The next day was Friday, but Jasmine told her parents that she was feeling unwell. They could see that she looked pale and had been extra quiet since coming home from school the day before, so they let her stay home that day.
She spent most of the day in bed, replaying the events of the day before in her head. She wasn't sure if she had been raped. The boys had held her down at first, but she had become a willing participant by the end. However, she knew that she hadn't wanted it to happen. She had been saving her virginity for her wedding night. She wished desperately that she could undo what happened the day before. She mourned her lost chastity, even though the sex had felt good by the end.
The thought of her wanton behaviour brought a sense of shame and humiliation. What must those boys think of her? She recalled the way she had cried out in pleasure and pulled Wesley towards her. A good, Catholic girl would be fighting to the end to protect her virtue. A good, Catholic girl wouldn't like sex, would she? Thinking of how those boys watched her naked body quiver in ecstasy made her groan and pull the covers over her head, as if to hide from the memory. Wesley and Eric would probably never speak to her again. They had gotten what they wanted. Now, they were probably embarrassed for her.
She thought about going to confession, but the thought of any of the priests knowing what a loose girl she was made her change her mind. She also kept the experience from her parents. She wouldn't be able to stand their disappointment, and she didn't think she could bring herself to say the words anyway.
She spent a lot of the ensuing weekend in bed: thinking and praying. On Sunday, she went to Mass with her parents. She felt unclean and racked with guilt the entire time. She even entertained the idea of dedicating her life to the church. After all, what man would want her now? However, to do that, she would have to go to confess all her sins first, and she still couldn't bear the thought of doing that.
On Monday, she found her way to school, still deep in thought. She walked through the front doors and made her way to her locker.
"Hey, Jas!"
She looked up in surprise and saw Wesley come up to her. He flung his arm around her and kissed her temple.
"I missed you on Friday. I had to sweet talk the secretary at the desk before she told me that you were out sick." He leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Did we hurt you?"
She managed to shake her head, even though it was a lie.
He stopped to face her and look into her eyes. "If we did hurt you, I'm really sorry. We didn't mean to at all. You're just so beautiful, we couldn't help ourselves. Forgive us?" He looked so sincere and charming, she just had to nod in response. His face broke into his heart-stopping smile, and he put his arm around her again and led her down the hall. "Great! I'll walk you to class."
He was by her side that day whenever he could. Instead of sitting across the room as he usually did, he sat behind her in English class. He would tug at her hair or kiss the back of her neck whenever Mr. Sutton wasn't looking.
At lunch time, he invited her to sit with him and his friends. They were all extroverted, good-looking people. Jasmine felt even more shy and intimidated, but they were all very nice and friendly towards her. The girls even invited her to go shopping with them. Two girls, Tiffany and Sasha, were especially nice. They made sure to include Jasmine in their conversation and asked her for her opinion of things.
Wesley either kept his arm around her or he would hold her hand. He often lifted her hand up to his lips or he would kiss her cheek or neck. He was being very attentive and affectionate. His popularity and obvious attention towards her made everyone else want to get to know Jasmine too.
"What are you doing after school today," Wesley asked near the end of the school day, as he walked her to another class.
"I have to go to the library to study. I have to catch up in a lot of my classes," she replied.
"Okay, I have football practice after school anyway, but I'll pick you up from the library when I'm done." He didn't wait for her reply, just kissed her quickly on the lips and left for his own class.
After school, she went to the library to study. Tiffany showed up and said that Wesley had sent her. Tiffany was at the top of their class academically and began tutoring Jasmine, just because Wesley had asked her to.
Wesley did come to meet her at the library after practice, as he had promised. Jasmine thanked Tiffany for her help and left with Wesley. He put his arm around her and led her out. She had never been at school this late before. It was quite deserted.