Robin, Boy Virgin: Original Series

I opened my eyes on Friday and it was raining cats and dogs outside. Where does that stupid saying come from anyway? Remind me to Google that. I looked at Pink Floyd’s prism. It was reminding me, unnecessarily, that everything was a mess. I blinked slowly and folded my hands across my stomach.

Why were things a mess? I think you know, but we’ll make the list anyway because that’s what I do best:

1.) Cora had been bitched out and slapped yesterday. And the day before that ‘SLUT’ had been written across her locker.

2.) She was probably feeling really messed up and confused and lonely and hurt. And I care because, despite her neglectful actions yesterday, I was still Cora’s friend.

And this one you probably didn’t know, but now you do,

3.) I’d sent Cora a text message last night, asking her if she was ok. I knew she wasn’t. Who would be? But I had to ask her. And Cora didn’t text me back.

So I was worried. This concern motivated me to get dressed, putting on a sweater with a hood. I went downstairs. No one was home. The rain and the empty house felt just right for the feeling in me that said nothing was right. I sighed and peeled an orange. Ew, it had gone rotten. I scrunched up my nose and threw it out. Screw nutrition, I’m outta here. I put on a jacket and headed out the door.

I walked to school, enjoying the grey, wet rain. Don’t forget, I dated a girl named April Showers. I like the rain by association.

I got to school and went to my locker. Ten freaking condoms fell out. But that didn’t really bug me. I just picked up the condoms and threw them to the back of my locker. The stash was building up back there. I’d have to donate them to Minnie.

I went to Cora’s locker, but couldn’t find her. After first period, I went back to her locker again and waited, but didn’t see her anywhere. I sent her a text message, asking her if she was coming to school. Again, she didn’t reply.

At lunch, I was sitting in the crowded cafeteria (no one wants to eat outside today, folks,) with Harold. Max, Clarissa, and Cora were all MIA. I only cared about Cora. I mean she had had a really shitty time these past couple of days and was further concerning me by not being at school.

“Where’s Cora?” Harold asked innocently. I sighed.

“I don’t know,” I answered.

“What’s the matter?” Harold asked, concerned. I paused and then told him what I saw yesterday. I skipped the part about Cora looking like she was about to cry, though. Still, Harold shook his head sympathetically.

“That is awful. I hope Cora doesn’t let those rotten people ruin her self-esteem. She’s too cool a person,” He said. I nodded. Yes, she is.

I went to Music Composition, my iPod playing acoustic guitar music at me. I went into the practice room and stopped abruptly. My heart pounded with relief and surprise when I saw Cora sitting at the piano, writing in a notebook on top of the piano. I yanked my ear buds out of my ears.

“Cora, where have you been all day?” I asked, forgetting to greet her first. She turned and looked at me. She was dressed as herself again, in sneakers and a pull over sweater and her hair while a little messy, was in curly waves once more. Or wavy curls. Whatever.

“Um, just around. Sorry I missed your texts, Boy Wonder. Tough week, you know,” Cora said with a nod and then turned back to her notebook. She sounded tired and a million miles away. Not like the aggressive teasing sexy girl I knew.

“Oh uh yeah,” I said. I went and stood over by the desk and kept looking at the side of her face. She kept writing in her notebook.

“Where were you at lunch?” I asked. Cora paused her writing to read what she’d written.

“I ate lunch with Minnie,” Cora said. I nodded, looking down awkwardly.

“… we missed you. Me and Harold,” I said. Cora put her hands in her lap and then turned her head to look at me.

“You did?” She asked.

“Yeah,” I nodded. Cora smiled a little, anciently.

“I missed you guys too,” She said quietly. She looked at her notebook again. I watched her anxiously.

“I’m sorry about the way I acted yesterday. I blew you guys off and I, I shouldn’t have done that,” Cora said shaking her head slightly, her voice quiet and regretful.

“Don’t even worry about it. You had… a lot of shit to deal with that you shouldn’t have had to,” I said. Cora inhaled and looked down at her hands again.

“And if anyone should know about having to deal with unnecessary shit…” I said, implying that I talking about me. A sigh of a laugh escaped Cora and she smiled a little. Then she closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead.

I’ve never seen anyone look like they needed a hug so badly before in my life. I’m not sure what made me think Cora might actually want a hug from me, but I lifted my arms cautiously and stepped closer to her. Cora looked at me and leaned away instinctively.

“What are you doing?” She asked, raising her hand to block me if I proceeded. I dropped my arms, feeling rejection but mostly embarrassment wash over me. That’ll teach me for trying to be nice, I tell ya.

“Nothing. I won’t ever try to hug anyone ever again,” I muttered in my defense darkly, looking down at my slightly damp sneakers.

Suddenly Cora stood up and leaned over to wrap her arms around my shoulders. It’s a tiny practice room, right, she didn’t even need to take a step. I blinked, and then put my arms around her waist to hug her back.

It was very, very nice. Cora was an exceptional hugger: she held on tightly, without inhibition, and smelled really good. And what was even nicer was that the hug went on for an extra long time.

But I guess, when you’re new at school and the popular bitches write SLUT on your locker and then you and their leader get into a smack down, you deserve extra, extra long hugs.

And when you’re a hopeless boy virgin like me, you deserve extra long hugs too.

Eventually, Cora leaned away. I smiled a little at her.

“You’ve done this before, haven’t you?” She asked me suggestively. Ah, there’s Cora.

“What? Consoled someone?” I asked wearily.

“No,” She said wiggling her eyebrows. “Hugged,” She clarified in that suggestive tone. I rolled my eyes.

“And I’m not talking about your parents either,” Cora went on. “You’ve hugged other girls, you dirty man tramp,” She said slyly. I snorted.

“Sorry, Cora, I couldn’t wait for you forever,” I said with a tired shrug. Cora broke into a grin that was too beautiful and made me nervous. She chuckled and then sighed.

“I don’t know about you, but I am SO done with this school week,” Cora said. I widened my eyes and nodded in agreement.

“Right? Isn’t school hell?” I said. Cora smiled mischievously. That smile made me nervous too.

“So then let’s go,” She decided. But… school isn’t over. Cora turned around and picked up her notebook and put it in her purse.

“Uh. I think we’ll get in trouble,” I had to say. God I sounded like such a loser, but Cora had already kind of had a run in with the law this week.

“If we got caught,” Cora qualified my statement. Of course, Cora is the type of gal that believes it’s only a crime if you get caught.

“Which we won’t,” She finished and grinned.

“Um,” I stalled. Oh for frick sake, don’t be such a pussy, Robin! Cora raised her eyebrows, impatient. This week had been total chaos, but

1.) It was Friday,

2.) It was raining,

and

3.) I had my friend back so I was feeling kind of exuberant.

“Ok, let’s go,” I agreed. Cora grinned and we left the practice room.

Getting out of the band room was easy. Mr. Giraldi was completely absorbed in the new music software, preaching its wonders to a couple of bored-to-death emo students. Once we were out, though, we had to run like escapee convicts across the foyer. The administration office is right across the foyer and, if you recall, Mrs. Hicks has a good radar for delinquency.

We went to my locker first. I grabbed a binder I’d need for homework and swept all of the condoms into my backpack. I felt like I was robbing a bank vault. When I was finished, we ran to Cora’s locker. Our running around probably made us look more conspicuous than if we had just walked, but the danger factor of this situation wasn’t that high, so Cora probably wanted to amp it up. She knelt down on one knee to her locker and took out a beat up novel and dropped it in her purse.

Cora grinned at me and grabbed my wrist and pulled me to get me running again. We ducked out of a side entrance and then Cora halted before stepping out from the entrance alcove. I guess she’d forgotten that it was pouring rain outside.

“Come on, don’t stand there,” I got to order and sound cool for a brief moment. I ran out into the rain and Cora followed me. We sprinted through the parking lot to her car. I yanked on the passenger side door. Locked!

Cora unlocked her driver’s door and climbed in. She turned on her car and closed her door. I yanked on my door handle insistently. She ignored me and put her purse in the back seat and fiddled with the radio.

“Cora!” I whined loudly. She grinned at me and then leaned over and unlocked the door. I slid in, trying not to let in very much rain.

“Where do you wanna go?” Cora asked me. Huh. Good question.

“Um, we could go to my house? I have some music production software,” I offered. I don’t cut school very often so I was a little hesitant to go somewhere really public and potentially get caught. Isn’t that lame? I can’t help it; I’m just an incurable worrier.

“Sure,” Cora agreed with a shrug. She tore out of the parking lot, eager to get away from school. The rain didn’t deter her dangerous driving habits. She pulled into my driveway. Oh bonus, Glenn wasn’t home.

Not that I had been hoping to be alone with Cora in like an alone-wink-wink kind of sense. It’s just… well you know how parents are when you bring home someone of the opposite sex. They’re embarrassing and too friendly and it’s all “you can’t have them in your room” and blah, blah, blah. If you’re gay and haven’t come out to your parents and you can have the same sex over at your house without those embarrassments, I envy you, you’re lucky.

Cora climbed out of the car and hurried up to the protective awning over the front door. She looked back at me, tugging at the sleeve ends of her sweater to cover her hands. I was following her up to the door, but then stopped.

“Come on,” She urged, waving her handless arm at me frantically. It was warm out and it was raining really heavily. I didn’t want to go inside just yet.

“Robin, I’m a child of California, I’m going to melt in the rain,” Cora exaggerated her plea and waved her arm again.

“Let’s go puddle jumping,” I said. Wow, I sounded like a freaking three-year-old. But I still wanted to do it. Cora frowned at me.

“Excuse me?” She asked condescendingly. Screw her; she thinks she’s so cool. Well, I mean, she is, but still.

“Come on, you baby. I bet I can kick your ass at puddle jumping,” I challenged. Cora paused, staring at me, and then ran out from under the awning and into the neighbourhood street. I grinned, victorious at getting my way, and ran after her. Cora’s hubris is that she couldn’t back down from a challenge.

It turned out she was pretty good at puddle jumping. I guess that while they don’t get much rain in California they do have the, um, ocean. Pretty soon, though, we were jumping in puddles and angling our bodies so that we splashed the water in the direction of the other person. That kind of turned into a pretty aggressive puddle jumping war. I’m proud and embarrassed to say I totally kicked Cora’s ass.

“I hate you, Boy Wonder! This is so unfair!” Cora laughed, swishing her foot around in a puddle, twirling around and making a circle. I laughed maniacally and jumped over to her puddle, splashing the water up on to her already soaked jeans. She shrieked reflexively. I bent down and grabbed her legs and threw her as best as I could over her shoulder. It wasn’t easy, since she was tall, but I managed. She burst out laughing as our wet clothes and bodies squelched together.

“Put me down!” She shouted through her laughter, smacking my back insistently. I put her down and she pushed my chest, still giggling. I laughed at her. It all happened pretty quickly so I didn’t have time to get all ‘shit fuck whoa’ about picking up Cora. And I was grateful for that.