The sight of white socks, the smell of French fries, the song ‘Jump’ coming on the radio or on YouTube takes me back…

I was in high school, and my boyfriend Leroy was three months older than me.

I'd not started school until a year later than most because I was needed to help my handicapped mom on the farm.

Leroy was three months older than me, but in the same grade; he'd missed enough school between being shuffled around to stepparents and “adopted” parents to have to repeat a grade. We hung out on the weekends, riding his motorcycle, talking, going to the movies, and eventually doing some heavy necking with our clothes on, as teenagers will do. But we had agreed to wait for me to lose my virginity until I turned eighteen. We made a date for the first Saturday after my birthday. I was anticipating it with excitement and a bit of nervousness at the thought of losing my virginity.

Wednesday, the day of my eighteenth birthday, I did my chores, then dressed with care for school. I made all my clothes because I couldn't afford the fancy store in town, and I liked to dress in the latest styles. Miniskirts were in fashion, and I wore my favorite purple one, along with a purple and turquoise shirt I’d designed. I put on the matching shorts under the skirt after pulling up my pantyhose, because I knew my mom would check if I had my shorts on before I left the house. I strapped on my three-inch Hawaiian-print wedgies, and I was ready to go.

I caught the bus to school, a normal ride with the same fellow classmates doing their normal bullying. I was smart but poor, not a good combination. I ignored them as usual.

Between my second and third classes, it happened. My eyes met a pair of unfamiliar, piercing blue eyes, and it was as if a magnet pulled me to him. I went over, and I kissed him, right there in the hallway in front of the lockers. “I’m Jane,” I blurted. “I’m sorry, but I've never done anything like that in my life.”

“I’m Mike, and neither have I.”

“I have to go to class. Let’s talk at lunch,” I said.

We agreed to meet at the same locker after class, and off we went.

The class passed with a blur. The bell rang, and I went to my locker and stowed my books.

“Let’s go to Mr. D’s for lunch,” my best friend said. Her locker was next to mine. “My treat.”

“I’m sorry, I’m meeting someone.”

“Oh, is it that new guy you were locking lips with earlier? I didn’t know that you knew him. Today’s his first day. I heard he’s from the next town. I thought you already had a boyfriend,” she said.

With my mind in a daze, I brushed her off. “Maybe tomorrow,” I said.

I spotted Mike at his locker and hurried to join him. He led me out to a red Volkswagen Bug, and we got in the back. “My friend Peter will be here soon.” He turned and kissed me. “I heard it’s your birthday.”

“Yes,” I admitted. “I’m eighteen today.”

“My birthday was in January.”

We continued chatting, getting to know each other, and soon his friend joined us, handing us a sack of fries and some ketchup from Mr. D’s. It was a full bag of fries, about the size that a full-size McDonald’s meal comes in now, and enough for us all to share. He’d also brought sodas.

I got to know Peter that day as well, and we became lifelong friends, in spite of what happened over the next couple of years.

“I’ve heard you are smart and have straight A’s,” Mike said. “Do you think you can help me with my history homework? I can’t afford to flunk, or they’ll hold me back again. I really need to graduate next year.”

I agreed to help him and told him it would have to be at my house after school. I didn’t think Mom would mind, having been a school teacher, but I knew my dad would not be pleased at ‘his little girl,’ as he still called me, having a boy over, especially one that wasn’t my boyfriend. He’d kind of gotten used to Leroy, even though we never hung out at the house. He always picked me up and brought me home in vehicles from the used car lot where his dad was a salesman, and Leroy worked washing cars and doing general errands. As long as I was living in my parents’ house, I had to follow their rules, or appear to follow them.

After school, we piled into Peter’s car, and I directed him to my house, three miles from the school. Peter dropped us off and said he’d see us in an hour and a half.

The schedule was routine and punctual at our house. I knew we had a little over an hour and a half before dinner.

I introduced Mike to my mom and explained that I would be helping him with his homework.

We headed upstairs to my room. We studied for about half an hour and made good progress. He was a fast learner and not stupid like he’d been convinced he was. Looking back, I think he might have had dyslexia or something.

It was getting dark when my eyes met his, and the books were shoved to the other side of the bed. I turned on the light on my dresser. He took me in his arms and kissed me deeply. I could feel his erection between us. I couldn’t help myself. It was like an invisible force had brought us together, and I couldn't resist it. I melted, and soon both of us were naked. All but his white socks. I’ll always remember that: his white socks. He played with my nipples briefly, then he poised above me with his cock at the entrance to my pussy. I was wet, dripping for him, and he entered without a problem, burying himself to the hilt.

What a delicious sensation. We moved in unison, the tension building rapidly. As I came, I could feel him shooting his cum deep in me. He kissed me, our tongues intertwining, and his hands running all over my body.

“That was my first time,” I said.

“It was my first time,” Mike said at the same time.

We laughed quietly, got dressed, gathered his books, and headed down the stairs to meet Peter.

“Did it go well?” my mom asked as we went through the kitchen.

“Very well,” I said. “I think that we both learned something.”

Saturday evening approached, and I almost called off my date with Leroy. I decided to break up with him on our date before we did anything sexual. After all, I had a new boyfriend, and I wasn’t a slut.

He took me to an unfamiliar house in the country and led me inside. He told me that a friend was renting it, but had gone out for the night.

“We have this all to ourselves,” he said. His mouth captured mine in his oh-so-familiar kiss, our tongues intertwined. I was so aroused that all thought left my mind as he slowly unbuttoned my blouse. “This is what I've been waiting for,” he said.

He led me to a bedroom with an enormous waterbed.

“Me too,” I whispered. I was caught up in the moment, forgetting that I meant to break up with him that night.

We finished undressing until we only had what nature gave us.

I reached out and stroked his erection, which grew even more as I touched his soft skin. I grew bold and licked it. He seemed to like that, but I wasn't yet bold enough to ‘give head’ as I'd heard it referred to.

He reached into his pocket, unrolled a condom, and rolled it onto his cock.

Soon, he was pushing himself into me as I lay beneath him on the waterbed. I can’t say it was bad, just different with a condom. We both came soon, as only horny barely-adult teenagers can. When he pulled out, the condom was already coming off, and I could feel his cum inside me, leaking out.

“I'm sorry,” he apologized. “I don't know why it didn't stay on.”

“It’s okay,” I replied.

“You weren’t a virgin as you told me,” Leroy said.

“I was, Leroy,” I lied. “You were my first. I probably broke it doing chores on the farm. I read that it can happen.”

We got cleaned up, got dressed, agreed on what movie we’d gone to in case we were asked, and he drove me home, seeing me to the door and handing me back to Mom like the gentleman he always was.

Sunday was uneventful, and on Monday, I caught the bus to school. As usual, I tuned out the heckling from the back of the bus and headed to my locker. Mike was already waiting for me and greeted me with a kiss.

“You better not get caught,” my best friend said, coming up behind me.

Kissing was forbidden at school.

Mike and I agreed to meet for lunch again. I skipped my lunchroom duty, where I normally washed trays in exchange for a hot lunch, and we headed for Peter’s car. Mike handed Peter some money. He came back with burgers and drinks for all, and a bag of fries. We talked, getting to know each other even better, and Mike offered me a cigarette. I shook my head, but he said, “Just try mine.” I took a puff, coughing violently, and handed it back. Soon we were kissing, with his tongue intertwined with mine, my hands in his thick, short, blonde, curly hair. Peter was ignored. We arranged to meet after school for a study session and went off to class.

That school evening, and the ones that followed, were the same for the next month and a half. First, we study, then we would fuck, and he would go home when we were through.

Most Saturdays, if Leroy wasn’t working, he’d pick me up to go to the movies, although most often we’d do some heavy necking and more, wherever we could. One day, in particular, I had taken Mom’s car into town. I picked up Leroy, and we headed for the local lake where everyone hung out to swim, usually skinny-dipping. We parked in the parking lot and headed up the path towards the lake. We couldn’t keep our hands to each other, and soon we were taking our clothes off under a bush within a stone’s throw of the path. Leroy pulled out a condom and rolled it on. He’d gotten better at this as time went on. We kissed, he entered me, and we fucked. I hadn't gotten the nerve to break up with him. I guess I was a slut anyway.

The Saturdays that Leroy had to work, I would meet Mike at his apartment, and we would fuck. It seemed like almost every time, Van Halen’s ‘Jump’ would come on MTV while we were fucking. It felt so good, I never wanted it to end. I remember the smell of French fries because he worked at the potato processing plant that made flash-frozen fries for restaurants. I remember his propensity for never taking off his clean white crew socks. I also remember the day he asked me to marry him, and I said ‘yes’. Mike’s history grade had improved, and we were on track to graduate together. We just had one more year to go.

This pattern continued for the next month. Everything that happened was a cascade of events after I forgot to turn on the light following Mike’s study session.

We were fucking when I heard my Mom call up the stairs, “What are you doing?”

“Studying,” I answered.

“You can't study in the dark,” my handicapped mom said. I heard her start making her painful way up the stairs. I turned on the light as we hurriedly tried to get dressed. When Mom appeared, she looked at our half-dressed appearance. “I’m going to tell your dad,” she said. “I’m very ashamed of you.” With that, I heard her go one step at a time down the stairs as we finished dressing. The back door slammed shut.

“It will take her a little bit to get to the barn. Go out the front door and hide. It's almost time for Peter to pick you up anyway,” I told Mike.

He kissed me, told me he was sorry, that he loved me, and went into darkness.

Dad came in without a word. He headed for the bedroom. I heard the bedroom closet door slide open.

“This cannot be good,” I thought to myself.

When Dad came out of the bedroom, he had his shotgun in one hand and shells in the other. “Where did he go?” he demanded. “I'm going to kill that little bastard.”

I stood mute, afraid to enrage him even more.

“Tell me.”

I stood silent, but pointed at the door when he headed towards me.

After about half an hour, Dad returned, saying he couldn't find Mike and that the cows couldn't wait for him to finish milking them.

Mom gave me a sorrowful look, said she thought that she had taught me better, and told me to eat and not wait for Dad to finish milking.

I faced my reckoning the next morning. My parents were clear on the rules they set. I was not to date anyone but Leroy, I would never talk to Mike again, and at the end of the school year, I would go to live with my grandparents.

At school, I snubbed Mike in the hallway. I’d promised my parents. Between the second and third periods, I heard the phone ring in the teacher’s lounge, where the door was open for everyone to hear. “Yes, what do you want?” I heard the typing teacher ask. “Jane did what? Are you sure she was caught with a guy? Where did you hear that? Her dad told you at the feed store?”

My feet were frozen as all eyes turned towards me. I wanted to be invisible at that moment, but found that the invisibility which had gotten me through years of unpopularity was gone. Now I was in the spotlight, and I was not at all happy.

After a month, I figured out that I was pregnant. Mike was persistent. I gave him a note telling him that he made me sick. I couldn't figure out how else to tell him without breaking my promise to my parents. He left me alone.