Chapter 16

Wednesday, December 31, 2031 – Denning Residence – Landenberg, PA

Grant walked alongside Jessie as they walked through the small patch of woods between the Martin’s and Denning’s homes. A small, older Honda pulled into the driveway as they walked around the front of the Denning house. Tristan Palmer, a tenth grader like Jessie and Grant, hopped out of the car and ran around to help Julia O’Farrell out of his car.

“Tristan, you got your license?” Jessie asked as Tristan and Julia walked around the car.

“I got it Tuesday,” Tristan announced proudly.

“You’re lucky,” Jessie said. “I have to wait another two and a half months until I can get my permit.”

The four teens headed to the front door together. Logan Hall, Kaylie’s boyfriend, opened the door and invited them inside before they could ring the doorbell. Coats, hats and gloves were deposited on a chair in the living room before they five headed downstairs to the Denning’s finished basement. Kaylie, Anne Boldin, her date, Bill Keith, Allison North and Jake Steele were already seated downstairs.

“Everybody’s here,” Kaylie announced as the newcomers found seats. “Excellent. Guys, I am going to steal the girls for a sec. Girls, follow me.” The boys nodded acceptance.

Kaylie led the other four girls though a door into a utility room. The furnace, water heater, master electrical panel and a couple other utilities were along one wall. A washer, dryer and tub-style sink were along the other side of this 10-foot square room. A sleeping bag covered two Therma-Rest mats laid on the floor.

“You brought Tristan Palmer?” Kaylie asked as she looked at Julia. “You do realize he’s uh ... hands-on with his dates.”

“She means he’s obsessed with sex,” Anne added.

“Which boys aren’t?” Jessie responded.

“Tristan’s worse than most,” Anne said. “We dated for a bit. I know. Be prepared to defend yourself WHEN, not if, he gets too forward.”

“I know that,” Julia replied. “I am counting on it. Do you girls have any idea what all these hormones my pregnancy is filling me with does to me? I am horny as hell and need a good dicking. It’s been a month since I had a boy stuff me.”

“That is why I called you in here,” Kaylie said. “I know some of us would like some alone time with our boyfriends ... or dates. I know Logan and I do. I suspect Julia would like time with Tristan. Allison, I don’t know if you and Jake found time for what we talked about last week, but you have an opportunity tonight.”

“Jake and I managed to get together Monday,” Allison said as she blushed. “It was good, and we’d like to try again, if we can.”

“I expect my parents to check downstairs occasionally, but if we work together, a couple at a time can get privacy and a little comfort here on the floor,” Kaylie said.

“That sounds great,” Anne said. “Bill and I might take you up on that offer.”

“I am sure Tristan and I will too,” Julia agreed.

“I am guessing you and Grant probably won’t,” Kaylie added, looking at Jessie. “Why would you bring a nerd like him tonight? I didn’t think he even knows girls exist.”

“I invited Grant because we’ve gotten to be good friends since we became lab partners for AP Biology,” Jessie retorted. “He is smart, and I like that in a guy. We have fun talking together. You guys wouldn’t know it, but Grant has a wicked sense of humor that I enjoy. Why shouldn’t I invite him tonight? He’s a sweet guy.”

“I understand that,” Kaylie replied. “I just meant you aren’t likely to get laid tonight bringing Grant as your date.”

“I knew that when I invited him,” Jessie said.

“Anyway, that is the deal with getting privacy tonight,” Kaylie said. “We can have some fun if we have each other’s backs. We better get back out there with the boys. Who knows what trouble they’ll get into without us?”

The five girls filed back into the main basement rec room and took seats by their boyfriends or dates. The group gossiped a bit about school and then decided to watch a horror movie until it was closer to midnight. The scary movie was a great excuse to cuddle up with their boyfriends or dates.

Kaylie and Logan were the first to start making out. Jake and Tristan didn’t wait long before putting the moves on Allison and Julia. Bill was more circumspect, but eventually he and Anne started kissing. Grant saw what was going on and was petrified. Was he supposed to kiss Jessie? Would she allow him if he tried? What if she rejected him if he tried?

Grant had developed a full-blown crush on Jessie since he was assigned to work with her in AP Biology last October. She was pretty and smart. She seemed to like him, at least, like him as a lab partner. Could she be more? In his dreams – yes. In real life, well ... he was unsure. He tentatively tried putting his arm around Jessie’s shoulder. That drew a smile from Jessie as she snuggled against him tighter.

Mrs. Denning came downstairs to see how everyone was doing about halfway through the movie. Couples managed to disengage from kissing or petting before she reached the bottom of the stairs. Ostensibly, her excuse for coming downstairs was to bring a plate of cookies along to supplement the other snacks the kids had downstairs. Most of the teens knew better. She was checking up on them to make sure no monkey business was happening.

Kaylie paused the movie so they could enjoy her mom’s baking. They demolished the cookies before resuming the movie. Couples cuddled again and went back to making out; well, all except Grant and Jessie. Grant was just happy to be so close to the girl of his dreams. Anything physical was beyond his comfort level.

Allison and Jake were more than comfortable together. Their deep kisses and Jake’s rubbing and feeling her breasts had both teens totally horny.

“Want to go the other room and repeat what we did Monday?” Allison whispered. Jake looked at her in surprise. He hadn’t expected this tonight.

“Um ... yeah, sure,” Jake stuttered in reply. “Is it OK with Kaylie?”

“She invited any couple who wants some privacy to use the next room,” Allison whispered back. “She setup up a place for couples to ... you know and everything.”

“What are we waiting for?” Jake gushed. Jake practically dragged Allison along in his rush to the utility room. Giggles and titters followed the two horny teens. Grant stared at them bolting to the room in disbelief and shock.

“You don’t think that they are ... uh ... you know ... uh...” Grant whispered to Jessie.

“Going to have sex?” Jessie replied, finishing his sentence. “I believe that is the plan they have.” Grant was in shock. Two teens he knew were going to have sex in the next room, about twenty feet from where he was sitting. Until that night, sex had been a theoretical thing to him, not something real that his friends actually did. He thought about sex at home. He jerked off, like any red-blooded boy of fifteen and browsed on-line for porn. All of that was far from what was happening right now in the next room. Jake Steele was going to get naked with Allison North and insert his penis into her vagina! Grant’s dick hardened immediately as he pondered this development.

“Ah, a sleeping bag,” Jake said as he closed the door and turned to find Allison stripping off her blouse. “I was afraid we might have to lay on the floor to do this.”

“Kaylie is better prepared than that,” Allison said. “Get undressed. We won’t have as much time as we had Monday afternoon. Other couples will want to use this room too.”

Allison laid her blouse on the dryer before removing her bra. Jeans and socks followed. Jake wasted no time, stripping down to his boxers and dropping everything on the floor around the sleeping bag. Allison was sitting in the middle of the sleeping bag and pad when Jake finished undressing.

“Don’t you want to lay down to do this?” Jake asked.

“We need to play a little more,” Allison said. “My cousin says I need to get really wet before we are ready for ... for sex.”

“OK,” Jake agreed as he sat down beside his girl.

“Let’s kiss and you can play with my titties a little,” Allison suggested. “That turns me on.”

“Cool!” Jake agreed before reaching out and caressing one of Allison’s titties. Kissing and breast play got Allison more excited and wet quickly. Soon they were laying down, Jake on top of his lover. He rubbed his boxer covered hard-on against her womanhood. Allison sighed and murmured her enjoyment as Jake rubbed against her slot.

“It’s time to get naked,” Jake suggested.

“OK,” Allison agreed. Jake helped her take off her panties before shucking his boxers. He lay down on top of Allison. His mouth went to one nipple while he rubbed his bare dick up her moistening slot and down again. Jake took long, slow strokes as he rubbed against Allison. Between his body weight pressing his dick against her clitoris as he rubbed up and down, and his teasing and sucking her nipple, Allison’s lust rose close to fever pitch.

“Do you have a rubber ready?” Allison gasped after a minute of rubbing. “I’m going to be ready for you soon.”

“Um ... um ... rubber?” Jake stuttered. “I thought you said you’d be safe without rubbers in a couple days after Monday. This is Wednesday night. I didn’t bring any.”

“JjjaaaaAAAAKKkkkeee ... what am I going to do with you?” Allison sighed. “Of course, I want to be safe. I want you to always have a rubber with you when we get alone time.”

“I didn’t figure we would get alone time at a chaperoned party,” Jake retorted. “You gave me a long explanation about safe days. You said Day 22 was a safe day for unprotected sex.”

“Today is Day 21 in my cycle,” Allison responded. Jake rubbed his dick up and over her clitoris again. He felt Allison shudder as he rubbed.

“It’s 10:30,” Jake said. “Day 22 is almost here. You can’t tell me an hour and a half makes any real difference in the chances of you getting pregnant. We will be safe if we go ahead as we are.”

Jake slid his dick down her slot again, pulling his hips way back. His dick slipped out of her slot before he thrust forward. His dick caught on the rim of her hole, as he intended. “It will be safe,” Jake promised. He nudged about an inch of his erection into her belly and stared up intently at his lover, waiting for a cue. Allison stared back for a moment, his head framed between her two mounds, before nodding. Jake hunched his hips forward, driving his erection home.

“Pull out before you come,” Allison said as Jake pulled back and thrust into her again.

“OK,” he promised as he stroked out and in again. “I will ... I promise.” Jake worked himself up to a steady rhythm, stroking his dick in and out of Allison. Jake reveled in the feeling of skin on skin. It was so much better than wearing a rubber like on Monday. Allison wouldn’t have disagreed if she could have read Jake’s mind. The soft skin covering his hard erection felt glorious as it forced it way into her folds and pulled away again.

Jake felt the tingle build as he stroked in and out. He might have lasted fifteen or twenty seconds before the need to come nearly overwhelmed him. He thrust into Allison’s belly and froze. Jake waited until the urge to come subsided before he started stroking again. Allison didn’t think much about the pause, since Jake had done that the second and third time they made love on Monday afternoon.

Jake stroked for another twenty seconds or so before needing to pause again. “You’ll pull out before you come, right?” Allison asked as he kissed her nipples.

“I will,” Jake swore. “I’ll pull out.”

He started stroking again. Jake might have lasted fifteen seconds before the urge to come became overwhelming. He thrust in hard and froze, fully embedded in Allison’s pussy. He tried to will his ejaculation away. Instead, the feelings built and built until finally his dick throbbed and spurted his come deep into Allison’s belly.

Horrified, Jake didn’t move a muscle as his body poured out his seed into his lover. Allison felt wetter down below but thought nothing of it. Thanks to the miraculous recovery powers of fourteen-year-olds, Jake’s dick went from semi-turgid to hard again as soon as he drained his balls.

Afraid to admit his error, he started stroking in and out of Allison again, like nothing happened. Allison’s pussy lips slurped now as he pulled out. He could hear the squelch as he drove his dick into the big deposit of come by Allison’s cervix.

Jake pumped away again, driving his dick in and out of his lover. He probably lasted a minute this time before he felt the urge to come rise again. He paused, with his dick mashed up into the pool of sperm at the bottom of Allison’s pussy.

“Pull out before you come,” Allison begged again.

“I’ll pull out,” Jake promised. Technically, he wasn’t lying. He could stay hard and embedded inside Allison for the rest of his life. He hadn’t promised not to come inside her this time. It wasn’t a distinction Allison would have recognized.

The good feelings subsided after about a fifteen second pause. Jake went back to stroking in and out. He lasted probably thirty seconds or so before his balls twitched, and he felt his dick throb. He tried to hold still inside Allison but the urge to come increased. Finally, he felt his balls contract and he knew it was too late. He was going to ejaculate soon.

“Pull out...” Allison begged again. Jake whipped his hips backwards, but not in time before his dick spurted. The second sticky white rope of come blasted against Allison’s slot as he withdrew his cock. The next rope decorated her legs. Jake rolled backwards away from his lover. The next spurt drenched his thighs. Jake held his shaft straight up with his right fist as he lay on his back and the remainder of his come rolled down over his dickhead, shaft and hand.

“That was close,” Allison said as she rolled towards him to cuddle. “Thank you for pulling out before you came. You are the greatest.”

“I’m not the greatest but I try,” Jake managed.

“You’re special to me,” Allison said.

“I do love you, even if you don’t want to hear those words,” Jake responded. “You are so special to me too.”

“We better get cleaned up,” Allison commented. She looked around and found the box of tissues Kaylie had left near the head of their make-shift bed. “I am sure other couples will want to use the room tonight too.”

The two cleaned off with tissues, got dressed and rejoined their friends watching the movie. Jake felt guilty for not telling Allison that he came in her, but what good would admitting it do now? It was done and most likely nothing bad would come from the accident.

Tristan and Julia bolted for the open utility room as soon as Jake and Allison came back. Grant looked on in wonder. Another couple was going to have sex in the next room, with everyone here knowing exactly what they were doing. Grant watched Jake and Allison sit down and cuddle. They whispered to each other and exchanged kisses. They looked so contented. Grant wondered how a dork like him would ever experience what these other teens were doing.

Tristan tried to lock the door when he and Julia were in the utility room. It didn’t have a lock. He turned to find his date was unbuttoning her blouse. ‘Obviously, seduction was going to be easy tonight,’ Tristan thought. Tristan quickly took off his shirt. Julia was pulling off her pants as he bared his chest. ‘Yeah, I am getting laid tonight,’ he realized.

Tristan kicked off his sneakers and dropped his pants. He turned away as he stepped out of them before bending down to remove his socks. When he turned back to face Julia, she was wearing just her panties. Her boobs were large and luscious looking. He scanned down her body and noticed...

“Holy shit!” Tristan gasped. “You’re pregnant!” Unclothed, her baby bump was obvious.

“I am,” Julia admitted, looking down at the floor. “I hope this doesn’t change your plans.”

“Um ... ummm ... I had no idea,” Tristan stammered. “That is why your boobs are so ... so ... I’m saying this wrong.”

“I’m huge,” Julia said, disappointment apparent in her voice. “I understand why you don’t want to ... to...”

“I want to,” Tristan responded. “Your boobs are big, but I love that. I’ve ... I’ve been watching you ... uh, blossom all fall. Your boobs are great. Um ... is, uh, you know ... sex safe for you?”

“Perfectly safe,” Julia said. “Actually, I need it ... uh, pretty bad. These hormones from being pregnant make me so, uh ... horny. It’s been too long since I was with a guy.”

“I can help you with that,” Tristan responded. That was true but that statement didn’t reveal Tristan’s feelings regarding sex with a pregnant woman. Even his best friends Tyler and Matt Sloan didn’t know this secret. Sometimes when he was browsing porn on-line, he would look at pictures of naked pregnant ladies. Even better were the couple occasions he found pictures of guys fucking pregnant women.

The whole process of a man stuffing his cock in a girl, spurting his sperm into her, those sperm wiggling up her womb to find an egg and then fertilizing the egg to make a baby fascinated him. Now he was alone with a nearly naked pregnant girl who wanted to screw. Hell yeah, he was into this.

“I guess I don’t need the rubbers in my pants pocket,” Tristan commented.

“Only if you think you can get me more pregnant than I am,” Julia teased. She was relieved that her big belly and huge tits didn’t run Tristan off completely.

“Cool!” Tristan grinned. “Let’s get down and dirty.”

They laid down on the makeshift bedding facing each other. They kissed for a bit before Tristan started playing with Julia’s boobs.

“Easy,” Julia cautioned. “My nips are really sensitive.”

“Sorry, I’ll be gentle,” Tristan promised. He caressed and kissed her boobs. He loved big breasts and Julia had the biggest he’d ever been privileged to feel. He was as gentle as he could be as he felt her up. Julia giggled and sighed when he licked and teased her nipples with his lips. After a minute or so, he rubbed a hand down her belly and slipped it inside her panties. Julia didn’t object.

Tristan explored her labia and rubbed her clitoris as he explored. He fingered her hole, drawing contented sighs from Julia. “Very nice, Tristan,” she cooed. “Are you ready to go?”

“I’m always ready,” Tristan responded. He felt how wet Julia was. She was ready to screw. He rolled over and pulled his boxers off. He turned back, Julia was naked and spreading her legs for him. He crawled in between her thighs until his body was poised over her. He reached between them and notched his cock at Julia’s opening. He thrust his hips forward, sliding his cock deep into Julia’s pussy. Another hunch of his hips smacked his pubic bone against hers. Tristan leaned down and kissed Julia.

“Mmmm...” Julia purred as Tristan sank all the way in.

“Is this what you wanted?”

“Exactly,” Julia purred. Tristan started stroking his cock in and out of his lover’s body. Skin on skin was too sweet. He remembered the other two times he had experienced it as he fucked his date for the night.

Tristan’s first time bareback was also his first time for sex. Over Christmas vacation two years ago he and Ella Jones had been exploring each other. Neither of them intended to have sex that afternoon but things got carried away. She allowed Tristan to stick his cock in her, just to “see what it felt like” and he’d come within ten or fifteen seconds. Bareback sex was too intense for a new ex-virgin to last long. Ella and Tristan were scared shitless that he would knock her up, at least until she had her period six days later.

Tristan nearly always used a rubber after that scare. He’d had sex a couple dozen times since, always with protection except for that one crazy afternoon the last day of school. Jessie Martin and her brother Dave knew how to throw a wicked party. Couples were screwing everywhere around the pool, in the hot tub and in the pool house. His date that afternoon was Anne Boldin. They did it twice that afternoon, without protection. She regretted it afterward, blaming Tristan for seducing her into bed with him. Worse, Anne was midway between her periods. The pair worried for two and a half weeks, until she had her period. What a relief it had been to have dodged that bullet.

Tristan swore to cut down on the beer and to never, never have unprotected sex and risk pregnancy again. It was fine to fantasize about knocking up girls but doing it for real was a whole different matter. That crazy junior, Kaiden Randall, went around fucking girls without protection. He was confirmed to have knocked up Nora Conrad. Rumors said he had knocked up one or two others, though no one could name who the girls were. His escapades had ended with him being shipped off to military school after the football team scandal last September.

Tristan pumped away happily. Bareback sex was the bomb! Julia caressed and rubbed his body as he fucked her. She murmured her happiness as they screwed. Tristan felt the first tingles of his climax after about a minute. He stopped pumping and kissed Julia while he settled down. Fifteen or twenty seconds later he started stroking again. This time he lasted ninety seconds before the urge to come overwhelmed him. He rutted frantically until his cock burst and ejaculated his sperm into Julia’s very willing body. He rolled off Julia when he was spent.

“Thank you,” Julia commented as she rubbed his chest. “I needed that so bad.”

“Thank you for allowing me to pleasure you,” Tristan responded. “I hope you had as much fun as I did.” He rubbed his hand on her swelling belly.

“It was that pleasure I was desperate for,” Julia said.

“How far along are you?” Tristan asked as he continued to rub her baby bump.

“Twenty weeks,” Julia replied. Tristan was good at math. She got knocked up in the beginning of September, just before Kaiden Randall was sent away.

“Don’t answer if it is too personal,” Tristan said quietly. “I’ll understand. Does this have anything to do with the football team scandal in September?” Julia stared at Tristan intently. Could she trust him?

“Yes,” Julia admitted. “Don’t spread it around school, but yes, I got knocked up at the football team party after our first game.”

“Kaiden Randall is the father?”

“Not exactly,” Julia said. She sighed. “My date got me drunk that night. Kaiden was one of three guys who screwed me without protection that night. I was totally wasted and barely knew what was going on.”

“That’s just wrong,” Tristan remarked with some heat in his voice. “I want sex as much as the next guy but taking advantage of a drunk girl is a total dick move. Hell, it almost sounds like rape. Who were the other bastards?”

“Jake Pickering was my date,” Julia responded. “He got me totally wasted.”

“He is a dick,” Tristan said. “A total jerk.”

“The third was Mike Palmer,” Julia said quietly.

“Mikey? Mikey Palmer?” Tristan asked his disbelief. “The kid who sits in front of me in home room?”

“Mike Palmer,” Julia confirmed. “I guess he sits in front of you in home room. You two are the only Palmers in our grade. Are you related?”

“We’re not,” Tristan responded. “Mikey’s family has lived in Chester County for generations. My dad and mom moved us here about ten years ago. I was born in Michigan.”

“Mike is the father of this baby,” Julia said. “That was random chance. Jake, Kaiden or Mike could have been the father. They all unloaded their sperm in me.”

“Mike’s little boys won the race ... wow,” Tristan commented. “I’m sorry, that was insensitive. What those three did to you was so wrong. I am sorry it happened.”

“That is sweet to say,” Julia said. “You’re ... I don’t know ... different than I expected.”

“Different? How?” Tristan asked.

“My turn to be embarrassed,” Julia replied. “Your reputation is ... uh ... you want to get as many girls into bed as you can. I ... uh, invited you to this party because ... well ... I was horny and...”

“You knew I’d fuck you,” Tristan added. Julia blushed and nodded yes. “I admit I like sex. Who wouldn’t? It can be great. I am sixteen, always horny and want to screw as much as possible. What sixteen-year-old wouldn’t? Still, I hope I was brought up well enough to treat the girls I am respectfully and show them some fun. If I am on a date with a girl that doesn’t want sex, that’s fine. I don’t force anyone to do anything that they don’t want to do. What Mikey and those other guys did to you ... it’s wrong.”

‘I misjudged you,” Julia said. “I am glad we did this tonight, and I did enjoy what we did. You are a kind and sensitive guy and that is special. Thank you for filling my needs.”

“It was my pleasure,” Tristan replied. “If you need more, ask. I am willing to scratch that itch you have when your hormones drive you crazy.”

“I will keep you in mind,” Julia said. “Don’t feel obligated, especially when I get big and fat with this baby. I would understand if sex when I am huge doesn’t turn you on.”

“I love your big boobs,” Tristan replied. “As long as it is safe for you and the baby, I am willing to scratch your itch for sex. I don’t mind if you have a big belly.”

Julia kissed Tristan. “I may need a lot of scratching.”

“At your service,” Tristan replied.

“We better get dressed,” Julia said. “I know Kaylie and Logan want privacy too.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Tristan agreed. They cleaned up and dressed before returning to the rec room. Kaylie and Logan took their place in the utility room immediately. They seemed to be in a hurry to get it on.

Grant stared at how Julia and Tristan were draped all over each other. They were giggling, smiling and whispering together, just like Jake and Allison. Four of the teens at this party had sex, two more were doing it now. He could overhear Bill whispering to Anne, trying to coax her into heading to the utility room when Kaylie and Logan were through. Good grief, did Jessie expect to take him in there too?

Kaylie and Logan returned about twenty minutes later, looked just as happy and relaxed as the previous two couples who enjoyed privacy in the utility room. Grant was surprised when Bill didn’t drag Anne off to the utility room for sex. Jessie stayed cuddled with him, not paying much attention to her friends engaging in sex next door.

Mr. and Mrs. Denning brought a bottle of sparkling grape juice downstairs about ten minutes to midnight for the kids to enjoy as they toasted in the New Year. They switched the TV over to the Time Square telecast when the movie was over. Kaylie poured everyone flutes of the bubbly grape juice before the ball came down. The couples stood and cheered as the ball touched down. They toasted to everyone success and happiness in the 2032.

Jessie hugged Grant after they drained their glasses. She leaned in and gave him a kiss, directly on the lips. The kiss lingered. Grant was stunned. This wasn’t like any kiss he had ever received from his mom or his aunts. The inexperienced boy, already semi-hard from cuddling with Jessie and thinking about the six kids his age having sex in the next room, had an instant boner. Jessie noticed as she embraced him. The hard-on was an interesting development.

Jessie had spent the evening thinking about how quickly she had defended Grant when her friends scoffed at her choice of dates. Grant was smart. She enjoyed the conversations they had about school, politics and life in general. He was a great lab partner. He was kind, considerate and respectful. She loved his sense of humor. Why shouldn’t she bring Grant to this party? OK, he looked like he should be in eighth grade with his boyish face and body.

Grant didn’t look like the kind of guy Jessie dated. Joe and Nathan had been older, taller and more mature looking. They also had been self-involved jerks. Matt looked like the kind of guy she’d date. He was built. He also cheated on her, repeatedly. Adam looked like a Greek god. He also was embarrassed to be seen with her. Why not Grant?

The party broke up about ten minutes after midnight. Tristan drove Julia home. Logan and Anne waited for their parents to pick them up. Jessie and Grant hiked back up the hill through the woods to her house. Grant’s dad was coming at 12:30 AM to pick Grant up.

“I had a fun time tonight,” Jessie commented as they walked.

“I did too,” Grant agreed. “I thought I’d get teased about being a dork by your friends.”

“You are not a dork,” Jessie replied. “Anyway, my friends wouldn’t say that, even if they thought you were a dork. That wouldn’t be polite.”

“A lot of kids in our school aren’t polite,” Grant said.

“I am sorry some kids are hard on you,” Jessie said. “I think you’re a great guy.”

“You’d never know that to talk to any girl in our class,” Grant said. “Like I’ll ever have a date and see what that’s like.”

“You just had a date,” Jessie asserted. “Tonight.”

“This wasn’t a date.”

“Escort a girl to a party,” Jessie replied. “Enjoy your time with her at the party. Kiss the girl. Escort her home when the party is over. That sounds like a date to me.”

“One date,” Grant countered. “Nobody will ever go out with me.” Jessie grabbed Grant by the shoulders and turned him to face her. She stared into his eyes.