Robin, Boy Virgin: Original Series

Lunch was a pretty quiet affair. Max and Clarissa were conveniently a-wol. Minnie and Harold talked creation of the universe and Harold kept saying these weird, out of the blue quirky things and making Minnie giggle. He seemed surprised at himself: he would blink when a funny comment would come out of his mouth and then blink more when Minnie would laugh. Been there, buddy. Women make you do strange things.

I picked at my cafeteria-bought, Caesar salad. Cora ate some corn chips and drank an iced tea. She helped me eat my salad, stealing leafs of lettuce.

"Your eye is healing nicely, Robin," Minnie commented suddenly. I blinked at her, thinking about the action. Nice, it didn't hurt anymore.

"Yeah, it looks real sexy," Cora agreed, looking at me. I looked back at her. I stared at her and tried to read her mind. DO YOU LOVE ME?! I tried to ask telepathically. Her brain just put me on hold and told me the server was busy.

After lunch, Harold, Minnie, Cora, and I walked down the halls together. Harold and Minnie were discussing the band Coldplay.

"They're pretty full of themselves and I don't want to like them. But I do, anyway, because they do actually make pretty good music," Minnie said. Harold raised his palms at her.

"That is exactly how I feel. I don't want to like them because they seem to be pricks," He said and Minnie giggled. Yeah, Harold just called Coldplay pricks. He was saying funny shit like that all lunch.

"But I really like the idea of Viva la Vida. It being about Napoleon Bonaparte and all," Harold said. Minnie nodded, agreeing with him. Cora put her hand in the crook of my elbow casually. My skin tingled. I wondered if Harold was having his very own Pink Floyd t-shirt moment with Minnie.

Cora and I went into the Music Comp practice room. I sat down in my chair and picked up my guitar and put it on my lap. Cora sat down in her chair and crossed her legs. Oh her legs. Ohhh her legs. I am a sucker for a great pair of legs, yes I am.

"Boy Wonder?" Cora spoke up suddenly.

"Yeah?" I said, tuning my guitar.

"I was worrying about something this weekend," She said. I stopped tuning my guitar and looked at her. I was shocked because I hadn't worried about anything that weekend. And she had. This was a complete reversal of our roles.

"What were you worried about?" I asked, so damn concerned because I love her.

"Just... well... was I your first kiss?" She asked, looking at me out of the corner of her eyes and looking very guarded. A horse laugh roared out of me and I clapped my hand over my mouth. Cora looked me up and down, confused and slightly condescending.

"Cora," I giggled hysterically at her. Cora looked away from me at the wall and then back at me.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" She demanded, thoroughly confused and worried about my sanity.

"You. You," I tried to say through my uncontrollable laughter. Why was I freaking laughing like a maniac? I dunno. But it might have had something to do with Cora thinking so highly of me, of how cool and smooth I am with the ladies. Ha! I am so pathetic and it's kind of hilarious.

"Answer my question before I smack you," Cora commanded. I swallowed my laughter and wiped the tears from my eyes.

"Cora. Just because I'm a virgin doesn't mean I haven't kissed a girl before," I informed her. Cora glared at me.

"I know that. I was just checking," She defended herself, smacking my knee. I chuckled at her, I couldn't help it.

"In fact, I even had a girlfriend, once," I told her. Cora blinked at me and then smiled.

"... really? Who?" She asked curiously. Suddenly, things weren't funny anymore.

"Oh, uh, just this girl. April," I said, sounding incredibly awkward. "April Showers," I added the last name for shock value.

"Shut up," Cora said, not believing any of it now.

"No really. We dated in ninth grade," I said. Cora blinked some more.

"Well... where is she now?" Cora asked. I adjusted my shoulders.

"She moved. To the other side of the continent," I said. Cora smiled sympathetically at me. She leaned back in her chair, thinking.

"What was she like?" Cora asked suddenly, curious. I blinked. Well, April was pretty much the antithesis of Cora. I mean, they were both cool and quirky but, like, physically April is the opposite of Cora and personality wise... well I always knew exactly where I stood with April. With Cora it's all a big freaking mystery.

"Um. Cute. Little, blonde. Very, very practical. But nice. A very sweet person," I answered. Cora blinked, trying to imagine her. She sighed, sounding kind of frustrated for some reason.

"I wish I could have known her," Cora explained her frustration. I raised my eyebrows at her.

"Why?" I chuckled at Cora.

"Because. I wanna know the girl that got to be Robin's girlfriend. She's probably really special," Cora said. She's being very complimentary and a little crazy. Um, you could be my girlfriend, you know, if you'd let me be your boyfriend.

"How long did you and April Showers date for?" Cora asked.

"Three months. And then she moved," I answered. Yep, three months. Those were good three months.

"Aww. That sucks. But, kind of makes sense," Cora said. I give her a fishy look. What made sense?

"I mean, why you're still a virgin. Three months isn't very long to get to know someone. Especially when you're fourteen, "Cora explained. Hm. Yeah, that does make sense.

"Did you love her?" Cora asked suddenly, grinning slyly at me.

"Yeah. I did," I sighed. But it didn't hurt, really, to think about it. I mean, it's been two years.

"Awww! Robiin," Cora said, grinning at me and tilting her head. I recalled the first conversation Cora and I had ever had, and how I didn't like being in the spotlight. After all that's happened, I still feel the same.

"Well what about you? Did you have a boyfriend in California?" I demanded. And when I asked it, I got really curious. I'm surprised I haven't obsessed about that before. Cora grew thoughtful, remembering.

"Um. No, not really," Cora said. "I mean, yeah, I hung out with guys all the time, but. No real boyfriend," She said. Really?

"So...?" I started to ask and then clamped my mouth shut. I'd been wondering about her sexual past and her lack of boyfriends. I imagined her on the beach (since she lived in California and that's what my mind immediately jumps to) drunk and about to have sex with a tattooed surfer guy. The sun is setting, there's an empty bottle of wine bobbing at the edge of the water line...

"Um well, there was this one guy, Derek. We... were pretty good friends for awhile. Hung out quite a bit," She said. Her code was easy enough to decipher. Derek was the guy she'd boned in California.

"Oh. Derek," I said, instantly outrageously jealous. "What was he like?" I asked, stupidly competitive.

"Nice. He played bass in a band. He was a couple years older than me, a little too into weed, though, you know? But he was sweet," Cora said. Hm. Damn, this Derek kid sounded cool. He'd probably take one look at me and laugh his cool Californian rocker ass off.

"But he was no Boy Wonder," Cora spoke up suddenly, grinning at me. See, now, ok. My heart loves it when she says things like that. And so does my ego. But my brain goes WTF. Why can't she just be as in love with me as I am with her and let us get together? Let's go, you know? Time's a wastin'.