That’s what you think, Claire said. Simon has made me come more than you ever could. “You’re such a pathetic bunch of losers, you’ll never amount to anything. I don’t need your lust to validate me any more.”
She took Simon’s hand, started to lead him to the dance floor, trying to explain herself. “I’m so, so sorry. I’ve been such a selfish idiot, been so horrible and unfair to you. I’ve been in denial. The truth is…”
“Where the fuck are you going, with him?” Brad shouted at her. A crowd started gathering around them – Brad’s cronies, Claire’s girl friends – all staring at her holding the class loser’s hand.
“You have got to be kidding me,” said one of the girls. “You’re not seriously going to dance with that tosser?”
Simon wanted the ground to swallow them up. But then he saw the defiance in Claire’s eyes. You can do this, he told himself. Stand strong.
“Yes! Yes, I am! And do you know why?” Claire shouted. “None of you know what you’re talking about! Girls, stop hanging round with those slimeballs,” she nodded to Brad’s crew. “Get some self-respect and find yourself a man who’ll treat you how you deserve to be treated, love you for who you are and not just lust after you for how you look or what you agree to let them do to you. Get a man who’ll have your back, not just use your body. Be yourself, that’ll be enough for the right person. Because when you’re with the one,” she said, looking back at Simon, her face lighting up, “with someone who truly loves you, who treats their pleasure as more important than their own… it’s everything. And the sex, my god, sooooo much better.”
Simon at least had the decency to blush.
“Ewww, you can’t be serious?” Brad said. “You chose that,” he nodded dismissively at Simon, “over this?” indicating his own body.
“Every day of the week, and twice on Sundays,” she replied. She fished inside Simon’s jacket, retrieved her lace thong, and threw it at Brad’s face. “Here you go – something to remember me by,” she joked. It had the intended effect; she watched the realisation dawn across Brad’s face. How else could Simon have had her underwear in his suit, if not that he’d been fucking her?
The couple walked slowly away. Simon leant in, whispered “But I still get the blowjob, right?”
“Damn straight,” she whispered back. The way I feel right now, so affirmed and horny, I’d let you take me up the ass right here in front of the whole damn school.
They reached the dance floor, took each other in their arms, started to sway. Claire had an apology to finish. “Like I was saying, I’ve been in denial for so long. This Mean Girls cheerleader persona, the dumb blonde socialite, it’s so fake. It’s like my secret identity, something for the real me to hide behind, so I wouldn’t get hurt. Keeping it up is so exhausting. It was protecting me… but it was hurting you. I don’t ever want to hurt you, Simon. You know the real me, you love me despite all my fakes and flaws, you’ve forgiven me all the wrongs I’ve done you. I don’t deserve you. But I want to. I want to be the girl you think I am, the girl you dream of.
“Dance with me. Grab my ass, in front of everyone, and kiss me. Kiss me like you own me, because you do. I love you, you wonderful nerd.” She looked round, shouted it out. “I LOVE YOU!!” Wrapping her hands round his neck, as he grabbed her ass as she’d insisted, she pulled his face down to kiss him, long and deep. “I love you so much, Simon. You consume me. I’m yours, totally yours.”
They danced a little more. Claire suddenly had the realisation that her parents had met in a similar way at high school. Just as sci-fi had brought her closer to Simon, music had brought her parents together; they even played in a band for a while. It was like history repeating itself: experienced hot girl falls for virgin class nerd – and her parents had turned out alright, happily married for over 20 years. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, she thought, her heart pounding.
Simon had been right, back in her bedroom all those weeks ago. She was his first, but in many ways, he was hers too. The first man she’d opened up to. The first she could be herself with. The first she’d loved, as she could now admit to herself and to the world.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” she asked him, looking up into his eyes. That’s when she saw the tears running down his face.
It wasn’t that Simon didn’t have any response. It was that he was so overcome, he couldn’t speak. Instead, he went back in for another kiss, never wanting this perfect moment to end.
THE END
The story of how Claire’s parents Paul and Samantha met is told in “Cultural Exchange”, “Weekend at Samantha’s”, and the upcoming “Their Last Long Hot Summer”.