None of the Above Read Online Free

decided to reinforce my understanding of the birds and the bees. My dad and I had left the church by then, to her great disapproval, so she stayed away from any biblical references. Instead, she just told me that the most precious thing a woman could offer a man was her virginity. Back then I was still in my Ugly Duckling phase, all skinned knees and straggly hair, and I couldn’t even imagine having a boy kiss me, let alone that .
    â€œIt’s like you were the keeper of the only diamond in the world, and when you gave it to someone, it disintegrated. You can never get it back, Krissy. And after that, you can never look at the world in the same way again.”
    At the time, Vee and I had laughed about how stupid it was to describe a diamond disintegrating, because they’re, like, thehardest thing in the universe. But in the end it turned out Aunt Carla was right.
    The morning after, things were different. Uncentered.
    I called Vee first thing. Right away, I regretted it.
    â€œWhat?” she answered, cranky as all get-out. It was eleven o’clock, but I must’ve woken her up.
    â€œIf you’re busy, I can call you later.”
    â€œNo.” I could practically hear her rubbing her eyes. “I’m not doing anything. What’s up?”
    I told her that Sam and I had done it. I didn’t tell her that it hadn’t seemed quite . . . right. “It still hurts when I pee,” I said instead.
    â€œIt’ll get better. It’s about time the two of you did it. So how was the Homecoming King?” she asked in a voice that was half honey, half salt. “He any good?”
    I hesitated. “Yeah. He was nice.”
    â€œNice, huh?” I could see her eyebrow arch in my mind. I hated it, the way she always knew what I was trying not to tell her.
    â€œYou said yourself the first time always sucks. Didn’t your mom take you to a doctor after you and Bruce did it?” I asked. Vee had enjoyed telling me about the exam. Making me squeal. “Do I need to be, like, tested?”
    â€œYou guys used protection, right?”
    â€œI’m not stupid. Besides, I got the Depo shot, remember?”
    â€œYou shouldn’t be preggers, then.”
    â€œI just said I’m not stupid.” She drove me crazy when she was like this. “I mean . . . you know, HPV. I don’t think the vaccine always works.”
    â€œI know,” Vee said, her voice finally serious. I was quiet, thinking about my mom. Vee sighed, and gave me her gynecologist’s number.
    â€œWant me to come with you?” she asked.
    I could tell she was being sincere, and I wanted to say yes. Instead I said, “Nah, I’m a big girl.”
    â€œâ€™Kay, then.” Her tone lightened. “It’s not like I’m dying to spend my free time watching someone look at your vajayjay.”
    â€œHa-ha.” I went over to thumbtack the doctor’s number onto a sliver of free cork on my bulletin board. The board was covered with pictures of our junior class trip, and Vee smiled out at me from the center of every group.
    â€œSo how was your night?” I asked.
    She paused a second too long before responding. “Oh, you know. We had to come up with some new positions.” Because of the cast , I thought. She tried a little too hard to sound casual, but before I could ask her what was wrong she launched into an OMG-have-you-heard about Mandy Woodson’s date, who’d been so wasted that he peed on someone’s lawn and had gotten arrested.
    After we hung up I lay on my bed staring up at my broken ceiling fan, thinking about how Vinnie McNab had taken Sam’s Homecoming King scepter and gone around pretendingto “rule” the Court. First thing he’d done was thwack Bruce’s butt with his scepter.
    â€œGet your King a drink, lordy-boy,” he had shouted. “If you do, I promise to put this up your ass, just the way you like it.” A