Moral Degeneration

After splitting from Brianna I went to lunch alone. With no Ryleigh, I didn’t have much choice on where to sit. I considered sitting with Luna, but I had to bite the bullet and sit with the boys. 

 

Chumming up to Lyle I sat with him at the boys table. Micah was as flamboyant as ever. He wore a bright ascot now. His dyed hair combed to one side he eyed me up and down. 

 

“Finally graced us with your presence?” He asked. I noticed his nails were well manicured, but not painted. 

 

“Yep,” I said, chowing down. 

 

“Sick of the girls?” A boy asked. 

 

“Fuck no. Girls are way hotter than you lot,” I said. They appeared shocked by the statement. Or perhaps how I expressed it. “What? You guys don’t like the fairer sex?” I looked around. They blushed at the mention of the word sex. Even the older ones. All of these guys were stunted. 

 

“What about you, Micah?” I asked. “Ever had a girlfriend?” He was the leader of the boys. I couldn’t help but hope at least he was experienced. 

 

Micah surprised me but putting on a confident smile. “I did, once,” he said. “You’re living with her.” My gut clenched. Luna hadn’t mentioned that. I kept my face composed as he continued. “Ava graduated last year. We dated for a bit then.” 

 

I felt a little better hearing that. I had fooled around with Ava. But she wasn’t mine like Luna was. 

 

“How’d it end?” I asked. 

 

“Not good,” he said. “She was very…clingy. She’s why I warned all these guys not to date.” I looked to the others. They blushed or pretended to focus on their food. Uncomfortable with our conversation. 

 

“Oh yeah?” I asked. “What’s wrong with dating?” 

 

“Listen, Russell, I’ll tell you what a senior told me my freshman year.” He leaned back a little. As if he had some sage advice. I had to admit he was acting like a different person than how I had built him up in my head. Almost wise. I guessed in a way he was. He had spent much longer in this world than I had. 

 

“Don’t shit where you eat,” he said. “I heard you went on a date with Brianna.” He eyed the tall brunette a few tables over. “Pissed off your little friend over there.” He eyed Ryleigh who was sitting with Mandi and the other girls. 

 

“Girls only want one thing at this school. To use you and lock you down. The senior that warned me had turned 18 early his final year. Signed himself up for the pregnancy donation. He said the way to go about it was to let our donations all become anonymous. Set up your website. Let girls sign up. No names. No attachments.”

 

He chewed on a piece of celery loudly. Smacking his lips as he talked. “When you date girls from the school. They become attached. Cause drama. Expect things. Things we as men can’t give them.”

 

“Like what?”

 

“More,” he said, like it was obvious. “Anything really. When you give them a little. They try to take it all.”

 

“That’s all you seem to talk about,” Lyle said. “Girls.”

 

I chuckled. Trying to lighten the mood. “What can I say? I’ve got a thing for them.” Lunch went on pretty simple after that. I was quiet as they talked about their weekends. 

 

I couldn’t help but feel a little bad about how I judged these guys. I had pictured them as effeminate, but these were the men of this world. Not used to girls, they only interacted with one another. If the advice from the older men was to stick to the anonymous donation. No wonder they didn’t try to fraternize with the sexy girls all around them. 

 

I studied Micah. I caught glances from girls around the table. They were all directed at him. He was the peak available male in this school. He was the standard for these girls. The quarterback. 

 

Curious how Ava had started to date him I would have to try to find out later. I never liked to hear one side of the story. From how dismissive Micah acted, I guessed there was more to the affair. 

 

My next class was Gym. The sexy coach, Tina Wyatt, had us running laps for most of it then we were left to our own thing. Killian and George were the only boys in the class so I hung with them for a little bit. But I kept catching glances from Luna and her friends. I guessed I was the hot topic since I had been seen with Brianna. Back in the old days I hadn’t been worth much notice. One of 10 boys out of over a couple thousand kids, I was a matter of gossip. 

 

I walked over to her group without hesitation. They eyed me and quieted down. “How’s it going girls?” I asked. “I don’t think Luna ever introduced me. I am Russell Willard. Please call me Russ. Since you’re friends of Luna, I would hope I can count you as my friends.” 

They didn’t know what to do with themselves for a moment. I eyed them one by one. “This is where you introduce yourselves.” 

“I’m Grace,” one stammered. She was the tall brunette, wearing glasses similar to Luna’s. Her hair and everything about her was prim and proper. Her hair and makeup were immaculate as she studied me.

 

“Samantha,” an Asian girl giggled. She was quite cute, but couldn’t hold a candle to my Farrah and Anastasia. 

 

“Maria,” the last said. Her Brazilian blood made her an eye-catching beauty. Long legs, dark hair down her back. Her deep brown eyes sized me up. I shook their hands one by one. 

 

“And you?” I asked Luna. She frowned at me. “You remind me of a cute girl I live with. But well, she doesn’t wear glasses like that.” She blushed, taking them off. “Oh, Luna. I didn’t recognize you. Sorry. The glasses threw me off. You must take them off when you’re around me. You should keep them on. They make you extra cute.” 

 

She blushed deeply. Samantha giggled, she was the youngest of the mean girls. I made a big deal about stretching and moved to sit in front of Luna. Leaning back she opened her legs. I laid my back against her front. Her breasts just above my head. 

 

“So,” I said. “What caused so many looks my way?” I felt Luna stiffen a little. They blushed and stammered. “Don’t pretend. I saw them.”

 

Maria was bolder than the other girls. “We heard you were at the mall with Brianna Brooks,” she said. “A boy seen in a public place with a girl from school. It’s quite the gossip.” I looked up to Luna’s face. She didn’t meet my eye. 

 

“How about I end the rumors here? I was there,” I said. “With Brianna.” I felt Luna’s legs tighten at my sides. I guessed she was onboard me with faceless women. It might have been a little harder knowing the face of one of them. It was just another hurdle to work through. 

 

“I know this might be a secret. But I don’t have a car,” I said. “I’m 14. I hate to say this, but this rumor has ruined a surprise I had planned for Luna.” I leaned forward from her legs. I stage whispered, “I had this big day planned between her and I. I had to go to the mall to set things up without her finding out.” That was news to the girls. They shared a look and turned back to Luna. My blonde beauty blushed hard. 

 

I was sick of these rumors. It was time to start a few more. Flood the market with enough, and no one would know what to believe. 

 

“But since this rumor ruined the secret, I guess I will have to rethink it. There’s no way I can surprise her now,” I said. 

 

I looked back to Luna. Her face was still red. “I mean you don’t have to cancel,” she whispered. 

 

“I must,” I said. “I mean. You are so amazing. I don’t know if you girls know this, but Luna has ignored all of my advances. I thought this was my chance to let her see me as more than just a boy she lives with. What about you girls? Since I will have to cancel with Luna, I must take someone. Who volunteers for such an endeavor?”

 

The other 3 were quickly the ones blushing. Their gaze went from one to the other. Maria almost said something but I cut her off. “Oh, I can’t play it any longer.” I turned around to face Luna. “Luna, please go on a date with me. I’m sorry that the surprise was ruined. Can you find it in yourself to give me a chance?” 

She locked eyes with me and slowly nodded. “Hooray,” I said loudly. “That is a weight off my shoulders. Thank you girls for giving me the courage to ask her.” The girls were thoroughly embarrassed. The talk of Brianna gone, I felt I had deflected well. “Let’s work out some more details my beautiful roommate,” I said. Grabbing her hand she shyly let me drag her away. We started walking the track around the gym. 

 

“Why did you do that?” Luna angrily whispered. 

 

“Did you not tell them about our date?” I asked. She shook her head. “Why?”

 

“Because…I thought you might be mad,” she admitted. 

 

“Why would I be mad?” 

 

“I don’t know. You kept talking about other girls,” she said. “I got nervous you’d cancel. Then I’d look like an idiot.” 

 

I grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face me. “I forget. I share a bed with all these other girls. I cuddle them at night. Talk about how much I like them. You’re right. Every other girl in the school I am doing those things with. I plan big dates with all of them.” She slapped my abs. Chuckling, I started us walking down the track again.

 

“Luna, I only have a few more assurances for you in us, before I give up,” I said. “Almost daily I have to reaffirm with you that I care and like you. I am a man. If I can’t keep my word, then I am no longer a man. When I tell you I will take you on a date, I mean it. Life happens and we might have to cancel, but that simply means we will reschedule. I don’t care what you tell your friends. Tell them I beg at your door everyday for a kiss. Keep up the homosexual rumor. I care what you think.”

 

“Sorry,” she whispered. “I don’t mean to be all over the place. I thought you were going to be open with me. Hearing about Brianna was a little bit of a shock.”

 

“That started without me meaning it to. I told you about me going to the Nightingales after the feds stopped by, remember?” She nodded. “Brianna was the girl I was there with.” 

 

“She’s the one with the sister in prison?” She asked. 

 

“Yeah. Bad situation. After that we started hanging out a little. I needed access to a car and she offered,” I said. 

 

“Are you…having sex?” She asked. 

 

“Do you want the answer?” I asked. “We have discussed full transparency. You never said you want to know everything.” 

 

Luna looked around the room thinking. “I would like full transparency,” she whispered. 

 

I eyed her. I could tell she didn’t want it fully. “I tell you what. If you still want our day date on Saturday. I will tell you everything after that.” I felt she would be less pissed about me having sex with someone if she and I had done it. “So, do you still want our date?”

“Of course,” she said. Biting her lip she eyed me cutely. 

 

“Good. Until then, I am sure our big date will become the new rumor.” I gestured to her friends. There were already 3 new girls around them as they whispered and looked our way. 

 

“Oh god. I can’t believe you told them,” she said. 

“What? Ashamed of me?” 

“No, just annoying. I’ve been a little quiet about us. I don’t want what happened to Ava to happen to me,” she said. 

 

“What happened to Ava?” I asked. 

 

“Don’t tell her I told you. She tried to date that Micah guy last year,” she said. “Lasted all of a week, if that. The way he tells it, she was pushy about trying stuff.” 

 

“What did Ava say?” 

 

“Wouldn’t talk about it.”

Of course. No one in Audrey’s family talked about anything. I was starting to think it was time to confront the older Cooper sister about why she exactly hated men. 

 

“I am going to have a talk to her about it then,” I said. “Tonight.” 

 

“How will you manage that?” She asked. “Ava won’t answer my calls.” 

 

“Oh ye of little faith,” I said. “I’ll try to fix it tonight.” 

 

“Good luck with that,” she said. “You um really have our date planned?” 

 

“Of course. You want to know what we will be doing?” 

 

“No,” she said quickly. “Don’t tell me. I want it to be a surprise. Oh my god. I’m so excited.” She smiled brightly. Soon after that class ended. I had English and introduced Mandi and George. It was as cringe worthy as I remembered as a kid. Lot’s of stammering. Blushing. Whispers. But by the end I felt a little better about the prospects of the boys in this world. At least with this they acted like any other boy from my world.