“Please stop talking,” I whisper as Church whisks away the shirt I just ironed and hangs it up. He places the next garment down in front of me, and I attack it with zeal and vigor. Anything to not talk about condoms.
“Just because someone's already had sex, it doesn't mean they can't learn something new about it,” Tobias retorts, and my cheeks flames. I try one last time to pray to the god of opening-up-dark-holes-to-crawl-into, but my calls once again fall on deaf ears. Clearly, the universe hates me. “Like, maybe tips and tricks for a new partner.”
“What on earth is that supposed to mean?” Spencer asks, and I slam the iron down on the ironing board. All five boys turn to look at me. Ross is supposed to be part of our group, but instead he's sneaking texts with his new online Internet buddy in the corner.
“This is exactly why I didn't want anyone to know,” I whisper, exhaling sharply and glancing up and over at the twins and Spencer. “Guys get weird around girls; you all know it. You're supposed to be friends.” I look at Micah and he frowns hard. “We thought Spencer was dead. And yeah, we slept together. I like him. I like you guys, too.” My cheeks flush, and I run my tongue over my lower lip. “But there are more important things than who's sleeping with who. Let's try to remember that.”
“You're right,” Tobias says with a heavy sigh, leaning his hip up against the countertop. He and Micah exchange looks. “We're sorry,” they grumble together, crossing their arms over their chests.
Spencer flicks his tie over one shoulder and gives me this sort of pouty look. Goddamn it, and I love it, too.
“Sorry Chuck,” he says, and Ranger scowls, pushing off the side of the counter with his boot and standing up straight. He whips his blazer off and tosses it over Ross' head.
“Let's get this over with, and then decide which creepy asshole we want to stalk today.” Ranger whips mixing bowls out on the counter like an experienced dealer handing out cards at a poker table. “Tobias, Micah, wet ingredients. I'll handle the dry.”
“We prefer wet anyway,” they say together, and I blush, pushing the iron into the shirt even harder.
“Take care with that,” Church says, reaching around me and putting his long, elegant fingers on the back of my hand. I pause, and my throat gets temporarily tight. Wait, wait, wait, what?! I inhale, and that lilac and rosemary scent fills my nostrils, making me bristle. I am so not crushing on Church, too, am I? That's ridiculous. Totally ridiculous. And then he talks again, and I realize I must've just been imagining it all. “You could use a good grade in this class more than any of us, Mr. Bottom Ten Percent.”
“I'm only in the bottom twenty percent now!” I shout, and the whole class goes silent and then starts to snicker as I flush and press the steam button on the side of the iron.
“That's technically the top eighty percent, right?” Spencer asks, grinning at me, and leaning on the counter in front of me. Our eyes meet, but I pull my gaze away to focus on my work.
Church is right: I really could use this grade.
One mistake here, and Dad really might send me away for good.
I’m not ready to say goodbye to Spencer, the twins, or even Ranger and Church just yet.
No fucking way.“Place the condom on the penis, leaving room in the tip for the collection of semen.”
“Oh my god, I'm gonna die.” I slap a hand over my mouth and stare down at the cucumber in front of me. Everyone else got a banana, but nooooo, crusty old Mr. Cruschek ran out and took his lemon cucumber out of his lunch box to give me. His lemon cucumber. Those are round, by the way. “It's not even the right shape.” I mumble this from behind my hand because, to be quite frank, my embarrassment levels are off the fucking charts.
I'm sitting in a class full of dudes, with a lubed condom in one hand, a tiny round lemon cucumber in front of me, and the gorgeous guys of the Adamson All-Boys Academy Student Council sitting around me. That, and I fucked their sergeant-at-arms just days prior. It's a little much.
“Oh come on, Chuck, buck up,” Spencer says, sliding his condom on the fruit much easier than he got it on the other night. He was nervous, too, I think, but looking at the guy, with his tie flipped over one shoulder and his cocky slouch, it's hard to imagine him feeling nervous about anything. “Here.” Spencer unrolls the condom, ties the top, and then dangles it in front of my face. “Keeps the cum inside.”
