Chapter 2: Two Sisters

Before she would let me out of her sight, I had to stand inspection for my mother. She looked me over quickly before beginning her lecture.

"Most boys have a father or older brothers to give them the talk. Since you have neither, I guess I'm elected. I'm pleased that you're fitting in with new friends, but you have a lot to learn about girls, especially older girls. I'm not singling Janet out, but you need to be aware that some girls are conniving bitches. They will take advantage of you and toss you aside like a dress that becomes too small. Keep in mind that at your age, nothing is permanent. My advice is to watch for signs and not be surprised when she decides it's over. Have fun while it lasts. Let her use you, but remember, there are more fish in the sea than you can count."

I felt her kiss my cheek before she stepped back and smiled.

Damn, I thought, as I left the house. She's been counting the stains on my sheets.

Janet had prepared me well for the inquisition her mother put us through. While Berry gave vague answers to her questions, I recited a prepared speech. "The party is not scheduled to break up until one AM, but we plan to leave in time to have your daughters home by midnight," I said, watching Janet beam with pride at the way I'd delivered my lines.

"Good," Mrs. Coughlin responded, "because I have the McCall phone number and I'll call to see what's keeping you if you're a minute late."

Shit! That was unexpected. If she called the McCall home she might find out that I had bullshitted her. We hadn't heard of any set time that the party was to end.

I didn't know such a luxurious home existed, let alone having been inside one. Mr. McCall didn't say much, but Sally was a gracious hostess and her mother greeted us into their home like we were old acquaintances. Janet was just as dazzled by the furnishing and décor as I was. She took my hand and held on to me the entire evening. I noticed that Jane was doing the same with Berry. The four of us sort of huddled in one corner of the playroom until some of our classmates approached us and told us to loosen up.

Once the music began to play, we let ourselves be coaxed to the dance floor. As I looked around to see what the other kids were wearing, Janet chided me. "Do you see anything you like? Those designer jeans really accent their asses, don't they?"

"I like your ass better than anything I see," I said, completely serious.

"Oh, you say the nicest things. Is it too early to leave?"

I laughed. She couldn't be serious. We danced together until Janet reluctantly agreed to change partners. I could tell that Jane was on a mission the moment we took our first step.

"She's going to take off her sweater, isn't she?"

I wanted to ask how she knew, but I played dumb. "Who, Janet? Why would she want to do that?"

Jane rolled her eyes, like she couldn't believe what an idiot her sister had for a boyfriend. "Come on, Mickey, you can tell me if I'm right. She wants you to play with her tits and she doesn't want me to know about it."

She had me. I was no match for an inquiring girl who knew her sister better than I did. "She feels responsible for you. I guess your mom made her promise to look out for you."

"I'm a big girl. I can't wait until September when she leaves for college."

"She's going to college?" I asked, mortified to find out that I was going to lose Janet before I got to really know her.

"Why do you think we moved to that dump of a town and she has us wearing hand-me-down clothes? Our parents are saving for our education."

This was the second reason I'd been given for the Coughlin family's move to Perryville.

I wanted desperately to warn Jane not to remove her sweater. It would not only mess things up for me, it would ruin her own evening with Berry as well. "Maybe," I began, pausing for a second, "She wouldn't be so ... protective if you waited until you are sixteen."

Jane looked thoughtful. Did she understand what I'd try to say? "Perhaps we can help each other," she said.

"What do you have in mind?"

"I'll keep my sweater on if you convince her to look the other way after January the twelfth."

"I'll try," I said, knowing that I didn't have the power to make Janet do something she didn't want to do.

"Have fun," Jane said, to seal our deal. The dance was over before I had a chance to find out if she thought Janet was going to unhook her bra.

"What was so important that she had to dance with you?" Janet asked, as soon as we were together again.

"She thinks she knows what we're planning to do tonight."

"You didn't ... you didn't ... I hope you didn't tell her that she was right?"

"Of course not, but I got her to agree that she won't take her sweater off."

"That's ... that's good," she said, relaxing and pressing her body to me.

Mrs. McCall stopped the music about nine o'clock, saying a buffet was waiting in the next room. While we were enjoying delicacies that we'd never heard of before, we conferred about the best time to make our move and how we would word our excuse for leaving early.

"You'll have to do it," Janet said, as we resumed dancing. "Berry is a befuddled idiot when it comes to talking to adults. You saw what an ass he made of himself when you guys came to pick us up. You did much better."

"Right, I don't know how he expects to get into college," I said, watching closely to get her reaction. Could she detect that I knew that she was planning to go away to school?

If it occurred to her that I was dismayed at the thought of losing her, Janet didn't let on. Instead, she turned her newfound knowledge to her advantage. "Did you tell Jane that he'll be going away to college?"

"No, it didn't come up," I said.

"Next time you're talking to her, let her know of his plans."

I'd no sooner agreed to follow her instructions, when she got Berry's attention and expressed her desire to change partners.

There was very little difference in dancing with Janet and her sister. Jane was smaller, but they felt much the same in my arms. Like Janet had done, Jane pressed her body to me, as if she craved the closeness. Another thing the sisters shared was their shrewd minds.

"What did she say?"

"She was happy to hear that you're going to leave your sweater on."

"Tonight, I didn't say I would keep it on forever."

"I know," I said, hoping that I wouldn't need to be specific about what I had told Janet.

"What else?"

"Berry's going to college in the fall."

"I know, he told me. Does she think we have secrets?"

Jane's perception was astounding. Not only had she recognized that her sister had put me up to imparting the news that Berry would be going away to college; she gave no hint as to what difference it would make in their relationship, if any.

"Thank you for the dance," she said, giving me a peck on the lips as we parted.

Berry suggested that it was time for us to leave, something I was sure he had said at Janet's urging. I first practiced my speech on Sally.

"This has been a very nice party, but we're going to have to leave soon," I began.

Sally's vacant stare reminded me of Kitty after she'd given Kenny a blowjob. She looked into my eyes, like she wasn't listening to a word I said.

"My mom runs the clinic in Perryville, and I promised to stop by and clean it tonight while there's no one there," I said, dangling the keys in my left hand.

Sally smacked her lips, the same way Kitty did when she turned to wink at Berry and me in the back seat. "I don't believe a word, but you're cute when you lie."

I was devastated. If my story didn't work on Sally, what was I going to say to her mother? I pocketed the keys to the clinic, showing embarrassment at having been found out. "Your mother," I began.

"It's not necessary to explain anything to her. She'll understand when I tell her this is a big night for you."

I looked at Sally, appreciatively, but puzzled.

"You know, second base, have fun," she said, showing me Kitty's grin.

Janet must have felt secure that Jane was going to hold up her end of the bargain because, as soon as we were in the back seat, she removed her jacket and shed her sweater.

Jane turned in her seat just as Janet was unhooking her bra. "Hey, that's not fair. You should wait until Berry parks the car before you let him feel your boobs."

"Turn around and mind your own business, kid!" Janet barked at her sister.

Jane continued to watch us, refusing to turn around. "Fasten your seatbelts," Janet ordered.

"I will if you promise not to spy on us," Jane offered.

The sisters' bickering was souring the mood. Janet's body was tense as she considered Jane's offer. "Promise to keep your sweater on?"

"Why should you have all the fun?" Jane asked.

"Because, I'm seventeen and you're only fifteen," Janet spat back.

Jane's eyes narrowed, like she was weighing her sister's remark. "Fine, I'll keep my sweater on. Just remember, I won't always be fifteen."

It only took seconds for the significance of what Jane had said to sink in. Even I could see that Jane had assumed that once she was sixteen, the rules would be relaxed. I'm sure that Janet came to the same conclusion, but since Jane's birthday was forty-five days away, she didn't attempt to resolve the issue.

I waited until we heard Berry and Jane chatting, then I slid my hand inside Janet's shirt. The feeling was better than I'd imagined. I used all the tips I'd read about, squeezing lightly, massaging, and rolling the nipples between my thumb and forefinger. Judging from the intensity of her kisses, Janet agreed with my technique. The ride to Perryville will always stand out as the best thirty minutes of my young life. By the time Berry brought the car to a stop, Janet was on her back, and I was hovering over her with my hand inside her shirt and my thigh rubbing her jean covered pussy.

The stopping of the car seemed to ignite sisterly instincts in Janet, which strained the mood. While she returned my kisses, and responded with moans to my ministration to her breasts, alertness had set in, causing my interest in what we were doing to wane.

Janet reacted to the slightest noise, and although she didn't voice her concern, her body became tensely indifferent. The way she was acting reminded me of one of those blow-up dolls that submits, but does not have the capability to respond.

Frustrated, I sat up and brought Janet with me. For the next forty-five minutes, we listened to the sounds coming from the couple in the front seat. Berry was sitting in the passenger's seat and Jane was straddling his waist. Every time we would resume kissing, our concentration would be interrupted by one of Jane's moans.

Finally, Janet gave up, re-buttoned her shirt, and put her sweater back on. At a quarter before twelve, she began urging Jane to make herself presentable to face their mother. At ten minutes before twelve, she tried again and when there was only five minutes left, she appealed to Berry.

"She's going to get both of us in trouble and we'll be grounded for months. If you want to see her again, stop this instant."

This got Berry's attention, but Jane glared at her sister, like she had just ruined the entire evening.

As far as I was concerned, Jane was the one who had ruined the evening. To me, she was a spoiled brat who had no regard for others. Janet must have known that I was miffed. She apologized for the way things had turned out, saying that next time would be better.

Berry and I had words on the way home. I admonished him for letting his date annoy her sister. He pointed out how uncomfortable the front bucket seats had been, and reminded me that it was his car, hinting that if it had not been for his generosity, I'd be walking. Had he forgotten that the sisters were inseparable? If not, I wasn't in the mood to inform him that Janet and I tagging along was what made his dates with Jane possible.

My mother knew me well and recognized my downcast mood the next morning.

"Teenage years are difficult. It's the time you find out things about yourself, what you like and how to react to certain situations. Teenage dating has a purpose. It is meant to teach you how to deal with adversity, take your lumps, and rebound. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, and don't expect too much from your first experience. You're too young to become discouraged over one failure. Believe me; you'll have more chances to get it right."

She had it wrong. I hadn't failed, but I didn't have the heart to tell her that she didn't know me as well as she thought she did.

The next week was a short one, and it seemed like Janet and I never had a chance to say more than a few words to each other. The rides to and from school were mainly bickering sessions between the two sisters, and our nightly telephone calls were always cut short. Janet didn't understand why I was going away for the holiday. I explained that it was the one time of the year when we traveled two hundred miles to spend Thanksgiving with my grandparents.

The best part of the trip was when my mom let me drive her car. Otherwise, it was three and one half days of being expected to praise my grandmother for her cooking and listening to my grandfather's stories about the war. My mom passed off my listlessness as a difficult time I was going through. "It's a girl," she whispered.

She was right, it was a girl, but she had the wrong one in mind. Jane's very existence made me livid. Her constant presence was a distraction. To my way of thinking, she was petty and selfish. I blamed her for ruining my forty-five hard earned minutes with Janet.

When Monday morning came, I discovered that the sisters had patched up their differences. Sibling loyalties were new to me, and try as I might, I could not shake the resentment I felt toward Jane. As I learned on one of our nightly telephone calls, Janet had come to terms with Jane.