Chapter 7

Allison was no athlete by any means, but you wouldn't know it from her speed. She was halfway back to her dorm and didn't even remember taking the stairs to exit the English building! No matter how hard she tried, it seemed she couldn't get far enough away from the scene of her crime.

She dropped her backpack inside her closet and fell on to her bed. The worst part of all was she didn't know what upset her more, the fact that she may have killed any chance of doing well in that class, or the fact that she had insulted his work. After all, who was she to judge? At least he had been published! And he was so nice to her. So interested in her... How could she have been so stupid?

With a sigh, Allison rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling. What in the world should she do? Drop the class while she still could? Apologize? She rubbed her throbbing temples as she weighed each option.

Sally Collins... Did he tell everyone about his romantic fiction, or was it a closely guarded secret? And why would he tell her of all people?

Feeling hot and sticky after her run back to the dorm, Allison decided to take another shower before she wandered over to dinner. Her robe tied securely in place and her shower caddy in hand, she ventured down the hall to the bathroom. Hopefully it wouldn't be too crowded this time of day.

The instant she stepped in the door, the smell of coconut hit her. Shampoo or conditioner, she speculated. Allison could see and hear that the shower stall down at the far end was occupied, and she would have sworn that she heard whispers along with the running water.

Instead of getting freaked out by the possibility of a couple sharing a shower, she was somewhat intrigued this time. In an uncharacteristic act of boldness, Allison entered the stall right next to the one that was occupied. She pulled off her robe and hung it on the hook on the back of the shower door. Sticking her hand under the spray, Allison adjusted the temperature of the water until it was just right. She stepped under the warm water, enjoying the feel of the hot spray on her joints and muscles. Smiling at the feeling, she grabbed her bar of soap and a rag and began lathering it up between her hands. When she was satisfied the washcloth was soapy enough, she began cleansing every part of her body.

Starting with her face, Allison worked her way down her body. As she did, her mind was barraged with all kinds of sex-related images and sensations. Anyone would have blushed from the nature of the images, especially an over-sheltered Catholic-schooled girl like herself, but she didn't let that stop her. Allison experienced the scenes with an open mind, not willing the visions away, but rather encouraging them to grow.

Kaija fingering herself, her back arching to gain more contact with her hand... the moaning couple she interrupted in the shower one day... Barclay and Kaija's sexy lovemaking scene... Barc's hot breath whispering into her ear during psych class, his hand roaming from her knee upward... Professor Salinger's tight butt as he bent over to help a student during class...

Allison closed her eyes and smiled at the visions as she shampooed her hair-hair that was a mousy brown and straight as a board. She frowned at the self-portrait. Her body was far from hideous, but her hair... the fact that she was intelligent... Ugh! Nobody'd ever want someone like her! But then it occurred to her. She could use that fact to her advantage. After all, if no one was-or could be--interested in her, she could get away with saying or doing anything she wanted without getting into trouble, right? She was free to be funny and impulsive, like Kaija, only she wouldn't have to worry about fending off the guys. Kaija got sex because she was gorgeous and wanted it. Not Allison. Nope, she'd be perfectly safe. And she'd be willing to bet campus life would be a lot more fun as a result of her new attitude, too!

She rinsed her hair, and then applied a generous dollop of conditioner. The fresh clean scent filled the stall as she worked the creamy lotion through her hair. Allison smiled at the relaxed feeling she got as her hands massaged her scalp. Gradually, more erotic scenes filled her head.

Kaija and Barclay feverishly making out... Barc's sexually charged comments at breakfast after Kaija headed off to class... Professor Salinger turning out the lights in his office... the gentle placement of the lemon candy on her tongue, one smooth finger touching her tongue in the process... his warm hand wrapped around hers... the electricity that shot through her body as he touched her knee and then worked his way up... the couple in the next stall moaning passionately...

Allison sighed as her mind took her on a faraway journey to places she had never even imagined. She had never experienced such a feeling of utter comfort and tranquility. But just as quickly as she was transported to her magical world, she was yanked back to reality. It took her a few moments to figure out what had happened to bring her back down to earth. Then it dawned on her-the moans from the next shower stall had turned into giggles, followed by the slam of the stall door as the couple left the room.

Finally regaining full awareness of her surroundings, Allison let out a sharp gasp. Her hand was lodged firmly between her legs, rubbing her clit in much the same way that Kaija had done that time in their room. She pulled her hand away and brought it up to her face to look at it. Her eyes widened, horrified. The musky smell of her juices made her feel like even more of a pervert. What self-respecting Catholic girl would do such a thing, she wondered to herself. That's just wrong!

But it felt good, she conceded, washing the guilty hand once more. And it was marginally less naughty than having sex with a guy, she justified. Wasn't it? Besides, no guy would ever want her anyway, so that was about the only way she was going to experience anything resembling a sexual sensation. Remember the new attitude, she reminded herself.

She patted her hair and body dry with a cheery turquoise towel, and then slid into her robe. Mumbling "God help me, I think I'm going insane," under her breath, Allison padded down the hallway back to her room.

Allison managed to live through the entire day on Friday without one embarrassing episode, for which she was eternally grateful. Could her luck be changing in light of her new attitude? She could only hope...

At 5:15, Kaija, Allison, and Barclay met at the dining commons for dinner as planned. The dining area was less crowded than usual since most students had either gone out to eat, or had left campus for the weekend.

As they walked over to a table overlooking the school's reflecting pond, Allison wrinkled her nose at the planks of fish that sat on her plate. "Jeez, it's not even Lent yet," she groaned. Kaija and Barclay laughed with Allison as they got settled into their table.

"Well ladies, we might as well make the best of it," Barclay said, eying his plate once more.

The trio was silent as they nibbled on homemade biscuits, corn, and mashed potatoes, a real starch-lover's dream. Kaija looked around the room and sighed. "We are so pathetic, guys," she said, scanning the room and seeing none of the in crowd. "This place is literally crawling with geeks and nerds who have nothing better to do on a Friday night!"

"Hey!" Allison scolded, "I resemble that remark!"

"Trust me, you don't," Kaija groaned. She winced as she finally took her first bite of fish. It was a miracle how campuses worldwide could take food and turn it into mysterious shapes, colors, and textures! Worst of all, it had little flavor, the consistency of cardboard, yet felt slimy in her mouth. Kaija scrunched her nose and shoved her plate to the middle of the table. She held her hands up in resignation. "I give up. The fish win! Scarf the rest of your food down guys, and let's blow this Popsicle stand!"

"Sounds like a plan, but where are we going to go?" Barc asked. After a couple minutes of silence, Barc came up with a suggestion. "I suppose we could go back to your room and have a manage-a-trois," he grinned devilishly.

Both girls laughed heartily, obviously not realizing that he was half serious.

And Kaija, being the wild, confident young woman she was, raised her eyebrows with a grin. "Hmm, that could have some possibilities..."