	Like everything good in my life, my time with Jack was far too short.  We had barely scratched the surface of being together and then he was gone from my life.  His dad had a great opportunity to teach at a much bigger school with a much bigger salary.  He couldn’t say no to it.
	The last few days of school were hell for me. I missed Jack and I didn’t want to be in this hell hole any more.  Somehow I survived and it was time for summer break.
	I’d thought I would be happier now that school was out but I wasn’t. Now all I had was more time to sit and dwell on how much my life sucked.  It didn’t help that my mother’s job had her out working all night and I didn’t have anyone to yell at.
	At the end of June, Julie called and demanded that I come over and spend the night. I tried to tell her no, but she was having none of that.  She practically dragged me to her house and force fed me some fun.
	I needed it. We didn’t talk about Jack or Mitch or Mandy, all we did was play games and laugh and just live.  I actually started to feel better thanks to her.
	She called and asked if she could come over one night and I told her my mom wouldn’t be home and we’d be all by ourselves.  
	“Duh!” She said. “Why do you think I want to come over?”
	“There’s no way your mom will say yes to that,” I said.
	“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”
	Julie got dropped off before my mother left for work. Her mother didn’t like mine, something we had in common, but, with one last promise from us to be good, she left.
	My mom shocked us both by getting pizza for dinner. We all sat around watching TV, having pizza and just relaxing until it was time for my mother to go to work.
	She left, making us promise to call her if we needed anything. Maybe seeing Julie’s mom acting like a mom had made my mother try and step and be one too. I kind of liked it.
	With her gone, it was just Julie and me.  We watched a little more TV and then we decided to put on our night clothes and camp out in my room.
	I layed on my bed while Julie got her sleeping bag unrolled on the floor.  She sat down on it and looked at me.
	“What?” I asked.
	“Can I ask you something?” 
	“Yeah,” I said.
	“Well, I don’t want you to get all sad, or mad or something,” she said.
	“Just ask,” I said, pretending to be exasperated.
	“What’s sex like?” She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
	I slid off of the bed and sat beside her on her sleeping bag.  I thought about it for a moment before I said, “It’s amazing. When you’re with someone who cares and wants to make you feel good there’s nothing else like it.”
	“Does it hurt?”
	I nodded. “Oh yeah. The first time and a few times after that.  Or if you get someone who wants to just fuck they can make it hurt if they want to.”
	“How many times have you done it?” She asked.
	“A few,” I said.
	“I thought you and Mitch did it just that one time,” she said.
	“We did,” I said.  “But I’ve been with guys other than Mitch.”
	“You and Jack were doing it, weren’t you?” She asked, her eyes wide in surprise.  “That’s why you were so sad when he left.”
	“Yeah,” I said, looking at the floor, still missing him and wishing he was here.
	“I’m sorry,” Julie said putting her arm around me.  “I was supposed to be making you feel better and I’m making you all sad again.”
	“It’s okay,” I said, leaning against her.  “Maybe talking about it will help.”
	“So was he any good?” She asked.
	I laughed and pushed her away.  “You’re horrible.”
	“I know,” she said. “So? Was he?”
	“Yes, he was,” I said.  “I can honestly say I taught him everything he knows and he was a very good student.”
	She giggled and asked, “Who else?”
	I hesitated for a minute. She was my best friend and was the first one there when Mitch had broken my heart.  She was also here to make the pain of Jack’s leaving just a little easier.  In the end, I decided to tell her the truth.
	“Mr. Stevens,” I said.
	Her jaw fell open and she stared at me.  “I thought you said you two didn’t do anything.”
	I shrugged.  “I did that to try and keep him from going to jail.  I wish someone would have believed me. I wish I could do something to break him out and we could run away. Even now I still think about him.”
	“But he was like forty or something,” she said.
	“Forty-two,” I said.
	“And you were thirteen!” She said.  “Isn’t that kind of gross?”
	“No, it’s not,” I said sharply.  “He cared about me. He was gentle and made me feel loved. He didn’t deserve what happened to him.”
	She raised her hands and said, “Don’t be mad, Lizzi. I’m just saying he was kind of old is all.  I don’t know if I could handle being with a guy with gray pubes.”
	I laughed and said, “You only could tell some were gray when you were really close.”
	“Ewww!” She screamed and rolled onto her side.  She made gagging noise and then collapsed on the floor.  I poked in the ribs and made her shriek.
	She sat back up and we sat quietly for a minute, just enjoying each other’s company.  Julie, of course, didn’t last very long on the quite part.
	“Any more I don’t know about?” She asked.
	I nodded and said, “My mom’s drug dealer Paulie.”
	Her lip curled in disgust.  “Why would you even go near a guy like that.”
	I sighed and told her the whole truth.  I told her about Paulie’s deal to give me money if I did what he wanted. I told her about my time on my own in the hotels I’d lived in.  I also told her about Larry attacking me and how I’d given myself to Paulie again in exchange for him making Larry dump my mom and go the hell away.
	When I was done, Julie just sat staring at me.  I gave her a sad smile and said, “So Mandy was right all alone. I am a whore.”
	“Don’t you ever say that again!” She snapped, sticking her finger in my face.
	I leaned back, surprised by the angry tears in her eyes.
	“You did what you had to do to survive,” she said.  “I don’t think I could ever have done what you did and come out of it like you have. I wish I was half as tough as you are.”
	Tears spilled down my cheeks and I leaned towards her. We wrapped our arms around one another and cried.  When the tears dried up, I leaned back and asked, “Why are you crying? I’m the one with the shit life.”
	She wiped the last of her tears and said, “Because I feel bad.  I’m supposed to be your best friend and I should have known this stuff and done something to help.”
	I touched my hand to her face and said, “You have helped, dumbass.  Who was there for me when Alan was on trial? You. Who was there for me after Mitch? You. Who’s here for me now? You.  You are the most awesomest best friend ever, Julie.”
	Tears started to slide down her face and I pulled Julie against me and held her while she cried a little longer.
	As I held her, and her tears stopped, Julie said, “I have to ask you one more question.”
	“Anything,” I said.
	“What’s cock like?”
	I howled with laughter and shoved her away.  She collapsed into a ball and laughed with me.  
	“No, seriously,” she said, still giggling, “What is cock like?”
	I thought about it for a minute and said, “Well, you’ve seen the pictures in Health, right?”
	She rolled her eyes and said, “Those aren’t pictures, they’re drawings and don’t count.”
	“You’re’ right,” I admitted.  “They do not do the real thing any justice.”
	She growled and said, “Tell me and stop bring a dick!”
	I grinned at her and said, “Okay.  Cock is… amazing, just like sex.  It’s so hard and stiff in your hands.  When you touch it, guys jump because it’s so sensitive.”
	“More!” She demanded.
	“When you have a guy’s cock in your mouth, he’s all yours.  You totally own him and he’s got this look on his face that’s almost like he’s begging you to keep going.  I love that look,” I said.
	“Isn’t it gross?” She asked.  “I mean he pees with that thing and you put it in your mouth?”
	“Not something you’re thinking about at the time,” I said.  “Besides, it’s not like he pees in your mouth.”
	“No, but he cums in it,” she said.
	“That’s not too bad when you’re used to it.”
	“Gross!!” She said. “What’s it taste like?”
	“It’s kinda salty and slippery,” I said.  “It looks like snot too.”
	She collapsed into more convulsions and gagging before I kicked her in the shin.  Sticking her tongue out at me, she sat back up.
	“What’s it feel like down there?” She asked.
	“In your pussy?”
	She rolled her eyes and said, “Only dirty girls say pussy, Lizzi.”
	“You just said it, dumbass.”
	“Shit, you’re right,” she replied.
	“Foul mouthed bitch,” I said to her.
	“And those are some of my better qualities too,” she said. “Now answer the fucking question.”
	“It hurts a little the first few times, like I said.  If he goes slow and your body has a chance to accept him, it’s a lot better.  Sometimes you’re a little too wet and he slips in real fast and it hurts but it gets better real fast.”
	“What positions have you done?” She asked.
	“Under, on top and doggy,” I replied.
	“What’s doggy like?”
	I cringed and said, “It hurt really bad and left me sore for a couple of days.  Paulie’s not a gentle guy.”
	“Sorry,” she said, patting my knee.
	I shrugged and said, “It’s okay.”
	“So has a guy ever eaten you out?” She asked.
	“Jesus, Julie, do you ever stop?”
	“Look, woman, this may be the only chance I have that you’re willing to answer so I’m gonna ask shit until you can’t talk no more. Got it?”
	“And what if I don’t feel like telling you?” I asked.
	“I’ll turn you over my knee and blister your ass!” She replied.
	“Don’t go threatening me with a good time,” I said.
	She laughed and asked, “Have you ever done it with a girl?”
	I hesitated. I’d edited my mother out of my first time with Paulie.  I was worried Julie might get stabby if I told her the part about my mom so I told her that Paulie had had another girl there and she’d been the one to do the things my mother did to me.
	“Is kissing a girl different than a guy?” She asked.
	“It is if the guy has stubble,” I said.  “Plus the girl’s lips were a little softer than the guys I’ve kissed.”
	“It is so not fair!” Julie cried.  “You’ve kissed guys and women and I;ve never even gotten a kiss from a guy!”
	“What about Dougy?” I asked.  “I thought you two were hot and heavy last year.”
	She rolled her eyes and said, “I just said that we were to make you think I was cooler than I was.”
	“Right now I don’t think there is anyone cooler than you on the planet, girl,” I said.
	Her lip quivered for a second before she managed to say, “Thanks, Lizzi.”
	I leaned over and gave her another hug.  She squeeze me back and I leaned back to look at her and make sure she wasn’t going to cry again.
	I never expected her to kiss me.  She leaned forward so fast and pressed her lips hard against mine.
	I leaned back, breaking out kiss and stared at her.  Julie’s face turned bright red and she did start crying this time.
	“Julie, what the hell was that?” I asked.
	“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice muffled by the sleeping bag she was pressing her face into. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
	I rubbed her back, feeling her body shake with sobs and tried to comfort her while I tried to figure out why she’d kissed me like that.
	She suddenly sat up and faced me. 
	“It’s just that you know what it’s like to kiss,” she said, her words running together as she spoke a million miles an hour.  “I’ve never been kissed and I thought because you knew and you’ve kissed a girl it would be okay.  I’m sorry, Lizzi, I should have done that. Please don’t be mad. Please!”
	I put my hand over her mouth, mostly so I could get a word in edgewise, partially to stop her from babbling like a fool all night.
	“Julie, I’ve kissed one girl and it wasn’t all that fun for me,” I said.  “And you’re my best friend and it would be kinda weird to kiss you like that.”
	She pushed my hand away and said, “But we are best friends, that’s what I mean.  If you showed me how to kiss I wouldn’t be so afraid when a guy really doe kiss me.  Then I won’t scare him off because I’ve never kissed anyone before.”
	“You are making this into too big of a thing,” I said.  “Besides, I like guys and kissing them and it might be weird if we kissed and you’re my only damn friend, Julie.”
	“It won’t be weird, I promise,” she said eagerly.  “We’ll just kiss and I’ll know what to do and everything will be cool again. Okay?”
	I sighed and stared at her.  She wasn’t going to let up on this and I didn’t want to deal with her crying or being mad all night so I said, “Okay, fine.  Let’s just do this and get it over with.”
	Yay!” She said, clapping her hands and leaning towards me.
	I stopped her and, just like with Jack, I told her what to do.  She listened, her eyes wide, and nodded and said she was ready.
	With one last shake of my head, I leaned forward and kissed her.  Her lips were so very soft and warm against mine.  I opened my mouth and licked my tongue along her lips.  She giggled and then opened her mouth and, tentatively, touched her tongue to mine.  
	I pulled her close, pressing my body against her, and kissed her deeply.  I had to admit, I was a little turned on by how good of a kisser she was turning out to be.
	As soon as that thought wandered through my head, I broke the kiss and leaned back.  Julie stared at me and could only say, ”Wow.”
	I laughed, some of the weird tension leaving me, and said, “Yeah, it’s pretty damn fun.”
	“No kidding,” she said, touching her fingers to her lips.  “Can we do it again?”
	I should have said no. It was my first reaction but I hesitated.  It was just a kiss; it wasn’t like it meant anything. And, it wasn’t like I hadn’t enjoyed it a little.
	We learned in and kissed again.  This time I took her into my arms and ran my fingers down her back. She moaned in my mouth, which turned me on a lot more than I wanted to admit.  
	I held her close, feeling the press of her breasts against mine and enjoying the heat of her boy.  This time we broke the kiss and I was a lot more reluctant to than I should have been.
	I leaned against my bed and looked at her while she caught her breath.  I saw that I wasn’t the only one turned on by our kissing.  The front of her nightshirt poked out where her hard nipples pressed against it.
	She saw where I was looking and blushed.
	“I’m not the only one with my headlights on, bitch,” she said.
	I looked down and saw my own nipples poking out from my nightshirt. I grinned at her and said, “It’s not like I haven’t seen you all pokey before.”
	She sighed and said, “It is not my fault I have big tits with big nipples and that I got stuck sitting under the air conditioner vent at school.”
	“I think Mr. Pappas sat you there on purpose,” I said.
	“No way!” She said.  “That’s so gross! You don’t really think he’s checking me out do you?”
	I shrugged and said, “He does seem to be nicer to you girls with the big knockers. He doesn’t seem to pay attention to those of us on the smaller side of things.”
	“You’re not small, Lizzi.”
	I was smaller. Julie was already into a D cup and I just barely knocking on the door of a C.  She was bigger than me but I thought her weight looked good.  She looked like a real woman should and not these twigs that guys seemed to be in love with lately.
	“I’m also not even in your league, boobs,” I said.
	“Nobody’s perfect,” she said.  “Well, except me, of course.”
	“Well, Ms. Perfect, I think you forgot a little something,” I said.
	“What?”
	“Mr. Pappas teaches English Comp and we both have that next year.”
	“Shit!” 
	I laughed and said, “So you get another year of checking out your boobs,” I said.
	“Maybe that’s not a bad thing,” she said.  “If it’ll get me an A I could give him a little show.”
	With that, she pulled her nightshirt down a little and pushed her breasts together, showing me a little cleavage.
	“Do you think he’d give me an A for that?” She asked.
	“Maybe,” I said.
	“What about this?” she asked.
	She yanked up her shirt and flashed me her breasts.
	“Hot mama!” I laughed. “That’ll get you and A and maybe some more!”
	“Gross!” She shouted.
	We shared a laugh and she sat watching me.
	“What now?” I asked.
	“I showed you mine. You have to show me yours.”
	“You want me to show you my tits?” I asked.
	“Duh!”
	“Well, you didn’t really show me yours.  You just kind of flashed them.”
	Her face turned red and she hesitated. 
	“I could really show them to you, if you want,” she whispered. “But you have to show me yours too! And you have to promise!”
	I felt a little uncomfortable. It was like before we’d kissed, when I wondered if we were going to cross a line we shouldn’t.  Even worrying about that, part of me was excited at the thought of seeing Julie naked.
	I bit my lip before finally giving in and saying I would.
	She clapped and then grabbed the bottom of her nightshirt.  She hesitated again and I wondered if she was having the same confused thoughts that I was. Then, with a little squeak, she pulled her nightshirt up over her head.
	She looked away from me, just sitting and letting me take in the sight of her.  Her breasts were wonderful.  They were full and perfect and, even as big as they were, I could see no stretch marks or signs of sagging. 
	Her nipples were much bigger than mine. Her areola was wide and dark and her hard nipples stuck out almost double the size of mine.  I looked her up and down, enjoying seeing her like this. Part of me liked it because she was like a piece of art on display just for me.  Another part enjoyed seeing her like this because of the sheer erotic nature of having her in my bedroom naked for me.
	“I am jealous,” I said.
	She turned and gave me a funny look.  “Why?”
	“You have a great rack, girl!”
	She giggled and I could see the blush not just in her face but in the skin of her breasts as well.
	“Well, if I could see yours, I’d tell you what I think,” she said.
	I never hesitated. I reached down and pulled off my nightshirt, letting her have the view she wanted. Unlike her, I never looked away, enjoying the look on her face as she examined my breasts.
	Mine were smaller than her but just as perky.  My areola were just barely a hint of color away from my tiny, hard nipples.
	“Wow, Lizzi,” she said. “I think you have a great rack too.”
	I laughed and said, “It’s nothing in comparison to yours.”
	“I don’t think so,” she said. “You’re a little perkier and I love your tiny little nips. I love how they look against your skin, not all dark and big like mine.”
	“Well, I haven’t had any complaints,” I joked.
	With her eyes still on my breasts, Julie asked, “Can I touch them?”
	I nodded and she scooted close to me.  She rubbed her finger lightly across my nipples, making me gasp. She looked up at me, her eyes wide.
	“They’re sensitive,” I said.
	Again she rubbed her finger across my nipples, making me gasp a second time. With an evil little smile, she teased my nipples with her fingers, watching me jump and squirm under her touch.
	I reached out and slid my finger along her nipple, returning the favor, and enjoyed her little jump.  As our fingers and hands explored each other’s breasts, we moved closer and closer together.  
	When we were just a few inches apart our eyes met and we leaned in to kiss.  We pressed our bodies together as we kissed and I could feel the heat of her bare skin on mine.  I slid my body against hers, feeling her nipples sliding along my skin and feeling little shivers as mine rubbed against her.
	I kissed my way down her jaw and onto her neck, not thinking about the line I was crossing.  My body was already burning with desire and the time for worrying about lines and taboos was past.
	I kissed my way down to the tops of her breasts.  I licked a slow circle around her nipple before touching it with my tongue.  Julie let out a loud moan as I continued to rub her hard nipple with my tongue.  I sucked her nipple into my mouth and listened to her gasping for air.
	She pulled my face away from her breast and kissed me hard and deep. She licked her way down my jaw and neck and onto my breast.  She flicked her tongue against my nipple, just like I had done to her. And, just like, her, I let out a loud moan as she sucked my hard nipple into her mouth.  
	I let her suck my nipples until I couldn’t take the shivering little bursts of pleasure that were exploding inside of me.  I pulled her back and kissed her passionately. We kiss for a long time, our hands exploring each other’s bodies before we both fell back and stared at each other.
	I watched her breasts bounce as she tried to catch her breath and my need to touch her again was almost overwhelming.
	“God, I’m so wet right now,” she said.
	“Me too,” I said.
	I watched her eyes slid down my body to my panties. I knew she could see the wet spot in the front of them, just like I could see hers.  Without thinking about it, I slid my panties off and sat before her completely naked.
	Julie did the same and we sat across from each other, staring at out naked pussies.  Hers was a little hairier than mine.  I’d started to hate the feel of the hair so I’d taken to shaving it off with one of my razors.  Julie was more natural and had a small bush of brown hair covering her pussy.
	“You shave?” She asked.
	I explained how I felt about pubic hair and she giggled.
	We looked at each other for a while, taking in each curve of the other’s body.  I met Julie’s eyes and saw my need for more than just looking mirrored there.
	“Do you ever use your finger?” I asked quietly.
	She blushed a deep red and just nodded.
	I crawled over to her and put my hand on her thigh.  She watched me nervously, her whole body shaking, as I slid my hand up her thigh.  I touched the wetness of her pussy and she bit her lip to keep from crying out.  I grinned at her and began o rub her wetness.
	I felt her hand touch between my legs and I did not even try to stop the moan of pleasure her touch caused.  She followed my lead and rubbed and touched what I did.
	Our fingers trailed over our clits, each one of us breathing heavier with each brush against the sensitive skin.  I slid my finger down to her tight little pussy and eased the tip of my finger into her. 
	Julie, no longer biting her lip, cried out as I slowly eased my finger into her.  I felt her finger touch my pussy and slip inside of me.  
	As our fingers slowly worked their way into our pussies, our lips met and we kissed. Our tongues probed each other’s mouths as our fingers probed deeper into each other’s wetness.
	We lay down on the floor, our bodies pressed together as we touched.  I began to move my finger deep inside Julie’s pussy, feeling her squeeze my finger with each shiver of pleasure that ran through her.
	As we loved each other, Julie broke our kiss and moaned, “Yes, Lizzi, right there. Keep going right there.”
	I heard her breathing become more ragged and she began to let out a high pitched moan and she ground herself down hard onto my finger.  Her pussy squeezed my finger hard and she cried out again and again as I slipped my finger faster and faster in and out of her.
	She grabbed my hand to stop me and I grinned at her as I slipped my finger out of her.  She lay there with me, her finger still deep in my pussy, catching her breath.
	I felt her finger move inside me and she began to slide it in and out of me again.  It wasn’t too long until she found the perfect rhythm and I was crying out, feeling my orgasm explode inside me. Everything went white and every nerve inside me burned like its own small star.
	When the orgasm faded, I collapsed back and we both lay there for a while, basking in the afterglow.
	“So does this make us lesbians?” Julie asked.
	I giggled and said, “More like bi cause I like cock too much.”
	She laughed and said, “Well, I haven’t tried cock yet but, if it’s as good as your finger, I know I’m gonna be as cock hungry as you are.”
	We laughed and talked, completely comfortable with what we’d just done and the fact that we were both still naked.  After a while, Julie went to the bathroom to wash up. When she was done I did the same.  
	I don’t remember falling asleep but, the next thing I knew, it was morning. I woke up to find Julie had already packed as was just waiting for me to wake up so she could say bye.
	She called her mom and hurried off, barely saying a word to me.  And just like that, I felt like I’d lost my best friend now.
	She called the next day though and apologized. She said she’d just felt really weird and she needed to think.  She didn’t stay the night again that summer, or ever again, but we were still best friends. It was a little uncomfortable at first but, we were friends and we got through it.
