Chapter 80

Bob and Katelyn were sitting out back holding hands and looking cute by the time Phil and Hailey changed into swimwear. Hailey informed them that Emma Thomas would be coming out, too, so the official couples’ day would include a spare.

Katelyn shot Hailey a dark look at the word “couple” but Bob squeezed her hand lightly. She glanced over and saw he was not at all unhappy with the designation so she relented on the death stare. Hailey appeared completely unfazed anyway.

Tiffany and Molly came popping out of the house a few minutes later, dressed in skimpy bikinis. Katelyn’s bikini was more modestly cut and everything Hailey owned was sexy. Phil considered suggesting they go for something that covered more and then he realized that he had never seen either of them in anything bigger than what they had on.

Ted, Stacy and Emma arrived a little later and everyone sat around and talked. The youngest member of the party actually wore the least clothing. Her bikini top consisted of two tiny triangles and string and her bottom was so small Phil was certain he was going to see her clit the first time she moved. She clearly shaved her box. Not only would it have been evident if she didn’t, Phil could see the stubble from the half-assed job she’d done.

Ted and Stacy were both mortified when the girl shucked off her clothing but no one else seemed to mind so they kept quiet. Stacy decided there would be time enough to hash things out later.

Emma grumbled and sat down on a lounger, looking mutinous. First Katelyn, then Molly and Tiffany and finally Hailey took the chair opposite Emma and tried to draw her into conversation. The first three gave up after a few minutes but Hailey stuck it out.

“You can’t swim in that suit,” Hailey pointed out. “It’ll just be a string and some thread if you take it into the water.”

“I didn’t think we’d be wearing suits long,” Emma groused. “I finally get invited to a college party and it’s a bunch of lame-os like my sister. I expected booze and at least some weed. When I saw the size of this house I pictured some better stuff than weed. I figured we’d be into the folks’ liquor cabinet, with skinny dipping and people fucking all over the place. I’ve heard all about those parties and instead I get a bunch of old people playing bridge!”

“Lame-os?” Hailey asked. “Wow, that’s the first time I’ve ever been called that. There is a reason this party is quiet. You see the girl with black hair splashing in the water?”

“Tiffany, she said,” Emma answered.

“And the girl sitting with Bob Prohl over there?” Hailey gestured.

“Katelyn,” Emma replied.

“Yep,” Hailey said. “Well in March, the three of us were in Calder City for Spring Break. We got arrested for underage drinking. It will be off our records in five days. We’ve been on probation all summer because we did something really stupid.”

“You’re lying!” Emma said in a hostile voice.

“Why would I bother lying to you?” Hailey asked in a harsh tone. “I don’t know you and I really don’t like you very much. I wouldn’t waste my time lying to you.”

Hailey’s response caught Emma off guard. She had been nice from the moment she sat down but now Hailey had pretty much told her off.

“You were arrested?” Emma asked when she got her balance back.

“It was worse than that,” Hailey said, glancing around. “Come on inside with me. I have a brand new bikini you can wear. It might be a little loose on top but it won’t show anything more than you’re already showing.”

Emma looked down and blushed red. Her hair color was identical to her sister’s – dirty blonde. Both of the Thomas girls would be considered busty but neither of them was in Hailey’s league.

Hailey wore a 38C bra but she had a few 38Ds in her drawer, too. Emma was a little smaller, probably a 36C, Hailey determined from a glance. She had a string bikini that could be tightened up to fit.

She gestured for Emma to follow her. Phil saw that the young woman’s bikini back was essentially a string through her ass cheeks. He shook his head and turned his attention back to the burgers and hot dogs he was grilling.

“I’m going to kill her!” Stacy hissed from his shoulder. “I’m really sorry, Phil. I asked her, pleaded with her, not to embarrass me. What does she do? She dresses up like a slut and then bitches and gripes about everything. We’ll leave if you want us to.”

“Of course not!” Phil said. “We’re happy to have you here – and her, too. Hailey took her inside to get her something to wear in the water. She’ll talk to her and explain some things to her. She’ll be fine in a few minutes and we’ll all have a great time.”

“She’s been trouble for years,” Stacy said, shaking her head. Ted was beside her and had his arm around her waist. “She’s been caught skipping school; Mom found weed in her pants pocket last year; the arrest was the final straw. They actually took her to a group detention home because she was a total bitch to the cops. Dad got called out at three in the morning to pick her up. She was supposed to be home by 11 and by midnight they were already frantic.

“The cops made her wait to sober up to make the call. Her initial BAC was .16. That’s twice the legal limit for driving and eight times what’s legal for anyone younger than 21. When she got down to .10 they let her call home. My Dad went ape-shit. He grounded her for the entire summer and she has been a total bitch since then.”

“It can’t be easy to live up to an older sister like you,” Phil said with a shrug.

“What does that mean?” Stacy wondered.

“Oh, come on,” Phil replied. “All she’s heard for 10 years is ‘Why can’t you be more like your sister?’ You’re pretty; you’re smart; you’re funny. You have a great boyfriend who absolutely adores you. I’ll bet you got straight As in high school. Hell, I’ll bet you got straight As in kindergarten. You were probably the head of the debate team, on the Homecoming Court and always called people ‘Sir’ and ‘Ma’am.’ You sure as hell didn’t bring home a boyfriend with a nose ring and a motorcycle.”

Stacy blushed but Ted laughed.

“You can’t say he can’t read people!” the catcher said in a happy voice. “He got it just right.”

“So Emma’s had your parents, her teachers, her friends’ parents all wondering why she can’t be more like you,” Phil continued. “She’s rebelled. She’s obviously smart. She got into Heilman. She just needs a chance to find herself. It’s almost a shame she’s following you to college because I’m sure all of the professors you’ve had will put the two together. You couldn’t be anything except sisters.”

“She’s going to study physical therapy,” Stacy said. “We won’t have the same professors.”

“She’ll make friends and she’ll grow up,” Phil said. “Just don’t be too hard on her for doing some stupid stuff when she can get away with it. Hailey will talk to her.”

Hailey was indeed talking to Emma Thomas in the apartment she shared with her boyfriend. She pulled out a blue string bikini that she had purchased the previous summer but never worn. It had a full back and the cups were adjustable.

“Why don’t you change and then we can chat,” Hailey offered. She decided Emma could be really pretty if she scrubbed off the makeup and straightened her teased and frosted hair.

Emma disappeared into the bedroom where she peeled down her tiny green bikini and replaced it with a royal blue one. She inspected herself in the full-length mirror on the back of the door. She found that the new bikini was just as sexy as the one she had just removed. She had to tighten the strings to keep her boobs from tumbling out but she finally got that fixed, too.

Hailey was waiting for her at the kitchen table. Emma took a seat and accepted a bottle of water and looked across the table.

“Can you give me some makeup tips?” she asked.

“I’ve completely stopped wearing it,” Hailey said. “Oh, every now and then I use concealer under my eyes or over a zit. Once in a while I put on some lip liner or lipstick if I’m going to do something sexy with Phil but mostly I’m done with it. None of us really use it.”

“Wow,” Emma said, shaking her head.

“Let’s see what you look like without it,” Hailey suggested. “Go ahead and dip your head under the water, too. I’ve got some straightener. We can see what we can do.”

Emma dutifully followed Hailey’s suggestion. She wiped off the mascara and the eye shadow. The foundation and blush were more difficult but the baby wipes Hailey provided did the trick. She saw the face that greeted her every morning, that of a fresh-faced teenager. She gave a half smile at the image. She doused her head in the bathtub and then sprayed a straightening mist on it before walking out to where Hailey was setting up a small beauty shop.

The pair talked as Hailey fixed Emma’s appearance.

“I was like you a year ago,” Hailey said as she ran a brush through Emma’s blonde hair. “I showed off as much of my body as I could; I spent every weekend drunk and usually with a different guy; I used weed, K, X. I used coke if it was there. I decided I wasn’t going to do that when I met Phil – but I couldn’t stop. I made a huge mistake and it almost cost me everything.”

She wiped away a tear, which Emma noticed.

“One night over Spring Break, I went to the finest restaurant in the city,” Hailey explained. “I met the mayor; there was an off-Broadway play in the city and I saw several actors you’d recognize from TV. I was living in a penthouse apartment with a guy I cared about and friends I adored.”