Be Free, Be You

Puck pulled up into an empty lot, waiting until the car came to a complete stop before shifting the gear into park and turning toward me. “One place where no one will find us,” he stated plainly before leaning over and kissing me.

It got heated almost immediately, with Puck’s hands wandering around my torso, shedding my shirt what seemed like less than a minute after we started. My legs were tight around his waist in the driver’s seat as he worked to get off my bra, fumbling to unhook the most complicated of clothing fasteners.

“Puck,” I gasped when he put his arms on my lower back, pressing me up against him as tightly as possible, “are you sure this is safe? That no one’s going to find us?”

“Of course,” he mumbled against my collarbone, flicking out his tongue for a second and making me sigh with pleasure. “The closest house is a mile away. We’ll be okay.”

Deciding to believe him, I tucked my fingers under his t-shirt and lifted it over his head, making him draw back for a second, only to resume his kisses once his shirt was safely on the backseat floor.

“Maybe we should move this back there,” he whispered, sending my sensitive skin exploding with goosebumps.

“Okay,” I agreed, climbing off him so he could lie down in the backseat of his truck. And soon enough, I joined him, accidentally kicking the steering wheel as I went. “Good thing the car isn’t running.”

He laughed and ran his hands up and down my sides before asking from underneath those dark lashes that I loved, “So what do you think about going a little further?”

I swallowed and leaned down, kissing his jaw next to his ear before whispering, “What did you have in mind?”

He didn’t say a word as his stomach trailed down my stomach and landed on the button of my jeans, which he unhooked before working the waist down my legs. In the moment, I was still somehow coherent enough through the feel of Puck’s warm hands on my thighs to be thankful that I’d shaved my legs well that night before he picked me up and that I’d used my favorite lotion to make sure that they were incredibly smooth.

And then, it hit me: He wanted to go all the way, no stopping, even though we were in the backseat of his truck in the middle of nowhere. That wasn’t how I wanted my first time to be. It wasn’t how I wanted any of my times to be.

“Puck,” I breathed, putting my hands on his to push him away from near the band of my underwear. “Puck, I can’t do this.”

“Just trust me,” he begged, his lips pressing against my neck again. “Trust me.”

A band of light washed across the car, brightening Puck’s features and making his eyes glow through the darkness. “What the fuck was that?” I screeched, sitting up and groping around on the floor for my jeans, bra, and shirt.

“I don’t know,” he mumbled as he looked out the window, his head cocked to one side like a confused puppy.

Just as I was pulling on my jeans, there was a knock at the window, which Puck opened happily, not giving a single shit that I was still topless next to him.

“Are you aware that you’re trespassing?” a gravelly male voice demanded as he leaned in the window.

“I had no idea,” Puck responded conversationally. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m afraid sorry won’t cut it, son. The owners need you off their property immediately.”

My face flushed dramatically as I finally located my bra, trying to be as discreet as possible about putting it back on without flashing the cop, who had finally noticed my existence.

“How old are you?” he questioned as I finally managed to hook the back of my bra.

“Um,” I responded uncomfortably, “fifteen.”

He straightened up, his thick eyebrows pulled together in anger. “I’m going to need you to come with me. We’ll make sure you get home safely.”

“I…” I tried to utter, but Puck cut me off by throwing my shirt over. I quickly pulled it over my head and mumbled goodbye as I climbed over him and followed the cop to his car.

* * *

“Didn’t you say earlier that your thing with him was over?” Mom screamed, her hands on her hips, her face colored with disappointment and disgust. “Why did you lie to me, Stephanie Joy? Why would you ever do that?”

“Because I knew you’d make me break up with him!” I snapped back. “And it isn’t fucking fair!”

“Stephanie!” Dad scolded, but I wholly ignored him.

“It isn’t fair how Valarie is so respected and supported in this family, and I’m just the piece of trash left over. Neither of you care about me, and neither of you respect any of the decisions I make! I work my ass off in school to be the valedictorian, and that doesn’t matter to you because all you care about is whether Val’s going to make Cheerio captain or not. And maybe it doesn’t matter to me whether Puck was mean to Val when they were kids. Maybe he’s nice to me, and maybe that’s what matters. Plus, they were kids. People grow up, people change. I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with this family, but sometimes, it feels like I’m the only adult here.”

With that, instead of waiting around to hear them tear me down again, I ran up the stairs and slammed the door to my bedroom. Probably the worst thing I could have done after my speech, but I never stated that I was perfect.

The only thing I really could do for the rest of the night was crawl under the covers and cry, knowing that I may have won the battle, but there was no way in hell I was going to be victorious after the war.