Paul held open the back door of Mike's car for me, then got into the back seat
with me.  I smoothed out the back of my dress as I sat down, then tried to get
the hem a little further down my legs than it wanted to go. Paul noticed me
tugging at it, looked at my legs and grinned.  I smiled at him, and he said
quietly "You look pretty spectacular tonight".

"Um, thanks", I said, blushing.  It felt weird when he said that.  I liked it. 
And although I felt nervous when he looked at me, I kind of liked that, too.  It
wasn't crude or anything, like when Rob had looked at me.  Despite all my
nervousness, Paul put me at ease.

We drove off.  "We thought we'd go to that Italian place, if you girls are up for
it", said Mike.  I realised that - contrary to what Marcia had said earlier -
this was definitely gonna be a date, not just a bunch of us going to a party.  We
drove back down Main Street until we came to a little cafe at the end of the
shopping strip.  Inside it was nice, but casual.  I hadn't eaten out for ages,
Mom and I couldn't afford to, so I really didn't have a lot to compare it to, but
it felt comfortable.  As we sat down Marcia whispered to me "How was your Mom?"

"Don't ask", I said, and we looked at one another guiltily.

We ordered some food and a couple of sodas.  Mike and Marcia did most of the
talking, but I did learn that Paul was a senior like Mike, and that he wasn't
only the jock he looked like, he was also editor of the school paper and he was
really smart.  Mike kidded him from time to time about being a rocket scientist,
but Paul just took it all in stride.  He seemed pretty quiet most of the time,
but I was very conscious of how near he was to me, and that he kept stealing
glances at me.  I tried to eat in a restrained manner, copying Marcia in the way
she moved and the way she took small bites.  If I hadn't still been a bit nervous
I could have eaten a lot more, but I ordered an appetiser size and, like Marcia,
ended up leaving some of that, too.

Paul asked me a couple of questions about myself, so I stuck to the line Marcia
had used with Becky earlier in the day, that I was visiting the town with my Mom
while we thought about whether we wanted to live there. I tried to keep the rest
of my life pretty much as it was, until he asked me where I was going to go to
school.  "I guess I'll go to the same school as all of you", I said, wanting to
change the subject.  I was still in junior high, but I already knew a whole lot
more about the high school than I wanted to, courtesy of a couple of guys who
beat me up one afternoon "for being a fag."

Eventually Marcia said to me "Wanna check out the ladies room?"  I knew from the
tone of her voice that it wasn't a request so much as a command, so we made our
excuses and went together.  There were only two stalls, and we were the only ones
in there.  I hiked up my dress and sat down, then Marcia said from the stall next
to me "I'm really sorry about your mom, Jenny"

"I didn't know what to say", I said.  "She seemed pretty upset. I think. But
maybe surprised more than upset.  I think she blames herself for me having gone
astray or something".  We both giggled.

As we came out of the stalls at about the same time I said "So, did you tell your
parents?"

"Huh?"  said Marcia.

"Wasn't that what the 'important' discussion in the kitchen was about?" I asked.

"Of course not!  I was telling them that I needed them to be flexible about
tonight.  Usually they make me get home by midnight, but I explained that this
was a big party and since there were a few of us going together it would be
better if they could allow me to be a bit later.  It always takes a while to have
that discussion, because my Dad always feels the need to tell me it's for my own
good and all that.  I wasn't going to ask them that, tonight, but I figured it
was a way for you and your Mom to have a talk."

We fixed our lipstick and hair, and headed back out to see the boys.  "I think
Paul is more than  a bit smitten", said Marcia quietly as we approached the
table.  "I'd watch myself if I was you".

The guys paid the bill and we left the cafe.  Mike drove up through the hills to
the Convey's house, which was absolutely enormous.  There were a lot of cars
around, and it took Mike a while to find somewhere to park his enormous old 70's
car.

As we went in the noise was deafening.  Becky was over by the CD player, I think
she was the one responsible for putting on the Nine Inch Nails and the guy next
to her wasn't happy about it.  Denise, the girl whose house it was, came up to
Marcia and gave her a hug, then nodded to me like she'd like to kill me.  She
turned and gave Mike an enormous smile, though, and actually gave Paul a kiss on
the cheek.  Uh huh.  Well, that explained the look.  Marcia introduced her to me,
but I don't think Denise caught my name in all the noise.

Mike disappeared into the kitchen as we walked through the living room. I knew
who most of the people were, but I'd never spoken to any of them at school.  For
a start they were almost all seniors, and anyway even the kids in my own year
mostly didn't speak to me.  But everyone smiled and spoke to Marcia.  Eventually
Mike came back with some beers for himself and Paul and some wine for Marcia and
me.  I took a sip.  I'd only tasted wine once before, at my cousin Beth's
wedding.  It seemed okay, kind of sweet.

Mike and Marcia went off in search of some drugs, and Paul introduced me to some
of his friends.  They mostly seemed very nice, except one guy who undressed me
with his eyes instead of really talking to me.  One of Paul's friends was a tall,
thin guy named Steve, who had a goatee and looked impossibly cool for someone who
was still at high school.  He and I had a great time trying to have a
conversation about music above the noise, and he tried to explain to me how the
playlists on radio got compiled.  He was sweet, but kind of earnest.  I made him
laugh a lot, which was fun.  Paul told me later I'd made a really big impression
on the coolest guy in the school.

I danced a couple of times with Paul, who said he usually felt awkward dancing,
and then a couple of times with Marcia and Mike, and then Steve. Paul wandered
off to talk to other people from time to time, which was good because I didn't
want to feel under pressure like I was his girlfriend or anything, although it
seemed that's what everyone else at the party had decided. .

I spent time talking to Becky after she surrendered control of the CD player to
someone a little less interesting.  She had taken some ecstasy a little while
earlier, so our conversation didn't go a long way, but she was extremely friendly
and kind of falling all over me.  Steve took her off to find her boyfriend Brad,
and I had a little quiet time to myself. That was good, I needed to collect my
thoughts.

It sure was turning out to be a strange day.  Here I was, having  a terrific time
with a bunch of people who normally wouldn't give me the time of day, but I was
popular and they all seemed to want to talk and dance with me.

I went into the den, where people were passing around joints.  Paul came up
behind me and put his arm around me.  "Want some?", he asked, handing me one. 
"Sure", I said, and took a drag on it as though I'd been smoking all my life.  Of
course I sent myself into a coughing fit, and everyone laughed, but in a good
natured way, and Paul took me into a nearby room to recover.

It was a bedroom, I noticed through my running eyes.  I sat on the edge of the
bed and Paul sat down next to me.  He was still smiling broadly after having
laughed a lot.  "Well, that was a good idea. Not"  he said, rubbing my shoulders.
 "I guess you're not a smoker, huh?"

"Not really", I said quietly.

"Good for you," he said, and put his arm around me.  "I don't do it much any
more, except now and again at parties.  And I don't smoke tobacco"

"I hate the smell of tobacco", I said.  I was conscious of how close he and I
suddenly were.

"You smell good", he said quietly.  "Not too much perfume, you smell clean.  It's
good"

I was nervous, and he could feel it.  He stroked my neck, where some of my hair
had come loose a little from the rest and was hanging in little blonde wisps over
my collar.  Then he turned my head towards his and kissed me.

It was surprising.  Two kisses in one day, but this was very different from the
one Marcia had given me.  His mouth felt hungry as he moved his lips on mine, and
I could feel an urgency in him.  I liked it.  I felt like he wanted me, and I
liked that, too.  I stiffened at first, but then I relaxed, and when he finished,
and stroked my face lightly with his fingertips, I could see in his eyes a
certain kindness, a gentleness, and I knew he'd enjoyed it as well.  He kissed me
again, and then again. After the third kiss I rested my head on his shoulder. 
Then he gently moved his hand to my breast, and I jumped a little.  I still
didn't feel very secure about that, no matter what Marcia said.

I got up from the bed.  "We should go back with the others", I said.

He stood in front of me.  "It's okay, relax," Paul said softly.  "Tell me, how
old are you, anyway?"

"I'm sixteen", I lied.  I figured it wasn't as big a lie as some other things he
didn't know about.

"You're very beautiful, you know that", he said.  I looked up into his eyes.  He
really had nice eyes, I thought.  Then I caught myself.  What was I thinking?  I
was making out with a guy, and I was enjoying it! This was utterly insane.

"And you're probably the sweetest thing I've ever met", he said softly. "How come
you can be so smart about some things and be so innocent about others?"

He kissed me again.  This time, standing up, it was even better.  He took me in
his arms, and pressed me close to him.  I could smell his masculine body, feel
how hard he was, how strong.  I almost swooned, but he held me.

"It's okay," he said, as he let me go.  "This is great, but I want you to be
comfortable.  You let me know what feels right for you, okay?"

I couldn't believe it.  I knew then that I was going to be in big trouble if I
let him go any further.  This guy wanted all of me, only he didn't know how much
of me there was.  I gave him a little kiss, just a small one, and was about to
say something when there was a knock on the door and Marcia stuck her head
around.  She smiled an enormous smile when she saw us together.

"Hey, guys, you need a lift back with us?  We're going pretty soon".

I looked at my watch.  It was 1.00am.  The night had flown by.

"We'll just be a moment", said Paul, and as Marcia closed the door he kissed me
again.  This time I could feel him run his hands up and down my back.  He lowered
one of his hands to my ass, and cupped it, while the other traced the line of my
spine as far up as my neck.  Then he bent and kissed the back of my neck.  I
almost crumpled, and I was shaking.  I'd never felt anything as intense as that
before.  "Whoa", he said, "I think that's enough for now.  Wow, you are a
passionate little one, aren't you?"  He put his arm around me and led me from the
room.

The trip home was uneventful.  Marcia told them I was going to stay over at her
house.  Paul had his arm around me, and stroked my arm with his free hand.  It
felt so wonderful I stopped thinking about how weird it all was.  When we got to
Marcia's house the boys got out of the car with us.  Paul gave me another long
and lasting kiss, while he lifted the hem of my dress and ran his hands over my
ass.

"Can I call you?", he said finally.

"Of course", I said, and gave him my number without thinking.  I separated from
him, and he clasped my hand as he promised to call.  I followed Marcia into the
house and collapsed on one of the kitchen chairs as we came in.

"Well, that was a night to remember, huh?" said Marcia.