Page 34 of The Naughty Virgin

“But you’re still thinking about Stone Phillips right?” Mindy finished for me, her voice compassionate. We’d talked about this endless times and she knew the routine. “I know honey, that man took your virginity, so you’re still hung up on him. I know, I know, we all have a thing for our first, I mean I still think about Jimmy McPherson sometimes and that loser’s in jail now. That’s what our first does to us, we always have a soft spot for them. But Mr. Phillips is gone now, okay? You’ve gotta move on, you have your whole life in front of you.”

And I nodded miserably again. I knew what Mindy was saying was true. I was attached to Stone because he’d taken my cherry, had introduced me to the wonders of sex, the amazing of the physical and my body was in thrall to him. But how to explain my unexpected hang-up, how I still dreamed of him, of our conversations together, the electric emotional charge?

Mindy would never get it, so I changed the subject. She was tired of hearing it anyways and I didn’t want to wear her out.

“I’m taking Biology again,” I said dully. “College level this time.”

“Oh right, you never took the AP test,” said Mindy comfortingly. Without Mr. Phillips, I’d lost all my motivation and skipped the test, forgoing any opportunity at getting a jump on college credit. “No worries, you’ll be amazing in class, you were always so good at that kind of stuff. Me, on the other hand,” she joked, “I could barely read and write, I’m surprised Spencer graduated me.”

And I laughed at that. The truth was Mindy’s family had more money than God and they could have bought a diploma from Spencer if it came to that. But no need to get into that. My friend was well on her way and I was grateful to chat with her, even if for only a minute about nonsensical stuff.

“Okay thanks Min, gotta get to class now. Say hi to Boomer for me will you?” I asked. The little boy had always been so cute, it was hard to believe he was in eighth grade now.

“Will do,” promised my friend. “Now go to class and kick some ass!”

And with a smile, I hung up the phone and picked up my backpack. It was time I got over my ex-teacher, I had my life before me and I had to stop mooning over what shoulda, coulda, woulda been. It was time to pick myself up and start anew. So with a determined look, I straightened my shoulders and began walking to class. It was a new me. Evie Jones was here to take the world by storm, and Stone Phillips and high school were in the rearview mirror now. I would force myself to move on, no matter how much it hurt, how much it took out of me.

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