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\SHEV-run\

noun

: a figure, pattern, or object having the shape of a V or an inverted V: as a : a heraldic charge consisting of two diagonal stripes meeting at an angle usually with the point up b : a sleeve badge that indicates the wearer's rank and service (as in the armed forces)

melissa villano (not to be confused with alyssa milano) moved to my high school district from long island (i think—i recall a distinct accent) when we were juniors. she was loud and bold with olive-toned skin and wildly curly hair. she fell into the "cool" crowd, but wasn't an overt bitch like the rest of the girls. i don't remember her ever being "too cool" to talk to anyone. she just said whatever she wanted to anyone she wanted all the time.

melissa was in my junior year history class. one day the class was having a discussion about teenage sex. i don't remember the contextual relevance. melissa interjected something, her voice louder than anyone else's in the room. it was probably some abrasive opinionated comment supporting the sixteen-year-old's right to be sexually active, but she followed the comment with a disclaimer about her own sexuality:

i mean, this isn't about me. i'm a V, she said in her thick accent, holding two fingers up in a CHEVRON, a peace sign with a new meaning.

i don't know why i thought this was so memorable. i had never before heard a virgin refer to themselves as a "V." i felt as though i was witness to the coining of a phrase right there in our american history class.

melissa's "V" quickly became an inside joke amongst my group of friends; i still say it sometimes, holding up my fingers in the virginal CHEVRON (although it clearly no longer applies). it's questionable whether or not she was actually a virgin when she said this, but let's pretend she was telling the truth. i was definitely a virgin in junior year history.

i have nothing else to say about sixteen-year-old virgins.

well, one more thing. a quote i also still use on the regular:

you see how picky i am about my shoes, and they only go on my feet.

so true, cher, so true.