Chapter 15

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 1991

I stepped out of the shower a new man, having washed away the grime of the race shop. I was ready for a big night.

I brushed my teeth, styled my hair and applied a thick coating of deodorant. I looked damn good.

I got dressed and left the bathroom, heading for my room to finish up just as Beast pulled into the driveway.

“Mom, I gotta go!”

“Hang on a second,” mom admonished from the family room. She met me at my bedroom door.

“I know it’s graduation night, so please be careful out there. Be careful around alcohol, and don’t ride with someone who’s been drinking. Got it?”

I nodded in understanding.

“You can call us for a ride. You’ll never get in trouble for that. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, mom,” I shrugged.

“OK, have fun, and be careful. We love you,” she finished.

“Love you too mom,” I called out as I hurried out the garage door.

I could tell Beast was in a mood already. He had his sunglasses on. Tree was nodding his head to the beat of ‘Master of Puppets,’ from Metallica. It was my favorite metal song of all time.

Tree hopped out and set the seat forward, letting me slip into the back.

“Gentlemen,” I greeted them with a head nod.

Beast gave me a big grin. “Ready to party tonight, Parker? I have a feeling we’re going to have quite a night.”

“I guess,” I shrugged.

“I don’t think he’s ready to party,” Beast looked to Tree in mock concern.

“I’m not sure either,” Tree teased.

“Then we better get him ready!” Beast yelled, cranking the stereo to an obscene level and headbanging along to Metallica. Tree joined him with devil horns in the air.

The best I could do was a hearty belly laugh at their antics, but I joined in until my neck felt sore at the close of the song. I was already in a good mood, but Beast had indeed taken things up a few levels.

That turned out to be unnecessary, as we were headed to a few muted events.

Our first stop would be at a local church for Melanie Cox’s graduation party. She was close with Karen, who was there already.

We helped ourselves to some punch and those little ham sandwiches served at these sort of affairs.

We made small talk with a few people we knew. Beast knew Melanie better than Tree or I did, but we congratulated her on her graduation all the same.

Karen wanted to make sure we were still coming to the quarry, and we were more than enthusiastic about being there.

Next stop was Becca Rhinehart’s graduation party. It was at her house. She was another of Karen’s best friends, and Beast was required to make an appearance. We had more punch and more similar little ham sandwiches and chips, while making small talk with a few people we knew.

After a short stay there, I asked Beast if we could make one stop at a party I’d been invited to. It was at my parent’s church.

Eric Norris was the one senior I knew fairly well. Early in the year, we had a study hall together and he discovered I had a bootlegged tape copy of 2 Live Crew’s “As Nasty As They Wanna Be”. It was practically smuggler’s cargo in those days. I ended up cranking out a few copies for him and his friends, and he appreciated it a lot. We became more friendly through the fall. He was a very nice guy, not particularly athletic, but very popular, especially with the girls. I took a lot of advice from him and I’d miss his presence in the school going forward. He treated everyone at the school with the same kindness, which was rare. This was a last chance to talk to him before he headed off to the Air Force. He already had a pilot’s license and wanted to be a fighter pilot.

“Jake Parker,” he grinned, giving me a firm handshake. “Marcus,” he greeted Beast with a similar handshake. “And, Trent, right?” Tree got the same warm handshake. Not everyone knew the names of most of the school, but Eric seemed to make a point of it.

We congratulated him on his graduation and made small talk about his impending time in the Air Force. He was as warm and friendly with each person in attendance, and told us to help ourselves to sandwiches, punch and cake.

We weren’t shy, and we had our fill at our third party for the night.

This party had a couple of big displays of photos of Eric as a youngster. He seemed to have an upbringing no different than ours, save his early love for aviation. He had pictures in various cockpits of small aircraft since he was little, looking hilarious in an oversized headset. He truly seemed to be meant to do something specific, and I was a bit jealous of that idea. I had no real idea of what I wanted to do when I grew up. He seemed to have it all figured out.

Besides, when someone asks you what you do for a living and you say ‘fighter pilot,’ you win.

We bid Eric farewell with more handshakes and he thanked us in his usual genuine nature for coming. He was someone I looked up to in a few ways and wanted to be more like him. I would do my best to try in the future.

With the ‘official’ graduation parties out of the way, we were headed out to the ‘unofficial’ big one.

The quarry was actually only a couple of miles from Shelby’s ranch. It was near the river and sort of a hidden gem. There two ways in and out of the shallow quarry, with a few big piles of spendings that we’d end up having the party behind.

When we arrived, there were only about eight cars there, but Karen had arrived in her dad’s long-box Chevy pickup. A few people were already sitting in the box along the sides, sipping beers. Beast had packed a pile of firewood in the truck, and thankfully someone had already taken it out and piled it up for a good-sized bonfire. The sun was low in the western sky, so we didn’t need the light or warmth from the fire yet.

We walked up to the truck and were greeted somewhat as the freshmen celebrities. We were still fairly new to the party scene, and the departing seniors were happy to see that traditions would continue in the future at our school.

The other important items in the box of the truck were two big coolers stuffed with our beer orders.

“Thanks for getting our beer, Karen,” I greeted her warmly. “You’re welcome,” she beamed. “It’s going to be a fun night, but don’t go thinking you can drink all that. Share it around or you’re going to have a bad night.”

“I plan to be very generous,” I promised. “A few will be plenty, especially if I can avoid Katie,” I added conspiratorially.

“Hmmm, well, there’s no table here, so maybe you’ll get away with that,” she said a little skeptically. “But she’s going to see you here at some point and she’s not going to let you off scott free,” she grinned.

“I wouldn’t expect her to,” I blushed.

“Oh, she’s mostly harmless,” Karen smiled. “But she says there’s something about you.”

“Yeah, I get that a lot,” I grinned.

“That’s what she’s talking about,” Karen blushed a little. “You’re like the only freshman who would dare flirt with her.”

I honestly didn’t think I had been flirting with her, but maybe I missed the signs.

“I didn’t flirt with her,” I said with an almost hurt expression.

“All you do is flirt, Jake,” she cooed with a smile.

“Oh, I do more than just flirt,” I said with an eyebrow wiggle.

“Yep, see, that’s what she’s talking about,” Karen said emphatically.

“I get it,” I said. “I better tone it way down for her.”

“You’ll have a better night if you don’t,” Karen rolled her eyes, patting me on the shoulder as she reached into the cooler for a beer for me.

Beast and Tree were already sipping theirs. I joined them to stand in a small circle, cracking my Miller Lite open.

I had a tentative sip. ‘Some flavor, no nasty, sweet aftertaste’ I thought. ‘Not bad.’ This was a beer I’d keep on my list.

“This IS going to get bigger, right?” I asked, having a second sip.

“You’d think so,” Tree offered. “Weather is perfect. We’re well-hidden back here. Should be perfect.”

“Things probably won’t take off until it gets dark,” Beast intoned. “Pace yourself until later.”

Something caught my eye at that moment. She was walking right up to us.

“Shelbs!’ I greeted my best friend with a warm hug. “How did you get here?”

“I walked,” she laughed, looking over her shoulder. “You can almost see our barn from here.”

“Cool, I’m glad you decided to come.”

“Yeah, I’d like a ride home when it’s time to go though,” she said softly.

“No problem,” Beast beamed.

Shelby was already in a sweatshirt, over her usual western shirt and jeans. She had hoofed it the nearly two miles of secluded gravel road in her usual cowboy boots, but I’m sure it was no issue to her.

“Beer?” I asked her with a raised eyebrow.

“Sure,” she shrugged with a smile.

Shelby and I had both swiped a can or two from a family event in the past, sometimes sharing a stolen Old Milwaukee from one of my grandparent’s parties.

I went to the truck and had to have Karen sit up for Shelby’s beer.

“Two already?” she admonished lightly.

“I’m sharing,” I pointed to Shelby with a grin.

“Nice,” she gave me a thumbs up and sat back down.

Shelby cracked open the proffered beer and took a surprisingly big chug of it.

“Ahhhh, that’s good,” she enthused. “Better than you’re grandpa’s ‘Old Swill.’”

The four of us got a good laugh out of that, with Shelby explaining the beers we’d secreted away in the past.

“You two got drunk?” Tree asked in astonishment.

“Nah, we just shared a beer or two. Had to see what all the fuss was about. Of course, she’s the one who would steal them,” I giggled.

Shelby blushed a shade of pink and slapped my arm.

“You told me to!”

“You would get in less trouble. You’re a girl, and you’re the youngest in your family. You never get in trouble,” I teased.

It was true, and she conceded it with a defeated sigh. Shelby was the youngest of three, and she could get away with about anything. I was the oldest of two and was expected to set the example. This was our lot in life.

Two cars and a familiar van pulled in behind the great gravel pile. Some upperclassmen exited the cars, while Lexie was fiddling around with the parking of the Hunter Caravan.

Six girls in total spilled out of the van. Deedee got out of the passenger seat, while Mandy Prentice, Kim Nguyen, Kelly Barnes and, ugh, Morgan Emerson stood next to the van sizing up the party.

I started walking that way when Deedee’s eyes got big and she took off in a run toward me, jumping into my arms at the last moment. I had to set my legs and turn my body around, swinging her weight around in a full circle to avoid getting knocked down by the excited redhead. She wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my back as she planted a heated kiss on my lips.

“You taste like beer,” she giggled, leaning back to look into my eyes.

“You taste like strawberries, like always,” I grinned, giving her another kiss.

“Gross,” Morgan Emerson said flatly as the girls walked up to us.

“They’re a cute couple, Morgan,” Mandy chastised her taller friend. “Go get a beer and quit being a bitch.”

Morgan’s mouth hung open and she strutted ahead with a huff.

The rest of the girls giggled.

“You brought Morgan Emerson to a beer party, Lexie?” I questioned.

“Maybe it will loosen her up,” Lexie shrugged cooly.

“I’ll give her what’s left of my case if you think it will help.”

Even Lexie laughed hard at that, a rare full laugh in her icy green eyes. The rest of the girls giggled as well.

I set my gorgeous girlfriend down gently and motioned for the rest to follow.

“Come on, I have something to loosen all of you up,” I waggled my eyebrows.

“Seis cervezas, por favor,” I asked Karen with a slight accent.

She laughed out loud and sat up from the cooler, doling out beers from the box of the truck. She was still perched on the cooler up by the cab. Only Kim begged off the beer, insisting she wasn’t going to drink. It was the first party for most of these younger girls, and certainly her first.

I shrugged it off, respecting her decision. Meanwhile, Morgan was forced to thank me for the beer.

“Thank you, Parker,” she said, her soft brown eyes on me without contempt for once. I pocketed another beer for later.

“Oh, don’t thank me, thank Karen,” I enthused. “I just paid. She did the hard work.”

We walked back to my friends and widened the circle of freshmen, Deedee and I each had an arm around the other. The girls were all, save Kim, drinking my beers and starting some small talk. There was a bit of a buzz of excitement in the air as we were all sort of announcing ourselves as the future partiers of the school.

Shelby shook an obviously empty can at me with a question in her eyes. I nodded toward the pickup, and she strode off for her second beer.

“Say, Tree,”I asked softly, getting his attention. “I don’t suppose you’d want to help me with beers for all these girls? I’m going to run out fast if this keeps up.”

A broad smile crossed his face. “Sure, I’m here to help.”

Shelby was already returning with a fresh Miller Lite, cracking it open and nodding to me in thanks.

“I can help too, if they don’t mind Budweiser,” Beast smiled.

And with that, we could see how three cases of beer would get picked off by the prettiest girls in our class, and us. Tree could not have been happier about it.

Another set of cars rolled in, and I’d have to guess nearly 50 people were there now. Things were getting rolling.

“Marcus!” Karen called out.

“What!” Beast yelled in annoyance.

“Get the bonfire going!”

“Alright!”

With a shrug, Beast handed his can to Tree for safekeeping and grabbed some items from his dad’s truck. The bonfire had been set in the middle of a circle of stones, with another larger circle of square-ish stones around it. It was a natural for a bonfire, only it wasn’t natural. It had been set up for earlier parties, with a ring of seating stones around it.

Beast had the bonfire going in a few minutes, and it drew teenagers like a moth to a flame. The last rays of the spring sun were creating a pretty orange sunset over the river to our west.

A few cliquish circles suddenly became one cohesive party around the fire. Karen motioned for us to grab the coolers from the truck. Beast carried one, and I carried the other, making a makeshift seat out of it for Deedee and I in a space between outer seat stones. Our classmates grabbed stones nearby, or simply stood with their beers. Surprisingly, the freshmen were taking up about a third of the fire circle.

More cars arrived, one of them driven by Mark Carter. Little brother Mitch exited the back seat with Chad Woody and Wyatt Jones. Our class representation was getting even better.

I flicked my empty can into the fire and bid Deedee to stand up for my second beer. I grabbed one for myself, and a few hands shot out for more, including Shelby on her third. I handed them out, but gave her a meaningful look. She was not a big girl, and three beers were likely to hit her pretty hard in that span of time.

She gave me a slightly guilty look, but shrugged at the same time. I wasn’t her keeper, just concerned.

Beers in hand, we were making small talk when the voice called out.

“Freshman!”

I didn’t have to look to know who it was, or who she was talking to.

“Sophomore now, Katie,” I called back before turning to her. “Congratulations on your graduation.”

She gave me a predatory smile. “Thank you, Parker. You brought a lot of freshmen with you tonight,” she teased.

“Sophomores,” I corrected a little more forcefully.

“Oh, and your little girlfriend too,” she cackled.

Deedee tightened reflexively against my side.

“But she can’t save you tonight, Parker. Come shotgun a beer with me,” she commanded.

I froze in place for a moment, all bravado leaking out of me.

“You better go shotgun that beer, Parker. She’ll never let you hear the end of it,” Beast shrugged.

I gave Deedee a kiss on her dimple and trudged toward Katie like a condemned man. I was at least going to make her use her own beer, not mine for this humiliation.

“How does this work?” I asked softly.

“Oh, Freshman, this is how you start a night of partying.” She grabbed a Busch Light from a pile in the back of the truck and set it sideways in her hand, then crammed her car key into the upward side of it, near the bottom of the can. Some beer and foam leaked out as she handed it to me.

“Hold it like this with your thumb over the hole until I’m ready,” she intoned, then grabbed another can and repeated the process.

“You ready, Freshman?”

“What do I do?”

“You put the hole in the can to you mouth and crack the top open. It will all shoot down your throat if you do it right.”

“I’ve heard that before,” I deadpanned with a leer.

She gasped in shock at my bravado with a knowing smile.

“You’re just full of surprises, Freshman,” she laughed.

I tried to work through the complexities of how to do this when Karen grabbed the can from me and promptly put her mouth over the hole and cracked it open, the contents of the beer sluicing down her throat as if she were born to do it.

Cheers rang out around the bonfire, as we were now the center of attention.

“Like that, Jake,” Karen gave me a triumphant smile. She grabbed another beer, along with Katie’s keys and prepped the Busch Light, handing it to me carefully.

Katie moved closer to me. “Come on, Freshman, see if you can beat me!”

We leaned together, and I slipped my thumb off the hole in the can, sliding my mouth over it. I stood at my full height as I cracked the top of the can open. A flood of cold, foamy beer raced down my throat as I sucked hard to keep up with the flow, amazingly the can felt empty in a moment as a little escape of beer and foam hit my cheeks and chin.

I pulled the empty can away from my mouth a moment before Katie did.

Cheers rang out again and I raised my arms in triumph, then spiked the can for emphasis. More cheers rang out, and my classmates were chanting.

“J-P! J-P! J-P!”

Katie tossed her can down in frustration, but smiled at me with a newfound respect.

“Not bad, Sophomore,” she grinned.

“Thank you,” I gave her a lopsided grin.

She threw her arms up, and then around my neck, crushing her warm body against mine, finally stealing the hug she’d been owed for weeks. This goddess, this gorgeous example of teenage girl was smashing her big tits against my chest. She smelled incredible, if only slightly of fresh beer. Her blonde head came only just under my chin, and he looked up and smiled at me again, before leaning her face up to mine. I had to lean my head back to see what she was up to, and gently pushed myself back from her embrace before she did something to ruin my night.

A little look of frustration crossed her eyes, and she glanced in the direction of my crew before smiling again in understanding.

“You’re something else,” she whispered.

“You know you are too,” I husked.

“Maybe in a different time and place,” she said with some promise in her eyes.

“Maybe,” I gave her a knowing smile.

“Who’s this one, Katie?” A soft feminine voice sang out.

We both turned our heads and froze in shock.

“Is that you, Betsy?” Katie’s voice climbed to a near shrill squeak.

“It’s all me,” the drop-dead gorgeous girl admitted, twirling around for Katie.

“What the...” Words failed me. She was standing right there, but she looked so, so different. Elizabeth Morris had graduated one year before Katie, Karen and the girls. She’s babysat me a few times when she was a young teen, and I had a HUGE crush on her. She’d eventually gone on to become Homecoming Queen before Katie held the title. She was about 5’4” with long, golden blonde hair in a pleated braid that formed a crown at the front of her hair. Her face was round, with full cheeks and expressive blue eyes and soft, small pouty lips. She had been a fairly thin girl, with a fine, round ass and enough boobs to be proud of. This girl standing before me, however was completely different. Oh sure, the face was the same, but all other dimensions had changed.

She’d lopped off her long locks in favor of a short, sexy bob cut, with her bangs left long to frame her gorgeous face. Out was the golden straw-blonde look. In was a soft, almost white dye job, giving her a platinum bottle-blonde look. She’d put on a few pounds her first year of college, but every ounce of it was in the right places. Her chest had filled out, and her pert ass had grown rounder somehow. Yes, she was Betsy Morris alright, but she was a walking sex object.

Katie leaped at her friend to tie her up in a hug, along with Karen and Becca. The shrill noise would have been enough to pierce my eardrums if I hadn’t been standing there dumbfounded with my mouth hanging open.

The group hug broke up as the girls settled down.

“I’m sorry I missed your graduation parties. I just got into town and heard about the party here.”

The girls prattled on for a minute or two before Betsy’s attention fell to me again.

“So, Katie, whose this one?” she grinned, pointing at me.

“Oh, this fresh... , sorry, sophomore, is Jake Parker,” she said with a song in her voice.

Now it was Betsy’s turn to drop her jaw in shock.

“Little Jacob Parker!” she sucked in her breath, her eyes wide, looking me up and down in wonder.

This girl, no, woman, had likely just watched me shotgun a beer with Katie, then share an awkward but intimate hug with her.

“You’re too young to be here!” she gasped. “Shotgunning beers, especially!”

“I’m not ‘little’ Jake anymore,” I gave her a toothy grin, finally finding words.

“Your voice,” she squeaked. “You ARE about grown up now. Oh my gosh, I used to babysit you,” she shrugged. “And next week I’m supposed to tutor you.”

Katie gasped. “OH MY GOD, that’s perfect!” she laughed out loud. “Oh, he’s something else. Good luck to you, sister,” she squealed in a peal of giggles.

“Starting Tuesday, right?” I asked with a smile.

“Yeah, Tuesday,” she said softly.

“I look forward to it,” I said with a smile, finding some confidence once again.

“Yeah,” she nodded, then shook her head. “I’m not going to take it easy on you,” she threatened with a smile.

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” I returned. “See you Tuesday,” I threw her a smile over my shoulder as I returned to my classmates to a hero’s welcome.

Deedee smiled, but looked a little troubled.

“Damn fine work, Parker, “ Beast acknowledged. I knew he meant it in more than one way.

I gave Deedee a kiss again, letting her know that I was hers and would choose her over the temptation of Katie. She seemed to relax and smiled at me, touching her fingertip to my chin dimple. With that expression, I knew I was in no trouble.

Someone else may have been in trouble though. Shelby now had a Budweiser in hand and was chatting with a few upperclassmen. She seemed a little unsteady on her feet and was laughing harder than I’d heard her laugh in a long time.

“I’m going to make sure she’s OK,” I turned to Deedee. Are you OK?

She nodded in understanding. “My brother is keeping an eye on me.”

I got up from my spot on the cooler and sought out Shelby.

“Hey, you doing OK?” I asked, interrupting her chat.

“Better than ever,” she slurred slightly, nearly spilling from her can. Her eyes were a little glassy and she giggled at me.

“I’m not so sure,” I said with trepidation.

“I’ll be fine,” she rolled her eyes at me, pushing me lightly with her palm on my arm.

“OK then, I’ll be right over there,” I nodded at our section of friends.

I returned to my spot, cracking open the beer I’d stowed away earlier. It was my third.

Our group kept up with good-natured fun, some laughing at the way I’d diffused the situation with Katie.

Morgan had other ideas.

“If you weren’t here, he’d be making out with her right now,” Morgan insisted to Deedee.

“No he wouldn’t,” Lexie interrupted before Deedee could respond. “He’s always been the perfect gentleman, and he knows I’d find out and tell Deedee anyway.

That was all true.

Morgan got a sour expression, looking at me once again in disgust.

“He’s a dirtbag, he just keeps it a secret,” she spat.

“Look, Morgan, I don’t know what your problem is, but it’s not a good look for you,” I said matter-of-factly.

“My problem is you. You acting like you’re better than you are,” she said with a poisonous smile. “But I know better. I know the truth.”

I had no idea what she was talking about, and why she always felt the need to be shitty to me. Our exchange had caught the attention of our whole crew and some others around the edge of the conversation.

“Lexie, I don’t think there’s enough beer in this whole place to loosen her up,” I shrugged to her, eliciting a few laughs from around the group.

“You’re not funny, Parker, and you’re a CHEATING ASSHOLE on top of it all,” Morgan shot back.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Morgan, and if you can’t back it up you had better shut up,” I threatened.

“OH? Why don’t you tell everyone here about the time you cheated on MELODY?” she shouted the last part, bringing the entire party to a quiet hush.

“What. The fuck. Are you talking about?” I asked quietly.

“Marcy Macke, Parker. Tell EVERYONE about MARCY MACKE!” She practically screamed and rolled her eyes at me.

“You mope around for months when the truth is you CHEATED!” she yelled with a shrill tone.

“SMACK!”

Little Shelby had caught on to the confrontation and had stood next to Morgan. She hauled back and slapped the taller girl in the left cheek with all the considerable force she possessed.

Morgan doubled over in pain and shock with her hands over her face. She regained her bearings to glare down her nose at Shelby before the shorter girl let loose on her again.

“WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?” Shelby yelled in a drunken slur. “YOU have NO IDEA what you’re talking about, BITCH!”

Morgan had some idea of what she was talking about, but she was dead wrong about the cheating.

“I didn’t cheat on her,” I said quietly.

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 20, 1990 FIRST MONTH OF FRESHMAN YEAR

“I have a surprise for you if you wear the blindfold.”

“I’m not wearing a blindfold. I’m not wearing handcuffs. I’m not doing the other thing you keep pestering me about,” I said flatly.

“Don’t you love me, sweeeeeety?” Melody crooned with a big grin.

“You know I do,” I said flatly. “Or I wouldn’t put up with this business,” I said with a gesture around the room.

School had started just after Labor Day, so our summer weekday dalliances at Melody’s house were over. Her mom would be home from work shortly after school. I had football. She had cheer. Our chances to get naked together were few and far between, but she found a solution in one of her friends.

It was a friend whose parents had split up. She lived at home with her mom, while her brother had chosen to live with her dad. Her mom worked an evening shift at her job to make ends meet. That left Marcy Macke, a sophomore, with an empty house most weeknights.

We were graciously allowed time in Marcy’s bedroom and this was one of those nights. I told mom I’d spend a little time at Mikey’s after the activity bus arrived and then call her later when I was ready to go home. This was the third time we’d tried this way to be together. It had worked well the previous two times.

“Come on, baby, just put it on,” she pushed the blindfold toward me with more authority.

This might have gone more easily for her had she not already blown me vigorously until I erupted a quiet load of cum into her mouth. She’d quickly stripped like usual and brought me to a much-needed orgasm with her mouth.

“Why? Tell me why you need this and I’ll consider it,” I reasoned.

Our sex life had gotten increasingly frenetic before school started, and she’d become insistent that I dominate her in bed in those final weeks. These quiet sessions in Marcy’s bedroom had been much more tame.

“It’s not for me,” she replied with her hand on her chest. “It’s for you. Trust me. It’s for you.”

I sighed and flopped back onto the extra sheet we’d considerately placed over Marcy’s bed each time we came here to fuck. It made cleanup a bit simpler.

“Fine. Do it.” I said with no enthusiasm.

The naked girl gave a soft squeal of a “Yay!” and clapped her hands together lightly.

“You won’t regret this,” she gushed as she looped the blindfold over my head and secured it down over my eyes.

All went very dark, and my other senses seemed to pick up where my vision left off.

“No peeking!” she admonished lightly. “You can’t see anything, right?”

“Not a thing,” I said mutely, beginning to hear things like the furnace fan and a noisy light bulb on Marcy’s nightstand.