Chapter 1

Steve O’Connell ran up the stairs from the basement and into the kitchen where his mother, Karen, was washing the dishes.

“Hi, Mom,” he said as he dropped into a chair and picked up a cinnamon roll from a plate on the kitchen table.

“Good morning,” she replied, glancing over at him. He was fifteen and stood about five foot nine, with broad shoulders, sandy brown hair, and pale blue eyes. He was good looking, too. And not just from a mother’s point of view. She’d noticed how some of the girls stared at him on the odd morning she’d dropped him off at school. He was going to be quite popular when he started high school in the fall. He was still a little shy around girls, but that would soon change. He was dressed in a beat up pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. He carried a backpack, which he dropped to the floor next to him as he sat down at the table.

“So where are you off to in such a hurry?” she asked, turning back to the sink full of dishes. She already knew the answer.

“To the creek,” he said, stuffing a big piece of the pastry into his mouth. She nodded. He and his friends spent a good deal of their summer vacation down there when the weather was hot. And today was supposed to be in the high nineties.

“Just be careful, ok? Oh, and don’t forget - the Delaney’s are coming today.” She turned to him, giving him a hard look. “And I would appreciate it if you included Angie when you go out with your friends.”

He frowned, his blue eyes narrowing. “Aw, Mom! Do I have to?”

The Delaney’s had been their neighbors in Williamstown before Steve’s father had been transferred five hundred miles away to Mason when Steve was five. They were good friends and had kept in touch over the years, usually getting together every summer here or back at their place in Williamstown. Due to conflicting schedules, they hadn’t seen them in three years, and now the Delaney’s were coming for two weeks. Angie, their daughter, was six months younger than Steve. He remembered her from their visit there three summers ago as being a real pain in the ass. She had followed him around incessantly, always wanting him to play with her dolls.

His mother was adamant. “Yes, you have to! And be nice about it. We haven’t seen them in three years and I don’t want you two fighting like last time!” The fight was because Steve had had enough of her and told her that he wasn’t going to play with her ‘stupid dolls’. Angie had run crying to her parents.

He sighed and popped the last piece of cinnamon roll into his mouth. “Ok, ok. As long as I don’t have to play with dolls!”

His mother chuckled. “Angie’s fifteen now, Steve. I don’t think she still plays with dolls.” He shrugged, picked up his backpack, and started for the door. His mother called after him. “Supper’s at six but they should be here around four! Try to be home no later than five, ok?”

“All right!” he called as the screen door banged shut behind him. ‘Damn it!’ he thought. ‘Two weeks of putting up with her shit!’ He jumped on his bike and pedalled off toward the swimming hole.

He arrived about twenty minutes later and bounced along the bumpy footpath to the creek. It was already hot and it was only ten am. Jake and Artie were already there, leaning against a fallen tree a few yards from the creek. There was a small grassy clearing that went right up to the creek bank, where the dark water swirled three feet below. The water looked cool and inviting as it pooled in a bend in the small creek. An ancient, gnarled pine tree clung to the edge, its roots sprawling down the earthen bank to the water below. They were a perfect natural ladder for climbing back up from the water. A long knotted rope hung from a thick limb that reached out over the pool.

Steve slid his mountain bike to a stop, jumping off and letting it clatter to the grass. Artie and Jake glanced up at him, then stood up.

“It’s about time!” Jake exclaimed as Steve walked over to them. “We were ready to start without you!” He pulled a fat joint from behind his ear and stuck it between his lips.

Steve dropped his backpack to the grass and gave him a warning look. “You better not, buddy! I paid for a third of that stuff!” Jake had an older brother who was well connected in the local drug scene and could usually score them some real kick-ass weed.

“C’mon guys,” Artie said. “Let’s just smoke it and go swimming. It’s already too fucking hot!” Artie, the smallest of the three, was always playing peacemaker. While Jake and Steve had never actually come to blows, they often argued, sometimes to the point of a good shoving or wrestling match. It was nothing personal. The three had been friends since Steve had moved to Mason ten years earlier. It was just a matter of two dominant personalities always clashing over one thing or another.

“Aw, I was just shittin’ ya!” Jake exclaimed as he took a long pull off the joint and passed it to Steve. They soon finished the joint, which turned out to be pretty good shit, then divided the remainder of the sticky green buds into three equal parts. Steve figured he had enough for at least ten average sized joints as he tucked it away in his backpack. They all stripped down to their swim suits.

“Let’s go,” Steve cried and took off running toward the water. He made a running leap for the hanging rope, which was maybe ten feet from the edge of the bank. He caught it, but lost his grip and splashed ungracefully into the cool water on his back. The others roared in laughter as he broke the surface.

“Shit!” he exclaimed, wiping the water from his eyes. “I almost had it!”

Artie tried next, but he didn’t even come close to grabbing the wildly swinging rope. He landed feet first in the water.

“I’ll show you how it’s done, kids!” Jake called. He waited until the timing was right and ran hard toward the rope. He caught it easily and swung out past them, his Tarzan yell splitting the hot air, then splashed down ten feet past them.

They spent the rest of the day swimming, taking some time to eat the lunches they’d all packed and smoking some more of their weed. They were all splashing around lazily in the water when Steve noticed that the sun was starting to drop lower in the afternoon sky.

“What time is it, Artie?” he asked as he climbed up the root ladder to the grass. Artie was the only one of them who wore a watch, even while swimming.

He glanced at his watch. “Almost four.”

“Shit, I gotta go soon,” Steve said.

“What for? It’s not that late!” Jake yelled from the water. “Aw, we’re having company and Mom said I have to be there. You guys remember Angie?”

Jake climbed out of the water and flopped down on the grass. “Isn’t she that kid who wanted you to play with her dolls?” Steve had tried to keep that piece of information from them, but his mother had let it slip out and he’d had to endure their ribbing for months afterward.

“Yeah, well, they should be here about now and I’m supposed to be there to hang out with her,” Steve replied.

“It’s been three years,” Artie said, plucking at a blade of grass. “Maybe she’s cool now. Even hot.” Steve looked over at him. Hearing Artie say that was like hearing his grandmother talk about sex. Artie was ... well, he was a bit of a geek. He didn’t wear thick glasses, but was short and skinny, and was very quiet around people he didn’t know. The kicker was that he was also the smartest kid in their class. They accepted him because they’d been friends for so long, but he definitely wasn’t what you’d call ‘cool’.

Steve sighed and pulled on his t-shirt. “Maybe,” he said as he tucked his jeans into his backpack. It was too hot to wear them now. “She must have grown up a little.”

“Maybe she is hot,” Jake added with a grin. “If she is, bring her around. If not, well ... see ya in two weeks!”

Steve shot him a wry look. “If she’s hot, I sure as hell ain’t introducing her to you clowns!” Jake tossed a twig at him while he slung his backpack over his shoulder and climbed onto his bike. “I guess I’ll see ya when I see ya,” he said as he started up the rutted path toward home.

“You better bring her around if she’s cute!” Jake called out. Steve stuck up his middle finger without turning around and disappeared into the trees.

During the short ride home, he thought about what Jake and Artie had said. The last time he’d seen her she was a gawky twelve year old kid. Not much to look at. Not that she was fat or ugly. She was just, well ... a kid. A flat-chested skinny kid with straight, shoulder length blonde hair and no curves anywhere. Of course, when he was twelve those attributes weren’t a big issue. But now he realized for the first time that that was how he was still picturing her. Maybe she was cute now.

He rounded the final corner onto his quiet, tree-lined street. Mason was a relatively small town of about thirty thousand people and he lived in a typical suburb of neat bungalows with well-trimmed lawns. As he neared his house, he could see a burgundy minivan with one of those enclosed fiberglass roof racks in the driveway next to his parents’ black Chevy Impala. It appeared that the Delaneys had arrived.

As he wheeled his bike into the open garage door, he could hear voices from the patio out back. His mother’s laughter mingled with several other loud voices. He leaned his bike against the wall and went over and into the side door that led either up two steps into the kitchen or down a staircase to the basement, where his room was located off a rec room. There was also another bedroom, a half bath with a shower, and an unfinished storage room downstairs. An old couch backed along the doors to the bedrooms and faced the TV along the far wall, leaving a ten foot space behind it. There were two old easy chairs clustered around the TV and a long, low coffee table squatted in front of the couch with a few magazines and empty coke cans on it. Along one wall, a computer sat silently on a desk.

Shouldering his backpack, he slipped inside and down the stairs to his room. It was darker in the basement and the cooler air felt good, but it reminded him that his swim suit was still damp. He hurried into his room to change, but was also anxious to hide the weed in his stash. He dropped to his knees along the far wall and gently pulled away a short piece of the baseboard. He put the baggie of grass in the small hole he’d cut into the sheetrock behind it, then pushed the molding neatly back in place. He stood up, checking to make sure it looked ok, then turned around - and froze.

Leaning against the door frame was a beautiful blonde girl, her long hair falling like spun silk halfway down her back. She was wearing tight capri pants and a t-shirt that was cut to show off her bare midriff and accentuated a nice set of round, softball-sized tits. Her blue eyes sparkled and she broke out into a wide grin.

“Hey, Steve. It’s been a long time!” She nodded toward his stash. “Were you planning on sharing that?”

He stared for a few seconds, his mouth open. He realized what he was doing and forced himself to speak. “Uh, ... oh, hi, Angie.” His eyes took in her compact body. This was the same girl he had rejected three years ago and refused to play with?! He mentally kicked his ass. She must have been sitting on the couch in the rec room when he came in. He was so concerned about hiding the weed that he hadn’t noticed her.

Her blue eyes took in him as well. “You got a lot bigger,” she said, locking her eyes once more on his and pursing her lips. “Not bad; not bad at all!” Steve felt his face getting hot, but she didn’t seem to notice. “You still didn’t answer my question!”

“Huh? What question?” He vaguely remembered her speaking, but when he saw her in those tight, revealing clothes he had momentarily zoned out. She took a few steps into his room, her hips and long hair swaying softly.

“Aw, come on! I’ve been cooped up in that van with my folks all day! I could really go for some good smoke!” As she neared him, the light scent of flowers reached his nose. She smelled wonderful! He looked at her, then glanced toward his hiding spot.

“You won’t say anything, will you?”

She chuckled, shaking her head. “Of course not! Geez, what kind of a jerk do you think I am!” She sat on his bed and leaned back on her elbows, watching him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Her firm tits stretched the fabric of her t-shirt and her long hair spilled across his bed.

He turned, forcing his eyes from her incredible body, and tossed his backpack into the corner. He could feel her eyes on his back. “Well, you ratted me out last time because I wouldn’t play with your dolls!”

She laughed and it had a familiar ring to it. “Oh, yeah! I remember!” She shook her head as he turned to face her. “I didn’t really want you to play with the dolls, you know.” She paused, then added, “Well, yeah, I guess I did, but that was just an excuse!”

He looked puzzled. “An excuse? For what?”

She sighed and tilted her head back, staring up at the ceiling. Steve’s eyes dropped almost involuntarily to her chest, then she sat up and he quickly averted his gaze. If she noticed, she didn’t give him any indication. “I wanted to play house ... you know, pretend we were married.” She flashed him a wide grin. “I was hoping you’d kiss me, you idiot!” He just stared at her. She jumped up from the bed, laughing. “I had such a crush on you then, but you wouldn’t even play with me! I was devastated!” “I ... I’m sorry,” he stammered, not knowing what else to say to this gorgeous creature in his bedroom. “I didn’t know! I...”

She touched his arm, shaking her head and smiling up at him. “Relax, I’m just teasing you!” Her smile widened. “But I was pretty pissed!” She turned and walked toward the door. He couldn’t help watching her perfect ass under the tight fabric of her pants. “Oh!” she said, whirling around to face him. He quickly shifted his eyes up to her face and could swear he saw a twinkle in her eye and a knowing smile on her lips. “Dinner’s almost ready. We’re barbequing.” With a quick wink, she spun around and disappeared, her scent lingering in the air.

She knew! She knew he was looking at her ass! And she smiled! ‘Hmm,’ he thought, ‘This could be an interesting two weeks!’ He pulled off his wet swim suit and replaced it with a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a clean white t-shirt. He started toward the stairs and as he passed the spare room next to his he noticed two suitcases on the bed with an I-pod lying next to them. She would be sleeping right next to his room!

He went upstairs and into the kitchen. His mother was standing at the counter tossing a salad while Cathy, Angie’s mother, was sitting at the table pouring iced tea into tall glasses. They both stopped talking when he came in.

“Right on time!” his mother said. “Dinner’s almost ready!”

“Hi, Steve,” Cathy said with a smile. “You sure got a lot bigger since the last time I saw you!”

He smiled politely at the attractive blonde. It was easy to see where Angie got her looks from. “Hi, Mrs Delaney. Nice to see you again.”

His mother gestured toward the back deck. “Your father, Mark and Angie are out back.” Mark was Angie’s father. He just nodded and headed toward the patio doors. He was already anxious to see Angie again. He stepped through the sliding doors to the deck, squinting against the bright sunshine. Angie was sitting at the picnic table while the two men sipped beers and talked while tending the steaks sizzling on the grill.

“Steve! There you are!” his father said.

Mark surveyed his tall, lanky frame. “You’re growing!” he exclaimed, extending a hand. Steve shook it. “Gonna try out for football this fall?”

Steve nodded. “Yeah, I think so.” He nodded at Angie with a smile. “Hey, Ang.” She smiled at him but said nothing. He sat across the table from her and answered her father’s questions about work. He had a part-time job at a nearby lumber yard, working in the warehouse. Then the topic changed to school, sports, and university plans. Mostly sports. Angie was an only child, like him, and he got the distinct feeling that Mark had wanted a son. Just then, his mother came out, interrupting their conversation. She was carrying a large plastic tablecloth and a handful of clamps to hold it down on the picnic table.

“Would you mind putting this on for me, Steve?” she asked, placing it on the table in front of him.

“Sure, Mom,” he replied. He stood up and picked up the white plastic sheet with blue flowers on it and had to close his eyes against the sun’s reflection off of it. He’d have to go and get his sunglasses if they expected him to sit at it to eat. He felt someone tugging at the other end and looked up to see Angie helping him spread it out.

“I’ll help you,” she said. They managed to get the unwieldy thing unfolded and spread it across the table. Angie held it down against the evening breeze, leaning across it while he put the clamps in place. She was stretching her entire body over the table as she did, giving him several good cleavage views. It wasn’t that he was making a conscious effort to look down her shirt. It was more like she was doing it on purpose! Every time he looked up, there they were! As he fastened the last clamp into place, he looked up into her clear blue eyes, avoiding her breasts. She was still leaning over the table, her tits rubbing on the plastic sheet.

“That should hold it,” he said with a dry smile. “Thanks, Angie.”

She winked at him, giving him that teasing grin of hers. “No problem!” He felt his dick twitch as she slid her sexy body off the table and sat down, her eyes never leaving his. He sat down quickly across from her so that she wouldn’t see the growing bulge in his shorts.

Dinner was served and they all chatted and laughed while they ate. Angie kept looking at Steve and smiling almost seductively. He tried to concentrate on his plate, but found his eyes moving back up to her. He was almost finished when he felt something soft touching his leg under the table. He looked over at her and she subtly moved her head in the direction of the house.

“May I be excused?” she asked, lying her utensils across her empty plate.

“Of course, dear,” Cathy said. “Take your plate inside please.” She stood up and picked up her plate. Steve put his last bite into his mouth and laid his fork down.

“Steve, could you ... show me around a bit?” Angie asked as she started toward the kitchen. “I need to walk off some of this food!” Steve finished chewing, wiped his mouth on his napkin, and looked toward his mother.