Chapter 2

The temperature had picked up considerately. A warm afternoon breeze now replaced the slight gale of the morning. The sky has also cleared up. Gone were the ominous clouds, enabling the sun to shine through. But Shawn took no notice of these things as he walked home in deep thought. His mind concentrated solely on the strange occurrences that happened today.

First, the school's bully had backed down from a confrontation with him. It might not have been so weird if it had been one-on-one, but it was one-to-four. Danny McKaroski never backed down from a fight. Well, at least not when the odds were in his favor anyway. He racked his brain for a reasonable explanation, but none came.

He stopped dead in his tracks. The oddest thing about this had been the fear that McKaroski showed when he ran off. A man being chased by the demonic hoards of hell could not have worn a more horrified expression. For the rest of that day, Danny had avoided him like the plague, speedily scampering off at the mere sigh of him. A rumor in the cafeteria has it that some campus security guards found him cowering in some bathroom, mumbling incoherently about some shadow. Shawn shrugged and continued walking. Danny deserved whatever he got, so there was no need worrying about that.

Second, Mrs. Waters's behavior toward him that morning had been just baffling. Though he did try to intimidate her like he did Danny, the results had been completely different. Danny had ran off squealing. Jessica, on the other hand, became furious. She was usually calm, and would always conduct herself properly. The screaming fit this morning was totally out of her character. And the strange feeling that he received had been different as well. With Danny, the sensation appeared around his neck, and had been a slightly painful throbbing. With Mrs. Waters (Jessica, he corrected himself with a smile), the feeling originated in his crotch, and had felt like a warm bath.

Shawn smiled as he remembered what had just transpired not half an hour ago. Jessica was a whirlwind of sexual energy, he thought. What he thought was a severe scolding had turned out to be his first sexual experience. And what an experience it was. He gingerly touched the wound on his back and winced. The gash caused by the wires still throbbed, but it was already clotting. Shawn's always had unnaturally fast healing rate. He just hoped that his next encounter with Jessica would not be as wild as the first.

Shawn passed the school's front entrance, his mind still sorting through today's events. He passed some giggling cheerleaders, but paid no attention to them. The cheerleaders, however, noticed him.

"Shawn!" Karen called out. He didn't turn around.

"Shawn!!" Karen tried again. Once again, no reaction.

"What's wrong with him?" she mused out loud.

Lisa Donnelly patted her friend's shoulder in condolence. "Don't worry about it. I bet he's just pissed because 'Frosty the Snow-Bitch' just finished chewing him out."

"Really?" Karen was surprised. His foster brother always seemed to get along with his teachers. "What happened?"

Lisa explained what went on during first period. Karen's eyes widened.

"Are you serious?"

Lisa nodded. "I'm telling you the truth. The bitch just blew up right there, right in front of the entire class." She moved closer. "And I'll tell you something else, too," she whispered.

"What?"

"She was jacking off."

"WHAT?!"

Lisa giggled. "Yup. She was talked to your brother about being late. Shawn raised his voice a bit, and the next thing you know, she had her hand under her desk frigging away."

"So she had her hand under the desk," Karen dismissed unbelievingly. "Big deal. She could've been reaching for something she had dropped."

"No way. The ho came so hard I'm surprised she didn't faint."

Karen still didn't believe her. "Why would she be jacking off just because Shawn raised his voice a little?"

"I bet she was turned on when he came in all sweaty and semi-naked."

"Shawn went to class semi-naked?"

"Oh yeah. He just ran in all sweaty and his chest all exposed." She sighed. "I'm telling you, Karen. He's built like a Greek statue. I'd be surprised if the bitch wasn't turned on. I was getting so horny just looking at him that I almost jumped him when he sat down." She shook her head in wonderment. "You've gotta get a piece of that ass yourself, girl. You're so lucky that you live with him."

Karen blushed. She was not oblivious to the fact that Shawn was attractive. If fact, she knew that he would be a hit among girls if only he weren't so withdrawn. In the years that they had been foster siblings, she had grown to love him. Like a brother, she tried to convince herself.

She took a breath to steady herself. "All this talk about my best friend wanting to do my own brother is getting too weird for me." Karen shook her head. "I'm gonna go now, ok?"

"Hey, can I still sleep over tonight?" Lisa asked.

"Sure, but my mom might not be home tonight."

Lisa grinned mischievously. "You mean that it'll just be you, me, and your smoking hot brother tonight?" She licked her lips with exaggerated slowness. "Sounds like fun."

Karen reddened further. "I'm not even going to bother dignifying that with a response." She started to walk after Shawn.

"Remember what I said about that ass!" Lisa called after her.

Karen flipped her middle finger back at her. As she ran to catch up to Shawn, she thought about her growing feeling for her brother. Though his eccentric personality and unwillingness to talk infuriated her sometimes, Shawn is still the sweetest and most considerate guy she knew. 'Why did mom have to take him in?' she wondered. 'If only he wasn't my brother... ' She pushed those thoughts out of her mind when she finally caught up to him.

"Shawn! Wait up!" No response.

"Shawn!!" Still no response.

"This is getting old," she muttered to herself. She balled up her fist, and brought it down on Shawn's back, her frustration making the blow a little harder than she had intended. "SHAWN!!!"

Shawn stumbled forward as something whacked him across the back. He winced. He could feel the wound on his back throb and bleed anew. Ignoring the pain, he immediately lowered himself, and prepared to twist around to deliver an uppercut to his attacker.

When Shawn finally opened up to his new foster mother, he told her about all the school bullies who would pick on him. Elizabeth listened, and began making him take self-defense classes. A natural student, he quickly became proficient in karate and judo. But it was all for naught. Though he now had the means to defend himself, he was still reluctant to use it when necessary.

It was a fluid maneuver. Perfectly executed. His old sensei would've been proud if he was there. But it never connected. Shawn stopped himself when he saw who his attacker was.

"Ummm... Hi, Karen."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Karen puffed, her face red from exertion. Her brown curls were disheveled. "I've been yelling and screaming at you for minutes!"

"Sorry," Shawn apologized, grinning sheepishly. "Just got a few things on my mind."

She stood there, trying to catch her breath. "You should try out for track. I had to run to catch up to you." She took in a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. Smiling, she hooked her arms around his. "So, what were you thinking about?"

Shawn barely refrained from flinching when Karen touched him. He had been discreetly glancing at her sweater-clad breasts as she breathed in and out. Her cheerleader outfit was very clinging, and it displayed her perfect figure perfectly. 'She's very beautiful, ' he thought. 'More so than Jessica.' He frowned when he caught himself thinking these things. His first sexual experience had obviously tainted his mind, he thought.

"Nothing important. Just a few things that went on today."

"Yeah, Lisa told me all about it." She felt his arms tense up.

He looked sharply at her. "How did she know? What did she tell you?" he demanded, a bit harshly.

Karen stared at him. It was just so unlike him to be like this. "Well, she told me how Mrs. Waters screamed at you in class today. Lisa also said that she probably chewed you out after school." She squeezed his hand worriedly. "Are you feeling ok?"

Shawn sighed in relief. He thought Lisa had somehow found out about his little after-school activity with Jessica. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking about. Jessica really laid into me after school... " Which isn't entirely a lie, he thought.

She arched an eyebrow. "Jessica?! When did you start being on a first name basis with your biology teacher?"

Shit! "Ummm... I meant Mrs. Waters. Sorry. I guess I'm still a little pissed."

Karen's eyes narrowed. Shawn had always been the worst liar, and still was. "There's something you're not telling me. Spill it. You know how much I hate it when people lie to m... " She then noticed a growing red blot on the back of his shirt. "What the hell is this?" She touched the stain carefully. "Fuck! You're bleeding!"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Got it in P.E. today. Don't worry about that."

Karen didn't take his advice. "Don't worry about it?! You're fuckin bleeding through the fucking shirt! I gotta get you to a fucking doctor!"

Shawn smiled. Karen was usually a very well behaved lady. She would only cuss when something really worried her. She must be very worried about him to be cussing up a storm like this. "I'm fine, Karen. Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure? The shirt's practically soaked!"

"I'm fine. Really." He kissed her on her forehead. "But thanks for caring."

She blushed. This was the first time Shawn had ever kissed her, even though it had been on the forehead. "If you say so." Her eyes narrowed in suspicion once more. "Now. Back to this 'Jessica' business... "

Shawn panicked. She was obviously not going to drop the subject, and he couldn't come up with a good excuse yet. Only one thing to do...

"Ouch!" he yelped in feigned pain.

Karen's eyes immediately filled up with concern again. "Are you ok? Is it hurting?"

It worked! "A little. Maybe I should get home... "

"Good idea! Let's go."

As soon as they enter the house, Karen immediately ordered Shawn to take off his shirt and sit while she went off looking for the first-aid kit. Ordered very fiercely, he did as he was told.

She came back with the kit in her hand, checking to see if she had everything she need. She sat down on a chair behind his. She dipped a q-tip into a bottle of disinfectant. "Now this might sting a little... " She looked up... and almost dropped the bottle. Lisa wasn't joking when she said that Shawn was built. Dear god! His physique reminded her of that statue by Michelangelo.

"Karen!"

'What was the name of that statue?' she pondered.

"Karen!!"

Shawn's voice jolted her from her stupor. "What!"

"Could you not use the disinfectant so liberally?" Shawn winced from the pain. "It really does sting."

Karen looked down. She was holding the bottle so that a little stream of liquid trickled onto the bloody wound. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry, Shawn!" She jumped up immediately, losing her balance in the process. Losing the bottle, her hand shot out and tried to grab something for support.

Her hand smacked against his injury just as the dropped bottle landed at the same place.

Shawn could barely refrain himself from screaming as his back muscles spasmed from the pain. Needing an outlet, he turned around and tightly wrapped himself around Karen until he could feel the pain subsiding.

Taken completely by surprise, she could only stand there as her brother embraced her. She closed her eyes as she felt his body shudder and shake, rubbing his muscular chest against her breasts. Reminded of what Lisa has said before, she took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. Her nipples, however, slowly hardened as the friction continued. 'This is not happening, ' she tried to convince herself. Her rapidly moistening panties told her otherwise. Moaning, she automatically ground her groin again his. 'I can't be getting turned on by my brother. What would mom think?' Will weakening, she found her knees buckling as a powerful feeling of lust began to dominate her mind.