Chapter 2

Neil checked his watch for the tenth time in as many minutes: still five minutes to go before the 10:00 meeting with Stacy. He paced back and forth on the path before the fountain, pausing only to push back his stringy, brown hair and survey the surrounding area for any sign of her approach. The park was empty, however, with the exception of a few joggers and the odd person out walking their dog. (At least, Neil thought they were odd; he hated dogs.) The area around the fountain was pretty much deserted, which made it perfect for the upcoming meeting. If, of course, that meeting ever took place. Despite Gary's repeated assurances, Neil was still not certain that Stacy would show up. He half-expected to see a police car pull into the parking lot or something like that. Gary, however, had been sure of their plan. He argued that for someone like Stacy, social standing and reputation were all; she wouldn't put either at risk by taking any chances that the evidence of her cheating would get out. Sharon had agreed with him, but Neil was not so sure; it wasn't Sharon's or Gary's ass on the line out here in the park. Still, he thought, it was worth a try, particularly considering the potential prize at the end of the day! He checked his watch again: still a few minutes to go. Neil looked up and scanned the park - if she didn't appear soon...

There she was: large as life and twice as beautiful! Stacy was approaching slowly along the jogging path which led into the park from the beach; she must have parked her car in the beach parking lot, where it was much less likely to be seen. That made sense. As far as Neil could tell, she was alone, which eased his anxiety considerably. Maybe this would work after all. He stopped pacing and watched as she walked towards him.

As she drew closer, he saw that her eyes were red and puffy, as though she had been recently crying, or hadn't slept much. Maybe both. She looked scared. If anything, though, Neil thought it made her even more gorgeous. This is really going to work, Neil thought to himself, his heart picking up speed.

Finally, she reached the circular path before the fountain and, after hesitating briefly, she walked up to him.

"Stacy," he greeted her...

Stacy had indeed spent an almost sleepless night, tossing and turning in anticipation of what would happen the next morning. When she finally did get up, she was almost exhausted with apprehension. All she could think about was what had happened to the last person who had been caught with a stolen exam paper. The expulsion from school... the criminal charges... the public exposure! That was the worst. The thought of the humiliation made her tremble as she quickly got ready to leave for her encounter with the person who sent the note. A brief excuse to her parents at breakfast, and she was out the door and on her way.

Stacy was not surprised to see Neil standing at the fountain as she entered the park. The blonde teenager had quickly realized last night that the note must have come from him. He was the only person who knew about her cheating, and he was the only person who could have taped their meeting. The question was: what did he want from her to keep quiet about it? The answer, unfortunately, was not difficult to figure out. She could see the way he watched her as she approached the fountain. The way his eyes played over the curves on her body, undressing her. Stacy shuddered. She did not find him attractive - he was tall and painfully thin, with long greasy hair and an unpleasant complexion - but had made up her mind the previous night that she would do anything - almost anything - to get the tape back, including sleeping with him. Anything to keep him quiet. She was afraid, however, that this was exactly what she was going to have to do.

"Stacy," he greeted her as she approached. He was smirking.

"I thought it would be you," she spat out, unable to hide the anger and hatred in her voice. "What do you want?"

"Why, Stacy," he feigned surprise and hurt, "is that any way to greet your partner in crime? You seemed happy enough to see me a couple of weeks ago... when you needed the exam paper." The tall teenager sat himself down on a bench and patted the space next to him, gesturing for her to take a seat next to him.

"Fuck you," she blurted out. "I want that tape." She couldn't believe he had the nerve to treat her like this. She fought down the urge to slap that obnoxious smirk off his ugly face; there was time for that later.

Neil just smiled slightly and again patted the place next to him on the bench. "I don't think that that's a very helpful attitude," he said mildly. "Why don't you just sit yourself down right here, and we'll have a little chat about it."

She just stared at him angrily.

"After all," he continued, "it wouldn't do to be seen arguing in public. Someone might ask why."

Torn between anger and fear, Stacy hesitated for a few moments more, but finally gave in and sat down beside him. She tensed up as he put his right arm around her shoulder, but didn't pull away. She hoped no one could see them together; it would be impossible to explain this to her friends at school.

"That's better," he said smoothly. "Now we can talk."

She turned slightly towards him, ignoring the condescending tone of his voice. Anger had won out over the fear, if only briefly. "You know what I want, you fucker. You tricked me. I want that tape back, and I want you to shut your fucking mouth about the whole thing, you asshole..."

She was stunned into a shocked silence as he brought his left hand around and slapped her across the face. It wasn't particularly hard, but it was surprising and humiliating. She brought her hand up to her stinging cheek and started to pull away, but Neil held her close. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"First thing, Stace," he told her quietly. "Don't swear at me, or even in my presence. It makes you sound cheap. Do you understand?"

Dumbly, she nodded her head as the tears began to flow down her cheeks. The humiliation at being talked to like this was even worse than being slapped. What was he doing to her?

When he saw her nod, he relaxed his hold, but still kept his arm around her. The cheek he had slapped was starting to turn red, so he leaned forward and kissed it. Stacy tensed and started to tremble, but she didn't pull away. "There, there," he said soothingly, as he brought his hand up to wipe the tears off her cheeks, "Is that better?"

Trembling, she nodded.

"Fine," Neil leaned back on the bench. "Now we can talk. As you know, I have evidence that could fuck you up at Greenwood. I don't want to use it like that, but I will if I have to."

"If you give out that tape," she argued, regaining some control (but still not pulling away from his encircling arm), "you'll be expelled too. I'll let everyone know who sold me the exam. We'd go down together." She had thought of that argument last night, while tossing and turning in bed.

Neil just shrugged. "You can try," he answered. "But I don't know if anyone will believe you. My voice can't be recognised on the tape and I have friends who will be willing to swear that I was somewhere else that Friday. Besides, I almost failed the test; who'll believe I had the questions ahead of time?" He fell silent for a moment and looked at her. "And even if I do get expelled, it's no big deal; people expect it of me. It's your reputation that matters."

He was right. Stacy began to cry again, and was forced to suffer the humiliation of Neil again brushing the tears from her cheeks. "S-so, what do you want, then?" She was defeated. She would give him what he wanted.

"You," came the expected answer. "For just one night. Tomorrow night. I want you to make love with me and act as though you like it. After, I'll give you the only copy I have of the tape."

Stacy began to tremble again as he said this, but she was not particularly shocked. Here, she was on familiar ground; most of the boys at school wanted the same thing of her, and she was used to dealing with their desires. As well, she had expected something like this, and it could have been a hell of a lot worse. She didn't find Neil attractive, and almost gagged at the thought of having sex with him, but she was certainly not a virgin. And one night wasn't forever. It would be unpleasant, but it would be over with quickly, and she would never have to talk to him again. And, once she had the tape...

Stacy was careful, however, not to let her thoughts show. No need to let this asshole know that she was not as scared as she seemed. "And you'll give me the tape?" she asked quietly.

"Sure."

"How do I know that you won't keep a copy of it and blackmail me again?"

"You don't," came the simple answer. "But I swear on my mother's grave that I will not use the tape to blackmail you again." She looked doubtful, but he just shrugged. "That's the best I can do."

"Just one night?"

Neil nodded.

"And it'll be a secret, right? You won't tell anybody?" This was crucial. If anyone ever found out that she had slept with Neil French, whatever the reason, she would be ruined at school. It would be even worse than being caught cheating.

Once again, Neil nodded. "No one will have to know," he told her.

Stacy fell silent for a few moments and then nodded her agreement. She had stopped trembling and seemed thoughtful. "OK," she agreed, finally, "I'll do it. Just one night. And no one knows."

"Right." Neil could barely keep himself from laughing out loud. If only she knew what they had planned for her! "Show up at my place tomorrow night at 7:00. Can you find it?"

"I have a student directory," she answered, "I'll find it." She pulled away to get up and leave, but Neil held her close.

"Don't I get a goodbye kiss?" he asked her. "To keep me until tomorrow?"

Fighting down an urge to vomit, she allowed herself to be pulled toward him and pressed her lips to his. Her hands hanging limply at her side, she tried to keep her mouth shut, but his tongue was insistent, and was soon exploring the inside of her unwilling mouth. His breath smelled like smoke and she almost gagged.

"Just one night," she told herself, as he drew the kiss out until it was more like necking than a single kiss.

Finally, he released her. Gasping, she staggered to her feet and hurried off.

"Until tomorrow then," he called after her.

Sharon squeezed herself into the back of closet, trying as best she could to make herself comfortable in the pile of clothing Neil had laid out for her. From where she sat, she had an unobstructed 3/4 view from the head of Neil's bed. She peered through the viewfinder of her father's video camera. "Looks good," she reported to Gary, as he watched from where he sat on the side of the bed. "As long as the lights stay on, I should have no trouble with the filming. It's kind of tight in here, though."

Gary smirked at her. "You should be getting used to it by now," he joked. "That cupboard a couple of weeks ago was no bigger."

Sharon laughed in agreement. What with the filming in the Woodwork Shop, and now in Neil's bedroom, she was becoming something of an expert in this sort of thing. Perhaps, she reflected, she should look into becoming a private detective. There must be a lot of money in doing this sort of thing for divorce cases in the like.

The 18 year-old girl settled back against the closet wall as her friend and sometime boyfriend adjusted the tripod and camera in front of her to give her a little more room. She was looking forward to the upcoming events, although she still found it hard to believe that Stacy would show up and go through with it. Imagine... the Ice Queen agreeing to fuck Neil! (Imagine anyone agreeing to fuck Neil.) And she was there to get it all on tape! Between the camera she was running, and the second video camera set up on the bookshelf beside Neil's bed, they should be able to catch the whole event for posterity. And after that, Gary had plans for Stacy that made Sharon wet and shivery just thinking about them. She hated Stacy, and all of the stuck up cunts like her at school. The chance to fuck one of them over was irresistible for her.

"You OK?" Gary broke into her thoughts. The camera was set up in front of her, and everything was ready.

"Gimmie a kiss," she ordered, reaching up. Gary leaned over and kissed her fully on the mouth, his tongue playing with hers. She could tell that he was as excited about what was going to happen as she was, despite his calm manner. Maybe they had time to...

"Hey hey," Neil called out jokingly, entering the bedroom. "This is supposed to be my night. Knock it off." Reluctantly, Sharon let go of Gary and settled back down into her position in the closet. Trust Neil to show up at the wrong time. Gary smiled at her and shrugged his shoulders.

"Later," he whispered.

Sharon shivered as he partially closed the closet door, leaving it open just a crack. "Shit," she muttered to herself, trying to get comfortable. A few moments later, she was wishing that she had a cigarette.

Stacy preceded Neil into his bedroom and stood there while he closed the door behind him. She was wearing blue jeans and a yellow tee-shirt, and had her blonde hair pulled up into a simple ponytail.

"Like it?" Neil asked, gesturing vaguely towards the room. Stacy looked around. It was a small, basement bedroom, surprisingly bright considering the fact that there was only one, small window. The light, however, did the room no favours. It merely exposed the battered '70s-style wood panelling that covered the walls. That, along with the worn shag carpet gave the room a slightly sleazy look to it. More or less what Stacy would have expected. Besides the bed - a single bed, she noticed - which sat in the corner of the room next to the closet, the only furniture in the room was a battered couch and coffee table set up under the window. The table was covered with comics and magazines, as were the bookshelves which lines the wall over the bed.

"Nice," she said sarcastically. "I can see you've done a lot with it." Before coming, she had decided to be as pliant as she could be, to go along with everything as quickly as possible, but now that she was here, she was unable to conceal her contempt and anger.

Neil did not react to her sarcasm. "Like a drink?" he asked, pulling out a bottle from under the coffee table. "Whiskey. I'm having one."

The last thing Stacy wanted to do was hang around for a casual drink, but as long as he was going to have one, she figured she may as well have a drink as well. It might even make things a little easier. "Yeah, fine," she answered. "With water." Gingerly, she sat down on the edge of the couch, careful to avoid the magazines and - she now saw - cigarette ashes which were spread out on the cushion. Neil disappeared into the adjoining bathroom and mixed the drinks. She heard the water running for a moment, and then he returned with two glasses. He handed one to her and then raised his drink in salute: "To us," he stated.

Stacy just stared at him for a moment. Fuck you, she thought. "To us," she echoed unwillingly, raising her own glass. After this is over, she told herself, taking a sip of the drink, I'm going to have to get this asshole taken care of. She knew a few guys on the football team who...

"So," Neil interrupted her thoughts, sitting down next to her on the couch, "did you have a nice weekend?"

Oh fine, she thought, small talk. Asshole. "Just great," she answered sarcastically. "How about you?"

"I've been horny all weekend," he told her, "thinking of you."

His directness and unapologetic crudity shook her, reminding her of her situation, and why she was here. Best to get it over with as soon as possible. Deliberately, she drained the glass in one gulp and slammed it down on the coffee table. "Stop fucking around. Let's get on with it."

Neil, however, was in no hurry. He took a casual sip of his drink and smiled at her. "Get on with what?"

"You know." She gestured vaguely with her hand. "... It."