Thank you again to blackrandl1958 for her editing talents and encouragement.
Jordan Lieber was 7 years old the first time he told Shelby Dercot he loved her.
She had just hit a home run in a kickball game, and right after she crossed home plate he hugged her and told her he loved her. She told him she loved him back, then kissed him on the lips.
That was a huge mistake, considering there were about a half-dozen other 7-year-olds around them.
"Eww!" Ronnie Dreen screeched. "Shelby and Jordy sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Shelby and Jordy pushing a baby carriage!"
The others quickly picked up on the old kids' singsong tease as Shelby and Jordan blushed profusely. As a typical 7-year-old, he was mortified, although a part of him was also thrilled. Her noted her lips were soft, and they tasted like Bazooka bubblegum. The two passed a private look between them and smiled at each other.
Jordy would say those words again to her several times over the years, although never again in the presence of their 7-year-old friends.
Shelby and Jordan lived down the block from each other and, as far as anyone could tell, had been friends forever. There were four others in their close-knit little group who had seemingly always been together, but he was closest to Shelby, and would have called her his best friend if anyone asked. She had long red hair, green eyes, a button nose and was kind of skinny, but if Jordan had to tell the truth, he was definitely smitten. She was a good kickball player and they both liked Bugs Bunny cartoons. As far as Jordan was concerned, Shelby was practically perfect.
Shelby was definitely a tomboy. The other girl in their group, Erin McKennan, was much more girly. Although she played kickball and dodgeball with the group, she preferred playing dolls with other girls. Sometimes she even badgered Shelby into playing dolls with her.
As it always does for all kids, puberty changed things for the group as the kids got into middle school. Only it took about a year longer for Shelby to hit puberty, which maybe explained a lot later. While most of her friends were developing chests and hips and starting to have strange feelings for boys, Shelby just stayed exactly as she was. Jordy was okay with that, but for the first time in her life, Shelby became withdrawn and quiet, the exact opposite of her normal demeanor. Jordan didn't have a clue as to what she was going through, but he tried to continue the friendship just as it always had been.
"Why are you hanging around with me, Jordy, when you could be drooling over Erin or some of the other girls?" she asked one day.
"Because I still love you, Shel," he answered. "I don't care if you don't have boobs. I still love you. I guess I always will."
She moved over to him and gave him a bone-crushing hug. He blushed.
Things changed drastically for Shelby in the next year. She got a visit from the boob fairy, who apparently tried to apologize for her late arrival by giving Shelby a double helping. By the time she was ready for high school, her boobs went straight past large to huge without passing go. Suddenly every boy in the school wanted to be her friend... at the least. Her spirits ballooned as much as her chest.
Although Shelby's late blooming proved good for her, it proved disastrous for Jordan. She suddenly forgot about "always there, good old him," and started dating almost every guy in the school who asked her out.
"Hey Jordy, long time no see. How come you don't come over any more?" Mrs. Dercot asked one day when he was walking past her house.
"Shelby doesn't have time for me anymore, Mrs. D. Every boy in the school is chasing her. I'm old news," he said quietly.
"Teenage girls are the worst, Jordy. She'll come back around. I promise," she said.
It took about a year before Mrs. Dercot was proven right. Jordan was mowing the front yard at his parents' house when Shelby surprised him by coming up behind him and tapping him on the shoulder. Jordan was startled, but when he saw who it was, he stopped mowing and turned the machine off.
"Hey, Shel. What's up?" Jordan asked.
"How come you don't come around any more?" Shelby said, looking directly into his eyes.
Jordan looked at the girl as if she was stupid. He gave an exaggerated shrug. She blinked her eyes and shuffled her feet.
"Okay, Jordy. I get it. I've been a self-centered bitch," she said quietly. "But I miss my best friend. I thought you loved me."
"I did... until you stopped loving me. I get it that I'm not one of the popular guys, an athlete, an upperclassmen. But you told me you loved me back, and then you've spent the last year going out with almost a different guy each week. I'm not blind and I'm not stupid. You didn't want me around, so I'm not around."
"That's not true. I want you around... all the time. I still love you. How about you take me out this weekend, and I can show you."
Jordan and Shelby became an exclusive couple that day, and remained that way throughout the rest of their high school years. There were many times, though, that Jordan felt like he was just an afterthought for his girlfriend, especially when she made the cheerleading squad in her junior year. Jordan showed up at every football and basketball game for the next two years to support Shelby, and also to keep the wolves at bay. He was particularly watchful of one Steve Garrett, the football team's star running back. Garrett was a 6-2, 215-pound beast with dark hair and blue eyes and was the fantasy of most of the girls in the school.
Garrett had eyes for Shelby, and wasn't shy about letting everyone know it, even Jordan. He would occasionally place an arm around the girl and give her a peck on the cheek, repeatedly ignoring Jordan's warnings.
"What are you going to do about it, stick-boy? Any time you want to fight, I'm ready," he'd say.
Far from a stick-boy at 6-1, 175, Jordan knew he was no match physically for Garrett, but there comes a point when someone has to stand up for themselves. The third time Garrett put his hands on Shelby, Jordan engaged, punching the larger boy in the throat and then the face before Garrett proceeded to beat Jordan half-senseless before school officials separated the pair.
"You don't have to be a macho asshole for me, Jordy," Shelby said to him as she escorted him to the school nurse's office.
"He can't be touching you. That's all there is to it," Jordy said through puffy lips.
Shelby and Jordan took each other's virginities on the night of her 18
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