Chapter 2

As it happened, our panic was unfounded. We found her parents sitting at the kitchen table, eating ice cream. It turns out they were only disappointed we hadn't been a little more discreet about our activities, and warned that if Stacey's brother ever walked in us like that, then there would be problems.

To say we were relieved would be an understatement.

The rest of the weekend was wonderful. Stacey and I spent most of it locked at the hip, but did take time to ride into town for the festivities. I spent more than twenty dollars on a ring toss game trying win a teddy bear for Stacey. I have never been athletically inclined, and the poor carnival barker, who had been getting quite a laugh at my expense, finally just gave me a prize. Stacey was delighted, and her response was worth the wasted time and money.

Sunday night, as I was preparing to drive back to campus, Stacey's father pulled me aside for a "chat."

"John, you know Stacey really likes you, right?" I nodded.

"I like her too, sir."

He looked hard at me for a long moment, and then slowly nodded his head. "I know you do, or I know that you think you do, but I just want to be sure. Stacey's first boyfriend was the love of her life, and I know she still has feelings for him. He promised her the world, but turned out to be a real creep. She was hurt badly and didn't date until she met you. You seem to have swept off her feet, and I think it's wonderful. I want you to be careful with my baby though. Right now she's more in love than I've ever seen her, but if she gets hurt again, I don't know what could happen to her. Understand?"

"Yes sir," I answered as seriously as I knew how. "I don't know what will happen between the two of us, but your daughter is very important to me, and the last thing I would intentionally do is hurt her."

"Then that is what I wanted to hear. Have a safe trip home, and whenever you feel like it, stop by, you're always welcome here." We shook hands and he went back inside the house, to let everyone know I was about to leave.

I got a huge hug and kiss from Stacey, another handshake from her father and one from her brother, and a quick hug from her mom. Another hug from Stacey, and I was on my way.

The rest of the summer went by quickly. Knowing Stacey would be on a family vacation for much of August, I spent as much time with her as possible before their trip. I'd been thinking about something in the back of my mind, but wasn't sure how Stacey, or more importantly her parents, would react. I knew mine wouldn't care. After a blowout with my dad, over something so inconsequential I don't now remember what it was, we weren't talking. I stayed in college, they kept the tuition checks coming. Simple enough.

Finally one evening on the phone, a few days before Stacey and her family left, I broached the subject.

"Uh, Stacey, I've been meaning to ask you if you've gotten your dorm assignment yet."

I could hear her moving papers around on her desk. "Just a sec... yeah, I'll be in Nelson Hall this year," she responded. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was thinking about you and how you always seem to spend so much time at my place during the school year. I'm in a two-bedroom apartment, and I was wondering if you'd want the other one."

She paused for a moment. "I don't think so."

I was stunned. I had planned on having to talk her parents into this, not Stacey. "Why not?"

"Because," she giggled, tired of playing with my emotions, "I'd rather stay in your bed, if you don't mind."

I sighed in mock exasperation. "Sometimes you're just too much. But that's great. Now, do we need to convince your parents, or will they be cool with it?"

"Let me do the explaining. I don't think it will be too hard. I'm not sure how they'll react, so I think for now I'll tell them about the spare bedroom, if you don't mind. No need to tell them everything... they are my parents, after all, and I need some secrets from them."

"Excellent. I'll leave you to it then. Have a great vacation, and let me know what happens, okay?"

She agreed. "This is going to be such a fun school year! I'm going now. I love you!"

I know I froze for a second. This was the first time either of us has professed something as serious as love to the other. How should I react? I liked her an awful lot, we both knew that, but was it that big? I think it was.

"I love you too," I replied, after my short pause.

"Bye."

"Bye."

I hung up the phone, a bit out of breath. I truly had meant to offer the second bedroom to her, and she had caught me by surprise by wanting my bed instead. Not that I was complaining, I just wasn't sure if I was ready for things to move in this sudden direction. Fucking is one thing, but I'm not sure how domesticated I am.

I went for a walk that evening, to sort things out in my mind, since Stacey seemed pretty well set in her decision making. I came to the conclusion that although Stacey was really my first serious girlfriend, I liked and respected her enough to know that I really did love her. It was more than the sex, although that was wonderful. Stacey was just a good person all around, and I would be foolish to not jump at this opportunity, whatever it might be.

Satisfied I had made a good decision, I went home.

A couple days later, the day Stacey and her family were to head out on their trip, I received a short phone call from Stacey's mom, wanting to check on some details about the apartment. It was apparently fine with her parents if she stayed with me, as long as she rented the room from me. I tried to tell her it was already paid for by my father, but she insisted on some payment, which I grudgingly accepted. Quickly setting up a time when she and her family would bring Stacey's stuff to school, I wished them a happy vacation and said goodbye.

The beginning of school came and went. I found myself falling more and more in love with Stacey every day. I believe she felt the same.

Having never had a female roommate before, much less one I was sleeping with, I had worried that it would be a bit awkward. It couldn't have been less so. I became used to various bits of hose and underwear hanging in the bathroom, and to her credit Stacey was very forgiving when I forgot to put down the toilet seat.

We quickly grew into a routine of cleaning and vacuuming, and laundry and dirty dishes also found a place in our shared housekeeping.

In short, in no time at all I felt like part of an old married couple.

Or a very old married couple on the occasions when we argued and fought. It was at those times when I was glad to have the second bedroom, or it certainly would have been the couch for me.

Christmas neared, and Stacey and I had the thought of having a holiday celebration at "our place" this year. Her parents were invited and gladly accepted; mine were invited but claimed prior plans. Whatever.

The week before Christmas was hectic to say the least. Final exams were late this semester, and school didn't let out until the 21st of December, leaving us only a couple days to get ready for Stacey's family. They would be arriving Christmas Eve and staying through the 26th, so time was scarce.

Gifts were wrapped, food was prepared, and the entire place cleaned in record time. We felt we were ready, but still we panicked over each small detail.

We worried in vain, however, as her parents and brother were more than appreciative of our efforts, complimentary to a fault, and the festivities went off without a problem.

After walking her family to the car, we waved as they drove down the street, and then hurried inside to the warmth of the living room. We made love on the carpet in front of the tree. Our personal gift to each other.

That spring went very much like the fall. We were in love and everyone around us knew it. Caleb and Mary, two of our best friends, teased us unmercifully. Caleb had proposed over Christmas break and of course Mary said yes, and he told me he was sure we were next.

In truth, I had thought of looking for a ring, but decided it could wait.

Unfortunately, good things have a way of being evened out by bad things, and our lives were no exception. In April I found out my father had developed a brain tumor and was in the hospital. He went into surgery to have the marble-sized lump removed, and things were looking up for him, but something went wrong and he slipped into a coma. Feeling guilty, I visited from time to time, but quickly tired of seeing his lifeless body as it wasted away in a thin gown, tubes stuck in wherever they would fit.

Around the same time, Stacey's mother had a health crisis of her own. No doctors could say for certain what was ailing her, but her energy flagged, she found herself weak and tired constantly, and eventually had to leave her job. She was constantly depressed and was at a loss as far as how to get better. She continued to get worse.

After finishing our junior year, I dropped the lease on the apartment, packed my belongings, and headed home to watch after my mom, at least for the summer. Stacey did the same. We promised to talk over the summer, and planned on getting another apartment together the next fall, if not a house.

As often happens, life has a way of taking over. Stacey's mom was not improving and Stacey was forced to make a decision between family and school, and family won, at least temporarily. She called me one afternoon to tell me the bad news. Stacey and her family had talked things over, and she had decided to take off the first semester from school, possibly the entire year. Her father was a representative for a small farm implements company, and spent much of his week on the road, so it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to care for his wife.

Stacey volunteered to help, an idea immediately dismissed by her parents. She kept pressuring them, and they finally relented, on the condition that once her mother's health improved sufficiently, Stacey would start school at the earliest opportunity. She agreed, and the decision was made.

I was disappointed, of course, having been looking forward to seeing Stacey the rest of the summer, but I understood her reasoning. My own father's failing health had given me a new respect for my mother and her inner strength, and I felt obligated to help out as much as possible. Thankfully, my aunt and uncle lived close by, and would watch over things when I was away, so I started school as planned.

To be honest, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Because of the rising costs of my father's health care, I was back in the dorms for my final year. I was fine with that. The only real drawback was having to share three washers and dryers with an entire floor. But I also didn't pay utilities, so it was okay.

My roommate was no one I knew. Because I was so late in signing up for the on-campus housing, I was assigned a student at random. His name was Mike, and he was a nice guy. Maybe a little more of a party animal than I would have liked, but I'm sure I was a real downer for him too.

I talked with Stacey most weekends, when the phone rates were cheapest, and occasionally during the week. We discussed our parents, mostly. Nothing seemed to be changing with my father. He was still in a coma, and was slowly slipping away. My mom had resigned herself to the fact that he would soon be on life support, and then it was only a matter of time. Stacey's mother was still very much under the weather, but didn't seem to be getting worse. Some days were better than others, of course, but overall she seemed to be holding steady.

My class schedule was making it difficult to get away on weekends, either to Stacey's house or to visit my mother. As difficult as it was being away from Stacey, we both realized it was necessary. As the fall semester progressed, it looked more and more likely Stacey would be back in the spring, something that I was definitely looking forward to.

One Friday in November, a couple weeks before Thanksgiving I was sitting at my desk studying when Mike burst into our room.

"John, get out of your damn chair right now. We're going to a party."

I looked up at his outburst and saw my roommate, propped up on the arms of two girls I'd never met, a bottle of wine in his right hand and what looked to be a pair of underwear in the other.

I grinned at him. "Looks like you've already been partying without me. I think you're doing fine for the both of us." I turned back to my study notes.

"John, you don't understand," he looked at me imploring me to understand. "Jenny," and he looked to the girl on his right, "thinks you're a really cute guy. I don't see it myself, but she's convinced Heather that you have to go to this party with us. Right girls?" They nodded, Jenny looking into my eyes and licking her lips seductively.

"Mike. I'd love to, but I have a big exam in my practical applications seminar and if I don't get any studying done tonight I'll fall behind."

"Screw studying. It's the weekend!" It was obvious Mike had been drinking, he was slurring his words almost beyond recognition, and I could see he was having trouble focusing, much less standing. Knowing that in his inebriated state he would keep begging until I gave in or he passed out, I sighed to the inevitable.

"Fine, I'll go, but just for a little while." I looked at the girl I thought was Jenny. "Sorry, I really do have to get some studying done this weekend."

A smile lit her face. "Cool!" she practically squealed. Rushing over to grab me, she bumped Mike with her hip and sent him sprawling. Realizing what she had done, she froze, wanting to grab me but feeling obligated to help Mike.

"No problem. My fault. Sorry." Mike apologized to no one in particular as Heather helped him to his feet. "Thanks buddy," he slurred in my direction. "You'll have a blast at the party. Jenny's the best."

I saw Heather give him a little glare before smiling at me. Mike didn't notice a thing.

Heather guided Mike out of the room, looking back at me, before pushing Jenny towards me, whispering "Have fun you guys."

"Wow. So, hi. I'm John and you're Jenny?"

She smiled at me. "Yeah. You've got a really nice room. It must be nice being a senior, huh?"

"I guess so, another few months and I'll be out of her and into the real world. When do you... what year did you say you were?" For some reason I found myself tongue-tied around this beautiful girl.

"I didn't say," she giggled softly. "I'm a freshman. But I'm mature!" She pouted her lips and cocked her hip, trying to look... mature, I think. It didn't really work, but it was sexy as hell.

"So how much studying do you have to do? Do you really not want to go to the party? I love parties and this one is supposed to be so cool!" She was almost shaking with giddiness over how cool this party was, I really hated to be such a wet blanket.

"I really can't afford to take more than an hour or so. It's a big test, and I want to do well on it."

I saw her face drop. "But it's going to be such a good party, and I really want to go with you."

Not wanting to hurt her feelings too badly, I tried to explain. "I like parties too, but I'm here to get a degree. Most weekends are good for me, but this one really isn't. But we could hang out here for a while, if you want." I blurted it out before I realized what I said. What was I saying? What about Stacey?

She nodded solemnly towards me. She too was here to get a degree.

As long as it didn't interfere with her parties, I thought to myself, rather uncharitably.

She looked around the room, thinking to herself. Making a decision, she got to her feet and closed the door.

From the moment she had walked in the room, she looked familiar to me, but I couldn't place her, and wrote off the feeling, assuming she must be one of those people who have familiar faces. As she sauntered back towards me, I took the time to really look her over. I couldn't shake the feeling that I knew her from somewhere.

The first thing I noticed was the tits. I'm sorry to say it but in her case it was true. I know the proper thing to notice is the eyes. And all women are supposed to be so sensitive and funny and beautiful inside, but there was no getting around it, Jenny had a big rack. I'm no expert on bra sizes, and it always amazes me that someone can look at a girl and immediately go, 'she's got a set of 38D tits on her' because I don't know it can be done, but any way you looked at it, Jenny was stacked. Think of a Barbie doll come to life, except not quite so front heavy, and I know for a fact that Jenny, unlike Barbie, had nipples. They were kind of hard to miss, sticking out the front of her white tank top. Obviously it was too cold for her in my room.

In addition to the tiny tank top, Jenny had on a tiny denim skirt and knee-high leather boots. 'This girl is only 18?' I thought to myself.

What made it more unbelievable was her ass, which I got a good view of as she suddenly spun in front of me and bent over to unzip and remove her boots. The skirt rode up over the bottom of her cheeks, and I was faced with the smooth moons, with only a thin strip of a yellow thong to preserve her modesty.

Suddenly she turned towards me, catching my look of embarrassment at being caught peeking.

"It's okay if you want to look. I don't mind." So saying, she peeled off her tank top, revealing what I had suspected. She wasn't wearing a bra, and her large tits swayed in the air with very little sag, nipples pointing straight ahead.

Seeing my look of approval, Jenny grabbed her tits with both hands, squeezing them together. "You like?"

I could only nod, my throat suddenly dry and my mind going a thousand miles an hour trying to figure out what was going on.

I was so deep in thought I forgot Jenny was standing in front of me, until she jarred me back to reality by dropping to her knees. She began stroking the insides of my legs, and to my horror I could feel the blood begin pumping into my soft penis, filling and engorging it, and we both watched as it twitched to life, tenting the loose shorts I was wearing for studying.

"Ooh... looks like someone else likes my boobs too," she smirked, reaching out with one pink-tipped finger and tracing a line down one side of my cock, and gently squeezing my balls.

I gasped at the contact and felt myself throb to my complete length, as her hand slid up and down my hard shaft, on the outside of my shorts.

Quickly tiring of this, she dragged me to my feet and yanked my shorts and underwear to my knees. Pressing herself against me, she grasped me in her hot hand, rubbing my cock over her face and neck, kissing the head softly, before inhaling my entire length in one stroke.

"Oh God," I heard myself say. She giggled at my reaction, and started bobbing her head up and down my shaft at a furious pace. My hips started making involuntary little thrusts into her throat, but she didn't seem to notice, so intent was she on her mission.

I tried to grab her tits, hoping to give her some pleasure in this, but she just slapped my hands away with a gentle shake of her head.

Obviously intent on bringing me off as quickly as possible, she started sucking on the head of my cock, lashing the tip and sensitive underside with her tongue, while with her left hand grasped my shaft and began stroking furiously.

I knew I wasn't going to last long and tried to warn her of my impending orgasm, but she just nodded slightly and increased the strength of her motions.

Suddenly I felt my balls tighten and the familiar contractions began and within seconds I was shooting into her mouth. It had been months since I'd had any sex with Stacey, and this was so unexpected and exciting, that I shot five or six large ropes of jism into her mouth, followed by three or four more weak spurts. My knees gave out and I popped out her mouth, seeing a surprised look on her face as she quickly shut her mouth, and fell back on my bed.

As unexpectedly as it had started, the evening ended, because without warning, and without another word, Jenny put on her tank top and boots, and with one quick glance at my wall clock, she was out the door.

Unbelievable.

I found out the next day what had happened. Needing to spend some time alone with my books, I trudged to the library to get some studying done away from my dorm. My roommate Mike is a nice enough guy, but when he's as hung over as he was this morning, he can be quite the grouch. So I packed up my books and notepads and was off.

As I walked in the main doors of the library and nodded to the student librarian, things started clicking into place. There was Jenny! I looked again to make sure I wasn't imagining it, but it was her. I suddenly realized why she had looked familiar the night before. Gone were the tank tops and fuck-me boots, but it was definitely her. Dressed quite a bit more properly this morning, she blushed prettily when she saw me looking at her.

I walked over, curious to hear her explanation of the night before.

"Hey," I said, as noncommittally as possible. "What's going on?"

"Um... nothing much. How are you?" She was having a difficult time meeting my gaze.

We talked about fairly bland, everyday school stuff for a little while, until finally I needed to know.

"So, where'd you run off to so fast last night?" I asked, tired of beating around the bush.

"Back to my sorority," she started.

I found out she was a freshman pledge at one of the bigger sororities on campus, and one of her sisters had demanded that Jenny bring her a fresh mouthful of cum before midnight, or face severe punishment. As it turned out, Jenny was somewhat on the shy side, although last night certainly wouldn't have shown it.

She had been screwing up her courage all night, but when she finally got to my dorm, her mind was made up. She had hoped to get me alone at the party and explain things to me, since she knew I was a "nice guy," but when I wanted to stay in the dorm, she saw her opportunity and took matters into her own hands, so to speak.

"So how was it," I asked, curious, having never tasted my own spunk, and honestly having to desire to do so.

"Kind of gross," she answered, "but I did it, so that's all that matters."

"Last night was kind of a shock to me, but you need to know I have a girlfriend back home and..."

"Oh no! Shit," she swore, and suddenly looked around, realizing where we were. She continued, her voice much softer. "I have a steady boyfriend here on campus, but he's on the football team and wasn't around this weekend because of an away game. I wish I'd had time to explain it last night, but I was in a hurry." She blushed again. "I'm sorry, I hope you don't think horribly of me!"

I laughed quietly at her, assured her it was okay, that I didn't mind being used as a semen pump, and went on to study, silently shaking my head.

As the day wore on, however, I began to feel more and more guilty.

I wasn't upset with Jenny, not really. She obviously had a goal in mind and I became the most likely target, so more power to her. I was a little pissed at myself, for having given in to her as easily as I had. Sure she was pretty and sexy and obviously willing, but there were lots of girls out there, and if I would cave as quickly as I did with Jenny, then what would the future hold for me when Stacey came back to school.

I chewed on this problem for the next week, before deciding I had to tell Stacey. It was important to me to keep things on the level with her. It was difficult enough for the two of us, being apart for so long, much less dealing with our parents' health issues,

It was the week after Thanksgiving, and I was back at school, when I finally screwed up the courage to call Stacey and spill all. After talking of inconsequential matters for a few minutes, I finally started.

"Stacey, I have to tell you something, and I apologize with all my heart, because I know it's going to make you angry."

"What?" she questioned, and I could hear the nervous edge into her voice.

"A couple weeks ago, a Friday night, I was studying in my dorm, when my roommate came in, with two girls hanging all over him..." I went on to explain everything that had gone on that night, leaving nothing out, including the next morning at the library. I pleaded with her to understand that it would never happen again, it was a weak moment for me, and it meant nothing to me. She, Stacey, was the world and I would do everything in my power to avoid hurting her.

When I was done there was a long pause on the other end of the phone. Was she in shock? How much did she hate me?

"Stacey, are you there? I'm sorry, it was..."

"Hold on a second, John. Wait. Don't say anything else."

"Are you mad at me?" I asked, dreading her answer.

"I have to go."

"Wait!"

"No, my mom needs me. We'll talk about this later. I'm not mad. It's okay. Bye." And she hung up.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I knew I had screwed up badly. She didn't sound mad really, but it didn't seem 'okay' in the least. I thought about calling back immediately, but knew that wouldn't be helpful.

So I did what I always do in situations like this. I pulled back into a shell and studied.

Mike seemed to know something was up, but after I assured him nothing was his fault, he seemed in a better mood. And why shouldn't he? It wasn't his fault he'd brought Jenny to our room. He didn't know about her agenda, at least I didn't think he did, and even if he was in on it, I made the ultimate, bad decision.

During the weeks leading up to Christmas break I talked with my mother more often than normal. My father was now on life support, and was slipping away more quickly.

We discussed it, and decided that if he was still deteriorating after New Year's, we would seriously consider pulling the plug. It saddened me. Even though we hadn't been close the last few years, he was still my mother, and I suppose some corner of my being still loved him.

Finals over, and feeling pretty good about myself, I made the drive home and set up my old room again. I would be home for the next month, and wanted to get settled as soon as possible.

My mother and I spent the next few days at the hospital. There wasn't much we could do, but we both felt an obligation to be with him, especially around the holidays.

Christmas Day didn't look like it was going to be very exciting. The two of us exchanged presents, such as they were. My mother gave me some new clothes, of course, and I got her a necklace I'd seen one day the summer before while shopping with Stacey. She put it on immediately, and it looked good on her, and she complimented how nice I looked in my clothes. I suppose she was right, and I was happy to have them, since I generally don't pay much attention to what I'm wearing. She's often had to throw clothes of mine away, so full of holes were they, when I hadn't as much as noticed.

After celebrating, I went to take a nap while Mom drove to the hospital. She wanted me to go, but I begged off, still sleepy and sluggish from the large dinner we'd had.

I lay in bed for a while after she'd gone, and decided to call Stacey. We hadn't talked much since our discussion a few weeks prior, and while we'd never again mentioned Jenny, I got the idea Stacey wasn't too happy, and I didn't blame her.

The phone rang a few seconds before her father answered. He seemed a bit surprised to hear me calling, but agreed to get Stacey for me. She picked up the phone, but didn't sound glad to hear my voice either.

"What's going on, Stacey? I asked. "Your dad seemed pissed that I called." A thought occurred to me. "Did you tell him about..." I couldn't finish.

"God, no!" she exclaimed, and I breathed a little easier. "He thinks you're a great guy, but he's mad at me."

"Why? What'd you do?"

There was a short pause, and I could hear Stacey take a deep breath and then heard a big sigh.

"We need to talk."

A chill ran up my neck, and I started feeling sick. She was breaking up with me, I knew it.

"Stacey, I'm so sorry. Please give me another chance," I started, before she cut me off.

"John, it's not you, it's me. You're a great guy, a fantastic guy, and I didn't deserve you before, and I certainly don't now."

"What? If it's not me, then what is it?"

"It's me," she choked out, and I could hear her voice shaking. "I'm pregnant."

"What? Is it mine?" I felt my future closing in and squeezing me, but knew what I had to do. "We'll deal with this, you know. I don't have a ring, but we can get married. It'll be difficult, with both of us still in school, but I can take a year off and get a job while you care for the baby. I hadn't planned on asking like this," I admitted, "but I'd been thinking about proposing." I felt myself starting to ramble, so I abruptly stopped talking and waited for Stacey to say something. Anything.

Again there was a long pause and I heard Stacey sobbing on the other end of the line. "Oh God, John... I'm so sorry, I never meant to hurt you like this." Suddenly it was quiet and I heard a thud as the phone dropped to the carpet. I could hear footsteps coming closer and then the phone was picked up.