Page 60 of Unsupervised

“Where was this?”

“Green’s Steakhouse. I was there last night. That’s the student you were seeing right? I mean, I know you only showed us a picture of her, but I thought it looked—”

“It’s her.” She’s on a date. It’s ridiculous how shocked I feel about it. She’s young and beautiful. Did I really think she wouldn’t date? I guess I wasn’t trying to think about that, just missing her was enough. Seeing her with someone else rips me open.

Travis hands me another beer. “You never did tell us what happened with her. You lost your job over her and everything.”

“That wasn’t her fault.” I can’t even blame Owen if he was the one who told. I’m the one who broke their rules.

I point my finger at Dalton. “And don’t creep on her and take her picture again.”

Dalton chuckles, draining his beer. “Relax, it’s not like I jerked off to it.”

They can see I’m not happy to talk about it, and we go back to the game. A few beers later, with the thoughts of her still beating against my skull, I blurt out, “She was a virgin.”

Both of them look at me like I’ve lost my mind until I clarify. “Kelly, she was a virgin.”

“You took her virginity?” Travis asks.

“No, but I was seconds away when she told me. I left and she hasn’t accepted my calls or messages since.”

Dalton is the first to speak up. “Good call, dude. Virgins are super clingers. I’m talking like barnacles on steroids. You’ll never get rid of them.”

“He didn’t want rid of her, you dipshit.” Travis looks at me. “Did you?”

“No.”

“You weren’t trying to fuck and run. You wanted a relationship, right?”

“Yes, I wanted a relationship with her.”

Travis sits back, takes a swig from his beer bottle, then sets it on the table. “Just know when I say this, I mean it from the bottom of my heart. You’re a fucking idiot.”

His words catch me off guard, and Dalton snorts out a laugh.

Travis continues. “You left her because you didn’t want to take her virginity? So, you want someone else to be her first?”

The thought makes my stomach roil. “No!”

Travis shrugs and crosses his arms. “No, man, I get it. It makes perfect sense. Let someone else break her in and then you can date her. Solid plan.”

Anger and regret rush through my bloodstream, and I run my hands through my hair in frustration. “Fuck!” He’s right. I am a fucking idiot.

Both my friends stare at me for a long moment until I announce, “I need to win her back.”

Travis nods, shoving another beer in my hand. “Glad that’s settled. Now, any idea how to do it?”

After a moment of thought, I nod. “I know how I can try.”

I hope I’m not too late.

* * *

“Penelope.” The head of the music department looks up at me from her desk.

I’m relieved to see no judgement or scorn in her expression, only the same friendliness she usually has for me. While I’m not sure exactly what was told to the staff about my dismissal, I’m confident the rumors have been flying and most people probably know.

“Hi, I was wondering about you.”