Learning Curve: Chapter 3
Mike Newton's car, Port Angeles
"That was a good movie," I commented.
"Yeah, it was."
"Although I didn't like the actress in it. She seemed really slutty."
A pause. "Yeah."
I turned to face Mike, who was more focused on driving than I'd ever seen him. "Guys don't like that, do they? Girls that seem slutty? I mean, it's got to be kind of a turn-off to think a girl's had a lot of sex before."
"Totally, major turn-off," Mike agreed, but his chin wobbled, and his chin only wobbled when he was about to cry or when he was lying.
"And what's the big deal, anyway? Girls always want to seem so experienced, but I think it'd be more fun to figure things out together. Guys don't even really care about that kind of thing, right?"
"Right," Mike quickly replied. His chin wobbled again.
"I bet you didn't even think that actress was hot, did you?" I ventured, hoping for at least one favorable answer.
"Not at all." Chin-wobble number three. I slumped back in my seat, defeated. Mike really did want an experienced, slightly trampy kind of girl. I wasn't sure why he was with me, if that was what he liked, but aside from Mike, were there guys out there that preferred girls like me? If the popularity of that actress in skimpy outfits was an indication, she was what guys wanted a girl to be.
I didn't know how to be her. I didn't know if I wanted to be, either, but lately, it didn't seem like I had much choice.