In These Streets

Chapter 16

Darius stood frozen, and I looked out on the smooth surface of the pool, my cheeks hot with embarrassment.

He sighed and scrubbed his face with his hand. "You've never done anything with a man before?"

God, this was torture.

"Uh, no. I mean, I had a boyfriend before and we messed around, but we never had sex."

There was another minute of silence and then he spoke.

"I'm not going to pressure you into any shit you don't want to do, but I've never been with a virgin before. I like fucking, so this is hard to wrap my mind around. I ain't gonna lie to you."

I pressed my lips together as cold slivers of ice stabbed my heart.

I tried to keep my voice steady. "You've never been with a virgin, ever?"

He shook his head slowly. "I lost my virginity when I was fourteen to an older girl on the block."

I gaped at him in disbelief. "How much older?"

"She was seventeen."

I swallowed, the lump in my throat making it hard to breathe. "I was raised in believing to wait until you love someone and get married before having sex."

He nodded again but I could see the doubt in his eyes.

"We can go inside and watch a movie or something. It's all good," he said.

I nodded gratefully but felt a twinge of hurt as he let go of me and took a deliberate step away.

We walked to the lower level of the house and Darius gestured to a room with a mahogany door.

It was a home movie theatre, with dark wood walls, a giant projection screen and eight large, plush Lay-Z-Boy chairs. Darius gestured to two in the middle of the room and we sat. Small tables were attached to the side of each chair, for drinks or snacks I assumed. Darius opened a compartment in his table and pulled out a tray of blunt papers, grinder and a bag of weed.

"You wanna smoke?" he asked.

I didn't have anything against weed but I felt bad because I knew my mother would be really upset and disappointed if she knew, but I also liked the feeling of recklessness and unpredictability of hanging out with Darius and his friends. Their lifestyle seemed dark but enticing and full of activity, built on their own set of rules it seemed.

It made me want to act on my own desires.

I shrugged. "What the hell."

"There should be a remote on your table. Click the Menu button and you can pick a movie," he said as he started crushing up the weed.

I found the mini remote and went through the selection, choosing 'The Mountain Between Us.' As the first scene began playing, Darius held up a perfectly rolled blunt. He lit it and we passed it back and forth. I still had to take small puffs in order to avoid coughing and choking to death but I was getting used to the sweet smoke and the foggy haze that echoed through my brain.

The movie was intense, both with action and romance, and by the time the credits started rolling I was overly high and sleepy.

Darius must've been the same way, because he was dozing in his reclined chair.

I giggled. "You didn't like the movie?"

He jerked his head up and opened his eyes in a daze. "Shit, I fell asleep."

I laughed softly. "I guess we should go to bed."

He groggily stood up and took my hand, helping me out of my chair.