Chapter 1

I'd seen all the say-no-to-sex clips they showed at school. More than once I'd been asked to talk to the junior youth group at church about abstinence and I wore a purity ring. With all of this on my side why the hell was I in this position (literally and figuratively)?

I could hear music pounding downstairs and outside the moon was full and the night was beautiful. And in here Leigha Rodrigues was stripping. I could hardly breathe but I couldn't look away either and I could tell that she could sense my internal conflict. Leigha moved from her perch on the edge of the bed and stepped out of her tiny denim shorts in some sort of slow dance of seduction , to have them lay discarded at her feet. As she moved to close the all too minimal gap in between us she tugged at the top button of her plaid button down shirt.

Her tight top needed no more encouragement than the slight brush of her fingers and suddenly she was standing before me in only her underwear. It took all my self-control to not look and to back away from her. But she was a woman that'd already been scorned and she wouldn't have it twice in one night, she might've had zero interest in me personally but she seemed to certainly know what she wanted from me.

Leigha came closer still, until her body was fully pressed up against mine. I wanted to say something or do something that would make this all stop. But it seems that the heart and the mind aren't always in agreement – or the rest of one's body for that matter.

She giggled and whispered sexily, "I see that you're excited."

Talk about betrayal. "No. Um, we shouldn't." My protests sounded weak even to me.

"Uh huh," came her answer as she reached a hand down and...

I jumped from the sudden contact. "Relax," she cooed as she kissed my neck. Here's where I'd just love to edit my life and let you all know that I was the good little church boy; quoted some Bible verses at her and got the heck out of there but...no. Alas, that's not how it happened.

Minutes rolled by. I'm not sure how many. My phone buzzed a few times. The music of our own breathing and half-uttered words seemed to drown out the music from downstairs. After what could've very well been an eternity I gathered my scattered clothes, dressed and went downstairs to continue the search that had started this whole thing.

I found Raini sitting in a dark closet with Jeremy Saunders from our Spanish class. They were sitting far apart from each other quietly. He saw the question in my eyes and shrugged, "I figured she wouldn't get in too much trouble here; she was all ready half way drunk when I found her."

I nodded in understanding, thankful for good guys like Jeremy, and lifted Raini, who looked to be half asleep, and carried her out to the car. I settled her in to the front seat and buckled her in while trying to decide if I should take her to her house or mine.

It was only during the silent drive over to her house that I allowed myself to think back to my actions. It was then that the weight of what I had done had really hit me. I bit back a curse, determining that I'd already done more than enough sinning for one day.