School starts up again. Darren and Bella are both skipping straight into twelfth grade. (Bella looked into just starting college early, but while she does technically have the sort of resume that can lead to that kind of thing, she can't exactly write an essay about how she saved the life of another person and this caused her to have Moral Character, let alone about how she started a small business - so skipping one grade it is.)
They apply to colleges. They both get into University of Washington and get sufficient scholarships to accommodate both going there.
Summer ensues again.
One afternoon, Bella is over at Darren's, and has fallen asleep - in purring fullform - across his lap on the couch.
"I'm not - now that I have been reminded that it's a thing we can do I'm all for it, but I was literally not thinking, 'Okay I'm going to wait until she's eighteen to - to have... sex.'"
"Whether the date entered your mind isn't my confusion, just - I have spent extended periods of time sprawled over you nibbling on your neck. And you did not mentally take that any further? Ever?"
"I have trouble thinking conscious thoughts at all when you're sprawled on me nibbling my neck," says Darren defensively.
"I am not completely unconfused, though. You're not just claiming to be all for it because you think I'll be upset or something? Do you want a bit to think about it since you did not get any... thinking about it... done in advance?
".... Nnnnnoooo I'm pretty sure I want to," coughs Darren. "I just needed to be hit across the head with -" He peers at the bowl of condoms. "- that plastic monstrosity."
"Do you have any idea why the plastic monstrosity was necessary? ... I was also planning to use, like, language, at some point, probably today, because, eighteen now."
He is totally, totally fine with being flopped on.
"...I'm not going to have any, like, clinical surprises, am I? The source of my information is health class and this one thoroughly embarrassing book, mostly, plus pop culture, and none of these things have suggested that it is typical for teenage boys to have this experience."
"This might be one of the most mortifying moments of my life," he muses. "This entire - 'Darren forgot that he could bang his girlfriend' thing."
"Well, you couldn't, before today, not unless we wanted to sneak around," she points out.
"...I am trying to figure out how to smoothly segue from point A to point B and I don't have a line," confesses Bella.
"I think I have an idea of what point B is and we can just - start - skipping to it."
Blushing. So much blushing, look at him, he matches the bow.