Chapter 9

I rang the doorbell to Miranda's house. I took a shower before I dressed and drove over, but it felt like I needed to take another shower. Why was I so nervous? It was just Miranda.

Miranda was still upstairs and not ready yet, so I sat rigidly on the edge of the couch cushion. Her parents sat in chairs facing me.

Dad made some small talk about golf and how we wished he had time to golf more.

Mom didn't say much and kept getting up and down to check on Miranda. When Mom was gone, Dad would ask a few more pointed questions about what Miranda and my night would be. I assured him we would be home at a reasonable hour. I knew I needed to keep that promise. It was a Friday night, but I wouldn't be able to stay out like I normally could on a Friday night.

I took Miranda to dinner at McDonalds. It's okay food and it's fairly cheap. The last was a plus. Like most girls, Miranda talked a lot and I mostly listened though she was wise enough to ask a few questions so that she could learn about me. It was a very pleasant time and I must have liked her because I listened intently to things that would normally be completely boring to me like tales about her pet cat that died a couple of years ago. I wasn't a cat person at all. My ideal thought about a cat was underneath the wheels of my car. I didn't tell Miranda that, of course.

"Do you want to go some place?" I asked.

We had sat at the table long after we finished our food.

"Where?" she said.

"Some place we can kiss," I said smiling.

She stood up. I took that as a yes.

I parked in a secluded area behind trees that hid the spot from the road. It was same place where Tiffany gave me the damnedest blowjob I ever experienced.

We leaned toward each other to kiss. The emergency brake was in the way so we couldn't get real close to each other but we could still make lip contact.

"Do you want to go into the backseat?" I asked after my neck was getting tight. The backseat was awful for sex but it should be okay for kissing.

"No," she gasped between kisses.

"It will be more comfortable. We'll just kiss. Nothing else."

"I don't trust myself."

"Okay."

I continued to kiss her then I realized what she said. She didn't trust herself? Did that mean she was interested in more? Did that mean she thought about fucking me? I kissed her as I stared into her face while her eyes were closed. I pondered her statement.

I had Miranda home by ten. She complained that it was too early but I told her she needed to blame her dad. Dad was very pleased to see his daughter home on time.

Miranda and I told her parents that we went to McDonald's and we talked until it was time to come home. That was all we told them.

"I don't know how long I'll be grounded," Erin said, answering my question during a break between classes.

I still hadn't had sex with Erin since her grounding. Not even on the weekends.

"It's Eric that has his grades low," I said. "Can't you convince your parents to release you from prison? It's not your fault."

I loved Erin. I was regularly having sex with Sara who I loved and with Crystal who I liked a lot. I also had gone out on a couple of dates with Miranda who I also liked a whole lot already but I still missed being with Erin. School and golf practice was not enough time spent with her. I needed time to talk to her and time to become really close to her which was only achieved through sex.

"My grades are down too," she said.

"They are?" I said.

"It's tougher this year."

Erin had essentially the same classes I had last year when I was a sophomore. It wasn't easy but it wasn't that hard to get at least a B in all the classes.

"Would it be easier if you skipped practice for a while?" I suggested. It would be even less time with Erin but in the long run it would mean she was free that much sooner.

"You need me to help teach Crystal."

"I taught all four of you by myself last year," I pointed out. "I don't want you back at practice until the spring."

"That's too long."

"When you've proven to your parents that you're serious about your classes you'll no longer be grounded, so we can be with each other again."

Erin smiled.

"I'm the coach," I said.

"Yes, sir!" she said, standing up straight and giving a mock salute.

It was days like today when I had to make a hard decision in my life that I was really grateful to have a second girlfriend. I guess I sort of had three other girlfriends.

I now worked with Crystal and Miranda during golf practice. Crystal was the one who required most of my time. Miranda's putting game was coming along and I could just put her on the practice green to putt and putt and putt. I had Sara continue to work with Samuel though I always spent some time watching him and giving pointers. He was improving quickly. Coach Sanders was smart to choose Samuel for the boys' team.

I incorporated playing the first few holes of the course into the practice. It was time for some real world experience especially when we would play half our tournaments right here. Miranda would learn to reign and control her powerful drives. Crystal would fully grasp the importance of not letting her club head fly open because now the ball went into roughs or traps.

Miranda agreed to come over to my place on Friday for dinner, conversation, and I imagined for kissing.

My dad was at some conference for the weekend for his work and my mom had joined him. They had postponed their annual anniversary trip because the conference was on the schedule. The hotel was paid for and Dad would be reimbursed for mileage, so they decided why not celebrate for cheaper? It made a lot of sense. Once again, Mom told me what to do in case of this or that as if I was a little kid and not the 16 years I was.

I pan-fried a couple of burger patties for dinner. I wasn't a cook in the slightest sense but even I knew how to turn on the burner and put a burger in a pan. With condiments, chips, and leftover potato salad, I had a complete meal.