Chapter 1

It was Robyn Berry's first day at Mountain View High School. Her father's company had transferred her family to Denver, Colorado, during the summer and Robyn hadn't yet had a chance to meet any of the other juniors in her class.

She felt a little nervous walking around campus, not knowing anyone; being a stranger was an unpleasant change from her old school where she'd be the popular one.

That first day dragged on until the final bell rang, when all the kids hit the doors in a torrent of noise, running and yelling as they left the school day behind them. Robyn had been a little surprised at the casual attitudes and unruly behavior that she'd come across during that first day at her new school.

Having spent the first two years of high school at St. Mary's Catholic School in Freeport, New York, she was used to much closer supervision during school hours. She'd seen boys kissing girls in the halls, and several couples had been embarrassingly intimate with each other right there in front of everybody.

Robyn wasn't sure if she was going to fit in; so many things here made her feel uncomfortable and out of place.

As she walked toward the parking lot, thinking these thoughts, she was startled by a loud noise behind her. She spun around, her heart pounding, and saw two boys running toward her as if wild dogs were after them.

One boy grabbed her arm and, breathing heavily, whispered urgently, "Pretend we've been walking together!"

He pulled off his jacket and shoved it under her arm. Then, without another word, and firmly holding on to her arm, he started to leave the campus grounds.

Meanwhile the boy with him had done the same thing with another girl, just a few feet away from her.

Suddenly a school security guard came running around the corner of the building, yelling, "Anyone see two boys running past here?" He looked directly at Robyn and the boy with her, then at the other boy and girl.

Robyn's companion said, "Yeah, two guys jumped the fence over there just before you came round the corner; they were really going fast." He pointed to the wrought iron fence about 100 feet away. Then he hugged Robyn to him making it appear that they were a couple and asked, "What did you want them for?" But the only guard mumbled something about vandalism, and stalked off.

Robyn had been in a mild state of shock the whole time, standing there with her knees trembling, not knowing what to do or say. She knew that if the man had asked her any questions, she wouldn't have been able to utter a word. When he had gone back into the school, however, she started to get mad.

How dare this boy use her like that! How dare he! She shook herself free from his grip and turned to face him. "You're one of those vandals he was talking about, aren't you?"

As she spoke, she noticed for the first time what he looked like; she had been too frightened before. He was several inches taller than she was - probably 5'7" or 8" - and really quite handsome. He had black hair, in a kind of Elvis-Presley-unkempt style, and very dark brown eyes. She also noticed his lips, liking the way they curled at the edges.

But his looks didn't change a thing, as far as involving her in his little prank were concerned. "Do you always go around grabbing strange girls, and involving them in your problems?" she said sternly. She shot him a withering stare. "Not very manly to hide behind a woman, is it?"

He just stood there, quietly looking at her. All at once his eyes lit up and his face broke into an attractive smile. He held his hand out as if to shake hands and said, "Pardon me, beautiful. If I'd realized it was you, I'd have done anything to keep you out of it, honest.

"I'm Max, and that scruffy-looking dude over there is Jerry. We got into a little trouble back there, but it wasn't our fault, honest. I get in trouble all the time because I say it like it is, and the football team doesn't like me for it."

Feeling somewhat less miffed now, Robyn asked, "What do you mean, 'telling it like it is'?"

The other boy and girl had come over to them by now and stood waiting for Max to answer. He said, "You can call me a smart-ass, I guess. I'm always pointing out the obvious, like what a bunch of losers the football players at this school are. For some reason they seem to take offense at that." He flashed that smile again.

Now he introduced Jerry's girlfriend, whose name was Kelly, and invited Robyn to the Phoenix, a cafe where, apparently, all the kids hung out after school. Robyn, though, had had as many new experiences as she could take for one day, and excused herself. But Max refused to let her walk home alone, so eventually she let him walk by her side all the way to her house.

That evening at dinner Robyn got the third degree. Her parents were conscientious about their only child and wanted to make sure she was both safe and happy. In short, they wanted to know everything that went on in her young life.

"Robyn, how were things at school today?" her father asked, serving himself a portion of casserole.

Robyn didn't want to complain about the school and couldn't tell her parents about how she really felt, because she really didn't want to be sent to another Catholic School. She'd insisted on being allowed to attend a public school and if now she made the smallest complaint, or admitted how confused she was feeling, they'd probably transfer her to a private school so fast she wouldn't know what had happened.

So she smiled at her father. "Things were fine today, dad. I figured out how things work and I feel pretty good about the place."

Her mother just looked at her searchingly without saying a word.

Her father replied, "Well, you know, if things don't work out, you can always enroll at St. Bartholomew's. I hear their academic record is unparalleled in both mathematics and English literature, and you know how much you like those subjects."

"Yes, daddy, but things are working out just fine at Mountain View." She hoped she sounded confident.

After dinner, Robyn helped her mother clear the table.

As they were loading the dishwasher her mother said, "Robyn, you know that we love you and that we're proud of you. You've always been such a good girl and you're so smart. We trust you to make the right decisions." Having spoken her mind, she wiped her hands on the kitchen towel and turned to leave.

Robyn wasn't sure what her mother was trying to tell her, so she asked what she had meant by 'trusting her to make the right decisions'.

Her mother looked a little embarrassed and said, with a slight nervous stutter, "Baby, it's just that you've always lived in a protected environment and now that you're in a public school, in a strange city... well, I guess I worry about you." She sighed, and then concluded by saying, "I just hope you don't get hurt by anyone and that you meet nice people, that's all."

Robyn looked at the worry-lines etched on her mother's pretty face, and hugged her, reassuring her that she could take care of herself.

That night she couldn't sleep. She was nervous about school, and about Max, and Jerry, and Kelly, and the events of the day. Deep down inside she felt scared; so many things were different here. But she also felt excited.

She had really liked Max; he was so smooth (a term she and her girlfriends had always used for boys that looked dreamy). Fantasies involving a silver-clad knight on a white horse began their familiar swirl through her thoughts.

As she thought about Max, and what he'd be like as a boyfriend, Robyn began to brush her nipples with her fingers, soon making them erect. That fantasy was her favorite and Max fit the bill perfectly.

Although she would never consider sleeping with him, Robyn did have a healthy teenager's sex drive. A mental image of the handsome boy making love to her was all it took to make her lower one hand to work between her silken thighs.

A slow massage of her breasts and down-covered nest soon brought her a sweet comfortable orgasm. It was always the same; a 'dreamy boy' could always make her cum, at least they could in her imagination. Of course, she'd never do anything like that in real life; at any rate not until she was married and then, she knew, she'd want to do it every night.

She concentrated on that thought, which made her excited again and soon afterwards she experienced another, longer, more intense orgasm.

Eventually Robyn drifted off to sleep. Her last conscious thought was, 'let tomorrow take care of itself', and she had a fleeting image of her fantasy Max, naked and standing before her.

Her mother called out, "Robyn! You'd better get the lead out. You'll be late if you don't leave right now!"

Robyn wasn't quite ready to leave. She'd gotten up on time and eaten a fast breakfast, but she wasn't satisfied with her clothes. She had changed for the third time and she was still unhappy about how she looked. But time was running out and she had to leave for another stressful day at Mountain View High.

Going through the front door, she was stopped in her tracks by the sight of Max, standing almost exactly where she'd left him the night before.

It briefly occurred to her that he'd been standing there all night, but of course that was absurd.

"Hi beautiful! Sleep well?" Max smiled hugely.

Robyn looked into his eyes, trying to tell if he meant anything by that statement. Why would he mention her sleeping unless he'd "seen" her? No way! she thought uncomfortably.

She covered up her slight confusion by giving him her most brilliant smile. "Yes, Max, as always. Thanks for asking."

They walked to school together, Robyn trying to get information about the town and school, and Max trying to find out more about her. It was just a ten-minute walk, so neither got much of what they were after.

Robyn found out that the school revolved around football, and that the players were regarded as some kind of god-like beings who could do no wrong. She was told she'd probably like Mr. Stephens, their homeroom teacher, but probably not the principal, Mrs. Lucas.

Max found out very little, but he looked at her a lot. Robyn was 5'5", maybe 105 lbs - and beautiful. Max thought that the nickname he'd given her - "Beautiful" - really suited her. He knew that her hair was really blonde (no way could she fake those highlights); she had a supple body and a graceful way about her. She was different from the other girls he'd known in town.

"Max! Are you listening to me?"

He started. He'd been walking beside this girl, drinking in her looks, but not listening to a word she was saying.

"Sorry. I guess I've got a lot on my mind. What were you saying?"

"Typical man! Why don't guys ever listen?" But she was smiling and not at all put out.

Max silently answered her question with the thought, 'Hard to hear you through those good looks, baby.'

School was going great. Robyn soon found that she would have no trouble with her studies. She was enjoying the challenge and even thought she might come out at the top of the junior class if she applied herself.

Things had developed with Max and his friends too, and Robyn was now part of the tapestry of daily life at Mountain View High.

After school she invariably ended up at the Phoenix and hung out for a couple of hours, but she always excused herself in plenty of time to get her homework done. Her social life and academic life were going great and her parents were happy for her.

The only cloud on her horizon was the rivalry between Max's faction, on the one hand, and Taylor Carry, the captain of the football team, and the football groupies', as Max called them, on the other.

There was constant conflict and real animosity, between these two groups of students. Robyn tried to stay friends with everyone, but one day some of the boys on the football team cornered Max and Jerry by themselves and beat them up.

Robyn was mad that they could get away with something like that and went to the principal, Mrs. Lucas, to complain. She was told in no uncertain terms that it was all Max's fault, and to mind her own business.

After that there was no love lost between Robyn and the football team captain. She knew that it was Taylor who had personally beaten up Max. Max made things worse by saying it didn't matter; that things like that happened in life.

This was the event that made Robyn change her direction in life.

Max looked like he was in a lot of pain as Robyn helped him home that afternoon, leaning on her shoulder as he limped up to his front door.

They entered the quiet house together and he yelled for his mother but got no reply.

"Damn! I forgot. She's at Aunt Lori's today. Thanks, beautiful. I'll take it from here," he said.

"There's no way I'm leaving you until you're tucked up in bed. I know you, Max. You'll sit around watching TV and eating potato chips all afternoon." She wouldn't listen to any arguments and led the way up the carpeted stairway. "You get out of those dirty clothes and into a robe and I'll get a hot bath going for you."

Max gave a long look at his very determined, very attractive girlfriend. Then he shrugged and limped into his bedroom to do what he'd been told.