Your teens were, are, or will be the most awkward and exciting part of your life. One of the topics that everyone or no-one talks about is sex. Who's done it? You might have heard things like, "I heard Austin and Jessica did it in the locker room after football practice!" or "Did you know that Alissa is a VIRGIN?" These statements put so much pressure on teens to feel like they need to do the deed, just to get it over with. One thing I've learned in my life is that sex really is special, if you make it special. You'll never feel an empty pit in your stomach when you hear the name of the dude who you carelessly gave your virginity to after that Friday night party, if you just wait for the person who feels 100% comfortable and you've been in a relationship for a handful of months. The chance of being ditched is lessened by probably half.

Anyway, here's a little poem I wrote one night when I was thinking about my teenage years and decided to describe the exact awkwardness that situations in high school can really feel like.

The Relatable Version of Losing Your Virginity

And I wasn’t quite sure how to explain it.

It was August 21st

and rain was pelting the roof of your house.

We were in the basement

watching a documentary about dolphins.

1970’s floral wallpaper covered the walls

and it always made me feel like I was in a horror movie.

Your parents left for an old person date night

dinner at a buffet and a movie with Meryl Streep in it.

What a life.

And as I rambled on about your parents having absolutely no lives

I knew you wanted to kiss me.

I knew because of the way you stared at my lips when I talked.

I wanted to kiss you, too.

The “Morgan Freeman” voice on the tv started to fade

all I could think about was attacking your face with mine.

My stomach turned into a million fancy boy scout knots

screaming at me to conquer my fear of rejection.

At that moment, I was so nervous

that I swear my bowl of chocolate chunk ice cream

was going to travel back up my throat.

But the feeling slowly vanished

when you leaned in & eased my anxiety with your lips.

And somehow

amongst the sound of dolphins

& the unflattering fluorescent lighting

& the unknown of when your parents would return

& the roaring of our hearts beating against each other's chests

We did it.