Chapter 1

John Roberts lives with his mother, Beth and father, Peter, in a middle-class suburb in southern California. He has a brother, Bobby, age 13, and a sister, Julie, age 11. His family has lived in the neighborhood for over ten years. John is 5’11” with a medium build, brown hair and brown eyes. He is always well-groomed and well-mannered.

His life changed almost two years ago when the love of his life, Sharon Peterson, and her mother, Paula, moved in four houses down the street. John met Sharon at the bus stop on her first day of school. She was new in the neighborhood and, in his mind, the prettiest girl he had ever seen. He immediately offered his services to show her around the school and introduce her to some of his friends.

A few weeks later, John and Sharon were often seen hanging out together in and after school. They had become fast friends and confidants almost immediately. A month later, everyone knew they were a couple. They had started dating, going to school functions together, to the movies with their friends and hanging out at Sharon’s to do their homework together.

After supper, John walked to Sharon’s house and rang the doorbell around 7:00 pm. The Peterson’s colonial-style home was typical for the neighborhood and laid out much like John’s parent’s house. The builder or architect apparently for this home believed in maintaining a respectable distance between kid’s rooms, guest room and the master bedroom. The master bedroom was on the first floor with a private bathroom. Just the opposite of John’s parent’s home

Sharon’s mother, Paula Peterson, answered the door. Paula is 39. She is a single parent with auburn hair, standing 5’ 5” in her stocking feet. She has high cheekbones, light hazel eyes and an athletic build. Not the ‘Playboy bunny’ type men fantasize about when they are horny and need to relieve themselves, but the one you admire for having poise and intelligence that compliments her refined feminine features.

Her daughter, Sharon, is the spit and image of her mother when her mother was younger. Maybe not quite as tall or with the mature curves that distinguish her from her mother, but she still has some growing time left.

Ms. Peterson answered the door, “Hi, John. Are you here to do your homework with Sharon?”

“Yes, I am Ms. Peterson. Our homework should only take about an hour. Sharon and I plan to surf the net for music videos and maybe watch a movie.”

“I appreciate you helping Sharon with her algebra. Her last report card was excellent.”

Although Paula and John knew Sharon did not need any help with her math skills, it was their excuse to get together as often as they could on school nights.

Paula liked and approved of John seeing Sharon and thought they made a great couple. They had been seeing each other as boyfriend and girlfriend since Sharon was 15, a sophomore, and John was 16 and a junior in high school. She could see that they had formed a bond and a sense of maturity that you would not normally expect in teenagers that young. They did everything together without the clinginess you see in other teenage couples.

“So John, what time are your parents expecting you home?”

“Before 11:00, if it’s alright with you, Ms. Peterson.”

“Well, it is a school night, and Sharon needs her sleep. Let’s make it 10:00.” Paula and John played this game of ‘how late can I stay?’ two or three nights a week. John usually lost an hour, no matter when he said he had to be home.

“Sure thing, Ms. Peterson. I understand; 10:00 it is.”

“Okay, have fun. I am sure you know where the snacks and drinks are by now.” Paula could not resist slipping in a little zinger about how much time John spent at her house with Sharon. She loved seeing the slightly guilty look on his face and how his ears got red. Paula was sure he thought he was ‘Mr. Cool’ even though Paula knew he knew, she was not oblivious to what was going on after their homework was done. Paula thought he was a damn good-looking young man, and it always made her smile when she got a chance to tease him.

John went to the kitchen, grabbed two drinks from the fridge, and headed upstairs to Sharon’s room.

Paula picked up the full laundry basket she had left on the living room couch and headed down to the laundry room in the basement. She was chuckling to herself about how John and Sharon would leave the door open in Sharon’s bedroom while they did their homework. Then Sharon would come down about an hour or hour and a half later and say they would shut the door so the loud music, movie or game they were playing on the computer would not disturb her. But for some reason, you could only hear the music, movie or game if you stood right outside Sharon’s bedroom door.

John came into Sharon’s room and handed her a cola. Sharon thanked him and asked what he would be working on that night. John sat on Sharon’s bed and said he had a couple of chapters to study for his history test tomorrow. He could see she was already researching on her laptop for the paper she was writing for Social Studies.

Other than caring for each other and their families, John and Sharon considered their education their top priority. They had picked out a college they could attend together and get the degree they wanted. About an hour later, John finished reading and reviewing the chapters required for the test and made some notes. John took off his sneakers and stretched out on Sharon’s bed. He quietly waited for her to finish her research and type the relevant facts she had found and her personal thoughts into her text file.

Sharon started the spell check program, got up and stretched her arms over her head to loosen her back muscles. She nudged John to make sure he had not dozed off. John opened his eyes and asked, “You done?”

She leaned over, kissed him on the forehead, and told him she was going downstairs to tell her mom they had finished their homework.

Sharon found her mother at the kitchen table doing a crossword puzzle.

Paula looked up and asked if they were done with their homework or if she was just there for a snack?

Sharon went to the cabinet, grabbed a microwave bag of popcorn, placed it in the microwave, set the timer, and said, “Done with homework; now we need a snack.”

Paula asked what the plans were for the rest of the night and reminded Sharon that John needed to be home by 10:00. Sharon told her mother that they were planning on watching a movie and would shut the door so they wouldn’t disturb her. Paula looked at her daughter, cocked her head to the side and gave her a knowing smile.

Sharon cocked her head in the same fashion as her mother and gave her the same smile right back. That smile was one of the many things mother and daughter had in common. The timer went off on the microwave. Sharon grabbed the popcorn and dumped it into a large bowl, grabbed a couple of cans of soda, kissed her mother on the cheek and headed back to her room.

Sharon came into her room and put the drinks and popcorn on the desk. Corrected a few typos, then saved the file and turned off the computer. She turned on the small desk lamp, turned off the overhead light and closed and locked her bedroom door.