The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

It was funny somehow, and more than a little sad, our “last” Saturday dinner together. We had candles, wine, soft lights, and the best meal I’ve prepared. It was hard for me to enjoy it. We talked a little. It had been such an incredible two weeks. My parents returned the next day from their cruise. We expected them back in the early afternoon.

Finally I said it. “I don’t want to go back. The bastard locked me out. He doesn’t want me there. Fine with me.”

Beth wiped her mouth with her napkin and sighed. “Andy, I understand, but you need to go back.”

“Why?” I asked. I was a little surprised at my tone of voice. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean the way that sounded,” I told her.

She held my hand and smiled. “I know. I hope they’ve made progress. If they have, we don’t want to disturb that. Besides, I’ve been talking to people. Andy, we’ve got an ace in the hole, but we don’t want to use it. Not yet.”

I gave her a puzzled look. “What?”

She smiled, squeezed my hand, and stood up. “I’ll be right back.” She went to her office, and came back, holding a few pieces of paper. She showed them to me. The first one was titled, “Power of Attorney.”

“So?” I asked.

She smiled. “Look at the dates.”

I looked it over, and saw the dates. I read them quickly, then read them again. The starting and ending dates were written as numerals, and spelled out as words.

“This is effective for two years and a month, not just a month!” I told her.

She nodded, smiling.

“So tell me why I should be so happy about this?” I asked.

She smiled again, and returned the papers to their envelope, kissing the envelope as she put it down on the table.

“Andy, what this means, in simple terms, is that if things get nasty, both your parents have already given permission for me to take care of you. They’ve given that permission to the school, insurance companies, doctors, the works.”

I looked in her eyes. “Holy shit. Do they understand that?”

She smiled. “Your mother certainly does. Your father suggested doing a power of attorney, and he signed it.”

“But did he read it carefully?” I asked.

She laughed softly. “That doesn’t matter. He signed it.”

I sighed and held both her hands. “There’s a light at the end of the tunnel now.”

She smirked. “Just be sure it isn’t coming at you.... Let’s clear the table. We need to get to bed early tonight.”

We did most of the packing, loading things in her car. I’d loaded the last of my things, save for some clothes and bathroom stuff, into the car. I was tired, dreading tomorrow. I stepped into the bedroom, without turning on the light.

She was waiting for me, wearing that coat, her perfume, and nothing else. She took me, body and soul. I held her, clutched her as best I could. She impaled herself on top of me. I thought she’d danced me around at the edge before. She soon had me so lost—I didn’t know what was going to happen next. She teased and tantalized me with her body, her voice, her hands, her perfume, the softness of the coat, until finally she took me to the edge once more, and over it. As we floated together, she held me, and we went to sleep in each other’s arms.

We made love again in the morning. Looking back on it, I was pretty frantic at the start, not wanting to be away from her. She pushed me away gently at one point. I didn’t understand what was going on. But she smiled and sighed. “Oh, Andy... This isn’t the end, I promise.” Then she touched my forehead and said something, and I was lost again. She made love with me with her body, and her voice.

“Oh shit, Andy—Emily is coming for brunch!”

Not exactly the way I wanted to wake up after making love, but it did get me focused. We showered together.

I’d planned Eggs Benedict, so all I had to do was make a bit more. We’d done most of the packing already, even loading things such as my computer into her car.

Emily arrived with a nice bottle of champagne. We had a good brunch. I started to clean up, when Emily said, “That can wait, Andrew. Let’s sit down for a while.”

Uh oh—“Andrew.” Had I done something wrong?

When we sat down in the living room, I automatically took the “therapy” chair. Beth and Emily looked at me, and laughed softly. Emily led the discussion, going over what we’d accomplished in the last two weeks. Talking to her every day had been so valuable. I felt so much stronger, and so much more stable.

Emily is very good. I don’t know whether she did it purposely, or it just happened, but I went from talking to them with eyes open, to talking to them with my eyes closed, then focusing more on the sensations and feelings, some of which were not pleasant, drifting into trance.

When I woke up, I had that rested and refreshed yet tired feeling once again—the feeling I’d been through some rough spots. But now I knew that helped. I looked to Emily, and to Beth, and nodded.

Emily smiled. “So now everything will be perfect?”

I shook my head, but smiled. “No, life goes on. Of all the things you’ve taught me, there’s one that stands out. Serenity isn’t freedom from the storm, but peace within the storm. Thank you so much.”

Emily and Beth nodded. After a while, we all stood up.

Emily said, “I need to be going. Thank you for brunch.” She turned to me. “Andrew, you’ve made great progress. Would you like to continue seeing me on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, or just Tuesday and Thursday?”

I sighed. I was being given a choice—sort of. “How about twice this next week, and three times the following week? I think it will take about a week for the cruise to wear off them.” I shook my head as soon as I said that. “Not much of an optimist, am I?”

Emily took my hands in hers. “Andrew, you’re a realist.”

I nodded. “Beth gave me a great book to read, called Crooked Cucumber. Suzuki said that the art of Zen was seeing things as they is.”

Emily said, “Are.”

I smiled, glancing at Beth, and shook my head. “No, Suzuki-roshi said, ‘is.’”

Emily thought for a moment, and laughed. “Thank you, Andrew. I’ll have to read that one.”

Emily and Beth hugged. We saw Emily to her car.

I cleaned up the kitchen. We loaded things into the car. We were standing in the hallway, holding each other softly, rocking back and forth. Beth was right—I didn’t want to sleep alone again, but I knew that was the way it needed to be.

Her hand went up to the back of my neck. She squeezed gently, and started whispering in my ear. I held on to her and let go, letting her take me away again.

I was in the car, and we were a few blocks away from the house. I took a breath, stretched, and looked over to her.

She put a hand on mine. “I thought it would be better that way,” she told me.

I sighed. “I have to agree.”

Beth hugged both mom and dad. I hugged mom. I wanted to hug dad, but he didn’t want contact. I unloaded things and moved back into my small room, alone again.

During one of the trips, Beth told dad that he’d changed the garage door code without telling me. As a result, I had an overdue library book, and she’d had to replace my bike helmet. He actually said he was sorry. He told us he’d change the code back, pay for the library book, and the helmet. Part of me noticed he didn’t tell us what the new code was. Oh well.

Mom took me to the grocery store later that afternoon. I cooked dinner. I had to pry details of the cruise from them. Well, from dad anyway. I think they had a good time.

Going to bed was rough. Beth was so right—sleeping alone is not a good thing. After flopping around for a while, I took a few breaths and imagined her holding me, telling me to relax and go to sleep. It must have worked.

Mercy Me, Mercy You

I’d finished the breakfast dishes Saturday morning a few weeks later when the phone rang. Since Dad had left earlier, Mom answered it and excitedly said, “Yes, he’s here, I’ll get him!” She walked into the kitchen and with a big smile said, “It’s a girl! For you!”

I laughed; I didn’t get many calls like that.

“Hi, this is Andy.”

“Hi Andy, this is Sherry. I wondered if you could come over this morning and help me with math? I’d really like that.”

Math? She didn’t sound like math was on her mind. Oh well, why not.

“Sure. When would be convenient?”

“Oh, how about now?” she asked.

“Okay, I’ll be there in about half an hour. Bye.”

I hung up the phone. Mom was hovering. I smiled. “It’s the girl I’ve been tutoring in math. She wants me to come over.”

Mom smiled and gave me a hug. I went upstairs and puttered for a while, brushing my teeth again, finally deciding I was stalling, and went downstairs and headed over on my bike.

I rode up to Sherry’s house; she lived just off the golf course in a large single-story house with a pool. I parked my bike around the side of the house and rang the doorbell.

After a while, the door opened. Sherry stood there wrapped in a towel, hair wet. I could tell she had a two-piece swimsuit on. She gave me a sly smile and said, “Oh hi, come one in. I was just in the pool.” I followed her into the house; it sounded like a setup to me. I took a breath and listened to Beth’s voice saying, “Calm and relaxed, calm and relaxed,” imagining her touching my forehead.

We walked back to the family room; she sat on the couch, putting the towel down beneath her. She was stunning in her bathing suit. I sat in a chair next to the couch, leaning back, attentive but relaxed.

She looked excited; I thought I could see her heart beat in the veins in her neck; I could see her breathing rapidly, see her nipples crinkled up.

“Andy, I saw Ellis yesterday afternoon,” she told me, leaning forward a bit. We’d had a test Friday morning.

I nodded, saying, “Yes...”

She looked me right in the eye. “He told me I got an A on the test. I couldn’t believe it. I almost wet myself. I’ve never gotten an A in math before.”

I smiled. “Well, you should. You can do it.”

She quickly covered the distance separating us, now on her knees in front of me as she put her hands on my legs.

“Andy, I couldn’t have done it without your help. I wanted to thank you.”

With that, she closed her eyes and started moving her head closer to mine, tilting hers a little to the side.

I took the bait; I moved forward and kissed her gently, putting my hands on her waist.

She wanted more; she grabbed me, squeezing me, sticking her tongue in my mouth. I moved my arms around her, softly, kissing gently. I slid one hand down to her waist and slid the other up her spine to the back of her neck, where I squeezed her gently the way Beth loves, and the way that sends me into another world.

Sherry moaned and dug her nails into my back; I continued to massage the back of her neck and the base of her spine. Our tongues danced; she was forceful, I was gentle.

We kissed for a while longer, finally pulling back for air. I could see so much of what Beth had taught me, so much of what she’d shown me; Sherry’s rapid pulse, her breathing, the way her nostrils flared, the look in her eyes, so much more. “You’re very welcome,” I told her softly.

She stood quickly, pulling me up by a hand. She grabbed her towel from the couch and led me into another room. It was her bedroom, and she closed the door behind us, pulling me on the bed with her.

We rolled around, kissing and feeling. As she moved with intensity, I moved softly, caressing her. It seemed as if the more gentle I was, the more excited she became.

Finally I sat up, pinning her to the bed, my hands on her shoulders. She was panting, nostrils flared, her face filled with lust.

“Sherry, please let me adore you,” I said softly. She gave me a feral smile, digging her nails into me one more time, then relaxed back and closed her eyes.

I sat back between her legs and started stroking her gently, slowly. The first time I strayed up on to her hips she breathed in sharply; I let my hands rest where they were for a few moments, then continued.

I moved gradually into her inner thighs; I could smell her, see her pouting lips under the suit bottom, feel her hips move as I caressed her.

I worked slowly, caressing her legs and her hips, telling her to relax and enjoy it. I was surprised when I slipped her suit bottom off, surprised by her trimmed bush.

I moved her legs apart a little and she shivered in anticipation. I started slowly again, telling her to relax; I wasn’t in any hurry. Somehow I found it easy to watch her breathing, and to tell her softly, “Relax,” as she exhaled.

I kissed my way up her thighs. I could feel the heat radiating from her core. I couldn’t help but compare her to Beth; they were similar and different at the same time. The big difference seemed to be getting her to relax and enjoy it. Sherry seemed as if she was actively holding herself back, where Beth was able to let go and luxuriate in it.

I sat up a bit and started talking softly as I stroked her thighs, sometimes brushing her outer lips. It was almost as if I was hearing Beth speak, or Emily. Eventually I got her to a place where she relaxed more in response to my touch, relaxing and being more responsive.

She moaned and shook when my tongue first touched her. She was delicious, and her legs felt so good squeezing me. I don’t know how long I adored her; I did everything Beth taught me, and also did things that just felt right. Finally she shuddered from head to toe one more time, and her legs fell limp around me.

I sat up a bit and moved my head around. I wiped my face with her bikini bottoms.

Then something else clicked. I sat up near her head and started drawing circles lightly on her forehead. She smiled and moaned some. I started talking again, or was it Beth that started talking through me? I relaxed her again, and told her how talented she was, how easy it was to study and learn, and how to deal with the stress in her life, not responding to pressure from others, but doing what she felt was right. Then I helped her drift off to sleep, feeling so comfortable, so relaxed.

I stood up and covered her with the comforter. I got my sandals, let myself out the front door, making sure it locked behind me, got my bike, and headed home.

Get You Hot Pie

I rode up to the house still somewhat scattered. What had I done? I mean, I knew I blissed her out, but what was that afterwards, and before? When I opened the garage door, both cars were gone. Good thing; I hadn’t had a chance to wash my face and hands. That had been so weird—I’d been talking, but it had been either Beth or Emily making the words. Weird.

I was upstairs reading. I’d left a message for Beth that I needed to talk. I wasn’t wearing headphones; it was actually pretty quiet in the house. Dad was home but must have been in his office downstairs. Later, I heard more cars pull up to the house. It was mom, followed by Beth. I remembered the drill, even touching myself on the forehead: calm and relaxed, calm and relaxed.

I’d made the deliberate decision not to cook. Someone was going to have to ask, or it was going to be take-out. I kept reading. I thought I heard another car pull up, but I kept to my book.

A couple of minutes later I heard someone coming up the stairs. A knock on my door—I opened it to see Beth. Remember: calm and relaxed.

“Hi. Can we talk?” I asked.

She gave me a wicked grin and whispered, “There are two vixens downstairs asking for you. I’d say they’re hot for your body.”

I raised my eyebrows, looking for more information, but she turned and walked downstairs.

I headed down, and as I got to the bottom steps I saw Sherry and Donna, both in their cheerleader outfits, talking with mom, dad standing a ways back, his arms crossed.

Sherry saw me and said, “Hi Andy. I was telling your folks how much help you’d been with math. My folks are so happy I got an ‘A,’ and I couldn’t have done it without you. Donna and I were going for pizza, and wanted you to join us.”

Mom was all smiles. Dad was dad. Beth looked up at the ceiling. Okay, I’m on my own. Let’s push the envelope—it would be hard for dad to keep me home in this kind of situation.

“Sure. Let me get my windbreaker; I’ll be right down.”

I ran up the stairs and grabbed my windbreaker. I also dug into a box of computer manuals and pulled out some condoms Beth had given me. I had a feeling they might be useful.

When I got downstairs, they were talking with mom and Beth. I told mom and dad I loved them, and the three of us headed out the door.

Post Mortem

They dropped me off in front of the house at about nine. As we pulled up, I noticed Beth’s car parked around the side of the house (we live on a corner).

“Here is fine,” I told Donna. Before I could get out, she pulled me over and gave me one last kiss.

“Sleep well sweetie, I know I will,” she sighed. I gave her a brief squeeze. I looked at Sherry sitting in the back seat; she looked asleep, with a big smile still on her face.

I got out and closed the door; they headed off.

I walked over to the passenger side of Beth’s car and waved. She was sitting inside with a small light on, reading. She looked up and reached over to open the door. I got in.

“What’s up?” I asked her. “I’m surprised you’re here.”

She shook her head and smiled slightly. “You don’t want to go in there. It’s ugly...”

I sighed. “It’s been ugly for days. What else is new?”

She chuckled and put a hand on my leg. “Buckle up. Let’s get some pie. I’m glad you’re taking this so well.” She started the car as I buckled in. “So, tell me about your day; this afternoon, this evening. You look quite ... relaxed.”

I laughed. “Oh God, Beth... Where do I start... I tried this morning to convince Sherry that I wasn’t helping her in expectation of anything; I was helping her because I wanted to. I think she was expecting to give me a mercy fuck and I don’t know what I was supposed to do afterwards. Be her happy puppy? But I went down on her, and it was so good; I enjoyed it so much, and so did she.”

Beth laughed a bit and said, “I’ll bet...” squeezing my leg.

I put my hand on top of hers. “And afterwards I held her and rocked her, and just started talking to her; the words just started coming out of me. It was strange; it was almost like I was saying them, but it was your voice, I don’t know if that makes any sense. Then tonight, wow...”

She squeezed my hand. “Your intuition is strong, so is your compassion. Sometimes it helps you, but it also causes you pain, like with your parents. So how was the pizza?”

I chuckled a little. “They had it in the car already. We went over to Donna’s house; her parents won’t be back in town until late tomorrow. I’m lucky I got out of there alive. You saw what they were wearing? Well, the first thing they did when we got inside was to take off their tops so they wouldn’t get pizza sauce on them. That and open a bottle of wine.”

Beth said, “Ooh... And were you a good boy? Can I be proud of you?”

It was my turn to shake my head. “I don’t know—you tell me later. I had one glass of wine; the girls pretty much finished the bottle. It was actually pretty good, a Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay. After dinner we cleaned up and while washing dishes they managed to get water splashed on me, and then started playing about getting me out of my wet clothes. We sat down and talked for a while. I told both of them that I enjoyed helping people, that’s why I helped Sherry with math. Donna started in on not believing what Sherry had told her about what I’d done; she wanted to see for herself. I called her on that and asked her if she wanted me to go down on her.”

“And she said?”

“They practically dragged me up to her bedroom; she’s got a queen-sized bed. We all went to the bathroom; I washed her slowly with a warm washcloth, put her on the bed, and dived in.”

Beth squeezed my hand. “And how was she?”

I looked at her and smiled. She gave me a big smile and another squeeze.

“Delicious and loud. After a while, Sherry was in it too, kissing her and sucking on her. We ended up all rolling on the bed together. And then...” I paused.

“Then what, Andy?”

I looked at her and held her hand in both of mine. “I don’t know. I was telling myself I’d go down on both of them and that would be it, like the morning with Sherry. We were rolling around on the bed and Donna got on top of me and pulled me to one of her nipples. You saw how well she’s built? All of a sudden she was on top of me, her nipple was in my mouth, she was holding my head to her, a hand brushed my cheek, and I fell into that other world...”

Beth had pulled the car over and parked on the street. She held my hands with both of hers. “That’s okay, there’s nothing wrong—you shouldn’t feel bad about it. What happened after that? Do you remember?”

She was smiling; that helped. “Oh I remember,” I told her. “Oh Beth, I didn’t even use the condoms. They took turns riding me; it was all so incredible, all the kissing, sucking, feeling. Then one of them said something about not believing I hadn’t come yet, and I grabbed on to the nearest nipple and imagined your voice telling me to come, and I did.”

She nodded carefully. “That was good thinking... We’ll straighten out those details. What next?”

“I woke up with Sherry still on top of me, and kissing Donna. We got up and showered together; they have a great shower. We ended up on the bed again; I started sucking on Donna, she squeezed me to her, and I was lost again. I ended up filling her; it’s just an incredible blur. Oh Beth, I actually cried afterwards, apologizing. They both told me not to worry; they were both on the pill and hadn’t had sex with anyone other than each other in a few months, not since they found out they were being two-timed by the same guy.”

Beth looked at me, still smiling. I was close to tears again. “You are something, you know that?” she told me, “What next?”

I wiped my eyes with the back of a hand and returned it to hers. “We talked a little and I made them promise not to tell anyone what had happened. We kissed and hugged a bit more, then got dressed and they took me home.”

“Will they keep quiet? What do you think?”

I managed a little laugh; some pride coming back. “Donna said when Sherry called, she didn’t believe her when she told her what had happened, what I’d done to her. She said she still wasn’t sure. She said she’d keep quiet, but there may be a price...”

Beth laughed. “And I think we both know what that price will be.” She reached over and messed up my hair a bit, then put the car back into gear.

“Well, I’m proud of you. We’ll fix things up to give you more control, but you know, when you’re in a trance like that, you are so passionate and so responsive.” She sighed and kneaded my thigh. “Those girls might get spoiled, just like me.” She gave me a quick glance and another smile.

“I don’t want them to get spoiled, I want to spoil you, just you,” I told her softly.

She sighed again. “Well Andrew, that’s not the way the world works. You’re going to have to learn to spoil us all for a while, I’m afraid.”

I wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but I laughed with her anyway.

We went to Marie Callender’s, and I had two pieces of lemon meringue pie and a large glass of milk. Beth had pecan and decaf coffee. After I ordered the milk and our waitress walked away, Beth asked me, “Didn’t get enough?”

I squeezed her hands, looked her in the eye, and said, “Never...”

We finished, Beth paid, and we headed back. We stopped a few blocks away and Beth turned off the engine. I started to ask why, but she put a finger to her lips. I nodded, and then she put a finger on my forehead, slowly sliding it down, down, down.

She talked with someone for a few minutes; I don’t remember quite what they talked about, but I felt better. I knew I needed to stay out of my parent’s squabbles, and not let them hurt me. I woke up and we were parked in front of the house.

The front porch light and the lights in the living room were still on. Beth started getting out of the car before I did. I was going to tell her good night, but she said, “I’ll walk in with you.”

I’ll admit it; my stomach felt funny, going to the front door of the house I’d lived in all my life; it wasn’t a place of refuge—it was a battleground. I opened the door and we went in.

My parents were in the living room, looking away from each other. It was ugly; it felt ugly. Yet somehow now those feelings went through me, not sticking to me, or at least not sticking as much as they had before.

“And just where have you been?” my father demanded.

Beth responded before I could say anything. “With me. We wanted to give you two a chance to cool down.”

Both mom and dad glared at her, then me. I looked at both of them. “Sherry got an A on her last math test; it’s the first time that’s ever happened to her. Donna wants me to help her as well,” I told them. It was true; they both wanted me to help. “I’m tired; I’m going to bed. I love you both.” I turned and told Beth, “Thanks for the pie. Thanks for listening.” I headed upstairs without another word. I washed up, went to bed, and was asleep right after my head hit the pillow. If I heard any more screaming, I don’t remember it.

Monday morning I was in a pretty good mood. French was a kick—three of us had gotten together to put on parts of Candide to the class. We got to rehearse in another room, but with another of the French teachers present, to be sure we didn’t speak any English. This was hard, but a lot of fun.

Then it was study hall. My heart started to beat wildly as I reached for the door to the room; what was going to happen this morning? Then Beth’s voice came back to me, “Calm and relaxed, calm and relaxed.” I took that slow breath, exhaled, and walked in.

Sherry was waiting for me, a seat saved next to her. She had a big smile on her face. I sat down next to her and pulled out our worksheets. She moaned and let her head fall to the table; some other kids at the table giggled. Under the table she ran a hand over my thigh and squeezed me.

I put a hand on her back and patted her gently. She smiled and raised her head and we started in. We were going to start what was supposed to be a review of trigonometry, so I started with her from the ground up.

When the bell rang we both packed things up. I was used to seeing her scoot out of the room and head to math, me following along behind somewhat. Surprise—she waited for me, and when we got outside, she put her arm in mine. Calm and relaxed, calm and relaxed...

“What’s the occasion?” I asked her as we walked along.

She laughed, a soft and low laugh. “I’ve got even more to thank you for...”

I laughed a little as well. “I’m just glad I can help.”

She held my arm a little tighter.

We went in and sat down. I looked over in the other corner of the room at Betty—she gave me a very interesting look indeed.

Class started in; Ellis handed out the test from Friday. As usual, Betty and I were the first called, then one of the bright junior gals.

Then Ellis paused for a moment. He looked at me, then at Sherry. “Miss Jennings...” he said, cracking a smile.

Sherry bolted up out of her seat, practically ran up to Ellis, grabbed her paper, and gave him a big hug. We all laughed. I started applauding, looking over at Betty, who joined me. Sherry had a huge smile on her face. Ellis said, “I don’t think it’s me you should be thanking, Miss Jennings...”

She turned, and in front of the class gave me a look of pure lust. That brought hoots, whistles, and some more applause. She walked back to her seat with quite a sensuous motion in her hips.

Ellis returned the rest of the papers and then started going over the test. He commented that he was extremely pleased; everyone had done well. He had people explain how they solved problems, asking Sherry to do one of the harder ones. She went up and did it on the board, explaining as she went. She did it the way I’d taught her. When she was through, Ellis asked her with a smile, “Miss Jennings, do you remember where in the book that approach is presented?”

Sherry handed him the marker and said, “Mister Ellis, that book sucks.” The class roared.

We went through the rest of the test, skipping simple problems. The bell rang, we returned things, and shuffled out. Out in the hall, Sherry was waiting for me; I’d walked out with Betty at my side; she was boiling over with curiosity.

Sherry surprised me by giving me a hug, in view of a lot of other people, and saying not too quietly, “I’ll see you at lunch.”

I was still in shock as she walked away; Betty pulled me along the hall, her next class was out by mine. “Well, this morning has certainly been full of surprises,” she said. I found I’d taken her arm in mine; I really liked having someone to hold.

“Yes, it’s been quite a trip,” I said, laughing again.

“Quid pro quo?” she said.

I stopped and turned to her. I was hurt. The smile quickly faded from her face as she looked at me.

“Betty,” I said softly, or as softly as I could in the rush of bodies through the hallway, “I would not, and could not, make demands. I’m happy to help her.”

Betty looked up at me through her glasses. She smiled, touched my cheek with a hand; my knees almost buckled—why was that?

“I’m sorry Andy—I know you wouldn’t. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

I held her arm. “I’m sorry too. I think you understand better than anyone else.”

She squeezed my arm a little more as we walked to our next classes.

Sherry actually sat with us for a while at lunch. I’d developed the habit of sitting with Betty—I think she understood me better than any of the other students. Sherry sat with us, smiling and talking. Some of her other friends walked by, giving us the eye. Donna walked by and gave me quite the look. Sherry left with her.

The rumors were flying by the middle of the week. Wednesday morning riding with David to the High School, he asked me, “Did you really nail both Sherry and Donna last weekend?”

I was surprised. I closed my eyes briefly: Calm and relaxed. Then I looked at him and said, “Where did you hear a crazy thing like that?”

He looked at me with a curious grin. “Terri told me.” Terri was his girlfriend. “The word is you ate them out and then they screwed you silly. Well?”

I shook my head. “I wish. I don’t even have dreams that good.”

He laughed and we didn’t talk about it any more.

But others evidently did. When I sat down with Sherry in study hall that morning, I could feel the eyes on us. Sherry was a little hesitant. I shook my head a little, and started in. She was a little subdued as we walked to math, but we walked together. When we walked in the room, one of the jocks made some remark, “Ooh la la...” or something equally intelligent. Sherry spat out, “What’s your problem, asshole?”

After class, I caught up with Sherry outside the room. She gave me a puzzled look. “Will I see you at lunch?” I asked her. “Do you want to?” she asked. “Very much,” I told her. She smiled—that turned the sun back on inside her.

Betty was standing next to me. She gave me a very interesting glance, one eyebrow up. She gave me her arm; I held it in mine and we walked along without a word.

Getting dressed after P. E., a guy asked me how they were. Who, I asked. He laughed. I frowned and told him I didn’t need crap like that—cheerleaders were way out of my league. I heard a remark about not being able to get a date with my hands, but didn’t respond.

Betty had staked out our spot for lunch. I arrived with my lunch, and Sherry and Donna walked up as I was sitting down. Sherry had a nervous smile. Donna was looking pretty damn pleased with herself. Betty took off early—orchestra practice or some such excuse. I looked at Sherry and Donna. “Can we talk, privately?” I asked them when we’d finished eating.

Sherry and Donna looked at each other. Donna said, “Let’s go to my car.”

We walked out to her car—a two year old Lexus. Sherry and I sat in the back, Donna in front. “Well?” Sherry asked.

I was almost in tears again. I reached for both of their hands.

“I’m so sorry for taking advantage of you last weekend,” I told them.

Donna gave me a strange look. “Didn’t you, like, enjoy that?” she asked incredulously.

“Very much,” I told her.

Sherry slid a little closer to me. “And would you like to do it again?” she asked.

I looked at Donna and smiled, then to Sherry. “Yes, I would, but not if it’s going to mean wild stories spreading all over school.”

Sherry smiled and put a hand in my lap. Donna said, “You haven’t gone off bragging?”

I looked at her. That hurt. “No. I haven’t.”

Donna shook her head. Sherry squeezed me.

Sherry asked, “So we can still be ... friends?”

“I hope so.”

I looked at Sherry. “You are delicious,” I told her. She started blushing—I thought she was going to come right there. I turned to Donna and squeezed her shoulder gently. “And so are you. You held me so well.” I watched her nostrils flare. I could smell both of them.

“Do you need a ride home from school tonight?” Donna asked.

I shook my head. “I’m over at City College in the afternoons. I’ve got a ride home today.”

I got a strange look from Donna and a squeeze from Sherry. “I see a therapist periodically.” In response to the looks I was still getting, I added, “She’s helping me through family problems. My parents are headed for a nasty divorce.”

That got knowing looks and nods. It’s something a lot of us unfortunately understood.

Then Donna brightened. “I can give you a ride over to City if you’d like.”

I looked to Sherry. She was pouting, then smiled.

“That could work,” I answered.

“Uh-oh,” said Sherry. I turned and saw one of the P. E. teachers walking around the parking lot. We got out of the car and headed back to classes.

My last class in the afternoon at the High School was Physics. It was kind of interesting, especially since the instructor didn’t know calculus, and about half his class did. The gal sitting next to me, Rachel, is part of our geek group. She does Calculus then French at City in the morning, and then heads over to the High School. We were near the back of the class. Donna was up near the front. Hey, Donna is pretty good looking. If I were an old fart teacher, I’d put the good looking ones up front, and the brainy types off in the back. I’d have put Rachel up front as well—she’s pretty good looking.

At one point in the class, Donna dropped something, and as she bent over to pick it up, she gave me quite the look. Some of the other people snickered and giggled. A minute or so later, Rachel poked me and handed me a note. Written in French, she asked if what she’d heard was true. I wrote back in French that I wished my dreams were that good. She snickered and wrote something else, handing it back to me.

“I’ll take that note, Mister Wilson,” the fool in the front called out. I smiled and walked up to the front of the room and handed it to him. His usual practice was to read such notes out loud. He glanced at it and put it in his pocket. He didn’t speak French. I sat down.

When the bell rang ending class, I stood up, gathering things. I leaned over to Rachel and asked what she’d written. She whispered (very closely and warmly) in my ear that she thought Donna was in quite a few dreams. I leaned back and whispered warmly, “So are you, mon Cherie.” She gave me quite the smile, putting a little extra wiggle in her hips as she walked off. Gee, I thought she was going with Peter.

Donna caught me outside. “Ride to City?” she asked. I nodded. We walked to her car.

“What was in the note?” she asked me as we got into her car. I told her. She laughed and looked at me. “Am I in your dreams?” she asked. I put a hand on her leg, gently. “I’d like you to be,” I told her. “And the best way to do that is to snuggle up with you and go to sleep holding you—afterwards.”

She rolled her eyes and gave me a low growling laugh, almost backing into another car in the process.

“How do you get to school in the morning?” she asked.

“Mom drops me at City, and I ride the rest of the way with David.”

She smiled at me—leering, really. “I could drop you off in the mornings. Would you like that?”

I laughed. “That would be nice, if it isn’t any trouble.”

I told her which parking lot to pull into to drop me for math. She pulled up to the curb, and shifted to park. I started to get out, saying, ‘Thanks,” when she tugged my sleeve.

“Where do you think you’re going so fast?” she asked with a smile.

I leaned over and we kissed. She was hungry, and insistent, trying to tease my tonsils with her tongue. I put a hand behind her head, holding her gently. She grabbed my other hand and put it on her breasts.

When we came up for air, I said, “Thanks, I like rides like this.”

She gave me another low laugh. “So do I. See you tomorrow morning, sweetie.”

I got out and made it to math. Emily met me afterwards. We talked about the day. Some times she’s too nonjudgmental. But after we talked about what I’d done, and what I expected might happen, she made sure I was fully informed about sexually transmitted diseases. Even if I wasn’t concerned about myself, she told me, I should be concerned about others. Both of us knew she meant Beth. I smiled and told her I understood. I promised to use condoms, should the need arise, pardon the pun, and if they harassed me on it, I’d tell them she made me promise. Emily told me that was fine with her, and she’d see me Friday.

I was feeling adventurous for dinner, and put together a ginger-pork dish. I liked it, and so did mom. Dad picked at it. That upset me. Near the end of the meal, I broke the silence by saying, “I might not be home for dinner tomorrow night.” Dad glowered, but mom asked, “Why, dear?”

“Dennis, Peter, and Rachel might need my help on a physics project. I won’t know until tomorrow afternoon.”

Mom gave dad a sideways glance. “That’s okay, dear. We’ll do fine. This was very good; I like it when you do spicy dishes.”

Dad folded his napkin and left the table.

I packed up leftovers, cleaned up the kitchen, and went upstairs. Dad was in his office in the back of the house, and mom was sitting in the living room reading.

The next morning, something told me Donna might be a bit early. Dad took off with a cup of coffee and not a word. Good—at least it had been quiet last night, for a change. I told mom, “One of my friends is giving me a ride to school this morning. We’ll see how it works out. That should help you.”

She smiled. It was out of her way to drop me off, but she did it. If I ever had to ask dad, he always had some excuse why he couldn’t do it.

Donna did show up early. She honked the horn out front. I grabbed my stuff and gave mom a hug. Mom looked out the window and laughed. “Enjoy your ride,” she told me. I went out the door laughing.

I got in the car, putting my bag on the floor in front of me. Donna was wearing perfume, and a very nice top.

“Good morning,” I told her. “Thanks for dropping me at school.”

She shifted the car into drive, and her hand continued over to my leg, which she raked with her nails. “My pleasure. What are you doing after school tonight?”

I smiled. This could work out well. “I don’t have any plans. Do you have any ideas?”

She gave me a low laugh, ran her hand up my leg, and flicked her nails across my crotch, making me twitch.

French was in a different part of the campus. We pulled in and went through much the same ritual as the previous afternoon. I pulled away a little at one point, and told her, “Relax—enjoy it.” It was very nice to hold her, kiss her, and run my hands over her, even though I did have to carry my bag a little differently until I got in the building.

I took my usual seat in the class. We didn’t have assigned seats in this class. I was surprised when a gal sat down next to me—a guy who was having a lot of trouble in the class usually sat next to me. I was pretty sure the gal’s name was Karen.

She gave me a look of surprise and wonder. I was puzzled for a moment. Then I started laughing.

“Karen?” I asked.

She nodded. “I thought I saw you yesterday afternoon, but then this morning!”

I smiled and raised an eyebrow. She was very good looking, closer to Beth than either of Donna or Sherry. Now, they’re not bad looking, it’s just that Beth, and Karen are, well, fuller somehow.

Then she said, “And I was impressed by what I saw. I didn’t know you had such talent.”

Our instructor clearing his throat brought out conversation to a close—for now.

In study hall, Sherry handed me a note, wanting to know if I’d like to go to a movie with her Saturday night. I wrote back that I’d have to check. My dad was pretty strict about me going out in the evenings. She rolled her eyes at that. I sighed—she didn’t know my dad. I told her I’d work on it. She smiled and we got back to work on math. She put up a mock fuss, but she was getting good at math.

At lunch she gave me another note (and a kiss), suggesting that we could get together Saturday afternoon instead, or as well.

Physics was interesting. We were finishing up another silly experiment, and Donna was taking every excuse and opportunity to tease me. I kept thinking, “Calm and relaxed,” and I think that only made her try harder. When we sat down again for the last few minutes of the period, Rachel leaned over and muttered that Donna seemed pretty hot for my body. I raised an eyebrow to her. Then she smiled and asked, “I wonder why?” I laughed softly and said, “Who knows?”

Donna was funny driving me over to City—her hands were all over me. We pulled into the lot and she grabbed me. I broke our kiss and told her, “Donna, settle down!” She grabbed me again. As we kissed, she moved my hands from her breasts to her groin, and groped at me as well. I eventually untangled myself, and promised her I’d see her later.

When I got out of the car, she squealed off. I started laughing. I walked about ten feet, and stopped. Karen was standing there, a smile on her face.

“Hello there. Between classes?” I asked her.

She nodded. “Thought I’d catch the show—and it was an interesting show. Who is she?”

I sighed. “Her name is Donna. She’s a senior, and a cheerleader at school. She’s also my lab partner in physics.”

Karen raised an eyebrow. “Your choice, I take it?”

I laughed. “Not at all—hers. Last year in chemistry, my lab partner was the varsity football center. I didn’t understand why until halfway through the year, when one of my buddies explained it to me.”

She laughed and shook her head. “And so what else are you studying with her?”

I sighed. “Basic biology?”

“She seems willing enough.”

I looked at Karen, really looked at her, and smiled. “She’s in so much of a hurry. I want to take things slow, and enjoy every moment.”

“You mean you’re not interested in...”

“Oh, I’m interested, it’s just that I know I won’t die if it takes us a while. It seems as if the more I take my time, the more frantic she gets. You tell me—how do I get her to relax, take her time, and enjoy?”

Karen gave me a strange look and shook her head. “Let me think about that. I may have some ideas.”

I laughed a little more. “Thanks, Karen. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“Have fun, Andy,” she called, and we walked off to our classes.

As I’d told Karen, the more gentle I was, the more frantic Donna seemed to become. She picked me up and we headed right for her house.

“When do other people get home?” I asked.

“Not until six thirty or seven. I figured we’d go out for pizza or something—later.” Her right hand was all over me. I started laughing.

We pulled into her driveway. She shut off the car. She turned and looked at me, giving me a weird look. I stopped laughing enough to ask, “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t figure you out. Do you want to, like, make out with me?”

I took her hands. “Very much so.”

“You want to, like, do it?”

“Yes. Do you?”

She gave me another weird look. “Why aren’t you ripping my clothes off?”

“Do you want me to?”

“What?”

“Let’s go inside. That okay?”

Her mouth was open. I leaned over and kissed her, brushing a breast.

That got her moving. We went to her room. We dropped our bags and she pounced on me. I finally rolled on top of her, holding her shoulders down.

“Donna, let’s take a break,” I told her.

“Why?”

“Well, for one, I need to use the bathroom. And, I want to talk.”

She pouted. “We can talk afterwards.”

I tried to keep from laughing. “Donna, I want you. I do. But, I’m not in a hurry. In fact...” I thought for a moment. “Let’s go to your bathroom. Come on.”

I pulled her up. She clung to me, one hand on the bulge in my pants. “Good—I was beginning to worry,” she said.

I had her go to the bathroom. Then I had her wait outside while I went. It took a while before I could. Then I invited her back in. I asked if she had some perfume she liked. She opened a drawer and showed me a number of bottles. I found one I liked.

“May I undress you?” I asked.

She smiled and nodded her head.

I stepped behind her and started undressing her, slowly. At one point I turned on the hot water faucet in the sink, and dropped a washcloth in it. As I undressed her, if she got antsy, I leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Relax. We’ve got time.”

When she was naked, I turned her around, sliding my fingertips over her. “Donna, you are beautiful. You’re hot. Now, you can undress me.”

She had my clothes off quickly, pressing against me. I pushed her back a little. I evened out the water temperature, and picked up the washcloth.

“Hold still for me, please,” I asked softly. She stood there. I widened her legs a little, then wiped her with the warm washcloth. Her eyes closed and she moaned. I turned off the water and put down the washcloth. I picked up the perfume.

“Now, I like a little perfume here, here,” I put dabs on her neck and above her breasts, and then one on her mound, “and especially here. Let’s go to bed.”

I grabbed a hand towel and we went back to her bed. I scooped up my pants and put them on the foot of the bed. She was smiling and eager.

I helped her on to the bed. She gave me a concerned look, I guess because I didn’t jump right on her.

“Donna, please let me adore you. Just lay back, relax, and enjoy. Can you do that for me?”

She nodded yes, but I could tell she wasn’t sure.

I settled between her legs and started gently stroking her thighs. She moaned and quivered. I talked to her gently, softly, getting her to relax and enjoy it. I thought about moving over to her head for a while, but stayed where I was. I went through that strange state myself, drifting and feeling as if it were Beth’s voice I was hearing, as I took Donna down the elevator to that nice soft bed where she could be so relaxed, and every sensation would be so good.

I decided to put on a condom before I went down on her. I’m glad I did, because as soon as my lips and tongue touched her, her legs clamped around my head, and I was off in a dream world of my own. I ate her until she went limp.

Then I slid up her body and into her. She moaned again, as she had been for a while. Her legs whipped around mine, and her hips started bucking. I held her, kissed her, and was soon just along for the ride. She came convulsively, and I did soon afterwards as well.

I untangled myself from her, remembering what else I wanted to do. I went up to her head, and started drawing circles on her temples as I talked to her softly. I relaxed her again, and told her how wonderful she was, but how much it hurt me when she told stories about me, and about what we did. Then more words came out of me, Beth’s words, and Emily’s words, about feeling good about myself, and making my own decisions rather than following those around me, studying becoming easier, things like that. Then I reached over and set her alarm clock for half an hour later, and curled up at her side.

I had that feeling of anticipation as I got near her breast. I knew what would happen when I kissed her nipple. I knew what would happen if she held my head to her. I knew it, and I wanted it. I slipped my arms around her and took her nipple gently. She moaned and her arms flew around my head, squeezing me to her. I fell into her.

“What’s that?” I heard Donna say, over the radio. I was partially under her. I sat up some. The alarm had gone off.

I pulled her back down and kissed her. She responded, a little slower this time, a little more relaxed. When we stopped, she was on her back. I leaned up on an elbow.

“Hi, beautiful. How are you doing?” I asked her.

She smiled. “God, that was incredible. What the hell did you do to me?”

I smiled. “I hope I got you to relax. We went to sleep in each other’s arms. Did you like that?”

“God yes.” She was running her hands over me. She stopped at my cock. “What’s that?” she said, wrinkling her forehead.

“I promised I’d wear a condom,” I told her.

“Promised who?” Donna asked.

“My therapist. She insisted. I agreed with her. Okay?”

I watched the wheels turning. “I guess.” Then she gave me a sultry smile. “Have any more of those?”

I grinned. “Yup. Be right back.” I posted my used French letter in the toilet, bringing out the perfume again. By the time I got to the bed, I was ready. I handed her another condom. “Do the honors?” I asked her. She put it on me, nearly buckling my knees in the process.

I pulled her to the edge of the bed and rolled her on to her stomach. I put a drop of perfume on her hair at the back of her head. This was one of my favorites with Beth. I stood behind her, and started sliding into her from the rear. She moaned and started pushing herself up. “Relax, Donna,” I told her, “Relax and enjoy.” I slid into her, riding her tight bottom, letting myself down on to her back, burying my nose in her perfumed hair. I leaned over to her ear, and started whispering, “Relax and come for me, Donna. Relax and come for me.”

As I whispered, she started moaning. I kept whispering, sliding my hands under her, holding her shoulders and pulling us together. As I felt myself getting to the edge, I started whispering, “Come now, Donna! Now, please!” She moaned and shuddered, and took me over the edge with her.

We rested for a bit, then got up and cleaned up. As we got dressed, I was sitting on the bed putting on my socks. She walked up to me and pulled my head to a breast, holding me to a nipple. The world dropped out from under me.

“Andy? Andy? Are you okay?”

I blinked and sat up. Donna was on all fours on top of me. I squeezed her to me again. “I’m fine. God, that’s wonderful.”

We sat up again.

“You just, like, melted in my arms,” she said softly.

“That’s what you can do to a man,” I told her, “If you take your time.”

Her eyes got a little wide. “God... Let’s get something to eat.”

I grabbed her and kissed her breasts. She laughed.

It took us a while to get to the car. “Lozano’s okay?” she asked.

“Donna, I only have a few bucks. My dad is pretty cheap.”

She squeezed my leg. “That’s okay. I’ll buy. God...”

“What, Donna?”

She looked at me, giving me that weird frown with a partial smile.

“You are something else! I’ve never come like that in my life! And you’re so fucking laid back about it!”

I held her hand, then brushed her breasts softly. “Donna, I’m not in a hurry, that’s all.”

She moaned a little, and laughed. “Neither am I—now. Neither am I.”

We went to the local Italian place and got a booth. Donna ordered spaghetti, and I had lasagna.

As we finished, some kids I recognized came in. One of the girls I thought was a cheerleader as well. She saw Donna and came over.

“Hi, Donna—who’s your new boyfriend?”

Donna smiled at the barb. “This is Andy—he helped Sherry get an A in math, and he’s helping me with physics. And he’s cute and cuddly besides!”

That got her interest. “Oh, so you’re Andy!” She was wearing kind of a tight top, and you could practically hear her nipples popping erect. Two of the other girls came over as well, looking at me. They introduced themselves. Donna was getting agitated. One of the others took the clue, and the four of them went to sit down in another booth, giggling and turning to look at us occasionally. We left soon after that.

We went back to her house. After necking madly for a few minutes, I insisted on getting out her physics book. She gave me a weird look, but could tell I meant it.

I’d try to talk physics. She’d say something like, “I can’t believe how dreamy you make me feel,” or “I’m going to get a tit in your mouth and rape you right here.” I persevered, and by reminding her of upcoming tests, got her to pay attention to the book.

A while later we heard the garage door, then the door to the house. I looked up to see an older guy in a shirt and tie, carrying a suit coat, standing in the doorway.

“Oh my God!” he shouted out. He staggered forward, putting his hand on his chest. “My God! This is too much for me!” he shouted.

“Sir, are you all right?” I asked.

He shook his head and looked at me as if I was from another planet. “I don’t believe this,” he said. He reached out and touched the books and the paper we’d been using, then went over to Donna. He put a hand on her forehead. “Are you well, baby?”

Donna scowled. “Oh daddy, get off it. This is Andy. He’s helping me with Physics. I told you about him—he helped Sherry get an ‘A’ in math.”

He pulled up a chair and sat down, shaking his head. “This is quite a shock to your old man’s heart. I thought I’d walk in and catch you doing a lot of things, but never this.” He started to laugh.

I started laughing as well. If he’d only been here a few hours ago....

“Daddy!” Donna exclaimed.

He stood up, and clapped me on the back. “Good to meet you, Andy. You made Burt Jennings do a jig. If you can get Donna to study, you’re welcome around here whenever you want!” He headed out of the room, laughing.

When her mom got home a while later, her dad went through the same thing again, pointing to the books, the notes, and even remarking that I’d called him ‘sir.’ She gave me a different kind of smile, and told me that she knew my parents, and I was welcome here. I thanked her very much.

I had homework I needed to do as well. After Donna’s parents had eaten, I told her I needed to get home. Her dad insisted on driving me. I was expecting an interrogation—the third degree. Instead, as we drove, he told me, “Andy, you’re a ray of hope. I don’t care what else happens if you can get that girl to actually study.”

“Sir, I wouldn’t do anything to hurt your daughter,” I told him.

He laughed. “Andy, I’m not worried about you hurting her. But I appreciate you telling me that. We know she’s wild. If you can try and tame her, so much the better.”

We pulled in front of my house. As soon as we did, my dad stepped out of the front door and on to the porch. “Oh shit,” I muttered.

Donna’s dad, said, “I think I’ll introduce myself.”

I looked at him. “You don’t have to do that.”

He smiled. “Oh yes, I do.”

I got out of the car, and so did he. My dad was glowering at me as I walked up the steps. Donna’s dad put out his hand and introduced himself, telling my dad how lucky he was. He told him about my helping Donna study for physics, and how happy the Jennings were about me helping Sherry. He wished me a good night, and told me I was welcome at their place.

My dad grunted. We went in the house. Mom had been crying. I told her, “We were studying for the physics test coming up. I’ve had dinner. I’ve got homework to do. I love you.” I turned to dad, looked at him and said, “I love you, dad.” I went upstairs.

When I came downstairs Friday morning, dad was still there. “Do you want some toast, dad?” I asked him. He shook his head. “Mom?” She said, “Yes, that would be nice.”

I started the toast and peeled a banana. “I’m probably going to be studying with some of the gang Saturday afternoon, and going to a movie with them on Saturday night. Okay?”

My dad didn’t like me going out. That had to change. He was stirring his cereal, head down, and mom said, “That will be fine, dear. I think you should get out more with your friends. We’ve talked about that, haven’t we darling?”

He actually looked up, glared at both of us, and said, “Yes. Fine.” Then his head snapped down again.

I had my so-called breakfast and then headed out to the car when I heard Donna honk.

I slid into the car, and she started off almost before I got the door closed. “Sleep well, beautiful?” I asked her.

She gave me her low laugh and pulled my hand to her breast, then down her stomach to between her legs. “Oh, I had the best dreams—and you were in them, and in me.”

We kissed a lot less frantically this morning as she dropped me off. Karen was standing about twenty feet away, watching.

“Good morning,” I told her as we walked over to the classroom.

“My, my,” she said. “You’ve got one very satisfied looking girlfriend there.”

I laughed a little. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

“Want to ask her opinion?”

I shook my head, and stopped. She stopped as well.

“She and her pal Sherry are both after me. I don’t know what to do.”

Karen gave me a quizzical frown and grin. “Let them fight it out.” Then she laughed a little. “I might be able to help.”

We headed to class.

Sherry was sullen in study hall, until I told her I was all hers tomorrow. After that, it was hard to get her to concentrate on math.

There was a storm brewing at lunch. Betty looked amused, and Sherry and Donna definitely did not. I sat down and took one of Donna’s hands, and one of Sherry’s. I looked to both of them.

“Stop it, both of you. I need your help. I’ve never had a girlfriend before, so I don’t know what to do. You’re going to have to help me. Understand? I don’t know what the hell I’m doing!”

All three girls smiled at that last remark. Donna sighed. Sherry shook her head.

I squeezed their hands. “Please. You two are friends. You know more about this than I do. Let’s figure out what works. And please, no rumors. Rumors and stories really hurt me.”

I think we agreed. We ate lunch and talked about the usual school stuff. As we broke up after lunch, I got hugs from all of them—even Betty.

Donna was more upbeat during physics. When the fat fool didn’t explain something clearly, she asked him to explain it better—just like that, just like she’d done with me. He was surprised. Rachel poked me and rolled her eyes.

Riding over to City was a little more relaxed. As we pulled into the lot, Donna told me, “Sherry and I will work something out. We’ll probably go see a flick tomorrow night.” She pulled me into a kiss. She felt so good in her cheerleading outfit. I knew they had a game to do tonight, and the usual parties afterwards. I wasn’t invited, and didn’t care. Or did I?

She gave me a squeeze, and said, “Dream about me, sweetie,” as I got out.

Karen was standing off to the side again, smiling. After Donna drove off, I took Karen’s arm in mine and walked over to a nearby bench. We sat down.

“You were right,” I told her.

“I was?” she asked.

I nodded. “Yup. I told them I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, and they needed to help me figure things out. Donna told me that’s what they were going to do.”

She smirked. “You sure look like you know what you’re doing, Andy. You’re not shitting me on this, are you? You really have two girls chasing you?”

I nodded, and told her about helping Sherry in math, and her getting her first “A.” I told her about Donna’s dad carrying on when he came home to see her studying.

She looked at me. “And, have you ... ?”

“Made love with them? I guess so.”

“Guess so? You’re not sure?”

I smiled. I gave her the short version of going down on Sherry, then of the two of them hijacking me, going down on Donna, and ending up in a three for all.

I saw her nostrils flaring. What was I doing, telling her all of this?

She asked softly, “You like going down on them?”

I shook my head, looking into her eyes, “No, I love it. There’s something so special about having a warm pair of legs squeezing my head. I just wish I could get them to relax and enjoy it”

She smiled and shook her head slowly. “Andy, I don’t know about you.... You’re late for class. See you Monday morning.”

I stood up. “Karen, thanks for listening. I appreciate it.”

She gave me a hug. I returned it gently. “Have a good weekend,” I told her.

I was a little late to math. The instructor frowned at me, and asked me to solve a problem on the board. I looked at it and did it. When I was done, I handed him the marker. He gave me another frown. “Very nice, Mister Wilson, but we don’t cover that approach for another few weeks.” I sat down.

I told Emily that I seemed to have two girls after me, or maybe three. Emily asked if that included Beth. I sighed. I needed to see Beth. I needed to talk to her.

We talked about my family, and home life. It was hard for me to call it home life, and I told her so. I told her about Donna’s dad, and the remarks her parents had made. I was beginning to get a better feel for the shit I was in. I didn’t like it.

I got home pretty much homework free. I whipped up a pie, and did a casserole I knew Dad liked. I think he actually enjoyed dinner. The phone rang as I was doing the dishes. When dad is home, he’s the only one that answers the phone. As I thought about it, I realized how weird that was. He was his usual talkative self on the phone—spitting out a word or three at a time. The conversation ended with “Okay,” and he hung up the phone.

Mom was helping me dry dishes. Even though we have a dishwasher in the kitchen, dad gets upset if we use it. I guess I’ve gotten used to doing things by hand. He came into the kitchen.

“That was my sister. She wants to take you to a special presentation in Los Angeles on Sunday. She’ll be by around nine in the morning for you. But that means you might not be able to go out tomorrow.”

I looked at him and shook my head. “Dad, I don’t have any homework this weekend. Not only am I caught up, I’m ahead of things.”

“You can’t let your studies slip,” he said, a marvel of eloquence from him.

“Dad, I’m getting straight A’s. Have we heard from any colleges yet?” I was waiting for admission information. I knew people that had heard already.

He grunted. “I guess you can go tomorrow as well then.” He went into his office and closed the door.

Mom dried the dish she had and put it in the cupboard. “I’m proud of how you’re doing at school, especially helping others.”

I gave her a hug, or tried to. She shied away. “Thanks, mom.”

I went upstairs, did some reading, and went to bed early. I had weird dreams, mostly involving Sherry and Donna going out with other guys.

Dad was actually around Saturday morning, so I fixed breakfast for all of us. I was clearing the table when the phone rang. He answered, and after a moment, practically shouted, “Who is this?” After a bit, he said, “Oh, I’ll get him.” He held the phone out to me. “It’s for you.” He walked off.

It was Sherry. “God, like what’s his problem?” she said.

“Hi Sherry. What’s up?”

“When can you come over?”

“I still have to clean up. In about an hour?”

“Oh God, I don’t know if I can wait that long.”

Mom wasn’t in the room. I took a chance. “Take a nice hot bath and shave your legs.”

She laughed. “I’ll do that. See you.”

When I was ready to go, mom asked, “Do you want me to drop you, dear? I have to go to the store anyway.”

That made sense. “Sure mom, that would be a big help.”

We got in her car. As we drove off to Sherry’s house, she reached in her purse and handed me a $20 bill. “Here, you’ll need it if you’re going out with a girl. We’ve talked about increasing your allowance, and I’m going to do it.”

When I got out, I gave her a hug. “Thanks, mom.”

She smiled. “Be good for me, Andy.”

I closed the door and she drove off. Did she know? I laughed—she was my age once upon a time.

Sherry answered the door, wearing a robe. I could smell the perfume on her. I stepped in and she closed the door behind me. I held her and pushed her against the door with my body.

“Oh God, I want you!” she panted. I held her and kissed her neck.

“I want you too,” I told her.

“But?” she said, almost pouting.

I laughed, and held her hands, mainly to keep them off me for a moment.

“What’s the schedule today?”

She sighed. “My folks are gone until six or so. Donna will be over about five thirty. We’ll go out for dinner and go to a movie. Now can we ... ?”

I nodded. “As long as we can spend some time studying.” She sighed again. “As long as I can spend some time sleeping in your arms,” I told her. She perked up again.

We went back to her bedroom. She closed and locked the door, and threw herself on her bed, letting her robe open.

“You look good enough to eat,” I told her as I took off my shoes and socks.

“Oh, I hope so. Please, Andy—do it to me again.”

I kept my pants with the condoms handy. I settled in between her legs and started stroking her slowly, gently, telling her to relax and enjoy it. After I got her unwound, I went down on her. She’d practically soaked herself with perfume, and a much better perfume than what I’d smelled on her in the past. The combination of the perfume, her taste, and her hot thighs squeezing me had me lost.

After going down on her, I put on a condom and slid into her. I pulled her legs up, and she squeezed me between her thighs and calves. It felt so good.

I let her rest afterwards, talking to her softly, in that weird place hearing Beth’s and Emily’s voices again, helping her to be stronger and to improve.

We studied for a while. We were sitting in the living room, mostly dressed, legs tangled together. I asked her about the perfume. She said it was her mom’s, and she really liked it. Did I? She was wearing a top but no bra. I leaned over to her and pushed her top up. “Let’s see,” I told her. I took a nipple in my mouth; she was so soft and warm. I took a deep breath through my nose. She was delicious. Then her hands squeezed my head, and I fell into her.

I was on my back, and she was on top of me, riding me, moaning. I was sucking on her; she was so delicious. “Oh, I can’t believe it! Oh, yes, again!” She cried out and squeezed my head to her. The world spun and I came, deep inside her. I wasn’t wearing a condom.

She held me and cuddled me afterwards, but I was upset. I struggled, and she’d squeeze me to her, laughing softly.

When I sat up, she was smiling and glowing. I got on my knees, and almost in tears told her I’d promised my therapist I’d wear condoms. I didn’t mind her surprising me like that—it had been wonderful, but she had to promise me we’d use condoms.

She shook her head, but then she smiled, and she agreed. We showered together, and studied some more.

Donna came over a little after five. She saw us sitting around the table studying. She walked up to me, took me out of my chair, and kissed me. She felt hungry.

After kissing for a while, I stood there holding her. “Oh God, Andy... You are something else.” I kissed her neck, and pulled out a chair for her.

She sat down. I held one of Sherry’s hands, and one of Donna’s. Donna looked at me, then over to Sherry. “Did you tell him?”

“Tell me what?” I asked.

Donna looked at me. I didn’t know what that look meant.

“They are such ... dicks! All they want to do is get off!”

“Not a lot of fun last night?” I asked.

Sherry was still relaxed—satiated was a better word. Donna shook her head.

“All he did was paw me and try to get into my pants. He ...”

I held her hand and looked into her eyes. “Donna, it’s all right. Do you tell them what you want? What you need?”

She sighed. “They don’t listen.”

“Then find someone who will,” I told her.

She smiled. Oops, wrong answer!

“What have you two decided?” I asked.

Donna gave me a quizzical look.

“About me,” I said.

She smiled and looked to Sherry.

Sherry said, “We’ve decided to share you. Donna can give you rides, and maybe you can study with me some time in the afternoons.”

Donna said, “Yeah, and what are you doing tomorrow?”

I smiled. “I’m busy all day tomorrow. Next weekend?”

Donna said, “But you...” She looked at Sherry.

I decided to up the ante. “Sherry got an ‘A’ in math. How are you doing with physics?”

Donna groaned and let her head down on the table. She also felt up my leg.

“Dinner?” I asked.

Donna raised her head. “Afterwards?”

“I’m starving,” I told her. “I didn’t have any lunch.”

Donna looked to Sherry; Sherry smiled and leaned back a bit more.

We went to a burger place for dinner. I took out money to pay, but Sherry and Donna argued about it. Finally Donna said, “He’s yours this weekend, you pay.” I shook my head.

We actually did go to a movie. We were sitting in the theater waiting for it to start. Donna was on my left, and Sherry on my right. We’d gotten a bench-style seat, so we were sitting close together.

“Holding someone feels so good,” I told them with a sigh.

I leaned over to Donna. “Donna, did you tell them what you wanted? What you liked?”

She gave me a strange look.

The movie was okay. I kept getting distracted, kissing one or the other, or having my hands moved around. God, it would be so nice to spend the night with one (or both) of them.

I think Donna was intending to drop Sherry off, and then get delayed taking me home. I told them I needed to get home—my dad was going to be pissed. We talked about that for a while. I realized more and more how weird my home life was.

They dropped me in front of the house. We’d stopped a few blocks away for our good-night kisses (and fondles). “See you Monday,” I told them. I got out of the car.

And walked into a mess. My dad yelled, “Where have you been?”

I took the ticket stub out of my pocket and tossed it on the carpet in front of him.

“I was at a movie with friends. Good night.” I turned my back and went upstairs.

I got up the next morning, setting the alarm to give me just enough time to shower and get ready before Beth arrived. I timed it pretty well. I was getting dressed as I heard the door slam, and dad drive off.

Mom was quiet when I got downstairs. She managed to smile. I fixed us some toast. I heard Beth honking her horn in the driveway. I tried to give mom a hug, but she shied away. “I love you. I’ll see you tonight.”

I got in the car with Beth. She smiled. We headed for the freeway. As we got closer, I asked, “What is this thing we’re going to?”

Rather than getting on the freeway headed north, to Los Angeles, she headed south, back towards her place. “A complete ruse,” she told me.

I sighed and leaned back. “Oh Beth, I’m so confused. I need to be held. Please.”

I’d closed my eyes. I heard her low laugh, and felt her hand on my leg.

We drove to her place and pulled into the garage. Inside, we went directly to the bedroom. We undressed each other slowly, and eased into the bed. I pulled myself to her, burrowing into her warmth and softness. “Oh Andy, there’s that wonderful feeling again,” she sighed. Her hands wrapped around me, holding me close. I let go.

We made love gently, and curled up together afterwards. We talked in bed. I poured out all the things that had been tumbling through me. I was surprised to find that she didn’t know what I told Emily. She questioned me—tough questions again. She held me to her, helping me stay with the tough parts. And after that, she helped me relax again in her arms, drifting into that safe, soft, secure place.

I woke up and we made love again. We snuggled again. That’s the best part.

I woke to the alarm clock going off. I was happy in her arms, in her bed. Was it morning? Was I still living with her?

Then things started coming together. It was early afternoon. After she turned off the alarm, I held her close.

“What’s that about?” I asked.

She snuggled closed. “We have to get going. We have our ruse to complete, and dinner.”

I squeezed her gently and we both sighed. With a kiss, we got up. We kissed again, cleaned up, and got dressed.

A few minutes later, we actually were heading to Los Angeles.

“Talk to me, please,” I asked her. “I don’t get much feedback from Doctor Emily.”

She sighed and shook her head. “That’s the way she works. That’s the way I should work as well, but I’m too close to you. Andy, you’re doing well. God, how I wish I could get my step-brother to open up—to talk to anyone.”

“I’m worried about him, and about mom. Things are getting really ugly again. Some times I feel responsible for it—I know how much he dislikes me going out at night.”

“No! You’re not a victim!” She was practically shouting. “Andy, I’ve talked to your mother. They know you need to live, and grow. From what your mother says, the counselor they’re going to is telling them the same thing.”

“But should I be pushing the envelope so much?”

She shook her head again. “You need to get out with people your own age.” She felt my leg. “You seem to enjoy it. Oh Andy, I don’t know what else to do, except take it one day at a time.”

We talked more about school. I was starting to worry—I hadn’t heard from any colleges yet.

We drove to Westwood and went to an interesting restaurant. We had a very good meal, even though I couldn’t have any wine. The sauces were superb, and I asked our waiter for more details. I was surprised when the chef came out. I guessed some of the ingredients, but missed one of them. That was a real kick, talking to him.

Beth and I walked around afterwards, and then started home again.

We got home a little after eight. She came in with me, and I’m glad she did. It was very ugly. Mom looked cold, distant, and a mixture of angry and frightened. Dad looked full of cold rage.

I thanked them for letting me go. I’d had a long but very good day. I told them about the dinner we had in Westwood, going over one of the sauces I’d liked, reading the ingredients off the back of the museum brochure.

I thanked Beth for her time. I went over to mom. She drew back as I approached. What was wrong? I kissed her on the head and told her I loved her. I went over to dad. He glowered at me as I approached, but broke off eye contact as I got close to him. I put a hand on his shoulder and told him I loved him. I told them I loved them both. I went upstairs.

Rubicon

Tuesday evening, Mom was jittery—she didn’t want me hugging her. I tried to give her a soft, comforting hug whenever I could. The last few days she’d been avoiding even that. I didn’t like the way the corner of her mouth looked—a little swollen.

Dad was sullen. No, worse than that. He looked and acted ready to explode. That night I cooked a meal he usually liked. He picked at it in cold silence. I was hungry at least. Afterwards, mom thanked me for a delicious meal. Dad glared at me. I told them I’d clean up. I packed away leftovers in the refrigerator. While I was doing the dishes, Dad went through the kitchen to his office in the back of the house, not even looking at me. He closed the door.

I finished in the kitchen, and stopped to talk to mom in the living room. “I love you, mom,” I told her. I could say that and mean it now. She looked confused as she sat in the chair. She looked so fragile. This had to stop. She didn’t make eye contact with me. “I’ll be upstairs studying,” I told her. I gave her a kiss on the top of her head and went upstairs.

I left my door open, and didn’t wear headphones. I don’t know why. About eight thirty I heard him yelling. I either couldn’t or didn’t want to understand what he was yelling. I heard my mom’s voice occasionally as well. Then I heard the unmistakable sound of a slap, and then her crying. He was louder, and I heard a noise like someone falling, and a chair getting knocked around.

I wasn’t going to ignore it any longer. I couldn’t. I was cold as I picked up my cordless phone. I pushed the speed dial number for Beth. She answered, and I said, “This is Andy. Please come over here right away. Things are going to hell.”

I stood up as I hung up, and then calmly dialed 911. I turned down the earpiece volume all the way. When the emergency operator answered, I gave our address clearly, and told them my dad was beating up my mom. Then I held the phone in my hand as I walked out of my room and downstairs.

My dad was standing over my mom, in the middle of the room. She was on the floor, and he was standing over her, screaming incoherently. I put the phone down on an end table where it should pick up everything.

I went quickly to mom and picked her up, putting her in a chair behind me, a few feet away from him. I stood and turned to ask him why he was doing this.

I never got the chance. He punched me in the face, so hard and so fast he knocked me down. He was screaming again, and started kicking me. He kicked me once in the face and I rolled over, protecting my face, so he kicked me in the ribs, sides, and back. I heard mom scream for him to stop hitting me. He kicked me once more, then I heard him slap her, knocking her down again. Then he stomped off. I could hear the door to his office slam.

I’d never been in a fight before. I’d never experienced anything like this. Some time later, I heard a knock on the door. I managed to crawl over to it and open the door. Two policemen came in.

They helped me sit down. Somehow I explained what had happened. We turned off the cordless phone. They wanted to know if he had any guns. I didn’t think so. They called for another unit.

Beth showed up. She talked to the police, and looked both mom and me over carefully. She told us she was taking both of us to the emergency room. The side of my face was swollen, and my left side hurt, especially when I took a deep breath, or moved.

Eventually two cops went back, and one started talking to dad. We could hear them. It took a while, but eventually dad agreed to come out.

We could hear him as he came through the kitchen. He sounded as calm and cool as could be, as if nothing had happened. I hurt, and was so tense. I was scared, for both mom and me.

He stepped into the living room. He was smiling—until he saw Beth.

That flipped his switch again. He screamed at Beth, “So you’re in this with them, are you?” He took one step towards us, and one of the cops stepped up to block him. The cop he’d been speaking with was behind him, and said something.

In retrospect, it’s wonderful what happened. I saw it as if it were in slow motion. I saw my dad turn, the anger filling him and the veins standing out in his neck. He turned, raised a fist, and hit the cop standing behind him full in the face.

The other cops, of course, took him down. One ran in from outside the house, and it took the three of them to get him restrained. He was screaming incoherently.

Beth took mom and me to the local Emergency room. We were separated for an hour or two. We were checked thoroughly, and photographed.

We reconvened in a small room. Beth was there, with a man I hadn’t met. Two cops were there. I had a cracked cheekbone and bruised ribs. Mom had a split lip. One of the docs took down the x-rays of my ribs and put up another set on the viewer. He told everyone that mom had bruised ribs, and some breaks that had happened probably in the last week, that had just started to heal. She broke into tears. I told everyone when I thought it probably happened, based on her avoiding hugs from me during the week.

I answered questions as best I could. I was still dazed, confused, and scared. The cops told us dad had put up quite a fight until they got him in the car. Then he’d been peaceful as could be, until partway through booking him at the police station, when he’d gone nuts again. He was being held for evaluation, and would remain in custody for at least four days, possibly longer.

The guy with Beth introduced himself as an attorney. He told the cops my parents had given Beth power of attorney for my care, and gave them a copy. He also wanted a restraining order immediately. The cop who had been asking questions told him that wouldn’t be a problem, given the circumstances.

Somehow we got out of there, gathered some things at the house, and made it to Beth’s. Emily was there when we arrived. Mom was really screwed up. I helped her into the guest room. As I was holding her, and she was holding me and crying, Emily came into the room holding a syringe.

Beth took my mom’s arm and cleaned a patch with a swab. Emily told her, “I’m a medical doctor, a psychiatrist. I’m giving you something to help you sleep.” My mom didn’t protest. She was out shortly thereafter. Emily led me out of the room and back to the living room.

The sofa had been pulled out into a bed. Emily sat me on one side of it and went into the kitchen. She returned with another syringe, evidently for me.

“Let me hold Beth first,” I begged her.

She nodded, and smiled. It was a grim, tight smile. “Andrew, you did the right thing tonight. You did a very brave thing. There is no reason for you to be ashamed of what you did. I’m very proud of you.”

“So am I,” Beth said, entering the room. She sat down next to me on the bed. My arms flew around her and I started to cry once more. She held me and rocked me. I felt her squeezing me, but it didn’t work the way it usually did. Then I felt the sting in my arm, and started to relax.

The next day was hell. I felt groggy, encased in cotton balls or something. We talked to police. We talked to the attorney. Mom started denying things, and I took over, telling in detail what had been going on for months. I told them about hearing the screaming, even while wearing headphones. I told them of coming downstairs in the morning and finding things moved, rearranged. I told them about the broken furniture, sunglasses, more. Finally, with Beth and me holding her, mom started to talk. It was ugly. But some part of me knew it had to come out, and it would be better for us all when it did.

By the end of the day, we’d crossed the Rubicon. We had a restraining order against dad. Mom was filing for divorce, and moving to the other end of the state to be with her sister. I would stay with Beth.

Even though dad was still locked up, a cop and the attorney were with us as we packed things at the house. It didn’t take me very long to pack my things into Beth’s car, my bike on top. Beth helped mom pack. The two of them would finish packing the next day.

It was getting dark, and I hadn’t had much to eat all day—none of us had. We went to an inexpensive restaurant for dinner. I was hungry; mom picked at her meal.

Back at Beth’s, mom cried and cried, and finally Beth sedated her again.

I was on the couch in the living room again. Beth came in and held me. I held her tight, even though it hurt. I cried, spouting nonsense until I ran out of steam. She asked me if I needed something to help me sleep. I pulled her down closer to me. She held my head between her breasts, and started rocking slowly. She started talking to me, relaxing me. That helped.

Beth and mom dropped me at City College the next morning. Mom gave me her cell phone. I had a note excusing me from physical education for the next week or so. If I couldn’t get a ride to the high school, I’d call Beth. If I couldn’t make it through the day, I’d call Beth. Mom’s sister was flying up to help her pack. They’d see me later. I hugged mom as best I could, and then Beth.

I had a hard time moving, and breathing. The side of my face was swollen, black and blue.

It started in French. Our instructor gave me a quizzical glance and asked what had happened. I told him, in my best French, that my dad had beat up my mom and me, and was currently in jail, as he’d also punched a cop.

I caught a ride with David over to the high school. I told him part of the story, and told him to goddamn keep it quiet. I delivered my notes to the administration office, and headed to study hall.

Sherry saw me, and jumped up out of her chair. She ran to me and hugged me, almost crying. It was hard for me not to start as well.

One of the study hall teachers started walking over to us. Physical displays of affection were not allowed—at least in front of them. She was about to say something to the two of us when I turned, and she saw the bruised side of my face. That stopped her in her tracks.

I told Sherry part of what had happened, with the study hall proctor well within earshot. I told Sherry I was still really screwed up, and holding her hand would help. The proctor went away.

Sherry and I sat down. We held hands. We didn’t talk much. I wanted to be held. I wanted to curl up, close my eyes, be held and rocked.

Betty almost cried when she saw me in Math. Ellis was stunned. One of the jocks in the class laughed. Sherry cussed him out.

About halfway through the class there was a knock on the door. An admin person wanted me. I gather my books. As I was walking by Sherry, she took my hand and squeezed it, in front of everyone. That helped.

I was taken to an office with one of the school counselors, and the vice-principal. They pontificated great concern over me, and explained that they were required to contact the police. I came very close to ripping into them, but instead I sighed, and told them more of the story. I think the both of them have hearts somewhere. I gave them Emily’s name. They already had the power of attorney stuff. I told them a copy of the restraining order was being filed with the school district headquarters, according to their regulations. I’d have a copy for them tomorrow, and would have one with me all the time.

That whole thing was unproductive and exhausting. Rather than go to what was left of English, and phys ed afterwards, I went to the Nurse’s office. That gal was helpful. I crashed on a cot in the back, in an area that was cool and dark. I zoned out.

She woke me a few minutes before lunch was to start. I washed my face and hands and thanked her for her compassion and concern.

I queued up to buy lunch. I wasn’t that hungry. I sat at my usual spot to eat my pizza. Betty, Sherry, and Donna showed up, all concerned. We ate, and we talked. It was a little easier to talk about it now. Sherry was sitting on one side of me, leaning against me, holding my hand. Betty was on the other side, holding my other hand. Donna was sitting across from us.

I told them I was seeing a shrink, and she was helping me greatly. It was my mom I was worried about. Betty asked about my dad. I sighed. Donna went off about how he should stay in jail, for what he’d done. I reached out and took her hands, shaking my head. I told her that wasn’t the way—that was repaying in kind. He was still my dad, and I loved him. I cared for him as well. Donna shook her head. I got a knowing look from Betty, and quite a different look from Sherry.

Donna was more subdued in Physics that afternoon. We were doing lab work, and while I sat on the stool running the experiment, she stood behind me, leaning against me. I thanked her afterwards. I don’t remember how I made it to math at City that afternoon. I wasn’t really there for the class. I talked to the instructor for a few minutes afterwards. He’d cut me some slack.

I left the class, and wondered how the hell I was going to get home. And, where the hell was home these days? Then I saw Emily walking toward me. I collapsed into the seat of her car, and cried most of the way to Beth’s place. We went inside, and she had me stretch out on the couch. We went to a number of very ugly places, but I was able to look at them, and learn from them. Then she talked about being in Beth’s arms—being so safe and relaxed in Beth’s arms. I could feel Beth’s arms around me, and feel and hear her heart beating. I let her rock me to sleep.

I woke up to Beth, mom, and her sister coming in. I helped move boxes into the garage. There were more boxes packed up at the house—Beth and I would get them. Right now, we needed to go to the airport. Mom’s car we left in a guest spot in front of Beth’s place. The four of us got into Beth’s car and headed to the airport, the back filled with suitcases.

I sat in the front seat. Traffic was bad this time of the day. It’s bad all day in Los Angeles. We made it to the airport, and I helped unload bags. It hurt like hell.

Then I was standing there, looking at my mom. She was trying not to cry. I hugged her gently and told her I loved her. I leaned down and she kissed me on the forehead. She and her sister went into the terminal. Beth and I got back in the car.

We loaded up the rest of the boxes at the old house. We drove away, stopping at an In-N-Out Burger for dinner. My appetite was returning—some good news.

We worked the boxes into the garage, and put mom’s car in as well. Beth would park in her reserved spot, or in front of the garage.

We finally sat down.

“What the hell was all that?” I asked her.

She smiled and sighed. “Your mother has gone through quite a bit in the last few days. She’s made some important decisions. Oh, Emily tells me you are doing very well getting through this. She’s proud of you, and quite impressed.”

I snorted. “I’m not the one who needs the therapist—it’s mom and dad, especially dad.”

Beth nodded. “You’re right about that. Tell me, who opened the mail at your place?”

I actually laughed a bit, then thought about it. “Dad did, always. He went nuts—sorry, got really upset if anyone else even took it out of the mailbox.”

She nodded. “And how does that strike you, now?”

I thought for a moment. “Manipulative. Controlling. What’s his problem?”

“Not your worry, but you’re right. Controlling and manipulative. I’ll bet you haven’t seen these.” She opened up her large handbag and pulled out some envelopes, addressed to me.

I looked at them in shock and surprise. I’d been accepted to Stanford, Cornell, and U.C.L.A. I looked them over again, looking at the postmarks and dates. They were in the last week or two.

“You think this has something to do with him going off the deep end?” I asked.

She shrugged. “I left word with Emily. I’ll be interested in her opinion. But I’d sure think so.”

I put them on the table. “Beth, oh Beth, what now?”

She sighed, then smiled. “I know where you’re sleeping tonight.”

I reached out for her. I drew a sharp breath as my ribs twinged again.

She held me gently. “Oh, I picked up two prescriptions for you. One is a muscle relaxant, and the other is to combat depression.”

“Oh Beth, being in your arms does both of those, so well.”

She sighed a little, and kept rocking me. “That’s good to hear, but you’re still going to take them. And, you’re back on a three-a-week schedule with Doctor Emily.”

I nodded, burrowing a little more into her. “Whatever you say.”

“I say bed time. How about that?”

I sighed and let her lead me to bed. We cleaned up. I took my pills and crawled into bed with her. She was wearing her panties. “Andy,” she told me as we moved together, “I’ve got my period, probably through Monday. But I’ll take good care of you, I promise.”

I sighed and nestled into her, putting my arms around her waist again and listening to her heart beat. I went to sleep in her arms.