“What you refer to them as is between you and them. I won’t tell you that you have to call any of them anything other than what you feel comfortable with. They all care for you and will be there for whatever you need. I told them we were a package deal.” She paused, taking a deep breath. “Speaking of, have you thought about your last name yet?”
“I’m still considering. My parents weren’t the best, but I don’t know if I’m ready to let go of that just yet.”
“I understand. You’re part of us, no matter what your last name is. I hope you know that.”
“I do.” I smiled, feeling lighter just from talking.
“Can I ask a personal question?” She grinned, and I had a feeling I knew what it would be about.
“Go ahead,” I groaned, dramatically falling back into my chair.
Loren laughed, sitting up straighter. “Is there something brewing besides friendship between you and Immy?”
My cheeks heated, giving away my answer, and I nodded. “I don’t know how she feels, but I like her. I’ve never really had a girlfriend before, though, so I don’t know what to do.”
“Well, I think the best place to start is to talk and see if you’re on the same page. Then, make it whatever you want it to be. Don’t let others make decisions for you or tell you who you must be. That’s one thing I wish I’d learned sooner.”
“So if I had two girlfriends, or Immy had three boyfriends, that wouldn’t be an issue?”
“Not for me! Atticus might see it differently, but he’ll get over it. If you want a boyfriend and a girlfriend, or just one, I’m cool with it. I just want you to be happy, Juju.”
“I am, Loren. I promise.”
“Good.” She reached over, squeezing my knee. “Okay, I’ll let you be. If you need advice, though, on dating, Nicco is actually really good at listening and helping you figure out things. He helped me when I didn’t know how to feel about all the new things I was experiencing.”
“Thanks; I’ll keep that in mind if I ever get the courage to do something.”
Loren leaned up, hugging me one more time, and then quickly kissed my cheek before she walked out of the room. I turned around and stared at my math homework, but couldn’t focus on it. Closing the book, I stood to see what everyone else was up to when there was another knock at my door. Walking over, I opened it, surprised to find Immy standing there.
Instantly, my insides warmed, and I felt happier just seeing her. “Hey.”
“You busy?” she asked, smiling at me.
“Avoiding the Math homework. You?”
“Same. Want to go out to Wells’ place and feed the dogs with me?” She bounced on her toes, a bigger smile spreading across her face.
“You know the answer to that,” I teased. I turned around and toed on my shoes, tucking my phone into my pocket. “Who’s taking us?”
“Topher and the new one, Stocke, I think,” she said, her nose scrunching up a little in thought.
“Oh yeah, he’s cool.” We walked down the hall together, and I didn’t miss how our hands brushed against each other. She didn’t move away, so I took that as a good sign and reached down, linking our fingers together.
I watched her out of the corner of my eye, trying to gauge if she hated it or not. When she didn’t drop it, I smiled and relaxed, hoping it meant she liked it. Together, we walked out to the garage, finding the car waiting for us.
When we climbed into the backseat, I was surprised to find it empty. We didn’t usually get this type of alone space. There was always a guard nearby or another adult. Scooting in, we both buckled our seatbelts as the SUV took off after a few seconds.
“Wow, I’m shocked we’re back here alone. It always feels like we have a babysitter.”
Imogen laughed, nodding. “I know. My brother is so paranoid that if two teenagers are alone together unsupervised, they will immediately have sex.”
My face warmed at the word, and I laughed nervously. “Yeah, that’s insane. We can control ourselves a little more than that. Besides, I haven’t even kissed anyone. I’m pretty sure that usually comes before sex.” I blushed at the word, my face feeling like it was molten lava at this point.
Immy looked over, a small smile on her face. “You know, I’ve never been kissed either. We should be each other’s first.”
I turned, my eyes wide. “Um, what?”
She moved closer, our legs touching. “Do you want to kiss me, Jude?”