“Really? Oh. I’m sorry.”

He gets off the bed, sits in his desk chair, and pulls on his shirt.

“Okay, so shoot. Whatcha wanna talk about?”

“Tell me about your parents, your family.” Shit. Why did I say that? He’ll ask me about mine next to be polite.

“Boring,” he laughs. “Well, okay, so there’s me and Riles, and I told you about Camden. He’s a freshman at Columbia. Then we have a younger brother, Braxton. He’s in eighth grade and can’t wait to come here next year. Dad is a bond trader. Mom used to be a doctor, but she finally gave it up after she had Brax. We’re pretty close. We live in Manhattan, have the place in the Hamptons. That’s about it. What about you?”

I’m really impressed that even though he didn’t want to stop messing around, he did, just because I asked. He didn’t even give me a hard time about it.

And that makes me adore him.

It also makes me want him.

I smile at him, unzip his shorts, straddle him, and make him forget any questions he might have.

A little bit later, he’s lazily kissing my check. “That was amazing. You always surprise me. It’s so freaking hot. I thought we were gonna just sit here and talk. Well, until you attacked me.”

“I guess I couldn’t resist you any longer. Plus, it’s been a couple days, and you’ve been good. Like, you haven't been all sex, sex.”

“What’s wrong with sex, sex?”

“Nothing. I just don’t want it to be all about sex.”

“Yeah,” he says, running his fingers through my hair. “You smell so good.”

“You feel so good.” I kiss him, rake my fingers hard through his hair, and lean my chest into his face.

“You’re gonna make me hard again.” He laughs.

“Promises, promises,” I flirt.

And, well . . . he’s apparently good at keeping promises.

I heart math homework.

10:15pm

Jake: Monroe. Don’t forget to do your ceramics homework :)

Katie, Maggie, Annie, and I are lying on the pale green flokati rug on the floor of Katie’s and my room. There are pillows thrown all over and we’re finishing up our homework.

Well, sort of.

Maggie is actually painting her toenails. She’s also texting both Logan and Parker, two of her exes. Katie is practicing a tricky dance combination that she can’t seem to get right. Annie is on Facebook, creeping on Ace’s profile and yelling out people’s statuses.

I just got back a few minutes ago, and I’m finishing up some math problems. Dawson was supposed to help me with them, but, well, you know.

No math got done.

Annie screeches out, “Ohmigawd! Listen to the status Dawson just posted. It says I heart math homework, then there’s a winky face. What does that mean?”

“It means we were supposed to do my math homework.”

“Supposed to?” She raises her eyebrows at me.

Katie says, “You’re doing your math homework now.”

“Yeah, that’s why he hearts it. No homework was done.”

Maggie moves over closer to me and is like, “Oh, what did you do? People are all speculating on if you guys have had sex. You would tell us if you have, right?”

“I don’t know. I think that’s kinda private.”

Annie isn’t satisfied. “So what did you do then?”

“Just messed around, you know. It was fun. We have fun.”

Maggie is like, “Must have been, but speaking of that, here’s a question.”

“Hang on. Jake just texted me again.”

“Jake? Whitney’s Jake? Why is he texting you?” Annie screeches.

“We have class together. We’re getting to be friends, I think. And he gave me some homework.”

Maggie is confused. “Homework for ceramics? Wait. What?”

Annie yells. “Oh my gosh! Jake just commented on Dawson’s status. He said Dude, your math homework is hot and then a smiley face. Oh boy, that’ll piss Whitney off.” She looks at me seriously. “You don’t want to piss Whitney off.”

Katie grins. “What does Jake mean?”

“He kinda walked in on us making out. Well, my shirt was partially unbuttoned, and my skirt was maybe slightly askew, but we were dressed. I guess, Dawson’s shirt was off, but it was when I got there. He had just showered. He smelled so good. So, anyway, Jake and Bryce want to know how a girl decides when the right time to sleep with a guy is. Like, do you have to be going out? If so, for how long? Maggie, what do you do?”

“Well, freshman year, I dated a guy all year. He wanted to, but we never did. Summer before my sophomore year, I dated Matty. We waited a month, then did it all the time. It was a really good summer. We broke up when I had to come back to school. I had a couple different boyfriends here last year. I did it with Logan and Parker. I forget how long we’d been going out. Probably a month or so. This summer, I met a guy my first day back home. We dated for a week, then did it. Then quit seeing each other like two weeks later. So I guess it just depends on my mood.” She laughs. “Or how drunk I am.”

“I went out with my boyfriend for six months before we did,” Katie tells us. “He’s the only person I’ve ever been with.”

Annie says, “And I’m waiting to do it with someone I’m really in love with.”

“Yeah, but if you’re in love with him, how long would you make him wait?”

“How long you going to make Dawson wait?” she fires back.

“No, it’s not about me. I’m supposed to get a general consensus.”

“I’m going down the hall to ask people,” Maggie says. “I’m bored with history. This sounds way more fun.” She takes off with a pencil and a notebook.

Annie says, “Dawson just replied to Jake’s comment. Isn’t it funny that they’re commenting each other. Aren’t they suitemates?”

“Yeah, that is kinda funny. What’d he say?”

“He said Effing hot. Wow.”

“Wow, what?”

“I think you’re stealing some of Whitney’s thunder. She just posted My Jakey is the best bf ever. Thanks for a great night, baby.”

“Did he comment on it?”

“Not yet.”

“But Ace just commented on Dawson’s status. He said Let me know if you can’t handle the math homework by yourself. Oh, I don’t like that. Oh, and Dawson didn’t like that either. He said Not cool, Ace. And then Ace said Jkjk. This is exciting! Oh, wait, Jake just said Dawes looked like he was handling things just fine. Dawson replied Hell yeah. Jake said back, You’re a lucky man.”

I text Jake.

Me: So what’d you do with Whitney that made her night so great?

Jake: Honestly, I have no fucking idea. We got some sushi, made out a little, she rubbed her hand on the outside of my pants. What? Are we in freaking seventh grade? I’m not even commenting on her stupid status.

Me: I’m pretty sure she hates me.

Jake: I’m pretty sure she does too. You were all we talked about.

Me: Shit.

Jake: Don’t worry, Monroe. Jakey loves you.

Me: You barely know me.

Jake: I know enough to know you’re not a bitch.

Me: Truth?

Jake: You a closet bitch? You waiting for the right time to come out?

Me: No. But I was best friends with a girl like Whitney at my old school. I didn’t like the person I was becoming. It wasn’t me. I swore when I came here, I would do things differently. I’m hoping to make some friends who won’t stab me in the back the second I turn around.

Jake: That’s gonna be tough to find here.

Me: Are you telling me you’re a closet bitch??

Jake: Very funny. Hell no. I meant girls.

Me: Annie, Maggie, and Katie don’t seem that way. Not all girls are that way.

Jake: Speaking of girls. How’s the research going?

Me: Maggie is out surveying.

Jake: Sweetness.

Then I text Dawson.

Me: Love your status. Hate the comments.

Dawson: Sorry, Keatie :( They just think we made out.

Me: Jake saw your hand up my skirt. I’m pretty sure he knows it was more than that. Plus, you just said hell, yeah. Making out doesn’t usually get a hell, yeah.

Dawson: Oh…

Me: Do you want to tell people?

Dawson: No, but it’s kinda fun to have them guessing, I never…never mind. I’ll tell them to stop.

Me: Naw, it’s okay. Have fun, just keep them guessing.

Dawson: You make me feel so amazing.

Me: Doesn’t every guy say that after sex?

Dawson: You don’t get it. YOU make me feel amazing. Yeah, the sex is great, but it’s because it’s with you. Go out with me.

Me: (: And no freaking way!!!

Dawson: I’m hurt!

Me: Then don’t ask a girl to go out by text. It’s tacky. Plus, then you will think it’s okay to break up with me by text, and that is not cool.

Dawson: I’m not going to break up with you. Like ever.

Me: Promises, promises.

Dawson: Made good on my promise earlier ;)

Me: Yeah, you did.

Dawson: Night, Keatie.

Me: Night :)

Me: Hey wait, we’re taking a poll. How long do you think a girl should make a guy wait for sex? Like not us, but normally.

Dawson: I think what we did was perfect. Seriously :)

Me: You’re so sweet <3

Annie is still rambling on. “Ace just said, We gonna kick some ass Friday night? and then Brad said, Fuck yeah. Have you met Brad yet? He’s pretty active. Captain of the football defense, Social Committee, and on pretty much everything else.”

“I haven’t met him yet, but I think I know who you’re talking about.”

“Oh, wait, it’s gone. Oh, awhh, ohmigawd, Dawson just changed his status. It says, Keatie and then there’s a heart. That is so cute.”

Katie says, “That is really cute. You need to like that.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Well, I’m liking it.”

“Everyone is liking it,” Annie informs us. “Like eight people have already liked it.”

“Like who?”

“I don’t know. Everyone. Mostly guys. Dallas just commented and said, Kiki <3, and Jake just said, Monroe <3.”

Katie says, “Okay. You seriously need to move away from the computer. You’re obsessed. Where’s Maggie?”

“I don’t know,” Annie tells her, “but I need cookies. Let’s go down to the kitchen.”

“Can you bring me back a cookie? I’m gonna be up all night if I don't get to work.”

Katie, who is standing by the door, turns back around. “That’s what they make Red Bull for, silly.”

I get about fifteen minutes of interruption-free studying—well, not really; my phone keeps buzzing with texts, but I don’t look at it—and manage to get my math problems done and start the history vocabulary before they all come bounding back into the room.

“Okay, here’s the consensus,” Maggie says. “Most girls say they have waited anywhere from one day to one year. They say if they really like the guy, they usually wait until they are going out before they do. But if they don’t like the guy and just want a hookup then, obviously, they don’t wait.”

“They’re having sex with guys they don’t like?” I ask.

“No. I mean guys they don’t deem as serious boyfriend types,” Maggie answers.

“You guys ever watch Sex and the City?”

“I’ve seen some of them and the movies,” Annie states.

“I had a Sex and the City marathon with my friend when she, uh, broke her leg and couldn't do anything.” Actually, that’s not true. It was after Vanessa got her nose done. “Like, for four days straight we did nothing but watch the series. And on there they talk about the third date as being the sex date.”

And didn’t Tommy say something like that too?

“Yeah, but they’re grown up. I think it’s different when you date boys our age. Like, you don’t want to be just doing it with anyone. And you want them to respect you,” Katie says.

“So, basically, there are no rules. You just go with what you feel like?”

Maggie laughs. “Well, no, if we went with what we felt like, we’d all be sluts.”

We all laugh.

Annie says, “It really is hard for girls. I don’t think guys even understand. I don’t think parents understand. They tell us don’t do it; be a good girl. Our bodies tell us we should be doing it. Like, it used to be once you got your period, you were a woman. You got married and had sex. Guys want you to do it, but they don’t want you to do it too soon. And if you don’t do it soon enough, sometimes they’ll dump you. So then you think, I’ll wait until I find a guy who really loves me. But then some guy tells you he loves you, you do it, and he decides he doesn’t. Society tells us not to do it, but then we have all these sexy images of how we should look. It’s really confusing.”

“That’s true,” I say. “I think everyone has to make their own decision. Whatever your age. I think whatever is right for you is what you should do.”

Katie digests it all and says, “True.”

Maggie says, “So, I think it’s a combination of how the guy treats you, how much you like him, if he seems serious, and if he respects you.” Then she adds naughtily, “And then, when you can’t say no any longer, you give in.”