Joanie Plays It Safe

Joan jumped. For the last half hour she had taken refuge in everyone's forgetting her. Seeing her now, her mouth crumpled in a guilty line. She hadn't forgotten what me and Molly did for her. With most people I'd be bitter, but Joanie was just so... Joanie. It would be like holding a grudge against a pigeon. That didn't mean she was going to waltz into needing another favor, though. "Truth," she said. I doubted Jack had any real interest in her, but who could blame her for playing it safe? I would, if I were sitting in her place.

Lea nodded, supporting the choice. So, maybe there was such a thing as decency outside of me and Molly tonight.

"You ever kissed a boy?" Jack asked. Good. Decent, by his standards. Nothing that would cause any problems, no matter what her answer was.

"Yes," she admitted, moving her face just a shade of a degree away from us. Back home, I suspected that would've been a more serious answer. Everything she said about her family and her community made it sound like not just sex, but basically any one on one time with boys was frowned upon. It was hard to believe that those kinds of people still existed.

"So what was the big deal?" Jack asked, sounding really puzzled.

Lea clenched her jaw. "Will you leave off?" she said.

"No, seriously. She's kissed a guy, who gives a shit about a handjob?"

Personally, I agreed, but I didn't feel the need to offer the jerk any support. I got over my 'handjob phase,' so to speak, back in high school. But obviously Joan didn't agree. Sensing the moment, I glanced at Paul. He seemed torn. Not that he was about to jump to Joan's defense; any chance of him coming off as chivalrous was long gone, and we went far, far past it after what me and Molly had done in her place. Was he honestly hurt that his blushing, virginal Joanie had touched tongues with another boy, after what we had just learned about him and Molly? If Joan had even touched tongues. Her idea of kissing might be lips only.

"I–" Joan stammered. Her hands pushed down into her lap, like she wanted to tear off her lower half and use it as bait for the dogs. "It's not what you think! It was just with my cousin," she said.

Lea sat back, frowning. "Oh," she said. "No, Joan, I don't mean like– a kiss between family members. That's different. Like, making out. Or on the lips, at least."

Joan started to go red all over again. Oops. I cringed in sympathy. Her attempt to deflect had accomplished exactly the opposite. I tried to come up with something to say to distract from her, but I was too slow. Having processed what her words and her expression meant when you put them together, the shock had hit me before everyone else.

"Waittttttt," said Lea. "Unless... you mean...?"

Lea hid her face in her hands. The cat was out of the bag, now. I guess it really is true what they say about country girls, I thought.