Chapter 24

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1990

I dreaded going to school Tuesday even more than I had Monday. At breakfast, mom was trying to fish for more information on what was going on between Mel and me. I wasn’t biting today. No way I would ever want mom to hear a word of the rumor going around, at least if it was just a rumor.

On the bus, I had to let Mikey in on it. He hadn’t heard, which was a good sign. It took little to convince him that I didn’t know anything about it, but I was going to find out if it was true as soon as we got to school. There wasn’t much Mike could do to help, other than offer his solemn support, and he did just that.

Things were all business when Shelby got on the bus. She practically raced back to my seat and shoved me in to make room. She assumed Mikey was up to speed, and was already talking strategy.

“If it’s not true, we have to stop the rumor fast,” she nodded.

“How?”

“With the truth,” Shelby said seriously.

“What if it is true?” I asked glumly.

“Then you didn’t know a thing about it, and you’re the victim in all this.”

I wasn’t necessarily comfortable with that standpoint. Besides, who takes the side of the guy in a situation like this.

“I dunno,” I hedged.

“You walk in this morning and find her, and you ask if it’s true. If it is, people will see that you had no idea. If it’s just a rumor, we band together and fight it,” Shelby said confidently.

Well, she was right about one thing. There was no running and hiding from this. If it were true, Mel’s reputation, my reputation, would be destroyed. Getting a girl pregnant at fourteen? Sixteen for her, but still.

Whether it was the right course of action or not, Shelby’s words filled me with the confidence I needed to walk into that school.

We exited the bus at school. I walked side-by-side with Mike and Shelby. There was a quiet pall over the Freshman hallway, with some scattered looks, but no one said a word.

I half-expected Mel to be at my locker, but she wasn’t there. I walked right down to the next corner and headed up the Sophomore hallway. It was even quieter in this hallway, but a circle of girls surrounded Mel’s locker. Some faced out, some faced in, and as I got closer I realized they were all her fellow cheerleaders, some even senior cheerleaders.

As I approached the protective circle, girls shuffled aside and it opened like an automatic door to let me inside.

Poor Mel was crouched down with Marcy Macke in tears. She shuddered for a moment when she saw me.

I didn’t even get the chance to ask.

“It’s not true!” she cried, reaching out for me. I couldn’t fight the urge to kneel down and wrap her in my arms, and I did just that.

The poor girl sobbed against me as the circle of cheerleaders shielded us from prying eyes or worse. I felt incredibly proud of those girls and their support for one of their own. I wondered for a moment if my football or baseball teammates would support me in such a way. Likely not.

“It’s not true,” she repeated, shaking her head at me. It was enough. I believed her.

For the briefest of moments, the sadness I felt for Mel, and the worry I felt for both of us also left a little room for some personal relief.

I didn’t father a child at 14. Thank God. Thank Jesus. Thank Moses. Thank Buddha. Thank Captain America. I think I covered all my religious bases.

But now what?

I looked to Marcy Macke, also still holding Mel’s shoulders.

“What do we do now?”

A strong female voice from above had the answer.

“We’re taking care of her in class and in between class, and anyone who hears the rumor stomps it down, and if we find out who started it, we ruin them.”

I looked up to see the Homecoming Queen telling us it would be alright. Katie Highland herself promised it.

“Classes start in like a minute. Can you stand up, hun?”

Mel nodded, rubbed the tears from her cheeks and slowly stood with my support.

“I think so,” she said as she stood, likely meaning she could get to class.

I gave her one last hug.

“You can do this. I love you,” I said, and I meant it.

“Awwww,” several of the girls cooed at my admission.

Mel warmed a degree or two and offered a faint grin.

“I love you too.”

“We gotta go,” Marcy intoned.

“Go,” I said. “I’ll handle things on my end.

I just made it to Algebra in time and I felt much better. My smile seemed to confuse a few people who had other ideas, but not enough courage to ask what was on their minds.

By lunch, things seemed to have returned somewhat to normal.

Mel sat with me at lunch, bringing Marcy along for support. She looked much better, still pale, but no signs of fresh tears. Our appearance together was a show of defiance and united strength. No one said a word otherwise, and we felt much better about things.

Shelby, for her part, was grinning ear to ear. She had worried likely as much as I had. A quick whisper or two with her told me things were going well. No one was believing the rumor, and it seemed likely the source might even be found in time.

All that sounded much better to my ears, and I felt five inches taller. The day was a best case scenario, and I had a newfound respect for those cheerleaders who had banded together to protect one of their own.

At study hall, Mel asked me to ride home with her. I couldn’t say no, and I needed to talk more with her anyway. We bundled up and left together, hand-in-hand this time.

“I’m so happy it’s not true,” I told Mel, leaning left from the passenger seat of her Grand Am.

“I’m just happy to hear that despite everything, you still love me,” she smiled in ecstasy.

“I do,” I said softly. “We’re in this together.”

“Together,” she gripped my hand between hers and kissed my knuckles.

The roller coaster ride that was our relationship was racing toward yet another epic high. But have you ridden a roller coaster before? What comes next?

SUNDAY, JUNE 23, 1991

“Hello?”

“Hello, boyfriend!”

“DEEDEE!” I cheered. “I can’t believe it’s your voice.”

“It’s me,” she husked. “Did you miss me?”

“You have no idea,” I grinned, not that she could see it over the phone. “Did you have fun?”

“Yeah, most of the time, but I missed you too,” she said with a little whine in her voice that I found sexy.

“So you’re home then? When can I see you?”

“I’m home,” she yawned. “And I called you the minute we got the van unpacked, but I’m sooooo tired.”

“I bet,” I said, thinking of the hours of windshield time she must have endured on the way home from Canada.

“I’ll be at your game Tuesday night,” she offered.

“Not going to be at the pool tomorrow?” I wondered out loud.

“I knew I’d be spent when I got home, so I took it off. I do work Tuesday,” she said enthusiastically.

“I should stop by,” I said warmly.

“You should,” she agreed. “And by the way, thank you so much for the daily notes, especially the last one,” she practically whispered.

Color showed in my cheeks and I felt my chest tighten a little.

“I just wanted you to know each day how I feel about you,” I said shyly.

“I felt better every day,” she admitted. “And I couldn’t wait to get home when I read your note early this morning.”

A lopsided grin spread over my face. I felt like I was walking on a cloud.

“Um, Jake?” Deedee said coquettishly. “Me too.”

I made some sort of noise that indicated I was pleased, and she did the same. No other words were necessary. I was feeling as good as I’d felt in a long time. Better than a homerun. No, better than a grand slam. Better than a sack. Better than even starting the sprint car.

I just wished I could see her dimples when she said those words, and I imagined just how red her gorgeous cheeks were at the time.

“I missed you, and I can’t wait to see you again,” I told her emphatically.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1990

Back in the swing of things again, we were a “power couple.” A beautiful cheerleader and a handsome athlete, we enjoyed some level of popularity. We had advanced well beyond some childish rumors started by some jealous idiot. Mel and I were pretty happy for the first half of December.

Mel was sick another couple of days, missing school on a couple of Mondays, but she called me first to let me know she wasn’t feeling well. That was progress. These cysts, I decided, were quite the ordeal for her.

She was still making it to basketball games, and I went to a couple just to watch her cheer. Well, just to watch her cheer and get naked with her in her car after games.

Winter had settled in, and we had a few inches of snow on the ground. A moonlit night behind the lonely grain bin in an empty field almost looked like daytime because of the blanket of white snow reflecting the low light in every direction.

That was the backdrop of our lovemaking in Mel’s little red Grand Am. It was awfully cramped in that back seat, but we’d set the front seats forward and explore what positions were possible, what felt great, and what felt ridiculous, to peals of laughter. She never looked more beautiful than the way she looked cast in the greenish light of her dashboard. Her hair tousled and wild, sweat, even in the dead of winter, beading on her soft skin.

We’d reconnected once again, time and time again, through foibles and follies and hurt and heartbreak and love.

We made love for hours, not considering going home until close to midnight. We’d lost track of how many times each of us had climaxed, and simply gave up in a tangle of sweaty limbs and her trusty blanket. We’d nearly fallen asleep when she first mentioned it.

“If I ran away, would you go with me?”

She ran her finger along my jawline and watched the reaction in my confused eyes as I considered her out-of-left-field question.

“What?”

“You heard what I said,” she said gently. “If I ran away, would you go with me?”

“Is something going on at home?” I asked with great suspicion. “If something is going on at home, you have to tell me.”

She considered her words carefully for a moment, letting her fingers walk over more of my wet skin.

“Nothing is going on at home, really,” she admitted. “I just feel like I want to live my life the way I want to live my life, and I can’t do that where I am.”

“So nothing is going on at home?” I asked again, the promise of a little menace in my question.

“My parents are NOT abusive, just, just restrictive,” she blurted out, looking a mile past me as she said it. “They have a way they want me to live my life. I want to live it my own way.”

“Living your own way is pretty hard at 16,” I said sagely. “Are you sure you can’t wait until you turn 18?” “It will be too late then,” she sighed.

She was quiet and reflective for a moment. It looked like the whole world was on her mind.

“I’m sorry, there’s no way I could do that to my family,” I said sadly to her. “I love you. I support you. I feel like I’ve gone to hell and back for you.”

“You have,” she smiled slightly, running her fingers through my hair.

“But I’m 14,” I said seriously, shaking my head at her slightly. “You can’t ask me to do that.”

“I know,” she said softly and shook her he. “I shouldn’t have.”

I laid there silently, watching her eyes lose focus again as she seemed to churn through a million thoughts.

“A penny for your thoughts,” I broke the silence.

She focused her eyes on me again, and a smile spread over her face.

“I want to remember you just like this, always,” she said softly.

“I’d let you take a picture, but I’m buck-ass naked,” I grinned.

“All the better,” she teased back, tickling me lightly.

If she hadn’t been so calm and collected, at peace, really, I would have been concerned about her choices of words. I would have been worried and I would have asked more questions.

But she was serene and peaceful, and I felt much the same. It was contagious.

I was able to sneak into the house just after midnight that night. My folks missed it, or let is slide. I never heard a word about being late that night.

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 1991

This was an easy one. It was over early. We won the last junior varsity game of the season, beating the North Oak Foresters 16-0 in 5 innings of work. You’d think that team could bring some lumber. They did not.

Our celebration after the game came with some good news. Our varsity team was going to host a playoff game the next Tuesday. The team could also expand their roster from 27 to 29, so two JV players could be added.

Coach introduced Mitch and me as those players added to the varsity roster. We even got some applause and congratulations from our teammates as we huddled one last time as a JV team, having completed a one-loss season.

I grabbed up all my gear and she greeted me with a big hug just outside the dugout. Deedee was looking fabulous in my away jersey, the top buttons undone enough to show a little peek of cleavage.

“You and Mitch were awesome,” Deedee gushed.

In truth, we were. Mitch gave up one hit and one walk all night. We were in a zone and played like we should have all season. True, it did help that North Oak was a two-win team. And they played like it as well. I drove in Mitch twice and scored two runs myself, but everyone played well on this night.

Both mom and dad were at the game, and greeted me with little Josh in tow. Deedee stayed at my side.

I choose the moment to share the good news.

“Mom, I have bad news.”

“What’s that?”

“You’re not quite done washing my uniform.”

“What do you mean?” she asked curiously.

“I am being added to the varsity roster for the playoffs.”

Mom and dad both brightened. Deedee cheered and hugged me from the side.

“Mitch too,” I added for Deedee, nodding in his direction several feet away. Lexie was applying a chaste hug to him as well.

“I’ve got plenty of detergent,” mom shrugged. “Let’s go to state!”

We all laughed and cheered. The mood was festive.

“Well, we have to get Josh home,” mom added. “You two have fun.”

Deedee blushed at the permission to go out on a Tuesday after the game. We hadn’t even discussed plans yet.

I looked to my girlfriend for guidance.

“Yeah, we’ll go to The Corner or something,” she smiled. “Lexie probably has something planned.”

I told mom and dad goodbye, and gave Josh a high five and a hug.

Deedee and I, hand-in-hand, turned to Lexie to see what was up.

“Well, it’s Tuesday,” Lexie said nonchalantly. “Not much going on.”

“Well, my ride is about to leave if we’re not doing anything,” I tilted my head at Lexie.

“We’ll figure something out, Parker, relax,” she grinned. “And congratulations, by the way. I asked you to take care of my boyfriend this season, and it worked out for both of you.”

“It did,” I said with a slight smile, remembering her words on that spring day when I’d just come out of my funk.

“So you can keep the away jersey at least one more week,” I grinned at Deedee.

She hugged herself in it and smiled. “Yep! It’s good luck too. You’ve never lost when I wear it.”

“Don’t jinx us,” I teased, tickling her just above the hip.

“Stop!” she giggled, grabbing my hand.

“Can you boys shower real quick?” Lexie cut the fun and got more serious, wrinkling her nose at both of us.

Mitch and I shrugged and nodded in agreement. Lexie led us to the van in the parking lot, then hustled us over to the school building, closer to the locker room. It was a long trek to the ball diamond.

The girls waited in the van while Mitch and I rushed through quick showers. I put the clothes I’d worn to school back on, gathered up all my gear and headed to the parking lot.

The girls stayed up front, forcing Mitch to open the sliding door and let me in with him. “Where to, boys?” Lexie grinned.

I looked at Mitch and he shrugged.

“Ladies choice,” I smiled with confidence.

Lexie looked at a smiling Deedee and put the van in drive.

“Ladies choice” ended up being gas station pizza slices, which was fine with all of us.

Deedee and I laughed and joked, and fed each other bites of cheesy pizza. Mitch and Lexie were quieter, but Mitch was wolfing down slices. It was a beautiful Tuesday evening. The sun was setting low in the sky, just days after the Solstice, leaving plenty of light after 9 p.m.

A little chill crept into the air as the sun started to slip under the western sky. That was our que to go.

Back in the van, we took our traditional places, with Mitch up front with Lexie, and Deedee wrapped around me in the middle seats.

We were nuzzling up and getting handsy before we even noticed that Lexie had pulled into our traditional spot behind the old garage.

No words were spoken. Deedee climbed over the middle seat, once again practically dragging me over with her to fall into a giggling pile of teenage limbs in the far back of the van.

There was still plenty of light, and I could see Lexie moving over to Mitch as Deedee and I started making out in earnest. We were hungry for each other. We had missed each other. I was worried Deedee might try to eat my face off.

As I kissed Deedee, I made a show of popping the buttons of my jersey, which she was wearing, even though she had a T-shirt under it. I cupped my hand over side of her neck and kissed the exposed skin of her upper chest. She moaned and kissed my neck in return, her hands massaging my chest.

I took that as my signal to do the same. I cupped her heavy breasts over the fabric of her shirt and sturdy bra. She moaned more as I gripped all I could in my hands. There was plenty of spillage with these puppies. I kissed her again, swirling my tongue over hers in the way I wanted to kiss her pussy. She was getting incredibly revved up, grinding her hips into me as I massaged her breasts through her shirt and bra.

She pushed me back for just a moment with a look of absolute lust, then tore her shirt up and over her head in a fluid motion, baring her upper half to me.

She laid back again and let me descend on her like a hungry predator. I kissed and nibbled exposed flesh, groped, gripped and lightly pinched her nipples between my fingers, then reached around behind her and found a four-hook bra to be as hard to open with one hand as a combination lock.

“Need some help?” she teased with a sly smile on her face.

“I do,” I said matter-of-factly, moving back off of her.

She reached back and magically pulled the hooks free, then scrunched her shoulders forward and pulled the bra clear of her arms, exposing her luscious breasts. Her nipples were achingly hard, and begging to be suckled. I took a brief moment to take in the view, then gave her a look of gratitude and longing, before swooping in again.

She gripped the back of my head as I took in the scent of her clean skin, that faint strawberry taste to her freckled chest. I went back and forth between both heavy breasts and worked my left hand over the front of her shorts, finding her very receptive to my touch. I ran my fingers up and down the quivering zipper as she panted and held me tight against her.

Then I she stiffened out of nowhere. I had missed what happened initially.

“Wait,” she whispered, stopping me in my tracks.

Then I heard it.

“I said stop!” I heard from the front seats. I couldn’t help but look in that direction, as Lexie straightened out her shirt and shorts, then got into the driver’s seat.

For his part, Mitch saw with his hands up in defense, or defeat.

“You two don’t mind finishing up as I drive, do you?” she asked pointedly as she gathered herself up into her usual imposing demeanor.

Neither of us answered. But it was too late. The mood had been killed.

Deedee gave me a pointed look and I handed her discarded T-shirt to her as she searched around for her bra. She gave me a grateful look and touched me on the chin dimple before slipping back into her bra and shirt.

She hopped back over the seats and I climbed over to join her. No other words were spoken, but we drove to town and stopped at Mitch’s house, where he jumped out and grabbed his gear from the far back, slamming the double door shut without a word.

Deedee seemed to want to be there for her friend. I was silent, being the male left in the van.

“It’s not a big deal, Parker.” Lexie intoned, looking at me from the mirror. “I gave him an inch, and he tried to take a mile. It’s what you boys do.”

She shrugged, as if it applied to all of us.

My mouth opened, but I thought better of it, letting her be in control. Maybe that was something Deedee did a little too much?

I could tell we were headed to drop me off next. I looked at my girl and snuggled into her again. Even with the mood spoiled, she still was receptive to me.

As Lexie headed down my driveway to drop me off, I leaned in to Deedee to whisper to her.

“Soon.”

“Yes,” she whispered back with a knowing nod.

I stepped out and gathered my gear. Deedee seemed reluctant for just a moment, then hopped out of the van to wrap me up in a big hug, then delivered a knockout kiss that I felt in my toes.

Sure, it was a disappointing end to the evening, but the promise of what would soon come had me whistling all the way into the house.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1990

It was the end last day of school before Christmas break. We’d be off for two full weeks.

There would be a home basketball game tonight. Of course, Melody would be there in full cheer gear.

How could I miss that?

It was another blowout loss for the Wolfpack, this time to Oak Lake. At least the entertainment was good. My eyes were only on Mel, as she danced, strutted, kicked and wiggled her hips to the routines at the half. She kept her long hair up in a sweatband tonight, giving her a unique look. I caught her smokey eyes on me more than once, and it was if no one else was there, just her dancing for me. It gave me an idea for later, and it would require that cheerleading outfit.

At the end of the night, we found each other and hugged.

“Where you headed?” I asked.

“Wherever you’re headed,” she replied warmly.

I met her out at her car. She had added only a thick coat to her ensemble, her blue pleated cheer skirt still fluttering in the winter chill.

She hopped in, unlocked my door and started warming up her little red Grand Am.

“Oooooh, it’s so COLD!” she complained, running her hands over her legs.

“I can do that,” I husked, reaching over to run my hands over her goose-bumpy legs.

“Ahhhh! Much better,” She cooed, wrapping her colds hands over my warm ones.

The little car warmed up in a few minutes, and she gave me a sly grin as she put it in drive and headed back toward our little parking spot.

Once there, Mel put the car in park and attacked me.

By the greenish dashboard light, we made out like, well, like teenagers. Her hunger was intense that night. She gripped me tight, holding herself against me as we kissed with abandon. I ran my fingers up into her hair and she suddenly stopped.

“Don’t touch my hair tonight!” she said sharply, then mellowed with a slight smile. “Please.”

That was odd. She loved her hair touched, even pulled hard in the right mood. I let it go. I had other bits to get my hands on. We both shed our coats and tossed them into the back seat.

She fiddled with my seat back until she got it to recline as she wanted, then shoved me back and unzipped me, fishing around in my pants until she found her prize.

She pulled my length out of my pants and inhaled me without further preamble. Her hot, wet mouth felt like paradise in the middle of winter. She set to work on one of her best efforts ever, swirling her tongue around the bottom of my shaft as she bobbed her head up and down sharply, willing me to finish for her.

This night, I wasn’t having it. I didn’t want this feeling to end. I put my palms on her jaw to slow her pace, but she fought me off.

“I need to taste you!” she said emphatically.

I relaxed back into the seat again, letting her run the show. She put her now-warmed-up hand around my cock, stroking it into her mouth as she looked up at me with a smile.

“Give me what I want,” she begged, her eyes on mine. She slurped her lips over my sensitive head, jacking the shaft expertly, waiting for me to deliver.

It was going to take a little more effort than that, and she gave it. Melody closed her eyes again and pushed as much of my cock into her mouth as she could take, making sure to make it wet as she struggled to get it into her throat. The effort was a huge turn on, but I knew it wasn’t going to happen. She reverted to bobbing her head up and down again, briefly catching her breath once again.

She slipped her now wet hand up and down my shaft, rubbing my balls with her palm on the down strokes. That was it. That was going to do it. I dropped my head back and moaned in pleasure.

She knew she had me right then. She increased her pace, sucking and bobbing her head up and down and shifted to concentrate on rubbing her soft palm on my balls.

That was all it took. I felt the numbness radiate out from the middle of my body as my abs tensed up and then released with an animalistic howl that was deafening in that little car.

“GRRRRRRUUUUUUHHH!”

The orgasm hit me as hard as the first jet of my scalding hot seamen hit the back of her tongue. She made little mewling noises as she struggled to continue blowing me and swallowing what I was giving her at the same time.

She knew there was more to come, and I didn’t disappoint, as another hard surge tensed my body up and erupted in a fountain of cum inside her mouth. She slowed her pace at the second release, and seemed to savor me, her mouth practically full of my spending.

She hummed in contentment and made a little show of making a big swallow to clear her mouth.

My breathing was ragged as the intense orgasm fled my body as quickly as it had arrived.

“Feel better?” she cooed in her high voice, like she’d nursed me to health from some grave injury.

“Always.” I gasped. “Always better with your mouth on me.”

She grinned and chanced a kiss, then got right back to work.

She had my cock to full hardness within a minute, before she clambered into the back seat.

She started tearing her clothes away before I stopped her.

“Wait!” I called out, as if it were an emergency.

“What?” she cocked her head, questioning my urgency.

I settled against the seat for a moment, looking her over with hunger.

“I’ve been thinking about fucking a certain cheerleader all night, and I want to fuck that cheerleader.”

A sly look of recognition passed over her face.

“Is the cheerleader you wanted to fuck in this car right now?” she teased.

“The very one,” I nodded.

“Well then,” she added with some sass. “You better get back here and fuck her good.”

I didn’t need to be told twice. I tore my shirt off and was back there in seconds, tossing our coats back up front without a care and pressed my gorgeous girlfriend under me, kissing her relentlessly.

I reached under her skirt and fumbled around at her hips to tear her bloomers free of the skirt. She lifted her hips to offer help, and I tore them down and off her legs.

With a look of intense lust, I popped the front of the skirt up and dove face-first into her pussy.

I was not disappointed to find that she’d kept the shaving up, leaving her already sopping wet pussy hairless for my oral ministrations. She knew to get into a comfortable position, because I wasn’t going to stop pleasuring her until she was good and fed up with it.

I found her folds easy to slip into, even with the flat of my tongue. She tasted savory, a little salty and a little sweet all in one, and the scent was driving me wild. I added my fingers to the mix, slipping two inside her and giving her the ‘come hither’ finger motion she’d shown me months earlier.

It was all more than enough for her, as she threatened to pop my head off my neck with her powerful thighs, screaming through a high-pitched orgasm that I thought might well have been heard a mile away.

Melody had pulled her cheer sweater up, giving her access to her sensitive nipples as I’d paid attention to nothing but her dripping pussy. I helped her pull the sweater the rest of the way off, and she discarded her bra as well.

She lifted her hips to pull the skirt away when I grabbed her hands.

“Leave it on,” I demanded.

She gave me a smokey, sultry look and thought better of it. Melody pushed me back gently, then fiddled with her passenger seat once again, getting it to fold almost all the way forward.

Then she leaned over it and slipped her skirt up and onto her lower back, leaving her ass as an unwrapped present for me.