Escaping Virginia

Chapter 10

"Hi, Miles." Barbara-Ann said sweetly. Did her plaid shirt give too much away? Probably. She looked him up and down, admiring his broad shoulders and curled hair, but then her eyes caught a shine on his nails and she nodded to herself. "Thanks for coming out with me." She blushed. "I mean, going out with me. Haha."

Miles also went red and they quickly found a table and sat down. Barbara-Ann had chosen a small bar she liked, and they chatted about Maths and school whilst he ordered a salad and she a quiche.

"So have you, uh, had lots of girlfriends?" Barbara-Ann asked. Was that something straight people asked each other? She had no clue. Nothing was so complicated between girls - you just understood each other better. This boy in front of her was a complete alien. She didn't understand his body or his feeling or his speech.

"Yeah, lots." Miles replied, but he looked just as uncertain as poor Ann did. "So many."

"That's cool." Barbara-Ann told him, giggling lightly and somewhat flirtatiously.

"Have you had lots of boyfriends?"

"Too many to count!" Barbara-Ann waved her hand like it was nothing.

"Really?" Miles looked suddenly interested. "Where do you find all those boys?"

"Oh, you know... Here and there." said Barbara-Ann, trying to be as vague as humanly possible, then sent a prayer to the heavenly father that Miles wouldn't spread the rumor that she was a whore. Everyone knows the only thing that'll damage a girl's reputation more than having no sex in high school is having a lot of sex.

Miles laughed. "Ok!" he said, looking impressed and not a bit put off. "That's cool!"

"Yeah.." Barbara-Ann grinned sheepishly, breathing a sigh of relief.

"I wish..." Miles began, but then broke off suddenly, flushing deeply and kneading his hands in his lap in an embarrassed way.

"What?" asked Ann, grinning at him in what she hoped was a teasing yet encouraging way. She genuinely wanted to know what he'd said.

"Oh, yeah, I was just going to say that I'm sure you haven't had as many boys as I've had girls!" Miles suddenly sat up, and out of the corner of her eye Barbara-Ann saw someone from school had come in.

"Ok!" said Barbara-Ann cheerfully, biting into her quiche. "So, do you have any siblings?"

⁂

"How was your quiche? Was it as good as my salad?!" asked Miles, when they'd finished eating "My salad was so good! I should really come here more often!"

"Yeah, not many people know about this place," said Ann, putting her hands in her pockets casually and grinning at him. "And yeah, it was cool. I'm glad you liked it! But I think I should probably go now- my English homework won't do itself!"

Miles, nodded, then looked like he was contemplating something.

"How should we say goodbye to each other? Should we like..kiss?" Miles asked suddenly, his eyes as wide as a tarsier's as he contemplated the idea with feigned interest. Barbara-Ann didn't even bother hiding her disgust. Miles bit his lip nervously, then moved somewhat closer.

"Bitch, no." Barbara-Ann stood up suddenly, her chair scraping loudly against the tiled floor. "Sorry, Miles. I can't do this. I just needed to keep up appearances. I thought you'd get it..."

"Of course I get it!" Miles exclaimed, rolling his eyes. "Don't you?"

"What do you mean, don't I? Then why are you trying to kiss me?"

"Because I don't want people to know! And if someone sees us kissing.. no one can ever know!" Miles sighed, looking suddenly panicked. Barbara-Ann sighed, then moved closer to put a hand on his shoulder.