When I wake up the next morning, the first thing that I notice is that I'd forgotten to take my makeup off. The smeared darkness of my eye shadow and tanned bronzer stained my pillowcase. The second thing that I notice is that I'm sore. My whole lower body protests as I ease toward the edge of my bed. I squint at the window and try to remember what happened last night. 

There was the dance, and the alcohol. 

And then the motel...

My cheeks burned a bright cherry red as the memories flood through my mind. The second Blue-Eyes pulled into the motel parking lot, I knew what was going to happen. I mean, why else would you take your girlfriend to a motel after a school dance? I bury my face into the mattress and press my lips together. The tangled sheets, our naked bodies; the whole idea of it was just too much. I honestly have no clue how he managed to get me dressed, cleaned up, and back home before eleven. 

But he did, and my mother didn't suspect a thing. 

The day goes about pretty quickly, with nothing of utmost importance happening. I spend most of it just studying, and focusing on the packets that my teachers have collected so that I can catch up. Blue-Eyes doesn't text me. It's just a lazy Sunday. 

After school on Monday, an unknown number calls my cell phone. At first I am wary about answering; unknown numbers always give me the creeps for some reason. You never know who is on the other side, and whether or not they plan to use your phone's GPS co-ordinations to track you down and kidnap you. But it could be Blue-Eyes. He'd mentioned that he'd be getting a new cellphone soon --that was why he hadn't been able to call Sunday. 

I slide my finger across the screen and press the phone to my ear. "Hello?"

"Hola chica," a familiar voice floats through the speaker. Amanda sounds about as cheerful as a child frolicking through Disney World. "It's me, the one and only, Amanda."

"Hey!" I can't help but smile. "What's up?"

"I have decided to save your butt, that's what's up." Amanda laughs, "I was skimming through some of Ms. Henry's classwork, because I'm a student aid, in case you didn't know, and I noticed that you weren't doing so hot. I wanted to see if you would like to study together. That, and I wanted to ask how you were. I saw you at Homecoming but didn't get a chance to say hi. Your boy-toy has been pretty clingy lately." 

My lips twist into a frown, and I fiddle with the frayed edge of my textbook. "I didn't mean for it to come across that way. I just wasn't feeling well last night, so I made him take me home. I'm sorry. I would love to study with you though! Did you want to do it tonight?" 

Amanda pauses for a few seconds. "Are you alright?" 

My eyes widen, and I'm extremely glad that she can't see my facial expression through the phone. "I'm fine," I chirp. "Just tired." And sore, and cranky because my first time was in a supid motel room, and there were no flowers. 

Amanda harrumphs in response, and it's obvious that she doesn't believe me. She doesn't press it however. "Alright. Do you want to come here to study? Or do you want me to come over there? It doesn't matter either way." 

I rush down the staircase and get a second opinion from my mother. Something in my gut tells me that she'd prefer to have Amanda over here --just so she can make sure that Amanda doesn't have blue eyes, black hair, and male parts, and that we really do plan to study. My mother is immediately suspicious, but when Amanda's beat up, garnet colored mini-van pulls into my drive way, I can instantly see the tension evaporate. 

I show Amanda to my room, and hesitantly shut the door behind us. I watch as she plops down onto the bed and begins to rummage through her backpack. Then she pulls out our textbook and a notebook. 

"So," she muses, eyes flickering over the textbook pages as she skims to the right one. "Are you going to tell me what really happened?" 

"What are you, a psychic?" I mutter sarcastically. I grab the desk chair and roll it closer to the bed, and then take a seat. I squint at her for a few moments. As much as I know Amanda, I don't. This is the first time that we'd ever hung out together outside of school. But I liked her, and deep down, something in my gut told me that I could trust her. 

I let out a sigh and fold my arms across my chest. My gaze focuses on the comforter. "I lost my virginity the other night." The words come out so soft that even I can hardly hear them. 

Amanda glances up, an eyebrow arched. "Well, welcome to the big girl club." 

I crack a crooked smile. "I just...I don't know. I wasn't ready to go that far. I wanted to save that piece of me for a while longer." I rub at my temples. "I don't know. It's not that big of a deal. It seems to have become some sort of right of passage for middle school girls these days, so it's not the end of the world."

"So he pressured you into it?" 

Yes, I mentally admit. "No, not really," I say aloud. "I mean I wanted to do it. I feel comfortable around him." 

Jake crosses my mind then. As Amanda purses her lips and thinks my statement over, I picture what Jake would have said to me right then. He would have slapped me silly and told me I was stupid for giving in that easily. That I am the prize, and that relationships are more than just sex. 

Amanda folds her arms across her chest. "It obviously meant something to you, so I believe that it is a big deal. The timing just wasn't right for you." Her eyebrows crinkle. "Do you two plan to do it again?" 

"No," I shake my head. "I mean, I don't plan to, not any time soon. We don't even have the time or place to do something like that. I'm technically grounded. I'm sure he does though. And knowing me, I'll probably cave again." I grimace. 

"Fear not, my friend," Amanda says dramatically, and presses a hand to her chest. "I will teach you the sex-fighting ways if I must." 

I laugh and shake my head. My mouth opens to answer her, but a shrill ring cuts me off. I glance at my cell phone, my eyebrows furrowing, and pick it up. "Speak of the devil," I muse and glance toward Amanda. I feel like it would be rude to answer the call in front of her, instead of talking to her. I really don't want to scare my now only friend away. 

But she nods toward the phone, eyes expectant, so I answer. 

"Hey, what are you doing?" Blue-Eyes says immediately. He sounds a bit out of breath, and I crinkle my eyebrows. Amanda motions for me to put him on speaker. 

"I'm studying," I respond. "I put you on speaker so I can finish my work. Why?" 

"I was wondering if you wanted to go out? Are you still grounded?" 

I fight the urge to pinch my nose. "Yes, I am. I also have a friend over, and it would be rude of me to leave." 

Blue-Eyes is silent for a few moments. Amanda and I can hear the crinkling of the horrible connection within the silence. Then he snaps, "Who?" 

"Amanda. The cool chick from our art class." 

"I didn't even know that you two were friends." His response is clipped. 

I arch an eyebrow at the cell phone at the angered twinge in his tone. "We've talked everyday that you haven't asked me to skip. You sometimes even join in on the conversation. Don't sound so surprised." 

"I'm not. I just wasn't aware that you were seriously taking to her." 

I glance at Amanda, who has an eyebrow lifted. I make a 'what the heck' face and her shoulders lift with a shrug. "What's that supposed to mean?" I ask. 

"Nothing," he scoffs. "It's whatever. Go spend your time with her, I'll talk to you later. Love you, bye." 

And then he hangs up. 

I stare at the now dark screen of the cell phone, bewildered. Amanda lets out a snort and I glance back behind me. She's leaning over her text book, scribbling something down onto her notebook. I pinch my lips into a worried line. "He's just grumpy because he doesn't get sex today," I try to amend. I'm so embarrassed that she heard that, and quite irritated that he got all snippy over nothing. 

"Relax," Amanda says. She glances up through a few strands of her hair and grins. "I used to have a boyfriend like that too. He was very possessive, and didn't like me hanging out with anyone else. I'm not offended or anything." 

"Still."

"Come on, we need to study."  Amanda waves the pencil at me. She brushes her hair out of her face and then winks. "Then we can go grab some dinner, and give him something to really be jealous about." 

I laugh and say, "Sounds good to me." 

The next day, when I climb into Blue-Eyes's car and buckle my seat belt, I notice that his hands are clenched tightly around the steering wheel. My surge of irritation swells. "What is it?" I snap.

"Nothing," he responds briskly. 

I glare at the side of his face. I can't believe that he's acting so bitchy over me hanging out with someone else. I mean, it's not that big of a deal. It was just Amanda. It's not like it was Devon or another guy. 

There is a sigh, and then suddenly the car pulls to a stop in front of an old, dirt stained building. A tattered sign hangs above two gnarly white doors. It reads: D.S. Skating Rink. 

I settle back in my seat and cross my arms in front of my chest. "Where are we?" 

"I wanted to take you to the skating rink," my boyfriend grumbles. He slumps back into his seat as well and glares at the steering wheel. "I know we're supposed to be in school, and you can't really miss anymore days. But this is the last time I'll ask you to skip. I just wanted to show this place to you." He lets out a sigh, "My grandma used to take me here all the time." 

I pinch my lips into a tight line. 

He shoots a sideways glance at me. "I'm sorry for getting upset. It was stupid. I'd just had my mind set on taking you here, and when I realized that you were with someone else, it bothered me. I got jealous." 

My gaze flickers out the window. "Seth, I'm not so sure..."

"Please?" He pouts. "It will be fun. I'll help you make up the assignments that you miss. And there's this awesome arcade inside." 

"But I'm failing." I rub at my temples. "At this rate, I won't be able to graduate this year if I don't get my crap together. I can't keep missing class." 

"This is the last time, I promise." 

I squeeze my eyes shut. I really shouldn't go inside with him, I should demand that he take me to school so that I can still be pissed with him. He had no right to get so worked up and rude over Amanda spending time with me. But he apologized, and it really seems to mean a lot to him. I pop the door open and grumble under my breath. "You have thirty minutes, then we're going to school." 

He's out of the car within seconds, his lips stretched back into an excited grin. He holds the door open for me and I am immediately blasted by ice cold air and the smell of burnt popcorn. Blue-Eyes bounces on the balls of his feet as he pays for our entry. Then I am pulled toward the skate rental desk. We lace up and roll toward the giant, oval shaped rink that takes up most of the massive building. A few other people are skating, and they are mostly older people with nothing else to do and a group of five year old's. 

I make him hold my hand, as I am not as skilled as he is on a pair of skates. He can literally skate in circles around me while I wobble. After a few rounds, we make our way toward the arcade. Blue-Eyes buys me a bag of popcorn, and trades our skates in for our regular shoes. We mess around with a few of the games --I totally destroy him in air hockey-- and then I somehow manage to find myself in a bathroom, pressed flat against the wall, our pants down around our ankles. 

I'm still not quite sure how it happened. 

Author's Note: 

In case you didn't catch it....they did the dirty again. That's important because several things are about to happen and I don't want anyone to complain. Thanks for your support! Remember to share/vote/and tell me what you think if you like this story :D