Erin - Learning the Rules (10)

Erin – Learning the Rules

You know I never
I never seen you look so good
You never act the way you should
But I like it
And I know you like it too
The way that I want you
I gotta have you
Oh yes, I do…

Cause baby we'll be
At the drive-in
In the old man's Ford
behind the bushes
till I'm screamin' for more
Down the basement
lock the cellar door
And baby
Talk dirty to me

                                                             Poison (Talk Dirty to Me)

Now it was Erin’s turn to fix his car.  It needed new brakes, and probably had for a while now.  But since Erin was typically the only one who ever drove it, he had waited longer than he should have.  It was due for an inspection, and he was not about to pay a garage for something he could do with a little assistance from Danny.  So there they were, back in the driveway at Erin’s house, tinkering with their cars and discussing important current events, like the upcoming Prom.

“Did you get a corsage for Hannah?  I would have blanked on that completely, but my mom reminded me last week.”  Danny dribbled a basketball as he wandered aimlessly.

“Shit.”  Erin swore under his breath.  “No.  Thanks for reminding me.  I guess I’m going to have to stop at the florist’s after school tomorrow.  I will be so glad when this whole blasted Prom drama is over.  It’s all anyone is talking about and frankly I am sick of it.”  Erin worked at the lug nuts on his tire, trying to get it off to get to the brake pad. 

“Well it is the biggest event at school all year.  It’s also a big event for other reasons, too.”  Danny paused for effect and stopped dribbling.  “Violet asked me to get a hotel room.”

Erin figured that Danny had something on his mind when he arrived this afternoon, but he had no idea it was this monumental.  He knew he was going to have to measure his words and not clown around about this.  Erin swiveled around on his stool and looked squarely at Danny.  “That’s huge, man!  How do you feel about that?”

Danny sat down on the basketball and looked off into the distance.  “I like her a lot.  Maybe even love her.  It seems like I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.  I don’t want to screw it up.”

“Understood.  I think if you play it right, you’ll be fine.  You know it’s not like it is in the movies, right?”

Danny sighed.  “I know that in theory, but I’m not exactly sure what I should do.  I can’t ask my dad; we don’t talk about that stuff.  All he says is, ‘don’t get anyone pregnant’.  Thanks for the tip, Dad!”  He looked at Erin.

“Yeah, my dad never really said too much to me either.  I kind of had to figure things out for myself.”  Erin mused.  Then it dawned on him.  “Are you asking me for advice?”  Erin wanted to make sure he wasn’t overstepping his boundaries with Danny.  They had been friends since middle school, but he needed to know that Danny was actually listening.

“I guess I am.  You’ve done this already, or at least I think you have.  I know we’ve never talked about it, but I get the feeling you know what you’re doing in that department.”  Danny rocked back and forth on the ball, waiting for Erin to respond.

“This is pretty personal, but for starters, I guess I need to ask you if you know if Violet is a virgin.”

“I think so.  She’s never really come out and said so.  Why do you ask?”

“There are a couple of special considerations that you need to be aware of.  That's why I’m asking.”  Erin turned around and resumed his efforts at the lug nuts. 

Danny waited for a few moments, and then asked, “Are you going to tell me what they are?”

Erin sighed.  “I’ve never really had to discuss this before.  Give me a minute to formulate.”  Danny got back up and resumed his dribbling.  He tried a few free throws, but only one went into the basket.  Erin got the tire off of the car and turned back around to face Danny.

“First of all, if she’s a virgin, you’re not going to just be able to slide right into home.  You’re going to have to break through her “virgin skin” first.  This means that she will probably bleed a little, and it might be mildly painful for her.  Put a towel down on the sheets just in case.  She might take care of that herself, so don’t give her a weird look if she brings one out from the bathroom.”

“Okay.  I think I can handle that.”  Erin watched as Danny slowly digested this information.  “What else is there?”

“Be gentle.  She’s probably more anxious about this than you are.  The first time is a big deal for a girl, you know.  I’m sure she thought a lot about this before deciding that you were ‘the one’ she wanted to do this with.  Just to put that in perspective for you.”

Danny was hanging on every word.  “I guess I really hadn’t considered that.  I was so excited that it never occurred to me.”  He looked expectantly at Danny.  “What else?”

Erin pondered this.  “Wear a condom, genius.  We both know that you would die a slow and painful death at the hands of your mother if you made her a grandma right now.”

Danny countered.  “That was one of Violet’s stipulations anyway.  I bought a box of Trojans a while ago just in case.”

“I don’t even want to know the answer to this next question, so don’t answer me.  Have you ever actually put one on yourself?  If not, you might want to practice a few times so you’re not fumbling around during the actual act.  If you take too long, she can lose interest, and your pecker can go limp, too.” 

“You’re a virtual encyclopedia of sex.  I feel like I’m talking to Hugh Hefner himself.  So are you and Hannah going to get a room, too?”

Erin shook his head.  "No.  I wasn't even going to try and approach her about that.  She's nowhere near ready for me to ask her about that.  I'm taking my time with this one.  She's pretty special."

"She sure must be if you're willing to wait for her."  

A smile spread across Erin’s face.  “Just to let you know, I lost my virginity about 3 years ago with Jessica Reynolds.  She was not a virgin.  I’ve been practicing my game ever since.”

“The head cheerleader?  You were a freshman.  She was a senior.” Danny’s mouth hung open.  “Wow!  I am impressed!  I never knew that!”

“It’s not something we talk about often.  Kind of like now.  I’m going to change the subject if you’ve gotten your fill.  I’m glad that you’re going to finally get some action, Danny.  However, some things a guy needs to learn for himself.”  Erin picked up the box with the brake pads and ripped it open.  “Now get over here and help me with these brakes.  I need to get this finished so I can get my car inspected on Saturday.  Otherwise I will be carpooling with you to the Prom, and I’m guessing with this news that you really aren’t going to want that to happen.”

Danny grinned wider than the Cheshire Cat.  “You’ve got that right!  I’m on it!  Let’s get to work!”