Chapter 2

Thursday morning when I picked up LuAnn, I made sure to ask about her dress. She told me about her choice in material and pattern. I told her that I liked the dress but not as much as I liked what was inside it. We walked to her locker together and I told her that my last class was across from hers. Whoever got out first would walk to the other class. I reached to kiss her but she hesitated.

“You’re going to make me wait until the end of the day,” I asked.

“A lot of people,” she said.

“Shy?”

“I guess.”

“Okay. Which wins, shy or want a kiss,” I asked with a smile.

She reached up and kissed me. I thought it would be a quick kiss but when our lips met, she melted into me. She may have been less experienced but she was definitely working to make up ground.

“Wow, LuAnn. It’s a good thing my first class is cake. I won’t be able to think about anything but that kiss.”

“Am I getting better?”

“You have no idea. Wow.” I meant it, too.

I watched her walk away. That cute little butt moved her dress just right. Do girls practice that or are they just built that way? Randy walked past going the other direction, saw what I was looking at and said, “You’ll go blind. Come with me, quick or you’ll crash on the rocks. Cover your ears, or maybe I should tie you to the mast, Odysseus.”

“What a way to go though, huh, Randy?”

“Yeah. She’s got the moves. What’s up with you and Fallon?”

“Kind of a long story. Don’t mention it to anyone and I can give you the details, okay?”

“Sure. Either way, you’re on a hot streak.”

“Ain’t that the truth. I’ll tell you at lunch but it’s not public.” He nodded and I went to History.

Right after History I hustled to Trig and got there early and the classroom was empty. Tina always sat on the front right seat. I moved my entire row six inches to the left and took my usual seat, just to her left. Just a little closer than before. She was the third- or fourth-person in. She slid into her seat and looked at me suspiciously.

“Did you move the whole row over?”

“Might have happened.”

“You’re impossible. What’s up?”

“LuAnn is the most organized person I’ve ever met.”

“Ah, you’ve been to the seamstress workshop.”

“I have. She’s crazy organized. Talented too.”

“She is. How do you like my dress?” she asked.

“It looks good, Tina. Stand up and spin.” I didn’t think she would but class hadn’t started so she did. “It looks really good. So, do you. Really good.”

“Down boy. Lu made this. Ask Lisa how many dresses she has in her closet with A Real Lulu label on them.”

“A Real Lulu?” She nodded. “I thought my dad was corny.”

“He is. Guess who gave her the idea.”

“No. He didn’t. Tina...” Class was starting. She mouthed, “Chemistry” and I shut up.

After Trig, we walked to Chemistry together and got there early.

“This is kind of weird but I don’t know who else to talk to. Really weird.”

“What’s on your mind, sport? Tell.”

“LuAnn is really nice. I mean really, really nice.”

“But you miss Fallon.”

“Desperately. And I miss her so much I’m telling you. And that’s not fair to you, either.”

“No. It isn’t. Did you and Fallon...”

“No. Nope. We didn’t have intercourse.”

She looked around and again we were the first ones there. Mr. Spang went into his store room.

“Since what you just said wasn’t really fair to me,” she said, then checked to make sure we were the only ones in the room and descended on me. She latched on with a mouth-watering kiss that instantly curled my toes and straightened my dick. It was quick but it was incredible. She checked again and we were still alone. She grabbed my dick through my cords and squeezed and she got a handful. “Good. Nice to see. Fallon had all of August. All of it. Now, give all of September to LuAnn. All of it. Because when it’s October, I want all of it.”

“Holy crap, Tina!”

“You like?”

“I still can’t believe any of you would date me, let alone all three.” Mr. Spang came back in, acknowledged us and kept working.

“You have no idea why, do you?”

“No. I really don’t.”

“You’re mystified that there isn’t a line of guys at Fallon’s door begging for the chance to take her out.” I nodded. “She’s an unknown. You didn’t even know. How would any of the other guys?” She had a point. “LuAnn has her looks and that gets guys’ attention.” I nodded again. “But you have no idea that you could ask out just about anyone and they would say yes in a heartbeat. I can’t believe I’m telling you this.”

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

“I’ll tell you because it won’t matter. You could ask any girl in any of your classes out and they’d say ‘Yes’. Any of them.” She studied my confusion. “Any. But you won’t. Because you promised LuAnn this month and you wouldn’t dream of cheating on her. But you could if you wanted to. Just like Fallon, you’ve been selling yourself short but it doesn’t matter.”

“Why not?” I asked and before she could answer, Mr. Spang started class. I mouthed it to her again. “Why not?”

She smiled at me and when Mr. Spang turned to the board, she mouthed back, “October.”

Tina was dangerous. That’s all there was to it. But I got her point. This was LuAnn’s month. I needed to kick Fallon out of my head and focus on LuAnn. When class broke, Tina told me she’d spend time with Fallon and that she’d be fine. Keep my mind on LuAnn and enjoy it. LuAnn was nice, too. How could Tina be so supremely confident and yet boost her friends at the same time. I felt like I was being conned somehow.

At lunch I sat with Randy and explained the whole thing. He whistled a lot. When I was finished, he said he wasn’t sure if he thought I was lucky or cursed but promised discretion. Randy was someone I could confide in. I’d probably be better off not confiding in Tina. I had to sort this out. Mom, Dad, Randy, and maybe Lisa. It certainly seemed like that would be enough but I knew in my heart it wasn’t. I knew who would be able to help but I just couldn’t go there.

LuAnn was out first and waiting outside shop when we dismissed. Every guy in the place gave her the once over. I didn’t blame them.

“You know, LuAnn, you could probably make yourself a dress that wouldn’t have guys drooling over you.”

“They weren’t drooling over me.”

“They were drooling over you. I’m drooling over you. You make these dresses that are form-fitting. That’s the right word, isn’t it?”

“And it would be better if I wore a tent?” she said and she meant it to be funny.

I directed her to a bench and sat beside her. “LuAnn, I don’t think you realize how good you look.”

“Well, I’d like to think I’m pretty.”

“LuAnn, my mom has a vase that’s pretty. You’re so much more than pretty. I told you the other day that you were beyond that. It’s kind of nice that you don’t realize it.”

“I just think I look like me. Normal, me.”

I didn’t know how to tell her. Not so she would get it. I pulled her to me for a hug. I suddenly felt very protective. It’s a feeling that stayed with me.

We went back to her house and worked on homework for a while. I declined an offer for dinner and went home. I’d gone from not seeing anyone to a very intense week with the Musketeers straight into a month with Fallon and then a sudden shift to LuAnn. I needed an evening to myself and wanted to be squared away before the weekend.

Dinner at home was kind of strange. Mom, Dad, and Lisa were all curious about how I was doing but none of them wanted to come straight out and ask. So, we had polite conversation about meaningless things. I went to my room and rummaged through my bookcase, looking for something to occupy my mind. I had a lot of classics but none of them grabbed my attention. I picked up Ball Four by Jim Bouton. It was that or Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. I knew I should have been reading Moby Dick but my heart wasn’t in it. I thought Ball Four would be the lighter read and was on the second chapter when there was a knock on my door. I wanted to say, “Go away,” but couldn’t justify it.

“Come in.”

Lisa came in and didn’t say a word. She just walked over and sat on the bed next to me. I put my book down and waited. She just sat there with me for a half hour, not saying anything. At first, I thought she had something on her mind to say but after fifteen minutes or so I realized there was nothing to say. She just sat there commiserating with me. It was probably the sweetest thing she’d ever done. When she finally left, I pulled up the covers and fell asleep with my clothes on.

I picked up LuAnn the next morning, determined to put my focus totally on her. It wasn’t hard. I walked her to her locker and she initiated a good morning kiss, certain to put my mind in the right place. That day at lunch I sat with Randy.

“Michael, for someone who gets to date LuAnn Lang, you sure look sorry.”

“I know. What’s wrong with me?”

“I don’t know, Mike but you got to get your mind right. She is smokin’ hot and smart too. I like Fallon a lot. She is really a cool kid but LuAnn is in another league.”

“You say that because you don’t know Fallon.”

He knew to leave it alone.

“Just saying, that you need to focus on LuAnn. I wouldn’t think it would be a chore.”

“No. It’s not her fault. Honestly, I just didn’t think I’d fall crazy for Fallon.”

“I don’t blame you. Really don’t. But LuAnn? Man.”

“Yeah. And you know what’s crazy? She has no idea how hot she is.”

“That’s kind of hard to believe. I mean, how could she not know?”

“She thinks she looks normal. She doesn’t have her guard up at all.”

“Guess you have to be her guard, eh?”

“Maybe.” I thought about it for a minute. “What a chump. No one knows her better than my sister and I haven’t even talked to her about it. Fallon has Tina for a friend and Tina knows how to take care of her. LuAnn has Lisa and Lisa will talk to me.”

“Does Lisa know how hot she is? Because they look pretty similar.”

“I hadn’t even thought of that. Dang. I think I have to up my game.”

“If you want, I could tell Lisa how hot she is,” Randy offered. I thought about telling him to go for it and then I realized he might want to ask her out.

“You’d make that sacrifice?” I asked sarcastically. “I’ll talk with her,” I said and the bell rang.

LuAnn and I rode back to her house and I wrestled with things to say. Then she slid close and put her hand on my leg and I realized I didn’t need to. Just being close was good. I put my arm around her and she snuggled in tight enough to make driving difficult. I didn’t mind in the least.

We pulled into her driveway. “I know we’ve got some fishing gear at my house,” I said. “But I’m not sure what kind of shape it’s in. A lot of it is on the boat at the marina.”

“Ours is good. When my dad and I go to the pier we take four poles so we can each tend two.”

I followed her around the outside of the house to the shed. She pulled out four poles, a bucket and tackle box. We each grabbed a handful and walked them back to my truck. On the way, Mrs. Lang waved from the kitchen window and we waved back. I decided that I liked both of LuAnn’s parents.

“Do you have an ice chest?” LuAnn asked. “We broke the handle on one last time.”

“We’ve got two or three, I think. I know we’ve got two and one’s pretty big.”

“Good. Let me change and I’ll be right out. Want to come in?” I nodded.

“Hi, Mrs. Lang,” I hollered to the kitchen.

“Hi, Michael. Huntington Pier tonight?”

“Yes ma’am. I haven’t done this in forever.”

“LuAnn loves to go but her dad doesn’t have as much time since he picked up a new route. Let me check the freezer.” I wasn’t sure what that meant but she cleared it up when she came back. “Tell Lu, fifteen to twenty pounds. Any more than that will be tight.”

“You think we’ll catch that much? That seems like a lot.”

“They’ve caught almost double that before and I imagine you’ll split it. It’s pretty much up to the fish though, isn’t it?”

“Yes, ma’am, I suppose it is.” And then I couldn’t help it. “LuAnn is really beautiful.”

“She is, isn’t she? Have you seen the pictures from your date last month?” She motioned me over to a wall of photos and there we were, standing next to the Porsche.

“Beautiful is overused,” I said. “Mom says she’s stunning but I think breathtaking is better.”

“Listen to you. But you’re right. I think Chester really is going to have to get a gun.” She realized how that might have sounded. She touched my shoulder, “Not for you, Michael. He likes you.”

“Good to know. It’s tough for him to let his little girl go on dates, isn’t it?”

“It is. We knew the day would come. I’m glad it’s you, Sweetheart.”

“Thanks. I won’t let anything happen to her.”

“She says you’ve been taking kung fu lessons from one of the boys at school. I think that’s wise but I hope you never have to use it.”

“Me too. I guess I think it’s better to learn it and not need it than to need it and not know it.” She nodded and LuAnn came out in Jeans and a T-shirt and had a small bag with her.

“Ready?” I asked.

“Yup. Bye, Mom. Oh. Do I have a curfew? When I go with dad it doesn’t matter cause he’s there.”

“I guess I hadn’t thought about it. What time do you and your dad usually get back?”

“One or two, I guess. It depends on if they’re biting.”

Mrs. Lang looked at me, trying to decide. “I think one is good. That’s pretty late.”

They hugged and we loaded into my truck. We talked about our plans for the night and nailed down some of the particulars. When we got back to my house it was just five and we had an hour until dinner. Mom was cooking and Lisa was at the kitchen table working on geometry. LuAnn jumped in with Lisa to work and I ran upstairs to change. I packed a bag with towels and a sweatshirt, then tossed in a pair of shorts, just in case. Then, I went out to our pool house and grabbed the two biggest ice chests and put them in the back of the truck.

By the time I was done, it was closing in on dinner time. Lisa and LuAnn were done with their homework except for one problem and I helped them with that. The two of them enjoyed talking together and I would have plenty of time with LuAnn later. Dad joined us for dinner and he demonstrated the art of listening by asking open ended questions and then eating while everyone else talked. I grinned at him and he gave a that’s-how-it’s-done smile.

When we finished with dinner, LuAnn and I loaded up and set out for the pier. It felt pretty good to have her next to me. I pulled into the deserted parking lot of an empty store that was for lease. She gave me a curious smile. I killed the engine and pushed her back toward the passenger side, then slid to the middle. When she was thoroughly confused, I took her shoulders and moved her so she could sit on my lap, facing me.

“Ah. You had me stumped.” The most attractive girl I knew was sitting on my lap, directly in front of me.

“You are so, so beautiful. Do you think before we go catch fish that I can just enjoy you for a few moments?”

“I think we could do that for a while. I like kissing you. You say you like kissing me, but I like kissing you, too. You feel good to me. Strong. I really like that.”

“Yeah?” She nodded. I gave a double bicep pose and flexed hard. She reached up and squeezed both of my arms.

“See? That’s nice. There’s a lot of little boys at school. And so many jocks are just assholes. Sorry. They are. They’re like the guy version of stuck-up cheerleaders. Ugh.”

I took her face in my hands and just held her. I let my fingertips caress her face, tracing her hairline. Then, I pulled her to me and kissed her neck. She tilted her head so that I would have better access. I kissed from low on her neck up to her jawline and then to her ear. She felt good in my hands. She felt good to my mouth, like a ripe peach, sweet and juicy.

She pushed back, holding me at shoulder length. “Let’s go catch fish. We’ll fill the ice chest and leave. The sooner we fill it the sooner we leave. I know my mom. If we come back empty handed, she’ll know we haven’t been fishing and change my curfew.”

“I think we could do this a few more minutes.”

“I’m getting all wound up. Seriously. If we keep on, I won’t want to stop.”

“That doesn’t sound like a bad thing to me but let’s go catch fish and keep your curfew intact.”

I kissed her again and then we drove to the pier. We stacked one of the ice chests on top of her rolling tackle box, I grabbed the poles and we were off. The sun was just setting but the pier lights were already on. When we got out far enough, I watched her check the current, pick a side and spread out our stuff so we wouldn’t have someone else crowding us.

“There’s a ladder down to a lower deck right next to us. If we need to land a big one, I can go down and do it. Or you could.”

I went to the bait shop and bough live minnows and frozen shrimp. We baited our hooks and put lines in the water. She had rod holders that we attached to the railing. All we had to do then was wait. We leaned against the railing together and talked about life in general, school and each other. The weather was perfect, the sun had set and life was pretty good.

And then I saw my pole snap down hard. I pulled it out of the holder, waited for another jerk, snagged it and started reeling.

“You’ve got something good. Nice fight. Keep it taut.”

“What’s the weight on the line, Lu?”

“Thirty pounds. He might be putting it to the test. Keep it tight but don’t let him break it. You might need to let him run. I’m going to go down and help land it,” she said, grabbing the net, and took off down the stairs.

I wrestled with him for at least fifteen minutes, but it’s tough to keep track of time when you’re busy like that. Eventually, I heard Lu say she’d seen him. I tried to direct it toward the deck and wondered who was more tired, me, or the fish. Finally, she was able to slide the net under him and drag him up.

“He’s landed but he’s big. Come down and help.” I stuck my rod back in the holder and ran down. “He’s a big boy. I’ve got him but don’t know if I can carry him up.”

She was sitting with her legs spread and the fish in the net between them. I took the net from her and then reached in to grab him properly. She led the way back up the stairs and we took him to the large cleaning station. She ran back to our gear and came back with a scale.

“He’s worth measuring. My dad’s caught bigger but not by much.”

I hooked him on the scale and eased him off the table. She bent down to read it.

“Sixty-one pounds, six ounces. That is a fine Halibut,” she said and as I lifted him back onto the table, I noticed half the people on the pier were watching. They asked what kind of bait. Minnow. Some people started walking toward the bait shop, presumably to buy minnows.

“Michael, this guy is going to give about twenty-five pounds of meat and my mom said she had room for twenty. How about you?” she asked.

I tried to think back about what was in the freezer. “I think we’ve got enough room. I’m sure of it. There’s a phone at the bait shop. I can call.”

“Why don’t you do that and I’ll clean him and get him on ice?”

When I got back LuAnn had already packed him into the ice chest and had rebaited my pole. I tossed it back out. My arms had recovered and I was ready to go again. Whether it was the water temperature, the tide, or just good luck, we filled the ice chest in no time. The halibut was definitely the catch of the night but we had a couple of nice perch and a large bass as well. We were guessing on the weight of the filets but we both figured we had nearly forty pounds of fish. That’s enormously successful for pier fishing.