Warning for “Orem High”

I’m afraid this next segment (Orem High, beginning this Tuesday!) is probably the section that most needs a disclaimer. I’ll divide the warning into two parts: (1) the name, and (2) the sex.

the name

Why did I call this segment “Orem High”? I’ve never been there — I’ve never even seen the building.

I called it “Orem High” because all of the segments of the novel Exmormon are about typical Mormon life experiences (like attending Youth Conference or going on a mission). This one is about attending high school in the heart of Mormondom, and I think the title “Orem High” evokes that.

At the same time, all of the various fun facts about Mormonism and place details in the book are real. So it would be a little odd — after having Lynn pick up her BYU mail in the Cannon Center — if these characters were attending a fictional high school, given that we all know they live in Orem. So I asked a guy from Orem which high school these kids would be attending (given where they live with respect to other stuff in Utah Valley), and he said it would be Orem High. So there you have it.

The one thing I’m most concerned about is that faithful Mormons who are current or former students there might google the name of their school and be annoyed to find a story in which one of the naughtier students throws a party involving, well, drinking and sex. If you, dear reader, are one of those people — and you’re annoyed right now — then please leave a comment and we can discuss it. That said, I don’t think I’m going out on a limb to suggest that there are teenagers all over who will throw questionable parties, even in Orem.

the sex

As with the other two sex scenes, I’ve been careful to include only as much detail as I think is necessary to understand the story. That may be too much for some, so if you’re one of those people, just read the chapter titles and you can probably guess which one to skip. In some ways this sex scene may be more controversial than the others, in some ways it may be less, but since nobody complained about the other ones, I don’t anticipate having any problems with this one.

So enjoy, and read responsibly! 😀

cross-posted on lfab.