Chapter 5: Diversions

Lyn called after eight; I was thinking she wouldn't call at all, and I was very glad to hear her voice. We talked for a while about school, going so far as to compare answers on our geometry homework. Finally we ran out of immediate topics and there was a silence.

"I'm sitting here with a pillow between my legs." Lyn murmured, "Wishing it were you."

"My mom's working in the next room, sewing." I said, hoping she would understand how I didn't want to talk very loudly or explicitly.

"Well, Friday we'll probably spend enough time together to end up hating each other."

I looked at the phone, as if was actually Lyn. "Never!" I said firmly. "Besides," I added, trying to cover up my sudden insecurity, "there's tomorrow."

Lyn sighed loudly. "Except right after school I have to run downtown to pick up my Mom and take her to her car, then follow her home. We probably won't be home until six. And I have a chemistry assignment like you wouldn't believe."

I mused for a second. "Do you think we like each other because we're both smart?"

She snorted. "I like you because you're a fox." A pause, "A very nice, smart fox. Petable and cuddly, too."

"Oh, you." I echoed her words from the other day. "You have such a penetrating way of expressing yourself."

She laughed. "I understand in order to graduate from college you have to take an oral exam. You'll pass in a second." Silly schoolgirl banter, but my nipples were hard. Why didn't the damn things grow? It wasn't for any recent lack of stimulation!

"In order to do well," I told her, "you have to know your subject from the bottom up." Lyn cracked up, and I was having trouble stifling my giggles.

"Hands on experience of the fundament... als." She broke the last word obviously. "You're better at this than I am."

"Practice, practice, practice." I said, still almost laughing.

"What are friends for?" Lyn said.

I took a deep breath. "Rachael asked me after you left if we could be friends. Not like you and I, but friends. The three of us."

"She's nice." Lyn said after a pause. "You certainly seemed to like her. I was debating taking off my blouse to see if I could get your attention back."

"Lyn!" I said scandalized. "It's not like that at all."

Another long pause. "And if it were?" Again I looked at the phone in consternation. Where did Lyn come up with these questions? Could it be that she wasn't really as sure of herself as she seemed to be? Was Lyn as confused, maybe, as me?

I didn't care if my mother was listening; she had the sewing machine running, anyway. "Lyn, there's no one on earth I care as much about as you. Now and always."

"Always is a long time," She said, then laughed. "But I'm happy with now. We're too serious, you and I. Both of us need to lighten up. Rachael's nice, and let's face it, neither of us have enough friends to want to chuck a volunteer away." I heard another voice in the distance on Lyn's end. "Coming, mom!" and Lyn spoke to me again. "We had a late dinner, and I got volunteered for dishes. If you have a minute after school tomorrow, stop by my locker."

I agreed, and we hung up. I took the phone downstairs, and went back and laid on my bed, trying to read Silas Marner. For whatever reason, the mundaneness of the people's lives fascinated me, so simple and uncomplicated. I read about half of the story, stopped, and went back and reread part of it. Maybe I was missing something important. Maybe their lives weren't mundane? Could their emotions and circumstances be as tangled as mine and Lyn's? Didn't hardly seem possible; but then, they were people too, right? What were their hopes and dreams? Fears? I was learning about fears.

I reread more of the story, looking for hidden agendas, secrets. Well, Elliot was a clever dude, I thought. They were there in aplenty, I'd just never thought to look for them. Was that the point? Mildly curious I read the part in the start of the book about the author. He was a she? A pen name? I fell asleep, wondering about it and everything else of this week. Nothing was as it seemed.

That night I dreamed Lyn, Rachael and I were walking down the street, three abreast. I couldn't remember who was where, but I remember walking past a place where the sidewalk was narrow, and we had to go single file. On the other side, Rachael ended up between us, and we had our arms around each other. We walked like that for a little ways, and I remember her hand sliding up and cupping my breast.

I was surprised, and turned to her to say something, to see her other hand around Lyn, the same as me. "The Three Musketeers," Rachael said, "All for one and one for all." Her fingers were playing with my nipple tip, hard against her touch.

Rachael looked at me seriously. "I want to be your and Lyn's friend. I don't want to come between you, though. Just at the same time." We all three laughed, and I could see that Lyn's hand had moved to touch Rachael's breast in turn, so I did the same thing. Rachael's nipples were very different from Lyn's or mine, small and hard.

I awoke, feeling like I'd really been there, that it had really happened. I debating rolling over and going back to sleep, but I was too hot and I wanted to come very much.

I moved my hand between my legs, and started gently rubbing circles on my clit, wishing Lyn was there to do it for me; her tongue felt much better than my fingers. I let out a small groan; hard to believe I hadn't done this for two days! I missed it so much! I moved my fingers faster and faster on my clit, using the growing moisture to make it feel much better. I couldn't lay still, I twisted my head from side to side, making guttural noises of want and desire, bucking my hips up against my probing fingers; finally startling myself as to the volume. I stifled my next groan, and the next, but when I put two fingers inside me, I thought the windows rattled.

I rolled over on my stomach, pressing the pillow between my legs like I remembered Lyn talking about. It was nice, but not nice enough. The rough feel of the sheets on my nipples also accentuated my pleasure. I had a very, very, hard time falling asleep.

Thursday when I woke I wasn't feeling nearly as chipper as I'd felt the morning before, and I felt logy, even after my shower. And, when I'd been running the washrag over my breasts, I'd been thinking about Rachael, and that in a few hours I'd be seeing her in PE. Like Tuesday, I was suddenly afraid I was going to completely lose my cool in the locker room.

Clothes for this morning, were easily the most complicated decision yet. Lyn didn't dislike dresses; but she always made a sarcastic comment about it when I wore one. I ran my hands over my brown velvet corduroy jeans, and grinned. They were for Friday; no doubt about it. I had a cord blouse too, tan and soft and furry. Thinking about how Lyn was going to take them off left me weak-kneed and with damp panties.

What might Rachael like? The question had nagged at me all night; I'd kept telling myself it wasn't important, nothing was going to happen. But in the early morning hours, looking at myself in the mirror, I wasn't so sure. I went for austerity; a plain black skirt, knee length, and black panty hose I had a sky blue blouse, and I picked that and a gold choker necklace I'd gotten two years ago on my birthday.

Ostentatious austerity, I thought looking at myself in the mirror. I ran my hands over my breasts. I wished they were larger! Like Lyn's even; and Rachael's were perfect! All I had were tiny nubbins and while sensitive, I didn't think they were ever going to attract anyone at all. I wasn't sure why I wanted to appeal to Rachael; what if we made love? That thought made me feel every bit as excited as when I thought about Lyn.

Was I being unfaithful? I thought about Lyn, wishing I could talk to her, tell her I loved her and show her how much. Rachael was different: I couldn't say how or why, but it was like eating apples and oranges. Both yummy, both nice. But different. Is it unfair to oranges if you like apples too? I was so confused. Lyn was an orange, I thought, soft and yummy sweet and delicious. Rachael, firm and hard. Tart, I thought, sharp, maybe; tart had other meanings that didn't fit Rachael.

In English that morning, I glanced at Rachael, who smiled back. She was wearing, I was surprised to see, a black dress too, very long, almost midway between her knees and ankles, but no stockings. Her dress was beautiful, embroidered with all sorts of colorful flowers, blues and yellows and reds and greens.

After class we met outside, and walked towards PE, quickly, because it was a ways. "I love your dress," I told her.

"I embroidered it myself." She said, eyes sparkling. "I love flowers."

"It's so plain... yet so elegant." I told her, "It looks like it came out of a fashion magazine." She grinned at me, obviously pleased.

"Where's Lyn?" She asked.

"Sophomore's have more important things to do than PE" I told her, "Health. State Government."

She made a face. "First I had a class in Texas government; you had to pass it to get to high school. Now I need to learn Arizona Government, you need it to graduate from high school." She shook her head. "I wish they could make up their minds."

"Men!" I snorted, half in jest.

I saw Rachael look at me with a curious expression on her face; I tried very hard not to blush. I don't know if I was entirely successful, but at least I didn't feel warm and flushed like usual.

In the locker room when I was taking off my clothes, I stood at an angle to my locker, rather than front on; Rachael, I could see easily, had done the same thing; she facing me, and I facing her. There was no time to dwell on things, but when Judy Gray brushed past me on the way out, she glanced down at my breasts, covered only by my halter top.

"Damn cold in here this morning, isn't it?" I glanced down myself, and saw my erect nipples, clearly visible through the thin fabric of the halter. It was cold; the air conditioning seemed to have been left on overnight in the locker room, but I knew that wasn't why my nipples were hard. I hastily donned my t-shirt and shorts, and assembled outside with the others for another hour of futile basketball practice.

There were a half dozen girls who were any good, and they always formed into a team; playing against them was humiliating at the best of times. Today was no different; my team got beat a million to one, or some ridiculous score. Afterwards, the coach told Rachael to take the equipment back to the store room, and having nothing better to do, I helped her gather the balls and stuff them in the big net carry bag.

We got to the showers a few minutes after everyone else, they were mostly done; a minute later we were alone. I thought Rachael took extra time soaping between her legs; and her nipples were as erect as mine. She saw me looking at her and grinned. "At least today I get to see you, too." Her voice was very soft.

"Not much to see," I said, running my soapy fingers over my breasts.

"Lyn likes them." Rachael said in soft whisper. "I like them too."