But, that was before Zach (Mercedes’ chemistry lab partner and Wednesday afternoon sex buddy) and 'the virgins.' The virgins? Aren't they nearly as rare as pandas at Milton High, an upper middle-class enclave of preppies, jocks, nerds, geeks, and the usual lot of high school misfits? Not exactly, because Mercedes is committed to an unusual mission: ensuring that her female classmates have a perfect “first time”, a sexual experience that is romantic, special, and completely unlike the one that Mercedes experienced when she first had sex. 11)Īnge and Mercedes used to spend plenty of BFF time together, watching mindless movies, reading trashy celebrity mags, drinking herbal tea, and talking endlessly. At age 17, Angela is an anomaly at Milton High: a virgin who can barely say the word 'sex', believing that it 'is a sacred gift that you only give to your husband on your wedding night'. 10), a regular attendee at an early morning prayer group which meets in the school library (where else would a school prayer group meet?), and devoted friend of Angela Hirsch, (prayer group leader and staunch defender of premarital chastity). Mercedes (named for the sports car owned by her now-deserted dad) is an A+ student, intent on a placement at MIT ('the holy grail of chemical engineering' (p. Those 'good girl shoes,”, Converse All-Stars, are worn by Mercedes Ayres, a science brainiac in her senior year at Milton High, in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. The cover photo features a pair of sneaker-clad feet, resting on rumpled white sheets. It’s quite a contrast to the opening paragraphs of Laurie Flynn’s Firsts, featured in the pull-quote above. I rub the lipstick off, but the judgment in my eyes remains.Įvan will get what I'm most definitely not - the good girl. Normally, I'd flat iron it into stick-straight submission, but this time, maybe I'll drop the getup. I apply pink lipstick and leave my hair loose around my shoulders. I know by the fear on his face and the smell of nervous sweat emanating from his armpits that Evan can't handle the black lacy negligee, and especially not the red slip, the one with slit that goes all the way up. When I'm carefully ensconced in my walk-in, I wiggle into a pair of pink satin boy shorts and a matching camisole. This is one level he won't beat on the first try.

He looks like he's getting ready to play a video game. I sneak a glance back at him, at his crouched-over stance on the edge of my bed, his skinny shoulders hunched forward and his hands on his knees. 'Wait there,” I tell Evan before slipping into my walk-in closet. Melanie, or whatever her name is, owes me big time. Tonight, I'm doing Evan Brown's girlfriend a favor. Martin’s Griffin (Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books), 2015.ģ20 pp., hardcover & e-book, $21.99 (hc.).

Firsts a novel laurie elizabeth flynn