Chapter 28: CHAPTER 28

Ms. Ken went down the attendance sheet again, finalizing the partners list while reminding us once more there would be no further switches. I expected her to follow that up by handing out baby dolls, but instead, she lifted a carton of vegetables from under her desk and began distributing them like a grocery giveaway-eggplants, cucumbers, zucchinis, corn..

Between the snickering and not-so-subtle elbow nudges, I seemed to be the only one who had no clue what these were for. A thick, rough carrot tumbled onto my desk, followed by a small square packet.

Cross, of course, was given an eggplant, along with Ms. Ken's signature wink.

Oh no..

I wanted to disappear.

Cross placed a hand on my back and began to rub it in soothing motions. He tried to appear sympathetic, but the corner of his mouth gave him away. "It's okay CJ. I can teach you."

I brushed his hand away. "Shut up."

Once everyone had their 'vegetable', Ms. Ken stood at the front with a suggestive smile. "Of course we can't enter the parenting unit without first addressing how babies are made, which I'm sure you're all aware. This education will ensure if you happen to engage in certain activities, protection is highly advised."

She went on to explain how protection wasn't just about preventing unwanted pregnancy, but also transmittable diseases. Then came the slideshow- a series of horrifying images, each one worse than the last, twisting every student's face into a grimace.

It was gruesome. And to think, people treated sex so casually when it could lead to this.

Cross caught my deprecatory glance. "Are you calling me a dirty whore?"

Why did it look like he wanted to punish me?

I shrugged faintly. "You said it, not me."

Not like he didn't know it anyway. He's had way too many girls under his belt for his age. At this point, he probably didn't even know what was in his system. When was the last time he got checked?

He's probably so reckless he didn't bother to use protection.

Cross's eyes met mine, the faintest flicker of offense behind them. "I always wear protection. And I'm clean."

"Didn't ask."

"Didn't have to. Your face did all the talking."

Ms. Ken tore open one of the square packets and blew the object like a balloon. "If a guy ever says this doesn't fit him because he's too big, he's lying," she said, holding the inflated plastic in demonstration.

She'd blown so much air it looked like a small watermelon.

The class erupted in laughter. After another round of mortifying explanations, she directed us to practice on our vegetable. Before I even hada chance to open my packet Cross dragged his desk beside mine, mumbling about me sitting too far away. Well, it was better than him asking me to sit on his lap again.

He eyed me fumbling with the wrapper. "You need help?" he offered.

I glanced pointedly at his naked eggplant. "Shouldn't you be working on your vegetable."

"Is that an attitude?" He leaned in until his forehead pressed mine, bumping into me in a way that was at first challenging, but then turned suggestive when our noses brushed and his lips pressed softly along the side of my jaw.

I turned away and pretended to focus on my carrot.

Cross chuckled softly, his thumb grazed over my tinged cheeks with interest before turning to his own task. It didn't take him long either. He was done in less than thirty seconds while I still struggled to roll the latex without tearing it.

"Careful CJ," Cross said, laughter threading through his voice. "You're suffocating me."

"It's not working, this carrot is too rough," I whined. My bottom lip jutted out as I tried again. This carrot was no good. The surface was dry and uneven, so of course others were doing better with an easier vegetable.

Cross's hands slid over mine. They were so large they engulfed me, but rather than doing it for me he guided my movements, slow and deliberate. "Don't worry, mine is smoother. You can practice on it later if you want."

He kissed my jaw again, laughing when I gave him a seething glare. "Stop," I said, my voice coming out unexpectedly small. It also didn't help that my heart was pounding against my chest.

"I’m kidding, relax," he said, his warm breath fanned over my cheeks, reigniting the earlier redness I'd work hard to quell. "Leave some room at the tip, it shouldn't be too tight."

"Like this?"

"A little more," he murmured, eyes glinting. "Don't want it to burst. I have a lot of juices."

I elbowed him in the stomach, causing him to grunt. He kept helping me though, especially when the smooth latex refused to roll down and kept undoing my attempt.

"It keeps coming back up," I complained.

Cross pressed my fingers more firmly on the material. "You're not holding it strong enough, I'm not that fragile. Press tighter when you roll down."

My nerves stood on edge as his hand clamped over mine, guiding us both until the barrier rolled smoothly all the way down.

"Finished," I chirped. Grateful my activity was over, I gave him a small smile. "Thank you."

"Do I get a thank you kiss?" Cross wet his lips and hovered expectantly. He pretended to close his eyes, but I saw the sliver of an opening. He was peaking.

I gave him a look, then caught his jaw so he stayed in place while I planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

Usually, I only ever kissed Theodore. He was warm and cuddly, the mnost affectionate one of the group. Cross and David typically only got hugs.

Cross pouted. "If you're only going to kiss me like that, I should get at least two more."

I ignored him and fiddled with our vegetables. He had done it so fast his experience was unmistakable. I, on the other hand..

"Shouldn't you want to be with a girl who's more experienced?" I asked suddenly, eyes still on the carrot. Then, thinking of Amy, "And why do you even do those things in a school closet? You could just take her to your house and avoid being caught."

Cross's posture stiffened. The one playful lips flattened to a hard line. "It's not good to start a new relationship by focusing on the past."

"We're not in a relationship."

"Soon we will be," he said decisively. "And I told you I stopped messing with girls."

My left eye twitched. Is he serious? Maybe he hadn't done anything today, but I highly doubted his last session was more than two weeks ago.

Whatever. This would all blow over soon arnyway.

A heavy hand encircled my thigh beneath the desk, making me almost jump. Once again, Cross read my stale expression and decided to answer. "I just want my girl to know what I want. And no, I don't bring them home. My mom's been waiting for me to bring someone serious and... " he paused, looking away, "I don't want to disappoint her. Or give her the wrong impression."

I nodded silently. So no one's met his mother yet.. that's probably the true mark of a girl he's interested in. A part of me wondered what she was like, and how much of her features Cross inherited. He was so handsome, it was easy to imagine she must be beautiful too.

But what's the point in wondering? I would never see her anyway. Not in that way.

The bell cut through my thoughts.

"Next class I'll pass out the babies and explain the assignment in more depth. You're all dismissed!" Ms. Ken called.

Just like this class, whatever he felt for me would end too, ringing out with the bell.