Stella picks at the crusted nail polish on her big toe. Kayleigh’s fingers drum at her phone but she’s not really scrolling, just pretending not to be the next one to talk. Mary Kate munches her Goldfish at triple speed, eyes flicking between us like she’s waiting for the punchline.
It’s me who breaks the silence. “Not to be all after-school-special, but you guys, I have a big secret.”
Three pairs of eyes turn to me, brows raised.
“And?” Mary Kate prompts.
I swallow hard because this is harder than I thought.
“Well, I’ve dated boys in the past, but actually … I’ve never done it.”
Nobody says anything. Mary Kate’s lips twitch in this tight, anxious smile. Stella stares at the ceiling like it’s got the answer painted up there.
“Like,” I press on, “everyone else is either out there having wild experimental threesomes or crying about their first time, and honestly? I nod and smile and ooh and ahh, but I’ve never actually had a penis in my vagina. I’ve done other stuff, like hand jobs and blow jobs, but not that. Basically, I’m here eating Cheetos and watching actual dick-zillas on Pornhub.”
Stella snorts and tugs the blanket over her legs. “That’s not so bad. I mean, aren’t you supposed to wait for, like, love or whatever?”
Kayleigh makes a dramatic gagging noise. “I’m gonna need at least a test drive before I invest in an entire car, thank you.”
Mary Kate finally sits up, legs folded under her, cheeks glowing. She opens her mouth, hesitates, then blurts, “I’ve never done it either. I mean, not really. I’ve fooled around with a couple guys, but never gotten to home base. So yeah, no dick in vagina.”
We all stare. Not in judgment—just surprise, and maybe a little relief that someone else finally said it out loud.
Kayleigh is the first to recover. “Wait, like, at all? Not even a soft one at a party?”
Mary Kate shakes her head, tight-lipped and mortified. “Nope. Not even by accident. I just… I don’t know. It hasn’t happened. Boys get weird around me.”
Stella pats Mary Kate’s ankle in a way that’s surprisingly tender. “I get it. I mean, I went to an all-girls Catholic school. The only penis I ever saw was in biology class, laminated in a textbook, and someone drew a mustache on it.”
We all crack up at that, the tension bleeding out of the air.
Kayleigh sighs, a little dramatic. “Okay, okay, I admit. I’m also in the same boat. I thought I was the only freak. Like, I make out with boys and it just—never gets that far. I’m always too chicken to let them, you know.” She gestures vaguely at her body, then laughs. “Actually, I’m kind of scared my vagina’s just for display.”
Stella clucks her tongue.
“It’s not for display because it works. I know because I’ve done it. Okay, maybe not exactly, I guess, if we’re getting technical. I mean, I’veseena penis. My cousin’s friend flashed me at a pool party when I was fifteen. It was honestly pretty traumatizing.”
Kayleigh barks out a laugh. “That doesn’t count! Pool shrinkage is real.”
Mary Kate grins, suddenly emboldened. “Stella, you’re insanely beautiful and tons of guys salivate after your curvy bod. You could literally fuck anyone. But are you saying you’re still a virgin?”
The pretty blonde blushes, biting her lip. “Yeah, I guess. Maybe I’m just picky,” she muses. “Or maybe I’m waiting for a professor with a Bond villain jawline and a cocksure attitude.”
I shake my head, grinning. “We’re such losers.”
There’s a moment, and then Kayleigh gets “That Look”—the one that means something unhinged is about to happen. “What if we make it a contest?”
I raise an eyebrow. “A contest?”
She sits up, practically vibrating with the energy of her own idea. “Yes. First one to lose her v-card wins.”
Mary Kate squeals, covering her face. Stella looks both scandalized and interested. I feel something sharp and bright twist in my chest—a combination of terror and exhilaration.
“Wins what?” Stella asks, practical as always.
Kayleigh’s eyes go flinty with challenge. “I don’t know. Money. Clout. Whatever.”
I lean into it, the idea sparking something predatory inside me. “We each put in, say, two hundred and fifty dollars into a pot. Winner takes all.”
