Inside My World

Backpack One

Amber Paige

“I’ll be back promptly at nine to pick you guys up. Call me if you need me,” she smiled at Amber.

The girls went straight to the food court and ordered a pizza to split. Paige was slurping the last of her soda when Robbie Lancaster snuck up behind her and tickled her under her arm pits. Paige wiggled and giggled at her silly boyfriend, then punched him in the arm for almost making her drop her drink. “The coast is clear right?”

“I’ve got a few hours of freedom,” she held her hands in the air.

“We’ve got to make it count,” Amber bounced up in the air like a free bird.

Robbie’s little crew came walking toward the girl’s and they all started giggling. Everybody was coupled off except for Amber. “Where is Dennis Smith? I thought you were going to bring him,” Amber frowned that her crush wasn’t there.

“He couldn’t get out. He’s on punishment for bad grades,” Robbie answered to Amber’s disappointment.

“So, are we still catching a movie or what?” Robbie’s best friend Caleb asked after stealing a piece of pizza from the box.

“I’m stressed and need some relief,” she smiled at Caleb.

“I know you guys aren’t going to do it in the movies?” Paige questioned.

Another girl from the crowd chirped her lips, “That’s nasty.”

“The least you can do is get a room.”

“Who here is eighteen and can get a room?”

“If you would have gotten your dad’s car like you were supposed to we wouldn’t have this problem.”

“You’ve ruined the plan.”

“I can't help it if my aunt needed to borrow the car,” Lisa rolled her eyes at Julie.

“Just because you’re five months from being eighteen doesn’t make you the boss of everybody,” Lisa turned up her full lips.

“Ladies, ladies, settle down.” Caleb said interrupting the argument.

“Chill out Julie,” Caleb squeezed Julie’s butt cheeks. “You’re going to get some, stop whining.”

“I’m with Caleb,” Paige frowned. “You need to chill.”

“Oh shut up Paige,”

“You and Amber are still little girls, the rest of us are women,”

“Real women get one of these,” Julie smiled lifting her t-shirt revealing a flat belly with a navel piercing.

“Oh my God,” all the girls said in unison. “Your parents let you get your belly pierced?”

“No,” Julie explained. “They don’t know.”

“How were you able to get that without a parent’s signature?” Amber had to know.

“My friends know this guy uptown who does them real cheap. I got it three weeks ago.”

“Robbie you need to pop that cherry, so Paige can be a part of the women’s club,” Julie laughed.

“Being a virgin ain’t cool,” she glanced over at Paige and Amber, who were the only two virgins in the crowd.

“That reminds me,” Julie said to Caleb. “We need condoms. We used the last one the other day.”

“I’ll get one at the store,” Caleb said.

“Just get a box and we’ll all split it,” one of the other boys said.

“Oh, it feels so good to be a woman,” Julie laughed and rolled her eyes at Paige.

Julie pulled out her light weight blanket from her oversized bag and laid it on her and Caleb’s lap.