Chapter 117

• The morning before the next house show, Holly was still trying to push back the emotions of her first time having sex. Sex with a man who she tried to convince herself was the devil incarnate. Holly had been so sick of men pushing themselves on her. She thought giving herself to someone she chose would be easy and break the stigma of losing her virginity. It wasn’t. It only left her feeling worse and more confused.
• She liked Colt and hated even a minute she was feeling anything for him. They had been pushed together for weeks now, and every moment with him she wanted more. Holly was twenty-four years old and had been a virgin until she let herself lose control. Even though everyone thought she slept around before, it was all lies. She had been saving herself for someone special.
• The rumors of her sleeping around were her own doing. After being bullied for so many years, and called a whore, she started making up stories of being promiscuous. It also fueled some fighting with everyone who crossed her. What started as trying to defend her smaller shy cousin, Isis, turned into Holly, becoming a target for bullying as well. It was easier for her to control what people said than listen to the lies that others made up about her.