Georgia On My Mind-Book Four

Chapter 4 - Spin The Bottle

FIVE YEARS LATER...

I wake up in the morning with an intense cramping sensation in my stomach, radiating down to my hips and thighs. I roll over and lay in the fetal position while holding my stomach. "Ugh! "Not again!" I cry out.

I get up from the bed and stomp furiously to the bathroom. I sit down at the toilet and look down to see fresh, frank blood on my underwear and shorts. "s**t!" I curse as I hold my head in the hands.

"Momma!" I cry out as I lean over the toilet and start to whimper. I can hear her come down the hallway. She gently knocks on the door as I sit up. "Come in," I groan.

She walks in to find me sitting on the toilet. "What's wrong, baby?"

"So gross, Momma!" I pout as I point down to my panties.

She walks towards me to inspect the damage. "Aww, baby, I know it sucks, doesn't it?"

I begin to whimper, rocking back and forth on the toilet. "Ahh, Momma, I'm cramping so bad!"

"I should have known. You have been so emotional the last couple of days." She implies.

"Ugh!" I cry out as I put my head in my hands. "I feel like my stomach is being gnawed at from the inside out."

She throws her head back and closes her eyes. "Ahh! I know the feeling. Isn't that the worst?"

"Yes!" I respond tearfully.

"Alright, I'm going to change your sheets if they are soiled. You can go ahead and get yourself cleaned up now, baby. I'll come back and grab your pajamas and throw them in the wash." She instructs.

When she leaves, I get undressed and start the shower. I walk over to the mirror to check out my boobs. "Hmmm... I might have big boobs like Momma." I gloat as I squeeze them together as they do on the Vogue Magazines she reads.

Once the temperature is warm enough, I hop in to wash up and shave. Momma returns to pick up my dirty pajamas off the floor and lays out an outfit for me to wear today on the sink. "I washed your favorite outfit for school." She says.

"Thanks, Momma," I reply from behind the shower curtain.

She walks out with my pajamas balled up in her hands. "No problem, baby."

After I've finished showering, I climb out and dry off when I hear a knock at the door. "Gigi! Get out of there; you take too long. I gotta whiz!" Benny yells.

"Just a minute, you big jerk! Oh, and my name is not Gigi; it is Georgia! How many times do I have to tell you? Stop calling me that!" I snap.

I can hear him exhale from the other side of the door. "God, you are a pain in the butt!"

Momma yells at him from the kitchen. "Benny, go use my bathroom! Leave her alone!"

He growls, and I can hear him stomp down the hall. I walk over to the door and turn the lock. I swear to God a pack of wolves raised him!

I return to the mirror and reach up to wipe off the condensation when I notice I have a big, juicy zit on my chin. Isn't that just lovely? I squeeze it with both index fingers, trying to pop it. Ouch! It's sore, but I manage to pop it, and it squirts out onto the mirror. It is kind of gross, but I like it when it does that. I grab some toilet paper and wipe it away.

I hurry and get dried off, and dressed for the day. Momma picked out my cute white tank with coral and teal embroidery around the top with my coral shorts. Once I'm ready, I walk out of the bathroom towards the kitchen.

Daddy is gathering his stuff to get ready for work when he sees me walking down the hall. "How's my princess this morning?"

"Don't ask." I groan and roll my eyes.

He chuckles. "That bad, huh?"

"I hate being a girl," I whine.

He shakes his head, "Well, you look awful pretty today, baby."

I smile, realizing he's just trying to cheer me up, "Thanks, Daddy," I mutter as I walk past him to the other side of the table.

Momma serves bacon and eggs for breakfast. I sit down and hold my stomach with one hand and my head with the other.

Benny joins us at the table, and Momma sets his plate down in front of him. He glares at me and snickers. "Wahhh! My name is Georgia, not Gigi. I have got cramps today. Nobody can speak to me, or I'll bite their head off!" He mocks. I look over and sneer at him.

"Son, what did I tell you about being respectful to women? Even your sister!" Daddy snaps.

"Ugh, sorry, Dad." He mumbles.

"Here's some Tylenol, love bug," Momma says as she places the pills on the placemat in front of me. I pop them in my mouth and chase them down with my juice.

While eating my breakfast, I recall my plans for the night. "Momma, don't forget, Tracy's birthday party is tonight. I need you to drop me off at her house at 7:00 p.m."

She nods and swallows a mouth full of food. "Oh yeah, I will do that."

Daddy chimes in. "Any boys at this party?"

Oh boy! Here we go again! I shrug my shoulders. "John Luke is going, I know for sure."

He wipes his mouth with his napkin and clears his throat. "Good, he can watch out for you."

I drop my fork on my plate and roll my eyes. "Gosh, Daddy. Since when is John Luke, my babysitter? I can take care of myself, you know!" I huff.

"Georgia, don't give me any lip! I'm glad John Luke is going. He can be my eyes and ears." He snaps.

Why am I not surprised? My Daddy is extremely overprotective of the women in his family. It's an endearing quality, but he tends to go a bit overboard, to say the least. There's no use fighting with him over it because he isn't going to change. "Yes, Daddy," I respond softly.

Momma reaches over and pats my hand to comfort me. She knows how Daddy is.

After a little while, Daddy leaves for work while Benny and I finish our breakfast. Then we grab our backpacks, and Momma takes us to school.

I have first period with my best friend, Tracy. We chit-chat and gossip before class starts. Once the bell rings, it's quiet as the teacher begins the lecture. Tracy and I begin to pass notes back and forth to each other. She casually stretches and hands the note to me. I open it up and read:

I have a crush on your friend John Luke.

I glance at her and force a smile, even though it makes my stomach turn. So, I write on the note,

He's gross, and his feet stink.

I stretch my arms up and casually pass it to her with hopes that I can convince her not to pursue this crush she has for John Luke. She opens it up and giggles quietly. Then she writes me back and hands it back to me:

All boy's feet stink.

There is no convincing this girl; I digress. I write back and hand it over quickly. She opens the note and reads:

You are probably right.

Once first period is over, Tracy and I walk to the next class together. We pass John Luke in the hall on the way to our next class. I try not to make eye contact, but I can feel his eyes piercing a hole through me, so I glance over at him, and he winks at me. I can feel my cheeks get flushed, so I immediately look down.

My body trembles with just a look; it's frightening the impact he has on me. He is so incredibly gorgeous, even though he's a little bit younger than me. I am in eighth grade, and he is in seventh grade. He is tall, though. Much taller than I am, but I prefer them tall. At least he's no longer an ass hat! I don't know what happened to him, but I embrace the change with open arms.

Momma picks me up after school; then, she picks Benny up at the Elementary school afterward. Benny and I work on homework before Daddy comes home while Momma prepares dinner.

After dinner, I get myself ready for Tracy's party. I'm spending the night at her house tonight after everyone leaves, so I gather my things and pack them in my overnight bag. I pick out my cutest dress to wear tonight. I flat iron my hair and put on some makeup and perfume. Then I walk out into the living room to let Momma know I'm ready to leave.

When I walk out into the living room, Daddy looks at me disapprovingly and shakes his head. "Can't you put some pants on for the party?"

"Why, Daddy? It's my cutest dress!" I whine.

"If there are boys there, I'd rather you cover up." He responds.

I walk over and kiss him on top of his head. I have him wrapped around my little finger. "Daddy, Tracy's Mom, and Step-Dad will be there, and so will John Luke," I say reassuringly.

"Well, okay. I just worry; you look so much like your Momma." He mumbles.

Momma walks over and wraps her arm around my shoulders, and plants a kiss on my cheek. "She's prettier." She says.

Benny snorts out loud at Momma's comment; I flash an icy cold glare in his direction, and he turns away to continue playing his Nintendo DS.

I pick up Tracy's birthday present from the table. Momma grabs her keys, and we head out.

When we arrived at Tracy's house, Momma walks in with me to speak to Tracy's mom. Tracy ambles over and whispers in my ear. "Everyone is already downstairs. We are going to play spin the bottle." My stomach has butterflies. s**t! Spin the bottle? I have never kissed a boy before! What if I am not good at it? I take a deep breath and follow her downstairs to the basement.

The first person I see at the bottom of the stairs is John Luke. He's sitting on the sofa playing video games with Wyatt Vance. John Luke's eyes bore a hole through me as I pass; I can feel my cheeks get flushed like usual, so I quickly look down to avoid his gaze.

Tracy pulls me over to the girls' group in the corner and turns up the music on her cell phone. Katy Perry's Teenage Dream begins blasting through the speakers on the wall. "Okay, everyone! Time to play spin the bottle! If the bottle lands on you, you get two minutes in heaven in the closet," she blurts out.

Everyone gathers around, and we sit in a circle. I sit down next to Tracy, and John Luke sits directly in front of me. Oh, my God. If the bottle lands on John Luke, I will die of embarrassment. I just know it!

Tracy spins the bottle first, and it lands on Scott Fields, the captain of the basketball team. They stand and walk over to the closet, closing the door behind them. We wait for them quietly in anticipation.

After two minutes, they return to the circle, holding hands and smiling ear to ear.

I know she would rather it be with John Luke, but Scott is on her list for the top five hottest guys in the school. John Luke is her number one. Heck, John Luke is my number one; he is my only one, but I would never tell a soul, especially not her.

"Okay, I think Georgia should go next," Tracy suggests. I roll my eyes and take a deep breath. Please do not land on John Luke. I think to myself as I spin the bottle; it spins fast for a few seconds; then, it lands on who else but JOHN LUKE! My heart begins racing. I glance up, and our eyes meet. He gets up from the circle and reaches out his hand to help me up. I take it nervously as he leads me into the closet and shuts the door behind us.

He must have sensed how nervous I was. "Hey, don't be shy. We are friends. We should be able to kiss without feeling shy about it."

I feel as though I have a frog in my throat; I swallow hard.

He puts his hands on my shoulders to assure me. "It's okay, Georgia. I have never kissed anyone before, either. Wouldn't you rather it be with someone who your friends with?"

I nod my head in agreement. "Yes, that makes sense," I reply as I look down, attempting not to make eye contact with him.

He places his hands on his hips and flashes a cheeky grin, "Alright, since I'm a gentleman, you make the first move."

I nervously look up to meet his gaze. God, he is so tall and dreamy. What are you waiting for, Georgia? "Okay, here goes nothing." I reach up and start to pull his face towards mine.

Suddenly, I'm distracted from the sound of giggling outside the door. God! They are so nosey! "Ignore them, Georgia." He says, trying to draw my attention away from the commotion on the other side.

He leans down, our noses nearly touching, and I plant my lips on his. He wraps his arms around my waist to pull me in close and sticks his tongue into my mouth. I'm startled at first, and my body tenses. He moves his hands down to my hips, tightening his grip. I begin to relax, meeting his tongue with mine.

I have no idea what I am doing, and I'm guessing he doesn't either, but there is no turning back now. It's my first make-out session with none other than John Luke!

Suddenly, there's a knock at the door, and I hear a muffled voice coming from the other side. "Alright, love birds. Your time is up."

John Luke and I stop kissing. I can feel my heart beating out of my chest. His hazel eyes are blazing as he presses his forehead to mine. "Wow." He says.

I nod in agreement. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing."

"My heart is racing." He says breathlessly.

I smile and run my fingers through his hair curly brown hair. "Mine too."

He reaches down and takes my hand as he opens the door and leads me out. Tracy eyes us very closely, obviously trying to determine if there was something between us. The girls in the circle are giggling and talking amongst themselves, but I try not to let that ruin what just happened in the closet. I just had my first kiss with John Luke!

The minute John Luke and I sit down, Tracy's Mom hollers from upstairs. "Kids, come on up; the pizza is here!"

We trudge up the basement stairs and gather in the kitchen to eat pizza and cake while watching Tracy open presents. I don't say much the remainder of the party; I was kind of in a daze. John Luke and I steal awkward glances back and forth throughout the rest of the night.

Finally, most of the party leaves after 10:00 p.m. Tracy, and I head to her bedroom and slip our pajamas on. She brags about her kiss with Scott and how he got handsy with her in the closet before casually asking me about my kiss with John Luke. I kept it simple and told her it was nice and that he is a gentleman, which was the truth. She admits to me that she wishes her first kiss was with John Luke instead. I sense some jealously from her, but I just smile at her even though it pisses me off. She's so greedy; it's disgusting! You have Scott now, so keep away from John Luke! I decide to keep my thoughts to myself because I don't want any confrontation with her.

Once midnight rolls around, she is sound asleep. I lay there on the floor next to her bed in my sleeping bag and think about John Luke. I wasn't sure how, but I knew from that minute forward; things were going to be different between us.