Chapter three – Three Hails to Non-Virginhood

Moriah Tremaine was a girl on a mission. Holding her full glass up high she pushed her way through the packed club, her eyes set firmly on her goal.

If her father were to see his good little girl now, she knew he would faint dead in his sneakers. But she aimed to misbehave for once in her life and she would do it right. Never again would she have to suffer from Tucker’s jokes about her ignorance when it came to the carnal acts.

And since neither Tucker nor her father were here in Background Blues - Rheinland’s only club that served people under twenty-one and therefore attracted a crowd with a below forty age-average – she felt free and adventurous and just generally sexy – something she almost never did even though she knew very well that the majority of her grade’s male students were openly lusting after her.

Some would call her stupid, she supposed, seeing as she was all alone on a Saturday night in a place where she had never been before – not to mention a place filled to the brink with rowdy drunks – looking for the perfect guy. Not the perfect guy to spent the rest of her live with – she highly doubted that there even was a suitable candidate in a three miles radius – but the perfect guy to show her what exactly she was missing when it came to the kind of games adults generally played in bed.

She had never been truly interested in the other sex – or any sex, really – and she doubted that this one night would change her perspective but if there was one thing Moriah Tremaine hated with a passion it was being ignorant. She made it her personal business to know at least something about everything. But since, unfortunately, most of her closest friends had turned out to be very sexual creatures she was almost daily confronted with her ignorance in matters her father had never wanted his little princess to know about.

Her set target, who was standing at the bar surrounded by friends and some people that appeared to be his fans, was looking up in that moment and caught her figure making its way over to them. An appreciating smile appeared on his handsome face and she couldn’t help but smile broadly in return. He really was handsome – and the only afro American in the band that had just played on stage. Not that she was overly racial inflicted but she reckoned that it would be easier and more natural to share the bed with someone who also shared some of the same experiences as her. It was the natural choice, she supposed, remembering some theory she’d just read about that particular topic.

And she would have sex with him, damn it, if he wanted to or not. No longer would she be ridiculed. No longer would she feel uncomfortable and like a four year old infant in the presence of her friends. No, she would be knowledgeable – she would show them. And most of all would she show the German cockroach that he shouldn’t have even thought about messing with her.

Something strange must have crossed her face because her target’s eyes widened and he blanched for a second before looking to the side, seemingly unsure and almost confused.

Oh, sod it. Rule #9 in Moriah’s brand new guidebook for getting a guy: Don’t let him see your true feelings. He might decide to make a run for it.

But then she was in front of him, swaying her hips and smiling somewhat seductively and all thoughts about being confused or unsure seemed to have left his head. In fact it appeared, as he was staring at her without uttering a word, that his mind had been left completely and utterly empty.

It annoyed her. Even though she wasn’t planning on sticking around for long she had always had a bit of knack for perfection – which had let her to booking an expensive hotel suite in advance, having a full blown out spa session and wearing the most uncomfortable red lingerie – and her perception of the perfect one night stand included at least a little bit of intelligent conversation before the deed.

Even though she didn’t expect him to start citing Nietzsche she would have appreciated it if he would have at least closed his mouth to keep the drool from dripping out. Finally he swallowed, “Hey.”

She cocked her head a little to the side, the smile never leaving her face even though it felt like it was barely held together by cheap glue. “Hey.” Well, at least it was a start.

He was staring at her again. “Wow,” he breathed, “you look like that Hollywood star. The one who got that first Oscar for black female lead.” He looked around his friends – who were following their exchange with marked interest – as if trying to gather his thoughts. “What was that chick called again?” He scratched his head, looking somewhat helpless.

The clue was near breaking point now. Maybe it had been a really bad idea after all. She was about to turn around, feeling slightly disappointed when she felt a male body pressing into hers from behind. “He’s not the sharpest crayon, sorry,” a voice breathed into her ear and she whirled around as if electrified.

The guy who was dangerously breaking into her personal space grinned widely. He was the band’s lead singer and she hadn’t even considered him because he wore his hair in a blue and green Mohawk and had one of his eyebrows pierced – not to mention that he was as white as they come. But now, standing so close to him, she had to admit that he was quite handsome – in a rugged sort of way.

He held out a hand for her to take. “Name’s Troy Sullingham and I think you beat Halle Berry by a mile.” He bent down to her ear again. “Especially in Monster’s Ball.”

Well, not quite Nietzsche but at least the guy knew his movies.

She took his hand and smiled as seductively as she could.

Rule # 5 in Moriah’s brand new guidebook for getting a guy: If the first one doesn’t live up to your expectations find a better one – and don’t be a moron girl, go for it!

And so she did.

~*~

“You freaking, shit-eating asshole!”

“What,” he taunted, tacking one tantalizing step closer, “missing something Bella?”

“I knew it, you bedwetting monomaniac, give it back!” She grabbed his collar; pulling him down so that their noses touched. “Give it back, now!”

He raised an eyebrow at her, before grasping her by the armpits and picking her up – which resulted in angry hissing on her part – mocking her with his superior strength and height. “You’re being awfully vague there, Bella. ‘Monomaniac’, ‘it’ – whatever do you mean?”

For an explanation please consult ‘Jermaine’s Personal Dictionary for the Dimwitted’: 1) ‘Monomania’ – The dark 19-hundred’s rather general term for all those poor people who were: “freaking crazy but not crazy enough that they’d have to be put away for a nice little session of electro therapy, what a shame.” Today psychotherapists - the nice guys with the couches and the black holes they call bills – use specifications such as pyromania, kleptomania, dipsomania or nymphomania , all of which have been at one point or another used to describe yours truly. 2) ‘It’ –Those who don’t know this are either a monkey or linguistically inapt and generally don’t deserve my time, go back to preschool, thank you.

Mei reached back with one of her dangling legs, kicking into the general direction of his groin but he had anticipated her move, blocking her shin with his. Still, since the sudden movement caused him to almost lose his balance, he had to set her back down. She looked smug for only a second before her face scrunched up in anger again. “I mean my calculator, you kleptomaniac,” she practically spit out, “the one you took purposefully out of my bag right before my Calculus test. I had to figure out all those coordinates in my head!”

He grinned broadly, showing not the slightest sign of remorse. “Consider it my way of giving your dying brain cells first aid.”

Her eyes narrowed and she launched into another one of her verbal potshots, accented by the occasional physical attack.

Only with an absent minded interest did Scarlet observe her friends’ usual spat. It was such a common sight that only a few frightened freshman stopped on their hurried way to the next class, staring at the strange pair. She was sitting on the stairs that led to the partly roofed inner courtyard of the High School building, alternately watching the spat going on in front of her and glancing at the cell phone lying on her lap.

He still hadn’t answered. He should’ve been out of his Social Studies class by now and she knew that he always checked his cell first. Still, for the last five minutes she had told herself that she really shouldn’t be irritated with Ruben. It was not as if they were in a real relationship anymore and that he had the obligation to answer her invitation to share lunch. But it was no use.

She was still his oldest friend, wasn’t she? Even before they’d gotten together he had always been considerate of her, had always listened to her small and great worries – simply said, he’d been there.

But now… he was so distant. Hadn’t his confession last year been in order to keep them from drifting apart?

It hurt so much. Glancing up again at Mei and Jermaine who’d somewhat calmed down, sitting on the stairs below her but still glaring at each other Scarlet thought how much it hurt to be unable to talk with anybody about it. And to suffer her friends well meant jokes about high school sweethearts and them marrying sometime in the future– she didn’t even know how she still managed to laugh along.

Why did he have to pull that bomb? Why couldn’t he have continued pretending to still be in love with her, for her sake, instead of coming all out that one night last December when she’d demanded to know why he wouldn’t sleep with her anymore. But Scarlet knew that she wouldn’t be happier either way. That they both would be utterly miserable by now if he’d continued his charade.

Not that she was any more content knowing – but at least he had found his personal peace or something.

He, always he.

She glanced down at her cell again. Nothing. Shit.

~*~

His ears were still ringing from the lecture Mei had given him. What was she so mad about anyway? In fact, if you thought about it he had done her something good, really. People relied too much on machines nowadays and left their own brains to rot. Besides, it wasn’t as if that test had really counted – much.

But no matter what he told himself he knew the real reason that had made him reach around her and into her bag while they’d been standing outside of her math classroom. He simply loved seeing her angry. It was a heady feeling; as if he was really riding a storm, and it usually gave him such a high that it got him through the rest of the day with a smile permanently plastered onto his face. He would never know what kind of sore, angry loner he would’ve become if he hadn’t had her to fight with.

Besides, he knew she got a rush out of it as well.

Immersed in his gleeful thoughts he didn’t see Tucker rushing down the hall until the slightly smaller but still build and heavy boy practically barreled into him. Jermaine would never admit this, since it injured his carefully nursed male pride – but it hurt like hell.

Grabbing his friend’s shoulders he forcefully kept the blonde from running away again. Looking into his face Jermaine did a double take – Tucker looked positively harassed, something he never did, save that one time when Holden had put the serious moves on him. And so, after some quick decision making, Jermaine pulled his friend down the hallway and into an empty classroom. “What the hell, man?”

Tucker shuddered, his eyes wide. “I had a hard on, man.”

Jermaine had to admit he was speechless for a moment. “And?” An erection really wasn’t something to panic about. But apparently Tucker had temporally forgotten that he was indeed a teenaged male.

The blonde leaned closer after carefully looking over his shoulder. “For Moriah, man.”

His friend physically recoiled, “Shit, man. For Moriah, as in Moriah?” It was understood between them that they could find the beautiful girl attractive – it was rather impossible not to – but to have serious sexual thoughts about her… it was just not done, kind of like you didn’t have the hots for your mother or sister, two roles Moriah had fulfilled on any number of occasions.

Tucker shook his entire body, like a dog does who wants to get rid of the dirt in his fur “It was just … she was standing near the gym with her back to me. And I just thought: ‘What a hot bitch’… I mean I didn’t realize it was her until she turned around… and then it was just like ‘whoa’.” He ran a shaking hand through his hair.

Jermaine narrowed his eyes. “Did you have that boner before or after she turned around?”

“Before, I think. After it just kind of deflated. But man that was a freaky experience. I mean … Moriah!” He hissed the last part.

Somewhat relieved Jermaine slung an arm around his friend’s shoulders. “You don’t have the hots for Moriah,” he clarified, “you saw some hot ass and wanted to dig into it, man, that’s normal. You didn’t know it was… her. I mean, Moriah man, who’d have a hard on for Moriah – that’s just illegal shit.”

Somehow that didn’t convince Tucker. “Can I just go over there and dig my own grave?” He looked even more miserable than before and not for the first time did Jermaine seriously doubt that his skills as a psychotherapist were anywhere above zero.

Still, before he could decide whether to let out yet another one of his half cooked reassurances or simply laugh at the poor boy’s misfortune the door opened and James Jermaine Reynolds, IV, realized that karma was indeed a bitch.

“I thought I heard your voices,” the husky, somewhat cold voice of Moriah Tremaine said closely followed by the rest of her body – and Jer’s breath stopped on its way from his lungs to his mouth. Technically he had known that Moriah was beautiful, sexy really, he had made enough jokes about her ass to testify for that but he had never thought beyond it. Moriah had never attracted him in that way – she was one of the guys, nothing more, nothing less. She just had never had those overflowing hormones other girls were blessed with and that Mei at times wore like a second skin. She didn’t have them – until now.

“I knew you were in here,” she was saying and her lips seemed to suddenly swell and color in such a deep red they almost disappeared against her skin. “Tucker, why did you run away from me?” Were her breasts actually heaving? “Look Mei, they’re here.”

And, to make matters only more uncomfortable his closest friend appeared behind her, standing on her tip toes and pressing her body into Moriah’s in order to peek through the halfway opened door.

“What are you hiding in here for?” Mei’s breath moved the black girl’s silky long hair and just for one moment an image flashed though Jermaine’s overloaded brain. Mei’s full mouth slowly descending onto Mariah’s slender, somehow sweaty neck. Her lips opening for the tongue to flicker out, her hands sneaking around Moriah’s torso to …

Shaking himself like Tucker had done just minutes ago, Jermaine realized just what exactly had changed.

“You, you…” he pointed an accusing finger at Moriah, “you’re not a virgin anymore!”

Her eyes narrowed and he could feel Tucker behind him draw in a sharp breath, then she smiled. “No, so what? Angry you won’t be able to joke about me anymore? Well, too bad.” Winking at them she turned around on her heel, walking away – and taking a bewildered Mei with her – her perfect ass sashaying from one side to the other.

“Shit, you were right,” Jermaine whispered, utterly breathless, to Tucker as the door closed into their faces.

And just for one moment he felt twelve again, waking up for the first time in his life to sticky, wet sheets and the realization that his best friend was indeed a girl.

~*~

It took him just three hours and two stolen bottles of beer to get over the shock. It had been the hormones, he rationalized, taking him by complete surprise and utterly unprepared. It wouldn’t happen again. Now that he knew what to expect he wouldn’t overreact again. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to treat her completely normal for a while but he would get over it.

So maybe he had never fully gotten over Mei’s sudden development of a hormone-well five years ago but then again Mei had had always had a special pull on him – one he couldn’t escape even if he tried.

Moriah wouldn’t be the same, his rational brain knew that. Still he couldn’t help but feel somewhat afraid to go back to their dorm.

A fear that had let Tucker to desert him with the words that he would go looking for an outlet for his frustration. Knowing that the blonde’s frustration outlets were usually equally blond as well as possessing a generous pair of big breasts and long legs Jermaine knew that he wouldn’t see Tucker anywhere near their dorm that night.

It was sunny and warm on the gym’s backstairs – the place he had chosen for his favorite hide out – and he began to feel more like himself again. At least, he had been until the door behind him openend and a shadow fell onto the two empty beer bottles sitting beside him.

If it was a teacher he would enjoy the fight. If it was Mei – well, he was in for it then. As much as he enjoyed, almost needed, the confrontations with her she did have a knack for making him feel like the lowest scum to ever walk the earth.

“You do know, that I should at least give you a suspencion for drinking alcohol on campus?” Upon hearing the stern voice of Dr. Stanwood Jermaine relaxed slightly. Even though it was the principal that had caught him he knew the man wouldn’t follow through on his threat.

Leaning back slightly to look up at the older man, Jermaine smiled. “That would be a shame, Sir; I didn’t even get to the hard stuff yet.”

Dr. Stanwood frowned, sitting down beside his student. “Don’t get cheeky on me Jermaine, you know this is a serious offence and I’m just closing my eyes here because I know that you usually don’t do this…” he hesitated for a moment before casting the boy a knowing look, “on campus.”

Jermaine shrugged, playing with the still wet rim of one bottle, coaxing a high sound out of it. “Where did you get it from anyway?” Somehow the principal dreaded the answer. He knew for a fact that there weren’t any alcoholic beevages left at Jermaine’s dorm since the guidance counselor had done an extansive search just the day before. But he also knew that the boy and his friends could be more than crafty.

The boy smiled. “You don’t want to know.” In fact he hoped the principal wouldn’t persist upon knowing, since Jermaine had had to break into Proffesor Naking’s house. The elderly man wouldn’t miss them for he owned a stock of about one hundret different beer brands but he knew that Dr. Stanwood wouldn’t react all that kindly.

“I recon I don’t.” Raising his eyebrows the principal studied Jermaine. “You wouldn’t fall back onto old behavior patterns would you, Jermaine?”

The boy stifftened. “You know I won’t, Sir.”

Stanwood smiled faintly. “I do. But you wouldn’t put it past an old man to be cautious, now would you?”

If it had been anybody else Jermaine yould have exploded – but not with Dr. Stanwood. He knew that somehow the man understood him. That he understood why he had done some things in the past that weren’t right and why he wouldn’t do them anymore.

It was a complicatet yet rather simple relationship between them – one Jermaine sometimes imagined he would’ve had with his father if the man had lived long enough to even see his son being born.

“Did you ever suddenly look at someone with completely different eyes, Sir?” Jermaine asked suddenly, not entirely sure where it came from but still needing to hear his teacher’s answer.

Dr. Stanwood shrugged. “A few times, I suppose, it can be a fascinating experience, or an irritating one depending on your previous relationship with that person.”

Jermaine smiled, still staring at the bottle he was twisting in between his hands. “Fascinating… “, he rolled the word over his tongue, tasting it, “that’s a good one, Sir. I guess it fits.”

~*~

“You did what?!” It had taken aproximately 87 minutes, one Global History AP class and a lot of nagging on Mei’s part for Moriah to finally open up and tell her friend what excactly had happened on the last Saturday evening and the Sunday after when she hadn’t gotten back to the dorm until late at night. Of course Mei had noticed that Moriah hadn’t been there, but it wasn’t unusual so she had paid it no mind. Moriah sometimes liked to hole herself into some hotel room in order to be able to study in peace.

But never would Mei have even guessed what had realy transpired – not at least until Jermaine stammered out his accusation – then it all just fell into place.

Still, staring at Moriah’s retreating back, Mei could not completely believe what she’d just heard. “Let me just get this straight,” she hurried to catch up with her friend’s much longer legs, “you went into town – completely alone and without telling anybody where you were going – closely followed by you marching into a club that is known for being a crack house in order to find a guy you don’t know either just so you could lose your virginity with said guy. How could you be so stupid?”

Moriah glared at her over her shoulder. “What’s so wrong with that? You do it all the time! Aren’t you being a little hypocritical here, China?”

“What?” Mei was a little flabbergasted, “No! I check the guy before I do anything more than kiss him. I know his personal history. Hell, at least I know if he’s got any diseases or is doing drugs before I jump head first into a pre-booked hotel bed with him. For all you know you could already be dying of AIDS here.”

Moriah’s glare turned acid and she sped up a bit just to spite the shorter girl. They were on their way to the school intern store and she couldn’t wait to get there if only for the sole reason of keeping Mei from continuing her rant. “Technically I wouldn’t be dying of AIDS yet but caring the HI-Virus,” she hissed. ”And we used protection – all four times.” It felt damn good throwing that into the more experienced girl’s face. Just for that the crazy night had been worth it.

“Well, at least something.” Still, Mei was far from being appeased. “But did you stop to think that he could be some gang leader out for your life because you sneaked out of the room, how did you put it, ‘when he was passed out from all the continuous exertion’.“

Moriah snorted, finally reaching the shop’s entrance and pulling the door open violently. “Even if he were to be some high shot in some gang – which I highly doubt, given the guy’s personality – how would he even know who I am? I never gave him my name.” She looked around, but the store was thankfully empty save for the somewhat frightened looking small girl who posed as the clerk.

Mei didn’t share the same concerns about being overheard. “It’s not that hard to figure out,” she exploded, “which teenage girl would be able to book a hotel suit if she didn’t come from money? And I hate to break it to you but the only teenage girls who come from money in a hundred mile radius are attending this school and it’s not as if nobody knows you here. I mean – hey you!” She gestured for the poor little girl behind the counter to come over to them. She looked like she was in the Middle School and about to pee her iron pressed pants. It must have been her grade who had store duty for that particular month and for a fleeting moment Mei felt sorry for her. “Who is that?” She demanded to know when the girl had reached them, pointing at Moriah.

The girl seemed to hyperventilate for a moment before finally finding her voice. “Moriah Tremaine,” she wheezed out.

Mei took pity in her, some. “And can you think of any other girl our age, who fits her description in school?” she said in a somewhat gentler tone.

The girl blinked, even her cute blond locks were trembling. “No,” she squeaked. “No one.”

“Thank you,” Mei reached out, patting the frightened child’s shoulder, “now be a dear and get our orders.”

She looked something akin to a blond and black lightening bold so fast was the girl hurrying away. It seemed she didn’t care much to be in the presence of the frightening seniors. Mei however looked smug. Moriah rolled her eyes while studying the newest issue of National Geographic. “That doesn’t prove anything, China.”

“I think it serves to prove my point quite well,” Mei replied airily, before bumping her hip into Moriah’s. Well, she tried but due to her much inferior high she only managed to touch the other girl’s upper tight. “So, not a virgin anymore, eh?”

A slow smile spread on Moriah’s face. “No,” she glanced down at her friend. “Did you see their faces, especially Tucker’s? They looked as if they’d be spitting frogs any minute.”

Mei snorted. “Yeah, that or fuck you senseless. I don’t think they’d decided on what was the best way to go yet.”

Moriah drew to a sharp stop. “What? They wouldn’t.”

Patting her friend’s shoulder, Mei’s smile turned delighted. “Still a virgin at heart. Don’t feel too bad about it, they’re guys after all. Besides I think Jer imagined some girl on girl action between us for a second there.”

Now Moriah spluttered. “He wouldn’t. I mean we’re like his sisters.”

Mei couldn’t help but laugh out loud at that, holding onto Moriah’s shoulder as if it was the only thing keeping her upright. The little girl, choosing this opportune moment to reappear, stared at the two of them, before hurriedly disappearing into the back again. “Too cute,” Mei wheezed out between great guffaws before forcing herself to regain her composure and slowly straightening up. “Jer hasn’t seen me as a sister since he was twelve and I predict it’ll take some time until he’ll be able to find some sibling like qualities in you again. That’s the downside of developing pheromones, sis.”

Moriah frowned. “Are you insinuating that I didn’t have pheromones before?”

“None that would attract him. But if it makes you feel any better, he wasn’t the only one. Tucker was clearly thinking of a threesome.”

“Threesome?” For a moment Moriah felt as if the solid ground beneath her feet was slipping away. “Between us and him?”

“Yeah that, or between you, him and Jermaine – he hadn’t decided yet.” Mei’s voice had turned demonic and the ground underneath Moriah’s feet grumbled and fell.

Mei looped an arm around the wide eyed girl. “Welcome to non-virgin-hood, Moriah. Not quite as you thought it would be, right?”

And indeed, it wasn’t.

~*~

A bit under two weeks later Moriah finally felt that she could act normal enough around her male, non-gay or otherwise attached friends to accompany them to their dorm’s traditional private party.

She had gotten over how Tucker would stare at her now and then and mumble underneath his breath about crazy hormones, just to shift uncomfortably soon thereafter, or how Jermaine would gaze at her cautiously as if she were to shed her skin any moment like some kind of snake.

She had gotten over it and she hoped to God that they had too otherwise it would be quite embarrassing to parade around in bikini in front of them. And a bikini she was going to wear – no confused male friends would make her feel embarrassed about wearing a two piece suit to a private and only half illegal party at their own school’s roofed swimming pool.

It was something they did about every two months when they felt like it. Nobody else would be there, only the seven of them having a private, closed off get together somewhere on campus. Once it had been Stanwood’s office, once the roof of guidance counselor Marring’s cabin and now it was the school’s Olympia sized swimming pool at night.

Tugging at her light blue top Moriah realized she needn’t have worried. Neither Jermaine nor Tucker had fallen into the pool due to sensory overload or started humping her leg like a dog in heat - no, Tucker had simply whistled appreciatively and cracked some dumb joke at which Jermaine had grinned, winking at her.

Sitting down next to Scarlet and Ruben, she sighed, “I think they did get over it.”

Scarlet grinned at her, raising one red brow. “Sad you’re not the center of their unwanted attention anymore?”

Thinking for a moment, Moriah looked over to where Tucker was goofing around on the six meters board before finally falling down and throughoutly soaking Mei and Jermaine who’d been sitting on pool’s edge. “Nah,” she finally said, relaxing against her chair’s back, “I think I’m quite happy with the things as they are now.”

On the other side of the pool Mei felt Jermaine’s hands move to her neck, gently massaging. Moaning slightly she allowed herself to sink back against him. She was sitting between his legs and was feeling generally quite content – even though she hadn’t cared much for being splashed with cold, chlorinated water by Tucker.

Across from them Holden was goading Tucker, shooting with water guns at the more muscular boy and generally taking advantage of the fact that Tucker wouldn’t tackle him due to his severe case of homo – or rather –holdenphobia. Holden was as energetic as ever but there was something forced about his joyousness that hadn’t been there before. Now that she thought about it, Mei realized that the boy hadn’t quite acted like himself for a while. Sure he had cracked a joke every few minutes and he had meddled in every love affair that came his way but he hadn’t been his usual lively self and somehow something just felt off about him.

“I’m worried,” Mei said finally. Jermaine’s massaging hands stilled for a moment before moving to her shoulders and down her arms – as always she could feel the goosebumps rising there.

“What about, Bella?” She felt him move behind her and knew he wasn’t really paying attention – he was eying her breasts through her bikini top instead.

Reaching behind her and smacking his forehead, she hissed. “About Holden, and I’m trying to tell you something here you dumb idiot!”

He chuckled, reaching around her to grab a hold of her chest. “I can’t help it – they just kill my brain cells every time I look at them.”

“Well then you wouldn’t mind if I remove your brain down there too, would you?” she countered sweetly, letting her hand travel behind her back and slowly down his stomach.

He jerked away from her as if she’d pointed a loaded gun at him. “Don’t joke about that.” His voice was a bit high and so he forcefully cleared his throat. “I don’t joke about cutting off your tits either!”

Mei just laughed at his more than apparent unease. “That’s only because you love them too much. I can’t say I have quite the same sentiments for your little friend.” She crawled closer to him, poking his chest with her right index finger. “Are you going to listen to me now?”

He sighed, leaning back onto his elbows. “All right, Bella,” he said in a resigned voice, “I’m listening, I’m listening, just don’t threaten the big bud’.”

She rolled her eyes, still crawling closer until she was practically sitting on his lap again. “I’m worried about Holden. He isn’t acting like himself.”

He forced himself not to look at her breasts again, instead he found himself staring at the small hand she had put where his chest and stomach merged. It always fascinated him, the contrast between them. Her so small and him so large. Her so light and him so dark. He shook his head, he almost sounded like Scarlet’s bad poetry. “You’re not telling me anything new there, Bella, Holden almost never acts like his real self.”

That was true. Holden had once told her that his parents had never really accepted his sexual orientation. And since the things were already as bad as they could get he had decided that if he were to be gay than he would be it properly. Over the years he had toned down his flamboyant behavior somewhat but it had become part of his personally to such an extent that nobody was really able to tell anymore when he was acting and when he wasn’t.

Mei frowned, glancing over her shoulder again. Holden was laughing, running away from Tucker before recklessly jumping headfirst into a cartwheel on the wet floor. “But it looks like he really is forcing it now.” The wet tiles underneath her knees was making her life harder as well since she kept slipping and losing her balance.

“And how do you think you’re going to help him?” Jermaine grabbed onto her hips, steadying her. “And if you’re not moving from my lap this instant I’m not going to be thinking about anything for while.”

“Whatever,” but she still moved, settling next to him and copying his previous pose. “It’s not only Holden I’m worried about, it’s Scarlet too,” she murmured. “She’s been absent minded a lot lately and not herself either.”

He raised an eyebrow before looking over to where Scarlet, Moriah and Ruben were sitting on a few of the beach chairs they had brought over. He didn’t see anything unusual but he did notice the distance between them and Holden who had kept to the other side of the pool for the whole night. “So you’re thinking both of them not getting their act together is connected,” he said, serious now.

“I do,” she sat up, drew in her knees and hugged them to her upper body. “I’ve been watching them for a while now. It’s been like that since that party at the beginning of school. I think they’ve had a spat – or more like a really big argument – back then.”

He threw an arm around her, pulling her to him. “If it’s that they’ll resolve it sooner or later, don’t worry Bella.” Reaching down he gently grabbed the back of her head, drawing her in for a long kiss. It was meant for comfort and she understood that.

Across the pool Tucker slipped in a puddle of pool water, only keeping himself from falling by grabbing onto a pillar. Looking over to his kissing friends he frowned. He didn’t like that they were so close. He never had.

At first it had been because he couldn’t stand the fact that a girl was closer to his best friend than he was. It was against every male law that had ever existed, he had been sure. Then, under the persuading influence of strong behaves, at his very own 15th birthday party he had kissed her for the first time and everything had changed.

There had been a buried, underlying attraction between them. An attraction they had both been very well aware of and thus they had tried dating for about a month. Tucker could still remember how Jermaine had practically gone berserk. Now it had been him who had to deal with his closest friends being intimate with each other and apparently it hadn’t set well with the dark skinned boy.

It had been the reason why Mei had broken it off, hoping for peace and not seeing anything left between her and Tucker that was worth fighting for. For her the attraction had already died.

For Tucker it hadn’t. And so he was left staring over the Olympia sized pool, wondering just what exactly he could do to get rid of those feelings that roared in his chest like a three-headed, barely chained dragon – and feeling just a tad bit melodramatic.

~*~

It was around four in the morning that the seven of them crept back along the lake’s shore to their dorm. Neither of them had drunk anything alcoholic that night and so they didn’t have to worry about anyone suddenly starting to sing loudly or collapsing on the sand in a drunken heap, refusing to move ever again.

Hence it was no small wonder that they’d made it back to Dorm 303 undetected by any of the occasionally patrolling staff members. Since none of them felt all that tired yet they had made plans to meet upstairs in the girls’ common room after changing into dry and more comfortable clothes. A pajama party – although not all that unusual – was something they hadn’t done for a while. It might even be what Scarlet and Holden needed to get over their difficulties, and so, filled with pleasant thoughts, Mei whistled on her way out onto the back balcony and into her room.

Suddenly, shooting silently out from the dark, a large hand grabbed her from behind, pressing her against her own wall and stifling her mounting scream. Frozen from the temporary shock she could only stare as a male face, topped with multicolored Mohawk, moved into her field of vision.

“You’re not Moriah,” the boy whispered in an utterly bewildered voice.

Rule #1 in Moriah’s brand new guidebook for getting a guy: If you’ve found a guy don’t, under any circumstances, let him find out where you live. It can only end in a complete disaster.

I also totally forgot whose reviews I managed to answer and whose I didn’t. So to you who wondered why they didn’t get at least a thank you from me – I’m sorry! And please remind me so that I’ll get around to doing it right away because all of you deserve an answer and a big fat THANK YOU for those amazing reviews!!!!

So I’ll stop babbling now and get down to writing again so that I’ll manage to update sooner and don't keep you in suspense for too long because of that cliffy;-))!!

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