Enjoy chapter 19!

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

First period gym class was over, and there was a buzz in the locker room as Eve's upcoming date with Jack was the topic of conversation. A huddle of girls crowded around the brunette, begging for details.

"Have you guys kissed yet?"

"Where's he taking you?"

"Have you been tweeting each other?"

Eve felt herself smiling. "He says he's surprising me, so I'm totally out of the loop. Honestly, he could take me to Chuck-E Cheese and I'd be happy." The girls, on the other hand, didn't look so impressed.

"Please! This is Jack," Rosa slipped her gym t-shirt over her head and replaced it with a ruffled red blouse. "I hardly think he's gonna take you to a fast food joint!"

"There's a new restaurant open on Robertson; maybe he'll take you there." Brie suggested.

"Maybe." Eve said. She still wasn't entirely accustomed to this lifestyle; she was pretty low key, and going to a fancy place may have been ideal for some, but not for her.

Rosa smiled cheekily. "And perhaps after dinner, you'll finish up with desert at Jack's house." She licked her lips and shook her hips cheekily, before rifling through her locker for the rest of her clothes.

"I doubt it-"

"Oh come on, I would." Nikki giggled. "Everyone knows Jack's the hottest..."

Nikki continued to talk, but Eve just blanked out. Was she the only girl in the junior class that still had her virginity intact? In Denver, being a virgin wasn't a big deal; actually, only a small minority of girls in her class had lost theirs, but round here, sex on the first date was of the norm. Eve understood doing it with a boyfriend, but she and Jack had only been out together once, and she wasn't willing to give herself to him without even knowing anything about him.

"Anyway, good luck tonight, Eve." Brie blew Eve a kiss, before she and Nikki headed out of the locker room. All the other girls had gone, and it was just Rosa and Eve left.

"Hey," Rosa turned around to look at Eve. "Are you okay? You seem a little-" She wrinkled her nose. "I dunno; are you nervous about tonight?"

"A little," Eve replied, sitting down on the bench. What she was about to tell Rosa would definitely get back to Maryse, Eve knew that, but she needed a little help. "Rosa, I'm a virgin."

Rosa froze for a second, but she didn't seem shocked. She shrugged, and said, "I kinda guessed." She paused, before quickly adding. "Not that that's a bad thing."

"I don't want to have sex," She admitted, "I mean, I do, just not tonight. Maybe once I've got to know him a little better, but-"

"It's okay," Rosa reassured her. "Jack's not gonna force you to do anything you don't want to."

"He's not gonna think I'm...?" Eve's voice faded off, as she looked for the words to say; immature, inexperienced, frigid, or maybe that she just wasn't interested in him – which she definitely was.

"It's not about what Jack thinks of you," Rosa told Eve, as the pair left the locker room and made their way towards their math class. "It's about what you think of yourself. If you don't want to have sex yet, you shouldn't have sex yet. If you're gonna have sex, you've got to want it, and you have to be ready for it. It's not for anyone else to decide."

For a girl that thinks salt water burns, Rosa could be surprisingly wise.

Walking down the corridor towards the girls' bathroom, Kelly was, as usual, deep in thought about Kofi. Ever since the dance, she wondered where she stood with him. They were good friends, she knew that, but was it possible that he felt something else for her? The way he looked at her; that couldn't be purely platonic. Everytime they played Xbox together, she wanted to put down the controller and kiss him, and whenever they had a conversation, she just wanted to tell him how she really felt.

"Love sucks." She muttered, looking at her reflection in the mirror, her voice echoing around the empty bathroom. "You're crazy; he's got a girlfriend." She shook her head, before walking into one of the stalls.

"Stay away from him." A voice from outside the cubicle told her in a harsh tone. Kelly didn't even realise anyone else was in the bathroom.

"What?" Kelly laughed out of pure nerves. "Whoever this is-"

"Kofi has a girlfriend, so stop being a little hoe, and stay away from him."

Kelly's eyes flicked to the gap between the bottom of the door, and the tiles on the floor, trying to observe the feet. She saw bare, caramel-coloured ankles and feet in pair of black thong sandals, topped off with painted red toenails. The ankles quickly disappeared.

Walking out of the stall, Kelly looked around the now empty bathroom.

"Alicia?"

"I'm serious!" Eve laughed, clutching her stomach. "I'd show up at ballet every week in a swimming costume, because my mom thought the leotards were provided! All the other girls would be in baby pink, and there I was in turquoise, with a dolphin across my stomach. Everyone thought I was taking Swan Lake a little too literally!"

"Stop it!" Jack hollered with laughter, as he stopped at a red light. "You're too much, Eve Torres, you know that?"

She felt a smile creep across her face; all in all, this had been one of the better dates she'd been on. It had been a lot more fun than Eve had predicted; she'd laughed a lot. It was as she'd expected, he'd taken her out for a meal at a nice restaurant, and all it took to break the tension was one of the waiters spilling Eve's pasta all over his shirt; after that, it was smooth sailing.

"So what about you?" Eve asked, as the car started moving again. "Any embarrassing basketball stories? Did your mom forget to wash your uniform so she forced you to play in a pair of Speedos?" Eve grinned.

"That would be impossible; I don't think my mom's ever done laundry in her life."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about Jovita." Eve smiled. "Must be real nice to have someone that does all your chores for you."

"I guess so," Jack shrugged, focusing out on the road ahead. "To be honest, I've never known any different. Jovita's always been around, and my parents have never really forced work on me. They say as long as I get the grades and keep up with the basketball, then I'm doing well for myself."

"My parents think chores equal responsibility," Eve rolled her eyes. "I clean my room, I wash the dishes every night, and on top of my 7Eleven job, Kofi and I have to clean our car."

"It must be nice to have Kofi around," Jack commented. "You know, having someone around that gets you."

"We're pretty tight. Are you an only child?"

Jack nodded. "And my parents are gone at work most of the time, so it's pretty much me and Jovita. Plus her English isn't the best, so the conversation could be better." He paused. "I guess that's why I throw myself into basketball and the social scene so much; my friends are my family."

For the first time since arriving in Beverly Hills, Eve had found vulnerability in someone of such a high status. Jack was lonely, and he just wanted people around to make up for his parents' absence.

"Your parents seem cool; you're lucky." He continued, before cracking a smile. "Not to mention your mom's kinda hot."

And the moment was gone.

"My mom is not 'hot'!" Eve laughed. Her mom was reasonably attractive, but hot? No way. "Kofi's mom's pretty hot."

"I've never seen Kofi's mom before, and I always forget you guys aren't blood-related." The car stopped outside Eve's house. "What about your dad and Kofi's mom? Are they back in Denver?"

Eve winced.

"Sorry. Sensitive subject?"

She had to get used to talking about. "Actually, I have no idea about my dad. He was around for the first few months of my life, but after that, he just left, leaving my mom and me alone. I can't remember anything about him, and frankly, I don't think I ever want to. Then again, I doubt he wants to see me much either."

"He sounds like a jerk." Jack said softly. "Anyone that doesn't like you must be."

"Thanks."

"So what about Kofi's mom?"

"She's a journalist, Angela Kingston, and she travels a lot. She still talks to Kofi by email and telephone, but because her life is so hectic, she's happy for him to live with his dad."

"So do you get along with your stepdad?" Normally, all of these questions would have irritated Eve, but there was something about Jack that made her feel comfortable. He was sweet, and he genuinely seemed interested in her.

Eve nodded. "I like him. He's pretty cool." Neither of them said anything, and it wasn't long before Jack leaned in to kiss her.

In her whole life, Eve had only kissed two guys. Firstly there was ninth grade Spin the Bottle with Liam Wesley, on his living room floor at his birthday party. Then there was her freshman year boyfriend of four months, Colby Sutton. Colby was sweet, and kind, but when the spark goes, the spark goes. Besides, Colby never kissed her like this.

It was at a slightly awkward position, as the gear stick dug into Eve's stomach, but Jack made up for that. His left hand was resting at the back of her neck and his right on her waist. His kisses made Eve go light headed, and made her forget that life outside this car existed, however she soon snapped back to reality.

The hand resting on her waist slid under her shirt, and massaged the bare skin. His other hand barely flicked at one of her shirt straps, forcing the flimsy material to slide down and expose one of Eve's lacy bra cups. She could feel her heartbeat increase rapidly.

"I...I should go." She stuttered, fumbling with the door handle and freeing herself from the car. Halfway up the path, and turned around and saw Jack was no longer there. Pulling her key out of her handbag, she readjusted her clothes, before letting herself into her house.

"Did you have fun, sweetie?" Carol called from the living room, above the blare of CNN.

"Yeah!" Eve's voice came out high and squeaky. She went into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. With shaky hands, she took it up to her bedroom and closed the door behind her.

"You've blown it, Eve." She muttered to herself.

...Has Eve blown it with Jack?
And what about Alicia knowing about Kelly's crush? Will Kofi find out?
Please review and read the next chapter! Xx