Jillian and Jason turned their attention to the front door. Jason felt a bit dizzy after so much had happened and all the blood from his head went south.

  “Was that… the doorbell?” he asked as he withdrew his hand from Jillian’s crotch, causing her to let out a mixed sound of pleasure and annoyance.

  “Ugh, it’s probably the pizza,” Jillian grumbled, climbing off Jason’s p, annoyed to no end. If she had to choose between getting id and pizza, she wouldn’t have compined if the pizza never showed.

  She walked over to the door, muttering under her breath, “Why does it always have to be something? Can’t things just go smoothly for once? This pizza had better be the best fucking thing to enter my mouth in a long time!” She doubted it would beat Jason’s tongue though.

  Jason watched Jillian move from his p, heading toward the front door. Gncing at his hand, he stared at the soaked digits. As he spread his fingers, thin strands formed between them. Mouth watering with the desire to know how she tasted. Sitting there in a trance like state, he debated on sampling her fvor off his digits. He then imagined just how it would taste if he sampled it straight from the source, and his erection throbbed in desire. This wasn't the time to be losing himself to inane fantasies, and he had almost lost control and taken things a step further than he was comfortable. That and he was starving.

  Quickly getting up from the couch, he rushed down the hall, heading to the bathroom. He would need to get his wallet for the pizza from his room as well.

  Jillian swung the door open with a scowl, and her jaw felt like it hit the floor. “What the fuck are you doing here?” she blurted out, shocked at the sight of her younger brother, Reese.

  He gnced up from his phone, double-checking the address as he waited for the door to open. With the sight of his sister dressed in nothing but a rge t-shirt, he was equally taken aback.

  “What am I doing here?! I’m delivering pizza. Why the hell are you here?” he shot back. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a man walking behind her and down the hall. Reese quickly looked away after accidentally seeing a bulge in the man’s shorts.

  “Who was that? Was that the guy you were making out with at the park?” Reese asked his sister.

  “The fuck?” Jillian looked at her brother, totally baffled. “First off, I haven’t made out with anyone at the park. Second, why the fuck are you spying on me, you little pervert?” She was more confused than mad, even though Reese had just ruined everything.

  “Yes, you were! You were even under that tree everyone calls the Makeout Tree!” he insisted. Jillian just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

  “That’s a stupid fuckin’ name, but no, I wasn’t kissing anyone.” Scowling at him for peeping on them while they were at the park.

  “Well, you were doing something,” He grumbled, still pissed about how his mom bitched him out st night. There was no way he would wear gsses.

  Jason used his clean hand to open the bathroom door, locking it behind him. He turned on the sink to wash his hands, and as he looked down, he noticed the massive tent in his shorts.

  “Shit… I walked right by the pizza guy like this, didn’t I.” Feeling a moment of shame, he tried to push it out of his head. “Maybe if I give him a good tip, he won’t say anything.” Talking to himself as he turned off the faucet and dried his hands.

  Looking up at his reflection, he saw that his lips had a pink sheen. He leaned forward and narrowed his eyes to see that his lips and the skin around them were smeared with pink lip gloss. The images and sensations of their kissing came back to him. He wet his lips with his tongue, and the taste of strawberries coated his tongue. The arousal that was fading surged back to life yet again.

  “Damn it…”

  He eventually got back to his room and grabbed his wallet from his discarded pants on the floor. While trying to think unsexy thoughts, he took a deep breath and made sure that his erection was completely gone before leaving his room. As he walked down the hall, the sound of shouting filled the house.

  “God why do you have to be such a bitch!” Reese nearly shouted.

  A rather strange sensation filled Jason suddenly. He had called Jillian a bitch more times than he had said her actual name in his life. Yet, hearing someone else call her one… It made him kinda mad. “She kinda is a bitch… but why do I wana knock him out for it?” He thought to himself, looking down at his clenched fist.

  Jason walked back around the corner just in time to hear Jillian’s response after she had stopped to ugh sarcastically in his face.

  “A bitch, huh? You have yet to see bitchiness. Just wait till I tell Mom about that girl you snuck into your room st week.” Reese’s eyes bulged in fear, not expecting that response.

  “W-what girl?” he tried to lie, horribly.

  At least now everything made sense to Jason. They were siblings, apparently. The urge to punch the handsome teenager lessened, if only slightly. “Alright, alright, let’s just calm down.” Both of them turned to look back at Jason. Jillian pouted slightly.

  “He called me a bitch, and you just gonna let it slide?” she had wholly expected him to take her side.

  “Well, were you being a bitch?” His question made Jillian’s mouth gape slightly, but she didn’t have a response.

  “It was like thirty something, right?” Jason asked a rather stunned Reese, not expecting his sister’s…boyfriend, or whatever, to actually take his side.

  “Oh uhh, yeah.” Quickly taking out the pizza’s and the breadsticks from the insuted bag. The scent of the food made Jason’s stomach grumble in anticipation, and all thoughts of anything else vanish.

  “Here’s a fifty. Keep the change.” Reese was shocked yet again as he was handed the single bill.

  “Whoa, thanks man!” grinning from ear to ear as he took the money. Money was still the easiest way to a teenager’s heart.

  “Pfft, he doesn’t deserve a single friggin’ cent.” Jillian growled as Jason took the food.

  “Oh, fuck you, Jill.” Reese said with a gre.

  “You probably stole a slice and tried to smush the rest together to hide it.” She accused her brother. The rage of being cockblocked still burned red hot, and she wanted to make him suffer.

  “As if! You can check it yourself if you want! I’m getting outta here before you bme me for some other bullshit.”

  “Look Jason, he's trying to run away now. He’s totally guilty. You should… uhh Jason?” Looking over at where Jason was supposed to be.

  Reese quickly closed the door while his sister was distracted, rushing back to his vehicle.

  Jillian turned around to look for Jason, but he had vanished.

  “Jason!?” she called out, scanning the area before heading back to the living room. She saw him at the kitchen table, already having finished a whole slice of pizza. Despite how pent up she was, she couldn’t help but crack a smile at the sight of him enjoying the food while they had been caught up in their argument. It was just so him.

  Things had unfortunately gone from sexy to mundane in one fell swoop. It felt like every time they got close, something stopped them from crossing that finish line. Her thoughts drifted back to their conversation in the dressing room. There was something in his eyes back then, a mystery she was determined to solve.

  Casually walking behind the couches and towards the kitchen table she fshed him a smile. “How’s the pizza?” Jillian asked, gently pcing a hand on his shoulder. Jason, finishing the st bite of his slice, looked over at Jillian and nodded.

  “Mm... it’s really good,” he said swallowing, and reaching for a breadstick. While she began searching through the cabinets.

  “Where does your mom keep the ptes? We can eat and watch the rest of the movie.”

  Jason had already shoved half the breadstick in his mouth, so he instead pointed at one of the cabinets.

  He loaded his pte with four more slices and a couple of breadsticks, while Jillian was much more conservative with two slices and a single breadstick, though she was doubtful she could finish more than one slice. They made their way back to the couch, unmuted the tv, and settled in. As the movie pyed, they tossed comments back and forth about which actors they liked or disliked.

  “Christopher Lloyd is such a gem.” Jillian said with a smile as she nibbled on a breadstick.

  “I was frozen today!” Jason blurted out in his best impression of the actor. She just looked over at him like he was crazy, staring at him with a raised brow.

  “What!? It’s from a movie he was in. It was this awful B movie, but the line stuck with me.” He tried to expin, but her gaze never changed. “I don’t have to expin myself to you!” He grumbled but eventually smiled as he took another bite of food. It was all simple, comfy, un-sexy conversation.

  “When do they ride the hover boards?”

  “That’s part two, not one.” He corrected her.

  “Oh… right.” For some reason, she felt slightly embarrassed for not remembering every little detail of a movie that was over thirty years old now. It was all stupid conversation but made her smile.

  Jillian took her time with her food, barely making a dent in her second slice and the breadstick, while Jason had cleaned his pte in no time. Once she couldn’t eat anymore, she stood up and kindly took Jason’s empty pte.

  “Thanks,” he said in appreciation, which got him a warm smile in return.

  “No problem, you want something to drink?” she offered sweetly.

  “Uhh, water’s good for me, thanks,” he replied, returning the smile, the chipped canine making a surprise appearance again.

  Jillian stared for just a moment before she hurried back to the kitchen, put the ptes into the sink, and gave them a quick rinse. As she opened the fridge to grab a bottle of water, her eyes nded on a six-pack of fancy beer bottles.

  “Well, hello there,” she grinned, examining the bel. “He-hef...Hey Jason!” she called out.

  “What’s up?” he yelled back.

  “Ever heard of Hef-hefe-we-sen?” she attempted to pronounce the unfamiliar German word.

  “You mean hefeweizen? That’s my favorite beer. Are there some in the fridge?”

  “Yeah, want one?” Jillian asked.

  After a brief silence, Jason yelled back, “Sure, why not?”

  She quickly grabbed a couple of bottles and rummaged through the drawers for a bottle opener. Once she found one, she popped them open and rushed back.

  “Hope I didn’t miss the bit where George saves Lorraine,” she said, handing Jason a bottle and taking a sip of her own.

  “Nope, it’s about to happen. Thanks,” he replied, taking the bottle. Jillian plopped down beside him, leaning back against his chest, while Jason was against the sofa arm with his arm draped over the back.

  “Pretty good for a wheat beer. I usually don’t like them,” Jillian said.

  “Yeah, they’re actually better than most. My mom probably got them because I mentioned they’re my favorite.” Jason gnced down at Jillian, realizing how easy it had become to simply let her get close.

  “Oh, watch this part!” she excimed like he wasn’t already watching, pyfully swinging her fist through the air just as George punched Biff in the movie. Jason chuckled, amused by her enthusiasm.

  “Nice punch, but you could use a little practice,” he teased gently.

  “Coming from you, I’ll take that as a compliment,” she replied, looking up at him with a smile, their eyes meeting in a funny but sweet moment.

  Jason casually shrugged and took a hearty sip of his beer. “I’m nothing special,” he said modestly, never one to brag. Jillian let out a soft ugh and snuggled closer to him, the back of her head resting comfortably on his chest.

  “This is…Nice,” her voice a loud whisper. Jason stayed quiet for a few moments, watching Marty race the Delorean down the street.

  “Yeah…” he whispered back.

  Smiling softly as she nuzzled back into him. It wasn’t much, but she would take what she could get.

  As the movie wrapped up and their beers ran dry, Jillian sat up and fshed him another warm smile. “Want another beer?”

  “Sure,” Jason agreed, knowing well that a couple more beers wouldn’t even get him tipsy. Besides, their pn for the evening was pretty much to rex and watch TV. As Back to the Future Part II started pying, they both found it more than acceptable. Settling in again, clinking the necks of their beers together, ready to enjoy the rest of the night.

  Jillian dashed to the bathroom during a commercial. It had been ages since either had watched cable and not a streaming service. It was such an old person thing nowadays. Not that he thought his mother was old. Jason took a moment to stretch out a bit. He’d been sitting in the same spot for too long and was feeling a bit cramped. He pulled his legs up onto the couch and made himself comfortable, ying his head against the armrest and finishing his second beer. When Jillian returned, she noticed he was taking up the entire couch, but didn’t mind one bit. She jumped back onto the couch, nding in his p.

  “Oof.”

  Jillian giggled and id down against him, snuggling into his chest. Jason didn’t protest and even handed her half-finished beer back to her as they settled in to continue watching the movie as it resumed. It was yet another small victory for their retionship.

  Even with how comfortable things were, she slowly felt herself grow more and more anxious as the afternoon went on. She turned her head to look up at Jason. He had a slight smile as he watched the movie, looking rather content. She was definitely enjoying the small buzz she had, along with his warmth. It definitely helped loosen her tongue.

  “Hey Jason?” she began, catching his attention.

  “Hmm?” he responded, not looking at her yet, waiting for her to continue.

  “About earlier...” The word earlier could have meant a bunch of things at this point, which made him a little uneasy. But he looked down at her as she spoke.

  “About what went on in the dressing room... You said you didn’t want to talk about it there… so, here we are…not there.” Jillian felt she didn’t need to eborate any further. There was a moment of silence between them.

  “It’s... a difficult question to answer,” Jason finally admitted, as he avoided her gaze, clearly uncomfortable. Gathering her courage, she decided to just get it out.

  “Are you afraid of what might happen? Is it because... you’re still a virgin?”

  She could feel her heart racing, expecting him to get upset.

  Jason looked like he had just been blindsided, with a mix of surprise and confusion on his face. He didn’t speak for a long moment, as if he was trying to wrap his head around what Jillian had just said.

  “I’m not a virgin,” he finally responded, expression turning stoic and slightly annoyed. Jillian’s reaction was more confused.

  “You’re not?” she whispered, barely audible. He nodded firmly.

  “No, I’m not,” he confirmed.

  “Then... how come... I mean, if you aren’t, how do you not know how to kiss, or what, are you just pretending to be so na?ve? Have you just been toying with me?” The thought made her feel a little betrayed.

  Jason just shrugged when Jillian continued to ask him these personal questions.

  “Just because I’ve just never really kissed anyone romantically doesn't make me a virgin. And fuck you, I’m not na?ve. I just don’t have a lot of experience, mainly cause I don’t trust women, thanks to some bitch back in high school.”

  They were both sitting up and separated now. Jillian nervously bit her thumbnail trying to make sense of things. It didn’t seem like he was lying. "But then why would she tell me he is?" She thought, feeling panic building up inside her.

  “Well, then... Can you tell me about your first time?” she asked hesitantly, trying not to anger him any more than she already had.

  He gred at her, searching her face for any sign that she might be joking. But she was dead serious. He shook his head and took a deep breath, looking away. “You really don’t want to know that, and I don’t want to tell you,” he said, shifting further away from her.

  “Look, I can tell you’re upset. I promise I’m not making fun of you. I’m trying to help you!” Jillian begged, reaching out to pce her hands on his face. But he jerked his head away from her touch, pushing himself up from the couch.

  “Help me? That’s rich coming from you, of all people,” he said, frustration mounting in his voice. Jillian could see he was panicking.

  “I am! I fucking told you I don’t want to be the person I was anymore. That I want to be a person you can trust! I can help, or at least try, but you have to let me in!” she protested. But he interrupted,

  “You think three days of being somewhat civil are enough for me to trust that you actually care? That’s a fuckin joke.” With that, Jason turned off the TV, threw the remote onto the couch, and headed toward the hallway.

  Jillian jumped off the couch and chased after him, grabbing his arm. “I have known you a lot longer than three days, Jason! Do you think I would even be here right now if I didn’t care?! I know you don’t trust me because of what I did to you. I get it, I do, not a day goes by that I don’t think about the shit i've done. But that’s who I was, not who I am now. It wasn’t even the real me back then!”

  Jason gnced back, annoyed, and yanked his arm away. “Oh yeah? Well then, who the fuck are you? Some convenient saint here to solve my fucking problems 'cause I’m your type?” he snapped, continuing down the hall. Jillian, equally frustrated, grabbed the back of his shirt, but he kept moving, practically dragging her with him.

  “What the fuck does that even mean?!” She tried to pull him back, but he was far too strong.

  “It means you’re just another stupid, shallow bitch that thinks she can just take—” Suddenly, the air was filled with the loud sound of fabric tearing.

  Jillian let out a yelp as she fell backward, nding on the floor with a thud. Luckily, it was carpet this time, but her still bruised tailbone stung badly from the impact. As she was about to reach back and rub her sore tailbone, she realized she was still clutching onto some fabric–a lot of it, actually. The bottom seam of the shirt dangled from the remains of the destroyed top.

  “I’m sorry, Jason, I’ll buy you—” She started.

  “You can’t just buy me another one!” Jason suddenly erupted with an infuriated shout, causing Jillian to flinch.

  “W-what?” she asked fearfully, looking at Jason, who was now staring at the tattered threads hanging from his torso.

  “Just... Grab your shit and get out. I’m done. Just leave me alone. I don’t need your help or your pity,” Jason snapped. He turned away from her, stomping into the bathroom, where he smmed the door so hard that the entire wall shook like an earthquake.

  Jillian flinched again, then stared at the door with a dumbfounded expression. What just happened? How did things go from cuddling on the couch to full-blown conflict in less than a minute? Why was he so worked up about a stupid shirt? It didn’t look expensive or anything. She had so many questions, but the only one with answers was now locked in the bathroom.

  She struggled to stand up from the floor and then made her way to the bathroom door, speaking softly. “Jason, please, I’m sorry I just...”

  “I said leave!” Jason’s voice screamed through the door, causing her to back up in fear. That fear quickly started to morph as she scowled deeply at the door, feeling the familiar rage building up inside her, rising to protect her from the sadness.

  “Fine! Fuck me for trying to care about you. If this is how you want to live, wallowing in your own bullshit, go ahead! See if I ever give a fuck about you again!” With that, she stormed into Jason’s room and quickly changed back into her previous outfit.

  Snatching her purse and phone, she gred at the bag holding the outfit he’d bought her. With a swift motion, she chucked it into the small wastebasket by his desk.

  “Fucking, piece of shit, asshole, mother fucking dickhead,” she muttered every curse she knew under her breath over and over, smming the front door behind her as she left the house. Quickly walking down the street toward home, her anger drowned out the rest of her emotions, burying them beneath a thick yer of rage. She was done wasting tears on Jason. “I can’t believe I thought things could work out. Kissing lessons, what kind of stupid fucking idea was that!? Am I really that desperate now? Jesus Christ, Jill. Stop being a fucking idiot and wake up. Nothing ever really changes!” Ranting and raving at her own stupidity. Just as she was settling into her anger, another irritation popped into her mind.

  Jillian grabbed her phone and opened her text messages, finding Katia’s chat.

  Katia: “Hey Jillian... I know this might sound odd, I don’t want to upset you and I might come off as weird here, but are you into my son?“

  Jillian. “Umm. . . Well I am definitely not not attracted to him haha.”

  Katia: “Haha, that’s good to know, I'm happy that you are. So. . .l will probably get in a lot of trouble for this but… My son is… Well, he is basically a virgin. I really shouldn’t be telling anyone. So I hope you don’t think less of him for it. I know how sweet you are, but I just wanted to expin why he acts so awkward around you.“

  Jillian: “WHAT!?!!11!? Are you joking?!?”

  Katia: “Unfortunately no. He's had really bad experiences with women, from what he’s told me. He said he likes you, though.”

  Jillian: “Oh, well. . .I’m honored, I guess.”

  Jillian let out a frustrated growl as she read the text messages, gripping her phone tightly. She quickly fired off a response to Jason’s mother, her anger evident in every keystroke.

  “Why did you fucking lie to me, Katia?! If me getting screamed at was your pn all along, then well pyed, bitch. Should have figured you were fucking with me when you said I was sweet. Guess I’m the dumbass for believing you.”

  With a huff, she hit send and shoved her phone back into her purse.

  Why did it feel like everyone was turning against her? Hadn’t she already dealt with enough? Was it just her fate to constantly suffer in some way?

  Jillian rushed into the house, and smmed the door behind her. All she wanted was to hide away in her room, to scream into her pillow. As she was storming up the stairs, she heard her mother call out to her,

  “Jillian Eris Lins, since when do you sm doors and stomp up the stairs like a Neanderthal?”

  Jillian whirled to face her with a deep twisted scowl as she shot back, “Since I had to start dealing with stupid fucking men who can’t accept help when they obviously fucking need it! And they pretend like you didn’t just spend the st five hours together and everything was great. You try to be understanding and supportive but still get pushed away and screamed at. Then everything just falls the fuck apart over a stupid fucking shirt. And you get thrown away like you are trash to them when you try to ask one simple question.”

  Jillian then sucked in a deep breath, and her bottom lip began to quiver, as it usually did, before tears fell. Her face red as she fought back those tears she promised not to shed.

  Ginny stood at the bottom of the stairs, watching her daughter explode in a rant of pain and misery. “Jillybean...” she started, but Jillian just turned and stomped up the stairs and into her room. Ginny sighed deeply. She couldn’t leave the younger kids unattended right now, and bringing them up to the room was probably a bad idea. So, with a sad gnce at the second floor, she pulled out her phone and texted Katia.

  “Looks like there’s trouble in paradise.”