She's cautious: "One."

"Well, uh," Nat clears her throat, feeling awkward, aware that she's blushing slightly. "Just...one, actually."

"Really?" Ms. Poundwell looks mildly surprised, and there are murmurs of surprise from some of the other students as well. "Just one partner? Who was that?"

"My boyfriend. Well, ex-boyfriend. He moved out of town. Teddy."

There are more scattered murmurs at that, and a girl sitting nearby smiles at Nat. "Awww. That's sweet!" she says earnestly.

"With those tits?! That ain't sweet, that's a waste!" one of the boys calls. Nat flushes and {if Prude_Clothes=True}{if Sluttery > 40}smiles, popping open one more button on her shirt{else}pulls her cardigan slightly tighter around her{endif}{elseif Normal_Clothes=True}{if Sluttery > 40}rolls her shoulders, sitting up in her chair slightly straighter and stretching her t-shirt across her frame. She smiles{else}hunches forward, rounding her shoulders inward protectively{endif}{elseif Slut_Clothes=True}{if Sluttery > 40}smiles, tugging her tank top down slightly to expose more of her cleavage{else}futilely attempts to pluck her tank top back up to a...marginally more conservative position{endif}{endif}.

"Now, now," Ms. Poundwell says. "Romance may be out of fashion, but it's not dead. In fact, it may surprise you to learn that romance can be a key part of your sex life! It can make your partner more responsive to your touch, can add a bit of excitement and variety to your sexual routines, and enhance the feeling of intimacy that comes with sex. And, of course, in a long-term relationship it can be essential for maintaining a healthy give and take between the two of you as you figure out whether you're working toward a long-term partnership - even marriage - or just a fucktoy fling."

She turns back to Nat and smiles kindly. "I definitely support a girl who redbands for a special guy - I think most people would. But since you said this boy's an ex, I'm curious: what do you think of increasing your number of partners, this Bridge Year?"