didn’t have a face like the girls in the magazines, or a face like Maxine, for instance. But my nose was small, and in proportion to the rest of my face. My lips seemed to be a fairly normal size too, apart from the slight swelling in the bottom lip. My eyes were rather large. That was something very noticeable. Large and round and the color was—what would you call that?—a grayish, khaki green.
Only 2 per cent of the population has green eyes.
Did that make me unique? I wondered.
I ran my hands through my short hair. I’d gauged from an article in one of the magazines at hospital that this was called a pixie cut. Apparently, it was making a comeback. Did that mean I was fashionable? I was on trend, as the magazine had said? My eyebrows were pretty perfect, something else I’d gleaned from the magazine, where a whole article, three pages, was dedicated to the art of eyebrow shaping. I shook my head. This not knowing was exhausting. All this thinking and speculating and running things over and over in my brain. And I didn’t want to think anymore. I wanted to just know.
I turned away from the mirror and bent over to pick my clothes up, just as I heard the door open and felt a rush of cold air on my bottom. I swung around to find Maxine standing there.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize you were here,” she said casually, looking at my fully naked body as if she didn’t even care I was naked.
“Broken collar bone,” she said, pointing at my scar.
“Tha-that’s what I’ve been told,” I replied, so shocked that she was just standing there that I didn’t even bother to bend down and pick up my towel.
“I had elbow surgery last year.” She thrust a scarred elbow into my face. “Hurt like a motherfucker. I bet yours hurt too.”
“I can’t remember,” I mumbled, finally bending down to pick up my towel, which I clutched to my body.
“Oh my God!” I looked away quickly as she began taking her clothes off and dropping them to the floor. I tried not to gasp at the sight of her naked breasts, which were suddenly everywhere. And I mean everywhere! I seemed to be standing in a place where the mirror was reflecting her back at me in multiple. Suddenly, Maxine’s boobs flooded my field of vision, row after row after row. After the initial shock was over, I found myself staring at them. She did have incredible breasts. Big and round and so damn perky.
“Are you not comfortable with this?” she asked.
“Um, not really,” I said, feeling sheepish now, like maybe I should be cool with this. Maybe this is what women did all the time and I just didn’t know.
“I sometimes forget I’m not in a gym changing room.” She politely wrapped a towel around herself and her perfect breasts disappeared. “Sometimes I just do stuff and blurt stuff out. I don’t have a filter. Like that sex thing. Sorry if it made things awkward between you guys. I didn’t know Noah was seeing anyone. Fresh relationship, awkward sex talk, I get it.”
“No. Noah and I aren’t . . . uh . . .”
“Damn, you haven’t had sex yet! That’s awkward. Unfiltered roommate brings up topic of sex and you guys haven’t had it yet.”
“No, it’s not—”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure you guys will have it soon.”
“Wait. No, now you really have it wrong, uh—”
“Hey!” Noah somehow chose the absolute worst time to call out from outside the bathroom, and my cheeks immediately went red.
“Hey,” Maxine answered him.
“Oh, sorry, I thought someone else was in there.”
“I am,” I called.
There was a beat of silence. “Oh. You’re both in there.” His voice sounded a little strange now.
“Yeah,” Maxine called, and then she winked at me. “Both of us are totally naked!” She burst out laughing then mouthed something to me that looked like “Now you guys are totally going to have sex.” I wanted to die of embarrassment!
“No, we’re not naked!” I yelled. “We were. But we’re not anymore.” This made Maxine laugh even more and she shot me a thumbs-up and nodded.
“Do you need the bathroom too?” Maxine was still laughing. “You can join us if you want!” She gave me several very dramatic and pronounced winks now.
“No! That’s . . . I . . . no.” Noah seemed to be stumbling over his words and I couldn’t help but wonder if he was contemplating this