“Rory, honey, I mean you.” She held my arms, looking at me. “I do trust Mrs. Fox, Nova and Nara, but I mean I trust you.”
I bit my lip, a spot of guilt smudging my mood. I doubted she'd be so trusting if she knew what sorts of capers we'd been getting ourselves into lately. But then I thought about exploring Islands of Adventure with Skyler, and nothing else mattered.
“Thanks, Mom. This is...this is huge.” I gave her another hug, promising myself I wouldn't do anything that would seriously betray her trust. She'd been a wild child in her day—maybe she'd been like me.
"Everything is a big deal at this age, Aurora. I know. But you need to understand that it was not easy to convince Dad to let you do this.” She smirked. “I just hope he doesn't drive up there to check on you. I don't think he's caught on yet that you and Skyler have a thing."
I stood back, horrified, but she just snickered. "Relax. The point is that, if you want to do things like this you have to be responsible. Call me every two hours no matter what. I don't care if your phone is dead; you use someone else's."
"Mom. I don't leave until next week."
"I'm making sure you understand the rules from the get-go."
"I do. And I really, really appreciate it." I hugged her again; a little overwhelmed she'd actually been able to pull through for me like this. What was happening?
She smiled, shrugging. "Dinner in ten."
"Okay." I waited until she left before snatching up my phone and texting Teigan and Niki.
It's on! Orlando in 8 days!
For the next eight days that trip was all we could talk about. You'd swear we never got to go anywhere.
Niki was excited because Finn was going now. Originally he wasn't part of the plan, but when she realized that she had to go in order for me to be able to go, she convinced him. Not that he needed much convincing: theme parks like Islands of Adventure were practically rites of passage for any Floridian kid. The fact that he'd never been made it that much more important for him to go.
The Friday we were driving up, Niki and Mrs. Peña drove me home from school. Like a nerd, I'd already packed, but I wanted to make sure my room was clean and my homework was done. I didn't want my parents to pull any last minute stunts.
I'd just gotten out of the shower when there was a knock at the door.
"Rory?"
"Hang on Dad, I'm getting dressed."
"Okey-doke. Meet me in the kitchen when you're decent."
My heart sank a little. I loved my dad, so much, but if he got all moody on me now I'd freak out. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a new tank top, deciding to throw on a hoodie over it. Didn't want Dad thinking I was being immodest.
In the kitchen, I found him frowning at his phone while he nursed a cup of coffee. He'd been trying to cut back for years, but so far he'd hadn't made much headway.
“Hey.” Giving him a squeeze for good measure, I dropped into a chair across the table and tried not to fidget.
“Would you believe Nelson's sick again?” he muttered, squinting at his phone. A second later he dropped it in disgust, looking up at me as it skittered across the table. “New guy's not making the best impression so far.”
“Yikes.”
“Yikes is right.” He brought the coffee mug to his lips, sniffed, and set it back down. “So you all set?"
“Pretty much.” I ticked the tasks off my fingers. “I packed, my homework's done..."
"You know I don't like this. I think you're a little young, but Mom seems to trust you and the people you'll be with.” He leaned forward and then, to my surprise, took my hand. “And I trust her. So, I'm going to let this happen. Do not hesitate to call me if anything happens, Aurora.”
“Okay.”
“I mean it.”
“Okay!”
“I don't care if it's a three-hour drive."
"Two-hour."
"Aurora."
"We googled it!"
He flared his nostrils. "My point is I'm here if you need me. We both are. Please be careful."
His concern was so heart-melting that I nodded, squeezing his hands tight. "I promise to call if I need you. And I already promised Mom I'd check in with her every two hours."
Pulling his wallet from his back pocket, he counted out a few twenties and pressed them into my hand. “Just in case.”
Caught off-guard, I swallowed back the thickness in my throat. “Wow. Thanks.”
He nodded, exhaling dramatically. "All right then. Have fun, kiddo."
"I will.” I stood, stuffing the money into my pocket. “Love you, Dad."
“Yeah, yeah.”
"I do!"
"I love you too, little girl." He got up, dumping his coffee and trading it for a beer from the fridge. "Now, go before I change my mind."
Niki and Teigan's parents dropped them off so we could leave together. Rocco and Skyler showed up soon after, Finn right behind them. Without any badgering from me, they came into the house to properly meet (and reassure) Mom and Dad. Manners and respect went a long way with my parents.
Most of the group had already left for Orlando, so we didn't waste time getting on the road.
"What's up?" asked Skyler, texting as we slid into the backseat. We were in his car, but Rocco was driving.
"Nothing. Glad to be getting out of town."
"You're not the only one," bellowed Rocco.
"Thanks for keeping cool with my dad, by the way.” I reached up front to ruffle his hair. “I know he's a little intense.”
“Sky told me he was a cop, so I laid it on thick.”
I shoved Skyler. “He's a ranger.”
“He carries heat,” he mumbled, side-eyeing me.
“Hey.” Rocco grinned, glancing at me in the rear-view mirror. "I have a little sister. I get it.”
Skyler laughed suddenly, holding up his phone. "Kai's an ass. He forgot his wallet and had to go back."
Music went on after that, loud, putting an end to conversation. I didn't mind. Going someplace else, for two days with Skyler, was enough for me.
I was super-nervous, though. I wasn't sure what the room situation would be like, or if we'd have a lot of alone time. I almost hoped we wouldn't. Skyler had been wanting to go further with me, and while I wanted to experiment, I didn't want to go all the way. Not yet.
And while he seemed okay with fooling around in other ways, I had to wonder how much patience he actually had. I'd always imagined losing my virginity at sixteen. It was arbitrary, something I'd decided when sex was this far off scenario I could barely imagine. Now, though, it felt wise. Like maybe it would buy me some time.
Skyler looked at me just then, wordlessly offering me his bag of Cheetos. I'd just eaten, but I took a few.
It was hard to say no to a face like that.
The hotel was decent, nicer than I'd anticipated. I could've seen the boys choosing some dingy old motel, but Mrs. Fox wasn't about to go that route. We got a Holiday Inn across the street from the entrance to Universal. I'm pretty sure we were fudging on how many people were in our group, to save money, but whatever. That was part of the fun.
Once we'd parked, Skyler texted Kai to get the room number. Clambering from the confines of the car, we grabbed our bags and headed inside, up to the fourth floor. Nara and Nova were down the hall, but the other rooms were on the fifth floor. We were in the middle of trying to decide who would sleep where, when the older girls walked in.
"Okay, so. I think these four"—Nara gestured toward Niki, Teigan, Molly and me—"should take this room. You guys can take the one upstairs."
Rocco snorted. "You're seriously splitting us up like that?"
Nara snorted right back. "Uh, yeah. No one's getting pregnant on my watch, sorry. We promised their mothers you guys would be in separate rooms."
“This is a good way to ensure that,” said Nova, examining her face in the mirror near the dresser.
I glanced over at Teigan, who was snickering at their antics. She'd probably just found he
r new heroes.
"That's cool," I said, tossing my backpack on to one of the two beds. "Thanks, guys."
"No problem," Nara said, as they drifted back out into the hall. "We're ordering pizza in a while."
The door shut behind them.
"I'm gonna go put my stuff down," Skyler said, slipping on his backpack. He yanked the door open and slipped through, eyes meeting mine in the split second before it closed completely.
Kai whispered something into Molly's ear before leaving too, trailed by Finn and Rocco.
"Do you want to share a bed?" I asked Molly, not wanting her to feel left out. It had to be awkward sharing a hotel room with three girls you barely knew, especially when they were already thick as thieves.
She shrugged. "Sure.”
"I wonder if they brought alcohol?" Teigan mused, opening her bag.
"Finn said Nara bought a whole bunch last night," Niki said.
Teigan frowned. "That doesn't mean they'll let us have any, though."
"Some of it is Kai's," Molly said quietly, crossing her legs. "I think they all pitched in."
My phone vibrated, reminding me to call my mother. "Be right back. I have to check in with my mom."
Niki joined me as I stepped out onto the cramped balcony. "I should probably call mine, too.”
We leaned on the railing, gazing out at the darkening sky. Our room faced the pool below, where a couple of people floated around.
"Mom?"
"Hey, baby. Get in safe?"
"Yup. We're in our room and the boys are in theirs. Mrs. Fox and the twins are on their floor."
"Okay, sounds good.” She chuckled, and I was glad to hear it. “You're in for the night, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Call me before you head out in the morning, okay?"
“I will. Love you."
"Love you too."
I woke slowly, pulled from sleep by the freezing cold air conditioner, which we'd left on all night. Molly kept to herself when she was sleeping as much as she did when she was awake—she looked like she'd barely moved during the night.
I yawned, glad everyone else seemed to have the same idea of sleeping in. We'd made big plans to get up early and make the most of the day, but after sneaking beers and goofing off late in to the night, everyone was exhausted. I rolled over languidly, letting my eyes close.
The next time I woke up, it was to Teigan whispering loudly on the phone, probably to Rocco.
An hour later we were all down in the lobby, trying to decide which park to hit up first.
"I want to do Islands of Adventure today," Kai said. "And, I'm the birthday boy so..."
He had a point, not that the rest of us were arguing anyway. Niki couldn't wait to go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (she was obsessive about the books), and I had to admit I was excited about it, too.
At first we stuck together, moving from one attraction to another, but as the day wore on we split up into smaller and smaller groups. Mrs. Fox had knee problems and begged out around one.
“You kids do your thing,” she said, massaging her swollen knee as we ate lunch. “We're going to go back to the pool.”
By the end of the day, Skyler and I were exhausted. We'd just ridden the Hulk with Teigan and Rocco for the fourth time.
"I'm ready to call it," said Skyler, dropping on to the first bench we saw.
"Text Kai, see where they're at.” I got my phone out to find Niki, who happened to be around the corner with Finn. They joined us on the bench, Niki gloating over her new Gryffindor scarf.
Back in our hotel room, we ordered pizza and drank beer again. Nova and Nara were cool about stuff like that, especially when their mother was one floor up and fast asleep.
"We should tell them we're going to bed," Skyler said, once they'd gone back to their room.
I grimaced, trying not to burp in his face after the beer I'd just swallowed. "Why?"
"So we can go down to the pool," he said. "It looked good last night."
The pool did look pretty inviting. "Maybe they'll let us go anyway."
"Let us? We should just go," he said, making a face. "They're worse than my mother."
“That's probably my mother's fault,” I whispered, laughing, warm and tipsy. "She was being all strict and demanding..."
Skyler got to his feet. "I'm gonna go change."
"Where you going?" Kai asked.
"Swimming," I said, wobbling as I stood up.
Twenty minutes later, we were easing into the calm, tepid waters of the hotel pool.
"Oh! It's warmer than I thought," Niki said, totally relaxing into it.
Skyler had brought down a water bottle full of beer. He shared it with me between sips.
"Such a lush," I said, taking a sip.
"Who, you?"
"You. Can't leave the liquor alone for like, ten minutes."
"First off," he began, moving closer, "it's beer. Not 'liquor'. And second, we're gonna be down here a lot longer than ten minutes. I always come prepared."
"Oh really?"
"Really." He eyed me over the top of his bottle as he finished it.
The wall loomed behind me. I rested my arms on either side, anchoring myself as Skyler floated closer, eyes gleaming like silver coins. He left his bottle on the side of the pool and wrapped my legs around his body. Then he backed away again, peeling me away from the wall so that I had to wrap my arms around him, too.
Our bodies felt sealed together, nothing but wet bathing suit between us. I touched the hair at the nape of his neck, tugging at it.
"Your hair's getting longer," I said, but it was just something to say. What I really wanted to tell him was how cute he was, how I much I liked him.
But he knew those things, whether I ever told him or not. My mother always said my face was an open book, and if that was the case, Skyler had become too good at reading me.
"Yeah," he said. "My dad's been after me to get a haircut, so I probably will."
I shrugged. "I like it."
"I like you," he said, tilting his head.
Such simple words, but I couldn't remember him ever saying them. "Yeah?" I said, letting myself smile the way I wanted to.
He held me tight against him under the water, letting me feel what our closeness did to him. "Yeah," he said, kissing me.
We moved in to deeper water, further away from everyone else, and found a quiet corner. Skyler pushed me up against the wall and we made out like crazy, a wet push and pull of tongues and lips and mouths.
"Get a room," yelled Rocco. I heard a splash from that end of the pool.
Skyler's hands were already on my butt. He moved one closer between my legs and let his fingers beneath the fabric, playing around.
"Stop," I breathed, wanting him, but not wanting him to right there. "Too many people..."
"Just...touching..." he whispered, grinding once against me. He was as hard as a rock.
"We can't do anything about it," I said, wiggling his hand away. "Not right here."
"Wanna go upstairs?"
I groaned quietly. "They'll all know, Skyler.”
"So?"
"So it would be really embarrassing to have Nova or Nara Fox walk in on us."
"Shit," Skyler muttered, finally detaching his mouth from my neck.
I grabbed his face and held it still so we could kiss again. I knew he wanted to get down, but I just loved this. He moved his hands along my stomach and thighs, gripping and loosening.
"I know you want to wait," he said, kissing along my jaw. "And I will. But..."
I bit my lip. "I want to do it on my sixteenth birthday.”
He paused, looking at me. "When's your birthday?"
"September."
His eyes nearly bugged out. "How about we do it on my birthday. That's in June."
"I really want to, I just... I'm not ready."
"Maybe you'll feel ready in June."
"Can you even wait till June?"
He shrugged, and t
hen nodded.
"You can wait for me?"
"You want me to be your first, right?"
Oh. At this point I couldn't even think of anyone else. Ever. "Yes."
His eyes burned into mine, playful but serious too. "So...then you can be my birthday present."
"Maybe," I said, nodding slowly. "But isn't there, like...other stuff?"
"Yeah, there's other stuff.” I felt him smile, running his tongue along my ear.
I sagged against him, paralyzed by how good he made me feel. He always knew exactly what to do. Forcing my eyes open, I asked, "How old were you when you lost your virginity?"
"I'd just turned fifteen."
"Seriously?"
He nodded, smiling lazily.
“What was her name?” I asked, and then wished I hadn't.
“Ava. She was going out with Rocco, but then one night she came into my room instead of his and we messed around."
I gasped. "Does Rocco know about this?"
He nodded. "They weren't that serious."
“You guys don't like...”
“What?”
“Share girls?”
Throwing his head back, he laughed obnoxiously.
“Shut up!” Giggling, I pushed down on his head, trying to shove him under the water. Across the pool, Rocco and Kai were splashing and yelling something about saving it till later—an inside joke between the three of them.
Skyler grabbed my hands and rested them around his shoulders, eyes still shining. “No, Rory. None of that freaky stuff.”
“Just asking.” I paused, chewing my thumbnail. “Did it mean anything to you?"
He shrugged. "It felt amazing. She showed me what to do."
"That's not what I asked."
"Not really."
We stared at each other. I wasn't even judging him, not really. I just knew I didn't want my first time to be meaningless.
He smiled a little. "It wasn't, like, a bad thing. We hooked up a couple times and that was that."
And it really was. What could I do? Nothing. I hadn't even known Skyler back then.
Things had gone quiet across the pool. Kai and Molly were canoodling in a corner while Teigan swam, gliding gracefully underwater in her strapless, white one piece.
The water lapped gently at our skin, welcome and warm. Skyler's mouth was so pretty. I traced my thumb across his bottom lip until he dipped down and kissed me again, a teasing, nibbling little kiss. "So what 'other stuff' did you have in mind?" he asked.
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