Free Forever by Darlene Jacobs Page A

ca-can’t …” I stutter.

    M y mom stands , “I’m not rushing you, baby. When you’re ready, come to me. Okay?”

    A s she leaves my room , she says, “Jake will meet us at the gymnasium. Hurry up. We don’t have much time.”

    I f my mom only knew that I’ve fallen for Jake. I want to tell her so bad, but I know her. I know what it will do to her. No, I’ve decided that now is not the right time.

    M y cell phone rings . It’s Jake. He’s asked something of me. He knows how hard it is for me to say no to him.

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    My mom and Ben drop me off at the curb of my school. I step out of the car with my pressed gown, cap and high heels that my mom bought for me. They drive off to find a parking spot. These shoes have straps galore with crystal heels. If they were an inch taller, they would look like stripper shoes.

    M y mom has sucky taste when it comes to shoes.

    B ut this is such a big deal to everyone here. I try to get in the spirit, even offer a congrats or two to a group of girls I’ve never spoken to before.

    “ Y ou’re Sidney , right?” the friendly, but gangly debate team captain asks me.

    “ A nd you’re , Deb, right?” I say.

    “ R ight . I always thought you’d be great at debate. Wish you had joined the team,” Deb announces.

    “ R eally ? Why do you say that?” I ask.

    “ B ecause you’re good at defending yourself, deflecting, and turning the tables. I’ve seen it a time or two.”

    “ T hanks … I think?”

    D eb corrects herself , “Oh, for a debater, I have a limited vocabulary. I meant it in a good way. You should think about law school or politics. That’s where the fun and money’s at.”

    D eb’s parents call her over. She gives me a quick wave before she disappears into the crowd.

    M y cap nearly flies off my head when a group of fellow graduates accidentally bump into me on their way inside. I need to pin it down. I go inside the school and look for an unlocked bathroom.

    I search for the teachers bathroom down a deserted hallway.

    J ust when I spot it , I’m yanked inside a classroom by Jake. Yanked is a harsh word. More like pulled inside.

    I ’m caught off-guard just the same. Jake shuts the door behind him and pulls down the paper shade.

    “ C ongratulations to the graduate ,” Jake says with a wide grin.

    “ Y ou scared the shit out of me, Jake.”

    “ D idn’t you get my text?” he asks.

    “ Y es , but—“

    “ B ut what ?” Jake says coyly.

    “ T he ceremony is starting soon ,” I announce.

    J ake sits on the teacher’s desk and uses his index finger to call me over to him.

    I take a few steps closer to Jake.

    “ W e don’t have much time,” Jake whispers into my ear.

    I rest both of my hands on his thighs as he grabs my robe and pulls me closer, between his legs.

    T he gown wrinkles from his touch.

    J ake takes my face into his hands with firm, delicate kisses on my forehead first, then my chin, then both cheeks, before he kisses me on the lips.

    H e first starts out with a light peck that quickly turns into a deep, guttural kiss. His tongue slips in and out of my mouth while he sucks on my lower lip.

    J ake pulls my hair back from the roots while he slightly squeezes the skin under my left breast, near my ribs. This action only tantalizes me more.

    “ D id you do as I asked?” Jake moans in between kisses and squeezes.

    I don’t say a word .

    J ake stands . With his hands around my waist, he swings me over to the teacher’s desk. I sit on the edge of the desk.

    J ake drops down to his knees and kisses my toes before he removes my high heels.

    “ N ice shoes .”

    I laugh .

    H e massages the heel of my foot and my ankle.

    “ W hy haven’t I noticed how beautifully arched your feet are until now?” Jake questions.

    I take this as a rhetorical question as he uses both hands to massage my calf muscles. Jake uses a tight grip to locate the tight knots in my calves and then dissolves them in a matter