TITLE: Beyond the River
GENRE: Literary Fiction
Brad, the protagonist, is a college freshman. Kelly, his friend since childhood, has come to visit. He has a crush on her. This scene takes place in Brad's dorm room.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Kelly said. “I’m just really confused right now.”
She leaned over and her hair fell forward, covering her face. Her head shook so that he thought she might be crying. Sweeping her hair back, she let out a snickering laugh, and asked, “You still a virgin?”
Brad looked away and slugged his beer.
“Come on, you can tell me . . . .”
He nodded tentatively.
She came over and sat down next to him.
“What’s going on?” he said eyeing her.
“I’ve made up my mind; this is something I want to do for you.” She peered at him in mock seriousness. “Plus, I’ll probably never have the opportunity to be with a virgin again.”
He forced an uneasy laugh. She put her arm around him and pulled him close. He kept his arms straight at his sides. She nuzzled her cheek to his. Then she kissed him. He had imagined this so many times and now it didn’t seem real. Was he just imagining again? He’d kissed another girl like this after a party once. He knew her from computer lab. But that time, the same effect hadn’t been achieved: like the rest of the world didn’t exist.