Robin, Boy Virgin: Original Series

On Monday morning I came to school, prepared. I like Cora, yes. Was this going to screw me up? No. Why? Because I've always liked Cora so nothing was really going to change. She was still going to make me nervous, I was still going to think she was sexy and confident and all that, and she and I were still somehow going to get along in that same surprisingly good way that we always have.

Alright. Let's make this happen.

I went to my locker and opened it. Five condoms fell out and I picked them up and stored them in my backpack. I was going to give them to Minnie, my condom bank. And since I was going down that way to Minnie's locker, I would find Cora and extend the hand of friendship. Give her the opportunity to be cool and confident and really cement in my brain that nothing was going to change.

I walked down the hallway and Cora was at her locker. Minnie wasn't at hers, so I'd have to just deal with Cora first. I took a deep breath.

"Hey," I greeted on the breath's exhale. Cora looked up at me.

"Oh hey," She said and looked back down at her locker. Um, no good morning? No Boy Wonder in there somewhere?

"How are you?" I asked.

"I'm fine," Cora said picking out a binder and closing her locker. "You?" She asked. Um...

"I'm, I'm ok," I stuttered a little, confused by her behaviour.

"Minnie!" Cora suddenly spotted. I looked over my shoulder and Minnie was at her locker. She looked up and waved at us.

"I gotta go. Um, I'll see you later, ok?" Cora said, frowning intensely at me.

"Um, um, ok," I said as she walked away. What the...

At lunch I went and sat down with Harold at our lunch table. Harold was reading "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins and looked up at me when I arrived.

"Hey," He greeted me.

"Hey," I said. I looked around the cafeteria.

"So, that was pretty good, huh? The party? I mean, I was crazy hung over the next day, so I know to drink water before going to sleep now. But I think it went alright otherwise. Were you hung over?" Harold asked me curiously.

"Huh? Yeah, I was, I was... hung over. Have you seen Cora or Minnie?" I asked.

"Um, no. I don't think so. They usually come to the cafeteria with you," Harold reminded me.

"Yeah, I know. But I can't find them anywhere," I said.

"Oh well there's Minnie," Harold said, pointing. I looked over my shoulder and blinked. Minnie was sitting with her old Jazz band crew. They weren't really, like, actual friends. They just all sat together to foster the security that comes with sitting in a group.

"I wonder why she isn't sitting with us," Harold mused.

"Where the crap is Cora??" I demanded. This was not the way this was supposed to be going. I don't remember planning for Cora to disappear. I looked over at the popular table, just in case she was pulling another slutty head games thing. Nope, she wasn't there.

"... are you ok, Robin?" Harold asked me. I must have sounded really distressed.

"No, I'm not. Cora is avoiding me," I said, still glaring around the cafeteria.

"Why would she do that?" Harold asked, mildly surprised and curious.

"Cuz I told her I liked her and that I wanted to kiss her," My mouth said before my brain could stop it.

"Dude! I knew it," Harold said. I snapped out of my angry scanning for Cora and looked at Harold.

"... no. I mean, no! I was just really drunk and, and, and I want to assure Cora that I didn't mean it," I said.

"Drunk words are sober thoughts," Harold said wisely.

"Shut up! It's not like that," I lied. Harold just looked at me. He suddenly picked up his book and held up the cover to me. He covered the word 'God' leaving the words 'The' and 'Delusion'.

"I am not living in a delusion," I stated very clearly. This was true. I knew I liked Cora, I was just lying to my good friend about it. Harold put his book down again.

"Robin. Look me straight in the eye and tell me you don't like Cora," Harold instructed me, leaning forward. I stabbed my fork into the cafeteria meat loaf.

"I am not doing either of those things," I said, standing up. "Because it's a matter of principle," I clarified and picked up my meatloaf so I could throw it away. Behind me, Harold was grinning and picking up his book to read again.

I went to Music Composition and waited in our little practice room, anxiously. I needed Cora to show up and she needed to act normal again. There was just... no, she had NO other options. She had to do those things.

And guess what? Neither of those things happened. I sat in the practice room and played the guitar, waiting for Cora to show up. After the bell had rung and fifteen minutes had gone by, I'd given up waiting for her and felt a little pissed. I slunk down lower in my chair and plucked away on the guitar. Cora was bugging me because:

1.) She wasn't giving me the opportunity to lie about how I felt about her. Which is freaking unfair!

2.) She was avoiding me and not following the plan I'd laid out. She was SUPPOSED to act like nothing had changed. This was... well this was avoiding acting like nothing had changed which is just as bad. It's like lying versus just keeping your mouth shut.

3.) She is my friend and I have a stupid thing for her so I like hanging out with her and I get perturbed when that opportunity gets taken away from me.

And then, just before music composition was over, Cora came barging into the practice room. I looked up in surprise and frowned at her.

"Hey, where have you been?" I demanded.

"I was just in the front practice room," Cora said distractedly.

"Thanks for telling me-" I started to say sarcastically, but Cora cut me off.

"Ok, I've tried to just, you know, be whatever and move on, but I can't," She said. I kept frowning, but my heart was pounding nervously. Why, why can't you just move on, Cora, please?!

"Um," I said, terrified and a little bit excited about what she could say.

"Why did you say you liked me?" Cora asked me out right, looking me right in the eye.

"... be, because I was drunk," I managed to remember and get my answer out.

"No. Drunk words equal sober thoughts," She accused. Oh fuck, either she's been talking to Harold or she was just brilliant on her own.

"Not, not necessarily," I lied.

"Boy Wonder. Tell me, right now, do you like me?" Cora asked.

Oh my God. This wasn't supposed to be happening! I was pretty sure of the answer she wanted, she wanted a 'no', but I wasn't completely, hundred percent sure. I mean, what if she actually wanted me to say 'yes' and I said 'no' because that's what I thought she wanted me to say and I totally blew my one, very limited chance with her. Complicated! Confusing!

"Because you better freaking not like me like that. You and I are friends, I don't want that to get screwed up," Cora said firmly making a slashing moment with her hand at me. Oh... k, I guess that cleared that. Great. I could feel my heart sinking to my gut.

"Well I don't like you, like you. I was drunk and horny. That's all," I said, sounding far too defensive. Cora narrowed her eyes at me, seeing through my facade.

"Prove it," She said suddenly. ... what??

"What??" I asked snappishly, making a face.

"Prove that you don't like me," Cora insisted.

"How do you expect me to do that?" I demanded, tilting my head critically at her. Cora took the guitar from my hands so I couldn't fiddle with it and she put it on the desk. I felt like my impenetrable shield had been stolen by the enemy or, or that Cora had just suddenly stripped me naked.

Oh yeah, I like Cora a lot, way too much more than I should. My body really liked thinking about Cora stripping me down until I was naked. Shit.

"Date another girl," Cora said. Well, that's just ridiculous.

"Excuse me?" I said condescendingly.

"Ask out another girl," Cora restated.

"How does that prove anything??" I stalled, stunned.

"If you're not into me, you won't have any problem asking out another girl," Cora said.

You might think that her logic has holes in it, but it really doesn't. I didn't want to ask out another girl because I did actually like Cora. But, just because I had problems with it, didn't mean I still couldn't make myself ask out another girl. I'd pretty much do anything to keep Cora from thinking I liked her, since she didn't actually want me to like her. Ugh.

"Oh, yeah, whatever. Who am I supposed to ask out?" I challenged of Cora. Cora crossed her arms and sighed, stuck.

"Who do you like?" She finally asked, sounding confused. She didn't have a plan.

"No one," I lied easily. I smirked at her. What now, biotch? You think you can just grind up against me all the time and get away with it and then when I let out one little drunken slip of the tongue, you can call me out and accuse me of liking you? Fat chance!

"Perfect. Then that means you could go out with anyone," She said. I raised my eyebrows at her.

"Anyone attractive enough," Cora clarified. I couldn't believe this conversation. This was retarded and unreal. I just shook my head at her, stunned.

"Like who?" I threw back at her again, narrowing my eyes at her. Cora took another deep breath and looked around the room, thinking. Outside, I could hear the sounds of a few, early bird Jazz band people setting up.

That's when Cora's expression lightened; she turned beautiful and calm and made me sweat with panic.