2) Great Expectations II
A few weeks had past since her birthday. Myra had been busy concentrating on her studies, preparing for exams and somehow she managed to push the memory of what had happened that night to the back of her mind. Well, almost. Whenever she wasn't focusing on her schoolwork, the thought of what she and Michael had done up in his room crawled back up and made her cringe.
Myra had been surprised how different the experience had been from what she'd always thought it would be. She'd always thought she'd get married some day and that this wouldn't happen until the wedding night. It wasn't that she felt used, or thought the experience had been sordid or anything like that. It was more like she felt she'd been cheated by herself, that it hadn't been the amazing thing she'd always expected and hoped for.
The next day, she'd told Shirley what happened that night. She just needed to confide in someone that she'd lost her virginity, and Shirley had already had two boyfriends and had shared her own story with Myra a year earlier. No one apart from Shirley knew what had happened at the party, all her friends had been preoccupied flirting with some other lads. Her parents didn't even know that they'd left the house that night, as Myra had managed to sneak back home before anyone was back from the pub.
She'd seen Michael around a few times and they'd always smiled at each other and exchanged a couple of words but nothing more had happened. Not that she wanted it to – she had her plans for the future and a relationship with Michael Thompson was definately not a part of those plans. Still, she had to admit to herself that she fancied him. Even if he'd already left school and was trying to find a job. Well, trying, but not too hard.
The morning after her last exam, Myra had woken up feeling a bit nauseous. As she came down to breakfast, her mother looked at her with concern and asked whether she felt alright. Myra told her she felt a bit off, but reasoned it must be the effect of the exam stress; she'd been unusually nervous those last couple of weeks but managed to push everything aside – maybe it was just the body finally allowing itself to react.