That's fantastic that she told you.

Girls at my school were starting to have sex at 12 (and this was over 20 years ago) and I'd say a lot would have lost their virginity by 16. I waited till I was 19 but don't think I made a great choice of a first-time partner even at that comparatively late/mature age. The girl in our group who lost her virginity the earliest was with the guy for years. I'm not saying that underage sex is a good idea, just that being older doesn't necessarily mean you will make better decisions or have no regrets.

I think when you have fairly meaningless sex with someone you don't really care about, then you do wonder what the big deal is about sex. It's only when you do love someone that you do appreciate the difference.