Taylor Made Owens by R.D. Power

that I’m conceited, superficial, and ugly. Why the hell are you sitting with me if I’m so awful? Why don’t you do yourself a favor and sit somewhere else?”
    “I’m really messing this up,” she muttered. She said, “Calm down—”
    “You know what? I hate being told to calm down when I’m totally calm as it is. People who say that are really saying, ‘Now I know I’ve said something stupid and I got you mad, but that’s really your fault because you’re so touchy.’”
    “I didn’t mean that at all.”
    He got up and moved to the other side of the theater. She sat through the movie embarrassed and upset.
    When Kristen’s mother came to pick up the teens, she asked if they enjoyed the film. “No,” Kristen said in a tone that connoted irritation.
    “Why not?” said Lisa. “Was the movie bad?”
    “She didn’t enjoy it because the moron she was with had a hissy fit and left her by herself for the whole movie,” butted in Judy.
    “Oh, mind your own business, scagatoid,” he growled at Judy. He loathed her. She despised him, too. Maybe they smelled off to each other. “It’s not as if we were on a date.”
    “That’s the last time we take you to a movie, jerk!” Kristen said.
    “Oh, no! How will I go on? My life is over.”
    “Oh, shut up,” Kristen snarled. He moved his right hand close to her face, lowered one by one his thumb, pinky, forefinger, and ring finger, and flourished it at her.
    “Never mind,” said Lisa. “If you can’t be civil to each other, keep quiet, all of you.” And that was that.
    •
    Jennifer was displeased to learn he’d gone to the movies with her cousin. The two had never contended for a boy before—Kristen had never been interested previously and couldn’t compete with such comeliness anyway—but now that Kristen was interested and appealing herself, Jennifer started to regard her as a threat, and decided to take action to solidify her claim on him.
    “I heard you took Bobby to the movie. You know I’m trying hard to get him back, yet you went on a date with him behind my back. I won’t let you steal him from me. I’m going over to his place right now to make sure of it.”
    “So what?” Kristen said. “Stay all night for all I care.”
    “Maybe I will,” rejoined Jennifer, as she got her coat on and sneaked out. Kristen went to bed, but couldn’t sleep.
    By the time Jennifer got to his place, Robert had gone to bed and fallen asleep. She knocked on his window. He got up to open the blind and window. “Jeez, Jenny,” he greeted, “it’s almost midnight. What are you doing here?”
    “I want to talk to you.”
    “Come in, okay? It’s freezing out there.”
    “Okay, but behave yourself,” she warned. He helped her in through his window. “And put on some pants,” she ordered, learning he slept in his boxers.
    He smiled and pulled on his jeans. She took off her coat. “It’s really cold. You’ll catch pneumonia if you go out there again. You should stay the night for your own safety.” He took her in his arms, pulled her closer, and kissed her.
    “That’s considerate of you, but if I wanted to be safe I wouldn’t be here.” He smiled. “I think the cold would do you some good right about now,” she added, then she kissed him avidly. The two migrated to his bed and sat on it, kissing. She let him get her shirt off, and eventually her bra. A consummate tease, Jennifer had never let a boy go this far before. She enjoyed it immensely. “You, sir, are most definitely misbehaving now,” she alleged breathlessly. After a few more minutes of petting, Jennifer announced, “I’m falling for you, Bobby.”
    “That’s nice,” he said, playing with her nipples.
    “Is that all you have to say? I mean I have very strong feelings for you.”
    “I lllllike you, too,” he replied, licking her nipples.
    Distraught at this tepid assertion, Jennifer said, “What do you think of Krissy?”
    “Mmm mmm mmm mmm,” he said, sucking her