A/n: This came to me after an RP with The Last Truffula Tree…By the way, Grandma Miriam is hers! So, I don't like this at all, but I posted it because I am one who believes that the world deserves more MoJo fics, good or bad. So here you go! Review, please?

.x.

"Okay, here's one," Maureen said over the loud, bubbling sound of the Jacuzzi jets.

Mark rolled his eyes at Joanne good-naturedly, and Joanne almost smiled at him. He was a likable guy, really, and had great potential as a friend. The only thing in the way?

He was dating Maureen.

He seemed to like to reinforce this position as often as was possible. Even there, in the Jacuzzi, he and Maureen sat on one end, side-by-side, and Joanne sat opposite them.

"What is it?" Joanne asked idly, taking the champagne out of Maureen's hands. She took a long swig, cringing as the bittersweet liquid burned her throat. She wasn't used to any sort of alcohol at all-- after all, she was only sixteen.

It wasn't like she was constantly invited to keg parties, and even if she was, she'd probably stay in studying anyway.

Her best friend, Maureen, on the other hand, was a party animal. She was known for her antics at Scarsdale High School, along with two of their best friends Collins and Roger.

Mark was more like Joanne-- he'd rather be inside, watching reruns of Saved by the Bell. At the moment, however, the three of them were in Maureen's backyard, in the brand-new hot tub.

"It was a lame present for Mom, from Grandma Miriam last Hannukkah," Maureen had said nonchalantly, unveiling it in all its bubbly glory. "Wanna try it out?"

Joanne had nodded, enticed by the warm water, and the opportunity to see Maureen in a bikini-- something Joanne would never turn down.

Presently, Maureen leaned forward toward Joanne, causing the mocha girl to glimpse the small amount of cleavage that her bikini top showed. Embarrassingly enough, Maureen caught her staring. She looked at Joanne, before tightening the straps slightly, causing the cleavage to disappear.

"Okay...Have you ever been kissed, Jo?"

Joanne raised her eyebrows at that, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. "I thought you knew everything about me, Maureen. After all, we are best friends."

Maureen rolled her eyes, taking another swig of the champagne. "Yeah, right. If you were sober right now, Joanne, you'd totally be freaking out and changing the subject."

Joanne narrowed her eyebrows. It was true that the three of them were drunk, and in general, Joanne was feeling warm and cozy. However, she wasn't turning out to be a fun or happy drunk. Just...a confused one.

Joanne sighed and took another swig of the peach-flavored champagne, setting it back down in its place, beside the two already empty bottles.

"No," she said matter-of-factly. I'm drunk, she thought. That's my excuse for this stupid game of Truth or Dare.

Maureen looked at her, worried. "Jo, that's...tragic! You're almost seventeen! Seriously? Seriously."

Mark looked at his girlfriend, worried, and put a hand on her arm. "Mo, just let it go."

Maureen looked from his hand to him, pulling it off of her. "Shut up, Mark."

Mark's face reddened. "Maureen, don't tell me to shut up! I'm not gonna shut up!"

The brunette glared at him. "You can just leave then! We don't need you here."

As Mark started to pull his white body out of the jacuzzi, Joanne spoke up. "Wait! Mark. Don't listen to her."

Mark shook his head. "I've heard enough."

As he grabbed his pants and threw them over his left shoulder, he went around the front door, shutting the backyard's gate as hard as he could. When he was gone, Maureen started giggling. "Short fuse, that one. Thank God he's gone."

Joanne rolled her eyes. Sometimes, she thought Maureen was unhappy with her relationship with Mark, especially since they fought constantly. There were the times, though, when they seemed like the perfect couple.

Destined to settle down and have lots of babies, Joanne's mother always said, dreamily. I can't wait 'till you find a man like Mark.

Unfortunately for her mother, Joanne knew she'd probably never find a Mark, and she was glad. She was looking for someone more like...Maureen.

At the thought of her best friend, she looked at the diva, who was chugging the champagne. "Okay, Mo," she laughed, taking the bottle away. "That's enough peach bubbly for you."

Maureen crossed her arms defiantly, making the water swish about from the action. "No. I want it back."

Joanne grinned, un-corking the bottle again. She tipped it to her lips, pouring the remaining liquid down her throat.

Maureen gasped. "What the hell, Jo? That was all we had!"

Joanne grinned. "I know."

"And...And....I didn't even get enough! I'm not gonna get drunk enough now!" Maureen sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I'm gonna have to get one of Dad's disgusting beers from the fridge. God, those things are nasty."

Joanne just smiled smugly. "What are you smiling about?" Maureen said, still holding a grudge.

"Nothing."

Maureen sighed, muttering something along the lines of 'took my damn booze.'

Joanne shrugged playfully, sticking out her tongue at Maureen.

Before she knew it, Maureen had cornered her in the hot tub, pressing her up against the wall. "Looks like I'll just have to get the rest from you," Maureen whispered, before she pressed her lips to Joanne's.

Joanne closed her eyes instinctively, the combined alcohol buzz and feeling of those lips on hers making her feel like she was floating. "Mmmm," she moaned as Maureen's lips and tongue slid past hers, and she tasted peach and raspberry and fizz from the champagne.

Maureen turned her head, wrapping her arms around Joanne's neck. They kissed for what felt like minutes, until Maureen arched her back, pressing her chest into Joanne's.

Joanne's heart almost stopped as she felt their breasts pressed together, and she gasped, pulling out of the kiss. It was all so overwhelming...

Maureen smiled oddly. Joanne had never seen that particular smile-- it was drunken and satisfied.

"And that," Maureen said matter-of-factly, "Is how to kiss."

Joanne looked everywhere, anywhere but into Maureen's hazel eyes. She looked at the dark green shrubbery of Maureen's backyard, studied the moon's reflection on the damp grass.

Finally, she met her best friend's eyes. Slut, she thought. In a good way. A very good way.

"Right," she said shakily, glancing at the bottles of alcohol. "It had to be the uh...Um..."

"The Champagne," Maureen finished for her, smiling wider now. "Of course. And I wasn't coming onto you or anything," she laughed as if it was the stupidest idea in the world. Joanne's heart sank.

"I just think it's important that you've been kissed," she said. "You know! Practice. For boys?"

Joanne nodded, trying to smile. "Yeah. For boys."

.x.

Much later that night, the friends laid awake, buzzed from beer and a few cans of soda.

"Jo?"

Joanne blinked in the darkness, turning to the lump that laid so close to her.

"Yes, Mo."

"I can't sleep. Tell me something."

Joanne sighed loudly. "Like what?"

Maureen visibly shrugged. "I don't know! Tell me something no one else knows."

"Umm..." Joanne tried to think. "Like, a secret?"

"Like anything. Hurry up, I'm bored."

Joanne snorted. "Okay, well...I snore sometimes."

Maureen sighed, exasperated. "Joanne! Please! Something I don't know."

Joanne nodded in the dark. She was silent before she spoke again. "Mom wants to send me off to boarding school next year."

Maureen sat up quickly, her mouth hanging open.

"What?"

Joanne nodded. "I know. I, um...was going to tell you. I just found out last week, and...she wants me to start Junior year at Miss Porters."

Maureen's eyes lit up angrily, intensely. "Joanne, you've got to tell them...you can't! You can't leave, that's in three months! We haven't been apart since third grade! We...we were supposed to graduate together..."

Joanne nodded, blinking back tears. When she'd first heard the news, she had cried in her room for hours. She was upset all over again, now that Maureen was reacting to it. "I know."

Suddenly, as if realizing that there was nothing they could do about the situation, Maureen reached over and hugged Joanne tightly. "I love you, Joey, you know that? We'll be best friends forever," she whispered, squeezing her as hard as she could.

Joanne sighed into her vanilla-scented hair, closing her eyes. "I love you, too."

As Maureen broke away, she looked Joanne in the eye. "You had a really good secret," she said simply, and Joanne nodded. There's more where that came from, that's for sure.

"I guess it's my turn, then?" Maureen said, trying to take both their minds off of the realities of Joanne moving to Connecticut next fall.

"Yeah." Joanne nodded.

After a moment of silence, they both laid back down. Joanne rested her head in her pillow, staring at the ceiling. Maureen finally spoke. "Remember last December, when Mark and I went skiing with his parents, in Vail?"

Joanne nodded. It had been three months ago,and Maureen was so excited about going. Before she'd left, ski coat in hand, she'd given Joanne a long hug. "Here," she'd tucked a manilla folder under Joanne's arm during the hug. "Merry Christmas, Joey."

Later, as she opened the manilla folder, which had a bow stuck on the top, Joanne gasped. It was a drawing-- of her.

Maureen had always been a good artist, great even. She'd never drawn for Joanne, though, so the mocha girl was surprised to see the obviously well thought-out portrait of herself, staring back at her.

The most surprising thing, though, was that she looked almost...beautiful.

To this day, the portrait hung on Joanne's wall, though Maureen never spoke of it when she came over. She must've been embarrassed, Joanne mused.

"Yeah, I remember," Joanne answered, pulling herself back into reality.

"Well, one time, when Mark's parents were at a friend's cabin, and we had one all to ourselves..." Maureen trailed off, and Joanne knew what was coming.

Maureen had already been...deflowered. By him.

"Um...we fucked," Maureen said quietly. Joanne turned to her with a sigh. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Maureen bit her lip, propping herself up on an elbow. "To be honest...I didn't want you to think I was a whore."

Joanne's jaw hung open, surprised by the words that left Maureen's mouth. "Are you kidding? That's insane. I'd never think you're a whore!"

Maureen smiled weakly, and they both lapsed into silence again. After several minutes, Joanne spoke.

"What...what was it like?" She asked quietly.

Maureen thought for a moment. "It hurt."

Joanne nodded; she knew that came with the territory. "And...it didn't feel like I thought it would. At least, it didn't feel very good. Like you see in the movies?" Maureen's voice sounded far away, and almost vulnerable.

"It lasted about ten minutes, and he was so loud. It was weird, because it just hurt, for me, but he just kept moaning and groaning...He must've liked it because he was so happy afterward."

Joanne cringed. From what Maureen was saying, sex didn't seem like it was all it was cracked up to be.

"But afterward...he held me. And I felt good then, I felt really good. So...I guess it wasn't terrible." She paused. "We haven't done it since, though...I mean, why bother, you know?" She laughed harshly.

Joanne nodded. "I just wonder...I wonder what it feels like."

Maureen looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Ever seen a jackhammer, drilling a hole in the street?"

Joanne nodded.

"Like that. It feels like that."

She cringed, sad that Maureen's first time was so awful. "Still, though...I wonder what it really feels like."

Maureen sat up. "I wish I could..." Her eyes suddenly got bright. "I could show you."

Joanne's heart immediately began beating faster, as she pondered what Maureen had just said.

"You're drunk."

Maureen rolled her eyes. "So? You're drunk, too. Now or never, Joey. Want me to show you?"

"You...You could?"

Maureen nodded. "It won't be as bad, though. Not like Mark at all. It might even be...good. Joanne? Can I...kiss you?"

Joanne was breathless by now, looking at Maureen, who was perched on top of her, a hunger in her eyes. She closed her own eyes, feeling Maureen's breath on her lip. As their lips pressed together, the fluttering in Joanne's stomach told her that this was very, very right.

"First, you take off your shirt," Maureen mumbled, and Joanne did what she said.

"Now, I'm just going to put my hand here..." Joanne cried out as Maureen's hand found her bare breasts, and she heard Maureen sigh.

"Now, your pants..."

.x.

Joanne woke the next morning to a ray of sunshine, piercing through the heavy blinds that shielded the sun from Maureen's bedroom window. She opened her eyes cautiously, looking around her.

The first thing she registered was a dull, pounding headache. Lightweight, Joanne scolded herself. As she looked at the lump lying next to her, the next thing she registered made a shock run through her body, as the memories from the night before cam back to her in a blur.

Tongues, lips, breasts, hands, legs, hair, fingers...

Joanne felt the lump next to her stir, and looked down at own naked body. Maureen opened her eyes, confused, before she looked at Joanne with shock, jumping up. She pulled the sheet around her more tightly, looking at Joanne with fear in her eyes. "What. The Hell. Happened?" She said in her scratchy, morning voice.

Joanne scrambled for a reply. "Uh...We, um...See, we were talking, and..."

Maureen rubbed her temples. "Did we..."

Joanne nodded. "We did."

Maureen bit her lip, looking from Joanne to the sheet. "But it's okay...I mean, I told you, I was just..."

Joanne nodded again, feeling like a bobblehead. "I know. You were."

Maureen pointed to herself. "And I'm not...I don't like..."

Joanne nodded quickly. "Yeah! I know. You aren't. Neither am I."

Maureen sighed, giving her a nervous smile. "We were really drunk," she explained, and Joanne smiled weakly at her.

Right...Like drinking champagne qualifies as 'getting drunk.'

"It was just..." Joanne trailed off, looking for the right words as she grabbed her clothes from the floor. "For boys."