Chapter 17: Tina

As we entered our junior year, Claire focused her attention on her chosen career field. She was attracted to elementary education because of her work with the children over several summers. I knew what I wanted to do, but since there was no degree program for town management, I settled on majoring in liberal arts. Maxine was a communications major, planning to become a newspaper columnist. She'd taken the town management courses in case she was assigned to cover town meetings. Her backup plan was to become a television news writer. For that, she'd taken courses in history and political science.

I'm sure that others wondered how we got along so well. Maxine said it was because we abided by two simple rules. Claire and I were careful not to reveal that one time when we'd broken one of the rules. We tried to forget about it, but that was impossible. There was always lingering concern that one of us would crack in a time of extreme passion.

It was clear that some guys envied me, saying they didn't know how I could keep two women happy. Claire said they were giving me too much credit, that it was she and Maxine who kept me happy. They were quite open about sharing me. We often joked that we were stuck with each other. The room was too small to add a fourth person, and four people in Maxine's truck would have been illegal.

I suppose that if we had added a fourth person to our triangle, it would have been Tommy. He was now a sophomore, and I don't think he's had a date since high school. Without Tina, he was like a lost puppy. Jane always invited him to the monthly parties she and Cory held at the house they shared with Peter and Mia. She said that since I brought two girls, she needed Tommy to balance the boy versus girl count.

Maxine and Claire tolerated the tall blonde kid from Perryville. I think it was a game they played to get a reaction from me. I warned them that they were playing with fire. Tommy had enjoyed frequent sex with Tina while they were in high school. That was nearly two years ago, and I could see signs that he was about to explode. Claire said I was acting juvenile, and Maxine accused me of being jealous.

She eventually changed her mind when Tommy became more and more adventuresome. Maxine gave me a look, pleading for me to do something. I took him aside and told him to keep his hand off her ass.

"She didn't say anything," he said, in a cocky tone.

"She doesn't need to say anything. That's my job."

"What right do you have to tell me what I can do?"

"Tommy, I shouldn't have to tell you to show some respect for my girlfriend."

He smirked. "Like you showed respect for Tina? I couldn't do anything to keep you away from her then, and you can't do anything to keep me from screwing Maxine now."

Was he implying that I'd screwed Tina? "You're wrong. I turned Tina down out of respect for your relationship with her. That's what friends do, and that's what I expect from you."

He stalked away and I thought he'd gotten my point. We talked about declining the invitation to the next month's party, but in the end, we decided that Tommy was harmless. We were wrong.

Jane's parties were always orchestrated to expose the core group to a revolving list of newcomers. In addition to her housemates, Maxine, Claire, me, and Tommy, she'd invited two new couples. The first hour was spent draining the punchbowl, consuming the snacks, and getting to know the new people.

It was a spring evening, and as we took seats on the floor of the crowded living room, I noted that the standard dress was cut-offs, sneakers, and T-shirts. I also noted that I was the only guy without a girl sitting in front of me. Maxine and Claire were on the other side of the circle with Claire leaning back against Maxine. Tommy was missing, probably going through one of the girls' panty drawers. That thought was cruel of me; I had no idea what he was doing.

After two cups of punch, everyone was in a mellow mood. Soft music was playing in the background, and a breeze was blowing through the open windows. The main topic of conversation was graduation and the seniors' plans for the future. After we'd heard how they were going to conquer the world, Mia set out to embarrass me.

"Mickey, we're planning to keep the house next year, and we'd like you and Claire to live here with us."

I saw that Peter was nodding his agreement, but I was more interested in what Claire had to say about sharing the house with the other couple. From the way she was concentrating on her sneakers, I could tell that she was not in favor of accepting the invitation. Mia must have thought my lack of response called for encouragement from her.

"Remember how you liked for me to join you in your bed last year?"

All eyes moved from Mia to me, and then to Peter, who was laughing at his girlfriend's attempt to make me uncomfortable. Mia, seeing the surprised look on all the faces, attempted to clarify her statement.

"It wasn't like what you are thinking. Peter didn't like for me to stay in his bed after he fucked me. I knew Mickey was harmless because he had a girlfriend. What was her name, Mickey?" she asked, looking at me for help. When I didn't respond, she continued.

"Anyway, she didn't allow him to stay all night, so he would come back to the room and be asleep before I got in bed with him. Admit it, Mickey. You liked waking up and feeling my warm tits next to your back, didn't you?"

"I've heard enough," Claire said, before jumping up and running down the hall to the bathroom.

Maxine crawled across the room and frowned at Mia as she took a seat in front of me. I put my arms around her and felt her lean back against me. "I don't think Claire's interested in living here with you. She has her heart set on moving in with other senior girls," she said to Mia, before turning to see the shock on my face. I don't know what I'd been thinking about our future living arrangements, but I didn't like the idea of having to visit Claire at one of the senior girls' apartments.

Mia was unperturbed. "You can still have the second bedroom, Mickey. We'll invite lots of eligible girls to our parties, and you can have your pick. Think of how good it will be to wake up and feel my tits against your back. You won't mind, will you, Babe?" she asked, looking at Peter. He just smiled at her.

I don't know if the strangers took Mia seriously or not. Their looks of dismay were interrupted by Claire's scream. It invaded the room like a sandstorm, prickling our ears with a gritty substance.

I jumped, and felt Maxine's hand grip my thigh. I'm not sure how the others reacted to Claire's plea for help, because I was running down the hallway with only one thought in mind, rescuing Claire.

She was doing her best to fight Tommy off, but he already had her cut-offs and panties pulled down and was ramming his finger into her pussy. He turned his head, and I saw that his lip was bleeding. His eyes showed a combination of fear and rage. I don't think he recognized that it was me. He had Claire's right hand pinned to the wall, but she was using the other one very effectively, aiming it at his face, mainly.

I reached up, got a fistful of blond hair, and slammed his head against the far wall. I was pounding his stomach when Peter and someone else pulled me away. From that moment, my mind went blank. The only things I remember were Tommy's attempt to convince others that fair was fair, something about him getting even with me for fucking his girlfriend, and Maxine taking over. She consoled Claire and ushered us to the door.

Back in our room, Maxine undressed us, and put Claire between us in my bed. It was too cramped to be comfortable. I don't think any of us got much sleep. Claire alternated between shaking and crying, and I was still too infuriated by Tommy's actions to relax. Maxine tried to quiet her, saying that it was all over, and that we should put it behind us. I think that even she knew her words were said in vain.

Claire didn't need to make a formal announcement. We could tell by her actions that she'd sworn off sex. All we could do was to accept her resolution and hope that it would end soon. I couldn't imagine that it would last until the end of the school year, but after the first week had gone by, I could only hope that things would change during the other two weeks. They didn't.

Tommy fared better than me. The one time we spoke, he told me that his headache had only lasted one night, and my blows to his stomach hadn't hurt. I had to admit that his face had healed nicely. He introduced me to the little brunette on his arm, but I didn't try to remember her name. The next time I saw them together, they ignored me like I didn't exist. Jane told me that Tommy was in love and that he and the brunette were planning to remain at school for the summer.

It became Claire's practice to alternate between beds. She wanted my arm around her waist, but movement in either direction was fiercely discouraged. I could tell that she was the same with Maxine, and since Claire needed a nightly companion, it gave Maxine and me no opportunity to occupy the same bed. By the end of the second week of Claire alternating beds, I became more and more fidgety, and if I was not mistaken, Maxine was being affected the same as me.

I was studying for finals when Maxine came into the room carrying her cap and gown. She smiled, but didn't say anything until she saw me watching her hang up her graduation outfit.

"How's it going?" she asked.

"I'm having trouble concentrating," I admitted.

"I know what you mean," she said, and fell silent.

I went back to studying my notes and she took a seat at the other desk. I heard her sigh, and looked up from my notebook.

"We'd have to tell her," Maxine said, without looking at me.

"Would we?" I asked, remembering how Claire and I had kept our brief relapse secret from Maxine.

"She'd be ... hurt."

"Yes," I agreed, "but she'd understand. Anyway, you'll be leaving soon, and I need to get through finals."

Maxine nodded, but that was all. She returned to her book and I tried to study my notes. I was doodling when I heard her chair move.

"Hell with her. From the way she's been acting, she won't care anyway."

We met at my bed, stripping each other and kissing with more passion than ever before. We were naked and I was adjusting the condom when she stopped me.

"Are you sure?"

"Stopping now would be the waste of a perfectly good condom."

She giggled and jumped onto the bed, landing conveniently on her back. There was no more talk of stopping. Maxine was ready and eager; I was, too. Her pussy was glistening with moisture and her eyes were glistening with excitement as my cock found her opening. The urgency was so strong that we were lost in the moment, struggling to get the timing down, and forgetting to be concerned that we were breaking a rule. If I was too rough, Maxine never let on that she minded. If I bit her, she bit me back, and when I tired, she flipped me onto my back and finished the job.

It took a few minutes for us to regain our breathing. We lay on our backs and looked at the ceiling. I wondered what she was thinking, and she probably wondered the same about me.

"That was..."

"Awesome?" I finished her sentence. She turned her head and grinned at me.

"We should always wait two weeks between ... what's the word I'm searching for?"

"Beddings?"

"No, silly."

"Occurrences?"

"That's worse than beddings."

"Fucks?"

"Fucks, that's it. We should always wait two weeks between fucks."

"You'll be gone in a few days," I reminded her.

"Hmmm, I forgot. You made me forget that we won't see each other again. Do you think we'll see each other again, Mickey?"

"I hope so."

"To fuck?"

"Yeah, to fuck," I said, grinning at her.

She peeked at my cock. "It looks ... tired. Did I make it that way?"

The mere mention that she may have made my cock tired was enough to bring it back to life. I found a new condom and was back in the bed before she could change positions. This time, I stroked her entire body, kissed her tenderly, and paid particular attention to her breasts. Maxine was a willing recipient to my caresses, let me take my time, and responded with moans of encouragement.

We made love, slowly and thoroughly. I enjoyed every second, and could tell that Maxine was enjoying our union just as much as I was. There was no talk about the rule that we were breaking, or speculation about the repercussions. Maxine would be leaving in a few days, and we were making this time memorable.

"That may be our last time; my parents are coming tomorrow. I'm going to miss you," she said. Her admission that she was going to miss me was as close as either of us came to showing emotion.

We got up, dressed, and opened the windows to air out the room. When Claire came in, I was deep in study, and Maxine was reading her book. We went through the rest of the evening as if nothing had happened, and when bedtime came, Claire said she preferred to sleep alone.

"Do you think she knows?" Maxine whispered, as she slipped into bed next to me.

"She knows, but she's trying very hard not to show that she knows."

Maxine sighed. I kissed her. She said goodnight and turned her back to me. When her parents arrived, Maxine introduced us, and that was the last that we saw of her until much later that night. Claire and I crammed for our finals all day, saying very little to each other. It was like she was on the verge of exploding, and I was on the verge of confessing, not a pleasant day at all. We walked to and from the cafeteria in silence, and at the end of the day, we took separate beds.

I was still awake when Maxine came into the room. I heard her get in the other bed, and heard Claire's rejection. Maxine's body sliding into bed next to me was a pleasant surprise. "It looks like we're going to have one more chance to get it right, Mickey."

That's all she needed to say. It only took seconds to find a condom and get between her legs. Our last time was memorable indeed. Maxine kept up a constant stream of giggles and instructions, letting her voice rise and fall as the mood struck her. If Claire was trying to sleep, Maxine's giggles and our gleeful chatter kept her awake. I guess we were trying to disguise our sadness at knowing this was our last time.

Before she left to join her parents for breakfast, Maxine handed me the keys to her truck. "I want you guys to have it," she said. "Think of me each time you get behind the wheel."

I was overwhelmed by her generosity. Claire was not. She chose that moment to unload the burden she'd been carrying for two days.

"Do you think that wreck of a truck will make up for you cheating on me? What do you have to offer, Mickey? Don't tell me it was all Maxine's idea. You're an experienced cheater. I don't know how either of you can live with your conscience."

I tried to reason with Claire. She'd sulked for two weeks, feeling sorry for herself and monopolizing our attention, alternating between our beds every night. Just because she'd sworn off sex didn't entitle her to stop us from enjoying each other. Her reaction to my argument was to pretend to be deaf.

Maxine had only heard one part of Claire's tirade. "You cheated?" she asked, in a vicious voice that was new to me.

I didn't know what to say. All I knew was that I didn't like where this was headed. Claire responded to the question.

"I wanted to tell you, but Mickey said you'd never know. I'm glad you know the truth about us. We cheated soon after the rule was made, and I've felt badly about it ever since. Mickey hasn't. He was born without a conscience."

I tried to apologize to Maxine, but she was too upset to listen. She refused to accept the keys to the truck, saying that its best days were behind it. "It suits you," she added, implying that my best days were behind me, too.

Graduation was a joyful occasion for some, but for me, it was saying goodbye to old friends. I took pictures of the Coughlin sisters, along with Cory and Janet's new husband. Janet told me that she'd gotten pregnant while they were on their honeymoon.

Cory gave me the keys to his car, saying that he was going to ride home with his parents and couldn't hang around until we finished our exams. "Take good care of it," he warned, adding that he would be leaving Perryville for good and would need the car to get him to his new job.

I sat for my last exam on Wednesday, but waited until the next morning when Claire was to finish her finals. I offered to take some of her stuff in the truck, but she insisted on cramming everything she owned in Cory's car.

"Follow me in case I break down," I said, and watched her nod her head. That was the last I saw of her for two days. What should have been a four hour trip took me until Saturday to reach Perryville. The radiator overheated at the same time the brakes failed, and when I dialed Claire's cell phone, I got voicemail.

I sat on the side of the road thinking, 'This serves me right. It must be what Maxine meant when she said, 'Think of me when you're behind the wheel'.

The mechanic at the nearest service station claimed to know what needed to be done to get me back on the road. The parts didn't arrive until the next day, and in the meantime, he offered me fifty dollars for the truck. I arrived at home on Saturday, angry at Claire, Maxine, and most of all, myself.

The town had grown. In addition to a new motel, two construction companies were kept busy building homes, and for the first time in years, Brooks Brothers Café had competition. Ben said the owners of the new restaurant didn't know what they were doing, but I noticed their parking lot was often filled to capacity. Kitty had two surprises; in addition to having opened a third gift shop, she proudly reported that she was expecting.

I was to work five days at the café and one day at the town offices. Berry welcomed me to his office, telling me that he was now wearing four hats. "The old man is driving me crazy. I can't wait for you to finish school and take over," he said.

"You're not leaving town?"

"I'll stick around until you get your feet on the ground, but it's going to be your turn to take over. I've done my duty."

In the coming days, I saw what Berry meant about the old man driving him crazy. Mr. Perryman had always been a hands-on type of person, but he now demanded to be kept abreast of every detail, no matter how minuscule. Berry complained that he spent more time explaining why he was doing things a certain way, than actually doing them.