Page 90 of Absorbed

“You ignored me when I said to wait. You never asked if I wanted to; you just shoved your cock in me like some slot machine. Then you barely acknowledged me afterward,” Stacey said, her nostrils flaring. “Even if it hadn’t been my first time, I know THAT is not what sex is supposed to be like. You used me.”

“You never told me you were a virgin, and YOU totally ignored ME after.”

“I…what?” She shook her head. “You barely said anything when I dropped you at your house. You never called me the next day, or since.”

“Our phone is cut off.” Jessie closed his eyes and tilted back. His head banged against the headrest. “Most of the time our electricity, too. My dad never pays the bills.”

“That sucks, but it’s really no excuse.” Stacey clasped her hands in her lap to keep them from shaking. “Melissa also really liked you. Neither of us was interested in JUST hooking up, Jessie.” She shifted in her seat and mumbled, “Why didn’t you wear a condom?”

“What? You didn’t tell me I needed to.” Jessie furrowed his brow. “Aren’t you on the pill?”

“I’d never had sex and didn’t think I was going to be having sex. I wasn’t on the pill.”

Suddenly Jessie’s eyes grew wide. “Are you…?” He glanced at Stacey’s stomach then back to her eyes.

“I can’t know for sure yet,” she whispered. “I hope not.”

“Shit!”

Stacey erupted. “Seriously? What the fuck, Jessie?” She hit him with the back of her hand. “This is my fucking life. My body. You did this! You have no right!”

“No! No. I know, Stacey! That’s…it’s not what I meant. I just…” He reached over and took Stacey’s hand. She bristled, but he held tight. “I mean, I hope not, for both of us. I was trying to have fun and NOT think about hard shit. Everything is… so fucked up!”

“Yeah, but I don’t have the luxury ofnotthinking about it.” Stacey looked out the windshield. “I had to tell my mom, and—.” She pulled free from Jessie’s hands. “We went to Planned Parenthood. The pregnancy test was negative, but they said it was too early. Same for the STD tests.”

Jessie’s face dropped. “STDs?”

“Haven’t you ever been checked? Seems like you have a lot of unprotected sex.”

“Sorry, sorry,” he said, his voice small and scared.

She turned back toward the wheel. “I need to take another pregnancy test.” She released the parking brake and put the car in drive. “Tomorrow.”

Stacey stepped on the gas, eager to get him home and out of her car. “You should go with me to Planned Parenthood and get tested for STDs. Then we can both know if we’re totally in the clear.”

“Okay, I can do that,” Jessie said, looking out the passenger window.

“And stop having sex without a condom.” Stacey kept her eyes on the double yellow line to navigate the curves in the road. “And make sure the girl you’re with actually says yes, that she wants to do it with you.”

“Slow down,” Jessie said.

“Exactly,” she snapped back. “Take things way slower!”

“No. The car.” Jessie strained to see where they were in the darkness. “I think you took a wrong turn.”

Stacey clenched her jaw and slowed. Scanning the dark fields around them, she realized he was right. They were far from any neighborhood and hadn’t passed a cross-street in awhile.

She began a three point turn on the narrow road. As she was backing up, a coyote trotted across the street in front of her car, then stopped in the middle of her high beams.

Jessie was still looking out the side window and hadn’t noticed. “Maybe if we go back—”

“Shhh!” Stacey kept her foot pressed hard on the brake, locking eyes with the coyote.

“Oh…shit…,” Jessie whispered.

Head held high, the coyote’s calm yellow glare burned through Stacey. It had long, strong copper-colored legs, but the tan-and-black coat was patchy on the animal’s side and chest, and part of its right ear was missing. There were deep scars on its narrow, red muzzle. The coyote had been through some violent encounter long before. Despite that, here it was standing firm in front of her car. Unafraid.

“That coyote is a fucking warrior,” Jessie muttered.

---