Storiesonline.net ------- Beth 1 by Svengali's Ghost Copyright© 2009 by Svengali's Ghost ------- Description: Can a high-school theater geek end up with the school's rich ice queen? Hey, it's fiction — you know the answer. Codes: mf rom 1st slow ------- ------- Chapter 1: Friday Night We were all sophomores and juniors from the same high school. None of us on the A-list when it came to the cliques in school—no cheerleaders or football heroes in our group; nope, mostly theater and music people. Just a bunch of kids who'd get together most Friday nights at a local hangout. This particular Friday we were all decompressing from mid-terms and a general bitch session was picking up steam. I was already getting tired of listening to a couple of the guys griping about the amount of attention high school sports get and I'd decided to head home. Who am I? Tommy Randahl, seventeen, a junior at Central High School. Brown hair, blue eyes, five-eleven and 150 pounds pretty much covers it. I had decided to leave earlier than usual because one of the local stations had started showing all the old Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movies and I'd gotten hooked on the series watching The Hound of the Baskervilles the week before. "Anybody need a ride?" Since some of the kids didn't have wheels—or even licenses, in a couple of cases—it was only polite to offer a lift to anyone who didn't feel like walking. "I could use a ride." Have you ever been thrilled and scared shitless at the same time? Well, that was me when I realized that it was Beth Jones who had just accepted my offer. Beth, one of the best-looking girls in the school, even if she did tend to dress in baggy sweaters and loose jeans. Beth, the oh-so-unreachable ice queen—not really part of our group, she just happened to be there—had just accepted my offer of a ride home! "Uh, O-okay, y-you ready to go?" I stammered, trying to get my heart to stop racing and my brain to function again. "Sure, any time." She replied with a glint in her eye, as a indefinable little grin ghosted over her lips. We walked out to my car and I opened the door for her, wishing I had something better to drive than my fifteen-year-old beater. "Thanks, Tommy." (She knows my name!) "You're welcome, my lady." OK, so I'm a theater geek. Beth lived in one of the nicer areas of town, in a big two story house. Her folks owned a company in town that built something, I don't know what. But they were pretty well-off. After I pulled up in the driveway, she waited until I got out and opened the door for her and then thanked me again. I mumbled something about her having a good night and was ready to turn back to the car when she said, "Do you have to get home right away?" "Um, no, not really. I was just going to go home and watch a movie." "You want to come in for a while? I was just going to watch the Sherlock Holmes movie on channel four." "You like old Sherlock Holmes movies? That's what I was going to watch!" I wasn't about to turn down an opportunity like this. "I love them! Especially the ones with Basil Rathbone." By this time she'd opened the door and we walked into the family room—a room obviously made for entertainment—old movie posters covered the walls and a pair of black leather couches faced the biggest TV I'd ever seen. "Wow, this is like going to a movie in a theater!" "You want a Coke or something?" "A Coke sounds great. Thanks." After firing up the monster TV, Beth and I settled into a couch to watch Rathbone and Nigel Bruce work their way through all the clues and nab the bad guy at the end—with appropriate comments from the peanut gallery, of course. "I've always thought of myself as Watson," said Beth during one of the commercial breaks. "Does that make me Moriarty?" I replied with my best Snidely Whiplash leer. "Nah, you've got to be Sherlock." "No, you've got to be Holmes—very analytical and dispassionate. I'm more the Watson type—you know, the bumbling sidekick." Beth looked like she wanted to disagree, but then just sat back and rubbed her neck. "Your neck bothering you?" "Yeah. That English Lit mid-term today still has me tense." "What? You're one of the smartest kids in school. Why would a class like E-Lit bother you?" "I like classes where you can find an exact answer. Lit is so, I dunno, fuzzy. Everybody has their own idea about what makes a book good or not." "Maybe that's the idea—to get you to read, to think about what you've read and be able to explain your thoughts. It's the process, not the answer that's important." It dawned on me that I was actually having a normal conversation with someone who would usually leave me tongue-tied and stammering. How'd that happen? "If your neck's bothering you, turn a bit and let me see what I can do," I offered. Beth turned away from me and I dug my thumbs into her neck muscles, eliciting a groan from her. "I'm not hurting you, am I?" "No, it feels wonderful. Where were you all afternoon when I could have used this?" "Taking my own tests." I replied, "Why don't you lie down and I'll give you the full treatment." Beth looked over her shoulder, "You wouldn't take advantage of a poor defenseless girl, would you?" With a slightly rising tone at the end, it almost sounded like she was hoping that's what I had in mind. But this was BETH. She's never stoop so low as to be interested in someone like me. Would she? "N-no, no, nothing like that. Just a back rub. Honest!" "Oh, sure. I've heard about guys like you. Get a girl in a compromising position, get her all relaxed and then..." By this time I'd figured out she was just teasing me and I leered at her, "It's too late for you, my dear. I have you in my power now and NOTHING can save you from a fate worse than death!" Beth just giggled and said in a tremulous, little voice, "Please be gentle," as she stretched out on the couch. We both cracked up and I started to rub her shoulders and back. I worked my way down her back, trying to loosen the muscles as I went. To tell you the truth, she didn't feel all that tense, but I wasn't going to pass up an opportunity like this. After working my way down to the top of her jeans, I moved down to her feet and, starting with her left foot, I worked my way north. Her body felt wonderful under my moving fingers and I had a hard time ignoring the signals from parts of MY body. When I got to the top of her left leg, I stopped just short of heaven and moved down to her right foot and started over. As I moved upward she shifted around and spread her legs a bit. Now with any other girl, I'd think that was an invitation for a more intimate massage, but I still had this mental image of Beth being beyond my reach. When I finished her right leg, Beth just kind of moaned a bit, "You don't know how good that makes me feel. Where'd you learn how to do that?" "A cousin is into massage and taught me some of her tricks." "Well, she was a great teacher, and I could lie here all night, but right now I've got to get rid of some of that coffee we had earlier." She stood up and headed for the bathroom. When she came back the movie was over, so she grabbed the remote and started channel surfing until she came up with another movie. I'd noticed when we first got here that there were no lights on and I hadn't heard anyone moving around upstairs. "Your folks hit the sack early tonight or what?" "No, they went to a wedding out of town, they'll be gone all weekend." "Yours, too? So did mine! They took off this morning and dragged my little brother, The Pest, with them." By definition, all little brothers are pests, but Kevin was worse than most, thus earning him the upper-case sobriquet. "You don't suppose it was the same wedding, do you? Wouldn't that be weird." Beth looked at me, "We might be related and never knew it!" The idea of being related to a goddess appealed to me until I remembered some of the incest stories I'd read online. 'Oh, please, not that!' was my panicked thought. 'Unless that would make us kissing cousins.' Answered the little imp that inhabits my head. "Umm, that would be strange, all right." We settled in to watch the latest chick-flick on the tube. Now I've got nothing against romantic movies, they put most girls into the mood to mess around a little, but Beth didn't strike me as that kind of girl. Until, that is, she stretched out on the couch again and used my leg as a pillow. "That feels better," she said. It sure as hell did! I wasn't going to complain at being used as a pillow ... As long as she didn't move her head back far enough to realize that my hormones were working overtime. My hand was resting on her side as we watched the end of the movie when Beth rolled onto her back and looked up at me. "Mmm, I like movies with happy endings." When she rolled over her sweater had ridden up and my hand was now resting on the smoothest, softest, barest skin I'd ever felt. The kiss that followed just sort of happened—one second, I was looking into her beautiful blue eyes and the next I was in heaven. "Mmm, that feels good." Beth said, dreamily when we finally separated. THAT'S when I realized my hand had taken off unsupervised, headed north and was now cradling a perfect little breast—complete with rock-hard nipple poking me in the palm. My first impulse was to yank my hand back and apologize. Then her words sunk in. SHE WAS ENJOYING IT! I wasn't going to get slapped and ordered to leave! And what had happened to her bra?! I know she was wearing one when I was giving her the back rub, I'd felt the strap. So where had it gone? Then I remembered her trip to the bathroom. Had she expected this? Had she planned this? All questions of cosmic proportions. And I didn't give a damn. All I knew was I had this perfect tit warm in my hand. Speaking of that delightful bit of femininity, I gave it another light squeeze then rolled her nipple between my thumb and index finger and Beth actually purred and stretched just like a cat. I was reminded of Heinlein's adage regarding women and cats. "You like me, don't you?" Beth murmured, sounding almost surprised. Her question floored me. What wasn't to like? A beautiful face, long legs, silky light brown hair, a butt that just begged to be grabbed and blue eyes that could swallow a guy whole and, based on tonight, not the ice queen everyone assumed. "Beth, that's probably the silliest thing you've said tonight. You're stunning. You're gorgeous. You're smart. You're damn near perfect. And you ask a question like that?" She looked into my eyes, "You really mean that, don't you," she whispered, as a tiny tear appeared in the corner of her eye. What was this? Beth had always seemed so poised and—I don't know—aloof I guess covered it. Why was she tearing up? I pulled my hand out of her sweater and brushed the tear away. "Beth, what's going on? What's the matter?" "Why do guys only care about big chests!?" she complained. "Huh?" was all I could come up with. "What do you mean?" "You know what I mean. You guys only look at the girls with big boobs!" She had me there—guys did tend to look first at the well-endowed girls. And that was the one place where nature had short-changed her. "Okay, I guess you're right, we do check out them out first. But I think that's coded in our DNA or something." "So what chance do girls like me have? And what do you mean coded in your DNA?" "Hey, I'm just guessing here, but maybe we're wired to check them out first because our cave-man ancestors felt that women with big ti ... er ... breasts had a better chance to raise healthier kids. I dunno. But just because we look AT them first, doesn't mean they're the girls we're looking FOR." "Huh? I don't get it," she said, with a puzzled look. I took a deep breath. "Beth, I may look at the girls who look like Playboy centerfolds, but I'd rather spend my time with someone I enjoy being with. Someone I can talk to. Somebody who makes me laugh, who makes me feel special. Given a choice, that's the girl I'm going to want to spend my time with, not some girl with no personality, just an over-developed chest." Beth looked down and then whispered, "I just feel so, I don't know, plain." The light was finally starting to come on—If a guy's equipment was out on display, how would the "short" guys feel? Since she seemed to be a classic movie fan, I tried another tack, "Would you call Audrey Hepburn plain? How about Katherine Hepburn? They didn't have big chests." She sniffled a bit, thought about it a second and gave me a wan smile. "Do you always know what to say to make a girl feel better?" I just snorted, "Half the time around somebody like you I'm tongue-tied and can't say anything. The rest of the time I usually manage to say the wrong thing. Hell, I can't believe we're having this conversation now." She was quiet for awhile, then looked up at me, gnawing her lower lip like she was trying to reach a decision. "I, um, don't want you to take this the wrong way or get the wrong idea, but, um, do you have to go home tonight? I mean, I'd like you to stay. I-I don't want to be alone right now." I looked into those big blue eyes and saw only longing—not for sex, but companionship. I started to get the feeling that Beth was a very lonely girl. "I'll stay as long as you want me to." I took a deep breath and bet it all, "Beth, I just want to be your friend ... and this couch is pretty comfortable." "Couch?" Beth looked at me and blushed. "I didn't mean that. I, uh, want you with me." "Kind of like being caught in a blizzard? Sometimes shared bodily warmth is the only thing that'll help?" "Um, yeah," Beth said, eyes downcast. ------- We shut off the TV and the lights and headed upstairs. Beth's parents had bought a house in one of the newer area of town. A big, two-story, four-bedroom house on a lot that must have been three or four acres—the kind of house some describe as McMansions. It was certainly bigger than the three-bedroom house the four in our family live in. When we got to the hallway to the bedrooms Beth opened a cupboard and pulled out a pair of pajamas, "You can use these if you want. They're my dad's." After a quick trip to the bathroom to brush my teeth and change into the borrowed PJs, I walked down to Beth's room and knocked on the door. "Come on in, I'm decent," was her response. I opened the door and walked into a room that was not what I expected. In place of shelves full of stuffed animals, Beth had floor-to-ceiling bookcases. In place of posters of the latest hunks, she had prints of famous oil paintings, and over her bed an oil portrait of a younger Beth. I was holding my clothes in front of me. My dick had decided to make an unscheduled appearance, and I didn't want Beth to get the idea that I had ideas. She had changed into a long T-shirt and was sitting up in her queen-sized bed. When she saw me with my clothes she got this little grin and blushed slightly. She pulled the covers back on the opposite side of the bed and said, "Crawl in ... and quit blushing." I hadn't realized that I was, and that made it even worse. I mean, I was trying to keep this platonic, but the thought of spending the night with a beautiful girl was causing my senses to riot. I crawled in and faced Beth, "I tend to toss and turn in my sleep, so if I, er, do something I shouldn't during the night I want to apologize in advance." "Don't worry, I won't hold it against you," she replied, then reddened as she realized her double entendre. We talked for about an hour and then when both of us tried—and failed—to stifle jaw-breaking yawns, decided to call it a night. After Beth turned off the lights and got settled, she hesitantly asked, "Can you cuddle for a while?" Like I was going to refuse a request like that! I move up behind her and put my arm around her, making sure my woody wasn't poking her. She just sighed in contentment, then grabbed my hand and put it on her breast. So there I was; spooned with a girl I had always thought beyond my reach. When I heard her breathing change I realized she'd fallen asleep. "Good night, my princess. And may flights of angels guard thy slumber," I whispered. Hey, if you can't plagiarize the Bard... was my last thought before darkness closed over me. ------- Chapter 2: Saturday Bits of dreams and fantasies re-assembled themselves into consciousness. I slowly opened my eyes and found myself looking into a pair of beautiful blue eyes that proved last night hadn't been a dream. "Morning, sleepyhead. Oh, and it only took one angel," Beth smiled shyly. I blushed when I realized she'd heard my whisper last night. "So I wasn't dreaming. And you weren't supposed to hear that, I thought you were asleep." "I though it was sweet. Nobody ever said anything like that to me before." "Er ... what time is it, anyway?" Mr. Smooth here, trying to change the subject. "It's about ten. Why, do you have to go?" "No. I should probably go home and get some clean clothes, but I don't have anything planned for the weekend. What'd you have in mind?" "Nothing special, just bum around. Maybe a picnic or something?" "Okay, why don't we go over to my place and I'll get changed, then we can head out from there." "Then I suppose I should get some clothes on, huh?" "Welll," I joked, leering at her T-shirt, "Only if you insist." She playfully slapped my arm, "You'd just love to see me go out dressed like this, wouldn't you?" "Who said anything about going out?" I grinned. She looked at me with a curious expression, "You don't have any idea how good you are for a girl's ego, do you? Now let's get dressed and I'll fix you breakfast." I grabbed yesterday's clothes and walked down the hall to the bathroom. When I got back Beth was dressed in her usual outfit: loose jeans and an oversized bulky sweater. "Beth, why do you always dress like that?" "Like this? Because is comfortable." "Well, ah, you, um..." Oh shit, all of a sudden here I was trying to play Henry Higgins. "Don't you have any T-shirts or more stylish jeans or anything like that?" "Um, yeah, but I don't like to wear them much." "Why not? You'd look great in a pair of low riders and a nice tight T-shirt." "Oh, fuck, I couldn't wear something like that!" Her blush went all the way down her neck when she realized what she'd said and she fled downstairs to fix breakfast. I just shook my head and followed. ------- As we were eating, Beth studied me for a while and, in a small, almost little-girl voice asked, "Do you really think I'm pretty?" "No, I don't ... I think you're beautiful." "Um, Tommy, are you gay?" As long as I live, I will never figure out how the female mind works, let alone be able to predict what veering path they'll take next. On top of that I'd just taken a mouthful of juice—which ended up all over the counter, missing Beth by inches. As we finished cleaning up the mess, I looked up and asked, "What made you ask that?" "Well you say you like me, but last night you stopped ... twice." "Stopped? Stopped what?" I was totally lost—not the foggiest idea what she was talking about. "When you were rubbing my back, you stopped before you got to my butt and then again when you were doing my legs you didn't go, y'know, all the way up. And later when we were in bed," a slight pink tinge flashed across her face, "you didn't try anything. Why I even had to FORCE you to grab my boob!" "I didn't think you'd want me to touch you like that. It wasn't that I didn't WANT to." She looked at me for a while then just shook her head, "You're too much." ------- As we cleaned up the breakfast dishes, a thought that had been floating around my head for a while suddenly crystallized. "Beth, we've got to do something about your self-image. Have you got a camera?" "A camera? Yeah, my folks got me one for Christmas last year. Why?" "How about a two-piece swim suit?" "A two-piece ... you mean like a bikini? Can you see me wearing something like that?" "Do you have one," I said, evading her question. "Well ... yeah, someplace. Mom bought me one a couple of years ago, but I've never even tried it on!" I looked straight into her eyes, "Do you trust me?" "After everything last night, I guess I'll have to," she sighed. "I want to try a quick experiment, if you'll trust me." "What do you want me to do?" I could hear the trepidation in her voice. "Grab your camera and change into the bikini and I'll show you." "You want to take pictures of me in a BIKINI!?" "You said you trusted me." "Well ... okay. Nobody else is going to see the pictures, are they?" "Not unless you want to show them to somebody. After we're done you can erase the memory card yourself to make sure." She pulled a Nikon D300 out of a drawer and handed it to me, "Are you sure this is going to work?" "The idea or the camera?" I kidded her, "With a camera like this I can work miracles. This looks almost new, don't you use it?" "I've never figured out all the controls. All I wanted was a simple one I could take some snapshots with, instead my dad went nuts and bought me that. I've got the case around here somewhere that has a some more lenses too." While she searched for her bikini I fiddled with the controls on the camera. This was going to be fun! As she headed for her bathroom, suit in hand, I heard, "I hope I don't regret this..." While she was changing, I warmed up her computer and spent a couple of minutes on Google finding what I was looking for. "Shit, I hope this works," I muttered as the search engine brought up my choices. "Are you ready?" I heard through the bathroom door. I cleared the screen and answered, "All set." She opened the door and shyly stepped out, looking like she'd rather be walking into a lion's den. "Do we have to do this?" "No, but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised." I know I was! The black bikini was even smaller than I expected. Either her mother didn't understand how shy and body-conscious her daughter was or Beth had gone through one hellacious growth spurt. The suit did a magnificent job of showing off her figure. She was tall, with great legs, thin, but not supermodel skinny. She reminded me of the pro volleyball players I'd spent many a Saturday afternoon watching on the tube. The suit even made the most of what she had up top. "Stand in front of that bare wall," I said as I tried to remember the poses in the pictures I'd downloaded. "Now move your left leg out in front of your right. Okay, now turn back to look at me." "Great, now let's try another one..." I shot perhaps a dozen pictures before I told her I thought I had enough. "Enough for what?" Was her nervous response. "Ah, that's a secret," I told her with a little grin. "Tommy, I'm not sure I want to do this." She said, chewing on her lower lip. "Beth, trust me. I think you'll be surprised when I'm done." "But what are you going to do?" "Just leave me alone with your computer for a few minutes. Oh, and you can't peek while I'm working." With a little pout she marched over to the bed and threw herself on it while my hormones reminded me just how TINY that suit was. I transferred the shots I'd just taken and brought up the pictures I'd downloaded from the web, I chose one that almost matched one I'd just taken. The suit and the background weren't quite the same, but her machine had Photoshop loaded, so it didn't pose too much of a problem. Leaving Beth's picture untouched, I set to work modifying the pic off the web. About twenty minutes later, Beth looked at me and asked, "What are you up to over there?" "Nothing to see here, just move along," I responded, knowing curiosity was just eating her up. "Remind me again why I thought you were a nice guy?" I just chuckled as I finished up. "C'mon over and have a look." Beth scrambled off the bed and peered over my shoulder. I could feel her breasts pressing into my back and I wished my jeans were looser. I had the two pictures up; side-by-side but scrolled so she could only see the images from the neck down. "Okay, what's the deal?" "Which model looks better?" I asked. "I don't know, they both look good, I guess. Tommy, what's going on? What does this have to do with the pictures you took of me? Those pictures certainly aren't me. I don't look like that!" "Are you sure? You said you'd never tried on that suit before." "Yes I'm sure! I don't look like that! Tommy, why are you doing this? I thought you were different. I hoped that you might like me." Beth looked like she was ready to cry, obviously I was on the wrong track here. "Well, one IS you, the other is, well, somebody you'd recognize. Now the sixty-four dollar question ... which one is you?" "Neither one, I don't look like that!" I just looked at her. "Really? But how could one of those be ME?" Beth sounded like she WANTED it to be true but just couldn't quite believe it was possible. I grabbed the mouse and scrolled the pictures down so she could see the faces—One was her and the other ... well, let's just say it was a popular actress who, like her mother, was also under-endowed. "OHMIGOD! I don't look like that! Do I?" She looked ready to faint. "I'll show you the two original pictures if you don't believe me. C'mon over here," I led her over to the full-length mirror on the back of her closet door. "Look at the girl in the mirror and tell me she's not beautiful." I stepped out of the way so she could see herself. Beth stood in front of the mirror, with her eyes downcast, "Tommy, don't make me look. I don't know what you did to that picture, but I don't ... I-I can't look like that. That's not me!" She looked ready to cry. I stepped up behind her, put my hands on her arms, "Then let me tell you what I see in the mirror. "I see a tall girl, almost as tall as I am, with silky brown hair, framing the face of an angel," I said as I lightly brushed her hair and ran my fingers over her cheek. "Deep blue eyes and a mouth that should smile more because it lights up her face. "A delicate neck merging into shapely shoulders..." I placed a light kiss on the juncture of her neck and shoulder, " ... that flow down to a thin waist, a perfect 'innie' belly button and long legs that seem to go on forever." Despite her protestations, Beth was looking up now and following my description with her eyes. "Oh, and breasts that are just a perfect handful, and an ass that's just begging to be nibbled on." I ended with my right hand gently resting on that perfect orb. I stepped back so she could have the mirror to herself. She took in the total image in the mirror and started crying. "I-I DO look like that!" Beth stood rooted to the floor, looking up and down at herself, then she shook her head as if coming out of a trance, turned, and ran back to me, throwing herself into my lap, tears running down her cheeks. "Hey, I thought you'd be happy," I said. "I am, you big idiot! I didn't know I could look like that!" With that she started to rain kisses on me. Now being kissed by a beautiful girl in a very small bikini is enough to get a guy a bit excited—especially since the only way I could keep her gyrating body from sliding off my lap was to grab her ... with both hands ... on her almost-naked derriere. "Beth, Beth, you'd better quit that or I'm gonna have an accident." She just kept bouncing on my lap, dry-humping me like it was the end of the world. "Beth, stop! I've, er, gotta get to the bathroom or I'm going to have a mess on my hands." I stammered. She pulled back and looked at me with a grin and chuckled, "You mean you'll have a mess on your hands IF you make it to the bathroom, don't you?" "BETHANY ANNE JONES! What did you say?!" I couldn't believe she'd said that! She just laughed all the harder, "Well, it's true, isn't it?" "Well, yeah, but I can't believe you said it!" "What, the shy little wallflower can't talk dirty?" "Oh, I know you can talk dirty. I've known that ever since you dropped that F-bomb this morning." She turned a delicious shade of red, "I was kinda hoping you wouldn't remember that." "Oh, I'll remember that forever ... as the minute I was sure you weren't the ice-princess I'd thought you were." She suddenly got real still, looked at me and said in a quiet voice, "Did you really think I was like that?" "Beth, when probably the smartest, and certainly one of the most beautiful girls in school sits by herself and barely stoops to talk to us mere mortals what else are we supposed to think?" "Bu-but I was always too shy to talk to any of you. Not to mention that I was convinced I was too plain to interest any of you." "Just think how everyone's going to react come Monday when they see the new you." "The new me?" "Yup. Eliza Doolittle can do anything!" "Do you think I can really do it?" I could see the fear in her eyes. "We've got all weekend to find out, don't we?" ------- Chapter 3: The Metamorphosis After Beth got dressed, we headed for my house. Beth kept up a constant monologue comprised of equal part of "Here's what I want to do first," and, "Do you really think I can do this?" And so we headed out on our Saturday afternoon safari. The quarry—clothes, of course—and a new hair style. Well-armed with a pair of platinum cards, one Amex, the other Visa. When we got to the mall, Beth started hitting all the clothing stores, one after the other, until I called a time-out about three. "Damn, girl, are we going to hit every store in the mall?" "Nope, almost done. Just one more thing and then get my hair done. What's the matter? Can't keep up," she said with a grin. "That's not the problem. The problem is having to stand around in a women's store all by my lonesome." "Aww. Embarrassed?" I saw a glint of amusement in her eyes. "Well, maybe a little bit and that grandmother really had me spooked." "Grandmother? "Yeah. While you were in the lingerie department in that last store, I was stuck all by myself when this little old lady walked by, and I could swear she muttered 'pervert' under her breath." That put Beth into a fit of giggles, "Were you drooling, or fondling anything ... like yourself?" "Grr. Wait 'til I get you home, young lady." "Oh, I'm so afraid I'm trembling. Wanna feel how much?" She shook her body at me. I knew I wasn't going to get any sympathy from her so I just growled something about finishing up. She hit the last store and then told me to get lost for an hour while she went to the salon for her haircut—'scuse me, styling—and then we were on our way back to her house. ------- "Now about the trembling problem you've got," I said after we got in the house. "Do you want me to see what I can do about it?" "Oh, goody," she squealed. "Are we going to play 'doctor'?" With a roar, I grabbed her and tossed her on the nearest couch and began to tickle. "No-no! Don't tickle me! Tommy, I've got to go!" I stopped and looked down at her, "Go where?" I said as innocently as I could. Beth looked up, "You remember all that Coke we drank? Where do you think I have to go!" I let her up and she dashed off to the little room. When she came back, her shy look was back, "Can you help me?" "Sure" "I want to show you what I bought and find out what you think." "Oh, so it's going to be a fashion show, eh?" "Well, yeah. I'm not used to stuff like this," she said as she collected the packages scattered all over the floor and headed to her bedroom. When we got to her room, she left most of the shopping bags on the bed and just took a couple into her bathroom. She looked back at me just before she closed the door, "I hope you like this stuff." It was only a couple of minutes before the door opened and a vision I almost didn't recognize walked out—a tight, cropped T-shirt and a pair of tight, low-rider jeans that left a good six inches of bare skin—and that sexy navel—between them had me almost drooling. "Do you like it?" Beth asked with a bit of a nervous quaver in her voice. "Well? Say something." I literally couldn't speak, my mouth moved, but nothing came out. "Ohh, I knew this was a mistake. I'm just not supposed to wear stuff like this," she wailed, and turned to run back to the bathroom and her old self. I got up and wrapped her in my arms and just held her until I figured out where my voice had gone. "Beth, Beth, you look so great, you took my breath away." "Do I really look good?" "Let me grab the camera and I'll prove it!" "Oh, no! You've taken enough pictures today!" "Okay, then I'll just show you," I said as I steered her toward her closet and opened the door. She looked in the mirror. "Oh, shit! I can't believe it." Then she started shaking, as the tears started again. I stepped up behind her and put my arms around her and waited for the showers to stop. "I told you, you shouldn't hide all that beauty under those bags you were wearing. Now, what else did you get?" She had several more pairs of jeans and probably a dozen tops she pulled out of the bags on the bed. When all the bags were empty, Beth looked at me, "I've got one more outfit, but, um..." she bit her lip and looked almost ready to panic again, "I-I'm not sure I've got the guts to show you..." "Beth, take your time. We've got all day and you don't have to show me anything that'd make you uncomfortable." She gave me a quick look of gratitude, then straightened her shoulders and looked me in the eye, "No. I told myself I was going to change and, dammit, I'm going to!" Then a little grin, "So I'll go change now..." When she came out of the bathroom I got an immediate erection—she was wearing a white blouse, unbuttoned and tied just under her breasts and a pair of tight white shorts that JUST covered her fanny—well, sorta covered it—and molded perfectly to her curves. "Oh. My. God..." Was all I could get out. Beth grinned, blushed, and pointed to the tent in my shorts, "Looks like you like it!" "Oh, Beth, I knew you'd look great, but, damn." "Do you think the shorts are TOO short," she asked as she turned around and bent over. I didn't answer, just dropped to my knees, grabbed her hips and licked one of her partially-exposed cheeks. "Eek! I guess that's a yes," she giggled. "My God, I've created a monster. A hot, beautiful monster. Do you know what's going to happen on Monday when you walk into school? Half the guys won't be able to walk, and forget about any conscious thought with all the blood rushing to their little heads. And the girls? They'll be green with envy wondering who the new girl is that's got their boyfriends drooling." Beth giggled again, pulled me to my feet and kissed me, "Oh, I love you so much! You're going to be with me Monday, right, Tommy? I don't think I can do this by myself." "Oh, yeah, I'll be right there. No way I'm going to let you out unescorted. I'd lose you to the first ten guys who see you." "God, I feel so sexy. And it's all thanks to you." Any chance of coherent thought went away as Beth wormed her tongue into my mouth. Several eons later, I reached between us so I could cup her breasts. "Oh, that feels so good," she moaned. I moved down to untie the knot in her shirt when Beth backed away, "Hold on, I've got one more outfit to show you. I hope this one will make up for all that waiting, especially when you were stuck in the lingerie department being eyed by the grandma police." She turned away with a grin, untied the knot in her shirt and let it drop, then unzipped her shorts and wiggled out of them and turned around to face me, "Do you think this outfit is okay? I snuck in a stop at Vickie's after I got my hair done." She stood there in a white lace half-bra and panties, both almost transparent. I couldn't say a thing, but I couldn't leave her just standing there. I reached for her, picked her up, tossed her face-down in the middle of the bed and began to trace the path I took during last night's backrub—except this time with feathery little kisses. Across her shoulders, down her back—stopping to unfasten her bra—then continuing down to the top of those intriguing white panties. At this point Beth was starting to moan. I skipped over her butt and moved down to her left ankle and started back up. When she realized what I was doing, she moaned, "Tommyyy, don't tease me, please." I just grinned and continued up her leg. When I got to the bottom of her panties ... I stopped. Beth was literally vibrating and just whined, "Ohhh, don't stop!" I slid my hand between her thighs and ran my fingers over her panty-covered mound. That was all it took—Beth screamed out as she had what seemed like a life-altering orgasm, her hips bouncing on the bed. "Oh God, that felt wonderful," she panted once she came down. Beth pushed me down on the bed and rolled on top of me. "Nobody's ever done that before," she whispered, pulling my T-shirt off so she could rub her bare tits against me. "That's the first time anybody's made me come, I can see that getting real habit-forming." I just pulled her into a cuddle, enjoying the feel of her body molded to mine. We lay there for a while before Beth looked down at the obvious tent in my shorts. "Doesn't that hurt?" "Well, it is a bit tight." She looked at me with the twinkle in her eye that I was beginning to love, "Would you like a hand? I don't have any experience, but I'm a fast learner." She unzipped my shorts and boxers, pulled them down and grasped my erection. "It's so hot, and hard and soft at the same time," she whispered as she moved her hand slowly up and down. "What do I do?" "Just keep it up," I panted. After her fashion show I was on a hair trigger, "I-I'm almost there ... OH, GOD!" The circuit closed, the pumps came on and I exploded all over her hand ... and myself. "Wow, talk about having a mess on my hands," she giggled as she licked her fingers. "Hmm, must be an acquired taste," she jumped up and headed to the bathroom, putting an extra wiggle in her step that had me twitching despite my er, depleted condition. When she came back out of the bathroom, washcloth in hand, she caught a glimpse of herself in the full-length mirror. "Oh, God, I can't believe I look like that, or that I'm almost naked with you." She came over to the bed and cleaned me off. When she finished she lay down next to me, "I can't believe what today's been like—the totally new look and, well, having you here with me." I pulled her to my side, "And I'm so very glad I'm here with you ... Talk about a dream come true." I started licking one of her delicious little tits as I stroked her thigh. "Ohh, do that some more." I switched to the other side and licked her nipple, then started kissing my way down her body. I circled her navel with feather-light kisses, working closer with each circle until I stabbed her belly-button with my tongue, causing Beth to gasp and wind her fingers into my hair. "Oh God, that feels so good!" I slid my fingers into the top of the lacy confection around her hips and slowly slid it down her legs and off. I resumed my kisses until I got to the top of her bush—and stopped... "Tommy, why did you stop? What are you doing?" "Just admiring your haircut." "I didn't get THAT hair cut, you goof!" Accompanied by a playful slap on the top of my head. "Funny, it looks freshly-trimmed to me." I kissed down her leg, then started up the inside of her thigh. "T-Tommy, what a-are you doing ... Oh God ... don't stop ... oohhh." I had separated her lips and run my tongue from bottom to top, then concentrated on her clit and it drove her up the wall. She grabbed my hair and tried to shove my face further into her, all the while moaning and rocking back and forth. I wormed my tongue as far into her as I could, reveling in her taste, like nothing I'd ever experienced before—almost sweet, with just a bit of a tang. All-in-all a most excellent vintage—and I knew I'd never tire of it. I moved up to wrap my tongue around her clit and Beth went nuts. Her hips came off the bed and she screamed at the top of her lungs. She continued pulling on my hair and bouncing her hips on the bed as she had two more orgasms before pushing me away, "Oh, too much ... no more!" I kissed my way back up her body and pulled her into an embrace until she quieted down. "Ohmigod, Tommy, where'd did you learn to DO that? God, I'm so weak I don't think I could stand up right now." I just smiled, "So I did it right?" "Any better and you'd have to call the paramedics. I never knew anything could feel like that. I mean I've had orgasms before, but WOW!" "And just how did you get those inferior orgasms?" Beth turned bright red almost down to her navel, "That's none of your business! I just hope you remember how you did it!" "You mean a repeat performance may be in order?" She just nodded, a contented smile playing across her lips. I pulled her into a tight hug and my cock regained interest in the proceedings, poking her between her thighs. I felt Beth stiffen up, "Tommy, I don't think I'm ready to do that yet." "Sorry," I apologized as I pulled my hips back. "Does that mean there may be a later?" "We'll see," she looked at me appraisingly. Why did that look bring to mind a lion looking at a wildebeest? We both drifted off for a while. Later as I was lying there I thought back to the last twenty-four hours and sighed. "Anything wrong?" Beth asked me, propping herself up on one elbow to look down at me. "No, nothing at all. As a matter of fact, everything is more perfect than I could have imagined. I mean, my plans for the weekend just included playing some video games and maybe seeing a movie—solo. I never even dreamed about anything like this." "You mean you didn't expect to end up in bed with the shy girl in the baggy clothes?" "Not even in my wildest dreams. Besides, you're not wearing your baggy clothes." Beth giggled and with a bit of a blush asked, "Tommy, you don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but, have you ever been like this with a girl before?" I'd been dreading that question. No guy like to admit that he's a 'beginner, ' but it was the truth. Not for lack of trying, you understand. "No, I haven't." I admitted. I didn't ask Beth the same question, I was pretty sure of the answer, but wanted to at least appear to be a gentleman, even though I had a suspicion that Beth wasn't averse to some behavior a bit more un-gentlemanly. Speaking of that... "Beth, would you hand me your camera for a second?" "What? My camera ... OH NO YOU DON"T, TOMMY RANDAHL!" I just chuckled, then remembered something, "Beth, what happened to your bra last night?" "What? I ... er ... well..." Her blush was back, "I guess I'm busted, huh?" I manfully ignored her double entendre, "I'm not complaining, it's just that I know you had one on earlier and was very surprised later when ... well ... you know..." "You mean when you felt me up." Now it was my turn to play stoplight. I started stammering out an explanation/excuse for the presence of my hand under her sweater when she chuckled, "I can't believe I did that, but after the backrub I had a feeling that maybe you liked me and I thought that ... well..." "We're a real pair, aren't we?" I had to laugh. Here we were, both stumbling our way through adolescence—well-equipped with hormones, and neither of us with the foggiest idea how to fix the 'problem'—until today. "I almost had a heart attack when you accepted my offer of a ride home. I mean, you being the beautiful 'ice-queen' and all." "That's nothing, I thought I'd faint when you said you'd like to stay and watch the movie with me." We grinned at each other and settled into a soft kiss that just went forever. "So, what now," I asked. "How about food?" Was Beth's immediate reply. "Sounds good, where can I take you?" "You mean go out?" Beth sounded a bit nervous at the idea. "Well, yeah. I mean you supplied the movie last night, so it only seems fair that I spring for the food." Beth thought about it for a while, worrying her bottom lip in a gesture I was beginning to recognize. "Do I have to wear my new clothes?" "Your choice, but you're going to have to start sometime. Or did you buy them for private showings only?" She sighed, "No, you're right, I'm going to have to start somewhere, but can we go someplace where, well..." "Where we won't be recognized?" I finished. "Um, yeah. I think I'm going to have to ease into the new me. Oh, and since you're buying, I'll drive." We walked through the house and into the three-car garage. "Holy shit," I reverently intoned. "Where'd your dad get the Healey? It looks brand new!" Sitting next to a new Jeep Wrangler was a classic Austin-Healey 3000—in British Racing green. "Dad said he'd always wanted one as a kid and a couple of years ago he saw one that had just been restored—so he bought it." I wondered what fit in the third spot. "Lets take the Healey," Beth said. "I want to feel the wind in my hair!" We ended up in a small place on the other side of town and spent most of the time talking and learning more about each other. As we left, we heard a whistle from across the parking lot. I turned to see who whistled and Beth looked for who was being whistled at. "I'm pretty sure that was for you, not the car," I told her. "Are you sure? Whew, that's gonna take some getting used to." "Wait until Monday." "I'm not sure I can do this, Tommy." I heard a lot of the old Beth in her voice. "If you start getting nervous, just think back to the girl in the mirror and stare down anybody who gives you a ration." "Yeah, I hate to admit it, but she looked like she could take on the world, didn't she." Beth marveled. "Tommy, how did you know that this me was in that shy girl Friday night?" "Probably 'cause I didn't see a shy girl, remember? I saw the imperious ice-princess who deigned to spend an evening slumming with the commoners." "I sure am lucky you offered me a ride last night." "I'd say we both lucked out," I said as I snuck a quick kiss. "Um ... would you let me, I-I mean, may I chauffeur you, My Lady?" "You DO know how to drive a stick, don't you?" "Oh, yeah!" I said as I opened the passenger door for her. "Do you want to go right back to the house?" She grinned. "No. Any place you want to go—like across the country, maybe?" She looked at me, "You guys and cars. Now I'm going to have to worry if you're interested in me or my ride." "I'll never tell," I grinned. "It's a nice night for a drive, let's just go," she replied as we pulled out of the lot. Oh, man, what a rush! I'd had a chance to drive a Triumph when I first got my license, but the Healey had more power and a better suspension. I took us out a curvy section of one of the local highways and had Beth screaming her head off. "ARE YOU OKAY?" I yelled over the engine. "YES! I LOVE THIS!" She hollered back. We finally got back to her house about eleven, and Beth turned to me, "Do you have to go home?" "No, as long as I'm there when the folks get home tomorrow afternoon." She started the lip-gnawing again, "Will you stay with me, then?" "I was hoping you'd ask." After we'd undressed each other, we climbed into bed and just talked for over an hour—school, friends, family, hobbies—all the stuff two people spend time learning about each other. I learned that Beth was a voracious reader along with her love of old movies and I told her about my interest in photography and art. It wasn't until Beth leaned over to kiss me that I remembered I was in bed, naked, with a very beautiful girl. How's THAT for weird? As I kissed her, my hand started a journey to all the points of interest in the land called Beth. My first stop was a mountain range with a pair of low peaks with the most interesting matching monuments. As I examined one of the monument, and its twin, I noticed they both were growing and getting harder, must have been something magical about them. Then I heard the most intriguing sound—kind of like a breeze through the trees. I continued my expedition south, stopping for a short time at a depression which must have been in an earthquake-prone area because as I explored the depression the surrounding lowlands started to quiver. From there I journeyed to a small forest of well-trimmed vegetation which seemed to be in the shape of an arrow pointing to a canyon with protecting hills on either side. At first I thought there must be a river at the bottom, as both the canyon and surrounding hills were quite damp but all my exploring couldn't find the source of the moisture no mater how deeply I probed, although I did notice the odd sound I'd heard before seemed to pick up in volume as I explored the canyon. I started following my exploring fingers with my mouth, leaving little kisses to mark the trail until I came to the canyon. Then the little imp in my head took over and I started to run my tongue lightly over the territory. "Tommy ... pleeease!" I kept teasing her for long as I thought I could and then attacked her with just the tip of my tongue until she exploded. A river of juices gushed from her as she ground her pelvis into my face, accompanied by a high-pitched, almost-a-scream. As she came down from her orgasm, I moved down to gently lick her labia before attacking her clit once more. Almost immediately, she came again, so I continued alternating until she finally pushed my head away. "OHMYGOD! Where did you learn to do that?" "I just tried to do what you seemed to like." "I like it, I like it! But what about you? Can I do the same thing to you?" Silly girl, asking a questing like that! Beth wrapped her hand around my shaft and tentatively licked the crown. "Oh, God, that feels good!" As she applied herself, I realized that Beth would be a good student at whatever she tried and it wasn't long before she had almost all of me in her mouth, moving up and down slowly as she licked the sides of my shaft. "Beth ... I'm almost there..." I warned as I felt my balls tighten up. She just hummed which was all it took to push me over the edge. "OH GOD!" I yelled as I pumped shot after shot into her willing mouth, with Beth swallowing as she continued to move up and down. When I was done, she licked her lips and cleaned me off with her tongue. "Well that was interesting," she said as she moved up alongside and cuddled next to me. "You seemed to enjoy it. Did I do it right?" "Are you kidding? If we keep this up we're BOTH gonna need paramedics. That was unbelievable." As we lay spooned together, I heard a sigh from Beth. "What's up?" "Nothing—right now," she snickered. "But I just realized this is the last night I'll have my angel to protect me." I pulled her closer, "Didn't you know angels can work miracles. I'll be protecting you even though I'm not here beside you and I'll be thinking of you all night tomorrow—since I won't be able to sleep anyway." "I guess that'll have to do, but I wish you could do this every night." "So do I." ------- I woke up some time later only to realize that I was rock-hard again and back between Beth's delectable thighs. I was about to pull back when Beth reached down to stop me. "I think it's time," she whispered. Before I could move, she'd climbed on top of me and started to lower herself onto my erection. Slowly, then with more confidence, she started to move up and down, taking a little more of me each time until our pubic hair met. "Ohhh, you feel so good inside me," she murmured as she started to move with more confidence. "Oohh, God, I can't believe this is happening." Then panic... "OH SHIT, Beth, I don't have any protection!" I started to push her off me. We were too young to be parents! "Don't worry, Mom put me on the Pill at the beginning of the school year so we're okay." "Not that I'm complaining, but why'd she do that?" "She's been on a kick the last couple of years to get me to—how'd she put it 'experience life a little more'—I think she was hoping being on the Pill would give me ideas. Like I didn't already have enough of my own!" We started moving again with Beth experimenting with different angles and speeds As we both got closer she began exuberantly bouncing up and down and I had to hold her hips to keep her from flying off. "Oh, God, I'm so close!" she keened, just as I got an extra grip on her, pulled her tight against me as I exploded. Beth fell forward onto my chest and started shaking with her own orgasm. "Oh, it feels so good! Don't stop, don't stop!" She screamed as she went over the edge. I felt as if I was pumping into her forever, but all too soon it was over. We lay together—a sweaty, panting puddle of thoroughly sated flesh as we tried to get our breath back. "Did it hurt, Beth?" "No, it just felt a little strange at first—being filled up like that. The real thing is MUCH better than any old vibrator." Ah, that was where she'd gotten her other orgasms from. I thought as I gently rubbed her back. "I think it's time to clean up before we end up glued together," Beth said as she slowly rolled off me. She looked down and, in mock-horror, "Oh, no. I think I broke it! By the way, what do you call it? I heard all guys name theirs." "I guess I never thought of naming it. Do you want to?" I joked. "Hmm, I'll have to think about that..." We both got in the shower and spent almost an hour making sure we were both clean ... that is after we added to the mess one more time. (Beth was happy to see her predicted demise of my favorite body part was premature.) After we dried off and changed the bedding—something about a huge wet spot in the middle—we drifted off to sleep, the first full day of our relationship complete. ------- Chapter 4: Sunday Sunday morning I woke up spooned with Beth—a position I hoped I'd be able to repeat often. "You awake, my princess?" "Don't bother me. I'm living happily ever after," she groaned as I started to give her a morning back rub. It was during that rub that I realized something that made me really think about Beth and I. I'd given a lot of girls back rubs, as a matter of fact in my little group I was thought of as the guy to go to for a rub. But with every one of those I'd had at least a bit of an ulterior motive—if the girl liked the back rub, perhaps a more intimate rub was possible, and in a few cases that had proved true. But when I thought back to Friday night I realized that when Beth had been stretched out on the couch I had been thinking only about making her feel good, I'll admit my body had reacted like a horny teenager, but mentally I was thinking only about her, not my chances of taking it any farther. What did that mean? Had I been attracted to her as a person from the start? Was it that I felt I had no chance of getting anyplace that eliminated that whole line of reasoning? Was I in love with her? This was obviously going to take more thought than I was capable of in my half-asleep, drowsy Sunday morning state. We exchanged morning-breath kisses—with some grabs here and there—then got ready for the day. "So what's the plan for today?" Beth asked. "I don't know, how about a movie?" "Sounds good, look where the last one ended up!" She grinned. "Um ... which car are we taking today?" I said, hopefully. "How about the Jeep, would that work for you?" Beth doesn't do sarcasm well. ------- Heading back after the movie we stopped for lunch at one of the local eateries. "What'cha thinking about?" I asked her after we'd ordered. "Oh, just what a different weekend this has turned out to be. I mean, when I told my folks I didn't want to go to the wedding, I thought it would just give me a chance to laze around by myself. I certainly never expected to be sharing my time—and my bed!—with a guy. Or that my whole life would change just because I accepted an offer of a ride. Well, that and what am I going to do tomorrow when I have to face everybody at school! "How about you?" she look over the table and grinned. "I was thinking about how different my weekend was, too, and that I couldn't believe I was sitting here with the most beautiful girl I've ever known," I put my hand over hers on the table. Beth blushed and looked a little uncomfortable at the praise. She'd obviously never had anyone say anything like that before. Oh, she'd been praised for her good grades and what a good student she was, but if anyone had told her she was beautiful, it sure hadn't taken hold in her mind. Our food came about then and the conversation turned to Monday. "Are you sure I can pull this off?" Beth was starting to get nervous again. "I'm positive you can. Look, what you'll be wearing is about what every other girl has, so you'll blend in more than you did in your "bag lady" outfits, right?" "I suppose," she took a deep breath. "I'll never know if I don't try, will I?" "That's the attitude! You're going to knock 'em dead. The guys won't know what hit them. You're going to have half the school walking around holding their books in front of them just to hide the tents in their jeans. And I'll be right beside you, wearing my Cheshire Cat grin." Beth just laughed as we dug into our meal. We got back to her house about four, "I hate to ruin the weekend, but I've got a ton of homework to get done by tomorrow, so I'm gonna have to get home. Not to mention our folks are going to be home soon." Beth sighed, "But I don't want this to end!" "Neither do I. But just think how much fun we'll have tomorrow. I'll pick you up in the morning." "Oh God, I hope I'm ready for this." There was the lip-chew again. "Beth, you're going to be fine. And I'll be with you, for what that's worth." "Oh, Tommy, without you I know I couldn't do this. You better not abandon me!" "Don't worry, I'll be there for you. Now give me a kiss and I'll see you tomorrow. I just hope I can get to sleep all by myself!" "Don't remind me! Just get out of here before I kidnap you and lock you in the basement!" I escaped, but I wasn't happy about it. ------- Chapter 5: Monday Monday was—to put it mildly—interesting. I drove to Beth's house to pick her up—I was serious when I'd made the comment about the first ten guys trying to steal her and I was going to do everything I could to prevent any attempts to swipe MY girl—at least I hoped she was my girl. I walked up to the front door and rang the bell. Beth's mother answered, "You must be Tommy. Beth talked about you all night! Come on in." Talked about me? That didn't sound good. I stepped inside to see Beth's dad standing in the foyer, "So this is the young man who's brought such a change to our daughter." My first impulse was to bolt for my car and—hopefully without breaking the sound barrier—get out of there. But then I realized it was my somewhat guilty conscience that had me over-reacting. "I can't believe the change in Bethany while we were gone. I've been trying for years to get her to dress more like you other kids, but she always insisted on looking like an old maid," her mother grumped. "What did you do to her?" Oh, not much, just got her clothes off and screwed her to within an inch of her life. "Tommy!" Beth exclaimed as she came down the stairs to save me. She was wearing one of the T-shirts and low-riders she'd bought on Saturday and looked ready to take on the world. "Are you ready to go?" "Um, sure. You got any books?" "Oops, guess I need those, huh," she grinned. After grabbing her books, she gave her folks a quick hug and dragged me out the door. "I am SO ready for today. Do you think I'll surprise anybody?" "Beth, you're gonna have the whole school in an uproar, guaranteed. As a matter of fact, you should bring your Nikon so I can get some shots of the kids' expressions!" "So you can take some more pictures of me, you mean, right? I don't think so!" "Well, it was worth a shot, if you'll excuse the pun. By the way, what did you tell your folks about the two of us this weekend? I thought at first your dad was going to pull out a shotgun!" Beth just giggled. "Were you afraid I'd told them what really happened? No, I just mentioned that I'd spent some time with you and that you'd taken me shopping on Saturday. I didn't think they needed the whole story." I opened the car door for her, even more aware of how old my beater was. "My Princess," I said with a theatrical bow. Beth slid into the car, "Thank you, kind sir," she replied with a grin and waited until I was behind the wheel. "Tommy, do you really think I can pull this off? I mean, I feel great the way you look at me, but what about everybody else? Will they laugh at me like they did Tiffany?" Tiffany was another one of the kids from the theater group. She'd shown up at school one day totally Goth—the clothes, the makeup—everything but the body piercings—and had taken a ration of shit from everybody, especially the jocks and cheerleaders and ended up going home "sick" at noon. The next day she'd been back to her normal self and tried to make it sound like it was all just an "experiment." Later she'd confided in a couple of other girls that a cousin who was heavy into the Goth lifestyle had talked her into trying it. "Beth, don't worry. You look great, and like I said, the guys are gonna go nuts. And watch the girls. They're going to be hanging on to their boyfriends, literally, as soon as they see you. I'll bet a bunch of the kids won't even recognize you." As we pulled into the school parking lot she looked at the kids plodding toward the prison of learning, then at me. "I hope you're right," she said as she gnawed at her bottom lip. ------- Our high school was campus-style, with a main building for general classrooms, one for the science labs and a third was strictly arts, theater and music. We were just inside the main building when Ken Hue, one of my friends, walked up, "Hey, Tommy, how was your weekend?" Then he saw Beth... Now we've all heard the expression about someone's jaw hitting the floor, right? Well, let's just say Ken was lucky his dad's a dentist. "Whoa, who're you?" "Ken, Ken, don't you even recognize Beth?" I chuckled. "Beth? Beth who? Are you new at school?" "Ken, I sit right in front of you in English Lit!" Beth grinned at me as if to say He doesn't even recognize me! "English Lit? You mean Beth Jones? YOU'RE BETH JONES!?" "That's me," was her bubbly reply. "Yeahbut, Beth is, I mean you are, I mean..." he ran down, red faced. "Kenny, it's me all right. This is the REAL me. All thanks to a swift kick from Tommy, here." Ken's glance bounced between the two of us as he tried to figure out what was going on. ------- That scenario was played out several times during our walk to my homeroom where we had to separate. "See you at lunch?" I asked. "Oh, yeah. I have a feeling we're gonna have a LOT to talk about!" Beth strolled down the hall, her statuesque height making her look even better. With head high, she gained more confidence with each step, each stunned expression, and every whistle. ------- "Have you ever considered autocopulation? You should try it!" That was the first thing I heard cutting through the din as I walked into the cafeteria. I recognized Beth's voice, even though I hadn't spotted her yet. Then I heard a slap and saw Jay Stevens, the captain of the Hawks, our football team, stagger back and land on his ass. "You just blew your chance, bitch!" He yelled as he recovered and stomped off with the rest of his football buddies. The slap and the comment were still ringing through the cafeteria when I got to Beth. "Did you just tell the head jock to go fuck himself?" "Yeah. He'll never figure it out, though. Do you know what he did? He came up to me in line. Dropped something lame about going out with the best. And then grabbed me and tried to KISS ME! Ugh, gross!" she shivered. By that time we'd gathered quite a crowd, all buzzing about Beth's comment and her great arm. Big putz deserved it. He's tried that with all the good-looking girls. He grabbed me one day and tried to shove his hand under my sweater. Damn son-of-a-bitch got what he deserved. Good for you, Beth. I chuckled, "So how did the rest of your morning go?" "Oh, Tommy, it was just like you said—the guys have been drooling and the girls trying to remind their boyfriends they were still there! I feel GREAT!" Cindy Kowalski, Beth's cute little blond friend, came up to us, "Beth, that was great! That slimy son-of-a-bitch has been asking for it for a long time. Of course you know you're gonna get dumped on by the jocks and their girls now. And where'd you learn to hit like that? They could use you on the baseball team!" "Oh, Cindy, I didn't even think about it—he just pissed me off so much, I was just trying to wipe that smug grin off his face!" I made a mental note about pissed-off girlfriends and unscheduled trips to the dentist. We got in line, got our daily slops and found a table. Our school cafeteria was better than most, I guess, but still your average institutional style mass eatery—non-descript beige tile on the walls with posters urging everyone to eat sensibly, and row upon row of tables with benches attached. The room was as boring as the food. Cindy wanted to know where Beth got the clothes and whispered something in her ear that had Beth going pink to the neck of her t-shirt. Several of our group came up to tell Beth how great she looked, including a couple of the other quiet girls. I could tell that Beth was just drinking it all in and basking in her new-found popularity. Now if could just figure out what Cindy said to her... ------- I met Beth at her locker after last period, "Hey there, sexy lady. So how'd the rest of the day go. Slug any more jocks?" "I can't believe I did that. I can't believe he did that. What a slime ball. I heard a couple of nasties from some of the girls, but I just ignored them." "Beth, going back to what Cindy said during lunch: Jay's probably going to start some rumors about you. Can you handle that?" "Looks like I'll have to, doesn't it?" She grumbled. "I'll just have to ignore them." "I hope you can. Guys like that can get nasty when they don't get their way." "Fuck him." "What! Dumping me already? And for a football hero? Oh, the shame of it all!" I emoted—badly. Beth just giggled, "You don't know how good you make me feel, do you?" She took my arm as we walked out of school. "By the way, what did Cindy whisper to you at lunch?" "She asked if my virginity went the same way as my old clothes!" "Why, the nerve of her!" I snickered. ------- When I pulled into Beth's driveway she looked at me and asked, "Do you have to go home right away?" "No, my folks won't be home until almost five." "Mine either, and I discovered something today—being excited makes me horny," she said with a cute little blush as she dragged me in the house. I'm proud to say that we made it to Beth's bedroom before the clothes came flying off. We tumbled on the bed groping and kissing like a couple of, well, teenagers. ------- I left Beth's about four-thirty and got home just before my mom drove in with The Pest. My little brother was twelve, almost thirteen, and not really that bad. As a matter of fact he'd been getting steadily more bearable for the last year or so. "So where were you?" He asked. "I was over at Beth Jones' house." "So, is she you GIIRRRLLFRIEND?" Maybe he wasn't THAT bearable. "Well, I think so," I replied, stopping to consider the situation, I mean we hadn't really discussed things, just kind of fell into a relationship. "You don't even know if she's your girlfriend? What a loser!" I wonder if there's a market for slightly used younger brothers? ------- Chapter 6: Tuesday Beth was waiting outside as I pulled up Tuesday morning and she hopped in the car before I could get out to open her door. "Let's get out of here," were her first words to me. "What's up? "My mom knows." "Your mom knows what?" was my less than intelligent comment. "About us! She knows everything!" "Everything?" Oh, shit! I'm gonna be dead before I graduate from high school, I just know I am. If Beth's dad doesn't shoot me, mine will. "Umm, how'd she find out?" "She said she could smell it when they got back Sunday night and then again when she got home from work last night." "I'm surprised she let you even ride to school, with me." "That's the funny thing, she seems okay with the idea." "???" "No, really, we talked about it last night while my dad was out at some meeting. She said she remembers what it was like and that she was sure I'd be careful and that you seemed like a nice guy." "Wait a minute. She's OKAY with us having sex?" "Well ... I wouldn't say she's thrilled by the idea, but she seems willing to accept the fact that it happened and we aren't going to stop." "This is just too weird. I mean parents aren't supposed to react like that ... are they?" I was totally confused. "I don't think so either. But if she's not going to pitch a fit, I guess we're okay." It wasn't until later that I remembered her " ... we aren't going to stop" comment and found myself walking around all morning with a dumb grin stuck on my face. ------- By this time we were at school. So now to face another day in edu-hell. As we walked toward our lockers I heard, "Hey, Randahl, you tried getting any from the ice queen?" I turned and saw Jay Stevens walking toward me. "Assuming I did, what business is it of yours?" "Watch it, I don't have to take any shit from the likes of you." "Hey, Jay, d'you try any autocopulation yet?" Let's see if he'd figured it out. "What's with this shit about doin' it in a car, anyways?" Obviously not. "Just 'cause you're not gettin' any." Just then I saw Mr. Adams, the vice-principal, come out of his office and saunter our direction. No doubt looking for someone to hassle ... so I thought I'd accommodate him. "At least I've got the right equipment, short stuff." That would get him—I'd seen him in the shower after gym class and I knew my jibe was too close to the truth not to get a reaction. The next thing I knew, my back was up against the lockers, my head was ringing, and my stomach seemed to be suffering some kind of repeated trauma. "Okay, Stevens, that it! You're coming to the office with me!" Sounded like Mr. Adams, I think. "Are you okay, Mr. Randahl?" "Um, I think so." I shook my head. Mistake. Big mistake. When the dizziness stopped, I found two of the bystanders from Randahl's Last Stand were helping me down to the nurse's office. ------- Beth was waiting for me when I came out. "What were you doing! Jay could have really hurt you! And who asked you to fight my battles, anyway! God, you could have been killed!" Beth wailed as she clutched me tight. Like I said, I'll never understand female logic. "Beth, not so tight! I'm okay. The nurse checked me out and other than a bump on my head and a sore belly, I'm fine. I was expecting a reaction from Jay, just not quite that much." "You mean you were BAITING him?" "Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time. I saw Adams coming toward us and I thought getting Jay into some hot water was worth a shot. I just didn't expect it to hurt so much." I groaned, holding my stomach—apparently Jay had some boxing experience, too. "What am I going to do with you? I turned around for one second to talk to Cindy and the next thing I hear is you bouncing off the lockers. And here I had big plans for us after school!" Big plans? I didn't know about any big plans. What was she up to? "Uh, big plans?" Beth blushed, "Yeah, I talked to a couple of the girls and got some ... um... ideas to try." "You told some girls? So now everybody knows?" "Oh, they all pretty much guessed yesterday." "I guess expecting privacy in a school was pretty dumb," I sighed. "But this will give us a chance to talk about some things." Beth got a panicked look on her face, then her expression fell, "I guess it was too good to last." She looked ready to cry. "Beth, what are you talking about?" "Well, when you said you wanted to talk about something, I just thought..." "Did you think I meant I wanted to break up? Hey, that's Old Beth thinking. No way do I want to split us up. We're a team, right? Besides, you're my princess and commoners don't drop royalty. It's just not done." That got me a relieved grin. "Guess I'm not as sure of myself as I thought." "Hey, it takes time to re-make yourself, but trust me, you're doing fine." That was when Cindy ran up, "Have you heard? Jay got suspended for two weeks and no football for him until he comes back. Coach Jenkins is pissed and I'd watch out for the rest of the team, they're even more pissed than the coach!" "That's all I need—getting the whole football team on my ass. Guess I should have thought the whole 'baiting Jay' thing out more. But it seemed such a great idea this morning." "You were just being my Hero, and Heroes have to expect a few bumps and bruises along the way." It was great for Beth to be philosophical about it—she wasn't the target! "Looks like I'll be playing the part of the mouse at the cat convention for a while," I sighed. ------- Luckily, I made it through the rest of the day without any further mishaps and Beth and I escaped after the last bell. As we walked to the parking lot, Beth looked at me, "Maybe I should drive home. You being an invalid and all." "Welll ... I don't know ... with all those fancy cars, can you even drive an automatic?" "Wiseass." She looked at me, "You keep that up and you won't get to drive Dad's Beemer." That explained the empty spot in the garage! "Oh, my princess, pardon me for ever doubting your vehicular abilities! Shall I grovel at thy feet?" "Don't you mean gravel?" She said with a snicker as she wormed her hand into my pocket to get the keys. "Ya know, life has certainly gotten interesting since Friday," I sighed as Beth pulled out of the lot. "Are you complaining?" "No, no, just commenting, and I wouldn't trade my time with you for the world." "You really had me scared this morning," Beth said. "When I was playing piñata or later?" "Well, both, I was scared when you were hurt, but petrified when I thought you were pulling the plug on us." "That's not going to happen. At least not by my choice. No, what I wanted to talk about was something my little brother said last night. He asked if you were my girlfriend and it dawned on me that we've never really talked about just what our relationship is. I know I'd like to keep seeing just you but I wasn't sure how you felt about it. I guess I was worried that now that you've figured out you could grab any guy in the school, I'd kind of get lost in the shuffle." Was I pitiful, or what? "Oh, no! Tommy, I couldn't do that to you! Without you, I'd still be the shy bag-lady!" "So we're officially a couple, now?" "You bet! "In that case, can I take you to dinner tonight?" It seemed a time for celebration. "Mmm, sounds good, I'll call Mom and let her know." "Yeah, I'll have to clear it at our house, too. Why don't we stop there and you can call and leave a message." ------- We got home just in time for The Pest to meet us at the door. "So is this your giirrrlfriend?" "Yeah, Beth this is The Pest. Pest this is Beth. Now get lost. "How does a picnic sound? We can grab some stuff here or stop at the store and get what we need." I was trying to remember what was in the 'fridge. "Oh, sounds great!" I went down to the basement to grab the cooler and some Blue Ice from the freezer, then lugged it all up to the kitchen where I found Beth scoping out the contents of the refrigerator. "Hmmm, not much picnic fare except for some cans of Coke." We grabbed the Coke and headed for the local grocery store where we got some fried chicken and both Jell-O and potato salads from the deli. After dumping our haul in the cooler I looked at Beth, "Well, which direction should we go?" "Let's head out on 81. I think I've got the perfect spot." We were out of town about ten miles when Beth pointed to a gravel driveway, "Let's try up there." "Um, Beth, the sign on the gate says no trespassing. I'm not real excited about meeting some farmer with a shotgun in his hand." "Don't worry, it'll be an adventure." "Well ... okay." I got out, opened the gate, drove through and closed the gate behind us. "Where to now, oh most exalted navigator?" "Head up the hill. It looks like there's a nice spot at the top." And a great spot it was—a field? meadow? pasture? whatever—with a great view of the setting sun. We spread out a blanket I found in the trunk and dug into the contents of the cooler. After we were done, we lay back on the blanket and watched the setting sun paint the western sky in a palette of oranges and reds. I wish I'd thought to grab Beth's camera—we were missing some beautiful images. "Now this is the way to spend an evening," sighed Beth after a while as she snuggled closer to me. "All we're missing is the loaf of bread and a jug of wine." "Going all classical on me, huh? You forgot the book of verse, though." I replied as I leaned down for a soft kiss. Beth just giggled and rolled over on top of me. "Oh, shit, Beth, don't do that!" I gasped as my morning's "exercise" came back to haunt me. "Oh, God, Tommy, I'm sorry! I forgot!" She cried as she rolled away from me. "Hey, don't go so far away, just respect the invalid's bumps and bruises," I said as I pulled her back to me. "I'm sorry I yelled at you this morning, but I was scared that big oaf had hurt you!" "Well, he did. I've got a feeling, you should excuse the pun, that I'm gonna be sore for a few days. And that's only if no one from the football team gets me alone." We lay there in companionable silence until the last of the colors leached from the horizon then picked up our stuff and headed back to the car. As we were driving back, Beth looked over at me, "Do you realize we were in that great spot and didn't even attack each other? Are we turning into an old married couple?" "No, just getting comfortable with each other. No more shy ice queen and bumbling geek, just two people who've found their soul mates and want to know more about each other." "When did you get to be so wise?" Beth asked. "It's the company I keep." I dropped Beth off at her house and headed home to try to catch up on some of my long-neglected homework. ------- Chapter 7: Wednesday I walked out of Chemistry and right into a bunch of footballers. "Hey, Randahl, you did quite a job on Jay yesterday." Oh, shit. Well, it was a nice life while it lasted. "Uh, I never touched him!" Lame, Tommy, lame. "No, but thanks to you our quarterback is out for two weeks." I couldn't argue with that. Well, I suppose I could say he started it, but that line of reasoning stopped working in first grade. "Do you know what's going to happen Friday?" Chuck Miller, our star end, growled. "We're going up against West High, one of the best teams in the state, and you know how that's gonna end up?" "Um, no." I didn't really get into sports so I didn't know how the team would do without Jay. "We don't either. Dan's gonna fill in as QB, but it doesn't look good. And you know what that means for you?" Oh, shit, here it comes... "You're toast, Randahl. As soon as the game's over we're gonna find you and take our loss out on you." "Um, what if you win?" A faint hope, but, heck, you go with what you've got, right? "If we win?" Sounded like a foreign concept to Chuck. "Yeah, what'll you do if we win?" "You're a real dreamer, ain'tcha." This from Billy, one of the tackles. "Just curious," I replied, lamely. "Well," Chuck seemed to consider the possibility. "If we win, you're off the hook. But don't get your hopes up. Without Jay we don't stand a chance." Oh, great. How do you tell a jock an attitude like that almost guaranteed I'd be a smear on some parking lot by midnight Friday? "Well, I'll be seeing you around on Friday, then," as I ducked between them and headed for lunch. ------- "They can't get away with that!" Beth was not a happy camper. "You don't beat someone up because of somebody else's stupidity!" "Apparently, when you're a jock, it's an option." "You've got to do something!" "Like what? Hide in my basement until Saturday, or maybe until graduation? That'd mean they win." On top of which, I wasn't sure my self-esteem would let me take the easy way out, but I wasn't going to tell Beth that. I guess it's a guy thing. "But ... But ... I don't want you to get hurt!" Beth wailed. "I don't either. Look on the bright side, maybe we'll win." Beth just shook her head and mumbled under her breath, "Great, all the guys in school and I've got to fall for an incurable optimist." ------- Chapter 8: Thursday Beth was waiting at my locker when I got out of my final class, "Hey, there, big boy, you wanna have some fun?" She sounded like somebody out of a 1930's film noir movie. "Sure, dollface. What'cha got in mind?" That broke up both of us. "How can you guys be so damn happy?" This from Cindy who'd just come around the corner. "Don't you remember what tomorrow is?" "Sure we do," I answered, "But worrying about it isn't going to change anything, so why not enjoy our last hours together?" Cindy looked at me like I had slipped a gear somewhere. "You're gutsier than I am. Hey, Beth, you want to stop on the way home?" Cindy snickered. "I'd like to, but Tommy promised me to help with some homework." Beth said with a glint in her eye. "Oh, yeah, homework's important. See you tomorrow—assuming you don't wear each other out 'studying'." ------- "Homework? What homework?" "My folks are going to dinner and some show tonight, so we've got the house to ourselves until about eleven and ... well ... I thought we could ... um ... try out some of those ideas I got yesterday." "Oh, those. So you think we can use some of those ideas?" "Depends on how flexible we are." Beth still had that glint in her eye. "Physically or morally?" I leered. "Both." ------- One again we made it up to Beth's bedroom before the clothes started flying. My aches from yesterday seemed to be gone—maybe testosterone is a painkiller. I'm not going to try to describe all the positions we tried—I'm not even sure I remember them all. Let's just say the floor, the desk and it's matching chair, the shower, and the windowsill all played "supporting" parts. About seven-thirty, I looked over into those deep blue pools, "Are you worried about tomorrow?" "Yeah, I am. I can't believe you're so calm about it all." "Well, I look at it this way: If I disappear until Monday, that just delays things. If I go in and talk to Adams, he'll either say he can't do anything about it or march into the coach's office and threaten to forfeit the game. Either way, I'm still in the soup, so I'm just hoping the team can pull a hat out of the rabbit." "Don't you mean the rabbit out of the hat?" "Nah, any cut-rate magician can do that. The real genius is getting a hat out of a rabbit." Beth just grabbed me and held on as her tears soaked my chest. ------- Chapter 9: Friday The pep rally last period was a bit subdued. Everyone knew about Jay's suspension, but no one really knew how it would affect tonight's game. On top of that, people seemed to be split on the cause. Me. Half the kids considered Jay a slime ball who deserved what he got and the other half were in the "He's a football player, let him get away with anything" camp, so the rally was anything but normal. After school Beth and I grabbed a quick McWendyking Arbycastleburger and got to the field to find Cindy and a bunch of our friends had staked out part of the bleachers and had two seats saved for us. At least I wouldn't have to worry about getting assaulted during the game. ------- I'd like to say the team de-chapeaued the lapin, but it wouldn't be the truth. What happened instead was stranger yet... The first quarter ended up even. Dan seemed unsure of himself at first, but gained confidence as the quarter progressed and both teams ended up with a field goal each. The second quarter was all West High's. They scored two TDs and another field goal, so half time saw us down by seventeen and I was starting to sweat. In the third quarter Dan managed a couple of long bombs for two touchdowns while the defense kept West from even getting into our half of the field, so we were within three points going into the final quarter. West got the ball on a fumbled kickoff and ran it in for another TD, while the best we could do was a pair of field goals. Final score: 27-23, West ... and I was dead meat. Cindy and the whole gang escorted Beth and me to my car. The team was waiting for us... Chuck stepped forward and motioned to me, but Cindy beat me to it and, looking like a toy poodle telling a mastiff to get the hell off her yard, snarled at Chuck, "Look, you animals, you're not going to get away with this!" Chuck held up both hands, palms out clearly taken aback at her reaction, "Hey, we're not here to start a fight!" He looked at me, "I know we told you that a loss was going to hurt you more than us, but tonight proved we can get along without Jay if we have to. A win would have been nice, but at least we didn't get creamed." Chuck seemed to hesitate for a second, "Look, we're not happy with some of the shit Jay's pulled either, but we really thought we needed him. He's a good QB, don't get me wrong, but maybe some of us are going to have to re-think whether having him on the team is worth the bad karma he seems to bring along. "Look, Tommy, I'm sorry we gave you such a hard time the other day. Can we let it go?" and he held out his hand. I stepped forward and shook hands with him, "Thanks, Chuck. Look like I'll have to stop thinking all jocks are the same. "Oh, and does this let me off the hook for next week, too?" Ever the optimist, that's me. "Yeah, no more hassles from us." ------- "I can't believe the team backed down. Looks like I'm going to have to re-think my attitude about jocks too." Beth said as we pulled into the lot to the coffee house for the gang's usual Friday night. (Okay, I'll admit calling our hangout a coffee house is pushing things a bit. It's really just a little corner café, nothing fancy, but the back room—just four booths and a couple of tables—is decorated with empty burlap coffee bags hanging on the walls, and they do serve good coffee. Oh, nothing like Starbucks or Caribou. No fancy half-this-half-that-with-a-full-gainer-and-a-half-twist choices, just leaded or unleaded, with sugar and cream on the tables for those who don't want their mud straight.) "Yeah, tonight's going to have a lot of us reconsidering things." We walked into the back room where most of the gang was and Greg Kendall looked up. "What? Did we win? I don't see any blood." "Nope, but the team seems to have had second thoughts about re-arranging my rugged profile." I quipped. That brought a round of hoots and improbably obscene comments—about what I'd expected to hear. "So the jocks backed down, huh?" Greg asked skeptically. "Not so much backed down as realized what a putz Jay is." Greg just shook his head. Beth and I sat down and joined in the general conversation which immediately turned to the two of us. "So, Beth, what did Svengali here do to you?" This was from Deb, one of the newcomers to our group. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Beth chuckled. "So, what was it. Hypnosis, threaten your family, what?" Beth blushed a bit, "Well, to tell you the truth, he just took some pictures." "Ah, so it was blackmail!" exclaimed Greg. "No, nothing like that, he just showed me the real me. And gave me a delicious massage." "Delicious? What flavor?" Greg snickered. "Beth-flavored of course," I replied with a leer. Beth just sat there, beet red and looking like she was hoping the floor would open up and swallow her. I grabbed her hand to reassure her, and almost lost some fingers as she clamped down. "So've you got the pictures with you?" Deb asked. "Nope, they're locked safely in my PC and the memory card from the camera is erased! I may be more confident than before, but not THAT confident." Of course, that started all sorts of comments about when they'd show up in Playboy or some online porn site. "Oh, come on guys!" I said. "I just showed her she looked as good as ... well, it doesn't matter who. I just helped her see who she really is. Although I have to say I've never had so much fun taking pictures before..." Beth blushed again while Greg looked like he'd give a kidney to see the pictures. "Yeah..." I said with a grin. "That Nikon of Beth's is a sweet machine." I've never heard a bunch of people groan a perfect B-minor chord before. "Well, it sure worked. I didn't even recognize you on Monday." Greg said. Eventually the conversation turned to other things and Beth began to relax. We stayed for about an hour and then decided to head back to "the farm" as we'd started calling the spot where we'd picnicked. ------- It was late Fall and the air was getting nippy, but it's amazing what two people—two horny people—can do without totally exposing their asses to the elements. After we'd got our clothes back in place, Beth looked at me, "I can't believe that it's only been a week since I conned you into a ride." "I'm just an easy mark for a pretty face, I guess. You know, I wish this was still a working farm." "Why?" "Because then it would have a barn, with a loft, and plenty of warm hay to roll around in," I said with a shiver as I pulled her to me for a kiss. A kiss that almost got us started all over again, but it was getting late and although both our sets of parental units were understanding, we didn't want to push our luck too far. As we drove back into town, Beth looked over at me, "Rugged profile, huh? Yeah, I can see it ... if I squint just right." I made a mental note for the next time we were together involving getting her in a helpless position. As we pulled into the driveway, Beth got a faraway look in her eye. "Are you happy, Tommy?" "Yeah, I am. Last week I was just another nobody; a guy who made it from day to day without anything exciting happening. Then I made an offer of a ride and ended up with a goddess. What's not to be happy? How about you?" I could see Beth's blush in the backwash from the porch light. "I can't believe this week! I mean, look at what you've done to me!" "Beth, I didn't do anything but help you see the real you. The special person that was hiding behind that shy exterior and the baggy clothes. You did all the work, I just helped a little." "I'm so glad we're together, Tommy. I feel like I've got a whole new life. And I don't care what you say, you're responsible!" "Okay, let's call it a joint effort." "I wonder what next week's going to be like?" She mused. I wonder... ------- Chapter 10: The Following Week Compared to last week, this week was a bit anticlimactic. Beth continued to gain confidence in herself and her lunchtime following grew. What had started out as just a small group of maybe a dozen theater and music geeks had grown into a group of about twenty-five—most of the new members consisting of the shy, mousy girls that always seem to spend their time hiding in corners, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. It finally dawned on me what was going on—the mice had seen the change in Beth and were looking to her for advice and for some reason she thought I should help. "Tommy, what am I supposed to tell them? I guess I could sic them on you. After all, you're the one who did this to me!" "Me! I just convinced you to see who you really are! Besides, are you sure you want me to give your mice the same treatment I gave you?" "Oh, wait a minute, I've got to think about that—NO! TOMMY RANDAHL, DON'T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!" I just grinned, "Don't worry, Beth, I'm all yours." "I just don't know where to start ... I mean with you leading me, it all seemed so simple, but trying to teach somebody else..." Beth started gnawing on her bottom lip, a sign I'd seen before and an indication of just how nervous she was. "I don't want to give them false hopes, but they seem so desperate." "You want me to grab your Nikon and try the camera trick?" "You mean get them into skimpy bikinis and take their pictures? Oh, yeah, I can just see how that would work! Maybe if I took them to the mall and had them try on some new clothes..." She mused. "Sure, then take them back to your place and show them the magic mirror," I suggested. Beth had a far-away look in her eye—whether planning for her mice or remembering her own experience with that selfsame mirror I didn't know. I could see this was going to take some misdirection. "Did you hear what the one-act play is going to be?" Mr. Franks, the drama teacher, had announced Dark of the Moon as the Fall one-act play. He had most of the cast set, but was looking for some people to help the leads rehearse their lines, and I had suggested Beth as a possibility. I wanted to try to get her involved in the theater if I could. I knew she wasn't sure enough of herself to audition to actually be on stage, but there's always a need for more back-stage worker-bees. "Yeah, and Mr. Franks already asked me to help out. You don't know anything about that, do you?" "Well ... maybe I mentioned something to him..." "Oh, thanks. Next thing you're going to talk me into acting." She accused. "Hey, I know better than that. I just figured if you were involved we'd get to spend more time together." "Well," She looked at me. "I guess since it's for a good cause..." "Did he mention who you'd be working with?" I asked. "Yeah, Julie Cooper. She's playing the star, Barbra Allen but it's her first show and she's really worried about learning her part." "Actually, in amateur theater it's 'lead' not 'star.' " I explained. "Well, whatever. We're going to start after school tonight." "Great, Mrs. Anderson's designing the sets so Greg and I are going to start working with her to get some ideas for lighting. So I'll meet you and give you the grand back stage tour." By that time we'd reached her next class, so I gave her a quick kiss and headed down the hall to mine. ------- Beth met me at my locker and we walked through the covered walkway that led to the theater building. The school's theater was a basic proscenium stage with stairs on either side leading down into the audience. The stairs weren't used much during performances but they were handy for graduation ceremonies and such. As we walked backstage, she looked around at all the ropes, pipes, lights, curtains and everything else the audience doesn't see—the bones that support the illusion that IS the theater. "I never realized all this stuff was back here. What's it all for?" I chuckled, "Just stick around. You'll find out. It's not really complicated, it just looks like it." Just then Julie walk up, "Hi, Beth? I'm Julie, you ready to help me?" "Yeah, where do you want to go?" "Let's sit out in the house," Julie said. Beth looked at the bare stage, "The house? What house?" "That's where the paying folks sit," said Julie as she led Beth down the stairs off the stage. ------- Mr. Franks had taken the full two-act play and cut it down to one act that would run about a half-hour. I'd had a chance to read his revised script and it looked like we were in for an interesting show. Dark of the Moon was sort of an Appalachian version of Romeo and Juliet, with witches and a crazy preacher thrown in. A drama based on the old folk song The Ballad of Barbra Allen. Beth came backstage after her session with Julie. "You ready to go?" she said as she came up behind me and put her arms around me. "Yeah, I think Greg and I have some interesting ideas for lighting, I'll just have to see if we have the right gels. We're going to need some odd colors." We headed back to her house to get some study time in. Trying to get anything done, even during study hall, was pretty much impossible with all the kids running around. It seemed like the whole building had a permanent low roar that made thinking almost impossible. Although studying with Beth could be almost as distracting. We were sitting at the table in their formal dining room where I was trying to figure out a Chemistry formula when I felt a foot crawling up my leg. "Beth, I thought we were supposed to be studying." "I am studying," she chuckled. "Yeah, but Biology was last year, and this is Chemistry I'm trying to get through." "So what's wrong with a refresher?" With a sigh, I closed my book. Sometimes a guy just has to face the inevitable. I walked around the table and leaned in to nibble on her neck, "Just how refreshed do you want to get?" She just stretched out in her chair and I could see her eyes change, "How about a quick backrub to get the kinks out?" "Oh, that's guaranteed to get the kinks out. Or are you talking about yourself?" I slipped my hands under her T-shirt and started exploring. "That's not my back," she purred. ------- Friday night the Hawks won in a thirty-seven to six rout with Dan Smith, our replacement quarterback, breaking most of the school's scoring records. Looked like Jay might be riding the bench for the rest of the season. Speaking of Jay—although he wasn't supposed to attend any school functions while suspended, he'd snuck into both games and pretty much accepted that he was now the second string quarterback. The following Monday he came back to school and I dreaded the inevitable meeting. Surprisingly, he was pretty quiet. Humility seemed beyond him, but everything considered, I guess he had learned something about life in the real world. ------- Chapter 11: The Play's the Thing Four weeks, you rehearse and rehearse. Three weeks, and it couldn't be worse. One week, will it ever be right?... (From Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate) Cole Porter got that right. The last month had been a constant barrage of problems, questions, script changes, rehearsals, late nights building the set, getting the lights mounted and aimed, and all the other things that are involved in staging a show. It was Thursday night, a week before opening, and we had a Friday night off. Mr. Franks told us to take a long weekend and be ready to hit it hard on Monday. Beth and I headed for our favorite pizza place. The Pizza Palace was a little place in one of the other 'burbs close to us and it had the best pizza in town—at least we thought so. One thing we liked is it didn't have the fake Italian look that so many places go for—it was just a nice, cozy place with great food, oh, and one of the best sound systems I've heard, certainly better than most places where people think loud equals good. Beth stopped to talk to George, the manager, as Jeanie, our favorite waitress, took me back to a corner booth. She had a little grin on her face, "I figured you'd like to be in a quiet spot, so you could talk." I knew I liked her for a reason. Beth walked back just as Miles Davis started blowing softly in the background—Beth's taste for the classics extended beyond her love of old movies, and I wasn't going to argue—my dad's a jazz fan and I'd been listening to it my whole life. As we tried to decompress after rehearsals we had our usual discussion over what kind of pizza to order. "Sausage, pepperoni and onion," Beth said without even opening the menu. "Um, the sausage and pepperoni are alright, but can we do without the onions this time?" "I like onions. If you don't want onions why don't we order half with and half without?" Beth suggested. "Won't work. Just order the whole thing with onions." "Tommy if you don't like onions why get it on your half?" "It's not that I don't like onions, I just thought getting it without it for a change ... Besides, if you're getting onions, I'm getting onions." "Why?" "Self-defense, of course," I grinned at her. "Self-defense?" I could see the confusion in her eyes. "Yup. You ever try kissing someone with onion-breath if you haven't been eating them too?" Beth just giggled as Jeanie came back with two Cokes. Does it mean you've been to a place too often when they don't even have to ask you what you want to drink? "What do you two want tonight? I mean to eat," she said with a grin. Beth blushed a little, "How about a large sausage, pepperoni and onion, Jeanie." "It's a good thing you're both having the same thing," she quipped as she headed for the kitchen. I just grinned some more—Jeanie understood. "Is it always like this? I never had any idea the work that goes into a show, and now we've only got three more rehearsals left and nothing's right yet!" Beth was really getting into the show. She'd been working with Julie and spending time helping the crew get the set done. "Yeah, it's usually like this. Wait 'til the musical next spring, that's this times ten." "And you call this fun?" "Sure," I replied. "Can you sit there and tell me you're not having fun?" "Me? I'm having a blast! But will everything really be done by Thursday night?" "They better be! Mr. Franks hasn't let a show bomb yet." Eventually the pizza came and we sat and ate and talked for a long time. Jeanie came back several times to make sure our Cokes were full and always made sure to make some noise before she came around the corner. There are advantages to being a regular, I guess. ------- Monday was the first full tech rehearsal—lights, sets, costumes, the whole show. As I walked into the theater I saw a guy standing in the back with a pro video camera and tripod, both with the logo of the local religious broadcasting station. "Can I help you? The show doesn't open until Thursday and we normally don't let anybody watch rehearsals." "Oh, hi, I'm Ron Cooper, Julie's brother and I was hoping it would be okay to tape the rehearsal so our folks can see it." We usually got a request like this for every show, although usually for a performance night, not a rehearsal. "I suppose it would be okay, but you'd have to setup back here. Mr. Franks doesn't like people moving around, it distracts the cast." "Back here's no problem," Ron said as he took the camera and mounted it on the tripod. Since he seemed to know what he was doing, I left him to it. I went backstage where Mr. Franks was giving the cast a last-minute pep talk. "Alright people, we're going to do three full runs today—no stopping, if you drop a line I'm not going to prompt you, you'll have to cover on your own. I'll be saving my notes until after we're done with each run." I should have told him about Julie's brother, but it slipped my mind. ------- Tuesday afternoon we all got to the theater only to have Mr. Franks drop a bomb on the whole group. "I don't know how to break this to you gently, but we've got a problem: Julie Cooper's parents went to the superintendant yesterday and demanded we cancel the show. It seems they saw a tape of one of our rehearsals and they're objecting to doing a play that includes witches or anything supernatural or un-Christian. "Mrs. Gardner, the superintendant, refused to cancel, and Julie's parents pulled her from the show. At this point, I only see two choices—cancel the run or have someone go on with a script and read Julie's lines." Time to throw myself on my sword. I stood up, "Mr. Franks, I think I know what happened. I let Julie's brother tape yesterday's rehearsal. I should have mentioned it to you. I'm sorry." "That's okay, Tommy. Nothing we can do about that now, but we're going to have to re-think our recording rules. Now, however, would anyone be willing to stand in for Julie?" I glanced at Beth and saw her shaking her head. She knew what I was thinking—since she'd helped Julie learn her lines, she'd be the obvious choice. "Tommy, I couldn't go on stage in front of all those people! I just can't do it!" She was looking like she was going to start sobbing and was shaking like a leaf in a force five gale. I pulled her into a hug, "Beth, can you at least fill in for today's rehearsal? There won't be anyone watching and it'd really help the rest of the cast. Please?" "Oh, God, how do I let you talk me into these things?" As the rehearsal started, I could see Beth's nervousness as she stammered over an occasional line, but as we progressed the nerves seemed to disappear as she got into the character of the hill girl, Barbra Allen. And never once did she refer to the script—she had the part down cold. ------- Wednesday before the rehearsal I sauntered up to Mr. Franks, "Um, what do you think of having Beth try on Julie's costume?" "Mr. Randahl, are you trying to pull something here?" He said with a little grin. "No, honest. I just noticed that Beth went through all three runs yesterday without referring to the script and I thought that if she was in costume and could really FEEL like Barbra Allen ... well ... maybe..." Mr. Franks gave me a piercing look. "Maybe she'd be willing to stand in for the performances? Isn't that kind of a nasty thing to do to your shy girlfriend?" I blushed a bit, "Well, yeah, maybe. But I don't think she's as shy as she used to be and maybe doing the part for real would help her loosen up and realize how much she's missing." He looked at me, "I never thought of you as a devious person ... before this. But let's see if she'll try it." The second run was amazing. As soon as Beth got into the costume she WAS the character—not a line dropped, all her movements and mannerisms spot on, it was almost spooky to see her become Barbra Allen. I mean, I'd been involved with the theater since my freshman year but her transformation gave me goose bumps. "Oh, God, that was exciting!" Beth ran up to me as soon as I got backstage after the third and final run-through. "I FELT just like her! I-I can't explain it, I BECAME Barbra Allen. I knew how she thought. I knew why she did the things she did. It was amazing!" Tony, the senior who was playing John, the other lead, came up, "Beth that was great! You had me convinced. Um," —here it comes, I thought to myself— "So do you think you could do it tomorrow night, too?" I crossed my fingers. "You mean for real? In front of an audience?" I could see the old Beth trying to incite a panic attack. "You know ... I think I could ... Should I do it, Tommy?" "The new Beth can do anything. Remember the girl in the mirror? She wouldn't think twice. Go for it!" I gave her a big hug and a kiss. She went back to talk to Mr. Franks. Afterwards he shot me a big smile and a wink. Beth was in the show! ------- After rehearsal we were walking out to my car when Cindy ran up, "Beth are you really going to do it? Are you really going to get up in front of all those people?" Beth got a look as if she just realized what she'd gotten herself into, "Yeah, Cindy, it looks like I am." "Girl, you're braver than I am." At that moment I could have killed Cindy, and I'll bet any jury would acquit me. ------- By the time we got to her house, Beth was having second thoughts. As we walked up the stairs to her room she hugged me, "Tommy, I'm scared." I wrapped my arms around her and could feel her shaking. My princess was building herself up to a major attack of nerves. "Beth, just forget about it for a while. Look do you trust me?" I could see her thinking back to the first time I'd asked that. "Are you going to ask me for my camera again?" "No, but I wouldn't mind seeing you in that bikini—all stretched out on your bed. Do you have any idea what that suit did to me?" She giggled, "Yeah, I remember." She rubbed her pelvis against mine, "And it seems thinking about it's affecting you the same way now." I reached down, grabbed the bottom of her T-shirt and pulled it over her head and I heard her breath catch as I un-hooked her bra and slid it off her shoulders. "Why, sir, are you going to take advantage of me?" "Nope, I'm just going to take all your clothes off and make you forget your troubles." Beth started unbuttoning my shirt as I unzipped her jeans and slid them, and her panties off. "God you're beautiful," I whispered. She had my jeans and underwear off and looked at me. "I'm glad you think so," she said as she fell backward on the bed. I started rubbing her feet and worked my way up between her legs, kissing as I went. When I got to her pussy I spread her lips and gently blew on her clit then leaned down and started licking. It didn't take too long before I was rewarded with a scream and a taste of her special nectar. I slid the rest of the way up her body and kissed her as she reached down to guide me home. "Make me feel good, Tommy," she purred as we started moving together. ------- We were both drifting in that after-great-sex haze when there was a tap on the door, followed by Beth's mother popping in. "Oh, great, you're both here. I think it's time we talked." Ever heard the expression of someone's heart stopping? Until that moment I'd never felt anything that could only be described that way—here we were, nude, in bed, covered in sweat and a tangled sheet, with our clothes strewn around the room, and my girlfriend's mother wanted a "talk." Gulp. "Mother! What are you doing here? You were supposed to work late!" "I got done early, your father's going to stay at the shop until about nine. But I'm glad I caught the two of you ... No, let me re-phrase that—not "caught" but found. No that's not right either..." She seemed almost as nervous as we were. "Well, anyway, first, relax, I'm not mad, or even surprised. Beth, you know I've known the two of you have been having sex since we got back from the wedding. You kids think you invented sex! I know your father and I felt that same way when we were your age and spent every Friday and Saturday night humping like bunnies." "MOM!" Beth almost jumped out of bed. "You sound surprised. Kind of like I did when your grandmother told me the same thing." "Grandma Joan?" Beth's eyes were bugging out of her head. "Yup. Remember, she and Grandpa Hank grew up in the Sixties. Free Love, the Sexual Revolution and all that? Ring any bells from American History?" "Well, yeah, but..." "Suffice it to say you kids aren't doing anything the generations before you haven't done. I'm just happy that you're doing it here, not in the backseat of Tommy's car parked out on some lonely road. "Speaking of other places, have you tried the farm yet?" I looked at Beth. Did everyone know about our "secret" place? "Ah, yeah, b-but just once, before it got too cold." Beth's face was incandescent. "Yeah, freezing your ass off, not to mention other body parts, isn't exactly fun." Beth's mom had a faraway I remember those days look. "Um, does everybody know about the farm?" Why was my mouth moving? Shut up, Tommy. Beth's handling this just fine. Beth looked back at me, "Um, I guess I forgot to mention, we own that property." "Oh, 'forgot to mention' huh? No wonder you weren't worried about the owners." "Beth? You didn't tell Tommy that property's been in our family for four generations?" Beth's mom chuckled, "Tommy, MY great-grandparents homesteaded that land." Beth glanced back at me and I saw her blush deepen, "N-no I didn't. I thought it would be more exciting if you thought we were trespassing." I squeezed her shoulder, "Well, to tell you the truth, it was. But I kept expecting Farmer Fred to poke me in the butt with his shotgun." "Well, anyway, kids, I just wanted to make sure you were okay and ease your minds about sneaking around. Now, that doesn't mean we want to come home and find you leaving wet spots on the couch." Beth's mom grinned as she walked out and closed the door. We looked at each other. "If anyone looks in the dictionary under "surreal" they'll see a picture of what just happened," I said. ------- ... The overture is about to start, You cross your fingers and hold your heart, It's curtain time and away we go! Another op'nin' of another show. "Oh, Tommy! I don't think I can do this!" Beth wailed as we walked back stage before the first performance. "I-I'm scared I'm going to go out there and make a fool of myself; forget my lines, trip over everything. Just RUIN it for everybody! I can't go out in front of a whole auditorium full of people!" I could see she was working herself into a major panic attack. "Beth! Look at me! You know this show. You've got your lines and blocking down cold. Just treat it like another rehearsal. Don't worry about the audience—you won't be able to even see them with the stage all lit up and the house lights off. The only people that will be out there will be Greg and me, and I'm the Lighting God—my job is to make you look good, and believe me, I'm going to do just that!" "Ohhh, I hope you're right." "Look, just get into your costume and spend some time with the rest of the cast. Everything will be just fine" I was stretching the truth just a bit with all my reassurances. Even with the stage lights on, the house totally black and absolutely quiet, when you're on stage there's a feeling you get from an audience. Call it ESP if you want to, but it's there and it's real, and I just hoped Beth was going to be so into her character that she didn't notice it. I KNEW, down in my bones, that she was going to grab that audience and not let go until after the curtain call. ------- Folks, we were a smash! From the first light cue—when Greg and I slowly brought up a combination of blue and purple lights to dimly light the stage—to the end, when John, the witch boy, looked down at Barbra Allen's body, raised his face to the moon, and let out a howl of torment—we had the packed house totally in our power. So much so that it was a full thirty seconds before anyone in the crowd started applauding. But once they started... ------- By the time I got back stage, Beth and the rest of the cast was surrounded by what seemed like the whole audience, everyone telling them what a great job they'd done. A few people even were congratulating the backstage crew. I even got some attention from people who didn't have the foggiest idea what I had to do with the show. Beth's parents were hugging her and I think I even detected tears of pride in her mother's eyes. Beth broke free when she saw me, "Oh ... My ... God! I can't believe it! I did it! I went out there and did it!" She was just a little pumped. "And it's all your doing!" She launched herself at me and tried to swallow my face. "Tommy, Tommy, I've never felt anything like that before! As soon as the lights came up on stage all my butterflies disappeared and I WAS Barbra Allen. Tony had to shake me to get me off stage before the curtain call! I was dead on that rock and that was my total world! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" At that moment I was jealous of my beautiful girlfriend. She was experiencing something I'd never felt in the times I've been in a show—That absolute euphoria of knowing that you have the whole audience in the palm of your hand. That what you're doing is, for a short time at least, the most important thing in their lives. Cindy came running up, "Beth! That was amazing! It didn't even seem like you up there!" "I know! I can't believe I did it!" Beth and Cindy were walking across the stage to say hello to some other friends when I saw Greg's eyes following Cindy. After things quieted down and everybody was getting ready to head to the cast party I was talking to Tony, "Where'd the howl come from?" In rehearsal the play ended with his character looking down at Barbra's body. "I don't know, man. It just came out. I didn't plan it, it just seemed to fit," Tony sounded like he was just as surprised as the rest of us. Mr. Franks chose that moment to walk up, "Mr. Thomas," Tony looked up, "your addition of the howl at the moon was inspired theater. However, in the future please let me know about it before opening night!" Everyone got a laugh out of that, because Tony's howl had raised goose bumps on everybody, cast and crew included—inspired theater, indeed. Beth walked up behind me, "YOU RAT! YOU LIED TO ME! I COULD SEE THE AUDIENCE THE WHOLE TIME I WAS ON STAGE!" Before I could stammer out an excuse she put her arms around me and whispered, "Take me to the farm, NOW! I'm so excited I can't stand it!" "Um, Beth, it's kind of chilly out, isn't it?" "I don't care! We'll stay in the car! But I need you NOW!" "Uh, Tony, we'll see you at the party later," I said as Beth dragged me out the door. He just laughed, "Have fun!" I think we made it out of town in record time. By the time I got the gate closed behind us Beth was already in the back seat tearing her clothes off, "Get your ass back here before I EXPLODE!" I climbed in the back, she grabbed my belt and approximately three-point-six microseconds later had my pants down and she was pulling me into her. With all the excitement it couldn't last long—within seconds she arched her back, dug her fingernails into my butt and screamed out her orgasm. I kept pumping and almost immediately followed her. As we lay in the back seat trying to get our breath back, Beth looked at me, "Think we can still make the party?" I just laughed, "I thought this WAS the party!" ------- We did make it to the real cast party and walked in to everyone's applause. We both blushed to the roots of our hair until we realized the applause was for Beth's performance on stage, not in the back seat. She just drank it all in, her feet floating a foot off the ground. ------- The rest of the run was just as successful. Mr. Franks said it was one of the best one-acts he'd ever directed and totally embarrassed Beth with his praise. ------- Chapter 12: Halloween "Hey, Tommy, can I ask you something?" I was standing at my locker one afternoon when Greg came up. "As long as it's not for money, sure." "Do you know if Cindy is going with anyone?" "Cindy Kowalski? Beth's friend? I don't know. She was going with a senior from West High for a while but I think they broke up." "Umm, could you ask Beth?" I'd never seen Greg so nervous. "Sure. You want to tell me what's going on?" Um, I was just thinking that, well, I mean..." "You want to ask her out, don't you?" "Well, yeah," Greg looked uncomfortable. "I'll talk to Beth," I said just as the bell rang for our next class. ------- Beth and I were walking out to my car after school, "Do you know if Cindy is going with anyone?" "Why, are you planning to replace me, or are you starting a harem?" Beth chuckled. I marveled at the change in my princess since the beginning of our relationship. No more shy girl worried about losing her guy. "Not hardly," I told her about my conversation with Greg. "So Greg wants to go out with Cindy, hmmm. You want to hear something funny? Cindy was just asking me about him! So what are we going to do?" I thought about it for a second, "Why don't you invite Cindy to come with us for coffee Friday night. Greg will be there and we'll see what happens." "Hmm, devious and sneaky. I like it!" I just realized Beth's chuckle could have a real edge when she wanted it to. ------- Friday night Beth, Cindy, and I walked into our hangout. "Hey, this is a great place! How come you've never brought me here before?" Cindy asked Beth. While Beth was tap dancing around Cindy's question, I led the three of us to the back room. When Cindy saw Greg sitting there she spun on Beth, "You set me up, didn't you!" Beth pasted an innocent "who, me?" look on her face and prodded Cindy into the room where Greg was accusing me of the same thing, "Why did you bring her here?" he hissed. "All I wanted was to know if she was available!" I don't do innocent as well as my devious darling. Since Greg was sitting at a booth, Beth and I grabbed the seats on the opposite side of the table which forced Cindy to sit next to him. "Er, hi, Cindy," mumbled Greg, followed by, "Hi, Greg," from Cindy. Beth and I resigned ourselves to carrying the conversation for the rest of the evening but were pleasantly surprised when, after a few minutes of hemming and hawing, the pair was chatting like old friends. Looks like our first attempt at matchmaking was working. Two hours later, I was convinced. As we got ready to go Cindy turned to me, "Umm, Tommy, is it alright with you if Greg drives me home?" I looked at her standing next to Greg—he's about six-one and she's maybe five-three—still, they looked like a cute couple. "Sure, no problem!" I hoped they had the same luck Beth and I had with our first ride home! Beth grinned, "Sounds okay with me, too. Hey! There's even a Sherlock Holmes movie on TV you can watch!" I saw Cindy turn the most curious shade of red. Obviously my princess had been spilling secrets. We got back to Beth's just in time to catch the same movie. Oh, and we made sure we cleaned up the wet spots on the couch before I left. ------- As October came to an end, everyone's thoughts turned to Halloween, or more precisely, Halloween parties. Our little group of theater folks had gained a certain amount of status with the success of DOTM and our plans for the usual little party suddenly ballooned into a production with a life of its own. Beth spent at least a week dithering over her costume and then she wouldn't tell me what it was. Me? I didn't have the foggiest idea, except Beth mentioned it should be something that wasn't too difficult to remove. Hmmm... ------- The night of the party I pulled into Beth's driveway fully decked out in my Fred Flintstone-like caveman costume. She'd said "easy to remove" and what's quicker than something that's basically a poncho? I rang the doorbell and Beth's mom answered the door—Nikon in hand. I should have known. Beth came down the stairs looking like a cast member from Cats, fuzzy little ears and all. I swear she was slinking along just like a real cat. I was real glad my costume was nice and loose. She could give a corpse one last rock-hard erection. There's something about a beautiful girl made up as a cat that just does something to a guy. She looked something like our neighbor's tabby—stripes in various shades of brown and gold covered her face, legs, arms, and the leotard she was wearing—and she looked sexy as hell. "Oh, I like the look, Fred," she purred. I just stood there. Even my tongue was getting hard. "Let me get a picture of the two of you before you go," Beth's mom said as she waved the camera around. Beth came over and wrapped herself around me and I swear she WAS a big, sexy cat. Me? I just stood there with a glassy look in my eyes and a raging erection covered by Fred's furry outfit. This was going to be a long night. We got to the party just as things really started to roll. Most of the kids had raided either their parents old trunks or the school's costume storage room. Cindy and Greg came over, Greg looking like one of the Three Musketeers and Cindy was dressed like a ... I don't know ... punk version of Little Bo Peep? Weird. "Great costume, Beth! Does the makeup rub off easily?" "Um, why, Cindy?" Beth looked like she was waiting for a zinger. "Well, I figured you and the caveman here would want to, uhh..." I stepped up right next to Cindy and grunted, "Ug, Fred not worry about paint. Fred want canvas!" Cindy turned bright red and mumbled something about getting something to drink. Greg just laughed and followed her. "Ug?" Beth looked at me after the other two wandered off. "Well, it sounded good at the time. What about your makeup? Your face paint won't stand up to a lot of, er, activity, but you told me to wear something that comes off easily. I'm confused. Just what, if anything, do you have planned for later?" "Oh, a shower for a start," Beth's grin threatened to bisect her face. "And just where was this shower going to take place?" "My house. My empty house. My folks are headed to an all-night party" Oh, ho. Things were starting to look up! ------- The party was pretty much one of our usual theater geek affairs—a lot of cast recordings with people singing along or acting out the parts they knew, just in costume this time, usually not the right costume, but that just added to the fun. Nothing, I'm sure, like the drunken brawl with nude cheerleaders that we figured the jocks were enjoying. The highlight of the night was when Beth sang Wouldn't It Be Loverly while she prowled around the room. I could just see this alley cat wishing for a warm room with an enormous chair. Afterward several people were asking me about her singing—and I had to admit that I didn't even KNOW she could sing! With all the talking we'd done Beth had never mentioned that she could. Me? I couldn't carry a tune if it had handles and wheels. We got back to Beth's house about one. My folks were used to me staying out all night with anything involving the theater so I was covered, parent-wise. Beth opened the door and turned to look at me, her eyes lit up with excitement, "Do you have to go home right away? I was just going to watch the Sherlock Holmes movie on channel four." Of all the things she could have said, that was the one that would have kept me there even if my folks had threatened to disown me for breaking curfew. This time we didn't make it to her room before the clothes went flying—my Flintstone fur ended up on the newel post at the bottom of the stairs, Beth's leotard a couple of steps up, and the first wet spot on the landing, halfway to the top of the stairs. When we finally made it to the shower, Beth glanced in the mirror and broke up. I looked over and saw two naked bodies, smeared in brown and gold makeup, and joined her glorious laughter. Later as we relaxed after a second, less hurried, but no less passionate session—in her bed, this time, much more comfortable—I turned to look into those deep blue pools that first attracted me, "You, my princess, are amazing," I said as I bent down and kissed the tip of her nose. "Of all the things you could have done or said to invite me in, you picked the one thing that guaranteed that I wasn't going anywhere." "I just know my man and what a secret romantic he is," she purred, still acting the cat. "Romantic? Me?" "Sure. Think back over the time we've been together. The little things you've done for me, without even thinking about it. The look I see in your eyes sometimes. You're a romantic all right." I wasn't about to argue with her, I just thought that was the way a guy was supposed to act around the girl he was totally, absolutely, no way back, insane for. If she wanted to call that romantic, I wasn't going to disagree. I was just going to hold on tight. ------- Chapter 13: Thanksgiving Beth had been upset for about a week but refused to talk about it and it was frustrating the hell out of me. What had I done to cause this? was my first thought, but I couldn't think of anything that I'd messed up THAT bad. I finally found out when I saw Cindy between classes one afternoon. "Tommy, it's nothing you did. Beth's parents are going to be out of town—something for their company and they can't reschedule it, but it means she'll be alone for Thanksgiving." "Why didn't she tell me?" I mean, I thought we could talk about anything. Cindy hesitated, "Tommy, even though Beth seems like a totally different person from the shy bookworm you first met, she's still getting used to all the changes in her life and I guess she just doesn't want to push you." When I got home that afternoon Mom was already home, "Hi, Tommy, how'd school go today?" "It was okay, I guess. Mom, can I ask a favor? Can we have Beth over here for Thanksgiving? Her folks have to be out of town and it doesn't seem fair that she has to be alone." Mom thought for a second, "I think that's a great idea. Why don't I talk to her mother and get all the details straight." "That'd be great. Thanks, Mom!" ------- The next morning Beth ran out of the house before I could even pull into the driveway, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She was crying as she covered my face with kisses. "But how did you know?" "A little bird told me. So can you make it for Thanksgiving?" "Yes! But I didn't say anything about being alone, how'd you know?" "Ve haf our vays," I said, doing a bad Erich von Stroheim impression. "You can be so frustrating!" she humphed. "I know, it's just part of what makes me so irresistible." "I don't think I'm going to speak to you anymore!" "Just so you help us finish the huge turkey Mom's going to fix." Beth just pouted ... and snuggled up to me as I drove us to school. ------- I got to Beth's Thanksgiving morning and I thought I'd have to get her a tranquilizer—or maybe a BIG drink. "Tommy, I've never been to your house for a meal before! What should I wear?" "Well, how about the underwear you got at Vickie's Secret." "Tommy! Be serious!" "Beth, Beth, take it easy! We don't dress up for holidays! Look at me, I'm dressed like I do for school. Nothing special." She finally calmed down and ended up wearing a white blouse with a pair of embroidered jeans. ------- The first thing Beth did when we got to the house was to ask my mom how she could help, which led to the two of them heading into the kitchen, Beth carrying a big bag she'd brought along. I hoped they were just getting dinner ready, but when I headed in there to get Cokes for The Pest and I, I found the two of them, thick as thieves, whispering over the sink. Now, I'm glad that my girl and my mom were getting along, but the way they stopped taking as soon as they saw me walk around the corner couldn't mean anything good. ------- Dinner was great—the turkey was perfect and the mashed potatoes and all the side dishes added up to a great meal. Beth totally charmed Dad, and even The Pest behaved himself. We sat around after dinner and just let the meal settle, then played a couple of inane board games where Beth even had my little brother under her spell. Later the pies came out, including a pumpkin that was outstanding—and gave me a chance to stick my big, smelly foot halfway down my throat, "Mom this your best pie yet! Did you try a new recipe?" "Er, no, Tommy, Beth made it." I looked over at Beth. She looks really good in red. I don't. Later we sat around and watched Holiday Inn on the tube. As the closing credits were rolling, Dad stood up and stretched. He looked down at The Pest, "C'mon, it's time to hit the sack." "Aw, Dad, do I have to?" And so began the evening bout between The Pest and the inevitable. After Dad and my brother went upstairs, Mom turned to us, "Beth it's late and it doesn't seem fair for you to have to go back to that big empty house alone. Why don't you stay here tonight?" Immediately my evil mind started trying to figure out how long it would take for everyone to fall asleep so I could get down the hall to the guest room. I was so busy scheming I almost missed... "You can sleep in the guest room if you'd like, but I'm sure Tommy's bed would be cozier." Beth and I had the same stunned look. What did she just say? Mom chuckled and continued, "Look kids, we all know you've been together since early this fall and we can live with it. We know you're seeing only each other and are both mature enough to handle this, but if you've got any questions or anything..." Then she got up and headed upstairs, "Sleep tight, kids! Oh, and try to keep the noise down!" What was wrong with this picture? I mean my mother tells my girlfriend she should sleep with me and then offers to have The Talk with us? In what alternate universe does THAT make any sense? Beth and I looked at each other and she started giggling, "Tommy, what's going on around here? All four of our parents are okay with us sleeping together?" "Don't ask me! All I know is, if I heard Mom right, she told us to go sleep in my bed, and that's all I'm thinking of right now." Beth looked at me with that hungry lioness look of hers, "Right now sounds good to me!" As she stood up and headed for the stairs, "Are you coming?" Damn near. I followed Beth up the stairs, "I think there's a spare toothbrush in the bathroom cabinet, but I'll be damned if I'm going to offer you a pair of pajamas." She just giggled and closed the door behind her. ------- I was sitting on the edge of the bed when Beth came in. "Are we going to have to be quiet tonight?" she asked. "Well, my folk's bedroom is at the other end of the hall, but The Pest's is right across the hall and I wouldn't put it past him to come charging in if any noise woke him up. Oh, and that door doesn't lock." "Well, I'm sure we'll figure something out," Beth grinned as she stripped down to the white lace bra and panties I remembered from our first Saturday together. If I'd had any doubts about the smarts of doing anything tonight they were gone in the instant it took me to get hard. "I see you took my fashion advice this morning." Beth just turned around, bent over and shook her delectable butt at me. I grabbed her, tossed her face-down on my bed, climbed between her legs and started a slow sensuous backrub. "Remember the first time I did this?" I whispered in her ear as I worked my way past her shoulders and down the perfect skin of her back, stopping to unhook her bra. "Ohhh, yeah. Don't stop this time or you're dead meat!" I moved so my woody brushed her inner thighs and rubbed over her panties. "I don't think dead meat will be a problem," I growled in her ear and got one of her purrs in response. I moved slowly down her back and I could feel her breath catch as I started sliding her lacy panties off, following the waistband with light kisses and licks over her cheeks and down her legs. Beth was starting to whine and move around under my hands as I stroked back up her thighs until I got to her hot, wet center. Beth rolled over and pulled me on top of her. "Now, dammit, NOW!" She said in a fierce whisper. I always do what I'm told. As I sank into her she raised her hips and grabbed my ass to pull me completely in to her heat. "Oh, God, yes!" she groaned as she started to jerk her hips around. I started taking long slow strokes as she writhed under me until she stuffed the end of a pillow in her mouth to stifle her scream. I continued stroking in and out of her, feeling my own peak nearing. My quick pounding as I came set Beth off again and we both groaned our releases. "I can't believe the way that felt!" she panted. "You do realize that wasn't a big marshmallow you were chewing on, don't you?" I kidded her. "It was either that or have your parents and your brother in here wondering if I'd seen a mouse," she grinned. "It's all your fault! If you didn't make me feel so good I just lose control I wouldn't have any problem keeping quiet!" A couple of minutes later she got up, "I'm leaking all over the place. I'll be right back." She quietly opened the door and headed for the bathroom. My parent's bedroom has its own bathroom, but The Pest and I share the main bath in the hall and I should have reminded her of the possibility of running into someone, but I was still in the middle of a post-coital daze, and warning her just didn't occur to me. Beth came back a couple of minutes later, her shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. "I can't believe what just happened! I saw the bathroom door was closed and quietly knocked. When nobody answered, I just open the door and caught your brother just finishing peeing. He was wearing his iPod and didn't hear me knock. You should have seen the look on his face! He looked like he couldn't decide whether to try to cover up or stare at me, so he did both! "The really funny part was when he realized he was still holding his peter, but he'd gotten hard! He rushed out of the bathroom, mumbling apologies even though I was the one who barged in on him!" I broke up. The thought of my little brother running down the hall holding on to his suddenly-acquired boner had me grabbing a pillow to stifle my laughter. Beth grinned at me, "You do realize that's not a marshmallow you're chewing on, don't you?" "I was just thinking about how loose you theater wenches are. I mean three months ago you wouldn't even consider wearing low-rider jeans and now you don't even blink about flashing my baby brother!" I chuckled. "I was so surprised seeing him in there I'd totally forgotten I wasn't wearing anything until I saw his reaction!" I reached up and turned off the light as Beth crawled in next to me. "Goodnight, my princess." "Goodnight, my angel," was her reply as she pulled my hand over her breast as we snuggled in for the night. As I was drifting off I thought again about how much Beth had changed. ------- Chapter 14: The Next Day We were greeting the morning the best way when The Pest pounded on my door and hollered that he needed a ride. "Yeah, yeah, you're just going to have to wait." "You better hurry up or I'm gonna tell Mom that your girlfriend was naked in your room last night!" We both broke up, chuckling at what an empty threat that was—even if my pesky brother didn't know it. ------- After we finished "waking up" and got dressed we walked downstairs where The Pest was waiting, "Would you hurry up? I'm gonna be late!" "Okay, Squirt, where to?" I asked. "I'm supposed to meet some friends at the mall." "Then let's go," I said as I headed for the door. About halfway to the mall, he piped up, "Tommy, I'm a teenager now and my name is Kevin, so quit calling me Squirt and Pest. I'm tired of it!" Beth looked at me, "He's got a point, you know." I looked in the rearview mirror, "Okay, Kevin, you're right—since your thirteenth birthday last week you're officially a teenager. So no more names. But ... if you want to be treated as something other than a kid, you're going to have to act that way. No stunts like your threat this morning. Deal?" He looked like he wanted to ask just what WAS going on in my bedroom, but he just nodded, "Okay, Tommy." "And I'll try to remember your name, but don't jump all over me if I forget." "Yeah," Beth added, "Jumping all over him is my job!" Kevin sat there for a second, turned beet red and mumbled something neither of us could hear. "What was that?" Beth asked. "I said it must be nice to have someone to jump all over," he said, still blushing. "It is ... very nice," I responded. "But that's not everything in a relationship. I know you're not going to believe me, but there's more to it than sex." "There is?" Beth deadpanned. "You're not helping here," I told her. Looking back at Kevin, I asked, "So do you have a girlfriend?" "Now you're just teasing me," he sulked. "No, I'm not. I'm just wondering if you've found someone or are still looking." "Well, there is one girl, Gail, in my Math class that seems to like me, but I've barely talked to her. I never know what to say!" Maybe it's genetic? Beth leaned over the seat, "Kevin, just talk to her. Ask her if she likes the class you're both in, or what she thought of lunch. That's guaranteed to get a conversation going. Just don't push. Girls don't like it if they think a guy is hitting on them right away." "Well, I suppose I could try that. Is that with Tommy did to you?" I was curious to hear the answer to that one myself. "No, He just asked if anyone needed a ride and I took him up on it." "Yeah, but what did you talk about?" "Well, we both found out we were going home to watch the same movie, so I asked him if he wanted to watch it with me and we spent most of the time talking about the movie." Most of the time, I liked that one. "Yeah, but it's easier for girls." I looked over at Beth, remembering how shy she'd been, and how uneasy Cindy and Greg had been that first night at the café. "Kevin," Beth responded. "It only looks easier to you guys. Believe me, girls are as nervous as you are. Just treat her like a friend, not like someone whose bones you want to jump. "Let her get used to being around you—get to really know you before you try to get romantic." I glanced in the mirror. Kevin looked like he was concentrating on what Beth had said. It was time to stick my oar in the water. "Kevin, one important thing—don't EVER brag about what you and a girl have done or are going to do or even want to do and NEVER make things up to impress your buddies. If you do and the word gets out, and it will, you'll lose her and you won't stand a chance with any girl who hears about it. Real men don't brag about stuff like that." Beth glanced over at me with that special look of hers, "You know, your brother took a beating from the captain of the football team rather than tell him anything about the two of us." That wasn't EXACTLY what happened, but I wasn't about to interrupt her. "You did? Do Mom and Dad know about it?" "No they don't. I wasn't hurt that much and I just want to forget the whole thing." "Kevin," Beth, with real serious look, "I think I really fell for Tommy when I realized that I could trust him. I mean REALLY trust him." My brother looked like he was really thinking about what Beth said. He was quiet for the rest of the trip. After he got out of the car, I looked over at Beth, "You kind of stretched the truth a little there, didn't you? "Well, maybe a bit. But it was for a good cause and you DID tell Jay it wasn't any of his business." I wasn't going to argue. ------- Chapter 15: Christmas Christmas! The season where everyone gets to act like a little kid again. It started snowing on the last Friday before Christmas—excuse me, Winter—vacation and by Saturday morning there was at least six inches of the white stuff on the ground. Dad was grumbling about having to drive on a bunch of un-plowed streets but I was up for a day in the snow. I had cleared the driveway and was waiting for Beth when Kevin walked into the kitchen, "Tommy, did you buy Beth a Christmas present?" "Yeah, I got her a necklace." "I'll bet that cost a lot of money," Kevin looked depressed as he plopped into a chair. "Well, that depends on what you consider a lot. What's up?" I figured it was time for a brother-to-brother talk. "Well, was thinking of buying someone a present, but I can't afford anything like that." Oh-ho, my little brother's getting serious! "You want to give me a little more info. Maybe I can come up with some ideas. Is it Gail from your Math class?" He looked surprised that I remembered the girl he'd talked about a month ago, "Um, yeah. Gail Hanson and she really likes me," he sounded almost stunned by the idea. "But I don't have much money saved up." "Kevin, if she really like you the size of the gift won't make any difference. Does she have any hobbies or anything that she's really interested in?" "She loves to read." "I tell you what, when Beth gets here we can stop at a bookstore I know. Maybe we can find something she'd like." Beth was driving the Jeep because of the snow and looking sexy as hell in a white parka with the fur-trimmed hood framing her face. Kevin and I got in, "Hey there, sweet lady, wanna take me for a ride?" She batted her eyes and replied in her little-girl voice, "My mother told me I shouldn't let a stranger in my car. How strange are you?" I heard Kevin's snort from the back seat, but he wisely made no comment. Beth leaned over the seat, "Hi, Kevin, what's up?" "Tommy said we could stop at a bookstore or something. I want to get something for a girl I like." "The one from your Math class?" Kevin blushed and gave her the same look I got from him, "Wow, you remembered her too?" "Hey, your first girlfriend is important, of course I remembered. What's her name again?" "Gail, Gail Hanson and she's pretty. Almost as pretty as you are." And suddenly I was the only one in the car with normal skin coloration. ------- I gave Beth directions to the bookstore—actually two stores, science fiction books in the front and mysteries in the back. Kevin told the clerk that he was looking for a Christmas gift for a girl. He looked at Kevin, "What kind of books does she like?" "Well, she was just talking about reading The Wizard of OZ and how much she liked it." "Does she have her own copy or did she get it from the library?" Kevin thought for a second, "It was a library book." "Then I think I've got something she might like," he walked over to a shelf and took down a book, handing it to Kevin, "How about a copy of the first OZ book? It's the centennial edition, with copies of the original illustrations. It's even annotated." Kevin was about to ask the price when I decided a bit of distraction was in order, "Why don't you look around and see if there's anything else Gail might like before you decide." Beth took my hint. She took Kevin and started wandering around the store as I motioned to the clerk, "Can you do me a favor? My brother doesn't have a lot of cash. Is it okay if I cover the difference?" The clerk just grinned, "Sure. Want me to ask him how much he's got and mention the 'sale' we're running?" "I'd appreciate it. Why don't I pay for it now and you can just give me back the difference after we figure out how much he's got?" "Sure. Here they come," he said as I passed the money over. With what Kevin had the "sale" was half-off. I was picking up a couple of books myself so the "change" I got back took care of our little subterfuge. "Boy, Gail's gonna love this! Beth, can you drop me at home so I can get it wrapped?" ------- After we dropped him off Beth looked over at me, "You're a pretty nice brother, you know that?" "What do you mean?" "There was no sale. You paid the difference, didn't you." "Was it that obvious?" I thought I'd gotten away with it. "Oh, Kevin didn't catch on, but I was watching you when you slipped the clerk the money." Little did we know. "Hey, it's a gift for his first girl and he really seemed to think she'd like it. Just trying to help young love." "Mr. Romance strikes again," was Beth's only comment. ------- We drove over to the Palace for lunch and then back to the house. "So what would you like to do on a nice afternoon like this?" I asked as we got out of the Jeep. Beth just took a couple of steps into the snow-covered yard and fell backward, "Snow angels!" I flopped down next to her and started flapping my arms along with her. After a couple of seconds, I rolled on top of her for a kiss. "What's this? Obscene snow angels?" she giggled. "Just remember the wet spots," I dead-panned. That earned me a handful of snow down my neck. Being a firm believer in equal rights, I was forced to retaliate. After a few minutes of fooling around in the snow Beth called a truce and we headed into the house. After getting our jackets off we realized how wet we were. "How about a nice hot shower while our clothes dry?" Ever practical, that's me. "Mmm, sounds good," said Beth as she headed for my room. After we got out of our soggy clothes, I put on my robe, took our stuff downstairs and started the dryer. I was passing the bathroom door when I heard, "Psst. Want a good time, sailor?" I slid into the bathroom to find her standing there, naked, "Taking a chance, weren't you. Kevin's just across the hall." "That's okay, he's seen it all before," she grinned. I was beginning to think my "shy" girlfriend was turning into an exhibitionist! After a nice hot shower we went back to my room and stretched out on the bed. "So what now?" I asked. "Will your desk chair fit under the doorknob, or do I have to chew on that awful-tasting giant marshmallow again?" The chair did work as a door stop, but we kept it quiet anyway. ------- After I retrieved our clothes from the dryer we headed down to the family room to catch a movie. Kevin was already down there talking quietly on the phone. "Um, let me call you back from the other phone," he whispered when he saw us. I was going to kid him about talking to his girlfriend but Beth's nudge reminded me I was trying to be a good brother, "That's okay, Kevin, we'll go in the living room." He threw my a grateful look as we retreated. Halfway through the movie he came in and plopped down on the floor with a sigh. "What's up," I asked. "I was trying to wrap Gail's present, but I just can't get it to look right." Beth stood up, "Let me see if I can help." "Would you? Thanks!" She had the book wrapped in about two minutes while Kevin just looked on, shaking his head at how easy Beth made it look, "Thanks, Beth, I guess I just don't get it." "Nah, it just takes practice, that's all. When are you going to give it to her?" "Well, I was wondering if ... uh ... maybe you could give me a ride over there." "Sure. You want to go now? Is Gail going to be there?" Beth said with a grin. "Yeah, she said she'd be home all afternoon." "Okay, let's go!" When we got to Gail's house Beth asked Kevin if he wanted us to wait in the Jeep. "No. Why don't you come with me." "If you're sure you want us to." We were walking up the sidewalk just as a cute blond opened the door, "Hi, Kevin! Is this your brother?" "Yeah, this is Tommy and his girlfriend, Beth." "Hi, c'mon in." Then she saw the present Kevin was carrying. "Did you buy me a present? But I didn't get anything for you!" Gail looked like she was ready to cry. "Gail, you don't have to buy me anything, this is just something for you. Merry Christmas." Gail took the present and started carefully unwrapping it. Kevin was almost hopping from foot to foot in anticipation. When she saw the book, she burst into tears, "Oh, Kevin! It's beautiful! Where'd you find it? It's perfect!" She dropped the wrapping and—clutching the book—threw her arms around my brother and started kissing him. Kevin's ears looked ready to self-combust. Beth looked at me. "See, I said you were a good brother," she whispered. I gave Beth a quick hug just as Gail remembered she and Kevin had an audience and quickly stepped back, giving us an embarrassed glance. "Don't worry about them," Kevin said. "They do the same thing all the time." ------- Later that night, I answered the door to find Gail standing there, "I didn't feel right not getting Kevin anything." She held out a nicely wrapped package. "Can you sneak this under the tree?" "Sure. You don't want him to know about it until Christmas, right?" Gail just blushed a little, nodded and ran back to the car. ------- Christmas Eve I was sitting in our living room with Beth and my family. I gave her the big box I'd wrapped her present in hoping to surprise her. She neatly took off the wrapping and opened the box only to find a smaller box amid wads of newspaper. She gave me one of her patented looks and opened the second box to find another box inside. "I hope this doesn't go on too long," she mumbled as she opened the box. Nestled inside was the necklace. "Oh, Tommy! It's beautiful! Thank you! And you even remembered my birthday!" It was her birthstone—a small amethyst, set in white gold—all I could afford. That earned me a hug and a kiss that had my ears ringing. "You better keep digging," I told her. She looked at me but I just gave her a little grin. She started pulling the rest of the newspaper out of the big box until—taped to the bottom—she found a DVD—The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes—the movie that started it all for us. Beth pulled the tape loose, looked at the DVD, then looked at me with tears in her eyes and mouthed, "Thank you." My present from Beth was a big illustrated book on how to draw and a full set of Faber-Castell colored pencils in a wooden storage box—it looked like it held every color in the rainbow. I'm still at the doodling stage, so the book was really going to help. "Thanks, Beth. And I even know who I'm going to draw once I get through the book!" "Who's that?" she said, batting her eyes. "You, of course." I replied as I pulled her in for a kiss. She nestled her head on my shoulder and whispered in my ear, "A figure study?" That left me with all sorts of non-Christmas-y thoughts. I'd clued Dad in on Gail's surprise, so after all the rest of the gifts had been opened, he turned and handed Kevin her gift, "And one, last, special one." Kevin got a "who me?" look as he took the present, "What's this? Who's it from?" "Why don't you look at the tag?" was Dad's response. "Gail! Where'd this come from?" I tried to keep from laughing at his expression, "Santa Claus must have dropped it off." That earned me a scowl. He tore the wrapping off and looked down at the video game he'd been talking about for months. "Wow! How'd she know I wanted this?" "Probably the same way you knew what she'd want—she listened to you and knows you well enough to know what you'd like," I responded. "Yeah, but I didn't expect anything. Why'd she get me a present?" Beth looked over at him, "Maybe because she likes you?" "Wow. I guess she does," he said in amazement. ------- After all the festivities, we headed back to Beth's house. "Tommy, how about going for a ride?" "Sure. Where to?" "How about out on 81?" she said with a smile. "Um, isn't it a little cold for a trip to the farm? Not that I'm against the idea, you understand." She gave me one of those "men!" looks, "I was just thinking of maybe taking a short walk, nothing horizontal!" "Oh, um, sure." Stuffed your foot in it again, didn't you, Tommy? When we got to the farm, I parked just outside the gate and we walked in far enough to leave the lights from the road behind us—thinking kind thoughts about the Sorel boot company as we waded through the drifts. We stood in the snow-covered field and looked up to see a beautiful half moon and a sky full of stars, "Merry Christmas, my princess." I whispered. "Merry Christmas, my knight in shining armor," Beth responded as she kissed me—The best present yet. We didn't stand there long—it was a bit too cold for just standing around in a field in the middle of winter. As we drove back into town, Beth snuggled next to me, "I can't believe how much my life has changed since I met you." She mused. "It has been quite a ride, hasn't it," I replied. "Any regrets?" "Not a one. I mean, if I hadn't accepted that ride I'd still be a virgin, dressing like a bag lady, too shy to even talk to anyone. But now look, I've got a great guy, lots of friends and I've even been on stage! What more could I ask for?" ------- Chapter 16: New Year's Eve We kept a low profile on New Year's Eve. Neither one of us felt like partying, so we just met Greg and Cindy at the Pizza Palace for dinner and then the four of us headed back to Beth's to watch the ball drop in Times Square. "Where are your folks?" Cindy asked as we walked in the house. "They're at some all-night party downtown. If it's anything like last year, they won't be back until tomorrow afternoon." "Oh?" was Cindy's reply. I could almost hear the gears turning as she considered the possibilities. Beth and I went upstairs to get munchies as Cindy and Greg settled on the couch. "How long do you think they'll want to stay?" I asked Beth as we rummaged around the kitchen. "Why? Do you have something planned?" Her eyes had that special twinkle in them. "Oh, nothing," I deadpanned. "I was just thinking about having to drive home with all the crazies on the road tonight." Always watching out for my friends, that's me. "Hmm, good point. Maybe we should just ask them to stay over." The expression on my face had Beth giggling all the way downstairs. We sat around, talked and watched a movie and then it was time for the celebration. We watched the ball drop in New York, sang Auld Lang Syne and spent some time guessing what the new year would be like. About one-thirty Greg stood up, "Well, I suppose it's time we headed out." He didn't sound real thrilled at the thought. "That doesn't make any sense," Beth responded, and with a glint in her eye, "Why don't you just stay here? There are two couches down here. Of course either couch is big enough for two." I glanced at Cindy just in time to catch a smug look flit across her face. I think Greg and I just got set up by our ladies. "Um, you don't mind?" Greg sounded just a bit too happy with the suggestion. "No problem. We'll see you in the morning. Or later in the morning, anyway!" said Beth as we headed for the stairs. "Oh, just remember to clean up any wet spots!" Cindy threw a pillow at us as we raced up the stairs. We heard Greg's booming laugh and a short squeal from Cindy as we closed the door. We both tumbled into Beth's bed fully clothed. I looked at her and marveled at the beauty I saw, not just her physical attractiveness, but her inner beauty—her spirit, her kindness, and most of all, her willingness to put up with my weird ways. I kissed her and slid my hand inside her sweater, realizing that sometime during the evening she'd removed her bra. "Surprise," she chuckled. "Is it time for some of that shared bodily warmth?" I said as I played with her nipple. "Mmm, I think so," she purred as she reached for my zipper. ------- We slept in until almost eleven, showered, and headed downstairs to scrounge breakfast. I noticed that the basement door was still closed, "You don't think they're still sacked out, do you?" Beth studied the door for a minute, "I don't know. Let's find out." She opened the door and we padded down the stairs in our stocking feet. The two of them were spooned under a blanket on the couch, with clothes scattered all over the room. Beth snickered and started collecting their things. Sometimes I forget just how sly my girl can be. We both made it upstairs with Cindy and Greg's clothes before we lost it, "What's gonna happen when they wake up?" I wondered. "I don't know," Beth chuckled, then checked her watch. "We better watch the time. Can you imagine if my folks walked in on them?" I didn't want to do that to my friends so I grabbed my Sorels and started thumping around the kitchen. It didn't take long before I heard Cindy, "Hey! What'd you do with my clothes? Beth!" Beth opened the door, "Cindy, what's wrong?" "You know damn well what's wrong! Now where'd you hide our stuff!" "Oh, that stuff—it's up here. C'mon and get it." "That's not funny! How am I supposed to do that with Tommy up there!" "Hmm, that is a problem, isn't it. Okay, we'll play nice," said Beth as she tossed downed Greg's shirt. "Oh, very funny!" A couple of minutes later a very red-faced Cindy came up the stairs wearing Greg's shirt. "Beth I don't know why I even talk to you!" she stormed as she picked up the rest of their clothes and stomped back downstairs, all the while trying to make sure Greg's shirt didn't reveal anything—not that that was much of a possibility. Greg was so much taller that his shirt fit Cindy like a dress. A few minutes later they came up with Cindy still hot and Greg just grinning. Cindy stomped over to Beth, "Bethany Jones! I've known you since first grade and you've never done anything like that before!" She spun around and pointed at me, "It must be HIS influence! Tommy, it's all your fault!" "My fault? I didn't do anything! Why is it my fault?" It's tough to act the injured party when you're ready to fall on the floor laughing. Cindy carried on for a few more minutes, but by the time we all sat down for breakfast, she was laughing as much as the rest of us. We got the kitchen cleaned up and then Greg and Cindy left. With Cindy promising payback for our little stunt. We just lazed around for the rest of the day. Beth's folks got back about two, looking like any sleep they'd gotten hadn't helped much, so we decided to go for a drive and let them have the house in peace. We got back about eight, both yawning non-stop. I was ready to head home and sleep for the rest of vacation. I walked Beth up to her door and gave her a goodnight kiss. "What do you think the new year has in store for us?" I asked. "I don't know. But it can't top this one!" She whispered as she kissed me goodnight. ------- Chapter 17: The New Year There's something about coming back to school that first day, especially after the Christmas/New Year break that's even tougher than most. Beth was as down as I was as she dragged herself out of the house, plopped down in the car. "Do we have to do this?" Not a good sign from someone who normally enjoys school, who thinks homework was just another challenging game. If my princess wasn't ready for today, what chance did I have? "Yeah, unfortunately, we do, but look at the bright side—the year is half over." "So you're saying the cup being half-full is better than completely full ... Nope, doesn't help," she sighed. "The only bright thing about it is Thursday is auditions for The Music Man." "And I suppose you're going to find some way to talk me into auditioning, right?" My girl doesn't do sarcastic well. "Nope," I replied. "I know better than that, although you WOULD make a good librarian." Beth just snorted at my reference to Marian, the show's female lead. By this time my trusty steed had gotten us to the school parking lot. So, with sinking hearts—and no other choice—we joined the parade of the dispirited toward durance vile. If I sound as if I hate school I'm being a little unfair—I don't really mind going to school—I've got some interesting classes and some great teachers, it's just getting back in the groove that's tough. ------- Beth and I were walking to our home rooms and had stopped in the hall for a quick kiss before going our separate ways for the morning. Even the dull institutional green walls in the hallway brightened up when I had my lady in my arms. "Mr. Randahl, is that appropriate?" Even without looking I recognized the semi-sneer Mr. Adams adopted when he thought he'd caught a student behaving in a way that wasn't within the confines of his definition of "proper school etiquette." "The kiss, absolutely. The location, I guess not," I responded as I turned to face him, unconsciously shielding Beth. "Don't get lippy, Mr. Randahl, maybe a trip to the office is in order for you." I glanced back and gave Beth a nudge to get her out of the line of fire. Enough that one of us was in for some officious grief. When we got to his office—institutional beige, this time, without even so much as a picture on the wall—Mr. Adams sat down in his desk chair and—without offering me a seat, of course— started in, "Mr. Randahl, you seem to be on your way to becoming a troublemaker around here. This is the second time you've been involved in a disturbance just this year." I opened my mouth to correct him. After all, the first mix-up, the one with Jay, hadn't been my fault—well, okay I incited it, but Adams didn't know that—and he hadn't said anything to me about the incident other than to ensure I was okay. And to call a simple kiss in the hallway a "disturbance" was pushing things. True, there was a rule against overt displays of affection, but the only time it was enforced was if the couple involved were damn near humping on the floor. I guess Beth and I were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Apparently Adams was as unhappy to be back here as the rest of us. I closed my mouth when I realized that anything I said wasn't going to help. "You DO realize," he continued, "that displays like that aren't appropriate in a school setting, don't you?" "Yes, sir. I..." "Don't interrupt me. Not only were you behaving in an inappropriate manner, but your comment displays a blatant lack of respect for authority." What was next? Accusations of espionage and terrorism? "Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" I guess it was my turn. "Mr. Adams, I meant no disrespect and I guess my comment WAS a bit out of line. I was just trying to separate the act from the venue. One seemed appropriate, the other apparently was not." "Are you turning into a schoolyard lawyer?" "No, sir. I was just trying to clarify my original comment." Why did I get the feeling I was digging a big hole for myself? "I think it's time to get your parents involved." He sounded as if the threat of parental involvement was supposed to scare me, but I knew my parents well enough to know I had nothing to fear. I hoped. "You may go back to class, I'll call for you when your parents arrive and I've had a chance to discuss the matter with them." ------- My mother was waiting in the office when I walked in just before lunch. "Did you really do what Mr. Adams is accusing you of?" She sounded like he'd been painting me as a hard-core delinquent. "Mom, I was standing in the hall and I gave Beth a quick kiss before homeroom and I guess I got a little smart when he asked if I thought it was appropriate." "What EXACTLY did you say?" I told her what I'd said, both in the hallway and later in Adams' office. She looked pissed, but I couldn't tell if it was at me or Adams, "Okay, I'll talk to him again and see if we can straighten this out. I'll see you at home after school." ------- I got to the lunchroom just in time and after I got my tray, headed over to our usual table. "What happened, Tommy?" Beth sounded worried. "Adams seems to be having a bad day and we were just on the spot marked X. "He called my mom and she wants to talk to me right after school. Can you catch a ride with Cindy or someone?" I asked her. "Sure. Are you going to catch it when you get home?" "I don't know. Mom wasn't happy, but I don't know if it was with me or Adams." "Do you want me to talk to him?" Beth offered. "No! Don't do that. Right now I'm the only one in his crosshairs. No sense in dragging you into it. It'll probably blow over by tomorrow anyway." "Well ... okay, but I still think I should talk to him." "No, please don't. That'll just get him sniffing around for something else to nail me with." I could tell Beth wasn't happy but was willing to go along. ------- When I got home, Mom was sitting at the dining room table waiting for me, "What really happened this morning? It sounded like you really lipped off to Mr. Adams." "Well, I guess I did, a little. Like I said before, when he asked if I thought kissing Beth in the hallway was appropriate, I said that the kiss was, but doing it in the hallway probably wasn't. Why? What did he say?" "He said that you were behaving in a totally inappropriate way, kissing and fondling a young woman in public and that you were insolent when he spoke to you." "Well, I guess from his perspective, I was. But it didn't seem like anything big enough to earn getting dragged down to his office. "Um, what's going to happen now?" It didn't sound like I was in a lot of trouble, but you never know. Mom looked at me, "I promised Mr. Adams that I'd see you got the "appropriate" punishment. So here it is: Don't get caught again, okay?" I could see a little glint in her eye. According to my Grandma Joan, Mom had been a bit of a rebel growing up and I think she was happy to see a bit of the same spirit in me. "Okay, punishment accepted. Can I go do my homework now?" She just grinned. That was pretty much the end of the Great Randahl Rebellion. I tried to stay out of Adams' way as much as I could after that, just to be on the safe side. ------- "THOMAS GEORGE RANDAHL!" Oh oh, all three names is never a good sign, even when they're spoken by my special lady. Or maybe ESPECIALLY when they come from her. "You set me up again, didn't you?!" Here we go again, Tommy's lost once more. "Beth what did I do this time?" "You talked to Mr. Franks, didn't you!? He caught me in the hall and asked me to audition today, and just like you did last fall, you talked to him didn't you?" "No, I didn't! Did he say I did? 'Cause I swear I didn't!" "Well he told me with my voice it would be a shame if I didn't audition. How did he know if you didn't tell him?" I had to think about that for a second, then it hit me, "Beth, remember the Halloween party? Where you sang a song from My Fair Lady? I'll bet the word got back to him from somebody else at the party." "But who?" she wanted to know. "Beth, it was a theater group party. It could have been anybody." "So you really didn't talk to him?" "Beth I swear I didn't. Did you ask him who suggested you?" "No, I didn't. I just assumed you did. I'm sorry, Tommy, I should have known better. Please forgive me for thinking it was you!" Beth seemed really upset. "My Princess, I couldn't be mad at you. And it was a good assumption. But this time I'm innocent." Beth gave me a little grin, "Not guilty maybe, but never INNOCENT!" "So. You gonna do it?" I was just a bit more than interested in the answer. "Oh, I KNEW you were going to ask me that! Part of me wants to and the other part is scared to death! What do you think?" "I think you should ask the girl in the mirror," I half-kidded her. "Oh, shit, that bitch always gets me in trouble!" I just chuckled, "Beth, auditioning doesn't mean you're going to get cast, you know. Why not go up there and give it a shot." "You going up there with me?" "As long as I don't have to sing!" She hit me! ------- So after school we were in the theater listening to everybody sing and read a few lines from the script. Beth was fidgeting until it was her turn. "Give me a kiss for luck," she said as she stood up. I always do as I'm told. Ever since the party I've known Beth could sing, but this time she blew even me away. She sang Wouldn't It Be Loverly again and when she finished the whole room was quiet until I heard Mr. Franks mutter, "I wonder if it's too late to change shows." Beth came back to where I was sitting, "Did I sound okay? I was so nervous!" "You sounded wonderful! Are you sure you don't want to be in the show?" "Tommy, I just don't know anymore! Life was so much simpler before I accepted that ride from you!" I just grinned at her, "Are you saying you wish you'd never met me?" "No, just that life seems to be a LOT more complicated since that first Friday night." I could live with that. It was going to be a long week until the cast list was posted next Wednesday. ------- I walked in the front door after school, kicked off my shoes, dropped my backpack on the living room couch, and was headed for the kitchen when I saw books open on the dining room table. It looked like Kevin beat me home and was hitting his homework early. But TWO sets of books? I was going to shout for him when I heard a noise from the family room. I walked over to the door and noticed a reflection in the window—Kevin and Gail were on the couch. He had her sweater and bra pushed up and was busy giving her a taste test. I quietly backed out of the room and walked back to the front door, opened it and slammed it shut, hollering, "I'm home! Anybody here?" I wish I could have seen the flurry of activity as the two thirteen-year-olds scrambled off the couch and adjusted their clothes. I walked slowly through the living room and got to the dining room just in time to see the pair of them sit down and try to look studious. "Oh, Hi, Kevin. Hi, Gail. Busy studying, I see." Two very red-faced kids looked back at me and started stammering about how busy they were as I walked through and continued up the stairs. Kevin came in about a half-hour later, "Um, Tommy, could we give Gail a ride home? I was gonna wait for Mom but she's gonna be late tonight and I thought you'd be late with auditions so Gail was going to call her folks but since you're here could you give her a ride so she doesn't have to call her folks?" I hid a grin, "Sure. When do you want to go?" "Can we go now?" "Okay, let me grab my keys," I said as I made a mental note to talk to him about not acting guilty—nothing more incriminating than half a dozen sentences run together. As we walked out to the car I noticed the two of them were making an effort to keep some distance between them—like a couple of strangers. Kevin opened the door for Gail and then moved to get in the front seat. "Don't you want to ride with your girlfriend?" I prodded. "Um, yeah," as he moved to the other door, got in, sitting as far away from Gail as he could get. "You two having a fight?" I tried to keep a concerned look on my face when what I wanted to do was chuckle at their sham disinterest in each other. "No, why?" "Well, don't you want to sit a little closer to your girlfriend?" I chided. They both blushed and moved closer to each other. "You know, the mirror in this car is really weird—I can't see anything in the back seat. I should probably get that checked," hint, hint! Kevin and Gail looked at each other and Kevin asked me, "Did you see anything when you came home, Tommy?" "Just the two of you studying. Why? Was something else going on?" I asked innocently. I got no answer, just two very red faces. When we got to Gail's house Kevin jumped out and ran around the car to open Gail's door and walk her up to the house. I grinned to myself. I guess he was taking a cue from the way I tried to treat Beth. My "little" brother was growing up. After Gail went in the house Kevin climbed in the front seat and looked at me, "You did see something this afternoon, didn't you?" I looked over at him, "Nothing worth talking to anybody about." I got a relieved look in return, "Thanks, Tommy." ------- I was sitting in my room that night trying to finish a book report—what can you say about The Old Man and the Sea that hasn't been said before?—when Kevin came in and closed the door behind him. "Um, Tommy, can I, um, ask you, um, a favor?" I'd never seen him so nervous before, "Sure, what's up?" "Well ... I was wondering if..." He was getting more red as he went on. "Um ... well dyouhaveanycondoms?" "Do I have any what?" Was my little brother really asking for rubbers? When did he get old enough to even know about them, let alone need any? I mean he's only ... oh, yeah, he's a teenager now, only four years younger than I am, and I remember when sex was ALL I thought about. Let's see, was that last week or the week before? "Um ... you know! Do you have any?" "Kevin, is this about Gail?" "Um ... yeah. I REALLY like her, and we were talking today and she said ... well she asked me if ... well she wanted to know if I wanted to do it and if I had any protection." "Have you thought this out. I mean with your big head, not the little one? Are you sure you're ready? And are you sure Gail is? I mean have you really talked this through, and are you both ready to take your relationship that far? Or are you both just horny?" He thought about that for a couple of minutes, "We've talked about it, a LOT. I mean, we've done some other stuff, but I don't want to do anything to hurt her." I know I should have told him not to do it, but I just couldn't be that much of a hypocrite, "Kevin, I'm sorry, but I don't have any. Beth and I don't have any reason to have them." I was careful not to tell him WHY we didn't need them. Since he'd seen Beth do her Lady Godiva bit at Thanksgiving, I didn't really think I was fooling him, but I wasn't going to come right out and admit anything. "Can't you get some from the school nurse?" Kevin sounded like he was getting desperate. "Remember what I told you about never telling anybody anything about what you and a girl are doing? Well, that means I can't do that. Not from school. If I did, what do you think everybody would assume about Beth and I? I won't do that." Kevin looked like he was thinking about what I said. Finally he asked, "Could you get some from a drugstore? I'd pay you for them. Um, do you know how much they cost?" "You know, I don't have any idea. Like I said, Beth and I don't need them. I tell you what, let me see what I can do. Can you both wait for a couple of days?" He turned red again, "Yeah. I guess waiting will just make it better, right?" ------- When I picked Beth up the next morning I told her about my conversation with Kevin. "Are you gong to get some for him?" She asked. "I told him I'd see what I could do. Why? Do you have an idea? To tell you the truth, I'm not sure I'm gutsy enough to just walk up to a clerk with a box of condoms in my hand. Every time I think about it I remember that old movie The Summer of '42 and I wonder if I'd have the guts that kid did. With my luck the clerk would turn out to be someone I know." "Welll..." Beth grinned, "You're not thinking. Remember, Cindy's dad's a pharmacist and she works in the store a couple of nights a week. We'll just ask her to pick some up for Kevin." I breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh, you're a lifesaver, you know that?" "Just one of my many talents," she grinned. ------- That Saturday afternoon I walked into Kevin's room and tossed the box on his bed. "Don't use them all at one time," I grinned. "Thanks, Tommy," he said as he stashed the box in his desk. "How much do I owe you?" "Don't worry about it. We'll just charge these off to Planned Parenthood," I kidded him as I walked out, feeling pretty good about being able to help out young love. Beth told me that when she asked Cindy to pick up a box, Cindy immediately started grilling her about why we needed condoms when she knew Beth was on the Pill. My devious lady strung her along for a while before telling Cindy who they were really for. "I'm not entirely sure she believed me," Beth chuckled. "I think SHE thinks three is a very interesting number." "Well, maybe we'll have to find out," I said, trying to keep a straight face "Don't hold your breath, Buster," she said as I got an elbow in my ribs. ------- The next Wednesday we were walking down the hall when Greg came up to us and started singing about Madam Librarian. Beth turned around and looked at him. "What's that all about, Greg?" "Oh, nothing, Madam Librarian," he replied with a big grin. It took a couple of seconds for Beth to realize what he was getting at, "What? Do you mean Mr. Franks wants me to play Marian? B-but I just auditioned for the fun of it! I didn't want to get cast!" "Looks like you're going to be in the big time, kid!" he chortled. Beth looked it me with that deer-in-the-headlights look, "Tommy, what am I going to do?!" "Ask the girl in the mirror?" I replied. "The girl in the mirror?" Greg asked. Beth turned bright red. "It's a private joke, Greg," I said. "Who else is in the cast?" I said, trying to distract him. "Tony Thomas is Harold Hill and Cindy got cast as Zaneeta, the mayor's daughter, and ... oh why don't you just walk over and check out the list yourself. You'll be surprised who's in the chorus." With that enigmatic comment and a chuckle, he walked off. I took the still shell-shocked Beth's hand and started for the theater building, trying to figure out what Greg was talking about. "Oh, shit, Tommy! I can't do this! I'm not good enough! I just auditioned for the fun of it! Do I have to do it?" I started watching her to make sure she didn't hyperventilate. "Beth, of course you don't have to. But Mr. Franks thinks you're good enough, don't you think you should trust his judgment? After all, look at how you blew everybody away in Moon! "You didn't hear his comment after you sang at auditions. You really impressed him." "I did?" "You did. When you finished I heard him mumble about wondering if it was too late to change the show to My Fair Lady. Just on your song." "He did?" Beth looked at me to make sure I wasn't kidding around. I looked straight into her eyes and nodded, "He did." "Yeah, but this is a real musical, not just a little one-act. I'd have to learn all my lines and the songs and everything. I don't think I can do it!" "How 'bout if I promise to help you learn your stuff? Would that make a difference?" "Well ... maybe..." I stopped walking and took her face in my hands, "Beth, do you trust me? Do you think I'd try to talk you into doing something that I thought you couldn't do?" "Well ... no ... but..." "Beth you can do this. Remember how it felt after that first performance of Moon. How you felt like you were flying. Think of what this will be like!" She sniffed a bit, "If you're sure, Tommy ... I-I guess I'll try." We walked into the theater building and stopped at the bulletin board with the cast posted—sure enough, right at the top was— Beth Jones ··········· Marion Paroo And further down the surprise Greg was having so much fun with— Steve Watkins ··········· Chorus "Steve Watkins? He's a football player! What's he doing trying out for a musical?" I'd never seen an athlete in any of our shows. Was this an indictor of the end of the world? Weird. Just then we saw Mr. Franks talking to Tony. As we walked up he said, "Oh, Beth, I hoped you would be over this afternoon! Do you have some time?" "Um, sure. But Mr. Franks, I'm don't know if I can do this!" "What's the problem, Beth?" "I've never sung in public before and I'm scared." "You've got every right to be nervous, this is something new for you, but you've got to have faith in yourself. Beth, your name wouldn't be on that list if I thought you couldn't do it. "Tell you what—let's try something. Since Tony's here, why don't the two of you try the duet from the end show. I want to hear how your voices blend." "O-okay, but I'm not sure I know any of the songs." Mr. Franks grinned, "We'll cheat and let you use the sheet music." Tony whispered something to Beth that had her blushing as they walked over to the rehearsal piano and started singing. Since Seventy-Six Trombones and Goodnight, My Someone are basically the same music—one in march time and the other a waltz—blending them together as a duet, with "Harold" and "Marian" trading lyrics worked well and I had to admit Beth and Tony sounded—and looked—good together. As they continued Beth's voice got stronger and she started to react more with Tony. "Beth, that was excellent!" Mr. Franks said when they finished. "You're going to have the audiences eating out of your hand." Beth walked over to me a big grin splitting her glowing face, "Did you hear us! Wasn't that great! Tony's going to be so great to work with!" "You sounded wonderful! And you were worried that you wouldn't be able to do it. Beth, you've got to have more faith in yourself," I said hugging her to me. Tony walked over to join us, "Beth you want to start working on our songs right away? That will give you more time to get your lines down." Beth looked at me, "Is that okay with you, Tommy? Tony can give me a ride home." "Um, sure, okay, I'll call you later." This would be only the second time we weren't together for the ride home. I called about eight and Beth wasn't home yet. I wondered where she was. Was Tony swiping my girl? ------- Friday morning Beth came bounding out of the house as I pulled up and was in the car before I could get out to open her door, "Oh, Tommy, I can't believe I'm going to do this! Have you ever been thrilled and scared shitless at the same time?" "Once only, a few months ago," I chuckled as I thought back to that fateful Friday night when Beth accepted my ride offer. "It's an interesting combination of feelings, isn't it?" "Mr. Franks had Tony and me go through all our songs in the show and I think I already knew half of them so this isn't going to be as bad as I thought." "I called you last night and you weren't home yet." "Oh, yeah. Tony and I went out for pizza after we ran through our music. I didn't get home until about nine-thirty and I figured that was too late to call." "No problem. When do you want to start going over your lines?" Beth looked nervous, "Um, well, I don't know. Tony offered to help me and I figured we could do that at the same time we did our music. Is that okay?" "Sure. I just want you to enjoy doing the show." "That's so nice of you, Tommy. I mean most guys wouldn't like to have their girl spend time with another guy." ------- Cherie Jenkins who was doing costumes walked up as we were waiting for rehearsals to start, "Beth can I see you for a couple of minutes? Or should I just ask Tommy for your measurements?" she chuckled. "Well, let's see, she's about six hands around her—" "TOMMY!" Beth elbowed me in the ribs, "Don't you dare!" "Oops," I grinned at Cherie, "looks like you're going to have to use your tape measure after all." Mr. Franks walked to the edge of the stage, "Okay, gang, let's get started." As Beth and the rest of the cast gathered on stage I walked over to Greg. "You ready to get to work?" "Yeah. Got to start sometime." "You sound kinda down. What's up?" "How do you and Beth do it?" he asked. "Do what? I thought you and Cindy had that figured out already," I leered at him. "Not that, asshole. I'm talking about finding time to be together. I mean, it seems like Cindy's spending all her time rehearsing. Other than driving to school and back, all we've got are weekends." "Hey, it's the same with us. You just adjust and think of the final cast party." That last party, where things tend to get a bit wild. "Well, I guess if you two can do it, so can we," Greg said as he walked back toward the light booth. I grabbed a seat in the house to write down some ideas for lighting the show when Steve Watkins, the other end on our football team, plopped down next to me, "How's it going, Tommy?" "Not bad. How about you?" "Man, I didn't realize how much work this was! I thought doing a show would be a snap." "Nothing as tough as football, huh?" I chuckled. "I gotta tell you the guys on the team were talking about what a bunch of wimps theater people were and how easy it would be for an athlete to do a show, so we took a vote. I lost and I've been bustin' my ass ever since." "You regret getting involved?" I was curious. "At first I was really pissed at having to do this, but now I'm lovin' it! You guys have been keeping a secret all this time, haven't you—this is where all the good-lookin' girls are! Of course you've got Beth, so you already know that." I just chuckled. ------- As we were driving home after rehearsal, I mentioned Steve's comment to Beth. "So he thinks you found me on stage? Wouldn't he be disappointed to learn the truth!" "Ah, but the truth is always stranger than fiction." I said. ------- That next Saturday was a beautiful winter day and Beth and I decided to visit the zoo. Walking along the quiet paths—with none of the summer crowds—gave us time to talk. "How are things shaping up with the show?" I asked as we watched the monkeys cavorting in their enclosure. "Pretty good. Tony's been a real help, especially with the songs. I never realized how changing the emphasis from one syllable to another can totally change the meaning, and I've got a good start on my lines, too," Beth said as she tossed a peanut to one of the smaller monkeys, who lost it when a larger monkey swung down, swiped the peanut, and immediately climbed to the top of a tree-like perch, leaving the smaller one chittering in rage. Isn't that the way life went sometimes? "You really like Tony, don't you?" I said. "Yeah, I do. He's been so helpful and he's always ready to spend extra time if I need help," Beth said, exuberantly. I must have had a strange look on my face, because she got real serious, "Tommy, you don't think there's anything going on between us, do you? 'Cause there's not. He's just helping me with the show." "Beth I trust you and I know he's been with the same girl as long as I've known him. I mean you have been spending a lot of time with him and I guess I was just used to having you all to myself, that's all. I'll just have to learn to share you, I guess. And I'm glad he's willing to help you out. He's been in most of our shows and knows a lot more about acting than I do." Beth looked relieved, "I'm so glad you understand. Most guys would be jealous. "How are you guys doing with the lighting?" Beth changed the subject as she tossed another peanut to the same small monkey, who grabbed it and immediately dashed for cover under an overhanging ledge, hoping that he'd be able to hang onto this one. "Oh, the basic design's done, but until the set crew's finished building we can't hang any of the lights," I responded. "That kind of leaves everything 'til the end for you doesn't it?" "Yeah, but Greg and I are used to it. It means some late nights, since we can't start working until you mobile set pieces finish rehearsing and get off the stage." "Mobile set pieces? Is that how you guys in the booth see actors? Why, if it wasn't for us you wouldn't have anything to do!" Beth was really working herself up until she saw the grin on my face. "Got me, didn't you?" She grinned back. I just chuckled as we continued down the path. "How's Cindy doing? After her comment before Dark of the Moon about you being braver than she was I was surprised she auditioned." Beth laughed, "She won't admit it, but I think she wants to spend more time with Greg and thought this was a good way to do it. Now she's figuring out that she's got a lot more to do than she thought. And she's seeing less of Greg, not more." I knew the feeling. By the time we finished our walk around the zoo we were both hungry, "What sounds good for eats?" I asked her. "I haven't had any Italian all week. How about the Palace?" "Sounds good to me!" I said as I pulled out of the lot. Jeanie was working and when we walked in she steered us back to what we were starting to consider "our" booth. "With or without onions tonight?" she asked. Beth looked up, "I'm going to have spaghetti, Jeanie, and a Coke." "Lasagna for me, and I think I'll have a Mountain Dew for a change." She just chuckled, "Hey, I'm too old for all these changes. I wish you kids would make up your minds," she said with a grin. "Hey, Jeanie, we just want to keep you on your toes." She brought out a basket of garlic bread and we tore into the warm spicy slices while we waited for the rest of our meal. "Do you really think of actors like mobile set pieces?" Beth asked. "Well, we kind of kid about it. But it's a problem if we've spent the time to set up a certain effect and then have the actor miss his mark and blow the whole thing, " I answered. "But does the audience know something didn't work?" "Usually not, but we do. It's kind of like when somebody drops a line. Can you work around it so the audience doesn't recognize the fluff? Usually, but the other cast members know and it can throw everybody off, not often with an experienced cast, but some inexperienced actors tend to listen only for their cue lines, and if they don't get them they don't know what's going on." Beth looked at me, "Oh, great, something else to worry about." "Hey don't worry about it. I've watched enough of your rehearsals to know that you're paying attention to what's going on in a scene and you're quick enough to be able to ad lib a line if you had to." "Thanks, that means a lot to hear you say that. Sometimes I feel like I'm lost out there." "You certainly don't look like it. You look like you're just having fun. Are you?" "Yeah, I am. I never thought I'd have the guts to go on stage in front of an audience. At least until my sneaky, underhanded boyfriend conned me into it." She was trying to sound mad, but I could see the twinkle in her eyes ------- We pulled into Beth's driveway and noticed the house was dark, "Your folks must have hit the hay early tonight." "That's strange, they usually stay up late on weekends. Will you come in with me, at least 'til I find out what's going on?" "Sure," I said as I got out of the car and walked around to open her door. We got in the house and found a note on the hall table saying that her folks had a last-minute invitation to a party, so not to wait up. Beth looked at me, "I hope not waiting up isn't the same as not getting up." I picked her up, tossed her over my shoulder and headed for her bedroom. When we got into her room, I slid my hands under her sweater and was rewarded with one of her deep purrs. I worked my hands behind her and unhooked her bra then slid my hands back to cup her breasts. "Oh, that feels good," she moaned as she wormed her tongue into my mouth at the same time she started unbuttoning my shirt. I moved my hands down to the snap on her jeans and popped it free then grabbed the tab on her zipper and slowly pulled it down. Beth's breath was coming in short gasps as her body began to respond to my actions. "Oh, God, Tommy, I need you NOW!" I slid her jeans and panties down her legs as she pulled her sweater off. As soon as I had her naked she fell back on the bed, taking me with her. Beth ended up lying half on the bed with me between her legs. I had started kissing her thighs when she grabbed my head and pulled my face to her. I started licking her and wormed my tongue into her. "Tommy, hurry up! I can't stand it!" she keened as her hips started bouncing on the bed. I moved up to tickle her clit with my tongue and worked a finger into her, reaching for her g-spot. When I found it, Beth went crazy, "Oh, God, oh, God! Tommmyyyy!" She screamed as her orgasm hit, her thighs snapping together, momentarily trapping my head between them. When she came back down and released my head, I looked up and grinned, "Did you say something?" She was still panting when I stood up, slipped my jeans off, and climbed up to kiss her. "Oh, Tommy, you don't know how much I needed that, thank you!" She pushed me onto my back and climbed over my hips, grabbed my erection, and dropped onto me. "Oh, so good!" she panted as she started moving up and down. I pulled her down to kiss her as she sped up until we both exploded. Beth rolled off to cuddle next to me, "You don't know how good you make me feel," she said as she pulled me close and rested her head on my chest. "We aim to please, ma'am," I said. She just purred, "Well both of you do a great job." Soon we were both asleep. We woke up some time later to find that Beth's mom had thrown a blanket over us and turned off the lights. "Eww, I think we're stuck together," Beth said as she tried to sit up. "I think it's time for a shower." "Does that mean I have to move?" I mumbled. "Yeah. I don't want to get the bed any wetter than it is!" "Okay," I mumbled. "At least I get to run my soapy hands all over my honey!" Beth giggled as we stumbled into her bathroom. ------- Sunday morning we drove over to my house and walked in to find Gail lustily bouncing on my brother's condom-covered pole. Gail saw us, shrieked and ran into the bathroom as Kevin sat up—his erection quickly exiting, stage-left. "Uh, we didn't expect anybody to come home so soon!" He looked like he wanted to just disappear into the couch cushions. "Hey, I'm sorry, Kevin. We didn't mean to interrupt you." "I think I'll see how Gail's doing," Beth said diplomatically as she picked up the younger girl's clothes and headed down the hall, following the panicked thirteen-year-old, leaving Kevin and I in the living room. "Kevin, why weren't you in your room? It's a lot more private." "I know," he said as he started to get dressed. "We just were in a hurry." I clapped him on the shoulder, "I'm just glad you took the time to condomize before you started." "Yeah, but I guess from now on we'll be a little more careful." "Probably a good idea," I chuckled. I didn't think it was a good time to tell him about the conversation Beth and I had with Mom. Gail was dressed when she and Beth came back. Beth caught my eye and we headed for my room. "I feel so sorry for her," Beth said after we got to my room. "She looked like she was ready to die of embarrassment." "I'm just glad we found them and not my folks. I don't know how my mom would react. I mean they're only thirteen and I don't think my folks are ready to discover that both their sons are—how did your mom describe it?—humping like bunnies?" Beth lazed on my bed as I changed clothes, "I can't help but feel we're aiding and abetting the pair of them." "Did Gail say anything to you?" I was interested in Beth's thoughts on the whole situation. "You mean between the tears? Yeah, she sounded like pretty mature for a thirteen-year-old and kept repeating that they didn't do it until Kevin got the condoms. So at least she's thinking ahead." "I'm sure glad we don't have to go through what they're facing," I said as I reclined next to my princess and started nuzzling her neck. A little while later there was a quiet tap on my door. "Yeah, come on in," I said. The pair were standing there, Kevin's arm around Gail protectively. "We just wanted to say thanks," my brother said. "Yeah," Gail was bright red. "Kevin said you were a nice brother and I guess he was right, and you're nice too Beth, thanks for everything." After they went back to Kevin's room, Beth looked at me. "I suppose I should reward such a nice brother," she said as she slid off the bed and reached for my zipper. ------- Chapter 18: Blizzard It was snowing when I got up Monday morning just like the ten o'clock news said it would. I'd set my alarm ahead a few minutes since I knew getting to school would be a hassle. I was just pulling my jacket on dreading the thought of cleaning off my car when the phone rang. "Tommy, why don't I drive today? I'll use the Jeep, it'll work better in this mess." Beth was thinking ahead, obviously. "Okay, I'll be waiting at the end of the driveway on the top of Mount Snow Plow." Beth pulled up just as I scaled the pile of snow left from the plow's feeble attempt at trying to stay ahead of the weather. "Well, that was fun. How are the roads?" "Lousy. I just hope it stops before we get too much more. Or ... maybe they'll let us out early!" "Oh, yeah, like that's going to happen! They've never closed a school in this district in my lifetime, I doubt they'll do it today." By the time Beth pulled into the un-plowed lot we both had second thoughts about today. Our usual ten-minute trip had lasted forty-five. "Maybe we should just stay home?" Beth grinned. "Good idea! That way we wouldn't have to spend half the day on the road," I said as I opened the door of the Jeep and stepped out into almost a foot of snow. As we walked into the building we saw Cindy and Greg standing in the lobby looking as bedraggled as we did. Greg came over, "Wasn't that fun, what's next?" I looked back at the raging snow, "I dunno, locusts?" "Only if they'll eat all the snow," Cindy said acerbically. "Well, I guess as long as we're here we might as well get to class. See you at lunch." Beth turned to me as we got to my homeroom, "How about a kiss to keep me warm?" "As long as you keep an eye out for Adams," I commented as I moved in to give her a parting hug and kiss. ------- Beth and I walked into the lunch room where everybody was asking each other the same thing... "When are they going to let us go early?," "ARE they going to let us go early?" About one-thirty the announcement I never thought I'd hear came over the PA: "Due to the increasingly bad weather conditions, classes are canceled for the rest of the day." The cheering was deafening. Beth met me at my locker, "Do you mind if Cindy rides with us?" "Well, Greg and I were going to stick around for a few minutes, so I can catch a ride with him if the two of you want to head home now." "Okay, I'll give you a call later," I said as I gave her a hug and a kiss. "Take it easy." "Yes, Daddy," she said with a grin as she and Cindy headed for the snow-covered lot and her buried Jeep. I hoped she had a snow brush! Greg and I were just finishing up a meeting with Mr. Franks when Steve Watkins walked up, his jacket covered in melting snow, "Hey, Tommy, can I catch a ride with you? My damned car won't start." "You'll have to ask Greg, I didn't drive today." "Sure, no problem, Steve. We're just finishing up anyway," Greg said as he grabbed his coat. We got Greg's car cleaned off and were just pulling out of the lot when my phone rang, "T-tommy, we're in trouble!" Beth sounded ready to panic. "What happened? D'you have an accident?" "Two guys forced us off the road and we went down the hill off River Road and I can't move the Jeep!" "Okay, first of all don't panic. Did you call 911?" "Yeah, but they said with all the accidents they were taking injuries first and we're not hurt. So we're just gonna have to wait! Tommy, I'm getting scared! It's cold out here and the snow's getting heavier. What are we going to do?" "Look, just take it easy. Where did it happen?" "I-I'm not sure. These guys were chasing us and the snow was so heavy, I'm not sure where we were!" "Okay, Greg and I are heading that way. Just stay in the Jeep. That's the safest place to be. I'll call you back when we get close." "Jeez," Greg said. "What's up?" "Just head for River Road and I'll explain. Steve can you tag along?" "Sure. Anything I can do?" He asked after I explained what had happened. "Just help keep an eye out for any tracks leading off the right side of the road." By the time we got to River Road the snow was getting worse. Greg was creeping along as Steve and I tried to spot any sign of where the Jeep left the road. "Hey! What's that!" Steve hollered after a few minutes. Greg stopped and we all got out. There was a spot where part of the snow bank was missing and a couple of small saplings had been knocked down. "Steve. Wait here and if you see any cops, grab them. C'mon Greg, let's find our ladies." I climbed over the bank and we found ourselves in knee-deep snow as we started down the bank towards the river. The snow had already started to cover the tracks left by the Jeep as it went down the hill so following them wasn't easy. "Greg, lets split up. You go about fifty feet to the left then continue down the hill. We can cover more ground that way." "Okay. I hope we find them soon." That's when I remembered my phone. I called Beth but got a "phone not available" message. Why would she have turned it off? Unless her battery went dead... "Greg," I yelled. "Call Cindy and tell her we're coming." I kept trying to follow the Jeep's tracks, but it was getting harder to see them. "Tommy! I can't get Cindy! I got a message that her phone's not available!" "Then we'll have to do it the hard way—just keep looking." Eventually we found the Jeep. Cindy fell into Greg's arms sobbing out the story of what happened. "Oh, God, Greg. It was horrible! We stopped on Broadway and two guys in the car next to us tried to talk to us, but we ignored them. When the light changed they followed us and I guess they got mad when they figured out we weren't going to stop. A-and that's when they started to pass us and forced us off the road. Oh, God, I thought we were going to die!" Cindy was clutching Greg and shaking like a leaf. "Cindy, where's Beth? I told her to stay in the Jeep," I was worried about what had happened to her. "When we couldn't get our phones to work she said she was going to try to find the road. I tried to talk her into staying but she insisted. I don't know where she is!" Cindy wailed. My first impulse was to start hunting for tracks or anything that would tell me where she'd gone, but I realized this was going to require more help. "Greg, let's get Cindy up to your car. Then let's call somebody to round up some guys to help us search. The sun's going to be down pretty soon and we'll never find her in the dark!" We got Cindy up to the car. Greg already had the heater on high, so we bundled her into the front seat to thaw out. Greg wanted to help us find Beth, but he obviously wanted to stay with Cindy even more. I turned to Steve, "Beth's still out there somewhere. Can you call some friends to help us search?" "Let me call the guys and get them out here," he said as he grabbed his phone. "Hi, Chuck? Call the gang and shag your asses out to River Road, about two miles north of Broadway. Beth Jones is lost down by the river and we've got to find her! "Okay, we'll be waiting," he closed his phone and turned to us. "Chuck says he thinks he can get most of the team out here to help. Will that be enough?" "I hope so. Call 911 and get the cops out here. Tell them this is more than just a car off the road. Maybe they'll show up this time. We're gonna need all the help we can get!" I grabbed my phone and called Beth's parents. I knew they were out of town and hoped they had roaming on their phones. I got Mr. Jones and explained what was happening. "Oh God, can you find her? I had a feeling before we went on this trip that something was going to happen. I'll make arrangements to get back as soon as I can." "I'll call you when we find her, sir." "Tommy, you've been a real friend to our daughter, please don't let her down." "I won't sir. Beth means a lot to me, too." A short time—and half a lifetime—later several cars showed up. Chuck Miller and what looked like most of the football team piled out and came up to us. "Jeez, Tommy, what happened. Steve said Beth is lost in the blizzard? What can we do?" "Let's divide up into two groups, one search down-river and the other up. Keep within shouting distance of each other and if you find her get her up to the road, the cops are on their way." "I brought a couple of canned-air horns. Can you use them?" Chuck offered "Great idea, Chuck! Each group take one and if you find Beth give three blasts to alert the others then everybody meet back at the cars." "Do you mind if I tag along?" I turned around and Jay Stevens was looking at me. Did I want his help? Was I in any position to turn anybody down? "Sure Jay. Why don't you head up the other group." I took a deep breath, "Okay guys, let's go find her!" Chuck, Steve, and I were joined by the other guys as we started searching at the Jeep and headed up-river. Jay and the other group turned downstream. The snow was still falling and the wind had picked up making for almost zero visibility. Between trying to fight our way through hip-deep drifts that had almost covered the tracks Greg and I had left finding the Jeep, and trying to keep the blowing snow out of our faces, the search was going to be tough. Five minutes later I heard sirens heading our way—obviously the police were here. We'd been slogging through snow drifting up to our hips for an hour when we heard Jay's horn blasting. We re-traced our tracks until we got back to the road just in time to see Jay just carrying Beth to the ambulance. "Where'd you find her," I gasped, trying to catch my breath. "She was lying in a depression next to a fallen tree. She'd wrapped herself in a space blanket that made her hard to see. Billy almost tripped over her. She's awake but really cold. I think she may have some frostbite." The EMT walked over, "Does someone want to ride in with her?" Jay looked at me, "She's your girl, go." "Thanks, Jay. I'll call her folks and let them know you found her." "You mean WE found her," he said as he slapped me on the shoulder. I called Beth's dad before I got in the ambulance and told him the situation and promised to call him back after we got to the hospital. I sat down next to Beth as the ambulance started for the hospital. The EMT had her wrapped in a blanket but I could still see her shaking. She looked up at me, "T-Tommy, I r-really b-blew it t-this t-time d-didn't I? I-I thought I c-could get to th' road b't cn't fin' it." Her eyes were drooping and her speech was getting more slurred. "F'nny thing, thought Jay there. Musta been h'luc'natin'. 'M sorr..." She faded out. I panicked, thinking I was losing her. The EMT put his hand on my shoulder and pointed at the monitor showing her heartbeat and respiration were normal. "She's okay, just exhausted," he reassured me. When we got to the ER I was told to stay in the waiting room until they'd had a chance to examine Beth. A few minutes later the room was full of cold, wet football players. "Guys, go down to the cafeteria and get something to warm up. It's on me." I gave Chuck some cash to cover the food bill. "Hey, man you don't have to do this." "Yeah I do. There's no way Greg and I could have found her by ourselves. Now go!" Chuck just nodded and headed after the rest of his teammates. Just then Greg brought Cindy in to get her checked over. I walked over to Greg, "How's Cindy doing?" "Looks like she's going to be all right. Damn that was a close call. How's Beth?" "I don't know, they're still examining her. I hope they hurry, this waiting is killing me." Just then my phone rang—I'd forgotten to turn it off when we got to the hospital. I walked outside and answered it. It was my mom, "Tommy, how are you? Greg called and said there'd been an accident. Were you hurt? Where are you?" As soon as I could sneak a word in I explained what had really happened and that I'd be here until we learned Beth's condition. And that, yes, I had called Beth's parents and would keep them informed. I was just going to head down for some coffee when Jay came around the corner, "I thought you'd like to stay here so I got a cup for you. It's black, no sugar, that okay?" "Yeah, that's great. Thanks, Jay." I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable—I mean this was the guy who hit on Beth and then lost his spot on the football team after I set him up—and then comes out to help find her. What was I supposed to make of all that? As I was struggling with myself over my feelings about Jay, one of the nurses came over, "Are you Tommy?" "Yeah, that's me, how is she?" "She's doing fine—no frostbite, luckily. She's lucky she wasn't out there any longer. Why don't you come back with me. I can't let you stay too long because they're going to transfer her to a room upstairs." "She's going to have to stay here? I thought she was doing okay?" "She is, but we don't want her to be alone tonight and we understood her parents are out of town." "They are, but I'm sure my parents would be willing to have her stay at our house tonight. Would that be okay?" "We'd have to get clearance from her parents." "Hold on a minute," I said as I pulled my phone out. "If I can call them can you talk to him?" "Better yet, give me their number and I'll call them from the nurse's station." I turned on my phone and scrolled through the directory and handed her the phone. She wrote down the number and took me down the hall to Beth's room. Beth saw me walk in and broke into tears, "Oh, Tommy, I fucked up didn't I? I'm so sorry!" I leaned over the bed and kissed her, "Hey, you made a mistake, but what were you trying to do? Don't you know staying with the car is the safest thing to do? Dammit, I almost lost you tonight!" "I'm sorry! When the batteries went dead on both our phones, I thought I could follow the tire tracks back to the road, but the snow had covered everything up! A-and then I couldn't find the Jeep or anything. I thought I was going to die! All I could think of was to find someplace to get some shelter. I-I curled up next to that log and covered myself with that aluminum blanket you gave me, b-but it didn't seem to help! Oh, God I'm an idiot!" "Hey, you're safe now and the nurse is calling your folks see if you can stay with us tonight." "Oh, Tommy, why do you put up with such a dumb girlfriend?" "I guess I'm just a masochist at heart," I replied just as the door opened and the nurse came in. "Okay, Beth, I talked to your father and he's okay with you staying at the Randahl's tonight, so we'll just finish up some paperwork and—Tommy, right?—if you can have one of your parents come over to pick Beth up, we'll let you go." "Can't she just go home with me?" "Sorry, I can't release her to a minor. Can you call your parents?" "Okay," I said. I headed for the door, got outside and called home to explain the situation to Dad. He said he'd come over and pick us up, "I'm just glad you're both safe!" I walked back inside and told Greg that I wouldn't need a ride so he and Cindy didn't have to wait. "I'll see you tomorrow. Just so it's not SNOWING!" He just chuckled. ------- Dad showed up about twenty minutes later, "How's she doing?" "She'll be okay—no frostbite or anything but it's lucky Jay and the guys found her when they did. There's no way she could have survived the night out there." As I said that I realized how close I'd come to losing Beth and I started shaking. Dad looked at me, "Are you alright? How long were you out there?" "Only about half a lifetime. Seriously, I'm okay, just a little shaken up by it all." "I can imagine," Dad said. "Beth was lucky you were able to find her." "I didn't find her. It was a bunch of the guys from the football team." "Well, either way, she's a lucky girl." Just then an orderly came through the door pushing Beth in a wheelchair, "She's all ready to go. Just make sure she stays warm." Dad pulled the car around and Beth and I got in the front seat to be as close to the heater as possible. "Thanks Mr. Randahl for letting me stay with you tonight, I'm not sure I could take being stuck in the hospital," Beth said as she snuggled up to me. "Oh, I almost forget. Let's call your folks and let them know you're all right," I said as I pulled out my phone. When Beth's father answered I handed the phone to her. "Hi, Daddy. Yes I'm alright. No, I'm out of the hospital. No, we'll just have to get it pulled out of the snow. No, I'm going to be staying at Tommy's house tonight."—Beth suddenly blushed and whispered into the phone—"No, Daddy, I think we'll just sleep. Okay, I'll call you tomorrow. Bye" She handed me the phone and, when she saw my grin, jabbed me with her elbow—my girl was back! ------- When we got to the house Mom and Kevin were waiting. Mom immediately started bombarding Beth with questions. "Hey," I interrupted her. "Can the questions wait 'til tomorrow? What Beth needs now is rest." "You're right," Mom conceded. "Why don't you both crawl in and get a good night's sleep." I took her upstairs and we lay down on my bed, both still fully clothed. "Oh, Tommy, I can't believe I pulled such an idiot stunt. I knew staying with the Jeep was the safest thing to do, but, no, I had to try and be a hero and get us out by myself. What a dumbshit move." "Well ... yeah it was. All I could think about was finding you frozen to death the next day, but the important thing is you're safe now. I'm just glad Steve got the team out to help." "Was that Jay who carried me up to the road? I thought I was hallucinating!" "Yup. Jay said Billy almost tripped over you or he would have missed you." "Oh God, I'm so lucky," she said as she started to shake. I just held her tight until the tears stopped. "Why don't we crawl in and try to get some sleep," I suggested. "You know," Beth grinned at me. "Some shared bodily warmth would feel pretty good right now." We undressed and crawled in, holding each other tight and quickly fell asleep—that is after I told Beth to keep her popsicle toes to herself. "Bitch, bitch, bitch," was her mumbled response as she drifted off. ------- The next morning the sun was out, the streets were plowed, Kevin had cleared the driveway, and there was no excuse not to go to school. Mom assured me that she'd called the school and told them we'd be late so I could drive Beth home to change. Her folks were home when we got there and their reactions were pretty much what you'd expect. Between hugging their daughter and thanking me for her rescue, it was better than an hour before we headed to school. While we were in the car I looked over at Beth, "How did both of you end up with dead batteries in your phones? I thought you'd promised to always keep yours charged?" She looked uncomfortable, "I know, I just forgot. Yesterday was full of dumb mistakes. I won't forget again—you can count on that!" "How about the Jeep?" "Dad called AAA and they're going to pull it out and take it to the garage he uses. They'll check it out and—hopefully—have it ready this afternoon." ------- When we got to school it was obvious the word had spread—everybody we met was either asking Beth how she was, or calling me a hero. Hero? Me? I was just trying to save my girlfriend. Just before lunch I got called down to the office. Adams was waiting for me, "Mr. Randahl, acting irresponsibly again, I hear. Don't you know you're supposed to wait for the proper authorities to handle a situation like that? There was no reason for you to go charging off unprepared, and putting other students at risk along with yourself." I was just about to unload on the sanctimonious windbag when the principal, Mr. Williams, came out of his office, "Ah, Mr. Randahl, you're here. Good. Come in." "I was just telling Mr. Randahl how misguided his actions were yesterday," Adams started. Mr. Williams looked at him, "Donald, enough." I followed the principal into the office and saw the EMT from the ambulance and a man I didn't know waiting. "Thomas, this is Police Chief Gherrity and I think you already know Ron Quigley." "Hello, Chief Gherrity, and glad to see you again Mr. Quigley. Sorry I didn't catch you yesterday after we got to the hospital. I wanted to thank you for everything you did for Beth, but by the time things settled down you were out on another run." "Glad I could help. It's always nice to have a happy outcome from one of our calls. Oh, and call me Ron. Every time I hear Mr. Quigley I turn around looking for my father," he replied. "Thomas," Chief Gherrity said, "Your actions yesterday showed a lot of initiative and courage. It's unusual to meet someone so young who doesn't panic when faced with a serious situation." "Thank you, but panic was exactly what I was feeling. As for what I did—it just seemed to be the right thing to do at the time." "That makes your actions all the more special," he replied. "We'd normally want a civilian such as yourself to wait for us to handle things, but under the circumstances, you did the right thing. You got the help you needed, planned out your search properly and, by the way, using those compressed-air horns was an especially good idea." "Sir, I can't take credit for the horns. Chuck Miller from the football team brought those." "Nonetheless, your actions probably saved that young lady's life and we'd like to present you with a Public Service Award during a special program here at school Friday." "Will this award be for everyone involved? I mean, Greg and I found the Jeep and Chuck and the guys from the team did most of the searching. It seems like they should be the ones getting the award. They did more than I did." "I'm sure it seems that way, but the award is for an individual effort so we could hardly include all those people." "I'm sorry, but I wouldn't feel right accepting it then. I wasn't even the one who found Beth—it was Billy Sanchez from the football team! Isn't there some way to include everybody?" "I'm sorry you feel that way," said the Chief. "There's no provision for everyone." "Thomas," Mr. Williams added. "It would reflect well on the school if you accept the award. Won't you reconsider?" "Mr. Williams, you're always talking about teamwork and yesterday seems to me a pretty good example. Giving the award just to me wouldn't be fair. I'm sorry, but I can't accept it." The Chief looked upset. I wondered if he was up for re-election—was the Police Chief even an elected position? Looks like it was time to pay more attention to what was happening in our town. "Thomas, I want you to think about this. I'll contact you tomorrow to see if you've reconsidered. You know there's a thousand dollar reward that goes with it," the Chief was starting to get to me. I don't like pushy people. "All right, I'll think about it, but I don't see that it will make any difference. I just wouldn't feel right accepting by myself." And that's where things ended. I met Beth at lunch and told her about the award. "Tommy, you should accept it! You saved my life yesterday!" "But Beth, I didn't. That's what I tried to explain to the Chief!" Is this how heroes are created—some poor schlub who's too scared NOT to do something and just happens to do the right thing? ------- When I got home Mom was waiting for me, "Tommy, the Police Chief called and said you were refusing an award from the city? Why? What's going on?" So I explained the way I felt to her. "Well, if you really feel that way I can see why you're upset. Let's wait 'til your father gets home and see what he says," Mom said. I excused myself and went up to my room and called Beth. "What should I do? I mean, I don't feel right about accepting an award for something I didn't do, but it seems everyone will be disappointed if I don't take the damn thing!" I was hoping Beth would help me make up my mind. "Tommy, I can see where you're coming from, but personally I think you deserve the award. If you hadn't been there I'd be DEAD!" ------- After dinner, Mom and Dad sat me down in the living room. Dad started, "Tommy, why are you so set against accepting this?" I explained my take on the whole thing and he sat back and thought about it for a while, "Is it really that you don't feel you deserve it or—" he looked me right in the eye, "—is it that you're afraid the kids will think you're hogging all the credit?" That stopped me dead in my tracks. Was I worried more about what the kids would think of me or did I really think I didn't deserve the credit? Dad had this nasty habit of cutting right to the heart of a matter and was entirely too good at asking questions that made me really think things through. After a couple of lifetimes I looked at him, "I guess, maybe, it's a little of both. I hadn't really thought about what everyone would think, but maybe that is part of it, I mean, I'm proud that I was able to be there for Beth—and Cindy—but I feel guilty when I think of taking all the credit, too. "So what am I supposed to do?" Mom looked at me, "Are you sure you can't arrange it so the others are included?" "Believe me, I tried to get Chief Gherrity to include everybody. Heck, if he'd done that, I wouldn't be so confused about what to do! Dammit, I wish this whole mess never happened!" "But it did," Dad said, "and you're going to have to decide what you want to do." "So I'm right back where I started..." I sighed. If this was what growing up is like, I want an address in Neverland! The three of us talked for another half-hour or so and then I walked up to my room, no further ahead than when I got home. I was doing some homework and trying to come to a decision when Kevin came in, "Tommy, I want you to take this." I looked at the wad of cash he was holding. "Huh? What's this for? You don't owe me any money?" "Yes. Yes I do. This is for the condoms you bought me ... and for paying for the rest of Gail's Christmas present." He had that stubborn look that I'd seen every time we disagreed about something, except this time it wasn't my petulant little brother looking at me, but someone who was trying to pay a debt he felt honor-bound to settle. My little brother WAS really growing up. "What do you mean about Gail's present? That was on sale, the clerk said so." "No, Tommy. I saw you pay him for it. Thanks for helping me out, but I wouldn't feel right if I didn't pay you back." Suddenly, a light came on in that big, dark cave I use for a mind, "You mean if you don't pay me back it's like Gail's present wasn't really from just you, right?" "Um, yeah, I guess..." "Okay, I'll take it, and thanks for paying me back." I knew he'd been earning cash shoveling driveways around the neighborhood and instead of spending it on himself he'd felt he had to pay me back. I was going to have to remember to never think of him as a naïve little kid again. After Kevin left, I called Beth, "What am I supposed to do tomorrow? Mom and Dad talked to me about the award tonight and I'm more confused than ever!" "Tommy, you know what I feel, but if it really makes you that uncomfortable, maybe there's a way out..." By the time I finished talking to Beth I was beginning to think that everybody was smarter—or at least sneakier—than I was. She'd come up with a way to keep everybody—well, most everybody happy. Now if I could just pull it off... ------- Chief Gherrity called me Wednesday afternoon, "Well, Tommy, have you reconsidered accepting the award?" "Yes, sir, I have. And I guess I'll take it." "Good! I'll talk to Mr. Williams tonight and we'll set things up for Friday afternoon!" I talked to Greg and Steve at rehearsal Wednesday afternoon and asked if they'd help me out. I explained what I was thinking of and they agreed. ------- I spent most of Thursday hoping things didn't blow up in my face on Friday. ------- "You look like you're ready to have a heart attack. Relax," Beth said as she got in the car Friday morning. Easy for her to say—she wasn't the one who was going to be standing up in front of the whole school trying to flim-flam the Police Chief, the Principal and most of the school! ------- The assembly was scheduled for just before last period. As we walked into the auditorium, Beth gave me a quick kiss before I headed for the stage where Mr. Williams, Chief Gherrity, EMT Quigley, and Mr. Adams were waiting. Mr. Williams stepped to the podium, "Good afternoon everyone. We're here today to honor one of our students for his brave acts on Monday of this week..." He went on for a few minutes before ceding the mic to our esteemed Police Chief. Gherrity cleared his throat before he stepped to the microphone, "As Principal Williams said, we're here today to honor a brave young man who, without worrying about his own safety, risked his life to save a young lady who sits here today because of his heroic act." Beth was sitting in the front row looking like she was wishing the floor would open up and swallow her. I just wanted the hole to be big enough for both of us. Listening to all this BS was getting real embarrassing. The chief finally wound down, motioned me to the podium, and handed me a check for a thousand dollars and a plaque signifying my "Heroism." I put the plaque and check down on the podium and faced my classmates. "Before anything else, I'd like Greg Kendall, Jay Stevens, Chuck Miller, Dan Smith, Billy Sanchez, Steve Watkins, and Eric Schmidt to come up here with me." As the guys came up the stairs I heard Adams hiss, "Randahl, what do you think you're doing?" When everyone was on stage I turned back to the mic, "Although this award only has my name on it, I want you to meet the real heroes from Monday. Greg and I had to be there—it was our ladies who were in trouble—but when we needed more help, Steve called guys from the football team—guys who had no reason to help me, guys who were willing to come out in a blizzard to help find my girlfriend. It was Billy who actually found Beth and, Jay, I was never so happy to see you as when I saw you headed for the ambulance with Beth in your arms. Just try not to make a habit of it, okay?" After the laughter died down I continued, "So these are the guys whose names belong on this plaque, not mine. The only reason I agreed to accept it was so I could set the record straight. Now you know what really happened last Monday and who the real heroes are—" I turned to face them, planning to start the applause for the guys but Beth, Cindy and the rest of the team were already on their feet clapping their hands off. Soon the entire auditorium was echoing with the applause and cheers from everyone there. I turned around to see Mr. Adams looking ready to stroke out. Mr. Williams had a curious look on his face, kind of like he couldn't decide whether to be proud or angry. And Chief Gherrity? Let's just say I was going to be REAL careful of my driving for a while. As things broke up Ron Quigley—the EMT who took care of Beth—came up to me, "That was nicely done, Tommy. I'm glad to see the rest of the guys get some of the credit. That rescue you planned was as good as anything the pros could have done and you guys pulled it off perfectly. Congratulation, man." "Thanks. Coming from a pro that means a lot. Unfortunately," I saw Adams and Gherrity heading my way, "not everybody agrees with you." The Chief started, "What were you doing up there? I told you the award was for an individual. So why did you invite bunch of other students up there?" Then it was Adams turn, "Chief Gherrity, this boy has caused us all sorts of trouble this year. I'm not surprised he disrupted things today. He can't even accept your award without making a circus of it." Mr. Williams walked up next to Ron, "Now, Donald, don't you think you're being a bit hard on Thomas. After all, he said all along he wanted the award to be for all those involved, not just himself. We'll talk more about this later." Beth bounded up behind me, "Oh Tommy, it worked!" Adams whirled on Beth, "You knew about this and you think what he did was proper?" "Of course it was!" Beth in full cry was a wonder to behold. "I wouldn't be here RIGHT NOW if Tommy hadn't had the help he did. There was no love lost between him and the football team and STILL they volunteered to slog through hip-deep snow in the middle of a blizzard to find me and you're stupid enough to tell him they don't deserve to be on that plaque? BULLSHIT!" "Miss Jones! That is NOT proper language to use in a school!" "Well it's pretty obvious that being polite doesn't work!" Mr. Williams stepped between Beth and Adams. "Now let's take it easy, both of you. Donald, I told you we would talk about this later. Miss Jones, don't you think your language was out of line considering where we are?" Beth tried to look contrite, "Yes, sir, I guess I got a little carried away, but everyone's telling Tommy he's wrong when he's the only one who's trying to make things right and I guess I just lost my temper for a second. I'm sorry." I noticed she apologized to Mr. Williams NOT to Adams. Pretty sneaky, my lady. Mr. Williams had a ghost of a grin as he looked at Beth, "Apology accepted, Miss Jones, but please try to restrain your temper in the future." "Yes, sir, I'll watch it from now on." With a straight face she said that. My girl was turning into a great actress. I turned to Ron, "Can Emergency Services accept donations? I want to split this money between you and the football team. They've been complaining about replacing old equipment." He just grinned, "We certainly can, and thank you very much! "But Tommy, can I ask you why you didn't say anything about the money during the ceremony?" "I didn't think everybody needed to know what happened to the money. This has been enough of a circus already." "Well, whatever your reason, I want to thank you for all of us. With the budget cuts lately, I know we won't have a problem finding a good use for it." "You're welcome and thank you again for helping Beth on Monday." "Glad I was able to help. Oh, and if you're ever interested in becoming an EMT let me know—I'll be happy to write a letter of recommendation for you. Keeping your head in a bad situation like you did is a rare gift." With that, Ron said goodbye to us and headed for the door. Suddenly Beth and I were alone on stage. She looked at me, "You told me you weren't an actor. I know Mr. Williams wouldn't want to hear this, but bullshit!" She threw her arms around me and kissed me. "Is that appropriate in school?" I whirled around thinking Adams had come back to hassle me. Instead I saw Beth's parents, followed closely by mine. Beth's dad came up to us, "Honey, do you realize what a great guy you've got here?" "Yes, Daddy, I do. I think of it every day." Beth's mom came up and threw her arms around me, "Thank you, thank you again Tommy. You brought my baby back to me!" My dad looked at me, "Tommy, from what I've heard you really used your head out there. Both your mother and I are proud of you. Ya done good, kid," he clapped me on the shoulder. Mom looked like she was ready to cry. "Why don't we all go out and grab a bite?" Beth's dad obviously had his priorities straight! "Where would you two like to go?" Beth and I looked at each other. "The Pizza Palace!" My parents looked at each other as if they had a secret. I glanced over at Beth folks and they were grinning at each other. ------- Jeanie, our favorite waitress, met us at the door as we walked into the Palace, "Well, well, look at this group! Looks like you're going to need a bigger table tonight. Your special booth won't be big enough for all of you!" Beth's dad gave my folks an appraising look, "You've been in the corner booth too, eh?" he chuckled. "Too?" Beth and I both said. Jeanie chuckled and looked at our folks, "I take it these two are your kids? So they don't know, eh?" "Know what?" Beth looked at her folks. "Well," Beth's mom said. "We've been coming here since we were your age." "And so have we," my dad added. "And probably used the same booth." "The one in the corner?" Beth's dad laughed. Beth and I looked at each other then at our waitress, "Um, how long have you been working here, Jeanie?" She looked at Beth, "Forty-two years. Long enough to know your grandparents liked that booth too!" "Grandma Joan and Grandpa Hank?" Beth's eyes were bugging out of her head. Beth's mom was almost rolling on the floor by this time. "Looks like the family tradition continues!" she hiccupped, trying to control her giggles. Beth and I looked at each other's red faces. "So much for privacy," Beth mumbled. ------- After protracted negotiation we ended up ordering two large pizzas—both with onions—I got out-voted ... again. "I had no idea this place had been here so long," Beth said. My dad took Mom's hand, "Our first date was here. Back in that infamous corner booth." "Remember when they remodeled and the original plans called for removing that booth?" Beth's dad glanced toward the back of the restaurant. "Oh yeah," my dad replied. "They had so many complaints they had the architect re-work that whole end of the place just so they could keep the snuggle booth." "The snuggle booth?" I asked. "Uh, huh," Beth's mom replied. "You remember a conversation we had when you were first dating? When I reminded you two that your generation didn't invent sex." My mom chuckled, "I don't think any young girl ever lost her virginity in that booth, but I wouldn't bet on the parking lot out back." Beth's mom's face was suddenly a delicate shade of pink. "Or maybe I'm wrong..." mused Mom. Beth's dad chuckled, "No, as far as I know the booth's reputation remains spotless. But I'm positive about the parking lot." Beth's mom suddenly became Our Lady of the Carmine Countenance and she kicked him under the table. Beth and I just stared at each other—Just about the time you think you have your parents figured out... ------- After we ate, our parents decided to head home, while we'd made plans to get together with Greg and Cindy at Greg's house. As we drove, Beth looked over at me, "Can you believe both our folks know about the Palace?" "And our special booth!" I replied, still trying to get my head around the idea my parents had once been like us. "How about my grandparents?" Beth responded. As we pulled into Greg's driveway Beth got a worried look on her face, "Do you think anything's going to happen on Monday?" "I expect Adams to give me some grief no matter what Mr. Williams said to him. As far as the Chief is concerned—if he wants the money back he's going to have to talk to Ron and the football team!" "Did you mean to give the money away all the time or was it a spur-of-the-moment type thing?" "I'd thought about it, but after all the hassle Friday I just figured getting rid of it was one less thing to worry about." We walked up to Greg's front door and rang the bell ... and rang the bell ... and knocked on the door... Finally a disheveled Greg answered the door, "We figured you guys weren't going to make it. Um, c'mon in." "Sorry if we, er, interrupted anything." Beth giggled. "Well..." Greg said with a little blush, "Not quite ... but a couple of minutes later..." We walked into the living room just in time for a topless Cindy to pop up over the back of the couch, "Who was ... EEK!" She disappeared faster than the proverbial ice cube in Hell. Beth and I grinned at each other as a blushing Cindy stood up, now back in her sweater—inside-out. "Um, sorry, Cindy. I guess we should have called first?" Beth apologized. "Oh, that's alright ... I'll just add it to the list." Cindy's got a nasty grin. "The list?" That didn't sound good. "Yeah, the list that starts with your little stunt on New Year's day." "Oh..." was all Beth said. Greg looked from Cindy to Beth, then at me, "Um, you want to order a pizza." Beth and I just looked at each other and grinned. "Not for us. We just ate," I said. "Okay," Cindy looked at us. "There has to be a story behind those grins. Spill!" "Well..." Beth started, "the folks took us to The Palace and we found we weren't the only ones who know about the back booth. As a matter of fact, Tommy's dad called it the Snuggle Booth." "The Snuggle Booth?" Cindy giggled. "Yeah," I added, "and you won't believe what we found out about the back parking—OOF!" Damn, I hate that elbow! Greg and Cindy looked at each other. "So we weren't the first," Cindy said with a laugh. "Apparently not. I wonder if we took a survey..." Beth chuckled, "Oh, yeah, I can just see you walking up to a bunch of strangers, 'Have you ever fucked in the back parking lot of The Pizza Palace?' That would really go over big!" We all chuckled at the thought. I looked at Beth and Cindy, "So any bad effects from Friday's little adventure?" Cindy looked at Greg, "Nope. I'm just glad the two of you were on the ball. It was getting COLD in the Jeep!" Beth looked at me, "I was more upset at my own dumb idea to try to get help myself than any worry about you guys finding us. I know my man." "I'm glad somebody's got some faith in me, because I wasn't sure we were going to find you in time. Steve getting the guys from the team to help out really made the difference. I don't know that Greg and I could have done it alone and Jay was even acting human afterwards." ------- Chapter 19: Back to Normal Monday it was back to the usual grind, although a lot of kids had comments about Friday's presentation/circus/embarrassment—pick one. I didn't see Adams all day. Maybe Mr. Williams chewed him out and he was home pouting? ------- Monday afternoon Beth and I were walking over to the theater building for rehearsal when Steve caught us, "Tommy, is it true you're giving half of your award to the team?" "Yeah, I figured I'd split it between you guys and Emergency Services. That is if you guys can find a use that doesn't include nude cheerleaders." "Rats," he chuckled. "So much for the next orgy." "Well, maybe you can get Beth and Cindy to do a dance for you? OUCH!" Damn, I swear Beth sharpens her elbow—just for me! Steve just laughed, "The biggest secret in school is that our parties aren't much different from anybody else's. Oh, a little more beer maybe, but I haven't seen a naked cheerleader yet!" Beth looked at the two of us, "What is it with guys and cheerleaders?" Steve and I exchanged a look. "Let's see ... a bunch of great-looking girls bouncing around wearing tight sweaters and short skirts, flashing their panties all the time? I dunno, Steve, what's the attraction?" "Yeah, that pretty much covers it," he laughed. "MEN!" was Beth's response as she marched off to the theater. ------- Greg and I had finished up the lighting plot and started re-programming the light board when Mr. Franks called the quartet on stage. Now barbershop quartet music sounds easy but it's not. Close harmony is one of the hardest things to learn—especially if the singers don't have much of a music background, and these guys didn't. Neither Greg nor I can sing a note, but listening to the quartet was getting painful even for us when Mr. Franks called a break. "Gentlemen, this isn't working. Tell you what, I'll make up a set of MP3s for each of you that'll have your parts by themselves and separate files with all four parts together. Your homework assignment—" groans all around, "—will be to listen to your parts and get them down, then sing along with the group cuts. Let's see if that helps." The quartet shuffled off the stage to make room for Beth and Tony. They'd had their music down almost from the beginning, so they were working on lines. Surprisingly, it didn't bother me when Tony held Beth and kissed her. I was expecting the green-eyed monster to make at least a bit of an appearance, but by this time I knew Beth and I had something special between us and kissing Tony was just part of the show for her. After the rehearsal I drove Beth home. We both had piles of homework to do so no time for—what did they call it in the show?—canoodling. Weird word. Things got back to the normal insanity after Monday. School was school, the show was coming along, and Beth and I seemed even closer than before the blizzard. Tech week rehearsals and run-throughs even seemed smoother than usual. ------- Then it was opening night. Nerves are always tight the first night of a run and this was no different. We went out for a light dinner and then back to the theater. "Tommy, I'm getting scared again! I know I'm going to mess something up!" "Beth, this is the same pre-show nerves you had before Dark of the Moon, remember?" "Yeah, but this is a bigger show, and I've got to SING!" "And you'll do great. You and Tony had the music down almost before rehearsals started. And I haven't heard you drop a line in weeks." "Do you always listen when I'm rehearsing?" "Yup. I like listening to you and your singing is wonderful. You've got a great voice. I'm glad you decided to do the show." She snorted, "Like I had a lot of choice! Between you and Mr. Franks!" I stopped and turned her so we were facing each other, "Do you really feel like we forced you into this?" Suddenly I was feeling guilty. Had I pushed her into something she really didn't want to do? "Oh, I guess not. It's just the old me trying to get out." "Beth, you're going to be fine. Now, like I told you before Moon, get into your costume and makeup and spend some time with the rest of the cast. You'll be fine. You've got a great partner in Tony—he's been doing shows since he was a little kid—if you do make a mistake, he can get you out of it and the audience won't even know." "Oh, I suppose. Give me a kiss for luck?" "Wishing someone good luck before a show is taboo in theater. That's where the expression "Break a leg" came from. So instead of a kiss maybe I should take you over my knee for a good paddling!" "Don't you dare!" she growled as she grabbed me for a soul-wrenching kiss. And people wonder why I love the theater! I went back to the light booth, slapped Greg on the back, and put on my headset, "Okay, folks, let's commit some theater!" ------- There's something about the overture to a musical. Sure, it introduces the music to the audience—though by the time a Broadway show hits the school circuit everyone knows the music anyway. But the main reason is to set the mood, get the audience ready for the evening's trip. Then the curtain rises on a small town in Iowa... ------- The show was going great, the audience was obviously enjoying themselves and the cast was hot: the first half-dozen songs and dances were flawless—the barbershop quartet even had their harmonies down. Then came Beth's—excuse me, Marion The Librarian's—first solo: Being in love used to be my fav'rite dream. Oh, yes. I've been in love more than anybody else has. I guess. My first love heroic'ly ran the streetcar. I tingled at ev'ry clang clang. Next I fell for the principal But, oh that teacher who sang "In the Gloamin'." Knee-deep in love--what a lovely dream! And yet, somehow, BANG! Beth stopped dead and looked around. The orchestra came to a ragged halt and the audience started eyeing the exits, thinking it was a gunshot, but it was the lamp in one of the lights that had failed—explosively! Beth wasn't sure what to do next. The interruption had thrown her off and I could see the panic starting when Tony walked onstage and stopped outside the window where she was sitting. "What a beautiful song! Is there more? And yet, somehow sounds like there's more to the story," Tony ad-libbed. Tony's subtle prompt was just what Beth needed and she continued—a capella until the orchestra caught up... Me deep in love's only half of what I'm longing for now. I still love my being in love with someone, But tell me, why couldn't there be Somebody being in love with me?... After she finished the song, Tony ad-libbed a couple more lines and walked off so she could continue the scene. It was a perfect example of scene-saving improvisation. ------- Intermission came and Greg and I hurried backstage—Greg to change the lamp and me to see if Beth needed changing—what had happened to her could have shaken a seasoned performer, let alone someone as inexperienced as she was. I found her hanging onto Tony, her shoulders shaking in a delayed reaction. Tony saw me walk up and deftly steered Beth into my arms, "Here's Tommy, I think he's worried about you." "Oh, Tommy, I just lost it out there! That bang shook me up so much!" I pulled her close to me and could feel her body vibrating. "Hey, don't worry about it. Remember what I said about trusting Tony? If the audience even noticed it, your recovered beautifully! Just don't dwell on it. You've got the next act to do yet. I sent Greg up to have a stern word with the lights not to do anything like that again!" That got a chuckle out of her—exactly what I wanted and I could feel her relax. "Isn't theater exciting?" I asked her. "That's okay, I can live with a little LESS excitement, thank you!" Her laugh was just what I was hoping for—the crisis was past and she was ready to go on again. Just in time too, I gave her a quick kiss as Greg walked up and we headed back to the booth to dowse the house lights and start the next act. The rest of the performance was problem-free and Beth looked like she was really getting back into the character—her panic forgotten. After the curtain calls and congratulations from parents and friends we headed off for the Palace for some 'za before heading to the cast party. Jeanie met us at the door, "Sounds like you had an exciting evening, Beth." How do waitresses do it? Have they got their own faster-than-light communications system that keeps them up on everything that goes on in town? Just amazing. Then with a big grin she took us back to the snuggle booth and all was explained—there sat all four of our parents, grinning from ear to ear. Well, there goes the neighborhood! After our parents had congratulated Beth again, they got up and said they weren't planning on staying. Turns out they'd snuck out while we were still busy talking to people after the show and headed over to surprise us. I guess they just wanted to prove they could do it. Personally, I'm not sure I liked the idea of being that predictable. Beth and I moved into the booth as Jeanie came back and grinned at us, "You've both got some special parents there. I hope you realize that." "Oh, yes, ' Beth answered, a little tinge of red in her cheeks. "Almost as special as Tommy here. "As a matter of fact, he's so special, I'm going to let him order the pizza tonight. Even if it doesn't have onions!" What did I do to deserve a gem like her? I ordered a large sausage, pepperoni and shrimp—and two of Atlanta's finest— then excused myself. Coming back from the john, I stopped to talk to George, the manager. He nodded, a sneaky little grin on his face as I went back to our booth. After Jeanie brought our Cokes, Beth and I just talked for a while, waiting for our pie. "Oh, God, what a night!" Beth started. "I just froze out there! Then I remembered what you'd said about Tony, and there he was! Talk about a relief!" "See, I told you it was going to be fine. Beth, you've got a lot of talent, you just need a bit more self-confidence. Just think of—" "Don't mention that bitch in the mirror! Like I said before, every time I think about her, I end up over my head again!" Beth grabbed me, "At least I've got you for a life preserver," she said with a snuggle and a quick kiss. I heard Jeanie clear her throat just before she came around the corner, pizza in hand. Just as she set it down the first strains of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah came bursting from the sound system—George had timed it perfectly! It took Beth a second to recognize the music, then she grabbed a slice of pizza—sans onions!—and leaned over to me, "Wise ass!" Life was good! When we'd finished our meal Beth wanted to visit the farm. It looked like this was turning into an opening night ritual. I love the theater! As we pulled off the road into the farm, I thought back to Beth's opening night explosion during Moon. Tonight was more a case of simply enjoying each other's company—no rush, no screaming urgency, just two people who loved each other and wanted to show it. As we climbed into the back seat—it was only March and still too cold for an alfresco romp—I lightly bit Beth's ass. "Eek! What was that for?" "I just wanted to see what a librarian tastes like," I said as innocently as I could. "Then you'd better get to the librarian before you start," she said as she pulled her jeans and panties down. I crawled between her legs and started nibbling at her knee, slowly working my way up. "Dammit, Tommy! Quit teasing!" "Shhh," I said, "You'd think a librarian would know to keep it quiet." Beth just grabbed my head and pulled me up to her center, "Don't argue with the librarian! Oh, God that feels wonderful!" I ran my tongue up and down her outer lips, then used my thumbs to separate them so I could concentrate on that little nub that never failed to send her over the top. At the same time I slid my middle finger into her and that did it. "Ohhh, Tommyyy, I'm almost there! Don't stop! Don't stop!" she yelled as she beat on my shoulders with her fists when she went over the top. When she quit shaking, I sat up and tried to catch my breath. "Oh, Tommy, are you trying to kill me? That was unbelievable!" "Glad I could help. Uhh, is the librarian still hungry?" I asked as I pulled my own jeans and underwear off. "Mmmm, yeah. What's on the menu?" she purred. "How about the special of the day?" I said as I climbed over my love and eased my way into her heat. ------- Once we recovered, we got dressed and drove back into town. The cast party was at Steve's house and was well underway by the time we got there. Greg met us at the door with a Coke in each hand. "Thought you might need these," he leered. He handed them to us as Tony walked up and grinned, "There they are—late again!" He looked at me, "Are you always going to be the last one to show up?" Beth gave a sexy laugh and purred, "That's what I love about my Tommy—he's always last!" Of course she had to say that JUST as I took a big swig from my drink. Tony roared as Coke shot from my nose. ------- The rest of the run was uneventful—no more emergencies to test Beth's nerves. And then suddenly theater was over for the year—only our Senior year shows left. ------- As Spring break neared I was busy trying to come up with a way to make it special for Beth. Then the phone call came— "Tommy, this is Beth's dad. Do you have any plans for break?" "Well, sir, I've been trying to come up with something special for Beth and I and haven't been able to think of anything that would really get her." "I don't want to make you feel obligated or anything, but how would you like to take Beth to the Caribbean?" The Caribbean? Yeah, right. Maybe if I won the lottery! "Um, I'd love to, but, um, well—" "Tommy, I'm sorry, I didn't explain. One of my suppliers has a place on one of the small islands down there and he offered it to me for a week. Unfortunately, we can't make it but I'd hate to have to turn down his offer. "You've done so much for Beth. The changes in her this year have been amazing. I know you don't feel you had that much to do with it, but between that and then saving her life this winter, well we both feel we owe you something. Please consider it. And don't worry about the cost—I'll cover the flight and any other expenses. Will you consider it?" "I'd love to take Beth down there but I don't know if I'd feel right about you paying for everything." "Well, think about it, please? Maybe talk it over with your parents?" "Okay, I'll talk to the folks tonight and let you know." I hung up the phone and just stared at it. ------- I was still staring at the phone when Dad walked in the door just after five. "Hey, Tommy, what are you staring at so seriously?" "Huh? Oh, hi Dad. I'm just trying to decide if I should make Beth happy or be able to look myself in the mirror in the morning." "Whoa, sounds serious. You want to talk about it?" "Yeah, I guess I should. Mr. Jones called me this afternoon and offered to pay for a trip to the Caribbean for us the week of Spring vacation." "And there's problem with that?" Dad sounded incredulous. "I just feel like I'm accepting charity—I don't deserve a gift, especially like that." "Tommy, your mother and I have spent some time with the Joneses and I think you're making too much of this. When I hear Beth's mom talking about what Beth was like before you came along it's like you gave her a whole new daughter. Have you and Beth ever talked about how she felt before you shook her up?" "Well, no. I know she was always quiet in school. The rest of us always thought she was just acting like none of us were worth her notice. It wasn't until we spent some time together when you were at the wedding that I realized she was just shy and quiet." "And look at her now," Dad countered. "Could you imagine the old Beth up on stage, even in a back-row chorus part, let alone as a lead? Can you see why her parents might be grateful to the person who brought her out of her shell?" "Well, yeah, but I didn't DO those things—she did!" "So it's just coincidence that it happened while you were around? C'mon, son—false modesty isn't going to fly here. You were responsible for at least part of Beth's change, no matter how you want to look at it. And her folks are grateful." He looked me square in the eye. "Or is there another reason?" That's one thing I don't like about my father—he has this way of forcing a person to look at the uncomfortable things about themselves—even things you hadn't even realized you felt. "Well..." Oh shit. How to say this without hurting Dad's feelings? "I just wanted to do something where I'd pay for everything. Beth is a girl I never in my wildest dreams ever thought would be interested in someone like me. I mean she's beautiful and smart and, and her folks are rich, and..." I ran down, afraid I'd said too much. "And we're not, right?" "No! That's not what I meant!" Or was it? My parents both worked to provide us with a good life. We had a nice house, not the biggest in the neighborhood, but nice and big enough for the four of us. They bought me a car for my sixteenth birthday, okay it wasn't new, but still ... But when I look at what Beth had—the huge house; the cars; hell, even her expensive camera, I guess my subconscious was telling me I wasn't worthy of someone like her. And suddenly I was ashamed. A little because I felt she was so special and a little because we weren't as rich as she was. And that just added to my shame—that I could be ashamed of my parents because they didn't have everything Beth's parents did. My face must have mirrored my thoughts, because Dad got a sad look on his face, put his hand on my shoulder and quietly said, "I wish we could give you more." I lost it. I fell against Dad and sobbed harder than when I broke my leg when I was six. I swear this hurt more. Mom and Kevin walked in as I was crying. Kevin wisely headed for his room as Mom came over and looked at Dad. He just shook his head and in that ESP that parents seem to have she understood and walked out of the room. When I'd recovered enough to trust my voice I looked up at Dad, "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't feel that way. I just. I just..." I just ran down. I felt I had to say SOMETHING but didn't know how to describe the riot of emotions battling in my head. Dad patted my shoulder, "Tommy, you're not feeling anything different than I did when I was your age. I'd met a girl who turned out to have rich parents, much richer even than Beth's, and I was so busy trying to impress her and feel worthy of her that I ended up pushing her away. Oh, not on purpose, but because of some of the things I said and did she decided that maybe she could do better with someone else. I was devastated. It turned out okay because I met your mother the next summer and that's when I realized it's the person, not what they have, that's important. "Don't make the same mistake with Beth. You've found a real gem in that girl. Don't mess it up by letting your ego get between you." "So you think I should accept his offer of the trip?" Wasn't this where we started? "Well, I guess I'd look at it in comparison with other things they've done for her. Don't compare them to us. Just look at what they've done, either for Beth alone or as a family. And how would this compare? And don't discount their gratitude toward you. You may not think it's justified, but how do they feel? That's what's important here. Does that help?" "Yeah ... yeah, it does. Dad, do these decisions get any easier when you grow up?" "Well ... I wish I could say they do, but I've found that as I get more experience to base my decisions on, the questions just get tougher, so I guess not." "Gee, thanks," I sighed. I called Mr. Jones back later that night and told him I'd be happy to accept his offer and asked if he'd mentioned anything to Beth. "No, Tommy, I didn't want to say anything until I had a chance to talk to you. I know you don't like to take anything you feel you haven't earned, and I respect you for that. "A lot of guys would grab anything they could so your attitude is a pleasant surprise for us. Believe me when I say that your attitude and maturity have a lot to do with the amount of freedom we've given the two of you." Oh, shit. How do you respond to something like that? "I'm just trying to make Beth happy. She's really special to me and if I can do something she'd enjoy, I want to do it. "Can I ask that you let me tell her? I realize it's really your gift, but..." "Tommy, I wouldn't dream of spoiling your surprise. Do you want to talk to her now?" "No, I want to see her expression so I really appreciate your letting me tell her." "Have fun springing it on her. You may want to pick a private spot, though," he chuckled. "Um, good idea and thanks again." "You're very welcome, Tommy." We're going to the Caribbean! At that moment I knew this Spring break would be something special. ------- "WE'RE GOING WHERE?!" "Someplace where you're going to need that little black bikini. You know—the one that started this whole ride. We're just headed for some little pile of rocks in the middle of a lot of water—nice, warm water. Probably even warm enough for skinny-dipping. Hmm ... maybe you won't need the bikini after all!" Beth's excitement was everything I'd thought it would be. That's why I waited until we were at the farm before I sprang it on her. "Yeahbut ... I mean how ... I mean ... the Caribbean? How'd you manage that?" "Wellll ... would you be upset if I told you your dad had something to do with it?" "My dad? Wait a minute! I remember a phone conversation he had a couple of weeks ago. Something about being offered the use of somebody's vacation home. Does that have anything to do with it?" And people wonder why I never try to put anything over on my lady. "Uh huh. He called me earlier this week and said he and your mom couldn't go and asked if I'd like to take you." "And you probably started to say no. That you hadn't earned it. Right?" Damn woman must be psychic. "Yeah. Then he said to talk it over with the folks, so I did and Dad made me re-think some things." Beth was quiet for what seemed like a long time, then she turned to me, "Tommy, don't get mad, but I've got to ask you something that may be embarrassing." I waited, just looking at her. "Tommy, does it bother you that my folks have what they have?" "Do you mean am I ashamed that mine don't have as much?" She just nodded. "That's what Dad and I talked about. Well, that and my stubborn streak." "You mean the stubborn streak that makes it damn near impossible for you to accept a favor from someone?" "Um, yeah. That would be the one. He set me straight on a few things and kind of forced me to face up to a couple of not-so-nice things about myself. Things I hadn't even realized I felt." Beth looked down for a moment then looked at me and said in a quiet voice, "Is one of those things that you're afraid you're going to lose me to some guy with more money? 'Cause if that's what you're thinking, you couldn't be more wrong. "Tommy, I never told you this before, but I'd seen you at the café on Friday nights before. Why do you think it was that particular night that I accepted your offer of a ride? It wasn't like it was the first time you'd offered a ride to anybody who needed one." "I don't know. I was too busy trying to remember how to breathe and walk at the same time—you scared the shit out of me, lady." "Why?" How can such a short word carry such meaning? "Why? Because you were Bethany Anne Jones. You were beautiful, rich, haughty—or so we all thought—and I guess I was a little ashamed of not having a fancy car to drive you home." Beth slid closer to me and it was like she was looking deep into my soul, "And do you still think that way?" "Um, well, I did, a little bit, I guess, but after I talked to Dad I spent a lot of time in my room just thinking about us." "And what did you come up with?" Beth asked quietly. "Well, you remember I was almost as scared as you that first week at school? How I felt that once you had the confidence you'd drop me for somebody better?" She looked at me, "And how scared I was when you said we had to talk? Scared that you were going to dump me?" "Yeah. Well I finally faced up to something that had been right in front of me for months but I just couldn't see it—if you were going to get rid of me for someone else it wouldn't have taken you half the year to do it. And that maybe, just a little bit, you liked me for who I am, not what I have or don't have." Beth took my face between her hands and kissed me—just a tender kiss. "Tommy, that's exactly the way I feel. Sometimes I feel guilty that my folks have so much. I'm glad we've gotten past that, because I love you, you goof. And I don't want things to ever come between us." ------- Chapter 20: Spring Break! A week later I was sitting on a beach, reading a Neal Stephenson novel and occasionally glancing over at Beth, lying on a towel, nude, well slathered in SPF50 sunscreen, reading Atlas Shrugged. Her choice in literature probably should have intimidated me but I was too damned relaxed to care. ------- The previous day we'd flown into Nassau and boarded a boat for a two-hour cruise to a private island—only six beach houses on the whole island, four of which were vacant the whole time we were there. The place we were staying in was great—a private dock with a great catamaran and a couple of jet skis, and a beach house that probably cost more than Beth's parents' house. We'd unpacked in record time—after all, how much stuff do you need for a trip like this—changed into our suits and hit the beach—fine white sand, bright fish darting away as we splashed into the clear blue water and ... silence. I never realized how much noise surrounded me every day. Even at the farm we could still hear the muted sound of cars on the road. But here—nothing but the soft sound of the waves as they washed the sand and an occasional bird squawking in the distance. After we goofed around in the water for a while, Beth walked up on the beach, turned back to face me, and—with a huge smile on her face—pulled the strings on her top and tossed it in the air. Life was good. I waded out of the water and leered at her, "Amazing, just amazing." "Thank you, kind sir!" Beth grinned. "That's not what I meant. I was trying to figure out how I ended up here with the wrong girl." "The wrong girl?" "Yeah, The girl I'm thinking of panicked at the thought of putting on that suit in the privacy of her own bedroom. And here you are wearing only half of it—and in public, too!" "In public? Suddenly a school of fish and two gulls constitute the public?" she chuckled. "But you're right, I'm not that girl. At least not any more." We'd both had enough sun for a while, so we gathered our stuff and went back to the house to dress. "Let's grab the ATV and explore!" Beth suggested. "Sounds good. But I'll drive. Remember the last time you were behind the wheel of a four-wheel-drive vehicle!" "But it's not snowing!" "No sense in taking any chances," I said just before the pillow whacked me in the side of the head. We got dressed and I grabbed the keys from a hook next to the door before Beth could get to them. Our exploration didn't take very long, the road was really nothing more than a path connecting the six residences on the island—not real exciting. ------- Later we were back on the beach, Beth again lying topless on her towel and I was rubbing sunscreen into her back when I heard a cough. I turned around and saw a couple standing by the water, having obviously walked down the beach. "Hello," the guy said. He was about thirty as was his companion, a stunning blond with a figure very much like Beth's. "We heard someone was going to be staying at Matt's place this week and just wanted to walk over and welcome you. We're Bob and Sue Webber." I stood up and shook their hands as Beth tried to figure out where her top ended up. Sue just chuckled, "Don't be embarrassed, just wrap yourself in your towel. We've all been caught once or twice." Beth gathered the towel around her and stood up, trying not to look too mortified. "This is Beth Jones and I'm Tommy Randahl. Nice to meet the neighbors." "Are you down here for school break?" Sue asked. "I know a lot of the colleges are out this week." "Ah, yeah," was all Beth could get out. I didn't correct their assumption that we were in college. "Well, we just wanted to stop by and say hello. Stop over at our place if you get the chance." With that they continued their walk down the beach. Just before they headed around the outcropping at the end of our beach Sue turned around, winked and said, "We won't interrupt you again!" Then she scampered around the corner. I looked over at Beth, "Are you okay?" "I almost forgot I didn't have my top on! This place could be dangerous." "Somehow I don't think you'd shock anyone. Remember, most of the world is a lot easier about this stuff than the good old U S of A. "It's going to take some getting used to," Beth said as she spread out her towel and lay down again. "Now, I believe you were in the middle of something." I reached for the SPF50... ------- Beth had fallen asleep during my sunscreen application so I cleaned my hands off in the Caribbean and decided to check out the neighborhood. I'd walked up the beach for maybe a mile and had just turned around to walk back when I saw Beth walking toward me. I noticed she'd found her top. "I almost panicked when I woke up and you weren't there. Then I figured your itch to find out what was around the next corner had you off exploring, so—" "—So you figured you'd try it yourself, right?" Beth got her little-girl-lost look, scuffed her foot in the sand and, in that little-girl voice that she knows I can't resist, said, "I was all alone a-and I got scared." The whole act would have been much more believable if she hadn't giggled. I picked her up, waded into the water and dropped her in. She came up sputtering, then just floated on her back and looked at me, "Tommy, I love you so much. Do you know that?" I pulled her to her feet and wrapped my arms around her, "I'm glad to hear that. 'Cause I'm not going to let you go." We walked back to the house and grilled a couple of steaks for dinner then sat on the beach to watch the sun set. Being from the more northerly latitudes we weren't ready for how quickly it goes down in the Tropics. That first night we were lying in bed listening to the surf when Beth rolled over and whispered in my ear, "Can we just stay here forever? I don't want to go home." "Hey, we just got here. Don't you think we should let the newness rub off before we start changing citizenship?" "Well ... if you insist." Then she snaked her hand between us and grabbed me, "Will this thing work when it's out of the country?" It did. ------- The next morning I was awakened from a most pleasant dream by a cold sensation in my crotch, followed by a warm one. I opened my eyes to see Beth leaning over me with half an orange in one hand and a wicked grin on her face. She squeezed the orange and licked the juice off me again. "Mmm, hi there," I said as I stretched. "I'd ask what's for breakfast, but it looks like you've already decided." "Don't bother me. I'm trying to make the perfect orange smoothie and I've got to concentrate." It only took a couple of more minutes for her to get it right. She seemed to enjoy it so much I figured I'd try to make one too, so I grabbed her, rolled her onto her back and got to work. ------- After we showered, Beth grabbed her book and started for the beach. "Um, understand I'm not complaining, but aren't you forgetting something?" "Oh, you're right. Can you bring the sunscreen?" With that—and a shake of her perfect derriere—she was gone. What could I do? I grabbed my book, the bottle of SPF50, and followed her beautiful cheeks down the path. After slathering up her back and lying in the sun reading for a short time I figured it was time to leave YT and Hero to their own devices for a while and go for a swim. I laid my book down, grabbed a mask and fins and set off to explore our little bay. The crystal-clear water and myriad variety of fish were amazing. I'd done some snorkeling before, but the lakes at home were no match for the clarity and colors of the Caribbean. I felt like a little kid again—in a warm bathtub surrounded by a host of colorful toys. It bothered me that people could be callous enough to let all this beauty disappear from simple neglect. After about an hour—I'm guessing, I hadn't worn my watch on this trip and had no plans to start—I swam back to shore to find my lovely lady had given up on Ayn Rand and was lying on her back exposing all her charms to the Caribbean sun. Lucky sun. "You're not going to burn are you?" I said as I walked out of the water. "Not after you get to work," she replied, adding a sensuous stretch. I got the hint—and the sunscreen. There may be a more enjoyable way to spend time than rubbing nice, slippery oil all over the body of your love but I couldn't think of one. "I think you missed a spot," Beth lazily murmured. "I don't think that's a spot that's going to see a lot of sun," I replied. "Depends on how you spell it," she said, channeling Groucho Marx. I got the hint, crawled between her legs to get to the missed spot and did a thorough visual, tactile and oral inspection. It didn't take too long to realize sunscreen was NOT the same as flavored massage oil, but I kept going until I'd pushed Beth over the top—twice. After she recovered, she grabbed me, dragged me up her slippery body and soon we both were letting the gulls know how much fun we were having. As we lay there recovering she rolled over, threw a leg over mine and whispered, "Is that what they mean by pounding sand?" ------- After we walked back up the path to the house Beth looked at me, "How about getting dressed and doing some sailing?" "Welll ... I like the sound of HALF your idea," I leered at her. "Has anyone told you you're a dirty old man?" "But I'm not old!" I protested as I hoisted her in my arms and headed for the shower, grumbling about my inconsiderate girlfriend who made me cover her in sunscreen only to insist I wash it all off an hour later. ------- After we cleaned up and dressed we walked down to the dock to check out the Atlantic 42 catamaran tied there. I'll admit the cat intimidated me a bit. I'd done some sailing at home—a friend's family had an E-Class sailboat on one of the bigger local lakes and we'd often spend a whole day following Water Rat's advice: "There is NOTHING—absolutely nothing—half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."—but that forty-two-foot cat looked like The Enterprise tied up in front of us. "Are you sure you want to do this," I asked. "Sure, it's easy!" I marveled again at the change in Beth, finding it difficult to reconcile the confident beauty in front of me with the quiet bookworm I'd first met. We unlocked the cabin and got Matt's Helm under power. We soon had the sails up, the engine shut down, and were skimming over the blue Caribbean water. I looked over at Beth, wondering if my grin was as big as hers and I promised myself that someday I'd have a boat like this. We sailed into the harbor of the small town on a nearby island to snoop around a little and pick up some souvenirs for family and friends. After an hour or so of looking through the local shops full of touristy stuff we'd bought what seemed like enough stuff to start our own shop so we headed back to the boat. Beth had asked the dockmaster to top off the half-full tanks even though we'd barely used any fuel. This whole adventure was due to the generosity of one of her dad's business associates and we wanted to make sure he didn't regret the offer in any way. As we sailed back toward our private paradise I realized Beth was looking at me. "Whatcha' looking at, dollface?" I said in my best Bogie voice. "Just checking to see if my guy was enjoying himself and wondering if he'd be up for a hijacking." I momentarily felt my heart hit my Adams Apple—boats did disappear in these waters occasionally, but Beth had another idea. "Why don't we spend the night right here on the boat? We can drop anchor just offshore at our place and pretend we're lost in the South Pacific somewhere." I like the way she thinks. ------- There's something that can't be duplicated in watching the sun set from the deck of a boat. The water all around you, the breeze whispering through the rigging, the way the sun reflects off the water before its final dive into the sea—heaven. Especially with Beth in my arms. "What're you thinking?" I asked. "How would you like to be Robinson Crusoe?" "Depends. Are you going to be Friday? 'Cause otherwise I don't think I'd be interested," I said as I pulled her closer. "Mmmm," she purred. "I'd be the whole darn week if we could stay like this." Can't argue with logic like that. ------- The rest of our week in paradise was just as wonderful. We spent a day with Bob and Sue Webber. We picked them up in the cat and spent the day fishing and exploring the surrounding little islands while Bob kept us entertained with Jimmy Buffet-like stories that I'm sure Sue had heard a thousand times before. They invited us for dinner after we sailed back. Sue fixed a huge salad while Bob and I grilled the fish we'd caught—a great day with a great couple. As we were getting ready to leave we exchanged contact info and promised to keep in touch. ------- As they say all good things must end and Saturday morning found us waiting for the boat to take us back to Nassau for the flight home. We'd spent Friday afternoon making sure the cat and house were cleaned up and in at least as good a shape as we found them and left an envelope with cash to cover the groceries we'd used, along with a thank you note for Matt. I never did learn his last name. ------- I'd convinced Beth to bring her camera on our trip and she'd agreed—with the proviso that SHE was in charge of ALL the memory cards. I was going to scream censorship until I realized she'd be much more open to pictures when she knew she had control over which ones others would see. The week after we got back she brought a package along for our usual Friday-night café/coffee house stop where she presented me with a framed sixteen-by-twenty print of a beautiful sunset—one we'd taken while on the Matts' Helm. While everybody was oh-ing and ah-ing over the picture Beth whispered in my ear, "Take the backing paper off when you get home." Later that night I sat at my desk—with my door securely shut—and carefully cut away the paper from the back of the frame... Late in the afternoon on one of the last days of our vacation we were lying on the sand when Beth asked me to really slather her up—but with baby oil, not sunscreen. When I had finished that onerous chore and had all the extra oil cleaned off my hands, I looked up to find a golden goddess standing in the dying rays of the setting sun. She looked at me, reached into her beach bag and pulled out the Nikon. "I want something to remember. Something special," she purred. The little imp that inhabits my head wondered what will happen, many years from now, when we have a family, and our kids—or grandkids!— are going through our effects and come across the picture mounted inside the back of that frame... ------- Chapter 21: Prom The following Monday it was back to the grind. We both spent a lot of time explaining to people where we got the tans—let's face it, I don't care how much sunscreen you use, a week in the Caribbean is going to leave you a golden brown—and your friends slightly green. ------- Greg caught me after last period Monday afternoon, "So what are you two doing for the Prom?" Prom? OH, SHIT! Something had been rooting around in the back of my head for a couple of weeks and it just kicked me—big time—I hadn't asked Beth! Was I starting to take our relationship for granted? That was going to stop right now! As we were driving home, I took a detour through a local park and drove around until I found a quiet spot to stop the car. "What's up, Tommy?" Beth asked. "I've got to apologize, Beth. I really screwed up." "What'd you do?" "It's what I didn't do. I forgot to ask you if you'd go to the Prom with me. I'm sorry," I said as contritely as I could. "Prom? You want to take me to the Prom?" I heard a little echo of the old Beth in there. "Don't you want to go?" Now I was confused. I just assumed that everybody who was going with somebody would be there. Had I just put my size twelves in it again—in reverse? "Tommy, I don't know how to dance! I'd look like a fool!" Yup, the old Beth was still hiding in a dark corner waiting to pounce. "But you CAN dance, at least you did for the show." "Well, yeah, but that was stuff for the show. I've never tried just dancing before!" Time to admit my own shortcomings, "Beth, I can't dance either. Oh, I can shuffle around to the slow stuff, but that's it. But nobody says we have to dance all night. It'll just be a good excuse to get dressed up and spend time with our friends." "Are you sure?" She sounded like she wanted to be convinced. "Yes. I don't know about Cindy, but I know Greg can't dance any better than I can and I know they're going." "Oh, God, I'll have to find a dress and shoes and..." Yup, we were going. ------- The Friday night of the Prom I drove my freshly washed beater over to Beth's and walked up to the front door. Her dad open the door, "Tommy! Come on in! Beth will be down ... well, I guess when she's ready," he laughed. "By the way, you look pretty good in tux." "Uh. Thanks," I said as I ran my finger around the inside of my collar. Beth's dad just chuckled. Then Beth came down the stairs and suddenly there was no one else in the world. She was wearing a white dress with one shoulder bare. The skirt ended just short of her knees and the total effect was breathtaking. "Wow," was all I could whisper. "Thank you," she replied with the same little grin that I'd first seen that Friday when we'd met. Beth's mom appeared with her camera for the requisite pictures and then it was time to go. As we got to the front door, Beth's dad held out his hand with a set of keys, "Please don't scratch it. Oh, and try to be back by Sunday afternoon." I looked at the keys he'd dropped in my hand. On the ring were two keys—a BMW key and a room key. As we walked out the front door I saw his brand new platinum gray 535i sitting in the driveway—Beth's mom must have snuck it out of the garage while we were talking. "Have fun, kids!" he said as he closed the front door. "Holy shit," I whispered. Beth clutched my arm, "I think Dad likes you." I opened the passenger door for Beth and caught the smell of new leather. I walked around to the driver's side and got in, "Do you know what this is all about?" I dangled the room key. Beth blushed, "Well, Daddy thought we'd want to extend the prom a bit." "Do Cindy and Greg know about this? I mean they ARE riding with us, right?" "Well, Cindy knows about it," Beth giggled. "Oh, by the way, Dad said it's a suite." This was going to be a hell of a weekend! ------- We drove over to pick up Greg and he dead-stopped as he came out the door, "Is that Beth's dad's new Beemer?" "Uh huh." "Holy shit, Cindy's gonna freak!" Greg said as he got in the backseat. She's not the only one, my friend, I thought to myself as I looked at the extra key dangling from the ignition. We drove to Cindy's house and waited in the car as Greg went in to get her. Cindy came out in a deep purple strapless dress that looked really good on her short, busty frame. She saw the car and turned to Greg, "You DID get a limo!" He just grinned. As they got to the car I jumped out to open the back door, "M'lady, your chariot awaits!" "Tommy?" Cindy leaned down and looked in the car, "Beth! Wait! Is this your dad's new car?" Beth nodded. Cindy looked at me, "Wow, Beth's dad must REALLY like you! I mean, a brand new BMW?" "Well, not brand new—I mean, it's already got 425 miles on it,"—I'd checked the odometer when I first got in. "Holy shit," Cindy whispered as Greg helped her into the car. I'd made reservation at one of the nice restaurants in town—you know, the kind that's been around forever and has the best steaks and seafood? As the maitre d' seated us I noticed a lot of tuxes and formal dresses in the room. Obviously we weren't the only ones celebrating tonight. Greg and I ordered steaks while the girls both opted for trout. The restaurant has its own trout stream winding through the outdoor seating area so the four of us walked out there and I got a couple of pictures of Beth and Cindy netting their dinners. Both girls were flushed with excitement by the time we got back to our table. "I've heard of having to sing for my supper, but that's the first time I've ever had to FISH for it!" Beth exclaimed. "And I've never seen two more beautiful fishermen, er, ladies," Greg responded. You'd think that four people who saw each other every day would have a hard time finding something to talk about, but we chatted through our salads and right up to when the waiter brought our meals. ------- We got to the hotel and let the valet whisk the car away—luckily I remembered to take the room key off the ring first! We walked into the ballroom and found our table. A lot of our friends were there already and everybody had to say hello. Greg and I headed over to get Cokes for the girls when Jay Stevens walked up, "Tommy, Greg, how you guys doing?" "Pretty good, Jay. How about you?" "Getting ready to graduate, I think." I'd forgotten that Jay was a year older than the rest of us. "Tommy, I want to apologize for what a jackass I was." I grinned, "Jay, I was just going to apologize to you for setting you up that day you were suspended! And to thank you again for helping find Beth during the blizzard last winter." We both just stood there and laughed—all bad karma gone. We got back to our table just as the band lit off on their first number—a little too fast for any of the four of us. We sat and talked, well the girls talked—mainly about who was wearing what—until the first slow number came up. I stood and pulled Beth's chair out as Greg did the same for Cindy. I took Beth in my arms and she snuggled in for a perfect fit and we just swayed to the music, shuffling our feet just enough to move a bit. Looking around I saw a few couples who really knew how to dance but a majority looked like us—just enjoying holding each other. The rest of the evening was pretty much the same—sit out the fast numbers and snuggle through the slow ones. Greg took Beth out on the floor a couple of times and I enjoyed holding Cindy close as we rubbed together to the music. Jay came over and asked if Beth would share a dance with him, she grinned, "I'd say that's the least I can do for the guy who saved me!" Tony Thomas had a chance to dance with her too. They made a great-looking couple, but I wasn't worried—Tony was engaged already, to a girl he'd been with for as long as I'd known him. ------- Eventually the evening wore down as couples started drifting off, either for home or a party somewhere else. Speaking of the rest of the evening, I reached into my pocket to make sure the key was still there. Greg looked at our ladies, "Are you ready to go?" Cindy looked at Beth who looked at me. Greg looked at all of us, "Okay, what's going on?" "Oh, nothing," Cindy told him as she took his arm and we all headed for the elevators instead of the front door. I checked the room number on the key—Top Floor! Obviously, Beth's dad spared no expense on this evening. When we got to the room I opened the door and stepped back to let our ladies precede us into the room. "Wow!" was Cindy's first comment. "This place is huge!" Greg walked in and looked around, "Have I been set up?" Cindy just giggled and nodded. "Don't feel bad, I didn't know anything about this—or the car—until I picked up Beth tonight." I told him. We explored the suite—a huge living room and two big bedrooms, each with it's own bathroom, including a Jacuzzi! Beth kicked off her shoes and walked over to a built-in Bose sound system, "I want to dance some more." She turned on the system and found a station plying the kind of music we all liked to shuffle around to. As Beth melted into my arms, I heard Greg whisper to Cindy, "How long have you known about this?" Cindy just grinned, "Since the day after you asked Tommy about his plans for tonight." A little later Beth nudged me and motioned to where Greg and Cindy were dancing. Greg was nuzzling Cindy's cleavage which, considering Greg's six-one height to Cindy's five-three, meant he was almost bent double. "I'm sure glad we don't have that problem," I murmured in Beth's ear. "Yeah, I don't have any cleavage to nuzzle," she replied with a sigh. I reached between us to prove her wrong. "Is that proper ballroom etiquette?" she grinned. "Is this a proper ballroom?" I responded, matching her grin. We danced and talked for a half an hour before Greg stretched and yawned, "Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm calling it for tonight." "Yeah," Cindy faked a yawn. "I'm bushed." I was a good boy and kept my mouth shut ... at least until we got to our room. ------- Beth was looking out over the city lights. I stepped up behind her and put my hands on her shoulders, "Did you enjoy yourself tonight?" I whispered in her ear. "Mmm, I loved tonight," she replied as she leaned back into me. I started kissing her bare shoulder and slowly worked my way up to her ear. While tracing the outline of her ear with my tongue I reached around her to cradle her breasts in my hands. "Why, sir!" Beth drawled in her best Scarlett O'Hara voice, "Is that proper?" "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," I Rhett-ed back to her. She chuckled and I reached back to the zipper on her dress, her chuckle becoming a purr, "What are you doing?" "Only what I've been thinking of ever since you came down the stairs this evening." I kissed the spot where her shoulder met her neck and felt a shiver run through her body. I pulled her zipper down until the whole back of the dress was open and I verified she hadn't worn a bra. I slipped the dress off her shoulder and slid it down her body until she could step out of it. Since I had no idea how to hang up a one-armed dress, I just laid it carefully over the back of one of the chairs. Beth stood before me in just panties, a white garter belt, and stockings, real stockings, no pantyhose. I tried to whistle but I'd misplaced my breath somewhere. I picked her up and carefully put her on the bed then unclipped her left stocking and rolled it carefully down her leg, caressing as much skin as I could in the process. When I had the left stocking off, I started on the right. "Hurry, Tommy!" Beth pleaded. Not tonight I thought to myself. When I had both nylons—or were they silk?—off I reached up and unfastened her garter belt then slowly slid her panties off, kissing my way down her legs as I went. "Tommmyyy..." I stood up and just looked at the beauty arrayed before me and marveled again at what a lucky SOB I was. It didn't take me very long to get out of my own finery and then I was lying next to my princess. I kissed her and felt her tongue frantically dart into my mouth. I pulled back just enough to look into those deep blue eyes. The next thing I knew I was on my back with Beth hovering over my erection. She started by just blowing a soft jet of air over the head—already damp in anticipation. When I tried to raise my hips, she backed away ... and just looked at me. Looks like it was time to play nice. As she moved back to me her tongue extended to just touch the tip of my erection. It took all my willpower to keep my hips on the mattress as she started to gently run her tongue around the crown. I heard someone whimper—that couldn't be me! Could it? Beth moved down to the base and in one long lick moved from base to tip and I exploded. Perhaps it was an entire evening of subtle teasing, but for whatever reason I was on a hair trigger and when I came I thought I'd pass out, "Oh, God! Beth!" And then she was lying next to me, a leg across my thighs and an arm across my chest, "Somebody made a mess down there," she giggled. "You think Housekeeping would mind cleaning it up in the morning?" By that time I'd recovered enough to breath, "My God, woman, are you trying to kill me?" "Oh, no, I'm going to keep you around for a long time," was her throaty chuckle. I ran my fingers down her back and then around to her right breast, capturing the nipple between my thumb and finger, "Remember the first time I did this?" "Mmm, yeah. A girl always remembers the first time she gets felt up." Okay, time for some revenge. I pushed Beth off me, then rolled her onto her stomach and started laying a line of feathery kisses from her shoulders down to her waist. "If you try to skip down to my feet like you've done before you're dead," she growled. So much for revenge. I gently pushed her legs apart then crawled between them and moved up so I could continue my journey, stopping only long enough to pay homage to the twin dimples that graced her lower spine. As I started to kiss her right cheek I heard that whining again—this time I was sure it wasn't me. I switched to her left cheek before extending my tongue and tickling the beginning of the valley between them. I moved my hand between her thighs and ran a finger over her center and her hips came off the bed as she came—her screams muffled by the pillow she'd buried her face in. When the fireworks stopped Beth had curled up in a fetal position and I thought she'd fallen asleep but when I moved up behind her she snuggled back against me. I pulled her close and we both drifted off. I woke up some time later and opened my eyes only to see Beth looking at me, "Hello, Princess," I whispered. A small tear escaped one eye and rolled down her cheek, "What did I do to deserve a guy like you, Tommy?" "I guess it was fate, or had you planned to meet me that night?" I was joking but a slight blush crept across her face. "Tommy, don't hate me, but that's exactly what I did. I knew you always asked if anybody needed a ride so I didn't drive that night, I caught a ride with one of the other kids. And then I almost blew it—when you asked I was almost to scared to answer!" "Why all the fancy stuff? You could have just said hello at school." "But I couldn't! Remember how shy I was? There was no way I could have just walked up to you in the hall and started a conversation!" "Are you sorry you accepted my offer?" I held my breath. "Oh, God, no! Tommy, you changed my whole life and I'm sorry it took me this long to admit what I did. I tried once before but—" "—But I changed the subject." I said, thinking back, then I chuckled. "What's so funny?" she asked. "Oh, I was just thinking that if the situation had been reversed I'd probably do the same thing." "You? But you're always so sure of yourself!" "What? Who me?" I was flabbergasted. "Yes, you. Think about how you responded when Cindy and I had our accident. I talked with Steve and a couple of the other guys that were there and they all said you were the one in charge!" "Beth that wasn't being in charge. That was raw stark terror. Dammit, I thought I was going to lose you!" I started shaking when all the feelings from that day came flooding back. Beth held me tight, "But Tommy, you didn't panic! It may have felt like it, but it was YOU who planned everything, remember what Ron from the ambulance said?" "If that's being sure of myself then I don't EVER want to panic. "I'm just glad you're still here," I said as I pulled her closer and started stroking her side. Soon the strokes became more insistent as Beth wiggled against my growing erection. Suddenly she pulled loose, pushed me onto my back and climbed onto me. As she started to move she looked down with a feral grin, "I've been waiting since three this afternoon to do this!" Three? She was a late starter. ------- Saturday morning we woke up still entwined—and totally wrapped up in the sheets. "I think we're trapped," I said. "Oh, I hope not. As much as I'd like to stay here forever, I drank way too much Coke last night!" We finally found the key to our prison and I lay back to watch Beth as she scampered to the bathroom. Shortly after I heard water running into the tub so I got out of bed and padded over to the bathroom door. "Are you going to stay in there all day?" The door opened just enough for Beth to grab me and pull me into the steam-filled room, "I need help. Somebody's got to scrub my back," she said with a grin. "How 'bout your front?" I leered. "Hmm ... will there be an extra charge?" "Nope, courtesy of the house. Only the best for our special guests." It's fun to sit in the tub with your special lady snuggled up in front of you. Aim one of the Jacuzzi's water jets at JUST the right spot, add a little assist with your fingers, and see how much water ends up on the floor before everybody quiets down. I was ready to put on my clothes from last night when Beth walked over to the closet. Inside were clean clothes for both of us. She and Cindy had—with our mothers' help—collected fresh stuff for us and brought it to the hotel when they checked in—at ten yesterday morning! Greg and I might as well surrender now. We didn't stand a chance. Beth and I walked into the main part of the suite just as Cindy and Greg did. He looked at me and shrugged. We were out-classed and knew it. After breakfast in the hotel's restaurant we decided to just walk around the downtown area. The girls wanted to do some shopping so Greg and I had a couple of hours on our own to kill and I had an idea. If only I could pull it off... When we met the girls after their shopping spree we hit a couple of art galleries just to see what some people consider art these days, and grabbed lunch from a cart in one of the parks. "So what are we going to do tonight?" Cindy asked. "I don't know, maybe just sit around and watch TV?" Greg deadpanned. "No! We've got to do something!" Beth insisted. "Okay," I replied, "let's grab dinner and then see what we can find to do on a Saturday night." After dinner I suggested a stroll through the theater district. As we were walking past the theaters talking about the various shows I dead-stopped in front of one with HAIR! on the marquee. "This look interesting, let's go! "It also says Sold Out," Beth mentioned, pointing to a note on the ticket window. "Oh, they don't really mean it," I responded. "Tommy. Are you up to something?" Isn't it horrible how suspicious some people are? I pulled four tickets out of my pocket, "Maybe these will work." "Tommy..." "C'mon, you'll get a kick out of it." Dad had the original cast recording stashed away. I'd found it a couple of years ago and made an MP3 for myself. Although the Sixties were ancient history to me I was curious to see how Beth would respond to some of the songs. Not to mention the end of the first act when the entire cast ends up on stage nude... I gave the usher our tickets and we were led to fourth-row-center seats. "Tommy, how long have you been planning this?" Beth asked, a suspicious note in her voice. "Who? Me?" I wasn't going to tell her Greg and I picked up the tickets just that morning. Most theaters hold back some tickets in case they have some special guests they want to accommodate. They'll hold those "house seats" until a few hours before show time and if you hit it just right you can nab them. But ... call too early and they aren't available, call too late and they're gone. We'd lucked out. After we were seated Beth started looking through the program, "Tommy, what kind of show is this?" She'd been looking at the list of songs Hashish, Sodomy, Colored Spade, and The Bed—among other titles had her a bit suspicious. "It's a show originally done in the Sixties, some called it a hippie musical. Relax, you'll love it." After the nude tableau at the end of the first act, Beth turned to me, "Mr. Franks wouldn't do a show like this would he?" Did I hear a bit of fear in her voice? "I don't know. Why don't you ask him? I don't think they've picked the show for next year." I'm a nasty person and will no doubt come to a bad end. "I'd have to spend next year at another school just to keep you two from talking me into it!" I chuckled, "Relax, they'd never do a high school production. At least not around here!" I glanced over at Cindy. Was that a disappointed look I saw? ------- After the show both Beth and Cindy admitted they'd enjoyed themselves. I knew Greg had—we'd listened to the music several times and he'd mentioned how much he'd like to see it on stage. We got back to our suite and all decided we'd had enough partying. Beth and I wished Cindy and Greg a good night and went to our room. "So did you really like the show?" I was curious what Beth's answer would be. Her reaction when she read the program had me wondering if I'd stepped over the line. "I wasn't sure at first, but once I got into it I loved it. But how do people have the guts to stand in front of an audience naked? I could NEVER do that!" "I think most productions make stripping optional although most cast members do. Something about showing they trust the audience, I suppose." "The music was great," Beth said. "But promise me that if we ever do the show you won't try to talk me into it. Please?" I promised. Besides I wasn't sure I wanted anybody else to see Beth in her birthday suit. Selfish of me, I know, but that's the way I felt. We undressed and crawled into bed and Beth cuddled up next to me, "I wonder what it was like—growing up during the Sixties?" "Why don't you ask your grandmother? She and your grandfather sound like the kind that probably have some hippie history." "I just can't see Grandma Joan dancing around with flowers in her hair." "Yeah, just like you couldn't see your folks humping like bunnies," I countered. "Oh, ick! You had to bring that up didn't you!" Beth actually shivered. "Oh, I don't know ... your mom's a pretty nice looking woman. I'll bet she could have had the guys lining up when she was our age. Maybe did..." "TOMMY! Stop that!" There was that elbow in my ribs again. "Sorry. I'll quit," I said as I wiggled my erection across her thighs. "So you've got a thing for older women, huh?" "You bet I do!" Beth's birthday was a month to the day before mine. "Oh, and quit poking me like that!" "Sorry," I said as I pulled my hips back. "Good night." "I didn't say stop. I said quit poking me LIKE THAT." "Yes, ma'am," I mumbled as I rolled her over and did as I was told. ------- Sunday morning we gathered all our stuff together and, after breakfast, got the car out of hock with the valet and headed home. We dropped Cindy off with Greg and then it was off to Beth's place. Beth's dad came out as we pulled up, "Any dents or scratches?" "Yes, Dad, we had a great time. Oh, and no damage to your baby," Beth replied. "Oh, sorry. So you had a good time, huh?" he said as he circled the Beemer, including a quick look at the odometer—only an additional twenty-five miles. That got me an approving look. After spending some time with Beth's folks talking about the weekend, I got a kiss goodbye and headed home to face the homework that was waiting for me. ------- A month later and we were attending the graduation ceremony and saying goodbye to the graduating seniors. We made plans to get together during the summer and then high school was over for another year—only one left! ------- The End ------- Posted: 2009-11-26 Last Modified: 2009-12-01 / 03:54:10 pm Version: 1.20 ------- http://storiesonline.net/ -------