Chapter 22

January dissolved into February. The school seemed to have finally accepted that Liv and I were a couple and that we would do something a little outrageous from time to time. It was fun. It was exciting. And it showed me a completely different side of sex. With my other girlfriends things were all about romance and affection. Liv enjoyed that side as much as any of the others, but she also showed me that a woman can enjoy sex just for the pure fun of it.

It was Monday morning, and Liv had picked me up on the way to school, something that had become a pleasurable routine for us. Liv decided to break that routine for some reason, though, this morning and stopped the bike before we got to school.

I took my helmet off when she did, tucking it under my arm and looking a question at her. She said nothing for a minute, and I saw a range of emotion, doubt, affection, indecision and finally regret, cross her face.

"Liv," I said gently, "what do you want to say?"

She laughed and looked up at the leaves of the tree under which we had stopped. "Want?" she asked. "I don't think so. Need to, though? Yup." She looked back down at me. "John," she said seriously. "I'm enjoying things with you, but if we're going to break this off, we need to do it soon. I'm starting to get addicted to it, you, us."

I sighed, a bit sad now that the moment was here. I'd known this day was coming from the very beginning, but I had come to care for Liv, and this was harder than I'd expected. "I was afraid of that, Liv. I don't want to hurt you, but as much as I've enjoyed our time together, you were right when you said that we would never work long term."

"Yeah, I know," she said, bright eyed. "Still, I hate it when I'm right. So when are you going to dump me?"

"I'm not," I replied. "You're going to dump me."

"What? No way! Why would I do that?"

"Because there's someone else, obviously."

"But there isn't, John."

"There should be. Surely there's someone you like more than just a little bit that you haven't dated yet."

"Well," she replied, someone obviously on her mind.

"Who, Liv?"

"It's silly."

"It's never silly."

"Wally Wallace."

"Really?"

"See, I told you, it's silly."

I touched her face. "No, I think it's perfect. I think he's perfect for you. Wally's gunshy, though. You're going to have to ask him out."

"Aw, hell, I don't know if I can do that, John. That's not exactly my rep."

"Olivia Eastman has no rep, Liv. Besides, Sadie Hawkins dance tickets go on sale on Friday, and no one would find it unusual for you to ask Wally."

Liv stared at me, a smile slowly breaking out on her face. Every February, the school held a Sadie Hawkins' Day dance. Tradition required that the girls had to ask the guys to the dance.

"Ask him on Thursday," I suggested. "And then dump me after he says yes. Make it public and where Wally can see it."

"I can't do that to you, John," she replied, shocked.

"You have to, Liv, if you want Wally to really believe you're serious. It doesn't have to be bad if you don't want it to be."

Liv leaned forward and gave me a chaste kiss on the lips. "Thank you, John. All along, you've made everything about us just seem so easy. Now you're even making breaking up easy, and giving me shot at someone I think could really be someone serious in my life."

She didn't give me a chance to respond, but put her helmet back on and drove to school silently. As I said, I'd known this was coming, and I was counting on Missy now to make the timing work. When we reached the school, I gently guided Liv past Missy's locker. Using one of our now famous locker slam kisses to hide it, I slipped a note into Missy's locker.

The week slipped past quickly. Liv and I found chances each day to be alone. It was if we recognized that we were slowly saying goodbye to one another, letting the other move on to something better, but wanting to savor each moment we had, and trying to memorize each of them. Friday was coming quickly, and we wouldn't have many more moments to share. With that in mind, I turned my thoughts to the future. On Wednesday, I made sure I caught Jesse alone.

"Jesse, does Wally have a girlfriend?"

Jesse shook his head sadly. "No, John. He's kind of sworn off girls since Cathy Kramer dumped him after homecoming. That was one cold bitch."

I nodded. I remembered that scene. It was one of the most unbelievably cruel two minutes I'd ever had the misfortune to watch. I think Cathy expected Wally to become one of Junior's minions and then she could hang with the "in" crowd. Wally hadn't been very vocal supporting me, but he was there. Cathy saw that as a betrayal of her goals and she blew up at lunch that next week. She told him in no uncertain terms that "his tiny prick and his tiny brain" were no longer welcome anywhere near her. Boardman had been especially vocal in calling Wally 'Tiny' ever since.

"Anyone even on his radar screen?"

Jesse shook his head. "Why the sudden interest, John?"

"Just doing a little reconnaissance for a friend," I smiled. "Do you think he would say yes if he was asked to Sadie Hawkins."

"Maybe, but you'd better tell her not to wait too long, John. Wally's been pretty depressed."

Thursday was going along fine until fourth period. Jackie Weathers was waiting by my locker.

"I need a few minutes, John," she said firmly. "Can you be late for fourth hour?"

"For you, I'd skip it."

Jackie gave me an icy stare, so I shrugged, dumped my books in my locker and followed her to the newspaper room. Jackie was the senior editor of the paper. She unlocked the door and waved me in.

I stood with my back against the wall. "What's on your mind, Jackie?"

"Lord knows I'm not sure why I'm doing this. I don't even like you. Especially after how you treated Gail. You humiliated her. It was bad enough that she threw herself at you and that you rejected her. I think Gail could have accepted that in time. Did you have to rub salt in the wound by dating the single biggest slut in the school, though? I don't think Gail will ever forgive you for that."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Jackie. I did what I thought was best. I tried to explain to Gail, but she wouldn't even hear me out. I simply wasn't going to put either Gail or Missy in a position where they'd have to choose the other or choose me. And if I had gone out with Gail, well, it was guaranteed that sooner or later one of them would have had to choose."

"Okay, maybe I can see that," Jackie admitted grudgingly, "but Olivia Eastman?"

"What is so wrong with Liv?"

"She slept with half the school."

"I think that might be a tad overblown, Jackie." She started to object, but I held up a hand. "Even if it's not, though, even Olivia Eastman deserves a chance to become more than her reputation."

Jackie groaned. "Anyway, I didn't bring you here to discuss Olivia Eastman. Missy wants to meet you. Somewhere quiet and private. I'm not sure about you and her, but she is my friend and she says that this is important. Can you meet her after school?"