Not Canon. If you have issues with reading about rape, then this story is not for you. I don't own the characters. They belong to Janet Evanovich.
CHAPTER 1
My name is Stephanie Michelle Plum. I'm five foot seven, average looking with curly brown hair and turquoise blue eyes. I am sixteen years old and a Junior at Trenton Central High School. My birthday is on October 31, 1984. Hallowe'en is my favourite holiday and I hate Christmas. Carl Costanza is taking me to the Valentine's Day school dance on Friday night. He was very shy when he asked me to be his date. It was so cute. He's cute with dark blond hair and blue eyes. Dimples appear in his cheeks when he smiles, giving him the 'boy next door' kind of vibe. Carl also lives in Chambersburg, aka the Burg, which pleases my parents. He lives a few houses up the road from me, next door to our mutual friend Eddie Gazarra. My best friend Mary Lou Molnar is attending the dance with her boyfriend Lenny Stankovic. They've been dating since last November.
Lenny's a linebacker on the football team. He has dark brown hair and blue eyes. Mary Lou volunteered to tutor him in Math so he could remain on the team. She's had a crush on Lenny since our Freshmen year English class. I wasn't really interested in dating anyone. There was one boy I had a small crush on. His name is Joseph Morelli. He's a football player and a Senior at my high school. His girlfriend for the last four years is Terri Grizolli. Joe is around six feet tall, muscular and has a really nice ass, dark brown hair and brown eyes. He's the quarterback on our football team. Terri is head cheerleader. She has dyed blond hair and blue eyes. It's customary for the cheer captain to date the quarterback. This must be some unwritten rule in the high school guide to survival.
I tried out for the cheerleading team, but Terri said I wasn't pretty enough. The cheerleading team are all stacked blondes. I wasn't really expecting to make the team because I'm neither a blond nor stacked. Mom would have disapproved the cheerleading uniform anyway. Instead, I tried out for the baton twirling team. For over two years, I was an excellent twirler. During the last game, my baton hit the tuba player in the head and knocked him out cold. I tried to explain my hands were cold and I lost my grip, but the team captain kicked me off the team. No skin off my nose in any case. At least I won't be freezing my ass off during the playoffs. Our team would definitely make the playoffs as we have for the last eight years.
It's the night of the Valentine's dance. I'm so excited my parents gave me permission to go. Mom bought me a pretty pale blue dress. It has three quarter length sleeves, a modest neckline and is mid calf in length. My shoes nude with kitten heels. Unfortunately, I had to wear pantyhose. It was mom's only caveat besides selecting my dress and shoes. Carl arrived at my door wearing a dark grey suit, white shirt and a pale blue tie perfectly matching my dress. He gave me a wrist corsage to wear. His mom didn't want him to ruin my pretty dress with a pin. I borrowed Mom's long black wool jacket to protect me from the cold. Mom gave me a hug and said, "You look beautiful Steph. Have fun with Carl tonight." She whispered, "Good girls don't have sex before marriage." As if I was going to just give away my virginity to a boy I don't love.
"I know Mom. I'm saving myself for marriage." She patted my back and pushed me out the door. "Hi Carl. Is your dad driving us?" I noticed his dad's car in the driveway. The blue Ford Taurus was only a year old.
He looked really happy and proud of himself. "Nope. I passed my driver's test. I'm driving us to the dance." I was surprised his dad let him drive the newer car.
"That's awesome Carl. I take my driving test next month." He waited until I sat in the car to shut the door behind me. Carl was being a perfect gentleman tonight. When we arrived at school, he hopped out to get my door for me.
We had a lot of fun at the dance. All the girls looked beautiful in their dresses and hair professionally styled. Only a few girls looked like hookers. I'll give you a few guesses... let me help you. Joyce Barnhardt, Terri Grizolli, Shauna Montgomery and the other cheerleaders who I don't really know. The three girls I mentioned are also our high school sluts. They will literally sleep with anyone or anything. I sometimes wonder if they're trying to make up for their lack of adequate father figures. Nothing appeals more to high school bad boys than damaged girls with daddy issues.
The boys all looked handsome in their suits with exception of Joseph Morelli. He resembled a mob boss and it was not a flattering look. Joe looked sexy in a pair of tight jeans and T-shirt. Even at the age of eighteen, he had a very muscular build. I heard he joined the Navy and would be leaving after graduation.
Before going home, we walked around the football field. "Steph?" Carl asked shyly.
"Yes Carl?" He stopped walking, causing me to trip over my own feet.
He caught me and helped stabilize me. "Can I kiss you?"
"I've never kissed anyone before." I could feel my face flush bright red. If I were a neon sign, everyone could see me.
"Neither have I," he confessed. He leaned in to kiss me. I wasn't sure what to do, so I just stood there. "Steph? Are you alright? You didn't kiss me back."
"Sorry Carl. I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do." I made a mental note to kiss him back.
"Let's give it another try." He leaned in for another kiss. I was going to mimic his actions.
"Okay." This time when we kissed, I kissed him back. He touched my lips with his tongue, causing me to gasp and open my mouth. I felt his tongue enter my mouth to touch mine. It was a bit strange at first, but I reciprocated.
He was a good kisser, although a little sloppy and wet. I couldn't really judge him too harshly since he's the first boy I kissed. His watch alarm sounded, causing us to stop kissing. "Steph, would you be my girlfriend?"
I laughed, "I thought kissing me meant I was already your girlfriend." My stomach twisted around itself. Honestly I thought we were already dating since he asked me to the dance. It's not like he said we were going just as friends.
He rested his forehead against mine. "So that's a yes?" I started to get annoyed. Didn't we already establish this?
My heart raced as I replied, "Yes Carl. I'll be your girlfriend." I finally have my first boyfriend. Mary Lou would be very happy. Lenny, Carl and Eddie were best friends.
"Okay. It's time for me to drive you home. Your curfew is in fifteen minutes." Carl walked me to the door to ensure I arrived safely.
Dad opened the door and checked his watch. "Five minutes until your curfew. Thank you son," Dad thanked Carl. I could see Carl puff out his chest as though he was king of the jungle.
"Good night Stephanie, Mr Plum."
"Good night Carl. I'll see you at school on Monday," I replied as I tried to stifle a laugh.
I watched as Carl sat in the car and drove away. "Pumpkin, did you have fun tonight?"
"Yes Daddy, I did. Thank you for letting me go." I danced with so many boys. Eddie, Lenny and Carl danced with me more than anyone else. Both Carl and Terri were upset when I danced with Joe. He obviously didn't take dance lessons because he kept stepping on my feet. Joe had a predatory look in his eyes that made me uncomfortable. We only dance that one time because his hands kept roaming to grab my ass. Dancing with Carl was more fun and less uncomfortable. He was quite the enthusiastic dancer. I don't think I laughed so hard in my life. We managed to avoid Joe for the rest of the night. Terri also kept him on a very short leash.
"You should get to bed. Grandma and Grandpa Mazur are coming over tomorrow. You need to help your mother clean."
"Okay Daddy. Good night." I kissed his cheek. Rules are rules. No wonder Valerie didn't want to go out tonight. She abided by the house rules, but she avoided putting herself in a position where her morning sleep in would be jeopardized. I had a feeling she found a way to
"Good night Pumpkin." He locked the doors and checked the windows. It was his responsibility to ensure the safety of his family.
Mom went to bed fifteen minutes earlier. She was still awake when Dad went to bed. "Frank, did she kiss him at the door?"
"No. They didn't kiss at the door. Carl's a respectable boy." I heard their conversation. It was funny mom assumed we never kissed. I'm so glad we kissed on the football field.
"Thank goodness. Did you hear his sister joined the Army last year?" Mom was always concerned about what our neighbours thought. Sometimes Mom is too confusing. She wants me to find a man, yet she gets angry if I kiss him. I lay on my bed thinking about kissing Carl.
"Good for her. I always thought we needed more women in the military," he replied. Mom started talking about war not being a place for a proper Burl girl.
Letting my thoughts stray, I wondered what it would be like to kiss Joseph Morelli. Mary Lou heard he has a lizard tongue and magic fingers. I remember when he fingered me when I was six and he was eight. His fingers weren't magic back then and it kind of hurt. But what did I know, I was only six. Maybe it won't hurt so much now that I'm older. Mom warned me to stay away from those Morelli boys. I'm more curious about his lizard tongue and hoped he would use it on me. Huh... maybe I'll join the Army instead.
Mom woke me up at 7 am. "Can't I sleep in, Mom?" I complained. It took me way too long to shut my brain down enough to fall asleep.
"No Steph. You know the rules. If you go on a date, you must help with cleaning and cooking the next day." Cleaning I could do, but cooking? That's going to be disastrous.
"Okay Mom. I'll get up." I changed my clothes and attempted to tame my unruly curls. Giving up, I pulled my hair into my typical ponytail. Mom was cooking chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. I sat at the table as she placed four large pancakes in front of me. "Mmmm. These are delicious Mom," I moaned as I ate.
"Thank you dear. Charlene Stankovic gave me the recipe."
"Thank you, Mrs Stankovic for giving my Mom the best pancake recipe ever." Mom laughed as I finished eating.
"I can always tell when you find the food delicious," Mom commented.
"How do you know?" I questioned.
"You moan with every bite you take. It's nice to have someone appreciate my cooking." She never complained when I moaned throughout our meal, as long as it was just immediate family. Unfortunately, Grandpa and Grandma don't count as immediate family.
Mom and I have our moments where we don't see eye to eye. She tried many times to teach me how to cook. Unless it's food I can reheat, I fail miserably. The last time I tried to bake a cake, it looked amazing, but it tasted awful. I accidentally used salt instead of sugar.
We have a dishwasher, but Mom always insists we hand wash the dishes. I washed and dried breakfast dishes before I was assigned the task of cleaning the bathroom. Luckily, we only had one bathroom to clean. It was unlucky because the four of us always fought to get into the bathroom first. Dad won more times than me or Valerie.
Valerie is two years older than me. She literally gets away with everything. At a young age, she learned to use me to distract Mom from her own actions.
Saint Valerie stayed over at her friend's house last night. She told Mom they were going to watch movies all night. When Carl drove me home, I saw her sneaking out of the Sutton's back yard. Valerie's obviously not as innocent as she pretends to be.
I heard a rumour she was dating Steven Sutton. He's five years older than her and attends Rutgers College, studying Law. His parents live just inside the Burg. I don't understand why she's sneaking around. Mom and Dad would approve Steve. Why don't the rumours about Valerie ever reach Mom's ears? People in the Burg are always talking about me, never about Valerie. I could only assume Valerie pulls off the innocent act better than I do.
Mom often compares me to Valerie. I don't want to be a Burg clone. Getting married after high school and having babies just doesn't appeal to me. I have always been different from Valerie. She played with her Barbies, dressing them in fashionable clothes and shoes. I pretended to be Peter Pan until I discovered Wonder Woman.
When I grow up, I want to be Wonder Woman. She would chase the bad guy, capture him and bring him back to jail. Wonder Woman had brown curly hair and blue eyes too. Every time I watched the TV show, I would imagine it was me.
Valerie thinks I'm jealous of her. She has straight brown hair and brown eyes. If I was jealous of anything, it would be her perfect body. She has the body shape the boys find sexy. I'm practically flat chested compared to her. Mom says I'm still going through puberty. I think I'm done.
In health class, they told us women are finished puberty when they get a regular period. Mine have been regular and painful since I was thirteen. I haven't grown any taller. My bra size has been 34B since I turned fifteen. When Saint Valerie has her period, she endures it with a smile on her face. She doesn't get cramps like I do. Her bra size is 36C.
I guess you could say I am slightly jealous of Valerie. She's prettier than me, skinnier and has larger breasts than me. But not once have I wished I was just like her. I'm smarter than Valerie. I've been on the Honour Roll since I started school. She plans to get married once she graduates high school this June. Personally, I think that would prove to be her biggest mistake.
There's more to life than marriage and babies. I want to be someone when I grow up. Music and dancing were always on my mind. Mom and Valerie say I can't carry a tune, that I'm tone deaf. Daddy says I sing like an angel. I'm not sure who to believe... the man who always encouraged me or the women who were nothing but brutally honest.
I'll write in my journal before I go to bed tonight. Maybe it will give me some clarity. I only need to find a different perspective. So far I've been fortunate Mom and Valerie haven't been able to crack the code. Most of my journal entries sound like song lyrics. Yes... I intentionally wrote my thoughts that way.