Chapter 34: Roommates

Lissa had a lot of time to think as she sat alone in her car, following the familiar van toward their destination. She had mixed emotions about leaving home; obviously she was going to miss her family, but she also looked forward to starting a new life at school.

Allison, Greg, and Lissa had spent Friday night in a motel, then gotten up in the morning and continued their trip. They hadn't quite had time to reach the Craven home to pick up Rachael Friday night, but they were getting close now. Greg and Allison had originally planned to pick up Rachael on the way back, but Lissa had insisted that she wanted to see her aunt again, so they changed their plans.

Lissa remembered the last time she had seen Rachael, how the girl had introduced her to lesbian sex. The truth was that no matter how disgusting Lissa thought it was, she couldn't deny that it was also a fond memory. Not that she would ever do it again, of course.

It wasn't the last time Lissa had done something sexually adventurous. Normally she was a clear-headed, intelligent girl who thought her way through every action. But occasionally she did something completely unexpected, usually at the instigation of someone much more spontaneous, Rachael in this case.

But she also couldn't forget that vacation last month, that sailing trip where she had gone a little crazy with Allison and her father.

It was Allison, she realized, that had brought on the whole thing. She had asked Greg to take pictures of her in her new bikini, and Greg had enthusiastically obliged. That didn't surprise Lissa; Allison looked especially sexy wearing next to nothing.

Somehow the conversation had led to a discussion of how Greg liked to photograph Allison nude, and Allison had come up with the idea of taking a few of those pictures right there. Greg had hesitated, since he had his daughter there, but Lissa assured him that she didn't mind a bit. It wasn't the first time she had seen Allison's naked body after all. And of course, Allison's fun-loving and cheerful attitude about the whole thing was contagious, and soon they were all laughing and having fun with it. Any nervousness they had originally felt disappeared.

When Allison had suggested that Lissa do some modeling too, it sounded fun, so soon she found herself posing for the camera. It felt nice and even a bit sexy, especially with both Allison and her dad commenting on how photogenic she was. She had never intended to strip off her swimsuit for those pictures, but somehow in the relaxed and humorous atmosphere, it seemed like the most logical progression.

It was almost like they were drunk. Not with alcohol, but simply with excitement. With nothing but empty ocean for as far as they could see, they were in their own private world, a world where they could get away with anything. And they did. Like a wild party where the cheering of the crowd and intense peer pressure could get people to do anything and everything, the three of them had succumbed to the increasingly naughty mood.

The photos with Lissa and her dad together had been just the next step in the joke that was getting out of hand. She felt so thrilled to be doing something so completely contrary to her usual reserved nature, that she just couldn't refuse when Allison had suggested it. It was just good-natured playfulness that had culminated in those naughty pictures. She also couldn't deny that she had felt a certain pride at seeing the excited look in her father's eyes as he held her nude body to his own. Her own father was getting excited by her.

It had taken quite a bit of coaxing on Allison's part to have them take those pictures to their logical conclusion, and after that final photo with Greg's cock in Lissa's mouth, he had refused to do any more. Yes, the joke had gotten way out of hand, and after that they toned it down quite a bit. Lissa had, however, watched in fascination as Allison finished the job that Lissa had started, sucking him off until he ejaculated in her mouth. It was the first time that Lissa had really thought about her father as a sexual being. Seeing it first hand turned out not to be as disturbing as she had expected.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the van in front of her turning off of the freeway, which meant they were near the Craven home. She followed as it made its way through the streets, eventually pulling over to the curb in front of the house that she recognized from pictures that Allison had shown her.

Rachael immediately dashed out of the house to greet them, throwing her arms around Allison's neck to hug her, then moving on to Greg and Lissa. Mr. and Mrs. Craven followed, less enthusiastically but no less huggable. She hadn't seen her grandparents since the wedding.

Rachael seemed excited to be going to visit her sister's family, which wasn't exactly surprising. Lissa suspected she was particularly anxious to see Jeff again.

The Cravens offered to feed them, so they all ate lunch as they talked and laughed and caught up on old times. There was plenty to talk about, but unfortunately, they had to get going. Lissa had to check into her apartment, and there was the drive home for Greg, Allison, and Rachael, especially since they were going to take the scenic route.

"Do you mind if I ride with you, Lissa?" asked Rachael. "I'll have plenty of time to spend with Greg and Allison over the next couple of weeks, but I don't know when I'll get another chance to see you."

"I'd like that," Lissa replied.

"Just behave yourself," Allison warned her, and Rachael laughed.

"Allison still thinks of me as a little kid."

"You'll always be my baby sister," Allison smiled at her.

"Come on, before she tries to change my diaper," said Rachael, hurrying into the passenger seat of Lissa's car.

As soon as the two vehicles pulled out of the driveway, Rachael brought up the subject that Lissa had been anticipating.

"So how's Jeff?" she asked.

"You know, I underestimated you," Lissa replied.

"What?"

"I figured it would be five seconds before you started talking about him. You held out for ten."

"I've been practicing, building up my stamina," Rachael laughed. "So am I that transparent?"

"Well, unless you've changed since I last saw you, I know you've got a one-track mind."

"Oh, come on. I don't think of boys twenty-four hours a day."

"You don't?" asked Lissa.

"No. Sometimes I think of girls."

"Good point," Lissa laughed.

"So anyway, how is he?"

"He's got a girlfriend now. Her name's Kari Williams, and she's really a nice girl."

"I hope she's not the jealous type."

"You're not exactly subtle, are you?"

"Subtlety's always been my weakness."

"Anyway, if you're planning anything, that's between you, Jeff, and Kari. And Allison, I suppose, since she was the one who got them together. You know what a slow mover Jeff is; Allison almost had to drag him kicking and screaming into the relationship. So I doubt she'll be too happy about you coming between them."

"Who said anything about coming between them? I'm willing to share Jeff if Kari is. By the way, is Kari good-looking?"

Lissa rolled her eyes.

"So now that you've spoiled my vacation," Rachael said with a laugh, "I guess I'll have to start making backup plans. By the way, you're looking good these days, Lissa."

"Whatever's on your mind, I'm not interested. Besides, there's no time. The next time we stop the car, it will be at my new apartment, and then you'll head home with Dad and Allison."

"That gives me a great idea. Have you ever done it while driving?"

"Rachael!"

"Just kidding."

"Well, not to spoil your fantasies, but that time between us a couple of years ago was just an experiment. I'm not interested in that kind of a relationship with any girl."

Rachael shrugged. "Your loss," she said. "By the way, Brit doesn't have a boyfriend, does she?"

"She's only thirteen!" Lissa exclaimed.

"What? I didn't mean anything by it," Rachael said with an innocent smile.

"Liar."

"Anyway, I've only got two weeks to work on her, so it doesn't look like that's going to happen."

"It only took twenty minutes for me."

"I know. You folded surprisingly quickly. Are you sure you're not harboring some hidden tendencies?"

Lissa laughed. "I'm sure, but if I ever change my mind, you'll be the first to know."

"I can't wait."

They continued to talk and joke as they drove. Despite Rachael's flirting, Lissa found that she actually enjoyed the girl's company. She was as easy to talk to as Allison was. Plus there was that memory of that night they had shared, a couple of years ago...

Sometimes that memory bothered Lissa, but usually she looked back on it with fondness. She didn't think she was in danger of ever becoming a full lesbian, though admittedly she had now been involved in two such incidents. But she remembered how nice Rachael had been, how gentle and understanding. It hadn't been anywhere near as unpleasant as she had expected.

When they finally pulled into the parking lot for the apartment complex several hours later, Lissa felt relief. The trip had been long, and although Rachael's presence had made it fun, it was good to finally be at the place that she would call home for the next few months.

Lissa had opted for off-campus housing because she thought the dorms were too small. These apartments had room for four students each, with two bedrooms. That meant Lissa would have three roommates. The apartment building itself had a large glass door leading to what looked like a lobby. The office, however, was in a building by itself in the corner of the parking lot. Greg pulled the van into a spot in the 'Visitors' section of the lot, and Lissa pulled her car in next to his.

Rachael stopped her before she opened the door. "Lissa, I have one more thing to say to you."

"What's that?"

"A word of advice. You don't have your mommy and daddy to look after you any more. So make the most of it. I told you that you needed to learn to be spontaneous, to break out of your shell, to go a little wild even. Well, here's your big chance. Don't waste it."

"That's probably the opposite advice that Dad would give me."

"Basically, yes. So you're going to have to make a choice."

"Don't worry. I'm going to be open to new experiences. You know, broaden my horizons. Who knows where it might lead?"

"Good for you," Rachael smiled, then the girls opened the doors and climbed out to meet Allison and Greg.

"We made it," said Greg. "Let's go check in, then we'll unload your bags."

The four of them made their way across the parking lot toward the office. A girl was just coming out of it, and she smiled as she passed them. That's a good sign, Lissa thought. At least people are nice enough here to smile at strangers.

Entering the office, she saw a man sitting behind a desk with a name tag reading "Tony Bullard." He was probably in his thirties, with dark hair and glasses.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Hi," she said. "I'm Lissa Primdale, and I'm here to check in."

"Do you know your apartment number?" he asked.

"207 I think," she said.

The man stopped for an instant and stared at her, as if appraising her. "You did say 207, right?" he asked.

"That's right."

"Okay, just a second." He typed something on the computer. "All right. Lissa Primdale, apartment 207. Looks like you prepaid your security deposit and first month's rent," he said, sounding oddly disappointed. "So you don't owe anything until October." He handed her several sheets of paper. "Just sign the bottom of each of these. You're welcome to look them over first while I go get your key." He stood up and went into the back room.

Greg, Allison, and Lissa sat down in some chairs against the wall, and Lissa went over the papers. They were pretty standard: check-in form, post-check-in inspection form, application for parking permit, and several more similar items. She signed them all and then waited for the man to return.

He did so after a few minutes with a key and a small, laminated card in his hand. Taking the papers from her, he handed her the key. "Welcome to Riversky Apartments, Lissa," he said. "Here's your key, and here's your parking permit to put on your dashboard so you don't get towed. If there's anything you need, I'm here in the office all day Monday through Friday. Oh, and have your roommates explain about drawing straws," he added.

"Drawing straws?"

"It's sort of an inside joke. I'd hate to see you left out of the fun."

"Thanks."

They left the office and headed back to the van to retrieve her things.

"Did you see that guy?" Allison commented. "Checking out your daughter. Couldn't keep his eyes off of her, the creep." But she said it with an amused rather than offended tone.

Surprisingly, Greg laughed. "He must have gotten this job so that he could ogle college girls. Lissa, you might want to keep your window shades closed. He probably carries a set of binoculars wherever he goes."

"Or maybe I'll go pay him a visit some time and see if I can get my rent reduced," joked Lissa. "I bet if I'm really nice to him, I could stay here for free."

"That's what I did when I was your age," Rachael said. "The rent money I saved went to sex toys instead."

The four of them laughed.

By this time, they had reached the van. Despite coming from a wealthy family, Lissa really didn't have much stuff. Just two suitcases and a box of miscellaneous items in the van, and in her car a few dresses on hangars that she didn't want to wrinkle by packing them away. Greg took the suitcases and Allison took the box, leaving the dresses for Lissa and Rachael to carry. They headed inside the building, looking for the stairs to the second floor.

The lobby was really a rec room, with wide screen TV, pool table, a small fridge and microwave in the corner, and plenty of couches for lounging around. There were several girls in there who looked up momentarily as the three of them passed.

They climbed the stairs to the second floor, then looked for apartment 207. They found it at the end of the hall. Lissa fit her key in the lock and opened the door.

It was nice and spacious, with a large living room and a kitchen off to the side with a table that had a few odds and ends from some of the other girls living there. There was a TV in the corner as well as a bookshelf, and two couches. A hall led to three doors, two of them opening into bedrooms. The third was closed, but she could hear water running behind it as if someone were taking a shower.

They dropped the stuff in the living room and took a moment to rest on the couches.

"Well, this is it, honey," said Greg. "Is there anything else you need?"

"No, I think I'll be fine. Thanks."

"And don't forget to call home often, sweetie," said Allison.

"Well, don't expect me to call tomorrow night crying and blubbering about how I miss you and I want to come home and all that," she laughed. "I think I'm going to like it here."

"Well then, I think we'll take off," said Greg, rising to his feet. "I love you."

"Love you too, Dad," she said, kissing him on the cheek.

Greg hugged her, then Allison hugged her, then Rachael hugged her, then getting into the spirit of things, Rachael hugged Greg, to everyone's amusement. Then the three of them turned and headed out the door. Lissa sat down on the couch, a little tired from the trip.

So this was it. Her first time away from home. Yes, it was a little sad; she was beginning to miss everyone already, but it was also a little exciting. There were plenty of things to do here, and Dad wasn't here to keep track of her or get after her whenever she had a little fun.

Not that it could ever replace serious study, though. The important thing here was to get an education. She was determined not to forget that. But that didn't mean she couldn't have fun too.

She heard the shower turn off in the bathroom, so she took a deep breath and put a smile on her face. First impressions were always the most important, and she wanted her new roommates to like her.

Then she heard something she didn't expect from behind the bathroom door. Voices! That meant there were at least two people in there. And at least one of them had been taking a shower.

She decided not to be shocked by anything she saw. One of her roommates probably had her boyfriend in there with her. So what? Lissa had admittedly led a sheltered life for eighteen years, so it was high time she started taking a broader view of the world. If one of her roommates liked to shower with her boyfriend, what business was it of hers?

The door opened, and she could hear footsteps coming down the hall. Well, this was it. She was about to meet one of her roommates. It might be awkward for them to know that she had been there while they were in the shower together, but Lissa would just shrug it off like it was no big deal. It was best to start out on good terms.