V is for Virgin (16 page)

“Then why do you tell people you’re a high school dropout? Is it really that important to have the bad boy, rebel, rock star image?”

Kyle sighed. “The image is almost as important as the talent, sadly. When ‘Broken Passion’ made the radio, and it looked like Tralse had a real shot at becoming successful, my managers suggested the dropout thing. They made me break up with my girlfriend too.”

“Really?”

Kyle shrugged like it was no big deal.

“That’s appalling.”

“That’s fame. Gotta be sexy. Three point six GPA and faithful devoted boyfriend don’t exactly spell sexy rock star.”

“Well, that explains the manwhore status.” I was only half teasing.

“There are worse roles to have to play,
Virgin Val
. Besides, it’s not like I’m doing anything wrong. Beautiful girls throw themselves at me every day. They want it. They
beg
for it. We both get to have some fun, nobody gets hurt, and I sell more records. It’s a win-win.”

I tried to look at it from his perspective. Honestly, how was a guy supposed to resist that kind of temptation when that was what people expected of him anyway?

“If you’re okay with living that kind of lifestyle, then that’s your prerogative,” I said. “I understand, I guess, I just don’t find it appealing. And I definitely don’t have any desire to be the next notch on your bedpost.”

“Who says that’s all you’d be?”

“Oh, I don’t know. The eighty thousand girls who’ve come before me?”

Kyle chuckled. “Eighty thousand?”

“Give or take a few.” I managed a straight face for a whole three seconds and then we both laughed.

We reached the end of the pier and I leaned against the rail, taking in the view of the sunset. I closed my eyes and breathed in the smell of the ocean, loving the crisp wind that blew across my face.

I stood there a minute and then Kyle pulled the beanie off his head and stuck it on mine. “You look cold,” he said, smiling as he fixed my hair beneath the hat. “Your nose is all pink.”

I was touched by the gesture. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Kyle rested his forearms on the rail next to me and nudged my arm with his elbow. “Thanks for not taking off today.”

“It’s been rough,” I joked. “But it looks like I’m going to survive it.”

“Survive it? You like me about seventy-five percent now.”

“Twenty at most.”

I laughed, but then leaned my head against his shoulder as I watched the sun dip below the horizon.

Kyle slipped his arm around me and tucked me into is side. For once the gesture seemed natural and not fueled by lust. We settled into another peaceful silence until after a few relaxing minutes, Kyle said, “How’d you like the song?”

I wasn’t sure how to respond. He’d asked the question like he thought the song was a good thing. “Very catchy,” I said, failing to keep the annoyance out of my tone. I was kind of disappointed that the light mood was gone. “I’m sure it will be a hit.”

Kyle released his hold on me so that he could face me. He frowned. “That’s not what I mean. I wrote it for
you
.”

“Yeah,” I said sarcastically. “I noticed.”

Kyle seemed surprised by my reaction. “You didn’t like it?” he asked, confusion and disappointment creeping into his voice.

He had me at a total loss. “Was I supposed to?” I asked. “I thought you wrote it because you were mad at me for not going out with you. I thought it was some kind of twisted revenge.”

Kyle jerked back. I’d startled him. “Why would you think that?”

“Have you heard it? It’s an angry song.”

“It’s a love song.”

“It’s an
angry
love song. You were obviously pissed off when you wrote it.”

“No, I wasn’t! Sexually frustrated, and a little desperate for your attention maybe, but that’s what you do to me. I just wrote what I felt.”

“That song is about you wanting to get me into bed!”

“Exactly.” Kyle was confused again. “Is that a bad thing?”

“Saying I’m wasting myself because I won’t have sex, and that you think compromising my personal standards would save me?”

Kyle turned back to the water and grumbled, “I just called it as I see it.”

“You can’t possibly think that for real?”

“What? That getting laid would do you some good?” Kyle was as angry as me, now. “I absolutely think that. You’re too uptight. You’re a passionate person, Val, but you’re totally misdirecting that passion into a pointless cause. It
is
a crying shame. You’re missing out on some of the greatest parts of life because you’re afraid of intimacy. I
could
save you. I could wake you up. How are you ever going to find love by being such a cold fish all the time?”

“
That’s
what you think of me? This really is just about the conquest for you, isn’t it? Because otherwise why would you be at all attracted to a
cold fish
?”

I stomped off back up the pier. After a minute, Kyle came jogging up behind me. “I only think you’re cold on the outside. I know that’s not who you are on the inside.”

I spun on him so that I could shout in his face. “And you think the only way to reach the girl on the inside is
through your penis
?”

“I think the virgin thing is standing in the way of who you really are!” Kyle yelled back. “I think you use it as a shield because you’re afraid of being hurt!”

“Wrong! It’s not
in the way
of who I am. It’s
part
of who I am. You just can’t accept it. I am not a cold fish! I’m only cold to you because I don’t like your methods of getting to know me.”

“You’re unbelievable.”

“
Me
?” I was so mad I was physically shaking. I shook my head and let out an angry breath. “You don’t respect me! You don’t respect the choice I’ve made!”

“Because I think you’re making a stupid choice!”

I sighed. It wasn’t worth the argument. “It’s people like you that make V is for Virgin and the abstinence challenge necessary. You know what’s a real crying shame, Kyle? There’s an amazing guy inside of you somewhere, but he’s so hung up on sex that he can’t even understand what real intimacy is.”

“Where are you going?” he asked when I started to walk off again.

“Home. I’m sorry, Kyle. I’m citing irreconcilable differences on this one. You and I will never work.”

Kyle’s face flushed an angry red. “So stubborn,” he muttered and then stormed off the opposite direction.

As far as first dates go, I’d had better.

Before I knew it I was Valerie Jensen, jewelry designer. Saturday had come up so quickly and with it my meetings with local suppliers. It was my meeting with Lance Cartwright And Maxwell Jackson of C&J Jewels that still had me stunned. Their company was Los Angeles’s leader in jewelry supplies and they loved my sketches.

“I can’t believe it’s really going to happen,” I said to Margret as we drove back to Huntington Beach.

“I’m so proud of you, Valerie. You gave them such a thorough presentation, how could they refuse?”

“And so quickly,” I continued still in a bit of shock. “To be able to start selling products in only two week’s time?”

“Well, yes, that is very unheard of, but they have to act as quickly as possible in order to take advantage of the media frenzy. Plus it’s only the one set.”

Misters Cartwright and Jackson had listened to Margret’s and my pitch and looked at all my designs. By the end of the meeting they’d agreed to give a sample run of my most cost effective design. It was the set of a necklace, a bracelet and a keychain, each in the virgin and abstinence line. They were very simple pieces that could be easily mass-produced. But they were mine. My designs. My jewelry line. And if they sold well, I was told we could look into expanding that line. “Even still…I can’t believe they said yes.”

I continued to babble like that all the way home and pretty much through the rest of the weekend as I relayed the news to my parents, Cara and Robin.

Monday after school I’d gone over all the legal stuff with Margret, her accountant, her lawyer, and my parents. Then, as soon as the bell rang on Tuesday, I headed straight to the computer lab. “Val!” Cara had to shout as I’d left my last class in such a hurry.

“Walk with me if you want to talk. I’m in a hurry.”

“What’s so urgent?”

“I’ve got to get some stuff done with Robin.”

Cara heard the name Robin and sighed rather dramatically. “More of that stupid website? When will you guys be done with that?”

The “stupid” remark stung a little. “It’s an ongoing project, Cara. You know this. I promise it won’t be as bad once we get the new site up and running.”

“When will that be? I’m tired of Robin stealing all my Valerie time.”

“Robin is not stealing your Valerie time. Much.” Cara frowned at me so I added, “The website should be up again in a couple of days, and then it won’t be quite so time consuming. Plus, you get to spend the rest of the day with me.”

“So you’ll come with me?” Cara gasped. She looked so happy she could burst, but her smile disappeared as quickly as it had come. “Wait, I didn’t tell you about the party yet.”

“Party?” I asked. “What party? You told me you’d drive me out to Pasadena today. I have to meet the Not Everybody’s Doing It people.”

“Oh, yeah. V, I totally forgot, but that’s okay. We can still work it. We’ll just go there first and then go to the party after.”

“What party?” I asked again.

“It’s Reid’s birthday. The guys are having this huge bash for him in the Viper Room, and you and I have VIP status tonight.”

“Who’s Reid?”

Cara groaned in disgust. “Tralse? Drummer?”

“Oh. Right. Um, I’ll pass, thanks.”

“Pass? You can’t pass.”

“Okay. How about respectfully decline?”

“V, come on. It’ll be fun.”

“Right. Just like it was fun hanging out with you and Shane last time.”

“You ditched us!”

“I wonder why!” Cara and I were suddenly glaring at each other. “You promised me you’d behave and instead I got stuck with
Kyle
while you and Shane had a party for two across the table from us.”

“I said I was sorry about that,” Cara whined. “It’s just, it was all so new. It’s been over a week now. I’ll do better.”

I believed her, but still. “Even if you can, it will be really awkward having to hang out with Kyle.”

“You know Kyle is already over it. Plus, there’ll be plenty of trashy bimbos there to keep him busy.”

“Wow, this party just keeps sounding better and better.” Yeah, heavy on the sarcasm there.

“V, you have to! If we go all the way out to Pasadena I won’t have time to bring you home and then get all the way back up to Hollywood.”

“It’s all right.” I sighed. “You go to the party. I’m sure Robin won’t mind taking me.”

Cara’s eyes narrowed. “Fine. I’ll call Shane. I shouldn’t be out so late on a school night anyway. We’ll just do something else this weekend.”

“Cara.” I sighed again. “Go out tonight. It’s a big party. You’re a VIP. I want you to have fun with your friends.”

“But—”

“Just go. I’ll make my mom take me. She won’t mind.”

Just then a deep voice interrupted us. “You need a ride somewhere, Val?”

“Usually,” I said, trying to keep my cool despite what Isaac’s smile was doing to my heartstrings. “One of the pitfalls of not having my own car.”

“I can take you where you need to go.”

One of the advantages of having a best friend like Cara is that even though telepathy doesn’t exist between us, words are not always necessary for communication. Cara and I looked at one another and it was just clear—she hadn’t liked the idea of Robin taking me, but she more than wanted me to go with Isaac.