Why Bother?

On Sunday morning, Eve woke up and walked down the hall towards the bathroom. She knocked at the locked door, and Jake opened it, releasing steam from the room. Having just taken a shower, his hair was dripping wet and he had a towel tied around his waist.

“Can I use the bathroom for a second?” Eve asked, and Jake nodded, stepping out into the hallway. That’s when Eve noticed the bruises on her brother’s chest. “Oh, Jake…” she said sadly, almost touching one but stopping herself.

Turning red, Jake gave her a wry smile. “Yeah, there’s nothing like having dad home for the weekend,” he said sarcastically. Seeing Eve’s eyes glass over, Jake dropped the sarcasm from his voice. “It’s okay, Eve,” he told her gently. “I’m alright.”

“When…?” Eve asked softly.

“Friday, after I got back from my date with Jo,” Jake told her. “Apparently, they went out to dinner, and – surprise, surprise – he drank too much.”

“I don’t understand why you don’t just hit him back,” Eve’s voice trembled. “You could kick his ass.”

Shaking his head, Jake gave her a small embarrassed grin. “It’s just easier this way,” he told her. “I’m afraid that if he doesn’t take his shit out on me, he might take it out on your or mom, and I couldn’t live with that. Anyway, I’m out of here in a year and a half. It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine,” Eve answered sadly, her lip quivering and a tear running down her cheek. “It’s fucked up is what it is.”

Suddenly, Jake thought of something. “Eve, don’t tell Jo about this, okay? I really don’t want her to know.”

Nodding, Eve reached over and touched her brother’s shoulder. “Of course not,” she told him. “You know I wouldn’t.”

Giving his sister one last appreciative glance, Jake walked down the hall to his bedroom to get dressed.

-----

Later that night, Eve was sitting on Joanne’s bed, reading a magazine. Although they rarely spent time at Joanne’s house, Eve had requested it. “My dad’s home, and I don’t want to deal with him right now,” she had told Joanne.

Lying on the floor, Joanne was staring at her ceiling, trying to figure out how to word her question for Eve. “So, Eve,” she began, not looking at her friend. “Have you ever been… making out with a guy, heavy-like, and been… you know, ready for more, and he stopped it?” Her cheeks were already pink.

“Jake turned down sex with you?” Eve asked incredulously.

“Keep your voice down!” Joanne insisted, sitting up and looking at her door like her parents were going to walk through it at any second. Slowly, she moved her gaze over to Eve, whose eyebrows were still raised in interest. “Yes, he did. Last night, at the beach.”

Biting her lip, Eve seemed to ponder the question. “Honestly, I can’t say I have. I have definitely had the opposite scenario happen, but…”

“So he’s probably not, you know, attracted to me, I guess,” Joanne said sadly. “I mean, I don’t know a teenage boy who wouldn’t have sex with a girl they are into if it was offered, so Jake just must not…”

“Jake thinks the world of you,” Eve smiled soothingly at Joanne. “Since I brought you home with me, he’s talked about you non-stop. I’m sure there’s… some reason. I just can’t believe you were willing to sleep with him on the second date. You slut!”

Unable to help giggling, Joanne looked at Eve. “Very funny.”

“Okay,” Eve said, sitting down on the floor next to Eve. “What reason did he give?”

Thinking back to the night before, Eve felt butterflies in her stomach as she pictured Jake kneeling in front of her. “He told me that he wanted my first time to be more special than that.”

“Wow,” Eve nodded approvingly. “My brother has class. Who knew?”

“So, you really think that’s the reason?” Joanne asked hopefully.

“Ninety-nine percent of the time, I’d think that was a line to TRY to get a girl into bed,” Eve told her. “You know, make the girl think he’s so sweet, so she’d definitely sleep with him and not change her mind. But Jake’s… he’s different.” Eve looked at Joanne, who was listening intently to her every word. “Now, I’m not saying he’s not a dog. I’ve seen him use girls for sex in the past, just to fairly warn you. But, um, this time… I would believe him if I were you. I think he’s developing some real feelings for you, and he just wants to treat you well. Enjoy it.”

“Thanks, Eve,” Joanne smiled shyly. “I really needed to hear that.” She paused before continuing, while Eve climbed back onto the bed and picked up the magazine she had been reading. “So,” Joanne said with a smirk. “Last night, did you and Mark… you know? At the beach.”

Grinning, Eve looked down at the magazine. “Twice,” she said casually, causing Joanne to giggle. “And it was very good.”

-----

“You turned down sex with Jo?” Eve said, walking into her brother’s room before she went to bed. He was in a pair of sweatpants, lifting weights.

“I don’t know how I feel about dating a girl who’s going to tell my sister the details of our relationship,” Jake said disapprovingly as he put down the weights and picked up a towel off his desk.

“Shut up,” Eve replied hastily. “So it’s true?”

Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Jake sat on the edge of his bed and motioned for Eve to close the bedroom door. She did, and then she sat down in Jake’s desk chair. “I really wanted to,” he began with a small smile. “And everything was going good, and then it hit me, what Nicole had said about Jo never having a boyfriend. I don’t know why it hadn’t occurred to me earlier that she might be a virgin, but it hadn’t.” Looking up at his sister, Jake gave her a small shrug. “As soon as I realized, I just couldn’t go through with it. Jo… she deserves a better first time than on a second date, on the beach without even a blanket, and with a group of people nearby.”

A big grin crossed Eve’s face. “Aw, you can be such a cute little cornball when you want to be,” she told her brother.

“I hate you,” Jake laughed. “No, so is she mad or something?”

“Not mad,” Eve replied, pulling her knees up and resting her chin on them. “More like… scared. She thinks you stopped because you don’t find her attractive.”

“That’s nuts,” Jake said quickly. “I think she’s beautiful. It took more self-control to stop myself than I ever had to use before.”

“Well,” Eve told him, rising from the chair and walking towards the door. “Maybe you should call her and tell her that.”

“But I did call her this morning,” Jake protested. “And she was all quiet and didn’t really seem to want to talk.”

Shaking her head, Eve looked over her shoulder. “Then try again,” she told him.

-----

“Is it too late to call?” Jake asked Joanne.

“No, it’s okay,” she replied quietly. She looked at her alarm clock, which read 10:45 PM. She was pretty sure her parents wouldn’t care before 11 o’clock.

“So what’s this craziness I hear about you thinking I’m not attracted to you?” Jake went right to the heart of the matter.

Feeling heat rising in her face quickly, Joanne was glad Jake couldn’t see her right then. “I guess Eve talked to you?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Jake answered, his voice getting a little softer. “I just wanted to let you know that I really, really think you’re beautiful, Jo.” Joanne’s throat began to tighten as Jake continued. “And I think you’re sweet and funny and smart, and I’m attracted to all of that. I wanted to have sex with you last night, God, believe me, I did,” he said, making Joanne giggle a little. “But I think you and I… we’ve got a shot at a future. So, no rush on my part, okay? When you’re ready, let me know.”

“Okay,” Joanne whispered, a grin on her face. “And thanks for calling to tell me all this. You made me feel a lot better.”

“Good,” Jake replied happily. “So get some rest, and I’ll see you in school tomorrow, okay?”

“Ok,” Joanne said. “Goodnight.”

“Sweet dreams,” Jake told her, and they both hung up.

-----

Jake woke up to shouting in another part of the house. “What the fuck…” he thought aggravatedly. Looking at his clock, he realized it was morning. He got up and walked into the kitchen, where his mother was sitting at the table and his father was screaming at her, red-faced. “What’s going on?” Jake asked.

“What’s going on?” his father repeated, looking enraged. “None of your fucking business!” he yelled.

“Fine,” Jake said, walking over to the sink to get a glass of water.

“I work seventy, eighty hour weeks to give this family a nice life,” Jake’s father returned to screaming at his mother. “And all I get are bills for shit you buy, clubs you join, places you visit. And the kids! This one,” he said, pointing at Jake. “He’s a self-centered piece of shit, and the other one is a little tramp!”

“Enough,” Jake interrupted. Looking at Jake, his father walked over to him. Even though he was nearly thirty hears older than Jake, his father was still a large and menacing figure.

“What did you say?” his father spit at Jake. “Enough? Is that what you said?”

Shaking his head and sighing, Jake tried quickly to diffuse the situation. “Listen, Dad, you have a plane to catch, and we all have to get ready-” But his words were cut off by his father’s fist hitting his jaw. Jake reached up for his face, and looked at his father. He could see his mother still sitting at the table, looking down at her hands.

“Don’t you ever tell me what to do in my house,” Jake’s father told him. “Do you get that? Not EVER.”

Trying to control his rage, Jake just nodded. “I get it, Dad. Sorry.”

“I have to get the fuck out of here,” his father replied. He picked up his suitcase and his coat off the back of a chair, and walked out the kitchen door without another word.

Immediately, Jake’s mother rose and walked over to him. “Do you need some ice, honey?” she asked nervously.

His jaw was throbbing, but Jake wasn’t going to take anything from his mother. He couldn’t believe that she could watch her husband beat on their son for years and not do anything about it. He walked past her and towards the bathroom.

Eve was standing outside her bedroom, leaning against the doorframe. She had obviously been listening to the exchange, and tears were streaming down her cheeks. “I hate him,” she told Jake as he approached her.

Putting his arms around his sister, Jake felt her shoulders shake as she sobbed. “It’s okay,” he tried to soothe her. “I’m okay. And he’s gone. He won’t be back for at least a week. Come on, now, we have to get ready for school.”

-----

Jake and Joanne both already felt like a couple by the time they got to school on Monday. Meeting her at her locker before first period, he greeted her with a kiss. “So, can we get together after school today? Get coffee, or something?” he asked.

Nodding, Joanne smiled. “Yeah, I’d like that, ” she said, but her expression changed quickly to one of concern. “What happened to your lip?”

Putting his finger on his mouth, Jake saw that the small cut his father had given him earlier that morning had reopened, and there was a little bit of blood. “Oh, nothing,” Jake dismissed it, giving Joanne a grin. “Just messing around with some guys in the parking lot earlier,” he said.

“Okay,” Joanne said, not looking completely convinced. Jake put his arm around her shoulder and walked her towards her English class, which she had with Eve.

“Are you okay?” Joanne asked as she sat down next to Eve. “Your eyes are all puffy.”

“Gee, thanks, Joey,” Eve replied sarcastically. “Just what a girl wants to hear first thing on a Monday morning.”

“I’m sorry,” Joanne told her. She sat silently and glanced at Eve sideways a couple times. Sometimes Jake and Eve acted a little strangely, but Joanne couldn’t figure out why they did it.

-----

Freshman and sophomores had one lunch period, and juniors and seniors had another, so Joanne and Jake couldn’t eat together. Eve was actually happy about this; it meant that even if her best friend and her brother were dating, she’d have some time alone with Joanne every day.

Today, they were sitting outside on the grass, and Eve had yet another magazine spread across her lap. “Am I the only one who has a serious problem with Chad Michael Murray’s nose?” she asked Joanne, holding up a picture of the celebrity. “It’s just like… weird, don’t you think?”

Studying the picture, Joanne shrugged. “I never really noticed, but now that you mention it… yeah.” Looking back down at the picture, Eve nodded. “So, Eve,” Joanne continued, her voice getting a little tense. She glanced around them to see if anyone was within earshot. “Can I ask you something?”

“What’s that?” Eve focused her attention on her friend as she picked up her Diet Coke.

Blushing, a small smile crept across Joanne’s face. “Well, I just wanted to ask you about… sex.”

Nodding, Eve smiled. “So you and Jake are going to?”

“I don’t know yet,” Joanne replied quickly. “He said he could wait, and I’m not sure what I want yet. But I just wanted to know, you know, in case it does happen…”

“What do you want to know?” Eve asked simply.

“This is going to sound so lame,” Joanne blushed some more. “But, the first time, it, like, hurts, right?”

Sighing, Eve shook her head. “It’s not the horror story people make it out to be,” she told Joanne. “For me, it was just... uncomfortable and… awkward. But you get through that, and you do it a couple more times, and after a while, it starts to feel really good, so it becomes totally worth it.”

Looking at her friend with an appreciative grin, Joanne nodded. “Okay,” she said. “Thanks.”

“Anytime,” Eve laughed. “Anything else?”

“Like what?” Joanne looked nervous.

“Like… what it’s like to have a guy go down on you?” Eve offered. “Or how to give a blowjob?”

“Well, I guess…” Joanne said uncomfortably.

Crossing her legs Indian-style, Eve smiled. “Okay, well, if he wants to go down on you – LET HIM. It can be, like, the best feeling in the world. And if you want to give him a blowjob, just be careful of two things – don’t use your teeth too much and don’t go down further than is comfortable. That last one is very important. Nothing ruins the mood like puking on a guy’s dick. Believe me, I speak from experience.”

“No,” Joanne said with shock, wide-eyed. “You didn’t…”

Nodding, Eve grinned. “Oh, yes, unfortunately, I did.” With that, both girls burst into a fit of giggles.

Wiping the tears from her eyes from laughing so hard, Joanne smiled at Eve. “Thanks, Eve. I don’t know what I did before I met you.”

“Yes,” Eve replied, picking back up her magazine. “Everyone is better off when I’m around.”

-----

“What are you doing tonight?” Eve asked her brother on Friday evening. Jake was sitting on the couch, watching a college football game.

“Nothing,” Jake replied. “Jo’s got some family thing she couldn’t get out of, and I wasn’t up for another party.” He looked at his sister, and his expression got suspicious. “Why are you all dressed up?”

“I do look good, don’t I?” Eve grinned, twirling around to show off her outfit. “If you must know, Mark is taking me out.”

“Good,” Jake grinned. “Finally.”

Rolling her eyes, Eve picked up her purse. “And since mom’s at that spa weekend thing, I’m not going to be coming home,” she added.

“Where do you think you’re staying?” Jake asked in a protective voice.

“Seriously, Jake,” Eve replied flatly. “I’m sixteen. Get off my back. I’m staying at Mark’s. His parents are out of town. I have my cell; call if you need anything.”

Crossing his arms, Jake turned back to television. “Fine, do what you want,” he told her huffily.

“That’s what I plan to do,” Eve told him happily and headed out.

-----

Jake must have dozed off while watching the game. He was awoken to the sound of the doorbell. He glanced at the clock and realized it was almost ten. Momentarily, he considered not answering. It might Derek or Andrew, trying to convince him to go out. When the doorbell rang again, though, he went over to answer it. When he opened the door, he was very glad he did.

“Hi,” Joanne smiled shyly. “My dad’s work thing is over, so I thought I’d stop by. Is that okay?”

“Absolutely,” Jake grinned at her, pulling the door open all the way to let her in. “I’m the only one here, actually. I was just… watching some football.”

Joanne followed Jake into the living room. He picked up the remote off the coffee table and switched the television off. “So how was your night?” he asked as they settled back into the couch.

“Boring,” Joanne laughed. “I was the only person over ten or under forty. I ended up sitting at the kids table, trying to keep one little boy from eating the candle wax.”

Smiling widely, Jake looked at Joanne. “I’m glad you came over,” he told her, causing her to blush again. “No one’s going to be home until tomorrow, so it was really boring here, too.”

“Well,” Joanne said, leaning forward and putting her hand on his chest. “If that’s the case, let’s see if we can make it un-boring.” She leaned down and kissed him tentatively, hoping that he liked her making the first move. It had taken all her courage just to say those few words.

Immediately, Jake responded, and he obviously liked it. He kissed Joanne hard in return, putting his arms around her waist. Slowly, he leaned back onto the couch, pulling Joanne down with him until she was lying on top of him.

Joanne nervously kissed Jake’s mouth, and then moved down to his jaw and finally his neck, where she gently licked and sucked. She felt his hands slide up the back of her sweater and undo her bra, and she leaned up, pulling her top and bra off, and dropping them in a pile on the floor. She reached down and pulled Jake’s shirt over his head, adding it to her pile of clothes. Slowly, she lay back down and began kissing Jake’s chest. “You’re sure no one will be in tonight?” she whispered nervously.

“Yeah,” Jake told her. “But if you’d be more comfortable, we can move into my bedroom. If you want to.”

“Let’s do that,” Joanne tried to smile, although her heart was beating hard in her chest. They both rose, picking up their clothes, and she followed Jake to his room, where he closed the door behind them and locked it.

“Is that better?” Jake asked, his voice breathy. As Joanne nodded, he walked over to her and leaned down to kiss her. “Don’t be nervous,” he whispered. “We’ll take this one step at a time. However far you want tonight. Remember, I can be patient.”

Nodding, Joanne smiled appreciatively. Jake led her the bed and she lay down. He carefully climbed on top of her and began doing what he had been doing the week before at the beach. His mouth has hot and moist as it traced trails down her chest to her nipples, which he gently sucked on while rubbing her other breast with his hand. As his mouth inched down, Joanne’s body began to stiffen nervously.

“Do you want me to stop now?” Jake asked, looking up at Joanne. “It’s okay-”

“No,” Joanne interrupted him. “We can keep going… for now.”

Smiling, Jake nodded. He ran his hands over the front of Joanne’s pants, pressing down in little circles. As he massaged her through the fabric, he heard the rate of her breathing increase. “Can I take these off you?” he asked Joanne after a few minutes.

Feeling a combination of fear and desire, Joanne just nodded. She watched nervously as Jake slid her pants and underwear off. Then he began doing what he had been doing; only this time, without any barrier between Joanne and Jake’s hand, it felt even better. Joanne closed her eyes and tried to concentrate for a moment on the feeling.

Jake was happy to see Joanne’s eyes close. He was hoping she was enjoying this. Gently, he slid his hand down more between her thighs, nudging them apart. He slowly began sinking one finger into her, and Joanne’s body stiffened. He didn’t move, just let her get used to the feeling, and quickly she relaxed again. He began sliding his finger in and out of her, using his other hand to massage her clit. Sliding another finger inside her, he was pleased to note how wet she was getting. “God, she is tight, though,” Jake thought nervously. When Joanne started pressing down onto Jake’s hand a little bit, though, he smiled. He increased his pace as he slid his fingers in and out of her hot wet opening, and he began teasing her clit expertly with his thumb.

Little noises were starting to escape from Joanne’s mouth, moans and gasps. “Oh, oh,” Joanne whimpered, pressing down against Jake’s hand hard and squeezing her eyes closed tightly. “Oh, god,” she cried out as the dull ache Jake pressed at started to increase. Her muscles all tightened and then she felt waves of heat and pleasure move over her whole body.

“How was that?” Jake asked with a smile, pulling his fingers out of her.

Grinning, Joanne opened her eyes and looked at Jake. “That was… great.” Sliding up to lay down next to her, Jake took Joanne’s hand in his and rested them on her chest. “But what about you?” Joanne asked nervously. “I mean, do you want to…”

“What do you say, we try the same thing for me?” Jake asked gently. At Joanne’s confused expression, he sat up and undid his pants, sliding them off along with his boxers. He lay back down next to Joanne, on his side. Picking up her hand, he gently put it on his length, which was completely hard from pleasing Joanne. Looking in her eyes to make sure she was okay with this, he wrapped his own hand around hers as she nodded.

Nervously, Joanne tried to concentrate on what Jake was showing her. He had her hold onto him firmly but not too tight. He used slow, steady movement up and down. After a minute, he pulled his hand away to let Joanne try it on her own. She watched his expression as she stroked him, and he moaned slightly as she let her thumb rub over the tip of his cock, feeling the pre-cum.

Closing his own eyes, Jake let Joanne take control. She was doing an amazing job for her first time. As she began to increase the speed of the strokes, Jake opened his eyes and smiled at her. She leaned over to kiss him softly, her hand still pulling pleasurably at him, even though he was now pressed between their bodies. Feeling Joanne’s hand around him and her hip rocking against the tip of his cock, Jake felt his body suddenly start to cum as his hot liquid shot onto Joanne’s stomach.

“Oh, God, I’m sorry,” Jake said. He reached over and grabbed his shirt, turning back to Joanne and wiping her stomach off. “I didn’t expect to cum at that exact second.”

“That’s okay,” Joanne grinned. “I’m just glad I was able… to make you… you know.”

“So how was that?” Jake asked Joanne finally, pulling a blanket over them and wrapping his arm around her. “One step at a time, right?”

“Right,” Joanne agreed, nuzzling into Jake’s chest. Tonight had felt so good – having her first orgasm and making Jake cum. When she had arrived at the house earlier, she hadn’t been sure whether or not she was going to sleep with Jake, but now she realized that would have been too much too soon. This, tonight, was just right.