Secret life of…well teenagers all over the world
Come close to your computer screen because I have a secret to tell you. Are you ready? Teenagers have sex. I know it’s disturbing, especially when I was twelve I still had my Barbies out to play now my son’s going to school with girls that are pregnant. Last time I checked the girls are getting pregnant by…boys. Shocking, I know.
Why am I sharing these secrets? Because it surprises me when people are shocked with sex in YA books. I’m writing fiction, but without reality fiction can’t grab you and pull you in. We’d all love to live in a world where teenagers don’t fall prey to something we as adults can’t stop ourselves from; sexual desire. That natural pull drawing all sense from your brain as you just want to be as close to that person as you can be.
Now for my hero Oscar we have the added factor of him being a star athlete. I’ve dated the star athlete and can I tell you from experience girls/women are ridiculous. They throw themselves at these guys in a way that boggles the mind. Jersey Chasers is the official name for these women that seem to want to rack up players so they can drop names like they’re going out of style. In the rock world they are called groupies. We know the girls and we know what they are capable of. They don’t care how the man treats them as long as they can have the experience.
I’m sure somewhere deep inside they might hold out a candle that the guy might somehow think what they have is the best in the world. I doubt it, but it’s possible. Ironically female athletes are less likely to have sex. It’s just the way it is I guess, but back to my hero Oscar. People are surprised that he not only had sex, but a lot of it with a ton of different women…well lets be realistic, girls. Sadly for him it’s true. Most he can’t remember their name…or faces because they were probably turned around and…well you get the picture. This doesn’t mean he’s a bad person or those girls were bad people, they were for lack of a better word, human. They made mistakes and that’s okay. We all make mistakes it’s what you do after you’ve made the mistake that determines who you are. Do you go and screw the next athlete or random girl? Or do you think about your actions and make better choices? Only you can answer that question…here’s what Oscar did.
Bad choices are a Chisholm family trait, one that confounds the youngest child, Ellie, who's trying to separate herself by making smart decisions. And falling for Oscar Jeffreys, the hottest guy at school, would be number one on the list of Chisholm family disasters. Yet the crazy part is it’s not a one sided attraction. Somehow Ellie has caught Oscar Jeffreys’ eye. Sure she could see the barriers between them. Race, age, popularity. They were at opposite ends of the spectrum. But a demon set to destroy her family? She can't see that.
Oscar provides security and acceptance Ellie never imagined she deserved. As the passion of first love grows, Ellie honestly believes she has a chance to beat the odds and live a happy, normal life. Then her world collapses around her. With the help of a guardian angel, Ellie learns of a world that has unknowingly surrounded her for years. And she'll have to find strength buried deep inside to save not only her future, but flush out and stop the demon in her midst.
And Ellie will have to learn that sometimes the hardest lesson about growing up is accepting that you're worth more.
Excerpt from Chrysalis Ó2012
"I don’t want to have sex without love, not with someone I truly care for, that I truly love. Look, I’ve had sex without love. I’ve done that, I wasted my time and my life. I have so many regrets you have no idea. I’ve hurt people and I’ve hurt myself."
I was angered that he dared to say he loved me more than I loved him.
"Are you sure that’s the reason?" I snapped at him. I remembered Sharyn’s inner voice. Was he making up this whole oh-you-don’t-really-love-me thing as way to keep me his vestal virgin trophy? He looked confused.
"You can sleep with any black girl that comes along, but the white girl you keep on a shelf like some Goddamn trophy."
I knew trophy would hurt him since that’s how he felt Mya treated him.
"What the hell would ever make you say that!" He snapped.
I knew I crossed a line.
"You think I’m not sleeping with you because you’re white? How dare you say that to me? Race has never been a factor in our relationship until now."
I’d never seen him so mad. Every muscle in his body was tensed, and his fists were balled.
"If race isn’t a factor then why I am I always getting called a mud shark or a SnoBall you’re always getting called a hoho or coconut? And why do I know all the words to Jungle Fever? I get serenaded in the halls almost every day."
My voice was raised, too, as I sat up on my knees in a vain attempt to stand up to him.
"That’s not me. That’s the jackasses at school. But if that’s who you’re living for then I think you’ve been around me long enough to piss off your daddy and isn’t that the only reason white girls go after black guys?"
His words cut through me.
"’Cause you know black guys only go after white girls because they go down on them three times a day. By the way, you owe me a few by now, don’t you think?"
His face came within an inch of mine. My jaw dropped open. I couldn’t believe he was being so hurtful.
"You’re going to need to widen that," he sneered.
I snapped my jaw shut and glared at him. Through gritted teeth, he asked, "Now, are we done with the childish B.S? Can we go back to the issue at hand or are we just done?"
I fought back the tears. He wasn’t going to make me cry, I refused.
"I’m sorry, I just don’t understand what you want from me. I was wrong to bring up what I heard. I…I…I…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. It’s just I don’t understand what I’ve done or haven’t done to make you…Not want me."
"Believe it or not, Ellie, this isn’t just about you. You want to know the truth? I’ve slept with white girls before, I’ve slept with Asian, Hispanic and black girls. My sex life was like a frickin’ United Colors of Benetton ad. I don’t want just any girl. If I wanted just any girl, I’d have just any girl. I want you, but I want all of you, not just what’s between your legs. And that’s what you don’t understand. You’ve never thought you had anything else to offer. Trust me, I wouldn’t go through what I’ve had to go through dating you just to get a little piece."
What had I put him through that was so horrible?
"What did I do?" I asked softly.
"You? You didn’t do anything, but do you have any idea what I go through because you’re white?"
My face contorted as I tried to think of what he went through. He never said a thing. But Kelly said the other guys wouldn’t say anything to Oscar. He was the guy everyone wanted to be. They wouldn’t question his choice to his face. I was the one that had people coming at me from every direction.
"My coach sat me down and told me I really needed to think about what I was doing with you," he said. "The guys on the team are constantly at me about you, because they think I couldn’t possibly actually like you, let alone love you. And really, I should leave you so one of them could have a turn with you. Max’s the only one that doesn’t make comments to me."
I thought about when we went to Pizza Luce’, we usually sat in a booth with Max and Kelly, while the rest of the team pulled tables together. I thought we sat with Max and Kelly because they were our friends and we were both a couple. Oscar had been more and more withdrawn into our booth as the weeks passed, instead of hanging out with everyone.
"You had sex at school?" I interrupted him, catching him off guard. That thought even stopped me from thinking about the fights I’d see on the sidelines with his coach.
"That’s not the point."
"You had sex at school?"
Oscar was no longer the clean-cut Boy Scout with the perfect image. He was a daredevil and, even though I felt I was losing him, the thought of him skipping study hall to sneak off to a back corner of the school was driving me wild and made me want him even more.
"I’m not proud of what I’ve done. But there are a lot of girls who have wanted a lot of things from me. They’ve been throwing themselves at me since I was fourteen. But they never wanted me as a person, they wanted me as an idea. They were willing to do anything and everything with me."
"How many girls have you been with?"
"Quit trying to change the subject."
"You’re the one talking about how much sex you’ve had. How am I changing the subject? How many?"
"We aren’t having that conversation right now. We’re talking about you."
"You had sex at school?"
"Quit trying to throw this back on me. This is your issue. I told you, I refuse to do this until I feel I’m ready and you’re ready and you’re not ready for this."
Michel Prince is an author who graduated with a bachelor degree in History and Political Science. Michel writes young adult and adult paranormal romance as well as contemporary romance.
With characters yelling "It's my turn damn it!!!" She tries to explain to them that alas, she can only type a hundred and twenty words a minute and they will have wait their turn. She knows eventually they find their way out of her head and to her fingertips and she looks forward to sharing them with you.
When Michel can suppress the voices in her head she can be found at a scouting event or cheering for her son in a variety of sports. She would like to thank her family for always being in her corner and especially her husband for supporting her every dream and never letting her give up.
Michel is a member of RWA Pro and Midwest Fiction Writers. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, cat and new puppy.
With characters yelling "It's my turn damn it!!!" She tries to explain to them that alas, she can only type a hundred and twenty words a minute and they will have wait their turn. She knows eventually they find their way out of her head and to her fingertips and she looks forward to sharing them with you.
When Michel can suppress the voices in her head she can be found at a scouting event or cheering for her son in a variety of sports. She would like to thank her family for always being in her corner and especially her husband for supporting her every dream and never letting her give up.
Michel is a member of RWA Pro and Midwest Fiction Writers. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, cat and new puppy.
Thanks for hosting me today...always fun on your blog
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting today.
ReplyDeleteWow, great new excerpt. What a fascinating story.
ReplyDeletethanks for stopping by
DeleteI enjoyed the excerpt.
ReplyDeletebn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com