Something Deep Inside

LOSS OF INNOCENCE

“Can you girls, please keep it down!”

Marissa felt so embarrassed. Normally, her dad was a quiet and gentle man, but he had reached his breaking point.

Marissa really couldn’t blame him. Like her dad, she was a pretty soft spoken. The same couldn’t be said for her friend Brandy.

They were supposed to be running right now, but the rain had forced them inside. The first thing Brandy did was plop her big butt down on the couch, and then turn the TV on as loud as possible.

Before, her dad came out, Brandy had been singing along to some music videos at the top of her lungs.

Marissa took advantage of the momentary distraction to grab the remote, and turn off the TV.

Brandy, completely unfazed, stood up and said: “Hi, Mr. Serrano.”

Brandy’s words were all slurred together, which meant she had probably been drinking.

“You know I turned eighteen last month,” Brandy said. And, as the words slurred out of her mouth, she heaved her chest forward.

Marissa sat on the couch, and rolled her eyes.

God, just kill me now, she thought.

Up until about two years ago, Brandy had been pretty normal, well normal for a teenage girl at least. And she and Marissa had been the best of friends.

But, that all changed, when Brandy got boobs.

Marissa on the other hand, well apparently her boobs were on back order, because they looked pretty much the same as they had when she was kid. And remained tiny mosquito bites on her chest.

“That’s nice Brandy,” he said, trying to be diplomatic. But, Marissa couldn’t help but notice that her dad did sneak a peek at her friend’s chest.

How could he not notice?

The front of Brandy’s T-shirt looked stretched to the limit, and she wasn’t wearing a bra today, so the outline of her nipples poked through the fabric.

Her dad apparently came to his senses and— not wanting to be a total perv— looked away. Instead, he now turned his attention to his Plain-Jane daughter.

“I really wish your mom was here to take you girls to the mall or something,” he said, as if it were somehow her fault that her friend was out of control.

“Nobody goes to the mall anymore, dad,” Marissa snapped. She suddenly felt very annoyed, and disgusted by everything. Even though her dad was in the right, he wasn’t helping the situation. She immediately regretted it, when she saw her dad lower his head in shame. The sting of the divorce was still a sore spot for him.

“I go to the mall, Mr. Serrano,” Brandy helpfully chimed in.

Marissa watched in both horror and disgust as her friend bent over, and basically presented her ass.

“That’s where I got these yoga pants, do you like them?” Brandy asked her voice a little more throaty than before.

Marissa’s dad desperately tried not to look.

“Um,” he began, clearing his throat, and then changed the subject. “Listen, I have a lot of work to do, so please try and keep it down.”

He turned and walked back to his office.

Brandy stood, and tucked a strand of blond hair back behind her ear.

“Bye Mr. Serrano,” she called out.

Marissa’s dad did not answer, unless you count slamming his office door shut, an answer.

Brandy plopped back down on the couch, and then started to giggle.

“God,” Marissa nearly shouted. “I can’t believe you were flirting with my dad.”

“What,” Brandy answered. “He’s cute.”

Marissa could only stare at her friend in open mouthed disgust.

“Plus,” Brandy continued, “He was totally sporting a boner. He’s probably whacking off in his office right now, thinking about these.”

Brandy grabbed her boobs, and gave them a squeeze.

“What the fuck is wrong with you,” Marissa shouted. Then, not wanting to piss off her dad even more, she lowered her voice, and said, “I can’t believe you would even say something like that.”

“Jesus, calm down,” Brandy answered, waving the comment aside. “I was just kidding. Stop being such a prude.”

Marissa sighed.

She hated what her friend had become: shallow, crude, narcissistic, and worst of all mean. Mean, in that Brandy didn’t really seem to care how she hurt people. It’s like Brandy had become one of the girls that they used to make fun back when they were still freshmen. They had both been such dorks back then, but life had played a cruel ...