"Want to get out of here and bang?"

A blush crawled up my cheeks and I stared at him open mouthed. He grinned at me and pulled back his hand, the spark instantly faded. Nate leaned back in his chair casually, like he totally thought that I'd say yes so we could hook up behind a garbage dump or wherever these kinds of things happened.

I wouldn't know. I'd never done it before. Heck, I had trouble getting through a sentence with other people. How the hell was I supposed to have sex?

As my heart thudded in my chest I desperately wished Simone was here. She'd know what to do. She always knew what to do. Like I said before, she's a free bird.

My cheeks flamed like they were on fire and I was sure that my ears were turning crimson every second that I sat in this plastic chair. Without a word I closed my book, not bothering to dog-ear the page that I was on, and hurried to the exit.

I had to get out of there. Fast. I could feel my anxiety cloud over my brain and increase my heart rate.

After I'd left the library and went outside, that was when I could finally breathe again. A cold blast of air hit me right in the face, forcing me to wake up and snap out of it.

What just happened?

Mulling it over in my brain I relived the moment inside my own personal bubble.

"Wanna get out of here and bang?"

Hook up, sexual intercourse, casual sex, whatever you want to call it. A boy actually asked me to do it with him! Me of all people!

A rush of excitement bubbled through me before I shot it back down. This was not something to be excited about. I should've been mortified. I mean, did I really look that easy?

And that surge of electricity that jolted my racing heart? What was that all about?

No boy had ever touched me before because I was so antisocial. No first kiss. Certainly not sex. Hell I never even got a hug from a boy before. That had to be what I felt when I was around Nate, just an initial shock from being touched by the opposite sex.

Right?

I hurried over to the church where I knew Simone would be. I had to tell her, I needed the advice.

                             ~°°°°°~

Simone was singing when I got to the church. She was near the front row and one of the lead singers in the choir group. Instantly I recognized her voice. Like her personality, she was loud, confident, and proud. I could hear her harmonious voice, that belted out notes, float effortlessly across the echoing walls of the church.

I quickly took a seat by one of the wooden benches that had elegant faces carved into the armrests. The church was centuries old and had a huge 50 foot ceiling and windows that were covered in stained glass mosaics of Jesus. 'Each window tells a different story', as the pastor liked to say during his daily tours of the church. People came from all over to see the big church right at the center of our small town of Hartfield.

The pastor, Andrew Miller, or pastor Miller as everyone liked to call him, stood behind the choir conductor. His salt and pepper fraying hair sat at the top of his head in little wisps. Pastor Miller had his arms crossed over his chest with a huge smile on his face. It was like Simone just won the lottery or something. Even from a distance, I could see the pride Pastor Miller carried for his daughter.

Simone caught my eye whilst singing and offered me a discreet smile. I simply waved and smiled back as I waited for the practice to be over.

After a few more numbers of inspirational, religious singing the practice ended. As the group disbanded Simone rushed over to me wide-eyed and excited.

"Hey girl! I didn't know you were coming!" She said in a humble of words that I could barely decipher.

"Yeah, it was kind of a last minute decision," I said.

She looked at my facial expression and gave me a knowing look, "Okay, there's definitely something up. As much as I'd like to say that you dropped by just to hear my amazing singing," She flipped her brunette hair with blonde highlights, "I know you haven't come to one of my practices since sixth grade. So spill girl, I want all the juicy gossip."

I grinned. Typical Simone, she was loud, boisterous and already chatting up a storm.

"A boy asked me to 'bang' with him," I informed her, seriously.

Her hazel eyes widened, "Omigod!" She squealed and grabbed my shoulders, "Did you say yes? Tell me you said yes."

"Simone! Of course I didn't say yes! You know how bad I am at talking to people."

She winked at me, " Well clearly you're better at talking to boys than girls."

I shoved her lightly, "Simone, this is serious!

"Okay, okay," She said, still grinning, "Tell me the details. I wanna know the who, the when, and the where."

I took a breath, "He was forced to join book club because he has detention. And he asked me to hook up the second he saw me, like I was some bimbo whore waiting to seduce him!"

She laughed, "I'm sure he didn't think that. If you lose the nerd glasses, guys will actually see your gorgeous eyes and come flocking from all over," She leaned in close, "Who was he? Anyone we know?"

"I think his name was Nate Marks. He's the new principal's son."

Her eyes widened in surprise, "Omigod, he's a total troublemaker from what I've heard."

Simone was always up to date on all the juicy gossip that was circulating the school. Since we lived in a small town, everyone knew everyone else and what business they were up to. When people talked, Simone was there to listen, and spread it around of course.

I frowned as I tried to remember what Mr. Marks had told me, "Yeah I know. He's in detention 'cause he started a fight."

"Not only did he start a fight on his first day, he also got expelled from his old school! Trust me Aria, he's bad news," Her expression turned dreamy, "And perfect for me! You have to introduce me to him. Promise me?"

I chuckled, "I can't make any promises."