Nathan Begins To Question The Teachings Of His Chu free porn video

Thursday Afternoon. A Suburban Subdivision

Nathan was panting and his heart was beating faster than he could ever remember. Shelby's breast was beautiful, perfect. White, soft, firm, with a dark, hard, puckered nipple surrounded by a small circle of slightly lighter flesh. He had dreamed of seeing it, touching it, kissing it, for nearly a year, ever since he first saw her at the church picnic. She wasn't his first girlfriend, if you used a loose interpretation of the word. He had gone out with Adrienne a few times, and had held her hand, but that was as far as that went. And Liz had kissed him on the lips that one time, after their third movie date, but then they broke up.

But Shelby was something different. Compared to the other girls at Harmony Christian Life Academy, she was a little more daring. Maybe because she came from the city and had actually gone to public school before coming to Harmony, but for whatever reason, she was the only girl that Nathan ever heard question the teachers—heck, she was the only student, boy or girl, who argued with the teachers. Nothing seriously blasphemous, and she never directly disputed the basic principles that they all were taught, but she would push and question the teachers, sometimes to the point of being sent to Pastor Stephens' office.

Of course, Nathan didn't know that when he first saw her at the church picnic. What he saw was a tall, beautiful brunette, wearing what seemed to be a modest sundress that somehow fit her a little more snugly than the clothing worn by any of the other senior girls at the picnic. No one could look at her and say that she was breaking any of their church's written or unwritten rules, but if you looked carefully, and Nathan did, you could tell that she was pushing up against the standards. Also, her eyes were piercing blue, and Nathan thought that they cut right through him. He felt every type of impure thought that teenage boys were capable of, even good Christian boys, and he knew that night he would be secretly touching himself in a way that Pastor Stephens would certainly disapprove of.

Now, months later, his mother and little brother were out, his father was at his accounting office, Shelby was in his room, her perfect breast was nestled in his palm, and Nathan didn't know what to do. He knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to kiss it. He desperately wanted to kiss it, to lick the hard brown nipple. He wanted to bury his face in Shelby's cleavage, immersing himself in her scent, while squeezing her breasts. But somehow he could not.

Nathan forced himself to tear away his gaze from the perfection of Shelby's left breast and look at her face, which was flushed, at her pink lips, of course bare of any lipstick or gloss, which was not permitted, and then at those ice blue eyes. She looked confused.

"Is there anything wrong?" she whispered, which considering their behavior seemed appropriate even though no one was in the house. Her voice was a few registers huskier than usual

"It's all wrong," Nathan said, not quite understanding the words that came out of his own mouth.

Shelby jerked away from him, as if struck, and her breast pulled away from his cupped hand. She quickly hid it back inside her bra and buttoned her shirt, standing as if to flee.

"Wait," Nathan said, asking more than demanding. "Please."

"What did you mean?" Shelby demanded, smoothing her clothing reflexively, returning to a more proper appearance.

"Mean?" Nathan asked. "Mean about what?"

"How is everything wrong?"

Nathan thought before speaking, because he knew that what he was about to say could change their relationship, for better or worse. He had always been a thoughtful boy, considerate and pious. He believed in Jesus as his personal savior, believed in what Pastor Stephens and his parents taught, believed that the Lord had blessed him and looked out for him. But recently he wondered why the Lord had placed Shelby, this luscious temptation, before him. Somehow he knew that this was a test, and it was a test that he was miserably failing in so many ways.

While he thought, he looked at Shelby, who was waiting, but beginning to look impatient at his silence. Why, Nathan thought, would God create this perfect creature, smart and beautiful, who loved Jesus, and then make him think thoughts about her that were impure and improper? And why would these thoughts make him aroused, and make him want to do things that only married people should do.

"I don't know," Nathan finally whispered. "Shelby, I just don't know."

She looked at him and smiled, causing a warmth to spread from Nathan's solar plexus through his whole body. If that was not something divine, then what was it? Nathan shook his pounding head.

Shelby reached out and took his hand. "I don't know either, I guess," she said.

Nathan thought about the past months, as their relationship developed. He remembered the shy, halting conversation that they had at the picnic, when he had poured Shelby a Diet Coke. How he felt that spark, that thing that was missing from his dates with Adrienne and Liz, and he thought that maybe she did too. Which scared him. He had just turned 18, and was beginning to think about college, and leaving town. His parents, of course, pushed for a Christian college, and Nathan was about 90% sure that they had made the right choice. He worried about the Godlessness of the other colleges he had investigated, with their d**g use, and drinking, their casual sex, and their liberal professors. He worried about being laughed at, marginalized, mocked for his beliefs.

But what if he had found the girl for him, right there in town? How would that change things? And as the year went on, it got worse.

When school started, they became friends, and Nathan was a bit scandalized by some of the things she said in class, while at the same time being intrigued. She even asked him out on their first date, and after that they were nearly inseparable. They talked for hours before ever touching. Holding hands had progressed to kissing. Kissing progressed to above the clothing rubbing, above the waist, and even that was on the fringes of acceptable behavior, but they had gone no further, until today.

And then there was that breast. In his hand. But they weren't married. In fact, they knew that they would be going to college in different states, hours away from each other, and they knew that time and distance tested relationships. Even though they had said they loved each other, and meant it, they were both smart enough to realize that things you say when you are in lust in high school don't always carry on to college. They had danced around the future, knowing that they did not understand God's will, and that they were in his hands. Like Shelby's breast was in Nathan's, and he didn't know what to do or how to act.

"It is wrong, right?" Nathan asked. He sort of believed that Shelby might not think it was wrong, considering that she had been the one to open her shirt, and didn't stop his hand from reaching in to first touch the smoothness of her bra, and then the warm softness of her breast. And he saw the look on her face, her eyes closed, head tilted back, as he touched her. And he heard the soft purring sound that she made. But it was exactly this, the pleasures of the flesh, that Nathan had been told to guard against for as long as he could remember.

Shelby looked at him. "I know that's what they say, but is it really wrong?"

"We can't. I can't, at least right now. But you need to know that it isn't you. You're so beautiful. There's a part of me that wants to throw you on this bed, rip off your clothing and worship your beauty, then make love to you."

Shelby started breathing harder as Nathan spoke, and Nathan felt her squeeze his hand harder. The mental picture of Shelby on his bed that Nathan created made his cock stiffen uncomfortably in his pants. With effort, he continued, "But that is not how I was brought up, not what I was taught."

Nathan saw Shelby's body relax, and she said. "This is making me crazy. We need to figure out what to do. Maybe we need to speak with someone, because I'm having trouble reconciling how I feel with the words that are bouncing around my brain. I need to understand."

"Not Pastor Stephens?" Nathan said.

"God, no," Shelby blasphemed. "Not him. I know what he will say, and even what Scripture he will quote."

Nathan nodded in agreement. She had been in town less than a year, but had heard Pastor Stephens enough times to know his views on premarital sex, or even premarital almost sex. "What about Pastor Cullum?" Nathan suggested.

"I don't really know him," Shelby said.

"I know he has only been here a few months," Nathan said, "but he was over for dinner at our house a few weeks ago, and he seems like a good guy."

Shelby thought about it. "He is young, and not married," she noted.

"True," Nathan replied.

"O.K.," Shelby replied. "Let's see if he can explain this to us."

Nathan realized for the first time that Shelby intended to essentially ask Pastor Cullum for permission for them to fool around. Or that she would challenge him to explain why in a way that made sense to them. The thought horrified him, initially, but then he wondered if there was a chance that they might get his approval. Even the small chance of this happening made it worth the discomfort. He thought again of Shelby's perfect breast and knew that he was powerless to resist her.

"Fine," Nathan responded. "Let's go to his office after school tomorrow."

"You won't chicken out?" Shelby teased.

"No. I promise."

Shelby took Nathan's hand and placed it on her breast, above the shirt. "Swear?"

Nathan felt the softness and knew that he wanted to do whatever was possible to be able to see it again. But he wasn't sure he could. "Swear," he whispered.

Shelby leaned forward and briefly kissed him, and before he could react, she was heading out the door, saying, "Goodbye, see you in school tomorrow."

He waited until he heard the door slam and Shelby's car engine start before stripping off his clothing and running into the shower. He knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help it. As the hot water poured over him, and he jerked off, he tried to understand how the Lord could give man the ability to feel such pleasure, but then deny it to him. Being the good Christian boy that he was, he never, ever had surfed the Internet for porn, had never read a Playboy magazine. His fantasies about women were, previously, remarkably chaste, but now, he had seen an actual woman's breast, and it was beautiful. Imagining the rest of Shelby's body, naked and with him in the shower, Nathan came explosively, and felt guilty about how good it felt. He prayed for forgiveness and guidance as he cleaned the shower to make sure that his mother was unaware of his weakness.

After Nathan dried off and put on clothing, he read his well worn copy of the Bible, looking for something, but finding nothing new to help him.

At dinner, after they thanked the Lord for his bounty, Nathan's father James asked him about school, and they had a discussion about his AP History class. They discussed Tommy's day at school and then talked a bit about baseball, a passion which James had passed on to his sons. Which was the cue for Nathan's mother Marcia to begin clearing the dishes. Nathan and Tommy jumped up to help, as expected, and James brought in the rest of the food.

While they were scr****g the dishes into the sink, Marcia turned to Nathan and asked, "Was Shelby here yesterday when Tommy and I were at the park?"

Nathan knew better than to lie because his mother would not have asked the question if she didn't already know the answer. "Yes, Mom, she was." He saw his mother's eyes flash to meet his father's.

"I assume you were behaving," Marcia said.

Nathan was glad that he did not visibly blush, because he felt the warmth of embarrassment flood his face. "Of course, Mom," Nathan lied.

His father jumped in, "Son, we know how things are," he began, looking again at his wife before continuing, "but you must respect your chastity, and Shelby's."

Nathan nodded silently as his father continued, "I don't think it is wise for you to be alone together unchaperoned."

"Dad, we are both 18—" Nathan began.

"All the more reason for you to be careful. You're adults and responsible for your actions." He flashed another look at Marcia, who nodded. "Not to mention, all of our reputations are at stake."

Nathan knew that they were both right and wrong, but he also knew that he had no easy way out, except to agree. "O.K., Dad, it won't happen again," he said.

"Good," James responded. "I think that you will find that to be the smartest and safest course."

Putting down his dish towel, Nathan left the kitchen to go to his room. As he walked, he wondered how much of his parents' concern was really directed toward his well-being, and how much was concern about the neighbors' gossip. Clearly, someone saw Shelby's car in the driveway, or saw her leave the house, and blabbed about it to his mother, he thought. Nathan appreciated the security that his church community had provided him and his family over the years, but as he moved through his teens he began to understand the negative flip side to constantly being watched and judged.

He opened his textbook and immersed himself in his homework, which distracted him at least until it was finished. Nathan then went online for a while, and then left his room to join his father in the living room to watch some baseball. Nathan was relieved that their conversation was limited to the game, and when it was over Nathan went back to his room and prepared for bed.

Lying in bed, Nathan's mind was racing. He knew that meeting with Pastor Cullum was likely to be a waste of time, but he knew that Shelby wanted to do it, and he had found it impossible to say no to her from the time she had asked if he would pour her a Diet Coke at the picnic last summer. Not that she had ever asked him to do anything he didn't want to, although he wasn't sure what he would do if she did. And he had lied to his parents, and also knew that it would be risky for her to come over again when the house was empty. His phone vibrated, and he reached over and saw that it was a text from Shelby. His heart raced just seeing her name on the screen.

"We are going to have that meeting tomorrow, right?" she asked.

Nathan typed back, "Yes. Although I'm not sure what good it will do."

"Maybe," she responded. "But worth a try."

"I guess," Nathan texted.

"No chickening out?" Shelby challenged.

"No. I'll be there," he responded.

There was a pause, and Nathan considered what the meeting would be like. He assumed that their conversation was over, when the phone vibrated again. It was Shelby.

"Some incentive," she wrote, and there was an attachment. He downloaded the picture, and when it opened, it was that breast again. Its delicious curves. The dark, hard nipple. Nathan's heart leapt in his chest.

There was another text. "Erase that immediately."

Nathan erased the picture from the phone, but the image was seared into his brain. It took him a long time before he finally was able to sleep.

Friday Morning, Harmony Christian Life Academy

Public displays of affection were forbidden on the campus, so Nathan received his usual smile from Shelby when they passed in the hall on the way to their homerooms. Today, however, Nathan thought that he noticed a look in her eyes, a look that he sometimes saw when Shelby was in the middle of disputing something a teacher said. It was a look that often led to trouble. Nathan felt himself shiver, but whether it was with fear or anticipation, or some combination of both, he could not decipher.

During lunch, Nathan and Shelby sat with their friends and chattered about the usual things, but when they were clearing their trays and were, briefly, alone, Shelby said, "Nathan, before we speak with Pastor Cullum, we should talk. Meet me in front of the school after the final bell."

This was a new concern for Nathan. Shelby's unpredictability in his regimented world was one of the most powerful reasons that he was attracted to her. That, and her eyes, her wit and, increasingly importantly, that breast. He had absolutely no clue what her real motive was, and he felt like a leaf thrown into a rushing brook, hurtling along who knows where at the whim of a power much stronger than him. He had often thought that way about the power of the Lord over his life, and he hoped that there was some purpose to this all.

He tried to figure out the possibilities. There was, of course, a slim chance that Pastor Cullum would give them some sort of permission to move further in their relationship, a result that Nathan would, of course, enjoy. He could do the opposite, and forbid them from seeing each other, and tell their parents, which probably was improper, since they both were, technically, adults, but would be consistent with the way their church operated. Or there was some sort of middle result, or results, but what they might be, he could not figure out. He decided to trust Shelby, and prayed, while he walked to class, that things would go smoothly. He assumed that praying to see Shelby naked was not appropriate. Although he had not specifically tried that yet, he did not expect that it would pass muster either with the church or the Lord.

Somehow, the clocks in school seemed to move twice as slowly as usual, but eventually the final bell rang. Nathan ran to his locker, swapped out what he was carrying for what he needed for the weekend and went, as quickly as possible to the front of the school. Shelby was sitting on the low brick wall, her long, jean clad legs swinging slowly as she waited for him. She smiled as she saw Nathan approach and slid off the wall so that she was standing when he approached her. It was clear that they wanted to at least touch, but knew they could not.

"Walk with me," she said, and he fell in beside her as they walked down the stone path away from the school door, past the imposing metal cross on the lawn, and toward the road.

Nathan was silent. This was Shelby's walk, and he figured she would get to her point when she was ready. They were at the edge of the campus, heading toward the town, when Shelby led him to a rock outcropping and sat down. They could still be seen from the street, so they still needed to show propriety because anyone driving by could, and some probably would, tell their parents, or Pastor Stephens, if they deviated from the church's rules.

Nathan looked into Shelby's eyes and wanted to kiss her, but knew he could not. Finally, she said, "You must want to know what is going on."

Nathan nodded. "You are being pretty mysterious, you know," he replied, smiling.

Shelby smiled back, and Nathan felt happy. "Before we go to see Cullum, I wanted you to know a few things about me. Things I probably should have told you before."

Nathan's brow furrowed with concern, and Shelby continued, "Nothing bad, I think, but you should know this stuff. It's about why I'm here."

"O.K.," Nathan said, "If you want to. You know you can tell me anything."

Shelby smiled again, and Nathan felt that brightness again in his chest, a feeling that he had to attribute to something holy.

"So, you know that I grew up in the city." Nathan nodded. He realized he was just supposed to listen. "My parents were good Christians. Are good Christians," she corrected, "and they tried hard to instill in me all of the things they believed. And I did, I mean, I do, mostly, believe."
Shelby paused, as if trying to figure out exactly what to say next. "But I was in public school, with lots of nonbelievers. Some of my teachers were Jewish, some were atheists. Few of them were Christians, and of those that were, few were truly believers. And my schoolmates were the same. I was, when I was little, teased for being what I was. So, I decided to hide it, pretend not to care."

She paused again before continuing. "And when you pretend as long as I did, and when you are exposed to doubts and doubters, anyone with half a brain is going to question, and I did. My parents tried, but peer pressure is powerful. They worked during the day, and I wasn't supervised. I started to drink, use some d**gs—nothing serious, just some pot—"

Nathan's eyes widened, "Really?"

"Yeah. Everyone was doing it. Which is no excuse, but yeah. So, anyway, I discovered boys. And I realized I liked them. I began to do things—"

"What—" Nathan interjected, but Shelby put her finger to his lips to quiet him, and he stopped.

"It really isn't any of your business," she said sternly, but then her expression softened. "But more than we have done. Not much more, but more. And I thought that I was ready to, you know, go all the way. Everything felt so good, and my boyfriend was encouraging me, and I didn't understand why not. So, one day after school, we were at my apartment, and we were naked and in my room, and we were a little high, and things were moving toward, you know, when my mother burst into the room. She had a headache and left work early, and she walked in on us."

"Oh God," Nathan blasphemed, losing his control, as he understood Shelby's embarrassment, but also being more than a little aroused by the thought of Shelby's nakedness.

She chuckled. "It is funny now, the look on her face, seeing me naked, seeing David naked with a condom on, and seeing the joints we had smoked, but at the time, I was horrified." She shook her head. "As you can imagine, there was a great deal of praying after that, and talks, with my parents and with our minister. And I realized that I was headed down a dangerous track. But I also realized that what we had done felt good, and I wondered why the church was so adamant that I shouldn't do it, and even more."

Nathan's cock was hard, and it embarrassed him. He shifted his weight to try to cover his state, and Shelby saw it and smiled at him, which didn't help the situation. She looked at her phone and turned to Nathan, saying, "Time for our meeting."

Just thinking about having to discuss sex with Pastor Cullum deflated Nathan almost immediately and he stood up and walked with Shelby toward the church offices, in a white building separate from, but attached to the school. As they walked, Nathan wondered whether this was where all the good will he had built up over the years at the church and school over the years would be gone, and that he would be considered dangerous, the way people talked about Shelby behind her back. Who, he was still surprised to know, had used d**gs and been naked with a boy. And who had actually been taught by Jews and atheists. But he looked at her as he walked next to her and he couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

Nathan had been coming to that building his whole life, and could smell its mustiness in his mind even before he and Shelby opened the door and entered the waiting area.

"Nice to see you again, Nathan, Shelby," said the white haired woman sitting behind the desk. Nathan remembered when Mrs. Proctor had blonde hair, before her husband, Deacon Proctor, had passed away, and had a typewriter, rather than a computer on her desk. The pace of change at Harmony was slow, but it did happen. Nathan wasn't sure whether it was going to change fast enough for Shelby, but as always, he was impressed and aroused by her willingness to push against the limits that had been set for them.

"Nice to see you, too, Mrs. Proctor," Nathan replied, smiling, and Shelby made some sort of agreeable noise that passed for a response. "We have an appointment with Pastor Cullum," Nathan stated, trying to sound as if he stopped by every day with his girlfriend for a chat with a clergyman.

"Yes, I see that on the calendar," Mrs. Proctor responded. "I'm always happy to see our best young people meeting with the pastors. Everything is alright?" she asked, displaying the concern that came from having watched Nathan grow up. And, Nathan thought, maybe she assumed that Shelby, a known "troublemaker" had somehow caused him problems.

"Everything is fine, Mrs. Proctor," Nathan replied a little unsteadily, "we just have some things to discuss with him." The church secretary smiled and Nathan felt that she had some inkling of what was going on.

"Go on in, k**s," she said, "he's expecting you."

They walked down the hall past other rooms and offices until they came to Pastor Cullum's, a relatively small room next to the much larger and more fearsome office that Pastor Stephens used. Nathan had gone years between visits to that place, but he knew that Shelby had been summoned there at least 5 times in the short time that she had lived in town.

Shelby knocked on the door, and they heard Pastor Cullum say, "Come in." She pushed open the door, and they could see his worn desk covered with papers, and two mismatched wood guest chairs. Nathan had never been to this office, which was, he believed, a storage closet before Pastor Cullum had joined their church. He was not surprised to see a large metal cross on the wall, but he was surprised to see a red electric guitar and amp, an acoustic guitar and a poster on the wall for a band that while not expressly forbidden to church members was certainly not a Christian band.

"Do you like them?" Pastor Cullum asked.

Nathan wondered if it was a trick, but figured that was unlikely. But he decided to hedge his bets with the new minister. "I've heard them, they're pretty good," he said.

"I'm a big fan," Pastor Cullum said, motioning to them to sit down, and they followed.

"So, what did I do to get a couple of our school's leading seniors to visit me on this beautiful day?" he asked, smiling. He was pretty young for a preacher, Nathan thought, and seemed friendly.

Nathan looked at Shelby, and he saw that look in her blue eyes, and realized that things were about to get interesting.

Shelby looked at him, then turned to face Pastor Cullum. "Um, Pastor Cullum," she began unsteadily. Nathan was surprised that she seemed to be flustered a little. "Um," she continued, "Nathan and I have been dating for a while now-"

"About 9 months," Nathan interjected. Hearing that number, Pastor Cullum's head whipped to face him, then to Shelby's trim midsection.

Shelby noticed his look, and said, "No, no, no, it isn't that, no." The minister's face relaxed. "But," Shelby continued, "I guess you are on sort of the right track." Pastor Cullum leaned forward, his chin on the top of a pyramid formed by his pale hands, listening. "What I want to ask you, is, I guess, what is wrong with sex?"

Nathan almost fell off his chair at the directness of the question. The young minister tried to maintain his composure. He had, in his relatively short career, dealt with questions about love and sex, but never from someone so young, and so directly. Not to mention so attractive.

Pastor Cullum took a deep breath, leaned back in his chair and started, "Nothing is wrong with sex, Shelby. I'm not going to quote Scripture to you—I know you have been hearing it forever and are smart young adults, so I'm going to speak to you that way. The truth is just that there is a time and a place for everything, and we believe that the time and place for sex is in a loving marriage."

Shelby thought for a few seconds. "So, Pastor Cullum," she ventured a bit unsteadily, "if the marriage isn't loving, then they shouldn't have sex?"

The young minister smiled. As he expected, based on her reputation, this one wasn't going to swallow the party line so easily. "Of course, that would be an issue for the couple to work out themselves," he replied.

Nathan saw that Shelby's face flashed a look of disapproval at that response, or what Nathan realized was a non-response. He waited for her to speak.

"But what if a couple is in love, really in love, but aren't married for some reason?"

"Then we believe it isn't appropriate. We believe that Scripture requires that a couple be married and show each other the appropriate respect for their bodies, and that sex outside of marriage does not show that sort of respect."

Shelby weighed that comment before responding, "But sex, which was created by God, feels good, doesn't it?"

Nathan was again shocked that Shelby was willing to be so frank with a member of the clergy. It excited him, and scared him at the same time.

Pastor Cullum replied, "Yes, it may feel good, but that is no excuse. Just because something feels good, doesn't mean that we should do it without thinking of the consequences."

Nathan noticed Shelby smile. He expected her to simply ask "why not?" but instead, she said, "I realize that maybe this was a mistake," she said, but not apologetically. She continued, "I mean, how can you give us advice about sex when you haven't had sex? You haven't, right?"

Nathan's mouth opened in shock. His girlfriend just asked Pastor Cullum if he had ever had sex. Then, he looked at the minister, and saw that his face was turning red. Nathan waited for the expected denial, but instead, Pastor Cullum played with a pen that was on his desk.

"That is really none of your business, Shelby," he finally responded in a voice that was no longer friendly.

"So you have? And you aren't married, right?" Shelby shot back, with a look of triumph on her beautiful face.

"I think this meeting is over," he finally whispered. "I will be discussing this with Pastor Stephens. You will not discuss this with anyone, understand?" he said, increasingly sternly, but his attempt to intimidate Nathan and Shelby seemed forced.

Shelby stood and looked at the minister, smiling, "Thank you Pastor Cullum for helping to clear things up for me." She looked at Nathan, "C'mon Nathan, let's leave Pastor Cullum alone."

Nathan stood, looked at Pastor Cullum and realized he had nothing that he could say. He turned and followed Shelby out into the hallway.

Shelby was bouncing with delight, while Nathan was horrified. They hurried down the hall, out the door, waving goodbye to Mrs. Proctor and out into the sunshine.

"Let's go," Shelby said with glee and started running toward the school parking lot. Although he could have easily caught her, Nathan was satisfied to run behind her, and watch her long legs and cute butt. When they got to the lot, Shelby panted, "Get in my car." Nathan opened the passenger door and climbed in.

"Where are we going?" Nathan asked.

"Did you understand what Pastor Cullum just basically admitted?" she asked, her eyes flashing with excitement. Nathan couldn't help but notice that Shelby's nipples were poking through her shirt, and he felt himself getting hard.

"I'm not an idiot," Nathan responded, shifting in the seat to accommodate his growing erection.

"Then what?" Shelby pressed, as she drove.

Nathan shook his head. "I'm pretty sure that you got him to admit that he has had premarital sex."

Shelby laughed. "Fucking right."

Nathan's head spun to his left. He had never heard a woman in their community curse before, and again realized how far in above his head he was with Shelby. And yet, he was in what he certainly believed was love. And there was that breast, etched into his memory.

"Do you understand what that means?" Shelby asked, as the car pulled into the parking lot of the town park.

"I think so, but what are you getting at?" Nathan asked with some annoyance in his voice.

They got out of the car and Shelby started walking into the park, past the playground filled at that hour with little k**s and their mothers, who sat on benches chatting. Nathan recognized some of the mothers from church, and they waved at him as he and Shelby walked further into the park. Finally, when they were away from the mothers, Shelby said, "Pastor Cullum has had sex, and not only isn't he dead, but he is a minister. A minister who does one thing and says another—"

Nathan interrupted, "we don't know the story. Maybe he was like you—"

Shelby's head snapped to face Nathan, and she did not look happy. Nathan continued—"I mean, maybe, he wasn't a Christian his whole life. Maybe he had sex when he was younger, and saw the error of his ways—"

Shelby stopped walking and grabbed Nathan's hand. "The error of his ways?" she mimicked. "Do you hear yourself spouting the doctrine that you've been fed your whole life?" She pressed his hand to her chest. "Does this feel like an error to you?" Leaning forward, she kissed Nathan on the lips, then pulled back. "Does that?"

Nathan's head was spinning. He realized that Shelby was right—he was simply parroting what he grew up hearing. He wanted to kiss her again, and do more, but was stuck between the two worlds, the world he knew and was comfortable in, and the world that was exciting and dangerous. Both felt good, and Nathan was aware that he was reaching a point where he had to decide which world he wanted to live in.

He sat down on the grass and looked around. Shelby had led them to a fairly secluded area of the park. The odds on anyone seeing them there were slim, and he wondered whether it was just luck, or whether Shelby had scouted the location. Nathan understood what Shelby was doing. She had exposed one of their church's ministers as a likely hypocrite. But that did not necessarily mean that what he said wasn't true. Maybe sex was something that was really supposed to be for married people. But why, then, did he want it so badly?

Turning to Shelby, Nathan asked, "Why?"

"Why what?" she replied.

"Why are you doing all of this?"

"To show you, and to confirm to me, that all of this bull that they have been selling us about sex it just that."

Nathan paused, recognizing that he was about to risk everything with Shelby. "Shelby, you are beautiful, smart, amazing. I'm sure that if you wanted to have sex, you could find someone to oblige you without all of my hesitation."

"Nathan, you're an idiot," Shelby responded, but without anger. Nathan waited for her to storm off, and he started to figure out how he was going to get back to his car. But she didn't leave. She took his hand and said, "I'm doing this because if I'm going to have sex, I want to have it with you."

That warm feeling began to spread from Nathan's chest again, this time making it quickly to his groin. Shelby continued. "One thing I do agree with Pastor Cullum about, and that is that sex should be between people who love each other, and I love you. I was close once, like I told you, but that wasn't love, that was just lust and d**gs and what I thought I wanted. You've been the best friend I've ever had. You are nice, smart, funny, loyal and frankly, I appreciate your morals and the fact that you are struggling about this. And I trust you and respect you, and I know you respect me. I suspect that you are right, that most guys would simply take me up on my offer without a second thought. But you are different. So, if I'm going to lose my 'precious virginity' to anyone, I don't want it to be some random guy. I want it to be you." She leaned over and kissed Nathan, and they kissed passionately for a few minutes, and their hands strayed, but still above the clothing and above the waist.

Nathan pulled away. "Wow," he said, smiling. "You know I feel the same way that you do, but, I don't know, maybe it's because I've only known this church and its ways my whole life, I still don't know. I understand what happened today, I really do, and your willingness to speak to him that way was one of the hottest things that I have ever seen, other than that cell phone picture that you sent me—"

"Which you erased—"

"Which I erased," he said, reaching into his pocket and tossing Shelby his phone. Without turning it on, she tossed it back.

"I said, I trusted you," she said, softly.

Nathan stood up and offered his hand to Shelby. She took his hand and stood up. Hand in hand, they started to walk back to the parking lot. "I need to think," he said.

"I know," Shelby responded. "But I'm ready, and I'll wait for you to let me know if and when you are ready." They kissed quickly, and before they got in sight of the playground, they disengaged their hands and walked to Shelby's car. When they got into the car, they held hands and listened to the radio, alone with their thoughts until they got back to school.

Nathan got out of the car and said goodbye before getting into his own car and driving home. He pulled into the driveway and noticed that his father's car was there, earlier than usual. He turned off the engine, walked to the front of the house and walked in.

His parents were waiting for him, and they looked furious.

"Nathan, what has that girl gotten you into?" Marcia asked.

"What do you mean, mother?" Nathan responded.

"Don't play dumb with us," James replied. "We spoke with Pastor Cullum this afternoon. And we know that you went to the park with that girl to do who knows what"

Nathan was furious. He thought that what they discussed with Pastor Cullum was private. Not to mention the nosy mothers in the park. And, if anything, Nathan thought, it was Pastor Cullum who had something to be embarrassed about, not him. "What did he tell you?"

"That you came in with that girl and asked about sex."

"That's true. Aren't we supposed to discuss questions of morality with our ministers?"

Nathan's parents looked at each other. His father responded, "Of course, but he told us that girl was rude and wanton."

Before Nathan could defend his girlfriend, his mother interjected, "He said that she was asking for permission to have sex, presumably with you."

Nathan shook his head in protest. "That is just not true. Shelby, and that is her name, you know, had questions about why the church is so hung up on sex, and wanted to understand why. She never asked for permission or anything like that. Did he tell you anything else about the conversation?"

"Don't you think that is enough?" James replied.

Nathan knew that it was going to be their word against Pastor Cullum's, but he was angry that the minister had betrayed what Nathan thought was a confidential conversation. "Did he tell you that Shelby asked him whether he had ever had sex?"

Shelby's mother looked horrified, "That girl asked a minister that question? You cannot see her anymore."

Nathan ignored the prohibition for the time being and said, "And did Cullum tell you that he didn't deny it?"

"So what?" James responded. "He doesn't have to answer questions like that from k**s like you and that girl."

"Her name is Shelby, we are not k**s, and you can't stop me from seeing her." As Nathan stormed away, and headed toward his room, he could hear his father yelling, "As long as you live under my roof........"

Nathan slammed the door, causing some of the books and trophies in his room to shake, and threw himself on the bed. What the heck was going on, he thought to himself. Before yesterday, he was a respected member of the senior class and of the church. He had a beautiful girlfriend, and although they were making out, they were pretty much behaving within the rules. Then, yesterday, there was the breast. And the picture of the breast. And today, his girlfriend asked direct questions about sex to a minister and basically got him to admit that he had premarital sex. And his girlfriend offered herself to him, and he hesitated. Then his parents yelled at him, took Cullum's side against him and Shelby and don't want him to see her anymore.
He didn't know which way to turn. He couldn't talk to his parents. The church was clearly not going to help. He couldn't call any of his friends, because they would be scandalized. He had only one person to turn to, so he turned on his phone and called Shelby.

"Hey," she said, and Nathan felt his heart beat faster just hearing her voice. "Are you getting it bad?"

"Yeah," Nathan responded. "I can't believe that Cullum called them. And that they are taking his side against us."

"Why are you surprised? You always tell me how you feel like everyone in the church is constantly watching and trying to control you."

"I know, but I thought that, as actual adult members of the congregation, a minister isn't supposed to disclose—"

"We—I—embarrassed him, and he needed to put the blame on us—mostly me, because I'm the new girl, the bad girl, corrupting one of the good boys. And they don't see us as adults, even though we technically are."

Nathan was quiet for a second. "You know I don't think that you are corrupting me," he said.

"I know."

"They don't want me to see you anymore," Nathan said.

"I figured as much."

"I'm not going to let that happen."

"Good, I couldn't take that. But don't do anything with your parents that you can't fix."

Nathan realized that Shelby's advice was prudent, but he refused to not see her. Then he realized that he had been thinking only of himself. "What did your parents say?"

"They are angry, too. Mostly, they are concerned that we are still new here, and don't want to be looked on as bad people or bad parents. And they are worried that I'm going down the same dangerous road as I did in the city."

"And?" Nathan asked.

"I told them everything, about my concerns, your concerns and why we went to see Cullum. And that I was still a virgin, and that you were more than a gentleman. I think that satisfied them. They asked me to apologize to Cullum, and I might, just to calm things down, but they aren't going to try to keep us apart. In fact, they said that one of the reasons that they moved here was so that I would meet more boys like you."

Nathan felt his face warm. "I'm no saint," he said, "and if they could see what I thought---"

"Don't go there," Shelby laughed. "Let them think that you are the perfect Christian boy. And, you still are," she chuckled.

"Not if you have any say in the matter, you evil, wanton woman," Nathan joked.

"You have no idea," Shelby responded, laughing. There was a long pause as they both sorted through some mental imagery.

"Look, Nathan, we can get through this."

"I know."

"I love you."

"I love you, too.

There was a pause before Shelby spoke again. "I think it might be smart for us not to see each other tomorrow. But I will see you at church on Sunday."

Nathan realized that it would probably be a good idea. He had a ton of chores to do on Saturday, anyway, and some homework, and it would give him a chance to maybe speak with his parents, once they had calmed down. "Agreed," he said. "See you at church."

Shelby disconnected the call, and Nathan lay on his bed, thinking.

B
Sunday Morning, Nathan's house

Nathan woke and heard his parents moving around downstairs. The smell of the traditional Sunday bacon tickled his nose. It did nothing to alleviate the pit in his stomach. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he dreaded going to church. When he was a k**, of course, he didn't like having to sit still and wear nice clothing, but afterwards, he got to run around with his friends and eat cookies. As he got older, he enjoyed the ritual, the readings, and the sermons, which reinforced his beliefs. And even into his teenage years, when some doubts crept into his mind, he was comforted by the familiarity of everything—the services, the sermons and the members of his community.

And, of course, for the past few months, he knew that he would see Shelby, dressed up and looking beautiful. His Shelby. Who loved him.

But today, he knew that there would be tension. He knew that the gossips in the group would have already passed the word around about the meeting with Pastor Cullum. And that no one would have heard any of their side. He knew that there would be whispering, and continued denigration of Shelby. And he knew that his parents would be watching him like hawks to prevent him from spending any time with her. Even if it would be impossible for them to keep them apart, because of school and the fact that they were not home during the weekdays, they could certainly make things difficult.

But he had no choice. Nathan got out of bed, went to the bathroom, brushed his teeth and ran a brush through his short, sandy hair, and went down to breakfast.

Although his parents tried to pretend it was a Sunday like every other Sunday of his life, everybody, other than Tommy, realized that it was different, and they soon ate in silence. Nathan cleared his plate, rinsed it in the sink and put it, and his coffee cup, into the dishwasher, and silently went to his room to shave and change for church.

The ride over was quiet, punctuated by Tommy's c***dish babble, and his mother's attempt to engage the young boy in what he would be hearing at the service. Nathan leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes, visualizing first Shelby's face, and then her breast. But he realized that was dangerous, and he tried to focus on Scripture, to take his mind off of Shelby, but it didn't work.

His father pulled into the crowded parking lot, and they got out of the car, greeting their friends, as usual. Nathan's head swiveled around, looking for Shelby, and his heart leapt when he though he saw her near the church door, only to realize that it was Marcy Johnston, a junior who looked a little like Shelby from a distance. They approached the church entrance, when Nathan felt compelled to turn his head, looking back to the lot, and he saw Shelby getting out of her parents' car, looking beautiful in a patterned dress that was more appropriate for church than her usual outfits.

He knew that his parents would freak out if he waited to see Shelby, so rather than cause a scene, he followed them into the church. Nathan was not sure if he was imagining it, but he was pretty sure that people were subtly pointing toward him and speaking while using their programs to block their mouths. He began to feel pressure behind his eyes, anger welling up inside him about the pettiness and nosiness of his fellow churchgoers. Nathan wondered what Jesus would tell them about minding their own business and not judging their neighbors. He wondered how many of the whisperers could pass the John 8:7 test, since he figured none of them was without sin. And his sin, and Shelby's, to the extent they even had sinned, was trivial.

Nathan took a seat with his family, and not, as had become his custom, with Shelby and some of their schoolmates, and glanced at the program. His eyes went immediately to the text for the sermon: "Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral" (Hebrews 13:4).

Seriously? Nathan thought to himself. This could not be a coincidence. Pastor Stephens pulled out his old standard anti-sex sermon to shame him and Shelby in front of the entire community. Nathan turned and saw that Shelby's family was sitting toward the rear of the church. He saw her reading the program, then look up, her face turning red. She caught his eyes and they quickly looked at each other before Nathan turned around.

Pastor Stephens was sitting in his big chair, on the stage, with Pastor Cullum and Mr. Stanton, the deacon. Nathan thought that Pastor Cullum's eyes narrowed when he looked at him, and he hoped that it was his imagination.

The choir began to sing, and the service began. It was a blur to Nathan, who went through the rote motions, but paid no attention to any of it until Pastor Stephens stood to deliver the sermon. He wondered how bad it would be, and whether the old minister would actually single Shelby and him out for shaming.

Pastor Stephens stood before the lectern and waited for silence. Everyone in the congregation who had heard about Nathan and Shelby's meeting with Pastor Cullum, and that was likely almost everyone, understood the meaning of the text chosen, and waited to see what would happen. When the crowd was silent, and he had waited long enough to create dramatic tension, the tall, slim, white haired minister began to speak in his booming baritone, with its hint of his birth in the deep South.

"We all know, or at least we all should know," he began, looking first at Nathan, then at Shelby, "that the Lord commanded us against the sin of adultery. We know, or at least we all should know, that marriage is a sacred bond between one woman, and one man, joined in the presence of the Lord, and that certain things are permitted of married couples that are strictly forbidden to unmarried people." He looked again at Shelby, and then at Nathan, who sunk down in his seat, trying unsuccessfully to hide his 6 foot tall body.

The sermon went on from there, with Pastor Stephens dragging out most of the usual war horses, the passage from Hebrews that was the inspiration for the sermon, Matthew 19:4-5, Paul's warning in 1 Corinthians 6:16 against prostitutes, which Nathan didn't think was all that relevant to the discussion, the other passages in 1 Corinthians about marriage, and all the other verses that had been pounded into Nathan's head since before he even knew what sex was.

Nathan felt the eyes of his fellow church goers on him the entire time, and it was not a pleasant feeling. Meanwhile, Pastor Cullum sat on stage, looking smug, even though he was a bigger sinner than either he or Shelby ever was. The anger continued to build inside Nathan as Pastor Stephens sonorously inveighed against that which Nathan knew in his heart was not a sin—showing his love to Shelby.

And then, it was over. Nathan had never been happier to hear the word "Amen" in his life. He breathed out and looked back at Shelby. She and her parents were gone.

The service ended, and Nathan ran out of the church without engaging in any pleasantries, but when he got outside, he saw that Shelby's parents' car was gone. He called her cell, but it went to voicemail, and he didn't leave a message. The rest of the crowd was gathering for the traditional punch and cookies on the lawn, but Nathan wanted nothing more than to be able to leave. He texted Shelby, but she did not respond.

Nathan stood apart from the crowd, watching them happily chatting away, drinking punch and eating cookies. He saw the little k**s running around and through the crowd, and the groups of teenagers flirting and teasing each other. He saw his classmates studiously avoiding him while stealing furtive glances his way. He thought back to his younger days, and how much fun he had after church. And now, it was awful.

Then, Nathan reminded himself that he actually hadn't done anything wrong. And really, neither had Shelby. But he was being treated like a sinner, an immoral person, and Shelby was being humiliated as if she was a whore. Without doing anything more than asking questions. Yes, there was that breast, in his hand, but it was an aberration, and it went no further. Nathan started to laugh, slowly at first, then louder, as the tension inside him bubbled to the surface. He was laughing so hard that he didn't notice Pastor Cullum step in front of him.

"What's so funny?" the young minister asked him, a cruel edge in his voice.

"Nothing," Nathan replied.

"I hope you learned something today," Pastor Cullum replied, and it was clear that he was not just talking about the Scripture lesson.

"I'm not saying anything to you, Pastor Cullum, since it is clear that nothing that we discuss can be considered confidential."

The minister looked hard at Nathan. "I see that your whore of a girlfriend's lack of discretion is rubbing off on you. I expected more from you. I expect that you will show more care in the future, or there will be consequences."

It took all of Nathan's self-control not to take a swing at the smaller man, and Pastor Cullum knew that he was in no physical danger. He looked back at Nathan and said, "I admitted nothing, and anyway, no one will believe anything that you or that slut say. I've made sure of that." He strode away, toward a group of older women, who fawned over him.

Nathan's phone went off, and he pulled it out of his pocket. It was a text from Shelby. "Better for you to stay away from me, I think."

Nathan furiously texted back, "Never. I will call you later. Please take my call. ILY." He stared at his phone, as if his gaze could make Shelby's response come faster.

Finally, the phone went off. "O.K. Tonight. ILY2"

Putting the phone back in his pocket, Nathan looked around and was relieved to see his parents and Tommy headed toward him. They did not, however, look happy.

"Well, that was humiliating," his mother said in a low voice.

Nathan looked at his father, but James' face was stony. Nathan realized that nothing he could say would make things better, so he stayed quiet as they walked to the car, Tommy skipping ahead of them, oblivious. The ride home was silent, and when they arrived home, Nathan went straight to his room, changed, and started working on his homework. He hid in his room for the rest of the day, coming out only for a hushed dinner, which he ate quickly and joylessly, before withdrawing back to his room.

Finally, he felt that it was time to call Shelby. Nathan was worried that she would ignore his call, but she picked up.

"Hi," she said, and Nathan felt happy just hearing her voice.

"How are you doing?" Nathan responded.

"O.K., I guess. My parents are still being pretty cool about the whole thing, but they are being ostracized by the other parents and I can tell it is uncomfortable. I can't believe that this is enough to set everybody off. What's next? Flaming torches?"

Nathan laughed. "My parents are furious. They have been pillars of this community for a long time, and now they feel ashamed."

"Sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about. You asked honest moral questions to a minister, which is exactly what they have told us to do our whole life here. And now, we are being punished because that asshole, excuse me, because Cullum told everyone to protect himself."

"I know, that guy is creepy," she said.

"He basically tried to intimidate me after church today." Nathan chose not to tell Shelby exactly what Pastor Cullum had said about her.

"That asshole."

Once again, Nathan was both surprised and a little excited by her use of language that was forbidden. "I know that my parents are going to try to stop me from seeing you."

"I can't believe the way everyone is reacting. I should have just walked naked into church. It couldn't be worse."

Nathan imagined that happening, and got aroused. "You're right. This whole thing is nuts."

"I want us to be together, now more than ever," Shelby said, in a low, husky voice.

Nathan paused. His body continued to crave Shelby, but he still wasn't fully ready to give up everything he had believed his whole life. However, the hypocrisy and behavior of Pastor Cullum and the overreaction of pretty much everyone else was making him think. "Don't worry," he replied. "We are 18, and they can't stop us, if we want to be together."

"I love you, Nathan."

"I love you too."

"See you in school tomorrow."

"Of course. Good night."

Shelby responded, "Good night," and disconnected the call.

Nathan brushed his teeth and prepared for bed. He was getting ready to get into bed, when there was a knock on his door. His parents came in, looking serious.

"We need to talk," his father said.

"I have nothing more to say," Nathan replied.

"Nathan, I am still your father, and you will show me respect."

"Yessir," Nathan replied without much commitment.

"Today was truly one of the worst days that your mother and I have ever experienced."

"I'm sorry," Nathan responded.

"Nothing like this ever happened before you started seeing that girl."

"Dad, her name is Shelby, and if you want to talk about her, please use her name."

"Fine. Your mother and I don't think that you should be spending time with her. Shelby," he continued, emphasizing her name with a sneer in his voice, "is a disrespectful and dangerous girl."

Nathan felt anger welling up inside, and it took all of his power to control it. "Mom, Dad, I love Shelby. She is amazing. She makes me think and she makes me happy. I'm not going to stop seeing her because Pastor Cullum is trying to make her look bad to protect himself."

"You said that before. What do you mean?"

"I told you. Shelby asked why we should take advice about sex from someone who never had it, and it was clear that he had, even though he has never been married. And when she asked him directly, he refused to answer and threw us out. Now, he wants to make us look bad so no one will believe us."

"That is ridiculous," Nathan's mother stated. "He didn't respond to .... Shelby," Marcia spat out her name like a curse, "because you have no right to ask those questions to a man of God."

"Mom, whether or not you believe me, it is clear that he is a hypocrite and sinner. And whether or not you believe me, Shelby and I haven't done anything wrong."

James looked at his son and said, "Nathan, you are not to see Shelby, and that's that."

"You can't stop me," Nathan yelled. "You're being an ass."

Marcia gasped at the word and James raised his right arm as if to strike his son, and Nathan grabbed James' wrist. Although James was in good shape, Nathan was stronger, and he prevented the blow. They struggled briefly, before James withdrew his arm, and he and Marcia turned and walked toward the door. James turned and rubbed his elbow, saying, "This is far from over, Nathan. Far from over." They left the room.

Nathan was breathing hard. His father had not struck him in years, and then it had been only standard spankings. And Nathan had never, ever, raised his hand to his father. Or used that kind of language in front of his parents, much less at them. He got into bed and under the covers, but his mind was racing.

He lay in bed, awake, for hours, thinking, until he realized that he needed to be ready to leave home, if his parents really tried to keep him away from Shelby, or even threw him out. He looked at the clock, surprised to see that it was 3 a.m. Nathan got out of bed, and quietly packed some clothing in his backpack. He took all of the cash that he had saved from birthdays, Christmas and the occasional odd job and stored in one of his extra Bibles, and put it in his wallet. He realized that he might have to find a job, and needed his birth certificate.

Nathan quietly opened his door and listened. The house was silent and dark. Wearing his pajamas and socks, he padded down the hall, down the steps and into his parents' office. Closing the door behind him, he turned on the lamp to the lowest setting. He saw the smiling family pictures, and could not believe that the events of the past couple of days had turned his parents against him. Somewhere, he knew, there was a file of important papers, and he opened the filing cabinet, and pawed past tax returns and insurance papers until he found a folder marked "Important Papers."

He opened the folder, and saw Tommy's birth certificate. Passing that, he saw his parents' wedding certificate, from the church, signed by Pastor Stephens. He was about to leaf past that, when he noticed a mistake. The certificate said that their wedding date was November 24, when he knew that they were actually married on August 24. That was strange, he thought, but figured it was no big deal, and moved on. The next document was the marriage license from the state, issued on November 23. Something was wrong, but Nathan wasn't sure what.

He leafed past the marriage license, and found his birth certificate, which was properly dated June 30. All of a sudden, it struck him, and he dropped the folder on the floor. Scrambling to pick it up, he confirmed the math. If his parents were actually married on November 24, he was born 7 months after that. No one had ever said that he was premature, and his parents always celebrated their anniversary in August.

Nathan began to shake. Everything his parents had told him was a lie. They were only a few years older than he was now, and his mother must have gotten pregnant before they were married. And they lied about their anniversary to cover it up. And they pretended to believe that premarital sex was wrong. And Pastor Stephens, and probably other people in the church knew, and said nothing, letting this sin go unpunished, and sinned themselves by lying. After the events of the past few days, Nathan seriously wondered if there was anyone in the church who wasn't a sinner.

He sat in the desk chair, holding the folder, and shaking. Tears began to pour down his cheeks. He felt empty inside, as if everything he knew had been torn out and left with nothing. Eventually, he calmed down, took his birth certificate and replaced the folder in the file cabinet. Turning off the light, he padded back to his room, put the paper into his backpack and got back into bed.

Nathan lay in the dark, thinking and feeling both free, but hollow, like a helium balloon floating on a swirling breeze. Although he never fell fully asleep, he was jarred from his half consciousness by the alarm.

Monday Morning

It was an effort for Nathan to get out of bed, but he knew that he needed to go through the motions, as if nothing had changed, even though everything had. On autopilot, he prepared for school, ate breakfast, made uncomfortable small talk with his parents, grabbed his heavier than usual backpack and headed to school.

He waited outside the building for Shelby, who was, as usual, cutting her arrival close. When she arrived, Nathan's spirits rose as he watched her graceful and beautiful form approach. He barely noticed the attention that was directed towards them by the other students, teachers and administrators as Shelby approached. It was as if they were waiting for something to happen, some further breach of order, but they were disappointed.

"We need to talk," Nathan said, as Shelby neared and he could smell the fresh scent of her shampoo.

"Lunch?" Shelby asked, as they walked into the school, next to each other but not touching, followed by the rest of the crowd.

"Yes, O.K." Nathan said, looking into the icy blue eyes of his girlfriend and trying to send her his love, telepathically.

Shelby could see in Nathan's eyes that something had happened, and that Nathan was in pain. She knew that she would not be able to concentrate in class.
Nathan struggled through his morning classes until it was, finally, time for lunch. He hurried to the cafeteria and sat at a quiet table in the corner, away from his friends. A few minutes later, Shelby sat down next to him, and he noticed that their schoolmates were watching them, probably hoping for some publicly scandalous behavior.

Shelby turned to face him, and Nathan could see the anticipation on her pretty face. She opened her eyes, questioning him silently.

In a low voice, Nathan said, "You've been right all along. All of this," he gestured around the room, "is bull. Today, after school, it's time. Let me show you how much I love you."

Shelby was surprised and didn't answer immediately. "Are you absolutely sure?

"I've never been more sure."

"What happened?"

"I'l