"I know, too. As for trusting me, I need to be able to trust myself. I am working on it." She took a breath. "Look, I learned something today. I learned where my heart belongs, and I learned that I have to listen to it. I’m going to make good on that, I promise."
"Suits me just fine," I told her. "As for the experimenting, I think we should go with the flow."
"OK. As long as we’re honest with each other."
"Yup." And then I kissed her. Got to have the make-up kiss, right? It was a fantastic kiss.
Of course, Tina interrupted it. "Now, that’s what I like to see!" she proclaimed. "Now finish up and come get some dinner!"
We broke the kiss, laughed, and went to get some dinner.
Afterwards, Amanda and I cuddled a bit, with Tina looking on bemusedly. After a few minutes of that, Amanda unfurled herself from my arms. "Sweetie, I hate to do this," she told me, "but I have to go. My parents are probably frantic."
"You called them," I pointed out.
"And left a message. My Mother needs a lot less opportunity than that to get herself all worked up. I’m sorry."
"That’s OK," I told her.
"Call me?" she asked.
"Sure."
"Hey, I have to go out," Tina said. "Amanda, you want a ride?"
"Love one." We said our good-byes-kiss included, of course-and off they went.
I went back inside, and curled up in front of the TV. I was thinking I probably should go do some homework, but I didn’t really have much, and I didn’t really care. I was watching a baseball game when Mom came in.
"You OK, honey?" she asked.
"Yeah, I’m fine," I smiled at her.
"All worked out?"
"Mostly."
"Love isn’t easy honey, especially at your age. Trust me, I know," she told me. I nodded. "It’s worth it, though. In the end, it’s all worth it."
"I know that, too. She’s scared. I’m not exactly calm, either. This happened so fast."
"Kind of like getting caught in a waterfall, isn’t it?" she smiled. I nodded agreement. "The waterfall comes to an end, you know."
"I know. I think it’s going to be OK."
"That’s good."
Just then, Tina burst back in. "Got your girlfriend home, safe and sound, and picked up my supplies." She held up some ice cream. "Want some of this, little brother?"
"Don’t mind if I do," I laughed, and followed her in the kitchen. We scooped out some ice cream, and sat down on at the breakfast nook.
"Long day, eh, little brother? Actually, long couple of days, I’d say."
"You got that right."
"Look. I had a little talk with Amanda on the way home. She’s a good kid, Jared. She really is. And she really does love you. Try not to hold this against her too much."
"Oh, I’m not holding it against her, not really," I said. "It’s just fear and worry and all that messy stuff."
"Her, too, you know," Tina said. I nodded. "That kid’s a ball of confusion at the moment. She’s finding it hard to hold onto something, you know? I know your life has changed drastically in the past week, but I think hers has changed even more. She’s looking for a lifeline. But, the good part of that is, you’re it."
"Well, it’s been a big change for me, too."
"I get the distinct impression that you’ve got more lifelines than she does." I looked at her. "You’ve got us. She told me that she envied you your family, that she wished she had a big sister as cool as me…"
"Well, not everybody gets the world’s greatest big sister," I teased her.
"Got that right," she smirked. "But anyhow, she was saying all those things, about you having such a great family, and, when I dropped her off, I got the distinct impression that she was not enthusiastic about going in her house."
"She doesn’t get along with her mother," I told Tina. "I don’t know the particulars, but they don’t get along. She does get along with her father, though."
"They all live together, though, right?" I nodded. "Well, even if she gets along with her father, she’s still in that house, going through all this, with a mother that she doesn’t get along with. Think about it-how hard would this week have been for you without a cool set of parents? Hell, how hard would this week have been without the awesome presence of me?"
"I don’t know what I’d do without you, Tina, you are the light of my life," I recited, deadpan. Then I laughed. "No, you’re right. And I hate telling you when you’re right because it just makes your head swell bigger. But, seriously, you’re right. Mom and Dad have been terrific. And, yes, my big sister has been terrific too, he said grudgingly." Not really, I was just teasing her.
"Grudgingly, huh? Why I oughta-just kidding. But you see my point, and how she doesn’t have some of the advantages you do."
"Yes, I do see your point." Just then, the phone rang.
"Hello?" I said, picking it up.
"Oh God, Jared," I heard from the other end. "Jared, I can’t believe what I just did! My parents are fighting and it’s all my fault! Oh, Jesus, Daddy is so mad, I don’t know what to do! I didn’t mean it, I really didn’t mean it, it just happened, and…"
"Amanda? I’ll be right over."
"Oh, God, Jared, I love you. Thank you."
I hung up, looked at Tina, and said, "Car keys?" She reached over to her purse and flipped them to me.
"What’s up?" she asked.
"It seems all hell has broken loose at the Frazier household."
"Oh, jeez, little brother, what a roller-coaster ride you’re on today."
"I can only hope so." She looked at me. "Roller coaster rides end, don’t they?"
"Good point."
"Tell the parental units where I’ve gone?"
"Done."
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX AMANDATina dropped me off, and I went to find Daddy. I needed his advice.
Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work out that way. I had just barely gotten in his office, and he had just said, "What’s up, Punkin?" when there was a loud knock on the door.
"Adam? Is our daughter in there with you? I’d like a few words with her."
"Oh, shit," I said.
"Look, I think it’s time we get all this out in the open. We have to, eventually, Amanda." I nodded, though without much enthusiasm, and Daddy let Mom in.
"All right, Emily, we’re all going to sit down and discuss this," Dad said.
"I don’t want to discuss anything! I want to know what our daughter thinks she’s doing!"
"Living. For a change," I said.
"All right, stop," Daddy said. "Look, we need to start at the beginning. Amanda, you’re going to tell us what’s gone on this week. Start at the beginning. I know a lot of it, but I don’t know the whole story. Come on, let’s have it out."
So, I did. The whole mess. I started with the stuff Daddy did know, the events of Monday and Tuesday, all that had happened. The story of the masturbation session in Bio on Tuesday, which Daddy knew about, caused Mom to let loose with wails of dismay and condemnation. Daddy just motioned me along, and we got into Wednesday. They both knew about the naked date, and then I landed the bombshell.
"After we ate, Jared and I went to his house, and he took my virginity. I took his, too, as a matter of fact."
"OH MY GOD!" My mother wailed.
"I suspected as much," my father said with a little smile. "Was it all right?"
"A whole lot better than all right," I told him.
"What has happened to you?" my mother asked.
"Hormones and love. Should I go on, now? Mother, if you think you’re shocked now, you ain’t heard nothing yet." So, then I went on with the events of today. All of them. Even the horrible ones. When I got to the part about my little episode with Eric, I thought Mom’s face was going to freeze in horror. And then I got to the breakdown at Jared’s house. Mom was still horror-stricken. At least Dad looked at me with concern.