As Autumn Leaves Read Online Free Page B

rushing into sex. But I want to make sure you fully understand what it entails—”
    “I’m sixteen! I know what sex is.”
    “I’m sure you think you do, but at your age—”
    “We had this talk when I was fourteen and it was the most embarrassing conversation on the planet, I’m not doing it again.”
    “I want to make sure you’re prepared for womanhood,” her mother said. “If you don’t want to talk to me about it, I’m sure there are some educational and appropriate videos on the Internet.”
    “Oh my God,” Kayla said, turning around and stalking from the kitchen to her room. “Not talking about this!”
    “Get back here, young lady!”
    Kayla didn’t turn back, instead going to her bedroom. She dropped onto the bed, and wasn’t surprised her mother followed her in.
    “We’re not done talking about this.”
    “I don’t want to talk,” Kayla replied. “Sex or not, I didn’t like Jason like that, so I broke up with him. I shouldn’t have started dating him in the first place. Apparently he liked me and everyone thought I should. So I did because….” Because maybe she’d seem normal, maybe no one would realize how different she was. “Because they expected me to. But it didn’t feel right, so I broke up with him. You should be proud of me for not being pressured into anything more!”
    Her mother relaxed. “I am proud of you. It’s a very mature decision. But if you ever need to talk, I’m here for you. I will listen to what you have to say, and try to give you advice through it.”
    Kayla rolled the apple between her hands, and bit on her lip. The phrase late bloomer stuck in her mind. Maybe her mom was right, maybe she was, but it didn’t sit true in Kayla’s heart. There was a different reality to Kayla, but she didn’t have the right words to explain. How could she tell her mother she was a weirdo? That she was broken? Kayla would probably grow up to be alone and lonely, because bodies and private parts and sex held no appeal to her. Kayla wasn’t sure she could live through her mother trying to fix her and being disappointed.
    At this point, she was grateful her mother hadn’t heard the harsher version of the rumors, and she wasn’t about to tell them.
    “I know, Mom,” she finally said, pulling off the sticker from the underside of the apple. “I got it covered.”
    “Okay, sweetie.” She came over to the bed, and bent to plant a kiss on Kayla’s forehead. “And I am proud of you. You’re such a mature young lady.”
    “Thanks,” Kayla said, trying to hold back tears.
    She hated lying to her mom.
     
     
    ENGLISH WAS one of Kayla’s favorite subjects. She liked Mr. March. A young teacher who’d been at the school for two years, he was fresh-faced and enthusiastic about the subject and the classes. Some students made fun of him behind his back but Kayla appreciated his teaching methods. It made the subject more interesting, especially since she liked it so much.
    When Kayla and Hannah walked into the English classroom one morning, and Mr. March had a particularly beaming smiling, Kayla suspected they were in for a new assignment.
    He didn’t disappoint.
    “Happy October!” Mr. March announced after the bell rang and the students had settled in their seats. He got up from behind his desk and walked to the whiteboard, dry marker in hand. “October is my favorite month, since my favorite holiday falls at the end of it. Halloween!”
    “Do you like dressing up?” Jason called out, and then made a low remark under his breath to his friend in the seat next to him. They both laughed. Kayla didn’t hear it, but it was probably about Mr. March being gay. No one knew for certain if he was or not, but it was their preferred and wholly unintelligent insult.
    Mr. March didn’t seem to notice, or if he did, he didn’t care. “I don’t mind it, but what I love is how it contributes to literature. The creepy, the morbid, the supernatural, the macabre, the despair.