Chapter 12

Breakfast ended up being anticlimactic. Everyone arrived around the same time to raid the resort buffet. Jeff and Neal had to pull tables together for everyone to have a seat. Neal had clearly lost some of his shyness as he traded not-so-subtle innuendos with the girls right along with Jeff. If their parents had issues with the risque conversation, they kept it to themselves.

Once everyone was seated together it became clear the parents were no longer interested in discussing what they had walked in on the night before. Aunt Jackie, who had come into their room earlier to assert her parental authority, looked particularly tight-lipped. Only Nessa was willing to address the issue directly.

“So we’re all good with the kids having safe sex for the rest of the trip if they want, right?” she asked the other adults around the table. Her raised eyebrows indicated an opportunity for dissent. The other adults shifted around uncomfortably, but no one spoke or met her eyes. Uncle Bob looked like he was biting something bitter.

Aunt Jackie eventually nodded without looking up and said, “I’ll pick up a box of non-latex condoms while we’re out today.”

Amy shot Jeff a triumphant grin from the other end of the table. Evidently, standing up to her mother earlier that morning had paid off. Some kind of discussion between the adults had obviously taken place because Aunt Jackie knew about Shawna’s allergy to latex.

“Excellent,” Nessa said. “Now that we’ve got that settled, which park are we going to today?”

“How about that one with all the countries around the lake?” Mom sighed as she leaned against her sister’s shoulder. “I could use a drink. Or ten.”

Uncle Bob and Dad shot each other a look that echoed the sentiment.

“That part of the park doesn’t open until 10, so we don’t have to rush to get there,” Richard said.

The oppressive tension drained away as everyone began to discuss the plans for the day. Jeff was sitting between Neal and Shawna during the discussions. Neal had to deal with both Shelly and Amy on his other side going over the park map on Neal’s tablet and dictating their preferences to him. Shawna and Lori had their heads together whispering and giggling too quietly for Jeff to make out what they were saying. In the end, the group agreed to split up so the adults could drink their way around the world while the teens planned to enjoy the rides and other activities.

After breakfast and a quick return to their rooms for last-minute items, everyone met at the front of the resort to wait for the bus to take them to the park. Shawna had a worried frown when she came toward Jeff alone.

“Um,” Shawna started out, then glanced around nervously. “Would it be okay if Lori hung out with us today?”

“Of course.” Considering the discussion he’d had with Lori earlier, the request was not a big surprise. “Just be careful with her. I think she might be crushing on you a little.”

“Yeah. Last night,” Shawna said with a flush creeping up her neck. “I never ... I mean, I’m not...” Her Irish accent slipped in stronger as she hissed, “I ain’t never done that with a mate before.”

“Lori told me she has a special friend back home named Emma. She might just want to figure out a few things before she gets back.”

An expression of relief appeared on Shawna’s face. “That might explain it.”

“If I’m in the way, I can probably hang out with Amy since Shelly seems to be crushing on Neal pretty hard right now. You and Lori can hang around with us or go do your own thing. You know I’ll be cool either way.”

Shawna hesitated again and glanced around before leaning in closer. “I know she’s just a lass, but it made me so hot to kiss her. And when I rubbed her off last night.” Shawna blew air at the memory. “I never expected to like it so much. And the little minx wants to do it again! And do it to me as well! She has me mad as a box of frogs.”

The three of them had experimented together the night before, but maybe it had been easier for her because Jeff had been with them. “Do you want me to stay with you guys then? I don’t want you to be uncomfortable around Lori.”

“Let’s see how the day goes. Despite her being younger, I really like her, Jeff. It’s like she’s a cross between a cute little sister and a sexy dress-up doll. I’ve never felt this way about any lass before.”

“Don’t worry, I know exactly what you mean,” Jeff said with an amused chuckle. “Let’s play it by ear. I’m sure Lori will tell me to get lost if I’m cramping her style,” Jeff said and squeezed Shawna close. “But if you get uncomfortable with anything, I’ll be there.”

By the time the bus arrived to pick them up, the whole group had assembled. Shelly wore blue leggings under a matching babydoll t-shirt dress. Amy had on ass-hugging jeans and a short white t-shirt that gave glimpses of her trim stomach. Lori had on green khaki shorts and a matching shirt with the outline of a chrysalis on the front over text that read, Wait ‘til you see me fly! Shawna looked great in her denim shorts and a short-sleeved top.

The groups broke down about as Jeff expected when they took their seats. Amy took his hand, Shelly took Neal’s hand, and Lori was chattering a mile a minute while tugging Shawna to their seat.

“What’s up with Lori?” Amy whispered to Jeff as they sat.

Jeff made a point of glancing toward Lori and Shawna as they sat down across the aisle before shrugging. “Nothing that I know of. Why?”

“Well, I saw her kissing Shawna last night and now you’re on your own.”

Jeff smirked at Amy’s inquisitive expression. “She’s your sister. You ask her.”

“Fine,” Amy said and tugged his arm around her shoulders. Her braided hair smelled like coconuts. “You said you’d tell me the story about you and the preacher’s kid.”

Jeff groaned and leaned his head against the bus window to gather his thoughts. That summer had left him messed up. He still struggled to understand why Ruth had been so deliberately cruel. She might have used him, but she had also filled in the blanks about sex and intimacy. Her demanding ways had taught him how to please her, but the aftermath had left him swearing to never hurt a partner the way Ruth had hurt him.

“It was the summer I turned fifteen,” Jeff said. “Mom and Dad sent me to our youth group Bible camp. Ruth was the preacher’s oldest daughter. I thought I was in love.”

“Been there, got the red eye,” Amy muttered.

Jeff shook his head at her comment about getting cum in her eye from the douchebag earlier in the week. “Ruth wore the purity ring her daddy gave her every day but had screwed most of the guys in the youth group by that point. That summer was my turn.”

“Was she pretty?”

“On the outside, maybe, but she had a mean streak.”

Amy chewed on that for a moment. “You said she hurt you.”

“Yeah,” Jeff sighed as he turned back to the window. “When we were alone, she pretended to be sweet to get what she wanted. When other people were around, she either ignored me or made fun of me.”

Amy pulled back to stare at Jeff. “God, how could someone do that to you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re so nice. It would be like kicking a puppy!”

Jeff let out an ironic chuckle at her reaction. Amy hadn’t had any problems treating him badly at the beginning of the trip. He was glad to see how much her attitude had changed.

“I walked into it with my eyes open. My problem was I didn’t know the rules of the game she was playing.”

“What were the rules?” Amy asked as she bumped into Jeff when the bus made a sharp turn.

“Get her off. Don’t get attached. Don’t get her pregnant.”

“What about you?”

“I was just a means to an end. And she made me feel like a used condom at the end of the summer when she dumped me in front of everyone on the bus ride home.”

“Damn, Jeff,” Amy whispered and pressed her lips against his arm.

He didn’t want to wallow in the past anymore and decided to lighten the mood. “So when you and I started fooling around that first night, I made sure you got your cookies, too.”

Amy slapped a palm over her face in embarrassment. “Seriously? We’re going there?”

“I swore I’d never treat anyone the way Ruth treated me.” Jeff kissed Amy’s braided hair. “It’s gotten way more complicated than I expected, but I love each of you so much.”

“It shows,” Amy said and looked up to give him a tender kiss. “We’ve talked about how great you’ve been about everything.”

“Oh, yeah?” Jeff asked with an amused tone. “Any good stuff?”

Amy blushed. “All good stuff. Shelly was so worried you wouldn’t like her anymore after she hooked up with Neal. I tried to tell her how gentle you were with me, but Neal is a little less ... intimidating. Size-wise.”

Jeff nodded and sighed. “I’m just glad she had a good first experience. I bet it helped her just as much having you there to guide things along. I wish my first time with Ruth had been better, but I think the experience made me a better person in the end.”

After they got out of the bus and made it through all the lines into the park and to the base of the giant geodesic sphere, the parents forced them all together for a picture. It took a moment to line everyone up. Jeff whispered a suggestion to Neal as they got into position.

Jeff ended up sandwiched between Shawna and Amy. Neal was between Shelly and Lori. They waited until the park employee with the camera counted down to one before they both pinched the girls on their butts to make them shriek and jump. Their reactions made it a very funny picture. After being assaulted by the rest of the family, the guys behaved long enough to get a normal picture taken as well.

The group made arrangements to meet for lunch, then went their separate ways. The adults headed off to drink around the world while the teens all headed to the fast rides. Once they got in line for the race track ride, Neal slipped back next to Jeff while the girls had a lively discussion.

“Good job with the picture,” Jeff chuckled as Neal shot him an amused smirk.

“It was a good idea,” Neal replied with a nod. He stood silent for a few moments and Jeff could tell Neal was working up his nerve for something. “Hey, uh ... about Shelly.”

Jeff nodded to encourage him to continue. “Yeah?”

Neal looked everywhere but at Jeff, then leaned close while staring at his shoes. “I can’t get her there,” he whispered, red-faced. “I mean when we ... get together. Amy can get off despite me, but I really want to help Shelly get there.” He broke off and gave Jeff a pleading look.

“It can be tricky with some girls,” Jeff said to reassure him. “You ever see the joke about sex where a guy is a simple red button and a girl is a complex airplane cockpit?”

Neal nodded and grinned through his embarrassment. “Shit.”

Jeff put a comforting arm around Neal’s shoulder for a quick squeeze before letting go. “Man, I can’t imagine how weird this week must be for you.”

“I was just expecting to hang out with Dad,” Neal said before scooting down the line a few steps. “Back home I can’t even get a girl to look at me and now...” He shook his head and laughed. “No one will ever believe me.”

Jeff decided to impart a little bro code wisdom. “The first rule is don’t tell anyone anything about anybody. Deny everything completely. If you hook up with someone, only say you had a great time doing whatever you were supposed to be doing. Girls can talk about whatever they want to, but if a guy brags one time, no girl will ever trust him to keep his mouth shut again.”

Neal nodded. “Good point.”

“The funny thing is, not admitting anything will make more people believe it’s true. Second, never leave your girl hanging. If she’s willing to go down on you, then you go down, too. If she agrees to have sex, get her off first if you can.”