NOT Corrupting The Good Girl

I swallowed as we walked down the street and towards the frat house Mona had said the party was at. Mona, my older friend, walked just ahead, her shoulder-length hair half-dyed bright pink and the other black. She was twenty, in her second year of college, and I was just a senior in high-school. I was nervous- this was my first party, ever. My family and I were Christian- parties in general weren’t exactly allowed by my mom, but after Mona lied to her about taking me out to eat, and practically grovelling for a ‘sleepover’, she managed to get me to this party. It was a lot easier now that I was eighteen, too. I looked down at my attire, wondering if the shorts and tied flannel would be trendy enough. “I already told you that you look fine, Emery.” Mona playfully chided me, walking back and grasping my arm to tug me along. “Not many people in college care how you dress, anyways.” “That’s a relief.” I chuckled, my body teeming with nervousness. I’d never really disobeyed my mom- she was like my best friend. I hated to lie, but I also knew she would never go for it. I was doubting myself- I was doubting this. I stopped in my tracks, and Mona looked at me in confusion. My expression shifted to one of worry, “Maybe we should just cancel. I mean, I feel bad-” “If you don’t do this now, Emery, then when will you? We’re not doing anything wrong by going to dance at a party.” Mona urged me, and I sighed. In a way, she was right. But I still felt so guilty. “Oh, come on! Please- it’s my birthday too. Think of it as my present.” I sighed in defeat, and Mona laughed as she urged me forward. Mona and I’s birthdays, despite the two year difference, were mere days apart. We usually went out to the mall, but Mona took the initiative to make me be bold this year. There were students pouring into this party, hanging out on the lawn of the large Frat House. Colored lights shone through the window, changing from purple to blue to pink. Mona giggled in excitement, and I couldn’t help but smile along with her energy. She was just too… infectious with her energy. We went up the steps, barely even being acknowledged and barely acknowledging anyone else- there were just too many people. The atmosphere was insane- everyone was standing around drinking in the foyer and hallways, but everyone on the main floor were dancing close together. The music was loud, everyone was talking or laughing- it was amazing. “Regretting it now?” Mona taunted, leaning in close so I could hear her. I rolled my eyes, and she tugged me along to an ice chest and handed me a closed can of soda. “First rule of parties, Emery- always serve your own drinks or get a closed one.” I nodded, taking note of what she said and opening the soda she had handed me. After serving herself a soda and alcohol mixed combo, she led me to the middle of the busy dance floor. It felt weird to dance with a drink in my hand and amidst all these bodies without being rude, but nobody seemed to mind. Mona sang along to the music with a smile, swaying her body side to side, “Let’s mark the town! We’ll bring it down! Let’s tear the roof! And then we’ll do it again-” I laughed, trying my best to sing along despite the fact I didn’t know many of the words. “‘Cause I got a feeling… that tonight’s gonna be a great night!” Mona took a swig of her drink, dancing closer before someone suddenly bumped into the hand that held the drink and caused it to spill on her blouse. She cursed, and the random person apologized before leaving suddenly. Mona scoffed, frowning as she leaned in to talk to me, “I’m gonna go wash up- I’ll be right back!” I nodded, about to suggest I go with her before she was already walking away. She turned back, yelling loudly, “Don’t die, and don’t let anybody grind on you!” I giggled, rolling my eyes and continuing to dance along to the music. Thankfully, nobody was coming near me or even trying to grind up on me. I felt the music embody me, and I grinned happily as I swayed along to my heart’s content. The song shifted to something else, but it was still catchy and rhythmic. I sang along to the music, happy and carefree- no extra classes, no choir, no studies or college applications to stress about… just the music and the way I moved with it. ‘I feel so close to you just now, it’s a force field…’ The words were almost hypnotizing, and I suddenly saw someone staring at me from a distance in between the crowd. It was like slow motion as my brown eyes slightly widened at the sight of him walking over to me. His hair was mostly slicked back, but there was a slightly curled and messy strand hanging over his forehead. His almond eyes were dark, almost smug- his cheekbones prominent, and his lips were plump and a beautiful pink. His torso was well defined in a smug and white tank top- his biceps impressive, and tugging at my heart strings at the sight of a typical frat boy. The purple light danced over his skin beautifully as well… Why was he walking over to me? What did he want from me? ‘I wear my heart upon my arm, like a big deal…’ Every instinct in my body told me to find Mona and get out of here- to get out of his sight and for him to get out of mine forever. But I couldn’t move; I was stuck in place, my breathing harsh, my heart beating a million miles a minute as I was approached by this modern-day Adonis. He stood only a foot away now, smiling innocently at me with a raised brow. ‘Your love falls down on me, surrounds me like rainfall…’ The vocals to the music echoed in the background, and I stared dumbfoundedly at this handsome stranger whose hand reached up and softly grasped my neck. I was almost panting, frozen in what felt like fear and awe and attraction all rolled up into one crazy aching feeling in my chest. His smile widened, and he leaned in- I was becoming angry with myself now. Why the heck wasn’t I moving? Why wasn’t I leaving- why was my flesh taking over? “Can I kiss you?” His voice was gentle and smooth, and my heart did a triple back-flip at the sound of it. I didn’t move, only looking up at him while I was practically paralyzed. ‘And there’s no stopping us right now. I feel so close to you just now…’ His other hand grasped my cheek, his thumb moving to caress my skin. It was like I was in some sort of daze I couldn’t be shaken out of. I held my breath as he inched closer and my eyes fluttered closed as I reflexively leaned in. His soft lips touhed mine, causing fireworks erupted across my skin, in my mind… His lips were soft, and they moved against mine with a gentleness that amazed me. I found myself starting to kiss him back, even though I had no idea what I was doing, before I remembered that this… this wasn’t right. I pulled away with a gasp, looking up at him in confusion and worry. He only smirked smugly, and my anger got the best of me. I reached up, slapping him across the face. The guy grunted, holding his face as he backed away while some turned to see the spectacle with gasps and murmuring. My eyes widened in surprise at what I just did, and I turned away and made my way through the crowd- I saw Mona just a bit ahead, and grabbed her arm, dragging her along with me as I went to the exit. Mona followed me without question at first, noticing I was obviously distraught. Once we were back on the sidewalk in front of the frat house, she stopped and asked me. “What happened? Are you okay?” “No.” I turned back to her, my whole body shaking with the adrenaline from the kiss and slap and anger and attraction I was feeling. I remember Mona had once said that you knew someone was a good kisser when their kiss turned you on- It saddened me to say that the guy was a good kisser. “He- This random guy just stole my first kiss!” “What?” Her face morphed into sudden anger, seemingly appalled that someone would dare do that to me. “What do you mean?” I sighed in frustration, turning and continuing to walk away from the party and to my car, biting my lip as my hand massaged my forehead to ease my sudden migraine. “Hello?” Mona called as she followed, her voice slightly sharp with annoyance. “Context, woman! Now!” I stopped in my tracks, waiting for her to catch up with me before I kept walking and started speaking at the same time. “I was dancing and nobody… grinded on me or anything, but there was this super hot guy- he came up to me out of nowhere and just… he just kissed me!” “He just kissed you? No warning or anything?” Mona asked, and I groaned. “He was so weird- he was all like, ‘Can I kiss you?’, and I just stood there and did nothing like some… some i***t!” I exasperated, spotting her car and leaning on it with a sigh. “Then I slapped him, and everyone saw… and I ran away like some coward.” “He shouldn’t have kissed you in the first place- your slap was valid.” Mona sighed, rubbing my shoulder as we stood for a moment in silence. She suddenly spoke up meekly, “I mean… was it good?” “Mona!” I slapped her arm, and she scoffed. “It’s a valid question!” I rolled my eyes, and she shrugged. “Hey, I’m not saying it was okay for him to do that without your clear consent, but on the bright side: At least it was a ‘super hot guy’, in your words, and not some ugly f*****g dweeb.” I sighed, knowing that she was right about the ‘bright side’. “So… was it good?” She asked again, and I glared at her seemingly innocent expression. “It doesn’t matter.” I crossed my arms, and she laughed as she unlocked her car. “That means that it was.” She smugly said as she walked to the driver’s side, and I shot her another glare as I got into the passenger’s side. I put on my seatbelt, ignoring her chuckle at my scowl. “Hey…” I looked at her with a raised brow, and she smiled. “I’m sorry- I know it must’ve been really scary to have your first kiss like that. I don’t mean to downplay it at all.” I smiled back, her soft words easing my frustration. “It wasn’t scary that he kissed me…” She furrowed her brows, and I sighed again. “It was scary because I liked it.” I said, hugging myself subconsciously. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like that. It was supposed to be with a good Christian man I could see myself marrying- someone that knew my family, someone that was my friend and was already in love with me.” I frowned, shrugging in defeat. “And even though it was with someone I barely knew, I liked it. And it makes me sad that I gave into the temptation of it instead of waiting for the right person.” After a moment of silence, Mona spoke. “Was it just a peck?” “Yeah, but still. It was my first.” Mona rubbed my shoulder, giving me a lopsided smile. “Emery, I’m proud of you for not doing worse. You’re really resilient and strong in your faith despite all these temptations- it’s one of the things I admire most about you.” “Really?” I meekly asked. That definitely made me feel better. It was just a peck after all, nothing too serious. “Coming from someone who struggles with lust and still believes in God, trust me. If that super hot guy has kissed me, I’d probably be taking him home instead of you.” She grinned, and I laughed with a shake of my head. “Shut up and start the car.” I said, lightly pushing her. She laughed before she did as told, and started driving us to her house. We made it home shortly after Mona stopped for milkshakes, fries, and a cheesecake. I was just glad to get a milkshake for my fries, in all honesty. She unlocked the door to her apartment near her campus, going to her dining table and putting the food down as she groaned in relief at being able to sit down and take off her heels. I chuckled in amusement, sitting across from her. Mona had been blessed with paid housing off campus, and it was surprisingly spacious for cheap student housing. I was just glad it was near my house so we could hang out more. It took about another half hour for us to finish our food, or snacks, and after we changed into our pajamas, she slept on the floor of her room just so I could lay in her bed. Mona fell asleep easily, but I wasn’t that lucky. I tossed and turned, not being able to fall asleep- why? Because of that stupid, stupid guy. I couldn’t stop thinking about it- the way his lips had pressed so softly against mine, the way his hands had held my face and neck and the way he was so… so gentle with me. It was like he somehow knew it was my first kiss, and I found myself wanting to scream in frustration that I couldn’t get the handsome stranger out of my head. I was restless. I sighed, finally laying on my back and breathing in deeply. I resisted the temptation to daydream about the handsome guy, and instead prayed. I prayed for sleep, I prayed for forgetfulness… I was so mad- I asked God why the heck that happened. Why did he kiss me? Of all people, why me? I knew it wasn’t His fault, but still- how could I let myself? After what seemed like forever, I finally was tired enough that I fell asleep. My dreams were worse than reality- I dreamed of the stranger. I dreamed what his personality could be- bad boy with a heart of gold? An all around nice guy? Maybe a nerd? From how he was dressed, he seemed more like a bad boy, but then again- I shouldn’t be judging by a book’s cover. I wondered what his laugh would sound like- how my name would sound on his lips. What would the stranger’s favorite ride be at Knott’s? I dreamed of him winning me a stuffed animal, of him taking me on a wholesome date. I dreamed of taking him to church, and I dreamed of him meeting my parents. I woke up when the sun hit my skin, warming me up in the best way. I was confused for a second, my dreams having felt lucid and real. Yet, here I was in Mona's room. I sighed, sitting up and stretching with a groan. I looked around, taking note that Mona wasn’t here. I frowned, getting out of her bed after grabbing my phone from under the pillow, and moving her warm blanket off of me. I went over to the living room, my feet softly padding against the vinyl wood floor of her apartment. She wasn’t here either. I decided to go pee first, and flushed just before washing my hands and looking at my reflection with a sigh. I didn’t look too bad for just waking up- my tan skin was clean, and I didn’t seem to have any pimples at the moment. I rinsed my face with water just to be safe. I looked around some more after exiting the bathroom, and spotted a plastic container on the dining room table. I went over, seeing a note on the container with an ‘iHop’ logo on it. The note read: “Had classes early. Brought you food (there’s orange juice in the fridge) Be back later- text me!! -Mona” I smiled, opening the container and spotting chocolate chip pancakes and sausage- my favorite. After serving myself some orange juice, I ate happily while scrolling through my Insta and liking some posts. When I went to my messages for Insta, I could see that someone was requesting to message me. I could read that someone by the name of ‘justmiller420’ had wanted to send me a message about a couple hours ago- my profile was private, so he couldn’t really message me like my friends could, and it would instead send it like a request of some sort. I usually deleted those requests, but out of curiosity, I opened the message. justmiller420: hey just wanted to say sorry about last night. can i do something or even take you out to make it up to you? I almost choked on the orange juice I was drinking. How did this guy get my Insta? Why was this happening? Was this some sort of test from God or something? I just swiped away the application, setting aside my phone and continuing to eat instead. The door to the apartment opened, and I stood with a swallow of my bite of food as I spoke. “Mona! You’re not gonna believe what happened-” I trailed off as I spotted the guy from last night standing in the doorway with Mona. She simply smiled at me while the handsome stranger looked at me with wide eyes. At first, I doubted it was him, but when I saw that his cheek was bruised, I knew it was him. I looked at myself- in a stained T-shirt and shorts- then looked at Mona in horror, “Why did you bring him here?!” “I thought you were still asleep.” She shrugged, still not understanding the entirety of the situation. “Besides, this is just a good friend of mine- he’s pretty helpful with studying and stuff.” She looked at the guy, and suddenly got confused as she looked at his shocked expression. “What am I missing here?” “He’s the guy who kissed me!” I practically shouted, and he scoffed. “You kissed me back!” He shouted. “Justin! You’re the 'super hot' guy who kissed her last night?!” Mona shouted. Justin looked over at me with a raised brow and smile, "You think I'm hot?" I groaned, letting my face fall into my hands. This was going to be complicated.