Girls Only High School 1

I stepped out of the car, the gravel crunching under my sneakers, and turned to wave goodbye.

Mom was already crying, dabbing her eyes with a tissue.

Dad stood beside her, arm around her shoulders, trying to look strong but failing. I forced a smile, waved one last time, and watched the car pull away until it disappeared around the bend in the long, tree lined drive.

The tears came then, hot and sudden. I wiped them quickly, adjusted the strap of my duffel bag on my shoulder, and turned toward the wrought iron gates.

St. Agnes Academy for Girls.

The sign was old, elegant, ivy climbing the stone pillars. An all-girls boarding high school in the middle of nowhere, New Hampshire, far enough from the city that my parents thought it would keep me safe. Safe from boys, from parties, from everything they called worldly temptation.

I was twenty. My name is Bethany. Everyone calls me Beth.

And I am a virgin.

Proudly.

I’ve never kissed a b