These characters are eighteen years of age.
-----
"I wish I could squirt," Mara sighed just as Henry walked into the room.
"Jesus," he said, clearly agitated. He looked at the porno in her hand, then up at her. She didn't even acknowledge him-just stared longingly at the DVD.
"Where did you find that?"
He was constantly changing his porno stash location because she was always going through it. Her curiosity didn't bother him in the least. But Mara didn't pick through it to find something to stroke to. She hated watching porn. She preferred to read her porn, which completely baffled Henry. What pleasure could she possibly find in words on a page? There were no sighs, no moans, no wet flesh slapping against wet flesh. Mara, she liked to look at the covers and imagine the sex that she wasn't getting.
So depressing. It drove Henry crazy.
"Top shelf of your closet again? There are only so many places a teenage boy living at home can hide his porn."
"I'm a high school graduate, which means I'm a teenage man living at home."
"We
just
graduated and you're already on a 'I'm a man' kick?"
Henry plopped down onto the bed with nachos in one hand. He snatched the DVD out of Mara's hands with the other. He scanned the covers and nodded approvingly. The front cover showed a woman naked with her legs spread wide. Her fingers plunged into her pussy as she squirted onto the camera. The back cover had various stills of women with fingers or dicks inside of them as they squirted. Not exactly artful or innovative, but they served their purpose.
"Good?"
He nodded. "My new favorite."
Henry tossed it with a flick of his wrist. The DVD clattered into the box of movies and the two of them settled in to watch television. Mara had finally convinced Henry to watch Breaking Bad and now he loved it.
Henry stacked a few chips together, held together by cheesy goo, and took a bite. He stilled mid-chew.
"You've never squirted?"
Mara shook her head, still focused on the television. She wasn't embarrassed or shy about answering. On a regular basis, they had conversations that many would deem inappropriate. Hell, after how they'd met it was clear that boundaries weren't going to be an issue. She thought back on the first day they met, four years ago...
~ ~ ~
It had been their first day of high school. The students sat in homeroom, waiting for the teacher to show up. Mara had told her friend Harriet the joke about the escaped prisoner who breaks into a home and takes a young couple hostage.
"He orders the guy out of bed and ties him to a chair. While tying the homeowner's wife to the bed, the convict gets on top of her, kisses her neck, then gets up and goes into the bathroom. While he's in there, the husband whispers over to his wife: 'Listen, this guy is an escaped convict. Look at his clothes! He's probably spent a lot of time in jail and hasn't seen a woman in years. I saw how he kissed your neck. If he wants sex, don't resist, don't complain.....do whatever he tells you. Satisfy him no matter how much he nauseates you. This guy is obviously very dangerous. If he gets angry, he'll kill us both. Be strong, honey. I love you!' His wife responds: 'He wasn't kissing my neck - he was whispering in my ear. He told me that he's gay. He thinks you're cute, and asked if we had any Vaseline. I told him it was in the bathroom. Be strong. I love you, too.'"
It was immediately apparent that others had overheard. Mara saw a few pairs of eyebrows furrow in disgust. Some snob actually tisked at her before switching seats to be farther away. Even Harriet shook her head and called Mara a damn fool.
"Where do you find gross shit like that," she said, rolling her eyes and turning back to her book.
Clearly, Mara's brand of humor was an acquired taste. She'd lost some popularity points with that one. She heard snickering off to her right and turned in her seat to see who was laughing.
His emerald hazel eyes glittered-that was the first thing she noticed about him. He turned toward her and his hair caught the light. The tame red of it caught fire, revealing rusted ocher tones.
"I thought it was funny." His voice was sincere enough.
Mara shook herself out of her haze and spoke. "Thanks."
He ruffled his hair a bit and looked away, an indication of nervousness that she'd come to recognize. She watched as he clicked his pen sporadically for a few moments before realizing what he was doing and dropping the pen on his desk. He tapped his foot for a bit before stopping that too. Very fidgety. Was he always like that? After a moment, Mara reluctantly looked away.
She'd never really been choked up by a boy before. Then again, she'd never reacted to them the same enthusiasm that Harriet and her other friends had. So why was she feeling like such a spaz with this guy? He hadn't said more than five words to her, yet she'd totally clammed up. The quirk of his lips as he'd spoken, still laughing from her joke, was adorable. Those eyes were mesmerizing. She'd never seen eyes that color before.
Henry snuck a glance of her profile. He hadn't noticed her when he'd first come in because her back had been turned. He couldn't help overhearing her tell that joke and when she turned to face forward, he couldn't help but be taken aback by how pretty she was. He hadn't thought a girl like her would know a joke like that, let alone seem so pleased by the reaction it got.
A girl he recognized from his middle school, Josceline, tisked and he watched the girl bite her lip to keep from giggling. The girl pulled her glasses off of her face and perched them atop her head. They were obscured by the tight, unruly curls of hair that escaped her head band. He reveled in the contrast of their skin. Where his was only tan and slightly sunburned, hers was the indelible shade of toasted almond. The yellow sundress she wore contrasted her skin beautifully. She shot him a look when she felt him staring.
Henry went a bit red, quickly clearing his throat before he spoke.
"I'm Henry."
She smiled, first with her full lips, then with teeth. "Mara."
~ ~ ~
"Mara!" Henry's shout jarred her back into the present. "Are you going to answer my question?"
She looked confused. He rolled his eyes.
"Why haven't you squirted?"
"I've tried to make myself...but I don't know. Guess I'm not doing it right. Also-" she paused, biting a fingernail. "I know it sounds stupid-"
"Just say it!"
Her words came out in a rush. "I know it isn't pee, but some small part of me is convinced that it is." She slapped her hands to her face, shaking her head.
The sudden choking sputter forcing itself from his throat eclipsed the sound of the television. Mara came to his side, panicking. Only after a moment did she realize that this wasn't cause for alarm. He was laughing.
He couldn't
stop
laughing.
Finally, he composed himself. "I wouldn't mind a little pee."
