Forever...

They arrive at the apartment, and Michael shows Katherine around, presenting the bedroom last. Michael lays down on the bed and asks Katherine to join him, insisting that they can just talk. They begin to kiss and Michael undresses them both, leaving on their underwear. They make each other orgasm with their hands, and afterward, Michael falls asleep. Katherine watches Michael sleep, wondering whether it is possible to know everything about someone.

The next night Michael and Katherine go to the apartment again, and this time she feels ready to have sex with Michael. She asks that they do not have sex for the first time on the bed in case she bleeds, and Michael returns with a beach towel, which they lay on the floor along with the bed comforter.

Katherine asks if Michael has a condom, and he tells her that she does not need to worry about getting an STI from him, but she says she wants to be careful to prevent pregnancy. Michael gets a condom and puts it on. Just as they are about to have sex, Michael orgasms, apologizing and exclaiming that he has ruined everything. Katherine consoles him, and he promises that it will be better next time.

They go out for hamburgers, and on the way home, Michael stops to buy more condoms. Michael spreads out the towel on the rug in the living room, and Katherine tries to relax as they begin having sex for the first time. Michael warns Katherine that he thinks he is about to orgasm again, and Katherine feels “a big thrust, followed by a quick sharp pain that made me suck in my breath” (106). Michael moans and apologizes, and Katherine tells him it is okay even though she is disappointed and wanted her first time to be perfect.

On the ride home, Katherine thinks about how she is no longer a virgin, how happy she is that it is over, and how they will get better at sex with practice. She cannot imagine what sex would be like with someone she did not love.

The next morning at breakfast, Katherine assumes that her family will be able to tell that she is no longer a virgin, but everyone treats her normally. The phone rings, and when Katherine picks up, it is Tommy Aronson, her ex-boyfriend. Tommy informs her that he is home for the weekend and suggests they get together, but Katherine tells him she has a new boyfriend and declines. Tommy then asks for Erica’s number instead, and Katherine hangs up on him.

The phone rings again soon after, and Katherine assumes it is Tommy again, answering in a huff. She finds that it is Michael, who tells her that he thought about her all night and that their first experience having sex was very special to him.

That night, Katherine’s mother brings her an article from The Times titled “What About the Right to Say ‘No’?: Sexual Liberation.” Katherine reads the article, written by a researcher at Yale, and feels better after reading that it is difficult for both parties to orgasm during sex without “mutual education” (112). Katherine then becomes angry when the author asks whether the reader has thought about how their relationship will end.

At school, Erica tells Katherine that Tommy Aronson called her the night before and is hurt when she learns he called her only after calling Katherine. Erica tells Katherine that she invited Tommy over, but they did not do anything physical together and that compared to Artie, Tommy is “a real nothing” (113). Katherine is surprised that Erica does not seem to be able to tell that Katherine is no longer a virgin.

Michael calls Katherine and asks if he can come over that evening. She agrees but states they must do homework because she has a paper due soon. When Michael has to leave, he asks Katherine to sit in his car with him for a while, and they kiss, agreeing that all they can think about is getting to the weekend so they can have sex again. Katherine thinks about how her mother was right; now that they have had sex, they cannot go back, and she thinks, “And anyway, I don’t want to” (116).

Erica and Katherine plan to attend a film preview with Erica’s mother, a well-known film critic, on Friday. When Katherine arrives home that afternoon, she receives a package from her grandmother containing informational pamphlets from Planned Parenthood and a note stating that her grandmother is available to talk, judgment-free, whenever Katherine wants.

Katherine is angry at first but realizes that her grandmother has given her a lot of useful information. She calls her grandmother’s law office and thanks her for the information. Her grandmother instructs her not to tell her parents about the pamphlets because “sometimes it’s hard for parents to accept the facts” (119). Katherine suggests they get lunch together when she is in the city on Friday for the film preview.

The next day, Katherine uses the phone booth at school to call Planned Parenthood of New York to inquire about starting birth control. The employee tells her she can come to the office at four on Friday for an appointment.

After the film preview on Friday, Katherine attends lunch with her grandparents. When they are settled in at the restaurant, her grandmother comments that Katherine is “glowing” (123), suggesting that Katherine must be in love. Her grandfather proposes a toast “To love…” (124). Katherine and her grandmother go to the restroom after lunch, and Katherine thinks about telling her grandmother that she has an appointment at Planned Parenthood, knowing that she will be pleased, but decides to keep this information to herself.

At the clinic, Katherine sits with other young people in a session about the different types of birth control. Katherine then has a personal counseling session with a social worker, who asks Katherine detailed questions about her sexual activity to determine which type of birth control will best suit Katherine’s needs.

Before Katherine meets with a gynecologist, the social worker has Katherine sign a consent form for the doctor to conduct a gonorrhea culture, even though Katherine insists it will not be necessary because she has only had sex with one person. The doctor conducts a physical on Katherine and then performs a vaginal exam and Pap smear. The doctor asks if Katherine has any preference for the birth control she would like to use, and Katherine says she would like to try the birth control pill. The doctor agrees this is a good choice for Katherine and writes her a prescription.

Katherine cannot wait to tell Michael that she is starting birth control, but when she gets home her mother tells her that Michael called, and he has the flu.