Chapter 3

Well, darned if Virgil didn't take me seriously! I'll explain that in a minute.

I started letting him out in the morning to feed him. I didn't see any reason to keep him all penned up when he wanted to be out so bad, and he'd been doing OK, so far. Of course, at the first raindrop, he wanted back inside and NOW!

I wasn't sure, but he looked like he might have lost weight over the last couple of weeks. I knew he wasn't eating near as much as he used to. I heard about people eating themselves into an early grave when they get depressed. I kinda wondered if that's why Virgil got so big, and if letting him outside was good for his mental health as well as his body.

OK, remember when I told Virgil to let me know if he had any more friends like Millie? About a week after I finished working for her, I took his dish out and set it on the step after I let him out. When I looked around for him, he was pacing back and forth by the back gate, like he wanted me to open it for him.

"I don' think that's a good idea, Virgil. The back yard's one thing, but letting you have the run of the neighborhood is pushing it a little too far. Come on and eat your breakfast."

He crouched down and looked at the top of the fence like he was getting ready to jump.

I trotted toward him, yelling, "Dang it, Virgil, you stupid cat! I know what you're thinking. Don't you do it!"

Well, see, that's another thing I don' like about cats. If you yell at a dog, they know they've been yelled at. But yell at a cat, and you might as well yell at a stone wall, for all the good it's gonna do. They just don't give a crap about your opinion. He jumped to the top and dropped down on the other side.

I ran the rest of the way across the yard and jerked opened the gate. There he was, about half way down the alley, waiting for me. Except this time, he was going the other way, and he was only one house away from the street!

"Oh, jeez, Virgil. Pleeeeze don't go out in the street!" I walked quickly toward him, just praying he wouldn't spook. Just like before, when I got close, he moved away. And you know what? When he got to the street, he stopped, looked both ways, then sprinted across into the next alley. He might have been a pain in the ass, but he had good survival instincts.

Now I was getting pissed and took off after him with strangulation in mind. He looked back to make sure I was still coming, then scrambled over another fence, this one a four foot chain link around Kristen O'Neal's back yard.

At least, I wasn't about to bust in on a naked person like before. There wasn't anyone around and Virgil was just sitting there by a tool shed in the corner of the yard, waiting for me. I stepped through the gate and walked toward him giving him a piece of my mind, "Dang it, Virgil, what the hell do you think you're up to, anyways?"

"Be quiet!" someone whispered loudly from inside the shed.

"Huh?"

"I said, be quiet! My dad'll hear you!" The door to the shed cracked open and a hand appeared, waving me in.

Virgil slipped inside and I poked my head through the door.

It was Kristen, and her eyes were all red and watery like she'd been crying. She grabbed my arm and jerked me the rest of the way inside and shut the door.

It was dark and dingy inside, and only a dim light came through the filthy little window in the door. Still whispering, she said, "I don't want Mom and Dad to know where I am."

I followed her lead and whispered, "Why? What's going on?"

She looked away and choked off a sob. It was a few seconds before she could answer. When she finally got control of herself, she said, "Dad's on the bottle again. He's been drinking for three days now, and he's just getting meaner and meaner. Mom doesn't help a bit, 'cause all she does is scream at him and that makes it even worse. They were at it again early this morning and that's when I snuck out here to hide. I can't stand to be around them when they're like that, Derek!"

"Jeez, I guess not!" I sympathized. "What're you gonna do?"

She flapped her hands up and down and whined, "I don't know! I just need some place to stay 'til everything cools down. The problem is, Mom knows who all my friends are, and she'd find me in no time."

"Damn, Kristen, that's awful! Is there anything I can do to help?"

She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head, "Not unless you've got a spare room at your house and parents who'll look the other way."

My mom sure wasn't the sort of person who'd look the other way, but I had an idea. I knew what I was thinking was wrong, but I couldn't come up with a better solution to the problem. "Um, Kristen, I know a place where you could stay, at least for a few days."

"Really? Where's that?"

"Mrs. Wilson's."

"You mean that fat lady that lives next door to you? Why would she be willing to hide me? She doesn't even know me."

"She's not there. She's in Nevada for a few weeks and I'm taking care of the place. And Virgil, too," I added, looking down at him looking up at us.

She took hold of my hand. "You'd let me do that?"

"Yeah, well, as long as you don't wreck the place. And you can't turn the lights on at night or watch her TV because the neighbors know she gone. There's plenty of food in the house, though"

Well, she threw her arms around my neck and said, "Oh, that'd be great, Derek! You're the best friend ever!"

My arms just naturally slid around her and hugged her tight. I hadn't got that close to her on either one of our dates. Maybe she felt the boner starting to grow in my jeans, because she gently pushed me away and asked, "Could we go there now? I've been stuck in this damned shed since about six this morning."

I reached down and picked Virgil up. "Just let me check the coast is clear."

I eased the door open and checked the back of the house. Nothing. I wave her out and whispered, "OK, it's clear! Let's go!"

We made a dash for the gate and trotted down the alley toward the street. Mrs. Wilson's back door was still unlocked, so we quickly slipped inside. I put Virgil down and brought his food in from the back steps.

I noticed for the first time that Kristen's clothes were filthy and she had dirt smudges on her face and arms. I chuckled and said, "Jeez, you look like you've been through a war!"

"Yeah, well that shed's probably never been cleaned. Who knows what kind of creatures live in it. Do you suppose Mrs. Wilson would mind if I took a shower?"

"How would she know? You can do anything you want, as long as you don't cause any damage. Plus, I bet Virgil will like having some company."

She giggled, "Who names their cat Virgil? I think he looks more like a Socrates, myself."

"Look," I suggested, "while you're in the shower, I'll toss your clothes in the washing machine. And I'm sure it'll fit you like a tent, but I'll try to find a robe or something in Mrs. Wilson's closet. If you want some breakfast, I can throw something together while you're cleaning up."

"Yeah, that sounds good, Derek. Maybe some scrambled eggs and toast. I wouldn't mind a cup of tea if she has some."

"I'll see what I can find."

She kissed me on the cheek and headed down the hall to the bathroom. A minute later, she tossed her jeans, shirt, socks and undies out the bathroom door, and I handed her a blue, terrycloth robe that would've been about the right size for Andre the Giant.

Her hair was wrapped up in a towel and she was somewhere inside yards of terrycloth when she came out. When she got settled at the table to eat her breakfast, I headed for the back door, saying, "I gotta get home 'cause Mom's got a couple of chores waiting for me. I'll be back after lunch, OK? Is there anything you need?"

"Um, not really. I'm really grateful for you helping me, Derek. I didn't sleep worth a damn last night, so I think I'll curl up on the couch and take a long nap. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, seeya!"

I went back after lunch, sneaking some left-over mac-n-cheese and a broiled chicken leg when Mom wasn't looking. I set the food on the kitchen table and found Kristen still sound asleep on the couch with Virgil curled up beside her.

What I saw made my eyes bug out! I knew I should just turn around and sneak out of the house, but I couldn't pull my eyes away from that awesome sight. She was lying on her back with one leg hanging over the edge of the couch and one arm under her head. The robe had come untied and slid part way off her body, leaving her exposed in a couple of important places. She had a nice, dark brown bush and I could see her pussy lips sticking out from it. One yummy-looking boob was totally exposed and just begging for someone like me to suck on it.

She looked so beautiful and innocent lying there asleep, I just wanted to get down on my knees beside her and kiss her awake like the prince did with Sleeping Beauty. Fortunately, I restrained myself. I must've stood there for a full minute taking it all in, until she stirred and I was suddenly aware of what I was doing. I made a quick exit and stepped outside the back door. I took a few seconds to readjust my swollen dick inside my jeans, then I knocked loudly and opened the door again, announcing, "Kristen? I'm here! Are you decent?"

I heard rustling, then, "Oh, uh, yeah! Give me a minute, Derek!"

"Take your time. I brought you some lunch. Hope you like mac-n-cheese and broiled chicken. And I brought you a tooth brush and my portable DVD player."

"Sure, that sounds great. Thanks."

She shuffle into the kitchen barefooted, buried in the robe that could easily go around her three times. She was yawning and rubbing her eyes. "I guess I must have really zonked out. What time is it?"

I looked at the clock on the microwave. "Looks like 1:20. Go ahead and eat your lunch and I'll put your clothes in the dryer. It shouldn't take but about thirty minutes or so. Do you feel rested?"

She sat at the table and took a bite of the chicken. "Yeah, I do. Thanks. Do you have to go back home right away?"

"Nope. The rest of the day is mine until dinner. Um, I had a thought, though. When your folks find you're gone, are they likely to call the cops or anything?"

"Probably not for a day or so. They'll just assume I escaped to a friend's house like I've done a dozen times before. But that's a good point, Derek. If I decide to stick around here for a while, I suppose I should let them know I'm safe, but not to come looking for me because they'll never figure out where I'm at. If I was eighteen, I'd never go back again."

"I couldn't blame you. It must be miserable having to live like that."

"It's not so bad as long as Dad stays sober, but when he gets on a toot, miserable hardly describes it!' She put her fork down, clouded up and started weeping. "God, why don't they just get a divorce and get out of each other's lives!?"

I scooted my chair up next to her and put my arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a hug. "I suppose they're so lost in their own problems, they don't even know what they're doing to you." I kissed her on the forehead and assured her, "Well, don't you worry 'cause you're good to stay here for at least another week, maybe more. That'll give us some time to come up with something."

Still sniffling, she wiped her eyes on the collar of the robe and turned her face up to smile at me. "Thanks for being such a nice guy, Derek. You're probably the best friend I have right now."

Then she did something totally unexpected. She reached around my neck and pulled my face down for a kiss. I don't mean a little peck, I mean a KISS, with tongue and everything! Thank you, Millie, for the lessons! Before I even gave it any thought, my hand had snaked inside the folds of terrycloth and cupped her tit. Still in a lip-lock, she pulled the robe open and reached for my crotch and found what she was looking for! My dick was already rock-hard and straining to be released.