Sunlight filled the grey stairwell as I moved closer to him. Overhead, fluorescent lights shone pointlessly, giving the white and red walls and off-color glow. Andy was my first love. I wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with him. I had never been so open or honest with anyone as I was with him.

We were sitting in the stairwell on a platform, halfway up the stairs. This was our spot. No one would bother us after school except for the few students who were left in tutoring or coming back from practice who decided to take a detour and walk around. I had nothing to worry about as I put my right leg over him and situated myself in his lap. I felt his warm breath on my face as he smiled. His green eyes dug into mine, their desire obvious.

I tilted my head slightly, and then bit my lip. “Do you have to go?” It was almost a whine. He sighed and nodded slightly. His hands moved from the ground and situated themselves on my lower back. Chills ran up my spine and I leaned in closer, his lips brushing my neck, threatening to move lower.

Andy was the nerdy kid who played X-Box Live games, much like my ten year old nephew. He was six foot tall, maybe an inch taller, gangly, and very awkward. He had that cute, but dorky look about him, hidden by the small outbreaks of acne on his cheeks. His glasses were black and thick, as he was almost legally blind. This seventeen year old boy was the perfect junior for me.

He kissed my chest along my shirt line, even with my bra, and backed off, knowing that was testing our relationship. I wanted the perfect relationship with a physical desire left untouched for my wedding night. We both wanted to wait.

Almost instinctively, his lips found mine and he pressed them gently against me, his grasp on me tightening. The way he held me was passionate and almost needy. The feel of his warm hands on my back frightened me at first and I pulled back gently, my eyes still closed. He waited for an objection; I said nothing. He pulled me back in and kissed me, parting my lips carefully.

My heart was racing and I could hear it in my ears as his hands moved up my back and his fingers lifted up the back of my bra. Surely he wasn’t going to try anything, but I was scared of what I would do so I pulled away again and opened my eyes.

We’d done stuff like this before. We’d made out. I’d even jumped up and wrapped my legs around his waist, like in The Notebook, kissing with way more desire than I was now. Our first kiss had been my first kiss and I was a bit fearful of this new territory I was encroaching on.

“Trust me,” he whispered his voice seemingly calm. I could feel his racing heart through my hands as they rested on his chest, telling a different story. I tilted my head a little and leaned in close so his lips brushed mine as he repeated the phrase, “Trust me.”

“Okay,” I breathed and kissed him with more desire, more passion, than ever before. His hands lightly dug into my back and I ran my fingers through his short sandy brown hair, until my fingers traced his neck and slid back down to his shoulder. Hesitantly I leaned back and his lips were no longer touching mine. Andy kissed my cheek sweetly, to which I replied with a smile.

“You have to go,” I sighed.

He nodded grudgingly as I slid off of his lap and stood up. “You know,” I started, but blushed, stopping myself from saying the rest.

“Please tell me,” Andy stood up took a step towards me. I stepped back and he followed me up the stairs, down the main hall.

“Well, I just think,” I glanced up at him while trying to meet his long strides.

“I’m perfect?” he laughed to himself.

“Yes, actually. You’re perfect.”

“Why do you say that?” he glanced over at me and stopped but quickened his pace again.

“Because you know when to- to stop. When not to go too far.” I kicked at the ground while he beamed and took another three steps to meet him as we rounded the corner. There sat Coach Haynes room, second on the left in the Freshman Pod, or “The Fishbowl”.

His mom was to be feared, but I adopted her as my own because she sometimes understood me than my dad, mom, or step mom. She had been my English teacher the year before and I was one of her favorites. Now I was dating her son and if I made a wrong move, that would be my head.

“Bye,” I stopped at her door and hugged him. He squeezed me gently and his hand ran down my arm before he stepped into the lights radiating from the classroom. That seemed to be my perfect day.

***


Color Guard didn’t have practice but I decided to stay after school. Andy left but his mom stayed, sitting behind her desk, looking at papers while a few students stayed after to take quizzes and such. I sheepishly dragged myself in and sat at the desk connected to hers. Something was off about her. She had a look I couldn’t pinpoint but I didn’t say anything as I began a conversation with her in whispers.

We began by speaking about the grades of the freshman class and how near 80% of her students were failing. The next topic that came up was, of course, her son. I immediately turned a stunning red color and tried to bury my face in my arm. Suddenly, the conversation turned silly and she poked fun at the fact that I was with her “dork of a son”. We sat there, trying not to laugh as the ten students began to disappear, with only three left in the desks.

“Y’know,” she leaned forward and put her elbows on the desk. “I’m smarter than the average bear.” I studied her face, examining her words. The color drained from my face.

“What does that mean?” I stage whispered accusingly. She shook her hand and turned to her computer. She wasn’t going to tell me. After several minutes of poking and prodding she finally gave me a straight answer.

“I found a note you wrote to Andrew,” she grinned.

My chest tightened and I leaned in.

“Let’s just say it was… futuristic.”

My stomach lurched. “What exactly did it say?” I choked. It was about us having kids. Most of it wasn’t readable because it had gone through the wash but she got the just of it.

“Oh my goodness,” I blushed and we started laughing as another student approached her desk and put down a paper before leaving.

“Seriously, though,” she sat up, still smiling. “The vice principal, Mr. Murray, called me the other day about a video. You two were…” she glanced up. She didn’t have to say it.

I was mortified.

My face turned a bright scarlet and I couldn’t breathe. The students had completely vanished now. My stomach did flips and I tried to hide my face again.

“I’m kind of curios as what your dad would say if he knew,” she teased.

“No,” I almost jumped out of my seat. “He is a hunter, is very protective, and has nine guns! If you want your son to have an early funeral, go ahead.” She laughed harder at this statement, and though I was completely embarrassed, I joined in too. We looked at each other, then laughed, looked at the picture of Andy sitting on her desk, would laugh a little more.

Coach Haynes made me promise I wouldn’t tell Andy: he didn’t know anything about the video. As I left, I crossed my heart and took a shaky step out of her classroom, my whole body shaking from laughter and embarrassment. Never before had I been so humiliated. It was terrible.

The best day of my life was now a day I would be sure not to forget, but for reasons other than what I had expected.