here, but she wouldn’t last five seconds at my old school. She’s naive and immature in so many ways. No wonder she thinks Janey North is the biggest slapper of all time. When in reality Janey’s no different from Maddie and me.
“I guess.” She doesn’t look convinced. Hardly surprising I suppose, seeing as I’m new and she’s had months of Jamie’s indoctrination.
“Trust me.” Ha ha. That’s a joke. “So who’s this guy you fumbled with? Anyone I know?”
“George. He’s in our Classics class. We went out for a while, until the club started and he wouldn’t join so I finished it. Jamie says we shouldn’t go out with anyone who isn’t prepared to take the pledge. It will only put pressure on us.”
Jamie. Jamie. Freakin’ Jamie. That man. Talk about prize brain washer.
“Yeah, I know him. He seems a nice guy. And definitely hot. Shame you had to finish. You couldn’t persuade him to join then?”
“I nearly did, then he came to a meeting, heard Jamie and said he wasn’t going to be told how to live his life by some wannabe do-gooder.”
You go, George. A boy after my own heart.
“Poor you. Yet you decided to stay a member. Why?”
A pensive expression crosses her face.
“If I tell you promise you won’t say anything.”
“Promise.”
“Um—well. You see—I’m—well. It’s like this. I’m—-”
“Lori. Just say it. This is me you’re talking to.”
God knows what she’s going to say but she’s redder than the cushions on my bed.
“Okay,” Lori says. She stands up and walks toward the closet, keeping her back to me. “I know you’re going to laugh but at the time the main reason I joined was so I wouldn’t have to have sex. The thought really scared me. And I wanted not to have to think about it until I’m older.”
That’s so sad. Then again, I might have thought that if it hadn’t been for you know who. Actually, no. I wouldn’t have thought it.
“That’s okay. Lots of girls feel like that.” Okay, I’ve no idea if that’s true or not. But I can’t let the poor girl feel like such an idiot.
“I didn’t realize.” She turns back to face me, a smile of relief on her face. “Trouble is it cost me George.” The smile disappears.
“Did you explain to him how you felt?”
“What do you think?” Yes, well I guess that was rather a dumb thing to ask.
“Sorry. So now we’ve just got to work out a plan to get George to ask you out again.” Especially if it stops her crush on Jamie.
“No point. He doesn’t even speak to me any more.”
“And do you speak to him?”
“No. In case he ignores me. And I don’t want him to know I’m bothered.”
“We’ll think of something. This is my specialty, after all. Just ask Maddie about the time I got Dean, this guy she had the hots for, to ask her out.”
Lori grins. “What if he wants me to leave the club?”
“Look, Lori. If you’re only in it because you’re scared of sex then—”
“No. It’s different now. That was my initial reason. Now I really see how beneficial it is. How much it can help people. I don’t want to leave.”
“Oh.” So all I need to do is convince George to give the club another try. Hmm. Not too much of a mission.
Lori wanders over to my dresser and starts to peer at all the photos I have on there.
“Hey, love the frame,” she says picking up one of the glittery blue and green ones from the back. Who’s this with you? She’s really pretty.” Oh no. she’s picked up Rosie and me.
“Rosie.” Please don’t ask.
“Who’s Rosie, a friend from your last school?”
“Um—no. She’s my sister.” Lori frowns and turns to face me.
“You didn’t say you had a sister. You said it was just you and your Mom and Dad when I—.”
“She’s dead.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She pauses. “What happened? Sorry I shouldn’t have asked.”
This is exactly why I decided not to tell anyone, because they’ll want to know what happened. And the thought of having to live through it every time someone asks is just unbearable. How do you tell people we couldn’t bury Rosie for ages because it took so long to find all her pieces? It’s so macabre you can’t even think about it. I can picture, as clearly as if it was yesterday, when the police came around during tea to tell us about the accident. And I’ll never forget the look on my Dad’s face as long as