Even now, I don’t know what made me step in. It was still my first week at Sacred Heart, and I’d been trying to keep a low profile. But really, some things just aren’t cool, and I knew how it felt to be taunted like that. Telling Miranda off didn’t really stop her—it just made her call me a bitch—but whatever. It led me to my two best friends.

“Why are there so many different types of condoms?” Claudia asks, snapping me out of my thoughts. They’re all piled into different clear bins the way taffy would be organized at a candy store. “I thought it was just different brands.”

I frown. “Why the hell are they flavored?”

“I don’t know.” Lydia shrugs. “I guess for oral sex.”

“Wait, what?” My head snaps in her direction. “They’re supposed to wear condoms during blow jobs?”

“Um, yeah.” Lydia manages to raise her eyebrows and give me her mom stare, even though her cheeks are red. “You’re supposed to use condoms all the time, even during oral.”

“Yeah…” My brows furrow. “I’ve never heard that before. That sounds fake.”

“It’s not,” she says, shaking her head. “Simone, you seriously scare me.”

That’s definitely something I did not hear from Dr. Walker. How did she forget to tell me? It’s times like these I wish I could talk to my doctor without my dad hovering around.

“Do I have to wear something?” I ask, rubbing the back of my neck. “Like…if someone wanted to go down on me?”

“They have these plastic things,” Claudia says, waving her hand. “I forget what they’re called. You hold them over your—”

“Dental dams,” Lydia interrupts. “They might have some here.”

“Don’t bother,” Claudia says, already wandering away. “Here’s what you do: Get a condom. Cut off the ring and the tip. Make one horizontal cut. Then you’ve got a dental dam. Boom.”

“Wow, Claudia. You’re a genius.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she says, already distracted by a new shelf. “Emma showed me how to do it. Hey, do you think I should buy a strap-on?”

“I found the vibrators!” I call, walking over to a different section. “Oh, there are so many types.”

I gaze openmouthed at the selection as the girls come over to see.

“G-spot, couples’ action…,” I read, squinting at the labels. “Oh, dual action. Dude, I definitely recommend that one.”

Claudia holds it up to the ceiling. It’s pink and seems to sparkle in the light.

“So?” Lydia taps her foot. “Is it the one?”

“Definitely.” Claudia grins. “This’ll be perfect. She’ll love it.”

I go for a bullet vibrator. It’s purple, small, and cheap. The two twenties in my back pocket will cover it.

Claudia turns toward the cash registers, ready to check out, but I grab her arm.