The end of the week couldn't come fast enough for me. Actually, the end of the school year was what I really looked forward to. I was almost done with the first quarter of my senior year of high school, and I couldn't wait to leave town for college. I was not very popular. I really didn't have any true friends. It wasn't that I was hated or people were mean to me. I never really connected with anyone. I was a quiet girl who most people just found boring and thus chose to ignore.
My name is Tessa, and I'm 18 years old and in high school. While I enjoy the peacefulness of my life, I am lonely. Outside of my parents, no one asked me how my day was or what I did over the weekend, which was usually nothing worth stating anyway. I never had a boyfriend or even kissed a guy. At this late stage of high school, I was resigned to riding it out and starting anew in college.
However, my social life changed dramatically on Friday at school. In between 5th and 6th periods, Kali and her three closest friends approached me. At first, I was apprehensive. Kali is a very popular girl but has a reputation for being a bully. I hadn't done anything to upset her, I think. But why else would she bother speaking to me?
"You're Tessa, right? I like your top. It really matches your hair," Kali said with a warm smile. I wore a nondescript red T-shirt, but she seemed to know a lot about fashion, so I didn't question it.
"Thanks. Your outfit looks great, too," I replied, not sure what else to say.
"The four of us are going to a movie tonight, and we thought it would be cool to invite you along. What do you say?" Kali asked. I had never been randomly invited to hang out with anyone, let alone by a popular girl like her. I knew I should say yes, but I thought she was definitely confusing me with someone else.
"That sounds fun, but why me? I don't think we've ever talked before today," I asked, hoping I wouldn't make her mad.
"We have less than a year of school left, and then we will all go our separate ways. Figured it would be good to get to know a few more of our classmates before that happens. Besides, you've been nothing but nice to everyone. Why wouldn't someone want to be your friend," Kali said, sounding very genuine. It felt like she really just wanted to try and hang out. What's the worst that could happen? They think I'm boring and we never speak to each other again? How would that be any different than now?
"Sure! I would love to hang out with you guys!" They told me the time and place to meet up tonight.
The rest of the school day went by fast, and I'm sure I didn't hear a single word any of my teachers were telling me. My mind jumped back and forth between being very excited and being sure they weren't going to show. That evening, I arrived twenty minutes ahead of schedule and was a nervous wreck as the seconds passed. But then, right on time, the four of them called out my name as they approached me. They actually showed up.
Inside the theater, they sat me right in the middle of the group. Before the movie started, I spoke more to the four of them than to all the other students in my class combined that year. They asked me all kinds of questions, from where I was born to what music I liked, what boys I liked (which I was too embarrassed to say), what my hobbies were, and so much more. I was the center of attention.
I also tried my best to learn more about them. Kali, I already knew something about her. But she seemed to value friendship and hated anyone who would betray her trust. It was a bit scary, but I admired her for that. Claire seemed to be Kali's best friend. She was very sporty and played varsity volleyball, basketball, and soccer. She was, unsurprisingly, very competitive.
The third girl, Rose, was fascinating. I knew before meeting her today that she had a reputation as a flirt. Others would call her a slut, but I hated that word. She was very outgoing and enjoyed making crass jokes. But otherwise, she seemed nice. The last girl in the group was Julia. Julia and I were friends, albeit in second grade. We would visit each other's house for play dates and hang out at recess. But soon, she made more friends, and we spent less and less time together. I'm not going to pretend like we are still friends, but it is nice to reconnect with her. She has a very warm and welcoming personality that puts me at ease.
My heart was racing the whole evening as I couldn't believe I was actually making a connection with these girls. I may have a real chance at being their friend. We talked so much that the theater usher threatened to kick us out. Rose seemed to scare him off with a very lewd comment about his flashlight, which caused all of us to laugh as he briskly walked away.
When the movie was over, I couldn't tell you a single thing that happened in it. The girls invited me to hang out more at a local coffee shop. I was able to make them laugh on more than one occasion and found out many of them watch the same shows I do. Before long, I realized it was midnight. I think this was the first time I had been out this late. We finally called it a night, but we made plans to meet up again the next night.
My social life exploded over the next four weeks as I became close friends with these four girls. Four out of seven days a week, I would spend my evenings hanging out with them. When we weren't together in person, we would constantly send messages to each other online. Even at school, they insisted I sit with them at lunch, and whatever classes I shared with any of them, we would be seated together.
My sense of self-worth was the highest it's ever been, and I valued my friendship with these girls more than anything else in my life. This evening, I was extra excited as Claire had invited all of us for a sleepover at her house. I thought sleepovers were more of a middle-school thing, but I wasn't going to question it. Spending a whole night and morning with my new friends had me practically glowing.
After enduring the longest school day of my life, it was finally time for the slumber party. I was the first to arrive, about fifteen minutes before it was scheduled to start. Claire didn't mind, though, and showed me where we would all sleep. Her house had a very cool attic that was more of a third floor. It was fully finished, had a lot of space, and wasn't adjacent to any other bedrooms in the house. So we could be as rowdy as we wanted to be.
I made myself comfortable, and Kali, Rose, and Julia soon joined us. The night started out with the pizza arriving. Between the five of us, we finished off a large, with Claire eating almost half of it, which we teased her for. I doubt she was at any risk of gaining weight with the amount of exercise she does. After an initial check-in, Claire's dad, Mr. Barns, or Robert, as he insisted we call him, said he would leave us alone. Claire's mom was out of town. Thus, besides her dad, her older brother Ed was the only other person in the house.
After we finished the pizza, we chatted for a while until Kali declared that we should all play a game. "What do you want to play, like Monopoly or something," I asked.
Kali shook her head, " No, we should do a slumber party classic. Truth or dare!" Rose and Julia moaned.
"No! Truth or dare is always so boring. That's fun for about ten minutes when you are twelve. People end up asking you what your favorite color is or dare you to stick out your tongue," complained Rose.
"Then let's make it a rule that your questions and dares have to be interesting," Kali offered up. We all reluctantly agreed. I had never played the game before.
"What happens if you don't want to do the dare or answer the question?" I asked nervously.
"Then we'll give you a punishment task to do instead," Rose said as she settled into a spot to start the game.
"And what if you don't want to do the punishment," I replied.
"You have to," Julia said. I didn't push further, but hearing that did make me a bit nervous.
Kali claimed she got to ask someone first as she suggested the game. She turned to Claire and asked her truth or dare. "Truth," she responded.
"How small of a penis can I guy have before you wouldn't want to keep dating him?" Claire giggled but then thought about it.
"Maybe four inches? But I don't think the relationship will last long if he is under six inches."
Rose spoke up, "For me, it would depend on how good at oral sex he is. If he is good enough, I'll take two inches and make up the difference with a dildo."
