one
B L U E
Nothing could change the fact that I wasn’t normal. I was the prey of everyone’s eyes, and it made me uncomfortable knowing I was the last virgin in my senior class.
Everyone expected me to lose it like the rest of them, but I didn’t come to school to have sex; I went for an education. My mom raised me right, not to fall for whatever trend was going around. Especially when it only makes you give up your dignity.
I had enough common sense not to fall for this pathetic mess, even if it meant being bullied for staying a virgin.
The fact that it was only the beginning of senior year was dreadful. Not only did I have to wait ten more months to graduate, but I also had to sit in a school full of sex addicts.
The clock on the wall ticked toward 3:45. Just a little longer until I could leave. I tapped my fingers on the cold surface of the desk, eyes darting from the clock, silently begging for the end of the day.
I was ready to go home, ready to get out of this hellhole.
Pushing up my glasses, I licked my lips and bit down on them slightly.
Mr. Fisherman was lecturing about something I already knew, so there was no point in paying attention.
Perks of being the smartest in the grade? You can spend your time studying ahead instead of pretending to care about a social life like a regular teenager.
Finally, the bell rang. Everyone started packing up in a hurry.
“Make sure you turn in your homework tomorrow, it’s part of your grade,” Mr. Fisherman said, earning a collective groan from the class.
I grabbed my backpack and swung it over my shoulder, shuffling out of the room and heading to my locker. I needed my books for tonight’s homework. I didn’t enjoy homework, but I did enjoy seeing high grades next to my name. That was enough.
Just as I zipped my backpack, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to see my best friend, Grace. She’s a junior, so we don’t have any classes together, a total bummer since she’s the only person at this school I can stand.
“Hey, Blue!” she beamed, her fiery red curls bouncing around her face.
“Hey, Grace,” I greeted, adjusting my glasses.
“Can I come over today? My mom’s being a bitch again, and I don’t think I can deal with her tonight.”
Grace and her mom didn’t get along. Her mom blamed her for everything. Everything.
“Yeah, my mom loves you. She said you could live with us.” I smiled, knowing my mom adored Grace as if she were one of her own.
“We can have our movie date!” she said, grabbing my hand and dragging me toward the exit. I wouldn’t call it a date. Just two best friends hanging out. We did this all the time, but I didn’t mind when she called it that.
Outside, the school yard buzzed with shouts and laughter. It was game day basketball. The team was loading onto the bus, and everyone was hyping them up.
I didn’t care for sports. If I ever went to a game, I’d be lost entirely.
Squinting at the crowd, I spotted him instantly, with light brown hair, aquarium eyes, and a smile that could fool anyone.
Mason Samuels.
The school’s golden boy. Everyone treated him like a god.
We shared nearly every class, yet we’d never spoken. He was loud, cocky, and didn’t know a damn thing.
He’d dated and slept with almost every girl in school. It was sickening. I wasn’t even into guys, so thankfully I didn’t have to worry about falling for him. Even if I were, he wouldn’t be the first person I’d lose my mind over.
Being the last virgin in school felt like being dropped into a lion’s den. Everyone wanted a piece of me. I cut off anyone who tried to talk to me or make a move.
I pulled out my car keys and unlocked the doors. Grace and I got in, and I started the engine.
As I pulled out of the parking lot, Grace snatched my phone and entered the code. Seconds later, her favorite song, God Is a Woman, filled the car.
“Can we listen to something else?” I asked, eyes still on the road.
She stopped singing and gave me a sharp look. “No. Because you listen to old music, and I’m not about to jump out of a moving car to get away from it.”
I laughed lightly. “God’s not a woman, though.”
The music stopped.
She turned to me, eyes wide, then narrowed. “God is a woman. How dare you say that! You’re not even on her level to understand what she’s saying!”
I held up my hands in defense. “I’m sorry.”
Satisfied, she smiled and cranked the volume up again, singing at the top of her lungs. I loved her, but sometimes I wondered how we even became friends.
Then I remembered—we used to go to the same spot after school when we were little and fought over who got there first. She hit me once, and I ran home crying. The next day, she apologized, and we agreed to share it. That spot got torn down years ago, but the friendship stuck.
“Blue!” my four-year-old sister, Violet, shouted as we walked into the house. She tugged on my jean jacket, trying to get my attention.
I looked down. “Yes?”
She glanced at Grace, then back at me. “Can I play with you and Grace?”
Her big blue eyes, identical to mine, glistened with that signature puppy-dog look. Her bottom lip protruded just enough to be noticeable.
Before I could answer, Mom walked in, wiping flour off her apron. “No, Violet. Let Blue and Grace have their alone time.”
Figures. She’d been baking. My mom is an interior designer, but she also bakes for extra income.
Violet whined and stomped upstairs. We heard the slam of her door shake the entire house.
“Lord Jesus, that little girl,” Mom sighed, closing her eyes for a moment.
Then she opened them and smiled at Grace. “Grace, honey, how are you?”
“I’m good, Mrs. Moon,” Grace replied politely. Even though she’d been to our house a hundred times, she still acted like they’d just met.
“I told you to call me Jacky. I’ve known you half your life!” Mom chuckled and pulled her in for a hug.
“I know. It just feels weird calling grown-ups by their first names,” Grace said with a laugh.
Mom waved her off. “What are you two doing, anyway?” She gave us a smirk that made me raise an eyebrow.
“We’re just doing homework and watching a movie!” I shouted from the stairs as I pulled Grace along.
She yelled after us. “Play it safe!”
Play it safe? What did she mean by that?
I closed the door behind us and walked to my desk, pulling out my books.
“My mom is so weird,” I grumbled, sitting down.
“At least your mom isn’t a bitch half the time,” Grace muttered, flopping onto my bed and pulling out her books too. “Your mom cares. Mine yells at me for existing.”
She didn’t talk much about her mom. I knew her dad left when she was born, and her mom has… issues. That’s why she stayed over so much.
We worked quietly while Ariana Grande played in the background. Grace sang along loudly.
“The light is coming to give back everything the darkness stole!” she shouted, tapping her pencil against her notebook.
“Can we please listen to something else?” I asked, turning to her.
“No! We’re listening to the queen!”
I sighed in defeat and turned back around.
Two hours later, we finished our homework.
“Movie time!” Grace bounced on the bed. I turned on Netflix.
“What do you want to watch?” I asked.
Her grin was dangerous.
"Fifty Shades of Grey!"
“Again?! We’ve watched that fifty times.”
“We’re gonna watch it until we know it by heart—backward!”
I groaned. “Fine, but next time I get to pick.”
She lay her head in my lap, getting extra cuddly as usual.
Halfway through the movie, my eyes started to droop. These kinds of movies bored me. Too much fake drama, not enough plot.
Grace absentmindedly played with the hem of my shirt while a sex scene played. I barely noticed. Sleep was winning.
Someone tapped my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see a blurry figure standing over me.
“Blue, Grace left. She slammed the door, so I think she’s upset,” my mom said, looking down at me.
I sat up, confused. “Probably about her mom again,” I mumbled, glancing at the clock, which read 7:56 pm.
Had I slept that long?
“Be nice to her,” Mom said. “She’s a good girl.”
I frowned. What have I been doing for the past six years of our friendship?
“She’s my best friend, Mom. Of course, I’m nice to her.”
“I mean, give her a real chance. And start noticing what’s right in front of you.”
She left the room, leaving me even more confused than before.
