Chapter 7

Susan

When we got back to Joey's house Heather told us that Sheila was studying at Wendy's as they were still working on their science project so we could have our discussion now if we wished. I could see from the look on Joey's face that he wanted to get this over with so I answered for both of us.

"I think that would be a good idea, the sooner we get finished, the sooner Joey will be able to relax."

Heather smiled at that remark and led us into the room which she used as a study and indicated that should take the two comfortable chairs which were furthest from the desk which was against the wall and under the window. She swivelled her comfortable looking office chair round and sat in it so that she was facing us.

As you have probably guessed by this time," she told us, "I had a great deal of influence in getting you two paired together for your Naked In School Week.

I did it because I thought that you would be good for one another. My only mistake, I think, was not being aware of the fact that Joey had some false ideas about the reasons why you kept to your small circle of friends and seemed to shut out everyone else."

"That wasn't your mistake, mum," Joey said with a grin. "I can see from the events of this week that I should have confided with you more about my problems. You have certainly helped with your advice and enabled me to put Wendy on the back foot in our recent exchanges. Anyway, you soon put me right about my attitude to Susan when I complained about having her as a partner."

"I am glad you responded to my rebuke in the way you did son; it reaffirmed what I thought about you. You proved that despite your social handicaps or perhaps because of them, you hated people being put upon or badly treated by others."

"Well I have plenty of first hand experience of that, being treated as an outcast and bullied because you don't conform to the normal social mores is not much fun. So I was predisposed to care about someone else who was having problems fitting in."

"I know it will sound strange," I told them, "but if your experience helped you to understand my plight and contributed to you deciding to become my buddy after all, then I am, very glad you had it."

"It would seem equally strange if I told you that I was glad that you also learnt a lot from your coach about your sexuality and about lovemaking in particular. However, I think it helps both of us to say it and we understand what each of us mean by it," Joey responded

"It is because I felt both of you could help each other because of your different experiences that I paired you up and I am glad you both think it was worthwhile doing."

"It certainly was from my point of view, if Joey had not been so shy and reticent I don't think I would have responded to him as I did. It made me feel that I was in control of the situation and I gained a lot of confidence because of that.

"If you hadn't taken control," Joey said with a giggle, "I don't think we would have made much progress in getting to know one another."

"And talking about progress, you seem to have done so at a rate of knots, to have progressed for complete strangers to sexual intimacy in such a short time," Heather said. "How do you feel about that and why do you think it happened?"

"From the counselling sessions I had with you Heather, you know that although in one sense I was the victim of a sexual predator, I was also lucky in the fact that this particular predator got a lot of his satisfaction out of making sure his victims got sexual fulfilment as well as himself."

"Yes I was aware of how you felt about that and that you found the actual sexual experience fulfilling. Your problem was with the fact that you had been exploited by a male who was at the same time having sex with other young girls while you thought he was doing it because he loved you."

"With Joey I found someone who truly thought I was beautiful and sexy and far out of his league. When I thought I was the one who had been tarnished and whom boys would turn away from. I thought that this would be espacially true if they did not find me as willing to put as they thought I would be.

Joey accepted not only accepted me, he actually felt that I was the one who should be worried about getting involved with him because of his social handicap." Because of that, and because he was willing to let me know these things and reveal the pain he felt from living the way he did, my heart went out to him.

As we revealed more and more of ourselves, our hopes and fears it was an easy step, for me at any rate, to go from there to accepting and loving him for what he was."

Joey.

As I listened to Susan telling my mother how she had arrived at the point where we were able to express our love for each other, I knew she had told me all this before, but hearing her put what had happened over the past few days so succinctly made me aware of why I in turn loved her.

"You should understand mother, that apart from Sheila and to a lesser extent Wendy, I had never been able to relate to girls. Though Wendy teased me, I knew that behind that, she and Sheila cared about me. Thinking about it now, if Susan hadn't come along, Wendy might actually have been the one who would have taken my virginity and I don't believe she would have done it as a mercy fuck. She would have done it because she cared about me and wanted me to find out how good sex would be."

"From what I have heard about Wendy over the past few days, you might well be right. She is a bit of a free spirit, but she has a good heart," My mother said with a smile.

"With Susan it was different though. She was the first person who showed me that she thought I was someone worth getting to know and who had something to offer them in return. For me what was truly amazing was the fact that a girl as bright, as open and vivacious, actually wanted to get to know me and even become my girlfriend. That she was also open about the fact sex was for her something she found pleasurable and wanted to share that experience with me was something I found difficult to believe."

"I understand that and I don't doubt how you feel about Susan," My mother said, "But I have to ask you this, She is the first person to open her heart to you and give herself to you, Are you sure it is love and not just a deep sense of gratitude you feel towards her?"

"I admit that this could have been a genuine possibility and I might have confused the two feelings but I don't think this is the case. Susan has made me aware that I do have things to offer and to share with the right person. If someone as vivacious and beautiful was to come along in a few weeks' time and offer to be my boyfriend, I would turn her down as gently as I could."

Why would you do that?" My mother asked.

"Not just because I love Susan," I told her. I would turn her down because Susan has all the qualities I need to help me make the most of my life."

"I am glad to hear you say that, but would you like to tell me and Susan what you think they are."

"I think her relationship with me and my acceptance of what happened to her will enable her to be what she would have been, if her seduction had not happened and I suspect you feel the same or you would not have paired us as you did."

"That is very perceptive of you but it only answers part of my question. You haven't told me what you think you have helped to bring out in her?"

I think she is a very kind and caring person and if I have helped to banish her fear of being open with males that caring will flourish within her. I also think that she is a naturally outgoing person who will make friends where I can't, but I will enjoy sharing in those friendships when she makes them for us. Add to that she is beautiful sexy, and a wonderful and responsive lover, so why would I even dream of leaving her for someone else.

"You say that now, but will you still be saying it six months or a year down the road?"

"Mother, Susan may have given me more confidence in myself and enabled me to see that I may have qualities that other people find likeable, but with my social handicaps, I am probably one of the least likely partners to be unfaithful to the person I love."

"You might well be right in that assumption, but I am pleased to see you have thought about this and having heard what you say, it makes me glad that I have paired you both for this week."

Susan.

I listened to what Joey had to say to his mother, and I could see why she was asking these questions, she wanted to make sure that his feelings were of love and not infatuation. What amazed me though, was how perceptive Joey had been about how we would each bring out something in the other and that the relationship was doing good things for both of us. Coming from one so insular and lacking in friends till now it was surprising.

"Joey," I said with a smile, "I am amazed at how well you have summed up what has happened between us. Despite your so called lack of social skills, you are a much more perceptive person than I had realised."

"When you are an outsider looking in, you see a lot of what is going on in other peoples' relationships," Joey told me. "I was mistaken about what was going on between you and your friends because I knew nothing of your rape and how it must have affected you. I know you never felt it was that, but whether you enjoyed sex with your coach it was still a form of rape and I see now how it did affect you and hamper what would have been your natural development."

I laughed when Joey had finished saying this and he looked over at me a bit puzzled and hurt.