Chapter 207

May 19, 2018 (Saturday)

Dear Ms. Diary,

We had set an alarm last night for 7:30 knowing that we probably would not need it, and did not, as most of us were set on a schedule that had us waking around 6:30. I did sleep “in,” but only until 6:50, but I felt great thanks to the good night’s sleep. After Maren, Heather, and I had peed, we headed upstairs to begin breakfast. While we prepped for and made pancakes and hashed browns, Maren talked about some issues.

“I’ve never had a camisole. They feel ... really nice. I’m sure Mom will reimburse you for buying some for me if I can get some today.”

“We’ll definitely get you some, and we’ll be happy to be reimbursed. The framing was pricey, so that would help.”

“Ohhh. I’m embarrassed. Neither Civ nor I considered that. We should get you money for that, too.”

“No. Those portraits are gifts from the LA, but that does make me think that we should probably set up an LA account or three. In fact, that might make dealing with household expenses more straightforward, and, perhaps, cheaper for some of us, like Celeste, who puts a monthly chunk of money into groceries and stuff. I’ll have to talk about that with Mom sometime today. Would you help me remember?”

“Sure. Civ and I ... through our parents, I suppose, should help with expenses, too.”

“No. While we all know that you’re not truly guests, the Moms here pay ... Hmmm.”

“See. We’re here three nights a week, so we should be chipping in something.”

Heather had just returned from setting the table, and she wrapped an arm around Maren’s shoulders from behind as she was tending to hashed browns, then said, “Thanks for thinking of us, Girl. We had no idea how important you would come to be to us the evening we met you. We think you’re a wonderful addition to us.”

Maren squeaked, carefully put the spatula in her hand on the counter, turned within Heather’s arm, and hugged her fiercely, sobbing a bit onto Heather’s naked shoulder.

After a few seconds, she burbled, “I didn’t know how important you girls would be to me. I really wanted Civ as a friend, but I’ve been wonderfully surprised at how great it is to be here. I had no idea that I could be so happy.”

Civ clumped back in the back door and as she entered the kitchen said, “The Moms had some sage that they suggested for the hashed browns. What’s wrong, Maren?”

“Nothing at all. I’m just so very happy because Heather told me something wonderful.”

To preempt Civ a bit, Heather asked, “What did the Moms think of your outfit?”

She grinned down at Heather and said, “They liked it. I was a bit nervous when Charlie walked in, but he didn’t say anything other than... ‘Good morning, Civia. My, aren’t you looking quite sartorially elegant.’”

“Do you know what ‘sartorial’ means?”

“I do now, Maren. ‘Sartorial [she spelled it], of or related to clothing, particularly clothing style.’”

Maren chuckled, lifted her head fully from Heather’s shoulder, stepped out of Heather’s arms, and said, “Yes, I suppose that panty is particularly elegant.”

“Isn’t it?! Maren, we’re definitely in the right place. Where else could I walk into a friend’s house wearing only a panty and the dad makes a joke with me about my clothing, laughs with me about it, teaches me a new word, and is obviously happy to see me? I’m so glad Dad met Beth and the girls at The Cold Sweets. My life is so much more enjoyable.”

“Yours? What about mine? That chance meeting greatly impacted mine, too. And, yes, we are in the right place. I’ve been thinking that even if I don’t want into the sexual relationship in the LA, I always want to be a member.”

Liya piped up after quietly entering the kitchen, “Maren, the LA has only lifetime memberships, whether you’re part of the sexual relationship or not. And I want to tell both of you ... Actually, we all want to tell both of you that we’re so thankful that you didn’t have multiple cows about that relationship. We really worried about that. Even with your acceptance of it, we’ve all been pleasantly surprised at how you can discuss it with us, talk about some aspects of it, and still express no concern about it.”

Civ responded, “You threw us for a loop with that, but as Maren has said, if we wind up being interested in girls and Brett in that way, we can’t imagine that we wouldn’t want to be involved. We have no real idea what sort of ... emotional ... investment is required, so who knows if what Maren has said could work out in reality, but it seems possible.”

“And if I join, I may very well step right into that relationship.”

Liya asked from within the arms that Rache had thrown around her, “Really, Rache?”

“It’s possible. I’ve gotten kissed really well by a few of you girls and that’s been not at all disgusting. I don’t know about sex with girls, but I’m beginning to ... wonder about it. Of course, I’ve become strongly interested in your guys, but the primary reason I haven’t already requested to join is that it seems unfair to me to join just to have a relationship with Jim and Brett. I have no qualms about loving with Jim, but both? No, that would just be wrong without membership.”

Liya turned around in her arms, put her own around Rache’s waist,” and told her, “There’s a place in the LA waiting for you.”

“You know, yesterday was ... for me, really weird, but also really interesting.”

I asked, “Are you considering Garvey’s suggestion?”

“I am.”

“That’s a weird ... career, and one I’ve never encountered, but with the excitement you’ve shown with us, I think you should consider it strongly. I cannot imagine Mom ... er, Sandy knows anything about it, but she’d probably still be a good one to talk to about it.”

“I thought so, too, and I thought I’d go over there after they get back tomorrow.”

Civ asked, “Is it okay for me to go back to something else you mentioned?”

“What?”

“Jim.”

“What about him?”

“You ... have sex with him?”

I turned the burner off under the hashed browns and then back to Rache to see how she would respond. Her face was a bit pink, but far from the scarlet she shows when she is deeply embarrassed.

“Not really, but only due to a distinction to which Beth introduced me. While I’ve done it only twice, I’ve made love with Jim.”

“What’s the difference?”

Rache asked, “Beth?”

“Nuh-uh. This is your conversation,” I told her as I sent her a shit-eating grin. [And who thought that was an appropriate idiom?!]

She stuck her tongue out at me, then faced Civ and answered, “The term ‘having sex’ can refer to any sort of ... intense sexual act, although it’s usually restricted to ... copulation. Do you know that word?” When Civ shook her head, she added, “It’s the act of intercourse, although it’s a more-general biological turn, that applies to any animal species with direct sperm transfer from male to female involving specialized parts. Understand?” When Civ nodded, Rache continued, “Beth believes that, in humans, there are three main ... types of intercourse, differing in the ... intentions, I guess.” She looked up at me and stated, “I can’t believe that I’m sitting naked in someone else’s kitchen explaining the typology of human sex to a couple of exceptional 12- and 13-year-old girls. My life is just so different now than it was a month or more ago.”

I grinned at her and sent her the go-ahead signal.

“She believes there are three ... gross categories ... You know the ‘poorly-defined’ meaning of ‘gross?’” When they both nodded, she shook her head, then continued, “She calls them ‘making love,’ ‘having sex,’ and ‘fucking.’” Maren squeaked, causing Rache to cock her head at the girls, but Maren gave her the go-ahead signal, so she did, “She uses the vulgar term to describe intercourse in which at least one of the partners is interested solely in that person’s own orgasm. ‘Having sex’ is a broad, sort of catch-all category that involves at least some less-than-completely selfish motives, particularly when each partner is interested in their orgasms, but it’s not a selfish act. ‘Making love’ is where both partners express feelings and emotions for the partner via intercourse, with the partner’s orgasm being, perhaps, more important than his or her own. The best love-making is when both achieve orgasm together and have expressed their mutual love.”

Rache suddenly went red and asked, “Have none of your parents told you something like this? If not, I hope they don’t come after me.”

Civ responded, “I don’t see why they would object to a lesson like that, and I consider that a ... suitable lesson, as it involves subjects they’ve already explained, at least in part, and it does not involve mechanics.”

Maren nodded her head once ... emphatically, and stated, “I agree. It also sounds like something Mom might have told me, had she thought of it. I may ask her.”

“You can easily ask her something like that?”

“Yes. She’s told me ... both of us, not to be afraid to ask questions about ... difficult subjects like that.” She looked at me and asked, “Is that your own belief, or is that ... scientific at all?”

“It’s what I think, but I don’t know if anyone else does or whether such categories exist ... scientifically or whatever.”

Maren put her right arm around Civ and stated, “We’re absolutely, definitely in the right place.” Before Civ or anyone could respond, she suddenly yelped, “Hashed browns,” and spun around to look at the stove. I was going to say something, but she looked at me and said, “Thanks, Beth. I’m sorry I forgot about my job.”

“Don’t worry about it. Did you learn something that you think is at least somewhat important?”

“Yes. Absolutely. Mom ... Moms and Dad have said nothing about, I guess intention and ... maybe intensity about sex.”

“In that case, please relay that to your parents. In fact, you should relay anything sex-related that we talk about with you girls, unless it’s just something like, ‘We slept upstairs so the others could have sex together.’”

Civ nodded as she said, “We get it, and we’ll do that. Beth, Mom and Dad have said that a lot of ... parents have trouble talking about sex with their kids. Civ and I see something like this, here this morning, to be a benefit of the sexual relationship within the LA. Without that relationship, I cannot imagine the conversation here in the kitchen could have gotten onto the subject, at least not in such a ... calm fashion. We’re definitely in the right place.”

“When you mention this discussion to them, I’d like to know what they think of the categories, if you’re willing to ask them that.”

Maren replied, “We can ask. Mom won’t even mind the ... f-bomb used in a context like that.”

I slowly shook my head as I studied them, breathed deeply, then said, “You two are incredible. My parents discussed a bunch of stuff about sex with me, and with Rhee ... with Carol’s permission, but we had no older friends, and ... seeing how you interact with us, I’m now wishing we did. At least, responsible and intelligent older friends.”

Civ replied, “And we have lots of really good older friends, and they make learning so wonderful!”

We pulled up to the back door at 8:13 and it opened just before Civ was prepared to knock on it.

“Oh, my. You’re lovely. Are you Civia?”

“Thanks, Katherine. Good morning. I’m Civia Palecek and this is one of my best friends, Maren Randle. We understand that you know all of our other best friends.”

“I do, and I consider them my best friends. I hope you don’t mind sharing, because they make my life brighter.”

“They do that for us, too. I admit that I had a little fit about you, but I think that was because the girls have not previously been so ... friendly with someone I didn’t already know. I’m getting over it, and you’re very pretty. That’s certainly something that all the girls, even Brett, like.”

Katherine glanced quickly up at me, then looked back at Civ and said, “Why don’t you lead them all in. Turn left and go into the breakroom and grab a seat.”

I hung out with Katherine as the others trooped past me, and as Meka stepped in last, Katherine said, “I’m glad you warned me about their precocity. Civia seems incredibly sharp.”

“She is, but please don’t underestimate either of them. They can hold their own, except in situations where they just don’t have sufficient knowledge to understand. And they learn, as Civia’s father says, ‘with ferocity.’ They’re very much like a lot of us: they thirst for knowledge and drink it in.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” More quietly, she added, “I’ve missed you all.”

Softly, I answered, “Despite how hectic the past few weeks have been, we’ve missed you, too. We truly are looking at this solely as a hiatus so that we can focus better on the huge change barreling at us. We’re really sorry for missing last week with Brett. And we’ve decided on a change that may further delay us coming in regularly. We didn’t want to rush getting into intercourse, and May, with exams and everything was something we should have thought of when we were planning. We’ve moved the start of intercourse until after school’s out.”

“Please don’t worry about that. I love ... being with him, but I do understand and that makes eminent sense. You definitely don’t want to rush that. The ... first blush of being fully sexual with a new guy is ... magical. My first time with a guy wasn’t at all what I suspect your first times will be with a guy like Brett, whichever of you are having first times.”

We walked inside, Katherine closed the outer door, and we stepped into the breakroom.

Katherine found Maren and told her, “I understand you’re looking for both camisoles and those crazy thongs the girls all own. Yes?”

“Yes. Brit introduced me to camisoles last night, and I really liked the one she lent me. I brought it in case you would need to know the type she lent me.”

“That would be helpful to know a type you already like. We have lots and lots of camisoles and similar items. However, while I’ll know at least one type you like, would you be interested in looking at other options?”

Maren looked quickly at me, and I nodded at her, and I said, “For something like that, we might be best served to come in the front door at opening. That way, we could introduce you to one of the assistant floor managers that is really good with stuff like that. Her name is Alyssa.”

“Oh. I like that name.”

“And Alyssa is very friendly and very knowledgeable. I think this could work out well. Civ, would you be interested? I know you have no need for bras and things like that, but you could learn something about clothing items like that and that knowledge could be useful to you in the near future.”

“You know how I am about clothes, not very picky, but I like learning, so, Maren?”

“I’d like to do that.”

Katherine responded, “Excellent. If there are no or very few other customers while that’s going on, I’ll tag along, as Alyssa often surprises me with tidbits of knowledge I didn’t have, and I’ve been in this position for years.” She looked into Civ’s eyes and said, “You’re kind of amazing. I doubt I’ve ever looked levelly into a 12-year-old’s eyes before, at least since I reached this height. I bet your height causes you a few problems in school.”

“Some of the kids make fun, but I don’t particularly care. I have one best friend in my school who loves me for me, and all these girls, and they support me and love me. Who cares if some juvenile boy thinks he’s witty. I’m good friends with a wonderful 15-year-old boy who loves me for who I am.”

Brett piped up with, “And she could kick my butt if I pissed her off.”

Civ grinned, caught his eye, then said, “And don’t you forget it!” She turned back to Katherine and told her, “Brett’s a great guy, but he used to be really shy, particularly with girls. However, Rhee beat up an older boy in school once that had been hassling girls and boys like Brett. I’d beat up boys like that for Brett, too. He’s such a great guy. He’s the only boy Maren and I are even friends with, much less good friends with.” She frowned, and quickly added, “No, that’s not right. Maren doesn’t know Victor or Jamaal well, but she knows Seamus, as he’s one of Coach’s assistants, and Maren works with him. I’d say that I’m friends with all three of them. They’ve been so nice to me, and they’ve supported all the girls playing soccer with them and the other boys in pick-up games. Of course, they’ll all be seniors next year, so they aren’t childish, middle-school boys.”

I watched Katherine during that expostulation, and she frequently made short shakes of her head in incredulity.

“You two travel in some interesting circles.”

“Don’t we,” asked Maren. “And, for me, it’s all Beth’s fault, as she invited my mom and me to dinner at their house. I was already school friends with Civia then, but neither of us knew the other would be there. Our friendship changed almost immediately, and she’s now the best friend I’ve ever had. And because she’s been friends with these girls for so long, my life became so much better, as I’ve gotten to hang out with smarter, more responsible girls that teach us so much interesting, cool, and important stuff.”

“If we’re going to wait on camisoles, what can we do for you about thongs?”

Maren replied, “The girls said that it’s often best if you’re going to figure out the right sizes for us that we show you the parts of us involved.”

As she unhooked the skirt’s catch, Katherine quickly said, “You don’t have to...”

As Maren held the skirt that was now draped on the floor, she responded, “It’s okay. Both of us have learned not to be body shy with these girls, and we and Brett have an agreement that bare butts aren’t critical and if one or two of us see a bare butt, accidentally or for particular purposes like now, then it’s no big deal. Our parents gave us permission to be naked around Brett as they’d previously given us permission to live naked with the ... female girls. We’re not to do sex things, but last night, we both realized that exposing our ... fronts to Brett is more ... consequential than we thought it would be. We ... couldn’t do it. No, we could have, but we decided that we weren’t ready for that. I also realized that exposing my breasts to Brett was also more ... consequential than I’d thought. Butts were so easy, but everything in front is not. We both learned an important lesson. We and the girls spend so much time naked, that we didn’t understand how different that would be with a boy.”

“I still remember the very same lesson, and it is different. Isn’t it?”

“Yes. I don’t have anything at all interesting inside my shirt, but Maren does, and when she realized after she’d pulled her shirt off and that it was important, Brit was so good with her, and lent her a camisole for sleeping in our big bed.”

“Do you mean that you ... sleep in the same bed with Brett?”

Civ replied, “I know that a lot of parents would have a cow about that, but our parents know Brett well, and know he wouldn’t do anything. Besides, if he did anything, he’d lose his romantic and sexual relationship with the girls, like immediately. Besides, he’s such a great guy that he’d never even consider anything like that, and we’re sure that the boys in our middle school probably couldn’t manage that.”

“Your parents let you sleep in the girls’ bed with them?”

“Sure. The families ... Most of the families are really close. We have get-togethers every Thursday, and the parents get to discuss things like ... like us living naked with the girls. We completely understand how lucky we are that our parents are willing to consider our thoughts on stuff like that. However, Civ and I are really responsible, like all these girls, and that earns us much more latitude than ... any other kids I know have.”

“No doubt. And to prove it, you’re here in Armoire d’Amour, the only local source for certain clothing types that most parents would be aghast at you seeing, much less buying.”

Civ answered, “We know, and we know how lucky we’ve been with our choice of parents. That’s, I think, originally, Beth’s line, but it works and is true. We know that we didn’t really pick them, except for Heather, but we’re certainly quite fortunate. And now, Maren and I are sisters, as my parents are marrying her mom, unofficially, of course.” She turned to Maren and said, “They didn’t say anything about a ceremony. We should set something like that up for them.”

Maren replied, “I’m sure the Go5 Moms would love to set something like that up when they find out on Tuesday. Alicia and Steph might, too, but certainly the Go5 Moms.”

“Beth told me not to be surprised by you girls, but I am, anyway. I’ve never met such impressive girls your age. You don’t mind standing there with virtually all of your butt visible to their guy, Maren?”

“Nope. Oh, that reminds me. Beth?”

I answered, “We’ll wait until Katherine returns with thongs for you two. Drop it, Civ.”

Civ said, “Oops,” as she unhooked her skirt’s catch, unwound it from herself, then lifted her shirt hem to her belly.

When Maren lifted her shirt hem, Katherine shook her head, studied their hip widths and pelvises, then asked, “Do you two have preferred colors?”

Maren answered, “We like rich blues but we really like bright pinks.”

“What’s in the water wherever you live? The other girls adore fuchsia.”

Civ replied, “We do, too. But we also like various blues and some yellows, like Gracey. I also really like black. I’ve only recently gotten black panties, but I had to ask Mom to get them. I got really tired of girly pastel colors.”

Katherine snickered. The rest of us might have, except we already knew the story.

“Okay,” Katherine responded, “no pastels. Bright, vivid fuchsia; deep, intense black; and, perhaps, shocking yellow?”

“Oh, yes. That sounds perfect, and any combination of those would be fine, too, although I don’t know about vivid fuchsia with shocking yellow. The black would certainly go well with the others, though. Oh, and I’m still growing ... rapidly ... so I need only two. Maren might not get any taller, so she could use at least three.”

“Beth, do you want to come out with me?”

Once on the floor, Katherine said, “You told me they were impressive, but holy shit! I think ‘impressive’ may not be superlative enough. I still remember enough of being that age. Girly pastel panties would not have bugged me at all.”

“They think we’re bootstrapping them into more adult-like personalities, and they may well be right. Fortunately, they’ve not at all lost their inner kid. The other day, I think it was Liya that tickled Civ and she giggled and cackled just like a girl her age ought.”

“Did they use the bootstrapping term?”

“Yes. I have a relatively huge vocabulary for my age, but both Civ’s parents are very gung ho about learning, particularly vocab, and they’re constantly introducing big words. In fact, they have a system that we girls have copied, in which they use the word, say it again pronouncing it carefully, spell it, then define it. Civ soaks it up like a sponge, and her parents are now coordinating all aspects of the two girls’ education and instruction with Maren’s mom. The three have been very open with the two of them, even on subjects like sex. They encourage knowledge and understanding and both girls have blossomed in front of us. Civ’s also probably the most-skilled girl soccer player I’ve ever seen, and I was on a high-school team that had eight All-State mentions, including Meka’s second straight First Team mention.”

“A polymath?”

“A reasonable possibility. So, we double down on their parents’ education and instruction mindsets, but we expand it to include athletics. The oddest thing is that neither of them has ever objected to learning a new word or concept. They’ve never said anything remotely like, ‘Do we have to learn something every second?’”

“And they’re both attractive, with Civia approaching stunning.”

I responded, “Yes. Their various biological parents provided them with amazing genetic gifts. Maren barely remembers her biological father, so we have no idea what his contribution was, but we know both of Civ’s parents quite well, and they’re both top class and, in my mind, incredibly good parents.”

“I’m sure a lot of parents would disagree with you on that, given that they’ve permitted their daughter to live naked with a 15-year-old boy.”

“True that.”

We returned with a selection for both girls. Civ fell in love with the thong with amorphous bright pink and dark gray patches.

She looked at Katherine, asking, “May I wear this one out the door?” When Katherine nodded, Civ pushed the thong she had borrowed from me down her legs and off, then donned that pink-and-black one, saying, “Oh, that fits much better. Beth said you were a whiz at this sort of thing. Thanks, Katherine.”

Katherine could not help herself, and responded, “You’re very welcome. Do you know that you’re lovely?”

Civ blushed, but replied, “The girls have told me that, but I don’t really understand.”

“Don’t let it go to your head, but you are, and you’ll probably begin attracting boys soon, if you haven’t already.”

She huffed, “Victor and Jamaal told me the same thing, so I guess it must be true, but I don’t ... know what I like. As far as I can tell, so far, I’m ... asexual. However, if I wind up liking boys, I won’t look any farther than Brett. I already love him as a friend and the girls don’t mind sharing at all, at least with girls they love.”

“When will you turn 13?”

“November. The girls have been telling me to be patient, and I’ve accepted that about my lack of breasts. But it seems I should be feeling something for either or both of the wonderful guy and girls I already love.”

I detected a new intensity in Katherine, so looked at her as she responded, “That’s not necessarily true. You sound like you’re going through what I went through at your age. Do you love all your friends, but don’t get ... wet for any of them?”

Civ stared into Katherine’s eyes for quite a while, then replied, “Precisely.”

“You might be different from me, but you might be like me. I had already turned 13 before I first felt what I now recognize as the feelings and physical responses of sexual excitement.”

“Really,” Civ nearly squealed. When Katherine nodded, she asked, “And from what little the girls have told us about you, you like boys and girls. Right?” Again, Katherine nodded, and Civ squealed, and nearly shouted, “Yes!”

“You want to like both?”

Civ half-turned and ran her hand in an arc as she turned, then said, “Look there, at my friends and look at my friends right here with us. Which of them would you not be sexually interested in?”

“None of them.”

“Exactly! While my ... panties don’t get wet, I appreciate attractive girls and boys like anyone else, and I cannot imagine a prettier group of boy and girls than that, and I already love all of them and they already love me. What could be more perfect? Gosh, I really hope I’m like you.”

Civ suddenly lurched into Katherine’s space and put her arms around her and began sobbing on her left shoulder. Katherine was shocked at first, but quickly recovered, put her left arm around Civ’s waist, and her right hand on Civ’s head and began petting her hair.

“Don’t get your hopes up too high, because you might be different from me. Having your hopes rise very high makes the fall much more painful when your hopes get dashed. Civia, I know you can talk to these girls anytime you want. But if you want another sympathetic ear, I’d be happy to talk with you, too.”

Civ leaned back, gathered a bit of control and asked, “You’d do that for me?”

“Absolutely. First, I love your friends, too, and it would please me to help their friend. Second, I understand your frustration, as I went through it. I cannot guarantee the result I had, but I truly understand the frustration, and even if I can’t fix you or actually make it better for you, you’ll always have a sympathetic ear with me.”

Civ stared into Katherine’s eyes for a while, then said, “I see why the girls like you so much, possibly even love you. If you ... join their relationship, I think I would like that. I think I was jealous when they first mentioned you ... yesterday, but I’m not any longer. I think you might fit with us.”

After a few minutes in Katherine’s arms, Civ suddenly lifted her head and said, “Oh. You’re supposed to get your sexy time with Brett. I should stop taking up your time.” She stepped back, smacked her right side into Maren’s left, and asked her, “Have you got what you need, thong-wise?” When Maren displayed three thongs, Civ asked, “Beth, do we give these to Katherine or what? Oh, and I guess we should put our skirts back on.”

“What a shame.”

Civ wheeled back to Katherine and asked, “You like ... girls. Don’t you? I mean girls that aren’t women yet.”