Why Bother?

“So you’ll wear this sweater and those green pants you have that I love so much,” Eve told Joanne. “And later tonight I’ll show you how you should do your hair and makeup. It will be awesome.”

Pulling off the black sweater Eve had put her in, Joanne shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said timidly as she pulled her own t-shirt back on. “Maybe I should cancel-“

“Absolutely not,” Eve insisted. “Why would you even say that? I see the way you look at Jake. And he asks about you non-stop when you’re not here.”

Pausing, Joanne clenched her fists. Looking up at Eve, she gathered all her courage and asked, “Have you ever… you know, done it… had sex?”

Laughing at her nervousness, Eve grabbed Joanne’s hands. “I know Jake,” she told her. “He’s not going to try to sleep with you on the first date. So just calm down.”

Nodding, Joanne tried to give Eve a small grin, but she failed. “No,” Joanne asked. “I didn’t think he would. But… have you? Had sex, I mean?”

Eve’s smile faded, and she stared at Joanne’s expression. “Yes,” she said finally. “I have. But why are you asking?”

Biting her lip, Joanne looked down. She wasn’t surprised by Eve’s answer, yet she felt like this was just another thing that separated them – like Eve’s beauty, wealth and confidence. Finally, she looked up. “I haven’t even ever kissed a boy,” she admitted.

“Is that what you’re worried about?” Eve asked kindly. “Look, there’s nothing to it. You just… you close your eyes when he starts to move close, and when his lips touch yours, you open your mouth a little. He’ll take care of the rest.”

Blushing, Joanne shook her head. “The rest?” she asked nervously. “What do you mean?”

Sitting down next to Joanne on the bed, Eve looked her in the eye. “Do you trust me?” she asked seriously. As Joanne nodded, Eve smiled. “Okay then. Towards the end of the date, you’ll probably notice Jake looking at you kind of weird. It’ll just mean he’s trying to figure out when the best time to kiss you is.” Eve put her hands on Joanne’s shoulders and faced her towards her. “And then he’ll start to lean in, like this.” Eve moved her head slowly towards Joanne’s, tilting it a little. “And that’s when you start to close your eyes.” Joanne did as she was told. “And then he’ll start to kiss you, and you have to be the one to open your mouth a little. Like an invitation.”

Feeling herself tilt her own head, Joanne was not taken aback when she felt Eve’s lips touch hers. At first, it was just a peck. But then Eve started licking Joanne’s bottom lip and she parted her lips slightly. She felt Eve’s tongue enter her mouth, and was surprised by the pleasure of the sensation. As Eve’s tongue massaged her own, Joanne started responding. She let her tongue respond in kind, tentatively rubbing Eve’s and exploring her mouth. Eve kissed her lips lightly again and pulled away.

“Good job,” Eve smirked. “Jake will be very happy, I promise.”

Blushing again, Joanne nodded, not able to meet Eve’s eyes. “No, that was nice,” she told her friend. “Thanks… for the advice.”

Standing up with a smile on her face, Eve giggled. “No problem. That was fun. Now we just have to figure out what shoes you are going to wear.”

-----

The date was going well. At first, when Jake had picked Joanne up, there had been some awkward silence, and Joanne had felt like trying to jump out of the moving car. But once they sat down to dinner, the conversation started to flow. Jake talked about the soccer team and his hopes of getting a scholarship to college for his playing. He told Joanne stories about living in Los Angeles, where they had moved from the previous year. He joked and laughed with her.

Not having as much to say, Joanne just listened with interest. Jake was funny and smart. She also loved the way his dark eyes sparkled when he was laughed. “So, do you play any sports?” Jake asked her.

Blushing, Joanne shook her head. “No, I kind of suck at athletics. But I love to watch,” she smiled.

“Then you should come to the game tomorrow,” Jake told her. “I’d love to have you there. It’s the regionals. Eve is the only one in the family who ever shows when I play.” He sounded kind of sad, and Joanne felt badly for him. She had met Jake and Eve’s parents just a few times, despite the fact that she was at their house almost daily now. Their father was a lawyer who traveled a lot. Their mother just always seemed to be out doing something – shopping, meeting friends, playing golf. Neither of them seemed to pay much attention to Jake or Eve.

“I’d love to go,” Joanne said happily.

After dinner, they went to the movies. They saw a horror film, and when Joanne jumped at one scene, Jake had reached over and taken her hand. From that point, Joanne couldn’t concentrate on the screen. She stared straight ahead, but she was thinking how nice it felt for Jake to gently rub his thumb up and down the back of her hand.

On the drive home, Joanne told Jake a little bit about herself: that she was an only child, that her parents really pushed her to do well in school hoping she’d get a scholarship for college, how she didn’t have many friends besides Eve. She blushed at her last admission.

“You know,” Jake told her. “People think I have all these friends, but I don’t. I just have people to hang out with and party. There are only a couple people that really know me at all.” He glanced over at her with a smile. “After tonight, you probably know more about me than most of my so-called friends.”

Jake pulled into the driveway of Joanne’s small house. Turning off the car, he got out and hurried to open the passenger side door. He took her hand, and led her to her front door. “I had a good time tonight,” Joanne smiled, not meeting Jake’s eyes.

“Me, too,” Jake smiled back. “So are you really going to come to the game tomorrow?” He asked hopefully.

Looking up, Joanne nodded as she studied his face. He was very good-looking; there was no question about that. “You know, you and Eve don’t look very much alike,” she said.

“That’s because we’re both adopted,” Jake told her calmly.

“Oh,” Joanne replied, surprised that Eve hadn’t told her that earlier. “I guess that makes sense, then,” she finished awkwardly.

Chuckling, Jake shook his head. “It’s not a big deal,” he told her. “We’ve, like, always known.” They stood silently for a moment. Jake was looking at Joanne, causing heat to rise in her cheeks again. She had never blushed so much in her whole life as she had that night. “So, is it okay if I kiss you now?” Jake asked softly.

Looking into his warm eyes, Joanne nodded. As Jake bent down, she closed her eyes and tilted her head. His lips were soft as they met hers. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip, and Joanne opened her mouth slightly. As his tongue met hers, Joanne nervously reached her hands up and put them around Jake’s neck. He responded by putting his hands on her waist and pulling her to him gently. The kiss was deep and warm. Regretfully, Jake finally pulled back. “I should probably get going,” he smiled at her.

“Yeah,” Joanne said, biting her lip. “I should probably head inside.”

“So, I’ll see you tomorrow, then? At the game? We can all hang out afterwards.”

“That would be great,” Joanne told him. “I’ll see you then.”

“Goodnight,” Jake grinned as he headed back towards his car. “Sweet dreams.”

-----

“You did great,” Eve told her brother encouragingly.

“We lost, Eve,” Jake smirked. “We obviously didn’t do that great.” They game was over, and Eve and Joanne had hung around until after Jake and the team had showered.

“I didn’t say ‘you guys’ were great,” Eve laughed. “I said you were. Wasn’t he, Joey?”

“You really were,” Joanne chimed in. Jake smiled at her widely, making her blush again. Joanne didn’t understand why he was able to do that so easily to her.

\"So what’s the plan?” Andrew, one of Jake’s teammates came up to them in the gym. Derek wasn’t far behind, being followed by a few pretty girls who were giggling together. Loud and big, Andrew and Derek were easily two of the most popular guys in school, along with Jake. “How do we celebrate our humiliation?”

“I say beach, beer… and a little naked-time!” Derek laughed.

Rolling her eyes, Eve shrugged. “I’m up for the beach and beer. Whatever Derek and Andrew want to do alone in the caves is there own business.”

Nodding, Jake laughed. “And where are we getting the beer?”

“My brother is old enough, Jake,” one of the girls said, walking up to Jake with a big smile. She put her hand on his shoulder and bit her lip. “You could drive me to his apartment, and we could get him to buy it.”

“That’s awesome,” Jake told the girl, Nicole, as he quickly slipped a hand around Joanne’s waist. “But I’m riding with Joey and Eve. Maybe Andrew can drive you?”

“Wait, are you two…?” Nicole threw her head back and laughed in a way that made Joanne uncomfortable. “I’m sorry,” she said insincerely, putting one hand to her chest. “Are you and Joanne… are you guys going out now?”

Looking at the floor, Joanne felt like a bug. Nicole was tall and beautiful, with long black hair and big green eyes. Compared to her, Joanne felt like a leper. But suddenly, she felt Jake grip her waist more tightly, and she glanced up. “Yeah,” Jake told Nicole with a big smile but a steely voice. “We are.”

“Well, this must be so exciting for you, Joanne,” Nicole said haughtily. “Your very first boyfriend, and you manage to land Jake.”

“Yes, just imagine all the things he’ll be able to teach me.” The words came out of Joanne’s mouth before she could even process them. But by the way Jake and Eve were laughing, and the look of shock on Nicole’s face, Joanne knew that she had said the right thing. She gave Eve a small smile, feeling like her friend had fed her the words telepathically.

“Yes… well,” Nicole said, walking over towards Andrew. “That’s great for you guys. So, Andrew, you’ll drive me to my brother’s place?”

-----

“Who are you calling?” Jake asked Eve untrustingly as he drove, looking at her in the rear-view mirror.

“Well, we’re going to a beach party,” Eve explained, going through the address book on her cell phone. “You and Jo have got each other, and if you think that I’m going to waste a moment of my time on either Derek or Andrew, you’ve got another thing coming.” She smiled as she found the number she wanted and hit the Send button. “I’m inviting someone to keep me company when it starts getting all dark and romantic out.”

Giving Eve’s reflection a wary look, Jake then glanced at Joanne and smiled. She was looking out the window at the sand-covered landscape. Her skin was silky and peach-colored, she kept pushing soft curls out of her big brown eyes, and every time she noticed Jake looking at her, her cheeks turned a gentle pink. He thought she was beautiful – very natural and honest. “How are you doing over there?” Jake asked, grasping her attention.

“I’m really good,” Joanne answered honestly. She could hear Eve giggling on the phone in the back seat, but she barely noticed. Instead, she just watched Jake’s eyes as the scanned the road and glanced towards her every once in a while. “You feeling okay about the game and everything?”

“Honestly, it sucks that we lost,” Jake gave her a little frown. “But seeing you there cheering more than made up for it.” Yep, there went the pink cheeks again. “You know, that was great, what you said to Nicole. You really threw her for a loop.”

Laughing, Joanne shook her head. “I don’t know where it came from,” she admitted. “It just felt so good to say something that would shut her up.”

“I don’t get what Derek and Drew see in girls like that,” Jake told Joanne.

“Same thing you saw in Sarah Riloh and Debbie what’s-her-face that you dated last year,” Eve interrupted as she hung up her phone. “A pretty face and an easy fuck. Anyway, Mark’s meeting up with us.”

Straightening his shoulders, Jake looked uncomfortable. “Mark Reeves? From St. Matthias?”

“Oh, good lord, it’s high school soccer, not a centuries-long feud,” Eve said rolling her eyes and leaning in between the two front seats to change the radio station. “I think you can handle hanging out with someone from a rival team.”

“You know that’s not why I don’t like him, Eve,” Jake replied. “I just don’t like how you two… just hook up randomly. Has he ever even taken you out?”

“Oh, get off your big brother high horse, already,” Eve told him. “I choose to be… casual with Mark. So leave it alone.” She paused, pressing the buttons on the radio dial a few more times. “Now that’s better,” Eve declared, turning the station to an eighties dance song and turning the volume up. She looked at Joanne with a smile and started singing loudly and out of tune. As she bopped around between them, Eve’s energy was infectious. Soon, Joanne was singing with her, rolling down the window and letting the wind hit them while they bounced around. Jake just kept his eyes on the road, but a small smile couldn’t help but creep onto his lips.

-----

By the time Mark arrived, everyone was sitting in an alcove already drinking. “Hey, guys,” he said with a smile, pulling a twelve-pack out of a bag and putting it with the others.

“Hey, you,” Eve replied, standing up and greeting Mark with a kiss so deep, Joanne blushed and Jake looked away. As he sat next to her, Eve introduced him. “You know my brother Jake, of course. And you know Derek and Andrew from kicking their asses earlier today.” Mark chuckled, but the other boys just looked annoyed. “And this is Nicole and... Tara, right? And this,” she said proudly, putting her arm around Joanne’s shoulder. “This is my best friend, Joey. Everyone, this is Mark.”

“Joey, I’ve heard a lot about you,” Mark smiled easily. Joanne immediately noticed that the other boys looked very preppy compared to Mark. They were all wearing polo shirts or button-downs tucked into chinos or khakis. They all had short hair and sandals or flip-flops on, as well. In contrast, Mark’s light hair was longer and fell softly into his eyes. He had on an oversized t-shirt with a band on it that Joanne had never heard of, and he wore baggy jeans with well-worn sneakers. He had even brought a skateboard, decorated with stickers and writing, with him. “Eve talks about you all the time,” he told Joanne, grinning at Eve.

“Well, it’s really nice to meet you,” Joanne smiled back and feeling confused about the fact that she couldn’t say the same thing about Mark. Eve dated boys from school now and then, but really seemed to just prefer hanging out with Joanne. She had only mentioned Mark once, when Joanne had inquired about a picture of him and Eve in her room, and then Eve had simply called him a friend.

Joanne’s greeting was about the friendliest Mark got for a while, but he didn’t seem to notice. He was concentrating too hard on Eve, who had rested her hand on his thigh and was squeezing lightly.


-----
Everyone relaxed eventually. They kept drinking, and it was soon dark out. “Well, the season may be over for us,” Andrew was saying, “but we still have next year. And we’ll be seniors, so that’s when scouts will really be looking at us.”

“Totally,” Nicole agreed, moving closer to Andrew and smiling. “They’re going to be fighting over you guys next year.”

Ignoring her, Andrew continued. “Yeah, now we have some time to relax and concentrate on having fun.”

“Exactly my thoughts,” Nicole said, this time putting her hand on Andrew’s shoulder and rubbing his back. He looked over at her and grinned at the seductive expression she was giving him. “Hey, do you want to go for a walk?” she asked.

“Absolutely,” Andrew nodded, finally understanding.

Joanne watched as they stood up and walked away from the group. She looked over to where Derek and Tara were making out heavily, never bothering to have left for some privacy. Finally, she glanced over at Jake. He had his knees pulled up a little, and was holding a beer she was pretty sure he’d had three sips of in the last hour. He was looking over his shoulder towards the water with an annoyed expression. “How are you doing?” she finally asked him.

“Eve and Mark left, like, forty-five minutes ago,” Jake said huffily, not moving his gaze from the ocean. “They should be back by now.”

“They probably just wanted to be alone,” Joanne replied gently. “They’re probably just walking on the beach or something.”

“No,” Jake said angrily. “That’s not what they’re doing.” Then he turned to Joanne, and his irritated expression melted. “I’m sorry,” he said sincerely. “I… I didn’t mean to sound like that.” Standing up and putting out his hand, he looked down at Joanne with his warm brown eyes. “Do you want to take a walk? There’s a beautiful view of the town from a hill over there.”

“Yeah,” Joanne replied with a smile, taking his hand and letting him pull her up. She stumbled a little as she rose and giggled. “Sorry, I don’t really drink much.”

Putting his arm around her shoulder, Jake gave her a grin. “Me neither,” he admitted, pointing at the beer bottle he had left in the sand. “You might not have noticed, but that was my third beer in three hours, and it’s almost full.”

Nodding, Joanne put her hand around Jake’s waist. “I noticed,” she said. “I notice a lot about you.” With that, they started walking down the sands, leaving Tara and Derek in the alcove alone.

-----

The view Jake showed Joanne really was breath taking. The spot was hidden from the rest of the beach, behind some caves. The lights of their town could be seen on one side, and the ocean below them on the other. “So, why do you really hate Mark?” Joanne ventured to ask, albeit nervously. “I mean, he actually seems like a pretty nice guy.”

Jake looked at Joanne and shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I don’t hate him. It’s just… I mean, Eve’s my little sister.” It was finally Jake’s turn to blush. “I guess I’m being a dick because I don’t like to see her with a guy that she’s… you know.”

Nodding, Joanne smiled at Jake. “I think it’s sweet how protective you are of her. And it’s great, how close you two are.”

“Well, as you probably noticed, our parents aren’t around much,” Jake said, some frustration in his voice. “We got close because we’re all we really had. But, the thing is, I guess I always took care of Eve, and in the last couple years, she hasn’t it wanted me to so much.” Jake gave Joanne a shy grin. “I guess, with Mark, he just sort of personifies the fact that Eve doesn’t need a big brother to protect her anymore.”

Thinking that Jake sounded incredibly charming, Joanne put her hands around his waist, resting them on his lower back. Immediately, Jake winced. “I’m sorry,” Joanne pulled her hands back confused.

“No,” Jake smiled at her quickly. He took her hands and put them back where they had been. “I guess I just bruised myself during the game today. It’s okay.” Looking down at Joanne, he studied her for a moment. “So, is it true, what Nicole said? You’ve never really had a boyfriend before?”

Blushing fiercely, Joanne couldn’t meet Jake’s eyes. “I, um… no, I haven’t… um, I-” But her nervous stuttering was cut off by a kiss. Jake had leaned down and pressed his mouth to hers hungrily. His hands slid to her face, and he ran his thumb lightly over her cheek.

“Sorry,” Jake laughed as he pulled back. “I just wanted you to know I wasn’t asking that because it was a bad thing.” He put one finger under Joanne’s chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. “I just can’t believe no one else ever noticed how beautiful you are… how special you are.”

Not remembering a time when she felt so good, Joanne rested her head against Jake’s chest. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close to him, holding on for several minutes. Finally, they both pulled back a little and sat down on the hill. Staring at the ocean, Joanne marveled at how wonderful she felt.

“I can’t talk to anyone like I can talk to you,” Jake finally broke the silence. Joanne looked over at him, and he was already staring at her, his expression unguarded. “You just make it so easy to open up. But please, if I’m boring you or talking too much-”

It was Joanne’s turn to interrupt Jake with a kiss. She leaned over and put her mouth on his, loving how he nibbled slightly on her bottom lip. Slowly, she felt her body leaning back into the sand, and Jake’s body covered hers. He kissed her eagerly, his mouth wandering to her neck. Joanne felt a desire in her body that she had never felt before, and put up no fight as Jake’s hand wandered down to her t-shirt, rubbing her breast. His mouth moved back to hers as she felt him slide his hand under her shirt, pushing down her bra and playing with her nipple until it became hard under his fingertips.

Slowly, Joanne got up the nerve to reach down and begin pulling Jake’s polo over his head. He leaned up to let her remove it fully, and she was awed at how tight his chest and stomach were, even though there were a few bruises he must have gotten from playing soccer earlier that day. Nervously, Joanne leaned up herself as Jake gently began removing her top. He reached around and undid the clasp of her bra, laying all the clothes in a pile next to them.

Quietly, they laid back against the sand. The feeling of Jake’s skin against her bare chest caused an ache in Joanne as he began kissing her again. His kisses were gentle now; he slowly licked her lips and pressed his mouth to hers. As he left a slightly moist trail down Joanne’s neck again, Jake repositioned himself so he could move down further. He licked at the hollow of her throat, moving with no hurry as he kissed her chest, finally reaching her breasts. He rubbed one with his hand while he took the other in his mouth, running his tongue in circles around her nipple. Then he moved to other breast, he repeated the act, until Joanne’s body felt hot even in the cool ocean breeze. As his mouth moved down her stomach, all reason left Joanne’s head, and she was ready to do whatever Jake asked. Suddenly, though, he pulled himself up to his knees.

”Um, I just thought of something,” Jake said shyly, looking down at Joanne’s half-dressed form in front of her. “If you’ve never had a boyfriend, you’ve probably never…”

Blushing again, Joanne bit her lip, trying to figure out what to say. Finally, she just sighed and looked at Jake kneeling in front of her. “No,” she said, shaking her head a little. “But it’s okay. I want to-”

Shaking his head, Jake smiled at her. “You have noooo idea how much I want to right now,” he said with a smirk, but then his expression got a little more serious. “But no, not like this. Not your first time-”

“It’s really okay-” Joanne told him, wanting badly to be closer to him, but he just shook his head.

“No, really,” he smiled at her, reaching over to grab her bra and shirt. “I want this, I swear. But not here… not like this.” He handed her clothes to her and reached for his own shirt. “I really like you, Joey,” he said earnestly. “And I have slept with too many girls too quickly to know that you deserve more.” He picked up his own shirt and slid it over his head before continuing. “No, if you’re still speaking with me tomorrow, we’ll talk about this. But I can’t do this tonight and feel good about myself.”

Looking at Jake with worried eyes, Joanne slid her bra back on. She didn’t know if what he was saying was true. Maybe he just didn’t want to have sex with her. Her thoughts were interrupted by Jake.

“I’ve never met a girl like you before,” Jake said quietly, watching Joanne pull her shirt over her head. “And I don’t know where this relationship is headed, but I do know I care about you, and if things don‘t work out between us, I still hope we can be friends. So, if I am going to be… your first, well, I just want to know it’s something you’ll never regret, or look back on and hate me for. I want it to be right.”

Swallowing hard, Joanne sat silently as she stared at Jake for a moment. Finally, she smiled. “Okay,” she said. “And… and thank you. I mean… yeah, thank you.”

Jake smiled back at her. He rose and put his hand out for her, pulling her up. They headed back down the beach towards the alcove, holding hands and sharing a comfortable silence.