Intertwined episode 5

🤝INTERTWINED🤝

💑EP FIVE💑

It took a while after Liam before I dated seriously again.Senior year, I was in love with Trip Jacobs. He was thecaptain of the basketball team and one of the most popularguys on campus. He was cute with blond hair and hazeleyes. For months, my world revolved around basketballleagues. I never missed a game. I especially loved it when

he shot three points, looked at the crowd at the bleacherswhere he knew I would be sitting, tapped his heart and thengave a thumbs-up sign. I knew that was meant for me.

After Liam, I dated another guy before Trip. David washead of the debate team. He was smart and funny as wellas cute. I thought we had a connection. We went out for thewh0le year. Then he went to a ski trip with his family. I sawless of him after that. And then one night, he had a glumlook on his face and told me that he hadn’t been honestwith me. He’d been seeing someone else behind my back.

He ended it with her, but he wanted to be honest with me.He said that it was just all s€× and nothing else, and it wasover. But I couldn’t take him back after that. I could notbring myself to k-ss him knowing that he might have beenk-ssing someone else or doing worse things with her.

“Now I’m dating the hottest guy in school.”

“No offense, sweetie, but I do not think he’s the hottestguy on campus,” Cindy said. “He’s hot, yes. But not reallythe hottest.”

“He’s the hottest of all my boyfriends,” I said.

“I don’t know. You have a thing for blond guys. I findthem…a little meek.” She giggled.

“Okay, if Trip is not the hottest guy in campus, then whois? I mean…he’s the captain of the basketball team, he hasa Porsche, he’s a straight-A student, and he looks likeBarbie’s Ken with hazel eyes.”

“Well, you know me. We’ve always had different tastes. Iwonder why we’re best friends.”

I laughed. “All right. I wonder who you find worthy ofbeing called the ‘hottest’ guy in campus, then?”

She stared at the ceiling thoughtfully and then said,

“Travis Cross.”

“Amen!” Amanda Jones, who had her locker besideCindy’s, said. She beamed at us. “No offense, either,Brianne. Trip is hot. But Travis Cross? Out-of-this-world hot!”Then she walked away.

Well, I guess even I couldn’t refute that. Travis was easilythe hottest guy I’d met, but growing up with him and hatinghim from the beginning, and now thinking of him as a sort ofreplacement brother and guardian to me, made it difficultfor me to look at him in a s€×ual way.

“If Travis Cross was my safety guy, honey, I’d dowhatever it took to stay single until the deadline so he’d behonor-bound to marry me!” Cindy teased.

“Then I’ll die a V-rgin!” I said, rolling my eyes.

“You’re still a V-rgin?” Mich Jackson, who had her lockerbeside mine, asked.

I stared at her and then at Cindy. “Is it eavesdroppingday today?”

Mich laughed. “It’s eavesdropping day every day,sweetie.” She laughed and then looked at me again. “So areyou?”

“With all due respect, it’s none of your business.”

“Well, I hope nothing’s wrong with you. No wonder Davidand Liam screwed around. Word of advice, honey: Don’t staya V-rgin for too long. Men these days prefer a vixen in bed,not a little girl at slumber parties.” Then she str-de off.

I looked at Cindy and she was eyeing me wearily.

“What?” I asked.

“I hate to admit it, but she has a point. I lost mine twoyears ago. My brother’s best friend was so hot and myparents’ bed seemed so tempting.”

“Cindy!”

She laughed. “It’s no big deal, Brianne. Nowadays, if youhaven’t gone to bed with a guy, it may mean that there’ssomething wrong with you. Either you don’t have thecapability of being ar-used or you cannot sed-ce a guy to…do things to you.”

“I didn’t want to just give myself to a guy who wouldcheat on me the next day.”

“I gave mine to someone who wasn’t my boyfriend, sohe couldn’t really cheat on me.”

“I don’t want to give it to a random guy, either.”

“Ouch!” Cindy feigned an offended look. “He’s not somerandom guy! He’s…a good friend. He won’t disappear frommy life overnight, and since we’re not dating, he’s notgonna cheat on me. Brilliant, isn’t it?”

I rolled my eyes. Then Trip’s handsome grin appeared inmy mind, and suddenly I became excited. “Well, prom is justaround the corner.”

“You want your first time to be magical?”

“I want it to be special. I want to remember it someday,have a smile on my face and think…‘Wow! That was good!’Even if I don’t end up marrying the guy, at least I won’thave regrets.”

***

“Oh my God, Brianne, I think you’re the talk of the town!”Cindy called me that evening. “I got a broadcast message inmy mail. And I think it’s about you.”

I went to my laptop and checked my mail. True enough,our Campus Bulletin showed this broadcast message: V-rgin Mary. Guess whose virtue has no takers? Clue: Bubble Gumgirl who sports a boy’s nickname.

“This bulletin is supposed to be for important stuff. Likedances, fairs, and competition schedules. Who the hell postsgossip like this?” I asked angrily.

“But this section is a hit! That’s why they didn’t abolishit. Kids at school probably only subscribe to the bulletinbecause of the gossip.”

“Okay, so who cares if I’m still a V-rgin?” I turned off mylaptop, not letting this further affect me.

“About a hundred other people,” Cindy replied weakly.

“What?”

“Let’s see. Three hundred hits and a hundredcomments.”

“What are they saying?”

“They’re justifying why David and Liam cheated on you.And some others are betting on how long it will take for Tripto…slam dunk.”

“Holy shit!”

I couldn’t believe what was happening to me. “Kids canbe so mean!” Cindy said sympathetically. “There’s reallynothing wrong with being a V-rgin at eighteen. So you’reinexperienced. So what? That doesn’t mean you’re frigid orunwanted.”

I was on the verge of crying. For a while, I had beenproud that I remained untouched. But now I wished I’d givenin to David’s advances or even Trip’s subtle hints at going tobed. Why was there so much pressure on this in the firstplace?

I could not believe I was the subject of such meangossip. The wh0le campus could be a bunch of sluts andwh-res for all I care. Why did they have to curse me fortrying to be different?

I didn’t want my first time to be meaningless. I wascurious about s€×, but I wanted it to be with someone whohad respect for me. Who would not use my body as just a means of pleasure and nothing more. I wanted it to meansomething to him, too. And I wanted to share it with someguy who would always be dear to me whenever I thought ofhim.

Was I the only one on campus who was a V-rgin? Why didkids have to make so much of an issue out of this? Why didthey care? And why did gossip have to be in printnowadays?

I felt like everybody had been talking about me in every conversation at the moment. And my lack of s€× life was thecenter of attention. Whoever said that there was nopressure to lose their V-rginity nowadays could k-ss my ass!It was happening now. Sure, they didn’t tell you to do it. They just judged you or gossiped about you if you didn’t.What’s the freaking difference?

I got hold of my brush and painted a roomful of flowersand candles in perfect rom-ntic hues. I didn’t know why, butsuddenly, inspiration came over me and I imagined amarbled room, a king-sized bed, flowers, and candles. Iguess lovemaking was also on my mind. I was imagininghow I wanted it to be. As I looked at it, I couldn’t imagine

how kids could bear to lose theirs in an attic or in the back

of a car.

As I thought about it, I got angrier. Tears were rollingdown my cheeks, and I wasn’t even aware of it. The lastthing I wanted was to be the talk of the town…especiallywhen it came to being unwanted. My family had a lametradition of marrying young and being wanted before theage of thirty-one. I just wanted to be invisible. I didn’t want

to be the center of attention or unwanted talk at all. Butwith my dating history, I’d provided everybody at schoolsome juicy things to talk about.

I felt an arm around my shoulder, giving me a squeeze. Iwas startled to realize that I was no longer alone. I lookedup and found Travis looking down at me wearily.

“I was staring at your painting and I don’t get it. I don’tget how you can cry over a…bed,” he said.

I narrowed my eyes and gave him a playful jab in thestomach.

“Ouch!” he said, but he only squeezed my shouldertighter. “So tell me. What is it about that bed that you foundso utterly offensive it made you cry so hærd?”

I stared at my painting, leaned my head in Travis’sshoulder, and heaved a sigh. “The wh0le town is talkingabout me. It’s embarrassing!”

He was thoughtful for a moment, and then he said,“What’s embarrassing about not being a slut?”

I stared up at him. “You heard?” He didn’t answer. Ipulled away from him. “Then I’m truly dead! Travis Cross,the guy who cares the least about campus gossip, heardabout my untouched virtue—then everybody must know!Trip must know!”

He snorted. “If I were Jacobs, I would be…proud. My hotgirlfriend is not a slut.”

Now I smiled. “Really?”

He shrugged. “If I were Jacobs. But I’m not. So I can’tspeak for the guy.”

And somehow, I was positive that if Travis, who was aruthless rake at the age of eighteen, could think that, thenmy gentler boyfriend would definitely think that way…maybe even more so.

“What are you doing here, anyway?” I asked him.

He shrugged. He walked over to the rails of my balconyand stared at the houses in front of mine. “This used to bemy second home,” he murmured. There was pain in hisvoice.

“You don’t come here anymore.”

“Your living room has less light than it used to have.”

I nodded. “Yes. We don’t have dinners togetheranymore. It’s not like before.”

“Where are your parents?”

I sighed. “Mom’s opened a new branch in Manhattan.Dad’s…probably with his mistress.” Yes, my mother tried toplay dumb about my father’s conquests—I was less tolerant.

Travis stared at me for a moment and then asked, “Cookyour famous meatloaf for me?”

When Tom was alive, we had Meatloaf Friday. I wouldcook and we would all sit and enjoy dinner together…as acomplete family, including Travis.

I stared up at Travis. I knew we were thinking of thesame thing. And I realized it was Friday today. Tears filledmy eyes. The more I looked at Travis, the more Iremembered Thomas…and how happy this family had been.Travis’s eyes were also teary. He reached out and wiped

my cheeks with his fingers. Then he gave me a hug. I woundmy arms around his wa-ist and cried against his chest…forthe happy family that I used to have…for the wonderfulbrother who left me.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered to me. “I shouldn’t haveasked.”

I shook my head and pulled away from him. “No. It’sokay. Remembering him doesn’t mean we haven’t movedon. You promised him you’d take care of me. I’ll do what Ican to look out for you, too—not that you need it.” I giggledhumorlessly. “This will always be your second home, Travis.You can come and go as you like. Thomas would want that.”

He smiled, then leaned forward and gave me a k-ss onthe forehead.

I took his hand in mine. “Come. Our dining table hasbeen unoccupied for a very long time. And I haven’t cookedmeatloaf in years.”