as much time as she could at the O’Haras’, being loved and nurtured by Connie, and she stayed with Gabby now and then, which helped too. Judy was a warm person, and she had always been very fond of Izzie, and felt sorry for her in the divorce. And Gabby and Michelle were very sympathetic and supportive, as were all her friends.
The custody arrangement with Katherine never really worked. She was out of town almost every time Izzie was supposed to stay with her, and eventually they dropped the plan of having her go back and forth between her parents, like a tennis ball. Instead, she stayed with her father, and went to her mother for a night once in a while on the weekend. Katherine took her to dinner, and let her bring Gabby over to swim in the pool. Sometimes Izzie went for a month without seeing her, or longer, but even when she saw her, Izzie knew that her mother had never really been there. What she had to sustain her was a father who loved her, and four terrific friends. And Connie O’Hara, as a loving adopted aunt. It wasn’t everything you were supposed to have in life, but all put together, it seemed to work for Izzie.
Chapter 4
T he first big event of sophomore year in high school was that Billy and Gabby “did it,” the weekend before Thanksgiving. She confided it to Izzie the next day, and to her mother the day after. She assured her mother that they had used a condom, and she admitted to Izzie that it hadn’t been quite as fabulous as she’d hoped. Billy had gone off like fireworks on the Fourth of July, a little faster than either of them had expected, and it had hurt, a lot. They were both virgins, but the best part was the tenderness between them. They had been “going together” for two years, had never cheated on each other or looked at anyone else. They were crazy about each other, and Gabby said that having “done it” strengthened the bond they shared. And her mother was very nice about it. Judy was concerned about the responsibility they’d undertaken, but grateful that Gabby was honest about it, so she knew what was happening in her daughter’s life.
By the end of the weekend, all of the Big Five, as Connie still called them, knew. Billy didn’t brag about it, but something aboutthe way they stood even closer to each other, looked at each other as though they had a secret, let everybody know what had happened. Izzie still thought they were too young to have sex with each other, but Gabby and Billy never doubted for a minute that they loved each other and felt ready to take on the responsibilities that went with it. He was responsible about using condoms, and Gabby told her mother she wanted to go on the Pill, so she didn’t get pregnant. They managed to do it two more times, at Billy’s when his mother was out, his father was at work, and Brian was in school. They had a break in their school schedule over lunchtime, and the second time it was better, and the third time it was great. They were glad they had finally decided to add sex to their relationship.
Judy took Gabby to Planned Parenthood the day before Thanksgiving and she got the Pill, and the others suddenly felt very immature and as though they had been left out. None of the others had a girlfriend or a boyfriend. Andy spent all his time studying, Sean was quiet, not as massive in size as Billy, and he always complained that girls never even looked at him. And Izzie had spent the last two years surviving her parents’ divorce. She hardly ever saw her mother, although Katherine called her frequently from other cities to see how she was, and once in a while they spent a weekend together, but not very often. And in some ways, Izzie missed her. It was weird to no longer have a mother in the house, and one she hardly ever saw. It felt sad sometimes. Jeff tried to make up for her mother’s indifference and absence. But there were times when she really missed having a mom she sawevery day, no matter how busy Katherine had been
The custody arrangement with Katherine never really worked. She was out of town almost every time Izzie was supposed to stay with her, and eventually they dropped the plan of having her go back and forth between her parents, like a tennis ball. Instead, she stayed with her father, and went to her mother for a night once in a while on the weekend. Katherine took her to dinner, and let her bring Gabby over to swim in the pool. Sometimes Izzie went for a month without seeing her, or longer, but even when she saw her, Izzie knew that her mother had never really been there. What she had to sustain her was a father who loved her, and four terrific friends. And Connie O’Hara, as a loving adopted aunt. It wasn’t everything you were supposed to have in life, but all put together, it seemed to work for Izzie.
Chapter 4
T he first big event of sophomore year in high school was that Billy and Gabby “did it,” the weekend before Thanksgiving. She confided it to Izzie the next day, and to her mother the day after. She assured her mother that they had used a condom, and she admitted to Izzie that it hadn’t been quite as fabulous as she’d hoped. Billy had gone off like fireworks on the Fourth of July, a little faster than either of them had expected, and it had hurt, a lot. They were both virgins, but the best part was the tenderness between them. They had been “going together” for two years, had never cheated on each other or looked at anyone else. They were crazy about each other, and Gabby said that having “done it” strengthened the bond they shared. And her mother was very nice about it. Judy was concerned about the responsibility they’d undertaken, but grateful that Gabby was honest about it, so she knew what was happening in her daughter’s life.
By the end of the weekend, all of the Big Five, as Connie still called them, knew. Billy didn’t brag about it, but something aboutthe way they stood even closer to each other, looked at each other as though they had a secret, let everybody know what had happened. Izzie still thought they were too young to have sex with each other, but Gabby and Billy never doubted for a minute that they loved each other and felt ready to take on the responsibilities that went with it. He was responsible about using condoms, and Gabby told her mother she wanted to go on the Pill, so she didn’t get pregnant. They managed to do it two more times, at Billy’s when his mother was out, his father was at work, and Brian was in school. They had a break in their school schedule over lunchtime, and the second time it was better, and the third time it was great. They were glad they had finally decided to add sex to their relationship.
Judy took Gabby to Planned Parenthood the day before Thanksgiving and she got the Pill, and the others suddenly felt very immature and as though they had been left out. None of the others had a girlfriend or a boyfriend. Andy spent all his time studying, Sean was quiet, not as massive in size as Billy, and he always complained that girls never even looked at him. And Izzie had spent the last two years surviving her parents’ divorce. She hardly ever saw her mother, although Katherine called her frequently from other cities to see how she was, and once in a while they spent a weekend together, but not very often. And in some ways, Izzie missed her. It was weird to no longer have a mother in the house, and one she hardly ever saw. It felt sad sometimes. Jeff tried to make up for her mother’s indifference and absence. But there were times when she really missed having a mom she sawevery day, no matter how busy Katherine had been
Similar Books
