Chapter 17

When I got home from school on Thursday, Kate was waiting for me, outside our front door. Clara was with her. I hadn't truly realized how sad and dejected Kate had been until I saw the difference in the way she looked and carried herself when Clara was once again with her. Clara, on the other hand, looked at me with a mixture of embarrassment and defiance. I wanted to make this as easy for her as I could. I'm certain that she felt like she was weak in my eyes, and had given in to her 'needs' by agreeing to forgive Kate so soon. I had lived with Kate through this for the past three weeks, and, to my mind, she had been punished enough. If she hadn't learned her lesson this time, she probably wasn't going to.

"Hello Clara. I'm really glad to see you around here again. Maybe now Kate will appreciate what a wonderful friend you are, and take special pains to protect, nurture and preserve your friendship." Maybe that was laying it on a little bit thick, but I really wanted her to know that I approved of her giving Kate another chance, now. My opinion of Clara had risen dramatically because of how she had handled this. She had handled things better than I ever would have. We all went into the house together.

"Can I speak to you, Larry, in private?" I looked over at Kate, but she was already turning and heading back to her bedroom. Perhaps Clara had warned Kate about wanting to talk to me when I got home? I waited until I was sure that Kate couldn't hear me before speaking.

"This is a good thing you're doing, Clara. Kate has been miserable without you as her friend."

"I'm worried about what you said, Larry, about it looking like I gave in because I was desperate for going back to what we do together. I don't want her thinking that I'll just accept anything she does to me from now on. I couldn't take too much more from her, not that way. Did you really mean it when you said you'd do what Kate does to me, if I couldn't help myself from needing it? I do need something, Larry. I don't want to come right back like this, and then immediately go back to the way things used to be with Kate. I'm not feeling very strong right now. If I'm alone with her, I don't think I could help myself. Can you help me?"

"Sure, Clara. Whatever you want from me. If you'd rather, we can all just sit out here in the living room. You can sit on the sofa with me, and I'll make Kate sit over on that chair. We'll all just talk. You and I can also go into my room together now, but that would sure look like we were excluding Kate, which would make her feel bad. We could try sitting out here first, and then, if you still feel like you want to, or even if you just want to pretend we are doing something, we can go into my room. I think Kate might accept it that way better. I think it would be better if she didn't feel like you were rejecting her friendship, just the intimacy part for now."

"Except I already know that I want to try that with you, Larry. If I knew that you could make my weakness around Kate go away, I'd feel a lot more comfortable around her. I just don't want her to think I need her so much that I'll let her get away with anything. I want to let you do it to me with Kate there too, just like she did it to me, with you there. Let her see what it feels like."

"Are you sure, Clara? That might be hard for her. I think she misses you that way even more than you miss her."

"I'm sure. We need to get started so we can be done before your mom gets home. I want to do it in Kate's room, Larry. That way, if your mom does come home early, we can pretend that we were doing our homework and you came in to help us with it."

Clara sounded pretty sure of what she was saying. She must have given this all a lot of thought. I wasn't that sure it would be a good idea for Clara and me to do things right in front of Kate. She might think of it as more punishment, and rebel against it by doing something that would get everyone into trouble. Kate had a tendency to disregard her own peril when she got sufficiently mad about something. When we were younger, she would often tell on herself too, just to make sure that whoever she was mad at got their share of the blame as well.

I had told Clara that I wanted to learn how to lick her though. I really did too. I had seen how strong an effect it had on her, and when Kate had asked her what she liked better, being licked or finger banged, she had picked being licked without any hesitation at all. As hot as she had been when I was playing with her pussy, I wanted to learn about something that could get her hotter. It was partly because of this anticipation, that I agreed to it. The fact that my dick was all swollen up and hard didn't help with any reasoning powers I might have brought to it either. Clara and I walked, holding hands with each other, back to Kate's room, and I knocked on her door. Kate opened her door up, and noticed right away that Clara and I were holding hands.

"Are you done with your private talking?" There was a combination of hurt and anger in Kate's tone. Even after everything she had gone through, there was a part of Kate that still felt that everyone was treating her unfairly about all of this. We ignored her comment and simply pushed ourselves into her room.

"Kate, Clara and I want to fool around together a little. We want to use your room in case mom comes home early. We think it would seem natural to mom if you and Clara were in here studying and I had just come in to help you with a school homework problem. Do you mind?"

"I do mind, Larry. Clara's my friend. If she wants to fool around, she can fool around with me."

"I don't want to do that Kate. I don't feel like doing anything like that with you right now. If you won't agree, then I'll just go home right now, and Larry and I will find some other way to be together later." Kate already had tears in her eyes. She could turn them on whenever she chose, at least that is how it now appeared to me.

"Don't do this Clara, I've changed, I really have. I know it was wrong what I did and I'm really sorry."

"Kate, I don't care right now. This is what I want, and it's with Larry. If you want to be my friend, you'll help us. If you don't help, then I guess we really weren't friends again." I personally thought that Clara was being too mean with the way she was talking to Kate. Clara was the one that had to decide what was enough for her though. I stayed out of it. Inside though, I felt bad for Kate. Over the past few weeks, I'd had a chance to see how much Clara's friendship and love had meant to her.

Under almost any other circumstances, my first instinct would have been to comfort Kate, to reassure her that things were going to turn out okay very soon. I didn't do that though. Kate had been given an ultimatum. She needed to decide what to do by herself. She had worked herself into this situation, now she had to decide what she was willing to do to show that she would be willing to atone for it. Clara seemed like she was as strong as I'd ever see her be around either Kate or me. She was definitely showing some backbone right then. It was Kate who gave in to this contest of wills.

"Don't go home, Clarabelle, I'll do whatever you say. Do you want me in here with you guys or out in the hall, listening for mom?"

"Stay right here. You can watch and see if Larry does a good job or not." Clara started things, by first taking off her skirt, and then her little pink panties. She put her hand down between her legs and gave herself a brisk rubbing before reclining on the bed and spreading her legs and drawing up her knees. This apparently wasn't going to be something we were going to work our way up to. Clara's face was already pink from her embarrassment. Kate was standing there, looking at her. I could sense that she wanted to be where I would soon be.