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breath so long.

A wry smile twisted Jade's lips.

"Thought so," she said with great selfsatisfaction.

"Yeah, but what you think happened, didn't

happen."

"Ever?" she challenged.

"That night," I said and she sat back, still quite

pleased with herself.

After a beat of silence, Misty asked, "Why

didn't it?" "His daddy came home," I said, "and things

got very unpleasant very quickly."

Jade's eyebrows rose. Cathy bit down on her

lower lip. Doctor Marlowe sipped some water and

stared at me. I could almost hear her asking herself,

"Would I go on?"

"Steve and I cleaned up the kitchen, neither of

us saying very much. Every once in a while, we

would look into each other's eyes and pause. My heart

started a heavy, faster beat that grew louder and

harder every time he and I grazed each other. It was

like electricity was in the air.

"I know a lot. of people, especially other girls

my age, look at me and think I've been with a lot of

boys, but I'd never had anything like a boyfriend

before I met Steve. I had crushes on boys and some

had crushes on me, but nothing had ever come of it. "I read enough romance stories and stuff and

had been around Mamma enough to know about sex

and such, but when it's you, really you, it's different." "That's for sure," Misty said. Cat looked at her for a moment and then turned back quickly to me,

anticipating.

"We just held hands first. It was like both our