Chapter 5

Stephanie gave serious thought to what Ruth Parker had suggested. After telling her parents an extremely modified version of events at dinner that evening, she proposed allowing Greg to work out with her after school several days a week. Later that evening she called Greg to tell him about the idea. She also suggested that he contact Ruth Parker about working in her real estate office. They agreed that, to start, they would work out at home on Mondays and Thursdays, and that she would attend practice at school on the other days that practices were held.

To Greg, it was like a miracle. Perhaps it would not mean the "end of his world" after all. He could work out with Stephanie, earn some money at the Ruth Parker's office and try to get his life back on track. The first practice was the toughest because it would be just the two of them and every time he saw her, his heart beat faster and he really just wanted to hold her and hug her close to him. He HAD to get beyond this, he told himself, or it would ruin everything. Thankfully, she chose to wear a work out suit which covered her legs completely. He helped her up to the bars, spotted for her on all of her routines and then went through his work quickly. They finished just before her parents arrived home, and he was introduced to them as he was about to leave.

Ruth Parker had remained in touch with some of the members of the high school athletic commission, and after some discrete inquiries made a quick trip to the state capital to join two of her friends for lunch. Included at the table was the head of the rules and qualifications committee for the state tournaments. It was a light, casual affair with no heavy politicking that so often occurs when an outsider lunches with a committee member. With the utmost patience, Ruth kept her part of every conversation simple and without controversy. The topic of discussion for much of the luncheon dealt with problems within the school system, and Ruth had little to contribute to those. But as dessert was being served, she saw an opportunity to get answers to some questions that she had.

"With all the problems in the various schools, from bullying to athletic funding, what happens to the kids that are home schooled?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sure there are some kids who would participate in athletic programs, but their school doesn't offer their particular sport, or maybe they are home schooled and have no sports program. How do they get to compete?"

The rules committee member replied, "That's a really interesting question. The first situation is easy if the school partners with another school to form a team in that sport. Many of the smaller schools are doing this. But the home schooled student is a bit different."

"Yes," one of the others interjected, "he doesn't have any school to represent. How does he even get to complete?"

"In reality, the number of students that would fit into that category, and who have the natural drive and determination to compete in the state tournaments would be very few. After all, they would have no coaching, probably no equipment ... think about it. How many could there be?"

"Divers don't need special equipment. The city pool works just fine." Ruth answered. "I could have easily been one of those kids."

"Well, believe it or not, there is a way. If a student is being home schooled and believes he or she is capable and qualified to complete in the state tournaments, that student could register as an independent student and would be entered into competition just as if he or she were a member of a school team. If the competition, such as a district meet, has a total team score also, the independent student team score would be a multiple of the individual score time the number of team members allowed in the competition. This would only apply to home schooled children because any student enrolled in an accredited system would be required to represent that school."

Quickly Ruth dropped the subject and mentioned how delighted she was with her desert. When she returned to her office later that day, she told Greg that she needed to meet with his parents. They agreed to drop in after work the next afternoon.

"I am upset," she began, "about the situation in which Greg has found himself. It just didn't seem fair or right to me that a young man of his talent should be deprived of his opportunity to display his unique talents and possibly earn a scholarship to a college or university."

"We are very upset as well," Mr. Welkens replied, "but there is nothing that we can do."

"That's what I thought, too, but then I had an idea and decided to do a little investigating on my own." She went on to tell them what she had learned at the luncheon, and then to more fully explain her idea.

"If Greg would drop out of the local school and enroll in a home school program, he would be eligible to compete. I know the two courses that Greg is taking this year, and I would be happy to act as his instructor in them. He can practice with the young Adams girl. I sold them their home and it has a complete gymnasium attached to it. She has already taken it upon herself to invite Greg to do just that, and she even went so far as to get her parent's blessing before she said anything to Greg about it."

"Are you sure that this is okay?

"I am very sure. Greg will study with me, practice with the Adams family and when tournament time starts, we will all show up together and surprise everyone."

It was a bold plan, to be sure, and all of the details were not divulged when Greg withdrew from the high school the following day. Ruth Parker had made it very clear that ultimate plan was of no concern to anyone within the local school system. When Greg went to Stephanie's that afternoon, he didn't even share every detail with her, for fear that she could inadvertently divulge information that would allow others to try to defeat it.

Instead, they just worked out, practicing vigorously until they were both too tired to continue. As she did with each practice session, she ended the afternoon on the balance beam, believing that it required more mental effort than physical. On this particular day, her concentration was skewed a little because she fell off to the side as she began her last moves. As he always did, Greg was right by her side, to coach and encourage her and to spot her if she made a mistake. When she fell, her momentum took both of them to the mat, which is what is supposed to happen when a person has a spotter. The aftermath of her fall was that he caught her as he fell backwards, wrapping his arms around her chest while her legs straddled his. It was if they were in a passionate embrace on the floor, with her on top. Before she could move, he kissed her, holding her close and kissing her repeatedly, tenderly and with a growing passion.

It was not long before Stephanie could feel his erection growing, pushing up against her, almost as if he had positioned it perfectly to ride in between her labia. Quite naturally, but without realizing it, she repositioned her body slightly so that even more pressure was created between them, and at the same time, pushing her body in such a way that her clit came in contact with his cock. Even though the two organs were separated by her warm up pants and his shorts, because it was her very first contact, the effect was dramatic. Her hips began to rotate in short quick movements, and in less than a minute, she felt her entire body shudder and then she collapsed against Greg.