Somehow, through the grace of the saints and all the angels, I managed to bring home acceptable grades. The process had been simple; I have no life. I don't go out, I don't hang, I sleep, study, eat, and repeat. My size 12 jeans are now too snug as I pass most of my time in a sedentary position, slugged over my notes.

"You have to go out dancing," Isla said. Isla, my one and only girlfriend whom I met in Advanced Algebra. She's the first person I know who smokes, she's 21, and I'm quickly learning she doesn't give a fuck.

"The only reason I have my grades is because I don't go out," I said. She's painting her nails black, covering up the polish she hadn't bothered removing.

"Dancing is cardio, you need cardio or you can buy new jeans."

It makes sense. Tomorrow is Friday and I have no class, we could go out tonight. I look at her. "I know a gay club that I was invited to, it's popping on Thursday nights."

"Club Test?" She doesn't even look at me, nothing surprises her.

I nod and she smiled slowly and blew on her nails.

"Ok, haven't been there in a while," she said.

I get quite excited. It's been months and months since I have dolled myself up and strutted with girlfriends to a club. I could wait until next week when Mercy and Yara come home for Thanksgiving. Rosalind is flying straight to Miami so I won't get to see her until Christmas. I have to have a bit of an adventure before they come home or I'll have nothing to speak about. My life has been a consummate bore. The guys go out nearly every weekend and have stopped asking me if I want to go out with them. They know my standard answer; I can't, I'm studying.

By the time I make my way back to Atrium I have Isla's number in my purse and I little hop in my step. I'm going out, I'm going to get sexy, I'm wearing that top Denis with no last name said looked amazing on me. I'm so engrossed in my excitement that I don't spot the guys until I'm literally next to them. I must subconsciously look for them now, I have no other explanation.

"We're going to Firestone tonight," Jon said.

I turn to look at them rather stunned that I'm in the middle of a guys night out planning session.

"You coming this time, Becky-girl?" Steven is next to me.

"You know she doesn't come," Victor said

He's tentatively hanging away from me as I've been giving him the frosty shoulder for the past few weeks. He still hasn't apologized and I can be as stubborn as him. Cold war. They think I'm a boring and do nothing, sweet Catholic girl who stays home with her legs crossed.

"I actually already have plans."

If I could frame Victor's face I would. Mine is a cartoonish smug look which I delight in immensely.

"Yeah, where are you going?" Jon had no qualms about asking. Victor is simply staring at me.

"Club Test, a friend of mine invited me, his roommate is a bartender there so I'm going with my girlfriend," I said.

"What friend, is she hot?" Jon stepped closed and I ignored him.

I tossed my hair over my shoulder. "So, have fun in Firestone, wear a condom!"

"Wait, wait, wait," Steven grabbed my hand and pulled me back. "Ain't that the gay club?"

I nodded.

"Why are you going to a gay club? Are you gay?" Jon is knee-deep in confusion.

"I am not gay but I need to hang out with people who are not you three," I said.

"What's wrong with us?" Steven crossed his arms.

I throw my hands up in the air. "It's like being with my brothers all of the time, you guys have no filter around me, you fart, you talk about girls' asses, I can't even mention the word menstruation – you see! - before the lot of you are gasping in horror, I need a change!"

Jon is the first one to recover from my rant. He comes closer and in a stage whisper so ridiculous he says, "Are you on your period and should we be sensitive about this?"

"Oh god," Victor said and I saw him place his face in his hand.

Jon, however, doesn't look like he's trying to insult me and I realized that none of these three musketeers know how to deal with a woman. Zero clues, zip, nada. I took a deep shaky breath and leveled him with a look.

"No, but thank you for asking," I said. "Never ask again."

I don't let them speak, I marched right out of the Atrium, refusing to allow them to damper my mood. I was going to Club Test tonight, I was going to look hot, and I was going to dance without restrictions or pressures.

Isla picked me up at 10 p.m. and I stifled a yawn when I entered her car, I was not a night owl at all. She looked stunning, her dress was a tiny wisp of a thing, plunging down low into her navel. It helped that she had small perfect breasts that didn't need to be held up with duct tape. She was already smoking when she looked me over.

"Hot," she said. I looked down at my top and jeans, I felt a little underdressed compared to her.

She drove like a maniac, zig-zagging in and out of traffic, pushing people off I-4 in a brazen and uncompromising manner. I was holding on to the oh-shit-handle with all of my strength, eating my red lipstick right off my lips. I was almost relieved when she pulled up to a small nondescript location, found parking and stopped the car with a lurch. I was going to vomit. She thought it was hilarious.

"You're so pure, god, what a thing," she said. She stubbed out her cigarette on her heel and then she tossed her hair back, a cascade of pitch-black dyed curls.

"I don't know about pure," I said.

"You're a virgin, right?" She pointed a long black nail at me but she had a kind smile on her face. I nodded. "I'm going to get you laid, that's what I'm going to do. You'll thank me."

"I can figure it out on my own," I said as we walked to the Club entrance.

The music was pumping with furor, and I noticed guys dressed in a lot of leather, lounging by the entrance and smoking. I suddenly felt self-conscious, I wasn't dressed right, I barely showed any skin, and the only thing that was scandalous was my red lipstick which I was sure I had eaten in my panic at death on the highway to hell.

"Relax," Isla said and grabbed my hand. As we walked closer to the entrance we got a cat-call which made Isla smile and me blush. I was a little confused until the bouncer who sat on a barstool by the door looked us up and down.

"Carbon," Isla said and smiled at the man.

"Man, I haven't seen you in ages," he said. He was a fairly large man, looked a lot like a Sumo wrestler, with a thick black braid going down his back, wearing nothing but an open leather vest and pants, his slanted eyes painted black, and a large gold hoop earring on his lip.

She tossed her hair at me. "Brought a little something."

"Ok, short rack, come on in," he waved us in.

"Short rack?" I hissed at Isla as she pulled me in.

"You're short and you've got a rack, take the name and embrace it," she said.

Haddaway was pumping through the sound system so loudly I could hardly hear myself think but the place was packed and so many guys, guys everywhere. Dancing on each other, with each other, kissing, and generally having a great Thursday night. I was smiling as my body started pumping with excitement. I was a shit dancer but when club music started, I couldn't stop myself. Isla made a beeline to the bar and I noticed a super cute guy behind the counter. He was tall, shirtless, supremely muscled, with hair spiked in tones of green. I heard Isla shout to him two drink orders and he glanced at me. I pushed my chest out, remembering what Denis said, tits get drinks. The bartender smiled and shook his head. Then Isla handed me a cocktail that I knew nothing of.

"It's sweet, you'll like it," she shouted over the music.

I tentatively sipped from the tiny straw. Whoa. It was sweet and magical. She must have seen my eyes light up because she let out a laugh.

"Amaretto sour," she said. "That's how I started."

"I love it!"

"Let's dance!"

She took my hand and squeezed us into a tiny table where we placed our drinks. I watched her pump to the music and I joined her even as I kept sipping my drink. The more I drank the looser I felt and the more uninhabited I became. This was amazing! No wonder the guys did it all the time! I was having such a great time, random guys would start dancing with us but none of it was sexual, we were just laughing and having fun. Then I felt someone grab my hand and when I turned, I found Denis with no last name smiling at me.

"Becka with the rack!" He shouted and I was by then on my second Amaretto sour which meant I was friends with random strangers. So, I threw my arms around him and hugged him.

"Denis, I came!"

He nodded and pointed to my drink. "We should do shots!"

I'd never had a shot before and I had read about them often so I eagerly nodded. I waved at Isla who was dancing with two guys and let Denis drag me back to the bar.

"Case!" Denis shouted at the green-haired bartender. This must have been his roommate. Case turned and nodded at him, he was popping two light beers open and handing them to an older guy who was ogling at him. "This is my little friend I told you about!"

Case walked to us and leaned forward, extending his hand. I smiled and shook it, tucking a wild curl behind my hair. He was incredibly good looking, a chiseled jaw, high cheekbones and deep eyes. He bit his lip when he looked me over.

"Two orgasms," Denis said and I gasped.

"They're shots," Case smiled and wow, why did he have to be gay? He was spectacular! His eyes were dark and large and his mouth was perfectly shaped, with a slight pout. I stupidly nodded and found Denis staring at me with a knowing look.

"He's straight," Denis pulled me and whispered in my ear. I gasped and looked at him. "Bad for me, good for you."

"Why is he working in a gay club?"

Denis held up his hand and made a money gesture with a smirk. Then Case was back, in his hands three white shots that looked like milk. I smiled at him and thanked him. He handed me one and another to Denis and kept one for himself.

"To your little friend," Case said and winked at me.

That's how I lost my virginity. To a bartender with green hair who worked at a gay club. It happened quite quickly and I was certainly a little too drunk but Case wasn't, he held his liquor very well. The thing is, I had this idea that it would earth-shattering, life-changing but it wasn't.

This is how it happened; I had gone back to dancing with Isla and Denis joined us. Then he invited both of us back to his place which we agreed to because he had a bottle of Jose Cuervo. I did not know what that meant at the time but I found out quite quickly. Jose Cuervo meant death and by 2 am I was hugging Denis' dirty toilet and vomiting my guts out. Being sick had sobered me up considerably so that I was riffling through Denis' medicine cabinet and gargling mouthwash when Case got home from work. Denis and Isla, who had become fast friends, were now sleeping on top of each other, snoring loudly on his bed and I planned to pass out on the couch. Case looked me over with a smile, he was now wearing jeans and a sweater and looked rather normal with the exception of his green hair. He looked even better and I noticed he was taller than Victor.

"Did you just vomit?"

I glanced at the bathroom and grimaced. "Yes."

"First time going out?" He walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge.

"I've been really focused on my grades," I said and watched him from the opening into the kitchen. "Should I still be drunk if I vomited?"

He chuckled and I saw he was constructing sandwiches.

"Alcohol is still in your system." He smiled at me. "What's your name, little friend?"

"Becka Montana," I said.

"Becka." He tested my name in his mouth and slathered mustard on a slice of bread. "Are you Hispanic?"

I nodded. "Puerto Rican."

"Hablas Español?"

"You speak Spanish?" I let out a laugh.

"Muy poquito." His accent was awful but still cute.

I watched him finish assembling the first sandwich and with a smirk, he handed it to me. "Eat, it'll soak up the alcohol faster."

I bit in the sandwich and realized I was ravenous.

"How old are you?"

I wiped at my mouth. "Eighteen."

He shook his head, taking a bite. "God, you're so young."

"Why, how old are you?"

"Twenty-six." He raised a brow.

He didn't look twenty-six, he looked maybe twenty-one. He must have read it in my face because he laughed.

"My roommate is obsessed with skincare, rooming with him is the best decision I've made in my life," he said. We were silent as we ate, him with his hip on the counter and watching me with a careful look.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

I looked at him rather surprised. "No."

He pursed his lips. "Girl like you..."

"What about a girl like me?" I was blushing like a freshman.

"Well," he finished his sandwich and dusted his hands. "You're sexy."

Oh.

I couldn't control my smile and I had to look away. "Ok."

He chuckled and his laugh was deep in his chest. "I'm sorry I suck at this. I've been working a lot and flirting with guys is a bit different than flirting with girls."

"You flirt with them?" I asked and he nodded, pulling from his jean pocket a massive wad of cash.

"When I first finished college I got this terrible telemarketing job, paid shit and I hated my boss," he said. "Then I became roommates with Denis and a bartender position opened so I tried out for it, pretended I was bi, and they hired me."

"That's kinda like lying," I said.

"Kinda like," he smiled at me and I felt it go right through me. My stomach churned and it fluttered.

"Um, thanks for the Orgasm you gave me, I liked it."

The moment the words were out of my mouth I regretted them with a passion, I had flushed completely even as Case laughed, his head thrown back in delight. I hid my face in my hands with a loud groan. Then he was before me, still laughing, and pulling me into a hug which felt incredibly nice.

"C'mere," he said. "You're so adorable."

"I can't believe I said that," my voice was muffled and I smelled him.

He smelled of smoke, beer, and CK One. His large hand circled my back and I suddenly realized that I didn't feel big in his arms, I felt like I fit and it felt rather nice. I looked up and his face was close to mine and I took in a sharp breath. Then he kissed me, slow at first, confusing, as it had been so long since I'd been kissed, but then we found a sensuous rhythm. He pulled me in and I felt the hardness of him snug between his legs brushing against my belly. I felt all cold and hot at once but his mouth was talented and his hands went to my hair, grasping it. When we separated, he looked so intently at me that I had to take a sharp breath to steady myself.

"Have you ever done this before?" His voice was so low I scarcely heard it against the ringing in my ears. I shook my head. "Do you want to do this?"

I studied him with his green hair and piercings, firm and masculine but smelling of smoke and beer. Not how I imagined my first time would be but still, he felt nice and he was nice and he asked rather than assumed.

"Yes," I said. "Yes, I do."

It was not earth-shattering but it was good. It took a while to get me relaxed, even as inebriated as I was. When I did relax, it improved greatly and it stopped being awkward. I didn't wake until Isla was knocking on the door and I sat up with a headache from hell. Case was still sleeping, his arm draped casually over my belly and I was naked from the waist down. At least I still had my bra on. I slowly slithered from under him, a small ache between my legs and I found my jeans and shirt, dressing as quietly as I could. Then he groaned and he opened one brown eye to watch me jiggle my way into my pants.

"Hey, you OK?" He ran his hand over his messy hair.

"Yes," I said. "I'm heading out."

He smiled lazily. "We can do another round if you like."

The sheets were clearly tenting between his legs. I was tempted but then Isla knocked again. I shook my head. "No, but thank you."

"Have I frightened you off men?" He closed his eyes, already ready to go back to sleep.

"No," I said and slid my zipper up. "Bye Case."

He smiled at me and I smiled at him and then I opened the door, putting my top on once I was outside. Isla's face was pure delight despite her mascara running down her face.

"Say not a word," I said and she held her hands up with a smile on her face.

"My baby's all grown up!"

Recommended 90s Playlist (will grow with each chapter)

1. Gettin' Jiggy With It - Will Smith

2. Kiss The Rain - Billie Myers

3. Come Baby Come - K7

4. Tubthumping - Chumbawamba

5. Bitch - Meredith Brooks

6. Something to Talk About - Bonnie Raitt

7. WannaBe - Spice Girls

8. Miami - Will Smith

9. Ghetto Supastar - Pras

10. All Cried Out - Allure

11. The Way - Fastball

12. Walkin' on the Sun - Smash Mouth

13. Can't Get Enough of You Baby - Smash Mouth

14. Stay (I missed you) - Lisa Loeb

15. Pretty Fly (For a White Guy) - The Offspring

16. Sex & Candy - Marcy Playground