The words came out fast. “Yeah, and he came out, and I ran back to my car and sped away. I was certain I’d get in trouble. That the cops would find me. But I was so mad that he’d hurt Jason and frustrated with what my family had become. It felt so good to let go. It felt good to be bad.”
I stayed quiet for a few minutes, digesting what I’d heard. It was hard to imagine her acting like that, but I understood it. She was hurt. And angry. Sometimes, we just snapped.
My thumb continued to graze her arm. “It was a good distraction, yeah?”
“Yeah, and then…”
My thumb stopped. “And then what?”
Piper pushed up off my chest, and I suddenly felt my breath go with her. I watched her sigh as her eyes locked onto mine. “That’s not all.”
My shoulders grew tense. Piper was nervous. She couldn’t hold my gaze for more than a few seconds, her swollen bottom lip tucked between her teeth. Reaching forward, I swiped it out from them and held her face. “You can tell me anything. You know that, right?”
She took a deep breath. “I also lost my virginity that night.”
My hand instantly dropped from her chin. I felt my eyebrows come together in a bundle. I blinked once, trying to sort out what she’d just said.
The only thing that came out of my mouth was, “What?”
Her hands wrung together in a bunch as she sat perched on her knees, atop my bed. My t-shirt hung loosely on her body. “I...I lost my virginity that night.”
Breath seized in my chest. I almost couldn’t talk. “So…” I tried to reel in my confusion. “So, you’re telling me that you fucked someone that night…and then fucked me after?”
This doesn’t sound like the Piper I know.
An intense bout of jealousy surged through my veins to the point that I jumped up from my bed. I wanted to punch something. I was angry. So angry. I wasn’t sure I’d ever been so angry, and I really had absolutely no right.
“What!” Piper jumped up, too, and rushed over to me. Her soft hands landed on my skin and kept me in place. “No! It was you!”
I tipped my head backwards and stared at the ceiling, grinding my teeth. What the fuck is going on?
“You—” I cleared my throat, still staring at the ceiling. “You mean to tell me I took your virginity that night?” For fuck’s sake. “Please tell me I’m wrong.”
I mean, I wasn’t going to lie; there was a fleeting second where I felt proud knowing I was the one to take her virginity, and it was much better than the alternative, but no. There was no fucking way.
Her hands slowly dropped from my arms, and I gave her my full attention. Her cheeks were blazing pink, the freckles outlining her nose even more evident. The r
ed waves of her hair cascaded down past her shoulders as she barely nodded.
“No,” I said.
No. Fuck.
There were so many things that were wrong with this. So many things.
“You’re mad.”
“Yes, I’m mad!” I shouted.
She flinched, and I instantly reached out to her. I cupped my hands on her slender shoulders. She peeked up at me. “I’m not mad at you.” Her face flickered with uncertainty. “I’m mad at myself. Piper, that sex was…” I gulped the air, looking away for a moment to collect myself. “That was rough sex. Hot and fast. That’s not how your first time should have been! You deserved so much better. God, I probably hurt you.”
Fuck. I felt like a complete fucking dick. I acted like I didn’t even know her the day she walked into English Prep.
My hand came up, and I rubbed it down my face. “Fuck, I am so sorry.”
Her mouth dropped. “You’re sorry?”
I paced my room. “Yeah, I’m fucking sorry! I would have never fucked you that night if I knew it was your first time.”