Raven (Orphans 4)

"I don't want to do this so fast. We can get in trouble," I told him.

He looked at me with a frozen smile on his lips. "Don't worry. We won't. I have what we need. You expected I would, didn't you?"

"What? No," I said.

"What do you mean, no? You agreed to come here with me. What did you think we'd be doing, having popcorn and watching television? You know what's happening, and I know about you. Jennifer's told everyone."

"What?" I pushed him back. "What did she tell everyone?"

"Hey, what's going on? This isn't brain surgery. We're just having a good time. You've had them before."

"Not like this," I said, standing. "I don't know what Jennifer has told everyone, but I'm not what you think."

"Come on," he said. "I don't kiss and tell." He reached for my hand, and I stepped back.

"Neither do I," I said. "I'm nobody's one-night stand," I added, repeating something Mama had once told one of her lovers. As it t

urned out, she was often a one-night stand.

"I thought you were cooler than the girls here," he said. "Why do you think I asked you out on the night of the biggest game? Come on," he said, reaching for me again. "Don't I deserve some reward?"

"No," I said. "You deserve a kick between the legs, and that's what you're going to get if you try to pull me onto that bed," I threatened. My eyes were full of fire.

He cowered. "Fine. Get the hell out, then."

I headed for the door.

"You and your cousin are full of it," he yelled after me.

"Don't put me in the same category as Jennifer," I spit back, disgusted.

Out in the hallway, I saw Brad leaving one of the bedrooms, a smile on his face as he hurried to straighten his clothes.

"Brad, where's Jennifer? We're going home!"

"Fine, chill, I'm done with her. She's all yours." He laughed as he made his way downstairs to the party.

I pushed open the bedroom door and saw Jennifer lying on the bed, her skirt bunched up and her shirt halfway unbuttoned. She looked as if she was sleeping, but I had enough experience with my mother to know that she was passed out.

"Jennifer, wake up!" I shouted, shaking her by the shoulder. "C' mon, we've got to get out of here!"

"What? Who? Raven . . what are you doing here? What happened?" She looked groggily around the room. "Where's Brad? We were having fun, and then the room started to spin, and I . ."

"Come on, Jennifer, you have to get up!" I pulled her into a sitting position, and she swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"Ohhh, my head! I want to go home," she moaned, clutching the side of the bed.

"We will. That's why I came looking for you. But first you better tell me what kind of stories you've been telling everyone about me," I demanded.

"Please, Raven, I just want to go home."

I could tell there was no use talking to her in this condition, so I put my arm around her and helped her to the stairs. Brad was standing at the foot of the stairs with a group of boys, and they were all laughing hysterically.

"Somebody better take us home," I said. "Jennifer's sick. We need to go now."

"Why don't you just hitchhike?" Brad suggested. Everyone laughed.

Jennifer and I made our way downstairs, and I turned to Missy Taylor who had come up from the basement to see what all the laughing was about.