Olivia washed her hands, turning to me when she was done. I leaned against the stall door with my arms folded across my chest, waiting for some kind of tongue-lashing. I probably deserved whatever she felt she had to say. "In my defense, you said I needed to go wild, and if you remember, all I wanted was a Coke."
Olivia surprised me by grinning gleefully. "That was fucking awesome. I knew you liked him. You wouldn't answer any questions yesterday at lunch, but I knew there was something there. Alec could be the one to take your flower." I clapped a hand across her mouth. The acoustics in the bathroom carried her voice outside the stall where I heard an eruption of giggles. "You go, girl," someone said, rapping on the stall door.
"Oops." Olivia's eyes danced with mirth as she laughed behind my hand.
"Why do you insist on announcing my virginity to the freaking world?"
"Oh, so what? It's just a roomful of girls. Believe me, we all appreciate the significance of this moment. So, what do you think?"
"God, I don't know. Is this even something we should be talking about? Isn't your first time supposed to be spontaneous and exciting?"
"Not always. Trust me. It's nothing like the romance books you write. Sometimes the first time is wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am, but looking at Alec, I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be the case. The important thing is you'll finally have it behind you and it won't be the noose you're always acting like it is."
"You're talking about it like it's a foregone conclusion already. Like all I have to do is tell Alec I'm ready and he'll cooperate. What makes you think he would even want to sleep with me? We've said like five words to each other."
"Please. He's male. Of course he wants to sleep with you."
"That's easy for you to say. You can get any guy you want. Even one as delicious as Alec. Just because he's male doesn't mean he wants to stick it in any girl who throws herself at him."
Olivia placed her hands on my shoulders. "When are you gonna stop that shit? Girls are attractive for different reasons. So, you're not as tall as me. What does that have to do with anything? Your ass is bangin'. And look at these tits," she said, reaching for my bosom until I grabbed her hands.
I couldn't help but laugh even though it was clear people outside the stall were still listening. "Cool it, freako," I whispered.
"Believe me, Nicole. He's interested. I can tell by the way he looks at you. The guy is definitely jonesing for more of that tongue action."
I backed my head against the stall and looked to the ceiling. "I still can't believe I licked him." The past couple of days had become the most embarrassing of my life.
"I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't seen it."
I shook my head. "Like he was some freaking popsicle."
Her laughter bounced off the tiled walls as she doubled over. "Go out there and tell him that and you're golden for sure."
"It's not funny, Liv. I don't know what's happened to me. Never in my life have I felt this way. My entire body reacts to him anytime he's within a ten-foot radius. I feel utterly ridiculous."
"It's called lust, slutbag. Trust me. Good old-fashioned lust is good for you every once in a while. It makes things interesting. Give me lust over love any day."
I debated asking her which one Taylor fit into. Was she in love or lust? I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer. It was a double-edged sword. If her feelings for Taylor were based only on lust, then their relationship was superficial with no substance and would inevitably fizzle out, which had been the case with several of Olivia's relationships in the past. If that was the case, what did it mean I was feeling for Alec? Not that it should matter. How could I even consider being in love with someone I hadn't even had a full conversation with yet? This was just a means to the end of my virginity. Nothing more.
"Are you sure?" I asked as she fooled with my hair for a moment. Glancing in the mirror, I saw she had pulled some of the hair loose so it fell around my face, giving me a softer, sexier look.
"I'm positive." She opened her purse and pulled out a tube of lip gloss.
"I have lip gloss."
"This kind is special. It plumps up your lips. Trust me, guys can't resist it."
She slathered on a liberal amount. A pleasant heat followed by a burning sensation covered my lips. "What the hell, whore? My lips are on fire." I raised my hand to wipe them clean, but she stopped me.
"Don't be a baby. It's got cayenne pepper in it. Sometimes beauty hurts a little."
"You sound like a sick advertisement for some demented horror movie." Thankfully, some of the heat had dispersed and my lips no longer felt like they were melting off my face.
Olivia applied the lip gloss to herself before turning to me. "Let's go get you laid, my trampy whore."
"God help me," I mumbled as she led me from the bathroom toward the opposite side of the club where the lighting was much dimmer.
I leaned in close to speak over the thudding music. "What about the guys?"