Page 29 of The Beginning and End of Everything
"Well, she seems pissed I came in."
"Yeah, so get your arse out, would you? Geez."
He scratched a hand through his hair, then rolled his eyes. "You're my best friends. It's like a code. When one of us loses our virginity, we tell the others. It's a thing."
That was the first I’d heard of that. Of course, Brandon was the first of us to lose his…"Okay. Well, leave, and I'll tell you all about it." For a second, I smiled, but the teenage male comradery I reveled in was quickly smothered by guilt for talking about Poppy like that.
Brandon tensed for a moment like someone had just knocked the wind from him. "You're not supposed to lose it with Poppy. You’ve gotta practice with somebody else.”
"Why would I want to stick my willy in some girl I don't like?"
"Oh.” He gave a slight nod, accompanied by a grin. “You'll like it."
"Would you get out of here already?"
He held up his hands and went to turn around but stopped to dig around in his pocket. He chucked something at me. "Don't be silly. Cover that willy.”
"Leave!" I quickly shoved the condom into my pocket, my face burning all the way to my hairline while Brandon laughed his way down the hall.
I listened for the front door, but instead, heard the bang of a cabinet. “What do you want?” Poppy said, and if I had to guess, she had her arms crossed, her hip cocked.
"Don't be mad, poss. I just needed to see Con. It's a guy thing."
"Yeah. Whatever."
"I'm sorry. I know you loveTitanic.” Brandon paused, and I shifted on the couch. "I'm going now, so you and Connor can get right back to it."
The hinges to the back door squealed before the lock clicked shut. There was a moment of silence where I wondered if maybe Poppy had followed him outside, but after a few seconds, her footsteps stomped down the hall.
"He's so annoying.” She moved around me and flopped down on the couch.
And there we sat.
Next to each other.
In the dark.
I wanted to put my arm back around her but couldn’t find the nerve to do it when she wasn’t crying.
She leaned into me, resting her head on my shoulder. "Why does everything have to change, Con, huh?"
"What’s changed?”
"Brandon's gonna get a girlfriend. Then you'll get one. And we won't be best friends anymore."
"Aw, come on now. We'll always be best friends.”
She shook her head against my shoulder. "I just wish we could stay here forever."
I did too.
She traced her finger over my arm, leaving a trail of chill bumps behind her soft touch. "If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell Brandon?"
I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear what she was about to say.
"I think he'll end up leaving us, and one day, it will just be you and me.”
"Why would you think that?"
