That One Moment...

Chapter 24

Winter Break

Sarah looked around at the deck chairs that were filled with old people. They were once again visiting her aunt at her Florida trailer park development. This was a tradition for as long as she could remember. Their family would pile into the old van and drive down to Florida the day after Christmas for a week or two of sun. Of course, one would think that vacationing in Florida would be awesome, but that was not the case. They always stayed in cramped quarters with their mom's older sister...in a retirement community...and never actually went anywhere. Well, maybe the beach a few times, but mostly just sat around inside while their dad drank and their mom reminisced about the past.

Kathy was sitting next to her, texting furiously with her boyfriend. They were having a tense moment where Sarah wasn't sure if she wanted things to 'work out' since Kathy's boyfriend sounded like a jerk. Of course, she couldn't really talk...she was having issues as well!

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Sarah thought back to the winter semi-formal and how it was where everything probably started spiraling wrong between them. They had attended together, as was expected Sarah learned. She had tried to get out of it, but was told that she was being selfish for even thinking about not going. Sarah had been dealing with a lot of anxiety tied to final projects and tests already and didn't really want to socialize with the entire school watching again...so, she felt sort of forced into it a bit. That didn't help her mentality going into the dance, although she was a bit more positive by the time the Saturday came.

Sarah had done well on all her work, or at least it felt that way...she thought she had at least gotten Bs on everything, even Spanish. Hopefully it was better, but at least that anxiety was taken care of. Not only had classes finished well, her mom was being a lot more supportive in the last week or two. She had actually sewn Sarah a really pretty gothic-style dress for the winter semi-formal. Sarah had wanted something in black, tied to her feelings about another dance, and her mom and made her something that combined that desire with not being too overly depressing. Sarah added some sparkly flats and cheap jewelry to top off the effect. Not only had her mom supported her in prepping for the dance, but had seemed happy that she had a date...even taking pictures of them. While this new attitude might not last, Sarah was enjoying the attention and support while she had it. Her dad had been distant and grumpy, but didn't seem to be delving into the mean drunk much this week either!

Sarah had also enjoyed the dance, losing herself in the fun of dancing and not worrying about anything else for a while. That was, until she found herself in a make-out session with Ryan at his house after the dance. Sarah had only been to his house once before when they had stopped by to grab something Ryan had forgotten. It was huge and in a nice part of town. Not only was the house pretty impressive, but Ryan's parents had been so nice and very welcoming to her. Now, they were hanging out in the finished basement. Sarah had wanted to come and was craving Ryan's touch as they danced. 

As their make-out session progressed further than it had to date, Sarah started to feel self-conscious and unsure of herself. It went quickly from exciting, fun, and warm, to a cold prickle that ran up her spine. Sarah pulled away both physically and mentally from Ryan, finding herself in just her bra and underwear while he was in his dress slacks. 

Ryan quickly let go of her and gave a questioning look. Sarah thought about what had happened to cause her quick shift and her mind to pull out of the situation. Ryan had put his hand into her bra. Sarah knew she wasn't ready, but was still surprised by her drastic reaction. They were going slow and Ryan was understanding, at least she thought he was. Now she started questioning herself and their relationship.

"Are you ok?" Ryan asked softly.

Sarah thought for a second. "Yes, but I think I am ready to go home."