Nothing.
By the time lunch ended, Ro decided that she wasn’t going to talk to Ben even if he deigned to call. But it turned out to be a moot point. She couldn’t find her phone. She checked her purse and her locker. She backtracked to all the classrooms and bathrooms, but it had simply disappeared.
“Want mine?” JD asked.
“No, I want to find mine. I want to see if he called . . .” She was suddenly furious! “Actually, I don’t care if he called. If he wants to be with me bad enough, he’ll show up after school. If he doesn’t, I’ve had it.”
“Whatever you want, princess.”
“How come you weren’t this nice when we were going together?”
“They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” He took her books and walked her to her locker. As she fiddled with her schoolwork, he leaned against the wall. “How about . . . if I take you somewhere really nice?”
“You’re not getting any play.”
“I’m not asking for play.” He grinned. “We can just talk . . . isn’t that what you girls like anyway?”
Ro shook her head and rolled her eyes.
“I know I have no credibility, but really, I can control myself. You don’t play quarterback like I do without control.”
“Maybe he’ll show up.” Ro didn’t believe her own words.
“Look, I’ll follow you home. If he’s there, I’ll just keep driving by. If he’s not, we’ll make an evening of it. Maybe go to a movie first and then dinner.”
“Stop being so nice.” When he was silent, she said, “Okay . . . okay, fine. No harm in a movie and dinner, right?”
“No harm at all.”
And that’s exactly what happened when Ben didn’t show up after school or at her house.
But not quite.
The movie was some stupid love story—soppy and romantic, the way Ro liked it. The place JD chose for dinner was much nicer than a coffee shop, but not an elegant restaurant that would have been over-the-top for the evening. The dessert was a special chocolate cake baked in the shape of a heart. It oozed chocolate fudge as soon as she took a bite. She shared it with JD and they laughed as chocolate dripped onto the table. The evening was perfect for what he had proposed and he behaved himself. He saved the kiss for when they were done and Ro didn’t feel the least bit guilty about it.
When JD suggested a ride to top off the evening, she was wary. But then she realized how lonely she’d been for male attention. He was the wrong boy and she knew it was wrong, but she didn’t care. He took her somewhere up in the hills and they stared at the twinkling lights of Santa Fe. It was cold outside—freezing, to be exact—but the night was clear and the view was spectacular. He pulled something from the backseat. Ro figured it was a joint—JD was a recreational doper—but it turned out to be a bottle of champagne and plastic flutes. She looked at him with suspicious eyes.
He said, “Just thought it would be a nice topper.” A pause. “You don’t have to.”
“One glass.”
“That’s the girl I know and love.”
“Where were you three months ago?”
“With my head in my ass.” He poured and they clicked glasses. “For what it’s worth, I’m really, really sorry.”
Ro didn’t answer. When he refilled her glass, she hadn’t realized that she had polished off the first. When he poured a third glass, she was feeling it—not enough to be drunk but enough to be happy.
“You know I love you.” JD sipped champagne. “You just gotta understand guys. We’re dogs. We need training. To train us properly, you need to dole out the treats for good behavior.”
Ro hit him. “I gave you plenty of treats.”
JD leaned over and kissed her cheek. “With someone as hot as you, it’s never enough.”
Her head started spinning. She shivered. “You still have that blanket in the back?”
JD grinned. “I do.”
“Stop smirking. I’m cold. You turned off the motor. Why did you do that?”
“Because with the motor on, the car is more visible to the cops and we are underage and drinking, my love.” He reached over and then tumbled into the backseat. He pulled the blanket from the hatch. “Come here, Ro. I promise I won’t assault you.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Yeah, that’s probably smart. I’m a total bullshitter.”
Takes one to know one, she thought. When she didn’t move, he laughed and leaned over to the front, where she was still sitting. “C’mon!” He grabbed her arm and pulled her over. She tumbled into the back and then they both started laughing.
He was tipsy, but she was soused. “You’re gonna take advantage of me, right?”
“I sure hope so.” JD kissed her and then kissed her again. His hands started roaming. Not that it bothered Ro. Both JD and his body were familiar territory and it felt nice. It felt good, much better than when they were going together because there was no honor to protect.
He was on top before she could protest, her head orbiting outer space. Kissing her while trying to yank down her panties.
“Stop!” she said.
And he did. “Yes?”
Ro was dizzy. “Nothing.”
He started kissing her again. And she kept kissing him because she was cold and he was warming her up, because his kisses felt good and she was drunk. And because she didn’t push him away, he tried again. He was inches from starting the act, but he stopped himself. His eyes looked into hers, waiting for permission.
Damn him.
It would have been better if he had forced her. She tried to stall but she wasn’t thinking clearly. She slurred out, “Not without a condom.”
“Oh . . . right!” He got off, leaned over to the front seat, and opened the glove compartment.
Of course he’d have condoms.
Ro didn’t remember what she said to him. But she did remember that he said all the right things. And to be honest, especially in her state, she had become a little curious. Nothing wrong with that. It felt good. But it also felt dirty, and not in a good way. She took back all the evil thoughts she had about Lisa and Shannon. It was bad enough that she let him do it once. But then they did it again. He probably would have done it a third time except the booze was finally wearing off and she told him she needed to get home.
For once he did most of the talking. How much he loved her, how it was going to be different, how he had changed and was a better person because of what happened, blah, blah, blah.
She was listening with half an ear—mad at him but madder at herself. The day was shit, the night was shit, and then, as he approached her house, she knew things were only going to get shittier.
She sat up. “That’s Vicks’s car. Keep driving!”
“What?”
“Just go around the block!” JD complied and when he was several houses away, she said, “Drop me off here.”
“What?”
“Pull over!” Ro yelled.
He stopped the car but took her arm before she could leave. “He’s gonna know what happened. Let me come in with you.”