The Ugly One
Chapter 14
by be287m

When I got home I looked at some restaurant options and surfed the net for movie ideas.  I finally decided to take Angie somewhere simple, just for sushi at this great little restaurant off of I-70 and Wadsworth.  We could wing it after dinner if I researched enough options beforehand.  It had gotten late with my surfing, so I decided to call Angie the next day after I got home from work.

Before my work day ended, though, my cell phone rang.

“John!  John!  We did it!  We did it!”  It took me a moment to realize it was Billy.

“We did it, John!  We did it!”

“Whoa!  Slow down a minute, Billy!  Did what?”

“Beat Jesse and Frank!  We beat them!”

“You beat them?  You had a fight?”

“No!  Yes!  But we didn’t start it!”

I chuckled.  “Okay, start at the beginning and tell me about it.”

It took Billy a while to calm down and I had to ask him a lot of questions to get the full story.  Apparently Jesse and Frank had started picking on a new kid, Manuel, right after school.  Billy and his Merry Men had seen them and all four went over and told Jesse and Frank to knock it off.  They yelled at each other and Frank, recognizing the two on five odds, had tried to pull Jesse away.  Jesse responded by pushing Frank to the ground, saying there was no way a Sped was going to chase him off.  Then he’d taken a swing at Billy, which Billy dodged.

Unfortunately for Jesse, Mr. Henderson had come out when he heard the boys shouting and saw Jesse throw the first punch.  Jesse had been suspended and Frank had apologized to Billy and Manuel at Mr. Henderson’s orders before slinking home.

“So you stopped Jesse and didn’t get in trouble!” I exclaimed when I’d heard the entire tale.

“More than that, Jesse’s on probation for the rest of the year!”

“What?”

“Yeah!  Mr. Henderson said that if Jesse ever picked on any of us again, all we had to do was tell him and he’d put a stop to it!  He even said Jesse could get expelled!”  I just shook my head in wonder.

“So what next, champ?” I asked.

“Mom says we can have a party!  We’re going to have a party Saturday!  Can you come, John?  Please, John?  Please come!”  I chuckled.

“I’ll be there,” I answered.  “Let me talk to your mom.”

“Yay!” Billy yelled, before there was a fumbling of the phone on the other end and Lynn came on the line.

“Sounds like a great day,” I commented.

“He’s thrilled,” Lynn responded.  “I’m really glad he wants to share it with you.”

“What time?” I asked.

“Mid-afternoon.  I thought I’d give them a chance to play and then order pizza for dinner.”

“Hmmm.  I’m supposed to go out with Angie on Saturday.”

“Invite her!” Lynn responded.  “You two can always slip away for something better than pizza.  Besides, I’d really like to talk with her a while.  She can bring Ashley too.”

It wasn’t a dramatic romantic date, I realized.  But as I thought about it, I realized it was really the right thing to do.  I agreed to check with Angie and finished the call with Lynn.  Angie was agreeable when I called her and asked if Lynn would be willing to baby-sit Ashley when we went out after.  A few more phone calls and we were set.

The party was a hit.  Ed, Ralph, Ben and now Manuel had somehow gotten toy bows and swords of their own and Billy quickly hustled me into joining them in archery contests and then mock sword battles in the back yard.  The only howls of protest were when Lynn told them they couldn’t use the bows in our battles, but they didn’t last long when I backed her up.  Two of my cousins had gotten seriously hurt when we were kids by shooting metal skewers at each other.

While we battled, Ashley played with a toy horse and rider, galloping them around a corner of the yard.  Angie and Lynn sat on the porch sipping lemonade, watching the chaos and talking quietly.  Their conversation paused whenever I approached closely enough to overhear, but I wasn’t concerned enough to worry.  When we got exhausted, Lynn herded us downstairs where she had the original ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ set up for the boys’ viewing pleasure.  Lynn called in the pizza order and then settled in the back with Ashley cuddled up next to her.

“You two go have fun,” she said to Angie and me.  We grinned, feeling like teenagers set free for the night.

Which is how the evening went, like teens on an early date.  We joked and flirted during dinner, playing with the sushi.  It was a warm evening, so afterward we drove over to Stanley Lake and walked around it, just holding hands and having a light meaningful conversation.  It was one of those conversations where the real messages are in the smiles and nods, while the words just fill the space between.  We stole a few long kisses on Lynn’s front porch before retrieving Ashley and calling it a night.

The low-key dating continued for a few weeks.  Angie said she wanted our first time back in bed together to be something special.  I didn’t want to push and it seemed like a good chance to deepen our intimacy in non-sexual ways.

I filled Angie in on my childhood, not glossing over the horrid details.  I told her about the surgeries and my own bullies.  In return, she told me about her own experiences.  When I started to talk about my early dating experiences, she said she wasn’t interested in the details, though I ended up giving her a few as I explained the source of some of my emotional scars.  She was appalled at the woman who’d slept with me on a bet, just as I was appalled at Mike’s behavior during their courtship and marriage.

I offered to tell Angie about my experiences with Lynn, but she firmly said she wasn’t interested.  She was becoming friends with Lynn herself, and didn’t want to know.

“For you, that may have happened months ago,” she said.  “But for me, it will have happened today, because that’s when you told me.  I don’t want to bring the past into today.”

The only jarring part throughout our discussions was Angie’s general disbelief that I was ugly.  She continually got a small scowl, sometimes patronizing, whenever I described myself as a freak, or ugly, or bad looking.  She conceded that I had a lot of physical features that weren’t what most people called handsome, but she continually said that ugly, like beauty, was in the eye of the beholder.  I finally quit calling myself ugly in her presence, unless I phrased it as ‘The Ugly One!’ using the tone of Underdog or Mighty Mouse calling out their names.  That got her to smile.

The name appeared to have stuck in other quarters.  At Lynn’s graduation, a couple of her classmates came over at the end of the ceremony, laughing, and calling “Hey, it’s The Ugly One!”  We shook hands and joked about that evening past.  They told me stories about other encounters people had had with Greg.  He didn’t seem to have won many fans among the graduating class, even before our encounter.

Angie and Ashley had come with me to Lynn’s graduation ceremony.  While I had continued my Thursday dinners with Lynn, Angie had also started to talk with Lynn regularly.  We sat with Summer, who had flown in for the weekend and who became an immediate hit with Ashley by noticing her toy horse and mentioning that she had real horses.  Ashley was enthralled.  Summer laughed and entertained all of the six-year-old’s questions as we adjourned to Lynn’s backyard for a small graduation party.  I met Lynn’s uncle, who had come out for her graduation, and spent some time talking with her mom, but mostly played with Billy and Ashley while their mothers sat on the back porch and talked.

It was getting late and Ashley was beginning to tire and get a little cranky.  I looked over at Angie and Lynn and they exchanged some meaningful glances.  Then Angie called Billy and Ashley over, saying she wanted to show them something in the house.  Lynn motioned for me to follow her toward the gate to the front yard.

“Let’s go for a short walk,” she said.  I glanced over at Angie who nodded.  Lynn and I strolled through the gate into the quiet street and down the block a ways.

“John, she said.  “I’ve decided to take the Portland residency.  While the past month wasn’t too bad, there were enough comments that I’m sure this is the right thing to do.”  I nodded.  I’d expected this.  She’d told me about the comments during the past month, and tried to make light of them, but I knew her too well now to not sense their sting.

“I understand,” I replied.  “If that’s what it takes for you and Billy to be happy, then you need to do it.”  Lynn gave a sad smile.

“Billy’s not too happy about moving away from his friends.  I hope you can talk to him before we go.”

“Will do.”

“I’ll come back to visit when I can,” Lynn stated.  “And you’re also welcome to come stay with us in Portland.”  I smiled.

“We may take you up on that,” I said.

“I’d like that.”

“We’ll also email and call, I’m sure,” I said.  Lynn smiled and nodded.  We walked a little further in silence, listening to the night insects.  I realized there was something I still needed to say.

“Thank you, Lynn.  For everything.”  She turned, eyes merry and grinning.

“You’re welcome.  And thank you.”

“I didn’t do much,” I protested.

“Neither did I,” she shot back.  We just rolled our eyes at each other and then turned and walked back to the house.

When we got there, Ashley was sound asleep on the couch.  Lynn’s mom and uncle were ready to go back to her mom’s house and had just been waiting for Lynn’s return so they could say goodnight.  After they left, Summer and Angie resumed a conversation that had apparently begun while Lynn and I were out.  I smiled at the women and went to look for Billy.

Billy was in his room, playing with a MechWarrior.  I sat down next to him.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hi,” Billy replied.  He looked tired and a little sad.

“Your mom says you guys are moving to Portland now that she’s graduated.”

“Yeah.”  Billy didn’t look up and kept fiddling with his toy.

“It’ll be exciting!” I exclaimed.

“No, it’ll suck!”  I was a little surprised at his choice of words, but kept my expression calm.

“Oh, I don’t know.  You’ll get to spend time with your cousins, and see your uncle’s dog.  You’ll get to go to a new school without Jesse or Frank or any bullies.”

“And no friends.  I finally get friends and now we’re moving!”  Billy looked up, his lower lip trembling.

“You’ll make new friends,” I replied.  “You know how, now.  I’m sure there will be some guys there for you to play with and hang out with.  Besides, it’s not like you’ll be losing your friends here.  Your mom says you guys will come back and visit and I’m sure Ralph and Ed and the rest will be thrilled to see you when you do.”

Billy shrugged his shoulders and looked down at his warrior again.  

“Think of it as an adventure!” I urged.  “A new land!  New comrades!  New quests and challenges!”  Billy reluctantly nodded his head.

“I wish she hadn’t graduated,” he said.  “Then we wouldn’t have to move.”

“People graduate, Billy.  That’s what they go to school for.  To complete their education.  Some day you’ll graduate from school too.  It’ll be exciting!  In fact, I want to be there when you do!”

“You do?”

“Of course I do!  It’ll be great to see my buddy graduate!  You’re my friend, Billy, and I want to be there when you succeed.  No different than coming to the party for beating Jesse and Frank.”  Billy smiled at that.

“You’ll come?” he asked.

“Of course.  Even though you’re moving, we’ll still be friends.  At least if you want to.”  Billy gave an emphatic nod.

“We’ll write and talk on the phone and visit each other when we can.  We’ll play games when we get together, okay?”

“You’ll come to Portland to play games with me?”

“Absolutely!  Robin Hood, MechWarriors, you name it.”  I glanced around.  There were some more MechWarriors on his desk.

“In fact,” I said, “I think we have time to fight one battle before bedtime.”  Billy smiled, for the first time since I’d come into the bedroom.  I grabbed the MechWarriors off his desk and we set them up for a small battle.

It wasn’t a long fight, but it was satisfying.  Lynn showed up in the doorway, watching and smiling for a while, and Angie even poked her head in.  In the end, Billy won, all smiles and shouts of glee.

Lynn declared it was bedtime then, and we exchanged a long hug before he started his bedtime routine and I retreated to the living room.  Angie was there, waiting.

“Ashley’s asleep on Lynn’s bed,” she told me.  “Lynn’s agreed to keep her for the night.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Lynn said from behind me.  She was grinning.  “Take Angie home, John.  You can pick Ashley up in the morning.”  I turned and looked at Angie.  She took my hand.

“I’ve got some things to show you,” Angie said, getting a twinkle in her eye.

“Well, if you ladies insist,” I replied.  The both nodded their heads, so after long hugs from Lynn and Summer, I walked Angie to the car.

The drive to Angie’s was pretty quiet.  We talked a little about the graduation ceremony and I caught her up on my conversations with Lynn and Billy.  Angie just smiled.  She definitely had something planned, and I tried to remain casual and not have my mind race ahead.

When we got to Angie’s, she asked me to wait in the living room for a few minutes.  I jingled the change in my pocket and studied the pictures on the wall.  Then she called from the bedroom.

I slowly walked down the hall, seeing the flicker of candlelight from Angie’s bedroom.  There was also the scent of roses in the air.  When I entered the room, I caught my breath with the sight.

Angie was lying on her side, her head and upper body propped up on some pillows, her legs curled down below.  She was wearing a purple silk robe, black thigh-high stockings, heels, and nothing else.  The robe strategically gaped, revealing the fullness of her breasts and just a hint of her brown hair down below.  She was smiling--no, glowing--her eyes sparkling.

“Wow,” I uttered, my jaw hanging open.  Angie’s cheeks dimpled and she reached up and ran her fingers through her hair, pulling it back from her neck and ear.

“Wow,” I repeated, still standing there.

“I believe one of us is overdressed,” Angie teased.

“That’s solvable!” I answered.  It took me about two seconds to become completely naked and lying on the bed next to her, about a foot away.  That gave me enough room to continue to run my eyes up and down her body.

“You’re beautiful,” I said.

“Thank you.  So are you.”

I started to roll my eyes but before I could, Angie reached out and put her hand on my cheek.  Our eyes locked and then I slid in for the kiss.

What is it about skin-to-skin that heightens a kiss?  I only loosely wrapped one arm around Angie as our lips met and then parted.  Her breasts didn’t brush my chest until a few kisses more.  Somehow our legs had become intertwined from the start, but I didn’t notice until I pulled back and began kissing her cheek, jaw, neck.  Our kisses were no more passionate or deeper or frantic than ones we’d shared in the past, yet they felt so much more *alive*.

I started to run the tips of my fingers across her back, just grazing the nails against her through her robe.  Angie purred and stopped the kissing, just nestling into my shoulder while my hand danced and played.  When I grew tired, I rested it on her hip, but not before running those light touches over her ass as well.  Angie just wiggled in pleasure with that.

Then Angie gently pushed me onto my back, kissing me as she did so.  I tried to pull her onto me, for more kissing, but she had other ideas.  Her kisses left my lips, danced along my neck, and then trailed along one collar bone.  Angie shot me a devilish grin and then methodically began kissing and licking her way south.

She had to reposition herself, kneeling between my legs, the robe now discarded and the shoes kicked off.  Angie ran her hands down my abdomen and across the top of my thighs.  Then she trailed her fingers up my inner thighs until she reached my rigid cock.  She slid both hands around it, fingers forward, as if in prayer with my shaft between.

“May I?” she asked, feigning innocence for a moment.

“Oh yes,” I answered.

Angie bent over and touched her lips to the head of my cock.  Then she wetted them and flicked her tongue lightly against my skin.  I gasped and she shot me a quick grin before parting her lips and engulfing my cock.

I gasped again.  Angie was taking slow strokes, keeping the suction tight and doing things with her tongue that I couldn’t even describe.  Things she’d never done before.  Soon I was doing more than gently gasping—the shots of pleasure were getting pretty strong!

Angie brought her hands into play, caressing my scrotum with one and using the other to hold my shaft firmly in place.  The shift gave me a moment to wonder about her newfound skills, but the thoughts were lost with another couple of quick bobs of her head.

The pressure was starting to mount in my testicles, and I could sense that it wouldn’t be long before I couldn’t hold back.  Angie could too though, and she applied a tight squeeze to the base of my cock with one hand, while pulling her mouth off my cock.  I’d started to twitch, but they died out before they could become orgasmic convulsions.

“Do you want to come in my mouth?” Angie asked, a little teasingly, as I recovered regular breathing.

“I want to come in your pussy,” I said.  Angie nodded and gave my cock one final kiss before moving up next to me on the bed.

“You can do that,” she said, “but first . . .”  Her eyes flicked down and I just grinned in response.

I decided to mimic her path.  I kissed her lightly on the lips, then more fully, touching the tip of her tongue before pulling away.  I kissed the side of her mouth, and then the other side, then around and up to behind her ear, which got her to moan.  Then I trailed my kisses down.  I made a few short pauses, but went down down down.

I didn’t neglect Angie’s breasts, of course.  Her nipples were hard under my tongue and begging for a hard suck.  I did not deny them, much to Angie’s pleasure.  Her purrs and moans got louder the further south I traveled.

Like she had done, I repositioned myself between her legs.  I ran my hands lightly over the top of her thighs and her mound, before caressing her inner thighs with my finger tips.  I grinned at Angie.

“May I?”  I asked.  She snorted, but gave no verbal reply.  I lowered my head and began with a kiss.

Her clit was very hard beneath my tongue.  She was primed.  I decided to not waste any time.  I began to suckle and lick and kiss, noting when Angie’s moans increased or her gasps became faster.  Those strokes I repeated again and again.  In just a few moments Angie shrieked, arched her back, and came.

We cuddled while Angie regained her breath, the post-orgasmic flush spreading across her chest and a loopy, warm grin spreading from ear to ear.

“I do believe you liked that,” I joked.  Angie chuckled.

“Get a condom,” she said.  I glanced around and saw them on the nightstand.  Moments later, I was poised above her, my erection gently bumping her inner thighs.  Remembering Lynn’s comments, I waited until Angie reached down and positioned me where she wanted me.

Angie let out a slow groan as I slid inside her.  She hooked her legs over mine, running the nylon of her stockings across my skin.  I smiled and paused, just enjoying the feel of her body around mine.  Then I started to thrust.

I started slow, and then increased the pace.  When I couldn’t maintain it, I dropped back to slow again, or shifted my weight, which also shifted the angle.  Angie kissed me passionately when my lips where near hers and gave little whimpers and moans when my face was a little further away.

“Roll your hips,” I whispered in her ear.  Angie was too busy gasping to reply, but complied.  The new angle gave me a deeper penetration and I began to thrust hard and fast.

Angie’s gasps turned to shrieks.  I stroked as fast as I could, keeping a constant tempo.  She let out one loud hiss and bit her lip, trembling.  As her orgasm washed through her, she clamped down on my cock.  Surprised, I stopped thrusting.

As the after-tremors settled, Angie rolled her hips back down and I began very slow, shallow motions.  We smiled at each other, with me enjoying the contact high of her renewed glow.

Then Angie squeezed my cock with her cunt muscles again.  I gasped.  She chuckled and then did it again.  I gasped again.

It didn’t take us very long to find a rhythm between her squeezes and my thrusts.  Once we found it, it only took me a dozen strokes to feel the pressure begin to build within once again.

“Gonna cum,” I gasped.

“Yes!” Angie hissed.

With two more strokes and a gargled cry, I let go.  The pleasure slammed up my spine and muscles from my toes to my shoulders spasmed.  I collapsed on top of Angie until enough time had passed that I could think coherently again.

Once thought had returned, I withdrew, quickly removed and discarded the condom, and then laid down on my side, facing Angie, also on her side, facing me.

 “Did you like that?” Angie purred.

“Like it? I loved it!”  Angie looked smug.

“Good!  Lynn said you would.”

“You’re getting sex advice from Lynn?” I asked, a little incredulous.

“You did,” she pointed out.

“True.  I’m just surprised.”

“Do you mind if I keep getting advice from her?”

“Oh no!  Go right ahead!”  Angie’s eyes twinkled at my answer.  The she got a little more serious for a moment.

“She loves you, John.”

“Yeah, and I love her, but not in the same way I love you.”  Angie smiled as those last three words fell from my mouth.

“I don’t think she loves you the way I do either,” Angie replied.  She got a teasing glint in her eye.  “I don’t have the same maternal instincts toward you.”  She slid her hand up my thigh to emphasize her point.  I kissed her and then pulled back.  We just held each other, gazing into the other’s eyes.  Then I lay back, thinking.  Angie cuddled in, her head on my shoulder, one arm and a leg draped across me.

“I’m not sure they’re really maternal,” I finally said.

“Maybe not,” Angie replied.  “But does it matter?”

“I guess not.”

As I said that, my gaze wandered down, past Angie’s limbs, toward my feet.  The toes didn’t line up, a side effect of the different length of my legs.  Even if Angie didn’t see my scars, I was still physically asymmetrical.

Did it matter?  I wondered.  Once it had mattered more than anything else in the world.  Then I’d met Lynn.  Now . . . now, that wasn’t true.  So much else mattered so much more.

--fin--
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