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Welcome to the Church of The Reverend Cotton Mather.  This story is
the sole property of the author, and may not be copied or downloaded 
for the intent of profit. Permission is freely given for anyone to 
download or copy for their personal pleasure or use, as long as 
there is no intent to charge money or barter for the privilege of 
acquiring this material.

   (Copyright 2002, revisions c. 2007, R.C. Mather)

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PLAYING THE GAME

A Novel

by R.C. Mather




- 13 -

FAMOUS LAST WORDS



Two days later, I was riding my bike down the sidewalk when I heard
someone call out my name. I looked over and Jake Lehigh came running
up to me, just as I was stopping. He looked really mad as he reached
me. I was off-balance, in the process of stopping my bike, when he
shoved me down and off my bike.

"You asshole!" he shouted. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

I jumped up and got right back into his face. "What are you talking
about, Jake?"

"I saw you and Molly."

'Uh-oh,' I thought to myself. I had a sick feeling I knew where this
was headed. I couldn't back down, though, not to Jake.

"Yeah? What did you see, Jake?"

"I was in the tree the other night. I saw you and Molly walk back
into the woods, so I followed you. I saw the whole thing."

"The whole thing?" I asked. "So you were peeping at us like a perv?"

"A perv? Me? Damn it, Sean, you almost hit me with that first condom
you threw into the woods!"

I looked at him, not sure I heard him correctly. Just the image that
conjured up in my mind was enough to make me bust out laughing. Jake
looked at me as if I was crazy. Then he must have realized how funny
it all was, because he just started laughing with me, until finally
we were both sitting on the ground, our arms around each other's
shoulders like the best pals we really were, laughing until the tears
were racing down our faces.

I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. "Splat," I said. That
started us going all over again.

By the time we were finally calmed down, we were lying on our backs
on the ground, my bicycle still blocking the sidewalk as it lay on
its side. 

"Okay," wheezed Jake, "enough of this. What the fuck's going on?
And, by the way, where did you get the protection?"

Well, that nearly got me going again as I described my trip into his
father's drug store with Josh to buy the condoms.

"No shit, my dad helped you guys out? Man, I wonder what he was
thinking," marveled Jake.

"It took us by surprise, believe me," I said. "I really didn't know
what to say to him."

"Yeah, I'll bet," said Jake. "So, Sean, what are you going to do?"

I sighed. I knew exactly what he meant. "I don't know, man. I mean,
I really like Molly, and I don't want to hurt Kayla's feelings,
because I really like her, too. But she's still in middle school, you
know? We really can't be, like, going out or anything, can we?"

"Well, she's my sister and all, but you're right. Besides, Molly is
a supreme-o hot babe. And I got to see her naked, which is even
better."

"Yeah," I said, sitting up. "It's much better. But you've got to
stop spying on us, Jake. I'm going to get the willies thinking about
you being out there somewhere. Promise me."

"You really know how to spoil my fun," muttered Jake as he stood up
and brushed himself off. "Okay, no more spying. But you've got to
share some of your rubbers in exchange."

"What do you mean, share?"

"Hey, I can't walk into my own dad's store and just buy the things,
can I? Besides, you still have a bunch. If you keep me supplied, I'll
pay for the next boxful, okay?"

"Wait a minute, I smell a story here. What's going on, Jake?" I
asked. I had a feeling things had progressed between he and Jaimie.

"Well... yeah, I need 'em," he admitted. "Jaimie and I... well... we
kind of... um... did it the other day..."

"You did? Man, tell me!"

"Well... it was uh, let's see… the day after we ran into Jaimie and
Kayla coming back from the Dairy Queen. You remember that day? Jaimie
and I went over to her house and you and Kayla were watching TV at my
house? Anyway, Jaimie and I met at her house again the next day, and
one thing led to another, and... uh..."

"And?" I prompted.

"And... we did it. Twice. On the couch in the family room."

"Twice? You dog you!" I slapped his arm companionably.

He looked a little uncomfortable about his confession, but then he
looked up at me and smiled.

"Oh, yeah," he said, grinning. "But you know how it is, I saw you do
it with Molly twice that night."

"Oh, yeah, indeed," I said, grinning back at him like an idiot.

"Anyway, Jaimie got a severe case of the guilts afterward, and won't
hardly talk to me right now. Maybe, if I can show her I've got some
condoms, she'll at least talk to me. So that's why I need them."

"Okay, pal, come with me. I've got them stashed at home. You can
have a few, but if you get caught with them, you didn't get them from
me, all right?"

"I won't get caught," he said. "You know me better than that."

Yeah, right. Famous last words.

So we went over to my house and up to my room. I thought that hiding
them in rolled up socks, like Josh had done, was a pretty good idea,
so I had done the same. I unrolled a pair of soccer socks and handed
Jake four packets.

"Here you go, Jake. Two nights' worth, at your rate." I snickered
just a little. Already I was down to six condoms left. And I had the
feeling Molly was going to find a way to use them up quickly. Not
that I was complaining, of course, but I hoped I wouldn't encounter
Jake's dad if I had to go back for more too soon. He would really
wonder what was going on then.

"Thanks, Seanster, you're the best. Oh, by the way, my parents are
having a bunch of neighbors over tomorrow for a cookout and stuff.
They're setting up softball and volleyball in the field behind our
house and I think there's a scavenger hunt after dark. Why don't you
come over after you're done at the Wilkinsons?"

"Sure," I replied. "Sounds like fun. I can do that."




(Continued in Chapter 14)


  
PTG13