. Patterson is too old, too deaf and too oblivious to notice. And he doesn’t care; he’s in love. At least he thinks.
Written by: Daniel Vidal
