A Summer at Labrador Pond
Copyright© 2026 by WittyUserName
Chapter 2: The Journey
Coming of Age Sex Story: Chapter 2: The Journey - Winning a contest leads to finding adventure, friendship, and romance.
Caution: This Coming of Age Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa Fiction
The dark blue SUV disappeared into Boston traffic, leaving a scrawny nerd of average height in its wake. Slinging his backpack across his shoulder, Carl grabbed the handle of his suitcase and looked around the busy campus. Students wearing backpacks and carrying iced coffees crossed the street in every direction, weaving around cyclists and cars.
Even in July, Boston University buzzed with activity. It was overwhelming to think the massive campus would soon be his school. Individual buildings were almost as big as his high school, yet there were dozens of them. College was an entirely new world.
Carl walked down the street until he found a white motor coach that was parked along the curb. Its sides were decorated with a painted pine tree, a bright blue lake, and the words “Maine Lakes & Tourism.” A folding table stood beside the open luggage compartment. There was a woman wearing a green polo sitting at the table.
“Good morning!” she smiled. “Name?”
“Carl Calderone.”
She scanned her clipboard and pointed to a line. “There you are. Congratulations, Carl.”
“Thank you,” Carl replied as she handed him a name badge, a tote bag, and a small booklet.
“I’m Lauren, I’ll be your coordinator,” the woman told him. “Your luggage can go beneath the bus. We’ll be leaving promptly at ten.”
Carl thanked her before placing his suitcase beneath the bus, noticing that only one other bag was there. Carl had arrived forty-five minutes early and wasn’t sure what to do with himself. Wandering away from the bus, he occupied himself by checking the booklet, discovering it was a Challenge Passport. Likely for the group challenges throughout the week.
“You waiting for the Maine trip?” a male voice asked.
Turning, Carl saw a tall guy in a red Boston University t-shirt smiling easily. He wasn’t carrying a suitcase, so Carl assumed the large man was the one person to arrive earlier. Carl struggled to feel comfortable around new people, but the guy seemed to be quite friendly. He had short black hair and dark eyes, as well as muscular arms that suggested time at the gym.
“Yeah,” Carl nodded slowly.
The guy extended his hand. “Marcus Walker.”
Carl shook it. “Carl Calderone. Nice to meet you.”
“You, too,” Marcus nodded before glancing toward the bus. “Looks like we’re the first ones.”
“Yeah,” Carl replied quietly.
“So are you an incoming freshman?” Marcus wondered.
“How’d you know?” Carl asked.
“I noticed you looking at every building around us,” Marcus chuckled.
“Oh. Right,” Carl coughed awkwardly.
“I remember doing the same thing,” Marcus shrugged. “Felt weird to call such a big place home.”
“You were nervous?”
“Oh, absolutely,” Marcus laughed. “My mom practically shoved me out of the car.”
It wasn’t the answer Carl expected. Marcus looked like someone who could fit in anywhere. The exact opposite of Carl. Still, Carl felt relieved that at least one of the people he’d be spending the week with was nice. Marcus wasn’t treating Carl like something less than human.
Carl was afraid that the trip would be even worse than his graduation speech. He’d almost passed out while looking out over the huge crowd. The football team was jeering at him the entire time, earning laughs from the cheerleaders. The usual suspects who hated him for no reason. It had been one of his top ten worst experiences.
Before Carl could come up with something to say, a female voice called out.
“Excuse me!”
A petite young woman hurried toward the check-in table while pulling a suitcase behind her. Long black hair, accentuated by a single dark purple streak, bounced as she ran. She was incredibly petite, barely breaking five-feet in height, and was dressed in a pair of dark leggings and a t-shirt.
“Hi!” the petite woman said to the lady at the table. “I’m here for the Labrador Pond trip. My name’s Mei Lin.”
After checking in, she walked over to the guys carrying the same canvas tote bag Carl had received. Her purse and backpack were over her shoulder, and she was carrying several pieces of paper that were stapled together. She immediately introduced herself, with the boys following her lead.
“Nice to meet you both,” Mei smiled as she opened her backpack. “This is so exciting. I’m ready to have fun before starting my junior year.”
“Me too,” Marcus replied. “I’ll be a senior.”
“Freshman,” Carl admitted quietly.
“Cool, cool,” Mei nodded while placing her papers into an accordion folder. “Clothes, toiletries, sunscreen, bug spray, all in my suitcase.” Mei was mumbling to herself at that point. “Schedules with Bernadette.”
“Bernadette?” Marcus frowned.
“Oh, my backpack,” Mei lifted her backpack slightly. “We’ve been together since eighth grade.”
“That’s nice,” Carl nodded slightly.
“You guys seem nice, I hope we have a nice week together,” Mei continued rapidly. “There’s still a lot to figure out, but step one is getting there. I made a travel schedule.”
“You made one?” Marcus looked at her quizzically.
“I estimated our arrival time based on the itinerary, average highway speeds, and the expected traffic leaving Boston,” Mei smiled.
“The map sites do that for you,” Carl mumbled, struggling to talk to the pretty girl.
“Sure, but where’s the fun in that?” Mei shrugged. “Besides, they only analyze current traffic patterns rather than look at anticipated ones. Their estimates aren’t accurate if they ignore changes like an impending rush hour.”
Marcus grinned. I have a feeling we’re going to have every second of this trip planned out.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Mei looked puzzled.
“Not at all,” Marcus said.
It wasn’t long before a red SUV pulled up to the curb. A woman stepped out wearing hiking boots, olive shorts, and a navy t-shirt with a white mountain silhouette across the front. She slung a purse and a camera bag over one shoulder as her father removed her suitcase from the trunk.
Carl sucked in a breath as he beheld the young woman’s perfect face. She was beautiful, with an athletic figure and shapely legs that let her stand almost as tall as Carl. Long blonde hair cascaded across her shoulders in loose waves, her eyes were a bright baby blue, and the sunlight easily caught the faint freckles scattered over her small nose.
She thanked her father before making her way toward the bus.
Marcus leaned closer to Carl. “Don’t stare.”
Carl quickly whipped his head away from the blonde. “I wasn’t.”
“You were,” Marcus smiled.
“I also noticed several other signs to indicate attraction,” Mei spoke up. “Dilated pupils, flushed skin, increased breathing rate.”
“I, ah, um...” Carl stammered, his face turning red.
The blonde checked in before walking toward the small group with a warm smile. “Hi, I’m Amelia. Amelia Vanderhorne.”
Marcus and Mei politely introduced themselves. Then when Amelia turned to Carl, he suddenly forgot every sentence he’d rehearsed during the drive from Worcester.
“H-hi,” he mumbled as he felt himself starting to sweat.
“This is Carl Calderone,” Marcus added helpfully.
“Nice to meet you, Carl,” Amelia smiled radiantly.
“Y-you too.”
Amelia easily moved into the conversation, revealing she was a junior majoring in environmental science. Marcus identified his major as marketing, followed by Mei telling the group she was majoring in biomedical engineering. All while Carl silently congratulated himself on managing an entire three words in the presence of the blonde goddess.
“Carl?” Marcus asked, getting the skinny guy’s attention. “What’s your major?”
“Oh, um,” Carl pushed his glasses up his nose. “Physics and math.”
“Double major? You masochist,” Marcus laughed.
“Tough ones, too,” Amelia added. “You must be really smart.”
“I, um, nah...” Carl said quietly, telling himself a smart person would know more words. He seemed to have forgotten most of them.
A distraction arrived in the form of a sandy-haired man who stood several yards away. His suitcase was resting a few feet behind him as he aimed a professional-looking camera toward the bus. He was tall and athletic, his clothes casual. Lowering the camera, he checked the screen before smiling.
“Sorry,” he said to the group. “Morning light.”
“You’re photographing the bus?” Marcus asked with a friendly chuckle.
“No, I photographed the beginning,” the guy corrected.
“The beginning?” Amelia questioned.
“The beginning of the story!” the guy explained, walking up to the group with an outstretched hand. “Owen Callahan, future journalist.”
“Marcus Walker,” Marcus shook Owen’s hand. “Future marketing executive.”
Everyone introduced themselves again and shook hands with Owen. Fortunately, Carl seemed to have mostly regained the ability to speak in complete sentences. Then Owen checked in and dropped off his luggage so the five of them could patiently wait for the final member of their group.
It was just a few minutes before ten when a compact silver sedan stopped at the curb. The door flew open as a woman with raven hair climbed out carrying a purse and a gym bag. Removing a suitcase from the trunk, she thanked the driver before rushing over to the folding table.
“Please tell me I’m not late!”
“Perfect timing,” Lauren smiled. “Name?”
“I’m Sofia O’Sullivan,” the dark-haired girl replied. “Sophomore. Psychology major.”
After checking in, Sofia joined the others and immediately greeted everyone with warm hugs. Sofia was about five-and-a-half feet tall; slightly shorter than Amelia, but much taller than the petite Mei. Her green eyes sparkled as she smiled at every person she spoke with. She was wearing a pair of jean shorts and a black camisole.
“Carl!” Sofia exclaimed when it was his turn, hugging him tightly.
A girl who wasn’t in his family was hugging him. That had never happened before. Carl nervously hugged her back, trying not to think about her very impressive chest squishing against his. She smelled incredible, and he couldn’t stop his body from responding as Sofia’s hair tickled his chin.
If Sofia noticed, she didn’t react as she broke the hug and looked at the five of them. “So! I guess we’re roommates for the next week.”
“Looks that way,” Marcus laughed.
Carl glanced from one face to another. Marcus looked completely comfortable. Mei was reading the Challenge Passport and Owen had his camera back in his hands. Amelia was admiring the flower beds outside the student union while Sofia smiled as if she’d known them all for years. And then there was Carl. The quiet freshman who wasn’t comfortable in his own skin and fell apart if a girl so much as looked his way. Which was rare if they weren’t laughing at him. What had he gotten himself into?
When the coordinator called out that it was time, Carl took a slow breath and stepped inside.
Rows of blue seats stretched toward the back while sunlight filtered through the windows. Carl was somehow the first one on the bus, leaving him with plenty of options. His first instinct was simple: find a seat where he wouldn’t be noticed. One where he’d be out of the way.
He ended up choosing one halfway down the aisle, setting his backpack on the floor as he sat beside the window. Perfect. No awkward conversations where he stumbled over his words. Carl could look out the window for the entire drive and hopefully avoid embarrassing himself.
One by one, the others boarded. Marcus immediately struck up a conversation with the driver while choosing a seat right behind him. Mei climbed aboard while holding her itinerary and Challenge Passport to her chest. She looked around, evaluating every available seat before choosing one directly behind Marcus.
Next came Amelia. Carl tried very hard not to watch her. He failed. She chose the seat opposite Marcus in the front row. Of course she’d sit near Marcus. He was confident, funny. Marcus was the kind of person who could walk into a room full of strangers and somehow leave with a dozen new friends.
Owen climbed aboard, taking a picture of the inside of the bus before making his way down the aisle. He ultimately chose to sit in the back row, on the opposite side of the aisle as Carl. Sofia then stepped onto the bus, thanking the driver before glancing at her options. Marcus and Amelia were chatting about something, Owen was reviewing photos he’d just taken, and Mei was making notes on her printed itinerary.
A small smile crossed her face as she walked down the aisle. “Is this seat taken?”
“Huh?” Carl asked stupidly.
“The seat,” Sofia pointed to the seat beside him.
“Oh,” Carl mumbled, unsure what to say. “No. I mean, uh, no, no one’s sitting here.”
“Good!” Sofia smiled and sat beside him. “I’m glad.”
Carl wasn’t sure how to answer that, so he settled for opening and closing his mouth several times. Sofia ignored his discomfort, settling in comfortably. Lauren took her seat as the bus started up and pulled off the curb and into traffic. Their journey had begun.
“Checking your phone already?” Sofia asked.
“Just, um, ah, texting my parents that I’m leaving,” Carl explained.
“You look like someone who’s trying very hard not to look nervous,” Sofia said.
“It’s not working?” Carl sighed.
“Not really, sorry,” she winced. “But!” Sofia held up a finger. “There’s no need to be nervous. I only bite if you’re into that.”
“W-what?” he mumbled, eyes wide.
“You really are nervous,” she tilted her head slightly to the side as she observed him. “What’s up? First time away from home?”
“No. I mean, yes, but that’s not...” Carl cleared his throat.
“What’s wrong?” Sofia frowned. “I’m a psychology major, you can tell me. Plus, I’m cute!”
The bus had reached the highway, gathering speed as they left the city behind. Everyone was talking and expressing their excitement for the trip. Then Carl was trying to figure out how to explain to a girl that he didn’t know how to talk to a girl. The closest he’d ever come was Ashley, the girl who pretended to have a crush on him junior year. Everyone had enjoyed that prank.
“I, I’m just, you know...” he trailed off before taking a breath. “I’m a little shy.”
“Oh!” she gasped in realization. “I’m making you nervous? There’s no need; I’m a sweetheart. Come on, let’s be friends. Tell me about yourself.”
“I’m Carl,” Carl nodded slowly.
“I’ve heard,” Sofia giggled, tucking one leg beneath herself. “Tell me something interesting.”
“I love astronomy,” he offered. “M-my major is physics and math, but I really love space.”
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