Stupid Fast

Chapter 29: ALEAH




On the following Friday night, after managing to spend three solid days without saying a word to either Andrew or Jerri (actually, barely seeing them at all—this was the same strategy I used with classmates through just about all of eighth grade and freshman year—don’t look, talk, appear in front of them), Aleah and I watched this adventure movie with Nicholas Cage where he’s trying to figure out some mystery. I have no idea what else happened because Aleah invited me over not to watch a movie in the basement but to pretend to watch a movie. What she really wanted to do was lie on Gus’s giant beanbag chair and make out.

As we were kissing, she reached under my shirt and ran her hands over my skin, which raised all kinds of bumps, and I also put my hands under her shirt and touched her skin. I pulled her onto me, and we kissed until my mouth hurt and my lips were chapped, and I couldn’t see straight, and my legs hurt and my hips hurt and other stuff hurt, and I almost felt sick to my stomach because it was so great.

At around one, Ronald shouted down the stairs, “It’s about time for Felton to go home. There’s a paper route to be done in the morning.”

Aleah rolled off of me, and I stood fast because Ronald’s voice scared me and then I almost fell down because I was dizzy. Aleah almost couldn’t stand up because she was so twisted up. But we smiled at each other and didn’t say a word, and I ached and then climbed the stairs with Aleah right behind me.

Ronald squinted at my face as I walked out the door and said good night.

I biked home through the cool air, with blood running the right way through my body again.

It never occurred to me that I might ever actually have sex. The proposition had always seemed so totally remote and completely unreasonable. How would that ever happen? Suddenly, in one night, I knew how that would happen. Not that I thought Aleah and I were about to have sex or anything because I didn’t really want to. I was sure Ronald would walk down the stairs and see us and then I felt really terrified and explosive and crazy. Oh, man, Aleah.

At home, I could hear the TV on in Jerri’s room, and I went right to bed. But I didn’t go to sleep, not at all. But I guess I was asleep when the alarm went off.

***

On the paper route the next morning, right after I’d handed Ronald the newspaper and he’d stared at me and squinted again, as we biked down the street together, Aleah said, “Daddy gave me the third degree. Hoo, boy!”

“What’s that mean?” I asked.

“He wanted to know exactly what we were doing down there.”

My stomach dropped.

“Oh, man. Jeez. How’d you get out of that?” I could feel myself blushing, and my mouth got dry.

“I didn’t. I told him what we did.”

I stopped my bike, leaned and stared at her.

“What? You realize I can never look at your dad again.”

She stopped right next to me.

“Why? He didn’t mind. He said it’s normal.”

“He wasn’t mad?”

“Maybe a little uncomfortable?”

“Oh my God. Oh my God.”

“He did say that if we went any further, he’d lock me up until I graduate high school.”

“Well, we’re not going to. I won’t touch you again. Seriously. He doesn’t have to…Tell him not to worry about…He won’t be seeing…”

“He said not to go any further. But you are going to kiss me again, Felton. You got that?” She grabbed my forearm and squeezed.

I tried not to smile because I was seriously concerned, but I did smile because I couldn’t help it. Then I said, “Okay. Yes. I’ll kiss you.”

Aleah smiled.

“You’re sexy.”

“Uhh, yeah.”

“Aren’t you going to talk to Jerri about it?”

“No,” I said.

“Why not?”

“Because.”

“You should talk to Jerri. It’s important to get an adult’s perspective.”

“I don’t know any adults,” I said.

“You know my dad. He’s an adult.”

“You want I should talk to your dad?” I asked, putting on a TV gangster accent, which made Aleah laugh and forget about poking at me.