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From: Magi <baner1@earthlink.net>
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NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2004 08:42:16 PDT
Subject: {ASSM} "Pete" A Young Man's Story  Chapter 64
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Date: Tue,  5 Oct 2004 16:10:02 -0400
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Chapter 64

Karen finished undressing, stepped out of the shade and laid her
clothes on the motorcycle seat. Then she turned toward me, and stood
there with the sunlight gleaming off her naked body. 
It made me gasp; she looked almost angelic, except angels weren't
supposed to be sexy. And Karen definitely looked sexy - very sexy. By
the time I got my clothes off, I was hard as a rock. We looked at each
other for a moment before I stepped forward and took her in my arms.
We kissed lightly, then we stood still for a minute, holding each
other. I could feel the sun on my shoulders, but a warm breeze was
wafting over us, and the combination of sensations and emotions was
downright magical.
Soon, I was holding her tightly against me, and my cock was trapped
between us. I was thinking how glad I was to be with her, when she
moved back slightly, bent down, and took its head into her mouth. I
closed my eyes and lost myself to the feeling as she lavished the head
with her tongue and let her fingertips dance along the shaft. It was
feeling too good, and I knew I couldn't stand very much of this, so I
reached down, put my hands under her arms and lifted her high above
me.
She giggled as she looked down at me, but her eyes showed pure lust.
She put her arms around my neck, wrapped her legs around me, and
pulled herself to me. The sight of her naked body so close kicked my
heartbeat into high gear. I moved my hands away from her body so I
could grab my hard cock in one hand and pull that curvy body of hers
down with the other. Within seconds, the head of my erection was
nudging the wetness of her opening. Then I pulled her farther down. We
both groaned as I buried myself inside her. For a while, we stood
nearly motionless as we savored the feeling.
Hours, days, or minutes later, I began slowly walking us toward the
tree. Of course, we jostled and rubbed against each other on the way,
but that only intensified the feeling. Karen kept babbling
"Yesoyesoyes," so I figured she was enjoying herself at least as much
as I was. As I settled her on her back, her eyes got big and she
moaned, "More. Ohgodmore."
I remembered how badly worried I'd been by yesterday's blood scare,
though, so I was determined to be gentle with her. I moved in and out
of her in long, smooth strokes, kissing and fondling her as we made
love slowly and luxuriantly.
We went on for what seemed a long time. Long enough that Karen
stiffened up and went "Mmmm!" several times, anyway. Every time she
did that, I felt exquisite ripples around my hardness. Finally, I
couldn't hold back any longer. I think my orgasm triggered a big one
for her, because when I emptied myself into her, I felt the heat of
her wetness wash over me. We lay for a while without moving.
Eventually, she said, "Uhh, could you move a little?"
I rolled off of her, and she reached behind and rubbed her back, where
a twig had been poking her. I made a joke about the 'Princess and the
Pea,' but she didn't seem amused. So, I told her, "I'll kiss your
boo-boo and make it better." I had to twist my body a little to do it,
but I was able to plant my lips where she'd rubbed herself, just below
her right shoulderblade. Almost instantly, she threw herself against
me and shuddered. I figured it was because she was caught up in the
moment, so I held her tightly and stroked her head, until she seemed
to settle down. I wondered if this would be a good time to talk about
going steady, but I didn't want to make her cry again.
Instead, I ran my fingers through her hair and hugged her every so
often while we rested. We both enjoyed that, but after a while, our
little hideaway started to get too cool for nudity. I looked
questioningly at Karen, and she nodded. So, we got up, dressed, put
things away, and climbed back onto the Honda. I couldn't help smiling
as I started the bike. After all, this had been a great day. Several
times on the ride back, I silently congratulated myself on my good
luck in finding a girl like Karen. Each time I thought that, my smile
got bigger. Soon, I felt like you could light up half of LA with that
smile.
She hugged me tightly all the way back to her house, and when we got
there and I put the bike on the side stand, she grabbed me and
squeezed me so tightly it actually hurt a little. After a minute, I
said, "I'll call you later."
She was silent for a minute; then, with a strange, sad look, she said,
"Dad and I are going to visit Clair tonight. We may stay overnight."
Surprised, I said, "But tomorrow is a school day!"
She gave me an extra squeeze, said, "I know," and ran into the house.
She left so quickly it surprised me. But I thought that maybe she had
to go to the bathroom.

Dinner at home was fun. There were only three of us, and we talked and
laughed the whole time. After dinner, we watched TV until Amy reminded
us about any homework that needed doing, so I went to my room. I
actually did have to do some reading for science class, so I picked up
the textbook, but the thought of Karen's sweet face and naked body
kept popping up. I wanted badly to call her and tell her how much I'd
enjoyed our romantic time together. But, then I remembered what she'd
said about visiting Clair. I decided I had better not bother her while
she was with her dad. Around eleven, I went to crawl into bed, and I
remembered the computer print of her dancing in Vegas. So I looked at
it for a while, and went to sleep thinking about her.
At lunch the next day I saw one of her friends and asked if she had
seen her. She said that Karen wasn't in school today, so I figured she
and her dad had stayed near the hospital. When I got home, I called
her number. No one answered -- not even an answering machine. I
figured it was just unplugged. She wasn't at school again on Tuesday.
I called her at lunch and again when I got home. There was still no
answer.
I was in the front house looking for a snack when Erin came in and
said, "I brought in the mail. There's a letter for you."
Karen has those little stick-on return labels that she puts on
letters. They have butterflies on them, and I immediately thought of
her tattoo. Anticipating a love note of some kind, I tore opened the
letter.
It read,

My love.
I'm sending this letter because I would never be able to say these
things to you in person. By the time you read this, I'll be at my
uncle's house in Paris. I'm going to finish this semester with a
private tutor, and next year I'll enroll in a school over here. Dad
and I have been talking about this for a long time. His business is
growing, and he's gone now more than ever. And now that the place
where Clair is staying allows him to visit, he spends time there
whenever he can. I've been holding off on this because of you. You're
all I think about and all I dream about. But I can't go on any longer.
You're more than just a guy to me. You're a shining star. You mean
more to me than you could possibly know, and I would love to be with
you forever, but I know it would never last. You need more than me!
You deserve more than I can give you. I've watched other girls and you
when they didn't know I was around. I was amazed at how they act
around you. You don't go after them; you just stand there and they
come to you. It's not something you do deliberately; women are just
drawn to you. I wanted to hate them for it, but I couldn't. It's the
way it was with me.
The time you showed me in Las Vegas was more than fun; it was a
fantasy beyond anything I could have imagined. You were perfect in
every way. You showed me things and let me behave in ways I had only
dreamed about, and you were always there to watch over and protect me
in case things went wrong.
         But, what did I do for you? I tried to show you how much you
mean to me through sex. But we both know that sex is not enough, and
right now, that's all I have to give you.
I talked with both Kristen and Amy about you. Kristen is a wonderful
girl, and she really is in love with you. But she's so career-minded
that she's willing to put her love aside while she chases her dream. I
can tell that she's not out of your life by a long shot, though. Amy
is wonderful, too. She's also a part of your life, but in another way.
It seems that you and she have some kind of history. I don't know what
it is, but I get the feeling that she's even closer to you than
Kristen.
Both girls told me to stay with you. They said that you seemed happy
with me, and they said that I should enjoy being with you for as long
as possible. But I can't. I simply can't. I want you forever, or not
at all. I never thought I was a jealous person, but every time I see
you even look at another girl, I get terrified. The other night, when
I heard on your answering machine that Molly and her sister were
coming into town, it felt like my world was coming apart. And later
on, when I saw Amy go into your room, I thought my heart would break.
After I talked to Amy, and she explained that nothing really happened,
I was relieved, but I knew right then that I couldn't go through that
much pain again. And if I stay with you, that's bound to happen. I've
seen some of the girls you've been with. Every one is exceptional.
Molly, Kristen, and Amy are the kind of girls you should be with. They
are beyond beautiful. I can't compete with them. I'm -- well, I'm just
me, and it's just going to be a matter of time before you realize it.
I can't go on like this. It hurts too much, and I've grown too used to
you being my shield against the world. It's time I grew up. I'll be
back some day. Maybe by then, I'll be able to meet you as an equal. 
Please don't be mad at me. I love you. I love you.
Karen.

I went numb -- so numb, I couldn't move or even breathe for a minute.
It was like someone had pulled the world out from under me. How could
she do this? How could she be gone? I wanted to dash over to her house
and have her tell me it was a mistake. A cruel joke. I ran to my car
and drove over there as fast as I could. I flew up her long driveway,
skidded to a stop, and when I got to the door, her dad was waiting for
me.
We sat on the front steps of his beautiful house and we talked. He
told me that he was going to miss her too, and that he had pleaded
with her to stay. But he knew how she felt about me, and said he
understood why she did it. He said that she would be back some day,
and if we were meant to be together, it could still happen. But that
didn't make me feel better. Then he said that I was still young, and I
would get over her.    But right now it certainly didn't feel that
way.
We talked for a while about Clair. I asked how she was doing, and he
said that for a while she didn't even recognize him. But she seemed to
get better every day. But, his face was really sad when he said it,
and I don't think I realized until right then, just how much he loved
her.
The only good that came from our conversation was the fact that he
wasn't lecturing me. He was talking to me 'man to man'. Dad had begun
doing that lately, but it wasn't until now that I realized that I was
actually growing up. It was a good feeling, but it was kind of scary.
I drove back to the house feeling lost and confused. No one had ever
left me before. It was always me who decided that I should move on. 
I thought of Sam. I wondered if she had felt this kind of loss when
she found me covered with the scent of another woman. Suddenly, I was
ashamed of myself, and now I felt even worse.
When I got to the house and told Amy and Erin what had happened. They
both were surprised. Erin hugged me and told me she was sorry. Amy
sort of looked off into the distance, and shook her head. 
I said to Amy, "You and Kristen knew she was going to leave, didn't
you?"
"Yes, she told us she was going to." She shook her head again. "But, I
didn't think she would do it so soon, or without telling me first. I
thought she and I were closer than that."
Then Amy did something unusual. She added, "I wonder if it was because
she saw me go into your room the other night?"
I darted a glance at Erin. When Amy saw me, she put her hand on Erin's
arm, and said, "It's okay, I told her what happened. Real sisters
don't have secrets from each other."
I thought about Karen's letter, and the fact that she said that Amy
had explained that nothing happened. Did Karen really believe her, or
was that the thing that pushed her to leave right now? I guessed that
I might never know. I also wondered if Amy said what she did, in front
of Erin, because she wanted to create a closer bond between them.
Whatever the reason, it seemed to work. Erin had a big smile on her
face. 
I went to my room and tried to do some homework, but I couldn't get
Karen out of my mind. Eventually, I decided to hit the exercise
machine. My warm-up and stretches didn't to much to clear my head,
though, so I loaded on more weight than I ever had before, and I began
a damn serious workout. Harder and harder I worked, until I couldn't
think of anything but the machine. It was like I was in a trance. Amy
had to buzz me several times before I realized it was the intercom.
She said dinner was ready, so I went inside. She had defrosted some of
mom's chili, and made a nice salad. I got some of the salad down, but
Karen's face kept jumping in front of me, and two bites of chili was
all I could manage.
The next few days were tough. I couldn't get Karen out of my mind. The
kids at school found out about her leaving of course, and several of
them came to me to ask what had happened. I told them that it was a
great educational opportunity that Karen just couldn't pass up. Bill
was exceptionally sympathetic. He said he knew what she meant to me,
and that he and Tess had talked about it at length. I asked how they
were getting along. He got a dreamy look on his face. "She's really
great. I'm, uhh, thinking about asking her to go steady."
"That's great. She's really a nice girl."
"Yes, she is, but, umm."
He stopped talking, and stared at the ground. I waited for a few
seconds, but he just kept staring. I asked, "Okay, what's going on?"
It took a long time for him to answer, but finally he said, "Since she
got that make-over, she's a different girl. She shows up every day
wearing make-up, and she told me she spent a ton of money on new
clothes."
"Well, you're the one who griped about her looking so plain."
"I know, it's just that, she uhh, seems to be looking at other guys a
lot."
"Is she looking at other guys, or are they looking at her?"
"Both, I guess."
I wanted to say something wise that would make him feel better. But
all I could think of was, "Yeah, relationships can be a bitch."

Amy and I were in the kitchen Friday morning getting ready for school
when she said, "Erin's having dinner at Kelly's house tonight, and
Owen and I are going out with Bill and Tess. Do you have plans?"
I answered, "Yeah, I'm meeting some of the guys later."
I really wasn't. I had hinted to some guys that I wasn't doing
anything, but they all had dates. When I got home from school, I tried
to relax, but I couldn't get Karen out of my mind, so I got on the
exercise machine. After a while, I went into the front house. I wasn't
really hungry, but I was in the kitchen, staring into the fridge, when
Amy came in. She was dressed in a nice skirt and blouse, so I figured
that she was getting ready to go out. Now I was really bummed. Not
because she was going out with Owen; it was just because she was going
out to have fun, and I wasn't. I went to my room and got back on the
exercise machine. I was working up another sweat when when Amy popped
in.
She shook her head and said, "I'm gonna call that machine 'Killer'.
The way you treat that thing, either you are gonna kill it or it's
gonna kill you. Owen is here to pick me up. Will you be okay?"
I pretended to look surprised as I turned around, and I said, "Gee,
Mom, I didn't expect you home until Sunday."
She grinned, waved goodbye, and suddenly I was alone.

I sat around, trying not to think of Karen, but I kept seeing her
face. How could she have left? Maybe some other girls are more
attractive than she is, but any guy would be proud to be with her. I
tried to think of what I should have done to convince her that she was
the girl for me. All of a sudden I was angry. Who did she think she
was, leaving me like she did! It isn't fair!
I had to do something to get my mind off her, so I went out and washed
my car. I dried it carefully, and I was cleaning out the inside, when
I found some tickets to a movie Karen and I had seen. I threw them it
the trash.
Then I stood there looking at the trashcan for a while. The movie was
a comedy, and I remembered how we had laughed the whole way through
it. Karen was reserved in most of the things she did. She walked with
measured steps, and rarely yelled or talked loud. The only things she
did with abandon, were laugh and make love. Thinking about how she
made love hurt too much right now, but I could think about how she
laughed. It was a rich, musical sound that seemed surprising, coming
from her small body.
I felt something on my cheek, and I wiped my hand across it. It was
wet. Did I splash some water on myself? I couldn't be crying. Not over
some dumb girl! I'm Pete Baker! I don't cry over girls.
I grabbed my helmet, jumped on the bike, and tore down the alley. When
I got to the intersection at the corner, I realized I was going way
too fast, so I worked the brakes hard, and came to a full stop. I sat
there thinking that acting stupid and getting hurt was not going to
make me feel better. So I took off at a more reasonable rate, and rode
for a while. The quiet hum of the Magna's powerful V4 engine and the
warm wind brushing by me, soon had me felling better, so I headed back
home for a shower, and some of Mom's chili.
After a nice big bowl, I thought I'd give my homework another try,
but, my answering machine showed that I had a message. It was from
Kaz. He'd called to remind me that the football booster club, the
Spartan Stalwarts, were holding a raffle at Max's Maxi-Burger, the
local drive-in. I felt like slapping myself; I'd completely forgotten
that I'd agreed to appear at the fund-raiser. I threw on a pair of
Dockers, and a nice shirt. It was still warm outside, so I decided to
take the bike. When I got to the restaurant I saw some kids from
school, but nobody I was close with, so I picked a chair in the corner
and ordered a Coke. I was a little surprised that none of the other
football players were here yet.
A few minutes later, a guy in his late twenties came over and said,
"You're Pete Baker, Right?" When I nodded, he introduced himself as
John, and said that he ran the drive-in. I guess I looked a little
startled, because I'd heard that there was a real Max who owned the
place. John grinned and explained that Max was his father, who was now
very well off, and spent most of his playing golf and managing his
investments. He had turned the restaurant over to John to give him
real-world job experience. I blinked at that.
John grinned again, then asked me if I'd be willing to draw the
winning tickets in the raffle. I know the surprise I felt showed on my
face. He told me that this was sort of a tradition around here, to
have one or more of the Spartans draw from the hat. Since I'd played
quarterback some during the past season, and neither Vince, nor the
back-up quarterback were available, the raffle winners would be
happier if I drew their tickets.
Then he said something that really floored me. The Stalwarts thought
that I was the odds-on favorite to start at quarterback next year! And
because of that, they'd like me to do the drawing for next year's
raffle as well. I was so flabbergasted; I agreed to show up for the
drawing. This was the first I'd heard anything about next year's team,
and certainly no-one had suggested I would be the starting
quarterback!
A few kids waved at me when they came in, but they must have known
about the tradition John mentioned, because they left me alone.
A short while later five guys from the football team came in. They
grabbed a table next to me, and all asked about Karen. They had heard
about her leaving, and wanted to know if her dad was still going to
have the parties for the team. I told them I didn't know.
Kaz came into the place and walked up to me just as a voice from a
loudspeaker said that the drawing for the raffle would begin in five
minutes. Kaz grinned and said, "You're up, dude."
I looked back at him and asked, "Why me? You've been a starter for
three seasons and an All-California player for two; you should do it."
His grin vanished. "Nope. C'mon, we're gonna show off the prizes. It's
a tradition. Besides, there's other things involved. I'll tell you
about it later. Right now, you need to get in front of the camera with
John, Mona, and a barrel full of tickets." He pointed behind me.
I asked, "Who's Mona?" But he had already moved toward a guy standing
in front of a video camera on a tripod. I'd thought that Kaz was
kidding about the barrel, but a couple of guys were indeed wheeling a
barrel toward John. I made my way over to him. "Wow, that's a lot of
tickets. Hundreds, at least."
John smiled. "Thousands. Almost all the sponsors find it worthwhile to
support the raffle, so we don't have much difficulty in getting them
to supply prizes and sell tickets. We try to increase sales every
year, and except for times when the economy's in the tank, we
generally do. Pete, Kaz explained to me that you don't know much about
what's going on. Don't worry, Mona will help you. Now, c'mon, we're
almost ready to start the show. We're on camera so we can be seen live
by most of our sponsors and ticket-buyers. It also lets us record the
raffle to show that everything is kosher."
John lifted a wireless microphone to his lips and said, "And now,
everyone, please welcome the Sweeper Sprite!"
The audience applauded as a very pretty brunette wearing an old-style
bikini and carrying what looked like a new broom came up to us. She
smiled and waved at the camera. The bikini barely covered things, and
she had plenty of curves on her.
After John started thanking the sponsors and listing what they had
donated to the raffle, I turned a little so that the camera only got
my profile. I barely moved my lips as I whispered, "You're Mona,
right?"
She whispered in return, "Yeah. Why?"
"I didn't know about this show. No-one gave me a script, or even
warned me."
She muttered something I couldn't catch, then whispered. "Okay. Just
remember, you're Mr. Lucky, and smile a lot."
I guessed that John had finished thanking all the sponsors, because he
turned to me and asked, "Ready, Mister Lucky?"
I followed Mona's advice; I smiled as I nodded. John started thanking
all the athletes who'd agreed to help out at the various sponsoring
locations. I quickly figured that the "Mr. Lucky" title was part of
the tradition I was ignorant of, but I couldn't help quietly asking
Mona, "What's the broom for?"
"I'll use it to sweep away any bad luck from the barrel before you
draw."
"Oh. Thanks." I figured that this was superstition, but hey, they'd
raised thousands of dollars for us, so I was damn well going to be
polite.
John went into a spiel about how the teams were helped by the money;
and how grateful the athletes were for the support of the community. I
had to nod at that; we WERE glad when people helped us get the
equipment we needed. Mona smiled brilliantly and John nodded
approvingly when they saw me nod.
Then she started sweeping the top and sides of the barrel. When she
bent over to place the broom on the floor next to the barrel, my mouth
went dry. The swimsuit may have been old-fashioned, but this girl made
it look good! After she stood back up, she grabbed a piece of cloth on
the side of the barrel and asked me, "Ready for your blindfold, Mr.
Lucky?"
I opened my mouth to ask her why, but she was already saying, "This
covering prevents even accidental bias when you reach into the
barrel."
"Ah. Thanks." (Geez, was I eloquent tonight, or what?)
The girl molded herself to me as she reached up and tied the blindfold
on me. I couldn't help groaning softly at the feel of those curves
pressed against me. She giggled, but didn't stop tying.
Once the blindfold was in place, with help from Mona, I started
picking tickets from the barrel. Every time she would announce the
ticket number, there would be a squeal from someone, and the audience
would applaud. Then the room got quiet, and the pretty brunette
whispered, "Get ready to draw the next one, but don't actually reach
in until Uncle John says to, okay?"
I nodded, then John said, "And now, folks, it's time for the Grand
Prize! That beautiful blue SUV you've seen on display out front will
belong to our last and luckiest winner! Mr. Lucky, the winning ticket,
please!"
Even behind my blindfold, I blinked as I handed John the ticket. A new
SUV! No wonder they sold thousands of tickets. 
I took off the blindfold, as the woman who won the grand prize
screamed with delight. Several of the people near her cheered as she
started crying and smiling at the same time. I decided that I liked
this raffle tradition.
Kaz walked up to me and shook my hand. "Way to go, man. You did real
well for not having done this before."
"Thanks, but why didn't you tell about this earlier?"
"Well, that's one of the things I've got to talk to you about. But,
I've gotta go pick up Teesh at the hospital soon, so it'll have to be
tomorrow or Sunday, okay?"
I knew that Teesh was LaTisha, his sister, but I hadn't known she was
in the hospital. "The hosptial! What's wrong? Is she okay?"
Kaz laughed, "The only thing wrong is that she's tired from too little
sleep. She's a med student."
"Wow, that's cool, dude."
"Yeah, and that's one of the things I wanna talk to you about. Teesh
wants to thank you in person, too. Later, dude."
I was thoroughly confused. I wanted to ask him why she needed to thank
me, but just then Mona grabbed me and said, "C'mon, they want to take
pictures."
So we stood smiling at the cameras as the flashes went off. 
Mona was obviously used to this. She was all over me; smiling and
posing with me. Even pretending to be surprised when she felt the
muscles in my arm. But the minute John said, "Okay folks, that's all,"
she turned and left without even saying goodbye.
I shrugged and turned to the guys from the team. I'd just started to
ask about next year's team, when one of the guys said, "Hey, look
across the street! Isn't that 'Easy Marie'?"
Another one said, "Yeah, I think so, but I thought she left town.
Let's go over there. If it's her, maybe we can get lucky." Three of
them got up and walked outside, leaving Oscar, a senior, and one of
the team's best running backs, sitting there shaking his head.
The windows inside the restaurant overlook the drive in and the
parking lot. Across the street, there's an all-night convenience
store, but I couldn't see it from where I was sitting. The mood I was
in right now, looking at a girl was the last thing on my mind. But
curiosity got the best of me, and I asked Oscar, "Who's 'Easy Marie'?"
"She used to go to school here, and word had it that she fucked the
whole varsity team."
"No kidding! You were on the team. Did you know her?"
"A little. She was a year ahead of me, but we had some of the same
classes. But that was two years ago, and I wasn't on the varsity team
then. I was surprised when I heard about it. She seemed like a nice
girl. The incident was supposed to have happened right before
graduation. We won the championship that year, and some of the team
and their girlfriends got together for a pre-graduation party. I'm not
sure what happened, because the guys wouldn't talk about it. But the
word was, she screwed everybody there."
"And you never asked her about it?"
"I never saw her after that. I heard that she graduated, but the guys
told me she didn't come to the ceremony."
Oscar got up to leave, so I walked outside with him. The guys who were
at his table were on the other side of the street, and they looked
like they were walking alongside of the girl. I was putting on my
helmet when I heard the crash of a broken bottle, then a girl's voice,
screaming, "Get away from me!"
The girl started running, and the guys chased after her. And as she
passed under a streetlight I got a look at her. It looked like Kelly's
sister!
I started up the bike and tore across the street. I pulled alongside
her and yelled, "Hey, it's Pete! Stop!" She stopped running, and
stared at me. Tears were running down her face, and the bottom of her
Jeans appeared to be wet. The guys chasing her had stopped a few feet
away. I said, "Cool it, guys; she's coming with me." Then I said to
her, "Get on."
She got on the back, and held on to me as I took off. I didn't bring
an extra helmet, and the law is very strict here, so when I got a
couple of blocks away, I pulled to the curb and stopped.
I killed the motor; then I stepped off the bike and asked her, "Are
you okay?"
She looked spent. She was leaning against the backrest, with her head
down and her eyes closed. She sat there without moving until I went to
her, touched her on the shoulder, and said, "Marie?" She looked up at
me, and I don't ever remember seeing such pain on anyone's face. 
I went to put my arms around her, but she pushed me away. Finally, I
said, "You're safe now. Nobody is going to bother you. Tell me what
you would like. Do you want me to take you home?"
She didn't answer for a while, then she said, "Can we go for a ride? I
don't want to go home like this, I need to dry off. When those guys
grabbed me, I dropped a bottle of milk, and it got all over the bottom
of my pants."
"Of course. I have to stop by my house and get a helmet first,
though."
I rode to the house and parked the bike. She stayed with it as I went
inside and picked up a helmet. I went to the garage and got one of
Erin's ski jackets and gloves, then I got a jacket for me, and I went
back to the bike. When I got there she was wiping her face, and
straightening her clothes. It didn't look like she wanted to talk, so
I handed her the helmet and helped her on with the clothes. Erin is
taller than Marie, and she looked like a little girl in Erin's jacket.
It was cool out, but we were cozy in our warm clothes and I headed to
a restaurant that Dad likes to take the family to. It sits on a cliff
in Malibu Beach. It's about thirty minutes from our house, and the
fastest way to get there is to take one of several curvy canyon roads.
The one I chose is not lighted, and the headlight, shining on the road
and then the trees as I leaned the bike into the corners, made it feel
like we were riding in a tunnel. Marie had her hands on my waist, and
as we got into the rhythm of the curves, she lay her head on my back
and snuggled close.
I was enjoying the ride, and for a second my mind wandered. It felt
like Karen was back there. And when I suddenly realized it wasn't, I
was bummed again.
The restaurant is usually jammed on weekends, but I figured it was
late enough that the dinner crowd would be gone. And, sure enough,
when we got there, we were able to get a table on the patio
overlooking the ocean. I ordered some cappuccinos, and we sat staring
at the waves breaking on the beach. I've always thought Marie was
pretty. But, sitting in the moonlight with the lights from the
restaurant reflecting off the waves, and dancing in her eyes, she made
a beautiful picture.
I had learned some strange things about Marie tonight, and I wanted to
ask her about them, but I didn't know what to say. So we sat in
silence. It was she who finally brought it up. "Do you know what that
business with the guys was all about?"
"No, not really."
"What does, 'Not really' mean? You've heard about me, haven't you?"
I thought it better not to lie, so I answered, "I was sitting next to
those guys tonight, and I heard them say some things."
	"Did they tell you I fucked the whole senior class?"
"No, they said that you were with some guys on the football team, is
all."
She didn't say anything for a long time. We were finished with our
cappuccinos, and she didn't even look at me when she started talking. 
"Rich was a lot like you. He was the best-looking guy at school; he
was the quarterback on the football team, and all the girls were after
him. I was absolutely crazy about him. He noticed me in our senior
year, and we started going out. We had sex on our first date, and
every day for the first month. I couldn't get enough of him. I was in
heaven. Then things started to slow down. I heard rumors about him
seeing other girls, but I didn't believe them. Then there were even
more rumors, so I asked him about it. He denied it, and I believed
him! Then one day he told me about a girl he knew that had sex with
her boyfriend and a friend of his at the same time. He said that the
girl felt like it made her relationship with her boyfriend even
stronger, and he asked me what I thought about it. I told him I
thought it was pure bullshit! He got mad at me and told me I was an
immature prude, and that he was wondering if he was making a mistake
by dating me.
"I thought my heart would break. If he had asked me again right then,
I would have promised him anything! But he left before I had a chance.
I was devastated. I thought I'd lost him forever. I even went to a
girlfriend and asked her what she would have done. She said that she
would have slept with anyone he asked if it meant that she would lose
him if she didn't. I found out later that she was also sleeping with
him, and was just trying to get me to do something that would
discredit me."
Marie stopped talking for a minute, and sat, staring at the waves. I
wondered what I should do. I wanted to hold her and comfort her, but
she began again.
"Rich quit calling me. When I saw him at school, he would always say
that everything was fine, he was just busy. But I knew better. When I
left messages for him at home, he would never even return my calls.
Then, one Saturday night right before graduation, he asked me to a
party at a friends place, and said he would pick me up around eight
o'clock. I was on top of the world. I put on my sexiest blouse, no
bra, and the shortest mini-skirt I could find, and I waited for him to
come and get me. It was almost nine thirty when he finally called, and
he sounded drunk. He asked me where I was, and when I told him I was
waiting for him to pick me up, he apologized and asked me if I would
drive myself to the party. I was angry, but I said okay. When I got
there, everyone was drunk, and there were half naked people
everywhere. Rich was dancing with some girl and she was hanging all
over him, but when he saw me, he said he was glad to see me, and we
went over to the punch bowl and he insisted that I have a big glass,
in order to 'catch up with everybody'.
"It was almost pure alcohol, and it tasted awful, but I downed it. He
immediately filled it again, and we started to dance. His buddies kept
cutting in, and I think I danced with every guy at the party. Every
time someone would cut in, they would insist I have a drink, but I
watched myself, and only took small sips. Even so, I began to get a
pretty good buzz on. Around midnight, I realized that I hadn't seen
Rich for a while, so I asked the girl I talked to at school, if she
had seen him. She told me that he was with some friends, and she
pointed to one of the bedrooms. I went there to see what was going on,
and I found him and another guy having sex with a girl. I was
speechless. I was standing there with my mouth open, and when he saw
me, he said, "Hi baby, come in and join the fun."
I was really crazy about this guy, but suddenly I was devastated. I
stepped outside and slammed the door, then I went to the punch-bowl
and drank an entire glass of that awful stuff. I was standing there
fuming, when Manny, Rich's best friend, came up to me. He'd been
trying to hit on me all night, and I made a decision. I grabbed him
and dragged him back into the bedroom. Rich, his friend, and that
lying bitch were still there, but she was getting dressed. I lay down
next to them, tore off my panties and pulled Manny on top of me. Manny
was finished in about two minutes, and when he rolled off, Rich's
buddy took his place. Rich was watching and laughing, and so was the
girl. Rich said something to her, and she went to the door, opened it,
and yelled for the party to come in and watch."
I reached across the table and put my hand on her arm. I said, "Marie,
that's enough. You don't need to tell me more. I know this is hurting
you."
She pushed my hand away and said, "No! I want to finish this. I've
never told this to anyone before, and I want to get it all out!" 
"People started coming into the room, and some guys even started
dropping their pants. I screamed and pushed Rich's buddy off me, but
several guys grabbed me, and the next thing I knew my blouse was torn
off. I kept screaming and fighting, until finally they let me up. I
stood there for a second with no shirt, and with my skirt up around my
waist. Then I pushed my way through the crowd and left. The next day a
girlfriend called and said that she heard I screwed every guy at the
party. 
It was right before graduation and I had all the credits I needed, so
I never went back to school. As a matter of fact, tonight was the
first time I even went near the drive-in.
"But, it didn't end there. For a while, lots of guys called and asked
me out. But I knew why. They weren't the kinds of guys I wanted to be
with, and none of the guys I did want to be with would have anything
to do with me. So I didn't date for a long time. When I got lonesome,
sometimes I would settle for a guy like the one at Big Bear."
She stopped talking for a minute; she just took several deep breaths.
Then she said, "I can't wait until I save up enough money to get my
car fixed, so I can get the Hell out of here. I bought tickets for the
raffle, but I didn't win. I thought coming down to the drive-in would
give me good luck. Isn't that a laugh!"
My heart went out to her, and I figured she needed a little boost. So
I reached across the table and took her hands. She tried to pull away,
but I hung on and said, "You're really pissing me off, Marie."
She frowned, and tried harder to pull away, but I held on tighter. She
looked angry now, and she said, "I tell you something very personal
about myself, and you say I'm pissing you off? What the hell's the
matter with you?"
I frowned at her and said, "With ME?! Your sister tells me that you're
smart as a whip, and here you are whining about an error in judgment
that happened nearly two years ago. What in the heck are you doing?"
Now she was really mad. She tried to stand up, but I wouldn't let her.
She almost screamed when she said, "You saw what happened tonight! You
should have heard what those guys were saying to me."
"Sure, and what did you do? Instead of facing those guys and telling
them to go fuck themselves, you cried like a baby and ran! This 'Poor
me' attitude of yours is what's holding you back, not something that
happened back when you were in high school. You're one of the most
beautiful young women I've ever met. If you let them, men would be
falling at your feet. You don't need to change your location; you need
to change your attitude!"
She was looking at me with her mouth open, and suddenly I got an Idea.
I remembered what Tammy had told me, about having a bunch of pretty
women circulate around a new salon to start a whisper campaign, and I
said, "Give me your cell phone?"
She asked, "What for?" But she handed it to me, and I called Tammy.
She answered on the first ring, like she was waiting for a call.
I said, "Hey, it's Pete. Are you --"
She interrupted me with, "Oh Pete! You got the message I left on your
machine. Tony asked me to marry him again tonight!"
"Really! What are you gonna do?"
"Umm, would you mind if I said yes?"
"Would I mind? Are you nuts? Of course I wouldn't mind. Tony is a good
guy. What made you change your mind?"
"Oh, a lot of things. Uhh, where are you? Can you come over for a
while?"
"Actually, I'm having coffee with a friend, but I would really like to
talk to you about this. How about tomorrow?"
"Sure, call me in the morning."
	"Will do, but the reason I called is, how is your project
coming?"
"Great! We're building a salon in La Jolla. Why?"
I'd never been to La Jolla, but I had heard about it. It's a beach
town near San Diego, where lots of rich people live. It's surrounded
by golf courses, and the town itself is full of expensive shops. It
sounded like a perfect place for a Wretched Excess salon.
I asked, "Have you picked out the 'Front Girls' yet?"
"We're interviewing now. We're calling them 'WE' girls. Why?"
"Do you remember Kelly's sister, Marie? You met her at Big Bear?"    
"Of course. Why? Do you think she'd be interested?"
"She's here with me. Will you talk to her?"
"Sure, put her on."
I stood up and said to Marie, "This is Tammy. You met her in Big Bear.
Talk to her while I go to the bathroom." I handed her the phone and
left the room.
When I came back, Marie was staring at the phone. I asked, "Well, what
happened?"
She had a dazed look on her face when she replied, "She wants to talk
to me Monday about becoming something called a 'WE' girl. What the
heck is that?"
"It's something that a girl with your looks would be perfect for. I'm
not going to spoil things by telling you about it. Talk with her
Monday; I think you'll be pleased."
She raised an eyebrow and asked me, "Why are you doing this for me?
What is it you want?"
I lay my hand on the table, palm-up, and said, "Give me your hand."
Her eyes narrowed, but she put her hand in mine, and I said, "I'll
tell you what I want. I want you to be happy. You are the saddest girl
I ever met, and I can't understand why. You had some bad stuff happen
to you, but that's over."
"But Pete, it's not over! You saw what happened tonight!"
I had something in mind when I answered, "Yes, I did. But I'm going to
take care of it. It won't happen again."
"How are you going to do that?"
"I'm going to make you disappear. If your name wasn't Marie, what
would you like it to be?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Never mind! What's your favorite name?"
"Umm, I've always liked Marla. Why?"
"Good! Your initials will stay the same. Okay, from now on, you're
Marla Brand, Marie's older sister. You've been away at college. How
does Berkley sound?"
Her whole face brightened as soon as she figured out where this was
going, and she giggled when she added, "And Marie is up there with
me?"
"Sure, why not. Do you see any problems?"
She thought for a while, then she said, "Not really. I've been gone a
lot. And I actually know a little about Berkley. I stayed with a
friend in San Francisco for a while, and we went to the campus at
Berkley a number of times."
"What about your folks?"
"I'll tell them that I prefer to be called Marla. They won't care;
they're used to me doing goofy things."
"Do they know what happened at school?"
"I don't think so. They know something happened, but I think they just
figured it was me, being moody. Dad asked me a couple times if there
was something wrong, but I always said no. Mom is so scatterbrained
I'm not sure she would know if the house fell down."
"How about Kelly? Does she know?"
"I don't know. She was still in grammar school when it happened. We've
been getting closer now that she's growing up, but she hasn't
mentioned anything. By the way, she's still crazy about you."
"She'll get over it when she starts dating."
Marie (or Marla) seemed to be relaxing, and I said something I
probably shouldn't have. I was trying to flatter her, when I added,
"Besides, I'm more interested in her older sister."
"Is that what this is about? Are you helping me because you're trying
to get me into bed?"
Her accusing questions surprised me, and I sputtered, "Oh, no! I, uhh
didn't mean..." 
She frowned and said, "I'm sorry, I guess you're just trying to be
nice. I'm just not used to nice guys."

We had taken off our jackets when we sat down, but it was getting late
and the temperature can get cool by the beach at night, so she stood
up, slipped on her jacket and went to the railing to look at the
ocean. She looked alone standing there, and I walked up next to her.
After about a minute, she said, "Pete, I'm cold."
The air wasn't that cold, but I knew what she meant. I moved behind
her and put my arms around her. It was wonderful holding her, and we
stayed that way for a long time. A lot of things were going through my
mind. I thought about Karen, and how much I missed her. I thought
about Kristen, and the fact that I might never see her again. Sam and
Della crossed my mind, then Sylvia, and finally Kate. Wonderful,
special, Kate. All these girls had been very close to me, and their
memories would be with me for a long time. Maybe forever.
I don't remember feeling Marie turn in my arms. The next thing I knew,
there was a pair of beautiful eyes looking up at me. 
The kiss was tender at first. At the beginning our lips barely
touched. Then, as I felt and tasted their softness, I pulled her
closer.

-- 
Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights
reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
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