13: Heaven Sent

I didn't leave for the ranch until Sunday. After Heaven left, I called my local casa hearthmates. Cassie and Josh were excited about having started classes this week and were already flooded with homework. Mary was on her way to go back-to-school shopping with her mom. Nicki pulled into my drive ten minutes after I called her.

I'd just put clean sheets on my bed and had a load of dirty sheets and towels in the washing machine. Nicki rushed me when she came in the door and kissed me frantically.

"I knew you came for the funeral yesterday but I didn't think you'd call me," Nicki said as she dragged me toward the bedroom. She started up the stairs and I pulled her back to go to the downstairs master. "Oooh, kinky. We'll make love in your parents' bed," she said. I laughed at her.

"As soon as we all moved out, Mom, Anna, and Dad moved upstairs. They love the shower and each having their own sink. So this is now the official guest room," I explained.

"And have you been entertaining?"

"Honey, you know that what goes on in my bed stays in my bed," I said, as I started pulling her pants down and found no underwear. "Going commando?"

"I'm an anarchist. Now get me in your bed and let me stay in your bed," she laughed.

Wow! Nicki and laughter. When I met her, that was an unknown combination. I pulled the sheet back and she jumped on the bed, holding out her arms to me. I kissed her again and began the ritual tracing of her rose tattoo with my tongue.

"Yes! Yes, Brian. Make love to me in every way possible. Kiss me, tongue me, fuck me. Put it in my mouth. Hell, put it in my ass. Courtney likes it, it can't be too bad."

"You are a wild and crazy girl today. What's got into you?"

"Nothing yet, but I'm hoping you change that pretty quickly. I just ... I'm so happy you called me. I wanted to make love with you all summer and then I waited until the night before I left and have been kicking myself all week for waiting so long. And then you called. My boyfriend called me and I get to make love to him again before I leave tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? You're heading out?"

"Yes. Mon père agreed to tow a U-Haul so that I can take my bike. I can't believe I've got so much shit going with me to college. That doesn't even count what I left in Bloomington!" she said.

"You left stuff in Bloomington?" She got serious all of a sudden, just as I was swabbing my cock through her wet slit.

"That's okay, isn't it? Rose said it would be okay. You said it was our home, right? Please say it's okay."

"It's way more than okay, Nicki. I'm glad you left stuff there. Did you see The Goodbye Girl?" She nodded. "When he leaves, Dreyfus stops at a phone booth and calls Marsha Mason. He asks her to get his guitar tuned while he's gone. All of a sudden, she knows he's coming back because he'd never leave his guitar behind. That's how I feel knowing that you left things in Bloomington. You're coming back." I pushed into her and she squealed.

"I'm coming back. And I'm coming. And I'm going to come again! And again!" She thrust up at me and grabbed my head so she could kiss me more.

Nicki. Who'd have thought?

She spent the night with me and we reluctantly parted in the morning so she could load the bike in the U-Haul and take off. It was 950 miles from Brown to IU. Nicki had determined she could make it in two days easily by stopping for the night anyplace between Wheeling and Columbus. At every break, she'd be hunched over the gas tank on the freeway.

I made a big hit when I pulled into the ranch with the horse trailer Sunday afternoon. Rose's parents had pulled a trailer in as well. They'd been storing a bunch of stuff for several of the girls, including some badly needed furniture and dishes. I was surprised to find that Rhonda's and my bikes were included in what they had. I hadn't even thought about that. Rex and Maria were taking the fearsome foursome back with them. Mrs. Kelly was taking Theresa, George, Rich, and Nancy. We all had a good hug and suddenly the ranch was a lot quieter. Rhonda had put a bridle and bareback pad on Gypsy and gone before I had the other horses out of the trailer. Sam had Princess in tow and Jennifer and Courtney were both fussing over Jingo, who loved the attention from his girls. I looked at the equipment shed as I put the tack in it and decided I needed to check the roof to make sure it didn't leak. All we had in it so far was our tools and our lawn mower. We had to buy a pretty good-sized machine to chop down the grass in front of where the house was. I estimated that we mowed nearly two acres around the houses and barn.

Mom, Anna, and Dad said they'd covered everything they needed to with Ron on Saturday, so they had loaded the camper on the back of the truck and were getting ready to pull out. Mom was riding with Dad and Mrs. Nowicki was riding with Anna.

"They'll probably not get here to start the demolition until after Labor Day," Dad told me. "The fire marshal said that he couldn't get the fence company out until then and Ron doesn't want to leave the site open once the fence comes down. Ron will remove everything, right down to the foundations."

"You mean we'll just have a hole in the ground?" I asked.

"Well, that hole, once they remove the rubble, the utility lines, and cap the well, should be about the same size as that pile of clay out back," Dad laughed. "You can get your wheelbarrows shuffling, can't you?" I guess my mouth fell open. "Don't worry. We told Ron to fill with that first and then they'll bring in clean fill for the top. We didn't think the dirt needed to be sodded, but Ron will seed it. It's just going to be another big patch you'll have to mow."

"Is Anna going to rebuild?" I asked.

"Well, now that you kids have a place to live, there isn't as much urgency to put a house back on that plot that will be big enough for you all. We'll be spending some time deciding what and when to rebuild. You'll all get input."

We walked back out front. I hugged the moms and Dad and Liz's mom and they pulled out. It was a little eerie to be standing out in the yard alone. I hadn't even been in the house yet.

Sunday night with twenty-two of us sitting around the campfire was the end of peace and quiet. Twenty-two sounds like a lot of people, but we'd been used to close to forty scurrying here and there, the sounds of hammers, sanders, trucks, and saws, and activity everywhere. Our four casas sitting around a fire on the night before classes started seemed pretty calm. About ten, Lamar, Lionel, Renee, and Sugar left with promises to look for us on campus. Sugar managed to get a job at K-Mart and was pretty pleased. Renee and Lamar insisted they weren't actually a couple, even though they dated a lot. Renee was living at the same sorority Sora joined. Sora was determined, though, that she would stay out at the ranch, at least this semester.

Brenda started the ritual. She, Carl, and Louise said they were headed to bed and all came to hug me. Brenda, however, gave me a kiss that was an inspiration to everyone else.

"Girl, save some of that tongue for me," Louise laughed. She reached up and gave me a quick peck on the lips. "Not yours. Hers." The three wrapped their arms around each other and headed for the bunkhouse.

Doreen was not about to let that go unchallenged and wrapped me in an embrace that threatened to be sex in front of the fire with everyone watching.

"Try not to forget about visiting Casa del Agua after school starts," she said. "I've been talking to your sister. We might have to start planning." Oh crap! My cock jerked against her. "Oh. You are planning, aren't you!" she giggled.

"You know, I'm going to be right there watching," Rachel said as she gave me a dreamy kiss. "And helping. Maybe we'll start around Christmas, but we'd better get some practice in soon."

"I know I'm not one of your amiga," Sandy said as she faced me, "but may I have a kiss like that? Just so I know what gets my compañera's engine running?" Holy shit. Sandy kissed a lot like Renee. There was no way to resist her lips and her tongue. She molded every part of her body to mine and I was aware of exactly what she was pushing against my chest and against my cock. "Mmm. Yeah. That's very helpful, Brian. Thank you for the lesson. And, just for the record, I'll be watching, too." Crap! She wrapped an arm around Doreen and the three girls headed to the bunkhouse. Doug and I bumped fists.

"You might have just signed my death warrant," Doug said, nodding toward the three girls' swaying butts. "I just want you to know that if I don't make it to the first day of classes, it's your fault."

I looked around and realized I was the only one left at the fire. Well, the embers. I made sure it was covered and poured water into the mud and ashes. We were hyper-sensitive about making sure the fire was out. At least the chain link fence would be gone in a week or so, and we would no longer be looking at the burned out rubble from the old farmhouse. I turned toward the barn. The horses were drowsing by the fence. The sky was clear. There were a million stars out. I stepped into the shadow of the barn so I couldn't see our big light and just stared up into the sky.

An arm wrapped around my waist and I jumped a little. She surprised me, but it wasn't an unpleasant surprise.

"This could be our special time together, too," Rhonda whispered.

"Any time we are together is a special time," I sighed, wrapping my arm around her shoulders.

"You've been out here a long time. We were worried."

"And they sent you to find me?"

"No. I came out to check on the horses and make sure they were comfortable for the night." She hugged me and we laughed. "Gypsy and Jingo like it. Princess isn't so sure yet. She'll adapt. Are they okay without a barn?"

"They've got a shelter. We need to do a little work before the weather gets bad, but remember, we're in a much milder climate down here. No lake effect," I said. I looked up into the sky one last time.

"Come in to bed, Brian," she whispered. "Heaven will always be there watching us."

I spent the night snuggled between sisters. The girls had rearranged the mattresses and taken down the harem drapes. Our bedroom loft looked more like a dormitory now. They explained to me that this arrangement was also just temporary, but they thought we might need to spread out a little in order to get a good night's sleep before our first day of classes. It worked. I was out by the time I hit my pillow.

Morning was as normal as mornings were ever going to be at the ranch. I stumbled downstairs to mix up bread and found Elaine already in the kitchen.

"What's up, lover?" I asked after I'd given her a long good-morning kiss. "Why are you in the kitchen so early?"

"I wanted to make sure all my hearthmates got a good start on their first day of school," she said. "We can do forms while the bread is in the oven and I've got a special scramble with lots of vegetables for breakfast."

"Hmm. Forms are in an hour. The bread is rising. Whatever can we do in the meantime," I asked. I slid a hand inside her pajama bottoms and squeezed her butt.

"You could take me to a shower and wash my hair so it's nice and clean before I leave today. You know I'm headed up to Indy. Fortunately, I don't have classes before noon. I don't know what it will be like after we start a show in production, but I'll be back for the weekend as often as possible," she said and kissed me again. My hand moved to the front and I parted her moist lips with my finger. "You could make sure I'm nice and satisfied before I leave today, too."

After forms and breakfast, we divided up into four different vehicles to make our way to campus. I was surprised to find Rhonda in the front seat beside me.

"Are you going to school today, honey?" I teased.

"I have a meeting this morning with Lonnie," she said. "And I have fliers to put up in the Union. We have two weeks, Brian. Lonnie says we'll be able to start filming on Saturday after Labor Day. We might have to do some weekday shooting as well, but Saturday the eighth will be our kickoff."

"Any idea how many people will be coming that morning?"

"That's part of why I'm going in today. Lonnie wants to introduce me to his advanced camera class and I need to find you a girlfriend for the first show," she laughed.

"Surely I have enough girlfriends to get by for the first show!"

"We need to get started on the right foot. You can't depend on the women you sleep with to cook for you, too!"

We agreed to meet at the Union for lunch after my chemistry class. I had heavy days on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with four classes, including lectures in physics, chemistry, and biology. I also had my one and only language requirement, Advanced German. My AP German Language and Culture class gave me my other language credit. Unfortunately, that had been my junior year and getting back into the swing of speaking, reading, and writing German was going to be a major challenge. At least Sora promised to help me. Tuesday and Thursday, I had Physics and Chemistry Labs, and a late class in Literary Criticism. That was going to be interesting. I'd completed all my basic requirements by attending IUSB my junior and senior years, so I was thrown straight into intense classes from the moment I hit campus. Only being in class eighteen hours a week sounded like it would be simple. After my first two classes, I was already trying to figure out how I'd ever get the reading done.

I wandered into the Student Union at 12:30, a little dazed. I needed food. Just outside the cafeteria was one of the many bulletin boards where students could post anything from a bicycle for sale to the need for a roommate. There were even a few notes that said things like, 'To the cute girl in Eng 201 wearing the Nirvana t-shirt. Meet the guy with glasses you spoke to at the Ratskeller at 6:00 tonight! Let's talk.' I noticed a flyer for 'Young Cooking' up, too. Rhonda and Courtney had some kind of graphics program they put on my Mac and the flyer looked pretty cool. It had tear-off phone numbers at the bottom. A couple cute girls were futzing with tearing off the contact info. Both girls were wearing bright orange pants that looked like they were painted on. Nice butts!

"I could probably get you an interview for that," I said. "I know the producer." Both girls spun to look over the top of me. They lowered their eyes. They were both at least 5'9". Their noses wrinkled in unison.

"Yeah, right. Freshmen."

"Really. She's my girlfriend," I said. Maybe they wouldn't be good choices after all. I saw Rhonda approaching.

"Nice pick-up line, but you're out of your league, little boy. We'll just take the info from the flyer."

"Here, have a business card, instead," Rhonda said as she came up beside them. "Give me a call when you get settled in." She shoved a couple very official Hearthstone Entertainment business cards at them. They took them automatically and Rhonda turned to me. "Hi, honey," she said, kissing me on the cheek. "I'm starving. Let's get some food." We walked away from the girls and could hear them sputtering behind us.

"Wait! You mean... ? Oh shit." We didn't turn around.

"That was so mean," I laughed. "And so appropriate."

"Can't give the bitches around here any slack," Rhonda said. She made the little reflexive shrug and glance around that she did whenever she swore. "Lonnie said that," she whispered. We had a great but short lunch because I had to get to German class. "I have to get back to the office. I'll pick you all up at about 4:30." I kissed her and headed to my next torturous class.

Of course, it was just my luck that the two girls I'd met at the bulletin board were also in my biology class at three-thirty. They were standing in the hall outside the classroom when I approached. Shit! When did girls start wearing just tights to school? I mean, they were just stretchy and their buns sort of wiggled in a way that would even challenge Courtney—who, in my opinion, had the sexiest buns on the planet. And when they turned, you could see the exact outline of their pussies. Holy fucking hell!

"You! What are you staring at?" the darker brunette demanded. It took me a second to realize she was talking to me. I finally dragged my eyes up from her proudly outlined pussy to her face. "You, again?"

"I'm really sorry," I said. "I was just ... I mean your pants. They are kind of hard to take the eyes off." The girls actually laughed.

"Got you on that one, Dawn," the lighter brown-haired coed said.

"Yeah. I'll give you a pass on that. They are pretty bright," Dawn said to me. She actually smiled.

"Bright?" I said. "Oh. The color. I was actually admiring the shape." I slipped past them and found a seat. They followed right behind me and sat down on either side of me.

"What would your girlfriend say about you staring at the butts of two other girls?" Dawn asked.

"Um ... She kind of expects that. First day on campus, you know. We're not used to it," I laughed.

"Is she really the producer of that TV show? She looked like she was about fifteen," the other asked. "Oh, that's Dawn and I'm Cathy."

"I'm Brian. Nice to meet you both," I said. "She's eighteen and really is the producer. Damned good at it, too. Professor Phillips in the Media Lab has already asked her to be a guest instructor in one of his classes."

"So, this is a university production?"

"No. It's independent, but the University station will get first rights for airing it. It's syndicated. Professor Phillips is supplying equipment, cameramen, and editors."

"It's like, legitimate, though, isn't it? Like not porn?" Cathy asked.

"Definitely not porn. It's a cooking show."

"I want to do it," Dawn said. "Will you tell her?"

"I'll let her know you'll call," I said. That was all the conversation we had time for. This professor launched into his first lecture as if we'd already read the book. There were close to 150 in the lecture hall. It was one of those 'breadth of study' classes that fulfilled a non-lab science requirement. Most of the students were glazed over by the time we left the room. I quickly said goodbye to my classmates and ran to catch Rhonda, where she was picking up everyone who had late classes.

All four casas gathered in the big room for dinner Friday night to celebrate surviving our first week of college. We were all a little glazed over. We'd had a pretty intense summer with the building project, but that was mostly physical labor and we could see what we accomplished each day. We'd been through our first week of classes and all any of us could see was how much reading we still had to do.

And I had to finish my recipe research for our first show.

The meal Friday night was a carry-in. We pretty much all cooked something or another. Part of what Rose's parents had brought was a complete set of dishes for 24 people. They weren't fancy china or stoneware but they were a step above melamine. They were plain durable dishes. We just set all the food out on the long kitchen breakfast bar and ate buffet style.

"You know, anything we put on the table here is better than the cafeteria in the Union. How did you guys stand it the past three years?" Doug asked Lamar.

"Well, we don't eat in the Union. There's a special cafeteria for athletes. They actually have a dietician there that sort of prescribes what we're supposed to eat. You know, some of the football guys consume close to 5,000 calories a day. I guess most of the athletes eat more than the average meal ticket buys you in the cafeteria," Lamar answered.

"Are you off-diet tonight?" I asked, looking at the pile of pasta he had on his plate.

"Got to fuel this body!" he laughed.

"Brian, there's another idea for you for our show. Fueling the athlete's body," Rhonda said.

"And fighting the freshman fifteen," Jennifer added. "I just felt like I got my body back after the enforced inactivity last year by working my buns off this summer. Three meals over there and I already feel like I've gained weight."

"You could do one about cooking for a crowd, too," Rose suggested. "The demo meals you did for Miss Polly were all designed to serve four to six people. Here at the casa, we regularly have anywhere from ten to twenty." Rhonda and Samantha both had pads of paper they were scribbling notes down on. I was already feeling overwhelmed again.

"Since we all have homework, why don't we light a fire in the fireplace tonight and sit in here to study after we get dishes done?" Sora asked.

"I got dishes," Liz said. "I don't have homework unless someone wants a haircut tonight."

"I'll help," Doreen and Sugar said at the same time. Rhonda finished a hurried conversation with Samantha.

"I'm with you," she said. "I want to make sure we stay organized in the refrigerator and freezer. Bren, I'm assuming you want to take leftovers with you, too, right?"

"Yes. Who made the cobbler? I want the recipe for that one."

Studying in front of the fire in the big room was cool. Some people were sitting at the table writing. Some of us were just lounging wherever we could find a pillow or a chair by the fire while we read. Courtney was in the newly dubbed 'computer room' where she'd set up two computers. Rhonda had my Mac in the office. It was almost like our study groups back in my old room in Mishawaka. This time, however, few of us had the same classes. We all had different study interests and were at different levels.