Welcome to AP Bio, Teen Vogue’s guide to what you need to know about sex and your body before you head to college. Whether it’s getting tested, taking care of a yeast infection, or opting out of so-called hookup culture altogether, we’ve got you covered.

“The ideal way is to make sure it’s a setting where you can have an honest conversation and no one is an altered state,” she said. ” talk before or after sex and don’t compound it into another argument. Young people then begin a process they’ve dubbed “talking.” “This might not actually mean ‘talking,’” said Dainton. “It could be texting.” But it means an extended conversation establishing exact expectations. It’s a negotiation, almost, and could fall apart mid-process; you’re “talking” to your situationship partner in the same way the U.S. is “talking” to North Korea.

Many teenagers told me they were hurt by hookups — usually because they expected or hoped for more. But they often blamed themselves for letting their emotions get the best of them. Many teenagers are obsessed with how complete strangers view them, and they check their online ratings several times an hour. You have to show enough of your body to entice — washboard abs and cleavage are sure bets — but not enough to have your photo rejected by the site moderators. If your ratings climb high enough, the sites will often feature your profile in their  »top girls » or  »hottest guys » sections, making some high-school students feel like superstars.

What Do You Tell Your Friends?

• It turns out she wasn’t so friendly, after all, when she tries to get Ward killed for rejecting her.
• In fiction, such relationships are a convenient starting point for romantic angst.
• In Dragon Bones, a freed slave who has decided to join Ward’s ragtag group of adventurers starts such a relationship with the two adult males in the group, and tries to seduce Ward, too.
• She didn’t love him, but she can’t deal with rejection.
• They begin a physical relationship to comfort each other, although they stop short of sex.
• Scum’s Wish revolves around Hanabi and Mugi, two teenagers who sex chat sites are each in unrequited love with a teacher.

Intentions are just that — what we set out to do, on purpose, with the knowledge that what we intend might not pan out. In addition to sharing your status, you should also know and share how to prevent the transmission of STIs via various safer-sex practices.

And when it comes to hooking up, it’s always a good idea to have those safer-sex supplies on hand! This HRC Safer Sex Guide can help connect the dots between levels of risk, certain sex acts, and which safer-sex practices to

put in place. Here’s the advice we came up with to help you make your hookup as ethical as possible.

Not sure this is the best to do but I hope it can work for the happy few. First off, this is known risk in hooking up with a friend. It important to note that it is a risk you’d run anyway, regardless of whether you bone or just cuddle on a couch watching The Fifth Element. But physical attraction can speed up that process, or make the unrequited feelings sting that much more. Honesty is the best policy, she said, and most people are not averse to hearing, “I really like you,” even if there is some difficult “talking” to come afterwards.