Chapter 27: Fun at the Swimming Hole

All of the kids grew more and more excited over the next couple of months as the school year drew to a close. It was especially nice because they had the camping trip to look forward to. Kari and Crystal had never been camping, and Allen said he hadn't gone since he was a boy.

Greg invested in another three-man tent, and Allen bought one just big enough for himself. The original plan was to have Greg and Allison in one tent, Allen in another, the Williams girls in a third, and the Primdale children in the fourth. However, Brit pleaded with them to let her sleep with Crystal, so they relented and said she could bunk in with the Williams girls.

That didn't bother Jeff; it would give him some time alone with Lissa. That didn't mean they would do anything naughty like last time. They were past that. They had just been two kids experimenting. He still liked to be alone with her though; she was nice to talk to and nice to hug. Maybe they would snuggle together in the tent again. That was innocent enough.

On the last day of school Allison picked them up and drove them home. Lissa was the happiest of them all; she was finished with high school forever. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy it; it was just that she was looking forward to starting a new life.

A week later they all went to her graduation ceremony. The Williams family joined them; although they had no one graduating, Kari and Crystal had become almost like part of the family, so it was only natural for them to be there for Lissa's big day.

Allison was almost in tears for the whole event, and when they met Lissa afterward and the hugs started, she broke down and let the tears flow. Jeff couldn't remember her ever being so emotional; certainly he had never seen her cry. But despite the tears, she kept a smile on her face.

The camping trip was scheduled for the following weekend. Greg had Jeff help him pack the equipment early on Saturday, then they took Allison over to the Williams house to help Allen pack as well, since he wasn't used to camping and needed a little assistance. Kari and Crystal lent a hand as well, curious and enthusiastic about the whole thing.

By the time they finished, it was noon, so Allen invited Greg and Jeff to stay for lunch. Greg called home and made arrangements with Allison. She was to fix lunch for the girls then help them get ready, and in an hour she would take the van and drive it to the Williams' house, where they would caravan into the mountains to the same campground they had gone to a couple of years before. Allison jokingly said that they were getting dangerously close to letting the secret out; it had been her family's favorite when she was younger, but now too many people knew about it.

Brit asked to ride with Crystal on the way up, and Greg quickly agreed. It would keep her from fighting with Jeff during the trip after all. Kari, on the other hand, rolled her eyes, joking that with the two of them to gang up on her she might not survive the trip. When Greg offered to let her take Brit's place in their van, she jumped at the chance, claiming that it was to get away from Crystal and Brit, but making no secret of the fact that it was really to be with Jeff.

The trip to the campground proved to be uneventful. Jeff really enjoyed himself, sitting between Lissa and Kari. Lissa was fun to talk to, and Kari of course was nice and affectionate, holding his hand and even laying her head on his shoulder. He was having so much fun that he didn't even realize they had been on the road that long when suddenly the two vehicles were pulling into the campground.

Like before, it was deserted. They parked the cars, then everyone climbed out. Jeff yawned and stretched, taking in a nice deep breath of the clean mountain air. Kari grabbed his hand again and glanced around excitedly; this was a new experience for her.

"I have an idea," said Allison. "We've got to set up four tents this time, so why don't we take two campsites that are next to each other? Adults in one and children in the other."

"Who are you calling a child?" demanded Lissa playfully.

"You're still seventeen for another month and a half, dear," Allison replied. "Until then, you're technically a child."

"Okay, I guess you're right."

"Anyway, that way the kids can stay up talking as long as they want, even between the tents, and it won't bother those of us who want to get some sleep."

"That works for me," said Allen. "Any objections?"

Everyone seemed to be in favor of the idea, so they picked two sites that were near each other and began to unload the gear. Greg and Allen set to work on the adults' tents, while Allison helped the children with theirs. It took them about half an hour to get all four tents up, then they all grabbed their sleeping bags and other personal items and stowed them inside.

"So did you say there's a swimming hole nearby?" Kari asked Lissa as soon as they finished setting up the camp.

"Yes there is. Do you want to go swimming?"

Kari nodded.

"I want to go too," said Crystal.

"Why don't we all go?" Lissa suggested. "Jeff, Brit, you too?"

"Sure," Jeff said.

"I guess I can stand to be near Jeff for a little while," Brit shrugged.

The girls headed into the tent to change into their swimsuits while Jeff headed over to the other site to let the grownups know where they were going. Greg told him to make sure everyone was back by five for dinner, which would give them a couple of hours to swim. Jeff asked if he could borrow some of the lawn chairs that they had packed just in case they wanted to sit out in the sun to dry off, then headed back over to the other campsite where Lissa was just emerging from the tent, wearing shorts and a tee-shirt over her swimsuit and carrying a towel. Jeff ducked inside and changed into his swimming trunks also, then emerged to find the girls waiting for him.

He stopped by the van to retrieve the three lawn chairs that the adults weren't using, then they all headed down the trail to the swimming hole.

It was just the way he remembered it from a couple of years ago. The sand on the shore was nice and soft, the sun felt warm, and the water looked cool and refreshing. Kari spread out a beach towel and suggested they all put their shirts and shorts on it so they wouldn't get dirty. Jeff set up the lawn chairs as the girls stripped down to their swimsuits.

Kari, of course, looked absolutely stunning in her green and yellow swimsuit. Lissa had filled out very nicely; she would certainly be turning a lot of heads at her new school in the fall. Crystal was really developing a beautiful figure. The most surprising, though, was Brit. He hadn't realized it until now, but she was starting to develop very nicely as well. Her breasts were still little more than bumps on her chest that pushed out the top of her swimsuit, but they gave her upper body a very pleasing shape. Her hips were starting to grow into a nice curve. Her shape reminded him of Crystal's, which he found attractive. In fact, when Jeff was honest with himself, he had to admit that in her swimsuit, Brit looked downright sexy.

The younger girls enthusiastically dashed out into the water. Jeff and Kari followed them, taking their time. As usual, Lissa remained in the shallows a little longer, moving very slowly toward the deeper part.

When Jeff was up to his chest, he slipped under the water for a second. While under, he reached out and pinched Kari's behind. Even submerged beneath the surface he could hear her give a startled squeak. He came up, laughing, and she slapped him playfully.

"Is Jeff getting fresh?" asked Brit with a grin.

"No more than usual," Kari replied.

"Will you get fresh with me next?" Crystal giggled.

"You want me to pinch you too?" he asked.

"Oh, is that all you did?" asked Crystal with a deliberately disappointed look on her face. "In that case, no thanks."

Brit and Crystal swam up to him, then stood nearby. Both girls had a mischievous gleam in their eyes, and he knew he was in for some teasing.

Brit leaned in and whispered something in her friend's ear, and Crystal nodded.

"Hey Jeff," said Crystal. "I have boobs now. Are you going to try to pull down my swimsuit?"

Brit giggled, but Jeff burst out laughing. So that was their game. They were going to try to embarrass him. That was an obvious reference to the comment he had made last year when Lissa had told them that he had "accidentally" pulled down her swimsuit.

If they were going to play those games, he was going to play them right back, and he intended to win.

"If you insist," he said, then reached for her.

Both girls squealed and dashed away from him. Brit dove into the water and swam as fast as she could, while Crystal merely ran, splashing through the water.

Jeff stopped his pursuit, certain that they would be back. They never missed an opportunity to tease him, and this time Crystal at least would get what was coming to her. If she was going to taunt him about losing her swimsuit, he would take her up on that offer. It wouldn't be the first time he had seen her naked after all.

Kari and he talked for a few minutes as the younger girls splashed and played a little further off. Lissa continued to remain in the shallower spots, submerged only to her waist in the water. Jeff leaned back and floated on his back for a minute, relaxing in the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the water.

Not entirely unexpectedly, a torrent of water crashed over him and he stood back up to see Brit and Crystal standing nearby and laughing at him. Naturally they had not been able to resist splashing him.

He lunged forward, but the girls scattered. This time he continued to pursue Crystal. She squealed and fled from him, giggling each time he nearly caught her.

"Help me Kari!" she cried out. "Jeff's trying to pull down my swimsuit!"

Kari just shrugged. "You brought it on yourself," she smiled. "Besides, now that Jeff's my boyfriend I'm on his side."

"Traitor," Crystal accused.

After a few minutes of chasing her, Jeff gave up the pursuit. He was too tired to keep it up for long in the water. He headed back toward Kari.

"What about me?" asked Brit with a grin as he passed her. "I have boobs too now."

While Jeff had never really had any inclination at all to see Brit's body, he had no intention of ending this game before they did. To do so would be to admit defeat.

"If you insist," he said, then leaped toward her. She squealed and tried to run away, but he managed to catch her wrist so that she couldn't flee.

"Do it, Jeff!" Crystal taunted. Jeff slipped a couple of fingers under the shoulder strap of Brit's swimsuit and pulled. She immediately threw her arms up across her chest so that all he managed to do was pull the strap off her shoulder. Brit half shrieked, half giggled as she tried to fight him off. Behind him he could hear Crystal, Kari, and even Lissa laughing.

Then there was another splash behind him, but he couldn't afford to divert his attention or Brit would make her escape, so he simply ignored it.

A moment later he felt a pair of hands on the waistband of his swimming trunks, and suddenly they were yanked down to his knees. In shock, he released Brit and tried to turn around to see who had pulled his trunks down. Crystal stood up, emerging from the water.

She wasted no time, but jumped on his back. He took a step to try to steady himself, but with his legs tangled in his swimming suit, he stumbled and fell, going under.

As he was submerged in the water, he felt someone else approaching. Now two pairs of hand reached for him. One pair caught him under the arms and lifted his head and torso up out of the water, while the other grabbed his trunks and pulled in the opposite direction. Before he could react, his suit slid down his legs and came off, and he found himself naked, being held in Kari's arms while he stared in surprise at Crystal holding his swimming trunks triumphantly in her hand.

"Fair is fair," she grinned.

Behind him he heard Lissa laughing at his misfortune, but Brit began to blush and turned around to face away from him. Fortunately the water here was several inches above his waist; she probably hadn't seen anything.

"Give me that," he demanded, reaching for Crystal, who giggled and tossed them over his head. They landed behind Kari in the water.

Kari immediately released him and pounced on the garment, snatching it up. Jeff turned around and chased her, but she tossed it toward Brit. It sailed over his sister's shoulder and landed on the water in front of her.

She obviously heard him splashing toward her, because she squealed and grabbed it, then wadded it into a ball and threw it backward over her shoulder, not caring where it landed. It ended up next to Kari again, so Jeff turned around and chased after her. This time she didn't try to get rid of it, but instead raced away from him. He was faster, and quickly gained on her. He had just about caught her when she finally threw it away, this time toward Lissa in the shallower water.

Jeff realized that to reach her he would have to wade into the water that wouldn't cover his waist, which would expose him to everyone. Of course, everyone here had seen his body before except Brit, and she was shyly averting her eyes.

Lissa picked it up, and for a moment she hesitated, as if trying to decide what to do with it. She looked at Jeff, and he realized she was torn between trying to be nice to him and continuing the game. No doubt she didn't want to do anything to harm her relationship with him and trying to decide whether this would anger him.

To ease her apprehension, he shrugged and smiled at her. Seeing that, she grinned back, but instead of throwing it away, she turned around and headed for the shore.

Kari and Crystal laughed, and even applauded. "What happened?" Brit asked, still facing away.

"Turn around and see for yourself," Kari told her.

"No way!" she said.

Lissa reached the bank, then turned around and held up Jeff's swimming trunks tauntingly. Jeff stood there in the water, still covered up to his waist, deciding whether to go after her.

"Go get her, Jeff!" said Kari with a laugh.

"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" he asked her.

"You bet I would. So would Crystal, right?"

"Right," her sister agreed.

"And maybe Lissa and Brit would like it too," Kari grinned.

"What do you mean?" asked Brit.

"Lissa's got his swimming trunks on the shore," Crystal explained.

"Oh my god!" Brit giggled.