《Morbid》


 01 Long Ago

    Arnold was a strange child. Not the normal strange, he was too odd even for that. As a baby, he never cried and he never fussed. He didn''t indicate at all that he wanted to be fed, or showed that he ever wanted anything. His parents had been worried about his lack of reaction when he turned three and brought him to a specialist, who examined him with every kind of test they had. Luckily, most of those tests were experimental and the parents weren''t charged for their use.


    Unfortunately, nothing was found. His brain worked fine and his central nervous system lit up when he was touched or prodded. His eyes and physical reactions were all within the normal range for a child of his age. The only conclusion that the specialist could come to, that the only thing that seemed to be wrong with him, was his lack of being stimulated mentally. Nothing seemed to excite him. Shiny toys and loud noises did absolutely nothing for the boy. Different tasting foods made no impact on him and they could feed him anything at all and he would eat it all the same way. Monotonously.


    When Arnold was five, his father found him with an odd furry thing in his grasp. Not knowing what it was, he tried to take it and see what it was. Arnold squinted his eyes at him and reluctantly let it go. His father looked at the thing and it was a squirrel. A dead squirrel. Scared, the father quickly disposed of the carcass and took Arnold inside the house. He would be starting school in a few weeks and his father didn''t want Arnold to make any kind of fuss.


    ¡°Don''t tell your mother you found that dead squirrel.¡± His father warned him. ¡°I don''t want her upset.¡±


    Arnold looked at him with a blank stare, as was his normal look, and walked away without a word. His blonde hair was trimmed short at the whim of his mother and it gave the boy an air of maturity.


    School started and Arnold was admitted to the local primary school. Both of his parents were worried about his interactions with the other children, so they stayed around and watched as Arnold entered the classroom for the first time.


    None of the other children paid him any attention and he sat at the very back of the classroom. The other children were rambunctious and lively as they jumped around and played with each other, while Arnold sat in his seat and kept to himself. Dejected, his parents left and hoped that the constant company of other kids would do their non-reactive son a world of good.


    The teacher had been advised about Arnold''s peculiarities and she was determined to break that little boy out of his shell. She didn''t realize that it wasn''t a shell, it was just who he was. She still did her best to include him at the front of any activities that she had the students participate in. She worked hard and spent extra time with him to try and get some kind of reaction out of him, and all of her efforts were in vain... until that fateful day the class project was introduced.


    Keeping a pet.


    For the first time in six months, she saw Arnold''s eyes widen slightly and almost sparkle. Her heart was overjoyed that he was finally interested in something, so she dove into the subject with abandon and explained everything she knew about keeping a pet alive and happy. Arnold listened attentively, or so she assumed, because his eyes never left the little hamster in the large cage.


    A week later, she came into the classroom early to prep like she always did, and she noticed that the hamster''s cage was open and the little thing was gone. She frantically searched all of the classroom''s nooks and crannies and all the hiding spots a hamster could get into, and she didn''t find it. Saddened at the loss of the class pet, she closed the cage and decided to hide it for the day. When her students came in, only two of them noticed the missing cage and asked her about it.


    ¡°Nibbles is just taking a short vacation.¡± The teacher said, surprised that Arnold was not one of them. ¡°He''ll be back in a few days.¡±


    Arnold looked up from his desk and looked right at her, and let a little smile show.


    The teacher caught her breath at the sight, because she had never seen his mouth move except to eat, and now she could see his smile. It was striking, and she made special note of it in her class log. She was thankful that hamsters were so cheap and would pick up a couple of them, just in case. She had heard that the little things always managed to get out of their cages somehow.


    Every few weeks, she would find their pet hamster missing and would replace it, and no one was the wiser. She would laugh as she added ''escaped hamsters'' to her classroom expense report and claim the loss. She was a little worried that the things might get together and create a bit of a problem; but, they never did. Once they escaped from the cage, they were never seen again. The janitor told her that he couldn''t find any droppings, so they hadn''t stuck around.


    The school year ended and as each student came to her to accept their certificate of completion, graduating them into the next grade, they each gave her a hug. She always accepted them as her due for watching over them all year. The last child to approach her was Arnold. She opened her arms to get his hug and he stepped close. She hugged him, a little tighter than she had the other children, because he was the one that had made the most progress in her class that year.


    Arnold put his mouth by her ear and whispered. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The teacher caught her breath and tensed up, because he hadn''t spoken a single word the whole year. ¡°You are the best student I ever had.¡± She whispered back and let him out of the hug.


    When he stepped back, once again she was stunned by him as he gave her a full smile this time. She held in her tears and her emotions just long enough for the ceremony to end. She closed the classroom door and burst into tears, because none of the children had ever thanked her on their own before. They had been prodded by their parents to say it and they never meant it. This time... when the silent Arnold spoke the words... she knew he was genuinely thanking her.


    Arnold''s father drove home from the school, which officially started summer break. He briefly turned his head towards the backseat. ¡°So, did you learn a lot this year?¡±


    Arnold nodded slightly and his father saw it in the rear view mirror.


    ¡°Want to tell us about it?¡± Arnold''s mother asked.


    Arnold shook his head slightly. Everything he had learned he wanted to keep to himself.


    A month into summer vacation, Arnold''s father discovered a bit of an off smell came from under the small shed that he kept his lawnmower and various tools. He was sure that something had crawled under there and died, so he grabbed a shovel and dug at the ground beside the shed. It was looser than he thought it should have been, then he heard a squelch sound and the smell tripled in intensity. He gagged a little and held his breath as he dug the shovel back and down, then pulled it out...


    ...and found six dead hamsters in various states of disembowelment.


    He threw up, because he couldn''t be sure that the shovel did all of that damage, even with the sound the shovel had made and the increased smell. He walked back to the house and grabbed a black garbage bag, dumped the ghastly remains into it, then used the shovel to dig out anything that might still be under the shed. He was relieved that there were just entrails and no other dead animals. He added them to the bag and filled the space he just dug, then carried the garbage bag to the back of his property.


    A hole was dug, the bag was tossed in, then it was buried. With the horrible task done, Arnold''s father thought about confronting his son. He wasn''t sure how to phrase it, though. Should he accuse him outright? The boy was only five years old and would be six in a few days. No, that was too harsh. Maybe he could bring it up in conversation somehow. He chuckled and shook his head. There was no real way to do it.


    I''ll just have to keep an eye on him and see what else he does. Arnold''s father thought, put the shovel back in the shed, and went into the house. He didn''t notice the bright eyed boy that had been hiding right there in the bushes the entire time.

 02 Not Long Ago

    Starting junior high school was quite an experience for a thirteen year old Arnold. Not because of the other students or the half-caring teachers. No. It was because he got to see so much more of the things he liked. With so many people around, his little indiscretions went completely unnoticed and he liked that. He liked it a lot. You would normally think that with more people around that it would be more dangerous for exposure; but, the truth was, with so many people around it provided a very valuable resource. Anonymity.


    He was quite happy when he found out that their new biology teacher used to teach high school. It was the perfect cover for him, because he hoped beyond hope that she would give them things they shouldn''t experience for another couple of years. When she introduced dissecting a frog, his guess had been correct and Arnold had to stop himself from going to the front of the class to hug the woman. He hadn''t had anyone help feed his desire like this since primary school.


    Unlike everyone else in the class, who were completely disgusted at the display, Arnold was fascinated. He had discovered a long time ago that little creatures had lots of little things inside them to play with. He never imagined it was an actual science! There were even wonderful tools that could be used as well!


    Arnold held in his shiver at the thought of stealing the set of dissection tools. If he had them, then he wouldn''t have to rely on the old kitchen steak knife he had been using since he was a kid.


    ¡°Now, now, don''t be shy.¡± The woman said as her gaze took in all of the disgusted faces and she felt a hint of satisfaction. ¡°Come up to the desk for a closer...¡± She stopped talking when a blonde buzz-cut boy practically appeared beside her.


    ¡°Can I touch it?¡± Arnold asked her and pointed to the heart of the frog.


    ¡°Not with bare hands.¡± She replied and pointed to a box of rubber gloves. ¡°You could catch a disease or become very sick if you handled them without protection.¡±


    Arnold shrugged. He had been touching them on the inside for years and hadn''t gotten sick yet. She helped him put on the gloves and then she started to ask him questions about the organs they could see. He answered what he could. He didn''t have much knowledge past the basics. Heart, lungs, stomach, intestines, and kidneys. She was impressed that someone so young knew so much about anatomy. When she started to expand his knowledge and pointed out the other organs he had missed, she saw the excitement on his face and he sucked up the information like a sponge.


    ¡°What''s your name?¡± The teacher asked.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Arnold responded without looking up from the frog''s innards.


    ¡°I think you and I are going to get along very well this year.¡± She said with a smile.


    Arnold smiled back, because she had let him touch her bright silver tools! If she let him play with them some more, he had to agree. They were going to get along very, very well.


    Biology became his favorite class, even when the teacher gave them lots of things to write down. When she warned them that they needed this knowledge to continue in the field, he dove into it with reckless abandon. He passed every exam with perfect marks and every time she brought out a new specimen to dissect, he didn''t have to be asked to approach. He was by her side, had rubber gloves expertly applied, and stood ready to help as much as he could.


    She was surprised that his interest never waned and he was always eager to learn anything she wanted to teach him. She had never met anyone like him before, and it touched her heart that she had instilled in him the same passion that she had for the subject.


    By the end of the year when she sat down to calculate her students marks, she had saved his for last. She went over everything he did, and she wasn''t surprised that he had achieved perfect marks in her course. If she added in the extra credit assignments that normal students used to keep their marks up, he had actually made 130% in her course. She had to take several breaths when she realized the sheer amount of work he had done for her.


    On grading day, each of the students had the opportunity to visit their classrooms and their teachers one last time. It was usually to return the subject book that those teachers taught, probably because they were too damaged to pass in before their report cards were given out. The biology teacher sat there all alone, knowing that every other book had been returned except one. She sighed at the sad state of them all and she would need to replace a dozen of them, at least.


    She heard a knock on her door and looked up to see that blonde buzz-cut that she had come to adore. ¡°Arnold.¡± She said, almost in a whisper.


    Arnold walked over to her and passed her the biology book he had used all year. It was in pristine condition and didn''t look like it had ever been opened.


    ¡°Wh-what... Arnold...¡±


    ¡°It''s a great book and I took extra special care of it.¡± Arnold said, then his eyes fell on the stacks of defaced books and he frowned.


    The teacher stood up and put his book down on the middle of her desk to keep it separate. ¡°Arnold.¡±


    Arnold looked at her and the frown disappeared. ¡°I''m sorry they can''t see how important the book is.¡±


    She looked at the open door and walked over to it, closed and locked it, then came back over to him. ¡°I have something for you.¡± She said and opened her top drawer. She took out a flat wooden box.


    Arnold''s eyes widened when she opened it and it was a set of those wonderful tools.


    ¡°You are the best student I have ever had.¡± She said. ¡°You deserve a reward for that.¡±


    Arnold took the box and set it on the desk, then he stepped close to her and gave her a hug. The teacher''s breath sped up at the strength in his embrace, hesitated for only another moment, then she put her arms around him and hugged him back.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said.


    She shivered at the deep sincerity in his voice. ¡°You''re welcome.¡±


    Arnold let her out of the hug and she let him go as well. After a moment, he said something that surprised her.


    ¡°I wanted to hug you that first day when you brought out the frog.¡± Arnold said, then he turned around and walked towards the door.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± The teacher said and he turned back to face her. ¡°I''m being transferred... again... to another middle school across the state.¡± She said. ¡°I won''t see you here in the next school year.¡±


    ¡°That always happens.¡± Arnold said as his face fell back into impassivity. ¡°I meet a wonderful teacher, that gives me access to all this great knowledge, and then I never see them again.¡±


    The teacher thought about what to do, then she reached into her pocket and wrote something on a business card. She walked over to him and held the card out to him.


    ¡°When you graduate high school, you are still going to have lots of questions.¡± She said. ¡°I want you to call me and I''ll answer anything you want to know.¡±


    Arnold took the card and read the name and number, then put it in his pocket. ¡°You''ll really teach me, even though I won''t be in school?¡±


    ¡°Arnold.¡± The teacher said and rubbed the top of his blonde buzz-cut. ¡°I have so much I want to teach you that you have to wait until then to learn it.¡±


    Arnold let a smile appear on his face, showing teeth and all, and she shivered at the intensity. She unlocked the door and watched the young man leave, then she watched him walk down the hallway. If she didn''t know any better, she could swear he had a bit of a swagger in his walk. The thought made her smile and she went back inside the classroom to clean everything up.


    When she had everything sorted and put away, she picked up the pristine book Arnold had returned to her, grabbed her purse and left the room. She shut the door of her classroom for the last time, then she smiled as she walked down the hallway and put a bit more sway into her own walk.

 03 Recently

    High school was an ordeal for sixteen year old Arnold as well, only for much different reasons. His anonymity theory was completely blown out of the water and he wasn''t sure why. Thankfully, it didn''t take him long to figure it out. Unlike in both primary and middle school, the students in high school did not completely ignore him, nor did the teachers. He couldn''t understand why, though. As far as he knew, he wasn''t any different. He still acted the same way, indifferent to everything around him.


    What Arnold didn''t realize was that in the eyes of his peers, he was particularly handsome. His blonde buzz-cut and his height of five foot ten, along with his slightly muscular build, attracted a lot of attention from the girls. He had attention from some of the boys as well, only for different reasons. Some of them hated him on sight, just because the girls they liked were looking at him and not them. Others saw a nice and easy target to pester. They loved razzing the new kids.


    The teachers on the other hand, had heard about his academic achievements and wanted to keep an eye on the rising intelligence and wanted to see what he would become when he gained their knowledge.


    No one would tell Arnold why he was so interesting, so he floated through his classes and did his work, depressed that his work was delayed and would be for as long as he couldn''t get rid of all the unwanted attention.


    Because of his previous outstanding work in biology, Arnold had been advanced past the high school refresher course and put right into the University Prep class. At first he was upset that he was going to miss something important by skipping what he thought was an important step in his education, until the third month of the year when the teacher announced that they were now ready to upgrade from small animals to pigs.


    Arnold had to fight his instincts to go to the front of the class and hug the man. Not because he would be rejected if he tried, and he would be; but, it was because anything he did would be witnessed by pretty much the whole class. It would have to wait until another time. He absorbed all of the information the teacher gave him, and when he heard that pig tissue was used as grafts and implants for heart valves in people, his desire rose and almost burst from his mouth in a shout.


    Luckily, Arnold had caught himself before he gave himself away like that. His reaction hadn''t gone unnoticed, however. One girl had stared at him the entire time she had been in the class and paid the teacher no attention at all. She had seen him tense up at the news and let herself hear what the teacher had said.


    He must want to be a surgeon. The girl thought and then she smiled. I think I need a new study buddy this year. She looked at her friend that sat beside her, who was just as attentive in class as Arnold was, and whom she had relied on for studying in middle school and now high school. Maybe the three of us could work together.


    Plans formed in her head about how she could manipulate the smart and handsome boy and get him into her clutches. She smiled again as she decided the best way to give herself a head start. Her mother had told her that the best way to a man''s heart was through his stomach, so she would ambush the unsuspecting boy at lunch the next day, with her friend''s help. When the class ended, every teenager bolted for the door, even the girl and her friend.


    Arnold let the everyone pass and then approached the teacher''s desk. ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    The man looked up from his desk and then smiled. ¡°Ah, Arnold. What can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°When is the first scheduled dissection?¡± Arnold asked and tried to hide his enthusiasm.


    The teacher noticed anyway and chuckled. ¡°I heard you were eager for more practical experience.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Arnold couldn''t lie and say he wasn''t. ¡°I enjoy the work so much, sir.¡± He admitted instead.


    ¡°Good!¡± The man said to Arnold''s surprise. ¡°I''ve had glowing reviews from several sources about you, with some of them permanent parts of your academic record.¡± He said. ¡°Your professionalism in handling these tasks at such a young age is remarkable.¡±


    Arnold wasn''t sure how to respond to that, so he stayed quiet.


    ¡°I normally dissect the specimen in a private lab and then bring it to class, mainly because some of these children...¡± The man gave Arnold a depreciating smile. ¡°...can''t stomach seeing me work.¡±


    Arnold knew he had to do something in response, so he nodded.


    ¡°If you''re okay with skipping lunch tomorrow, meet me in the lab. We can work on the beast together.¡±


    ¡°Sir!¡± Arnold said and came to attention. ¡°My mother packs my lunch!¡±


    The teacher laughed and stood up. ¡°Very good, young man.¡± He said and clapped the boy on the shoulder. ¡°I''ll see you tomorrow.¡±


    Arnold was bolstered at the thought of getting to work on something so big, so he left the classroom at a fast walk and was happier than he had been in a while. It was time for him to use his tools again and he couldn''t wait. He had a smile on his face for the rest of the day, which passed by before he knew it, and he went home with a smile still on his face.


    When his mother saw his face, she walked over to him and gave him a hug. ¡°Did the biology teacher give you good news today?¡±


    Arnold''s mouth dropped open and he stared at her. ¡°Mom? What? How?¡±


    His mother chuckled. ¡°They wouldn''t put you into a university prep course without giving your parents the itinerary.¡±


    ¡°You knew?¡± Arnold asked. ¡°Why didn''t you tell me?¡±


    ¡°Because I wanted to see this smiling and happy face, that''s why.¡± His mother said and bent his head as she kissed his forehead, because he was as tall as her now. ¡°If you knew months ago it was coming, you would have been pestering everyone in the school to get the teacher to hurry up!¡±


    Arnold opened his mouth to argue and then sighed. ¡°I''m too eager.¡±


    ¡°Having a passion is good. Letting it rule your every action is not.¡± His mother warned him. ¡°If you forget everything in pursuit of it, then it''s not a passion anymore. It becomes an obsession and it will destroy you.¡±


    Arnold nodded and she gave him another hug and a kiss on the cheek. ¡°I won''t need lunch tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I''ll put extra snacks in your pockets for you.¡± She said and let him go.


    The next day couldn''t go fast enough for Arnold. He took his mother''s advice to heart, though. He didn''t ignore everything and paid attention when he was supposed to, answered verbal questions when asked, and then the lunch bell rang. Unlike every other time that class ended, Arnold was up and out of the room before everyone else. Everyone was stunned, because they had never seen him move that fast.


    Where is he going in such a hurry? The girl who had planned to trap him asked herself.


    Arnold arrived at the lab and no one was there. He didn''t panic, though. He knew he had rushed to get here, so that he wouldn''t be delayed by the other students in the hallway. He had to assume that was why the biology teacher wasn''t there yet. A minute later, the teacher in question stepped into the lab and saw Arnold.


    ¡°Did you fly here?¡± The man joked and waved Arnold to follow. He walked over to a door at the back of the room and Arnold followed him in, who gasped when he saw what was inside. Shelves and shelves of dissected animals of all shapes and sizes adorned the shelves. Some were sealed in wax on wooden plaques and some were in large specimen jars, with their organs splayed out in arrays.


    ¡°S-s-sir!¡± Arnold managed to say.


    ¡°Wonderful, isn''t it?¡± The teacher asked. ¡°It''s taken me decades to gather them all.¡±


    Arnold couldn''t say anything as his eyes flowed around the room, his mouth agape.


    The teacher chuckled. ¡°I could stand here all day and enjoy the delight I see on your face; but, we have work to do.¡±


    Almost like a switch had been flipped in his brain, Arnold took a breath and pushed his awe aside, then came over to the table in the middle of the room. The teacher had been impressed at the boy''s compartmentalization. Just like him, when it was necessary, he could push all other concerns aside and would work. Enjoying things was secondary and could be done later.


    Arnold pulled a small wooden box out of his backpack and set it down, took out a sanitized cloth and laid it out, then opened the box and placed the bright and shiny silver tools out in the order they would be used.


    Once again, the teacher was impressed. The meticulousness motions and respect that Arnold showed the tools of the trade, confirmed the recommendations he had received and the rumors he had heard. He prepped his own tools, just as meticulously as Arnold, then the two of them got to work. Under the teachers direction, they opened up the specimen and carefully dissected it. When they had all the parts removed, the teacher handed Arnold the laminated name tags.


    ¡°You can have the honors.¡± The teacher said.


    Arnold nodded and in reverse order, attached the name tags to the underside of each organ, and placed each one back inside the specimen. The only way to find the name was to take out the organ. With it reassembled, the teacher laid the skin flaps closed and tacked them to hold them in place. They cleaned their tools and put them away, took off their gloves, and washed up in the sink.


    ¡°That was very good work, Arnold.¡± The teacher said. ¡°Thank you for the help.¡±


    ¡°It was my pleasure, sir.¡± Arnold said with a smile on his face.


    The teacher looked at his watch. ¡°We have twenty minutes left until the class starts.¡±


    ¡°Can I stay here and look at your work, sir?¡± Arnold asked, clearly excited.


    The teacher chuckled. ¡°I suppose... if you let me show you the best specimen I have.¡±


    Arnold nodded and the teacher walked across the room and opened a cabinet. He brought out a large wooden box and put it on the table.


    ¡°Most people don''t appreciate this when I show it to them.¡± The teacher said.


    ¡°Most people are ignorant, sir.¡± Arnold said automatically, then he looked at his teacher with wide eyes. He hadn''t meant to say that out loud.


    ¡°Ha ha!¡± The teacher laughed. ¡°Well said. Well said.¡± Then he lifted off the wooden cover.


    Arnold gasped at the sight. Inside the specimen case was the largest spider he had ever seen. That wasn''t the best part, though. Each and every part of it, both inside and out, was suspended by some method and made it look like the spider had exploded.


    ¡°It took me almost two months to make this display.¡± The teacher said and then chuckled. ¡°Removing the little eyes without damaging them or the retinal cords was a pain in the ass, let me tell you.¡±


    ¡°It''s...¡± Arnold wasn''t sure how to put into words what seeing such intimate and intricate detailed work meant to him. ¡°I can''t describe it.¡±


    ¡°People usually just make a sour face, say it''s disgusting, then ignore it.¡± The teacher said. ¡°I knew you would see it for what it truly is.¡±


    ¡°A work of art.¡± Arnold said when he finally found the words he needed.


    The teacher smiled. ¡°Yes, my boy. That''s it exactly.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve got some work to prep for the class, so look around as much as you want until the bell rings.¡± He walked to the door, not worried about leaving his prized possession out like it was. ¡°When it does, get out here with the rest of the class, even though we both know you don''t need to attend.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Arnold said. He knew all about keeping up appearances.


    Thanks to that event, Arnold was free to enter the rear lab during lunchtimes and he abused that privilege as much as the teacher would let him.


    The girl who had designs on him never had a chance to catch his eye like she had hoped, and the bullies that had designs on him also had to leave him alone. He was too popular and had too many eyes on him to get at him like they wanted.


    They only had to bide their time, though.

 04 Now

    It wasn''t until Arnold''s senior year in high school that someone mentioned using computers to make all of their classwork easier. They were in a public school and there was absolutely no budget for a computer lab, so the students were told that they would have to wait until university to gain access to the best public used computers and their software.


    Arnold wasn''t interested in it at all anyway, until the day in biology class when one of the girls near him mentioned using computers to model the dissections to save everyone from having to touch the specimens. He caught his breath at the thought of using something that could save all of his work, especially since he was never allowed to keep the specimens he acquired on his own. His father wouldn''t allow them in the house.


    The teacher couldn''t mock a student openly in class, so all he said was that it wouldn''t be the same as actually having the specimen. Arnold raised a hand and the teacher was surprised, because he almost never volunteered to speak when he didn''t have to.


    ¡°Yes, Arnold?¡±


    ¡°I think using computers to catalogue and model the specimens you either can''t keep or can''t acquire on your own would make it a useful tool, sir.¡± Arnold said while looking at the girl.


    Arnold wasn''t trying to argue either point and he hadn''t invalidated either the girl''s opinion or the teacher''s. It was the perfect middle ground for both arguments. The teacher had to agree that in that respect it would be useful and went back to teaching the class. The girl on the other hand, was quite happy that she had finally gained the handsome buzz-cut blonde boy''s attention.


    ¡°Do you have a computer that can do that?¡± Arnold whispered to her, unable to control his enthusiasm.


    ¡°I have one of the best.¡± The girl easily lied. ¡°Maybe if you...¡±


    ¡°I''d like to see it.¡± Arnold said, his eyes almost shimmering with anticipation.


    The girl''s heart skipped a beat at his intense stare and it took her a moment to recover. ¡°Do... do you want to come over to my place after school?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Arnold said and smiled. I can''t wait to see what computers can do!


    The girl caught her breath at the smile Arnold beamed at her, because it had transformed his stoic and statue-like face into one that looked like an angel. She was struck dumb for the rest of the class because he kept staring at her with that smile and she could only stare back. When the bell rang twenty minutes later and everyone stood up to leave, it shook her out of her stupor and she managed to stop staring at Arnold, then she left the room before she embarrassed herself further.


    Arnold hadn''t noticed that she was embarrassed, mainly because he was going over in his mind what specimens he would want to hunt down and look at first, now that he was given a chance to look for them on his own. He was sure that the girl had been exaggerating about being able to model everything; but, that was only because he hadn''t had any experience at all with computers.


    His interests had been solely on biological exploration and he had completely ignored everything else. Now that he knew computers could help him with that, he was all for it. The rest of the day passed quickly and when school was over, he found the girl at her locker.


    ¡°I can''t believe he actually agreed to go to your house.¡± The friend said.


    ¡°I know!¡± The girl said. ¡°He hasn''t said a word to me in three years.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I was starting to think that I didn''t exist in his world.¡±


    ¡°You exist.¡± Arnold said from behind them and both girls were startled and let out little squeals as they dropped their things. He bent down and picked up the two dropped books and the girl''s sweater.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± The girl said and took the sweater from him and her friend took the books from him.


    ¡°My mother has to keep reminding me that I can''t ignore important things, just because I''m passionate about something.¡± Arnold said frankly, and the girl''s face flushed red as she blushed.


    ¡°Would you mind if I came along, Heather?¡± Her friend asked.


    Heather turned to her and gave her an angry face that she thought was out of Arnold''s sight. ¡°That would be fine.¡± She said without gnashing her teeth like she wanted to.


    Her friend was startled for a moment at the anger, then she smiled. ¡°Arnold won''t mind.¡± She leaned around Heather and looked at him. ¡°Would you?¡±


    Heather sighed and turned to look at him and was surprised to see his face had lost the smile.


    ¡°Can you help me find specimens to look at or to model?¡± Arnold asked pointedly. ¡°If you can''t, then there''s no reason for you to come.¡±


    Both Heather and her friend were surprised to hear this, for different reasons. Heather was surprised because she thought she would be stuck with trying to take care of two guests at her house, and the friend was surprised because she was being so blatantly rejected.


    ¡°Ah... um...¡± The friend tried to come up with a convincing argument for her to come along. Like as company or something. She thought.


    ¡°I was in the library and the woman there showed me her computer. There''s not a lot of room in front of it.¡± Arnold said. ¡°If Heather and I are there, where will you fit in?¡±


    The friend couldn''t offer to find specimens, because she didn''t know where to look, and she also couldn''t say that she would sit on the bed or a nearby chair without offering some explanation of why she would need to be close by. She couldn''t realistically do both, so her arguments died before she made them.


    ¡°You and I can visit together tomorrow.¡± Heather said happily to her friend. ¡°We can even study!¡±


    Her friend couldn''t argue that she wanted to come along to protect Heather from him, not while right in front of the boy in question, so she sighed and leaned back against the lockers. She would have to settle for following them and watching them from afar.


    Heather gathered her homework things and put them into her backpack, then handed it to Arnold. ¡°Hold this for me, please.¡±


    Arnold took the backpack and slung it over his shoulder.


    Heather pulled on the sweater after making sure it hadn''t gotten dirty from being on the floor, then she shut her locker. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± She said to her friend and took Arnold''s arm and walked away down the hall.


    Arnold followed the forceful girl out of the school and over to the parking lot. He wasn''t sure what was going on, until a car pulled up and its horn honked at them. Heather waved at the driver and opened the back door and climbed in. Arnold climbed in and sat down as well, then the car was off and out of the parking lot.


    ¡°Who''s your friend?¡± The middle-aged woman asked as she peered into the rear view mirror.


    ¡°This is Arnold.¡± Heather said and blushed as the woman''s eyes widened in surprise.


    ¡°The famous Arnold I''ve been hearing so much about?¡± The woman asked, teasingly.


    Arnold turned his head from looking out the window to look at the woman''s reflection in the rear view mirror and not at the back of her head like most people do. His stoic expression caught her attention for a second, then she put her attention back onto the road.


    ¡°She''s my mother.¡± Heather whispered to him.


    ¡°It''s nice to finally meet you.¡± The woman said.


    Arnold nodded, because he wasn''t sure what to say in response. No one had said that to him before.


    ¡°From what my daughter said, I expected you to be ten feet tall and have glowing white wings.¡± The woman joked.


    ¡°Is it possible for people to be that tall?¡± Arnold asked. ¡°I know humans having wings isn''t possible, mainly because we don''t have the bone structure or the musculature to support wings large enough to pick up our weight. If compared to birds, human wings would have to be about eight to ten feet long each, giving us a wingspan of twenty to twenty-two feet.¡±


    Heather and her mother fell quiet at his words. Heather because she had never heard him say more than a sentence before and her mother because he was very articulate and explained things well.


    ¡°Our feathers would have to be huge, probably about the size of an ostrich feather, and multilayered like an eagle. Without enough feathers, we wouldn''t be able to maintain flight or even take off.¡± Arnold said. ¡°That''s just speculation on my part, though.¡±


    Neither of them responded, so Arnold turned his head and looked out the window again to try and see where they were going.


    Maybe she didn''t pick a blockhead this time like she usually does. The woman driving the car thought.


    They arrived at the two storey house and the woman parked in the driveway. She was out of the car and at the front door to unlock it in only moments, then she came back to the car to meet Arnold as he stepped out.


    ¡°Would you be a dear and give me a hand carrying in the groceries?¡± The woman asked Arnold.


    ¡°Mom, he''s already carrying both of our backpacks.¡± Heather said.


    ¡°So he is.¡± The woman smiled and opened the trunk. ¡°It should only take a couple of trips.¡±


    Heather sighed and was about to take the backpacks from Arnold when he reached into the trunk and weaved his hands through the handles of six of the bags, with three on each arm from his elbow to the wrist, then lifted. He walked over to the house and opened the door with his still free hands and went inside.


    Arnold looked at the basic layout of the house and took a guess on where the kitchen was, based on his own house. He walked down the hallway and was rewarded with a large open-concept kitchen and living room. He put the bags on the counter in the same fashion he had picked them up and went back outside.


    Heather and her mother stood there beside the car and watched as Arnold repeated the motion and picked up the last four bags from the trunk and carried them into the house. They didn''t move at all as they took in the scene that had just happened. The woman had expected him to take a token bag or two, just to claim that he had helped like she asked and she would have to take in the majority of the rest with several trips back and forth.


    Heather on the other hand, had seen that Arnold hadn''t struggled at all, even with the large bags of canned goods that her mother always managed to buy when she went shopping.


    ¡°We need to get inside.¡± The woman said as she closed the trunk. Heather nodded and they went inside. They were shocked to find Arnold as he sat at the kitchen counter with all of the items sorted into two groups, one to be stored at room temperature and one to refrigerate. Even the bags were nicely folded at the end of the counter.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± The woman said and he turned to look at her. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I knew I should have put them away, too.¡± Arnold said. Mom would smack me for just sitting there and not helping her.


    Arnold stood up and went to the refrigerator and quickly took all of the things from one pile and put them into the refrigerator in the appropriate spots. When something had multiple options to fit, he took the closest one and adjusted the contents of the shelves to make everything fit. He closed the refrigerator door and looked at the dry goods. He took a few moments to look inside the closest cabinets and only saw pots, pans, and baking dishes.


    ¡°Where do these go?¡± Arnold asked and motioned to the dry goods.


    The woman was too surprised to speak and pointed to the door beside the refrigerator. Arnold opened it and found an entire room made to hold dry goods. He knew his mother would like to have a whole room for the things she had to squeeze into the small shelves inside the kitchen cabinets. With a cursory glance, he had a basic layout in his head and then moved like a machine as he took everything from the counter and put it into the pantry.


    Arnold made sure that everything was within easy reach and in the order he thought they would be used. He had done this for his mother countless times, so he did it again almost automatically and was finished barely five minutes later. He shut the door and walked over to the kitchen counter and sat down to wait. His mother always had him move out of the way to inspect his work. Sure enough, both Heather and her mother went to the refrigerator and looked inside, then they went to the pantry to look at the work he did.


    To say they were stunned at the transformation to both the fridge and the pantry was an understatement. Heather always had trouble finding anything and her mother had tried several times, quite fruitlessly, to organize her pantry properly. Now it had been done in only a few minutes and they stared at the shelves of easily reachable items.


    ¡°You need to invite him over more often.¡± The woman whispered and Heather nodded.


    They came out of the pantry and Arnold still sat there with a passive look on his face, as if he didn''t know what he had just done for them. The woman put a hand on her daughter''s shoulder and led her around the counter to stand her next to the strong and handsome boy.


    ¡°Why don''t you two go on upstairs while I make you a snack?¡±


    Heather''s mouth opened slightly at her mother''s offer, since she had never offered it before. She always insisted on keeping an eye on her and any boy she brought home. Always.


    ¡°It''s getting close to supper time, though.¡± The woman said and looked at Arnold. ¡°Perhaps you would like to stay for supper instead?¡±


    Heather''s mouth dropped open all the way and her mother let out a soft laugh at her daughter''s shock.


    ¡°Go on, now.¡± The woman said and made a shooing motion with her hands. ¡°I need room to work.¡±


    Arnold completely understood that reasoning and nodded, which she took for acceptance to stay for dinner, then he walked out of the kitchen and went back down the hallway to stand at the bottom of the stairs. He didn''t know what room was Heather''s, so he had to wait for her directions.


    ¡°He''s even attentive and is waiting for you.¡± The woman whispered to her daughter. ¡°Don''t mess this up.¡±


    ¡°M-m-mom?¡± Heather couldn''t understand the complete one-hundred-and-eighty degree turn that her mother''s attitude had taken.


    ¡°You''ve been talking about him all this time, so don''t try to back out now.¡± Her mother smiled. ¡°Get a hold of him and don''t let go.¡±


    ¡°B-but...¡±


    ¡°He''s going to be something important. I can feel it.¡± The woman said, which echoed Heather''s thoughts when she had met Arnold for the first time. ¡°You''re graduating this year and you''re already eighteen. You need to start thinking about your future.¡±


    ¡°I... I''m going to college.¡± Heather said.


    ¡°Yes, and I''m sure he is, too.¡± Her mother said with a smile. ¡°Wouldn''t it be nice to get to him before he is exposed to all those other sluts in college?¡±


    Heather completely missed the insult and nodded.


    ¡°Then get to work.¡± Her mother said and turned her daughter around and eased her out of the kitchen. She smiled as Heather walked with confidence and met Arnold at the bottom of the stairs, then her daughter took his hand and led the boy up the stairs. That''s it, Heather. Lead him where you want him to go. She thought in satisfaction and went back to the counter to start making supper.

 05 Intro To Computers

    Heather took Arnold to her bedroom and had him sit on her bed. ¡°Thanks for carrying my backpack.¡± She said and took it from his shoulder, tossed it onto the bed behind him, then she walked over to the little desk she had. She hit the button to turn on the computer and then turned on the flat-screen monitor.


    Arnold heard the whirring inside the rectangular metal case and the light blinked next to the button Heather had pushed. ¡°What''s it doing?¡± He asked and slipped off his backpack and laid it next to hers.


    ¡°Powering up.¡± Heather said, then her face went a little red. ¡°Arnold, there''s something I should tell you.¡±


    Arnold looked away from the computer base and at her face.


    ¡°This was one of the best computers... about a year ago.¡± Heather admitted. ¡°They released two new versions since then.¡±


    ¡°Does that matter?¡± Arnold asked, a little confused. ¡°Can you still look at specimens on it?¡±


    Heather nodded. ¡°My VR headset doesn''t lag when I play with it, either.¡±


    ¡°Your what?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°My VR headset.¡± Heather said and pointed to a weird looking half-dome thing.


    ¡°It looks like half of a bike helmet.¡± Arnold said. ¡°How do you use it?¡±


    ¡°Despite what it looks like, you wear it like this.¡± Heather said and put the part Arnold thought would cover the back of the head over her face. It covered her ears and eyes and had straps to hold it in place. ¡°I haven''t tried many games with it, even though there are a lot of them out there.¡±


    ¡°Games? Like board games?¡± Arnold asked a little excitedly. The surgery one was his favorite.


    Heather laughed softly and put the headset down. ¡°Adventure and MMOs, actually.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Arnold gave her a perplexed look.


    ¡°Oh, Arnold.¡± Heather said and walked over to him, then she touched the side of his face. ¡°I have so much to teach you about computers.¡±


    Arnold gave her a smile and she smiled back. Heather stood there with her hand on his face and just stared at him. After a minute or so, Arnold spoke.


    ¡°I think the computer is on.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Heather shook her head slightly at being distracted by how handsome Arnold was. ¡°Yes, the computer.¡± She walked over to the desk and sat down, then changed her mind and stood. ¡°Arnold, you can sit here and I''ll stand.¡±


    Arnold stood and walked over to the desk and sat down and looked at the computer screen.


    ¡°The best part about computers is how easy they are to use.¡± Heather said and leaned over beside him, making sure to press her breast into his shoulder. ¡°You click here and it shows you the programs that it has installed.¡± She said and moved the mouse and clicked the spot.


    Arnold stared at the mouse and missed what she showed him. ¡°What''s that?¡±


    ¡°It''s called a ''mouse''.¡± Heather said. ¡°I have no idea why.¡±


    Arnold smiled at the device that had the same name as some of his specimens and wondered what little things it might have inside to play with.


    ¡°Look at the screen.¡± Heather said and Arnold did as she said. ¡°These are the programs that we can use.¡± She said. ¡°This is a writing program, this is an internet browser, this is a virus scanner, this is a music player, this one lets you talk to people...¡±


    Arnold listened attentively and tried to remember what all of the things did. A few he had no clue what they were and had to ask about them. The most important one he learned was the internet browser. With that, he could access things on the internet, which was a collection of things that people from all over the world put out there for everyone else to see and use.


    Heather''s back was sore after ten minutes and she stood up with a groan. ¡°I need to sit down.¡±


    Arnold stood up and motioned to the chair and she shook her head.


    ¡°You need to stay there to use the computer.¡± Heather said moved his chair out slightly. ¡°I''ll sit on the floor and show you how to look for things on the internet.¡±


    Arnold sat back down and then Heather knelt on the floor in front of him. He didn''t question this, especially when she opened the internet browser and what she called a ''search engine'' popped up.


    ¡°What kind of gas does the engine take?¡± Arnold asked and she laughed.


    ¡°No, it''s not a motor engine, it''s...¡± Heather stopped talking and clicked on the little box and typed in ''search engine definition''. ¡°This is what it means.¡±


    Arnold was surprised when a huge list of responses appeared and the top one was the actual definition.


    ¡°Now the fun part.¡± Heather said. ¡°I don''t have any specimens on my computer; but, I know how to find them.¡± She smiled and typed in ''biological specimen''.


    Once again, Arnold was surprised when a bunch of different results appeared, the top one being the definition of what a biological specimen actually was, then information pages, and various links to other sites. He read the information on the screen for several moments and then he felt a finger on his lips.


    ¡°I know how much you like this subject.¡± Heather said with a whisper, then removed her finger. ¡°If you do something for me, I''ll show you as many specimens as you want.¡±


    Arnold''s eyes sparkled and he gave her his biggest smile yet. ¡°I''ll do anything.¡±


    Heather blinked her eyes several times and her lips became a little plumper as blood rushed to her face. I can''t ask for that right way, even though he said he would do anything. Start small and work up to it. She thought. ¡°I want you to kiss me.¡±


    ¡°Is that all?¡± Arnold asked and leaned in and kissed her forehead, just like his mother did to him.


    Heather held in her laugh as she shook her head. ¡°Not like that.¡± She said and pointed to her lips, then she put her arms around his neck and kissed him. She had kissed a few boys before, so she had lots of practice on how to do it.


    Arnold didn''t react to it at all and just sat there.


    Heather broke the kiss and looked at him. ¡°What''s wrong? Don''t you like it?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I''ve never been kissed like that before.¡±


    ¡°I was your first real kiss?¡± Heather asked, slightly surprised. She had assumed he had a few girlfriends before coming to high school and hadn''t gotten a new one because he was studying so much.


    ¡°A real kiss?¡± Arnold asked and tilted his head slightly. ¡°A kiss on the forehead isn''t real?¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t really count as a kiss.¡± Heather said and saw his face close down. ¡°It''s still a kiss!¡± She said to counter what she just said. ¡°It just means more when you kiss them on the lips.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Now that you know the difference, do you want to try again?¡± Heather asked and didn''t wait for him to answer and kissed him again. She did similar motions with her lips as she did before, then she added a little tongue. Almost as if he read her thoughts, he duplicated the same motions and kissed her back. Heather had to break the kiss about ten seconds later because she was breathing a little heavier than normal. He learned that really fast. She thought in surprise and tried to calm down.


    It took her a few more moments to even her breathing out and saw that Arnold was looking at her.


    ¡°Arnold, I... I like you.¡± Heather said. ¡°I really like you.¡± She continued when he didn''t react. ¡°Not just friends like, I mean like as in boyfriend and girlfriend like.¡±


    ¡°You want to be my girlfriend?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°YES!¡± Heather yelled, then she laughed awkwardly. ¡°Ah... I mean... yes, I''ll be your girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Can you show me the specimens now?¡±


    Heather nodded and successfully hid how happy she was. ¡°Watch carefully.¡± She said. ¡°After searching for what you want, you get the links to go to the different sites. If you want to actually see what you are searching for...¡± She clicked something near the top of the results and watched his face.


    Arnold took in a sharp breath when the entire screen was filled with pictures upon pictures of specimens. Some were dissected, some floated in jars, some were suspended like the biology teacher''s spider except that they weren''t as detailed.


    Heather liked that she had made him happy with such a simple thing. She showed him how to scroll with the rolling button on the mouse and he saw that there were hundreds of specimens. ¡°That''s only the first page.¡± She said and clicked the link to go to the next page of the results.


    Arnold gasped as hundreds more specimens appeared. He looked from the screen to Heather''s face, then back at the screen.


    ¡°You can click on the images to make them bigger, and you can even save them.¡± Heather explained how to do that and Arnold tried it. ¡°When you save them on your computer, you can look at them whenever you want.¡± She opened the folder where the picture he saved was and double-clicked it. A photo viewer loaded and the image filled the screen.


    ¡°Whoa.¡± Arnold said at the details that he could see.


    ¡°You''re gonna love this.¡± Heather said with a smile and clicked on the option to zoom in and out, then made the image twice as big.


    Arnold''s mouth dropped open at the sight. All of those little things inside a specimen were now the size of his hand!


    ¡°I think that deserves another kiss, don''t you thi...¡± Heather''s words were cut off as Arnold gripped the back of her head and kissed her. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of his lips on hers. He didn''t stop after a few moments like she thought he would and he kept going for several minutes.


    Heather broke the kiss and sat back onto her heels as she stared at him. She couldn''t take much more kissing like that and not have it lead to other things. She knew she couldn''t push him too much, because she might scare him away by how much she wanted him. Her face was flushed completely red and her breathing wasn''t going to slow down anytime soon.


    If I took his first kiss, then... that means... Heather''s thoughts went where she knew they couldn''t go yet.


    ¡°SUPPER!¡± Her mother yelled from downstairs and it startled Heather, who stood up and went to the bedroom door.


    ¡°OKAY!¡± Heather yelled back. ¡°We''ll be right down!¡± She turned back to look at Arnold. ¡°We need to go eat.¡±


    ¡°What about the computer?¡± Arnold asked.


    Heather walked over and clicked something and the screen went blank and the whirring stopped. She saw Arnold''s worried face, so she leaned down to give him a quick kiss.


    ¡°It''s just asleep.¡± Heather said and hit a key on the keyboard and the whirring started again. The screen came on and showed the same thing it had a moment before. She saw him relax and then smile at her, so she gave him another kiss and put the computer back into sleep mode. She pointed to his backpack and he slung it over his shoulder, then she took his hand and led him out of the room and downstairs to the dining room. There was a large table that could seat eight people and her mother stood at the far end of the table with a tray and three plates on it.


    ¡°Hey, you two.¡± Heather''s mother said and motioned to the chairs on either side of where she stood.


    Heather stopped herself from sighing and walked around the table and sat on her mother''s left. Arnold copied her and walked around the table and sat on her mother''s right after hanging his backpack on his chair. She gave them each a plate of food and then served herself and sat down. She started to eat without saying a word and Heather gave her an inquisitive look, shrugged, then started to eat, too.


    Arnold started to eat as well and they ate the entire meal in silence. Heather had been worried that her mother would have talked the whole time and she was relieved when she didn''t make a peep until the meal was over.


    ¡°That was delicious, wasn''t it?¡± Heather''s mother asked.


    She didn''t wait for a response and took the plates and silverware from Arnold and her daughter and put it on the silver tray. She left the room with it and came back with tiny bowls of ice cream with chocolate sauce and cherries on top. Once again, she didn''t say anything and the three of them ate the dessert. Heather was a little freaked out at the silence, mainly because her mother never stayed quiet during a meal.


    Her mother took the empty bowls and left again, then came back and looked at Arnold and Heather as if she was deeply sorry for something. ¡°It''s getting late, don''t you think?¡± She asked and then looked at Arnold. ¡°It''s about time I drive you home.¡±


    ¡°What about the computer?¡± Arnold asked as he stood and grabbed his backpack.


    ¡°I''ll mark the page we were on and we can do this again in a couple of days.¡± Heather said and stood, then walked around the table to take his hand. ¡°I''ve got Kelly coming over tomorrow to study.¡±


    ¡°I''m sure that Kelly can wait while...¡± Her mother started to say.


    ¡°Mom.¡± Heather cut her off before she asked Arnold over. ¡°My boyfriend doesn''t want to intrude when I''m studying with Kelly.¡±


    Her mother caught the hint immediately and smiled. ¡°Well, then.¡± She said and looked at Arnold ¡°We will just have to wait to have you over again.¡±


    The three of them left the house and went to the car. Her mother got in and started it up and Heather stepped close to Arnold.


    ¡°I''ll see you in school tomorrow.¡± Heather said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and started to turn away.


    Heather held onto his hand and he stopped and turned back. ¡°You''re supposed to kiss me goodbye.¡±


    Arnold nodded and gave her a kiss, exactly like she had shown him, and they stayed like that for several moments. The car horn beeped at them and Heather jumped from the scare, which broke the kiss.


    Heather sighed at the interruption. ¡°I guess we should only kiss for a few seconds to say goodbye...¡± She said, then she leaned in close. ¡°...and when we see each other in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and climbed into the back passenger seat, the same seat he rode to the house in.


    Heather''s mother smiled at the interaction between them, backed out of the driveway, then drove Arnold home.

 06 He’s Got A Girlfriend

    Heather''s mother stopped her car in front of Arnold''s house and put the car in park. She turned her body slightly and looked out the passenger side window to look at it and liked what she saw. It was a nice house, well maintained, and the lawn was manicured. She saw Arnold reach for the door handle.


    ¡°Goodbye, Arnold.¡± She said.


    Arnold changed directions and his hand grabbed the back of the seat in front of him to pull himself forward. Before Heather''s mother could react, he snaked his hand behind her head and kissed her like he had been taught to when saying goodbye. He even included a little tongue.


    One... two... three. Arnold counted in his head and broke the kiss. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Heather''s mother had a shocked look on her face. ¡°Arnold!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You... you shouldn''t kiss me like that.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Arnold asked. ¡°Was I bad at it?¡±


    ¡°No, not really.¡± She said. It was actually pretty good, to be honest. She thought and didn''t say it, in case it encouraged him. Not that he needs me to encourage him!


    ¡°I must need more practice, then.¡± Arnold guessed from her response. ¡°I only just learned what a proper kiss was today.¡±


    Heather''s mother blinked her eyes for a moment. He just learned it today? She asked herself, surprised. ¡°Arnold, I''m Heather''s mother.¡± She said to try and clue him in on what he just did.


    ¡°I know you are.¡± Arnold said. ¡°What does that have to do with it?¡±


    Okay, maybe he is a blockhead. He''s not understanding it at all. Heather''s mother thought. ¡°Look, Arnold.¡± She said and he gave her a blank stare, which meant that she wasn''t going to be successful in trying to explain things to him. ¡°I... you....¡± She decided to wait and would try to explain it again later. ¡°Just don''t kiss me in front of Heather.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and sat back, then opened the car door and stepped out.


    Heather''s mother watched him walk up his driveway. That boy. She thought and touched her lips. If he''s that good after only a day... She let the thought trail off and laughed as she drove away.


    Arnold stepped into his house and went to the kitchen. ¡°I''m home.¡±


    ¡°ARNOLD!¡± His mother yelled and then he was taken into a tight embrace. ¡°Where have you been?!?¡± She exclaimed. ¡°We''ve been worried sick about you!¡±


    ¡°I went to Heather''s house to check out her computer.¡± Arnold said and he noticed that his father didn''t come out of the living room to see him. ¡°You wouldn''t believe the things it can do.¡±


    ¡°Arnold, you shouldn''t be wandering around town this late at night.¡± His mother said and let him out of her death grip. ¡°You should have called if you were going to be late getting home. We could have come and picked you up.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t even know I was going until lunchtime, then we went right to her place after school.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Her mother drove us there and drove me home. I didn''t wander anywhere.¡±


    His mother sighed. She always had a hard time trying to instill proper behavior into him. ¡°Next time, you are to call me as soon as you know you''re going somewhere that''s not school. All right?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Did they feed you at least?¡± His mother asked, and he nodded. ¡°I''m glad.¡± She said and relaxed. ¡°If you''re done scaring me for tonight, go on up to your room and do your homework.¡±


    Arnold nodded and went up the stairs. He wasn''t sure why his mother acted that way, though. He only went to Heather''s and came right home. He hadn''t thought to call though, so he had to assume that was the reason. He would make sure that he would call home from now on. Arnold quickly did his homework and went to bed.


    The next morning he got a shower and dressed in the next outfit in his closet. Every week he would spend several hours arranging his clothing for the next school week, so he wouldn''t have to worry about it each day. His mother always inspected him to make sure he wasn''t going to offend anyone with his clothing choices, and today wasn''t any different, except that she had an apologetic face.


    ¡°Arnold, I''m sorry for how I acted last night.¡± His mother said and checked him over.


    ¡°It''s my fault. I didn''t know that I should have called. I do now and I will from now on.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°You''re a good boy, Arnold.¡± His mother said and hugged him. ¡°Now eat and get ready for the bus.¡±


    Arnold ate breakfast like he normally did, without really tasting it, then he grabbed his backpack. His mother walked him to the front door.


    ¡°Are you going out after school today?¡± His mother asked.


    ¡°No. Heather''s friend Kelly is coming over.¡± Arnold said with his hand on the door knob. ¡°I''ll be home on the bus after school.¡±


    ¡°If that changes, let me know.¡± His mother said.


    Arnold nodded and opened the door, then walked out to the street. Ever since he was little, the bus always picked him up across the street from his house. No matter what school it was or how many times the bus driver changed, it always stopped for him in the same spot. He heard the bus approaching from down the street and looked at the front door of his house.


    ¡°Goodbye!¡± His mother said and waved.


    Arnold heard the keyword for kiss and quickly calculated how much time he had, then he ran across the street and up the driveway.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± His mother exclaimed. ¡°What...¡±


    Arnold put a hand behind her head and kissed her like Heather had taught him. One... two... three. He counted in his head and broke the kiss. ¡°Goodbye.¡± He said, then ran down the driveway and across the street just in time. The bus arrived and the door opened and he stepped inside.


    ¡°ARNOLD! GET BACK HERE!¡± His mother yelled; but, he didn''t hear her as the bus pulled away with a loud roar of its engine. ¡°Where the hell did that come from?¡± She asked of no one in particular as she rubbed her lips.


    Arnold was oblivious to his mother''s questions as he rode the bus in the same seat he always sat in. The bus picked up other high school students and quickly filled up, then drove them to school. Arnold always waited for everyone else to get off the bus before he moved, then he left the bus as well. For the first time ever, he didn''t go right into the school when the bus left. He turned around and quickly scanned the parking lot for Heather''s mother''s car and saw the black vehicle.


    Arnold walked towards the parking lot and he saw the rear door open. Heather stepped out with a backpack in her hand and she wore a nice oversized shirt and skirt combo that was both tight and loose at the same time. It definitely caught the eyes of a lot of the boys that were around. A few of them commented about it and one guy made a rude and suggestive comment.


    Heather frowned and glared at the boy. ¡°You shouldn''t say stuff like that, Brad!¡±


    Arnold knew he needed to do something, so he changed the direction he was walking and headed right towards Brad.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Brad said. ¡°What are you gonna do? Hit me for telling the truth?¡± He laughed. ¡°Don''t act like you haven''t done it.¡±


    In the next moment, Brad felt something smash into the side of his head and fell to the ground.


    ¡°FIGHT!¡± The guy next to Brad said.


    ¡°Fight! Fight! Fight!¡± The chant was taken up immediately and Brad looked up to see what idiot had dared to punch him. His eyes widened when he saw that it was the stoic and usually reserved Arnold.


    ¡°Arnold, no!¡± Heather said as she ran over to him and took his arm. ¡°He''s not worth getting suspended over.¡±


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Arnold said and kissed her for three seconds like she told him to do yesterday. The fight chant got louder as Brad stood up. He was a couple of inches taller than Arnold and he saw that Arnold wasn''t intimidated by that.


    ¡°Are you going to fight or let that bitch tell you what to do?¡± Brad asked Arnold.


    ¡°Don''t puss out!¡± Someone said.


    ¡°Heather doesn''t want me to fight.¡± Arnold said, his slight excitement started to wane.


    ¡°Pussy!¡± A guy said loudly.


    ¡°She got him whipped already.¡± Another guy said. ¡°She works fast.¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Brad said with a smile. ¡°...she does suck a good co-¡±


    *SLAP!*


    Heather''s hand stung from hitting him so hard. ¡°I told you not to say things like that!¡±


    Brad made a fist and started to swing, then he was suddenly on the ground and tasted pavement. Arnold had hooked a foot around his and pushed, which used his own punch''s momentum to drop him to the ground. Nearly everyone winced as Arnold used his foot and stomped on the back of Brad''s head and his nose broke with a loud snap.


    ¡°ARGH!¡± Brad yelled and tried to roll over to grab his nose, then Arnold kicked him in the crotch and he didn''t know which pain to grab first. He received two more kicks to his gut and a hard stomp to his groin. The pain was so intense that he couldn''t see straight through his tears. No one stepped forward to try and interfere because they were too shocked by the turn of events.


    ¡°My girlfriend said not to say those things.¡± Arnold said without inflection. ¡°You should listen to her.¡±


    ¡°I''ll... get... you.¡± Brad managed to say through his gurgling breath as the blood flowed from his nose and down his throat.


    Arnold leaned over slightly and looked down at Brad''s bleeding face with cold dispassion. ¡°I wonder how many times I can stomp your face into the pavement before you pass out?¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡± Someone said. ¡°Hey, man. Don''t do it.¡±


    Arnold turned the same cold eyes to him and the guy held his hands up.


    ¡°He asked for the fight, so we won''t report it.¡± The guy said. ¡°You won, so leave it at that.¡±


    Arnold looked at Heather and she nodded several times. ¡°Okay.¡± He said and walked towards the school and took Heather with him.


    ¡°Arnold, where did you learn to fight like that?¡± Heather asked.


    ¡°Squirrels.¡± Arnold said and she stared at him in surprise. ¡°They are brutal when they fight.¡±


    Heather looked back at the parking lot and saw the guys pick up Brad. His face and shirt were covered in blood. Yes, they are. She thought as the guys loaded Brad into a car and drive off. Her eyes drifted over to her mother''s car and to her shock, her mother looked like she was laughing and gave her a thumbs up gesture.


    The pair entered the school as if nothing happened and Arnold led Heather to her locker and her friend was waiting for them.


    ¡°So, how was the date last night?¡± Kelly asked with a smile.


    ¡°It was great!¡± Heather said, more than ready to change the subject from what just happened.


    ¡°Do tell.¡± Kelly said. Let''s see if you lie about it.


    Unbeknownst to them, Kelly had been watching them from nearby. She hadn''t been able to see into the upstairs bedroom; but, she had a nice view of their dinner and the kiss when Arnold had left.


    ¡°Arnold, this is girl talk.¡± Heather said to him. ¡°We''ll meet you in class.¡±


    Arnold nodded and left to go to class. He already had everything he needed in his backpack and didn''t have to go to his locker. He always made sure that he had the next day''s things and it saved him so much time between classes that he could always be the last person to leave one classroom and still be one of the first people to enter the next one.


    Arnold sat down and waited for nearly ten minutes before the bell rang for the students to go to their first class. Almost five minutes later, Heather and Kelly came into the room and then the second bell rang. Kelly sat down in the seat behind Arnold and Heather walked to hers that was beside his, then she bent down and gave him a quick kiss. He looked at her with a question on his face and she smiled.


    ¡°I''m just making sure everyone sees that we''re together.¡± Heather said and sat down.


    ¡°Wouldn''t it be easier to just say that you''re my girlfriend?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°She''s marking her territory.¡± Kelly said with a grin from behind him.


    ¡°I wouldn''t get to kiss you if all I did was say it.¡± Heather said, her face slightly red.


    ¡°All right, settle down.¡± The teacher said and rapped her ruler on her desk. ¡°We covered the Napoleonic Wars last week and finished them yesterday.¡± She said and looked at their partially bored faces. ¡°What did we learn from them?¡±


    ¡°Don''t piss off short people!¡± Someone said loudly and most of the class laughed.


    ¡°Actually, I think that''s a good observation.¡± The teacher said to their surprise. ¡°Shocking, I know.¡± She smiled. ¡°Now, open your books to page...¡±


    The class passed quickly, as did the next and the next. When lunch started, Heather didn''t rush out like everyone else did. Kelly was halfway to the door before she realized Heather wasn''t beside her. She stepped aside and let the other students pass by, then went back to her seat.


    ¡°Come and eat lunch with us.¡± Heather said to Arnold.


    ¡°I''m supposed to go to the lab and...¡±


    ¡°...catalogue the specimens for the teacher.¡± Heather finished for him. ¡°They are already catalogued or he wouldn''t have them.¡±


    ¡°It''s practice.¡± Arnold said. ¡°If I can name all the parts for...¡±


    Heather sighed. ¡°How long will it take?¡±


    ¡°I only have three hundred more to memorize.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Based on my performance so far, it should only take another two weeks.¡±


    ¡°Two weeks where I can''t eat lunch with my boyfriend.¡± Heather said, sadly.


    ¡°You can always come in there with me.¡±


    ¡°Blah.¡± Heather said and stuck out her tongue, then she laughed. ¡°My stomach''s not as strong as yours. There''s no way I could eat with all of those things floating around in their jars.¡± She said and stood up. ¡°I''ll just have make due with kissing you goodbye before lunch.¡±


    Arnold understood the hint and stood as well, then he kissed her like she wanted. Kelly stood there with an open mouth as they kissed each other like she wasn''t there, then she was surprised when when the kiss ended barely three seconds later.


    ¡°Let''s go, Kelly. Arnold needs to get to work.¡± Heather said and left the room. Kelly looked at Arnold for a moment, then followed her friend.


    Arnold waited for another minute, so that the hallway would be relatively clear of traffic and went to the lab. Like Heather had stated, he had work to do.

 07 School Worries

    ¡°He''s going to regret doing this to me.¡± Brad said when he waddled out of the emergency room with an ice bag held to his crotch. Half of his face was bandaged as well and his hair was stuck up in the back.


    ¡°I think you should leave him alone.¡± His friend said as they walked to his car.


    ¡°He stepped on my balls like he was crushing a cockroach!¡± Brad said loudly. ¡°I''m going to pay him back for that, Eric!¡±


    ¡°Brad.¡± Eric said and put a hand on his arm. ¡°You saw his eyes, didn''t you?¡±


    Brad huffed. ¡°The smug bastard can''t talk down to me like I''m nothing.¡±


    ¡°That''s just it.¡± Eric said as he remembered the ice cold eyes that had looked at him. ¡°I''m sure that''s what he thinks.¡±


    ¡°He won''t be thinking that for long.¡± Brad said and carefully climbed into the back seat of the car. ¡°As soon as the swelling goes down...¡±


    Eric sighed. ¡°Brad, are you even listening? He''ll kill you if you go after him.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Brad said and waited until Eric sat in the driver''s seat before speaking again. ¡°I''ve never lost a fight in my life.¡±


    ¡°You just lost one.¡± Eric said and started the car.


    ¡°He sucker punched me!¡±


    ¡°Actually, he only used his feet, except when he pushed you.¡± Eric pulled out of the parking lot.


    ¡°The point was that he jumped me.¡± Brad said. ¡°Soon, we''ll see how much he likes it.¡±


    Eric shook his head and drove his friend home. It was going to take about three weeks for Brad''s broken nose and the bruises on his abdomen and crotch to heal completely.


    He got all of that in only a few seconds and Arnold wasn''t even trying. Eric thought. If I hadn''t stepped in when I did... He looked at his friend in the rear view mirror and shook his head. I better stay as close as I can to keep Brad safe from his own ego.


    *


    Arnold finished lunch in the lab and met Heather at their next class. The rest of the day passed by and then it was time to go home. Arnold stopped at his locker and changed everything out for the next day and to do his homework that night, then he met Heather and Kelly at their lockers and walked with them out to the parking lot. The group of guys were there and gave Arnold some unfriendly looks, and he completely ignored them like he usually did and walked the two girls to Heather''s mother''s car.


    ¡°Goodbye.¡± Heather said and Arnold took the cue and kissed her. ¡°You''re getting better at it.¡±


    Arnold let a small smile out and she climbed into the backseat. Kelly was tempted to say something, then changed her mind and climbed into the car and shut the door.


    ¡°Goodbye, Arnold.¡± Heather''s mother said as she leaned towards the passenger side to test him. If he failed, Heather would be upset about it; but, it had to be done if he couldn''t follow a simple direction. Arnold remembered the woman''s words and only nodded, so she gave him a huge smile and waved. ¡°See you tomorrow!¡± She said and the car drove off.


    ¡°You hurt our friend.¡± A voice said from behind him.


    Arnold turned to look and the group of guys were a few feet away from him. He didn''t respond because it was a statement and not a question. Several people that were standing around moved back, so they wouldn''t be involved and would also stay close by to see what happened.


    ¡°You must think you''re so tough.¡± The guy said and reached out to poke Arnold''s shoulder.


    Quick as a flash, Arnold grabbed the wrist and held on as he jumped a foot into the air and kicked out with both feet. His heels dug into the guy''s stomach and knocked the wind out of him. It was a move that Arnold had seen squirrels do a bunch of times when fighting over the nuts he was trying to entice them with. He learned a lot from those squirrels.


    Both of them dropped to the ground on their backs and Arnold rolled over onto his belly and hopped up into a crouch, then jumped onto the guy and sat on his chest as he rained punches down onto his face. Since the guy still hadn''t caught his breath yet, Arnold''s weight stopped him from expanding his lungs and he had no energy to try and defend himself.


    Once again, the people around were too stunned by what was happening to help.


    ¡°Hey! HEY!¡± A woman''s voice yelled from across the parking lot and the boys heard running footsteps. ¡°What are you DOING?!?¡±


    ¡°Oh, shit! It''s the vice-principal!¡± One of them said. ¡°Go! Go!¡±


    They didn''t even glance down to look at their friend and abandoned him as they took off, as did the partially gathered crowd.


    ¡°ARNOLD! STOP!¡± The vice-principal yelled and Arnold stopped immediately. ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°I defended myself.¡± Arnold said and looked down at the bloodied and mangled face of the boy.


    ¡°Why were you fighting?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Brad made a comment about my girlfriend this morning and she slapped him. When he tried to punch her, I pushed him down and stomped and kicked him to stop him.¡± Arnold said calmly. ¡°These guys kept yelling ''fight'', until I won and they stopped.¡±


    ¡°So, it was retaliation against them for goading you?¡± The vice-principal asked.


    ¡°What''s goading mean?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°They tease and bully you to force you to react.¡±


    ¡°Then no. I ignore stuff like that all the time.¡± Arnold said, to her surprise. ¡°When he tried to grab me, I grabbed him instead and kicked him, then punched him in the face until you said to stop.¡±


    The vice-principal looked at the bloody young man on the pavement. She knelt and checked that he was breathing and had a pulse, then she took out her cell phone and called 911. They sent out an ambulance right away.


    ¡°You''re going to have to stay here while I get all of this sorted out.¡± She said.


    ¡°Can you call my mother?¡± Arnold asked. ¡°She said to call if I wasn''t coming home right after school.¡±


    The vice-principal gave him an odd look for a second, then nodded and asked for his phone number. When his mother stopped yelling, she agreed to come to the school to be there with him. After about twenty minutes, the ambulance and a police car arrived in the parking lot. The EMTs ran over to check on the severely beaten young man and the single police officer talked to the vice-principal. Besides a lot of surface damage, nothing was broken or life threatening.


    One of the EMTs glared at Arnold for doing it, then saw his blood-covered hands. ¡°I hope your satisfied.¡±


    ¡°I broke one of my fingers and didn''t break anything on him.¡± Arnold said. ¡°So, no. I''m not satisfied.¡±


    ¡°One of your fingers is broken?¡± The other EMT asked, because the first was too stunned to speak.


    Arnold held up his fists and opened them to only have seven fingers and two thumbs move. The ring finger on his right hand stayed bent.


    ¡°I''ll check it when we''re done here.¡± The EMT said and went back to work.


    A car sped into the school''s parking lot, slammed on its brakes, and came to a stop about fifty feet away. Arnold''s mother got out of the driver''s side and ran over to him.


    ¡°I want you to tell me exactly what happened!¡± His mother exclaimed and the police officer paused in talking to listen. Arnold told her everything that happened and didn''t leave anything out.


    ¡°I want to talk to this Brad character.¡± The police officer said.


    ¡°He wasn''t in school today.¡± The vice-principal said.


    ¡°Eric took him to the hospital because his nose was broken.¡± A guy''s voice came from the returned crowd. ¡°It looks like he''s going to have company.¡±


    ¡°He''s going to be fine.¡± One of the EMTs said as they put the unconscious young man onto a stretcher. ¡°He''s just passed out from repeated blows to the head.¡±


    ¡°No concussion?¡± The police officer asked and the EMT shook his head. ¡°It''s still assault, regardless of the circumstances.¡± He said and took out a set of handcuffs.


    ¡°He''s still on school property!¡± Arnold''s mother said loudly. ¡°This is a school matter!¡±


    ¡°He committed a crime...¡± The police officer started to say.


    ¡°No one called the police or reported a crime.¡± The vice-principal said and he turned to look at her in surprise. ¡°I asked for an ambulance and you just showed up with it.¡±


    The police officer wasn''t sure what to say to that.


    ¡°This is a school matter and we will take care of it.¡± The vice-principal said.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± The police officer asked and rattled the cuffs. ¡°It might teach him a lesson about committing crimes in the future.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think giving him a criminal record that he will have for the rest of his life is a ''good lesson'' for him to have for being involved in a schoolyard fight.¡± Arnold''s mother said in a severe voice.


    The police officer actually winced from the venom he heard in her voice.


    ¡°Let me see your hands.¡± The EMT said to Arnold and he held them out. The man rinsed his hands with distilled water and then inspected the ring finger. ¡°You''re lucky, I think. It''s just dislocated.¡±


    Arnold''s mother gasped, because she knew what that meant. ¡°Give him something for the pain.¡±


    ¡°The longer it''s out of joint, the more it''s going to hurt.¡± The EMT said and looked at Arnold. ¡°I''m going to pull it straight and it''s going to hurt. A lot.¡±


    Arnold nodded and the EMT didn''t even count as he grabbed the middle of the finger and yanked on it. A sickening pop was heard by all those around.


    ¡°ARGH!¡± Arnold yelled in pain for a moment, then it died down.


    ¡°It''s going to be sore for a while.¡± The EMT said and put a light wrap around it. ¡°I suggest making an appointment with a doctor to get it checked out properly.¡±


    Arnold''s mother nodded and the EMT went to the ambulance and climbed in, then it drove way.


    ¡°Miss, are you sure...¡± The police officer tried to plead for the case to take Arnold.


    ¡°We have dealt with fights before.¡± The vice-principal said and dismissed the man.


    The police officer gave a last look to Arnold and got in his car and drove away.


    The vice-principal sighed. ¡°God, what a headache I have.¡± She said and looked at Arnold and his mother. ¡°Until I can corroborate Arnold''s story with Brad, I have no choice but to suspend Arnold.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Arnold''s mother looked at the vice-principal like she had lost her reasoning. ¡°Arnold was the victim and you''re suspending HIM?!?¡±


    ¡°He doesn''t look like a victim!¡± Someone from the crowd shouted.


    ¡°Who said that?!?¡± The vice-principal turned to the crowd and no one moved or spoke.


    ¡°I can''t believe this is happening.¡± Arnold''s mother said.


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡± The vice-principal said. ¡°He''s here and he claimed responsibility for fighting.¡±


    ¡°He did no such thing!¡±


    ¡°He admitted to it, so I have to take that as an admission of guilt.¡± The vice-principal said.


    ¡°If you suspend him, you are going to ruin his academic record.¡± Arnold''s mother said.


    ¡°He''s going to lose the bursary prize for perfect attendance as well.¡±


    Arnold''s mother scowled at her.


    ¡°I don''t have a choice here. He''s suspended.¡±


    ¡°For how long?¡±


    ¡°Two weeks, effective immediately.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡±


    ¡°It''s a one week suspension for each fight.¡± The vice-principal said. ¡°I''m taking it easy on him, too.¡±


    Arnold''s mother clamped her mouth shut and didn''t say what she wanted to say.


    ¡°I need to get the rest of my books.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I''ll escort you back inside.¡± The vice-principal said and all eyes were on them as they went back into the school. Arnold loaded up his backpack and cleared out his locker completely. ¡°Arnold, I''m not kicking you out of school. You''re just being suspended.¡±


    ¡°Is there a difference?¡± Arnold asked. ¡°I won''t be allowed back until you say I can come back.¡±


    The vice-principal sighed and didn''t respond, so he shut his locker and she escorted him out of the school and back over to his mother.


    ¡°The parent-teacher association is going to hear about this.¡± Arnold''s mother said.


    ¡°I suggest not doing that.¡± The vice-principal warned. ¡°If they learn that he''s not getting the full punishment, they may insist that he does.¡±


    Arnold''s mother was surprised by this. ¡°But... but he...¡±


    ¡°To be honest, no one cares about his academic record when violence is involved.¡± The vice-principal said and looked at Arnold. ¡°Except me.¡± She said. ¡°It''s still going to be a mark on your record; but, it''s not going to be as bad as it could have been.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°It could invalidate university scholarship applications and even future job prospects if you''re perceived as a nuisance.¡±


    ¡°I don''t care about that.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Why are you helping me?¡±


    ¡°You''re a good kid.¡± The vice-principal said. ¡°You never caused problems and you kept to yourself... until now.¡± She reached out and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. ¡°Go home and think about what happened. When you come back in two weeks, I want you to write a paper about your experience.¡±


    ¡°You suspended him and you''re still giving him homework?¡± Someone in the crowd asked.


    ¡°Whoever said that is going to get the same thing!¡± The vice-principal said loudly as she turned to the crowd and let Arnold''s shoulder go.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± His mother said and motioned to the car parked fifty feet away with the driver side door still open. Arnold walked towards it and put his backpack into the back seat and climbed into the passenger side. His mother got in and shut her door, then reversed and turned the car around and drove out of the parking lot.


    ¡°Arnold, I''m not angry at you for this.¡± His mother said through clenched teeth.


    Arnold looked at her with a blank face and she glanced at him briefly to see his reaction.


    ¡°I believed everything you said and I know you didn''t lie.¡± His mother continued as she drove. ¡°There''s only one thing about it that I want to question you about.¡±


    Arnold didn''t respond and she didn''t expect him to, since she hadn''t asked him a question.


    ¡°Why didn''t you tell me that you have a girlfriend?¡± She asked calmly, even though in her head she wanted to berate him for getting into the situation he was in. It''s her fault it happened. She thought.


    ¡°Heather said she wanted to be my girlfriend yesterday.¡± Arnold said, without the normal excitement and enthusiasm that having a girlfriend would usually instill in a normal teenager. ¡°I said okay.¡±


    ¡°Arnold.¡± His mother said with a sigh. ¡°Do you know what having a girlfriend means?¡±


    ¡°No, but she''s teaching me.¡± Arnold said and his mother caught her breath.


    What is she teaching my son? His mother asked herself, full of worry, then her thoughts went right to that morning and Arnold risking his life to run across a busy street to kiss her and say goodbye. What do I say? What can I say? Can I tell him to not have a girlfriend? Can I warn him how dangerous it is to have a girl teaching him god-knows-what?


    His mother asked herself many, many questions along those lines as they drove home in silence.

 08 Family Time

    Arnold''s mother pulled the car into their driveway, then touched Arnold''s arm to stop him before he could move to leave. ¡°Arnold, we need to discuss something before going inside.¡± She paused for a moment and then spoke. ¡°Heather taught you how to kiss, didn''t she?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Arnold, you can''t kiss me like that.¡± His mother said.


    ¡°Why?¡± Arnold asked, confused. ¡°Heather said that a kiss on the forehead was still a kiss; but, it didn''t mean as much as kissing on the lips.¡± He said, then his face went from blank to completely indifferent. ¡°Does that mean you don''t care about me as much as she does?¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± His mother exclaimed and then she sighed. She saw the trap she was now in and she didn''t have any real way to get out of it. ¡°Arnold, you''re my son. You mean more to me than anything else in this world.¡±


    ¡°Then what''s wrong? Did I do it badly?¡± Arnold asked.


    His mother sighed again. She couldn''t respond to that and not cause him some distress. ¡°Arnold, I...¡±


    ¡°I know I need to practice more.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I''ll get better. I promise.¡±


    His mother blinked her eyes at him for a moment, then she made a decision that might cause him distress. ¡°Don''t tell your father that you kissed me.¡±


    Arnold understood, because Heather''s mother said almost the same thing, which reminded him of what else she said. ¡°I won''t kiss you in front of him, either.¡±


    His mother was a little surprised that he would make that logic leap so quickly and she didn''t have to tell him. She nodded and the two of them went inside the house. His father wouldn''t be home from work for several hours, so neither of them had to worry about telling him about what happened to Arnold until then. They had barely entered the house when the phone rang.


    His mother picked it up. ¡°Hello?¡± She paused. ¡°Hmm. Yes, he''s here.¡± Another pause. ¡°I''m not sure if I should let you.¡± A brief pause. ¡°I''m sure that you''re sorry...¡± She said and then she sighed. ¡°All right; but, I expect you to bring his homework over every night.¡±


    Arnold heard a loud yes as his mother held the phone out from her ear, then his mother passed him the phone. He spent the next hour telling Heather everything and listening to her reactions, then he listened to what she had heard from others about what had happened and her reactions to that.


    Arnold''s mother stood there and listened the entire time and she wasn''t sure if what she was witnessing was a good thing or not. She was happy that he was finally showing some kind of interaction with the people around him; but, she wasn''t sure she liked what that interaction was. On one hand, for the first time in his life, Arnold was talking to a girl. On the other hand, he had defended her honor and gotten into trouble.


    His mother held in her sigh at that thought. She knew it made him a good boyfriend to step up when it was necessary and she also knew it was the start of a lot of headaches for her, especially since Arnold was now suspended for two weeks and his girlfriend was going to be visiting every day.


    She was excited when I asked her to deliver his homework and it''s supposed to be a punishment. His mother thought and kept looking and listening to Arnold. I wonder how much longer...


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and hung up. ¡°She needs to study with Kelly now.¡±


    His mother stepped close and took him into a hug. ¡°You would have stayed on the phone with her all night if she wanted to keep talking, wouldn''t you?¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°I don''t have school tomorrow, so I don''t have to do my homework right away.¡±


    She smiled and let him out of the hug. ¡°You can go and do it now.¡±


    Arnold nodded again and went up the stairs. He had worn his stuffed backpack the entire time and didn''t take it off until he sat down at his desk. He quickly did the homework he had received that day and then he thought about the homework that the vice-principal had assigned. He could do it now; but, she told him to wait until after he had been suspended for the two weeks before he was allowed to write it. He packed up his backpack again and put it aside.


    ¡°Finished already?¡± His mother asked and he turned to look at her. She had combed her blonde hair and had changed into her relaxing clothes. She wore a loose pair of faded jeans, her favorite pair, and a baggy white t-shirt. She also carried a plate of food for him.


    ¡°It was easy.¡± Arnold said. Compared to memorizing the anatomy of hundreds of different animals and insects and their real and scientific names, doing every other subject was like relaxing.


    His mother walked into the room and put the plate on his desk. ¡°Arnold, I''ve been thinking about something.¡± She said and sat down on his bed while he ate. ¡°I want to tell you what to expect... that is, what might happen... now that you have a girlfriend.¡±


    Arnold paused for a moment in eating. ¡°Are you going to show me what...¡±


    His mother''s face flushed red. ¡°No, no.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I''m just going to tell you.¡±


    Arnold shrugged and kept eating.


    ¡°I... dammit, I don''t know how to start.¡± His mother said and then took a deep breath and let it out when she decided what to say first. ¡°I guess it''s time we had a special talk.¡±


    Arnold paused in eating again. ¡°A special talk?¡± He asked. No one had ever mentioned there was such a thing to him before.


    His mother saw that she had his undivided attention and took another breath and let it out. ¡°You need to know about the birds and the bees.¡±


    Arnold smiled. ¡°I know all about them.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± His mother was shocked. He only just learned to kiss yesterday!


    ¡°Bees are necessary for cross pollination of plants and crops. The hive queen controls them all with pheromones and...¡±


    His mother relaxed when he described real bees. ¡°No, Arnold. The saying ''birds and the bees'' is a phrase most people use when they are going to talk about sex.¡±


    Arnold raised his eyebrows at her and dropped his fork onto his plate.


    ¡°Yes, this is definitely going to be an awkward talk.¡± His mother said and pat the bed beside her.


    Arnold took the cue, since she used it a lot to get him to sit where she wanted him to.


    ¡°All right.¡± She turned to face him and he did the same. She took his hand and looked into his eyes. ¡°Please, bear with me while I try to explain things.¡±


    Arnold nodded and listened intently, then his mother started to speak. He memorized everything she said, her facial expressions as she described certain things, and the motions and fidgets her body did when she talked about more intimate things. When she was done, she was exhausted mentally and Arnold stared at her with surprise on his face.


    ¡°Mom.¡± Arnold managed to say when he realized what she had told him. ¡°Is... is it true?¡±


    His mother sighed. ¡°Yes, Arnold. People have sex for fun and not just to procreate.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Arnold went over everything he had learned about the animal kingdom.


    ¡°I can see your mind working.¡± His mother said. ¡°You won''t find any animal species that does the same thing... except for dolphins.¡±


    Arnold blinked his eyes and looked at her. ¡°Dolphins?¡±


    ¡°They have sex because it''s fun, too.¡±


    Arnold''s entire world view started to shift. Despite all of the evidence he had gathered over the years, he started to realize that humans were not like he had always thought. He looked down at the hand his mother still held tightly, then he looked back at her face when he came to a conclusion.


    ¡°We''re not animals.¡± Arnold said.


    His mother let a smile show on her face. ¡°I wouldn''t quite say that.¡± She said. ¡°Some people would argue that we''re some of the worst animals on the planet.¡±


    Arnold opened his mouth to say humans weren''t the worst, then his eyes went to his bare desk. ¡°Mom.¡± He said and looked back at her as he had a thought. ¡°What do I have to do to get a computer?¡±


    His mother knew this was going to come up as soon as he had mentioned that Heather had one and showed him what it could do. ¡°Arnold, we... we kept that information from you for a reason.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°If you knew what computers could give you access to...¡±


    ¡°Heather already showed me the thousands of specimens it has.¡±


    His mother held in her sigh and didn''t want to tell him everything. ¡°You can look for other things on the internet besides specimens.¡± She said and hoped that he got the hint and didn''t ask about what, specifically, he could search for that she didn''t want her impressionable eighteen year old son looking for. Not right after the talk they just had about the birds and the bees.


    ¡°Heather said that, and that there are games to play, too.¡± Arnold said. He didn''t notice that his mother had relaxed.


    ¡°We still need to talk about what else Heather...¡±


    ¡°Tell me what I have to do to get a computer.¡± Arnold said and cut her off.


    His mother sighed. ¡°Computers are expensive, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°I know they don''t have them at school and they do have them at college.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t want to wait for a year before getting access...¡± He stopped talking and smiled. ¡°How much is in my college fund?¡±


    His mother was a little surprised he had made the connection so quickly to his college fund. ¡°We''ll have to talk to your father about it.¡±


    Arnold nodded and looked at the clock. His father would be home any minute.


    ¡°You should wait until he''s had supper before bringing it up.¡± His mother said.


    Arnold went to his desk and finished his supper, then the two of them went downstairs and waited until his father ate and went to the living room. Arnold followed him, with his mother beside him, then pleaded his case for a computer and using some of his college fund to get it, since it would be essential for him to have a computer for college.


    ¡°I''ll get you one of the old ones from work.¡± His father said.


    ¡°Gerald.¡± Arnold''s mother said with squinted eyes. ¡°It''s a legitimate expense for college.¡±


    Gerald ignored her. ¡°Old ones work just fine if all he''s doing is doing homework and printing things.¡±


    ¡°Gerald.¡± Arnold''s mother said in a stern voice and he sighed.


    ¡°We can''t afford it, Annie.¡± Gerald said and turned to look at her.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Annie said. ¡°There''s over...¡±


    ¡°...five grand left.¡± Gerald finished the sentence and Annie''s face drained of color. He stood up and looked apologetic. ¡°I made a few bad investments and I had to take some of it...¡±


    ¡°SOME OF IT!¡± Annie yelled and slapped him. ¡°We had over twenty-eight thousand dollars in that account!¡± She said. ¡°We''ve scrimped and saved everything for years to get enough for Arnold to go to college!¡±


    ¡°I''ll get it back.¡± Gerald said and rubbed his face. ¡°There''s this hot commodity that''s going to be available soon and...¡±


    ¡°If you touch that money again, I''ll divorce you and sue you for everything!¡± Annie nearly screeched. ¡°You''ve ruined all of our plans! Years of hard work! You made me quit my job and stay at home to raise our family, then you steal our son''s money!¡±


    Arnold stood there and listened to his mother as she berated and cursed at his father. It was the first time he had seen any kind of disruption in his home life and he wasn''t sure what to do about it.


    Gerald had had enough after about ten minutes of her yelling. ¡°I''ll fix it, Annie! Calm down!¡± He said and reached for her. In the next moment, he was slammed against the wall, bounced off, and had landed on the floor on his back. He looked up and couldn''t stop his shiver at the cold expression on his son''s face.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Annie took his arm to restrain him, because she remembered what he had said about the fight at school.


    ¡°He was going to hurt you.¡± Arnold said, his voice empty of emotion.


    ¡°Arnold...¡± Annie started to say that her husband wouldn''t do that.


    ¡°I saw his face.¡± Arnold said. ¡°He never looked at you like that before.¡±


    Annie looked at her husband and saw the fear there. ¡°Gerald!¡±


    ¡°I swear I wasn''t going to hit you.¡± Gerald said in a normal voice. His anger at her yelling at him for the stock market''s fault was forgotten. ¡°I just wanted you to be quiet and to listen to me.¡±


    Annie wasn''t sure what to make of that admission, especially since she didn''t want to hear what he had to say and wondered what he would have done to make her listen.


    The three of them stayed there in silence. Annie stood awkwardly and considered what to do next. Gerald sat up on the floor and wondered what he could say to make it up to his wife. Arnold looked at his father and remembered what his mother had said about people acting like animals, which made him wonder what kind of specimen treatment his father would be best suited to undergo.


    ¡°Arnold, I think you need to go upstairs and...¡± Annie started to say.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said, which surprised her, because it was the first time he had told her no. ¡°You are going to argue and I will have to come back down and stop it again.¡±


    Both Annie and Gerald looked at him with wide eyes.


    ¡°I''m staying right here.¡± Arnold said and didn''t take his eyes off of his father.


    Gerald took Arnold''s cold gaze for another ten seconds and stood. ¡°I need some air.¡±


    Annie didn''t say anything as her husband left the room. A moment later, they heard the front door slam. His mother let out a shaky breath and hugged Arnold.


    ¡°Mom, can you stop him from taking any more money?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°The account is in all three of our names, so no.¡± Annie said, sadly.


    ¡°Can we take it out instead?¡± Arnold asked and she looked at him in surprise. ¡°Is the bank open now?¡±


    ¡°No, it''s closed until tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°We''ll go and get it then.¡± Arnold said, a plan already forming in his head.


    ¡°Go upstairs and go to bed.¡± Annie said.


    Arnold nodded and went upstairs like she wanted and went to bed. He didn''t sleep, though. He was waiting for the sound of his father''s car. He knew that if he could estimate the right time to move, then he could confront his father before the man had a chance to hurt his mother.


    Arnold didn''t wonder where his protective instinct came from and he didn''t question it. It had appeared mysteriously when Heather had been threatened and he thought that was the end of it, since feelings like that usually waned fairly fast. This one didn''t and had stayed with him. He hadn''t felt a need like it before, and he knew he would do anything to keep that feeling.


    When he thought his mother was threatened, he felt it surge forward, much stronger this time, and he had acted without thought for the consequences. When that feeling filled him, Arnold knew that he would do anything to protect his mother.


    Absolutely anything.

 09 More Worries

    Gerald drove home a few hours later, after getting several drinks at a bar. He had paced himself and wasn''t actually drunk, according to his intoxicated brain, and he only swerved a little on the road. He pulled into the driveway and parked beside his wife''s car. He sighed at the extra expense that having two cars was; but, since he didn''t want her to think about the money, he hadn''t complained about exactly how tight their budget was.


    Gerald had lied about the money left in his son''s college account. There was only about three thousand dollars left, not the five thousand he had claimed. He felt bad about her finding out before he could put the money back, and that feeling was compounded by his drinking. He stepped out of the car and stumbled, then leaned against the car and eased the door shut. It was late, so he tried to be quiet because he didn''t want to wake anyone up.


    After waiting for a few minutes to make sure he wasn''t going to trip and fall, he carefully pushed off from the car and walked slowly towards the house. As he reached for the door handle, the world spun and swirled, then he was on his back in the grass beside his car''s right front tire. He fought to not throw up from the quick movements, then he felt a weight on his chest and looked up to see the most terrifying sight he had ever seen.


    Arnold stood there with his foot on his father''s chest and held the shovel to his father''s neck. ¡°Don''t ever hurt my mother.¡± He warned in a deadly voice. ¡°If you do, I want you to remember one thing.¡± He pressed down on the shovel just enough to choke a little and not enough to cut the skin. ¡°There''s always room for one more specimen in the backyard.¡±


    Gerald''s alcohol addled mind sobered up slightly as it reeled from the threat and his hands tried to push the shovel away from his neck. He couldn''t believe this was real and thought he was hallucinating, until his hands gripped the shovel''s sides and it didn''t move an inch.


    ¡°I''ve been digging up the yard with this shovel ever since I was six and you showed me how to hide my work.¡± Arnold said and let a smile show on his face.


    Even though it was technically the same smile he showed other people, his father instinctively knew that if he wasn''t careful, it would be the very last thing he would ever see.


    ¡°I can see you understand.¡± Arnold said and moved the shovel from his father''s throat and leaned over him. ¡°I want to make sure you remember.¡± He said and before his father could react, he covered his mouth with a hand and swung the shovel and whacked him right between the legs.


    Gerald let out a smothered yell and he sobered up almost completely as the pain shot up through him. It made his eyes tear up and he curled up into a ball on his side. Arnold''s hand moved away from his mouth and when Gerald turned his tear streaked face to see where he went, he didn''t see him. He relaxed as much as he could, considering the pain between his legs, and he stayed there in the grass beside his car.


    It took almost an hour before Gerald gathered up the courage to try and move after receiving such an injury. It was painful, much more painful than anything he had ever felt before, and he rolled from his side onto his back and then sat up.


    I think... he might have... broken it. Gerald thought and sat there for another fifteen minutes before he tried to stand up. He was grateful for the numbing effect that consuming so much alcohol had on him, because he thought if he had to feel everything, he might not have stayed conscious. He cursed silently and had to take waddle-like steps to get to the front door of the house. He opened it with his key and stepped inside.


    It took another ten minutes to get to the kitchen and make up a bag of ice, then another twenty to waddle up the stairs to go to his bedroom. Annie was in bed and had her back to him, as Gerald had expected, and he had planned on talking to her before going to sleep. His thoughts immediately went to Arnold and his threat and he broke out in a nervous sweat.


    Tomorrow. I''ll do it tomorrow. Gerald thought as he very carefully laid down without aggravating his injury and held the bag of ice to his crotch. After work.


    *


    Arnold laid in bed and he had a smile on his face. He had done it. He protected his mother and no one but him and his father knew that he did, so he knew that he wouldn''t get in trouble with no witnesses. If his father did say anything, Arnold knew his mother wouldn''t believe him, not drunk like his father was. His father was smart, so he would listen to the warning and not hurt her.


    He better. Arnold thought and the smile disappeared as his mind started to wonder just how different it was inside of a person than it was inside an animal. He drifted off to sleep while imagining his father after he didn''t take the warning, and he was fine with that.


    Arnold got up the next day and dressed, then went downstairs to discover that his father had gone to work already. His mother gave him an apologetic smile and a hug, then served him breakfast. After that, his mother changed out of her nightgown and robe and into more appropriate clothing, then they went to the bank to withdraw most of the remaining money.


    When they sat down in the office of one of the bank representatives, they were informed exactly how much was actually left in the account. Twenty-nine hundred dollars and thirty-six cents. Arnold had watched his mother''s face and he knew beyond a doubt that the reduced total had hurt her to hear. He reached out and took her hand, and she turned her head to look at her son. The son she had failed to protect from the frivolities of her husband.


    Annie was surprised when she saw Arnold''s happy smile, and she fought back her tears because she thought that he didn''t understand what not having a lot of money meant.


    ¡°It''s okay, mom.¡± Arnold said. ¡°We''ll get through this together.¡±


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Annie took a breath and let it out.


    ¡°We should open another account and put the money in it.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°No.¡± Annie said. ¡°There''s no point if we''re going to spend it.¡±


    ¡°Were going to spend it?¡± Arnold asked, confused. ¡°I thought you wanted to save it?¡±


    ¡°I do... I did... when there was enough in the account that the interest made it grow every year. With only a couple thousand, it''s a waste of the bank''s time and ours.¡±


    Arnold sat there and thought about it. ¡°What about your other money?¡±


    ¡°My other money?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°This was my college account, right? Don''t you have one for normal things?¡±


    Annie caught her breath and looked at the bank rep. ¡°I need to know the state of my other account.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± The man said and brought up the information and printed off a sheet, then handed it over.


    Annie''s face drained of all its color as she read what was on that sheet. ¡°Oh, god.¡± She whispered.


    Before she could stop him, Arnold plucked the sheet from her hand and looked it over. He wasn''t knowledgeable about a lot of things; but, he did know what the words ''current debt including loans'' meant.


    ¡°Why did you let him do this?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Arnold, I didn''t...¡± Annie started to say.


    ¡°I didn''t ask you, mom.¡± Arnold said in a cold voice and looked at the bank representative.


    ¡°He had a significant amount of money as collateral, not counting the inherent value of the house he owns. With those things, getting approval for a second mortgage was easy.¡± The man said.


    ¡°A second mortgage?¡± Annie asked, quite surprised. ¡°We don''t a have a first mortgage!¡±


    ¡°You''ve had a mortgage for nearly ten years and made steady payments. I can print off a detailed list for you to...¡±


    ¡°We are withdrawing the money from my college account.¡± Arnold cut him off.


    ¡°There''s no need to...¡±


    ¡°We''re taking everything but ten dollars, so you won''t have the paperwork for closing the account.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°I''ll need to get the manager''s approval for that large of a withdrawal.¡±


    ¡°Did you need the manager''s approval when my father stole the other twenty-five thousand from me?¡± Arnold asked the man, who looked shocked. ¡°You knew it was my college fund and you let him take it without even telling us, even though our names are on the account.¡± He held up the paper and the note clearly said what it was for. ¡°Get me the rest of my money. Right now.¡±


    The bank rep nodded and left the room to do just that.


    ¡°Arnold, I''m so sorry.¡± Annie said and gave his hand a squeeze.


    ¡°It''s not your fault.¡± Arnold said. ¡°We both know whose fault this is.¡±


    Annie sighed and nodded. She had never imagined that something like this could happen to her. She was now so deep in debt that she had no idea how she was going to buy groceries this week, let alone make the minimum payments on the mortgages and the loans. She couldn''t fight back the tears anymore and let them pool up and drip from her eyes. She didn''t know what to do now.


    ¡°It''s okay, mom.¡± Arnold said and she looked at his face. It wasn''t blank like it was a moment before. He had the makings of a good scowl and she took in a sharp breath at the sight. It was the first time he had made that face and she let his hand go, reached up and touched his brow briefly, then caressed his cheek.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Annie said, because it broke her heart a little to have to see a scowl on her son''s face.


    ¡°I''ll use Heather''s computer for now.¡± Arnold said, and the implications of that statement were not lost on his mother.


    ¡°Arnold, I''m sure that we can get a nice computer...¡±


    Arnold shook his head. ¡°I don''t even know what to look for.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll talk to Heather and then search the internet before trying to buy anything.¡±


    Annie wasn''t surprised that he thought of that option, so she nodded. The bank rep came in with their money and it was a small stack of hundred dollar bills.


    ¡°Take that back and get twenties and fifties!¡± Annie said, slightly angry at the ridiculous currency denomination. ¡°What would people say if an eighteen year old walked into a store and tried to buy something with a hundred dollar bill?¡±


    The bank rep opened his mouth and saw Arnold''s scowl, then he sighed and left again.


    ¡°God, how stupid can he be?¡± Annie said and shook her head. ¡°They would probably call the police on you for trying to spend fake money.¡±


    Arnold was surprised to hear this. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Most normal people rarely see a hundred dollar bill, let alone want to accept it and then try to give you change for it.¡± Annie said. ¡°If they didn''t call the police, they would laugh and tell you to come back with money they can use.¡±


    ¡°So... even though it''s money... some forms of it aren''t accepted.¡± Arnold said, and his mother nodded.


    They sat in silence and the man came back with thirty of the fifty dollar bills, sixty-nine in twenty dollar bills, and a ten dollar bill for a total of twenty-eight hundred and ninety dollars. He counted them out after sitting down and handed it over.


    ¡°Is that satisfactory?¡± The bank rep asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and shoved the money in his pocket, then plucked the man''s business card from the desk. ¡°We''re going to tell everyone what happened at this bank and how you helped rob an eighteen year old of his future.¡±


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Annie exclaimed when the bank rep''s face showed shock.


    ¡°Let''s go, mother.¡± Arnold said and stood up, took his mother''s hand, then led her from the room and out of the bank.


    *


    Gerald sat at his desk on an extra thick cushion, with a bag of ice between his legs. He was doing paperwork in his office, like he did every day, when his telephone rang. He hadn''t been expecting a call this morning and answered it immediately. ¡°Thank you for calling Charles and Associates. How can I help you today?¡±


    The fake smile he always used when answering the phone faded as he listened to a bank representative tell him everything that just happened at the bank.


    Oh, fuck. Gerald thought with a sigh and rubbed his forehead. She knows I lied about the money. He made some empty promises to the man about taking care of things and hung up. He didn''t realize that he had made the same empty promises to his wife only the day before.


    I really need a drink. Gerald thought and looked at the paperwork on his desk. He sighed and got back to work. He planned on having an extra long and probably completely liquid lunch.


    *


    Arnold and his mother arrived home and went inside. Annie tossed her keys onto the kitchen counter and took a deep breath and let it out. She looked at her hands and they trembled. Not only had her husband ruined their plans for Arnold, he had ruined their future as well. They had two mortgages, a massive loan to pay back, two cars to pay for that she thought had been bought outright, no more collateral to borrow against, and no money coming in except what her husband made.


    Everything is falling apart! Annie thought and the tears started again. She felt a pair of surprisingly strong arms hug her from behind. ¡°Arnold.¡±


    ¡°Tell me what I need to do to help.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie sighed. ¡°You''re only eighteen. You can''t take on a burden like this.¡±


    ¡°Mom.¡± Arnold said in a stern voice, and she startled slightly. His arms eased their hold and she turned around to look at him. He was exactly her height and he looked right into her eyes. ¡°I will do anything to protect you.¡±


    ¡°Arnold, you... you don''t have to...¡±


    ¡°I want to.¡± Arnold said with conviction.


    Annie caught herself before she gasped. He''s never admitted that he wanted anything before! She thought, shocked.


    ¡°What else can I do to help?¡± Arnold asked and let her go, then reached into his pocket and took out the money to give to her. ¡°How do I get more of this?¡±


    ¡°You... Arnold, you''re too inexperienced to get a job.¡±


    ¡°I''ll start looking tomorrow.¡± Arnold said as if she hadn''t just said he couldn''t.


    Annie knew he wasn''t going to be convinced not to, so she only nodded and accepted the money. ¡°I''m going out to get some groceries.¡± She said and took four of the fifty dollar bills and put the rest into a can on top of the refrigerator. ¡°I''ll be back in a couple of hours.¡±


    Arnold nodded, because he knew that when she went shopping for food, it was an all afternoon affair. His mother gave him a quick hug and left the house as if she was in a hurry. He waited until her car had driven away before he grabbed several twenty dollar bills, his coat, and left the house. He estimated that he only had three hours to get to where he needed to go and be back before his mother knew he had been out of the house, unsupervised.

 10 Going Out

    Arnold hadn''t been out of the house on his own before. He had always been driven somewhere and had company of some kind. He didn''t know why that was and he never questioned it. He still didn''t. He wasn''t nervous about being alone and walking around, either. He didn''t consider why it was that he was always accompanied when going outside, not even when he went to the bus stop and several people gave him odd looks.


    He had no real experience reading people''s faces, especially people he didn''t know, so he ignored everyone around him. He was lucky that this time the people observing him weren''t bothered about being ignored. He stepped onto the bus when it arrived and politely asked how to get to a specific address.


    The bus driver was a little perturbed with the question and about how Arnold was holding up the people behind him from getting onto the bus and asked him to step aside. Arnold did so and the others climbed on and paid the fare and sat down.


    ¡°You need to take the fifty-one line on the next street and then get off at Central Street.¡± The bus driver said. ¡°Wait for twenty minutes and take the eighteen line until you get to the Plaza. The place you want is near there.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and pulled out a twenty dollar bill. He knew you needed to pay to ride the bus; but, he didn''t know how much it was and was about to ask when the bus driver laughed at him.


    The man pointed to the sign below the coin return. ¡°You need exact change or you won''t get a ride.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Sorry.¡± Arnold said and stepped off.


    The bus driver gave him a little wave. ¡°Good luck, kid.¡± He said and shut the door, then the bus pulled away.


    Arnold still didn''t know how much a bus ride was; but, he did confirm that his mother was right. Even when you had money, people won''t take it if it''s not the right kind. He let a small smile out and walked down the street, turned the corner and walked down the block, then took another corner to see where the next bus stop was. He didn''t see it, so he walked around for several minutes and found a store.


    Arnold went inside and waited in line to get to the counter, then pulled out a twenty dollar bill. ¡°I need change for the bus.¡±


    ¡°Change isn''t free.¡± The woman said a little crossly. ¡°You need to buy something first.¡±


    Arnold looked at the things around him and grabbed the first thing he saw. The woman gave him an odd look at the purchase, made change, and gave it to him. Happy that he now had the right kind of money to ride the bus, he gave her a smile.


    The woman reacted when his blank face became lively and smiled back. ¡°The bus stop is about ten minutes down the street that way.¡± She said and pointed.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and left to go find the bus stop. Like the lady had said, he found it about ten minutes later and people were there waiting. The bus pulled up and he waited for everyone else to get on and counted the change needed and put it in the slot. A piece of paper popped out and he looked at it.


    ¡°Haven''t you seen a transfer slip before?¡± The bus driver asked with a chuckle.


    ¡°This is my first ride on the bus.¡± Arnold responded.


    ¡°Ha!¡± The bus driver said. ¡°Well, for the next half an hour, you can use that to hop on any bus and even the subway.¡±


    ¡°There''s a subway?¡± Arnold asked with wide eyes and the bus driver burst out laughing.


    ¡°Hurry up... and sit.¡± The bus driver said between laughs. ¡°We need to go.¡±


    Arnold nodded and sat in the very front seat. ¡°Can you tell me when we get to Central Street? I need to take the eighteen line to the Plaza.¡±


    The bus pulled away from the curb and the driver pointed up above the windshield to an electronic sign that Arnold hadn''t seen. ¡°The stops appear there when we approach them.¡±


    Arnold watched as the sign flicked from Franklin Street and showed Alexander Street instead. The bus pulled over and came to a stop a moment later. One person got on and they showed a transfer slip, and the bus driver nodded and drove away. It took a little while for the sign to change and show Central Street. When it did, Arnold prepared to get up and leave.


    The bus driver saw him and chuckled at the eagerness. ¡°Here you go.¡± He said and pulled over. ¡°Have fun.¡±


    Arnold nodded and waited for six passengers to get on before he left the bus. He walked over to the bench and sat down to wait the twenty minutes for the next bus. He was going to ask the old man sitting on the ground in the corner of the bus stop how to tell what number the bus had, then the bus in question showed up with a big eighteen painted on the front.


    The bus stopped and Arnold showed the transfer paper and sat down. The bus pulled away and he watched the electronic sign until it said Plaza. No one got on and nearly everyone got off with him. Now that he was there, he wasn''t sure where to go.


    ¡°You look confused.¡± A nice older lady said from about ten feet away. She was about fifty years old and it showed on her haggard face and frumpy clothes.


    ¡°I need to get to an address and I don''t know where to go.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Perhaps I can help.¡± She said and Arnold told her the address, then she described exactly how to get there from the Plaza and how long it would take.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and started to walk away.


    ¡°Goodbye, young man!¡± The nice lady said.


    Arnold heard the cue and turned back to her, then to her utter shock, he put a hand behind her head and kissed her like Heather had taught him. One... two... three. He counted in his head and broke the kiss. ¡°Goodbye.¡± He said and walked away. He needed to hurry if he was going to do what needed to be done and get home in time.


    *


    The nice old lady had dropped her bag and stared at the handsome young man as he walked away.


    ¡°Thanks for waiting, Ethel.¡± Her friend said as she came over. ¡°What a pain in the butt that stupid elevator is!¡± She looked at her silent friend and saw the shock on her face. ¡°Ethel? Are you okay?¡±


    Ethel moved her lips to speak and raised a shaking hand to point in the direction Arnold had gone. ¡°K-k-k-kissed!¡± She managed to get out. ¡°H-he kissed me!¡±


    Her friend turned to look where she pointed and didn''t see anyone. ¡°Who did what?¡±


    Ethel didn''t say anything else when she realized her friend didn''t believe her. She looked at her hand and realized she had let go of her bag. She bent down and was glad that it hadn''t tipped over and spilled.


    ¡°I think that''s the last time I go and get a bottle of water and leave you alone in the Plaza.¡± Her friend said with a laugh and took her arm. ¡°We have enough time before lunch to get in line at that food truck that serves the best hamburgers in the city.¡±


    Ethel shook off some of her shock and looked at her friend. ¡°It''s a fast food truck. We shouldn''t have to stand in line.¡±


    Her friend laughed, because if they didn''t get there before lunch, they would have to stand in line and wait twenty minutes to get a hamburger. They arrived and there were only two people in front of them. Her friend discussed the menu and Ethel''s thoughts were not on food. All she could think about was that handsome young man and how he had kissed her.


    *


    ¡°Finally!¡± Gerald said as lunch arrived and he grabbed his suit coat and entered a late meeting lunch into his business calendar and left the office. He waved and said hello to several people, then entered the elevator and went to the ground floor. He was relieved when he stepped out into the fresh air and quickly walked over to his car. He climbed in and drove out of the parking lot to head to his favorite daytime drinking hole.


    It was a good ten minute drive away from work, that way Gerald had enough time to sober up before going back after his long lunch break. Or so he thought. Everyone knew he went out to drink and he always came back a little drunk. He did his work without being affected by it, so no one called him out on it. He never drank at work, so he wasn''t technically breaking company policy.


    Gerald arrived at the bar and spent an hour knocking back several drinks to try and forget about his anxiety over his wife discovering what he had been doing with their finances. He successfully drowned out the little voice in the back of his head that was telling him to smarten up and to apologize. With that important task completed, he stood up and stumbled out of the bar.


    Both the bartender and the bouncer shook their heads as their regular customer left the establishment quite a bit drunker than he had entered it. They didn''t try to stop him from leaving, even though it was their responsibility.


    Gerald went to his car and got in on the passenger side and reached for the steering wheel, then laughed when he realized he was on the wrong side of the car. He got out and loudly slammed the passenger door, to a few witness'' surprise, then they saw him stumble around the car and climb into the driver''s side. A concerned citizen came over to the car and looked at him through the driver''s side window.


    ¡°Hey, buddy.¡± The man said. ¡°You''re too drunk to drive.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± Gerald said loudly. ¡°Do I look like I''m driving right now?¡±


    The man frowned and couldn''t argue about it.


    ¡°Mind your own business.¡± Gerald said and checked his cell phone and set an alarm, then closed his eyes as he reclined his seat to take a nap.


    The man sighed and walked away.


    Gerald chuckled at the man''s idiocy. I would never drive while drunk. He thought and fell asleep.


    Twenty minutes later the alarm went off and Gerald cursed in his sleep. It took him a few minutes to wake up and turn off the alarm, then he grumbled about needing to get back to work. He hit the release on his seat to sit up straight and the seat flung him forward with such force that he slammed the bridge of his nose into the top of the steering wheel and it knocked him out.


    *


    Arnold pulled the seat back into position with his rubber-glove covered hands and Gerald slumped down in the seat. He eased his unconscious father to the side and slid into the front as low as possible, then took his father''s place in the driver''s seat. He had watched both his mother and father do this hundreds of times and copied their movements. He turned the key and started the car, grabbed the stick on the steering wheel and tried to put it into the ''R'' spot.


    It wouldn''t move and Arnold had to think about what he was missing. He looked down and saw the pedals on the floor and pushed the farthest one. The engine revved up and he quickly moved his foot off of it. He pushed the other one and felt the resistance, then held it and tried to move the stick again. It slid from the ''P'' to the ''R'' and the car lurched slightly.


    Arnold let a small smile out and slowly took his foot off the brake and the car rolled backwards slowly. He didn''t touch the gas at all and let the car drift on its own. When it was out far enough, he hit the brake again and moved the stick down to ''D''. The car didn''t move, so he gripped the steering wheel and touched the gas. The car moved slowly and he kept the smile and turned the wheel to get it to the pavement.


    Once he had the car on the road, he gave it a little more gas and the car swerved. He tried to turn it to straighten it out and over-corrected and the car lurched the other way. He stomped on the brake and took a breath, then tried again. He got the car going and held the steering wheel stiffly and managed to stay on the road and drove away.


    The concerned man that had seen Gerald was drunk, picked up his cell phone and called 911 to report a very drunk driver was endangering a lot of people with his erratic driving.


    If Arnold had heard the man''s description, he would have been happy, because his inexperienced driving looked like the car was being operated by his drunk father. He drove for quite a ways, until he came to a spot that looked good. He was sure there were much better spots; but, he didn''t have a lot of time to do what he wanted, so he settled for doing something quick. He pulled off the road and put the stick into ''P'', then opened the driver''s side door.


    When Arnold had surprised his father by pushing on the seat and knocked him out, it had given him an idea. He put his unconscious father into the driver''s seat and went to the trunk. He opened it to see a pile of junk and didn''t bother moving it aside and took out the spare tire. The junk filled in the empty space and he closed the trunk and put the tire in the back seat right behind the driver side. He climbed in and put his feet on the tire and pushed.


    It was surprisingly simple to break the seat tilt lock, then the seat and his father flew forward. There was a small crunch sound as his father''s face bounced off the top of the steering wheel like it had before to knock him out, then the seat back and tire were heavy enough to press into the man''s neck to make a sickening crunch sound.


    Arnold got out of the car and shut the back door, then he looked into the driver''s side door and his father was gurgling blood out onto the steering wheel. He bent down to put his father''s foot on the gas just enough to get the engine going and reached up to put the car back into gear.


    ¡°I warned you not to hurt my mother.¡± Arnold said, pulled the gear shift, then shut the door as the car lurched forward and drove towards the side of the road. He had lined it up as best as he could with his limited skills, and with his father jammed against the steering wheel, it held it steady as the car disappeared over the side and rolled down the embankment. The car sped up and Arnold didn''t stay around to see what actually happened when it reached the bottom of the ravine.


    Arnold started to jog back down the road, until he reached a pay phone. He was tempted to call Heather and see if she would come and pick him up, then realized that he didn''t want her near there, especially when someone found his father and she would know he was nearby at the time of the ''accident''. He picked up the phone and hit the number the phone said was for information.


    ¡°I need a taxi.¡± Arnold said when the operator picked up.


    The operator had received several calls from that location, because it was so close to a popular bar, and she didn''t think anything of it and gave him the number. Arnold called and the taxi arrived a few minutes later. It had been waiting by the bar for just such a call and sped over to his second fare of the day. Popular bars were the best sources of income for him and they were usually locals and didn''t have to go far. This fare was the same and he only drove the young man back to the Plaza.


    Arnold paid the fare without questioning it, because he didn''t know that it was a bit more than it should have been, and he walked across the Plaza and hopped on the bus. He showed his transfer ticket and the bus driver shook his head.


    ¡°Sorry, kid. You''re an hour too late.¡± The bus driver said. ¡°You need to buy another ticket.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and put the money in the machine and it gave him another stub. ¡°What do I do with the old one?¡±


    ¡°Crumple it up and toss it in the garbage.¡± The driver said and pointed to a can behind the driver''s seat.


    Arnold did so and sat down on the front seat and rode the bus back to the stop near the store, walked all the way back to where he could get the first bus, then rode that for free with the transfer paper until it stopped a couple of streets from his house. He crumpled the paper up and tossed it into the trash can behind the driver, which seemed to be why it was there, and stepped off the bus and walked back over to his home.


    Arnold saw that the driveway was empty and he hurried his pace. He had blown his time estimate by nearly half an hour and he knew that he was on borrowed time. His mother could come home at any moment and he needed to be in the house when she did. If he wasn''t, then he would have some difficult explanations to deliver.

 11 Meet My Mom

    Arnold went into the house and took off his coat and kicked off his sneakers, then thought about getting a drink of water and went to the kitchen. He was halfway through the glass of water when he heard his mother''s car pull into the driveway. He put down the glass and went over to the front door of the house and opened it, then put on his shoes in full view of his mother.


    ¡°I was about to holler to you.¡± Annie said as she got out of the car.


    Arnold came out of the house and went right over to the car''s trunk. His mother popped it open and he did the three bags per arm trick and carried them into the house. She brought in two bags herself and they were a little too heavy for her, so she didn''t try to carry any more. She put them on the counter and Arnold was already back with the next load.


    ¡°Some of it has to go in the freezer before anything else.¡± Annie told him and he nodded, then he was gone and brought in five more bags.


    ¡°Is there any in the back seat?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Only toilet tissue and paper towels.¡± His mother responded.


    Arnold quickly emptied all of the bags and sorted it all. He found the frozen items and put them right into the freezer, then checked the refrigerator for items that were close to being empty or expired, then removed them and added all of the new things his mother had bought. The dry goods to be put in the cupboards took longer to put away, because there were so many.


    When everything was checked and put away, Arnold went out to get the toilet tissue and paper towels. It took two trips because they were so big and awkward to carry. He stashed them in the closet where they were supposed to go.


    ¡°You''ve gotten really good at doing all of this.¡± Annie complimented him on his work after checking the cupboards. ¡°Thank you, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold nodded and looked at the clock on the wall.


    Annie looked as well and saw that it was close to the time when the high school let the students out for the day. ¡°You should probably get a shower before she comes over.¡±


    Arnold nodded again and went upstairs to get a shower and cleaned up. He took out the used rubber gloves from a pocket and mixed them into the unused pile he had collected from working in the lab at school. It was the perfect place to hide them. He dressed in the next outfit in his closet and went downstairs for his mother to check him over. She stopped herself from sighing at his choice of clothing and instead took him back upstairs and helped him get dressed.


    ¡°You''re not getting dressed for school, so take that off.¡± Annie said and started to pick through his clothes. ¡°You''re getting dressed for a girl.¡±


    Arnold didn''t understand what she meant and took off the clothes he had just put on, like she wanted.


    ¡°Girls need to know you''re making an effort for them.¡± His mother said. ¡°Hmm. Okay. I think these will still fit.¡± She handed him a pair of dress pants. ¡°Try them on.¡±


    Arnold put them on and they fit his waist; but, the ankles were about an inch too high.


    ¡°Dammit, I knew I should have checked your other clothes, since you haven''t worn them in a while.¡± Annie said and knelt and ran her fingers along the hem of the pants. ¡°There''s no extra fabric.¡± She said sadly and stood. ¡°Where are the jeans I bought you last month?¡±


    Arnold pointed and she went to the set of drawers and opened the top one.


    ¡°I''ll need to iron them to get the folds out.¡± Annie said and flicked them with her hands to make them billow out. ¡°See? Folds.¡±


    Arnold saw the creases from being folded up and nodded. His mother held them next to him and saw they had an extra inch on the bottom and smiled. They would last him for a year at least, even if he grew a little.


    ¡°Put on that nice blue shirt and I''ll be right back.¡± Annie pointed to the closet and left the room at a run. ¡°Change your socks to black ones, too!¡± She yelled from across the hall.


    Arnold listened to her advice and changed his socks, then he dug out the blue shirt and saw it had a crease on it where the arm had folded over in the closet, probably from sliding it between two other shirts when he hung it up. He walked out of his room and across the hallway to his mother''s bedroom and stood there in just his underwear with the shirt in his hands. When she looked up at him, he pointed to the crease.


    ¡°Hand it over.¡± Annie said and he gave it to her. She flipped it around and hung it over her own shoulders, then she went back to work on his jeans. ¡°The trick is to use less moisture and to have a thick towel underneath to absorb the dampness.¡± She said and used the now hot iron to press his jeans and removed the folds. She used deft and quick movements to iron out one side, then lifted the jeans and flipped them over and did the other side.


    Arnold accepted the jeans when his mother handed them to him and he did the same flicking motion with his hands to make them billow out. She nodded when she saw all the creases were gone and he put them on. He liked that they were toasty warm and let a smile appear on his face.


    ¡°Now the shirt.¡± Annie said and whipped it off her shoulders and used the same deft motions and quickly ironed out the thin fabric. She gave it a flick and held it up to look at it, then handed it over when it was wrinkle free and turned off the iron.


    Arnold put the shirt on and buttoned it up. He started to tuck it in and she stopped him.


    ¡°Leave the bottom of the shirt out.¡± Annie said and then unbuttoned the top button by his neck. She fixed the collar so it laid properly and stepped back. ¡°There we are. Casual chic.¡±


    Arnold looked at her with a question on his face. She took his hand and they went into the bathroom to look in the large mirror.


    ¡°A nice shirt tucked in and buttoned up makes you look more professional.¡± Annie said and held the top button closed and lifted the bottom of the shirt to make it look like it was tucked in, then she let it go. ¡°Leaving it like this means you''re relaxed at the moment and can be serious when it''s necessary.¡±


    ¡°So... I''m dressed up but not dressed up.¡± Arnold said and his mother smiled and nodded.


    ¡°It works a bit better with dress pants; but, brand new dark jeans can work, too.¡±


    Arnold looked in the mirror and memorized what to do and how he should look when asked to change. They both heard a car''s engine approach and slow down to a stop.


    ¡°That''s probably Heather.¡± Annie said and they left the bathroom and went downstairs to greet her. The doorbell rang just as they reached the bottom of the stairs and Arnold walked over and opened the door.


    ¡°HIII!¡± Heather yelled nervously and stepped in to give Arnold an awkward hug, then she turned to his mother. ¡°I''m Heather!¡±


    Annie clamped her mouth shut to stop from laughing. I think she''s more worried about meeting me than I thought she was. She thought, then spoke. ¡°It''s nice to meet you.¡±


    Heather smiled and looked at Arnold and then back at his mother and didn''t know what to do next.


    Annie saw her indecision and took pity on the poor girl. ¡°Is your drive staying for you?¡±


    ¡°What? Oh!¡± Heather went back outside and waved to the car. ¡°They''re home! Thanks for waiting!¡±


    Her mother waved back and then drove away. Heather went back into the house and Arnold shut the door behind her, then she looked at his mother nervously and then at him.


    ¡°Where can we do our homework?¡± Heather asked.


    ¡°I''d let you go up into Arnold''s room; but, he only has a small desk. You''ll have to settle for the large table in the dining room.¡± Annie said and waved in the right direction. She hadn''t missed the quick change in Heather''s facial expression from happiness to acceptance.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Heather said and went where Arnold''s mother said to go.


    Annie waved at Arnold and motioned for him to hurry up and follow. He nodded and went with Heather into the dining room.


    ¡°This table is almost as big as ours.¡± Heather commented and took off her backpack and plopped it onto a chair. ¡°Where should we sit?¡±


    Arnold was about to say in the chairs when he felt a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°On the far end would be best, so you have room to spread out your books and still be close enough to show Arnold what he has to do.¡± Annie said.


    Heather smiled and nodded, then moved her backpack down two chairs and started to unpack it onto the end of the table.


    ¡°Arnold, go and grab your backpack.¡± Annie said.


    Arnold left to go upstairs to get it and his mother walked over to Heather.


    ¡°I need to tell you something important.¡± Annie said.


    Heather stopped what she was doing and looked at her expectantly.


    ¡°You are Arnold''s first girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Heather chuckled. ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± Annie asked, a little surprised.


    ¡°He said I gave him his first real kiss.¡± Heather said and let a happy smile appear on her face. ¡°He''s so handsome that I assumed he had a few girlfriends before, until he said that.¡± She remembered that first awkward kiss and chuckled again. ¡°He said he didn''t know if he liked it and needed to practice...¡± She realized what she said to Arnold''s mother and blushed. ¡°We haven''t, though! We''ve only kissed a couple of times, and only for a few seconds...¡±


    ¡°Heather...¡± Annie couldn''t help but be amused at Heather''s embarrassment, especially if all they did was kiss.


    ¡°Arnold is so sweet and listens to me whenever we talk.¡± Heather said. ¡°He even stopped fighting when I asked him to, then Brad said...¡±


    Annie touched the girl''s hand to stop her. ¡°Arnold told me.¡±


    Heather took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I''m sorry that Kevin got him suspended because of that.¡±


    ¡°That''s the second boy''s name?¡± Annie asked and Heather nodded.


    ¡°The rat bastard waited until I left with Kelly before he started the fight.¡± Heather said in a slightly angry tone. ¡°If I had been there...¡±


    Annie''s opinion of the girl raised up at her words. It was still technically her fault, since it revolved around her; but, that was twice she would have stopped Arnold from fighting if she could.


    ¡°All right.¡± Annie said and let Heather''s hand go. ¡°I''ll allow you to date him.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Heather said and let out an anxious breath.


    ¡°Don''t thank me yet.¡± Annie said. ¡°If you ever do anything to hurt him...¡±


    Heather gasped. ¡°I would never! Arnold is... he''s the best and... and I... I...¡± I think I love him. She finished in her head, because she couldn''t admit something like that to his mother before she even told Arnold. Plus, we haven''t gotten past kissing yet! She thought and her blush returned.


    Annie knew then that Heather had a huge crush on her son and wasn''t just using him. ¡°I''m glad.¡± She said, then wondered where Arnold was and turned towards the hallway. ¡°Arnold! Where are you?¡±


    ¡°I had to go back and get my pens and pencils!¡± Arnold said loudly from the top of the stairs and came down them. ¡°I didn''t put them in my backpack when I finished my homework yesterday.¡±


    Arnold came into the dining room with two pens, two pencils, and two large erasers in his hand. He used them as an excuse, because he had stood at the top of the stairs and listened to them talk.


    ¡°I''ll get supper started while you do your homework.¡± Annie said and left them alone.


    ¡°Your mom seems really nice.¡± Heather said and finished taking out all of the subjects they needed to do for homework, then she touched his hand. ¡°The biology teacher was pretty upset today.¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°I missed assisting on the next class specimen and I''m going to be behind in my studies of his specimens.¡±


    ¡°No, you aren''t.¡± Heather said with a smile.


    ¡°But... I''m not there to...¡±


    ¡°...look at these.¡± Heather said and took out a stack of papers. Each one had a clear picture of the specimens and their part labels could be easily read.


    ¡°Heather!¡± Arnold gasped at the huge pictures and took them reverently.


    ¡°I went into that... lab... and the teacher let me take pictures of the ones you haven''t studied yet.¡± Heather said. ¡°Then I had mom pick me up at lunch and went home to print them off for you.¡±


    Arnold flipped through several of the pages and each one was clear and easily readable as the first one was.


    ¡°I''d normally ask for a kiss; but, your mom is right in the next... mhmm!¡± Heather''s lips became occupied as Arnold kissed her. He did it for almost a full minute and she had to break the kiss on her own to stop him.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and put the pages down. ¡°I''ll have them memorized by tomorrow night.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Heather asked, surprised. ¡°I thought you said it would take two weeks!¡±


    ¡°An hour at lunch for two weeks.¡± Arnold reminded her. ¡°All at once? Maybe about ten hours.¡±


    ¡°Then... that means...¡±


    ¡°If I was in school, we could eat lunch together.¡± Arnold said.


    Heather looked into his eyes to see if he was teasing her, and she knew he wasn''t. ¡°I''d like that.¡±


    ¡°I don''t see any homework getting done.¡± Annie said from the doorway and Heather jumped from being startled.


    ¡°Sorry, Mrs. Strickland!¡± Heather said.


    Annie smiled and walked back into the kitchen and Arnold and Heather got to work. She showed him where they had reached in their school text books that day and then showed him the assigned homework. Unlike his usual homework ritual, Arnold had someone there with him and he didn''t mind it as much as he thought he would. It was slower with two people; but, he also had company which made the time pass quickly. They worked through it together, and he even managed to help Heather when she got stuck on some of the math problems.


    ¡°Are you almost done?¡± Annie asked from the kitchen.


    ¡°We''re on the last geography question, Mrs. Strickland.¡± Heather said without looking up. ¡°Arnold, what the heck does sedimentary mean?¡±


    ¡°It''s in the book I think.¡± Arnold said and flipped back several pages to read the chapter introduction. ¡°It''s particles of something that''s left behind or deposited by either water or air.¡± He said. ¡°It usually refers to a type of rock that formed on the ocean floor, or on a previous ocean floor and the water moved on or evaporated.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait, wait!¡± Heather looked at him. ¡°Rock? Actual rock can form from water... or air? Really?¡±


    ¡°The book says so.¡± Arnold said. ¡°It takes a while sometimes, too.¡±


    Heather laughed. ¡°Rocks form underwater!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°That''s so freaky!¡±


    Arnold saw her happy face at learning something new and he let a smile show on his face. ¡°Now you know how I feel when I see a new specimen.¡±


    Heather blinked her eyes a few times, then she glanced over his shoulder to look into the kitchen. She didn''t see his mother, so she leaned forward and gave him a kiss for a few seconds.


    ¡°Telling your girlfriend how you feel deserves a kiss.¡± Heather whispered with a slight blush.


    They both wrote out the answer to the last question, closed the book, then packed up their things. Heather took Arnold''s homework and put it with hers to pass it in. She knew the teachers would see they were similar and different, so she wasn''t worried about either of them being accused of cheating or copying.


    ¡°All done?¡± Annie asked and brought in two plates of food and set them on the table.


    ¡°Mom?¡± Arnold looked at where two other plates should be. Does she know?


    ¡°I''ll wait for your father to get home before I eat.¡± Annie said and pat his shoulder, then went back into the kitchen.


    ¡°It smells good.¡± Heather said and tried some, then she started eating. Arnold joined her and they both ate supper while his mother waited for his father to come home. Only Arnold knew that she would be waiting for a long time.


    Or so he thought.


    They heard a car pull up and into the driveway. Annie gave her son and his girlfriend a quick glance, then went to the front door. She needed to warn Gerald about Arnold having a girl over, so she opened the door before her husband reached it... only to discover it wasn''t her husband that stood there.


    ¡°Ma''am.¡± The police offer said and took off his hat, which only meant one thing.


    Annie didn''t wait for him to say anything as she burst out into tears and started to cry.

 12 Grief Has A Price

    ¡°NOOOO!¡± Annie screamed when the police officer tried to tell her why he was there.


    Arnold was suddenly there beside her, put his arms around her, and looked at the officer with a blank face. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Your father was in a car accident.¡± The police officer said. ¡°He was reported to be drinking at a bar... apparently a lot... and 911 was called when he drove away and his car swerved all over the road.¡±


    ¡°He crashed.¡± Arnold said and the officer nodded.


    ¡°The car was found at the bottom of a ravine and wrapped around a tree.¡± The officer said and explained where the car was found by giving the street and road names to get there from the bar and also the name of the ravine. He saw the confusion on the boy''s face and knew he didn''t know what he was talking about.


    In actuality, Arnold didn''t know the names and was wondering about the electric sign in the bus. If the bus had driven me out there, would the sign have shown me the same names?


    ¡°What about my father?¡± Arnold asked.


    The officer looked at the sobbing woman that clung to the young man and sighed. ¡°I''m sorry. He didn''t make it.¡±


    ¡°What didn''t he make?¡± Arnold asked, confused.


    The officer blinked his eyes for a moment. ¡°Uh... he... he passed.¡±


    ¡°Passed?¡± Arnold looked at the officer like he was stupid. His father didn''t go to school.


    The officer looked at the confused young man holding the crying woman, then saw a young woman behind them. ¡°Miss, could you...¡±


    ¡°I''ll... I''ll tell him.¡± Heather said. She was on the verge of tears herself and held them back by sheer force of will.


    The officer let out a sigh. ¡°I''m terribly sorry for your loss.¡± He said and walked away. He climbed into his squad car and drove away.


    Heather walked around Arnold and his mother and shut the door. ¡°Arnold, your father... he''s dead.¡±


    Annie let out a loud wail and gripped her son tightly.


    Arnold stood there and closed his eyes. My father won''t hurt my mom anymore. He thought and sighed. He felt a soft hand touch the side of his face and opened his eyes.


    ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± Heather said and leaned in to give him a tender kiss on the lips, then stood there and waited for a break in Annie''s crying before she spoke again. ¡°You should take your mom to her room.¡±


    Arnold nodded and adjusted his hold on his sobbing mother, then slowly walked her up the stairs. She held on and didn''t let go, even when he sat her down on her bed.


    ¡°A-Arnold... don''t... don''t leave.¡± Annie said between hiccups, sobs, and hysterical crying.


    ¡°Don''t worry, mom.¡± Arnold said and sat beside her. ¡°I''m not going anywhere.¡±


    Heather stepped into the doorway and saw Arnold''s mother holding onto her son as if he was the only thing she had in the world. I should go. She mouthed the words to Arnold, then she made a telephone motion towards her ear. Call me later.


    Arnold nodded that he understood.


    *


    Heather gave him a little wave and left. She waited until she was out in the yard before she took out her cell phone and called her mother for a drive.


    ¡°So early?¡± Her mother asked. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Heather told her that the police were just there and said that Arnold''s father had died in a car crash.


    ¡°Oh, that poor boy.¡± Her mother said, sadly. ¡°I assume he''s taking care of his mother right now?¡±


    ¡°He is.¡± Heather said. ¡°I said I was sorry and gave him a kiss, then I didn''t know what else to do.¡±


    ¡°That''s all right.¡± Her mother said. ¡°All you could really do is stand around awkwardly and wait, so leaving was a good choice.¡±


    Heather relaxed, because she kind of felt like a coward for leaving so quickly.


    ¡°I''ll be right there to pick you up.¡± Her mother said. ¡°See you soon.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, mom.¡± Heather said and hung up. She turned around and looked up at the second storey window and sighed. She really didn''t know what to do to comfort someone when they lost a parent. Her own father had left before she was born and she didn''t have to deal with that kind of loss. She hadn''t realized that she lost track of time until a car pulled up and stopped in the street. She turned to see her mother and went over to the car. Rather than get in the back like usual, she climbed into the front.


    ¡°Heather?¡± Her mother asked, slightly worried, then Heather hugged her. ¡°It''s okay, sweetie.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know what to do!¡± Heather said and tears came to her eyes.


    ¡°There''s not really anything you can do, except be there for the people you care about.¡± Her mother said. ¡°Arnold was supposed to come over tonight to visit; but, with this happening, there''s no way that he can.¡± She said. ¡°Why don''t you invite him and his mother over tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow?¡± Heather let her mother go and looked at her with surprise. ¡°His father just died!¡±


    ¡°Yes, and they are going to be mourning him in that big empty house all night.¡± Her mother said. ¡°Believe me, they will jump at the chance to get out and visit us.¡±


    ¡°Are... are you sure?¡± Heather asked and wiped at her eyes. ¡°I only just met his mother.¡±


    ¡°If you don''t want to make the offer yourself, I''ll call Arnold tomorrow afternoon before you get out of school, then I''ll make a round trip and pick all three of you up.¡±


    Heather thought about it for a minute, then nodded. ¡°Thanks, mom.¡±


    Her mother put the car in gear and drove down the road.


    Heather was quiet for a while, then she realized where she was. ¡°Being in the front is awkward.¡±


    Her mother let out a laugh. ¡°Spoiled brat!¡± She said. ¡°Making me chauffeur you everywhere!¡±


    ¡°I learned from the best.¡± Heather countered, then they both laughed. It was a slightly awkward laugh, though.


    *


    Arnold stayed with his mother until she calmed down, then he tried to stand up and she held onto him.


    ¡°Don''t... don''t go.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°You need to eat.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I''ll be right back up.¡±


    Annie reluctantly let him go and he was out of the room and downstairs before she had blinked her eyes twice. Her anxiety rose and she started to shake, then she heard the microwave started and waited desperately for it to finish and for her son to return. She didn''t relax until she saw his face and then she let out the breath she didn''t realize she was holding.


    ¡°It''s hot.¡± Arnold said and handed her the plate.


    Annie nodded and stirred it, then tried to eat. Her eyes teared up when the spoon touched her lips, because she realized she was never going to share a meal with the man she loved. She started crying again and dropped the spoon onto the plate and bent her head down and let the tears flow.


    ¡°Tell me what you want me to do.¡± Arnold said and that made her cry harder.


    Annie wasn''t sure if she could do it anymore. Arnold needed her almost constantly and that was a strain at the best of times. She handled Arnold well when she knew that his father was close by if she needed him. Now, with her husband gone, she had no support at all. Either physically or financially, she was bereft of any means.


    Also, besides the money from Arnold''s college account, which she would have to spend a lot of if she wanted to keep the bill collectors at bay, she had nothing. No job, no paycheck, and no source of income at all.


    ¡°Arnold, I... oh, god!¡± Annie sobbed and put the plate of food aside and covered her face with her hands. ¡°What are we going to do now?¡± She asked, rhetorically.


    Arnold didn''t know what was wrong. He had gotten rid of his father because he had hurt his mother and took all that money and hurt her again. With him gone, all of that should have gone away. He had no idea what to do to help his mother now, except for one thing.


    Arnold copied a technique he learned from some bullies and pinched her arm.


    ¡°OW!¡± Annie yelled and jerked her arm away.


    ¡°Do you like that?¡± Arnold asked and pinched her leg.


    ¡°OW!¡± Annie yelled again and slapped his hand. ¡°Stop that!¡±


    ¡°Come on, do you like it or not?¡± Arnold asked and pinched her ear.


    ¡°ARNOLD!¡± Annie yelled at the top of her lungs and stood up. ¡°So help me god, if you don''t stop right this second...¡±


    ¡°Are you angry now?¡± Arnold asked and feigned a pinch to her arm and then reached down and pinched her belly instead.


    ¡°STOP IT, ARNOLD!¡± Annie hollered as she hauled her hand back and then slapped him across the face as hard as she could. ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?¡±


    ¡°I''m making you angry, mom.¡± Arnold said and ignored his throbbing face as he tried to pinch her arm.


    Annie blocked his effort and he tried her other arm and was blocked as well.


    ¡°Dad''s gone and crying won''t bring him back.¡± Arnold said and tried to pinch her thigh.


    Annie smacked his hand so hard that his fingers tingled.


    ¡°You aren''t this weak, mom.¡± Arnold reached for her face and she grabbed his wrist with both of her hands to stop him, and he let her. ¡°That''s better.¡±


    Annie had never seen her son act like this and she was shocked that he would treat her this way. Suddenly, he yanked his trapped hand back and out of what she thought was the vice-like grip she had on it. Instead of hitting her like she expected, when his hand darted back in, he stopped beside her face and rested his hand against her cheek.


    ¡°I''ll never hurt you mom.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Arnold, you just... do you know how much pinching hurts?¡± Annie asked angrily and pushed his hand away.


    ¡°I''ve been pinched a lot like that, so yes.¡± Arnold said to her surprise. ¡°It''s only temporary pain.¡± He said. ¡°I did it to get your attention.¡±


    ¡°Well, you have it.¡± Annie said, anger still in her voice, even though she was already calming down.


    ¡°Dad''s gone.¡± Arnold said. ¡°He''s not coming back.¡± He said and saw his mother''s face lose its anger. ¡°You need to be strong.¡± He said and reached out to pinch her again.


    ¡°Pinching me isn''t going to make me stronger.¡± Annie said and batted his hand away.


    ¡°It already has.¡± Arnold said and lifted the hand she had smacked hard. A large welt was on the back of it and she caught her breath.


    ¡°A-Arnold, I...¡±


    ¡°My face should be a nice color tomorrow.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie looked at his face and saw a similar-shaped welt there. ¡°Arnold! I''m sorry!¡±


    ¡°It''s okay, mom. I made you do it.¡± Arnold said. Tears came to his mother''s eyes, so he reached out to pinch her.


    ¡°STOP!¡± Annie yelled and pushed his hand away. Her tears over hurting him were instantly forgotten.


    ¡°Every time you cry over this, I''ll pinch you.¡± Arnold warned her.


    ¡°You won''t be here all the time.¡± Annie said and surprised herself.


    ¡°I''m suspended for two weeks.¡± Arnold reminded her, which meant he wasn''t going to be leaving the house at all during that time.


    Annie closed her eyes and sighed, then opened them and stared at her son, who had a hand poised to pinch her belly. ¡°I''m not going to cry.¡±


    ¡°I know you aren''t, mom.¡± Arnold said and let a small smile appear on his face.


    ¡°Go get changed and go to bed.¡± Annie ordered him.


    Arnold nodded and went across the hallway and took off his girlfriend clothes and put on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, then climbed into bed. His mother had watched him the whole time and he turned in the bed to look at her. He raised a hand as if to wave, then made a pinching motion instead.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Annie grunted and almost slammed her bedroom door closed. ¡°The nerve of that kid!¡± She exclaimed and took off her clothes and put on a similar outfit to her son''s, then climbed into bed. As she lay there, she felt all the pinches he had given her. She reached up and rubbed the spot on her arm. He knew the right spot to pinch to cause the most amount of pain with the least amount of damage. She thought. He really has been bullied like that before.


    Annie''s thoughts concentrated on that and she wondered when it had happened to him and who had done it. It didn''t occur to her that Arnold has successfully distracted her from her overwhelming grief. She had been a slobbering and depressed mess only half an hour ago, and now she was calmly thinking about other things, mainly why he had not told her about it before.


    Arnold waited until his mother was asleep before he got out of bed and crept downstairs to the living room and retrieved his backpack and the stack of photos that Heather had made for him. He went back upstairs and went back into his room and got to work. He climbed into bed and memorized all of the specimens, their parts, and their normal and scientific names. His estimate of approximately ten hours was right on the money as the tenth hour ended and morning came.


    Arnold got up and went downstairs to the kitchen without getting changed first. He knew he would be tired later because he had stayed up all night, and he was okay with that. He would let Heather know when she came over that he was ready to take the biology teacher''s test that he had been studying so hard for.


    Arnold''s mother was in the kitchen making breakfast and she didn''t say anything to him. It was the first time that happened, so Arnold sat at the table and stared at her with a blank face. He had no idea why she was ignoring him and knew better than to ask her. She didn''t like it when he asked questions like that.


    Annie ignored his pointed stare, mainly because she didn''t want to look at the mark she had left on his face, and she finished making scrambled eggs and toast. She divided them up onto three plates and brought them to the table. She set them in the right places and sat down, then she realized what she had done. Her eyes started to tear up, because she had made up a plate for her dead husband, then she felt a strong pinch on her upper arm.


    ¡°OW!¡± Annie yelled and jerked away from her son''s hand. ¡°ARNOLD!¡±


    Arnold didn''t respond and started eating.


    ¡°You can''t keep doing that!¡± Annie said, angrily.


    Arnold still didn''t respond and kept eating. His mother sat there and glared at him as he ate. She waited for him to answer her, even though she knew he wouldn''t answer unless it was a question. Without saying a word, he reached over and took the third plate and put it on his empty one and kept eating. She was surprised by this, since he never asked for more food and he never ate more than what he was given.


    Arnold finished the second plate of food, picked up both plates, and took them to the sink. ¡°I need to start looking for work.¡± He said as he gave the plates a quick rinse and washed his hands.


    ¡°You don''t know how to properly work on a job.¡± Annie said.


    Arnold turned to look at her as he dried his hands. ¡°Can you show me...¡±


    ¡°I can''t be with you all day while you''re at work to make sure you''re doing it right, Arnold.¡± Annie said, then she took in a sharp breath.


    It was the first time she had said out loud what she had to do for him since he was six and started ''real'' school after primary. If she hadn''t been there that first day to make sure he listened and responded when asked a question, or made him leave the classroom to go outside for recess, or took him to the cafeteria at lunchtime to eat the lunch she had packed for him, he would not have done any of it on his own.


    ¡°Arnold, I...¡± Annie started to apologize when the telephone rang. She sighed and answered. ¡°Hello?¡± She was quiet for a moment. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    Arnold hung the towel on the rack by the sink and watched his mother.


    ¡°I don''t think that''s necessary, is it?¡± Annie asked and was quiet for another moment. She blinked her eyes and tried to stop the tears, then Arnold was there and made a pinching motion. She smacked his hand away and then sighed again. ¡°All right. I''ll be right there.¡±


    Arnold stood there and waited.


    ¡°That was the police station.¡± Annie said, then couldn''t stop the tears before they fell. ¡°They want me to... to identify... the body.¡±


    Arnold reached out and pinched her belly.


    ¡°ARNOLD!¡± Annie yelled angrily at him and slapped his hand away. She took several breaths to calm down, because feeling instant anger shocked her almost as much as her son making her that angry in the first place. ¡°I need to go.¡±


    ¡°I''ll get changed.¡± Arnold said and walked around her.


    ¡°You''re not going!¡± Annie exclaimed. I don''t want him seeing his father in... whatever state he''s in.


    Arnold ignored her and grabbed the keys from the counter before he went up the stairs. Since they were going out, he dressed as if he was going out for school, then came back downstairs.


    ¡°Give me my keys.¡± Annie said and held a hand out to him.


    ¡°I''m coming.¡± Arnold said and handed her the keys.


    Annie didn''t say anything and left the house. Arnold was right behind her after he had locked the door, then he waited on the passenger side of the car while she went to the driver''s side. Instead of unlocking all of the doors with the keychain button, she used the key in the door and only unlocked hers. Arnold saw this, so he waited for her to get in and turned around.


    Annie smiled because she had outsmarted him and he would have to stay home now. She started the car and backed out of the driveway, then glanced at the front door of the house... and Arnold wasn''t there. She looked around for him and caught her breath as she saw him walking down the street... going in the wrong direction. She pulled the car out of the yard and drove over to him and rolled down her window.


    ¡°Go home, Arnold!¡± Annie said.


    Arnold didn''t respond and kept walking.


    ¡°You''re going the wrong way.¡± Annie said and he stopped walking. She started to smile, because he didn''t know where to go, then he turned around and jogged the other way. ¡°Dammit!¡± She said loudly and pulled into a driveway, turned the car around, and drove to catch up to him. ¡°Arnold!¡±


    Arnold stopped jogging and slowed to a walk. He didn''t know how far he had to go to find a bus stop in this direction, so he had to pace himself.


    ¡°Why, Arnold?¡± Annie asked. ¡°Why do you want to go?¡±


    ¡°I want to see.¡± Arnold said, then he looked at her with longing in his eyes. ¡°I want to see if he''s really dead.¡±


    Annie took in a sharp breath and let it out, then hit the button to unlock the car doors as she pulled the car to a stop. ¡°Get in.¡±


    Arnold climbed into the passenger side and Annie drove them towards the police station.

 13 Proper Procedure

    Arnold and Annie arrived at the police station and parked in the visitor''s parking lot.


    ¡°Arnold, you don''t have to do this.¡± Annie said. I don''t even want to do it myself. She thought.


    Arnold didn''t say anything and got out of the car and waited for her. His mother sighed and got out herself and locked the car, then they walked over to the front doors. The large glass doors opened automatically, as if they were going into a supermarket, and they walked over to the front desk.


    ¡°What can I do for you?¡± The man in the uniform behind the desk asked.


    ¡°I''m Annie Strickland.¡± Annie said. ¡°I''m here to... identify...¡± She was about to start crying when Arnold turned and reached for her arm. She put a hand up to stop him and hid her instant anger at her son. ¡°My husband. I''m here for my husband.¡±


    The officer nodded and picked up a phone and hit a button. ¡°Mrs. Strickland is here.¡±


    A minute later, a very pretty police officer came over. She was quite tall at just over six feet, which seemed out of character for police officers, and her long blonde hair was tied back into a tight bun at the back of her head. She wore minimal make-up that accentuated her cheeks and her eyes.


    ¡°Hi. I''m Detective Tanner.¡± The woman said and held a hand out for Annie to shake.


    ¡°Detective?¡± Annie asked and took the hand.


    ¡°A detective is always assigned when an accident happens.¡± Detective Tanner said and motioned for Annie and Arnold to follow her. ¡°We needed to determine if foul play was involved, even if it''s not suspected.¡±


    ¡°You think... did someone...¡± Annie''s voice trembled as they passed through a set of double doors.


    ¡°No!¡± Detective Tanner said and stepped close to pat Annie''s hand reassuringly. ¡°No, it was an accident. All of the witnesses that saw him leave the bar say so.¡±


    ¡°I can''t believe he was drinking at work!¡± Annie said in disbelief as she walked on one side of the detective and Arnold walked on the other side. ¡°What else was he doing? Having an affair?¡±


    ¡°We couldn''t find any evidence of an affair.¡± Detective Tanner said and then sighed. ¡°You didn''t hear that from me, all right?¡±


    Annie nodded and Arnold just stared at her blankly.


    ¡°Why would you think that?¡± Arnold asked.


    Detective Tanner sighed again. ¡°It''s usually one of the first motives for murder. Jealousy.¡± She said, now that she let the cat out of the bag, there was no need to pussyfoot around the subject. ¡°It''s not like he was killed for his money, right?¡±


    Annie gasped and her eyes started to tear up. She was glad that she was too far away for Arnold to reach her, then her tears stopped when she realized she was glad to be away from him. She walked around the detective and put an arm around her son and hugged him.


    ¡°I''m so sorry, Arnold.¡± Annie said and hugged him.


    ¡°Here we are.¡± Detective Tanner said and stopped in front of a set of double doors. ¡°I think your son should stay out here.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I need to see.¡±


    Detective Tanner looked at Annie, who shrugged. ¡°Okay.¡± She said and took them into a small room that had several lockers and cabinets on the side and handed them two medical face masks.


    ¡°What are these for?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°Honestly? It''s the smell.¡± Detective Tanner said and put hers on to show them how to do it. Annie and Arnold put them on and she brought them through the next set of double doors. There were three tables that were empty and one that had a sheet covering something lumpy underneath it.


    An unhappy man in a lab coat stood beside the table and glared at the detective. ¡°I didn''t think you would bring his whole family to see this.¡±


    Detective Tanner shrugged. ¡°He insisted on seeing it.¡± She said and waved to Arnold.


    The man looked at Arnold and saw his cold expression. ¡°I hope you''re ready for this.¡±


    Arnold knew he should respond in some fashion, so he nodded.


    ¡°I did the best I could on such short notice.¡± The man said and eased the sheet off of the lump closest to them.


    ¡°OH GOD!¡± Annie yelled and covered her eyes and walked away to the other side of the room while Arnold stared down at the mangled face.


    ¡°A steering wheel combined with a windshield.¡± The man said. ¡°It''s not pretty.¡±


    ¡°How are we supposed to identify him?¡± Arnold asked. Even he had a hard time seeing his father''s features through the mess.


    ¡°That''s a good question.¡± The man said and looked at the detective with anger on his face. ¡°Apparently the fingerprints, witnesses, and his DNA all over the scene of the accident wasn''t enough. They had to drag you poor people down here to see him so you can, miraculously, tell us that it''s really him.¡±


    ¡°It''s police procedure.¡± Detective Tanner said. ¡°The family is supposed to confirm his identity.¡±


    ¡°What if he was burned up or crushed flat?¡± Arnold asked and looked at the detective. ¡°Would we still have to come and see him?¡±


    The man in the lab coat let out a laugh as the detective''s face drained of color. ¡°Excellent questions, my boy. Excellent.¡± He said and moved the sheet back to cover the mangled face. ¡°Would you care to answer him, detective?¡±


    Detective Tanner knew it was a trap and she couldn''t answer in either a positive or a negative way, since both would be bad answers. She decided that silence was her only course of action and took it.


    ¡°As I suspected.¡± The man said and looked at Arnold. ¡°So, is this man your father?¡±


    ¡°Those are his clothes.¡± Arnold said and pointed to the innocuous pile of cloth on the desk across the room. ¡°I''m pretty sure that the face looked like my dad''s before.¡±


    The man gave Arnold a nod and looked at the detective. ¡°I''ll accept his confirmation, detective.¡±


    Detective Tanner had to accept it and motioned for Arnold to leave. He walked over to his mother and put an arm around her shoulders and the detective led them from the room.


    ¡°I''m sorry you had to see that.¡± Detective Tanner said and took off her face mask.


    ¡°No, you aren''t.¡± Arnold said and she looked at him with surprise on her face. ¡°You kept watching my mom''s reactions.¡±


    ¡°I wasn''t.¡± Detective Tanner denied it and saw his face grow impassive. The last thing she wanted was an uncooperative witness and she let out another sigh. Ah, dammit. I just thought of a grieving family member as a witness. She looked at the mother, who had drying tears on her face and genuine grief plastered all over it.


    When they reached the lobby, the detective tried to take them into the precinct. When she opened the door to the main area, a fairly overweight man strode over to her.


    ¡°There''s no need to bring them in here.¡± The man said.


    ¡°But, sir.¡± Detective Tanner said. ¡°I need to ask them some questions about...¡±


    ¡°I believe you have traumatized them enough for today.¡± The man said and saw how the boy held his mother possessively, then squinted his eyes at the much taller detective. ¡°You and I need to have a little talk about proper police procedure.¡±


    Oh, shit. Detective Tanner thought and sighed.


    ¡°Mrs. Strickland, you and your son can go home.¡± The man said in as nice of a voice as he could. ¡°I apologize for you having to go through that.¡±


    Annie reached up and wiped at her face and nodded. ¡°Arnold, let''s go.¡±


    Arnold led them from the room, through the lobby, and out of the building. He took his mother over to the car and she leaned against the driver''s side door and didn''t open it.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Annie stood there and thought about what she had just seen and looked at her son. ¡°He... he''s gone.¡± She said and closed her eyes. ¡°He''s really gone!¡±


    Arnold looked down as he reached out to pinch her before she cried again and he stopped when her hands grabbed his wrists.


    ¡°You don''t have to do that anymore.¡± Annie said and he looked up at her face. ¡°You''re right. I can''t afford to cry right now.¡± She let his wrists go and clicked the button to open the car doors. ¡°Let''s go home.¡±


    They got in the car and Annie drove them home. They didn''t speak and they didn''t feel the need to, even when they pulled into the driveway and parked the car, they stayed silent. They went into the house and Annie had Arnold sit at the table. She saw the half-eaten breakfast she had left on the table and cleaned it off and put the plate into the sink with the two Arnold had used.


    Annie made three ham and cheese sandwiches and gave two to Arnold and kept one for herself. She sat down next to him and they ate together. When the sandwiches were gone, Annie sat there and stared at her son and he stared right back at her. She had no clue what to do with their lives now. She hadn''t had a job in almost twenty years and she seriously doubted that she could learn what she needed to work in today''s work force.


    The phone rang and Annie thought about letting it go as she contemplated what to do, then picked it up instead. ¡°Hello?¡± She was quiet for a moment, then sighed. ¡°Yes.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t... well, yes.¡± She said and then sighed. ¡°I agree that''s important.¡±


    Arnold sat there and waited to see who it was.


    ¡°That''s not necessary.¡± Annie said and looked at Arnold. ¡°I suppose...¡± A moment later, she nodded. ¡°All right. We''ll see you then.¡± She hung up the phone and sighed. ¡°Heather''s mother is going to pick us up before she goes to the high school to get Heather.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°She invited us over to visit and to have supper.¡± Annie said. ¡°I need a shower after... after...¡± She took a breath and let it out. ¡°You need to get changed, too.¡±


    ¡°The same as yesterday?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Use a dark color shirt this time.¡± Annie said and they both went up the stairs.


    Arnold was changed ten minutes later and grabbed his backpack, since he knew he and Heather had homework to do, and he went downstairs to wait. He thought about listening at his mother''s door to see if she was crying, then decided that she would get really angry at him if he went into her room without being asked.


    Annie came down the stairs half an hour later wearing a nice black blouse and matching skirt. She wasn''t surprised to find that her son had waited for her at the bottom of the stairs.


    ¡°She should be here in a few minutes.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie nodded and stopped in front of him and checked his outfit. She nodded and they both stood there and waited. Two minutes later, they heard a car pull into their driveway and the horn honked. Arnold opened the door and they both stepped out, and he locked it behind them.


    Heather''s mother got out of the car and walked over to them. ¡°It''s so nice to meet you in person.¡± She said to Annie and stepped close to give her a hug. ¡°I was very sorry to hear what happened.¡±


    Annie was a bit surprised that a stranger was acting that way with her. ¡°Thank you, Claire.¡±


    Claire let her go and turned to give Arnold a hug, too. ¡°Heather has been looking forward to seeing you, Arnold.¡± She said and let him out of the hug. ¡°I only have a modest supper broiling in the oven, so it should be done in a couple of hours.¡± She stepped back and smiled. ¡°You both look very nice.¡±


    Annie and Arnold looked at each other, then back at her, and she laughed.


    ¡°Shall we go?¡± Claire asked and walked back over to the car.


    Arnold got in the back like he had each time he had been in the car and Annie thought about doing the same, just so she wouldn''t have to engage in awkward conversation, then sighed mentally and sat in the front seat.


    As if she knew what Annie was thinking, Claire reached over and pat her hand.


    ¡°It''s okay. You don''t have to talk. That''s not why I invited you over.¡±


    ¡°Why did you?¡± Annie asked, and didn''t realize she had been completely sucked into talking anyway.


    ¡°For Heather and Arnold, of course.¡± Claire said. ¡°Their budding relationship is all she can talk about.¡± She chuckled and pulled away from the curb. ¡°Arnold this and Arnold that.¡± She said and the car picked up speed. ¡°I think my little girl is deeply in love with him.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Annie looked at Claire with wide eyes.


    Claire heard the surprise in her voice and gave her a quick glance, then looked back at the road. ¡°Don''t get me wrong. Heather''s not some wallflower without experience. She''s had a couple of boyfriends already.¡± A bit too many for my liking; but, that couldn''t be helped. I interfered as much as I physically could to stop her antics. She thought in satisfaction, because she had gotten particularly good at it.


    ¡°Then... she really could...¡± Annie''s voice trailed off and Clare hid her smile.


    Yes, she''s going to wrap Arnold around her little finger. Claire thought. ¡°It''s all right. I''ve talked with her and she''s not going to push him to do anything he doesn''t want to do.¡±


    Annie let out a sigh. What if he wants to do things like... like that... with her?


    Claire gave Annie another glance and saw the realization of what she said on her face. She''s pretty smart to catch onto what I said right away. She thought. ¡°I don''t leave them alone for too long, either.¡±


    Annie nodded because she did the same thing. Judiciously interrupting at certain times definitely kept them from pawing at each other like she thought they were going to if she left them alone for too long.


    Claire drove the car to the high school and pulled into the parking lot. She parked in the same spot she always did, mainly because no one else was there that early. She didn''t try to engage Annie in conversation again, mainly because she knew that Heather would be out soon and would interrupt it. Instead, she turned on the radio on low for some background noise.


    After about fifteen minutes, the school bell rang. Barely a minute later, nearly every student in the school was out of the doors in a flood of bodies and spread out to go to different spots. It was a neat sight to see, considering the sheer amount of people and how coordinated it looked. One group in particular caught Claire''s eye as they moved across the parking lot to stand in their usual spot. Brad and Kevin''s friends.


    Five minutes after that, Heather came out of the school with Kelly by her side. They walked over to the parking lot and Heather waved, which meant she didn''t want to walk by the group of guys. Claire started the car and drove over to them.


    ¡°See you tomorrow, Heather.¡± Kelly gave her friend a hug, because it had been a hard day for her.


    ¡°Bye, Kelly.¡± Heather said and opened the back door and climbed in beside Arnold. ¡°Hi, Arnold.¡± She said and looked at the backs of her mother''s and his mother''s heads, then leaned in to give Arnold a kiss. She did it for only a moment, then sat back with a slightly red face.


    Both Claire and Annie had watched them in the rear view mirror and didn''t need to turn around to see what they were doing. Claire gave Annie a smile and drove the car out of the parking lot.


    ¡°How are you, Arnold?¡± Heather asked. ¡°What did you do all day?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine. I went to see dad today.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Heather yelled, then she blushed and looked at the back of her mother''s head to wait for a responding yell from her, which didn''t come. She had missed her mother''s own slight yell and gasp at the news. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± She said and looked back at Arnold and took his hand. ¡°Was... was it awful?¡±


    ¡°It was horrible.¡± Annie said and did her best to hold back the tears and wiped at her eyes to stop them before Arnold saw them. ¡°I... I didn''t... recognize him.¡±


    Claire''s hand took hers and held it tightly. ¡°I''m sorry you had to see that, Annie.¡±


    Annie turned her head to look at the other woman and saw a lot of sympathy there. ¡°Me, too.¡±


    They drove the rest of the way to Heather''s home in silence.

 14 A Meeting of the Minds

    They parked in the driveway of the large house and went inside. Claire sent her daughter and Arnold upstairs to do their homework and took Annie into the kitchen for some girl-bonding time and to check on supper. She saw the food was coming along nicely and left it in the oven, then she made tea and gave Annie a cup. They sat down at the small kitchen nook and stared at each other.


    ¡°You, too?¡± Annie asked and Claire nodded.


    ¡°Heather thinks he left before she was born.¡± Claire said and took a drink of tea.


    ¡°Why?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°It was easier than telling her the truth about him being murdered.¡± Claire said with a shrug.


    ¡°M-murdered?¡± Annie asked, surprised.


    ¡°It wasn''t like a conspiracy by a best friend, or a business partner, or something else contrived.¡± Claire said. ¡°It was just a random act committed in the street, late at night, while he was closing up the store.¡±


    Annie reached over and took her hand and held it tightly, just like Claire had done for her in the car. ¡°Now I know why you really asked me over.¡± Annie said.


    Claire couldn''t help but smile at that. ¡°I couldn''t have just wanted my daughter to spend time with her boyfriend?¡±


    Annie smiled back. ¡°You would have just asked for him to come over if that was what you wanted.¡±


    Claire chuckled. ¡°I''m trying to secretly comfort you in your time of need and you''ve already discovered my ulterior motives.¡±


    Annie nodded and took another drink of tea. ¡°This is really good. What is it?¡±


    ¡°It''s a specially concocted blend of leaves and water.¡± Claire said.


    Annie let out a laugh. ¡°You know what I meant.¡±


    Claire walked over to the pantry and came back out with a generic box of tea bags. ¡°Here''s the magic secret.¡± She said and tossed the box onto the small table.


    ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Annie looked at the tea bags she bought herself because they were so cheap. ¡°How...¡±


    ¡°I cheat and use two bags per cup.¡± Claire said. ¡°It brews twice as strong and gives it great flavor.¡±


    Annie looked at her cup and at the box, then shook her head. ¡°So simple and yet so effective.¡±


    ¡°Stick with me and I''ll show you all the tricks you need to live like you''re rich with almost no money.¡±


    Annie opened her mouth to respond, then her eyes teared up. ¡°Oh, god.¡± She said and started crying.


    ¡°I knew there would be a sore spot that I shouldn''t talk about.¡± Claire said and sat down next to her and hugged her. ¡°Now that I know, you might as well tell me all about it.¡±


    *


    Heather took Arnold upstairs to her room and they put their backpacks on the bed. She had him sit down on the bed and she went back to her door to shut and lock it, then she leaned against it guiltily.


    ¡°We should start our homework.¡± Arnold said and looked at her small desk that was crowded with the computer, make-up, and a bunch of other little things, then he glanced around the room. ¡°There''s not enough room for us to do homework in here.¡±


    ¡°That''s okay.¡± Heather said and slowly walked over to him. ¡°We don''t have any homework.¡±


    Arnold turned and looked at her, and her face was flushed red. Heather put her hands on his shoulders and eased him backwards onto the bed to get him to lay down, then she straddled his waist. She looked at him expectantly, then she bent down and kissed him. He kissed her like she had taught him and she put her hands on his head and rubbed his blonde buzz-cut as they made out.


    Heather rocked her hips and ground herself against him, and she was really glad that she had worn jeans today. She wouldn''t have been able to sit across his lap like this if she had a skirt on. She broke the kiss and sat up and didn''t stop her hips. She felt something hard grow and she smiled at him.


    ¡°Heather, what...¡± Arnold started to ask what she was doing and she covered his mouth.


    ¡°It''s okay.¡± Heather whispered. ¡°We don''t have a lot of time, so we can''t really do anything.¡±


    Arnold looked down at her hips and looked back at her face.


    Heather softly laughed. ¡°I want to do a lot more than this.¡± She whispered and closed her eyes.


    Her hips went a little faster and she rubbed against him a little harder, then she caught her breath and opened her eyes.


    ¡°Oh, Arnold!¡± She gasped and bent back down to kiss him again.


    Her hips eventually stopped moving and she was breathing heavily as she relaxed against him. She broke the kiss and rolled off to lay beside him.


    ¡°That... wow.¡± Heather said and tried to slow her breathing.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Arnold asked and turned his head to look at her.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Heather said. ¡°I''m more than okay.¡±


    ¡°You don''t sound okay.¡± Arnold said and sat up.


    ¡°I''m fine... well, I just...¡± Heather''s face flushed a little more red. I can''t say I just came!


    ¡°Did you hurt yourself?¡± Arnold asked and reached out and grabbed her between the legs.


    Heather gasped at the touch and tensed up, since she was still sensitive after rubbing herself through the denim.


    ¡°You must be sore.¡± Arnold said and looked at it.


    ¡°R-rub it.¡± Heather encouraged. ¡°Make it feel better.¡±


    Arnold gave her a disbelieving look. ¡°Mom always said that you should kiss it and make it feel better.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Heather went a little again at the thought. ¡°Oh... oh, god.¡± She whispered. ¡°Would... would you really do that for me?¡±


    Arnold nodded and moved his hand. Heather quickly opened her jeans and slid them down past her hips to reveal her very damp underwear. She sat up and had the jeans off and tossed them aside, then her underwear quickly followed and she laid back down.


    ¡°It''s all red.¡± Arnold said and knew she had hurt herself rubbing on him.


    ¡°Then... then you better kiss it all over to make it feel better.¡± Heather said, her face completely red as she spread her legs for him.


    Arnold bent down and kissed her right on her sensitive spot and she clamped her mouth shut to stop from screaming in pleasure. He saw her tense up again and thought it was even more hurt than he assumed, so he kissed it again and again.


    Heather writhed on the bed as Arnold kissed her all over. It was nice and she liked it; but, it wasn''t giving her what she wanted. ¡°Kiss it like... like you kiss me on the lips.¡±


    Arnold did as she said and Heather was immediately transported into a dream world. She had a guy go down on her before and it was okay. He had stopped after only a minute and she barely got anything out of it. Even the sex afterwards was as bland as the guy''s tongue had been. Now she was in heaven, because she never imagined that a guy would do it to her and kept doing it without asking to stop.


    Mom was right. Arnold thought. It really does leak a lot when you play with it.


    If Arnold had cared about the taste at all, he would find that it was a bit off, probably because Heather had been sweating in her underwear in class all day. He didn''t care though, so he kept kissing and adding the occasional tongue. He really was getting better at kissing and it showed.


    *Knock* *Knock*


    ¡°AH-mmm!¡± Heather covered her own mouth to stop her startled yell as she sat up.


    ¡°Hey, how is the studying going?¡± Claire asked.


    Arnold sat up and looked at the door. ¡°Heather''s teaching me a lot.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah!¡± Heather said nervously. ¡°He''s... a quick learner!¡±


    ¡°Supper will be ready soon.¡± Claire said with a smile. ¡°If you''re done, pack your stuff up and come down to the dining room.¡±


    ¡°We are.¡± Heather said in a normal voice. ¡°We''ll be right down.¡±


    They clearly heard her footsteps walk away and Heather collapsed back onto the bed.


    ¡°We almost got caught!¡± Heather said with a laugh and looked up at Arnold.


    Arnold looked down between her legs and back at her face. ¡°Was that fun for you?¡± He asked, wanting to confirm what his mother had said.


    ¡°Arnold, that was the most fun I''ve ever had, even though we had to stop.¡± Heather said, then she rolled onto her side to look at her jeans on the floor. Her wet underwear had landed on them and had made a huge wet spot. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± She said and sighed. ¡°If I go downstairs in different clothes, they''ll know we were up here doing something.¡±


    ¡°They already know that.¡± Arnold said and Heather gave him a wide-eyed look, then she laughed.


    ¡°Okay, I guess they do.¡± Heather said and stood up, then went over to her bathroom and washed herself up. She came back out and grabbed another pair of underwear and slipped them on, then grabbed a pair of shorts and put them on, too. She looked at Arnold and was a little surprised that he didn''t have that leering look she had seen on other guy''s faces when they saw something of hers that she normally kept hidden.


    ¡°You''re a really nice guy, Arnold.¡± Heather said and pulled off the t-shirt she had on, which left her in just a white bra, then she walked over to her closet and took out a shirt similar to Arnold''s. She buttoned it up the same as his and the bottom of the shirt covered the shorts she had on and made it look like she was only wearing the shirt.


    ¡°Casual chic.¡± Arnold said.


    Heather nodded and held a hand out to him. He took it and she brought him downstairs to the dining room. Her mother and Arnold''s mother turned their heads to look at them and saw the different clothes Heather was wearing.


    ¡°Heather? What are you wearing?¡± Claire looked at her daughter''s half-naked body.


    Heather laughed. ¡°I''m wearing shorts, mom.¡± She said and lifted the shirt. ¡°They are a lot more comfortable than my jeans.¡±


    ¡°I told you not to buy your exact size.¡± Claire said and shook her head. ¡°You know they only fit well on certain days.¡±


    Heather rolled her eyes and walked Arnold over to the table and sat him beside his mother, then she walked around the table and sat beside her own mother. This surprised both mothers and they exchanged pointed glances, mainly because they had thought she would take the opportunity to stay right beside him.


    ¡°Arnold, your mother and I have been talking...¡± Claire started to say and Heather groaned. ¡°...not about you, dear.¡± She said and pat Heather''s hand. ¡°It was about Arnold needing a job.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Heather looked at her mother and then at Arnold''s mother. ¡°Why does he need a...¡± She stopped talking when she remembered what had just happened. ¡°What kind of job?¡± She asked, knowing that whatever job it was, it was going to take away nearly all of their time together.


    ¡°We think we can start him with yard work.¡± Claire said. ¡°Right here, in fact.¡±


    ¡°Mom?¡± Heather couldn''t have heard that right. Arnold will be coming here to work? Her heart beat faster. That''s too good to be true!


    ¡°We''ll start off small at first. Just the lawnmower and maybe the lawn edger.¡± Claire said. ¡°Once he can use them competently, we can try the hedge trimmers and have him tend to the flowerbeds.¡±


    ¡°Those things are half-dead.¡± Heather said before she could stop herself. ¡°Ah... I mean... he''s got a lot of work to do.¡±


    Claire chuckled. ¡°Don''t worry, Heather. I''m not a slave driver and I don''t expect miracles to happen.¡±


    ¡°But... well, I suppose if he wants to.¡± Heather looked at Arnold. ¡°Do you want to try it?¡±


    Arnold looked at their expectant faces, especially his mother''s. ¡°When do I start?¡±


    All three of them had huge smiles for him and he wondered why him working there got that reaction.


    ¡°I''ll pick you up first thing in the morning when I drop Heather off at school.¡± Claire said.


    ¡°We can pick him up on the way.¡± Heather said with a smile.


    Claire looked across the table at Annie, who shrugged slightly. ¡°Okay.¡±


    It would only be a difference of a few minutes either way, so picking him up first didn''t make much difference, except to Heather. She would get to see Arnold first thing in the mornings, even though he wasn''t in school. If she was lucky, she would also see him after school, either still working at her house or as her mother dropped him off.


    ¡°Did you get done what you started upstairs?¡± Claire asked.


    ¡°Almost.¡± Heather said and looked at Arnold. ¡°If we had a bit more time, I''m sure we could finish up.¡±


    ¡°I don''t mind staying for a while longer.¡± Annie said. ¡°Claire and I can talk a bit more about... things.¡±


    Claire smiled and nodded. ¡°I believe supper should be just about done.¡± She said and left the table to go check.


    ¡°The teachers appreciated you doing your homework, even though you didn''t attend classes.¡± Heather said to Arnold.


    ¡°Can you tell the biology teacher I''m ready to take his test?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°What test?¡± Heather asked, then she covered her mouth. ¡°Don''t tell me there''s a bio test coming up!¡±


    ¡°Only for me.¡± Arnold said and she relaxed. ¡°Remember those pictures you gave me?¡±


    ¡°You memorized them already?¡± Heather asked, surprised.


    Arnold nodded. ¡°He told me to tell him when I was done.¡±


    ¡°Heather''s been telling me that you''ve been doing a lot of extra work for that class.¡± Claire said and brought in a huge oval metal pan that was a foot high and two feet long.


    Annie took in a breath through her nose. ¡°It smells good, whatever it is.¡±


    ¡°It''s roasted mongoose!¡± Claire said dramatically and pulled off the top of the pan.


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Heather and Annie said at the same time and Claire laughed at their disgusted faces.


    Arnold stood up to look inside and it didn''t look like a mongoose. ¡°It''s too big to be a mongoose.¡±


    Claire put the pan lid to the side and nodded. ¡°It''s actually pork shoulder roast.¡±


    ¡°Ha. Ha.¡± Heather squinted her eyes at her mom. ¡°Very funny.¡±


    ¡°It was!¡± Claire said and walked over to a cabinet and grabbed two large forks, then came back to the table. ¡°When you cook it like this, it just falls apart.¡± She said and dug the two forks into it and the meat split apart like nothing was holding it together and she put a good portion onto a plate. ¡°There''s also potatoes, carrots, turnips, asparagus, broccoli, parsnips, brussel sprouts, and green beans.¡±


    ¡°You cooked them all together?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°Well, no.¡± Claire said. ¡°They had to be prepped separately and added when their cook times required.¡± She smiled. ¡°They would become mush if you cooked them as long as the meat.¡±


    ¡°That''s just what I was going to say.¡± Annie said with a laugh.


    Claire served them and herself and moved the pan down the table, that way it was still accessible and out of the way at the same time. She sat down and they all ate together. She had given them fairly large portions and it took a while for everyone to eat their fill.


    ¡°It looks like we''ll be eating leftovers for a while.¡± Claire said with a laugh, because barely a quarter of the roast had been divided up.


    ¡°You don''t want it to go to waste.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°No, I don''t.¡± Claire said. ¡°Why don''t you take some of it home with you?¡±


    ¡°What? No, I... you don''t have to do that.¡±


    ¡°Heather''s going to be sick of it in a couple of days.¡± Claire said and glanced at Arnold. ¡°A growing boy won''t complain about getting good food whenever he can.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Annie said. She knew Arnold would eat anything she put in front of him, so leftovers wouldn''t bother him at all.


    ¡°Why don''t you two go back upstairs and finish what you were doing before.¡± Claire said. ¡°Annie and I will be in the kitchen and dealing with this thing.¡± She waved at the large pan.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Heather said and stood up, then held a hand out to Arnold. He took it and she led him out of the dining room.


    Claire covered the large pan and carried it back into the kitchen to divide the food up.


    Annie followed her and waited until she was sure that the kids were far enough away not to hear her. ¡°You do know that they are making out upstairs.¡±


    Claire chuckled and grabbed a large plastic container. ¡°And right under our noses, too.¡±


    ¡°Claire.¡± Annie sighed. ¡°I''ve tried to explain about him.¡±


    ¡°It''s all right.¡± Claire said and used the big forks to start transferring the meat into the container. ¡°I already promised to keep a close eye on them for the both of us.¡±


    Annie sighed. ¡°He can be so... so...¡±


    ¡°Straightforward.¡± Claire said.


    Annie raised her eyebrows for a moment, then nodded.


    ¡°I know now, so I''ll take good care of him.¡± Claire said. ¡°If you want, you can come with him tomorrow and see how he''s doing.¡±


    Annie thought back to what she had said to Arnold about not being able to be there all day while he worked, and shook her head. She needed to see if he could do it without her help.


    ¡°I''m sorry that I''m trusting you with so much.¡± Annie said.


    Claire put the forks down and put her hands on the other woman''s shoulders. ¡°I know we just met; but, I hope we are going to be good friends.¡± She said. ¡°As your friend, I promise that I won''t let anything bad happen to your son.¡±


    Annie took a deep breath and let it out, then nodded.


    Claire smiled and let her go, then picked up the forks. ¡°You know, I really hate brussel sprouts.¡±


    Annie smiled and looked into the pan. ¡°Why did you cook so many?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t want to be the only one to suffer with the awful taste.¡± Claire said, then both women laughed.

 15 Heather Works Hard

    Heather once again led Arnold to her room, then put him inside and turned to shut the door.


    ¡°Do you want me to kiss it again and make it feel better?¡± Arnold asked.


    Heather leaned her forehead against the now closed door and took a deep breath and let it out. I really want him to. She thought with a smile, then she turned around to look at him. ¡°Arnold, I...¡± Her eyes dropped down to his crotch and didn''t see what she wanted to see, so she stepped close to him and put her hand there, then started to rub him. ¡°I''m really happy that you want to do that to me again.¡± She kissed him and felt him grow under her hand and broke the kiss. ¡°I want to do it to you this time.¡±


    Arnold gave her a look that could be interpreted as skeptical. ¡°Kissing me there like that won''t work.¡±


    Heather laughed a knowing laugh. ¡°Oh, Arnold.¡± She said. ¡°Different places need different kisses.¡± She whispered and stood on her toes and gave his forehead a peck with her lips. She unbuttoned his shirt and leaned in to give him a three second kiss on the lips, then she moved down and gave a soft suckling kiss to his nipple, rolled her tongue around it and flicked it once, then suckled it again.


    Heather looked up at his face and saw that she had his undivided attention. She smiled and gave him light butterfly kisses down his abdomen and stopped when she reached his jeans. With quick movements, she had him unbuttoned and unzipped and slid his jeans down. She stared at the bulge in his underwear and liked what she saw. She hooked the edge of his underwear with her thumbs and slid it down to reveal him completely.


    ¡°It looks like yours is red from rubbing it, too.¡± Heather said and put her hand around it. She looked into his eyes and she leaned forward and gave the tip a big slobbering kiss. She felt it throb and his testicles contracted from the intimate contact. ¡°Yes, this needs extra special kisses.¡± She said and kissed it all along the length, then she stuck out her tongue and licked it all the way up to the tip.


    Arnold stared down at her and wondered where she had learned so many different kinds of kisses.


    Heather saw the wonderment on his face and decided to blow his mind. ¡°Now the best kiss for this area.¡± She whispered, then swirled her tongue around the tip and plunged her mouth over him and started to suck as she bobbed her head.


    Arnold was a fair size, near the top edge of average at about seven inches, so Heather felt like she had hit the jackpot. He was smart, handsome, had a great body, and listened to her without question. She knew that he was going to be easy to mold into the perfect boyfriend, mainly because he was so very close to her ideal man already. That made her a little eager in her ministrations and she felt him start to throb constantly in her mouth.


    Oh, shit! Heather thought and her mind raced as she wondered what to do, then she remembered the pair of underwear that she had discarded earlier. In one smooth motion, as if she had practised it, she slid him out of her mouth, grabbed the panties and folded them up, then held them over the tip and jerked him off for the few seconds it took for Arnold to finish.


    Arnold''s mind was overwhelmed at Heather''s ''kisses'' and he felt something building inside of him. He had never felt anything like it before and he was about to ask her what was happening, then she stopped kissing him and wrapped her underwear around his penis and pulled on it like it was a toilet plunger.


    Arnold took in a sharp breath and then his whole body spasmed and he felt something as it squirted out the end of his penis. It only lasted for about five seconds as Heather kept pulling, then she sighed and bundled up the underwear so nothing would spill out. He didn''t even see what it was that came out.


    ¡°We almost made a huge mess that I''d have a hard time trying to explain.¡± Heather laughed and walked over to the bathroom and turned on the faucet on the sink to rinse off her underwear. ¡°I hope this doesn''t stain too much.¡± She swished them around and tried to rub them, then gave up and tossed them into the garbage can.


    Arnold stood there with wide eyes and stared at her with his penis hanging out for all to see.


    Heather looked back at him and saw that he wasn''t taking care of himself and held in her laugh. ¡°You really haven''t done that before.¡± She said and grabbed some tissue paper and walked over to him. She knelt down and gently took hold of him as she wiped at the tip that was still dripping a little. She squeezed it gently and milked out that last little bit, wiped it off, then was surprised as it started to grow again. ¡°I''m sorry, your girlfriend doesn''t have time to do that again.¡±


    ¡°Do all girlfriends do that?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°The good ones do.¡± Heather said and stood up, then she tucked him away in his underwear and then zipped up his pants. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± She said and went to the bathroom and washed her hands, then she used a toothbrush and some mouthwash. ¡°There! All evidence gone.¡±


    Arnold looked down at himself at the bulge still there and then back at her, and she laughed.


    ¡°Okay, not all evidence.¡± Heather said as she buttoned up his shirt, then she put her arms around his neck and kissed him. ¡°Do you want to use the computer for a while?¡±


    Arnold nodded and they went over to it. He knew what to do this time and turned it and the monitor on and waited. Heather thought about sitting on his lap, then thought better of it. She had indulged herself quite a lot today and there was no way she could get away with doing anything else. She sat on the floor and Arnold spread his legs for her to fit between.


    I didn''t even have to ask. Heather thought happily and looked at the screen as it came on. ¡°Okay, the pages are bookmarked.¡± She said and showed him how to find the bookmarks.


    ¡°Is there something on here to tell me all about computers?¡± Arnold asked. ¡°I was thinking of getting one myself.¡±


    Heather sighed. I was worried he would want to get one and wouldn''t need mine anymore. She thought and clicked on the latest model of computers that you could get in pretty much any electronics store.


    ¡°I won''t be getting one for a while, because I need to save up for it.¡± Arnold continued. ¡°I''d like to keep coming here to use yours.¡±


    ¡°Then I''ll show you everything you might want.¡± Heather said, her mood greatly improved. ¡°I think I remember you saying you want to model specimens?¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°What do I need for that?¡±


    ¡°I''d say a 3-D editing program for starters.¡± Heather said and saw his slight confusion. ¡°It''s three dimensional computer modelling software.¡± She said and searched for a quick video on what it was.


    ¡°Whoa.¡± Arnold said and moved forward in the chair, which just happened to press his erection into Heather''s upper back. She couldn''t help her slight shiver, especially since he was still hard. It made her think about how long he would last doing... other things.


    ¡°There are free programs out there, and they are difficult to learn because the interface is so awful.¡±


    Arnold gave her a blank stare and she chuckled.


    ¡°You''ll understand what I''m saying soon.¡± Heather said. ¡°Remember what I told you before.¡±


    ¡°You have so much more to teach me.¡± Arnold said and she nodded.


    ¡°After you get a 3-D program and learn how to use it, then...¡± Heather went into detail about what the whole process entailed. She even brought up some tutorials for how to do the basics of 3-D model editing, from altering an existing model to creating your own from scratch.


    ¡°Can''t you just... take a picture or something?¡± Arnold asked. Like a lot of people, he wanted his specimens to be instantly accessible.


    ¡°They do have 3-D scanners; but, they are expensive.¡± Heather said. ¡°Although, there are plans to make your own online.¡±


    ¡°Can you show me those?¡± Arnold asked.


    Heather quickly showed him how people had used mirrors and motion capture software and a game system camera to make a 3-D model. The quality was pretty low and Arnold quickly lost interest in that avenue. He would either have to find the specimens already made as a 3-D model or make them himself. He knew that was going to take time, though.


    ¡°There are kind of cheats for it, so it''s not really all done by hand.¡± Heather said. ¡°Can I show you some of them?¡±


    Arnold nodded and she brought up a basic drawing of a circle.


    ¡°This is a circle, right?¡± Heather asked and he nodded. ¡°Okay, well... it''s not just a circle.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Arnold looked at her and then at the screen.


    ¡°It can also be a sphere or a dome, or even the end of a cylinder.¡± Heather said with a smile and brought up an image of each. ¡°If they are seen from a certain angle, they all look like basic circles. Except for the sphere. That''s completely round and always looks like a circle.¡± She said. ¡°It''s called ''perspective'' and all those things you see inside a specimen? They are all just circles, ovals, triangles, squares, and rectangles. It''s a trick to use when trying to make sense of something complicated.¡±


    Arnold watched as Heather brought up one of the pictures she had saved and opened a basic paint program and used the mouse to draw a circle around one of the exposed organs, one around the heart, then an oval around a lung and then a liver. She drew a rectangle around the intestines because she didn''t feel like drawing a bunch of ovals. Arnold looked at the screen and then at her, then back at the screen. He had never seen them like that before.


    ¡°When making them in a 3-D program, you just use a circle for this part, and oval for this part, and so on. Once you have the basic shapes, you can alter them and make then more detailed and even add the real picture to color them up properly.¡± Heather said. She had read a lot about it in a tutorial she had found online and she looked at Arnold''s face. She saw astonishment there and was glad that her hard work had paid off so soon.


    ¡°Can you get one of these 3-D programs?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°I got one last night.¡± Heather said. ¡°It''s a little slow when you try to render a scene...¡± She stopped talking when she saw his attention shift. ¡°I''ll just start it up for you.¡±


    Arnold let a smile out as the screen changed and the program loaded. When it finished, the screen was filled with a lot of buttons and things that he had no clue about.


    ¡°It''s a lot to take in, I know.¡± Heather said. ¡°This is why I told you that the interface on them is horrible.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I want a big button that I can click to do the work for me and not have to search through a dozen menus to find the one thing I want to do!¡±


    Heather clicked through six menus and chose an option for ''create sphere''. A ball with shading appeared on the screen, and she clicked on it and moved it around. Then she moved through the menus again and chose an oval shape and it dropped on top of the sphere. She clicked it and moved it off to the side.


    ¡°You can keep adding them and can make any structure you want.¡± Heather said and clicked on the sphere and then used an option on the side menu to made the sphere editable. A whole bunch of little dots appeared on the surface and she clicked on one and moved it to the right a tiny amount and the sphere changed shape slightly.


    Arnold watched her stretch out the sphere and then then she added a square and joined the circle and the oval together. ¡°How are you doing all of that?¡±


    ¡°Hours of hard work and studying.¡± Heather said. ¡°Kelly helped me last night with finding the best free program and sorting out the garbage in the online tutorials.¡± She turned and looked at him. ¡°I wanted to make sure that I could show you as much as I could.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and leaned forward and kissed her.


    Heather put her arms around his neck and made out with him. She really liked that she didn''t have to ask this time and enjoyed the feeling of his lips on hers.


    *Knock* *Knock*


    ¡°Hey, you two.¡± Claire said through the door.


    ¡°It''s open.¡± Heather said as she broke the kiss.


    ¡°It''s getting late.¡± Claire said and saw that she had just interrupted them.


    ¡°I was just showing Arnold some of the 3-D editing things Kelly and I found last night.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Claire looked at her daughter skeptically and Heather stood and waved at the screen.


    ¡°Arnold just thanked me for doing it and showing him.¡±


    Claire was a little surprised that she hadn''t caught them in a more compromising position. ¡°Well, I need to take him home, so save up what you''re doing and come downstairs.¡±


    ¡°We were just playing with it, so there''s nothing to save.¡± Heather said as she turned around and bent over, then closed the program.


    Claire looked at Arnold''s face to see where he was looking and his eyes were firmly glued to the screen and at what Heather was doing and not looking at her ass, despite it being right in front of his face and in a pair of short shorts. This surprised her, since most women used their bodies to get a man''s attention.


    If my daughter can walk around like that and he didn''t take the obvious hint to look, then how did she gain his interest? Claire asked herself.


    Heather shut the computer down and stood up straight, then turned to look at Arnold and saw that he was looking up at her face. She didn''t see any guilt there, so either he had gotten a really good look and liked what he saw, or he hadn''t taken the hint and didn''t look at all. She suspected the latter, mainly because he hadn''t looked at her when she walked around bottomless.


    Why would he try to sneak a peek when I had both underwear and shorts on, after seeing me with my legs spread wide for him? Heather asked herself as her face flushed red and she smiled down at him. She gave him a quick hug, then walked over to the bed and tried to pick up his backpack. ¡°Ugh!¡± She grunted and could barely move it. ¡°What do you have in this thing?¡±


    ¡°Everything.¡± Arnold said and walked over to the bed and picked it up like it was nothing and slung it over his shoulder. ¡°I didn''t know what homework was assigned so I have all of my school books in it.¡±


    Heather had surprise on her face. ¡°All of them?¡± She asked. ¡°I didn''t think you could fit all of our books into a single backpack!¡±


    Arnold smiled. He had been packing things into spaces for nearly all of his life. A few rectangle shaped books into an oval backpack was one of the easiest things he''s packed. His thoughts paused on what he had just thought. He had immediately assigned shapes to the objects he was thinking about. He stepped close to Heather and put his arms around her.


    ¡°Thank you for showing me that seeing the shapes trick.¡± Arnold said and kissed her.


    Heather completely forgot that her mother was right there and kissed him back. Her arms snaked around his neck and she let her feelings control her actions and not her brain.


    Clare stood there for a few moments and watched them making out. She let it go on for nearly a full minute, then she coughed. ¡°Ahem.¡±


    Heather jumped like something had bit her behind and broke the kiss. ¡°Mom!¡±


    Claire had to hold in her laugh. ¡°Arnold, I need to get you and your mother home.¡±


    Arnold nodded and let Heather go.


    ¡°Goodbye, Arnold.¡± Heather said, so he leaned in and kissed her for three seconds like always, even though they had just kissed.


    ¡°Goodbye.¡± Arnold said and walked over to the door and past Heather''s mother, then he went down the stairs to wait.


    ¡°I''m sorry, mom.¡± Heather said in a low voice. ¡°I didn''t mean to... well, he kissed me and...¡±


    Claire had to laugh this time. ¡°I saw you, so it''s okay.¡± She said and saw her daughter relax. ¡°You just need to be careful what you do with him, all right?¡±


    Heather nodded. ¡°I promise I''ll be extra careful.¡±


    Claire nodded and left her room. She was impressed that he had done that in front of her and wasn''t ashamed or even apologetic about it, which confirmed that he was as straightforward as anyone could possibly be. He didn''t see anything wrong with making out with a woman''s daughter in front of her, so he wouldn''t think anyone else would, either.


    Claire let a smile show on her face as she went down the stairs. ¡°Have you all got everything?¡± She asked Annie and Arnold. Both of them nodded, so the three of them left the house and climbed into the car. She drove them home and pulled into the driveway.


    ¡°Thank you both for coming over tonight.¡± Claire said. ¡°It was nice having some adult company for once while Heather had someone over.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Last night it was Heather and Kelly running all over the place!¡±


    Annie had to smile at that. She could just imagine what it was like to have a couple of teenage girls tearing her house up while they carried on. ¡°It was nice to get out, even under the circumstances.¡±


    Claire reached over and took her hand. ¡°You call me at any time if you need to talk.¡± She said. ¡°You know I understand.¡±


    Annie took a breath and let it out, then she nodded. Claire let her hand go and Annie got out of the passenger side and took the large plastic container of food with her. Arnold opened the back door and got out himself.


    ¡°Arnold, come here for a minute.¡± Claire said and made a wiggle motion with her finger, so he came over to the front door and leaned in. ¡°I suggest you wear old clothes that you don''t mind getting dirty tomorrow.¡± She said and saw Annie walk to the front door of their house. She knew this would be another good time to test Arnold, so she spoke what she thought were the magic words. ¡°Goodbye, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold took the cue and put a hand behind her head and kissed her for three seconds. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Claire was a little stunned at how well he had kissed her. That... was a spectacular... confirmation.


    Arnold closed the car door and walked towards his house and Annie waved to her, so she waved back.


    As long as Heather wasn''t around, which was the only restriction I gave him, he will kiss me whenever I say goodbye. Claire thought, then thought of something else and rolled down the car window. ¡°Oh! If you have work gloves, you can bring those, too!¡± She called out to him.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and shut the front door.

 16 Arnold Works Hard

    The next morning, Arnold was dressed in his old jeans and a tight t-shirt, and his mother had given him a small bag. It had a change of clothes and his clean sneakers, three water bottles, a cloth for him to wipe his face off with, a pair of shorts if it got too hot, and a pair of work gloves.


    ¡°You''re going to sweat a lot while working, so keep the cloth handy.¡± Annie said and checked him over. ¡°I think that''s everything.¡±


    ¡°What about lunch?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Claire said she would take care of it.¡± Annie said. It would be the first time in a long while that Arnold would be leaving the house without her and she hadn''t made him a lunch that she knew he would eat.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and picked up his backpack and the small bag.


    ¡°Good luck today.¡± Annie said and walked with him to the front door. ¡°Take care, all right?¡±


    Arnold nodded and they heard a car pull up to the curb. He opened the door and stepped out.


    ¡°See you tonight.¡± Annie said and clung to the front door so that she wouldn''t grab onto her son and stop him from leaving, even though her mind was screaming at her to do just that. Arnold was oblivious to her dilemma and walked over to the car and got in. After a moment, he got out and walked back over to her and gave her a hug.


    ¡°I love you, mom.¡± Arnold said and let her out of the hug, then gave her a very quick peck on the lips. He could see her eyes were starting to tear up, so he made a pinching motion with his fingers. His mother reached out and held his hand with both of hers.


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Annie said. ¡°Now get going and listen to what Claire tells you.¡±


    Arnold nodded and went back to the car, then climbed in and sat next to Heather.


    ¡°I bet she really liked hearing you say that.¡± Claire said and pulled the car out into the street. I''m glad I told him to do that.


    ¡°She started to cry.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I think I would, too.¡± Heather said in a whisper.


    They drove to the high school and Claire pulled up to the edge of the parking lot and waited. It didn''t take long for Kelly to come over to the car.


    ¡°Good morning, Mrs. Bradshaw!¡± Kelly said as she bent down to look into the front seat.


    ¡°Morning, Kelly.¡± Claire said.


    Heather opened her door and picked up her backpack, then looked at the back of her mother''s head for a moment. ¡°Goodbye, Arnold.¡± She said and kissed him. ¡°I''ll see you after school.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye.¡± Arnold said.


    Heather left the car and she and Kelly walked over to the school and went inside. Claire had watched Arnold and he hadn''t stared at Heather as she walked away. He just calmly sat there and waited. She smiled, because she assumed that Arnold wasn''t going to use or abuse her daughter like the other boys tried to do, and pulled away and drove back to her house.


    *


    ¡°Thanks a lot, Kelly.¡± Heather said to her friend as they approached their lockers. ¡°All those things you showed me the other day really came in handy.¡±


    ¡°Arnold liked all the hard work we did, did he?¡±


    ¡°Did he ever!¡± Heather said and almost giggled as she opened her locker and changed the things she had in her backpack for the first class.


    Kelly saw how happy her friend was and couldn''t fault her for getting another boyfriend. At least this one wasn''t trying to take up all of Heather''s time or trying to set me up with one of his pervy friends. She thought. He''s still kind of creepy, though. ¡°What did he like the best?¡± She asked, genuinely curious, and pushed her other thoughts aside.


    Heather smiled and leaned in behind her locker door and whispered. ¡°When I sucked him off.¡±


    ¡°No. Way.¡± Kelly was shocked. ¡°I thought you were at your house! How did you sneak out...¡±


    ¡°It was in my bedroom.¡± Heather said and picked up her much lighter backpack.


    Kelly just stared at her with her mouth agape.


    ¡°I know!¡± Heather said with a laugh and closed her locker, then moved down several of them and opened Kelly''s locker for her. ¡°Come on, get your things for first class.¡±


    ¡°You need to tell me what happened first!¡± Kelly said.


    Heather grabbed her things for her and changed out Kelly''s backpack contents as well. ¡°What you should be asking me is what I enjoyed the most.¡±


    Kelly stared at her and Heather laughed.


    ¡°He went down on me like a deep sea diver and didn''t come up for air until we were interrupted!¡±


    ¡°Oh. My. GOD!¡± Kelly exclaimed.


    ¡°Just wait until I tell you...¡±


    Kelly''s locker door slammed shut and it startled Heather, Kelly, and three other girls that had been nearby listening to Heather talk.


    ¡°Why don''t you tell all of us?¡± A guy''s voice said and Heather turned to see a purple colored face with a bandage around his nose.


    ¡°Brad!¡± Heather spat, then she saw the guy next to him and she grit her teeth. ¡°Kevin.¡±


    ¡°That''s us.¡± Brad said and tried to smile, then flinched because it hurt. Behind them were four other guys who looked just as interested in her story as everyone else.


    ¡°Why aren''t you suspended for fighting like Arnold was?¡± Heather asked.


    ¡°The principal couldn''t suspend the victims of Arnold''s temper tantrum, could he?¡± Brad asked with a sneer, then he winced again and stopped trying to convey emotions with his face. It hurt too much.


    ¡°You started the fight!¡± Heather exclaimed.


    ¡°Actually, Arnold was the first one to attack... in both cases.¡± A man''s voice said from across the hall. The biology teacher stood there with his arms crossed and looked at the scene playing out in front of him. ¡°I''ve talked to both the principal and the vice-principal and they confirm that Arnold admitted to it.¡±


    Heather couldn''t argue against a teacher, especially Arnold''s favorite teacher, so she stayed quiet.


    ¡°It''s quite disappointing to discover that he is as much of a common brute as they are.¡± The biology teacher said and nodded to Brad and his friends.


    Heather couldn''t let that statement stand and still call herself Arnold''s girlfriend. ¡°Sir, he''s no more common than you are.¡± She said and the teacher gave her an appraising look. ¡°He was defending me from a... a...¡±


    ¡°Verbal attack.¡± Kelly whispered.


    ¡°A verbal attack from Brad!¡± Heather said. ¡°They said they wouldn''t report it because Brad asked for the fight and lost!¡±


    The biology teacher hadn''t heard that.


    ¡°When Kevin confronted Arnold... after he made sure that I had left and couldn''t stop him... he threatened Arnold for kicking Brad''s ass, so Arnold defended himself and kicked Kevin''s ass, too!¡±


    Quite a crowd had gathered in the hallway by this point and a lot of them were shocked by this news.


    ¡°Sir, you know Arnold. He''s never reacted to people bullying him before.¡± Heather said and there were a few murmurs from the crowd in agreement and some of Brad''s friends looked uncomfortable. ¡°I was the one they were bullying this time, and he... he protected me.¡±


    The biology teacher looked at the leader and his face showed his guilt, so he had no choice but to believe her. ¡°He was still caught fighting and was suspended for two weeks.¡±


    ¡°I''m taking him his homework every day and passing it in for him.¡± Heather said. ¡°He won''t fall behind his studies at all.¡±


    The teacher started to let out a sigh when Heather spoke again.


    ¡°Sir, he said he''s ready to take your test.¡± Heather said with confidence.


    The biology teacher couldn''t help but stare at the girl. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°He finished memorizing everything yesterday and told me to tell you he was ready.¡± Heather said.


    ¡°That... he needs to...¡± The biology teacher caught himself before he said what the test was. ¡°Where is he now? At home?¡±


    ¡°My boyfriend is at work.¡± Heather said with a smile, and Kelly, the three nearby girls, and one of Brad''s friends gasped at the news. ¡°He wanted to keep busy while he''s suspended.¡±


    ¡°He can''t take my test until after school anyway, since he''s not allowed on school grounds.¡± The biology teacher said. ¡°Tell him I will come by his house tonight to administer the test.¡±


    ¡°I''m sure he will be very happy to hear that, sir.¡± Heather said and then the first bell rang.


    ¡°Everyone get to class.¡± The biology teacher said and the crowd quickly dispersed. He watched Heather and her friend walk away and couldn''t help but be amazed that his unofficial lab apprentice had managed to get the most popular girl in the school as a girlfriend.


    Kelly waited until they were down the hallway before she spoke in a whisper. ¡°Heather! That was so awesome!¡±


    Heather felt very proud that she had defended Arnold''s honor this time.


    ¡°Now tell me what he did.¡± Kelly said with a mischievous smile.


    Heather chuckled as they took their regular seats and they leaned in close to whisper back and forth, as was their normal practice, and a few other interested ears listened attentively as well until the second bell rang and class started.


    *


    Arnold stood in front of a shed that was similar to the one at home, except this one had equipment he had never seen before. Claire had changed from her outfit and wore a similar outfit to what Arnold wore. Her old and faded jeans fit her snugly and her t-shirt was old and clung to her like a second skin.


    ¡°Have you used a lawnmower before?¡± Claire asked and he shook his head. ¡°Well, it''s fairly easy.¡± She said. ¡°The gas goes in here, the oil goes in here, this lever is the gas and this is the brake.¡± Claire said and showed him what they were and how they worked. ¡°The lawnmower is intended to be used on flat surfaces to cut grass. Be careful with it.¡±


    Arnold watched her and memorized what to do, then Claire stood up and practically glared at him.


    ¡°If you run over anything, do NOT stick your hand underneath to see what it was. Do NOT tip it up to look. Do NOT flip it over. It is NOT a toy. It has spinning metal blades underneath that will remove your fingers, toes, and any other body part that gets near it.¡± Claire said in a stern voice.


    Arnold listened and memorized her words.


    ¡°I know it seems a little daunting with so many things to keep track of; but, you''ll get the hang of it.¡± Claire said and then smiled. ¡°Once I show you how to use it, you probably won''t even think of anything except how to keep the lines that the wheels make in the grass straight.¡±


    Arnold nodded, because that was a good goal to have and it would let him keep track of his progress.


    ¡°We should do a quick walk around the front lawn and see if there''s anything there we can move out of the way first.¡± Claire said. ¡°No matter how often I check, there''s always loose rocks, random sticks, and even pieces of garbage that have to be cleared.¡±


    Arnold nodded and he followed Claire as she did a survey of the front lawn. It was fairly large and there were trees nearby, so they found quite a few small sticks, a handful of gravel, one large rock that came from somewhere, and a crushed paper coffee cup.


    ¡°See?¡± Claire picked up the coffee cup and shook it. ¡°I don''t know if garbage gets blown into the yard or if people just toss it here.¡± She walked over to the garbage can beside her front step and tossed it in. ¡°Something always ends up here.¡±


    They put the gravel around a bush at the side of the house and tossed the sticks there, too.


    ¡°Okay, I think that''s clear enough.¡± Claire said and they went around to the shed at the back of the house and brought the lawnmower out to the front lawn. ¡°Make sure you watch closely.¡± She said and bent over at the waist, gave her ass a little wiggle as she held the brake on the lawn mower, pushed the gas lever ahead one notch and put a foot on the side of the lawnmower to hold it down, then she grabbed the pull-start handle and yanked as she stood up.


    The lawnmower made a rattling noise for a moment and then nothing happened. Claire huffed and pulled again with the same result. She sighed and turned off the gas and let the brake handle go. She had played up bending over to see if Arnold would look at what she thought was her particularly nice ass in a tight pair of jeans. He only had eyes on her hands and what she was doing, however.


    He really is oblivious to a woman trying to get his attention. Claire thought. ¡°If it doesn''t start right away, there''s a danger of it flooding if you leave the gas on too long.¡± She said and they waited a minute and she tried it again. It didn''t work and she sighed again. ¡°Dammit.¡±


    Arnold had seen it several times now and he thought he knew what was wrong.


    ¡°You want to give it a try?¡± Claire asked when she saw that his eyes didn''t waver from the lawnmower.


    Arnold stepped forward and did everything she did, then he grabbed the pull-start handle and yanked. Unlike Claire, he was fairly strong from years of digging, so when he jerked on the cord as quickly as he could, the lawnmower turned over immediately and sputtered into life.


    Claire laughed and gave it a bit more gas to keep it above idling speed. ¡°I''m glad you''re here.¡± She said and touched his arm. ¡°I would have been standing around for half an hour trying to start the thing.¡± She smiled and turned the lawnmower around to face the right way. ¡°This thing kicks up grass a lot, even with the bag to catch it, so make sure you always face the bag away from the sidewalk and the street for the first few feet.¡±


    Arnold watched as Claire walked at a casual pace and pushed the lawnmower all the way across the front lawn, then she moved it over slightly and dragged it all the way back.


    ¡°You should partially cover the previous cut by about twenty-five percent.¡± Claire said. ¡°That way, you catch any grass the wheels may have pressed down the last time.¡±


    Arnold watched her go all the way back across the huge front lawn, then she turned around and walked back instead of dragging it, because she was now far enough away from the street. He noticed that her cuts did overlap and the lines she made were fairly straight.


    ¡°If you''re wondering how I''m keeping the lines straight, I used the sidewalk as a guide for the first two passes, then I just followed the wheel tracks.¡± Claire said, as if she read his mind.


    ¡°You''re really smart, Mrs. Bradshaw.¡± Arnold said.


    Claire was a bit taken aback at his statement for a second, then she smiled, because the scene in her daughter''s bedroom the night before made a bit more sense to her. Heather had shown him things on the computer that he had never seen before and that had impressed him.


    I''m slowly figuring you out. Claire thought and let the brake engage as she let the lawnmower''s handle go. ¡°Why don''t you give it a try and show me what you can do.¡±


    ¡°How fast can I walk?¡± Arnold asked as he took her place.


    ¡°Not much faster than I just was.¡± Claire said. ¡°Too slow and you''re wasting both time and gas. Too fast and you''re not cutting all of the grass, which wastes time and gas because you need to go back over the spots you missed.¡±


    Arnold thought about that for a minute. ¡°What if you pushed two lawnmowers? You could walk faster and the second lawnmower would cut the grass you missed.¡±


    Claire stood there for a few moments as she thought about it. ¡°You... would use more gas...¡±


    ¡°You''d be using the same amount of gas, actually. I think the limit would be how many mowers you could push.¡± Arnold said and started to walk away.


    Claire stared at the young man as he easily followed her instructions and walked at the same pace as her all the way across the lawn and then came back.


    ¡°The size of the attached bags would need to be changed to cut down the weight.¡± Arnold said as he turned around. ¡°They would fill at the same rate and...¡±


    Claire blinked her eyes as Arnold kept talking and tried to work out how to make cutting a lawn go faster. She stood there as he did the entire front lawn, even though she had planned to do a few other things while he was busy with such a large task.


    ¡°I''m done of the front, Mrs. Bradshaw.¡± Arnold said less than an hour later.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Claire blinked her eyes and looked at him. ¡°Oh! Um... check the gas and the oil, then we need to let it cool off for a while before we can use it in the backyard.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and brought it to the shed in the backyard and did as she said. The gas was nearly empty, so he topped it up and the oil was fine.


    Claire was surprised at his efficiency, because it usually took her an hour and a half. She didn''t realize that Arnold hadn''t stopped to take breaks, or to rest, or to wipe off his face. He had the cloth in his pocket and wiped his face occasionally while he worked, just like his mother told him to.


    ¡°Let''s try the lawn edger next.¡± Claire said.


    It was nearly the same as the lawnmower in both maintenance and danger, so Arnold quickly understood the nearly identical instructions and they both went to the front yard for the demonstration.


    ¡°You better start this for me.¡± Claire said and handed it to him.


    Arnold easily started it for her and handed it back carefully.


    ¡°I really am glad that you''re here, Arnold.¡± Claire said and continued to teach Arnold how to take care of a lawn. He picked up the proper use and the techniques, then took over and worked twice as fast as her. She held in her laugh and wasn''t surprised this time at how efficient he was.

 17 Learning Curve

    By the time Claire told Arnold that it was time to take a break for lunch, they were quite drenched in sweat and both the front and back lawns had been mowed. The edges of the lawn were cleaned around the sidewalk, the deck, and the pool. The excess grass that the bag on the lawnmower hadn''t caught was raked up and bagged, then the machines were tended to and cleaned as much as possible without touching or exposing the dangerous blades.


    Claire led Arnold into the house through the back door, which led to the kitchen, and she had him sit down as she took out a plate of prepared sandwiches from the refrigerator. She took the plastic wrap off of the plate and put it on the counter. She leaned against the edge of the counter in her best ''look at me'' pose and took a sandwich for herself.


    ¡°Help yourself.¡± Claire said and Arnold took a sandwich. She expected him to comment that it was made from the same pork roast that he had eaten yesterday, and he just sat there and ate it. She had buttered the bread and added some mayonnaise for taste with a thin layer of lettuce. It was actually quite tasty, even if it was leftovers, and he ate it like he was eating a piece of cardboard.


    ¡°We did a lot of work this morning.¡± Claire commented to see if he would look at her, and he didn''t even flinch. She stopped herself from smiling as she thought about teasing him a little to try and get his attention. She had watched him work all morning and now she had an eighteen year old man, sweat covered and with quite a bit of muscle definition sitting in her kitchen, and it had her worked up a little.


    Claire finished her sandwich and went back to the refrigerator and grabbed an ice cube from the freezer. She went back to the counter and resumed her pose, then she untied her ponytail and let her dirty blonde hair drop over her shoulders and shook it out.


    ¡°Whew, I think I''m overheating a little.¡± Claire said and used a hand to pull on the bottom of her t-shirt, which eased the neck hole down just enough to show off some of her cleavage, then she slowly rubbed the ice cube on her neck, down past her clavicle, and over the tops of her breasts. The ice left a long wet trail across her skin and goosebumps spread out from where it touched her skin.


    Arnold didn''t even look at her as he picked up another sandwich and kept eating.


    To say that Claire was disappointed that Arnold wasn''t enjoying his visual reward for working so hard that morning, was an understatement. She sighed, let the bottom her t-shirt go and the top mostly went back to its original shape and covered her chest, then she tossed the half-melted ice cube into the sink.


    ¡°I think we can get to weeding the flowerbeds now.¡± Claire said.


    Arnold shoved the last of the sandwich he was eating into his mouth as Claire covered the last two sandwiches and put them back into the refrigerator. She gathered her hair back up into a ponytail automatically, as if she had done it thousands of times, then led him back out through the back door of the house and over to the side where the flower beds were. They ran the entire length of the driveway on both sides.


    ¡°We''re going to need some tools to handle a few of the weeds.¡± Claire said and walked over to the shed. Arnold perked up at her words and followed her. Claire wasn''t looking at him and had missed his reaction, so she didn''t realize what having access to new tools meant to him.


    At the back of the shed was a small rack of some of the oddest things Arnold had seen so far. One thing looked like a small three clawed rake, one was a miniature shovel and he almost laughed at the size, one looked like a tiny pitchfork, and one looked like a really thin shovel and another that was a shovel but was bent at a ninety degree angle.


    Claire told him the names of all the different tools and what they were used for. There was a small set of shears that could be used with one hand, a slightly bigger pair, and then a huge pair. Then there were the normal sized versions of the smaller tools and they hung on the wall at the side of the shack. Some of those he was familiar with and had never used.


    Claire handed him several different small tools. ¡°You''ll need to put on your work gloves for this.¡±


    Arnold nodded and did so, then she handed him a set of knee pads and he followed her back out to the flower beds.


    ¡°Now we get on our hands and knees and start digging out the weeds.¡± Claire said and knelt down, then used a small spade to churn the dirt and pulled out something that looked like a flower. Arnold knelt beside her and watched what she was doing, then couldn''t understand what was happening.


    ¡°Which ones are the weeds?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°The ones that don''t belong.¡± Claire said and pulled out another scraggly one by the roots.


    Arnold knelt there and couldn''t make sense of what she said and what she was doing.


    Claire worked for a few minutes before she noticed that Arnold wasn''t helping at all. ¡°Well, don''t just stare at it. Start working.¡±


    Arnold looked from her face to the flowers and back at her face. ¡°I don''t know what to do.¡±


    ¡°Haven''t you been watching me?¡± Claire asked, a little exasperated. ¡°You pick a weed, use the tool to dig it up, and pull it out. It''s easy.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Arnold looked at the flower she had just dislodged from the dirt and back at the flower bed. ¡°I don''t understand. They are all flowers. How do you decide what ones to take out and what ones to leave?¡±


    Claire looked at him like he was speaking nonsense. ¡°Arnold.¡± She said and straightened up. ¡°Are you seriously telling me that you can''t tell the difference between a weed...¡± She held up a yellow flower in her hand. ¡°...and a flower?¡± She pointed to another yellow flower that was almost the same, except it didn''t have the same number of petals on it.


    Arnold looked at the two flowers and knew that if it was the petals that made the difference, then half of the flowers were weeds and needed to be removed. That would have been easy for him. The problem was that they weren''t all yellow flowers and were all different colors. Did he compare the colors and take the ones that the petals didn''t match, or only compare them to the petals that matched the yellow flower? His mind raced as he tried very hard to figure it out.


    I can figure it out. I can figure it out. I can figure it out. I can figure it out.


    Claire sat back on her heels and watched Arnold''s face contort slightly and his eyes flicked over the flowers in the flowerbed faster and faster. She could see the signs of panic start to build in him as his eyes started to move even faster and his breathing sped up. She dropped the weed that her brain could very easily pick out of the beautiful flowers, pulled off her gloves, and cupped the sides of his face.


    ¡°ARNOLD! STOP!¡± Claire yelled and turned his face towards hers.


    Arnold''s shifting eyes started to slow down and his breathing evened out. After a few moments, his eyes focused entirely on the face in front of him. Claire had to stop herself from gasping as the handsome and stoic young man gave her the sweetest and sincerest puppy-dog eyes she had ever seen. Her motherly instincts went into overdrive because he looked so lost and forlorn.


    ¡°I want you to ignore the flowers.¡± Claire said. ¡°You don''t even have to look at them anymore, okay?¡±


    Arnold nodded and the lost look in his eyes faded away and his face became what she thought was its normal stoic facade.


    Claire fought her urge to hug him, mainly because they were both covered in sweat and a little bit of dirt. Her resolve only lasted a few seconds and then she put her arms around him and hugged him tightly. She held him against her chest for nearly thirty seconds before she eased her grip and let him go.


    ¡°Let''s go do something a little simpler.¡± Claire said as she stood up and held a hand out to him. Arnold took the hand and stood up, then he was led back over to the shed. ¡°Normally, we would start with the small hand-held clippers to trim the outer branches on the smaller bushes; but, we''re going to skip that and go right to trimming the hedges.¡±


    Arnold nodded and listened to her as she described using the large two-handed shears, then she pointed to an odd-shaped gas powered tool that looked like a chainsaw, except it had huge teeth instead of a chain.


    ¡°We won''t be using that today.¡± Claire said. ¡°I''ve always been wary of something like that, since all of the blade is completely exposed and it cuts bushes and branches as if they were nothing.¡±


    Arnold nodded again and Claire took the large shears and led him over to the side of her yard where a large row of slightly unkept hedges separated her property from the neighbours. She had held his hand the whole time and only now let it go, so she could demonstrate how to use the shears.


    ¡°I know it looks like a lot to handle; but, it''s very simple. You only need to square it up.¡± Claire said and used the large shears to trim off the top of the hedge and made it flat. She had cut and cleared away about two feet of it and then did the side. ¡°See? Only two flat edges. One on top and one on the side.¡±


    Arnold easily saw the squared off shape and nodded, so Claire handed him the shears and waved at the hedge. Arnold copied her movements and did the next two foot section on top and on the side and cleared the cut parts away and dropped them by the hedge.


    ¡°You can go all along the top towards the street and make it flat first, clean it off, then come back and do the sides.¡± Claire said. ¡°I''ll go along and follow you with the wheelbarrow and we can dump the trimmings at the back of the property.¡±


    Arnold handed her the shears and ran over to the shed and lifted down the wheelbarrow from the hook it hung from and carried it out to her.


    Claire held in her laugh at the sight. ¡°Put it down and I''ll show you how it''s supposed to work.¡±


    Arnold put it down and she showed him. He took over and walked several turns around her and then brought it over to the hedge and tossed in all of the things they had trimmed. He left and came back with the fan rake and gathered the small leaves as well and put them into the wheelbarrow. He went back to her and handed her the rake and took the shears, then went to the hedge and trimmed and cleared about ten feet and tossed all of the branches into the wheelbarrow.


    He stopped and moved the wheelbarrow almost twenty feet away from where it just was, then handed her the shears and took the fan rake to clean up the leaves and added them to the wheelbarrow. Clare walked over to the wheelbarrow and exchanged tools with him, then stood there as Arnold cleared a twenty foot section and every single branch and twig was tossed into the wheelbarrow. When he switched tools and raked up the leaves, the wheelbarrow was full and needed to be dumped.


    ¡°Be careful of the balance, or you''ll be cleaning up everything you just cleaned up again.¡± Claire said.


    Arnold nodded and picked up the handles of the wheelbarrow, moved forward and back to feel out the weight, then nodded again.


    ¡°All right. Follow me.¡± Claire said and walked at a normal pace, like she had shown him while mowing the lawn, and led Arnold all the way to the back of the property.


    Arnold dumped the wheelbarrow where she pointed and Claire kept speaking as they walked back to where they had just worked on the hedges.


    ¡°Once all the hedges are done, I''ll rent a wood chipper and we can feed all of this into it and make some nice mulch to spread around to the base of the trees, the bushes by the house, and put some under the hedges to keep them healthy.¡±


    Arnold parked the wheelbarrow at the next section and cleared the top of the hedge completely, then went all the way back where they had started and did all along the side of the hedge and squared it off. It took several trips with the wheelbarrow to clean up the mess and then Arnold worked in the other direction and went all the way to the back of the property.


    ¡°Arnold, I need to go grab a quick shower and then I need to pick Heather up at school.¡± Claire said as she looked at her watch.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and kept working.


    I don''t think I should leave him here by himself. Claire thought. ¡°Maybe you should stop working and come inside with me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and finished a cut, cleaned up the leaves, then went to the large pile of hedge trimmings and added to the pile. He brought the tools and the wheelbarrow back to the shed, used the cloth he had and wiped off everything he had used, including the wheelbarrow, then hung everything up.


    ¡°I didn''t mean... never mind.¡± Claire said. She had been a bit too stunned at how quickly he had done it to stop him before he had finished putting everything away. ¡°Come on.¡±


    Claire walked over to the back door and went into the house, kicked off her old shoes that she always wore when working around the house, then walked through the kitchen and down the hallway. She went up the stairs and entered her bedroom, then let out a long sigh as she pulled off her t-shirt and tossed it into the dirty clothes hamper inside the door.


    Annie was right. You need to tell him and show him exactly what to do or he might get confused about it. Claire thought as she peeled off her jeans and tossed them into the hamper, then slipped off her panties and tossed them in, too. She walked over to the bathroom and remembered Arnold almost freaking out about weeding the flowers. I almost broke my promise to Annie.


    Claire sighed again and unhooked her bra and hung it up on the hanger behind the bathroom door to let it air out, then she turned on the shower and waited for the hot water to kick in. She turned to the mirror to check the condition of her hair to decide if it needed to be washed or just brushed, then she caught sight of someone in the bathroom doorway.


    ¡°AHHH!¡± Claire yelled and whirled around as she covered herself with her hands, then she saw who it was. ¡°ARNOLD! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?¡±


    ¡°You told me to come inside with you.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I... I didn''t...¡± Claire started to deny it, then she closed her eyes as she once again remembered what Annie had told her about him. Or warned me about. She thought and opened her eyes to look at him. He listened to me and did just as I said and followed me, then I undressed in front of him because I assumed he would have stayed downstairs on his own. ¡°O-out.¡± She said, her voice a little shaky. ¡°Wait downstairs for me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and turned around and left.


    At least he didn''t undress like I did and try to join me in the shower. Claire thought in relief as she walked over to the bathroom door and shut it.


    Of course, once she thought that, her mind created the entire scenario and she saw herself inviting him in with her to help ''wash her back''. She let out a nervous laugh and looked at herself in the mirror. She was a bit older and a bit plumper than she was as a teenager; but, that was understandable, since she had Heather and her body had changed quite a lot during pregnancy.


    Claire''s hips had gotten a little wider and gave her some nice and dangerous curves, her breasts had increased by two cup sizes, that she had kept for the most part afterwards, even if they did sag a little more because of it, and her thighs... well, they were nice before having a baby and now they were spectacular. She finished her introspection as she turned around and looked at her own ass.


    Claire used her fingers to flick the flesh to gauge how much flab had worked into the cheeks and they only shook as much as they had the last time she checked. She smiled and nodded, because her lunges and squats had kept up their promise of keeping her ass firm. She climbed into the shower and started to wash herself and had forgotten to cover her hair.


    She sighed, because she had intended to only take a quick shower and now she would have to shampoo her hair. As she washed the rest of her body, her fingers discovered that the spot between her legs was a bit more sensitive for some reason. She wouldn''t admit to herself that it was because of the little forbidden shower fantasy she had imagined, even though she used that imagery to create a tall faceless man that had a recognizable blonde buzz-cut, and he made passionate and frantic love to her in the shower.


    Arnold stood at the bottom of the stairs and waited for twenty minutes for Heather''s mother to come down. He heard hurried footsteps as they came over to the top of the stairs and he looked up to see Claire as she pulled on a thin turtleneck sweater that matched the skirt she wore. She ran down the stairs and stopped by the front door and put on her nice shoes.


    ¡°Arnold, we need to have a talk about what happened.¡± Claire said. ¡°I''m running late, so it has to wait.¡± She grabbed her keys from the rack by the door and grabbed the door handle, then turned to give him a good firm stare. ¡°Do not talk about seeing me naked with anyone except me and only when we are alone.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I''ll be back with Heather soon, so go upstairs into the spare room and use the shower there. Dry off, put on your clean change of clothes and put your dirty clothes into the bag, then come downstairs and wait for us in the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and watched as Claire left, then he did as she said. He had a shower, changed into clean clothes, then waited for them in the kitchen.

 18 Testing

    ¡°Where could she be?¡± Heather asked ten minutes after school had ended. She was a little worried because her mother had always arrived early enough to be there when she came out of school.


    ¡°Maybe something happened and she''s running late.¡± Kelly said.


    Heather caught her breath and immediately thought something bad had happened to Arnold. ¡°Oh, no.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t mean anything bad!¡± Kelly said and gave Heather a quick hug to reassure her friend.


    Just then, the familiar car Heather''s mother drove came into the parking lot and both girls visibly relaxed. It came to a stop right in front of them and the passenger window rolled down.


    ¡°I took a shower before coming here and forgot to cover my hair first.¡± Claire said, and both girls nodded understanding and climbed into the back seat. They had both made that mistake a few times and it always added another ten minutes or more to their showers. Claire put up the window and drove out of the parking lot.


    ¡°I was worried something might have happened to make you late.¡± Heather said.


    Clare was very glad that her daughter never looked into the rear view mirror to see her face, because it flushed red as she blushed. Arnold saw me completely naked. She thought, then her mind went right to wondering if he had seen Heather naked, too. She knew Heather had changed while upstairs with him yesterday; but, did she do it in front of him or did she go into the bathroom?


    They drove all the way back to Heather''s place and pulled into the driveway. Heather saw the manicured lawn and the trimmed hedge on one side that hadn''t been flat in a long time. The three of them exited the car and Claire took her daughter''s hand as Kelly came around the car to stand by them.


    ¡°Don''t mention the flowerbeds.¡± Claire warned them. ¡°I told Arnold not to think about them and that he didn''t have to look at them.¡±


    Heather squinted her eyes slightly. ¡°So, something did happen.¡±


    ¡°I believe I overwhelmed him with too many options.¡± Claire said, her voice sad. ¡°If I had to describe it, I think he started to have a panic attack.¡±


    ¡°MOM!¡± Heather yelled. She had had her own experiences with things like that, as had several of her classmates, Kelly included.


    ¡°SHH!¡± Claire hushed her. ¡°I caught it before it happened and he''s fine. He should be in the kitchen right now waiting for us.¡±


    ¡°Mom... god.¡± Heather shook her head. ¡°He''s only been here a day and you...¡± She let out a sigh. ¡°Are you sure he''s okay?¡±


    ¡°It happened right after lunch and he worked for several hours after that, so he''s okay.¡± Claire said. ¡°I wanted to warn you about the flowerbeds, just in case if you mentioned them and it reminded him.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Heather said. ¡°I won''t mention it.¡±


    ¡°I''ll keep my mouth shut upon pain of death!¡± Kelly promised dramatically.


    Heather laughed and Claire smiled.


    ¡°I don''t think things are quite drastic enough to require a death sentence, Kelly.¡± Claire said. ¡°Just be careful about what you say.¡±


    Kelly nodded and she followed her friend''s mother and her friend into the house.


    ¡°We''re back!¡± Claire said loudly, then they all took off their shoes and walked through the house to the kitchen. Arnold sat on the same stool he had sat on during lunch.


    ¡°Hi, Arnold!¡± Heather said a little more boisterously than she normally would have and walked over to him to give him a three second kiss and a hug. She held the hug for a bit and let him go. ¡°I saw the lawn and the hedge. It looks great!¡± She said and smiled. ¡°I haven''t been able to see over the hedge since last year.¡±


    ¡°It''s not done.¡± Arnold said. ¡°We had to stop when your mom had to go and get you.¡±


    ¡°That''s good, because now we can do homework.¡± Heather said. ¡°They gave us a lot today.¡±


    ¡°I''ll get my backpack.¡± Arnold said and went to the front door and grabbed it, then went back to the kitchen.


    ¡°Go ahead and use the table down here.¡± Claire said and pointed to the dining room. ¡°With the three of you here, you''re going to need the extra room.¡±


    Heather knew her mother wanted to keep an eye on Arnold after what happened, so she nodded her understanding and led Arnold and Kelly to the dining room. They unpacked their homework to start working on it and even though the table was a large one, once the three of them had their things out, it covered nearly half of the table.


    ¡°I think this is ridiculous.¡± Kelly said as she sat down and looked at the spread of books in front of her. ¡°Every teacher we had today gave us something to do!¡±


    Heather laughed as she sat down. ¡°I think they wanted to make up for not giving us homework yesterday.¡± She said, not realizing that she just exposed her deceit from the day before.


    Claire didn''t comment on it and only smiled as she started preparing supper. ¡°Are chicken breasts and rice okay?¡±


    ¡°Sure, mom.¡± Heather said, then she leaned in close to Arnold. ¡°I talked to the biology teacher and he said that he would be by your place tonight to give you the test.¡±


    Arnold only nodded and started to read the assigned Math questions.


    That didn''t even get a reaction out of him and its his favorite subject. Heather thought in concern. He should have at least smiled or something.


    Heather waited a moment and looked to see if her mom was busy, then she leaned close to Arnold and kissed his cheek. When he turned his head to ask her what the kiss was for, she gave him a proper one on the lips. It lasted for several moments, about twice as long as their normal hello and goodbye kisses.


    ¡°Everything is going to be okay.¡± Heather whispered to him, then she sat up straight and started to read the same Math questions.


    Kelly had watched them and couldn''t help but feel a little envious, until she realized that if she was the one who was going through what Arnold was going through, Heather would try to comfort her, too. She smiled as she ran a hand through her wavy brown hair. She tucked it behind her ear and out of the way as she leaned over her book and read the same Math questions.


    Claire worked in the kitchen and also kept an eye on Arnold. She hadn''t missed the lingering kiss or Heather''s whispers. She had considered hiding the incident with Arnold''s panic attack, so it wouldn''t embarrass him; but, she was glad that she hadn''t and had warned Heather and Kelly about it. Now they would be watching Arnold as well to make sure that he was okay.


    Arnold, Heather, and Kelly worked constantly for just over two hours until they were done. Once again, it was Arnold that helped them with some of the particularly difficult homework questions. Neither Heather nor Kelly were surprised by this, since Arnold always did well in school.


    ¡°You look so relieved.¡± Claire said as she came into the dining room.


    Heather let out a short laugh. ¡°I bet everyone feels that way after all this!¡± She said and waved at the mass of notes and papers they had written. ¡°My fingers are sore and feel like they are going to fall off.¡±


    Arnold didn''t miss a beat as he reached out and took her hand and lightly caressed her fingers, then he gave them a kiss. Claire and Kelly were surprised at the gesture, then they were really surprised when he did her other hand.


    ¡°Thanks, Arnold.¡± Heather said, her face red. ¡°That does feel better.¡±


    Arnold''s mouth twitched into a small smile and then it went back to normal.


    Claire recovered from her surprise quickly. ¡°I''m about to serve supper, so pack everything up and clear the table.¡±


    Arnold, Heather, and Kelly put their school books away and Claire served them supper, then sat down herself. They ate the meal and didn''t really talk, except for an occasional comment from Kelly about the food and how good it was.


    Arnold finished first, since he ate mechanically and had just spooned the food into his mouth at a constant rate and didn''t really taste it. He finished his glass of soda pop as well and picked both the glass and his plate up and took them to the sink. He rinsed both items and washed his hands, then went back to the dining room and sat down.


    Claire, Heather, and Kelly stared at him for a few seconds before they resumed eating. They all thought it was odd behaviour, considering Claire had a dishwasher and never did them by hand, then they all came to the same conclusion that he must do it at home. They finished their food and sat back, and Claire thought this was a good time to try another test.


    ¡°Arnold, do our plates, too.¡± Claire said.


    Arnold stood and gathered all three plates and took them to the sink and rinsed them off.


    ¡°Mom, you...¡± Heather started to say and Claire shook her head.


    Arnold washed his hands and came back to the table and sat down.


    ¡°Thank you, Arnold.¡± Claire said. ¡°It''s getting late, so get your things and I''ll take you home before your mother gets too worried about you.¡±


    Arnold nodded and grabbed his backpack, then left the dining room to go and get the bag with his dirty clothes in it.


    ¡°I think I better go, too.¡± Kelly said and stood as she grabbed her own backpack. ¡°Could you give me a ride, Mrs. Bradshaw?¡±


    ¡°Of course. It''s practically on the way to drop off Arnold.¡±


    ¡°I was hoping you would stay so we could hang out.¡± Heather said, a little pointedly.


    Kelly let out a little sigh. ¡°My dad warned me that I should be home at a ''reasonable time''.¡±


    Claire stood up as she laughed. ¡°I understand that he''s worried about you roaming around at night, so why don''t you tell your mom that you''re staying over for the weekend and they won''t have to worry about you roaming at all.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Heather and Kelly asked at the same time.


    ¡°Tomorrow''s Friday, so make sure you pack enough clothes for three days, including your outfit for school on Monday.¡± Claire cautioned her.


    ¡°I''ll bring my packed suitcase to school in the morning!¡± Kelly said with excitement.


    ¡°I''ll take it from you when I drop Heather off.¡± Claire said. ¡°That way, you''re not dragging it around the school all day.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Mrs. Bradshaw.¡± Kelly said.


    Heather stood and followed her mother and her friend out to the front door and Arnold came down the stairs with his bag. ¡°I''ll see you in the morning.¡± She said to him and gave him a quick kiss and a hug.


    Claire, Kelly and Arnold left the house and climbed into the car, then Claire drove part way towards Arnold''s place, then took a detour. After a few minutes, Claire pulled into a driveway with a nice ranch style house. It was only one storey and spread across the whole property.


    ¡°Thanks again for the drive, Mrs. Bradshaw.¡± Kelly said and looked at Arnold. Even though she thought he was a bit creepy because of how he acted most of the time, he was her best friend''s boyfriend and he had just lost his father. So, she made an attempt to be his friend and reached over to take his hand. ¡°Heather''s right, you know. Everything is going to be okay.¡±


    Arnold knew he needed to respond in some way, so he nodded.


    Kelly smiled and let his hand go. ¡°Goodbye, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold took the cue and leaned in as he put a hand behind her head and expertly kissed her. One... two... three. He counted in his head and broke the kiss. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Kelly sat there with her mouth slightly open. ¡°A-A-Arnold! You... you can''t kiss me like that!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Arnold asked and noticed Claire in the rear view mirror as she smiled at him.


    ¡°B-because!¡± Kelly responded, as if he should know why already. ¡°Aren''t you Heather''s boyfriend?¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°It''s a goodbye kiss.¡±


    Kelly stared at him and blinked her eyes for a moment.


    ¡°It really is just a goodbye kiss.¡± Claire said as she turned around and looked into the backseat.


    ¡°But... but...¡± Kelly stammered.


    ¡°You want proof?¡± Claire asked and didn''t want for an answer. ¡°Arnold, kiss her like Heather kisses you when she thinks I''m not looking.¡±


    ¡°W-wait, I...¡± Kelly started to say, then Arnold kissed her like Claire told him to. Kelly was stiff at first and looked like she was going to try and fight against it, then she visibly relaxed and kissed him back. Pretty enthusiastically, too.


    Claire let it go on for about thirty seconds, just so Kelly would understand the difference. ¡°Okay, Arnold. That''s enough.¡±


    Arnold broke the kiss with his tongue still halfway in Kelly''s mouth and she closed her lips on it and sucked as he pulled away. Kelly''s face was flushed red and her eyes had a slightly distant look to them. She had never been kissed like that before. In fact, she never even imagined being kissed like that.


    ¡°You see? That''s how he kisses. The other kiss is just Arnold saying goodbye.¡±


    Kelly took a shaky breath and let it out as she recovered from the effect the kiss had on her, then she looked at Heather''s mother. ¡°O-okay. I... I get it.¡± She said and sat there for nearly ten seconds as she considered what to do next, then she decided and looked at Arnold. ¡°Goodbye, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold put his hand behind her head and kissed her for three seconds. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Kelly didn''t say anything else and opened the car door, grabbed her backpack, and quickly walked towards her house.


    ¡°She has the same restriction as I do.¡± Claire said as she looked at Arnold. ¡°Don''t kiss her in front of Heather... unless Heather tells you to.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and Claire turned back to face the front and drove Arnold home. When they arrived, another car was in the driveway, so Claire dropped him off at the curb.


    ¡°I''ll see you in the morning, Arnold.¡± Claire said, then she decided to have a little thrill for herself after seeing Kelly enjoy it so much, and spoke the keyword herself. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Arnold leaned forward and put a hand behind her head and gave her a three second kiss. ¡°Goodbye.¡± He said, grabbed his bag and backpack, and left the car. Claire blew the car horn as she pulled away and that got the attention of Arnold''s mother and her unexpected guest inside the house.


    ¡°Finally!¡± Annie said as she opened the front door to greet her son.


    ¡°We had a lot of homework and Heather''s mother served us supper afterwards.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I''m glad she''s taking care of you.¡± Annie said and shut the door, then led Arnold into the dining room. ¡°He''s been here for half an hour waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°Heather said you were coming over later tonight.¡± Arnold said and looked at the clock. ¡°It''s not later yet, is it?¡±


    The biology teacher shook his head. ¡°I was too excited over hearing you were ready and rushed over here.¡± He said and waved at the large cloth covered thing on the table. ¡°Go ahead. When you look at it, you''ll know what to do.¡±


    ¡°Sir, do I need to prepare anything?¡± Arnold asked and dropped his bag and took off his backpack.


    ¡°Everything you need for the test is right there.¡± The biology teacher said.


    ¡°Don''t rush!¡± Annie said and the teacher looked at her with a frown. ¡°I didn''t reveal what it was.¡± She said to him and looked back at Arnold. ¡°Take your time and do your best.¡±


    Arnold nodded and walked over to the end of the table and lifted the cloth. His eyes widened as he beheld a creature he had never seen before. It looked like a cross-mix of a hamster, a rat, and a beaver.


    ¡°I know you''ve never seen something like this before, so this is the perfect test for you.¡± The biology teacher said. ¡°Use the guide book to determine its species, genus, and family. I won''t let you go into it without a hint, so use its distinct tail to narrow the choices down.¡±


    Arnold nodded without looking up from the specimen.


    ¡°The test is to create your own specimen, right down to removing and labelling everything.¡± The biology teacher said. ¡°The tools have already been prepped, as is your work area, so you don''t need to worry about that.¡± He walked over to Arnold and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Your mother is right. There''s no time limit. Be careful, be thorough, and get it done.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Arnold said.


    The biology teacher stepped back out of the way. Arnold expertly slipped on a pair of rubber gloves as a smile spread across his face, then he got to work.

 19 That Happened

    Despite the animal''s nearly two kilogram weight and foot long body, not counting the nearly foot long tail, it only took Arnold an hour to completely dissect, identify, label, and replace everything inside the specimen. Using the distinct traits of the animal, he had determined the Kingdom as Animalia, the Phylum as Chordata, the Class as Mammalia, the Order as Rodentia, the species as Zibethicus, the genus as Ondatra, the family as Cricetidae, and the subfamily as Arvicolinae.


    Arnold turned to the biology teacher. ¡°It''s a muskrat.¡± He said, wrote it onto a small piece of paper, stuck it into the pre-made laminated holder, then placed it on the belly of the specimen.


    The biology teacher was blown away that Arnold had gone well above and far beyond his expectations of just species, genus, and family and had discovered the common name by using the guidebook. The intricate work he did on the dissection and adding all of the labels and putting it back together, was near or equal to his own level of skills.


    I knew he had picked up some of my techniques during the last couple of months, but this... it''s amazing. The biology teacher thought as Arnold cleaned the tools he used in the small basin and then went to the kitchen and washed his hands.


    Annie on the other hand, had to close her eyes for most of it and even with a face mask on, she gagged occasionally at the smell of the preserved specimen as it was cut up.


    Arnold came back into the dining room and sat down to wait. He knew his teacher was going to need some time to inspect his work, just like everyone else did, and then the biology teacher spent almost twenty minutes going over everything he did.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± The biology teacher said when he was finished inspecting everything. ¡°I''ve never seen anyone as young as you perform like that.¡± He said. ¡°If I hadn''t seen you perform this task with my own eyes, I might have accused you of cheating and hiring a professional.¡± He reached out and put a hand on Arnold''s shoulder. ¡°Your skills are as proficient as mine and I am very proud of you.¡±


    Arnold wasn''t sure how to respond or even if he was supposed to.


    ¡°Yes, I''m almost as speechless as you are.¡± The biology teacher laughed. ¡°Needless to say, you passed my test. Quite easily and fairly quickly, too.¡±


    ¡°What does it mean?¡± Annie asked. She had been about to ask what the test was for when Arnold came home and interrupted her.


    ¡°Didn''t I say?¡± The biology teacher asked and both Annie and Arnold shook their heads. ¡°Well, first off is a small bursary of a thousand dollars from the school board that they award for outstanding scholastic achievements.¡±


    Annie choked and coughed, then sputtered out one word. ¡°Wh-wh-what?¡±


    ¡°I know that''s not much; but, it''s the recognition that''s important.¡± The biology teacher said. ¡°You see, it automatically submits Arnold for various college scholarships and their related bursaries in regards to this field of study, assuming he takes the recommended classes to further his education.¡±


    Annie stared at the man like he was shovelling the biggest pile of crap she had ever seen.


    ¡°Nothing is concrete, of course. We won''t find out until the term ends next month if he''s eligible.¡±


    ¡°Why so long?¡± Annie asked. Another thousand dollars would definitely be a big help right now.


    ¡°That''s when the review board meets again.¡± The biology teacher said. ¡°That doesn''t affect the school bursary, though. You should get that in about two weeks.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°I should be thanking you.¡± The biology teacher said. ¡°This is the first time I''ve ever been able to administer the college level test.¡± He nodded to Arnold. ¡°You''ve raised a great young man here.¡±


    Annie closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and looked at Arnold. He had his flaws, his problems, and his quirks; but, she loved him and had known that he was something special his whole life. Now that she had proof, she was filled with both pride and satisfaction, because all of her hard work had been worth it.


    ¡°Well, I''ll just pack this up and get out of your way.¡± The biology teacher said and put away the test, the tools and equipment, and then used the special disinfectant he used at the lab to clean off the table. He had covered the table with the appropriate safety materials; but, it didn''t hurt to make sure things were completely clean anyway. Annie and Arnold watched the biology teacher work, then he thanked them again for letting him come here with it, then left.


    ¡°Well.¡± Annie stood there and stared at the front door. ¡°That just happened.¡± She said, then she turned to her son and gave him a hug. ¡°I''m very proud of you, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold hugged her back and when she leaned away to look into his eyes, he spoke. ¡°I love you, mom.¡± He said and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.


    Annie took a shallow breath. ¡°If you keep telling me that, I might start crying.¡±


    Arnold let her go as a small smile appeared on his face, then he raised both hands and made pinching motions with his fingers.


    Annie laughed and put her hands on his. ¡°I said might.¡±


    Arnold nodded and his mother led him to the living room so they could sit down.


    ¡°How was work today? Did you do a good job?¡± Annie asked.


    Arnold told her about learning how to take care of a lawn properly, then about how he trimmed the hedges by hand. He described everything he did, except for the flowerbed, because Claire had told him to ignore the flowers and he did.


    ¡°You might actually finish the hedges on both sides of her property tomorrow.¡± Annie said, once she had a rough estimation of how quickly Arnold could work. ¡°I don''t think there''s too much else to do for yard work after that.¡±


    Arnold didn''t know if that was true or not, so he didn''t say anything. He knew Claire was pretty smart, so if there was something else to do, she would tell him when he was ready.


    ¡°You already had a shower and did your homework, so I guess there''s not much else for you to do tonight.¡± Annie said. ¡°Why don''t you go get changed and go to bed and I''ll wash your work clothes for tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and left the living room and went upstairs.


    *


    Kelly''s suitcase had been packed in under fifteen minutes and it waited by her bedroom door for the morning. She now laid in bed and stared at the ceiling, wide awake, because she was having an existential crisis about what to do about Arnold.


    On one hand, he was her best friend''s boyfriend and apparently was the best boyfriend she had ever had. On the other hand, he had no problem with kissing other girls goodbye. Normally that wouldn''t have bothered her very much. It was just that his goodbye kiss seemed like it was a little scandalous and quite shameless.


    Heather''s mother had said that it was just a goodbye kiss, so she knew that Arnold kissed like that. Kelly thought. When she told Arnold to kiss me like he kisses Heather... Her thoughts trailed off as she remembered what that felt like.


    That was the part Kelly was having trouble with. She knew after she had told Arnold goodbye the second time and he had kissed her again, that if she went to him and asked him to kiss her like he kissed Heather, he would do it without question. She was pretty sure that he was not a good boyfriend because of that.


    Kelly remembered her heart pounding in her ears as Arnold kissed her and they made out for what seemed like forever. She really enjoyed the feeling of his soft but firm lips on hers, how they moved expertly, and then there was his gently probing tongue.


    His tongue... Kelly thought. She remembered Heather''s pretty explicit description of what Arnold did to her the other night. Oh, god! His tongue!


    Kelly shivered as she imagined that tongue probing between her legs. She rolled onto her side and reached between her legs and pretended her finger was Arnold''s tongue as she flicked and probed herself with it.


    I''m sorry, Heather! I''m such a bad friend! Kelly exclaimed loudly in her mind as she came.


    *


    Heather laid in bed and wondered how Arnold was. She was tempted to call; but, her mother had said that there was a strange green car in the driveway. She knew the biology teacher was going to be at Arnold''s house to give him some kind of test, so that must have been him. The problem she had was that she didn''t know how long the test was, or even what it was, and she didn''t want to call and potentially interrupt.


    Heather sighed and hugged her pillow as if it was Arnold. ¡°I... I love you.¡± She whispered to Pillow Arnold and gave him a light kiss, then snuggled her face down into his pillowy softness and fell asleep.


    *


    Claire laid in bed and couldn''t get to sleep, because her mind kept going back to seeing Kelly''s near euphoric face when Arnold had stopped kissing her.


    That poor girl must have had such a thrill. Claire thought with a smile. Not only did she get her first grown-up kiss, it was from her best friend''s boyfriend, too!


    Claire held in her chuckle at the thought, then she imagined what she would have done if she had been a teenager in Kelly''s position and had gotten kissed like that.


    Our clothes would have been on the floor right after. Claire thought in amusement. Almost immediately, her tall faceless fantasy man that she had met earlier that day in the shower, who just happened to have a blonde buzz-cut, made passionate and frantic love to her in the backseat of a fancy car.


    *


    Annie laid down in bed and thought back over the events of the evening. Meeting the slightly good-looking biology teacher was definitely a highlight, except for the pervasive smell of embalming fluid, or formaldehyde. It was at times like these that she missed her husband the most. It''s not that he smelled any better with stale beer and the resultant gaseous expulsions that came with it, it was because she missed having someone else in the bed.


    Annie had shared a bed with Gerald for nearly twenty five years and she loved him, despite all of his faults and the things he had done. Even after throwing away their life savings, she still loved him. Her eyes started to water and she took several shaky breaths, then let out a soft sob before she could stop it. A moment later, her bedroom door opened and Arnold stood there.


    ¡°A-Arnold.¡± Annie whispered and wiped at her tears so he wouldn''t pinch her. Arnold walked over to the bed and instead of pinching her for crying like she thought he would, he climbed onto the bed beside her and hugged her.


    ¡°I love you, mom.¡± Arnold said and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.


    Annie burst out crying and tried to turn away from him. ¡°Don''t... don''t pinch me.¡±


    Arnold held her still and looked into her eyes. ¡°I only said I would pinch you if you cried over dad.¡±


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Annie said and clung to him. He had never given her a verbal condition like that before. ¡°How can you tell?¡±


    ¡°You look happy now.¡± Arnold said, to her surprise.


    I''m happy? Annie asked herself, then she realized she actually was happy. Even though she was crying in sorrow only moments before, when Arnold told her that he loved her, it made her happy. ¡°I am happy.¡± Annie smiled and wiped at her face. ¡°It''s because I love you, too.¡±


    They were both quiet until Arnold remembered what Heather had whispered that morning.


    ¡°Heather said she might cry if I said that to her.¡± Arnold said and Annie took in a sharp breath.


    ¡°Are... are you going to say it?¡± Annie asked and then immediately covered his mouth so he wouldn''t speak. ¡°Don''t answer that. Even though I am your mother and I want to know, that should be between you and Heather.¡±


    Arnold didn''t say anything until she moved her hand. ¡°You don''t want me to say it.¡±


    Annie sighed. ¡°I think you''re a little too young to...¡± She stopped herself before she gave him any ideas. ¡°Arnold, if you think she''s ready to hear it from you, then you should tell her.¡±


    ¡°Even though you don''t want me to.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Yes, even though.¡± Annie said and caressed the side of his face. ¡°I won''t say anything cheesy, like I want to go with you wherever you go, so I can keep you safe and protect you.¡± She said with a sad smile. ¡°I really want to do that and I know I physically can''t. Just seeing you working on that specimen today nearly made me throw up, which proved my point.¡±


    ¡°What if...¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to throw up any more than you would want me to throw up on one of your specimens.¡±


    Arnold had to agree that would be bad.


    ¡°I''ll be happy just watching you doing your best.¡± Annie said and leaned forward to give him a kiss on the forehead, then remembered what he had said about not caring enough about him if she only kissed his forehead. She gave his forehead a quick peck, then moved down and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. ¡°You should get to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and closed his eyes. He took in a deep breath and let it out as he relaxed.


    Annie thought about telling him to go to his own bed to sleep, then she changed her mind and rolled over to face away from him. Am I that desperate to have someone else in the bed that I''ll let my own son share it with me?


    The bed moved a little and she felt Arnold''s breath on the back of her neck as he moved closer.


    ¡°Arnold, you...¡± Annie started to say, then stopped her automatic rejection. I guess I am. She thought with a depreciating smile. ¡°Give me a hug.¡± She said and his arms went around her waist and held onto her and his forehead pressed into the back of her neck. She closed her eyes at the comforting embrace and took a deep breath and let it out as she hugged his arms. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Arnold said. He had lots of memories of his mom cuddling him to sleep when he was a kid. He drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face because it was finally his turn to cuddle her to sleep.


    *


    The biology teacher once again completely took apart the specimen that Arnold had prepared and took pictures of everything, then put it back together. He even labelled the major and minor arteries, along with the nerve bundles in the spine. He thought in amazement and moved the reassembled specimen aside. This can''t wait until morning.


    The biology teacher walked over to his desk and picked up the telephone. He called one of his colleagues at the local college and disregarded the late hour. He knew his friend would want to hear about this as soon as possible.


    After his friend ranted and raved at him for nearly ten minutes for calling so late, he reluctantly agreed to take a look at the photos that were being sent to him by email. Once he saw the photos, the friend ranted and raved at the biology teacher because he hadn''t called and told him about Arnold months ago.

 20 Listen to Claire

    Unaware of all of the changes going on with the people in his life, Arnold woke up in the arms of his mother. He wasn''t sure how he had gone from cuddling her from behind to having his head snuggled to her chest. She had an arm around him and stroked his hair.


    ¡°Mom?¡± Arnold started to sit up and saw that she was propped up on her pillow and sat against the headboard.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Annie said and let him go.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Arnold said and kissed her. He only did a quick kiss like when he told her he loved her, because he remembered Claire''s advice about not kissing his mom like he kissed Heather.


    Annie had been worried that he might have taken staying in her room as permission to kiss her like he had kissed her the other morning when saying goodbye, so she felt relief that all he did was a quick peck.


    ¡°What do you want for breakfast?¡± Annie asked and stood up. Her boy shorts and t-shirt were a little dishevelled from moving around in the bed and she straightened them out.


    Arnold shrugged and she chuckled.


    ¡°Eggs and toast it is.¡± Annie said and waved for him to follow.


    Arnold got up and followed her and didn''t bother straightening his clothing, since he would be taking them off soon. His mother gave him breakfast and told him to go upstairs and get changed, then she prepped his bag for work. She saw that his water bottles hadn''t been touched and assumed that Claire had kept him hydrated, then she went up the stairs to his room to add a change of clothes for him.


    She left the shorts and added jeans, a shirt, and clean underwear and socks that matched.


    ¡°Here you go.¡± Annie said and handed him the refreshed bag and Arnold took it and his backpack.


    A horn blew and they both went downstairs and Annie opened the front door. She wasn''t as anxious today to see her son leaving the house without her, mainly because she had convinced herself that he was going to learn and had put the situation into the ''going to school by himself is fine'' category.


    ¡°Goodbye, Arnold.¡± Annie said before she could stop herself. She opened her mouth to try and correct her mistake, then Arnold put a hand behind her head and she clamped her mouth shut instead.


    Arnold leaned in and only gave her a quick kiss on the lips, just like he had when they woke up. ¡°Goodbye.¡± He said and walked to the car.


    I guess I don''t have to talk with him about appropriate kisses. Annie thought in surprise, mainly because she had completely forgotten that she was supposed to. With everything that had been going on lately, it had slipped from her mind. She bent over slightly and looked into the car and Claire waved to her. Claire must have talked to him about it, especially if he kissed Heather like that in front of her. She thought as she waved back. I have to remember to thank her.


    The car drove away and Claire took Heather to school. They sat in the parking lot and waited for Kelly to show up, then Claire put Kelly''s suitcase into the trunk. Heather kissed Arnold goodbye and got out.


    ¡°I can''t wait for tonight!¡± Kelly said excitedly. ¡°It''s always fun when I get to stay over and now I''ll be there all weekend!¡±


    Heather laughed softly and gave her friend a one arm hug, then the both of them went into the school.


    Claire waited until they were out of sight and drove back to her house. ¡°There''s not much else to do except finish the hedges and trim the bushes.¡± She said as she and Arnold got out of the car and she took Kelly''s bag from the trunk. ¡°I''ll go change while you get the wheelbarrow and the tools we need.¡±


    Arnold went to the shed to get the equipment and when he had everything ready, Claire came out of the house in a different outfit than what she wore yesterday. The jeans were so faded that they were almost white and her t-shirt was barely down to her stomach and was so baggy that it flopped and fluttered in the light breeze.


    They went over to the side of the property and for the next few hours, Arnold finished squaring off the hedge on one side of the property. The pile of twigs, branches, and leaves Arnold gathered grew pretty big, and he still had the entire other side of the property to do.


    Claire told him to make another pile beside it and then took it upon herself to trim the bushes that were spread out across the property and made them look presentable, rather than try to get Arnold to do it. She didn''t want to take the chance that she would give him another conundrum that he couldn''t figure out if she asked him to make them ''look good'' and didn''t tell him specifically what to do to make them that way.


    No wonder Annie had such a hard time with him growing up. Claire thought. I''ve only been around him for two days and I''m already a little stressed out about taking care of him. She paused in her work and watched Arnold as he paused for a moment to wipe the sweat from his forehead, then he kept working. Look at him go. She thought. He''s like a machine.


    It was then that it clicked for her and her eyes widened at the realization.


    Oh, my god. Claire stared at the young man in amazement. He''s a machine. He needs constant input and directions, or he''ll just sit there and idle while he waits for the next direction.


    Claire''s guess was pretty close to the truth. Arnold could function on his own without someone telling him what to do, mainly because he kept to himself and his own interests. He could figure some things out and make the next logical step in most cases as well. It was just so much easier for him when someone told him what to do and he didn''t have to try and guess what to do next. Having detailed instructions let his mind take him to the right answer without much guesswork.


    ¡°Let''s take a break for lunch.¡± Claire said.


    Arnold finished a cut on the hedge, cleared the branches and tossed them into the wheelbarrow, then took off his work gloves and walked over to her. She led him in through the back door of the house and into the kitchen again. She gave him the two sandwiches left over from yesterday and a bottle of water, and she ate a bowl of rice that was left over from supper the night before.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Claire said as she put her empty bowl in the sink, then she turned to him and leaned on the counter when he turned to look at her. Her baggy top fell open and completely revealed her chest. She had even worn her push up bra to make her breasts really stand out. ¡°We need to have a talk about you seeing me naked.¡±


    Arnold kept eating and maintained eye contact.


    Claire shifted her weight subtly from one arm to the other, which gave her breasts a gentle swaying motion. Wow. Absolutely no reaction. She thought, slightly surprised. Now I have to decide if it was him that passed this test, or if it was me that failed. She almost chuckled at the thought, then smiled as she thought of another test. ¡°What did you think of my body? Did you enjoy seeing me naked?¡±


    Arnold almost instinctively knew that he was in trouble when she asked him if he enjoyed it. Since he was normally mentally stimulated by dissecting specimens and the intricate work it entailed, if he told her that he would enjoy seeing her, it would mean that he wanted to dissect her and look at her insides.


    Despite that being both interesting and intriguing, Arnold was pretty sure Heather''s mother wouldn''t like that at all, especially since his biology teacher was right. Most people looked at their work like it was disgusting and avoided it as much as possible. If she ever thought that he considered taking her insides apart and labelling them, it would be very bad for him.


    ¡°No, Mrs. Bradshaw. I didn''t look at you like that.¡± Arnold said and saw Claire frown.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Claire asked and tried not to get angry. She had been embarrassed when she stripped in front of him and now he told her that he didn''t even like seeing it and it kind of pissed her off.


    ¡°I can''t enjoy seeing you like that, because I''m sure you don''t want me to.¡± Arnold said and looked down at the counter. ¡°I don''t want to get in trouble.¡±


    Claire was a bit taken aback at the admission. ¡°Arnold... I...¡±


    ¡°If you thought I did see you like that, you would hate me for it.¡± Arnold said and looked back at her and right into her eyes. ¡°I know you would.¡±


    Claire let out a long and low sigh as her irrational anger faded away at Arnold''s honesty. ¡°I... I think I would. If I knew you only came here to look at me like that, I would be upset about it.¡± She said. ¡°I''m sure Heather wouldn''t like it, either.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Then we should never speak of this again.¡± Claire said and leaned forward to put her arms around his head and hugged him to her chest, even though her top was still hanging down off her shoulders. ¡°Are you okay? I hope I didn''t upset you.¡±


    Arnold''s face was surrounded by warm softness and when he tried to say he was okay, it was muffled by her breasts.


    Claire looked down at the muffled words and blushed at Arnold''s face that was firmly nestled between her breasts. ¡°Oh, I didn''t realize... I mean, I felt your face, but...¡± She smiled and let him go. ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I''m okay.¡± Arnold said.


    Claire nodded and the smile didn''t leave her face. ¡°You know, if you had tried to shove your face into my breasts on your own, I would probably be upset about it.¡±


    Arnold looked down at her still exposed breasts and back at her face.


    Now he looks. Claire thought in amusement as she pulled her top back up onto her shoulders. ¡°If I do it to you, it''s okay.¡± She said and thought of a way to get at least some of her dignity back after that embarrassing conversation. ¡°What did you think of being hugged by my breasts?¡±


    ¡°They are soft and very warm.¡± Arnold said and saw her face go a little red again. ¡°Are you okay?¡± He asked and stood. ¡°Your face keeps turning red.¡±


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Claire said and her face went a little redder. He''s calling me out on my embarrassment!


    ¡°It''s not sore, is it?¡± Arnold asked and caressed her cheek and felt the heat there. ¡°Do you want me to kiss it and make it better?¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Claire asked, then before she knew it, Arnold had given her several soft and tender kisses on both of her cheeks.


    ¡°It''s still a little red.¡± Arnold said and repeated the kisses, this time he did twice as many and completely covered her face. ¡°Is that better?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, Arnold.¡± Claire said and remembered what he had done to Heather''s sore fingers the day before and knew what to say in response. ¡°It feels much better. Thank you.¡±


    Arnold gave her a smile and his handsomeness just seemed to pop into her perception.


    Claire just couldn''t help herself after that little display. ¡°I think my lips are a little sore, too.¡± She said and wasn''t surprised when he gave her several soft and tender kisses all over her lips. ¡°That''s great, thank you again.¡± She said. ¡°We should get back out there and try to get the hedges done before I have to leave to get Heather and Kelly.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and left the kitchen through the back door to get back to work.


    Claire stood there and watched him put on the gloves and pick up the large hand shears. I think I need to be very careful about what I say, even more than I normally am. She thought, then she wondered if she should discuss the same thing with her daughter. If Heather''s not careful... She stopped that thought. No, she wouldn''t say... things like... She looked at Arnold''s arms flex and cut inch thick branches without pausing. Okay, I think I will have to caution her the next time I can get her alone.


    Arnold worked for three more hours and managed to just get the last of the hedges squared off when it was time for Claire to leave.


    ¡°I''ll be back in a little while.¡± Claire said. She had already taken a shower and changed, so she didn''t have to worry about asking Arnold to come into the house with her. ¡°When you finish cleaning that up and put it in the pile, put everything away and go inside to shower in the spare room like you did yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and kept working while Claire left him alone and went to pick up Heather and Kelly. He took several wheelbarrows full of branches, twigs, and leaves to dump them into the double pile of debris at the back of the property. He finished fairly quickly, since he had a lot of practice doing the same thing for nearly two days straight. He took the things he used and wiped them off and put them back in the little shed, then went inside to get a shower.


    The car pulled in just as Arnold went up the stairs with his bag. Heather and Kelly were pretty loud as they talked animatedly and pretty much stormed into the house. Claire came in behind them and pointed to Kelly''s suitcase.


    ¡°Go ahead and take that upstairs.¡± Claire said and both girls grabbed the bag at the same time, laughed, then lifted it together. ¡°For god''s sake, don''t trip on the stairs.¡±


    Heather and Kelly kept laughing and ran up the stairs, despite the warning, and rushed into the spare room... then stopped dead as Arnold stood there completely naked in front of them.


    ¡°A-A-Arnold!¡± Heather and Kelly said at the same time.


    Heather was surprised at how good Arnold looked completely naked. She normally didn''t appreciate things like that; but this time, his slightly engorged muscles from working so hard were glistening with beads of sweat and her eyes followed several beads as they flowed over his skin. His arms were especially noticeable as the veins were popped a little and showed that he had strained them.


    Heather''s primitive mind leapt to the forefront of her thoughts and all she could think about was staring up at him as he made love to her. Kelly on the other hand, was completely shocked and only saw one thing.


    Arnold''s penis.


    Either fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it, Arnold was a shower and not a grower. Everything Kelly currently saw was almost exactly what she would see if he was excited, except for where the tip currently pointed and its lack of firmness.


    ¡°I was just going to get a shower.¡± Arnold said and started to turn away.


    ¡°Kiss me!¡± Heather exclaimed and he turned back and leaned in to give her a kiss. Her hands moved on their own as they rubbed his chest and then moved to his arms as they made out, then one of her hands slid down his abdomen and touched him. His body reacted as she gently stroked him and he became erect for her. She broke the kiss and her eyes were a little wild as she thought about going down on him again.


    ¡°Heather!¡± Kelly exclaimed and that was enough to bring her back to her senses.


    Heather looked at her friend and then back at Arnold, while her hand kept slowly stroking him. ¡°I think Kelly is starting to see why I like having you as a boyfriend, Arnold.¡± She said and gave him a quick kiss. ¡°Kelly''s my best friend and I''m very tempted to show her what we did the other day.¡±


    ¡°If you want to.¡± Arnold said and his hand reached for her crotch to rub it.


    ¡°You need to shower first.¡± Heather said and reluctantly let him go. ¡°We''ll be in my room.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and walked into the bathroom in the spare room.


    Heather watched him get in the shower, then she took Kelly''s hand and led her from the spare room, shut the door, then went to her room across the hall.


    ¡°Heather...¡± Kelly started to say that she had taken her hand with the hand she had stroked Arnold with.


    Heather let her hand go and sat down on the bed. ¡°I want him, Kelly. I want him so bad!¡±


    Kelly knew the proper response for that statement. ¡°Really? I couldn''t tell.¡±


    Heather had wide eyes for a moment, then she laughed and fell backwards onto the bed. She held onto her belly and kept laughing.

 21 Another Job

    ¡°Are you really going to... you know.¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°Hmm? Oh. I don''t know.¡± Heather said to tease her, then she chuckled. ¡°We have homework to do.¡± She said. ¡°Even though I''m really horny, I suppose I can''t enjoy that right now.¡±


    ¡°Probably not.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I... ah... need to wash my hands.¡± She said and went to Heather''s bathroom and turned on the faucet in the sink, then paused when she reached for the soap. She stared at the hand Heather had held, then almost against her will, the hand moved towards her face. She took in a long sniff with her nose.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Heather asked from right beside her.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Kelly gasped and jumped from the scare.


    Heather laughed at her reaction. ¡°Hey, if you want a better smell, here.¡± She held her hand up to her friend''s face. ¡°Go ahead and get a good whiff.¡±


    Kelly tried to move away, so Heather moved her hand in and rubbed it all over her friend''s face.


    ¡°EWW!¡± Kelly yelled and ignored her curiosity and washed her hands and then her face. ¡°I can''t believe you just did that.¡± She said and dried them off.


    Heather washed her hands, too. ¡°I can''t believe you liked seeing Arnold''s penis enough to try smelling it second hand!¡±


    ¡°I... that''s not... I was just...¡± Kelly''s face went red. ¡°You''re going to twist anything I say.¡±


    Heather laughed again and put an arm over her shoulders. ¡°Kelly, you''re my best friend.¡± She said and led her back into the bedroom. ¡°You know I''m going to tease you until you get your first serious boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°Where am I going to find a serious boyfriend when most of them act like those idiots at school?¡±


    ¡°Don''t I know it!¡± Heather laughed and sat down. ¡°I''m so glad that I didn''t date Brad when he asked.¡±


    ¡°Saying no is such a stupid reason for him to keep picking on you.¡± Kelly said and sat beside her.


    ¡°I know, and there''s nothing I can really do about it.¡± Heather said. ¡°Even if I didn''t have such a great boyfriend like Arnold, I still wouldn''t date Brad, even if it would get him to shut up.¡±


    ¡°That wouldn''t shut him up.¡± Kelly laughed. ¡°He''d just be bragging about you to everyone.¡±


    ¡°Ain''t that the truth!¡± Heather laughed with her. ¡°I''m the best!¡±


    They sat there for several moments in silence, then Heather spoke.


    ¡°I think you deserve to have a boyfriend as great as Arnold, too.¡± Heather said.


    ¡°H-Heather, you''re the one that deserves it.¡± Kelly turned to sit facing her friend.


    ¡°You''re so sweet and cute that the thought of you being stuck with one of the neanderthals at school makes me want to gag.¡±


    Kelly snorted a laugh. ¡°Neanderthals?¡±


    ¡°It fits as a good description of Brad and his friends, doesn''t it?¡± Heather grinned at her and then saw someone step into the doorway of her room. ¡°Hey, look! It''s my now clothed handsome boyfriend!¡±


    Kelly turned her head to look at Arnold and saw that he wore a nice pair of jeans and a mostly buttoned shirt. To her credit, she didn''t look at his crotch to see if he was still hard. It had been quite difficult for her to fight that instinct, however.


    ¡°Do we have homework?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Yes. It''s not nearly the same amount as yesterday, thankfully.¡± Heather said.


    ¡°Can you show me what needs to be done?¡±


    ¡°We have all weekend to work on it.¡± Heather said.


    ¡°We do; but, Arnold isn''t staying here this weekend.¡± Kelly said, then she had a wicked thought. ¡°Is he staying here with us?¡±


    ¡°I really doubt that mom would let my boyfriend stay over for the whole weekend.¡± Heather said, then she looked at Arnold. ¡°Then again... maybe... if I asked nicely...¡±


    ¡°Let''s go downstairs and do our homework first.¡± Kelly said. ¡°If we do it now, we won''t have to worry about trying to get it done on Sunday night.¡±


    ¡°I guess that''s a good point.¡± Heather said and stood up. ¡°Mom might be in a good mood if she sees us getting it done first thing.¡±


    ¡°Plus, it leaves us the whole weekend to do whatever we want!¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Let''s do it.¡± Heather said and they stood and went with Arnold downstairs, grabbed their backpacks, and went to the dining room to do their homework.


    Claire saw them and walked over to see them unpack their school things, even though it was Friday. ¡°Okay, Heather. Who are you and where''s my real daughter?¡±


    Both Heather and Kelly laughed.


    ¡°Very funny, mom.¡± Heather said. ¡°We''re doing it so we won''t have to worry about doing it later.¡±


    ¡°I detect Kelly''s influence...¡± Claire said and looked at Arnold. ¡°...and perhaps you want to impress a certain young man that I am looking at right now.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for being subtle about it, mom.¡±


    Claire let out a soft laugh. ¡°I''m glad you''re being proactive, no matter the reason, sweetie.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll try to time supper for when you finish.¡±


    ¡°We don''t have as much this time, even though it''s the weekend.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Claire looked at their books and saw that it was significantly less than it was before. ¡°Then I''ll put the pasta on right now.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think we can be done that quickly, mom.¡± Heather said, because she knew pasta could be done anywhere from ten to twenty minutes. Her mom made a lot of different kinds of pasta.


    Claire laughed. ¡°It''s all right. The spaghetti can be cooked and left to sit, as long as you don''t overcook it. If you add some butter and a little bit of sauce after you drain it, it will keep for as long as you need it to.¡±


    ¡°Won''t it be cold?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°It will be, until I add some lightly simmering spaghetti sauce and a few meatballs. It warms the thin strands of pasta right up.¡± Claire said. ¡°You don''t have to worry about the food, dear. You three get to work and I''ll take care of it.¡±


    Arnold, Heather and Kelly worked on their homework and the girls had been right. There wasn''t as much to do and the questions weren''t as difficult. They were finished after only forty-five minutes and quickly packed everything up.


    ¡°I am so glad Mr. Hammish didn''t assign any essay questions this time.¡± Kelly said and put her backpack on the floor beside her chair. ¡°Those are always a pain!¡±


    ¡°They sure are.¡± Heather said and shook her head. ¡°What a waste of time just copying paragraphs out of the sociology book.¡±


    ¡°It''s so you''ll reread the content and remember it better when asked about it later.¡± Claire said and brought out a huge platter that was heaped with spaghetti bolognese, with a little extra sauce in the center, and it had a row of meatballs around the rim.


    ¡°Mom, who are you feeding?¡± Heather started to laugh. ¡°I don''t see any giants around, do you?¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Bradshaw, I think you outdid yourself.¡± Kelly said and couldn''t help herself and laughed, too.


    Claire put the platter down. ¡°I spilled the whole damn box of spaghetti into the pot by mistake.¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡± Heather gasped. ¡°You''re not perfect!¡±


    ¡°Ha. Ha.¡± Claire said. ¡°You be quiet or I''ll use these tongs to swat your backside.¡±


    Heather''s and Kelly''s laughter died down and Claire served them fairly normal sized servings.


    ¡°I expected you to force us to eat it all.¡± Heather said and started to eat.


    ¡°I''m not that cruel to young and developing girls.¡± Claire said. ¡°I''ll be doing an extra set of squats in the morning to counter all the extra protein and carbs.¡±


    ¡°Just one set?¡± Kelly asked and looked at the mound of spaghetti and meatballs.


    ¡°Okay, maybe two.¡± Claire said and they all ate. She took a bit more for herself, since it tasted so good, and she gave another helping to Arnold. Seeing that the two of them were still eating, Kelly snuck a bit more and another meatball. When they were done, Claire sat back and rubbed her slightly puffier belly. Arnold gathered up their plates without being asked and took them to the sink.


    ¡°I shouldn''t have eaten that sixth meatball.¡± Claire said.


    ¡°Me, either.¡± Kelly said and copied her. ¡°It was delicious, Mrs. Bradshaw. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You''re welcome, Kelly.¡± Claire said and went to stand up. ¡°Ugh.¡± She groaned and sat back down. ¡°I think I need to digest this for a little while before I can drive you home, Arnold.¡± She said. ¡°Can you carry the platter back into the kitchen for me and put it on the counter?¡±


    Arnold nodded and took the platter into the kitchen.


    ¡°Mom, you can''t just...¡±


    ¡°Arnold can carry ten platters and not even bat an eye.¡± Claire said. ¡°There are things you need to worry about; but, him carrying food into the kitchen is not one of them.¡±


    Heather stopped herself from sighing.


    ¡°We''ll have a nice long talk tomorrow while Arnold is working.¡±


    ¡°What? I thought... aren''t the hedges done?¡± Heather asked as Arnold came back into the room.


    ¡°We need to mulch up the huge piles of debris at the back of the property.¡± Claire said. ¡°I''m also tempted to reseed the grass and maybe add a bit of fertilizer.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± Kelly whispered. ¡°You have him actually working and he''s not just... well...¡±


    ¡°Walking around and looking handsome?¡± Claire asked and laughed as Kelly blushed. ¡°I''m not running a charity and just giving money away. He''s going to be well paid for the work he''s doing.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve already had a few of the neighbours ask about him, too.¡±


    ¡°What? Really?¡± Heather asked.


    ¡°Arnold is a hard worker and that''s kind of rare to find these days.¡±


    ¡°So, he could be working a lot on the weekends.¡± Heather said, a little sadly.


    ¡°Don''t jump ahead of yourself.¡± Claire cautioned her. ¡°I think we need to help guide him a bit more before he can accept doing yard work for other people.¡±


    Heather gave her mother a knowing look and slowly nodded.


    ¡°Well, while I waddle over to the living room to let this food settle, the three of you can go on upstairs for a while.¡± Claire said and stood up and chuckled. ¡°Yes, I definitely ate too much.¡±


    ¡°Is it sore?¡± Arnold asked and Heather caught her breath.


    ¡°No, it isn''t sore. Thank you, Arnold.¡± Claire said and walked away.


    Heather took Arnold''s hand and the three of them went down the hallway and up the stairs to go to Heather''s room. Once inside, she shut the door and walked over to the bed. She sat down and Arnold sat next to her, and Kelly wasn''t sure what to do because Arnold now sat in her normal spot. She thought about sitting on Heather''s other side; but, that just seemed weird. Sitting beside Arnold also seemed weird, so she turned and saw the desk with the computer.


    Kelly went to it and turned it on, then sat down to wait for it to start. ¡°Heather, did you have any luck working with that program?¡±


    ¡°Hell no.¡± Heather laughed. ¡°I can''t figure out much more than what we did the other night.¡±


    Kelly chuckled. ¡°If someone could develop a good user interface, the program would kick ass.¡±


    The computer came on and Kelly started checking on a few things.


    ¡°Do you want me to kiss it and make it feel better?¡± Arnold asked Heather.


    ¡°I don''t feel like it right now. Thank you, though.¡± Heather said and gave him a kiss, then she kissed him a bit more, then moved off of his lips and kissed his cheek, then moved down to nuzzle his neck.


    Kelly relaxed and hadn''t realized she had tensed up. She was worried that Heather was actually going to go through with it and let her see them going at it. The problem was that she was disappointed that she wasn''t going to see them going at it. With that on her mind, it immediately showed her the mental picture she had taken of Heather casually stroking Arnold right in front of her.


    Kelly''s face turned bright red and she desperately needed something to distract her. VR! She thought and quickly set up the demo program she liked so much. She liked some of the available games; but, she wasn''t at home and didn''t have access to her own accounts. Plus, the demos were just mindless fun and didn''t require a lot of thought. She reached for Heather''s VR headset and then she felt a set of eyes bore into the back of her skull. She turned her head and saw Arnold was staring at her with such intensity that it gave her a shiver.


    ¡°I''m... just... playing a demo.¡± Kelly said and couldn''t tell if it was a good shiver or a bad shiver.


    Heather stopped nuzzling Arnold and looked at her as well. ¡°What one?¡±


    ¡°Puzzle Panorama.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Oh, that old thing.¡± Heather said. ¡°You beat that a hundred times already.¡±


    Kelly shrugged. ¡°I like it.¡±


    ¡°Can I watch?¡± Arnold asked.


    Kelly looked at Heather and back at him. ¡°But... shouldn''t you...¡±


    ¡°It''s fine.¡± Heather said with a smile. ¡°Arnold''s coming here tomorrow to work.¡±


    Which means it should be easy for you to come up with an excuse to let him stay for the night. Kelly thought and nodded understanding. ¡°Okay, you can watch.¡±


    Arnold stood up and walked over to her, eased the chair back slightly from the desk and moved her legs apart, then he sat down on the floor between her legs and stared at the screen. Kelly looked down at him in surprise and then looked at Heather.


    ¡°That''s what I do when he''s using the computer.¡± Heather said and stood up. ¡°I''m going to be busy for a bit, so don''t have too much fun without me.¡± She walked over to the bathroom and shut the door.


    Kelly sat there for a moment to gather her thoughts, then she took a breath and let it out. ¡°Okay, the screen is going to show you the basic view while I get the full VR view.¡±


    ¡°What''s that mean?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°You see it on a flat screen and I see it all around me.¡±


    ¡°How does that work?¡± Arnold asked. ¡°Our eyes face forward.¡±


    Kelly smiled. ¡°I can turn my head in the game and can see all around inside the game.¡±


    ¡°Are all the games like that?¡±


    ¡°A lot of the commercial ones are, yes.¡± Kelly said. ¡°The basic VR setup can handle a lot of things; but, it''s a little clunky because it relies on hand controls and your physical responses.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like there''s a better VR setup.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°If you had lots of money, you could buy a full immersion setup.¡± Kelly said and slipped on the VR headset and started the program. ¡°When you load a program with it, it''s like you''re really there.¡±


    ¡°Do you have one?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°I wish!¡± Kelly said and went through the menu options and chose the puzzle she wanted. ¡°I''d love to do this game in full immersion!¡±


    Arnold watched the screen as a planet he never saw before zoomed in, then he saw an odd-shaped continent, an island, and then a set of ruins. It was amazing. Just watching it like that set his mind alight with possibilities, and then two disembodied hands appeared and grabbed the screen and the ruins zoomed in closer.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Do that again.¡±


    Kelly did and the ruins zoomed past and showed an intricate floating puzzle made of stone bricks.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°A puzzle I need to figure out.¡± Kelly said and the disembodied hands grabbed the puzzle and spun it. ¡°I''ve done it a lot, and even so, I still enjoy coming back and doing it again.¡± She pushed one of the blocks in and three popped out.


    ¡°How do you decide what to do?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°You don''t.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°It''s a guessing game.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I could have pushed any of the bricks and other bricks would have popped out. Depending on what you do, they react in a different way.¡±


    ¡°How do you know you solved it?¡± Arnold asked, confused.


    ¡°For this one, green is good and red is bad.¡± Kelly said and pushed a brick back into the pile and two bricks popped out and showed red underneath. ¡°You keep pushing bricks until none pop out.¡±


    ¡°I don''t understand.¡± Arnold said. ¡°How do you find a pattern in the randomness?¡±


    Kelly chuckled. ¡°If you do puzzles all the time like I do, you''ll discover the truth.¡± She said. ¡°Randomness is a pattern all on its own.¡±


    ¡°What... what did you say?¡± Arnold said quite loudly and turned around to kneel between her legs and looked at her face.


    Kelly paused the game when she felt him move and put the controls down, then slipped off the headset. ¡°When you see something that seems to be random, that tells you there''s a pattern to discover.¡± She said. ¡°Randomness is only a trick that the mind plays on you until you can make sense of things.¡±


    Arnold stared into her eyes for several moments as he thought about her words. ¡°Kelly, you''re really smart.¡±


    Kelly opened her mouth to say that she wasn''t, then she realized he had complimented her. Arnold, the stoic and cold boy that people didn''t talk to because he seemed so odd, actually gave her a compliment. She really didn''t know how to respond to that.


    ¡°How''s it going out here?¡± Heather asked as she opened her bathroom door and came out wearing just a towel.


    ¡°Heather!¡± Kelly exclaimed. ¡°Arnold is... he just... you''re only wearing a towel!¡±


    Heather laughed and walked over to her dresser and grabbed a pair of underwear, tiny shorts, and a tiny t-shirt. ¡°He''s seen me mostly naked already.¡±


    ¡°He has, has he?¡± Claire asked and opened Heather''s bedroom door all the way.


    ¡°MOM!¡± Heather exclaimed. ¡°You... were you spying on me?¡±


    ¡°I came up to get Arnold, actually.¡± Claire said. ¡°Arnold, grab your things and wait for me by the front door. It''s time I take you home.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and stood up.


    Heather stepped towards him. ¡°Can I at least say good-¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Claire cut her off. ¡°You and I need to have a talk later.¡± She said. ¡°A nice long talk.¡±


    Oh, shit. Heather thought, then all she could do was nod.


    Claire stepped out of the way to let Arnold pass, then gave her daughter a pointed stare and left.

 22 Aftermath

    Arnold laid in bed that night and his mind raced and went over Kelly''s words. Randomness has a pattern. A pattern of randomness. Randomness has its own pattern. Randomness is the pattern. Then his mind clicked into high gear. Randomness isn''t random!


    Needless to say, Arnold didn''t sleep a wink all night.


    *


    Heather was on the edge of tears as she laid in her bed and felt terrible. She hadn''t been verbally berated by her mother in a long time. Even though she was older now, it stung just as much this time as it did when she was a child, especially since she should have known better than to push her luck like she had. She had been too brazen, too sure of herself, and her mother had called her on it.


    Heather had apologized several times and her mother didn''t really hear her, because her mother knew that the apology wasn''t as sincere as it could have been. She was eighteen and she was old enough to make decisions on her own. Her mother on the other hand, didn''t see making the decision to walk around naked and to have oral sex in her house was the right one.


    Even Kelly had been dragged into the conversation for not telling her mother about what had been going on. Her friend had wilted under her mother''s angry rant and had slunk off to the spare room when it was over, without even saying goodnight.


    *


    Kelly laid in bed in the spare room and was worried about Heather. She had never seen Heather''s mother that angry before and had to retreat to the spare room when told to go to bed. She couldn''t hold her friend and comfort her after being yelled at, and that hurt her heart. She waited for some time, then she decided that she couldn''t lay there any longer while her friend was in distress.


    Kelly slipped out of bed and carefully opened the spare room door. She didn''t make a sound as she crept across the hallway and inched Heather''s door open. She knew it would be silent as well, because Heather''s mom had opened it earlier and it didn''t make any noise then. She slid into the room and eased the door shut, then walked over to the bed. Her still awake friend stared at her with wide eyes, so Kelly lifted the blanket and crawled in beside her. She had barely gotten under the covers when Heather took her into a tight hug and let the tears flow.


    *


    Claire laid in bed and slightly regretted coming down hard on her daughter for being so stupid. She knew that Arnold was a very impressionable boy and had even been warned about it. Claire had her own experiences with just how Arnold would act, and her mind went over her daughter''s admission that she had been on her knees and had pleased him with her mouth until he came.


    How could she be so stupid? Claire asked herself in exasperation. Poor Arnold probably had no idea what the hell she was doing to him. She sighed and rolled over onto her side. Arnold is old enough to have had that talk with his mother, I''m sure. She thought. Still, I might have to talk with him myself and make sure that he hasn''t been traumatized by what Heather did.


    What Claire didn''t know was that Annie''s special talk with Arnold had included a lot of erroneous details that she thought Arnold might encounter, now that he had a girlfriend. She wouldn''t describe how things felt or what specifically was going to happen, since it was a little different for everyone when they experienced it. She also didn''t want him to have any preconceptions that wouldn''t or couldn''t be met when it happened.


    Annie had pretty much given Arnold a general outline for what sex entailed, in no particular order, and she had been pretty sure that he was prepared enough to handle the situation properly. She had expected any sex acts would happen at relatively the same time however, and hadn''t accounted for the acts to be spread out over several days.


    Heather''s technique to slowly acclimate Arnold to her desires was not something Annie or Claire had been prepared for. It was both sneaky and smart for her to do that, considering the time restraints that had been placed upon her.


    At least she didn''t try to do it at school or try to sneak around outside somewhere. Claire thought and closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep. I overreacted and I think I''ll apologize to her and Kelly in the morning.


    *


    The next day, Arnold was out of bed and dressed for work without being asked. He wasn''t quite at the happy stage, not in the general sense; but, when he sat down at the kitchen table to eat, his mother noticed the slight change in his demeanor.


    ¡°Arnold, are you okay?¡± Annie asked and served him breakfast.


    Arnold nodded and started to eat like he normally did. Annie sat next to him and wondered what was different about him, then a thought occurred to her.


    ¡°Arnold, did you have sex?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°Not all of it.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie did her best to hide her surprise. ¡°What... what part...¡±


    ¡°Oral sex.¡± Arnold answered.


    Annie let out a relaxed sigh for a moment, then she realized what he said. ¡°Which one?¡±


    ¡°Both.¡± Arnold said and finished eating.


    Annie sat there with her mouth open a little in surprise as he took the plate and rinsed it off and washed his hands. ¡°What... what did you think of it?¡±


    ¡°I''ve never seen kisses like that before.¡± Arnold said, truthfully.


    Kisses? Annie thought, then she went over how it would look from his point of view when Heather had gone down on him. I guess it would look like a kiss. ¡°Are you going to do it again?¡± What am I asking him that for?!? I don''t want to know! I don''t!


    ¡°I asked her yesterday and she said she didn''t feel like it.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie was immediately angered by this and stood up. He finally asks for something he wants from her and she has the gall to say no? She took a deep breath and let it out, so that her anger wouldn''t color her words. ¡°I think I need to have a talk with Claire about her daughter.¡±


    Arnold shrugged. ¡°Is my bag ready?¡±


    Annie nodded and waved to the front door where she had put his bag.


    Arnold stepped close to her and gave her a hug. ¡°I love you, mom.¡± He said and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Annie said. ¡°I''ll see you tonight.¡±


    Arnold let her go and walked over to the door and picked up his bag and waited for his drive.


    *


    Claire hadn''t slept much during the night and got up later than she had planned. Even after a shower and getting changed, she was still a little groggy when she walked to her daughter''s room and knocked.


    ¡°Heather, can I come in?¡±


    ¡°S-sure.¡± Heather said and sat up and tried to cover the Kelly-sized lump by ruffling the blanket and tried to make the bed look messy.


    Claire opened the door and saw the mess of the bed and then looked at her daughter''s tear stained face and bloodshot eyes. ¡°Heather, I... may have overreacted last night.¡±


    ¡°Mom, I really am sorry.¡± Heather said. ¡°I just... Arnold is so... I couldn''t help it.¡±


    Claire sighed. ¡°I know he''s tempting; but, you can''t be doing things like that.¡± She said. ¡°I know I told you to grab hold of him and don''t let go...¡±


    There was a muffled squeak from under the blanket.


    ¡°...I didn''t mean for you to literally grab him by the penis.¡± Claire finished. ¡°There are certain times and places to do things like that, and sneaking around behind my back to do them is neither the time nor the place.¡±


    ¡°Mom, I know.¡± Heather said and Claire looked at her with a question on her face. ¡°I realized it when I walked in on Arnold getting ready to have a shower yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°He stood there in the spare room, completely naked, and he... he was covered in sweat and... his muscles were... he looked delicious.¡± Heather said, her face bright red. ¡°I told him to kiss me.¡±


    ¡°Heather...¡± Claire started to admonish her.


    ¡°Let me finish.¡± Heather said to cut off the rant before it started. ¡°The spare room door was wide open and I didn''t care. All that mattered was having him kiss me right away. When he did, I played with him and got him hard.¡±


    ¡°Good god, Heather.¡± Claire sighed.


    ¡°I wanted to suck him off right there, mom.¡± Heather said, her voice full of confidence and her blush faded. ¡°Do you know what I did then?¡±


    Claire had a really good idea and didn''t say it.


    ¡°I told him to go and get a shower.¡± Heather said, to her surprise. ¡°He did. He didn''t push me, or beg me to keep going, or call me a tease for not going further.¡± She said. ¡°Mom, he''s the best boyfriend I''ve ever had. I don''t want to ruin it or cheapen it by sneaking around and only getting little thrills.¡±


    ¡°Heather.¡± Claire was surprised by her daughter''s maturity that seemed to appear out of nowhere.


    ¡°I know I''ve done that in the past, and I''m sorry.¡± Heather said. ¡°I''m done with wanting to sneak around, mom. Arnold is my boyfriend and I want him to have sex with me. Right here. In my bed.¡±


    Claire was about to comment when her daughter spoke again and stopped her.


    ¡°Tonight, mom.¡± Heather said. ¡°I want Arnold to stay over tonight.¡±


    Claire was stunned. ¡°Heather...¡±


    ¡°I know it''s a lot to ask, mom. I really do. I''m not saying that we will have sex, because he might be tired from work or I might not feel like it.¡± Heather said. ¡°I want your permission to have him here in my bed, just in case it does.¡±


    Claire closed her eyes and dropped her head a little. I really was too hard on her last night. She thought. She would never think to ask me something like this before I ranted at her. She sighed and opened her eyes and saw the resolve on her daughter''s face. ¡°Let me think about it.¡±


    Heather nodded and Claire turned to leave.


    ¡°If you happen to see Kelly around, try not to gloat too much when you tell her what you asked me for.¡± Claire said and shut the bedroom door as she left. After a few moments, the blanket was thrown off the bed.


    ¡°Oh. My. GOD!¡± Kelly yelled. ¡°HEATHER!¡±


    Heather wiped at her face and let out a laugh. ¡°I can''t believe I just said that to my mom.¡±


    ¡°You can''t!¡± Kelly exclaimed and flopped down onto the pillow, then she laughed. ¡°Wow.¡±


    Heather laid back down and the two of them stared up at the ceiling. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    They were silent as they heard the car drive away.


    ¡°Do you think she''s going to say yes?¡± Kelly asked in a whisper.


    She already did when she didn''t say no. Heather thought and smiled.


    *


    ¡°She''s late.¡± Annie said and looked at the clock. ¡°I wonder why?¡±


    Arnold stood there and waited without saying anything. A car pulled up and didn''t honk the horn. Both Annie and Arnold went to the front door to see who it was. Claire had parked in the driveway and walked towards the house, so Annie opened the front door to greet her.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± They said at the same time.


    ¡°Annie, I''d like to speak to you about something.¡±


    ¡°Claire, I''d like to speak to you about something.¡±


    Both women had to smile at that, then Annie touched Arnold''s shoulder.


    ¡°Arnold, go wait in the car. Claire and I need to talk for a minute.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and went to the car and climbed into the back seat.


    ¡°Come in.¡± Annie said and stepped back to let Claire go inside. She shut the door and walked over to the living room and motioned for Claire to sit and sat down herself. They looked at each other for a moment, then both spoke.


    ¡°It''s about Heather.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°It''s about my daughter.¡± Claire said, and chuckled. ¡°It''s your house, so you first.¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°Your daughter has made sexual advances towards my son.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Claire said. ¡°I found out late last night.¡±


    ¡°That makes this easier.¡± Annie said. ¡°Yesterday, Arnold expected to have oral sex with her and she said no.¡±


    Claire sighed. ¡°I just found that out this morning.¡± She said. ¡°I''m sorry that...¡±


    Annie held a hand up to stop her. ¡°I had ''the talk'' with Arnold, so he knows what to expect with a girlfriend.¡± She said. ¡°What I hadn''t accounted for was Heather trying to sneak around and hide it.¡±


    ¡°You... planned for him to have sex with her?¡± Claire asked, a little surprised.


    ¡°He''s eighteen and quite handsome, according to a certain eighteen year old girl.¡± Annie said with a smile and Claire chuckled. ¡°I told you before that Arnold very rarely ever asks for something.¡±


    Claire nodded. She knew to watch out for those things and to let Annie know.


    ¡°Arnold asked Heather for oral sex yesterday.¡± Annie said and saw the surprise on Claire''s face. ¡°Yes, it''s a surprise, mainly because he only asks when he wants something. If he asked...¡±


    ¡°Oh, god.¡± Claire said. ¡°You''re not upset that they have been doing it like I am, you''re upset that she said no when he asked.¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°I''ve told you that almost nothing gets his attention, and for him to be excited about something besides his specimens...¡±


    ¡°So, you''re okay if he has sex.¡± Claire said, still a little surprised. ¡°Actual sex, I mean.¡±


    Annie let out a sigh, then chuckled. ¡°Intercourse is a part of his development. If it happens and he actually likes it, then maybe he will start to open up a little.¡±


    ¡°What if he doesn''t like it?¡± Claire asked.


    ¡°Then neither of us have to worry too much about them going at it like rabbits.¡±


    Claire stared at her for a second and then laughed. ¡°I was so worried about talking to you about this that I was shaking like a leaf.¡± She held her hand up and it trembled slightly. ¡°Now I feel like I''m being schooled in keeping a calm composure.¡±


    Annie smiled. ¡°He knows to use protection when with her, so you don''t have to worry about that, either.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank god.¡± Claire said, relief clearly on her face. ¡°I wasn''t sure how I was going to explain prophylactics and their application to two teenagers that are eager to hurry up and have sex!¡±


    ¡°I wish I had a camera to record it when I had the talk with Arnold.¡± Annie laughed. ¡°Talk about awkward!¡± She shook her head. ¡°When I was done, he was surprised... actually surprised... when he found out that we do it for fun and not just to have kids.¡±


    Claire''s mouth fell open in surprise.


    ¡°Yes! He looked just like that!¡± Annie said and laughed.


    Claire closed her mouth and had to laugh, too. ¡°All right. I understand.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll have another talk with Heather and I''ll make sure that when Arnold asks for something, she should do it right then or tell him she''ll do it later and then do it.¡±


    Annie let out a sigh. ¡°I know this is a huge bother for you, Claire.¡±


    ¡°It''s not that big of a bother, now that I understand the pieces in play.¡± Claire said and then she smiled.


    ¡°Pieces in play?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°Now we need to talk about why I wanted to talk to you.¡± Claire said. ¡°After I yelled and hollered at Heather for doing those things behind my back, and in my house no less, this morning she... well, she called me out on my rant.¡±


    Annie looked at her with raised eyebrows.


    ¡°She said she doesn''t want to sneak around anymore and wants my permission to have sex in the house. In her bed. With Arnold.¡±


    Annie smiled. ¡°That''s pretty... bold... for a daughter to say to her mother.¡±


    ¡°You were going to say ''ballsy'' weren''t you?¡± Claire asked and she nodded. ¡°Well, you might say something else when I tell you what else she said.¡± She let Annie wait for a moment, then she spoke. ¡°She wants Arnold to sleep in her bed tonight.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Annie asked. I couldn''t have heard that right, could I?


    ¡°She said they might not have sex; but, she wants him to be there in case it does.¡± Claire said. ¡°The downside of being bold is they ask for bold things.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I was worried that my daughter was corrupting Arnold with her proclivities and then you asked me to make sure that when he asks, to make sure he gets it.¡±


    ¡°I... well...¡± Annie couldn''t retract her statement, even knowing Arnold''s sex life was about to take a huge upturn.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Annie.¡± Claire said and stood up. ¡°When I talk to Heather, I''ll make sure she understands what Arnold asking her for something really means.¡±


    ¡°That... well...¡± Annie couldn''t counter that statement, either.


    Claire put a hand on her shoulder, then she leaned down to give her a hug. ¡°I made a promise to you that nothing bad will happen to Arnold and I intend to keep that promise.¡± She said and let her go. ¡°I''ll keep them apart and delay it for as long as possible, so rest assured. When it happens, it''ll be perfect and full of anticipation on both their parts.¡±


    ¡°O-okay.¡± Annie said, a little stunned by the turn of the conversation.


    ¡°I better go. I need to rent a wood chipper so Arnold can keep working.¡± Claire said and walked towards the front door. ¡°I''m really glad we had this talk, Annie.¡± She said, gave her a wave, and left.

 23 Clarify That

    Claire rented the wood chipper and then paid for delivery. The truck followed her and they dropped the large wood chipper at the end of her driveway that was closest to the back yard. The man gave her the same explanation that she gave Arnold about servicing equipment and to never, ever, put their hands or other appendages inside either end at any time. Arnold listened as well and the man started it up and showed them how it worked, then turned it off and left.


    ¡°I''ll get the garbage bags, Arnold. You go and get the wheelbarrow.¡± Claire said. ¡°We''ll have to bring the debris here to mulch it.¡±


    Arnold nodded and went to get the wheelbarrow, then took it to the backyard and started to fill it. Claire came out with a large box of garbage bags and set up a bag on the end of the machine. Arnold came back and turned on the machine, then quickly tossed in everything from the wheelbarrow. He turned it off and went back for another load.


    ¡°Mom! We''re going to the mall!¡± Heather said loudly.


    ¡°We need to talk again when you get back!¡± Claire said. ¡°Be careful!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Heather said as she grabbed Kelly''s hand and they walked quickly down the driveway. They walked down the street and then around the corner.


    ¡°Are we really going to do this?¡± Kelly asked and Heather smiled.


    ¡°The bus will be at the stop in ten minutes.¡± Heather said and picked up her pace. ¡°We should get there just in time.¡±


    ¡°Heather... are you sure?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°I''m positive.¡± Heather said and smiled. ¡°You''ll help me pick out some good ones, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Kelly said and then she smiled, too. ¡°Arnold won''t know what to do with himself.¡±


    After the twenty minute bus ride to the mall, the two slightly giddy young women spent over two hours looking through lingerie and even tried some on, after taking the store''s recommended precautions, of course. No one wanted to try on underwear someone else tried on without being cautious about it. They eventually decided on a nice black lace push up bra with a matching pair of panties that only had lace and no other fabric. Both items barely covered her naughty bits and Heather was fine with that.


    The best part was that it was on sale and they left the shop quite happy with their purchase. Heather and Kelly grabbed a box of mixed donuts and then rode the bus back to the stop. They held in their giggles until they were walking back to the house.


    ¡°I can''t believe you bought them!¡± Kelly laughed.


    ¡°Don''t say that!¡± Heather laughed, too. ¡°You have to convince me to wear them!¡±


    Kelly snorted and they both kept laughing. They calmed down as they approached Heather''s house and then walked up the driveway.


    ¡°We''re back!¡± Heather said loudly, then the sound of the wood chipper cut off.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Claire asked and peered around the large machine.


    ¡°I have donuts!¡± Heather said and held up the big box.


    ¡°Arnold, it''s time to break for lunch.¡± Claire said and Arnold came around from the other side. The both of them were sweating a lot and they followed Heather and Kelly inside.


    ¡°You guys get first pick.¡± Heather said and put the box on the counter and opened it, while Claire and Arnold washed their hands in the sink. Kelly took the opportunity and slipped by Heather and took the small bag down the hall and up the stairs.


    ¡°Ooo, I want that one.¡± Claire said and picked a caramel covered white doughnut with red sprinkles. ¡°Mmm, caramel.¡± She said and practically kissed it as she took a huge bite.


    Arnold grabbed the closest one and started to eat it without a comment.


    ¡°You''re working hard on a Saturday, so I thought you needed a treat.¡± Heather said and took a double chocolate one, which was a chocolate doughnut with chocolate icing, and it had white sprinkles.


    ¡°I like the icing sugar coated ones.¡± Kelly said and moved around the box to grab one and saw that it was gone. ¡°Hey, what...¡± She looked to see who took it and saw that Arnold had it partially gone. ¡°Oh. You took it.¡±


    Arnold stopped eating and looked at the doughnut he had in his hand. He had only taken two small bites out of it, so he walked over to the counter by the wall, grabbed a small knife, and came back to the counter. He used the box top as a cutting board and carefully and expertly sliced off the parts with his lip and teeth marks on it and left two-thirds of the doughnut untouched, then he held it out to Kelly.


    ¡°Arnold, you... you didn''t have to do that.¡± Kelly said and took the offered doughnut.


    Arnold ate the small cut off piece and then grabbed the next doughnut in the box and started to eat. Heather and her mother glanced at each other and then at Arnold. Claire had told Heather that Arnold ate mechanically and usually didn''t stop unless told to, so this was a surprise for them.


    Kelly hadn''t noticed the difference and just appreciated the gesture. He could have kept eating it and said he was sorry, and instead he cut off the part where he bit it and gave it to me. She thought and took a bite from the cut end. That was really nice of him.


    ¡°It''s a little odd to eat dessert first.¡± Claire said and licked some caramel off of her fingers. ¡°Does anyone want a meatball sub for lunch?¡±


    ¡°I can wait for supper.¡± Heather said with a smile. ¡°I think two doughnuts killed my appetite.¡±


    Claire chuckled. ¡°Kelly?¡±


    ¡°I can wait, too.¡± Kelly said and finished her doughnut. At that moment, she didn''t want any other food in her mouth to distract her from what Arnold just gave her.


    ¡°Arnold, eat another doughnut and we''ll get back to work.¡± Claire said and Arnold grabbed the next doughnut in the box and it was gone in a couple seconds. This surprised them, especially Kelly, since Arnold had the powdered sugar doughnut for at least a minute and had only taken two small bites. He washed his hands and put on his work gloves and was out the back door a few seconds later.


    ¡°Kelly, why don''t you go upstairs and wait for Heather. I need to have a quick talk with her.¡± Claire said. ¡°It''s not another rant, so you don''t need to worry.¡±


    Kelly let out a sigh, nodded, and walked down the hallway and went up the stairs.


    ¡°Heather, I had an interesting talk with Arnold''s mother this morning.¡±


    Heather had a look of surprise on her face for only a moment, then gave the best blank face that her mother had seen since Arnold''s.


    ¡°Before I get into specifics, the answer is yes.¡±


    Heather took in a deep breath to yell happily and Claire reached out and grabbed her arm.


    ¡°Hush!¡± Claire spat and shook her a little. ¡°This isn''t a game where you just won a prize!¡±


    Heather closed her mouth and knew she shouldn''t argue about winning. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°I''m allowing this only because Annie is allowing it.¡± Claire said. ¡°There are also some conditions that I need to warn you about.¡±


    ¡°Conditions?¡± Heather asked, a little confused.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Claire let her arm go, so that she wouldn''t grip it too hard to try and get her point across. ¡°Annie knows about Arnold asking you for oral sex yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Wh-wh-what?!?¡± Heather stuttered, shocked.


    ¡°I''m pretty sure she asked Arnold about what''s been going on. Since he''s straightforward in everything he does, he told her.¡± Claire said. ¡°She reminded me of something as well.¡±


    ¡°What... what''s that?¡± Heather asked.


    ¡°Arnold almost never asks for anything.¡± Claire said. ¡°When he does, it usually means he really wants it. As in, you should give it to him as soon as he asks or tell him to wait until later and then give it to him.¡±


    ¡°But... mom...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know you weren''t in the mood yesterday and told him no.¡± Claire said and walked around the counter to stand in front of her daughter. ¡°You were being mature about it and knew you would be using him for your own pleasure, so you said no and I respect you for doing the right thing.¡±


    Heather blinked her eyes for a moment, because she hadn''t heard those words from her mother before.


    ¡°But, we both know Arnold isn''t quite the typical male. He''s full of odd quirks and he doesn''t react to certain things like normal people.¡±


    ¡°Mom, he... he''s...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know.¡± Claire said. ¡°I also know that the lingerie you bought won''t affect him at all.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Heather''s eyes were wide.


    ¡°He doesn''t notice things like that or he disregards it as not important.¡± Claire said. ¡°So, when you reveal it to him tonight and he doesn''t say you look beautiful or reacts at how revealing it is, do NOT get angry at him.¡±


    Heather was going to deny getting angry if it happened, then she sighed. She had to admit to herself that she would be hurt if he didn''t at least say she looked pretty when she showed off for him.


    ¡°I''m glad you understand.¡± Claire said. ¡°Also, I don''t want you to ask him to do anything odd or weird.¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡± Heather''s face flushed red as she blushed.


    ¡°It will be his first sexual experience, Heather. What you do tonight will be what he thinks all sexual encounters are going to be like in the future.¡±


    ¡°But... but...¡± Heather felt the pressure on her build up.


    ¡°Easy, now. Everyone thinks that for their first time.¡± Claire said and touched her arm and rubbed it. ¡°Plus, there''s no pressure to have sex tonight. He''s just going to be there in case it happens.¡±


    Heather took a breath and let it out as her own words were used against her.


    ¡°Heather, just... just make love to him... and don''t do anything funky.¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡± Heather exclaimed.


    ¡°Don''t tell me that you don''t know what I mean.¡± Claire said and pretty much dared her to say it.


    Heather opened her mouth to say that she didn''t know what her mother meant, then realized that she shouldn''t lie to her, not after admitting that she didn''t want to sneak around anymore.


    ¡°Okay. No weird positions, even though they feel way better, and...¡± Heather audibly swallowed. ¡°...no butt stuff.¡±


    Claire smiled. ¡°I''m glad you didn''t deny it.¡± She said and pat her arm. ¡°You make sure you do right by him tonight. Believe me, it will pay off in the long run.¡± She leaned in close and whispered. ¡°Later on, you can ask him for what you want and you know he won''t say no.¡±


    Heather didn''t say anything and just nodded.


    ¡°Good.¡± Claire said and the buzzing of the wood chipper starting up was loud in the kitchen. ¡°Arnold is doing another load of branches. I need to get out there, so go upstairs while I pretend that you''re not telling Kelly everything I just told you.¡±


    Heather chuckled and gave her mom a hug. ¡°Thanks, mom.¡±


    ¡°You''re my baby girl. I''ll always try my best for you.¡±


    ¡°I know, mom.¡± Heather said. ¡°You went to my boyfriend''s mother and asked for her permission for him to have sex with me.¡± She took her mom''s hand and squeezed it. ¡°I don''t know of any other mom that would do that.¡± She said and then smiled. ¡°That''s pretty ballsy.¡±


    Claire chuckled at the term, because Annie wanted to use it to describe her daughter. ¡°Now you know where you got it from.¡±


    Heather laughed, nodded, and walked away down the hall and then went up the stairs.


    Claire went outside and removed the full bag of mulch from the end of the machine and added another empty one while Arnold went for another wheelbarrow full of debris. They worked for another four hours and finally finished turning all of the debris into mulch. They had bags and bags of it and Claire looked at it all and laughed.


    ¡°Arnold, I can''t believe we did all of this.¡± Claire said and waved at them, then turned to look at the young man that had done the majority of the work. ¡°Thank you for doing all of this, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold nodded and didn''t respond, and she knew he wouldn''t, since she didn''t ask him a question.


    Claire stared at him and knew that he was going to have sex tonight. In her house. With her daughter. ¡°This is enough for today. Go inside and take a shower in the spare room and get changed.¡± She said. ¡°We''ll spread out the mulch tomorrow.¡±


    Arnod nodded and wiped off the wheelbarrow and put it back into the shed, then came back and wiped off the wood chipper as much as he could, without putting his hands near either end of the machine. With that done, he went inside and did as Claire told him.


    Claire called the number on the side of the rental machine and they sent someone over right away. She only had to wait ten minutes for the truck to arrive and the same man hooked it back up to take it away.


    ¡°No lost fingers, arms, or feet?¡± He asked with a laugh and Claire shook her head, so he gave her a wave and drove away.


    Claire went inside and went up the stairs to see the spare room door was open and Heather''s was not. She leaned against Heather''s door and heard giggling and moving around, so she walked over to the spare room and went inside. To her surprise, the bathroom door was open and then a very wet Arnold stepped out.


    Naked.


    Claire''s eyes roamed down his fairly muscular body, and since he had just done a lot of physically strenuous labour, they were popping with both strength and youthful vitality. Her gaze eventually dropped to his crotch and she stopped herself from licking her lips. Barely. She looked back up at his face and saw that he was watching her as he dried off.


    ¡°I guess now we''re even.¡± Claire said.


    ¡°Do not talk about seeing me naked with anyone except me and only when we are alone.¡± Arnold repeated the words she had said to him after he saw her naked and she had to smile.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Claire said and walked to the room''s door, then turned around to give him another look. ¡°By the way, you''re staying here tonight.¡±


    Arnold tilted his head slightly to look at her. He never stayed away from home all night before. ¡°Can you call my mom and tell her that I won''t be home until tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°She already knows.¡± Claire said. ¡°Get dressed and you can hang out in Heather''s room until supper.¡±


    Arnold nodded and Claire left the spare room to go to her own room to get a shower.


    *


    ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Kelly exclaimed when Heather told her that not only did her mom agree to let Arnold stay, that his own mother had agreed, too. ¡°Heather, you are so lucky!¡±


    Heather was pretty happy with the whole situation, even after her mother had told her what the deal was with Arnold. She had to agree that his first time had to be as normal as possible, so he would have a good base to expand from. After that, her mom was right. She could ask for what she wanted later.


    Kelly teased her a little about getting yet another guy''s first time and Heather teased her back about not losing hers yet. They laughed, talked, and carried on for quite some time, then her bedroom door opened and the object of their discussion stood there. Arnold wore black basketball shorts that revealed a lot of his legs and a thin blue t-shirt that clung to him so much that it looked like his muscles were trying to escape.


    ¡°Hi, handsome.¡± Heather said and stood up to walk over to him. ¡°I''d like a kiss, please.¡±


    Arnold took her into a hug and kissed her. Kelly had to look away so that she wouldn''t be reminded of him kissing her like that. After what seemed like a long time, she heard the smack of their lips parting and looked back to see Heather was looking at her.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Kelly.¡± Heather said.


    ¡°No, it''s okay! Really!¡± Kelly said and waved her hands in surrender. ¡°I just didn''t want to intrude.¡±


    Heather laughed and led Arnold over to the bed. ¡°I had to kiss him for coming in here after the last time mom kicked him out.¡± She said and sat down on the bed and had Arnold sit on the floor between her legs with his back to the bed. ¡°He''s pretty brave.¡± She said and stroked the sides of his head.


    ¡°I came here to hang out until supper.¡± Arnold said as he leaned his head back and looked up at her.


    ¡°Yes, you are very brave.¡± Heather smiled and leaned down to kiss him.

 24 Intro to VR

    Claire had prepared spaghetti and meat sauce for supper, using the spaghetti from the night before, lightly rinsed, and she add a spicy tomato sauce and crushed up most of the meatballs to give it a nice texture. Heather and Kelly didn''t know it was actually rehashed leftovers and enjoyed it as if it was all new food. Arnold ate it like he ate everything else and Claire wasn''t surprised by that.


    ¡°You''ve got a few hours before you have to turn in, so what do we all want to do?¡±


    ¡°I want to relax.¡± Heather said. ¡°I don''t care where.¡±


    Kelly barked a laugh before she could stop herself. ¡°Ah! Um... I don''t know.¡±


    Claire held in her laugh and looked at Arnold. ¡°What would you like to do, Arnold?¡±


    ¡°I want to watch Kelly play VR for a while and then try it myself.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Then we''ll do that.¡± Heather said. ¡°Go on ahead Kelly and get it started.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Kelly said and left the dining room.


    ¡°Arnold, help me clean up.¡± Claire said and Arnold helped clear the table of dirty dishes and the remains of the spaghetti. He washed his hands and dried them, then Heather brought him upstairs and to her room. Kelly was already there and Arnold took a seat between her legs to watch the screen and Heather relaxed on the bed to watch them.


    Kelly loaded up the next puzzle and put on the VR headset. Arnold watched her working on the puzzles for half an hour, then he tapped her knee.


    Kelly put the controllers down and took of the headset. ¡°What is it, Arnold?¡±


    ¡°Can you explain the controls?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Kelly said and gave him a crash course on how they worked.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Can I try it?¡±


    ¡°We have to switch places.¡± Kelly said and they both stood up, then Arnold sat down on the chair and she helped him put on the headset and handed him the controllers. ¡°They don''t work as well as normal controllers for games and aren''t as responsive, so don''t get frustrated if things move a little slower than normal.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said, then his head turned a hundred degrees to the left and then a hundred degrees to the right. ¡°The view really is inside the game like you said.¡±


    Kelly smiled. ¡°Can you manage to load the next puzzle or do you want me to show you again?¡±


    ¡°I can do it.¡± Arnold said and loaded the next puzzle.


    ¡°Now do the motion I showed you to pull it towards you.¡±


    Arnold did and the puzzle zoomed towards him and his mouth made that little ''o'' of surprise, because it looked so much different being inside the zoom when it happened than it did on a flat screen.


    ¡°You haven''t seen this puzzle before, so take your time and...¡± Kelly stopped talking as Arnold spun it around six times to a random side and then grabbed it, pushed block after block as quickly as the inside would light, then the bricks formed a perfect square and dinged.


    ¡°Holy crap.¡± Kelly whispered.


    Arnold loaded another puzzle and solved it just as quickly, then did the next... and that was it. ¡°That''s all? It''s over?¡± He asked as the words GAME OVER floated in front of him. He swatted at them with his hands and the letters he hit spun around. He did it again and let out a low chuckle.


    Both Kelly and Heather froze at the sound, because as far as they knew, he had never laughed. Ever.


    ¡°Hold on, Arnold.¡± Heather said and looked at Kelly. ¡°Harley''s Adventures?¡±


    Kelly almost gasped. ¡°That''s perfect!¡± She said. ¡°Arnold, just sit there and let me load something up for you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and stopped swatting the letters. They faded away and he was left in darkness for about twenty seconds, then an entirely new world loaded in around him. He now stood in an overgrown grassy cartoon field.


    ¡°This is a game called Harley''s Adventures.¡± Kelly said. ¡°It''s one of the very first games that came out on VR.¡± She left off that it was designed exclusively for kids. ¡°Go ahead and walk around a little.¡±


    Arnold nodded and he also nodded in the world. He used the controls to move forward and the grass parted for him, then a big cartoon duck jumped up out of the grass and quacked at him. He automatically swung at it and bopped the duck on the head with his virtual hand. The duck spun around in the air four times and fell to the ground, stunned. It even had little birds fly around over its head.


    ¡°Ha ha.¡± Arnold let out a short laugh.


    Kelly and Heather were once again stunned, and Kelly recovered first.


    ¡°Pick it up.¡± Kelly urged him.


    Arnold reached down and grabbed the duck and it quacked when he squeezed it.


    ¡°Point the duck backwards and squeeze it hard.¡± Kelly said and tried to hold her laughter in.


    Arnold did so and the duck let out a really loud quack, then an egg, much larger than the hole it supposedly came out of, shot out across the field twenty feet. Arnold laughed again and Kelly and Heather couldn''t hold their own laughter anymore.


    ¡°Keep... keep going.¡± Kelly said and Arnold walked forward. Another duck appeared and she didn''t have to tell him to use the egg shot. The other duck was hit with the much larger egg and spun in the air four times and landed on the ground, stunned.


    ¡°Can I use two of them?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°You can try.¡± Heather said before Kelly said that he couldn''t.


    Arnold tried to pick up the second duck and he automatically dropped the first one. ¡°No, I can''t.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Most games only let you hold one weapon at a time to shoot. Some let you keep them in inventory, a space you store things, and you can switch between them.¡±


    ¡°So, you can keep as many weapons as you want and can only use one at a time.¡± Arnold said in understanding.


    ¡°Move towards the forests.¡± Kelly said. ¡°You''ll find the next one there.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and walked over to the trees. He saw movement off to the side and turned his head to look and saw a big squirrel. He squeezed the duck so fast that the eggs came out almost in a steady stream. The squirrel didn''t have a chance and bounced off the tree, hit two branches on the way down, then went splat when it hit the ground with both the sounds and the visuals.


    ¡°What does it do?¡± Arnold asked and picked it up and the duck didn''t drop, it slid up in his display to show that he could switch to it when he wanted.


    ¡°It''s almost the same...¡±


    ¡°It shoots nuts out of its butt?¡± Arnold asked with a laugh.


    Both Kelly and Heather burst out laughing.


    ¡°No... it... throws them up.¡± Kelly managed to say.


    ¡°Okay. Facing forward.¡± Arnold said as he turned the squirrel around and gave it a squeeze. It squeaked like a squirrel did and a nut twice as big as its head popped out of the mouth and exploded on the nearby tree.


    ¡°Different things have different ammunition.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Some targets need to be hit with eggs and others need to be blown up with nuts.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and started to walk through the forest. At any movement he saw, he squeezed the squirrel so fast that it let out a long and constant squeak as nut bombs covered everything in sight.


    Kelly and Heather laughed and laughed as Arnold made his way through the first level of the game and completely annihilated everything he came across.


    Arnold killed the giant pig that spat apples at him and the world faded to black as the words ''Level One Complete'' floated in front of him. Without missing a beat, he shot the words with the squirrel and the words blew up when the nut bomb hit them. The letters reformed and Arnold switched to the duck and shot each letter and made them spin individually.


    ¡°I didn''t know you could do that.¡± Heather commented.


    Claire knocked on her daughter''s room''s door frame, since the door was open. ¡°I heard a lot of laughing.¡±


    ¡°Arnold was kicking ass in a game, Mrs. Bradshaw.¡± Kelly said and took the headset off of Arnold, after making sure his progress was saved. ¡°He''s really good at it.¡±


    ¡°It''s getting late, so I need to have a little talk with him.¡± Claire said. ¡°Then I think it''s time for bed.¡±


    Both Kelly and Heather caught their breath at her words.


    ¡°Arnold, follow me, please.¡± Claire said.


    Arnold put the controllers down and followed Heather''s mother out of the room and down to her own. Claire stood him in the middle of the room and went back to shut and lock the door. She leaned against it in a similar move to what Heather had previously done and posed. If Arnold had cared for such things, her short skirt highlighted her perfect thighs with that pose.


    ¡°Arnold, I talked to your mother this morning and I know that she discussed with you what might happen now that you have a girlfriend.¡± Claire said as she slowly walked over to him. ¡°Now, I have a serious question to ask you.¡± She stopped in front of him and took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Do you want to have sex?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said without hesitation.


    Claire was caught a little off-guard, because usually people don''t admit to it right away and try to skirt the issue. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Mom said it was something that everyone did. She said people might not talk about it; but, they all do it.¡± Arnold said. ¡°When I learned that it wasn''t just for making children...¡±


    ¡°Yes, we do it for fun.¡± Claire said. ¡°Usually children aren''t planned at all and happen only because of that fun.¡±


    Arnold blinked his eyes for a moment. ¡°Mom didn''t say that.¡±


    ¡°She said that she wouldn''t go into specifics with you, not because she can''t, it''s because she''s your mother.¡± Claire said. ¡°I am not your mother, so if you have any questions, you can ask me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said. ¡°How does sex start?¡±


    Claire raised her eyebrows. ¡°You... want to know...¡±


    ¡°I know that a penis goes inside a vagina, in and out as many times as needed; but, how do you begin?¡±


    Claire was at a loss for words for several moments. ¡°Well... there can be... a lot of different situations that can be turned to sex. Usually two people like each other and have chemistry...¡±


    ¡°People have chemistry?¡± Arnold asked, confused.


    ¡°It''s a term that means they turn each other on, not chemistry like in school.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Sex can start with a simple touch or with a comment about how good someone looks.¡± Claire said. ¡°Or they can open part of their clothes and show you a hidden part of their bodies, or in a case like yours, just asking for it will work.¡±


    Arnold thought back over everything that had happened over the last few days and compared it to what she just said. ¡°Thank you for telling me.¡± He said as he put his arms around her and kissed her.


    Claire was completely stunned by this turn of events and didn''t react like she should have. Her lips moved on their own and her arms went around his neck, then she kissed him back with enthusiasm. Arnold felt the difference in her kisses and adjusted his to match and Claire moaned into his mouth.


    Claire hadn''t been kissed like it in years and she nearly lost herself completely to it. They stayed like that for a full minute before she realized what she was doing and broke the kiss.


    ¡°A-Arnold!¡± Claire gasped.


    ¡°I''m sorry that I didn''t notice you wanted it. I''m new to this.¡± Arnold said and reached down to grab her ass, picked her up like she weighed nothing, and walked over to the bed.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Claire gasped as he sat her down, then he gently pushed on her shoulders like Heather had pushed on his and she fell backwards onto the bed.


    ¡°You''ve been flashing me your body and asking me what I thought of seeing you naked, and I had no idea you wanted sex.¡± Arnold said as he pushed her skirt up to her hips and knelt between her legs. ¡°Now I do.¡± He said as he pulled her panties off and then he gave her an intense stare that made her shiver.


    Claire''s mind was yelling at her to speak, to tell Arnold to stop, to say something... anything at all... and then he started to lick and kiss her with ferocity and a lot of skill. Her body betrayed her then and all she could do was close her eyes and enjoy the feeling of having a handsome young man french kiss her between the legs. It had been a long time since she had anyone besides herself touch her there, so she came after only a minute... and it was a good one.


    ¡°Arnold... god...¡± Claire breathed heavily and opened her eyes and stared at him.


    ¡°You just asked me if I wanted to have sex.¡± Arnold said and stood up and he wasn''t wearing his shorts. He was also quite hard for her. ¡°I said yes.¡± He said and he touched the tip to her opening. It felt like an electric shock went up her spine and she propped herself up on her elbows.


    ¡°W-w-wait, I...¡± Claire started to say that she had asked if he wanted sex on behalf of her daughter, then Arnold pushed himself all the way in and her words died before they were born. She threw her head back and clenched her teeth to stop from moaning as he moved in and out of her like a machine. She gripped the blanket on the bed and made fists with her hands as she held on and didn''t tell him to stop.


    After a few minutes, Claire let the blankets go and waved for him to lay down on top of her. He did, and she started to whisper in his ear. Arnold''s technique changed and became more effective, for the both of them, and she kept whispering in his ear. His hands rubbed and grabbed her ass, he opened her top and massaged her breasts, then he hugged her tightly and picked up the pace.


    ¡°Yes... yes, that''s it...¡± Claire whispered. ¡°Oh, Arnold... thank you... thank... oh... OH!¡±


    Arnold felt her clamp onto him hard as she came. He kept pumping in and out of her for a few more moments, then he felt himself go, too.


    ¡°S-slow... down...¡± Claire whispered and Arnold slowed down. ¡°Sometimes... a woman is really sensitive after... sex.¡±


    ¡°Is it sore?¡± Arnold asked and stopped moving.


    ¡°A little.¡± Claire responded.


    Arnold pulled out and moved down to look at her. ¡°It''s all red.¡± He said and lightly rubbed it. ¡°I better kiss it and make it feel better.¡±


    ¡°W-wait...¡± Claire started to say that she wasn''t ready and he covered her in feather light kisses. She came again from the tender touches and she had a hard time catching her breath. ¡°That''s... enough. Thank you.¡±


    Arnold stopped kissing her and stood up. He was still hard and she looked at it.


    ¡°Arnold, you...¡± Claire licked her lips. ¡°Never, ever talk about this with anyone, except with me and only if we are alone.¡± She said and he nodded. ¡°Go wash yourself up in the bathroom and then go to Heather''s room. If she tries to play with you, or shows you her underwear, make sure to tell her that she looks pretty.¡±


    ¡°Then have sex with her?¡± Arnold asked to make sure, since that was one of the situations Claire had told him.


    ¡°Yes, Arnold.¡± Claire said. ¡°Make love to Heather like you just did to me.¡±


    Arnold nodded and went to the bathroom and washed up, then came back out and put his underwear and shorts back on.


    ¡°Wear protection this time. Oh, and Heather might take a bit longer to finish than I did.¡± Claire said. ¡°So will you, especially wearing a condom.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and walked to the bedroom door, then turned around and walked back to the bed and leaned over Heather''s mother. ¡°Would you cry if I said I love you?¡±


    Claire''s heart fluttered at the look in his eyes. ¡°I... might.¡± She said in a slightly shaky voice.


    Arnold leaned down to give her a three second kiss, then he left her room without saying a word.


    Claire laid there and she couldn''t decide if she wanted him to say it or not, mainly because she wasn''t sure if it would make this situation better for her or much worse for Heather if she ever found out.

 25 Finishing Up

    Arnold closed Claire''s door and went to Heather''s room. The door was closed, so he knocked and waited.


    ¡°Just... just a minute!¡± Heather said from inside. The door opened a few moments later and she stood there with a red face and a silk bathrobe on. ¡°Come in.¡±


    Heather stepped back out of the way and there were two dozen of the battery powered little tea lights scattered around the room and the main room light was dimmed. Arnold looked around curiously at the change and wasn''t sure what to make of it, because he had been in her room not long ago and it hadn''t looked like this.


    ¡°Kelly helped me set them up.¡± Heather said and shut the door. ¡°They''re electric and not really candles, so there''s no danger of lighting the place on fire.¡±


    Arnold squinted his eyes for a moment as he looked at the setup, then he jumped up onto the bed to look down at them. ¡°It''s in the shape of a heart.¡±


    You were right, Kelly! He did see it! Heather thought with excitement, then she took his hand. ¡°Arnold, there... there''s something else I want you to see.¡± She said and had him step down off of the bed and sat him down on the edge. She walked part way across the room as she slowly untied the robe, then she turned to him and pulled the robe open.


    With Arnold''s new knowledge that Claire had given him, he knew this was one of those times that called for sex. ¡°You look very pretty.¡± He said and stood up, then walked over to her.


    Heather visibly trembled, because her mom had warned her that he might not notice. He called me pretty! She thought happily.


    Arnold put his arms around her and kissed her, and Heather melted into his embrace and kissed him back enthusiastically. His hands moved down and he gripped her ass tightly. Heather moaned into his mouth and he lifted her easily and carried her over to the bed. He sat her down on it and pushed on her shoulders to make her lay back, then he knelt between her legs and pulled her panties off.


    Heather closed her eyes as he made out with her lower mouth and she came after only a few seconds. He''s... getting really good... at that. She thought, kind of haphazardly as he pleased her.


    When she came again, Arnold stopped and stood up. His shorts and underwear were already off and he dug into his pocket for a foil packet. It was what he bought at the store when making bus change.


    ¡°Oh, god.¡± Heather almost moaned when she saw it. She was really in the mood, so instead of waiting for him to put it on, she sat up and took the foil packet from him and then slipped his penis into her mouth. She worked him up to a good point, then she stopped and stared up at him as she opened the foil packet.


    Arnold thought she was just going to roll it on with her hands like his mother had told him, then Heather popped the condom into her mouth and then slid her mouth back over the tip of his penis. She had a bit of trouble and had to back off slightly to roll it down a bit and get it going again, then she went back to using her mouth to finish putting the condom on him.


    Heather glanced up and saw the look of surprise on Arnold''s face and was glad that all of her practising on a banana had paid off. She would never do something like that for anyone else. She sucked on him a bit more to make sure the condom was secured, then she popped open her bra and laid back on the bed.


    ¡°Take off your t-shirt and make love to me, Arnold.¡± Heather said.


    Arnold took off his t-shirt and climbed onto the bed and slipped himself inside of her. With the condom on, it went in much easier because it made him a little more streamlined, and he pretty much filled her right up in one motion.


    ¡°Oh, god!¡± Heather exclaimed and them he started to move. She moaned and panted as Arnold pumped in and out of her in a constant rhythm and added the gyrations and hip rolls that Claire had taught him. He gripped her ass occasionally and massaged and suckled her breasts, all of which Heather thoroughly enjoyed.


    *


    Kelly laid in bed in the spare room and her face was bright red as she listened to her best friend have sex across the hall. She was embarrassed because Heather wasn''t trying to be quiet about it. Not one little bit. Her mind tried to block it out and all it managed to do was try to imagine what exactly Arnold was doing to get Heather to make those sounds. One of her hands started to massage her breasts and then her other hand found its way into her pyjamas and she started to play with herself.


    I am such a bad friend! Kelly thought as she imagined that it was Arnold touching her.


    *


    Claire had her trusty vibrator and she listened to the sounds as well. Unlike Kelly, she didn''t have to imagine it at all and just replayed it in her mind as she moved the vibrator at the same rate that Arnold had pleased her. She had tried to deny her urge to feel good again so soon, and had been successful for the most part, until a particularly loud sound from Heather had reminded her of her own pleasure and she gave in to her desire and pleased herself.


    *


    Claire''s words of caution to Arnold proved to be right as well. Both Heather and Arnold took a lot longer to climax than they should have, because the condom''s slightly desensitized barrier, that actually reduced friction, made more movements necessary to achieve the same results.


    ¡°I love you!¡± Heather nearly yelled as she finally orgasmed and kissed the best lover she''s ever had.


    Arnold kept moving inside of her until he finished as well, then he slowed down and came to a stop. ¡°Is it sore?¡± He asked and she nodded, so he pulled out and went down on her to cover her with gentle kisses.


    Heather came again when he had barely started and then again a few minutes later. ¡°Oh... oh, Arnold.¡± She panted. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Arnold stood up and he still had the condom on.


    ¡°You... should clean up.¡± Heather said and waved at his penis.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and walked over to the bathroom, rolled the condom off and tossed it into the trash, then grabbed a cloth and lathered it up. He washed himself off and then washed his hands.


    ¡°Me, too.¡± Heather said and started to sit up.


    Arnold came out with the cloth, freshly lathered, and washed between her legs. Heather laid back on her elbows and watched in stunned silence as he did it, then he left for a moment and came back with the rinsed cloth and wiped off the lather as best as he could. He grabbed a small towel and dried her off, then he stood and dried himself off.


    ¡°You are the best boyfriend ever.¡± Heather said and stared at him with love in her eyes, then her eyes dropped to his still ready state. ¡°I want to do it again.¡±


    ¡°I only had one condom.¡± Arnold said.


    Heather smiled and stood up, then went to her dresser. She opened the second drawer and rummaged through it for several moments, then took out a condom. ¡°I''ve had this for a while.¡± She said and checked the expiry date on it. ¡°It''s still good.¡±


    Arnold watched as she walked over and knelt and she tore open the package.


    Heather tried to slide it on him and it went on very easily. She sighed when saw that it was a bit too loose to be of use. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± She said and looked at the size on the package. ¡°It''s the wrong size.¡±


    Arnold reached down and tugged on the end of it and it slipped right off.


    Heather sighed again. ¡°Yeah, it''s useless.¡± She said and tossed both it and the package into the garbage and looked at the condom lotion on her hands. She washed and dried her hands and looked at Arnold''s penis. She smiled and took the cloth he had used before and lathered it up, then washed him off. Vigorously. The soap acted like a lubricant on its own, so she abandoned the towel and just used her hands.


    When Heather felt him getting close, she used the towel like she had used her panties the last time and caught it all. She went to the sink and rinsed the towel out, then brought it back and knelt in front of him again as she cleaned off the soap and residue.


    ¡°You are the best girlfriend ever.¡± Arnold said when she was done.


    Heather was very pleased to hear that and stood up to kiss him. ¡°We should put something on and go to bed.¡± She said, then she smiled. ¡°We get to sleep in the same bed all night.¡±


    Arnold nodded and picked up his underwear and put them on. When he reached for his shorts, Heather stopped him.


    ¡°Just the underwear is fine.¡± Heather said and put on a normal pair and not the fancy ones she had bought. She tucked the fancy panties and the black lace bra into a drawer and grabbed a plain t-shirt. She put it on and took Arnold''s hand and looked at the bed. ¡°Um... let me change the sheets first.¡± She said and quickly rolled the blanket and damp sheet off the bed. She went to her closet and took out a new sheet and spread it out, then added a different blanket.


    Heather folded the blanket down and took his hand again as she climbed in and dragged Arnold in with her. She had him lay on his back and she snuggled in under his arm and rested her head on his shoulder.


    ¡°This was a really great time.¡± Heather said and let out a long sigh. ¡°Goodnight, Arnold.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Arnold said, then they both eventually fell asleep.


    The next morning, Heather woke up in the same position and instantly regretted it. Her neck was stiff from being turned like it was and the arm she laid on all night was still asleep.


    ¡°Ugh.¡± Heather grunted as she moved and tried to sit up. Her arm started to tingle as blood rushed through it and gave it the increased flow that it had been denied. She tried shaking it and that made the feeling worse, because the movement increased the oxygen needed by the muscles, which increased the blood flow, which increased the tingling feeling.


    ¡°Is it sore?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°I slept on it and now it''s tingling.¡± Heather said with a sigh. ¡°My neck is sore, too.¡±


    Arnold gently lifted her arm and gave it light kisses all along her forearm and across her upper arm, then he tucked his head into the crook of her neck and kissed her there a few times as well.


    Heather liked the attention and let him kiss her as much as he wanted. When he stopped, she looked into his eyes. ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Arnold said and gave her a three second kiss.


    Heather looked at the clock on her bedside table and nodded. ¡°We need to get dressed and go downstairs for breakfast.¡±


    Arnold nodded and got out of bed, then slipped on his shorts after giving them a flick to make them billow out, then he did the same to his t-shirt and put it on.


    Heather let out a low chuckle at how quickly he had dressed and she hadn''t even started. ¡°Go on ahead. I''m going to be a few more minutes.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and left her room and went down the stairs.


    Heather waited for a moment, then she walked across the hallway in only her underwear and a small t-shirt and opened the spare room door. She saw the Kelly-shaped lump under the blanket and took two running steps and jumped.


    ¡°Wake UP!¡± Heather yelled as she landed beside the lump and the lump hopped up about six inches.


    ¡°HEATHER!¡± Kelly yelled back.


    Heather laughed and rolled away a little to let Kelly move the blanket. ¡°Did you sleep at all?¡± She asked and saw the huge bags under her friend''s eyes.


    ¡°No!¡± Kelly said. ¡°I wonder why?!?¡±


    Heather laughed some more and then she moved closer to her friend. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± She said. ¡°I just... I was so into it, I...¡±


    ¡°I heard.¡± Kelly said and her face flushed red.


    ¡°It was wonderful.¡± Heather said and lay on her back. ¡°We...¡± She gave an apologetic look to her friend. ¡°We only did it once, though.¡±


    ¡°That was only once?¡± Kelly asked, surprised.


    Heather smiled. ¡°I told you it was wonderful.¡±


    Kelly wasn''t sure what to say after that.


    ¡°I already sent Arnold downstairs to wait for breakfast, so we should go, too.¡±


    ¡°He got dressed already?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°It took him like five seconds!¡± Heather laughed. ¡°Sometimes I''m so envious of boys!¡±


    Kelly laughed, too. ¡°It takes us longer to brush our hair.¡± She looked at Heather''s head. ¡°Yours is a mess, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know.¡± Heather said with a wicked smile. ¡°You can brush it while I decide what to wear.¡±


    Kelly nodded, since that was her usual job when she stayed over. They went across the hall and Kelly helped Heather pick the best ''after sex'' outfit they could find.


    *


    Claire prepped breakfast while wearing a set of silky shorts and top under a short silk robe that stopped at her thighs. It wasn''t quite an appropriate outfit to wear while guests were in the house; but, she was feeling particularly sexy this morning and wanted to keep that feeling for a while longer. She looked up when she saw Arnold come into the kitchen.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Claire said.


    Arnold walked right over to her and gave her a kiss for three seconds. ¡°Good morning.¡±


    Claire managed to keep the surprise off of her face. ¡°Um... have a seat and I''ll have the pancakes ready in a few minutes.¡±


    Arnold sat down at the counter and waited.


    ¡°So.¡± Claire said as she stirred up the pancake mix and tossed in some flour-coated blueberries just before she poured the batter onto the large flat grill. ¡°Did you have fun last night?¡±


    Arnold had to think about it for a second. He had sex twice, and neither time was for making a child. Since he knew that was when fun sex happened, he nodded.


    ¡°Yes, I had fun.¡± Arnold said.


    So did I. Claire thought and didn''t blush, even though she was a little embarrassed to have had sex with such a handsome young man, who just happened to be her daughter''s boyfriend. I am such a bad mother.


    Arnold watched Claire work and she made him a small stack of pancakes. Each pancake was a little larger than his palm, or about five inches wide. Claire put a pat of butter on the top, then poured maple syrup over the top and drizzled it over the sides.


    ¡°Pancakes!¡± Heather said as she came into the kitchen. She wore a strapless bra and a tube top that barely covered her chest, and the shortest shorts she could find. They were old and half a size too small, so it took some shoving and a bit of wishful thinking to squeeze into them.


    ¡°Missy, you are very lucky that you are not going anywhere today.¡± Claire said with a bit of a glare.


    Heather laughed. ¡°I wore this for Arnold. If I was going out, I''d dress like Kelly.¡±


    Kelly came into the kitchen wearing a baggy shirt and baggy shorts that pretty much hid her body completely.


    Claire gave her an appraising eye and nodded. ¡°That outfit I approve of.¡±


    Heather looked at her mother''s silk robe and knew what was underneath it. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°I''m actually planning on going back to bed.¡± Claire said and gave her daughter a small stack of pancakes. ¡°I''ve been up extra early all week and today I''m going to sleep in.¡±


    ¡°You got up just to make us breakfast?¡± Kelly asked and she nodded. ¡°Thanks, Mrs. Bradshaw.¡±


    Claire waved her thanks away. ¡°I won''t lay in bed knowing you poor things would be down here trying to fend for yourselves and probably wrecking the place.¡±


    Heather laughed. ¡°That is so the truth!¡± She said and looked at Kelly. ¡°Remember last month when mom had to leave early on Saturday for the order at the store?¡±


    Kelly''s face flushed red. ¡°I swear that wasn''t my fault.¡±


    Claire smiled at her and gave her a stack of pancakes. ¡°Always remember to click the blender''s top into place before turning it on.¡±


    ¡°It went everywhere!¡± Heather said and started to laugh. ¡°Took us... hours... to find it all!¡±


    Arnold saw Kelly''s red face and started to reach over to caress her cheek. ¡°Is it sore?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Kelly, Heather, and Claire said at the same time to stop him, then the three of them exchanged glances and laughed.


    ¡°Arnold, you have the morning off, so you can go and relax if you want.¡± Claire said and turned off the grill after using up the last of the batter. ¡°I''m going back to bed for a few hours.¡±


    ¡°Have a good nap.¡± Heather said as her mother left the kitchen. ¡°So, what do we want to do now that we''re unsupervised?¡±


    Kelly held her hands up. ¡°I''ll make myself scarce.¡±


    Heather chuckled and took her friend''s hand. ¡°It''s okay, Kelly. We won''t be doing anything like that.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Kelly asked and looked at Arnold and then back at her friend.


    ¡°No condoms.¡± Heather said.


    Kelly blinked her eyes for a moment. ¡°Oh.¡± She said. ¡°Yeah, I guess that would mean you can''t.¡±


    ¡°We could watch some television... we could sit and talk...¡± Heather started to list all the things they could do.


    Kelly looked around as her friend talked and looked out into the backyard. ¡°The pool!¡±


    Heather stopped talking and looked at the pool as well. ¡°Actually, I think it should be okay.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll check it and be right back.¡±


    ¡°W-wait...¡± Kelly tried to tell her not to leave her alone with her boyfriend, then she sighed because Heather was already out the back door and started to use the small pool kit to check the water. Kelly used her fingers to comb her shoulder length brown hair back over her ear and leaned forward to rest her elbow on the counter. She stared at the counter top for a moment, then her eyes moved on their own and looked right at Arnold, only to see that he was staring at her.


    Kelly wasn''t sure why, then she looked down at herself. Her baggy shirt had popped one of the buttons open and her pink bra was clearly visible. Her face went bright red as she sat up straight and buttoned it again.


    I can''t believe he was staring at my bra! Kelly thought, then her blush faded. Wait a minute! Heather said yesterday that he didn''t notice those kinds of things!


    ¡°You look very pretty.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly froze still at his words. Neither her mind nor her body knew what to do at that moment. He never compliments... She shook her head slightly. He... he said I was pretty! Me!


    ¡°The pool''s perfect.¡± Heather said as she came in the back door. ¡°Come on, Kelly. It''s bathing suit time!¡±


    Kelly didn''t say anything and quickly followed her friend out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

 26 Pool Fun

    Heather and Kelly came back downstairs after twenty minutes and wore matching bathing suits.


    ¡°This is embarrassing.¡± Kelly whispered. ¡°Why did you buy two suits?¡±


    ¡°We look like twins!¡± Heather said and put an arm around Kelly''s shoulders. ¡°Plus, you need to shake that cuteness and move into prettiness!¡±


    Kelly remembered that Arnold had just called her that and she blushed.


    ¡°Aww! Still cute!¡± Heather said and gave her shoulder a squeeze, then looked at Arnold. ¡°I hope you''re okay with wearing a pair of girl''s shorts in the pool.¡± She said and handed him the biggest pair she had. ¡°You can''t wear normal clothes in the pool, so you need to change.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said as he stood up and pulled off his t-shirt. When he reached for his shorts and unbuttoned them, Kelly lost her nerve.


    ¡°We''ll be outside!¡± Kelly said and grabbed Heather''s hand and dragged her out the back door.


    ¡°Hey, he was changing for us.¡± Heather said with a laugh.


    ¡°I know!¡± Kelly said and her face burned. She was pretty sure she couldn''t look at Arnold naked again.


    ¡°You need to get over your shyness, Kelly.¡± Heather said with a grin. ¡°Until then, give me a hand with the pool toys.¡±


    ¡°Can''t we just swim?¡± Kelly asked and followed Heather to the side of the pool and the waist high cabinet there.


    ¡°I''m pretty sure this is Arnold''s first time in a pool, so we have to put on a show for him.¡±


    Kelly rolled her eyes. ¡°Okay, but no noodles. Those things hurt when you whack me with them.¡±


    Heather laughed and handed her a blow up animal and the hand pump, then grabbed two of the large inner tubes and another hand pump. They were nearly done when Arnold came out of the house wearing the girl shorts.


    ¡°Oh, god.¡± Kelly whispered and turned her head away, her face bright red again.


    ¡°What?¡± Heather turned to look and had to cover her mouth to stop her laugh. She had thought the shorts would have been sufficient for Arnold to wear, and they would have been, had he kept on his underwear. Since he didn''t, he was swinging all over the place as he walked. The shorts also had long slits on the sides, so they billowed out and showed a lot of him. A lot.


    ¡°You''re like a dream come true.¡± Heather said and handed him an inflated inner tube. ¡°Toss that into the pool.¡±


    Arnold flipped it up and over the short fence and it plopped into the pool. Heather could have done that herself; but, she had asked him to toss it and not carry it, so she didn''t complain. It was her own fault.


    ¡°This one''s done.¡± Kelly said and handed the inflatable shark to Arnold, who looked at it and turned it around. ¡°It''s a shark.¡± She said and he looked at her.


    ¡°It''s missing the supplementary fins needed for propulsion.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°It''s not a real shark.¡± Heather said with a laugh and finished the other inner tube. ¡°It''s a pool toy.¡±


    Arnold tossed it over the short fence and then tossed the inner tube Heather passed to him.


    ¡°Just the big rubber ducky left.¡± Heather said and unfolded the large yellow thing. Both she and Kelly had to use the hand pumps to inflate the thing, because it was huge. ¡°Arnold, you need to carry this one to the pool. Don''t toss it.¡±


    Arnold waited for them to finish and close the air holes, then he picked it up carefully and walked around the fence and laid the large rubber ducky in the water. What followed was one of the oddest experiences Arnold had ever had. Heather and Kelly really did make a huge show out of playing in the pool. They rode the shark and chased each other around with it, floated in the inner tubes for ten minutes and didn''t do anything else, then Heather rode the rubber duck and sang a song about it.


    Arnold actually lost track of time as he watched the spectacle, and that hadn''t happened to him before, either. The back door of the house opened and Claire stepped out wearing a pair of shorts, a snug t-shirt, and her work gloves.


    ¡°What''s going on out... oh.¡± Claire said when she saw the two girls were playing around in the pool and Arnold was watching them. ¡°You know what? I think that''s a good idea.¡± She said and turned around and went back into the house. Heather and Kelly hadn''t really noticed her and kept playing.


    Claire came back out a few minutes later and she wore a very slimming one piece red swimsuit that had high cut hips and the plunging neckline showed off quite a bit of cleavage. She walked over to one of the patio lounge chairs beside the pool, put on a straw hat and sunglasses, then laid down to relax in the sun.


    ¡°Arnold, be a dear and get me the sunblock cream, would you?¡± Claire said. ¡°It''s in the downstairs bathroom in the hallway.¡±


    Arnold nodded and left to go get it. He was back a minute later with the bottle and walked over to her.


    ¡°Thanks, sweetie.¡± Claire said and put some on her hands and rubbed her thighs and calves, then her forearms and upper arms. She did a quick application to her face and handed him back the bottle. ¡°Can you do my back, please?¡± She asked and rolled over.


    Arnold saw that most of the suit didn''t have a back to it, so he put some lotion on his hands like she did, then rubbed it into her skin. He covered her back and saw that she had missed the backs of her thighs, so he added a bit more lotion and rubbed it into her thighs, too.


    Claire let out a little moan as his strong hands massaged her thighs, even though she hadn''t asked him to, and now she was completely relaxed. ¡°Thank you very much, Arnold.¡±


    ¡°Do me, too!¡± Heather said and walked over to lay down on the next lounge chair.


    Arnold nodded and added more lotion to his hands and since Heather wore a bikini, there was a lot more back to add sunscreen to. So, he made sure to cover all of her back and moved down to her thighs. Heather let out a similar moan as he inadvertently massaged her thighs as well. She rolled over and looked at him with desire.


    ¡°You can do the front, too.¡± Heather said.


    Arnold added more lotion to his hands and started to rub her thighs, then moved down to her calves as he copied Claire''s movements. He moved up to do her arms and shoulders next.


    ¡°Don''t forget here.¡± Heather said and touched her abdomen and then her chest.


    If Arnold had any clue about the look Heather was currently giving him, he would have had her swimsuit off and would be having sex with her. He was oblivious though, so he rubbed his hands into her abdomen and covered it with sunscreen, then did her chest.


    ¡°Th-thank you, Arnold.¡± Heather said and closed her eyes. Just like her mother, she was completely relaxed after having Arnold touch her like that.


    Kelly had stood there and watched both Heather and Heather''s mother enjoy getting suntan lotion applied, and she was quite envious. She debated with herself if she could walk over there and ask him like Heather did, when suddenly Arnold was there in front of her.


    ¡°Do you need sunscreen, too?¡± Arnold asked her.


    Kelly really should have said no, and even her brain told her to say no. Unfortunately, it was too much temptation for her body to resist and her head nodded before she could stop it. She received proof that she should have said no, right after Arnold led her over to the next lounge chair and she sat down on it. She could see him. All of him. Arnold stood over her and added lotion to his hands and she stared right at his exposed crotch.


    Oh, my god. Kelly thought and her face flushed red as she blushed.


    Arnold bent over her shoulder slightly and applied sunscreen to her back, while his penis bobbed and weaved right in front of Kelly''s beet red face. He then had her lay down as he knelt beside her and she stared at his face as he added sunscreen to her thighs and then moved down to her calves, then he moved back up to do her forearms, upper arms, and shoulders. Without being prompted, he did her abdomen and then moved up to her chest.


    Kelly bit her tongue and stopped herself from moaning as he massaged her breasts. She had a couple of dates try to grope her and she didn''t like it much. That was why she normally kept herself covered, so she could keep the temptation hidden away. In a bikini, she was almost completely exposed. For some reason, even though she still thought he was a bit creepy, she knew that Arnold was only applying sunscreen and wasn''t trying to abuse the privilege of touching her.


    ¡°Thank you, Arnold.¡± Kelly said and she was proud of herself when her voice didn''t shake at all.


    Arnold nodded and stood up, then he started to apply it to himself. Kelly didn''t quite see that, though. She only had eyes for his shorts and its nearly completely exposed contents, until he rubbed his hands on his abdomen and caught her eye. She watched his hands as they moved up and rubbed lotion on his chest, then he handed her the bottle without a word and sat down beside her with his back to her.


    Kelly didn''t hesitate and added lotion to her hands, gave a quick glance to see that both Heather and her mother had their eyes closed, then she indulged in a bit of fantasy and rubbed lotion into Arnold''s muscular back. She made sure to cover it all and then handed him the bottle back. She gave him one more look and then closed her eyes.


    Arnold took the bottle of sunscreen back into the house, then came back out and laid down beside Kelly. He assumed it was nap time or something, because he could hear the even breathing from both Heather and her mother. He looked at Kelly and she looked close to sleep, so he closed his eyes and took a nap, too.


    Claire woke up after a little while and rolled over. She was a little stiff from having her head turned to the side like it had been, so she sat up to stretch a little. She saw Heather was sleeping soundly beside her and that Kelly was beside her. She twitched a little and looked like she might be having a dream, and Claire''s eyes drifted over to Arnold beside Kelly. She saw his penis hanging out of the side of his inadequate shorts and accurately guessed what Kelly must have been dreaming about.


    It''s definitely a hard thing to get out of your mind once you''ve seen it. Claire thought, then almost chuckled at her pun. She remembered what it had felt like to have it thrusting into her and she felt herself contract down below, as if it was asking for it. No, I... I can''t... I let it happen once. I can''t let it... happen... Her eyes locked onto the object of her thoughts. Again. Oh god, I want it again.


    Claire moved almost against her will and stood up, then slowly walked around the lounge chairs. When she reached Arnold, she resisted her urge and didn''t start playing with him. Instead, she lightly touched his head and he opened his eyes to look at her.


    Don''t say no. Claire thought as she leaned down to whisper. ¡°Come inside with me.¡±


    Arnold nodded and followed her inside the house. Claire walked through the kitchen and went into the downstairs bathroom and he was right behind her. She didn''t tell him not to follow, on purpose this time, and she shut and locked the door. She pulled on the bathing suit straps over her shoulders to expose her breasts and peeled the suit down and over her hips, then let it fall to the floor.


    Claire caressed her breasts for a moment, then she turned around and bent over the bathroom counter. ¡°Arnold, kiss it and make it feel better, then make love to me.¡± She said and looked back at him.


    Arnold was already hard and had the shorts off, so he walked over to her and knelt, then he did as she said. He worked her up with his mouth until she came, then he stood and easily slipped inside of her, because she was ready for him. Claire gasped at the lovely intrusion and then she moaned as he moved in a steady rhythm and added the things she had told him about the last time.


    ¡°Yes... oh, Arnold...¡± Claire moaned. ¡°Massage... my breasts...¡±


    Arnold reached around her and pulled her almost into a standing position and kept pumping into her. She braced her arms on the counter and Arnold gave her breasts the best massage they had ever had.


    ¡°K-kiss... me.¡± Claire panted as she turned her head to the side and Arnold met her lips with his and they made out as he plowed into her. She moaned almost continuously as he moved in and out of her for several minutes. Then, without warning, he came inside of her.


    ¡°MMM!¡± Claire moaned and flinched as he filled her up inside, and that made her body contract and grip him tightly, then she came as well.


    Arnold slowed down and came to a stop, then he slipped out of her. Claire turned around and hugged him as she kept kissing him, then she broke the kiss and looked down at him. He was still hard, so she grabbed a towel and dropped it on the floor. She knelt down and took the tip of him into her mouth and sucked on it a little to get the last few drops out.


    Claire looked up at his face and licked her lips. ¡°I''ve wanted to do this ever since I saw it.¡± She admitted, even though it was a horrible thing to admit to her daughter''s boyfriend, then she went to work on him. Unlike Heather, who had some experience with it, Claire was very, very good at it.


    Arnold watched in fascination as he received different kisses on the same spot. Some were similar to the ones Heather had done and others were so different that he thought Claire must have been doing it wrong.


    Claire saw his expression and stopped for a moment. ¡°I know a lot more about these things than Heather does.¡± She explained, took a deep breath, then she went back to work. Since Arnold had already finished once, it took a few more minutes, even with her expertise, to get him to finish again. Unlike the two times Heather had done it, Claire didn''t use her panties or a soapy towel.


    Arnold widened his eyes slightly, which was his version of a shout of exclamation, as Claire opened her mouth and kept stroking him. She showed him, for the first time, what actually came out of his penis as he came. It spurted out and over her tongue, then it went down her throat and she swallowed it. After a few seconds, she used her tongue and lips to clean him off completely, then she stood.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and kissed her.


    Claire was startled at first, mainly because she literally just sucked him off and could still taste him. She managed to ignore her shock and kissed him back, quite enthusiastically, then broke the kiss a few moments later and stared at him.


    ¡°You''re a good girlfriend.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Claire gasped.


    ¡°Heather said only good girlfriends will kiss a man''s penis like that.¡±


    Claire opened her mouth to refute that, then thought about it. ¡°Heather''s your girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Arnold said. ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°I can''t be your girlfriend, Arnold.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Arnold asked. ¡°Can I only have one?¡±


    Once again Claire opened her mouth to say that yes he could only have one girlfriend, then she realized that would be a lie. Men had many girlfriends, sometimes all at the same time, especially if they didn''t agree beforehand to make their relationship exclusive.


    I am going to regret this. I just know it. Claire thought, then spoke. ¡°You can never tell anyone that I''m your girlfriend or that we have sex.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Arnold said. ¡°You told me not to tell anyone before.¡±


    Claire nodded. ¡°Put the shorts back on and go upstairs to the spare room and get a shower. I''ll grab a quick one here and then I''ll start supper.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and slipped the shorts on. He was still hard, so the flimsy shorts with the slits on the sides didn''t hide him at all.


    Claire held in her laugh and reached down to stroke him a little, then tucked him up and under the waistband to hold him in. ¡°You really are the best boyfriend.¡± She said and kissed him. ¡°Now get going and make sure no one sees you leaving here.¡±


    Arnold nodded and walked over to the door, opened it a little to look out and didn''t see or hear anyone, so he slipped out and closed the door behind him. He looked out the back of the house and Heather and Kelly were still beside the pool, so he went upstairs and took a shower, changed, and went back downstairs and sat at the kitchen counter to wait for supper.

 27 Girlfriend Duty

    Claire had changed into a pair of jeans and a thin sweater, which was quite the contrast to her revealing bathing suit earlier. She came into the kitchen and gave Arnold a quick kiss and then made supper. When it was ready, she told Arnold to go and wake up the girls. He did and brought them inside and she could clearly see that they were groggy from a half-completed sleep.


    ¡°You two can split a small steak and a single potato, then get to bed.¡± Claire said.


    ¡°But...¡± Heather stopped and yawned. ¡°...what about Arnold?¡±


    ¡°I''ll be driving him home after supper.¡± Claire said and Heather nodded.


    The four of them ate their meal and Heather and Kelly groaned a little as they stood, then they walked like zombies down the hallway and slowly climbed up the stairs.


    Claire chuckled at the sight. ¡°The poor things worked themselves hard trying to impress you today.¡±


    ¡°They did?¡± Arnold asked as he gathered up the plates and rinsed them in the sink.


    ¡°They don''t play around like that in the pool all the time.¡± Claire said.


    Arnold thought about that. ¡°What do they normally do?¡±


    ¡°Swim. In circles or straight lines. A bit of diving on the deep end. Normal things.¡±


    Arnold washed and dried his hands and walked towards the hallway.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°To thank them.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Grab your things and come right back down.¡± Claire said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and went up the stairs.


    Arnold went to Heather''s room first and saw the door was open and she was sprawled out on the bed. She hadn''t changed out of her swimsuit and her hair was a tangled mess, and she would be angry at herself for that later. He leaned over the bed and she opened her eyes.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and kissed her for three seconds.


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Heather moaned. ¡°You''re welcome, handsome. See you tomorrow.¡±


    Arnold nodded and left her room and shut the door. He went into the spare room and saw that Kelly was in a similar state. He walked over to the bed and leaned over her.


    Kelly opened her eyes a little and saw him. ¡°Arnold, what...¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and kissed her.


    ¡°MmHMM!¡± Kelly moaned, then realized what she was doing and broke the kiss. ¡°Arnold!¡±


    ¡°Goodbye.¡± Arnold said and gave her another kiss, a three second one, then he picked up his backpack and his bag. Kelly stared at him as he walked into the hallway and shut the door, then he went down the stairs to see Claire waited by the front door.


    ¡°That was fast.¡± Claire said with a smile. ¡°I thought Heather might want to have sex again before you had to leave.¡±


    ¡°I only had one condom yesterday and the one she had was too big and we couldn''t use it.¡± Arnold said.


    Claire blinked her eyes for a moment, then she sighed. ¡°I really should have another talk with her about her antics; but, I guess a lot of them are over now.¡± She said and they went outside and over to the car. ¡°You know, you are the only boy I''ve allowed to be alone in her room with her. That was why I was so angry when she abused that privilege.¡±


    Arnold tilted his head slightly as he tried to understand what she meant.


    ¡°I gave her a rule a couple of years ago that she wasn''t supposed to have sex in the house.¡± Claire said and got in the car and Arnold sat in the back. ¡°Or sex at all, actually.¡± She said and shook her head. ¡°If she has condoms in her room, that means she broke that rule.¡±


    ¡°Heather had boyfriends before.¡± Arnold said, because when he and his mom had been invited over a few days ago, he had heard Claire and his mom talk about it on the drive to pick up Heather at school.


    ¡°She''s had a few.¡± Claire said without actually saying how many. She drove out of the driveway and onto the street.


    ¡°Why did you let her have sex this time?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Because of you.¡± Claire said. ¡°She asked me to let you stay overnight, because she said she didn''t want to sneak around behind my back.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I knew she was going to have sex with you anyway, so I thought that letting you have a nice comfortable bed to do it in would be best for your first time.¡±


    Arnold had to think about that, then nodded. Having sex in a bed was a lot easier. He thought, then he thought of something else. ¡°Where else can people have sex?¡±


    Claire let out a soft laugh. ¡°Almost anywhere they can get a little privacy.¡± She said. ¡°Indoors or outdoors, there''s not that many places that people haven''t gone to have sex.¡±


    Arnold looked around and then he realized something. ¡°Like in a car?¡±


    ¡°Yes, lots of people have had sex in a car.¡± Claire said.


    ¡°I want to try it.¡± Arnold said.


    Claire caught her breath. Oh, damn. She thought, then she realized that she needed to take the advice she had given her daughter about not saying no when Arnold asked for something. ¡°Um... sure. Just... let me find a good place to park.¡±


    It took her ten minutes to find a nice secluded parking garage. Since it was a Sunday, it was practically deserted and she parked in the farthest corner and out of sight of every exit.


    I can''t believe I''m doing this. Claire thought to herself and stepped out of the driver''s side door and climbed into the back. Of course, once she was there and knew she was going to have sex... with a handsome young man that wanted to have sex with her... it really got her motor running. She lifted her sweater to reveal a very stylish bra and Arnold reached out to caress it.


    ¡°You look very pretty.¡± Arnold said.


    Claire knew that was what she had told him to say when seeing a woman''s underwear, and she didn''t care. Her face flushed red and she popped the clasp to let her breasts loose. While Arnold started to suckle, she opened up her jeans and slid them down just enough to allow him access, if he lifted her legs up. She told him what to do and he opened his own jeans and moved them down the same amount, then he slowly slid the tip of himself into her.


    ¡°OH!¡± Claire gasped and gripped the seat below her with both hands to hold on. With her legs held together by her jeans, she was compressed pretty tightly down there and she felt even the slightest change much sharper than she had earlier that day, when Arnold had taken her from behind in the bathroom.


    ¡°Why is it harder to do this time?¡± Arnold asked and pushed in a bit more.


    ¡°Oh... oh, god.¡± Claire panted. ¡°It... it''s because... my legs are... together.¡± She said. ¡°Makes me... very... tight.¡± She breathed. ¡°Arnold... more. Give me more.¡±


    Arnold pushed in more and she moaned in pleasure. Every inch he pushed in sent a thrill through her and she came before he was all the way in.


    Not... not even one full stroke... and I came! Claire thought in astonishment, then Arnold moved again and had himself all the way in. He pulled back and Claire let out the breath she hadn''t realized she was holding, then he moved and worked himself all the way back in again.


    Oh, GOD! Claire thought as she came again. ¡°I want you to kiss me!¡±


    ¡°Your legs are in the way.¡± Arnold said and pulled out.


    ¡°Move them aside!¡± Claire almost yelled and he twisted her hips to the side to put her feet between the two front seats, then he leaned in close to press his lips to hers. He easily pushed all the way back into her with the extra leverage he now had. She screamed her pleasure into his mouth and grabbed him around the neck to keep him that close, then she kept kissing him as he made love to her in the backseat of a fancy car.


    Half an hour later, the both of them sat on the back seat, cuddled together against the door, and Claire pet his head as he snuggled her still bare breasts. Arnold had finished twice and Claire had lost count of how many times she had finished herself. When she started having multiple orgasms at the same time, she had lost herself to the sensations and just enjoyed them when they happened without bothering to count.


    ¡°You are definitely the best boyfriend.¡± Claire whispered, then she sighed. ¡°We need to go. Can you grab the napkins in the console? I can''t quite move my legs yet.¡±


    Arnold reached between the seats and opened the console, took out the pack of napkins, and handed them to her. Claire took several of them and wiped at herself, even though she knew she was going to need another shower when she went home. She only wanted to clean herself enough to get her jeans back on without soaking them right away.


    Once she cleaned herself, she wiped at the seat and was very glad they were leather and the mess wiped right up, except for the stuff that had rolled off and went into the back of the seat. Claire would have to pop the seat up to get at it and decided it could wait until later. She took another napkin and wiped Arnold off.


    ¡°We don''t have time for me to clean it like I did before.¡± Claire said. ¡°So, I promise to do it next time.¡±


    Arnold nodded and pulled his underwear and pants back into place, then looked at Claire''s legs. He saw that they were stiff where her jeans had pinched into her thighs, so he rubbed her thighs and gently kissed them all over.


    ¡°S-stop.¡± Claire said and he looked at her. ¡°I''ll want to have sex again if you keep going, and we need to get you home.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and helped her put her underwear and jeans back into place.


    Claire cupped the sides of his face and looked into his eyes, then kissed him for three seconds. ¡°That''s our goodbye kiss, so don''t do it in front of your mother.¡±


    Arnold nodded and Claire stepped out of the car''s back seat, stretched her legs, then sat in the front. After a moment, she changed her mind and went back into the back seat.


    ¡°Arnold, we need to have a talk.¡± Claire said. ¡°It''s about... well, I don''t know if you''ll even understand it.¡± She admitted. ¡°It''s about appropriate behaviour when meeting women.¡±


    Arnold had no idea what she meant by that.


    ¡°First off, not every woman that you meet is going to want to have sex with you, even if they show you their underwear or flirt with you.¡± Claire said.


    ¡°Flirt?¡± Arnold asked.


    Claire held in her sigh and started to tell him everything that she knew about the whole process. When she was done, another half an hour had passed and he stared at her.


    ¡°So, even though they can say and imply that they want sex, if they don''t ask for it or start it, I could get in trouble if I do.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Claire said. ¡°It''s a dangerous game to play, especially with no experience.¡±


    ¡°It''s a game?¡± Arnold asked. ¡°So the things you told me were like the rules?¡±


    Claire nodded. ¡°I''m warning you about this, because I''ve seen how some of the other girls at school dress.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t want you to think that when a girl walks by you and you see her bra strap or the top of her underwear when she bends over, that she wants to have sex.¡±


    ¡°But... you... Heather...¡± Arnold thought about what Claire and Heather had been doing all week.


    ¡°We were doing it to you, specifically.¡± Claire said. ¡°We were trying to get your attention and no one else''s.¡±


    ¡°How do I tell the difference?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°They will look you in the eyes, or blush, or be speaking directly to you.¡± Claire said. ¡°Remember when you realized that I had been doing it for you?¡± She asked and he nodded. ¡°That''s almost what it will be like.¡±


    Arnold fell silent and stayed that way for a few minutes.


    ¡°I want to tell you to not do anything, even if a woman does approach you like I did.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I don''t believe that you can maintain more girlfriends without them finding out about each other.¡± Claire said. I also don''t want to have to compete with someone else for your affection. She laughed mentally. I still can''t believe that I''m competing with my daughter for it!


    ¡°So, no more girlfriends.¡± Arnold said and she nodded. ¡°What if she just wants sex?¡±


    Claire opened her mouth to say no, then thought about it. ¡°You need to always carry protection with you, so that if you do meet someone else that you want to have sex with, you''ll be safe and won''t pass on whatever diseases they may or may not have.¡±


    ¡°Mom did say that was a reason for a condom.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I''ll have to buy more.¡±


    Claire let out a sigh. ¡°You''ve only just started on this journey, so I''ll try to guide you as much as I can.¡± She said. ¡°I won''t be able to do that if you go looking for more women to have sex with, though.¡±


    Arnold nodded and she gave him another kiss, then she went to the front seat. Claire started the car and drove down to the parking garage''s exit, paid the hourly fee, then drove Arnold home. She dropped him off and said goodbye, honked her horn, then drove off. Arnold went to the front door of the house and it opened before he could reach it.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Annie nearly yelled and lunged at him to give him a tight hug. ¡°I''m so glad you''re back. I missed you.¡±


    Arnold didn''t respond, since she didn''t ask him a question. Annie dragged him inside and shut the door, then she stood there awkwardly for several minutes as she worked up the courage to ask him what she wanted to know. She fought against her motherly instincts and forced herself to admit that she really wanted to know, despite it being her son that she was asking.


    ¡°So... you had sex, didn''t you?¡± Annie asked and Arnold nodded. ¡°What did you think of it?¡±


    Arnold thought about all of his different experiences and none of them were for making children, so he told the truth. ¡°It was fun... and interesting.¡±


    Annie heart almost burst from her chest. Wh-wh-what?!? Interesting? What? She thought furiously. I only told him the basics and that should have been all he did. It should have been. I hope that was all he did! Her mind raced. No, I... I don''t want to ask. I don''t want to know what he did! No, I don''t!


    ¡°Thank you for telling me about sex, mom.¡± Arnold said as he took her into a hug and gave her a quick kiss.


    Annie tasted something off on his lips. ¡°Arnold, what... what was the last thing you ate?¡±


    ¡°Steak and potatoes.¡± Arnold said and let her go.


    No, that doesn''t taste like steak. Annie thought. ¡°What was the last thing your lips touched?¡±


    ¡°My girlfriend''s lips.¡±


    No, that''s not it, either. ¡°Before that.¡±


    ¡°Her vagina.¡± Arnold responded.


    Annie caught her breath. ¡°Go! Go to your room! Shower then bed!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and went up the stairs. He wasn''t sure why she reacted like that; but, he knew better than to ask when she was upset.


    Annie rushed to the sink and turned it on as she grabbed the soap and scrubbed her lips. Oh, god! She thought and desperately tried to spit out the taste and then, reluctantly, rubbed her soapy hands on her tongue. Her stomach turned and she ran to the downstairs bathroom just in time.


    *BLURRRRRGH!*


    Annie knelt by the toilet and tried not to look at her partially digested supper. I just... tasted...


    *BLURRRRRGH!*


    Needless to say, out of all the people in Arnold''s life, it was his mother that was going to have a fitful and restless sleep that night. Annie was sick to her stomach because she believed that she tasted an eighteen year old girl''s vagina before she had sex with her son. If she knew it was actually that eighteen year old girl''s thirty-five year old mother''s vagina after Arnold had sex with her, she might have died from both shock and disgust.


    *


    ¡°I think this is the full package.¡± The biology professor said as he gathered the materials for what he needed. ¡°If I missed anything, let me know and I''ll make sure to add it before you leave.¡±


    ¡°Sir, are you sure it''s wise to offer this so soon?¡± A young woman asked.


    ¡°I''ve shown you the results of his test.¡± The professor said. ¡°You know how remarkable it is for a man so young to have the grasp of intelligence required for such detailed work.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure the teacher didn''t add the details or coach him?¡± The young woman asked. ¡°That level of work is...¡±


    ¡°If there''s one thing he is, it''s an honest man. He said the mother stood there and watched it, so she was a witness. He also said he regretted not recording the process.¡± He chuckled. ¡°It only took him an hour!¡±


    The young woman was still skeptical; but, she couldn''t argue with the results. The specimen was intricately detailed and labels for things she wouldn''t have bothered to add herself were scattered all over it. That had been the odd point of contention for her.


    Even her professor claimed that he wouldn''t have labelled the nerve structure or the veins and arteries, because everyone in the field would already know them and wouldn''t waste the time. If this boy could do all of that in an hour, it was too remarkable to believe.


    ¡°I''m giving you the morning off tomorrow and I want you to deliver this to his house.¡± The professor said and handed her the large bag with everything in it.


    ¡°Sir, isn''t he in school?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? No, he''s been suspended for fighting.¡± The professor said with a hand wave.


    ¡°Suspended?¡± The young woman asked, surprised.


    ¡°Yes, someone insulted his girlfriend or something and he wiped the floor with them.¡±


    The young woman''s eyes widened. ¡°Professor...¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. I know.¡± He said and looked at her. ¡°Don''t worry. It was his first offence... well, two first offences, since one of the friends tried him next and he beat them up, too.¡±


    The young woman''s mouth opened slightly in surprise.


    ¡°They didn''t report it and he confessed to both, so you know he is a man of integrity.¡± The professor said. ¡°So, any more objections?¡±


    ¡°No, sir.¡± The young woman said. ¡°I think I''m going to enjoy meeting him.¡±


    ¡°Good. Good.¡± He said. ¡°If he takes the offer, the two of you will be working closely together for most of the summer term.¡±


    ¡°Won''t the other professors be jealous that you will have two assistants?¡± The young woman asked with a mischievous smile, and he laughed.


    ¡°They were already jealous when I acquired you as an assistant last year, my dear.¡± The professor said with a chuckle. ¡°When they see this young man, I dare say that they will be foaming at the mouth, because I will have two near expert level assistants!¡±


    The young woman nodded and held the bag close as she went through the contents. She didn''t see anything missing, since she had received the same package the year before, so she left to go back to her dorm room.


    If this Arnold Strickland is as good as they say, then he''s going to cause a big stir when he gets here. The young woman thought. And I''ll be right there by his side. She smiled and entered her room and closed the door, then decided to add a couple more things to the package. Like her card, her dorm room location, and her personal cell phone number.

 28 Morning Struggles

    Arnold woke up the next morning, dressed, and went downstairs. He saw his mother groggily walk around the kitchen and he walked over to her to hug her.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Arnold said and moved to kiss her.


    ¡°WAIT!¡± Annie yelled, fully awake now. ¡°Did you brush your teeth?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Okay, then. Good morning.¡± Annie said and gave him a kiss on the lips. She tasted spearmint and let out a relieved sigh. ¡°Any time you perform oral sex, unless you keep performing it or other kinds of sex, you should go to the nearest bathroom to rinse out your mouth and brush your teeth afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said. Now that his mother had reminded him, he remembered Heather doing that the first time she had given him oral sex.


    ¡°Sit and I''ll cook you some grilled cheese.¡± Annie said.


    Arnold nodded and sat at the kitchen table to wait.


    *


    Claire woke up at the sound of her alarm and was quite sore. The contortions and bends she had done in the car the night before had given her the most pleasurable sex she had had in a while; but, now she was paying for it. She decided that she actually needed a day off. Not from working, since she had things to do. She needed a day off from Arnold.


    Claire sighed and went downstairs and made some tea, then sat at the breakfast nook and thought about the dilemma she was in. If she had counted properly, she knew that she had more sex with Heather''s boyfriend than Heather had. She admitted to herself that it was a horrible thing to have done, especially since she was now guilty of doing to Heather what Heather had done to her. She has snuck around and performed sex acts behind her daughter''s back.


    Claire sighed and sipped her tea. Do as I say, not as I do. She thought, then she remembered how good it had felt to have a handsome young man make love to her. My boyfriend made love to me. She thought with a smile. He had done everything she asked, exactly how she wanted him to do it, and she really, really enjoyed that. More than she should have. A lot more.


    She had indulged herself once in the bathroom, because she was horny and he was willing. Later when he wanted her in the car, she gave in immediately and let him indulge himself with her. That wasn''t really the problem she had.


    The problem was, it was wonderful.


    Like Heather said, having a man that would do anything that you wanted, was the best man to have. Claire thought and sighed again. She finished her tea and then went to the counter to start making breakfast. Heather and Kelly would be up soon and they would need a ride to school.


    Claire wasn''t sure what she was going to do about Arnold, so she put it aside for now. Or, that''s what she told herself. Arnold was temptation itself and had declared that she was his girlfriend. She knew it was stupid to like that kind of thing at her age, and yet, it touched her heart that he wanted her. She couldn''t help her smile at the thought and knew that as soon as she could, she wanted to feel her eighteen year old boyfriend inside of her again.


    I am such a bad mother. Claire thought, then successfully hid her guilt and regret as her daughter and her friend came into the kitchen to eat the delicious smelling food she was cooking for them.


    *


    Amy sat up in bed when her alarm went off and kicked herself for not turning it off. The professor had given her the morning off and she was still up early to go to work.


    ¡°Ugh.¡± Amy grunted and tossed her blanket aside, then walked over to the small bathroom. She didn''t have a roommate and was grateful for that, because the dorm rooms were small enough as it was. She didn''t need to be bumping into another girl while trying to fight for room at the one small mirror in the bathroom.


    Amy looked at her reflection and her short black hair looked fine in the tight weave she had painstakingly put it in the night before. It meant she wasn''t going to be able to wash it for as long as she had it in, and she was fine with that. She had cleansing rubs to keep the hair in the tightly wrapped miniature braids healthy, and the deodorant hairspray ready to use in a couple days if the sweat built up too much and started to smell.


    She never kept the same weave for more than a week though, just so she could give her hair a proper shampoo and add the conditioner it needed. She picked up her shower cap and put it on, then hopped in the tiny cubicle shower. There wasn''t room for a full tub in such a small space and she regretted not being able to soak. That was one of the reasons she liked making the trip home once a month to visit. She liked having a proper bath.


    Amy stepped out of the shower and dried off, then grabbed her make-up kit. She was a natural beauty and had huge eyelashes, so all she added was a bit of dark eye shadow to highlight her dark brown eyes. She thought about adding some of the blush powder to add a bit of color to her cheeks, then laughed. Her dark skinned reflection laughed back at her and she nodded.


    This awesome ebony color don''t need no extra color! Amy thought and walked out of the bathroom and went to her closet, then she wondered what she should wear. It didn''t take her long to pick a nice pair of red thigh length tight bike shorts, stripped on the sides to draw the eyes to her hips. She grabbed a sports bra that matched the shorts and slipped it on, then thought about the best way to get a guy''s attention.


    Amy skipped the obvious baggy t-shirt option, since that was a bit contrived, and went with a stylish white vest with a high collar on the sides and back. When buttoned up most of the way and combined with the sports bra, it gave her a good down-the-blouse cleavage shot, which she had always used to full advantage. It also gave her some scrumptious side-boob when she checked herself in the mirror on the back of the closet door.


    Nice. Amy thought and grabbed a white pair of running shoes that she never ran in, then put on her jewellery. A thin chain around her neck designed to catch the eye and two inch round hoop earrings were applied in seconds. She checked her nails automatically, even though she knew the state they were in.


    She was prohibited from growing them out and from painting them, since she needed ''clean'' hands to work in the lab, even though she always wore rubber gloves. She had to ignore her lacking fingernails for now, to her dismay, and left her room.


    ¡°Fareena!¡± A female voice called out from down the hall.


    Amy sighed and turned to look at the much too boisterously happy young lady that walked towards her. ¡°It''s too early for me to want to see you, Cissily.¡±


    Cissily laughed as she shook her head and her short and stylish afro didn''t move at all. ¡°Hey, I was just wondering where you were going dressed like that.¡± She said and gave Amy a head to toe leer. ¡°There''s no way the stuck up little prick would let you wear that to the lab!¡±


    ¡°I''ve got the morning off.¡± Amy said and ignored her friend''s insult, because she insulted everybody, then she remembered the package that she was supposed to deliver. ¡°Dammit, I almost forgot it!¡± She said and unlocked her room and grabbed the package. ¡°I would have looked pretty stupid trying to deliver this with it back in my dorm room. Thanks for reminding me.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t say anything; but, I''ll take the credit.¡± Cissily said. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Package for a potential assistant.¡± Amy said. She thought about lying and decided it wasn''t worth it.


    Cissily gasped. ¡°No! Don''t tell me he''s tired of his star assistant already?¡±


    Amy laughed and shook her head. ¡°No, he wants me to stay, too.¡±


    ¡°Ooo, this new person must be great for the professor to ignore the unwritten rule of only one assistant per subject.¡± Cissily said. ¡°I''ll walk you out and you can tell me all about it.¡±


    Amy sighed and they started walking. ¡°I don''t know much...¡±


    Cissily listened to her friend and was just as intrigued by the new guy as Amy was. ¡°He''s still in high school and the professor wants to recruit him anyway?¡± She asked, a little surprised.


    ¡°The professor was actually upset that he wasn''t told about him sooner.¡± Amy admitted.


    ¡°Damn, girl!¡± Cissily exclaimed, now that she understood her friend''s outfit. ¡°You''re trying to do him!¡±


    ¡°I am not!¡± Amy retorted. ¡°I''m just trying to gain his interest so that we can work well together.¡±


    Cissily laughed. ¡°I think it would be better for you to just tell him upfront that you''re just gonna use him and then lose him.¡±


    Amy wanted to respond, then decided to keep her mouth shut. She wouldn''t admit out loud that she really would drop him as soon as he became boring.


    Cissily put an arm around her shoulders as they walked towards the student parking lot. ¡°You don''t even know what he looks like and you''re already planning to pop his college cherry.¡±


    ¡°You make that sound like a bad thing.¡± Amy said and Cissily laughed.


    ¡°If he''s wearing inch thick glasses and has a huge overbite, make sure to keep your eyes closed when he goes down on you.¡± Cissily grinned. ¡°It''s scary having big buck teeth near your bud! Ha ha!¡±


    Amy laughed as she opened her car door. ¡°You''re so crass!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and you love it.¡± Cissily said and started to walk away. ¡°See you around, cradle robber!¡±


    ¡°He''s eighteen, dammit!¡± Amy countered and Cissily''s laugh echoed in the parking lot as she disappeared from sight.


    *


    ¡°Claire didn''t say that she needed you to help spread out the mulch?¡± Annie asked her son when he was finished breakfast.


    Arnold shook his head. ¡°She mentioned on Saturday about seeding the lawn and adding fertilizer.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I wonder why she didn''t ask for your help today after taking yesterday off?¡± Annie asked.


    Arnold shrugged and had no idea why.


    ¡°Well, I guess that means you''re not working today.¡± Annie said. ¡°Want to watch some television with me?¡±


    Arnold shrugged again and his mother chuckled and took his hand, then led him into the living room and they sat together on the couch.


    ¡°It''s a little weird to have someone else here during the day.¡± Annie said, then she put her arm around her son. ¡°Why don''t you lay down and relax?¡±


    Arnold nodded and instead of moving away from her and laying down with his head on the arm of the couch like she assumed, he put his head down onto her lap and his feet went to the arm of the couch.


    Annie didn''t comment and rested her hand on his chest as she used the other hand to work the remote and turned on the television. She put it on the first channel in her daily routine and then relaxed. For the first time since Arnold was a little kid that was too young to go to school, the two of them watched television together.


    *


    ¡°Well, they say it was an actual accident.¡± A woman said as she looked down at the file the police had faxed over. ¡°He was drunk of course.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± The company head said. ¡°Our life insurance policy specifically states that they can''t collect on the accident clause if it was intentional.¡±


    The woman chuckled. ¡°I can''t believe we actually got away with putting that clause into the policy.¡±


    The man smiled. ¡°Yes, an intentional accident. Imagine the odds of that happening?¡±


    The woman had to laugh. ¡°It was a death, though... so we have to pay off the policy.¡±


    ¡°Only give the base rate.¡± The man warned her. ¡°We aren''t running a charity.¡±


    The woman looked at the policy and shook her head. ¡°Sir, we can''t get away with that in this case.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± He asked.


    ¡°We were partially negligent and liable.¡±


    The man looked like he was about to vehemently argue, so she handed him the witness statements from their own company about how Gerald was drunk pretty much every day when he returned to work from lunch and despite the reports, no one had ever said anything to Gerald. The man read a few of them and then he let out an angry sigh.


    ¡°All right.¡± He looked at her angrily. ¡°Make sure to milk as much publicity out of the extra benefits as you can.¡±


    ¡°Sir, I''ve already notified the local papers about your generosity in this tragic matter.¡± The woman said. ¡°They''ve already altered the obituary in the company''s favor.¡±


    The man gave her a discerning look, then he smiled. ¡°I knew you were the best woman for the job.¡±


    ¡°That''s why you pay me the big bucks, sir.¡± The woman said. ¡°Should I make the call?¡±


    ¡°No, if we''re going to milk it for what it''s worth anyway, we might as well get the local newspaper to send over a cub reporter and maybe a still camera or something.¡± He said. ¡°A picture of the grieving widow receiving her benefits will make a great interest story.¡±


    ¡°Sir, I''ll handle it myself.¡± The woman said and picked up the file folder and left the office.


    *


    ¡°Arnold''s not working today?¡± Heather asked, surprised. ¡°But, mom...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know the mulch needs to be spread.¡± Claire said and led the two girls to the car. ¡°I''ve got things to do for the store and I can''t stay at home today.¡±


    ¡°Did you tell Arnold?¡± Kelly asked as she put her suitcase in the trunk.


    ¡°Oh, damn. I knew I forgot something.¡± Claire said and took out her cell phone. ¡°Give me a minute.¡±


    Heather and Kelly sat in the back seat and waited while Claire called Arnold.


    ¡°Hi, Annie.¡± Claire said. ¡°I''m sorry, I forgot to tell him yesterday that I was busy today.¡± She said. ¡°Uh huh. Yes.¡± She waited for a moment. ¡°For the store.¡± She said. ¡°I honestly did forget until just this moment when Kelly asked me if he knew.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Yes, really.¡± She said. ¡°Okay, I have to go. I''ll see you both tomorrow morning.¡±


    Claire shook her head at her own forgetfulness and climbed into the front seat. ¡°Thanks for reminding me, Kelly.¡±


    ¡°I''m glad I thought of it.¡± Kelly said and looked at Heather. ¡°Imagine if he sat there all day and waited for your mom to come and pick him up.¡±


    ¡°Oh, poor Arnold.¡± Heather said. ¡°Mom...¡±


    ¡°I just told Annie that I forgot until Kelly told me.¡± Claire said and started the car. ¡°Yes, I apologized.¡±


    Heather just nodded and Kelly didn''t say anything else. Claire drove them to the school and told Kelly to leave her suitcase in the trunk and she could grab it when Claire came back to pick up Heather that afternoon. The two girls got out and went into the school and prepped their backpacks for the morning classes. They had both gotten the idea from Arnold to take a bit more each time.


    They spent the extra time talking, rather than go back to their lockers at the beginning of every class to get the next set of books. They didn''t waste that time and talked about how well Arnold did using the VR setup Heather had at her place. Heather had wanted to talk about other things and Kelly had flatly refused to discuss anything that referenced Heather''s bedroom antics. In public, anyway.


    In private, she knew Heather got a thrill describing what she did, and Kelly had to admit that her descriptions were pretty vivid and gave her clear mental images. Of course, that was also bad for Kelly, because she could also put herself into those situations, specifically because Heather described them so well. It was a double-edged sword and Kelly wasn''t sure if she wanted to keep cutting herself on it.


    Of course, one of the guys nearby heard them talking about Arnold and his VR skills. He planned to rush out of class like normal and instead of going to his locker, he would go right to where Brad hung out. If Arnold was playing VR games at Heather''s place, then Brad would definitely want to know about it.

 29 Visitors

    Annie and Arnold watched television for almost three hours. Annie''s hand made slow caressing circles on Arnold''s chest automatically, just like she had when he was a young boy. Arnold''s eyes opened and closed in long slow blinks and was completely relaxed, also just like when he was a boy. They both liked being there like that, with nothing in the world to disturb them, then they heard a car pull into the driveway with a screech of tires.


    Annie let out a sigh and stopped rubbing Arnold''s chest. ¡°I''ll go check and see who it is.¡± She said and carefully lifted Arnold''s head and moved out of the way, then rested it on the couch. She gave him a smile and went to kiss him on the forehead, then remembered what he had said about it meaning more on the lips. She gave him a kiss on the lips and walked out of the living room to go to the front door.


    There was a loud bang, then another.


    Are they trying to kick my door in? Annie asked herself and pulled open the door.


    A young black woman stood there with her foot posed to kick the door again. She had her hair in a tight weave, wore a workout outfit that looked brand new, and she carried a large bag in her hands. She also had a slightly surprised expression on her face.


    ¡°Yes? What do you want?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°Hi, there.¡± Amy said and used the best ''nice to meet you'' smile she had. ¡°My name is Fareena Amilia Hollister and I work for the biology department at the college.¡±


    Annie stood there and wasn''t sure she had heard the name right. ¡°Farrena?¡±


    Amy chuckled. ¡°Everyone just calls me Amy.¡±


    ¡°That''s easier.¡± Annie said with a smile. ¡°Hi Amy, I''m... wait, did you say you worked for the college?¡±


    Amy nodded. ¡°In the biology department.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°I''m on scholarship there and work in the mornings at the lab and take classes in the afternoons.¡± Amy said. ¡°The professor gave me the morning off to drive all the way out here to deliver this.¡± She hefted the bag to get Annie''s attention on it.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It''s an assistant package that comes with a summer job offer.¡± Amy said.


    ¡°Wh-wh-what?¡± Annie asked, stunned.


    ¡°I know it''s pretty sudden and you have every right to be surprised.¡± Amy said. ¡°Can I come in? This thing is heavy.¡±


    ¡°What? Oh! Yes, come in.¡± Annie said and stepped out of the way.


    Amy came inside the house. ¡°This is a nice place.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Annie said and pointed. ¡°The dining room is right in there.¡±


    ¡°Dining room?¡± Amy asked and walked where she was pointed.


    ¡°So you can put that down and we can look through it.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Amy said with regret in her voice. ¡°I can only hand this over to Arnold.¡±


    ¡°That''s what I meant by ''we''.¡± Annie said and turned towards the living room. ¡°Arnold, come here.¡±


    Amy was prepared for the worst and turned to face the living room, then she nearly gasped as a five foot ten inch tall hunk of a man stood up from the couch and walked towards her.


    Oh. My. God. Amy thought in surprise as Arnold stopped beside her. He looks like an angel!


    ¡°What''s in the bag?¡± Arnold asked and Amy managed to not shiver at the sound of his voice.


    ¡°It''s an assistant package, whatever that is, and a job offer.¡± Annie said. ¡°For the whole summer.¡±


    Arnold reached out and took his mother''s hand. ¡°Let''s look through it together.¡±


    Annie nodded and they both started pulling things out of the bag and looked them over. Amy just stood there and didn''t say anything for almost twenty minutes, until Annie started to ask her questions about the procedure manual and lab protocol book.


    ¡°You''re really offering him an assistant position?¡± Annie asked, surprised.


    ¡°Not me, the professor. Hamil Crenslav.¡± Amy corrected. ¡°I was hired last year and I''m the senior assistant.¡±


    ¡°So, Arnold will be working under you?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°I certainly hope so.¡± Amy said and gave Arnold a look that said she was going to eat him all up. Arnold didn''t notice, because he was currently looking through the thick introduction booklet for the biology department. Annie had noticed it and took the young woman''s arm and led her out of the room and to the front door.


    ¡°Let me get something straight with you, right here and now.¡± Annie said in a low voice that was filled with anger, and she saw Amy''s surprise. ¡°Arnold has a girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°I... I know.¡± Amy said.


    ¡°That didn''t stop you from looking at my son like he was a piece of candy.¡± Annie said. ¡°Normally, I wouldn''t say anything; but, my son doesn''t need you to tease and tempt him like you''re planning to do.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Strickland, I...¡±


    ¡°If you lie to me, I''ll toss you out this door so fast that you''ll wonder if you had been in here at all.¡± Annie spat. ¡°Normal people don''t make deliveries over two hours away dressed like that, unless they had a specific reason to show off so much of their bodies.¡±


    ¡°But... the job...¡±


    ¡°All I care about is the welfare of my son. If he takes this job and all he gets from you is propositioned, used, and dumped, then I would rather he stayed at home to watch television with me on the couch.¡±


    Amy looked into the woman''s eyes and knew she wasn''t going to be bullshitting her way out of the situation. ¡°Okay. I admit that I came here with the intention of getting his attention.¡± She said. ¡°We''re going to be working together for almost three months and I wanted us to get along as well as possible.¡±


    Annie let out a huff. ¡°Getting along is great. I won''t interfere with that. Being friends is fine as well.¡± She said and leaned in close. ¡°But if I ever hear that you are trying to seduce him or manipulate him, I''ll rip those god-awful mini-braids out of your hair, one by one, then I''ll report you for abusing your position and have you fired.¡±


    Amy''s face had paled slightly at the threat. Not because it was startling to hear, it was because she knew with all of her heart that the woman, whom she now thought of as crazy, meant it.


    ¡°Before I ask if you understand, you should know that Arnold tells me everything I ask him about.¡± Annie said. ¡°If he takes this job, I''ll be talking to him every day and I''ll ask him if you''ve tried anything with him. Flirting, revealing clothing, rubbing on him, everything.¡± She let those words sink in for a minute, then spoke. ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    Amy nodded.


    ¡°Say it out loud, please.¡± Annie commanded.


    ¡°I understand. No using or abusing your son.¡± Amy said.


    ¡°Good.¡± Annie smiled and let her arm go, then walked back to the dining room.


    Amy rubbed where the woman''s fingers had dug in, then she held in her sigh.


    ¡°Amy, why don''t you come back to the dining room and tell us all about the job, the perks, and what it would mean for Arnold''s qualifications for scholarships and bursaries.¡± Annie said with a happy tone and a welcoming smile.


    Amy had seen behind the facade and knew the woman was not someone to be trifled with, so she walked over to the dining room and did as Annie asked and told them everything they wanted to know. She didn''t bend over slightly, or tease a bit with playing with opening her vest, or even casually touched Arnold as she spoke. All of her plans for making Arnold hers, before he reached campus, had crashed and burned before they had even started.


    ¡°Thank you so much for coming over with all of this.¡± Annie said and looked at all of the things that had been in the bag, including examples of a lab coat, medical masks, high quality rubber gloves, and Amy''s card with her information on it.


    ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Amy said in a defeated tone. She had tried, unobtrusively, to get Arnold''s attention and it hadn''t worked at all. She had to assume that his mother was right and she wasn''t going to make any headway with him at all.


    ¡°Arnold, go ahead and walk her to the front door.¡± Annie said and started to gather everything up to put it back in the bag.


    Amy gave her one last look, then walked to the front door with Arnold right behind her. She opened the front door and saw a car and a panel van pull up to the curb and stop. She turned to look at the handsome man and stopped herself from sighing at the lost opportunity.


    ¡°Call me when you make a decision about the job.¡± Amy said. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Arnold put a hand behind her head and bent down slightly to give her a three second kiss. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    ¡°Is that your girlfriend? Oh, what a wonderful time to arrive!¡± A woman exclaimed as she and a camera man walked up the driveway. ¡°Did you get a shot of that kiss?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The camera guy said.


    ¡°Well, then.¡± She said and turned back to Arnold. ¡°Kiss her again and we can take a picture.¡±


    ¡°W-wait!¡± Amy managed to say before Arnold kissed her again.


    ¡°Aww, how sweet! Young love!¡± The reporter said and turned to look at the other woman behind her. ¡°I hope it''s okay to include a picture of the young couple.¡±


    ¡°It''s supposed to be about the benefits from the company; but, I guess you can include it as a happy response.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful!¡± The reporter said.


    ¡°What''s going on out here?¡± Annie asked and her eyes took in the other people.


    ¡°I''m a representative from Charles and Associates.¡± A well-dressed woman said. ¡°I came here as soon as we received the police findings in your husband''s case.¡±


    Annie took a shaky breath and Arnold was there to hold her by the shoulders.


    ¡°Can we come in?¡± The representative asked. ¡°There are some things we need to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Annie said and waved them in.


    *


    Amy was left all alone on the front step as the front door closed. ¡°What... the... hell.¡± She said and stared at the spot Arnold had just stood. After a moment, she shook her head and climbed into her car and left. She had a long drive to get back to school before her first afternoon class. She dismissed the entire event as something she was never going to mention to anyone, not even Cissily, and stepped on the gas. Only one thought kept going through her mind.


    That was a great goodbye kiss. Amy thought.


    *


    ¡°I''m so sorry for your loss.¡± The representative said as Annie led them into the living room. ¡°It was a horrible thing to have happen.¡±


    The reporter directed her to sit on the couch where the camera guy could get the best angle, then Annie sat beside her and Arnold was told to stand near Annie and to put a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°As soon as we received the police findings, we came right over to help alleviate the burden on you.¡± The representative said and opened up her purse and took out a large envelope, then she held it out for Annie to take. There was a click of the camera and a flash, then the camera guy checked what he got, nodded to the reporter, and left.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Annie asked when the rep let the envelope go.


    ¡°It''s your husband''s life insurance policy benefits.¡± The representative said with a big smile.


    ¡°I didn''t know that he had life insurance.¡± Annie said as she looked at the envelope. Please be enough.


    ¡°All of the Charles and Associates employees have the policy given to them after ten years.¡± The representative said and her face kept the same smile. ¡°It''s an automatic reward for dedicated years of service.¡±


    ¡°How... how much?¡± Annie asked, almost in a whisper.


    ¡°Well...¡± The rep''s smile reduced in quality to a normal smile. ¡°...even though it was ruled an accident, your husband was... allegedly drunk behind the wheel... which contributed to the accident.¡± Her smile disappeared. ¡°He did not qualify for the accidental death clause of the policy.¡±


    ¡°Do I want to know how much that would have been?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°No.¡± The representative said with a sad voice, then she smiled a little. ¡°There were other clauses that he did qualify for and the policy payout was adjusted accordingly. Also, after Gerald''s work history was taken into consideration, the company head saw fit to increase those benefits appropriately.¡± And absolve himself and the company of liability.


    Annie''s hands trembled as she slid open the envelope and pulled out something that looked like a contract. She gave it a quick look and then flipped to the last page, and there it was. The check.


    It was for a hundred and sixty-five thousand dollars.


    Annie gasped and folded it back up and put it back into the envelope as she fought the urge to hug it tightly, which would crush it and potentially make it worthless.


    ¡°Shall we move to the dining room and sign the paperwork?¡± The representative said with a satisfied tone of voice.


    ¡°Y-y-yes.¡± Annie said. ¡°Arnold, help me.¡±


    Arnold eased his arms around his mother and helped her stand, then guided her as if she was elderly and took her to the dining room. He sat her down and she held the envelope as if it would break.


    ¡°Make sure to read all of that.¡± The rep said as Annie opened the envelope again and took out the contract. ¡°It''s a non-disclosure agreement and acceptance of the policy payout.¡±


    Annie looked at the reporter and then back to the representative.


    ¡°She''s agreed that if she does see how much it is, she won''t reveal the total.¡± The representative said.


    Annie nodded and read through the contract quickly and flipped to the last page again and Arnold saw how much the check was for.


    ¡°It''s not very much.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± The representative looked at him in surprise. ¡°That is a significant amount of money.¡±


    ¡°After all the debts my father left us with, with two secret mortgages and a bunch of loans, we''ll only have a few thousand left to live on.¡± Arnold said to both her and the reporter''s shock. ¡°The account manager at the bank let him steal nearly all of my college fund, too.¡±


    ¡°What?!?¡± The reporter and the representative asked at the same time.


    The reporter was the first to recover from the shock. ¡°What did he spend all that money on?¡±


    ¡°Investments... stupid, stupid investments.¡± Annie whispered. ¡°We only found out a couple of days before he... he...¡±


    ¡°Mom.¡± Arnold said and she looked up at him and nodded.


    ¡°Can you get me that man''s name?¡± The reporter asked.


    Arnold left the room and went upstairs and retrieved the account manager''s business card from his backpack. He went back down to the dining room and handed the card to the reporter.


    ¡°I told him I would tell everyone that he helped my dad rob me.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Can you do that?¡±


    ¡°You''re damn right I can.¡± The reporter said and smiled. ¡°I''ll get on it as soon as we''re finished here.¡±


    Arnold nodded as Annie took the pen from the representative and signed the contract, then she endorsed the check, as did the representative. The three women stood and shook hands, then Annie sat down and stared at the check. You could see the disbelief on her face, so the reporter and the representative turned away and Arnold led them towards the front door.


    ¡°I thought I was delivering a huge payday for you to make you all happy after the tragedy, and all I did was alleviate some of your worries.¡± The representative said, sadly. ¡°I''m sorry it didn''t work like I thought it would.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and gave her a quick kiss and hugged her. The woman was stunned for a moment, then her heart melted and she hugged him back tightly. When he let her go, she had tears in her eyes.


    ¡°I promise you that I''ll have this story in tomorrow''s paper.¡± The reporter said. ¡°In fact, I''ll try and make it into a whole series of articles about the bank''s corruption and its subversion of their client''s expectations.¡± She touched Arnold''s arm. ¡°I''ll also spread the word as quickly as I can on social media, from both the paper''s website and with my own contacts.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and gave her a brief kiss and hugged her, too. The reporter held her emotions in check a little better than the representative had and only had a sad face when Arnold let her go. Her tears would come once they left the house. With nothing else to do or say, the two women left through the front door and the reporter started crying.


    ¡°That poor boy.¡± The reporter said. ¡°He''s the man of the house now.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± The representative from Charles and Associates said. ¡°I just... now that I''ve met them, I... I wish I could have done more.¡± Despite that not being the policy of the company. She thought.


    ¡°I''m glad I still can.¡± The reporter said and wiped at her tears. ¡°Even if the editor squashes the best human interest story we''ve had in years, everyone will know what happened.¡±


    ¡°You''re going to submit the benefits story separately?¡± The representative asked.


    The reporter nodded. ¡°It''s the best and safest way. I''ll include a single line stating that it will barely take them out of their crushing debt.¡± She smiled. ¡°We''ll be flooded with calls for a follow up story. I just know it.¡±


    The representative nodded and they split up to go to their respective vehicles, then drove away.

 30 Decisions

    Once Annie got over her shock at the sheer amount of money they now had access to, she didn''t want to waste any more time. The first thing she did was call a new bank. They were very reluctant at first, considering the sheer amount of debt she had inherited, then she started to ask about the other bank''s sudden death policies.


    Once that option became available, where any and all payments would automatically be deferred for three months for the grieving family, the bank greedily accepted her as a new client and contacted the other bank. They transferred over all of Annie''s inherited debts and asked her to come in and speak to one of their financial planners. They needed to discuss how they would manage the debt and to work with her to start paying down on the principal amounts.


    Annie couldn''t wait to go in there and tell them she was going to pay everything off. She made an appointment for an hour later and hung up.


    ¡°Shower and proper dress up.¡± Annie said to Arnold, who nodded and they both went upstairs to get ready. Annie was in and out of the shower quickly and went into her room to look for her best dress. She found it and saw that it didn''t need to be ironed and was happy from such a simple thing. She put on her nicest bra and panties and brushed out her blonde hair.


    ¡°Mom.¡± Arnold said and she turned to see that he stood in her doorway in his new jeans and held a shirt that needed to be ironed.


    ¡°Not a problem.¡± Annie said and walked over to him, grabbed the shirt, then went to the ironing board and set everything up. ¡°I''ll have it done in a jiffy.¡±


    Arnold watched his mother work and noticed what his mother was wearing. ¡°You look very pretty.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Annie looked down at herself and realized that she was only wearing her bra and panties. ¡°Hey, you noticed!¡± She said and walked back over to him and took him into a hug, which pressed her bra and most of her breasts into his bare chest. ¡°I assume you did because of everything that''s happened over at Claire''s?¡±


    Arnold nodded and put his arms around her. ¡°I know that if I see a woman''s underwear, I should tell her that she''s pretty.¡±


    Annie gave him a huge smile. ¡°I''m so glad!¡±


    ¡°I also know that it doesn''t mean that they want to have sex with me if I do see it, either on purpose or by accident.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie opened her mouth to respond, then she closed it as she thought about how he could have gotten that idea. ¡°Arnold, I... well...¡± She wasn''t sure how she was going to bring up that she had told Claire to let Heather do what Arnold wanted, and yet he knew that if someone showed him their underwear that it wouldn''t automatically lead to sex. She must have told him that, otherwise she would have broken her promise to me.


    ¡°I love you, mom.¡± Arnold said and gave her a quick kiss. Since they were both only wearing socks on their feet, they were currently the same height, and Annie closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against his. She thought about what that Amy girl had come here to do and realized that Arnold was going to be propositioned a lot when he gets to college.


    ¡°Arnold, I love you, too.¡± Annie opened her eyes and looked into his. ¡°We need to have a talk about what girls are going to do when they are trying to get your attention.¡±


    ¡°You want me to ignore them like Claire said?¡± Arnold asked and Annie''s eyes widened. ¡°She said that I can''t take flirting to mean more than that, and if I did, I could get into trouble.¡±


    ¡°Arnold, I''m so glad Claire has been taking care of you and telling you important things.¡± Annie said. ¡°Yes, I want you to ignore them if you can.¡±


    ¡°She said that you couldn''t tell me specific things because you''re my mother, not because you can''t.¡±


    Annie beamed a smile at him. ¡°Oh, Arnold.¡± She said and gave him a kiss on the lips. ¡°When you turn down all those girls, make sure that you aren''t disrespectful when you talk to them.¡±


    ¡°I don''t understand.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Well, if someone approaches you and tries to get your attention, don''t just dismiss them or walk away.¡± Annie said. ¡°You could tell them that you appreciate their attention and that you don''t have the time to give them the appropriate attention back.¡±


    ¡°What if that''s a lie?¡± Arnold asked.


    Annie smiled and let him out of the hug she had him in. ¡°You''re trying to soothe their feelings, so a little lying is okay.¡± She said, then she felt a little cold. She had been pressed up against him for a bit longer than she had thought and now she felt his absence.


    ¡°What if I want to give them attention back after they flirt with me?¡± Arnold asked and raised his hands to comb them through her hair.


    ¡°Depending on what they did, you would reciprocate in a similar manner.¡± Annie said. ¡°A compliment for a compliment and a touch for a touch.¡± She said and put her own hands up to caress his buzz-cut, then she chuckled. ¡°Unless she shows you her underwear. Don''t go put on a woman''s bra and show it off to her. That''s not the kind of message you need for her to get.¡±


    ¡°Because I don''t have breasts?¡± Arnold asked and his fingers moved down to her shoulders.


    Annie laughed and copied him. ¡°No, because she''ll think you''re weird or something. Or worse, making fun of her.¡±


    Arnold liked his mother''s laugh, mainly because he hadn''t heard it in a while, and moved his hands across the top of her torso and traced the bones there. After a few moments, he let his fingertips softly graze across her skin as he moved his hands down, then just before he touched the soft mounds of her breasts, he shifted his hands to the sides and slid them around to her back to hug her.


    Annie had watched his hands the entire time and hadn''t said anything or tried to stop him. She looked up from her chest and at his face to see a smile there.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and gave her a kiss.


    ¡°Arnold...¡± Annie started to ask what he was thanking her for, then he let her out of the hug and she changed her mind. ¡°We need to get dressed.¡±


    Arnold nodded and Annie went to the ironing board and ironed his shirt, then handed it to him. He put it on and tucked it in, since they were going for serious and not casual. She took her dress out of the closet and stepped into it, then lifted it into place and put the straps over her shoulders. Arnold stepped forward and zipped up the back without being asked and they stood in front of the mirror together.


    ¡°You look very pretty.¡± Arnold said and moved her dress straps to cover the bra straps that he could clearly see.


    ¡°Claire was that specific?¡± Annie asked Arnold''s reflection.


    ¡°She mentioned seeing the tops of their underwear when they bend over or kneel, too.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie let out a sigh and turned from the mirror to face him. ¡°I really wish I could tell you all the things you need to know about things like this, but...¡±


    ¡°...you''re my mother.¡± Arnold finished for her and she nodded.


    Annie looked into her son''s eyes for a moment, then looked at the clock. ¡°We need to go.¡±


    They went downstairs and Annie took the large envelope with the check inside, grabbed a hundred dollars from the can on top of the refrigerator, and they left the house. They had a short drive and probably a bit of a wait while their new account manager explained everything to them.


    *


    Amy pulled into the student parking lot with a screech of her tires, parked and grabbed her large handbag with her things in it, and locked her car as she ran across the parking lot. She had to park at the far end, because everyone was already back from lunch and had taken all the good spots. She ran for the first time in her running gear that she had owned for three months, and the irony was not lost on her. She entered the right building and ran down two hallways, then entered the classroom.


    ¡°Hey, you made it!¡± Cissily exclaimed with a laugh. ¡°I lost my bet!¡± Her laughter was joined by several others as they laughed, too.


    Amy walked over to her normal seat and plunked down into it with a sigh.


    Cissily read her mood instantly and waved the laughter to silence, then leaned over to Amy to whisper. ¡°You look defeated.¡±


    Amy gave her a look to tell her to drop it, then sighed and folded her arms on the desk and dropped her head onto it. ¡°I swore to myself that I wasn''t going to tell you about it.¡±


    ¡°Damn, girl.¡± Cissily said and slid her chair over to drape her arm over her friend. ¡°Now you gotta tell me. If it''s bad enough that you want to keep it a secret from me, I have to know!¡±


    Amy couldn''t help herself and laughed at the logic.


    ¡°Fareena, I swear on a stack of bibles that I won''t laugh or make fun of you.¡± Cissily said.


    Amy took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°It''s not that... I just... it''s embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°Don''t tell me the new guy told you to piss off!¡± Cissily said, instantly angered. ¡°After all the trouble you went through for him? I''ll kill him!¡±


    Amy closed her eyes for a moment and basked in her friend''s indignation on her behalf. ¡°It''s worse than that.¡± She said and opened her eyes to look at her friend. ¡°It was his mother.¡±


    ¡°No. Fucking. WAY!¡± Cissily yelled and everyone in the class turned to her. ¡°What are you looking at, fuck-wits?¡±


    A few people ignored her response, a few chuckled, and one guy gave her a middle finger before he kissed the tip of it and blew her a kiss with it. Cissily noted the invitation and raised her eyebrows, so he winked at her and wrote something on a piece of paper and left it on the edge of his desk.


    Okay, that was smooth. Cissily thought with a smile, then remembered her friend was in dire straits. ¡°All right, Fareena. Tell me everything.¡±


    Amy took another deep breath, and neither of them paid any attention in the class when it started, then Amy told her everything that had happened.


    *


    So, the little dweeb likes playing VR games. Brad thought as he sat in class and wondered how he could use that information to get back at Arnold for what he did. He had been surprised when a kid he barely knew came to him with the information and now he had to figure out what to do next. I wonder if... He thought and took a piece of paper and wrote something on it, then smiled and passed it to Kevin.


    Kevin took the note and read it, then smiled, too. Eric sat behind Brad and saw the exchange and held in his sigh. He had successfully stopped Brad from hunting Arnold down at home, mainly because he had reminded Brad that Arnold wasn''t there because he was working at some unknown location.


    I hope I can stop this before it happens. Eric thought and took the paper when it was passed back to give to the other guys. He read it and was surprised that Brad wanted to get their old VR adventuring group back together. He added his mark and passed the note on, then thought about it. He''s going to invite Arnold to play, too! He thought in surprise, then relaxed because he had time before the invitation could be given.


    The note was passed back and everyone agreed, so Brad turned around and gave them a grin and a nod.


    That''s... not good. Eric thought when he saw the expression on Brad''s face. I don''t have anyone that I can send to warn Heather, either. He let out a sigh. I hate that I have to do crap like this all by myself.


    *


    That was exhausting. Claire thought as she drove home after taking care of the monthly chores she needed to do for the store. It wasn''t strictly necessary for her to do the things she did; but, it kept her presence known at the store and the manager didn''t disregard her as ''just the owner'' that didn''t know what was going on in her own business.


    Claire always made sure to greet everyone, from the clerks right up to the manager, since she knew that she couldn''t have a successful business without them. Plus, it had been her husband that had wanted the store in the first place and she wanted to keep it going for him. In fact, it was still named after him, even after all these years.


    Claire pulled into her driveway and parked the car, then went into the house. She looked at the clock and she only had a short while before she had to go and pick up Heather. She went to the kitchen and picked at one of the steaks she had made as she thought about Arnold coming to work for her the next day. She was still sore and even though she wanted him again, she knew she couldn''t do it. She hoped she would feel better by then, even though she knew that it took longer than a day for the tenderness to fade.


    Claire sighed at the thought of having to wait, then she let out a laugh. ¡°I am a terrible, terrible person.¡± She said. ¡°I''m sad that I can''t be ravaged by my daughter''s boyfriend.¡± She rinsed the plate off and put it in the dishwasher. ¡°No, by my boyfriend.¡±


    Claire had the sudden urge to hear his voice and went to the house phone as she sat down on the couch. She dialed his number and sat there and waited as the phone rang. After ten seconds, she sighed and hung up.


    That boy needs a cell phone. Claire thought and looked at the time again. I guess I can head out now. She stood up and grabbed her keys, then left the house and climbed back into the car. Since I have some time to waste, maybe I''ll drive by his house and see if he''s home.


    *


    It had taken an hour for the account manager to walk Annie and Arnold through the intricacies of all of the loans they had, which included the two cars, and also the two mortgages.


    ¡°What about the car insurance for the accident?¡± Annie asked. ¡°I know that...¡±


    ¡°Both have lapsed.¡± The account manager said. ¡°Six months ago they defaulted for non-payment.¡±


    ¡°Son of a bitch!¡± Annie said angrily, then she caught her breath. ¡°I''m sorry, I... it''s just...¡± She turned her head and looked at Arnold.


    ¡°I see.¡± The account manager said. ¡°You''re upset that you''ve been driving around and your son has been unprotected.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Annie said and looked back at the man. ¡°I''m glad that you''ve been so understanding.¡±


    The man smiled. ¡°I''ve seen similar cases over the years, so I know how to handle a few things.¡±


    ¡°What about getting my insurance back?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°We can take care of it at the same time as we prepare the loan payments.¡± The man said. ¡°Since it''s all for our bank, we''ve decided to consolidate all of the smaller loans into one, that way you''re not being bombarded with making multiple small payments.¡±


    ¡°That''s going to increase the time to pay them off, isn''t it?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°It will, by about five years.¡± The man said. ¡°Unfortunately, there''s nothing I can do with the mortgages, especially since there''s no collateral to renegotiate them under.¡± He sighed. ¡°It''s the same with the two cars... well, one car. I''m sorry that you still need to pay it off, even though...¡±


    ¡°It''s all right.¡± Annie said. ¡°You''ve done more than enough with everything else.¡±


    ¡°I wish I could do more.¡± The man said. ¡°It took some convincing to get the management to agree to a lump sum payment in consideration of the... death benefits... from your husband that you mentioned.¡± He looked at Arnold. ¡°We also took over the college account with only ten dollars left in it.¡±


    It was Annie''s turn to sigh. ¡°I''ll be making that up soon.¡±


    ¡°Mom.¡±


    ¡°I know, Arnold.¡± Annie said. ¡°We can work out something for the second car and...¡±


    ¡°No, mom.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Pay it all off.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°I did the math.¡± Arnold said and tapped the spreadsheets on the account manager''s desk. ¡°If you keep even one loan, no matter what for, we will owe more money than what you are trying to save now.¡±


    Annie looked at the spreadsheets and then at the account manager, who had a shocked expression on his face. ¡°All right.¡± She said and opened the large envelope. ¡°Mr. Lennon, I''d like to pay off all of my loans, the two mortgages, and the two cars, despite one being scrap and worthless.¡±


    Mr. Lennon wasn''t sure if he had heard her right. Before he could ask her to repeat herself, a check was placed in his hands for just over the total amount on the bottom line he had given them.


    ¡°What... what in the...¡± He looked at Annie. ¡°Is this real?¡±


    Annie smiled. ¡°I''ve been thinking the same thing since we received it this morning.¡± She said. ¡°Thank you so much for working hard to allow the balloon payment.¡±


    ¡°But... but...¡±


    ¡°I know. I thought about just depositing it and using it as collateral; but, Arnold is right. If I did that and only made payments with it, it would be exhausted and we would still owe a ton of money.¡± Annie smiled. ¡°By paying everything off, I''ll have a lot of collateral anyway. Right?¡±


    The bank manager looked at the check and then back at her face, then he nodded. ¡°It''s going to take me a while to work through it all.¡±


    Annie smiled and took her son''s hand. ¡°We are more than happy to wait and watch you work.¡±

 31 Free And Clear

    Claire was disappointed when she slowly drove by Arnold''s place and didn''t see a car in the driveway. She thought about going to see if it was just Annie that was gone, then changed her mind and drove to the high school. She arrived just in time and heard the bell ring, so she didn''t bother going into the parking lot and stayed by the curb. When she saw her daughter, she honked the horn several times.


    Heather waved and brought Kelly over, so she could take her suitcase from the trunk. ¡°I''ll see you tomorrow, Kelly.¡± She said and gave her friend a hug.


    ¡°Don''t have too much fun doing homework without me tonight.¡± Kelly said with a grin.


    ¡°I''m sure Arnold can keep me from missing you.¡± Heather said with a teasing tone as she climbed into the backseat. ¡°Bye!¡±


    ¡°Bye.¡± Kelly said and bent down to look in the passenger window. ¡°Hi, Mrs. Bradshaw. Bye, Mrs. Bradshaw.¡±


    Claire smiled. ¡°Get home and tell your dad he needs you.¡±


    Kelly laughed and waved as they drove away, then she waited for the school bus. She had about fifteen minutes to wait and didn''t mind that she had her suitcase with her. She could have asked for a ride home and decided that she didn''t want to impose on Heather''s mom any more than she already had. It had been a great weekend and she had a lot of fun.


    Kelly''s face flushed red as she thought about the last thing she had ever thought she would see. Arnold naked. The way he casually walked around with his thing hanging out was just as distracting as it sounded, and then he had given her a close up view when he had applied sunscreen to her entire body.


    ¡°You look like you''re remembering something good.¡± A male voice said.


    ¡°AH!¡± Kelly jumped and whirled to the side to see Eric as he stood about five feet away from her near a tree. ¡°You scared...¡± She stopped mid-sentence and narrowed her eyes. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Eric raised his hands in a surrender gesture. ¡°I just want to talk.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? One of Brad''s friends, who picks on my best friend whenever they can, wants to talk to me?¡± Kelly asked in an accusing tone. ¡°Well, whatever you have to say, you can shove it where the sun doesn''t shine, and I don''t mean your armpits!¡±


    Eric sighed. ¡°I knew this was going to suck.¡± He whispered. ¡°Look, I came to warn you.¡±


    ¡°Me? What for?¡±


    ¡°Brad''s got a hard on for getting Arnold back, and so does Kevin.¡± Eric said. ¡°I''ve been doing my best to keep them away from him; but, they just found a good way to get him.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Kelly asked, despite not wanting to listen to the jerk.


    Eric had been one of her dates and unfortunately he had proved to her that he was just like the rest of the guys she had dated and only wanted to feel her up, no matter what kind of date they were on. Walking, driving, mini-golf, movies... the movies were the worst. Just because it was dark, they thought they could grab whatever they wanted, because they had paid for the tickets and the popcorn. Eric had taken her to the movies once and she could still feel how hard he had grabbed her.


    ¡°VR.¡± Eric said. ¡°Brad is getting the old group back together.¡±


    Kelly closed her eyes and sighed. Brad''s old group were a scourge on the multiplayer community and they had no scruples. They would steal kills, robbed other players for little or no reason, and tricked them into not getting any loot when they shared quests. They were the worst kinds of people to play against in any game and everyone had felt relief when Brad''s group had officially retired.


    ¡°Is... that all?¡± Kelly asked and opened her eyes.


    ¡°No.¡± Eric said. ¡°I''m sorry for what happened between us and...¡±


    ¡°Save it for someone who cares!¡± Kelly nearly yelled. ¡°I had finger-shaped bruises on my breasts for two weeks! I was so embarrassed when I had to shower in the girl''s locker room after gym class!¡±


    ¡°Kelly...¡±


    ¡°It wasn''t even because I had them, either! I accepted it as what I deserved for thinking you were an okay guy.¡± Kelly said and then her voice dropped. ¡°It was because everyone saw the bruises and knew exactly how I got them. You had told everyone about our date and how you had finally conquered me.¡±


    Eric let out another sigh. ¡°I told you that I didn''t realize...¡±


    ¡°What? That ruining my reputation didn''t matter at all to you, as long as you got the girl, even if you actually didn''t?¡± Kelly spat.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Eric responded, fruitlessly.


    ¡°Well, I hope you''re happy, because every guy I''ve dated since then has tried the same thing, because they all think I''m an easy lay.¡± Kelly said. ¡°How am I supposed to find a guy who actually likes me if all they want to do is copy the things you said you did and will say anything to me so they can try it?¡±


    Eric didn''t know how to respond to that, so he stayed quiet.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Kelly said and gave him one last scathing look before she turned away from him. ¡°You better get the thought out of your head that I''m going to forgive you, because I''m not. I won''t ever forgive you for hurting me. Not ever.¡± She said. ¡°No one is going to forget what happened because of what you said, and neither will I.¡±


    Eric let out another sigh and walked away. He didn''t see the tears in Kelly''s eyes and when her school bus arrived, she walked over to it and climbed on. No one commented on her tears or asked her what was wrong. She was perfectly fine with that and rode the bus home in silence.


    *


    ¡°I can''t believe he wasn''t home.¡± Heather said as she climbed into the back seat of her mother''s car.


    ¡°I told you there was no answer when I called before coming to pick you up.¡± Claire said. She didn''t say that she had driven by and saw that the car wasn''t home, either.


    ¡°How is he going to do today''s homework if I don''t give it to him?¡± Heather asked.


    ¡°We''ll just call him after supper and hope for the best.¡± Claire said as she pulled away from the house.


    ¡°He needs a cell phone.¡± Heather said, echoing Claire''s thoughts from earlier. ¡°That way we can get a hold of him when we need to.¡±


    ¡°That''s a good idea, except I don''t think he can afford one right now.¡± Claire said. She knew how much in debt Annie actually was. She had to assume that adding another monthly bill for them to take care of wasn''t going to help with the situation they were in.


    ¡°What about working for you?¡± Heather asked. ¡°You haven''t paid him yet, right? What if you included a cell phone?¡±


    Claire chuckled. ¡°He didn''t do that much work, Heather.¡±


    ¡°But... you said...¡±


    ¡°A hundred dollars a day for four days work isn''t a lot of money when buying a cell phone for a few hundred dollars and then a paying a bill for nearly a hundred dollars each month.¡± Claire said. ¡°I intended for him to have a bit of spending money, not give him a steady income that he would need for a cell phone.¡±


    Heather let out a sigh. ¡°It''s too bad we couldn''t reload our plan and add an extra phone.¡±


    Claire smiled. ¡°At least you''re considering options and not sulking over it or whining at me to get him one.¡±


    ¡°Like that ever worked.¡± Heather said and smiled at the back of her mother''s head.


    Claire drove them home and as soon as they went into the house, Heather went to the house phone and called Arnold''s house. ¡°Your time would be better spent doing the homework.¡±


    ¡°I''m just trying it a few times.¡± Heather said as she hung the phone up and dialed again.


    Claire chuckled and went to the kitchen to start on supper.


    *


    It took another two hours for the account manager to get all of the loans sorted out. He had needed the help of one of the bank''s accountants as well, and the two of them managed to construct the best plan to distribute the money. Unlike what some people thought, you couldn''t just go to the bank and pay off a structured bill system. It was intended to make the bank money over time and getting by those additional fees was quite the rigmarole, or long and complicated procedure.


    ¡°I think we got it!¡± The woman exclaimed and stood up with the final total and took in a huge breath to start talking. ¡°With the death benefit loophole, we can pay off the first mortgage and primary car with only a small early payment fee penalty, which will establish a good credit and payment history with us. Once that''s entered in the system, you become eligible for discounts on bringing more accounts to our bank, which will save you on the early payment fees for the smaller loans.¡±


    Annie and Arnold sat there and listened.


    The woman took another breath. ¡°We''ve managed to juggle the smaller loans into a consolidated single payment to make them eligible for the same single payment loophole, then the second mortgage comes into effect and becomes the primary mortgage on the house. It then qualifies for the same payment reduction and the death benefit loophole lets a single balloon payment be made to clear it. We can''t do anything for the second car, since it''s not a primary asset and you have to pay the full early payment fees for it.¡±


    Annie thought about what she said. ¡°Okay, I think I understand. You broke it all up and will enter it into the system as a series of loans and mortgages and not as a coherent whole.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The woman said excitedly. ¡°It won''t matter if the entries are seconds apart. It''ll become a credit history, a very favorable one that''s on par with some of our more prominent clients, and then the last car payment will clear you of your debt completely. Even your house taxes have been included!¡±


    ¡°And the insurance, once you enter the primary car as wrecked?¡± Annie asked.


    The woman smiled. ¡°You''ve never had an accident with it and it''s been on the road for years. I''ll bet that your payments are going to be significantly lower than they were before, especially with such a high credit rating.¡±


    ¡°But... the accident...¡± Annie started to say.


    ¡°...happened when you weren''t on the policy, so it''s not on record.¡± The woman said with a grin. ¡°It doesn''t affect your driving record or will impact your monthly or yearly fees. By the way, I suggest paying the yearly fee each year. You save quite a lot by paying for it all upfront.¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°How much is left after all of this?¡±


    The woman picked up another sheet and circled a number on it, then showed it to her.


    ¡°Eight thousand, three hundred and some change?¡± Annie asked, surprised. ¡°I thought...¡±


    ¡°That''s including the yearly insurance payments on the house and car, too.¡± The woman said. ¡°That total is how much that will be left in your account.¡±


    ¡°Our account.¡± Annie said and took her son''s hand. ¡°Both of our names will be on it.¡±


    ¡°That''s not a problem.¡± The account manager said and looked at the accountant. ¡°Can you stay and help me put all of this mess into the computer?¡±


    ¡°Sir, I''d be honored to.¡± The woman said. ¡°Once I heard their story, I wanted to turn this into the best possible outcome for them.¡±


    It took another half an hour to get all of the paperwork sorted out into the proper order and entered into the computer. When they were done, the account manager and the accountant sat back with satisfied looks on their faces.


    ¡°Well, now that it''s all done, would you like to take any of that money out?¡± The account manager asked as he handed them two bank cards with their signatures on them.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said before Annie could respond. ¡°We would like to leave it there for as long as possible.¡±


    ¡°Arnold, you''re starting college in the fall.¡± Annie said. ¡°You''re going to need...¡±


    ¡°According to the package the college sent over, I won''t need anything.¡± Arnold said. ¡°If I take the job for the summer, I qualify for school sponsorship.¡±


    ¡°You''re going to have a full scholarship for the college?¡± The account manager asked.


    ¡°We just received the offer today.¡± Annie said. ¡°We haven''t even talked about it or what it could mean.¡±


    ¡°Well, in any case, bring any and all paperwork about that to us if you accept. We will handle all of the details for you.¡± The man said and smiled. ¡°You will have more than ten dollars in your college account in no time.¡±


    Arnold stood up and walked around the desk. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and started to hug the man.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Annie shot to her feet. ¡°Just a handshake for him!¡±


    Arnold moved back and held a hand out to the man.


    ¡°You''re welcome.¡± The man said with raised eyebrows and stood to shake Arnold''s hand. ¡°Thank you for choosing our bank and I am happy to have you as a client.¡±


    Arnold nodded and turned to the woman, who stood and started to put a hand out for him to shake. He ignored it and stepped close to her instead and put his arms around her.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and kissed her for three seconds, then let her go.


    ¡°Arnold, take the paperwork and wait in the car.¡± Annie said. ¡°We''ll go out to eat and celebrate.¡±


    Both the account manager and the accountant stared at Arnold as he took the copy of the paperwork and left the office.


    ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± Annie said. ¡°He''s a little socially inept and hasn''t had a lot of practice in dealing with people outside of school. He didn''t mean any harm.¡±


    ¡°That''s... quite all right.¡± The woman said as she recovered. ¡°It was a shock; but, you''re right. He wasn''t trying to do anything past thanking me.¡±


    ¡°It''s usually only a quick kiss, though.¡± Annie said and held a hand out for her to shake. ¡°He appreciates everything you''ve done, and so do I.¡±


    The woman smiled and shook the offered hand. ¡°I''m glad I could help as much as I did.¡±


    Annie held her hand out to the account manager. ¡°Thank you for everything.¡±


    ¡°It was my pleasure.¡± The man said and shook her hand. ¡°Have a good day.¡±


    ¡°You, too.¡± Annie said and left the office.


    ¡°Are you going to report him?¡± The account manager asked the woman beside him. ¡°That was still an unwarranted sexual advance.¡±


    ¡°No. He really was only thanking me.¡± The accountant said and turned to the man. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡± The account manager asked.


    ¡°Are you going to report him for almost kissing you?¡± She asked.


    ¡°No, he was only...¡±


    ¡°His mother had to stop him and tell him to change to a handshake.¡± The accountant said. ¡°He was going to kiss you.¡± She said with a smile. ¡°It would probably be a big wet slobbery kiss, too.¡±


    The account manager gave her a bit of a glare, then he chuckled. ¡°Go back to your office and don''t let me catch you telling stories.¡±


    ¡°Me? Telling stories?¡± The accountant asked and walked around the desk and opened the door. ¡°I wouldn''t dare.¡± She said with a smile and left.


    The account manager sat down as he shook his head, then he started to clean up his desk and added everything to the Strickland file. He put it into his filing cabinet and thought over what almost happened.


    He really was going to hug and kiss me. The account manager thought, shook his head at the absurd thought, and went back to work.


    *


    Heather sat down at the dining room table with a huff.


    ¡°Still nothing?¡± Claire asked.


    ¡°I wonder where he is?¡± Heather asked and picked at her food.


    ¡°I''m sure he''s out with Annie somewhere.¡± Claire assured her daughter. ¡°You know he doesn''t go far from home without supervision.¡±


    Heather sighed. ¡°I haven''t seen him in forever.¡±


    ¡°There''s the whining I expected from you earlier.¡± Claire said and let out a soft laugh.


    Heather thought about glaring at her mother, then changed her mind and ate her food instead.


    Bokuboy

 32 Chance Encounter

    ¡°I can''t believe we got in before the supper rush.¡± Annie said as she sat down in the booth at the half diner half restaurant and waved for Arnold to sit across from her.


    ¡°Why aren''t we going home to eat?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°We''re celebrating, remember?¡± Annie said. ¡°No cooking or dishes for us for the rest of the day!¡±


    ¡°Hey, there. I''m Amanda!¡± A brown haired waitress greeted them. She wore an old-style apron over a nice blouse and a pair of black dress pants. ¡°What can I get for you?¡±


    ¡°I want the hamburger platter with gravy on everything.¡± Annie said and looked at Arnold. ¡°He''ll have the hot turkey sandwich meal, no veggies or stuffing.¡±


    Amanda wrote it all down. ¡°What do you want to drink?¡±


    ¡°Two glasses of diet soda, no ice.¡± Annie said. ¡°How long...¡±


    ¡°Twenty minutes.¡± Amanda said. ¡°I''ll be right back with your drinks.¡±


    Annie and Arnold sat there until Amanda returned with the drinks, then Annie started to play with the straw in hers.


    ¡°We have to start all over, Arnold.¡± Annie said. ¡°Thanks to that life insurance check, we''re out of debt. We don''t owe anything. Nothing at all.¡± She stirred her drink and took a sip, then she looked at him. ¡°I''m sorry that the responsibility has fallen to you.¡±


    Arnold took a sip of his own drink. ¡°You want me to take the job at the college.¡±


    ¡°It has actual pay. Money we can use for expenses.¡± Annie said. ¡°We may be starting over; but, the money we have will keep us in food for a while and will pay for the heat and lights, not to mention the cable and phone bills.¡±


    ¡°When did those bills start?¡± Arnold asked.


    Annie chuckled. ¡°We''ve always had them and we''ve also always paid them. It wasn''t something you would have seen us do, since we didn''t want to burden you with all of the things that normal life comes with.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because it''s a parent''s job to take care of their child.¡± Annie said. ¡°I wanted to...¡± She stopped and looked at him. ¡°Arnold, you''re special. You''ve been special your whole life. I knew that if we let you learn too much about everything too fast, that it wouldn''t be good for you. If you had too many things to distract you, you... well...¡± She sighed. ¡°Your head would be filled with all of the nonsense that...¡± She reached across the table and took his hand. ¡°I wanted to keep you, you... for as long as I could.¡±


    Arnold had to think about that for a few minutes. ¡°If I learn too much, I''ll change?¡±


    ¡°You already have.¡± Annie said. ¡°Once you got a girlfriend, your entire social interaction spectrum changed.¡± She saw his raised eyebrows and put her other hand on his. ¡°You''ve never even considered kissing someone to say goodbye, good morning, or to thank them.¡± She said. ¡°You learned that just from having a girlfriend for a week. You also learned about sex and then had it not long after.¡±


    ¡°Mom, I...¡±


    ¡°It''s all right.¡± Annie said. ¡°I accepted that with each new piece of information you received, you would act, and react, like you have. That''s why I kept certain things from you for as long as I could.¡±


    ¡°The computer.¡± Arnold said and she nodded.


    ¡°It''s the best thing to ever happen to mankind and it''s also the most detrimental for us.¡± Annie said. ¡°Imagine if we had a computer at home while you grew up. What would you have done with it?¡±


    Arnold didn''t even have to think about it. ¡°I would have looked for specimens.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you would have.¡± Annie said. ¡°Now, what would you have done if you didn''t find any?¡±


    Arnold thought about it and he frowned. ¡°It''s supposed to be the world''s information. Why wouldn''t they have specimens?¡±


    ¡°They don''t all magically appear, Arnold. People have to share them. It''s taken years for the internet to reach the point that it''s at now. Hundreds of thousands of images, files, and websites that span the whole world...¡±


    ¡°It wasn''t always there?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°No, and it''s continuously changing. Something you looked for yesterday might not be there today, or it may be there, except it''s named something different and you have to find it again.¡± Annie said. ¡°The whole internet thing was something that I knew you couldn''t grapple with until you were older.¡±


    ¡°I''m old enough now?¡±


    ¡°You have to be.¡± Annie said and let his hands go as their food arrived. ¡°You''ve already discovered a bunch of things that I thought you wouldn''t ever find or would interest you. You''re also handling it much better than I thought you would.¡±


    ¡°You mean having fun sex.¡± Arnold said.


    Amanda took in a sharp breath as she put his plate in front of him. ¡°Um, I didn''t hear that.¡± She said with an awkward smile and quickly walked away.


    Annie chuckled at the waitress'' reaction, then looked at her son. ¡°Yes, that would be the biggest thing.¡± She said. ¡°We should stop at a pharmacy and pick up a pack of condoms for you.¡±


    They both started eating and Annie enjoyed the hamburger. She was a bit hungrier today and ate a little quicker than she normally did. When she ate the last french fry from the plate, she felt stuffed. She leaned back and put a hand on her belly.


    ¡°I ate that way too fast.¡± Annie said with a smile.


    ¡°Is... did you... would you...¡± Amanda tried to ask if they had enjoyed the food and if they wanted dessert and couldn''t quite manage it. She was distracted and all she could think about was having fun sex, since that wasn''t really a term she had heard sex be described with before.


    ¡°We''re done and the food was excellent.¡± Annie said and moved her plate to the side for the waitress to take. Arnold copied her and moved his plate to the side, too.


    ¡°I need to get the tray to clear the dishes.¡± Amanda said and stepped back.


    Arnold stood up and grabbed his plate and empty glass and Amanda gave him a surprised look for a second, then she smiled and took Annie''s plate and her empty glass.


    ¡°Thanks for the help.¡± Amanda said.


    Arnold followed her to the counter and then walked around to the door in the back and they went through it. She put the dirty plate on the large stack by the sink and Arnold put his there, too. When he turned to walk away, Amanda took his hand.


    ¡°I can''t believe I''m going to ask you this.¡± Amanda whispered and waited for the other waitress to leave before she spoke. ¡°You''ve had ''fun'' sex?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I can''t stop thinking about it.¡± Amanda said. ¡°I... I really want to have fun sex, too.¡±


    Arnold stepped close and slipped his hand underneath her apron and between her legs. Amanda gasped as he rubbed her, because the thin cloth of her dress pants didn''t offer any resistance. Of course, neither did she.


    ¡°I was told I can''t have another girlfriend.¡± Arnold whispered to her.


    ¡°I don''t care.¡± Amanda whispered back. ¡°I just... want sex.¡±


    ¡°What about my mother?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°She''s your mother?¡± Amanda asked, surprised. ¡°I thought... she was your girlfriend.¡± She closed her eyes for a moment as he played with her, then she opened them. ¡°Tell her... you''re going to the bathroom... and meet me there.¡±


    ¡°I don''t have a condom.¡± Arnold said.


    Amanda caught her breath at the thought of letting him have his way with her without protection, then she shivered and came a little. ¡°Dispenser... in the bathroom.¡±


    Arnold nodded and let her go, then walked out through the door.


    The other waitress came in through the door a moment later and looked at her red face. ¡°Hey, are you okay? He didn''t try anything, did he?¡± She asked, because they all had to be wary of customers potentially assaulting the waitresses.


    ¡°No, I... I''m going on break.¡± Amanda said and took off her apron and hung it up by the sink. ¡°I''m a little squeamish and I don''t want to lose time on the clock.¡±


    The waitress smiled. ¡°I''ll tell Joe.¡± She said. ¡°Make sure you''re back for the supper rush.¡±


    Amanda nodded and walked a little wobbly to the door out of the back, then went over to the short hallway that led to the bathroom. She gave a quick look around to see if anyone was looking her way and opened the door and stepped inside. Arnold was there with the foil packet in his hand, so she shut and locked the door.


    I can''t believe I''m doing this. Amanda thought and unbuttoned her blouse.


    ¡°You look very pretty.¡± Arnold said.


    Amanda blushed, since she was only wearing a normal bra, and she hung the blouse on the door handle. She unbuttoned her pants and they slipped right off and she folded them up to put on the edge of the sink. Her thong had shifted aside and she adjusted it slightly as she turned away from Arnold, then she bent over to take them off.


    ¡°AH!¡± Amanda yelped as she felt warm lips and a hot tongue between her legs and she gripped the sink to hold herself steady. ¡°Oh, god. Oh, god!¡±


    Arnold kissed and licked her for a couple of minutes until she came.


    ¡°UnnnNNN!¡± Amanda clenched her teeth to stop herself from screaming, then a moment later she suddenly felt him enter her from behind. ¡°Oh, FUCK!¡±


    A minute later there was a knock on the door.


    ¡°Hey, Amanda. It''s Joe. Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I''m... fine!¡± Amanda managed to say as Arnold moved in and out of her. ¡°I''m just...¡±


    ¡°Josie said you weren''t feeling well. Do you need more time than a break?¡±


    ¡°N-no, I... I should be... good by then.¡± Amanda said.


    ¡°All right. If you need to book off, just let me know.¡±


    Amanda''s bra popped open and Arnold grabbed her breasts. ¡°OH!¡± She yelled. ¡°OKAY!¡± She said to cover her yell, then Arnold pulled off her bra and started to massage her breasts as he continued to move in and out of her. ¡°Oh... oh, god... you... oh...¡±


    Arnold pulled her up into a standing position and Amanda couldn''t help herself and started to moan as he made love to her unlike anyone else ever had. She turned her head to look back at him, to see if he was enjoying it as much as she was, and he started kissing her.


    ¡°HMMMmmMMM!¡± Amanda moaned loudly. Th-three.... three things... he''s doing... oh GOD! Her body bucked as she had a huge orgasm. She broke the kiss and bent over the sink to hold on and her arms shook from the pleasure. Arnold let her breasts go and caressed her back, because he wasn''t done. He kept going, much to her surprise and her body''s enjoyment. It only took him another few minutes to finish.


    Amanda had finished twice more herself, which was three times more than the last time she had sex. When Arnold slowed down to a stop and pulled out, she was very sorry to not feel him inside of her. She leaned her forehead on the mirror above the sink and couldn''t believe what had just happened. It took her a minute to catch her breath and she turned around to look at the man who really had given her ''fun'' sex.


    Amanda saw him peel off the condom and toss it in the trash, and he was still rock hard. She didn''t say anything as he washed himself and dried off, then he pulled his underwear and pants back up.


    He did all that and he didn''t even have to take his clothes off! Amanda thought in surprise.


    ¡°Is it sore?¡± Arnold asked her.


    ¡°Yes, and it was worth... oh!¡± Amanda gasped in surprise as he picked her up and sat her on the sink, then he went down on her to give her the best feather-light kisses. Her breathing had sped back up and she stared at the handsome young man between her legs, then she was doubly surprised when he washed her and dried her off.


    ¡°Did you have fun?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Good god, yes.¡± Amanda said. ¡°That was... thank you.¡±


    Arnold stepped close and gave her a quick kiss.


    ¡°Are you sure that you can''t have another girlfriend?¡± Amanda asked.


    ¡°Yes. She also told me that I shouldn''t go looking for other women to have sex with.¡±


    ¡°But... wait, we just...¡±


    ¡°You asked me.¡± Arnold said, then he put a hand behind her head and gave her a three second kiss. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    ¡°Good... goodbye.¡± Amanda said and he walked over to the door and unlocked it. ¡°Wait!¡± She said and pulled her underwear on, then grabbed her pants and put them on. ¡°Can you tell me your name?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said and opened the door a little to look out, then slipped out and shut it silently behind him.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± Amanda said and grabbed her bra and put it on, then went to the door and grabbed her blouse. She had it on and buttoned up properly, then she did the same thing Arnold had with the door to leave. She opened it a little, peeked out first, and slipped out without being seen. She walked down the short hallway and stopped when she looked over at the table where she had met him. She went over to it and there were two twenty dollar bills waiting for her.


    ¡°I should have given him my number.¡± Amanda said and picked up the money and put it in her pocket.


    ¡°He was a cutie, wasn''t he?¡± Josie asked as she cleared the next table.


    ¡°Tell me you overheard his name!¡± Amanda said excitedly.


    Josie laughed. ¡°Don''t get all hot and bothered over him. I don''t think he''s out of high school yet.¡±


    Amanda''s mouth made that little ''o'' of surprise, because she hadn''t considered his age. Not once.


    Josie laughed again at her reaction. ¡°His girlfriend looked a little older, though.¡±


    ¡°That was his mother.¡± Amanda said before she could stop herself.


    ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Josie picked up the heavy tray. ¡°Wow, she aged well if he was her son.¡± She started to walk away. ¡°She must have been a teenager when she had him.¡±


    Amanda stood there and looked out the window, then she saw a blonde buzz-cut as a car drove by. There he goes, right out of my life, just as quickly as he entered it. She thought, a little sadly.


    ¡°Hey, are you feeling better?¡± Joe asked as he approached her.


    ¡°Yeah, Joe.¡± Amanda said and turned to look at her boss and he passed her the apron she had left in the back. ¡°I''ll have the bill for this table done up and...¡±


    ¡°The mom already paid.¡± Josie said and took out the bill and more money from a pocket in her apron. ¡°Here you go.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Amanda said and thought about the extra forty dollars he had left for her. He was probably a high school kid and he still left her a huge tip. Thank you, whoever you are.


    *


    Heather sat on the couch and dialed the phone again. She let it ring for ten seconds and then hung up, then dialed again. She did it automatically and wasn''t paying attention to anything at all, not even if the phone got picked up or not.


    *


    Kelly had gotten off the school bus, her tears dried to her face and she walked on autopilot. She knew the way, so she had turned her mind off to avoid thinking about anything. She kept walking and walking, carrying her suitcase, and it seemed like she walked for a long time, even though her house was only a few streets away. She attributed that to her zoned out state and didn''t think about it and kept walking.


    That was why she was surprised when she came to a stop at a driveway that wasn''t hers. She blinked her eyes and looked at the house beside it, then took in a sharp breath.


    She was at Arnold''s house.


    Kelly didn''t have time to think about why her legs had led her there, because Annie''s car pulled into the driveway and the horn honked. She jumped at the scare and stepped back onto the grass and the car parked beside her.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°Hi! I''m Kelly! Heather''s friend!¡± Kelly said nervously.


    ¡°It''s nice to meet you.¡± Annie said and got out of the car and saw the suitcase Kelly had. ¡°Is there any particular reason you''re walking around with a suitcase?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Kelly looked down at it and her arm chose then to give her a pain and she let the case go. ¡°I actually forgot I still had it.¡± She said and rubbed her arm as the case toppled over onto the grass.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Annie asked, concern in her voice.


    ¡°I... well, I... came to see Arnold, and...¡± Kelly''s thoughts that she had pushed aside, rushed back at being reminded about the warning Eric had given her, which reminded her of Eric. Tears sprung to her eyes and she couldn''t stop them.


    Annie saw the girl''s distress and took her into a hug.

 33 Media Blitz

    ¡°Arnold, unlock the front door and get her suitcase.¡± Annie said and he did that, then held the door for his mother and Kelly to walk through. The phone rang and Annie said to ignore it as she settled down on the couch with Kelly and she calmed down. Arnold came into the room for a moment and then left.


    ¡°Why are you running away?¡± Annie asked her a few minutes later when Arnold came back.


    ¡°Wh-what? No, I... I wasn''t. I was staying at Heather''s, and...¡± Kelly took a breath and let it out.


    ¡°Then what''s going on?¡± Annie asked. The phone cut off and after a few moments, started to ring again.


    ¡°A boy I know at school... Eric... he''s one of Brad''s friends. He gave me a warning for Arnold.¡±


    ¡°What did he say?¡± Annie asked, anger in her voice.


    ¡°He said that Brad and Kevin are going to get him back for what happened by trying to get him in a VR game.¡± Kelly said and saw confusion on both Annie''s and Arnold''s faces. ¡°I guess I better explain everything.¡±


    Annie and Arnold let the phone ring as they listened to Kelly''s story. When she was done explaining about the VR threat and how they could probably kill Arnold over and over as he respawned, Annie had asked her why she was so upset. Of course, Kelly couldn''t help her tears as she explained what had happened with Eric almost a year ago, then she had to tell them about the things he had said about her.


    Kelly couldn''t remember at what point that Annie had pulled her into another hug. She had also closed her eyes and couldn''t bare to open them as she revealed her deepest fears to people she barely knew. She didn''t want to see their expressions after they heard about what happened to her.


    ¡°Arnold, take over while I get her something to eat.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and before Kelly could say anything, Annie''s comforting softness was quickly replaced by thick muscles and a much different comforting embrace. His strong arms held Kelly tenderly and she couldn''t help herself and cuddled in as she hugged him back. Her tears slowed down after a few moments and had completely stopped by the time Annie returned with a plate of reheated egg rolls and beef flavored long grain rice.


    ¡°Here we go.¡± Annie said and Kelly reluctantly opened her eyes. ¡°You walked all the way here and missed supper, so you better eat.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Kelly looked down at the egg rolls as Arnold eased his hold on her. ¡°I don''t like cabbage.¡±


    Annie smiled. ¡°Good, because these are filled with hamburger with bacon bits mixed in and rice.¡±


    ¡°They''re homemade?¡± Kelly asked with surprise, because they looked like they were store bought.


    ¡°Claire gave me the recipe for them and it was a cinch to make.¡± Annie said. ¡°Don''t worry about the fat and salt content. I used light vegetable oil to quick fry them. I also precooked the lean hamburger and seasoned white rice filling like she suggested, that way all that needed to be cooked was the shell. It didn''t soak up a lot of the grease like it would have if it had to cook all together.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that...¡± Kelly turned in Arnold''s arms and used a hand to pick up one of the egg rolls and bit into it. Her stomach growled loudly when the food hit her tongue and Annie smiled.


    ¡°I forgot the spoon for the rice. I''ll be right back.¡± Annie said and walked away.


    Kelly looked at Arnold as she finished the first egg roll and he stared back at her. He still had his arms around her and she had one of hers still around him. He didn''t let go and she didn''t ask him to.


    ¡°Do you want me to call your house to let them know where you are?¡± Annie asked as she put a spoon on the plate.


    ¡°No, I... have a cell phone. I''ll call after I eat.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Arnold, hold the plate for me.¡±


    Arnold reached for the plate and placed it on their laps and held it steady, and Kelly used the spoon to eat. Annie sat down on the chair beside the couch and watched her to make sure she ate everything. When she was done, Annie took the plate and gave her a napkin.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Kelly said and wiped her slightly greasy fingers, then took out her cell phone and dialed home. ¡°Hi.¡± She said. ¡°Yes, I know.¡± She paused. ¡°But... yes, I...¡± She sighed. ¡°I went for a walk.¡±


    Annie raised her eyebrows at that. Why isn''t she telling them about wanting to warn Arnold?


    ¡°It''s okay. I''m at a friend''s place.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Yes, I ate.¡± She paused for a few moments and then looked at Annie with an apologetic face. ¡°Yes, I''ll get a ride home. Okay. Bye.¡± She sighed as she put her cell phone in her pocket. ¡°Mrs. Strickland, could I ask...¡±


    ¡°Of course I''ll drive you home.¡± Annie said with a smile.


    ¡°Do you have to leave right away?¡± Arnold asked, to both Annie''s and Kelly''s surprise. ¡°I want to know more about these VR games.¡±


    ¡°Well, I do know a lot about what they used to play.¡± Kelly said and looked at the time. ¡°As long as I''m home by eight, my dad won''t be angry.¡±


    ¡°Considering how long it took you to walk here, we should leave by seven-thirty.¡± Annie said and stood. ¡°I''ll give you two some privacy while you talk.¡±


    Kelly''s eyes widened and she opened her mouth to say that wasn''t necessary, and Annie held a hand up.


    ¡°I have no interest at all in electronic games and I don''t want to possibly fall sleep listening to you explain things. Plus, I think it''s time I answered the damn phone.¡± Annie said with a smile. She left the room to bring the plate to the kitchen and didn''t go farther away than that. Like Claire, she wanted to be close by to interrupt anything that might happen, just in case.


    Annie waited for the phone to start its ten second cycle again and picked it up. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Yes, he''s here.¡± ¡°No, we were out all day and just got back.¡± ¡°Well, he''s busy right now.¡± ¡°His homework? Oh, all right. You can come over at eight.¡± ¡°Oh. Well, you can still call him then and...¡±


    The phone clicked off and Annie looked at it.


    ¡°She hung up on me.¡± Annie said, shrugged, and hung up the phone.


    Arnold and Kelly had listened to the exchange in silence and Kelly knew Heather was pretty pissed to hang up on Arnold''s mother like that. Arnold put his hand back around Kelly and she turned her body slightly to look at him. She didn''t see any greed or nasty thoughts flicker across his face, even though he had his arms wrapped around her. She let out a sigh and her hand tucked in around his chest and she looked into his eyes.


    I''m letting my best friend''s boyfriend hug me. Kelly thought guiltily, then she took a breath and let it out. ¡°I''m sure that as soon as you come back to school next week, one of Brad''s friends is going to invite you to play one of their favorite games, then they''ll challenge you when you make a character and start playing.¡± She said and didn''t see any worry on his face. ¡°The one they used to play the most was Fortune''s Favour. It''s a multiplayer online game that...¡±


    Arnold listened intently while Kelly told him everything she knew about the VR community, the tricks she used to stay safe from raiders in certain games, and the tactics that Brad and his friends had used in the past. An hour and a half passed and Annie had checked at various times to see if anything was going on, and saw that they were still in the same embrace she had left them in.


    Annie came into the living room at seven thirty and stood in front of the couch. ¡°It''s time to go.¡±


    Kelly nodded to her and looked at Arnold. ¡°I hope you remember everything I said.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Even the bad stuff about Eric.¡±


    Kelly caught her breath and she looked to be on the verge of tears again.


    Arnold let her out of the embrace he had her in and used his hands to cup the sides of her face. ¡°Kelly. Stop.¡±


    Kelly was surprised at his commanding tone.


    ¡°I want you to ignore Eric.¡± Arnold said. ¡°You don''t even have to look at him anymore, okay?¡±


    Kelly was surprised that he would tell her something like that. ¡°But... at school...¡±


    ¡°Ignore him.¡± Arnold repeated.


    Kelly closed her eyes for a moment, then nodded.


    ¡°Come on. Let''s get you home.¡± Annie said. She was proud of Arnold for stopping Kelly from crying again. The poor girl needed support and she was more than happy to provide it. That was why she hadn''t said anything about them cuddling on the couch or reminded Arnold that he had a girlfriend.


    Kelly opened her eyes and Arnold let her face go. ¡°Arnold, I... thanks.¡±


    Arnold watched her as she stood up and she adjusted her clothing, then Kelly followed his mother out of the living room to the front door. They left the house and climbed into the car and Annie started it.


    ¡°Do you have everything?¡± Annie asked with a smile.


    ¡°Yes, I... oh! My suitcase!¡± Kelly exclaimed and got out of the car and ran back to the house. She went inside and started looking for it. Suitcase, suitcase. She thought and it wasn''t in the hallway by the door. ¡°Arnold? Where''s my suitcase?¡±


    ¡°In here.¡± Arnold said and Kelly went back into the living room. He walked over to her with it and handed it to her.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Kelly said and looked into his eyes, then she had a wicked thought. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Arnold put a hand behind her head and kissed her for three seconds. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Kelly''s face flushed slightly red. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Arnold kissed her again. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    ¡°Arnold, I... I want to ask you something.¡± Kelly said. ¡°If I told you to kiss me like you kiss Heather, would you do it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said without having to think about it.


    Kelly took in a sharp breath. I knew it! I KNEW IT! ¡°Would... would you kiss... any girl like that?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°What?¡± Kelly was surprised. ¡°Only me?¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°Heather said you deserved to have a boyfriend like me.¡±


    Kelly''s mouth fell open. ¡°Are... are you asking me to be your girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°No. I can''t have any more girlfriends.¡±


    Kelly took a shaky breath and then sighed in relief. Maybe... maybe I was wrong about him. Maybe he is a good boyfriend after all. She thought. ¡°Okay. Okay, I... I can accept that.¡± She said and a horn honked. ¡°I have to go.¡± She said and took a stronger breath. I am such a bad friend! ¡°For ten seconds, kiss me like you kiss Heather.¡±


    Arnold stepped close and wrapped his arms around her, then he made out with her for ten seconds, just like she asked. Kelly trembled and kissed him back, then he broke the kiss ten seconds later.


    ¡°Walk... me out.¡± Kelly said and Arnold walked out to the car with her.


    ¡°Thank you for telling me all about VR.¡± Arnold said and gave her a quick kiss, then he opened the car door for her. Kelly climbed in and held her suitcase on her lap. He shut the door and Annie backed out of the driveway and then drove down the street.


    *


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Heather grunted and punched the unfortunate couch pillow that was her current stress reliever. She had sulked for the entire time Arnold was going to be busy and her eyes twitched when the clock struck eight.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Heather.¡± Claire said as she sat down at the other end of the couch with a half full glass of translucent liquid. ¡°It''s much too late to go all the way over there to spend a few hours doing homework, then drive all the way back here.¡±


    ¡°I could have stayed over or something.¡± Heather said.


    ¡°You should have thought about that before you hung up on Annie in frustration.¡± Claire said with a smile and took a sip of wine. ¡°It''s all right. He''s only going to miss one day of homework.¡±


    Heather looked at the phone one last time, let out a sigh, then stood up. ¡°I need to do it myself.¡±


    ¡°Have fun.¡± Claire said and took another sip of wine as she wiggled her fingers at her overly emotional daughter.


    Heather went upstairs and started her homework. She was a little distracted and didn''t do it as quickly as she should have and ended up finishing nearly three hours later. She sighed and closed up all of her books, then packed them away in her backpack. She didn''t have time to copy anything over for Arnold and went to bed even more depressed than she had been.


    The next morning her alarm went off and Heather groaned and turned it off, rolled out of bed, and went to grab a quick shower. She wasn''t really a morning person and this morning was no exception. She dressed in her best ''look at me'' school approved outfit, because she wanted more attention than usual, and went downstairs to eat.


    ¡°I know that outfit.¡± Claire said to her as Heather sat at the counter. ¡°You know it won''t make him jealous if other guys look at you.¡±


    ¡°I don''t care.¡± Heather said and took a plate of french toast. ¡°I''m wearing it for me.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Claire said and Heather looked up from her food. ¡°He''s your boyfriend, not the center of your life.¡±


    Heather opened her mouth to say that he was, then she realized what her mother meant. ¡°I know I''ve been obsessing over him; but, I... I love him.¡± She admitted.


    ¡°Heather, we''ve talked about this.¡± Claire said. ¡°You only just started dating.¡±


    ¡°I know, mom. I know.¡± Heather said and kept eating.


    Claire shook her head at her daughter, ate her own breakfast, then drove her to school. When she dropped Heather off at the curb, Kelly was already there waiting for them.


    ¡°Did the bus change its run?¡± Heather asked when she got out of the car.


    Kelly shook her head. ¡°No, I stayed out last night and dad decided he needed to drive me to school...¡±


    ¡°...and pick you up?¡± Heather asked with a smile.


    ¡°...and pick me up.¡± Kelly smiled back.


    They waved to Claire and she watched them walk into the school. The two girls were quiet and heard several mumbled whispers as they passed several groups of people. It almost sounded like they were talking about Arnold, which reminded Kelly of what she needed to tell Heather.


    ¡°Heather, about last night...¡± Kelly started to say.


    ¡°Don''t you dare mention Arnold.¡± Heather said with a bit of a frown. ¡°I tried calling him all night about doing his assigned homework. As soon as I got through, his mother said he was busy!¡± She huffed. ¡°He was too busy to talk to his girlfriend!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Oh? Did you try calling him, too?¡± Heather asked as they stopped at her locker.


    ¡°No, I don''t know his number.¡± Kelly responded.


    ¡°Then what...¡± Heather was interrupted by several loud laughs and she turned to look at a trio of girls. ¡°What''s so funny?¡±


    ¡°You poor thing!¡± The first girl said with a smile. ¡°I feel so bad for you.¡±


    ¡°Why? What are you talking about?¡± Heather asked.


    ¡°Don''t you know?¡± The second girl asked. ¡°Ooo! We get to tell her!¡±


    The three girls rushed over and crowded around her and Kelly.


    ¡°Your ''oh so great'' boyfriend is cheating on you!¡± The third girl exclaimed.


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Heather and Kelly yelled at the same time, for different reasons. Heather was shocked at the news and Kelly was surprised she had been discovered so quickly.


    ¡°It''s all over social media!¡± The first girl said and took out her phone. ¡°It was blasted all over the place last night and said there was a full story in the paper today.¡±


    ¡°The paper?¡± Kelly asked, confused. It only happened last night! How could it be in the paper?


    ¡°I couldn''t believe it when I saw the picture!¡± The second girl said.


    ¡°There''s a PICTURE?!?¡± Heather and Kelly said at the same time.


    ¡°Look! Look!¡± The third girl took out her phone and quickly brought it up. ¡°Everyone''s talking about it! It''s a huge scandal!¡±


    Heather and Kelly looked at the picture and both of them gasped. It really was a picture of Arnold kissing another girl in front of his house. To Kelly''s relief, it wasn''t her. Unfortunately, Heather was completely angered at the sight.


    ¡°THAT BASTARD!¡± Heather yelled.


    Surprisingly, Kelly recognized the kiss as a goodbye kiss. ¡°Heather, I''m sure that it''s not as bad as it looks.¡±


    ¡°HE''S KISSING HER!¡± Heather yelled. ¡°How can it look worse?!?¡±


    ¡°What''s going on out here?¡± The biology teacher asked as he stepped out of his classroom.


    ¡°Arnold is a cheating bastard!¡± The first girl said. ¡°He was caught red-handed kissing another girl!¡±


    ¡°Look! Look!¡± The third girl said and handed him her phone.


    The biology teacher almost refused to look, since he didn''t want to involve himself in the private lives of his students, then he had to admit that his curiosity was too strong to resist and looked at the picture.


    ¡°Dammit, Amy.¡± The biology teacher said when he saw who Arnold was kissing.


    ¡°You know her?!?¡± Heather asked, loudly.


    ¡°She''s the senior assistant at the biology lab at the college.¡± The biology teacher said with a sigh.


    ¡°Oh, my god!¡± The three girls exclaimed at the juicy gossip. ¡°She''s a college girl!¡±


    Suddenly the cell phone was pulled from the biology teacher''s grasp and the three girls moved down the hallway to spread the news to everyone that would listen.


    Arnold was dating a college girl.

 34 The Break-Up

    ¡°Heather, don''t overreact.¡± Kelly said.


    Heather turned and gave her an angry face. ¡°I''m not going to overreact.¡± She said with a deadly voice and took out her cell phone. ¡°Not even a little bit.¡±


    ¡°Heather, don''t do something you''ll regret.¡± Kelly said and put her hand on the cell phone.


    ¡°The only thing I regret is falling for the stupid idiot!¡± Heather said and pulled the phone away from her friend''s hand and dialed Arnold''s number. ¡°Hi, Mrs. Strickland.¡± She said in an overly sweet voice. ¡°No, I don''t want to talk to him. I just want you to tell him that I never want to see his cheating face ever again!¡± She paused. ¡°If you want to find out what I mean, buy the paper! It''s in the news! Everyone knows he cheated on me!¡± She said and hung up.


    ¡°Heather! I told you not to overreact!¡± Kelly said. ¡°I''m sure this is just a misunderstanding!¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, I don''t think it is.¡± The biology teacher said. ¡°Amy has a bit of a reputation for... relentless pursuit of... companionship.¡±


    ¡°But, it''s just... Arnold, he...¡± Kelly wanted to explain about Arnold''s goodbye kisses, then changed her mind. If she did tell them, she would also have to explain why she knew about them.


    ¡°Wrecking relationships is a consequence she doesn''t care about.¡± The biology teacher said. ¡°I thought Arnold would have been smart enough to not get involved with her.¡± He turned and walked back into his classroom.


    Heather took several deep breaths and calmed down. She looked at her phone and gripped it with both hands. Kelly was right. I regret doing it like that. She thought. I should have done it in person so I could spit in his face!


    Kelly saw Heather''s anger and knew she couldn''t do anything about it. There wasn''t anything she could say to make things better, so she stood there with her friend and waited for the bell to ring.


    ¡°What was it you were trying to tell me earlier?¡± Heather said in a calm voice.


    ¡°Um... I don''t...¡± Kelly started to say that she forgot, then she remembered the warning. She was surprised when Arnold''s voice filled her mind. Ignore Eric. It said to her and she didn''t let tears appear in her eyes as she spoke. ¡°Eric approached me yesterday and warned me about Brad and the guys going after Arnold.¡±


    Heather''s expression went hard for a second, then she smiled. ¡°That''s not my problem.¡±


    ¡°Heather, you can''t just...¡±


    ¡°No. I told you not to mention Arnold.¡± Heather said. ¡°He''s not my boyfriend anymore.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°He doesn''t need me to protect him.¡± Heather said. ¡°If you want to warn him about it, go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Heather...¡±


    ¡°I''ll see you in class.¡± Heather said and walked away.


    ¡°Heather!¡± Kelly walked after her.


    Neither of them had seen Brad and his friends come up the hallway while they had been talking.


    *


    Claire drove over to Arnold''s house and was glad to see Annie''s car in the driveway. She had stopped to try and call and the line was busy, so she hoped that at least one of them would be home. She parked on the street and walked up to the front door and knocked. The door opened a few seconds later.


    ¡°Claire?¡± Annie looked at her in confusion. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Claire was a little thrown by the look. ¡°I... came over with Arnold''s pay.¡±


    ¡°Pay?¡± Annie had to think about it for a second. ¡°Oh, for the yard work.¡±


    Claire nodded. ¡°Can I come in?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think that''s a good idea.¡± Annie said.


    Claire was surprised by that. ¡°What? Why?¡±


    ¡°Heather just called and broke up with Arnold.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°She WHAT?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it was a shock to me, too.¡± Annie said. ¡°She called him a cheater, said something about buying a paper because everyone knew, then hung up.¡±


    Claire was stunned. ¡°But... what...¡± She shook her head. ¡°I''ll have a talk with her. I''m sure this is all just a misunderstand...¡± Her cell phone beeped at her and she took it out, then she gasped.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°Heather just told me and sent me proof.¡± Claire said and showed Annie the angry text and the picture.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Annie nearly yelled and Arnold came out to the front door. ¡°Explain this.¡±


    Arnold looked at the picture. ¡°I kissed Amy goodbye and the reporter told me to do it again to take a picture.¡±


    Annie closed her eyes and let out a sigh. Dammit. She thought. ¡°I need to go buy a paper.¡±


    ¡°I''ll drive.¡± Claire said.


    ¡°Arnold, stay here. We''ll be right back.¡± Annie said.


    The two women left to drive to the nearest store to buy a newspaper. When they did, the story about Gerald''s death was on the front page. It was full of his exploits, both good and bad, and when they turned the page, there was the picture of them in the living room, the sad family accepting the check that would barely pay the bills. Right below that, the same kiss picture with the caption of ''young lovers celebrate being debt free''.


    ¡°Okay. Wow.¡± Annie said after reading it. ¡°This... no wonder Heather''s so angry.¡±


    ¡°The young loving couple plan on starting their lives together at college?¡± Claire shook her head at the story. ¡°I''m angry at it, too!¡±


    ¡°I''d tell you to call and have them print a retraction; but, we both know what that means.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°A small paragraph at the bottom of the page in the back of the paper.¡± Claire said with a sigh. ¡°What are we going to do?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Annie said and Claire looked at her. ¡°What can we do? Convince Heather that Arnold isn''t planning on going to college to work this summer and won''t be there with the supposed new girl?¡± She chuckled. ¡°Amy is the senior assistant. Even though I warned her to stay away from Arnold...¡±


    Claire let out another sigh. ¡°...it didn''t matter, because of this.¡± She said and held up the paper. ¡°Annie, I''m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Not as sorry as I am.¡± Annie said. ¡°Now I have to go back to the house and explain to Arnold, somehow, that Heather broke up with him over something so stupid.¡± She took the paper and folded it up. ¡°I think I''ll let him read it first and then I''ll explain.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to come in with you?¡± Claire asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Annie said. ¡°He might get the wrong idea if his girlfriend''s... no, ex-girlfriend''s mother is there to help explain why he''s now single.¡±


    Claire nodded, a tad reluctantly, and opened her purse to take out an envelope. ¡°Give him that for me, will you?¡±


    Annie nodded and tucked the envelope into the paper. They drove back to the house and Claire parked by the curb.


    ¡°I don''t think I can have him come over to spread the mulch.¡± Claire said with regret. ¡°Not without setting Heather off.¡±


    ¡°I''ll let him know.¡± Annie said and opened the car door, then turned back to Claire. ¡°Thanks for all you''ve done for him... and for me.¡±


    Claire waved her hand in dismissal. ¡°Think nothing of it.¡± She said. ¡°It was a pleasure to have him around the house, even if it was for only a short time.¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°I hope they can work things out.¡±


    Claire opened her mouth to tell her that it wasn''t going to.


    ¡°I know.¡± Annie said. ¡°I guess I won''t be seeing you for a while.¡±


    ¡°That... would be for the best.¡± Claire sighed. ¡°Let Arnold know that, too.¡± She said. ¡°Maybe we can sneak out and grab lunch in a few weeks.¡±


    ¡°That would be nice.¡± Annie said, knowing full well that it wasn''t going to happen. ¡°Goodbye, Claire.¡±


    Claire''s lips twitched, because she half-expected Annie to kiss her like Arnold did. ¡°Goodbye, Annie.¡±


    Annie stepped out of the car and shut the door, then walked over to the house and opened the front door.


    Goodbye, Arnold. Claire thought as she looked at the house, and her heart was heavy at the loss. Annie waved at her and Claire waved back, then she drove away.


    ¡°Arnold, we need to have a talk.¡± Annie said as she shut the front door.


    *


    ¡°I can''t believe it.¡± A girl whispered.


    ¡°He''s such a jerk.¡± Another girl whispered.


    ¡°I still think he''s cute.¡± Yet another girl whispered as she leaned close to her friend.


    ¡°Heather dumped his ass by telling his mother he cheated.¡± A boy close by said. ¡°That''s ballsy.¡±


    How did they find out so fast? Heather asked herself.


    ¡°Is that true?¡± A girl''s voice asked from close by.


    ¡°Yes. I dumped him.¡± Heather said. ¡°No one cheats on me.¡±


    Kelly kept quiet, because saying anything to Heather in her current mood would only make things worse. The best part about staying quiet was she didn''t have to answer anyone else as they questioned her about what she did or didn''t know about Arnold being a cheater.


    ¡°I don''t see Arnold''s homework.¡± The teacher said as she looked at her desk. ¡°Heather?¡±


    ¡°He was busy all day yesterday and I couldn''t give it to him.¡± Heather said.


    ¡°Yeah! He was busy going out with another girl!¡± A boy from the back of the class said loudly.


    ¡°That''s enough of that.¡± The teacher said and walked over to Heather. ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Heather said. ¡°I broke up with him.¡±


    The teacher let out a sigh and nodded. ¡°Are you still going to give him his homework? You did volunteer for the job.¡±


    Heather''s face flushed red at the thought of having to see Arnold again so soon.


    ¡°I''ll do it.¡± Kelly said and everyone looked at her. ¡°I won''t let Heather embarrass herself like that.¡±


    ¡°Ooo, are you going to hand-deliver it?¡± One of the girls asked with piqued interest.


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I''ll get his number from Heather and call him.¡±


    ¡°Aww.¡± The girl said and sat back. ¡°That''s no fun.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± The teacher said, and in a brief moment of sympathy, put a hand on Heather''s shoulder. ¡°Get yesterday''s worksheet from Heather and I''ll give you today''s at the end of class.¡±


    Kelly nodded and the teacher went to the front of the class.


    ¡°Now, on to advanced verb conjugation and proper multiple noun sentence structure.¡± The teacher said and the entire class groaned. ¡°Don''t worry, this will be on your final and I''m not actually wasting your time.¡±


    *


    ¡°Heather''s not my girlfriend anymore and her mother doesn''t want me around.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°That''s about it, yes.¡± Annie said.


    Arnold looked at the picture of him kissing Amy. ¡°And you warned Amy to not try to be my girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Annie said. ¡°She''s... a bad influence. She wouldn''t treat you the way you need to be treated and I''m afraid that she would hurt you.¡±


    ¡°Like I hurt Heather?¡±


    ¡°Kind of.¡± Annie said. ¡°This is... now you know why I was so concerned when you got a girlfriend. It opened you up to so many different things happening...¡±


    Arnold reached out and took his mother''s hand. ¡°I''m okay.¡±


    Annie blinked her eyes for a moment, then she noticed that he didn''t show any signs that he was starting to panic. ¡°You really are okay, even with all of the possibilities this mess created? Why?¡±


    ¡°Kelly told me something a few days ago that made everything okay.¡± Arnold said and let a smile appear on his face.


    ¡°You like her.¡± Annie said, a little surprised.


    ¡°She''s really smart.¡± Arnold said. ¡°She knows a lot more than Heather and Heather''s mother.¡±


    Annie was surprised by this. ¡°Arnold...¡±


    ¡°Let''s watch some of your favorite shows.¡± Arnold said and turned on the television. Before Annie could say anything else, he moved over and laid down to rest his head on her lap and handed her the remote. She looked down at his face and he looked up at her.


    ¡°Arnold, are you upset about not having a girlfriend?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°I won''t be getting any special kisses from a good girlfriend anymore.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I guess I need to find another girlfriend to ask them to do it.¡±


    Annie wasn''t sure what to say to that. Her eyes drifted to below his waist and saw a significant bulge there, then she sighed. She put her hand on his chest and started to slowly rub it.


    ¡°What about... just spending time with a girlfriend? Will you miss it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said without having to think about it. I don''t have access to a computer anymore.


    You poor thing. Annie thought as she misinterpreted his answer.


    The two of them stayed there and watched television and would occasionally exchange glances.


    *


    It was during a rare less crowded period in the cafeteria that a voice rang out and got everyone''s attention.


    ¡°You are such a whore!¡± Cissily exclaimed loudly with a boisterous laugh and waved the newspaper around like a flag.


    Amy groaned as everyone around them laughed. ¡°I told you what actually happened.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter what actually happened!¡± Cissily said. ¡°What matters is what everyone will think! Young lovers, my sweet black ass! Ha ha ha!¡±


    ¡°Leave me alone for god''s sake.¡± Amy said to try and discourage her friend.


    ¡°Nuh uh!¡± Cissily said. ¡°What''s his mom gonna say when she see this?¡±


    ¡°Oh, fuck.¡± Amy sighed and dropped her head onto her folded arms again.


    ¡°You know that bitch is crazy.¡± Cissily teased her. ¡°Pull you hair out a braid at a time! HA!¡±


    ¡°Cissily...¡± Amy sighed.


    ¡°Ha... Fareena, look. She won''t actually do anything to you. It was just a kiss.¡± Cissily said. ¡°I''ve got your back if she even thinks of trying anything. You know that.¡±


    Amy nodded.


    ¡°Now eat up. We''ve got that hunky professor for next class and you''re going to need the energy.¡±


    ¡°You''re the one that likes him, not me.¡±


    ¡°He''s a distraction, sweetie!¡± Cissily said and poked her in the side with an elbow. ¡°Come on, you gotta help me throw some shade on him.¡±


    Amy wanted to refuse, she really did, then she sighed.


    ¡°You''re the best!¡± Cissily said and started to force-feed her. Amy couldn''t help but laugh at her friend as she did her best to cheer her up, then the two of them went to class. That day, the professor had no idea what was in store for him as the two young women stormed into his class with laughs and giggles.

 35 Back At School

    For the next week, all Arnold did was lay on the couch on his mother''s lap and they watched her shows together. Kelly called after school every day and gave him his homework, which he did immediately, and Annie drove over to Kelly''s place and dropped it off before supper. Kelly had tried to tell her that it wasn''t necessary to do it every day and that Arnold could pass it in at the end of the week, and Annie wouldn''t listen and delivered it anyway.


    Annie had called the college and told them that Arnold would accept the job and they had sent over the paperwork by courier, because they had learned their lesson about sending an assistant to do it. Both Annie and Arnold went to the bank to set everything up. The account manager was happy to help them do it and had them sorted out in less than twenty minutes. He also set it up so that they could use the same bank card to access both accounts.


    Amanda, the waitress Arnold had met at the half diner half restaurant, had changed shifts for a week to work in the evenings, just so she could camp out at the high school to look for him. She had looked pretty hard for him and was disappointed that she didn''t find him. Her friend had been sure that he was in high school, especially after the newspaper article, and Amanda went home at the end of the week with her hopes dashed.


    Surprisingly, nothing happened all weekend for anyone. There were no conflicts, blow-ups, fights, chance meetings, or encounters of any kind. Everyone had stayed at home and kept to themselves. Even Amy and Cissily had stayed in instead of going out to party like they usually did. They still drank like fish, except that they paid for the alcohol themselves.


    Monday morning came and Arnold got out of bed when his alarm went off. He took a shower and brushed his teeth, then he dressed in his school clothes. He put on his full backpack and went downstairs to have breakfast.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Annie said as he came into the kitchen.


    Arnold walked over and took her into a hug and gave her a quick kiss. ¡°Good morning.¡±


    Annie served him breakfast and they sat at the kitchen table and ate in silence. When they were done, they took the dishes to the sink and washed them, then Arnold dried his hands.


    ¡°I think I''m going to miss having you here during the day.¡± Annie said and dried her own.


    ¡°Do you want me to get suspended again?¡± Arnold asked her.


    ¡°NO!¡± Annie exclaimed. ¡°No, it''s too close to exams for you to take any more time off.¡± She said. ¡°Try not to get into trouble, okay?¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°If Kelly''s right, then either Brad or Kevin is going to try to talk to you today.¡± Annie said. ¡°No matter what they ask you to do, I want you to say no. You can''t give them the satisfaction of getting to you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and turned to leave the kitchen when the phone rang.


    ¡°Just a second Arnold.¡± Annie said and picked up the phone. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°All right. I''ll tell him.¡± She hung up the phone and looked at Arnold. ¡°That was the vice-principal. She wants you to go directly to her office when you get to school.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and walked to the front door.


    ¡°Did you write the report she wanted?¡± Annie asked.


    Arnold nodded and opened the door, stepped out and closed it, then walked down the driveway and across the road. He didn''t have to wait long for the bus. As he was climbing aboard, his mother came out of the house at a run. She was too late, however. The bus drove away before she could get the driver''s attention.


    ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Annie said. ¡°I just hope...¡± She shook her head and went back inside.


    Arnold rode the bus to school and was oblivious to whatever his mother had wanted to tell him. The bus arrived at the school and Arnold easily fell back into his old routine. Instead of looking for Heather in the parking lot, he went right towards the front door of the school.


    ¡°Hello, sexy!¡± A girl said and waved at him exaggeratedly.


    ¡°Stop that! I don''t want him over here!¡± The girl next to her said and pulled her friend''s hand down.


    ¡°Hey, college bait!¡± A guy said. ¡°You like yourself some dark meat, huh?¡±


    Arnold ignored him and kept walking.


    ¡°You have some nerve showing your face here.¡± Another guy said and tried to step in front of him. Arnold turned and stepped to the side, resisted the urge to jam an elbow into the guy''s side, and kept walking.


    ¡°Huh? What?¡± The guy turned around and hadn''t realized Arnold was already past him. ¡°Hey!¡± He saw Arnold open the front door of the school. ¡°Hey! Wait up! I''m not done with you!¡±


    Arnold ignored him and went inside, and was greeted by stares, a few leers, both good and bad, and a general sense of hostility. He ignored it all and walked right over to the school offices and went inside.


    ¡°Look, it''s our resident celebrity.¡± A guy''s voice sneered. ¡°How are you liking all of the attention?¡±


    Arnold ignored the guy on the bench and went to the desk. ¡°I''m here to see the vice-principal.¡±


    The woman looked at him and squinted her eyes. ¡°She''s been waiting for you.¡± She said, a little meanly. ¡°It''s the second door, and make sure you knock first.¡±


    Arnold walked around the long counter and stopped at the second door, knocked exactly once, and entered the office and shut the door.


    ¡°Come i... oh.¡± The vice-principal stopped when he had already come in. ¡°Arnold, have a seat.¡±


    Arnold sat down on the chair in front of her desk. The vice-principal looked at him for several moments and didn''t say anything. It had been a standard ''sweating'' tactic she had used for years to make the students in front of her more compliant and forthcoming with the truth.


    ¡°Normally, it''s against school policy to ask a student about their private affairs...¡± The vice-principal took a breath at her unintended pun. ¡°...but, it seems your personal life has had quite the polarizing effect on the other students.¡±


    Arnold just sat there and didn''t say anything.


    The vice-principal took out a copy of the newspaper and put it on the desk. ¡°I assume you''ve read this.¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°What do you have to say for yourself?¡±


    ¡°It was a complete misunderstanding.¡± Arnold said, repeating the words his mother told him to say. ¡°I had only just learned from Heather how to kiss someone goodbye.¡±


    The vice-principal blinked her eyes for a moment. ¡°Your ex-girlfriend taught you to do that?¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°I am not dating Amy and I am not starting a life with her at college next year. I accepted a summer job as a junior assistant and she is the senior assistant. I only kissed her goodbye and that was when they took the picture.¡±


    ¡°So, you weren''t celebrating being out of debt?¡± The vice-principal asked.


    ¡°Not then. We didn''t even know how much the life insurance was going to be.¡± Arnold said. ¡°She left when the reporter came into the house.¡±


    The vice-principal let out a sigh and the first bell rang for the students to get to class. ¡°So, you aren''t dating her?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. ¡°My mother told me that she is a bad influence and wouldn''t treat me well.¡±


    ¡°I''ve talked to your biology teacher and he confirms that.¡± The vice-principal said. ¡°Unfortunately, everyone thinks you are dating her and they... aren''t going to be kind to you for cheating.¡±


    ¡°Mom warned me to not cause any trouble.¡± Arnold said.


    The vice-principal nodded agreement and then the second bell rang. Class had started.


    ¡°Should I tell you that someone spoke meanly to me or that a guy tried to stop me from coming into the school, or does that count as causing trouble?¡± Arnold asked.


    The vice-principal closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. ¡°Arnold, you''re giving me a headache.¡±


    ¡°I wrote the report you wanted.¡± Arnold said and dug it out of his backpack.


    ¡°Put it on my desk.¡± The vice-principal said and heard a thump. She stopped rubbing her temples and opened her eyes to see a very thick report on her desk. ¡°Arnold, that... it must be thirty pages!¡±


    ¡°Thirty-six, not counting the index or title page.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°There''s an index?¡± The vice-principal asked, surprised. ¡°What the heck were you doing for two weeks that you could write this much? No, don''t answer that. I''ll read it and find out for myself.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and she flipped the title page and then the two index pages and saw the writing was small, clean, and precise. She could easily read it and nodded as she closed it.


    ¡°All right, Arnold. Now I have to give you a warning.¡± The vice-principal said. ¡°People can be cruel. They can be mean and they can be vindictive. It''s especially bad when it''s someone like you that they all believe did a very bad thing.¡± She said. ¡°These last few weeks of school are going to be very hard for you.¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°They are going to pick on you, bully you, and probably make your life here a living hell.¡± The vice-principal said. ¡°I abhor fighting, even in self defense. There are much better ways to solve problems than with your fists.¡±


    Arnold didn''t say anything in response.


    ¡°If they try to goad you into fighting...¡±


    ¡°You don''t want me to defend myself.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°What? I didn''t say that.¡±


    ¡°If I''m not allowed to fight and they fight me, then I can''t defend myself.¡± Arnold said. ¡°What do I do then?¡±


    The vice-principal opened her mouth to tell him he could fight, then stopped herself. No matter how I answer, it goes against school policy. She thought, angry at herself for painting herself into a verbal corner.


    ¡°Why is it okay for them to fight and not me?¡± Arnold asked. ¡°Why do they have exceptions to your rules and I don''t?¡±


    The vice-principal couldn''t answer, because that would be just as bad as admitting he was right.


    Arnold stood up and walked over to her door, then turned around to look at her when he remembered that first fight with Brad. ¡°What if you don''t find out about it?¡± He asked. ¡°If no one reports it, it''s okay, right?¡±


    The vice-principal''s eyes widened slightly at what he was saying. No. Tell him no. Tell him he can''t go looking for fights. Tell him! TELL HIM NO! She yelled at herself in her head, then remained quiet. Arnold let a small smile appear on his face and walked back across the room. The vice-principal watched him as he walked around her desk and bent over slightly to put his face right in front of hers.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and gave her a brief kiss.


    ¡°ARN-¡± The vice-principal stopped herself before she yelled. ¡°You can''t kiss me!¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Arnold asked as he stood up straight.


    ¡°I''m the vice-principal!¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°What if I was married! Or seeing someone!¡±


    ¡°Are you married or seeing someone?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°No, but...¡±


    ¡°Is it against school rules?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°No, but... policy...¡±


    ¡°Did you hate it?¡±


    ¡°Not... really.¡±


    ¡°I don''t have a girlfriend anymore, so what''s the problem?¡±


    ¡°You... you''re too...¡± The vice-principal couldn''t say he was too young, since he was eighteen and would turn nineteen over the summer. She definitely didn''t want to say he was too young for her. When she tried desperately to think of a response that he would accept as a valid reason, her mind went completely blank.


    ¡°My mother told me that even though Heather taught me the goodbye kiss, when I use it on someone else, she believed I cheated on her.¡± Arnold said. ¡°So, I asked my mother what cheating meant. She told me why some people see it as a betrayal and that others are okay with it, mainly because they didn''t agree beforehand to be what mom said was ''being exclusive''.¡±


    ¡°You didn''t agree to that.¡± The vice-principal said, barely above a whisper.


    ¡°I plan on telling everyone that we weren''t exclusive. She didn''t agree to it and neither did I.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Will that change people''s opinions about what I did or didn''t do?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The vice-principal said. ¡°It''s still bad; but, most of them will understand the difference. You didn''t believe you were cheating.¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°You need to get to class, even though there''s not much left to it.¡± The vice-principal said and wrote out a slip for him. ¡°Please, please stay out of trouble.¡± She said and handed it to him. ¡°Goodbye, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold leaned back down to put his face in front of hers again. ¡°My mother told me that unless I''m dating them, I have to ask if someone wants a goodbye kiss instead of just doing it.¡±


    The vice-principal caught her breath, because she had said goodbye without realizing what that meant, even after him saying he did goodbye kisses. She thought about what he said and opened her mouth to tell him that asking for a kiss removed the spontaneity of the act, then she closed her mouth instead.


    ¡°Do you want a goodbye kiss?¡± Arnold asked her.


    The vice-principal looked into his eyes and she saw that all he was offering was a kiss. She discovered something that seemed a little better than spontaneity. Anticipation. She nodded slightly and he moved that small space and gave her a three second kiss. A very, very nice three second kiss.


    Arnold broke the kiss and moved back slightly. ¡°Goodbye.¡± He said and walked around her desk and over to the door. He didn''t even look back to see her bright red face as he left the office.


    The vice-principal took several moments to compose herself. She couldn''t remember the last time she had been that shaken up by a kiss. It was just a kiss. She thought and looked down at the report on her desk. It was a great kiss, though. She stopped herself from smiling and sighed. Well, I might as well give this a quick read through.


    She flipped open the title page again and skipped over the index and started to skim over the text. She got about five pages in when she gasped and her hands gripped the report. She read a little more and dropped it and let it flip closed. She stared at it for a moment, then picked up her desk phone and hit the button for the secretary.


    ¡°Can you move my next appointment to after lunch? I''ve got a report to read.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem.¡± The secretary said. ¡°I assume it has to do with the scoundrel that just left your office.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and don''t use that term to describe a student.¡± The vice-principal said sternly. ¡°If you''re angry at him for cheating on his girlfriend, they weren''t dating exclusively.¡±


    The secretary was quiet for a moment. ¡°I''m sorry. I misspoke.¡± She said. ¡°Your next appointment is at one o''clock.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± The vice-principal said and hung up the phone. She picked up the report, leaned back in her chair, and propped her feet up on her desk. She hadn''t read a good sex romp in a while and this one looked like it was going to be a good one.


    *


    Heather sat in class and turned her head to see Arnold''s empty desk. She had heard that he did show up at school and was seen walking through the halls. He hadn''t shown up for class when the bell rang and she wondered where he was. She had planned to have it out with him in person before class, so she could accuse him to his face, and that hadn''t worked out.


    I''ll try looking for him after... Heather''s thought was interrupted when the classroom door opened and Arnold walked in.


    Nearly everyone in class gasped or caught their breath at him showing up late, since that had never happened before. He walked over to the teacher, who was also completely silent, and gave her a note. She read it, looked at Arnold and read the note again.


    ¡°All right, since you were with the vice-principal, I''ll forgive you for being so late. This time.¡±


    Arnold took out the homework he did for her and put it on her desk, then he surprised her, and everyone else, when he spoke. ¡°I know a lot of you hate me for what I did.¡± He said and a lot of heads nodded, especially the girls. ¡°I only want to say two things.¡±


    Everyone stayed silent, since they all wanted to hear what he could say to make things better.


    ¡°First. I was only kissing a girl goodbye. We are not dating.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha!¡± A girl laughed. ¡°A likely story!¡±


    ¡°Second. Heather and I were not exclusive.¡± Arnold said and several of the girls took in sharp breaths, including the one who laughed. ¡°We just started dating and did not agree to only see each other.¡±


    With his two statements spoken, Arnold''s reputation wasn''t restored; but, it wasn''t as damaged as it was before and he walked over to his desk and sat down. Heather was at the desk beside him and her face was beet red and she gripped her pencil tightly in her hand. No one could tell if her blush was from embarrassment or anger, because it was a mix of both.

 36 Confrontations

    Word of what Arnold said spread across the school like wildfire. By lunchtime, the verbal assaults and accusations had reduced to only a trickle and surprisingly, the inquiries from the curious had increased. Arnold ignored them, just like his mother and the vice-principal wanted, and he went to the biology lab. When he went to open the back door to the rear lab, it was locked.


    ¡°I''ve had to lock it every day.¡± A man''s voice came from behind him and Arnold turned to see the biology teacher as he stood by the lab door. ¡°Everyone knows you come here every day for lunch... when you aren''t suspended.¡±


    No sooner had the words left his mouth when a trio of girls appeared behind him.


    ¡°Hi, there!¡± The first girl said.


    ¡°Sir, can we speak to Arnold?¡± The second girl asked.


    ¡°I can''t believe you two.¡± The third said with a sigh. ¡°I''m the only one that still thought he was cute when he was a cheater.¡±


    ¡°Ladies, give us a few minutes. I need to talk to him first.¡± The biology teacher said and closed the door without waiting for a response. ¡°You see? It''s like this every day.¡± He said and turned around.


    ¡°Didn''t you want more people interested in coming to the lab?¡± Arnold asked and the teacher sighed.


    ¡°I did.¡± He admitted. ¡°I wanted them interested in the subject, however.¡±


    Arnold stood there and didn''t say anything.


    ¡°I heard that you took the summer apprenticeship.¡± The teacher said.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Arnold responded. ¡°We need the money, now that my father is dead.¡±


    The biology teacher had a surprised look on his face for a moment, then sighed. ¡°I''m sorry for your loss.¡±


    Arnold didn''t respond and the teacher nodded.


    ¡°You''re thinking they are just words, right?¡± The biology teacher asked. ¡°As meaningless as the fleeting emotions they represent?¡±


    Arnold nodded this time.


    ¡°I agree. It''s a little sanctimonious and very self-serving when people say that to a grieving person.¡± The teacher said and sat down at one of the lab tables. ¡°Have a seat and I''ll fill you in on what it''s going to be like at the college this summer.¡±


    Arnold walked over and sat down, then pulled out a brown paper bag with his lunch in it. The teacher smiled and took out his own lunch and the two of them ate while the teacher told Arnold about the different departments and how he will be scrutinized once he gets there and starts working. Since he won''t have other classes to attend during the day, all of the little jobs will fall to him and will be his responsibility.


    Arnold nodded and soaked in all the new knowledge. He had no problems with cleaning up and maintaining everything, doing inventory, and examining and judging the equipment for wear and possible replacement. The only thing he wouldn''t have to do was mop the floors, because the janitors would handle that.


    ¡°I''m glad you see this as an opportunity and not the senior assistant dumping everything on you.¡±


    ¡°Is she any good, sir?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°She''s quite talented in our art; but, she''s a little lazy. She''ll do exactly what''s required and nothing else. It''s still technically correct, and yet... it lacks the same passion as our work.¡±


    Arnold slowly nodded. He understood having to do the bare minimum to get by, since he had to do that a lot over the years, just to get the other teachers to leave him alone. It wasn''t until middle school that he learned it was a mistake and that the teachers really wanted him to do his best, no matter what the subject was.


    ¡°Now that you''ve been warned and have eaten, I''ll release you to the hounds.¡± The biology teacher said and waved at the door. The three girls had their faces pressed up against the glass. They had waited there the whole time.


    Arnold folded his brown paper bag and put it in his backpack, then tossed the remnants and wrappings of his lunch into the trash. He slung his backpack over his shoulders and opened the door.


    ¡°We were going to ask you to come to the cafeteria to eat.¡± The first girl said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and the three girls stood there and looked at him in surprise.


    ¡°But... you just...¡± The second girl said.


    ¡°Shh!¡± The third said. ¡°Let''s go!¡±


    The three girls walked down the hallway and Arnold followed them. He didn''t fail to notice the stares and two slightly angry faces among them. He ignored them and went to the cafeteria and the ambient noise reduced as everyone focused their attention on him. He got in line behind the girls and they talked in hushed whispers the whole time. He bought a plate of chicken fingers and fries and a soft drink and followed the girls to a long table, and successfully ignored a very pointedly angry glare from Heather.


    Two of the girls, whom Arnold had dubbed One and Two because that was the order they spoke in, sat on one side of the table and Three sat on the other side. Since he was sitting with them, he obviously sat next to Three to balance them out. One and Two stared with slightly open mouths and Three smiled smugly. They all started to eat soon after, because lunch was about half over, and the cafeteria noise went back to full volume.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± One said. ¡°What was that black girl like?¡±


    ¡°She''s a bad influence.¡± Arnold said and One caught her breath and whispered to Two.


    ¡°The picture in the paper wasn''t very clear and we could only see the side of her face.¡± Two said. ¡°Was she pretty?¡±


    Arnold thought about the conditions to get that description, like seeing her underwear. ¡°No.¡±


    One and Two whispered frantically back and forth for several seconds.


    ¡°Then why did you kiss her?¡± Three asked, a little surprised.


    ¡°I was saying goodbye to her, then the reporter showed up and asked me to kiss her again to take a picture.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± Three said. He didn''t think she was pretty and he kissed her anyway!


    ¡°Is the biology teacher right? She''s an assistant at the college?¡± One asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Will you be seeing her again?¡± Two asked.


    ¡°Yes. I''m working at the college all summer as an assistant in the same lab.¡± Arnold said.


    Oh, my god! He really is working! Two almost chittered in delight as she turned to One and they talked in hushed whispers back and forth.


    ¡°Hello, Arnold.¡± Heather''s harsh voice said and the three girls gasped and turned to look at her.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Arnold said and kept eating.


    ¡°I just came over to introduce my new boyfriend.¡± Heather said and hugged the guy''s arm.


    ¡°You were a real asshole to cheat on Heather like that.¡± Brad said with a smirk.


    Arnold didn''t say anything.


    ¡°Hey, didn''t you hear me?¡± Brad asked, slightly angry. ¡°I called you an asshole!¡±


    Arnold still didn''t say anything, so Brad reached for Arnold''s mostly full glass of soda.


    ¡°NO!¡± Three shouted, which got everyone in the cafeteria''s attention, and she started to reach for the glass, too. Brad moved it out of her reach, then lifted it and poured it over Arnold''s head. A lot of people gasped and shouted, both for and against Brad. Luckily, because of Arnold''s buzz-cut, most of the liquid spilled off the back of his head and rolled off his backpack and onto the floor.


    ¡°What do you think of that?¡± Brad asked.


    Arnold didn''t react and kept eating.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Heather said, nearly as angry at him as Brad was for not reacting. ¡°Say something!¡±


    ¡°Your mother only let you have sex in the house because it was with me.¡± Arnold said and everyone in the cafeteria fell silent.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Heather said, her face red.


    ¡°She said she didn''t like any of your other boyfriends. She didn''t trust them, or you, to leave you alone with them.¡±


    ¡°S-stop!¡± Heather said, her face beet red.


    ¡°Even when she found out that you had condoms in your room, she wouldn''t tell me how many boyfriends you had when I asked. I could tell she lied when she said ''a few''.¡± Arnold finished eating and stood up with his tray. ¡°Everyone hates me for just kissing another girl and no one is wondering how many boyfriends you''ve had sex with.¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Brad said loudly and made a fist, then smashed his hand into the tray Arnold held. Everyone was surprised when it barely moved and it didn''t fly out of his hands. Brad slowly took his hand off the tray and glared at Arnold, because all he managed to do was tip over the empty glass. Arnold stood there calmly and didn''t say anything else.


    ¡°C-come on, Brad.¡± Heather said and started to walk away.


    ¡°This isn''t over.¡± Brad spat and walked after her.


    No one said anything for a few moments, then Arnold felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw that it was Kelly.


    ¡°She''s been dating him for a week to try and get back at you.¡± Kelly said and took her hand back.


    ¡°My mother and the vice-principal said to ignore as much of them trying to get back at me as I can.¡±


    ¡°I told her she shouldn''t have overreacted, and instead she...¡± Kelly sighed. ¡°I''m sorry that she didn''t listen and is trying to hurt you.¡±


    Arnold turned his body to face her and his eyes quickly saw Heather sitting at the table with Brad and his friends. ¡°You''re not with them.¡± He said because there was no spot for Kelly.


    Kelly shook her head. ¡°I''m doing the same thing you are. I''m ignoring them as much as I can.¡±


    ¡°Including Heather.¡±


    ¡°I have to.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Eric is the third guy on the left.¡±


    Arnold looked right at him and he saw Eric turn his head away. ¡°If we are both ignoring them, do you want to ignore them together?¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Kelly asked, surprised.


    ¡°You knew that I didn''t mean anything by the kiss, didn''t you?¡± Arnold asked and she nodded. ¡°Out of all the people here, including the teachers, it was only you that believed me.¡± He put the tray down on the table and stepped close to her. ¡°Do you want to be my girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°Arnold, I...¡±


    ¡°Exclusively.¡± Arnold said and there were several groans from around them. ¡°We can''t date anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Or kiss. No kissing anyone else.¡± Kelly said and leaned in close to whisper. ¡°Except for your mom. She loves you and I know you mean a lot to her, so kissing her is okay.¡±


    Arnold gave her a big smile. ¡°I told her that you were smart.¡±


    A few of the girls around gasped at the angelic smile, especially the trio right beside them. Kelly opened her mouth to respond to his comment and he put his arms around her waist and kissed her. He changed his technique slightly, so that he wasn''t duplicating how he had kissed Heather. Kelly noticed the difference and really appreciated that, so she put her arms around him and kissed him back enthusiastically.


    There were catcalls and whistles, quite a few sad whines, and several shouts as Arnold and Kelly made out in front of everyone. The cafeteria monitor had let the scene with Brad play out, mainly because she didn''t really have the authority to break up a personal dispute between an ex-boyfriend and a new boyfriend. This kissing however, wasn''t something that should be done in public.


    ¡°All right, that''s enough.¡± The woman said and walked over to them and the new couple broke the kiss. ¡°Please try to keep the lip-locking to a minimum on school grounds.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said, to her surprise. ¡°I''ll kiss her whenever she wants me to.¡±


    ¡°Arnold...¡± Kelly started to say something and he gave her a quick kiss to stop her.


    ¡°I can only kiss you, so whenever you want a kiss, I''ll give it to you.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I don''t care where we are or what we''re doing.¡±


    Kelly was actually flattered by that offer, so instead of saying no, she nodded.


    ¡°Aww! So cute!¡± One said.


    ¡°You said that out loud.¡± Two said with a smile.


    ¡°I wanted him to ask me out.¡± Three said, her voice full of disappointment. One and Two laughed and then the bell rang.


    ¡°All right, you lot. Get to class!¡± The cafeteria monitor said and walked back to her post.


    Arnold took Kelly''s hand and moved off to stand between the tables and waited for everyone to leave. Both Heather and Brad glared angrily at them as they passed.


    ¡°She''s definitely angry at me, now.¡± Kelly said with a sigh.


    ¡°You should be angry at her for leaving you alone and going with Brad. She knows about you and Eric.¡± Arnold said and she raised her eyebrows at him.


    ¡°Arnold, she...¡±


    ¡°She thought getting back at me was worth hurting you.¡± Arnold said and squinted his eyes. ¡°I don''t like that.¡±


    Kelly reached up and touched his shoulder with her free hand. ¡°Please don''t do anything else to Heather.¡± She said. ¡°You stayed calm and didn''t let them goad you. You handled that whole thing very well, if a little stickily.¡± She said and lifted her hand to show the sticky drying soda. ¡°We should clean you up before...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. The cafeteria was nearly empty, so he led her out of the cafeteria and took her to her locker to get her books, then walked with her to class. Heather was already there and turned her head away as they walked over to their seats. Kelly sat down and caught her breath as Arnold took off his backpack to show the large wet stains on his shoulders and upper back.


    ¡°Did someone forget to dry off after their shower?¡± A guy in the back of the classroom asked, and a few people laughed.


    ¡°Brad dumped a glass of soda over his head.¡± A girl whispered loudly.


    ¡°Did they fight?¡± The guy asked.


    ¡°Nope. Arnold didn''t react at all.¡± The girl said, and you could hear in her voice that she was impressed.


    ¡°You are such a backstabbing slut.¡± Heather said softly and Kelly let out a sob.


    Arnold turned in his seat and looked right at Heather. ¡°Don''t ever speak badly of my girlfriend.¡± He said in a normal voice and everyone heard him.


    Heather ignored the implied threat. ¡°How long have you two been dating behind my back?¡± She asked. ¡°I bet it was for almost as long as we did!¡±


    ¡°Kelly and I have been dating for eleven minutes and fifteen seconds.¡± Arnold said, to both Kelly''s and Heather''s surprise. ¡°How long have you been dating Brad to get back at me?¡±


    Heather opened her mouth to say, and she couldn''t remember. ¡°How long did we date?¡± She asked instead.


    ¡°Nine days, seventeen hours, twenty-three minutes and five seconds.¡± Arnold said and everyone around them was surprised, especially Heather.


    ¡°How.... how many times did we kiss?¡±


    ¡°Thirty-eight on the lips.¡± Arnold said. ¡°A hundred and sixty-one on the-¡±


    The class bell rang and no one heard what he said, and yet, they all knew what he said. The guys were a little disgusted at the number, and the girls... well, the girls had bright red envious faces.


    ¡°Okay, today''s topic is Review!¡± The teacher said and the class groaned. ¡°Now now, enough of that. You need this for the exam. Trust me.¡± He said with a smile.


    None of the girls could concentrate, because all they could think about was Arnold. Especially Kelly.

 37 Fallout

    For the rest of the afternoon, Kelly was pretty much in a daze as she was led around by Arnold. He took her to her locker when it was necessary, held her hand the entire time between classes, and gave her kisses whenever she asked him for them. And she did ask. She wasn''t sure if she was testing him or the patience of the teachers and the other students. By the end of the school day, she decided that it didn''t matter.


    Of course, Heather didn''t like it one bit and had tried, quite fruitlessly, to have Brad do the same thing. He wasn''t that kind of guy, though. He only did the touchy-feely things when it was necessary and usually only on his terms. By the end of the school day, Heather was in quite an unhappy mood. It worsened when Brad had taken her hand and forcefully led her out of the school.


    Brad led over to where he and his friends stood after school near the parking lot and Heather held in her sigh when she saw that her mother''s car wasn''t there. She didn''t listen to the boys talking at all as she waited impatiently for her mother to come and pick her up.


    Arnold and Kelly walked out of the school and went over to the right spot, then stood next to each other as they waited for Kelly''s bus. Hers always arrived first, so he stayed with her until the bus pulled up. Surprisingly, no one said anything to them or bothered them the whole time they stood there.


    ¡°Goodbye, Arnold.¡± Kelly said.


    Arnold gave her a slightly modified four second kiss. ¡°Goodbye.¡± He said and watched her get on the bus. She sat at a window seat and gave him a little wave, then the bus finished loading up and pulled away. He walked over to where his bus always stopped and waited there.


    ¡°Hey, he''s alone.¡± One of Brad''s friends said and pointed.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Brad turned and looked. ¡°Eric, Kelly''s gone.¡±


    Eric sighed. ¡°Brad, this is a mistake. Heather said he doesn''t have a computer.¡±


    ¡°Kelly does.¡± Brad said with a smile. ¡°Believe me, he''s going to be downright eager to play Fortune''s Favour, especially if we give him some of our old low priority drops that newbies can''t get enough of.¡±


    Eric stopped himself from sighing again and walked across the parking lot. He tried to make it look like he wasn''t walking straight for Arnold and failed miserably, because Arnold had watched him the entire time. A dozen other people nearby watched as well, because they hoped to see something good.


    ¡°Hey, Arnold.¡± Eric said and stopped about five feet away, like he had when he had approached Kelly a week before.


    Arnold didn''t say anything and just watched him.


    Eric was a little unnerved by the scrutiny. ¡°I, ah, just wanted to ask you...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said.


    Eric was a bit surprised by his automatic refusal. ¡°You didn''t even hear what I...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said.


    Eric started to get frustrated. ¡°You can''t say no when I haven''t even...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Just listen to what I...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. Neither his tone nor his face had changed during the exchange.


    ¡°Why?¡± Eric asked and hoped that a quick question would get a different response.


    ¡°I''m ignoring you.¡± Arnold said. ¡°You hurt my girlfriend and you''re friends with Brad.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t hurt Kelly.¡± Eric said and averted his gaze, then he jumped back when Arnold was suddenly right in front of him.


    ¡°You are still hurting her.¡± Arnold said and his eyes were squinted, almost in anger. ¡°Your lies hurt her every day.¡±


    ¡°I... no, she...¡± Eric couldn''t take his eyes off of Arnold''s face. For some reason, he knew not looking would be bad.


    ¡°Stop lying.¡± Arnold said and his face went back to its normal blank state. ¡°Leave me alone.¡±


    Eric relaxed at the change. ¡°Look, Brad wants to invite...¡±


    Arnold used both hands and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, made fists in the cloth, and lifted him up about six inches. ¡°Leave. Me. Alone.¡± He said and his blank face unnerved Eric even more than the squinted eyes did.


    ¡°Brad, look!¡± One of his friends said and pointed.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± Brad said and started to walk quickly across the parking lot with Heather in tow. A horn honked and it startled him, then a fancy black car stopped in front of him.


    ¡°Heather, get in the car.¡± Claire said in a deadly voice.


    Heather pulled her hand out of Brad''s grip and walked around the car, then climbed in the back.


    ¡°Be careful of your tiny lumbering feet.¡± Claire said to Brad and stepped on the gas. She squealed her tires for a second and Brad jumped back, then the car was turned around and gone out of the parking lot. When he looked back at Arnold, he still had Eric in the air.


    ¡°Okay! Okay! I''ll leave you alone!¡± Eric said loudly, then he was let go. He stumbled at the sudden drop and almost fell, then he recovered his balance. He gave Arnold one last look, gave up trying to be nonchalant about it, and walked straight towards Brad and the others.


    ¡°What did he say about the offer?¡± Brad asked.


    ¡°I didn''t get to make it.¡± Eric said. ¡°I told you it was a mistake to do it like this. He wouldn''t listen to anything I said.¡±


    ¡°Then we''ll make the offer to Kelly instead.¡± Brad said. ¡°She''ll convince him to play.¡±


    ¡°That is definitely not a good idea, Brad.¡± Eric said and Brad glared at him, so he lifted his hands in surrender. ¡°You''ve ignored me each time I tried to give you advice and things aren''t working out, are they?¡± He said and Brad couldn''t argue about that. ¡°Doing anything against Kelly won''t work and will only make Arnold refuse faster.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you suggest, smarty-pants?¡± Brad asked.


    ¡°Get Heather to do it.¡± Eric said. ¡°She and Kelly have been friends for a long time. A request from her should get Kelly''s attention, at the very least.¡±


    Brad turned his head when he saw a bus pull up and Arnold boarded it. ¡°All right. I''ll try it your way.¡± He said. ¡°If it doesn''t work...¡±


    ¡°We won''t be any worse off than we are now, right?¡± Eric said to cover his own ass.


    Brad grunted and the group went back over to where they usually stood to wait for their bus to arrive.


    *


    ¡°So, how are you enjoying your revenge?¡± Claire asked as she drove them home.


    Heather didn''t say anything and just crossed her arms.


    ¡°Hmm? No answer? Is having to kiss that big oaf not worth it?¡± Claire asked.


    ¡°Mom. Drop it.¡± Heather said without conviction.


    ¡°I wish you had talked to me before breaking up with him.¡± Claire said.


    ¡°He kissed another girl, mom!¡± Heather said.


    ¡°You do realize his mother is a girl?¡±


    ¡°She doesn''t count.¡± Heather pouted.


    Claire had to agree. ¡°You didn''t have to overreact like you did.¡±


    ¡°Kelly said the same thing.¡±


    ¡°How is Kelly, by the way?¡± Claire asked.


    Heather scowled and pushed herself deeper into the seat.


    ¡°Heather? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Arnold asked her out.¡± Heather spat.


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Claire yelled, then took a deep breath and let it out.


    ¡°Yeah, that''s how I reacted, too.¡± Heather said. ¡°That backstabbing, conniving little...¡±


    ¡°He asked her out, not the other way around.¡± Claire said. ¡°You can''t blame her.¡±


    ¡°She accepted!¡± Heather said. ¡°She''s supposed to be my friend, not his!¡±


    Claire had to think about that. ¡°You haven''t been bringing her over like you usually do.¡± She said. ¡°Why is that?¡±


    Heather opened her mouth and then closed it.


    Claire pulled over and parked, then turned to look at her daughter''s guilty face. ¡°What did you do?¡±


    Heather didn''t want to explain all about Kelly''s history with Eric. ¡°She doesn''t like Brad''s friends.¡±


    ¡°Neither do you.¡± Claire said and then thought about her dating Brad. ¡°Oh.¡± She said and shook her head. ¡°You left her to hang out with them.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t!¡± Heather said. ¡°I tried to get her to come along...¡±


    ¡°Heather, you''re messing everything up.¡± Claire said.


    ¡°I know!¡± Heather said as tears came to her eyes. ¡°I don''t know how to fix it!¡±


    Claire sighed. ¡°It''s too late to fix things with Arnold.¡± She said. ¡°You might still have a chance with Kelly, if you stop this stupid plan at revenge that''s not going to work.¡± Trying to make Arnold jealous is the dumbest thing she''s ever tried to do. She thought in exasperation.


    ¡°She took my boyfriend, mom.¡± Heather said.


    ¡°Only after you discarded him.¡± Claire said. ¡°Plus, she didn''t do it right away, did she?¡±


    Heather didn''t say anything in response.


    ¡°She didn''t pounce right onto him, even after you abandoned her for Brad.¡± Claire said. ¡°By the sounds of it, she was still trying to be your friend while you weren''t being one to her.¡±


    Heather''s guilty face made a triumphant return.


    ¡°That tells me there''s something else going on with Kelly.¡± Claire said and decided to let it go. ¡°I would tell you to dump Brad right now if I thought it would make a difference.¡± She said and turned back to face the front, then drove the car into the street to continue home. ¡°You''re too determined to get back at Arnold to listen.¡±


    Heather didn''t say she would drop Brad, and Claire sighed.


    That means you and Brad have a lot more in common than you think. Claire thought, and they drove the rest of the way home in silence.


    *


    Arnold arrived home and his mother practically assaulted him when he entered the house.


    ¡°Tell me everything that happened today!¡± Annie said as she clung to him, then she dragged him into the living room. ¡°Why are you all sticky?¡±


    ¡°It''s soda pop.¡± Arnold said, then he told her everything that happened from when he stepped off the bus at school until he got on it to come home. It took a while.


    *


    Kelly sat on the couch at home and her mind raced with questions as she held onto her cell phone and wondered what to do. Should I call? Did he make it home yet? Is he busy? Should I do my homework first? Is he doing his? What if he''s eating? Is his mom home? What would I say if she answers? Is calling so soon okay? Will he want to talk to me?


    Kelly never had a serious boyfriend before and her nervousness over the situation warred with her happiness. Her father watched his daughter in serious contemplation and knew something was going on. He debated on asking her about it, then her mother came into the room.


    ¡°Kelly, go do your homework before you call anyone.¡± Her mother said.


    ¡°What? Oh! Okay.¡± Kelly said and held onto her cell phone as she stood up, grabbed her backpack, then went to her room at the back of the large ranch house. She was still distracted over what to do about calling Arnold, so it took her a while to finish her homework.


    *


    The vice-principal entered her apartment and kicked off her shoes. She had both seen and heard about Arnold and his antics all day and she had barely resisted going to him and congratulating him for his actions and inactions. She couldn''t be seen as encouraging his behaviour, so she only applauded him in her head.


    She put her handbag on the table and walked through her place and into her bedroom, then she quickly changed out of her stuffy work outfit and into an old pair of pyjamas that had seen better days. They were super comfortable and fit her perfectly, so she was reluctant to replace them. She went back out to the table and opened her bag and took out a well-leafed through report full of permanent bookmarks.


    The woman that was the vice-principal carried the treasured item over to her couch and partially laid down. She grabbed one of the bookmarks and flipped the report to one of her favorite sections. She quickly read over how he applied sunscreen to not one, not two, but three women... whom she guessed had moaned in pleasure from the inadvertent massages.


    She flipped the page to where the mother of his girlfriend had invited him into the bathroom. ¡°You are...¡± She reached into her pyjamas and rubbed and played with herself. ¡°...such a bad...¡± Her fingers slipped inside as she read how he had made love to the lucky woman. ¡°...bad boy!¡± She said loudly and came. ¡°OHHHH!¡±


    She panted heavily and hugged the report to her chest. After a few moments, she turned the pages with a slightly trembling hand to near the end of the report where he had met the waitress. It was a similar scene and yet different, because of the randomness, and her other hand moved as her fingers continued their dance between her legs.


    She imagined that it was her wearing the waitress uniform and her hand moved faster as she offered him her ''meal'' to eat. ¡°MmmmmMMMMM!¡± She squealed as her body tensed up and shivered. After a few seconds, she relaxed and let the report fall closed. ¡°Such a... good... bad boy.¡± She whispered and closed her eyes.


    *


    ¡°I am very proud of you, Arnold.¡± Annie said when he was done telling her everything. ¡°I''d give you a big hug if you weren''t all sticky.¡± She said and stood. ¡°I''ll clean up your backpack and you get out of those clothes and get a shower.¡±


    Arnold nodded and gave her his backpack and went upstairs to shower and change. When he came back twenty minutes later, he was dressed in his bed clothes and Annie took him into a big hug and held him for several minutes. When she leaned back, she looked into his eyes and leaned forward again to give him a quick kiss on the lips.


    ¡°I love you, Arnold.¡± Annie said. ¡°You''re such a good boy.¡±


    Arnold smiled and she smiled back, then she widened her eyes.


    ¡°Oh! I just remembered!¡± Annie said and let him go. ¡°Something came for you today.¡± She walked over to the dining room table and picked up a brown package. ¡°I was so happy to hear what you did that I almost forgot to give this to you.¡±


    Arnold accepted the package and opened it. Inside was a small directory, similar to the standard one that came with the assistant package, except this one had phone exchanges listed for direct lines. When he lifted the directory, underneath it was a brand new cell phone.


    ¡°It''s the college''s, so we don''t have to worry about paying the bill.¡± Annie said with a grin. ¡°Try not to use it too often to call your new girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I''ll call her whenever she wants me to.¡±


    Annie chuckled, because that was what he had said about kissing her to the cafeteria worker. ¡°Well, then! Why don''t you read the manual and give it a try? I''m sure Kelly is wondering what you''ve been up to.¡± She said and pointed to the stairs and handed him his backpack. ¡°You can do your homework after you talk to her and tell her that.¡±


    Arnold nodded and went up the stairs.


    ¡°Don''t forget to tell her you''ll call whenever she wants!¡± Annie said loudly. ¡°She''ll love hearing that!¡±


    Arnold hung his backpack on his chair and sat on the bed, then gave the manual a quick read. Unlike Kelly, he didn''t wonder about disturbing her or if she was busy. He turned on the phone and dialed her number. It only rang twice and it was answered.


    ¡°Hello? I don''t recognize this number. Who is this?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Kelly nearly yelled. ¡°You have a cell phone!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I just got it.¡±


    ¡°Quick! Add me to your contacts!¡± Kelly said and did the same to her phone. ¡°There! Now we don''t have to dial anymore. Just pick my name and we can talk.¡±


    ¡°I''ll do that any time you want me to.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly almost started crying because she was so happy. ¡°Th-thank you, Arnold.¡± She said. ¡°That makes me very happy.¡±


    ¡°I called to tell you what I''ve been up to.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly almost fainted from excitement. ¡°O-okay.¡± She said, her voice shaky, and he did exactly that and told her what had happened after she left on the bus.

 38 Stressed A Little

    Kelly was pretty pissed that Eric had tried to approach Arnold. She was also very glad that Arnold didn''t pound the hell out of him, because he didn''t need another suspension... or worse, expulsion... just before final exams.


    ¡°I''m very proud of you, Arnold. You handled that a lot better than I did.¡± Kelly said and her eyes roamed over to her desk and the scattered books. ¡°I still have some homework to do, so I better let you go.¡±


    ¡°I have to do homework, too.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Okay. I''ll see you in the morning at school.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Goodbye, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold was silent for a moment.


    ¡°Arnold? What is it?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°How do I kiss you over the phone?¡± Arnold asked.


    Kelly let out a laugh before she could stop herself. ¡°You''re so cute!¡± She exclaimed, then she blushed. ¡°Um... well... you just make a kissing sound by smacking your lips for a second.¡±


    Arnold smacked his lips three times. ¡°Goodbye.¡± He said and hung up.


    Kelly looked at her phone for a second, then she burst out laughing. She shook her head and walked over to her desk and sat down to finish her homework. She was in such a good mood that she easily went through it and before she realized it, she was done. She smiled and packed everything away, went to the bathroom and had a shower and changed, then picked up her phone and climbed into bed and laid down on her back under the blanket.


    Kelly stared at Arnold''s contact info and hesitated, then her thumbs moved and she typed up a quick message. ''It''s just me, Kelly. I wanted to say goodnight to you before I go to bed.''


    She sent it to Arnold and to her surprise, her phone beeped almost immediately.


    ''Do you want me to call?''


    ''I want to hear your voice but it''s kind of late and that would be too loud on both our ends.'' Kelly typed back. ''We have to settle for just texting for now. Goodnight.''


    ''Goodnight. (kiss emoji)''


    Kelly smiled because he had figured out how to kiss her by text. She let out a contented sigh and put the phone into sleep mode, then hugged it as she rolled over onto her side and promptly fell asleep.


    The next morning, her alarm went off and Kelly awoke with a start. She had rolled onto her back at some point and she looked down to see that her hands were empty. She started to panic and sat up as she ruffled through the messed up blanket and searched for her missing phone.


    Kelly started to despair that it had been lost, even though she knew it couldn''t have gone far, then her eyes caught the edge of the protective case. The phone was tucked under her pillow and she sighed as she picked it up. She hadn''t missed any messages and it still had three quarters of a charge, so she put it on her desk by her backpack and tried to get dressed for school.


    Then her mind went blank.


    Kelly didn''t panic, though. She was too smart for that. She decided what to do and left her room, still in her sleep clothes, and walked to the kitchen. Her mother was there, just like she was every morning.


    ¡°Good morning, dear.¡± Her mother said and then her eyes saw Kelly''s dishevelled state. ¡°What''s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know what to wear.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Oh, just grab something nice from your closet and...¡±


    ¡°I can''t find anything to wear.¡± Kelly said.


    Her mother gave her a stern look and then she clued in to the problem. ¡°You want to dress for a boy!¡±


    Kelly nodded and her mother smiled and came over to her, took her arm, and led her all the way back to her room. For the next twenty minutes, her mother did the searching and Kelly sat on her bed and waited.


    ¡°I think I have it.¡± Her mother said. ¡°You want to impress him, don''t you?¡±


    ¡°He doesn''t really notice things like that.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°You still want to look nice, though.¡± Her mother said and she nodded. ¡°All right, then. Black leggings to keep your modesty, this nice blue mid-thigh skirt to show you can be a little racy and still meet the school''s dress code, a black tank top to cover the midriff, then this long-sleeved tee that only reaches your belly button and has four inches of lace at the neck.¡±


    Kelly looked at it and knew that if she didn''t wear the black underclothing, she would be showing a lot of skin. A lot. ¡°Mom!¡±


    Her mother let out a laugh. ¡°You caught on right away! Good for you.¡± She said. ¡°The tank top will keep your breasts hidden under the revealing top and the whole outfit only implies that you could show off your body if you wanted to.¡±


    Kelly just stared at her and didn''t know what to say. She didn''t know her mom could be that sneaky.


    ¡°Now, I know you had a nice denim half-length jacket around here somewhere.¡± Her mother said and dug back into the closet and pulled it out. ¡°Ah, here we go.¡± She said and checked to make sure it was okay and didn''t need sprucing up after being in the closet for so long. ¡°Shoes, shoes.¡± She said and knelt to look through the half-dozen boxes on the floor. ¡°I''ve been neglectful of your footwear, apparently. You don''t have nice black shoes.¡±


    Kelly sat there and watched her mother almost run from her room. A few minutes later, she was back and held out a nice pair of shoes with a two inch heel.


    ¡°Don''t just sit there! Get changed!¡± Her mother said.


    Kelly stripped off and put on the appropriate underwear and bra that her mother pointed out, then they both dressed her in the outfit.


    ¡°Now the shoes.¡± Her mother prompted.


    Kelly slipped her foot into them and felt some resistance.


    ¡°I had to stuff a bit of paper into the toes so they would fit you.¡± Her mother explained and then dragged her over to the bathroom and waved at the mirror. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°My hair is a mess.¡± Kelly said and her mother laughed.


    ¡°I''ll take care of that while you do your make-up.¡± Her mother said.


    Ten minutes later, Kelly was done and they both stared at her reflection.


    ¡°You look gorgeous, dear.¡± Her mother said and gave her a one arm hug. ¡°I''ll have some eggs and toast done in a few minutes, so don''t stare too long.¡± She smiled. ¡°You''ll miss the bus.¡±


    Kelly smiled back and looked at herself in the mirror. Her mom was right. She would never wear something like this if it wasn''t for the leggings and tank top. The skirt and top were things that she had bought while out shopping with Heather, and they had hung in her closet and hadn''t even been looked at in months.


    Heather. Kelly thought and sighed, then she grabbed her backpack and cell phone and went to the kitchen. Her father was there and when he turned his head to look at her, the surprise on his face made her blush a little. She used a small plate and ate one egg and a piece of toast, went to the house bathroom to wash her hands and brush her teeth, then she grabbed her things and went to the door.


    ¡°Bye.¡± Kelly said and left. She walked down the street to the school bus stop and only had to wait a few minutes. The bus came to a stop and she climbed on, then the loud voices quieted as she boarded. Stares greeted her and they were very similar to her fathers. She sat down in the first available seat and was glad to sit by herself as she fought to not keep blushing.


    The ride to school seemed to take forever today and Kelly was relieved when the school came into view. As soon as the bus came to a stop, she was up and out of her seat and out the door just as it opened. She moved off to the side to get out of the way of the other students and checked her watch to see that she had a few minutes before Arnold''s bus would arrive.


    Kelly stopped her sigh before it escaped and turned around to look into the parking lot and saw Heather''s mother''s car. She waved at it automatically, like she had every morning, then cursed herself for the lapse in judgment. For the first time since Heather had started dating Brad, she stepped out of the backseat and started to walk over to her.


    Kelly hid her dismay at the thought of talking to her, especially after her accusations, snide remarks, and dirty looks.


    ¡°Hi, Kelly!¡± Heather said with exaggerated happiness. ¡°You look great!¡±


    Kelly sighed at seeing the fake version of her friend instead of the real one. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°What makes you think I want anything?¡± Heather asked with a huge smile.


    ¡°You''re giving me the ''I hate them and have to be nice'' face.¡± Kelly said. ¡°You know, the same face we used to use for Brad and his friends so they would leave us alone?¡±


    Heather lost the fake smile and frowned. Kelly wasn''t sure if that was an improvement.


    ¡°I got a call last night from my boyfriend.¡± Heather said.


    Kelly opened her mouth to tell her that she had, too... then closed it.


    ¡°Apparently, Brad''s offer wasn''t conveyed properly to... Arnold.¡± Heather almost spat.


    ¡°You mean the thing I tried to warn you about last week and you said it wasn''t your problem?¡± Kelly asked and Heather gave her a bit of a glare, then sighed.


    ¡°Yes. Now he wants me to tell you about it and get you to convince Arnold to play Fortune''s Favour.¡±


    ¡°What made him think that you telling me would work?¡± Kelly asked.


    Heather let out a sigh. ¡°We''ve been friends for a long time...¡±


    ¡°I thought we were friends until last week when you started ignoring me.¡± Kelly said and barely managed to keep the hurt out of her voice. ¡°What''s changed now? Are you going to stop dating Brad so we can start hanging out again?¡±


    Heather had noticed the change in her voice. ¡°Kelly, I... I just wanted to...¡± She stopped talking for a moment and gathered her thoughts. ¡°No, I won''t stop dating him.¡±


    Kelly shook her head. ¡°You''re going to regret it, you know.¡± She said. ¡°Even more than you already do.¡± She looked at her friend''s pained expression and sighed herself. ¡°Tell me what the offer is.¡±


    Heather explained about all of the things the group would give Arnold to start playing the game. Even though they were low priority drops, they were from high level players and it ended up being worth thousands of gold in equipment and loot, which any new player would probably kill for... or in Arnold''s case, had to die for.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Kelly said. ¡°They really want him to play, don''t they?¡±


    ¡°Like you wouldn''t believe.¡± Heather said. ¡°Getting him in the game is all they talk about.¡±


    Kelly knew what she meant by ''getting him''. ¡°I can''t promise that he''ll play, considering he doesn''t have a VR setup or a computer to...¡±


    ¡°You do.¡± Heather interrupted.


    ¡°...practice on.¡± Kelly finished. ¡°He''ll need hours of experience playing other games, just to learn enough to play through the tutorial for Fortune''s Favour.¡±


    ¡°I''m sure that...¡±


    ¡°My dad hasn''t met Arnold yet.¡± Kelly said. ¡°He''s not going to let him come to the house before that or let him stay and play games for hours at a time.¡±


    ¡°Why don''t you invite Arnold over for supper tonight?¡± Heather suggested. ¡°I bet your parents will love meeting him.¡±


    Kelly thought about it. ¡°Brad wants you to have something to report, doesn''t he?¡± She asked.


    Heather wanted to deny it and couldn''t. ¡°Yes, I need something solid, Kelly. Please.¡±


    Kelly looked at her friend''s face and shook her head slightly at her own stupidity as she took out her cell phone and called home. Heather gave her a genuine smile this time as she listened to Kelly ask her mother if Arnold could come over for supper.


    Just then, Arnold''s bus pulled up and unloaded. Kelly turned and waved at Arnold as he stepped off of it and he walked over to her. Heather''s face went as blank as his when he stopped and stood next to Kelly.


    ¡°He can?¡± Kelly asked, a little surprised. ¡°Yes, he just got here. Hold on.¡± She covered the phone and whispered. ¡°If she asks you to come to dinner, say you would love to. Oh, and if she mentions my outfit, tell her it looks fantastic.¡±


    Arnold took the phone from her. ¡°Hello?¡± He was quiet for a moment. ¡°Yes, I asked her to be my girlfriend.¡± He paused. ¡°Yes, my mother knows.¡± He waited for a moment. ¡°It looks fantastic.¡± He said and waited. ¡°I would love to.¡± He paused again, then held the phone out to Kelly. ¡°She wants to talk to you again.¡±


    Kelly took the phone. ¡°Hi, mom.¡± She said and then held the phone slightly away from her ear as her mom talked both loudly and excitedly. After a few moments, she put the phone back to her ear. ¡°Yes.¡± She said. ¡°Uh huh.¡± She paused again. ¡°Mom, I can''t say that.¡± She said and her face flushed red. ¡°I''ll talk to you later! Bye!¡±


    Arnold and Heather gave her inquisitive looks.


    ¡°She''s happy to have you coming over tonight.¡± Kelly said to Arnold and turned to Heather. ¡°I''ll start setting him up on my rig while we wait for supper.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Kelly. Really.¡± Heather said, gave her a sad smile, then walked towards the front doors of the school. Her mother''s car slowly drove out of the parking lot and Claire waved to them. Both Kelly and Arnold waved back, and then the car was gone.


    ¡°Call your mom and let her know you''re coming to my house after school.¡± Kelly said.


    Arnold did so and Annie was just as happy as Kelly''s mom at him staying over for supper. ¡°She told me to call for a drive when I need it.¡±


    Kelly nodded and took Arnold''s hand. ¡°Can I have a kiss before we go inside?¡±


    Arnold gave her a quick kiss. ¡°Is one enough?¡± He asked, because she had asked for a lot of them yesterday. They were well above the number he and Heather had taken a week to accumulate.


    ¡°One can never be enough.¡± Kelly said, barely above a whisper, and she put her arm around him and kissed him passionately. She broke the kiss a few moments later, a little breathless, and beamed a smile at him. She was happy that he hadn''t reverted to his old style of kissing. ¡°Let''s get to class.¡±


    Arnold nodded and they went into the school together, hand in hand.


    *


    The vice-principal stood near the building as she observed their interaction unobtrusively and nodded. Once again, she didn''t want to involve herself in their personal affairs and was glad that the discussion between the two girls hadn''t devolved into a cat fight. When Arnold showed up, she had expected sparks to fly. Instead, Arnold had remained calm and collected, even with his old and new girlfriends standing right there.


    The vice-principal wouldn''t normally keep that close of an eye on her students; but, the things she had learned about Arnold''s behavior had forced her hand. She needed to make sure that he didn''t do... certain things... with any of the other students, now that he was on school grounds and within her authority.


    Have you stopped being a bad boy, Arnold? The vice-principal asked herself and went into the building. Or are you just biding your time and waiting for the right opportunity?


    The vice-principal smiled at several students that greeted her and she made her way back to her office. She had a full schedule today and was only slightly disappointed that she had made herself leave Arnold''s report at home. She couldn''t have something like that just laying around in her office.


    I need to give him extra credit for the report, too. She thought as she sat down at her desk, then she took out his file and wrote out the proper recommendation for him completing his suspension and for doing a lot of extra work writing the report. She also added that he understood what it meant to be suspended and had used his free time to full advantage.


    The vice-principal smiled at her wording. She also made particular note of the sheer length of the report and that it was much too long and detailed to be included. With that done, she added the extra credit bonus to his file and put it away, then used her computer to make an electronic copy and filed it with the school board.


    She knew the extra credit wasn''t really necessary, because his marks were so high that he could graduate without even having to take the final exams. She just hoped that it reduced the mark on his record that the suspension for fighting had given him. There was a knock on her door and she saved up the file and put the computer to sleep.


    ¡°Come in.¡± The vice-principal said and a sheepish young woman came into her office. ¡°Have a seat, Melanie.¡±


    She had been caught smoking weed on school grounds, in clear violation of school policy and the law about having a controlled substance around minors. The vice-principal gave her the same stare and silent treatment that she had used as a ''sweating'' tactic for years to make the students in front of her more compliant and forthcoming with the truth. The poor girl crumbled under the scrutiny and told her everything.


    The vice-principal really loved her job on days like this.

 39 Dinner Plans And VR

    Kelly''s face had remained flushed red the entire day because everyone kept looking at her. Boys. Girls. Teachers. Everyone. They were all surprised that she would dress like that, considering she always wore clothes that hid pretty much everything. Today she wore something that still covered her completely, and yet, it was still slightly scandalous. Her mother had been right and everyone saw the potential there.


    They were also quite envious.


    The boys were envious of Arnold for getting the subdued Kelly to wear something that made her look stunning and showed off her body without actually showing it, and he got to date her exclusively. Luckily, word of Arnold beating up both Brad and Kevin for disrespecting Heather had been spread all over the school and none of them thought of making any rude comments.


    The girls were envious of Kelly because she looked great in her outfit. She also had a boyfriend like Arnold and they knew that he would kiss her whenever she wanted... and wherever she wanted. That pretty much made him the best boyfriend in their eyes. Fortunately, they also knew he was dating her exclusively and none of them would have a chance to steal him away.


    The only one not affected by this turn of events was Heather. She knew they were old clothes and that Kelly was completely covered up. She didn''t really understand why Kelly was getting so much attention, because she should have worn the outfit without the black underclothes. Brad, who had always thought that Kelly was plain, especially when compared to Heather, had been surprised by how outstanding Kelly looked.


    Eric on the other hand, was almost pained by the sight. He knew without a doubt that if he had just been nicer to Kelly, he would have been in Arnold''s place right now and he would have the beauty on his arm instead. It was a bitter pill to swallow, considering he knew that Kelly would never forgive him for what he did to her and the lies he said about her afterwards.


    Arnold wasn''t oblivious to the extra attention, since he always noticed it and chose to ignore it. So, he did that this time, too. He gave Kelly one arm hugs at the locker like she wanted, he kissed her before and after each class, and carried her books for her. At lunchtime, Kelly tried to tell him to go to the lab and he told her that the teacher locked it every day.


    ¡°Arnold, I''m so sorry.¡± Kelly said and gave him a hug and rested her cheek against his. With the two inch heels, she was pretty close to his height. ¡°I know you really liked being in there all alone.¡±


    Arnold put his arms around her as he hugged her back and several girls nearby had let out soft sighs. They ate in the cafeteria after that and when they sat down at a long table next to each other, rather than being left alone like they normally were, the trio of girls came over and sat around them.


    ¡°Can you believe the chemistry teacher is trying to give us new material?¡± One asked as she opened a small packet of pepper and sprinkled it over her french fries. ¡°The exam is only a week away!¡±


    ¡°It''s a crime, is what it is.¡± Two said and plucked one of the fries from her friend''s plate and ate it, then she offered one of her fish sticks in exchange. ¡°We''re going to have a hard enough time studying everything from the rest of the year.¡±


    ¡°We have got to get together and have a study party.¡± Three said and picked up her hamburger. ¡°Aw. This thing doesn''t have any cheese on it.¡± She said with a sigh, then took a bite anyway.


    Kelly gave Arnold a look as if to ask him what was going on and he just looked back at her with a blank face. It''s up to me, then. She thought, then she smiled at Three. ¡°Do you want some of my nacho cheese?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Three blinked her eyes for a second and stared at her.


    Kelly held out a nacho chip with a huge glob of cheese on it.


    ¡°Hey, thanks!¡± Three said and accepted the offer. She put it, chip and all, on her burger and took another bite. It made a loud crunch sound and she moaned as she chewed. ¡°Thash sho goom.¡±


    Kelly let out a laugh at the sight. One and Two gave Three a quick glance, then laughed, too. They shared small talk and ate lunch together, then lunch was over. They had set a tentative meeting in the Library to study the day before the chemistry exam and Arnold escorted Kelly to class.


    The rest of the afternoon passed and Kelly finally adjusted to all of the attention she was getting. It was a new thing for her and she was pretty sure that she didn''t like it. She appreciated it for what it was, her being on display and them looking at that display, and she was pretty sure the only one she wanted to dress like this for, was Arnold. She decided that today was the first and last day she would dress like this at school.


    Arnold took Kelly to her locker to drop off her things, since they didn''t have any homework, and they left the school together to wait for her bus. Kelly didn''t ask him why he didn''t drop off his own things, because she knew he had his reasons and didn''t want to ask a stupid question. Almost as if he heard her thought, Arnold turned his head and looked at her. Instead of telling him what she was thinking, Kelly leaned in and gave him a kiss.


    ¡°Thank you for being you.¡± Kelly whispered.


    Arnold never had anyone say that to him before, so he kept looking at her.


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°No one has ever said that to me before.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly was a little surprised by this, since she had assumed that Heather would have told him that. She had gushed over how Arnold was and that he was the best boyfriend to have... and she hadn''t thanked him for it.


    Kelly stepped close and used their held hands to turn Arnold to face her. ¡°You know, I always thought you were a little creepy.¡± She said and gave him a big smile. ¡°It wasn''t until you started dating Heather and I was around you more that I realized it was my own fault for thinking that way.¡±


    Kelly reached up and rubbed her hand over his buzz-cut and then slipped her arm around his neck to pull him in close and held him tightly.


    ¡°You are someone that''s very special.¡± Kelly said and gave him a quick kiss. ¡°A wonder. One of a kind.¡± She gave him another kiss. ¡°Even if everyone else in the whole world thinks differently, I want you to know that I think you''re wonderful.¡±


    ¡°Even though I enjoy cutting up animals and dissecting them?¡± Arnold asked, just to make sure.


    ¡°Even though.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I think it''s a talent that not a lot of people have and you already have a summer job because of it.¡± She smiled. ¡°What''s not to like about that?¡±


    Arnold put his arms around her and kissed her, then kept kissing her for nearly ten minutes until her bus showed up. He broke the kiss and Kelly''s head was swimming with endorphins, so he helped her climb onto the bus and they sat in the first available seat. She rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, because she wanted to hold on to that feeling for as long as she could.


    He kissed me because he wanted to, not because I asked! Kelly thought happily and held his hand a little tighter. ¡°Arnold, I should tell you about my mother and father.¡± She said, then she explained about them. What they did, their personalities, and the things they might ask him about.


    Arnold sat there and listened to Kelly''s debriefing. She gave him some essential information for surviving the upcoming encounter with her parents and he absorbed it like all the other information she had told him. She even gave him her own personal information. Her likes, her dislikes, her favorite things to eat, and even some of her favorite shows and music. He absorbed it all.


    The bus made several stops and then it was their turn. Arnold and Kelly stepped off and they walked down the street to Kelly''s place. They turned in to her driveway and Kelly opened the front door.


    ¡°I''m home with a guest!¡± Kelly said loudly and took off her shoes.


    ¡°It''s all right. I have pants on!¡± Her father said loudly back and Kelly groaned at the old joke.


    ¡°I told you.¡± Kelly whispered to Arnold and he took off his shoes, too. ¡°Come on.¡±


    The two of them went to the den where her father was. He sat in an oversized armchair and had his feet propped up on an ottoman and was reading a newspaper with a fake pipe in his mouth and large fake glasses on his face.


    ¡°Dad, what are you doing?¡± Kelly asked when she looked at the scene.


    ¡°I''m projecting the image of the perfect father.¡± Her dad said with a smile.


    ¡°From the fifties!¡± Kelly said loudly.


    Her dad laughed and folded the paper up and put it on the ottoman, then tossed the fake glasses and the fake pipe onto it. ¡°Let''s get a good look at your man, shall we?¡± He asked and stood up. He was six foot two and the chair he sat in must have been special, because he looked like he had a normal height until he stood. He walked over to them and loomed menacingly over them for a few moments. He noted that Arnold wasn''t intimidated in the least.


    Kelly quickly poked him in the belly and he twitched as he lost the menacing look. ¡°Stop that.¡± She said. ¡°I warned him about your sense of humor already.¡±


    I wasn''t being humorous there. I really was trying to intimidate him like a girl''s father is supposed to do to her boyfriend. Kelly''s father thought and held a hand out for Arnold to shake. ¡°So, Arnold. Tell me about yourself.¡±


    Arnold shook the hand and spoke in short and concise sentences. ¡°My name is Arnold Strickland. I am five foot ten and weigh a hundred and eighty six pounds. I go to high school. I enjoy biology the most of all subjects. I am Kelly''s boyfriend. I have a mother who is alive. My father is dead.¡±


    Kelly''s father was a little thrown by the answers, especially the excessive weight for someone so short, since he himself was only a hundred and seventy pounds and was quite a bit bigger than Arnold.


    Either he has really thick bones or he has a lot of muscle under those clothes. Kelly''s father thought, then the last answer registered and he shook his head mentally at Arnold''s stark admission of his father''s death. Most people can''t say something like that without some kind of reaction.


    ¡°Okay! So you''ve met!¡± Kelly said a little excitedly and pulled on Arnold''s other hand that she still held. ¡°Mom is in the kitchen.¡±


    Arnold was led from the den to the kitchen and if he noticed such things, he would see that Kelly''s mom was not dressed in the proper clothing for cooking. She had on a form-fitting white dress that stopped at the knee and accentuated her lithe figure and her height. She wore a waist apron, also white, so her modest cleavage could be showcased in the five inch wide peekaboo hole just under the neck of the dress.


    Her brownish-red hair was done up in a similar fashion as Kelly''s and she wore gold earrings and a necklace to offset the stark whiteness of the dress. She hadn''t looked up yet and stirred a pot of something on the stove. Kelly caught her breath at the sight of her mom all dressed up and quickly whispered in Arnold''s ear.


    ¡°You look absolutely stunning, Mrs. Kendall.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly''s mom lifted her head and gave him an award winning smile. ¡°Oh, my! Thank you for the compliment.¡± She said and let a bit of blush touch her cheeks. She stepped away from the stove and slipped off the waist apron to hang it on the stove door, then walked over to them in four inch high heels and swayed her hips. Kelly''s heart beat in time to the loud clack clack of her mother''s shoes on the tiles as she approached.


    ¡°Such a considerate boy.¡± Mrs. Kendall said and took him into a hug, which just happened to press his face into the peekaboo hole in her dress. Oops. She thought and blushed for real this time, because she hadn''t realized her heels gave her that much of a height advantage over him until it was too late. Her modest mounds hugged his face just like her arms hugged his body. Warmly and tenderly.


    ¡°Mom!¡± Kelly gasped.


    ¡°Sorry, dear.¡± Her mom said in a genuine apology and let him go, then her heart went pitter-patter at the manly look Arnold gave her. It only lasted for a moment, and yet, it still resonated within her and she had the distinct impression that he wanted to make love to her. Oh, my. She thought in surprise as her body reacted to the intention.


    ¡°I''m taking him to my room to show him my VR setup.¡± Kelly said with a glare at her mother.


    ¡°Leave the door open.¡± Her mother said in a soft voice, because for some reason, she couldn''t quite get that confident cadence she had only a few moments ago.


    Kelly led Arnold from the kitchen and away from her embarrassing mother. They went all the way to the back of the house to her room and Kelly shut the door almost all the way, so it was still technically left open like her mother wanted.


    ¡°I can''t believe her.¡± Kelly shook her head and sighed as she took Arnold into a hug herself. ¡°I''m sorry she did that to you.¡±


    ¡°She''s almost as pretty as you.¡± Arnold said as he hugged her back and Kelly took in a sharp breath.


    ¡°Arnold, you... you don''t... you really mean that, don''t you?¡± Kelly whispered.


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°Oh, Arnold.¡± Kelly said and kissed him. My gorgeous mom had her breasts in his face and he still thinks I''m prettier! She thought happily. They made out for several minutes, then she broke the kiss. ¡°You would keep kissing me for as long as I want, wouldn''t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly closed her eyes and basked in that knowledge. He would never push her or try anything she didn''t want him to do. It was a powerful healing balm for her fragile ego that had been so damaged by the other guys she had dated. It took her a minute to compose herself and she opened her eyes.


    ¡°Do you want to play some VR?¡±


    Arnold nodded and she brought him over to her large desk. It was a different setup than what Heather had at her place and Kelly had him sit in the chair about five feet away from the desk.


    ¡°Let me explain the differences in the controls from what you know.¡± Kelly said. ¡°The ones you''ve used before are the basic versions that people buy to use and have fun.¡± She handed him the much different hand controllers. ¡°These are gaming controls, specifically designed for easy and faster control and manipulation of the game elements like weapons, picking up and using items, and fighting.¡±


    Arnold watched as she showed him all the little quick access buttons that performed different functions, depending on what you set them to. The movement joysticks were the same, albeit slightly larger to allow more of a response to the thumb movement. There were even multiple triggers for auto-switching between weapons in certain games and you didn''t have to do it manually.


    Kelly picked up the VR headset that was a bit fancier than Heather''s. ¡°It''s essentially the same, even if it looks different.¡± She said with a smile. ¡°The company can''t help change the look when they call it a gaming headset.¡± She put it on him and tightened the straps. ¡°What do you want to play?¡±


    ¡°Harley''s Adventurers and that puzzle game.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°You''ll have to do the first level over again, since your other saved game is at Heather''s.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly loaded it up for him and stepped back out of the way of the multiple cameras so they wouldn''t pick her up as well. On the screen, she saw Arnold going through every single one of the options she had shown him. The game started and Arnold didn''t explore it like he had before. He went through it as if it was merely an obstacle and finished the entire level with the exact number of shots that each enemy required to kill them. He did the next level and the next, and after half an hour, he had finished all fifteen levels of the game.


    Arnold achieved several awards and also received the highest scores for speed, accuracy, lowest number of shots, and a hundred percent completion.


    Kelly didn''t ask him if he wanted the other game loaded and just did it, and to her utter surprise, he blew through her favorite puzzle game in only forty five minutes and completed all three hundred puzzles. She quickly did the math in her head and took in a sharp breath.


    Each one only took him nine seconds to complete! Kelly thought, shocked. Even the advanced ones!


    ¡°Supper!¡± Her mother''s voice rang through the house.


    Kelly quickly took the VR headset off of Arnold and he handed her the controllers to put where she wanted them. ¡°You''re amazing, Arnold.¡± She said and took his hand. ¡°Are you ready for an awkward meal with my strange and odd parents?¡±


    Arnold nodded and she led him from her bedroom and through the house to the dining room.

 40 Dinner And A Show

    Kelly''s father had changed his normal clothes and into a formal outfit that was more fitting to match his wife. He wore an all black stylish suit and a white shirt, fully buttoned, and a solid black tie. Kelly was surprised by the change, considering both her and Arnold were still dressed in their school clothing and her mother hadn''t told her that it was a dress up dinner.


    Unbothered by the change in the atmosphere, Arnold dropped his backpack by the door, since the backs of the chairs were round and he couldn''t hang it up. The places were already set, so there were only two spots left for Arnold and Kelly to sit. Kelly''s mom tried to get her daughter''s attention and pointed to the spot beside her, that way they were on the same side of the table and Arnold would have to sit by her father.


    That was also a change from how they normally ate, because Kelly''s father usually sat at the head of the table. Kelly gave them a bit of a glare at messing everything up from the simple dinner she had expected, so to annoy her mother, she brought Arnold over and had him sit beside her mother instead and walked around the table and sat beside her father.


    Her mother looked like she was going to tell her to switch, then she changed her mind. Kelly''s father reached a hand out to her mother and they held hands, then he did the same to Kelly.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Kelly asked, confused.


    ¡°We''re giving thanks before the meal.¡± Her father said.


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Kelly asked, still confused.


    He glanced across the table at Arnold and didn''t say anything.


    Kelly pulled her hand out of her fathers. ¡°Okay, what''s going on here?¡± She asked and looked from her father to her mother. ¡°You both are acting weird, even for you.¡±


    ¡°We are showing your boyfriend that we are a proper family with traditional values.¡± Her mother said.


    Kelly let out a laugh. ¡°Are you kidding?¡± She asked and they didn''t respond. ¡°You''re not kidding.¡±


    ¡°Just take your father''s hand and we can say Grace, then we can eat.¡± Her mother said.


    ¡°We''ve never said it before our meals for all of the other times I''ve eaten at this table.¡± Kelly said and crossed her arms. ¡°I''m not going to fake it, just because you want to give Arnold a false impression of our family.¡±


    ¡°Kelly...¡± Her father started to say.


    ¡°No.¡± Kelly shook her head. ¡°Whatever it is the two of you are doing, I won''t be a part of it.¡±


    Her father sighed. ¡°We just want what''s best for you.¡±


    Kelly barked a laugh. ¡°Giving Arnold the completely wrong ideas about our family is not doing the best for me.¡± She said. ¡°In fact, it''s doing just the opposite.¡± She looked at Arnold. ¡°He''s going to think you act like this all the time and that is the biggest lie you could ever tell him, especially since I already told him all about the both of you and this is not how you''re supposed to act. Right, Arnold?¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°You''re supposed to be nice and honest people.¡± He looked at Kelly''s mother. ¡°I''ve seen some of the nice.¡± He said and she blushed as she remembered what happened, then he looked at the father. ¡°I''m still waiting for the honest part.¡±


    Kelly''s father sighed again and sat up straight, which let everyone see that a lot of his height was in his torso. ¡°I guess the jig is up.¡± He said and nodded to his wife, who stood up and slid her husband''s place setting to the head of the table and he slid Kelly''s to where he sat. He stood up and went to the side of the room and grabbed his normal chair and put it back at the head of the table and sat down.


    ¡°We were trying to show that we had close family ties and ate in a more intimate setting.¡± He said and looked down at the plate of food that had cooled off some.


    ¡°Let me reheat that.¡± Kelly''s mother said and went to pick the plate up.


    ¡°No, it''s our own fault for carrying on like we did.¡± He said and started eating.


    Kelly''s mother took a shallow breath and let it out, then she started eating, too. Kelly looked at Arnold and they both started eating as well. The food had been hot when they sat down and was now only slightly warm. Arnold didn''t care about that and ate mechanically, like he always did. No one spoke during the meal and when everyone was done, Arnold shocked Kelly''s parents as he gathered up the plates and silverware and took them to the kitchen. He gave them a quick rinse and washed his hands, then he came back to the table and sat down.


    ¡°Thank you, Arnold.¡± Kelly said with a smile, happy that her parents weren''t prepared for that.


    ¡°D-dessert.¡± Her mother said and stood, then went to the kitchen and came back with a tray and four small strawberry shortcakes. She gave one to each of them and sat down with her own, then they ate that in silence as well. As soon as she put her fork down, she sat back and waited to see if Arnold would clear the table again. She wasn''t disappointed as he gathered them up and took them to the sink to rinse them.


    ¡°Kelly, what...¡± She started to ask and stopped when Arnold came back.


    ¡°That was delicious.¡± Kelly''s father said to his wife, gave a brief glance to Kelly that unnerved her slightly, then he looked at Arnold. ¡°So, what are your intentions towards my daughter?¡±


    ¡°DAD!¡± Kelly yelled and he held a hand up to quiet her.


    ¡°It''s a valid question for a father to ask his daughter''s boyfriend, and you know that.¡± He said and hadn''t looked away from Arnold. ¡°Please answer the question.¡±


    ¡°I plan on learning everything I can from her.¡± Arnold said. ¡°She''s smart and knows a lot more about things than I do, because my parents kept a lot of information hidden from me.¡±


    ¡°Why did they do that?¡± Her father asked, curious.


    ¡°Because each piece of new information changes my behavior and how I see things.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly''s parents sat there and thought about that for a few moments.


    ¡°I also want to make love to her.¡± Arnold said.


    Both Kelly and her mother gasped at his statement.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Her father said with a scowl. ¡°What did you just say about my daughter?¡±


    ¡°I want to have sex with her.¡± Arnold said, completely unaffected by the larger man''s apparent anger.


    ¡°Why?¡± Her mother asked before she could stop herself.


    ¡°She''s smart, she''s pretty, she''s my girlfriend, and she is the only one who believed me.¡± Arnold said and looked at Kelly. ¡°I want her to have fun and enjoy herself.¡±


    Kelly''s father started to stand to yell at the impudent boy and his wife touched his arm to stop him.


    ¡°When do you plan on... doing it?¡± Kelly''s mother asked hesitantly and her husband winced a little.


    ¡°As soon as she''s ready and asks me.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly took in a sharp breath, because her thoughts about him not pushing her for sex were confirmed.


    ¡°You... you''re letting her decide?¡± Her mother asked, completely surprised.


    Arnold nodded.


    Kelly''s mother looked at her husband and gave him several different looks to convey her thoughts, and he couldn''t ignore the fact that not only was Arnold being completely honest, he was also leaving the decision for such an important thing in the hands of his daughter. She really was smart and she didn''t do things without seriously considering them first, so he calmed down slightly and tamped down on his anger.


    ¡°What if she never asks you?¡± Kelly''s father asked, which was what he sincerely hoped would happen.


    ¡°DAD!¡± Kelly yelled. This first dinner together was not going how she thought it would. Not at all.


    ¡°Then we won''t have sex.¡± Arnold said.


    Both parents were quiet for a moment and Kelly relaxed. She shouldn''t have.


    ¡°Will you break up with her if she never gives you sex?¡± Kelly''s mother asked.


    ¡°MOM!¡± Kelly yelled, shocked that her mother would ask such a thing.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. ¡°My mother told me the reasons people break up. Sometimes they argue and break up. One of them makes a mistake and they break up. Sometimes they meet someone else and break up. Sometimes they come to hate each other and break up.¡±


    Kelly''s mother reached over and put a hand on Arnold''s. ¡°Did she tell you why they stay together even when most of that happens?¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°They love them enough to forgive them.¡±


    ¡°Heather didn''t do that for you.¡± Kelly''s mother said and Kelly caught her breath.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I''m sorry she didn''t believe you.¡± Kelly''s mother said, which let Kelly know that her parents knew a lot more about the things that were going on than she assumed they did. ¡°But, that''s in the past. You''re dating our daughter now and things are going to be different.¡±


    ¡°They already are.¡± Arnold said and looked at Kelly, and her heart went pitter-patter.


    ¡°Yes, they are.¡± Kelly''s father said. ¡°I know the two of you are eighteen and technically consenting adults; but, I absolutely forbid you from having sex in my house.¡±


    ¡°DAD!¡± Kelly exclaimed in embarrassment and then used her hands to cover her face. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± She whispered and shook her head. ¡°This dinner didn''t happen. It''s just a dream. No, it''s a joke. A bad joke. A horrible, horrible joke!¡±


    ¡°Kelly, there''s no need to overreact.¡± Her father said.


    ¡°I wish I was overreacting!¡± Kelly said and uncovered her red face. ¡°You just met Arnold! We just started dating!¡± She said in exasperation. ¡°All the things you''re saying shouldn''t be said this soon! Your questions aren''t fair!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean fair?¡± Her father asked, a little confused.


    ¡°Arnold and I haven''t even talked about it with each other yet.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Now you and mom have already ruined what we might have talked about... if... or when... we were ready to talk about it.¡± She said and her voice lowered to barely above a whisper. ¡°You didn''t even ask me if I wanted anything to happen and you''ve already forbidden it.¡±


    Her father opened his mouth to respond, then realized he didn''t want to know if she did or didn''t want anything to happen. He didn''t want to think about his daughter having sex with anyone, let alone Heather''s old boyfriend. He also didn''t want to think about who else Heather slept with and if they passed something on to Arnold.


    ¡°This is my house.¡± Kelly''s father said instead of what he was thinking.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Kelly said and stood. ¡°Tell my father why refusing to let us have sex in this house is stupid.¡±


    ¡°People can have sex pretty much anywhere, as long as they can get a little privacy.¡± Arnold said, much to their surprise and horror.


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Kelly said and glared at her father. ¡°All you succeed in doing was pushing me away and alienating Arnold. You also made sure that you will never know if... or when... it will happen.¡± She said and saw her father''s sad expression. ¡°Arnold, let''s go to my room and I''ll show you another VR game for a while, then you can call your mother for a drive.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and stood up. Kelly came around the table and took his hand, then he picked up his backpack when they reached the doorway.


    ¡°By the way, I''m shutting my door.¡± Kelly said without turning around. ¡°Since I''ve been forbidden from doing anything, you don''t need to worry anymore, right?¡± She asked and led Arnold out of the dining room and to her room at the back of the house. Kelly''s parents sat there and stared at the doorway where for the first time, their daughter spoke to them in a tone of voice they hadn''t heard from her before. It was full of anger and dismissal.


    All they had wanted to do was to clear up the situation and to set up the proper boundaries, to make things easier for their daughter to have an actual relationship, and to ensure that she wasn''t being used for her body. All they managed to do however, was make it harder for Kelly to have any kind of serious relationship, which was the exact opposite of what Kelly wanted.


    ¡°I can''t believe that just happened.¡± Kelly said as she closed her bedroom door. ¡°Arnold, I''m sorry about all of that.¡± She said and took him into a hug. ¡°All I wanted was for us to have a nice dinner together and it turned out to be the Spanish Inquisition!¡±


    Arnold thought about what they learned in History class. ¡°Did they burn your other boyfriends in the streets before asking us to leave?¡±


    Kelly opened her mouth to say no, then laughed. ¡°They might as well have, metaphorically speaking.¡± She said. ¡°They used my experiences of the very few guys I''ve dated to judge you, and not only was that not fair, it''s completely inaccurate.¡± She leaned her forehead against his. ¡°I told you before that you were unique. How could they compare you to other guys?¡±


    ¡°It''s their only point of reference.¡± Arnold said. ¡°If you told them...¡±


    ¡°I don''t think I should tell them how special you are. After how they just treated you, they don''t deserve to have that knowledge and I would rather keep you all to myself.¡± Kelly said, and surprised herself at the thought. ¡°I think I... for the first time in my life, I... I''m going to be greedy, Arnold.¡± She leaned in close and gave him a slow and tender kiss. ¡°I want to hold you and kiss you for half an hour, then show you a new game. Is that all right?¡±


    Arnold nodded and Kelly took off her jean jacket and hung it up in the closet, then pulled off her slightly racy top. It left her in just the tank top and then she turned around and unzipped the skirt and pulled it off, to leave herself in just the leggings. Both remaining clothing items hugged her body tightly and she turned around to see if he was leering at her to try and see anything, and he only looked at her face and waited.


    Kelly smiled and told him to put his backpack down, then she climbed onto the bed and pat it beside where she lay. Arnold climbed on and she propped a pillow up for him, then she cuddled in and hugged him. He turned his head to face her and she kissed him, once again softly and tenderly, and Arnold took the hint. He put his arms around her to hold her back and repeated her kisses.


    They stayed like that for half an hour, occasionally making out and staring at each other, and neither of them tried to make things go further than that. Kelly gave him one last kiss and sat up, gave Arnold a look of appreciation, then she set up the VR game for him.


    ¡°This game is similar to Harley''s Adventures, except it''s more detailed and there are a lot more enemies, both monster and human.¡± Kelly said and handed him the controls.


    ¡°Is it multiplayer?¡± Arnold asked as she strapped the headset to his head.


    ¡°No, you''re not ready for that yet.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Believe me, you''re going to need a bit of practical experience before playing an online game.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Mostly because the people you''ll talk to can be real jerks.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Especially if you''re new. It''s a difficult community to become a part of.¡± She loaded the new game and stepped out of the way. ¡°Of course, once you do become a part of it, you''re greeted like family and everyone will want to play games with you.¡±


    ¡°Even if I''m no good?¡±


    Kelly chuckled. ¡°Even bad players are welcome, as long as you enjoy playing the game.¡± She said and the screen changed as the game finished loading. ¡°Okay, you start this one with only a knife and a baseball bat. You''ll have to find different weapons along the way.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and checked everything in the small room he stood in. He pushed, grabbed, opened, hit, and stabbed literally everything in the room and found all of the hidden items and clues. He opened the door and peered out into the slightly wrecked house, then did the same thing, only faster.


    Kelly stood there and watched as Arnold meticulously gathered everything possible and found all the hidden clues, which told him where to get one of the best weapons in the game. He didn''t go right to the spot and get it, though. He fought and cleared out all of the monsters in the area, then he followed the directions and picked up the small pistol that had unlimited ammo. It''s only drawback was that it took a second to reload.


    Before Kelly could tell him that, he emptied the clip and his character reloaded the gun automatically. After that, with gun in hand, Arnold went through the first level of the game and used the small pistol like it was a machine gun. Some of the monsters could take a lot of shots before going down, and he circled them and tried shooting each and every part of them.


    I didn''t think of doing that. Kelly thought as Arnold quickly found the weakness in each monster and exploited it. The pistol could take down the larger monsters eventually and when he fought the boss of the first stage, he once again found the weakness and took it down. Easily.


    ¡°Okay, save up.¡± Kelly said and Arnold did. She took the headset from him and the controllers. ¡°That was great, Arnold. I''m impressed.¡±


    ¡°It was easy.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Not all games are going to have a weapon like that... at the first of the game.¡± Kelly corrected. ¡°Almost all of them have some kind of unlimited ammo weapon of some kind.¡± She shut everything down and turned to him. ¡°They are notoriously difficult to get sometimes, too.¡±


    ¡°How did you learn all of this?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Mostly personal experience, with reading some of it online, and word of mouth from gaming friends.¡±


    ¡°Now you''re telling me.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly nodded, and then she gave him a wicked smile. ¡°By the time you and I are done, Brad and his friends are going to be very surprised by what you can do.¡± She said. ¡°You''ll be able to accept their invitation and actually have a chance to play, rather than be their kill target.¡±


    Arnold stood up and took her into a hug. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and gave her a quick kiss.


    ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Kelly said hugged him back. ¡°I think we made my parents suffer with worry long enough, so you better call your mom to come and get you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold let her go and called. ¡°She''ll be here in fifteen minutes.¡±


    Kelly looked down at what she was wearing, just leggings and a tank top, and smiled. ¡°Do you want to sit on the couch in the living room while we wait?¡±

 41 School Daze

    Both of Kelly''s parents were absolutely shocked when their daughter traipsed around their ranch house wearing only leggings and a tank top. They were solid black, so you couldn''t see through them; but, they were form fitting and it didn''t take much imagination to remove those thin articles of clothing. Her father had retreated to the den, the sight of his daughter so scantily clad was too much for his tender sensibilities.


    The task of watching them fell to her mother, and she was like a statue as she stood at the doorway to the living room and stared at the two young people cuddling on her couch. She had never seen such blatant behavior from her daughter and it unnerved her to think that after a day of dating a boy, she had changed so much. She sorely regretted dressing her daughter to attract his attention.


    That wasn''t the case, however. After a few minutes, Kelly was just as embarrassed as her father was at being so exposed. It wasn''t until she looked at Arnold and saw that he wasn''t taking advantage of the situation, that she had been able to keep a cool head. Her face was still bright red, even fifteen minutes later when a horn honked.


    Kelly hopped up like something had bitten her. ¡°Your mom is here!¡± She said excitedly and took his hand.


    Arnold picked up his backpack as he stood and let Kelly lead him to the front door past her mother. She didn''t open it, because she didn''t want anyone else to see what she was wearing.


    ¡°Thanks for coming over.¡± Kelly said and her voice dropped to just above a whisper. ¡°Even though it became a mess.¡±


    Arnold hooked his backpack over both shoulders and took her into a hug. ¡°Do you want me to kiss you now?¡±


    Kelly was about to say that her mother was right there, then smiled instead. ¡°Just a goodbye kiss.¡±


    Arnold gave her a four second kiss and let her out of the hug. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Kelly stepped back out of the way and out of sight, then Arnold opened the door and stepped out and closed it.


    ¡°Explain yourself young lady.¡± Her mother said and Kelly turned to look at her.


    ¡°Why? You didn''t.¡± Kelly said. ¡°All I wanted was a nice dinner and to have my boyfriend meet my great parents, and then you just...¡± Tears came to her eyes. ¡°...you messed everything up! You don''t realize what... Arnold, he...¡± She wiped at her face. ¡°I''m sorry that everything I told him about you was a lie.¡±


    ¡°Kelly Katheryn Kendall!¡± Her mother said sternly. ¡°Don''t you dare use that tone of voice with me.¡±


    ¡°What tone should I use, mom?¡± Kelly asked. ¡°Should I plead with you and beg you to act normal, and not like this...¡± She waved her hand at her mom''s dress. ¡°...whatever stupid role you''re trying to play?¡±


    Her mother squinted her eyes at her. ¡°Go to your room!¡± She said loudly. ¡°And put some clothes on!¡±


    ¡°Fine. I''ll go.¡± Kelly said and couldn''t help herself and threw in one last barb. ¡°Remember, you dressed me in these clothes, mom.¡± She said and walked by her exasperated mother. A few moments later, her bedroom door slammed and her mother winced at the loud sound. She had never heard it before and it nearly shook the whole house.


    ¡°I''m sorry that I let you handle that, Katheryn.¡± Kelly''s father said as he walked up behind his wife and hugged her. ¡°I just... I couldn''t look at her while she wore that.¡±


    ¡°It''s all right, Kenneth.¡± Katheryn said. ¡°I had a hard time seeing her wearing only that, too.¡± She said, then she sighed. ¡°I did dress her in it, and it did keep her completely covered.¡± She said with a sigh. ¡°I watched them and they didn''t paw at each other, or make out, or even gave each other those kinds of looks where they expect something to happen.¡±


    Kenneth was surprised by this. ¡°But... he was...¡±


    ¡°Heather''s ex-boyfriend.¡± Katheryn nodded.


    ¡°Since he was with her, then... he should only be thinking about...¡± Kenneth shook his head. ¡°I don''t want to say it.¡±


    Katheryn turned around in his arms to face her husband. ¡°Kelly was right. This dinner didn''t turn out like it was supposed to.¡±


    ¡°You''re starting to think we were wrong to be so hard on him.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Katheryn said, her voice full of regret. ¡°Our daughter didn''t appreciate our efforts on her behalf.¡± She sighed and hugged her husband. ¡°What are we going to do?¡±


    ¡°We could ground her until she''s twenty-one.¡± Kenneth said and she laughed. ¡°I wasn''t joking.¡±


    ¡°I know you weren''t.¡± Katheryn said and gave him a kiss. ¡°I need to get out of these ridiculous heels.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to help?¡± Kenneth asked, hopeful that she would say yes.


    ¡°Oh? Does your restriction of no sex in the house not apply to you?¡±


    ¡°It''s my house.¡± Kenneth said with a smile.


    Katheryn was tempted to say no, then she remembered the look Arnold had given her when she hugged him. That was why she had gone along with her husband''s plan of taking the possibility of sex with their daughter away from him. She smiled and nodded, so Kenneth carefully led her to the other side of the house and they went into their bedroom.


    *


    ¡°How did your first time meeting her parents go?¡± Annie asked as they drove home.


    ¡°They didn''t act like her parents were supposed to act.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie let a frown appear on her face, then she gripped the steering wheel tightly. ¡°I want you to tell me all about it.¡±


    Arnold told her every detail, including the inappropriate dress and getting his face pressed between Kelly''s mother''s breasts, as well as the overbearing fake father act and all of the questions they asked after eating. He also told her of Kelly''s reaction and what happened afterwards, both in her bedroom and on the couch.


    ¡°If I wasn''t such a nice person, I might go over there and give them both a piece of my mind.¡± Annie said, clearly angry, then she smiled. ¡°Kelly handled it well, so I''ll let it go this time.¡±


    Arnold nodded and they were quiet until they reached home and pulled into the driveway.


    ¡°I''m glad you told Kelly that you will wait for her to decide when she wants to have sex.¡± Annie said as she pulled him into a hug. ¡°You''re a good boy, Arnold.¡±


    They went inside and Arnold went upstairs, took a shower, and went to bed.


    The next morning, Arnold arrived at school to find Kelly waiting for him. She was back to wearing her normal concealing clothing and he took her into a hug and gave her a good morning kiss. Kelly waited for him to comment about her clothes and all he did was ask her if she wanted another kiss.


    ¡°Yes, please.¡± Kelly said with a smile and he kissed her, then they went into the school. She was relieved that almost no one noticed her as they went to her locker to get the morning''s books, then she and Arnold went to class. The morning passed by in a flash, then the two of them went to the cafeteria for lunch. Once again, the trio of girls joined them when they sat down, then another guy sat down near them.


    ¡°Hi, Arnold.¡± The guy said and started to eat.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Arnold said, automatically.


    The others looked at him for a moment and then at the new guy, then they started to eat, too. The new guy liked Two and never had the chance before now to get close to her. He felt a little guilty about using Arnold''s popularity for himself, then shrugged mentally. If it worked, it worked. If it didn''t, well, it was no different than it usually was.


    After lunch, the rest of the day passed and everyone went home. No one had homework, because exams started next week. Most of the teachers understood that everyone needed the extra time to study and took it easy on them.


    The next day was almost the same, except another guy and a girl joined Arnold''s table during lunch to fill it. When they heard that there was a chemistry study party, they were ecstatic and asked to join.


    ¡°I don''t know.¡± One said. ¡°If there''s too many people, we might not get as much studying done.¡±


    ¡°Then again, we could probably use the extra help.¡± Two said. ¡°The new stuff he gave us is horrible.¡±


    Three nodded. ¡°I think a couple more people should be okay.¡± She said. ¡°We''re meeting in the Library, so get there early and we can all sit together.¡±


    ¡°We''ll be there!¡± The new guy said excitedly and the three girls chuckled.


    ¡°Most people aren''t happy about having to learn chemical formulas.¡± One said.


    ¡°Maybe he likes chemistry.¡± Two said.


    ¡°It''s the company.¡± The new guy said before Three could speak. The three girls looked at him and saw that he was looking right at Two. She blushed a little at the attention and he dropped his head to keep eating. One and Three exchanged knowing looks and smiled.


    Unknown to all of them, Heather seethed with repressed anger at the group. Not only did her best friend have several new friends around her, when she was only supposed to have her, her ex-boyfriend who used to be a loner, was now surrounded by people and they were all acting like old friends. They had all forgotten that he had cheated on her, and that pissed her off.


    That afternoon, an announcement was made and all senior year classes had been cancelled. Every senior had to report to the gym for a special seminar, since it was the only room big enough to hold them all at the same time. When they all gathered inside, they saw tables were set up all along the wall of the gym.


    ¡°Thank you all for coming.¡± The vice-principal said to get everyone''s attention. ¡°As you can see, there are special representatives from the local college. This happens every year as they prospect for talented students to prepare them for jobs in their chosen fields. We also have school councillors to help give recommendations for courses and if the college life is right for you.¡±


    A student raised his hand. ¡°How can we do this when we haven''t passed our exams yet?¡±


    ¡°That''s a good question.¡± The vice-principal said. ¡°This is all based on your previous academic records and is all tentative on your actual graduation. Don''t worry! I''m confident that most of you will pass the exams.¡±


    ¡°Just most?¡± A lone voice asked.


    ¡°Sound carries in here very well, Mr. Farrell.¡± The vice-principal said with a smile as she looked right at him. ¡°Why don''t you step out of the crowd and come here.¡±


    A few people chuckled as the young man reluctantly made his way to the vice-principal.


    ¡°Congratulations! You are our first guinea pig this year! I mean test student!¡± The vice-principal corrected and he groaned to several laughs. ¡°Let''s go over to the group of councillors and show everyone what to expect, then we can see what subjects you''re good at and which college courses you''re eligible for.¡±


    That was how it went for each student, now that they had seen one student go through it. It took half of the afternoon for everyone to be sorted into the proper lines, then each spent time with the representatives from the college for those subjects and discussed jobs in those fields of study. The only person that didn''t need to be sorted was Arnold, since his courses were already set.


    The vice-principal took his hand when it was his turn, waved at the small group of men and women as she bypassed the councillors, and brought him right over to the table where Amy and another black girl sat. Amy was dressed in a conservative business suit and skirt, dark blue in color, and her friend wore a nice pants suit that matched.


    ¡°Oh, god.¡± Amy whispered to Cissily. ¡°Don''t make a scene.¡±


    ¡°Who? Me?¡± Cissily asked a little loudly and ignored her friend''s plea as she stood. ¡°Is this him? The kissing bandit?¡±


    Quite a few people around laughed at the description, since it fit so well.


    ¡°Please try to restrain your enthusiasm.¡± The vice-principal said to the two women. ¡°There should be a few other people here soon.¡± She said and walked back over to the students.


    ¡°I''m Cissily.¡± Cissily held a hand out to Arnold for him to shake. ¡°I''ve heard so much about you.¡± She said with a huge smile. ¡°It''s nice to finally meet you in person.¡±


    Arnold shook her hand and didn''t say anything in response, mainly because when she reached out, her suit coat had billowed out to show off her cleavage. She wasn''t wearing a blouse underneath it and her white frilly bra was quite a contrast to her dark skin, which made her breasts stand out that much more.


    Cissily saw where he was looking and tried to embarrass him. ¡°Are you getting a good look?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said, to her surprise. ¡°You look very pretty.¡±


    Cissily wasn''t normally someone who blushed over something so simple; and yet, Arnold''s stark admission clicked something inside her head. She wasn''t sure if it was because he freely admitted that he was staring at her chest or that he didn''t try to puss-out and cover up his indiscretion. Whatever it was, it made her react and a slight blush touched her cheeks. She was glad that you couldn''t really tell, unless you were looking for it.


    Amy stood up as well and offered a hand to Arnold. ¡°Hi, Arnold.¡±


    ¡°Hello.¡± Arnold said and shook her hand.


    ¡°The information we have here is almost the same as what I already told you, except there won''t be a briefing about the job.¡± Amy said. ¡°To be honest, just standing here and listening to me tell others the same thing is a bit of a waste of your time.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and started to walk away.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Amy said and he stopped. ¡°Sign the sheet, please.¡±


    Arnold came back and signed the sheet for attendance, proof that he had been there, then he walked away and they didn''t stop him. Both Amy and Cissily sat down and watched as he slid back into the crowd and disappeared.


    ¡°Damn, girl.¡± Cissily whispered. ¡°You said he was hot, but...¡± She turned her head to look at Amy. ¡°He''s blistering!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Amy said. ¡°I just wish I hadn''t acted the way I did at his house.¡±


    Cissily chuckled. ¡°You couldn''t help yourself, you tramp.¡± She said and looked down at her suit coat, then buttoned one more button. ¡°Not that I''m much better.¡±


    Amy smiled. ¡°I can''t believe you didn''t wear a shirt under that coat.¡±


    ¡°It''s too damn hot with a shirt on, too.¡± Cissily said. ¡°I''d have sweaty pits all day!¡±


    Amy had to laugh at that, because she already had sweaty pits and couldn''t take her suit coat off. The vice-principal brought over five young women for the biology course lecture and looked around.


    ¡°Where''s Arnold?¡±


    ¡°I told him all about the biology course the last time I saw him.¡± Amy said.


    ¡°It was you in the paper!¡± One of the girls exclaimed when she recognized her. ¡°What was it like to kiss him?¡±


    ¡°This is a biology course lecture, not a...¡±


    ¡°It''s human biology.¡± The girl countered and waited for an answer, as did the other four girls.


    Amy looked at the vice-principal, who shrugged. ¡°It was...¡± She was tempted to lie, then decided not to lie and admitted the truth. ¡°...fantastic. Both times.¡±


    The girls gasped and then started to bombard her with questions.


    ¡°Did you know he had a girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°Did you know they broke up because of you?¡±


    ¡°Did you know...¡±


    Amy groaned and tried to calm the girls down while both Cissily and the vice-principal let out laughs.


    ¡°Try to give them the course materials when they''re done with the interrogation.¡± The vice-principal said to Cissily and walked back towards the students. She couldn''t think of any better punishment for Amy than a gaggle of incessant girls with nearly endless questions.

 42 College Expectations

    Kelly was surprised when Arnold made his way back through the crowd to her line. ¡°Arnold, what...¡±


    ¡°Amy said it was a waste of time to stand there and listen to the same speech she gave me before.¡±


    Kelly took his hand and held it. ¡°Thank you for choosing to spend it with me instead.¡± She looked around to see if anyone was paying them any attention.


    ¡°You better kiss him quick. The vice-principal is over there.¡± The guy who liked Two said and pointed.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Kelly said and gave Arnold a two second kiss.


    They stood in line for another ten minutes until it was Kelly''s turn. She needed to talk to a couple of the college representatives, since she was doing well in several subjects and she was eligible for several different courses. With a few specifications, that could get her a lucrative job if she wanted and chose the right supplementary credits to make her academic record stand out.


    Kelly was quite happy to hear that and she had a lot of different things to consider before she made her final decision. Arnold watched and listened to everything and didn''t comment.


    ¡°What about you, young man? Are you interested in this as well?¡± The college rep asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and the man almost succeeded in hiding his frown.


    ¡°They why are you here?¡±


    ¡°He''s keeping me company.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Oh? Isn''t he smart enough to go to college?¡± The man asked and a hush seemed to fall on the crowd around them.


    ¡°Smart enough?¡± Kelly said with a laugh. ¡°He''s working there over the summer and is already enrolled for next year.¡±


    ¡°What course?¡± The man asked.


    ¡°Masters in Biology.¡± Arnold said.


    The man chuckled. ¡°You don''t start with the master''s course. You start with the normal course degree and then continue on to achieve your master''s degree, if your marks are high enough.¡±


    Arnold turned his head and looked across six tables to the table that Amy stood behind. ¡°Miss Hollister.¡± He said and his voice easily carried across the intervening space and she jumped a little. ¡°What course am I enrolled in at the college?¡±


    ¡°You''re working in the biology lab as an assistant for Professor Crenslav for the summer term. Since he only accepts the best students for the position, you are automatically enrolled into the full Master''s course.¡± Amy said, and it took a few moments for that information to sink into everyone''s heads.


    ¡°HE''S ALREADY GOING FOR A MASTER''S DEGREE?!?¡± Was the shout shared by almost everyone. They were all shocked at the news, especially the man in front of Arnold, who kind of just stood there and babbled a little. He had just accused a master''s student of being stupid and he didn''t know how to get out of the situation.


    ¡°Thank you for the information.¡± Kelly said with a grin and took Arnold''s hand again, then she walked with Arnold out of the gym past all of the staring people. She already knew about Arnold''s course and wasn''t surprised like everyone else was. She was also delighted at their shock. ¡°Just wait until they hear that you qualify for a full scholarship, too.¡±


    ¡°We can go back and tell them.¡± Arnold offered and Kelly laughed.


    ¡°I think them learning how good you are was enough of a shock for them today.¡± Kelly said and looked at her watch. ¡°We''ve got a bit of time left before the bus gets here.¡± She said and looked around to see that the hallways were completely empty and she wondered where they could go to wait. ¡°Maybe we could go to the library, or maybe go outside and sit at one of the picnic tables.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you want.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly thought about it and then she let a smile appear on her face. ¡°I think we should head to the Library. If it''s as empty as these hallways, then there''s a nice corner table at the back that should be available.¡±


    Arnold nodded and she led him through several hallways and they entered the Library. The librarian looked up from what she was reading and gave them a little wave. Arnold waved back to her as he passed her desk and Kelly took him all the way to the back of the Library. The small table was there and no one else was there, so Kelly took off her backpack and laid it on the table.


    ¡°There''s only one chair.¡± Arnold said as he took off his backpack and put it on the table, too.


    ¡°I know.¡± Kelly said with a smile and waved for him to sit.


    Arnold sat down and watched as Kelly walked back to the end of the shelf of books nearby, looked to see if anyone was coming, then she came back to him. Her face went a little red as she sat on his lap and put an arm around his shoulders. Kelly was a little worried that he would complain about her sitting on his lap like this, and when he spoke, she relaxed.


    ¡°Why are we here?¡± Arnold whispered, since he knew not to speak loudly in the Library.


    ¡°This is... make-out corner.¡± Kelly whispered back and her face flushed red.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Arnold said and reached up to touch the side of her face, then his hand slid into her hair and he pulled her in for a kiss.


    Kelly had thought she was prepared for doing this, and she was for the most part. What she hadn''t really planned on was getting excited about it. She hadn''t done anything like intentionally going somewhere just to make out with someone. In fact, she actively avoided this area normally, because she didn''t want to catch anyone actually using the space.


    Now she was using it for herself and she felt certain places on her body start to get warmer. Arnold was a fantastic kisser and Kelly couldn''t help herself and hugged him tightly as they made out. She squirmed a little and felt a little uncomfortable, almost as if her underwear was getting tighter. She knew that wasn''t possible on an intellectual level, and yet, that was what she felt.


    Both her bra and panties itched a little and she had the urge to adjust them, so she broke the kiss and used her thumbs and forefingers to pull on her bra a little to try and ease the feeling. Arnold saw her trying to adjust her clothing and eased his hold on her.


    ¡°No... don''t let go.¡± Kelly whispered. ¡°I just... my bra... it''s itchy.¡±


    Arnold nodded and slipped a hand under her sweater and slid it up her side. Kelly took in a sharp breath at the touch and then to her surprise, his finger slid under the bottom edge of her bra near the back and he lightly scratched her there. When she didn''t react, he moved the finger all along the edge and scratched her all the way around to the front. He didn''t touch her breasts, however.


    ¡°Have you done that before?¡± Kelly asked as the itchiness seemed to fade a little.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. ¡°The elastic strap on my underwear digs in and itches sometimes and I thought that might be wrong with your bra.¡±


    ¡°My... my underwear, too.¡± Kelly said and blushed a little more.


    Arnold moved his hand down to her waist and stuck his finger into the waistband of her loose jeans, then he did the same thing and lightly scratched all along the edge of her underwear, from the back to the front.


    ¡°Is that better?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Yes... and no.¡± Kelly said and he gave her a slightly confused look. ¡°The itchiness mostly went away; but, I... I want you to... move a little lower.¡±


    Arnold moved his hand to her back and put most of his finger into her waistband instead of just the tip, then he wiggled his finger all along her back, her side, and then along her front. When his finger met some resistance and he dug in a little to try and discover what it was, Kelly started to breathe heavier, because he had found her tuft of pubic hair.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Kelly gave him an apologetic look. ¡°We should stop.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and eased his finger up and out of her underwear, then he put his arm back around her and sat there and waited. ¡°What do you want to do now?¡±


    Kelly had so many thing go through her mind in that moment that it was just a blur. ¡°I... there''s so much...¡± She started to whisper, then she kissed him.


    They stayed that way for quite some time, then the bell rang for the end of the school day. Kelly broke the kiss and saw that Arnold looked like he could keep kissing her forever. She stood up and fixed her slightly off clothing and picked up her backpack, then she cupped the side of his face.


    ¡°I want you to come over early on Saturday.¡± Kelly said and let his face go. ¡°We can study for the English final for a couple of hours and then I can show you some more VR games.¡±


    Arnold gave her a nod and stood, put on his own backpack, then the two of them left the make-out corner and went to the main desk. ¡°We have a chemistry study party planned for Tuesday.¡± He said to the Librarian. ¡°Eight people. Is there a large table available?¡±


    The Librarian gave him an odd look for a second. ¡°Usually it''s first come, first serve.¡± She said, which was what everyone assumed. ¡°However, I know your academic record, so I''ll reserve a table for you and your friends.¡± She let a small smile touch her lips. ¡°It will be over near the make-out corner.¡±


    Kelly caught her breath and her face flushed bright red with embarrassment, because she assumed they had been caught making out and would be thrown out of the Library, and possibly not allowed back in.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and moved forward slightly and stopped, briefly looked at Kelly, then looked back at the Librarian. ¡°I''m sorry. I''m only allowed to kiss my girlfriend.¡± He said and held a hand out for her to shake.


    The Librarian was a bit too surprised at what the handsome boy said to respond with words, so she took the offered hand with her own dainty hand instead. He was going to kiss me for agreeing to reserve a table for him at a free library. She thought in shock.


    Arnold shook her small hand gently and let it go. ¡°See you next Tuesday.¡± He said and left with a still blushing Kelly. They went to Kelly''s locker and she dropped off her backpack, then they went outside to wait for the bus. They ignored Brad and his friends when they passed by with Heather in tow, so they didn''t see her angry face, even though she was no longer trying to disguise or hide it from them.


    Heather had been assigned to the college representative at the table right next to the biology table and she couldn''t help overhear the five girls giving the riot act to the dark skinned whore that had broken her and Arnold up. No matter how many times Amy tried to gain control of the conversation to tell them about the course, one of the girls asked another relevant and pointless question to sidetrack her.


    Heather had enjoyed it so much that she completely missed her own lecture and it ended before she realized it. When she finally noticed, it was too late for her to ask any questions herself and now she had no clue as to what decisions she had to make or what options were available to her. She quickly looked at and memorized the girls around her and resolved to get one or two of them aside to find out the information she needed.


    When a familiar horn honked, she said goodbye and kissed her boyfriend without thinking about it and went over to her mother''s car. She climbed inside and as the car drove out of the parking lot, she was too lost in her own thoughts to pay attention to what her mother was asking her about. She hadn''t even glared at Arnold and Kelly as the car passed them.


    If Heather had even a little sense of what had happened and hadn''t been so distracted, she would have noticed that the guy she kissed when she left wasn''t her boyfriend. It had shocked a lot of people around, especially Brad, since it was Eric that had been the one to receive Heather''s attention.


    ¡°You saw it, man! She kissed me! I didn''t even...¡± Eric stopped talking when a fist slammed into his face. He rolled with the hit and spun around and blocked the follow up kick to his privates. ¡°She even said ''Bye, Brad''!¡± He said in his defense and hopped back and out of the way of the next punch. ¡°You know I like Kelly! I always have!¡±


    Brad somehow restrained himself and opened and closed his fists.


    ¡°He''s right.¡± Kevin said. ¡°I heard her. She didn''t even look at him when it happened.¡±


    Brad calmed down. ¡°You better apologize.¡±


    ¡°Of course! I''m sorry, Brad! I''m sorry!¡±


    ¡°Not to me. To her.¡± Brad said and looked at the people around him and they averted their gazes. ¡°Once she realizes what happened...¡±


    ¡°I''ll do it first thing in the morning! I swear!¡±


    ¡°Do it on your knees.¡± Brad said with a sneer.


    ¡°Anything you want, Brad.¡± Eric quickly agreed. ¡°It was my fault for standing so close to you.¡±


    Brad gave him a nod and then turned to Kevin. ¡°Heather said Kelly had Arnold over for supper and to set him up on her VR system.¡±


    ¡°Then it won''t be long before he''s going to be playing.¡± Kevin smiled. ¡°That deal you offered is just too much for anyone to resist.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Brad said and returned the smile. ¡°We''re going to get him good.¡±


    Kelly had seen the whole thing and looked at Arnold. ¡°I wish I had caught that on my cell phone.¡±


    Arnold gave her a smile and pointed to the trio of girls not far away.


    ¡°Oh! Arnold, you are a genius!¡± Kelly said and gave him a kiss. ¡°I''ll be right back!¡±


    Kelly quickly walked over to the girls who always had at least one cell phone recording at all times. They had a brief talk and Three sent Kelly her recording of Brad''s group. She always recorded them after school, because the odds of something happening was higher than it not.


    ¡°Thanks a lot.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Oh, and we reserved a table in the Library on Tuesday. It''s near the back by...¡± She paused for a second and blushed. ¡°...the make-out corner.¡±


    ¡°You can reserve tables?¡± One asked, completely surprised.


    ¡°The Librarian did it especially for Arnold.¡± Kelly said with a smile. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Bye!¡± The three girls said and Kelly went back over to Arnold.


    ¡°They had it.¡± Kelly said with a grin and played it for Arnold. ¡°Now who is the kissing bandit?¡±


    ¡°Me.¡± Arnold said and she gave him a look, then she laughed when she remembered he almost kissed the Librarian to thank her.


    ¡°Now you''re my kissing bandit.¡± Kelly said and gave him another kiss. She was just in time, because her bus pulled up. ¡°Call me tonight.¡±


    ¡°Won''t it be too loud?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°That doesn''t really matter anymore.¡± Kelly said with a smile, gave him a kiss goodbye, then climbed onto the bus. He waved to her as it pulled away and then he waited for his own bus.


    *


    Amy and Cissily climbed into Amy''s car and both of them sighed.


    ¡°I totally forgot how annoying high school bitches are!¡± Cissily said. ¡°It was funny at first... but damn, them white chicks just didn''t shut up!¡±


    Amy laughed and started the car. ¡°I know, right? We barely got to advise them on their course materials! All they wanted to talk about was Arnold!¡±


    Cissily laughed, too. ¡°To be fair, he is the first geek I''ve ever met that was hotter than the jocks.¡± She said. ¡°If I didn''t believe that everyone would think it was creepy, he''d be all I''d talk about, too!¡±


    ¡°Did you see the girl he left with?¡± Amy asked as she drove across the parking lot. ¡°Talk about plain!¡±


    ¡°What a waste of a good hunk.¡± Cissily said and her eyes caught sight of the hunk in question. ¡°Hey, there he is.¡±


    Amy gave a quick glance out Cissily''s side of the car and saw Arnold. His loose-fitting jeans and his slightly baggy t-shirt didn''t do him justice. She had seen him in a tight t-shirt and knew there was a lot of nice muscle under his clothes.


    ¡°It''s too bad those girls said he''s dating her exclusively.¡± Cissily said.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Amy responded and drove out of the parking lot and into the street. ¡°Do you think they''ll keep seeing each other over the summer?¡±


    Cissily laughed again. ¡°Don''t you dare think of crossing his mom! You know she''s crazy.¡±


    ¡°She warned me that I couldn''t do anything with him, that''s true.¡± Amy said and gave her friend a sly smile, then looked back at the road. ¡°She didn''t say anything about my friends, did she?¡±


    Cissily gave her a stern look for a second, then she grinned. ¡°Are you seriously going to just hand him over to me without fighting for him?¡±


    ¡°He''s not mine to hand over.¡± Amy said. ¡°Of course, who knows what can happen in a biology lab during the summer term while a certain someone is working there.¡±


    ¡°You bitch! You did not just challenge me to try for casual sex with your coworker!¡± Cissily exclaimed.


    ¡°I didn''t say anything.¡± Amy said with a grin and Cissily laughed.

 43 Studying And VR

    The next morning, Heather was quite surprised when she stepped out of her mother''s car to hang out with Brad and his friends, and she was greeted by Eric on his knees and his hands clasped in front of his face.


    ¡°Please, please forgive me! I am so sorry for what happened yesterday after school!¡± Eric said loudly.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Heather looked down at him and saw his pleading face, then looked at Brad and saw his smug face. ¡°What''s going on?¡±


    ¡°I guess you haven''t been online since last night.¡± Brad said and waved at Kevin, who handed Heather his cell phone.


    ¡°Failed revenge on the kissing bandit?¡± Heather read in astonishment and then looked at the attached picture. ¡°AHH! No! That... it''s fake... it...¡± She looked down at Eric, who hadn''t gotten off his knees and still had the pleading look on his face. ¡°But...¡± She looked at Brad. ¡°I thought...¡±


    ¡°You kissed him yesterday when you said goodbye to me.¡± Brad said with a blank expression.


    It reminded Heather of Arnold and she had to turn away from it, which everyone took to mean that she felt guilty, when in fact she didn''t feel anything about it. The kiss meant nothing to her and it hadn''t mattered if she had kissed Brad or not.


    ¡°It''s already all over the school.¡± Brad said and Kevin took his phone back.


    Heather looked around to see quite a few people looking at their cell phones and then looking right at her. Great. Just great. She thought as she let out a loud sigh and closed her eyes.


    ¡°I''m really sorry.¡± Eric said. ¡°It was my fault for standing so close to Brad.¡±


    Heather opened her eyes and looked into his. After a moment, she understood what he was doing. He was trying to take the blame for her mistake. She knew that wasn''t what any normal guy would do, especially since it was completely her fault, and she appreciated the gesture. Now she just had to decide how much of the blame she should dump on him.


    Heather gave Brad a quick glance and knew what he wanted her to do. ¡°Yes! It was all your fault! If you weren''t trying to be so close to Brad, you wouldn''t have gotten in my way!¡±


    Brad grinned and started to turn to the other guys as he saw Heather''s hand swing at Eric''s face.


    ¡°Don''t you dare take advantage of me again!¡± Heather said and her hand against his face made a loud sound, except it had no real force behind it.


    Eric put a hand to his face and had a look of surprise, because he had expected it to hurt.


    Heather leaned over menacingly and growled at him, then she whispered in a soft voice that didn''t match her expression. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Eric was too stunned to respond, which worked out perfectly. Heather pushed on his shoulder and he fell onto his back. She had been tempted to kick him to make an even better show; but, she wore a skirt today and she couldn''t lift her leg like that. Instead, she intentionally stepped over a now prone Eric to give him a nice up-skirt shot, then stood beside Brad and beamed a smile at her boyfriend.


    Eric stayed on the ground for a moment to sell the act, then quickly stood up. He made sure to stand on the other side of Kevin, so that he wasn''t in the same spot as he was yesterday, and squeezed his cheek to get it to become red, then moved his hand to show it.


    ¡°She smacked you good!¡± One of Brad''s friends joked and whacked Eric on the back. ¡°You deserved it, too!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did.¡± Eric said and he saw Heather shift her smile to him for a second. His mind went right to her stepping over him, with a skirt on, and his face flushed red. I''m not blushing! I''m not!


    Heather saw his reaction to her smile and it made her smile wider. She looked back at Brad so she wouldn''t give herself away.


    While that had been happening, both Kelly and Arnold had arrived and went into the school together. Neither of them had paid any attention to the parking lot and had missed it. They wouldn''t find out until lunch when Two showed them the video.


    Kelly sighed at the sight. ¡°She''s really changed, hasn''t she?¡±


    ¡°Has she?¡± One asked. ¡°I''m pretty sure she''s always acted that way.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Two said and took her phone back. ¡°She always thought she was better than the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°Plus, she''s the most popular girl in school. You know she thinks she''s doing us a favor when she talks to us occasionally.¡± Three said with a bit of a laugh.


    ¡°If she didn''t act that way, we would all think there was something wrong!¡± The new girl at the end of the table said and laughed, too.


    ¡°Good looking people can pretty much do what they want and get away with it.¡± Her boyfriend said, and then all the girls at the table, except for Kelly, looked at Arnold.


    ¡°Don''t bother.¡± Kelly said with a smile and gave Arnold a kiss on the cheek. ¡°He doesn''t understand the power he has or why he gets people''s attention because of it.¡±


    ¡°Wow, really?¡± One asked. ¡°Arnold, you don''t know that you''re hot?¡±


    Arnold stopped eating and looked at her. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°She''s trying to say that you''re extremely good looking.¡± Kelly explained.


    ¡°Why?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°She''s paying you a compliment.¡±


    ¡°No, why am I good looking?¡± Arnold asked.


    Kelly gave him a kiss on the lips and looked at the girls, and they nodded understanding. ¡°You''re handsome and they like you.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Arnold said and looked at them. ¡°I''m sorry. I can''t kiss anyone except Kelly.¡±


    One, Two, and Three caught their breath and the girl on the end blushed a little and looked at her boyfriend. He smiled at her and leaned over the table to give her a kiss.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± She said and gave him a look that said they would be doing a bit more than that later.


    The day passed, then the next and the next, and just like that the school week came to an end and Saturday arrived. Kelly had texted Arnold the night before and told him what to wear and when to show up at the house. Annie was still tempted to go with him to introduce herself to Kelly''s parents, then decided that it was too soon for their two families to meet and only dropped him off.


    ¡°I should warn you not to have too much fun killing virtual monsters all day.¡± Annie said as she parked at the curb. ¡°I''m actually going to tell you to have as much fun as you want.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think Kelly will let me play all day.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°You might be surprised.¡± Annie smiled and took him into a hug. ¡°She is training you, after all.¡±


    Arnold nodded and gave his mom a quick kiss. ¡°I''ll call when I need a drive home.¡±


    ¡°I won''t expect it until tonight.¡± Annie said and Arnold left the car and went to the front door as his mother sat there to see if she could catch a glimpse of Kelly''s parents.


    Kelly opened the door and she wore a pair of cargo shorts and a baggy t-shirt, an exact copy of what Arnold wore. ¡°Hi, Arnold! Come on in!¡± She said loudly and took his hand, then she waved at his mother.


    Annie gave her a little wave and was only slightly disappointed, while at the same time she hoped she might see Kelly''s parents tonight. She knew that her curiosity was going to get the better of her eventually, so she tried to push the feeling off for as long as possible and drove back home.


    ¡°Dad''s out of the house and mom''s in the backyard doing stuff, so we have the whole house to ourselves.¡± Kelly said happily and pulled him inside the house and shut the door. ¡°Did you eat before coming over?¡±


    Arnold nodded and she led him through the house to the dining room.


    ¡°We can study in here.¡± Kelly said and pointed to the end of the table, at the opposite end from where her father sat. ¡°I''ll be right back with my English notes.¡±


    Arnold took out his own English notes and sat down where Kelly had pointed. He didn''t really need to study, since it was an easy subject, and Kelly came back with her things.


    ¡°I''m really glad you agreed to help me.¡± Kelly said and handed him her book. ¡°It''s so much easier to study when you have someone else to ask questions.¡±


    Arnold took the book and she sat down. ¡°You want me to ask you questions?¡±


    ¡°In a little while after I''ve studied some.¡± Kelly said. ¡°It''s a trick that lets me associate the information with being quizzed and it keeps it fresh in my mind.¡±


    ¡°Does that work?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°For me it does.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Can you help me with it?¡±


    Arnold nodded and skimmed over his own notes as Kelly read hers through almost as quickly. When she nodded to him half an hour later, he flipped through the English book to a random page and asked her a question. She answered and got it right, which made her happy, so Arnold kept going. After another half an hour, Kelly had gotten almost ninety percent of the questions right and they both went over the right answers for the ones she missed.


    ¡°I''ll remember them now. Thanks, Arnold.¡± Kelly said and gave him a hug.


    ¡°These questions might not be on the exam.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°It doesn''t matter, since it was a test to see how well I could do with random questions.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I know I''ve got a great chance to pass now.¡± She let him go and took the book and her notes. ¡°Do you want me to ask you a few questions?¡±


    ¡°No. The teacher said I already passed.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Kelly blinked her eyes at him.


    ¡°She told me that I just have to sign my name and pass the exam in.¡±


    ¡°No! You can''t do that!¡± Kelly gasped. ¡°They can penalize you for not completing it!¡±


    ¡°They can?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Not only that, it''ll bring your total average score down.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Even just one low mark can drop your grade point average a significant amount.¡±


    Arnold frowned. ¡°Why would she tell me that if it hurts my score?¡±


    Kelly had to think about it for a few minutes. ¡°I''m not sure.¡± She said. ¡°Unless she wants to have a better grade score to average across all of her students...¡±


    ¡°Does one good score make the others look bad?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°If you''re looking at the grades of everyone she teaches this year.¡± Kelly said with a nod. ¡°One really good score offsets all the normal and really bad scores and changes where the average lays. If your score is really high, then everyone else will fall to average or even below average.¡±


    ¡°So, she''s trying to make herself look better by making me look worse.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°That''s what it looks like.¡± Kelly said, then after a moment, asked a question. ¡°Have any other teachers asked you to just sign your name on their exams and pass it in blank?¡±


    ¡°Two.¡± Arnold said and his frown returned.


    ¡°Well, there''s one way to change what they want.¡± Kelly said with a smile. ¡°Get a perfect mark.¡±


    ¡°But... they said...¡±


    ¡°Hurting your grades helps everyone else, which means they aren''t looking after your best interests.¡± Kelly said. ¡°So, look after them yourself... oh, and I think you need to visit the vice-principal again. She''s going to want to know which teachers told you to throw their exams.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and looked at the book in her hands. ¡°Ask me some questions.¡±


    Kelly gave him a quick kiss. ¡°That''s my Arnold!¡±


    For half an hour Kelly asked him as many random questions she could come up with and he got them all right. She hugged him, kissed him, and congratulated him on doing so well.


    ¡°They aren''t going to make you out to be only average!¡± Kelly said and kissed him again. ¡°You''re going to show them what you can really do!¡±


    ¡°That makes you happy?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Ecstatic!¡± Kelly said. ¡°We should pack up before mom comes in to tell us to move for lunch.¡± She said and they gathered their things up and carried them to her bedroom. Arnold put his notes back into his backpack and put it on her bed.


    ¡°Now we can do some fun stuff.¡± Kelly said and sat Arnold down on the chair. ¡°We have to take a break for lunch in a little while, so I''m only showing you a quick crafting demo.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°I''ll explain it while you play.¡± Kelly said and set everything up. She handed him the controllers and then put the headset on him. ¡°Okay, here we go.¡±


    Arnold was amazed when an entire workshop appeared around him.


    ¡°There''s not a lot to do in the demo, since it only lets you make one thing of each type.¡±


    ¡°Type of what?¡±


    ¡°Everything.¡± Kelly said with a chuckle. ¡°Try the blacksmith forge first.¡±


    Arnold turned that way and moved over to the forge, then a popup appeared and asked him if he wanted to make a knife, a sword, a shield, piece of armor, or an accessory. He chose a knife and then followed the directions. He had a piece of metal heated, hammered, and sharpened into a knife five minutes later. He chose a sword next and it took a lot more work to heat and hammer it into the proper shape, according to the instructions, then he quenched it and sharpened it.


    ¡°They are all just variations of the same thing, except the shape you hammer them into is different.¡± Kelly said. ¡°There are a few other things you can craft in different games and you can even just do crafting sometimes.¡± She smiled. ¡°I think you''ll like the tannery behind you a lot better than everything else.¡±


    Arnold turned around and his mouth dropped open. ¡°K-Kelly, this...¡±


    ¡°Yes, Arnold. Some games will actually let you kill, skin, and dissect their insides. Games like Fortune''s Favour are so detailed that they use nearly all the parts of an animal to make things, like weapons, armor and potions.¡±


    Arnold walked over to the tannery and received a popup that asked him if he wanted to skin a rabbit for its pelt. He chose yes without even looking at the other greyed out options and spent the next half an hour skinning the rabbit and treating the pelt, over and over.


    ¡°KELLY! LUNCH!¡± Her mother yelled.


    Arnold stopped what he was doing without being asked. Since it was a demo, there was no save option, so he ended the game and Kelly took the headset and controllers from him. When she turned back around to take him to the dining room, Arnold put his arms around her and looked into her eyes.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said in a slightly deeper voice than he normally spoke.


    Kelly''s heart went pitter-patter at his intense stare, then he kissed her. She melted into his arms and lost herself to the kiss, mainly because he chose to kiss her, and that seemed to be a weak spot for her. Arnold broke the kiss on his own, for the first time, and Kelly couldn''t quite get her mouth to work properly to ask him why he stopped.


    ¡°Kelly, I said lunch was ready.¡± Her mother said from just outside the room and both Kelly and Arnold turned to look at her.


    ¡°We''re coming, mom.¡± Kelly managed to say, then she and Arnold followed her mother through the house and to the dining room. ¡°Dad''s still out?¡±


    Her mother nodded. ¡°He''s off helping one of the guys at work move some furniture.¡±


    Kelly chuckled and sat down. ¡°They always ask him to help with stuff like that.¡±


    ¡°Well, he always agrees, so why wouldn''t they ask him?¡± Her mother responded and put a plate of food in front of Kelly and then Arnold. ¡°Eat up. I know you''ve got some more... playing to do.¡±


    ¡°Arnold was just...¡± Kelly stopped talking and looked at her mother. ¡°We do have more playing to do.¡± She said instead. ¡°A lot more.¡±


    Her mother had a hard expression for a moment, then she sighed. ¡°Kelly...¡±


    ¡°Yes, mother?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°Your attitude is becoming annoying.¡± Her mother said, because Kelly hadn''t called her ''mom'' like she usually did.


    ¡°Now you know what it''s like.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Arnold, I think we should eat in my room.¡±


    Arnold nodded and picked up both plates of food, then followed her to her bedroom.

 44 Talking It Out

    Kelly didn''t say anything as they ate lunch in her room. Her mother''s attitude towards Arnold was really getting to her. She had tried to ask about it during the week, and all her mother would say was that they were trying to protect her. That pissed her off, because she had been so used to her parents being open and honest with her, that it felt like they were intentionally keeping her in the dark.


    Kelly thought furiously about why they would act like they were acting, then she was startled a little when Arnold''s hand touched her shoulder.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Arnold asked and then his hand touched the side of her face.


    Kelly reached up and took his hand. ¡°I''m just bothered by my parents and why they are treating us like this.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they don''t want us dating.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°After everything they said, I''m sure they don''t mind us dating.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I''m just surprised that they aren''t talking about us getting married before we even talk about having sex with each other.¡±


    ¡°Is that how it''s supposed to be done?¡± Arnold asked. ¡°I''ve had sex already, so does that mean I can''t get married?¡±


    ¡°What? No, of course it doesn''t mean that.¡± Kelly said and leaned in to give him a kiss. ¡°It''s an old custom that some people think is better than having a bunch of teenagers running around and having sex out of wedlock.¡± She said. ¡°People usually get married to have kids, or because of kids, and that''s supposed to make you the perfect family.¡± She chuckled. ¡°What they don''t tell you, is those same people had lots of sex before marriage and usually a kid or two first.¡±


    ¡°With each other?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Sometimes.¡± Kelly said with a smile. ¡°Mom had a boyfriend before she and dad got married, and dad had a few girlfriends.¡±


    Arnold thought about it. ¡°They got married and had you.¡±


    Kelly nodded. ¡°Just me. I sometimes wanted a little sister or brother, when I was feeling particularly lonely and wanted someone to talk to or hang out with; but, they never did have another child.¡±


    Arnold went quiet for a few minutes and they finished eating.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°You know a lot more about your parents than I do about mine.¡± Arnold said. ¡°All I know is they had me. I don''t know about what they did before that.¡±


    Kelly put their plates aside and slid closer to him. ¡°Some parents don''t talk about things like that around their kids.¡± She said and put her arms around his neck. ¡°I guess they think it''s in the past and it doesn''t matter.¡±


    ¡°Does it matter?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Sometimes it does, like with my parents.¡± Kelly said gave him a tender kiss. ¡°They are being hypocrites for telling me no sex, when they had lots before they even met, then lots more after they met, then even more after they were married.¡±


    Arnold put his arms around her and held her. ¡°Is that what you want, too?¡±


    Kelly shivered at the thought and it was a good shiver, mainly because she was being held in his arms. ¡°I''ve been thinking about it a lot.¡± She breathed and gave him another tender kiss. ¡°Just you. Just me. Alone. Together.¡±


    Arnold reached up and ran his fingers through her wavy brown hair. Kelly closed her eyes and let the feel of his fingers touching her fill her. Their bodies were pressed pretty closely and he had reached for her hair and not her breasts, even though the last time they had been alone at the Library, his hands had been places that she hadn''t expected and also had liked a lot.


    Kelly had really liked it when she had asked him to stop and he did, without question or complaint. No other guy had ever done that and had always tried for one last grope, since they assumed they wouldn''t get another chance and wanted to make the most of the situation while they could. She let out a satisfied sigh and opened her eyes.


    ¡°Arnold, I... I would like to try a few things... but... we can''t do anything except kiss and cuddle here.¡±


    Arnold nodded and moved his hand back down to her waist and gave her a four second kiss. ¡°Do you want to play a game?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Kelly said and let him out of the embrace she had him in. He let her go and she walked over to her desk to set everything up. ¡°I''ve got a pretty good game for you to try next.¡±


    ¡°Not me. You.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly turned to look at him and saw him dig out a small brown bag out of his backpack. ¡°What''s that?¡±


    Arnold handed it to her and she looked at it, then back at him. ¡°It''s for you.¡±


    Kelly knew the familiar feeling of the case, so she knew it was a game of some kind. ¡°Arnold...¡± She started to say and then she opened the bag and took out the newest puzzle game on the market. ¡°Oh!¡± She exclaimed and she held back her tears. She had been saving up for months to buy it, so she knew exactly how much it was. ¡°Arnold! You can''t afford this!¡±


    ¡°I bought it with some of the money I made working for Heather''s mom.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly couldn''t hold the tears back now. ¡°Arnold, she... she said she was giving you spending money...¡±


    ¡°I spent it.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I needed new clothes for work and when my mom took me to the mall, I saw that at the electronics store.¡±


    Kelly wiped at her eyes. ¡°You bought me a present.¡±


    ¡°You said you liked puzzle games the most.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly almost sobbed with happiness. ¡°Arnold, I...¡± She put the game down on the bed and put her arms around his neck. ¡°Out of all the games that are out, I do like puzzle ones the most.¡± She said and then gave him a light kiss. ¡°But, it''s you that I like most of all.¡±


    Arnold thought about it. ¡°I can take the game back if you want me as a present instead.¡±


    Kelly almost laughed. ¡°I''m not giving back the first thing you bought for me.¡± She said. ¡°I''m going to be greedy again and keep both gifts. Is that okay?¡±


    Arnold nodded and kissed her, then they stood there for several minutes and made out.


    Kelly''s bra and underwear started to itch again, so she broke the kiss and once again saw that he would keep kissing her forever if she wanted him to. She had to adjust her bra again to ease the feeling and Arnold''s hands were up under her t-shirt a moment later and did it for her. She looked into his eyes and didn''t see any lecherousness there, so she didn''t worry at all that he was going to grab her breasts.


    ¡°Your underwear, too?¡± Arnold whispered and she nodded without saying anything. He used both hands and plunged his index fingers into the waistband of her cargo shorts and into her underwear. He wiggled his fingers and lightly scratched her all along her waist, from the back to the front. When his fingers reached the front, she didn''t say anything and both fingers dug into the tuft of hair there.


    Kelly caught her breath and stared into his eyes. ¡°Arnold.¡± She whispered and gave him a quick kiss. ¡°I want you to... dig a little deeper; but... we can''t do that here.¡±


    Arnold turned his fingers towards each other and touched their tips together, then he slowly pulled his fingers up and out. Kelly moaned a little as he tugged on the hair, which tugged on something else a little. They stood there and stared at each other for almost a full minute without saying a word.


    ¡°The game.¡± Kelly said, when she knew her voice was back to normal. ¡°Do you want to watch me play it?¡±


    Arnold nodded and she opened the game and loaded it onto her computer. It took a few minutes for the content to copy over and by the time it was done, Kelly had calmed down and the itchiness had faded.


    ¡°You need to stay back out of the way, just in case this requires me to swing a lot.¡± Kelly said. ¡°That''s why I sit so far away from the computer.¡±


    Arnold nodded and sat on the bed, which put him both close by and out of the way. Kelly gave him a huge smile, put on the headset and grabbed the controllers, then started the game. It was everything she loved about puzzle games and more. Much, much more. That was one of the reasons she had wanted the game in the first place. Kelly played it for an entire hour before she realized she was wasting her time with Arnold and saved up her progress, went back to the main menu, then put the controllers down and took off the headset.


    ¡°Why did you stop?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°I didn''t want to waste our time together and not spend it with you.¡± Kelly said and put everything on her desk.


    Arnold looked at her for a moment. ¡°This didn''t count?¡±


    Kelly chuckled and walked over to the bed. ¡°It does count, I just... I''m supposed to help you, not play games myself.¡±


    ¡°You are helping me.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I''ve never seen the moves and actions you just did while playing.¡±


    Kelly sat down beside him. ¡°It''s pretty advanced for a puzzle game, that''s true.¡± She turned her head to face him. ¡°Thank you very much for the great gift.¡± She said and kissed him.


    ¡°Which one?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°I''ve only opened one and played with it.¡± Kelly whispered and gave him another kiss. ¡°I have to wait to open the other one.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you do.¡± Kelly''s mother said from the doorway to her room and both Kelly and Arnold looked at her. ¡°I came to see what happened to the lunch plates.¡±


    Kelly let out a long sigh and walked over to her desk and grabbed both plates. ¡°I was going to bring them out when I had the chance.¡±


    Katheryn was surprised when her daughter didn''t hand her the plates like she thought she would and then Kelly walked by her and left the room, which also meant that Katheryn was now alone with her daughter''s boyfriend.


    ¡°Why do you hate me?¡± Arnold asked her.


    Katheryn jumped a little, because she hadn''t noticed that Arnold had walked over to her. ¡°I don''t hate you, Arnold.¡± She said. ¡°It''s just...¡±


    ¡°You hate something about me.¡± Arnold said.


    Katheryn thought about denying it, then sighed. ¡°You''re Heather''s ex-boyfriend.¡± She admitted. ¡°She''s had a lot of boyfriends and she''s... well, she''s... promiscuous.¡±


    ¡°What''s that mean?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°She has had a lot of sex with lots of people.¡± Katheryn said. ¡°Including you.¡±


    ¡°I wore a condom.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Sometimes that doesn''t matter, especially if you had sex with her multiple times.¡± Katheryn said.


    ¡°It was just once.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°We only just started dating a week before and I only had one condom.¡± Arnold said. ¡°She wanted to do it more and we couldn''t.¡±


    At least he''s responsible. Katheryn took in a breath and let it out. ¡°Then you broke up because of the picture.¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°She wouldn''t believe that it was only a goodbye kiss and thought I cheated on her.¡±


    I knew we were too hard on him. Katheryn thought. But, that look he gave me when we met. She looked at Arnold and there wasn''t a trace of it, even though they were alone. She was tempted to see if she could make him give her that look again, so she leaned out into the hallway and didn''t see Kelly. Her face flushed red as she leaned back into the room, and she just couldn''t bring herself to unbutton her shirt to show off her breasts. Not intentionally.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Arnold asked and touched one of her red cheeks.


    ¡°I''m... I''m fine.¡± Katheryn said and for some reason, she blushed harder and didn''t tell him to move his hand.


    ¡°I can''t kiss it to make it better.¡± Arnold said and caressed her skin.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    ¡°I''m only allowed to kiss Kelly.¡± Arnold said.


    He''s loyal, too. Katheryn took in a breath and let it out. ¡°Arnold... what if...¡±


    ¡°Is this another test?¡± Kelly asked from behind her.


    ¡°AHH!¡± Katheryn jumped at being startled. ¡°Kelly! You scared me!¡±


    ¡°Are you feeling a little guilty, mom?¡± Kelly asked. ¡°You do know he''s my boyfriend, right?¡±


    Katheryn was quite embarrassed at being caught testing him. ¡°It wasn''t... I was just...¡±


    ¡°Did he pass?¡± Kelly asked and ignored her mother''s flustered state. ¡°Or do you want me to tell him that he''s allowed to kiss you?¡±


    Katheryn''s face turned beet red. ¡°I... no, I...¡±


    ¡°Do you want him to kiss you, mom? Just once?¡± Kelly asked, a little meanly.


    Katheryn looked at her daughter''s slightly angry face and sighed. ¡°I''m sorry, Kelly. I was testing him.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°I''m Heather''s ex-boyfriend.¡± Arnold said before Katheryn could come up with something.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Heather is promiscuous and I was her boyfriend.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°That''s a stupid reason. You only had sex with her once.¡± Kelly said, then she thought about it. ¡°That''s why?!?¡± She exclaimed. ¡°This whole thing! The act you and dad put on! Being mean to Arnold! Forbidding me from having sex in the house! It''s all because you think Arnold is a horny teenager because he slept with Heather!¡±


    Katheryn didn''t say anything and Kelly knew it was true.


    ¡°Mom, you have no idea how special Arnold is!¡± Kelly said. ¡°He... no, I promised that I wouldn''t tell you. I''m going to leave you in ignorance, because you didn''t even talk to me before doing all of this.¡±


    ¡°Kelly...¡±


    ¡°No, mom! You weren''t honest with me and you were testing and teasing my boyfriend on the first day you met!¡± Kelly said, a little loudly. ¡°I thought it was so odd to see you in that dress making dinner, and now I know why.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I can''t believe you and dad conspired together like that.¡±


    ¡°We didn''t conspire!¡± Katheryn tried to defend herself. ¡°All we wanted was to protect you!¡±


    ¡°From Arnold.¡± Kelly said and she nodded. ¡°Well, you failed.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Katheryn yelled and looked from her to Arnold and back again.


    ¡°No, we didn''t have sex yet.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Do you want to check to see that my hymen is still intact?¡±


    Kathryn''s face flushed red from embarrassment, because she had immediately thought of checking.


    ¡°Maybe you can ask dad if he wants to check it when he gets home.¡± Kelly said with a bit of a sneer.


    ¡°Kelly Katheryn Kendall!¡± Katheryn almost yelled. ¡°Do not use that tone of voice on me, young lady!¡±


    ¡°Why? Because the tones of voices you''ve been using on me and Arnold have been so much better?¡± Kelly almost yelled back. ¡°You''ve been unreasonable this whole time and for no reason!¡±


    ¡°We had a reason! I told you it was to protect you!¡±


    Kelly laughed sarcastically. ¡°No, mom. You were only protecting yourselves from having a boy in the house that you thought wasn''t worth my time. Or yours.¡±


    Katheryn caught her breath at her words and opened her mouth to refute them, then realized her daughter was right.


    ¡°You and dad made a huge mistake by not trusting me, mom.¡± Kelly said. ¡°You didn''t even discuss it with me before jumping to conclusions that were completely wrong and then acted on them.¡±


    ¡°Kelly...¡±


    ¡°No, mom. I don''t have to listen to you anymore.¡± Kelly said as she stepped by her mother and into her room. ¡°You can holler when supper is ready.¡± She gently eased her mother out into the hallway. ¡°Don''t come down here looking for us if we don''t come running, because we might be busy.¡± She said and slowly shut the door.


    Katheryn stood in the hallway with her mouth slightly open. She couldn''t believe what had just happened and the surprise and shock over the things her daughter said wasn''t going to wear off for a while. She walked back across the house in a slight daze and went to the kitchen to cook supper.

 45 Studying

    Kelly and Arnold spent the rest of the afternoon playing a game called Risk And Reward. It was quite a bit trickier than any of the other games Arnold had tried, because it had a few small puzzles mixed in. The puzzles had to be solved to get clues and to move on to the next area to fight the bad guys and the monsters. The risky part was that you had to risk your character''s life to try and solve each puzzle, then survive to get to the next one.


    Kelly taught him the gaming tricks she knew as Arnold played, and Kelly learned new and different ways to get to each puzzle clue. Arnold saw things differently and approached them with fresh eyes, so they both enjoyed their gaming time together and learned a lot. There was a single knock on her bedroom door and Kelly walked over to it.


    ¡°Kelly, we need to talk.¡± Her father''s voice said through the door. ¡°Alone.¡±


    ¡°Arnold, I''ll be right back.¡± Kelly said and opened the door, saw the sad look on her father''s face, and knew he had talked to her mother. She stepped out of the bedroom and shut the door.


    Arnold kept playing the game and beat the next level, saved up his progress, then put the controllers down and took off the VR headset. He put the controllers and headset back where they were supposed to go, then he sat down on the chair and waited. A few minutes later, the bedroom door opened and Kelly stood there. He couldn''t tell what emotion it was that she had on her face, so he stood up and walked over to her.


    ¡°I guess I was wrong.¡± Kelly said and held back her tears. ¡°They do care if we''re dating.¡±


    ¡°I don''t understand.¡± Arnold said and took her into a hug.


    ¡°Apparently, we''ve embarrassed my mother so much that you''ve been uninvited to supper. She said she can''t even look at you right now.¡± Kelly put her arms around him. ¡°Oh, and I''m grounded for being disrespectful and I can''t leave the house for a week.¡±


    Arnold had to think about what that meant. ¡°What about exams?¡±


    Kelly let out a sad laugh. ¡°Dad''s going to drive me to school to write them and then pick me up when I''m done.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I won''t be coming to our chemistry study group on Tuesday, either.¡±


    Arnold just looked into her eyes and waited.


    ¡°In fact, we won''t be allowed to study together all week, and if dad doesn''t come to see reason, he probably won''t let us study together next week, either.¡± Kelly said. ¡°They were the ones in the wrong and I''m the one being punished!¡±


    Arnold gave her a kiss and she sighed.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Arnold. I''m sorry this whole thing is still a big mess.¡± Kelly let him go. ¡°You need to call for a drive. Dad wants you out of the house as soon as possible, because he thinks you''re a bad influence on me.¡±


    ¡°I''m not Amy. I know how to treat you like you deserve.¡± Arnold said and took out his cell phone.


    Kelly put her arms back around him briefly to give him a kiss. ¡°That''s what I told him.¡±


    Arnold called his mother and she immediately asked why he was calling so early. He told her what Kelly said and then the phone went dead. He dialed again and there was no answer, so he shrugged and put the phone away. It took Kelly a minute to figure out why she wasn''t answering.


    ¡°We need to go outside to stop your mom!¡± Kelly said and took his hand.


    ¡°Why?¡± Arnold asked and put on his backpack.


    ¡°I think she''s coming here to give my parents a piece of her mind... as in she''s going to yell and scream at them for being so stupid.¡± Kelly said and led Arnold through the house to the front door and opened it.


    Kelly''s father stood at the entrance to the kitchen and Kelly saw her mother was still crying at the kitchen table. ¡°You''re grounded.¡± He reminded her needlessly.


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡± Kelly yelled at him.


    Her father couldn''t hide the shock on his face, because she had never raised her voice like that before, not even when she was a little girl and had thrown temper tantrums.


    Kelly took Arnold outside and shut the door. ¡°I think I just extended being grounded by a week.¡± She said sadly. ¡°I can''t let your mother tell them off for what they are doing, Arnold. If they hear what she has to say, I... I''m sure that...¡± She wiped her eyes before the tears fell. ¡°They''ll want us to break up.¡±


    The two of them stood there in silence for about ten minutes, then a car came barrelling down the street. The two of them quickly walked over to the end of the driveway and waited for the car to stop. It came to a screeching halt and a very irate Annie climbed out of the driver''s side.


    ¡°Please don''t.¡± Kelly said and stood in front of her. ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°Kelly, they have no right to treat my son like that!¡± Annie almost yelled. ¡°You are a wonderful girl and I had thought that you had wonderful parents.¡± She looked at the front door with a frown. ¡°I didn''t stop in to visit them the last time I was here, because I thought it was too soon for our families to meet.¡±


    ¡°It''s still too soon.¡± Kelly said and touched her arm. ¡°Please. If you care about Arnold and I being together, don''t do this.¡± She pleaded. ¡°Like I told Arnold, they might forbid me from seeing him completely instead of just grounding me.¡±


    Annie thought about ignoring the girl and giving her parents a piece of her mind... a huge piece... then reason overrode her instincts. ¡°All right.¡± She said and calmed down, then she saw the state Kelly was in. It was very similar to the state she had been in when they first met, so Annie took the trembling girl into her arms and gave her a warm embrace.


    Kelly burst out crying at being held like that and Annie rubbed her back. ¡°Why is it all going wrong?¡± She asked, almost in a shout. ¡°Why is my boyfriend''s mom more understanding than my own parents?¡±


    ¡°Shh.¡± Annie said and kept rubbing her back. ¡°Sometimes parents can''t look past their own prejudices to see the treasure they have in front of them.¡±


    It took Kelly a few minutes to calm down and Annie let her out of the hug.


    ¡°Y-yes, Arnold is a treasure.¡± Kelly said and wiped at her eyes.


    ¡°I meant you, too.¡± Annie said, to her surprise. ¡°You''re the only one who accepted him for who he is, and that''s not only rare, it was something I thought was an impossibility.¡±


    Kelly blinked her eyes at her. ¡°But... don''t you...¡±


    ¡°I can''t stand the specimens and the dissections.¡± Annie said and shivered a little. ¡°I almost threw up when he did the college test.¡±


    Kelly looked at her with wide eyes.


    ¡°I had to look away for most of it.¡± Annie said with a smile. ¡°Then it opened up all these possibilities for him, including college that we could never afford for him to attend, and he even has a summer job doing what he enjoys.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Strickland, I...¡±


    ¡°Please, call me Annie.¡± Annie said. ¡°Since you have so many restrictions at home, I would be glad to have you come over to visit when you''re not grounded.¡±


    Kelly was too surprised by the offer to respond and Annie smiled and gave her another hug.


    ¡°You better get back inside before they come out after you.¡± Annie said and let her go.


    Arnold stepped close and gave her a four second kiss. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye.¡± Kelly said and walked back to her front door. She turned around and saw the two of them stood right where she left them and didn''t move. She opened her front door to see her father glare at her, so she turned back to face Annie and Arnold. They both waved to her and she waved back and slowly shut the door.


    ¡°She''s a great girl.¡± Annie said and waved at the car and both of them climbed in. ¡°I just hope her parents don''t ruin their relationship with her or her relationship with you.¡±


    Arnold didn''t say anything and Annie drove them home.


    The next day was Sunday and Arnold didn''t have anything to do, so he spent it with his mother as she cleaned the house. It hadn''t been done in a while, so it took nearly all day. Scrubbing the floors, washing the windows both on the inside and the outside, and they even wiped off the walls and then dusted everything. By the end of the day, they were both pretty dirty and stood at the front door and looked into the house.


    ¡°Thank you very much for your help, Arnold.¡± Annie said and went to hug him, then realized they were both in serious need of a shower. ¡°You go and get a shower first and dressed for bed. I''ll take a shower and change, then I''ll give you the hug you deserve for this.¡±


    Arnold nodded and went upstairs and took a shower, changed into his sleep clothes, and went downstairs to tell his mother he was done. While his mom showered and changed, he went to his room and laid down on his bed to wait. She came into his room half an hour later and saw him on top of the covers, so she went to sit beside him.


    Annie looked at her son and her heart went out to him for how Kelly''s parents were treating him, so she laid down beside him and took him into a hug. Arnold rolled over and cuddled into her and she held him until he fell asleep. She waited for another twenty minutes, then slowly let him go and eased off of the bed. She pulled a blanket up to cover him, then went to her room.


    Kelly is right. If I try to interfere and make them accept him, all I''ll do is drive them apart and make things worse. Annie thought and went to bed, then she smiled. I really want to yell and scream at them, though! It''ll make me feel better! It would!


    She drifted off to sleep imagining wagging her finger at them and scolding them for their behaviour, as if they were errant children and they shied away from her.


    The next day at school, Arnold didn''t see Kelly in the parking lot, so he went inside the school to the assigned classroom for the English exam. Kelly was already there and she gave him a wave. No one else in the room missed the change and everyone started whispering, then the bell rang.


    ¡°No talking!¡± The teacher said and placed the exams face down on each student''s desk with scrap sheets of paper if they needed them. ¡°You have three hours to complete the exam! No more, no less!¡± She said and went back to her desk. ¡°Pencils ready?¡± She asked and looked at the clock. At the tick of the minute hand as it hit twelve, to signify the start of the hour, she turned back to the class. ¡°Begin!¡±


    All the students turned the exam papers over and started to write. The teacher gave Arnold a particularly pointed stare and he ignored her as he quickly filled out the exam. He finished after an hour and raised his hand, which was what a student did to speak.


    ¡°If you''re done, just flip the paper over and sit quietly.¡± The teacher said. ¡°No one leaves early.¡±


    Arnold kept his hand up and she sighed.


    ¡°Yes, Arnold?¡±


    ¡°The vice-principal said to visit her as soon as I finished the exam.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Oh? Why is that?¡±


    ¡°I have an appointment with her about teachers asking me to only sign my name to official exam papers and passing them in blank.¡± Arnold said, and nearly everyone in the class gasped. Apparently, they all knew how damaging to someone''s marks that was, considering a final exam could be anywhere from thirty to fifty percent of a student''s final mark.


    The teacher''s face lost a lot of its color at his words. After a few moments, she reluctantly nodded. ¡°Put your paper up here on my desk face down and you can leave.¡±


    Arnold hid his paper so that no one could see his answers and then put the paper on the desk and left the classroom. He walked through the empty halls to the school offices and entered.


    ¡°She''s waiting for you.¡± The secretary said in a normal voice and pointed to the right office. Arnold nodded and went over to the vice-principal''s office, knocked exactly once, and went inside.


    ¡°Come i... Hi, Arnold.¡± The vice-principal said. ¡°Have a seat.¡±


    Arnold sat down and they had a fairly quick discussion about the three teachers that had asked him to intentionally wreck his grade point average. The vice-principal didn''t tell him that she had suspected the teachers of doing things like that to give their students a higher average score and to raise up their own status as valuable teachers. That wasn''t really information he needed to have. All she told him was that she would be having a little visit with those teachers to make sure that they didn''t grade his completed exams wrongly.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and stood up to give her a kiss, and stopped. ¡°I''m sorry. I''m only allowed to kiss Kelly.¡± He said and held a hand out for her to shake.


    The vice-principal laughed and took the offered hand. ¡°You really are the kissing bandit.¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°You don''t have to go back to her class.¡± The vice-principal said. ¡°You can either head home now or wait for the bus.¡±


    Arnold took out his cell phone and called home. ¡°She said she''ll come and pick me up, rather than make me wait all day for the bus.¡±


    ¡°That''s nice of her.¡± The vice-principal said. ¡°Have a good day, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold nodded again and left her office to go outside to wait for his mother.


    Annie arrived half an hour later and picked him up. ¡°What did the vice-principal say?¡±


    ¡°She said she would be paying visits to the teachers to make sure they mark me fairly.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie nodded. ¡°I''m glad she''s on your side and not theirs.¡± She said. ¡°She could have easily told you to not worry about it and then covered it all up.¡±


    ¡°Can she still do that?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Annie said. ¡°She won''t, though. Remember how she handled you fighting? She actually cares about you.¡±


    Arnold nodded. They drove home in silence and Annie made him something for lunch, then they lounged on the couch and watched television for the rest of the day.


    The next day, even though there wasn''t an exam for the seniors, Arnold still dressed for school and rode the bus. He arrived as if it was a normal day and entered the school, then walked all the way over to the Library and went inside.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± The Librarian whispered to him.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Arnold whispered back and walked past her desk and over to the back of the fairly crowded Library. When he arrived at the large table that was near the alcove that was called make-out corner, he saw that the trio of girls and the guy and his girlfriend from lunch were already there.


    ¡°She really reserved it.¡± One said and lifted up a folded piece of paper with ''Reserved'' printed on it.


    ¡°I thought it was a joke and we wouldn''t be able to sit together.¡± Two said.


    ¡°I''m glad no one stole it before we showed up.¡± Three said and turned to Two. ¡°I wonder where your admirer is?¡±


    ¡°He... he''s not... do you think he really likes me?¡± Two asked.


    ¡°I do.¡± The guy in question said as he came around the corner behind Arnold.


    Two blushed like crazy and One and Three giggled.


    Arnold sat down and took out his chemistry notes and the girl and guy couple at the end of the table saw the intricate notes.


    ¡°Wow! Look at that!¡± The girl said and pointed.


    ¡°Arnold, that almost looks like it was done by a professional.¡± Her boyfriend said, which gained everyone''s interest, even the people at the nearby tables.


    Arnold shrugged and started to read over what he had written down.


    ¡°Hey, Arnold''s really smart, right? Why don''t we have him tell us the best things to study?¡± The guy who liked Two suggested.


    Three reached over and touched Arnold''s hand. ¡°Arnold, what do you think are the best things for us to study?¡±


    Arnold thought back to everything the chemistry teacher had said, and every time he said ''this will be on the exam''. ¡°If he didn''t lie, then...¡±


    Everyone nearby crowded around as Arnold told them all the things the teacher said they would be tested on, especially the latest and most difficult things that had been introduced last week. Needless to say, word spread about it and they all studied furiously the things Arnold told them.

 46 Exams and Kelly

    They studied all morning and no one mentioned Kelly not being there. They had all seen what happened before the English exam and it seemed like she and Arnold were in a bit of a rough patch.


    When lunchtime arrived, nearly half of the students in the Library went to the cafeteria as a group, then everyone sat around Arnold and his regular lunch group. They all ate lunch and then almost as one, went right back to the Library and to the tables they had been at before. They studied all afternoon until the school bell rang to end the day.


    ¡°Thanks, Arnold.¡± One said.


    ¡°Yeah, thanks.¡± Two said and finished writing down a reference note. ¡°I really need to work on memorizing that last formula.¡±


    ¡°I can''t believe the teacher expects us to memorize it!¡± Three said and started to pack up. ¡°It''s awful!¡±


    ¡°Arnold, how did you memorize it?¡± The guy that liked Two asked.


    ¡°I made words from the letters.¡± Arnold said.


    No one said anything for several moments.


    ¡°Can you show us?¡± The girl at the end of the table asked and handed him a piece of paper.


    Arnold wrote out a sentence, then directly underneath it, wrote out the long and complicated formula. It even included the atom numbers which were also integrated into the sentence in the proper spots. He handed the paper back to her and she stared at it like it was the long lost holy grail.


    ¡°Let me see that.¡± Her boyfriend said and read the sentence, then his mouth dropped open. ¡°Goddamn! It''s so simple!¡± He said and looked at Arnold. ¡°You''re a genius!¡±


    ¡°Hey! Pass it over!¡± Two said and the guy that liked her plucked it from his hand and handed it to her without looking at it.


    Three looked over her shoulder and read it, too. ¡°Arnold, if you didn''t have a no kissing anyone but Kelly rule, I''d kiss you for this!¡±


    ¡°Quick! Pass it around!¡± One said and Two handed it to her as Arnold packed his things into his backpack and slung it over his shoulders.


    ¡°What is it?¡± A guy at the next table asked as Arnold walked away from the group.


    ¡°Arnold''s answer for remembering that huge formula!¡± One said and handed it over.


    ¡°Holy shit!¡± The guy said. ¡°Chris! Look at this!¡±


    ¡°What the... are you kidding me?!?¡± Chris exclaimed and waved at the guys around him. ¡°You need to see this!¡±


    Arnold passed by the Librarian, who was going in the opposite direction to see what the loud voices were all about. He left the school and waited for the bus in his regular spot, then rode it home when it came. He had no idea that his simple little solution was being spread to the entire class.


    The next day, Arnold showed up at school and nearly everyone from his class greeted him in some way. Some waved, most said hello, and a few pat him on the back and said thank you. He thought that was some odd behaviour, considering how he was usually treated, and he went to the right classroom and saw Kelly.


    ¡°Hi, Arnold.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Arnold said and sat down in his seat.


    Heather let out a soft chuckle. ¡°Don''t tell me you broke up already!¡± She said loudly.


    ¡°No.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I''m grounded and my parents don''t like him.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Heather barked a laugh. ¡°Your perfect parents don''t like him? What did he do? Try to kiss your mom?¡±


    Kelly didn''t like how close to the truth that was and it made her angry. ¡°It''s because he dated you first!¡±


    A complete hush fell over the classroom and everyone barely breathed, even the teacher.


    ¡°You''ve had so many boyfriends that my parents are afraid he wants to have sex as much as you do, and no matter how many times I tell them that it''s not true, they won''t believe me!¡± Kelly spat at her. ¡°My mom even tried to get him to kiss her to prove it!¡±


    Heather was angry at first, then sad, then angry again, because Kelly was blaming her for it. ¡°We only had sex once!¡±


    ¡°I know! I told them that! Arnold told them that!¡± Kelly said. ¡°The problem is my mom embarrassed herself and now he''s not allowed in the house!¡±


    The bell rang and everyone sat down in their seats. The atmosphere was pretty thick with accusations and relationship problems, and everyone stayed quiet as the teacher walked around the class to give out the exam papers and scrap sheets to work on.


    The teacher didn''t give any explanation about the exam or the time limit. He just looked at the clock to wait for the minute hand to strike twelve. ¡°Begin.¡±


    Everyone flipped their papers over and got to work. As usual, Arnold finished after about an hour or so and raised his hand.


    ¡°Already?¡± The teacher asked and came to the desk to get it. ¡°Huh.¡± He smiled. ¡°All right, get out of here and enjoy the rest of the day off.¡±


    Arnold nodded and left the classroom. He called his mother as he walked towards the front of the school and he waited for her at his regular spot until she came to get him.


    This pattern repeated for the rest of the week and the next week, with each morning another exam with only an occasional day off in between, except for biology. That had the written part in the morning and a practical lab in the afternoon. Needless to say, Arnold blew through everything without any problems. At the end of the second week on Saturday morning, Arnold sat down to eat breakfast and received a text.


    ''Arnold! I''m finally allowed out! Can I come over?'' Kelly typed.


    ''If you want to.'' Arnold typed back.


    ''Thanks! Come to your front door and let me in.''


    Arnold put his phone away as he stood up and then he walked to the front door.


    ¡°Arnold, I didn''t hear the doorbell or...¡± Annie started to say, then Arnold opened the door and a slightly sweaty Kelly stood there. ¡°...oh.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Come on in, Kelly.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Kelly said happily and stepped inside and Arnold shut the door. ¡°Arnold, it''s really nice to see you.¡± She said and put a hand on his chest. ¡°I know it''s been two weeks, but... can I... can I have a kiss?¡±


    Arnold leaned in and gave her a four second kiss. ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Kelly said with a smile and they went into the kitchen.


    ¡°Did you run all the way over here?¡± Annie asked with a laugh when she saw Kelly''s slightly sweat soaked and wrinkled shirt. Her shorts weren''t in much better shape.


    ¡°How can you tell?¡± Kelly laughed and grabbed the front of her shirt and moved it in and out with a hand to try and cool off.


    ¡°Go on upstairs to the bathroom and grab a shower while Arnold finishes eating.¡± Annie said. ¡°I''ll loan you a similar outfit until I wash those things.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Kelly asked. ¡°I don''t want to be any trouble.¡±


    ¡°We cleaned the house from top to bottom last week, so there''s nothing else for me to do this weekend.¡± Annie said. ¡°Doing a small load of laundry won''t take more than an hour.¡±


    Kelly looked at Arnold and then down at herself, and nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°It''s the first door on the left at the top of the stairs.¡± Annie said and Arnold sat down to finish eating.


    Kelly left the kitchen and went to the stairs and climbed them. She couldn''t help herself and took a quick look around and saw there were four doors. Two on the left and two on the right, and they were all closed.


    The first door on the right was a large closet filled with towels, blankets, toilet paper, boxes of tissues, and paper towels. The second door was a bedroom and she assumed it was Arnold''s, because of the desk and his backpack hung on the chair. The second door on the left was another bedroom, she assumed was Annie''s, and the first door was a large bathroom.


    There was a separate tub and shower area and there was a large counter with two sinks. Tile was everywhere and in an eye-pleasing pattern and Kelly stepped into the room and shut the door. A small rack of towels was beside the walk-in shower and she had to assume there wasn''t a bathroom in each room. It was the only way that there could be enough space to have such a large bathroom.


    Kelly decided that she liked it and quickly stripped off, put her clothes in a pile, and stepped into the shower. She turned it on and adjust the temperature to what she liked and hit the lever to shunt it to the oversized shower head. It felt wonderful as the water cascaded out and over her like she had been caught in the rain during a downpour.


    Kelly used the best smelling bar of soap on the little shelf and took her time as she made sure to wash everywhere, then she used the shampoo and conditioner on her hair. She stepped out of the shower half an hour later and she felt positively refreshed. She wrapped her hair in a towel to let it dry and then dried off the rest of her body and wrapped the towel around herself.


    She walked over to the bathroom''s door and wondered what she was going to do about clothes, since she couldn''t walk around practically naked in her boyfriend''s house. She took a deep breath and slowly opened the bathroom door, making sure to hide enough of herself behind it so she wouldn''t be seen, and let out a happy sigh at the small pile of clothes on the floor right in front of the door.


    Thanks, Annie. Kelly thought and snatched the pile of clothes from the floor and shut the door, then saw the small handwritten note. The underwear is new. She read and smiled. She would have been a bit unnerved if she had to wear another person''s underwear, washed or not, so knowing they were new definitely gave her a feeling of relief. She sighed as she slipped them on and the cottony softness rested against her skin.


    Kelly finished drying off her hair and gave it a quick brush with the clean brush on the sink. She dressed in the shorts and very baggy oversized t-shirt that was quite a bit bigger than her sweat soaked one. She almost laughed when she read the tag and it said it was extra large. She tossed her dirty clothes onto the towels, propped her bra on top so it wouldn''t be damaged, then carefully closed the bundle and picked it up with one hand.


    Kelly left the bathroom and went downstairs and heard the television in the living room. She walked over to it and looked inside to see Arnold laying down on the couch with his head on his mother''s lap.


    ¡°Are you done already?¡± Annie asked and Kelly held up the bundle of clothes. ¡°I assume your bra is just as bad as the t-shirt was?¡±


    Kelly nodded and Annie eased out from under Arnold''s head and came over to her.


    ¡°I''ve got a small sink in the laundry room for soaking delicates, so don''t worry about it.¡± Annie said and took the bundle. ¡°Go ahead and take my place on the couch.¡±


    ¡°No, I... I mean... I shouldn''t...¡± Kelly stammered.


    Annie chuckled. ¡°It''s all right. Really. He just likes having his chest rubbed.¡± She said and walked away.


    Kelly stood there for a moment, then she walked over to the couch and Arnold looked up at her. ¡°Can I sit here?¡±


    Arnold lifted his head and she sat down and moved in close, then he rested his head on her lap and looked up at her. ¡°You smell nice.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Kelly said and he turned his head and watched the television. ¡°What are you watching?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know.¡± Arnold said and took in a deep breath and let it out.


    Kelly looked at his chest and thought about not doing it, then gave in to her need and put her hand on it. She started to make slow circles and caressed his chest muscles, and she was surprised when she could almost feel his breath entering his lungs. Half an hour passed, then an hour, and Kelly continued to rub his chest and they watched television together.


    Annie stood just outside the living room and nodded mentally. She was glad to have a confirmation that Kelly really was a great girl. She wasn''t taking advantage of Arnold''s passive state or tried to twist an innocent comforting act into something sexual. She left them alone and went back to the laundry room to put Kelly''s clothes and the towels into the drier. She checked the bra in the sink and pulled it out, then hung it to drip dry. She could toss it into the dryer just before the cycle ended and that would finish drying it off.


    Annie made a quick lunch after that and brought it into the living room. ¡°Anyone hungry?¡± She asked and put the plate of sandwiches on the coffee table and took one for herself.


    ¡°Arnold?¡± Kelly asked and Arnold sat up. She felt the absence of his warmth on her lap and stopped herself from sighing at the loss. They both grabbed a sandwich and started to eat.


    ¡°So, what do you two plan on doing today?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°That''s what I was going to ask you.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I''ve been going over everything Arnold has to do for the college and I came to a conclusion. He needs a computer.¡±


    Annie smiled. ¡°You''re not just saying that so you can play games together, are you?¡±


    ¡°What? No!¡± Kelly vehemently denied. ¡°He''s going to need to learn how to use a word processor and how to properly format reports, fill out online forms when it''s necessary, and also to help with the inventory at the lab and do up invoices and order forms.¡±


    ¡°I know he needs one, I''m just teasing you.¡± Annie laughed. ¡°You really put a lot of thought into it.¡±


    Kelly nodded. ¡°His start date is the day after graduation, so we only have a week to get him prepared.¡±


    ¡°It''s a good thing we have you here, then.¡± Annie said. ¡°Neither of us has any idea what kind of computer to get for what he needs it for.¡±


    ¡°You want me to pick one?¡± Kelly asked, a little surprised.


    ¡°You know a lot more about it than we do. Who else would we ask?¡±


    Kelly looked at Annie and Arnold and saw that they weren''t joking. She felt flattered that they would trust her for such an important purchase. ¡°Well, depending on how much you have to spend...¡±


    ¡°I have twenty five hundred and thirty dollars left of my college fund.¡± Arnold said. ¡°It''s in the can on top of the refrigerator.¡±


    Kelly caught her breath and was about to tell him that he''s not supposed to tell her that, when Annie pat her hand.


    ¡°We both trust you. Since we''re going to spend it, it doesn''t matter if you know where it used to be.¡±


    Kelly let out a sigh and nodded. ¡°Okay, we can do a bit of searching online and see what''s available before we head to the electronics store.¡± She took out her cell phone and went to the local store''s website and checked the deals, the out of stock items, and the summer specials. ¡°No, none of them would be good. You need the ability to expand and to add new parts when...¡±


    Annie and Arnold watched her with a bit of awe as she searched through dozens of different web pages and checked different models and accessories within only a few minutes.


    ¡°Okay, I think I have an idea.¡± Kelly said and showed them the link she found.


    ¡°A custom computer?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°Normally you can get away with buying a higher-end computer and it will last you a while, usually for about two to three years after they come out, depending on the processing speed of the computer. The problem is, they are usually called dead-end systems because they can''t be modified.¡± Kelly said. ¡°A custom one is a bit more expensive to buy at first; but, it''s designed for replacement parts and each time a new item comes out, like a better video card or a faster hard drive, you can just add it or replace the old item and you don''t have to buy an entirely new system.¡±


    Annie looked at it and thought about it, then she had an idea. ¡°How old is your computer?¡±


    ¡°Seven.¡± Kelly said with a smile.


    ¡°Seven!¡± Annie said, surprised. ¡°But, you said...¡±


    ¡°I can still play the newest games.¡± Kelly said and smiled at Arnold. ¡°Upgrading it for VR was easy, too.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°Instead of spending eight hundred to twelve hundred dollars every couple of years for a new computer, you can spend about two thousand for a custom one that only needs occasional updates every two to three years.¡±


    ¡°How did you learn all of this?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°The same way I learned about game tricks and tips.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Experience, reading online, and help from the game players online.¡±


    ¡°How long will it take to make a custom one?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°It just depends on what parts they have in stock.¡± Kelly said and clicked the link with a smile. ¡°Let''s see what they can do for us.¡±


    The three of them hovered around the cell phone and went over everything that could be found for a computer. Once Kelly checked that all the parts were available, including the VR upgrade, she saved up their choices and stood.


    ¡°If we''re lucky, there''s a good guy at the store and he can have the thing built and tested in an hour.¡±


    Annie stood as well. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡±


    Arnold stood as well and took Kelly into a hug. Kelly caught her breath when her chest in the baggy t-shirt pressed against his chest in a tight t-shirt. She stared into his eyes to see if he was going to say anything, and he gave her a quick kiss.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly was about to ask him what he was thanking her for when Annie came back into the room.


    ¡°Here you go.¡± Annie said as she held Kelly''s bra out to her. ¡°If we''re going out, you need some support.¡±


    Kelly nodded her head several times, grabbed the bra, and almost ran up the stairs to go to the bathroom to put it on.

 47 Acquisitions

    Annie took the money from the can on the refrigerator and tucked it into her purse, then she, Arnold, and Kelly climbed into her car and drove to the electronics store that Kelly had checked on her cell phone. It was a Saturday, so it was a little crowded with weekend shoppers when they went inside and Kelly walked right to the back of the store to the customer service desk there.


    ¡°Only products warrantied by the store can be replaced without having to send it back to the company.¡± A slightly overweight guy said automatically without looking up from the electronics thing he had on his desk.


    Kelly rapped her knuckles on the desk to get his attention. ¡°I need a hand with something. Are you busy?¡±


    The guy looked up from his desk. ¡°That depends on if you''re going to waste my time.¡±


    Kelly chuckled and leaned on the desk. ¡°Is it a waste of time to build a custom computer from parts you have in stock?¡±


    The guy gave her an appraising look and then a hint of a smile touched his lips. ¡°Standard parts?¡±


    ¡°Bite your tongue.¡± Kelly said and the guy smiled. ¡°I''ve got a few specifications here.¡± She took out her cell phone and brought up the things she had looked for.


    The guy took the phone and swiped at the screen quickly and started to nod his head. ¡°Okay. Good choice on the processors. You need a different motherboard if you want the extra memory slots and the dual video cards expansion.¡±


    ¡°I wanted the motherboard because it allows for the VR upgrade.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± The guy flipped through the rest of her choices. ¡°We''re getting a new add-on for headsets next week.¡± He said and then whispered. ¡°It''s only a money grab, though. The memory chips coming out in three months won''t be compatible with older machines.¡±


    ¡°That sucks.¡± Kelly said and the guy laughed.


    ¡°Not for us. People are going to be swarming in here for new machines.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should wait.¡± Kelly said, a little sadly. ¡°We were going to pay in cash, too.¡±


    The guy''s eyes almost flashed dollar signs at her words. ¡°You''re not going on a payment plan or a credit card?¡±


    Kelly shook her head, and the guy leaned around her and look up at the front of the store. He saw the two clerks were occupied and he smiled.


    ¡°I''m not really supposed to bring people back here.¡± He said and opened the small wooden half-door that was beside his desk. Kelly quickly stepped through and waved for Arnold and Annie to follow.


    ¡°I''ll wait over there.¡± Annie said and pointed to the bank of televisions. ¡°That''s a good movie.¡±


    Kelly nodded and she and Arnold followed the guy into the back room with all of the parts and inventory of the entire electronics store.


    ¡°How do you find anything in here?¡± Kelly asked and couldn''t make sense of it.


    The guy chuckled and led them into what he called his ''build room'', where he assembled anything that was needed for the store and also repaired anything that could be repaired to save money on replacements.


    Arnold''s eyes took in all of the little bits and tiny packages and small racks of everything that a person working with electronics would have at their disposal.


    ¡°Amazing, isn''t it?¡± The guy said. ¡°I have so much fun back here.¡±


    ¡°How did you learn it all?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°About eight years in college and five years actually working.¡± The guy said with a chuckle and started to grab the wrapped parts for the computer they wanted. ¡°I''ll be paying it off for another ten years, too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I''m not looking forward to that part of college.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Hey, I didn''t say it wasn''t worth it.¡± The guy said and picked up a really nice large case. ¡°This can lay down or stand up, depending on where you want to put it.¡±


    Kelly nodded and watched as he grabbed two hard drives, two video cards, the VR adapter, a different motherboard, a handful of memory chips, the disk drive for loading programs and games, and a huge power supply with more wires on it than she thought was necessary.


    ¡°I want the extra cooling fans, too.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°That''s what the larger case is for.¡± The guy said and added two extra fans and the mounts for them. ¡°I''m tempted to try and pawn off a liquid cooled system on you; but, that''s overkill even for a full dive VR system.¡±


    ¡°I knew it was too good to be true.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°They work well and do the job... at first. As it gets older, moisture starts to build up as it loses efficiency. Plus, it''s not really a good idea to have dampness around electricity.¡±


    Kelly nodded and the guy kept grabbing different things to add to the pile. She could see the dollar prices on the things and she managed to keep her eyes from bulging at the total as it kept rising and rising. After about five minutes, the guy sat down and started to swipe the parts under what looked like an item scanner and they beeped.


    The guy tore open the plastic bags and to her surprise, he had the motherboard assembled with the microchips attached with a huge heat sink on top, put it in the case and added the power supply, then put in all of the accessories and things Kelly had asked for. She hadn''t seen a motherboard with eight memory slots before and she thought about asking about it as the guy filled them with memory chips.


    ¡°It''s custom made.¡± The guy said with a smile when he saw where she was looking. ¡°You won''t have to worry about compatibility when the new memory comes out. If you change it out, it''s just a quick bios update to alter the memory recall functions.¡±


    ¡°I assume you do them?¡± Kelly asked and he nodded.


    ¡°I''ll send it out in an email about a week after I get the chips in my hands.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Don''t install it without the new memory, because the system won''t work with the new bios.¡± The guy warned her. ¡°Only install it if you get the chips.¡±


    Kelly nodded and after about twenty minutes, the main base was completely assembled and had the VR expansion installed.


    ¡°Let''s get this puppy on the tester.¡± The guy said and took it over to another desk and hooked everything up. He started the diagnostics and let it run. ¡°We''ve got a few minutes before that finishes.¡± He said and looked at Kelly. ¡°I guess you already have a computer like this.¡±


    Kelly nodded. ¡°I looked at the pre-built ones you have and they won''t do for Arnold''s work.¡±


    The guy chuckled. ¡°You don''t need a VR rig for work.¡±


    ¡°He will.¡± Kelly said with a smile. ¡°His work almost demands it.¡±


    ¡°Then you came to the right place.¡± The guy said and pointed behind her.


    Kelly turned around and looked at the VR gaming gear on the far shelf. ¡°No way!¡±


    ¡°They''re going out for sale tonight at midnight.¡± The guy said, proudly.


    ¡°Full dive gaming headsets.¡± Kelly whispered. ¡°Did the price drop on the old versions?¡±


    ¡°They only cost an arm and not an arm and a leg now.¡± The guy joked. ¡°As technology gets better and smaller, it also gets cheaper the longer its out.¡±


    ¡°Even an arm is too expensive right now.¡± Kelly said and turned back to the guy.


    ¡°What if it''s someone else''s arm?¡± Arnold''s voice asked from nearby and the guy laughed.


    ¡°It''s a euphemism for money, not actual body parts.¡± Kelly clarified and looked where she had heard his voice. ¡°Arnold? Where are you?¡±


    ¡°In the next aisle.¡± Arnold said and walked around the end of the large rack of damaged equipment. ¡°There is a lot of things here.¡±


    ¡°More than there should be and not enough for everything I need.¡± The guy said and the computer beeped at him. ¡°Looks like the newest gaming system passed.¡± He said and checked the display results. ¡°Nice. I don''t need to overclock the main processor. That''ll definitely cut down on the heat generation.¡±


    Arnold stood there and didn''t understand anything the guy said. He used terms and expressions he hadn''t heard before and he would ask Kelly about them later.


    ¡°Now the stress test.¡± The guy said and brought up a performance program and ran it. ¡°This tests how well it performs multiple tasks, including video rendering, reading from the read only memory, and writing and rewriting to the memory, hard drive, and temporary files.¡±


    The three of them watched as the new computer out-performed the benchmark and nearly hit the top of the program''s allowable range.


    ¡°Ha ha! Nice.¡± The guy said and started the basic operating system installation while he wrote everything down, including all the parts, adjustments, and configurations he had used for the hardware. It took a little while. ¡°I''ll keep this as a main assembly guide, so I won''t have to figure it out the next time someone comes in looking for something similar.¡±


    Kelly understood what he meant and that this configuration was the very first one he had done. ¡°If anything goes wrong...¡±


    The guy chuckled. ¡°Just bring it back and I''ll fix it. Store warranty and all that, like I said before.¡± He said and turned it off and unhooked it. ¡°It''s only for a year, though. You know how fickle computer parts are.¡±


    Kelly nodded and she and Arnold followed the man out from the back and to his desk.


    ¡°You''re definitely going to need internet access for all the software updates to the basic operating system.¡± The guy said and put it on his desk. ¡°They update it every day sometimes.¡± He reached over and grabbed a basic keyboard and a mouse, then pointed to the rack of flat screen computer monitors. ¡°Grab the ninety nine dollar one there. Nineteen inch size.¡±


    Kelly walked over and picked up the box and came back over.


    ¡°I know it seems cheap, but the refresh rate is top notch and the quality can''t be beat for the size.¡± The guy said and picked up a little scanner and scanned the keyboard, mouse, and monitor. ¡°Are you getting the VR headset and controllers, too?¡±


    ¡°That depends on how much this is.¡± Kelly said, a little sheepishly.


    The guy chuckled. ¡°Go grab them and we''ll see.¡±


    Kelly went right over to the display and grabbed two of the gaming controls and the VR headset the same as hers and came back. The guy grabbed a mid-range printer and added it to the stack and scanned everything in and sat down at his desk. He typed a few things and there was the sound of something being printed.


    The guy reached into a mass of wires and cables and picked up a piece of paper that was the size of a postcard, pulled off a sticker, and placed it right on the side of the machine. He scanned it and nodded when the display changed to reflect what he wanted.


    ¡°Congratulations.¡± The guy said and held a hand out for her to shake. ¡°You''ve been approved as an alpha tester for the store''s new VR base system.¡±


    Kelly''s mouth dropped open in shock and the guy shook her hand.


    ¡°You''re not an official employee; but, you do have to submit weekly reports on the performance and quality.¡± The guy said. ¡°In other words, run the same diagnostic tool you just saw and email me the results.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°You also get first pick of anything new coming in, both for testing and for purchase.¡± The guy said. ¡°So, are you ready to buy this beast?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Kelly turned and waved to Annie and she came right over. ¡°How much is it?¡±


    ¡°Including the VR rig...¡± The guy said and reached under his desk and took out a handful of VR games. ¡°No. Yes. Yes. Gotta keep that one.¡± He said and sorted them, then put six of them on the machine and put the rest back under the desk. ¡°You''re looking at a whopping sixteen hundred and fifty-five dollars, taxes and electronics deposit included.¡±


    Kelly just stared at him and couldn''t respond to the ridiculous price. She had mentally added up most of the internal components of the computer and they had been at least that much, which meant they got everything else for free.


    ¡°I forgot to mention the discount, didn''t I?¡± The guy said. ¡°As an alpha tester, certain items qualify for a discount, anywhere from twenty to fifty percent off, as long as you send in the reports every week.¡±


    It took Kelly a few moments to recover. ¡°Um... do... do we need to write a review, too?¡±


    The guy chuckled. ¡°I''ll send an email with the details if you want to excel at it.¡±


    Kelly nodded and the guy grabbed a big box, then carefully added foam and packing peanuts, then put in the computer, the keyboard, the mouse, the printer, the VR headset, and the controllers and games. He printed off another sticker and put it on the box and placed the monitor on top.


    ¡°There you go. Have a nice day.¡± The guy said with a huge smile.


    ¡°Th-thank you. Thank you very much.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°See you later.¡± The guy said. Maybe I can get her number later from the receipt. He thought, then he was surprised by what happened next.


    Arnold picked up the box with the computer inside and it still had the monitor on top of it. He followed Kelly and his mother to the front of the store and held the heavy box as they waited in line.


    He took it before I could offer to roll it out on the dolly. The guy thought. He''s also not putting it down. Everyone puts it down.


    It took almost ten minutes for their turn at the register and Annie paid for it. They left the store and Arnold carried it to the car.


    ¡°That''s not going to fit in the trunk.¡± Annie said and opened the back door to the car.


    Arnold placed the box in the back seat and it barely fit. Kelly took the monitor off the top and put it on the floor, just so it wouldn''t slide around and get damaged. They all climbed into the car and drove back to Arnold''s place.


    Annie thought about stopping somewhere to eat, then dismissed it as not a good idea with almost seventeen hundred dollars worth of computer in the backseat. She stopped and grabbed fast food instead and they drove home with the smell of cardboard and greasy food filling the car.


    Kelly felt like she couldn''t have been happier. She got Arnold a fantastic deal on a new computer system that actually had a VR rig, she was spending the day with her boyfriend after two weeks of only getting to say hello, and his mother was one of the nicest people she had ever met. She hadn''t even blinked at spending so much money in one shot, and that was a surprise, considering Kelly knew that they didn''t have any income at the moment.


    Now I''m wondering how much Arnold is getting paid for the summer job at the college. Kelly thought, then she shook her head. No, it doesn''t matter what he makes. I just love being around him. She caught her breath at the thought. I... I love... being around him. She thought in surprise and looked at the back of his head in the front seat. Am I... in love with him?


    Annie parked in the driveway and went to the front door of the house and opened it, then held it for Arnold as he carried the large box inside. Kelly was reserved as she came in with the monitor and Annie noticed.


    ¡°Take them upstairs and come back down to eat.¡± Annie said.


    Arnold and Kelly took the items upstairs to put them in his room and came back downstairs to the kitchen. The food was already divided up and the three of them sat down and had a quiet meal together. It wasn''t really an awkward silence and when the meal was over, they washed up and cleaned off the table.


    ¡°Should we bother getting the internet?¡± Annie asked a slightly surprised Kelly.


    ¡°What? Yes. The guy at the store said you would need it for the computer to update.¡±


    ¡°Don''t you think it''s a bit of a waste? Arnold''s going to be working at the college all summer and most of his days will be spent there. Since he needs it for work, he will be taking the computer with him.¡±


    Kelly thought of several reasons to still get the internet, mainly to stay in touch, then it hit her what Annie had said. ¡°I... I''m not going to see him... all summer?!?¡± She exclaimed and started to cry.


    Annie immediately took her into a hug and held her and Arnold sat there and watched them.

 48 Working Things Out

    It took Kelly a few minutes to calm down. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± She said and Annie gave her a tissue to wipe her face. ¡°I just went two weeks without seeing him and now I won''t see him for two months.¡±


    ¡°I guess that means you decided on your courses for the college?¡± Annie asked.


    Kelly nodded. ¡°I picked a great program that''s going to put me near the same buildings as Arnold.¡± She said. ¡°We might not have a lot of free time, since college is... well, college. We should have a few evenings together every week where we can see each other.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you so upset over missing the summer?¡± Annie asked. ¡°Arnold only has to work weekdays, and an occasional Sunday, to prep the labs for use the next day.¡±


    Kelly took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°But, isn''t he... I mean, I thought... the commute...¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Annie smiled. ¡°Two hours travelling in the mornings and two hours travelling back is a bit too much to expect of anyone.¡± She said. ¡°On the plus side, we won''t be moving. The house is completely paid off and we only have the monthly bills to take care of.¡±


    ¡°What''s on the minus side?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°Arnold has to take their boarding offer and he''s going to stay in a dorm room on the campus.¡± Annie said. ¡°I... really don''t like the thought of him living by himself; but, he has to do this to get into college. We were going to have the same problem if he went in the fall anyway, so it''s not too big of a shock for me to deal with the issue now.¡±


    Kelly nodded. ¡°I''ll be in the same situation in the fall.¡±


    ¡°We haven''t decided if he''ll be coming home on the weekends by bus or if I should go there to get him.¡± Annie said. ¡°A four hour drive two days in a row is a bit much, even for someone that likes driving.¡± She said with a bit of a laugh. ¡°So, we''re left with travelling by bus on his own to come home, or I''ll be going there on Saturday morning and staying overnight and coming home Sunday night.¡±


    ¡°They sound like better options than going to pick him up and dropping him off.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°I think having him out of the house is what''s going to bother me the most this summer.¡± Annie said. ¡°It''s going to be lonely being here all by myself.¡±


    ¡°My parents don''t have that problem.¡± Kelly said. ¡°We''ve had some... discussions about it.¡±


    Annie smiled. ¡°I guess they don''t approve of the boarding option.¡±


    Kelly shook her head. ¡°They said they weren''t going to pay for me to stay in a dorm room with some random girl when they can easily drive me there.¡±


    Annie laughed. ¡°Now that''s just unrealistic.¡± She said. ¡°After a month, the wear and tear on their car after making two of the four hour trips every day, not to mention the gas, is ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°That''s what I said.¡± Kelly responded. ¡°I even showed them the price comparison between living at home and living on campus.¡±


    ¡°They are having trouble letting their little girl go off on her own so soon.¡± Annie said in understanding and looked at her son. ¡°I know how they feel.¡±


    Kelly took her hand and it was her turn to comfort Annie. ¡°Hopefully, I''ll be close by and I can keep an eye on him when I can.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Annie said. ¡°I''m glad that someone like you will be nearby when he needs you.¡±


    ¡°No, she won''t be nearby.¡± Arnold said and Annie and Kelly looked at him. ¡°I want her to stay with me in my dorm room.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Annie and Kelly yelled.


    ¡°It''s for the best.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Kelly doesn''t have to worry about paying for a dorm room and you have someone with me to watch me.¡±


    ¡°But... but...¡± Annie and Kelly stuttered at the same time.


    Arnold took out his cell phone and dialed the number for the dorm offices. ¡°Hello. My name is Arnold Strickland and I want to confirm my room assignment.¡± He paused for quite some time. ¡°It''s a double room for my use only? Can I have someone stay over?¡± He paused again. ¡°Not to live? What if it was a student?¡±


    Annie and Kelly sat there and stared at him. They were too stunned at the conversation to tell Arnold no... or to speak at all, actually.


    ¡°Kelly Kendall.¡± Arnold said and waited a bit more. ¡°She doesn''t have to sign in officially until she registers in the fall? Okay. Thank you.¡± He said and hung up.


    It took Annie a minute before she could speak normally. ¡°What did they say?¡±


    ¡°She thanked me for being so considerate of her headaches and would be delighted to foist one off on me.¡± Arnold said. ¡°What''s foist mean?¡±


    ¡°To give something to someone that''s unwarranted or unnecessary.¡± Kelly said.


    Arnold reached out and took her hand. ¡°You aren''t unnecessary.¡± He said and she blushed.


    ¡°I''m sure she meant a headache, not Kelly.¡± Annie said. ¡°Arnold, do you realize what you''ve done?¡±


    ¡°I solved three problems.¡± Arnold said and let Kelly''s hand go.


    ¡°Yes, and you just asked Kelly to move in... wait, you said three problems.¡± Annie said, confused.


    ¡°Kelly''s dorm problem, your problem with me being alone at college, and Kelly not seeing me all summer.¡±


    ¡°Wh-wh-WHAT?!?¡± Kelly exclaimed.


    ¡°We''re scheduled to move in the day after graduation and I start work that afternoon.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°W-w-wait, you said ''we''.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°The dorm manager added you to the room listing.¡± Arnold said. ¡°You don''t have to sign in officially until you register for classes in the fall semester.¡±


    ¡°A-Arnold, I... oh, god.¡± Kelly said, her face bright red. ¡°We haven''t had sex yet and you want us to live together!¡±


    ¡°This... could be a problem when your parents find out.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°It''s a problem right now!¡± Kelly said. ¡°I''ve never lived with anyone before!¡±


    ¡°You were going to have to live with someone in the fall anyway.¡± Annie said. ¡°Is a random unknown girl better than Arnold?¡±


    ¡°What? No!¡± Kelly said, then she sighed. ¡°It''s just... how... how do I live with my boyfriend?¡±


    Annie sighed as well. ¡°I can help you with that during the next week, assuming your parents don''t throw a fit and freak out about it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, they are definitely going to freak out about it.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I guarantee it.¡±


    ¡°Don''t tell them.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°If it will cause a problem, don''t tell them.¡±


    ¡°But... this is... Arnold, we...¡± Kelly couldn''t put her thoughts into words.


    ¡°Your lives are changing so quickly after years of stability.¡± Annie said for her and Kelly nodded. ¡°I think I have to agree with Arnold. They don''t really like you dating him or having him visit you, so if they know you''re going to be living with him, that''s not going to be good for anyone.¡±


    Kelly took in a sharp breath. ¡°I''m going to be living with him.¡± She looked at Arnold. ¡°You and I. We''re going to live together.¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°You and me. Together. Alone.¡±


    Kelly''s face turned red again as he repeated the words she had whispered after a make-out session.


    ¡°Then we need a cover story.¡± Annie said. ¡°How about we say that Kelly will stay with me for the summer, because I miss Arnold so much and want someone else in the house?¡± She asked and smiled sadly. ¡°The truth is the best lie we could tell.¡±


    Kelly took Annie''s hand and gave it a squeeze. ¡°It''s going to be okay. If we are all going to make this work, Arnold and I will be coming back here every weekend on the bus all summer.¡±


    Annie nodded her head and let her hand go. ¡°All right. That''s what we''ll do.¡± She said. ¡°We''ll need to work out the details of getting your things over here and then getting them to the college.¡±


    ¡°I''ll also need to convince my parents that I''m doing this as practice to try living with someone else.¡± Kelly said. ¡°That''s also the truth, since you''ll be teaching me how to do just that.¡±


    Annie smiled. ¡°We can worry about it tomorrow when I come and pick you up in the morning.¡±


    Kelly gave her a surprised look.


    ¡°I''m going to need to meet your parents to make this work.¡± Annie said. ¡°Don''t worry. I won''t be mentioning anything about how pig-headed they are or about how they are making a simple relationship into something so complicated that it''s become a mess of their own making and completely out of proportion.¡±


    Kelly let out a sigh. ¡°They really did make a mess, and it''s hard to...¡± She looked at Arnold. ¡°It''s hard to look at you and know that my parents are too blind to see that you''re the perfect guy for me.¡±


    ¡°That''s your parents'' problem, not yours.¡± Annie said. ¡°You keep looking at him however you want and let your parents worry about how they see him.¡±


    Kelly took another breath and let it out, then nodded.


    ¡°Good! Now get upstairs and set that beast up for Arnold.¡± Annie said with a smile. ¡°You don''t have much time before I have to drive you home.¡±


    Kelly smiled and reached for Arnold''s hand. He took it and the two of them went up the stairs and quickly made a good-sized area for the movements he might need to make when using the VR headset. They didn''t have to clean up the desk, since it was pretty bare already, and they opened the box and took out all of the things inside. They had it all hooked up and turned on ten minutes later.


    Kelly walked him through the things she had read online about what he would need to do for work while using the computer, and that took about an hour. After that, she set up the VR rig and the controllers and set them on the desk. She showed him how to load the right program and they installed the software for it.


    After that, they tried playing a demo disc the guy at the electronics store gave them and the headset and controllers worked perfectly. Arnold already knew how to adjust the controls for his own use and change the buttons to do what he wanted. He left them on the default settings and played through a few of the demo programs, then it was time for Kelly to go.


    ¡°See you in the morning.¡± Kelly said and gave him a kiss goodbye. ¡°I''ll bring over a few games for you to try and get more experience. Since I''m going to stay here all week, we''ll have lots of time to get your skills up to the right level to play Fortune''s Favour.¡± She smiled. ¡°Brad and his friends won''t know what hit them!¡±


    Arnold smiled at her and gave her another kiss.


    ¡°Let''s go!¡± Annie said loudly from downstairs.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Kelly said and gave Arnold a look that said she was looking forward to spending so much time with him, then she left. Annie drove her home and dropped her off, well before her curfew, and drove back home.


    Arnold put in the next game and tried that. He had no basis for it, so he played cautiously at first and eventually figured out what the point was. Once he did, he quickly went through the entire game in four hours and only lost two lives.


    ¡°Time for bed.¡± Annie said from the doorway.


    Arnold saved and ended the game, put the controllers down and took off the VR headset, then walked over to her. ¡°I love you, mom.¡± He said and hugged her, then gave her a quick kiss. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Annie held her tears back. ¡°I should ask what you''re thanking me for; but, it doesn''t matter.¡± She said. ¡°You''re welcome.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Arnold said and let her go, then he changed and went to bed.


    Annie tucked him in under the blanket and stared into his eyes as she pet his head. Arnold stared right back at her and neither of them spoke for several minutes.


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Annie finally said and left his room.


    The next morning, Annie went to pick up Kelly and put on the best performance of her life. Kelly''s father had been surprised when Annie had shown up so early and knocked on their front door.


    ¡°I''m here to pick up Kelly... so she can... teach Arnold what he needs to...¡± Annie let her emotions overwhelm her and she burst out crying. ¡°He has to leave me on Friday! FRIDAY!¡± She yelled and tried, quite fruitlessly, to wipe at the tears rolling down her her face. ¡°I was supposed to have... all summer to get used to him leaving me... and I only have six days!¡± She said between wracking sobs.


    Kelly''s father wasn''t sure what to do. ¡°Katheryn!¡± He exclaimed and stood there awkwardly until his wife came and rescued him.


    ¡°What''s going on?¡± Katheryn asked and he quickly said who she was and what she wanted. ¡°You poor thing.¡± She said and hugged her. ¡°Please, come in.¡±


    They led her inside and took her to the living room. Annie calmed down a little, just enough to not babble, then laid it all out for them. About losing her husband not long ago, about only having Arnold in the house and no income, and about how she had been nervous about him dating Heather because of her reputation. She also said how relieved she was when he started dating Kelly.


    Kelly''s parents sat there and listened to her impassioned plea to allow Kelly to stay over while she helped Arnold prepare for going to work for the summer. Of course, that led directly into how lonely she was going to be all summer with him gone... and then she caught her breath.


    ¡°Kelly can stay with me!¡± Annie exclaimed and wiped at her tears as she smiled. ¡°With Arnold out of the house, it''s a perfectly safe place for her to practice living with someone other than her parents!¡±


    ¡°I don''t know...¡± Kelly''s father started to say.


    ¡°It''ll only be during the week, because Arnold will be home on the weekends.¡± Annie told them. ¡°That way, they both get used to being away from home and visiting us on the weekends.¡±


    ¡°That seems a bit complicated.¡± Kelly''s mother said.


    Annie nodded several times and took several breaths. ¡°I know it seems that way, but... it will be a huge help for me.¡± She said. ¡°I can''t deal with him leaving so soon. The house already seems so empty. If I''m there all alone for the whole summer, I...¡± She shook her head. ¡°Please, let Kelly stay with me.¡±


    Kelly''s father sat there quietly for a few moments. ¡°By the sound of it, you don''t plan on leaving them be alone all summer.¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°I can honestly promise you that neither Kelly nor my son will ever be left alone.¡± She said. ¡°Both Kelly and Arnold will have a pair of eyes on them at all times when they spend time together.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Kelly yelled from the hallway.


    Annie looked at her parents and they nodded.


    ¡°Kelly, I want you to stay with me, and you heard the conditions.¡± Annie said. ¡°I know that wasn''t what you wanted to hear, not when your boyfriend''s mother asks you to move in.¡± She said and she took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°But, that''s all I can offer. Will you accept?¡±


    Kelly opened her mouth to say no, then dropped her head and turned from side to side as she thought about it. Was it worth it to move in together if we are watched all the time? She asked herself, completely forgetting that Annie was only asking for her to move in as a way to get her out of her parents'' house. I like spending time with Arnold, so it doesn''t matter to me if his mother was there the whole time. She thought, then looked at her parents and then at Annie as she made her decision. ¡°We can try it for a week, and then...¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Annie hopped up and strode over to Kelly and gave her a hug. ¡°You don''t know how much this means to me.¡± She said and let her go. ¡°Why don''t you pack an overnight bag for now and we can worry about picking up more things tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Kelly said and went back to her room to pack her suitcase.


    ¡°I really appreciate this.¡± Annie said as she walked back over to the couch and sat down. ¡°What a relief it''s going to be to have such a wonderful girl around.¡± She gushed. ¡°She''s smart, pretty, and she doesn''t paw at my son like someone else I won''t mention.¡±


    Kelly''s parents looked at each other for a moment and then back at her.


    ¡°I know you think he''s like his ex-girlfriend; but, he isn''t. He only just started to express an interest in sex and I had the talk with him, then he did it.¡± Annie said and sighed. ¡°You don''t know how much I regret that Kelly wasn''t his first girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°I think we do.¡± Kelly''s mother said.


    Annie nodded and took her hand. ¡°Maybe this time things can go right for a change, now that he has a sensible girl to look after him.¡±


    Kelly''s parents hoped for the same thing and the three of them waited for Kelly to pack.

 49 Unleash The Beast Part One

    Kelly came out with her suitcase and dressed in a pair of jeans and a thin sweater, which was her normal outfit. After a quick goodbye to her parents, she followed Annie out of the house and to the car. She put the suitcase in the backseat and sat in the front passenger seat.


    ¡°Well, that went a lot better than I thought it was going to.¡± Annie said and pulled out of the driveway.


    Kelly didn''t respond right away and Annie gave her a glance and looked back at the road.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°Are you really going to watch us all the time and never leave us alone?¡± Kelly asked.


    Annie gave her another glance to see if she was serious, then she laughed and looked back at the road. ¡°I never said I would be watching you.¡±


    ¡°But... you said...¡± Kelly sat there and thought about it. ¡°Oh, my god!¡±


    Annie laughed. ¡°Yes, when you are together, Arnold''s eyes will be on you and your eyes will be on him.¡± She said. ¡°Neither of you will be left alone, because you will be with each other.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Strickland...¡± Kelly started to say.


    ¡°Annie.¡± Annie corrected.


    ¡°Annie... you are amazing!¡± Kelly said. ¡°I never even... that''s not what...¡± She laughed. ¡°You made me believe it, too!¡±


    Annie took her hand off the wheel for a moment and touched Kelly''s hand, then put it back on the wheel to maintain control of the car. ¡°Most people will hear what they want to hear, and your parents have the most selective hearing I''ve ever heard of. I knew if I carefully worded what I said, not only would they be reassured that you would be safe, they would also assume it would be me that would watch you all the time.¡±


    Kelly nodded and settled into the seat.


    ¡°I''m sorry that it came to this, though.¡± Annie said with regret. ¡°I thought when Arnold met someone special, our families would come together and be happy for you both.¡±


    Kelly sighed. ¡°I know. That''s what I wanted, too.¡± She said and looked out the car window. ¡°My parents are great... were great... and I wanted Arnold to meet them. I thought they would accept him and be happy that I finally found a serious boyfriend.¡± She sighed again. ¡°All they saw was someone Heather had used.¡±


    Annie gave her another glance. ¡°So, you did realize she was using him.¡±


    Kelly turned to look at her and saw the stare. She nodded and Annie looked back at the road. ¡°I was there when... we walked into the spare room to drop off my suitcase and Arnold was getting undressed to take a shower. Heather asked him to kiss her and then she...¡± She paused. ¡°...started stroking him right there in front of me.¡±


    ¡°She did not!¡± Annie said loudly and gripped the steering wheel tightly.


    ¡°I had to yell at her to get her to stop.¡± Kelly said. ¡°If I hadn''t, she might have... well...¡±


    Annie took in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Did anything else like that happen?¡±


    ¡°I wasn''t there all the time they were dating, so I can''t say for sure.¡± Kelly said and didn''t mention Heather telling her about the things she liked doing. ¡°I do know nothing else happened the weekend I stayed over, except for them having sex.¡±


    Annie sighed. ¡°Okay. I just hope she didn''t...¡± She gave Kelly an odd look, then looked back at the road. ¡°Arnold is very impressionable.¡±


    ¡°I know. Heather and I talked a lot about what it was like to date him when they were together.¡± Kelly said. ¡°And her mom warned us about a few things, which made me start to see Arnold for what he really was. He''s not the perfect boyfriend like Heather thought.¡±


    ¡°What is he?¡±


    ¡°He''s someone that needs someone to take care of him.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I''m sure he''s okay most of the time; but, if he doesn''t have someone to guide him, to tell him how to act in certain situations or to explain things to him...¡±


    ¡°...he can get lost in his own thoughts and interests and will ignore everything around him.¡± Annie finished for her, and she nodded. ¡°I''m glad you understand that.¡±


    ¡°I am, too.¡± Kelly said. ¡°He''s just so... I just want to cuddle him forever!¡±


    Annie chuckled. ¡°Now I''m very glad that you''re his girlfriend.¡± She said and saw the surprise on Kelly''s face. ¡°You didn''t say, ''I want him to make love to me forever''.¡± She smiled. ¡°You want to cuddle and protect him, not use him, and hearing that is as important to me as Arnold is.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Strick... Annie.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I... I do want to keep him safe. There''s so many things out there that can... hurt him, and I... I don''t want him hurt.¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°Now you know why I kept the internet away from him for so long.¡± She said. ¡°I even asked the teachers to restrict cell phone use if they could, just so he wouldn''t be tempted to ask for one to see what it did.¡±


    Kelly thought about that. ¡°Arnold did say that you kept certain information hidden from him.¡±


    ¡°Especially computers.¡± Annie said. ¡°During his youth, the internet would have...¡± She shook her head. ¡°I kept it from him and didn''t tell him what it did until recently.¡±


    ¡°After Heather showed him.¡± Kelly said.


    Annie nodded. ¡°Now he knows he can search for things. Thankfully, he''s not really interested in a lot of things, so he hasn''t searched for... well... when we had the sex talk, I was glad we didn''t have the internet in the house.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Kelly said and went quiet.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Annie said. ¡°That''s why I occasionally ask him what he does during the day.¡±


    Kelly caught her breath and her face flushed red as she blushed.


    Annie let out a laugh and reached over to touch her knee briefly. ¡°It''s all right. I don''t ask for details and he never volunteers them.¡±


    ¡°But... you know we...¡±


    ¡°Made out like bandits in the school library?¡± Annie asked and Kelly''s face went even redder. ¡°I said it''s all right.¡±


    ¡°How can you be?¡± Kelly asked. ¡°I was... we were all hugged up and... we got caught and...¡±


    ¡°No details.¡± Annie said with a smile and Kelly stopped talking. ¡°I should probably tell you that I do not have the same restrictions in my house as your parents.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Kelly looked at her with surprise on her face.


    ¡°I stopped Heather from hanging all over him and abusing his nature; but, she was being manipulative and only want him for her own gain.¡±


    ¡°How... how could you tell that?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°I''ve known girls like her. She probably thought she could wrap Arnold around her little finger and get him to do whatever she wanted.¡± Annie said. ¡°I let him date her, just so he could get some experience with it. If I had known you were so close by, I would have refused and told him to ask you out instead.¡±


    ¡°Did you, after he and Heather broke up?¡± Kelly asked and her heart secretly wilted a little at the thought that he hadn''t asked her out on his own. Please say no. Please say no.


    ¡°I just told you that I didn''t know you were there.¡± Annie said with a chuckle. ¡°He told me that he asked you out when he came home after school.¡±


    Oh, thank god. Kelly thought in relief. He really did want to go out with me, all on his own.


    Annie pulled into her driveway and parked the car. ¡°Before we go inside, I want to set some ground rules.¡±


    Kelly sat there and nodded.


    ¡°First off, I don''t mind you cuddling. You can do that anywhere you like.¡± Annie said and turned slightly in the seat to face her. ¡°If I''m in the room, please no fondling or groping. Either by you or by Arnold.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Kelly''s blush returned.


    ¡°Nudity is out, too.¡± Annie continued. ¡°If you''re going to remove clothes, take it to his room. I don''t want to see anything embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°But... but...¡±


    ¡°The rooms are fairly soundproof, so as long as you shut the door, I won''t hear much of anything if I''m in my room across the hallway with both doors shut.¡± Annie said. ¡°I''m not giving you explicit permission to have sex as soon as you go into my house, though. Having it happen naturally and on its own is perfectly fine.¡±


    ¡°Annie!¡± Kelly exclaimed.


    ¡°Now I need to ask you a personal question.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°This conversation wasn''t personal?!?¡± Kelly asked, surprised.


    Annie chuckled. ¡°It''s personal, since I wouldn''t be telling you all of this if I didn''t expect you to understand why I''m telling you.¡± She said. ¡°You don''t have to answer this if you don''t want to, because it''s okay if you want to keep it to yourself.¡± She reached over and took her hand. ¡°Are you a virgin?¡±


    Kelly didn''t speak as she thought about it, then she remembered Annie comforting her that first day they met. ¡°Yes.¡± She said. ¡°I haven''t had sex before.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for telling me.¡± Annie said. ¡°I''ll have a talk with Arnold and I''ll make sure that...¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± Kelly yelled and saw Annie''s surprise. ¡°No, please. You said you wanted it to happen naturally, so... if you tell him, he... he might do things differently.¡±


    ¡°Kelly, we both know that a woman''s first time is different than just having sex.¡±


    Kelly took a breath and let it out. ¡°I know, and so will he if... when... it happens.¡±


    Annie thought about pushing a little, then decided it wasn''t worth causing her distress. ¡°Then I''ll leave it to you. If you need to talk about anything, just let me know.¡±


    Kelly nodded.


    ¡°These next few days are going to be a crash course in living with someone, so I hope you''re ready for it.¡± Annie said with a smile.


    ¡°I need to help Arnold adjust to working with the computer and using VR to full advantage, too.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I brought over a bunch of things to help train him. I spend half the night downloading and copying them, since we can''t download what we need.¡±


    ¡°I can''t justify the expense of the internet if it''s just going to be me at home.¡± Annie said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. You''re right. We''ll be taking our computers with us when we go to college, so it would be a waste to get it, assuming it would be installed before we left.¡± Kelly said.


    Annie nodded. ¡°Let''s get you inside and settled in.¡±


    They got out of the car and Kelly grabbed her suitcase from the backseat, then she froze.


    ¡°Wait! Where am I staying? You only have two bedrooms upstairs.¡±


    ¡°You''re staying in Arnold''s room, of course.¡±


    ¡°I''m WHAT?!?¡± Kelly yelled.


    Annie laughed. ¡°He will be sleeping on the couch, so relax.¡± She said and walked around the car. ¡°I know you could sleep in the same bed and nothing will happen, probably.¡± She took Kelly''s hand and led her to the front door of the house. ¡°I''m not going to risk it on the very first night, all right?¡±


    Kelly let out a relieved sigh and nodded.


    Annie opened the door and waved inside. ¡°Welcome to your new temporary home.¡±


    Kelly wasn''t quite sure how to respond to that, then Arnold came down the stairs in a pair of jeans and a beige t-shirt that was so tight that it looked like he wasn''t wearing one.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Arnold said and gave her a quick kiss.


    Kelly let a smile grow on her face. ¡°Good morning.¡± She said and handed him her bag. ¡°Can you put this in your room for me?¡±


    Arnold nodded and went right back up the stairs with it.


    Kelly knew how to respond now and turned to Annie and gave her a hug. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Annie chuckled. ¡°It''s not going to be all sunshine and roses, you know. Living with someone is hard, even when you like them.¡± She warned her as Kelly let her go. ¡°They are going to do things to annoy you, and in some cases, you''ll annoy them right back.¡±


    ¡°That won''t work with Arnold.¡± Kelly said. She knew that, because Heather''s stupid plan to make Arnold jealous was as fruitless as it was pointless.


    Annie smiled and took her inside and shut the door. ¡°I''m glad you know that you''re the one that''s going to be frustrated, especially if you don''t learn to let a lot of the annoyance go.¡±


    ¡°You''re going to help me with that?¡± Kelly asked. ¡°Please tell me you''re going to help me with that!¡±


    Annie laughed. ¡°You''re going to learn both the good side and the bad side of being responsible.¡±


    Kelly nodded. ¡°I don''t want to get annoyed at Arnold. He doesn''t need me acting like that, not when he has so much to do.¡±


    Annie nodded back. ¡°That''s right, so I''ll let you off of most of your lessons for today. Go on upstairs and keep showing my son how to work that weird contraption.¡±


    ¡°You should try it yourself before we leave on Friday.¡± Kelly said. ¡°It''s really neat.¡±


    ¡°I think I can go without the thrill for a little while longer.¡±


    Kelly smiled and went up the stairs to Arnold''s room. ¡°Start the beast up.¡±


    Arnold turned the computer on. Unlike Heather''s slightly older computer that took a couple of minutes to start up, Arnold''s new computer started in just ten seconds.


    ¡°I brought over a bunch of things to install to get the system up to date.¡± Kelly said and opened her suitcase to get to the inner pocket where she had put the discs. One of her bras was right on top of the clothes and she turned to look at Arnold. He was looking at her hands and the discs she had in them, so she smiled and walked over to him. She didn''t bother closing the suitcase.


    ¡°Which one first?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°We''ll get the operating system up to the latest update, then we have to install antivirus software for when we do get you connected to the internet.¡± Kelly said. ¡°After that, I brought a 3D editing program to install, then we can play these.¡± She held up three games. ¡°You''ll learn the best skills with these games. Each one has a component in it that is also in Fortune''s Favour.¡±


    Arnold nodded and they spent the rest of the morning updating and installing the necessary things on the computer. He memorized what Kelly did so that he would be able to do it when it was necessary, and she told him everything she knew about the operating system as they worked. The shortcuts, the program manager, the device manager, how to troubleshoot errors when they popped up, and how to run the virus scanner.


    ¡°Lunch!¡± Annie hollered up the stairs.


    ¡°Perfect timing.¡± Kelly said and looked at the progress bar on the last program they were installing. ¡°This should be done by the time we eat and come back up.¡±


    Arnold nodded and the two of them left his room and went downstairs to the kitchen. They sat down with his mother and they ate a light and sensible lunch. They talked about what they were doing and most of it went right over Annie''s head and she stared at them with a blank face. Kelly couldn''t help but laugh at that, because she remembered Annie refusing to listen to her explain about the games that Brad and his friends played when she had visited with the warning for Arnold.


    ¡°Sorry for boring you.¡± Kelly said as her laughter faded. ¡°It''s just too exciting for me to not talk about the great computer Arnold has.¡±


    ¡°Then I''m glad you''re the one doing everything, because I''d be falling asleep trying to read some of those tutorials you''re talking about.¡± Annie said. ¡°No, thank you!¡±


    Kelly laughed again. ¡°We better get back to it.¡± She said and washed her hands, as did Arnold, and the two of them went up the stairs to get back to work. She saw that the last program had finished and picked up one of the three games she had brought. ¡°Okay, Arnold. This one is called ''Magical Quick-draw''. It''s a shooting game and you use the controllers and triggers... but... it doesn''t use guns. It uses spells that you need to find, choose, prepare, and then cast.¡±


    ¡°Show me.¡± Arnold said and she loaded it up for him, then handed him the controllers and put the VR headset on him.


    ¡°Here we go.¡± Kelly said and started it.


    Arnold''s mind expanded slightly as he learned all about magic that day.

 50 Unleash The Beast Part Two

    Kelly explained that magic had different origins in pretty much every game that exists. They had different rules, different ways of gathering energy or mana, and different ways of casting when you learned the spell. Sometimes you had to memorize it, sometimes it was on a scroll, and sometimes it was in a book. They could be permanent or one-time use, and sometimes spells could be continuously cast if you had enough energy or mana.


    Also, the energy or mana required sometimes regenerates on its own, or you need to gather it, or you needed to drink potions. Practically every game did things differently. The energy or mana could be tracked by a set of numbers, by an energy bar, or even a gauge filled with liquid. They all drained as you cast spells and they needed to be refilled for more spells to be cast. Even the same spell could have different effects in different games.


    Arnold soaked all the information up and used that knowledge to gather and cast spells on the targets on the screen. When he finished the first level of the game, he put the controllers down and took off the headset.


    ¡°Arnold, what is it?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°It''s all the same.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Everything you said. It''s all just different patterns that lead to the same results.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Find or learn a spell. Find or gather energy to cast it. Cast it.¡± Arnold said. ¡°The methods to do it can be anything; but, the end result is the same.¡±


    Kelly''s mouth dropped open in shock.


    ¡°What''s the next game?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°It''s a... skill trainer.¡± Kelly said after a moment. ¡°Um... it lets you...¡± She shook her head, because Arnold''s simplification was a bit too mind boggling to come to grips with in only a few moments. All magic is different, not the same. It''s not the same. She thought. It''s... not...


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± Arnold asked.


    Kelly took a breath and let it out. ¡°I''m fine.¡± She said. ¡°Okay, yes.¡± She picked up the game. ¡°This lets you practice certain skills and depending on how well you do, it gives you access to skill trees.¡±


    Arnold blinked his eyes at her.


    ¡°You''ll see.¡± Kelly said and saved Arnold''s game and popped the disc out and replaced it with the new game. ¡°Say, you Chop Wood and do really well at it. When you level up the skill, it opens up a path for you, or several paths, and you need to chose which path to take to become better. Your Chop Wood skill could become Cleave Wood to make it easier to chop through things with less chops, or it could become Speed Chop and you can chop faster through things.¡±


    ¡°Can you do both?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Sometimes.¡± Kelly said. ¡°It depends on the game. A lot of them will give you skill points as you level up and you can buy new skills or better skills. Some even let you buy levels for the skills themselves.¡±


    Arnold nodded and put the VR headset back on, then picked up the controllers.


    Kelly started the game and watched as Arnold did as she said. He went right to the nearby forest and used Chop Wood. A lot. She stopped counting when he reached a hundred. She had neglected to tell him to stop when he levelled the skill so he could unlock the next skill and make his swings more effective. She stood there and watched as his Chop Wood skill levelled up, over and over, for about ten minutes, and then it reached level ten and stopped.


    ¡°Some skills have limits to how far up they go, and some don''t. It depends on the game.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°What does Fortune''s Favour do?¡±


    ¡°The skills go up to ninety-nine.¡±


    Arnold opened up the skill tree and Kelly saw that he had six choices to choose from. He chose Speed Chop and then in five minutes had it levelled up to ten. He opened the skill tree again and saw that the original six choices now had become Speed options as well. He chose Speed Cleave and in three minutes had it to level ten, because fewer chops and faster chops made short work of the trees. When he checked the skill tree again, the options had changed to Power Speed variants.


    He''s destroying the trainer. Kelly thought in surprise.


    Arnold''s methodical mind figured out how to use the game''s own options to increase his efficiency to complete it faster. By the end of the first hour, he had levelled everything up to ten for the Wood skills and Kelly was blown away by that.


    It took me three days to complete those levels! Kelly thought. ¡°You''re amazing!¡± She said out loud.


    ¡°What''s next?¡± Arnold asked and saved his progress.


    Kelly popped the disc out and put in the third game. ¡°This one teaches you to train your stats.¡± She said. ¡°Most games have this in them, so that when you do certain tasks, your base stats increase.¡±


    Arnold waited for the game to load as Kelly talked.


    ¡°The difficult part is that a lot of games have different base stats. Strength is usually in a lot of them, as is Dexterity and Agility, because all games need those stats just for movement. The other stats can be a mix of pretty much anything they want. Speed, Power, Intelligence, Accuracy, Luck... you name it, it''s been a stat in a game somewhere.¡± Kelly chuckled. ¡°This game is... completely ridiculous.¡±


    A game world loaded in around Arnold and a popup appeared before him and it asked him if he wanted to look at his stats. He chose yes by swiping the controller at the popup and then a list of fifty items appeared in from of him.


    ¡°See? I told you.¡± Kelly laughed. ¡°Everything you do here can be trained and increase a base stat, so chose the tutorial option in the top right corner.¡±


    Arnold did so and then he was told and shown what to do to increase his Endurance by running. He followed the instructions and as he passed certain things, little flags popped up that said jump, duck, slide, punch, kick, and a few other things. He pushed the corresponding buttons when those flags appeared and his character did those options as he ran.


    When he was done of the Endurance tutorial, His Stamina had increased by thirty points and Strength, Agility, Dexterity, Acrobatics, Toughness, Combat Reflexes, and Dodge had increased by ten points each. When he hit the End Tutorial button, the world faded away and he reappeared back at the ''start'', where he had first appeared in the game.


    ¡°Now do it again without the tutorial.¡± Kelly said. ¡°The flags won''t be there to help you this time and the positions of things is different. You have to find the right places to do extra things on your own.¡±


    ¡°Is this a hard game?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Yes and no.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Finding and successfully doing all the extra things is really difficult, because it changes all the time, as do the button combinations needed.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Then again, you can just run through it and not do anything else and still increase your Stamina.¡±


    ¡°Do I have to run at full speed?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°No, it just makes it harder to jump things or slide under them, because you''re going slower.¡±


    Arnold nodded, gripped the controllers tightly, then ran at full speed.


    Kelly started to cheer him on when her phone beeped. She took it out and saw that Heather had texted her. She sighed when she read that it was about Arnold and his VR playing skills and not to talk to her or to see how she was doing.


    ''Arnold will be ready to play the game the day before graduation. We''re all going to be too busy during graduation to play games.'' Kelly typed back.


    ''What about the day after graduation?'' Heather texted back.


    ''He''s working at the college during the day. I can ask him if he wants to play that night.''


    ''Around what time?''


    ''Maybe around eight o''clock. He still has to set up a character, too.'' Kelly typed.


    ''Thanks a lot!'' Heather texted her. ''I''ll let Brad know! Bye!''


    Kelly looked at her phone and couldn''t quite believe Heather''s strange behaviour. She really let her emotions rule her actions and made some bad decisions. She thought and tucked her phone away and went back to watching Arnold''s performance on the screen.


    *


    ¡°The day after graduation.¡± Brad said with a smile and deleted the messages from Heather''s cell phone, then he tucked it back into her small purse.


    ¡°They didn''t have any onion rings.¡± Heather said a couple of minutes later as she walked back to the table in the mall''s food court. ¡°What kind of fast food place doesn''t have onion rings?¡± She asked rhetorically and sat down with her container of french fries. They were a bit soggy with too much gravy, so she only picked at them and ate the mostly dry ones.


    ¡°Places that lose money.¡± Brad said with a chuckle and his friends laughed.


    ¡°I can''t believe how hard it is to find a nice dress for prom.¡± Heather said. ¡°I need to look my best.¡±


    I''m pretty sure you could wear a paper bag and still turn heads at the prom. Brad thought. He kept it to himself, though. He would never say something that embarrassing out loud. His friends would make fun of him if he did. What he didn''t know was that Heather would have loved to hear a compliment like that, especially from him.


    ¡°We haven''t checked all the stores yet.¡± Eric said from the next table. ¡°You''re bound to find something good that will make you stand out at prom.¡± He smiled. ¡°You''re nominated for prom queen, after all.¡±


    ¡°She''s the only nomination.¡± Brad said, proudly.


    ¡°Guess who is going to be king?¡± Kevin said from beside him with a grin.


    ¡°Naw, no one even nominated me.¡± Brad said.


    ¡°We did.¡± Most of his friends responded.


    ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Brad looked at them.


    ¡°It''s a shoe-in.¡± Kevin said. ¡°The two of you are going to be the king and queen of the prom.¡±


    Brad couldn''t disappoint everyone by not having his queen dressed properly. ¡°Let''s find that dress.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Heather looked up from her half-eaten fries.


    ¡°You need to look gorgeous when we''re up on that stage together.¡± Brad said and stood. ¡°Guys, let''s go.¡±


    Everyone stood and in a rare show of affection, Brad held a hand out to her. Heather blinked her eyes at the change in his demeanor, then she smiled and took the hand as she stood. The whole group of them moved out of the food court and everyone moved out of the way at the determined looks in their eyes.


    *


    Kelly and Arnold took a break for supper and had a pleasant and enjoyable meal with Annie in the dining room. There wasn''t much talking, because Kelly knew Annie wasn''t interested in electronics at all, and they ate mostly in silence until they were done. All three of them cleared the table and rinsed the dishes to put them in the sink to be washed, then they washed their hands.


    ¡°Arnold, I need to talk to Kelly for a while. Why don''t you go back upstairs and play a game.¡±


    ¡°You need more practice with the magic casting one, then switch to Risk and Reward.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and went up the stairs.


    After a couple of minutes, Annie took Kelly into the living room and sat her down, then she started to tell her all about living with someone. She shared her own experiences with it and managed to not cry about it, and Kelly held her hand. When she moved on to Arnold, Kelly did her best to remember everything, because this was what she needed to know. His habits, his behaviour, and the things he did when he thought no one was around.


    Kelly had the distinct feeling that Annie was imparting essential knowledge to her and it gave her the feeling of responsibility that Annie had warned her about. She now knew the weight of what she was going to be responsible for and it scared her a little. Annie saw her reaction and gave her hand a squeeze.


    ¡°No, don''t be scared of it.¡± Annie said. ¡°You know how important it is, don''t you?¡±


    Kelly nodded. ¡°That''s why I''m scared.¡±


    Annie smiled. ¡°That was the difficult part of being responsible. Now I can tell you the best part.¡±


    Kelly took a breath and let it out.


    ¡°You get to love him unconditionally.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It''s all going to be on you. You will be guiding him into his life. You''re the one that sets his boundaries and tells him what to do and not to do. You are going to be in control.¡±


    ¡°That''s scary.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°But, don''t you see? You can hug him, and kiss him, and reward him however you see fit. He''s going to be yours, Kelly. All yours. Unlike me, you don''t have a built in intimacy barrier that keeps you apart.¡± Annie said. ¡°I know that sounds a little weird coming from his mother.¡±


    ¡°Really weird.¡± Kelly said, then she smiled. ¡°I think I know what you mean.¡±


    ¡°I gave him all of the love that a mother could while he was growing up, and now he needs another kind of love. One that will protect him just as well as my love did, except that this love will help him become the man he is supposed to be.¡± Annie looked into Kelly''s eyes. ¡°I know I''m kind of throwing all of this on you, and it''s a lot to take in...¡±


    ¡°No, I... it''s still scary, but... I think I understand.¡± Kelly said. ¡°He needs a partner. Someone to be there with him to help him live his life and that''s not really something a mother can do for her son.¡±


    ¡°Not once he reaches a certain age and learns about what he can do with girls.¡± Annie said in a teasing tone and Kelly''s face flushed red. ¡°I really am sorry that he didn''t meet you first.¡±


    ¡°I... I don''t know if I am.¡± Kelly said, to her surprise. ¡°I thought he was cold and a little creepy until he started dating Heather. I don''t know if I would have said yes if he asked me out then.¡±


    Annie gave her a stern look for a moment, then it softened and she nodded. ¡°At least you know how much he can change when he is with someone.¡± She said and pat her hand. ¡°Now I believe he''s with the right person and I can''t wait to see what he changes into.¡±


    Kelly sighed and nodded. ¡°I''ll do my best for him. I promise.¡±


    ¡°If you ever doubt that you are the right person, just ask yourself something.¡± Annie said and smiled. ¡°Would Heather have ever said anything like that about Arnold?¡±


    Kelly opened her mouth to say that she would, then she hesitated and thought about it. ¡°I think she would try.¡±


    ¡°Until she realized how much work it was going to be.¡± Annie said. ¡°What did you do? You accepted it and said it was scary. You didn''t say you couldn''t do it or tell me that you weren''t ready.¡±


    Kelly blushed again. ¡°Annie, I... I have to be ready. He needs me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he does, and I can''t thank you enough for being here.¡± Annie said and leaned over and gave her a hug. ¡°I really can''t thank you enough.¡±


    Tears came to Kelly''s eyes. ¡°You''re making me cry.¡±


    ¡°Happy tears are good tears.¡± Annie said and when she let go, her eyes were just as tear streaked. ¡°We need to clean up and then you can go back upstairs.¡±


    Kelly nodded and they used tissues to wipe at their faces, went to the kitchen sink to wash their hands and faces, then Kelly went up the stairs to Arnold''s room. She stayed out of his way and moved over to his bed and sat down to watch his progress. He went through Risk and Reward like it was a child''s game and she smiled.


    ¡°All right, Arnold.¡± Kelly said and he stopped playing and saved up his progress. ¡°Now for the test.¡± She said and took out a disc from the pile. ¡°This game is like a chopped off version of Fortune''s Favour. It''s only single player and doesn''t have all of the options, skills, or extensive magic system. We won''t have the internet until the day after graduation when we move, so we can''t practice multiplayer online games and this has to do for now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Oh! Before I forget.¡± Kelly said as she loaded the game. ¡°We have a date to fight Brad and his friends in Fortune''s Favour. It''s the day after graduation at eight o''clock at night.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and the game started.


    ¡°You''re not nervous about it, are you?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°No. You said I would have all the skills I needed by then.¡± Arnold said and then she watched as he started to play. The first thing he did was open all the options for magic, stats, and skills to check and see what they contained, then he started to do the things necessary to raise them. All of them.


    Instead of blazing through the game like Kelly thought he would, Arnold never left the starting area and kept working like a machine for hours. He did everything he possibly could within the limited area and Kelly was quite surprised at his diligence and how well he raised up his stats and skills. Even she hadn''t thought about staying in the easy area to only work on her stats, mainly because it was mind-numbing and boring.


    Arnold didn''t care about that, though. He played and increased his stats and kept playing.


    ¡°Time for bed.¡± Annie said from the doorway. She had watched Arnold playing and didn''t understand what he was doing by jumping and punching and running all over the small area. Arnold stopped and saved his progress, then put the controllers down and took off the headset. He walked over to Kelly and gave her a hug and a kiss.


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Kelly said and watched him leave his own room. She felt bad about having him sleep on the couch, then she looked at Annie. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    Annie gave her a warm smile. ¡°Goodnight.¡± She said and shut the door.

 51 Airing Things Out

    The next day, Kelly was the first to wake up and went across the hallway and had a shower. She did it quickly and was back across the hall and in Arnold''s room twenty minutes later. It was Monday and it wasn''t a school day, so she slipped on her underwear, a pair of jogging pants, and a baggy t-shirt. It was her comfy outfit for relaxing in and she was going to do that today.


    Kelly left the room and went down the stairs to see how Arnold had slept. It had been her first night in the house and she had been pleasantly surprised that she had slept well. When she entered the living room, Arnold was tucked under a blanket and laid on his side. His eyes were closed and he breathed slowly, so she knew he was still asleep. She glanced at the time and saw that it was really early, so she had quite some time before he woke up.


    For some reason, Kelly felt like she needed to take up that last bit of space in front of him. She didn''t try to fight that feeling and walked over to the couch and kept her eyes on him. He didn''t wake, so she very carefully sat down in front of him, then laid down in a similar pose as his on her side, except that she was on top of the blanket. After a moment, she took in a deep breath and let it out and closed her eyes. She drifted off to sleep before she realized it and didn''t wake when Arnold''s arm reached around and held onto her.


    Half an hour later, Annie came down the stairs after her shower and went into the living room to check on Arnold to see if he was okay. It looks like someone already beat me to it. She thought at the sight of a fully dressed Kelly as she lay on the blanket Arnold was under. At least she didn''t try to climb in with him. She smiled and went to the kitchen. She made a quick breakfast while she watched a tiny television on the counter.


    Kelly woke up with a bit of a jerk and tense muscles. She hadn''t meant to fall asleep and looked at the clock to see that an hour and a half had passed. She started to move and felt the arm around her waist tighten.


    Wait! There''s an arm around me! Kelly thought in surprise and looked down at her waist. She saw Arnold''s arm and she turned her head to look behind herself at his face... and he was looking right at her. ¡°G-good m-morning.¡± She stuttered.


    Arnold gave her a quick kiss. ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°We should get up.¡± Kelly said.


    Since it wasn''t an order, Arnold closed his eyes and went back to sleep.


    Kelly thought about telling him to wake up, then let out a sigh and turned back to face front and closed her own eyes. I wanted to relax anyway. She thought and drifted off to sleep.


    Annie had heard them talking and went to see if they were ready for breakfast, then saw they were back asleep. She held in her chuckle and went back to the kitchen. She was glad that she had everything ready to be heated again, that way when the two sleepyheads finally woke up, they would have a hot breakfast.


    Kelly woke again two hours later and let out a loud yawn. Great, now I''m overtired. She thought, held onto the arm around her, and went back to sleep. Arnold had woken at the sound of her yawn, then he felt her hug his arm and stop moving. He took the cue that she wasn''t getting up to let him up, so he stayed there under the blanket and went back to sleep, too.


    Annie checked on them again and softly chuckled. I guess Kelly is just going to relax today. She thought and went back to the kitchen. Actually, that''s a pretty good idea. She pulled the pan off of the stove and made sure everything was off, then went back up the stairs. She had already made the bed, so she grabbed a romance paperback book from the nightstand and climbed on top of the covers.


    *


    Kelly''s parents were a little worried at the thought of their daughter spending the night at her boyfriend''s place, even under Annie''s strict supervision. They had gotten up early and packed a bunch of things for her, as an excuse to visit so soon, then her father loaded the car up and they both drove over to Annie''s place. It was two in the afternoon when they pulled into the driveway and parked next to the lone car there.


    ¡°I''ll go.¡± Katheryn said and climbed out of the car and walked up to the front door. She thought about ringing the doorbell, then shrugged and knocked on the solid wooden door.


    *


    Kelly woke with a start again and looked around. ¡°What time...¡± She looked at the clock and saw that she had slept a good portion of the day away. ¡°I wanted to relax all day, not sleep through it.¡± She said with a chuckle and pat Arnold''s arm. ¡°You can let me go now. I have to answer the door.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold let her go.


    Kelly sat up and looked into his eyes. ¡°Thank you for holding me all morning.¡± She said and gave him a kiss, then she stood up and went to the front door. She looked out the window and was surprised by what she saw. ¡°Mom!¡± She exclaimed as she opened the door.


    ¡°Hello, dear.¡± Katheryn said. ¡°We''re sorry to just stop in unannounced like this. Annie said that you wanted to get a few more things moved in today, didn''t she?¡±


    ¡°Yes, right.¡± Kelly said. So much for relaxing today. She thought and came out to the car. ¡°Hi, Dad.¡±


    Kenneth nodded to his daughter and picked up a big box. ¡°Where do you want this?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Um, the living room for now, I guess. We haven''t packed Arnold''s things yet.¡± Kelly said.


    Kenneth walked over to the house and his wife held the door for him and he went inside. He easily found the living room and put down the first box as he saw Arnold, who stood beside the couch with a pillow and blanket on it.


    ¡°Yes, he sleeps on the couch.¡± Kelly said and put another box on top of the one her father had brought in. ¡°Even though the bed is big, Annie said that even though she knew nothing would happen, she didn''t want us sharing it for the first night, just in case.¡±


    ¡°E-e-excuse me?¡± Kenneth said. ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I said Annie knew nothing would happen until I say it does.¡± Kelly said, intentionally emphasizing the point she wanted to make, namely that Annie trusted her, and she walked out of the room to go and get the next box.


    Kenneth watched his daughter with surprise on his face.


    Arnold walked over to him. ¡°Stop hurting her.¡±


    ¡°I''m... not.¡± Kenneth said. ¡°She''s my daughter and...¡±


    ¡°You made her cry a lot.¡± Arnold said.


    Kenneth wasn''t sure how to respond to that. He thought about saying his wife had cried a lot because of it, too. ¡°It''s all because she''s dating you and not listening to us.¡± He said instead.


    ¡°This isn''t the time to talk about this.¡± Kelly said as she came into the room with another box. ¡°There''s stuff to do.¡±


    Arnold nodded and followed her out of the room. Kenneth followed them as well and helped carry everything in. When they had all of it in the living room, both of Kelly''s parents came in to sit down. Arnold quickly folded up the blanket and tossed both it and the pillow onto a nearby chair and sat down in front of it, then Kelly''s parents sat on the couch.


    ¡°Annie? Can you come in now?¡± Kelly asked. ¡°You don''t have to stand by and watch with my parents here.¡±


    Annie chuckled as she came into the room. ¡°I''m so easily spotted.¡± She said and sat down in the other chair. ¡°I assume you want to say something?¡±


    Kelly nodded. ¡°I''m putting a stop to the ''we''re just dropping by'' tactic my parents just used.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t want them coming here during the week. It defeats the whole purpose of me trying to live with someone else if they show up at random times.¡±


    ¡°That''s not what we were going to do.¡± Kenneth said.


    ¡°Dad, you just did it.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I bet you and mom didn''t even look at the things you packed, did you?¡±


    Katheryn''s face flushed red and her father didn''t say anything.


    ¡°Now I have to go through everything myself to see what I can use and then repack it.¡± Kelly said with a sigh. ¡°I know you thought you would be helping; but, all you did was make twice as much work for me, and this was supposed to be a day for me to relax.¡±


    ¡°Ha! I knew that''s what you were doing.¡± Annie said. ¡°You didn''t even get up to have breakfast.¡±


    ¡°I fell asleep and then woke up, realized I was overtired and went back to sleep.¡± Kelly chuckled. ¡°I looked at the clock and didn''t clue in at all that I had missed breakfast.¡±


    ¡°It''s still in the pan on the stove.¡± Annie said with a grin. ¡°Are you hungry? It''s only about six hours old.¡±


    Kelly laughed. ¡°No, I''m pretty sure it passed the edible point an hour ago.¡±


    ¡°No doubt.¡± Annie said. ¡°Are sandwiches okay? I can have half a dozen ready in a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°I think we can wait until my parents leave.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Kelly...¡± Her mother started to say.


    ¡°Mom, I love you and you''ve always been there for me... until now.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I finally found a serious boyfriend, one that I was comfortable with and didn''t make me feel bad about myself, and the first thing you did was try to tease him.¡± She said and her mother blushed. ¡°That hurt me, Mom. A lot.¡± She sighed. ¡°I know you think you are trying to protect me... and I have to admit that you would be... if Arnold wasn''t who he is.¡±


    ¡°I don''t understand.¡± Katheryn said.


    ¡°I know you don''t, Mom. That''s the point. You needed to talk to me like you always used to. I needed to know you were there for me, and all I got from you... and Dad... was a silly act and distrust.¡±


    ¡°That''s not true.¡± Kenneth said.


    ¡°I wish I had recorded it all, just so I could show you the truth, Dad.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I couldn''t believe the things you both did, and all because Arnold dated Heather first.¡± She looked at her mother and then her father. ¡°So, no more unexpected visits to check up on me during the week. Annie won''t even open the door.¡±


    Katheryn caught her breath and looked at Annie.


    ¡°I''m sure you can call her cell phone whenever you want in the evenings, since you can do that while she''s in college, too.¡± Annie said. ¡°If she doesn''t want you visiting during the week, then I have to respect her wishes.¡±


    Katheryn let out a sigh. ¡°I''m sorry I messed things up so much.¡± She said and looked at Arnold. ¡°I''m sorry that I tried to test you. I just wanted to see if you would cheat on my daughter.¡±


    ¡°That''s okay. I like taking tests.¡± Arnold said.


    Katheryn blinked her eyes for a moment as she thought about her tests, then she blushed and turned her head away to try and hide it.


    ¡°So, is that it?¡± Annie asked. ¡°Is everything okay now?¡±


    ¡°Considering you didn''t get to rant and rave at them, I guess so.¡± Kelly said with a smirk.


    ¡°Good god, I was so angry!¡± Annie laughed. ¡°If you hadn''t come out that day to stop me, I swear I could have peeled the paint off of the walls with my scathing remarks!¡±


    Kelly laughed, took a deep breath, then let out a long sigh. ¡°It cost me another week of being grounded.¡± She said and looked at Arnold, then back at Annie. ¡°It was worth it, because I didn''t want to lose you. Either of you.¡±


    Annie nodded and stood up. ¡°Let''s have some sandwiches to celebrate not yelling at each other.¡±


    ¡°I''ll help.¡± Kelly said and stood up. ¡°Mom, do you want to help, too?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Katheryn exclaimed and her blush didn''t fade as she stood. ¡°Yes, I do. Thank you.¡±


    The three women went to the kitchen and left the two men alone in the living room.


    ¡°Have you had sex with my daughter?¡± Kenneth asked in a low whisper.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Are you going to have sex with her after prom on Friday?¡±


    ¡°Prom?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°It''s the formal dance they have after graduation.¡± Kenneth said. ¡°Didn''t you know that?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Am I supposed to have sex with her after prom?¡±


    Kenneth wasn''t sure how to answer that. He knew that a lot of students got together just to have sex after prom; but, he didn''t want his daughter to be one of them. As he thought about it, the three women came back into the living room. Before he could speak again, Arnold beat him to it.


    ¡°Mom, am I supposed to have sex with Kelly after prom?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°PROM!¡± Kelly gasped and dropped the plate of sandwiches. The plate broke and the sandwiches scattered a couple of feet away across the floor. ¡°I totally forgot about prom!¡±


    ¡°It''s all right.¡± Her mother said and took her into a hug. ¡°We''ve got three days to plan.¡±


    Annie walked over to Arnold. ¡°Having sex is a choice between two people and not something that any event, no matter how important, can trigger.¡± She said. ¡°That would be like making an appointment to do it, and that removes all the romance and the significance.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°We''ll need to head out to look for a dress right away.¡± Katheryn said. ¡°I don''t know if we''ll find a really nice one this late, though.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t worry about that.¡± Annie said with a smile and turned to face them as she put an arm over Arnold''s shoulders.


    ¡°What? Why not?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°I''m tempted to tease you and tell you to wait.¡± Annie said and gave her son a hug. ¡°Stay here. If you hear a scream, just this one time it is because someone was shocked and it''s not them being afraid.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie walked over to Kelly and Katheryn. ¡°Come with me. I have something to show you.¡±


    The three women left the living room and went up the stairs.


    ¡°Your mother gives great advice.¡± Kenneth said, to try and reinforce her words about waiting and not having sex after prom.


    Arnold only nodded and didn''t say anything, because he was waiting to hear a scream. A few moments later, he heard what could only be called a blood-curdling scream. Kenneth lurched to his feet and started to turn, then he felt a hand grip his arm and actually stopped him.


    ¡°You heard my Mom. She said to stay here.¡± Arnold said.


    Kenneth thought about trying to pull away, then decided it wasn''t worth potentially hurting Kelly''s boyfriend, not right after he and his wife had made up with their daughter. He turned back and sat down on the couch instead.

 52 Graduation

    Annie and Katheryn led a completely stunned Kelly down the stairs and to the living room. They sat her down on the couch next to her father and she had a slightly opened mouth and wide eyes. She didn''t speak and Annie grabbed a broom and dust pan to clean up the scattered sandwiches and plate pieces.


    ¡°I''ll help with that.¡± Katheryn said and to Annie''s surprise, she picked up the sandwich remains.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Annie said and swept up the ceramic shards into the dustpan. ¡°I''ll do a better clean up later when no one is around. You know there are pieces of it under the furniture.¡±


    Katheryn nodded and they carried the mess into the kitchen and disposed of it properly. The two of them made more sandwiches and then went back into the living room to hand them out. Kenneth had his arm over Kelly''s shoulders and she still had a far away look on her face.


    ¡°What did you do to her?¡± Kenneth asked and accepted a sandwich.


    ¡°Apparently, I gave her a bigger shock than I thought I was going to.¡± Annie said with a smile and took a sandwich and gave one to Arnold. ¡°Despite the way she normally dresses, she appreciates fashion when she sees it.¡±


    Katheryn chuckled and handed her daughter a sandwich. Kelly took it and ate it mechanically and didn''t react to the taste at all, just like Arnold.


    ¡°Don''t worry, she''ll be fine.¡± Katheryn said and sat down on the other side of her daughter and took a sandwich as well. ¡°She''s going to look perfect at prom.¡±


    The five of them ate lunch, with Arnold and Kenneth eating two sandwiches each.


    ¡°I think we should wait until tomorrow to move over more things.¡± Annie said. ¡°Let''s give Kelly a few hours to adjust.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± Katheryn said and stood. ¡°My husband and I will stop imposing for today and we will see you both tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t mean you had to leave right now.¡± Annie chuckled.


    Katheryn smiled and waved for her husband to stand. ¡°We don''t want to push our luck.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Annie said. ¡°Thank you for coming over.¡± She led Kelly''s parents out of the room and to the front door. ¡°I''m really glad that you made up with Kelly.¡±


    ¡°We are, too.¡± Katheryn said. ¡°Things just spiralled out of control and no matter what we did, it just seemed to make it worse.¡±


    Annie laughed. ¡°Oh, I''ve been there. I remember one time when Gerald...¡± She caught her breath and tears came to her eyes before she could stop them.


    Katheryn produced a tissue and dabbed at her eyes before the tears fell, then gave her a hug. ¡°I''m sorry for your loss.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Annie said and briefly hugged her back. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡±


    Kelly''s parents left and Annie went back to the living room.


    ¡°Arnold, give me a hand looking under the furniture for any other pieces of the broken plate.¡± Annie said.


    Arnold tipped up the chairs and Annie swept under them to get a few shards, then they moved Kelly to one of the chairs and Arnold tilted up the couch for Annie.


    ¡°I knew there was a big piece missing.¡± Annie said and picked up a v-shaped chunk of ceramic. ¡°Imagine stepping on this in the middle of the night.¡± She shook her head and swept the floor. ¡°I''ll have to wash the floor again later.¡±


    ¡°I''ll help.¡± Kelly said and Annie and Arnold turned to look at her. ¡°I''m sorry I dropped the plate.¡±


    Annie put the dust pan and broom aside and gave her a brief hug. ¡°Don''t worry about it. It was only worth a few dollars.¡±


    Kelly sighed. ¡°I was just so shocked I had completely forgotten about prom.¡±


    ¡°To be fair, you have been a little preoccupied with a few things lately.¡± Annie joked and Kelly smiled.


    ¡°Now I''ve got prom as well.¡± Kelly said and looked around. ¡°Wait, where are my parents?¡±


    ¡°They just left.¡± Annie said. ¡°We''ll see them tomorrow when we go and get more of your things.¡±


    Kelly nodded. ¡°Okay, let''s get the floor cleaned and then I''ll...¡±


    ¡°...get back on the couch and relax.¡± Annie finished for her.


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Arnold, Kelly needs some good cuddling for a while after we clean the floor.¡± Annie said and her son nodded, then the three of them quickly washed the floor. ¡°I''m going back upstairs to read.¡± She said and left them alone.


    Arnold sat down on the couch and held his arms out to Kelly. She sat down beside him and he put his arms around her to cuddle her and pulled her in close. She let out a sigh and turned her head to look at him. She didn''t see any expectation on his face and his hands didn''t roam or take liberties.


    Kelly''s mind warred between her need for control and her desire for him to touch her unbidden. She knew that if she told him to touch her, he would, and if she told him to stop, he would. That was a potent power to have over someone and she didn''t want to abuse that power. She didn''t realize that was why Annie liked her so much, because she knew the responsibility Arnold came with and that she still wanted the best for him and not for herself.


    Kelly gave him a quick kiss and picked up the remote for the television. They watched it without actually watching it and Arnold gave her all the cuddles she could ever want.


    The next day, Annie and Kelly went to pick up more of her things. Her parents helped and she told them that she wasn''t taking everything, since she would be back on the weekends. They packed up what she wanted, including her computer and VR setup, and brought it back to Annie''s house. Arnold helped her unload everything and they stored it in the living room.


    ¡°I guess that''s it.¡± Kelly said and her face became sad. ¡°I really moved away from home.¡±


    Arnold put his arms around her and gave her a kiss. ¡°Welcome home.¡±


    Kelly caught her breath and looked into his eyes, and he stared right back at her. ¡°Th-thank you.¡±


    ¡°Come on, lovebirds.¡± Annie laughed. ¡°I''ve had supper slow cooking all day and it should be so tender that it melts in your mouth.¡±


    The three of them went into the kitchen and Annie took a large roast pan out of the oven. She took off the cover and a delicious chicken smell filled the kitchen.


    ¡°If it tastes half as good as it smells, it''s going to taste great.¡± Kelly said.


    Annie grabbed a couple of large forks and started to lift the chicken out of the roast pan... and then most of the meat, the wings, and the legs slid right off of the bird and back into the pan. She looked at the skeleton she held and then looked into the pan, then she laughed.


    ¡°I think I let it cook just a little too long.¡± Annie said. ¡°It''s so tender it can''t even hold onto the bones!¡±


    Kelly reached in to pick up a leg and the bone slipped right out of it, and she laughed, too. ¡°I think we need a strainer.¡±


    ¡°At least the gravy is going to be extra tasty.¡± Annie said and they picked out the largest pieces of meat carefully, so it didn''t break apart any more, then she strained the rest into a large pot. It took a while to pick all of the bones and cartilage out of the strained meat, then Annie decided to skip making the gravy and potatoes and made rice instead. Rather than have it as a side dish, she just used a bigger pot and tossed the chicken meat right into the rice and stirred it up.


    The three of them ate and Kelly was surprised that it still tasted good after cooking the chicken had gone so wrong. Afterwards, she watched as Annie skimmed the fat and grease from the pot of drippings, then she poured the drippings into plastic containers and labelled them before she put them into the refrigerator''s freezer for later use to make gravy.


    Kelly and Arnold spent the evening cuddled on the couch and Annie left them alone. Nothing happened between them, except the occasional random kiss, and then Kelly went upstairs to go to sleep and Arnold made up his bed on the couch and went to bed, too.


    The next day passed and Kelly helped Arnold practice gaming, then that night she started to feel nervous. They only had one more day and then it was graduation, then that night it was the prom. Her mother had called and they had a beauty appointment after graduation for her to get ready, then she would come back to Annie''s house to get dressed. She knew she shouldn''t be nervous, because she knew Arnold wouldn''t do anything to pressure her for sex. They had cuddled on the couch every night and he still hadn''t groped her, not even by ''accident''.


    Kelly lay in bed and was both happy and frustrated by that, because it would be so much easier if he did touch her by accident. She wouldn''t have to think about it and it could just happen; but, she knew he didn''t think like that. He wasn''t manipulative like that and would only touch her if she asked him to, and she loved him for that.


    Kelly stiffened up. I really do love him. She thought, then she felt a deep warmth in her heart. It moved to her chest and then down lower to her abdomen. She hugged herself and rolled over onto her side. I love him.


    The next day passed in a blur and then it was graduation day. Too many things were going on for Kelly to keep track of everything, so she left it all to her mother and Annie. It was a bit of a relief to not have to think about things for a while and she just went where they told her and did what they said. She got dressed when told to and ate when given food, then they were all in their cars and had driven to the school.


    I wonder if this is what Arnold feels like all the time? Kelly asked herself and she turned her head to look at him to ask. Arnold was beside her and turned to look at her, then without being asked, he leaned close and gave her a kiss.


    ¡°Gather around now.¡± The vice-principal said and waved the graduating class forward. ¡°You''re going to be put in alphabetical order by last name, then you''re going to promenade around the outside of the gym and sit in the front rows. A''s to Z''s, with the Z''s in the last empty row. Stay in order, please. You will be called to the stage to accept your diploma and you will NOT show off.¡± She said and glared briefly at Brad and his group of friends. ¡°Yes, you.¡±


    Brad chuckled and his friends laughed.


    ¡°All right. Let''s go.¡± The vice-principal said and read a list as she started calling names and pointed towards the gym doors. She paused briefly when she reached the S''s and read Arnold Strickland''s name, then continued. The students were sorted just in time as the music inside started playing. The doors opened and the students filed in, almost in a military march, and did the promenade around the gymnasium.


    Parents and friends shouted and clapped from their seats on the bleachers. Some took pictures and other recorded video, then all the students sat in their assigned seats. The vice-principal went up on the stage and spoke to a man that Arnold had never met. The principal approached the podium and said a fairly long-winded speech about the importance of education and the future of the country was in their hands.


    Two more people, the school board administrator and the secretary for the minister of education, stood and made speeches as well. After that, the principal took the podium again and started calling names and giving out diplomas. It took a while, because Arnold was a part of the largest graduating class the school had seen in a long time.


    When Kelly''s name was called, her father and mother stood up and shouted and clapped, so Arnold did that too, which surprised everyone. Kelly''s face was bright red as she stepped onto the stage and accepted her diploma. She gave a quick wave to her parents and walked off the stage to return to her seat. Soon it was Arnold''s turn and when he took the stage, a lone voice rang out across the gym.


    ¡°YOU DID IT!¡± Annie yelled as she jumped to her feet, and several people laughed. She knew that no one else realized what an accomplishment it was for Arnold to have survived high school. She had been so careful with him and guided him as much as she could, then her eyes roamed over the other students and met Kelly''s smiling face. Maybe one other person knows. She thought with a nod and sat back down.


    The vice-principal took the podium when all of the students had received their diplomas. ¡°You all did very well to make it this far.¡± She said and looked over the students. ¡°I''d like to congratulate all of you personally; but, I don''t have a few spare days to do that.¡± She said and a few people laughed. It really was the biggest class of graduates they ever had. ¡°What I can do, is personally thank the top students. When I call your name, please come up to the stage.¡± She said and took out a note card. ¡°Billy Gardel, Kelly Kendall, Joanne Robichette, and Arnold Strickland.¡±


    There were several yells and shouts of surprise, especially from Kelly''s parents. The four students came up on the stage and the vice-principal shook their hands and whispered words of encouragement and some platitudes, until she took Arnold''s hand. She leaned in and whispered something in his ear that only he could hear over the ambient noise of the crowd.


    The vice-principal let his hand go and saw his slight nod, then she smiled at him and went back to the podium. ¡°Normally, the valedictorian is the student that has the best academic record in the school, which usually means they have the highest grade point average. In this case, we have four students with more than a 4.0 average.¡±


    The crowd''s murmurs and whispers were quite loud after that.


    ¡°After conferring with the teachers and taking a lot of other factors into consideration, including attendance...¡±


    A lone shout of ''No!'' responded.


    ¡°...this year''s valedictorian is Joanne Robichette.¡± The vice-principal said and started a round of applause for her. ¡°If you would, please say a few words to the graduating class.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Joanne said as she took the podium. ¡°Teachers, alumni, fellow graduates, friends and family, and a bunch of other people that I don''t know...¡±


    Several laughs responded.


    ¡°...it''s a great honor for me to represent this school in...¡± Joanne gave a well prepared speech, which meant that she must have known beforehand and it wasn''t just thrown on her at the last minute. No one really caught onto that, except for the teachers and alumni. When she finished speaking, a lot of the students stood and tossed their hats into the air. Cameras flashed to take a picture and people cheered.


    ¡°Didn''t I say to not cause trouble?¡± The vice-principal said and most of the students laughed as they scrambled and tried to get their hats back. ¡°I now hand the podium back to our illustrious principal.¡±


    ¡°You''re still not getting a raise.¡± The principal said and a faint ''dammit'' was heard, which made most of the crowd laugh. ¡°This was a fantastic year and I am so very proud that you have all graduated. You will be embarking on your lives from here on out, so I wish you good luck, good health, and happiness.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°Now that you are no longer students under my care, I have no problems saying this.¡± He gave them all a huge smile. ¡°Get out of my school! You are all trespassing!¡±


    The crowd and most of the students laughed, and only a few people saw Arnold walk over to the stairs. He made his way through the bustling students and the crowd of people around them, then found his mother. She hugged him and started to say that she was very proud of him and he held her and started to walk back through the crowd. By the time Annie finished gushing, he had her out the side door of the gym and outside.


    ¡°Arnold, what''s wrong?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°We were trespassing.¡± Arnold said, then the door behind them opened.


    Kelly and her parents came out and Kelly gave him a hug. ¡°The principal was making a joke, even though it''s true.¡± She explained to him. ¡°We are trespassing, since only students are permitted inside the school most times.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you left so quickly?¡± Kelly''s mother asked.


    ¡°We have an exception for tonight at the prom, so don''t worry about that.¡± Kelly said and he nodded.


    ¡°We need to go and get ready.¡± Kelly''s mother said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Kelly said and gave Arnold another hug and then a kiss. ¡°I''ll be back at the house by seven.¡±


    They left just as the rest of the students and their families came out several of the side doors, so Annie and Arnold left, too.

 53 Prom

    Annie took Arnold home and since all he had to do was get dressed, which would only take ten to fifteen minutes, they had several hours to waste until he had to get ready. He and his mother settled down on the couch with Annie sitting up and Arnold with his head on her lap to watch television.


    ¡°Arnold, I''m tempted to tell you exactly what you should say to Kelly when you see her all dressed up tonight.¡± Annie said and he looked up at her. ¡°I''m not going to.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I want you to figure it out on your own.¡±


    ¡°What if I say the wrong thing?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°It might hurt her feelings, or she might understand that you tried, or she could thank you.¡± Annie said.


    Arnold stayed quiet as he thought about it.


    ¡°I can''t leave you completely in the dark about it, so I''ll give you one hint.¡± Annie said. ¡°It can''t be a compliment that she''s heard from you before.¡±


    Arnold nodded and turned his head to watch television.


    I hope that wasn''t too vague for him. Annie thought and started to rub his chest. I really should tell him everything he should say, just so he doesn''t mess things up. ¡°Arnold, I...¡±


    ¡°I''ll get it.¡± Arnold said without looking at her.


    Annie nodded and they watched television together for several hours until it was time to get ready. They both went up the stairs and Arnold took a quick shower to freshen up and then when he went into his room, Annie was there with a large dry cleaning bag.


    ¡°This should fit you.¡± Annie said and opened the bag to reveal an odd suit. It had black dress pants, a pitch black shirt, a white suit jacket that had a flower brocade pattern on the shoulders with black lapels, and a traditional long white tie that also had a flower brocade pattern on it. ¡°Your father wore this at our senior prom.¡±


    Arnold quickly dressed in the pants and shirt, which gave him a more mature air for some reason, especially when he tugged on the cuffs to pull them straight to match.


    ¡°Now the tie.¡± Annie said and quickly put the tie around his neck and showed Arnold how to tie it to get the right sized Windsor knot to fit the style of jacket. There was a quick knock on the front door and then the sound of some scuffling feet.


    ¡°We''re back!¡± Katheryn said loudly.


    Annie went to Arnold''s door and leaned out. ¡°It''s up here on my bed!¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Annie shut the door and went back to Arnold and helped him put on the suit jacket. She adjusted it and buttoned the two buttons on the front, then tugged it down straight. She ran her hands down the front to smooth it out, then did the same to the back. They both heard a couple of people walk near the door and then a door shut.


    ¡°I''m so glad that this fits perfectly.¡± Annie said. ¡°I was a bit worried that it might need to be altered, especially the leg length.¡±


    Arnold looked down and saw they were almost touching the floor.


    ¡°Your shoes will hide that and give you an extra inch and a half in height.¡± Annie said and took the shoes out of the closet. She used a cloth to give them a quick wipe to remove the dust and they shined in the light. Arnold put them on and tied them and stood in front of his mother.


    ¡°You look so handsome.¡± Annie said and tears came to her eyes.


    ¡°I love you, mom.¡± Arnold said and gave her a quick kiss and hugged her.


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Annie said and he let her go. ¡°Let''s go downstairs to wait.¡±


    ¡°I need to use the bathroom.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Okay, but be careful of the suit.¡± Annie said and they left the room. She went downstairs and Arnold went into the bathroom. He didn''t use it like she thought, though. He took out his phone and searched for something for a couple of minutes, nodded and turned it off, then went downstairs to wait. Kelly''s father was there in the living room and was waiting as well.


    It took twenty minutes for them to hear something, then Annie waved for Arnold to go stand at the bottom of the stairs. He did so and Kelly''s mom came down the stairs in a rush with a long lace shawl over her shoulder. She took out her cell phone and set it to record.


    Then Kelly came down the stairs.


    The first thing they saw was the four foot wide bottom of the white dress. It was puffed out with fabric to make the circular shape and had a ridge of the same flower brocade pattern along the edge. At her waist was a white belt that matched Arnold''s tie, even with the thick and thin ends that hung down. Her torso was covered in a tulle lace with the same flower brocade pattern. The dress was tight against her body, almost like a corset, and the preformed chest piece held her chest steady as she came down the stairs.


    A normal piece of lace covered the top of her breasts and went to her neck in a triangle shape to a one inch collar. It left her shoulders and arms completely bare and her hair was done up into a fancy hairdo that had some baby''s breath and white flowers tucked into it. Kelly walked down the stairs with both poise and confidence, which made her look very classy.


    When she reached the bottom, she did her best to not blush at the attention and also tried to ignore her desperate need for Arnold to say something. It could be anything, anything at all, then he spoke.


    ¡°You look amazing.¡± Arnold said. ¡°For the rest of my life, I''m going to remember this moment, because it was the moment that I saw the most beautiful creature in the whole world.¡±


    Annie and Katheryn took in sharp breaths, for slightly different reasons. Annie was surprised that he had come up with the perfect compliment and Katheryn because it was a fantastic compliment and described her daughter perfectly.


    Kelly''s face flushed red and tears came to her eyes. ¡°Arnold, thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°Kelly, you can''t cry so much.¡± Katheryn said and darted forward with a tissue and dabbed her daughter''s eyes before the tears fell. ¡°You need to be careful of your make-up, so keep this on you in case it happens again.¡± She said and tucked the tissue into the edge of her belt.


    ¡°Thanks, Mom.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Pictures!¡± Annie said excitedly and took them into the living room. She used an actual camera and took several pictures of Arnold and Kelly.


    ¡°Oh! The corsage!¡± Katheryn said and left the living room and came back in with a one foot wide box. ¡°Here we go.¡± She said and opened the box and handed a boutonniere to Kelly and then a wrist corsage to Arnold. ¡°Let me record it while you exchange them!¡±


    ¡°Open it and put it on my wrist.¡± Kelly whispered to Arnold.


    Arnold opened the plastic container and took out the large orchid that was on an elastic strap and put it on her wrist, then Kelly took the pin from the orchid boutonniere and slipped it into the lapel of Arnold''s suit coat and pinned it to itself to hold it in place.


    ¡°That''s so beautiful.¡± Annie said and she wiped at her own eyes. ¡°We had red carnations at my prom and it looked horrible!¡±


    Katheryn laughed. ¡°Yellow chrysanthemums for us! The shop got the orders mixed up.¡±


    ¡°It took us half the dance to find the couple that had our flowers.¡± Kenneth said and shook his head.


    ¡°At least we had a good time doing it.¡± Katheryn said and gave her husband a knowing smile.


    ¡°We should take a few pictures outside!¡± Annie said excitedly.


    ¡°We can''t.¡± Kelly said and looked at the clock. ¡°We need to go.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Annie and Katheryn said at the same time and looked.


    ¡°It''s that late already?¡± Annie asked, surprised.


    ¡°I''ll start the car.¡± Kenneth said and then paused next to Kelly. ¡°You know I don''t like saying things like this to my own daughter.¡± He said and gave her a brief hug that didn''t wrinkle the dress. ¡°You look beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Th-thanks, Dad.¡± Kelly said and kissed his cheek, then she had to grab for the tissue in her belt and tried to wipe off his face.


    ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± Kenneth said and smiled. ¡°Battle wounds can be treated later.¡±


    Kelly chuckled and put the tissue away. ¡°Only you would think complimenting your daughter and getting a kiss is a battle!¡±


    ¡°It''s one of the hardest.¡± Kenneth chuckled and left the living room and went out the front door.


    Annie discretely handed Arnold some money and whispered. ¡°Take this in case you decide to go with your friends to eat afterwards.¡±


    Arnold nodded and gave her a hug and a kiss. ¡°Thanks, Mom.¡±


    ¡°Call me when you want to come home.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°I can''t believe dad agreed to that.¡± Kelly said and she took Arnold''s hand.


    ¡°We have a date.¡± Kelly''s mom smiled. ¡°We''re eating dinner out and everything.¡±


    ¡°Have fun.¡± Kelly said and gave her mom a one arm hug, then led Arnold from the room.


    ¡°Kelly!¡± Katheryn said and followed her daughter to the front door and draped the lace shawl over her daughter''s shoulders. ¡°There! Now you''re ready to stun everyone!¡±


    Kelly blushed a little and she and Arnold went outside to her father''s car. It took a little adjustment to get her and the dress inside the car, then they were off to the school. Annie and Katheryn stood just inside the front door and watched the car drive away.


    ¡°Annie.¡± Katheryn said and turned to the other woman. ¡°I can''t thank you enough for letting Kelly wear that beautiful dress.¡±


    ¡°It''s been sitting in my closet for about twenty-five years, since I only wore it once.¡± Annie said and shut the front door. ¡°It seemed like such a shame to let that continue.¡±


    ¡°You know how much of a relief it was to not have to search for a dress so late.¡± Katheryn said and touched her arm. ¡°Plus, it''s a fantastic dress. I''m really grateful and so is Kelly.¡±


    ¡°She let out a nice scream when she saw it, didn''t she?¡± Annie asked. ¡°I was deaf in my left ear for half an hour.¡±


    Katheryn laughed. ¡°I could be about half that loud if I tried.¡±


    Annie nodded agreement. ¡°Would you like to have some tea? Kenneth is going to be a while dropping them off.¡±


    ¡°That sounds nice.¡± Katheryn said. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    They shared small talk while Katheryn enjoyed a particularly delicious cup of tea.


    *


    Kenneth seriously debated having a talk with Arnold before they went into the prom. He knew Kelly wouldn''t like that, especially since it would be more bluster than actual threat. He had made that mistake before and he didn''t want her angry at him again, so he fought his instincts and stayed quiet. He drove them to the school and had to stop half a block away, because there were so many cars and well dressed people walking all over the place.


    ¡°I don''t have to warn you about funny smelling punch or people passing certain things around, do I?¡± Kenneth asked as he pulled over to the curb.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Dad. I told Arnold all the tricks that people have used to get others drunk.¡± Kelly said. ¡°We''ll both be careful about it.¡±


    ¡°All right. You have my permission to have some fun tonight.¡± Kenneth said. ¡°Some.¡±


    Kelly laughed. ¡°Geez, Dad!¡±


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Kenneth looked into the rear view mirror at Arnold and saw his nod. ¡°Don''t forget to call Annie for a drive and then call us tomorrow to tell us how everything went.¡±


    ¡°We''re moving Arnold to the college tomorrow.¡± Kelly said. ¡°He has work first thing in the morning.¡±


    Kenneth smiled and nodded, because he assumed they would go home early for the long drive to the college. ¡°Then we''ll wait for your call tomorrow night.¡±


    Arnold opened the door and stepped out, then reached in and helped Kelly climb out without getting the dress stuck in the door.


    ¡°Bye, Dad! Have fun with mom!¡± Kelly said and shut the door, then she and Arnold walked arm in arm down the street and joined the other people walking towards the school. Kenneth watched them until he couldn''t see them anymore, then he turned the car around and left.


    ¡°Looking good, Arnold!¡± A guy''s voice said and Arnold and Kelly turned to look at him.


    ¡°Kelly!¡± Two said and hopped up and down a little, which she probably shouldn''t do with her low cut dress. Her date didn''t complain or tell her to stop, though. ¡°You look amazing!¡±


    ¡°Thanks! You do, too.¡± Kelly said and they all started walking again. ¡°What is that, turquoise?¡±


    ¡°Yes! My mom helped me pick it out.¡± Two said. ¡°She wasn''t fussy on the bust line, though.¡±


    ¡°I think it looks fantastic.¡± Her date said, his face slightly red. ¡°My friends already threatened to beat me up for having a hotter date than them.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Two whispered and blushed a deep red.


    ¡°It''s true.¡± Another guy said from not far away and led his date over. ¡°We heard them say he deserved a good pounding.¡±


    ¡°It was pretty cute, actually.¡± His date said with a laugh.


    Kelly recognized them as the couple that sat at the end of their table at lunch. ¡°I really like your dress.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± She said. ¡°It''s downright plain compared to yours, though.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Where did you get such a vintage dress?¡±


    ¡°Arnold''s mom!¡± Kelly said excitedly. ¡°She wore it to her prom.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Two exclaimed and looked at Arnold. ¡°The suit, too?¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°That''s so romantic!¡± One said as she came over and dragged her date behind her. ¡°My mom doesn''t keep things longer than six months and then she cleans out her closet.¡±


    ¡°Don''t complain!¡± Two laughed. ¡°We get so many nice clothes that way!¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡± The new guy said.


    ¡°Hey.¡± Two''s date, Arnold, and the other guy said back. Nothing else needed to be said between them, because their dates pretty much said everything to each other. The guys were just along for the ride as they all walked to the school together.


    Three saw them coming and jumped and waved to them to get their attention. ¡°Hey! HEY!¡± She stood at the doorway with a guy who was almost twice her height.


    ¡°Okay, calm down! We see you!¡± One said with a laugh.


    ¡°I had to make sure.¡± Three said as her friends approached. ¡°It''s super-crowded inside! Half of the senior class brought non-senior dates!¡±


    ¡°Like him?¡± Two asked and pointed to Three''s date.


    ¡°He''s a neighbour and has had the hots for me for ages.¡± Three said. ¡°When someone didn''t take the hint to ask me out, I had to take matters into my own hands.¡±


    ¡°I thought she didn''t like me.¡± The tall guy admitted and all of the girls laughed.


    ¡°Guys totally don''t understand playing hard to get.¡± Three said and rolled her eyes, then she smiled up at the tall guy. ¡°Dancing together is going to be interesting.¡±


    ¡°More like a disaster waiting to happen.¡± He said with a chuckle. ¡°I can''t see her feet with her dress in the way.¡±


    ¡°I was not going to wear pants at prom!¡± Three said and he laughed.


    A woman walked over to them wearing a nice pants suit. ¡°I think you should all get inside.¡± The vice-principal said and gave Arnold a strange look. ¡°They''re going to be making an announcement soon.¡±


    ¡°The King and Queen!¡± One nearly yelled. ¡°Come on, come ON! We have to see this!¡± She said and dragged her date inside. Everyone followed them and Kelly saw the look that the vice-principal had given her escort. Once inside, she took Arnold aside and leaned close to whisper.


    ¡°I forgot to ask you earlier what she said to you on the stage this morning.¡± Kelly said. ¡°What was it?¡±


    ¡°She told me my actual grade point average and apologized that I wasn''t chosen to speak.¡± Arnold said. ¡°She also thanked me for the report I wrote after my suspension and gave me an extra credit for it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Kelly said. ¡°What was the number?¡±


    ¡°Six-point-eight.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Wh-wh-WHAT?!?¡± Kelly yelled and several people around them turned to look.


    ¡°I did all the extra assignments for every course and passed all of the exams.¡± Arnold said. ¡°The teachers agreed to mark me fairly as long as I didn''t become valedictorian. With the vice-principal''s extra credit, that was my average.¡±


    ¡°Arnold, that... you don''t realize...¡± Kelly put her arms around his neck. ¡°Our school grades on a four-point-oh average. That''s a consistent A student, which means at least a ninety percent on all tests, projects, and reports.¡± She leaned in close and put a gentle kiss on his lips. ¡°A-plus students are ninety-five percent minimum. A-plus-plus are one hundred percent.¡±


    ¡°What''s above that?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°You.¡± Kelly said and gave him another gentle kiss. She was trying very hard to not mess up her lipstick and to fight her need to kiss Arnold passionately. ¡°What you said when you saw me. It was perfect.¡± She said and gave him another kiss.


    ¡°It''s a line from your favorite movie.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Yes, it was.¡± Kelly said with a smile and gave him another kiss. ¡°I want to kiss you a lot more than this; but, I don''t want to mess up my make-up or smear my lipstick over your face.¡±


    ¡°We could kiss each other somewhere else.¡± Arnold said, and Kelly seriously considered it.


    ¡°All right, folks! This is it!¡± A sequin-covered girl said from the stage and waved an envelope. ¡°The first announcement is the King of the Prom!¡±


    Cheers came from the crowd and Kelly ignored it and gave Arnold another kiss.


    ¡°I think... I''d like to try that.¡± Kelly whispered. ¡°Maybe we can sneak off to the bathroom.¡±


    The girl on the stage opened the sealed envelope. ¡°Drum roll, please!¡±


    The crowd made drum sounds and she laughed and she pulled out the folded piece of paper.


    ¡°The winner... with ninety-five percent of the popular vote...¡± She said and paused dramatically.


    ¡°Hurry up and say it!¡± A guy''s voice said loudly and everyone laughed.


    ¡°It''s... ARNOLD STRICKLAND!¡± The girl yelled and nearly everyone cheered.

 54 After Party

    ¡°WHAT THE HELL?!?¡± Brad yelled.


    ¡°What did she just say?¡± Kelly asked and stopped kissing Arnold.


    ¡°I demand a re-count!¡± A different voice said loudly.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Someone else said.


    The girl on the stage laughed, as did most of the crowd. ¡°Recounts only matter if the votes are close.¡± She said and waved the paper. ¡°You can''t miraculously beat ninety-five percent with a recount, even assuming one person was the other five percent.¡±


    ¡°Then I want another vote!¡± Brad said as he approached the stage with Heather in tow. His friends were behind them. Not surprisingly, most of them didn''t have dates. ¡°It must have been rigged! How the hell did that little twerp get all those votes?¡±


    ¡°That''s easy to answer.¡± The girl on the stage said. ¡°He helped me pass Chemistry this year.¡±


    ¡°Me, too!¡± ¡°And me!¡± ¡°Same here!¡± The voices all rang out with affirmatives to confirm her claim.


    ¡°He was the one that gave everyone that simple sentence to remember that crucial formula. It took up a good portion of the final exam and the sentence even explained how to work it properly!¡± The girl said. ¡°If anyone deserves to be Prom King for helping most of the senior class graduate, it''s Arnold.¡±


    A round of cheers answered her and Brad fell quiet. He hadn''t known that it was Arnold''s idea and he had used that sentence just as much as everyone else had.


    ¡°So, where is he?¡± The girl asked and put a hand over her eyebrows to block some of the bright lights and looked over the crowd. ¡°Arnold! Come on up here and get your crown!¡±


    Everyone started to turn around and look for him, then someone shouted and pointed. A spotlight roamed over the crowd and found Arnold and Kelly off to the side and tucked beside the folded bleachers.


    ¡°There you are!¡± The girl on the stage said. ¡°Come over here and meet your adoring public!¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°What?¡± The girl looked confused. ¡°But... we all voted for you. Don''t you want to be King of the Prom?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and took Kelly''s hand. ¡°I''m going to sneak off to the bathroom and kiss my girlfriend as much as she wants.¡±


    ¡°A-Arnold!¡± Kelly blushed.


    Arnold led her through the crowd and they quickly parted for them. Everyone was surprised as the spotlight followed them across the gymnasium, because they all got to see how stylish both he and Kelly looked, with him in his white jacket and her in the fancy dress that matched. They passed by Brad and his friends and walked right over to the boy''s bathroom. Arnold held the door open for Kelly, then they went inside and the door closed.


    ¡°Oh.¡± The girl blinked her eyes for a moment when the spotlight turned off. ¡°Um... well...¡±


    ¡°Who''s the runner up?¡± One of Brad''s friends asked.


    ¡°Yes!¡± The girl exclaimed and looked at the paper. ¡°The runner up... and now King of the Prom... is Brad Peckerwood!¡±


    ¡°Bwahahaha!¡± His friends laughed and most of the crowd did, too.


    ¡°She said it!¡± One of his friends said.


    ¡°What the hell!¡± Brad turned on them. ¡°You wrote a joke when you nominated me?!?¡±


    ¡°That''s some funny shit right there, Brad!¡± Kevin said. ¡°You know it is!¡±


    Brad bit his tongue and stopped his scathing remark, let Heather''s hand go, then walked up onto the stage. There was a small smattering of applause as he accepted the plastic crown, plastic sceptre, and sash with the title on it. He didn''t bother making a speech, even though he had prepared one.


    ¡°Congratulations, King of the Prom!¡± The girl said and was glad that the proceedings were back on track, then she held out another envelope. ¡°Now it''s time to find out who your queen is going to be!¡±


    Almost no one reacted with enthusiasm, since they all knew who it was going to be.


    The girl correctly read the mood of the crowd as she opened the envelope and pulled out the paper. ¡°It''s Heather Bradshaw!¡± She announced and about half of the crowd applauded, which was most of the girls, since they were the ones that voted. Brad''s friends clapped the loudest.


    ¡°Thank you! Thank you!¡± Heather said graciously as she went up on the stage and accepted a more realistic tiara and the plastic sceptre, then the sash and a small bouquet of flowers. ¡°I''d like to personally thank everyone who voted, even if you didn''t vote for me.¡± She said, magnanimously. ¡°I appreciate you all taking the time to...¡±


    The crowd couldn''t help but compare Brad''s basic black suit and Heather''s strapless green dress to Arnold''s classy suit and Kelly''s vintage dress. They seemed like the poor cousins in comparison.


    ¡°...and I hope you all have a great night tonight!¡± Heather finished and everyone clapped, because it was expected.


    ¡°Awesome!¡± The girl on the stage said. ¡°If you would, please take the floor for the first official dance!¡±


    Brad and Heather clasped hands and left the stage, handed everything off to Brad''s friends except for the crowns and sashes, then stood in the middle of the floor and the spotlight turned back on and found them. The slow music started playing and after about ten seconds, other people came onto the floor and danced, too.


    *


    Kelly wasn''t quite sure what was going on. She kind of blacked out when Arnold had sat her on the sink and then disappeared under her dress and made her orgasm. She had never felt anything like it before and it was a little too much for her delicate and heightened emotions to handle, even though she had played with herself on occasion and came.


    Arnold''s tongue tasted every little bit of her special place and it was nothing like Kelly had imagined, not at all, and she floated in a fog of bliss and a slight disconnection with reality. When she stopped moaning, Arnold stopped licking her and quickly cleaned her up and put her underwear back into place. When he untucked himself from under her dress, he saw the blissful smile on her face and a far away look. There was a heavy knock on the door and Arnold went to check who it was.


    ¡°I think that''s enough alone time.¡± The vice-principal said and waved at the group of guys waiting for the bathroom. ¡°They need to use the bathroom.¡±


    Arnold nodded and put Kelly on her feet. She clung to him as if she really needed the help standing up, and he put his arm around her waist and slowly walked out of the bathroom with her.


    The vice-principal saw her blissful face and laughed. ¡°What did you do to her?¡±


    ¡°Just some oral sex.¡± Arnold said. ¡°She really liked it.¡±


    ¡°I can see that.¡± The vice-principal said. ¡°Take her over to the refreshment table and let her sit down for a while.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and led her through the crowd. If he had bothered to notice, he would have seen a lot of envious faces on the girls as he passed. They all saw that Kelly''s make-up wasn''t messed up from making out, which meant he had been kissing her somewhere else, and they all knew it.


    ¡°Hi, guys!¡± One said and waved to them, then dragged her date over. ¡°That was something, wasn''t it?¡±


    ¡°Oh... yes.¡± Kelly almost moaned when she found her voice.


    ¡°She needs to sit down.¡± Arnold said and they went over to the refreshment table and sat Kelly down on one of the chairs by the wall. Soon, all of their friends were there around them.


    ¡°You were smart to turn down being king.¡± Two said. ¡°Heather was voted queen.¡±


    ¡°Boy, that would have been awkward.¡± Her date said with a laugh and pointed. ¡°I''m glad you weren''t stuck having to spend a good portion of your night with your ex-girlfriend.¡±


    Arnold turned and looked over to where Brad and Heather were currently dancing. It was a fast song, so they were moving around a lot.


    ¡°We were all thinking of heading over to Max''s for something to eat after the dance.¡± Three said. ¡°Do you and Kelly want to come along?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Arnold said, and they were all happy about that. After about ten minutes, Kelly gave a little bit of a jump and blinked her eyes as she looked around.


    ¡°What... when did we come back out here?¡± Kelly asked, and the girls laughed.


    ¡°That must have been some kiss.¡± One said with a smile and Kelly blushed.


    The music changed and Two jumped up and down. ¡°Ooo! I love this song!¡± She said and grabbed her date''s hand. ¡°Let''s dance, everyone!¡±


    They all moved towards the middle of the floor and everyone except Arnold started to dance. He looked around at the guys and saw that they were barely moving, while the girls were moving around excitedly and were enthusiastic about it. When he looked at Kelly, she stepped close and put her arms around him.


    ¡°Everyone dances differently.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Some like to shuffle from side to side, some like to jump around, and some like to move their arms and legs to the music.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Arnold asked and put his arms around her.


    ¡°I want to hold you in my arms just like this.¡± Kelly said and he nodded.


    For the rest of the dance, all they did was waltz together and stare into each other''s eyes, no matter what kind of music played.


    *


    Heather and Brad had slipped away from his friends and were currently in the backseat of his car. Heather was bent over with her face pressed into the bottom of the seat and Brad was currently ramming himself into her from behind. He hadn''t even bothered trying to take off her dress and had just lifted the bottom of it up to her hips instead.


    Brad''s hand was dug into her hair and he had a tight grip on it to hold her steady and had his other hand braced on her lower back. Heather was actually enjoying it and kind of liked that he had taken control. She could hear him whispering something as they had sex and it took her a few minutes to make it out.


    ¡°I''m fucking the prom queen. I''m fucking the prom queen. I''m fucking the prom queen.¡± Brad continuously whispered as he plowed into her as hard and as fast as he could.


    Heather wasn''t sure why tears came to her eyes and she started to cry.


    *


    Half an hour before the prom was over, Arnold and Kelly rode in Three''s car as their friends went to Max''s place. That wasn''t what the place was called, it was the guy who ran it. They all piled in through the door and Max let out a boisterous laugh.


    ¡°Who wants burgers and fries?¡± Max asked and nearly all of them raised their hands. ¡°Great! That''s all I have!¡±


    They all laughed and moved over to a big booth, then a couple of the guys grabbed chairs from a nearby table and they all sat together.


    ¡°This was the best prom ever!¡± One exclaimed.


    Two laughed. ¡°It''s the only one we''ve been to!¡±


    ¡°That''s why it''s the best!¡± One said and they laughed.


    The food and drinks were served not long after that, and they all talked about what they were going to do for the summer and then for the fall. A few of the guys weren''t going to college and were taking a year off to work and to save up some money. All the girls were going, though. Almost none of them had the same classes and they would probably only see each other during lunch and at the end of the day.


    ¡°That''s the same as us.¡± Kelly said. ¡°We''ll be in the same building for a few classes; but, other than that, it''s going to only be the occasional lunch and after classes end for the day.¡±


    ¡°Well, at least you''ve got the whole summer to...¡± Three started to say and then gasped. ¡°Oh! I''m sorry.¡± She said. ¡°Arnold''s working at the college all summer, isn''t he?¡±


    Kelly nodded. ¡°He starts work in the morning.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡± One yelled. ¡°What are you doing here? You need to get home and sleep!¡±


    ¡°We came out to eat with our friends.¡± Arnold said, which surprised them.


    ¡°We appreciate that, Arnold. We really do.¡± Two said. ¡°You should go home right after this, though. It''s going to be a long drive to the college first thing in the morning.¡±


    ¡°We have to pack the car, too.¡± Kelly said and took out her cell phone. ¡°I''ll call for a drive right now.¡±


    Arnold reached over and stopped her. ¡°Call my mom.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Kelly looked where her thumb was about to push. ¡°Oh! Ha ha.¡± She said and moved the list down from her mother''s number and touched Annie''s name instead. ¡°That could have been embarrassing.¡± She said and put the cell phone to her ear.


    Everyone looked from her to Arnold.


    ¡°Her parents are out on a date.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Having fun.¡±


    Three caught her breath. ¡°Yep! Definitely embarrassing!¡± She said and everyone laughed.


    ¡°Shh!¡± Kelly waved at them. ¡°Hi! Yes, it''s us. We''re at the restaurant on Manner Street. Okay, thanks.¡± She hung up the phone and tucked it away. ¡°She''ll be here in twenty minutes.¡±


    ¡°It was really great to get out and do this.¡± One said. ¡°I wish we could have done this a lot sooner, instead of it being the last time.¡±


    Two nodded. ¡°Things are going to change from here on out.¡±


    Three sighed. ¡°I''m going to miss this, too.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Arnold asked. ¡°It''s only a two hour drive. We''ll be back here every weekend on the bus.¡±


    They all looked at each other in surprise for a moment, then they all laughed.


    ¡°Is once a month good enough for everyone to get together here?¡± One asked and they all nodded. ¡°Let''s exchange numbers and we can text each other to confirm next month.¡±


    They all did and then waved for the checks. Max came over with the small stack of paper and looked at the crowd of friends.


    ¡°Who do I give these to?¡± He asked with a grin. The tall guy took the stack and put it on the table, then spread them out.


    Arnold quickly did up the total and took the money his mother gave him out of his pocket. He quickly counted out the right amount and tossed the money onto the spread out bills.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Kelly exclaimed.


    ¡°Mom said to take my friends out to eat.¡± Arnold said and stood up as he handed two twenties to Max.


    ¡°Damn kid. You''ve got style.¡± Max said with a laugh and took the tip as well as the money on the table. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± One whispered, completely surprised. No one had ever treated her before, not like that. She looked at her friends and their dates, and they had the same surprised looks on their faces. A horn honked and lights passed by the window.


    ¡°That''s our ride.¡± Kelly said and stood up. ¡°See you guys later.¡± She said and took Arnold''s hand and walked towards the door.


    ¡°See you later!¡± ¡°Thanks for coming!¡± ¡°Bye!¡± Everyone said at the same time and it was difficult to make out who said what. Kelly waved at them and then she and Arnold were out of the restaurant and climbed into the car.


    ¡°Who knew he was such a great guy?¡± Two''s date asked as the car drove away. No one answered.


    *


    ¡°I''m going to go hang out with the guys for a while.¡± Brad said when he was done. He cleaned up a bit, tossed the used condom in the small plastic bag he used for trash in the back seat, then did up his pants. Heather didn''t look at him and only nodded, so he got out of the car and walked back towards the school.


    Heather sat in Brad''s back seat for several minutes and didn''t know what to do with herself. She had sex and it felt great, and yet, it felt bad at the same time. Her mind was perturbed at her conflicting emotions and she didn''t even try to stop her tears. Not that she could, since she didn''t know why she was crying. There was a single gentle knock on the window she sat beside and she looked out to see a grey suit. She rolled down the window and leaned out a little to look at his face.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Eric asked, concern in his voice.


    ¡°I... I don''t know.¡± Heather said, honestly.


    ¡°He didn''t hurt you, did he?¡± Eric asked, his voice had a touch of anger this time.


    ¡°What? No, of course not.¡± Heather said. ¡°I just... I don''t know what...¡±


    ¡°I think you need to go home.¡± Eric said.


    ¡°I... yes, I should.¡± Heather said and didn''t move. ¡°Um... Brad drove me here.¡±


    Eric let out a sigh and opened the back door. ¡°Come on, I''ll drive you.¡±


    ¡°What about Brad?¡±


    ¡°He''s gone already.¡± Eric said. ¡°Kevin drove them over to the bridge to spray paint their names on it.¡±


    Heather opened her mouth to comment on that, then gave him an odd look. ¡°Why didn''t you go?¡±


    ¡°I don''t feel like trying to kill myself by hanging off the side of a bridge in the middle of the night.¡± Eric said and held a hand out to her. ¡°Let''s go.¡±


    Heather hesitated before taking the hand and he helped her out of the back of the car and shut the door. She didn''t say anything as he led her across the parking lot to his car and helped her into the front seat. She still didn''t comment and Eric drove them out of the parking lot and down the road. It wasn''t until ten minutes later that she spoke.


    ¡°Eric.¡± Heather said and looked at him. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±


    Eric gave her a quick glance. ¡°Can''t I just be a nice guy giving you a ride home?¡±


    Heather barked a laugh. ¡°No. Try again.¡±


    Eric let out a sigh. ¡°I actually came outside looking for Brad to tell him what Kevin was planning.¡± He said. ¡°I didn''t find him until I looked for him at his car.¡±


    ¡°You saw us.¡± Heather said in a bland tone.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Eric said and fell silent.


    Heather waited for a minute before she spoke again. ¡°Did you enjoy see me with my ass up in the air like that?¡±


    Eric gripped the steering wheel. ¡°Fuck.¡± He said. ¡°Yes, dammit. You got me rock hard.¡±


    Heather smiled. ¡°You really liked seeing him pound me into the backseat, didn''t you?¡±


    ¡°I loved it.¡± Eric admitted angrily. ¡°I also fucking hated it.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Heather blinked her eyes at him.


    ¡°You looked so sexy like that, completely exposed and enjoying yourself, and it was the hottest thing I have ever seen.¡± Eric said. ¡°Then... then I saw how he gripped your hair and was holding you down against the seat so that you couldn''t move.¡± He shook his head. ¡°That wasn''t right.¡±


    ¡°I liked it.¡± Heather said.


    ¡°Yeah, you liked it so much that you cried afterwards.¡± Eric spat and she winced. ¡°No, I... I''m sorry.¡± He took a hand off the steering wheel and took her hand. ¡°I''m not blaming you, okay? You might have liked it; but, you knew what he was doing.¡±


    Heather didn''t respond for a moment. ¡°What was he doing?¡±


    ¡°He was using you.¡± Eric said. ¡°You could have been anyone, anyone at all, and he would have treated you the same way.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Heather said. ¡°Not just anyone.¡±


    ¡°Then who?¡± Eric asked and held her hand tightly.


    ¡°The prom queen.¡± Heather said and her tears started again. ¡°He wanted to fuck the prom queen.¡±


    Eric pulled the car over on the dark street and parked. ¡°Heather, I''m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°Are you?¡± Heather let his hand go, reached for his crotch, and felt how hard he was. ¡°Are you really sorry?¡± She rubbed him a little. ¡°This says you''re just like him.¡±


    ¡°No, I''m not like him.¡± Eric said and stopped her hand.


    Heather smiled and used her other hand. ¡°You want to fuck the prom queen, too.¡±


    ¡°No, I... I didn''t see the prom queen in Brad''s back seat.¡± Eric said and used both of his hands to take the plastic tiara off of her head and put it on the dash. ¡°All I saw was you.¡±


    Heather''s heart went pitter-patter at his words and she slipped off the sash and let it fall to the floor. She opened up his dress pants and pulled him out, stared at it for a moment, then plunged her head into his lap.


    ¡°Oh, god!¡± Eric gasped and Heather did her best to make him go as quickly as possible. It didn''t take long. For the very first time ever, she didn''t avoid it and stayed there with him in her mouth to make sure there wouldn''t be a mess when she sat up. When she did sit up and looked into his eyes, she saw complete shock there.


    ¡°I''ve never done that before.¡± Heather admitted. ¡°I always moved away. Always.¡± She said and hiked her dress up. Her underwear was still on Brad''s back seat and Eric looked down at her.


    ¡°Oh, god.¡± Eric said and she eased down to touch herself to him. ¡°Heather, I... I''m... I haven''t...¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Heather said and carefully sat down, because she was still tender from before. ¡°Guess who isn''t a virgin anymore?¡± She asked with a smile, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him.

 55 Intro To College

    Annie, Arnold, and Kelly were up at five o''clock the next morning, had a quick breakfast, then loaded up the car with the essentials that they would need. Arnold''s new suits for work, new clothing for the evenings and weekends, about half of Kelly''s wardrobe, blankets, sheets, pillows and cases, towels and toiletries, and even a box of basic kitchen items and staple foods that all kitchens needed.


    The room had a small kitchenette and a half-sized refrigerator, so they knew they were going to need at least some items to start with, especially since they didn''t know what the food situation was going to be like there. They did know that Kelly probably wasn''t going to be allowed to eat in the cafeteria during busy times, because she wasn''t a student yet and they frowned upon non-students using up student resources.


    They piled into the car and Annie started to drive them to the college, then asked Kelly to tell her about the prom. Kelly had tried to tell her about it the night before and she flatly refused to listen, because they would have plenty of time to talk during the drive to college the next morning. Annie had sent Kelly and Arnold right to bed after they had undressed.


    Annie was quite surprised as Kelly relayed almost everything that happened at the dance, especially about Arnold turning down being Prom King. She had no idea that her son would even be eligible for something like that, then Kelly told her why.


    ¡°I am very proud of you, Arnold.¡± Annie said as she glanced into the rear view mirror and into his eyes. ¡°Doubly so, considering what you did for the other students and then you turned down being the king so you could be with Kelly.¡± She smiled and glanced at Kelly. ¡°I bet everyone was shocked.¡±


    ¡°The whole place was quiet!¡± Kelly said with a laugh and a blush. ¡°Everybody heard it and then watched us sneak off under the spotlight.¡±


    ¡°Sneak off? Ha ha!¡± Annie laughed. ¡°I can just imagine the looks on everyone''s faces!¡±


    Kelly''s cell phone beeped at her and she took it out to check it, then she went quiet.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°You don''t have to imagine it.¡± Kelly said and briefly showed her the article someone posted on social media.


    ¡°Most popular King of the Prom abdicates to kiss girlfriend?¡± Annie quickly read and then looked back at the road. ¡°Read it for me, please.¡±


    Kelly nodded. ¡°This year''s prom started off like any other...¡± As she read, she felt a little bad for all the people that wanted to thank Arnold by voting him as the prom king. When she reached the end of the article, it reminded her of the significance of what Arnold had done. He gave it up to be with me. She thought with renewed happiness. ¡°There''s even a video.¡±


    ¡°That''s great! I''ll watch it when we get to the college.¡± Annie said. ¡°What happened after the prom?¡±


    Kelly kept talking and told her all about going out to eat and what they discussed, then about everyone missing getting together and Arnold telling them that he and Kelly would be back every weekend, which prompted them to arrange a once a month meeting.


    ¡°That''s so nice!¡± Annie gushed. She was very happy about it, because she had never imagined Arnold actually making friends, since it had never happened before. Not in all the years he had been in school had anyone even tried to make friends with him, and now he had a whole bunch of them.


    ¡°It really is, because it just... kind of happened on its own.¡± Kelly said and then she chuckled. ¡°Before you ask, nachos and cheese were involved.¡±


    ¡°The currency of friendship!¡± Annie joked and laughed.


    Kelly turned to look at Arnold. ¡°It''s just a joke, Arnold. You can''t actually buy friendships with nachos and cheese... although, it can start one sometimes.¡±


    Arnold nodded and Kelly faced the front again. Annie had nodded as well, only it was for approval and not in agreement. She liked that Kelly corrected an assumption she thought Arnold might make from the joke.


    She is definitely the right girl for my boy. Annie thought and they drove the rest of the way to the college. They had plenty of time to get there and unload the car before Arnold needed to change and get to work.


    *


    Heather rolled over in bed and stretched like a lazy cat. She felt a twinge of pain between her legs, which meant she had been a bit too rough with herself the night before. She had thoroughly enjoyed herself, though. She had had sex twice and both times were really good, now that she could look back on them with a clear head.


    The first time was with Brad and it had been an eye-opener for her, because she hadn''t realized she would enjoy it like that. The second time was with Eric and it had started off nice and slow and ended up with the both of them frantically trying to please each other.


    Heather reached down and pat her pelvic bone as she remembered how much better it had felt with Eric. She was surprised by the difference that one little piece of plastic would make. Everything felt so much hotter and more responsive, and the thrill of him not wearing a condom had given her that extra little push and made her finish quicker and a lot more than she normally did.


    She wasn''t stupid enough to assume that it would always feel like that, since the thrill would wane if it kept happening. It was still amazing to her that it had happened at all, and she had to admit that Eric had been pretty smooth with his moves and had swooped in when she was vulnerable. She smiled as she remembered turning the tables on him and taking control for herself, then he was like putty in her hands and he let her do whatever she wanted.


    Heather picked up her cell phone and didn''t see a message from Brad. There were three from Eric, however. She clicked on the first one and it was just him asking her if she was okay. The second one said that he had a great time last night. The third one said that he hoped she had slept well.


    I did. Heather thought. She stared at the phone for several minutes, then she made a decision. She started a new text. ''I think... I think we shouldn''t see each other anymore. You''re going off to that other college and I''m going to the local one.'' She typed. ''There''s not going to be a lot of time for us with you so far away, so I think this is for the best.''


    Heather sent it and waited. After ten minutes, she received a reponse.


    ''Yeah, sure. Whatever.'' Brad responded.


    Asshole. Heather thought. You could at least pretend I meant something to you. She closed that and clicked on Eric''s last message. ''I did sleep well, thanks.'' She typed. ''What are you up to today?''


    A minute later she received a response.


    ''It''s Saturday, so nothing.''


    ''Do you want to come over?''


    ''I don''t know.'' Eric typed. ''I''m pretty busy doing nothing.''


    Heather chuckled. ''I have a pool.''


    ''I have a car. See you soon.''


    So easy to tame. Heather thought with a smile and put her phone on the dresser. She climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom. She needed to look her best, because Eric hadn''t seen her in a bikini yet. He''s going to be surprised. She thought happily and stepped into the shower.


    *


    Arnold would normally have Saturdays off; but, this was going to be his orientation day and his introduction to the biology department. He would also find out, officially, what his duties would be. He had received a fairly detailed description from the biology teacher, so he was as prepared as he could be for everything.


    Annie parked the car in the spot reserved for the room Arnold would be staying in and the three of them stepped out of the car and looked at the huge building in front of them.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Kelly said. ¡°It''s huge.¡±


    ¡°You can gawk at it later.¡± Annie said and opened the back door. ¡°Grab something and let''s get inside.¡±


    Kelly chuckled and grabbed a box and folded up a pile of dry cleaning bags to put on top. Annie opened the trunk of the car and Arnold grabbed a huge box and walked over to the building''s front door. He put the box down and held the door for Kelly, then picked up the box and carried it inside.


    ¡°Hi, there!¡± A very dark skinned woman said when they came into the lobby. ¡°I''m going to assume that you''re Arnold.¡± She said and he nodded. She held up a set of keys and Kelly took them. ¡°I''ll remind you that your room is still on the fourth floor at the end.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Arnold said and walked over to the stairs.


    ¡°You can take the elevator.¡± The woman said and pointed.


    ¡°I''ll do that.¡± Kelly said and walked over to the elevator and pushed the button and waited. It dinged and opened, then she stepped in and pushed the button for four. She wasn''t surprised to see Arnold at the end of the hall waiting for her. She walked down to him and put her box down, then used the keys to open the door. They stepped inside and Kelly gasped at the size of the thing.


    ¡°This is a double room?¡± Kelly asked, surprised. ¡°It''s huge!¡±


    ¡°You can gawk at it later.¡± Arnold repeated Annie''s words and Kelly laughed.


    They brought their things inside and put them near the door, shut it, then went back to the elevator. While Kelly stood there and waited for it, Arnold went down the stairs. By the time Kelly stepped out of the elevator on the ground floor, she saw Arnold as he passed and he went up the stairs.


    ¡°You see something new every day.¡± The dark skinned woman said with a laugh.


    ¡°We''ll be back down to introduce ourselves properly after we get everything moved.¡± Kelly promised.


    ¡°There''s no rush for that.¡± The woman said. ¡°I''m here all the time.¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t mean we shouldn''t be polite.¡± Kelly said as she walk by and the woman smiled and nodded. Annie handed Kelly another small box and more dry cleaning bags with clothes in them. Kelly went back inside and waited for the elevator and Arnold came down the stairs to get another box. They kept working and eventually emptied the car, then Annie locked it up and went inside. Arnold and Kelly came down in the elevator and the three of them went over to the desk.


    ¡°Hi, I''m Annie, Arnold''s mother.¡± Annie said and reached out to shake the woman''s hand.


    ¡°I''m Doris, the dorm manager.¡± The woman said and stood up to shake the hand. She looked to be about forty-five years old and was five feet five inches tall. She had really dark skin, styled short black hair, and wore a tight black skirt and a nice white blouse. Both her chest and her hips were substantial, especially for her height, and her clothes accentuated her assets, either by design or by accident.


    ¡°It''s nice to meet you.¡± Annie said. ¡°This is my son, Arnold.¡±


    ¡°Hello, young man!¡± Doris said and shook his hand. ¡°I hope we can become good friends, since you''re going to be staying here for so long.¡±


    ¡°I''m sure we will.¡± Kelly assured her and shook her hand next. ¡°I''ll be here just as long.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What course did they rope you into?¡± Doris asked.


    ¡°Interdisciplinary Studies.¡± Kelly said.


    Doris caught her breath. ¡°You''re going for a Social Science degree?¡± She asked and Kelly nodded. ¡°Then, yes, I''ll be seeing the both of you for a long time.¡± She said and then chuckled. ¡°That almost sounded like we''ll be dating!¡±


    ¡°Kelly and I are exclusive.¡± Arnold said. ¡°We can''t date anyone else.¡±


    Doris had a surprised look on her face for a second, then she burst out laughing. ¡°You''re just precious!¡± She said when she calmed down and her eyes sparkled. ¡°We are definitely going to get along with a sense of humor like that!¡±


    ¡°Look at the time.¡± Kelly said as a distraction before Arnold could say that he wasn''t joking. ¡°Arnold, you''ve got enough time to grab a quick shower and change for work.¡± She said. ¡°We''ll wait here for you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and walked over to the elevator. Even though taking the stairs was faster, he knew not to make himself sweat before going to work.


    ¡°White shirt and black tie!¡± Annie reminded him and he nodded to her, stepped into the elevator, and the doors closed.


    ¡°He must be amazing to have a job with Professor Crenslav before becoming a student.¡± Doris said. ¡°He''s a man that respects skill above everything else.¡±


    ¡°What else can you tell us about him?¡± Annie asked.


    Doris smiled and told them everything she knew about the strict man. He was a stickler for detail and he would settle for nothing but the best results. Annie and Kelly looked at each other, because they both knew what the high school biology teacher had told Arnold about the senior assistant, Amy. They silently agreed to advise Arnold about getting instructions from the professor directly and not to only do what Amy instructed him to do.


    Arnold stepped out of the elevator twenty minutes later and looked great in the new suit. Kelly''s face flushed red at the sight as he walked over to her.


    ¡°You look very handsome.¡± Kelly said and gave him a brief hug and a kiss.


    ¡°Ol'' Hamil is going to like you.¡± Doris said and smiled. ¡°You better start walking now if you want to get to Building F before eight o''clock.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Let''s go!¡± Kelly said and waved him towards the front door. ¡°You can''t be late on your first day!¡±


    Arnold nodded and the three of them left the dorm building. Arnold and Kelly knew where the building was, so Annie followed where they went and walked several feet behind them. Eight minutes and a cautious warning about Amy later, they arrived in front of another large building with a large letter ''F'' painted on the front and they went inside.


    ¡°It''s on the second floor.¡± Kelly said and looked at the elevator, then sighed and went for the stairs. They didn''t rush and went to the second floor at a normal pace. When they stepped out into the lobby, the three of them gasped at the huge displays.


    ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Annie said and covered her mouth.


    Right in the middle of the lobby, in an eight foot tall and six foot wide glass case, was a body in the classic star pose with arms straight out to the sides and legs about two feet apart. It wasn''t just a normal body, though. It was completely intact on one side and had been sliced exactly down the middle. The other side, though... it was... gruesome.


    It had been dissected.


    Each and every part of the body on that side was pulled apart and covered in wax to preserve it, then it had been suspended in a clear resin to hold it in place. It looked like the body had been caught in the instant of an explosion and then preserved. Muscles, tendons, veins, arteries, and the skin had its own layer. Annie and Kelly stayed back and Arnold walked right up to it.


    He marvelled at the intricate work that it would have taken to suspend all of the arteries like that and saw that the eye had been dissected to show the various parts it contained. There were even sections of the bones cut open to reveal the marrow inside.


    ¡°I see you''ve met Adam.¡± A young woman''s voice said from behind them. Annie and Kelly turned to see who it was and saw that it was Amy.


    ¡°Why... why would he have it on display like this?¡± Annie asked. ¡°It''s... it''s morbid.¡±


    Arnold turned away from the display and looked at his mother.


    ¡°He''s the prize of Professor Crenslav''s collection.¡± Amy said with a grin. She always enjoyed people''s reactions to seeing it. ¡°I can''t tell you how long he worked on it, and I don''t know if he knows himself.¡± She chuckled and walked over to them. ¡°Well, now that you''ve met the first man, it''s time to go and meet the man who created it.¡±


    Neither Annie nor Kelly had missed the subtle reference or the implication.


    ¡°This way, please.¡± Amy said and waved for them to follow her.

 56 Meet The Department

    Amy led them by the other, less showy displays, and to the back of the building to an office. The door was open. ¡°Sir? Arnold is here to see you.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± A man looked up from his desk that was covered in papers. ¡°Ah!¡± He said and stood when he saw Arnold. ¡°Yes, yes.¡± He said and walked around his desk and came over to him. ¡°Even though this is only orientation, you still dressed for work. Good. Good.¡± He said and crossed his arms behind his back. ¡°Amy, if you would.¡±


    ¡°Yes, professor.¡± Amy said and walked around to face Arnold, then held a hand out for him to shake. ¡°Professor Crenslav would like to welcome you to the department.¡±


    Arnold shook her hand and looked at the professor.


    ¡°My apologies for not offering to shake your hand myself. I have a bit of a phobia about such things.¡± Hamil smiled. ¡°You know, shake a man''s hand, shake the thousand hands he''s touched and all that nonsense.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I know it''s silly; but, that''s what my brain tells me, so I have to live with it.¡±


    Annie and Kelly weren''t sure what to make of that.


    ¡°Amy has told me what she told you and I''ve spoken to your high school biology teacher as well. I know what he''s told you about your duties and that you didn''t seem to automatically hate them.¡± Hamil let out a short laugh. ¡°So, do you have any questions about the job?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Do you want to instruct me on how you want things to be done properly, or do I only do what Amy instructs me to do, which I''m told is the bare minimum required for completion?¡±


    Amy, Annie, and Kelly took in sharp breaths at his words.


    Hamil gave Arnold a particularly stern expression. ¡°Are you saying I have been lax in instructing her?¡±


    ¡°No, sir.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I want to do the best job I can and only you can be the proper judge of that.¡± He said. ¡°If I do things the way she does them, why would you need me to do them, too?¡±


    Hamil''s face lost the stern expression. ¡°I think I understand.¡± He said. ¡°If Amy has developed any bad habits, you don''t want to pick them up as well.¡±


    ¡°If I learn things the wrong way, then all my future work with be tainted.¡± Arnold said. ¡°After I took the college test that the biology teacher gave me, my mother said that she didn''t want to throw up on my work any more than I wanted her to throw up on it.¡±


    Hamil had a surprised look on his face for a moment, then he let out a short laugh. ¡°Yes, that is a valid point. A valid point indeed.¡± He said and looked at Amy. ¡°Please don''t be insulted by what he said.¡±


    ¡°How can I not be insulted?¡± Amy asked, anger in her voice. ¡°He just said that I mess up your work!¡±


    Hamil smiled. ¡°No, Amy. He specifically said that if he learns things second hand, it reflects badly on the whole department and myself if he doesn''t perform well.¡±


    ¡°He would blame me for that.¡± Amy said.


    ¡°Would you be at fault if something is lost in the translation from me to you and you to him?¡±


    Amy didn''t have to think about that. ¡°I would be the link, so yes.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to accept that responsibility?¡± Hamil asked.


    Amy actually had to think about that one. ¡°I would normally want to, just to prove that I could.¡± She said and looked at Arnold. ¡°I don''t think I can accept it, not when it was stated so blatantly that I am only at a standard level with my work.¡±


    Hamil chuckled. ¡°I don''t think he said you were quite that low, only that you will do exactly what I tell you to do and nothing more.¡±


    Amy thought back to the pictures of Arnold''s test specimen and all of the extra things he had labelled that she would have skipped. ¡°I still feel insulted.¡±


    ¡°Put yourself in my place and then put your friend Cissily in yours.¡± Hamil said. ¡°A promising student came to you to learn and you had Cissily teach them instead.¡±


    Amy opened her mouth to defend her friend''s integrity and Hamil put up a hand to stop her.


    ¡°Answer academically and not as a friend or a colleague.¡± He corrected.


    Amy had to think about it. ¡°I guess... if someone wanted to learn what I know... and had to do it through Cissily...¡± Her eyes went to Arnold and she sighed. ¡°...then, yes. Her interpretation of my knowledge would be different.¡±


    ¡°Good girl!¡± Hamil said proudly. ¡°Even though we are all in the same department and have access to the same knowledge base, namely me, we are different people.¡±


    Amy was glad she had dark skin, because it hid her blush from the compliment.


    ¡°I will have Amy instruct you in the proper cleaning procedures and the placement of both equipment and items, since those things are stagnant and won''t change.¡± Hamil said. ¡°When it comes to other things that tie into our work, then I will teach you directly.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Arnold said and smiled briefly.


    Hamil heard the eagerness in his voice and smiled as well. ¡°I''ll have Amy take you into the main lab to meet the rest of the department.¡± He said. ¡°Today is an orientation day for them as well. Some new course material will be starting on Monday for them and they need the introduction.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Of course, they weren''t very happy to have to come in on their own time.¡±


    ¡°I''ll tell them you''ll be in to talk in twenty minutes, professor.¡± Amy said.


    Hamil looked at his watch and nodded. ¡°Excellent.¡± He said and looked at the two women behind Arnold. ¡°I suppose you are here as moral support for Arnold.¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°I''m his mother.¡±


    ¡°I''m his exclusive girlfriend.¡± Kelly said.


    Hamil nodded. ¡°Good, good. A stable home life is essential for the growth of a healthy mind.¡± He saw their slight surprise and smiled. ¡°There are minimal distractions in a stable environment.¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°That''s pretty much how I raised him.¡±


    ¡°I''m glad that he has such a wonderful mother to take care of him.¡± Hamil said. ¡°It must be hard for you to see him come here.¡±


    ¡°Unbelievably so... except that he has Kelly and she has his back. And mine.¡± Annie said with a smile and Kelly blushed.


    Hamil nodded. ¡°Then you both have my permission to enter the lab. I won''t restrict my people from having visitors, as long as you don''t touch anything or cause problems.¡±


    ¡°We wouldn''t do that to Arnold.¡± Annie said. ¡°We love him.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡± Hamil said. ¡°Amy, if you would.¡±


    ¡°This way, please.¡± Amy said and waved at the doorway, then led the three of them out into the hallway and most of the way back to the lobby. She stopped at a large door and put her hand on the handle, then looked at Arnold. ¡°I won''t forget the way you treated me today in front of the professor.¡±


    Arnold reached out and put a hand on her hand on the handle. ¡°You are a bad influence and you weren''t going to treat me the way I need to be treated.¡±


    Amy took in a sharp breath and looked angry. ¡°I would never...¡±


    ¡°You wanted to have sex with me and you are angry that you can''t.¡± Arnold said and cut her off, and she closed her mouth. ¡°You were not going to treat me like a colleague. I was going to be your errand boy and you were going to take advantage of me.¡±


    Amy grit her teeth and glared at him, which meant she missed Annie''s sigh at her son.


    ¡°You can''t use me for your own gain.¡± Arnold said and let her hand go.


    ¡°Do you really think that I would do that?¡± Amy asked and barely held onto her anger and didn''t shout.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said, to her surprise. ¡°You are just like Heather. You are nice only when you have to be.¡±


    ¡°I am nice all the time!¡± Amy spat.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Kelly said in a stern voice and he turned his head to look at her. ¡°You are causing a scene.¡±


    Arnold looked at his mother''s sad face and then looked through the window in the door to see six pairs of women''s eyes as they looked back at him.


    ¡°Things like this shouldn''t be spoken of in public.¡± Kelly said in a normal voice and took his hand. ¡°We have to put this aside for now and we can deal with it later.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Yes. We will deal with this later.¡± Amy said angrily and then took a deep breath to calm down. She put on a happy smile and opened the door to the lab, which literally proved Arnold''s point. ¡°Hi, everyone. Thanks for coming in today.¡±


    ¡°You''re quite welcome.¡± Cissily said sarcastically from the edge of the group of women. ¡°I only planned to sleep in this morning, considering it''s the fucking weekend!¡±


    ¡°Cissily!¡± Amy exclaimed as she stepped into the classroom. ¡°We have visitors!¡±


    ¡°They know it''s the weekend, too!¡± Cissily said and looked at Arnold, Kelly, and Annie. ¡°You can''t expect me to be chipper after drinking all damn night.¡±


    ¡°The best relief for a hangover is to have another drink.¡± Annie said, to everyone''s surprise. ¡°You''re drying out too fast and that causes withdrawal. A bit more inebriation eases the symptoms.¡±


    ¡°Are... are you shitting me?¡± Cissily asked. ¡°Will that work?¡±


    ¡°It always did for me when I was younger.¡± Annie said. ¡°I gave it up when I had Arnold, though.¡±


    ¡°No fucking way! You''re his mother?!?¡± Cissily asked, completely surprised. ¡°How old were you when you had him? Twelve?¡±


    Annie laughed. ¡°No, I was twenty five.¡±


    Everyone except Kelly and Arnold gasped, because they did the math in their head instantly.


    ¡°There is no goddamn way you''re forty-three! No goddamn way!¡± Cissily exclaimed. ¡°You''re too hot!¡±


    Annie laughed again and this time her face flushed a little red. She didn''t notice Kelly whispering in Arnold''s ear and his nod.


    ¡°Are you seeing anyone?¡± One of the women asked.


    ¡°E-excuse me?¡± Annie turned her head and looked at the bleach blonde young woman that had spoken.


    ¡°Do you want to get a coffee or something?¡± She asked with a very friendly smile and flipped her hair to the side to reveal expensive earrings and that her shoulder-length hair had been styled professionally.


    ¡°Um... well... I like tea, but...¡±


    ¡°Are you staying for the whole orientation?¡± She asked. ¡°Maybe we can grab a tea and talk afterwards?¡± She held out a delicate hand for Annie to shake. ¡°I''m Dianne.¡±


    ¡°Hi, Dianne. I''m Annie.¡± Annie said and took the hand gently, because it looked like it might break if she held it too hard.


    Dianne''s smile grew wider at her tenderness. ¡°I''m twenty-two and I think you look very pretty.¡±


    Annie''s face turned slightly red and let her hand go. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said and looked a little flustered. ¡°Just to make sure, you''re actually hitting on me, aren''t you?¡±


    Dianne let out the girliest laugh that Annie had ever heard. ¡°I''m usually a bit more subtle about it; but, yes, I am hitting on you.¡± She admitted. ¡°I hope that''s okay. It''s not freaking you out or anything, is it?¡±


    ¡°No. I just... I''m not gay.¡± Annie said, a bit starkly.


    Dianne laughed her girlie laugh again. ¡°That''s okay, neither am I.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Annie blinked her eyes at her.


    ¡°I''m an equal opportunity dater.¡± Dianne said.


    ¡°She really is.¡± The woman next to her said. ¡°She was with a really tall guy last week and all they talked about was his major and how he could function with arms and legs so long.¡±


    Dianne laughed again. ¡°He was a handsome devil and after talking to him for an hour, I discovered something.¡±


    ¡°What was that? Annie asked.


    ¡°He was as dumb as a brick! Ha ha!¡± Dianne laughed. ¡°He''s taking the Arts degree, because that was all he could qualify for.¡± She said. ¡°He was interesting, though. He loves to paint and asked me to pose nude, and we had just met!¡±


    ¡°That''s pretty bold.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°I refused, of course, and nothing happened between us. I just like meeting interesting people.¡± Dianne said.


    The lab door opened and Professor Crenslav strode in with purpose.


    ¡°Seats!¡± Amy said.


    Dianne took Annie''s hand and led her to the first seat behind the closest lab table, then she sat beside her. Everyone else found seats at the other tables and sat down.


    ¡°Good morning everyone.¡± Hamil said and made eye contact with each person, even Amy. ¡°Thank you all for coming today, even though some of you are suffering the after effects of Friday night.¡±


    ¡°You know it!¡± Cissily let out a laugh and then stopped herself.


    ¡°Case in point.¡± Hamil said with a smile. ¡°So, the new materials are going to be quite significant to your studies progress this year.¡± He said and turned to the whiteboard behind him and started to write on it in a black marker. ¡°First of all, the preparation for each of these special specimens is absolutely paramount.¡± He said. ¡°We only have a limited number, so any mistake will not only ruin the specimen''s viability for use later in the year, it will also...¡±


    Most of them sat there and listened intently, except for Kelly, Amy, and Annie. Kelly didn''t really have to listen, because she wasn''t very interested and only needed the general outline to help Arnold. Amy didn''t really listen, because she had already heard the speech. Annie wasn''t paying attention, because Dianne hadn''t let go of her hand when they sat down.


    It wasn''t the first time that someone had made a pass at Annie and had asked her out; but, it was the first time in years that it had been successful. She was quite surprised that she actually did want to have a talk with the young woman over a cup of tea. She just wasn''t sure about the hand-holding thing. She didn''t say anything about it or try to pull her hand away, though.


    They stayed there for two hours as the professor explained everything that needed to be done for that year and what they would be expected to do. Afterwards, he thanked them again for coming in and then left the room with purpose, just like he had when he came into the room.


    ¡°I''ll repeat the professors words and thank you all for coming in today.¡± Amy said with a sweet smile. ¡°I hope you all enjoy the rest of the weekend off.¡±


    ¡°I''m glad that''s over!¡± Cissily said and rubbed her head. ¡°My brain can''t take another long-winded speech from that arrogant little prick.¡±


    Amy chuckled. ¡°You need to stop calling him that where he can hear you.¡±


    ¡°Why? I say it to his face.¡± Cissily said with a smile, despite her headache. ¡°He just laughs at me.¡±


    ¡°We all laugh at you.¡± Dianne said and the other four women laughed.


    ¡°Up yours sideways, dixie chick!¡± Cissily said, and they laughed again.


    ¡°Let''s get out of here and grab something to eat.¡± One of the women said.


    ¡°Sure, I could eat.¡±


    ¡°There''s a nice place just off campus that serves great tea.¡± Dianne said.


    ¡°I really should help Arnold unpack.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°We''ll only be half an hour.¡± Dianne said and looked at Arnold and Kelly. ¡°Do you mind if I borrow your mother for a little while? You have to stay here and work anyway, right?¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°There.¡± Dianne said with a sweet smile and started to walk towards the door with Annie, whose hand she still held. ¡°We''re just going to talk and nothing''s going to happen.¡±


    ¡°I guess I''ll meet you back at the dorm room.¡± Annie said to them and then left.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Cissily said. ¡°That white chick works fast.¡±


    ¡°I better get back to the dorm room.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Our stuff isn''t going to unpack itself.¡±


    Arnold gave her a four second kiss. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I''ll see you at lunch.¡± Kelly said with a smile and left.


    ¡°That''s your girlfriend?¡± Cissily asked and Arnold nodded. ¡°Is it serious?¡±


    ¡°We''re exclusive.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I can''t kiss or have sex with anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Well, fuck.¡± Cissily said. ¡°How am I supposed to seduce you if you''re not even allowed to kiss me?¡±


    ¡°Cissily!¡± Amy exclaimed and the other women chuckled.


    ¡°What? He''s sexy and I want him to lick my kitty.¡± Cissily said.


    ¡°Your kitty?¡± Arnold asked, slightly confused.


    ¡°My pussy.¡± Cissily said. ¡°You know, that thing between my legs that''s just crying out for pleasure.¡±


    ¡°Jesus Christ.¡± One of the other women laughed. ¡°We better get out of here before she strips off again.¡±


    ¡°Good idea.¡± The other two said and the three women left in fits of laughter.

 57 College Life

    ¡°Thanks a lot for clearing everyone out, Cissily.¡± Amy sighed. ¡°They were supposed to stay and set up their workstations for Monday.¡±


    ¡°What has to be done?¡± Arnold asked, and Amy told him everything that the six of them needed to have access to at their workstations in order to perform all of the tasks they would be required to do. If they had everything at hand, they wouldn''t disrupt the class by leaving their projects to get what they needed.


    Arnold nodded and asked where the items were stored and Amy pointed out the various cabinets, drawers, and display shelves with the required items, and in ten minutes he had one workstation done. Then he started constructing the other five work stations.


    *


    Annie didn''t regret letting the young woman essentially drag her to a nice little coffee shop that was just off of the campus grounds. They bought their own drinks and sat down, and Dianne told her all about herself. She was part of a rich family and they didn''t care what she did with her life, since they had all the money they would ever need and she could live any way that she wanted.


    When Dianne was old enough to understand what that meant, she was surprised that her parents wouldn''t mind if she wasted her life, if that was what she wanted to do. She looked through everything that the local college had to offer and chose one of the hardest courses they offered. It was brutal and required a lot of studying, and she had taken to it like a duck to water. With her parents not pressuring her, she could do it at her own leisure... so she tackled the challenge head on.


    ¡°I''m glad that you decided to challenge yourself instead of just wasting away in your mansion.¡± Annie said. ¡°You seem like a smart girl and not using your brain would be a real shame.¡±


    ¡°That''s what I told my mother and she just did a fake little laugh and told me to have fun.¡± Dianne said and laughed herself. ¡°My parents are great people; but, they just don''t understand me.¡±


    Annie chuckled. ¡°A lot of children can claim that.¡±


    ¡°Not Arnold, though.¡± Dianne said. ¡°You understand him perfectly, don''t you?¡±


    Annie was caught off-guard. ¡°No, not... perfectly.¡±


    Dianne reached across the small table and took her hand. ¡°Why don''t you tell me about it.¡±


    ¡°I... I recently lost my husband in an accident...¡± Annie started to tell this woman she just met, all about the problems she had. How her whole world had started to fall apart, how Arnold was now the responsible one in the family and had to work to support them, and how he had to move out to do that.


    ¡°You poor thing.¡± Dianne said and gave her hand a squeeze. ¡°That''s the strangest set of circumstances I''ve ever heard of, and I''ve heard a lot.¡±


    Annie let out a sigh. ¡°It''s almost too much for one person to handle.¡±


    ¡°Which is why Arnold having to do this bothers you so much.¡± Dianne said and she nodded. ¡°I can try to keep an unobtrusive eye on him if you like.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I couldn''t ask you to do that.¡± Annie said and looked down at their clasped hands. Almost as if Dianne could tell what she was thinking, she leaned in close.


    ¡°I''m trying to stop you from running away.¡± Dianne whispered.


    ¡°I''m not running.¡± Annie whispered back.


    ¡°You look like a scared little rabbit about to be caught.¡± Dianne smiled.


    ¡°You are trying to catch me, though.¡± Annie countered.


    Dianne bit her lip to stop her laugh. ¡°I really am.¡±


    ¡°...and I''m really flattered. Really.¡± Annie said. ¡°I just...¡±


    ¡°I told you that nothing has to happen.¡± Dianne said. ¡°We''re just two friends out sharing a nice beverage together and catching up on old times.¡±


    Annie snorted and then laughed. ¡°You have old times! Ha ha!¡±


    ¡°That was a cute snort.¡± Dianne said and then laughed her girlish laugh. ¡°That usually means you''re comfortable around someone and can let yourself laugh as hard as you want.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Annie asked and thought about it. She was pretty sure she had laughed like that around Kelly, and that made her smile. ¡°I''m glad, even if it''s something you just made up.¡±


    Dianne laughed again. ¡°It''s reassuring, isn''t it? To have that comfortable feeling?¡±


    Annie nodded.


    ¡°...and now our date has come to an end.¡± Dianne said and let her hand go as she turned her coffee cup upside down. ¡°I need to get you back to campus before your son and his girlfriend start to worry that I''ve absconded with you for nefarious purposes.¡±


    Annie snorted and laughed, which made Dianne laugh her girlish laugh, and the two of them left the coffee shop. Not surprisingly, Annie felt a dainty hand take hers as soon as they had left the shop and started to walk back to the campus. They made it back to the dorm room building Arnold was assigned to and Dianne stopped just outside of it.


    ¡°It was very nice meeting you.¡± Dianne said.


    ¡°It was nice meeting-¡± Annie stopped when Dianne gave her a quick kiss on the lips. ¡°Dianne, I...¡±


    ¡°That was just a friendly thank you.¡± Dianne said. ¡°I find you very interesting.¡±


    ¡°I''m flattered, really.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°You said that before.¡± Dianne said with a smile. ¡°It''s okay. Like I told you, nothing has to happen.¡±


    ¡°That wasn''t nothing. You just kissed me.¡± Annie said.


    Dianne laughed. ¡°That wasn''t really a kiss.¡± She said and leaned in and gave her a real kiss for several seconds. ¡°That was a real kiss.¡±


    Annie stood there with her mouth slightly open and a surprised look on her face. ¡°Y-you... t-tongue.¡±


    ¡°Did I just steal your first kiss with another woman?¡± Dianne asked with a warm smile, then she blushed. ¡°I''m very happy to be your first.¡±


    ¡°I.. well, I...¡± Annie stammered and her face went red as well.


    Diane laughed her girlish laugh again. ¡°I really enjoy meeting interesting people.¡± She said and took a step back and held on to Annie''s hand for a moment, then she took another step back and she had to let go. ¡°I hope to see you again some day.¡± She said as their hands slipped away from each other.


    Annie watched the bleached blonde young woman walk away and didn''t know what to say. After about a minute, she gave her head a little shake and then went inside the dorm building to help Kelly unpack.


    *


    ¡°What about your work station?¡± Arnold asked when he was done of the other place settings.


    ¡°I can do my own when its time.¡± Amy said and walked over to the front of the class and opened a drawer in the professor''s desk and took out a clipboard with several sheets of lined paper on it. ¡°We need to do an inventory of everything.¡± She said and handed the clipboard and a pencil to Arnold. ¡°Start here at the front right cabinet and record and count every piece of equipment and item that you see inside. Oh, and grade its quality, too. We need to know what has to be replaced.¡±


    Arnold took the clipboard and went to the first cabinet and started to write down everything he could see, how many there were, and he picked each item up to record the conditions from ''new'' to ''good'' to ''needs replacing''.


    ¡°That''s going to take you a while, so Cissily and I will leave you alone.¡± Amy said and led her friend out of the classroom and over to the lobby.


    ¡°You are such a bitch!¡± Cissily whispered and then laughed softly. ¡°You just did the inventory on your laptop last week, and you didn''t even give him the prepared list!¡±


    ¡°Shh! Arnold doesn''t know that he just has to mark the items on a sheet.¡± Amy said. ¡°Plus, this is a little payback for what he said about me to the professor.¡±


    ¡°I knew you looked extra fake happy when you came into the room.¡± Cissily said and sat down on a bench at the side of the room. ¡°So, hit me with it.¡±


    Amy sat down and told her about what happened and Cissily''s mouth fell open in surprise.


    ¡°Okay, that boy''s got big balls.¡± Cissily said. ¡°He insulted you and your work ethic right in front of the professor, and he got away with it!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Amy said and she took a breath to stay calm. ¡°So, I''m going to show him that as a senior assistant, he has to do everything I say.¡±


    ¡°Fareena, you can''t.¡± Cissily said. ¡°He warned you that you can''t use him like that.¡±


    Amy smiled. ¡°The professor put me in charge of teaching him all of the physical set ups and cleaning procedures, since those are ''standard'' and don''t change.¡±


    Cissily caught her breath and put a hand on her friend''s arm. ¡°Amy, don''t.¡±


    Amy blinked her eyes for a moment, because Cissily never used her chosen name.


    ¡°I''m absolutely positive that you don''t want to make him angry.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ve got a lot more pull with the professor than Arnold does.¡±


    ¡°I meant the professor.¡± Cissily said. ¡°You know what he''s like. He chose this kid from high school for an advanced position as an assistant, sight unseen and above the rest of us, then enrolled him in the masters course without having him take the prerequisites first.¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t mean anything.¡± Amy said to try and defend her position.


    ¡°He doesn''t have to take erroneous courses or filler credits like the rest of us. His sole focus is going to be the biology masters degree. I saw the details on the professor''s desk last week when I brought him one of the test specimens.¡± Cissily said. ¡° Arnold''s being fast tracked through everything.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Amy asked, surprised.


    ¡°Did you even look at his academic record when we went to the school for the prep speeches?¡± Cissily asked.


    ¡°I may have glanced at it.¡± Amy said.


    Cissily laughed. ¡°According to the professor''s note, he had a five point one average on his courses before he finished taking the final exams a week ago.¡±


    ¡°What? How?¡± Amy asked.


    ¡°Apparently, he does all the work they give him, even the extra credit stuff!¡± Cissily said. ¡°Talk about an overachiever!¡± She laughed again. ¡°I can only imagine what his average will be if he aced the exams.¡±


    Amy gave her a concerned look for several moments, then she sighed. ¡°All right, maybe... just maybe... I won''t take my anger out on him by making him do all the physical labour.¡±


    Cissily punched her shoulder. ¡°I didn''t tell you to take it easy on him, stupid! I said not to give him extra shit to do that could be seen as abusing him!¡±


    ¡°For fuck''s sake, make up your mind.¡± Amy said angrily and Cissily laughed again.


    ¡°As far as I can tell, he likes to work, so you might as well let him.¡± Cissily rubbed her friend''s shoulder, then put her arm around her. ¡°Just don''t make things up and call it necessary, all right?¡±


    Amy nodded.


    ¡°Great!¡± Cissiy said and stood up. ¡°Let''s go look in through the door and laugh silently as he physically checks everything in the lab.¡±


    Amy chuckled and stood as well, then they went over to the lab and did just that for about twenty minutes. After that, they realized Arnold really was physically checking every single thing in the lab. He rated it and put it back in the proper spot and he also checked the things he had already set out for the work stations to be used on Monday during classes.


    Amy was secretly impressed as Arnold worked without taking a break, like normal people did, especially when they thought no one was around. No one in their right mind worked that hard when they were alone, so she wasn''t sure what to make of Arnold.


    Maybe Cissily is right. Amy thought as Arnold moved around the lab with purpose and wrote down everything. I think he actually likes doing things like this.


    What she didn''t know was that Arnold approached it like he approached eating a meal. Mechanically. His orderly mind had no trouble whatsoever with taking inventory or writing everything down.


    ¡°What''s so interesting in the lab?¡± A brisk male voice said from behind them and both women jumped.


    ¡°Sir!¡± They said at the same time and turned to look at Professor Crenslav.


    ¡°Well?¡± Hamil asked and looked past them. ¡°You set my new assistant to take inventory... by hand.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Amy said. ¡°I thought it was the best and quickest way to familiarize Arnold with everything we have in the lab.¡± She said. ¡°If he only checked boxes on the normal list, I was afraid that he wouldn''t understand the importance of having the best equipment. He''s also inspecting it for quality.¡±


    Hamil gave her a stern eye for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Yes, actually handling the equipment does make it more real.¡± He said. ¡°Although, I didn''t really expect him to be put to work quite this soon.¡±


    ¡°He already set up the workstations for Monday, sir.¡± Cissily said. ¡°Amy thought it was best to let him do it than just having him watch the others do it.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Hamil looked through the door''s window again and saw the expert set up at the six tables needed for the specimens for the department. ¡°Yes, good thinking, Amy.¡± He said. ¡°I''m glad you didn''t take his comments to heart.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Amy said.


    ¡°He doesn''t mean it like you think he does, you see.¡± Hamil said. ¡°I recently gained access to his full academic records and it has several notations about his personality and behavior over the years, including special notes from his previous biology and science teachers.¡±


    ¡°What did they say?¡±


    ¡°He''s been dissecting specimens professionally since he was thirteen.¡±


    ¡°What? How did... why would they...¡± Amy shook her head. ¡°They don''t do dissections in middle school, sir.¡±


    Hamil smiled. ¡°Apparently, a high school teacher was being punished and was assigned to his class. She introduced him to it and she had only great things to say about him.¡± The smile disappeared. ¡°I thought it was a little too great of an opinion for someone so young, to be honest. It''s not normal to be that good so young, which means he''s had the disposition for a long time.¡±


    ¡°But... now...¡±


    ¡°You have to help me cultivate his talent, Miss Hollister.¡± Hamil said to Amy. ¡°This won''t be an easy task. He doesn''t have our experience and his knowledge base is a little skewed. However, we can correct this over the next three months before he enrols into the program officially in the fall.¡±


    Amy wasn''t sure what to say to that.


    ¡°I wouldn''t ask you to do this if I didn''t believe that I needed your help.¡± Hamil said. ¡°Now you need to ask yourself a very important question.¡±


    Amy didn''t know if she wanted to know the question, let alone answer it.


    ¡°Can you accept the fact that someone you teach will surpass your own talents?¡±


    Amy was now sure that she didn''t want to answer that question. ¡°I don''t know.¡±


    Hamil smiled. ¡°It is a blow to the ego, is it not?¡± He asked. ¡°Not just to suspect, but to know, that he will be better than us when trained properly.¡±


    ¡°U-u-us?!?¡± Amy asked, shocked. ¡°You said us!¡±


    Hamil let out a rare chuckle. ¡°Yes, Amy. Us. He is destined to match my accomplishments... and perhaps, even exceed them.¡±


    ¡°Sir, that... that''s nonsense.¡± Amy said. ¡°He can''t surpass what you''ve done. You''re the top person in our field.¡±


    ¡°I am now. What will our new resident genius become when he learns all that we have to teach him?¡±


    Amy couldn''t answer that.


    ¡°If you can accept that, then I want you to help me as much as you can. We can shepherd this young man into the great man he can become.¡± Hamil said and let her think about that for a few moments. ¡°When he is done with the inventory, compare it to the one you did last week... and please, don''t be insulted when his is different from yours.¡±


    ¡°How do you know it will be different?¡± Amy asked.


    ¡°For the same reason you stated earlier. He is physically inspecting each item and grading them. He will have a deeper knowledge of the quality than a visual inspection can give.¡±


    Amy let out a sigh. ¡°Yes, sir. I''ll even compliment him on the good work.¡±


    Hamil smiled and reached out to put a hand on her arm. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and went back to his office.


    ¡°He just touched your arm!¡± Cissily said, shocked. ¡°That''s amazing!¡±


    Amy nodded, because she could still feel the professor''s fingers on her skin. More than anything else, that tells me it really is important to the professor that I treat Arnold fairly. She thought. He never touches other people''s bare skin. Never.


    Both Amy and Cissily watched through the lab door and waited for Arnold to finish.

 58 College Life Part Two

    When Arnold finished going around the room and checking everything, including the lab tables, the drawers and handles, and the chairs, he walked over to the professor''s desk and put the clipboard and pencil down on it.


    ¡°Good job, Arnold.¡± Amy said with a big smile as she opened the lab door, then she and Cissily came in and walked over to the desk. ¡°You actually completed that a lot faster than...¡± She stopped talking when she saw the first sheet on the clipboard.


    Not only did it have the item''s location and name, it also had a well-drawn box beside it with the number of items inside. It had the word ''Grade'' next and six boxes beside that, and each and every item had a mark in the box to correspond to the quality. The range was Discard, Poor, Fair, Good, Very Good, and New. He even had a note explaining the grade beside them. For everything.


    Cissily saw it and gasped. ¡°That''s better organized than the actual inventory list!¡± She said and then covered her mouth. ¡°Sorry, Fareena.¡±


    ¡°It''s all right. The professor said to compare them.¡± Amy said and took a laptop out of the second drawer and sat down at the professor''s desk and opened the laptop, waited for it to start, then loaded the inventory spreadsheet. When she looked at it, it really was a poor imitation of Arnold''s simple handwritten itemized list.


    It took Amy almost thirty minutes to go through Arnold''s list and to find the corresponding item in the spreadsheet, because the spreadsheet had automatically alphabetized them.


    Why does Arnold''s list look so much better? Amy asked herself in confusion. It took me hours to set this spreadsheet up with this much detail, and his details are head and shoulders above mine... and he wrote it all out by hand.


    Amy stopped herself from getting angry about it, mainly because of what the professor had told her about not being upset if Arnold''s list was better. The worst part about it was he had caught over two dozen pretty glaring faults in some of the equipment that she had missed. It was because she had told him to inspect every item that he had found them, and that made it a little easier for her to accept that he was better than her about it.


    This... this is what the professor meant when he asked me if I was prepared for Arnold to surpass my own skills. Amy thought and looked up from the laptop at Arnold, who looked back at her. Not only did he do the inventory a lot faster than I did, he did it by hand and in a lot more detail.


    Amy knew that he very easily could be rubbing it in her face. In the back of her mind, she expected him to laugh at her pathetic spreadsheet, or to tell her that she couldn''t compare to his skills, or even to gloat over his proficiency at doing something she only did a half-ass job with. All Arnold did was stand there and look back at her.


    ¡°I think... it''s almost time for lunch.¡± Amy said and looked at her friend. ¡°Cissily, could you give me a hand in adapting a new inventory spreadsheet? I can''t fit Arnold''s into this one properly, so we have to do another one.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Cissily asked. ¡°You know I''m still hung over, right?¡±


    Amy smiled. ¡°We just have to start it and set up the parameters. I''ll integrate the two lists myself this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank fuck.¡± Cissily said in relief. ¡°We have to eat, too!¡±


    Amy chuckled. ¡°Arnold, come back at one o''clock and I''ll give you a proper tour of the whole department. There is a lot more to see than just the lobby displays and the lab here.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and walked over to the lab door, opened it, and left.


    Cissily waited for a minute before she spoke. ¡°You were actually nice to him at the end and not the fake nice you started with.¡±


    Amy nodded. ¡°Both you and the professor are right.¡±


    ¡°Oh. My. GOD.¡± Cissily said and put her hands on her friend''s shoulders and gave her a little shake. ¡°Who the fuck are you and what did you do to my bitch?¡±


    Amy couldn''t help it and laughed. ¡°Hey, I can admit it when someone else is right.¡±


    ¡°Since when?¡± Cissily asked with a huge grin.


    ¡°Since now, you drunken whore!¡± Amy said and swatted Cissily''s hands from her shoulders.


    ¡°There she is!¡± Cissily said and laughed. ¡°You had me worried for a second there.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you.¡± Amy said and grinned. ¡°It really will only take a few minutes to use Arnold''s inventory layout to make another spreadsheet.¡±


    ¡°Stealing his work already, are you?¡± Cissily asked and Amy laughed again.


    ¡°No, I''m adapting it.¡± Amy said. ¡°I''m still going to add my own inventory tweaks to it, since I caught things Arnold missed.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to tell him that?¡± Cissily asked.


    ¡°I''ll be going over everything with Arnold as I enter it into the spreadsheet, so yes.¡± Amy said.


    ¡°You''re actually going to work all day until four, aren''t you?¡± Cissily asked.


    ¡°I kind of have to, now.¡± Amy said and touched the inventory list. ¡°You know what the professor''s going to say when he sees this.¡±


    Cissily cleared her throat and spoke in a deep voice. ¡°Why isn''t this what our spreadsheet looks like?¡±


    Amy laughed. ¡°Exactly!¡± She said. ¡°I won''t make you hang around until I''m done, either.¡±


    ¡°Then let''s get to work.¡± Cissily said. ¡°There''s a plate of spicy curly fries in the cafeteria that''s calling my name.¡±


    *


    Kelly and Annie sat down on one of the beds and let out relieved sighs. They had put everything away that they had brought, which seemed like a lot when it was still in boxes. The things barely filled one of the dressers and only half of the closet, including all the dry cleaning bags with Arnold''s new suits and both Arnold''s and Kelly''s clothes that needed to be hung up.


    ¡°I can''t believe you let her kiss you.¡± Kelly said with a crooked smile.


    ¡°Let her? Ha!¡± Annie laughed. ¡°She surprised the hell out of me!¡±


    Kelly snorted and then laughed, too. Annie turned to face her at the sound of her snort and remembered what Dianne had said about it meaning that someone was comfortable enough around you to laugh as hard as they wanted.


    ¡°What was it like?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°That''s... a little hard to describe.¡± Annie said. ¡°It was soft... I mean, a lot softer than kissing a man.¡±


    Kelly nodded. ¡°Did it feel weird? Like... like you were kissing your sister or something?¡±


    Annie raised her eyebrows at the wording. ¡°That sounds like experience talking.¡±


    Kelly opened her mouth to deny it, then smiled. ¡°Well, there was one time Heather sneaked a glass of wine away from her mother...¡±


    Annie snorted herself. ¡°You just had to drink and kiss, right?¡±


    Kelly blushed a little. ¡°We were both a little depressed that we hadn''t had dates in a while and had a few sips. When we started to list the qualities we had that guys should be fighting over us for, well...¡±


    ¡°Soft lips definitely came up.¡± Annie said with a smile.


    ¡°They really are soft. Softer than I thought they would be.¡± Kelly said. ¡°You see lipstick and it makes lips look firm and kissable... but... it''s like... kissing a cloud.¡±


    ¡°But?¡± Annie prompted.


    ¡°It felt... not empty, but... wrong, somehow? Like, I didn''t get a thrill from it. Not even a little.¡±


    ¡°Which means you need to feel something romantic before the kiss can mean anything.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°Yes! That''s it.¡± Kelly said and nodded. ¡°It wasn''t romantic at all. I couldn''t even get my head wrapped around the idea to see her like that, you know?¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°Oh, I know.¡±


    Kelly smiled. ¡°Dianne?¡±


    Annie nodded again. ¡°I liked talking to her and spending time with her. To use her own words, she''s quite interesting. The hand holding was a little off-putting; but, it wasn''t like holding the hand of someone I care about.¡± She said. ¡°The kiss... well... it was more surprise than anything.¡±


    ¡°I was surprised when I heard about it, so I can only imagine how you felt.¡± Kelly chuckled.


    ¡°Shocked. Flabbergasted. Flummoxed.¡± Annie said and Kelly laughed.


    ¡°When are you coming back to see her?¡± Kelly asked, teasingly.


    ¡°I''d say on or about the third of never.¡± Annie said and they both laughed.


    It was then that they heard someone outside the room door and their laughter died.


    ¡°Did you lock the door?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°Always.¡± Annie said.


    The door handle turned once, and again, then there was a knock on the door.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°Arnold.¡±


    ¡°Just a second!¡± Kelly ran over to the door and opened it. ¡°We''re in a strange place, so we have to keep the door locked, just in case.¡±


    Arnold nodded and stepped inside.


    ¡°We should pick up a nice key ring that you can hook to your belt.¡± Annie said. ¡°Then you won''t have to worry about losing your keys.¡±


    ¡°Are you off for lunch?¡± Kelly asked.


    Arnold nodded. ¡°Until one o''clock, then I have to go back and tour the rest of the biology department. There''s a lot more to see than the lobby displays and the lab.¡±


    ¡°She''s definitely going to keep you there until four.¡± Annie said with a chuckle. ¡°We better go grab something to eat.¡±


    ¡°Take-out?¡± Kelly asked and she nodded. ¡°What are you in the mood for?¡±


    ¡°Pizza.¡± Annie said. ¡°I haven''t had a good pizza in a while.¡±


    ¡°We can get an extra large and save what we don''t eat for supper or for lunch tomorrow.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Now you''re starting to think frugally.¡± Annie said and the three of them left the dorm room and went down in the elevator.


    Kelly checked her cell phone and looked at the local places and read some of the reviews. ¡°It looks like there''s a good place about six blocks east from here.¡±


    ¡°Six blocks?¡± Annie asked with a laugh. ¡°You''re going to spend a lot on delivery fees if that''s the closest good pizza place.¡±


    ¡°Definitely.¡± Kelly said. ¡°If it''s a good pizza, it''ll be worth getting once a week or so.¡±


    They left the elevator and went outside and climbed into the car. Annie drove to the address and they went inside to see that it was barely twenty feet wide.


    ¡°How did you fit a pizza place in here?¡± Annie asked the woman behind the counter.


    ¡°We turned it sideways!¡± The woman responded and laughed. ¡°What can I get you?¡±


    ¡°Is anything on special?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°We''re running a special on Hawaiian Pineapple and Spicy Italian Sausage.¡±


    ¡°Together?¡± Annie asked with a sour face and the woman laughed.


    ¡°No, each.¡± The woman said and pointed behind her at the menu. ¡°Although, for a few dollars, I''ll put sausage on the Hawaiian.¡±


    ¡°No thanks!¡± Annie said with a laugh and looked at Kelly. ¡°Any preference?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think I can eat pineapple and pizza sauce.¡± Kelly said and made the same sour face Annie just used. ¡°I also don''t think Arnold should eat anything spicy going back to work.¡±


    ¡°Good point.¡± Annie said and looked at the menu. ¡°You better give us the extra large Meat Lovers pizza to go.¡±


    ¡°You got it.¡± The woman said. ¡°It''ll be about twenty minutes.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Annie said and picked up a paper take out menu from the stack on the counter. ¡°You''re probably going to want this.¡±


    Kelly nodded and folded it up and put it in her pocket. ¡°We should stop at a grocery store and pick up a few things for sandwiches, too.¡±


    ¡°We can do that after we eat and drop Arnold off at work.¡± Annie said and waved at one of the tables. ¡°Tell us about what Amy had you doing this morning when we left.¡±


    The three of them sat down and Arnold told them about setting up the workstations for the rest of the department and then taking a full inventory of the lab equipment. Both Annie and Kelly were surprised for only a few seconds that Amy would do that to him on his very first day, then they realized she was trying to get back at him for what he had said about her to the professor.


    The problem they had was that they couldn''t say anything about it, to either Arnold or his boss. Amy could easily claim that it was necessary and Annie and Kelly would be seen as trying to cause trouble, which was exactly what the professor had warned them about not causing. If they did, then they would no longer be allowed to visit Arnold in the lab and that was something that neither of them wanted to lose.


    The pizza arrived and Annie paid for it, then they left and drove back to the apartment. On the way by the desk where the dorm manager sat, Annie asked Doris if she would like a slice of pizza. She politely refused and stated that she had already eaten and couldn''t afford to put even more weight on her hips. Both Annie and Kelly nodded in understanding and they went up in the elevator to the dorm room to eat.


    The pizza was quite delicious and Annie had a piece and a half, Kelly had a piece and a half as well, and Arnold ate one piece and stopped. That left four large pieces for another meal and Kelly piled them onto a single plate and put it into the small half-fridge. They all brushed their teeth and used some mouthwash to freshen their mouths.


    ¡°Your mom and I are going to run some errands, so we will see you after work.¡± Kelly said and gave Arnold a kiss.


    ¡°We''ll be back in plenty of time, so don''t worry about being locked out.¡± Annie said. ¡°If we aren''t here, Doris should have a key to let you in.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and left to go back to the lab.


    ¡°Now that we have a good idea of how much space you have here, we can pick up some more things.¡± Annie said to Kelly. ¡°It''s a bit sad that your refrigerator is so small.¡±


    Kelly nodded. ¡°We won''t be storing a lot of perishable foods, that''s true.¡± She said. ¡°We''ve got almost as much cupboard space as you do at the house, though.¡±


    Annie chuckled. ¡°We''ll focus on dry goods, then.¡± She said. ¡°Oh, and definitely toilet paper and paper towels.¡±


    ¡°I''d say a few packs of paper plates as well.¡± Kelly said. ¡°We might as well get used to it, since I doubt either of us is going to have the time to wash dishes when college starts in the fall.¡±


    ¡°Only if you promise to have at least one meal a week on actual plates.¡± Annie said a little sternly.


    ¡°Oh, I can definitely promise that.¡± Kelly said and opened the door as she grinned at Annie. ¡°We''re coming back to your place every weekend, remember?¡±


    Annie''s mouth opened in surprise and Kelly laughed.


    ¡°We better get going.¡± Kelly said and ushered Annie out of the room, then shut and locked the door.


    *


    Arnold walked into the lab and saw that it was empty. The laptop and his inventory report was still on the desk. When he looked at the clock on the wall, he saw there was still about five minutes left for lunch. He sat down and hit the button to turn the laptop on and waited, then used the knowledge that Kelly had given him and started up the spreadsheet program.


    He loaded the last file that had been opened and saw a remarkable copy of his inventory setup, with a few exceptions and additions that he assumed Amy must have put in for some reason. Only the first two entries had been added, so he checked the fields to make sure the formulas and formats were copied throughout the spreadsheet, then started typing.


    Arnold had already memorized the keyboard, so all he had to do was read his report and copied over the information into the spreadsheet. He was about halfway through the first page of his report when the lab door opened and Amy came in.


    ¡°Oh, you''re here already.¡± Amy said and Arnold looked up at the clock to see that it was five minutes after one o''clock. ¡°What are you doing?¡± She asked and looked at the spreadsheet he was filling out. ¡°How long have you been here?¡±


    ¡°Ten minutes.¡± Arnold said and stopped typing for a moment as he flipped the first page of his hand written inventory, then he started typing again.


    Amy stood there for the next twenty minutes as Arnold entered everything from his report into the new spreadsheet. ¡°How did you learn to do that?¡± She asked, and couldn''t find any errors. Not one.


    ¡°My girlfriend Kelly spent all week teaching me everything I needed to know.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°All week?¡± Amy asked, shocked. It had taken her a lot longer than that to learn how to use a spreadsheet properly and she still couldn''t type without looking at the keyboard.


    ¡°Except for yesterday. We had graduation and prom.¡±


    Amy was silent for a moment. ¡°I''m sorry you had to work the very next day.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°It''s the weekend.¡± Amy said. ¡°Most people have the weekends off.¡±


    ¡°My job description said I needed to be available on every second Sunday for work.¡±


    Amy closed her mouth before she said that wasn''t fair, then nodded. ¡°I''ll give you a quick tour, then we''ll both go over my inventory and yours to compare them and integrate them. I''ll show you the things you missed along the way as well.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and saved the spreadsheet and shut the laptop down, then he followed Amy around the entire department and she showed him a few wonders that he had never seen before.

 59 Work And Play

    Bokuboy


    Arnold was in awe as he was led through the rear storage area and shown all of the specimens that were available for display. He had thought his high school biology teacher had a lot of specimens and this collection dwarfed it by a factor of ten. Amy was a little surprised at the sight of him with his mouth slightly open and she watched his eyes as they darted around and tried to look at everything at the same time.


    ¡°You really like all of this, don''t you?¡± Amy asked in a whisper, because for some reason, she felt like she didn''t want to disturb him too much.


    ¡°It''s amazing.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Is that half a cat?¡± He asked and pointed to a top shelf.


    ¡°We make those for the veterinary program and even ship some across the country to other schools.¡±


    ¡°We?¡± Arnold asked and looked at her with sparkling eyes.


    Amy was caught slightly off-guard by the look, since she hadn''t seen much from him besides a stoic expression. ¡°Y-yes, as his assistants, we''re responsible for the things he''s either too busy to do or he doesn''t want to do.¡± She said. ¡°We haven''t had an order in a few months, so we''re waiting for the new semester when the new course starts before we make any more.¡±


    ¡°How many?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°The last order was for thirty of them.¡± Amy said. ¡°The whole department was called in for that one.¡±


    Arnold smiled at the thought of having to prepare so many specimens. ¡°Are there any orders now?¡±


    Amy smiled. ¡°No, the only specimens we have to prepare are the ones that have to be done on Monday for the class.¡±


    ¡°How many students will be there to observe?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Thirty six.¡±


    Arnold turned to look at her. ¡°That''s why there are six separate work stations, so six people can stand around them and not interfere with each other.¡±


    Amy nodded, a little surprised that he had grasped the knowledge so quickly. ¡°I''ll be walking around and observing, making corrections in the techniques of the department workers when needed, then I''ll do my own specimen. You will be assisting the professor at the main desk.¡±


    Arnold nodded and Amy was a little happy that he didn''t show any signs of being smug about it. It still bothered her that he didn''t think she was good enough to learn from first, though.


    Maybe if I show him some of my best work? Amy asked herself, then she immediately squashed that idea. The last thing she wanted was to have him critique her work, even if he somehow remained objective and didn''t berate her over her mistakes. She stood there and let him look over everything that he wanted, then she decided that if he was going to work there and take the master''s courses, he needed to know something important.


    ¡°Arnold? I think it''s time I showed you something special.¡± Amy said.


    Arnold immediately stopped looking at things and walked over to stare intently at her.


    Amy shivered a little at the intensity. ¡°It''s right this way.¡± She said and led him out of the storage area and to the stairs, then down into the basement. ¡°This is what we call the Ice Box.¡± She said and used a key to open the large door there. Inside was a giant walk-in cold room and it had shelves upon shelves inside. On those shelves was something that Arnold had never seen before.


    A collection of hundreds of unprepared specimens.


    There were all types of animals, from mice all the way up to a horse. An actual, full-size horse, was near the back of the room next to another door and Arnold stared at the horse.


    ¡°If you can believe it, an equestrian school requested it.¡± Amy said as Arnold walked over to it. ¡°The professor''s just waiting on the payment before starting such a huge project.¡±


    ¡°Will you be working on it, too?¡± Arnold asked and lightly touched the mane.


    ¡°We both will.¡± Amy said and she caught her breath when Arnold turned to her with a huge smile. She also tried to ignore how angelic he looked. ¡°We need to get back upstairs and go over the inventory.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and they both left the cold storage.


    Amy locked it and led him back upstairs to the second floor and to the lab, then she sat down at the professor''s desk. To her surprise, Arnold moved her chair out slightly and then he sat down between her legs and partially under the desk.


    ¡°A-Arnold, what...¡± Amy started to ask.


    ¡°I need to see what you''re doing.¡± Arnold said and stared at the screen.


    Amy held in her anger at his presumptuousness, mainly because she was wearing a skirt today and he was sitting between her knees without even asking her first. She shook her head and stopped her sigh, then she started the laptop and brought up the spreadsheet Arnold had filled out. She brought up hers next and copied a few of the things in it to integrate into the new spreadsheet, namely the age of the object, how many times it had been used, and the cost.


    ¡°I see.¡± Arnold said and Amy did her best to not react to having him so close. ¡°I knew when I was making the inventory list that there were things I couldn''t record.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± Amy asked curiously, because she knew he wouldn''t know about the age of the objects.


    ¡°I can only see and count what''s there and not what''s missing.¡± Arnold said. ¡°If anything has been taken, or used somewhere else, or even misplaced in another room, I can''t add it to the inventory.¡± He explained. ¡°Or if some equipment has been set aside for either the professor''s use or yours. You stated earlier that you would construct your own workstation and I don''t know if you are using the left over parts or new things you have tucked away.¡±


    ¡°That''s... actually true.¡± Amy said, surprised. ¡°Both the professor and I have our own separate equipment that we use and I usually just add the numbers to the list.¡±


    ¡°They should be inspected, if we''re doing a full inventory.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°All right.¡± Amy said. ¡°We''ll both look over them when we''re done integrating our two inventory lists.¡±


    Arnold nodded and it took a little while for them to add Amy''s info to the new spreadsheet, because hers was alphabetized and his was organized by location. Once they had it completed and had talked about how they each had knowledge that could contribute to the lab''s proficiency, the two of them went into a small side room next to the lab.


    They inspected the items that Amy and the professor used on a regular basis and Amy was surprised when Arnold noticed a dull sheen on her dissection tools. They didn''t glimmer like they were supposed to, and she inspected them herself. She hadn''t noticed that they had dulled to the point of not shining after being cleaned, which meant that they were starting to physically dull and needed to be replaced.


    ¡°Thank you, Arnold.¡± Amy said and put a hand on his. ¡°With the new specimens that need to be prepared on Monday, having even slightly dull tools could cause my hand to slip when I unknowingly applied extra pressure to compensate.¡± She said, then realized what she was doing and took her hand back. ¡°I would be so angry at myself if I made a mistake.¡±


    Arnold nodded understanding. He had been frustrated for a long time while using that old kitchen steak knife. He had been so happy to receive his own tools from his junior high biology teacher and it made everything so much easier. That thought reminded him of what he was supposed to do after he graduated. It had been five years since she had asked him to call her and he didn''t wonder if the number would still work.


    Amy looked at the time and nodded. ¡°It''s almost four o''clock.¡±


    ¡°I have to get back to the dorm room and set up my character for Fortune''s Favour.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Fortune''s Favour?¡± Amy asked and then smiled. ¡°Are you a gamer?¡±


    ¡°I haven''t played online yet.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Then you''re in for a treat... or a good thrashing.¡± Amy said with a grin. ¡°Good luck.¡±


    Arnold nodded and left to head to his dorm room. He had a VR date to prepare for, so he went back to the dorm room and knocked on the door. ¡°Arnold.¡± He said before anyone asked who it was. The door opened a moment later and Kelly was there.


    ¡°Hi!¡± Kelly said and gave him a hug and a quick kiss, then brought him inside. ¡°Your mom is making a quick and easy meal for supper.¡±


    ¡°You''re supposed to be watching me make it.¡± Annie said with a chuckle. ¡°It''s a good thing that it''s almost done.¡±


    ¡°Macaroni and cheese isn''t that difficult.¡± Kelly brought Arnold over to the small kitchenette.


    ¡°It''s homemade, so you need to be careful that you don''t overcook the macaroni before putting it in the oven.¡± Annie pulled a casserole dish out of the small oven and put it on the small table that only had two chairs. She uncovered it and steam billowed out and they saw the cheese had just started to bubble. ¡°Perfect.¡±


    Kelly gave her a big smile and handed her three real plates to put the food on. She had teased Annie about using paper plates for their first real meal in their new place and Annie had laughed and swatted her with a spatula. Annie put the half-empty casserole dish on top of the stove and covered it. After a short discussion, Arnold sat on the corner of the closest bed and Annie and Kelly sat at the table. The three of them ate their fill and they washed up the dishes.


    ¡°Arnold, go ahead and get changed into some casual clothes.¡± Kelly said. ¡°We''ve got some VR work to get to.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and walked over to the closet. He took off the suit coat and hung it up, then did the same for the pants.


    ¡°We have a nice key ring for you, too.¡± Annie said and passed it to Kelly, who passed it to him. Arnold attached it to his old house key and then tucked it into the pants pocket and clipped it to a belt loop. It now had two keys on it, one for home and one for the dorm room. He took off the shirt and hung it up as well, then he walked over to the dresser and slipped on a pair of jogging pants and a baggy t-shirt.


    ¡°Annie? You''re probably going to want to lay down and watch television or something.¡± Kelly said. ¡°We''re going to be a while playing VR.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking I should head home, actually.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°Oh, no you don''t.¡± Kelly said and took her hand and led her to the bed on the right. ¡°You said it yourself before that if Arnold didn''t come home on the weekend, then you would either pick him up or stay until Sunday night.¡±


    ¡°I meant after he started staying here.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°He has started staying here.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Plus, it''s his first time staying in a bed so far away from home. Do you really want to not be here for that?¡±


    Annie opened her mouth to say that they should spend their first night living together, alone, then she sighed. ¡°You want me to stay, too.¡±


    Kelly nodded. ¡°I won''t admit that I''m scared enough for the both of us.¡± She smiled. ¡°This is.. it''s a big responsibility, and... I don''t want to mess it up by not having you close by when you could be.¡±


    Annie chuckled and put an arm around her shoulders. ¡°All right, you''ve convinced me not to run off and give you two some privacy.¡±


    ¡°I''ll even let you borrow an outfit to wear.¡± Kelly said. ¡°You like onesies with the feet attached, right?¡±


    Annie snorted and then laughed. ¡°Only if it''s bright pink!¡±


    Kelly laughed too, then handed her jogging pants and a big baggy t-shirt. ¡°Arnold, start up the beast.¡±


    Arnold nodded and turned on his computer. They had two large desks on opposite sides of the double sized dorm room and Kelly had already set up both Arnold''s computer and her own on them. The internet was already set up, so she had just plugged everything in and it was online gaming ready.


    ¡°Start Fortune''s Favour and we can get you started on making a character.¡± Kelly said and helped Arnold put on the headset and handed him the controllers. Unlike a lot of the other games Arnold had played, Fortune''s Favour actually had a little mini-movie that played around him.


    ¡°Welcome, Adventurer.¡± A beautiful blonde woman said and Arnold turned his head to look at her. She wore a gold dress and had a soft glowing light illuminate her from behind, and her feet didn''t touch the ground. ¡°On this day, you embark on a journey that will send you to many lands. You will meet many people along the way, and depending on how you treat them, will shape the journey to come.¡±


    Arnold didn''t know that was a subtle warning by the game designers to stop players from killing the NPCs. If players assumed that the game characters would affect their game later, most people resisted the urge to remove the annoyances that some of the NPCs would become.


    ¡°I am Helena, Goddess of the Lands, and I beseech thee to heed the call of those in need. Listen to their pleas and help when you can.¡±


    This was a not so subtle hint to talk to the NPCs to get quests and Arnold was pretty sure he wasn''t going to have time for quests or anything. He hit several buttons to try and bring up the menu items and to see his magic, stats, and skill tree information. It wouldn''t let him, though.


    ¡°I can''t skip this.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Not the first time playing.¡± Kelly said. ¡°You don''t have to stand there and keep listening, though.¡±


    Arnold smiled and turned away from the woman and walked over to the closest house. The woman floated behind him and shared a lot of the history of the world, its importance to the people, and their belief system. Arnold ignored her and hit the button to kick in the door of the house. He went inside and searched for anything and everything, found a potion of healing, a knife, and a pair of boots. When he looked down, he saw that he was barefoot and equipped the boots right away.


    As the woman talked and explained the magic of the world, Arnold searched every house, smashed every wooden crate, and kicked and punched everything he saw from cups and plates to pots and furniture. He found food, money, better clothing, a few trade goods like pelts and spices, and even a mangy old horse. He immediately thought of the horse in the cooler in the basement of the biology lab and did the same thing to it and pet it. The horse neighed at him and he received a popup.


    '' The old nag has taken a liking to you. Do you want to keep her? ''


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said and the horse glowed for a second.


    '' The upkeep is five copper coins a day. It will be deducted from your money automatically. ''


    Arnold looked at his money and it said 30 copper coins, so he could afford the horse for six days if he didn''t earn any more money. He looked around and there was nothing else to do in the small area, so he turned around and looked at the glowing woman and waited.


    Helena finished her tales of woe and misfortune on an upbeat note. ¡°...and may favour and fortune find you instead.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Is there anything you would like to ask me?¡±


    Arnold walked over to her. ¡°Can I pet you, too?¡± He asked and reached up and pet her hair like he did with the horse.


    Helena just floated there with slightly wide eyes and didn''t respond to the question.


    Arnold stopped petting her hair and took her hand. ¡°Can you come with me on my adventures?¡± He asked, because he knew that having someone that could answer questions was good to have along. Helena opened her mouth to respond with a standard response, then closed her mouth because it wasn''t a standard question. She floated there for a minute before she spoke the default phrase.


    ¡°I am Helena, Goddess of the Lands...¡±


    ¡°Then you can go anywhere, right?¡± Arnold asked. ¡°You can come with me, can''t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can go anywhere.¡± Helena said, since that was one of her abilities. His second question was still puzzling, since no one had ever asked her that before.


    '' Intro to game complete. Loading tutorial. Please wait. ''


    ¡°You are coming with me.¡± Arnold said and held her hand tightly as the interactive movie faded.

 60 Welcoming Party

    I didn''t know you could get a horse before you even started the tutorial. Kelly thought in amazement. She caught her breath when Arnold had pet the Game Guide''s head and then grabbed the glowing woman by the hand and the intro ended. You can touch her?!? She asked herself... then all three of them appeared inside the tutorial. What the hell?


    Arnold still held Helena''s hand and the old nag was behind them. He had been trained to gather everything he found in the game, no matter what it was, so it was only natural that he would try to bring everything with him.


    ¡°Welcome to the tutorial.¡± Helena said from beside him, rather than appearing in her usual position behind the player''s heads to keep their field of vision clear. ¡°In this section, you will choose your name and your class, then your skills and abilities will be tested.¡± She waved her free hand and a popup appeared. ¡°Please state your name or type it in.¡±


    Arnold thought back to the display in the lobby and what his mother had called it the instant she saw it. ¡°Morbid.¡± He said and typed it in, just in case.


    ¡°Welcome to my lands, Morbid.¡± Helena said warmly. ¡°I hope you enjoy your time here.¡±


    Arnold turned his head and looked at her with a huge smile. ¡°I know I will.¡±


    ¡°Let us get started.¡± Helena said and pointed to a stall with a stiff looking man beside it. ¡°You can choose your class from the trainer and then...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°You need to choose a class to grow your character.¡± Helena prompted.


    ¡°Do I have to choose a class right now?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Helena said. ¡°I must warn you that if you don''t choose a class, you will not get any bonuses from having a chosen class.¡±


    ¡°I don''t care about that.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I need to let your hand go so I can work.¡±


    ¡°Then I will return to...¡±


    ¡°Do not leave.¡± Arnold said. ¡°You are coming with me.¡±


    ¡°Arnold, you can''t force the guide to stay with you.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°She''s the guide. I can call on her whenever I want, right?¡± Arnold asked and the guide nodded.


    ¡°Yes, you can.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Is it against the rules for her to come with me, since she can go anywhere?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Helena said.


    ¡°I beseech thee to heed my call for I am in need.¡± Arnold said to Helena. ¡°Listen to my plea and help when you can.¡±


    ¡°Your words move me, Morbid.¡± Helena said. ¡°I will stay and help when I can.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and put a hand behind her head and pulled her in close as if to kiss her, then a popup appeared.


    '' There are no personable actions available during the tutorial. Actions menu is disabled. ''


    ¡°I can''t thank you properly until after the tutorial.¡± Arnold said and let her go.


    Helena just stood there and didn''t say anything.


    ¡°Geez, Arnold.¡± Kelly said with a chuckle. ¡°You''re actually trying to coerce the game guide!¡±


    Arnold smiled. ¡°You told me to do as much as I could to succeed.¡± He said and walked over to the next stall. Each one had a different person at them and they each revolved around a different skill test. He had practised a lot and knew he only had a limited amount of time to work, so he only spent five minutes at each station to unlock all the skills and to give himself a base stat in everything, including magic.


    Arnold really wanted to stay and level everything up as much as possible, and he knew he couldn''t. He also unlocked all the basic skill trees in the game. He couldn''t do much with them at the moment, since his skills were so low, so he concentrated on the skills needed to increase his speed. He had leaned that speed was essential to earn faster skill levels in almost everything else. Both Helena and Kelly watched him with awe as he worked and leveled up his speed stat to a level that was ridiculous for a first time player.


    ¡°Can I come back to the tutorial later?¡± Arnold asked and his fingers flew over his buttons to keep performing the proper actions when prompted on the screen. ¡°I don''t have the time to finish it.¡±


    ¡°As long as you don''t accept any quests or join a party, I can bring you back here.¡± Helena said.


    ¡°I didn''t know you could that!¡± Kelly said. ¡°If I wasn''t so high level already with great equipment, I would be tempted to start my character over.¡±


    ¡°How''s my time?¡± Arnold asked and a timer popped up on his display. ¡°Helena, how long to travel to Haunting Hollow?¡±


    ¡°By foot it''s an hour. You have a flying horse, so you can be there in five minutes.¡± Helena said.


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Kelly yelled.


    Arnold nodded. ¡°I have an hour left before I have to meet Brad.¡± He said and kept working. The button sequences to keep moving became more complicated as Arnold''s speed kept increasing. He didn''t slow down at all and kept going.


    Not surprisingly, after an hour of solid work at the Speed skill stall, Arnold had his speed up to fifty and his Acrobatics, Agility, Dexterity, Dodge, and Endurance were over thirty. His Strength was up to twenty and his Vitality, which was his Health, was almost double what he had started with.


    ¡°I have to go.¡± Arnold said and stepped back from the Speed stall.


    ¡°Wait.¡± The skinny man at the stall said and held out a pair of medium quality boots. ¡°You have impressed me by working so hard and I believe you deserve these.¡±


    Arnold took them and they were much better quality than the boots he wore, so he equipped them and gave the old boots to the skinny man, who looked surprised for a moment and then took them. Arnold didn''t notice the ten percent bonus he had gained to his Speed as Helena led him and his horse away from the training area.


    Kelly saw it, though. If he goes back there and does the same thing to all of his stats and skills, who knows what kinds of special equipment he''s going to unlock?


    Kelly walked over to her computer and turned it on, waited for it to start, then opened one of her old links to the game''s message board. She searched for tutorial items and clicked on the most popular message.


    Top list percentages for items in the tutorial. Kelly read silently and then looked at the list. She found the Unnamed Boots of Speed about a third of the way down the list in the Speed Skill section and saw that it only had a five percent chance to drop. Wow. She thought. Only two things are rarer. The Boots of Instantaneous Movement at three percent and the Footwear of the Gods at one percent to drop.


    Of course, now that she had the list, Kelly saved it to her computer and read through all of the skill drops and shook her head. It was ridiculous what the equipment would do for starting players, especially because they didn''t have any requirements. She closed the browser and put her computer into sleep mode, then went back over to watch Arnold.


    Annie had watched them both silently and hadn''t even turned on the television. So, he can surprise her, even though she knows how tenacious he is. She thought with a smile, then the smile faded as she watched Arnold buy a ratty old saddle for a couple of copper coins and put it on the horse. Arnold, you should treat your animals better than... She stopped her thought when the horse neighed happily at him. What the? Why is it happy?


    What Annie didn''t see was the description Arnold has seen about the saddle being soft and worn in because it was so old, and it fit the old nag''s slightly deformed back perfectly and didn''t cause it pain. Arnold helped Helena climb onto the horse and she sat on it side-saddle, then he climbed up and sat behind her and the old nag didn''t notice the weight change. She was a magic horse, after all.


    Arnold held her reins and spoke. ¡°Haunted Hollow.¡±


    The old nag was covered in sparkles and then two huge translucent butterfly wings popped out of its shoulders, flapped so fast that they looked like hummingbird wings, and the horse took off.


    ¡°Make sure you land just outside of it.¡± Kelly cautioned him. ¡°You know Brad and his friends have an ambush set up for you.¡±


    Arnold nodded and flew the horse to the right location. Luckily, it wasn''t that far and only took five minutes because they flew. They had also skipped over half a dozen monster encounters that would have slowed them down considerably if they had been on foot. They landed just outside the lowland area that was between two mountain ranges. It had sparse groups of trees and a small river running through it as well.


    ¡°Be careful.¡± Kelly whispered.


    Arnold climbed off of the old nag, left Helena on the saddle, and led them into the Haunted Hollow. It was darker here than anywhere else, even though it was a bright and sunny day, and there was something flickering in the distance. Arnold followed the flickering and ignored everything else around him. Kelly had warned him about the ghosts and spirits that would try to trick him into following them to his death, so he only walked forward.


    It took almost ten minutes for him to reach the edge of the clearing and saw the piles and piles of item drops. Armor, weapons, crafting materials, crates of food, and even some large animal carcasses were there. The animals had been Brad''s idea to make it a tempting target for Arnold, because Heather had told him how much Arnold liked dissecting things.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Brad said loudly from the other side of the pile and waved. ¡°Hey, buddy! Over here!¡±


    A couple of Brad''s friends saw the old nag Arnold had and started to laugh. For some reason, none of them mentioned the beautiful Goddess that rode it, almost as if they couldn''t see her.


    Brad glared at his friends and loudly whispered. ¡°Quiet! You can laugh at the ratty old horse later!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Brad.¡± A few of them said in a chorus.


    ¡°I can''t believe Eric is gonna miss this epicness.¡± Kevin whispered and gripped the hilt of his sword. ¡°I''m going to smash in Arnold''s face just like he smashed in mine.¡±


    Brad put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°It''s not going to be the same as doing it in real life; but, I''m going to stomp his dick into the ground.¡±


    ¡°It''s too bad he doesn''t have a full dive VR headset like us, then he would feel it.¡± Kevin said.


    They weren''t even bothering to whisper anymore and Arnold looked at Helena.


    ¡°Is that true?¡± Arnold asked in a whisper. ¡°If I have a full dive setup, I''ll feel this?¡± He ran his hands through the mare''s mane.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Both Kelly and Helena said.


    ¡°It won''t quite be the same as doing it in real life like they say, though. It is just a game and you can feel the difference.¡± Kelly said as an explanation.


    ¡°When I craft, I''ll be able to actually feel it.¡± Arnold whispered as he wiggled his game hand''s fingers and Helena nodded. ¡°Then let''s get this over with. I have to get back to the tutorial.¡±


    ¡°Make sure you don''t accept anything they offer.¡± Kelly warned him. ¡°You know why.¡±


    Arnold nodded and handed the reins to Helena, then he started to walk over to the large pile of items.


    ¡°That''s it, stupid.¡± Kevin whispered. ¡°Come right over to us through the pile.¡±


    Brad chuckled and then spoke loudly. ¡°Go ahead and set your spawn point for the Hollow.¡± He said and stopped his laugh before it escaped. ¡°That way you can keep coming back here.¡±


    ¡°Don''t do it and tell them that you did.¡± Kelly advised him. ¡°If they kill you at a spawn point, you''ll pop right back up there in five minutes and they can kill you again.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said in a normal voice and Brad and the guys assumed he was talking about the spawn point. ¡°Done.¡±


    ¡°Ha! What an idiot.¡± One of Brad''s friends said and was punched. ¡°Hey, it was a slip of the tongue.¡±


    ¡°Now you have to come over here so we can transfer ownership of all these great items.¡± Brad said loudly in the hopes that it would cover up what was just said.


    ¡°It''s on the ground, so no one owns it right now.¡± Arnold said and when he was close enough, he received several popups that asked him if he wanted to store the items in front of him. ¡°Kelly, does this count as accepting their offer?¡±


    ¡°No, you''re right. It''s discarded and you can take it all.¡± Kelly said with a smile and Arnold started storing the hundreds of items as quickly as he could.


    ¡°I knew it wasn''t going to be that easy.¡± Brad said. ¡°We''re going for Annihilation!¡±


    ¡°YEAH!¡± They all yelled and ran back about thirty feet, then two of them hit their macros and powered up their spells and charged magical items. A second later, the others had magical bows and weapons equipped and they all opened fire at the same time, right at the spot where Arnold stood.


    The entire pile of items and a good portion of the clearing was engulfed in several different colored lights as magical explosions lit the entire Hollow up. Cracking thunder sounded as Lightning burned through the sky and struck the pile ten times from a high level spell. The two magic users used up two thirds of their magic reserve to assault with everything they had prepared.


    It was quite the sight to see.


    Brad had even used a sword with a lightning discharge multiple times to add to the damage being dealt, then he expended two spell scrolls for Fire Bolt, which was a combo scroll with a Fire charged Lightning Bolt. Their group had taken down several of the big bosses in the game with the same tactic and they knew there was no way for Arnold to survive the onslaught. Even the ghosts and spirits in the surrounding trees were wiped out from the magical barrage.


    ¡°Ha HA! Take that, motherfucker!¡± Brad yelled and all the guys in his party cheered.

 61 Playing For Keeps

    Brad and his friends started to celebrate and pat each other on the back. That lasted for only a moment, however.


    ¡°Brad! LOOK!¡± One of the guys said and pointed. Everyone turned and look at the spot as the dust and debris faded away and everything was destroyed in the area... except for a glowing Arnold. That wasn''t the worst part about him surviving the attack, though. It was the popups afterwards.


    '' Warning: New Player Protocol Violation. Players cannot be attacked for the twenty four hours after their first log in. Players attempting to do so will be fined and warned.


    First Warning Fine: 100 gold. ''


    '' Warning: New Player Protocol Violation. Players cannot be attacked for the twenty four hours after their first log in. Players attempting to do so will be fined and warned.


    Second Warning Fine: 500 gold. ''


    '' Warning: New Player Protocol Violation. Players cannot be attacked for the twenty four hours after their first log in. Players attempting to do so will be fined and warned.


    Third Warning Fine: 1,000 gold. ''


    '' Warning: New Player Protocol Violation. Players cannot be attacked for the twenty four hours after their first log in. Players attempting to do so will be fined and warned.


    Fourth Warning Fine: 5,000 gold. ''


    '' Warning: New Player Protocol Violation. Players cannot be attacked for the twenty four hours after their first log in. Players attempting to do so will be fined and warned.


    Fifth Warning Fine: 10,000 gold. ''


    '' Warning: New Player Protocol Violation. Players cannot be attacked for the twenty four hours after their first log in. Players attempting to do so will be fined and warned.


    Final Warning: Player account will be suspended for one (1) day. Logout countdown: 30 seconds. ''


    ¡°SHIT! We totally forgot the newbie rule!¡± One of his friends said.


    ¡°Oh, for fuck''s sake!¡± Brad nearly yelled and looked over at Arnold. ¡°We''ll be back!¡±


    Arnold watched them all fade away and walked back over to his horse and Helena. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry that my protection will end tomorrow.¡± Helena said.


    Arnold nodded. ¡°They destroyed all that loot just to get me and I couldn''t pick it all up.¡±


    ¡°Fear not, brave adventurer.¡± Helena said and waved her hand, then all of the destroyed loot reappeared in the same spot that it had been in before. ¡°It''s a safety feature to stop other monsters and players from destroying the loot before it can be gathered.¡±


    Arnold didn''t know the game had that kind of a feature, so he went back over to the spot and spent several minutes gathering everything up, right down to the last dagger, and it practically filled his inventory. He walked back over to the horse and climbed on behind Helena.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and opened the menu for personal actions, then chose ''kiss on cheek''.


    Helena gasped. ¡°You dare take liberties with a Goddess?¡± She asked sternly and gave him a glare.


    ¡°It''s not much, because it means more when you kiss on the lips.¡± Arnold told her.


    Helena stopped glaring at him and gave him an inquisitive look instead, as if to ask why he didn''t try to take a full liberty when he easily could have.


    ¡°Take us back to the tutorial area.¡± Arnold said to the nag as he took the reins. The horse was covered in sparkles and it grew the giant butterfly wings from its shoulders again, then they took off and flew for the five minutes to head back to where they started.


    *


    ¡°That pretty much went the way I had hoped it would go.¡± Kelly laughed. ¡°Brad and his friends are such idiots!¡±


    ¡°I can honestly say that I have no idea what just happened.¡± Annie said from the bed.


    ¡°They were going to pin-cushion Arnold with both magical and physical attacks every time he appeared in that spot.¡± Kelly explained. ¡°It''s a scummy tactic that only the worst players will do.¡±


    ¡°What''s to stop them from doing that again?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°They think that''s Arnold''s spawn point and they are going to camp there and wait for him to show up.¡± Kelly said with a smile. ¡°Only that''s not where he''ll appear when he logs back in. There''s also no way that they are going to invite him to play again after that spectacular failure. Also, I won''t let Arnold accept another invitation anyway.¡±


    ¡°I''m glad.¡± Annie said. ¡°I don''t know what I would have done if they had succeeded.¡±


    ¡°I would call everyone together to take revenge on them, of course.¡± Kelly said and then she laughed. ¡°I can''t wait to see what happens to them when I anonymously post that video!¡±


    *


    Because of his speed enhancement and bonuses for having his Speed at fifty, when Arnold tried to do the Endurance tutorial so that his character wouldn''t have to rest for as long between tasks, it only took him half the time that the Speed tutorial had taken to reach level fifty, because he had already had it up over thirty when he started. Of course, he tried to do more than that and the stat didn''t increase.


    ¡°I guess I can''t max the stat in just the tutorial.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Brave adventurer, training can only take you so far.¡± Helena said from where she still sat on the old nag. ¡°You must strive in the world to make yourself great.¡±


    Arnold nodded and stepped back from the booth, and the athletic man there handed him a satchel that was filled with enhanced food rations. They would restore his Vitality to full and the satchel itself gave a two percent regeneration rate when worn, so he equipped it.


    Arnold walked over to the next booth, which would train and increase his Strength. With both the Speed and Endurance boosts, Arnold worked for fifteen minutes and raised it to level fifty, since he had already had a higher than normal Strength because of the previous two tutorials. The same thing happened with Agility, Accuracy, Dexterity, and Dodge, since all of them were used in each trial to some degree.


    Of course, Arnold didn''t stop there. He went to every single booth and did every tutorial available as he raised all of the basic stats to fifty. Each time he went to a new booth, it was that much easier, because he did them in a specific order to reduce the amount of time needed to complete each of them by compounding the previously learned skills and enhancements.


    ¡°I think...¡± Annie started to say and yawned. ¡°...that''s enough for tonight.¡±


    ¡°Just one more.¡± Arnold said and stepped over to the magic tutorial stall. A very handsome witch stood there and she gave Arnold a squinted eyed look. She hadn''t liked that he had only used her booth the last time for barely five minutes and that he had only unlocked the skill and moved on.


    ¡°What makes you think I''ll train you now after you left so abruptly?¡± The witch asked, because she had watched him go to each and every both except hers.


    ¡°I didn''t have the time or the ability required to devote to you.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I needed to learn all the other things available so that I would be ready to learn what you have to teach me.¡±


    ¡°What made you think that?¡± The witch asked, curious.


    ¡°Magic is the most important subject to learn in this world. Without it, adventurers would be nothing more than commoners.¡± Arnold said, repeating what Kelly had told him.


    ¡°If I do teach you, what are you going to do with that knowledge?¡± The witch asked. ¡°Will you hunt down evil wizards or will you destroy whole towns and kill everyone because you can?¡±


    ¡°I can''t answer that until I learn what you have to teach me.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Oh? You''re not going to proclaim your righteousness and promise me to rid the world of the men and women that besmirch the Lore of Magic?¡±


    ¡°Is that what you want me to do?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Every adventurer has promised me that.¡± The witch said.


    ¡°Has it happened yet?¡±


    The witch sighed. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then what should I do when you teach me what you know?¡± Arnold asked her.


    ¡°Magic is neither good nor bad. It''s just magic. People can use it for good and they can use it for evil. You can heal with it and you can kill with it.¡± The witch said. ¡°If you learn what I have to teach you, as quickly and as proficiently as you''ve learned everything else here, then I want you to make me a promise.¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°Do something significant with it besides killing. Heal a sick villager. Save ten damsels in distress. Protect a hundred people from attack. Grow a thousand crops and feed the starving.¡± The witch said.


    '' The Teaching Witch has given you a Quest with set conditions. Do you accept?


    Saying no does not invalidate training and you can still proceed with learning magic. ''


    ¡°I promise to do as you ask.¡± Arnold said.


    The witch gave him a big smile and nodded, then she taught Arnold the most efficient way to gather spells, gather energy, and how to properly cast spells as if he was a master caster.


    Kelly sat there and her mouth was open slightly in surprise, because Arnold was learning a better way to cast magic than her. His mana generation is higher than mine already and he doesn''t even have a class yet! She thought in surprise.


    Arnold kept working until his Magic level hit fifty and he had learned how to properly cast a medium level spell that he wouldn''t have access to until his own personal level was level thirty, which was something Kelly hadn''t seen before, either. She had only received the pre-set generic spells and nothing even remotely close to what Arnold now had in his repertoire.


    He can''t cast most of them yet; but, with how he smashed the tutorial, gaining levels for him is going to be a cinch. Kelly thought.


    ¡°Thank you, adventurer.¡± The Training Witch said. ¡°You have learned all that I have to teach you and have earned this.¡± She said and held out a Tome of Magic.


    ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Kelly whispered. ¡°She gave you a hotkey list!¡±


    Arnold accepted the tome and it glowed for a moment, then it was filled with all the spells he had learned to cast and a mostly greyed out list popped up on the right side of his display.


    ¡°You just have to say ''spell number'' and the number of the spell, or pick it on the list, to prep it.¡± Kelly said. ¡°You only have to do the short button combination to cast it, too!¡±


    ¡°Don''t forget to keep your promise.¡± The witch said.


    ¡°I won''t.¡± Arnold said and walked over to Helena. ¡°Where can I set my spawn point?¡±


    ¡°Just outside the training area at the inn or at any town inn anywhere in my lands.¡± Helena said.


    ¡°Will you stay there for me or should I call for you when I return?¡± Arnold asked as he led the old nag out of the tutorial area.


    ¡°I should return to my duties.¡± Helena said.


    ¡°Is there another new player starting?¡± Arnold asked.


    Helena''s face lost all expression. ¡°You are the first new player in a while.¡±


    ¡°Then you should wait for me to return.¡± Arnold said and walked over to the inn. ¡°Wait here for me to get a room.¡±


    Helena stayed on the horse and watched Arnold go inside. The innkeeper said it would cost five copper for a night and two copper to keep the old nag in the stable. Arnold paid the fee and received a popup.


    '' You can set your spawn point for this inn and will appear here whenever you are killed.


    Do you want to set your spawn point now? ''


    Arnold chose yes and went back outside to help Helena climb down from the saddle and a stable hand came out to take the reins of the horse and led her into the small stable at the side of the building.


    ¡°Most players just leave their animals standing wherever they log out.¡± Helena commented.


    Arnold took her inside the inn and led her up the stairs. He opened the door to the room and it was surprisingly clean, so he walked her over to the bed and sat her down on it.


    ¡°I''ll be back in the morning.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Arnold, give her another kiss on the cheek.¡± Kelly whispered.


    Arnold chose that option and Helena only glared at him for a moment. ¡°Goodnight, Helena.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight, Morbid.¡±


    Arnold chose the ''save progress'' option and then logged out. Kelly took the controllers from him and he took off the VR headset, then Kelly took the recorded video and sent it to her computer.


    ¡°I can''t believe you convinced the game guide to stay with you.¡± Kelly said, because she didn''t want to discuss all the things that he had done so much better than her.


    Nearly all of his special tutorial starting equipment was nearly as rare as her high level casting staff that she had worked for months to get. She actually felt a little envious and she knew that wasn''t what she wanted to feel about how well Arnold had done. She had trained him well, so she pushed her envy aside and concentrated on how proud she was of him.


    ¡°You told me to gather everything I could to have the best advantages.¡± Arnold said and took her into his arms. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and gave her a quick kiss.


    ¡°Let''s get changed for bed.¡± Kelly said and they both changed right there in front of each other, which was something Kelly hadn''t done before, and she was surprised that she didn''t feel uncomfortable about it. She gave Arnold a kiss and they both climbed into the left bed and under the blanket. They laid there side by side and didn''t cuddle or anything. It was a bit too early in their relationship for that much familiarity in bed, especially since they hadn''t had sex yet.


    ¡°Goodnight, Arnold.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Goodnight, Kelly.¡± Arnold said.


    The two of them had completely forgotten that Arnold''s mother was right there and had watched them, even though she had spoken not that long ago.


    Kids. Annie thought in amusement and watched the two of them drift off to sleep before she fell asleep herself.

 62 Catching Up

    Heather laid in her bed and was surprisingly happy. She wasn''t sure why, though. Her life had been quite a mess the last little while and things hadn''t worked out like she had hoped they would. Her revenge on Arnold by trying to make him angry about her dating Brad had failed pathetically, even though he had defended her against Brad and had fought him.


    It didn''t make sense to her that Arnold wasn''t angry about it. Then again, her mother had warned her that Arnold had quirks that she needed to be careful of, and Heather had to assume that not getting pissed off at an ex-girlfriend for dating his rival was one of them. She rolled onto her side and thought about all the things she and Eric had done all day, and that made her smile.


    Who would have thought that Eric would be a cool guy? Heather asked herself. I have to text Kelly and... Her thought cut off and she sighed. Maybe she''ll be happy that I stopped dating Brad. She thought and then she sighed again. She''s going to hate me if I tell her that I''m dating Eric.


    Heather completely ignored the fact that she had set Arnold up to be massacred by the guys in a virtual game. Her reasoning that it was just a game had absolved her from feeling any guilt over it. She didn''t realize that actually made her a bit callous of other''s feelings, especially Kelly''s, since she cared a lot about Arnold and his welfare.


    Heather''s eyes caught the college package on her desk and she smiled again. She had been accepted into the Arts degree at the college and both she and her mother had been happy about that. She would be starting in the fall and her classes were spread out and she had enough free time in between that she wouldn''t be overwhelmed with the course materials.


    The best part was that her mother had been against having Eric visiting the house, until she learned that Eric would be going to the local college as well and was taking Business Administration. He had the marks for it and Claire had reluctantly admitted that he wasn''t a complete waste of space.


    ¡°You see? I told you that she would like you.¡± Heather had said at the time and both she and her mother had laughed.


    Heather rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling and sighed. Unlike what a lot of people thought, she actually regretted losing Kelly as her best friend. They had spent the last six years hanging out and carrying on, and they had been almost inseparable... until Arnold came along. He had been the deciding factor and things started to change afterwards, then pretty much everything fell apart.


    Heather couldn''t really get angry at Arnold for it, since it was her that pursued him, and it was her that dated Brad and drove Kelly away, and now it was her that was dating the bane of Kelly''s reputation. It was her decisions that kept making things worse and had driven a wedge between them. She didn''t want to admit to any of that, mainly because Kelly had warned her about it.


    She closed her eyes and debated calling Kelly to try and explain everything, then she fell asleep before she had made any kind of decision.


    *


    Claire laid in bed and watched the posted prom video for the sixtieth time. Kelly is such a lucky girl. She thought and remembered the three times she had been with Arnold. A very, very lucky girl.


    *


    The vice-principal laid in bed, exhausted, and hugged Arnold''s report to her naked chest. All she could think about was seeing Kelly''s euphoric face as Arnold led her out of the boy''s bathroom at prom.


    *


    Amy laid in bed and she thought over everything that had happened that day. Her mind kept going back to how Arnold had completely surpassed her inventory skills, her typing skills, and her personal boundaries. She could almost feel his strong shoulders between her knees, just like when he had sat between her legs, and it still surprised her that he hadn''t even glanced at her underwear.


    I had my legs wide open and I wore a skirt. It was right there! Amy thought. Why didn''t he look? Why?


    She rolled over in bed and sighed, because she just couldn''t get those thoughts out of her head.


    *


    The next morning, Arnold and Kelly woke up almost at the same time. It was early and they had rolled over onto their sides and were currently facing each other.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Kelly whispered, in case Annie was still asleep.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Arnold whispered back and leaned in to give her a quick kiss.


    ¡°Good morning, sleepyheads.¡± Annie said from the kitchenette. ¡°I''ve got toast in the toaster, now that I can make noise.¡±


    Kelly chuckled and sat up. ¡°You do realize we won''t have to get up for another hour normally, right?¡±


    ¡°I shut off the alarm in the hopes that we would all sleep in, and here we are.¡± Annie said with a grin.


    ¡°All right, we''re getting up.¡± Kelly said and smiled back. ¡°Arnold, do you want to shower first?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and sat up, pushed the blanket off, then stood up. He pulled off his shorts and tossed them into the laundry basket. His t-shirt was next and his underwear soon followed, then he stepped into the bathroom and shut the door.


    ¡°I''d say you can stop staring; but, you can stare all you want.¡± Annie said. ¡°You''ll be seeing him a lot like that.¡±


    ¡°But... he just...¡± Kelly wasn''t sure what to say.


    ¡°What? Are you worried about me seeing it?¡± Annie asked and then laughed. ¡°I''m his mother. I''ve seen him naked since he was a little boy.¡±


    ¡°I... I know that... intellectually.¡± Kelly said and Annie laughed again. ¡°It''s not funny.¡±


    Annie snorted a laugh and buttered the toast that popped up and added more. ¡°You''ll probably have to remind him not to do that if you have company over.¡± She said and waved her over to the small table. ¡°You probably won''t have to worry about that for a couple of months, though.¡±


    Kelly nodded and went over to the table and sat down when Annie gave her the toast. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any plans about what you''re going to do all week?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°For the first little while, I''m going to try and stay near Arnold.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I''m not actually worried about him at work that much, except for Amy.¡±


    ¡°She has me concerned, too. She can be a real problem for Arnold if she wants to be.¡± Annie said and made more toast. ¡°Of course, I''m assuming after Arnold''s performance yesterday, she may keep herself restrained from now on.¡±


    ¡°I certainly hope so.¡± Kelly said. ¡°There''s not really a lot we can do if she doesn''t.¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°Not without getting Arnold in trouble, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Which will only get us banned from the lab, since the professor needs Arnold to work.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°I can''t believe they make thirty dissected cats each year!¡± Annie said and made a gagging sound.


    Kelly laughed. ¡°Have you seen one? It''s actually pretty cool looking.¡±


    ¡°The only cat I''ve seen like that was roadkill on the side of the highway coming here.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°Thanks for not pointing it out at the time.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Even I''ll get squeamish if it''s too gruesome.¡±


    ¡°It''s the circumstances, isn''t it?¡± Annie asked and Kelly nodded. ¡°It does make it that much worse.¡±


    ¡°I can only imagine what the poor animal went through being hit like that.¡± Kelly said. ¡°So scared by all the noises, then trying to cross with heavy traffic.¡±


    ¡°Okay, we need to stop talking about roadkill or I won''t be able to eat.¡± Annie said and made more toast and put it down on a plate in front of the other chair. Arnold came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and sat down to eat.


    ¡°My turn.¡± Kelly said and finished her toast, gave Arnold a quick kiss, then went into the bathroom.


    ¡°Any plans for today?¡± Annie asked her son as she sat down across from him.


    ¡°Playing the game to see what I can do before Brad gets back online.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Unless Kelly wants to do something else.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Kelly said loudly from the bathroom. ¡°I''m playing, too!¡±


    ¡°I guess I''m watching television for a while.¡± Annie chuckled and ate her toast and drank her tea.


    Kelly came out of the bathroom twenty minutes later with a towel wrapped around her and dropped her clothes in the laundry basket, then grabbed underwear and a breezy outfit to wear that consisted of a tube top and short shorts. She usually moved a lot when playing the more complicated games and didn''t want to start sweating right after getting a shower.


    Kelly stepped back into the bathroom to change and came right back out and saw that Arnold had put on shorts. ¡°I''m tempted to have you come and pick me up on your horse.¡± She said and put her hands on his bare shoulders and shook him a little. ¡°You. Have. A. Flying. Horse!¡± She exclaimed and then kissed him. ¡°No one knows you can get a horse so easily! No one!¡±


    Arnold gave her a small smile. ¡°Are you going to tell anyone?¡±


    ¡°Hell, no!¡± Kelly laughed. ¡°We know something that no other player in the whole world knows.¡±


    ¡°The whole world?¡± Arnold asked and she nodded. ¡°Will we meet them?¡±


    ¡°Probably not, since we''re logged in to different servers.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Which reminds me...¡± She said and woke Arnold''s computer up and looked at the server address that his character was using, then she walked over to the other side of the dorm room and woke her own computer and entered the server address into her game loader so that they would both be playing the same instance of the game.


    ¡°How are you going to get to me?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°I''ll pay the fast travel fee.¡± Kelly said and sat down at her computer to work on that video. She could only include so much, since there was a limit on how big of a file that could be added, so she cut it to right when Arnold met Brad and his group and then ended with Arnold standing there and looking at Brad''s shocked face.


    ¡°Ha. Perfect.¡± Kelly said and quickly opened up a secured browser that hid her IP address, then she uploaded the video with the caption ''Veteran Players Noob themselves by luring and attacking Newb Player''. Almost immediately someone responded and said that it was Brad''s adventuring group and cursed them for such underhanded tactics on a new player, who was still wearing the starting outfit.


    Another person responded, and another, then someone posted a link to the game forums and shared the video there. Kelly was shocked when it suddenly took on a life of its own as the gaming community banded together and blasted Brad and his group for it. The views on the video skyrocketed as the word about it spread and it was shared everywhere.


    Kelly had to laugh at it. ¡°Annie, are you seeing this?¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Annie said and only glanced at it. Stuff like that didn''t really make sense to her, since she had avoided it for years on Arnold''s behalf.


    ¡°I told you we''d all come together to defend him.¡± Kelly said and bookmarked the video and closed the browser, then she stood up and looked at Arnold. ¡°We only have until eight o''clock tonight to level you up as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°You''re actually planning on playing all day?¡± Annie asked, surprised. ¡°I thought you were joking.¡±


    Kelly chuckled. ¡°We''re taking breaks every hour and eating both lunch and supper. Depending on how well we do today, we might not have to go back online after supper to squeeze out a few more levels.¡±


    Annie didn''t comment on how much of a waste of time that was, considering she usually just sat on the couch and watched television. ¡°Have fun with that.¡± She said instead and Kelly laughed.


    ¡°What do we do first?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°We''re going to sort through all the loot they gave you and see what you can keep, probably just the food, the animal carcasses, and the crafting materials, since they won''t have any specific requirements that need to be met to be worn.¡± Kelly said. ¡°We can sell the rest for tons of gold and then buy what you need.¡±


    Arnold nodded and started the game up, put on the VR headset, and picked up the controllers.


    ¡°We should sit down for this.¡± Kelly said and took one of the kitchen chairs and put it behind Arnold. ¡°You can sit.¡± She said and guided him into the chair, then she took the other chair and set up her own VR and sat down. ¡°I''ll be at the inn in a couple of minutes.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and waited for the game to load.

 63 Fun And Games

    ¡°Welcome back, adventurer.¡± Helena said as Arnold appeared in front of her.


    ¡°Thank you for waiting.¡± Arnold said and chose the ''kiss on cheek'' personal action.


    Helena only glared at him for a second. ¡°Why do you keep taking such small liberties with me?¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to take a bigger one?¡± Arnold asked, completely misunderstanding her complaint, and she didn''t answer. ¡°My girlfriend is coming here to meet us to help me level up.¡±


    ¡°If she is a much higher level than you, she can take you on a more dangerous quest to gain a lot of experience.¡± Helena said. ¡°But be warned. Quests increase in difficulty the more people you have.¡±


    ¡°Does the experience increase as well?¡± Arnold asked and she nodded. ¡°Will you stay with us to give advice?¡±


    ¡°That will depend on who is meeting us.¡± Helena said. ¡°I may not be needed.¡±


    There was a knock on the room door and Arnold opened it.


    ¡°Hi!¡± Kelly said and chose ''enthusiastic wave'' as a personal action and her character waved exaggeratedly. ¡°I''m here.¡± She walked into the room and chose ''kiss on lips'' next and chose Arnold as the target, then their characters kissed.


    ¡°Welcome, Fervent_Wish.¡± Helena said and stood. ¡°You are of a sufficient level that Morbid does not need my advice while you are adventuring together.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Kelly looked at Arnold and then at Helena. ¡°I thought you were staying with him?¡±


    ¡°My company is not necessary now.¡± Helena said and gave a slight head bow to Arnold. ¡°Be well and be safe, adventurer.¡± She said and her glow intensified.


    ¡°Thank you for your help.¡± Arnold said and stepped close and chose ''hug'' and then ''kiss on lips'' on the personal actions list and his character gave the game guide a hug and a kiss on the lips. Helena faded away with a look of surprise on her face.


    Kelly burst out laughing. ¡°Okay, that was funny!¡±


    ¡°She asked me why I only kissed her on the cheek and I asked her if she wanted something more.¡± Arnold said. ¡°She didn''t answer.¡±


    ¡°She probably couldn''t.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I doubt they programmed her for responses to personal questions. In fact, I bet they never expected her to ever answer personal questions. Or interact personally with players. Or come into the full game out of the tutorial.¡± She laughed again. ¡°I can only imagine the error reports she''s generating for them after meeting you! Ha ha!¡±


    After a few moments, Kelly calmed down and asked Arnold to take out all of the small jewellery items that he had gathered from Brad''s loot. They sorted through them all and kept half a dozen rings and necklaces and put them in inventory in a specific spot. He couldn''t equip them until he reached a certain level, then he would be able to benefit from them. The rest of the small items were class specific and he couldn''t use them.


    ¡°Are you sure you don''t want to choose a class?¡± Kelly asked as Arnold stored the rest and then brought out some of the small armor related items, like boots, belts, bracers, gloves, shoulder pads, and hip guards.


    ¡°I looked at them and they all have bonuses and drawbacks.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Fighters are strong with high Vitality and can fight with close combat weapons. They are also terrible at acrobatics and magic. Archers can shoot at long range and do lots of damage. They are also terrible in close combat and have low Vitality. Magic users are great at both offensive and defensive spells. They are also terrible at any kind of physical combat.¡±


    Kelly couldn''t refute his observations, since that was the point of the classes. You get major advantages for what you''re specializing in and you accept the flaws that all character classes have built into them.


    ¡°You''re not going to find a lot of equipment that doesn''t require a class.¡± Kelly said and waved at everything on the bed. They were all class specific and Arnold couldn''t use them.


    ¡°After we go adventuring and level up, we can look for the crafting places you told me about.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I don''t think you''ll be able to learn much if you don''t take an appropriate class.¡± Kelly cautioned him, then she chuckled. ¡°Then again, I didn''t know that you could touch the game guide or get a horse before starting the game. So, I''ll follow your lead and we''ll see what happens.¡±


    Arnold chose the ''kiss on lips'' action and his character kissed her, then they kept sorting his items.


    It took another fifteen minutes to finish sorting everything and Arnold had gifted several magic items to Kelly that she could use immediately. One of the mechanics of the game was that different classes occasionally found items in their loot drops that other classes could use. This promoted interaction between players and sparked both cooperation and camaraderie.


    It also sparked a lucrative market for rare items that could only be found by high level players.


    Kelly thought about refusing the items and Arnold told her that he was going to sell them because he couldn''t use them. ¡°All right, I''ll take them.¡± She said and equipped them. ¡°If I find anything you can use, I''ll give it to you.¡±


    Arnold nodded and they left the inn. The stable hand came out with the old nag and Arnold pet it. It neighed at him and Kelly shook her head at how easily he had acquired such a valuable travel companion.


    ¡°We need to head to Langport to sell those items.¡± Kelly said and Arnold helped her up onto the saddle. She sat in the same fashion as Helena did, side-saddle, and Arnold climbed on and shook the reins.


    ¡°Langport.¡± Arnold said and the nag was covered in sparkles, grew the large translucent butterfly wings, then they took off and flew to the large port city.


    ¡°It''s the best place to sell everything you have, rather than trying to sell some in one place and some in another. You can offload all of the items you can''t use and get a fair price for them.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Depending on the item, it''s actually worth the fast-travel fee to go there to sell it.¡±


    ¡°Like most of my stuff?¡± Arnold asked and she nodded.


    ¡°We''ll also be close to one of the main quest hubs.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I''m tempted to accept a dungeon dive, just so we can progressively level you up the deeper we go... but, we''re working on a time budget here. We need lots of experience fast.¡±


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Arnold asked as they flew over the countryside.


    ¡°We take a huge risk.¡± Kelly said. ¡°We should stop at the inn here and set our spawn points, because I''m pretty sure we''re going to die the first time we do it.¡±


    Arnold nodded and the old nag landed right in front of the inn. He paid for the night and for the horse to be put in the stable, the both of them set their spawn points, then they went to the shop where Kelly said he could sell everything for a good price. She had been right and the shop owner was delighted to accept so many new and varied items in a single purchase. He paid very handsomely for everything Arnold had for sale and Arnold received just over six thousand gold for everything.


    ¡°Okay, let''s shop around and see if we can find some generic armor and weapons for you.¡± Kelly said.


    They walked around and quickly inquired about what Arnold would need. Almost everything they had required a level, except for things that didn''t give any extra stats at all. The sword was dull. The bow and arrows were weak. The armor was only thick cloth and not even leather.


    ¡°Wow, this is horrible.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I didn''t realize how class dependent everything in the game is.¡± She said. ¡°I was wondering why the tutorial items were so good. It''s because there''s nothing else like them. Almost everything else requires a class to either buy or use.¡±


    Arnold bought the items and the good thing was that they were dirt cheap. He equipped the armor and stored the weapons, then made sure he had on everything he had received in the tutorials.


    ¡°Okay, I guess that''s it.¡± Kelly said and took his hand. ¡°It''s time for us to go kill ourselves.¡±


    Arnold raised his eyebrows, which was his version of a shout, and Kelly laughed as she led him down the street.


    ¡°I know, I know. That sounds bad. It''s what we have to do to level you up enough to use some of the better equipment and items you have.¡±


    ¡°I''ll level up by dying?¡± Arnold asked, confused.


    ¡°You get bonuses for fighting something dangerous, for being an under-strength party, and for being stupid enough to try it before you''re ready for it.¡± Kelly laughed. ¡°Since you''re only level one and I''m level seventy-nine, we''re probably going to be sent to fight a level sixty something creature.¡±


    Arnold tried to do the calculations in his head for the math needed for that.


    ¡°It takes into account our stats as well as our levels.¡± Kelly said and he nodded.


    They walked down several other streets and entered a small one storey building that only had a desk with a woman behind it and a glowing circle in front of it.


    ¡°Party of two and give us the big one.¡± Kelly said.


    The woman looked at Arnold skeptically then did something on the desk.


    '' Notice: You have joined a party consisting of (Morbid) and (Fervent_Wish).


    Adventure rating of A initiating. Please step into the glowing circle. ''


    ¡°Don''t worry. We know what we''re doing.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°I''ve never heard that before.¡± The woman behind the desk said and laughed. ¡°See you in a few minutes.¡± She said and completed the spell, then Arnold and Kelly disappeared in a flash of light.


    In the next moment, they appeared in something that looked like an old ruin.


    '' You have entered the lair of the Elder Giant Tasmanian Devil. ''


    ¡°Oh, crap!¡± Kelly said and her character took off to the right. ¡°RUN!¡±


    Arnold ran after her and easily caught up to her, thanks to his high speed and the bonus from the boots.


    ¡°Dammit, I didn''t think we would qualify for this!¡± Kelly said and they both heard a loud crashing sound behind them. ¡°It''s a level ninety! My magic is barely going to hurt it!¡±


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Arnold asked as they approached the wall.


    ¡°There''s a small series of tunnels around here somewhere. I''ve seen videos of it and of the creature.¡± Kelly said and ran along the wall with Arnold right beside her. ¡°I hope we can make it to the hiding...¡±


    A large stone column thirty feet away burst apart and showered them with rock shards and dust as a creature the size of a school bus barrelled through it and ran towards them. Its clawed paws dug ten foot long furrows into the ground as it scrambled to get to them as fast as it could. Burning red eyes and teeth the size of a shovel chomped angrily, then it lunged at them.


    ¡°ARNOLD!¡± Kelly yelled and pushed Arnold''s character out of the way at the last second.


    Arnold was easily tossed aside by her and he didn''t see what happened; but, he heard the sounds of something being mulched and stone being crushed. He landed on the ground and looked up to see the creature''s muzzle was half-buried into the wall.


    Right through Kelly''s body.


    '' Party member (Fervent_Wish) has died. ''


    ¡°Kelly?¡± Arnold asked as he stood. She didn''t respond, because the game blocked all external communications during combat and they could only talk if they were in the game together. The giant creature pulled its muzzle out of the wall and what was left of Kelly''s lifeless torso fell to the ground with a splat. The creature shook its head from being stunned, saw the morsel in front of it, and scooped it up into its paws and started to chew on it.


    Arnold felt that protective feeling he had felt before as his eyes watched his girlfriend being unceremoniously eaten in front of him. He knew it was pointless to attack with him only level one and the creature level ninety; but, he calmly walked over to the creature and took out his dull sword. He climbed up onto some of the debris the creature had broken from the wall, jumped up onto the bloody muzzle, and plunged his sword right into its eye.


    The creature screeched from pain and didn''t really suffer any damage. It was just blinded by something being stuck in its eye. It shook its head to try and dislodge the thing and Arnold was flung off and hit the ground and rolled for almost twenty feet. When he came to a stop, he had lost nearly all of his Vitality.


    When Arnold stood up, the creature had given up trying to unblock its eye and started to eat Kelly''s mulched legs. Arnold took out his bow and arrows and cast the level one spell Boost on it. It gave him an extra twenty-five percent to hit, on top of his bonuses for having a high Accuracy. He was still only level one, though. When he shot an arrow into the creature''s other eye, not only didn''t it do any damage, it actually bounced off.


    Arnold thought about hiding inside the hole that the creature had made in the wall, then realized there wouldn''t be much point. He stored the bow and arrows and took out a short sword in one hand and a dagger in the other.


    '' Dual Wielding Weapons is a Rogue Class skill (Level 10) and is not available. ''


    The dagger disappeared and Arnold shrugged as he walked over to the creature. He knew where the most vulnerable places were on animals, since he had studied so much about them, and he climbed onto the creature''s back and used the short sword to poke and prod the thing all over.


    It didn''t notice what Arnold was doing and finished its meal, then it licked up as much of the blood as it could. It turned around to look for the other bit of food it had seen and all the hairs on its back stood up. It knew it was in danger of some kind and whirled around to look behind itself. Nothing was there and it still felt threatened. It took one cautious step and felt a sharp and burning pain near its rear leg, right at the side of its crotch.


    The creature let out another screech from the pain it had never felt before, and it tried to run and jump away. It''s Vitality dropped to half as the short sword dug into its innards. Arnold had tied the sword to its own leg and let the creature hurt itself when it moved. With a large grievous wound torn on its underside, the creature collapsed and started to bleed out.


    ¡°It looks like I have my first specimen.¡± Arnold said and took out the dagger.

 64 Preparations

    Arnold spent the next twenty minutes gutting the creature and ignored its mewling sounds. It died at some point during that time as he was harvesting the crafting organs. Arnold saw that it wasn''t entirely accurate and it didn''t contain everything that should have been inside the creature. He retrieved both his short sword tied to its leg and his sword that was still stuck in its eye.


    With his experience skinning the rabbit in the crafting simulator that Kelly had him train on, the last thing Arnold did was take the pelt. Since the creature was so large, there was almost no way for Arnold to mess it up. He stored the organs and the pelt, then he stepped back and waited. After a few moments, the carcass shimmered and faded away, then left a huge pile of items behind.


    Arnold stored everything and walked over to the wall where Kelly had died. A few items were there in a pile and he retrieved them, then he walked back over to the circle they had originally appeared in. After a brief flash of light, he reappeared in the small building in Langport.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Kelly exclaimed and her character took him into a hug and then kissed him. ¡°I''m so sorry!¡±


    ¡°I can hear you now.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I know. I wasn''t sure why they blocked external sound until I checked the forums. In one of the latest patches, they wanted to make combat more realistic and stopped people from hearing each other in real life if someone dies.¡± Kelly shook her head. ¡°It was something stupid about not giving advice or telling others where the creatures are located, because they can watch the battle until the end without being there.¡±


    ¡°I have your things.¡± Arnold said and took out the items she dropped.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Kelly said and accepted them, then she went quiet for a few moments. ¡°Arnold, I... I''m sorry that...¡± She sighed. ¡°That scene was... I''m sorry you saw me be... being...¡±


    Arnold chose ''pet hair'' and his character reached up and pet her hair, then chose ''pet cheek'' and he stroked her cheek.


    ¡°Step forward, please.¡± The woman behind the desk said. ¡°I thought you would have been the first back, not the last.¡± She said to Arnold and did something on her desk.


    ¡°I tried to berate her for sending us after that ridiculous creature and she didn''t react and said it was our bad luck.¡± Kelly whispered, then she gasped at the popup she received.


    '' You have successfully completed the Class A adventure Elder Giant Tasmanian Devil.


    You have gained 83,775 Experience and 1,000 gold.


    Because of your heroic sacrifice in saving your fellow party member, who subsequently defeated the monster, you have been awarded a bonus of 50,000 Experience. ''


    ¡°Arnold! I got a ton of experience and 1,000 gold!¡± Kelly said. ¡°What did you get?¡±


    Arnold chose the ''share info'' option and Kelly gasped again.


    '' You have successfully completed the Class A adventure Elder Giant Tasmanian Devil.


    You have gained 675,900 Experience and 10,000 gold.


    Because of your ingenuity in using the creature''s own strength to defeat it, when you had no ability to defeat it yourself, you have been awarded a bonus of 150,000 Experience. ''


    ¡°Oh, Arnold.¡± Kelly said softly. ¡°I gained two levels and I''m eighty-one now. How many levels did you gain?¡±


    ¡°Fourty-six.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Oh. My. GOD!¡± Kelly yelled and hugged him. ¡°Arnold! That''s amazing!¡±


    ¡°Are we going to keep going?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Do you want to?¡± Kelly asked. ¡°That last thing... seeing me be...¡±


    ¡°Let''s only take the medium level instead of the top, since their calculations seem to be off.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Oh, I''m going to message the developers and I''m going to give them a piece of my mind.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Putting us up against a creature like that for the first time was ridiculous!¡±


    Arnold stepped back into the circle and Kelly went with him.


    ¡°Equip your equipment that only had level requirements.¡± Kelly reminded him.


    Arnold''s character changed when his thick cloth armor was replaced with a chest plate, knee guards, bracers on his arms, and two shoulder pads. He also equipped a necklace to give him bonuses to his speed and two rings to give him boosts to his Strength and Vitality.


    Kelly smiled at him. ¡°Better.¡± She said and looked at the woman. ¡°Party of two. Medium level this time.¡±


    ¡°See you in a few minutes.¡± The woman said with a smile and Arnold and Kelly disappeared in a flash of light.


    Arnold and Kelly fought two more large creatures and fended them off for a few minutes while Arnold tried to find their weaknesses. Once he had, they attacked with purpose and both large creatures were disposed of after fifteen minutes, gutted and skinned, then looted. Arnold gained five more levels and Kelly just barely gained another level herself.


    ¡°That''s an hour.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Let''s take a break.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and they left the building and went back to the inn and went into their room, then logged out. Arnold put his controllers down and took off his headset, set them on his desk, and he was taken into a hug from behind. He slowly turned around and looked into his mother''s eyes that were at the same height as his.


    ¡°Seeing a virtual Kelly being eaten was a horrible, horrible thing.¡± Annie said. ¡°Are you okay?¡± She asked, her voice full of concern.


    Arnold nodded and hugged her back.


    ¡°It really was horrible, especially when we couldn''t talk to you to tell you that I was okay.¡± Kelly said and let out a sigh. ¡°We couldn''t touch you, either. You were moving around and we didn''t want to distract you or get in your way.¡±


    Arnold let his mother go and walked over to Kelly and took her into a hug. She was a little shorter than him and she tilted her head up slightly. He took the cue and kissed her.


    *


    Brad and his friends sat around the living room and watched the football game. It was only a pick-up game and didn''t have any real importance except for stats for the players, so none of them were very invested in the outcome, even though their favorite team played.


    To Brad''s surprise, his cell phone on the coffee table beeped at him. It was odd, because all of his friends were there, except for Eric. No one would be texting him anyway, so when it beeped again and again, he reached for it. In the next moment, all of the phones his friends had beeped at them, too.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Brad picked it up and he saw an angry text. It was shocking, to say the least, since most people at school weren''t stupid enough to piss him off. He had forgotten that he was no longer in school or had easy access to the people he had bullied over the years.


    ¡°Oh, man!¡± One of his friends exclaimed. ¡°It''s out!¡±


    ¡°What is?¡± Kevin asked and checked his own phone.


    ¡°What we did!¡± The friend responded. ¡°There''s a video of us ambushing Arnold!¡±


    ¡°Send me the link.¡± Brad said and then watched the video. ¡°That fucking bastard!¡±


    ¡°You don''t know it was him. The video was posted anonymously.¡± The friend said and then laughed at his joke, as did the others. They all knew that the point of view was from over virtual Arnold''s shoulder, which meant only he could have shared it.


    ¡°Our phones are blowing up!¡± Someone else said as the beeping continued and turned off notifications. ¡°How did they get our phone numbers, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Once they saw us in the video, it would be easy to find someone with at least one of our numbers.¡± Kevin said. ¡°When you have one...¡±


    ¡°We gotta do something about this.¡± One of the others said. ¡°We''re being dragged through the mud online.¡±


    ¡°Do what? Apologize?¡± Brad asked with a laugh. ¡°Or maybe give him another invite and give him even more stuff?¡±


    ¡°We blew most of that junk up! Ha!¡± Keven grinned.


    ¡°I bet he was as disappointed with that as we were for not being able to kill him.¡± Brad said with satisfaction, then his phone beeped and he gave it a pointed stare and turned it off.


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Kevin asked, because he knew that look.


    ¡°Does anyone know where Arnold lives?¡± Brad asked with a grin.


    *


    Eric sat behind the wheel of his car on a large hill that overlooked the whole town they lived in, when his phone beeped at him and he sighed. ''I wasn''t there.'' He typed in response. It beeped again. ''Look at the video. Not me.'' He responded.


    ¡°Just turn it off.¡± Heather said and leaned against his shoulder. ¡°They are going to believe what they want to believe no matter what you say.¡±


    Eric nodded and turned it off. ¡°You''re right. It''s not worth my time to respond to it.¡±


    ¡°I''m a little surprised that Kelly wasn''t there with Arnold in the video.¡± Heather said.


    ¡°Kelly.¡± Eric let out a sigh that was full of regret.


    ¡°It''s fitting, isn''t it?¡± Heather asked. ¡°You liked Kelly and I liked Arnold. Now they are together and so are we.¡±


    Eric turned his head to look at her. ¡°Is that why you''re so relaxed today?¡±


    Heather thought about it, then smiled. ¡°Actually, yes. I think that''s it. We''re both jealous of the people with the ones we love and we are as close as we are going to get to them by being together.¡±


    ¡°There''s no chance to get them for ourselves, is there?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°None at all.¡± Heather said, a little sadly. ¡°We both destroyed any chance of winning them back.¡±


    Eric thought about that. ¡°Since when has a consolation prize been better than the actual prize?¡± He asked with a smile.


    Heather was offended for only a second about being called a consolation prize, then she realized what he meant. She smiled back sexily and leaned in to give him a kiss and to start the make-out session they had gone there to do. Her phone beeped at her and she broke the kiss to check it.


    ¡°Is it your mom?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°No, it''s Brad.¡± Heather said. ¡°He wants Arnold''s address.¡±


    Eric took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Well, you have two choices now. You can ignore him and hope that he doesn''t come looking for you to get the address... or you can tell him and hope that he doesn''t do anything stupid like actually going there to call Arnold out.¡±


    Heather chuckled. ¡°Arnold''s not even there.¡± She said and gave Brad the address. ¡°He''s working at the college all summer.¡±


    Eric chucked, too. ¡°Okay, that''s smart.¡± He said and gave her a kiss. ¡°Are you going to warn Arnold?¡±


    ¡°What for?¡± Heather asked. ¡°He''s gone for however long a masters degree takes to get.¡±


    Eric turned his body slightly and took her into his arms. ¡°What if Brad asks you where he really is?¡±


    ¡°I can tell him that I don''t know, since I don''t.¡± Heather said and put her phone down and hugged Eric back. ¡°I dumped Arnold before I found out any of the details.¡±


    ¡°You know, you''re even sexier when you outsmart people.¡± Eric said in a whisper.


    ¡°I must be dripping with sexiness, then.¡± Heather whispered back and he chuckled. They looked into each others eyes for several moments as the mood shifted from joking around to being more serious, then they kissed and their make-out session began again in earnest.


    *


    ¡°Ha! The bitch came through!¡± Brad said loudly and held up his cell phone. ¡°I''ve got Arnold''s address.¡±


    ¡°I''ll get the toilet paper!¡±


    ¡°I''ll get the eggs!¡±


    ¡°I''ll grab the compost!¡±


    Brad and Kevin sat on the couch and looked at each other.


    ¡°Baseball bats?¡± Kevin asked.


    ¡°No, we can''t go that far, even though he deserves it.¡± Brad said. ¡°We''ll just have to settle for pounding him with our fists.¡±


    ¡°That''s fine with me.¡± Kevin said and rubbed his hands together. ¡°I''ll hold him and you can go first.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, buddy.¡± Brad said and they stood up when the others came in with several plastic bags full of stuff.


    ¡°This is going to be fun!¡± One of the guys said. ¡°We haven''t razzed a house in forever!¡±


    They all laughed and left Brad''s house, piled into Brad''s car, and headed over to Arnold''s place.

 65 Annie’s Anguish

    Arnold and Kelly played for several hours and gathered a bunch more specimens of both rare and unequal quality, then they stopped for lunch and logged off. They sat at the kitchenette table and ate the last of the reheated pizza with Annie, who sat on the closest bed and ate.


    ¡°I think we have you at a good level now.¡± Kelly said to Arnold and took a bite of pizza. ¡°Hours earlier than I had expected.¡± She let out a short laugh. ¡°Your way of fighting things we shouldn''t be fighting is so radical that we''re wrecking the summoning system.¡±


    ¡°That''s music to my ears.¡± Annie said. ¡°I think we need to explore the local area and see what you two will have for both food and entertainment.¡± She looked at them. ¡°Within walking distance, too.¡±


    ¡°A short walking distance.¡± Kelly corrected. ¡°There''s no way I want to walk anywhere around an unfamiliar place all alone, day or night.¡±


    ¡°That''s a good point.¡± Annie said. ¡°Make sure when you do leave, tell Doris where you''re going and how long you''re going to be.¡±


    ¡°Annie, that''s a fantastic idea!¡± Kelly said. ¡°She''ll be like a guardian angel that watches out for me.¡±


    ¡°You should give her your cell phone numbers, too.¡± Annie suggested and both Arnold and Kelly nodded. ¡°I''m sure she won''t be too bothered by having to keep track of you.¡±


    ¡°That''s her job.¡± Arnold said and Annie and Kelly looked at him. ¡°She tracks who comes in and leaves the dorm building and stops people who are not supposed to be here.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you''re right.¡± Kelly said. ¡°We''re just helping her do her job.¡±


    Annie chuckled. ¡°I bet she''ll laugh if you tell her that!¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± Kelly stood up. ¡°If we''re going out, we should change into something more appropriate.¡±


    ¡°What? You don''t want your ass hanging out or your boobs bouncing around braless?¡± Annie asked.


    Kelly laughed and shook her head. ¡°I promised myself that I would only dress like this around Arnold and no one else.¡± She said and walked around the table and leaned down to give him a kiss on the lips.


    ¡°I should get changed, too.¡± Annie said. ¡°Jogging pants are comfortable and are also a bad fashion statement.¡±


    Kelly pointed to her part of the closet. ¡°Help yourself.¡± She said and walked over to her dresser and grabbed a pair of jeans and a thin sweater from one drawer and a bra from the top drawer. ¡°Mom made me bring a few things I''m never going to wear.¡±


    Annie had to laugh at that and looked in the closet. ¡°Ah, yes. I see.¡± She said and took out a dry cleaning bag with a red sequined dress inside that was similar to the dress Katheryn had worn when she first met Arnold.


    ¡°Yeah, that''s never leaving the bag.¡± Kelly laughed and pulled off her tube top and tossed it onto her bed, then slipped on the bra. ¡°That''s so not me!¡±


    Annie hung the bag back in the closet and rummaged through them. ¡°Ooo, classy!¡±


    ¡°Which one?¡± Kelly turned around and looked, then nodded. ¡°The beige pant suit. Good choice.¡±


    ¡°You don''t mind?¡± Annie asked and opened it up.


    ¡°People living together need to get used to sharing some clothes.¡± Kelly joked as she slipped on her jeans and Annie nodded and started to change. Arnold walked over to his part of the closet and grabbed the first dry cleaning bag and took out a pair of dark blue dress pants and a blue short sleeved shirt. The three of them finished changing and then turned to inspect each other.


    ¡°Oh, your collar is a little crooked.¡± Kelly said and adjusted Arnold''s shirt, then she unbuttoned the top button to give him some breathing room. ¡°Annie, how are you doing? Does the suit fit?¡±


    ¡°The pants are a little tight, but manageable.¡± Annie said and turned around to show her ass and Kelly saw that the pants were quite snug. ¡°I had to let them hang a little lower on my hips.¡±


    ¡°I knew mom bought them for leg length and not for the waist. She always makes that mistake with me.¡± Kelly said with a chuckle. ¡°Don''t worry, we''ll walk slow and they won''t ride up too much.¡±


    Annie snorted and then laughed. ¡°Thanks for your consideration of my future wedgie.¡±


    Kelly laughed. ¡°What are friends for?¡± She asked and took Arnold''s hand. ¡°You look very handsome.¡±


    Arnold gave her a kiss and the three of them left the dorm room to spend the afternoon exploring the campus and surrounding area. They went down in the elevator and approached Doris. She was in a fit of laughter after Arnold told her that they were helping her do her job by giving her their cell phone numbers and asked her to keep track of them.


    ¡°Oh! You''re so precious!¡± Doris exclaimed when she stopped laughing and walked around her desk. Her chest jiggled in her thin blouse and she looked up at the five inch taller boy. ¡°You deserve a hug for making me laugh!¡± She said and didn''t wait for him to respond as she pulled him down and shoved his head into her chest. She squeezed him tightly and then laughed again when he didn''t resist or try to pull away, unlike nearly every other person she had ever hugged.


    ¡°Can I have him back? We''re going on a self-tour of the campus.¡± Kelly said.


    Doris laughed again and let Arnold go. ¡°I''m sorry. People usually fight me off by now and it was nice that he didn''t.¡±


    That made Kelly and Annie laugh and Doris looked at Arnold''s face.


    ¡°Any time you want another hug like that, you come and see me.¡± Doris said with a huge smile.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and Kelly led him and Annie out of the dorm building.


    ¡°I should warn you that she might have designs on you; but, she looked like she genuinely liked that you didn''t try to get away.¡± Annie said. ¡°Who fights off a hug, anyway?¡±


    Kelly laughed again. ¡°You definitely haven''t dated in a while. I had to fight them off all the time!¡±


    ¡°You''re super-cute and cuddly, so that''s understandable.¡± Annie joked and Kelly rolled her eyes. ¡°Let''s start at the cafeteria and work our way out to the edges.¡±


    ¡°We should have brought the map they gave Arnold in the assistant''s package.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°We''d be spending too much time looking at the map and not where we''re going.¡± Annie said. ¡°Trust me. You''ll remember this layout a lot better if you find things for yourself.¡±


    The three of them walked around and noted the different things they had access to on the campus, which included an Olympic size pool in its own separate building, two tennis courts, a basketball court, a large football and soccer field, and there was even a physical education building that had every kind of workout equipment that you could imagine. Everything they found was available for students to use in the evenings and on the weekends, barring any special events that might be using the facilities at the time.


    ¡°It''s like its own little world.¡± Kelly said as they walked around the perimeter of the campus after their tour. ¡°The only thing it''s missing is fast food restaurants.¡±


    Annie nodded and pointed. ¡°Let''s go that way and see what we can find in that regard.¡±


    They walked around for a while and found several good restaurants and grabbed their take out menus, then stopped at a nice Chinese food place and sat down to eat. The food was quite good and Kelly marked the menu as a higher priority for take out orders, then the three of them walked back towards the campus. They made it back to the dorm as it was getting dark and went inside, and Annie changed out of the pants suit and put on her clothes from the day before.


    ¡°I better go.¡± Annie said. ¡°It''s getting late and it''s a long drive.¡±


    Arnold took her into a hug and gave her a quick kiss. ¡°I love you, mom.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Annie said and he let her go.


    ¡°We''ll see you in five days.¡± Kelly said and gave her a hug, too. ¡°The buses run early, so we''ll be at your house at about nine o''clock Saturday morning.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be waiting.¡± Annie said and gave her another hug, then whispered in Kelly''s ear. ¡°Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Kelly said and Annie let her go.


    Annie gave the both of them another hug, touched Arnold''s face for a brief moment, then she left. She held in her tears until she climbed into the car and then she sat there and let them flow. It took her almost ten minutes to calm down and to compose herself. She wiped at her face and took a deep breath, looked at the building that she was leaving her son behind in, and drove out of the parking lot to go back to her large and empty house.


    Annie drove all the way back home without stopping. When she reached her street, she had to slow down because of the traffic. She thought that was odd, since her street was a quiet one normally and nothing really happened. People turned and looked at her and she saw that it was her neighbours. They looked really sad for some reason and she immediately wondered what had happened.


    Annie managed to get around the parked cars and almost reached her house and saw four police cars. ¡°What''s going on?¡± She asked as she pulled up to the house and had to park behind a police car. She couldn''t even get into the driveway because two other police cars were there. She stepped out of her car and looked around to see what was happening and didn''t notice anything at first... then she saw it. ¡°NO!¡± She yelled.


    ¡°Ma''am? You can''t park here.¡± A police officer said.


    ¡°This is my HOUSE!¡± Annie yelled and waved at it. Both the yard and the house were almost completely obscured by toilet paper, dozens of egg splatters, and dark blotches of something that she really didn''t want to know what it was, because it looked like shit, and she didn''t want to face that if it was.


    ¡°We called it in, Annie.¡± Beth, the woman from next door said. ¡°I''m just sorry I didn''t see the bastards before it got to this point.¡±


    ¡°W-what... wait, you caught them?¡± Annie asked and turned to the police officer. ¡°Please tell me you caught them!¡±


    The man gave her a huge smile and pointed to the two police cars parked in her driveway and then at his own parked in front of her car. ¡°Six assailants caught brown handed.¡±


    Annie groaned. ¡°Dammit. It really is shit, isn''t it?¡±


    ¡°Among other things.¡± The police officer said. ¡°As far as we can tell without actually examining the contents, it''s compost.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. I think that''s worse. It''s rotting.¡± Annie said and sighed. ¡°I just cleaned the place, too.¡±


    ¡°I''d suggest calling the insurance company right away and making a claim, since there are a few broken windows and...¡± The police officer tried to explain and Annie cut him off.


    ¡°What? No! No no no! It''s inside my house? That shit is INSIDE MY HOUSE?!?¡±


    ¡°At least downstairs.¡± The officer said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Who was it?¡± Annie asked, because she had no idea who would want to do this to her.


    ¡°The leader of their little group is a guy named Brad Peckerwood.¡± The officer said and several laughs came from the middle car.


    ¡°I''m going to fucking kill you guys!¡± Brad yelled and the car he was in shook as he struggled.


    ¡°Quiet!¡± A police officer by the car said and Brad settled down and glared at him.


    ¡°His real name is Brad Willowby.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°You know him?¡± The police officer asked.


    ¡°No; but, I know of him.¡± Annie said. ¡°Arnold dated a girl a while back and she was a real piece of work. When she broke up with him over something stupid, she dated Brad to get back at him and tried to make him jealous.¡±


    ¡°Did it work?¡± The officer asked.


    ¡°No. Arnold started dating a great girl and he doesn''t even think about Heather anymore.¡±


    ¡°That''s curious. Why would he come here to do this?¡± The officer asked.


    ¡°I have no idea.¡± Annie said. ¡°I didn''t even know he knew where I lived.¡±


    The police officer made the connection right away. ¡°Obviously, she gave him the address.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that bitch.¡± Annie said before she could stop herself, then she blushed. ¡°Sorry, officer.¡±


    The man chuckled. ¡°Ma''am, I''ve heard worse from my ten year old.¡±


    ¡°What are you letting your kid watch that he learned things worse than that?¡± Annie asked, a little incredulous, and he laughed. ¡°You can drop the ma''am, by the way. I''m Annie. Annie Strickland.¡± She said and held a hand out to him.


    ¡°I''m Officer Hallman while on duty.¡± He smiled and shook her hand. ¡°Charlie when I''m not.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Officer Hallman.¡± Annie said. ¡°Now, what do I do about all of this crap?¡±


    ¡°I''ll escort you inside to get some things, then I suggest staying in a hotel for a few days.¡±


    ¡°I can''t leave the broken windows and...¡±


    ¡°I''ve already got a call in to a buddy of mine. He''s coming over with some plywood and he''ll board them up for you.¡±


    Annie let out a sigh. ¡°All right. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°This isn''t my first rodeo.¡± Officer Hallman said. ¡°I assume you want the perpetrators charged?¡±


    ¡°Damn right! I want you to throw the book at them!¡± Annie exclaimed.


    Officer Hallman chuckled. ¡°They only say things like that on television.¡±


    ¡°Well, you charge them with everything you can and keep them in jail. I can sleep tonight and won''t have to worry about them coming back here to finish the job later.¡±


    ¡°That won''t be a problem.¡± Officer Hallman said. ¡°Thanks to Mrs. Smith, we''ve got them dead to rights for everything from trespassing on private property to destruction of said property. I''ll have to wait to hear from the insurance company before I can add charges for excessive damages and cleanup.¡±


    ¡°I''m really glad I just paid a year''s premiums on the house insurance.¡± Annie said.


    Officer Hallman chuckled. ¡°Then you won''t have to worry about your rates going up until next year, especially if this turns out to be a costly one.¡± He waved at the house. ¡°I can take you in now if you want.¡±


    Annie nodded and looked at Beth. ¡°Thank you so much for watching the place for me.¡±


    ¡°What are neighbours for besides spying on their neighbours?¡± Beth joked and Annie gave her a hug.


    ¡°Hey, Chuck! I''m taking the home owner inside!¡± Officer Hallman said.


    ¡°Great! We''ve got permission to go in.¡± Chuck said. ¡°Okay, guys. Photograph everything. If it''s as messed up inside as I think it is, watch where you step.¡±


    ¡°The main downstairs window is busted, so yeah. It''s going to be messy in there.¡± One of the other officers said. ¡°Tell me you have face masks.¡±


    ¡°I never leave home without them.¡± Chuck said and pulled a handful of them from his pocket.


    ¡°All right, let''s go.¡± Officer Hallman said and took two of the masks and gave one to Annie. They put them on and walked over to the front door. Annie opened it with her key and led a group of officers inside the crime scene.


    ¡°UGH!¡± Annie gagged as the smell hit her. ¡°This mask sucks!¡±


    Officer Hallman laughed. ¡°You would be tasting that smell if you didn''t have it on.¡±


    Annie almost threw up and covered her mouth.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Officer Hallman said and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Where to first?¡±


    ¡°Upstairs bedroom.¡± Annie whispered. ¡°I need clothes for a few days.¡±


    Annie led him up the stairs and to her bedroom, then she grabbed a large suitcase from the closet and emptied most of her drawers into it and then grabbed a pile of things from the closet that she really liked. The smell wasn''t as bad up here, so she made sure to close everything again and Officer Hallman took the suitcase for her.


    ¡°Kitchen.¡± Annie said and led him out of the bedroom and down the stairs.


    ¡°I wouldn''t take any food, not even dry goods.¡± Officer Hallman cautioned her. ¡°We don''t know how much the toxins have spread around.¡±


    When they passed the living room, the couch was covered in compost and eggs.


    ¡°I loved that couch.¡± Annie said sadly. She and Arnold had spent a lot of time on it and its loss was probably going to hit her pretty hard later.


    They went by the dining room and it only had one good solid hit with compost... which was enough to ruin the table for all future meals.


    ¡°Goddammit.¡± Annie said and went into the kitchen. She had been glad that she had already given Arnold the last of his college fund money, which was about eighteen hundred dollars, and she retrieved the thousand dollar bursary money from the can on top of the refrigerator. Officer Hallman didn''t comment about how insecure that was and led her back out of the house and to her car.


    ¡°Call your insurance company.¡± Officer Hallman said when he put Annie''s bag in her trunk. ¡°If you''re lucky, they can send someone out first thing in the morning to look at the place.¡±


    Annie sighed. ¡°We need to go back in. I forgot my phone number list by the phone.¡±


    Officer Hallman gave her an inquisitive look for a moment, then brought her back into the kitchen and Annie retrieved her list. She picked up the phone, dialed the number and waited, then left a message on the answering service about the state of the house and about making a claim. She hung up and followed the officer back out of the house and to her car.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Annie said to him.


    ¡°Call them again and leave the number for the hotel.¡± Officer Hallman said. ¡°They are probably going to want you here to walk through the place.¡±


    ¡°I''ll warn them about the smell, too.¡± Annie said and he laughed.


    ¡°Good luck, Ma''am.¡± He said. ¡°Ah, I mean Annie.¡± He corrected and held a business card out to her. ¡°Call me if anything else happens, all right?¡±


    Annie nodded and climbed into the driver''s seat of her car and carefully pulled her car away from both the cop car and the curb, then she slowly made her way down the other end of the street and left her house behind. The irony of the situation was not lost on her. First she had to leave her only son and return to a large empty house... and now she couldn''t return to it because of vandalism.


    She sighed and drove to the closest motel that she knew about and parked in the parking lot. It was pretty late, so she went to the office and the front desk and asked for a room for a few days. The guy there told her the price per night, that she almost told him to go screw himself over, then she sighed and paid for the night. She needed the contact number for the insurance company.


    Annie took the key and drove her car over to park in front of the room on the bottom floor near the end of the building. She took her suitcase from the trunk and locked the car, and her spirits waned as she went into the room and saw that it was a ratty old bed with old sheets and a blanket on it. She checked it and to her surprise, there were no bed bugs in it. She wasn''t getting under the blanket, though. That was a bit too much risk for her to take.


    She went into the bathroom and looked at the fairly new shower curtain and smiled. She easily unhooked it from the rod and took it out to the bed and covered it, to give her at least some protection from anything that might be there that she couldn''t see, and she sat down on the bed to the sound of the crinkling plastic.


    Annie took several deep breaths to stop herself from crying. She needed to be strong, and she hoped beyond hope, that the insurance company would answer and would be at her house in the morning. They needed to clean the place up by the end of the week, or Arnold and Kelly would have nowhere to stay for the weekend.


    ¡°Oh, Arnold.¡± Annie said and closed her eyes. ¡°This... what a mess this is.¡± She said. ¡°I can''t even imagine what you would have done if you were here.¡± She opened her eyes and looked at the number on the telephone. She called the insurance company and left another message with her name, her new contact number, and that she would meet them as soon as they needed her to.


    Annie hung up the phone and debated calling Arnold about it. She knew that if she did, she couldn''t predict what he would do about it. No one had ever threatened their home before and Annie had no way to predict what Arnold would think about it. She looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table and saw how late it was, so she decided to wait until the morning to tell him and Kelly. She didn''t want to ruin their first night alone together.


    She laid back onto the shower curtain and didn''t even think about taking a shower or changing her clothes for bed. This was not a time for her to be either comfortable or to enjoy the experience. She was in a crisis and she needed to stay alert and aware of her surroundings.


    Needless to say, after the long day she had, she fell asleep almost immediately and slept all night.

 66 Important Info

    Arnold and Kelly had slept in the same bed again, just like they had the night before when Annie had been there. Kelly had started out in the other bed, then for some reason felt that it was wrong, somehow. She migrated to Arnold''s bed and they had slept side by side all night. Neither of them had tried to do anything to each other and only slept.


    For Kelly, it was a solid confirmation that Arnold wasn''t going to try and push her or goad her into sex. For Arnold, it was just another night of sleep and having Kelly there didn''t bother him at all, just like it hadn''t the night before.


    Just like the previous day, they both woke up early and it was Kelly''s turn to make breakfast for them. She went the easy route and made waffles and syrup. It was their first day alone together as well, so she was a little nervous about trying to make a proper breakfast, even though she knew that Arnold didn''t really care about such things. He ate whatever she put in front of him and that was that. They had just sat down to eat when Arnold''s phone beeped at him and he picked it up.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Arnold said and was silent for quite some time. ¡°Okay.¡± He said and handed the phone to Kelly. ¡°It''s my mom.¡±


    Kelly took the phone. ¡°Annie?¡± She asked, then she listened for just as long. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± She said. ¡°Those... insufferable... pig-headed... skeevy... bastards!¡± She said. ¡°Annie, I''m so sorry!¡± She paused for a few moments. ¡°No, I''m pretty sure it was my fault. I posted that video.¡± She said. ¡°The cops didn''t say anything about it? Really?¡±


    Kelly sighed and listened for another minute or so.


    ¡°Okay. Arnold won''t come until the weekend.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I know you don''t need someone else there to take care of when you''re trying to take care of yourself; but, I''ll be on the bus and will be there in a few hours.¡± She said. ¡°No, you''re not going to convince me otherwise. I need to be there, especially if my parents get wind of this.¡±


    Kelly sat there and listened for a few minutes.


    ¡°Yes, I know. This is going to mess up our plans a little.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I''m going to kill Brad and his friends for this! They are taking me away from Arnold!¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°You''re lucky the bus doesn''t run for another hour or I would already be on it. Yes, really.¡± She listened for another minute. ¡°I have a better idea. We''re going to stay with my parents.¡±


    The phone went silent and Kelly sat there and waited for a response. It took a few minutes.


    ¡°It''s the most logical choice. It''s got to be there or this whole thing will be blown out of the water.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Yes, I know Arnold will be left alone. We don''t have a choice.¡± She paused. ¡°I don''t have a choice, so it''s either that or we tell the truth and ruin everything we planned.¡±


    It took Kelly another few minutes to convince Annie that she needed to be there and then she hung up the phone.


    ¡°Arnold, I need to go. Your mom needs me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly quickly changed into a normal outfit, grabbed an overnight bag with some things in it, then went to the door. ¡°Get dressed for work when it''s time and head over to the biology building.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll call you every day to update you on what''s happening and I''ll wait for you to come and visit on the weekend. Hopefully, this will be all sorted out by then.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and gave her a four second kiss. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Arnold.¡± Kelly said and stood there and didn''t move. ¡°I... I really don''t want to go.¡±


    ¡°Help my mom.¡± Arnold said and gave her a hug and a kiss. ¡°I love you, Kelly.¡±


    ¡°A-A-Arnold!¡± Kelly exclaimed, dropped her bag and kissed him passionately. ¡°I love you, too!¡±


    ¡°Mom needs you.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly nodded, grabbed her bag, then left the dorm room at a run.


    Arnold had a shower and changed for work by putting on one of the suits he and his mother bought for him to wear. With no one else around, he had to check himself to see if he had it on right and everything was straight, and he did his best in the bathroom mirror. He did not have eyes in the back of his head though, so he didn''t see the slightly miss-folded shirt collar and put on the suit coat. He checked to see that he had his keys on his belt loop and stepped out of the dorm room and locked the door.


    ¡°Well, hellloooo handsome!¡± A female voice said and Arnold turned around to see nearly the entire hallway was full of women in various states of being dressed. ¡°That''s a great suit for off the rack.¡± The closest woman said. She was a short brunette with a ponytail and she looked at him from head to foot. ¡°Where are you headed?¡±


    ¡°Building F.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Huh? I thought new students didn''t start until the fall.¡± She said. ¡°What are you doing there?¡±


    ¡°I''m working.¡± Arnold said to her surprise and he started to walk down the hallway.


    Women in just towels were talking to others wearing just underwear and bras. A few of them were fully dressed and leaned against the wall in the hallway and were talking in a group. If you talk to anyone at all that had seen or watched a movie about college life, then this was a typical ''female dorm'' scene.


    If Arnold cared about such things, it was almost laughable how many half-naked women were between him and the elevator. He had to walk around and by all of them, since his dorm room was at the very end of the hallway and the elevator was on the other end.


    As he passed each one, some gasped and tried to cover themselves, some gave him surprised looks and were too shocked to bother trying to cover themselves, and most of them just stared at him as if he was intruding on them. Arnold ignored them all and made it to the elevator and pushed the button. He stood there and waited for three minutes, then it dinged at him and the doors opened.


    ¡°Ooo, late night hottie leaving!¡± One of the six young women in the elevator said and the others with her laughed. ¡°Who did you sleep with last night, sweetie?¡± She asked as she stepped out of the elevator.


    ¡°My girlfriend.¡± Arnold said and stepped into the now empty elevator.


    ¡°What''s her name?¡± The one who spoke asked.


    ¡°Kelly.¡± Arnold pushed the button for the ground floor.


    The young woman turned around and spoke loudly. ¡°Which one of you is Kelly? We need to talk!¡±


    Her friends laughed uproariously at her and the elevator doors closed. It stopped at each floor on the way down and Arnold was soon crowded into the back of the elevator as more and more women piled inside.


    ¡°You''re a tall one.¡± A woman said from beside him and he looked down at her. ¡°How tall are you?¡±


    ¡°I''m five foot ten inches.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Were you visiting someone here?¡± She asked, hope in her voice.


    ¡°I live here on the top floor.¡± Arnold responded and every conversation in the elevator stopped and all the women turned and looked at him in surprise. The elevator dinged for the ground floor and none of them made a move to leave, so when the doors opened, he weaved through them and stepped out.


    ¡°Arnold! Have fun at work!¡± Doris said loudly from behind her desk and waved.


    ¡°I''m not allowed.¡± Arnold said and waved back.


    Doris laughed. ¡°Give me a hug when you come back here this afternoon!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and walked out of the lobby just as Doris was swarmed by the girls that had been in the elevator and they bombarded her with questions. Arnold walked for the eight minutes to get to Building F and went inside, walked up the stairs, and went to the professor''s office and knocked on the open door.


    ¡°Ah, Arnold. Come in.¡± Professor Hamil Crenslav said and waved him in. ¡°Another suit. Excellent.¡± He said. ¡°You are already representing this department well.¡±


    ¡°What do I need to do this morning, sir?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Observation. These new specimens are going to take most of the morning to dissect with all the students here to observe as well.¡± Hamil said. ¡°More people slow the work; but, it''s worth it if they learn from it.¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°Amy will be here in a moment, so go over to the lab and wait for her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Arnold said and left the office and went to the lab to wait.


    *


    Kelly arrived at the bus stop near the motel Annie was staying at and walked over to the right room and knocked. ¡°It''s Kelly.¡±


    A moment later, the door opened and Kelly saw that Annie still wore the same outfit from yesterday.


    ¡°You didn''t have to come all this way, Kelly.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°Of course I did.¡± Kelly said and stepped into the room with her suitcase and saw the shower curtain on the bed. ¡°Oh, wow.¡±


    Annie sighed. ¡°Yeah, this is a great place to stay.¡±


    ¡°Any word from the insurance company?¡± Kelly asked and put her suitcase on top of Annie''s that was on the chair. ¡°If checkout times are the same, we have to be out in an hour.¡±


    Annie sighed again and sat down on the bed. ¡°Nothing yet, and if I go anywhere, I''ll have to call again and leave the new number.¡± She said. ¡°Kelly, we can''t go to your parents to stay. That''s too much of an imposition.¡±


    Kelly sat down beside her and took her hand. ¡°Once I tell them what happened, and where you slept last night, mom is going to drag you into the house to stay in the spare room and won''t let you leave.¡±


    Annie opened her mouth to refuse, then the image popped into her head and she smiled.


    ¡°There! See! You can still smile!¡± Kelly said and let her hand go, then put an arm over her shoulder. ¡°I''m here now, so you have my permission to cry.¡±


    ¡°Kelly, that... I don''t want...¡± Annie''s eyes teared up against her will and she started to cry. She covered her face with her hands and Kelly hugged her.


    ¡°That''s it. Let it out.¡± Kelly said and Annie balled her eyes out and sobbed.


    Unlike the night before, Annie didn''t force herself to calm down after only ten minutes. She let everything out. Her husband''s death, her son being suspended for fighting, her son being manipulated sexually by Heather, Arnold having to shoulder the responsibility for supporting the household, Arnold moving away for years and possibly permanently, and now losing her home after just paying it off.


    It had been a long and trying time for Annie the last little while and she had repressed almost everything until now. Kelly held her and let Annie cry herself out. It took a while. They went through a lot of tissues and they were both thankful that Annie didn''t wear a lot of make-up, because it would have been thoroughly ruined a long time ago.


    Annie eventually calmed down and wiped her face once more. ¡°Kelly, thank you.¡±


    ¡°You see? I told you I needed to be here.¡± Kelly said and looked at the alarm clock. ¡°It''s almost check out time.¡±


    Annie took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°All right. Let''s head over to your parents and see what...¡± She stopped talking when the phone rang and picked it up. ¡°Hello?¡± She listened for a minute. ¡°Thank god.¡± She said. ¡°Yes. Okay. I''ll be right there.¡±


    ¡°Insurance company?¡± Kelly asked and Annie nodded. The both of them put the shower curtain back in the bathroom and grabbed their suitcases, put them in the trunk of the car, and went to the office to check out and to get a receipt.


    Once that was done, they hopped in the car and drove back over to Annie''s house. When Kelly saw what had been done to it, it was her turn to cry. She did it silently and took out her cell phone and took pictures, video, and described the sickeningly pervasive smell while they waited for the insurance agent.


    ¡°It''s a lot worse inside.¡± Annie said. ¡°Even with a mask on, the enclosed space concentrated it and I gagged.¡± She didn''t admit that she almost threw up, though. She was saving that part of the story for the insurance agent.


    ¡°Brad is such an asshole!¡± Kelly said. ¡°Is he twelve? Adults aren''t supposed to do things like this!¡±


    ¡°They hadn''t said why they did it last night, so maybe they admitted what set them off by now.¡± Annie said. ¡°You think it''s the video?¡±


    ¡°It has to be.¡± Kelly said. ¡°They were pretty pissed that they couldn''t get Arnold back, so they must have come here looking for him.¡± She said. ¡°But, Brad shouldn''t have known where...¡±


    Annie stood there and waited for Kelly to make the same logic leap that Officer Hallman did.


    ¡°Oh, that BITCH!¡± Kelly yelled when she realized he must have gotten the address from Heather.

 67 Helping Her

    Claire was very surprised when there was a loud knock on her front door, then the doorbell rang several times in a row. She turned off the stove top and set the half-cooked scrambled eggs aside and went to the front door. She was completely shocked when she opened the door and two police officers were there.


    ¡°Good morning, ma''am.¡± Officer Hallman said. ¡°Would Heather Bradshaw be at home?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, she is.¡± Claire said and composed herself. ¡°What''s going on?¡±


    ¡°We would like to talk to her about a crime that was committed last night.¡± Officer Hallman said.


    ¡°Crime? What crime?¡± Claire asked, surprised.


    ¡°We can''t divulge the details, especially if she was involved in the planning.¡± Officer Hallman said. ¡°Can you get her for us, please?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I''ll get her all right.¡± Claire said as her shock was replaced by seething anger. ¡°Please come in.¡± She said and turned around and then stomped up the stairs. ¡°Heather!¡± She said loudly. ¡°HEATHER!¡± She yelled and reached the top of the stairs and disappeared from the officer''s sight. ¡°GET UP RIGHT NOW!¡±


    Officer Hallman and his partner stepped into the entryway and exchanged looks as they listened to the woman yell at her daughter.


    ¡°Mom!¡± Heather said. ¡°God, it''s too early! I don''t have to be up for school!¡±


    ¡°Get your ass out of bed right now, young lady!¡± Claire spat at her daughter. ¡°The POLICE are here to talk to you!¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Heather yelled.


    ¡°Get dressed and get downstairs! NOW!¡± Claire yelled back. A moment later she appeared at the top of the stairs and walked down them calmly. ¡°She''ll be right down, officers.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Officer Hallman said and the three of them waited for a couple of minutes before a very red faced young woman appeared at the top of the stairs. She was dressed conservatively, as if she was attending a job interview and not meeting the police. She walked calmly down the stairs in an eerily similar walk like her mother''s.


    ¡°Good morning, officers. What is this all about?¡± Heather asked.


    ¡°I''m sure you have some idea.¡± Officer Hallman said with a smile. ¡°I have to assume that you know your ex-boyfriend Brad Willowby.¡±


    Heather opened her mouth to deny knowing him that well, then heard what he said. ¡°Yes, I know him.¡±


    ¡°Where were you last night between seven and eleven o''clock?¡±


    ¡°With my boyfriend, Eric.¡± Heather answered without pausing.


    ¡°Eric.¡± Officer Hallman nodded to his partner. ¡°You don''t happen to have anyone else to corroborate your alibi?¡±


    ¡°No, we were alone.¡± Heather said and gave her mother a glance. ¡°We weren''t having sex; but, we were making out at Johnson''s Lookout.¡±


    ¡°Was that why he wasn''t with Brad and his other friends?¡± Officer Hallman''s partner asked.


    ¡°Eric doesn''t hang out with them anymore.¡± Heather said. ¡°He tried to keep them from doing stupid shi... stuff, and they treated him like a dog.¡±


    ¡°That''s convenient.¡± He said. ¡°The one time he wasn''t with them, they commit a crime.¡±


    ¡°What crime was that?¡± Heather asked.


    ¡°That''s what we were going to ask you.¡± Officer Hallman said. ¡°Do you know where they were last night?¡±


    Heather opened her mouth to answer that she didn''t and Claire recognized her ''lying'' face.


    ¡°Heather.¡± Claire said in a deadly tone of voice. ¡°Tell them the truth, or so help me god, you''re going to regret it.¡±


    Heather knew not to piss her mother off, so she sighed. ¡°I don''t know for sure where they were...¡±


    ¡°Heather!¡± Claire spat.


    ¡°...but, Brad did text me and asked for Arnold''s address.¡±


    Claire took in a sharp breath and then her anger got the better of her. She took two steps forward and raised her hand, then gave her daughter one of the hardest slaps across the face that she had ever given anyone in her life.


    Heather''s head whipped to the side and her hair flipped over her face and covered it for a moment, then Heather turned back to look at her mother with utter shock on her face and a red hand print on her cheek. Claire had never hit her like that before. Never.


    ¡°Ma''am, please step back.¡± Officer Hallman warned her.


    Claire was breathing heavily, as if she had exhausted herself, and she closed her eyes and pulled her anger back, somehow. ¡°Heather.¡± She said in a calm voice and opened her eyes to look at her daughter. ¡°If they hurt that boy because of you, I swear on your father''s grave that you''ll be out on the street.¡±


    ¡°M-m-mom!¡± Heather gasped. ¡°No, they didn''t! Arnold''s working at the college! I knew they couldn''t get him!¡± She explained. ¡°Eric said that if I didn''t tell Brad what he wanted to know, Brad would come to see me in person to get the address! I didn''t want to see him again, and since Arnold wasn''t home anyway, I told him.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Heather.¡± Claire shook her head. ¡°Did you forget that Annie was still at home?¡±


    ¡°What would they want his mother for?¡± Heather asked. ¡°They hate Arnold, not her!¡±


    ¡°We''ll need to see those texts.¡± Officer Hallman said, and Heather nodded and went back up the stairs to get her cell phone.


    *


    A nice car pulled up to Annie''s house and parked on the street, then woman in a business suit stepped out. ¡°Well, this is quite the mess.¡± She said and walked over to Annie and Kelly. ¡°Hi, I''m Sharon Hart.¡±


    ¡°I''m the policy holder, Annie Strickland.¡± Annie said and held a hand out for her to shake. ¡°This is my son''s girlfriend, Kelly Kendall.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you both.¡± Sharon said and shook Annie''s hand, then shook Kelly''s. ¡°I hate to ask what that smell is.¡±


    ¡°Compost. Old and rotted compost.¡± Annie said. ¡°They broke several windows that are now boarded up, and there''s a pile of compost in the living room and some in the dining room.¡±


    Sharon winced. ¡°Oh, dear.¡±


    ¡°I only have one face mask.¡± Annie said and held it out to her. ¡°Believe me, you are going to need it, especially since it''s had all night to fester.¡±


    Sharon was tempted to refuse and caught another whiff of it. ¡°I assume I''m walking through by myself.¡± She said and put the cloth mask on over her nose and mouth.


    ¡°I went through it once.¡± Annie said, sadly. ¡°I think losing the couch hurts the worst.¡±


    ¡°The couch!¡± Kelly gasped and took Annie into a hug. ¡°I''m going to miss that couch, too. We all spent so much time on it.¡±


    Annie let out a sigh. ¡°Be careful where you step.¡± She said to Sharon and gave her the key to the front door. ¡°It''s all over the place once you leave the main hallway.¡±


    Sharon nodded and took out her cell phone and started recording. She walked right up to the front door and went inside. Both Annie and Kelly heard her wretch and she stepped back outside for a moment. She took several breaths and then went back inside. It took her twenty minutes to record what she needed and she went back outside. She strode over to the street with purpose, pulled off the face mask, and emptied her stomach into the storm drain at the side of curb.


    ¡°That''s... definitely not... livable.¡± Sharon said and threw up again. ¡°The stench is prevalent... even in parts of the house not directly touched.¡± She said and stood up and turned her cell phone towards herself. ¡°I''ll finish recording the state of the outside of the house, however, just the inside is enough to justify the claim. I recommend emptying the main affected rooms, at minimum, and possibly stripping the walls. It''s soaked in a few spots where it splattered in the living room, dining room, kitchen, and hallway.¡±


    Annie was a little surprised about the extent of the damage and only thought she would need to have the place professionally cleaned.


    ¡°Any porous surface, like cloth, rugs, carpets, drapes, etcetera etcetera, need to be disposed of. If any bacteria or bugs have infested the house, it needs to be fumigated as well.¡±


    ¡°Oh, god.¡± Annie whispered. ¡°That''s going to take longer than four days.¡±


    ¡°By the sounds of it, probably a week or two at least.¡± Kelly whispered back. ¡°I can''t imagine what this is going to cost.¡±


    ¡°If my preliminary assessment is accepted, I would estimate about four thousand dollars, not counting the fumigation and the generic clean up, which could be anywhere from two thousand to thirty-five hundred dollars.¡±


    Kelly''s and Annie''s mouths dropped open in shock.


    ¡°You said the police were here last night?¡± Sharon asked and Annie nodded. ¡°I''ll need the police report and I''ll inform them of the cost of the damage.¡±


    Annie took out Officer Hallman''s card and handed it to her.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Sharon said and used her cell phone to call him. ¡°Officer Hallman? I''m Sharon Hart from Jackson Insurance. I''m here at Annie Strickland''s house.¡± She was quiet for a moment. ¡°Oh, definitely a higher charge. I estimate the cost from six thousand to seventy-five hundred dollars, minimum.¡± She smiled. ¡°Yes, that will definitely make her happy. I''ll send the report over as soon as I get back to the office. If you could send me a copy of the police report for the insurance company''s records, I would appreciate it.¡± She paused for a second. ¡°Thank you, officer. Goodbye.¡±


    ¡°What''s going to make me happy?¡± Annie asked, curious.


    ¡°They can keep them until they finish processing the charges, which are significantly worse because of the amount of damage they did.¡± Sharon said and handed Officer Hallman''s card back to her. ¡°I''ll finish recording the outside and I''ll run back to the office and get your claim processed as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sharon.¡± Annie said, gratefully.


    ¡°I''m sure I''ll have preliminary approval within half an hour and full approval by tonight.¡± Sharon said and gave her the front door key back. ¡°I''ll have the approved living expenses deposited into your account at the bank as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Kelly said, before Annie said that she didn''t need it. ¡°Here''s my cell phone number. I''ll be with Annie, so just call me when you hear anything.¡±


    Sharon added the number to her phone, then she did a walk around the property. She recorded the boarded up windows, the toilet paper, the egg splatters, and the compost impacts on the walls of the house. She gave Annie and Kelly a wave, climbed into her nice car and drove away.


    Kelly held her breath and walked over to the front door, locked and closed it, and went back over to Annie. ¡°We should go.¡±


    ¡°We should call first.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°I don''t want to ruin the surprise.¡± Kelly said with a grin.


    ¡°Kelly...¡± Annie started to say.


    ¡°You know they are expecting me, so it''s okay.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Actually, I''m probably really late and they might even be worried.¡±


    Annie gave her a concerned look and Kelly laughed.


    ¡°At least they haven''t popped over to check, right?¡±


    Annie let out a sigh. ¡°Just... get in the car.¡±


    Kelly took Annie''s hand for a moment. ¡°Don''t worry, okay? You''ve met my mom... my real mom... when we were prepping for graduation and prom. She will want to help you as much as she can.¡±


    Annie nodded and the two of them climbed into the front seat of the car and Annie drove over to Kelly''s house. She was looking forward to meeting Katheryn again and dreading it at the same time. They pulled into the long driveway and Annie parked off to the side to let the other two cars get by, then she followed Kelly to the front door. Kelly gave her a huge grin and rang the doorbell.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Annie whispered just before the door opened and Kelly''s mother stood there.


    ¡°Kelly!¡± Katheryn exclaimed. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Visiting my folks!¡± Kelly said and gave her mom a hug. ¡°Hi, mom! Can we come in?¡±


    ¡°You''re just as funny as your father.¡± Katheryn said with a frown. ¡°Get your butt in here.¡±


    Kelly laughed and stepped inside with Annie right behind her.


    ¡°Hi, Annie.¡± Kathryn said. ¡°How are you?¡±


    Annie opened her mouth to speak and Kelly touched her arm.


    ¡°Mom, that''s a conversation best left for after we come in to sit down.¡± Kelly said. ¡°It''s also close to lunchtime. Maybe we can get something to eat and drink?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Kathryn said in understanding and shut the front door. ¡°Let''s go to the kitchen and I''ll whip something up.¡±


    ¡°Is dad home?¡± Kelly asked as they walked through the house.


    ¡°No, he''s off playing golf today.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Kelly looked at her mother like she was crazy. ¡°Dad doesn''t play golf!¡±


    Katheryn chuckled. ¡°When the boss invites you out to hit a few balls on the green, even on your day off, you can''t say no.¡±


    ¡°That''s the god''s honest truth.¡± Annie said. ¡°You don''t bite the hand that feeds you.¡±


    ¡°You can''t even nibble at it!¡± Kathryn said with a laugh and had Annie and Kelly sit at the table while she prepared something quick and simple for lunch, which was a salad with some fruit chunks mixed in for flavor and a sweet dressing. ¡°Can you tell me why asking how Annie is doing, caused my daughter to be all serious?¡±


    Annie and Kelly exchanged looks, then Annie sighed. ¡°All right. It''s like this...¡± She started and then told Katheryn all about what happened when she came home last night after she and Kelly had spent the weekend with Arnold.

 68 Lab And Lunch

    Arnold stood off to the side of the professor''s desk and out of the way. If he had bothered to notice, he and the professor were the only men in the room that was full of young, and in some cases very beautiful, women. There were forty-three of them, including Amy and the six lab workers performing the specimen dissections. They were all dressed in every combination of outfits that a woman could ever wear. Jeans, pants, blouses, tank tops, t-shirts, skirts, shorts, frilly tops, dresses, and anything else you could think of.


    Their hair colors and styles were also just as varied, as if they had coordinated it, because no two colors or styles were identical. They were also very loud and talked constantly about what they were observing and they would throw in a random question about what they did that weekend. Their conversations were erratic and difficult for non-participants to follow, even if Arnold had tried to follow them. He didn''t.


    ¡°It''s a wonderful sight, isn''t it?¡± Professor Hamil Crenslav whispered. ¡°Only lucky men like us can ever see such a sight.¡±


    Arnold nodded, because he had never seen six specimens being worked on at once. He didn''t realize that the professor meant all the good-looking women in the class. The professor wasn''t lecherous or lusted after his students, since that would be wholly improper. He was still a man though, so he couldn''t deny enjoying the sight of them.


    ¡°I will make an unobtrusive lap around the lab to observe and then I will start my specimen.¡± Hamil said and left the desk and Arnold watched as he expertly manoeuvred around the workstations and the groups of young women around them. He answered questions when he was occasionally noticed and then moved on.


    Amy saw the professor make his token tour of the dissections and knew it was time to start her specimen as well. She excused herself from Cissily''s side after praising her, then moved over to her workstation and waited until the professor was done and he went back to his desk. They both started their work at the same time and they were both lost to it.


    Amy really was quite good and she did have quite proficient skills. She couldn''t hold a candle to the professor''s efficiency, however. He didn''t waste any movements or energy as he worked and Arnold stared at him as he replayed his own learned techniques and mentally adjusted them to fit the professor''s more efficient and deft motions.


    They were in their own little world as they dissected their specimens and completed the task well before the lab workers did. The professor had his reassembled and prepared for viewing almost ten minutes before Amy finished hers. She didn''t feel daunted in the least, since the professor had two decades of practical experience over her and she had only been his assistant for a year.


    Twenty minutes later, each lab worker finished their specimens and reassembled them. All of the young women in the room let out a collective sigh and stepped back from the tables.


    ¡°Whew! What an ordeal!¡± One of them said. ¡°My legs are killing me from standing up so long.¡±


    Her friend laughed. ¡°You can walk around the campus all day and standing still bothers you! Ha!¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up. It''s not the same.¡± She responded and the two of them laughed, as did a few others.


    ¡°You all did very well and I applaud your diligence in staying for the entire procedure.¡± Professor Crenslav said. ¡°A special thanks to the lab workers as well. You all handled the pressure quite well.¡±


    ¡°I''m just glad it''s fucking over!¡± Cissily said and everyone laughed, even the professor.


    ¡°Succinctly put, Miss Thomas.¡± Hamil said and attempted to give some eye contact to everyone. ¡°Thank you all for being here. You may leave everything where it is and I''ll see you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°No clean-up?¡± One of the very pretty women asked and walked over to the professor. ¡°Are you feeling okay, sir?¡±


    Hamil chuckled. ¡°I''m in a particularly good mood, so you best take advantage of it, Miss White.¡± He said. ¡°Unless you would like to stay and help my assistants...¡±


    ¡°Is that my mother calling? Sorry, professor! I need to go!¡± Miss White said with a laugh, briefly touched the arm of his suit coat tenderly, then she left the lab.


    Of course, once one left, that started the torrent of exiting women and their loud conversations started again. Most of them said goodbye to the professor as they passed and the six lab workers stood by the work stations and started to clean up.


    Professor Hamil Crenslav waved at them. ¡°You can leave as well.¡± He said. ¡°Go eat and prepare for your normal afternoon classes.¡±


    ¡°You''re the best, you arrogant little prick!¡± Cissily exclaimed loudly.


    ¡°CISSILY!¡± Amy yelled.


    Hamil laughed. ¡°It''s all right, Miss Hollister. I know she''s using it as a term of endearment.¡±


    ¡°I told you.¡± Cissily said to Amy and walked over to the professor. ¡°You know I''d kiss your cheek if you would let me.¡±


    ¡°You only like me because I don''t hold your incorrigible and blasphemous language choices against you.¡± Hamil said.


    Cissily laughed and tugged on his suit coat lapels. ¡°Damn right.¡± She said, leaned to the side slightly and made a kissing noise with her lips, then she left the lab and her hips swayed happily.


    ¡°Okay, that just happened.¡± Dianne said and the other four lab workers let out laughs. ¡°I''ll take you up on the offer, too.¡± She said and walked by Hamil. ¡°Thank you, professor.¡±


    ¡°You''re quite welcome, Miss Harris.¡± Hamil said and the others left as well. When it was just him, Amy, and Arnold, he spoke. ¡°Amy, assist me in securing the specimens properly and storing them, now that everyone is out of the way and won''t impede us.¡± He looked at Arnold. ¡°If you could clean up the tools and clear the work stations while we do that, we should be done fairly quickly.¡±


    Arnold nodded and stepped to the professor''s desk and took out the clipboard and the handwritten inventory list, then went to the back of the lab to start the cleanup. Amy had a slight look of surprise and turned her head to look at the professor. She saw his smile and slight nod, and she understood that Arnold really was a better choice to take care of all the little details that would normally slow them down.


    Amy helped the professor and properly stored the specimens for future use by the students and just as the professor had predicted, by the time they were done, Arnold had everything cleaned, graded, and put away. She was a bit surprised at how quickly he had done it, considering it had taken him an hour to set up six work stations and he just disassembled them and put everything back where it was supposed to go in less than half the time.


    Arnold had also disassembled her workstation and the professor''s and he came back into the lab with the clipboard. Without being asked, he sat down at the professor''s desk and took out the laptop and brought up the inventory spreadsheet, added the new notations for the recently used equipment, then saved it and put the laptop and the clipboard away.


    ¡°Excellent work, Arnold.¡± Hamil said and looked around the now clean lab. ¡°You can leave for lunch and by the looks of it, you won''t need to come back after to finish cleaning up.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything else I can do, professor?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°We won''t have to set up normal lab protocols for the students until the morning, so as long as you''re here on time tomorrow, you can have the rest of the day off.¡±


    Arnold nodded and left the lab.


    ¡°Sir, you should have let him prepare the displays for tomorrow.¡± Amy said.


    ¡°He did well today, and he didn''t get in the way with all those people in here.¡± Hamil said. ¡°He deserved some time off for that.¡±


    ¡°Sir, Arnold likes to work. If he has something to do, he''ll do it until it''s finished.¡±


    Hamil gave her a skeptical look.


    ¡°I''ll prove it after lunch, if you let me counter your order for time off.¡± Amy said. ¡°I''ll say that you forgot that you still needed his help.¡±


    ¡°Because I did.¡± Hamil chuckled and she nodded. ¡°All right. I''ll stay around to see your proof and I''ll also see how he reacts to you ordering him around.¡±


    Amy nodded and left the lab to grab something to eat from the cafeteria. She hoped that Cissily''s observations about Arnold were right and that she didn''t just hurt her reputation with the professor.


    *


    Arnold went to the cafeteria to get something to eat. He still wore his suit, so he stood out like a sore thumb among all of the men and women dressed casually. He ignored that and grabbed a tray, then stood in line and waited for it to move along.


    ¡°What can I get for you, sweetie?¡± The slightly overweight woman behind the long counter asked him.


    Arnold asked for a couple of the things he recognized, which were two large breaded chicken breast pieces on a plate and french fries on another.


    ¡°Gravy?¡± She asked and he shook his head. ¡°Anything for dessert, hon?¡±


    Arnold didn''t usually have dessert; but, he looked around and saw a lot of red jiggly things on a lot of trays around the large cafeteria. Since he didn''t want to stand out too much, he pointed to a small bowl behind the counter.


    ¡°The red gelatin.¡± Arnold said and she handed it to him.


    ¡°Anything else?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Soda.¡±


    ¡°There''s a dispenser at the end by the register. Just tell them you''re getting a drink, too.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and moved down the counter and waited in line for the register. ¡°Soda, too.¡± He said to the young woman that sat on the stool there. She rang up his purchases and handed him a plastic cup.


    ¡°It''s self-serve.¡± She said and he looked at the dispenser. She let out a sigh and took his cup. ¡°What flavor do you want?¡±


    ¡°Root Beer.¡± Arnold said and she pushed the cup under the dispenser and it gushed water and syrup out in equal measure.


    She stopped with the cup nearly full. ¡°Do you want ice in it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and she popped the dispenser a little more to fill the cup completely, grabbed a top and popped it on and put it on the tray.


    ¡°I don''t usually do this for people, you know.¡± She said and sat back down, then took Arnold''s money and gave him change. ¡°I guess you didn''t want to get your nice suit dirty in case it splashed on you.¡±


    ¡°I''ve never used a soda dispenser before.¡± Arnold said and walked away and didn''t see her as she looked at him with her mouth slightly open.


    ¡°ARNOLD! You handsome DEVIL!¡± Cissily said and stood up and waved. ¡°Over here!¡±


    That got everyone''s attention even more than having someone close to six feet tall wearing a suit did. Arnold walked over to where Cissily was and more than a few people asked who the guy in the suit was.


    ¡°I can''t believe they let you out of the lab without cleaning it up first.¡± A redheaded woman said from across the table as Arnold sat down beside Cissily.


    ¡°It''s cleaned up and the specimens are stored, too.¡± Arnold said and started to eat.


    ¡°No fucking way!¡± Cissily exclaimed. ¡°How did you guys do that?¡±


    ¡°Efficiently.¡± Arnold said and the other girls at the table laughed.


    ¡°So, Professor Crenslav really did hire another assistant.¡± A woman dressed in a business suit said as she walked over to the table. Her long black hair was pulled back from her face and tied up in a tight ponytail.


    Cissily started to sigh and caught herself. ¡°Hello, Ms. Power.¡±


    ¡°You should call me professor.¡± Ms. Power said.


    ¡°I''m not in your department.¡± Cissily responded and the woman smiled.


    ¡°I''m surprised you''re even talking to this man, considering he took your job.¡± Ms. Power said to Cissily with a crooked smile. ¡°Fareena is your best friend and you should be her assistant.¡±


    ¡°You''re not going to make me angry about this.¡± Cissily said. ¡°Arnold is much better at the job than I would be.¡±


    ¡°Oh? That''s surprising.¡± Ms. Power said. ¡°You never admit your faults.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t say I was bad at it. I said he was better. There''s a difference.¡± Cissily said.


    ¡°If you say so.¡± Ms. Power said and held a hand out to Arnold. ¡°I''m Professor Felicia Power, head of the Chemistry Department. It''s nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Arnold asked and kept eating.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°People have said that to me a few times.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Why is it nice to meet me?¡±


    Everyone at the table fell silent. Ms. Power couldn''t think of a good response to that, since it was a throwaway line that people said automatically when greeting each other. Her hand slowly lowered back to her side as her mind dithered over the problem Arnold just gave her. She looked around at the other people at the table and saw various states of surprise on their faces.


    Ms. Power took a breath, opened her mouth as if to speak and realized it was too late to recover after pausing for so long, so she turned around and walked away.

 69 Stuff Happens

    ¡°Arnold, that was fucking AWESOME!¡± Cissily yelled, leaned in, and planted a kiss on his cheek. ¡°I can never get that bitch to shut up, no matter what I say!¡±


    ¡°I can''t kiss anyone except Kelly.¡± Arnold reminded her and she laughed.


    ¡°It''s all right, you ignorant fuck. I was the one doing the kissing and I only kissed your cheek.¡± Cissily said and gave him another kiss on the cheek, then she wiped at her lipstick prints with her thumb and smudged them. ¡°Dammit! Just a sec.¡± She grabbed a napkin and wiped at his face properly. ¡°Hell, I''ll tell your girlfriend I did it and why! Ha ha!¡±


    ¡°Cissily, what the hell are are doing?¡± Amy asked as she came over with a food tray. ¡°Stop pawing at Arnold.¡±


    Cissily laughed. ¡°I was just removing the evidence.¡± She said. ¡°I kissed his cheek for driving off Professor Cunt.¡±


    Amy took in a sharp breath and then she laughed. ¡°Okay, I think that does deserve a kiss on the cheek.¡±


    ¡°Fucking right it does.¡± Cissily said. ¡°She prances around here like she owns the place and no one ever calls her on her bullshit. Until now.¡± She pat Arnold''s hand. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Arnold shrugged a little and started eating again. Amy sat down across from him and started eating herself. Conversation picked up around them, now that the spectacle was over, and everyone went back to eating. After a few minutes, Amy spoke.


    ¡°I talked to Professor Crenslav and he actually is going to need your help this afternoon. I had to remind him about all of the small specimens he has to prepare for tomorrow.¡± Amy said. ¡°I have classes, so if you could go back to the lab after lunch, that would be great.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and kept eating.


    That went easier than I thought it would. Amy thought. I assumed I would have to argue a little about him losing the afternoon off and all he did was agree. She smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Arnold jerked a little as if to lean across the table, then stopped. ¡°I can''t kiss anyone but Kelly.¡±


    Everyone else at the table gave him an odd look and Cissily laughed.


    ¡°Aww! You poor slut! You can''t get another kiss from the kissing bandit! Ha ha!¡± Cissily said.


    ¡°Fuck off, you whore.¡± Amy retorted. They stared at each other for a second, then they both laughed.


    Lunch ended and Amy, Cissily, and the other girls went to their normal classes while Arnold went back to the lab.


    ¡°Ah, I see the industrious Amy convinced you to come back, even though I gave you the afternoon off.¡± Professor Hamil Crenslav said. ¡°Good, good. I really do need your help.¡±


    Arnold watched as Hamil took out the lesson plan for the next day. It was regular classes all morning and there would be three classes of thirty six students, each class being an hour with ten minutes between them, which used up the entire morning.


    ¡°I''ve got to have a hundred and eight student ready specimens for dissection, and six display models already fully prepped.¡± Hamil said.


    ¡°How much do we do on the student versions?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°We''re only doing the initial cuts and opening them up to give the students easier access.¡± Hamil said. ¡°I remember last term where one of them tried to cut open the underbelly of a specimen with one of the spreaders.¡±


    Arnold gave him raised eyebrows and Hamil laughed.


    ¡°Yes, exactly.¡± Hamil said. ¡°It''s the price we must pay for students only taking the biology class as a prerequisite and not as a career.¡± He said. ¡°We need to have the specimens started and tacked back in place for easy access.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Arnold said and followed the professor out of the lab and down the stairs to the basement and into the Ice Box. They retrieved the right number of specimens and brought them back up to the lab and got to work.


    Hamil didn''t comment about it; but, he was impressed that Amy was correct and had given him the proof he wanted. Arnold worked without pause or complaint and they did all one hundred and eight student specimens and then did six full dissections for the lab workers to use as display models.


    I must thank her for showing me Arnold''s outstanding work ethic. Hamil thought as Arnold helped him store everything for the morning.


    *


    It had taken quite some time for Heather to convince the two police officers that she had nothing to do with any crime that had happened the night before. With the cell phone texts and the GPS proof that an app on her phone showed them where her phone was, they had to accept that she wasn''t physically involved. Since she was with Eric at the time as well, their lead that he had been involved was also dead in the water.


    ¡°Miss Bradshaw, thank you for clearing this up for us.¡± Officer Hallman said and reached for the door handle when his cell phone rang. ¡°Hello? Yes. All right. Uh huh. Of course. Thank you as well. Goodbye.¡± He put his phone away and looked at Heather. ¡°I just have one more question.¡±


    Heather didn''t quite stop her sigh from escaping.


    ¡°Do you know of any other crimes that Mr. Willowby and his friends have been up to?¡±


    Heather opened her mouth to respond with ''no'' and saw the glare that her mother gave her. ¡°Not really.¡±


    Both officers perked up at that statement.


    ¡°The night of the prom, Brad and his friends might have spray painted the bridge.¡± Heather said.


    ¡°Oh, god.¡± Claire said and covered her face with a hand. ¡°Heather, you... why...¡±


    ¡°I wasn''t there!¡± Heather exclaimed. ¡°I only know about it because Eric told me where Brad went after we had... after Brad left me alone in his car.¡±


    Claire successfully ignored Heather''s public sex implication. ¡°Heather, the bridge is federal property.¡±


    ¡°Check my GPS and you''ll see I was only in the school parking lot and then Eric drove me home.¡± Heather said. ¡°Neither of us went near the bridge that night.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter. You didn''t report knowledge of a crime, either before or after.¡± Claire said, sadly.


    ¡°It can also be classed as a felony.¡± Officer Hallman said and both Claire and Heather caught their breath. ¡°Defacing government property is a serious crime. If the prosecutor is in a good mood when this hits his desk, they might only get an infraction added to their charges.¡±


    ¡°Oh, god.¡± Claire said and had to sit down. ¡°God!¡±


    ¡°I wasn''t involved!¡± Heather said and sat next to her mother. ¡°I don''t even know if they actually did it or what they did!¡±


    ¡°I think we need to take a little trip down to the station.¡± Officer Hallman said.


    ¡°We''ll need to pick up the boyfriend as well.¡± His partner added. ¡°At the very least, he was still a part of their group at the time and knew what they were doing.¡±


    ¡°Do we need a lawyer?¡± Claire asked and hoped beyond hope that they didn''t.


    ¡°Your daughter has been cooperating, so we are only confirming her placing Mr. Willowby at the scenes of both crimes.¡± Officer Hallman said, then he thought about it. ¡°Unless there''s anything else you want to tell us about him and what he''s been doing lately?¡±


    Heather didn''t hesitate this time and pointed to her cell phone. He handed it to her and she brought up the posted video that had been shared all over social media and the gaming websites. She handed it back and he played it.


    ¡°Jesus, it has over a hundred thousand views already.¡± His partner said and the two of them watched it. ¡°All right, I think I just saw enough motivation for what happened at the Strickland residence.¡±


    ¡°What... what did you say? What happened at Annie''s house?¡± Claire asked, real concern in her voice.


    ¡°We shouldn''t discuss it until we head down to the station.¡± Officer Hallman said.


    ¡°I should call a lawyer.¡± Claire said and stood.


    ¡°That is your right... if you''re sure your daughter is guilty and needs one... even though she hasn''t been charged with anything yet.¡± Officer Hallman''s partner said.


    Claire winced at the ''yet''. ¡°Please, don''t recommend that she be charged.¡± She said. ¡°She''s cooperating and she let you know who defaced the bridge.¡±


    Officer Hallman gave his partner a look and they both shrugged slightly. ¡°All right. I give my word that we will point out she''s helping with the investigation and shouldn''t be charged.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Claire said, relieved. ¡°Heather, let''s go.¡±


    The two officers led the two women out of the house and after Claire promised to stay right behind them, let Heather ride in her mother''s car and not the squad car. As Officer Hallman drove to the station, his partner called in a request to pick up Eric.


    They arrived at the station and Heather and Claire were led into the squad room. Claire had been there years ago and she wasn''t surprised that it hadn''t changed at all. It had been a traumatic time for her and she remembered what it looked like.


    ¡°Right this way.¡± Officer Hallman said and led her and her daughter into a small office and had them sit down to wait. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡±


    Claire nodded and he left them alone. ¡°This is some great mess you''ve gotten into.¡±


    ¡°Mom, I told you I wasn''t involved.¡± Heather said.


    ¡°Just knowing about it has involved you.¡± Claire said. ¡°I just hope that officer keeps his word.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Heather looked at her mother. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°He could change his mind, especially if Eric doesn''t cooperate or confirms your story.¡±


    Heather took in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°He''s a good guy. He''ll tell them everything.¡±


    ¡°He better.¡± Claire said and took out her cell phone.


    ¡°Who are you calling?¡± Heather asked.


    ¡°Annie.¡± Claire said and dialed. There was no answer and she tried again. ¡°I hope she''s okay.¡±


    ¡°They wouldn''t do anything to Arnold''s mother.¡± Heather said, sure of that.


    ¡°You don''t know much about angry men in a mob, do you?¡± Claire asked.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Heather asked.


    ¡°They are stupid and make rash decisions. If she was home when they went over to get Arnold...¡±


    ¡°No, they wouldn''t. Just seeing Arnold''s mom would stop them from doing anything.¡± Heather said. ¡°She''s... I can''t describe it.¡±


    Claire had to agree. There was something about her that made you think that you didn''t want to mess with her. She just hoped Brad was smart enough to see that and left her alone.


    ¡°Kelly!¡± Heather said loudly. ¡°We can''t call Arnold or his mother; but, we can call Kelly! She should know what happened!¡±


    Claire nodded and brought up Kelly''s contact info and hit her name.


    *


    ¡°Are you two enjoying yourselves?¡± Detective Tanner asked Officer Hallman and his partner as they listened to the mother and daughter talking.


    ¡°We''re getting confirmation that she really didn''t have anything to do with it, and we just learned they know someone else that might be involved.¡± Officer Hallman said. ¡°I doubt she''ll have any foreknowledge of the crimes committed if she was with Ms. Strickland''s son the whole time.¡±


    ¡°Get an eyeful of this.¡± His partner said and played the video for her.


    Detective Tanner laughed. ¡°There''s clear revenge right there. That''s just embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°Plus, now we don''t have to tell them what happened.¡± Officer Hallman said. ¡°They are finding out the seriousness on their own and we can use that to pressure the others.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Do you think they know more than their saying?¡± Detective Tanner asked.


    ¡°No. After some subversive prompting from her mother, she told us what she knew.¡± Officer Hallman said. ¡°She''s protesting pretty loudly that she only knew some things and wasn''t physically involved.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you know this is working pretty well.¡± His partner said.


    ¡°Are you thinking we could put them all in the same room?¡± Officer Hallman asked.


    ¡°At least this Eric kid and his old group first, then we can see if anything comes up.¡± His partner said. ¡°If nothing happens, we can toss in the ex-girlfriend and see who blows up first.¡±


    Officer Hallman smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Let''s get it set up for the conference room.¡±


    ¡°Do you need an assist?¡± Detective Tanner asked.


    ¡°You''re not trying to horn in on our case, are you?¡± Officer Hallman chuckled.


    ¡°I''ve met this kid.¡± Detective Tanner said and pointed to the video. ¡°I''d like to know how it got to this point.¡±


    ¡°Now that''s a good line of questions for the ex-girlfriend.¡± Officer Hallman said. ¡°Go ahead and talk to the Bradshaws while we get the conference room ready.¡±


    Detective Tanner nodded and went into the small dummy office to get the history of the conflict.


    *


    ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Claire exclaimed as Kelly told her what happened. ¡°How''s Annie? Is she okay?¡± She paused. ¡°She wasn''t there when it happened? Thank god.¡± She said. ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± She waited a moment. ¡°Tell her that Heather is helping to stick it to Brad. Yes, really. We''re at the police station right now.¡±


    Heather sat anxiously beside her mother and waited. She''s making this out to put me in a good light!


    ¡°We even told them that Brad and his friends spray painted the bridge.¡± Claire said and smiled. ¡°Oh, yes. This isn''t just personal vandalism anymore and it''s not going to go away.¡± She paused and nodded. ¡°Yes, send me what you have.¡± She said and her phone beeped at her. ¡°Thank you, Kelly. Thank you very much. All right. Bye.¡±


    ¡°Let me see!¡± Heather said and leaned over the cell phone and then she gasped. ¡°Oh, my god!¡±


    ¡°That''s horrible.¡± Claire said, her voice full of sadness as they watched the video. ¡°They just paid it off and now it looks like that.¡±


    ¡°Mom, I had no idea... that''s just...¡± Heather''s eyes teared up. ¡°I''m so glad they weren''t home!¡±


    ¡°Me, too.¡± Claire said. ¡°Me, too.¡±


    The door to the office opened and a woman wearing a black A-line skirt and a green blouse strode in.


    ¡°Hi, there. I''m Detective Tanner.¡±


    ¡°Detective?¡± Claire asked, a little surprised.


    Detective Tanner let out a short laugh. ¡°You can relax. I''m just assisting by getting some background information from you while the officers are busy.¡± She said and sat down. ¡°First off, how do you know Arnold Strickland?¡±


    ¡°We met at school.¡± Heather said. ¡°He didn''t notice me at all at first, at least I thought he didn''t, then he said that he did notice me because his mother told him not to ignore important things...¡±


    Both Detective Tanner and Claire were impressed at the great pickup line, then they listened to everything that Heather had to say about their relationship and everything that happened between them, Brad, and his friends.


    *


    Brad and his friends were led from the holding cell and into a large conference room and told to wait there. To their surprise, they were left alone. A couple of them started to talk and Kevin hushed them. They all sat down in random chairs and waited for a few minutes, then the door to the room opened and Eric came in.


    ¡°You!¡± Brad shot to his feet. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Guilt by association.¡± Eric spat, sighed, then walked over to the table and sat down. ¡°I''m not even going to ask what you idiots did last night, because I honestly don''t want to know.¡±


    ¡°You missed a great time, man!¡± One of the guys said.


    ¡°Shut it!¡± Kevin said.


    ¡°It was such a great time that we''re all in jail because of it and I wasn''t even there.¡± Eric said. ¡°That sure is great. Thanks a lot.¡±


    ¡°Hey, man. You saw that video. We couldn''t let that go!¡± One of the other guys said.


    ¡°Shut UP!¡± Keven yelled.


    ¡°Geez, man. Relax.¡± The guy said. ¡°What''s vandalism anyway? A petty crime?¡± He laughed. ¡°My dad will have me out by tonight.¡±


    ¡°What about the rest of us?¡± One of them asked. ¡°Do we have to take the fall for you guys?¡±


    ¡°What else do I have to say!¡± Kevin said loudly. ¡°Shut your damn faces! If we all stay quiet, they got nothing! Nothing!¡±


    ¡°Only witnesses, video, catching you red-handed while committing the crime, and a previous history of committing crimes.¡± Eric said with a laugh. ¡°Yeah, they got nothing on you at all.¡±


    The other guys, including Brad, had slightly worried faces.


    ¡°It was just toilet paper and eggs.¡± Kevin said. ¡°A kid''s prank.¡±


    ¡°You forgot breaking the windows and throwing shit inside.¡± One of the guys said with a grin. ¡°God, that was fun.¡±


    ¡°What are you, twelve?¡± Eric asked, unknowingly echoing Kelly''s sentiment, then he let his anger out and stood to glare at them all. ¡°It''s a FUCKING CRIME to BREAK AND ENTER someone''s HOUSE you STUPID FUCKS!¡±


    ¡°Calm down! We didn''t enter the place!¡± Kevin said.


    ¡°God, I beg you! Kill me now!¡± Eric said and sat down again and put his head in his hands.


    ¡°Look, we''ll get out of this. I promise.¡± Brad said. ¡°This isn''t even as bad as that time we...¡±


    *


    ¡°I swear this is comedy gold. We need to get an award for this.¡± Officer Hallman said and his partner laughed as they listened to the suspects berate each other over all the stupid stuff they did.

 70 Meet The Neighbours

    ¡°You are staying in the spare room and that''s that.¡± Kathryn said adamantly. ¡°Go out to the car and get your suitcases and come right back in here.¡±


    ¡°Katheryn, I can''t impose on you like this.¡± Annie tried to say again.


    ¡°You would be imposing if you didn''t stay here when I''m telling you to.¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t make sense.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°Neither does refusing.¡± Katheryn said with a smile and Annie sighed. ¡°Kelly, make sure she doesn''t run off or something between here and the driveway.¡±


    Kelly laughed. ¡°I''ll do my best.¡±


    They went out to the car and retrieved the two suitcases and came back to the house.


    ¡°MOM! We made it back!¡± Kelly exclaimed to make her mother laugh.


    ¡°Let''s get you settled in.¡± Katheryn said and led Annie to the spare room. They quickly unpacked her things and put them away. ¡°How did you get so much into such a small suitcase?¡±


    ¡°I just dumped it in and didn''t pack it.¡± Annie said.


    Katheryn gave her a disbelieving look, then chuckled. ¡°I have to remember that.¡±


    ¡°I was not staying in there with that smell any longer than I had to.¡± Annie said. ¡°It was awful.¡±


    ¡°I hope you know that the insurance company gave you a very low estimate.¡± Katheryn said. ¡°I bet she only included material costs and not labour.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she did that to get the approval pushed through?¡± Kelly asked. ¡°If they think it''s only going to be low, then when it get approved, it won''t matter if it costs more.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Katheryn said. ¡°I guess we''ll find out tonight.¡±


    ¡°Katheryn, thank you for letting me stay here.¡± Annie said. ¡°I just have one question.¡±


    ¡°What''s that?¡±


    ¡°What is your husband going to say about it?¡±


    ¡°He doesn''t have a choice, dear.¡± Katheryn said with a chuckle. ¡°You can just hang a bra on the door handle and he''ll avoid this room like the plague.¡±


    Annie snorted and then laughed. In the back of her mind, she remembered what Dianne said about being comfortable enough around someone to laugh hard and without restraint.


    ¡°Do you want to help me prepare a nice supper for him? He''s going to be hungry from sweating under his boss all day.¡±


    Annie opened her mouth to comment on how bad that sounded and looked at Kelly, whose mouth was also open to speak to also comment on it, then they both laughed.


    ¡°I''d be delighted to help.¡± Annie said.


    The three of them went to the kitchen to make a good meal for the man of the house, who was now outnumbered again, and they needed to at least try to make him think that was a good thing.


    *


    Arnold left the lab when the work day was over and went to the cafeteria to get something to eat for supper. The place was only half as crowded as it was at lunchtime and he was at the counter quickly.


    ¡°Hi, hon.¡± The overweight woman behind the counter said in recognition. ¡°Want the same as today?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said and she gave him the two chicken breast pieces and a plate of fries and one of the last jello bowls. He walked over to the cash register and the same girl was there.


    ¡°Pop, too?¡± She asked and he nodded, so she got him a root beer with no ice and put the top on the plastic cup and put it on his tray. ¡°I think its amazing that you haven''t used a dispenser before.¡± She said and took his money and gave him change. ¡°I guess you don''t eat out a lot.¡±


    Arnold shook his head no.


    ¡°Are you seeing anyone?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I have a girlfriend.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°That figures. I get the courage to talk to you and you''re taken.¡± She said with a laugh. ¡°Well, if you get bored or anything, give me a call.¡± She said and put a piece of paper with her name and number on it onto his tray. ¡°We can hang out or something.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and put the paper in his pocket as he walked over to the same table he had used at lunch. No one was there, so he sat down and ate his meal, then brought the dishes back up to the counter and put the tray on the stack of dirty ones.


    ¡°You know, you''re the only one that brings them back.¡± The slightly overweight woman behind the counter said. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡±


    Arnold nodded to her and left to go back to his dorm room. He walked across the campus and it was sparsely populated, just like in the morning, and he entered the dorm building. Doris didn''t wait for him to approach the desk and she came around it and pulled him down into a hug. Arnold hugged her back and Doris took several breaths and let his face be warmed up by her breasts. She knew she was teasing the boy a little with how forceful she was with her hugs, and she was pretty sure he didn''t mind it at all.


    Doris let him go and looked into his eyes and confirmed her guess. ¡°Thank you, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold jerked slightly, then remembered what Cissily did at lunch and he bent over slightly and turned his head. ¡°I can''t kiss you; but, you can kiss my cheek.¡±


    Doris let out a laugh and held his head steady as she gave Arnold a big kiss on his cheek. ¡°There! One kiss, firmly planted! You better hope nothing grows from it!¡±


    A few of the girls in the lobby of the building let out laughs from that.


    ¡°Now get upstairs and call your girlfriend. She''s waiting to hear from you.¡± Doris said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and went to the elevator.


    ¡°Wow, you really live here.¡± A young woman said and stepped next to him. ¡°Doris said you have a girlfriend.¡± She said and Arnold didn''t say anything. The elevator opened and he stepped in, so she stepped in and one of her friends did as well. ¡°Are you happy together?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°That''s too bad... I mean, for me. I wouldn''t mind spending some quality time with you.¡±


    Arnold didn''t say anything and she sighed. The elevator reached the top floor and Arnold stepped out into a similar scene that he had seen that morning, only this time in reverse, instead of various states of getting dressed, they were in various states of getting undressed. Some of them reacted the same way at having a man seeing them half-dressed and others had almost immediately become used to having him there.


    ¡°You should at least cover your eyes or something.¡± A brunette said from her doorway as Arnold passed her and approached his dorm room.


    ¡°Why?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Why?¡± She asked, a little incredulous, and waved at the hallway. ¡°Look at all the half-naked women you just walked by!¡±


    Arnold turned around and looked at them, then he used the technique the professor had shown him about making eye contact with each of them briefly. Nearly all of them reacted to his stare in some way. Some favorably, some not, and most accepted the scrutiny because they were there and knew others would see them, especially with their bodies on display like they were.


    ¡°Aren''t you embarrassed at seeing them all like this?¡± She asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. ¡°They are all very pretty.¡±


    A few gasps were heard, a few sharp breaths, conversations paused, a few shifted where they stood, and a couple of them even ducked back into their rooms and out of sight from embarrassment.


    The brunette was surprised at his statement. ¡°It... it''s not fair that you get to see us like this.¡± She said as she tried to make him feel guilty about it.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and opened his dorm room door, then took off his suit coat and tossed it into the room on the chair by the kitchenette table. He unbuttoned the collar of his shirt and then the cuffs.


    ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± The brunette asked, a little unsure of the turn of events.


    ¡°Getting undressed.¡± Arnold said and unbuttoned the shirt. The girl watched his hands go all the way down to the bottom, then she caught her breath when he pulled open his shirt and took it off.


    ¡°Ooo, baby!¡± Someone down the hallway exclaimed. ¡°Take it off!¡±


    ¡°Oh, my god! I think he''s really doing it!¡± Another one said as Arnold tossed his shirt onto the chair. The brunette next door could only stand there and stare at him as he opened up his suit pants and pulled them off. Her mouth made that little ''o'' of surprise as Arnold tossed his pants into the room. Everyone that was there came out into the hallway, even the embarrassed ones, and stared in complete silence at Arnold as he stood there in just his underwear. A few of them had their cell phones out and were recording him, too.


    Arnold saw how a lot of them were standing, so he copied them and leaned partially against the wall with his hands behind his back, and stayed there.


    ¡°This place just got interesting.¡± A lone voice said into the silence, then a lot of the girls laughed.


    ¡°What... what are you... doing?¡± The brunette asked and couldn''t help looking at all of Arnold that was on display.


    ¡°Making things fair.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°But... you said you had a girlfriend.¡± She said. ¡°Won''t she be upset?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said, then stood up straight and walked into the dorm room.


    ¡°Aw, show''s over.¡± Someone said and then she almost choked when Arnold came right back out and leaned against the wall in the same spot, still in his underwear, and used his cell phone.


    ¡°Hi.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I''m standing in the hallway of the dorm in my underwear.¡± He paused. ¡°It''s only fair. There''s 14 women here in towels and underwear.¡± He waited for a moment. ¡°No.¡± He said. ¡°Yes, I''m talking to the girl next door. She''s wearing shorts and a bra. Okay.¡± He looked at the brunette. ¡°What''s your name?¡±


    ¡°Emily.¡± She responded and didn''t even consider lying about it.


    ¡°Her name''s Emily.¡± Arnold said and then fell silent.


    Emily was really surprised that he had literally called his girlfriend to prove that she was okay with what he was doing. Nearly everyone else in the hallway went back to their normal conversations and the ones recording him stopped. Apparently, the novelty of having a half naked man around wore off quickly for most of them.


    ¡°Okay. Send it to me.¡± Arnold said and his phone beeped at him. ¡°Yes, I''ll stay here no matter what I see.¡± He made three lip smacks into the phone. ¡°Goodbye.¡± He said and hung up.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Emily asked and stepped close as she let her curiosity overwhelm her aversion to getting closer to a half naked man she didn''t know.


    ¡°Brad and his friends vandalized my house to get at me.¡± Arnold said and played the video.


    ¡°Oh, no!¡± Emily exclaimed when she saw the state of the house and put a hand on his arm. ¡°I''m so sorry. That looked like it used to be a nice house.¡±


    ¡°We just paid it off with the insurance money from my father''s death.¡± Arnold said and played the video again.


    ¡°Your father just died?¡± Emily said loudly and that got a lot of people''s attention. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I took this job at the college to support the family.¡± Arnold said.


    Emily took several breaths and her hand slowly rubbed his muscular arm. ¡°Are... are you going home to deal with that?¡± She asked and motioned to the video. Her heart went out to him in his time of need.


    ¡°Kelly told me to stay here and keep working.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I suppose that''s the responsible thing to do.¡± Emily responded. ¡°I guess you have to wait until the weekend to go home.¡±


    Arnold nodded and turned off the phone.


    ¡°What''s your name?¡±


    ¡°Arnold.¡±


    Emily slid her hand down his arm and took his hand and shook it. ¡°Hi, Arnold. I''m your neighbour.¡± She said and let his hand go. ¡°If you need to talk or anything, just knock and let me know.¡±


    ¡°Offer him a cup of sugar!¡± A girl down the hallway nearly yelled.


    ¡°He has a girlfriend!¡± Emily said loudly as she turned to glare at her and the other girl laughed.


    ¡°What does she mean?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Usually a guy or a girl shows up at someone''s place and they ask for a cup of sugar. It''s just an excuse to come visit and they usually turn the visit into sex.¡± Emily explained before she realized she had said it to the half naked man right in front of her. Her face flushed red from embarrassment. ¡°Um. Yeah. Um. I... ah...¡±


    Arnold reached up and cupped the side of her face tenderly. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Emily''s face burned bright red. ¡°YES! I''M FINE!¡± She yelled and jumped back, then slammed her door shut.


    There was a whistle and a few claps of applause from one of the girls a few doors down. ¡°Way to go, Arnold!¡± She said and gave him a little wave.


    Arnold waved back and went into the dorm room. To her surprise, he didn''t shut the door. She got her roommate''s attention and the two of them watched him hang his suit up. When he walked towards the bathroom, they both held their breath. When he stepped inside and shut the bathroom door, they both groaned in disappointment.


    ¡°Maybe next time.¡± One of them said, then they both laughed.

 71 Clearing Things Up

    ¡°How long are they going to keep us here?¡± Heather asked her mother as she looked at the clock on the wall after the detective left. It was getting close to ten o''clock at night and they had missed supper.


    ¡°I''d guess until either you are thoroughly scared of what can happen to you for being associated with Brad and his friends, or until they decide you''ve suffered enough with the guilt.¡± Claire said. ¡°Believe me, if it''s the latter, you''re going to be suffering for a long time to come.¡±


    Heather thought about arguing with her mother about that, then she sighed and nodded. ¡°Mom, you know I''m sorry about what happened.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and like I said, you will be for a long time.¡± Claire said. ¡°How could you be so stupid?¡±


    ¡°I explained why I gave him the address.¡± Heather responded. ¡°What else am I supposed to say besides sorry? Is there anything else I can say?¡±


    ¡°Do you regret it?¡± Claire asked.


    ¡°Of course I do!¡± Heather said. ¡°I know the problems Arnold and his mom have gone through! Losing their house after all of that is horrible!¡±


    ¡°And it''s because of you.¡± Claire said in a normal tone, despite her need to accuse her daughter.


    ¡°No, mom. Brad would have gotten the address eventually anyway.¡± Heather said as if she heard the accusing tone. ¡°It''s not like it was a secret or anything.¡±


    ¡°Heather...¡±


    ¡°Mom, there''s nothing I could have done, even if by some twist of fate that I was still dating Brad and he tried to bring me along. It''s not like I could fight them to stop them!¡± Heather said a little excitedly, then she sat back in the chair and crossed her arms under her breasts. ¡°If you think for one second he would let me call you after I learned what he planned to do, you''ve got another thing coming.¡±


    Claire thought about countering her, then realized her daughter was right. They sat there in silence and waited to see how long they would have to sit there and wait.


    *


    ¡°I don''t think we''re going to need to toss the ex-girlfriend into the mix.¡± Officer Hallman said and waved at the huge transcript. ¡°Most of this stuff they did before Brad started dating her. The bridge happened just before they broke up and the Strickland house break in was afterwards.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± His partner said. ¡°I think we can also recommend Eric for leniency, since he''s been goading them along quite nicely for us.¡±


    Officer Hallman chuckled. ¡°Never piss off your friends by humiliating them. It always comes back to bite you in the ass.¡±


    His partner laughed. ¡°He took the girl too, so we know the guy''s got balls. You gotta give him that.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Officer Hallman said and nodded. ¡°The insurance agent came through with the proposal for the damages as well. Boy, oh boy, did she low-ball the first estimate to get it approved, then she hit the company with the real estimate.¡±


    His partner laughed again. ¡°She must like Ms. Strickland to get it pushed through in only one day.¡±


    ¡°No doubt.¡± Officer Hallman said. ¡°She''s quite the looker.¡±


    ¡°Ha.¡± His partner punched his arm. ¡°Someone else likes her, too.¡±


    ¡°You saw her.¡± Officer Hallman said. ¡°Two days without a shower, wearing old clothes, and upset about losing access to her house... and she still looked fantastic.¡±


    ¡°You''re just a sucker for a nice ass in a pair of jeans.¡± His partner joked.


    ¡°Hey, don''t knock the magic of denim.¡± Officer Hallman said and punched his shoulder. ¡°Come on. Let''s get these yahoos processed properly.¡± He said and they got the help of a few officers and went into the conference room to handcuff them all, then informed them of the charges being laid against them.


    ¡°Oh, shit.¡± The guy that claimed his father would have him out by tonight said. ¡°We''re fucked.¡±


    ¡°Great, just great.¡± Eric said and he was led away and brought to the separate holding cells they had. Once Eric was out of sight of the others, Officer Hallman put a hand on his shoulder and directed him somewhere else. He brought him all the way back over to the squad room and opened the door to a small office.


    ¡°ERIC!¡± Heather yelled and jumped up from her chair, then she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him several times.


    ¡°What''s going on?¡± Claire asked.


    ¡°Just a bit of role playing.¡± Officer Hallman said and took the cuffs off of Eric''s wrists.


    ¡°You''re not going to charge me?¡± Eric asked, completely surprised.


    ¡°We''re recommending leniency for you, since you weren''t actually involved in either felony charge. The rest are misdemeanours and were committed... mostly... while you were underage.¡±


    Heather didn''t let Eric go as she looked at the officer. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Your man did an excellent job wringing out all the details of the crimes committed by the others.¡± Officer Hallman said and Heather preened proudly and he handed her back her phone. ¡°We already copied all the data, so you can have this back.¡± He said. ¡°You''re both free to go.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Claire said as she stood up. ¡°I appreciate this. I really do.¡±


    ¡°Make sure to leave your contact information at the front desk.¡± Officer Hallman said and looked at Heather and Eric. ¡°You two better keep your noses clean.¡±


    ¡°We promise!¡± Heather said excitedly and kissed Eric again. ¡°Let''s get out of here before he changes his mind!¡± She let his neck go, took his hand, and led him out of the small office.


    ¡°Heather!¡± Claire said and then sighed. ¡°Goodbye, officer.¡±


    ¡°Ma''am.¡± Officer Hallman nodded to her and she walked quickly after her retreating daughter.


    *


    Kenneth was in a bit of a daze as he sat in his den and talked to his wife. He had come home after being thoroughly trounced at golf, which was probably why his boss had invited him along, and he discovered that his daughter had returned home... with a guest. It was the mother of her boyfriend and that wasn''t the worst part. She was a great looking blonde woman with a fantastic body and she would be staying with them for the foreseeable future.


    He wasn''t sure if his mind could handle it.


    It was bad enough when his daughter had started to blossom and grew to be more womanly practically every day. He really missed his little girl and he wasn''t sure how to properly handle the young woman she had become. He was grateful that she was modest and tried to keep herself covered up for the most part, and that protected his tender sensibilities.


    Now Kenneth was going to have a strange woman in his house, that he could potentially walk in on or see in a compromising position. She could also be in various states of dress and undress at any time. He wilted a little inside at the thought of embarrassing himself, his wife, and his daughter, if that ever happened.


    ¡°Are you sure that she doesn''t have any other family?¡± Kenneth asked as he tried again to find a reason to save himself from a ton of worry.


    ¡°No, and she''s already unpacked and settled in her room.¡± Katheryn said.


    ¡°Her room?¡± Kenneth asked with wide eyes.


    ¡°It''s hers for as long as she needs it and you are just going to have to accept it.¡± Katheryn said and pat his hand. ¡°On the plus side, our daughter isn''t staying away for the summer! She''ll be here in the house most of the time!¡±


    Kenneth didn''t have the heart to tell her that he was not looking forward to Kelly wearing smaller shorts and t-shirts. Not even a little bit. Then his mind went to Annie and the tight jeans she currently wore and he couldn''t help it when he imagined her wearing tiny shorts and a little t-shirt to show off her body. He closed his eyes and ducked his head in defeat.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Katheryn said and gave him a hug and kissed his cheek. ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll keep a look-out and warn you if anything untoward appears that might upset you.¡±


    Kenneth sighed and turned to look at his wife and she kissed him once, then again. His wife''s hand rubbed his chest and arm, then his thigh. ¡°Katheryn...¡±


    ¡°The door''s locked.¡± Katheryn said.


    ¡°But... we have... a guest.¡± Kenneth whispered.


    ¡°Yes, we do.¡± Katheryn whispered back and gave him a sexy smile, then kissed him again.


    *


    After his shower, Arnold only wore a towel for the rest of the evening and eventually closed his dorm room door when he saw that a lot of the girls had as well. A few of them still in the hallway had waved to him when he did and he had waved back. He took off the towel and put on his sleep clothes, then went to bed.


    Arnold climbed out of bed when the alarm went off in the morning, made four pieces of toast for breakfast and drank a glass of orange juice, cleaned up, then dressed for work in a different color coordinated suit with appropriate shirt and socks combo to go with it. He hooked his key ring to his pants loop and opened his room door, then all of the activity in the hallway came to a stop.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± One of the young women said.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Arnold said and had to fight his conditioning of giving a quick kiss as he shut and locked the door.


    ¡°Hi, Arnold.¡± Emily said as she poked her head out of her room.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Arnold said to Emily and walked by her.


    ¡°Hi, there!¡± ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Morning!¡± ¡°Hey, sexy!¡± ¡°Hi.¡±


    Arnold nodded and said hello to them in return, then made it to the end of the hallway and hit the button for the elevator. He waited for it to arrive and all of the activity in the hallway returned to normal when he stepped into the elevator. Quite a few of the girls waved and he gave them a little wave back as the doors closed.


    Arnold knew what was going to happen on the other floors and he stepped to the back of the elevator and waited. It stopped at each floor and a gaggle of girls came in. He couldn''t tell if they were the same ones, since he wasn''t keeping track of them, not that he could. He didn''t know how many were on each floor and all he could do was count how many were in front of him. The elevator reached the ground floor and everyone piled out and he stepped out.


    ¡°Hi, Arnold!¡± Doris said loudly from behind her desk. ¡°Enjoy your day at work!¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Arnold said and gave her a huge smile, because he knew it was going to be full of dissections. A hundred and eight dissections for that morning and he would be cleaning them all up afterwards. As far as he was concerned, it was going to be a great day.


    Doris was surprised at his bright angelic smile. Even though she was more than twice his age... in fact she was a little older than his own mother... she felt her body react to the attention. She didn''t let it show on her face, though. She waved to him as he left the building and she wasn''t surprised when a different pile of girls from the day before swarmed her to bombard her with questions about him.


    Arnold walked over to Building F and went inside, up the stairs, and went right into the lab to get to work. He had thirty six set-ups to do with the appropriate tools and only a short time to do them. The professor said that he could even put out the specimens if he had the time before the students arrived for class, and he managed to complete the task just as the lab door opened.


    Professor Hamil Crenslav was a little disappointed when Arnold hadn''t shown up at his office for work. He knew it was probably Arnold''s way of protesting not having the afternoon off the day before, so he didn''t fault the boy for expressing his displeasure. He let out a sigh at all the work he would be doing by himself that morning, grabbed his teaching materials from his desk, and walked over to the lab.


    Hamil opened the door and was pleasantly shocked when he saw Arnold put the last prepped specimen in place. ¡°Good man!¡± He said and put his teaching materials on his desk. ¡°You even have the displays for the lab workers in the middle of the table as the center pieces. Excellent work.¡±


    The lab door opened again and Amy strode in with Cissily at her side and the other lab workers behind them.


    ¡°Professor! You have everything set up already?¡±


    Hamil shook his head and waved at Arnold. ¡°I just arrived here myself.¡±


    Amy''s mouth opened a little in surprise and Cissily took the opportunity that presented and stuck her finger in her mouth. Amy gagged a little and Cissily laughed loudly as her hand was pushed away.


    ¡°Gah! HEY!¡± Amy yelled.


    ¡°Don''t blame me.¡± Cissily said. ¡°I warned you if you opened your mouth and don''t say anything, I''d fill it for you! Ha ha!¡±


    ¡°I didn''t think you meant with your goddamn fingers!¡± Amy protested and Cissily laughed harder.


    ¡°All right, places everyone.¡± Professor Hamil Crenslav said and the six lab workers went to their assigned tables. Amy and Arnold went to the front of the lab and stood on either side of the professor''s desk by the wall. They did it just in time, because in the next moment, the room was almost instantly filled with thirty young women and six young men. A lot of them didn''t look happy to be there, except for a handful of them.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± A few of them gasped when they saw him.


    ¡°Hi, again!¡±


    ¡°Hey, you''re working here?¡±


    ¡°We get to live with him and take Tuesday morning labs with him, too!¡± One said with a laugh. ¡°I knew things were going to be interesting when he stripped for us last night!¡±


    Amy''s mouth dropped open and she stared at the girls and then at Arnold.


    ¡°Dammit, I''m to far away.¡± Cissily said and the lab workers laughed.


    ¡°Settle down, please.¡± Hamil said and turned to the white board behind him and underlined the scientific name of the specimen the class was working on today. ¡°I know most of you don''t really care what the thing in front of you is actually called.¡±


    A few of the students nodded and a couple of them laughed.


    ¡°I''ll only require that you remember the common name and for you to perform to the best of your ability.¡± Hamil said and faced them again. ¡°Each table has a lab worker and a fully prepared specimen. Please use both as much as you need in order to complete the assignment.¡±


    ¡°You only mean asking questions, right?¡± A guy at Cissily''s table asked with a laugh.


    ¡°Unless you enjoy the taste of a knuckle sandwich.¡± Cissily said and nearly everyone laughed.


    ¡°Hey, she didn''t curse at him!¡± A girl said from the next table, shocked.


    ¡°I''m saving it for the right fucking opportunity.¡± Cissily said with a grin and that made them all laugh.


    Hamil let it go on for a few moments, then cleared his throat. ¡°You have just under an hour. Begin.¡±


    ¡°You heard him, people. Get to work.¡± Amy said and waited for everyone to start, then she made the rounds to check on them. Both Arnold and the professor stood at the front of the class and observed.

 72 Learning Some Truth

    Kelly had come into the spare room the night before after getting a call from Arnold, and she expressed her concern over Arnold''s blatant overt behaviour. Annie had reassured her that nothing would come of it, then reminded her that she had warned Kelly about needing to keep an eye on Arnold''s lack of body sensitivity. The two of them had stayed up half the night talking and then had fallen asleep.


    Annie woke up in an unfamiliar bed and sighed. She turned her head and saw Kelly''s dishevelled hair and smiled. You miss him already and you just started living together. She thought and reached out to straighten the hair a little. I miss him, too.


    Kelly let out a sigh and opened her eyes. ¡°I''m sorry for bothering you like this.¡±


    Annie chuckled. ¡°I should be saying that, considering I really didn''t want to spend another night in a new place all alone.¡±


    ¡°At least you didn''t need a shower curtain on the bed to stay clean.¡± Kelly said and Annie laughed.


    ¡°It was all I could think of, okay?¡± Annie said in her defense. ¡°But, you''re right. Sleeping in a bed that hasn''t had a thousand people on it is such a relief.¡±


    ¡°You mean a thousand people doing god-knows-what besides sleeping.¡± Kelly joked and Annie groaned.


    ¡°Don''t remind me.¡± Annie said and sat up and looked at the time. ¡°It''s pretty early still. We can sit here and wait for your parents to get up or we can go grab breakfast for ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Definitely getting it for ourselves.¡± Kelly said and sat up, too. ¡°Then again, we don''t have to do anything today and we''re not going anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Everything is all mixed up and turned around now.¡± Annie said and sighed.


    ¡°Come on. I need to practice making breakfast. A real breakfast.¡± Kelly corrected and Annie nodded. They both stood up and left the spare room and went to the kitchen. Annie gave her tips as Kelly made breakfast.


    Kenneth smelled something good being cooked and climbed out of bed, rubbed his face to wake up, then left his bedroom and went to the kitchen. He was shocked when he didn''t see his wife and stopped dead when he saw two barely dressed attractive women walking around his kitchen in little boy shorts and tiny t-shirts making breakfast.


    He quickly turned around and went right back to bed.


    *


    The biology class worked for the entire hour, and Arnold had to step in and give a hand to a few of the students when they had trouble. He didn''t know that they were only having trouble just so he would help them, though. It was a bit sneaky of them; but, no harm was done to either Arnold or the specimen.


    When the hour was over, Amy spoke. ¡°If you haven''t completed your specimen dissections, or believe that you haven''t, you''ll need to make an appointment with me to complete it on your own time.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± One of the guys asked.


    ¡°The lab won''t count against your course completion unless you finish it.¡± Amy reminded him. ¡°You also can''t move on to the next subject in class without it.¡±


    ¡°Well, damn.¡± He said. ¡°I need an appointment.¡±


    Amy smiled. ¡°Meet me at the professor''s desk and we''ll set things up.¡±


    ¡°Who will be doing the assists?¡± One of the girls from Arnold''s dorm asked.


    ¡°It depends on the time of day you make the appointment.¡± Amy said. ¡°I have classes in the afternoons, so it''ll be mornings and possibly the weekend for me.¡±


    ¡°Then it''s afternoons and evenings for Arnold?¡± She asked and Amy nodded. ¡°I have fifth class off, so I want an appointment for then, please.¡±


    ¡°Desk.¡± Amy said and walked over to it, and she was surrounded by ten students that needed to finish their specimens.


    Professor Crenslav walked over to Arnold and whispered. ¡°We need to clean and prep the desks again. I''ll put the students'' names on the specimens and the lab workers will help me put them away while you replace their tools.¡±


    ¡°Sir.¡± Arnold said and they got to work. By the end of the ten minute break, Arnold had cleaned the tables and had replaced everything with fresh tools, then he put out the next series of specimens. He took the dirty tools to the back of the lab and set them all inside the sterilizer and turned it on. He would need them after the next class.


    Amy finished making the appointments just as the next class came into the lab and she was surprised that everything was already done. She looked over at Arnold, who was already back at the front of the lab, and his suit still looked fine and wasn''t rumpled at all.


    The next class proceeded just like the last one and everything had to be reset for the third and final class that morning. More appointments were made as well, and Amy felt a little guilty that most of them wanted afternoon and evening appointments.


    Arnold is definitely earning his paycheck this week. Amy thought as the next class proceeded and Arnold did the same thing she was doing and walked around to offer advice and help to those that needed it. It wasn''t strictly necessary for them to do that since the lab workers could handle it normally; but, having an extra person or two around to ease the pressure was a big help for both the lab workers and the students.


    The class ended and only three appointments needed to be made for that afternoon. The lab was quickly cleaned up and all the specimens were marked with names of the students and stored away, then Arnold sterilized the tools and put them away.


    ¡°Holy shit! We''re done before lunch!¡± Cissily exclaimed and the other lab workers laughed.


    ¡°Yes, Miss Thomas. You and the others can go.¡± Hamil said and waved at the door.


    ¡°Fucking A!¡± Cissily said and walked over to Amy and grabbed her hand. ¡°Let''s go! Chow time!¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Amy exclaimed as Cissily dragged her out of the lab.


    ¡°This morning went great.¡± Dianne commented as she and the others walked over to the door. ¡°I don''t think we''ve ever had things go this smoothly.¡±


    Hamil nodded and turned to look at Arnold. ¡°You can go eat, too. You have a few appointments this afternoon and this evening.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Arnold said and left the lab to go to the cafeteria. It was busy again and he waited in line, then the slightly overweight woman behind the counter saw him and smiled.


    ¡°Hey, hun.¡± She said. ¡°What can I get for you today?¡±


    ¡°The same.¡± Arnold said and pointed.


    ¡°Really?¡± She asked, shrugged, and gave him the same chicken breast pieces and a plate of french fries. It was green jello this time and she gave him that, too. He moved down the line to the register and the young woman gave him a big smile. She didn''t ask if he wanted pop and just got it for him and took his money and gave him his change.


    ¡°Are you busy tonight?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I have several appointments to help students work on their biology assignments.¡±


    ¡°Aww, okay.¡± She said. ¡°See you later.¡±


    Arnold nodded and he walked towards the table where he had sat the day before.


    ¡°ARNOLD! We''re over HERE today!¡± Cissily said loudly and waved as she stood to get his attention. Her table was tucked into an alcove and Arnold walked over to her. ¡°You can sit right here beside me.¡±


    ¡°Geez, Cissily.¡± The redhead across the table said. ¡°Just because he''s technically your boss, doesn''t mean you should be sucking up to him all the time.¡±


    ¡°HA!¡± Cissily barked a laugh. ¡°Believe me, he would know it if I was gonna suck on anything of his.¡±


    Amy groaned on her other side and Cissily laughed.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Fareena. I won''t even ask him if he''ll let me jerk him off.¡±


    ¡°Oh, for fuck''s sake.¡± Amy sighed.


    ¡°Jerk me off?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Rub your magic lamp? Tug on your silly string? Tease your snake until it spits?¡± Cissily asked and had everyone at the table and the next two tables laughing.


    Arnold just gave her a confused look.


    ¡°Hey, you really are an ignorant fuck.¡± Cissily said in a soft voice and took his hand. ¡°It all means the same thing. Using my hand to play with your dick until you came.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Does that count as sex?¡±


    ¡°I think that depends on who you ask.¡± Cissily said and looked around the table. ¡°Bitches? What''s the verdict?¡±


    ¡°If you lick it or suck at all, definitely sex.¡± The redhead said. ¡°Just the hand to get him off? It''s just masturbation with assistance.¡±


    ¡°Same.¡± The blonde beside her said.


    ¡°It depends on what the purpose is.¡± A black woman with dreadlocks said. ¡°If it''s just for fun, then I''ll go with masturbation, even if a mouth is involved. If you''re intending it to be more than that, either right after or later, then you''re trying for sex and it counts.¡±


    ¡°That''s a little more existential reasoning than the question needs.¡± Cissily said eloquently and the woman laughed. ¡°Next.¡±


    ¡°Masturbation.¡±


    ¡°Sex.¡±


    Cissily looked at Amy. ¡°...and what''s your opinion?¡±


    ¡°I abstain, since I''m his boss.¡± Amy said and kept eating.


    ¡°Oh, don''t be all prudish now!¡± Cissily said. ¡°We all said what we think of having a dick in our hands.¡±


    ¡°You didn''t.¡± Amy said.


    ¡°I was saving the best for last.¡± Cissily grinned. ¡°So, spill it. What do you think?¡±


    Amy looked around and they were all staring at her. ¡°Okay, fine.¡± She said. ¡°It''s just jerking him off and doesn''t count, even if you lick and suck on it, because it''s all for him and we don''t really get anything out of it.¡± She said. ¡°Your turn.¡±


    ¡°I think it depends on whose hand it is.¡± Cissily said and they all looked at her with surprise on their faces. ¡°If it''s just some girl, it shouldn''t count. Like Fareena said, it''s just jerking off. If it''s the hand of someone you care about, like a girlfriend or a lover, any contact like that counts as sex.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± The redhead across the table said. ¡°Who knew you were that deep emotionally?¡±


    ¡°Fuck you, too.¡± Cissily said and everyone laughed, then Arnold took out his cell phone.


    ¡°Arnold, what are you doing?¡± Amy asked.


    ¡°Asking my girlfriend what she thinks.¡± Arnold said and started texting. His phone beeped several times in a row and he typed back.


    ¡°Jesus Christ, he''s crazy.¡± The black woman with dreadlocks said. ¡°He''s actually asking his girlfriend about it.¡±


    ¡°You''ve got huge brass balls, Arnold.¡± Cissily said and read the texts and smiled. ¡°Huge brass balls.¡±


    ¡°What''s she saying?¡± The redhead asked and leaned over to read them upside down. ¡°Okay, wow.¡± She said and looked at Arnold. ¡°Either she trusts you beyond all reason or she''s the best girlfriend in the world.¡±


    ¡°Kelly hasn''t given me oral sex yet.¡± Arnold said, which he understood was the qualifier for the best girlfriend, since both Heather and Claire had done that for him and qualified for it. Every single woman at the table gasped. They all looked at each other and exchanged various sad faces at Arnold having a girlfriend that wouldn''t do that for him.


    Cissily was closest, so she put a hand on his arm. ¡°I''m sure she''ll do that for you eventually.¡±


    ¡°Only if she asks me for sex.¡± Arnold said and put his cell phone away. ¡°I''ll wait until then.¡±


    ¡°You''re waiting for your girlfriend... to ask you... for sex.¡± Cissily said and he nodded. ¡°Where is she?¡±


    ¡°She had to move back home and she won''t be back until the fall.¡± Arnold said and finished eating in complete silence. Everyone at the table watched him take his tray back to the counter and disperse its contents. When he walked out of the cafeteria, they all let out sad sighs.


    ¡°The poor guy.¡± The redhead said. ¡°Three months without sex would kill me.¡±


    Everyone at the table nodded their heads in agreement, including Amy and Cissily.


    *


    Arnold went back to the lab after eating and prepped for the appointments he had to help the students with finishing their class specimens. Amy had been industrious and booked several students, so Arnold had to prep one table and three place settings, checked the appointment, then retrieved their assigned specimens.


    The first three students showed up and he spent the next twenty minutes assisting them. He gave them hints and showed them what they should be doing and how to do it, and the three young women appreciated his instruction. Word had spread a little about his casual dress when in the dorm and that made them more tolerant of his seemingly cold attitude, because they assumed he was like that only when working.


    They finished and he put their specimens away, put out three new place settings, and waited for the next appointment. When they showed up, he helped them, too. The rest of the afternoon went like this, with sometimes single and double appointments, and then the school day ended. The appointments didn''t, however. He had more of them after supper, so he made a quick trip to the cafeteria to get something to eat.


    ¡°Back again.¡± The woman behind the counter said and chuckled. ¡°The usual?¡±


    Arnold nodded and she gave him chicken and fries, then he went to the register.


    ¡°You really are working tonight, right?¡± The young woman asked and gave him his plastic cup of soda.


    ¡°My next appointment is in twenty minutes.¡± Arnold said and paid for the meal, sat down at the table in the alcove, then brought the tray and plates back to the counter.


    ¡°See you tomorrow!¡± Both the woman behind the counter and the girl at the register said.


    Arnold kept working for several more hours and all of the students managed to finish their specimens. He had fought his own instincts to take over from them and do it right all day. When the last student left, Arnold cleaned up and put the specimens away, checked off the appointments from the sheet on the professor''s desk, then left the building to go back to the dorm.


    ¡°They really worked you hard today.¡± Doris said when he came through the door, as if she knew exactly what he had been doing and when he would be back. ¡°Come here for your reward.¡±


    Arnold walked over and she came around the desk to take him into a hug, then she kissed his cheek.


    ¡°You did a great job today.¡± Doris said and ran her hand over the top of his head before she let him go. ¡°You keep that up and you''ll be running the department someday.¡±


    Arnold wasn''t sure how to respond to that.


    Doris saw the odd expression on his face and nodded. ¡°Yes, that task is a bit too daunting for someone so young to think about, so don''t worry about it for now. You just do your work, learn everything that you can, and be the best Arnold you can be.¡±


    ¡°The best Arnold I can be?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°There''s only one of you, so only you can be the best you.¡± Doris smiled. ¡°Get better at your job. Learn new skills. Have fun.¡±


    ¡°I can''t have fun. Kelly''s not here.¡± Arnold said and Doris nodded understanding.


    ¡°Well, I''m sure we can figure out something while she''s gone.¡± Doris said. ¡°I bet she''ll want to hear from you after you go upstairs to your room.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and walked over to the elevator. He didn''t notice that the lobby was empty, which meant nearly everyone was already upstairs and in their rooms. When he left the elevator on his floor, all of the doors were shut, except for the one near his own. When he used his key to open his door, he saw a brunette come out into the hallway.


    ¡°Hi, Arnold.¡± Emily said.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Long day, huh?¡±


    Arnold nodded and went into his room, then shut his door.


    ¡°Dammit.¡± Emily whispered and stepped back into her room and shut her door, too.

 73 What Are You Doing?

    The next three days at the college passed in a similar fashion to the day before. There were a lot of students taking biology as a prerequisite course, just over four hundred in the entire college, and a good portion of them needed to make appointments to finish their specimens. Fortunately for Amy, none of them wanted morning or weekend appointments, which meant that they all wanted afternoon and evening appointments and Arnold got to do them all.


    By Friday at four o''clock, Amy was off for the weekend and Arnold still had three more appointments and seven students to help. The bad part about Arnold working so hard all week was that he was needed to come in on Sunday to help the professor prepare for the next day. Since Hamil was teaching Arnold directly, Amy wasn''t required to attend.


    For the first time in her life, Amy actually felt a little guilty about someone else doing all the work, even though as the second assistant, it was Arnold''s job to lessen her workload. It wasn''t the fact that he was doing it, what bothered her was that he did it without complaint or even suggested that he would complain about it. He did it all, everything she asked, and never questioned her decisions.


    Amy was actually shocked that he wasn''t going behind her back and talking to anyone that would listen, about the massive workload he had been tasked with by both her and the professor. She had kept a close eye on Arnold''s interactions with the professor as well. Even there, Arnold never mentioned being upset, being overworked, or even that he was unhappy with her or the situation.


    Arnold stayed quiet and did his work and that was that. It kind of unnerved Amy, because everyone would make some kind of complaint at some point, even about some little thing that didn''t matter, just because they could... and he never did. Not once during the week, or when she told him that he needed to work Sunday, did he say no or that he was too busy. Not once.


    Amy sat on Cissily''s couch and sipped on a beer as she thought about everything and wondered if there was anything she could do about it. Do I want to do anything about it? She asked herself. This last week has been great for me. Lots of time off, no extra curricular work, and no deadlines to meet. She thought. The only problem I have... really... is Arnold.


    ¡°What the hell are you thinking about so hard, Fareena?¡± Cissily asked and plunked down onto the couch beside her. ¡°Your ''resting bitch face'' is making me nervous, and I love you.¡± She said and pointed at the redhead with an unopened beer can. ¡°You''re scaring the shit out of Maxine, though.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What?¡± Amy blinked her eyes and looked at her.


    ¡°Hello? Earth to Fareena! Come in, Fareena! You''re spacing out! Nooo!¡± Cissily said loudly.


    Maxine laughed. ¡°Houston! We have a loopy space cadet! Request permission for revival!¡±


    ¡°Deploy water cannons!¡± Cissily said and both she and Maxine shook their beer cans slightly. ¡°Fire!¡±


    ¡°WHA-AHHHH!¡± Amy yelled as both girls opened their beers and sprayed her face with foam. ¡°You fucking bitches! I''m going to kill you!¡± She said and put a thumb over her own beer and shook it hard to spray the both of them back. All three of them started laughing and carrying on, tossed some chips and popcorn at each other and made a huge mess, then they grew tired and sat back down.


    ¡°You''re both lucky I only own cheap shit.¡± Cissily said with a laugh. ¡°Fuck, you''re messy!¡±


    The three of them laughed and drank the last of their beers, and Maxine went to the refrigerator to get three more and handed them to her friends.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Amy and Cissily said and the three of them popped the beers open and took a drink.


    ¡°Now that you''re calmed down, tell us what''s got your panties in a twist.¡± Cissily said.


    ¡°It''s nothing.¡± Amy said.


    ¡°I just opened this beer. Don''t make me throw it at you already.¡± Cissily took a big swig of it and emptied half of it. ¡°There! I can throw it now.¡± She said and hefted it up to throw it at her forehead.


    ¡°Okay! OKAY!¡± Amy said and held a hand up to block the shot, in case Cissily really did throw it. ¡°I don''t need a headache before getting drunk!¡±


    Cissily nodded and took a normal drink as she waited for her friend to tell her what was bothering her.


    ¡°It''s about Arnold.¡± Amy said.


    ¡°Oh, that poor bastard.¡± Cissily said. ¡°He''s working his ass off to support his mother, doesn''t have a house to go home to, and can''t get laid because his girlfriend moved away!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Amy looked at her. ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°He''s got to have a serious case of blue balls...¡± Cissily started to say.


    ¡°No, no! About not having a home to go back to!¡± Amy nearly yelled.


    ¡°One of the girls at my work table today told me about it. She said she was there when he got the news a few days ago.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Amy said as the guilt started to drag her down and she gripped her beer can tightly.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Cissily said in a serious tone and moved closer. ¡°Fareena, tell me.¡±


    ¡°You''re right. He has been working hard all week and he even did all those appointments in the evenings.¡± Amy said, her voice had a touch of sadness. ¡°He''s still doing them, actually.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and?¡±


    ¡°He''s not complaining about it.¡± Amy said and took a drink. ¡°No matter what the professor and I ask him to do, he does it without question.¡±


    ¡°Is he doing it half-assed?¡± Maxine asked and took a drink of beer.


    ¡°No, he''s doing it perfectly.¡± Amy said and took another drink.


    ¡°Then what''s the problem?¡± Cissily asked and drank.


    Amy gave her a deadly look. ¡°What did you say two weeks ago when I asked you to help me clear out the old specimens?¡±


    ¡°I told you to go fuck yourself.¡± Cissily said.


    ¡°Yes, and what did you do the entire time we were doing it?¡± Amy asked.


    ¡°I was helping of course.¡±


    ¡°You were bitching and complaining the whole time, too.¡± Amy said. ¡°Guess what Arnold doesn''t do?¡±


    ¡°You! Ha HA!¡± Cissily said and took another drink to finish off her beer. ¡°Damn, I need another one.¡±


    ¡°Here.¡± Maxine said and handed over her beer. ¡°I''ll get new ones.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Cissily said and took a drink. ¡°Ahhh. Good stuff.¡±


    ¡°Cissily, he doesn''t complain and stays quiet. He doesn''t grunt, or moan, or make odd noises when working. He does it all silently and never says anything even close to a complaint. He does all the physical stuff in the lab, by himself, and he''s so damn efficient that he has everything ready before I''m ready for it!¡±


    ¡°Somebody sounds jealous.¡± Maxine said and came back with three cans of beer and put them on the coffee table.


    ¡°I''m not jealous! I''m... unnerved! Yes! His work ethic is great. No, it''s fantastic like the professor said. It''s just... if I wasn''t there to see him working, you could almost say he was doing magic.¡±


    ¡°Like that first morning when he surprised the professor by having everything done before we got there.¡± Cissily said and Amy nodded.


    ¡°The professor told me later that he was disappointed when he thought Arnold was late, and then found out he had come in early to get the work done and was delighted.¡± Amy said.


    ¡°Yep, you''re definitely jealous.¡± Maxine said.


    ¡°No, it''s more like... a jilted lover.¡± Cissily said. ¡°She''s being replaced in the eyes of the professor as his favorite and she doesn''t know how to handle it.¡±


    ¡°That''s... not true.¡± Amy said, unconvincingly. ¡°He''s just impressed that Arnold is working out so well as a part of the department, considering he just started.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Cissily said and finished off her beer and took a new one from the coffee table. ¡°So, what are you going to do about it?¡±


    ¡°What can I do?¡± Amy asked. ¡°He really does fit in well and everybody likes him.¡±


    ¡°No wonder.¡± Maxine said. ¡°Have you seen some of the photos of him floating around?¡±


    ¡°What photos?¡± Cissily and Amy asked at the same time.


    ¡°You two need to get your heads out of your asses and look around sometimes.¡± Maxine grinned.


    ¡°Shut your cake hole.¡± Cissily said and took another drink.


    ¡°I think the alcohol is affecting your brain already.¡± Maxine said and took out her cell phone. ¡°That was a horrible comeback, even for you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Cissily looked at the beer can in her hands. ¡°You kill brain cells and I love you anyway.¡±


    Maxine chuckled and handed her the phone. ¡°Look at the Adonis in Pose.¡±


    Cissily took the phone and looked at the image and it took her a few seconds to register. ¡°Holy fuck.¡±


    ¡°Lemmie see!¡± Amy said and leaned over Cissily''s shoulder. ¡°No, that... it''s not real. Is it real?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Maxine said. ¡°The video is even better.¡±


    ¡°THERE''S VIDEO?!?¡± Amy and Cissily yelled and Maxine laughed as she took the phone back and brought up the video, hit play, then handed it back to Cissily. ¡°Feast your eyes on the spectacular.¡±


    Amy and Cissily sat there in silence and watched Arnold as he stripped in front of a hallway full of women.


    *


    Kelly had been shaken when she received a text in the middle of the day from Arnold and he asked her what her views were on jerking someone off. Luckily, Annie was right there and saw Kelly''s reaction and took the phone.


    ¡°I got this.¡± Annie said and typed the responses needed to keep Arnold''s behaviour in check. She put the phone down and rubbed Kelly''s back. ¡°It''s okay. He''s not doing it. It was just a discussion over lunch with the lab workers.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank god.¡± Kelly sighed. ¡°What a thing to talk about out of the blue!¡±


    Annie chuckled. ¡°You thought he was in the middle of something, didn''t you?¡±


    Kelly nodded.


    ¡°You know the restrictions you gave him. He''s not going to do anything without telling you.¡±


    Kelly sighed. ¡°I almost don''t want to know, you know?¡±


    Annie laughed. ¡°You think I do? He''s my son!¡±


    Kelly opened her mouth, looked at the phone where Annie had just discussed masturbation, then laughed. ¡°Okay, you got me there.¡± She said and took her hand. ¡°Thanks for doing that for me.¡±


    ¡°What are friends for?¡± Annie asked. ¡°Now we need to talk about what we are going to do on the weekend.¡± She said. ¡°There''s no chance that the house will be done by then.¡±


    ¡°I doubt mom will be as accommodating if I ask Arnold to stay here, too.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Should I book a hotel for two days?¡± Annie asked. ¡°An actual hotel I mean, not the flea circus I first stayed in.¡±


    ¡°You should only need it for one night, unless you want access to the room first thing in the morning on Saturday, then you''ll need it for two nights. No, it''ll be three nights if Arnold stays to get the last bus on Sunday.¡±


    ¡°That''s going to cut into my spending money. I also need groceries...¡± Annie started to say and Kelly squeezed her hand.


    ¡°Let''s leave the decision until Friday, then we can worry about what to do.¡± Kelly said.


    They waited the three days and were lucky they had, because Arnold called and said that he needed to work on Sunday. Annie and Kelly were both relieved that he wasn''t coming to visit, since it deferred their problems for another week, then they were sad that they wouldn''t see him for just as long. They told him to be good and to stay safe, that they missed him, and they would see him next weekend even if they had to go there to do it.


    *


    Arnold woke up on Saturday morning and climbed out of bed. He didn''t have to work, so he didn''t have to get dressed, either. When he opened his room door while only wearing a pair of shorts, he saw that the hallway was the same as it was during the week. A bunch of girls were hanging out near their doorways and talking, half naked like always, except that none of the girls had anywhere they needed to go and were in no rush to change that.


    ¡°Hi!¡± ¡°Hey, there!¡± ¡°Morning, Arnold!¡± Most of them said at the same time. A few of them waved and he said hello and waved back.


    ¡°Are you going anywhere for the weekend?¡± One of them asked.


    ¡°I have work tomorrow.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Oh, that sucks.¡± She said. ¡°Only one day off all week! I''d be pissed!¡±


    ¡°I like my work.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Well, that''s a relief.¡± Emily said as she came out of her room. She only wore a pair of panties and a bra in the hopes to gain his attention. ¡°I hope they pay you well.¡±


    Arnold shrugged, because he didn''t have any other job to make a comparison in pay except for working for Claire.


    ¡°Do you have any plans for today?¡± Emily asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°That''s going to be boring sitting around the dorm all day, isn''t it?¡± Emily asked.


    Arnold thought about it and nodded, then he walked back inside his dorm room and over to where he had put his cell phone beside his bed and dialed the register girl. ¡°Hi. I''m going to be bored today. Yes. Okay.¡±


    Emily''s mouth dropped open in shock as Arnold made a date with someone else right in front of her, pulled off his sleeping shorts, then he grabbed a pair of jeans that were fairly tight and put them on. He picked up a bright blue sleeveless t-shirt and pulled it on, which left his arms completely bare, and he grabbed his keys and hooked them to the belt loop on his jeans. He walked over to his open door and stepped out, locked and closed it, then walked down the hallway.

 74 Exercise Me

    Arnold walked the obstacle course that was the hallway and a few of the girls admired his muscular arms. They had seen them from far away and had seen the photos and videos; but, it just wasn''t the same as seeing them up close. They appreciated that he wasn''t big and bulky like the guys that overdid things like that.


    ¡°Looking good, Arnold.¡± One girl said as he passed.


    Arnold turned his head and saw that she only wore a man''s shirt, completely unbuttoned, and it showed off quite a lot of her chest and a tiny little pair of panties that barely covered her.


    ¡°I can only have sex with my girlfriend.¡± Arnold said and hit the button for the elevator.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± She looked a little stunned and a few of the girls around her chuckled.


    Arnold looked at her chest and then at her face. ¡°You''re showing too much of yourself to me on purpose for it to not be an invitation for sex.¡± He said. ¡°Do you want to have sex with me?¡±


    The girl blushed deeply. ¡°I... well, I... I mean...¡±


    ¡°He totally called you on it.¡± Her roommate said with a laugh. ¡°Don''t worry, Arnold. She''s not embarrassed that you''re asking her directly, she''s embarrassed that she couldn''t lure you in... like this.¡± She said and flipped the man''s shirt open and revealed her breasts completely... except for two nipple covers that hid that final bit of her.


    ¡°PAULA!¡± The young woman grabbed the shirt and pulled it closed, just as the elevator arrived.


    ¡°You see? She''s covered and was only teasing you. You weren''t going to see it all.¡± Paula laughed and gave him a little wave. ¡°See you later!¡±


    Arnold waved back and stepped into the elevator.


    ¡°I can''t believe you did that to me!¡± The girl said loudly as she whirled around to glare at her friend, who laughed as the elevator doors closed. Arnold rode the elevator down to the ground floor and stepped out into the lobby.


    ¡°Hi, Arnold.¡± Doris said. ¡°Where are you headed?¡±


    ¡°The physical education building.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Angela, the girl at the cafeteria register, said to call her when I was bored and I''m meeting her there.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said you couldn''t date anyone else?¡± Doris asked.


    ¡°We''re just hanging out.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°O-kay.¡± Doris said. ¡°When you get there, ask her. If she says it''s a date, come right back here.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and left the dorm building and walked over to the physical education building. He went inside and saw the register girl as she stood beside the stairs.


    ¡°Hi!¡± Angela said and waved.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Is this a date?¡±


    ¡°Nope! We''re just hanging out.¡± Angela said and then smiled. ¡°And working out a little. I could use a spotter for some of my exercises and thought you could help me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and she turned and walked up the stairs. He followed her up the stairs and if he bothered to notice such things, the workout pants she wore were like a second skin and you couldn''t see a trace of a pantie-line anywhere.


    He''s totally checking out my butt. Angela thought and looked back to see him staring at her face. Oops! She turned back around and kept walking up the stairs. He caught me looking!


    Arnold followed her to the second floor and over to a huge rack of free weights.


    ¡°I usually only do ten pounds at thirty reps each.¡± Angela said and grabbed the weights, then sat down and did the first set of ten, rested for a few moments, then continued. ¡°Why don''t you try them?¡±


    Arnold looked at them and wasn''t sure what ones to try.


    ¡°Do you need any help?¡± A very attractive woman with short dirty blonde hair asked as she came over.


    ¡°I''ve never done this before.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Well, by the looks of your arms, you should start with the twenty pound ones.¡± The woman beamed a smile at him and looked forward to helping him when he struggled. ¡°I''ll show you the proper way to lift them so that you don''t hurt yourself.¡±


    Arnold picked them up and sat down at the bench beside Angela, and the instructor showed Arnold exactly how to do the proper exercise. He did the thirty reps easily and she was a little dismayed as she told him to try the next higher weight.


    ¡°Make sure you tell me when your arms are feeling the strain.¡± The instructor said in a sweet voice.


    Dammit! She''s totally stealing my bit! Angela thought angrily and stopped it from showing on her face.


    ¡°Are you feeling any tension in your muscles now?¡± The instructor asked, a little perturbed.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said in a normal voice as he lifted fifty pound dumbbells in each hand. The instructor put her hands on one of his biceps and felt the muscle strain.


    If I''m gauging this right, he''s not straining himself. She thought. ¡°Do you do normal regular exercise?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°How did you get all these muscles?¡± She asked, curious.


    ¡°I used to shovel every day.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Shovel... wait, you mean dirt? You shovelled dirt every day? For how long?¡±


    ¡°Since I was six.¡± Arnold said, not understanding that she wanted a time each day. ¡°I''ll be nineteen in August.¡±


    ¡°Th-thirteen years.¡± She said, completely stunned. ¡°You''ve been doing a full body workout every day for thirteen years.¡±


    ¡°I haven''t done it in a few weeks.¡± Arnold said and put the weights back on the rack.


    ¡°You''re barely sweating.¡± She said as she looked at the small wet spot on the chest of his bright blue sleeveless t-shirt.


    ¡°I think we can move to the treadmill now.¡± Angela said and put her own weights down.


    ¡°I''d rather see him on the leg press.¡± The instructor said and guided them over to the large workout machines. ¡°Those jeans won''t be good for doing this exercise, though.¡±


    Arnold popped the jeans open and started to slide them off.


    ¡°W-wait!¡± The instructor said and caught his hands. ¡°I''ll be right back with some shorts!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and waited.


    Angela let out a nervous laugh. ¡°Good job scaring her off.¡±


    Arnold didn''t say anything and the instructor came back with a pair of women''s shorts.


    ¡°I''m sorry, I just grabbed the first pair that...¡± She stopped talking when Arnold took off his jeans and folded them up, then he took the women''s shorts from her and put them on. ¡°Um... okay. It''s this machine right here.¡± She said and pointed.


    Arnold put his jeans down beside the machine and listened as she told him how to work it, how to attach the weights, and about the hand-held safety lever to stop the weights from sliding all the way down if they start to slip.


    ¡°Let''s start with some light weight.¡± She said and told Arnold to put two of the fifty pound weights on each side.


    ¡°That''s not light.¡± Angela whispered because of the two hundred pounds of weight.


    ¡°Light for him.¡± She clarified and Arnold sat down and leaned back, almost vertical, then he braced himself and planted his feet on the movable platform. He released the safety lever and pushed with his feet. The machine almost jumped away from him.


    ¡°Definitely too light. Hook it, please.¡± The instructor said. ¡°Okay, maybe twice that.¡±


    Arnold added two more of the fifty pound weights on each side, resumed his place, then did it again.


    ¡°Are you feeling the strain now?¡± The instructor asked and touched his thigh as the muscles contracted.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said and he did the full thirty reps. It was a lot different than shovelling dirt and he wasn''t sure if he liked it, because he was so used to doing different movements. The women''s shorts he wore billowed out each time he lifted the weight and did a repetition, so both the instructor and Angela were getting great views about every two seconds.


    ¡°Ooo! The full body press next.¡± The instructor said and pointed to a machine not too far away.


    ¡°I think Arnold has had enough of heavy weights for now.¡± Angela said, a little angry. ¡°This was only supposed to be a light workout and not a full power lifting session. He came here wearing jeans, not spandex tights!¡±


    The instructor was a little shaken from her hostility. ¡°I... I was just...¡±


    ¡°You were enjoying yourself by pushing Arnold to see how much he could do.¡± Angela said and the instructor caught her breath. ¡°I was okay with that for a while, until you gave him four hundred pounds to leg press.¡± She said. ¡°Four hundred! Can you do four hundred?¡±


    ¡°No, I... well, I''m trying to stay slim...¡±


    ¡°Then what makes you think Arnold wants to bulk up by lifting heavy weights?¡± Angela asked and the instructor didn''t have an answer for her. ¡°Did you even think about what Arnold wants to do?¡± She asked. ¡°No, right? You were too caught up in your own little fantasy.¡±


    ¡°I wasn''t... I just...¡± The instructor started to say, then she sighed. ¡°All right, yes. I want to test him on everything I can. I''ve never met a natural muscle man before.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡± Angela and Arnold asked at the same time.


    ¡°He''s developed finely toned and quite strong muscles by performing the same task for years. He wasn''t trying to develop muscles or tried to get strong on purpose. It just happened.¡± She said and looked at Arnold. ¡°I''m right, aren''t I? You didn''t realize that you had become strong and muscled after years of doing the best natural workout that ever existed.¡±


    Arnold looked down at his arms and legs and the muscles and veins were popping from exertion.


    ¡°Personally, I think the way you look now, with your muscles ripped like they are, is the sexiest thing I''ve ever seen.¡± The instructor said and her face flushed red. ¡°If you weren''t here with your girlfriend, I would be very tempted to ask you out myself.¡±


    ¡°She''s not my girlfriend and this isn''t a date.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Will you go out with me?¡± The instructor asked. ¡°Please say yes.¡±


    ¡°I have an exclusive girlfriend.¡± Arnold said.


    She took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I should have known you would be too good to be true.¡± She said with a sad smile and picked up his jeans. ¡°I''d like my shorts back, please.¡±


    ¡°Your shorts?¡± Angela asked before she could stop herself.


    ¡°Do you see a clothing store anywhere around here?¡± The instructor asked with a wave of her hand.


    Arnold took off the shorts and handed them to her, then he pulled on his jeans.


    ¡°It was nice to finally meet someone like you.¡± The instructor said. ¡°I''m sorry if I wasted your time.¡± She said and walked away.


    ¡°Wow, she actually made me feel bad about not letting her get her way.¡± Angela said and chuckled. ¡°Come on. Let''s go try the treadmill.¡±


    Arnold followed her over to the treadmill and she used the machine to set a jogging pace. Not too fast and not too slow. Arnold copied her on the next machine and they stared to jog side by side.


    ¡°Usually... people do this... outside.¡± Angela said between breaths. ¡°On a track... or on the street... but... that can be dangerous... with traffic and other people. So... people come here... to jog.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Arnold asked. Unlike Angela, the pace she set was too low to get his cardio up past the normal level.


    ¡°To meet... to stay in shape... to feel good about themselves... lots of reasons.¡± Angela said, then she fell silent as she jogged. She hadn''t done it in a while and her endurance was pretty low after sitting on her ass behind the cash register every day in the cafeteria. She was lucky and had the weekends off, so she usually relaxed and didn''t bother exercising, which she had been neglecting for a while. When Arnold called, she thought it would be the perfect bonding opportunity.


    It was too bad for her that Arnold didn''t see it that way. He thought it was pointless to run in place. You weren''t going anywhere or accomplishing anything, except making yourself tired and sweaty. He wasn''t against being tired or sweaty, since he had been like that a lot during his life. It was just that he didn''t see the point if the reasons Angela gave could be done somewhere else.


    They jogged for ten minutes and Angela couldn''t do any more. She stopped and grabbed a towel from a nearby rack and wiped off her machine, then dabbed at her forehead and her neck. Arnold copied her, except that he didn''t really need to wipe himself or the machine off. He hadn''t worked up a sweat like Angela did.


    ¡°Can you get me some water, please?¡± Angela asked.


    Arnold walked over to the counter and asked for water. He paid the clerk for one bottle and went back over to Angela and gave it to her. She took it gratefully and took a big drink from it, then sighed.


    ¡°I am definitely out of shape.¡± Angela said and wiped at her forehead. ¡°I think I better keep myself to a walking pace for a while.¡± She said and stood up. ¡°Let''s go for a walk around the track.¡±


    Angela led Arnold over to the walking track and as they walked around it, she asked him questions about work and made idle chit-chat about her own work and her hobbies. Arnold didn''t bother trying to remember it all.


    After an hour, they stopped walking and stood near the stairs.


    ¡°Are you going to get something to eat for lunch?¡± Angela blurted out.


    ¡°It''s not lunch time yet.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Oh. Yes, you''re right.¡± Angela said, and she was at a bit of a loss as to what to do next. She wracked her brain as she tried to think of some activity to do for the couple of hours that they had before it was time for lunch. ¡°Well... um... I guess... you should go back to your dorm room.¡± She said, because she didn''t know that Arnold didn''t care if they did absolutely nothing.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and started to walk away.


    ¡°See you!¡± Angela said loudly and watched as he went down the stairs. I had hoped he would invite me over or something.


    ¡°You struck out, too.¡± The instructor said from behind her.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Angela said as she turned her head to look at the instructor, then she sighed. ¡°You almost ruined my attempt.¡±


    The instructor chuckled. ¡°He seems pretty loyal, even if you did trick him into a date.¡±


    ¡°We were just hanging out.¡± Angela said with a smile.


    ¡°And I was just instructing him on exercises.¡± She responded, then they both laughed.

 75 Going To Lunch

    Doris had just finished talking to one of her girls when Arnold came into the dorm building. ¡°It looks like you didn''t work up much of a sweat. What did you do?¡±


    ¡°I tried dumbbells, a leg press machine, jogged on a treadmill, and walked for an hour.¡± Arnold said and Doris nodded. That was exactly what she had heard.


    ¡°Did you meet anyone interesting?¡± Doris asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and hit the button for the elevator.


    ¡°You didn''t?¡± Doris asked, a little surprised.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and stepped into the elevator.


    Doris gave him a wave as the doors shut. ¡°Chrissy, I thought you said Cheryl was there today.¡±


    ¡°She was.¡± Chrissy said. ¡°She was helping him on the weights and the leg machine.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Doris said and smiled. ¡°Thank you for checking for me.¡±


    ¡°You covered for me by calling me in sick when my boyfriend showed up to surprise me.¡± Chrissy said and gave her a big smile. ¡°That''s worth some running around and keeping an eye on your favorite guy.¡±


    Doris laughed and her chest jiggled, then she picked up an open box of chocolates and held it out to her. ¡°Get your butt back upstairs.¡±


    ¡°Ooo! Thanks!¡± Chrissy said and took a chocolate and popped it into her mouth and ate it. ¡°You always buy the best chocolates.¡±


    Doris grinned. ¡°Go ahead and take another.¡±


    ¡°You''re the best!¡± Chrissy said and took another. This one she ate slowly and went up the stairs. It wasn''t worth waiting for the elevator to go up only one floor.


    *


    Arnold walked out of the elevator and was greeted by the same scene he had passed earlier. He didn''t ask the girls why they tended to gather in the hallway to talk, and he wasn''t curious about it, either. He accepted it as normal, since it was always like that.


    ¡°Hi, Arnold. Did you work out some?¡± One of the girls asked and he nodded. Of course, that got everyone''s attention and they all saw his arms were popping and a few really liked the sight. They said hello and waved, and he returned the same greetings, then he reached the end of the hallway and opened his dorm room door. He left it open like everyone else and he pulled off his t-shirt and tossed it into the laundry basket.


    ¡°Hey, he''s doing it again.¡± One of the girls whispered to her roommate and took out her cell phone to start recording. ¡°Oh, there goes the jeans.¡± She said, almost in a moan as Arnold bent over. ¡°Look at that butt!¡±


    Her roommate laughed softly because everyone in the hallway watched Arnold undress. ¡°His girlfriend is a pretty lucky g-oh, my god!¡±


    Arnold''s underwear quickly followed the jeans into the laundry basket and he walked over to the bathroom, completely naked, then he turned around to shut the bathroom door... and gave everyone a great view of his front.


    Every single girl blushed at the sight.


    ¡°Very, very lucky.¡± The roommate said and they all nodded.


    Arnold stepped out of the shower fifteen minutes later and dried off, wrapped the towel around his waist, and opened the bathroom door. Six young women were jostling for the front position just outside of his door.


    ¡°Hi!¡± The one in front said when she saw him and everyone stopped trying to push her out of the way to get in front. ¡°I''m going to watch some television and relax on the couch. Want to join me?¡±


    ¡°I thought we agreed to make the offer together!¡± One of the girls in behind said.


    ¡°We''re not all going to fit on my couch.¡± The girl in front said. ¡°One of you can and the rest can sit on my bed.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± The other five girls said.


    ¡°So, how about it?¡± The young woman in front said to Arnold. ¡°You have to work tomorrow, so a nice day of relaxing on a couch should be just right for you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and walked over to his dresser and grabbed a clean pair of underwear.


    One of the girls took out her cell phone and the one in front pushed it away.


    ¡°Not now.¡± She said and turned to watch Arnold as he pulled off the towel and put on his underwear. He grabbed a normal white t-shirt and a pair of black shorts that stopped at mid-thigh and put them on as well. He grabbed his keys and cell phone from his jeans and walked over to the door. The six girls scrambled to get out of his way and he shut and locked the door.


    Arnold didn''t have a belt loop to hook the keys to, so he held them in his hand and put his phone in his pocket. He followed the girls down the hall to a doorway about halfway towards the elevator. Inside was a nice sized room with a bed, a couch, a small refrigerator, and a huge television on the wall. He stared at it and the girl who owned it smiled.


    ¡°I watch a lot of television.¡± She said and sat down on the couch, then she pat the spot next to her. Arnold took the cue and sat a bit away from her, to her brief disappointment, then he laid down on his back and rested his head on her lap. All six young women caught their breath, then there was a brief heated argument among the other five over who got to sit under his feet.


    ¡°Take turns, for god''s sake.¡± The girl with Arnold''s head on her lap said and turned on the television. ¡°I swear, they can''t control their impulses sometimes.¡± She said with a chuckle and put it on a channel that played romance movies all the time. When Arnold didn''t protest or say that he wanted to watch something else, she left it there. A girl lifted his feet briefly and slid onto the couch to sit under them and let them rest on her lap.


    Now that the television was on, Arnold watched it and his breathing started to slow down as he took long and even breaths. The other girls sat on the bed nearby and there were a couple of them in the hallway that took pictures and video. The girl at his feet couldn''t help herself and started to gently stroke his calves. The girl whose lap held his head saw her and raised her eyebrows, then she smiled and looked down at Arnold''s calm face.


    His girlfriend really is lucky if he does this for her. She thought and envy burned inside of her. She didn''t let that rule her actions, though. She resisted the urge to pet his head, even though his blonde buzz-cut begged her to rub it. She was also very tempted to bend over a bit more and kiss him. She wasn''t sure if she was turned on more by the way he had used her as a pillow and relaxed or by the fact that she thought he was gorgeous.


    The other girls took turns sitting under Arnold''s legs and rubbing them and they all sat there and watched Arnold while he watched television. Of course, he wasn''t actually watching it. He had zoned out like he always did and stared blankly at the screen. They all stayed there until lunch time when someone in the hall mentioned getting food for lunch.


    ¡°Ah, dammit.¡± The girl whose lap Arnold was using as a pillow whispered as Arnold stirred.


    ¡°Lunch time.¡± Arnold said and looked up at her. She nodded and he rolled slightly and sat up.


    ¡°Aww. I just sat down.¡± The girl on the end of the couch said.


    Arnold ignored her and stood up, stretched and delighted everyone that was looking at him, then he walked out of the room and went to his dorm room to get dressed in his casual clothes. He put on a shirt and left it unbuttoned except for the cuffs, took off his shorts and grabbed another pair of jeans. They were loose fitting and he used a belt to hold them up, put his cell phone in the pocket and hooked his keys to the belt loop.


    Arnold grabbed his wallet from the dresser drawer and saw the pile of take-out menus on the kitchenette table and the Chinese food place was on top. When he left the dorm room and locked the door, the brunette next door stood there in a strapless bra and high-hip underwear.


    ¡°Hi, Arnold. Where are you going?¡± Emily asked.


    ¡°To eat lunch.¡± Arnold said and walked by her.


    ¡°What?¡± Emily asked, a little confused. She expected a destination, not what he was doing.


    ¡°Chinese food.¡± Arnold responded and walked down the hallway.


    ¡°Want some company?¡± One of the half naked young women asked when he reached the elevator.


    ¡°You aren''t dressed to go out.¡± Arnold said and pushed the button for the elevator.


    ¡°G-g-give me ten minutes!¡± She exclaimed and ran back to her dorm room and went inside.


    ¡°Ha. More like half an hour.¡± One of the other girls said and looked at Arnold. ¡°Are you waiting for her?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and the elevator opened. ¡°I''ll be back before she''s ready.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Is the place that close?¡± She asked.


    ¡°It''s a ten minute walk from here.¡± Arnold said and stepped into the elevator.


    She put her hand into the door of the elevator and caught the closing mechanism. ¡°There''s a good Chinese place that close to the campus?¡± She asked, completely surprised.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I want to try it.¡± She said.


    ¡°Me, too!¡± ¡°Me! I''ll go!¡± ¡°Let''s all go!¡±


    ¡°Arnold, I promise that in ten minutes, a lot of us will be ready. Will you please wait for us and we can all go with you?¡± She felt that he was going to say no with such a feeble plea, so she used her trump card. ¡°I''m just a girl that doesn''t know much about the area.¡± She lied. ¡°Please wait and show me where the restaurant is.¡±


    Arnold stepped back out of the elevator and she beamed a smile at him and touched his arm briefly, then she whipped around and looked at everyone.


    ¡°Ten minutes or you''ll be left behind!¡± She said and ducked into her room and shut the door.


    ¡°Oh, shit!¡± A few of them exclaimed and nearly everyone else disappeared into their rooms and their doors slammed shut. It was eerily quiet in the hallway with only Arnold and two other girls. Arnold made eye contact with them and one of them shrugged.


    ¡°I''d like to go; but, I don''t like Chinese food.¡± She said as an explanation, then she poked the other girl with an elbow.


    ¡°I''m not like the others. I can see what you''re doing. You''re playing us all off each other to see who you can seduce later.¡± The second girl scoffed. ¡°Unlike them, I''m not swayed by your great body or your easy-going attitude.¡±


    ¡°You''re not swayed by his great body?¡± Her friend laughed. ¡°I think someone is lying through her teeth!¡±


    ¡°He could be a compete asshole and none of you are even concerned about it!¡± The second girl said as she looked at her friend. ¡°He could be a rapist... or even a serial killer... and he could be planning to do us all or kill us all in our sleep! Or both!¡±


    ¡°JANET!¡± Her friend yelled. ¡°That''s a horrible thing to say! Especially to his face!¡±


    ¡°I didn''t say it to his face.¡± Janet said in her defense.


    ¡°He''s right there! He can HEAR you!¡± Her friend said and pointed. ¡°Use some common sense, you idiot! If he was anything like what you just said he was, who do you think will be the first one he gets rid of, huh?¡±


    Janet gasped and turned her head to look at Arnold, who stood there by the elevator and stared at her. ¡°I... I... I''m sorry! I misspoke! I don''t think you''re a serial killer! I was only saying odd things that came to my mind and it just slipped out. It''s not what I think at all! It''s not!¡± Janet said loudly. ¡°It was just a possibility that you could be!¡±


    ¡°By that reasoning, he could be a super hero with a secret identity and he''s just wasting time here while he fights crime at night or on the weekends.¡± Her friend said and shook her head. ¡°I didn''t think you would automatically assume the worst of people.¡±


    ¡°I don''t.¡± Janet said. ¡°I really did just blurt that out.¡± She said with a red face from embarrassment. ¡°I didn''t mean it. Not really.¡± She looked at Arnold. ¡°I''m sorry I said those things about you.¡±


    Arnold didn''t say anything and counted in his head. When he reached ten minutes, he reached over and pushed the button for the elevator. It took a minute for the elevator to ding and the doors opened... just as several of the dorm room doors.


    ¡°We... made it!¡± The one that asked Arnold to wait said, slightly out of breath, and she walked over to the elevator with her roommate and six other girls from other rooms. ¡°Whew! I''ve never gotten ready that fast before!¡±


    ¡°You should have skipped the concealer.¡± Her roommate said with a smile as they all stepped inside the elevator with Arnold.


    ¡°Bite your tongue!¡± She responded, then they both laughed.


    ¡°I think I have my skirt on backwards.¡± One of the others said and that made a few of them laugh.


    ¡°Wait!¡± A girl jumped out of her room with a pair of jeans in her hand and ran towards the elevator.


    ¡°Should we?¡± One asked.


    ¡°Another five seconds won''t hurt.¡± Another said.


    The one by the buttons hit the door open button to keep them open.


    ¡°Thanks!¡± The last girl said and moved off to the side and stepped into her jeans. ¡°The damn clasp on my bra broke and I had to get another one.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Another girl said and hopped out of her room with her legs caught in her pants and a half buttoned blouse. ¡°Hold the elevator!¡±


    ¡°Sorry! We can''t wait!¡± The one by the buttons said and hit the door close button.


    The girl in the hallway tried to hop towards them, tripped and fell on the floor, then she looked up at them. ¡°Nooooo!¡± She said and reached towards the elevator with a forlorn expression on her face.


    ¡°Bye!¡± A couple of the girls waved to her as the elevator doors closed.


    ¡°I feel bad that we had to do that.¡± The one at the buttons said.


    ¡°We couldn''t make Arnold wait longer than we said.¡± The first girl said. ¡°I would want you to leave me behind if I had been late, too.¡±


    The other girls looked at her and she laughed.


    ¡°Yes, really.¡± She said. ¡°But, we made it, so we better enjoy it on behalf of everyone else that didn''t.¡±


    All of the girls nodded their heads and the elevator stopped at the next floor and the girls in front held their hands up. ¡°Sorry, we''re full.¡± They said together and the one next to the buttons hit the door close button before the girls waiting in the hall could react.


    ¡°That was close.¡± One of them said in relief and a low chuckle came from the others. They made it to the lobby without stopping again and Doris had a surprised look on her face when Arnold stepped out of the elevator with eight girls around him.


    ¡°Arnold, what''s going on?¡± Doris asked, slightly concerned.


    ¡°I''m going to eat lunch at a Chinese restaurant.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°And the girls?¡±


    ¡°I''m showing them where it is.¡± Arnold responded.


    Doris nodded. She couldn''t tell him to ask them if they thought it was a date, not in front of them, then she laughed mentally at the thought. Would any of them think it''s a date with so many others around? She asked herself. ¡°I''ll see you when you get back.¡±


    Arnold left the dorm building with eight nicely dressed and attractive women around him. They all started talking about different things and a couple of them talked to him and asked him questions. He answered them frankly, as he always did, and they found out a lot about him for the ten minute walk to the restaurant.

 76 Important Finds

    Surprisingly, the group of loudly talking girls with a single guy in the middle didn''t get a lot of attention, either on or off the campus grounds, even being in the large group that they were. They entered the restaurant and the man behind the counter laughed at their appearance in the restaurant. He did not appear to be Chinese or even Asian, which was odd for a Chinese restaurant.


    ¡°You''re lucky we have large party booths over there.¡± He said and pointed to the side of the room.


    ¡°Great!¡± A few of the girls said loudly and immediately walked over there.


    ¡°I''ll bring the menus over in a minute.¡± The man said and the rest of the girls guided Arnold over to the booth and had him sit in the middle, then they sat around him. They didn''t even argue about who was allowed to sit beside him, because they didn''t want him to think that they were that petty. The menus were delivered and the man took their drink orders. It was mostly diet soda and a few glasses of water and Arnold asked for root beer. The man was back five minutes later with a tray of drinks then left and came back with another tray and served them all.


    ¡°I''ll give you a few minutes to decide what you want to eat.¡± The man said and walked away.


    The girls all talked loudly about all the good things on the menu and about what they wanted. By the time the man came back, they had all decided and placed their orders. Arnold ordered the rice and chicken ball platter and the man left to fill their orders.


    The food was served and they all ate and talked about... well, everything. Arnold didn''t try to follow along with the six different conversations going on around him, or wonder how there could be six conversations with only eight people. He ate his food and answered questions when they asked him. They all finished eating and pushed their plates away to show that they were done.


    ¡°This place really is great.¡± The first girl said and reached over the girl between her and Arnold to put her hand on his. ¡°Thank you for showing us where it is.¡±


    Arnold nodded and the man behind the counter came over with the check.


    ¡°Here you go, fella.¡± The man chuckled and handed it to Arnold. ¡°Don''t die of shock when you see it.¡±


    Arnold opened the little folder and saw the total. It wasn''t that much more than when he had taken his friends out after prom. He took out his wallet and counted out the bills that were just over the right amount, put them in the folder, and handed it back.


    Not much of a tipper on such a big order. The man said and then his eyes widened as Arnold held out forty dollars to him. ¡°Thanks, fella. Thanks a lot.¡± He said and accepted the generous tip.


    The girls around him were stunned. Completely and utterly stunned. They had essentially forced Arnold to bring them along while he had lunch and they had fully intended to pay for their own meals. Now they were at a loss for words because he had paid for everything. He didn''t ask them to split the check or to even pitch in on it, and it rendered them all speechless.


    ¡°You ladies and gentleman have yourselves a great day!¡± The man that served them said and bowed.


    The girls took the cue to leave and they all shuffled out of the booth towards the door and Arnold followed them.


    ¡°WAIT!¡± The man said and they all stopped just before opening the door. ¡°I almost forgot to give you your fortune cookies!¡± He laughed and went behind the counter and grabbed several handfuls of them, much more than the nine people in front of him, and put them in a paper bag. ¡°Here you go.¡± He said and walked over to Arnold and gave him the bag. ¡°Hand those out later.¡±


    Arnold nodded and they all left the restaurant. The girls stayed quiet for the entire walk back to the dorm building and Arnold led them inside. He walked over to Doris and opened the paper bag.


    ¡°Fortune cookies.¡± Arnold said and Doris reached in and took one of them.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Doris said and Arnold walked over to the elevator and pushed the button. It opened immediately and he and the eight girls with him stepped inside. Doris opened the fortune cookie and read it. Be wary of those around you. She read silently and watched the doors to the elevator close. Yes, but who? She asked herself and ate the cookie.


    The elevator went right up to the top floor and Arnold stepped out first and held the open bag for them.


    ¡°Thank you for lunch.¡± The first girl said sincerely and with a slightly red face as she reached into the bag and took a fortune cookie, then each girl stepped out of the elevator in turn and took a fortune cookie and thanked him, too.


    The other girls in the hallway were surprised by this, since it was odd to thank someone like that when all you did was go along. When the last girl passed, Arnold counted the cookies left and went to each girl that hadn''t been able to go and let them take one as well. Some thanked him and others just took it, since they had missed out on the meal and were upset about it. Even Janet took one and she apologized again for what she said.


    Arnold didn''t respond and went to Emily''s door. She sat on the chair by her desk and looked like she was doing homework. She still wore the same strapless bra and high hip panties, too. He knocked on her door frame and she startled slightly and looked up.


    ¡°There''s two fortune cookies left.¡± Arnold said and held the bag out to her.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Emily put her pen down and walked over to him. ¡°I can have one?¡±


    Arnold nodded and she reached in and took one.


    ¡°You didn''t have to do this.¡± Emily said. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Arnold nodded and turned to his door, opened it, and stepped into his dorm room and left it open.


    Emily watched him get changed back into shorts and he took off the open shirt, then she looked down at the plastic-wrapped cookie in her hands. She opened the plastic wrap and cracked the cookie open to read the fortune.


    Perseverance is a virtue. Emily read silently and then she smiled.


    The girl that had asked him to watch television that morning didn''t come over to ask him again, so Arnold sat down at his computer and looked up specimens for the next two hours. Thanks to Kelly''s prompting, he searched specifically for three dimensional specimens, since that was what he truly wanted to see. There were not a lot of them on the internet, not in the detail that Arnold had expected or in a format that he had access to or could convert them to.


    The ones floating in jars were just static images that he had seen hundreds of times before. Almost none of them had the option to pull out the insides, because the insides were static images as well. This reminded Arnold of what his mother had said about him being frustrated about the lack of things he wanted on the internet and he agreed with her.


    With none of the available three dimensional specimens at the level of detail his orderly mind required, he decided that he had to make one. All he needed was a model to duplicate. He immediately thought of the biology lab''s storage and all of the specimens there, then realized that he didn''t want to model another person''s specimen and wanted to model his own.


    Arnold knew that the biology department only ordered the specimens that they needed and never more than that, which meant they didn''t have any spares at the moment for him to use. That was why he hadn''t been able to prepare any of his own specimens. His sudden presence in the lab hadn''t been factored into the ordering schedule that had been set well before he accepted the job. That meant only one thing could be done.


    Arnold needed to hunt.


    He quickly put on his jeans, dug his backpack out of his closet with his things in it, and left the dorm room after locking the door. He received several subdued greetings and returned them, and none of them asked him where he was going. He didn''t take the elevator this time, though. He almost ran down the stairs and then stopped at the bottom of the stairs on the ground floor.


    Arnold peeked out to see Doris as she sat behind her desk and stared out at the lobby and the people in it. The front door opened and a pair of girls came into the lobby and Arnold recognized them.


    ¡°MAAAAAA!¡± Cissily yelled and opened her arms wide as she trotted over to the front desk.


    ¡°Stop making a ruckus!¡± Doris said halfheartedly and accepted the exaggerated hug with a laugh, because she loved her daughter and let her get away with everything.


    ¡°Hi, Doris.¡± Amy said and walked over at a normal pace and handed her a large brown paper bag. ¡°We got you the special at the pizza place.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Doris looked at her and at her daughter. ¡°How in the world did you two get up early enough to go out to the pizza place?¡±


    ¡°Ma, we weren''t that drunk last night!¡± Cissily said.


    ¡°I remember leaving this morning and seeing the three of you passed out on the couch!¡± Doris said and Cissily and Amy laughed.


    ¡°It''s because of Arnold''s mother.¡± Amy said.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Doris asked, surprised.


    ¡°She told us the trick to not being hung over!¡± Cissily said loudly. ¡°Keep drinking!¡±


    ¡°That''s odd advice for an older woman to give college students.¡± Doris said.


    Amy laughed again. ¡°She said to have another drink to stop the withdrawal symptoms, actually.¡±


    ¡°That''s what I said!¡± Cissily said. ¡°Ma, I love you.¡± She said and kissed her mother''s cheek.


    ¡°I see somebody didn''t stop at just one.¡± Doris said and turned around to help Cissily sit down at her desk, which just so happened to turn her away from seeing the lobby. By the time she turned back around, Arnold had already left the building.


    ¡°I think you better eat some of this, too.¡± Doris said and opened the bag to take out the spaghetti and meatball special and handed her daughter a plastic fork. ¡°Dig in.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Ma.¡± Cissily said as she successfully speared a meatball and shoved it into her mouth.


    *


    The first thing Arnold did was go right to the building that housed the maintenance department. Unlike a normal school with only one or two janitors, a college had a whole staff to clean the place. Since it was the weekend, they were out in force in all the areas that were normally not accessible because of the students, mainly the hallways and bathrooms of the main buildings.


    ¡°Hello.¡± The woman at the desk just inside the door said when Arnold entered. ¡°Are you here to report a mess?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I work in the biology department and I need to talk to the people in charge of vermin removal.¡±


    The woman visibly shivered. ¡°You''re going to want to see Carlos. He is all the way over in building M.¡± She said and picked up a walkie-talkie, changed the channel, and pushed the talk button. ¡°Hey, Carlos. What are you doing?¡± She asked and let the button go.


    ¡°Dammit, woman!¡± Carlos said. ¡°You made me miss my shot!¡±


    ¡°Ugh. Disgusting.¡± She said and then pushed the button. ¡°I''ve got a guy here from the biology department that wants to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°I''m busy. Tell him to come back later.¡±


    ¡°I can go meet him.¡± Arnold said and she nodded.


    ¡°He says he''ll come over to you.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well, tell him to go to the rear of M and open its grey back door.¡± Carlos said with a chuckle.


    ¡°You know, you don''t have to try and make me uncomfortable every single time I talk to you.¡±


    Carlos laughed. ¡°It''s fun seeing you squirm.¡± He said and clicked off.


    The woman changed the channel and put the walkie-talkie down. ¡°You can''t see me.¡± She said and looked around for a second, then sighed in relief. ¡°There''s a small maintenance door at the back of building M. It leads to the basement and Carlos is down there somewhere. Be careful.¡±


    Arnold nodded and left the office, then he jogged all the way across the campus to building M. It was a huge expansive building and on the front it had the large ''M'' painted on it and the sign ''Liberal Arts''. He jogged around to the back of it and searched for a grey door. It didn''t take him long to find it and it wasn''t locked. He went inside and down the small flight of stairs to the basement.


    It was full of all the things a building would have in the basement. There were heating ducts, water and sewage pipes, electrical wires, and grey paint covered everything. Luckily for Arnold, Carlos wasn''t trying to be quiet at all as he worked.


    ¡°Get back here, you stinking rat!¡± Carlos nearly yelled and there was a sound of something sparking and then a squeal. ¡°HA HA! Got you, you little bastard!¡±


    Arnold followed the sounds and easily found a dark haired man wearing a pair of janitor overalls. He was stuffing a large and still twitching rat into a large sack.


    ¡°I''ll finish you off later, my pretty! Hahahaha!¡± Carlos cackled, almost maniacally, then he saw Arnold. ¡°Oh, hey there.¡± Carlos said in a normal voice. ¡°I''m just carrying on.¡±


    Arnold looked at the bag and back at his face.


    ¡°I''m entertaining myself by pretending to be an evil villain and I''m rounding up victims to dispose of later.¡± Carlos said and waved a hand at the basement walls. ¡°There''s not a lot down here to keep a mind occupied, you know?¡± He laughed and pat a long stick on his hip. ¡°Stunning them is pretty fun, too.¡±


    Arnold looked and saw the stick had a trigger and the end was a two pronged fork.


    ¡°It''s a cattle prod.¡± Carlos said. ¡°It won''t do much against people except give them a nice shock and make them jump. Against rats and mice? It''s like magic.¡± He said. ¡°So, what did you want to talk to me about?¡±


    Arnold pointed to his bag.


    ¡°You have a rat problem in the biology department?¡± Carlos asked.


    ¡°No. I want that rat for a specimen.¡± Arnold said to his surprise.


    ¡°You do realize they are disgusting and full of diseases, right?¡± Carlos asked.


    ¡°It''ll be properly treated before it''s dissected.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I don''t know if I should hand a dangerous creature over.¡±


    ¡°Did you catch anything else?¡± Arnold asked and he shook his head. ¡°I won''t have any specimens to work on until the new orders go in next month for the fall semester, then it''ll be another month for them to come in.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, specimens don''t just grow on trees. They have to be caught.¡± Carlos said. ¡°I''m still not comfortable just handing it over... so... how about a trade?¡±


    ¡°Of what?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°How about an hour or two of helping me track these things down?¡± Carlos asked. ¡°Help me find how they are getting in, and any rats you catch you can keep.¡±


    ¡°Do you have another cattle prod?¡± Arnold asked and opened his backpack, then took out a thick canvas sack that was similar to the one Carlos held.


    ¡°Ha, you''ve done this before.¡± Carlos said when he saw the bag. ¡°I guess you would be used to catching them if you can''t afford to buy them.¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°I''ll let you take point, then.¡± Carlos said and held up the cattle prod. ¡°I''ll show you how to work this first and we can get started.¡±


    Arnold listened and learned how to work it, then it was handed to him and he started to hunt. He was surprised by how much easier it was to use a cattle prod to reach his targets and shock them. He was going to have to check their insides and see if anything was damaged from the shock, just in case; but, other than that concern, over the next hour, Arnold hunted down half a dozen rats and stuffed them into his bag.


    Carlos had been a little surprised at the young man who had taken to hunting rats with a cattle prod like he had been doing it all his life. It would have taken him two to three times as long to get as many, and he had been doing it for years. After another half an hour of not finding another rat, they stumbled upon what Carlos thought was the source of their problems. They found a small broken drain pipe that was still attached to the sewer and hadn''t been repaired.


    Carlos clicked his walkie-talkie, waited for a second, and spoke. ¡°This is Carlos. I''m still in the Building M basement and I''m pretty sure I found the source of our rat problem.¡±


    ¡°Thank god!¡± A woman''s voice said, full of relief.


    ¡°We need a sewer pipe repaired in grid six. I''ll wrap it in tape to cover the hole for now.¡±


    ¡°That''s great. I''ll let Jerry know!¡±


    Carlos hooked the walkie-talkie back to his belt. ¡°Let''s work our way back around the other side of the basement and see if we can scrounge up some more specimens for you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and they did just that. They found three more rats and no other possible entryways for them, so they went back to the stairs to leave.


    ¡°Hey, Carlos.¡± Jerry said as he came down the stairs with a big bag of tools, a length of sewer pipe, and a plastic bag of supplies. ¡°Who''s the new kid?¡±


    ¡°We worked all this time and I didn''t even get your name.¡± Carlos said with a laugh.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Arnold said and handed the cattle prod back.


    ¡°Hi, Arnold.¡± Carlos said. ¡°This is Jerry.¡±


    ¡°Hey, kid.¡± Jerry said. ¡°Carlos, you better come with me. If any of them nasty things try to jump at me while I''m working...¡±


    Carlos laughed. ¡°Not a problem, Jerry. I got your back.¡± He said. ¡°See ya, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold nodded and left the basement with a bag full of specimens.

 77 Prep Work

    Arnold''s first stop after leaving Building M was the biology department. He needed to treat the new specimens and went right down to the basement. He knew where everything was, thanks to Amy''s tour, and he grabbed one of the large empty specimen containers and put on the appropriate safety gear of goggles, face mask, apron, and gloves as he added the chemicals needed to prep a specimen.


    The main chemicals he used in the solution were formaldehyde, phenol, methanol, and glycerin. They would allow the preservation of the specimens and allow easy dissections. The solution also cleaned and disinfected them and were highly dangerous to humans if inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through the skin.


    Arnold carefully placed all nine rats inside the container and used the dipping and retrieval tool to push them down into the solution. Since the rats had only been stunned, it took them a minute or two to drown. Luckily, none of them woke up or tried to escape their watery chemical deaths. Once they died, he took each one out and made the proper small cuts on the limbs and abdominal cavity to allow the preservation fluid to enter it completely.


    Arnold put them back into the solution and covered the container, cleaned up the area, and placed the container on one of the shelves in the back of the storage area. He clearly marked it with his name, the specimen scientific name and the amount inside, and the date of preservation. He needed to let them sit for at least several days to ensure that they were properly treated.


    With that part of his prep work done, Arnold left the basement and went back to his dorm building. Of course, now that he knew there were back doors to the buildings, he looked for one on the dorm building and found the grey door. He went inside and down to the basement and walked over to where the elevator was. He hit the button and waited several minutes. It was just past supper time, so the elevator was in use a lot as the students either came back or went for something to eat.


    It dinged and Arnold stepped inside the empty elevator and hit the button for the ground floor. He stepped out when it arrived there and walked over to Doris.


    ¡°Hi, Arnold.¡± Doris said. ¡°Where are you going now?¡±


    ¡°Is the cafeteria open?¡±


    ¡°Only for students that stay here for the weekends.¡± Doris said. ¡°They even ID them at the register.¡±


    Arnold nodded and walked back over to the elevator and hit the button. He stepped in and hit the button for the top floor, then waited. When the doors opened, he was once again greeted with subdued enthusiasm. It was from all of them this time and not just the girls he had taken to lunch. They all knew now what he had done for the others, and even though more than half of them hadn''t been able to go, they all knew that if they did, he would have paid for their meals, too.


    Arnold opened his dorm room door and went inside, put his backpack away, then changed into shorts again. He walked over to the refrigerator and looked inside, grabbed the pack of cheese, then went to the cupboard and grabbed a pack of crackers. A few of the girls saw him sit at the little kitchenette table and carefully cut up some of the cheese and put it on a dozen crackers.


    Word spread to everyone and the girls that had gone to lunch with him felt extra guilty now. They had a great meal for lunch that Arnold spent quite a bit of money on, and now he sat by himself and was only eating cheese and crackers for supper.


    In their minds, he was depressed at being alone and his girlfriend wasn''t going to be coming back. Their hearts went out to him, and yet, none of them had the guts to go over to him and sit with him. They had already imposed on him a lot and none of them could figure out how to go to him and not keep imposing, because they assumed that if they went over, he would offer them some of his cheese and crackers.


    Arnold finished eating and wrapped up the cheese and put it back in the refrigerator and closed the pack of crackers and put them back in the cupboard. A few of the girls sighed sadly, because they had missed the opportunity to be there for him when he needed someone to be there, and that just added to their guilty feelings.


    It was evening now, so Arnold thought about what to do. He had to wait for his specimens to be ready, he didn''t have any homework and he also didn''t find any specimens online, so he decided to go to bed early. He walked over to his door and looked out at the girls that were looking back at him. He made eye contact with each of them and then spoke.


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Arnold said and shut the door.


    Arnold took a shower and went to bed. He slept for most of the night and woke up before his alarm went off. He made the same breakfast as he did every morning, four toast with butter and a glass of orange juice, and noted that he was almost out of bread and juice. He changed out of his sleep clothes and dressed for work in a nice suit and clean underwear. He had enough clothes and underwear to last another few days before he had to get the clothes in the laundry basket washed.


    If Annie had known he would be doing a lot of this stuff by himself, she would have given him the same ''living together with someone'' classes she had given Kelly. What groceries to buy with such limited storage space, how to do the wash and not mess it up, and how to cook quick meals. She had been so relieved about Kelly being there and teaching her that she had completely overlooked what would happen if Arnold was left alone.


    Arnold wasn''t concerned about it at the moment and opened his dorm room door to leave. He noticed that none of the other doors were open and looked at the clock beside his bed and saw that he was about an hour early for the normal hustle and bustle. He locked and closed the door, then walked as silently as he could down the hallway. He didn''t bother with the elevator this time, since it was quite noisy, and walked down the stairs.


    When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw Doris put a large plastic bag full of magazines and books on her desk. She took off her summer coat and hung it on the back of her chair and he saw that she wore a black blouse and black dress pants. As Doris took in a huge breath and let out a loud sigh, he walked over to her.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Arnold said from right behind her.


    ¡°AHHH!¡± Doris yelled and jumped into the air. She went pretty high, considering she was only five feet and five inches tall and had a lot of mass on her chest. She wore a hard cupped bra today, so her breasts didn''t visibly jiggle through her blouse. She gripped the desk to hold herself steady when she landed and she panted heavily, as if she had just run a marathon.


    ¡°By the curly hair of sweet Baby Jesus, you scared the heavens out of me!¡± Doris exclaimed when she caught her breath and turned to glare at him. ¡°Apologize to me right now!¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Arnold said and put on the face that his father always used when he apologized to his mother after she demanded an apology.


    Doris caught her breath at the repentant face and tears almost came to her eyes. ¡°Oh, it''s all right. I forgive you.¡± She said and opened her arms. ¡°Come here and give me a hug.¡±


    Arnold bent down slightly and Doris hugged him tightly to her chest. It didn''t feel right, though. ¡°I can''t feel your warm breasts today.¡± He said and that made her laugh.


    Doris let him go and she pat her chest. ¡°I''m wearing a bustier today to give my sore shoulders a rest.¡±


    Arnold reached out and put his hands on her shoulders and rubbed the clavicles with his thumbs and used his fingers to dig a little into the muscle and gave her shoulders a massage.


    ¡°I''m sorry. I can''t kiss them and make them feel better.¡± Arnold said.


    Doris took a few moments to register what he said. ¡°E-excuse me?¡±


    ¡°I''m only allowed to kiss my girlfriend, so all I can do is rub your shoulders.¡± Arnold said and kept doing it. ¡°I know it''s not as effective as kissing the sore spot, though.¡±


    ¡°W-w-wait.¡± Doris had a hard time not enjoying what he was doing, since her shoulders really were sore and getting a massage felt really, really good. ¡°If you weren''t dating Kelly...¡± She started to say and looked into his eyes. ¡°...you would rub and kiss my shoulders, because I told you that they were sore?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said without hesitation.


    Doris saw a brief glint of something in his eyes. She instinctually knew it was the look that a man gave a woman when he thought they would be sleeping together, and it gave her a little shiver. She hadn''t felt that in a while and it kind of threw her normal sensibilities off a little.


    ¡°Oh... ah... I suppose... yes, that would... be nice.¡± Doris said haltingly, then her eyes widened. What... what am I saying?


    Arnold gave her shoulders one last squeeze and let them go. ¡°I need to get to work.¡±


    ¡°O-okay. Have a good day.¡± Doris said and kept looking into his eyes to see if another glint would appear. She didn''t see it and she started to doubt if she had seen it the first time. Her mind started to justify it as some kind of irrational fantasy that she was having with a young man that was less than half her age.


    Arnold walked across the lobby and Doris walked around her desk and sat down. Right in the middle of her desk was the fortune she had found inside the cookie.


    ''Be wary of those around you''. Doris read and looked at the front door as Arnold left the building. Now I know what you meant.


    Arnold was very early for work and when he went to the professor''s office, it was closed and the lights were off. Since he didn''t know what they were going to be doing to prep for the next day''s classes, he walked over to the main lobby display called ''Adam'' and stood in front of it. Now that he had the time to examine it, he did so.


    For over an hour.


    It wasn''t until Professor Hamil Crenslav came into the lobby that Arnold stopped his examination of every aspect and detail of Adam.


    ¡°You''re here already?¡± Hamil asked.


    ¡°For an hour and twenty minutes, sir.¡± Arnold said and Hamil jerked to a stop.


    ¡°What? Why so early?¡± Hamil asked, surprised.


    ¡°I had nothing else to do.¡± Arnold responded.


    ¡°You''ve just been standing here all that time?¡± Hamil asked and Arnold nodded. ¡°Now I regret not showing you beforehand what to do to prep the lab classroom for tomorrow.¡± He said with a chuckle. ¡°Well, nothing to be done about it now.¡± He said and walked by. ¡°I just have to drop my things off in my office and we can get started on refining your education on specimen dissection.¡±


    Arnold followed him and waited just outside the office. Hamil dropped off his briefcase, a leather sachel, and his suit coat.


    ¡°To the Ice Box.¡± Hamil said and took him down into the basement. ¡°We''re doing a very detailed anatomical dissection for the students this time. We get to work on the full sized heart of a bull and the students get to work on calf hearts.¡±


    ¡°Sir, I''ve never done a heart dissection before.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°That''s why we''re doing it today. Hopefully you''ll pick up enough of it that if a student asks for assistance during the week, you''ll have enough knowledge to help them.¡±


    ¡°I''ll do my best, sir.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Now, the tools needed are slightly different, as are the materials for retrieving slivers of the tissue and preparing them for microscope viewing on slides.¡± Hamil said as they entered the storage space. ¡°Of course, I''ll have to give you a crash course on that aspect as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I''m glad that you aren''t so confident in your skills that you reject knowledge. Being able to accept that you need to learn something is essential for advancement.¡± Hamil said with a chuckle. ¡°Even I learned something new when I saw your college entrance specimen.¡±


    ¡°What was that?¡± Arnold asked as he held the cooler door open to let the professor retrieve a medium sized container.


    ¡°I ignored the obvious details in my normal specimens and didn''t label them.¡± Hamil said. ¡°Namely, the main veins, arteries, and the nervous system bundles.¡±


    Arnold thought back to the display upstairs. ¡°Adam doesn''t have them labelled, either.¡±


    Hamil laughed. ¡°No, and as Amy is so fond of saying, it is the jewel of my collection.¡± He said. ¡°It also can''t be opened to correct that oversight, since it''s permanently mounted, so I have to live with it not being complete.¡±


    Arnold nodded and closed the door, took the container from the professor and followed him back up the stairs and into the lab. Once there, the professor showed him the proper setup needed for their project. It would need to be recreated thirty six times, for three classes in a row, so the students have the same versatility.


    When that was done, the professor showed him how to properly dissect the heart to expose the insides without damaging the heart, so that the movement of the valves wasn''t impeded and would still function if air pressure was added, by either compression of the heart muscle or added externally. After that, he took appropriate tissue samples from different areas that would be tested for different diseases and prepared microscope slides for them, labelled them appropriately from the parts they were taken from, then set them in a small rack.


    ¡°And that''s that.¡± Hamil said and stood back from his work and let out a satisfied sigh. ¡°I believe we can call it a day for the learning part.¡± He said and Arnold helped clean everything up and they stored the specimen and the slides. ¡°Now we just have to set up the student areas.¡±


    Arnold nodded and they both got to work.

 78 Too Tired

    Bokuboy


    ¡°We don''t have to construct any work areas for the lab workers?¡± Arnold asked when all of the stations had been set up and the microscopes and supplies had been distributed.


    Hamil shook his head. ¡°This is only a practical lesson and not something that the regular students will be doing as a job. It may come up occasionally, and that''s why they need to understand how to do it.¡± He explained. ¡°The lab workers already know how to do all of the basic things, which is why we usually prep normal display specimens beforehand. It''s only when I introduce new items or items that they need to dissect themselves that they get their hands dirty and learn something new.¡±


    ¡°Don''t they practice?¡± Arnold asked.


    Hamil laughed. ¡°We''re lucky that they stay for the entire class some days.¡± He said. ¡°You can''t blame them, especially if lab work isn''t going to be their focus.¡±


    ¡°What other focus is there?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Mostly research in related areas. This course gives a great background for every possible field that uses biology in some capacity. I suspect a lot of them will either become teachers or research assistants in various labs, where dissections are only a small part of their actual work.¡± Hamil said and looked at the clock on the wall. ¡°It''s also just past lunch time.¡± He said, a little surprised. ¡°Well, we''re done a long time before I thought we were going to be.¡± He said. ¡°Help me cover up the place settings with sterilized cloths and then you can leave for the day.¡±


    Arnold helped cover everything and then went to the lab door. ¡°Sir, is there anything else you need my help with that you might have forgotten?¡±


    Hamil laughed. ¡°No, my boy. You can go on back to your dorm and relax.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Arnold said and left the lab and walked the eight minutes to go back to the dorm and went inside. He saw Doris and she stood up for a moment, then she sat back down.


    ¡°You''re back a little late for lunch.¡± Doris said.


    ¡°I have the rest of the day off.¡± Arnold said, and Doris had a very impure thought pass through her mind. She tried to shake it off and gave him a big smile.


    ¡°Cissily should be over soon with my lunch.¡± Doris said. ¡°You can stay here and share it with me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and walked around her desk, moved her chair back a little bit and eased her knees apart, then he sat down on the floor between the chair and the desk. Doris stared at him with wide eyes as he made himself comfortable between her legs. The chair was kind of short to accommodate her shorter legs, so Arnold rested his arms on her thighs and relaxed, just like the professor had told him.


    The best part about where he sat, was that no one walking by would be able to see him. There was an eight inch high piece of polished wood and shelf on the front of the desk that stopped people from seeing what Doris was doing on the desk. You could still see her from mid-chest up, even from outside the building; but, other than that, she was hidden behind the desk. Arnold would be completely out of sight until someone walked over to the desk and leaned over the shelf and looked down.


    Doris was too surprised by this to speak, then the front door of the dorm building opened and Cissily strode in wearing white tights and a white halter-top and she carried a plastic bag. Her short afro and dark skin were completely contrasted by the bright white and she stood out like a beacon that almost hurt the eyes to see.


    ¡°Hi, Ma.¡± Cissily said and walked over to the desk.


    Doris quickly stood up to stop her daughter from coming too close. Since Arnold was resting on her thighs, the movement pushed him forward and his forehead made a loud thump sound when it hit the edge of the desk. Doris'' face turned bright red as Arnold slumped to the floor and under the desk. Fortunately, that moved him completely out of sight.


    ¡°OH! Did you bump your knee again?¡± Cissily asked.


    ¡°Y-yes.¡± Doris lied and leaned to her right a little. ¡°I''m... okay. Just... I''m not going to be good company right now.¡±


    ¡°I hear that.¡± Cissily said and put the plastic bag with her mother''s lunch on the shelf. ¡°I''ll see you at home tonight.¡±


    ¡°I might be late.¡± Doris said and leaned forward a little.


    ¡°Yeah, returning student count, I know.¡± Cissily said. ¡°Bye, Ma.¡±


    ¡°Bye.¡± Doris said and anxiously watched her daughter as she slowly walked away. As soon as she was out the door, Doris pushed her chair back out of the way and knelt on the floor. ¡°Oh, Arnold.¡± She said and gently touched the large lump on the front of his head.


    Doris wasn''t sure how she had managed to move him from under the desk and into the back room without anyone seeing her. He was damn heavy and hard to handle, mainly because he was just dead weight. Unlike what she had seen on television and in the movies, moving an unconscious person was not an easy task, especially if you were alone.


    *


    Arnold woke up and didn''t remember going to sleep. He blinked his eyes and looked up at a really small ceiling, barely ten feet by ten feet, then he turned his head and saw a really weird expression on Doris'' face.


    ¡°You''re finally awake!¡± Doris said and leaned close and kissed his cheek. ¡°I was so worried!¡±


    ¡°Where am I?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°It''s a small room behind my desk at the dorm.¡± Doris said. ¡°I''m allowed to take breaks and sometimes if I''m here too late waiting for students to come back, I''ll sleep here and get up in the morning.¡±


    Arnold tried to sit up and felt a sharp pain on his forehead. He tried to touch it and Doris caught his hand and eased him back down to lay on the bed.


    ¡°The nurse said not to touch it and for me to keep an eye on you.¡± Doris said. ¡°You banged your head pretty hard on my desk and your forehead is pretty swollen.¡±


    ¡°Is that what happened?¡± Arnold asked. He didn''t remember doing that.


    ¡°Yes, and it was my fault. I''m so sorry.¡± Doris said. ¡°Please forgive me for being so careless.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    Doris was a bit surprised that he would forgive her so quickly for hurting him. The nurse said there was a chance for a concussion, even on a small injury, and Arnold needed to be watched and not allowed to fall back asleep. It was going to be a long night for the both of them. She had even called Cissily and told her that Arnold was hurt and that she was taking care of him. Cissily had visited and seen the state he was in and wanted to stay, too.


    ¡°No, no. You go home and relax with your friends. This is my job as a dorm mother.¡± Doris had said and Cissily reluctantly left. That had been an hour ago and Doris had debated heavily about calling Kelly to let her know. In the end, she decided it was wise to call and to tell her Arnold had fallen and banged his head, then she explained about having the nurse check him and she had him in bed resting.


    Kelly didn''t like hearing that he was hurt and wanted to rush right out to the college, as did Annie; but, it was getting late and he was being well taken care of by Doris, so she reluctantly had to rein in her emotions and agreed not to come out... if Doris texted her every half an hour to let her know how Arnold was.


    Doris did that now. ''He''s awake and doesn''t remember hitting his head. The nurse said that was normal.''


    ''Ask him his name and who his girlfriend is.'' Kelly typed back.


    ¡°Arnold, what''s your name?¡± Doris asked him.


    ¡°Arnold Strickland.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Who is your girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°Kelly Kendall.¡± Arnold said.


    ''He got both answers right.'' Doris typed.


    ''Thank god.'' Kelly typed. ''You should ask him random questions at different times and see if he gets anything wrong.''


    ''That''s what the nurse said, too.'' Doris typed. ''Don''t worry, I''ll take good care of him.''


    Kelly looked at her cell phone and sighed. She resisted the urge to respond that it was supposed to be her job. ''Give him a kiss for me and tell him I''ll see him on Saturday.''


    ''All right. I better go. I''ll text again in half an hour.'' Doris said and put her cell phone aside. ¡°That was Kelly. She said that she''ll see you on Saturday.¡±


    ¡°Is that all?¡± Arnold asked, because that was a lot of typing for such a short sentence.


    ¡°She... also said to give you a kiss from her.¡± Doris said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and Doris leaned over to kiss his cheek. He put his hand behind her head and pulled her down, and to Doris'' utter shock, he gave her a four second kiss on the lips instead.


    ¡°A-Arnold!¡± Doris exclaimed and put a hand over her mouth. ¡°Wh-what was that?¡±


    ¡°That''s how I kiss Kelly.¡± Arnold said and closed his eyes.


    ¡°NO! Don''t fall asleep!¡± Doris said and shook him slightly.


    ¡°I''m tired.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Please, stay awake and talk to me.¡± Doris said, her voice full of worry. ¡°I need you to... to... tell me about work! What did you do today?¡±


    Arnold blinked his eyes and looked at her. ¡°I showed up early...¡± He said and started to drone on about what he did at work.


    Doris kept Arnold talking, texted Kelly every half an hour like she wanted her to, and she did her best to try and stay awake. She made it almost halfway through the night when drowsiness started to overwhelm her senses. She had been awake for as long as Arnold and it wasn''t being hit on the head that made him tired, just the sheer length of staying awake for almost twenty hours straight was enough.


    She had just finished texting Kelly that Arnold was ''feeling flaghksh'' and her head nodded as she started to lose consciousness. She jerked slightly and looked at her hand and didn''t remember texting, then she blinked her eyes and her phone was on the floor and her head was resting on the firmest warm pillow she had felt in a long time.


    Doris jerked again at the thought, then she closed her eyes to try and get her bearings. She knew that was a mistake and couldn''t remember why it was, so she climbed onto her bed and hugged the firm pillow to try and figure the problem out. When she tried to hug it tightly, her bustier dug deep into the underside of her chest.


    ¡°Owww.¡± Doris moaned sadly and sat up, half asleep, and took off her blouse. She deftly unhooked the clasps on her bustier in the back and dropped it to the floor. ¡°Oh, that''s... really sore.¡± She said and touched where the underwire had dug into her skin, then laid back down and hugged the pillow. When the pillow hugged her back, she sighed happily. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said and kissed it.


    A moment later, Doris felt a gentle massage under her breasts on the sore spots and she moaned in pleasure, took a deep breath and let it out, then drifted off to the best sleep she had ever had. It never once occurred to her to ask how a nice firm pillow could give her gentle rubs.

 79 Anxiousness

    Kelly laid in bed and she almost shook from anxiety. One week. She thought. I''ve been gone for a week and Arnold''s already hurt. She sighed and rolled onto her side. If it wouldn''t upset mom and dad so much, I''d move there officially. She shook her head. No, even in the fall I can''t tell them that I''ll be living with Arnold. That would be too much for them to handle.


    Kelly didn''t realize that not living with him was starting to be too much for her to handle.


    *


    My poor Arnold! Annie thought as she stared up at the unfamiliar ceiling in the spare room at Kelly''s house. He fell and banged his head! He''s never done that before! She hugged herself. Maybe... maybe I... no, not maybe. I want to be closer to the college. She thought. Two hours away is much too far to be away from my boy!


    Her decision made, Annie resolved to look for a cheap place as close to the campus as possible. The repair work on the house had already started and the estimate the construction foreman gave was another week. The damage wasn''t as extensive as they had been worried about and Annie was glad for that. Only parts of the walls, the floor in the living room, and part of the hallway had to be replaced.


    Unfortunately, the insurance agent had been right and the porous surfaces in the entire house had to be removed and treated. Almost nothing survived. Kelly''s prom dress and Arnold''s prom suit were among the worst casualties... as was Annie''s wedding dress. She had been saving it, just for the potential, and she was deeply saddened that it was never going to be used, especially since Arnold had found a great girl that deserved to wear it.


    The rest of Annie''s clothes didn''t really matter to her, mainly because they were easily replaceable. Those rare outfits on the other hand were almost irreplaceable. She had told the insurance agent this and Sharon completely understood. She had entered them as treasured items into the inventory of damaged materials and adjusted the insurance claim appropriately.


    Of course, the beds and bedding all had to be removed and replaced, as well as all the towels, linens, blankets, pillows, and even the plush cushions on the kitchen chairs. The house looked like it had been gutted and it hurt Annie''s heart when she had been led through it on Friday. She had the distinct feeling that it wasn''t going to feel like home anymore, and now she knew why.


    She had already decided to let it go.


    With no Arnold there to keep her grounded, there wasn''t much point in staying there. He wasn''t going to be living there for years to come, assuming he moved back home after college, and Annie knew she didn''t want to wait for years to find out that she should sell it and get a smaller place. It was then that another thought occurred to her.


    Maybe Kelly and Arnold will want the house for themselves. Annie thought. It''s a good size, especially for a new couple, and it had a second bedroom that could eventually be a child''s room. She caught her breath. Children! She hugged herself tighter. They might have children. She thought. Maybe I won''t sell it after all.


    Annie drifted off to sleep with the happy thoughts of seeing a little Arnold running around.


    *


    Brad''s father was beside himself. He had worked very hard all week as he lobbied the police chief, several lawyers, and even the judge... subtly, of course... for leniency for his only child. It was his first offence of this kind and punishing him by giving him a criminal record with two felony charges was too much for a young man like him to handle. He was an upstanding citizen of the community and was just starting out with his life and didn''t need that blotch on his record.


    Of course, he didn''t believe any of that for a second. He knew what his son was like and had even encouraged him on occasion to let off some steam by going out on the town and having some fun. He was only going to be young once, and what was the point of youth if you weren''t going to be a little reckless?


    That didn''t mean he didn''t love his son and he also wanted the best for him. He just hoped that he could mitigate the damage this was going to do to his boy''s reputation and that his impassioned plea for a very lengthy term of community service instead of jail time would be accepted. He would find out in the morning and he sat at his desk in his home office and took another drink of bourbon. He sat back in his chair, crossed his arms on his belly, then closed his eyes.


    *


    Spending the week in jail had been hell for Brad and his friends. Or so they thought. They hadn''t ever been treated like common thugs their entire life and it was definitely an eye-opening experience for them. Who they were and their self-important opinions of themselves didn''t matter one bit to police officers paid to contain them or to the other people in jail who were actual criminals.


    Brad was a little concerned that he didn''t see a lot of the others, even though they were being held in the same police station. He was occasionally put into the same holding cell during the day with one of the others, almost as if the police were playing hide and seek with them, then he was brought to the single cell each night and slept on a fairly comfortable bed. He was nervous, because his arraignment was in the morning, so he didn''t sleep much.


    *


    Cissily laid in her bed and wondered how her mother was doing. She didn''t want to call, because she didn''t want to wake Arnold, not realizing that would be exactly what he would need. She had stared at the poor guy''s peaceful face and the huge lump on his forehead and she really wanted to stay there to take care of him.


    That was an odd feeling for her, especially since she didn''t really know him. She knew his situation, though. No home, working to support his family, had a prudish girlfriend that wouldn''t give him the pleasure that every guy wanted, and he was a nice guy. Nice as in the guy next door that you took home to meet mom, because he was respectable and clean cut. He was the kind of guy that any girl would be lucky to marry.


    Cissily chuckled at the thought. I''m not just any girl! I''m Cissily Thomas! The best bitch on campus! She thought with amusement. After a few moments, she let out a sigh. Still, I wouldn''t mind comforting him for a few nights... or maybe even a week. Yeah, a week would be good. She smiled and closed her eyes.


    *


    Amy laid in her bed and she wasn''t looking forward to work in the morning. Cissily had told her about Arnold falling and hurting himself, with a potential concussion, and that her mother was looking after him. After he worked his fingers to the bone all week and then also going in to work on Sunday, he hurt himself and now he might not be able to work for a day or two, assuming he didn''t have a concussion. If he did, he could be off work for a lot longer.


    Amy sighed, because she felt responsible, mainly because she had been agonizing over working Arnold so hard all week and she hadn''t done anything about it. She hadn''t talked to the professor to try and retract her statement about Arnold liking to work so hard. In fact, she didn''t even try to reduce the impact that statement had on the professor''s attitude towards Arnold.


    She reached for her nightstand and opened the small drawer and took out the over-the-counter sleeping pills. They only worked half the time she took them and she hoped that they worked this time. She took two and set her alarm for the morning, then she tucked herself down into bed and closed her eyes as she waited for them to kick in.


    *


    Officer Charlie Hallman laid in bed and was fast asleep. Unlike everyone else, he had a good day off and hadn''t had any troubles. No crisis, no pressing matter, and no worries... except for one. He had wondered how he could casually run into Annie Strickland again.


    He formulated several scenarios where he would just happen to meet her near a coffee shop, or coming out of the grocery store, and several others that were a bit ridiculous in their contriveness. He had laughed at them all, dismissed them, and decided to play it by ear. If he just happened to meet her when he was over checking on her house... in an official capacity, of course... then he would strike up a conversation with her and perhaps ask her out.


    *


    Detective Tanner on the other hand, was in her dining room and stood in front of the white board she had there. On it, she had a nice picture of Arnold in the center. He had intrigued her by not being shaken at the sight of his father''s mangled face, and she just couldn''t get him out of her head. Everything seemed to remind her of him, and that bothered her. A lot.


    Above his picture were two pictures, one of his mother and one of his dead father''s mangled face. She needed it as a reminder as to what happened. Their names were written in black marker and lines connected them to each other and to Arnold''s picture. Below Arnold''s picture was a smattering of other pictures, empty boxes with just names, and lines and arrows all over the place.


    It had taken her weeks to get this much from circumstantial evidence, then her talk with Heather Bradshaw cleared up a lot of things and gave her the best background she had on him. Detective Tanner was almost in awe over all of the things that Arnold was either involved in, both directly and indirectly, and all of the other things that revolved around him.


    This latest incident where he incited his bullies into committing a felony break and enter, was a master stroke. She wasn''t sure how he had figured out that they would incriminate themselves, though. She had to assume that they would have tried to assault him and it was just dumb luck that he wasn''t home when they decided to do it.


    Detective Tanner smiled at that. He was actually supposed to come home every weekend, according to his friends from high school. She thought and tapped the pictures of the three girls that had been happy to talk about their good friend Arnold. So, he knew he wasn''t going to be home. According to Officer Hallman''s report of the house incident, his mother and girlfriend came home from the college to find the house in the state it was, which means he also knew his mother wasn''t in danger because the house was empty.


    Detective Tanner circled Brad''s name in red marker and crossed her arms under her breasts. She stood there and looked over the board and all of the connections she had drawn between Arnold and all of the others around him.


    It all started with that first fight over Heather and he''s finally getting his revenge on you by setting you up for a fall. Detective Tanner thought and stared at Brad''s smug face. Even though you deserve it, being elegantly trapped is what''s bugging me so much.


    She gave the entire board one last look and decided to go to bed. She had an early morning if she wanted to get some work done before she popped over to the courthouse to have a little talk with the prosecutor.


    *


    Heather laid in her bed and she couldn''t fall asleep. She stared at Eric''s sleeping face and she was really happy that he was there... mostly. She knew that it was because of Arnold, and she just couldn''t get him out of her head. Eric was a pretty good lover and they definitely had a lot of fun; but, he wasn''t anywhere near as good as Arnold was, even when she tried to tell him what to do and how to do it. He just couldn''t make her feel as good.


    She held in her sigh at the thought. Even though she and Arnold played around with each other a couple of times, they had only slept together once... and yet, it had been so much more intense than any other sexual experience for her and it had only been straight missionary sex. The problem was, she didn''t know why it had been so good and she couldn''t duplicate it with Eric, no matter how many times she tried. Oh, boy, did she try.


    Heather smiled at that. She hadn''t slept with someone so many times in so short a time before. She had always tried to pace herself, so she was wasn''t getting too much of a good thing. She and Eric had used up an entire box of condoms in less than a week, when a box usually lasted for two months or more. She didn''t mind that, though. They experimented and it was just different enough each time to keep it interesting.


    What bothered her was how her mother had changed her own dress code. She only wore conservative clothes when she knew Eric was going to be around. Loose pants or long skirts were the norm, as were sweaters and tops that concealed her chest. It was really weird for Heather to see such a drastic change in her mother''s behavior after years of seeing her not trying to hide her body like Kelly did.


    Heather took in a sharp breath when she realized that was what her mother was doing. She''s hiding herself from Eric! She thought in surprise. I don''t know why, though. She''s my mom. Eric would never... well, he''d look, since he is a guy... but... he wouldn''t make a pass at her or anything.


    It was then that she remembered Arnold and how he acted around them. Her mother walked around in loose clothing that showed off her bra all the time and in tight shorts that showed off her legs or pants that made her look great... and not one bit of it affected Arnold. He didn''t react to it at all.


    Heather finally understood what her mother meant about being careful about what she said and did around Arnold. He would accept it as normal and would ignore it, because they would want him to.


    I even walked around bottomless in front of him and he didn''t stare or anything. Heather thought, then she closed her eyes and let out her breath. Mom was right. She admitted, reluctantly. I really did miss a great opportunity by throwing Arnold away over a stupid kiss that he later explained in only seconds.


    Heather tried to push her feelings for Arnold aside to make room for the guy she was with. It was a bit more difficult now, because of her revelations, and she drifted off to sleep with the slim comfort that she had someone that almost replaced him.


    *


    Claire laid in bed and she was very, very horny. Seeing another young man spend so much time in her house with her daughter was daunting, to say the least. She did her best to wear the most concealing clothing she could, so she wouldn''t see any lust in her daughter''s boyfriend''s eyes. If he even looked at her a certain way for an instant, she was pretty sure that she wasn''t going to be able to restrain herself.


    Oh, god. Claire thought as she rolled around in bed, quite restless. Arnold, what did you do to me?


    She wouldn''t admit to herself that he had unlocked her desire to have a man in her life, because she had been without a man for so long and didn''t realize she had missed having one. Arnold had been so accommodating and accepting of her that she had accepted being his girlfriend without even thinking about it.


    Claire had hidden her deep sadness from Heather when she broke up with Arnold, because that had forced Claire to break up with him, too. She deeply regretted both things and now she didn''t know what she was going to do. She wasn''t someone that did casual sex with a stranger, so that was out. Going after Heather''s new boyfriend was also out, since getting away with it once was once more than she thought could happen. Going out to try and date was also out, because men even close to her own age were not what she was looking for. There was only one thing left that she could do.


    She had to go and visit Arnold.

 80 Recovery

    Doris drifted towards consciousness and she felt the warmth of a comforting embrace. She had always enjoyed that feeling and pet the arm across her belly as if to thank it. She took in a deep breath and her chest rose up as her lungs filled, then she let the air out in a long exhale. She opened her eyes and it took her a moment to realize that she wasn''t in her bedroom.


    Oh, right. I stayed at the dorm last night. Doris thought, then she took in a quick breath. She looked at the arm across her belly and its white skin was quite stark against her bare black skin. She slowly turned her head to the side to look at the person she was in bed with, and her mind couldn''t make sense of it. Arnold''s peaceful sleeping face was right there and she didn''t remember getting in bed with him.


    What did I do last night? Doris asked herself and looked at her bare chest, having no idea how both her blouse and her bustier had disappeared, then she reached down and touched her pants. She relaxed, because she wasn''t completely naked, and she knew there was no way they could have had sex if she was still dressed this much.


    Doris rubbed her face with a hand and thought back to what she was doing the night before. She had been taking care of Arnold and making him talk to stay awake. She had been texting Kelly every half an hour and then she kind of blacked out. She glanced around and didn''t see her phone anywhere; but, she did see her blouse on the floor with her bustier on top. She kind of remembered taking them off and feeling relief, then really happy. After that... nothing until now.


    It was then that there was a soft knock on the door.


    ¡°Doris? It''s Mabel. I came to check on Arnold to see how he''s doing.¡±


    ¡°Just... just a minute!¡± Doris said and sat up, and Arnold''s arm across her belly was now wedged under her breasts. Oh, damn. She thought and carefully held his arm and slid off the bed, which rubbed the arm across the underside of her breasts. She couldn''t help but think how good that felt, shook that thought away, and shoved her bustier under the bed and picked up the blouse. There''s my phone!


    ¡°Doris, are you okay?¡± Mabel asked.


    ¡°I''m fine. I just dozed off.¡± Doris said and slipped her blouse on and whispered to Arnold as she buttoned it and leaned over him. ¡°Arnold! Wake up!¡±


    Arnold blinked his eyes and looked at her.


    ¡°It''s morning.¡± Doris whispered.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Arnold said and kissed her briefly, which stunned her.


    ¡°Doris?¡± Mabel said.


    ¡°What... what time is it?¡± Doris asked as she recovered from the kiss.


    ¡°Almost seven o''clock.¡± Mabel responded.


    ¡°Oh, thank god.¡± Doris said and stood up, then she opened the door. ¡°I thought I might have overslept.¡±


    Mabel smiled. ¡°How long did you last?¡±


    ¡°Let me check.¡± Doris said and turned on her phone. ¡°The last text I sent was apparently at two am.¡± She read it and shook her head. ¡°I don''t remember telling Kelly that Arnold was feeling flagsksh.¡±


    Mabel laughed. ¡°Well, if you kept Arnold awake that long, him being asleep between then and now shouldn''t be too worrying.¡± She knelt by the bed and didn''t say anything about the body shaped depression in the blanket. ¡°Arnold? How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°I''m okay.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± Mabel asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I''m a nurse that works for the university.¡± Mabel said. ¡°You banged your head yesterday and I''m here to check on you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said she gave him a quick physical examination. She even used a pen light to check his eyes.


    ¡°The swelling''s gone down on that bump, so that''s good. The bruise on the other hand is going be around for a while.¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°I''m glad you aren''t any worse for the wear.¡± Mabel said and stood up. ¡°I''d suggest staying in bed for the day...¡±


    ¡°I have to get to work.¡± Arnold said and sat up.


    Mabel sighed. ¡°I''ll allow it, as long as you make sure that if you feel dizzy, you sit down immediately and have someone call me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and stood up and he still had on his pants.


    Mabel knew nothing had happened, even though the evidence pointed to something happening. ¡°Doris, I''d suggest you go to bed as well; but, I know you''re just as stubborn as he is.¡±


    Doris smiled. ¡°Thanks for coming over and waking us up.¡±


    Mabel chuckled. ¡°Uh huh.¡± She said and looked at Arnold. ¡°I look forward to not seeing you later.¡± She said cryptically and left the little room and shut the door.


    ¡°She means that she hopes you are okay and no one has to call her.¡± Doris explained and Arnold nodded. ¡°Arnold... last night...¡±


    ¡°You looked very pretty.¡± Arnold said, to her surprise. ¡°I''m sorry we couldn''t have sex.¡±


    Doris caught her breath. ¡°Arnold!¡±


    ¡°Are you still sore?¡± Arnold asked and quickly unbuttoned her blouse and slid his hands inside and under her breasts, then massaged the groves in her skin that the thick underwire had put there.


    ¡°Oh, god above.¡± Doris whispered and couldn''t hold in her moan as he rubbed her sore spots. ¡°Arnold.¡±


    ¡°I need to get a shower and get to work.¡± Arnold said and slid his hands away from her body and buttoned her blouse back up.


    ¡°Arnold, you... don''t tell anyone...¡± Doris started to say.


    ¡°I know.¡± Arnold said and gave her a four second kiss with a little tongue. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Doris covered her mouth. ¡°What was that for?¡±


    ¡°Kelly said you can kiss me for her.¡± Arnold said and put on his shirt, picked up his suit coat and opened the door to the small room, and left.


    ¡°She... she only meant...¡± Doris said in a soft whisper. ¡°...just once.¡±


    *


    All the girls on Arnold''s floor had heard the news that he had fallen and banged his head. When he didn''t return last night, they knew it must have been bad if he couldn''t even return to his room to sleep. When the elevator doors opened and Arnold stepped out, nearly all of them greeted him warmly and asked if he was all right. They were relieved to hear that he was and were also a little concerned over the large bruise on his forehead.


    Arnold walked down the hallway to his dorm room door and saw a plastic bag hung on the door handle. He picked it up and looked inside to see a chicken and rice takeout platter from the Chinese restaurant and a note.


    ''Thanks for lunch the other day. Here''s supper in return. Daisy.'' Arnold read and turned around to look down the hallway at the girls faces and one of them waved. ¡°Daisy?¡± He asked and she nodded. He opened his door and put the food in the small refrigerator and hung his suit coat on a chair, then walked back down the hallway to her. ¡°I can''t kiss you to thank you.¡± He said to her surprise, then he leaned in close and turned his head. ¡°You can kiss my cheek if you want.¡±


    Daisy smiled and pressed her lips to his cheek for three seconds.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and walked back to his room and went inside. The other girls were stunned by what they just saw, then someone hissed and they all turned to look. Arnold stripped off completely and went to the bathroom, took a quick shower and dried off, then dressed in another suit... without shutting any of the doors. He shut and locked the dorm room door as he left and walked all the way back down the hallway to the elevator.


    *


    Amy had slept pitifully and she was drowsy as she showed up for work early. She usually waited until just before she needed to show up before she arrived. This time, she needed to be there early to warn the professor about Arnold''s absence. She walked into Building F and waited for the elevator, then went up to the next floor and stepped out.


    She was not looking forward to this conversation, because she wasn''t sure how to explain it without blaming either herself or the professor. She stepped into his office and saw that he was writing something out, so she waited for him to finish before she spoke.


    ¡°Good morning, Amy.¡± Hamil said and put his pen down and smiled. ¡°Writing progress reports on employees is hard work.¡±


    Amy took in a breath and let it out. ¡°Sir, about that.¡± She said and he gave her an inquisitive look. ¡°It''s about Arnold.¡±


    ¡°What about him?¡±


    ¡°Apparently he fell yesterday and banged his head.¡± Amy said. ¡°He was knocked out and...¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Hamil jumped to his feet. ¡°Where did this happen? Is he all right? Did he see the nurse? Who is taking care of him? Where is he now?¡±


    Amy was surprised at the professor''s response and it shook her a little. ¡°Um... well...¡± she couldn''t remember the questions he asked and was at a loss for words.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Hamil said loudly as Arnold stepped into the office.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Amy said when she turned to look. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Working.¡± Arnold responded.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± Hamil asked and walked over to him.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°That''s some mark on your forehead.¡± Hamil remarked.


    Amy saw the bump and bruise and stopped her gasp before she let it out. He really hit it hard. She thought in sympathy. ¡°Is it sore?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You can''t rub it or kiss it to make it better, though.¡± Arnold said and Amy was glad that you couldn''t normally notice it when she blushed.


    ¡°It would be nice if she could, wouldn''t it?¡± Hamil asked with a laugh and then waved behind them. ¡°Let''s get to the lab and uncover the student areas, then we''ll go down to the Ice Box and get the specimens needed for the first class.¡±


    ¡°Sir.¡± Amy and Arnold walked over to the lab with the professor and they quickly uncovered everything and made sure it was all still set up properly. After that, they went down into the basement and gathered up enough calf hearts for the first class and went back up to the lab. They spread them out to place one at each student position and then brought out the large bull heart that Arnold and the professor had worked on the day before.


    The professor went to the front of the lab and Amy and Arnold took up their positions by the wall on either side of the desk. The six lab workers came in a few minutes before class was supposed to start and they were surprised that everything was already set up. Cissily turned to Amy to thank her for coming in early to do it and saw who stood on the other side of the professor.


    ¡°Arnold! What the fuck?!?¡± Cissily exclaimed and almost ran as she went over to him to give him a hug. ¡°How are you?¡±


    ¡°I''m okay.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Cissily asked and reached for his forehead, then stopped her hand before it touched his skin.


    ¡°Working.¡±


    ¡°You should be in bed and resting.¡± Cissily said and put her hand on his shoulder instead. ¡°Did you see the nurse?¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°She recommended staying in bed, then said if I felt dizzy, I should sit down and have someone call her.¡±


    ¡°If you do get dizzy, you tell me right away and I''ll call the nurse.¡± Cissily said.


    ¡°Her number exchange is 826.¡± Arnold said, to everyone''s surprise.


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Cissily asked.


    ¡°It''s in the directory.¡±


    ¡°What''s the biology department?¡± Dianne asked.


    ¡°616.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Cafeteria.¡± Someone else said.


    ¡°234.¡±


    ¡°Library!¡± Someone else nearly yelled.


    ¡°989.¡±


    ¡°The administration office.¡± Amy said.


    ¡°001.¡±


    ¡°That''s enough mental testing for a concussion.¡± Hamil said with a chuckle. ¡°Please, take your places.¡±


    Cissily gave Arnold''s shoulder a squeeze, looked at his forehead for a second, then let him go and walked over to her designated table. None of the other workers missed that subtle exchange.


    The students came in and the class started, so the professor gave them all a rundown on what the lab was going to be about, then started to teach them how to perform the tasks needed.


    The class ended and the students left, the place settings and the specimens were replaced, then the next class came in. They learned what they needed to and left. The places were reset and new specimens brought out, then the next class came in. No one needed extra help, since the project was fairly easy, and the morning rush of students ended.


    The lab workers stayed this time and they all helped clean the lab up and put the specimens away. Arnold handled the equipment and graded and marked them, the uses, and then stored it in the right spot. He sat down at the professor''s desk and modified the inventory spreadsheet, shut it down, and put it and the clipboard away.


    ¡°Excellent work, everyone.¡± Hamil said. ¡°Please, enjoy the rest of your day.¡± He said and looked at Arnold. ¡°You as well. You know the setup for tomorrow and can do it then.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Arnold said and followed Amy and the lab workers out of the lab.


    ¡°Come and eat with me.¡± Cissily said and took Arnold''s hand and one of the others pushed the button for the elevator.


    ¡°I always eat with you when you''re there.¡± Arnold said and she smiled.


    ¡°You usually don''t show up until later, though.¡± Cissily said and Amy sighed. ¡°I''d tell you to ignore her, but she''s been worried about you all fucking week.¡±


    ¡°Cissily!¡± Amy exclaimed and Cissily laughed. They all stepped into the elevator and rode it down one floor.


    ¡°She''s been bitching and complaining about how much work you''ve been doing, I swear.¡± Cissily said as the elevator doors opened.


    ¡°I like to work.¡± Arnold said and they all stepped out and walked across the lobby.


    ¡°That''s what I told her.¡± Cissily laughed. ¡°She almost had a fit when she heard you were hurt, too.¡±


    ¡°You weren''t supposed to tell him that!¡± Amy said loudly.


    ¡°Look, you can deny it all you want.¡± Cissily said and hugged Arnold''s arm. She wore a cloth bra today, so there was no resistance whatsoever as his arm slid between her breasts and indented her top. ¡°She''s starting to have those kinds of feelings for you and she doesn''t know what to do about it.¡±


    ¡°And what feelings are those?¡± Amy asked angrily as she held the front door open for everyone.


    ¡°You care about him.¡± Cissily said.


    ¡°I... do not.¡± Amy lied, badly. Cissily and the lab workers laughed.


    ¡°That was a horrible attempt at lying.¡± Cissily said and they all walked towards the main building with the cafeteria in it. ¡°Can you do better than that if we give you some time to answer?¡±


    Amy opened her mouth to respond, then closed it, because of the trap Cissily had just laid out for her. The others started up conversations as they approached the building, then when they entered the cafeteria, they got in line to get their food. Cissily had to let go of Arnold''s arm to get her food and Arnold didn''t even have to ask the slightly overweight woman behind the counter for his. She did up the chicken and fries and handed it to him, then handed over a small dish with ice cream in it.


    ¡°Sorry, no jello today.¡± She said and he nodded.


    They went to the register and Angela had his root beer already done up, he paid her, and then the lab workers split up to go sit with their friends. Cissily pointed to a table off to the side and the redhead that was sitting there. She and Amy walked over and Arnold followed them.


    ¡°Hey, Maxine! How''s it hangin''?¡±


    ¡°If I had a penis, I''m sure you would have put it to good use already.¡± Maxine said with a laugh.


    ¡°Fucking right.¡± Cissily said and sat down. ¡°Amy, let Arnold sit on my right. That''s my dominant arm.¡±


    ¡°Oh, for fuck''s sake.¡± Amy said and moved over to her left. ¡°You better not think of doing what I think you''re thinking of doing.¡±


    Cissily laughed and they all sat down and started eating.

 81 Taking Care Of Arnold

    Unlike what Amy thought, Cissily didn''t do anything except talk to Arnold and occasionally pat his arm, his thigh, and once even slipped her hand under his suit coat around his back and gave him a little hug, all while eating. When he finished eating, Cissily reminded him that her mother will keep looking after him to make sure he really was better.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and brought the dishes and tray back to the counter and left.


    ¡°Cissily, what the hell are you doing?¡± Amy asked.


    ¡°Seducing him, of course.¡± Cissily said and pushed her mostly eaten lunch away.


    ¡°Cissily...¡±


    ¡°Hey, you challenged me, remember?¡± Cissily chuckled.


    ¡°What?¡± Maxine looked from her to Amy. ¡°What''s this challenge?¡±


    Cissily quickly explained about how Amy was prohibited from making moves on Arnold by his mother and how Amy had casually suggested Cissily do it in her place.


    ¡°Oh... oh, you bitches.¡± Maxine said with a laugh. ¡°I''d want in on this if I thought for a second he would even look at me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Amy and Cissily blinked their eyes and looked at her.


    ¡°You didn''t notice that he completely ignored me this whole time?¡± Maxine asked. ¡°He hasn''t even said hello.¡±


    ¡°Did you say hello to him?¡± Cissily asked. ¡°I only remember you ever saying it to us and not to him.¡±


    Maxine had to think about that. ¡°Well, fuck.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Cissily barked a laugh. ¡°You were upset about being ignored and you ignored him first! Ha ha!¡±


    ¡°All right, don''t rub it in.¡± Maxine said and finished her meal. ¡°I guess I can''t expect him to pay attention to me if I didn''t say anything to him to get that attention.¡±


    ¡°Bingo!¡± Cissily said. ¡°You sent the ''leave me alone'' signal right off and he listened to it.¡±


    ¡°Well, you''re sending the ''dammit, fuck me'' signals all over the place, so even if I did want to talk to him, I''d be shoved out of the way.¡± Maxine chuckled.


    ¡°I wonder if he caught any of them?¡± Cissily asked with a grin.


    ¡°That depends how far up his thigh your hand reached.¡± Maxine said and waved at the other girls at the table. ¡°Yes, we all noticed.¡±


    ¡°I think half of the cafeteria noticed.¡± Amy said and they all laughed.


    *


    Doris sat behind her desk and she was in the midst of a huge moral quandary. She knew Kelly''s intention was to let her give Arnold a kiss goodnight the one time, and she was caught completely off-guard when Arnold took her words literally. Now he believed that he could kiss her like he kissed his girlfriend, because she had repeated what Kelly said, word for word.


    She didn''t know what to do. She knew she should tell him that he shouldn''t be kissing her like that, because she knew that wasn''t what his girlfriend would want... and yet... he was a great kisser and didn''t seem to mind that she was so much older than him and a completely different color. He also didn''t seem to mind touching her slightly chubby body.


    Doris closed her eyes briefly as she remembered Arnold unbuttoning her blouse and she hadn''t said anything or even tried to stop him. Heavens, that felt so damn good. She thought and used a thumb to touch the spot through her blouse. She hadn''t put the bustier back on and her chest was currently unrestrained. No one had noticed, thankfully. As long as she didn''t move to quickly or laugh too loudly, they wouldn''t.


    It took her most of the morning to convince herself that she should take Arnold aside and tell him, definitively, that he can''t keep kissing her and that she didn''t need her sore spots rubbed.


    That''s such a lie. Doris thought. Having him rub my sore spots was wonderful, and he didn''t grope my breasts, even though he had his hands tucked under them and they rested on the backs of his hands. She smiled. What man wouldn''t take the chance to grab them?


    Her mental question was answered as Arnold came in through the front door. Her heart sped up at the sight of him. He was well dressed, had a great job, and he was courteous and made her laugh.


    If he wasn''t so damn young, he would be the perfect man. Doris thought as he walked over to her desk.


    ¡°Cissily said you still need to take care of me.¡± Arnold said, then he walked around her desk and went into the little room.


    Sweet baby Jesus, why do you tempt me so? Doris asked herself and she was glad that there wasn''t anyone in the lobby, because they had gone for lunch. She didn''t hesitate as she picked up her cell phone. ¡°Hi, there.¡± ¡°Yes, I know it''s short notice. At least it''s only half a day.¡± ¡°You know I wouldn''t call if it wasn''t important.¡± ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± She said and hung up.


    Doris put a small wooden sign out on the front of the desk that said she would be back in ten minutes, then went into the small room. She saw that Arnold already had his suit coat off and was unbuttoning his shirt. She locked the door and stood there and watched him as he took off his shirt. When he moved to climb onto the bed, she spoke.


    ¡°The pants, too. I tried to take your pants off last night so you would be comfortable; but, I couldn''t manage it without disturbing you too much.¡± Doris lied and surprised herself. What am I saying that for? She asked herself as Arnold took off his dress pants and she saw the bulge in his underwear. Oh. That''s why.


    Arnold climbed onto the bed and laid back to relax, then looked at her and waited.


    Heaven help me. Doris thought as she slowly unbuttoned her blouse and watched his face as she opened her top to reveal her large chest. Come on, Doris! Tell him he can''t kiss you anymore. Tell him!


    Her thoughts stopped when she saw the glint in his eyes that she had convinced herself that she hadn''t seen in his eyes before, then she remembered him apologizing for not having sex with her last night. She hung her blouse on the chair and then her breathing sped up slightly as she opened up her own dress pants and slipped them off. She folded them up and put them on the chair, then she turned to face him wearing just her underwear.


    ¡°You look very pretty.¡± Arnold said and saw a wet spot grow between her legs. ¡°Your panties are getting wet.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Doris looked down at herself. ¡° Oh, damn.¡± She said and pulled them away from her, then she sighed and took them off and hung them on the door handle. ¡°That''s going to take a while to dry.¡± She said and grabbed a few tissues and rubbed herself.


    ¡°Is it sore?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°It''s aching a little, yes.¡± Doris said.


    ¡°I can''t kiss it to make it feel better; but, I can rub it if you want.¡± Arnold said and she caught her breath and held the tissues to herself to contain the small gush that came out.


    What am I doing? Doris asked herself and shook her head. ¡°Arnold, I... I don''t think...¡±


    ¡°You can rub mine, too.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Kelly said it was okay to masturbate, as long as I''m thinking of her when I do it.¡±


    Doris trembled at his words and she closed her eyes as she had another small orgasm. She tried to stop herself from getting on the bed and her mind protested her actions, and her body did it anyway. She laid down beside Arnold and the contrast between their skin tones was just as stark as it ever was, then Arnold reached over and slid his hand between her legs.


    Doris almost screamed at the touch and bit her tongue to stop herself. When he started rubbing, she squirmed and writhed at the shocks of pleasure his fingers gave her. She didn''t want to suffer the indignation alone, so she grabbed him and started to rub him, too. They both took their time as they played with each other and they looked into each other''s eyes the entire time.


    *


    The woman Doris called to take over as Dorm Mother for the afternoon arrived at the building and went inside. She moved the wooden sign and sat down just in time, because lunch was about to end and the traffic in the lobby started up again. Almost no one noticed that it wasn''t Doris behind the desk and the ones that did knew she had been taking care of Arnold and ignored her absence anyway.


    The afternoon changed to evening, then to night, and the woman at the desk finished the roll call on the sheet on the desk, put the sign out again, then left the building.


    *


    Doris woke up with a start and looked around, then saw a naked Arnold beside her. Oh, right. She thought and looked down at herself. How in the world didn''t we have sex after all of that? She asked herself and her mind replayed them playing around with each other for hours and hours. No wonder we fell asleep after that marathon!


    They had used up a lot of tissues... a lot of tissues... and she shook her head at the debauchery she had partaken in. She hadn''t felt that good in a long time and all they did was use their hands. She had surprised herself by not only doing it, but by being enthusiastic about it. She didn''t know that she had the capability to do what she did, let alone the energy to do it.


    Doris chuckled and picked up her cell phone and checked the time. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± She said. ¡°Arnold. Arnold! We missed supper!¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Arnold opened his eyes and looked at her. ¡°I have a chicken and rice platter in the refrigerator.¡±


    ¡°That sounds good, actually.¡± Doris said. ¡°Um... we also need to shower after... well...¡±


    Arnold nodded and sat up, then crawled over her and stood up. He used a couple more tissues to wipe himself off and pulled on his underwear, then put on his pants and shirt. After he dressed, he used a couple more tissues and wiped her off, then handed over her panties. Doris stared at him in disbelief for a second, then she took the underwear and stood up herself and put them on.


    Doris put on her pants and blouse next and Arnold gave her his suit coat to wear. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said and folded up the wet blanket and looked at the sheets. They were damp in a few places as well and she took them and folded them up, too. She tucked them under the bed with her bustier and the two of them left the small room. No one was around this late, so they went to the elevator.


    Arnold knew Doris wasn''t going to walk up four stories of stairs because it was quieter, so they rode the elevator up to the top floor and stepped out. Only two of the doors in the hallway were still open, and Doris took in a breath and held it as she and Arnold walked down the hallway. The first open door they passed, there was no reaction. The second door was Emily''s.


    ¡°Arnold? Is that you?¡± A soft voice asked from inside the dorm room.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said and Emily came out. She only wore a tiny pair of shorts and a thin t-shirt.


    ¡°Oh! Hi, Doris!¡± Emily said. ¡°I''m glad you''re taking good care of him.¡±


    ¡°She did. All afternoon and evening.¡± Arnold said and opened his dorm room door. Doris blushed and she was glad that they couldn''t tell.


    ¡°That''s great.¡± Emily said and did her best to not let her envy show. She would have loved to take care of Arnold all day, then she saw both of them step into his room. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°We missed supper, so I''m sharing my supper with her.¡± Arnold said and shut the door.


    Doris sat at the table and Arnold went to the small refrigerator and brought out the large take-out food container. Doris was surprised at the amount of food on the platter and Arnold divided it in half onto two plates, then microwaved one and stirred it up and cooked it again. He gave that to Doris and cooked the second plate for himself and then sat down across from her.


    They ate the food and it tasted just as good as if it had come directly from the restaurant. When their plates were empty, Doris sat back and sighed contentedly.


    ¡°That was delicious.¡± Doris said. ¡°I have to get the number for that place.¡±


    Arnold pointed at the small stack of take-out menus and the Chinese place was right on the top. Doris chuckled and took out her cell phone, then noted the number as Arnold took the plates to the sink and rinsed them off. After that was done, he walked over to the closet and took off his suit and hung it up, then he slipped off his underwear and tossed it into the laundry basket.


    ¡°You''ll have to wash them soon.¡± Doris said and tried to distract herself from seeing him walking around naked.


    ¡°I don''t know how.¡± Arnold said and walked over to the bathroom, then he turned the water on and started to shower. Doris thought about resisting, then sighed and quickly stripped off, put her clothes on her chair, and went into the bathroom to join him in the shower for some nice cleaning fun.


    *


    Emily stood there and stared at the closed door for several minutes, then she smelled chicken and rice warming up. That smells really good. She thought and her stomach rumbled. Too good. She sighed and went into her room and shut the door. I wish it was me in there eating with him.


    She went back to bed and tried to stay awake and listen for when Doris left, then she drifted off to sleep and missed it when Doris did pass by an hour later.


    *


    I can''t believe I just did all of that. Doris thought as she walked just off of campus and back to her place. I''m not sore or tired, either. She chuckled and unlocked her front door, entered her house, then closed and locked the door again. Did today really happen? Was I carrying on with an eighteen year old? Was I really? She shook her head in disbelief. Forgive me lord, for I have become a Cougar.


    ¡°Maaa? Is thatchoo?¡± Cissily asked and leaned against the door frame of the living room.


    ¡°You''re not supposed to be drinking with your friends during the week, young lady!¡± Doris spat.


    ¡°I''ve got the day off tomorrow! Ha ha!¡± Cissily said and raised a beer to her. ¡°It''s not as fun without anyone here, though.¡±


    ¡°You''re alone?¡± Doris asked, surprised. ¡°Where''s Fareena and Maxine?¡±


    ¡°In bed.¡± Cissily said. ¡°I get a day off of classes and there''s no one to share it with.¡±


    ¡°Well... maybe... one beer.¡± Doris said, then she suddenly had a beer in her hand.


    ¡°MA!¡± Cissily said and dragged her into the living room. ¡°Sit! Sit!¡± She said and shoved her down, then sat next to her mother with her legs underneath her. ¡°How was your day? Didya take care of Arnold?¡±


    Doris blushed and Cissily laughed, because she could tell.


    ¡°You gotta tell me what made you blush!¡± Cissily said. ¡°Come on, drink.¡± She motioned to the beer. ¡°Tell me all about it.¡± She said and was quiet for a moment while Doris opened the beer and took a big gulp of it. ¡°Oh, I just thought of something that would make you blush! You saw his bright white dick, didn''t you? Ha hahaha!¡±


    Doris blushed more and Cissily knew that was exactly what had her mother embarrassed.


    ¡°Tell me it was a good one.¡± Cissily said. ¡°I''ve been dreaming of it and it better be big.¡±


    Doris thought about lying, she really did, then she slowly held her hands about seven inches apart.


    ¡°OHO! HA HAHA!¡± Cissily laughed loudly. ¡°Yep! Definitely a nice fun stick there!¡±


    ¡°Cissily, we... we really shouldn''t talk about it.¡± Doris said and took another big drink.


    ¡°Ma, when was the last time you saw a dick, let alone a white one?¡± Cissily asked. ¡°Damn, it must have been a nice surprise.¡± She said. ¡°I gotta step up my game if I wanna see it for myself.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Doris looked at her with wide eyes.


    ¡°I need to be a lot friendlier to get me some of that.¡± Cissily said and took a drink. ¡°Good god, I wanna be a cowgirl and ride that bucking bronco!¡± She said with a laugh.


    ¡°Cissily!¡± Doris exclaimed and Cissily laughed harder.


    ¡°Now that you''ve seen it, I bet you do, too.¡± Cissily said.


    ¡°CISSILY!¡± Doris yelled.


    ¡°Geez, Ma. You don''t have to yell. I''m right here.¡± Cissily took another drink.


    ¡°Arnold is exclusive with his girlfriend. He won''t have sex with anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and he has to wait for her to ask for sex, and she won''t be here to stay until the fall.¡± Cissily said and Doris caught her breath. ¡°That was my reaction, too.¡± She snorted a laugh. ¡°The poor bastard can''t get his rocks off because she won''t even give him a blowjob!¡±


    Doris gasped and Cissily nodded.


    ¡°My heart goes out to him, you know?¡± Cissily said. ¡°He must be going crazy with not getting laid.¡±


    Doris reluctantly nodded. No wonder he was so eager to masturbate with me. She thought. He''s been repressing his sexual urges this whole time. When Kelly gave him an exception, he jumped on it with gusto.


    Cissily droned on about something and Doris wasn''t really listening as she thought about Arnold.


    If he needs someone to help him in his time of need, then I will. Doris thought as she made her decision. She felt herself twitch and contract down below and ignored the fact that she would be doing it just as much for herself as for him. ¡°Maybe you shouldn''t push him too much. If he takes it the wrong way, you could ruin your friendship if he rejects you.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, Ma. I got this.¡± Cissily said. ¡°I''ll have his dick in me in no time.¡±


    ¡°Cissily!¡± Doris exclaimed.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You shouldn''t say things like that in front of me.¡± Doris said, a little sternly.


    ¡°Then turn around.¡± Cissily said and laughed. ¡°Oh! Maybe he can pound me from behind the first time. That would be nice.¡± She said and took a drink and sighed. ¡°Yeaaaah, definitely from behind.¡±


    Doris turned her head to the side and couldn''t stop her blush from returning. That really would be nice. She thought and took a big drink of beer to finish it off. ¡°I need another beer.¡±


    ¡°Get me one, too.¡± Cissly said and drained hers. ¡°Ahhh.¡±


    Doris came back with two ice cold beers and the two of them kept drinking.

 82 Dorm Mother

    Arnold got up the next morning and ate breakfast. It used up the last of his bread, too. He changed out of his sleep clothes and put on his last clean pair of underwear, then he dressed in a different suit and picked up the laundry basket. He left his dorm room at the normal time and the hallway was populated with women again.


    ¡°Hi!¡± ¡°Morning!¡± ¡°Hey, you.¡± ¡°Hi, sexy!¡± ¡°Hey, we agreed no terms of endearment!¡±


    A few of the girls laughed at that. Arnold said hello and waved to them as he passed and pushed the button for the elevator. He waited for it to arrive and stepped inside. It was almost always empty when he called it. If he had thought about it, he would know it was because everyone was usually already on his floor and he was the first one to leave every morning. When it reached the ground floor, he stepped out to see a few people in the lobby and walked over to Doris'' desk.


    ¡°Good morning, Arnold.¡± Doris said and her voice was a little off. ¡°Just leave the basket here behind the desk. I''ll take care of it for you.¡±


    Arnold walked around the desk and put his laundry basket down. When he knelt, Doris leaned in and gave him a quick kiss, out of sight of everyone.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and stood, then walked back around her desk and across the lobby. He left the building and walked over to Building F and went inside. Once there, he started work and set up the classroom again, then went to the Ice Box on his own and retrieved the required specimens. It took a couple of trips and he finished just as Amy and the other lab workers entered the lab.


    ¡°Good morning everyone.¡± Professor Hamil Crenslav said as he came into the lab right behind them and saw that it was all set up. ¡°Arnold?¡±


    Amy and the others nodded.


    ¡°Very well. Only the minutiae to be dealt with, then.¡± Hamil said with a smile.


    ¡°Only you would think dealing with the school population is minutiae, Professor.¡± Dianne said with a laugh.


    ¡°You know I meant only the normal students.¡± Hamil responded with a sly smile. ¡°It is a trial one must endure to teach the people here that want to learn the actual course material.¡±


    They all nodded and he went to his desk.


    ¡°Then take your places and let''s have another smooth day.¡± Hamil said, and they did. When the morning was over, everyone helped to clean up like they had the day before and they were done around the same time. ¡°Arnold, I have some materials I''d like for you to read over this afternoon. Come to my office after lunch to get it, will you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°The rest of you, enjoy your day.¡±


    Amy, Arnold and the lab workers left the lab and took the elevator down to the ground floor. They had their conversations and Arnold went along with them to the main building and into the cafeteria. He thanked the woman behind the counter as she passed him his regular meal. He bought lunch from a smiling Angela and when the group split up to go sit with their friends, he looked around at the tables for an empty spot.


    Amy sighed. ¡°Come on. Even if Cissily isn''t here, you can still sit with us.¡±


    Arnold followed her to the table the redhead sat at and they sat down.


    ¡°Hi, Arnold.¡± Maxine said.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°How was work today?¡± Maxine asked, since Cissily wasn''t there to carry the conversation like she normally did.


    ¡°Easy.¡± Arnold said and started eating.


    ¡°What?¡± Amy looked at him. ¡°You set up the whole lab by yourself, including the specimens, and that was easy?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said.


    Amy looked at Maxine and the other girls at the table. They had the same surprised looks on their faces as she did. They all talked back and forth about different things, mostly wasting time while they ate, and Maxine asked Arnold a few different and random questions, just to include him in the conversation.


    Arnold finished eating and picked up his tray. ¡°I need to get back to the lab.¡± He said and walked over to the counter. The woman behind it gave him a wave and thanked him as he left.


    ¡°He''s definitely an odd one.¡± The black girl with dreadlocks commented.


    *


    Doris stood in front of the washing machines in the basement of the dorm building and she resisted her urge to bury her face into Arnold''s dirty clothes. She separated the whites from the darks and washed them in two loads, then tossed them into the dryer together. When it dinged at her, this time she gave in to her urge and held the hot clothing to her face.


    For some reason, that always felt refreshing, like an unexpected warm hug.


    Doris chuckled at the thought and put the clothes back into the laundry basket. I can just ask him for a hug when I want one. She thought and smiled as she picked up the basket and walked over to the elevator. She took it up one floor and went over to her desk and put the basket behind it and sat down. That went faster than I thought it would.


    Doris absently started folding things up from the basket and sorted it out, because she had done it automatically for years, and she piled the folded things back into the basket. Arnold came into the dorm building and he had several large books in his hands.


    ¡°The professor''s got you on a reading kick already?¡± Doris asked and Arnold nodded. ¡°I''ve got your laundry done, too. You can come back down for it after you drop off those books.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and went to the elevator. He went up to his room and dropped off the books and came right back down to get the laundry. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said as he bent down to get the basket, then gave her a quick kiss.


    ¡°Arnold, we... we shouldn''t...¡± Doris said and then she sighed. ¡°I told myself that if you needed me to do things, I''d do them... but... I''m afraid.¡± She admitted. ¡°Saying you''ll do something is one thing. When it comes to actually doing it, it''s a different situation altogether.¡±


    ¡°I don''t understand.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I know. Neither do I.¡± Doris said and smiled. ¡°That''s the thing about people. We can have all these conflicts of conscience and our behaviour can change at a moment''s notice.¡±


    Arnold gave her a blank face and she sighed.


    ¡°I was going to ask you a very personal question and not only am I afraid of the answer, I''m afraid of what I''ll do with that answer.¡± Doris said. ¡°You see, I''m a mature woman and you''re a handsome young man. I can''t help but enjoy spending time with you, because you make me feel good about myself. You even look at me like I''m not a much older woman.¡±


    Arnold tilted his head to the side and she assumed he was confused.


    ¡°Yes, it''s confusing.¡± Doris sighed. ¡°I need to make something clear before anything else happens.¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°When you were hurt and Kelly gave me permission to kiss you for her, she only meant just that once.¡±


    ¡°Did she say it was only once?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Doris said. ¡°It''s just assumed that there''s a limitation on things like that.¡±


    Arnold took out his cell phone and started typing.


    ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± Doris asked, a little afraid of the answer.


    ¡°Asking Kelly about it.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°But... no, she...¡± Doris'' words trailed off. She''s going to be angry.


    *


    ¡°That was a great lunch, Katheryn.¡± Annie said. ¡°You''re quite talented at quick meals.¡±


    Katheryn nodded. ¡°When you have a husband that can leave and then show up at short notice, sometimes with company, you need to learn to adapt and make food quickly... or pretend to not be home.¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡± Kelly exclaimed and both Katheryn and Annie laughed.


    ¡°You''re not supposed to teach her secret wife tricks until she gets married, you know.¡± Annie said and Katheryn nodded.


    Kelly''s phone beeped at her and she took it out to check it. ¡°It''s Arnold.¡± She said and read the text. Her eyes widened and she handed the phone over to Annie, who read the text and laughed.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Katheryn asked.


    ¡°Just Arnold being Arnold.¡± Annie said and started typing. ¡°That boy needs a firm hand; but, he can get ideas from things that weren''t supposed to be that way.¡±


    ¡°That sounds ominous.¡± Katheryn said.


    ¡°Kelly made a comment about having the Dorm Mother kiss him while she''s taking care of him.¡± Annie said. ¡°He''s asking for clarification of that.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what? What did you tell him?¡± Katheryn asked her daughter, a little surprised.


    Kelly sighed. ¡°I texted Doris when Arnold was hurt and I told her to take care of Arnold and to give him a kiss from me.¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong with that?¡± Katheryn asked.


    ¡°He wants to know if I actually said that Doris is allowed to kiss him for me. If I did, then is he allowed to kiss her or did I lie about it.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°But... most people would know it was only for one kiss.¡± Katheryn said.


    ¡°You would assume that.¡± Annie said. ¡°What if you only had limited people interaction until recently and the social rules you understood were constantly changing around you? How would you handle it?¡±


    ¡°I... I don''t... well, I guess I''d ask someone about it.¡± Katheryn said and then her eyes widened. ¡°Wait, you mean Arnold is like that?¡± She asked. ¡°He''s the one without a lot of social interaction?¡±


    Both Kelly and Annie nodded.


    Katheryn thought back over the things that happened and her face flushed red. No wonder he gave me that look when I inadvertently pushed his face into my breasts. He didn''t know how to handle it! She thought in embarrassment. ¡°I''m sorry. I didn''t know.¡±


    ¡°That''s why I was so angry at you for doing what you did.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Arnold thinks that will be how you will always act, even though I told him you weren''t normally like that after bringing him over.¡±


    Katheryn smiled this time. ¡°I''d hate having to wear that dress all the time.¡±


    Kelly smiled back. ¡°I''d hate having to watch you rub your chest on my boyfriend''s face every time you meet.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I think I got it.¡± Annie said and Kelly looked at her. ¡°I didn''t go back on your words, so don''t worry about that.¡±


    ¡°What did you tell him?¡± Kelly asked and took the cell phone back.


    ¡°She''s the Dorm Mother, so she''s like a surrogate mother. He''s only allowed to kiss her like he kisses me.¡± Annie said and Katheryn''s mouth opened a little in surprise and Annie laughed. ¡°No, not like that. It''s just quick pecks on the lips when saying goodbye or when he tells me he loves me.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Well, yes, I guess that''s all right.¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°It was Heather''s fault, actually. She taught him how to say goodbye with a kiss.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Kelly said and looked at Annie, who laughed.


    ¡°Yes, the day after he learned it and I said goodbye to him, sure was an eye opener.¡± Annie said. ¡°I can laugh about it now; but, at the time? I was pretty pissed about what she was teaching him.¡±


    Both Kelly and Katheryn were quiet and didn''t say anything.


    ¡°Now you know why I regret that she was his first girlfriend.¡± Annie said. ¡°If he had dated you first, he would be a completely different person to interact with right now.¡±


    Kelly took a breath and let it out. ¡°He would be reserved and wouldn''t be overtly expressing himself like that.¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°He''d be copying your social interactions instead of Heather''s. As it is, all we can do is... curtail... his tendencies.¡±


    Kelly took in a sharp breath. ¡°Annie! He''s in a dorm full of half-naked women!¡±


    Annie chuckled. ¡°You restricted him to only sex with you, remember?¡±


    ¡°And kissing.¡± Kelly said. ¡°He found a way around that, though.¡±


    ¡°To be fair, you gave it to him.¡± Annie said and pat her hand. ¡°Don''t worry, though. He''s not running around and kissing every girl he meets that''s nice to him.¡±


    ¡°Thank god.¡± Kelly said in relief.


    ¡°Would he really do that?¡± Katheryn asked.


    ¡°He was doing that before Kelly was smart enough to tell him not to.¡± Annie said. ¡°Even I didn''t think to do it and just mitigated the aftermath.¡±


    ¡°So... if she hadn''t...¡± Katheryn started to say, then her face went red as she blushed.


    ¡°Yes, mom. He would have kissed you.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Probably pretty well, too.¡±


    ¡°Kelly!¡± Katheryn''s blush deepened.


    ¡°Well, as long as Kelly doesn''t tell him he can kiss you, you''re in the clear.¡± Annie said. ¡°I doubt he''ll make the logic leap from me to you, not without someone saying it.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Katheryn asked.


    ¡°I''m his mom... Doris is the dorm mom... you''re Kelly''s mom.¡± Annie said and smiled.


    Katheryn''s eyes widened and she looked from Annie to her daughter. ¡°Please, don''t tell him.¡± She said softly and both Annie and Kelly nodded.


    *


    Doris watched Arnold''s face and didn''t see any reaction, so she waited to see what he was going to say.


    ¡°You were right. Only that first kiss was supposed to be from her.¡± Arnold said and Doris sighed. He leaned down and gave her a kiss. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Doris covered her mouth. ¡°You just said...¡±


    ¡°You could have stayed quiet and I would have broken my promise to Kelly.¡± Arnold said. ¡°You told me the truth instead. A thank you kiss is needed.¡±


    ¡°But... but...¡±


    ¡°She said you''re the Dorm Mother, and you''re like a surrogate mother to people that live here, so it''s okay to kiss you as if you were my mother.¡±


    ¡°You kiss your mother like your girlfriend?¡± Doris asked, surprised.


    ¡°Not like Kelly.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Only quick kisses, so she''s not uncomfortable doing it.¡±


    ¡°Because you are her son and kissing her like that would make her feel weird.¡± Doris said.


    Arnold nodded, because that was what Claire had told him.


    ¡°Well, that''s a relief!¡± Doris said and almost laughed. ¡°If she''s okay with you kissing me, then I guess me being afraid of what she would say was pointless.¡± She smiled and touched the side of his face. ¡°I''m not uncomfortable with kissing you, so you can go ahead and kiss me however you want.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and stood up with his laundry basket in his hands. ¡°What personal question were you going to ask me?¡±


    ¡°I think I better save it for later.¡± Doris said and actually laughed this time. ¡°I don''t think my heart can take another emotional revelation so soon!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and walked over to the elevator and pushed the button. He stepped inside and rode it up to the fourth floor and stepped off. It was after lunch, so the entire place was quiet and he walked to his dorm room unhindered. He went inside and put the clothes and towels away, then he went to his desk and sat down to start reading the books on advanced biology that the professor had loaned him.


    Arnold wasn''t a speed reader, so he read at a normal pace. The difference with him was that when he was interested in a subject, he didn''t have to read it a couple of times to remember it. It stuck like glue in his mind and he stayed up all night and went through all three books, which meant he had completely skipped supper because no one was there to keep an eye on him or to make sure that he ate.

 83 Knowledge

    Arnold finished reading the third book of advanced biology and closed it. His mind was filled with all of the new knowledge he had gained and he sat there and stared at the cover of the book as he let the information intermix with what he already knew. For the first time in his life, he was surprised at the sheer lack of information he had gained over the years. He had thought he was learning everything he needed to know and all he learned was the surface of the true depths of what Biology meant.


    The first book had shown him the principals and processes of biology and its role in the world. The second book showed him the purpose of biological structure and its function in both animals and humans. The last delved into the health field and the many applications with biotechnology, applied genetics and ecology.


    It was quite the trip for his orderly mind.


    Arnold sat there for quite some time. He didn''t keep track of it and it didn''t impact his thoughts at all... until the alarm went off. He stood up and took off his pants and suit coat that he had worn all night, hung them up, and went to the bathroom. He took a shower and dried off, went to the kitchenette and had a bowl of cereal with milk, that he now knew was an essential part of a person''s diet.


    He thought back over everything that he had eaten all week and it didn''t quite have all of the balanced nutrients the average body needed for full functionality. Of course, he knew he couldn''t just get them from food, since some were byproducts of his own body''s functions when processing other things, like his skin converting sunlight to give him Vitamin D.


    Arnold finished his cereal and dressed in another suit, picked up the three books, and left his dorm room. After he locked his door, he was met with the same scene as always, except this time he saw something different. Unlike all the other times he had walked through the hallway with half naked young women, he now knew the biological and psychological reasons why they acted the way they did towards him.


    They were looking for a mate.


    Arnold started with Emily, who was right there next to his door. ¡°I''m sorry. I can''t be with you.¡± He said as he took her hand. ¡°I have a girlfriend.¡±


    Emily opened her mouth slightly in surprise and didn''t respond. Arnold let her hand go and stopped at each and every girl in the hallway and took their hands and told them the same thing. Most of them were just as shocked as Emily was, except for Daisy.


    ¡°What if you didn''t have a girlfriend?¡± Daisy asked, even though she was very touched that he was apologizing.


    ¡°I wouldn''t be exclusive with her and I wouldn''t have a no kissing rule.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I''ll keep that in mind.¡± Daisy said and leaned in and kissed his cheek. ¡°Thank you for telling me.¡±


    Arnold went to the elevator and pushed the button. He waited for it and stepped inside when it arrived. When he turned around to push the button to go to the ground floor, all of the girls were looking at him. He gave them a wave as the doors shut and he rode the elevator to the ground floor. He stepped out and saw a few people were standing around and talking.


    ¡°Good morning, Arnold.¡± Doris waved. ¡°Have a good day at work.¡±


    Arnold walked over and leaned over the shelf to whisper. ¡°I can''t kiss you in front of everyone because you might be embarrassed.¡±


    Doris reached up and pat his hand. ¡°Thank you for being so considerate.¡± She whispered back. ¡°I''ll call and order some food, so come back here for lunch and we''ll eat in the back room.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and left the dorm room to go to work.


    *


    ¡°Did that just happen?¡± One of the girls in the hallway asked. ¡°Did he just tell every single one of us that he couldn''t be with us?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Her roommate said and leaned against the wall. ¡°He''s got guts, I''ll give him that.¡±


    ¡°Guts?¡± Janet asked. ¡°He literally told us all the very same thing and we all heard and saw that.¡± She said. ¡°That was the most egotistical thing I have ever seen.¡±


    ¡°You didn''t say anything when he told you, too.¡± Her friend said.


    ¡°I was too stunned!¡± Janet said. ¡°God, what a piece of work he is!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he is. He treats us like people and not sexual objects, took a bunch of us for lunch and paid for it all, then spent time with some of us and relaxed.¡± Her friend laughed. ¡°What an asshole.¡±


    Janet knew she was being sarcastic and sighed. ¡°Don''t you see? He treated us all the same. We could have been anyone, anyone at all, and he would have said the same thing.¡±


    ¡°I sincerely doubt he''s going to every girl in the whole building to apologize that he can''t be with them.¡± Her friend laughed.


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Janet asked.


    ¡°Because I''ve talked to them.¡± Her friend said. ¡°A few have seen him in the lobby and in the cafeteria, and that''s it. He doesn''t talk to them or really interacts with them at all, unless they are in the biology lab class and he helps them.¡±


    ¡°What? But... that means...¡±


    ¡°Yep. Only us.¡± Her friend said. ¡°He came to each and every one of us and made sure he apologized for not being able to be with us.¡± She looked at her friend. ¡°I''ve got no problem with being treated exactly the same as Cynthia.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± The girl next door said. She was the one with the huge television on her wall.


    ¡°Daddy''s little girl gets a free ride on her daddy''s money to go to college and I''m working two part time jobs just to afford to stay here... and yet, Arnold said the same thing to her as he did to me.¡± Janet''s friend said. ¡°If he sees the two of us as the same, I''m perfectly fine with that.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Now, if he treated us all like crap, then I''d have an issue with him.¡± Her friend said and motioned at everyone. ¡°We all would, wouldn''t we?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± A chorus of voices responded.


    ¡°He''s been nothing but nice and hasn''t ignored us, even though he very easily could. He is even considerate of our feelings and apologized that he''s taken. Who does that?¡±


    ¡°Don''t forget traipsing around naked!¡± Someone said and a few of them laughed.


    ¡°That''s another thing.¡± Janet said. ¡°He''s an exhibitionist.¡±


    Her friend laughed, as did most of the others.


    ¡°We did it first... well, we are still doing it.¡± She said. ¡°Are any of you planning on changing your morning and evening routines, just because Arnold is here?¡±


    ¡°I was tempted to, until he said what he did to Lacey.¡± Someone else said.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Lacey responded.


    ¡°When she tried to flaunt herself with the open shirt the other day, he called her on it, so he clearly knows us being like this isn''t us trying to seduce him.¡± Lacey''s roommate said. ¡°Otherwise, he would have said it to all of us.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Janet let out a sigh. ¡°I guess you''re right.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay.¡± Janet''s roommate said. ¡°You''re like that evil little voice in our heads that''s always trying to warn us of danger, even when we don''t need it.¡±


    ¡°Thanks a lot.¡± Janet said sarcastically and everyone laughed.


    ¡°We better get dressed and head to class.¡± A girl down the hallway said and almost as one, they cleared out of the hallway and went back into their rooms to get ready for their day. They were all just a little bit happier about it, too.


    *


    Arnold stepped into Professor Hamil Crenslav''s office and put the three large books on the desk.


    ¡°Arnold?¡± Hamil looked up from a biology periodical. ¡°You don''t have to bring them back each day. You can keep them until you''re done with them.¡±


    ¡°I am done with them.¡± Arnold said.


    Hamil stared at him. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°I read them last night.¡±


    ¡°You read them.¡± Hamil looked at the thickness of the books and estimated how long it would take to read them through once. ¡°Did you sleep at all?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Can you remember anything about them?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°What''s the essential element to biology?¡±


    ¡°Proteins. Without them, a biological organism can''t exist.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°What''s the chemical formula for cholesterol?¡± Hamil asked and Arnold recited it. He thought about what else to ask, and nodded. ¡°Is cloning a viable action to save a declining species from extinction?¡±


    ¡°It depends on the genetic diversity.¡± Arnold said. ¡°If there are only a few specimens, then no. There''s not enough variance in the DNA to let them live past a generation or two.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Unless they are rabbits. Their built in genetic modifiers let them breed with each other. If you didn''t witness them being born from the same rabbit, genetically, they are different.¡±


    Hamil sat there and stared at Arnold. He couldn''t quite accept that he had read all three books. The process and procedure one he could readily accept, since Arnold had so much practical experience and had picked most of it up already. The second book, he assumed Arnold would struggle a little with, because it would have expanded his limited specimen base to include all of the higher orders of animals in the kingdom, including human biology.


    He knew for a fact that Arnold had no background in it whatsoever and his sole focus had been dissection. The third book... he had actually been hesitant in loaning that one. Advanced biology was no laughing matter. Since Arnold only had a small knowledge base to start with, reading about bioengineering and genetic manipulation must have been like a grade school child reading about rocket science.


    But Arnold had read it. In one night.


    By itself, the book was a slog to get through and Hamil himself had a difficult time wrapping his head around some of the concepts and ideas that the book introduced. It was one of the more comprehensive texts out there and had everything compiled in it, which was why it was in his private library.


    ¡°How do you feel after reading them?¡± Hamil asked.


    ¡°Smarter.¡± Arnold said.


    Hamil sat there and kept staring at the young man in front of him. ¡°I''ll loan you more books and some periodicals over the next few weeks; but for now, set up the lab and let your new knowledge settle.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Arnold said and went to the lab. He set it up for the next morning class and was quite a bit quicker about it, because just like always, he finished just as Amy and the lab workers came in. This time, Cissily was with them.


    ¡°Damn, Arnold.¡± Cissily said with a laugh and walked over to him. ¡°You''re making the rest of us look like we''re here just because we''re eye candy!¡±


    The lab workers laughed and Amy sighed loudly.


    ¡°That wasn''t an insult.¡± Cissily said to her as she briefly hugged Arnold, then she looked at the other girls. ¡°We''re all gorgeous bitches, ain''t we?¡±


    ¡°I''d say so.¡± Dianne said with a smile. ¡°I''m only agreeing with the gorgeous part, though.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don''t deny your true talents.¡± Cissily said and that made the other girls laugh.


    ¡°You weren''t here yesterday.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Yeah, I had the day off. I occasionally don''t have classes in the afternoon and the arrogant little prick likes me enough to give me the morning off, too.¡±


    The lab door opened and Professor Hamil Crenslav came in.


    ¡°Speak of the devil.¡± Cissily said with a smile. ¡°Thanks for yesterday, professor.¡±


    Hamil waved her thanks away. ¡°You''re lucky no one else complains that you get special treatment.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding? She''d kill us if she found out we did!¡± One of the others said and they all laughed again.


    ¡°I wouldn''t kill you.¡± Cissily smiled sweetly. ¡°Maim? More than likely.¡±


    ¡°We also don''t have the same schedules.¡± Dianne said. ¡°We know if any of us had the whole afternoon off and nothing important was going on, you would give us the morning off, too.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can''t deny trying to be nice.¡± Hamil said with a smile. ¡°Places, everyone. We have another full morning of work to do.¡±


    They took their places and performed the class, then the next and the next, and the morning was over. They cleaned up and the professor dismissed them for the day, even Arnold.


    ¡°Come eat with us again.¡± Cissily said and took his hand.


    ¡°I''m sorry. I have lunch plans.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Aww, okay.¡± Cissily said and let his hand go. ¡°Maybe tomorrow.¡±


    Arnold didn''t agree or nod his head and left Building F to head back to the dorm building.

 84 This Is Okay?

    Doris felt a bit of anticipation as she sat behind her desk and waited for lunch to arrive. She had called it in a little early, just so the delivery guy would miss the lunch traffic rush, and he had just left after he had delivered the pizza with the works. A young woman asked her about the best laundry room hours and she was answering her when Arnold came in through the front door.


    ¡°We keep the basement lit at all hours. I suggest you limit your laundry duties to after six in the morning and before midnight, though. You won''t sleep well if you''re up too early and up too late all the time.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Doris.¡± The young woman said and turned towards the elevator. ¡°Hi, Arnold.¡±


    ¡°Hi, Rachel.¡± Arnold said.


    Rachel stopped walking and looked at him in surprise. ¡°You know my name?¡±


    ¡°You rubbed my feet when I was watching television with Cynthia.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I... wow, okay.¡± Rachel said, because she wasn''t sure what to say to that.


    ¡°You''re going to be late meeting your friends.¡± Doris reminded her.


    Rachel nodded and started to walk away, then she stopped and turned back. ¡°Arnold, you know all of our names on our floor, don''t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Do you want me to list them in clockwise order from my dorm room or in alphabetical order?¡±


    Rachel smiled and touched his arm. ¡°That''s okay. Just knowing you know them is good enough for me. See you later.¡±


    Arnold nodded and she walked away.


    ¡°I''m glad the professor didn''t keep you longer than normal.¡± Doris said and didn''t comment on how nice it was that he knew the names of his neighbours. She put out a small wooden sign on the top of the shelf in front of her desk that said she was on her lunch break. ¡°How''s your forehead feeling?¡±


    ¡°It''s sore.¡± Arnold said and touched the side of the bruise.


    ¡°Take this in the back and I''ll look at it for you.¡± Doris said and handed him the medium pizza.


    Arnold nodded and went into the back room and she followed him and shut the door. She had him put the pizza on the small folding table she had set up and then told him to sit down on the bed. She leaned in close and looked at the bruise, then she very carefully placed a kiss beside it.


    ¡°I''m sorry it''s too sore to kiss properly.¡± Doris said and looked into his eyes. ¡°Even my soft lips can''t put too much pressure on it without hurting you more than it would help.¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°Before we eat, I believe you are owed a couple of kisses.¡± Doris said and cupped the sides of his face, then gave him a quick kiss. ¡°That was a thank you for being considerate of my feelings this morning.¡± She said and then gave him another kiss that lasted several seconds. Her face flushed as she blushed at doing it, because she hadn''t kissed someone like that on her own initiative in quite some time. ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Arnold said and Doris sat down beside him on the bed. Over the next twenty minutes, they shared the pizza. It was quite good and Doris poured out two small plastic cups of root beer for them. They sat in companionable silence for another ten minutes and then sat back against the wall and relaxed.


    ¡°This is nice.¡± Doris said and put her empty plastic cup on the nearby table. ¡°It''s not very often I get to share a meal with someone other than my daughter.¡±


    ¡°She''s trying to mate with me.¡± Arnold said and Doris caught her breath. ¡°I didn''t notice until I read the books Professor Crenslav loaned me.¡±


    ¡°What... what are you going to do about it?¡± Doris asked.


    ¡°Ignore it. I have an exclusive girlfriend.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°So, no sex with anyone, even if they ask?¡±


    Arnold shook his head. ¡°Unless Kelly tells me it''s okay.¡±


    Doris chuckled. ¡°She''s not going to say it''s okay, especially if you haven''t had sex with her yet.¡±


    Arnold looked at her. ¡°You know that?¡±


    Doris nodded. ¡°I also know she hasn''t offered to...¡± She stopped and turned slightly to face him. ¡°I don''t know of any normal way to say this, so I''ll just say it.¡± She said. ¡°I know she hasn''t taken your penis into her mouth to please you.¡±


    Arnold thought about that for a second. ¡°I haven''t had good girlfriend kisses like that since Heather broke up with me.¡±


    Doris was a little surprised at the terminology. ¡°Good girlfriend kisses? Can you explain that?¡±


    Arnold told her about Heather showing him all the different kisses and how going down on him to give him deep kisses was something only good girlfriends do.


    Doris let out a laugh before she could stop herself, then she put a hand on his chest. ¡°I didn''t laugh at you, I was laughing at her saying that only good girlfriends do it.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because bad girls, normal girls, and even a lot of the ''good'' girls will do it.¡± Doris said and didn''t tell him that she thought that Heather was actually one of the bad girls. ¡°Some will do it because they like it, some will do it because the guy likes it, and some do it because they think it''s expected of them when they go out with a guy.¡±


    Arnold sat there and stared at her.


    ¡°It''s a surprise, I know.¡± Doris chuckled. ¡°I guess now I can ask that personal question that I wanted to ask you the other day.¡± She said. ¡°I told you before that I was willing to do anything you needed to relieve your sexual frustration, like when we masturbated. Since I know Kelly hasn''t... deep kissed your penis...¡± She successfully didn''t laugh this time at the term. ¡°...the question I was going to ask you was, do you want me to do that for you?¡±


    ¡°You would do that?¡± Arnold asked and raised his eyebrows, which was a shout for him. ¡°But... you''re not my girlfriend.¡±


    Doris smiled. ¡°Women don''t have to be your girlfriend to do that. Being boyfriend and girlfriend helps create an emotional connection and can make it feel better, because you''re both in the right mindset for pleasing each other. It''s not strictly necessary though, since other emotional connections can be just as valid. Of course, an emotional connection isn''t strictly necessary and it can still happen.¡±


    Arnold thought about the second book and the biological processes of humans. ¡°It doesn''t really serve a purpose, does it?¡±


    ¡°Only to make a guy feel really good.¡± Doris said. ¡°Sometimes it''s used to get him in the mood to have sex, and sometimes it gets the woman in the mood to have sex, too.¡±


    Arnold thought about that. ¡°I''ve had it once by itself, once just before sex, and once just after sex.¡±


    ¡°How many times have you had sex?¡±


    ¡°Oral or intercourse?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Intercourse.¡±


    ¡°Five times.¡±


    Doris raised her eyebrows this time, which signified a shout of surprise for her as well. ¡°You only had sex five times? That''s all?¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°Oh... oh, my.¡± Doris said in a soft whisper. ¡°You poor thing.¡± She said and looked down at his crotch and then at his face. ¡°You''re young and healthy, and I''m very surprised that you have been strong enough to resist all of the scantily dressed women that walk around the dorm and the campus.¡±


    ¡°I can''t have sex with anyone except Kelly.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I am very proud of you for keeping your word to her.¡± Doris said and put her hand on him and started to rub. ¡°Very proud.¡±


    Arnold''s body responded almost immediately. ¡°Do you want me to rub yours, too?¡±


    ¡°No, sweetie. It''s just your turn today.¡± Doris said. ¡°We don''t have much time left for lunch and I''m pretty sure you''re going to finish very fast. Now I have another question for you. If I give you deep kisses on your penis, will you count it as oral sex?¡±


    Arnold thought about what the girls said during the discussion about masturbation. ¡°It''s not going to lead to sex?¡±


    ¡°No, this is just me helping you masturbate.¡± Doris said and opened his pants up. ¡°I honestly don''t know if I could take it if I had sex with you.¡± She saw a slight tilt to his head and smiled as she started to please him with her hand. ¡°I''m more than twice your age and I''ve seen your muscles. I doubt that I could last more than ten minutes before I''m too exhausted to keep up with you.¡±


    Arnold thought about his sexual experiences and how the women he was with pretty much just stayed still as he had sex with them. ¡°You could just lay there and have fun.¡±


    Doris opened her mouth to say she was very disappointed in his ex-girlfriend if that was what she did, then she laughed. ¡°You are very lucky you have a no sex rule, because I would show you what a woman should be doing with you when you have sex.¡±


    Arnold opened his mouth to speak and she put a hand over it to stop him before he asked to see it.


    ¡°Like I said before, this is only masturbation. I can''t show you what sex positions I know without actually having sex with you, since they don''t work unless you''re having sex.¡± Doris said and kept his mouth covered. ¡°All I can do for now is this.¡±


    Arnold watched as she went down on him. He was slightly surprised when she used slightly different kinds of kisses than both Heather and Claire and he reacted from the stimulation that he hadn''t had in quite some time. Doris had been right and he finished very quickly. Arnold saw that she was even more diligent than Claire was in making sure that there wasn''t a mess for him to clean up afterwards.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said when Doris sat up straight and he kissed her. Doris was surprised and thought about pulling away, then shrugged mentally. If he didn''t mind kissing her after her doing that to him, she wasn''t going to ask him not to.


    ¡°Do you have to go back to work?¡± Doris asked instead.


    ¡°No, I have the afternoon off again.¡±


    Doris sighed. ¡°I can''t book off again so soon, so I need to get back to work.¡±


    Arnold nodded and stood up and fastened his pants. ¡°I''ll go up to my room.¡±


    ¡°If you need anything else, let me know.¡± Doris said and stood as well.


    ¡°I''m out of bread and I only have enough milk for one more bowl of cereal.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I should buy fish as well; but, I don''t know how to cook it.¡±


    Doris nodded. ¡°Living alone is a lot harder, isn''t it?¡±


    ¡°I have no one to share my bed with.¡± Arnold said and opened the door.


    ¡°I can''t do anything about the last thing; but, I can call Cissily and she can drive you to the grocery store later.¡±


    ¡°I can walk.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°You are not walking several miles to the grocery store, buying groceries, and then walking back.¡± Doris said. ¡°I''ll text you when she can take you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and looked at the small folding table and the plastic cups and empty pizza box.


    ¡°I''ll take care of that.¡± Doris said. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡±


    Arnold nodded and left. Doris quickly cleaned up and tossed the cardboard into the recycle bin in the lobby, then sat down at her desk to resume her duties.


    *


    ¡°I can''t believe they are making me do this.¡± Brad muttered under his breath as he picked up another piece of trash from the side of the busy road. He wore a bright yellow coat with a big red ''X'' on the back and front of it, to show that he was a road worker.


    He had been ecstatic when he learned that his father had gotten him off of the felony charges and he only had to plead no contest to only three misdemeanors instead; but, he was horrified at the lengthy community service sentence of three months, which meant he would be losing his entire summer.


    ¡°Brad!¡± Kevin yelled from across the road and he wore the same yellow and red coat. ¡°Another cat just bit the dust!¡±


    ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Brad yelled back and Kevin pointed to a mangled lump about a hundred feet away. ¡°That''s the third one today!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! It''s a good thing we have a show to watch while we work!¡± Kevin said and they both laughed. It actually was entertaining to watch the poor little bastards try to cross the busy road, and none of them had made it so far. They hadn''t gotten to the betting stage yet, although it was only a matter of time.


    ¡°All right you two, quit mouthing off and keep working.¡± A stern woman''s voice said.


    ¡°Sorry miss.¡± Brad said to the half decent looking supervisor and started picking up trash again. Even though she looked like she was about ten years older than him, Brad was seriously considering lowering his standards, just so he could get a good look at her tits. He smiled as he imagined she was only wearing the yellow coat and nothing underneath.


    ¡°Hey, we have another customer!¡± Kevin yelled and both Brad and the woman supervisor turned to look. ¡°It''s a raccoon this time!¡±


    ¡°They''re quick little scoundrels.¡± The woman said and crossed her arms as she watched, too. Even through her coat, her chest made a great looking shape when she stood like that. Brad gave her a leer when he thought she couldn''t see him, then he put his eyes on the raccoon trying to cross the road.


    ¡°I think he''s going to make it!¡± Kevin said excitedly.


    The creature darted across one lane, then another, just missing several cars along the way. It paused briefly on the center line, then practically jumped across the next lane. Unfortunately for it, the pause in the middle of the road had slowed it down just enough for the large pickup truck that barrelled towards it in the last lane. It tried to scurry the last little bit, its nose missed the first front tire by an inch, then there was a squeal and a splat as the double rear tires caught its head and squished it flat into the pavement.


    ¡°Aww, so close!¡± Kevin said with a laugh.


    The woman lost her stern expression and smiled. ¡°I better get the shovel.¡±


    Brad watched her go back to the truck and then he started picking up garbage when she turned back towards him. She walked by him and went over to the part of the road with the roadkill on it and bent over at the ready to use the shovel.


    Brad admired her ass in her work pants as the woman waited for a car to pass, then she quickly darted out, scooped up the half squished carcass, and stepped back off the pavement. She walked over to the trees about twenty feet away on that side of the road and flicked the shovel to remove its contents. She dug the shovel into the dirt to get the blood off, then carried the shovel back to the truck.


    ¡°You can stop staring at me now.¡± The woman said as she came back over.


    ¡°I''m sorry. I can''t help it.¡± Brad said and bent down to pick up a discarded coffee cup. He tossed the cup in the garbage bag and he and Kevin kept working.


    *


    It was after lunch, so no one was in the dorm at this time and Arnold went to his dorm room and entered. He stripped off the suit and hung it up and grabbed a t-shirt and a pair of shorts to put on when his phone beeped at him. He picked it up and read a text from Kelly.


    ''I really miss you.''


    ''I really miss you.'' Arnold typed back.


    ''Hey, aren''t you supposed to be at work?''


    ''I have the afternoon off.''


    ''(laugh emoji) You must be doing a great job if you''re getting time off this soon. (tongue out emoji) It''s too bad I wasn''t there. We could have done something together.'' Kelly typed.


    ''We can masturbate together.'' Arnold typed and Kelly didn''t respond right away. He stood there in his underwear and waited for several minutes.


    ''Just a minute.'' Kelly typed back and he kept waiting. ''Okay, I''m alone in my room. Are you sure you want to do this?''


    ''Do you want me to call?'' Arnold asked.


    ''I... yes... but... no noise...'' Kelly typed sporadically. ''Just text. I''m on my bed.''


    ''Okay.'' Arnold said and took off his underwear and climbed onto the bed. ''Me, too.''


    ''I''m... touching myself... down there.'' Kelly typed.


    ''Me, too.'' Arnold stroked himself with one hand and typed with the other. ''I''m thinking about you.''


    ''Oh, Arnold.'' Kelly typed. ''Me, too. All the time. I wish I was there.''


    ''I wish you were here, too.'' Arnold typed. ''Rub faster.''


    ''O...okay.'' Kelly responded.


    *


    Janet''s first afternoon class was cancelled and she went to her dorm room. She saw that Arnold''s door was open, since it was the only one on the floor that was, and she could hear some weird noises coming from it. She walked over and poked her head into the room to ask Arnold if everything was okay. She took in a sharp breath as she saw Arnold jerking off while typing on his phone.

 85 It Spreads A Little

    What the hell is he doing? Janet asked herself and stepped into the room. She had never seen anything like it before and it was oddly fascinating, like watching a guy peeing in the bathroom. It was just so weird seeing it that she couldn''t look away. She knew in her mind that guys jerked off, because they were guys and if they have access to play with something, they will play with it. Seeing it happen in person was something else entirely.


    Janet watched his arm as it pumped at a steady rhythm and his arm muscles tensed and contracted with the movement. ¡°Arnold.¡± She spoke before she realized what she was doing.


    ¡°Hi, Janet.¡± Arnold said and didn''t stop like she thought he would.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Masturbating with my girlfriend and texting her.¡± Arnold said and kept typing.


    ¡°What... what are you typing?¡±


    ¡°I jerked off to her not long ago and that it''s taking longer this time.¡±


    Janet let out a quick relieved sigh, because she thought he was texting about her. ¡°It''s probably because you''re pulling too hard.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Arnold looked away from the phone and at her.


    ¡°It''s not a piston that you move up and down as quickly as you can to get it to work.¡± Janet said. ¡°You''re probably going to start chafing as well with dry hands.¡±


    Arnold thought about it and stopped moving his hand. ¡°Can you show me?¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Janet gasped.


    ¡°It''s only my third time.¡± Arnold said. ¡°You know more about it than I do.¡±


    Janet opened her mouth to say no. ¡°Wait, did you say it''s only your third time masturbating?¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°I did it yesterday, today, and now.¡±


    ¡°Y-y-yesterday? You only started playing with it yesterday?!?¡± Janet asked, completely shocked. ¡°But... you''ve had... years...¡±


    ¡°I only just learned about it.¡± Arnold said, truthfully. ¡°What do I do?¡±


    Janet wanted to just walk away and pretend that she didn''t see anything, because there was no way that he could be that clueless about it. No way. She looked at his face and down at his penis, then back at his face. She could almost see the plea there and sighed.


    ¡°Just a minute.¡± Janet said and left the room. She came back in two minutes later and she had a small tube of lubrication. ¡°I can''t believe I''m doing this.¡± She whispered and closed his dorm room door. ¡°This is lubrication gel. You use a small amount and rub it on yourself, so your hands don''t rough up the skin of your penis.¡±


    Arnold looked at his phone in his hand and back at her. ¡°I haven''t used that before.¡±


    ¡°Oh, for god''s sake.¡± Janet said and knelt as she opened the lube. ¡°Don''t you dare text your girlfriend and tell her that I''m doing this for you.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°I''m only showing you how to masturbate without hurting yourself.¡± Janet said and thought about all the warnings she had been telling everyone about him. ¡°Let''s just keep this a secret from everyone.¡± Why am I not listening to my own warnings? She asked herself with a slight shake of her head.


    Arnold watched her as she squirted a little lube out onto her hand. Janet closed the tube and put it in her pocket, then she rubbed her hands together to spread the lube out. She hesitated for a moment and looked at his face and didn''t see any anticipation there. She thought that was a little odd, considering she was about to grab him by his penis.


    Janet reached out and tentatively touched it and it throbbed for her. At least it knows how to be appreciative. She thought and wrapped her hand around it and slicked it up a little, then she accepted that she really was going to do it and used her other hand and made sure it was slicked up completely.


    ¡°You need to get good coverage and make sure you cover everything you''re going to touch.¡± Janet said and moved her hands up and down in a nice and slow motion and even slipped her palm over the head a couple of times. ¡°As far as I know, you''re supposed to simulate having sex, not be yanking on it like it''s a spring toy or something.¡±


    Arnold watched her and remembered what she was doing.


    Janet slid her hands around, up and down, rubbed her thumbs over the tip occasionally, and she lost herself in the act. Just like she had thought, it was oddly fascinating to just rub and play with it. She leaned in close to get a better look at it and kept playing with it. She was actually feeling really calm about it, then suddenly it throbbed in her hand and she moved her head back out of the way as it spouted out like a little geyser.


    ¡°Whoa!¡± Janet exclaimed and watched it make quite a mess on his hard abs and her hands. ¡°I thought you said you just masturbated!¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± Arnold said and pointed to the box of tissues.


    ¡°Yes! Cleaning up is a good idea.¡± Janet said and moved her hands, careful of not making the mess even bigger, and took a tissue out and wiped at her hands, then took several more and dabbed his abs to clean him off. ¡°I can''t believe I just did that.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to do it for you?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Janet looked at him with wide eyes and her hands moved automatically to wipe off his penis.


    ¡°You helped me masturbate and that made my girlfriend happy.¡± Arnold said and showed her the texts on his cell phone. ¡°Let me help you, too.¡±


    ¡°Arnold, I... no, we... I shouldn''t... I''m not even...¡± Janet muttered.


    ¡°It''s just masturbation.¡± Arnold said. ¡°My girlfriend said it was okay, as long as it doesn''t lead to sex.¡±


    Janet stared at him with a slightly open mouth. ¡°Are... are you kidding?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and scrolled back several days on his phone to show her.


    ¡°Holy fuck.¡± Janet said when she read the texts, then she gasped and covered her mouth. ¡°I just cursed out loud!¡±


    Arnold smiled briefly. ¡°Cissily curses all the time and Kelly said to ignore her colorful words to hear what she''s saying.¡±


    ¡°I can''t really understand her when she gets going. She''s like a cursing machine some days.¡± Janet let out a laugh. ¡°It''s hard to believe Doris is her mother sometimes.¡±


    ¡°She''s a good dorm mother.¡± Arnold said and put his phone on the bed as he stood up, which put his still erect penis right in front of Janet''s face. ¡°I need to wash this off.¡±


    Janet stared at his penis, because it looked somewhat different when he stood up. She wasn''t sure why she couldn''t look away from it. ¡°Um... well, I...¡±


    ¡°Do you want to help me again?¡± Arnold asked.


    Janet looked up at his face and once again, she didn''t see anticipation there. He was leaving the decision completely up to her. Her eyes dropped to the cell phone and it was still showing the texts, then she looked back at Arnold''s face.


    It''s my choice. Janet thought. He wants me to chose it. ¡°You can''t tell anyone about this.¡±


    Arnold nodded and she put her hand on him again.


    Janet was surprised that it was just as responsive as before. Why can''t I take my own advice? She asked herself and slipped him into her mouth. His girlfriend is crazy to not see this as cheating on her. She thought, then she stopped her internal struggle and gave herself over to the sensations as she helped Arnold ''masturbate''.


    *


    Cissily just left her class when her cell phone beeped at her. She took it out and saw that it was her mother. ¡°Hi, Ma.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°Yep, another class, then I''m off.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± She smiled. ¡°Sure, I''ll borrow Fareena''s car.¡± ¡°No, she won''t mind.¡± ¡°All right. Let him know when I''ll be ready for him.¡±


    ¡°What do you need my car for?¡± Amy asked.


    ¡°Arnold wants to go grocery shopping.¡± Cissily said and put her phone away.


    ¡°I could drive you.¡± Amy said with a smirk.


    ¡°Nuh uh! No fucking way!¡± Cissily said loudly and laughed. ¡°I don''t need no third wheel bitch sighing and complaining about how I''m hanging all over him while we shop!¡±


    ¡°I really would.¡± Amy laughed. ¡°I''m so envious of you.¡±


    ¡°Did that change when Arnold showed up?¡± Cissily asked and they both laughed as they went to class.


    *


    Arnold finished again and Janet was like Heather and avoided it and used tissues instead, then cleaned him off with more tissues. Janet looked at his face again and made her decision. She stood up and pulled her jeans and wet panties off in one smooth motion, then she sat on the edge of his bed and laid back as she spread her legs for him.


    ¡°Please help me masturbate, too.¡± Janet said and watched as he knelt between her legs and touched her with his fingers and rubbed her a little.


    ¡°Lube?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°I''m plenty wet, so no.¡± Janet said. ¡°Just start lick-OHHH!¡± She moaned as Arnold dove between her legs and did just that.


    *


    Hurry up and be over. Cissily thought about the current class. I need to get to that man before someone else thinks they can scoop him up. She smiled. The poor guy doesn''t know what he''s missing, so I''m going to show him the first chance I get!


    Amy sat beside her friend and she recognized that look on her face. Poor Arnold. Cissily has her sights on you now. She thought and then really did feel envious, because it should have been her going after him. I wonder if he really will tell his mother if I make passes at him? She asked herself, then she shook her head. No, I won''t take that chance. I need this job and this course. It''s not worth risking it all over one guy.


    The teacher droned on about something and neither Amy nor Cissily were listening. They were recording it to listen to later and to transcribe it, though.


    *


    Janet normally didn''t like masturbation, since it felt so hollow and empty when you were done and there was no one to share the temporary joy with. Thanks to Arnold''s help, her opinion changed and she absolutely loved it. In fact, she couldn''t get enough of it and when he made her go twice for the two times she helped him, she asked him to keep going.


    Arnold had nothing else to do right then, so he kept going.


    *


    Doris waited until Cissily''s last class was about half over. She knew how long it would take her daughter to get from that building to the dorm she worked in, and she allowed a few minutes for talking with Amy and random delays, then she picked up her cell phone and texted Arnold. She timed it so that he would have enough time to shower if he needed to before going to the grocery store.


    *


    Arnold''s cell phone beeped at him and he stopped what he was doing and picked it up from the bed.


    ¡°Keep... keep going. Please keep going.¡± Janet moaned. ¡°I''m... so close.¡±


    ¡°I have to get ready to go get groceries.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Only another minute. Please, oh, please.¡± Janet pleaded and then had a thought of inspiration. ¡°I''ll help you shop for good dorm food!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and Janet started moaning again.


    *


    Cissily practically ran from the classroom when it ended and she ignored Amy''s laughter and her comment about being too eager to start interracial relations. She managed to give Amy the finger as she left and quickly walked out of the building and across the campus.


    She didn''t understand why they always seemed to have courses spread all over campus, when they easily could have it all in the same or nearby buildings. She didn''t know that it was designed to allow students to get exercise between classes, since they had to stay seated for most of the day and the easiest way to ensure that everyone had some kind of cardio workout was to make them walk far between classes.


    Cissily made it to where Amy had parked her car and she climbed in, then she drove it all the way over to the dorm building her mother worked in. She parked out front in the spot reserved for Arnold, which she assumed had never been used because he didn''t have a car, and she walked in through the front door of the dorm.


    ¡°Hi, Ma.¡± Cissily said and walked over to her. ¡°Is he ready yet?¡±


    ¡°I texted him half an hour ago and told him he had enough time to shower, so even if he did, he should be ready about now.¡± Doris said and the elevator dinged and the doors opened. ¡°There he is now.¡±


    ¡°Hi, Arnold. Are you ready to go and grab some groceries?¡± Cissily asked.


    Arnold nodded and walked over to the desk to meet her, as did the young woman beside him.


    ¡°Then let''s go.¡± Cissily said and waved at the door, and Arnold and the young woman walked towards it. ¡°Ma?¡± She looked at her mother, who shrugged.


    Arnold opened the front door to the dorm building and Janet stepped out and said thank you. Cissily stopped herself from reacting angrily, because she was pretty sure this woman was going to come with them and she didn''t want to cause a scene. She followed them out and she pointed to Amy''s car.


    ¡°Hop in.¡± Cissily said and to her surprise, Arnold and the young woman climbed into the back. What am I? A chauffeur? She asked herself and climbed into the driver''s seat. ¡°Who''s your friend?¡±


    ¡°This is Janet. She offered to help me shop for good dorm food.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Hi, Cissily.¡± Janet said, not surprised that Cissily didn''t remember her. She was only at her lab table once a week and a lot of people took the biology class. ¡°Me coming was a last minute thing.¡± She said, then her face flushed red at her unintentional pun that revealed her secret of what she and Arnold did.


    Cissily held in her sigh at her plans being derailed and she drove out of the parking lot in an odd mood. She had wanted to spend some time with Arnold while they shopped, then some random chick showed up and now she''s going to be hanging all over him and pretending to need help getting things from higher shelves.


    Arnold was oblivious to her thoughts, even though he could see her facial expressions in the rear view mirror. They arrived at the closest grocery store, which was about five miles away from the college, and the three of them went inside. Cissily went as kind of a chaperone, to make sure Janet didn''t abuse the situation, not realizing that she was going to do that herself if Janet hadn''t been there.


    She didn''t need to supervise, though.


    Janet stayed at his side as they walked around the grocery store and Arnold pushed the cart. She pointed out the best things to have as both quick and easy meals that would also fit in the limited space a dorm room had. She didn''t try to hold his hand or paw at him, hug his arm, or even asked for help unnecessarily.


    What the hell is she doing? Cissily asked herself in an echo of Janet''s question when she walked in on Arnold. Cissily watched the dumb white chick completely miss and ignore all of the great opportunities that she had to tease and titillate Arnold while they shopped.


    Every. Single. One.


    Is she slow or something? Why isn''t this bitch doing anything with him except shopping? Cissily shook her head slightly at the near total waste of time it was and followed Arnold and Janet around the store.

 86 Groceries

    Arnold finished shopping in less than half an hour, thanks to Janet''s experience with living on both a budget and living in the dorm for two years. He had checked the things she told him to buy and they had the nutrients that he had learned his body needed, so he was satisfied that she wasn''t leading him on or had lied about being able to help him.


    Cissily, of course, was still dumbfounded that all they did was shop.


    Janet grabbed a few things for herself and her roommate, since she was there and had the opportunity, and made sure to tell Arnold which items were hers. When they arrived at the cash register, she handed Arnold the approximate amount that her items had cost. He looked at the money in his hand and looked back at her, and she laughed a little.


    ¡°I don''t expect you to buy me groceries, just because I''m helping you shop.¡± Janet said.


    She really doesn''t know how to manipulate him properly. Cissily thought.


    The clerk packed everything and Arnold paid for the groceries, then they brought the cart out to the car. Cissily opened the trunk and Arnold quickly put everything inside before either she or Janet could try to help.


    ¡°I''ll put the cart back.¡± Janet offered and she took the cart over to the cart corral and added it to the pile there, then jogged back to the car. Arnold held open the back door for her and she climbed in, he climbed in behind her and Cissily sat in the driver''s seat. They drove the five miles back to the college campus and parked in Arnold''s spot.


    They got out and Cissily opened the trunk, and they all grabbed something. Arnold took the majority and they took a couple of bags each. Cissily opened the door and Janet went through first and over to the elevator and put her bag down. Arnold went to walk by her to go up the stairs and she reached out to grab his arm.


    ¡°Arnold, put it here. When we finish unloading the car, I''ll call the elevator and we can put it all inside in one go, rather than making multiple trips.¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and put his heavy load down. He was back out at the car and came back in with the rest of the bags before she realized it.


    ¡°That''s it?¡± Cissily asked and put down the two bags she had and he nodded. ¡°Damn, you''re efficient.¡±


    Janet successfully stopped her blush from forming and turned to push the elevator button. She knew exactly how efficient Arnold could be. The elevator arrived and Janet held it open as Arnold quickly handed all the bags inside in ten seconds, about the same time it took for someone to walk in and push the button to wait for it to close again.


    ¡°Jesus, do you need my help at all or what?¡± Cissily asked with a laugh.


    ¡°Not now.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Thank you for the ride.¡±


    Cissily seriously thought about stepping close to give him a hug, even with Janet there, then smiled instead. ¡°You''re welcome. Maybe we can do this again sometime.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and stepped into the elevator. Janet took the cue and let the door stop go, then the doors closed.


    ¡°Baby girl, I''m sorry that didn''t work out for you.¡± Doris said and walked over to her daughter.


    Cissily sighed. ¡°Like I said, maybe next time.¡±


    ¡°You should give up on trying to get with him.¡± Doris cautioned her. ¡°If this simple plan didn''t work...¡±


    Cissily laughed. ¡°Ma, are you trying to manage my sex life?¡±


    Doris shook her head. ¡°I''m trying to save you some disappointment.¡±


    Cissily looked at the elevator. ¡°Will I be disappointed?¡± She asked. ¡°I don''t know. He seems... pliable.¡±


    Doris didn''t say anything, because after what had happened between her and Arnold, she knew exactly how pliable he was. The answer was ''very''.


    *


    Janet held the elevator as Arnold handed out the bags into the hallway, then she stepped out and let the elevator door stop go. She helped carry a few bags of groceries down the hallway to his dorm room and Arnold unlocked his door. He made two trips and piled the bags near the kitchenette, then he quickly went through the bags and sorted out what to put in the small refrigerator.


    After that, he quickly took the items Janet had bought and put them back in bags. Janet was only slightly surprised by this, then Arnold put his refrigerator items in the small refrigerator and picked up her bags for her.


    ¡°You don''t have to do that.¡± Janet said.


    Arnold just gave her a blank stare and she chuckled.


    ¡°Okay, back down the hallway to my room.¡± Janet said and led him down the hall and she unlocked her door.


    Arnold carried in her groceries and put them on the kitchenette counter and then put the right items into the refrigerator. Before she could tell him that he didn''t have to do that, again, he opened all the cupboards and checked the contents, then distributed the dry goods as well and put everything away. He sat down at her small table and waited.


    Janet shut her door and stood there, a little in awe at how quickly he had done it. ¡°Wow.¡± She said and looked in the cupboards and checked to see that everything was where it was supposed to be and not just thrown in haphazardly like she had suspected. ¡°You''re really good at this.¡± She said and turned to look at him to see a small smile.


    Arnold stood up and stepped close to her. ¡°I can''t kiss you to thank you for helping me shop.¡± He said. ¡°Do you want me to help you masturbate again?¡±


    Janet took in a quick breath at the offer. She had a lot of time while they shopped to think about what happened and it was so surreal that she still hadn''t really come to grips with it. She had let some guy she barely knew go down on her, after she had gone down on him, and they hadn''t even gone on a single date.


    She knew that she had to say no, because if she didn''t, she would be asking for his help pretty much every time she felt even a little horny. It wasn''t like she was a sex addict or anything; but, he didn''t mind going down on her and that was rare enough in itself for her to want it to happen.


    ¡°I... Arnold, I don''t think...¡± Janet started to say, then Arnold popped her jeans open and he turned her around to face away from him. ¡°...w-wait...¡± She said as his hand slid into her underwear. ¡°Mmm.¡± She moaned as he rubbed and played with her, right there in the kitchenette. She leaned back against him and he put his other arm around her to support her weight. She hugged that arm with both of hers and turned her head slightly towards him and rubbed her cheek on his as he rubbed her between her legs.


    To Janet''s surprise, it didn''t take long for her to finish, even though she had finished a lot before they showered in their own bathrooms and then met again to go shopping. It wasn''t a huge one though, so she didn''t make much of a mess in her panties. It wasn''t even enough to wet her jeans and she was glad of that, since she didn''t have another clean pair until she did the laundry.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Janet whispered softly and gave his cheek a gentle kiss, then another. She let out a breath and stood up straight as she turned to face him, because she had just realized something. ¡°Arnold, have you done this with any other girls on this floor?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Do you want me to...¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Janet exclaimed, then she stopped herself from laughing for reacting like that. ¡°No. If one of the other girls asks you to masturbate, either with them or for them, say no.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°If I ask you to help me masturbate later, you''ll do it, won''t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Janet smiled as she leaned in and kissed his other cheek. ¡°You need to put the rest of your groceries away, so you better go back to your place.¡±


    Arnold nodded and she watched his backside as he left her room. When the door closed, she pulled off her jeans and her panties, quickly cleaned herself, then grabbed another pair of panties. She pulled them on just as her alarm went off and she chuckled as she put her jeans back on.


    Perfect timing. Janet thought and grabbed the book and notepad she needed for the last class of the day. She left her dorm room and looked down the hallway and into Arnold''s room. She saw him putting things away and she shook her head. I knew he was going to be trouble. She thought and went to the elevator and rode it down to the ground floor. I didn''t think he would be trouble for me, though. Not in a million years.


    ¡°Hi, Janet.¡± Doris said. ¡°How did...¡±


    ¡°I''m going to be late for class.¡± Janet said and waved as she crossed the lobby to leave the building. ¡°I''ll tell you all about Arnold not knowing how to live and eat in the dorm later!¡±


    Doris nodded and watched the young woman go out the front door and jog out of sight.


    *


    ¡°Is Kelly still taking a nap?¡± Katheryn asked Annie as she came into the kitchen.


    Annie nodded. ¡°Whatever made her want to sleep before must have exhausted her.¡± She said and sat down at the kitchen table. ¡°Of course, I''ve had sudden nap attacks occasionally.¡±


    Katheryn chuckled and handed her a cup of tea. ¡°I think those days are pretty common.¡± She said. ¡°When you''re home a lot and there not much to do to keep you occupied except watch television or putt around in the garden...¡±


    ¡°I''m thinking it has a bit more to do with missing my son.¡± Annie said.


    Katheryn nodded. ¡°I''ve noticed that she''s quite caught up in him.¡±


    ¡°I think the word you''re looking for is ''invested''.¡±


    Katheryn chuckled and took a drink of tea. ¡°Yes, all right. I''ll accept that change of terminology. She''s becoming invested in him a little too much.¡±


    ¡°She''s young and he''s her first serious boyfriend.¡± Annie said. ¡°I remember my first serious boyfriend. He was three years older, had a fast car, and he could make even the dullest night light up with his smile and his kisses.¡±


    ¡°He sounds like a wild guy.¡± Katheryn smiled warmly. ¡°Whatever happened to him?¡±


    ¡°I married him.¡± Annie said and took a drink of tea.


    ¡°You married your first serious boyfriend?¡± Katheryn asked, surprised.


    ¡°Neither of us wanted to keep looking.¡± Annie said.


    Katheryn stared at the blonde woman across the table. ¡°You want Kelly and Arnold to get married.¡±


    ¡°I would never tell them that, nor will I push them into anything.¡± Annie said and took a drink of tea, then she nodded. ¡°I think they are a perfect fit and they need each other. Arnold needs her calming influence and Kelly needs his strength and devotion.¡±


    Katheryn sat there and thought about it. She knew it was much too early for her daughter to get married, mainly because she had only dated a few guys once or twice each, so she didn''t really have a good basis for what she would want in a husband. It wasn''t really something someone could tell you and you had to discover it for yourself.


    Annie touched her hand and took her out of her thoughts. ¡°They haven''t even gone out on a real date, except for the prom. Believe me, I''m not trying to push them together or anything. They need to work things out for themselves.¡±


    Katheryn reluctantly nodded and she sat there and drank tea with a potential in-law. Surprisingly, she wasn''t as adverse to the idea as she thought she would be.


    *


    Brad and Kevin finished their community service for that day and their supervisor offered to drive them home to make sure they made it safely. Brad chuckled and Kevin laughed.


    ¡°I live three streets over that way.¡± Kevin said and pointed across the four lane road. ¡°I''ll see you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Wait for traffic to clear!¡± The woman supervisor said and he waved her concern away. She and Brad watched as Kevin proved he was much better at crossing the road than any cat or raccoon and deftly crossed it as he timed the passing vehicles perfectly. ¡°You''re a lucky little bastard!¡± She said loudly and Kevin waved at her and disappeared from sight.


    ¡°Not really.¡± Brad laughed. ¡°He doesn''t get to ride home with you.¡±


    The woman gave him a stern look and he ducked his head slightly.


    ¡°I''m sorry. I didn''t mean...¡±


    ¡°Get in the truck.¡± She said and he climbed in the passenger side and she climbed into the driver''s side. She expertly pressed the brake and took it out of gear and readied her foot on the clutch as she started it up. She waited for a break in the traffic, then jammed it into gear as she slammed on the gas and peeled the tires into the dirt. The truck took off from a dead stop and reached road speed in only a few seconds.


    ¡°Jesus Christ! What''s in this thing? A Hemi?¡± Brad asked, shocked.


    The woman laughed. ¡°Nope, just a well tuned diesel guzzler.¡± She said and drove partway across the town. ¡°I just need to stop and file the report of your work.¡± She said. ¡°It''ll just be a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you''re driving. You can do whatever you want.¡± Brad said. ¡°I''m just along for the ride.¡±


    She gave him an odd look for a second and she pulled into what looked like a construction site. She parked and motioned for him to follow her, so Brad hopped out and they went into a small one story building.


    ¡°How''s the baby sitting gig going?¡± A guy asked with a laugh when he saw her come in.


    ¡°Still going on.¡± She said and pointed behind herself with a thumb and walked towards an office.


    ¡°Hey, kid.¡± The guy said. ¡°No hard feelings.¡±


    ¡°Hey, old guy.¡± Brad said. ¡°Grow bigger balls.¡±


    The woman laughed and opened the office door. ¡°Get inside, smart mouth.¡±


    ¡°Yes, miss.¡± Brad said and ducked his head slightly, then stepped by her.


    She entered as well and shut the door, then pointed to a chair. Brad sat down in front of a desk and she walked around the desk and took off her coat. Brad was surprised that she only wore a thin t-shirt with a logo on it and not a work shirt or an overall. He couldn''t help but stare at her chest and the cloth bra she wore for comfort. She sat down behind the desk and quickly wrote out the report of where they started, how far they had covered, and how many animals that had been killed on the road.


    She made notes about the quality of both Brad''s and Kevin''s work and used a photocopier to make a copy of it. She put the original one into a folder on the side of the desk and folded the copy and put it in an envelope, filled out the courthouse office info on it, then dropped it into the outgoing tray on the other side of the desk.


    ¡°There. Official day done.¡± She said and stood up, and she hadn''t missed the fact that the young man''s eyes never left her chest the entire time she had her coat off. She saw his eyes dart to her chest every few seconds, as if they were going to magically bounce around for him to watch. She smiled slightly and lightly tapped her right heel on the floor and the movement and vibration was just enough to make her chest jiggle a little bit.


    Brad''s mind couldn''t believe his eyes, because her chest had just magically shook and she hadn''t even moved. How is that possible? He asked himself.


    ¡°I hope you''re ready to use that smart mouth for something important.¡± She said and Brad slowly looked up from her chest to see her smiling face.


    ¡°Yes, miss. Anything you want me to do, I''ll do it.¡± Brad said, because he knew that if he didn''t stay on her good side, he would disqualify himself from his sentence and other arrangements would have to be made, namely jail time.


    ¡°Good.¡± She said and pulled her t-shirt off and popped the clasp on her bra.


    Brad''s mouth dropped open at the fantastic breasts that just appeared before him.


    ¡°I haven''t had a good fuck in a while.¡± She said and opened her pants and dropped them and her underwear to the floor. She leaned over him as she reached over his shoulder and locked the office door, which pressed her chest into his face. Brad started kissing and licking her breasts as his hands reached up and grabbed them.


    ¡°I knew by the way you looked at me that you would be an eager one.¡± She said and then bit her lip as she rubbed her hands through his hair.

 87 Back Home

    The next two days passed by in a flash and without incident. Thanks to Janet''s experience in buying the best meals, Arnold''s diet improved significantly. He had a bit more energy and moved a little better, and he even started to vary his orders at the cafeteria, to the overweight woman behind the counter''s surprise. Chicken was fine to have most times; but, he now knew that he needed other essential foods. Since he couldn''t cook fish on his own, he ate it for lunch when it was available.


    On Saturday, Arnold packed his backpack with a change of clothes and a few other things, then he left his dorm room at a quarter to five in the morning to catch the bus. He expected the hallway to be completely empty, and instead he was met with all the faces he usually saw when going to work.


    ¡°Make sure you have some fun while back home.¡± Emily said from her doorway.


    ¡°Yeah, tell your girlfriend she''s a lucky girl.¡± A girl two doors down said.


    ¡°I can''t believe we''re all up this early to say goodbye to him.¡± Janet said a little loudly, and nearly everyone laughed.


    ¡°You''re up, too.¡± Her roommate said and nudged her with an elbow.


    ¡°I didn''t want to be the only one who didn''t do it.¡± Janet said and this time everyone laughed.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and they all looked at him. He went to each of them and gently took their hands and gave it a little shake as he made his way to the elevator. ¡°I''ll be back Sunday night.¡± He said when he reached it, then to their surprise, he dashed to the stairwell and disappeared from sight.


    ¡°He did not just run down the stairs!¡± One of them exclaimed. ¡°Is he crazy? We''re four floors up!¡±


    Her roommate laughed. ¡°Where else is he going to get exercise this early in the morning?¡± She asked, not realizing that Arnold could go up and down the stairs faster than the elevator could travel the same distance.


    *


    Doris sat at her desk and waited. It was the first time she had been at work this early in the morning because she wanted to make sure she was here when Arnold left. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him come out of the stairwell and not the elevator.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Doris said and waved. Even this early in the morning, she had dressed in a blouse and skirt that showed off her curvy figure, her short black hair was done up with a few waves and framed her face perfectly. She had put in quite the effort just for him to have a good look at her before he left.


    Arnold walked over to her desk, went around it, and looked down at her partially unbuttoned blouse that showed off a lot of her cleavage. He didn''t hesitate as he bent over and gave her a hug and buried his face into her chest. Doris laughed and hugged his head to make sure he felt as much of her dark warmth as possible, then she let him go.


    ¡°Goodbye, and I''ll see you Sunday night.¡± Doris said.


    Arnold moved his head up and looked into her eyes, then he gave her a goodbye kiss for several seconds. Doris couldn''t help enjoying it and her heart beat faster at the passionate kiss, then he broke it and stood up.


    ¡°Goodbye.¡± Arnold said and walked over to the front door, then he ran out of sight.


    Doris took several deep breaths and waved a hand in front of her face. Goodness gracious. She thought. That boy can kiss.


    *


    Arnold made it to the bus stop just in time and he only had to wait for it to come to a stop. He climbed on and showed the bus pass that Doris had told him to buy. Since he would be travelling every weekend, it was the smart thing to do, and he would save a lot of money in comparison to buying passage every time.


    The bus drove for two hours to where he could get on the local line, then he transferred to the right bus to take him where he needed to go. He stepped off the bus and walked over two streets. About halfway down it was his destination and he saw someone as they stood out at the end of the driveway. He walked right up to them and stopped.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Kelly said and the longing in her eyes was undeniable as she took him into a hug.


    ¡°Kelly.¡± Arnold said and hugged her back.


    ¡°I love you.¡± Kelly said in a whisper and gave him a kiss, then another, then she started to make out with him right there.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Annie fake coughed as she walked over.


    Kelly sighed when she had to stop kissing him and she reluctantly let him go.


    ¡°You''re giving your poor father a heart attack.¡± Annie said to her and took her son into a hug. ¡°Good morning, Arnold.¡±


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Arnold said and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.


    ¡°Let''s get inside.¡± Annie said and waved at the front door. ¡°I''m sure Kenneth has made a tactical retreat already.¡±


    Kelly let out a laugh. ¡°I told Dad I was going to kiss Arnold.¡±


    ¡°He can''t handle you being all grabby and needy, I think.¡± Annie grinned.


    Kelly took Arnold''s hand. ¡°I missed him a lot, so I had to give him a proper kiss as soon as I saw him.¡±


    ¡°Was that a proper kiss?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Not really. We were interrupted.¡± Kelly whispered. ¡°I wasn''t going to stop for a while.¡±


    Arnold looked at her and she blushed.


    ¡°Make sure to thank Katheryn for letting you stay here on the couch.¡± Annie whispered just before they reached the front door and Arnold nodded.


    The front door opened and Katheryn stood there all alone. Kenneth really had disappeared and both Annie and Kelly held back their laughs.


    ¡°Hello, Arnold.¡± Katheryn said.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Arnold said and let Kelly''s hand go and took her mother into a hug for a moment, then he leaned back slightly. ¡°Thank you for letting me stay here.¡± He said and gave her a quick peck on the lips.


    Katheryn''s mouth made that little ''o'' of surprise as he let her go and she stared at him with wide eyes.


    ¡°We have breakfast ready.¡± Kelly quickly said and took Arnold''s hand again, then led him by her mother and through the house to the kitchen.


    ¡°That might have been my fault.¡± Annie said. ¡°I told him to thank you.¡±


    ¡°But... I thought...¡±


    ¡°Maybe he did make the mom connection?¡± Annie asked. ¡°I''ll ask him.¡±


    Katheryn stood there for a moment as Annie walked towards the kitchen, then she had to know herself and followed.


    ¡°Arnold, why did you kiss Kelly''s mother?¡± Annie asked, without any preamble or beating around the bush, which surprised Katheryn.


    ¡°Doris said she''s Kelly''s mom and I should give her the same respect I give you.¡± Arnold said as he sat down where Kelly had told him to. ¡°She also said that it would be insulting to be affectionate towards Kelly and then to ignore her mother.¡±


    Kelly, Annie and Katheryn couldn''t really refute that and Kelly put a plate of food in front of him.


    ¡°Arnold...¡± Annie started to clarify when it would be appropriate to kiss his girlfriend''s mother.


    ¡°I know. No kissing in front of Kelly''s dad because it embarrasses him.¡± Arnold said as Kelly put plates of food at the other place settings. ¡°He needs to accept that you''re beautiful women and you attract attention.¡±


    All three of them caught their breath and looked at him.


    ¡°Arnold? What... how did you come to that conclusion?¡± Annie asked, a little shocked at the statement.


    ¡°The professor loaned me several books and periodicals.¡± Arnold said and didn''t start eating, because no one else had sat down yet. ¡°They were full of interesting facts and figures, some of which were biological processes and the inherent desire for mating species to adorn themselves to get attention.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Annie whispered.


    ¡°Annie, what is it?¡± Katheryn asked, a bit relieved. ¡°That was actually a very good explanation.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t think... I couldn''t foresee this as...¡± Annie shook her head and looked at her son. ¡°Arnold, besides masturbating, have you had sex in the last two weeks?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I''m only allowed to have sex with Kelly, and only if she asks.¡±


    Annie let out a relieved sigh and sat down. ¡°Okay, okay.¡±


    ¡°Annie?¡± Katheryn put a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°After hearing that mating species thing, I was worried he would make the assumption that all the girls in the dorm were making themselves pretty for him.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°They aren''t.¡± Arnold said and the three of them looked at him. ¡°They look that way even when I''m not around, because it''s them getting ready to get attention from everyone and not for me alone.¡±


    ¡°Did they get your attention?¡± Kelly asked as her mother sat down.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. ¡°One of them did tell me to tell you that you''re a lucky girl.¡±


    Kelly smiled and took his hand. ¡°I really am.¡±


    ¡°What else did they say?¡± Annie asked before she could stop herself, because that was not a question she should be asking in front of company.


    ¡°They said to make sure I had some fun while back home.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie almost laughed in relief. ¡°We can definitely make sure of that. We''re heading over to check on the progress of the house today.¡±


    ¡°It''s almost done!¡± Kelly said excitedly.


    Kenneth came into the kitchen and saw everyone had sat down. He didn''t say anything and sat at the head of the table. His wife and Annie sat on one side, and his daughter and her boyfriend sat on the other side. He didn''t say anything and started to eat, then everyone else did, too. The silence wasn''t strained and there wasn''t really any tension in the air, because there was no real problems for anyone.


    Even Kenneth had to admit that knowing Arnold was waiting for Kelly to ask for sex, was a relief he never knew he needed until the subject had come up. He knew she was responsible and wouldn''t rush into anything, so he knew he had a lot of time to come to grips with the fact that his daughter had a man in her life.


    Everyone else at the table didn''t have the same moral quandary about sex, since they had accepted the fact that Kelly and Arnold would have sex at some point, which mean the pressure that would have normally exerted on them was almost nonexistent. They finished the meal and Arnold gathered up the dishes before anyone could stop him. He took them to the kitchen and rinsed them off in the sink, then came back and sat down.


    ¡°That was a great meal, Honey.¡± Kenneth said.


    ¡°Wow, thank you.¡± Annie said with a huge smile. ¡°I''m not your Honey, though.¡±


    ¡°Wha-huh?¡± Kenneth looked at Annie with shock on his face.


    ¡°Katheryn let me make breakfast by myself because Arnold was arriving today.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°But... but...¡± Kenneth looked at his wife, who looked like she was holding her laughter in. ¡°I... I''m so sorry!¡± He blurted out loudly. ¡°Please forgive me! Please!¡±


    ¡°I guess I can let it go this time.¡± Annie said and then laughed at his pained expression. ¡°I think we better go before he explodes from embarrassment.¡±


    ¡°Good idea.¡± Kelly said and she, Arnold, and Annie left the dining room. ¡°I can''t believe my dad called you Honey.¡± She said to Annie as they went out through the front door. ¡°The poor guy!¡±


    Annie snorted and then laughed. ¡°I bet he''s a blubbering mess in your mom''s arms right now.¡±


    Kelly laughed, too. The three of them got in Annie''s car and they drove over to the house. They could see the remnants of the large fumigation tent that used to be there and Annie parked on the side of the street.


    ¡°It looks so much better already.¡± Kelly said as they stepped out of the car.


    ¡°The insurance agent said that the value of the house is going to go up, now that they''ve replaced the windows and the siding.¡±


    ¡°You mean your taxes are going to go up and your insurance premiums are going to double next year.¡± Kelly corrected.


    ¡°That''s what I said.¡± Annie chuckled. ¡°The foreman said he would be inside.¡±


    The three of them went to the front door and went inside.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Kelly said when she saw the completely redone interior. ¡°It looks like a brand new house!¡±


    ¡°It''s amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do, isn''t it?¡± A man asked as he came out of the kitchen.


    ¡°It is.¡± Annie said. ¡°I''m going to miss the way it was, though.¡±


    The man nodded. ¡°It''s difficult to let some things go after having them for so long.¡±


    Annie''s hand found Arnold''s hand and gave it a squeeze. ¡°Can you give us a quick tour and let us know what''s left to do?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± He said and waved at the kitchen. ¡°Step into my office.¡±


    Annie chuckled and they went in and saw there wasn''t much left to do at all, which was a relief.


    ¡°She''ll be all yours again on Tuesday.¡± The foreman said. ¡°The delivery truck with the replacement furniture won''t be here until Monday and we''ll have everything put in place by the end of the day.¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°Thank you for everything you''ve done.¡±


    ¡°Hey, it''s no sweat off our noses to complete a job and leave it as close as possible to the way it was.¡± He said and shrugged. ¡°I bet you can''t wait to get back in here after so long.¡±


    Annie let out a sigh. ¡°I just hope it can start feeling like home again with no one but me here.¡±


    Kelly looked at her in surprise. ¡°Annie...¡±


    ¡°I hope you''ll come to visit...¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, visit? I''ll be living here.¡± Kelly said and Annie turned her head to look at her. ¡°After being home for two weeks, I doubt I''ll be able to sneak off and get away from my parents.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Annie looked at Arnold.


    ¡°I know.¡± Kelly said. ¡°We''re both worried about him and even with Doris there to help look after him occasionally, he''s still going to be alone. He sent me here to be with you, though. He knows how important you are, and so do I.¡±


    Annie took in a quick breath and did her best to stop her tears from forming, then Kelly stepped close and took her into a hug and she couldn''t stop the tears anymore. Her arm reached out and pulled Arnold in, then the three of them stood there and held each other while she cried.


    The foreman stood there, a little awkwardly because of the scene in front of him, until he realized that he was actually glad that he was witnessing such a nice family moment and a smile formed on his lips.


    *


    Officer Hallman made another drive past the Strickland house, almost as an afterthought because it had become a part of his daily routine the last two weeks to divert his patrol route to drive down that street. He didn''t know how much safer the people living on that street felt with having him do that, though. His regular appearance gave them the impression that he was diligently watching for crimes, when all he was really doing was watching for one person.


    The police car passed the Strickland house and there was no reaction until the car almost reached the other end of the street. The brake lights came on and the car stopped and idled there for nearly a full minute, then it drove away at the speed limit, took the corner and the next, then it completed the loop and drove very slowly by the house again.


    She''s really there. Officer Hallman thought, then decided that today was not the day to go in and check on her. The workers were still there and he doubted there would be any kind of privacy to talk with her. He fought his need to see her again and drove off to continue his patrol.

 88 What Did You Say?

    The foreman offered to walk Annie, Arnold and Kelly around the house, and they declined. Everything had been thrown out and the place was practically empty, except for anything that was metal. Annie knew that there wasn''t a lot of metal things that they owned, so walking around practically empty rooms would only make her feel worse about the whole thing. The three of them left and climbed into the car and Annie pulled away from the curb.


    ¡°Kelly and I planned to take you anywhere you wanted to go today.¡± Annie said to Arnold. ¡°Is there anywhere you would like to go?¡±


    ¡°Where can I go to have some fun with Kelly?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Well, there are a few places I know of.¡± Annie said and thought about it. ¡°Kelly? Any ideas?¡±


    Kelly thought about it. ¡°Maybe the museum? I haven''t been there in a while.¡±


    Annie didn''t let the surprise show on her face. Of all the places for your first date, you pick a museum? She asked herself and smiled. ¡°Okay. First stop, the museum.¡±


    Annie drove the car around several streets to get to the main road that most of the traffic in the town used at some point during the day and the car easily merged with the flow of traffic. They travelled pretty fast along the pavement and passed a work truck. Annie slowed down because she saw several people working near the road.


    Kelly gasped when she saw who it was. ¡°That''s Brad!¡± She said and pointed and Annie and Arnold looked. ¡°Why isn''t he in jail?¡± She asked and let her anger show. ¡°Wait a minute! Why haven''t we heard about this?¡±


    Annie couldn''t help it and her anger showed as well. She didn''t slam on the brakes and try to run the bastard over like she wanted to, though. It wasn''t because she had witnesses in the car, either. It was because Brad wasn''t alone and the woman looked like she was keeping a close eye on him as he worked.


    ¡°He''s picking up trash?!?¡± Kelly nearly yelled. ¡°He wrecked your home and all he''s doing is trash collecting? What a rip-off!¡±


    ¡°Kelly, calm down.¡± Annie said, even though she didn''t want to calm down, either. She took the car back up to full speed after they passed the work area. ¡°When we park, I''ll give that officer a call.¡±


    ¡°That''s a great idea.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Maybe he can explain this travesty of justice.¡±


    Annie nodded and drove over to the museum. She parked in the parking lot and they climbed out of the car and stood beside it. Kelly handed over her cell phone and Annie took out the business card that the officer had given her and she dialed the number on it.


    ¡°I hope he''s working today.¡± Annie said. ¡°Otherwise...¡±


    The phone rang and there was a series of clicks, then a man''s voice spoke when the ringing stopped.


    ¡°Officer Hallman.¡±


    ¡°Officer Hallman, this is Annie Strickland.¡±


    ¡°Annie!¡± He said, a little excitedly. ¡°It''s so nice to hear from you.¡±


    ¡°You might not think that when I ask you what the hell is going on with my case.¡± Annie said and anger was clear in her voice.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Officer Hallman asked.


    ¡°I just drove by the main road and saw two of the bastards that wrecked my house are doing community service and aren''t in jail.¡±


    Officer Hallman sighed. ¡°They assigned them to that already?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean already? How long have you known they were out of jail?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°Their court case was on Monday. The prosecutor sent out notices to us on Tuesday about the judge''s decision.¡±


    Annie was quiet and stared at the ground as she tried to compose herself. ¡°Well, Mr. Asshat, why didn''t you call me and tell me the criminals that assaulted my house, and might have assaulted me, were out and roaming free?¡±


    ¡°I drove by your house every day since then to keep an eye on it.¡± Officer Hallman said.


    ¡°I don''t give a f... fig... what you did! Why didn''t you tell me? I''m standing here in the middle of town with my son, who they had actually come to assault, and I had NO CLUE that Brad and his friends are all out and around the town! How in the world is that SAFE for me and MY SON?¡± Annie yelled. ¡°TELL ME HOW THAT''S SAFE FOR MY SON!!!¡±


    ¡°Annie, I''m sorry. I wanted to tell you in person. I kept checking to see if you were home and I only saw your car at the house a little while ago.¡± Officer Hallman said. ¡°I''m actually still on patrol and couldn''t call.¡±


    ¡°Have you been on patrol twenty-four hours a day since Tuesday?¡± Annie asked and did her best to not yell. ¡°You could have called at any time to meet me ''in person'' and then tell me that my life was in danger. You could have at least warned me about letting my son come back here and putting his life in danger, too!¡±


    ¡°Where are you now?¡± Officer Hallman asked. ¡°I''ll come over and...¡±


    ¡°You stay the fuck away from me, you ignorant asshole!¡± Annie spat. ¡°I''m tearing up your card and I hope I never see your smug face ever again.¡± She said. ¡°I''m also calling the station to complain about your lack of professionalism in protecting the witnesses in what used to be your case. I assume the case is closed, which you also never told me, and I believe I''ll be having a nice long conversation with the police chief about you.¡±


    ¡°Annie, wait-¡± *CLICK*


    Annie hung up the phone and dialed the station number on the card and waited. ¡°The police chief, please.¡± ¡°Yes, it''s very important and involves one of his officers and a potential assault.¡± ¡°Annie Strickland.¡± ¡°Of course I have no problem waiting on hold, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Wow, Annie.¡± Kelly stared at her friend, who just happened to be Arnold''s mom.


    ¡°No one messes with my Arnold.¡± Annie said and the three of them stood there while they waited for the police chief to pick up his phone.


    *


    ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Officer Charlie Hallman said as the call ended. He was only about halfway through his patrol route and he couldn''t stop it to go and try to find Annie in the middle of town. He picked up his radio and called the dispatcher, then asked to be transferred to the police chief.


    ¡°Hey, boss. I screwed up.¡± Charlie said and started to explain what happened.


    As the police chief listened, he became less happy at each successive word, especially because he had Annie Strickland waiting on hold to hear what he had to say about the whole thing.


    *


    Annie, Arnold, and Kelly stood there for almost fifteen minutes before Annie jerked a little when the cellphone clicked and the ''on hold'' music stopped.


    It''s about goddamn time! Annie thought and tried to reign in her anger. She didn''t want to sound like a raving lunatic while she talked, because that was not how she wanted to be perceived.


    ¡°Miss Strickland, this is Police Chief Morris.¡± The police chief said. ¡°What can I do for you today?¡±


    ¡°You can file a formal report against Officer Hallman for conduct unbecoming an officer of the law and for public endangerment.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°I''m sure that we can discuss...¡±


    ¡°I wasn''t discussing it, Chief Morris. I was telling you. Your officer has intentionally put my son, and by extension myself, in imminent danger for the last five days. In fact, the danger was more prevalent during the week, because we didn''t know that our assailants were out and roaming free.¡±


    Chief Morris sighed. ¡°Miss Strickland, it''s not normal policy to disclose case specifics with...¡±


    ¡°I''ve been roaming about my home town all week, and the large group of men that came to my house and destroyed it, have been out roaming free the entire time. I could literally run into them anywhere. In fact, I passed the main instigator when I came into town and that told me all I needed to know about how little your officer regarded my son''s and my own personal safety.¡±


    ¡°Miss Strickland, there''s no need to overreact...¡±


    ¡°Chief Morris, you better start writing that report, because the next call I''m making is to a reporter I know.¡± Annie said. ¡°Either you reprimand Officer Hallman right now for letting his personal feelings interfere with his job and endangering my son and myself, not to mention my son''s girlfriend that the perpetrators all know, or you can reprimand him after the front page story appears in the paper. The choice is up to you.¡±


    ¡°Miss Strickland...¡±


    ¡°I''d like to know how the felony charges were reduced to only community service.¡± Annie said. ¡°I''d also like to know why I wasn''t called in to testify at the hearing, since I was the victim of their crime.¡±


    ¡°Miss Strickland, it''s not normal policy to disclose case specifics with...¡±


    ¡°Now that I have you on the phone, I have another important question.¡± Annie said and cut him off.


    The police chief managed to stop his sigh this time. ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°WHERE IS MY HUSBAND''S BODY?!?¡± Annie yelled.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Chief Morris asked, surprised.


    ¡°I''ve been waiting several weeks for the funeral parlour to call and let me know when the funeral arrangements will come into effect. When I called them to see what the hold up was, they told me that the police haven''t released his body yet.¡±


    Chief Morris couldn''t stop his sigh this time. ¡°Miss Strickland, I''m terribly sorry for causing you such distress. I''ll do my best to rectify the situation... both of them... as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°I certainly hope that''s true for your sake, because everyone will be reading about it tomorrow, and I suspect you will be getting a lot of interesting calls.¡± Annie said with a smile and hung up the phone.


    ¡°Oh. My. God.¡± Kelly said and took Annie into a hug. ¡°That was scarily awesome!¡±


    Annie had to chuckle at that. ¡°Don''t make me laugh. This isn''t funny.¡±


    ¡°You just kicked the chief of police in the balls and told him to like it!¡± Kelly said with a grin. ¡°Why can''t that be funny?¡±


    Annie laughed and pushed her away. ¡°Stop that. I need to make a call.¡±


    Kelly nodded and Annie called the woman from the company her husband used to work at. After a quick talk with her, Annie got the number for the reporter that had shown up that day to report on the life insurance story. After another quick talk, the reporter begged for her to give her the exclusive story. She also told Annie to stay right where she was because she would be there as soon as possible to talk to her.


    ¡°You two can go inside.¡± Annie said. ¡°I think I''m going to be busy for a while.¡±


    ¡°You don''t want us to stay and help?¡± Kelly asked.


    Annie shook her head and then smiled. ¡°You two go have some fun while I conspire to take down the slightly corrupted police force.¡±


    ¡°It''s too bad you couldn''t take down the prosecutor and the judge, too.¡± Kelly said with a laugh. ¡°You know they took it easy on Brad and his friends because of bribes and favors.¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°I knew as soon as the chief of police said that he couldn''t discuss the case that some kind of backroom deal had to be made.¡±


    Kelly sighed and put a hand on her arm. ¡°We''re going to get through this, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are.¡± Annie said and pat her hand. ¡°Now get going and enjoy yourselves.¡±


    Kelly took Arnold''s hand and led him up the stairs and into the large museum building. There was no fee to get in; but, there was a donation box and Kelly put a couple of dollars in it and led Arnold through the lobby.


    ¡°Most people like the paleontology display.¡± Kelly said and pointed to the room where that was. ¡°Not me, though. I wasn''t as fussy on dinosaurs like a lot of people.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I also know what you really like.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Do you really remember what I said on the school bus going to my house so long ago?¡±


    ¡°I always remember important things.¡± Arnold said and she blushed a little. ¡°The map in the lobby said it''s over there.¡± He said and pointed.


    Kelly turned her head and looked. ¡°You really did remember.¡± She said and blushed fully as Arnold led her over to the Egyptian Artifacts display hall. ¡°I don''t know why I find it all so fascinating.¡± She said and they stopped at the first glass case with a broken golden sceptre and half of a faded golden mask that looked like an eagle. ¡°An almost completely different civilization. Different social rules, dynasties, a ruling class that did their best... most of the time... to keep their people fed and working, and they were worshipped like gods and goddesses.¡±


    They moved on and stopped at a scale model display of the Giza Pyramids.


    ¡°The engineering feats they performed were nothing short of astonishing.¡± Kelly said and touched the glass. ¡°Imagine making the Great Pyramid, over seven hundred and fifty feet on each side and four hundred and eighty feet tall, and all you had was a long slow incline, wooden logs and water, and thousands of people working on it.¡±


    Arnold looked at it and tried to see it how she saw it. All he could see was a pyramid, however.


    Kelly pointed at a small block off to the side. ¡°Each one was about two and a half tons and the Egyptians moved millions of them to build all of the pyramids.¡± She said. ¡°No cars or machines to help. It was all basic manpower and they accomplished so much with so little.¡±


    ¡°Slave manpower.¡± A man''s voice said as he walked over. ¡°Thousands of slaves did the work.¡±


    ¡°That''s not entirely true.¡± Kelly responded. ¡°Lots of Egyptians worked on all of the different wonders they created and it wasn''t all done by slaves.¡±


    The man started to frown and Kelly shook her head.


    ¡°I''m not saying what they did was good or the end justifies the subjugation of an entire caste of people. It was a different time and we can all look back and judge them with our own values now. I''m just saying that they used the resources they had available and accomplished amazing things.¡±


    The man couldn''t counter that argument, so he gave her a slight nod and walked on.


    ¡°I think you''re going to like this next part.¡± Kelly said and led Arnold by the hand and went into a small side room and it was filled with small display cases. In the center of the room was the jewel of the collection.


    A real mummy.


    It was behind glass and couldn''t be touched. Even so, some of the wrappings had fallen off its face and revealed its dried out eye sockets and the teeth were exposed because the lips had receded.


    ¡°It looks like she would have had a nice smile.¡± Kelly said.


    Arnold looked at the teeth and most of them were intact.


    ¡°When I was young, I sometimes imagined that I was an Egyptian princess. I wore the big headdress thing and a nice long white dress, and I even had suitors come from all over the known world to beg me for my hand in marriage.¡± Kelly said with a laugh. ¡°I guess that''s one reason why I like this so much. I had a lot of fun pretending to be a princess.¡±


    Arnold nodded and looked around to see that they were alone. ¡°Do you want to have some fun now?¡±


    Kelly smiled and nodded, so Arnold took her around the mummy''s display case. Before she could stop him or even say that they shouldn''t, Arnold had her jeans and panties down to her knees and knelt.


    ¡°Princess Kelly.¡± Arnold said and looked up at her to see her bright red face. ¡°May I be your suitor?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, please.¡± Kelly said with a shaky voice.


    Arnold kissed her there and Kelly was very glad that no one was in the display room with them, because she had a hard time being quiet. A very hard time. She was surrounded by the golden remnants of her fantasy land and she had the man she loved on his knees in front of her.


    Kelly couldn''t have come up with a better fantasy if she tried.

 89 Another Chance Encounter

    ¡°Oh, geez. We got another adventurous couple.¡± A security guy said when he looked at the computer monitor and it flicked to the Egyptian Display and showed the mummy.


    ¡°Is she hot?¡± His partner asked and the first guy hit the camera code for the display. ¡°Hey, not bad. If she lost the sweater and put on a bit more makeup, I bet she could be a real looker.¡±


    ¡°His head''s still in the way.¡± The first guy said, disappointed. ¡°Do you want to walk by this time or should I?¡±


    ¡°I''ll do it.¡± His partner chuckled. ¡°One authoritative scare coming right up.¡±


    *


    Kelly was floating on a cloud of bliss. She was thankful that the mummy display had a solid wooden back on it, because she was leaning pretty heavily on it to support herself. Her eyes fluttered open and closed as she tried to watch Arnold working her over, because it was something she wanted to remember for as long as she lived.


    ¡°I really hope there''s no one in here that''s half-naked.¡± A man''s voice said loudly into the side room.


    ¡°EEEEP!¡± Kelly said loudly and jumped a little.


    ¡°It would be a real shame for someone to walk in on them with the tour going through in a minute.¡± The man continued and didn''t acknowledge Kelly''s startled reaction.


    ¡°A-A-Arnold!¡± Kelly whispered loudly. ¡°S-stop, please.¡±


    Arnold did, then cleaned her off a little before he helped her pull her underwear back up. Kelly grabbed her jeans and yanked them up hard, secured them, then combed her brown wavy hair with her fingers as if it had been messed up somehow.


    ¡°Let''s go.¡± Kelly said, her face still bright red, only this time from embarrassment for getting caught. She took Arnold''s hand and they left the small side room, only to see that no one was there. They quickly looked around at the other displays in the exhibit and Kelly wasn''t as excited about it as she had been before. She just couldn''t stop thinking about how Arnold had done that for her, in public no less, all because she said she had fun being a princess.


    ¡°There''s a nice wildlife animal display up on the second floor.¡± Kelly suggested and they went up there.


    *


    ¡°Ha ha hahaha!¡± The security guy still in the office laughed.


    ¡°How was that?¡± His partner asked as he came back into the office.


    ¡°Perfect! That poor girl beat feet so fast out of there that I''m surprised there''s not sneaker marks on the floor!¡±


    His partner laughed, too. ¡°I was tempted to follow them around; but, I''m pretty sure they''re not going to try that again anywhere else.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? There''s some good hiding spots in the wildlife displays.¡± The first guy said and gave his partner an apologetic look. ¡°You didn''t hear that from me.¡±


    His partner laughed again. ¡°I''ll keep the secret, as long as you tell me where.¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡± The first guy said with a smile.


    *


    ¡°This is amazing!¡± The reporter said after she heard Annie''s story. ¡°I don''t know if I''ll be allowed to say the officer''s name, though. There''s no way I''ll get corroboration from the police department.¡±


    Annie chuckled. ¡°I doubt you''ll get anything except them saying that it''s being handled, just like I did.¡±


    The reporter nodded. ¡°I can see if any kind of report on him is being filed, though. I know someone in the records department.¡±


    ¡°Is there any chance you can have them check what was going on with my husband''s body?¡± Annie asked. ¡°There has to be a reason they kept him so long.¡±


    The reporter nodded. ¡°I''ll ask and I''m pretty sure he''s going to say that it''s red tape.¡± She said and Annie gave her a wide-eyed look. ¡°Whoever is working on the case just didn''t send the release notice to the morgue and they can''t release evidence until given permission.¡±


    ¡°Detective Tanner.¡± Annie said as she immediately remembered the woman''s name and then sighed. ¡°She had me visit and identify him, even though his... his face was...¡± She closed her eyes and held back the tears at the remembered sight of her husband''s mangled face. She felt a hand take hers and she opened her eyes to see genuine concern on the reporter''s face.


    ¡°It''s all right. It''s an underhanded tactic that a few of the unscrupulous ones use to try and see if your grief is genuine or if you''re faking it.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Annie asked, surprised.


    ¡°What better way to see if you were involved in the accident by watching your reaction to seeing the body like that?¡± The reporter asked.


    ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Annie said softly. ¡°That... that really is... underhanded.¡±


    ¡°It''s a good tactic in a more prolific and not as easily explained death, especially if there was some kind of complication with it.¡± The reporter said. ¡°Doing it in a drunk driving case where they determined it was an accident?¡± She shook her head. ¡°I''d say the detective is just hunting for things because she can, not because there''s anything to find.¡±


    Annie nodded in understanding. Sometimes you couldn''t help looking for conspiracies if all you did was look for conspiracies. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The reporter smiled and let her hand go. ¡°No, Annie. Thank you. I''ll get back to the office right away and write this thing up. It might be broken into a couple of articles, though. Is that okay?¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°As long as it gets out there, I''ll be happy.¡±


    The reporter smiled happily. ¡°I wish that all the people I talked to were as nice as you.¡±


    Annie smiled back. ¡°Would you have any real stories if that was true?¡±


    ¡°Not many interesting ones, anyway.¡± The reporter said. ¡°I''ll call the cell number you gave me to let you know what happens.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Annie said. ¡°I told the police chief that everyone would be reading about it tomorrow and I completely forgot that it''s Sunday.¡±


    The reporter laughed. ¡°If the story gets approved for the Monday print, I''ll do another social media blast to promote it, just for you.¡±


    Annie nodded and opened the front door of the reporter''s car and stepped out, then the reporter gave her a wave and drove off to head back to the newspaper. Annie watched the car drive away and didn''t question her decision to tell the reporter everything. If there was one person she needed to tell all of the details to, it was a reporter. They had resources to check on things that normal people just didn''t have access to or knew how to access.


    Annie walked over to the steps of the museum and walked up them, then she wondered if she should bother walking around to look for her son and his girlfriend or if she should just ask the security guard if they had seen them. She chose walk, because she wanted a bit more time to ease her mind about all of the times during the week that she and Kelly had been out and around the town and could have run into Brad and his friends at any time.


    Damn that police officer. Annie thought and reined in her anger. I really do hope I never see him again, because I''ll be arrested for assault! She smiled at the thought of seeing the man''s smug face change to surprise as she punched and kicked him, then she sobered up and knew she would be in serious trouble if she ever did do something like that.


    Annie walked around and didn''t really look at any of the displays as she searched for Arnold and Kelly.


    *


    Detective Tanner kept her mouth quiet as she sat in the police chief''s office. She knew there was going to be a problem when he hadn''t said what he wanted to talk about when he called her at her desk, and now she knew why. He berated her for not finishing the paperwork on the Strickland case and for getting him in trouble over it. The chief didn''t like that he didn''t know what was going on inside his own precinct and he made sure that she didn''t like it, either.


    ¡°You get that release invoice to the morgue immediately. Not in an hour. Not later today. Immediately.¡± Chief Morris said when he was done berating her. ¡°If I had known you''ve been sitting on that body all this time, I would have brought the hammer down on you a long time ago.¡±


    That''s why I didn''t tell you. Detective Tanner thought.


    ¡°I''m seriously debating giving you administrative leave over your recent behaviour.¡± Chief Morris said and that got her attention.


    ¡°Sir, I was just... there''s something fishy with that family.¡± Detective Tanner said. ¡°Especially the son.¡±


    ¡°Every family is fishy, detective.¡± Chief Morris said. ¡°My own son enjoys dressing like a sixty''s gangster every damn weekend and can''t stop imitating them and all of the ridiculous things they say.¡±


    Detective Tanner was surprised to hear this and the chief saw her reaction.


    ¡°Everyone has someone in their family that''s a little odd, detective. Good luck finding a family that doesn''t.¡± The chief said. ¡°So, get back to your desk and sort out this mess. If you even think of floundering on this, I''m calling the morgue in fifteen minutes to see if they sent the body to the funeral parlour yet.¡±


    Detective Tanner let out a sigh, because he had guessed what she was going to do before she did it.


    ¡°There''s a reason I became police chief.¡± Chief Morris said as if he could read her thoughts.


    ¡°Sir, I''ll get right on it.¡± Detective Tanner said in defeat and stood up, then she opened the door and stepped out of the office. ¡°Officer Hallman.¡± She said to the police officer waiting to go in.


    ¡°Detective Tanner.¡± Officer Hallman said and stepped into the office. When the door shut, it made no difference, because nearly everyone in the building heard their discussion.


    Detective Tanner walked back to her desk and quickly wrote out the release. Rather than have someone bring it to the medical examiner, she folded it up and brought it to the man in person.


    ¡°Ah, detective.¡± The medical examiner said. ¡°To what do I owe the pleasure?¡±


    Detective Tanner didn''t say anything and just handed him the release paper for Gerald Strickland''s body.


    ¡°Finally.¡± The medical examiner said. ¡°I''m not going to ask why it took you so long, since I know how your mind works now.¡±


    ¡°You don''t know how my mind works.¡± Detective Tanner said.


    ¡°You wanted time to investigate the family and see what dirt you could dig up on them, just to see if you could tie them into the accident somehow.¡± He said and she couldn''t help but look surprised. ¡°I''ve been on this job for a long time and I''ve seen a lot of people come through here... both alive and dead. If you don''t start being careful about who you investigate, you''ll be looking into everyone''s background and you''ll have no time to investigate the people that need to be investigated.¡±


    Detective Tanner didn''t say anything in response.


    ¡°Yes, my opinion is worth about as much as a day old cup of coffee.¡± The medical examiner said and smiled. ¡°It''s cold and bitter and it won''t get any better the longer it sits.¡±


    Detective Tanner opened her mouth to say how you can reheat the coffee to make it good again, then sighed. The medical examiner chuckled as she turned and walked away and then his phone rang.


    I delivered it just in time. Detective Tanner thought and left the morgue.


    *


    Kelly had just finished telling Arnold about the taxidermy industry when Annie found them at the wildlife display. ¡°Hi! How did the interrogation go?¡±


    Annie couldn''t help but smile, because Kelly always made her smile somehow. ¡°I''m pretty grilled on this side.¡± She said and pointed to her right side. ¡°The reporter had to go and didn''t flip me over to finish the other side.¡±


    Kelly laughed at her pun. ¡°I hope she gets the story out there as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°I just hope it doesn''t give Brad and his friends any ideas.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°Me, too... especially since we don''t know the hours they''re working or where they are.¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°How''s the tour going?¡±


    ¡°It''s just about done.¡± Kelly said, her face a little red, because that was what had interrupted their little adventure in the Valley of the Kings exhibit. She turned to look at the big furry bear that she had told Arnold that he couldn''t touch, because her thought had made her blush even more. Arnold had been exploring her valley quite well at the time.


    ¡°It''s almost lunch time, so why don''t we go grab a bite to eat?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°S-sure.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Arnold, let''s go.¡±


    Arnold nodded and the three of them left the display and went down the stairs, then went outside and to the car in the parking lot. They drove around a little as they talked about a good place to stop and Arnold pointed.


    ¡°Oh, that''s a good place.¡± Annie said. ¡°We ate there after we went to the bank that time.¡±


    Arnold nodded and they parked and went inside. They found a free table easily, since it was before the lunch rush, and the place was only just starting to get crowded.


    ¡°The food was great.¡± Annie told Kelly. ¡°It was the best hamburger I''ve had in a while.¡±


    ¡°I haven''t had a good hamburger in forever!¡± Kelly said as the waitress came over to their table. She wore an old style apron over a nice blouse and a pair of black dress pants.


    ¡°Hi, there. I''m Laney and I''ll be your waitress today.¡± She said and handed them menus. ¡°What can I get you to drink while you decide what you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°We''ve already decided.¡± Annie said with a smile. ¡°Two hamburger platters with gravy on everything and a hot turkey sandwich special with no veggies or stuffing.¡±


    ¡°I want the veggies and stuffing.¡± Arnold said to her surprise.


    ¡°Oh! Um... change that to just a hot turkey sandwich special.¡± Annie corrected.


    Laney nodded and took out her notepad and wrote it down. ¡°And to drink?¡±


    ¡°Root beers all around.¡± Kelly said. ¡°We really should get diet soda; but, we''re splurging today.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like we never eat out.¡± Annie chuckled and looked at the waitress. ¡°No ice, please.¡±


    ¡°You got it.¡± Laney said. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± She walked over to the main counter and handed the order to the cook and prepared the drinks. She served them and came right back to the counter to wait, because she had already served everyone else and the next order was coming right up for another table.


    ¡°Ugh, why did I want to work today?¡± Amanda asked as she came out of the back. ¡°It''s my day off.¡±


    ¡°You get paid time and a half and the tips are a lot better.¡± Laney said.


    ¡°Oh yeah, that''s why.¡± Amanda said and they both laughed.


    ¡°Order up!¡± Joe said and handed over two large platters of food.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Laney said and delivered them to one of her tables.


    ¡°Is it much longer for that fish dish?¡± Amanda asked.


    ¡°We have to make sure it stops twitching before we serve it.¡± Joe said with a grin.


    Amanda rolled her eyes. ¡°Just hurry up.¡±


    ¡°Fish dish. Fish dish. Boy, that sounds funny.¡± Joe said and started humming and he put another double load of french fries into the deep fryer, then he flipped the three hamburgers on the grill.


    Laney came back over and looked at what Joe had going. ¡°I''ll do up the hot turkey for you.¡±


    ¡°You''re a doll.¡± Joe said and shook the fries, then poked the three floating breaded fish pieces in the other fryer. ¡°Ah, just about done.¡±


    ¡°How can you tell?¡± Laney asked.


    ¡°Experience, time, and it doesn''t bob as much when it soaks up enough of the grease.¡± Joe said and flipped them over to see they were a nice golden brown all the way around. ¡°There we go.¡± He said and scooped up the fish with a wire mesh on a handle, rolled them around on a paper towel to soak up the excess grease, then grabbed a plate and added them to it without touching them.


    He pulled up the double load of fries from the grease and they were done, so he poured a generous helping onto the plate and added the garnish, small coleslaw, and tartar sauce, then handed it to Amanda without saying ''order up''.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Amanda said and quickly delivered the meal to one of her tables. She came back to wait for the next one and saw Joe finish assembling two large hamburger platters and the hot turkey sandwich. Something in her mind nagged at her at the sight and she couldn''t place it. Joe smothered the platters in gravy and nodded to Laney.


    ¡°Amanda, give me a hand with the third platter.¡± Laney said and picked up the two hamburger platters and Amanda grabbed the hot turkey sandwich platter. They walked over to the table and Laney served the two women on one side of the table and she served the man on the other side... and froze when he looked up at her. She would recognize those piercing eyes and that blonde buzz-cut anywhere.


    It''s my fun sex guy! Amanda thought in complete surprise.

 90 Good Service

    ¡°Oh! Um... Hi!¡± Amanda said, awkwardly. ¡°I haven''t seen you in a while.¡±


    Both Annie and Kelly had surprised faces.


    ¡°You remember us?¡± Annie asked. ¡°We only ate here once and it was busy.¡±


    Amanda let out a quick laugh and came up with the perfect lie. ¡°You both packed away your food so fast that I didn''t get to ask if you wanted dessert!¡±


    Annie had to laugh at that. ¡°That was so true.¡± She pat her currently flat belly. ¡°I abused this poor thing quite a lot that day.¡±


    ¡°You ate all of this in one sitting?¡± Kelly asked and motioned to the huge hamburger platter.


    ¡°I told you it was good.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°Order UP!¡± Joe yelled from the kitchen.


    ¡°Oops! You folks enjoy your food and I''ll be back to check on you later.¡± Laney said and practically dragged Amanda away from the table and back to the counter. ¡°Amanda, what the hell was that about?¡±


    ¡°I... I can''t say...¡± Amanda said and took the hamburger platter and delivered it. When she came back, Laney glared at her. She sighed and motioned to the small hallway off to the side, then more people came into the restaurant. They got back to work and took the people''s orders, served them drinks, then the two of them walked off to the side for a bit of privacy.


    ¡°Josie was working that day, and...¡± Amanda started and told Laney about what happened that day. Laney stood there and couldn''t believe what she was hearing. It was impossible that Amanda would do anything like that at work, not even on a dare or with the guy she was seeing. She would also never cheat on her boyfriend with a complete stranger.


    ¡°Good god, Amanda.¡± Laney said with a sigh.


    ¡°I see that accusing look.¡± Amanda said. ¡°I didn''t start dating Jason until two weeks later.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that''s a relief. I knew you weren''t a two-timer.¡± Laney said. ¡°But... but, still... did you really...¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Amanda said, her face a little red. ¡°It''s not one of my proudest moments.¡±


    ¡°At least you didn''t go down on him.¡± Laney said.


    ¡°Only because he had to leave.¡± Amanda admitted.


    ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to thank him for... well, it was fun. Really fun.¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy? He could have anything and he could have passed it on to you!¡±


    Amanda''s face went a little redder. ¡°He wore a condom.¡±


    ¡°You know that''s not a hundred percent effective.¡± Laney said. ¡°I thought you were more responsible than this.¡±


    ¡°I am... really. I just... when I heard the term, I just had to see what he meant.¡± Amanda said. ¡°Oh boy, did he show me what fun sex was.¡±


    Laney shook her head. ¡°Does Jason know what you did?¡±


    ¡°Hell, no.¡± Amanda said. ¡°It happened before we started dating and neither of us has asked what we did with anyone else before that.¡±


    ¡°You''re lucky, because I don''t know if he would want to date you if he knew you did things like that.¡±


    ¡°It was one time. Never before and never after.¡± Amanda said in her defense.


    ¡°Order UP!¡± Joe said.


    ¡°Don''t tell anyone else about this.¡± Amanda said, almost in a plea.


    ¡°If I''d known what it was, I wouldn''t have asked you about it in the first place.¡± Laney said and they walked over to the counter. ¡°I don''t want this information in my head.¡± She said and took the two plates of food and walked over to one of her tables and delivered them and Amanda took the other two and delivered them.


    *


    ¡°You''re right, Annie. This hamburger is the best!¡± Kelly said and finished it off. ¡°We have to tell my mom and dad about this place.¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°It gets crowded at meal times, though.¡±


    ¡°Everywhere does.¡± Kelly said and picked at her remaining french fries that were only half eaten. ¡°I can''t finish these.¡±


    ¡°We can get a doggie bag I think.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°No, I doubt I''ll eat it later.¡± Kelly chuckled. ¡°Or eat at all for the rest of the day.¡±


    ¡°I hear you.¡± Annie said and pat her slightly bulged tummy. ¡°At least I didn''t wolf it down this time.¡±


    ¡°Barely!¡± Kelly laughed. ¡°I saw you fighting your instincts.¡±


    Annie snorted a laugh and the waitress came over to them with an empty tray.


    ¡°How is everything?¡± Laney asked and put the tray down on the table.


    ¡°It was great.¡± Annie said and Laney piled the platters onto each other on the tray.


    ¡°Are you interested in dessert?¡± Laney asked before she picked up the glasses.


    ¡°Interested? Yes. Able to eat it? No.¡± Annie said. ¡°I think we''re done for today.¡±


    Laney nodded and carefully picked up the tray filled with dirty dishes. ¡°I''ll be right back with the check.¡± She left the table and carried the dirty dishes into the back and dropped them off, then went to the register and did up the check.


    ¡°Psst. Laney.¡± Amanda whispered. ¡°Ask him what his name is.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Laney looked at her in confusion. ¡°Hold on a second. You don''t even know his name and you did that with him?!?¡±


    Amanda''s face flushed completely red this time. ¡°I tried to ask and he evaded the question.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he didn''t want you to know his name for a reason.¡± Laney said. ¡°If the blonde is his mother, then the girl has to be his girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°I... yeah, I guess she is.¡±


    ¡°If it was a one time fling, why do you want to know his name?¡± Laney asked. ¡°It''s over and done with, right?¡±


    Amanda opened her mouth to say yes, then she closed it because she wasn''t sure if it was.


    ¡°It''s done with, right?¡± Laney asked, more pointedly.


    Amanda sighed. ¡°Yes, I guess it is.¡±


    Laney turned and stood right in front of her. ¡°Get your head on straight, girl.¡± She cautioned her. ¡°No matter how fun it was, you can''t be doing things like that. Not at work.¡±


    Amanda opened her mouth to speak.


    ¡°Or anywhere else.¡± Laney said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Amanda said. ¡°Never mind. Don''t ask him his name. It''s not worth the hassle.¡±


    ¡°You''re darn right it''s not.¡± Laney said and walked over to the table and held out the check. ¡°Here you go.¡±


    Annie looked at it and counted out the right amount, then added a bit more for the appropriate sized tip.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Laney said and pocketed the money. ¡°You folks have a great day.¡±


    ¡°You, too.¡± Annie said and she, Kelly and Arnold stood up just as the restaurant door opened and three people wearing big yellow coats with a large red X on the front and back came in.


    ¡°Oh, no.¡± Kelly whispered and stepped around the waitress to take Arnold''s hand. ¡°Arnold, please don''t do or say anything to them.¡±


    Unfortunately, Kelly had made a mistake. It wasn''t Arnold that needed to be told to remain calm.


    ¡°YOU BASTARDS!¡± Annie yelled and every single person in the restaurant stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her, including Brad, Kevin, and their supervisor. ¡°How can you walk around like nothing happened when I lost nearly everything in my house because of you!¡±


    ¡°Oh, shit.¡± Kevin whispered.


    The supervisor stepped around her two charges and put herself between them and the irate woman. ¡°Ma''am, please calm down.¡± She said and put her hands up in a stop gesture.


    ¡°I lost all of my clothes, most of my son''s clothes, my husband''s clothes, the wedding dress I was saving, all of the furniture, the floors and walls in the living room and hallway, and even all of the pictures from my life which included my DEAD HUSBAND that I JUST LOST!¡± Annie spat at them. ¡°I have NOTHING left! No baby pictures of my son! No family photos! NOTHING!¡± She yelled and her tears started to flow. ¡°All you got for destroying the history of my family is community service, when you should be in jail for causing the loss of PRICELESS things that can NEVER BE REPLACED!!!¡±


    ¡°Ma''am, please.¡± The supervisor said halfheartedly, because she understood the woman''s loss. She would be devastated if she lost everything in her life, too.


    ¡°They didn''t even order you to pay for the damages, did they?¡± Annie asked, her face full of anger and soaked with tears. ¡°Tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage done to my house and you don''t give a FUCK about it! You don''t even feel guilty, do you? DO YOU?!?¡± She took in a deep breath and was about to continue her rant when a strong pair of arms went around her and gave her a hug from behind.


    ¡°Mom, I love you.¡± Arnold said and kissed her cheek, because that was all he could reach.


    Annie let out a sob and everyone in the restaurant felt very bad for her. ¡°Do you even care how afraid I''ve been that you were going to come back and finish the job? That you were going to come after my son again to finish what you started?¡±


    No one spoke and a lot of accusing stares went to Brad and Kevin.


    ¡°Let''s get out of here.¡± Kelly said into the silence. ¡°Despite the great food, I don''t think we''ll be coming here anymore if they serve people like them.¡±


    Kelly took Annie''s hand and Arnold let her out of the hug, then the three of them walked by Brad, Kevin, and the supervisor as they left the restaurant.


    ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Laney whispered. ¡°That... that was...¡±


    ¡°Unbelievable.¡± Joe said from the kitchen.


    ¡°That was my fun sex guy.¡± Amanda whispered back. ¡°He handled that like a real man, didn''t he?¡±


    Laney gave her a look that said maybe she wasn''t crazy for accepting the blonde buzz-cut''s offer of sex.


    ¡°Oh, damn. They''re sitting at one of my tables.¡± Amanda said and looked at Laney. ¡°Hey, do you mind taking them? I''ll owe you big time.¡±


    Laney sighed. ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°I''ll take over table six for you while they''re here.¡± Amanda said as a couple came in and sat at the table, then both waitresses went back to work.


    Laney took Brad''s, Kevin''s, and the woman''s order and went back to the counter. ¡°Joe, even though it''s tempting, don''t spit in their food.¡±


    ¡°I''d never deface my good food like that.¡± Joe said and grabbed two of the hamburger buns and rubbed them under his sweaty armpits. Laney held in her laugh as Joe hummed a little tune and made the hamburger platters for the two guys and Laney quickly did up the large garden salad for the woman.


    *


    Annie and Kelly sat in the front seat of the car and Arnold sat in the back. They didn''t drive anywhere while Annie held onto the steering wheel and leaned against it and tried her best to calm down. Kelly slowly rubbed her back and would do it for as long as she needed to.


    Annie took in a huge breath and let it out. ¡°I can''t believe I just did that.¡±


    ¡°Neither can the entire restaurant.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°It''s not a joke.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°I''m not laughing.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Everyone heard what you said and nearly all of them gave Brad and Kevin the stink eye.¡±


    ¡°The what?¡± Annie turned her head to look at her.


    ¡°This.¡± Kelly said and squished half of her face up and closed that eye and widened the other eye.


    Annie let out a chuckle at the sight. ¡°Kelly...¡±


    ¡°They all looked at them with anger and annoyance.¡± Kelly said as she let her face go back to normal. ¡°No one went back to eating while you talked, Annie. No one. They all listened to what you said and they all know what those guys did was wrong.¡± She kept rubbing Annie''s back. ¡°They also know that Brad and Kevin really don''t care about what they did. They got away with it and that''s all that matters.¡±


    ¡°I shouldn''t have embarrassed myself like that... or you, for that matter.¡± Annie said. ¡°I just... when I saw them, I... I couldn''t stay quiet about it.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I was so concerned over Arnold doing exactly what you did that I missed the fact that you would want to do that, too.¡±


    Annie took another deep breath and sighed. ¡°I''ll probably have a restraining order issued against me for it.¡±


    ¡°Annie!¡± Kelly exclaimed. ¡°We should do that!¡±


    ¡°Do what?¡±


    ¡°We should get restraining orders against Brad and his friends!¡± Kelly said. ¡°We''ve been nervous about it since we learned they were out, so let''s go get some peace of mind.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know how to do that.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°Me, either.¡± Kelly said and then smiled. ¡°Isn''t the internet a wonderful thing?¡± She asked and quickly looked up how to file a restraining order. ¡°It says we just have to go down to the courthouse and explain the situation, then they''ll take care of the details.¡±


    ¡°At least it''s not the police station.¡± Annie said and had to smile.


    ¡°That''s the spirit.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Do you feel up to driving?¡±


    Annie nodded and started the car, then drove them partway across the town and went to the courthouse. There was a lot of available parking, so they didn''t have any trouble there and went inside. They talked to the clerk and she was more than happy to help them file a restraining order... then she heard how many defendants there were.


    ¡°Are you serious? You want six of them on the same protective order?¡± She asked, astonished.


    ¡°They assaulted my house, did thousands of dollars in damages, and should have been sent to jail.¡± Annie said. ¡°They are doing community service and I just ran into two of them at a restaurant.¡±


    ¡°It wasn''t pretty.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I didn''t think of recording a video, though.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn''t have happened if I had a restraining order against them.¡± Annie said. ¡°They have to stay far away from me, right?¡±


    ¡°The minimum is five hundred feet and depending on the severity of the crime...¡±


    ¡°Let me tell you about it.¡± Kelly said and filled the clerk in on what happened. She was surprised, to say the least, and she was also surprised that every one of them had gotten off, especially the ringleader.


    ¡°It''s unusual to have them on the same order; but, they seem to work in a group to do stupid stuff.¡± The clerk said and quickly filled out the order and added the names that Kelly gave her. She looked through her records to confirm it was them by their ages, then found their home addresses. ¡°I''ll set it at a thousand feet and I''ll have the servers get copies out to the subjects immediately.¡±


    ¡°Can we have a copy?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°Of course. If any more of them come near you, you flash this at them and they have to leave you alone. If they don''t, you call the police and report them. They''ll be escorted away. If they make a fuss, they''ll be arrested for violating it.¡±


    ¡°How much for...¡±


    ¡°The emergency one is free and lasts for about a month.¡± The clerk said with a smile. ¡°If you want to make it permanent, you''ll have to set a court date with the judge, then it''ll be about four hundred dollars for the filing fee... that they will usually waive in most domestic violence cases.¡±


    Annie looked at Kelly and then at the clerk. ¡°I think we''ll try the emergency one for the month. If anything else happens, then we''ll make an appointment for the permanent one.¡±


    The clerk nodded and grabbed a piece of paper from the printer. ¡°Sign that, please.¡±


    Annie, Kelly, and Arnold signed it, then she took it back and made several copies.


    ¡°There we go.¡± The clerk said and gave them three. ¡°It''s filed and is in effect. You can rest assured that if anything does happen, it will be taken care of.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Annie said in relief and they each took a copy and folded it up and put it in a pocket, then she realized something. ¡°Wait, Kelly said that I needed a judge''s approval for a restraining order.¡±


    The clerk smiled. ¡°You''re looking at her.¡±


    Annie and Kelly opened their mouths in surprise. ¡°We thought...¡± They started at the same time.


    The clerk chuckled. ¡°Surprise! The normal clerk is home with her kids today.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± Kelly said, kind of in awe. ¡°It''s really nice of you to do this.¡±


    ¡°I''m glad you appreciate it.¡± She said. ¡°I hope this brings you a little peace of mind.¡±


    ¡°It already has.¡± Annie said. ¡°Thank you again.¡±


    ¡°I''m always glad to help.¡± The clerk said. ¡°Have a good day.¡±

 91 Essential Learning

    Annie, Arnold, and Kelly left the courthouse and hopped into the car.


    ¡°I wouldn''t mind taking a walk in the park, except that you know we''ll meet a couple of the guys there.¡± Kelly said and Annie nodded.


    ¡°If they''re cleaning up around the town, there''s a definite chance that at least two of them are at the park.¡± Annie sighed. ¡°Maybe we should just head back to Katheryn''s.¡±


    ¡°Arnold? What do you think? Is there anywhere else you want to go?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°The library.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°The library it is.¡± Annie said without asking why he wanted to go. To her, the fact that he asked was enough for her to take him there. She drove the car a street over and parked near the library.


    ¡°We probably could have walked.¡± Kelly smiled as they got out of the car and she held a hand out to Arnold. He took it and she held on tightly.


    ¡°We were in the car anyway.¡± Annie said and the three of them walked inside and over to the counter. ¡°Arnold, tell the nice lady here what you''re looking for.¡±


    ¡°I want a book on common laws and the penalties for breaking them.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie took in a sharp breath. ¡°Arnold, why...¡±


    ¡°Brad and his friends committed felonies. I don''t know what those are and I want to know why they aren''t in jail.¡±


    ¡°Let me take a quick look.¡± The librarian said and typed on the computer. She had the typical librarian look with dark and slightly greyish hair done up in a bun on the back of her head, large glasses with the string around the ear pieces to hold them on her neck when she took the glasses off, an old fashioned yellow blouse with a thinly knitted wine colored sweater coat over top of it, and a plain skirt.


    ¡°All right, I have three of them. They are on the shelf in H-07, right side, section ten.¡± The librarian said. ¡°I can lead you there if you haven''t been here before.¡±


    ¡°Please.¡± Annie said and the librarian came out from behind her desk and led them across the library and up the stairs to a section that was raised up about ten feet from the main floor.


    ¡°This is the law section.¡± The librarian said and went to the right shelf and grabbed the three books. ¡°Common Laws and You.¡± She said and handed the first book to Arnold. ¡°It''s a basic code listing and how they apply to normal citizens.¡± She handed him the second book. ¡°Codes and Codexes. This one is a bit more lawyerish in the wording and describes all of the by-laws and conditions that violate them, so it''s a bit of heavy reading.¡±


    Kelly stared at the three inch thick book.


    The librarian handed Arnold the third book. ¡°This one is an actual lawyer textbook. It lists specific cases and references to all of the major and minor local laws. It''s a very difficult read if you don''t know the legalese needed.¡± She pointed to the first book. ¡°There''s a glossary of terms in the back of that one that will be invaluable if you decide to read the third book.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Annie said.


    The librarian gave them a big smile. ¡°The index is your friend. If you''re looking for anything specific, check that first and see if there''s anything close to what you''re looking for, rather than looking through all of it to see what''s there.¡± She said. ¡°So, will you be reading them here or checking them out?¡±


    ¡°We don''t have a library card.¡± Kelly said and Annie gave her a surprised look. ¡°I was too busy studying to get one.¡±


    ¡°Those books are going to take time to read through, so you can help yourself and use one of the tables, or we can go back to the front desk and I''ll fill out a card for you.¡± The librarian said. ¡°You can take the books home for two weeks if you do.¡±


    ¡°Arnold? Are we staying or going?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°Staying.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I won''t need the books for that long.¡±


    ¡°Then I look forward to seeing you here again.¡± The librarian said, because she assumed they would need to come back later to continue reading. ¡°The tables are back this way.¡±


    They followed her back towards the front of the library and she took a turn into a large area behind several shelves of books.


    ¡°If you need anything else, I''ll be at the front desk.¡± The librarian said and walked away.


    ¡°Annie, do you want to look around and see what else they have here?¡± Kelly asked. ¡°Arnold''s going to be busy for a while.¡±


    Annie shrugged. There wasn''t really anything she was interested in; but, she didn''t want to just sit there doing nothing, either. ¡°We''ll be back in a while, Arnold.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold sat down and opened the Common Laws book and read the index. He quickly found the damaging government property and private property laws and flipped to them. He read them and discovered that private property damage didn''t have the same penalties as the government property one. Of course, now that he knew the laws, he opened the second book and used the index to look up the actual laws and how they were written and the conditions for breaking them.


    The librarian had been right. It was a much heavier read than the easy book. Arnold had to refer to the glossary in the back of the first book a few times to understand the wording. When he was done, he sat back and thought about what it meant that Brad and his friends hadn''t been sent to prison for damaging government property.


    Arnold couldn''t understand how they were granted community service, so he went back to the first book and read it all the way through. When he finished it, he sat back and let the information percolate in his head like the professor said and to let the information settle before reading any more. He knew the laws that could be broken to allow Brad and his friends to get out of the charges.


    Bribery and coercion were the two main ones, and both had a monetary and an influence factor. Favors could be traded instead of money, and unless you knew who was involved and what they did, none of them could be prosecuted. Arnold looked up the actual laws and nodded. You couldn''t even accuse them of wrong-doing, not without evidence, because that was a crime called slander.


    Arnold closed the books and didn''t bother with the third book. After a quick read through of the index, there wasn''t anything close to what was going on. There were two instances of bribery; but, they were crimes in and of themselves and not factors in other cases.


    ¡°Arnold? Are you done?¡± Kelly asked and Arnold looked at her. She had a small stack of books in front of her and Annie had her head on her arms and looked to be asleep.


    ¡°I need to ask the librarian something.¡± Arnold said and stood up. Kelly nodded and kept reading the book she had in front of her. Arnold walked around the shelves of books and went to the front desk.


    ¡°Hello, there.¡± The librarian said. ¡°Are you having trouble reading the...¡±


    ¡°I can''t find a reference to a case where bribery and coercion were used to get a defendant a lesser charge from the prosecutor.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Would it be in anything you have here?¡±


    The librarian blinked her eyes for a moment. ¡°You... are asking if we have a book on... legal system corruption?¡±


    ¡°Is that what it''s called?¡± Arnold asked and she nodded. ¡°Then yes. Do you have a book on that?¡±


    ¡°Not in a book based in real life.¡± The librarian said. ¡°There are a lot of books written by fiction writers that have it in them.¡±


    ¡°That won''t help me here, will it?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°No. As soon as you mention it''s from a fiction story, it''s almost automatically disregarded as not factual, even if it is.¡± The librarian said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡±


    Arnold stood there and stared at her for several moments.


    ¡°Is... there anything else I can help you with?¡± The librarian asked, a little unnerved at the scrutiny.


    ¡°Do you have any books on sex?¡± Arnold asked.


    The librarian frowned. ¡°If you''re looking for adult magazines, they sell those dirty things down at the corner newsstand behind the counter.¡±


    ¡°Do they give descriptions on how to have sex?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Well, no. They are just full of dirty pictures.¡±


    ¡°Then that''s not what I want.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I want to learn more about having sex.¡±


    ¡°E-excuse me?¡±


    ¡°I only know three positions. One where we face each other laying down, one where she''s facing away standing up, and one where I hold her legs together and she''s on her back.¡± Arnold said. ¡°The biology book I read said that if you don''t have a variety of skills, you can''t keep your mate happy for long.¡±


    The librarian''s mouth opened in surprise and she wasn''t sure what to say.


    ¡°I need a book that can tell me about more positions and how to do them.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Do you have a book like that?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± The librarian swallowed audibly. ¡°I... may have something... in the back.¡± She said. ¡°We don''t have a lot of things like that out for public consumption.¡±


    ¡°May I see it?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°I can''t bring anything like that out here and it might take a while to find the book.¡± The librarian said. ¡°Why don''t you come to the back with me and we can look for it together?¡±


    ¡°My girlfriend and my mother are waiting for me.¡± Arnold said.


    The librarian let out a sigh. ¡°Maybe you can join me in the back the next time you come here.¡± She said. ¡°I won''t be able to look for the book until then.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and walked away.


    Just my luck. The librarian thought. I finally had someone who had the guts to ask me about sex and he has both his girlfriend and his mother with him!


    Arnold went back to the table and picked up the three law books. Kelly saw him and closed her book and picked up the rest of them, then they went back to the shelves and put the books back where they got them. They went back to the table and Kelly gently woke Annie up.


    ¡°Annie, let''s go back to my mom''s place.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Huh? What?¡± Annie lifted her head from her crossed arms on the table and looked at Kelly. ¡°Oh! You''re ready to go?¡±


    Kelly and Arnold nodded, so she took a few moments to wake herself up, then the three of them left the library and drove back to Katheryn''s house. They arrived just in time for supper and the five of them had a nice quiet meal. After that, Kenneth disappeared into his den, Katheryn went to do some laundry, and Annie was exhausted both mentally and emotionally and went to lay down in the spare room.


    That left Kelly and Arnold all alone for a while, and unlike what her parents thought was going to happen, Kelly did up the couch for Arnold to sleep on and then the two of them sat there and watched television as they cuddled. No groping, no making-out, and no stripping off their clothes. They did kiss occasionally and kept it on a low level, just in case Kelly''s parents did sneak in to look at them.


    Her parents did check on them several times, as Kelly suspected they would, and they didn''t see anything except their daughter and her boyfriend spending time together. After a couple of hours, Kelly let out a huge yawn.


    ¡°I think I better go to bed.¡± Kelly said and gave Arnold a kiss. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Arnold said and watched Kelly leave the room. He picked up his backpack and took out a t-shirt and a pair of jogging pants and changed right there in the living room, then he climbed under the blanket on the couch and closed his eyes.


    *


    Katheryn had heard Kelly say goodnight and ducked out of sight as her daughter passed, then Katheryn went back to the living room to check on Arnold. She stopped and covered her mouth before she gasped as she watched Arnold strip off in the middle of the living room.


    She thought about walking away, then realized if she moved, he would be sure to see her. She stayed and watched him get changed, then when he climbed under the blanket on the couch and closed his eyes, she made a hasty retreat and went back to her bedroom.


    ¡°Did anything happen?¡± Kenneth asked as she came into the room.


    ¡°Kelly''s gone to bed and Arnold''s sleeping on the couch.¡± Katheryn said and conveniently left out seeing Arnold in just his underwear. She was pretty sure her husband would freak out if she told him that. She walked over to the bed and took off her robe and climbed into bed beside her husband and didn''t say anything else. She eventually fell asleep and she successfully ignored the odd feelings she had about seeing the bulge in Arnold''s underwear.


    Kenneth fell asleep, full of relief that his daughter was going to be safe for the night and wouldn''t be ravaged by her boyfriend.


    *


    Arnold waited until midnight before he sat up on the couch. He took out his cell phone and the restraining order and brought up a map. He checked all six addresses on the map and only two of them were close enough for him to reach without taking some kind of transport, like the bus. If he timed it right, he could be at the closest address and back long before anyone woke up at Kelly''s house.


    He memorized the map and put the cell phone down beside the couch. He had read the manual and it said the phone had a GPS tracker in it, which meant he had to leave it. The house was completely silent, so he grabbed his backpack and walked to the front door, put on his sneakers, then walked through the house to the kitchen. He went out through the large double doors there, then walked along the back of the house until he was in the side yard.


    Arnold was out of view of all the windows, so he sprinted across the open area and then climbed over the fence. He ran along it to the street and then followed the map in his head across several streets until he came to the first address. Unfortunately, it wasn''t Brad''s. If Arnold cared about such things, he would have been disappointed that it wasn''t Brad, because it was ridiculously easy to get to the guy that lived there.


    *


    Jake sat in his backyard and took a drink of beer. He absolutely hated that he wasn''t allowed to drink in the house and he took his frustration out on the beer in his hand. He had worked hard all day cleaning up the damned park of all the garbage that everyone threw all over the place. He was especially glad they had work gloves and tongs to pick things up, because he had lost count of how many condoms he had found.


    He shivered at the thought of getting an STD from handling some random guy''s condom and took another drink of beer... then he felt a hard blow on the side of his head and then nothing.


    *


    Arnold grabbed the beer bottle with his rubber gloved hand before it fell and stopped it from smashing on the concrete patio. He put the rock he used back beside the house and walked over to the unconscious man. The sharp blow to the guy''s temple would kill him, because it had severed the middle meningeal artery and he was bleeding out into his head. All it would take was a little time.


    Arnold looked around in the thick grass for something to trip over, and saw a good sized stick. When he picked it up, he found that it was the handle of a rake. He placed it near the concrete slab, picked up the not-yet-dead body, and laid it out appropriately near the slab. He made sure that his temple would be hit in the same spot, then dropped the body onto the corner.


    Jake let out a gurgle and struggled to breathe, because his neck was at a bit of an angle. Arnold put the beer back into his hand, making sure to tip it over as if it spilled when Jake fell, then he put the rake''s handle between Jake''s feet. Arnold checked around and made sure that his own sneaker prints weren''t left anywhere in the dirt under the thick grass, then he snuck away into the night.

 92 Stuff Happens

    Arnold tried to go to the next closest address and found that it was in complete darkness. He thought about trying to approach and check the windows to see if they were locked, then stopped when he saw a dog laying in the middle of the backyard. Arnold dug into one of the pockets in his backpack and took out a couple of small doggie treats and tossed one into the yard near the dog.


    The dog perked up at the sight and couldn''t resist checking it out, then gobbled it down without even tasting it. Arnold held out another and waved it back and forth, and the dog came right over to him. He gave him the treat and the dog chewed it this time and sat down to wait for another. Arnold took one out and lured the dog away from the backyard and into the nearby woods.


    *


    Katheryn woke up groggily and looked at the time. It was just after four o''clock in the morning and she eased out from under the blanket and sat up, held in her sigh so that she wouldn''t wake up her husband, and slowly walked to the bathroom. She did her business and came back out, then had an errant thought. She had to check and see where Arnold was.


    She walked over to her bedroom door and opened it just enough to slip out, then crept down the hallway and into the main part of the house. She made her way to the living room and when she peered around the edge of the door frame, she caught her breath. Arnold wasn''t there!


    Katheryn quickly walked back through the house, still careful to not make any noise, and she went to her daughter''s room. She very slowly opened her bedroom door and peeked inside... then sighed in relief. Only one body sized lump was under the blanket. She closed the door and started to go back to her own bedroom, then she frowned.


    Hold on. If he''s not on the couch and he''s not in Kelly''s room, then where is he? Katheryn asked herself as she stopped walking. Several things went through her mind and then the obvious answer came to her. She walked over to the spare room and gently eased open the door to peer inside. She saw the tops of two blonde heads sticking out of the blanket and she put a hand over her heart. The poor dears. She thought. They''ve lost almost everything in their lives except each other.


    Mollified that Arnold wasn''t trying to sneak into Kelly''s room, Katheryn carefully closed the spare room''s door and went back to her bedroom. She climbed into bed and closed her eyes to try and squeeze in a few more hours of sleep before she had to wake up in the morning to make her husband breakfast.


    What she didn''t know was that Arnold had just come in through the back door in the kitchen and had seen her checking the living room for him. He quickly went to the spare room to his mother and slipped into her bed and under the blanket. He had spent too much time in the woods with the dog and didn''t get the chance to try and get into the second house.


    *


    Annie had been grateful when Arnold had climbed into the bed in the spare bedroom. After everything that had happened that day, having a comforting embrace felt very nice. She also thought that the couch was a bit too lumpy for him to get a good night''s sleep and she had welcomed Arnold with a hug and a quick kiss, then faced away from him. Arnold slid in close and put his arm around her. Annie drifted off to sleep, both happy and content.


    *


    Kelly thought she had heard her door open and looked to see if Arnold was trying to sneak in to see her. She would have to tell him not to do that while at the house, so she slid out from under her blanket and looked out into the hallway. She saw her mother''s back and frowned.


    What was she doing? Kelly asked herself and waited until her mother went into the bedroom. She quickly walked through the house to check on Arnold, now that she was up. When she reached the living room, she saw that the couch was empty. Mom thought he came looking for me. She thought and went back to her bedroom, then had the same thought her mother had. Hold on. If he''s not on the couch and he''s not in my room, then where is he?


    Kelly came up with the solution immediately and peeked into the spare room. She saw the tops of two blonde heads and she smiled. She eased the door shut and went back to her room and climbed into bed.


    Of all the places he could have snuck into, that was the safest choice. Kelly thought and went back to sleep. She was glad that none of them had to be up first thing in the morning and she was only a little disappointed that Arnold hadn''t tried to sneak into her bed.


    *


    The next morning, Katheryn had breakfast made and ready for her husband. He ate quickly and gave her a kiss goodbye, and tried to leave the house in a hurry. He had another early golf date with the boss and he was the caddy this time, so if he wasn''t there before the boss and had the clubs ready, there would be hell to pay.


    ¡°Have fun.¡± Katheryn said as she grabbed his arm at the last second before he stepped out the door.


    ¡°You do realize I''m sucking up to the boss, right?¡± Kenneth asked and his wife laughed.


    ¡°Knock him dead, then.¡± Katheryn said and he gave her another kiss and left. It took another hour or so for three sleepy heads to shuffle into the kitchen. ¡°What are you doing up? You look exhausted.¡±


    ¡°You look chipper.¡± Annie said and plunked down onto one of the chairs at the kitchen table.


    Katheryn gave Arnold and then Kelly a knowing look as they sat down at the table. ¡°I''m just a little happier this morning.¡±


    Annie saw the look and chuckled. ¡°No, he snuck into my bed last night, not Kelly''s.¡± She said, then she laughed. ¡°Good lord, that sounded so dirty.¡± She shook her head. ¡°We only cuddled and went to sleep.¡±


    ¡°That must have been nice.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Oh, it was.¡± Annie said and yawned. ¡°It ended too soon, too.¡±


    ¡°Have a couple of toast and go back to bed for a few more hours, so you can enjoy your time together.¡± Katheryn said. ¡°The toast should trick your body into thinking you ate a meal and your brain will want to sleep it off.¡±


    ¡°That...¡± Kelly yawned, too. ¡°...sounds like a good idea.¡±


    The three of them had two toast each, Kelly had strawberry jam on hers, and the three of them left the kitchen with the same shuffling gait they came in with. Katheryn waited until they were out of earshot before she laughed at their dishevelled states.


    ¡°You take him this time.¡± Annie said and pointed Arnold to Kelly''s room.


    ¡°Annie...¡±


    ¡°Your mom thought he was in your room, so I''m sure she knows you''re going to cuddle now.¡±


    Kelly remembered waking up last night and seeing her mother checking on her.


    ¡°So, you better do it now before she changes her mind.¡± Annie said with a smile, then yawned again. ¡°I really am still tired.¡± She said and went into the spare room and closed the door.


    Kelly looked at Arnold. ¡°Arnold, do you...¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said and Kelly took his hand and led him into her room. He didn''t hesitate and took off his jogging pants and his t-shirt and climbed into bed. Kelly took a shallow breath and looked down at her shorts and t-shirt, then slipped the shorts off. She looked at Arnold''s face and she slowly pulled off her t-shirt to reveal her breasts to him for the first time.


    ¡°Arnold... what... what are you thinking right now?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°You are the most beautiful creature in this world.¡± Arnold said, repeating the line he had used before the prom.


    Kelly smiled and lifted the blanket, then she climbed into the bed and slid in close to him. ¡°Arnold, you... you can touch them if you want.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and kissed her instead. Kelly was a little thrown by that, since she assumed that as soon as she gave him permission, he would be all over her breasts. She didn''t tell him that, though. She kissed him back and they made out for several minutes, then Arnold broke the kiss. He stared into her eyes for a few moments, then he closed his eyes and let out a sigh.


    ¡°Arnold?¡± Kelly said, hesitantly.


    ¡°Turn around.¡± Arnold said and kept his eyes closed. Kelly did so and he moved in close and put an arm around her. He pulled her in tightly, then slid his hand up to cup one of her breasts tenderly and left it there. He didn''t rub it, or massage it, or even play with the nipple. ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°I... I love you, too.¡± Kelly said as tears came to her eyes. She didn''t fight them and she hugged his arm tightly and let the tears flow, because she imagined that his strong and warm hand held her breast as if it was a delicate flower and he didn''t want to damage it. That touched her heart deeply, because the last time her breasts had been touched, they were treated so badly. ¡°I love you so much.¡±


    Kelly easily went back to sleep as she cuddled the man she loved and slept soundly.


    *


    Jake''s mother woke up and groaned as she sat up. Her husband was dead asleep beside her and she didn''t bother trying to wake him up. It was a Sunday and he was going to sleep in for as long as he possibly could. She didn''t begrudge him that, either. He worked hard all week for their family, just so they could afford to send their son to college in the fall.


    Their daughter was only a little jealous of that, since in a couple of years, she would be graduating high school and it would be her turn to go to college. Just like her brother, she had higher than average grades and they both had a good future ahead of them. The best part was that Jake''s friend Brad was attending a different college and they were finally going to get him away from that bad influence.


    Both she and her husband had been very relieved that the prosecutor was lenient for the charges against them and Jake only had to do community service and not jail time. It wouldn''t impact his academic record much and it even gave him a bit more of a favorable look to help the community like he was. It was forced; but still, he worked hard and the supervisor''s reports were exemplary.


    Jake''s mother turned off the alarm before it went off and left her bedroom. She knocked on Jake''s door. ¡°I don''t care how long you were outside drinking. You get your ass up right this minute! Your supervisor is going to be here in an hour.¡± There was no answer, so she sighed and went to the kitchen. She decided to let him sleep for another ten minutes while she made a quick breakfast.


    Scrambled eggs were the easiest thing, next to cereal and milk, so she quickly cracked open a few eggs into a bowl and added a bit of milk. She stirred it haphazardly and tossed it right into the cold pan and turned on the stove. She checked the time and nodded, then went back to Jake''s room. She didn''t knock this time and just went right inside.


    ¡°I said to get your ass up...¡± She stopped talking when she saw the bed was messed up and her son wasn''t in it. ¡°Ugh.¡± She grunted and left his room and walked over to the living room and opened the patio door. ¡°You better not have stayed out here drinking all goddamned night!¡± She said loudly and stepped out onto the concrete patio... then she froze still at what she saw. ¡°J-J-Jake?¡± She asked, barely above a whisper. ¡°Jake?¡± She said normally, then she yelled. ¡°JAKE?!?¡±


    When Jake didn''t move or even twitch at the sound of her voice, she screamed.


    *


    Kelly woke up when her cell phone rang. She immediately knew where she was, what she was doing and looked at the clock on her nightstand. That was a quick three hours. She thought and reached for her cell phone. ¡°Hello?¡± She paused. ¡°Oh! Yes, this is Annie Strickland''s contact number.¡± She waited and listened. ¡°That''s wonderful. Thank you for letting us know. I''ll tell Annie right away.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°Yes. All right.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± She put her phone down. ¡°That was the reporter. They approved the story and she''s spread it all over social media to advertise it.¡±


    ¡°Mom should be happy.¡± Arnold said. ¡°We need to get up.¡±


    Kelly sighed. ¡°I like being like this.¡±


    ¡°Your breast is soft and warm.¡± Arnold said and Kelly put her hand on his hand.


    ¡°Your hand is firm and gentle, and I love you for that.¡± Kelly said. ¡°But, you''re right. We need to get up and tell Annie the good news.¡±


    Arnold let her breast go and Kelly let his hand go, then they got up and dressed. They left her bedroom and went to the spare room. Annie was sound asleep and they climbed into the bed with her. It was a tight fit with the three of them on it.


    ¡°A-Arnold?¡± Annie asked and opened her eyes slightly.


    ¡°And Kelly.¡± Kelly said with a smile.


    ¡°Bed''s too small.¡± Annie said and reached up, then pulled the both of them down into tight hugs. ¡°Now it''s okay.¡±


    Kelly laughed and tried to hug her back. Arnold''s chest was in the way, so she half-hugged him and hugged Annie with her other arm. Arnold did the same and the three of them shared a group hug.


    ¡°You must have a good reason for coming in here and squishing me.¡± Annie said and let them go.


    Kelly held out her phone. ¡°The reporter just called.¡±


    ¡°They approved the story!¡± Annie said and Kelly nodded.


    ¡°It''ll be in the paper tomorrow and she said she''s blasted social media with advertisements for you.¡±


    Annie chuckled. ¡°I knew it was a good idea to tell her everything.¡±


    ¡°I was wondering why your interview took so long.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°It was more like me just telling my story and her writing it all down.¡± Annie said. ¡°I think she only asked two questions.¡±


    Kelly chuckled this time. ¡°You always give good and informative lectures.¡±


    ¡°Ha.¡± Annie said. ¡°Okay, off the bed. I need to change. I can''t roam around the house in my sleep clothes all day.¡±


    ¡°Why not? You do that at home.¡± Kelly said and stood up. ¡°Dad''s gone for the day again, too.¡±


    Annie gave her a look of surprise, then she laughed. ¡°All right, those are good points.¡±


    The three of them left the spare room and went to the kitchen to have an actual breakfast. They debated waiting a couple of hours to get some food for lunch, then decided it was better to eat now and delay lunch instead. Skipping meals was not a good idea.


    They sat down and ate and watched Katheryn puttering around in the garden, then went to the living room to watch some television. Kelly folded up Arnold''s blanket and the three of them sat down.


    ¡°You take the head this time.¡± Annie said and moved down on the couch.


    ¡°What do you... oh.¡± Kelly looked down at Arnold as he laid on his back and rested his head on her lap and his feet on Annie''s lap. ¡°I can''t tell if we''re spoiling you or if you''re spoiling us by doing this.¡±


    ¡°Don''t overthink it. Just rub his chest and relax.¡± Annie said with a smile.


    Kelly smiled back and did just that. Her cell phone beeped at her about an hour later and she checked it. ¡°Oh, my god.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°That anonymous video I posted about Arnold getting assaulted in the game by Brad and his friends just reached a million views.¡± Kelly said, astonished.


    ¡°It what?¡± Annie looked at her in shock. ¡°Did you just say that a million people saw it?¡±


    ¡°Not quite. It''s been seen a million times.¡± Kelly corrected. ¡°That could be a million people viewing it once, a hundred thousand people viewing it ten times, or...¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. I get it.¡± Annie said with a laugh. ¡°It must have just as many responses.¡±


    ¡°There''s a lot, that''s for sure.¡± Kelly said and scrolled down a little on her phone. ¡°Just over twenty-two thousand.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me? You didn''t just say twenty-two thousand, did you?¡± Annie asked and Kelly nodded. ¡°That''s ridiculous!¡±


    Kelly chuckled. ¡°If you thought that''s impressive, then you''re going to be blown away by this.¡± She said. ¡°There''s about twelve hundred requests for Arnold to play the game.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Annie yelled.


    Kelly laughed as she scrolled through them. ¡°Hmm... I don''t see any of Brad''s handles in here... or Kevin''s. I think these are actual people that want him to play.¡± She looked at a few. ¡°A few are offering bribes, party invites, and some just want to meet you.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I never thought you''d become popular by someone trying to kill you.¡±


    Arnold gave her a small smile and she leaned down to give him a quick kiss.


    Kelly browsed through the comments and then gasped. ¡°Arnold! You''ve got a developer''s invite!¡±


    ¡°A what?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°You''ve become a game representative and people have been coming back to it in droves because of you.¡± Kelly said as she read the message. ¡°They said you''ll get exclusive content if you agree and access to any new projects that they... oh, my god.¡± She looked at Arnold with wide eyes. ¡°You can be a beta tester!¡±

 93 Friends Gather

    ¡°I''m not saying you should accept.¡± Kelly said and reined in her excitement. ¡°I''m just saying it''s a wonderful option and you should consider accepting.¡±


    ¡°You want me to.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I would if I were you.¡± Kelly said before she could stop herself from influencing his decision. ¡°No, don''t do what I say. Just because I would accept it without thinking about it, you should take your time and look at what the deal contains before making your decision.¡±


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Annie said from the other side of the couch. ¡°If you don''t accept it, she''ll be upset.¡±


    ¡°Annie!¡± Kelly blushed.


    Arnold sat up and looked at his mother, then turned his head and looked at Kelly. ¡°I''ll accept it when I go back to the dorm tonight.¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to.¡± Kelly said and tried to deny that she really wanted him to take it. ¡°Even if having access to new products is every gamer''s dream...¡±


    ¡°You''d be better off trying to tell him you don''t want to take his place.¡± Annie said with a laugh.


    Kelly''s blush deepened and she sighed. ¡°I''m sorry. It''s just...¡±


    ¡°We know.¡± Annie said and looked at her son. ¡°Arnold, kiss her to stop her from denying what she wants.¡±


    Arnold put his hand behind Kelly''s head and started kissing her. Kelly couldn''t resist it when he kissed her like that and her arms went around his neck and she kissed him back enthusiastically. Annie sat there and honestly wondered how long they would go at it with her right there, so she sat back on the couch and waited.


    And waited.


    And waited some more.


    Annie was actually surprised as the make-out session just kept going and going. She covered her mouth to stop her laugh; but, it wasn''t enough and she snorted loudly and then laughed. That broke the spell Kelly was under and she broke the kiss. Her face was still a little red from embarrassment.


    ¡°I''m sorry, I couldn''t stop my laugh.¡± Annie said and pat Arnold''s leg. ¡°You would keep going and going, wouldn''t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Why would I stop?¡±


    Annie looked at Kelly''s face and saw the blush. ¡°I think we need a little talk about...¡± She stopped talking and smiled. ¡°You know what? Go ahead and keep making Kelly happy.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and started kissing her again.


    Annie did her best to not laugh this time, and she occasionally looked at the clock and the time as it passed. I wonder what the world record for kissing is? She asked herself and didn''t interrupt them this time. Kelly''s lips must be getting sore by now. She thought as she checked the time again and stopped her laugh. This is getting a bit ridiculous.


    ¡°Whew!¡± Katheryn exclaimed when she came in the back door. ¡°I hate weeds and love gardening! What a puzzle to solve!¡±


    Kelly gasped into Arnold''s mouth and broke the kiss. ¡°M-m-mom.¡± She whispered.


    She saved me the trouble of interrupting them. Annie thought in amusement. ¡°We''re in the living room.¡± She tapped Arnold''s feet and pointed to the floor.


    ¡°I knew my loud announcement would get someone''s attention.¡± Katheryn said and walked over to the living room to see Arnold sitting between his mother and Kelly. ¡°I see you''re behaving yourself with Arnold''s mother here.¡±


    ¡°Like I need the supervision.¡± Kelly said. ¡°In fact...¡±


    ¡°I think we can have a nice late lunch.¡± Annie said and interrupted her. ¡°How about pizza?¡±


    ¡°If I don''t have to cook, I''m all for it.¡± Katheryn said with a smile. ¡°I''d like to add a sub sandwich for Kenneth to eat later.¡±


    ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± Annie said. ¡°I''ll add another for Arnold to take back to college with him.¡± She said and picked up Arnold''s cell phone from the table and called. ¡°Hi, there. I''d like to order...¡±


    *


    An ambulance and a police car were at Jake''s house earlier that morning and the emergency medical technicians had checked Jake over. They weren''t allowed to pronounce him dead until they arrived at the hospital, so they packed up their things and loaded the body onto the stretcher and drove the ambulance away.


    Jake''s parents and sister were devastated that such a stupid accident could take someone''s life. The police took a few pictures and asked a couple of questions. It was just a formality, though. Accidental deaths barely got any investigation time, especially considering the kid''s criminal background and excessive drinking habits, so the police left and Jake''s family were left emotionally drained and a family member short.


    They sat around the back yard all morning, as if they expected Jake to show up and say it was all a practical joke. They didn''t notice the pizza delivery truck as it passed by.


    *


    ¡°This is so good.¡± Kelly almost moaned as she bit into the pizza. ¡°Why does fast food taste so good?¡±


    ¡°It''s so you buy it, of course.¡± Katheryn said and took a bite of pizza as well. ¡°Mmm.¡±


    Annie made a similar sound when she bit into it, then laughed. ¡°We sound like we''re enjoying this a little too much.¡±


    Katheryn and Kelly laughed, too.


    ¡°I think it''s because we''re not used to it.¡± Katheryn said. ¡°Once a month or so, we''ll order out as a treat for ourselves.¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°Us, too.¡± She took another bite. ¡°It''s just rare enough that it''s always just as good the next time.¡±


    Kelly nodded. ¡°If we have it too much, it might lose its mystique.¡±


    ¡°Plus, if we always have great tasting food, it''s not so great tasting anymore because you have nothing to compare it to.¡± Katheryn said with a straight face, then she laughed. ¡°Imagine if that was true?¡±


    ¡°Life would suck if chocolate didn''t always taste good!¡± Kelly said, and the three of them laughed.


    Arnold ate like he always did, mechanically, and set his pace to theirs so that he didn''t eat too fast or too slow.


    ¡°We don''t have a lot of time left before Arnold has to catch the bus.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°Over six hours is lots of time.¡± Katheryn said.


    ¡°I think she meant he has to leave and we won''t be seeing him again until next week... assuming he doesn''t have to work on Sunday, then it''ll be the next week.¡± Kelly said and she reached out to take Arnold''s hand. She stopped before she did, because her fingers were greasy from the pizza. Arnold moved his hand that last little bit and took her hand anyway. Kelly smiled and leaned over to give him a quick greasy kiss on the lips.


    ¡°I''m trying to eat here.¡± Katheryn said and Kelly gave her mother a look that said she was next. ¡°No. Don''t even think about...¡±


    Kelly darted forward and planted a greasy kiss on her mother''s cheek.


    ¡°Eww!¡± Katheryn moved away and tried to wipe at her face with the back of her hand and just spread it around. ¡°Kelly!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, mom. You asked for it.¡± Kelly said with a grin.


    ¡°I did not.¡± Katheryn said and then sighed. ¡°Okay, maybe I did.¡±


    They finished eating and cleaned up, saved the remaining pieces for later, then they had to figure out what to do for the next six hours. They had already used up a bit of time watching television, they couldn''t go out to the park for a walk because of the community service workers, and none of them were interested in going to the movies. Even just going for a drive could potentially put them in violation of the restraining order they had received the day before.


    ¡°You''re still friends with Heather, aren''t you? Why not go over to her place and use the pool?¡± Katheryn asked.


    Kelly opened her mouth to tell her that was a horrible idea, and the reasons why, when Arnold spoke.


    ¡°According to our friends, Heather wasn''t really our friend. She was only pretending to be nice to get something out of us.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Kelly helped Heather study and I had sex with her. She didn''t need us around after that.¡±


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Kelly took his hand. ¡°I don''t think she was... quite that heartless.¡±


    Arnold shrugged. ¡°She pushed us both aside before we started dating.¡± He said. ¡°Why else would she do that if she wasn''t our friend?¡±


    Kelly didn''t have an answer for him, because she did feel ostracized when Heather pushed her aside to date Brad, and look how that turned out. She did wonder where Heather was now, though.


    ¡°Oh! Why don''t you call your new friends, then?¡± Annie asked. ¡°You can see what they''re up to today.¡±


    ¡°On such short notice?¡± Kelly asked and took out her cell phone. ¡°I don''t think they can get together this quickly.¡±


    ¡°You should have messaged them yesterday.¡± Katheryn said.


    ¡°We were a little busy yesterday.¡± Kelly said and typed up a message and sent it. Everyone waited for several minutes and then her phone beeped. ¡°Huh. They said they''d love to get together and hang out. They''ll be here to pick us up in an hour.¡±


    ¡°There you go.¡± Katheryn said. ¡°You should have enough time to get ready by then.¡±


    Kelly nodded and she and Arnold split up. She went to her room to get ready and he went to the spare room. They both had showers and changed into appropriate clothing, jeans and baggy t-shirts, then went to the front door to wait. A few minutes later, a horn honked and Arnold opened the door.


    ¡°Keep an eye on the time.¡± Annie said. ¡°Five hours for the bus and Arnold needs to come back here to get his things.¡±


    ¡°We know.¡± Kelly said and waved to her mother and Annie. ¡°See you later!¡±


    Arnold and Kelly jogged over to the cars that had parked.


    ¡°We''ve got room for you in car number two.¡± One of the guys said.


    ¡°Got it.¡± Kelly said and they both barely squeezed into the back seat with two people they didn''t know. ¡°You guys are crazy!¡±


    Two laughed from the front seat between the driver and another girl. ¡°We only had two cars and all these people, and none of us were asking our parents for a ride!¡±


    Her boyfriend laughed. ¡°No way that was happening.¡± He said. ¡°It''s okay, though. We''re taking the back streets and as long as it looks like we''re belted in, we''ll be fine.¡±


    Arnold slipped the closest seat belt over his shoulder and held it there, and the guy nodded.


    ¡°Right on, Arnold.¡± He said. ¡°Let''s go!¡±


    Both cars pulled away to take them to wherever their destination was. Kelly had been too surprised by the offer of hanging out that she hadn''t even asked where they were going.


    *


    Brad and Kevin finished up their work for the day and Kevin took off before the supervisor could offer him a ride.


    ¡°He doesn''t know, does he?¡± The woman asked Brad.


    ¡°Are you kidding? He''d kill me if he knew I was getting my rocks off by doing the boss.¡±


    ¡°That''s a little vulgar.¡± She said sternly. ¡°Now get in the damn truck and fuck me.¡±


    Brad laughed, because she was an even mix of the demure older woman and a woman that didn''t take shit from anyone. At first he had thought he was lowering his standards to be with her; but, after being with her for a while and getting to know her, he knew the truth. She was the one to lower her standards for him and she didn''t care what anyone else thought about it. Not even him.


    He opened the passenger door for her. The truck was parked on a small service road, just off the main road, and it faced away from traffic. The woman took off her yellow coat and tossed it in the back and climbed inside and across the bench seat, then pulled down her work pants and the thong she wore. She stuck her head out the driver''s side window and shook her ass at him.


    ¡°Fuck, what a sight.¡± Brad said and took off his own coat and threw it in the back and climbed into the passenger side behind her, pulled his pants down, then started to give her what she wanted.


    Unlike Heather, when Brad started muttering that he was ''fucking the boss'', she really liked that he knew his place. Even though he was plowing into her as hard as he could and making her feel really good, she enjoyed that he knew she was still his boss.


    They were so busy having fun that they didn''t see the two very overloaded cars pass by.


    *


    ¡°You''re gonna love this place.¡± Two said from the front seat. ¡°We come here all the time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, not a lot of other places to go locally, you know?¡± Her boyfriend said and they pulled off the road onto the shoulder, then down another access road and slowed to almost a crawl. ¡°They keep the place clear for the power line workers and it''s the perfect place for some tunes and some booze.¡±


    Kelly was nervous when she heard that. ¡°I don''t know.¡± She said. ¡°That sounds shady.¡±


    Two laughed. ¡°It''s okay. We don''t always drink. Plus, we need to drive home afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Well...¡±


    ¡°We play music and dance, mostly.¡± Two said. ¡°It really is a great relief after a long week.¡±


    ¡°You said it, baby.¡± Her boyfriend said and kissed her. ¡°I really miss seeing you every day at school. It just doesn''t feel right when I don''t see your smile, you know?¡±


    Two blushed and gave Kelly and Arnold an embarrassed look.


    ¡°Being a little sappy is okay. Just don''t overdo it.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I might start to fake gag.¡±


    Two''s boyfriend laughed. ¡°Oh, come on! That was a great line.¡± He said and pulled over behind the other car. ¡°Everyone out!¡±


    They all piled out of the two cars and more people than what should be possible appeared in the clearing. Someone produced a little music player and hooked it to the front car and rolled down the windows. Some great music started playing and then both trunks were opened and there were beers, sodas, wine coolers, packs of wieners, bags of marshmallows, and a dozen large bags of different flavor potato chips.


    ¡°It''s like a party on wheels!¡± Kelly said loudly and nearly everyone laughed.


    ¡°You know it!¡± One said as she came over to Kelly and gave her a hug. ¡°It''s nice to see you again.¡± She said and then gave Arnold a hug, too. ¡°We''re really glad you called. We missed you guys.¡±


    ¡°We''ve been a little busy.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Come over here and tell us all about it.¡± Two said and tucked a couple cans of soda under one arm and took Kelly''s hand with the other. ¡°We''ll let the guys set everything up.¡±


    By ''everything'', she meant a plastic table for the food and a small propane cooker that was set in the middle of the clearing. It was out of sight of the road, and the guys pulled over several large logs to sit on.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Two said to the guys and sat, handed Kelly a can of soda, and pat the log. Kelly chuckled and sat, then One and Three sat on either side of them and two other girls sat across from them.


    ¡°What''s been going on?¡± One asked.


    ¡°Well... a lot of things.¡± Kelly said and started to tell them everything that was going on. This got the attention of the guys and they started to crowd around to listen... except for one of them. He had slipped away into the increasing darkness as the sun set.


    Arnold had seen the truck they passed down the road and had recognized it. He wasn''t sure if anyone was going to be there; but, he wasn''t going to miss an opportunity to check when it presented itself.

 94 The Reason

    Brad was having quite a good time. Unlike what a lot of people think, sex sometimes isn''t a quick thing. It takes work, time, and in some cases, extra stimulation. This time, going at it in their work truck in public was the little bit of spice that both the woman supervisor and Brad needed. The excitement of being outside and the chance of being caught made them a little more frantic to get each other off. They were being quite loud about it, too.


    ¡°Th-that''s it... a little more... oh, god.¡± Brad''s supervisor panted. ¡°One... more... second! OHHH!¡±


    Brad felt her go and her body gripped him hard and he went, too. It was a safe day for her, so he hadn''t bothered with a condom, and they both felt him spill out and into her and added to the thrill. The supervisor relaxed and let out a satisfied sigh, then Brad saw a flash of silver and heard a dull thud.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Brad whispered and she didn''t respond. ¡°Hey, did you hear that?¡±


    ¡°I like shovels.¡± A male voice said from out of the darkness. ¡°They are great tools with so many uses.¡±


    Brad froze at the sound of someone''s voice being that close. ¡°Who''s there?¡± He asked and listened intently. He could make out some faint music coming from somewhere and couldn''t see anything. He reached for the truck''s keys and they weren''t in the ignition. Dammit. He thought and started to search through the supervisor''s pockets. ¡°Hey, give me a hand.¡± He whispered to the supervisor and she didn''t move.


    ¡°Okay.¡± The male voice said and suddenly the driver''s side door opened.


    Since both the supervisor and Brad were leaning heavily against it, it flung open and they tumbled out of the truck''s front seat and fell to the ground in a heap. Brad''s face was mashed into the grass because his hands were in the supervisor''s pockets and he couldn''t stop his fall. He tried to cry out in pain and only tasted dirt.


    ¡°Did you know that the human eye is the most vulnerable organ in the human body? Any damage to it can cause intense pain and disorientation.¡± The voice said. ¡°I always thought the testicles did that.¡±


    There was another flash of silver in front of his face and Brad felt the most intense pain between his legs that he ever felt. With his pants down to his knees, he was completely exposed and the impact of a shovel nearly blinded him with pain. Even getting stepped on there didn''t hurt that bad. When he opened his teary eyes, they had adjusted somewhat to the darkness and thanks to the light from inside the truck''s cab, he saw a tall silhouette as it stood above him with the work shovel from the truck.


    ¡°A-Arnold.¡± Brad said when he recognized the blonde buzz-cut. ¡°What are you... doing?¡± He asked through the pain.


    ¡°Committing a crime.¡± Arnold said and knelt and put the shovel down. ¡°I never knew that all the things I''ve done all these years were crimes.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what... what are you talking about?¡± Brad asked. He hoped if he kept him talking, he could escape or call for help or something. Call! He thought and despite the pain, started to dig through his own pockets for his cell phone. It was pretty obvious that was what he was doing, even with the supervisor''s dead weight half-covering him, and every movement sent shocking pain through his genitals.


    ¡°Taking things that weren''t mine. Killing animals. Lying to those in authority about it.¡± Arnold said and reached out to cover Brad''s mouth with a rubber glove covered hand. ¡°Driving without a license. Killing my father. Killing Jake.¡±


    Brad froze still at his words.


    ¡°Killing you.¡± Arnold said and used his free hand to hold a long screwdriver just over Brad''s face. Brad hollered ''no'' and it came out as a muffled shout, then Arnold slowly pushed the screwdriver down into the eye socket beside the eye. Brad tried to lift his arms and they were caught in his clothing and under the supervisor.


    ¡°You killed my girlfriend.¡± Arnold said and Brad''s other eye flicked at him. ¡°We played the game to train to fight you, and she was slaughtered and eaten. I didn''t like that.¡± He said. ¡°I had to wait to come back here to kill you for that, then you hurt my mother.¡±


    ¡°Muh.¡± Brad''s response was muffled.


    ¡°You made my mom cry.¡± Arnold said and pushed the screwdriver through Brad''s eye socket and into his brain. Brad didn''t struggle much and only twitched from having his brain penetrated through the frontal lobe. Arnold grabbed the supervisor''s hand and put it around the screwdriver''s handle, then he quickly and carefully moved it up and down to mulch Brad''s eye and stab his brain over and over. He was extremely careful to not splash blood on himself or on his gloved hand.


    Arnold checked the woman''s pulse and she was still alive, so he propped her up just enough to sit up, put the shovel in Brad''s hand, and swung it at the side of her head. A shovel was quite the versatile tool and the supervisor slumped against the still open driver''s side door and slid to the ground with her hand still on the screwdriver embedded into Brad''s skull.


    His work done, Arnold thought about shutting the door of the truck and stopping the light, then he peered in to look at it. He saw several switches and pushed them, and the light got brighter, then dimmed, then blinked, then turned off. He nodded and looked around where he stepped to see that the ground was hard and packed down, and he could see some of his partial sneaker prints in places. He quickly swiped his foot over the spots, making sure to not leave a trace, then left the scene as quickly as he had arrived.


    *


    ¡°Kelly, that... I can''t believe...¡± Two shook her head. ¡°How are you not crying all the time over this?¡±


    Kelly took a deep breath and smiled. ¡°It''s because of Arnold.¡± She said. ¡°He''s been a rock for me and his mother through all of this. I honestly don''t know what I would do without him.¡±


    ¡°Did you hear that, Arnold?¡± Three said and looked at the crowd of people around them. ¡°Kelly really needs you!¡± She said and then she didn''t see him. ¡°Arnold?¡± She asked. ¡°Hey, where''s Arnold?¡±


    A few people around them turned their heads to see if he was at the table of food or at the car trunks getting a drink.


    ¡°I don''t see him.¡± Someone said.


    ¡°What?¡± Kelly stood up and looked around. ¡°Arnold! ARNOLD!¡± She yelled. ¡°WHERE ARE YOU?¡±


    ¡°Right here.¡± Arnold said and stepped out of the woods and pulled up his zipper. A few people laughed and a few of the girls blushed.


    ¡°I''m sorry for yelling.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I hope we didn''t rush you.¡±


    ¡°I did my best to finish as fast as possible.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I don''t like leaving you alone for too long.¡±


    ¡°Awww! That''s so sweet!¡± One said. ¡°He can''t even pee without thinking about you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for that visual.¡± Two said and everyone laughed.


    ¡°I think that''s enough pee talk.¡± Her boyfriend said. ¡°Want to dance?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Two said and the two of them moved off towards the front car and started to dance.


    ¡°Let''s all do it.¡± One said and took her boyfriend''s hand, despite his shaking head, and dragged him over. A few people laughed and then everyone was dancing around.


    ¡°Arnold? Do you...¡± Kelly started to say and he stepped close to her and took her into his arms. He held her like he did at prom and they swayed back and forth and occasionally kissed. Some people had beers, some had sodas, and they all had a good time for several hours. They danced, some sang, and a few had snuck off to be alone and to have some fun.


    Kelly had been very tempted to try that herself. She settled for a heavy make-out session and even asked Arnold to massage her breast. He did it discretely and no one knew that he had his hand under her baggy t-shirt, and she was grateful that she had worn it, because she really liked that he was so gentle. Unfortunately, their time for fun eventually came to an end.


    ¡°I need to go.¡± Arnold said when he broke the kiss and Kelly nodded. They walked through the spread out people who were all doing different things and found Two and her boyfriend. They were leaning against the second car and Two''s boyfriend was nibbling on her ear to make her laugh.


    ¡°Can we get a drive home?¡± Kelly asked. ¡°Arnold needs to get his stuff and catch the bus to go back to the college.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Two said. ¡°At least we won''t feel like sardines this time.¡±


    Kelly chuckled. ¡°I don''t think it would have been so bad if we knew everyone beforehand.¡±


    ¡°It''s a neat introduction when you get used to it.¡± Two laughed. ¡°Hey! Someone''s sitting on my hand! Hi, I''m Sarah!¡±


    Her boyfriend laughed. ¡°Hop in.¡± He said and pointed to the car and looked into the scattered crowd. ¡°We''ll be right back!¡±


    A few people waved and the four of them got in the car. A short drive later, Kelly and Arnold were dropped off at Kelly''s place and they went inside.


    ¡°Hey, you two.¡± Annie said from the living room. ¡°Did you have some fun?¡±


    ¡°A little.¡± Kelly said, her face slightly red. ¡°Arnold, gather your things.¡±


    Arnold went to the spare room to get his backpack and came back to the living room and picked up his phone. His mother stood up and gave him a tight hug.


    ¡°Call during the week and let us know if you can make it back next week.¡± Annie said. ¡°We''ll be back in the house by then, too.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and Kelly hugged him next.


    ¡°Take care of yourself and text if you need anything.¡± Kelly said and gave him a kiss. ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Arnold said and looked at his mother. ¡°Mom, I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you too, sweetie.¡± Annie said and gave him a quick peck on the lips. ¡°Now get walking. The bus won''t wait, even if the driver somehow knows you need the ride.¡±


    Arnold nodded and gave her a hug, hugged Kelly, then left the house.


    ¡°You can come out of hiding now.¡± Annie said towards the kitchen and Katheryn came out.


    ¡°I wasn''t hiding, I just didn''t want to chance getting another kiss.¡± Katheryn said.


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Annie smiled. ¡°Was it so terrible that you''re avoiding it instead of just telling him that he doesn''t have to kiss you to thank you?¡±


    Katheryn''s face flushed red as she blushed. ¡°I didn''t realize I could ask him to stop.¡±


    Both Kelly and Annie had to laugh at that.


    *


    The last bus of the day came to a stop and picked up a passenger who flashed a bus pass at the driver and then passed it over the scanner. The young man sat in the front seat and rode in silence for the entire bus ride back to where he had come from the day before. The driver didn''t ask what he was doing, since it was the college run and it was late Sunday night. He assumed the man was returning to classes after spending the weekend at home and there was no point in asking him about it.


    *


    Arnold stepped off of the bus just over two hours later and walked all the way back to the campus. When he entered the dorm building, the lobby was completely empty except for one person.


    Doris was behind her desk and stood. ¡°Arnold.¡± She said, barely above a whisper. ¡°Welcome back.¡±


    Arnold walked over to her with purpose and slid his arms around her and gave her a deep and passionate kiss for several seconds. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Doris'' heart was beating fast and her face was flushed with blood, even though most people couldn''t tell. That was a great thank you kiss. She thought. ¡°You should go upstairs and get to bed. You have an early day tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to help you masturbate?¡± Arnold asked. ¡°It''s been a couple of days.¡±


    Doris opened her mouth to give him an emphatic yes, then she smiled. ¡°Dear boy, I would like nothing more; but, I need to go home and get to bed as well.¡± She said. ¡°I only stayed here long enough to see you.¡±


    Arnold gave her a smile and she caught her breath. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and gave her another kiss.


    Sweet baby Jesus, you tempt me so. Doris thought and kissed him back, then she watched him walk over to the stairs and run up them out of sight.


    Arnold appeared at the top of the stairs on the fourth floor and none of the room doors were open. It was pretty late, so he crept down the hallway and didn''t make any noise. He entered his dorm room and closed the door, took off his backpack and went over to his computer, then turned it on. He sat down and clicked the link that led to the video of him being assaulted in the game. He quickly scrolled through the messages to the one Kelly had shown him and found the link to the developer''s invite.


    Arnold copied it and started the launching program for Fortune''s Favour and added the link. He loaded the player modification screen and not the full game, as the message said, and the link verified his player ID. Once that was done, he received a popup that told him about their user agreement to not share the content he was about to see, and then had an accept button and a decline button. He chose accept like Kelly wanted.


    *


    Only a few moments later, one of the developers received a legitimate popup from their offer. Quite a lot of people had tried to fake it and steal the developer''s invitation, especially since it had been posted publicly, and the developers did it that way to see what kind of talent they could scout. It was kind of pre-interview test that let them know who could hack into their games. They would be contacted about different things later.


    ¡°Aha! We caught you with the first offer!¡± The guy chuckled. ¡°I''m glad that we didn''t have to negotiate to get you onboard.¡± He typed up several things, loaded the preset beta player package and a bonus equipment chest for Fortune''s Favour, then clicked send. ¡°You should like the level boosters for all of our games. You''re going to need them with all the competition you''ve brought back to the game for us.¡±


    *


    Arnold received the confirmation message and the beta package started to download, so he let it go and changed for bed. He checked the alarm to make sure it was going to go off at the right time, then climbed into bed. He laid there and looked over at Kelly''s empty bed, then he turned around and looked at the computer. As the progress bar filled and he kept his word to Kelly, Arnold drifted off to sleep.

 95 Discoveries

    Arnold woke up the next morning when the alarm went off, had a healthy bowl of cereal with milk and a small glass of orange juice, then had a quick shower and dressed for work. When he opened his dorm room door, he was met with the same half naked scene as always and also with a lot of warm greetings of good morning and hello.


    He walked the hallway and returned the greetings and made sure to make eye contact with everyone. They all felt like he was making time for them and that was quite a feat for a hallway full of women, and Arnold gave them a little wave as the elevator doors closed. He rode it down to the ground floor and stepped out into the partially crowded lobby.


    Doris gave him a wave and he walked over. ¡°Good morning.¡± She said and glanced around, then leaned over her desk. ¡°I''ll need your help tonight if you''re not busy.¡±


    ¡°I''m not busy.¡± Arnold said and then he whispered. ¡°I''ll kiss you later.¡±


    Doris nodded and watched him walk away.


    ¡°What''s he going to help you with?¡± A young woman nearby asked.


    ¡°He''s just moving some things for me in the back room.¡± Doris said and smiled brightly. ¡°It''s so nice to have a strong man that can help with those kinds of things.¡±


    The young woman chuckled. ¡°I hear that.¡± She said, then decided to try and shock the older woman. ¡°Of course, he''d be doing a bit more than just moving things if he was with me.¡±


    ¡°My word!¡± Doris fake gasped and the young woman laughed.


    Arnold stepped out of the dorm building and walked the eight minutes to work. Once there, it was the biology degree course that had to be set up and not regular students, so it took more than just his efforts to set things up. Amy, Cissily, and the other lab workers helped. Most of them weren''t hung over, so they had it done before the professor came into the lab.


    ¡°Excellent work, everyone.¡± Professor Hamil Crenslav said and they took their positions and the class came in for their full morning lab and everyone got to work.


    *


    ¡°Uhhhhh.¡± The supervisor groaned as she woke up around noon. Her head was splitting and she didn''t remember falling asleep and she wondered why her bed felt so hard. She used a hand to rub her face and felt wetness, then sighed. She hated it when she drooled in her sleep. She reached out to hit her alarm before it went off and heard a squelching sound.


    ¡°Huh?¡± She opened her eyes and one was tinted red and she felt a stinging sensation. ¡°Ow! Ow! Ow!¡± She said and tried to wipe at her face again, which only pushed even more sticky blood into her eye and made her cry. ¡°What is this stuff?¡± She asked herself and tried to look at it with her good eye. ¡°What... no, it''s not my... today''s a safe day.¡±


    The supervisor tried to sit up and hit her back on the bottom of the truck''s door. She grunted at the odd sensation and rolled over to look at whatever it was over her bed that she hit, then she caught her breath when her single eye saw something her brain couldn''t make sense of. There was no way she would bring Brad back to her place.


    ¡°Brad, what the hell are you doing here?¡± She asked and reached for his shoulder, then shook him. ¡°Brad! Wake up!¡± She said and shook him harder. When his head rolled to the side and she saw the state of his face, she screamed.


    And screamed.


    And screamed some more.


    *


    A man and his wife were jogging along the road and heard the hysterical screams. They exchanged looks for several moments, then the woman sighed and nodded. They diverted their path and ran down an access road just off the main road and almost comically skidded to a stop when they saw the grizzly scene of two people with their pants pulled down and one was dead and the other was screaming.


    ¡°Oh, god.¡± The woman said and took out her cell phone. ¡°Please don''t be busy. Don''t be busy!¡± She said and dialed 9-1-1. It started ringing and she sighed in relief when the operator picked up.


    *


    When lunchtime arrived, Arnold went with the lab workers and he greeted the woman behind the counter when he picked up his meal and Angela at the register when he paid for it. He ate lunch and Cissily asked him what he did during the weekend. Arnold told her about the confrontation at the restaurant and then getting a restraining order, sleeping in, then having a party with his friends.


    ¡°Well, at least you enjoyed yourself at some point, right?¡± Cissily asked.


    Arnold gave her a smile, which caught everyone''s attention, and then he finished eating. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± He said and went back to work.


    ¡°Good lord, did you see that smile?¡± Maxine asked. ¡°He lit up the whole room!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I saw.¡± Cissily said and smiled herself. ¡°I''m thinking he might have gotten something extra at that party.¡±


    ¡°I hope he had protection.¡± Amy said. ¡°Otherwise, he''ll be getting some surprising news soon.¡±


    Cissily laughed. ¡°I''m sure he''s got a box of condoms stashed somewhere.¡±


    ¡°They''re no good if you never use them.¡± Maxine said. ¡°Then again... you know how it feels...¡±


    ¡°Stop right there.¡± Amy said and held a hand up. ¡°You better be practising safe sex or I''ll disown you.¡±


    Maxine reached over and took the hand. ¡°I didn''t know you cared so much about my vagina.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve been feeling a little itchy down there and...¡±


    ¡°Fuck no!¡± Amy said loudly and pulled her hand back, and everyone at the table laughed.


    *


    ¡°Ma''am? Ma''am?¡± The EMT tried to calm the hysterical woman down. ¡°Ma''am, please. I know this is... it''s horrific... but, we need to check you over.¡±


    The supervisor wasn''t listening and just couldn''t bring herself to stop crying or to stop hugging her legs to her chest. She was in complete denial.


    ¡°It looks like self defense to me.¡± One of the police officers said. ¡°Attempted rape...¡± He looked down at the young man''s body and the clearly visible semen. ¡°...make that actual rape, since she struggled pretty hard to get away and it''s pretty obvious that he had his way with her.¡±


    ¡°It definitely started in the truck, then she managed to get the door open.¡± The second police officer said ad pointed. ¡°By the looks of it, the guy hit his face pretty hard here in the dirt and grass.¡±


    ¡°The rest is a damn mess.¡± The first police officer said. ¡°A fight between a shovel and a screwdriver isn''t fair at all.¡±


    The second police officer shook his head. ¡°We better call this in and get the guys out here.¡±


    ¡°We''ve already trampled all over the scene, especially the EMTs.¡± The first police officer said. ¡°I''ll call the station and you can mark the spots with the known shoe prints, for what little good it''ll do.¡±


    ¡°I''m on it.¡± The second police officer said and started to do just that and the first police officer went to the squad car to call it in. The response was immediate, since there hadn''t been an incident like it in a while. When he was told who was assigned to the case, he silently cursed. He left the squad car and went back over to his partner.


    ¡°You can stop doing that.¡± The first police officer said, then leaned in close and whispered. ¡°Detective Anal has the case.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shit.¡± The second police officer whispered back. ¡°I don''t feel like getting yelled at today.¡±


    ¡°I think we''re getting yelled at no matter what we do. She''s been better since her talk to the chief; but, this is going to set her off like a nuclear warhead.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and that''s going to suck for that poor woman.¡± The second police officer said and indicated the supervisor. She had been picked up by the EMTs and put on a stretcher, and they marked on her medical sheet to perform a rape kit, despite the obvious signs that she had been forced to have sex. They covered her and one of the EMTs gave her a mild sedative to calm her down.


    ¡°We''re good to go.¡± The EMT said and they carefully rolled the stretcher around the work truck and towards the ambulance.


    ¡°She''s definitely not going to like a witness leaving the scene before she gets to talk to her.¡± The second officer commented.


    The first police officer let out a chuckle. ¡°She''s hysterical and incoherent after killing her assailant and she hasn''t spoken yet.¡± He said as the ambulance drove away. ¡°Although, it might be a good idea to record her badgering the victim and prove that she''s doing more harm than good with her ''modern'' tactics.¡±


    They both nodded and then winced as they heard the squeal of tires and then the pings of gravel on the underside of a car as an unmarked car sped towards them and skidded to a stop just behind their squad car.


    Detective Tanner stepped out of her car and walked over to them. ¡°Tell me everything you know.¡±


    Both officers did their best to describe the scene when they had arrived, about the hysterical woman and the sexual assault, and about how the EMTs had to cart her away and give her a sedative.


    ¡°Goddammit.¡± Detective Tanner spat. ¡°Our best witness is incapacitated and we need the details only she knows as soon as possible.¡± She said and stood there and thought about what to do now. ¡°This is a crime scene, so get your tape out and block this off, then get me piles of evidence bags.¡± She said. ¡°I''m tempted to get the medical examiner out here to let him gather the forensics evidence personally.¡±


    That''s not going to happen, because he hates you. Both police officers thought and didn''t say it.


    ¡°Where''s the camera guy?¡± Detective Tanner asked and a tiny car pulled into the service road and parked behind her car. A skinny man stepped out and grabbed his camera bag and walked over to them.


    ¡°Tell me what you want.¡± The man said and took out the very expensive professional camera.


    ¡°Focus on the body for now, then spread out to the truck, then do the surrounding brush.¡±


    ¡°You got it.¡± He said and stepped by her, then they heard the whirring and clicking. It took both real and digital photos, in case a detail was lost from either one. When he was close enough to see the face on the body, he cursed loudly.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Detective Tanner asked and turned to look at the camera guy.


    ¡°It''s trouble, is what it is.¡± The camera guy said and waved at the body. ¡°Don''t you know who this is?¡±


    ¡°We haven''t searched him for ID yet, so no.¡± Detective Tanner said. ¡°I was waiting for accurate photos before disturbing the scene any more than it already was.¡±


    The two police officers exchanged looks. At least she didn''t yell at us this time.


    ¡°It''s Darren Willowby''s son, Bradley.¡± The camera guy said.


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Detective Tanner yelled and tromped over to the body and stepped all over the crime scene, which she would later regret, because the basic lesson she was taught was to never disturb the crime scene. She would also never know that she had stepped into the only footprint that Arnold had missed cleaning up near the body.


    Detective Tanner successfully stopped herself from turning the head towards her with bare hands and dug out a single rubber glove, then touched his chin and turned the head towards her. One of the eyes was gone and she ignored it to look at the face. She recognized it as the ringleader of the group that had assaulted the Strickland house.


    ¡°Why isn''t he in jail?¡± Detective Tanner asked, confused.


    ¡°He pleaded down to a misdemeanor and got off with community service.¡± The camera guy said. ¡°Don''t you read the newspaper?¡±


    ¡°What newspaper?¡± She asked and the camera guy went to his car and came back with a folded paper. Right on the front page was a casual group picture with Brad and his friends.


    ¡°They''ve been advertising the story all weekend.¡± The camera guy said. ¡°It''s not like it''s a huge scandal or anything; but, the Strickland family managed to get a restraining order against the whole group.¡±


    ¡°What? That''s not normal procedure.¡± Detective Tanner said.


    The camera guy shrugged. ¡°That family''s been through a lot, and it''s all right there in black and white.¡± He said. ¡°The husband dying, losing their savings, having their house ransacked, then finding out the little bastards got off.¡± He looked down at the body. ¡°Well, most of them did.¡±


    Detective Tanner stopped her gasp before it escaped. ¡°Take a lot of pictures.¡± She said and stood. ¡°I''ll let you get back to work.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± The camera guy said and started taking more pictures. ¡°I bet the Stricklands will be pretty happy to hear this guy''s not around to bother them anymore.¡±


    ¡°More like relieved.¡± Detective Tanner said and went back to her car. She had a bit of reading to do and some calls to make.


    *


    Arnold received some personal instruction from the professor that afternoon and it helped refine his technique even more. Getting to use his skills on so many different kinds of specimens was invaluable for his education and the professor asked him random questions about the things he had learned from the books and periodicals he had Arnold read. He was quite impressed at his mental retention.


    ¡°After everything you''ve learned so far, is there anything specific you want to learn next?¡± Hamil asked his apprentice as they cleaned up their tools and their work area.


    ¡°I think I need to learn more about chemical formulas and their compositions.¡± Arnold said. ¡°My high school had a good chemistry course; but, this is college. I need a better understanding of it if I''m going to go further.¡±


    Hamil nodded. ¡°Yes, I have to agree. The more you delve into the biology field, the more of a basis you need in the related fields.¡± He said. ¡°I can introduce you to the chemistry professor and see what she recommends.¡±


    ¡°I''ve met Professor Power.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Oh? What did you think of her?¡± Hamil asked, curious if he would find the woman as abrasive as everyone else.


    ¡°She''s strict and Cissily doesn''t like her.¡± Arnold said. He did not say the nickname Cissily called her.


    Hamil chuckled. ¡°Well, they are like oil and water. They mix when necessary and usually separate as soon as possible.¡±


    Arnold nodded and Hamil looked at the clock on the wall.


    ¡°The last class is about to end, so if you hurry, I''m sure you can catch her in Building B on the second floor in the chemistry lab.¡± Hamil said.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Arnold said and left the biology lab at a fast walk, took the stairs and left the building. He walked a good distance across the campus and entered Building B just as the buzzer rang to end class for the day. He went up the stairs and weaved his way through the people milling about that were waiting for the elevator and walked over to the only open door.


    Arnold looked inside the lab and saw a very well dressed woman as she stood over her desk and she flipped through several papers and marked them with a red pen. He had to step out of the way of several students as they left the lab and the professor was now all alone. He stepped into the room and shut the door.


    Professor Felicia Power saw the movement out of the corner of her eye and waved at him. ¡°Give me a few minutes before you bother me. I need to review these awful papers while I''m still in a bad mood.¡±


    Arnold didn''t say anything and stood there and waited. He had always been good at waiting for the right opportunity.

 96 Power Of Suggestion

    Professor Felicia Power took almost fifteen minutes to finish marking the papers. Arnold didn''t realize, or care for that matter, that she was intentionally procrastinating so she could make him wait. It was one of the little triumphs that she awarded herself for dealing with ignoramuses. When Felicia felt that she had made the student wait long enough, she flipped over the small stack of papers to put them face down and then stood up straight to see who it was that wanted to waste her time after the proper class.


    Felicia took in a sharp breath when she saw Arnold in his business suit. Even though it was the end of the day, he was pretty much immaculate, since he was deft in his movements and kept the suit unwrinkled and clean. She also changed what she was going to say from her normal derisive comment.


    ¡°My apologies for making you wait.¡± Felicia said. ¡°You know some things need to be handled immediately, or you lose your chance to do them properly.¡±


    Arnold nodded and she gave him a rare smile.


    ¡°What can I help the biology department with today?¡±


    ¡°Not the department.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I would like to learn some more about chemistry.¡±


    Felicia almost resisted the urge to tease him about personal chemistry. ¡°Hmm. Well, it''s not normal for teachers and students to share things like that. However, you aren''t a student yet and could be considered a fellow colleague.¡± She said and reached up to play with the buttons on her suit vest. She was sure that the implied insult of not being an actual colleague would get under his nerves and her hand was right between her breasts.


    Arnold ignored both things. ¡°I passed high school chemistry with the highest marks in the school.¡± He said and her eyes widened slightly at his boast. ¡°I''m learning a lot about biology that I didn''t know before; but, my education in chemistry is lacking for what I need to understand some of the biological processes I''ve been exposed to.¡±


    Felicia leaned her backside against the edge of her desk and she moved her hand down from playing with her vest buttons to smooth out a perceived wrinkle in her skirt and rubbed her thigh. Her movements were a little awkward, because she was trying to do it and watched his reaction at the same time.


    ¡°Yes, I suppose you would need a deeper background in... hard chemistry.¡± Felicia said and his eyes never left hers. He''s not looking at what I''m doing at all. She thought, a little perturbed. He has more willpower than I thought. ¡°Can you tell me some of the things that you are having trouble with?¡±


    Arnold told her about the latest periodical that Professor Crenslav had loaned him and she nodded.


    ¡°Yes, I know that one.¡± Felicia said and changed tactics. She slowly unbuttoned her vest and opened it to show her nearly see-through chiffon blouse. Her black bra was clearly visible through the thin fabric and she took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°The chemical formulas they use are quite complicated, and they don''t explain how they interact with each other.¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°What do you recommend I do to help me understand the proper interactions?¡±


    Felicia did her best to trace the edge of her bra through the fabric. ¡°Would you be surprised if I said that we would need some private lessons over several nights to get you up to the proper knowledge level?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I usually do my extra studies at night to keep up with the biology students.¡±


    ¡°Would you be willing to do anything to get me to help you?¡± Felicia asked and plucked at her chiffon blouse in what she thought was a very blatant sexual advance.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said, to her surprise. ¡°I can''t have sex with you.¡±


    Felicia didn''t like the blatant rejection, despite her intention to only tease him. ¡°Close the blind on the window.¡± She said and Arnold did so. ¡°What would you do if I took my underwear off and propped my beautifully long leg up on my desk?¡±


    ¡°I''d tell you that you look pretty.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Pretty?!?¡± Felicia asked, a little angrily. ¡°Just pretty? I would be exposing my natural beauty to you and that would be all you would say to describe it?¡±


    ¡°What do you want me to say?¡± Arnold asked, genuinely curious.


    ¡°That you feel privileged to see such beauty!¡± Felicia said. ¡°That you want nothing more than to make love to me for as long as you can!¡± She said as she let her indignation at being rejected overtake her original plan. ¡°You should be on your knees and beg me to let you feel such wonder, because it''s so rare for it to be enjoyed like that!¡± She glared at him for a moment, then she gasped and blushed at what she had just admitted. She turned her head to try and hide her embarrassment.


    Arnold walked over to her and took her hand.


    ¡°N-no, I... I''m sorry. I took my teasing a little too far.¡± Felicia said and couldn''t look at him. ¡°I only wanted to entice you and to make you uncomfortable, and all I managed was to do it to myself.¡±


    Arnold stood there and just held her hand. He didn''t try to grab her, hug her, or anything else. After a few minutes, Felicia''s embarrassment faded somewhat and she let out a sigh. When she turned her head to look at him, his face was right there and she stared into his eyes. Arnold stared right back.


    ¡°I''m... married.¡± Felicia said, for some reason she felt like she needed to be completely honest. ¡°We''ve been separated for six months and it''s really frustrating that he''s already moved on and... she''s so... young.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve been so angry over it, because he could leave me for some little tramp. It''s infuriating, so I... I thought... what if I tried it, too?¡± She let out a soft laugh. ¡°Of course, I picked the one young man that wouldn''t find me attractive.¡±


    Arnold reached up with his free hand and cupped the side of her face. ¡°I have a girlfriend and I can only have sex with her.¡± He said and his hand slid down her neck and inside her vest to caress the side of her breast through her bra.


    Felicia caught her breath at the gentle caress, then the hand went down to her waist and over her hip. She didn''t say anything when Arnold partially knelt to put the hand under her skirt and stood back up, which pulled her skirt up to her hips. She kept her eyes locked onto his and he stared at her as his hand slid to the inside of her thigh.


    ¡°I feel privileged to see such beauty.¡± Arnold said without taking his eyes away from hers and his hand touched her. ¡°I would make love to you for as long as I could if I was allowed.¡± He said and rubbed her. ¡°I would be on my knees and beg you to feel such wonder.¡±


    ¡°Oh, god.¡± Felicia said. ¡°I thought... you didn''t like me... like everyone else.¡±


    Arnold gave her a smile and she gasped when his thumb slipped her underwear aside and he touched her directly. ¡°I can help you masturbate.¡±


    Felicia didn''t hesitate and nodded, since he was already there and doing it anyway. It didn''t take long, to her surprise, and they didn''t break eye contact at all, even when she finished. In fact, it took her longer to calm down afterwards than it took to do it.


    ¡°Tissues?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Desk. Top drawer.¡± Felicia said and was surprised that he knelt and cleaned her up, because she thought he was only going to wipe off his own fingers. She was doubly surprised when he slipped her underwear back into place for her and it wasn''t bunched up or anything. ¡°How often have you done this?¡±


    ¡°With just my fingers? Four.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Felicia looked at him in disbelief.


    ¡°I usually use my tongue to help.¡± Arnold said and he saw her body twitch.


    ¡°I... need more... tissues.¡± Felicia said and he gave her some. She wiped herself off and dabbed at her now wet panties. ¡°Arnold, I hope you know that I''m not a woman that normally does things like this.¡±


    ¡°I do now.¡± Arnold said, now that she told him.


    Felicia took a deep breath and pulled her skirt back into place. ¡°You can''t tell anyone that we did this.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°People around here already hate me. If they knew I lured you into doing what you did...¡± Felicia shook her head. ¡°If you stay quiet about it, I''ll do everything I can to get your chemistry knowledge up to college standards.¡±


    ¡°Higher.¡± Arnold said and she caught her breath.


    ¡°Arnold, that could take...¡±


    ¡°I''ll learn anything you can teach me.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I''ll also help you masturbate.¡±


    Felicia gave him a disbelieving look for several seconds, then she sighed. ¡°I suppose I did start this, so I only have myself to blame for this situation.¡± She said. ¡°All right, Arnold.¡± She took out her cell phone and gave him her number. ¡°Call me when you want to have our first lesson.¡±


    Arnold dialed her number and her cell phone rang. ¡°Professor Power, I''d like to have our first lesson.¡±


    ¡°Very funny.¡± Felicia said and hung up the phone. ¡°Grab the third book on the shelf there.¡± She said and pointed. ¡°It''s a difficult read for a normal student that has a lot of chemistry background, so for you it''s going to take a while.¡±


    The book wasn''t very thick, so Arnold sat down at her desk and started reading. Felicia saw him settle down to read and was a bit too surprised that he was going to stay and read it to say anything. She had work to do anyway, so she went about it and cleaned up the lab properly and used all the proper procedures. She wasn''t distracted by the handsome young man, until she saw him put the book back.


    ¡°Yes, it''s close to supper time.¡± Felicia said and took off her rubber gloves and tossed them in the trash. ¡°You can come back to finish next time.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and took her hand and led her back over to the desk, then he sat her on it.


    ¡°Arnold, what are you doing?¡± Felicia asked, then she clamped her mouth shut when he knelt and reached under her skirt and took off her underwear. In the next moment, he had one of her long legs propped up on the desk, just like she had said she would do if she was going to proposition him for sex, and her skirt rode up to the top of her thighs. Arnold stepped back and looked at her ''offering'' and her face went completely red.


    ¡°Yes, I would want to have sex with you if I saw you like this.¡± Arnold said and stepped close, knelt between her legs, then helped her masturbate. Felicia had no idea that having someone else help her masturbate like that could be so enjoyable. She laid back on her desk and thoroughly enjoyed it.


    *


    Detective Tanner sat in her car and she couldn''t believe what she had inadvertently discovered. Using the group photo in the paper as a reference, she made some discrete calls to check up on the others from the group. Kevin, William, Henry, and Michael were fine.


    William and Henry were currently being supervised as they worked along the highway on the other side of town. Kevin was at home, because the supervisor didn''t come and pick him up, so he assumed he had the day off. Micheal was at home for the same reason, except for one caveat.


    Jake was dead.


    He had been drinking the night before and had apparently fallen and hit his head. When his supervisor showed up to pick him up, he was met by an ambulance, a police car, and a grieving family. He called it in to the police station and said he couldn''t work today after seeing such a tragedy.


    Detective Tanner couldn''t help but see that they were being picked off, one by one. Because of the article in front of her, her thoughts immediately went to the Strickland family, since they were the ones to have suffered so much at the hands of this group of hoodlums. She remembered how shaken the mother had been at the sight of her husband''s body; but Arnold, he didn''t even flinch at the sight.


    She couldn''t do anything right then, since she had a crime scene to process, so she put the newspaper down and stepped out of her vehicle. She didn''t start gathering evidence to prove a case that was already solved, though. She was gathering evidence to see if she could place Arnold at the scene of the crime, and she did her level best to do just that.


    She knew that as soon as she was done there, she was going to have to visit the site of Jake''s accident. She almost chuckled at the thought, because in her mind, that was going to be a murder scene, too.


    *


    Arnold helped Felicia masturbate twice as she asked him questions about the book he had read. She had finished with bit of a splash at his acquired knowledge and Arnold left her laying on her desk after cleaning her up and putting her underwear back on her. Felicia swore on her life that she would teach him everything she knew over the next three months, and he left the chemistry lab at a normal walk. He took the stairs and left the building and went to the cafeteria to get something to eat.


    Arnold greeted the woman behind the counter and asked for a different meal, then greeted Angela as he paid for it.


    ¡°Hey, are you busy tonight?¡± Angela asked as she handed him back his change. ¡°Want to hang out?¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry. I''m helping my dorm mother move some things around tonight.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°What about tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°I have another book from Professor Crenslav to read and the next night I have a lesson with Professor Power in the chemistry lab.¡±


    Angela gave him a fake smile to hide her disappointment. ¡°You shouldn''t work yourself so hard.¡±


    ¡°I like work.¡± Arnold said and sat down at a table alone, ate his food at a normal pace, then brought the things back to the counter and dropped them off.


    ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± The woman behind the counter said and he waved to her as he left.


    Arnold went to his dorm building and stepped into the lobby. No one was there, he assumed because they were still eating supper in different places, and walked over to Doris'' desk.


    Doris took a drink of water to wash down the mouthful of rice she had. ¡°Hi, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold walked around the desk and bent over to give her several kisses.


    ¡°I''m... eating.¡± Doris said between kisses.


    ¡°I just ate, too.¡± Arnold said and kissed her again.


    The elevator dinged and Arnold broke the kiss and walked around the desk as the elevator doors opened. Two young women that were dressed fairly nicely came out and waved at Doris, then they left.


    ¡°Two hours.¡± Doris said.


    Arnold nodded and stepped into the elevator and went up to his floor. He saw only a few girls in the hallway and a lot of them were eating and talking. He didn''t try to listen as he walked past and waved to those that noticed him.


    ¡°Do you think he''ll do it again?¡± One of the girls whispered.


    ¡°We can hope.¡± Her roommate said and they both stepped out into the hallway to watch. Sure enough, Arnold left his room door open, like all the others were, and he stripped off down to his underwear.


    ¡°I''ll never get tired of seeing that.¡± Daisy said. ¡°I''m so glad that he isn''t shy.¡±


    Someone giggled and that set a few of them off and they laughed, too.


    ¡°You guys are horrible.¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Hey, you''re looking, too.¡± Crystal said from the next room.


    ¡°I don''t want to be the only one that''s not.¡± Janet said, and they all laughed.


    Arnold walked over to the door of his room and looked out at all of the women looking at him. ¡°I''m going to take a shower now. Do you want me to shut the door?¡±


    A resounding chorus of ''no'' responded, so he walked back over to the laundry basket and took off his underwear and then went to his bathroom and took a shower.


    ¡°I really, really hope his girlfriend doesn''t come back for a while.¡± Someone whispered and they all enjoyed the show.

 97 Day To Day

    Arnold stepped out of the shower and dried off, then he walked over to his dresser to grab a pair of underwear. He put them on and picked up his cell phone and walked out of his room to lean against the wall by his door. It was then that he started to text Kelly about accepting the developer''s invitation.


    ¡°Who do you think he''s texting?¡± Someone whispered.


    ¡°His girlfriend.¡± The girl next to her said. ¡°He has to keep reassuring her that he''s not doing anything with a dorm full of women, right?¡±


    ¡°But, he is doing something with us. He''s giving us a good show.¡±


    ¡°It''s just as good as we''re giving him.¡± Her friend responded. ¡°How many times has he seen your breasts in that cute frilly bra?¡±


    ¡°The same amount he''s seen your ass in a thong.¡± She said with a smile, and both of them laughed. They had started talking in whispers and had ended talking normally, so nearly everyone in the hall had heard their conversation and had to agree.


    *


    Cissily sat on her living room couch with Amy on one side and Maxine on the other. The three of them read the newspaper and it was amazing to get all of the details about the events that Arnold had only casually mentioned at lunch.


    ¡°I feel so bad for his mother.¡± Maxine said and shook her head. ¡°After her husband died and they paid off the house, it was trashed and she couldn''t live there for nearly three weeks.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Then losing everything on top of that? That poor woman must be crying her eyes out over this.¡±


    Amy nodded her head. She had taken out her micro-braids and left her hair all frizzy and normal. ¡°Arnold doesn''t seem too torn up over it.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Cissily barked a laugh. ¡°You know guys. They won''t admit that they''re hurting unless you drag it out of them one word at a time, and even then you almost have to trick them into it.¡±


    ¡°Ain''t that the truth.¡± Maxine said and tapped a finger on the picture in the paper. ¡°How in the world did all of them get off with just community service?¡±


    ¡°They''re rich kids.¡± Cissily said and flipped the page to read the details. ¡°Well, three of them, anyway. The rest are well-to-do middle class families and aren''t hurting for money.¡±


    ¡°They must have struck some kind of deal with the parents or something.¡± Amy reasoned. ¡°I mean, they would have to, right? Who wouldn''t have them pay for the damages, or better yet, make them clean the mess up?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Cissily said and closed the paper. ¡°The reporter wouldn''t expressly say something fishy was going on; but, she sure implied it.¡±


    Maxine chuckled. ¡°That''s her job, isn''t it? To make the story more interesting?¡±


    Both Cissily and Amy laughed.


    ¡°It wasn''t interesting enough?¡± Amy asked. ¡°The description of the restaurant scene was so vivid that I thought I was there and had seen it myself.¡±


    Cissily nodded. ¡°Arnold was a real man there.¡±


    ¡°Oh? You didn''t want him to pound the guys for what they did?¡± Maxine asked, a little surprised.


    ¡°Of course I do. They deserve a good beat down for doing what they did and for getting off with almost no punishment.¡± Cissily said, then she smiled. ¡°Arnold knew that comforting his mother was more important.¡±


    ¡°Aww, you really wanna suck him off now.¡± Maxine said.


    ¡°Fucking right I do.¡± Cissily said with a huge grin and the three of them laughed.


    *


    Arnold had to go into the dorm room to see what the beta tester package had in it, then went back out to the hallway and texted Kelly back and forth about everything. When the two hour time limit approached, he told her that he needed to go help Doris and that he would be going to bed afterwards.


    ''Make sure you take good care of her.'' Kelly texted. ''She''s doing her best to watch out for you.''


    ''Okay.'' Arnold tested back. ''I''ll text you again tomorrow night.''


    ''I love you.'' Kelly texted. ''Goodnight.''


    ''I love you, too. Goodnight. (kiss emoji)'' Arnold sent and then went back into his dorm room and slipped on a pair of jeans and a tight t-shirt.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± His neighbour Emily asked as he came over to the door.


    ¡°Doris needs some help moving things.¡± Arnold said and shut and locked his door.


    Emily smiled. ¡°It''s nice to have a strong man around to do those things.¡±


    ¡°That''s what she said.¡± Arnold said and walked down the hallway. The girls all pretty much asked the same thing and agreed with Emily. It really was nice to have him around in case they needed help. Arnold went down to the ground floor and stepped out of the elevator and Doris already had her ''back in the morning'' sign on the high shelf on the front of her desk. She held the small room door open for him and he stepped by her, then she closed the door and locked it.


    *


    Detective Tanner didn''t get the chance to visit Jake''s house until very late at night and she sighed as she did her best to go over the scene in the dark. She had a pen light, so she wouldn''t disturb the house''s occupants with her normal flashlight, and she searched all around the concrete patio for any signs of a struggle or even the hint that someone else was there.


    She only found trampled and slightly torn up grass from multiple footprints and the tires on the stretcher. It was almost the worst possible scene to process, because of all the people that had been around the body.


    I know he was killed. I just know it. Detective Tanner thought and made a slow retreat back to her unmarked car. She looked at the addresses of the group and saw that one lived not that far away. On a whim, she drove over to the next boy''s house and came to a stop near the place.


    There was a fence around part of it and it had clear and easy access to both the yard and the house... then something caught her eye. Several of the nearby poles had multiple papers stapled to them and she got out of her car to go and look at the top one.


    Missing Dog. If you see this dog, call us immediately. Small reward if found. Detective Tanner read and looked at the picture. That''s a fairly big dog to just run away. She thought. If she had anything like a sixth sense, it would have been going off like an alarm bell. She didn''t, though. She marked what she thought was a minor detail onto her notepad and climbed back into her car and drove home. She had an early morning to prepare for and needed to get some sleep.


    *


    An hour later, a tired and exhilarated Doris entered her house and walked by the living room.


    ¡°Hey, Ma.¡± Cissily said and Doris stopped walking and looked in on her.


    ¡°Hi, sweetie. Hey, girls.¡± Doris said to her daughter and her friends. ¡°You''re lucky you''re not drinking.¡±


    ¡°We''d never do that on a weekday.¡± Maxine said. ¡°Unless we were off the next day.¡±


    ¡°Which we never are.¡± Amy said and looked at Cissily. ¡°Unlike one bitch we won''t mention.¡±


    ¡°It''s not my fault the professor loves me and gives me the day off sometimes.¡± Cissily said.


    ¡°What do you mean it''s not your fault?¡± Amy asked accusingly and Cissily laughed.


    ¡°I''d swear if he wasn''t such a germophobe, he''d have been all over your ass from day one.¡± Maxine said and that made everyone laugh, even Doris.


    ¡°Don''t stay up too late.¡± Doris said and just before she turned to walk away, she saw the newspaper on the coffee table. ¡°What''s that?¡± She asked and came into the room instead.


    ¡°Oh, right! You''ve got to read this, Ma!¡± Cissily said and handed her the newspaper. ¡°It''s appalling and amazing.¡±


    Doris thought that was an odd description for a single news story and sat down on the couch to read it.


    *


    Arnold was back in his room and washed up, then waved at the girls. ¡°Goodnight.¡± He said and they said it back, then he closed his door and went to his bed to go to sleep.


    The next morning, he woke up and had a sensible breakfast, dressed for work, and went out into the hallway. It was a regular thing now and all of the girls said good morning. Even the ones that initially were skittish and tried to cover themselves up the first few times he had walked by during that first week, were now as casual in their bras, panties, and towels as the other girls.


    They had direct experience with him now and they all knew that Arnold didn''t leer at them, or try to take discrete pictures, or even take brief liberties with them like caresses or accidentally bumping into them. Even though they would have been any other guy''s dream girl fantasy as he walked down the hallway of half naked women, he never gave them that feeling of being objectified.


    All of the girls treasured that, and him.


    Arnold rode the elevator down to the ground floor and stepped out. There were a few girls around and he waved to Doris. ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Come here.¡± Doris said without returning the greeting.


    Arnold walked over to her and she stood up and came around her desk. She wore her normal form fitting blouse and tight black dress pants and even though she was five inches shorter than him, she seemed to be a lot taller and commanded more attention.


    ¡°I read the article in the paper.¡± Doris said and took him into a hug and pressed his face into her lightly clothed breasts. ¡°You are a good man for doing what you did.¡± She held him for several moments, much longer than was strictly necessary for a hug, then she let him go.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and glanced at the witnesses.


    ¡°You can thank me later.¡± Doris whispered and then spoke normally. ¡°Have a good day at work.¡±


    Arnold nodded and walked towards the front door.


    ¡°What article?¡± One of the girls asked and Doris told her about the newspaper.


    By lunchtime, word had spread and nearly everyone had read or heard about it, so when Arnold went to get something to eat at the cafeteria with Cissily and the lab workers, a lot of people greeted him or nodded their heads at him.


    ¡°You''re a good boy.¡± The woman behind the counter said with her voice full of warmth as she handed him a heaping plate of food. Arnold nodded to her and walked down to the register to pay for it.


    Angela put his regular root beer soda on his tray. ¡°Your girlfriend is very lucky to have someone like you.¡± She said and took his money and gave him his change.


    ¡°What''s with everyone today?¡± Amy asked as the three of them walked over to the table where Maxine and a couple of the other girls waited for them.


    ¡°A lot of people read the newspaper, apparently.¡± Maxine said as they sat down and waved at the girl next to her with dreadlocks. ¡°I''m not sure how word spread so fast, though.¡±


    ¡°It was the girls in his dorm.¡± The black woman with dreadlocks said. ¡°Once Doris told them about it, well...¡±


    ¡°Bitch explosion! They blew up and now everyone knows!¡± Cissily said and they laughed.


    ¡°I think they all appreciate what you did for your mom.¡± Maxine said to Arnold and gave him a thumbs up. ¡°Good job!¡±


    Amy laughed. ¡°You''re supposed to hand him a treat or something if you''re doing the whole positive reinforcement shtick.¡±


    ¡°We''re in public.¡± Maxine said. ¡°I don''t think everyone would understand if I whipped my tit out to let him suck on it.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha! You think that''s a treat?¡± Cissily asked.


    ¡°It''s one of the best.¡± Maxine said, quite proudly. ¡°My nipple is to die for.¡±


    That made all the girls at the table laugh, then as they ate, they started to compare the qualities of what they thought the best nipple would be like. Arnold sat there and ate his food and listened this time. When the conversation was nearly over, Maxine turned to look at Arnold.


    ¡°What do you think, Arnold?¡± Maxine asked, hoping to embarrass him a little and tease him, too. ¡°Who do you think has the best nipple?¡±


    Arnold finished eating and looked at her. ¡°To be a fair judge, I would have to see them all to compare them for looks.¡± He said and stood up as he picked up his tray. ¡°I''d have to suck on them to compare the texture. See you tomorrow.¡±


    They all watched as he went back to the counter and dropped off the empty plate and left the cafeteria.


    ¡°He did not just say that he wants to suck on all of our nipples.¡± The black girl with the dreadlocks said. ¡°He didn''t, right? I didn''t hear that, did I?¡±


    ¡°He''s got balls.¡± Maxine said with a smile. ¡°I thought us talking about it was making him nervous when he wasn''t saying anything, so I asked him to tease him.¡±


    ¡°That kind of backfired.¡± Amy said. ¡°Maybe because you said that you''d let him suck on your nipple.¡±


    Maxine chuckled. ¡°I would, though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, me too.¡± The black girl with the dreadlocks said. ¡°Any guy that proves that he loves his mama in public deserves a few treats.¡±


    ¡°Back off, bitches! He''s mine.¡± Cissily said, and the others laughed. ¡°What''s so funny?¡±


    ¡°He completely ignored everything you''ve been doing to get his attention.¡± Amy said. ¡°I thought it was because his mom warned him about me that he ignored what I did the day we met; but, maybe he just doesn''t see the obvious signs like that.¡±


    ¡°If that''s the case, how many girls have been flirting with him since he got here?¡± The girl at the end of the table asked. ¡°How many think he''s rejected them out of hand only because he didn''t notice?¡±


    Cissily and Amy lifted their hands, as did Maxine. Two girls at the next table put up their hands, and then the girl at the register put hers up.


    ¡°We need a wider base of comparison.¡± The girl at the end said and stood up, then repeated the same two questions. About fifteen more girls put up their hands in response. ¡°My sociology teacher is going to love my next paper.¡±


    That made a lot of people laugh.


    *


    Arnold went back to work and learned a little more, then the professor loaned him the next book to expand his knowledge. He left work and went back to his dorm room and closed his door, then changed into casual clothes and sat down with the book. He set his alarm to remind himself when to eat and then began to read.


    Not surprisingly, when classes ended for the day and everyone else in the dorm returned, they missed seeing Arnold there. His door was shut and they assumed he wasn''t there, not knowing that if he sees that the other doors are shut that he shuts his, and their afternoon was a little dimmer and less lively than usual. They didn''t realize just how much they looked forward to seeing him every day.


    Arnold ate in his room and set his alarm back for the morning, then continued to read. Once again, he took the professor''s advice when he finished the book and let the knowledge sit and percolate through his other knowledge. He still had a bit of trouble associating the chemical formulas properly, so he knew he needed a lot more chemistry knowledge to help him continue.


    He had an appointment with Professor Power for the next day and perhaps that would help him. He would discuss it with her and see if she had any more insights into what he could do in the future. He put the book down and changed for bed, climbed in and picked up his cell phone. After a quick texting round with Kelly to let her know what was going on, he went to sleep.


    The next day went by quick as a flash and Arnold had his appointment with Professor Power. They talked about the latest knowledge he had gained and she was impressed that he could retain so much so quickly. She helped him with the formula integration, then for several hours instructed him on several important other things he would need when he read some of the other books in her collection. After that, it was his turn to help her.

 98 Home Again

    During the rest of the week, Annie and Kelly did their best to make the practically new house feel like home again. All the little touches that people sometimes didn''t notice, were added all over. The only thing they didn''t have, were photos in picture frames.


    Kelly wasn''t going to stand for that.


    After a quick visit to her parents, she found a few copies of slightly older photos of herself and one of her as a little girl. She rode the bus to the local pharmacy that had a photo lab and chose a few pictures she had taken with her cell phone to make into actual photos. She bought a pile of various and inexpensive frames and spent Friday afternoon assembling them. She also bought the wall mounts for a few of the larger ones and took her haul back to Annie''s house.


    ¡°Your parents really missed you that much? It''s only been a few days.¡± Annie joked at how long Kelly had been gone.


    ¡°I was only there for half an hour.¡± Kelly said as she walked down the hallway and into the living room. Before Annie could ask her what she did while away all that time, she placed the two large plastic bags of picture frames she had made onto the couch beside her.


    ¡°What''s all this?¡± Annie asked and look into the first bag... then gasped. ¡°Kelly!¡±


    ¡°I bought a few different things to help hang some up; but, I don''t know which ones you want to do that with or how, so we''ll have to figure it out and put them up together.¡±


    Annie closed her eyes and tried not to cry. ¡°Kelly, why didn''t you tell me you were doing this?¡±


    ¡°I wanted it to be a surprise.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°But... it must have been expensive...¡± Annie opened her eyes and started to count them.


    ¡°Not really.¡± Kelly said. ¡°It''s only a few dollars for the larger ones and under a dollar for the five-by-sevens. The frames were dirt cheap, too.¡±


    ¡°You don''t have the money to afford all of this.¡± Annie said before she could stop herself. ¡°Kelly, I''m sorry! I didn''t mean...¡±


    ¡°It''s all right.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I was saving up for that game Arnold bought for me. When he gave it to me as a present, I had a bit of spending money.¡±


    Annie stood up and took her into a hug. ¡°Kelly, you''re the best.¡±


    ¡°You better believe it.¡± Kelly said and hugged her back.


    ¡°You''re so modest.¡± Annie said and they both laughed. ¡°I hope you bought a hammer to hang these.¡±


    ¡°A hammer?¡± Kelly asked when Annie let her go.


    ¡°The old one had a wooden handle and had to go.¡±


    ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Can I get a ride to the hardware store?¡±


    ¡°I think I can drive a friend anywhere she wants to go.¡± Annie said. ¡°Let''s go.¡±


    After a quick trip to the hardware store, Annie bought a hammer with a metal handle and they came back and chose the best pictures to hang on the wall. It took a surprising amount of time to hang a few pictures in the hallway and several in the living room, then they spread the smaller ones around on the fireplace mantle, on the shelves, and even put one on the end table beside the telephone.


    ¡°Doilies!¡± Annie said suddenly and ran across the room.


    Kelly didn''t try to stop her laugh as the frantic woman dug into the bags of linens they had yet to spread around the house and pulled out a large handful of the white frilly things.


    ¡°Stop laughing and get moving!¡± Annie said and tossed half of the stack to her, then they both put them under the pictures and on shelves, then on the end tables and the coffee table. They even put them on the arms of the couch and chair. ¡°Ahhh, that''s better.¡± She said and grabbed Kelly''s arm and sat down.


    ¡°It''s almost back to normal.¡± Kelly said.


    Annie nodded. ¡°Only a few more touches and all we''ll have to do is break the furniture in.¡±


    ¡°Tell me you bought a big furry blanket to put on the couch!¡± Kelly nearly yelled.


    ¡°Second bag on the bottom.¡± Annie said and Kelly retrieved the big furry blanket that felt like a plush toy. Annie moved out of the way and they spread it over the main part of the couch, tucked it in to hold it in place, then sat back down.


    ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Kelly said and slowly rubbed her hands over the plushy softness. ¡°That''s the stuff.¡±


    Annie snorted and then laughed, and Kelly joined in. It was the small simple things in life that meant the most sometimes.


    ¡°Kelly, thank you.¡± Annie said and took her hand. ¡°You''re a miracle.¡±


    ¡°Annie, I... it was nothing.¡± Kelly said and blushed.


    ¡°Yes, just like everything else you do, it''s meaningless.¡± Annie said with a smile. ¡°You horrible, horrible person.¡±


    That made Kelly laugh and she lost the blush.


    ¡°That''s better.¡± Annie said. ¡°Come on. Let''s get the chair covered and put the new sheets and blankets on the beds.¡±


    ¡°What about towels and things?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°I stole a pile from your mother''s linen closet.¡± Annie said with a grin and Kelly laughed again.


    *


    The next morning, Arnold rode the bus into town. Kelly had told him that they had a busy weekend planned and that he should bring extra clothes. Since they couldn''t do much of anything in their own town because of the community service workers and potentially violating their own restraining order, they decided to go one town over after breakfast to enjoy the weekend there.


    It wasn''t like there was much more to do there, since the town wasn''t much larger than theirs; but, it was more fun because it was unfamiliar and because there were no worries about running into people that they didn''t want to run into. They had a great time and even stayed at a nice hotel for the night. They only needed one room with double beds, mainly because it was similar to Arnold''s dorm room.


    Annie was happy that she had her son nearby and she didn''t begrudge Kelly being so snuggled up to him. She was a great girl and she didn''t take advantage of him. That was a precious thing in her eyes and she was all for them taking their relationship forward. She rolled over to face away from them to give them the illusion of having some privacy.


    Kelly was so snuggled up to Arnold because she was feeling particularly horny today. She knew he wouldn''t do anything until she asked, and that turned her on even more. His patience with her was such an aphrodisiac for her mind that the more he refrained from taking advantage of her, the more she wanted him to.


    She didn''t say anything and took his hand and put it under her baggy t-shirt, then she moved his other hand and put it between her legs. Her underwear was soaked through, because he let his hands rest where she put them and didn''t squeeze, rub, or otherwise show that he was touching her at all.


    It drove her a little crazy.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Kelly whispered into his ear. ¡°Play with me a little.¡±


    Arnold did so and rubbed her nipple between his fingers and rubbed her between the legs only slightly. The stimulation sent Kelly over the edge immediately and she twitched a little from it and started to lightly pant. Arnold''s hands stopped and she was both grateful and upset, because he only did exactly what she said and didn''t push her to do more than what she was ready for.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Kelly whispered again, then his finger slipped inside of her. ¡°Hnnnn.¡± She bit her tongue to stop her moan before she let it out, then Arnold''s mouth was on hers and she couldn''t think anymore as his finger explored her down below and his tongue explored her mouth. All she could do was react with her body and it reacted a lot. Her nipples became engorged and swollen with blood to the point of pain and he moved his hand away from the nipple and massaged her breast.


    Kelly finished again and this time, her whole body twitched and she trembled a little. Arnold stopped kissing her and removed his finger from her, then stopped massaging her breast. He looked into her eyes and she had them half-closed and had a huge smile on her face. He gave her a brief kiss and she only moved her lips slightly in reaction. Arnold put his arm around her and the two of them drifted off to sleep.


    The next morning, Kelly was in a wonderful mood. ¡°This is going to be a great day!¡± She said and sat up. ¡°Hey, wake up! We''ve got stuff to do!¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡± Annie groaned from the other bed and looked at the clock. ¡°Go back to sleep, dammit. Nothing''s open this early.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Kelly looked over and saw it was just past seven in the morning. ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± She said and slipped out of bed and looked at Arnold. He was staring at her and she smiled at him, then leaned down and gave him a quick kiss, then whispered. ¡°I''ll give you a better kiss after a shower.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and climbed out of bed as well and walked by her, then he started to strip off his clothes. Kelly stood there and watched him until his underwear hit the floor and she flashed back to the night before and him having his finger inside of her and she felt warm all over at the thought.


    ¡°A-Arnold.¡± Kelly whispered.


    ¡°Well, come on.¡± Arnold said and took her hand and pulled her into the bathroom, then Kelly stood there like a deer caught in a car''s headlights with her mouth open slightly in surprise as Arnold stripped her off. When they were both naked, he looked into her eyes. ¡°I love you. We won''t have sex until you''re ready.¡±


    Kelly didn''t react, even when he turned the water on in the shower stall and he pulled her in with him. He lathered himself up and then did the same to her, made sure she was clean all over, then cleaned himself. He stepped out and grabbed a big towel and dried her off, then covered her with it. He did the same with himself and then led her out to the room.


    Arnold opened her bag and pointed, then he grabbed his backpack and pulled out a new pair of jeans and a stylish shirt that Annie had picked out for him. He picked a new pair of underwear and then dropped the towel and dressed, right there in front of her. When he was done he looked at her and she stared right back at him.


    Kelly stood there as Arnold dug into her bag and pulled out a skirt and a nice blouse, then a tiny pair of panties and a frilly bra. To her surprise, he pulled off her towel and then slipped the bra up her arms and hung it on her and covered her chest. He picked up the panties next and knelt on the floor and held them for her. She was too stunned to refuse and stepped into them.


    Arnold pulled them up to her hips and adjusted them to fit properly, then he stood up and walked around her. He clipped her bra into place and picked up the blouse to put it on her like a coat, then he walked around her and buttoned it up. When he picked up the skirt, once again Kelly stepped into it wordlessly and he pulled it up to her waist. He walked around her again to put the tag at the back and then zipped the little zipper to secure it in place.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Kelly whispered. ¡°How did you know how to do that?¡±


    ¡°Mom.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°He''s seen me dress a lot since he was a child, because I always tried to keep a close eye on him.¡± Annie said and sat up. ¡°I think that''s one of the reasons why he doesn''t really react when he sees lingerie.¡±


    Kelly readily accepted that, because she imagined Arnold growing up and seeing his mother wearing bras and panties all the time. Not only would he be desensitized to seeing them, it would be difficult for him to get sexually excited over it, just because someone else is wearing them.


    ¡°I guess I better get up, too.¡± Annie said, regretfully. ¡°I''m going to crash hard into bed tonight.¡± She said and stripped off to her underwear, grabbed another pair and a bra similar to the one she wore, then she walked over to the bathroom and closed the door.


    Arnold put his dirty clothes back into his backpack after transferring his money and keys to the new jeans and then slung the backpack over his shoulder. Kelly took the cue and put her used clothing into her bag as well and they waited for Annie to come out of the bathroom. She came out wearing her underwear and bra and walked by them again and went to her bed and picked up her bag.


    ¡°We''re visiting the parks and the waterfront today, right?¡± Annie asked and Kelly nodded. ¡°I''ll take your lead and wear a dress.¡± She said and pulled out a neatly folded cloth dress. Kelly was surprised, because the folds were exactly where the pleats in the cloth were. When Annie flicked it and fluffed it out, you couldn''t tell where it had been folded.


    ¡°That was neat.¡± Kelly said and ignored the fact that the bra and underwear Annie wore were only half the size of hers in coverage, even though Annie was more than twice her age. No wonder Arnold''s been desensitized to it. She thought in amusement. He has a great looking mom that''s confident in herself. She looked at Arnold as his mom put on the dress and remembered his comments about standing in the hallway at the dorm in his underwear. Now I know where he learned to be confident in himself.


    Annie closed her bag and Arnold picked it up and took Kelly''s bag, too. The three of them left the room and went downstairs to the main desk and checked out. They left the hotel and loaded the bags into the trunk of the car and Annie drove them to the park.


    *


    Detective Tanner had made several casual drives by the Strickland house during the week, just to see what was going on, then recorded the details of the car in the driveway. When she had passed by this morning, the car wasn''t there. On a whim, she stopped at a payphone and made a call to the college. She found the dorm building that Arnold was staying in and called the main desk.


    A woman answered the phone. ¡°Hello! This is Dorm Mother Doris. What can I help you with today?¡±


    ¡°Hi, Doris. I read the newspaper a few days ago and the front page story was eye catching.¡± Detective Tanner said. ¡°I was working and couldn''t call until now, and I was wondering if Arnold Strickland was doing okay.¡±


    ¡°You''re the third person to call and ask about him today.¡± Doris let out a chuckle. ¡°I don''t suppose you want to leave your name and I can tell him you called?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Um... no. I''m just... a concerned citizen.¡± Detective Tanner had been thrown off her game by the unexpected response. Two other people called about him? Who are they?


    ¡°Just like the other two. They wouldn''t leave their names, either.¡±


    Dammit! No names. At least I didn''t have to try and worm that out of her. Detective Tanner thought. ¡°So how is he?¡±


    ¡°He has a lot of people here that care about him and we''re taking good care of him.¡± Doris said. ¡°I''m sure if he knew who you were, he would thank you for worrying about him.¡±


    I doubt that. Detective Tanner thought. ¡°I''m glad to hear that.¡± She said. ¡°I meant about him being taken care of, not thanking me.¡±


    Doris laughed. ¡°Are you sure? He can be quite charming when he thanks people.¡±


    I can imagine. Detective Tanner thought and the image of Brad''s body flashed through her mind. ¡°I better go.¡± She said. ¡°Even if he doesn''t know me, can you do me a favor and give him a hug?¡±


    ¡°I''ll do that as soon as he gets back.¡± Doris said. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye.¡± Detective Tanner said and hung up. ¡°He''s not there.¡± She said, then her frantic search began. She drove all over town looking for him or the Strickland''s car, and didn''t have any luck. There was no possible way for her to put out an APB, or an All Points Bulletin on either him or the car without a good reason.


    With no other recourse, she decided to work backwards. Instead of trying to follow Arnold to his next victim, she would follow the potential victims instead. She wasted the rest of her day off by following Kevin and Michael as they worked in the park back in their home town, which was nowhere near where Arnold currently was. She even missed him coming home and getting the bus back to the college.

 99 Saying Goodbye

    ¡°Welcome back, Arnold.¡± Doris said as Arnold came into the dorm building.


    Arnold walked over to her and around her desk as she stood up. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and gave her a kiss that lasted for several seconds.


    Doris moaned a little into his mouth and then she caught herself and broke the kiss. ¡°I''m sorry, I shouldn''t be enjoying this so much.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Arnold asked. ¡°You said I could kiss you any way that I wanted.¡±


    Doris blinked her eyes for a moment, then she chuckled. ¡°You''re right. I shouldn''t be overthinking things too much.¡± She reached up and cupped the side of his face. ¡°A few people called looking for you during the weekend.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°They wouldn''t leave their names.¡± Doris said and let her hand slide from his face and down his chest. ¡°They did say that they were concerned about you and to give you hugs the next time I saw you.¡± She said and put her arms around him briefly, then stopped and did it again, then again. ¡°There. Three hugs for three anonymous women callers.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± Arnold asked.


    Doris smiled and quickly opened the top three buttons of her blouse, then she pulled him down into a hug and buried his face into the warm softness of her chest. ¡°I think you like this feeling as much as I like giving it to you.¡± She said and ran her hands over his head. ¡°You had your buzz-cut freshened up.¡±


    Arnold nodded into her cleavage and she chuckled and let him go.


    ¡°Did you have fun at home?¡± Doris asked.


    ¡°Some.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I think Kelly''s going to ask me for sex soon.¡±


    ¡°Oh! That''s wonderful!¡± Doris said with fake enthusiasm, because she assumed her fun with Arnold would end when that happened. ¡°You two must have made some progress last night, hmm?¡±


    Arnold nodded again and told her what he had done and that Kelly held his hand all day.


    Doris let out a womanly laugh. ¡°That girl is definitely a little high strung right now.¡± She said. ¡°I think you''re right. She''s getting close to the point that she won''t resist her urges.¡± She pat his chest. ¡°Make sure you take your time when she does ask. If she''s never had sex before, you know she''s going to have some resistance down there.¡±


    ¡°Mom told me about some of it and one of the biology books Professor Crenslav loaned me had all of the details.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Kelly has a traditional circular opening, so there won''t be as much tearing in the mucous membrane when I put my penis inside her. She''s very sensitive there, which means she will feel things more than normal.¡±


    Doris blinked her eyes and looked at him with her mouth slightly open. ¡°W-well, then... you should be extra slow at the first penetration. The last thing you want is to cause her extra pain for her first time.¡±


    ¡°Extra pain?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°For most women it hurts a little, even with preparation beforehand.¡± Doris said. ¡°Sometimes it''s just a pinch, like it was for me, or it could feel like getting stabbed, like I heard my daughter Cissily tell Fareena.¡±


    ¡°I''m going to hurt Kelly?¡± Arnold asked and his face went blank.


    ¡°No, Arnold.¡± Doris took him into a hug. ¡°You''re not hurting her. It only happens the first time. Even then, some girls don''t feel any discomfort at all. After that first thrust, you stay still for a little bit and any possible pain fades... then it feels really good.¡± She said. ¡°If Kelly''s sensitive like you say, then she''s going to get a lot more out of having sex with you than other women will.¡±


    ¡°She will?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Since you played with her a little and she reacted like she did, well... when you finally have sex, I think you''re going to blow her mind.¡± Doris said with a reassuring smile. ¡°So, don''t worry about it for now. If you have any more concerns, you can come and talk to me, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Go on upstairs and go to bed. I''ll see you in the morning.¡± Doris said, then pulled him down to give him a kiss. ¡°That''s for the morning.¡± She said and kissed him again. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Arnold said and went up the stairs. He didn''t go directly to bed, however. He spent some time searching the internet about hymens, the pain reactions, and about alleviating pain or removing the cause. It didn''t go well.


    Every solution that he found had severe drawbacks, especially surgically cutting or removing the hymen, which could sometimes cause complications with other bodily functions like urination and getting pregnant. It could also take weeks to recover and still have months of pain and discomfort because of it.


    The easiest things he found were wrongly inserted tampons, slightly strenuous exercise, bike riding, falling on objects, or masturbation could tear the hymen. None of those things happened to Kelly, since hers was still intact. He didn''t want to cause her harm, so even if he did manage to get her to do any of those things, there was still no guarantee that they would work. They were only possible causes and not actual causes.


    Arnold didn''t know what to do about it. He had gained a lot of knowledge about it and out of everything that he had searched for, just inserting a penis seemed to be the best solution. No matter what happened, there was sometimes pain and sometimes blood. After a bit more research, he found that even if somehow the hymen was broken or torn beforehand, there was still the chance that it would be painful when sex happened.


    He sat back in his chair and thought about what Doris said about not worrying about it until it happens, because he wouldn''t know if it will happen until it does. He won''t know if Kelly has pain until she does, which means he has to have sex with her to find out. Since she has to decide for herself when she wants it, she must know about the potential pain as well. If she doesn''t, then he would have to tell her. Arnold made up his mind on a course of action and went to bed.


    *


    The rest of the week passed by for everyone.


    Arnold worked in the mornings and learned in the afternoons while also working, then in the evenings he would read books from both Professor Crenslav and Professor Power, then help Professor Power masturbate after lessons. Doris would occasionally enlist his help to ''move things'' for her when he wasn''t too busy with other things.


    Detective Tanner worked her normal cases and in her spare time, obsessed over Arnold and his connection to everything. Under pressure from the police chief, she had reluctantly closed the investigation into the alleged rape and murder case involving Brad Willowby. The supervisor refused any and all attempts to get the real story out of her. All she would say was that she had felt something hit the side of her head and then everything went black.


    Brad''s father was devastated at what happened to his son and everything was hushed up. No one outside of the responders to the scene knew what really happened and the news story that was buried on the second last page of the paper was trimmed down to ''local boy tragically loses life'' and all speculation about how that happened was removed.


    The funeral home was like a beehive of activity, because they had three funerals to handle. Two during the week and one on the weekend. Brad''s funeral was first and came and went just as quickly as the news story, because only friends and family attended. Jake''s funeral was next and quite a lot of people gathered for that one, since it was a tragic death and everyone felt bad for the family.


    The last funeral was for Gerald Strickland on Saturday.


    *


    Arnold rode the bus wearing his black suit, a black shirt, a black tie, and even his socks were black inside of his black shoes. He had left his backpack at the dorm, because he had to work the next day and wasn''t staying at home.


    Everyone that saw him knew that he was going to a funeral and his blank face told them that it wasn''t going to be a pleasant experience, so they left him alone. Arnold arrived at the bus stop and stepped off the bus when it came to a stop.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Annie waved to get his attention and he walked over to where she had parked. She took him into a hug and tried not to cry. She leaned back and looked into his eyes. ¡°Don''t be upset if I cry, okay? It''s a funeral. It''s kind of required that I cry.¡±


    ¡°Me, too.¡± Kelly said and Annie let her son go and Kelly hugged him. ¡°It''s all so sad.¡± She said and held him tightly for several moments, then she let him go. ¡°I don''t think we''ve ever had three funerals in one week before.¡±


    ¡°Three funerals?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Annie said and took his hand. ¡°Arnold, please stay calm when I tell you this.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Brad''s dead.¡± Annie said. ¡°The paper wouldn''t say what happened, only that his supervisor was involved and he died tragically while under her care.¡±


    Arnold was quiet for a moment. ¡°Is the other funeral hers?¡±


    ¡°What? No, she''s alive. She quit her job because of it, though.¡± Annie said.


    Arnold looked confused.


    ¡°The other funeral was for Jake, one of Brad''s friends.¡± Kelly said. ¡°They said he was drinking, tripped and fell, then died.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I didn''t think something like that was possible.¡±


    The three of them stood there and didn''t say anything for a couple of minutes.


    ¡°We should go.¡± Annie said and didn''t elaborate and say that they had the service first, then the gathering, then the burial to get to. It was going to be a full day.


    They arrived at the funeral parlour and quite a few people showed up. It was a closed casket, of course, and the service lasted for an hour with both Annie and Kelly crying the whole time. After that, they moved to the display room. The casket was kept closed as food and non-alcoholic drinks were served.


    A few people from his work were there, as were a few of the bar patrons, most of which were his friends. There was no other family besides Annie and Arnold, which meant they met and greeted everyone as they paid their condolences.


    Even the reporter showed up and gave Annie a hug and told her that she was strong and brave, then she hugged Arnold and thanked him for being there for his mother. She hugged Kelly last and told her to be there for Arnold and Annie, because that''s what good friends do.


    The gathering ended and Arnold helped five appointed strangers as they carried the casket out of the funeral parlour and loaded it into the back of the hearse. He rode with his mother to the graveyard and then helped carry the casket to the grave site. When he saw that the huge hole was already dug, he felt sad and it showed on his face.


    ¡°Oh, Arnold!¡± Annie exclaimed and hugged him as she cried. Arnold held her and stared at the grave and regretted that he didn''t do it himself. The priest said a few sentences as the casket was lowered into the ground, then he motioned to the mound of dirt that was discretely covered in a green cloth.


    ¡°As a symbol of saying goodbye, you may toss some dirt into the grave and send this lost soul on its way to heaven.¡± The priest said and the mound of dirt was uncovered by two men with shovels.


    Everyone that wanted to do it passed by and grabbed a handful of dirt and tossed it onto the coffin. When it was only Annie, Arnold and Kelly left, Kelly did it first. Annie did it next and they both looked at Arnold.


    ¡°I need a shovel.¡± Arnold said and held a hand out to the two men.


    ¡°Go for it, kid.¡± The guy with slightly grey hair said and handed him a shovel.


    Arnold nodded and started to shovel. Most people started to walk away until they heard the digging shovel. They turned and looked to see what was going on, then they all came back. Arnold worked like a machine and the people around the grave site were astonished as he kept going, especially Annie and Kelly. They had never seen him work that hard before and after ten minutes, the second guy with a shovel joined in. They had the grave filled twenty minutes later and both of them were sweating heavily.


    ¡°Damn, kid.¡± The slightly grey haired man said. ¡°I''d hire you right now if I thought you''d accept the job.¡±


    ¡°I work at the college during the week and usually have the weekends off.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I''m working tomorrow, though.¡±


    The guy laughed. ¡°We usually only work the weekends anyway; but, that''s one hell of a commute to come back here every weekend just to dig dirt.¡±


    ¡°I visit my mom and my girlfriend every weekend.¡± Arnold said.


    The guy looked at Annie and Kelly. ¡°Well, they need you a lot more than dirt does, so get to it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Arnold said and handed him the shovel back, then Arnold, Annie, and Kelly left. The crowd dispersed as well after seeing Arnold''s performance.


    ¡°He really needed to say goodbye to his father.¡± The second guy said.


    The slightly grey haired man nodded and smiled. ¡°You''re not even out of breath.¡±


    ¡°The kid did most of the work.¡± The second guy said with a chuckle. ¡°I think he could out-shovel you.¡±


    ¡°In your dreams, pal.¡± The slightly grey haired man said and they both laughed.


    *


    Detective Tanner had stood off to the side and slightly behind a nearby tree as she observed the whole thing. He kept up with a professional grave digger? She asked herself in astonishment. How long do people train for jobs like that? Months? Years?


    She tried doing a quick search online with her cell phone and all that as required for the job was a willingness to dig. Of course, once she started looking at shovelling, she quickly found out that it was one of the best overall full body workouts that existed. It worked practically every major muscle group in the body. Sometimes even the face had exercise, because you grunted and strained while working or talked to a companion or to yourself.


    That''s amazing. Detective Tanner thought, then put her cell phone away and walked over to her unmarked car. She hoped in and followed Annie Strickland''s car all the way back to their home. She parked at a discrete distance from the house and watched the three of them go inside, then she let out a sigh. She had more work to do at the station and she couldn''t waste all of her day while waiting for Arnold to leave.


    Detective Tanner''s cell phone beeped and she read a text message that said her forensics had come back from her time at the Jake murder. Goddammit, it''s all negative. She thought and didn''t let her anger get the better of her. She would find something on him eventually, she just knew it. All she had to do was wait for it to appear and then she would get the confirmation on her hunches that she so desperately wanted.


    She hung around for an hour, then couldn''t wait anymore. She drove off to head back to the station and as she did, Arnold, Annie, and Kelly stepped out of the house to take Arnold back to the bus stop. They had given him a tour of the house and now he had to go back to the college and prepare for work the next day.


    Annie drove back to the bus stop and they waited there for twenty minutes for it to show up. Arnold quickly kissed his mom goodbye and then kissed his girlfriend goodbye, then the bus left to bring him back to work.


    Both women wished they could have gone with him.

 100 Comforting Embraces

    During the bus ride home, all Arnold could think about was not getting to dig that massive hole and his face kept the sad expression. He arrived back at the college just after lunch and he walked back to the dorm. When he walked in through the door, Doris almost gasped at the sight of him. His sad face and dressed completely in black hit her heart hard.


    ¡°You poor, poor boy.¡± Doris said and came out from behind her desk. ¡°Come here.¡±


    Arnold walked over to her and for the first time, Doris ignored the other people in the lobby and gave Arnold a quick kiss on the lips and took him into a hug.


    ¡°I''m so sorry you had to go through that.¡± Doris said and pet his head. ¡°I can see how sad you are, so it''s okay to cry about it if you want to.¡±


    ¡°At least they let me fill in the grave.¡± Arnold said, and for the first time in his life, tears came to his eyes and rolled down his face. When Doris let him go, Arnold reached up and touched his wet face, and Doris'' heart almost broke at the sight.


    ¡°You go on upstairs and get a shower. I''ll call off work to spend some time with you.¡± Doris said.


    ¡°I have to prepare for work tomorrow.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Don''t worry about that. I''ll call Cissily and Fareena and they''ll cover for you.¡± Doris said. ¡°I''ll even call Ol'' Hamil myself and make sure it''s okay.¡±


    Arnold nodded and walked over to the elevator and a few of the girls there looked to be on the verge of tears themselves. The elevator arrived and Arnold stepped into it, then the doors closed.


    ¡°Doris, what happened?¡± One of the girls asked.


    ¡°He just buried his father.¡± Doris said and shock went through everyone there. ¡°I need to make those calls.¡± She went back to her desk and picked up her cell phone and called her daughter first.


    *


    Daisy leaned against the door frame of her dorm room and she wore a white cloth bra and white underwear. She wondered where Arnold was and what he was doing, because this was three weekends in a row that he had left before everyone was up. She couldn''t help but wonder if he was having fun with his girlfriend... then the elevator dinged and she turned her head to look at who it could be, considering everyone was there already.


    Daisy gasped when she saw Arnold wearing all black from head to toe and his face streaked with tears. ¡°Arnold, what... where were you?¡± She asked and stepped in front of him.


    ¡°My father''s funeral.¡± Arnold said and a ripple of shock and surprise went through all of the young women there. None of them had known about it.


    ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± Daisy said and took him into a hug and pressed her breasts into his chest. ¡°If you need anything, just let me know.¡±


    ¡°Doris said she would be coming up to spend some time with me.¡± Arnold said and hugged her back.


    ¡°She''s a good dorm mother.¡± Daisy said, even though it stopped her from offering to do it herself.


    Arnold nodded and Daisy let him go.


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡± The next scantily clad young woman said and took him into a hug as well. ¡°I know how difficult it is to see things like that.¡±


    Arnold thought about the freshly dug grave and his face showed sadness again.


    ¡°Aww.¡± She said and kissed his cheek, then she let him go and he took two steps towards his dorm room. Another girl took him into a hug and Arnold hugged her back as she said some consoling words. He very slowly made his way down the hallway and every girl stopped him to give him a hug that he returned. Several of them kissed his cheek like Daisy did, and a few wiped at his face for him. They were all on the verge of tears as he reached Janet.


    Her roommate gave Arnold a hug and stepped back, then turned to Janet and whispered. ¡°Don''t wimp out on me now.¡±


    Janet gave her a look that made her roommate smile, then she looked at Arnold. ¡°Arnold, I''m very sorry that you''re sad.¡± She said and stepped close and gave him a tender hug. ¡°I have both my parents and my grandparents died before I was born, so I''ve never had to go to a funeral before.¡±


    ¡°You haven''t seen an empty grave?¡± Arnold asked as he remembered the worst part.


    ¡°No, I''ve been lucky.¡± Janet responded.


    ¡°You are.¡± Arnold said as another tear rolled down his cheek.


    ¡°Oh, Arnold.¡± Janet said and kissed his cheek to catch the tear, then she hugged him tightly and whispered in his ear. ¡°I''ll come over tonight and help you masturbate.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said as she let him go and he moved on down the hallway.


    ¡°Wow, Janet.¡± Her roommate whispered to her. ¡°You definitely didn''t wimp out.¡±


    Janet was going to respond and blushed instead. Her roommate put an arm around her and leaned her head against Janet''s as they watched Arnold be comforted by the last few girls in the hallway.


    Emily was last and she only gave him a quick hug and let him go. ¡°Do you feel better after being hugged by so many half-naked girls?¡± She asked and heard several surprised intakes of breaths and gasps from the other girls and ignored them.


    Arnold didn''t even have to think about it. ¡°No. I still saw what I saw at the funeral.¡± He said and it was Emily''s turn to gasp, because she had misread the entire situation completely. She thought he was trying to garner sympathy and free hugs when all he did was let them hug him for their own satisfaction. He turned and opened his dorm room door and stepped inside, then slowly closed the door.


    ¡°Emily!¡± Someone whispered loudly. ¡°How could you say something like that to him?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Emily didn''t want to admit that she was jealous and wanted to be the only one to comfort him. ¡°I just...¡±


    ¡°You made him shut his door!¡± Someone else said, almost angrily. ¡°He never does that when we''re all here!¡±


    Emily was going to respond when she heard the faint sound of a shower. Oh, damn. She thought and she sighed and looked down the hallway. ¡°I''m sorry.¡±


    ¡°He''s taking a shower right now, isn''t he?¡± The girl in the next room asked and walked over to his door and leaned her ear against it. ¡°He is.¡± She whispered and looked at Emily. ¡°I hope you''re happy.¡±


    ¡°I... I''m not.¡± Emily said, her face red from embarrassment.


    The girl walked back to her room and went inside, then shut her door. A lot of the others took the cue and stepped inside their rooms and shut their doors as well. Emily didn''t try to apologize again and stepped into her room and shut her door, too.


    *


    Doris'' replacement came in with a small platter of cold cuts and vegetable slices. ¡°Hurry up and get upstairs to comfort that sweet boy.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Doris said and took the tray from her. ¡°I should be back by supper.¡±


    Her replacement nodded and assumed the seat behind the desk and Doris went to the elevator and rode it up to the fourth floor. She strode through the practically empty hallway and she knew that Arnold''s sadness had affected the girls a lot more than she thought it would.


    It''s difficult to see someone else in pain. Doris thought and lightly knocked on Arnold''s door and he opened it wearing just a towel. She almost dropped the small platter she had in her hands. Sweet baby Jesus. She thought and stepped inside the room, then shut and locked the door.


    Without a word, Doris brought the food over to Arnold''s bed and put it down, stripped off completely, then took the towel from around Arnold''s waist and put it on the bed. She propped up the pillows to make it easier to recline on the bed and then picked up the plate of food and climbed onto the bed. She positioned herself on the bed in a half-sitting up pose and pat the bed beside her.


    Arnold climbed onto the bed and copied her pose to recline beside her, then they shared the meat and vegetable tray. It took a little while, because it was only meant to be a snack and they just picked at it occasionally as they fed the food to each other. Neither of them felt awkward about being naked together and eating in bed, then the food was gone.


    ¡°Arnold, in order to make you feel better, I''m going to show you a way to masturbate without using your hands.¡± Doris said as she put the empty plate aside.


    ¡°There''s another way?¡± Arnold asked with raised eyebrows, which was a shout for him.


    ¡°It''s something that usually two people that care a lot about each other will do when they can''t have sex.¡± Doris said. ¡°I was going to save this to share with you later; but, when I saw your sad face, I knew that now was going to be the best time to show you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and Doris changed the pillows to let Arnold lay down on his back. She played with him a little and gave him a couple of licks to get him hard, then she moved up and straddled his waist. She used her fingers to spread herself a little and then settled herself down onto the front of his thick hardness.


    ¡°Oh, god.¡± Doris moaned. ¡°You''re so hard.¡±


    ¡°You''re so hot.¡± Arnold said, because her crotch felt very warm against his penis.


    Doris only heard him call her ''hot''. That made her go a little and that slicked him up nicely. ¡°Now I just... have to move forward and back.¡± Doris said and slid forward slightly and the tip of him disappeared under her. She slid backwards and the tip rubbed her and popped back out, then she rubbed backwards down his whole length. She came a little more and had to stop for a few moments, then she slid forward. The tip disappeared and rubbed her, then she slid backwards down his length again.


    Arnold watched her rub herself across his penis and it really was a different way to rub him without using her hands. He looked up at her face and Doris looked back at him, then she leaned forward and really started to move across him.


    ¡°Arnold... good lord...¡± Doris panted as she used his penis to masturbate. ¡°You don''t know... how much I... would really love to have you... inside of me.¡±


    ¡°We can''t... have sex.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I know, sweetie.¡± Doris said. ¡°This is... as close as we can... come!¡± She exclaimed and she had a fantastic orgasm. She collapsed on top of him and had to take a minute to catch her breath.


    ¡°Is it my turn now?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°I can... keep going.¡± Doris said. ¡°Just give me a minute.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and rolled her over. ¡°I know what to do now.¡±


    ¡°Arnold, what...¡± Doris started to ask what he was going to do, then he placed himself back between her legs and lifted hers. ¡°Oh!¡± She gasped as he rubbed himself over her opening. ¡°A-Arnold... god!¡±


    Arnold kept rubbing her and because he had her legs lifted, there was no danger of him accidentally slipping inside, so he went at it with enthusiasm.


    ¡°Yes! Rub it in, sweetie! Make me feel it!¡± Doris said and she came again and again as he kept rubbing her and didn''t stop. Arnold eventually let her legs go and she wrapped them around him to maintain constant contact. He grabbed her breasts to massage them and pinched her nipples, too. Doris grit her teeth to stop from screaming her pleasure as he kept going, then from one thrust over her opening to the next, Arnold finished and spilled himself all over her and her belly.


    Doris felt him go and she had several orgasms because of it. ¡°Oh, sweet lord!¡± She said and panted. ¡°Arnold, I... no, I shouldn''t tell you.¡± She opened her legs and let him go. ¡°It wouldn''t be good... if I said such a thing... out loud.¡±


    Arnold moved up and she saw he was still hard and it was covered in both of their expulsions.


    ¡°Let me get that for you.¡± Doris said and took him into her mouth and cleaned him off. When she was done, she looked at the mess on her womanhood and her belly. The stark whiteness on her dark skin made her want to do it again. ¡°That felt really good.¡± She said and used the towel she was on to wipe at herself and her belly. ¡°Thank you, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold bent down and kissed her for several moments.


    ¡°We need another shower.¡± Doris said and they quickly had one together. She resisted the urge to play with him again and dressed in her clothes, while Arnold slipped on a pair of jogging pants and nothing else. She looked at the time and sighed. ¡°I need to go back to work.¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°I''ll see you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°You still have to work; but, Cissily and Fareena are handling the preparation for you tonight.¡± Doris said.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and gave her another kiss for several moments. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Doris said and walked over to the door, then she remembered the small platter. She went over to the bedside table and picked it up, then went back to the door. ¡°Try not to think about the funeral too much, all right?¡±


    Arnold nodded again and Doris left his room and shut the door. He went to the kitchenette and prepared a small supper, in consideration of the food tray that he had shared with Doris, and quickly ate it. He washed the dishes and put them away just as his cell phone beeped at him. He picked it up and read the text.


    ''Are you okay?'' Cissily texted.


    ''Yes. Your mom just left.'' Arnold texted back. ''She brought me food and helped me feel good.''


    ''Ma''s good at that.'' Cissily typed. ''I always feel better after she feeds me.''


    ''She''s a good dorm mother.'' Arnold typed.


    ''Damn right she is. Oh, I better go. Fareena''s staring at me. Doing your work is hard.''


    ''I''ll be in early tomorrow.'' Arnold responded.


    ''I''ll let the prof know. Bye!'' Cissily texted and ended the conversation.


    Arnold put his cell phone down and there was a soft knock on his door. He walked over to it and opened it to see Janet and her roommate standing there with a bag of cookies, a bag of chips, and a movie.


    ¡°Pam saw me grab the cookies and wondered what I was doing, so I had to tell her I was coming over to comfort you.¡± Janet said and rolled her eyes.


    ¡°I was shocked.¡± Pam said. ¡°She usually warns us about you and now she''s spending time with you.¡±


    ¡°Can we come in?¡± Janet asked and Arnold stepped out of the way and both of them came in. ¡°Thanks for not being angry that we have a third wheel.¡±


    Pam laughed as Arnold shut the door. ¡°If the others had their doors open and saw us, I''m sure Janet and I would have to fight to try to be in here with you.¡± She said. ¡°Thankfully, no one saw us and we snuck in easily.¡± She looked around. ¡°Where''s your movie player?¡±


    ¡°I don''t have one.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°What?¡± Pam looked around the television he had and didn''t see anything, then she saw his computer. ¡°Oh, that should do.¡± She said and walked over to it. ¡°Can I turn it on?¡±


    ¡°It''s just asleep.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Perfect.¡± Pam said and moved the mouse to wake the computer up. ¡°I''d kill to have a nice setup like this.¡± She commented and put the movie on. ¡°Don''t worry about what we''re watching. It''s an action movie.¡± She looked around and only saw the two chairs at the kitchenette table. ¡°Not much seating, so... why don''t we use the bed?¡±


    ¡°Pam.¡± Janet said pointedly.


    ¡°It''s fine.¡± Pam said and waved her concern away. ¡°We just prop the pillows up... Janet, grab one from the other bed.¡±


    Janet thought about refusing, then sighed and took one of the pillows and brought it over to Arnold''s bed. She added it to the other two propped against the wall.


    Pam motioned to the middle spot. ¡°Arnold, please sprawl yourself out in the center position.¡±


    ¡°Pam, geez.¡± Janet said and Pam chuckled. To their surprise, Arnold did so and looked like he was actually relaxing. They gave each other disbelieving looks, then the two of them climbed onto the bed on either side of him and laid back.


    ¡°This doesn''t quite feel right.¡± Pam said and looked at Arnold. ¡°Can you put your arms around our shoulders to help prop us up?¡±


    ¡°PAM!¡± Janet yelled.


    ¡°What?¡± Pam looked at her as Arnold put his arms around their shoulders. ¡°This is much better, isn''t it?¡± She asked and leaned back slightly, then held in her laugh as Janet sighed and leaned back, too. I''ll have you feeling relaxed around Arnold soon.

 101 Circumstances

    Pam started the movie and the three of them sat there for a few minutes without moving or saying anything. She was feeling particularly adventurous and Arnold''s muscular chest was right there by her shoulder, so she reached a tentative hand out and touched his pectoral muscle. Arnold didn''t say anything and she looked at his face. There was no denial there, so she slowly caressed the muscle.


    Janet saw what she was doing; but, she couldn''t say anything or even hiss at her roommate for doing it, because Arnold was between them. She bit her lip as Pam''s hand moved over to the other pectoral muscle and down to his abdomen, then Pam''s hand reached over and took hers.


    Janet was about to tell her to stop when she pulled her hand onto Arnold''s chest and held it there. She took in a quick breath and leaned forward slightly to glare at Pam, who had a huge evil grin on her face.


    ''Rub it'' Pam mouthed the words to her and moved her hand in a circle. Janet let her breath out and looked at Arnold''s face to see that he was watching the movie. She gave Pam another glare, then slowly started to caress Arnold''s chest. The two of them did that and neither of them watched the movie, not realizing that Arnold wasn''t watching it, either. He had kind of zoned out, just like he did when at home on the couch with his mother and Kelly.


    After about ten minutes, Pam started to feel a little guilty about using Arnold like this to get her friend over her stubbornness around him. She knew the only way for someone to get to know others was to spend time with them, so she had invited herself along because she figured Janet and Arnold would have sat at the table and ate a few cookies in silence. That wasn''t going to help Arnold with his sadness or help Janet be more outgoing.


    The problem Pam was having was she liked feeling Arnold''s chest. She liked it a lot. The fact that he sat there and let her, a relative stranger, caress his chest as much as she wanted, made her a little excited. The firm muscles under her hand made her appreciate the privilege she was abusing, and since she usually didn''t have a lot of free time because of work, she hadn''t rubbed a guy''s chest in months.


    It was then that Pam realized that she and Arnold were almost in the same situation. They both worked all the time to attend college and neither of them had the time to spare for dates or to be with someone they cared about. She knew that Arnold had a girlfriend; but, he only saw her on the weekends and as far as she knew, they weren''t having sex.


    Pam''s hand moved lower, and lower, then she looked at Arnold''s face as her hand moved over the top of his jogging pants and grazed his manhood. She ignored the sharp intake of breath from Janet and kept watching Arnold''s face and grazed his manhood again. He didn''t react, so she slowly smiled and leaned out to look at Janet''s angry face.


    ''Sorry.'' Pam mouthed and her hand slid inside Arnold''s jogging pants to touch him directly. She was a little startled to not find any underwear, then she nodded mentally. He must want this, too. She thought and she played with him.


    Janet grit her teeth at her friend''s audacity to jerk off a guy right in front of her. She opened her mouth to tell her to stop, then Pam managed to pull Arnold''s jogging pants out of the way to expose him completely. When she saw Pam''s head move forward and down, she reached out and put a hand on her forehead to stop her.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Janet asked and didn''t bother to whisper.


    Pam blinked her eyes for a second. ¡°I... ah... I was...¡± ...caught up in the moment. She finished in her head.


    ¡°You were going to suck on a guy''s dick right in front of me.¡± Janet said, almost angrily. ¡°Really? You''re okay with that?¡±


    Pam sat up and looked at Arnold''s face. He was still watching the movie. ¡°He doesn''t seem to mind.¡±


    ¡°Pam.¡± Janet sighed. ¡°That''s not the point.¡±


    ¡°I''m pretty sure if he doesn''t mind it, that is the point.¡± Pam said.


    ¡°Let me ask you this, then.¡± Janet said to try and get her point across. ¡°If I brought a guy to the dorm, would you want to sit there and watch me suck him off in front of you?¡±


    Pam opened her mouth to say that she would be okay with that, then she realized what Janet meant. ¡°Oh.¡± She said and let Arnold''s penis go. ¡°I didn''t think... I''m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay.¡± Janet said and reached over to take her friend''s hand.


    ¡°I just wanted you to relax around Arnold and stop giving him such a hard time.¡± Pam said and looked down at Arnold. ¡°You saw me playing with him, a guy I''m not dating, so I think it''s only fair if you do it, too.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Janet let her hand go.


    ¡°I can''t have you telling everyone what I just did... or tried to do... so, grab on.¡± Pam said and pointed. ¡°It''s the only way to ensure that you won''t say anything.¡±


    ¡°Pam, I swear...¡± Janet started to say.


    ¡°If you don''t grab on and jerk him a little, I''ll keep going myself.¡± Pam said. ¡°So, what''s it going to be? Help yourself or watch me help myself?¡±


    Janet couldn''t say no, not when given an ultimatum like that, so she looked at Arnold''s face. ¡°I''m going to help you masturbate now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said. ¡°The lube is in the top drawer.¡± He said and pointed to the dresser next to Pam.


    ¡°Pam.¡± Janet said and her friend stared at her, then Pam reached into the drawer and took out the tube of lubrication. Janet took it from her and squeezed a bit out, slicked up her hands, then gently put her hands around him and proceeded to jerk him off.


    ¡°Janet, what...¡± Pam couldn''t believe what her eyes were seeing. ¡°I only meant...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know.¡± Janet said. ¡°I won''t hurt him just to satisfy your sense of equal incrimination.¡±


    Pam watched her friend work Arnold over and then looked at her friend''s face. ¡°Janet, I think...¡±


    ¡°I''m going to finish what I started, since it wouldn''t be fair to Arnold if I just stopped.¡±


    Pam was a bit surprised by that statement, then she had to agree. ¡°Actually, I started it.¡± She said. ¡°So, I guess I should help you finish it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Janet asked. ¡°No, that''s not necessary.¡±


    Pam''s hand joined hers anyway, and since he was already slicked up, she matched the pace and added different hand movements. Arnold watched the different technique and Pam noticed it.


    ¡°You like feeling new things, huh?¡± Pam asked and her hand moved down to play with his testicles.


    ¡°We''re going to need tissues soon.¡± Janet said and kept going, despite the oddity of having someone else help her jerk a guy off.


    ¡°Tissues?¡± Pam asked, surprised. ¡°Why would you need... oh.¡± She said. ¡°It''s okay. I''ll handle it.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°I said it''s okay. Just keep going.¡± Pam said and looked at Arnold. ¡°Let me know when you''re going to come, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and then spoke a couple of minutes later. ¡°Pam.¡±


    ¡°I always love this part.¡± Pam said and moved Janet''s hands out of the way and used her own to pull on him and then took him into her mouth to let Arnold finish.


    ¡°Pam!¡± Janet exclaimed as her friend took a strange guy''s sex shot in her mouth.


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Pam moaned as she took it all and swallowed. ¡°That''s such a great feeling.¡± She said and looked into Arnold''s eyes, then leaned forward as if to kiss him, just to see if he would flinch. He didn''t and she smiled. ¡°I''m sorry that Janet doesn''t appreciate getting such a nice gift.¡±


    ¡°Pam!¡± Janet exclaimed again. ¡°What if...¡±


    ¡°I''m sure it''s fine.¡± Pam said and sat back. ¡°Arnold, how many women have you had sex with?¡±


    ¡°Three.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Two of them with condoms.¡±


    Pam and Janet looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Only three?¡± They asked together and he nodded.


    ¡°No wonder you didn''t mind letting us help you... masturbate.¡± Pam said with a knowing smile.


    ¡°Geez, Pam.¡± Janet said and grabbed a few tissues and wiped off her hands. ¡°You better keep your word and don''t tell anyone about this.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding? Who would believe me?¡± Pam asked with a laugh. ¡°I''ve got work early in the morning and won''t be here to say anything, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Me, too.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Then we should watch the rest of the movie and then go to sleep.¡± Pam said. ¡°Did you set your alarm for the morning?¡±


    ¡°Six o''clock.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Perfect.¡± Pam said. ¡°Lay back and relax.¡±


    Arnold laid back and Pam laid back beside him on his shoulder. She hadn''t cleaned her hands off, though. Janet was going to ask her why, then she saw why for herself as Pam lightly stroked Arnold.


    ¡°Pam.¡± Janet said and her friend gave her a shrug and didn''t stop. She sighed and laid down beside Arnold and her eyes kept going to Pam gently caressing him. Why isn''t she stopping?


    The three of them laid there and watched the movie for almost an hour.


    ¡°Pam.¡± Arnold said and Pam moved down and rested her head on his abdomen and took him into her mouth again as he finished.


    Then she stayed there.


    Janet couldn''t help but stare at her friend as Pam just casually laid there with Arnold in her mouth. She couldn''t really make sense of what her friend thought she was doing or what the point of it was. What she didn''t know was that Pam just liked the sensation. Pam hadn''t met anyone before that would just let her do what she wanted, and she was very envious of Arnold''s girlfriend.


    They watched the rest of the movie and when it was over, Pam sat up and looked at Arnold.


    ¡°Thank you, Arnold.¡± Pam said. ¡°I know you can''t kiss anyone except your girlfriend on the lips, so I''ll kiss you here instead.¡± She bent back over and kissed his penis several times, then sat up again. ¡°I want to keep doing that to thank you; but, we both need to go to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and pulled his jogging pants up, adjusted the pillows so they could lay down, then pulled the two of them down and put his arm around them. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    Pam and Janet stared at him in disbelief as he closed his eyes. Arnold''s breathing evened out almost immediately, then his arms lost some tension as he started to drift off to sleep.


    ¡°We... we should go.¡± Janet whispered.


    Pam looked at the arm around her shoulders and then at Janet. ¡°He wants us to stay.¡± She whispered back. ¡°Do you want to say no to cuddling up with this?¡± She asked and waved at Arnold''s bare chest.


    Janet looked at the chest and then at her friend. ¡°You''re not going to let me leave without making fun of me, are you?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Pam said with a smile. ¡°When was the last time either of us had a guy like this?¡±


    Janet didn''t want to admit that it had been way too long for her.


    ¡°We''ll be up and out long before anyone else gets up, so don''t worry about getting caught.¡± Pam said.


    Janet let out a sigh. ¡°Fuck.¡± She whispered, then she reached under her shirt and unhooked her strapless bra. She pulled it out and laid it on the bedside table.


    ¡°Good idea.¡± Pam said and did almost the same thing, except she had to pull the straps off her shoulders and over her arms first, then she opened the back clasp and pulled it out.


    ¡°How did you do that without taking your shirt off?¡± Janet asked.


    ¡°Practice.¡± Pam whispered and cuddled into Arnold''s chest. ¡°Good god, what a body.¡± She said and put her hand on his abdomen. She closed her eyes and let out an exaggerated sigh, then drifted off to sleep.


    Janet thought about leaving and knew that when her friend woke up in the morning, if she wasn''t there, she would never live it down. This is the weirdest game of ''chicken'' I''ve ever played. She thought and turned onto her side and cuddled in like Pam did, then she fell asleep almost immediately.


    *


    Claire laid in bed, practically in tears, because she had been so very close to Arnold at his father''s funeral. She wasn''t able to force herself to take those last few steps to give him the hugs and kisses that he deserved. She had stayed back during the service, skipped the gathering, and stayed well towards the back of the crowd at the grave site.


    Her heart had weakened at seeing his sad face as they put his father''s coffin into the grave and she almost ran to him then. Seeing Annie with her face full of tears as she clung to her son had stopped her. After that, she had to leave, because she didn''t want to watch Arnold be comforted by anyone else.


    Heather hadn''t gone because she was busy with her boyfriend, or so she claimed. In actuality, Heather had attended two other funerals that week and she just couldn''t take another one. Claire had tried to tell her that it was important to pay her respects, even if she and Arnold hadn''t been on the best of terms after the break up. Her daughter hadn''t listened.


    Claire had gone alone and she knew it was a mistake, because there was no room at all for her in Arnold''s life. She had thought that if she just showed up, everything would go back to how it was before. She would stir up his feelings for her and he would embrace her like she needed him to. Unfortunately, she couldn''t bring up the courage to be selfish and intrude on his grief. She put his feelings before hers and that broke her heart.


    She still had the option to show up at the college unexpectedly; but, without an excuse to call, there was no way she could confirm that he would be there when she did show up. She had to work out some kind of plan to go there at the same time that he was guaranteed to be there, which meant during class.


    She knew what she wanted to happen and she hoped that it would. She also knew it was unrealistic for her to expect it, especially since he and Kelly were still together.


    Claire ignored her desire to break them up by telling Kelly about her affair with Arnold. She didn''t want to hurt Kelly at all, and yet, she also wanted her boyfriend. Those feelings warred within her and her mind tried to find a solution to both things. She fell asleep with thoughts of Kelly walking in on Arnold with another girl that just happened to look like her daughter, Heather.


    *


    Heather lay in bed alone and thought about her excuse to skip Arnold''s father''s funeral. She had lied to her mother and she wasn''t busy with Eric at all. In fact, the reason she didn''t want to go was that she had cried herself out after Brad''s and Jake''s funerals and she didn''t have any more tears left, fake or otherwise. She didn''t want to embarrass herself in front of Arnold and his family by not crying at their loss.


    She rolled over in bed and regretted the lost opportunity to apologize and to ask him to forgive her for overreacting. A funeral would have been the perfect time to be forgiven, especially if she was crying... which she couldn''t do. She sighed and closed her eyes as she imagined their tear-filled reunion. Arnold would kiss her the way she liked it, he would forgive her and say he was only using Kelly as a consolation because he couldn''t have her, then he would make love to her like only he knew how to.


    Heather reached down between her legs as she remembered what that had felt like and she imagined that it was Arnold touching her. She quickly finished; but, it was only a small one and she sighed because she didn''t feel satisfied at all. She fell asleep with a feeling of disappointment.


    *


    Doris couldn''t sleep at all. Despite her calm and collected demeanor all day, her mind reeled at what she had done with Arnold. She was a little sore, since her forty-five year old body hadn''t moved that vigorously in a while. It was a good soreness and she didn''t mind it at all, because it was worth it. The feeling of him taking control like that and making her come so many times, was the best feeling in the world.


    You are such a handsome young man. Doris thought as she remembered the look on his face as he used her to masturbate. I don''t know how you can look at me like that. She touched her large sagging breasts and then her pudgy tummy, then she used both hands to reach between her legs and started to masturbate. And I don''t care.


    It took her a while to wear herself out enough to fall asleep, and she did so with the image of Arnold''s face in her mind.


    *


    Kevin laid in bed and he was pissed.


    He was flat on his back and his hands were fists as they gripped the blanket. He had been visited by a police detective just before heading home for the night and she told him a few things that he didn''t know. The biggest thing she said was that she didn''t think his friend''s death was an accident. She said she couldn''t prove it and had to let it go... officially. That made him angry.


    Then she asked for his help.


    He had no idea what it was that he could help her with, being just a high school graduate and her a professional detective, then she told him what she wanted him to do. He had agreed, a little reluctantly, then she told him about who she suspected had a hand in both Brad''s and Jake''s death.


    Arnold.


    Kevin agreed to do whatever the detective wanted and whenever she wanted, then he went home and straight to bed. Fucking Arnold! He thought angrily as thoughts of revenge flooded his mind. I''m going to get you, you bastard!

 102 Things Are Better With Some Pam

    Janet let out a cute groan when the alarm went off. ¡°Hnnn. Five more minutes.¡± She said and heard a click. ¡°Thanks.¡± She said and rubbed her cheek on the chest muscle her face rested on. Pam was right. I would be kicking myself right now if I had left last night and gave up a chance to cuddle like this.


    After a couple of minutes Janet took in a deep breath and let it out. She was quite tempted to kiss the muscle to thank it for being a good pillow, then her thoughts immediately went to how guys were when they woke up in the mornings.


    Can you imagine that? Janet asked herself and almost laughed. There''s no way I could go down on him with Pam right there! That would be so embarrassing! She thought and then remembered Pam doing that last night with her right there and her face flushed red. She wasn''t embarrassed doing it in front of me. At all. She let out a little sigh and opened her eyes, then she started to sit up and froze.


    Pam had laid down between Arnold''s legs and was going at him again.


    ¡°Pam!¡± Janet exclaimed.


    Pam stopped what she was doing with a slurping sound and looked at her friend. ¡°He held us both all night.¡± She said. ¡°He deserves a thank you kiss for that. Since I can''t kiss his lips...¡±


    ¡°Geez, Pam!¡±


    Pam shrugged. ¡°We''ve got a few minutes before we have to leave.¡± She said and kept going.


    Janet opened her mouth to say something else, then realized there wasn''t really anything she could say, so she slid off the bed and picked up her bra.


    ¡°Pam.¡± Arnold said and she sped up her movements, then she stopped and moaned. After a few moments, Pam sat up and looked at Arnold.


    ¡°If you and Kelly ever have a fight or break up, I want you to have sex with me first.¡± Pam said.


    ¡°Pam!¡± Janet said loudly.


    ¡°I don''t mean date or anything, since neither of us have the time for that relationship nonsense.¡± Pam clarified and climbed on top of Arnold and sat down on him with just her shirt and panties on. ¡°I mean, just a nice romp in the sack. Just us. No girlfriend and boyfriend crap, no commitment garbage, and definitely no drama!¡± She laughed and leaned forward as she crossed her arms on his chest and looked into his eyes. ¡°It''ll be just you and me having a great time fucking each other and that''s it.¡±


    ¡°Pam, you can''t expect him to agree to...¡± Janet started to say.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and Janet gasped.


    ¡°I knew you''d understand.¡± Pam said and leaned forward to kiss him and stopped an inch away. ¡°If you didn''t have a no kissing others rule, you would kiss me right now, wouldn''t you? Even with my lips still wet from what I just did to you.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said.


    Pam licked her lips to clean them off, then she stuck out her tongue and licked Arnold''s lips from left to right. ¡°Lick your lips.¡± She said. When he did so, she smiled. ¡°Arnold, if I didn''t have to go to work, I would help you masturbate all day.¡± She said. ¡°Instead, I have to get a shower and get changed.¡±


    ¡°Pam, for god''s sake.¡± Janet said and crossed her arms in exasperation.


    ¡°All right.¡± Pam sighed and licked Arnold''s lips again. ¡°I''ve gotta go.¡±


    ¡°Me, too.¡± Arnold said.


    Pam climbed off of him and her panties were wet where she had sat on him. She picked up her pants without another word and took Janet''s hand, then the two of them left Arnold''s dorm room. They didn''t even have to sneak, since it was so early, and they went into their own dorm room.


    ¡°What the hell was all that, Pam?¡± Janet asked.


    ¡°You were there and saw it. What do you think it was?¡± Pam asked and stripped off and went to the bathroom.


    ¡°You were trying to steal Arnold from his girlfriend.¡± Janet said as she followed her friend into the bathroom and Pam started to shower.


    ¡°Nope. I just made sure that he knew if anything happened between him and her that I''d be first.¡± Pam said and lathered up and scrubbed herself.


    ¡°That... that''s not usually how relationships are supposed to work.¡± Janet said a minute later. ¡°If a guy knows you''re already willing to have sex with him, he''s going to cheat on whoever he''s with to get it.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think Arnold''s like that.¡± Pam said and rinsed herself off.


    ¡°Pam, he just spent the night with the two of us in his bed! We jerked him off and you sucked him off twice!¡±


    ¡°Three times if you count the jerking off one.¡± Pam said. ¡°No, wait. It''s four. I didn''t count the second one during the movie.¡±


    ¡°During the... hold on. You never moved.¡± Janet said and Pam laughed.


    ¡°Janet, I think there''s a few things that I need to teach you.¡± Pam said and grabbed a towel from the rack. She dried herself off a little and wrapped the towel around herself. ¡°Did you know that the tongue is one of the most versatile muscles in the human body?¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to hear it.¡± Janet said and left the bathroom and Pam followed her.


    ¡°Don''t dismiss my intimate tongue knowledge.¡± Pam said with a grin and Janet chuckled.


    ¡°You do realize you took...¡± Janet paused for a moment. ¡°...four doses of sex juice from a stranger?¡±


    ¡°Sex juice?¡± Pam asked with a laugh as she grabbed her work outfit. ¡°Sex juice! Ha ha!¡±


    Janet sighed. ¡°Pam, you know that...¡±


    ¡°Janet, I get it. I do.¡± Pam said as she dressed. ¡°It''s okay, though.¡± She thought back to Arnold saying he had only been with three women and only one was unprotected. ¡°I''d love to be number five.¡±


    ¡°Five?¡± Janet asked and then understood. ¡°Oh! You mean Kelly.¡±


    ¡°She''s number four, assuming she smartens up and has sex with Arnold before someone figures out how to have sex with him and convinces him that it''s not sex.¡± Pam said.


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± Janet asked.


    ¡°Janet, Janet, Janet.¡± Pam said and finished getting dressed in her work clothes. ¡°He thinks we only helped him masturbate while I gave him some of the best oral sex I''ve ever had with a guy.¡± She said and put an arm over her friend''s shoulder. ¡°I don''t know how he differentiates between the two; but, if I can figure out how to convince him to have sex with me and make him think that it''s something else, then I''m going to be his fourth sexual partner and Kelly will just have to settle for being fifth.¡±


    Janet thought about protesting, then sighed. ¡°At least you''re too busy to do anything for a while.¡±


    Pam laughed and gave her shoulders a squeeze, then walked over to the door of their room. ¡°That''s the spirit.¡± She said. ¡°There''s nothing like a good friendly competition to get the sex organs pumping.¡±


    Janet covered her eyes and shook her head to make Pam laugh again, then her friend left.


    *


    Arnold stepped out of his room and started to walk down the hallway when Pam came out of her room dressed for work.


    ¡°Nice suit.¡± Pam said. ¡°I keep forgetting to tell you how good you look going to work all dressed up.¡±


    Arnold looked at her work outfit and then at her face. ¡°I haven''t seen you dressed like that before.¡±


    Pam chuckled and put her arm through his. ¡°It depends on the shift I get and where I''m working. During the week at my first job as a waitress, I''m usually gone right after school or I have to wait for after supper for the late shift. On the weekends I''m at my second job at the movie theatre, either before breakfast to start the prep work or after breakfast to do the cash registers. It just depends on when they need me.¡±


    ¡°Did you eat?¡± Arnold asked as they walked to the elevator, because it was well before breakfast.


    ¡°No. I spent my extra time thanking you this morning.¡± Pam said. ¡°It''s okay, though. I can wait for lunch to eat.¡±


    Arnold reached into his suit pocket and pulled out two granola bars for her. ¡°You need a good energy boost first thing in the morning.¡±


    Pam accepted the bars gratefully and put them in her pocket. ¡°Thank you, Arnold.¡± She said and kissed his cheek. The elevator arrived and they stepped in and rode it down to the ground floor. Doris wasn''t at her desk, so they walked through the lobby and left the building.


    ¡°This is me.¡± Pam said and pointed at her little car and then she turned to look at Arnold. ¡°Goodbye, Arnold. I hope you have a good day at work.¡±


    Arnold''s head moved forward slightly, then it stopped. ¡°I can''t kiss you goodbye.¡±


    Pam let a huge smile appear on her face. ¡°Arnold, I really hope that your girlfriend understands how precious you are.¡± She said and then pressed her lips to his cheek and left them there for several seconds. ¡°I''m not going to be home until late tonight, so I''ll say goodnight right now.¡± She moved over slightly and did the same to his other cheek. ¡°I''ll see you tomorrow.¡±


    Arnold nodded and watched her get in her car and drive away, then he walked the eight minutes to get to work.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Professor Hamil Crenslav said as Arnold stepped into his office. ¡°Doris told me about yesterday. I''m so sorry, my boy.¡± He said and walked over to Arnold and pat his shoulder. ¡°I would give you the day off today if I didn''t need your help.¡±


    ¡°I like to work, sir.¡± Arnold said.


    Hamil nodded. ¡°Amy and Cissily are good; but, they aren''t you.¡± He said with a smile. ¡°I had to keep a close eye on them last night to make sure they were doing it right after I showed them what to do. That slowed our progress down significantly and it turned out to be a later night for us that I thought.¡±


    Arnold nodded. He had learned that if you had others that needed your knowledge around, your own work slowed down. It had happened when he was doing homework with Heather and Kelly and also when studying for the chemistry exam.


    ¡°We completed it, so you should thank Amy and Cissily for their hard work.¡± Hamil said and Arnold nodded. ¡°Well, then. Let''s get to it, shall we?¡±


    The two of them went to the biology lab and got to work. It took them all day to get everything ready for the next day, even with only short food breaks for lunch and supper. When it was all done, Hamil plopped down in the chair behind his desk and let out a long and exaggerated sigh.


    ¡°My boy, that was both exhausting and satisfying!¡± Hamil said with a chuckle. ¡°Sharing knowledge can be a chore sometimes; but, if even one person gains insight into our field of study, then all of the effort was worth it.¡± He looked at the clock and shook his head. ¡°That can''t be the right time, is it?¡±


    ¡°It is, sir.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Damn, it took a lot longer to do than I thought, even with your expert help.¡± Hamil said and then stood. ¡°Good work and I''ll see you in the morning right before class.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Arnold said and understood that he wouldn''t have to show up early like he usually did and could arrive with the lab workers at their normal time. He left the lab and the building, then walked the eight minutes back to the dorm building with his room in it. Pam''s car wasn''t in her parking spot, which meant she was still out.


    Arnold came in through the front door of the dorm building and saw Doris at her desk. It was pretty late and no one else was around, so he walked over to her.


    ¡°Ol'' Hamil really made you stay all day.¡± Doris stood up and came around the desk. ¡°Are you tired?¡±


    Arnold nodded as he bent down to give her a kiss for several seconds.


    ¡°Give me a hug, too.¡± Doris said with a smile and buried his face into her cleavage. ¡°You''re such a good boy.¡± She said and let him go. ¡°Go on upstairs and get to bed.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and walked over to the elevator as the front door to the building opened.


    ¡°Hi, Doris.¡± Pam said, her eyes half closed. ¡°I''d ask what you''re still doing here; but, I''m too tired to care what the answer is.¡±


    Doris laughed. ¡°That''s two exhausted people after long days at work I''ve seen now.¡± She said. ¡°Arnold! Hold the elevator.¡±


    ¡°Arnold?¡± Pam turned her head to look at the elevator as the doors opened. ¡°Oh, what a sight for sore eyes you are.¡± She said and rubbed her face. ¡°God, I''m so tired that I''m saying my thoughts out loud.¡±


    Doris laughed and put an arm around Pam''s waist as she led the poor girl over to the elevator. ¡°Arnold, take care of her for me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and put an arm around Pam''s waist to help hold her up.


    ¡°Am I dreaming?¡± Pam asked. ¡°I''m dreaming, right? There''s no way I get to see you twice in one day.¡±


    Doris laughed. ¡°You two better hurry up and get to bed or you''re going to fall asleep on the floor.¡±


    ¡°The floor sounds... really nice.¡± Pam said and let out a huge yawn.


    ¡°See you in the morning.¡± Doris said and the elevator doors closed.


    Pam turned her head to look at Arnold. ¡°You worked all day and just got back?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Now you''re taking care of me?¡± Pam asked and turned her body to rest it against his, and she wasn''t surprised that she fit well against him, all the way from her knees and up to her chest.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I''m definitely dreaming, then.¡± Pam said and rested her head against his as she put her arms around him. ¡°I''ve been thinking about you all day and fantasizing about you holding me like this.¡± She said and then lightly laughed. ¡°Except without clothes.¡±


    Arnold didn''t say anything and the elevator doors opened on the fourth floor.


    Pam moved her head back from his and looked into his eyes. ¡°You''re not shocked that I said that out loud?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold responded and guided her down the hallway.


    ¡°You''re a really easy-going guy.¡± Pam whispered, because it was so late and she wanted to stay quiet. ¡°If I said something like that to any other guy, they would be grabbing my ass or trying to stick their tongue down my throat.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to do that?¡± Arnold asked and they passed Pam''s room.


    ¡°Not just because I said that, no.¡± Pam said and yawned. ¡°If we were already making out? Sure.¡±


    Arnold opened his dorm room and led her inside, then he shut and locked the door.


    ¡°Arnold? This is your room.¡± Pam said and woke up a little.


    ¡°Doris said to take care of you.¡± Arnold said and sat her on one of the chairs in the kitchenette, then he took off his suit coat and hung it up in the dirty section, since he wore it all day and had worked hard. The pants and shirt were quickly removed as well and added to the laundry basket.


    ¡°What... what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°We need to shower.¡± Arnold said and took off his underwear.


    ¡°This is a dream.¡± Pam whispered as Arnold stood her up and quickly stripped her off, then he took her hand and went to the bathroom and shared the shower with her. She was too stunned at Arnold washing her off to enjoy it like she should have, though. She was dried off and the towel wrapped around her, then she was led out of the bathroom and to his bed.


    Arnold took the towel off of her, along with his own, then he lifted the blanket and helped her get in. Pam didn''t say anything as he climbed in with her and put his arms around her in a hug, then he pulled her in close to press their bodies together. To her utter shock, he gave her a three second kiss on the lips.


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Arnold said and closed his eyes.


    What. The. Hell. Pam thought, completely awake now. She stared at the handsome man that held her firmly and tenderly. No kissing on the lips is like his number one rule!


    Pam could feel him pressed against her abdomen and she was very tempted to have some fun with him. They were both naked, in his bed, and he had just touched her all over to wash her. At the time she didn''t react, because it was too much of a surprise. Now though, her body remembered his deft hands rubbing her all over and that his fingers had touched her... everywhere.


    Pam became wet from it and then she remembered that he had even washed her butt-hole. Who does that? She asked herself and kept staring at him. It took her an hour before sleep finally claimed her and she still hadn''t figured out how she had miraculously bypassed his kissing rule.

 103 Lunch Plans

    The alarm went off and Pam reached over and clicked it off. ¡°Ugh, I''m still beat.¡±


    ¡°The alarm is still set for six o''clock.¡± Arnold said and Pam froze at the sound of his voice. ¡°We have an hour before we have to get up and get ready.¡±


    ¡°A-Arnold?¡± Pam opened her eyes and looked into his eyes.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Arnold said and gave her a kiss.


    ¡°Last night wasn''t a dream? That really happened?¡± Pam asked and she could feel his hardness against her belly. ¡°We showered and we''re really naked in bed together?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Doris said to take care of you.¡±


    ¡°But... but...¡± Pam stopped talking and took in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Does this mean we can have sex?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I can help you masturbate like you helped me yesterday.¡±


    Pam came just from that. ¡°Oh, god.¡± She closed her eyes. ¡°I don''t want to wake up from this dream.¡±


    Arnold''s hand slid down between her legs and she spread her legs a little to make it easier for him. ¡°You''re really wet.¡±


    ¡°I just came from you saying you''ll suck on it for me, so yeah. Of course I''m wet.¡± Pam said and opened her eyes. ¡°I don''t know why this okay now and I don''t care.¡± She said and kissed him passionately, then she rolled over on top of him.


    Arnold''s fingers dug inside of her and she moaned and spread her legs to either side of him, then she sat up.


    ¡°I haven''t done this in a while.¡± Pam said and moved the blanket off of them and then turned around to face the other way. She moved back to straddle his chest, then she almost sat down on his face. ¡°Go ahead and help me masturbate.¡± She said and then laid down and started sucking on him, too.


    Pam moaned as Arnold licked and sucked on her and her technique faltered slightly, because she just loved having a guy do that to her. She stopped what she was doing and wallowed in the feeling of his tongue inside of her and she wished it was what she had in her mouth; but, she wasn''t going to question it. Not now.


    Later on, Pam would wonder how things had progressed to this so quickly. She came again and her muscles stiffed for a second, then her body adjusted to having Arnold pleasing her and she started sucking again. She wouldn''t leave him unsatisfied if she could help it.


    For half an hour, she lost count of how many times she came and Arnold didn''t stop. Not once. She had only made him go twice, and the second time was almost by accident. She had had a huge orgasm and plunged him deep into her throat as she tried to stifle her scream, and he had finished. It was the first time she had done something like that and she had to stop and rest afterwards.


    ¡°A-Arnold, I... I''m done.¡± Pam said and Arnold stopped licking her. She moved off of him and turned back around to put her head beside his and laid down. She remembered what she had said the day before and she leaned in to give him a kiss with his taste still on her lips. He kissed her back and she moaned because of it and came a little. She broke the kiss and sighed.


    ¡°We need to shower.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I need to get back to my room before the others wake up.¡± Pam said. ¡°I can shower then.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said. He sat up and looked down at her naked body. ¡°I feel privileged to see such beauty.¡±


    Pam caught her breath and her face flushed red, then Arnold climbed out of bed and walked across the dorm room. He entered the bathroom and a few moments later, the shower started.


    I guess that''s my cue. Pam thought and climbed out of bed and looked down at herself. Her thighs were covered in dribbles of both Arnold''s saliva and her body''s fluids, and the only thing that would have made it look better to her was if there had been some of his bodily fluids mixed in.


    She grabbed the towel he had dried her off with last night and gave herself a cursory wipe, then slipped on her underwear and her pants. She put on the shirt and picked up the rest of her work uniform from the movie theatre and she looked with longing at the shower. The water suddenly cut off and Arnold stepped out, dripping wet, and he was still hard for her.


    ¡°I really do want to stay and masturbate with you all day, you know.¡± Pam said.


    ¡°Me, too.¡± Arnold said. ¡°You showed me a new way to do it.¡± He stepped close to her and gave her a three second kiss. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Arnold, I...¡± Pam seriously considered telling him they just did a sexual position and what it was called, then she made a decision. ¡°Arnold, what we just did is a sex position called ''Sixty-Nine''.¡±


    Arnold picked up a towel and started drying off. ¡°I thought I couldn''t learn sex positions without actually having sex.¡±


    Pam blinked her eyes for a second, because he didn''t get what she just said. ¡°Well, it''s true that we didn''t have intercourse...¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°As long as it doesn''t lead to intercourse, my girlfriend said that I can masturbate as much as I want.¡±


    Pam gasped at hearing why he was so easy going about oral sex, then her eyes immediately went to the clock. ¡°Dammit! I have to go.¡± She said and stepped close and kissed him. ¡°I''ve got work tonight; but, I''m free for lunch. I''ll meet you anywhere you want and we can help each other masturbate.¡±


    ¡°After we eat.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Yes, good point.¡± Pam said. ¡°Meet me at my car and we can go get something to eat first.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and Pam walked over to his door, peeked out to see it was clear, then crept out. She made it to her dorm room and went inside, hung up her uniform because she wouldn''t have time to clean it properly until the end of the week, then went to get a shower. When she came out, she felt invigorated and sat down on her bed as she thought about what she had just learned.


    ¡°You had a late night.¡± Janet said without getting up.


    ¡°I did.¡± Pam said. ¡°I hate the late night showings.¡±


    ¡°Where did you sleep?¡± Janet asked.


    ¡°If I tell you, don''t get angry.¡± Pam said and Janet rolled over to give her a disbelieving look. ¡°I slept in Arnold''s bed.¡±


    ¡°You. Did. Not.¡± Janet said and sat up in bed. She wore a thin t-shirt and normal underwear.


    ¡°I came into the dorm last night at nearly one o''clock and both Doris and Arnold were there.¡± Pam said and then explained about Doris telling Arnold to take care of her and what he did.


    ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Janet whispered. ¡°You... and he...¡±


    ¡°No, we didn''t have sex... or what he considers having sex.¡± Pam said and then told her friend about Arnold''s masturbation excuse. When she didn''t see surprise on Janet''s face, she knew that she knew. ¡°You greedy little bitch.¡± She said, half angry and half proud of her. It was an odd thing for her to feel. And I was worried about her not being outgoing enough!


    Janet blushed. ¡°I... I was going to tell you... eventually.¡±


    Pam almost laughed. ¡°How many times have you had him help you masturbate?¡±


    ¡°Just twice, and it''s been a couple weeks since then.¡± Janet said. ¡°I didn''t want to... you know... abuse him by...¡± She sighed. ¡°I''ve been horny a lot and I had to fight the urge to have him help.¡±


    Pam opened her mouth to tell her how stupid that was if she had access to a guy that wanted to masturbate with her, then she sighed, too. ¡°I''m seeing him for lunch.¡±


    Janet widened her eyes slightly, then she smiled. ¡°I have more self control than you.¡±


    ¡°Don''t be smug about it.¡± Pam said and threw her wet towel at her.


    ¡°Eww.¡± Janet said and tossed it back, then they both laughed.


    ¡°You better get a shower now if you want to get to class on time.¡± Pam said.


    ¡°I took one last night.¡± Janet said as she got out of bed and went to her half of the closet. The both of them changed and dressed for a casual day, then Pam took her friend''s hand.


    ¡°You''re welcome to come along to lunch.¡± Pam said.


    Janet shook her head. ¡°No, I couldn''t intrude like that... and I don''t know if I can watch you do that again.¡±


    Pam smiled. ¡°What if his tongue was digging deep into your muffin?¡±


    ¡°Wh-wh-what?¡± Janet stuttered.


    ¡°I think you''d enjoy seeing Arnold getting head if you were getting head, too.¡±


    Janet opened her mouth to say that she would still hate it, then closed her mouth.


    ¡°Ha! Now you''re imaging it!¡± Pam said and put an arm around her shoulders. ¡°Just like yesterday, I won''t like touch you or anything.¡±


    ¡°You put my hand on his chest and made me rub it.¡± Janet said, accusingly.


    Pam chuckled. ¡°I meant sexually, you prude.¡±


    ¡°I am not a prude.¡± Janet said.


    Pam used her free hand and slowly reached for her friend''s breast. Janet quickly covered them before they were groped and then she sighed and let them go.


    ¡°Even in the heat of the moment last night, I didn''t try anything like that.¡± Pam said. ¡°We''re friends, but... we''re not sex friends.¡±


    Janet gave her an odd look.


    ¡°Taking turns jerking on a guy doesn''t count.¡± Pam said. ¡°That''s with someone else as a medium. I meant you and me.¡± She said and took her arm off of her shoulders. ¡°You don''t want me on my knees licking you, do you?¡±


    ¡°God, no.¡± Janet said. ¡°Even if it does feel good, I don''t want to see you looking at me that way.¡±


    ¡°Me, either.¡± Pam said. ¡°Even after all of that last night, I didn''t once have the urge to kiss you.¡±


    ¡°Me, either.¡± Janet said and then chuckled. ¡°I wouldn''t dare kiss you with his stuff on your lips.¡±


    Pam laughed. ¡°It can be an acquired taste.¡± She said. ¡°It''s not too bad if the guy eats a good diet. If he eats too many sweets, though...¡± She fake gagged. ¡°...it gets really bitter.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡±


    ¡°The body changes it, of course.¡± Pam said. ¡°It''s not sugar in, sugar out.¡± She explained. ¡°You have to be healthy to get your body to produce some good tasting stuff.¡±


    Janet almost gagged. ¡°I don''t want to taste myself, thanks.¡±


    ¡°Guys won''t want to do it if you taste sour all the time.¡±


    ¡°I wash it every day!¡± Janet said and Pam laughed again.


    ¡°Janet, Janet, Janet.¡± Pam said and grabbed her books and things. ¡°Let''s get to class.¡±


    Janet grabbed her things and the two of them left their dorm room, then they joined in the crowd going towards the elevator. They had missed Arnold passing by while they were busy talking in their room.


    *


    Arnold could only wave at Doris as he passed by her busy desk, then he showed up at Building F just as Cissily, Amy, and the other lab workers arrived outside.


    ¡°On, my god! You''re late!¡± Amy exclaimed and the others laughed.


    ¡°I stayed until after midnight last night getting everything ready and the professor said I could wait this morning and arrive with you.¡± Arnold said.


    Everyone was surprised to hear that, then they were shocked when Arnold took Amy into a hug.


    ¡°Thanks for covering for me Saturday night.¡± Arnold said and let her go.


    ¡°Y-you''re welcome.¡± Amy said and blushed, even though most people couldn''t see it.


    ¡°Bring it in!¡± Cissily said as she opened her arms wide and Arnold gave her a hug, too. ¡°I''m not wearing a bra today, so I hope you get a good feel!¡±


    ¡°Cissily!¡± Amy exclaimed and the others laughed.


    ¡°We better get inside. Class is going to start soon.¡± Dianne said and led them inside as the students started to gather near the building.


    ¡°Did you get a good feel?¡± Cissily whispered to Arnold.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold whispered back. ¡°I would need to use my hands for that.¡±


    Cissily took his hand when the elevator arrived and made her way to the back. When everyone piled in, she put his hand on her breast. ¡°Go ahead.¡± She breathed into his ear and he gave her a quick feel. The elevator dinged and she let his hand go. ¡°You can feel the other one later.¡±


    Everyone left the elevator and entered the lab, then they all took their positions. The class entered soon after and they all got to work. During the break between classes, Cissily was surprised and delighted when Arnold just casually groped her other breast when no one was looking. It was unfortunate that emotional high ended when lunch time arrived and Arnold didn''t go with everyone to the cafeteria.


    *


    ¡°I can''t believe I''m doing this.¡± Janet whispered as she stood beside Pam in front of the car.


    ¡°You don''t have to do anything, remember? I just invited you along in case you decide you do.¡± Pam said and then turned to look at someone approaching. ¡°Hi, Arnold. Can I tell you again how good you look in a suit?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said and Pam laughed.


    ¡°You look good in a suit.¡± Pam said and waved at the car, then the three of them climbed in. To her surprise, he climbed in the back with Janet and not in the front with her. ¡°You can sit up front if you want.¡±


    ¡°It''s only a short drive.¡± Janet said. ¡°He can sit up front on the way back.¡±


    ¡°That''s a good point.¡± Pam said and drove out of the dorm parking lot and out into the street. Five minutes later, they arrived at the pizza place and parked. They went inside and sat down just in time, because their order was ready and the guy came over with the extra large pizza.


    ¡°We always order the extra large and then save what''s left to eat later.¡± Janet said and took a piece. ¡°Pam''s been really good at saving money buying food.¡±


    ¡°I have to be.¡± Pam said with a chuckle and took a piece of pizza. ¡°Staying in the dorm isn''t cheap. I''m keeping ahead of everything with two jobs; but, some weeks I don''t get a good shift at the theatre or the tips are bad at the bar. If I''m not careful, I won''t make the payment and I''ll be out of the dorm faster than you can say ''she had to drop out of college''.¡±


    ¡°She''s been my roommate for almost two years.¡± Janet said. ¡°I don''t want to have to look for another one.¡±


    ¡°Or get stuck with someone you can''t stand.¡± Pam said. ¡°I was worried about that until I met Janet.¡±


    ¡°We didn''t get along right away, though.¡± Janet said with a smile. ¡°We had to work up to that.¡±


    ¡°What did it take, a week?¡± Pam asked and grinned, and Janet laughed.


    ¡°About that long.¡± Janet said. ¡°A garbage bag full of popcorn was the best bribe I''ve ever had.¡±


    Pam laughed, too. ¡°It was supposed to be a joke and I nearly pissed myself laughing as she ate the whole damn thing!¡±


    ¡°I didn''t eat it all at once!¡± Janet said and blushed a little, then they both laughed together.


    Arnold took a single slice of pizza and ate it while he listened to the two girls talk. He even ate the crust as slow as possible, then the meal was over.


    ¡°Oh, that was good.¡± Pam said and the guy brought over a box for them to take it home in. ¡°Thanks a lot.¡± She said and the guy handed Arnold the check, who took out two twenty dollar bills to pay for the pizza. ¡°Wait! I asked you to lunch!¡±


    Arnold ignored her and handed the money to the guy.


    ¡°I''ll be back with your change.¡± The guy said.


    ¡°Keep it.¡± Arnold said and picked up the pizza box as he stood, then he walked out of the restaurant. Pam and Janet quickly followed him to the car.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Pam said. ¡°You can''t just spend money like that!¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°It''s wasteful for one thing.¡± Pam said. ¡°You tipped him fifteen dollars and he didn''t do anything except deliver the meal and bring a box at the end. Five dollars would have been good enough.¡±


    Arnold shrugged.


    Pam opened her mouth to speak and Janet touched her arm.


    ¡°Let''s put the pizza in the trunk and we can go.¡± Janet said.


    Pam let out a sigh and opened it to show a completely empty and clean trunk. Arnold put the pizza in and closed it, then the three of them climbed into the car to head back to the college.

 104 Making Mistakes

    Pam pulled out of the parking lot and she was a little unnecessarily angry at Arnold. She hated it when people weren''t frugal or wasted their money, and it was a pet peeve of hers. That Arnold wouldn''t take her advice about it or dismissed her concerns, rubbed her the wrong way and completely took her out of the mood.


    ¡°Arnold, I don''t feel like helping you masturbate right now.¡± Pam said and she couldn''t quite keep the anger from her voice. ¡°Janet still wants you to, though.¡±


    ¡°Pam!¡± Janet said, her face slightly red.


    Arnold turned his head to look at Pam and gave her a blank face.


    ¡°I''ll pull over in a good spot, out of sight of the road and passersby.¡± Pam said and did just that. Her little car practically disappeared from view once it was out of sight of the road. ¡°Go ahead and help her.¡±


    Arnold got out of the driver''s side and climbed into the back.


    ¡°Pam, I thought you said...¡± Janet started to say when Arnold flipped up her skirt and pulled her across the seat to lay her down. ¡°...ooh! Arnold!¡±


    Arnold pulled her panties off and handed them to her, then he pulled his pants and underwear down to reveal that he was already hard. Janet stared at him and wondered how he was going to go down on her with her body like that, then Arnold lifted her legs and tilted her hips.


    ¡°Arnold! What are you doing?¡± Janet asked from the very compromising position.


    ¡°Masturbating.¡± Arnold said and put himself between her legs, then proceeded to rub her up and down as if they were having sex. Janet started to moan immediately as he rubbed her intimate parts very thoroughly. Her protests about only receiving head from him died before they could be made and she lost herself in the sensations of having a guy essentially make love to her without actually having sex.


    Pam''s mouth dropped open at the sounds her friend was making and tilted the rear view mirror enough to see what Arnold was doing. He''s fucking her! She thought in surprise and turned in the seat to look at it directly, then she saw that he was only rubbing himself over her. He''s digging right in there with it, though!


    Janet started to roll her hips a little to get even more out of Arnold masturbating. She felt something building and knew she was going to have a really good orgasm this time, especially after going so long without one, and she looked up at Arnold''s face.


    ¡°I''m... mmm... almost... there.¡± Janet said, then from one rub to the next, her entire world was filled with stars. ¡°OhhHHH!¡± She moaned and came really hard. Arnold didn''t stop, though. Janet didn''t have time to recover from the first one when she had another, and then another. Her moans were so close together that it almost sounded like it was just one moan, then Arnold finished. He spilled himself all over her opening, her abdomen, her thighs, and the seat.


    Pam just sat there, completely stunned.


    ¡°Tissues.¡± Arnold said and snapped her out of her trance.


    ¡°Yes! Okay!¡± Pam said and dug out a box from the glove compartment and handed them to him. Arnold took several of them and wiped Janet off, then took more and wiped off himself and then the seat.


    ¡°Oh... oh, god.¡± Janet said and her eyes fluttered open and shut several times. She hadn''t felt anything like that before. She had had good orgasms before; but, she didn''t have multiples at once and it was almost too much for her to handle. She laid there on the seat, as if she didn''t have any bones, and she was completely relaxed.


    ¡°Janet? Are you okay?¡± Pam asked.


    ¡°Oh.... oh... yes, I''m... fine. I''m fine.¡± Janet said and opened her eyes to look up at Arnold. ¡°Thank you, Arnold. Thank you very much.¡± She said. ¡°If I was allowed to kiss you, I wouldn''t let you go until lunch was over.¡±


    ¡°Lunch!¡± Pam gasped and turned around. ¡°We have to get back to campus!¡±


    Arnold pulled up his pants and Janet handed him her panties as the car started. He put them on her up to her thighs and she pulled them on the rest of the way. She twitched at the touch of the cloth and let out a laugh.


    ¡°I''m super-sensitive right now.¡± Janet said when Arnold looked at her. ¡°You worked me over really well.¡± She said and managed to sit up, then the car went over a little bump as they hit the main road and she moaned.


    Pam got them back to the campus and parked in her spot in front of her dorm building. They still had ten minutes to spare until lunch was over. ¡°Arnold, you need to get back to work and we need to get to class.¡±


    Arnold got out and walked away.


    ¡°Pam, what''s wrong?¡± Janet asked. ¡°I''ve known you long enough to know when you''re angry and trying to hide it.¡± She said. ¡°Mainly because you''re not hiding it very well.¡±


    Pam didn''t say anything as she climbed out of the car and went to the trunk, grabbed the pizza, and went into the dorm. Janet followed her and they took the pizza to their room, picked up the books and things they needed, then left again. They had to jog to get to the next class on time. When they sat down beside each other, Janet glared at her friend. Pam sighed and admitted what was wrong.


    ¡°You''re angry at him for that?¡± Janet asked, surprised. ¡°You don''t know that he always overspends.¡±


    ¡°I''ve had two examples now.¡± Pam said. ¡°I thought he was just being generous the first time, since there were so many of us there eating. This time it was just us and the tip wasn''t deserved. At all.¡±


    ¡°Enough chatting.¡± The teacher at the head of the class said and looked at all of the students in his class. ¡°The Huns were a noble race of savages.¡±


    A few people chuckled and several laughed.


    The teacher smiled. ¡°Yes, I know that''s an oxymoron and it''s also an apt description.¡± He said and started to explain why.


    *


    Arnold worked for the rest of the afternoon and prepped for the next day of classes. The time passed by quickly and then he went to eat supper in the cafeteria. He greeted the woman behind the counter and then Angela at the register. She was disappointed again when he said he would be busy all week with more lessons and reading.


    Arnold ate and returned the plates and tray to the counter, then made his way to Building B and his next appointment with Professor Power. He went into the lab and she was waiting there for him. She wore a buttoned up lab coat and turned to look at him when he entered the lab and locked the door. She asked him a question that referred to the very first book of hers that he had read, and he answered it correctly.


    ¡°You know I am very glad that you are actually learning during our lessons.¡± Felicia said. ¡°You have been absorbing my course material at a phenomenal rate and you are retaining it.¡± She walked over to him and unbuttoned her coat. When she flipped it open, she was only wearing a garter belt and stockings. ¡°That pleases me mentally, so you can thank me physically for taking care of you.¡±


    Arnold nodded and picked her up. She almost squealed in delight that he didn''t struggle with her at all, then he laid her down on her desk and went down on her. Unlike when they had first started doing this, she no longer asked him to stay quiet about it. She was too wrapped up in how good it felt to worry about it anymore.


    Felicia knew that if he was going to tell anyone about it, he would have done it by now, and she would have been visited by them or by the president of the college for overstepping her authority.


    Arnold finished thanking her and closed her coat, picked up the next book from the shelf, then left the lab. He walked all the way back to his dorm building and went inside. Doris still had a couple of girls there, so he gave her a wave as he passed by.


    Doris had a smile on her face; but, it was just for show. She was sad that she hadn''t been able to kiss Arnold all day, and by the looks of things and how busy they both were, even sneaking away wasn''t going to work for a while.


    Arnold rode the elevator up to the top floor and stepped out. His eyes beheld a scene that he hadn''t seen in a while and nearly everyone said hello, waved, and greeted him warmly. He returned those greetings until he reached Janet''s room.


    ¡°I''m sorry about Pam.¡± Janet whispered. ¡°She''s a stickler for money and she was angry at you for over-tipping.¡± She reached out and took his hand. ¡°I don''t feel that way. If you give that much, that''s your choice and it''s your money.¡±


    Arnold nodded and she let his hand go.


    ¡°Don''t stay up too late reading.¡± Janet said in a normal voice. ¡°You have an early day tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Every day is an early day.¡± Arnold said and finished saying hello to the remaining girls as he went to his dorm room.


    Emily''s door was shut and he didn''t have to say anything to her. He didn''t know that she was in her room and was punishing herself by not standing there to greet him, even though she really wanted to. She felt that she didn''t deserve to do that for a while, not realizing that with Arnold, absence did not make the heart grow fonder. That was especially true for girls that were not his girlfriend or mother.


    Arnold entered his room and left the door open, to the relief of everyone there, and he changed out of his suit and put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. He sat down at the kitchenette table, in full view of everyone in the hallway, and reclined slightly as he started to read the chemistry book.


    ¡°He''s so sexy.¡± One of the girls whispered.


    ¡°Is it being smart, having a great body, a well paying job, or that he''s nice that makes you think that?¡±


    ¡°I''d say pick one; but, it''s the combination.¡± She said. ¡°Why, oh why does he have to have a girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°Because that''s the way the world works?¡± Her friend asked, then she laughed. ¡°As if he wouldn''t have gotten a girlfriend right after he arrived here.¡± She looked at him, too. ¡°If wishes came true...¡±


    It was her friend''s turn to laugh.


    *


    The rest of the week passed by and Arnold worked hard, studied hard, and didn''t have a lot of spare time for anything else.


    Doris remained unkissed all week, despite her best efforts, because they were both busy.


    Pam had been working every night and didn''t get a chance to apologize, even though Janet told her that she had apologized for her. Not surprisingly, she hadn''t been in the best of moods and her tips at the bar reflected that, which didn''t help her mood in the least.


    Cissily couldn''t figure out how to get more than a few seconds of alone time with Arnold, so she could advance her seduction plans. Amy tried to tell her to give up, because there was no way she was going to get Arnold''s attention as long as he had an exclusive girlfriend.


    Kelly texted Arnold on Friday night to see if he was working or if he was coming home for the weekend. He said he would be at the house by nine in the morning on Saturday and she let Annie know.


    *


    Detective Tanner didn''t have their phones tapped illegally and had to find out the hard way if Arnold was going to be home that weekend... by staking out the bus stop from the college. She was rewarded in her quest by the very first bus arrival and Arnold stepped off wearing a backpack. She noted what he was wearing and the colors of his jeans, his shirt, and the backpack. As she wrote it down, she had missed Arnold looking around and only saw him walking away.


    She didn''t have to follow him to know where he was going, so she drove a different route and parked down the other end of the street from where Arnold would appear. What she didn''t know was that Arnold had only walked a couple of streets and took a cross town bus, since he had a bus pass and wouldn''t have to walk all the way, and he arrived at the bus stop two streets over.


    Arnold came up the street and noticed the same car that had just been at the bus stop, so he walked over to it and bent down to peer into the driver''s side window to see who was driving.


    ¡°AHH!¡± Detective Tanner jerked to the side because she was startled when she noticed Arnold''s face nearly pressed against her window. Oh, dammit. She thought as Arnold kept looking in at her and didn''t say anything. She turned her key in the ignition and rolled the window down with the switch. ¡°Hello, Arnold.¡±


    ¡°Hello.¡± Arnold said. ¡°If I knew you were coming here from the bus stop, I would have asked for a drive.¡±


    Goddammit. Detective Tanner thought. He saw me.


    ¡°Are you here to see someone?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°N-no.¡± Detective Tanner lied badly.


    ¡°Is there a crime happening nearby?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She responded, knowing that Arnold was essentially telling her to leave.


    ¡°Then why are you here?¡± Arnold asked, his face blank.


    I''m here for you, you smug bastard. Detective Tanner thought. ¡°I was just passing by.¡±


    Arnold looked at the parked car around her and then looked back at her face.


    All right, all right. I get the hint. Stop rubbing it in. She thought. ¡°I better go.¡±


    Arnold stood up straight and walked over to the side of the road his house was on and watched Detective Tanner''s car drive away. When it turned the corner, he walked over to his house and went inside.


    ¡°Mom? Kelly?¡± Arnold asked into the silent house.


    ¡°ARNOLD!¡± Two female voices said as one, then Annie appeared from the kitchen and Kelly appeared from the living room and they both tried to hug him at the same time. They ended up hugging each other more than him and they burst out laughing.


    ¡°Mothers first.¡± Kelly said and stepped back, and Annie gave her a grin and hugged and kissed her son.


    ¡°Welcome home.¡± Annie said and stepped back, then Kelly took a turn and hugged and kissed him.


    ¡°Welcome home.¡± Kelly said, then they both took his hands and led him into the kitchen to give him the first homemade breakfast he had had in a while. It was well balanced with a variety of foods and essential nutrients, so Arnold ate it all.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and gave his mom a quick kiss, then did the same to Kelly.


    ¡°How did you know I helped?¡± Kelly asked, surprised.


    ¡°I asked you to help my mom a long time ago and that''s what you''ve done.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Oh, Arnold!¡± Kelly exclaimed and kissed him passionately.

 105 Turning Tides

    ¡°On that happy note, I have got to go and buy some groceries.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°We can all go.¡± Kelly said and stood up.


    ¡°That''s okay. I''m a big girl and I can push a cart all by my lonesome.¡± Annie said with a chuckle. ¡°You two stay here and visit with each other and I''ll be back in a little while.¡±


    Kelly watched Annie grab her keys and walk down the hallway, then the front door opened and shut.


    ¡°We have about three hours before she comes home.¡± Arnold said, which was one of the first times he actually volunteered information and didn''t wait to be asked.


    ¡°Three hours.¡± Kelly said and he nodded. ¡°Then... then we can...¡± She stopped talking and took his hand, then led him up the stairs. They went to his old room, which was also her new room, and she had him sit on the bed. ¡°I''ve been thinking about this for a while now, and...¡± She walked to the side two paces, turned around and walked four paces to the left, then crossed her arms and looked at him. ¡°Arnold, I want to try sex.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and stood up, then stripped off and put his clothes on the chair by the desk. Kelly''s face was red at how quickly he had stripped off in front of her and now she could see all of him. Her body reacted to her mind making the decision and she blushed as she felt warm all over. She didn''t move and Arnold did the same to her and undressed her.


    Kelly trembled a little from excitement, because she had finally decided that this was going to happen, and Arnold kissed her several times and then laid her down on the edge of the bed. He knelt between her legs and got to work preparing her. She moaned as he kissed and licked her all over her special place and then he used a finger. After a few minutes, he used two and tried to stretch the hymen.


    Kelly twitched when he did and he gave her a few extra licks to distract her. Arnold knew what was going to happen when he tried to put his penis inside of her, so he stood up and sat down beside her.


    ¡°Arnold?¡± Kelly opened her eyes and looked at him. Before she could ask him what was wrong, he spoke.


    ¡°Kelly, this is going to hurt.¡± Arnold said and put a hand on his hardness.


    Kelly let out a sigh. ¡°I know.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve read a lot about it and I also talked to Annie.¡±


    Arnold turned his head to look at her. ¡°I read a lot, too.¡±


    ¡°I''m sure that... I can take it.¡± Kelly said. ¡°She said it would only hurt a little.¡±


    Arnold recalled the words that Doris said and repeated them for her. ¡°Kelly, it could be anything from a light pinch to feeling like being stabbed.¡±


    Kelly gasped and put a hand over her mouth. ¡°R-really?¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°You are really sensitive down there and when I lick your hymen, you really feel it.¡±


    Kelly reluctantly nodded. She really did enjoy it a bit too much. ¡°Arnold, I... I still want to try.¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to hurt you.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly caught her breath and sat up. ¡°Arnold, I... if it does hurt, I forgive you in advance.¡± She said and hugged him, which pressed her breasts into his chest. ¡°I love you and I won''t get angry at you. Okay?¡±


    Arnold nodded and Kelly laid back down, then he dug into his backpack and pulled out an unopened box of condoms. The sight of that touched her heart, because it meant that he hadn''t opened them and used some with anyone else.


    ¡°You haven''t had sex with anyone since you broke up with Heather.¡± Kelly whispered.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and put a condom on. He used a tissue to wipe off his hands, then he bent down to kiss her between the legs. Kelly squirmed at the intimate touch, then he placed himself near her opening. Her hymen was only a couple of centimeters from the surface, so it wasn''t going to take long for them to find out if it was going to hurt or not.


    Arnold looked at her face and she nodded. He rubbed himself up and down on her, then pushed forward slightly. Kelly grit her teeth as she felt it, then he pushed a little more. The condom squeezed him down a little, so the tip wasn''t as pronounced as it usually was, so it moved in a bit further than if he didn''t have the condom on. Kelly grunted at the pressure and she gripped the blanket she was on as Arnold pushed in a bit more, then Kelly felt like someone punched her in the vagina as her hymen started to tear.


    ¡°Owowowowow!¡± Kelly said in a continuous stream and Arnold pushed the tip through. ¡°OWWW!¡± She yelled and pushed him off, then she grabbed herself between the legs and she cried. ¡°Owowowow.¡±


    ¡°Kelly?¡± Arnold asked and she shook her head. He looked down at himself and the condom was covered in blood. He bent down and looked to see a lot of blood between her fingers as it seeped through. He immediately thought of the warnings about rare cases of excessive bleeding when a thicker hymen was torn and he went to the bathroom and grabbed the small first aid kit.


    ¡°N-n-no, I''m... I''m fine.¡± Kelly said, her eyes full of tears.


    ¡°Kelly.¡± Arnold said in a stern voice and that made her gasp, because she had never heard that tone from him before. ¡°Move your hands.¡±


    Kelly thought about refusing, then slowly moved her hands out of the way. A steady stream of blood came from her and the blanket was getting soaked. Arnold did his best to try and stop the bleeding and it seemed to slow down a little... but, it didn''t stop.


    ¡°It''s not stopping.¡± Arnold said and picked up his phone and hit the auto-dial for his mother. ¡°Mom, I need help. I don''t know what to do.¡± He said and explained what was going on. ¡°Okay.¡± He said and hung up. ¡°She''ll be right here.¡±


    Kelly shook her head and grabbed some gauze and covered herself to try and staunch the bleeding. ¡°No, I''ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°We''re going to the hospital.¡± Arnold said and took off the condom and washed up, dressed in a flash, much faster than he had undressed, then he replaced the gauze Kelly held and then put her panties on. He grabbed a skirt and put it on her and then put a shirt on her.


    Once they were dressed, he carefully took her downstairs and opened the front door to wait. He didn''t have to wait long as Annie screeched the car''s tires and barrelled down the street. She jammed on the brakes and pulled into the driveway, then she was out of the car and helped Arnold put Kelly into the backseat.


    Arnold climbed in with her and held her as Annie drove them to the hospital. To their extreme luck, it was early enough in the day that the emergency room at the hospital wasn''t very busy. They only had to wait twenty minutes to see a doctor and she gave Kelly a terse and thorough examination.


    ¡°Your case isn''t as rare as you think.¡± The doctor said as she grabbed some stitching supplies from the cabinet, including some topical anaesthetic, then explained how the body seemed to put veins and arteries in places where you wouldn''t think they should go. ¡°These stitches dissolve on their own, so you won''t have to worry about coming back in here to get them removed.¡±


    ¡°Stitches? But...¡± Kelly looked at Arnold''s blank face.


    ¡°Yes, I know.¡± The doctor said and kept working. ¡°You might have this problem again if... ah...¡± She looked at Arnold''s crotch for a second and Kelly understood. ¡°You''ll need to be careful for a few weeks, at least until the stitches dissolve and the soreness fades, then you can try having sex again.¡±


    ¡°Will it be as...¡± Kelly glanced at Arnold''s face and then at the doctor. ¡°...painful?¡±


    ¡°You''ve got a good tear down there now, so it shouldn''t hurt as much next time. It was just bad luck that it tore right on a blood vessel, so you need to be careful about how... vigorous you are.¡±


    Kelly nodded and she couldn''t meet Arnold''s eyes this time.


    ¡°Thank you very much, doctor.¡± Annie said, her voice full of relief.


    ¡°I''m an attending OBGYN, so you were both unlucky and lucky today.¡± The doctor said and smiled as she tossed out the disposable things she had used and put the tools she used onto a small rack beside the door marked ''sterilize''. ¡°It balanced out, hopefully.¡±


    Annie let out a sigh.


    ¡°You can rest here for a bit and I''ll come back to check and see that you''re okay.¡± The doctor said. ¡°If everything is good, you can go on home.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Just make sure you wash well after you pee and I suggest taking a stool softener for a few days, just to ease the stress on that part of your body.¡± The doctor said and left them in the small curtained off area.


    ¡°I''m really glad you''re okay.¡± Annie said and gave her a hug.


    ¡°Me, too.¡± Kelly said and still couldn''t look at Arnold. They stood and sat there in silence for several minutes, until a familiar woman''s voice cut through the nearly empty ward.


    ¡°Where''s my little girl?!?¡±


    ¡°In here, mom.¡± Kelly said. A second later, Katheryn was through the curtain around the bed and hugged her daughter.


    ¡°My baby.¡± Katheryn said and had tears in her eyes when she let Kelly out of the hug. ¡°Are you really okay? We talked to that nice doctor and she said you were.¡±


    Kelly nodded, then the curtain moved again and her father stepped in. He took Kelly''s hand for a second and then glared at Arnold.


    ¡°You hurt my daughter.¡± Kenneth said accusingly and Arnold looked at him with a blank face.


    ¡°Dad!¡± Kelly said loudly.


    ¡°He hurt you and he needs to answer to me for that.¡± Kenneth said.


    ¡°Now isn''t the time for this discussion.¡± Annie said and took her son''s hand.


    ¡°Yes, I hurt her.¡± Arnold admitted.


    ¡°Arnold, I said not now.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°It''s been nothing but one bad thing after another with you around my daughter.¡± Kenneth said. ¡°I don''t want you dating her anymore.¡±


    ¡°DAD!¡± Kelly yelled.


    ¡°Kenneth!¡± Katheryn gasped.


    Arnold looked down at where Kelly''s crotch would be if it wasn''t covered by the bed sheet and then looked back at her father. ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Annie exclaimed.


    ¡°You said... you said that we wouldn''t break up... if we couldn''t have sex.¡± Kelly said with tears in her eyes and her mother nodded.


    ¡°You asked me for sex and I couldn''t give it to you.¡± Arnold said. ¡°All I did was hurt you when I tried. I don''t want to hurt you anymore.¡±


    Kenneth nodded and Annie shook her head.


    ¡°No one should be making rash decisions right now.¡± Annie said. ¡°We should wait and...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and cut her off. ¡°Kelly needs to find someone with a smaller penis, so she can have sex that won''t hurt her.¡±


    Katheryn and Annie caught their breath and Kenneth closed his eyes to try and forget what he just heard.


    ¡°A-Arnold, you... you''re hurting me by breaking up with me.¡± Kelly said as tears rolled down her face.


    ¡°You can still live with my mom for the rest of the summer. She needs your help until then.¡± Arnold said and stepped towards the curtain and turned back to look at Kelly''s crying face. ¡°I''ll see you again when college starts and you move into my dorm room officially.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Katheryn and Kenneth yelled.


    ¡°Kelly''s my roommate.¡± Arnold said. ¡°The room''s paid for and there''s an extra bed. It''s Kelly''s. She can keep an eye on me for my mom and you don''t have to pay for her to stay at the college.¡±


    Katheryn was stunned to hear this, and Kenneth couldn''t string two words together to say anything. Arnold waited for a moment for someone to speak, then opened the curtain and left.


    ¡°Is that true?¡± Katheryn asked and looked at her daughter''s embarrassed face.


    ¡°It''s true.¡± Kelly said and looked at Annie. ¡°But... that was when... I was his girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°Don''t give up on him yet.¡± Annie said. ¡°I''ll talk to him and...¡±


    ¡°He won''t change his mind.¡± Kelly said and a few more tears rolled down her face. ¡°If there''s one thing I know about him, it''s that once he decides something, then that''s it.¡±


    ¡°Kelly.¡± Katheryn said. ¡°Why didn''t you tell us?¡±


    ¡°That''s why.¡± Kelly said and nodded at her father, who looked like he was in a catatonic state.


    ¡°When were you going to tell us you would be living together?¡± Katheryn asked.


    ¡°I wasn''t planning on telling you at all.¡± Kelly said. ¡°It was going to cause too many problems.¡±


    ¡°You... are not... staying with... that...¡± Kenneth mumbled.


    ¡°Go pay the medical bill, honey.¡± Katheryn said and her husband nodded and left. She waited for a few moments and spoke. ¡°What do we do now?¡±


    ¡°Is there anything we can do?¡± Annie asked. ¡°I think I have to agree with Kelly on this. Arnold won''t be easily convinced to be her boyfriend again.¡±


    Kelly touched her pelvic bone with her hands and let out a sob and started to cry in earnest. Both her mother and Annie reached for her and put hands on her shoulders and on her hands, almost as a direct mirror to the other woman''s movements. Annie and Katheryn exchanged similar sad looks in understanding. Katheryn looked down at her daughter and Annie looked down at the girl she had thought of as a daughter-in-law.


    Neither of them knew what they were going to do now.


    *


    Arnold took the bus back home and walked the two streets to get back to the house. Just as he arrived at his yard, the bushes nearby rattled and Kevin jumped out and tackled him. Arnold rolled with it and grabbed on, then the two of them rolled for a few feet and Kevin landed on top.


    ¡°I got you now, you fucker!¡± Kevin said and hauled his hand back to punch Arnold in the face. Arnold reached up and raked his fingernails across Kevin''s face. The punch turned into a hand covering his face from a follow up attack and then strong fingers dug into his neck. Kevin choked and brought his arms down to break the hold Arnold had on his neck and then punched Arnold in the face.


    ¡°You killed my best friend!¡± Kevin said and punched him again. When he tried the third time, Arnold moved his head and grabbed the sleeve of his shirt to hold him and then punched Kevin in the side, right where his kidney was. Kevin grunted from the shot, because it was a solid shot, then Arnold did it again and again.


    Kevin tried to roll away from the heavy body shots and Arnold kept a hold of his shirt. Instead of escaping, it pulled Arnold over on top of him and now it was Kevin''s turn for a few hits to the face as he tried to scramble away. Arnold didn''t stop at just one hit, though. He remembered the last time they had a fight and there was no vice-principal to intervene this time. It was unfortunate for Kevin that Arnold had learned from his mistake last time and he didn''t use his fists.


    Arnold used his elbows and forearms.


    ¡°FREEZE!¡± A woman''s voice yelled and the sound of a gun being cocked was superfluous to her shout. Kevin''s face was a mangled mess again and Arnold''s forearms had some blood on them.


    ¡°Get up off of the victim slowly.¡± Detective Tanner said.


    ¡°I''m the victim.¡± Arnold said and stood up with his hands in the air. ¡°He tackled me from the bushes there.¡± He pointed. ¡°We landed and rolled there.¡± He pointed again and clear signs of a struggle could be seen. ¡°He hit me several times and I managed to turn the tables on him, just as you miraculously showed up.¡±


    ¡°That''s a likely story.¡± Detective Tanner said and didn''t lower her gun. ¡°I only saw you assaulting the victim.¡±


    ¡°You''re wrong.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I have a restraining order against him. He violated it. I want him charged and arrested for assault and criminal trespassing.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be the judge of who gets charged with what.¡± Detective Tanner said and Arnold smiled.


    ¡°Then I am very glad that the neighbours are all standing around and staring at you.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°What?¡± Detective Tanner kept her shooting stance and only moved her eyes as she glanced around.


    ¡°Beth was nice enough to keep one of her security cameras on my mother''s house after it was vandalized.¡± Arnold said and waved one of his raised hands. ¡°Hi, Miss Smith.¡±


    ¡°Hi, Arnold.¡± A woman''s voice said from behind the detective.


    ¡°Did you see everything that happened?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°I called the police immediately.¡± Beth said. ¡°I''ll give them a copy of the footage when the proper authorities get here.¡±


    Detective Tanner took in a deep breath and let it out, then eased herself out of her shooting stance. She put the safety back on her gun and holstered it.


    ¡°You followed me from the bus stop to here and I asked if you were here to see someone or if it was because of a crime. You said no and left.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Did you lie? Did you know this was going to happen and came back?¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Beth yelled and stomped over around the detective and glared at her. ¡°You intentionally put this wonderful young man and his mother in danger?¡± She said loudly. ¡°You horrible woman! What''s your name? I want to make sure my call to the police station has your name right!¡±


    Goddammit. Detective Tanner thought.

 106 Bad Boys

    Detective Tanner did her best to calm down the irate woman when she heard a cell phone. She looked at Arnold as he took one out. ¡°Do not answer that phone! This is a police investigation and...¡±


    Arnold hit accept and put it to his ear. ¡°Hi, Mom.¡± He paused. ¡°I took a bus and I''m at home. Can you guess who just assaulted me?¡± He was quiet for a few seconds. ¡°Kevin.¡± He paused again. ¡°Detective Tanner is here and tried to shoot me.¡± He held the phone away from his ear as his mother cursed and yelled. ¡°She''s trying to frame me for assault, even though Kevin broke the restraining order and attacked me.¡±


    Detective Tanner glared at him as he easily figured out her plan.


    ¡°Miss Smith called the police and they are on their way.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Okay.¡± He hung up the phone. ¡°Mom will come here as soon as she can from the hospital.¡±


    ¡°The hospital?¡± Beth asked and interrupted her own tirade at the detective. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Kelly and I tried to have sex for the first time. She was hurt when I tore her hymen and she wouldn''t stop bleeding.¡±


    Beth gasped and tears came to her eyes. ¡°Oh, Arnold!¡± She said and started to walk over to him.


    Detective Tanner grabbed her arm and stopped her. ¡°Please stay away from the suspect.¡±


    ¡°You better be talking about the boy on the ground or my fist is going to knock some of your teeth out.¡± Beth said and turned to the detective, then looked at her arm. ¡°I''m still recording all of this, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Just... stay back from the scene.¡± Detective Tanner said and let her arm go. The police showed up after a few minutes and she walked over to them.


    ¡°Don''t listen to her lies.¡± Beth said loudly. ¡°I have it all on video and a picture is worth more than a mouthful of fibs.¡±


    Detective Tanner held in her sigh and explained what she saw when she came onto the scene. The two police officers nodded at appropriate times and when she was done, the two police officers walked over towards Arnold.


    Beth stepped in front of them. ¡°You are not arresting that boy for being assaulted in his OWN YARD!¡±


    ¡°Step aside ma''am.¡± One of them said. ¡°We are only detaining him until we can get the whole story sorted out.¡±


    ¡°Then detain the detective, too! She had him at gunpoint and she''s a liar!¡±


    ¡°You are interfering with a police investigation. If you don''t step aside, we will charge you with obstruction of justice.¡±


    Beth huffed at them and stepped aside. ¡°It''s not justice you''re doing.¡±


    The two officers walked around Kevin and handcuffed Arnold just as another police car and Annie''s car drove down the street at the top of the legal limit. Annie barely put her car into the driveway when she was out and walked over to the officers.


    ¡°What the HELL are you doing to my boy?¡± Annie spat in their faces.


    ¡°Step back, ma''am.¡± One of them said.


    Annie pulled out a piece of paper from her back pocket and waved it in their faces. ¡°Listen up, you assholes! We have a restraining order against that little bastard right there!¡± She pointed at Kevin. ¡°Even if, somehow, Kevin magically transported into my yard and Arnold beat the hell out of him without being touched, Kevin is the one that should be in handcuffs!¡±


    ¡°He''s only being detained until we get the story from the witnesses.¡± The cop said and ignored the other officer that approached.


    ¡°Beth, did you tell them you have it all recorded?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°Yes, and they are still arresting him.¡± Beth said.


    ¡°He''s not being arrested.¡±


    ¡°He''s in handcuffs and you''re going to put him in the back of your squad car.¡± Annie said. ¡°That looks like he''s being arrested to me and everyone else here.¡±


    ¡°Annie, calm down.¡± Officer Charlie Hallman said from behind her.


    Annie turned and saw him. ¡°YOU!¡± She yelled and made a fist. To her credit, she didn''t try to punch him. ¡°Unless you can get yourself and your grease-ball buddies away from me and my family right now, you''re going to regret it.¡±


    ¡°Annie...¡±


    ¡°Don''t you dare call me by my first name after you put my family in danger!¡± Annie said. ¡°You and that bitch right there have had it out for us ever since my husband killed himself while drunk driving! Well, I''m done with that!¡± She nearly yelled. ¡°You get your lying piece of shit asses off my property right now!¡±


    ¡°There''s no need for such language.¡± One of the other officers said.


    ¡°It seems to be all you''ll listen to!¡± Annie turned to him. ¡°What goddamned right do you have to detain the victim of an assault?¡± She asked. ¡°Look at my son''s face, you assholes! Fucking LOOK!¡±


    Everyone turned and looked to see that Arnold''s right eye was almost completely closed over and it was starting to bruise as it swelled up, and he had a pretty big welt on the side of his forehead.


    ¡°Kevin tackled me to the ground.¡± Arnold said and Annie handed the restraining order to Officer Hallman and lifted Arnold''s t-shirt. Since it was broad daylight, the bright red mark where Kevin''s shoulder had hit him was plain to see. ¡°I don''t think my ribs are broken.¡±


    Annie let out a sob and the tears started. ¡°Oh, Arnold.¡±


    ¡°You can drop the sympathy act.¡± Detective Tanner said. ¡°Arnold is...¡±


    ¡°Shut your fucking mouth!¡± Annie said and turned to her. ¡°You''re supposed to protect people, not frame them because you think they''re guilty of something!¡± She said. ¡°Who pulls a goddamned gun on an unarmed suspect in a fistfight? Huh? Just you, right?¡±


    Detective Tanner frowned at her.


    ¡°I''m sure the video will show that you had your gun out LONG before you approached my son as he defended himself!¡± Annie said.


    ¡°She did.¡± Beth said and everyone looked at her. ¡°I thought it looked really odd to see someone actually walk like a crab.¡±


    Dammit. Officer Hallman thought. ¡°Look, let''s all just calm down. We can put Arnold in the back of the car...¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± Annie yelled.


    ¡°...with the door open, to show we''re just holding him for everyone''s safety.¡± Officer Hallman said. ¡°Is that all right? Fellas?¡± He asked and looked at the two other officers. ¡°I''ll stand right beside him and make sure he doesn''t cause any more trouble.¡±


    The two officers nodded and Officer Hallman walked over to their car and opened the back door. They brought Arnold over and he sat on the back seat and tucked his legs in.


    ¡°Don''t worry, this shouldn''t take long.¡± Officer Hallman said.


    He couldn''t have been more wrong.


    Detective Tanner thought that she had planned her trap well. While they waited for the ambulance, she told them all about Arnold''s previous criminal history, namely getting in fights at school and even being suspended for punching Kevin''s face in.


    ¡°You''re twisting everything to make Arnold look bad.¡± Annie said with a scowl.


    Detective Tanner smiled. ¡°I have a whole train of evidence that shows there''s a long history of animosity between them. Bullying both in real life and online.¡± She said and watched the EMTs load Kevin into the ambulance. ¡°Arnold had every reason to get back at Kevin for the things he did to your house and losing all of his things.¡±


    ¡°I don''t care about the house.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I don''t care about the things inside. The clothes, the beds, the couch. It''s just things.¡±


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Annie gasped.


    ¡°We had the other things for years. We have all new things now. New floors, new appliances, and new beds. Why would I want to get back at him for that?¡±


    Detective Tanner felt several pairs of eyes on her. ¡°You invited him over to talk and you had a fight.¡± She said. ¡°There''s an email...¡±


    ¡°I''ve never done that before. I only used my computer for games and searching online. I used the laptop at work for inventory. I used my phone for texting Kelly.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I don''t know Kevin''s email.¡±


    Detective Tanner hadn''t taken into account Arnold''s lack of normal social interactions, because she didn''t know about them. Of course, no one really knew, except for a select few.


    ¡°What other lies can you tell, detective?¡± Arnold asked. ¡°That I called him? No. I''ve only called mom and Kelly and the dorm registry office at the college. I don''t know his phone number.¡± He said. ¡°That I asked a friend to call? No. I don''t have a lot of friends. The ones I do have I see once a month and they were all bullied by Brad and his friends for years, too. They wouldn''t call Kevin, either.¡±


    ¡°That''s right, detective.¡± Annie said, once she recovered from Arnold''s dismissal of years of their things. ¡°What other lies can you tell us about my son?¡±


    ¡°We should just watch the video. It shows everything.¡± Beth said.


    ¡°I have a portable video player.¡± One of the other neighbours said.


    ¡°We don''t have time to watch that right now.¡± Detective Tanner said to delay it as long as possible.


    ¡°We have all the time in the world.¡± Annie said. ¡°If this is a crime scene, shouldn''t you be detecting things all over it, detective? That''ll take hours and hours, won''t it?¡±


    Detective Tanner closed her mouth on her response and tried to think of how to get Arnold into custody. There was a hiss and a click from one of the police officer''s belt radios and he turned away and answered it.


    ¡°I''ve got the police chief on the line for you, Detective Tanner.¡± The officer said and held out the small mouthpiece to her.


    Detective Tanner sighed. ¡°Tell him I''ll call him back when I get to my car.¡±


    ¡°He said now.¡± The officer said.


    ¡°Over here.¡± Detective Tanner said and they walked around the police car to where she thought people wouldn''t hear her. Everyone fell silent and they all looked to where she and the officer stood and they all heard her just fine. Of course, the police chief wasn''t being quiet at all.


    Beth covered her mouth as she heard the detective getting berated harshly. ¡°Texting the station with a complaint really works.¡± She whispered and Annie couldn''t help but smile.


    ¡°Thanks, Beth.¡± Annie whispered.


    ¡°I thought Arnold was joking when he said she was trying to frame him.¡± Beth whispered back. ¡°She really is a horrible woman.¡±


    ¡°She''s the one that took us to see Gerald after... after he...¡± Annie couldn''t finish that sentence.


    Beth gave her a quick hug and they stood there and waited.


    Detective Tanner handed the mouthpiece back to the officer and stood there for a full minute, then she and the officer walked around the police car. ¡°The chief has denied my request to take you all down to the station to sort this out.¡± She said through gritted teeth and nodded at Arnold. ¡°Let him go.¡±


    The other officer helped Arnold out of the back of the police car and took the cuffs off of him.


    Detective Tanner waved at the officer behind her. ¡°You can hand all evidence over to this officer and he will deliver it to the station. It''s his and his partner''s case.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be right back!¡± Beth exclaimed and ran over to her house and went inside.


    ¡°I want an ambulance for Arnold, since you were so inconsiderate of his wounds and didn''t even tell the EMTs that he was hurt.¡± Annie said.


    The officers sighed, even Officer Hallman, then one of them reached for his radio.


    Annie held a hand up. ¡°I''ll take him to the hospital myself and I''ll take a bunch of photos of his injuries and get the hospital''s report. I''ll do your fucking job for you, while you get your incompetent asses off of my property.¡±


    ¡°Annie.¡± Officer Hallman said. ¡°Look, I''m sorry that...¡±


    ¡°Get. Away. From. Me.¡± Annie said in a deadly voice. ¡°If you dare come near me or my family again, your names are going to be on a restraining order, too.¡± She said and looked at Detective Tanner. ¡°As for you, if you EVER point a gun at my son again...¡± She stopped talking when Arnold put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Yes, I need to get you to the hospital.¡±


    Arnold let Annie lead him over to the car.


    ¡°Kevin had better be in jail for more than a single night after committing a felony assault and for violating a restraining order.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°Criminal trespasss.¡± Arnold said. His voice was slightly slurred because his cheek was swelling with his eye. ¡°He knew he wass violating the resstraining order.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡± Detective Tanner asked with derision.


    ¡°Intent to commit bodily harm. Uttering threatss. Ccivil dissturbancce. Asssault with intent to murder.¡± Arnold said and the officers and Detective Tanner stared at him with their mouths open in surprise.


    ¡°Get in, Arnold.¡± Annie said and opened the front door for him. He climbed in, careful of his sore side, and she shut his door. She walked around the car and glared at the officers one last time, then climbed in herself and the car drove away.


    ¡°Here it is.¡± Beth said as she came over and handed a USB thumb drive to the officer. ¡°I''d ask for that back; but, heaven knows what kind of contraption it''s going to be in while you examine it.¡± She said with a smile. ¡°Go ahead and keep it, and don''t worry about me billing the city for three dollars.¡±


    The officer looked at her with wide eyes.


    ¡°I''ve sent copies to Annie''s, Arnold''s, and his girlfriend''s phones and to all of our emails.¡± Beth said and looked right at Detective Tanner. ¡°Just in case that thumb drive happens to get lost on the way to the station, did you know that Annie knows this fantastic reporter?¡± She said. ¡°She always takes Annie''s calls. I''m sure she''s going to love getting this story. Don''t you?¡±


    Detective Tanner was wise and kept her mouth shut.


    ¡°Have a good day, officers.¡± Beth said and crossed her arms as she stood there and waited.


    ¡°Yeah, have a good day.¡± A man said and crossed his arms as he stood not far away and waited, too. Several others took the same defiant pose and they all waited for the police to leave. Under the intense scrutiny, the officers and the detective went back to their cars and drove away.


    ¡°Wow, Beth!¡± A woman said and came over to her. ¡°Annie''s going to be so proud of you for making them leave like that!¡±


    ¡°We neighbours have to stick together.¡± Beth said and everyone nodded.


    *


    Annie parked in the pay by the hour lot and helped Arnold walk over to the emergency room. It was a little busier now, so they were going to have to wait for a while. While they sat and waited to be called, Kelly came out of the triage area between her parents. They were helping her walk, even though she didn''t need it.


    ¡°Come on, Dad, there''s no need to... Arnold!¡± Kelly gasped and leaned heavily on her father. ¡°Oh, my god! Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I love you and I can''t have sex with you.¡±


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Annie and Katheryn exclaimed at the same time, while Kelly blushed really hard. Everyone in the waiting room looked at them and then looked away as they pretended to not listen.


    ¡°I think she meant your swollen eye.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°My ribs were hit harder.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°A-Arnold.¡± Kelly was on the verge of tears again.


    ¡°Let''s go home.¡± Katheryn said.


    ¡°No, I... I want to stay.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°You need bed rest and can''t sit down for a while.¡± Katheryn reminded her. ¡°Do you see anywhere to lay down here?¡±


    Kelly saw the seat beside Arnold and imagined laying on her side, curled up in a ball, with her head on his lap. Before she could say anything, her parents led her from the waiting area.


    ¡°I should have grabbed some ice at a store or something.¡± Annie said and looked at Arnold''s face. ¡°Good god, that looks so bad.¡±


    ¡°Take picturesss.¡± Arnold said, his lisp was getting worse as the side of his face swelled up more.

 107 Health Care

    It took an hour before someone called Arnold''s name and by then, his eye was swollen completely shut. The bruise was from his forehead down to his cheek, since it was actually two bruises combined. Annie had used Arnold''s phone to take the pictures they would need later. When the attending doctor finally saw Arnold and the state he was in, he winced a little.


    ¡°Good lord, didn''t someone offer you an ice pack or something?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I didn''t know they could or I would have asked.¡± Annie said. ¡°We''ve been sitting there for an hour waiting.¡±


    The doctor shook his head. ¡°I need to have a talk to them again.¡± He said and took out a small light. ¡°I don''t suppose you can open that eye for me?¡± He asked Arnold.


    ¡°Not fffor the lassst twenty minutesss.¡± Arnold slurred.


    The doctor sighed. ¡°How many hits to the face did you take?¡±


    ¡°Two punchesss.¡± Arnold said and pointed to the two spots, the side of his forehead and his cheek.


    ¡°That figures. The two places that would automatically cause a black eye and near immediate swelling and discoloration.¡± The doctor lightly touched Arnold''s eyelid and he didn''t flinch. ¡°Does that hurt?¡±


    ¡°Yesss.¡± Arnold said and the doctor looked at him in surprise.


    ¡°He''s always had a high pain tolerance.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°That''s actually going to work in your favor for the next few days while the swelling goes down, because it stings like a son of a bitch with having to keep it cold.¡± The doctor said and very carefully opened the top eyelid and flicked the light onto Arnold''s eye. ¡°I''ll give you a cold compress and you are to gently rest it on the side of your face. Do NOT press on it. Do NOT hold it to your skin firmly. Any additional pressure around your eye and it could cause permanent damage.¡±


    Annie took in a sharp breath.


    ¡°Yes, it''s very serious. In fact, I suggest you do not lay down. Reclining is fine. The fluid won''t build up too quickly and hopefully your eye can come out of this unscathed.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Arnold.¡± Annie said, almost on the verge of tears.


    ¡°It''s not all doom and gloom.¡± The doctor said with a smile. ¡°His eye is working fine underneath that dark purple swelling. As long as nothing else happens to him for about a week, he should be fine.¡± He said and let Arnold''s eyelid go. ¡°I''m tempted to recommend an optometrist; but, he won''t be able to check anything until after the swelling goes down, anyway.¡±


    ¡°What about the compress? How long does it need to get cold and can Arnold use anything else while I have it in the freezer?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°Don''t you dare think of using a piece of meat or a bag of frozen peas or something.¡± The doctor said. ¡°All you''ll do is cause more complications, infections, and possibly damage the eye.¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°I''ll stop and grab another compress at the pharmacy on the way home.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± The doctor said and explained about how to use the compress as he gently probed the damaged area around Arnold''s eye. ¡°It''s actually not too bad.¡±


    ¡°It looks bad.¡± Annie said and the doctor chuckled.


    ¡°Just wait until it starts to heal and turns a sickly yellow.¡± The doctor said and let out a low whistle. ¡°He''s going to look like he''s jaundiced on that side of his face. Or half dead.¡± He shrugged and filled out a few things on Arnold''s chart. ¡°You''ll find out in a few days.¡± He said and left for a couple of minutes, then came back with a cold compress and handed it to Arnold.


    Arnold put it to his face and only rested it there and the doctor nodded.


    Annie let out a relieved sigh. ¡°Can you check his ribs, too?¡±


    ¡°Of course. It''s on the sheet.¡± The doctor said and lifted Arnold''s t-shirt. ¡°Whew, look at that. A perfect football tackle.¡±


    ¡°You''ve seen this before?¡± Annie asked, a little surprised, and took several pictures.


    ¡°Shoulder bruises? All the damn time.¡± The doctor laughed and expertly roamed his hands over Arnold''s side. ¡°There''s usually a good upper arm bruise to go with it, too.¡± He gently prodded the spots and then traced the outline of an arm. ¡°You''re a little more tenderized right along here, so he got you good from the right side.¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°I got him back.¡±


    The doctor gave him an appraising look. ¡°Big guy, brown hair, mulched face?¡± He asked and Arnold nodded again. ¡°How are your hands? You really gave him a pounding.¡±


    ¡°I usssed my armsss.¡± Arnold slurred his s-words as he lifted his forearms to show the dried blood on them.


    ¡°I don''t normally like fighting, since it almost always turns out bad for everyone.¡± The doctor said. ¡°I assume he started it?¡±


    ¡°He vandalized our home and then violated the restraining order we had against him.¡± Annie said.


    The doctor gave her a disbelieving look. ¡°You''re the Strickland family?¡± He asked, surprised.


    ¡°Our names are on the chart.¡± Annie said and pointed to the chart.


    ¡°I try not to read them until the appointment is almost over, so I don''t get personally involved.¡± The doctor said and checked Arnold''s other side. ¡°I can''t feel any breaks, even though he slammed you to the ground pretty hard.¡±


    ¡°What a relief!¡± Annie said.


    ¡°You say that now.¡± The doctor said with a smile. ¡°You have to go pay the bill after this.¡±


    ¡°I''m glad you didn''t pad it with twenty dollar pain pills that I can get at the pharmacy for about fifteen cents each.¡± Annie said and the doctor laughed.


    ¡°I assume you''ve got insurance?¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°It''s paid for the year, so this shouldn''t be too much of an expense.¡± She said. ¡°No ambulance charge, either.¡±


    The doctor smiled. ¡°I''m glad.¡± He said and took her hand. ¡°Good people need something good to happen to them sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes? You''ve read the newspaper articles, haven''t you? I need to have everything good happen from now on to make up for everything we''ve been through!¡± Annie said and they both laughed. Annie laughed genuinely and the doctor laughed sadly.


    ¡°I don''t have to wrap your son''s chest. He just has to be careful and not move too much for a couple days.¡± The doctor said, then he gave her a smile. ¡°You''re free to go.¡±


    ¡°Can I get a couple copies of Arnold''s medical report? The police need it for the case against Arnold''s assailant.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°Of course. I''ll go make them and come right back.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, doctor.¡± Annie said and he left. She looked at her son''s face and sighed. ¡°I''m so sorry about today, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold shrugged.


    ¡°Everything just... with Kelly and then Kevin...¡± Annie sighed. ¡°We''ve spent more time at the hospital than we have at home.¡±


    ¡°You ssstill need to get groccceriesss.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I need to get you home first and set up to be comfortable.¡± Annie said, and then chuckled. ¡°I wonder if my shopping cart will still be where I left it this morning in the middle of the supermarket?¡±


    The doctor came back and handed her two copies of the medical report. ¡°I added in the potential lingering damages and the possible permanent eye deformations, just for some flavor.¡±


    Annie tucked the files under her arm and held a hand out to the doctor. ¡°Thank you for that.¡±


    ¡°It should help, especially if you get those pictures printed off and add them to the file.¡± The doctor said and shook her hand.


    ¡°I''ll do that when I grab the second cold compress.¡± Annie said and let his hand go. ¡°Let''s go, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold nodded and followed his mother out of the triage area and they went to the main desk to take care of the bill. Annie asked for several copies for both the insurance company and for the two files, then she paid the remaining part of the bill with her debit card and they left the hospital.


    ¡°I don''t think there''s any way to get this money back from Kevin without suing him for damages. I''m afraid that if we try, it will open us up to being sued by him for the damages you did to him.¡± Annie said as they went to the parking lot. She had to pay for the second hour, even though they were only a few minutes over the first hour, and she drove them to the pharmacy she frequented a lot. She bought another cold compress and also printed out two copies of the photos for the files.


    Once that was done, Annie took her son back to the house and did up the couch for him, with a pillow and a blanket, and had him undress and reclined him against the corner and put his feet up. She turned on the television and bent over him to give him a kiss. She stopped when she saw his mouth was slightly misshapen.


    ¡°It looks like you won''t be kissing anyone properly for a while.¡± Annie said and placed a kiss half on his cheek and half on the good side of his lips. ¡°I''ll be back in a while. If anything happens, call me immediately.¡±


    Arnold nodded and watched as his mother left. Almost as if it had waited for her to leave, his phone beeped at him. He picked it up and saw a text from Kelly.


    ''I finally got my mom to leave me alone.'' Kelly texted. ''Now tell me what happened to you!''


    Arnold typed with one hand and held the cold compress lightly to his face as he typed back what had happened. He couldn''t see that as Kelly saw each message, she became angrier and angrier. She did her best to not respond with anger, because she didn''t want Arnold to think she was angry at him... even though she was. He had broken up with her as if he didn''t care about her.


    Kelly knew that he did care about her, especially after what he said in the hospital waiting room; but, it still hurt her heart to be tossed aside, just because her father said to. She was also very angry at her father for telling Arnold to leave her alone. She didn''t speak to him unless she had to, then it was only in short and terse sentences so that she wouldn''t start screaming at him.


    She was also angry at herself.


    Kelly hated her body even more now, because of what it had done to her relationship with Arnold. Of course, it also made her mentally question everything she was ever going to experience about sex. What would she do if she did meet another guy she liked? When he revealed himself to her and she saw his penis, what would she say? Oh, you''re a bit too big for me and I can''t see you anymore? Or would it be really small and she would jump for joy that it wouldn''t hurt to have such a tiny thing inside of her?


    She shook her head as she became self-conscious of not only her own body, but of every body that she was ever going to see, because she was going to have to judge them on the size of their penis and not on their personality or how she felt about them. She closed her eyes for a moment and pushed her future concerns aside, then kept texting Arnold back and forth.


    Kelly eventually found out about the security video. When she checked her phone, the unknown sender had shuffled the message into her spam. When she watched it, she was both terrified and very proud.


    *


    Officer Charlie Hallman sat in the squad room after the little talk the chief wanted to have to the officers that had responded to the call at the Strickland residence. It was actually a pretty loud discussion, and fairly detailed, and he was very glad that his own performance at the scene had been the voice of reason and had calmed everyone down.


    The video had been pretty damning for Detective Tanner. Annie had been right and she had her gun out long before approaching the two fighting men on the screen. The worst part was that she hadn''t interfered until Arnold started to get the upper hand.


    I need to ask that woman where she bought her microphones. Officer Hallman thought.


    Everything that was said on the video was clear and concise, to Detective Tanner''s surprise, and her little ruse to get Arnold into custody so she could question him was completely exposed. It had even caught her conversation with the two officers that was slightly off-screen as she instructed them to take Arnold into custody, because he was a person of interest in a couple of cases.


    The worst part of the video for Detective Tanner was her own evidence explanation. She had revealed several factors that no one caught at the time, because they were all listening to the explanation and not what was actually said. She had knowledge of, previous knowledge of, and actual knowledge of, aspects of Kevin''s apparent reasons for being there that day... and since Kevin was unconscious the entire time and she hadn''t questioned him to get that knowledge... it was a clear set up to frame Arnold.


    To say that the police chief wasn''t happy was an understatement. Detective Tanner was on administrative leave, effective immediately, and her role in what happened was being investigated by Internal Affairs, or IA. They were the cops for the cops and a lot of police officers treated them like most normal people treated cops. With fear and respect.


    Considering how long Detective Tanner''s career was, they had a lot of investigating to do, starting with the current case of the Strickland family. What a huge stinking pile of mess that was turning out to be.


    Annie. Officer Hallman thought as he remembered the spitfire that had stood defiantly against three police officers and a detective, essentially spat in their faces as she cursed at them, and called them out on the bullshit they shovelled every day. He wasn''t supposed to encourage something like that, and yet, he thought she looked almost regal as she yelled and berated them for being so stupid.


    Officer Hallman thought about calling her and telling her that Detective Tanner was relieved of duty for the foreseeable future, then changed his mind. There was no way she would want to hear from him so soon, especially after her threat to get a restraining order against them. The police. He chuckled as he imagined what the judge would say as he saw that case cross his desk of someone asking for police protection against the police.


    She''s definitely a spitfire. Officer Hallman thought and sat back in the chair he was in and crossed his arms over his chest and crossed his ankles. Her actions just made him like her that much more. I really have to find some way to apologize to her.


    ¡°Hey, no relaxing on the job.¡± Someone said and swatted his shoulder with the back of their hand.


    Officer Hallman chuckled and looked at his partner. ¡°You know full well this is my seriously thinking pose.¡±


    His partner nodded. ¡°Thanks a lot for leaving me back at the coffee shop.¡± He said sarcastically.


    ¡°It was an emergency and I gave you a copy of my report.¡± Officer Hallman said. ¡°Plus, you were taking too damn long talking to the waitress.¡±


    His partner laughed, then his face lost the humor. ¡°I also heard the chief.¡± His partner said. ¡°We all heard the chief.¡±


    ¡°What a relief it wasn''t me this time.¡± Officer Hallman said.


    ¡°Yeah, a relief.¡± His partner said. ¡°Want to get started on that paperwork?¡±


    ¡°I might as well. I''m just waiting for IA to pop in for a visit.¡±


    ¡°Fun.¡± His partner said and they both walked over to the communal desks and started working on the generic paperwork that all police officers worked on practically every day.

 108 Recovering

    Kelly had tried a few subtle phrases and suggestions while she and Arnold texted back and forth, just to see if he would pick up on her wanting to stay his girlfriend, and he ignored them. After an hour of trying, she started to ask him more direct things. She asked him to do things that usually only boyfriends and girlfriends do, and to her dismay, he flatly refused.


    Kelly gripped her cell phone hard and did her best to hold onto her anger and not throw her phone across the room. He won''t even let me try to give him a blowjob, even after all the times I let him go down on me! She thought in surprise.


    She took in a deep breath through her nose and let it out through her mouth. She tried to plead and appeal to his sense of fair play and reciprocation, and he responded that he wasn''t her boyfriend and she didn''t have to do things like that with him anymore. She even flat out asked him to be her boyfriend, and he refused.


    ''We are friends and roommates.'' Arnold typed. ''I was told that I don''t have time for that relationship nonsense.''


    ''What? Explain that!'' Kelly typed back and willed her anger into the phone.


    ''No girlfriend and boyfriend crap, no commitment garbage, and definitely no drama.'' Arnold typed as he repeated the words Pam had said to him.


    ''ARNOLD!''


    ''Your father said we can''t date, Kelly. We broke up. What else do you want me to say?''


    ''That you won''t listen to my father!''


    ''He''s right. I hurt you and will keep hurting you. I don''t want to.'' Arnold typed. ''Mom''s back. I have to go.''


    ''Arnold! I''m talking to you!'' Kelly typed and sent it... then her phone beeped. Message could not be sent. She read. ¡°Goddammit!¡± She said loudly and then she heard running footsteps.


    ¡°Dear? Is something wrong?¡± Katheryn asked as she opened Kelly''s bedroom door all the way. It had only been open a crack. ¡°Do you need some more pain medication?¡±


    Kelly looked at her mother''s concerned face and sighed. ¡°No, Mom. What I need is a new body.¡±


    Katheryn sighed as well and came into the room, then carefully sat on the side of her daughter''s bed. ¡°Kelly, it''s not your fault. Your body just has a quirk that makes it a bit more difficult to have sex.¡±


    ¡°Mom, it cost me my first serious boyfriend.¡± Kelly said. ¡°What else is it going to cost me?¡±


    ¡°Kelly, dear.¡± Katheryn took her hand, pulled the phone out of it, and put the phone on the nightstand. ¡°You need to rest and recover. You can worry about what to do about your love life when you''re better.¡±


    ¡°Mom...¡± Kelly shook her head. ¡°...never mind.¡±


    Katheryn gave her daughter''s hand a squeeze. ¡°You''re young. Everything that happens to you is a world changing event.¡±


    Kelly squinted her eyes at her. ¡°Don''t make fun of me.¡±


    Katheryn smiled. ¡°I''m not. It''s literally true.¡± She said. ¡°Your whole world changed since this morning, hasn''t it?¡±


    Kelly opened her mouth to say it hadn''t changed very much, then thought about everything that happened and how much her life had changed because of it.


    ¡°You see?¡± Katheryn said. ¡°All the things that have happened has changed your world each time. Being Heather''s friend? Your world changed. Not being her friend? Changed again. Dating Arnold? It changed. Meeting new friends? It changed again. Graduating high school? Completely changed it.¡±


    ¡°I get it.¡± Kelly let out another sigh. ¡°Mom, I don''t want my world to change from the last one.¡±


    ¡°You''re too late, dear. It''s already changed.¡± Katheryn said and stood up as she let her daughter''s hand go. ¡°You just have to decide what you want to do with the new one until it changes again.¡±


    Kelly watched her mother smile sadly and slowly shut her door almost all the way.


    *


    ¡°No, Arnold. Don''t get up.¡± Annie said and brought in two bags of groceries. ¡°The doctor said not to move too much for a couple of days.¡±


    Arnold sat back down on the couch and watched as his mother made ten trips outside and back with bags of groceries. Luckily, most of the things she bought had long expiry dates, because she had forgotten that it was only going to be her living in the house for a week while Kelly recovered at home.


    Annie hadn''t had to carry in her own groceries all by herself in a long time, so she was quite slow about it. She didn''t bother pre-sorting like Arnold did and emptied each bag as she opened it and put the things away. It took a while doing it like that, too. She was nowhere near as proficient as Arnold was, so she made a bit of a mess of it. She closed the last cupboard and stood up straight.


    Am I so scared of living alone that I force myself to be terrible at things like this? Annie asked herself and shook her head. She left the kitchen and went to the living room. ¡°Arnold, are you hungry?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I''ll make some sandwiches and be right back.¡± Annie said and quickly did so and went back to the living room after grabbing the second cold compress from the freezer. She exchanged it with the one Arnold had and then sat down on the chair beside the couch. They ate and Annie looked at Arnold reclining slightly on the couch.


    Annie immediately became angry at Kevin. Not for hurting her boy, because that was a given and simmered in the back of her mind all the time. It was because with Arnold''s face damaged, she wouldn''t be able to sit on the couch and let him rest his head on her lap to watch television together. It was the little things that they couldn''t do together that bothered her the most.


    When they finished eating, Annie stood up and walked over to him and gave him a kiss that was half on the cheek and half on the lips. That bothered her as well, so she held it for a few seconds.


    ¡°I love you, Arnold.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°I love you too, Mom.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie took the empty plate and went back to the kitchen, rinsed it off, then went back to the living room. She sat down on the chair again and tried to watch television. Her eyes kept drifting away and she looked at Arnold. He almost looked forlorn as he sat there all alone on the couch. She knew she was projecting her own interpretation of what he was feeling onto him; but, she couldn''t help it and sympathized with his predicament.


    Annie believed that the worst part about the whole thing was that he had hurt Kelly. Her son hadn''t had to deal with the emotions of hurting someone before and she wasn''t sure how she could talk to him about it. If she came right out and said something, she was sure that he would tell her that he was fine. She knew he wasn''t, especially after what he said in the waiting room at the hospital to Kelly.


    He said he wasn''t okay because he loved her and couldn''t make love to her. Annie thought and fought her own emotional reaction. She felt so bad for him that this had to happen, and she was sure that there wasn''t anything she could do to make him okay with it. Only making love to Kelly would fix what''s wrong and that''s not going to happen. She thought. Arnold said he doesn''t want to hurt her anymore.


    Annie sighed and kept watching television. Her hand slowly rubbed the chair arm, as if it was Arnold''s chest, and she didn''t even realize she was doing it.


    The afternoon passed and she made supper, making sure that it was easily chewed, so Arnold wouldn''t have any trouble eating it. After that, there wasn''t really much left for them to do except watch television, so that''s what they did for the rest of the evening.


    When it was time to go to bed, Arnold said that he would stay on the couch. Annie thought that he didn''t want to go upstairs and use the bed that he and Kelly had tried to use together, and she gave him a very gentle hug and another kiss. She wasn''t sure how she was going to ease his trauma over the bed, either. Just buying a new bed wouldn''t help, because it was still a bed and would still be in his room.


    ¡°I''ll grab a thicker blanket and another pillow for you.¡± Annie said and quickly did so from the upstairs closet and helped Arnold recline a little more. She replaced his cold compress and looked at his face. ¡°I can''t tell if the swelling''s gone down or not.¡±


    ¡°Me, either.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I''ll be down during the night to check on you and to replace the compress.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and puckered his lips a little bit, since that was all he could manage.


    Annie took the hint though and gave him a quick kiss that was half on his lips and half on his cheek. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Arnold said.


    *


    Detective Tanner was not a happy woman. She looked at her now completely empty white board in her living room and cursed silently. IA had ''visited'' her home and had taken every piece of evidence that she had gathered on Arnold. All the photos, witness statements, and copies of the case files she believed or suspected that Arnold was involved in.


    The IA agents didn''t see it the same way that she did, though. She saw it as incriminating the young man and established his extensive criminal history. They saw it as incriminating her, because it established her obsession with Arnold and how extensively she had researched him without police approval. She tried to explain that it was independent research and the two IA agents almost laughed in her face.


    As it was, she now had no official power to do anything. She knew it would take them a while to go through everything, though. Which meant that she had quite some time before she was called in for a hearing about her conduct. She smiled and sat down on her couch. She had memorized everything she had gathered and she knew she could justify everything she did.


    Even this latest incident with Arnold''s assault. She had only stepped in when she believed there was a danger of someone being seriously hurt... and Kevin was. Again. Arnold''s vicious forearm beating had messed Kevin''s face up badly in only a couple of seconds and it had knocked him out.


    He must have a glass jaw. Detective Tanner thought without making the connection that Arnold hit very hard.


    In any case, she hadn''t told Kevin any privileged information or divulged any case restricted secrets. All she did was tell him her suspicions and let him draw his own conclusions. So, even if he told them everything, which she sincerely doubted, it wasn''t as bad as the chief made it out to be.


    She also knew that Internal Affairs was grasping at straws when they said they were going to investigate all of her other cases for questionable behavior on her part. She had been well above standards in everything else she had ever done, because she was a woman and nothing less than the best was acceptable, as far as she was concerned.


    Detective Tanner spent years proving that she was better than everyone else, just to maintain the same level of status as the other detectives. It wasn''t until she had stumbled across Arnold that her personal feelings had started to interfere with her work ethic. She wasn''t sure why he had her mind ringing alarm bells, just that he did and she knew for a fact that she had to prove he was doing something criminal.


    Now she had the next few months off while they wasted their time investigating her, when they should have been investigating Arnold like she was. She wasn''t sure how she could keep her own investigation going and not attract attention, so she accepted that she would have to back off for a while. That irked her; but, there was nothing else to be done about it.


    Detective Tanner would bide her time and wait patiently for an opportunity that she knew was coming. She hoped that Arnold would screw up soon and she would be there to pounce on him. She would point to him and say, ''Aha! I told you!'', and everyone would have to admit that she was right. She laid back on her couch and closed her eyes as she replayed that fantasy in her head.


    It gave her a warm feeling to catch a bad guy that no one knew about and she drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.


    *


    Kelly laid in bed and felt sore and uncomfortable between her legs. She tried again to text Arnold and received the same message about it not being delivered. She sighed and put her phone down.


    I can''t believe that he turned off his phone and left it off, just so he wouldn''t have to talk to me. Kelly thought and looked at the time and sighed. She couldn''t call the house line and she didn''t want to bother Annie on her recently acquired outdated cell phone, either. She had gotten it cheap and the cell phone plan was ridiculously cheap.


    Kelly worried about what to do for a while and fell asleep without resolving anything. She might have slept better if she had known that Arnold had simply forgotten to turn his cell phone back on.


    *


    Annie came down the stairs in the middle of the night and she wore a small t-shirt and a tiny pair of shorts. She stifled her yawn and went to the refrigerator and grabbed the cold compress from the freezer. She walked over to the living room and saw her son had rolled onto his side, which made his head hang partially off the couch. The compress he had was on the floor and he was deep asleep.


    Annie smiled and shook her head at him, then carefully pushed him back onto his back and into a reclining position. You''re lucky you rolled onto the good side of your face. She thought and gently stroked his head. My poor boy. She let out a soft sigh. I wish I could hold you in my arms and make everything better.


    Arnold''s breathing sped up slightly and his good eye opened a little bit.


    ¡°Go back to sleep, sweetie.¡± Annie whispered. ¡°We can leave the cold compress off until the morning.¡±


    ¡°Kay.¡± Arnold mumbled and closed his eyes and went right back to sleep.


    If only everything was that simple to deal with. Annie thought, gave him a kiss, then picked up the compress he had dropped. She wiped it off and took it to the kitchen and put both of them in the refrigerator freezer. She went up the stairs after checking on Arnold one more time, and went to bed.


    The next morning, they were both still tired, so Annie stayed with him for an hour to make sure that he had at least some cold applied to his face, then she put it down. After that, she somehow squeezed onto the couch beside him and tucked herself under his arm, then they both went back to sleep.


    It was the best nap that Annie had had in a long time. She woke up and felt comforted, even though she knew she was supposed to be the one comforting her son. She stirred and sat up to look at him, only to see him staring back at her with his unobstructed eye, fully awake, and she thought that maybe she had comforted him after all.


    ¡°I think your face looks a little better... or I''m getting used to seeing you like that.¡± Annie said. ¡°I really hope I''m not getting used to it.¡±


    ¡°It''ss not ass pufffy.¡± Arnold said and opened his mouth and it mostly opened.


    ¡°That does work a little better.¡± Annie said and stood up. ¡°I''ll be right back with the other compress.¡± She said and took the warm one and replaced it with the cold one, then went back to the living room.


    ¡°Thankss.¡± Arnold said and rested it against the side of his face.


    ¡°I think we need to decide if you can go back to the college tonight.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°I havve work in the morning.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. I don''t think I can tell him how difficult it''s been for me as I try looking for work myself. She thought. My resume isn''t even a single page long and no one looks at it when I pass it to them. I don''t think they even read my job applications. ¡°We can see how you''re feeling tonight. If you can open that eye a little by then... and don''t you dare force it... I''ll let you go back to the college on the bus. If it doesn''t, then you''ll have to spend another day here. Does that sound fair?¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°Okay. I''ll do my best to help you and I''ll keep the cold compresses coming.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and puckered his lips. Annie chuckled and gave him a quick kiss. She got it mostly on his lips this time, too. They spent the rest of the day trying to heal him up as much as possible, ate good food, and waited patiently.


    An hour before the bus was to arrive to take him to the college, Annie looked at his face and nodded. Arnold slowly opened his swollen eye a quarter of an inch, without straining or using his fingers to cheat.


    ¡°All right.¡± Annie said. She didn''t try to hide the fact that she wanted him to stay another day; but, she quickly got his things ready and helped him dress, then switched out his compress for a cold one and put the warm one in his backpack. ¡°Do the same thing we did last night with it. Keep it on until it''s time to go to bed. If you wake up, apply the fresh one for an hour, then leave it until the morning.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said. They climbed into the car and Annie drove him to the bus stop.


    ¡°Call me as soon as you get there and let me know you''re okay.¡± Annie said and he nodded. ¡°I won''t call or bother you at work, so if anything else happens, we can talk in the evenings.¡±


    Arnold nodded again and they sat there and waited for the bus. Annie had timed it well and only a few minutes later, it approached from down the street.


    ¡°Be safe.¡± Annie said and gave him a quick kiss. ¡°I''ll come to the college next weekend to see you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and left the car with his backpack and his phone that was still turned off.

 109 Sympathy Vote

    Arnold stepped onto the bus and the driver let out a low whistle.


    ¡°Jesus, kid. How many knuckle sandwiches did you eat?¡± The bus driver asked and Arnold didn''t say anything, because he didn''t get the joke. ¡°How many times did you get hit in the face?¡±


    ¡°Twicce.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°He must have been a big guy, huh?¡±


    Arnold thought about the doctor''s assessment. ¡°He was a football player.¡±


    The bus driver winced. ¡°I''m surprised you don''t look worse.¡±


    Arnold lifted his t-shirt and showed off the shoulder and arm shaped bruise.


    ¡°Goddamn.¡± The driver said. ¡°I hope you did worse to him!¡±


    Arnold managed a half smile and the driver nodded.


    ¡°Good for you.¡± The driver said. ¡°Have a seat and I''ll get you to where you''re going.¡±


    Arnold scanned his bus pass and sat down in the front seat. After a two hour bus ride, they arrived at the stop near the college campus. The driver wished him well and Arnold waved as he left the bus. He crossed the deserted street and walked over to the campus. It was pretty late, so he entered the dorm building and saw that Doris wasn''t there. He looked at the stairs and remembered his mother reminding him to not move very much, so he pushed the elevator button.


    A quick ride up to the top floor delivered Arnold to a deserted and quiet hallway. He walked down it to his room and opened the door, stepped inside, and locked it again. He dropped off his backpack on a chair and put both cold compresses into the small refrigerator. He couldn''t apply them again until they were cold, so he walked over to his bed and stripped off to his underwear.


    Arnold propped up the pillows against the wall and made a good reclining position for himself, then got on the bed and relaxed. He took several deep breaths and closed his eyes for a moment, then he checked the alarm for the morning. It was still set for six o''clock and he adjusted it to five thirty. He was going to need the extra time to shower, because he felt stiff and knew he would need the extra time.


    He rested his head back on the top of the pillow against the wall and closed his eyes again. He thought he had only blinked his eyes and looked at the clock again to see that two hours had passed. He closed his eyes again and let sleep take him.


    *


    Doris regretted not staying at the dorm long enough to meet Arnold when he came back on the bus. She needed her sleep and she had been staying up way too late nearly every night for far too long already. If she didn''t start getting some proper sleep, her ability to do her job would start to suffer more than it already was.


    It wouldn''t be until the morning when she would discover how much she was actually going to regret not being there for him or seeing the state he was in before everyone else did.


    *


    Kevin woke up in the hospital and didn''t know where he was, just that it was dark. When he lifted a hand to touch his very painful face, his hand stopped after a few inches with a clink. He blinked his eyes and looked at his handcuffed wrist and sighed.


    Fuck! Kevin thought, angrily. The rotten bastard beat me again!


    ¡°Kevin?¡± A woman''s voice asked from the darkness beside the bed.


    ¡°Mom?¡± Kevin asked back and he turned his head that way as she leaned forward to give him a hug.


    ¡°Why?¡± His mother asked. ¡°Why did you assault that boy?¡±


    ¡°He killed Brad and Jake.¡± Kevin said and she gasped.


    ¡°Kevin!¡± She said his name harshly and let him go. ¡°Stop saying such nonsense!¡±


    ¡°Mom...¡± Kevin started to say.


    ¡°Jake was a tragic accident. They even showed the pictures in the paper. He fell and hit his head and his blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit.¡± Kevin''s mother said. ¡°I''m surprised he could even stand while being that drunk.¡± She caught her breath and sighed. ¡°I guess he didn''t, actually.¡±


    ¡°Mom...¡±


    ¡°About your other friend... no one has said anything officially about what happened with Brad... but... there are rumors.¡± His mom said, not really comfortable talking about it with her son. ¡°He was... trying to... force sex on his supervisor.¡±


    Kevin looked at her with surprise on his face. ¡°Brad wasn''t forcing it!¡±


    His mom gasped. ¡°You knew he was...¡± She shook her head. ¡°You better keep your mouth shut if you know what happened to him.¡± She said in warning. ¡°If the police knew you knew about it, I think they would have some very hard questions for you.¡±


    ¡°Mom, it''s not like that.¡± Kevin said. ¡°They were...¡±


    ¡°I don''t care what you think it''s like.¡± His mom said and cut him off. ¡°If you mention it to anyone, the trouble you''re in will be that much worse.¡±


    Kevin looked at the handcuffs.


    ¡°I''m supposed to tell them when you wake up, so they can take you to jail.¡± His mom said and leaned back into the darkness. ¡°Go back to sleep and I can pretend that you didn''t wake up.¡±


    ¡°Mom...¡±


    ¡°At least close your eyes, in case they look in and see you.¡± His mother said as she took his hand and he closed his eyes. ¡°This may be the last bit of being outside that you... are going to have... for a while.¡± She sniffed and let out a soft sob, and Kevin felt really bad about making his mother cry. He didn''t sleep a wink all night and neither did she.


    *


    Arnold''s alarm went off and he hit the button. He went to the kitchenette and grabbed one of the cold compresses. He walked over to the dorm room door and opened it, then sat down at the table and lightly held the compress to his face. His face stung quite a bit more, which meant it was healing and the doctor had been right. He stayed there for ten minutes and then put the compress back in the small refrigerator and walked over to the bathroom.


    The bruise on his right side and across part of his abdomen was still stiff, so when he stepped into the shower, it really did take him quite a bit more time to wash like he thought it would. He avoided letting the water hit his face directly, like the doctor had warned him, and finished cleaning himself. When he stepped out and grabbed a towel, he saw the familiar hallway scene. Several girls were standing around and talking about different things as he dried off.


    Arnold hung the towel up to let it dry and walked over to his dresser to get new underwear and put them on, then went back to the refrigerator and grabbed the cold compress again and put it on his face.


    ¡°Arnold! Oh, my GOD!¡± One of the girls in the hallway yelled when they finally got a good look at him and saw the large bruise. Every single girl in the dorms was out in the hallway a moment later and looked at him with surprise on their faces.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Emily asked from the next room, because she just couldn''t ignore a shout like that.


    ¡°I was assaulted on Saturday in my front yard.¡± Arnold said. ¡°It was one of the guys that wrecked my house.¡±


    ¡°Oh, god.¡± Janet said and walked over to him. She only wore a thin beige cloth bra and matching panties. ¡°I''m sorry you were hurt.¡± She said and went to hug him, then stopped. ¡°Oh, damn. I guess you can''t be hugged for a while.¡±


    ¡°I can''t kiss anyone properly, either.¡± Arnold said and moved the compress out of the way. They all gasped at the sight of his face and some of them covered their mouths to stop themselves from crying.


    ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± Janet said and lightly touched his face, then she had a strong urge to kiss him. She leaned forward and placed a kiss on the edge of his cheek and partially on his mouth, just like his mother Annie had.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said.


    Janet wiped at her face and caught the tears before they ruined her make-up. ¡°I wish I could do more than that, like magically heal you.¡± She said. ¡°It''s going to be hard on you for the next few days.¡±


    ¡°It stings pretty bad now.¡± Arnold said and his hand lightly touched the bruise on his side. ¡°It''s really stiff.¡±


    Janet turned around and looked at Pam. ¡°What time is it?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, It''s quarter after seven.¡± Pam said. She hadn''t walked over, even though she thought that she still needed to apologize to him.


    ¡°I better help you get dressed.¡± Janet said as she turned back to Arnold. ¡°The walk to the lab is going to take you longer with your side like that.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I''ll help, too!¡± Rachel said and darted over. ¡°I''ll help hold you steady.¡±


    The two girls led Arnold over to his closet and he told them which suit he needed, then the other girls gathered in the doorway to watch them dress him. A few were tempted to go in and help as well; but, they would have gotten in the way if they did.


    Arnold was carefully dressed as he kept the cold compress on his face. Janet asked him what happened and what the doctor said and did, and he explained about taking it easy for a couple of days. Arnold actually used Rachel for balance because his other hand was occupied and then Janet slipped his suit coat onto him.


    ¡°You should leave it unbuttoned.¡± Janet said. ¡°If the doctor didn''t wrap your chest, it means he didn''t want extra pressure on it, just like your face.¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°Girls? If someone is almost dressed, they can lead him down to the elevator and make sure he gets to the lobby okay.¡±


    ¡°Ooo! Me! Me!¡± A young woman said and waved a hand. ¡°I always dress early!¡±


    ¡°We have a winner.¡± Janet said and led Arnold over to the door. ¡°The rest of us need to hurry and get dressed ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Good point.¡± Rachel said and looked at Arnold''s escort. ¡°Try not to molest him in the elevator, Billy.¡±


    ¡°I hate that nickname.¡± The girl responded and took Arnold''s arm. ¡°My name is actually...¡±


    ¡°Rebecca.¡± Arnold said and she and nearly everyone else caught their breath.


    ¡°You... know my name?¡± Rebecca asked.


    ¡°I know all of your names.¡± Arnold said and as she led him through the crowd, he pointed to each of them and said their names. They were all stunned by this, except for Rachel, since she had found out a few weeks ago and had kept it a secret. She was glad that she had, because seeing a hallway full of women stare at Arnold with their mouths open in astonishment was absolutely priceless.


    Rebecca rode down to the lobby in the elevator with Arnold. Surprisingly, it didn''t stop at any other floor. When the doors opened and Rebecca stepped out with Arnold, she heard a little shriek and then Doris was in front of Arnold.


    ¡°Show me.¡± Doris said and Arnold moved the compress out of the way. ¡°Sweet baby Jesus!¡±


    ¡°He has a huge bruise on his right side, so no hugging.¡± Rebecca cautioned her.


    ¡°I''d ask you what happened, but you need to get to work.¡± Doris said. ¡°You can tell me about it later.¡±


    ¡°Arnold, do you want me to walk you there?¡± Rebecca asked.


    ¡°You need to get your books and go to class.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I knew I forgot to bring something with me.¡± Rebecca sighed. ¡°I need to go in the other direction anyway.¡± She looked up at his face. ¡°If you need me to walk you anywhere at lunch or something, let me know.¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Rebecca gave Doris a probing look, then she stood on her toes and kissed Arnold''s cheek. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± She said and stepped back into the elevator and the doors closed.


    ¡°I''m tempted to take you there myself.¡± Doris said.


    ¡°You need to work.¡± Arnold said and nodded at her desk that had two young women in front of it.


    ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Doris said. ¡°I will see you later, Arnold.¡± She said and strode back over to her desk.


    Arnold left the building and he walked at almost his normal pace. Sleeping in a reclining position for two nights in a row had stiffened his muscles up a little more, because his body tried to keep itself in that position. His normal eight minute walk had doubled to sixteen and then he entered the building. A few people noticed him and for the most part ignored him, except for the curiosity that he was holding something to his face.


    ¡°Good morning, Arnold.¡± Professor Hamil Cresnlav said as Arnold stepped into his office. ¡°It''s only an easy day today. It''s just basic course materials and nothing special needs to be done with the lab.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Arnold said and went to the lab. He put the cold compress down and quickly put out the basic setup for the students and then went to his place beside the professor''s desk and applied the cold compress again. Just then, Amy, Cissily, and the other lab workers came into the room and none of them were surprised to see that everything was already set out and ready.


    Cissily turned to comment and saw him holding something to his face. ¡°Hey, sexy man! Are you hung over a little, too?¡±


    Arnold moved the compress out of the way and each of them reacted pretty much the same as the girls in the dorm hallway, except for Cissily.


    ¡°Jesus fucking Christ!¡± Cissily said loudly and went over to him. ¡°What the fuck happened to you?¡±


    Arnold explained and when she tried to hug him, he stopped her. ¡°I have a huge bruise.¡±


    Cissily had his shirt opened and was staring at it when the professor came in.


    ¡°Please wait until after class before you strip my assistant, Miss Thomas.¡± Hamil said.


    ¡°Look at this goddamn thing!¡± Cissily exclaimed and ignored his comment as she waved at Arnold''s stomach. ¡°He came to work looking like this!¡±


    ¡°I like work.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°My boy, are you all right?¡± Hamil asked and finally noticed Arnold''s face. He moved Arnold''s hand with the compress slightly and frowned. ¡°You should have called and said you couldn''t work today.¡±


    ¡°I already worked.¡± Arnold said and waved at the lab.


    Hamil sighed. ¡°I suppose I can''t order you to go back to the dorm and rest.¡± He said and watched Arnold put the cold compress back on his face. ¡°Try and not exert yourself too much.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Miss Thomas, button him back up before the students...¡±


    The buzzer sounded and then the lab door opened. All of the students came in like a flood, noisy and full of life, then a few saw Arnold''s shirt open.


    ¡°You see? I told you!¡± One of them said and pointed. ¡°Rebecca said he was hurt!¡±


    The hustle and bustle of the class for the first ten minutes was all about Arnold and him having to explain what had happened. Professor Hamil Crenslav let it go on, because he knew that they wouldn''t concentrate without getting the spectacle out of the way first. He was glad that it died out on its own and he proceeded to teach the class.


    By the time the morning was over and they left the lab for lunch, word had spread like wildfire. A few people even clapped when Arnold entered the cafeteria, his face exposed, because the compress was no longer cold and he had put it in his pocket. The woman behind the counter told him she would hug him if she could and handed him his meal. Angela at the register looked to be on the verge of tears as she got him his drink and Arnold paid her.


    ¡°I would do more than hug you if you weren''t so hurt.¡± Angela said and handed him his change.


    Arnold went with Cissily and Amy, at both of their insistence, and the girls at the table stared at him as he sat down with a grunt.


    ¡°It''s true, then?¡± Maxine asked. ¡°You were tackled?¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°Are you tired of telling everyone about it?¡± The black woman with dreadlocks asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and explained it all again while he ate.

 110 Comfortable Costs

    The girl at the end of the table, who was writing the sociology paper, was completely fascinated by what was happening in front of her. This man, this good looking and quiet man, had gained the attention and the sympathy of a good portion of the campus students. He hadn''t even tried to do it. He wasn''t outspoken and he usually kept to himself. He didn''t volunteer information unless you asked a direct question, then he would tell you everything.


    She guessed that he would probably tell you his life story if you asked, and she was very tempted to ask. She couldn''t, though. It would ruin her objectivity and her ''outsider'' point of view that she was writing the paper from. If she tried to talk to him directly, it would influence her too much and change the focus from the effect he had inadvertently caused to what was it about him that caused the effect to happen.


    That was another paper entirely. For now, she watched and listened. Not necessarily to what he was saying; but, to the way his audience reacted. The slight applause when he entered the cafeteria wasn''t something that normal people received for being beat up, and yet, this man received it and hadn''t reacted.


    Did he get that reaction a lot? She asked herself. This was the second time she had witnessed a crowd response to his actions, or hearing about his actions, and it was utterly fascinating for a sociology major. Nearly every time she was near him, her paper gained pages and pages of observations, reactions, and her own speculations and conclusions.


    She had half of her mind convinced that she needed to follow him around to see what other kinds of effects he had in other parts of the campus. The unfortunate part was that it was currently lunchtime, which meant she had missed everything that he had experienced since this morning when the rumors started. Of course, now that she was hearing about it directly, she knew that most of it wasn''t just hearsay.


    She regretted not getting those initial reactions and it made her decide to not follow him. She had to settle for third party accounts and their reactions to the reactions. She put her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her hands as she watched everyone else at the table, and the nearby tables, as the half-beaten young man kept them mesmerized with his words.


    Just who are you to have such power, Arnold Strickland? She asked herself.


    Arnold finished eating and telling his story. Cissily opened her mouth to curse and Amy covered it.


    ¡°I think we all know what you''re going to say.¡± Amy said. ¡°You can save us the color commentary.¡±


    That made a few people laugh and Cissily snapped her teeth on her palm.


    ¡°Hey! You just ate!¡± Amy laughed and pulled her hand away.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Cissily said and put a hand on his. ¡°I''m glad that you weren''t seriously hurt.¡± She said. ¡°Since you have the afternoon off, you should go back to your dorm and put the other cold compress on your face. You need to get rid of the rest of that swelling.¡±


    Arnold nodded and stood up. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°See you.¡± Cissily said and watched him walk over to the counter to return the plates and tray.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Maxine said. ¡°What a guy.¡±


    ¡°We all already know that.¡± Cissily said and shook her head. Her tight little afro didn''t move at all. ¡°I wish he would stop trying to prove it.¡±


    Amy chuckled. ¡°He didn''t have a whole lot of choice this time.¡±


    ¡°I can''t believe he got jumped in his own yard and was almost arrested for it!¡± The black woman with the dreadlocks said. ¡°Why isn''t something like that in the paper?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think they would let the paper print anything that embarrassing about the police department.¡± Maxine said. ¡°I''m actually surprised the paper has gotten away with as much as it has!¡±


    ¡°I want to meet his mother.¡± Cissily said, despite knowing what happened when Amy met her. ¡°She sounds like a great lady.¡±


    Amy gave her a pointed look, then changed what she was going to say. ¡°You know, it sounds really weird when you''re not cursing all the time.¡±


    ¡°Up yours sideways with a ''fuck you'' stick.¡± Cissily said and smiled back.


    ¡°That''s better.¡± Amy responded and Maxine nodded.


    ¡°Then let''s go get ready for class, you loose bitches.¡± Cissily stood up and grabbed her tray. She went over to the counter and brought her plate and tray back with Amy and Maxine right behind her. They felt a little bad that they hadn''t brought their trays and dirty plates back, too.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± The woman behind the counter said and Cissily and her two friends left the cafeteria.


    The girl writing the sociology paper enjoyed seeing Arnold''s secondary effects and sucked them in like a sponge. At the rate she was going with her material gathering, her normal term paper was going to become her full course dissertation.


    *


    Arnold went back to his dorm building and saw Doris. She had several young women around her and they were chatting up a storm, so he gave her a wave and stepped into the elevator. On the top floor, the girls who had returned to their rooms for their afternoon class things, greeted him warmly and did their best to not stare at his bruised face. Since lunchtime was almost over, most of them passed him in the hallway to head to the elevator.


    Arnold went to his dorm room and shut the door, then slowly stripped off the suit and hung it up. He switched the warm compress with the cold one in the refrigerator and walked over to his bed in just his underwear and reclined on the pillows. The professor didn''t give him another book or a periodical to read, so he just sat there in bed and didn''t do anything.


    After an hour, there was a knock on his door. Arnold went to it and answered to see Doris standing there. She didn''t say anything as she came in and shut the door behind her, then she led him back over to his bed. He sat down and reclined on the pillows and Doris looked at the damage he had suffered. She had heard the story from three different girls and each time was just as heart wrenching as the last.


    Doris lightly traced the bruise on his side and slid her hand up to caress his chest.


    ¡°I can''t move around very much for a couple of days.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I can''t help you masturbate like before.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sweetie. Don''t worry about that.¡± Doris said and slowly stripped off. ¡°I came here to spend time with you.¡± She said as she climbed onto the bed and reclined on his other side. ¡°We don''t have to do anything except cuddle a little.¡± She tucked herself under his arm and she pulled his hand down over her shoulder to cup one of her large breasts. She let out a sigh and rested her head against his chest. ¡°Sometimes holding someone you care about is enough.¡±


    Arnold thought back to all the times he had been cuddled and cuddled in return, on various beds and on couches. He looked down at Doris and her eyes were closed. Her large breast was a warm weight in his hand and he wiggled his fingers.


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Doris moaned. ¡°You''re too hurt for me to do what I want. I can''t kiss you or hug you. I can''t even play with your penis because it could pull and strain your bruise.¡± She said and looked up at his face. ¡°I want to make you feel good after what you went through and all I can do is sit here and stop myself from trying.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and puckered his lips a little. Doris took the cue and moved up to place a kiss partially on his lips and his cheek, then she settled down again and closed her eyes.


    ¡°I have to leave before classes end, even though I never want to leave.¡± Doris said and took a deep breath. ¡°I think I''ve developed an unhealthy attachment to you.¡±


    ¡°Unhealthy?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Doris said. ¡°An old woman like me trying to keep up with a strapping young man is not healthy for me.¡± She let out a chuckle. ¡°The things I want to do to you are not things my body can handle for very long.¡±


    ¡°Would you be hurt if we had sex?¡± Arnold asked, pointedly.


    ¡°The act itself? Not in the least.¡± Doris said. ¡°In fact, I would absolutely love it.¡± She let out a sigh. ¡°My endurance however? Like I told you before, I would need to keep taking breaks if I was in control.¡±


    ¡°What if I was the one in control?¡± Arnold asked.


    Doris lifted her head and looked at his face again. ¡°You mean if I just laid there and let you do all the work?¡± She asked and he nodded. ¡°It would be great if I was selfish.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Only getting sex and never giving sex back?¡± Doris shook her head. ¡°I would feel like I was using you and that''s not what I want. When two people have sex, they should be partners and they should both take turns. If either of them just lays there all the time and makes the other one do all the work, that''s not right.¡±


    Arnold thought about the times he had sex and they were all like that. He always did all the work. ¡°When you showed me another way to masturbate, you finished and then I took over and finished myself.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was... a little enthusiastic... when I rubbed myself on you. I exhausted myself and left you needing.¡± Doris sighed and put her head back down on his chest. ¡°I started out wanting to make you feel good and I ended up being greedy and made myself feel good instead, then I couldn''t keep going without a rest.¡± She said. ¡°When you had to take over, I felt bad about it... then you made me feel so good that I didn''t think I deserved it.¡±


    Arnold squeezed her breast and started to massage it. ¡°Did you have fun?¡±


    ¡°Good heavens, it was wonderful.¡± Doris turned her head slightly and kissed his chest. ¡°The only way it could have been better is if you had accidentally slipped inside and made love to me.¡± She looked back down and saw the bulge in his underwear. ¡°It seems you would have liked that, too.¡± She said and her hand moved on its own and pulled the underwear down to reveal his harness. ¡°Arnold, I can''t resist this temptation. Please forgive me if this hurts your bruise.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and let her breast go, then Doris went down on him. She was as careful as she could be in her enthusiasm and it didn''t take long for him to finish. She moaned as he did and she cleaned him off afterwards.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± Doris asked and he nodded.


    ¡°I can''t do it back to you.¡± Arnold said and moved the cold compress off his face to show his lips.


    ¡°It''s all right.¡± Doris said and lightly touched his lips with her fingers. ¡°I can wait until you''re better.¡±


    ¡°One to three weeks.¡± Arnold said what the doctor said about the bruise on both his face and his side.


    ¡°I can wait as long as I need to.¡± Doris said and gave him a very light kiss, then she saw the time. ¡°I need to get back to work.¡±


    Arnold nodded and watched her get dressed, then she gave him another kiss and left his dorm room. He pulled up his underwear and went to the dorm room door and opened it, then he made a quick meal for himself and switched the compress he had for the cold one. He sat down and ate as the girls came back to the dorm after classes and they all saw he was there in his underwear.


    It made them feel good that he was still doing that for them, even though he was hurt. Janet and Pam walked up the hallway and Janet stopped to open their dorm room while Pam kept walking and went right over to Arnold''s room.


    ¡°Arnold, can I talk to you?¡± Pam asked and he nodded. She turned around and started to shut the door, which caught the attention of everyone in the hallway. A few of them started to walk over to put their ears by the door to listen and Janet stepped in front of them. Pam smiled and closed the door, then walked over to Arnold. ¡°I''m sorry for the way I acted the other day.¡± She said and sat down on the other chair at the table. ¡°I know Janet already apologized for me; but, I wanted to say it myself.¡±


    Arnold kept eating and didn''t say anything.


    ¡°I was angry at you for something that I had no right to be angry about.¡± Pam said. ¡°Like Janet said, it''s your money and you can do what you want with it.¡±


    Arnold nodded and kept eating.


    ¡°I''m sorry that I didn''t help you... masturbate.¡± Pam said and remembered what he did with Janet. ¡°If I''d known...¡± She sighed. ¡°No, I can''t make that excuse after the fact. I should have kept my word and I didn''t.¡±


    ¡°Do I have to keep mine?¡± Arnold asked and looked at her.


    Pam knew exactly what he meant. ¡°Arnold, I... I would like for you to... but...¡± She sighed again. ¡°No, you don''t have to have sex with me first if you and Kelly break up.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and finished eating, then took his plate to the sink and washed it.


    ¡°Can I help you masturbate?¡± Pam asked, hopeful that she could still participate in some capacity.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said.


    Pam stopped her sigh this time. ¡°I guess that''s fair.¡± She said and stood up. ¡°I hope you''re feeling better.¡±


    Arnold turned to face her and touched the bruise on his side. ¡°I can''t move around a lot.¡± He said and then moved the compress. ¡°I can''t kiss anyone properly.¡±


    Pam nodded understanding, because he wasn''t going to be feeling better for a while. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± She said and walked over to the door and opened it, then left it open as she walked down the hallway. ¡°Thanks for running interference for me.¡± She said to Janet and pat her on the back.


    ¡°How did it go?¡± Janet asked as they went into their room to get changed and shut the door.


    ¡°About how I thought it would.¡± Pam said, disappointment in her voice.


    ¡°Hey, don''t be like that.¡± Janet said. ¡°I''m sure he''ll come around and...¡±


    ¡°He already said he wouldn''t sleep with me first if he and his girlfriend broke up.¡± Pam said.


    Janet opened her mouth for a second, then sighed. ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Pam said and changed for work. ¡°So much for having some nice casual sex with the handsome guy down the hall.¡±


    Janet had changed into jogging pants and a t-shirt and gave her a quick hug. ¡°If it makes you feel any better, I''m pretty sure he''s not going to sleep with anyone else, either.¡±


    Pam almost laughed. ¡°You''re not going to swoop in and make him promise to do you first?¡±


    Janet gave her a look that could kill. ¡°Pam.¡±


    ¡°Hey, if you don''t, there''s fifteen other girls on this floor alone that would kill for the chance to be first.¡± Pam said. ¡°Or would you rather be tenth or twentieth?¡±


    Janet sighed. ¡°Pam, you''re assuming he''s going to break up with his girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°You''re assuming he''s not.¡± Pam countered.


    Janet couldn''t argue that point.


    ¡°I''m just saying that I messed up my chance to be first. Do you want to mess yours up, too?¡±


    ¡°I... Pam, I don''t...¡±


    ¡°You better not give me that lame excuse about not having casual sex.¡± Pam said and walked over to the dorm room door. ¡°Not after what you did with him in the back seat of my car.¡±


    Janet blushed and Pam nodded.


    ¡°Take your shot with him when you can, Janet.¡± Pam opened the door, gave her a smile, and left the door open and disappeared down the hall.


    Janet walked over to the door and stepped out into the hallway, then leaned against the wall.


    ¡°What was that all about?¡± Cynthia, the girl who owned the large television, asked.


    ¡°We went out with Arnold to lunch a while ago and she was angry that he over-tipped.¡±


    Cynthia gave her a surprised look for a moment, then she nodded. ¡°Yes, that was guaranteed to piss her off.¡± She said. ¡°It''s too bad you didn''t warn him about it.¡±


    Janet sighed. ¡°I didn''t think of it, even at the time. It wasn''t until we left the restaurant that I noticed how angry she was.¡±


    ¡°So, she was apologizing to him for that?¡± Cynthia asked and Janet nodded. ¡°Now I''m wondering if he forgave her.¡±


    I don''t know if he did. Janet thought and turned to look down the hall at Arnold.


    ¡°Let''s go to the cafeteria and grab something to eat.¡± Cynthia said. Janet nodded and followed her with half a dozen other girls to the elevator.

 111 An Important Truth

    Janet and the girls went back to the dorm and didn''t see Arnold, even though his door was still open. ¡°I guess it''s my turn to go and apologize to him.¡±


    ¡°Go for it, girl!¡± Cynthia said. ¡°I kind of wish I did something to apologize for, just so I could go to his room and shut the door.¡±


    Janet shook her head. ¡°That''s not a good reason to have alone time with him. Believe me.¡±


    Cynthia chuckled. ¡°I was just joking.¡± She said and looked at his room. ¡°Still...¡±


    ¡°Don''t you dare be mean to him for no reason.¡± One of the other girls said. ¡°He''s been through enough, hasn''t he?¡±


    The other girls nodded and Janet agreed. She left them and walked over to Arnold''s room. She saw him sitting on the bed with the compress on his face, so she shut the door and locked it. She didn''t want the others opening it to try and look in and listen to her.


    ¡°Hi, Arnold.¡± Janet said and walked over to the bed. The sight of his bruise and his face made her heart go out to him. ¡°I''m sorry about Pam.¡±


    Arnold just looked at her and didn''t say anything.


    Janet sighed. ¡°I know, it doesn''t mean much, does it?¡± She asked and unbuttoned her jeans and let them fall to the floor. ¡°I didn''t realize for a long time that actions speak louder than words.¡± She said and pulled off her t-shirt, then she unhooked her bra and took it off, then slipped off her panties. ¡°So, here I am, Arnold. Look at all of me.¡± She said and slowly turned around. ¡°I''m here to offer this to you.¡±


    Arnold raised his eyebrows at her, which was his equivalent of a shout.


    ¡°I know you''re hurt and can''t really do anything. I also know that it''s not fair to you to tell you that you can have sex with me when you''re like this.¡± Janet said and looked at the bulge in his underwear. ¡°Your body knows I''m serious.¡± She said and pulled his underwear off. ¡°Good lord, just look at you.¡± She said and climbed onto the bed and laid down between his legs like Pam had the morning they had all spent the night together. ¡°You really rubbed me good the other day with this thing and it was the best thing I''ve ever felt.¡±


    ¡°Janet.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I''ll be careful, I promise.¡± Janet said and went down on him. Since he had already had Doris do that not long ago, it took Janet a little while longer to get him to finish. She wasn''t taking her time and she wasn''t being aggressive, either. It was the perfect middle ground and it worked for Arnold''s current state. When he was done, Janet did her best to hold it.


    When she lifted her head and looked at Arnold, she had her mouth clamped shut, shook her head for a moment, then she was off the bed and jogged to the bathroom. He heard her spitting it out and then the toilet flushed. The tap in the sink ran for a second and Janet gargled, spit again, and came back out.


    ¡°I couldn''t do it.¡± Janet said in a defeated tone. ¡°Pam tried to tell me about how nice it was and that it had nutrients and things in it... but...¡± She shook her head and came over to the bed. ¡°Swallowing it just isn''t for me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and looked down at her nakedness. ¡°Your turn.¡±


    ¡°No, you can''t... there''s no way you...¡±


    Arnold moved the pillows aside and laid down. ¡°I can''t move much.¡±


    Janet looked at him and he was still hard. ¡°Are you sure?¡± She asked. ¡°I mean, this is... you already went, so... it''s going to feel good for the both of us; but, I think I''ll be the only one getting off.¡±


    Arnold nodded and Janet only hesitated for a moment before she climbed onto the bed and straddled his waist. Unlike Doris, Janet settled down onto him and wiggled her hips back and forth to wrap herself over him instead of using her fingers.


    ¡°Oh, god.¡± Janet moaned as she felt him. ¡°You''re so hard.¡± She said, which repeated what Doris said.


    ¡°You''re so hot.¡± Arnold said, repeating what he said to Doris.


    Janet gasped at his words and finished a little, so she didn''t need lube anymore. She started to move and slide herself over him, from the base to the tip, and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from moaning. It felt different this way, because she was the one in control this time and on top. She wasn''t at the mercy of Arnold''s thrusting hips and could roll her own hips to get all the good spots on herself that needed some attention. It only took a couple of minutes for her to finish and she stopped moving to let the pleasure feeling fill her.


    ¡°That was great.¡± Janet said and leaned forward to put her hands on the bed above his shoulders as she started to move off of him.


    Arnold touched her thigh with his free hand and put the compress down. ¡°Keep going.¡±


    ¡°Arnold, I... I shouldn''t use you like a toy.¡± Janet said and looked down at his bruised face.


    ¡°Keep going and make me feel good.¡± Arnold said.


    Janet thought about refusing his request, then remembered what Pam said about taking her shot when she could. ¡°Okay.¡± She said and started to move again. Arnold''s hands went to her hips and helped her a little. It made things a little easier for her and she stared down at his face as she pleased herself while trying to please him.


    Arnold pushed her hips a bit farther down when she moved back, then when she moved forward, he pulled a little more and the tip of him poked at her opening and it was like a speed bump for her. Janet jerked a little and looked at his face.


    ¡°S-sorry, it... we almost... that was close.¡± Janet said, her face slightly red. ¡°Maybe we should stop.¡± She said and kept moving her hips. Arnold waited for several minutes and then did the same double motion. The ''speed bump'' Janet hit was a little bigger this time and she caught her breath. ¡°A-Arnold... that... we need to...¡±


    Arnold didn''t say anything and she kept moving.


    ¡°Oh, I''m... I can feel... oh, this is going to be...¡± Janet mumbled and whispered as she moved back, then she moved forward again, caught her breath as Arnold jerked her hips forward and she came, then he pushed her back and slipped inside of her. ¡°OH!¡± She gasped as his tip poked into her and she came again. ¡°Arnold! No, we... you can''t...¡±


    Arnold pushed her hips back and Janet moaned as he slid all the way inside of her.


    ¡°Oh, god.¡± Janet whispered. ¡°Arnold, we... you''re inside me.¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Janet said. ¡°I didn''t mean for us to...¡± She leaned down and gave him a gentle kiss. ¡°I''m sorry. We just cheated on your girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°I don''t have a girlfriend.¡± Arnold said.


    Janet squeezed down on him as her body contracted and she came again. ¡°Wh-what did you s-say?¡±


    ¡°Kelly and I broke up.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I tried to have sex with her and hurt her.¡±


    ¡°N-no.¡± Janet stared at him.


    ¡°It was her first time and she wouldn''t stop bleeding.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Janet said and her heart melted for him, not that it needed much excuse, because he felt very good inside of her. ¡°Arnold, I''m very sorry that happened for her first time.¡± She said and gave him another careful kiss. ¡°Some girls have bad experiences their first time.¡±


    Arnold pulled on her hips and Janet took the cue and started to move.


    ¡°A-Arnold... god, you... this is wonderful!¡± Janet said and was careful of his abdomen. She didn''t want to pull or move too much, even though she wanted to ride him as hard as she could. ¡°Oh... Arnold... we... we need a condom.¡± She said and didn''t stop moving as she looked into his eyes. ¡°Maybe... next time.¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    Janet kept going and he helped her as much as he could. ¡°You''re not... going to ask me out... are you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. ¡°No boyfriend and girlfriend crap. It''ll be just you and me having a great time fucking each other and that''s it.¡±


    Janet stared into his eyes and remembered those were Pam''s words. ¡°I think... I''ll be okay with that.¡±


    *


    ¡°What do you think they''re doing in there?¡± Cynthia asked in a whisper. ¡°Janet''s been in there for a while.¡±


    ¡°The door''s locked, too.¡± Emily whispered back.


    ¡°How do you know... never mind.¡± Cynthia responded. ¡°Do you think they''re... you know...¡±


    ¡°From everything I''ve heard, Arnold wouldn''t cheat on his...¡± Another girl started to say when they heard a particularly loud and distinctive moan. ¡°...um... that was...¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Cynthia said. ¡°That was an ''I just came really hard'' moan.¡±


    ¡°I think someone has some explaining to do when she leaves his dorm room.¡± Emily said, slightly angry.


    ¡°Well, if that really was Janet getting off, she''s going to be a while.¡± Cynthia said. ¡°I know I need a good ten minutes before I can see straight.¡±


    The other girl laughed. ¡°You do not have blinding orgasms.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think I actually go blind.¡± Cynthia smiled. ¡°It just feels like it sometimes.¡±


    ¡°What''s going on?¡± Rebecca asked as she came over to the small group in front of Emily''s room.


    ¡°We think Janet''s having sex with Arnold.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Rebecca said. ¡°Didn''t she hate him at first?¡±


    ¡°I think she''s coming to like him.¡± Cynthia said with a straight face, then she laughed.


    *


    Janet had rolled off of Arnold after having a huge orgasm and she had writhed a little as she suffered residual feelings and aftershocks. It took her almost fifteen minutes before she could open her eyes and she looked at Arnold.


    ¡°That was amazingly mind-blowing.¡± Janet said. ¡°I hope you can get better soon, so we can both really go at it and see how much fun we can have.¡±


    ¡°I want nothing more than to make love to you for as long as I could.¡± Arnold said, repeating part of the phrase that Professor Power had told him he should say when about to have sex.


    Janet took in a sharp breath and rolled onto her side to give his lips a soft kiss, careful of his bruise. After that tender moment, they both looked at the mess that she and Arnold had left on his belly, because he had been great and had warned her when he was going to come. She had slipped off of him just in time, because she had her orgasm at the same time as him and the two of them shared the moment together.


    ¡°I better clean you up.¡± Janet said and went to the bathroom to get soap and a facecloth. As she cleaned him, she thought back to what happened and realized that she hadn''t been able to stop her shout of pleasure at the end. ¡°If anyone is near your door, they definitely heard me.¡±


    Arnold shrugged.


    ¡°Are you okay with people knowing we had sex?¡± Janet asked, a little surprised. ¡°I mean, I''m sure they''re already assuming we''re doing something in here for this long...¡±


    ¡°Did you have fun?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°I really did.¡± Janet said and cleaned herself off. ¡°I haven''t come that hard since you rubbed yourself on me in the backseat of Pam''s car.¡±


    Arnold slid off the bed and stood in front of her. He used both hands to cup her hand-sized breasts and massaged them. ¡°You look very pretty.¡±


    Janet closed her eyes and let him play with her. After what she just felt from having sex with him, he could pretty much do anything he wanted to her and she wasn''t going to object very much.


    ¡°I need to go.¡± Janet said and opened her eyes. ¡°You need rest and to change that compress.¡±


    Arnold nodded and let her chest go, then he propped the pillows back into a reclining position and put his underwear back on. Janet had watched him and admired his backside until he turned to face her, then she looked at his face.


    ¡°If you''re leaving, you should get dressed.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I don''t want to leave; but, I have to.¡± Janet quickly pulled on her panties and her bra, then her t-shirt and her jeans. ¡°Arnold, thank you.¡± She gave him a soft kiss on the lips, then she bent over slightly and placed a feather light kiss on the bruise. ¡°Get better soon.¡± She said and looked at his face one last time, then walked over to the dorm room door. ¡°I''ll shut this behind me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    Janet unlocked the door and pulled it open, saw surprise on four young women''s faces as she stepped out into the hallway, then she shut the door.


    Cynthia saw the happy face she had. ¡°Oh, my god! You really did have sex!¡±


    Janet thought about denying it. She couldn''t get the smile off of her face, so she nodded.


    ¡°You made Arnold cheat on his girlfriend!¡± Emily said girlfriend, because she couldn''t remember Kelly''s name.


    Janet shook her head. ¡°He doesn''t have a girlfriend anymore.¡±


    The four girls gasped and word spread almost instantly to everyone else in the hallway.


    Janet could almost feel the shift in everyone''s emotions and waved to get everyone''s attention. ¡°Before you all start trying to get competitive to get him for yourselves, he doesn''t have a lot of spare time and he''s not going to ask anyone to be his girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Rebecca said and everyone fell silent for a few moments. ¡°I would have asked him out!¡±


    Cynthia was the first one to catch on to what Janet said. ¡°Janet, you can''t be serious.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± Janet wasn''t going to say anything until she realized the mess that would happen if they all tried to fight each other to see who was going to be his next girlfriend.


    ¡°What?¡± Rachel asked, as did a few others. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Sex without a commitment.¡± Cynthia said and a smile grew on her face. ¡°Either by him or by us.¡±


    ¡°No. Way.¡± Rebecca said. ¡°That''s not... he has to...¡± She shook her head. ¡°You have to be lying.¡±


    Janet walked by them to go to her room. ¡°He didn''t ask me out on a date and we already had sex, so you can choose to believe me or not.¡± She went into her room and grabbed her books. She sat at her desk and started the homework she needed to do for the next day''s classes.


    The young women still in the hallway exchanged surprised looks, then those looks became predatory and a few of them smiled as plans formed in their heads. Despite Janet''s words, the others didn''t mind a bit of competition. Although they couldn''t compete for who would be his girlfriend, they could compete to see who got to be with him next. Even the young women that had boyfriends had similar thoughts.


    *


    Arnold was unaware of the healthy competition as he exchanged the compress for a cold one and went back to bed. He was surprisingly tired after being visited by Doris and Janet, so he reclined on his pillows and closed his eyes. His cell phone was still off and he missed quite a lot of text messages from Kelly, who thought that he was intentionally avoiding her.


    It wasn''t until Annie tried to call and see how he was that she discovered that his phone was off. She called Doris right away and Doris said she would take care of it. Doris put out her ''back in five minutes'' sign and went up to the fourth floor and saw the girls in heated conversations. She ignored them as she walked down the hallway and then the conversations died down as they noticed her.


    It wasn''t odd for them to see the short black woman walk by; but, they now knew that Arnold was unattached and they couldn''t help but see another woman... an experienced woman... as a potential rival. It didn''t matter how old she was. Doris reached Arnold''s door and lightly knocked. There was no answer.


    ¡°It''s not locked.¡± Emily said and Doris gave her a look. ¡°I didn''t hear the click when it shut.¡±


    Doris nodded and turned the handle, opened the door, and peered inside. She saw Arnold asleep on the bed and the compress had fallen to the floor. She walked into the dorm room and picked up the compress and put it beside the bed on the nightstand, then she did a quick search for his cell phone. She found it in his backpack next to an open box of condoms, took the phone and walked over to the door and shut it behind her.


    Doris turned the phone on and it rang immediately. ¡°Hi, Annie.¡± ¡°Yes, it was off and tucked into his backpack.¡± ¡°Mm hmm. Yes.¡± ¡°The poor thing is sleeping right now.¡± ¡°Oh, it was no trouble. I needed to check on him anyway.¡± ¡°I''ll turn the ringer down in case anyone else calls or texts, that way he still gets them and doesn''t have to answer.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± ¡°Yes, I''ll put the phone by his bed before I go back to work.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Yes, all right. See you this weekend.¡±


    Doris hung up the cell phone, walked back into Arnold''s dorm room as she adjusted the ringer on the phone, then put it on the bedside table. ¡°Your mom said to kiss you goodnight for her.¡± She said and leaned over the bed and placed a kiss on his lips. ¡°Your momma loves you.¡±


    Her job done, Doris left the room and shut the door, successfully ignored Emily''s surprised face, and walked down the hallway.

 112 Social Reactions

    Arnold didn''t wake up until the next morning when his alarm went off. He actually felt a little better and climbed out of bed. He saw the compress on his nightstand next to his cell phone, neither of which he had put there. He assumed someone was in his room while he was asleep and called Doris to report it.


    ¡°Thank you for following proper protocol to report it.¡± Doris said. ¡°You can relax this time, because it was me.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Your mother called me last night because your phone was off. I found you asleep on your bed, so I searched for the phone and turned it on. I put it and the compress beside your bed for you.¡± Doris said. ¡°I''m sorry if that worried you. I''m at my desk now and I was going to tell you about as soon as you went by.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I also kissed you goodnight for her.¡± Doris said. ¡°She loves you very much.¡±


    ¡°I love her, too.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    ¡°See you in a little while.¡± Doris said and hung up.


    Arnold went and ate breakfast, took a shower, and slowly got dressed. He knew how long it took with a sore bruise and he matched that time perfectly. What he didn''t know was that several girls were waiting in the hallway for him to appear, because they had timed him as well. When he opened the door, all four of them talked at once and made offers.


    Two of the offers were quite reasonable, not that he actually heard them over the other two unreasonable ones, so he ignored them all and walked by without answering. That didn''t deter them, however. The two reasonable ones made even better offers as they followed him down the hallway and the other two went more outrageous. None of them realized that he wasn''t actually listening to them.


    ¡°All right! That''s quite enough, girls.¡± Daisy said and held a hand out to stop the others. ¡°You''re stopping everyone from greeting Arnold.¡±


    The four girls blushed, because they hadn''t heard anyone trying to say hello the entire time. They were being quite loud and had drowned out the others... and each other.


    ¡°Good morning, Arnold.¡± Daisy said as she looked at his face. ¡°You''re looking a little better.¡±


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Arnold said and stepped close to give her a quick kiss. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and walked over to the elevator and pushed the button. Every single girl in the hallway gasped, especially Daisy. None of them had expected him to greet them like that.


    ¡°W-w-wait!¡± Cynthia said and ran forward, just as the elevator doors opened. ¡°Watch television with me tonight!¡±


    ¡°I have an appointment with Professor Power after supper.¡± Arnold said and stepped inside.


    ¡°Oh. Well, maybe some other time.¡± Cynthia said and the doors closed.


    Arnold rode the elevator down to the second floor and it opened. Six young women stepped in and said hello to him, then carried on their own conversations. The elevator stopped on the first floor and two more stepped on, then the elevator stopped on the ground floor. They all poured out and Arnold walked out to see Doris had her hands full with four girls. She waved to him and he waved back, then he left to go to work.


    He walked the distance in fifteen minutes and entered the building, then rode the elevator up to the second floor and went into the lab and quickly prepped for the class. It went a little easier today, because he had left the cold compress in the dorm room. His eye opened and closed normally and the swelling was mostly gone from his face.


    The lab workers came in and saw him, said hello, and then the professor came in. He was followed by the students and then the class started. The morning passed before anyone realized it was over, then they all went to lunch. Without the compress to hide his face, everyone that saw Arnold felt bad for him. Even the people that hadn''t heard the story would wince at the black eye he had, since it was almost an automatic reaction.


    The girl writing the sociology paper was in heaven as she saw people''s reactions to Arnold''s injury. I wonder how they would react to seeing his large bruise? She asked herself. While the others were getting food, she leaned over to the redheaded Maxine and whispered something to her. ¡°I''m too shy to ask him myself.¡± She said and blushed a little. ¡°Can you ask him to show us his tackle bruise?¡±


    Maxine nodded and then looked up to see them approach. ¡°Hi, Arnold.¡± She said. ¡°Did Angela ask you out again?¡±


    Arnold nodded and he, Ciccily, and Amy sat down with their trays of food.


    ¡°Well, at least she''s consistent.¡± Maxine said with a laugh, then she leaned close. ¡°Arnold, I know this might be a little inconvenient for you... but... could you show us the bruise on your side?¡±


    Arnold stood up and slid off his suit coat and hung it on the back of the chair. The movement caught a lot of people''s attention. When he started to unbutton the shirt, a couple of girls at the next table whistled and one clapped a rhythm for him to strip to. A few people joined in and someone shouted ''take it off!''. He obliged and slipped the shirt off and laid it on the back of the chair.


    ¡°Holy fuck!¡± Cissily exclaimed.


    The oblong bruise was about twelve inches wide and had changed colors to show that it was healing. The arm bruise attached to it made it look like a happy face emoji with the tongue sticking out. No one thought it was funny, however. A few of the girls that had encouraged him to take it off, now said ''aww'' in sympathy.


    The girl writing the sociology paper was still in heaven, because she couldn''t believe what was happening right in front of her.


    ¡°Can I touch it?¡± Maxine asked and he nodded. She reached across the table and lightly put her fingers on it. ¡°It''s kind of squishy.¡±


    ¡°The doctor said I was tenderized there.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Yep, that''s what it feels like.¡± Maxine said and lightly caressed the bruised skin, then leaned back to her side of the table. ¡°Thanks for letting me do that.¡±


    Arnold picked up his shirt and slowly put it on.


    ¡°It still hurts, doesn''t it?¡± Cissily asked as she stood up and helped him button the shirt.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I''d tell you to take it easy when you go back to the lab; but, that''s the only real enjoyment you''ve been getting here.¡±


    Arnold nodded and she helped him slip his suit coat back on, which he left unbuttoned, and they both sat down and started eating.


    ¡°I''m tempted to invite you over to my house to watch a movie.¡± Cissily said.


    ¡°I have an appointment with Professor Power after supper.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Oh, that bitch!¡± Cissily said angrily and the girls at the table laughed. ¡°If she wasn''t so good at her job, people wouldn''t tolerate her ''holier than thou'' attitude!¡±


    ¡°You just can''t stand that she''s got milky white legs that go on forever.¡± Maxine said with a grin. ¡°While your thunderous black skinned ones...¡±


    ¡°If you dare try to finish that fucking sentence, I''ll cram my fist so far up your hoohah that you''ll be able to taste my fingers from inside your mouth.¡± Cissily said in a deadly voice, and the other girls laughed.


    ¡°I don''t think that''s physically possible.¡± The black woman with the dreadlocks said. ¡°It''s a great threat, though.¡±


    ¡°That''s the point.¡± Cissily said and they laughed again. They all ate their food and shared conversation that was practically meaningless to anyone except them, since they referenced things that only they knew and used some slang that was also a local variety and wasn''t common knowledge. When they were done, Cissily turned to Arnold.


    ¡°Any night you want to come over and visit, you let me know.¡± Cissily said.


    ¡°Hey, what about us?¡± Amy asked.


    ¡°You bitches can come, too.¡± Cissily said and squinted her eyes at them. ¡°Unless you decide not to.¡±


    Maxine laughed. ¡°Uh huh. You let us know when he takes you up on the offer and we''ll see if we''re available to join you.¡±


    Cissily nodded understanding, because she knew they would pretty much tease her relentlessly if she did tell her friends to fuck off when Arnold came over. If he came over. She corrected. I hope he comes over. She thought and looked at him. ¡°I''ll see you tomorrow.¡±


    Arnold nodded and left the table. Nearly everyone nearby watched him as he brought the tray and plate back to the counter, then when he left, a dozen conversations started up about him.


    This is amazing. The girl writing the paper thought and she had to concentrate on her friends at the table, so they wouldn''t think she wasn''t paying attention. She wasn''t; but, they didn''t know that. She was glad that she was recording everything, because there was no way she would be able to keep everything straight in her own head without it.


    When lunch was over, a dozen people brought their trays and dirty dishes back to the counter and the woman behind the counter thanked each and every one of them, just like she had thanked Arnold.


    It''s spreading. The girl writing the paper thought and dropped her tray on top of the others, looked down at the dirty dish she had in her hand, and laughed. He''s got me doing it, too!


    *


    Arnold took instruction from Professor Crenslav in the biology department for the afternoon, ate in the cafeteria for supper, then went to his appointment with Professor Power. Felicia couldn''t hide her reaction to seeing him like that and her plans for their lesson changed immediately. Instead of letting him please her as a reward, she babied him and took care of him the entire time instead. Felicia didn''t do anything sexual, though. Light caresses, soft kisses, and tender cuddles filled the time and Arnold took the last book from her personal shelf.


    It was the Masters of Chemistry textbook and it was several inches thick. When he read that, he would have the knowledge of all Felicia''s favorite books. That thought gave her both pleasure and despair, because when he finished it, there wouldn''t be much left for her to teach him except for some miscellaneous knowledge. She was happy that he will have learned so much from her and she was also sad because their private lessons would have to come to an end. She wasn''t sure she wanted to give them up like that.


    Arnold left with the book and walked back over to his dorm building at a slow pace. It wasn''t too late at night, so when he entered the dorm, Doris saw him and came over to him. She gave him a careful kiss and then examined his face.


    ¡°It is getting better.¡± Doris said. ¡°Your mom is going to be happy to see that when she shows up on the weekend.¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°You are the last one for roll call, so I''m heading home. If you need anything, my house is just off of campus. Call me and I''ll come running.¡± Doris chuckled. ¡°Well, I''ll come walking. If I ran, I wouldn''t be much help to you afterwards!¡±


    Arnold bent down and gave her a hug and turned his head to keep the bruise away from being touched. ¡°It''s not the same.¡± He said and let her go.


    ¡°Don''t worry, sweetie. You''re going to be all better in no time and I''ll bury your face in my cleavage as much as you want.¡± Doris said. ¡°Goodnight, and try to get some sleep.¡±


    Arnold gave her a kiss and then he went to the elevator, then rode it up to the top floor. Most of the doors were closed and he walked down the hallway. No one reacted to him passing by until he reached his dorm room and Emily came out.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Emily said and he unlocked his door. ¡°If... if I asked you to have sex with me right now, would you do it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said, because he couldn''t move properly to do it. He thought about mentioning what Janet did; but, he didn''t know what it was called and didn''t say anything else. Plus, he had to make it up to both her and Doris for what they did. Since he was sure that they were going to keep doing it for him, which meant he was going to owe them a lot, he didn''t need someone else to help him like that.


    Emily took in a breath and let it out. ¡°All right.¡± She said sadly and stepped back into her room and shut the door.


    The rest of the week passed by and Arnold didn''t really have to avoid the advances from the girls. They had seen, and heard, about the four girls and Emily''s failed attempts. A lot of them had taken Janet aside individually and grilled her over what she had done to have sex with him. She wasn''t stupid enough to tell them what had happened and she also didn''t try to get Arnold alone to have sex with him again.


    Pam had been right and Arnold was quite busy and didn''t really have time to do anything personal all week. When he did have spare time, he sat at the kitchenette table in his underwear and read the biggest chemistry book that any of them had ever seen.


    The weekend arrived and Arnold was up, showered, and dressed in jeans and a shirt at almost his normal speed. The bruises on his face and side had turned a sickly yellow and had shrunk significantly as well. The general mood of everyone around him had improved as his health improved, and when his phone beeped, he saw a text message from Doris.


    ''She''s here.'' Doris typed.


    ''I''ll be right there.'' Arnold responded and then he shut and locked his dorm room door.


    The girls all watched him walk by them and admired the sight. A few took a chance and said hello and he said hello back, then he hit the button for the elevator. The ones who spoke were disappointed that he hadn''t stopped to kiss them and one of them looked at Daisy. She waved at her and made a kissing motion, and the other girl laughed.


    Arnold stepped into the elevator and rode it down to the ground floor. When the doors opened, he stepped out and saw his mother talking to Doris. Annie wore a tight yellow skirt and a flowery top with loose short fabric sleeves that fluttered whenever she moved. It was a great eye-catching tactic for a woman, even though Annie hadn''t worn it for that reason. She just liked the bright colors.


    ¡°Mom.¡± Arnold said and Annie paused in her conversation with Doris to turn and look at her son.


    ¡°Arnold! You look so much better!¡± Annie strode over to him in shoes that didn''t add to her height and carefully put her arms around him to lightly hug him. ¡°I''m so glad!¡±


    ¡°I love you, mom.¡± Arnold said and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Annie said and beamed a smile at him. ¡°It''s so nice to see that nasty swelling has disappeared.¡± She touched the side of his eye. ¡°The color should fade soon, too.¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°I''m going to be staying here all weekend, thanks to the dorm mother''s approval.¡± Annie said and gave Doris a little wave. ¡°Why don''t we drop my suitcase off in your room and you can take me around and maybe introduce me to some of the people you''ve met here?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and he went out to the car to get her bag, then they rode in the elevator up to the dorm room. Nearly every girl there gasped or took in a sharp breath because of the beautiful woman with Arnold. Even though some of them had met her before, it still took them some time to figure out that it was his mother, and not some potential new lover and roommate.

 113 Mommy Dearest

    Annie had styled her blonde hair so that it would stay out of her way and it framed her face perfectly. It wasn''t until she and Arnold reached the other end of the hallway and his dorm room that everyone received confirmation of who Annie was. Arnold dropped off her bag and shut and locked the door as Emily stepped out of her room.


    ¡°Hi, Ms. Strickland.¡± Emily said.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Annie said. ¡°Arnold.¡±


    ¡°This is Emily.¡±


    ¡°Hi, Emily. I hope you''ve been a good neighbour for my son.¡±


    ¡°She''s asked to go out with me a few times and for sex once.¡± Arnold said and a ripple of shock rolled down the hallway. Emily''s face flushed bright red as she blushed.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Annie asked and Arnold nodded. ¡°Since you only broke up with Kelly a week ago, I have to assume that most of her... requests... happened before that.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said.


    A few of the dorm room doors eased closed as a few of the girls disappeared inside.


    Unlike the others, Janet didn''t want to hide, which was quite different than how she would have acted before. ¡°Hi, Ms. Strickland. I''m Janet and it''s very nice to meet you.¡±


    Annie gave her a wide-eyed look and Janet smiled.


    ¡°I''ve helped him quite a bit, and even helped him get dressed last week after he was hurt.¡±


    ¡°Did you?¡± Annie asked and Arnold nodded.


    ¡°Rachel helped, too.¡±


    ¡°Did you do anything else with my son?¡±


    ¡°We had sex.¡± Janet said and several gasps were heard from the other girls. ¡°Well, to be honest, he was still pretty hurt and I was doing all the work.¡±


    ¡°Janet!¡± Cynthia exclaimed from nearby.


    ¡°I''m not going to lie to his mother, not after hearing about her and how she reacted when he was hurt.¡± Janet said and looked back at Annie. ¡°It was only the one time and we also had lunch once. I haven''t tried to take advantage of him for my own pleasure or use him for...¡±


    Annie held a hand up and she stopped talking. ¡°Arnold, is this true?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Are you going to ask her out?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°No, and I told her I wasn''t going to.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie looked back at Janet. ¡°Why are you okay with that?¡± She asked, genuinely curious.


    ¡°Arnold''s right. He doesn''t have the time to have a girlfriend right now.¡± Janet said. ¡°In fact, he spends most of his spare time reading biology and chemistry books. I''m grateful for the short time we got to spend together and I hope we can have some time together when he''s all better.¡±


    ¡°Why are you waiting until then?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°I took a chance when he was hurt and I was careful; but, it was really scary.¡± Janet said. ¡°I would have felt so bad if he was hurt some more and I won''t tempt fate by pressing my luck again.¡±


    Annie thought about what she said and gave her a very tiny nod. She didn''t like that he had jumped right into bed with someone else; but, at least the girl was responsible. She and Arnold walked down the hallway towards Cynthia.


    ¡°Have you had sex with anyone else?¡± Annie asked Arnold, out loud and without whispering.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I haven''t masturbated, either.¡±


    Oh, my god! Cynthia exclaimed into her mind as the pair walked towards her. He''s telling her everything! She thought in shock, then they were in front of her. ¡°H-h-hello!¡±


    Annie smiled, because she knew her blatant questions would unnerve the girls without her actually having to say anything to them. ¡°Hi, there. Who might you be?¡±


    ¡°This is Cynthia. She has a giant television that I watched once.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie peered into the room. ¡°Oh, my.¡± She said. ¡°It''s almost the whole wall.¡±


    ¡°She invited me over to watch it again sometime.¡± Arnold said.


    Cynthia almost sighed in relief that he didn''t describe how he had watched it.


    ¡°I don''t know if she invited Rachel and the others over, too.¡± Arnold said and Cynthia sighed in defeat.


    ¡°Rachel? Didn''t Janet say she helped you get dressed last week?¡± Annie asked and Arnold pointed to the girl across the hall, who blushed as they came over.


    ¡°I did help... and I kept my hands to myself.¡± Rachel said and her face turned a deeper shade of red.


    Annie chuckled. ¡°Good, because my son isn''t a toy to be played with.¡± She said and turned around and caught every girl''s eyes, which was something they thought only Arnold could do. ¡°He is also not a temporary prize to be fought over. He''s much more important than that.¡±


    The pair moved on and Arnold introduced them all to his mother and ended with Daisy by the elevator.


    ¡°This is Daisy.¡± Arnold said. ¡°She''s been watching out for me.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Annie looked at her. ¡°Explain that, please.¡±


    Daisy opened her mouth and then closed it. ¡°I just... I was trying to...¡±


    ¡°I know what you are trying to do. I know what you are all trying to do, so I''ll let you in on a secret.¡± Annie said. ¡°It won''t work.¡±


    Daisy blinked her eyes for a second. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It won''t work.¡± Annie said and walked over to the elevator and pushed the button, then turned to face the hallway. ¡°None of the little schemes you girls are trying will work.¡± She said and smiled at them. ¡°My Arnold is much too smart to fall for your tricks.¡±


    The elevator opened and Arnold and Annie stepped into it. They both waved at the girls in the hallway, with similar waves, then the doors closed.


    *


    ¡°She''s gone! You can come out now.¡± One of the other girls said and all of the dorm room doors opened.


    ¡°Good god.¡± Rachel said and looked at her trembling hands. ¡°I''m literally shaking!¡±


    ¡°Me, too.¡± Cynthia said from across the hall. ¡°That woman is scary.¡±


    ¡°She barely met us and saw through everything we were doing.¡± Daisy said and exchanged looks with a few other girls. ¡°If she saw through it...¡±


    ¡°...no wonder he ignored most of us.¡± One of the girls that hid said and looked at her roommate. ¡°Now I feel like a fool.¡±


    ¡°I''ve felt like that before.¡± Her roommate said. ¡°It was worth a try, though.¡±


    ¡°Was it?¡± Rebecca asked and no one could answer... except for Janet. She kept her mouth shut and went back into her room.


    Was it worth it? Janet asked herself as she sat down to do more homework. Yes. Yes, it was. She answered herself and smiled as she got to work.


    *


    Annie was slightly surprised that they didn''t stop at each floor. She had been almost sure that he would have at least met some of the girls from the other floors, especially if they gathered in the lobby and spent time with Doris. The elevator doors opened at the lobby and Arnold led her out, they both waved at Doris, who had a young woman at her desk asking questions, and left the building.


    I think that was a normal scene. Annie thought. If Arnold always passed through the lobby that quickly, then he wouldn''t have met anyone else, except in passing.


    They walked by Building F because no one was inside on the weekends and went to the cafeteria. When Arnold approached the woman behind the counter, she smiled genuinely for only a second, then her smile turned sad.


    ¡°I''m not allowed to serve non-students on the weekends.¡± The woman said, her voice full of sadness.


    ¡°I know.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I just brought my mother over to meet you.¡±


    ¡°That''s your mother?¡± The woman asked, surprised.


    Arnold nodded. ¡°Mom, this is Mabel and she gives me whatever food I ask for during the week.¡±


    ¡°I hope he''s not bothering you to much.¡± Annie said with a smile. ¡°He''s on a balanced diet kick ever since he read about proper nutrition.¡±


    ¡°Bother me? He''s a delight!¡± Mabel chuckled. ¡°He''s polite and brings back the trays and plates.¡± She said. ¡°In fact, he''s done it so often that other people have been following his example.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Annie asked and the woman nodded. ¡°I''m glad.¡±


    ¡°So am I.¡± Mabel said. ¡°I really am sorry that I can''t serve you.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± Annie smiled. ¡°Arnold will be a student next month and you won''t feel so conflicted.¡±


    Mabel laughed. ¡°Yes, having to say no to that handsome face really wrenches at the heart.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know.¡± Annie said. ¡°It was nice meeting someone that''s treating my son right.¡±


    ¡°It was nice meeting where he came from.¡± Mabel said.


    Arnold led his mother down the line towards the cash register and Annie almost laughed at the blushing girl that sat there. ¡°Angela, this is my mom.¡±


    ¡°H-h-hi.¡± Angela said and held a shaking hand out.


    ¡°Have you been treating my boy well?¡± Annie asked and shook the sweaty hand.


    ¡°She gets me a drink every time, even though it''s self serve.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°That''s very nice of you.¡± Annie said. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°We hung out at the gym once and she keeps asking me to hang out.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Annie asked with a crooked smile.


    ¡°Maxine said she''s hitting on me.¡± Arnold said and Angela''s face turned beet red.


    ¡°I''m sure she... exaggerated a little.¡± Annie said and gave Angela a pointed stare. ¡°You don''t have to worry about it anymore, right Angela?¡±


    ¡°Nope! He doesn''t have to worry about it at all!¡± Angela said.


    ¡°Good.¡± Annie said and looked around. ¡°Do you know anyone else here?¡±


    Arnold looked around, too. ¡°There''s Amy, Cissily and Maxine.¡± He said and pointed. ¡°I don''t know the names of the other girls.¡±


    ¡°Cissily is Doris'' daughter, isn''t she?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°Yes. If what Maxine said is true for Angela, then Cissily hits on me all the time, too.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Annie asked. ¡°Is she a nice girl?¡±


    Arnold told her some of the things Cissily did as they walked over to the table. Maxine noticed them at the last second and it was too late to warn anyone.


    ¡°Hello, there!¡± Maxine said, a little excitedly.


    ¡°You already said hello and we''re sitting right here.¡± Amy said with a laugh. ¡°You don''t have to speak so loudly.¡±


    ¡°She was saying it to us.¡± Annie said and Amy froze, because she recognized the voice.


    Amy seriously considered not turning around and hoping she would just go away, then she changed her mind and turned to face her. ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Long time, no see.¡± Annie said with a smile. ¡°I hope you have been behaving yourself.¡±


    ¡°I''ve been nothing but nice and never once made any kind of pass, sexual reference, or done anything to make him uncomfortable.¡± Amy quickly said in her defense.


    ¡°I know.¡± Annie said and looked at Cissily. ¡°It seems it''s your friend that hasn''t been behaving herself.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Cissily frowned slightly. ¡°Now, wait just one fucking minute.¡± She said and started to stand.


    Amy grabbed her arm and stopped her. ¡°Cissily!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Cissily spat.


    ¡°You need to stay calm.¡± Amy said. ¡°Remember who you''re talking to.¡±


    ¡°I don''t give a fuck who I''m talking to.¡± Cissily said and finished standing up. ¡°Other students, the professors, even the head of the college. I''m going to speak my mind and fuck them if they don''t like it.¡± She said and locked eyes with Annie. ¡°Just because you''re Arnold''s... mother...¡± She had barely managed to not curse at her and everyone knew she had struggled not to call her something else. ¡°...it doesn''t give you the right to tell me what I can and can''t do.¡±


    Annie didn''t flinch at all under the intense stare. ¡°I expected more from Doris'' daughter, like having some self-respect and a bit more composure.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Cissily squinted her eyes and took a step forward, then she somehow bumped into Arnold''s chest. She stepped back and looked up slightly to see Arnold''s blank face in front of her.


    ¡°I believe I need to make something clear.¡± Annie said and Arnold stepped aside. ¡°You are under the false pretense that I can''t control how other people act around my son. You. Are. Wrong.¡± She said. ¡°I love my son and if you can''t be respectful to his mother, why in the world would you think I would accept that you would be respectful to him when all you''re trying to do is sleep with him?¡±


    No one at the table said anything in response.


    ¡°I suggest you go and find someone else to toy around with, because you are not toying around with my boy.¡± Annie said. ¡°Do I need to tell you the same thing I told Amy?¡± She asked and looked at everyone at the table. ¡°I guess not, because I can see it on your faces.¡±


    Annie took Arnold''s hand and he stepped back beside her.


    ¡°Just remember. It''s not an empty threat. You''ve all read the newspaper articles.¡± Annie said and saw recognition on their faces. ¡°I don''t mind you being his friend, as long as it''s not another scheme to get him into your beds. That I won''t stand for.¡± She said. ¡°Oh, and to prove that I''ll easily find out if it happens...¡± She looked at Arnold. ¡°...when was the last time you had sex?¡±


    ¡°Monday night after supper.¡± Arnold said and that surprised everyone at the table. It wasn''t what he said, it was because he said it without hesitation.


    ¡°What about masturbating?¡± Annie asked, even though she really didn''t want to know.


    ¡°Monday afternoon.¡±


    ¡°I want you to call me as soon as anyone at this table tries to coerce you into any kind of sex.¡± Annie said to her son, who nodded, and she gave the girls at the table a smile. ¡°I hope you all learned a valuable lesson today, even though it''s Saturday.¡± She said. ¡°Have a good day.¡±


    Annie and Arnold walked away from the table and they all watched them go.


    ¡°I did not just witness that.¡± The girl at the end of the table said as she shook her head. ¡°Someone tell me that didn''t just happen.¡± She looked back at the other girls at the table. ¡°Wow. Okay. That really did happen.¡± She said and she wasn''t sure if she was going to include this new material in her sociology paper or not.


    They all sat there quietly and no one said anything else.

 114 The Last Two

    ¡°Who are we meeting next?¡± Annie asked as they left the building the cafeteria was in.


    ¡°Professor Power.¡± Arnold said as they walked over to Building B. ¡°She''s been giving me private chemistry lessons.¡±


    ¡°Janet mentioned that.¡± Annie said. ¡°I assume you needed the help because of the biology course?¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°There are a lot of chemical formulas and interactions that I couldn''t understand or make sense of while reading some of the professor''s books and periodicals.¡±


    ¡°Have the lessons helped?¡± Annie asked as they continued to walk hand-in-hand.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said. ¡°She let me borrow her favorite books, too.¡±


    Annie was glad about that and didn''t ask any more questions. They entered the chemistry building and took the elevator up to the second floor. Arnold peeked into the lab and didn''t see her, so he went to her office at the back of the building.


    ¡°These buildings were built almost identically.¡± Annie commented as Arnold knocked on the office door.


    ¡°I hope whoever you are that you have a good excuse to bother me on a Saturday.¡± Felicia''s haughty voice said through the door. When it opened a moment later, the taller woman gasped when she saw Arnold. ¡°Oh! It''s you!¡± She said and a smile appeared on her face as she stepped out of the office to give him a gentle hug. ¡°You''re the only one that doesn''t need an excuse to bother me.¡±


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Annie said without even trying to fake cough.


    ¡°AH!¡± Felicia jumped slightly from the startle and let Arnold go. ¡°It was just a friendly hug! I didn''t mean anything by it!¡± She quickly said to cover up her social faux-pas.


    ¡°Professor Power, this is my mother.¡± Arnold said. ¡°She said she wanted to meet you.¡±


    ¡°S-she did?¡± Felicia asked, her voice shaky. All of her confidence evaporated in the face of another woman, who by all accounts was much prettier than her. She was also Arnold''s height and was at least five to ten years older than her, considering Annie had an eighteen year old son.


    ¡°Arnold tells me you''ve been giving him private lessons.¡± Annie said and skipped all of the pleasantries.


    ¡°Oh! Ha ha. Yes, I... our lessons have been...¡± Felicia was completely unnerved by the look Annie gave her and she needed a few moments to compose herself. She took a deep breath and let it out, then genuinely smiled. ¡°He is a remarkable young man.¡± She said. ¡°When he finishes the book I just loaned him, there are only a few periodicals and practical procedure lessons he''ll need and I won''t have anything more to teach him.¡±


    ¡°That seems like a lot more than a basic knowledge of chemistry to help his biology understanding.¡± Annie said.


    Felicia nodded. ¡°I had intended to only help, then he convinced me that I would be wasting my time if I didn''t teach him as much as I could.¡± She said and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I know he doesn''t really speak much normally; but, when he decides to put his tongue to use, it''s very hard to say no to him.¡±


    Annie had to agree with that. When Arnold asked you for something, it really was difficult to say no.


    ¡°I can give you a quick tour and show you the books he''s read.¡± Felicia said, her confidence back, and let Arnold''s shoulder go. ¡°It still surprises me that he can retain the things he learns so well.¡±


    ¡°Only the things he''s interested in.¡± Annie said. ¡°If he decides he doesn''t want to learn something...¡±


    Felicia chuckled. ¡°I''ve heard of students like that. They can get pretty disgruntled when they have to learn something like liberal arts or sociology.¡±


    ¡°Does that happen a lot?¡± Annie asked, a little surprised.


    ¡°Even the specialized courses need extra credits to round out a student''s learning.¡± Felicia said. ¡°My dedicated chemistry program students still have to take the basic math and biology courses that everyone takes, just to balance out their course materials.¡±


    ¡°That seems like a bit of a waste.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°They usually only take one semester to get the credit on their transcript and then they can drop it.¡± Felicia said. ¡°Both math and biology can play a part in chemistry and knowing about those interactions can change your understanding of your interest.¡± She looked at Arnold. ¡°Case in point. He''s learning biology as quickly as he can to get up to speed on the college courses he will be taking over the next few years. He already discovered the part chemistry can play in biological systems and came to me to learn as much as he could.¡±


    Annie nodded.


    ¡°He is going to be quite far ahead of the others that will be starting in a month.¡± Felicia said. ¡°In fact, I suspect Ol'' Hamil might push him right into one of his more advanced course loads and not bore him with the starting materials.¡± She smiled. ¡°Don''t depend on that, though. He may decide to take it easy on you at first and let you grow accustomed to the change from full time job to taking the course.¡±


    ¡°I still have to work.¡± Arnold said and Felicia nodded.


    ¡°Your days are going to be even fuller than they are now.¡± Felicia said. ¡°It''s one of the reasons I regret that our lessons will be stopping soon.¡± She gave Annie a look. ¡°I can''t promise that I''ll get him in one of my classes, since the scheduling won''t be released for review until a week before registration.¡±


    ¡°Who would he get if it''s not you?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°My assistant.¡± Felicia said. ¡°I gave her this semester off, because she will be working a lot harder this fall.¡± She chuckled. ¡°The influx of new students is always high at the start of the new year, until they realize chemistry is not quite for them and they move on to other subjects.¡±


    ¡°That''s kind of sad.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°That seems to be the way of things. All of the professors suffer the same fate, so it''s not like I''ll be suffering alone.¡± Felicia laughed. ¡°It''s all right, though. Each year, we find those students that will want to continue in our subjects, so we nurture and guide them as best as we can.¡± She looked back at Arnold. ¡°I have to say, Hamil really hit gold when he found your son.¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Annie asked, just so she could get a read on the woman.


    ¡°It''s quite simple, really.¡± Felicia gave her a demure smile. ¡°I haven''t protested to the college about Hamil having two assistants.¡±


    Annie gave her a wide-eyed look and Felicia laughed again.


    ¡°I have a reputation for being arrogant and... if you will excuse the language... a bit of a bitch.¡± Felicia said. ¡°Hamil having two assistants when everyone else only has one? That stuck in my craw for a few weeks.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Annie asked.


    Felicia nodded. ¡°It wasn''t until I started to hear the students talking and saw some of Arnold''s work for myself that my opinion started to change.¡± She said. ¡°I must say, for someone that didn''t have any learning or experience past high school biology, his work has been exemplary.¡±


    Annie was very happy to hear that, especially from another professor.


    ¡°Of course, Hamil can''t shut up about him, either.¡± Felicia said with a huge smile. ¡°If I didn''t know the old codger as well as I do, I could swear that he was grooming Arnold to be his replacement.¡±


    Annie was surprised to hear that. She knew that Arnold was doing well, even with the few hiccups he had suffered through; but, she didn''t know he was doing quite that well.


    ¡°So, would you like that tour?¡± Felicia asked.


    ¡°No, thank you.¡± Annie said. ¡°I think we''ve used up enough of your time already.¡±


    Felicia looked at the clock. ¡°Well, I suppose it is time for lunch.¡±


    ¡°Then we better go and grab something to eat ourselves.¡± Annie said. ¡°Let''s go back to the dorm, Arnold.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and they walked over to the elevator.


    That went a lot better than I thought it would. Felicia thought as she watched them get in the elevator. She waved when they did and then they were gone. He actually brought his mother to see me. She thought in surprise. That beautiful young thing was his mother!


    Felicia leaned against the door frame of her office and looked down at her hands. They shook slightly and she chuckled at how easily the woman had unnerved her.


    *


    Annie and Arnold went back to the dorm and Annie wasn''t surprised to see the same scene that Arnold had described to her. She knew that more modern young women didn''t mind being a little provocative and seeing the proof for herself was both a little intimidating and worrisome. At least, it was for a few minutes. When they entered his dorm room and she helped Arnold prepare a quick lunch for the both of them, she had the chance to observe them.


    Annie watched the half naked girls acting normally and they weren''t overtly trying to get Arnold''s attention. It was then that she realized what was really going on. They had accepted the disruption that Arnold had presented by being a man on a floor full of women. It should have caused a huge shift in their behavior and made them self-conscious about their lack of clothing and the things they talked about, and yet they behaved the same way as if he wasn''t there on the floor.


    Maybe they aren''t as bad as I first thought they were. Annie thought as she and Arnold sat at the kitchenette table to eat. If they can accept Arnold in this kind of environment, maybe he won''t have as much trouble with staying here as I was worried he would.


    They ate their lunch and discussed what to do for the afternoon. There wasn''t really anyone else for Annie to meet at the college and they had visited everything the last time Annie had been there, so they didn''t really have anything else on campus to do.


    ¡°Why don''t we go to the movies? I''m sure there must be something good playing.¡± Annie smiled. ¡°I actually can''t remember the last time we went.¡±


    At the mention of the movies, Arnold remembered Pam and the argument they had. ¡°Mom, teach me how to tip properly.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? All right.¡± Annie said and then she taught him about giving a percentage of the bill, then varying the amount of the tip by the quality of the service and the food. ¡°If you''re not sure about most of that, just give fifteen percent. Oh, and make sure that they didn''t already include the tip on the bill.¡±


    Arnold nodded and they cleaned up the dishes, then they left the dorm room. The girls watched them pass and only a couple of them said hello or waved. When they reached the lobby, they saw Doris had a rare grace period when no one was by her desk.


    ¡°We''re going to the movies.¡± Annie said. ¡°Is there any chance you can come, too?¡±


    Doris gave her a huge smile. ¡°I wish I could. I''ve taken off a lot of time taking care of a certain handsome young man and I need to make that time up somehow.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry if it''s been an inconvenience.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°Don''t be ridiculous.¡± Doris laughed. ¡°He needed me and I was glad that I could be there for him.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll do it again as soon as it''s necessary, too.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°No buts, Annie.¡± Doris said. ¡°I''ll keep a close eye on him and when he needs me, I''ll be there.¡±


    Annie nodded and she and Arnold left the dorm building. They drove into the nearby area and easily found the movie theatre. It was huge to accommodate the population of the college and the surrounding area, so it took them a little while to look at the movie posters to find a good movie to watch.


    ¡°That one looks good.¡± Annie said and pointed to one that had a picture of a ship surrounded by small fins. ¡°As long as you''re ready to cover my eyes and have your arm squeezed when I jump from the scares.¡±


    Arnold nodded and they went inside. The concessions stand was practically deserted and they went to the only cash register that had someone behind it digging inside the popcorn machine.


    ¡°Hi, there! Just a second!¡± Pam said as she managed to refill the popper without spilling anything. She turned to look at her newest customers with a huge fake smile on her face. ¡°Can I interest you in a... Arnold!¡±


    Annie chuckled. ¡°I''m going to skip making a joke about that and assume you know my son.¡±


    ¡°You''re his mother?¡± Pam gasped.


    ¡°I seem to get that reaction a lot.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°But...¡± Pam said and looked at her, then at Arnold, then back at Annie. ¡°You''re so young.¡±


    ¡°I could lie and say I had him when I was twelve; but, I won''t.¡± Annie smiled.


    ¡°Pam is Janet''s roommate.¡± Arnold said. ¡°She works two jobs to afford to stay at the dorms.¡±


    Annie looked at Pam and wondered what her other job was.


    ¡°I''m a waitress at a bar during the week.¡± Pam said, as if she knew what Annie was thinking. ¡°It''s really nice to meet Arnold''s mother.¡±


    ¡°It''s nice to meet someone so dedicated to school that she works so hard to attend.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Pam said. ¡°Now, what can I get you?¡±


    ¡°Two tickets for that fish and boat movie with a large popcorn and drink combo.¡± Annie said.


    Pam chuckled. ¡°You''d be surprised how many people don''t even try to pronounce that weird name.¡± She said and gathered the popcorn. ¡°What kind of drink?¡±


    ¡°Root Beer with no ice.¡± Arnold said.


    Pam assembled the combo, printed off two tickets, and told them the price. Arnold handed over the money and Pam rang it up. She handed him back the change and the tickets.


    ¡°The movie starts in about twenty minutes in theatre C down that hallway.¡± Pam pointed.


    Arnold quickly calculated twenty percent of the total and put it on the counter. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and led his mother towards the theatre.


    Pam looked down at the money and immediately understood why he did it. Did he come here just to do this for me? Just to prove that he knows how to tip properly? She asked herself.


    Arnold and Annie entered an almost completely dark theatre.


    ¡°I hope it''s not too scary.¡± Annie said and they walked up to the row of seats in the middle of the room and then sat down in front of the screen. They were all alone and talked about what they could do tomorrow as they waited for the movie to start. No one else came in as they shared the popcorn and the drink, then the movie started.


    Neither of them noticed the young woman that stared at them from the projector''s booth. Pam had a fifteen minute break and she spent all of it watching Arnold and his mom on a date. Annie let out an appropriate squeal of terror at the first jump scare and Arnold covered her eyes for her. That made Pam smile, especially when Annie peeked around his hand and clung to Arnold''s arm when she expected the next jump scare.

 115 Dinner Date

    ¡°That was great!¡± Annie said when they left theatre C, then she laughed. ¡°If I could pronounce the name, I would try and remember it when it comes out for sale.¡±


    She and Arnold walked back up the hallway to see the theatre lobby was crowded and there were three people behind the concession stand to handle the crowd.


    ¡°It looks like we were lucky and just missed the afternoon rush.¡± Annie commented and they walked by the mass of people. They left the building and hopped into the car, then they drove around for a bit to wait for suppertime. About an hour before she thought the supper rush would happen, Annie pulled into a nice restaurant that she had found online. She had booked a table, just in case, and the two of them went inside.


    ¡°A table for Strickland.¡± Annie said to the host.


    ¡°Yes, right this way.¡± The man said and led them over to a small table at the side of the room. ¡°I''ll send the waitress right over.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Annie said and they sat down. ¡°I booked ahead in case it was busy.¡± She said. ¡°I hope the food is as good as the reviews said.¡±


    Arnold nodded, because he assumed she wanted a response. The waitress came over to them and delivered the menus as she gave them a quick rundown on the specials for the day.


    ¡°The fish fillets do sound good.¡± Annie said and browsed the menu. ¡°Is it a platter or do I have to order french fries separately?¡±


    ¡°It''s a huge platter.¡± The waitress said and held her hands over a foot and a half apart. ¡°Believe me, you get your money''s worth.¡±


    Annie chuckled. ¡°All right, you convinced me. A fish fillet platter for me.¡± She looked at Arnold. ¡°Any preferences?¡±


    ¡°If the platter is that big, we should share it.¡± Arnold said.


    Aw, that''s so romantic. The waitress thought and did her best to not gush about it.


    ¡°That''s a good point.¡± Annie said and looked at the back of the menu. ¡°Um... in case that not enough, let''s get a nice appetizer.¡± She said. ¡°Potato skins or nachos?¡±


    ¡°Nachos help make friends.¡± Arnold said and Annie laughed.


    ¡°Nachos it is.¡± Annie said and nodded to the waitress.


    ¡°Anything to drink?¡± The waitress asked as she took the menus back.


    ¡°We had soda at the theatre, so we should stick with just water for the meal.¡± Annie said and Arnold nodded.


    ¡°I''ll be back with your appetizer in a few minutes.¡± The waitress gave them a huge smile and left.


    ¡°Arnold, I wanted to talk to you about Kelly.¡± Annie said without any preamble or building up to it.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I know you won''t ask her to be your girlfriend; but, will you be willing to date her?¡± Annie asked. ¡°I''m sure she misses you a lot.¡±


    ¡°Did she move back into the house yet?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Annie said, sadness in her voice. ¡°Her parents aren''t taking her being hurt... or her plans for moving in with you... very well.¡±


    ¡°Are they going to arrange a new living space for her?¡± Arnold asked.


    Before Annie could respond, the waitress came over with their nachos and cheese. ¡°There you go.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Annie said and the waitress left. ¡°Arnold, they have a month to try and find another place for her; but, I''m only pretty sure they are not going to be successful.¡± She reached across the table and took his hand. ¡°If Kelly does end up not living with you, are you going to be okay with that?¡±


    Arnold thought about that. ¡°You won''t have someone there to look after me.¡±


    Annie sighed. ¡°Yes, that''s one of the main downsides.¡±


    ¡°We don''t know anyone else you trust that can take her place.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°No, and we won''t know if she''s going to be staying in your room with you until registration.¡± Annie said and squeezed his hand. ¡°That means we have a month to wait and see if you''re going to be all alone at college.¡±


    Arnold nodded and ate one of the nachos. Annie took the cue to stop talking about it and ate one, too. She didn''t let his hand go as they picked at the nachos, then their main course arrived and she let go. They ate the fish and fries and they were quite good, so Annie''s mood improved as the food disappeared. Arnold had been right and the two of them barely finished eating the large platter.


    Annie sat back and looked at her son and smiled, then waved to the waitress. A few minutes later, she came out carrying an elaborately decorated birthday cake and two other waitresses walked behind her. They gathered around the table and sang a very subdued version of ''Happy Birthday'' for Arnold, then they put the cake down and left.


    ¡°Make a wish and blow the candles out.¡± Annie whispered.


    Arnold closed his eyes and blew out the candles. When he opened his eyes, there was a large wooden box in front of him. He looked at his mother with wide eyes.


    ¡°Go ahead and open it.¡± Annie said.


    Arnold popped the clasp and opened the wooden lid. His mouth opened slightly in surprise at what was inside.


    ¡°I talked to Professor Crenslav and he said that this was the best and most extensive tool set for a dissection specialist.¡± Annie said, her face slightly red, because she had gotten exactly the response from him that she wanted.


    ¡°Mom.¡± Arnold whispered and resisted the urge to rub his fingers over all of the gleaming tools inside the box. He stood up and went to her side of the table. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and bent down to give her a kiss. He only held it for three seconds and didn''t move his lips, because of his bruise, despite her deserving to be kissed properly. ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Annie said, her face bright red, because that wasn''t a response she had expected.


    Arnold went back to his seat and sat down, then stared at the contents of the box. After a few minutes, he closed it and hooked the clasp, then he smiled at her.


    ¡°I think we can skip cutting the cake for now and take it back to the dorm.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and waved to the waitress. She brought over a cardboard box for the cake and gave Arnold the check. He took out enough money for the meal, did the math in his head, and took out some more money. Annie motioned at the cake and subtly pointed upwards and he nodded. He showed her how much he was going to tip and she nodded, so he kept them separate and handed the bill with the money on it to the waitress, then he held out her tip in the other hand.


    ¡°Oh! Thank you very much, sir!¡± The waitress said. ¡°I''m very happy that you enjoyed the food.¡± She packed the cake in the box for them and handed it to Arnold. ¡°I hope you come back to eat here again.¡±


    Arnold looked at his mother, who shrugged, so he didn''t say anything. They left the restaurant and climbed back into the car with the cake and the wooden box in the back seat, and drove back to the college. They parked and went inside, saw Doris was busy, then rode the elevator up to the top floor. A couple of the girls were a little bolder this time and said hello to both Annie and Arnold, who said hello back and walked by and went to Arnold''s dorm room.


    Not surprisingly, the girls were all curious as to what was in the two boxes that Arnold carried. None of them had the nerve to ask, however. Janet would have asked if she was there, though. She was actually out having supper with Pam at a fast food place and was hearing about Arnold and Annie going to the movies together.


    Arnold and Annie settled into the dorm room and closed the door, which meant none of the girls in the hallway were going to see what was in either box, or see Arnold change for bed. They understood that it was because he had his mother there and that he wasn''t going to be giving them the show that they normally expected to see every day.


    Annie put the cake in the refrigerator and then watched Arnold read from a very thick chemistry book. She was surprised when she took a peek at it, because she couldn''t make sense of it at all and she wondered how much smarter her son was than her now. She dismissed that thought and waited for the right time to tell him to go to bed, then they changed out of their casual outfits and into their sleep clothes.


    Arnold climbed into his bed under the blanket and Annie climbed into the other bed. They both laid there for several minutes and didn''t say anything, then Annie rolled over and looked at her son. He was already staring at her and she chuckled.


    ¡°All right, get over here.¡± Annie said and Arnold left his bed and slid into hers. ¡°We haven''t cuddled since that time we stayed at Kelly''s place in the spare room.¡± She said and rolled over to face the other way, so that the sore side of Arnold''s face would be facing up and not be against the pillow. Arnold cuddled in as he put his arm around her waist and rested his forehead on the back of her neck. His hot breath felt great against her skin and they both relaxed.


    ¡°I love you, Mom.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Annie said, then the both of them drifted off to sleep.


    *


    Janet stayed out and hung out at the theatre with Pam, since it was pretty empty between movie showings, and the two of them left when Pam''s shift was done and went back to the college campus.


    ¡°At least you didn''t have a late night showing this time.¡± Janet said as the car pulled into the parking lot and stopped at Pam''s space. ¡°Even just hanging around made me tired!¡±


    ¡°You should have seen it this afternoon.¡± Pam laughed and turned the car off. ¡°It was a madhouse!¡±


    ¡°I can imagine.¡± Janet said and lifted out a plastic bag full of popcorn. ¡°There''s was almost nothing left in the popcorn machine.¡±


    Pam shook her head and held the dorm building''s front door open. ¡°I still can''t believe you can eat so much of that and not get sick of it.¡±


    ¡°I wasn''t the one that took the manager''s offer to eat as much of it as I wanted on the first day of work!¡±


    ¡°Making me sick of it worked like a charm.¡± Pam said and waved at Doris as they walked by her. ¡°I can make it and serve it like an expert; but, I''ll be damned if I''ll put any more of it in my mouth.¡±


    Janet laughed and pushed the elevator button. ¡°At least you still like the smell.¡±


    ¡°Thank god for small favors.¡± Pam said as the elevator doors opened. ¡°Can you imagine working there and not liking the smell? The carpets are soaked through with it!¡±


    Janet laughed again and they stepped into the elevator. ¡°I always wondered why the floor felt so squishy.¡±


    ¡°At least it''s not sticky.¡± Pam said. ¡°I''ve lost count of how many spilled cups of soda I''ve cleaned up since I started working there.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn''t someone be keeping track of things like that?¡± Janet asked. ¡°Maybe I''ll mention it to Mark the next time I see him.¡±


    ¡°Don''t you dare give that anal nerd any ideas!¡± Pam said accusingly and Janet laughed. The elevator doors opened and they stepped out to see most of the doors were open, except for Arnold''s. They didn''t stop and ask anyone why that was, since they just assumed it was because he had his mother over.


    They went to their room and went inside, then followed Arnold''s example and shut their door. Pam took a shower after a long day of work and changed for bed, then settled down in bed and sighed.


    ¡°That was really nice of him to do that for you.¡± Janet said from her bed.


    ¡°It really was.¡± Pam said.


    ¡°Pam.¡± Janet turned over to look at her friend. ¡°I had sex with Arnold.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Pam said.


    ¡°How did you find out?¡± Janet asked.


    ¡°You''ve been acting guilty all week and you just spent the better part of six hours hanging out with me at work for no reason.¡± Pam said. ¡°Either you were going to kick me out of the room or you slept with the guy I told you to take your shot with.¡±


    Janet sighed. ¡°Pam, it felt great, but... it was all me and I pretty much just pleased myself... a lot.¡±


    ¡°He said you''d do it again when he was better?¡± Pam asked and Janet nodded. ¡°I hope it''s as good as you hope it''s going to be.¡±


    ¡°I know it''s going to be better.¡± Janet said. ¡°Just look at how he masturbates when given a chance.¡±


    Pam nodded. That had definitely been a surprise for the both of them.


    ¡°I want you to try and sleep with him before I do.¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Janet...¡±


    ¡°No, let me explain.¡± Janet said and then told her that she wouldn''t have had the guts to do what she did if it wasn''t for her encouragement. She also wouldn''t have had the chance at all if Pam and Arnold hadn''t had their argument. In fact, it should have been Pam in the backseat of the car that day after lunch.


    ¡°But, it wasn''t me. It was you.¡± Pam smiled sadly. ¡°I''m glad you took my advice and didn''t miss your chance with him.¡±


    ¡°That''s what I''m trying to tell you. I think... No, I''m sure that he only skipped over you.¡±


    ¡°Janet, you can''t seriously think that...¡±


    ¡°We can''t do anything while his mother''s here, so we don''t have to discuss it until tomorrow night.¡± Janet said. ¡°Then we can work out how to get you with him.¡±


    Pam sighed. ¡°You''re not going to let this go, are you?¡±


    ¡°Pam, I tried to... um...¡± Janet''s face flushed red. ¡°I couldn''t... swallow it.¡±


    Pam blinked her eyes for a few seconds as she absorbed that little bit of information. ¡°Okay. Wow.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Janet said. ¡°He didn''t get upset about it, thank god.¡±


    ¡°Why would he? You tried.¡± Pam said. ¡°Then again, you didn''t make a big mess or anything, did you?¡±


    Janet shook her head. ¡°I made it to the bathroom in time and didn''t spit it out on him or the floor.¡±


    Pam closed her mouth and tried to hold in her laugh. She only managed it for a few seconds and then laughed.


    ¡°It''s not funny.¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I was just imagining you spitting it all over him. Hey, Arnold! You can have this back! Ha ha!¡± Pam laughed and Janet had to laugh, too.


    The laughter died out eventually and they were quiet for a few minutes.


    ¡°Janet?¡± Pam said into the silence.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Thanks for making me feel better.¡±


    ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Janet smiled. ¡°Now go to sleep and imagine that Arnold''s dick is wrecking you.¡±


    ¡°Great! Now I can''t sleep!¡± Pam exclaimed and they both laughed again.

 116 Picnic Time

    The alarm went off and Arnold had to let his mother go to sit up. That moved the blanket off of them both and Arnold turn the alarm off.


    ¡°C-c-chilly.¡± Annie whispered and shivered. ¡°What... time is it?¡±


    ¡°Six in the morning.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°It''s the weekend. Go back to sleep.¡± Annie said and shivered again.


    Arnold laid back down and pulled the blanket back over them. Annie let out a contented sigh as Arnold snuggled in and put an arm back around her. She knew she was kind of taking advantage of his good nature like this; but, she also suspected that he liked being the one to cuddle her. She wasn''t sure why she thought that, though. He never said that he did, and yet she had that impression.


    After the couple of times that it happened, where he had comforted her in similar ways, Annie had to assume that he felt like it was his turn to comfort her. God knew that she needed it after everything that had happened. Of course, that thought made her think that perhaps it was only her own mind that was giving her that impression, so she had to ask.


    ¡°Arnold, do you like comforting me like this?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You did it for me since I was a child. Now I can do it for you.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°You... you know that... you don''t have to.¡± Annie responded.


    ¡°I''m your son. It''s my job to protect you.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I won''t let anyone hurt you.¡±


    Annie was touched by his words. ¡°Arnold, I... I''m your mother. It''s my job to protect you.¡± She said and remembered her confrontation with Cissily the day before. ¡°I hope you don''t mind me telling Amy, Cissily, and their friends to back off from trying to use you.¡±


    ¡°You told me that Amy was a bad influence.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I should have assumed her friends were, too.¡±


    ¡°I would have told you that if I knew what they were doing.¡± Annie said and rolled over in bed to face him. ¡°It must have seemed like I was being overly protective of you, so I hope you don''t see them too often.¡±


    ¡°I usually eat lunch with them during the week.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Annie said. ¡°Arnold, I''m sorry. I didn''t realize...¡± She shook her head slightly. ¡°They might try something when you see them again on Monday.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to stop eating with them?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°I would like to say to stay away from them; but, you have to work with Amy and Cissily. You can''t afford to alienate them.¡± Annie sighed. ¡°That''s why I said it was okay for you all to be friends. The thing is... after yesterday...¡± She sighed again. ¡°...I think it''s them that will not want to sit with you.¡±


    Arnold shrugged.


    ¡°I''m sorry if I''ve messed things up for you.¡± Annie said and lightly touched the healing bruise on his face. ¡°I just... when I heard how they were trying to manipulate you, I had to say something to try and stop them from doing that.¡±


    Arnold used his hand and touched her face in the same way. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and moved slightly forward and lightly kissed her.


    ¡°Arnold, I''ll do anything to protect you.¡± Annie stared into his eyes.


    ¡°Mom, I''ll do anything to protect you, too.¡± Arnold stared right back. ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Annie said and they laid there for several minutes. ¡°We don''t have to be in the park until ten for our picnic reservation, so we should get some more sleep.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and closed his eyes.


    Annie thought about just laying there and watching him, then changed her mind and rolled back over to face away from him. She wiggled backwards to get in close to let him cuddle her and Arnold''s arm went back around her waist. She hugged it and only felt a little guilty about it, because she knew that she was lonely and really missed having someone to hold her.


    ¡°Thank you, Arnold.¡± Annie whispered as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.


    *


    Two hours later, nearly every other door in the hallway opened.


    ¡°I love the weekends!¡± Someone exclaimed as they stepped out into the hallway.


    ¡°Shh! Some of us are still sleeping!¡± The girl across the hallway said as she and her roommate came out to talk with everyone.


    ¡°Ha ha! You''re funny.¡±


    ¡°It''s true... unless they are already up and gone.¡± Cynthia said from two doors down and waved at Arnold''s door. ¡°It''s really not fair that she''s so pretty.¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡± The girl next door said. ¡°I still can''t believe she''s his mother.¡±


    ¡°I''m totally stealing that outfit idea.¡± Cynthia said with a grin. ¡°What an eye catcher!¡±


    ¡°Are you going to dye your hair, too?¡± Someone asked.


    ¡°Oh! What an idea!¡± Cynthia said.


    ¡°You''ll have to grow your hair out to copy her successfully.¡± Rachel said from across the hall.


    ¡°I can get extensions, thank you very much.¡± Cynthia smiled at her and she chuckled.


    ¡°Do you think he''ll like you more if you do copy his mom?¡± Rebecca asked as she walked over to lean by the wall.


    ¡°I hope so!¡± Cynthia said. ¡°He should notice me more, if nothing else.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know.¡± Rebecca said. ¡°I mean, look at all of us. How long have we been walking around in front of him in underwear and towels?¡± She asked. ¡°I don''t think changing your hair color and wearing clothes is going to get his attention.¡±


    ¡°It''s worth a shot.¡± Cynthia said.


    Janet and Pam stood in front of their dorm room and listened to them.


    ¡°They totally don''t get it.¡± Pam whispered.


    ¡°Not even a little.¡± Janet whispered back with a smile on her face.


    ¡°Thanks for telling me what happened in the hallway yesterday.¡±


    ¡°I knew you had a late shift today and would be around for most of the morning.¡± Janet said. ¡°I''m sure that she won''t do the whole ''intimidate us into behaving'' trick again; but, you needed to know it was a possibility.¡±


    Pam chuckled. ¡°I can''t believe you stood up to her and told her what you did!¡±


    Janet chuckled, too. ¡°I was plenty intimidated, believe me. I wasn''t going to lie, though. I knew she wouldn''t like that if I did.¡±


    ¡°Because of Arnold.¡± Pam said and Janet nodded. ¡°I bet he loves her a lot.¡±


    Janet gave her an inquisitive look.


    ¡°I told you about watching them on their date.¡± Pam said.


    Janet smiled. ¡°What a great guy, right? Taking his mom out to the movies.¡±


    ¡°I bet they ate out at a nice restaurant.¡± Pam said and then laughed. ¡°I''m jealous of his mom!¡±


    Janet laughed, too. ¡°We all are, I think.¡±


    Pam looked at everyone in the hallway and caught bits of their conversations, which mostly consisted of Arnold''s mom, and she nodded.


    *


    Arnold woke up and saw it was nine in the morning, He carefully slipped away from his mother and out of bed, then tucked the blanket back around her. He walked over to his dorm room door and opened it, then waved at the girls that waved at him.


    ¡°Morning.¡± Janet and Pam said at almost the same time.


    ¡°Morning.¡± Arnold said and walked over to the kitchenette and grabbed some eggs and put toast in the toaster. He quickly cooked up breakfast for himself and his mother and did up the plates. ¡°Mom, it''s time to get up.¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡± Annie groaned. ¡°What time is it?¡±


    ¡°Twenty after nine.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Dammit.¡± Annie said and climbed out of bed and walked over to the table. ¡°You cooked eggs and toast for me?¡± She asked and he nodded. ¡°Thank you so much.¡± She said and gave him a quick kiss.


    Every single girl in the hallway were frozen stiff at the sight of Arnold''s mother. She only wore a tiny half t-shirt that barely covered her chest and skimpy little boy shorts that showed off a lot of leg and some of her hips. They all felt a little inadequate, because of how sexy she looked, even with her just getting out of bed. Even her messy hair added to her appeal.


    ¡°We won''t have time to get a shower before we have to head over to the park.¡± Annie said and sat down. ¡°It''s a good thing they''re having activities that should help me wake up and give me some energy.¡±


    Arnold nodded and sat down as well, then they both ate quickly. He cleaned off the table while she put her suitcase on the bed and opened it. He walked over to his closet and grabbed a nice blue shirt and his new jeans.


    ¡°Change your underwear, too.¡± Annie said and took out a blue blouse and a new pair of jeans. ¡°I''m going to copy you today.¡±


    Arnold picked up another pair of underwear and took off the ones he wore, then started getting dressed. Annie had her back to the open door and slipped off her t-shirt, picked up a nice bra, and put it on. She put on the blouse and buttoned most of the buttons, then she took off her boy shorts and quickly slipped on a matching pair of panties. Her jeans were next and she sighed happily as she buttoned them up.


    ¡°I love it when jeans fit without having to break them in.¡± Annie said and grabbed her toiletries before going into the bathroom. ¡°Wow! My hair''s all over the place.¡± She laughed and started to brush it. ¡°I must have slept better than I thought I did.¡±


    Arnold walked over to the bathroom to look.


    ¡°Can you get the back for me, please?¡± Annie asked and handed him the brush.


    Arnold took the brush and ran it through her hair a few times to smooth it out.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Annie said and turned her head from side to side to fluff her hair out a little. ¡°Okay, the curling I did to it yesterday is holding up, which means I''m almost ready to go.¡±


    ¡°Make-up?¡± Arnold asked and she nodded. He went to her suitcase and brought it back to her. Annie quickly and deftly applied a minimal amount of make-up and a touch of lipstick, which made her face practically come to life with almost no effort.


    ¡°There we go.¡± Annie said and put everything away back in her suitcase. ¡°We better go.¡±


    Arnold nodded and the two of them stepped out of the dorm room and Arnold shut and locked the door.


    ¡°We can have a piece of your birthday cake when we get back this afternoon.¡± Annie said and almost laughed when she heard a dozen gasps behind her. ¡°It''s a good thing it''s big and a nice rectangular shape.¡± She smiled and took his hand. ¡°I think a few of your neighbours might want a piece, too.¡±


    Annie led Arnold down the hallway and everyone stared at them as they passed by. She hit the button for the elevator and it opened right away, so they stepped in and the doors closed. They rode it down to the ground floor and it stopped at every floor. By the time they reached the bottom, they were squeezed at the back.


    ¡°Is it always like this?¡± Annie whispered the question into his ear.


    ¡°In the mornings sometimes. I usually miss the rush during meals and after classes.¡± Arnold whispered back into her ear. His breath tickled her ear a little and she stopped herself before she laughed. The doors opened on the ground floor and the elevator emptied out into the lobby.


    ¡°Good morning, everyone.¡± Doris said happily.


    A chorus of various ''good mornings'' came back to her and a couple of the girls went over to her desk to chat with her for a bit. Annie waved to her and she waved back, then Annie and Arnold left the building. They climbed into the car and drove over to the nearby park that had several activities and a public picnic lunch for the participants.


    Annie paid the ridiculously small fee that was actually a donation to a local charity. She perked up after the first activity, which was a short bike ride around the man-made lake in the center of the park, then they had several other things to do, like a treasure hunt. Arnold enjoyed that one, because they handed out shovels for them to use. They figured out the clues easily and dug up all of the items to be found.


    They did another activity called ''human checkers'', and they played checkers with people who had to leap frog over others to claim them. Annie laughed almost the entire time and ended up losing because she was having too much fun and wasn''t paying attention.


    They all gathered in the main area where dozens of patterned blankets had been laid out, then they picked the lunch baskets they wanted. There were all kinds of things to be had and Annie chose the ham and cheese sandwich one, because the dessert inside was brownies and she loved brownies. It was a guilty pleasure for her and she had three of them gone by the time she and Arnold had found a nice blanket to sit down on.


    Everyone ate lunch and then the people running the event said that there was only one more activity to do. They had to lay back and tell the people they were with what they saw in the clouds. That made everyone laugh, especially because the organizers were completely serious, then everybody did it.


    ¡°I think that''s a hippo!¡± Annie said loudly and pointed at a round cloud, and a few people laughed. She was almost giddy as she rested her head against Arnold and just pointed at random clouds and spouted whatever came to her mind. Arnold''s hand found her unoccupied one and she gripped it as she kept talking.


    After twenty minutes, the organizers announced that it was officially over and that everyone was free to just lay there and relax. Not surprisingly, everyone did. It was actually a really nice time and they had all enjoyed it, especially Annie.


    Eventually, everyone got up, some reluctantly like Annie, and gathered up the basket and blanket. They brought them over to the organizers, who thanked them for coming, and Annie gave them another twenty dollar donation.


    ¡°Miss, you already...¡± The man said.


    ¡°You guys did a great job organizing all of this.¡± Annie said. ¡°I had a wonderful time.¡±


    ¡°We''re really glad you liked it.¡± The woman next to him said. ¡°Thank you for coming.¡±


    ¡°Will you be doing this again?¡± Annie asked, hopeful.


    ¡°It was a pretty good success, so probably.¡± The man said.


    ¡°Now that I know what it''s like, I''ll be sure to bring a lot more people next time.¡± Annie said.


    The woman laughed. ¡°They can only make blankets so big!¡±


    ¡°Ha ha!¡± Annie laughed. ¡°I didn''t mean I''d have them with me, I just meant I''ll bring them along.¡±


    ¡°Then we''d be happy to have more bodies floating around.¡± The man said. ¡°We''ll post it online and let you know when the next one will be.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Annie said and she and Arnold left the park and went back to the car. ¡°Arnold, I really did have a great time.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Would you want to come back with me the next time?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said and thought about what she told the organizers. ¡°Who else would you bring?¡±


    Annie chuckled and started the car, then pulled out of the parking space. ¡°You''ve got a whole dorm full of young women that looked like they weren''t busy today. I''m sure if we asked them to come along, at least a few of them would.¡±


    Arnold looked at his mother and she glanced at him for a moment, then looked back at the road.


    ¡°Okay, most of them would.¡± Annie admitted with a laugh and drove back to the dorm.

 117 Delicious Cake

    ¡°Did you guys have fun?¡± Doris asked Annie and Arnold when they came into the dorm building.


    ¡°We sure did!¡± Annie said before Arnold could respond. ¡°We haven''t had that much fun together in a while!¡±


    Arnold glanced at his mother for a second and then looked at Doris. Almost as if she knew what he was going to say, she spoke to counter it.


    ¡°Having nice clean fun once in a while sure is a nice change, isn''t it?¡±


    ¡°Like you wouldn''t believe!¡± Annie gushed. ¡°We even played human checkers!¡±


    ¡°Human what?¡± Doris asked, confused.


    Annie laughed and quickly explained the game.


    ¡°Oh! Ha ha! I thought you played checkers on somebody!¡± Doris said and laughed, too.


    ¡°Can you imagine that?¡± Annie snorted a laugh and shook her head.


    ¡°It sounds like you did have a great time.¡± Doris said. ¡°It would have been nice to be there with you.¡±


    ¡°Mom said that we can invite people from the dorm next time.¡± Arnold said.


    Doris smiled. ¡°I''d like that.¡±


    ¡°Great! I''ll send you the website for the organizers.¡± Annie said. ¡°Come on, Arnold. We''re really overdue for a shower!¡±


    Doris waved to them as they stepped into the elevator and they rode it up to the top floor. Annie wasn''t surprised that the hallway was quite crowded after her little bombshell about Arnold''s birthday when they had left. She suspected that at least a few of them were going to get him something for his birthday, either as an apology for missing it or to try and get into her good graces.


    Now Annie just had to wait and see who actually knew her son and who were just playing at trying to sleep with him. Annie and Arnold went to his dorm room and Arnold unlocked it for them.


    ¡°You grab a shower first and I''ll cut up the cake.¡± Annie said and shut the door. She thought she heard a groan of disappointment from the hallway when she did so. Arnold nodded and quickly undressed, then he went into the bathroom to shower.


    Annie took the cake out and cut it up into small pieces, then used the pack of small paper plates to divide it up and added plastic forks to them all. She kept two slightly larger pieces for herself and Arnold and put them aside. Arnold came out of the shower and dried off, then slipped on a pair of jogging pants.


    ¡°I''ll get a shower while you hand these out to the girls in the hallway.¡± Annie said as she grabbed her own pair of jogging pants and a baggy t-shirt.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and Annie went into the bathroom. He opened the dorm room door and several girls had come over to the door.


    ¡°Hi!¡± One of them said and held out a birthday card for him. ¡°Happy Birthday!¡±


    Arnold took it and handed her a piece of cake.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± She said and stepped aside for the next girl. ¡°Go ahead, Billy.¡± She said and went back to her dorm room.


    ¡°Happy Birthday, Arnold.¡± Rebecca said and gave him a card, too.


    ¡°Why do they call you Billy?¡± Arnold asked as he took the card and handed her a piece of cake.


    ¡°Oh, it''s short for Hillbilly.¡± Rebecca said. ¡°I''m originally from down south and my friends never let me forget it.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to call you Billy, too?¡±


    Rebecca shook her head. ¡°I like the way you say my real name.¡± She smiled and made way for the next girl, then walked away, too.


    Not surprisingly, once the others saw him accepting the cards and things from the other girls and them getting pieces of his birthday cake in return, nearly everyone came over to visit.


    Annie came out of the bathroom and quietly slipped off to the side and sat down on the far bed and out of sight of the hallway. She sat there and listened to them talking to her son and gauged their levels of interest. It wasn''t until she heard a voice she had heard yesterday that she got up and peeked around the corner to see.


    ¡°Happy Birthday, Arnold.¡± Janet said. ¡°I''m sorry that I don''t have a card or a present to give you. I''ve been getting my work done and didn''t have the time to go and get something.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and handed her a piece of cake.


    ¡°You don''t have to give me a piece of cake.¡± Janet said and tried to hand it back. ¡°I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday and I hope you had a great time with your mom.¡±


    ¡°Mom really liked it.¡± Arnold said and picked up another piece of cake.


    ¡°What about you?¡± Janet asked as she stepped to the side of the hallway and started eating the cake.


    ¡°I liked hearing her laugh.¡± Arnold responded.


    Awww! Annie clamped her mouth shut so she didn''t say that out loud.


    ¡°Awww! That''s so sweet.¡± Janet said and stayed there to eat the cake as Arnold greeted the last few girls and handed them pieces of cake. No one else came over, so Arnold picked up four pieces of cake and walked down the hallway, then handed a piece to each of the girls that hadn''t come over, one of which was Daisy.


    ¡°Arnold, you didn''t have to do this.¡± Daisy said and accepted the cake. ¡°I didn''t get you anything.¡±


    ¡°Neither did Janet.¡± Arnold said and walked away. When he reached his room again, he picked up one more piece and handed it to Janet.


    ¡°What''s this for?¡± Janet asked.


    ¡°Pam.¡± Arnold said. ¡°She''s the last girl on the floor that didn''t get a piece of cake.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Janet said and gave him a careful kiss on the lips. ¡°I''ll give it to her when she gets in from work tonight.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and went back inside the dorm room. ¡°Mom? What do I do with the rest?¡±


    Annie walked over to him and put an arm around his waist for a moment. ¡°We can eat our pieces first, then I''d say we can give a piece to Doris.¡±


    The two of them ate the two pieces Annie had set aside for them, then Arnold picked up a piece and walked towards the door.


    ¡°T-shirt first.¡± Annie said with a chuckle. ¡°You might cause a riot if you go down there without a shirt on.¡±


    Arnold put the cake down and grabbed a brown t-shirt and slipped it on.


    ¡°Why don''t you take one over to Mabel at the cafeteria, too?¡± Annie suggested.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and picked up two pieces and left the dorm room.


    Annie waited until the elevator doors closed before she walked over to Janet''s room. She knocked on the door frame and Janet looked up from her desk to see her.


    ¡°Oh! Um... come in.¡± Janet said and looked at the mess of the room. ¡°Just pretend a storm hit it.¡±


    Annie chuckled and shut the door as she came into the room. ¡°I know you''re busy; but, can we talk for a minute?¡±


    Janet nodded and pointed to Pam''s desk. ¡°Grab a seat."


    Annie pulled over her chair and sat down. ¡°I listened to most of the exchanges Arnold had with the girls in the dorm.¡±


    Janet opened her mouth and Annie held a hand to stop her.


    ¡°I''m not here to complain that you didn''t give him anything.¡± Annie clarified and Janet sighed in relief. ¡°I''m here to find out what you intend to do with my son.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Janet blinked her eyes in surprise at the direction the conversation had turned onto.


    ¡°I''m a fairly good judge of character and out of the other girls, you were the only one that seemed to actually care about him enough to ask him how he felt.¡±


    ¡°I... well, I...¡± Janet sighed again. ¡°Actually, when he started living here, I was the only one who kept questioning the things he did and if he was manipulating everyone.¡±


    Annie gave her wide eyes and Janet nodded.


    ¡°I wasn''t subtle about it, either.¡± Janet said and ducked her head. ¡°Arnold heard a lot of what I said.¡±


    ¡°How did he react?¡± Annie asked, curious.


    ¡°He didn''t argue or tell me I was overreacting, or even tell me that I was wrong.¡± Janet said and looked back at Annie with a blush on her face. ¡°I apologized and he didn''t react to that, either. He stayed calm and spoke normally, and he didn''t say anything bad about me or anything because of it.¡±


    ¡°Arnold''s not like that.¡± Annie said, a little sternly.


    ¡°I know that... especially now.¡± Janet said. ¡°He''s just... I''ve never met anyone like him before. He unnerves me and he makes me feel special at the same time.¡± She said. ¡°For some reason, I feel like when he gives me attention, it means a lot more than what getting attention from someone else does.¡±


    Annie was quiet for a few moments, then she nodded. ¡°Yes, it''s... if I had to describe it... it''s the intensity.¡±


    It was Janet''s turn to look at her with wide eyes, then she nodded, too. ¡°That''s it. It''s the strength of his attention. You can just feel that when he looks at you, he''s looking at all of you and not what he sees with his eyes.¡±


    Annie took a breath and let it out. ¡°I think that''s the best description about it I''ve ever heard.¡±


    ¡°That''s why he can walk through a hallway of barely dressed women and not even glance at them, let alone try to stare or grope them, isn''t it?¡± Janet asked and Annie nodded.


    ¡°He doesn''t really notice things like that, unless it''s done specifically for him, then he''ll comment on it.¡± Annie said.


    Janet sat there and thought about it for a while.


    ¡°So, what are your intentions towards my son?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°Honestly, I want to have sex with him.¡± Janet said and blushed again. ¡°Proper sex with him, that is.¡±


    ¡°Not date or be boyfriend and girlfriend?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°I would... if either of us had the time to do that.¡± Janet said and waved at her desk. ¡°Pam was right. When he starts actually taking college courses, there''s not going to be any time for relaxing or hanging out with a boyfriend or girlfriend. At most, we can probably study for an hour, assuming he has similar classes, and then maybe...¡±


    ¡°What if he started seeing his girlfriend again?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°You mean Kelly?¡± Janet asked and she nodded. ¡°He''s not going to.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Don''t get me wrong.¡± Janet said and held her hands up in surrender. ¡°I don''t doubt for a second that he loves her. He would have to in order to fend off everyone here in the dorm.¡± She said, then sighed and put her hands down. ¡°He won''t put himself in the same situation again.¡±


    Annie took in a sharp breath. ¡°He told you what happened?¡±


    Janet nodded. ¡°He put her in the hospital for her first time and they didn''t even get to have sex.¡± She said. ¡°I just... my heart...¡± She put a hand over her chest. ¡°I felt so bad for him. That he had to go through that... hurting her and not getting to make her feel better afterwards...¡± She shook her head and looked into Annie''s eyes. ¡°He didn''t deserve to have that happen to him.¡±


    Annie took in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I really like Kelly and she''s been the best thing for him...¡±


    Janet shook her head again. ¡°She can''t be what''s best for him, not if she can''t even...¡± She stopped talking. ¡°I''m sorry, I don''t mean to judge. I know for some girls that it''s difficult when their first times go bad.¡±


    Annie sighed. ¡°The only way it could have been worse, was if Kelly hadn''t reacted like she did and stayed quiet.¡±


    Janet gasped and covered her mouth. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± She said. ¡°She... she might have...¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°She was lucky we got her to the emergency room because she needed stitches.¡±


    ¡°How... how bad?¡± Janet asked.


    ¡°She''ll be sore for a few weeks and tender there for a month.¡± Annie said. ¡°It also might tear there again if she''s not careful.¡±


    ¡°That poor girl.¡± Janet said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡±


    ¡°We all are.¡± Annie said. ¡°We all had... plans...¡±


    Janet caught her breath. ¡°No, you... are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Kelly''s supposed to stay in the dorm with him for the next six years as his roommate, so...¡±


    ¡°Oh, god.¡± Janet said. ¡°That one thing messed everything up.¡±


    ¡°It really did, especially all the good feelings we had between our families.¡± Annie said. ¡°Kelly''s father told Arnold to leave her alone after hurting her.¡±


    ¡°And he did.¡± Janet said.


    ¡°At least he''s not avoiding her and said they could still be roommates, but...¡±


    ¡°It is definitely not going to be a good idea to have them together for that long and not have them together.¡± Janet said. ¡°It''s not going to happen, though.¡±


    ¡°They can still...¡± Annie started to say.


    ¡°...date and have sex with other people, then eventually get married and keep doing that?¡± Janet asked.


    Annie let out a sigh, then she whispered. ¡°Kelly was exactly who I was looking for.¡±


    Janet tried to ignore that comment. ¡°Sometimes things can''t work out, no matter how perfect they are.¡±


    Annie didn''t want to admit that, because she still had hope that something could be worked out. ¡°I''ll let you get back to work.¡± She said and put Pam''s chair back over by her desk. ¡°Thanks for talking to me.¡±


    ¡°I''m pretty sure I couldn''t refuse, so you''re welcome.¡± Janet said with a smile.


    Annie smiled back and left her room.


    *


    Both Doris the dorm mother and Mabel the woman behind the cafeteria counter enjoyed the pieces of birthday cake that were hand delivered by their favorite handsome young man. Doris managed a sneaky kiss and promised that he could bury his face in her cleavage soon. Mabel said she would make him something special for his birthday for lunch on Monday.


    Arnold went back to his dorm room and all of the girls greeted him as he passed. He greeted them back and looked at the pile of birthday cards on the table.


    ¡°Go ahead and sit down.¡± Annie said and put the last piece of cake in the refrigerator. ¡°It''ll take you a little while to read them all.¡± She thought about standing there to read them over his shoulder, then decided if she was that curious about what they said, she could always look at them later. ¡°I''ll get started on supper and it should be done in a couple of hours.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and opened the top envelope and read the card. He noted the invitation to go bowling that afternoon and put it back in the envelope, then picked up the next one and read it.

 118 Bowling Fun

    ¡°So, what did they say?¡± Annie asked when she saw that Arnold had sorted the dozen cards into piles.


    ¡°These two are invitations to go bowling this afternoon, these three are invitations to go to the movies tonight, and these seven are promises to give me a present or something later.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to accept any of the offers?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°I''ve never gone bowling before.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Me, either.¡± Annie said. ¡°Hmm. Do the two girls know each other?¡±


    ¡°It''s Rachel and Lisa, so yes.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°You can''t accept one and not accept the other.¡± Annie said. ¡°I wonder if they would mind going together?¡±


    Arnold stood up and walked out into the hallway.


    ¡°I didn''t mean...¡± Annie sighed and followed him. Her rhetorical question had made him go ask and she had to explain it to them.


    Arnold stood between their dorm room doors and looked at Rachel and then Lisa. ¡°You both asked me to go bowling.¡±


    Both girls nodded.


    ¡°I can''t accept one and not accept the other.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Do you mind going together?¡±


    Both girls took in sharp breaths, as did several girls around them.


    ¡°We can all go!¡± Someone said, and then conversations broke out all over the hallway. Annie sighed when she realized that she didn''t have to explain anymore. A few of the girls had to refuse, because they were going to be busy, which included Janet and Emily.


    ¡°You''re all responsible for your own fees.¡± Annie said, a little loudly. ¡°This isn''t a date or anything, it''s just friends going out and sharing a good time, which means you share the costs.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem. My dad owns the bowling alley.¡± Cynthia said and everyone turned and looked at her.


    ¡°He owns the bowling alley?¡± Rachel asked.


    ¡°He owns a lot of things.¡± Cynthia said.


    ¡°Why haven''t you mentioned this before?¡±


    ¡°I was told not to.¡±


    ¡°So, why now?¡±


    ¡°We''re about to bring...¡± Cynthia counted the people going. ¡°...fourteen people into a busy weekend business on a Sunday. I have to call ahead and see if he can make room for us or we won''t be allowed in.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Rebecca asked. ¡°He wouldn''t turn away so many of us, would he?¡±


    Cynthia nodded. ¡°If he goes over capacity for the building, he could get in trouble with the fire marshal if they find out.¡±


    ¡°Then hurry up and call!¡± Daisy said from down the hallway. ¡°We need time to get changed, too!¡±


    Cynthia looked at the time and took out her cell phone. ¡°Hi, Dad.¡± ¡°Yes, I miss you, too.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± She rolled her eyes and covered the phone with her hand. ¡°Give me a minute.¡± She whispered to everyone and went inside her room and closed the door.


    ¡°I hope he says yes.¡± Rachel said. ¡°It''s going to be so much fun with everyone!¡±


    Lisa gave her a look that clearly said she wanted to be very much alone with Arnold. Rachel ignored it, because she was hiding that she wanted to be alone with him, too.


    Cynthia came out five minutes later with a smile on her face. ¡°We''re in luck. One of the league teams forfeited their slot today. Dad had the manager of the bowling alley put us into their three hour time slot that starts in an hour.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Several of the girls yelled.


    ¡°Get ready, everyone. I''ll have a bus here to pick us up in forty-five minutes.¡± Cynthia said.


    ¡°Thanks, Cynthia!¡± Nearly everyone said and then they all disappeared back into their rooms.


    ¡°We need to change, too.¡± Annie said and Arnold followed her back to his dorm room. They changed their jogging pants into loose jeans and came back out. Annie poked her head into Janet''s room. ¡°Can you take a break for a few hours?¡±


    Janet looked at her books and thought about delaying, then shook her head. ¡°If it was just quick questions and answers, I could. I''ve got essay questions with fifty word minimums that require my opinions and interpretations of the material.¡±


    Annie nodded, because she knew they were the hardest questions to answer. ¡°Well, good luck.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Janet said and then she blushed a little. ¡°And thanks for inviting me to go along.¡±


    ¡°I just thought you''d enjoy spending some fun time with Arnold.¡± Annie said and waved as she left.


    I would. Janet said and then cursed silently at her mountain of homework that she might get done by tonight if she was lucky. I really would.


    Annie and Arnold walked down the hallway to Cynthia''s room and saw her trying to find something to wear. She stood there in a matching set of bra and underwear that looked very expensive.


    ¡°I suggest something a little baggy that won''t stop you from moving around.¡± Annie said and motioned towards herself and Arnold. Their lose jeans and baggy t-shirts looked both comfortable and easy to move in.


    ¡°I''m going to see my dad there.¡± Cynthia said.


    ¡°Ah. I understand.¡± Annie said and came in. ¡°Let me have a look.¡±


    Cynthia waved at the closet and stepped out of the way. ¡°You''re not going to find anything to... huh?¡±


    Annie pulled out a nice sleeveless fluffy red blouse and a black skirt that was both conservative and draped well. ¡°You''ll need a nice belt, just in case the skirt tends to ride up on your hips.¡±


    ¡°How did you...¡± Cynthia shook her head and didn''t ask how she did that so quickly. ¡°How did you know it does that without the extra weight?¡±


    ¡°Lots of practice.¡± Annie chuckled. ¡°Believe me, it''s better than wearing a tight skirt and having it pull down off of your hips.¡±


    Cynthia chuckled and nodded her head. ¡°I''ve had a few whistles when I bent over and knelt down too far and my underwear peeked out the top of the waistband.¡±


    ¡°Then you had to adjust it when you stood up and you got the underwear caught up, too.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°I walked crookedly until I ducked into a bathroom and dug out the wedgie I had!¡± Cynthia laughed.


    ¡°We''ll wait for you out in the hallway while you get changed.¡± Annie said and she and Arnold left the dorm room.


    I didn''t even notice that Arnold was right there with her. Cynthia said and looked down at her expensive underwear. It wasn''t quite see-through; but, it did give that impression, which was one of the reasons it was expensive, and she blushed. Maybe if we had been alone, he might have mentioned it.


    Annie and Arnold hovered around in the hallway and as they waited, several young women came out of their rooms and were dressed nicely. Annie thought about telling them the same things as Cynthia, then looked at the time. If she said anything, they might not make it to the bus if they had to go and change, so she stayed quiet. Eventually everyone came out and they all went to the elevator.


    ¡°Does anyone know the weight capacity of this thing?¡± Annie asked as they all stepped inside and one of the girls pointed to a small plaque at the top of the buttons. ¡°Whoever is closest, read it for me.¡±


    ¡°It says fifteen hundred kilograms or thirty-three hundred pounds.¡± The girl next to it said. ¡°It also says the average weight of 75 kilograms or a hundred and sixty-five pounds per person limits it to 20 people.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my god!¡± One of the girls yelled. ¡°Did they use all fat people? A hundred and sixty-five pounds! That''s ridiculous!¡±


    Annie burst out laughing as the doors closed. ¡°It said average, not everyone.¡±


    ¡°I''m only a hundred and ten pounds.¡± Rachel said and a few other said theirs, ranging from a hundred to a hundred and twenty.


    ¡°I''m a hundred and eighty-six pounds.¡± Arnold said and every girl turned to look at him with wide eyes.


    ¡°I think we need to get you weighed again.¡± Annie said. ¡°That was almost a year ago. You could be heavier than that by now.¡±


    All the girls eyes turned to look at her this time.


    ¡°Or it could be less. He''s been on a balanced nutritional diet for about a month.¡± Annie corrected.


    ¡°He doesn''t look like he weighs that much.¡± Rebecca said.


    ¡°Muscle weighs more than fat, Billy.¡± Someone said and a few of them laughed.


    Rebecca sighed. ¡°I hate that nickname.¡± She said and touched Arnold''s arm. ¡°Can you flex your arm like a muscle man and show me? Like this?¡± She made a fist and curled her arm at the elbow. A fairly large bump appeared where her bicep was and most of the girls were surprised by that. ¡°I grew up on a farm. You wouldn''t believe how heavy hay is when you shovel it.¡±


    ¡°I like shovelling.¡± Arnold said and did the same movement, then every single woman in the elevator gasped at the sight, even his mother.


    ¡°Hellooooo, Arnold.¡± Rebecca said exaggeratedly and tried to put her hands around his bicep and she couldn''t. ¡°Someone give me a hair tie or a piece of string or something.¡±


    A nice ribbon was presented from somewhere and Rebecca put it around Arnold''s bicep to measure, then let one end go and looked at it.


    ¡°That''s got to be around sixteen inches.¡± Rebecca let out a low whistle. ¡°I knew you were in great shape, but...¡± She chuckled. ¡°Your arms are just about the perfect size for your height.¡±


    The elevator doors opened and they all stepped out into the lobby.


    ¡°Oh, no! It''s the exodus!¡± Doris exclaimed when she saw them and some of the girls laughed. ¡°What''s going on?¡±


    ¡°Bowling!¡± One of them said and waved the ribbon Rebecca had used to measure Arnold''s arm, then tied it around her ponytail. ¡°You should come, too!¡±


    ¡°I wish I could.¡± Doris said. ¡°You go have fun and you can tell me all about it when you come back.¡±


    Most of them waved, including Annie and Arnold, and then they left the lobby. The private bus was waiting for them and they all climbed aboard. They drove over to the large bowling alley and went inside to see that it was fairly crowded.


    ¡°Our section''s down the end.¡± Cynthia said as she checked her phone for the details. ¡°The last five lanes are ours.¡±


    ¡°For three hours? Wow!¡± Rebecca exclaimed. ¡°Those league teams must get a great deal!¡±


    Cynthia laughed. ¡°They make up most of the bowling alley''s business, so yes.¡±


    ¡°This is great!¡± Rachel said as the arrived at the lanes assigned to them. ¡°We''ll need to divide up into teams to fit all five lanes, though.¡±


    ¡°We don''t know how to bowl.¡± Annie said and took Arnold''s hand.


    ¡°Then we''ve got our first teams set.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I''ll teach Arnold and Rachel can teach his mom.¡±


    Rachel thought about refusing and trying to take over Arnold''s lessons, then nodded instead. They went over to get their shoes while everyone else worked out their teams, then they went back and the lessons began. They were using the large three hole balls that were from fifteen to eighteen pounds each, so it took quite a lot of practice for both Annie and Arnold to get the hang of manipulating such large weights to get them to go straight.


    Not surprisingly, both Lisa and Rachel had fun trying to pass on their basic knowledge to two completely new people. They didn''t really have any finesse to their techniques or knew how to do things like that, so it was all pretty much just trying to get Annie and Arnold to hit the front pin as best as they could.


    *


    ¡°Hey, Paul.¡± A guy said and tapped his shoulder. ¡°I think that''s Lisa over on lane fifteen.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Paul turned and looked at his bowling partner. ¡°Who''s where?¡±


    The guy pointed. ¡°Lisa, and she''s right there.¡±


    Paul turned to look and saw the girl he was dating with her arms around another guy. ¡°What the fuck?¡±


    ¡°Oho! I think she''s putting the moves on him.¡±


    Paul handed his bowling ball to his friend and walked over to lane fifteen, his face angry. ¡°Lisa!¡±


    Lisa jumped and turned to look at the angry voice. ¡°Paul! This isn''t what it looks like!¡±


    ¡°It looks like you''re putting the moves on another guy.¡±


    ¡°She''s teaching me how to bowl.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°You...¡± Paul pointed at his chest. ¡°...stay out of this.¡± He said and looked at Lisa. ¡°What do you think you''re doing rubbing your hands all over this guy?¡± He asked and Lisa''s face flushed red from embarrassment. ¡°You said we couldn''t go out because you were staying at the college all weekend.¡±


    ¡°I... well, I...¡±


    ¡°Nearly the whole dorm floor came out to bowl.¡± Cynthia said as she walked over. ¡°It''s not like she asked him out on a date or anything.¡±


    Lisa''s face went even redder because that was exactly what she did.


    ¡°Are you exclusive?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°What?¡± A few people asked, including Paul, and Annie let out a soft sigh.


    ¡°If you didn''t agree to date exclusively, then she can see whoever she wants.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°That point of view isn''t going to help.¡± Cynthia said. ¡°He''s jealous that she''s with someone else and it doesn''t matter that he hasn''t committed to her.¡±


    ¡°I am not jealous.¡± Paul said and ignored the committed part. No one else missed it, though.


    ¡°Then go back to your game and forget about...¡±


    ¡°I will not ignore my girlfriend as she paws some other guy right in front of me.¡± Paul said and looked back at Lisa. ¡°Well, what are you still doing here? Go back to the dorm like you said you were going to.¡±


    Lisa looked at him and her blush faded. ¡°I''m out with my friends.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, friends.¡± Paul looked at Arnold. ¡°How did you meet this friend? Out on the street or online?¡±


    ¡°He lives in the dorm.¡± Lisa said and then covered her mouth.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Paul glared at her. ¡°You did not just say that a guy is living in an all female dorm.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shit.¡± One of the other girls whispered.


    ¡°Is it true? You''re living with a guy at the college?¡± Paul asked loudly and a few other guys came over to crowd around him. Not surprisingly, a few of them had dated a few of the girls.


    Lisa sighed and nodded. ¡°He lives in the room at the end of the hall.¡±


    ¡°When did this wonderful thing happen?¡± Paul spat at her.


    ¡°The start of summer term.¡± Lisa said in a defeated tone.


    ¡°Really, now.¡± Paul squinted his eyes. ¡°And when exactly were you going to tell me?¡±


    Lisa opened her mouth and then closed it.


    ¡°So, never.¡± Paul said. ¡°How am I supposed to take that information, Lisa? How?¡±


    Lisa wasn''t sure how to answer that question.


    ¡°You take it like a man.¡± Rebecca said and a few people gasped.


    ¡°You keep quiet!¡± Paul said.


    ¡°Ask her if she''s sleeping with him. Ask her if she''s having wild and passionate sex with''im. Ask her if''n she''s gonna drop ya fer him.¡± Rebecca said as she became angry and her southern accent kicked in. ¡°Yer bein'' an arsehole an'' guiltin'' her in fronna her friends an'' she ain''t done nothin'' ta warrant it!¡±


    ¡°Billy, calm down.¡± Cynthia said and touched her arm.


    ¡°It''s Arnold''s birthday an'' all we wanna do is have fun with''im! We don''t need alla this drama!¡± Rebecca said loudly. ¡°If''n she was kissin''em er grabbin'' his ass, I''d unnerstand this jerkface being upset! All she''s doin'' is teachin''em how ta bowl! She ain'' rubbin''im er nothin''! It ain''t fair whut Paul''s doin''!¡±


    Nearly the whole bowling alley was quiet when she took several breaths to keep going.


    ¡°I''ve gots half a mind ta...¡± Rebecca stopped talking when a strong hand took hers and she turned her head to look at Arnold.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and kissed her.

 119 A Perfect Game

    ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Oh, my god!¡± ¡°She''s so lucky!¡± A few of the girls exclaimed. Several other phrases and a few whispered curses were heard from the girls gathered around as well while Arnold kissed Rebecca.


    Paul stared at the scene and wasn''t sure what to say. He had completely called it wrong and thought his girl had been cheating on him. When he turned to Lisa, he had missed her having the same surprised expression as him and she was already looking at him with a big smile on her face.


    ¡°You see? There wasn''t anything going on.¡± Lisa said and gave Paul a quick kiss. ¡°We''re all out enjoying some bowling. Oh! And we''re all responsible for our own share.¡±


    ¡°So, it''s not a date.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Nearly everyone said back.


    Annie was glad that she had made that statement and had clearly expressed those points before all of this started, and she was really glad to have had the bright idea to have Arnold kiss Rebecca to diffuse the situation before it got too far out of hand. She hadn''t quite meant for him to keep kissing her, though. She stepped close and tapped his shoulder.


    ¡°I think that''s enough, Arnold.¡± Annie said.


    Arnold broke the kiss and Rebecca had her eyes closed and kept moving her lips. She also had her hands dug into his baggy t-shirt and he couldn''t step away.


    Annie held in her laugh and tapped Rebecca''s hands. ¡°You can let him go now.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Rebecca opened her eyes and saw Annie looking at her from a few inches away. ¡°Oh! Sorry!¡± She said and let Arnold''s t-shirt go. It was pretty wrinkled and she tried to smooth it out. ¡°Ah''m sorry, I... well...¡±


    ¡°We know.¡± Cynthia said with a chuckle. ¡°Oh boy, do we know.¡±


    ¡°That shore was somthin''!¡± Rebecca said and looked at Arnold''s face. ¡°Ahrnold, yer a great kisser.¡±


    Arnold''s hand touched her cheek. ¡°What happened to your voice?¡±


    Rebecca''s face flushed red. ¡°When I get riled up, I can''t keep mah accent contained and I forget mah eloquence lessons.¡± She took a breath and let it out, then smiled. ¡°Thank you for calming me down.¡±


    ¡°That calmed you down?!?¡± A few of the girls asked.


    ¡°I can''t be angry after getting kissed like that.¡± Rebecca said as her blush disappeared and looked at Annie. ¡°I''m sorry I did something like that in front of you.¡±


    ¡°It wasn''t just in front of me; but, it''s okay. As long as you don''t think anything''s going to come of it.¡±


    Rebecca looked back at Arnold. ¡°I know I didn''t expect anything when I came here.¡± She said. ¡°Is it all right if I wanted another kiss, just to see if my heart will keep beating this fast?¡±


    ¡°Can it wait until later, Billy?¡± Cynthia said. ¡°We need to get bowling.¡±


    There was a general agreement and everyone went back over to their lanes, except that Lisa and Rebecca had mysteriously changed places. The funny thing was, Rebecca wasn''t much better than Arnold at bowling. She pointed at the little arrows on the floor.


    ¡°I try to swing the ball and let it go as soon as it hits the floor on one of these marks. It''s pretty much trial and error when you only have two balls to knock down ten pins.¡± Rebecca said.


    Arnold gave her a look and she laughed.


    ¡°I know, it''s simplistic and complicated at the same time. I''m sure there''s some good lessons online to show you how to do it properly.¡± Rebecca said and waved at the lane. ¡°If you come here for competition while on a date though, you''re going to lose... and I don''t mean at the game.¡±


    Arnold gave her another look.


    ¡°There are times when you should let the girl win, no matter what game you''re playing.¡± Rebecca said and leaned in close to whisper. ¡°Unless it''s a game you''re playing together, then it''s better if the both of you win.¡±


    Arnold thought about playing VR and being there with Kelly. It was definitely better when they won together. He nodded to Rebecca and she nodded back, then she sat down beside Rachel.


    ¡°You lucky dog.¡± Rachel whispered to her.


    ¡°I really, really am.¡± Rebecca whispered back and the two of them watched as both Annie and Arnold completely botched their attempts to get the ball to stay in their lane. ¡°Go ahead. I need to take a rest.¡±


    Rachel chuckled and stood up, then went over to Annie and gave her another couple of tips while Arnold sat down beside Rebecca.


    ¡°If I asked you to be my boyfriend, you''d say no, wouldn''t you?¡± Rebecca asked.


    Arnold nodded. ¡°I don''t have time for any of that boyfriend and girlfriend crap.¡±


    Rebecca sighed. ¡°I understand. You just got out of an exclusive relationship and need time to...¡±


    ¡°We can have sex.¡± Arnold said and she took in a sharp breath. ¡°It''ll be just you and me having a great time fucking each other and that''s it.¡±


    Rebecca shivered at him cursing so casually. She turned her head to look at him and saw that he was looking right back at her. ¡°Ah''d like that.¡± She said and licked her lips. ¡°Vury much.¡±


    Arnold leaned in and gave her a quick kiss, then leaned back as if nothing had just happened.


    Over the rest of the bowling session, Rebecca would occasionally glance at him because she still couldn''t believe that he had asked her to have sex. She shook her head at how successfully he had done it, too. The smoothness of the line and her complete acceptance without even thinking about it, just seemed too good to be true. She wasn''t going to ask him to repeat himself, though. If there was one thing her momma taught her, it was to never question fortune when it favored you.


    The bowling gathering came to an end and everyone gathered around Cynthia as she approached the desk with all of the score sheets and everyone handed over their shoe rentals. The two clerks quickly put the shoes back and then one took the sheets from her.


    ¡°I see you didn''t get a lot of use on fifteen.¡± The clerk said at the partial sheet from that lane.


    ¡°We had two first time learners.¡± Cynthia said and he nodded.


    He quickly did up a price for her and handed her the bill. ¡°That''ll be a hundred and twenty eight dollars for five lanes for three hours. Shoe rentals included.¡±


    Cynthia turned to everyone. ¡°You heard the cost.¡± She said. ¡°Now cough up your share.¡±


    ¡°It''s nine dollars and fifteen cents.¡± Arnold said immediately and handed Cynthia a twenty dollar bill. ¡°For me and my mom.¡±


    Everyone got over the shock of hearing him calculate the share so quickly and handed over ten dollars each, some in bills and others in change, and Cynthia had plenty of money to pay the bill and then put her own ten dollars on top.


    ¡°Keep the change, you two.¡± Cynthia said. There was a hundred and forty dollars on the counter, which meant the clerks shared a twelve dollar tip.


    ¡°Thank you for coming today.¡± The clerk said and took the money, rang up the bill, and then handed the other clerk six dollars and took six dollars himself. The large group of them left the bowling alley and the bus was still there.


    ¡°I can''t believe it was that cheap!¡± Lisa exclaimed when they all climbed aboard. ¡°That was like league pricing for so many people!¡±


    ¡°Leagues pay a yearly fee and are only charged two dollars a game.¡± Cynthia said and everyone stared at her. ¡°We actually did get a massive discount, though.¡± She smiled. ¡°Those lanes would have been empty and wasted, since they normally don''t allow normal players in on league days.¡±


    ¡°Why did they do it?¡± Rachel asked as the bus pulled out of the parking lot.


    ¡°They made more off of us in three hours than they make on a single team playing all day.¡± Cynthia said.


    ¡°So, you''re saying that we got a great deal and got shafted at the same time?¡± Rachel asked and Cynthia nodded, then they both laughed.


    The bus dropped them off at the college campus in front of their dorm building and the girls talked excitedly as they went inside.


    ¡°You guys sound like you had fun.¡± Doris said.


    ¡°Doris!¡± One of the girls exclaimed and ran over to her desk. ¡°You are not going to believe what happened!¡±


    ¡°You could at least wait until I''m out of earshot.¡± Lisa said with a red face and a few people laughed uneasily and a few pat her shoulders and back.


    ¡°I meant Arnold kissing Billy!¡± The girl said.


    Rebecca blushed and a few of the girls in the lobby gasped at the news. ¡°It''s not what you think.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± One of the girls in the lobby said. ¡°What''s his girlfriend going to say?¡±


    Doris was thinking the same thing and gauging the fallout from the fight she expected it would cause... until Arnold spoke the magic words.


    ¡°I don''t have a girlfriend anymore.¡± Arnold said.


    Doris'' entire world changed in that moment. She was glad that she was sitting down, because she kind of lost her sight for a few moments at the shock of hearing that Arnold wasn''t in an exclusive relationship anymore. He no longer had rules against doing things with other people. Doris gripped the desk she sat behind to keep herself upright and by sheer willpower, she forced herself to not faint from happiness.


    ¡°You should have seen it.¡± The girl said as everyone piled into the elevator. ¡°It all started when...¡±


    Her words were cut off as the elevator doors closed and a few of the girls chuckled.


    ¡°How long do you think it''ll be before the whole campus knows?¡± Rachel asked.


    ¡°Gossip travels at light speed, so I''d say by tomorrow morning.¡± Cynthia said and couldn''t help but laugh. ¡°We all tried so hard to keep Arnold being single to ourselves, too!¡±


    ¡°You did?¡± Annie asked before she could stop herself, and that made nearly everyone laugh.


    ¡°Please don''t be offended when I say that we all know you''re his mom and can''t really look at him like a woman sees him.¡± Cynthia said. ¡°The rest of us, though?¡± She looked at Arnold. ¡°We all see you as the best thing in the world to happen to our dorm.¡±


    ¡°We all miss you when you have to go to work early and we''re all a little sad when you can''t hang around the dorm because you work late.¡± Rachel said as the elevator doors opened.


    Annie was a little surprised to hear that, especially after what she had said the day before to them.


    They all piled out of the elevator and as the group moved down the hallway, the girls peeled off from the group and stopped at their regular spots. When Arnold and Annie reached the end of the hallway and were all alone, they turned back to look at everyone.


    ¡°Thank you, Arnold!¡± Most of them said.


    ¡°Happy Birthday!¡± A few added.


    ¡°I love you!¡± A lone voice said and everyone turned to look at her with surprise on their faces.


    ¡°Oh, my god! Debbie spoke!¡± Cynthia said loudly and everyone laughed.


    Arnold unlocked the dorm room door and he and Annie went inside and left it open.


    ¡°I''m still a little worried about you being here alone for a month.¡± Annie said and turned to check the pan she had left in the the oven on low heat. ¡°I think I''m going to be okay with it.¡± She took the pan out and poked the contents with a fork. ¡°It looks like another half an hour and supper should be done.¡±


    Arnold nodded and Annie put the pan back into the oven.


    ¡°How much more of the chemistry book do you have left?¡± Annie asked.


    Arnold picked it up from his bedside table and showed her that half an inch of thickness was left.


    ¡°You can wait until after supper to start that.¡± Annie said and yawned. ¡°I need a nap.¡± She said and climbed onto the second bed to lay down. ¡°Wake me in... forty minutes.¡±


    Arnold set the alarm and climbed onto the bed with her.


    ¡°Are you... tired, too?¡± Annie asked as she rolled onto her side automatically to accommodate his cuddle, then she fell right to sleep before his arm went around her waist.


    *


    The girls in the hallway stared with slightly open mouths as Arnold cuddled with his mother in bed. They were still fully dressed; but, it looked almost natural, as if they did it a lot.


    ¡°He''s not spooning her, is he?¡± Rachel whispered, slightly concerned.


    ¡°No, I think...¡± Cynthia crept over and stood on her toes to see, then crept back. ¡°...he''s got his head pressed against the back of her neck.¡±


    Rachel and a few girls let out sighs of relief as they all gathered together to make talking easier.


    ¡°He''s holding her but he''s not holding her.¡± Cynthia whispered and almost laughed at the other girl''s relief. ¡°Are you all afraid that he might be a momma''s boy?¡±


    ¡°He is a momma''s boy.¡± Rebecca said and they all gave her wide-eyed looks. ¡°He''s the kind of guy that will do anything his momma tells him, without question.¡± She said. ¡°He would never say no to anything she wants him to do. He loves her.¡±


    ¡°She really loves him too, considering she confronted us all about trying to manipulate him.¡± Cynthia said. ¡°I thought she was this terrifying presence that was going to... well...¡±


    ¡°Wreck all our fun?¡± Rachel asked and she nodded.


    ¡°But, she didn''t tell us not to do the things we were doing. She only told us that they wouldn''t work.¡± Cynthia said. ¡°That''s not really a deterrent. It''s only a delay.¡±


    ¡°She wants us to come up with something better?¡± Rebecca asked.


    ¡°You don''t have to, Billy.¡± Rachel said with a smile and a few of the girls laughed under their breath.


    ¡°What was it like?¡± Lisa asked, because she just couldn''t help herself.


    ¡°I wanna know where he learned to kiss so well.¡± Rebecca said. ¡°I didn''t want him to stop. Ever.¡±


    ¡°I''m pretty sure we all saw that.¡± Cynthia said and they all laughed softly.


    *


    The alarm went off at the designated time and Arnold slowly slipped out of bed, turned off the alarm and turned off the oven, then went back to bed. Annie hadn''t moved at all and he cuddled back in tightly and went back to sleep.


    Annie eventually woke up and looked around to see that it was dark out. She still felt Arnold''s warmth behind her and then she remembered the oven. She sat up quickly and looked at it, only to see that it was off. She relaxed and laid back down, then turned around to look at her son. He was sound asleep and she lightly caressed the nearly healed bruise on his face, then she rested her hand on the side of his neck as she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

 120 Morning Woes

    It was just after midnight when Arnold woke up again. Somehow his mother had turned around to face him and her hand was gently resting on his neck. He put his own hand in the same spot on her neck and Annie mumbled something and her breathing sped up slightly. She eventually opened her eyes slightly to see that Arnold was staring at her.


    ¡°Arnold, what...¡± Annie blinked her eyes and opened them all the way. ¡°What time is it?¡±


    Arnold lifted his head to look at the alarm clock. ¡°Twelve-thirty.¡± He said and put his head back down.


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Annie asked at the same time that her own belly rumbled, then she chuckled. ¡°Make that, I''m going to eat, you should probably eat, too.¡±


    Arnold gave her a small smile and nodded. They both climbed out of bed and Annie turned the oven back on. After twenty minutes, it was ready again and she took it out. She did up plates for herself and him, conservative of the contents, considering that they needed to go back to bed to get up in the morning. They ate at a slow pace for the same reason and then cleaned the dishes when they were done.


    Annie finally noticed that the room door was still open and went over to shut it. She saw that a few others were still open, one of which was Janet''s, and she was both curious and concerned.


    Is she still up this late? Annie asked herself and walked over to the door and peeked in, only to see both Janet and Pam at their desks. I think it''s time for some mom intervention. She thought and went back to Arnold''s room and did up two plates of food, which used up most of the remains of what she had cooked, then added silverware and went back to Janet''s and Pam''s room. ¡°Food break.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Both girls jumped at the sudden unknown voice in the middle of their room.


    Annie chuckled. ¡°I didn''t mean to scare you.¡± She said and held out the two plates of food. ¡°Mark your spots, close the books, and eat.¡±


    Janet looked at Pam and back at Annie. ¡°Annie, um... well...¡±


    ¡°I can tell you both missed supper like Arnold and I did.¡± Annie said. ¡°We just ate, so it''s still hot. Come on. Take it and eat it. That''s an order.¡±


    Janet sighed as she marked her place and closed her book, then took the plate.


    ¡°That''s a good girl.¡± Annie said and pat the top of her head, which made Janet laugh.


    ¡°Thanks, I think.¡± Janet said and started to eat. ¡°This is really good!¡±


    ¡°It always tastes better when you''re hungry.¡± Annie said with a smile and looked at Pam. ¡°Hurry up and take it or I''ll start feeding it to you.¡±


    Pam chuckled and closed her books, took the plate and started eating, too. Annie stood there and made sure they both finished, then took the plates and silverware back.


    ¡°Now sit there for ten minutes to digest it, then get back to work.¡± Annie said.


    Both young women stared at her.


    ¡°You''re not going to tell us to put everything away and go to bed?¡± Janet asked, surprised.


    ¡°I could tell you that. I could also tell you that you''re going to be exhausted tomorrow if you stay up too late.¡± Annie gave them another smile. ¡°Or I could encourage you to hurry up with your schoolwork and get some sleep before you need to get up in the morning.¡±


    ¡°What one are you going to do?¡± Pam asked, curious.


    ¡°None of them. I''m going to get changed and go back to bed.¡± Annie said and walked away, to their surprise. She thought she heard the two of them laugh and she smiled as she went back to Arnold''s room. She shut the door and put the plates in the sink, then saw that Arnold had already changed for bed. ¡°Did you set the alarm back to the right time for the morning?¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°I can shower, get dressed, eat, and be at work to prep the lab fifteen minutes before class starts.¡±


    Annie nodded back and changed into her sleep clothes. Almost as if her body had been waiting for the change, she felt exhaustion hit her again and yawned. ¡°I''ll shower and head out in the morning, too.¡±


    Arnold walked over to her and hugged her. ¡°I love you, Mom.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Annie said and gave him a quick kiss. ¡°We need to get to bed.¡±


    Arnold let her go and climbed into the second bed and Annie chuckled.


    ¡°You''re not sick of cuddling me yet?¡± Annie asked and he shook his head. She climbed into bed and laid down on the proper side to keep his bruise off of the pillow.


    ¡°Don''t you want to cuddle, too?¡± Arnold asked as he slid in close and put an arm around her.


    ¡°Arnold, I...¡± Annie thought about telling him no, then couldn''t. If there was one thing she always tried to do, it was to give him what he asked for. The only problem she had was that she wanted it, too. ¡°I will always want to hold and cuddle my smart little boy.¡±


    ¡°I''m big now.¡± Arnold said and pressed his forehead into the back of her neck. He let out a long sigh and his hot breath rolled down her spine. Rather than give her a shiver of discomfort, Annie felt even more comfortable and hugged his arm tightly.


    ¡°You could be ten feet tall and ten feet around, and you will still be my little boy.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°I''d need surgery and bone grafts to stretch my legs out by four feet.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I couldn''t be ten feet around, though. The human body can''t support that massive amount of weight, unless they remained suspended in water or some other buoyant fluid. Then I''d only have to worry about my organs crushing each other under their own weight.¡±


    Annie chuckled. ¡°As reasonable and a little disgustingly as you''ve explained my comment, please don''t try to do anything like that. I love you just the way you are.¡±


    ¡°I love you just the way you are, too.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie laid there and let those words wash over her. ¡°Arnold, I... I should tell you... most mothers don''t cuddle their sons like this in bed.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to stop?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°God, no.¡± Annie said and gripped his arm tightly before he tried to move away from her. ¡°I love you too much to let you go.¡± She said and then sighed. ¡°It''s lonely at the house without you there.¡±


    ¡°It''s lonely without you or Kelly here.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I''m going to try and fix that, if I can.¡± Annie said and turned her head to look back at him. ¡°I can''t promise that I can, only that I''ll try.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and gave her a quick kiss. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Annie said and faced forward. She felt Arnold''s breath slow down and even out, which meant that he was going to sleep. She laid there for quite some time before sleep claimed her, too.


    *


    Doris laid in bed and she still couldn''t believe what Arnold had said. Her mind raced and built various scenarios where she would be able to finally have him. It wasn''t something that she was accustomed to doing, plotting to sleep with someone, and she tried hard to ignore the possibilities... and the ramifications.


    She knew there could never be any kind of relationship with him, not with his current life path and how busy he was going to be. She went over everything she knew and couldn''t help but find spots in their schedules where they would be able to get together. She wanted to show him everything she knew about sex and wanted him to make her feel like a desirable woman again.


    Doris shook her head at that thought. She knew she was preying on his good nature, especially considering what they had already done together. She felt both guilty and privileged to have had it happen. The temptation he had been before was intoxicating when he had his restrictions. Now with those restrictions removed, she wasn''t sure how to describe him anymore.


    She also didn''t know what she was going to do.


    Doris had been able to restrain herself for the most part, because of his restrictions and his schedule. She hadn''t even kissed him in a while and that was both a blessing and a curse. He was a great kisser and he didn''t hold back when he did it, despite her age and who she was. It was rare for her to meet someone that didn''t look at her skin color and say stupid things like, ''I''m with a black woman'' or that they were getting a taste of her ''dark chocolate''.


    She almost laughed at that last one. She was a woman, not a piece of candy. She shook her head and rolled over in bed. She wasn''t horny at all as she thought about the conundrum she was in. She had heard the stories about what Annie had said in the cafeteria to her daughter. Cissily never told her herself, which meant she couldn''t act on it directly or show her daughter that she knew what had happened... or that she was on her side.


    Doris sighed at the problem, because she was essentially going to do an end-run around Annie to get at her son. She was pretty sure that she would have a talk with Arnold about it and about how he should treat Cissily, then her mind derailed and wanted to ignore it completely. It was just too much of a mess for her to handle, especially if she couldn''t confront Annie directly about it.


    She also didn''t want to ruin her own relationship with Arnold over it. They were going to be seeing each other at the dorm for years, several times every day, and the last thing she needed was to have any animosity between them. She was sure that she could smooth over the rough patch between Cissily and Arnold over time, especially since Annie said that they could still be friends.


    Anything can build on friendship as the base. Doris thought with a slight nod and closed her eyes. It was going to be another long day tomorrow if she didn''t get enough sleep. She thought about taking a sleeping pill, then decided not to. She didn''t have a solid eight hours before she had to get up and she didn''t want to miss being there in the morning for all the girls at the dorm. She really liked her job and fell asleep with that thought occupying her mind.


    *


    Arnold woke up when the alarm sounded and had to let his mother go to turn it off. He saw the time and did exactly like he told Annie he would do. He showered, dressed, ate a bowl of cereal, and went to the door. He stopped before he opened it and went back to the bed his mother was still asleep in.


    ¡°I have to go to work.¡± Arnold whispered.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Annie rolled onto her back and pat the bed beside her where he was supposed to be. ¡°Huh?¡± Her hand moved comically as she frantically tried to find where the voice came from.


    Arnold touched her hand and she gripped his hand tightly, then she relaxed.


    ¡°Don''t... leave.¡± Annie said, barely above a whisper and still half asleep.


    ¡°I have to.¡± Arnold said and a tear came to Annie''s eye. ¡°Don''t cry.¡±


    ¡°I can''t help it.¡± Annie said and let his hand go as she rolled back onto her side and buried her face into the pillow. ¡°I miss you.¡±


    Arnold pet her head and Annie let out a soft sob. He put his hand on her shoulder and moved her back onto her back. She still had her eyes closed, so he leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips.


    ¡°Goodbye.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Good... bye.¡± Annie responded and took in a shallow breath as a tear dropped from her eye, then she sighed and her head turned slightly to the side and she went back to sleep.


    Arnold put the blanket back over her and left the dorm room. He closed the door and was greeted warmly by everyone in the hallway.


    ¡°Good morning!¡± ¡°Hi!¡± ¡°I hope you slept well!¡±


    Arnold stopped at Janet''s open door, because she was almost always out at this time. He looked in and saw that both she and Pam were still in bed. He walked into their room and went to their alarm and saw that it had gone off and they had slept right through it.


    ¡°Janet.¡± Arnold said and shook her by the shoulder.


    ¡°Hmm... wha...¡± Janet opened her eyes a little and saw Arnold hovering over her. ¡°Kiss me.¡±


    Arnold leaned down and gave her a kiss for several seconds. ¡°You''re going to be late.¡±


    ¡°I''m... already... in class.¡± Janet mumbled and closed her eyes for a second, then her eyes snapped open. ¡°You''re not in my class!¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold stood up straight. ¡°It''s seven fifteen.¡±


    ¡°Goddammit!¡± Janet nearly yelled as she sat up. ¡°PAM! We overslept!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Wha... you''re too... loud.¡± Pam groaned from her bed and rolled over to face the other way.


    ¡°Arnold! Wake her up!¡± Janet ordered and hopped out of bed.


    ¡°Arn...¡± Pam started to say when Arnold rolled her over onto her back. Her mouth was open slightly and he kissed her for several seconds. Her arms went around his neck and held him tightly as she kissed him back.


    ¡°That''s enough, Pam! Get dressed!¡± Janet said and pulled off her clothes. ¡°We don''t even have time to wash our hair, let alone shower!¡±


    Pam broke the kiss and stared at Arnold for a moment. ¡°What a way to wake up.¡±


    ¡°PAM!¡± Janet yelled.


    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Pam said and let Arnold go, then she got out of bed. ¡°Ugh, I''m exhausted.¡±


    ¡°Annie warned us.¡± Janet said and pulled on a fresh pair of panties and clipped her bra in place. ¡°We''ll make it to class and have just enough time to brush our hair beforehand. That''s it.¡±


    Pam pulled off her jogging pants and underwear, then her sports bra. She did the same thing as Janet and grabbed a fresh pair of underwear and a normal bra. ¡°I hate not showering first.¡±


    ¡°No time.¡± Janet said and pulled on a pair of jeans and grabbed a nice top that didn''t need to be buttoned. She slipped it on over her head in a rush and it kind of got stuck. ¡°Dammit!¡± She felt firm hands pull the top up slightly, put her arm into the right hole, then pull the top down over her.


    Arnold tugged on it to make it straight and nodded.


    ¡°Thank you, Arnold.¡± Janet said and remembered the kiss he gave her to wake her up. She stepped close and gave him a proper kiss this time.


    ¡°You just made me stop doing that.¡± Pam chuckled as she pulled on a skirt. She already had a blouse on and buttoned it up.


    Janet broke the kiss. ¡°Arnold! You need to get to work!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Arnold said and started to walk away.


    ¡°Thanks for waking us up!¡± Pam said as he left the room.


    ¡°That really was nice of him.¡± Janet said and picked up her things.


    ¡°First his mom makes us eat and reminds us to go to bed, then he wakes us up.¡± Pam said. ¡°I can''t think of a better combo!¡±


    ¡°Grab your stuff and let''s go!¡± Janet said and hung her purse over her shoulder.


    ¡°I thought you said we could brush our hair?¡± Pam asked and grabbed her things, too.


    ¡°That''s after we get to class that''s halfway across the campus! Let''s go!¡± Janet said and they left their room in a rush. They rode the nearly empty elevator down to the ground floor and saw a disappointed and still unkissed Doris, waved to her, then they ran out of the building.


    *


    Arnold arrived at work and had the lab all set up properly, then just made it to his normal standing position as the lab workers came in. They all gave him a kind of glare, especially Cissily and Amy, then the professor came in.


    ¡°Another wonderful day for biology!¡± Hamil said loudly. ¡°Let the fun begin.¡±


    Everyone gave him an odd look, even Arnold, and he laughed.


    ¡°I had a better weekend than the rest of you, apparently.¡± Hamil said. ¡°No matter. Here come my prized students.¡± He said as his main biology course students came in.


    ¡°You''re too kind, Professor.¡± One of the girls said as she passed his desk, then the room was full and the class started.

 121 The Day After

    Annie woke up mid-morning and she was alone in the bed. When she rolled over and looked at the clock, she sighed. She had missed Arnold leaving for work and sat up. She saw the dishes had been washed from the night before and she climbed out of bed. She checked to make sure the dorm room door was locked and walked into the bathroom. She caught sight of herself in the mirror and she saw a couple of dried tear streaks on her face.


    Annie touched them and closed her eyes. She tried to remember the dream she had and all she remembered was being kissed and saying she missed someone. She couldn''t remember who, though. She sighed and took a quick shower, dressed in the jeans she had worn the day before and pulled on a different t-shirt, packed up her things, then closed the suitcase.


    She seriously debated staying longer; but, she knew she would only be sitting alone for most of the day anyway. She thought it was worth it, just to see Arnold at the end of the day, then she sighed. She couldn''t stay here and work on getting Kelly back into Arnold''s life, so she had to go back home.


    Home. Annie thought. It''s feeling less and less like home every day that Arnold''s not in it.


    She wrote out a quick note that said how much she loved him and that she would see him at the house next weekend if he wasn''t working. She left it on the table for him and left the room. When she reached the lobby, she wasn''t surprised that Doris was in a deep discussion with a young woman about her course materials.


    Annie smiled and left the building. Rather than leave right away, She put her suitcase in the trunk and went over to the building where Arnold worked and went inside. She went up the stairs and went to the lab to slyly peer in through the window of the door. She saw Arnold and looked around for Cissily, who just happened to be giving Arnold a pointed glare.


    Annie smiled and nodded in satisfaction, then left the building. She walked all the way back to the dorm and climbed into her car, then drove out of the parking lot to start the two hour long drive to go back home.


    *


    When lunchtime arrived, the glares Arnold received from the lab workers had subsided to a more manageable level, except for the ones he was still getting from Cissily.


    Cissily wore an all black outfit and it almost blended in with her skin color. With only a quick glance, it almost looked like she wasn''t wearing anything except her afro. What she actually wore were black seamless pants and a top with several crisscross patterns of fabric that held her chest firmly and revealed less skin than it implied it did.


    It was one of the sexy outfits that she usually saved for when she was on the prowl for a guy, only this time she was wearing it to show Arnold what he was missing. Cissily had made several very blatant moves to get his attention and show off exactly why it was one of her sexy outfits. As far as she could tell, however... he didn''t even notice... and that really made her angry. She had gone to all the effort and he was ignoring her, when she was supposed to be enticing him so that she could ignore him instead.


    Cissily was not happy at all.


    When the class ended and lunch began, she ignored everyone and walked right over to Arnold and stared up at his face. She didn''t say anything or move out of the way, until the room had emptied of students.


    ¡°Arnold, we need to talk.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I want to make a few things clear between us.¡± Cissily said. ¡°You can pick where, as long as it''s private and no one else can hear.¡±


    Arnold didn''t have to think about it for long.


    ¡°Go ahead, Arnold.¡± Hamil said. ¡°We''ll clean up here and I''ll see you after lunch for another lesson.¡±


    Arnold nodded and took Cissily''s hand and walked out of the lab with her, to the other lab worker''s surprise. Amy and Hamil only looked at them as they left.


    ¡°I hope he doesn''t break her heart.¡± Hamil said.


    Amy almost burst out laughing. ¡°It''s not her heart that might be hurt if she lays into him like she said she was going to.¡±


    *


    Cissily knew exactly where they were going when Arnold led her down the stairs and not out of the building. She wasn''t sure why she was letting him drag her by the hand, though. She was plenty angry at him for what his mother said to her. She had mulled it over for two days and she was going to tell Arnold exactly what she thought of Annie... right up until the door to the specimen storage closed behind her and the lights came on.


    She lost her train of thought as the chill air from the basement made her shiver slightly, because of her exposed skin, and her nipples popped out. Even though the straps of the fabric were thick, the nipples could be clearly seen in the bright lights. She crossed her arms at the sudden temperature change.


    ¡°My mother told you not to entice me and she told you not to make passes at me.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°You noticed.¡± Cissily whispered and her anger faded a little as she felt surprise.


    ¡°I was told that I should notice it when someone does it for me.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Cissily said and looked up slightly into his eyes. ¡°I wore this just for you.¡± She said and uncrossed her arms. ¡°I wanted to make you horny by dressing sexy and I wanted to be the one to tell you that you can''t have me.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I said so!¡± Cissily said. ¡°So what if all I wanted was to have sex with you? What the fuck does that have to do with your mother? You''re a grown man! You can make your own decisions!¡±


    ¡°Mom takes care of me.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°She''s taking care of you all right!¡± Cissily spat. ¡°She''s going around and telling everyone that they aren''t allowed to even flirt with you!¡± She said. ¡°That''s not what a normal mother does!¡±


    Arnold remembered what Annie had said the night before about a normal mother not cuddling their children. ¡°She''s not a normal mother.¡±


    ¡°Fucking right.¡± Cissily huffed. ¡°Just because you''ve got a girlfriend, doesn''t mean that she can...¡±


    ¡°I don''t have a girlfriend.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Well, that''s beside the... wait, what?¡± Cissily caught her breath. ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    ¡°Kelly and I broke up last week.¡± Arnold said.


    Cissily''s whole argument was as derailed as her thoughts had been when she first entered the room. Both her anger and her indignation at what Annie had said faded away, now that she saw her as a woman that was defending her vulnerable son''s heart and not only defending his virtue. Cissily hugged herself and rubbed her arms as she turned away from Arnold and faced the wall.


    ¡°Give me a few minutes.¡± Cissily said and tried to go over in her head why she was so angry. Now that she had a good reason for Annie acting the way she did, she couldn''t... quite... stay angry about it. She was still incensed about being told what she could and couldn''t do; but, that anger was just a generic one and wasn''t a burning one like it had been.


    Cissily kept rubbing her arms and whispered. ¡°She''s just a momma bear protecting her cub.¡± She sighed. ¡°Arnold, I... I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to get in your mom''s face like that.¡± She said. ¡°I have a problem with people ordering me to do things I don''t want to do. I took it out on her, because I thought she was trying to stop me from stealing you from your girlfriend, which I wasn''t trying to do.¡±


    Arnold stepped behind her and put his arms around her. ¡°You''re cold.¡± His suit coat was open and it went around her, and his body warmth covered her back and arms.


    ¡°In more ways than one.¡± Cissily sighed. ¡°I put my anger about it on you, and that wasn''t fair to you.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°I''m going to be honest here. I want to fuck you. A lot.¡± Cissily said. ¡°I''ll pretty much do anything to have that happen; but, I didn''t want you to leave your girlfriend to do it.¡± She leaned back into his warmth and took a deep breath. ¡°Otherwise, I would have had my hands all over you the very first time you came to work and did such a great job.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Arnold whispered into her ear.


    ¡°Because you''re fucking gorgeous, that''s why.¡± Cissily said. ¡°If you didn''t have a girlfriend at the time, I would have had you bend me over the goddamned table right then and there, just so I could feel your dick inside of me while we both stared at that wonderful specimen you dissected for me.¡±


    Arnold''s arms slid away from her and Cissily sighed. She thought she had said too much, revealed too much about her own insecurities, then his strong hand grabbed her arm and whipped her around. She was startled by the movement, then she was suddenly bent over one of the prep tables. Cissily didn''t even have time to shout at the touch of the chilled metal when she felt a blast of cold air on her ass as her pants and panties were pulled down.


    In the next moment, she felt the most wonderful thing in the world as Arnold licked her from behind and his hot breath warmed her right up. She came right away and he had barely started, then she heard the telltale tearing of a condom wrapper. That made her go again and his mouth disappeared from between her legs.


    Cissily moaned as he entered her without any prep work and he had to force his way in. ¡°Oh, FUCK!¡± She yelled and didn''t fight the feeling at all as he made room for himself, then he really got to work on her. ¡°Fuck. Fuck. FUCK!¡± She yelled and came again. She rested her forehead on her hands as Arnold had his way with her, and all she could think about was that time she was drinking and had imagined that if they did have sex, getting it from behind would be the absolute best.


    It was.


    Arnold''s hands slid up under her top and massaged her breasts as he had sex with her, and that drove Cissily over the edge again. She was a sucker for some good boob play and she let out a constant stream of curses as she came, over and over.


    *


    ¡°They''re going to miss lunch.¡± Maxine commented in the cafeteria as she ate.


    ¡°Well, Cissily was pretty angry at him for what his mom said.¡± Amy responded. ¡°I''m sure she''s giving him a huge piece of her mind right now.¡±


    ¡°God, I''d love to be there to listen to what she''s saying.¡± The black woman with dreadlocks said, then smiled. ¡°Assuming she said anything besides curses.¡±


    That made everyone at the table laugh, because there wasn''t much chance there would be a lot of normal words once Cissily got going.


    *


    Arnold eventually finished and stood there inside of her, then slowly pulled out.


    Cissily was almost hoarse from cursing so much in a chilled area. ¡°A-Arnold.¡± She panted. ¡°Fuck.¡±


    Arnold walked over to the supplies and grabbed a specimen bag and put the condom in it. He used a sanitizing wipe to clean himself off and put that inside as well, then tucked the bag into his suit coat pocket before he did his pants up.


    Cissily had a bit of a hard time getting enough strength into her arms to brace herself and almost stood up straight. ¡°I''m fucking trembling.¡± She said and her arms shook as she leaned against the table. ¡°Holy fuck.¡±


    Arnold walked back over to her and knelt in front of her. Cissily caught her breath as he cleaned her up and wiped at her thighs, then he pulled her panties and her pants back into place.


    ¡°Are you for real?¡± Cissily asked as he stood up and she had to look up slightly at his face. She was glad that she wore all black, because she felt the massive dampness that she had released had soaked both her panties and her pants, then she gasped when she realized what just happened. ¡°Arnold! We just fucked!¡± She exclaimed and he nodded. ¡°What''s your mom going to say?¡±


    ¡°She only asks if I had sex.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°But... but...¡± Cissily tried to think about what his mother said. She didn''t want to actually encourage him to call his mother or convince him that he should, so she bit her lip to stop her argument.


    ¡°She said you can''t ask me for sex and I should call her if you do try to get me to have sex with you.¡± Arnold said and reached up to grab her breasts. ¡°Did you ask for sex?¡±


    ¡°N-n-no.¡± Cissily managed to say between moans as he played with her nipples.


    ¡°Did you try to get me to have sex with you?¡± Arnold asked and bent over slightly to suckle on one of her prominent nipples.


    ¡°F-fuck!¡± Cissily gasped and came a little. ¡°No, I... I told you. I was going to say no if you asked.¡±


    Arnold pulled back and her nipple popped out of his mouth with a smacking sound. ¡°I didn''t ask.¡±


    Cissily stared into his eyes and saw something she hadn''t seen there before. Calculation. ¡°Arnold.¡±


    Arnold glanced at the clock on the wall. ¡°Lunch is almost over. I need to get back to work.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Cissily turned her head to look at the clock and caught her breath. ¡°We didn''t... not for...¡±


    ¡°Don''t speak about this to anyone except me, and only if we are alone.¡± Arnold pulled her top back into place and stepped away. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡±


    Cissily looked back at him and couldn''t believe what had just happened between them. ¡°See you then.¡±


    Arnold left the basement and Cissily stared at the door for a full minute before she came to her senses. She needed to get home to change clothes before afternoon classes, so she turned off the lights and left the basement storage area. She went up the stairs and rather than go right out the front entrance, she went up to the second floor and peered into the lab.


    Cissily saw the professor take out a book that was the size of an encyclopedia and was six inches thick. He flipped it open to a specific page and showed Arnold what it was. Cissily couldn''t see what it was, so she had to push her curiosity aside and went to the elevator. She rode it down to the ground floor and left the building. She was going to be a little late to class; but, she was still full of endorphins and she walked briskly across the campus to go home.


    She didn''t mind feeling the dampness of her panties at all.


    *


    Arnold finished his lesson with the professor and his mind was filled with the images that were in the dissection encyclopedia. He knew he would never be allowed to take it out of the lab, since it was so expensive and was the only one that the professor had. It didn''t belong to the college and was part of the professor''s private collection. Arnold also didn''t have the time during work to look through it, so he headed back to the dorm with that book weighing on his mind.


    ¡°Arnold! Wait up!¡± A young woman''s voice said loudly.


    Arnold stopped walking as he turned to look at her. ¡°Rebecca.¡±


    ¡°How was your day? Did you have fun?¡±


    Arnold thought about what he did with Cissily and nodded.


    ¡°I''m glad.¡± Rebecca said. ¡°Are you going back to the dorm?¡± She asked and he nodded again. ¡°Great! We can walk there togethah, suggah.¡±


    Arnold raised is eyebrows a little and she laughed.


    ¡°You make me a little nervous.¡± Rebecca said and got her accent under control. ¡°I keep thinking back to that kiss ya gave me and I wanna do it again.¡±


    Arnold stepped close to her as he took her into his arms, then he kissed her.


    Rebecca dropped her backpack and wrapped her arms around him, then one of her legs bent at the knee and her foot pointed up into the air in a classic movie kiss pose. She wasn''t surprised at all as her heart sped up like it had the last time he kissed her so passionately.

 122 Supper Surprise

    ¡°You two are at it again?¡± Cynthia asked with a laugh.


    Rebecca broke the kiss and looked at her. ¡°I was just testing a theory.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Cynthia smiled crookedly. ¡°Was it how long he can lick the inside of your mouth before you get tired of it?¡±


    ¡°I''d nevah be tired of that!¡± Rebecca said and laughed. ¡°I said yesterday that I wanted to kiss him again to see if mah heart would beat fast, and it did!¡±


    Arnold put his hand over her heart, which just happened to put his palm on top of her breast. ¡°It is beating faster than normal.¡±


    Rebecca''s face flushed red at the intimate touch, the very public intimate touch, and her heart beat a little faster as people passed by them and saw what they were doing.


    ¡°You really aren''t shy, are you?¡± Cynthia asked and laughed. ¡°Does laughing make a heart beat faster?¡±


    Arnold let Rebecca go and slid his arm around Cynthia to hold her steady, then he put his hand on the same spot on Cynthia''s chest and held it there. ¡°Yes, it does.¡±


    Cynthia''s face had flushed red, just like Rebecca''s, and it wasn''t laughing that made her heart beat faster. It was being held so firmly and tenderly, and so casually, by Arnold. She knew that he wasn''t taking advantage of her, because she had asked him to check and he checked. He let her go without groping her or even pretending to slip and graze the rest of her breast with his hand. The three of them stood there and stared at each other, then Cynthia gave herself a little shake.


    ¡°Okay! Back to the dorm!¡± Cynthia said and waved in the right direction.


    Rebecca didn''t miss a beat as she picked up her backpack and hooked her arm through Arnold''s. ¡°Be a gentleman and escort me, please.¡±


    Arnold nodded and walked with her, side by side and arm in arm, all the way back to the dorm.


    I wish I had thought of that. Cynthia thought as she followed them.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Doris nearly yelled as they entered the dorm lobby. ¡°Someone called looking for you again.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Billy.¡± Cynthia said and took Rebecca''s hand. ¡°We''ll see you upstairs, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold nodded and walked over to Doris. The other girls there moved off and hovered nearby. Doris wasn''t having any of that and put out her ''back in five minutes'' sign on the top of her desk, then motioned for Arnold to follow her. The two of them went into the room behind her desk and a few of the girls sighed in defeat, because they wouldn''t be hearing any gossip.


    ¡°Sit.¡± Doris said and Arnold sat down on the bed. ¡°Whoever called was a woman, and I can''t say that I recognize the voice, since I get a lot of calls during the week by other people calling and checking up on the girls they know living in the dorm.¡±


    Arnold nodded understanding.


    ¡°The difference here is, only four people have called looking for you. Your mother and three others that haven''t been identified.¡± Doris said and unbuttoned her blouse. ¡°The odds that someone else besides those three calling is pretty high... unless you met someone else and they are calling?¡±


    Arnold shook his head.


    ¡°Well, I made an effort to try and remember her voice, so if I hear it again, I''ll know if she''s the repeat caller.¡± Doris reached out and touched the bruise on his face. ¡°Hmm.¡± She let his face go and unhooked her bra. ¡°You''re almost healed enough to get a proper hug.¡±


    Arnold reached out and dug his hands into the mounds of her breasts, which made her moan.


    ¡°I''ve missed... kissing you, Arnold.¡± Doris admitted. ¡°We''ve both been so busy...¡±


    Arnold leaned forward and started to suckle.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Doris gasped. ¡°We... we can''t... even though I really want to make love to you.¡± She panted. ¡°My next... day off... is Wednesday. I want you to... come to my house... for supper.¡±


    Arnold stopped sucking and looked at her face. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Doris cupped the good side of his face and gave him a kiss. ¡°Now that you don''t have a girlfriend, I can show you all the sexual positions I know.¡±


    Arnold gave her a smile that made her catch her breath. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and gave her a kiss back.


    Doris stepped back with a sigh and bent over to get her breasts back into the cups of her bra, then clipped it and stood up straight. ¡°Our five minutes are up.¡± She buttoned her blouse up and Arnold stood. ¡°I can''t wait for Wednesday.¡± She said, a deep longing in her voice, then she opened the door.


    They left her little room and Doris sat down behind the desk after she removed the sign, and Arnold walked around the desk and over to the elevator.


    ¡°What did you talk about?¡± A young woman asked Doris as she approached the desk.


    ¡°That''s privileged information between Arnold and myself.¡± Doris said.


    ¡°Aww. I wanted some dirt on the campus'' most eligible bachelor.¡±


    Doris laughed. ¡°That makes him sound like he''s in his thirties!¡±


    Arnold stepped into the elevator and the doors closed. He rode it up to the top floor and stepped out. He was greeted with the same scene as usual, a hallway full of half-naked girls, and they all greeted him warmly as he passed.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Janet said loudly and came out of her room wearing just a towel and her hair was wet. ¡°Please have supper with us in an hour.¡± She said. ¡°Pam and I want to thank you for feeding us last night and for waking us up this morning.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and walked on.


    ¡°He fed you last night?¡± Cynthia asked, surprised.


    ¡°Not like that.¡± Janet chuckled. ¡°He had a late night supper with his mom and they shared it with us.¡±


    ¡°Lucky.¡± Rachel said from across the hall.


    ¡°We really were. Not only did we miss supper yesterday, we were up half the night doing homework.¡±


    ¡°Ugh! I hate late nights.¡± Another girl said. ¡°I''m wiped the next day and fall even further behind!¡±


    A few people laughed, because that happened to them a few times, too.


    Arnold opened his door and left it open, then saw the piece of paper on the table. He read the note from his mother and put it back on the table, stripped down to his underwear, and pulled on a tight t-shirt and basketball shorts. He went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, then came out and picked up the chemistry book he had borrowed. He sat down at the kitchenette table in full view of everyone in the hallway, and started to read.


    The hour passed by quickly and Arnold slipped the note his mother wrote him into the chemistry book to hold his place, then walked down the hallway. The elevator doors opened and Pam came out with a large take-out bag. The hallway was filled with the smell of Chinese food and she quickly walked over to her room.


    ¡°Hurry! Get inside before we''re robbed of this delicious food!¡± Pam joked. She pulled him into the room and shut the door to the sound of laughter. ¡°I''m just kidding. They wouldn''t rob us. They would just guilt us into handing some of it over.¡±


    ¡°That''s the truth, especially if they aren''t going to the cafeteria to eat.¡± Janet said and took in a large breath through her nose. ¡°That really does smell good.¡±


    ¡°Moo-shoo Pork and fried rice.¡± Pam said and opened the bag and put a container on the small table. ¡°Spicy chicken balls and honey garlic sauce.¡± She put another container on the table. ¡°Chicken chow mein and grilled mushrooms.¡± She put another container down. ¡°Deep fried won-tons and plum sauce.¡± She said and took out the last container. ¡°And finally, beef and cabbage egg rolls.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Janet said. ¡°You went all out!¡±


    Pam laughed. ¡°Don''t get too excited. With the three of us, there''s not going to be much left over.¡±


    Arnold remembered the prices on the menu the last time he was there and took out his wallet.


    ¡°No, Arnold.¡± Pam said and put a hand on the wallet to stop him. ¡°It''s our treat this time.¡±


    ¡°My share.¡± Arnold said and took a twenty dollar bill out. ¡°It''s only fair we split it.¡±


    Pam gave Janet a look, who shrugged, and she looked back at Arnold. ¡°You don''t have to do this.¡±


    Arnold folded the bill and put his wallet away, then kissed her to distract her as he slipped the bill into the front pocket of her jeans. He broke the kiss and Pam blinked her eyes for a moment.


    ¡°You didn''t have to do that, either.¡± Pam said, then leaned in and kissed him again.


    ¡°As much as I want to stand here and be embarrassed as I watch you, the food''s getting cold.¡± Janet said with a chuckle.


    Pam broke the kiss and smiled at her. ¡°Arnold? Janet feels left out. I''ll divide up the food and you can distract her.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°W-wait...¡± Janet managed to say just before Arnold put his arms around her and kissed her. Pam chuckled this time as she took several minutes to divide up the food onto three plates while Janet was completely distracted.


    ¡°Okay, eating time.¡± Pam said when she was finished and Arnold broke the kiss as he eased his hold on Janet.


    Janet''s face was red from actually enjoying the impromptu make-out session. He''s a really great kisser.


    ¡°Sit, sit.¡± Pam said and grabbed a folding chair from beside the wall and handed it to Janet, then handed one to Arnold and got one for herself. That left one unused and the three of them sat down and started eating. The food was still hot and tasted great, so they finished it off fairly quickly.


    ¡°Is there anything left?¡± Janet asked as she looked at the mostly empty containers.


    ¡°Don''t tell me you''re still hungry after the pile of food I put on your plate!¡± Pam laughed.


    Janet laughed, too. ¡°No, I''m just wondering if we''re having it for breakfast.¡±


    Pam browsed through the containers. ¡°Okay, we''ve got three chicken balls, a won ton, two egg rolls, a handful of rice, and a quarter container of Moo-shoo pork left.¡±


    ¡°Ha! We destroyed that take out order.¡± Janet said in satisfaction. ¡°That''s enough for one person if we don''t snack on it tonight.¡±


    Pam smiled. ¡°We are definitely snacking on it tonight.¡±


    ¡°Then grab another plate and we''ll clean the containers out.¡± Janet said and Pam handed her a plate and a spoon, then they pretty much dumped everything that was left into a pile onto the plate. They even drizzled the dipping sauces over the respective items.


    ¡°A masterpiece of snacking goodness.¡± Pam said and covered it in plastic and put it in their small refrigerator while Janet tossed the containers into the garbage.


    Arnold had taken the plates and silverware to the sink and had washed them by the time Pam and Janet were done.


    ¡°Arnold...¡± Pam started to say that he didn''t have to do the dishes, then she changed her mind as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in close. ¡°...thank you for this morning.¡± She said and kissed him. Arnold put his arms around her waist and hugged her.


    ¡°I... ah... I think you two... should be alone.¡± Janet said haltingly as she tried to decide what to do.


    Pam broke the kiss and looked at her friend. ¡°This is your room, too. You don''t have to leave.¡±


    ¡°But... if you two are... um...¡±


    ¡°We''re just kissing.¡± Pam said and let Arnold go. ¡°We haven''t moved up to heavy petting yet.¡±


    ¡°Yet?¡± Janet asked, and Pam chuckled.


    ¡°Well, I''m pretty sure I have to ask Arnold to grab my breasts before he...¡± Pam caught her breath as Arnold''s hands slipped up under her shirt, popped her bra open, then grabbed her breasts. She couldn''t help but moan a little as he massaged them and pinched her nipples, all while still under her shirt.


    Janet stood there with her mouth slightly open. He just... and she barely said... She thought in surprise as Pam''s face flushed red and her breathing sped up.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Pam whispered. ¡°Do you... want to... have sex?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said and pulled his hands out, then pulled open her shirt and slipped it off her, along with her bra. He tossed them on the chair and then opened up her jeans. Pam stood there and let him strip her off until she was naked, then his t-shirt and shorts were on the chair as well, then his underwear followed.


    ¡°C-c-condom.¡± Pam said and he dug into the shorts and pulled one out. She watched with intense interest as he applied it expertly, then she was suddenly laying down on the bed and his face was between her legs. She panted almost immediately as he made out with her down there, then he stood up and rubbed himself on her for a moment.


    Pam was about to tell him to hurry up when he slipped into her easily, because she was more than ready for him. ¡°Oh, GOD!¡± She gasped as he filled her right up.


    Arnold got a good rhythm going, then he laid down on her and she wrapped her arms and legs around him as they had sex for nearly ten minutes.


    ¡°R-roll o-over.¡± Pam whispered, and Arnold held onto her and then rolled over on the bed to put her on top. ¡°Oh! That...¡± She hadn''t realized you could roll over without pulling out first. ¡°...you''re full... of surprises.¡± She said and kissed him and they kept having sex.


    Janet just stood there and watched them. She didn''t really want to; but, she also didn''t want to leave. If she opened the door, everyone in the hallway would see Pam and Arnold having sex. That would be really embarrassing, for both her and Pam, so she stayed still and tried very hard to not look at what was happening right in front of her face.


    Unfortunately, Pam''s moans and the sounds and smells of sex were just too much for Janet to ignore. She knew Pam was really enjoying it and her eyes fell upon where they were joined. Her mind immediately associated the action to feeling really good and her own body reacted. She couldn''t help herself and touched herself between the legs, then moved her fingers over her jeans at the same rhythm.


    Not surprisingly, Pam came fairly quickly and laid down on top of Arnold to recover. He didn''t let her and kept moving. She couldn''t even protest that she wanted to savour the feeling as she came again and forgot what she wanted to do. Arnold rolled her back over to put her on the bottom again and braced himself up on his arms as he kept moving.


    By this time, Janet had her clothes off, so she wouldn''t soil them. She sat down on the bed next to them and kept touching herself, then she laid down beside Pam, who was panting and was lost in her own pleasure. She didn''t notice her friend was right beside her and was going along for the ride. Arnold noticed, however. He slowed his movements as he reached over and moved Janet''s hand out of the way and touched her himself.


    Janet gasped at the pleasant intrusion and she stared into his eyes. He was looking at her as he was having sex with Pam, and for some reason, that touched her heart. She knew it shouldn''t have, because Pam was her friend and she had wanted her to have sex with Arnold... but... that he was doing it to her and looking at Janet, made her heart melt for him.


    Pam let out a short inarticulate shout, her body trembled for a moment, then she sighed and relaxed. Arnold stopped moving and slipped out of her, which made her tremble again, then he moved over to Janet.


    ¡°Change... change condoms.¡± Janet managed to say, even though she didn''t really care if he did. She was pretty far past making logical decisions by this point. She watched as Arnold slipped another one on, then he entered her. She couldn''t even open her mouth to express how good it felt, because she was afraid her shouts would tell everyone in the dorm what they were doing.


    Arnold laid down on top of her and Janet kissed him so she could moan as loudly as she want to... needed to... to let him know she loved what he was doing to her. It didn''t matter to her that he had literally just had sex with another girl. All that mattered was how she felt in that moment, and she felt very, very good.

 123 Better Than Chocolate

    Janet had one of the best orgasms she ever had, even better than the one she had when they first had sex. ¡°God... good god.¡± She whispered and Arnold stopped having sex with her. ¡°No... keep... keep going.¡± She said and he looked into her eyes. ¡°You haven''t... come yet.¡±


    ¡°I did that twice.¡± Arnold said and eased out of her, then slipped the condom off to show her.


    ¡°But... you didn''t... react like...¡± Janet said haltingly.


    Arnold tossed the condom in the trash. ¡°Do you still want me to keep going?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡± Janet said and he grabbed another condom. She opened her mouth to tell him he didn''t need it, then he had it on and pulled her over to the edge of the bed. To her uncomprehending mind, he picked up her legs and pointed them straight up to hold them together. ¡°What... OHHHH!¡± She moaned very loudly as Arnold entered her with her legs together, just like he had done to Claire in the back of the car.


    Janet really felt it, even with a condom on, and she tried to do something with her arms. She had nothing to hold onto because Arnold was too far away, so she made fists and punched the bed lightly in the same rhythm as Arnold moving in and out of her.


    ¡°You look like you''re having fun.¡± Pam said.


    ¡°Almost... too much.¡± Janet panted. ¡°I don''t deserve to... feel this GOOD!¡± She yelled and had another orgasm.


    ¡°Even seeing you looking so cute and sexy, I still don''t want to kiss you.¡± Pam said.


    Janet turned her head to look at her friend and saw Pam''s huge smile. ¡°Me... me either.¡±


    ¡°Then you and I are firmly just friends and nothing else.¡± Pam said and then chuckled. ¡°Although, it''s pretty hot seeing him going at you like this.¡±


    ¡°I... was playing with... myself when he was... doing you.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Pam exclaimed, then she laughed. ¡°I didn''t know you liked watching porn.¡±


    ¡°I... I don''t.¡± Janet said. ¡°I just... you were having so much fun and... I just...¡±


    ¡°...couldn''t resist getting off.¡± Pam said and looked at the space between her legs. ¡°I hear you.¡±


    ¡°You... know that... this is bad.¡± Janet panted. ¡°We shouldn''t be... watching each other... having sex.¡±


    ¡°It''s way too late for that.¡± Pam said. ¡°Ever since the backseat of the car and I saw him using you to masturbate, well...¡±


    ¡°No, you... you didn''t!¡± Janet gasped and came again.


    ¡°Yep! I''ve been thinking about it and masturbating.¡± Pam said and started rubbing herself and looked at Arnold. ¡°That was the best masturbation technique I''ve ever seen.¡±


    ¡°Me... me, too.¡± Janet managed to say. She wanted to keep talking, just to stop herself from moaning too loudly. ¡°It felt... amazing.¡±


    ¡°No kidding?¡± Pam asked and laid back down so she could really get into playing with herself.


    Janet couldn''t help but look at Pam rubbing herself. ¡°Why... do you look... so good like that?¡±


    Pam stopped rubbing and licked her fingers, then dug them into herself. ¡°Because... you''re head is... full of endorphins.¡± She panted. ¡°You can''t... help but... see things in... a better light.¡±


    ¡°It''s dopamine.¡± Arnold said and both girls looked at him. ¡°It makes you feel pleasure more intensely and eases inhibitions.¡±


    ¡°But... wait...¡± Janet said. ¡°Why... do we feel tired when...¡±


    ¡°Serotonin is released when you orgasm. It promotes relaxation to let your body rest after sex.¡±


    Both Pam and Janet stared at him and they thought the same thing. Arnold wasn''t stopping yet.


    ¡°It also releases oxytocin that... makes you want to hold each other.¡± Arnold said, then his pace started to falter.


    Janet felt the change and then she was hit by another orgasm as he hit a particular spot inside of her, then her body clamped down on him. Arnold finished then as well and wrapped his arms around her thighs and held on.


    ¡°That looked like a good one for you, too.¡± Pam said to him as she stopped playing with herself.


    Arnold was slightly out of breath and felt tired, so he slid out and let Janet''s legs go, then eased them down to the floor. He didn''t say anything as he eased her over a little and climbed onto the bed between her and Pam. He laid down on his back and took several deep breaths.


    ¡°Nice going, Janet. Arnold definitely got a good one off that time.¡± Pam said.


    ¡°Huh? What?¡± Janet opened her eyes and tried to look at her, except Arnold''s midsection was now in the way.


    ¡°Look at the condom.¡± Pam said and reached out to grab his penis and shook it back and forth.


    Janet looked at the bulging plastic on the end of his penis and then looked at his face. ¡°Wow.¡±


    ¡°This is going to be tricky.¡± Pam said and moved him to point the end of the condom down towards the bed, then very carefully eased the condom off to not spill the contents. ¡°Yep, that''s a huge load.¡± She said and moved it towards her mouth.


    ¡°Don''t you dare!¡± Janet exclaimed.


    Pam chuckled. ¡°I''m kidding. It tastes weird with all that spermicide mixed in.¡± She said and tossed it into the trash.


    ¡°I meant that it was inside me and you''d be... tasting me.¡± Janet said, her face red.


    Pam laughed. ¡°Okay, I get it. No licking your pussy, even second hand.¡±


    Janet scrunched her face a little. ¡°I don''t like that word.¡±


    ¡°Your vagina, then.¡± Pam said and looked at Arnold''s penis. It was pretty messy, so she propped herself up on her elbows to look at his face to tell him that he should clean it. ¡°I think he fell asleep on us.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Janet sat up and looked at his peaceful face. ¡°He really did.¡±


    ¡°I wasn''t done, though.¡± Pam said, a little sad.


    Janet reached over and popped her on the forehead with her palm. ¡°He''s asleep in your bed.¡±


    Pam rubbed her forehead. ¡°Don''t be mean.¡±


    Janet chuckled. ¡°I''m saying he''s going to wake up after his nap, dummy.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Pam said and then looked at his penis. ¡°Ohhhh.¡±


    ¡°Now she gets it.¡± Janet said and stood up, then wobbled a little. ¡°Whew... wow. Okay.¡± She said and braced herself. ¡°I''m pretty tired, too.¡±


    ¡°More like sexually exhausted.¡± Pam chuckled and sat up. ¡°We need to clean up.¡±


    The two of them did so, then Pam, being the nice girl she was, did her best to wash Arnold off as well. After that, she climbed onto the bed and snuggled into him. ¡°Okay, I think Arnold has a point.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Janet asked just before climbing into her own bed.


    ¡°It feels really nice to hug him after sex.¡± Pam said.


    Janet let out a small sigh and climbed into her bed.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Pam asked. ¡°Get over here and cuddle him, too.¡±


    Janet shook her head. ¡°I''ll leave his wake-up call to you.¡±


    Pam sat up and looked at her. ¡°If you don''t want me sucking him off when he wakes up, just say so.¡±


    ¡°Pam...¡± Janet sighed. ¡°...I can''t finish it like you do. He''ll enjoy it a lot more if it''s just you.¡±


    ¡°You''re kidding right? What guy do you know that doesn''t want to have two girls in a bed with him?¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to be right there to see it.¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I can restrain myself, you know. I do have some willpower.¡± Pam said.


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Janet chuckled. ¡°You keep telling yourself that while his dick is in your mouth.¡±


    ¡°Janet...¡± Pam started to say.


    ¡°Geez, take the hint.¡± Janet said. ¡°I''m trying to get out of your way so you can go at him as much as you want.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I remember someone saying she''d help him masturbate all day if she had the chance.¡± Janet said. ¡°Well, you''ve got...¡± She looked at the clock. ¡°...four hours until midnight. If he only takes a short nap, you''ll have plenty of time to enjoy yourself before you have to go to sleep.¡±


    ¡°What if he doesn''t?¡± Pam asked.


    ¡°Then when he wakes up early in the morning, you should have a couple hours before class. Either way, you''re spending a lot of time with him.¡±


    Pam sat there for a few moments. ¡°Set the alarm for four.¡±


    Janet let out a bark of laughter and changed the alarm.


    ¡°Janet.¡± Pam said in a soft and sincere voice. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°What are friends for?¡± Janet asked and laid back down. ¡°I never thought I''d be a dick-in-mouth enabler, though.¡±


    Pam snorted and then laughed. ¡°I love you so much.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Janet said and tucked herself under the blanket.


    ¡°Hey, you''re supposed to say it back when someone tells you they love you.¡± Pam said.


    Janet lifted her head and smiled. ¡°I love you too, you weirdo.¡±


    A second later, a pillow hit her in the face.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Janet said with a laugh and threw it back. ¡°Go to sleep or you''re gonna miss your chance.¡±


    Pam put the pillow back under her head and pulled a blanket up to cover her and Arnold''s nakedness. ¡°You''re the best, Janet.¡± She said and cuddled into Arnold''s side.


    ¡°Damn right I am, so don''t you forget it.¡± Janet joked.


    ¡°I haven''t so far.¡± Pam said, completely serious. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Janet said, her face slightly red from embarrassment.


    *


    Arnold woke up when the alarm went off and when he reached for the alarm to turn it off, he found a warm presence tucked into his chest and on his arm. He looked at Pam''s sleeping face and saw it transform as she woke up.


    Pam opened her eyes to gaze lovingly into his. ¡°Janet. Alarm.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Janet said as she sat up and changed it back to the normal time, then plunked back down and fell asleep right away.


    ¡°Janet''s really great.¡± Pam said and kissed Arnold. ¡°She changed the alarm to give me extra alone time with you.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Arnold asked.


    Pam''s hand slid down his chest, across his abdomen, and touched his hardness. ¡°Because she knows how much I love the feeling of having you in my mouth.¡± She whispered and kissed him again. ¡°Neither of us has a whole day off to masturbate, so we have to settle for an early morning.¡± She kissed his chest. ¡°Is that okay?¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°You''re great for letting me do this, too.¡± Pam said and gave him another few kisses on his chest as she made her way down to disappear under the blanket, then she started to please him. She didn''t stop for the whole two hours, then felt sad when the alarm went off again. She came out from under the blanket and looked into Arnold''s eyes. ¡°I hope this was enough proof that I could do this with you all day.¡±


    Arnold put a hand behind her head and pulled her into a kiss. Pam moaned as he kissed her, because he had no problems with kissing her after what she had been doing to him. In fact, she became really horny and slid over on top of him. She kept kissing him and then gasped as she settled herself down on top of him.


    ¡°You... better have...¡± Janet yawned. ¡°...a condom on.¡± She said as she sat up and turned off the alarm.


    ¡°It''s... not in... YET!¡± Pam gasped as an unprotected Arnold slid inside of her. ¡°OHHHH!¡± She moaned as she had an orgasm. ¡°God. God.¡± She whispered. ¡°Arnold... wow...¡±


    ¡°Con. Dom.¡± Janet said as she got out of bed. ¡°You can''t be lax in things like that.¡±


    ¡°It''s... okay. He... only one without...¡±


    ¡°It''s three now.¡± Arnold said and Pam looked down at him in surprise. ¡°Janet was second and you''re third.¡±


    Pam gasped and looked at Janet. ¡°You didn''t!¡±


    Janet''s face flushed red. ¡°We were masturbating and... well... he slipped inside...¡±


    ¡°You... felt it... like this?¡± Pam asked and kept moving. ¡°Wh-why... why would you...¡±


    ¡°You''re my best friend.¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I really... love you.¡± Pam said.


    Janet was going to joke, then realized Pam was being completely serious, even though she was riding a guy and having sex. ¡°I love you, too.¡±


    Pam turned back to look down at Arnold. ¡°We''re... going to have to... share a shower.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and Pam put a little more effort into enjoying herself while Janet took her shower.


    When Janet came out, she was surprised to see Pam flip the blanket off, perform a perfect dismount as if she was on a piece of athletic equipment, then she plunged her mouth over Arnold''s penis. Arnold twitched and Pam took it all without missing anything or making a mess.


    ¡°I could have gone a little longer without seeing that.¡± Janet said and walked by them.


    ¡°I didn''t want to mess up my nice sheets.¡± Pam said and stood up. ¡°Good god, that was fun!¡±


    Arnold stood up and Janet saw he was still hard.


    ¡°Shower time!¡± Pam said and took Arnold''s hand and dragged him into the bathroom. After a minute, Janet realized something and ran over to the bathroom and opened the door.


    ¡°No sex!¡± Janet said loudly.


    Pam was already pressed up against the inside of the shower stall and Arnold was inside of her.


    ¡°You don''t have time for that!¡± Janet exclaimed.


    ¡°S-s-sorry!¡± Pam said. ¡°He''s just... so good!¡± She said and kissed Arnold.


    ¡°Everyone''s going to see him leaving when he has to go back to his place to get dressed for work.¡± Janet said in a defeated tone.


    ¡°Let... them.¡± Pam said. ¡°I''d rather... have sex with him right now... than kick him out and hope it happens later!¡±


    Janet sighed. ¡°Yeah, whatever.¡± She said and walked out of the bathroom and closed the door. ¡°I think I should have kept my mouth shut about Arnold.¡± She said. ¡°Now we''re going to have a bad reputation.¡±


    Twenty minutes later, they both came out and were drying off with towels.


    ¡°Janet, I''m sorry.¡± Pam said and took her friend into a hug. ¡°I should have let him join you in the shower first.¡±


    ¡°Wh-wh-what?!?¡± Janet exclaimed as Pam let her go.


    ¡°He did technically sleep with you first, so you should have been the first to have him in the shower.¡±


    ¡°Pam, that''s not...¡± Janet sighed.


    ¡°I don''t want you to feel left out.¡± Pam said. ¡°The next time Arnold stays over, he''s all yours.¡±


    ¡°Pam!¡±


    ¡°Not good enough?¡± Pam crossed her arms. ¡°Well, how about you play with him as much as you want and I''ll be the cleanup crew.¡±


    ¡°PAM!¡±


    Pam laughed. ¡°Janet, just ask Arnold. He''ll do anything you want.¡±


    ¡°That''s not...¡± Janet''s mind started whirring as she thought about it.


    ¡°Arnold, please lick her.¡± Pam said and pointed to Janet''s crotch.


    ¡°W-wait...¡± Janet said as her panties dropped, then Arnold''s tongue was tasting her. ¡°Oh, GOD!¡± She yelled as she came right away.


    ¡°You see? He has no problems going down on us. Not one.¡± Pam said. ¡°He''s like a male version of me when it comes to vaginas.¡±


    ¡°We... are going to be... late.¡± Janet managed to say.


    ¡°Arnold''s got it timed perfectly.¡± Pam said. ¡°It''s a little scary, actually. He knows exactly how much time it takes for him to get dressed and get to the lab.¡±


    That made Janet go again and Arnold stopped. He quickly wiped her up and then put her panties back into place.


    ¡°You have eight more minutes to get dressed if you want to walk at a normal pace to class.¡± Arnold said as he stood up, then he put on his underwear, shorts and t-shirt. ¡°See you later.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Pam said and grabbed a tissue and wiped at his chin. ¡°Thank you very much for a wonderful time, Arnold.¡± She said and kissed him. ¡°Have a great day at work.¡±


    Arnold nodded and opened their room door. When he stepped out, every trace of sound stopped as if a switch had been thrown. He walked over to his room and unlocked it, left it open, and changed into a suit for work. He left the room and locked the door, then walked down the hallway. No one said anything as he passed and they all had surprised looks on their faces.

 124 Full Inventory

    Arnold went to work and had the lab set up quickly. Amy, Cissily and the other lab workers came in and weren''t surprised that all of their set up work was done for them. What did surprise them was that Cissily didn''t glare at Arnold. She hadn''t told anyone what they had talked about... or did... during lunch the day before. She also wore a tight pair of jeans and a top that had frills on the right side and was plain on the other.


    ¡°Good morning, everyone.¡± Professor Hamil Crenslav said as he came into the room. ¡°Arnold, great work as always.¡± He said and turned to look at the door. It opened and a bunch of students came in, then class began. It was fairly routine and not a lot of roaming or supervision was needed from Amy or Arnold. The next two classes passed just as quickly and then it was lunchtime. The workers cleaned up the lab quickly and Cissily walked over to Arnold.


    ¡°I know I''ve always just told you to come and eat lunch with us.¡± Cissily said. ¡°This time I want to ask. Do you want to eat with us?¡± She asked, then quickly added a qualifier. ¡°As friends.¡±


    Arnold nodded, to the surprise of the other lab workers and Amy.


    Hamil just smiled at the exchange. ¡°Arnold, you''re doing inventory and stock maintenance this afternoon.¡± He said. ¡°If you can finish with the lab, then you can go down to the storage and do the inventory there as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Arnold said a little excitedly and a smile appeared on his face.


    ¡°I''m glad it''s you and not me.¡± Amy said with a laugh. ¡°I did my penance in the basement last year.¡±


    Hamil laughed, too. ¡°It''s a big job. I''m tempted to ask one of the others to assist you, since Amy seems to be adamantly against it this year.¡±


    ¡°I''ll do it.¡± Cissily said, to nearly everyone''s surprise. ¡°Arnold and I had an argument and it''s only fair that I make it up to him.¡±


    Hamil gave her a huge smile. ¡°I''m glad the two of you worked out your problems.¡± He said and wrote out a note for her. ¡°Please do your best for him this afternoon.¡±


    Cissily took the note and saw that it gave her a free pass from classes that afternoon. ¡°I will, sir. Thank you.¡±


    Hamil raised his eyebrows at her.


    ¡°I still think you''re an arrogant little prick.¡± Cissily said with a grin and he laughed.


    ¡°That''s what I was expecting.¡± Hamil said and waved to everyone and left the room.


    ¡°What the hell, Cissily?¡± Amy asked when the door shut.


    ¡°You heard me.¡± Cissily said and took Arnold''s hand. ¡°I''m going to have to eat lunch quickly and then bring this note to my classes. I can come back to the lab to meet you after that.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and Cissily led him out of the lab. Amy and the other lab workers followed right behind them. They were still surprised at the change in her attitude. They all made their way to the cafeteria and grabbed their meals from the woman behind the counter.


    ¡°Arnold, I missed you at lunch yesterday.¡± Mabel said and handed him the entree he asked for. ¡°What I made for you is not going to be as fresh today; but, it still should be tasty.¡±


    Mabel walked over to the large walk-in freezer they had and took out a fancy dessert. It was a slice of vanilla sponge cake with cream, berries, and caramel swirls. There was also a half scoop of ice cream on the side, with chocolate swirls, and a cherry on top.


    ¡°By the time you eat your main meal, it should be defrosted enough to enjoy it.¡± Mabel said as she came around the counter to put it on his tray. ¡°Happy Birthday, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold put his tray down on the counter''s ledge. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and leaned in close to give her a quick kiss on the lips.


    Nearly everyone in the cafeteria let out some kind of sound at the sight. Some were from disbelief, some were from shock, and a couple of them were even sounds of horror.


    He just kissed the lunch lady! A lot of them thought. Some were too surprised to even think past what they saw, which included the other lab workers.


    ¡°Jesus Christ, you really are the kissing bandit.¡± Cissily said and smacked his arm. ¡°Grab your tray and let''s go.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and they moved down the line.


    ¡°Hey, can I get some food here?¡± A guy asked the stunned woman.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Mabel tore her eyes away from the handsome young man that had just kissed her in front of a room full of college students. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Food.¡± The guy said and pointed to the unoccupied counter.


    ¡°Oh! Yes, right... right away.¡± Mabel said and quickly walked around the counter and got back to work.


    Angela''s face was bright red as Arnold approached the cash register. She was so surprised at what she saw that she had forgotten to get him his drink, until he reached by her and picked up a cup and filled it with root beer soda himself. Her hands jerked as if to take the cup from him, then she sighed. She had messed up her one chance to keep things normal between them.


    Arnold paid her and she gave him his change back, then he followed Cissily and Amy over to the table that Maxine and a couple of the other girls sat at. The girl at the end of the table just stared at him with her mouth slightly open.


    ¡°Hey, are you trying to catch flies or something?¡± The black girl with dreadlocks asked her, and she didn''t respond. Even when the black girl forced her mouth closed, the girl at the end of the table kept staring at Arnold and didn''t say anything.


    ¡°I think someone is stunned that Arnold is friends with Cissily again so quickly.¡± Maxine said.


    ¡°It''s hit her hard, that''s for sure.¡± The black girl with the dreadlocks said with laugh.


    ¡°I meant me.¡± Maxine said and looked at Arnold. ¡°What happened yesterday at lunch?¡±


    ¡°I''ll answer that.¡± Cissily said before Arnold decided to tell them exactly what happened. ¡°I didn''t know all the facts and I took what she said personally. So, I apologized for what I said to his mother.¡±


    ¡°All what facts?¡± Amy asked and took a drink of soda.


    ¡°Arnold doesn''t have a girlfriend anymore.¡± Cissily said and Maxine caught her breath, Amy choked on her soda, the black girl cursed, the others had surprised looks, and the word spread throughout the cafeteria almost instantly. The girl at the end of the table let a smile appear on her face at everyone''s reactions.


    ¡°She was protecting him.¡± Maxine said. ¡°From us.¡±


    Cissily nodded. ¡°Apparently, she thought we already knew he was single and wanted to stop us from taking advantage of him.¡±


    ¡°Which is why we''re allowed to be friends with him and not girlfriends.¡± The black girl with dreadlocks said, then laughed. ¡°Well, she''s not wrong.¡±


    ¡°Hey! I wasn''t going to try to jump on him...¡± Maxine said with a smile. ¡°...right away.¡±


    That made everyone laugh.


    ¡°I think we should respect his mother''s wishes.¡± Cissily said and the girls around the table looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°No flirting, no making passes, and definitely no asking for sex.¡±


    A collective groan came from the others.


    ¡°Not even a little?¡± The black girl with the dreadlocks asked and held her fingers up an inch apart. ¡°Like, just sticking the tip in?¡±


    ¡°HA! Like you could stop at just the tip!¡± Maxine said. ¡°You''d gobble him right up!¡±


    The black girl with the dreadlocks gave Arnold a sexy smile. ¡°I really would.¡±


    ¡°No flirting.¡± Cissily said.


    ¡°I just smiled at him, for fuck''s sake.¡± The black girl responded with a roll of her eyes.


    ¡°You said you''d gobble him up and then gave him that ''come here'' look.¡± Amy said. ¡°I agree with Cissily. That was flirting.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine.¡± The black girl with dreadlocks chuckled. ¡°I''m sorry, Arnold. I didn''t think it was flirting and I was apparently outvoted.¡±


    ¡°If you had left off the sexy smile, they wouldn''t complain.¡± The girl on the end said and then covered her mouth.


    ¡°Uh oh! She expressed an opinion!¡± Maxine pointed to her and all the girls around them laughed.


    ¡°Dammit.¡± The girl said and everyone kept laughing.


    They ate their main meals and then every girl at the table stared at Arnold as he ate his special dessert. Just like Mabel had said, it had achieved the proper consistency and he ate it under intense scrutiny. He successfully ignored that and finished the dessert off without offering it to anyone.


    ¡°I need to go.¡± Cissily said and stood up. ¡°Arnold, I''ll meet you in the lab soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and stood up with his tray. Cissily took her tray as well and they both delivered it back to the counter, then they split up and left the cafeteria. They had both missed the fact that Mabel had a red face and hadn''t been able to say thank you to either of them.


    Arnold went to the lab to set everything up and Cissily went to the three teachers she had that afternoon to deliver the note the professor had given her. She didn''t run back to the lab, even though she wanted to get there as quickly as possible.


    Cissily entered the lab and saw Arnold was already through three of the cabinets. ¡°I''m glad I didn''t tell you not to start without me.¡± She said with a smile and walked over to him. ¡°What can I do for you?¡±


    Arnold handed her the clipboard and the pencil. ¡°I''ll tell you the conditions and other information and you mark it on the sheets in the right spots.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Cissily said. ¡°This will free up your hands and you can check things faster.¡±


    Arnold nodded and they went through the entire lab in less than half the time it took Arnold to do it by himself. They went into the side room with Amy''s and the professor''s separate equipment, then they went back to the lab and used the laptop to change the data on the inventory spreadsheet to reflect the new usage numbers and update the condition of the equipment already recorded. With Cissily reading it back to him, Arnold updated the inventory in half the time it took him the last time.


    ¡°Jesus, that went really fast.¡± Cissily admitted. ¡°I''ve done inventory with Amy and it takes us nearly all day!¡±


    Arnold gave her a look and she couldn''t help but laugh.


    ¡°All right, I admit that we goofed off a lot.¡± Cissily said. ¡°I don''t remember seeing an inventory list for the storage room, though.¡±


    ¡°That''s because there isn''t one.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°What?¡± Cissily looked at him with surprise on her face. ¡°How the fuck did that happen?¡±


    Arnold shrugged. ¡°I think they just bring in the next batch of things for the students and that''s it.¡±


    ¡°But... there could be...¡±


    ¡°Anything could be down there.¡± Arnold said with a smile.


    ¡°You''re actually looking forward to this.¡± Cissily said and he nodded. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I want to see as many specimens as possible.¡± Arnold said and pulled the pile of sheets for the lab inventory off of the clipboard and put them in the professor''s desk with the laptop. ¡°Let''s go.¡±


    Cissily followed him down the stairs to the basement. ¡°Arnold, those sheets are blank. How are we going to fill them out with a proper inventory?¡±


    ¡°The same way I did it with the lab inventory the first time.¡± Arnold said and opened the door for her.


    Cissily stepped inside the cool room and almost immediately her nipples popped out. ¡°Dammit, every time I come in here the girls make themselves known.¡±


    ¡°The girls?¡± Arnold asked and turned on the lights.


    ¡°My tits.¡± Cissily said and used her fingertips to poke her nipples. ¡°The traitorous little bastards called nipples always come out to see what''s going on when it''s cold.¡±


    ¡°That''s because there are muscle cells around the hair follicles that contract to reduce the skin''s surface area when it''s cold. That tightness pushes out the nipple and makes them hard.¡± Arnold said.


    Cissily opened her mouth slightly and stared at him. ¡°Are... are you serious? That''s why nipples get hard?¡±


    ¡°When it''s cold.¡± Arnold said and reached over to caress one of her breasts. ¡°Direct and indirect stimulation also produce similar results.¡± He said and caressed the other. ¡°Now they''re bigger and warmer because of the increased blood flow.¡±


    Cissily had clamped her mouth shut at Arnold''s casual groping. ¡°You just... you made my pussy really wet doing that.¡± She admitted, because she really enjoyed it when a guy knew what he was doing when touching her breasts.


    ¡°We have to do inventory.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I know. I''m only telling you that I liked how you grabbed me just now. I''m just being honest.¡± Cissily said. ¡°Let''s get to work.¡±


    Arnold nodded and they started recording different categories, divided by the shelves that Arnold decided to number, and started at the door and went around the room. When they reached the door again three hours later, Cissily wasn''t as cold as she had been when she first came in, from all the moving and walking around.


    Cissily was also shocked at the huge stack of sheets they had filled out. ¡°Holy fuck, Arnold! How can we have this much stuff down here?¡± She asked and flipped through it.


    ¡°The shelves are deep and can hold a lot of specimens.¡± Arnold responded and she nodded.


    ¡°Hey, we even have a pile of rats as specimens!¡±


    ¡°Those are mine.¡± Arnold said and tapped the sheet. ¡°Marked as personal specimens, because I don''t have anything to work on here myself.¡±


    Cissily gasped. ¡°You won''t get any for yourself until the new order goes in next month!¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°The rats are ready for dissection now. I just haven''t had time to work on them.¡±


    ¡°I''m not going to ask where you got them.¡± Cissily said. ¡°Hell, I don''t think Fareena or the professor will ask, either.¡± She laughed. ¡°They''ll probably think they are just rats we found down here!¡±


    Arnold gave her a big smile and she let her laughter die at seeing him look so angelic.


    ¡°Well, we finished this ridiculous amount of paperwork a hell of a lot faster than I thought we would.¡± Cissily said. ¡°I think that''s why the professor gave me the afternoon off from normal classes, just so we could spend it all in here together.¡± She looked at the clock on the wall to try and distract herself from his handsomeness. ¡°We''ve still got an hour before classes end, too.¡±


    Arnold put his arms around her from behind and grabbed her breasts.


    Cissily gasped at the touch. ¡°Arnold... what...¡±


    ¡°You helped me catalogue all these specimens.¡± Arnold said and let her breasts go, then turned her around and lifted her top and massaged her breasts. ¡°You handled my rats without saying anything.¡±


    ¡°They''re... just rats.¡± Cissily moaned and her hands reached down and opened up his dress pants. They dropped to the floor and she looked down at him. ¡°Being around all these specimens really does it for you.¡±


    Arnold nodded and she nodded back.


    ¡°Well, let''s see what else I can do to get you off.¡± Cissily said and knelt in front of him as she pulled his underwear down, then she admired him and his hardness. ¡°Please tell me you have a condom.¡±


    Arnold pointed at his pants and Ciccily reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of them.


    ¡°Jesus fucking Christ, Arnold.¡± Cissily laughed and beamed a smile at him. ¡°I fucking love you!¡±

 125 Coming To Terms

    College classes came to an end and Arnold didn''t. He kept going, to Cissily''s surprise and delight, right up until it was time to go to supper. Cissily saw what time it was and told him to stop. Arnold did so and once again, cleaned himself and her up so they could get dressed. Cissily had been smart and had taken her jeans and panties off this time, so they were only chilled and not damp like they had been the last time.


    The two of them left the basement storage area and went back up to the lab, then put the new inventory list into the desk drawer. Cissily left a note to tell the professor that both the lab and the storage inventory were done, then she and Arnold left the building to head to the cafeteria.


    Cissily talked about what her plans for the weekend were as they waited in line to get their meals. When they reached the counter, a different woman was behind the counter and she looked out of place.


    ¡°Where''s Mabel?¡± Arnold asked as the woman handed him a random plate of food that he didn''t ask for.


    ¡°She''s sick or something.¡± The woman responded. ¡°NEXT!¡±


    Cissily took the next plate with a frown. ¡°I asked for the...¡±


    ¡°I don''t care.¡± The woman spat. ¡°NEXT!¡±


    Cissily tapped Arnold''s arm and pointed to the counter, then she put her plate on it. He did that as well, then she grabbed his sleeve and pulled him out of line. To everyone''s surprise, she didn''t curse at the ignorant woman and led Arnold over to the table where Amy and Maxine sat alone.


    ¡°Can you believe this shit?¡± Cissily asked and waved at Maxine''s and Amy''s half-eaten plates of food.


    ¡°She''s the only one working. What else are we going to do?¡± Maxine asked. ¡°We have to eat.¡±


    ¡°Well, I''m not eating here.¡± Cissily said. ¡°Arnold, do you have anything at your place or should we order out?¡±


    ¡°I have some food left.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I''ll need to go grocery shopping soon.¡±


    ¡°We can go tomorrow after classes, just like the last time.¡± Cissily said.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Let''s go see what you have to eat.¡± Cissily said.


    Amy and Maxine watched Cissily and Arnold leave the cafeteria together to head to his dorm.


    ¡°Is it just me, or did Cissily just invite herself into Arnold''s dorm room for supper?¡± Maxine asked.


    Amy had noticed that, too.


    ¡°She''s playing with fire.¡± Maxine said and looked down at the food she didn''t order and sighed. ¡°I should have asked to go with them.¡±


    The other girls that normally sit with them came over.


    ¡°Did we miss anything?¡± The black girl with the dreadlocks asked as she sat down. ¡°Besides the ignorant bitch serving people?¡±


    Amy gave Maxine a look, as if to tell her not to say anything, then shrugged. Maxine smiled and told them about Cissily and Arnold coming in, their conversation, and then leaving quickly.


    ¡°I thought she said we weren''t allowed to flirt or make passes.¡± The black girl said.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± One of the others said. ¡°How come Cissily gets to invite herself over to his place for a cozy little dinner date?¡±


    All the girls at the table caught their breath, because they hadn''t realized that was what it could be viewed as.


    ¡°No one tells his mother or anyone else.¡± Amy said and they all nodded in agreement, even the girl writing the sociology paper.


    *


    ¡°Hi, Ma!¡± Cissily said loudly when she and Arnold entered the dorm lobby.


    ¡°Baby girl!¡± Doris responded and came around the desk. She gave her daughter a hug and Arnold saw that they were almost the same height. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°The cafeteria lady is off sick and some bitch is pawning off all the bad food on the students.¡± Cissily said. ¡°I asked Arnold if he had anything to eat.¡±


    Doris chuckled. ¡°You can just go home and grab something.¡±


    ¡°No fucking way!¡± Cissily said with a laugh. ¡°I''m finally going to see his dorm room.¡±


    ¡°You know that it''s the same as Fareena''s.¡± Doris said with a shake of her head.


    ¡°No, I don''t.¡± Cissily said with a grin. ¡°Arnold lives there, so you know it''s not covered in bras hanging everywhere.¡±


    Doris had to laugh at that. ¡°I think we''re all guilty of that at some point.¡±


    Cissily laughed as well and looked at Arnold. ¡°I used to wear Ma''s bra as a hat when I was a girl!¡±


    ¡°He did not need to know that!¡± Doris kept laughing.


    ¡°We better get up to the room. I''m starving.¡± Cissily said. ¡°Oh, and we can take inventory after we eat and see what you need to pick up tomorrow.¡±


    Arnold nodded and they walked over to the elevator and pushed the button.


    ¡°Arnold, don''t forget you''re coming over for supper tomorrow.¡± Doris said.


    ¡°What?!?¡± Cissily turned around and looked at her. ¡°Why didn''t I know that?¡±


    ¡°Because you''re going out with your friends.¡± Doris said. ¡°I''m taking the night off and making him a nice birthday dinner.¡±


    The elevator door opened and Arnold stepped in.


    ¡°Ma...¡± Cissily started to say.


    ¡°Don''t have too much fun with him.¡± Doris said with a smile.


    Cissily stepped into the elevator and the doors closed. ¡°That shows what you know, Ma. We''ve had a lot of fucking fun.¡± She whispered and looked at Arnold''s face. ¡°We have, haven''t we?¡± She asked and he nodded. ¡°Damn right we have.¡± She gave him a huge smile, then laughed softly. ¡°Four condom''s worth, too!¡±


    The elevator doors opened and Cissily almost burst out laughing at the loud collective gasp from all the girls in the hallway when they saw her.


    ¡°Relax, bitches!¡± Cissily said as she and Arnold walked down the hallway. ¡°I''m only here to have a bite to eat and help him find out what to get for groceries tomorrow. It''s not a date, so pull your panties out of your tight ass cracks!¡±


    The girls stared at her as she passed by. Cissily fought her instincts to call them all sluts and whores as she made sure that she waved at each and every one of them.


    ¡°I think they think they own you.¡± Cissily said when he opened his dorm room door. ¡°If looks could kill, I would have been dead as soon as I stepped out of the elevator! Ha ha!¡± She said and stepped by him. ¡°Hey, this is nice.¡± She said and opened the closet. ¡°You still have some of Kelly''s things?¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°I don''t know if she''s still going to be living here or not until classes start.¡±


    ¡°That fucking sucks.¡± Cissily said. ¡°You can''t even look for another roommate until then, either.¡± She closed the closet and looked at the two nice computer setups. ¡°Nice VR rigs.¡±


    ¡°I haven''t had a chance to play since Kelly was here.¡± Arnold said and started taking out things to make a quick meal. Thanks to Janet''s help, they were simple and easy to prepare, so he did up enough for two people. ¡°I''m going home this weekend, too.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to see Kelly?¡± Cissily asked and walked over to the kitchenette and sat down.


    ¡°We''re supposed to meet up with our friends.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°That''s probably going to be awkward.¡± Cissily said. ¡°I''m tempted to tell you what to do; but, that might make things worse and even more awkward.¡±


    Arnold stopped what he was doing and looked at her for a moment, then kept prepping the meal.


    ¡°You should bring someone else with you or fuck another girl in the group.¡± Cissily said and heard several gasps from the hallway. ¡°It''s the only way Kelly will know for sure that it''s over between you.¡±


    ¡°Doing either of those things will hurt her feelings.¡± Janet said from the doorway.


    ¡°That''s usually what happens when people break up.¡± Cissily said and stopped herself from cursing at the interruption. ¡°If she doesn''t see that both she and Arnold have to move on, she''s never going to get over him.¡±


    Janet huffed. ¡°Do you know what happened between them? Do you even care?¡±


    Cissily laughed. ¡°Honestly? It doesn''t matter how they broke up. Not even a little bit. All that matters is that they did.¡±


    ¡°They could get back together and be boyfriend and girlfriend again.¡± Janet said.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. ¡°We can be friends and she can live here; but, I won''t hurt her anymore.¡±


    Janet walked over to him and barely stopped herself before she hugged him. ¡°That''s what I told your mom, that you didn''t want to get back together with Kelly. She said she''s still going to try and fix things between you.¡±


    ¡°I know. She told me that, too.¡±


    Janet gave in to her urge and took him into a hug. ¡°I''m sorry you''re stuck trying to deal with this mess by yourself.¡±


    ¡°Come home with me this weekend.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Cissily exclaimed.


    ¡°You know a lot of what''s going on. I want you there with me.¡± Arnold said and ignored Cissily''s shout.


    ¡°A-Arnold, I... are you sure?¡± Janet asked.


    ¡°If what Cissily said is true, then having you there will let Kelly know she needs to find someone else.¡±


    Janet couldn''t refuse such an honest plea for help. ¡°I''ll try my best to help her understand.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and kissed her.


    Cissily sat there and watched with an open mouth as Arnold gave Janet the kiss she thought she was supposed to get for helping him.


    Janet broke the kiss and eased her hold on him. ¡°If you need me to help shop tomorrow, let me know.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and Janet left without looking at Cissily. Arnold finished cooking the quick meal and put a plate of it in front of Cissily and sat down to eat himself. Cissily had remained quiet and ate the food without tasting it, then when they were done, they did a quick inventory and made a list.


    ¡°See you tomorrow after class.¡± Cissily said without inflection and left his room. She walked down the silent hallway and pushed the button for the elevator, stepped onto it, then pushed the button for the ground floor.


    ¡°She looks pissed.¡± Cynthia said with a smile when the elevator doors closed. ¡°Nice going, Janet.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t do that to piss her off.¡± Janet said. ¡°I went to help Arnold.¡±


    ¡°Anything that helps keep her away from him is fine by me.¡± Rachel said from across the hall. ¡°We all know you''re going to treat him fairly.¡±


    Janet''s face flushed red. ¡°Um... thanks.¡±


    ¡°Ooo, there goes the suit!¡± Daisy said and everyone turned to look as Arnold stripped off for them.


    ¡°Ahrnold!¡± Rebecca said loudly. ¡°Are ya gettin'' a shower, too?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold walked over to the door of his room and started to shut it.


    ¡°Aww.¡± Someone said sadly and the door clicked shut.


    ¡°Way to go, Billy!¡± Someone said.


    ¡°I wanted him to invite me in!¡± Rebecca said.


    Janet chuckled and went into her room. Nope, they don''t understand him at all. She thought, then she started to rummage through her clothes. She needed a couple of nice outfits if she was going home with him on the weekend. Oh, god. She thought. I''m going home with him this weekend to meet his friends!


    Janet started throwing her clothes around to find the perfect outfit to meet his friends with.


    *


    That evening and most of the next day passed without incident. Cissily was surprisingly civil to Arnold, considering she had been robbed of both a kiss... which he had never give her, despite them having had sex a bunch of times... and a weekend trip where she could have helped him get over his girlfriend.


    Mabel was back at the cafeteria counter and she greeted Arnold as she always did. She didn''t even blush as she handed him his chosen meal with a smile. Angela tried not to sulk as Arnold served himself with the soda again and he paid for his meal.


    Arnold sat with Amy, Cissily, and their friends at the table and everything seemed to have gone back to normal. They ate lunch together and had a normal conversation, and no one mentioned Cissily eating supper with Arnold the day before. Cissily was also not inclined to mention it, because of the way it had turned out.


    ¡°I can''t wait for tonight.¡± Maxine said. ¡°I''ve been waiting to see this band for months!¡±


    ¡°It should be a good time.¡± Amy said. ¡°Don''t forget to meet at Cissily''s place at suppertime.¡±


    ¡°We''re dressing up, too.¡± Maxine said. ¡°The guys are gonna be all over us tonight!¡±


    ¡°It''s too bad it''s not the weekend, or we''d have free drinks all night, too.¡± Amy said, a little sadly. Ciccily stayed quiet and didn''t say anything.


    Lunch ended and they went to their respective classes and Arnold went back to work. He had to create a spreadsheet for the specimen inventory to reflect the paper one he and Cissily had made the day before and then enter all the information. It took a lot longer this time, because he was doing it all by hand and he was all alone. When classes ended, he saved up his work and put it away, then left to meet Cissily at his dorm.


    Cissily showed up a few minutes later and parked in his spot. ¡°Come on, get in.¡± She said. ¡°The front. I''m not a chauffeur.¡±


    Arnold climbed into the front this time and she pulled out of the parking lot and drove to the grocery store. Since Arnold now had a list, they blew through the entire store as he grabbed everything that he needed. It actually surprised Cissily at how efficient he was and they were out of the store and loading the groceries into her trunk before she realized it.


    ¡°I almost can''t believe that happened.¡± Cissily commented as she closed the trunk. ¡°I''ve never been through an entire grocery store that quickly before.¡±


    ¡°If you already know where the things you want are, you don''t waste any time buying them.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°It''s a good thing I can''t flirt with you, then.¡± Cissily said and they climbed into the front seat of the car. ¡°I would have been teasing you and making you grope me the whole time.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because it''s fun most of the time, especially if he knows you''re doing it and likes it, too.¡± Cissily said and drove them back to the campus. ¡°I already told you that I like how you grab my tits so well.¡± She said. ¡°If you grabbed my ass sometimes, I might like that, too.¡±


    ¡°I grabbed it when we fucked.¡± Arnold said and she chuckled as she pulled into the parking lot.


    ¡°I meant just a casual groping, like you did with my chest before we started the specimen inventory.¡±


    Arnold nodded and they got out of the car. He took most of the bags in one go, since there wasn''t as big of an order this time, and Cissily took the rest. They went inside and said hello to the replacement dorm mother, then went up in the elevator to drop his groceries off.

 126 Dinner With Doris

    Cissily was not surprised when she received the same reception as the day before. ¡°Jesus Christ, you skanks! Stop staring! I know Arnold''s fucking gorgeous, but enough''s enough.¡±


    A lot of the girls in the hallway couldn''t believe what they were hearing.


    ¡°Just because he''s the only guy living here, doesn''t mean you can ogle him like he''s a piece of meat that you want to sink your teeth into.¡± Cissily said. ¡°Getting angry that he has friends besides your skinny white asses is stupid, too.¡±


    None of them said anything as they passed and Arnold opened his dorm room door. In almost no time at all, Arnold had the groceries all put away. They left and went back to the elevator and the doors opened when the button was pushed.


    ¡°Before you all start freaking out about us leaving together, we''re going over to my house! Ha hahaha!¡± Ciccily kept laughing after the elevator doors closed. ¡°Did you see the looks on their faces! Ha ha!¡± She said and then calmed down. ¡°Just the implication that you and I might have sex shocked them.¡±


    Arnold nodded and she moaned as his hand slid across her ass and gripped one of her cheeks tightly.


    Cissily turned to him and looked up at his face. ¡°Imagine what they would think if they knew you already had that wonderful cock buried deep inside of me and made me come so many times.¡± She was tempted to hop up on her toes to kiss him, then the elevator doors opened on the second floor. ¡°They would be even more jealous of me than they are now.¡± She whispered and turned back to face the front of the elevator.


    ¡°Hey, there.¡± A young woman said as she stepped into the elevator.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Arnold said and Cissily had to clamp her mouth shut as he groped her ass almost as well as he had massaged her breasts the day before.


    The elevator doors opened on the ground floor and the three of them stepped out. Cissily almost sighed in sadness as Arnold''s hand no longer held her ass and she and him left the building.


    ¡°Hop in. I''m going home to change and pick up Amy and Maxine.¡± Cissily said and they both climbed into the car. She drove them the short distance away from the campus and parked in front of a very nice single level house. They got out and walked over to the front door, then Cissily put a hand on his chest.


    ¡°Arnold, you''re the kissing bandit.¡± Cissily said and looked into his eyes. ¡°I''ve seen you kiss a few people now... even the cafeteria worker.¡± She sighed. ¡°Why haven''t you kissed me?¡±


    ¡°You don''t want me to.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    ¡°No flirting. No passes. No asking for sex.¡± Arnold repeated her words.


    Cissily took a deep breath and let out a sigh, then nodded and turned around and opened the front door. ¡°Ma! We''re here.¡± She said and led him inside.


    ¡°Have a seat in the living room, Arnold!¡± Doris said from the kitchen. ¡°I''ve just got to baste the roast and I''ll be right in.¡±


    Arnold went into the living room and took off his suit coat, then sat down on the couch. Cissily gave him a longing look and then went down the hallway and entered her room to get changed. The front door opened and Amy and Maxine came in, dressed up in their best outfits.


    Amy had left the mini-braids off and her black hair was a nice frizzy mess. She wore a white slinky dress that left a lot of her dark skinned cleavage showing. The dress was tight on her hips and only went down to mid thigh. Maxine''s red hair was tied up in a bun and she wore a low v-neck blue top and tight leather pants that hugged her body, which showed off exactly how much space she had between her legs.


    ¡°Cissily! We''re here!¡± Amy said loudly from the hallway, then she walked into the living room and caught her breath as she came to a stop. ¡°Arnold!¡± She exclaimed and her breasts jiggled a little.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Arnold said and saw her nipples pop out from the stimulation.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Amy looked down at her chest and saw that her nipples were poking out through the thin fabric.


    ¡°You''re not wearing a bra.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I can''t.¡± Amy said and resisted the urge to cover her chest with her hands. ¡°You would see the straps of anything I wore under the dress.¡±


    ¡°I told her to wear pasties or something.¡± Maxine said with a chuckle. ¡°You know she''s going to bend over at some point tonight and her tits are going to pop right out of that dress and flash the room.¡±


    Cissily came out and she wore a thick silver strap across her chest that covered her breasts completely. As she walked, the strap didn''t support her at all and her breasts jiggled and swayed all over the place. The skirt she wore barely covered her ass and she wore thigh high lace stockings and a garter belt.


    ¡°Jesus, Cissily!¡± Amy said loudly. ¡°What the hell are you wearing?¡±


    ¡°It''s my ''hurry up and fuck me'' dress.¡± Cissily said and didn''t look at Arnold.


    ¡°That''s not a dress.¡± Doris said in a stern voice as she came out of the kitchen. ¡°It barely covers you as underwear.¡±


    ¡°Well, I''m only good for fucking, so that''s what I''m going out to do.¡± Cissily said and gave a pointed look to Arnold, then walked by Amy and Maxine and left the house.


    ¡°I''ll talk to her.¡± Amy said to Doris and then she and Maxine followed Cissily out of the house.


    ¡°I hope they can talk some sense into that girl.¡± Doris said and walked into the living room. She wore a nice skirt and a scoop neck top, both dark blue, and she sat down next to Arnold. ¡°Her moods the last few days have been all over the place.¡±


    Arnold put his arm around her shoulders and Doris leaned into him and relaxed.


    ¡°We have about an hour before the roast is ready.¡± Doris said and turned her head to look at him. ¡°I''m very tempted to show you some sexual positions right now; but, I think I''d rather just kiss you and make up for all the times I''ve missed doing it with you the last couple of weeks.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and turned his head to her. ¡°Good morning.¡± He said and gave her a three second kiss. ¡°Goodnight.¡± He gave her a five second kiss. ¡°Good morning.¡± He gave her a three second kiss. ¡°Thank you.¡± He gave her a one second kiss. ¡°Goodnight.¡± He gave her another five second kiss.


    ¡°A-Arnold.¡± Doris whispered and she put her arms around him.


    ¡°That''s only two days.¡± Arnold said and wrapped his arms around her and kept going. Doris started breathing heavily as she and Arnold made out on the couch for quite some time. She honestly had no idea what time it was when he finally stopped. All she knew was that her breasts ached to be rubbed and kissed just as much, and that her underwear was thoroughly soaked.


    ¡°I... owe you... a bunch of hugs.¡± Doris said and slipped her top off, then popped her bra to let her breasts spill out. ¡°Please, hug them as much as you want.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and gave her a one second kiss, then he buried his face into her soft mounds. He gave them the best kissing and massage that Doris had ever had. She held him and rubbed the back of his head as she closed her eyes to savour the feeling. Sometime later, the food timer buzzed and broke her out of the wonderful feeling she was having.


    ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Doris said and Arnold stopped to look at her face. ¡°Supper is ready.¡±


    Arnold helped her hook her bra back on and she stood up to pull her top back on. When Doris turned around to go into the kitchen, a large wet spot was on her skirt.


    ¡°The back of your skirt is wet.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°So is the couch.¡± Doris said with a smile. ¡°It''s okay. I''ll clean it up later.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and followed her into the kitchen. He helped her with the food and they carried it into the small dining room. They sat down and had a great meal in the dim light of the candles that Doris had lit. Afterwards, she told him to leave the dishes when he tried to take them to the kitchen, took his hand, and led him to her bedroom.


    ¡°It''s time that I kept my promise to you.¡± Doris said and slowly stripped off. ¡°I''m going to show you all of the sexual positions I know.¡±


    Arnold nodded and stripped off as well. Doris saw his ready state and smiled, then she had him lay down on the bed and climbed on top of him. ¡°This is called the cowgirl.¡± She said and held him steady, then sat down on him. ¡°OHHHH!¡± She yelled as she came and a little puddle formed on his abdomen. ¡°Arnold, you wonderful man.¡± She said and moved up and down on him. Her large breasts bounced and Arnold dug his hands into them. ¡°YES!¡± She yelled and came again.


    After a few minutes, she laid down on top of him.


    ¡°This is... reverse missionary.¡± Doris panted and moved forward and back while hugging him. ¡°If I was on bottom and you were moving in and out of me, that''s called missionary.¡±


    ¡°Most of the sex I''ve had... was missionary.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Then let''s... expand your... knowledge base... a lot more.¡± Doris said and kissed him.


    *


    Cissily was getting pounded from behind by a guy she had met out on the dance floor. He was six foot two and his skin was pitch black. He also had a large penis. She was grateful for that, because she really wanted to feel it tonight. She had her arms braced on the sink of the bathroom and despite a cursory grope at the beginning, the guy completely ignored her breasts.


    He moved in and out of her with a little difficulty, because he was a bit too long to fit himself all the way in. He kept bumping her cervix and she wasn''t sure if she liked that. Otherwise, she was having a good time... or she tried to convince herself. He wasn''t attentive, he wasn''t reading her body movements, and he wasn''t paying any attention at all to what she wanted.


    ¡°Fuck, you''re tight.¡± He said and moved in and out a bit more. ¡°Oh, yeah... I''m gonna come, bitch.¡± He said and slapped her ass. ¡°Get ready for it!¡±


    Just hurry the fuck up! Cissily thought, starting to get angry.


    He sped up and got a little rough with her. ¡°Here... we... go!¡± He said and pulled out, whipped off the condom, and turned her around. ¡°On your knees!¡±


    Cissily stared at his face angrily.


    He kept stroking himself and pushed down hard on her shoulder and made her stumble. ¡°I said get on your knees, you whore!¡±


    Cissily growled at him.


    ¡°You know you want this!¡± He said and closed his eyes, then he yelled inarticulately as he felt a gut wrenching pain.


    Cissily grabbed him by the balls and squeezed as hard as she could, then she pushed his dick to the side as he ejaculated. ¡°Did you want this, you fucker?¡± She asked and jerked on him as hard as she could and kept squeezing his balls. ¡°How does this feel, huh? Do you like being treated like a whore?¡±


    The guy had tears running down his eyes from the pain. ¡°S-s-stop! Please! Let me go!¡±


    ¡°I''ll let you go when I''m fucking done.¡± Cissily said and kept going.


    The guy thought about hitting her to make her let go, then he felt her fingernails dig into his soft and tender flesh.


    ¡°Don''t you fucking dare think about punching me, asshole.¡± Cissily said and kept jerking him as fast as she could, then he came again. She jerked him a little more to make sure he actually had an orgasm, then she gave his balls one more squeeze and left her fingernail marks in the skin.


    ¡°If I ever hear of you treating another woman like you just treated me, I''ll be back to tear your balls completely off.¡± Cissily said and slapped his ball sack.


    ¡°AGH!¡± The guy grunted and put his hands over his tender bits.


    ¡°What a fucking mistake you were.¡± Cissily said as she washed her hands off. ¡°You can''t fuck worth a damn and you barely got me wet.¡± She dried her hands off and tossed the paper towels at him, then adjusted her underwear and pulled her skirt back down. ¡°You''re pathetic.¡±


    Cissily walked out of the bathroom with her head held high, even though she felt like kicking herself for putting herself in that situation. The loud music blared and she winced after being in the quiet bathroom.


    ¡°Cissily!¡± Maxine waved from across the room. ¡°We finally found a table!¡±


    Cissily walked over to them and deftly avoided all the groping hands. She reached the table and looked at her two friends. ¡°I''m fucking done with this shit.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Amy and Maxine asked at the same time.


    ¡°I''m going home.¡± Cissily said.


    ¡°You''re our drive.¡± Maxine said. ¡°How are we...¡±


    ¡°Call a fucking taxi, bitch!¡± Cissily said angrily and stormed off.


    ¡°Whoa, what the fuck?¡± Maxine asked and then ran after her. ¡°Cissily! What happened?¡±


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± Cissily said loudly.


    ¡°Cissily, what...¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to talk about it!¡± Cissily spat and reached the door of the bar.


    Amy had followed them and put her hand on Cissily''s arm to stop her. ¡°Sis.¡± She said in a soft voice as she used her private name for her.


    Cissily turned to face her and fought back her tears. ¡°I have to go.¡±


    Amy gave her a brief hug and let her go, then nodded. Cissily opened the door and left the bar. She walked quickly over to where she had parked the car, climbed in, and drove home. Twenty minutes later, she pulled into the driveway and got out of the car. Her night of what she thought was going to be a lot of fun was ruined, all because she wanted to get laid as revenge against Arnold.


    Ciccily had known it was a stupid reason for having sex and she berated herself for being so stupid. She unlocked the door and went inside the house, shut and locked the door, then walked into the living room. She gasped when she saw what was happening on her couch.


    ¡°MA! WHAT THE FUCK?!?¡± Cissily yelled.


    Her forty five year old mother had her legs spread wide on the couch, upside down, with her head on the floor on a pillow. Arnold faced the wall and was drilling his penis into her as hard as he could.


    ¡°This... isn''t what... it looks like.¡± Doris panted.


    ¡°It looks like you''re getting FUCKED BY ARNOLD!¡±


    ¡°No, I... OHHHHHH!¡± Doris yelled her moan as she came very hard. It squirted out a little and drizzled down onto her breasts.


    ¡°Oh, my fucking GOD!¡± Cissily yelled at the sight of her mother being used like that.


    ¡°I''m... teaching... him.¡± Doris whispered, because she could barely speak.


    ¡°That''s sixteen.¡± Arnold said as he slipped out of her and she moaned at the pleasant sensation.


    ¡°Lick me... and I''ll suck... your cock.¡± Doris said to him.


    Arnold knelt down to put his still erect penis into her mouth. ¡°Seventeen.¡± He said and moved his hips in and out for her as he dug his face deep into Doris'' drenched vagina.

 127 Friends With Or Without Benefits

    Cissily stood there and the sight of her mother like that was burned into her brain. The woman that raised her and gave her the college life that she never had... was being used like a toy. She tried to look away from the scene. She really did. She didn''t want to see an encounter that she thought was eerily similar to the one she had in the bathroom at the bar.


    Tears sprang to Cissily''s eyes as she imagined her mother in that position... then she gasped when Doris tapped Arnold''s butt cheek and he stopped immediately and pulled out.


    ¡°Help... me up.¡± Doris said, a little weakly.


    Arnold reached down and picked her up, as if she weighed nothing, and sat her down on the couch. He sat down next to her and held her close.


    ¡°Whew!¡± Doris said, almost with a laugh. ¡°Now, in that position, there''s not a lot of pleasure for the woman, especially if you try to force it too much or keep doing it for too long.¡± She said and he nodded. ¡°Make sure she can breathe okay and that you''re not putting your weight on her, or she won''t enjoy it or appreciate your efforts.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I need a couple of minutes to catch my breath and get my strength up, so wipe yourself off and grab me a bottle of water from the fridge.¡±


    Arnold stood up and used a couple of tissues to wipe off his dripping penis and his mouth, then he left the living room to get her some water.


    ¡°Ma!¡± Cissily walked over and dropped to her knees on the pillow, ignored the warm dampness of the cloth that she could feel, then stopped herself before she hugged her still naked mother. ¡°Why are you letting him use you like this?¡±


    Doris laughed. ¡°Baby girl, he''s not using me at all.¡±


    Arnold came back into the living room and handed her a cold bottle of water.


    ¡°Thank you, sweetie.¡± Doris said and gave him a quick kiss, then he sat down next to her and his erect penis was still quite prominent.


    ¡°MA!¡± Cissily yelled, because her mother just got something she hadn''t received herself.


    ¡°Calm down.¡± Doris said and took a drink of water. ¡°Oh, that''s good.¡± She handed it to Arnold and he took a drink, too. ¡°Stay hydrated, especially if you''re going for a while. You''ll tire yourself out quickly if you''re not careful. Each time you ejaculate, you''re losing some essential fluids and nutrients, not to mention your sweat.¡±


    Arnold nodded and handed her the water. Cissily sat back on her heels and didn''t know what to say.


    ¡°Now remember that fourteen through seventeen are ones that you need to be careful of, and sometimes being too vigorous isn''t what a woman needs. I liked it like that, so it''s okay with me.¡± Doris said. ¡°You''ll either have to ask or just use previous experience to discover what the woman you''re with wants from you; but, leave fourteen through seventeen... oh, and nine... until after you''ve been having sex for a while.¡± She chuckled and pat Arnold''s thigh. ¡°Those are not moves you should start with.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°M-ma.¡± Cissily said, her voice weak this time.


    ¡°I really am teaching him, Cissily.¡± Doris said. ¡°I''m enjoying it a lot, and I''m sorry... very sorry... that you came home so early and walked in on us.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Cissily looked at Arnold and back at her mother. ¡°...I had sex with him first.¡±


    Doris chuckled. ¡°I know you did.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    ¡°I''m your mother. I''ve seen you go through men... and your moods... for years.¡± Doris laughed. ¡°You went from liking Arnold, to hating him, to being in love with him in the space of a week!¡±


    Cissily''s mouth dropped open in shock.


    ¡°Close your mouth, dear.¡± Doris said. ¡°Unless you want Arnold to fill it.¡±


    Cissily clamped her mouth shut with a snap and Doris laughed again.


    ¡°I hope you aren''t turned off by him, knowing he''s been with me.¡± Doris said. ¡°Arnold is such a wonderful man.¡± She said and turned slightly to rub her hand over his buzz-cut. ¡°I know he won''t ask anyone to be his girlfriend for a while, possibly years; but, I wouldn''t mind having him in the family.¡±


    ¡°MA!¡± Cissily yelled and Doris stopped petting Arnold''s head and turned towards her daughter.


    ¡°Just so you know, this is the first time Arnold and I have had sex.¡± Doris took her hand. ¡°I had to keep my promise to teach him everything I know.¡±


    ¡°Was that all?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°No, I know a few more things... but... they are not something that people do to have sex. Sex can happen during it.¡± Doris let her daughter''s hand go.


    ¡°Sex can happen during lots of things.¡± Arnold said.


    Doris nodded. ¡°That''s right, sweetie. Some of the other things I know are more for mental stimulation and titillation, although I''ve never done them myself.¡±


    ¡°So, you can''t show me.¡± Arnold said and Doris shook her head.


    ¡°I believe that was the end of our lesson.¡± Doris said.


    ¡°Thank you for teaching me.¡± Arnold said and gave her a kiss, and they both heard the sharp intake of breath from Cissily.


    ¡°Is that the problem between you?¡± Doris asked as she caught on to the situation. ¡°You''ve had sex but you haven''t kissed?¡±


    ¡°My mother gave her restrictions. Cissily said that she can''t flirt, make passes, and can''t ask for sex.¡±


    Doris leaned back on the couch and Arnold put his arm around her as she crossed her legs. ¡°Let me think about that for a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Ma.¡± Cissily couldn''t help but glance at her mother''s naked chest.


    Doris let out a chuckle and her breasts jiggled a little. ¡°My clothes are on the floor in the bedroom.¡±


    ¡°I''ll go get them!¡± Cissily said loudly and quickly stood up. When she did, she felt that her skirt had ridden up to her hips and it had exposed her underwear completely. Her breasts also bounced around a little wildly as she ran from the room. She came back with her mother''s clothes and her skirt was still up to her hips, because she was more concerned about getting her mother covered up than herself.


    ¡°I need a shower first.¡± Doris said. ¡°Oh, and drier clothes.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Cissily held up the skirt. She saw the large wet spot on the back of it and dropped it to the floor with the underwear.


    Doris chuckled. ¡°He did that just from...¡± She stopped herself before she said from kissing. ¡°...never mind.¡± She said and uncrossed her legs and stood up. ¡°Cissily, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± Cissily exclaimed. ¡°I just saw my mother... my MOTHER... having sex!¡±


    Doris sighed. ¡°I told you I was teaching him. The sooner you accept that, the better.¡±


    ¡°Ma, I can''t... Arnold, he... his face was...¡± Cissily shook her head at the thought of Arnold licking her mother''s snatch, then she saw something that shocked her even more and pointed. ¡°He''s not wearing a condom!¡± She said loudly. ¡°He fucked you raw! RAW!¡±


    Doris thought about reminding her daughter that she couldn''t have kids anymore, then changed her mind. ¡°I''ve already called the college nurse and he''s going to get his medical certification tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°F-f-for what?¡± Cissily asked.


    ¡°To show that he''s disease free, of course.¡± Doris said. ¡°Until then...¡± She turned to Arnold. ¡°...I believe you said you''ve had sex in the shower a couple of times.¡±


    Arnold nodded and stood up.


    ¡°Then give me a hand in the shower and show me what you know.¡± Doris said.


    ¡°MA!¡± Cissily yelled.


    ¡°I''m sorry, baby girl.¡± Doris said. ¡°Unless we figure out a way to get you Arnold''s kisses without breaking his word or pissing off his mother, you''re going to be unhappy with him.¡± She took Arnold''s hand. ¡°Until then, I''ll give him all the kisses that you can''t.¡±


    ¡°But... how...¡±


    ¡°I have permission, of course.¡± Doris said.


    Cissily thought about that. ¡°How... why would...¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter how, now that he doesn''t have a girlfriend.¡± Doris said and looked at Arnold''s face. ¡°I''m going to keep hugging and kissing this sweet young man for as long as he wants me to.¡±


    Cissily watched wordlessly as her still completely naked mother led a completely naked Arnold from the living room.


    *


    Not surprisingly, Cissily completely ignored Arnold the next day at work. As far as she was concerned, Arnold didn''t exist. Nothing that he did... or that she saw... existed, either. She was in complete denial.


    A few of the medical tests Arnold had, required a couple of days for the results, so Arnold''s medical certification wouldn''t be ready until Friday evening.


    The nurse stayed late Friday night to get it ready for him and all of the tests had come back clean.


    Early Saturday morning, Arnold took his backpack and met Janet at her door, then carried her suitcase to the elevator. They rode it down to the ground floor and saw that Doris wasn''t in yet. They left the building and walked off of the campus to the main road to wait for the bus. It arrived and the door opened.


    ¡°Hey, young fella.¡± The bus driver said as Arnold climbed aboard. ¡°You''re all healed up, I see.¡±


    Arnold nodded and scanned his bus pass, then paid for Janet behind him. They sat down in the front seat and rode the bus for the two hour drive back to where Arnold lived. Once they were dropped off, Arnold gave a quick look around, took Janet''s hand, then walked a couple of streets over to the local bus stop. They rode the right lines to get back to the spot near his street, then they walked over to his house.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Janet said when she saw the really nice two story house. ¡°It looks brand new!¡±


    ¡°Most of it is.¡± Arnold said and went up to the door, unlocked it, and let Janet inside. He went right up the stairs with her bag and put it in his room, which was empty of all of Kelly''s things. He went across the hallway and knocked on his mother''s bedroom door. ¡°Mom, I''m here.¡±


    ¡°ARNOLD!¡± Annie yelled and Arnold heard a thump and a curse, then the door opened. ¡°Arnold.¡± She said in a normal voice. She gave him a quick kiss and took him into a hug. ¡°I''m so glad to see you.¡±


    ¡°Did you fall?¡± Arnold asked as he saw her blankets on the floor.


    Annie chuckled and let him go, then pointed to her red knee. ¡°My knee broke my fall.¡±


    Arnold knelt and placed a gentle kiss on it, then stood up. ¡°Are you going back to bed?¡±


    ¡°No, I''m up now.¡± Annie said, her face slightly red. ¡°I''ll get changed so I can greet our guest.¡±


    Arnold nodded and went back down the stairs.


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Janet asked, even though she heard the entire exchange.


    Arnold nodded again and led her into the kitchen. He put four slices of bread in the toaster and took out a box of healthy cereal from the cupboard. He poured out three bowls, added milk and a little brown sugar, then put all three on the kitchen table. The toast popped and he quickly buttered them and put the plate between the bowls.


    ¡°Hi, there.¡± Annie said as she came into the room wearing tight jeans and a tight t-shirt.


    ¡°Hi, Ms. Strickland.¡± Janet said and stood up.


    Annie chuckled and waved for her to sit again. ¡°I''m pretty sure we know each other enough to just be Annie and Janet.¡±


    ¡°Are... are you sure?¡± Janet asked as she sat down. ¡°I mean... I know that... well...¡±


    Annie put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Just because I want Kelly and Arnold to have a healthy relationship, that doesn''t mean I''m going to alienate everyone else or keep my distance from his friends.¡±


    Janet held in her relieved sigh and nodded.


    ¡°Now eat up.¡± Annie said and sat down herself. ¡°I think the gang has big plans for the day.¡±


    Janet looked at her with wide eyes and she chuckled.


    ¡°They''re not a literal gang.¡± Annie said. ¡°There''s just a bunch of them that hang out together all over town.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a gang.¡± Janet said with a smile and Annie laughed.


    ¡°Okay, fair enough.¡± Annie said and they ate the toast and cereal.


    Janet particularly liked having brown sugar on the cereal instead of granulated white sugar. ¡°What made you use brown sugar?¡±


    Annie pointed at Arnold as he took the dirty dishes to the sink. ¡°Mister Health-Kick there has all these ideas for better substitutions.¡± She said with a smile. ¡°It''s all been tastier, gives me more energy, and I sleep better at night.¡±


    ¡°Wow, really?¡± Janet asked, surprised.


    ¡°It''s a shock, I know.¡± Annie said as Arnold''s phone beeped at him. ¡°Who knew that eating healthier was better for you?¡±


    Janet couldn''t help but laugh.


    ¡°They are coming to pick us up.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Did they say what they had planned?¡± Annie asked and he shook his head. ¡°Then you should take a change of clothes, a bathing suit just in case, and spare underwear and socks.¡±


    Arnold pat the backpack he still wore.


    ¡°I''ll need to borrow a small bag.¡± Janet said.


    Annie nodded, because she saw the suitcase in Arnold''s room. ¡°I''ve got one that should be just the right size.¡± She said and led them from the room and upstairs. She gave Janet a small bag with a large strap, almost like a big purse, and Janet quickly added a change of clothes, her bikini, and panties and socks. As she repacked her things, it gave Annie a chance to look at her clothing up close.


    She certainly dressed up to meet everyone. Annie thought as she saw what looked like an expensive and stylish top with a knee length skirt that had a small diamond pattern down the sides. She glanced into the suitcase and saw dress pants and a chemise blouse with peekaboo holes in the arms. She is definitely dressing to impress.


    ¡°There. I think that should cover every possibility.¡± Janet said as she closed her suitcase and the bag, then she chuckled. ¡°Unless they decide to go rock climbing or something. Then I''m out of luck.¡±


    ¡°I''m sure everything will be fine.¡± Annie said and the three of them went down the stairs. Just as they reached the bottom, a horn honked from out in the driveway. ¡°That''s them.¡±


    Arnold opened the door and the horn honked twice, almost playfully.


    ¡°You two have fun, all right?¡± Annie said.


    Arnold nodded. ¡°I love you, Mom.¡± He said and gave her a quick kiss.


    He really does love her if he can kiss her in front of his friends. Janet thought.


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Annie said and the horn honked one long honk, which made her laugh. ¡°Now get going before they drag you out of here.¡±


    Arnold and Janet walked out the door and down the driveway. There were four cars this time and Two, whose name was Sarah, stepped out of the second car.


    ¡°We have room for you this time!¡± Sarah said and they walked over to her car and climbed in.


    Arnold went first and Janet went next, and there was only two other people in the car besides Sarah and the driver, her boyfriend. It was Three and her boyfriend and they exchanged hellos. The cars pulled away with the sound of several honked horns.


    ¡°We''ve got the whole day planned!¡± Sarah said excitedly. ¡°We''re even meeting more people there.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡± Janet asked.


    ¡°My parents own a piece on land on a lake about an hour away.¡± Sarah''s boyfriend said.


    ¡°It''s got a little cottage nearby, a huge area for a barbecue pit, and a great sandy beach!¡± Sarah said. ¡°I''ve been there once already, and it''s just the best!¡±


    ¡°I think my girlfriend likes it; but, I''m not too sure.¡± He said with a laugh and she smacked his arm.


    ¡°Just for that, I''m wearing my sarong until I get in the water!¡±


    ¡°No, please! Anything but that!¡± He protested, exaggeratedly. ¡°You know I love that swimsuit.¡±


    ¡°The swimsuit?!?¡± Sarah almost yelled and he laughed.


    ¡°All right, you forced me to admit it. It''s what''s inside the swimsuit that I love.¡±


    Sarah''s face flushed red as she blushed and the rest of the hour long drive passed by in silence.

 128 Sleep-Away Camp Part One

    Pam got up when the alarm went off and climbed out of bed. She looked over at the empty bed her friend should have occupied and she smiled. Goddamn, you''re lucky. She thought and went into the bathroom and took a shower. Imagine getting to spend the whole weekend with him! She came out of the shower and dressed for work at the theatre, then left her room.


    ¡°Pam, I can''t believe you''re letting Janet spend the weekend with Arnold all alone after he spent the night with you.¡± Cynthia said.


    Pam laughed. ¡°Just because I slept with him, doesn''t mean I own him.¡± She said. She remembered the day that Arnold had slept over and the reactions she and Janet were getting when they emerged, and she had stepped forward and claimed full responsibility for Arnold being there and having sex with her.


    Janet had given her a look of surprise at the time, then remained silent, because she knew her friend was ''taking the heat'' off of her to save her reputation. She really appreciated that. A lot.


    ¡°It should mean you''ve staked a claim, at least.¡± One of the other girls said, almost in a pout.


    ¡°We would all be out of luck if that was true.¡± Rachel laughed. ¡°I mean, even though I haven''t really been into the whole casual sex thing... Arnold is...¡±


    ¡°He''s damn fine, is what he is.¡± Lisa said from the next doorway.


    ¡°Hey, you''ve already had a close encounter with your casual guy.¡± Cynthia said with a smile.


    ¡°I thought it was casual.¡± Lisa said with a chuckle. ¡°He thinks it''s a lot more than that apparently.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean you''re moving up your relationship to the next level or you''re thinking of breaking it off?¡± Rachel asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lisa said and a few of the others laughed.


    ¡°I''ve got to get to work.¡± Pam said. ¡°See you all later.¡±


    ¡°Is anything good playing?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°Ooo! Can I have a discount if I bring a few friends?¡±


    ¡°I work there and I don''t get a discount!¡± Pam laughed and walked to the elevator. She didn''t tell them that she was allowed to stay after her shift and watch whatever she wanted, because she knew that a few of them would be trying to hang around to join her if they knew. The only one she knew for sure that wouldn''t do that, was Janet.


    Pam had mentioned it once by accident when she first started working at the theatre, and Janet immediately said that she couldn''t do that, because she would feel too guilty about not paying. She admitted that sneaking in would be fun and exciting the first time; but, just casually walking in and not paying? That she couldn''t do. They had been good friends before that and great friends after that.


    I wonder what she''s doing right now? Pam asked herself as she rode the elevator down to the ground floor.


    *


    Janet was surprised at how many people had shown up for a casual gathering. ¡°Are you sure this isn''t a concert or something?¡± She asked as they climbed out of Sarah''s car.


    Sarah''s boyfriend laughed. ¡°It could definitely be a nice rave or something.¡± He said as he went to the trunk. ¡°Guys, give me a hand with this stuff.¡± They all went to the trunk and he chuckled. ¡°Sorry, I literally meant ''guys''.¡±


    ¡°We can help!¡± Sarah exclaimed.


    ¡°You are not lifting a fifty pound bag of charcoal or cases of soda!¡± He said and she frowned at him. ¡°I want you to save all your strength for dancing naked around the bonfire.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Sarah said loudly and blushed.


    ¡°I''m joking.¡± He said and gave her a kiss. ¡°The naked part is for later.¡±


    Sarah blushed harder and he laughed.


    ¡°I need most of this stuff over by the pit.¡± He said to Arnold and Three''s boyfriend as he pointed. Arnold nodded and grabbed the two large bags of charcoal and walked over to the barbecue pit.


    ¡°Holy shit.¡± Three''s boyfriend whispered and picked up a single case of soda cans.


    ¡°He''s not even straining.¡± Sarah''s boyfriend chuckled and grabbed another case of soda.


    They unloaded the trunks of all four cars and set up a large area with tables, two kegs, food, drinks, both normal and alcoholic, and everything else needed to have one of the best beach parties ever. It was their last one for the whole summer, so they wanted to make it great. Everyone had pitched in money for it, so there was a lot of stuff for everyone to enjoy. When it was set up, the girls kind of gathered together not far away from the pit and the guys went to get the fire started.


    ¡°That''s not really a relaxing outfit you have on.¡± Sarah said to Janet. ¡°By the way, I''m Sarah.¡±


    ¡°Hi, Sarah. I''m Janet.¡± Janet said. ¡°I was expecting to spend some time at Arnold''s with his mom, then maybe walk around a bit.¡± She looked around at the cottage and the people there. ¡°I definitely didn''t expect anything like this.¡±


    ¡°We can do a lot with almost no notice.¡± Three said. ¡°With almost a month''s warning? We could change the world!¡±


    That made a few of the other girls laugh.


    ¡°How long have you two been dating?¡± One asked and motioned towards Arnold, who was currently using a shovel to dig out the pit to make it square.


    ¡°Tanya!¡± Sarah gasped and her eyes immediately fell upon a girl she was pretty sure wasn''t going to show up, despite being invited.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Kelly.¡± Tanya, formerly One, said.


    ¡°It''s okay.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I''d like to know, too.¡±


    ¡°We aren''t dating.¡± Janet said as she looked right at Arnold''s ex-girlfriend.


    ¡°Then why did he bring you home?¡± Kelly asked.


    Janet opened her mouth to respond, then she was interrupted before she could.


    ¡°What are you girls whispering about over here?¡± A guy asked as he strode confidently over to them.


    ¡°We''re talking about how many jerks showed up uninvited, Michael.¡± Three said.


    ¡°Ha ha, you''re funny.¡± Michael said. ¡°Todd said he needs a hand with something.¡±


    ¡°Why didn''t he come over to get me himself?¡± Three asked.


    ¡°Because his hands are full? Duh.¡± Michael said. ¡°He just told me to come and get you, Leann.¡±


    Leann, formerly Three, sighed. ¡°Whatever.¡± She said and looked at the other girls. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡±


    Michael smiled and he watched her ass for a few seconds as she walked away. ¡°Don''t plan on that.¡± He said to the girls and walked off in another direction.


    ¡°How did he find out about this, anyway?¡± Tanya asked.


    ¡°It''s not like we''ve been trying to keep it a secret.¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°That''s the truth!¡± A girl said. ¡°I''ve been looking forward to this for weeks.¡±


    ¡°I''ve told a few people.¡± One of the other girls said. ¡°They wouldn''t have invited him, though.¡±


    ¡°Same here. It''s not a secret if half the town knows we''re having a party.¡± Another girl said. ¡°I still thought it was invite only, considering this is private property.¡±


    ¡°I think we''re going to have a few party crashers lurking around.¡± Someone else said.


    ¡°It might get really bad once it gets dark.¡± Tanya said. ¡°There''s not really a lot that can be done, unless we could get the police out here to keep them at bay!¡±


    Kelly took in a sharp breath and the other girls looked at her.


    ¡°What is it? Are you still sore?¡± Sarah asked.


    ¡°N-no, I have...¡± Kelly took a breath. ¡°Arnold and I have a restraining order against him.¡±


    Tanya gasped. ¡°I completely forgot about that! He''s one of Brad''s friends!¡±


    ¡°That''s right. He was always in the background and never really spoke a lot.¡± Sarah said. ¡°Without Brad around to keep them together...¡±


    ¡°Call the police.¡± One of the other girls said. ¡°He knows he''s violating the order. You know he does.¡±


    Kelly thought about it. ¡°I don''t want to ruin the party.¡±


    ¡°Forget the party! This is about your safety!¡± Sarah said.


    Kelly looked at their concerned faces, even Janet''s, and she came up with a solution. ¡°Someone should warn him away. If he doesn''t leave, then I''ll call the police.¡±


    Tanya sighed. ¡°All right. I''ll get Richard to try and run him off.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Kelly said and they all looked at her with disbelieving looks. ¡°Do you really think the cops would let this party keep going when they get here and see how many people are here?¡±


    ¡°No, I guess not. They''d tell us all to move off and spread out.¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°Or go home.¡± Janet said. ¡°With all the alcohol here, they may even call your parents for safe drives.¡±


    ¡°That would suck.¡± Tanya said. ¡°Okay, I''ll be right back.¡± She said and left to go find her boyfriend.


    ¡°I''m going to tell Arnold.¡± Janet said and started to walk towards the barbecue pit, then stopped. ¡°Hey, where''s Arnold?¡±


    ¡°We''re done with fixing the pit, so he took the shovel back to the shed.¡± Sarah''s boyfriend said as he dumped one of the bags of charcoal into the pit and two other guys spread it out. He stood up straight and waved at the cottage a hundred feet away. ¡°He''ll be back in a minute.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think this can wait.¡± Janet said and walked towards the cottage.


    ¡°She really is overdressed for a weekend at home and visiting a ''friend''.¡± One of the girls whispered. ¡°That top looks expensive.¡±


    ¡°The skirt, too.¡± Another girl said. ¡°I mean, that''s like a serious dating outfit.¡±


    Kelly''s heart had taken several blows so far, from hearing that Arnold brought someone to meeting that someone, and hearing what people thought about her clothes was another. She hid her pain as much as she could, then she felt an arm go over her shoulders.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Kelly.¡± Sarah said. ¡°Arnold didn''t text us that he was bringing someone until this morning.¡±


    ¡°She seems nice.¡± Kelly responded with a flat tone in her voice.


    ¡°She could be a real bitch.¡± Sarah said. ¡°Do you want us all to hate her?¡±


    Kelly looked at her face, then looked at the others. She saw that they all understood her pain. ¡°That''s the best offer a friend could ever make.¡± She said and then shook her head.


    Sarah chuckled. ¡°We can be subtle about it if you want.¡±


    ¡°No, I... I appreciate the offer, but... thank you.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°If you change your mind, let us know.¡± One of the other girls said.


    Kelly smiled and nodded.


    *


    ¡°I can''t believe you convinced me to do this.¡± Mark said as he crouched down in the bushes, part of the way around the lake.


    ¡°You''re the youngest man on the force, so you were the logical choice.¡± Detective Tanner said. She wore a medium length blonde wig, had on the same overdone make-up that a lot of high school girls wore, and she had even bought a fake tan to make herself blend in.


    ¡°I understand that part.¡± Mark said. ¡°What I don''t understand is us having to act like we''re dating.¡±


    ¡°It''s a party and most of the people there are couples.¡± Detective Tanner said. ¡°If we don''t show up and look like we''re comfortable with each other, we''re going to stand out like a light in a dark room.¡±


    Mark gave her a look, then sighed. ¡°Even knowing were undercover, it''s going to be awkward trying to hug you in front of strangers.¡±


    Detective Tanner chuckled. ¡°It won''t be as awkward when we have to kiss.¡±


    Mark widened his eyes and she laughed.


    ¡°Do you really think there''s not going to be some making out over there?¡± Detective Tanner asked.


    Mark looked back at the gathering and saw a nice fire being started. ¡°My girlfriend is going to kill me.¡±


    ¡°We''re undercover, so it''s fine.¡± Detective Tanner said. ¡°Look, if it makes things easier for you, just close your eyes and imagine that you''re kissing your girlfriend.¡±


    Mark reluctantly nodded and she pat his arm.


    ¡°We''ll wait here until it gets going, then we will walk over there as if we''ve always been there. We are coming back from a walk, if anyone asks.¡±


    ¡°You don''t expect them to.¡± Mark said and she shook her head.


    ¡°I expect to be ignored, especially dressed like we are.¡±


    The two of them wore their old and slightly baggy clothes and would fit right in with the easy-going teenagers at the party.


    ¡°If you say so.¡± Mark said and was quiet for a few minutes. ¡°Detective Tanner...¡±


    ¡°Olivia.¡± Detective Tanner said. ¡°Call me Olivia.¡±


    ¡°Olivia, do you think...¡± Mark looked away from the fire and at her. ¡°...maybe we should practice.¡±


    Detective Tanner turned her head to look at him. She quickly judged that he did need to practice to get over the awkwardness she could see in his posture. She sighed and moved back from their observation point to be out of sight.


    ¡°Don''t get any weird ideas about this.¡± Detective Tanner said as she put her arms around him.


    ¡°N-no, of c-course n-not.¡± Mark said nervously as he put his arms around her, and she sighed.


    ¡°Jesus, just relax.¡± Detective Tanner said. ¡°Remember our cover. We''re friends. We''ve known each other for a year. We just started dating, so this is new and exciting.¡±


    Mark chuckled. ¡°It''s definitely going to be new and exciting.¡±


    Detective Tanner stopped herself from rolling her eyes. ¡°Remember. Close your eyes and pretend I''m your girlfriend.¡±


    Mark nodded and closed his eyes as he leaned in with his lips puckered.


    Amateur. Detective Tanner thought and almost laughed, then briefly kissed him. ¡°Now do it right.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Mark sighed. ¡°All right. I got this.¡± He said and opened his eyes to look at her. ¡°My girlfriend. My girlfriend. My girlfriend.¡± He chanted under his breath, then he closed his eyes and kissed her. Really kissed her.


    If he can keep this up, my plan to casually investigate is going to work. Detective Tanner thought and got into their practice session herself and kissed him back.


    *


    ¡°Arnold?¡± Janet asked a little loudly. She was by the shed that was a hundred feet away from the cottage, which meant she was over two hundred feet away from the party. The trees were thick and most of the sound of the party was blocked, including the music that she could barely hear, and she was a little worried that he might not hear her.


    ¡°Janet.¡± Arnold stepped out of the shed and closed the door.


    ¡°Arnold, I came to tell you that one of the guys you have a restraining order against is here.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said as he put his arms around her and kissed her.


    Janet couldn''t resist a good kiss, not from him, and put her arms around his neck to kiss him back. ¡°Tanya''s getting her boyfriend to try and warn him to go away. If he doesn''t leave, then Kelly will call the police.¡± Janet said and kissed him again.


    ¡°That''s okay. I already took care of it.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I''m glad.¡± Janet gave him another kiss. ¡°Kelly looked so worried about ruining the party with the cops showing up. Now we can tell her that Michael guy is gone and she can relax.¡±


    Arnold nodded and kissed her, then slid his hands down to grip her ass. Janet jumped a little, then she moaned into his mouth. After a couple of minutes of getting her butt massaged, she broke the kiss.


    ¡°Arnold, I want to have sex with you; but, we need a blanket or something to lay on.¡± Janet said.


    Arnold slipped off his backpack and pulled out two thin blankets.


    Janet chuckled. ¡°You planned this?¡±


    ¡°Mom told us to have fun.¡± Arnold said and she laughed.


    ¡°Your mom is the best.¡± Janet said and he nodded.


    Arnold took her hand and walked around the shed and out of sight of anyone at the party, spread out both blankets, then they both stripped off and climbed between the blankets.

 129 Kelly’s Comfort

    Arnold used a condom so that he wouldn''t leave much of a mess, then he cleaned Janet up as best he could under the circumstances. Having a backpack with the essentials always helped. Tissues and disinfecting wipes are always handy to have. Janet really appreciated his diligence in both what he did to her and cleaning her afterwards, and she thanked him several times for both things.


    Arnold packed the blankets up and led her back towards the cottage with Janet clinging to his arm. They walked by the cottage and Janet let his arm go as they went over to the cluster of girls still standing near the barbecue pit.


    ¡°Good news, Kelly!¡± Janet said a little excitedly, because her mind was still filled with the fun she and Arnold just had. ¡°Michael won''t be bothering either you or Arnold. He''s gone!¡±


    ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Sarah said, her arm still over Kelly''s shoulders. ¡°We were pretty close to calling the cops because Richard couldn''t find him.¡±


    ¡°We thought he might be hiding out in the woods or something.¡± Tanya said. ¡°I''m glad he''s not.¡±


    ¡°We''ll all keep an eye out, just in case he returns.¡± One of the other girls said.


    ¡°No, don''t.¡± Kelly said and they all looked at her. ¡°We''re here to have fun. It''s the last summer party before most of us head off to the college.¡± She said. ¡°Sitting around and worrying if someone might show up isn''t a good way to enjoy the day.¡±


    ¡°I guess that''s true.¡± Sarah said. ¡°Let''s just keep it in the backs of our minds, then.¡±


    All the girls nodded.


    ¡°So, why did you bring Janet?¡± Tanya, formerly One, asked Arnold.


    ¡°TANYA!¡± Sarah, formerly Two yelled.


    ¡°What? That was the last question Kelly asked Janet.¡±


    ¡°I brought her for Kelly.¡± Arnold said and every girl gasped, especially Kelly.


    ¡°No!¡± Janet exclaimed. ¡°Not like that.¡± She said and stepped forward. ¡°I''m not... I mean, there''s nothing wrong with that lifestyle... I just... not even my best friend makes me feel like I want to kiss her, and we''ve seen each other naked a whole bunch of times.¡±


    That made a bunch of the girls nod.


    ¡°I''m here... as Arnold''s friend... and as an example.¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I don''t understand.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°I came here because he asked me to, and I''m going to explain as best as I can.¡± Janet said and took her hand. She felt Kelly try to pull away and held on. ¡°Arnold loves you too much to keep hurting you.¡±


    Several girls took in sharp breaths.


    ¡°You''ll never know how deeply it hurt him to see you hurt, knowing he was the cause.¡± Janet said. ¡°When he saw you like that and couldn''t do anything to help you, he felt like he had failed you.¡±


    ¡°N-no.¡± Kelly tried to pull her hand away and Janet held on.


    ¡°Yes, and you know how protective he is. If it had been someone else that did it to you, what do you think he would have done?¡± Janet asked, then waited for Kelly and the other girls to think about it. ¡°That''s right.¡± She said. ¡°You know he would have done something about it.¡±


    Kelly couldn''t help the tears as they came.


    ¡°He was the one that did it.¡± Janet said. ¡°What can he do against himself, though?¡± She shook her head. ¡°I was surprised that he still wants to be friends and wants you to be his roommate after that.¡±


    Someone handed her a tissue and Janet took it and dabbed at Kelly''s eyes.


    ¡°Any other guy would have run for the hills to distance himself from you, and he wants to live together with you for at least the next six years, even knowing that every time you look at each other, all he will see is that he hurt you.¡± Janet said. ¡°He wants to put himself through hell for you, Kelly. If that''s not love, then I don''t know what is.¡±


    Kelly was openly crying, with sobs and everything, and more tissues appeared to help stem the flow.


    ¡°Like I said, I came here as an example.¡± Janet said. ¡°I''m not his girlfriend and we haven''t even gone out on an official date... but, I am his friend... and I''ve had sex with him.¡±


    Nearly every girl there gasped in surprise, except for Sarah. She had kind of expected it. No one dressed that nice just to meet a guy''s friends.


    ¡°W-w-when?¡± Kelly managed to ask.


    ¡°After you broke up.¡± Janet said. ¡°He gave you his word that he wouldn''t have sex or kiss anyone he wasn''t allowed to while you were his girlfriend.¡±


    Kelly nodded, a little surprised that she knew so much.


    ¡°I won''t tell you what sex with him was like, because that doesn''t matter right now. What matters is, it happened and I enjoyed it. A lot.¡± Janet said and tears came to her eyes as she started crying, too. ¡°I can''t express... how sorry I am... that you didn''t.¡±


    A few of the girls there had tears in their eyes and tissues were spread around liberally, because they had all heard the sad story of their break up.


    ¡°Arnold, he... he''s too busy to... have another girlfriend.¡± Janet said. ¡°So, we''re just good friends... with occasional benefits.¡±


    ¡°Occasional?¡± Sarah asked.


    ¡°I''m too busy... to have a boyfriend.¡± Janet said and let Kelly''s hand go to wipe at her tears. She took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°We''ve only had sex a couple of times since you broke up.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Leann said. ¡°But, it''s been...¡±


    ¡°I have my medical certification.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I''m disease free.¡±


    Every girl looked at him in surprise, even Janet.


    ¡°Arnold? When...¡± Janet started to ask.


    ¡°I took the tests on Wednesday and picked up the certificate last night.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°But...¡± Kelly stopped herself from saying that Heather had been with a lot of guys, then she felt relief that Heather hadn''t gotten anything, or passed it on to Arnold, if she did have something. No sooner had that thought crossed her mind when a car pulled up with the sound of sliding tires on gravel.


    ¡°Hi, everyone!¡± Heather''s loud voice cut through the clearing and drew everyone''s attention. ¡°It looks like we''re not too late, Eric. They''re just getting the fires going.¡± She stepped out and shut his car door.


    ¡°I did speed a little to get here.¡± Eric smiled and picked up a plastic bag full of packs of wieners and shut the driver''s side door. ¡°Hey, guys! I got the hot dogs!¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Todd hollered. ¡°Thanks for making the run.¡±


    ¡°I had to stop at two stores to get them all.¡± Eric said with a chuckle and walked over to the guys trying to get the fire stoked. ¡°Do you want them here or over at the bonfire?¡±


    ¡°Both.¡± Richard said. ¡°We''ve already got the sticks for the wieners and the marshmallows, so people that want them grilled can get them here and those that want open roast can use the big fire.¡±


    ¡°Nice.¡± Eric said and started to take out half of the packs.


    Heather walked over to the girls. ¡°So, what did I miss?¡±


    Kelly did not want to bring up what they were just discussing and opened her mouth to speak.


    ¡°I''m disease free.¡± Arnold said, to everyone''s surprise.


    Heather gave him a look, then laughed. ¡°That''s good to know.¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± Janet said and took Arnold''s hand.


    Heather looked from her to Kelly and back again. ¡°Another changing of the guards?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Leann asked, confused.


    ¡°She means Arnold''s got a new girlfriend.¡± Sarah said and looked at Heather. ¡°Janet''s just his friend.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Heather said with a crooked smile and took in Janet''s outfit from head to toe. ¡°A friend doesn''t wear something that expensive, unless she''s trying to impress a guy she wants to sleep with.¡±


    ¡°You must be Heather.¡± Janet said.


    That surprised a few people, because none of them told her who she was.


    ¡°For your information, I didn''t wear this outfit for Arnold. He doesn''t care what I''m wearing. I spent the time to look my best, because I was coming here to meet his friends. I could have just shown up wearing the jeans and sweater I have in this bag.¡± Janet pat the bag hung over her shoulder. ¡°Instead, I put a lot of thought all week into what I could wear this weekend and getting my hair done, because I thought that his friends deserved the effort.¡±


    ¡°You don''t think Arnold is worth the effort?¡± Tanya asked.


    ¡°Tanya!¡± Sarah gasped.


    ¡°I think Arnold deserves all the effort I can give him.¡± Janet said and squeezed his hand. ¡°I wouldn''t have come here with him if I didn''t think that.¡± She turned and looked into his eyes. ¡°I couldn''t say no when he asked for my help, because I know he would never ask if he didn''t need it.¡±


    A couple of the girls gasped when Janet gave Arnold a tender kiss on the lips.


    ¡°I came here to help Kelly, because he loves her and he can''t help her himself.¡± Janet turned back to the group of girls around them. ¡°That''s what he wants and that''s what I''m here to do.¡±


    ¡°Are... are you for real?¡± Heather asked with a chuckle. ¡°That was the biggest load of crap I''ve ever heard!¡±


    ¡°I don''t care what you think about what I just said.¡± Janet said to Heather and then looked at Kelly. ¡°I only care what Kelly thinks.¡± She said. ¡°Do you believe Arnold loves you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Kelly said without hesitation.


    ¡°Do you believe that he wants what''s best for you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Do you think he wouldn''t do everything he could to help you if he could?¡±


    Kelly hesitated for a moment. ¡°He broke up with me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he did.¡± Janet said. ¡°That helped you.¡±


    ¡°No it didn''t!¡± Kelly said. ¡°I wanted him to hold me and tell me that everything is going to be okay!¡±


    ¡°He loves you too much to lie about something that delusional.¡± Janet said and everyone gasped.


    ¡°Janet!¡± Sarah exclaimed.


    ¡°It''s not all right.¡± Janet said. ¡°Do you think he could tell you that? That would hurt you more than...¡± She shook her head. ¡°Telling you that everything is fine is stupid, and Arnold is not stupid. Your lives changed completely and that''s not all right. Your whole dynamic of boyfriend and girlfriend was lost and that''s not all right. Both of your hearts were broken and... that''s not... all right.¡±


    No one said anything as Janet paused and dabbed at her tears.


    ¡°Arnold can''t be there for you, not like you want him to be.¡± Janet said, her voice more confident. ¡°He can''t be your lover, even though he wants to be. He can''t be your boyfriend and he can''t have any kind of relationship with you... except as friends. Good friends.¡±


    Kelly opened her mouth to speak. Janet let Arnold''s hand go and held her hand up to stop her.


    ¡°No occasional benefits, either. I said he can''t do that. Not even playing.¡± Janet said.


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°It''s not fair to him to keep him like that.¡± Janet said. ¡°What would you have him do for the rest of his life? Just play a little with you and never have sex again? Ever?¡±


    Kelly closed her mouth.


    ¡°Arnold is right. He had to hurt himself by breaking up with you, so you can go out and find the man that you can be with.¡± Janet said. ¡°He loves you so much that he gave you up, just so you can find someone that can make you happy.¡±


    ¡°Which leaves him single for you.¡± Heather said.


    Janet laughed. ¡°Do you really think that I would have let him stay single before coming here, if that wasn''t what he wanted?¡± She asked. ¡°One of the first things I asked him was if he wanted another girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°So, you do want him like that.¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°Of course I do!¡± Janet said. ¡°Who wouldn''t?¡± She looked at all of their faces. ¡°I want you all to tell me something. If at any point since you''ve known him and after everything you''ve heard, have you thought that if he would take you as a girlfriend, you wouldn''t do it?¡± She asked and looked at their faces. ¡°Go ahead. Tell me you would tell him no if he asked.¡±


    None of them said anything and a few of them blushed, especially Leann, formerly known as Three.


    ¡°The thing is, I know he doesn''t want a girlfriend and I won''t ask. In fact, I won''t ask until I know he''s ready to move on from loving Kelly. That''s not going to happen for a long time, and you know what? I actually don''t mind waiting.¡± Janet smiled. ¡°He''s a great guy. He''s understanding, patient, and he will do anything for his friends. I honestly couldn''t ask for a better friend to have than Arnold.¡±


    ¡°Except Pam.¡± Arnold said. ¡°She gives you free popcorn.¡±


    Janet barked a laugh. ¡°Okay, you got me there. I love popcorn.¡±


    Everyone stood there and no one said anything for several minutes.


    ¡°I''m going to the bonfire.¡± One of the girls said and walked away.


    ¡°Those hot dogs smell good.¡± Another girl said and walked over to the barbecue pit. The other girls started to peel away in ones and twos to look for their boyfriends and dates, until the only ones standing there were Arnold, Janet, Kelly, Sarah, and Heather.


    ¡°I think I''d like to take a walk.¡± Janet said. ¡°Arnold? Do you want to come with me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said and they walked off, side by side.


    ¡°I guess we can''t just hate her on principle.¡± Sarah said. ¡°She''s just too nice.¡±


    ¡°I can.¡± Heather said with a huff. ¡°Did you hear the way she talked to me? What a bitch.¡±


    Kelly opened her mouth for a second, then chuckled. ¡°That''s rich, coming from you.¡±


    ¡°I never said I wasn''t a bitch.¡± Heather said with a smile, a real smile. Kelly hadn''t seen that in a while.


    ¡°Babe!¡± A guy''s voice called from not far away.


    The three girls turned and saw Sarah''s boyfriend.


    ¡°I meant my babe!¡± He said and pointed to Sarah. ¡°I need a hand in the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be right there.¡± Sarah said and gave Kelly a one arm hug and let her go. ¡°Are you going to be okay?¡±


    ¡°No, but Heather''s here. I''ll just piss and moan at her for what she did and I''ll feel better.¡± Kelly said.


    Sarah chuckled and nodded, touched her arm for a moment, then jogged over to the cottage and went inside.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Heather said in a soft voice. ¡°I know I deserve it.¡±


    Kelly turned to her and gave her a stern look. ¡°Heather, you are a goddamned idiot.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Heather said. ¡°Good god, I know.¡±


    Kelly''s face lost the stern expression, then she slowly put her arms around Heather and started to cry again. ¡°I am, too.¡±


    ¡°Shh.¡± Heather said and hugged her. ¡°It''s okay. It''s all going to be okay.¡±


    Kelly started to cry harder at her words, because that was the lie she had wanted Arnold to tell her.


    *


    ¡°Let''s go this way.¡± A girl''s voice said and then she pointed.


    ¡°Oh, shit.¡± Mark whispered. ¡°Someone''s coming this way.¡±


    Detective Tanner turned and pulled him into a passionate kiss, then rolled over in the dirt to show that they had been there for a while. ¡°Quick, grab my ass.¡± She whispered and kissed him again, then kept kissing him as his hands groped her ass over her loose jeans.


    The two people walked by slowly, as if they were just going for a casual stroll, and they didn''t even pause when they saw Detective Tanner and Mark in the bushes next to the path.


    ¡°You would think they''d find somewhere more private like we did.¡± The girl whispered and they walked on.


    Detective Tanner waited for several seconds, then she broke the kiss and sat up on Mark. When she looked to see the couple, she caught her breath. I can''t believe it! She thought in surprise. Arnold! ¡°We''re going for a walk.¡± She whispered and looked down at Mark, whose face was red. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I lied about having a girlfriend.¡± Mark whispered back.


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Detective Tanner asked.


    ¡°I didn''t want you to think I was trying to take advantage of you.¡± Mark said and reached up to grab the bottom of her t-shirt that had ridden up and pulled it down.


    Detective Tanner appreciated the gallantry and stood up. ¡°Let''s go.¡±


    Mark nodded and did his best to hide the erection he had gotten from her straddling his waist and showing him her bra, then took her hand and followed her down the path.

 130 Observers

    Arnold and Janet walked about halfway around the lake and came to a stop. They were completely alone, or so Janet thought. She had completely missed the couple walking pretty far behind them that had stopped walking, too.


    ¡°Arnold, I hope I didn''t overstep what you thought I was going to do.¡± Janet said. ¡°I just...¡±


    Arnold put his arms around her and gave her a kiss.


    ¡°I knew I would only have one chance to make Kelly understand your point of view. Once I made the attempt, there was no way she would listen to me afterwards.¡± Janet sighed. ¡°I''m sure that she got the point, so I won''t bring it up again unless she tries to do something to you.¡± She reached up and caressed his face. ¡°She knows what a treasure you are and she''s going to miss you a lot. She''s having a hard time letting you go.¡±


    ¡°She hasn''t texted me or called at all.¡± Arnold said and Janet caught her breath.


    ¡°Really?¡± Janet asked and he nodded. ¡°Then... why would she...¡± She had to think about it for a few minutes. ¡°She must have thought that if she didn''t contact you, you would want to talk to her a lot the next time you saw her.¡± She said. ¡°She probably hoped that you would have a tearful reunion and you would get back together.¡±


    Arnold stared into her eyes and she stared right back.


    ¡°I''m happy that I came.¡± Janet said. ¡°I was a little worried it would be weird or something, especially because of why I''m here.¡± She gave him a kiss for several moments. ¡°Let''s head back. I''m sure they''ve got some water sports or something going on that we can watch.¡±


    ¡°Watch?¡± Arnold asked.


    Janet chuckled. ¡°There''s no way I''m going out on the water wearing a bikini that I''m only wearing for you.¡± She said with a smile. ¡°It''s a little skimpy and moving around a lot is not a good idea.¡±


    Arnold raised his eyebrows slightly and Janet laughed, because she knew what he meant.


    ¡°Arnold, remember what I told you when you were hurt and I stripped off for you that first time. You can have me whenever you want me. I''m all yours.¡±


    Arnold gave her a smile and kissed her.


    *


    ¡°Whoa.¡± Mark whispered as he watched Arnold and his date make out like gangbusters. ¡°Look at that.¡±


    ¡°Shh!¡± Detective Tanner hushed him and he fell silent. And she commented about Mark and I finding somewhere more private. She thought, then Arnold and the girl moved off the path and into the forest. You have got to be kidding me!


    Detective Tanner tapped Mark''s arm and slowly mirrored the other couple and went into the forest in a parallel path. They came to a stop and watched as Arnold took out a couple of blankets and then they stripped off. She clamped her mouth shut when he revealed himself and his hardness, then he applied a condom and they climbed under the top blanket.


    We shouldn''t be watching this. Detective Tanner thought and glanced at Mark. She was about to tell him they should move back a little, then saw his interested face. Almost without conscious thought, she looked down at his crotch to see a bulge there. She turned her head away from the sight, fought her blush, then her eyes fell upon the blanket that had fallen off of Arnold.


    What the hell is he doing? Detective Tanner asked herself, then she saw what he was doing. Holy shit! She thought and her face turned beet red as Arnold showed her position number four that Doris had taught him... and Janet really, really liked it. Janet screamed out in pleasure and moaned so loudly that everyone should have heard her. They didn''t, because she knew that the trees acted like a sound dampener and took full advantage of that.


    ¡°OH, ARNOLD!¡± Janet yelled, then she whined and squealed as he switched to position five.


    ¡°You''re... loud.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I have to be... quiet when... at the dorm, or... everyone would know... how good you... make me feel!¡± Janet said between her pants and moans. ¡°Out here... all alone... I can tell you... and... and show you... let you hear... how much I love it!¡±


    Detective Tanner and Mark watched the scene play out.


    ¡°Good lord.¡± Mark whispered and he had to adjust himself, because he could clearly see a very hot young woman getting plowed. Her breasts were a handful and jiggled enticingly and he had to close his mouth to stop his drool from escaping. He knew they were a handful, because Arnold was giving one of them a massage and his hand just barely fit over it.


    Detective Tanner couldn''t move away now, not with the object of her investigation facing towards her hiding place, so she knelt there in the bushes and watched the entire thing. She wasn''t a voyeur by any stretch of the imagination; but, seeing two people thoroughly enjoy themselves as they had sex, gave her an odd sensation between her legs. She wasn''t quite aroused and she wasn''t turned off, either.


    That had surprised her, because peeping on other people having sex wasn''t something she thought of doing, let alone desired. She thought she would be immediately disgusted and would close her eyes or cover her face if she ever did see such a thing; and yet, she kept her eyes open and she watched them pleasing each other. To her utter surprise, it took a while.


    *


    Janet laid down beside Arnold and cuddled into his side as they rested under the blanket. It was one of the best sex sessions she had ever had and she really appreciated how much Arnold did for her.


    ¡°Arnold, I''m sorry I can''t force myself to swallow.¡± Janet said and looked at his face. ¡°I understand what Pam means about doing that for you... about letting you feel the inside of my mouth when you finish.¡± She sighed. ¡°I really want to do it for you and I... I almost choke when I try.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and gave her a kiss for several seconds and handed her a bottle of water.


    Janet laughed softly and took the water. ¡°This was the second time I failed and you still thanked me.¡± She gave him another kiss. ¡°You''re the best.¡± She said and took a drink. ¡°I''ll make sure to let Pam know that she has a lot of work to do to make up for my failure.¡±


    Arnold gave her a smile.


    ¡°Ha! I knew you liked getting sucked off more than you let on!¡± Janet said and looked down at the bulge under the blanket. ¡°Well, my mom always said that if you fail at something, try, try again.¡±


    Arnold gave her another kiss and Janet went under the blanket to try again.


    *


    ¡°They must be walking all the way around the lake.¡± Kelly commented as she ate a hot dog. ¡°They''ve been gone for a while.¡±


    Or they''re giving you time to recover after what Janet said. Sarah thought and took a bite out of her hamburger. Which is nice of them, since you''re still shaken up from it. She looked at Heather sitting beside Kelly. You''re so shaken up about it that you''re friends with her again.


    ¡°A few people have gone off to do that.¡± Wayne said. He was Sarah''s, formerly named Two''s, boyfriend and the son of the owner of the cottage and land. ¡°And by few, I''d say a dozen, and there''s still a pile of people around!¡±


    ¡°Last party of the summer, remember?¡± Todd said. He was Leann''s, formerly named Three''s, really tall boyfriend. ¡°I''m surprised there isn''t a lot more people here.¡±


    ¡°We should have charged admission.¡± Richard said. He was Tanya''s, formerly named One''s, boyfriend. ¡°We''re going to run out of food if more people come.¡±


    ¡°Forget the food! We''ll run out of kegs!¡± Eric said and laughed, because one was already empty and it was only lunchtime.


    ¡°I think it''s time for a bit of phone tag to raise funds.¡± Wayne said. ¡°Once they realize the alcohol will stop soon...¡±


    ¡°...we''ll be rolling in money.¡± Todd laughed. ¡°I''ll make the run this time, since I haven''t started killing my liver yet today.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, man.¡± Eric said and lifted his plastic cup of beer. ¡°It''s been a long week.¡±


    ¡°I hear that.¡± Todd said. ¡°I''ll be swigging some down this afternoon for sure.¡±


    ¡°Not too many.¡± Leann said with a demure smile and a slight blush.


    ¡°Don''t worry, sweetheart. I''ve never been too drunk to make love to my beautiful girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°Todd!¡± Leann blushed hard.


    ¡°Hey, they all knew what you meant.¡± Todd said and gave her a quick kiss.


    ¡°You gave him that cute face and blushed. What else would you be talking about? Tickling your feet?¡± Wayne asked.


    ¡°What you do in the bedroom with your foot fetish is your own business.¡± Richard said and chuckled.


    ¡°I do not enjoy having Sarah''s feet rubbed on my face... for more than a few minutes.¡± Wayne said with a grin and all the guys laughed.


    Sarah leaned over the table with a red face and whispered. ¡°It''s just a joke. I don''t do stuff like that.¡±


    ¡°You should.¡± Heather whispered back. ¡°Just to see how surprised he is.¡±


    Sarah opened her mouth to say no and looked at her boyfriend''s laughing face, then nodded slightly.


    *


    Janet failed again, kind of spectacularly. Luckily, she had moved the blanket out of the way and managed to cough and spit onto the ground nearby. After more water and a couple of shared breath mints, they got dressed and Arnold packed up the blankets. They left the woods and returned to the path to walk back towards the party.


    They passed several other couples that had the same idea about sneaking off. Janet did her best to not comment about it, considering they had just been doing the same thing, then she couldn''t help herself.


    Janet leaned close to whisper in Arnold''s ear as they strolled back to the cottage. ¡°We apparently beat the rush to get out into the woods to have sex.¡± She said. ¡°I wonder if we gave them the idea, since we were first.¡±


    Arnold didn''t say anything and they walked the rest of the way back to the cottage and the party. The music was playing in the background and the conversations between everyone were many and varied. They saw food being set out for people, so they joined the group at the tables and helped themselves.


    ¡°How was the ''walk''?¡± Heather pointedly asked Janet as she and Arnold sat down.


    ¡°I almost thought I was inside the donkey exhibit at the zoo with how many wild and hairy asses we saw in the woods on the way back.¡± Janet said with a smile.


    Everyone exchanged looks for a second, then burst out laughing.


    ¡°That''s hilarious!¡± Todd laughed. ¡°Donkey asses! Ha ha ha!¡±


    Janet got up and grabbed two cups of root beer soda and brought them back to the table for her and Arnold, then they ate with the others.


    After that, the crowd split up to do various activities. Some wanted to swim, some wanted to water ski, some wanted to just relax on the beach, and others took Janet''s hint and went off into the woods to have some fun. Arnold and Janet chose the relaxing on the beach option and they changed into their swimsuits. Arnold wore just a pair of swim trunks and Janet wore a nice blue bikini. It covered all of her essential bits, just like a good bikini does, and it also left a lot of skin showing.


    Janet got a few quick looks, from both the guys and the girls, as she and Arnold walked over to the edge of the lake. Arnold took out one of the blankets and laid it out for them, then they sprawled out on it and relaxed. The afternoon seemed to crawl by; but, neither Janet nor Arnold minded it in the least. They laid there for a while, sat up once and kissed for a moment, then rolled over onto their bellies and dozed off, as if they had coordinated it.


    The thing was, neither of them really had any time to just relax in a while. Janet enjoyed just laying there and not worrying about anything. That was relaxing on its own, and she was also next to a great guy and on a beach. It was one of the best relaxing combinations that anyone could come up with. Her hand reached out slightly and found Arnold''s hand, then she held on and let sleep take her completely.


    *


    Kelly, Heather, Tanya, Sarah, and Leann couldn''t help but look at the object of their affection and see him laying on a blanket and holding hands with a new girl. A smart and pretty college girl. That made them hate her just a little, even though she was so nice.


    Kelly felt like her heart was being crushed again, even though she knew she shouldn''t feel that way. Arnold was supposed to be hers and hers alone, and she didn''t want to admit that he wasn''t.


    Heather felt like she was missing a golden opportunity to have sex with Arnold one more time. She was sure that if she waited, at some point during the day, he would be alone and she would get her chance.


    Tanya, Sarah, and Leann remembered what Janet had said about what they would do if Arnold had asked them out. All three of them would have said yes without hesitation. The problem for them was that they had great boyfriends and they enjoyed being with them. The guys were nice and treated them well and they loved them. Unfortunately, all they could think about was that if Arnold asked them out right that second, they would still say yes.


    *


    Detective Tanner and Mark had successfully infiltrated the party and were sitting around the bonfire on the beach and listened to music. They had even contributed some money for alcohol and food, which made them instant friends with the young man that owned the place.


    From their current position, they could easily observe the entire party unobtrusively and without giving themselves away. They were focused on keeping at least one pair of eyes on Arnold, and since he was sleeping on a blanket about fifty feet away from them, there was no chance that they would lose sight of him.


    They also enjoyed the food and the music, since they hadn''t had a good party themselves in a while. It had been all business and work for a couple of years and they hadn''t had time to relax. That didn''t make them lax in their duties, however. All it really did was dull their perceptions slightly, because it was difficult to stay alert for long periods of time without resting.


    ¡°Go ahead and relax.¡± Mark said and pointed to the sand in front of him.


    ¡°What?¡± Detective Tanner looked at him.


    ¡°Sit here and lean against me.¡± Mark said and then whispered. ¡°I can keep a more direct eye on him if it looks like I''m comforting you.¡±


    Detective Tanner thought he might be exaggerating a little, then decided it was worth a shot. She moved over in front of him, sat down, and leaned back to recline against him. He put his arms around her waist to hold her and she glanced at his face. He wasn''t looking at her at all and she turned to see that he really could look directly at the spot Arnold was and no one could really tell that was what he was doing.


    ¡°Good work.¡± Detective Tanner whispered and then relaxed. She didn''t try to fight the feeling and closed her eyes for a moment, then she opened them and observed the others. She immediately saw the five girls staring at Arnold and recognized Heather from meeting her and Kelly from her pictures. The other three girls she had gotten information from and she was relieved that she now knew they were there.


    If she had stumbled into them while trying to keep a watch on Arnold, her undercover operation would have been blown. Thanks, Mark. She thought. If you hadn''t freed me up from watching the target, I wouldn''t have noticed the other dangers.


    Detective Tanner kept an eye on them and Mark kept an eye on Arnold. The two undercover people didn''t realize how comfortable they were as they cuddled near the large fire and continued their work.

 131 Sleep-Away Camp Part Two

    Arnold woke up and felt someone had a hold of his hand. He turned his head to look and saw it was Janet. She was asleep, so he slid close to whisper to her.


    ¡°Janet.¡± Arnold barely breathed.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Janet opened her eyes slightly and looked at him. ¡°Yes, handsome?¡±


    ¡°I need the bathroom.¡± Arnold whispered. ¡°I''m going to be a while.¡±


    ¡°I''m surprisingly not disgusted by hearing that.¡± Janet smiled and gave him a kiss. ¡°I think I''ve cooked myself just enough with the sun, so I''m going to move over into the shade.¡± She said and they both got up off of the blanket. ¡°Over there, I think.¡± She pointed to a spot near a single tree that was between the cottage and the bonfire on the beach. ¡°Can I keep using the blanket?¡±


    Arnold picked it up and turned away from her, shook it and flicked it, and turned back to hand it to her.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Janet said and Arnold slipped his backpack back on. ¡°I want to tell you to hurry back; but, all the best doctors say to not rush things like that.¡± She chuckled and gave him another kiss. ¡°I''ll see you when I see you.¡±


    Arnold nodded and walked over to the barbecue pit. ¡°I need the bathroom...¡±


    ¡°There''s lots of woods around. Help yourself.¡± Richard said and waved at the trees.


    ¡°...and toilet paper.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°You need to pinch off a log. Gotcha.¡± Wayne chuckled. ¡°You can use the bathroom in the cottage. It''s the third door in the hallway.¡±


    Arnold nodded and walked the hundred feet to the cottage and went inside.


    *


    ¡°He''s on the move.¡± Mark whispered into Detective Tanner''s ear and her eyes darted to Arnold''s back as he walked over to the cottage and went inside.


    ¡°I think I need to visit the little girl''s room.¡± Detective Tanner said and sat up, then got to her feet. She gave him a smile and bent down to give him a kiss, then she walked off towards the treeline. Once she was in far enough, she changed direction and made her way over towards the cottage and around to the back near the shed. She stayed out of sight of everyone, or hoped she did, and then paused when she saw Heather doing the same thing.


    Heather came out of the treeline across the way and walked calmly towards the side of the cottage, looked into one of the windows, then she walked around to the back. She peeked in through the window there for a moment and then she went to the back door. She checked to see if it was locked and it wasn''t, so she went inside and disappeared from sight.


    Dammit. Detective Tanner thought. I couldn''t tell if she saw him in there and went in, or if she didn''t see him and went in to check. She held in her sigh. Either way, she''s now inside and I''m stuck out here waiting to see what happens.


    Detective Tanner felt an arm go around her waist and a hand grab her ass, and she sighed. She hadn''t told Mark to stay where he was and maintain surveillance on the front door in case Arnold came back out. The hand on her ass gave her a little massage and the hand in front slid up under her t-shirt to touch her belly.


    Detective Tanner put her hands on it to stop it from going up any farther. ¡°Down boy.¡± She said, then felt warm breath on her ear and heard a soft whisper.


    ¡°Okay.¡± He said and then the hand in front slid down into her loose jeans and rubbed her.


    Detective Tanner gasped and then clamped her mouth shut, because she didn''t want to draw attention to herself. I thought you said you wouldn''t take advantage of me, Mark! She thought angrily. You know I can''t say anything or even holler if you do something like this!


    The hand on her ass moved around to the front and the arm held her steady as the other hand played with her. She couldn''t help herself and enjoyed it, since it felt so good, and she thought that Mark was a good looking guy. She shook her head and put her hands down onto her jeans to stop him before he went too far, then his finger slipped inside of her.


    ¡°Hnn!¡± Detective Tanner cut off her moan and then cursed herself for giving him the extra leverage with her own hands. She also regretted asking him to grab her ass as they made out earlier, because he must have assumed that she would let him do even more if given the chance.


    Of course, now that he had a bit more access to her than he had a moment ago, she really started to feel good from him feeling her up. Her breathing sped up and she moved her hands up to try and pull his hand out of her jeans, then he dug another finger into her and she came.


    Detective Tanner clenched her jaw and ground her teeth together to stop herself from moaning. Fuck, that felt good. She thought, disgusted with herself that she liked it. She berated herself mentally for not turning around right away and punching him right in the face, then berated herself because she let it go on... still let it go on. She wasn''t trying to pull on his hand anymore and she let out a sigh.


    She looked at the cottage when the back door opened and Heather came out. She stayed perfectly still so that Heather wouldn''t look her way, then the hand in her jeans pulled out and she saw that two of the fingers were dripping wet. She blushed a little at the sight of her shame from getting off like that, then the hand disappeared and she heard a soft slurping sound.


    Detective Tanner took in a sharp breath. He just... oh, god... he just... She came a little from the thought and that surprised her. Heather walked away around the cottage and then the arm around Detective Tanner''s waist pulled on her a little and she backed away from the edge of the trees. It also took her away from potentially getting caught as well and she sighed in relief.


    The hands moved down and unbuttoned her jeans. She didn''t stop him or say anything as her loose pants dropped to the ground. The hands grabbed her wrists and bent her over a little to put her hands on the side of a tree. She stayed there silently and felt her panties be pulled down.


    What am I doing? Detective Tanner asked herself and she honestly couldn''t answer.


    Having sex with a coworker wasn''t necessarily against the police code; but, morally it was pretty bad. They were on an undercover mission and she needed to catch Arnold doing something that would let her bring him in officially. She held in her gasp as she felt him enter her from behind.


    Jesus! Detective Tanner thought in surprise. He''s blisteringly hot! She thought that for only a second, until she realized why she could feel his temperature so well. He''s not wearing a condom!


    He started pumping in and out of her at a steady rhythm and wasn''t being rough about it, like she thought a desperate man would be doing, just so he could get it over quickly. He should have been rushing and he was actually taking his time.


    ¡°We... s-should... s-stop.¡± Detective Tanner whispered between her involuntary moans. ¡°You''re not... wearing a condom.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He whispered into her ear.


    ¡°You... should... always...¡± She panted.


    ¡°I''m disease free.¡± He whispered and bit her earlobe.


    Detective Tanner convulsed as he found one of her erogenous zones and she came because of it. ¡°Jesus!¡± She cursed under her breath as he nibbled at her ear and kept moving in and out of her, then his hands were up under her t-shirt. He expertly popped open her bra and started to play with her breasts. How is he doing so many things and not messing any of it up? She asked herself, then he pinched her nipples, bit her earlobe hard, and kept going.


    Twenty minutes later, she had come several times and she thanked her lucky stars for picking Mark to be her partner. He wasn''t the best lover she ever had, since they hadn''t changed positions or anything; but, he made up for his lack of imagination with sheer tenacity.


    ¡°Do you want me to... finish inside you?¡± He whispered.


    Detective Tanner moaned as she came, just from the question that no normal guy would ask in the heat of the moment, and she shook her head. ¡°No... you have to... pull out.¡±


    ¡°Swallow it.¡± He whispered and she nodded her head in acceptance. He pumped in and out of her several more times, right up until he was on the brink, then he pulled out and turned her around. She dropped to her knees without being asked and started sucking on him as hard as she could. In the next moment, he came and she opened her throat and took it all. She kept sucking for several more moments to try and get it all, then she sat back on her heels. She used her hand to slowly pull on him and a bit came out, so she licked it off and swirled her tongue around the tip.


    ¡°I hope you liked that.¡± Detective Tanner said with satisfaction and she looked up. She had expected to see a very satisfied look on her undercover partner''s face, and instead she saw something that shocked her all the way down to the very core of her being.


    Arnold''s nod.


    ¡°A-A-Arnold!¡± Detective Tanner exclaimed.


    ¡°Detective Tanner.¡± Arnold said and stared at her.


    Detective Tanner stared back and she couldn''t make her mind accept what she was seeing. No. No no. It was Mark that... groped me and... forced me to... Her face flushed with color and she felt herself be filled up with righteous indignation. She stood up and smiled a predatory smile. ¡°I got you now, asshole! You just forced me to have sex!¡±


    Arnold grabbed her by the arms and pushed her back against the tree, to her surprise. He quickly reached down and lifted her up by her thighs to spread her legs open, then he slid himself right back inside of her. Detective Tanner gasped as he pushed all the way in and her mind and body warred with the situation, because now he really was forcing himself on her... and she liked it.


    She had him dead to rights for forced sex and she potentially had his DNA as well. She knew if they did a rape kit, they would definitely find some vaginal abrasions, since he was no longer trying to be gentle, and traces of semen. She was sure that she could convince the chief of police to bring Arnold in under arrest. When he was in custody, then she could question him about everything.


    Her body on the other hand, had a completely different opinion about having sex with him. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist, and her body adjusted to having him inside of her. She hugged him tightly and rested her chin on his shoulder as she helped him hold her up. He hit one of her sensitive spots inside and she came several times before she could convince herself that she shouldn''t be enjoying it so much.


    ¡°N-no.¡± Detective Tanner whispered into his ear. ¡°You''ve... killed... and... you can''t... please... oh god, why does this... feel so good?¡±


    Arnold bit her earlobe again and she stopped protesting and fighting her instincts to try and get away.


    ¡°Good god... fuck... fuck me... harder!¡± Detective Tanner whispered. ¡°H-harder!¡±


    Arnold obliged and she felt the bark of the tree dig into her back. He let her earlobe go and she leaned back to look at his face. She could see that he almost looked manic as he drove himself into her. It was the look of a killer that she saw and she shivered. It was both a good and a bad shiver, because her mind knew that what was happening was very wrong and her body couldn''t get enough of it and demanded more.


    Arnold stopped moving and hugged her tightly, then moved her away from the tree as he knelt down. He laid her on the ground while still inside of her, then he really got going. The logic part of Detective Tanner''s brain shut off as he moved her right into position twelve and she had to bite the webbed part of her hand, between the thumb and index finger, to stop her screams of pleasure from escaping.


    Detective Tanner never had sex like that before and she constantly whined as Arnold had his way with her. He made sure that she knew that was exactly what he was doing and she didn''t care. Her mind and her body were now on the same page and they both wanted him to keep going for as long as he could. She remembered him in the woods with that girl he had arrived with and she came again in the hopes he would make her squeal, too.


    *


    Janet sat in the shade against the lone tree and she dozed in and out of consciousness. Arnold had ridden her very well in the woods and her body still needed more rest. She adjusted the blanket and folded it over, then climbed in and used it like a sleeping bag. She fell asleep almost immediately, despite the loud music and the huge party going on barely fifty feet away.


    *


    ¡°Where were you?¡± Kelly asked Heather.


    ¡°I''d like to say I went for a walk; but, I went to the bathroom.¡± Heather said.


    ¡°Whoa! Too much information!¡± Sarah said and covered her ears.


    ¡°I wasn''t gone that long, was I?¡± Heather asked with a smile.


    ¡°I said TMI! TMI!¡± Sarah said and shook her head, which made the girls around them laugh.


    ¡°Do any of you pretty ladies want to dance?¡± Todd asked.


    ¡°You should only be asking to dance with your girlfriend.¡± Leann said, being the girlfriend in question.


    ¡°You said you didn''t feel like dancing.¡± Todd responded.


    ¡°That''s beside the point.¡± Leann said and the other girls chuckled.


    ¡°I''ll do it, just to annoy you.¡± Heather said with a laugh and stood up. ¡°Come on, tall, pale and freckled. Let''s tear up the dance floor.¡± She said and took his hand, then led him ten feet away to where a few others danced. She started dancing as if it was a dance club and wore normal clothes and not a bikini.


    Of course, that drew the attention of practically every guy on the beach and they watched her dance like her life depended on it, almost desperately, and they all appreciated her efforts. They grew excited at the sight and after a minute or so, the guy gathering broke up and the individuals sought out the girls they had come to the party with.


    Some of the girls said no, because they knew what the cause was and were a little insulted that it wasn''t them that got their guys in that condition. Most of them actually agreed to sneak off and left the party to find a secluded place in the woods to gain some semblance of privacy and have a little fun.


    *


    Mark saw the exodus of all the couples heading off into the woods and he immediately thought about leading Detective Tanner into the woods himself. He chuckled, then he stopped when he realized that she had left quite a while ago to follow their target and hadn''t come back. Of course, neither had their target.


    He started to get a little worried about his partner and checked his watch, then got up and tried to nonchalantly walk towards the cottage without trying to imply that that was what he was trying to do. He hadn''t had a lot of undercover practice, so it came off as if he had a little bit to drink and wasn''t quite steady on his feet. He had unintentionally given himself the perfect excuse to head towards the cottage and no one looked his way.


    Mark worked his way around the cottage and tried to look in the windows; but, it was too dark inside and he couldn''t see anything. He walked over to the back door and tried it. It was unlocked, so he went inside and did a quick cursory search of the rooms. He didn''t see or hear anyone, so he went back out of the house.


    He walked around to the other side of the cottage and thought he heard someone in the forest. He thought back to seeing their target and that girl, then shook his head. He tried to convince himself that he couldn''t in good conscience walk over to the edge of the treeline and peer in to see who it was. He was halfway to the treeline when he decided that he would be lax in his duties if he didn''t try and see who it was.


    Mark crept over and didn''t see anything. He could hear panting and the sound of bodies slapping together, which drove his curiosity through the roof. Now he had to go closer to see who it was, so he very carefully made his way into the woods and followed the sounds. The girl''s squeals were almost as attractive to hear as seeing it would be and he became excited as he imagined what they were doing.


    Mark walked around the tree and stopped dead when he came face to face with Detective Tanner. She had her eyes closed as she straddled a guy''s waist and her clothes were strewn around them. She was moving up and down as quickly as she could and her breasts bounced up and down, which invited someone to grab them and hold them still. She squealed and moaned as the guy held her hips and helped her move.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing, Olivia?¡± Mark asked, and he put as much of a ''jealous boyfriend'' tone into his voice as he could.


    Detective Tanner felt like a bucket of cold water had been thrown on her at the sound of her name. Her eyes flew open and she saw Mark standing a few feet away with a shocked look on his face.


    ¡°It... it''s not what it looks like!¡± Detective Tanner exclaimed.


    ¡°She''s collecting my DNA and enough evidence to have me charged with sexual assault.¡± Arnold said and kept moving her up and down.


    ¡°Jesus Christ.¡± Mark said. ¡°Olivia... detective... is that true?¡±


    Detective Tanner opened her mouth to say yes, then decided to tell a different version of the truth. ¡°I thought... he was you.¡±


    Mark''s mouth dropped open in shock. Holy fuck!


    ¡°We had already... had sex when I... found out it wasn''t you.¡± Detective Tanner said between pants and moaned when Arnold hit one of her sensitive spots. ¡°He forced me to...¡±


    ¡°Outside again?¡± Arnold asked.


    Detective Tanner gasped and stared at Mark''s face. She knew that she couldn''t take Arnold''s load in her mouth with him watching, so she stayed quiet and didn''t choose.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and pulled her down hard and shot his load deep inside of her.


    ¡°OHHHHH!¡± Detective Tanner moaned and closed her eyes as she came from Arnold filling her up. She braced her hands on the ground and leaned forward to try and calm her breathing. She opened her eyes to look up at Mark and couldn''t tell what expression was on his face. ¡°Mark...¡± She paused, because she wasn''t sure what to say.


    ¡°That should have been me?¡± Mark asked and looked at Arnold.


    Detective Tanner pushed herself up off of Arnold and onto her knees. ¡°Mark, let me explain.¡±


    Arnold stood up and grabbed his shorts. ¡°Just shove your dick in her mouth. She loves that.¡± He said and walked away.


    ¡°Mark, don''t listen to hi-MMM!¡± Detective Tanner suddenly had a rock hard penis in her mouth and she looked up at Mark''s face.


    ¡°Goddamn! You look so beautiful like this, Olivia!¡± Mark said and gripped her hair tightly, then he proceeded to have his way with her mouth.


    Detective Tanner seemed to be perfectly fine with that.

 132 Camp Clean-up

    Arnold stood just on the other side of the tree and recorded Detective Tanner as she sucked on the guy she was with, then he recorded some of them having sex. He wouldn''t need to record the entire thing, because just the implication was enough for his needs. He had also recorded Detective Tanner''s voice for Doris to listen to, just to see if that was the voice of the woman who had called the college several times looking for him.


    He left the woods much more stealthily than Mark and Detective Tanner could have imagined he could, and went to the front of the cottage. He saw Janet fast asleep under the tree and crept back into the woods and went back to the shed. He opened the door and went inside and looked at the unconscious man that he had bound and gagged. He had stashed him under several bags of lime and soil, too.


    Arnold took out the second blanket and laid it out, put the man on it and curled him up into a ball, then added a bag of lime. He bundled it up and slung it over his shoulder, picked up the shovel, then left the shed and went into the woods on the opposite side from where Detective Tanner was. He knew he couldn''t go far, because he wouldn''t have time to, and found a nice spot with a thick patch of grass.


    Arnold expertly cut up the grass as if it was sod and rolled it back, then dug down three feet. While he did that, the guy stirred. When Michael opened his eyes, he saw Arnold digging right beside his head.


    ¡°HmmM! Mmm HMMM!¡± Michael struggled and tried to talk through the gag.


    ¡°Oh? The chloroform wore off?¡± Arnold asked and then calculated the time. ¡°I suppose it is right around the expected time for the dose I gave you.¡±


    ¡°HMM!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I should dose you again, even though these woods cover and absorb a lot of sound.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Despite the shovel being so versatile, sometimes a couple of hits to the head with one won''t kill you.¡±


    Michael struggled harder against his bindings at his words.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll dose you first before I do anything with the shovel.¡± Arnold said and kept digging. After ten minutes, he had a nice hole dug. ¡°Did you know that lime is designed to break down and dissolve roots and things in dirt to make growing things easier?¡± He asked as he dragged Michael into the hole.


    Michael doubled his efforts and Arnold took out some chloroform from his backpack. It was in a hand sanitizer bottle and Arnold shook out a pile onto a rag. Michael stared at him and tried to turn his head away. Arnold put the cloth against Michael''s nose and mouth and held it there. Since Michael was excited and had exerted himself, he breathed in a large dose and almost immediately fell unconscious.


    Arnold removed his bindings and the gag, then opened the bag of lime. He poured some inside Michael''s mouth and then covered his face, his hands, and his feet. He lifted his clothes and sprinkled lime over him and then spread it liberally over him. Once the bag was empty, Arnold rolled it up and put it in his backpack along with the blanket, then he started to fill the hole back in.


    Before he completely covered the face, Arnold put the edge of the shovel against Michael''s throat and stomped on it. He continued filling in the hole and knew there would be dirt left, unless he packed it down tightly or tossed it out into the trees, so he did both. He rolled the grass sod back over the spot and tucked it down to secure it, then he picked up his backpack and the shovel. He left the spot and crept all the way back to the shed and put the shovel back.


    Arnold checked to see that Detective Tanner and her lover were still going at it, then went back out front to where Janet was still asleep. He sat down beside her and rested against the tree.


    *


    Mark had quickly finished in Detective Tanner''s mouth and she easily took it all, to his surprise. Arnold was right. He thought in surprise and eased himself out of her mouth. She gave it the same treatment she gave Arnold''s and swirled her tongue around the tip. That tickled Mark and he shivered, then he eased her backwards and down onto the ground.


    ¡°W-w-wait!¡± Detective Tanner exclaimed and then Mark entered her. After Arnold''s ministrations, it was a lot easier for the both of them, and they had sex right there in the woods.


    Mark really enjoyed himself and even though he had already finished, it didn''t take him long to finish again. He didn''t bother asking her what she wanted and he went inside of her, since he thought he was supposed to because Arnold did and that was supposed to be him.


    Detective Tanner on the other hand, was almost instantly angry about it, because she thought that he should have asked. Plus, she had already felt full and getting it again didn''t do much for her. She barely twitched and she only came a little. It was more of a mental reaction than a physical one, though.


    They laid there for a short while, then Mark rolled her over onto her belly and took her like that. He went at it like a desperate man and was in a rush, which was what Detective Tanner had expected from Arnold. She enjoyed it a little more this time and actually came once. When Mark finished again, he had pulled out and spread his seed over her backside and part of her back.


    Detective Tanner let out a sigh at having to wipe the mess off. She used Mark''s t-shirt, so it wasn''t inconvenient for her and she put her clothes back on. They checked around to see that there wasn''t anyone else around and left the woods. They crept over to the cottage anyway, even though no one was there, and went inside. Once in the bathroom, they took care of business and cleaned themselves up.


    They went back out to the party and sat down in the same cuddle pose as before, only this time they meant it and it looked natural. They stayed a little ways away from the other people there, just so they could speak without being heard, and they both looked at Arnold sitting beside the tree.


    ¡°You do realize that all of your evidence is tainted.¡± Mark said to her.


    ¡°That''s your fault.¡± Detective Tanner said. ¡°If you hadn''t...¡±


    ¡°No, not physically. Morally.¡± Mark said. ¡°You had consensual sex with the target of the investigation.¡±


    ¡°It was not consensual.¡± Detective Tanner said through gritted teeth.


    ¡°It was until you found out who it was.¡± Mark corrected and she gave him an accusing look.


    ¡°It wasn''t, because I thought you were taking advantage of me having to be quiet.¡± Detective Tanner said. ¡°I had to fight my reactions, because I thought Arnold was in the house and he might have caught us.¡±


    Mark was quiet for several minutes and didn''t remind her about what she was doing when he found her and Arnold. ¡°Am I going to be fired over this?¡± He asked instead.


    Detective Tanner thought about lying and sighed. ¡°No.¡± She said. ¡°It''s not a good idea to have sex with coworkers, no matter what business you''re in; but, it''s not a reason to be fired.¡±


    Mark let out a relieved sigh. ¡°Thank god.¡±


    Detective Tanner gave him another accusing look. ¡°Are you saying it wasn''t worth getting fired over?¡±


    ¡°You didn''t see me hesitate even a little when we were in the woods, did you?¡± Mark asked.


    Detective Tanner opened her mouth for a moment, then closed it. A smile touched her lips and he smiled back. They sat there and looked at Arnold for several more minutes.


    ¡°None of it is admissible, even if he had confessed to you.¡± Mark said. ¡°I have to say, having sex with you and discrediting you as a witness was pretty smart.¡±


    Detective Tanner sighed. ¡°That fucking bastard.¡± She said in a defeated tone. ¡°Any accusations I try to make are now compromised and could be taken as a personal vendetta.¡±


    Mark kissed her cheek and she turned her head in surprise, then he kissed her on the lips and she leaned back and gave him wide eyes. ¡°I''m sorry that I forgot to kiss you after we had sex.¡± He said. ¡°I was just too excited being with you to observe the niceties.¡±


    Detective Tanner raised her eyebrows at him, then turned to look at the fire and leaned back against him. ¡°You didn''t suckle my breasts, either.¡±


    Mark let out a chuckle and hugged her tightly. ¡°I''ll be fixing both problems tonight.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What makes you think that I''ll ever let you near me again?¡± Detective Tanner asked.


    ¡°Because just thinking about shoving my dick down your throat has got me hard again, and I''ve never finished three times in a row before.¡± Mark whispered in her ear and she took in a sharp breath. ¡°The look on your face when you did it was amazing to see, Olivia.¡± He kissed her cheek. ¡°Absolutely amazing.¡±


    Detective Tanner blushed and wasn''t sure how to respond.


    Mark put a hand on her chin and turned her head towards him. ¡°I want to see it again.¡± He gave her a kiss on the lips for several seconds and let her chin go. ¡°More than anything.¡±


    Detective Tanner looked into his eyes and saw his sincerity, then nodded slightly.


    *


    Janet woke up on her own and rolled over onto her back to see Arnold sitting right beside her. ¡°Good morning.¡± She said with a laugh.


    Arnold bent down and gave her a three second kiss. ¡°Good morning.¡±


    Janet blushed a little and then she sat up. ¡°What time is it?¡±


    ¡°Almost suppertime.¡± Arnold said and pointed to the food being served.


    Janet stretched and got up, folded up the thin blanket and gave it to him. ¡°We better eat and call for a drive.¡± She said. ¡°There''s no chance that any of the guys are driving after drinking all day.¡±


    Arnold nodded and the two of them went to have a hamburger and some potato chips. After that, Arnold called his mother and gave her directions to the cottage. He and Janet changed into their casual clothes and waited for her near the other cars. Annie showed up an hour later to pick them up and saw they were near a group of people that were drinking. She did not miss the fact that Heather and Kelly were among them.


    ¡°Thank you very much for being responsible and calling me.¡± Annie said and hugged Arnold.


    ¡°It was Janet''s idea.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie nodded to her. ¡°Thank you for looking out for him.¡±


    ¡°It was easy.¡± Janet chuckled. ¡°We pretty much just relaxed and slept for a while.¡±


    Annie laughed. ¡°Then it was a great party!¡±


    Janet nodded. ¡°I can''t remember the last time I enjoyed a party this much.¡± She said and looked at Arnold. ¡°We didn''t even go in the water and it was still fun.¡±


    Annie looked at Arnold, too. ¡°What about you? Did you have fun?¡±


    ¡°You told me to.¡± Arnold said and smiled a little.


    ¡°I did.¡± Annie said with a laugh. ¡°I''m glad you listened.¡± She said and took a step to the side and looked at the group of people nearby. ¡°Kelly? Do you need a drive?¡±


    Kelly glanced at Heather, who shrugged.


    ¡°Heather can come, too.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°Um... that''s okay.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Thanks for asking.¡±


    ¡°Kelly.¡± Annie said and held in her sigh. ¡°Don''t be a stranger.¡±


    Kelly looked at Janet and then at Arnold. ¡°I kind of have to be.¡±


    Annie actually sighed this time. ¡°Kelly, please...¡±


    ¡°It''s okay.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I just thought... I hoped that...¡± She sighed. ¡°This party wasn''t what I thought it was going to be.¡±


    ¡°Same here.¡± Heather said. ¡°It was not what I had expected at all.¡±


    ¡°Even with all the hope in the world, sometimes things just can''t be how you thought they were going to be. Realistically, the only thing you can do is change what you expected.¡± Janet said wisely. ¡°It was really nice meeting you all.¡± She gave them a little wave and climbed into the backseat of the car.


    Arnold climbed in beside her and Annie climbed into the driver''s side and started the car. The people there watched as they drove away, especially Mark and Detective Tanner. They waited for an appropriate time and went for a walk. Once they were back to the spot they had first entered the property, they diverted through the woods and came out to where Detective Tanner had parked.


    ¡°Are we really going to follow them?¡± Mark asked and climbed in. ¡°We know where they''re going.¡±


    ¡°No, we don''t have to follow them.¡± Detective Tanner said. ¡°I also don''t have to take you home.¡±


    Mark chuckled. ¡°If I thought you liked that sort of thing, I''d be blushing right now.¡±


    Detective Tanner shook her head and started the car. ¡°Don''t try anything funny while I''m driving.¡±


    ¡°I''d like to claim that I''m a pretty funny guy...¡± Mark said. ¡°...I suck at telling jokes and my mother said my funny bone was removed as a kid.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure it wasn''t your humerus?¡± Detective Tanner asked and pulled out into traffic.


    ¡°Really? A pun?¡± Mark smiled. ¡°I think someone else had their funny bone removed, too.¡±


    ¡°No, it''s just broken and it makes my jokes lame.¡± Detective Tanner said with a straight face.


    ¡°You need more practice laughing or something to pull off something like that.¡± Mark said and chuckled.


    ¡°Hardy-har-har.¡± Detective Tanner said and smiled, then she drove them back to her place.


    *


    An hour later, Janet and Arnold were on the couch and watched television. Well, they tried. There wasn''t anything good on, even though it was Saturday night, and they decided to go to bed early instead. Janet wasn''t really tired and she figured Arnold just wanted an excuse to get her in bed. When they were alone in his room, she told him that he didn''t need an excuse and stripped off for him.


    Arnold kissed her and put her on the bed, then went right into position eight and had to put a hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. After a fairly quick sex session, they got a shower together and Janet understood what Pam had meant about Arnold being so good in the shower. They dried off and climbed into bed together and cuddled all night.


    The next day, Janet dressed in her other expensive outfit and she and Arnold spent the day with his mother. They watched television, went out to eat, went for a walk around a park, then went back to the house for a delicious supper. It was a nice and relaxing weekend and Janet really enjoyed it.


    ¡°Thank you so much for letting me impose on you this weekend.¡± Janet said when she and Arnold prepared to leave. They had a short walk to get to the bus lines and ride them to the bus stop on the main road to head back to the college.


    ¡°It wasn''t any trouble, considering you were gone most of yesterday.¡± Annie said and gave her a hug.


    ¡°That''s what I meant.¡± Janet said and let her go. ¡°You let me have him all day and you didn''t have to.¡±


    ¡°He was going out with his friends anyway. Having you along to keep an eye on him helped keep my mind at ease.¡± Annie said. ¡°You even gave him soda instead of beer when you ate.¡±


    ¡°I haven''t known Arnold long; but, I know for a fact that he doesn''t drink.¡± Janet said and chuckled. ¡°He hasn''t snuck any alcohol into his room, unlike practically every other guy in the other dorms!¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°The last thing Arnold needs is to be mentally impaired.¡±


    ¡°Me, too.¡± Janet smiled. ¡°Otherwise, I''d be sloshed every weekend from all the pressure I''m under.¡±


    ¡°I''m glad you''re keeping your head and not giving in to temptation.¡±


    Janet glanced at Arnold and back at Annie as she blushed. ¡°I... um... wouldn''t quite say that.¡±


    Annie held in her laugh. ¡°You two better go.¡± She said and gave Arnold a hug. ¡°Be good and I''ll hope you''re not busy next weekend.¡±


    ¡°I''ll call if I am.¡± Arnold said and gave her a quick kiss. ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Annie said and watched the two of them walk down the street, then shut the door.


    ¡°Your mom is the greatest.¡± Janet said and took his hand. ¡°She knows we had sex and she didn''t tell us not to, even though we were in her house.¡± She gave his hand a squeeze. ¡°You are a very lucky guy.¡±


    Arnold nodded and they walked in silence to the bus stop, rode the buses to the right spot, then walked over to the main road. They sat there for almost half an hour and waited, still holding hands.


    The bus arrived and picked them up, drove them all the way back to the college and dropped them off. They went into the dorm and it was late, so Doris wasn''t there, and they went upstairs. The dorm room doors were all closed and they walked to Janet''s room.


    ¡°Thank you very much for inviting me to go with you this weekend, Arnold.¡± Janet said and let his hand go, then put her arms around his neck. ¡°I had a wonderful time.¡± She said and gave him a kiss... then another... then made out with him for several minutes. She broke the kiss and her face was flushed red. ¡°I want to have sex again; but, it''s late and we need to get up in the morning.¡±


    ¡°I can be quick.¡± Arnold said.


    Janet opened her mouth to say that wasn''t what she meant, then she smiled, gave him another kiss and took him inside her dorm room. Pam was in her bed and asleep, so they quietly undressed and climbed into bed.

 133 Virtual Limitations

    Janet woke up when the alarm went off and felt a warm body beside her. She remembered bringing Arnold to bed the night before and then practically eating her pillow as she chewed on it to stay quiet. She rolled slightly to the side and turned off the alarm, then rolled back over to lay against him. He was awake and looking at her, so she gave him a kiss.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Arnold responded.


    ¡°Is your little soldier standing at attention?¡± Janet asked him as her hand slid down under the blanket, then she caught her breath when her hand touched thick hair. She sat up and pulled the blanket off to reveal Pam gobbling Arnold''s penis. ¡°PAM!¡±


    ¡°Mu mormim.¡± Pam mumbled and didn''t stop.


    ¡°I thought you said I could have him all to myself when he stayed over.¡± Janet said, almost accusingly.


    Pam had to stop in order to speak properly. ¡°Clean-up crew.¡± She said and went back to cleaning up.


    Janet look at Arnold. ¡°She did offer to let me have you as much as I wanted if she could clean up afterwards.¡±


    Pam stopped again. ¡°Don''t worry. I allotted half an hour for this, then he can go to his place before anyone sees.¡±


    ¡°What about showers?¡± Janet asked.


    ¡°Half an hour early alarm.¡± Pam said and pointed to the clock.


    Janet looked and chuckled. ¡°How did you know he would be here for this?¡±


    Pam laughed. ¡°Um, he''s Arnold. There''s no way this handsome devil was going to pass up letting me do this for him.¡±


    ¡°For him?¡± Janet asked with a smile.


    ¡°Yes, because he knows I love doing it.¡± Pam said and waggled Arnold''s penis at her. ¡°I mean, look at this thing! It''s beautiful!¡±


    Janet snorted a laugh. ¡°Your fetish is showing.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you know I don''t indulge myself like this with just anyone.¡± Pam said and looked at Arnold''s face. ¡°Do you want Janet to sit on your face while I do this?¡±


    ¡°Pam!¡± Janet blushed.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°You do?¡± Janet asked, a little surprised, and he nodded. After some hesitation, she climbed up to the head of the bed and straddled over his face. ¡°Oh, god.¡± She said and moaned as she rested her head against the wall. ¡°This is so good!¡± She whispered and rocked her hips to help him reach deeper inside.


    Half an hour later, Arnold was back in his room and in the shower. Both Pam and Janet regretted having to let him go; but, they needed to get ready for the school day as well. They went to class and Arnold went to work, and the day passed by before they knew it.


    Not surprisingly, Doris was still too busy to do anything but wave as Arnold passed and he told her that he had a voice recording for her to listen to. Doris promised to make time that evening for him and asked him to come down to meet with her. Arnold did so and entered the back room, then he played the part of the recording where Detective Tanner spoke.


    ¡°Her voice does sound familiar.¡± Doris said and then smiled. ¡°I guess that''s why she didn''t call this weekend. You met with her.¡±


    Arnold gave her a smile and she laughed.


    ¡°Oh! You met with her!¡± Doris said and held up a hand to stop him from saying what he did. ¡°I don''t want to know what positions.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Did she like what you did?¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°Then that''s all that matters.¡± Doris said. ¡°Is it going to be a regular thing? I just want to know if I need to add her to the approved list of visitors if she is going to start visiting you.¡±


    Arnold had to think about that. ¡°Maybe.¡± He said. ¡°Her name is Olivia Tanner and she''s a detective.¡±


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Doris gasped. ¡°You... why would you... she''s the one that...¡±


    Arnold stepped close to her and put his arms around her. ¡°That''s why.¡± He said and kissed her.


    ¡°But...¡± Doris stopped talking and thought about it, then her eyes widened. ¡°Oh. Oh, my.¡± She said and stared into his eyes for several moments. ¡°You really are very smart to manipulate her like that.¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°I''m so turned on right now.¡± Doris whispered.


    ¡°Take off your clothes and show me.¡± Arnold said.


    Doris quickly stripped off and climbed onto the bed, then bent down and buried her face into the pillow as she shoved her ass up into the air. She was soaked and Arnold climbed onto the bed.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and kissed her there.


    *


    The rest of the week passed by without any other incidents, mainly because Cissily was still in utter denial about Arnold and her mother. She acted as if nothing had happened and wouldn''t even acknowledge Arnold''s efforts at work. No one questioned her about it, though. Not even Amy.


    Arnold found out on Friday morning that he had to work on Sunday to prepare new specimens for the next day''s classes, so he called his mother and explained. She said she was sorry that he wouldn''t be home and that she would see him the next weekend if he was free. That was an iffy proposition, considering there was only a couple of weeks left before the fall curriculum would be starting.


    That afternoon after classes let out, Arnold brought the last chemistry book to Professor Felicia Power in her office. She took it from him and she put it on her shelf as she let out a long and drawn out sigh.


    ¡°Oh, Arnold. I am really going to miss having these private lessons with you.¡± Felicia said. ¡°You are still going to be in one of my classes; but, you aren''t going to have any trouble completing the course work or the practical labs.¡±


    Arnold walked over to her and put his arms around her.


    ¡°No, I... if this is going to be the last time, I...¡± Felicia turned in his arms and looked down at his face, because she wore her high heels today. ¡°Can I kiss you just once?¡± She asked. ¡°I know you have a rule against it...¡±


    Arnold reached up and put his hand behind her head and pulled her down into a kiss.


    ¡°MmmmMMM!¡± Felicia moaned as he kissed her very well. Her arms snaked around his shoulders and she wallowed in the kiss, a lot more than she should have, because she had been dreaming about it for weeks. He had been pleasing her orally all this time and she wondered how those skills translated to actual kissing. She wasn''t disappointed.


    After ten minutes, Felicia''s mind and body were in the mood and quite prepared for one final oral session. She took off her clothes as she usually did, then she helped him take his off. She knelt and pleased him first this time, because she wanted him to give her his best effort. When she was done, she climbed onto her desk and laid down.


    ¡°Ravage me, my forbidden lover.¡± Felicia said as she looked into his eyes.


    Arnold bent over slightly and gave her a single lick, which made her squirm and moan a little, then he suddenly had a condom on and climbed on top of her.


    ¡°OH MY GOD!¡± Felicia yelled and then snapped her mouth closed. It can''t be... no, he... he can''t... he... Her mind refused to accept that he was making love to her, right there on her desk blotter.


    However, her body moved on its own and Felicia felt absolutely wonderful a few minutes later as she came. The world went white because she almost blacked out from feeling so much pleasure. She never imagined that it would ever happen, being with her dream lover, and now her fantasy had become real. It was a bit too much for her unprepared mind to handle and she kind of checked out of reality.


    Arnold finished twenty minutes later and Felicia was completely unresponsive. She had a blissful look on her face and her eyes were closed. He checked her life signs and she had both a pulse and was breathing, so he dressed her and picked her up off of her desk and sat her in the large leather chair behind her desk. He cleaned himself up and dressed, then leaned in and gave her a kiss.


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Felicia moaned and kissed him back with her eyes still closed.


    Arnold left her office and went to the cafeteria to eat. He sat with Amy, Cissily, and their friends, even though they didn''t really talk to him. He finished eating and went back to his dorm building, gave Doris a wave as he passed by, then went up to his room. The girls greeted him and he greeted them back, then he opened his room''s door and left it open. He stripped off and hung his suit up in the ''needs cleaning'' section, then put the rest of his clothes into the laundry basket.


    He walked over to the bathroom and took a shower, stepped out and dried off, then walked over to his dresser and grabbed a pair of boxer shorts. His phone beeped at him and he checked it to see a message from Kelly.


    ''Hi, Arnold. The guy at the electronics store wants another full system check of your computer setup.''


    ''Okay.'' Arnold typed back and turned on the computer. Ten seconds later, it was powered up and Arnold ran the diagnostics tool. A few minutes later when it was done, he emailed her the results.


    ''Thanks.'' Kelly typed. ''I see you haven''t played it since I was there.''


    ''I''ve been busy.'' Arnold said.


    ''Do you want to play tomorrow?'' Kelly asked. ''We can team up again.''


    ''Okay.'' Arnold responded.


    ''I''ll be there first thing in the morning and we can play Fortune''s Favour.'' Kelly typed. ''We can even try out the developer bonuses they gave you.''


    ''See you then.'' Arnold typed.


    ''Goodnight.'' Kelly typed.


    ''Goodnight.'' Arnold typed.


    *


    Kelly sat in her room and felt disappointed as she waited for several minutes to see if he was going to send her a kiss emoji. He didn''t, so she put her phone down on her nightstand and tucked herself under her blanket. She had thanked Annie for giving her the idea to go there and spend the day with him.


    She was going to try for another chance to make up with him, because she had missed it during the party. She set her alarm for very early, so that she could catch the first bus to the college, then she drifted off to sleep with thoughts of the tearful reunion she should have had going through her mind.


    The next morning, Kelly was up, showered and dressed quicker than she ever had before, grabbed her overnight bag that had been packed long before she had texted Arnold, then went to the kitchen. She ate two toast and left before her mother could convince her not to go and before her father made an appearance.


    Kenneth had been even more protective of her than ever, since her ''accident'' with Arnold, and he hovered over her more than a normal father would... or should. Kelly got out of the house before any of that drama could come about. She had been trying her best to convince her father that living for free at the college was better than him paying for a room, an apartment nearby, or driving her every morning. Unfortunately, he wasn''t convinced and she had a lot more work to do in that regard.


    Kelly rode the bus lines to the right spot and walked to the main road, then she waited a few minutes for the first bus of the day. She climbed onboard and paid the fee, then rode it for the two hours to the college.


    She was having a hard time accepting the fact that she would be actually attending the college in only a couple of weeks, because it just seemed surreal and it wasn''t turning out like she had fantasized. She arrived at the college and walked across the campus to Arnold''s dorm building and went into the lobby.


    ¡°Kelly!¡± Doris exclaimed and ignored the girls around the desk and walked over to her. ¡°It''s so nice to see you!¡± She said and hugged her. ¡°What brings you out all this way?¡±


    ¡°I''m going to play online with Arnold.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Doris gave her a confused look. ¡°Why did you... oh! Ha ha! I forgot that your computer is still in his room.¡± She let her go. ¡°Has it been decided where you''ll be staying yet?¡±


    Kelly sighed with a sad face.


    ¡°I''ll take that as a no.¡± Doris said and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Well, I hope you sort it out soon. If you have to move your things, doing it on the first day of classes isn''t a good idea.¡±


    Kelly nodded. ¡°I know, it''s just... my dad...¡±


    Doris waved her comment away. ¡°There''s no need to explain it to me. I know all about daddies and their little girl woes.¡± She laughed. ¡°You go on upstairs and have fun with your games and things.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Doris.¡± Kelly said and went to the elevator. She rode it up to the top floor and stepped out into the typical female dorm scene she had seen a couple of times, only this time it was deathly quiet and they all stared at her. She walked by them all as she went down the hallway and went to Arnold''s room at the end of the hall.


    ¡°Kelly!¡± Janet exclaimed when she saw her pass by her open door and ran out to meet her. ¡°What are you doing here? Is everything okay? It''s not Annie, is it?¡±


    Kelly gave her a surprised look, then she shook her head. ¡°Nothing''s wrong. I''m just here to play a game with Arnold.¡±


    ¡°That''s a relief!¡± Janet said. ¡°I was scared that you were going to deliver bad news or something.¡±


    I think she really is concerned about him. Kelly thought, slightly surprised. She had thought Janet was just a typical girl that was trying to get her hands on Arnold, especially after seeing them at the party last weekend.


    ¡°Okay, I''m off.¡± Pam said and stepped around Janet and almost ran into Kelly. ¡°OH! Hey, Kelly. Excuse me. I gotta run!¡± She darted over to Arnold''s room and looked inside. ¡°Arnold! See you tonight!¡±


    ¡°Don''t forget Janet''s popcorn.¡± Arnold said as he walked over to the door.


    Pam laughed. ¡°She would pound me if I did! Bye!¡± She waved and took off down the hallway at a fast walk.


    ¡°What was that about?¡± Kelly asked and watched Pam step into the elevator.


    ¡°Pam had this crazy idea to watch a movie tonight, since she''s getting off early from work.¡± Janet said. ¡°I swear she''s got movies on the brain, even though she works at a movie theatre on the weekends and gets to see them all the time.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn''t that make her better, not worse?¡± Kelly asked. ¡°Getting her addiction fed, I mean.¡±


    Janet laughed. ¡°It''s more of a refinement process, I think. She uses the theatre as a filter to decide what she wants to see.¡± She looked at Arnold. ¡°I think she said something about science fiction tonight.¡±


    Arnold shrugged.


    ¡°That''s my thought, too. I don''t care what we watch, as long as we''re watching it together.¡± Janet said. ¡°Of course, it''s been like a month or so since the last time we tried to watch something.¡±


    Kelly stood there and wasn''t sure what to say. She was glad that they weren''t dating or seeing each other very much; but, she was also sad that Arnold had plans for tonight, while she had planned to stay over. Now she wasn''t sure if she could.


    ¡°I''ve got some homework to do, so I''ll see you later.¡± Janet said and Arnold nodded. She went back into her room and Arnold went back into his room. Kelly followed him in and shut the door. She thought she might have heard a few groans and ignored them. She didn''t need the distraction of having other people watching them.


    ¡°Okay, let''s get the game loaded up on our systems and you can show me the things that the developers gave you.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and the two of them started up their computers. Kelly came over to his and watched him bring up the boosts and addons that the developers had given Arnold and she frowned.


    ¡°Arnold, I know you told me about these things before; but, now that I''m seeing them, they aren''t going to help you much.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Arnold said. ¡°They are all class specific ones, except for the generic experience boost. Even the equipment voucher at the main shop is for class items.¡±


    ¡°I think after we play for a while and take a break for lunch, we''re going to have to message them and see what they can do to fix it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and put his chair in the right spot to give him room to move, then Kelly went back to her own computer, put the chair in the right spot for her, and grabbed her VR equipment.


    ¡°Let''s play.¡± Kelly said and they loaded the game at the same time.

 134 Favourable Fortune

    The room at the inn faded into existence around Arnold and then he suddenly couldn''t see anything except notifications as they scrolled up in front of him.


    '' Welcome back to Fortune''s Favour, Morbid. It has been 6,357,656 seconds since the last time you have been online. ''


    '' Notice: You now have access to the Developer''s Gate. Hit the STAR icon at the top right of your screen or speak the code phrase Dev-Gate. Developer''s boosts can be accessed and applied under this menu. ''


    '' Any and all Open Quests you have can be viewed by choosing the Open Quests option in your Player Menu. Number of Open Quests: 01 ''


    '' Any and all Time Limited Quests or Personal Quests have expired (time exceeded). You will need to speak to the quest issuer to restart them. Number of quests failed in this manner: 00 ''


    '' Notice: You have 2,840 player messages. ''


    '' Notice: You have 345 party requests. ''


    '' Notice: You have 6,182 gifts pending. Developer''s Gifts are in the Dev-Gate. ''


    ¡°Wow, I just had a bunch of notifications saying I failed all my Personal quests.¡± Kelly said from beside him and sighed. ¡°I have to visit them again to start them over, which sucks.¡± She said and checked her inventory. ¡°Well, at least I have some of the items still, so it''s not too bad.¡±


    ¡°Kelly, what do I do?¡± Arnold asked and shared his view to her.


    ¡°Jesus!¡± Kelly exclaimed and her character reached out and scrolled through his notices. She touched his messages notice and the message option opened. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± She said and swiped her hand up and the messages passed by faster than the eye could see. She swiped it to the side and it faded. She touched the party requests notice and the list popped up. ¡°Most of these are glory hogs.¡±


    ¡°Glory hogs?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°They see you''re popular and want to ride along on that and become popular, too.¡± Kelly said and selected almost every one of them. ¡°You can tell by how they start the request if they are genuine or not.¡±


    Arnold didn''t bother trying to figure out how she was sorting them and just let her work.


    ¡°Delete those.¡± Kelly said and he did without even looking at them. ¡°Okay, there''s only about twenty left. Do you want to read through them and see if you want to accept their offers?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I''m here to play with you.¡±


    Kelly''s character blushed at the double meaning. ¡°Okay... um... gifts. Let''s look through them.¡± She said and swiped the party invites to the side and they faded. She chose the gifts notice and did something to auto-sort them.


    ¡°Do that again.¡± Arnold said and she did it. He copied her and saw that you could choose to sort them by item type.


    Kelly changed it back to money and highlighted all the money gifts. ¡°Accept those, since they can''t enchant money with curses or spells.¡±


    Arnold gave her a look with raised eyebrows as he accepted the money and gained 52,000 gold. With over 2,000 messages and an average of 26 gold, it all added up.


    ¡°People have sent cursed items as jokes and as revenge a bunch of times.¡± Kelly said. ¡°It''s ridiculously easy to have someone enchant it to give hidden detriments for your character.¡±


    ¡°What do I do with them?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Well, we''re in the best city in the game for selling items.¡± Kelly said with a smile. ¡°Once we sort them for non-class specific items...¡± She checked and all the rings, necklaces, bracelets, brooches, and things that didn''t require a class to use popped up. ¡°...then we check for level requirements...¡±


    The items were sorted again in his view.


    ¡°Anything much lower than your current level won''t give you better stats than the tutorial items you gained. They can all be sold along with all the class specific stuff.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Of course, the stuff you keep needs to be checked magically for curses and then identified if necessary.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and followed Kelly''s instructions and stored the things he could keep, which wasn''t a lot, and left the others in his gift list. He wouldn''t take them out until they went back to the same vendor that he had used before to sell them.


    ¡°I''m almost scared to get you to look at the Dev-Gate.¡± Kelly said with a laugh.


    ¡°Why?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Because I don''t want to get jealous of the things you have access to.¡± Kelly said, honestly. ¡°I know there''s a few good things in there, like the generic experience boosts. If you choose a class, you can compound them and...¡±


    ¡°No. Not until I find one that isn''t disadvantageous.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly laughed. ¡°Yeah, you''re going to be looking for a while. All classes have both advantages and disadvantages, that way they balance out and no one is great at everything. If they had a class that let you be great at everything, no one would play any other class.¡±


    Arnold thought about that. ¡°So, it''s the variety and not the game itself that makes people play?¡±


    ¡°Well, it''s more like... if you were the fighter and you played a game and everyone else was a fighter too... how would you fight? How would you win? Be stronger? Your stats would be close, if not the same. Your moves would be the same, since you all learn as a fighter. I''m sure the developers would put tweaks in for styles; but, in the end, you would all be fighters and levelling up your character first would be the only thing that mattered.¡±


    ¡°What about monsters?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°If you only had fighting opponents, then everyone would be out fighting monsters to try and get stronger faster, and that would be all you would do. Why fight another fighter if you are near equals, when you can just go fight monsters and get stronger until you max your level.¡±


    ¡°Then you fight?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Then there''s no point to fighting.¡± Kelly chuckled. ¡°If you''re all max level and all have similar moves and do similar damage, there''s no way to get stronger or improve yourself. Why fight then? It would be pointless.¡± She said. ¡°Now, a fighter versus a magic user... can the fighter beat a spell caster? Even at lower levels, it''s an iffy proposition. Unless the fighter gets in close, then the magic user will usually lose because they are weak physically.¡±


    ¡°But at max level...¡± Arnold started to say, then stopped. ¡°...the magic user doesn''t have access to the same strength enhancements. Even if they match their Strength stat at max, the fighter is inherently stronger because of all the bonuses of his class and training.¡±


    ¡°But, they are usually weaker against magic and are vulnerable to it, so they usually buy magic resistant armor or items to help them.¡± Kelly said. ¡°The same for the magic user. They would buy things to keep the fighter at bay or to keep them away from the fighter.¡±


    Arnold thought about it and then nodded. ¡°I''ll leave the Dev-Gate closed.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Kelly looked at him. ¡°No, I was just joking.¡± She said. ¡°I won''t be jealous, I swear.¡±


    Arnold swiped the gifts list to the side and they faded and moved the notices off to the left to get them out of the way of his sight and keep them in view at the same time, that way he could check them whenever he wanted, rather than try to bring up the individual items. He could just click the notice and it brought him right to the lists he wanted.


    ¡°Let''s go.¡± Arnold said and turned towards the door.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Kelly said. ¡°Arnold, please open the Dev-Gate. There could be something in there that can help you more than everything else in the game.¡±


    ¡°Or it could be more things I can''t use.¡± Arnold said. ¡°If I leave it closed, will they know I didn''t check it?¡±


    Kelly opened her mouth to say they wouldn''t be able to tell if he looked, then she closed her mouth. ¡°I don''t know.¡±


    ¡°Then let''s go sell all these gifts and then I can start my open quest for the training witch.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Kelly said and followed him out of the room and down the stairs, then they left the inn and walked to the shop where Arnold had sold all of the loot he got from Brad and his friends.


    Not surprisingly, the shopkeeper was once again absolutely delighted to receive a broad range of items which spanned every known type of item in the game. He also paid handsomely for the nearly 4,000 items, even though it was still below market value for the items. The prices ranged anywhere from 5 gold for a small item right up to 300 gold for the most expensive one.


    With an average price of 72 gold, Arnold walked away with another 288,000 gold. Added to his previous totals, he now had 358, 536 gold. That was an absolutely ridiculous amount for a starting adventurer, considering he had only played for two days. The only problem he had was he had nothing to spend it on. Without a class, he couldn''t really buy anything for himself. Nearly all of the game''s mechanics revolved around some kind of class, or combination of classes, for player advancement.


    Arnold was Level 56 and Kelly was Level 83 after their last foray into the summoning arena. They had debated going back in, then realized it would be only diminishing returns with much more added danger, with Arnold''s level as high as it was. Plus, they would need more players in their party for the swarms of monsters that they would occasionally be pitted against.


    Kelly led Arnold back towards the inn where his flying old nag was. ¡°Tell me about the Open Quest the training witch gave you.¡±


    ¡°Heal a sick villager. Save ten damsels in distress. Protect a hundred people from attack. Grow a thousand crops and feed the starving.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I already know how I''m going to complete it.¡±


    ¡°Wow... okay.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I think the first is simple, since there is always at least someone sick in one of the villages out in the wilderness.¡± She thought about it. ¡°Finding a single damsel might be hard. Finding ten of them to save?¡± She chuckled. ¡°You''re going to be filling that quest out for a long time.¡±


    Arnold didn''t respond and she nodded.


    ¡°Protecting a hundred people from attack might also be difficult. Maybe we can go adventuring as caravan guards or something? Or escorts for larger parties?¡± Kelly pondered. ¡°The crops thing, though...¡± She shook her head. ¡°How in the world will you grow a thousand crops to feed the starving? You''re not a farmer. I''m pretty sure that if you take that class, you''ll become a peasant and can''t wear armor at all.¡±


    Arnold stayed quiet and thought about the problem. ¡°I need to find crop seeds, in case they don''t have some in the village we''re going to.¡±


    Kelly gave him a look that said he was a little crazy for doing the most difficult one first, then she smiled and nodded. They went to the general store and the clerk sold them two large bags of feed. Arnold only needed one small bag; but, in order to fulfill the quest, he wanted to make sure enough crops were actually planted. Arnold also bought farming tools that included a pick and two kinds of shovels, one of which was a spade and the other was a normal flat shovel. After that, they went back to the inn and he retrieved the old nag.


    Arnold helped Kelly on and sat behind her, then put his arms around her and took the reins. ¡°The poorest farming village within a five minute flight time.¡±


    The old nag turned her head and neighed at him.


    ¡°I think she just said to stuff your too generic request.¡± Kelly said with a laugh.


    Arnold nodded and spoke loudly. ¡°Goddess Helena, guardian of these lands, heed my call! I have a need for your immense knowledge!¡±


    A bright golden glow grew in front of them and a floating Helena emerged from it.


    ¡°Greetings, Morbid.¡± Helena said and nodded to him, then nodded at Kelly. ¡°Fervent_Wish.¡±


    ¡°Greetings.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Can you tell me where the poorest village is within an hour''s walk of here?¡±


    ¡°That would be Hasham''s Harvest, forty minutes walk towards the east.¡± Helena said and pointed. ¡°Even though it is well placed near a water source, it has had a dry spell and they haven''t recovered from it yet.¡±


    Arnold nodded and let the reins go to hold his arms out to the goddess. ¡°Will you come with us?¡± He asked. ¡°I may need your help again.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, because of your actions, I have been quite busy.¡± Helena said.


    Kelly caught her breath in surprise. She shouldn''t know about that! She thought. ¡°How do you know it''s because of him?¡±


    ¡°All of the new adventurers referred to Morbid as the reason they started playing.¡± Helena said to her, then she looked towards Arnold and her cheeks flushed red as she floated close. ¡°I haven''t been needed this much in years.¡± She said and completely ignored Kelly as she floated into Arnold''s arms and kissed him on the lips. ¡°Thank you for bringing me so many new people to take care of.¡±


    Arnold nodded and she floated back to where she was, her whole face red now.


    ¡°If you need me, just call again.¡± Helena said and she touched her lips. As she faded away, she whispered. ¡°It means more when you kiss on the lips.¡±


    ¡°Well. That just happened.¡± Kelly said and stared at the spot. She wasn''t sure if she should be impressed that Arnold really did coerce the game''s guide or pissed that it happened right in front of her.


    Arnold put his arms back around Kelly to take the reins again. ¡°Hasham''s Harvest.¡±


    The old nag was covered in sparkles and then two huge translucent butterfly wings popped out of its shoulders, flapped so fast that they looked like hummingbird wings, and the horse took off. Three minutes later, they landed on a large hill that overlooked the village.


    ¡°Info for Hasham''s Harvest.¡± Arnold said and a popup told him there were only three hundred people in the village. There were also a dozen sick people and most of them were starving.


    ¡°This is definitely one of the worst places I''ve seen in the game so far.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I can''t believe this is so close to one of the major cities and it looks like this.¡± She turned her head to look at Arnold. ¡°We should talk to the mayor and see if there''s any quests we can do to help them.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°What?¡± Kelly looked at him in surprise. ¡°But, I thought we came here to help them?¡±


    ¡°No, I came to do my quest.¡± Arnold said and looked around for something appropriate. He saw something several hundred feet away on the next hill and smiled. He hopped off the nag and ran over to a jagged cliff face that had lots of loose rocks and stones. They looked precariously balanced, so he nodded and started to chip away at one particularly large rock that was embedded near the top.


    ¡°Arnold, what are you doing?¡± Kelly asked. She had walked over and had the nag''s reins in her hands.


    ¡°Endangering the village.¡± Arnold said and stopped when he felt the large rock shift slightly. ¡°Wait for me to finish digging the trench before you hit this spot right here with one of your explosive magic spells.¡± He pointed to a spot just below the large rock.


    ¡°Wait, wait, wait!¡± Kelly said and held her hands up. ¡°You want me to intentionally blast the rock loose?¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°It should start a rock slide.¡± He pointed down the slight slope and at all the other rocks. ¡°I was going to have you just try to light the village on fire...¡±


    ¡°ARNOLD!¡± Kelly yelled.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You can''t... this isn''t... we''re supposed to...¡±


    ¡°My quest says nothing about having to do the requirements naturally.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°This will complete two parts of the quest with one action.¡± Arnold said and she gasped.


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Kelly exclaimed.


    ¡°I will protect over a hundred people from an attack and I will save ten damsels in distress.¡±


    Kelly looked at the rock and then at the village. ¡°But... this...¡±


    ¡°I can do it myself if you don''t want to.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I... no, we... we''re in this together.¡± Kelly said. ¡°How long will it take to dig the trench?¡±


    ¡°I''ve never done it in the game before, so I''ll know soon.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I''ll holler when I''m done.¡± He walked over to the nag. ¡°Stay here. I''ll be back in a little while.¡± He said and took out a huge bright red apple. The nag took the whole thing in one bite and apple juice sloshed out of its mouth as it chewed. Arnold took off at a light jog, which Kelly thought would be a full out run for her, and he disappeared from sight.


    ¡°At least the villagers can''t see us up here.¡± Kelly said in relief and looked at the spot Arnold had pointed to on the cliff face. ¡°I can''t believe I''m going to do this.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no.¡± Arnold''s voice said loudly a short while later. ¡°The cliff looks like it''s collapsing! Everyone, get behind me! I''ll save you!¡±


    Kelly waited for a moment, then used a spell called Decompression. It was a neat spell and she always enjoyed the sight of things being decompressed and exploding outwards. Even now, abusing the spell to cause rocks to explode and expand and cause a rock slide, it looked neat. Unfortunately, she knew it was being used as a tactic to finish a long quest quickly and it didn''t hold the same joy for her.


    The large rock popped out of the cliff face and started a rock slide that rolled down the angled surface like water. It disappeared from view and she was pretty sure that she didn''t want to see what was happening. She could definitely hear it, since it sounded like thunder as it moved down towards the village. After about ten minutes, the sound died out and she couldn''t resist the urge to go look.


    Kelly ran over to the other hill to look down at the village and gasped. Tons of rock and gravel had piled up right in front of the village. She couldn''t even see a trench, since it must have been buried under the mass of the rock slide. She could hear muffled yells and people moving around, so she started to run down the hill as fast as she could. When she neared the rocks, she cast an Air Step spell. She jumped out from the hill and took two steps, then jumped again.


    Kelly landed just on the other side of the huge mounds of stone and gravel and gasped again. Arnold was surrounded by no less than fifteen young women and they were all kissing and hugging him as they thanked him for saving them. The other villagers were around them and gave him their praise, for someone so brave as to face down a natural disaster with nothing but his shield and a shovel.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Kelly said and he turned to look at her as a young woman kissed his cheek. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°The daughters of the farmers were damsels in distress and wanted to thank me.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Especially when I gave the sick mayor one of my healing fruit.¡±


    Kelly''s mouth dropped open. He just... no, he... he''s done three of...


    ¡°That''s four of the five requirements, because the mayor was starving, too.¡± Arnold said and then pointed to a group of men not far away. ¡°The farmers said their fields are too dusty to plant anything, so we just need to cast water spells into the cisterns they use for water dispersal. The irrigation will take care of itself and I''ll plant these two bags of seeds.¡± He took out the two large bags of seeds and the entire village cheered.

 135 Gaming Fun

    Bokuboy


    Both Arnold and Kelly cast Water Blast spells and filled up the two dozen cisterns scattered all over one of the farming fields. Just for good measure, Kelly cast Rain Storm for several seconds to get the ground wet and then cancelled the spell. She had never thought about using her offensive spells to help people like this before, and she gave Arnold occasional looks of disbelief for thinking of it.


    Arnold used one of his farming tools to stir up the ground and had one of the seed bags tied to his back. He had cut a very small hole on one corner of the bag and as he dug into the ground and walked, the seeds trickled out of the bag and bounced off his clothing and foot as they fell into the churned up dirt. The seeds spread out and gave great coverage. He was sure that at least some of them would get deep enough as he pinched the hole closed and walked back to churn the dirt back over.


    The villagers had all come to watch the high and mighty adventurers reduce themselves to common farmers. They had first thought about laughing at them for doing it wrong, then suddenly they were watering, digging, and planting more efficiently than the farmers ever had. The daughters of the farmers all swooned and stared at Arnold as he worked. All they could think about was how strong and noble he was for doing their work for them after saving them from disaster.


    Arnold could have just handed the seeds over and that would have helped the residents immensely. The villagers had expected that and then were shocked when he refused and told them that he was planting them himself. That was when they thought he was going to embarrass himself and they all came to see it. What they actually saw was a better way than the way they had been doing it.


    Arnold had thought about using the nag to pull a plow; but, the quest specifically said that he had to grow the crops. He knew that planting them had to come first, so that was what he did. ¡°Kelly, do you have a spell to make things go faster?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Kelly said and opened her spell book and looked it up. ¡°It''s called Accelerate and it increases someone''s speed by ten percent.¡±


    ¡°What''s the area of effect?¡± Arnold asked and kept working.


    ¡°It doesn''t have one. The target is one person or object.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Wait for me to finish this row and then cast the spell.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Kelly looked at the twenty-nine rows of field he had already done. ¡°You want to go faster after you''re done?¡±


    Arnold shook his head and took another five minutes to finish the row he had just started. ¡°I want you to cast it on the field.¡±


    Kelly just stared at him with her mouth slightly open.


    ¡°Turn on the irrigation.¡± Arnold said to the farmers and then looked at Kelly. ¡°Prep and cast the spell on this part of the field.¡± He waved at the recently plowed dirt. ¡°I want to see if they actually planted.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°How many times can you cast it?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°As long as I have Magic points to spend and the time.¡± Kelly said and prepped the spell. ¡°There''s a thirty second cool down time between castings.¡±


    Arnold walked over to her and stood beside her, then waited. It took Kelly five seconds to cast the spell and for the first time, she targeted a field of crops instead of a teammate or colleague. To her surprise and the farmer''s shock, the whole field glowed and absorbed the water from the simple irrigation system.


    ¡°Do it again.¡± Arnold said and after thirty seconds, Kelly prepped and cast the spell. ¡°What did you do to get the spell?¡±


    ¡°It''s a quest back in Langport.¡± Kelly said and cast the spell. ¡°You''re tasked with helping the deliveries all over the city and you''re loaned the spell until you complete the task. Depending on how well you do, you''re granted different versions of the spell.¡±


    ¡°How well did you do?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°I had one of the quickest times.¡± Kelly said with a smile.


    ¡°Can anyone do the quest, or is there a specific set of circumstances that need to be met?¡±


    Kelly wasn''t sure if she could answer that. ¡°Well, I know I had access to it. I''m a magic user, though. It might be class specific and you might not get it.¡±


    ¡°Can you do it again to get better times and a more powerful version of the spell?¡± Arnold asked. ¡°Cast the spell again.¡±


    Kelly nodded and did so. ¡°I think I can go back and try again, since it''s a simple quest and there''s no real requirements... or benefits... other than receiving the spell at the end.¡±


    Arnold untied the three quarter''s full seed bag from his back and turned it over to stop the seeds from dropping out. He waved at the farmers and they came over to him. He gave them that bag and the other bag, and they thanked him profusely for showing them a new way to do their plantings, rather than their normal way of planting each seed individually.


    ¡°It''s quicker and it''s messier this way.¡± Arnold said and waved at the field and the budding crops.


    '' Notice: Open Quest complete. Please return to the Training Witch for your reward. ''


    The farmers turned to look and saw sprouts pop up all over the place. ¡°They are still in rows, so we can still work with them like normal.¡± One of them said. ¡°Using your method, we will have this entire farm planted in a day.¡±


    ¡°If you split the seeds into smaller bags and get all the farmers to help, you''ll be done in a couple of hours.¡± Arnold suggested and the farmers stared at him. ¡°We need to go.¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± The daughters all yelled as one. ¡°Please stay!¡±


    ¡°Marry me!¡± ¡°No, me!¡± ¡°Please love me as much as you want!¡± ¡°I''ll be your wife!¡± ¡°Pick me!¡±


    Arnold ignored them as he took Kelly''s hand and they walked over to the nag.


    ¡°WAIT!¡± The mayor of the village said and came over to them. ¡°You didn''t come to me for the quest to help the village recover.¡± He said and took out a fast travel voucher. ¡°Please accept this as thanks.¡±


    Arnold looked at Kelly and she nodded. He took the voucher and then helped Kelly climb onto the nag and climbed on himself. ¡°The training witch.¡±


    The villagers all made sounds of wonder and awe as the nag grew giant butterfly wings and then the adventurers were gone from their sight.


    ¡°You know that voucher was the only thing we had of value.¡± One of the villagers said and the mayor laughed.


    ¡°We''ve never used it and I wasn''t planning on using it at any time in the future.¡± The mayor said. ¡°It''s nowhere near as valuable as what those adventurers showed us.¡± He turned and looked at the farmers. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen. I believe the adventurers have given this village new life.¡±


    ¡°Damn right.¡± One of the farmer''s said as he divided up the large sack of seeds into smaller sacks to hang on people''s shoulders. ¡°He''s right. We can have this whole farm done in two hours, then we can go over to the rest of them and do them, too.¡±


    ¡°We can help!¡± His daughter exclaimed.


    ¡°Then go ahead and start churning the dirt.¡± The farmer said and nodded. ¡°We can get done quicker with everyone working together.¡±


    ¡°Let''s go!¡± She said to the other daughters and they all got to work.


    ¡°Gather the magic users and see if any of them have that Accelerate spell.¡± The mayor said. ¡°If they do, then get them to do the same thing the adventurers did. If none of them have it, I will send them to Langport to get it.¡± He smiled. ¡°Those adventurers have helped us a lot more than they realize. In no time at all, the surrounding villages will come to us looking for food.¡±


    *


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Kelly turned her head to look at him. ¡°How did you know there would be damsels in the village?¡±


    ¡°A damsel is just a young unmarried woman. If she''s in danger, she is in distress and can be saved.¡±


    Kelly just stared at him and didn''t know what to say, then she did. ¡°I really want to kiss you now.¡±


    Arnold chose that personal action option to kiss her character and Kelly laughed.


    ¡°I meant in real life.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°We have to break for lunch soon.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Can you wait until then?¡±


    ¡°I can wait for as long as I have to.¡± Kelly responded.


    *


    The Training Witch was relaxing after another boring morning of watching incompetent adventurers try, and mostly fail, to complete even her basic training regimen. She hadn''t had a good student since that very impressive student a month and a half ago. She sat down to have a quick meal before she went back to her stall to wait and see if anyone else was going to show up, then she felt an absurd amount of Magic points flow into her.


    By Helena, someone completed one of my open quests! The Training Witch thought in shock. She abandoned her meal and ran outside her modest little house. She thought about going back to her stall at the side of her house on the street, then stood there on her porch instead. If someone had completed one of their promises, she wanted to meet them in a more informal setting.


    She took in a sharp breath when a flying horse with two people on it landed right in front of her. Her hands shook when she saw the partially armored man get off the horse and walk over to her. She recognized her impressive student immediately.


    ¡°Morbid.¡± The Training Witch whispered.


    ¡°I completed the quest and have returned for my reward.¡± Morbid said.


    The Training Witch nodded and silently asked for the quest stats. Heal a sick villager. Save ten damsels in distress. Protect a hundred people from attack. Grow a thousand crops and feed the starving. She thought, then looked at the popup she received and her mouth dropped open in surprise.


    '' Sick villagers healed: 1 (Adventurer''s Healing Fruit given to mayor).


    Damsels in distress saved: 15.


    People Protected from attack: 325.


    Crops grown (with magic): 8,543. Personally planted (by hand): 8,543.


    Growth potential of the technique taught to farmers: 80,000+ per field (x3).


    Starving fed (current): 1. Starving that will be fully fed within the month: 1,299 ''


    The Training Witch read the popup several times and she didn''t know what to say. She had never seen one of her quests completed before and she was at a loss for words. Her hand brushed over the popup and touched the numbers of crops grown and the potential for the future.


    A month. The Training Witch thought. It took him a month and a half to complete this ridiculous quest and another month will have over a thousand starving people well fed. She touched the bottom of the popup and closed it. ¡°Morbid, I am amazed. No one has completed one of my quests before.¡± She said finally. ¡°I can''t believe... I expected you to take months for most of the quest and at least a year for the crops to complete it.¡±


    Morbid stood there and waited patiently for his reward without saying anything. He didn''t boast or proclaim how easy it was, and after a few moments, she understood why. He wasn''t the type to brag. The Training Witch reached up and took off her own very large purple hat and held it in her hands.


    ¡°I cannot compel you to take any of the Magic User classes. However, I urge you to follow in my footsteps and be the best Nature Witch in the lands.¡± The Training Witch stepped forward and held the hat out to him. ¡°In order to convince you that it would be to your benefit, I give you access to my class abilities to try them for yourself. Equip this hat and you will qualify as a Nature Witch without having to accept the class.¡±


    The young woman on the horse gasped.


    ¡°The hat is linked to you and no one else can use it. It cannot be sold, traded, or given away, since it''s physical value is nothing.¡± The Training Witch said and smiled. ¡°It''s inherent value is priceless, especially if you chose the Nature Witch class. It has had decades of innate spells cast around it and it will serve you well if you follow in my footsteps.¡±


    Morbid took the hat and plunked it on his head. It resized to fit him and the hat settled down as if he had always worn it. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He shocked the Training Witch out of her socks when he stepped forward and kissed her. It was only brief and her mouth was closed, so she wasn''t scandalized by it, then he walked back over to the horse and climbed on behind the young woman.


    ¡°Langport.¡± Morbid said.


    The Training Witch stared at him as the horse grew butterfly wings and then it took off with her best student and disappeared from her sight. She reached up and touched her lips as a new hat grew on her head. It looked identical to the one she had just given away and it settled on her head as if she had always worn it.


    ¡°I should have offered to teach him.¡± The Training Witch said and went to the side of her house to return to her stall. She sat down and waited for the next adventurer to show up for training and she had completely forgotten to return to her house to finish her meal.


    *


    ¡°I guess you''re not going to have a problem qualifying as a magic user to get the spell now.¡± Kelly said, a little perturbed. She had thought that there would be some kind of nice reward for completing that open quest; but, she never imagined Arnold gaining a class without gaining a class. She understood the witch''s words as well. The hat only gave him access to the class abilities. They wouldn''t level up or improve, and he wouldn''t be able to spend points to make the abilities better.


    It was like a free preview. You counted as a Nature Witch for all intents and purposes; but, you wouldn''t get any of the high level spells and things that the class granted until you levelled the class... which he couldn''t do until he took it.


    ¡°Can I gain any spell now?¡± Arnold asked. ¡°Does just being a magic user qualify me?¡±


    ¡°You technically have access to a class now. I suppose the only way to find out is to see if you can gain any spells by trying to get them.¡± Kelly said. ¡°First stop, we''ll get you the Accelerate spell, since that one is ridiculously easy to complete the requirements. After that, we''ll break for lunch and browse the internet for the base spells anyone can try to gain by doing quests.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said as they landed in Langport.


    Kelly told him where to go to start the quest and she asked to be dropped off. ¡°You don''t need me to slow you down as you try to cast the spell to...¡±


    Arnold held onto her and went to the address.


    ¡°Arnold, you''re going to need your hands free.¡± Kelly said, once again perturbed. ¡°Drop me off and...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and trotted the nag over to the man who ran the delivery service. ¡°I want to start the Accelerate spell quest.¡±


    The man looked at the nag and Arnold''s extra passenger, then let out a bark of laughter. ¡°You''re going to have a heck of a time casting spells like that.¡± He said and wait for Arnold''s reaction, then shrugged when there was none. ¡°Okay, then. Here you go.¡± He gave him a spell scroll. ¡°Read that and as soon as the first messenger appears, cast the spell on him. I''ll time him for the delivery and the return. If it''s fast enough, we''ll keep going until either you can''t do it anymore or the packages are delivered.¡±


    Arnold nodded and read the spell. It was added to his Hotkey List and glowed as it showed him he only needed to press two buttons to cast the simple spell.


    ¡°At least let me off the horse.¡± Kelly said and Arnold opened his arms and she slipped off the nag. The first messenger appeared and picked up the first package.


    ¡°Where is it being delivered?¡± Arnold asked and the messenger said the address. Arnold quickly cast the spell on him, grabbed his collar before he could move, then the nag took off flying towards the address. They were back barely thirty seconds later for the next package and the spell hadn''t even worn off yet. ¡°Next.¡± Arnold said with a smile and the messenger picked up the next package and they took off again.


    Kelly laughed at the stunned quest giver''s face. ¡°He did it again!¡± She said and kept laughing.

 136 A Quick Break

    Bokuboy


    Not surprisingly, Arnold completed the spell quest with the fastest time. Ever. Each package only took thirty seconds to deliver, thanks to the magic nag and her flying ability. After fifteen minutes, all thirty packages were delivered and Arnold dropped off the very happy messenger in front of the still stunned quest giver.


    ¡°Oh, Arnold.¡± Kelly had laughed so hard that she was crying. ¡°That was so awesome to see!¡±


    Arnold gave her a little smile and climbed off the nag. He looked a bit ridiculous with a large purple witch''s hat on his head; but, Kelly didn''t laugh at it, because she knew he had earned it.


    '' Quest complete. Record time: 15 minutes ''


    '' Accelerate spell earned: Top Tier ''


    The quest giver didn''t say anything and handed Arnold a little book. He usually had a long speech to give, about the adventurer doing their best and that they had earned a specific tier of the spell... and he couldn''t say that this time. No one had ever taken it upon themselves to carry the messenger before while he carried the packages.


    Arnold took the book and the temporary Accelerate spell disappeared from his Hotkey list and was replaced with a gold color Accelerate spell and it only needed a single button to cast. He stared at it for a moment and the information about the spell popped up.


    '' Accelerate (Top Tier: Gold Version) - Causes the target (an object or person) to increase their speed by 50%. Lasts for ten minutes. Stackable - Can be cast multiple times on the same target without limit, as long as MP (Magic Points) are available.


    MP cost: 10 ''


    ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Kelly said as Arnold shared his view with her and she looked at his Magic Points. ¡°Arnold, I... I think you just broke the game.¡±


    ¡°No. It will only work for specific timed quests or quests that require extensive movements across a large distance.¡± Arnold responded.


    Kelly shook her head. ¡°That''s not what I meant.¡± She said and chose the ''grip shoulder'' personal option. ¡°With the Magic Points you have and only a single button to push to cast the spell, you can cast it on yourself dozens of times and increase your speed beyond what the game can register. Each fifty percent speed boost stacks.¡± She had to hold in her laugh. ¡°I doubt the game can track your movements if you did it.¡±


    Arnold gave her a look that said he didn''t believe her.


    ¡°Let''s go back to the inn and break for lunch. We can take a look for more spells to quest for, too.¡± Kelly said and Arnold nodded, helped her up onto the nag and climbed on himself.


    ¡°The Harbor Inn.¡± Arnold said and the nag grew the butterfly wings and took off.


    The quest giver stood there, still in shock, and the messenger beside him had a huge grin on his face.


    Arnold and Kelly got a room at the inn and paid extra for the nag to get the best treatment at the stable, then the both of them logged out.


    ¡°Oh! I forgot to factor in your training boots of speed.¡± Kelly said as she took off her VR helmet. ¡°Good lord, your speed would be phenomenal with just a couple of castings of the spell, let alone dozens.¡±


    ¡°Yours, too.¡± Arnold said and put his equipment down. ¡°Ten percent boosts stack, too.¡±


    Kelly chuckled and walked over to him. ¡°I''ve got a thirty second cool-down time between castings and you don''t.¡± She said and put her arms around him. ¡°I could get three castings and then the first will lapse when I try a fourth.¡±


    ¡°Your spell only lasts two minutes?¡± Arnold asked as he put his arms around her, and she nodded.


    ¡°I owe you a kiss.¡± Kelly said and gave him one. She thought she could entice him a little with it and tried to go past their normal limit, and he broke the kiss after four seconds.


    ¡°I thought you had one of the best times?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°I did.¡± Kelly said and didn''t let her disappointment show as she let him go. ¡°I let the messenger carry the packages to the addresses himself, though.¡±


    ¡°You didn''t think to cast Accelerate on yourself to speed up your casting and cool-down times?¡± Arnold asked. ¡°They stack. If you keep casting it, you can get ten, maybe twelve stacked before the first spell expires. By then, you can cast maybe seven or so more before the second ends and you won''t have a cool-down timer anymore.¡±


    Kelly stood there and stared at him with her mouth slightly open. ¡°G-g-good lord.¡± She whispered. ¡°I never thought to spam myself with it.¡±


    ¡°Even the lowest tier spell can be done the same way, as long as the effect time is more than the cool-down time.¡± Arnold said. ¡°It''ll take longer to get the same effect; but, it will work, as long as you have the Magic Points. Since they regenerate on their own...¡±


    ¡°...you can perpetuate the spell for as long as you want.¡± Kelly said and didn''t say anything for a minute. ¡°Wow.¡±


    Arnold sat down at the computer and opened his email and messaged the game developers. Kelly stood there and watched him send off a message to ask why most of the boosts and bonuses were class related and couldn''t be used. He didn''t have to wait long when he received a response.


    ¡°Is he kidding?¡± Kelly asked as she read it. ¡°The game isn''t fun if you don''t have a class?¡± She shook her head. ¡°You''re level 56 and we''ve had a few adventures now.¡±


    Arnold responded and added that to his message. ¡°He says I''m a Nature Witch and wants to know what I''m complaining about.¡±


    ¡°What an asshole.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Tell him to stop being an idiot and to check his information properly. He should see that the class is still locked and you only have access to the skills. It''s not your class.¡±


    Arnold did so and they waited. And waited.


    ¡°I think he''s not going to...¡± Kelly started to say and then a message popped up.


    '' Just pick a class and stop complaining. ''


    ¡°Yeah, definitely an asshole.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Give me a minute to find another email address for the developers.¡± She walked across the room and sat at her computer. ¡°Okay, try this one and add the idiot''s name and a copy of the messages. Maybe we''ll actually get some real answers.¡± She said and told Arnold the address. He quickly typed up the message, added in the dev''s name and his insulting correspondence, and the original inquiry.


    ¡°Let''s get something to eat.¡± Arnold said and stood up.


    ¡°Are we going out or eating here?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°Out.¡± Arnold said and changed into more appropriate clothing, then the two of them left the dorm room. The girls in the hallway were subdued in their actions and their behavior as Arnold and Kelly passed by them. They rode the elevator down to the ground floor and stepped out to see that Doris was all alone.


    ¡°Hey, you two.¡± Doris said and walked over to them. ¡°How did the gaming go?¡±


    ¡°Arnold figured out a way to break it.¡± Kelly said and Doris laughed.


    ¡°Of course he did.¡± Doris said and looked at him. ¡°Do you want a hug now or later?¡±


    Arnold looked down at her chest and then at her face. ¡°You''re wearing a bustier.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Doris barked. ¡°Later, then.¡± She said and he nodded.


    ¡°We''re going out to eat.¡± Kelly said and looked at Arnold. ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Chinese.¡± Arnold said. ¡°It''s only ten minutes away.¡±


    ¡°Would you be a dear and grab me an order of chicken balls and rice?¡± Doris asked and walked back over to her desk. She came back with a twenty dollar bill. ¡°On your way back, of course.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Kelly said and took the money. ¡°We should be back in a little while.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Doris smiled and watched them leave the dorm.


    *


    ¡°Do you think she''s trying to get back with him?¡± One of the girls on Arnold''s floor asked.


    ¡°No doubt.¡± Rachel said. ¡°He''s too nice of a catch to give up on, not without a fight.¡±


    ¡°I hope she doesn''t fight too hard.¡± Rebecca said. ¡°Like his momma said, he''s too smart to fall for any tricks like that.¡±


    The other girls looked at her and didn''t point out that what she said also meant that they wouldn''t succeed, either. Of course, nearly all of them fought their urge to turn and look at Janet''s room. They all knew that both she and Pam had successfully slept with him and they all wondered how in the world they had managed to do that.


    *


    Arnold and Kelly were treated really well at the Chinese place by the man there and Kelly was a little surprised by that. She didn''t say anything about it until they were about to leave.


    ¡°Arnold, why is he being so nice?¡± Kelly asked in a whisper after she ordered food for Doris to go.


    ¡°The last time I was here, I had eight girls with me.¡± Arnold said and Kelly stared at him with wide eyes. ¡°I also tipped really well.¡±


    Kelly almost laughed at the real answer, because she knew that nice tips always made people treat you better the next time. ¡°Are you going to tip him well again?¡±


    ¡°Should I?¡±


    ¡°It depends on if you want to keep being treated nicely.¡± Kelly said, wisely.


    Arnold thought about the check last time and how much he had tipped with nine people, so he cut the tip appropriately for only two people being present and gave the money to the man.


    ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± The man said and ran back to the counter and quickly did up another bag of fortune cookies. ¡°I hope you hand them out again this time.¡±


    Arnold opened the bag and counted the cookies inside. ¡°There''s enough, so I will.¡±


    The man behind the counter nodded and handed Kelly the take-out order. Arnold and Kelly left the restaurant and walked back to Arnold''s dorm building.


    ¡°Free advertising, maybe?¡± Kelly asked and took a fortune cookie from the bag. She broke it open and ate it as she read the fortune. Small opportunities can sometimes lead to great experiences. She couldn''t help but look at Arnold''s face in profile and her heart went pitter-patter.


    ¡°Everyone seems to like them.¡± Arnold said and they entered the lobby.


    ¡°Ooo! I can smell you from here!¡± Doris said from behind her desk and that made Kelly laugh.


    ¡°I showered last night, thank you very much!¡± Kelly said with fake indignation.


    ¡°I meant my lunch, you silly girl.¡± Doris laughed. ¡°I''m glad you didn''t rush back with it.¡±


    Kelly put her order on the desk and handed her the change. ¡°We didn''t order it until we were almost done eating, so it should still be piping hot.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Doris said and took out the large container, then she used a plastic spoon to scoop up some of the rice. ¡°Mmm! It''s almost as good as my home cooking.¡±


    ¡°We''ll leave you to it.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Enjoy.¡±


    Arnold took out a fortune cookie and gave it to Doris, then walked with Kelly over to the elevator.


    Doris watched them and hoped that Kelly wasn''t going to hurt herself by trying too hard to get back with Arnold. The worst thing she can do is try to force things with him. She thought as the elevator doors closed.


    Arnold and Kelly stepped out of the elevator and then Kelly was surprised when Arnold stopped at each door in the hallway and let all of the girls take a fortune cookie from the bag.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Daisy said.


    ¡°Thankya, Ahrnold.¡± Rebecca said with her southern accent slipping through.


    Arnold gave her a little smile and kept walking and handing out cookies.


    ¡°Arnold, you didn''t have to do this.¡± Janet said and reluctantly took one. ¡°Thank you very much.¡±


    Arnold took another out and handed it to her. ¡°For Pam.¡±


    Janet nodded and put the second one on Pam''s desk, then opened hers. All the efforts you are making will pay off. She read and didn''t quite stifle her gasp.


    ¡°What does it say?¡± Kelly asked, curious about the reaction.


    ¡°Oh! Um... well... it''s... never mind.¡± Janet said and closed her hand over it.


    Arnold reached out and took her hand, then gently opened it. He read it and then held it out to Kelly. She read it and looked at Janet''s red face, then handed it back without saying anything. Janet took it and didn''t say anything, either.


    Arnold moved off and delivered cookies to the rest of the girls and then he and Kelly went into his dorm room and closed the door.


    *


    ¡°What does it say?¡± Rachel asked a little excitedly and started to walk over to Janet.


    Janet shook her head and went back into her dorm and shut the door. It could mean so many things. She thought and looked at the simple phrase printed on the little piece of paper.


    *


    ¡°There''s one left.¡± Kelly said when Arnold put the bag on the counter. ¡°Are you going to open it?¡±


    Arnold didn''t say anything and sat down at the computer to start looking for spells.


    ¡°It''s just a bit of fun.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Do you mind if I open it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and kept searching for easy spell quests in Fortune''s Favour.


    Kelly opened it and read it out loud. ¡°All things come to those that go after them.¡± She said and Arnold turned around and looked at her for a moment, then he pointed to the cupboard. She opened it and saw another fortune cookie there. She took it and opened it, then read it aloud as well. ¡°Romance comes into your life in a very unusual way.¡±


    Arnold stared at her for several moments and Kelly couldn''t take her eyes off of it or dared to look at his face. She didn''t want to admit that she wanted some of the fortunes to come true and others not to. It was a little unreasonable of her to think that, especially since she didn''t normally lend any credence to these things... but, if they did come true... she definitely wanted her own to happen and not Janet''s.


    Kelly thought about everything Janet had said to her at the beach party last week and she did not want any of her efforts to pay off, not even a little bit. She didn''t want to give Arnold up, because she loved him and he was the perfect man for her. She couldn''t even imagine anyone replacing him, and yet, she knew that they couldn''t have sex. She took a deep breath and let it out, then finally turned to look at Arnold to see the expression on his face.


    Arnold had turned away already and was writing down the things to do to complete the quest for three different spells that would benefit him. He checked his email and there was no response from the developers, so he closed the program and read over the qualifications for the spell quests. Some of them he thought he could buy and would have to ask Kelly about. The others he would have to ask Helena for, if Kelly didn''t know who else to talk to.


    ¡°Let''s get back to playing.¡± Arnold said and stripped off his casual clothing and put on a t-shirt and shorts.


    Kelly did the same and didn''t ask him what he thought of his fortune cookies. ¡°What spell are we going for first?¡±


    ¡°Resist Effect.¡± Arnold said and smiled.


    ¡°Oh, geez.¡± Kelly said with a shake of her head and then she laughed.

 137 Collecting

    Bokuboy


    Thanks to Arnold''s Accelerate spell and a visit to the shop where he had sold all those items and bought the necessary components for what Kelly thought was a ridiculous amount of gold, Arnold visited the quest giver for the Resist Effect spell. He fulfilled the requirements in only moments and acquired the gold version of the spell. It shocked both the quest giver and Kelly that he had achieved it so quickly.


    ¡°You were right, Kelly.¡± Arnold said and looked at his hand. ¡°Just eight stacked Accelerate spells stop the game from registering my movements.¡±


    ¡°E-e-eight?¡± Kelly looked at him and thought about it. If each spell gives him a fifty percent boost, then the next spell gives a fifty percent boost on top of the new speed. ¡°Arnold... good god.¡±


    ¡°Now I have the gold version of Resist Effect. It has a fifty percent chance to cancel any effect that targets me and it stacks as well.¡±


    ¡°Won''t that cancel your Accelerate spell that makes you move fast?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°Only if I cast it after Resist Effect, and since you can cancel a spell at any time...¡±


    ¡°...you can cancel the Resist Effect spells and stack more Accelerate spells and cast Resist Effect again.¡± Kelly finished for him. ¡°What''s the next spell we can quest for?¡±


    ¡°Magic Hand and then Magic Armor.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly remembered doing those tasks herself. ¡°Okay, I can show you what you need to do, since the trials for them are the same, no matter who you are.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and they went to an empty area.


    Kelly did her best to simulate what the trials were going to entail and gave Arnold the best chance to complete the task with little or no errors. ¡°That''s all I can remember about it. Hopefully, they haven''t changed the tasks or the requirements.¡±


    Arnold nodded and they travelled part way across the city to meet a wizened old man. He sat outside a run-down shack that had seen much better days and he eyed the two newcomers warily.


    ¡°I guess you''ll be wanting to try to learn my old tricks, huh?¡± The old man asked.


    ¡°Only if you''re willing to teach them.¡± Arnold said and took out one of the things he bought. It was a magic focusing item of the highest quality, a pendant and chain that he had spent several thousand gold coins on, and he handed it over to the old man. ¡°Please accept this as a token of my intent to learn.¡±


    The old man couldn''t hide the surprise on his face at the ridiculously expensive magic item. ¡°Are you all right, son?¡± He asked as the magic of the item glowed brightly in his hands. ¡°You do realize what this is?¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°I bought it for you.¡±


    The old man looked at the pendant and admired it for several moments, then looked at Arnold. ¡°You''ve proven that you seriously want to learn.¡± He said and the pendant disappeared. ¡°Most people just hand over whatever magic item they had on them from a loot drop that they couldn''t use.¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°I haven''t gone out very much yet and I thought it was better to buy you something.¡±


    ¡°You thought right.¡± The old man smiled and waved his hand. The run-down shack image changed and became the entrance to the grounds of a mansion. The wizened old man stood up straight, as if his hunched back had never existed and bright blue wizard robes grew around him to cover him.


    Kelly''s mouth fell open at the transformation, because she had never seen anything like it before, and she had been playing the game for a while. She had thought Arnold was crazy for wasting so much money on a magic trinket when he bought it, and now she sincerely regretted only handing the old man one of the magic long swords that she couldn''t use when she had acquired the spell.


    ¡°Follow me, please.¡± The now regal man said. He was still an old man; but, he held himself with poise and confidence as he led the two of them into the compound.


    Kelly couldn''t believe the difference from the shabby back room that she had been tested in and the large parlour that the old man led them to in the mansion. She knew for a fact that no one had seen this before, or at least no one had told anyone else about it if they did see it. Her eyes glanced at Arnold, whom she was surprised didn''t understand the difference of what everyone else experienced when talking to the old man. She stopped herself from shaking her head at the absurdity of Arnold once again showing her something new in something she thought she knew inside and out.


    ¡°Here we are.¡± The old man said and waved at the set-up. ¡°I will lend you a temporary version of the spell to test you on its use.¡±


    A scroll appeared in front of Arnold and floated there. He read it and it disappeared.


    ¡°Now, as someone who wants to learn this spell properly, I will instruct you on its proper use and its subtlety. First, a caution. It is not a brute force to use on an object. Do not merely try to grab things with it as if it was some plaything. It is not a toy.¡± The old man said a little sternly, then he smiled. ¡°It is a useful tool that can grant you an extra hand that can be very useful when used properly.¡±


    Arnold perked up at that and the old man nodded.


    ¡°I see you understand.¡± The old man said. ¡°Here is what you do...¡±


    Kelly was stunned at the extensive explanation that Arnold received about the use and procedure of Magic Hand. She hadn''t known that much detail was actually included in the game and she knew that even if Arnold somehow didn''t complete the trials to the fullest, his Magic Hand spell was going to be much more versatile than her own.


    I didn''t know it could be used to open locks and trapped chests! Kelly exclaimed in her head. I thought it was just for moving heavy things and knocking people over to distract them when you attack.


    Kelly wasn''t surprised when Arnold''s Magic Hand trials were much different than hers. It still had the stacking boxes section that she had told him about, except that they were half the size and he had to put them in a specific order. It was also timed like hers had been. Since Arnold had used the Accelerate spell eight times, his character didn''t move at all, even though he himself needed to move to use the hand... or so she thought.


    Kelly was very tempted to take off her VR headset to look at Arnold in real life, just to see if he really was moving like she thought he was. There was no way that the Magic Hand floating in front of him on the table was pouring out and mixing potions without him moving. His character didn''t move, because the game couldn''t register him moving so fast.


    The old man had a huge grin on his face as Arnold completed every test he gave him. ¡°Excellent work, my boy. Excellent.¡± He said and took out a little book. ¡°Please accept this as a reward.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and accepted the book. The top tier gold version of the Magic Hand spell was added to his Hotkey list and replaced the temporary one.


    ¡°Shall we move over to the Magic Armor section?¡± The old man asked, hopefully.


    Arnold nodded and took out a magic bracelet and held it out to him.


    The old man laughed and took the bracelet. ¡°You are a rare find, my boy. Very rare, indeed.¡±


    He really is. Kelly thought and followed them over to the Magic Armor training area. She was a little surprised that she was allowed to come along, actually. She wasn''t participating and she really shouldn''t be there while someone else did the trials. Of course, she didn''t know that there were no rules against it. She just assumed that everyone took the trials on their own and no one else was allowed to be there.


    Once again, the old man took his time to explain about how Magic Armor wasn''t just magic wrapped around someone to protect them when they were attacked. It was an intricately difficult magic construct that needed to be properly visualized to work.


    Kelly was astonished at the intense and in-depth description that gave her the impression that Arnold''s version was going to be head and shoulders better than her version, even though she had excelled at the armor part. She stood there and watched as Arnold used multiple Accelerate spells before he cast the temporary Magic Armor, then the sneaky bastard used Resist Effect and stacked it.


    The old man started to cackle with laughter as all of his attacks were stopped by Arnold''s buffed armor. He threw stronger and stronger spells at Arnold, who took them all. After several minutes, the old man had laughed himself out and stopped attacking. He walked over to Arnold and examined him, then barked a single laugh.


    ¡°You are smarter than everyone else I have ever tested, my boy. Much smarter.¡± The old man said. ¡°None of them thought of using other complementary spells to help them keep the armor for longer.¡±


    Kelly''s mouth dropped open in surprise, because she suspected that Arnold would have been disqualified for not using only the armor, then she remembered what the old man said about keeping the armor up for as long as he could.


    Goddammit. Kelly thought. Arnold figured out how to cheat without cheating!


    ¡°Here is the book for the top tier Magic Armor.¡± The old man said and handed it over. ¡°Now I have a question for you.¡±


    ¡°I can''t accept your class.¡± Arnold said, anticipating the question.


    The old man chuckled. ¡°Ah, well. I knew it would be too good to be true if you accepted.¡± He grabbed Arnold''s shoulder. ¡°If you ever change your mind and decide to learn from me, you know where I am.¡±


    Arnold nodded and the old man led him and Kelly out of the mansion and over to where the run-down shack used to be. As soon as they stepped outside the entrance, the shack reappeared and the old man''s wizard robes faded as he assumed his wizened old man persona once more.


    ¡°Thanks for stopping by, youngins!¡± The old man said and cackled a laugh as Arnold and Kelly walked away and back towards the inn.


    ¡°Arnold, would you mind if we did a quest for me next?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. ¡°What do you have to do?¡±


    ¡°I already have all the things I need to complete it, because I gathered them before. I just have to go to a town near the capital and visit a woman there to restart it.¡± Kelly said. ¡°After that, it''s just going through the motions and then finishing it.¡±


    ¡°Will it take long?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Not if you take me there with your flying horse.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I''ll start casting Accelerate on myself going there and then I''ll go through it in a flash.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and they went back to the inn. He retrieved the nag, who was very happy to have been treated so well, and they flew to the small town just outside the capital. Kelly talked to the mature lady at the entrance to a basement and gave her a search quest for her stolen jewellery.


    ¡°You''re searching for clues?¡± Arnold asked.


    Kelly nodded and walked back over to him. ¡°I''ve already gathered them, so I only need to visit the locations and then come back here to search the basement for the last one.¡±


    Arnold cast Accelerate on her twice and then Magic Armor. ¡°The armor lasts an hour.¡±


    Kelly gasped as a full set of armor covered her, fit her body perfectly, and was even styled for a woman. ¡°Arnold, this... how many Magic Points was it?¡± She asked easily, because the helm had an open face and wasn''t covered.


    ¡°I''ll have them back just before the armor fades.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly looked at him with wide eyes, because she knew his magic regeneration rate was twice what hers was, and if it took an hour to get the points back, the armor was ridiculously expensive, points-wise.


    ¡°Arnold, you...¡± Kelly stopped when she saw that none of her spells were greyed out. ¡°It''s full armor and it doesn''t disable my spell casting ability!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that''s the best bonus with magic armor.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly tapped it with her armored hands and it made the right metallic sound. ¡°But, it''s metal!¡±


    ¡°It''s light as well, even though it''s classed as heavy armor.¡±


    Kelly shook her head. ¡°I''ll be back in a bit.¡±


    Arnold smiled briefly when she ran away at her full speed and disappeared from sight almost immediately, because she didn''t notice that the armor didn''t impede her at all. He slid off the nag and walked over to the woman and tried to initiate the same quest. He wasn''t surprised that he couldn''t when she said that she had someone else looking into it already.


    Considering Kelly and I are there together, perhaps only one instance can be done at a time. Arnold thought, then wondered what would happen if he waited a minute after Kelly did it, then initiated it himself. He would find out soon enough and climbed back onto the nag to wait.


    Kelly came back ten minutes later and stopped in front of the woman. ¡°I''ve followed all the clues and it seems I need to search your basement for one more.¡±


    ¡°I don''t see how that will help you find the thief.¡± The woman shrugged and waved at the basement. ¡°You can go ahead and search all you like.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Kelly said and went into the basement. She came back out holding a piece of black cloth with a cuff link on it. ¡°Ah, I see.¡± She said and handed that and the other clues she had found to the woman. ¡°Madam, I believe your husband is responsible for your stolen jewellery.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± The woman exclaimed loudly.


    ¡°He led me on a long and arduous fake trail, which I just so happened to follow in the wrong order.¡± Kelly said with a chuckle. ¡°I didn''t realize until recently that the trail didn''t lead away from the house, it led to it. The culprit is right under your nose.¡±


    The woman looked through the clues and her face turned deep red. ¡°That little weasel! I''ll kill him!¡±


    One of the items in her hand was a note from one of the adventurer shops that bought jewellery. He had bought the items for their basic value, had them enchanted with powerful charms, then sold them for a tidy profit. He did not know where they had gone.


    ¡°They were family heirlooms and were worth more than their basic value.¡± The woman spat. ¡°Their combined magic protected this family from misfortune and only the set of them restored can save us from ruin.¡±


    Kelly gasped when she received a popup. ¡°Arnold! It''s another quest!¡±


    ¡°Show me.¡±


    '' The Westing Family is in grave peril. An old evil has plagued the family for generations and only the enchanted set of seven jewellery items could protect them from its wrath.


    Limited Time Quest: Take it upon yourself to replace these items to protect this family. You have 24 hours to complete it.


    Success: All seven items must be completely enchanted and then added to the ritual circle in the attic of the house.


    Failure: You leave them to their fate and let them all die.


    Family Members to protect: 38 ''


    ¡°Do you know what the seven items are?¡± Arnold asked and Kelly took out a piece of paper. On it was a list of seven jewellery items, and he imagined that they were something that a single person could easily wear. ¡°What about the specific enchantments?¡±


    Kelly shook her head and went over to the woman. She took out several pieces of paper and handed them to Kelly. ¡°Oh, damn.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°They have to be enchanted by at least a mid-level enchanter.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Arnold, they are expensive as heck and not to mention eccentric.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I doubt one enchanter could do one of the items in a day, let alone seven.¡±


    ¡°Can you add me to your quest?¡± Arnold asked.


    Kelly looked at all of the options she had and shook her head. ¡°If we had started it together, maybe. I don''t see any link to create a party.¡±


    Arnold sat on the nag and thought about it. ¡°All right. Accept the quest.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Kelly looked at him like he was crazy.


    ¡°There''s no rules against me helping you, as long as you do the actual actions yourself.¡±


    Kelly looked at him with hope in her eyes, then she nodded and turned to the woman. ¡°I''ll do my best to complete this task as soon as possible.¡±


    The woman''s face lit up with happiness. ¡°Oh! Thank you! Thank you!¡± She gushed. ¡°Please, be careful! Dealing with things like this is very dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Kelly said and climbed onto the nag in front of Arnold. ¡°If there''s one thing I''ve learned, it''s that there''s nothing that Arnold... I mean Morbid... can''t do.¡± She smiled. ¡°Absolutely nothing.¡±

 138 Glittering Jewels

    The first stop Arnold and Kelly made was to a normal item shop. Since enchantments usually needed medium quality to high quality items for the best results, Arnold bought all seven of the best jewellery items that the store had. Kelly had tried to convince him that wasn''t necessary and that he should save his money and only get the medium quality jewels, and he wouldn''t listen as he handed them to her to store.


    The next stop was to the best enchanter in town. They entered the shop and before they could even speak, a disembodied voice claimed that he was much too busy to accept any clients today. Kelly''s dismay and expectations had been met and she led Arnold back outside.


    ¡°I''m sorry you''re not interested in earning a thousand gold coins.¡± Arnold said loudly and shut the door of the shop.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Kelly gasped and then laughed. ¡°Playing a joke like that on the jerk is pretty funny.¡±


    ¡°I wasn''t joking.¡± Arnold said and went to the nag he had tied to a post nearby. He didn''t get on and just stood there to wait, however.


    ¡°Arnold, we should go to the next town to...¡± Kelly started to say when the shop''s door burst open.


    ¡°WAIT!¡± A man''s voice yelled. He looked haggard and his hair was a brown mass on the top of his head. He wore the standard goggles on his face to protect his eyes and he also had a half-shaved beard on his face with shaving foam on the other half.


    Arnold turned to look at him and the man walked over.


    ¡°Were you serious? A thousand gold coins?¡± The man asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said. ¡°If you can do the job.¡±


    ¡°What''s the job?¡± The man asked, his shaving task completely forgotten.


    ¡°Fervent_Wish needs seven things enchanted with a simple compound enchantment.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°HA!¡± The enchanter barked a laugh. ¡°A simple compound enchantment? There''s no such thing!¡±


    Arnold waved at Kelly and she took out the diamond ring and the first sheet of the simple enchantment.


    ¡°Ooo.¡± The man''s eyes sparkled at the diamond. ¡°You have an eye for quality.¡±


    ¡°I knew you would appreciate working with the best items.¡± Arnold said.


    The man gave Arnold an appraising glance, nodded slightly, then took the sheet from Kelly and started to read. ¡°Hmm. Okay, this... this is... where did you get this?¡± He almost yelled when he saw the enchanting technique was only a part of the inscriptions needed.


    ¡°That doesn''t matter.¡± Arnold said before Kelly could answer with the woman''s name. ¡°Can you do it?¡±


    ¡°There''s seven of them, you said?¡± The man asked and Arnold nodded. ¡°Are the items...¡±


    Kelly took out the rest of the items and the man''s eyes nearly bulged out of his head at the absurdly expensive items. She took out the sheets next and the man greedily accepted them and read them.


    ¡°Yes. Yes, this... I never thought that... a multiple charm enchantment that''s so simple and complicated at the same time.¡± He said wistfully, then his expression turned serious. ¡°I must do this!¡± He exclaimed and looked at Arnold. ¡°I''ll need at least an hour to enchant each piece, with a bit more for the large bracelet, since that needs the longest engraving and is the center piece.¡±


    Arnold thought about it. ¡°You have twelve hours, so use the time appropriately.¡± He said and the man nodded his head several times. ¡°We''ll be back then.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Good.¡± The man said. ¡°I will definitely have everything by then.¡±


    Arnold nodded to him and helped Kelly climb onto the nag, climbed on the nag himself, then they took off into the sky.


    *


    The enchanter stood there and watched them with a wide open mouth, then he remembered what he held in his hands. A treasure. He wasn''t thinking of the jewels, though. A compound enchantment was something that not a lot of enchanters had access to, so he was very eager to get to work. He ran back into his shop, locked the door and put up the closed sign, and went into the back to his workshop.


    He used a hand to swipe at his cluttered desk and everything on it tumbled off the desk and to the floor. Nothing broke, because he had already added the unbreakable enchantments to them. A little gnome, barely a foot tall, came out from under the desk and started to clean up the mess.


    ¡°Thanks, Clarence.¡± The enchanter said and carefully put the papers down and put each jewellery item on the appropriate page for their enchantments, and he smiled. ¡°This is going to be fun.¡±


    He rubbed his hands together to get them glowing slightly and to let his magic flow, then he picked up his magic engraving tool and the bracelet. He started to hum happily under his breath as he started to work and Clarence hummed an accompanying tune.


    *


    Arnold landed at the inn in Langport and paid the extra fee for the nag, then he and Kelly went to their room and logged out.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Kelly said as she took off her VR rig and put her controllers down. ¡°Arnold, you... wow.¡±


    Arnold did the same and put his things down. ¡°Money talks.¡±


    Kelly laughed. ¡°Does it ever!¡± She said and went to the refrigerator. ¡°Do you have any preference for what you want to eat?¡±


    Arnold walked over to the cupboard and took out a bag of macaroni, a can of sauce and a can of tomatoes, then grabbed a small pack of hamburger from the refrigerator.


    ¡°Right. Something quick and easy.¡± Kelly said.


    The two of them made up a meal that was just enough for the two of them to share and there were no leftovers. Kelly sat back in the chair at the small table when they were done eating and she looked at the computer, then at Arnold''s face.


    ¡°Arnold, can I...¡± Kelly hesitated for a moment, took a breath and let it out, then continued. ¡°...can I stay over tonight? I don''t want to leave if...¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Arnold said and took their dishes to the sink and washed them.


    That was easier than I thought it would be. Kelly thought. ¡°What about your movie date tonight?¡±


    ¡°It''s in Janet''s and Pam''s room.¡± Arnold said. ¡°They have a movie player with their television.¡±


    Kelly nodded. ¡°What time...¡±


    Arnold looked at the clock. ¡°Thirty-five minutes.¡± He said and stripped off his clothes.


    Kelly clamped her mouth shut and didn''t say anything as he walked around naked. He went to the bathroom to take a shower and didn''t shut the door, so she got a complete eyeful of him as he washed himself all over, then she watched him dry off completely and walk by her to the dresser on his side of the room and he put on clean underwear, a blue t-shirt so tight that it was like a second skin, and a pair of baggy basketball shorts.


    ¡°I''ll be back later.¡± Arnold said and opened the door of the room.


    ¡°Hi, Arnold!¡± ¡°Hi!¡± ¡°Hello!¡± A chorus of voices greeted him.


    ¡°Hi, everyone.¡± Arnold said and walked out into the hallway. He had timed it perfectly, because the elevator opened a moment later and Pam came out with a garbage bag that was half full of popcorn. The smell of the butter covered snack filled the hallway almost immediately and then there was a squeal of delight as a woman practically jumped out into the hallway.


    ¡°POPCORN!¡± Janet yelled.


    Pam laughed as she walked a little awkwardly up the hallway with it. ¡°Most people say hello, first.¡±


    ¡°Hellooooo, popcorn!¡± Janet said and took the huge bag from Pam and hugged it, which made nearly everyone in the hallway laugh.


    ¡°Now that you''ve got your bribe, get back in the room and get everything ready.¡± Pam said and Janet ran back inside. ¡°She''s such a glutton.¡±


    Arnold followed Pam into the dorm room and shut the door. ¡°Are you taking a shower first?¡±


    ¡°I need to.¡± Pam said and opened her coat to show off a huge soda stain. ¡°A new worker didn''t quite know how the soda pop dispenser worked and tried to change the syrup without turning the thing off first.¡±


    Arnold helped her get undressed and Pam appreciated the help. A lot.


    ¡°Can you help me in the shower, too?¡± Pam asked when she was naked and quite horny.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and he had his clothes off a few seconds later.


    ¡°You''ve got twenty minutes while I make room.¡± Janet said. ¡°I''m starting the movie then.¡±


    ¡°Twenty minutes is plenty of time.¡± Pam said with a smile as she took Arnold''s hand and led him to the bathroom. The door shut and the water turned on a moment later.


    Janet took the time to adjust where the television was pointed and gave her bed the best view of the screen. She turned her bed a bit to take full advantage of it and then she set out the drinks and snacks they had bought to last the evening. Of course, she had tons of her own snack to go through and she chuckled as she looked at the garbage bag of buttered popcorn.


    Pace yourself, girl. Janet thought with amusement. You''ve got a whole week to go before you''ll get any more.


    ¡°Ahh! That was wonderful!¡± Pam said as she came out of the bathroom wearing just a towel with Arnold behind her. ¡°Thanks for the help, Arnold.¡± She had another towel drying her hair and she sat down on the edge of her bed. ¡°Now I really feel like cuddling.¡±


    Arnold finished drying himself and slipped on his underwear, then he put on the shorts.


    ¡°That''s good enough.¡± Pam said with a twinkle in her eye. ¡°The t-shirt is kind of superfluous and will only get in the way when we rub your chest.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and left his t-shirt on the chair and walked over to Janet''s bed. She already had enough pillows for them to use, so Arnold propped up the one in the middle and reclined against the wall. He heard a click and saw Janet checking her phone.


    ¡°Oh, my.¡± Janet whispered and Pam stood up to look at the picture she took.


    ¡°Whoa, now that''s a sexy pose.¡± Pam said. ¡°Send me that, will you?¡±


    Janet nodded and sent it to her friend''s phone. It took her a minute to accept the fact that she had a gorgeous guy on her bed, even though she had slept with him several times already. Her mind went over how accepting he was and how much he had done to please her. He was calm and relaxed as he laid there and she knew that he would let her do anything she wanted to him.


    It was a powerful thing to come to grips with. Janet knew that she didn''t want to take advantage of his good nature, and yet, she wanted to take advantage as much as she could while she had access to him. Her mind warred with her body over what they both craved.


    ¡°Just strip off.¡± Pam said and pulled off her towel. ¡°You know he wants to play with us as much as we want to play with him.¡±


    Janet''s face flushed red. ¡°Pam, he''s right there. He can hear you.¡±


    Pam''s face broke out into a huge smile. ¡°I remember saying the exact same thing to you.¡± She said and let Janet stew on that for a minute. ¡°Now strip while I start the movie.¡±


    Janet didn''t say anything else as she undressed, then she climbed onto the bed. She gave Arnold a quick kiss and laid down beside him. Almost against her will, her hand reached out and snaked down his body until she touched him. He responded almost immediately and she caught her breath as he grew hard in her hand.


    ¡°Here we go.¡± Pam said and climbed onto the other side of Arnold and laid down. ¡°I''ve been wanting to see this for a while.¡±


    Janet gave her a stern look and Pam laughed.


    ¡°I meant the movie.¡± Pam said and then looked at Janet''s hand stroking Arnold. ¡°Make sure you warn me when you''re close.¡± She said to Arnold, who nodded, then the three of them started to watch the movie. Barely five minutes into the move and the intro just finished, Pam moved Arnold''s hand to her sweet place and he started to play with her.


    Janet looked at the logistics of where her hand was and knew that Arnold couldn''t play with her like that, so she whispered in his ear. He put his arm around her and hugged her close, then he started to massage her breast and play with her nipple.


    The three of them stayed like that for the whole movie. Each time Arnold was close to finishing, Pam and Janet switched roles. Pam made sure Arnold didn''t make a mess by swallowing it all and then she would get her breasts played with while Janet got fingered, then Arnold would finish again and they would switch back.


    The funny thing was, even though they had watched it, none of them knew what the movie was about.


    As the end credits rolled, Janet couldn''t resist anymore and sat up, then she straddled Arnold''s waist.


    ¡°Janet, what...¡± Pam started to ask, then she saw her friend adjust Arnold to the right spot and sat down. She was a bit too stunned to comment about them not using a condom, especially when Janet looked like she was in pain. When Arnold covered Janet''s mouth with a hand and held it closed, the pained look disappeared and she moaned very loudly.


    Pam now knew what the problem was and she quickly used the remote to jump the movie back to a particularly loud section and turned it up. She thought she heard Janet moan a thank you; but, she wasn''t sure. She climbed back onto the bed and watched her friend have fun... quite a lot of fun. She couldn''t remember seeing that happy of a look on Janet''s face before, and she was happy as well.


    Pam moved up beside Arnold''s face and kissed his cheek. He turned his head to face her and she gave him a long and passionate kiss. ¡°Thank you for making Janet so happy.¡±


    Arnold gave her another kiss and looked back at Janet. She had a frantic look on her face, then she leaned down to kiss him. She had felt an orgasm approaching and wanted to scream into his mouth to deaden the sound.


    ¡°MMMmmmMMMmmHHHHHH!¡± Janet moaned loudly and her smooth movements became jerky and erratic.


    Arnold broke the kiss and pulled Janet up and off of him. ¡°Pam.¡± He said and Pam was suddenly there in the right spot to suck on him and catch everything. She moved up and down several times, just to make sure she got everything, then she moved back up to lay beside him again. The three of them laid there for several minutes without saying anything while Janet calmed her breathing down.


    ¡°Way to go, Janet.¡± Pam said with a grin and looked at her friend.


    Janet''s face was bright red. ¡°Pam, I... I''m sorry, I just...¡±


    ¡°There''s no need to explain.¡± Pam said. ¡°How long has he been playing with you?¡± She chuckled. ¡°Of course you were going to need some satisfaction.¡±


    ¡°But... well, I...¡± Janet closed her mouth and wasn''t sure what she was trying to say.


    ¡°Janet, you didn''t stop him from having sex with me, if that''s what you''re thinking.¡± Pam said and reached across Arnold to pat her friend''s hand. ¡°I had sex with him in the shower, so it''s okay.¡±


    ¡°Pam, I... I thought that... you can do that with him.¡± Janet looked down at Arnold''s penis. ¡°So, I figured you would want to go first. You earned it.¡±


    Pam laughed. ¡°Janet, Janet, Janet.¡± She said. ¡°You''re the one that deserved to have him first... and you did. Now he''s perfectly fine with whomever decides that they can''t wait for it anymore.¡± She looked into Arnold''s eyes. ¡°Do you mind if I take a turn?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Do you want to be on top?¡± Pam asked and he nodded, so she made room for him and he rolled over on top of her.


    It was Janet''s turn to not say anything as Arnold slid inside her friend without wearing a condom. Of course, since she had her brain filled with endorphins and other sex related drugs, she thought that was the best thing ever and moved over next to Pam. She laid down and cuddled into her friend.


    ¡°I love... you, too.¡± Pam panted and put an arm around her. ¡°You''re the best... friend that I... ever had.¡±


    ¡°I was going to say that.¡± Janet said and looked at her for a moment, then they both looked up at Arnold.


    ¡°Now the both of us have another best friend.¡± Janet and Pam said at the same time.


    Arnold leaned down and kissed Janet first, then he kissed Pam. ¡°Best friends.¡± He said, then moved Pam into position three and Janet had to hold her friend''s mouth closed to stop her screams of pleasure.

 139 That’s How It Is

    Arnold left Janet''s and Pam''s room at midnight, because he had to get up early to play the game with Kelly for half an hour and then he needed to get to work. He entered his dorm room and saw that Kelly was in the second bed. He didn''t look closely to see if she was asleep and he took off his t-shirt and shorts. He adjusted his alarm to half an hour earlier than normal, then climbed into bed wearing just his underwear.


    After ten minutes, Kelly couldn''t resist asking what she wanted to know. ¡°Arnold, did... did you have sex with Janet?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly took in a sharp breath and then let it out in a sigh. ¡°Did you plan to have sex with her when you went over there?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold responded. ¡°She said she couldn''t help herself.¡±


    ¡°I know what she means.¡± Kelly whispered and turned onto her side to look at him. Since it was fairly quiet in the room, Arnold easily heard her. ¡°Arnold, I...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said without looking at her.


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°I won''t have sex with you.¡± Arnold said and turned onto his side to look at her. ¡°You need to find a smaller penis, so it doesn''t hurt you like mine did.¡±


    ¡°Arnold, what... what if I do... and... and it fixes the problem?¡± Kelly asked, her voice full of hope. ¡°Would you have sex with me then?¡±


    ¡°Are you moving in at the start of the year?¡± Arnold asked instead of answering.


    Kelly couldn''t help show sadness on her face. ¡°I don''t know.¡± She said. ¡°I have a partial scholarship that covers my tuition and the main course books; but, I have to buy any additional books and materials that any of the classes need.¡± She closed her eyes. ¡°If I can''t live here for free like we planned, then that''s going to be a huge expense for my parents.¡±


    ¡°Pam works two part time jobs to afford to live here.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly sighed again. ¡°I know there are some people that are much worse off than me.¡± She said and opened her eyes to look at him. ¡°I''m assuming she falls behind in her homework a lot?¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°Janet helps her a lot and they stay up late practically every night.¡±


    Kelly opened her mouth for a moment, then she closed it.


    ¡°Yes, she finally had a night off and she wanted to spend it with her best friends.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Her... best friends.¡± Kelly whispered and fell quiet. She didn''t let her tears escape, even though she felt like crying. Even Pam has a closer relationship to him than I do. She thought, then she made a decision. ¡°Can you cuddle me, please?¡± She asked. ¡°This might be the last time I get to spend the night here and I... I want to do it in your arms.¡±


    Arnold slid out of his bed and walked over to hers, then climbed under the blanket with her. Kelly rolled over and faced away from him, so he moved in close and put an arm around her waist and spooned her. Kelly put a tentative hand on his arm, then she hugged his arm tightly and fought the urge to put his hand up under her t-shirt. Despite her attempt to forget them, Janet''s impassioned words echoed in her mind.


    She''s right. I can''t keep him to just petting and playing. Kelly thought. It''s not fair to him. Or to me. Her grip tightened for a moment, then she sighed. Fair or not, I really want to.


    Kelly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, with the hope that she could wake up before Arnold did in the morning. It was a faint hope, even with her phone set to vibrate an hour before the normal time.


    Arnold fell asleep, not knowing that he was unintentionally contributing to Kelly''s underhanded plan.


    *


    ¡°Do you think they''re doing anything?¡± Pam asked into the darkness.


    ¡°No.¡± Janet responded for the tenth time. ¡°Go. To. Sleep.¡±


    ¡°Aren''t you worried?¡± Pam asked. ¡°His ex-girlfriend, that you''ve tried so hard to tell to move on, is probably half-naked in his bed and...¡±


    ¡°Ha. You just nerfed yourself.¡± Janet said. ¡°Only half-naked? Really?¡±


    Pam had to smile. ¡°Okay, okay. Fully naked.¡±


    ¡°Nope. He wouldn''t like that.¡± Janet said. ¡°Not after trying so hard to make her understand.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°If you''re so nervous about it, I can set the alarm for extra early and you can try to sneak over in the morning.¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Pam asked, a little surprised. ¡°Do you want to...¡±


    ¡°I can''t handle his morning wood like you can.¡± Janet said, sadly. ¡°You know I tried to. A lot.¡±


    ¡°You''re a real trooper for trying so many times, knowing that you were going to fail.¡± Pam said, admiration in her voice. ¡°I don''t think I could have.¡±


    Janet chuckled. ¡°Says the girl that cock-blocked me with an actual cock.¡±


    Pam snorted and then laughed. ¡°Okay, that was a good comeback.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Janet said, a little smugly. ¡°Now go to sleep.¡±


    After a few moments, Pam spoke. ¡°Janet?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Can you change the alarm?¡±


    ¡°Don''t be stupid.¡± Janet said. ¡°I did that before we went to bed.¡±


    Pam resisted the urge to jump out of bed to hug her friend. ¡°You''re the best!¡±


    ¡°You know it.¡± Janet responded.


    *


    The next morning, two people had designs on seeing Arnold first thing in the morning, just to make sure that he was okay. Pam snuck out of her room and went to his door. She reached for the door handle and slowly tried to turn it, just as the elevator door opened. The handle clicked, because it was locked, and Pam let it go to look and see who was there this early.


    Doris was halfway up the hallway and whispered. ¡°What do you think you''re doing, young lady?¡±


    Pam''s face flushed red. ¡°I... well...¡±


    ¡°Sneaking into a boy''s room this early in the morning? Have you no shame?¡±


    Pam was going to respond, then she frowned. ¡°What are you doing here, then?¡±


    ¡°I''m sneaking into his room to check on him.¡± Doris whispered. ¡°I lost my shame years ago.¡±


    Pam opened her mouth, then she smiled and shook her head. She waved at the locked door and Doris used her master key to open it. The door was slowly opened and both of them peered in to see that Arnold and Kelly were in the same bed.


    ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Doris whispered and locked the door again as she shut it. ¡°I''ve got this.¡± She said and took out her cell phone. ¡°A quick text to Annie should...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Pam whispered. ¡°I''m pretty sure Annie wants them to try to get back together.¡±


    Janet had told her everything that Annie had said and Pam was sure that was her plan.


    ¡°What? Why would...¡± Doris stopped talking as she thought about it. ¡°Ah, I see. She wants Kelly as a built in buffer.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡±


    ¡°Kelly would be the filter for Arnold to experience the world. Everyone would have to go through her to get to him and she would tell him how to handle everything.¡± Doris explained. ¡°Including potential girlfriends.¡±


    ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Pam whispered. ¡°Then... go right to the source.¡± She tapped Doris'' cell phone. ¡°Text Arnold and wake him up.¡±


    ¡°You''re assuming the phone is close enough to get his attention... but... it''s all we can do to save him... and Kelly... from something that could embarrass her.¡± Doris said and sent a text. ¡°We should scram.¡±


    Pam nodded and went back to her room and Doris went back to the elevator.


    *


    Arnold''s cell phone beeped at him and he woke up almost instantly. He knew a text would have to be important to be sent this early, so he carefully eased his hold on Kelly and rolled over onto his back to check the phone on the nightstand.


    '' Kelly is going to try something. I don''t know what. Please, be careful. '' Doris typed.


    Arnold checked the time and put the phone down. He stayed there on his back and waited to see if what Doris said was right. He didn''t have to wait long for Kelly to almost jerk awake. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and turned it off. He closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, then he felt the bed shift as Kelly moved closer. He felt a hand touch his underwear and slowly rub him to see that he was already hard. The blanket moved and he opened his eyes to see Kelly duck under it.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Arnold said and Kelly froze in mid-motion.


    ¡°G-good m-morning.¡± Kelly said.


    Arnold rolled the blanket back off of her and she had surprise on her face. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Um... I was just...¡± Kelly''s face flushed red. ¡°We''re friends and I... I want to try it.¡±


    ¡°Kelly.¡±


    ¡°Janet''s not your girlfriend and I''m sure she''s sucked it.¡± Kelly said. ¡°She has, hasn''t she?¡±


    ¡°Yes. A few times.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Then I want to try it, too.¡± Kelly said and her hand started to rub him through the cloth. ¡°I won''t bug you about being my boyfriend or anything.¡±


    Arnold put a hand on hers to stop her.


    ¡°Just... just the tip.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I won''t go further than the tip.¡±


    Arnold remembered the black girl with dreadlocks and what Maxine had said when she said the same thing. ¡°You won''t stop at the tip. You''ll try to gobble it all up.¡±


    Kelly opened her mouth to deny it, then she blushed. ¡°Well, once I get the tip in, I would have to try a bit more, right? It''s only logical.¡± She said and her blush eased away. ¡°I''m sure I can fit a lot more of you in my mouth than I can in... my other place.¡±


    ¡°Kelly, you shouldn''t do this.¡± Arnold said. ¡°You won''t find someone else if I let you do this.¡±


    ¡°I don''t want anyone else, Arnold.¡± Kelly said and pulled his underwear down. ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Arnold said and caught her hand before she grabbed his penis. ¡°I didn''t wash it yet.¡±


    ¡°I... I don''t care.¡± Kelly said and couldn''t move her hand to grab him. She sat up and tried to use her other hand and he caught that one, too. ¡°Arnold...¡±


    ¡°Do you really want to suck it, knowing it was inside another girl, Kelly?¡± Arnold asked.


    Kelly fought the tears that came to her eyes. ¡°I want to try, dammit!¡±


    ¡°Do you want to taste another girl''s vagina, just to suck on my penis?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°I... Arnold, you... I love you!¡± Kelly said and let the tears flow. ¡°Go wash and...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and let her hands go. ¡°She came all over my penis, Kelly.¡± He said and she winced a little. ¡°If you want to try sucking it, do it now or you will never do it.¡±


    Kelly sat there and thought about it. She tried to reach for it and her hand hovered over it. She was close to grabbing it, so very close, then she made a fist.


    ¡°You can''t touch it now that you know it''s been inside another girl.¡± Arnold said and pulled his underwear up. ¡°I hope this makes it clear what the distance is between us.¡±


    Kelly opened and closed her mouth several times as each rebuttal tried to escape and then died before it could. She looked at his underwear and the still hard member hidden inside, then she sighed.


    ¡°I think so.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Then let me tell you to make sure you understand.¡± Arnold said and got up out of the bed to make breakfast. ¡°If you had sex with another guy and told me the same thing, that he had come all over you and you wanted me to lick you, I wouldn''t have hesitated or stopped to think. I would still lick you.¡±


    Kelly took in a sharp breath. ¡°Arnold!¡±


    ¡°Whatever happened before, it wouldn''t have mattered to me.¡± Arnold said and put toast in the toaster and grabbed a box of cereal and a couple of bowls. ¡°If you wanted me to lick you, I would do it.¡±


    ¡°Then lick me!¡± Kelly exclaimed.


    ¡°I just told you when you tried to suck it, it was then or never.¡± Arnold said and poured out the cereal. The toast popped up and he buttered them and sprinkled brown sugar on the cereal. ¡°You chose never.¡±


    ¡°That wasn''t a fair choice.¡± Kelly said, sadly.


    ¡°For who?¡± Arnold asked and sat down.


    Kelly climbed out of bed and walked over to him wearing just tiny panties and a t-shirt. She couldn''t argue it wasn''t fair for her, because he claimed that he would have licked her if she had sex with another guy. She sat down at the table with a sigh and started eating. She cast him furtive glances to see if he was bothered by her refusal, and he didn''t let anything show.


    They ate breakfast in silence and Arnold washed the bowls in the sink. He walked over to his bed and put on the shorts and t-shirt he had worn yesterday and started his computer.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Kelly asked as he checked his email. ¡°Aren''t you going to shower?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and he saw that there was no response to his inquiry from the game developers.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Kelly looked at him sternly. ¡°You can''t walk around with that stuff on you. It will dry out and...¡±


    ¡°I took a shower last night before coming back.¡± Arnold closed the email program.


    Kelly caught her breath at his words. ¡°But... you said...¡±


    ¡°You could see that it was clean, even though I said it wasn''t.¡± Arnold said. ¡°You just had to touch it to find out for yourself.¡±


    Kelly''s stern expression faded and she sighed. ¡°You were testing me...¡± ...and I failed. She finished in her mind, disappointed in herself.


    ¡°We''re a little early to pick up those enchanted items.¡± Arnold said and motioned to her computer. ¡°I''m sure he will have them done.¡±


    Kelly gave him a sorrowful look, then walked over to her computer. She woke it up and the two of them loaded the game as they put on their VR equipment.


    ¡°I have work today, too.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I know.¡± Kelly said and managed to keep the sadness out of her voice. ¡°We can finish the quest long before you have to get ready for work.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and they both loaded the game.


    Kelly didn''t have the courage to tell him that she didn''t feel like playing anymore.

 140 Ritual Magic

    Arnold flew the nag, with a very quiet Kelly in front of him, to the enchanter''s place in the town with the quest. They landed outside and Arnold hopped off and tied the nag up, then helped Kelly down. They didn''t notice the small figure disappear through the small door on the roof of the building. Arnold walked over to the front door of the shop and went inside. Kelly followed him and they went to the counter.


    The enchanter came out of the back with a huge smile on his face. ¡°It was a great success!¡± He exclaimed and held out a large wooden box. He put it on the counter and opened it, to show the seven jewellery items were nestled in their own red velvet custom holders. ¡°Some of my best work went into these pieces.¡±


    Arnold closed the case and handed it to Kelly without looking at her. ¡°We need the sheets back, too.¡± He said to the man.


    ¡°Of course.¡± The man said and took out the sheets and handed them to Arnold, who counted them to make sure they were all there.


    ¡°Did you copy them?¡± Arnold asked and the man gave him wide eyes, which looked doubled in size because of his goggles.


    ¡°Um... I...¡±


    ¡°How valuable are plans like them?¡± Arnold asked.


    The man sighed, because he had been so easily caught. ¡°They are practically priceless.¡±


    Arnold didn''t say anything and just stood there.


    ¡°I can give you the copies.¡± The man said in a defeated tone.


    ¡°You already memorized them.¡± Arnold said.


    The man didn''t try to deny it, because it was just too useful of a technique to not commit to memory. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I want to learn how to enchant.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°DONE!¡± The little gnome under the counter yelled and climbed up a tiny ladder to stand on the counter. ¡°Anyone who willingly provides such treasures deserves to be taught.¡±


    ¡°Do I need to take an enchanting class?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Taking the class won''t be available until you complete the trials.¡± Clarence said. ¡°Until then, you will only be an apprentice.¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°It may be a week or two before I can come back.¡±


    Clarence nodded. ¡°We know all about adventurers. We will start when you come back.¡±


    ¡°Do I need to bring anything?¡±


    ¡°Just the willingness to learn.¡± Clarence said, then smiled. ¡°We can send you for things later, since you have no problems getting the best items.¡±


    Arnold nodded and led Kelly out of the shop. She didn''t say anything as he helped her climb onto the nag, then he climbed on himself and they flew back to the woman that had given Kelly the quest.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± The woman asked as they landed. ¡°The enchantments should be carefully handled by an expert and...¡±


    ¡°We have the items.¡± Arnold said and motioned to Kelly. She took the large wooden box out and handed it to the woman.


    ¡°You have them already?¡± The woman asked, shocked. ¡°But...¡± She opened the case and caught her breath at the high quality of the items and the supreme enchanting work that had been done to them. ¡°I... this is...¡± She looked at Kelly. ¡°I knew I was right to put my trust in you, Fervent_Wish!¡±


    ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Kelly said and glanced at Arnold, because he was the one that had to be trusted.


    ¡°Come with me.¡± The woman said and turned towards the front door of her house. ¡°We need to get the ritual reaffirmed and completed as soon as possible.¡±


    Kelly and Arnold followed the woman into the house and up several floors to the attic. There were discarded items and clutter all over the place, except for a small area in the very center of the floor. Six people stood there and had been waiting for them.


    ¡°What are they doing here?¡± A man asked, angrily.


    ¡°They delivered the family heirlooms back to me, husband.¡± The woman spat at him.


    The man couldn''t stop the shock on his face. ¡°Wh-what... how...¡±


    ¡°Wouldn''t you like to know?¡± The woman asked and looked at the other five people. ¡°Please prepare the space for the reaffirmation.¡±


    The five of them quickly cleaned up and added the proper items to the ritual circle, then drew a very intricate chalk outline with runes, symbols, words, and quick sketches of the proper items in their right spots. The man stood there and didn''t help at all.


    ¡°Excellent work.¡± The woman said and opened the wooden box. Everyone gasped at the contents, especially the husband, then he became very angry.


    ¡°Those aren''t the family''s heirlooms!¡± He accused and pointed at them. ¡°The ritual won''t work with...¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± One of the others asked and interrupted him.


    ¡°He was the one that stole them.¡± Arnold said and complete silence fell in the attic.


    ¡°It''s true.¡± The woman said and pointed at Kelly. ¡°This adventurer investigated and followed the clues right back here.¡±


    ¡°No! I didn''t!¡± The man exclaimed.


    ¡°The evidence doesn''t lie.¡± Kelly said and the woman nodded as she handed out the clues and finally the note and the cuff link.


    ¡°You want to ruin the family!¡± One of them said and the man winced. ¡°Why? Why would you do this?¡±


    ¡°I''m sick of having everything go my way, dammit!¡± The man responded. ¡°Any time something bad might possibly happen, something else happens and everything works out! I hate it!¡± He spat. ¡°I needed to break this damnable curse, just so I can have a normal day for once! Just once!¡±


    The others looked at him with surprise on their faces, then they all shook their heads.


    ¡°You are not worthy to be a part of this ritual.¡± The woman said.


    ¡°You don''t have a choice.¡± The man scoffed. ¡°If you don''t have seven family members participate, it won''t work.¡±


    ¡°Why did you show up, then?¡±


    ¡°To make sure it failed.¡± The man said. ¡°If I had stayed away, you would have called someone else.¡±


    ¡°Well, we have the pieces and everything is set.¡± The woman said and put the wooden box down. ¡°You''re here now and you have to participate, according to the blessing.¡±


    ¡°It''s a curse, damn you!¡± The man spat.


    ¡°Take your place and be ready to add your drop of blood.¡±


    ¡°Over my dead body.¡± The man said and took his place, as did the others.


    ¡°Start the ritual.¡± One of the others said.


    The woman that gave Kelly the quest started to chant and gather magic to herself. She glowed slightly and the words drifted out and became heavy, as if they had weight, and pressed down on the seven individuals. She handed a piece of jewellery to each of them as she spoke and each person marvelled at the treasure in their hands. Even though their family was prosperous, none of them had ever seen such things or even thought about buying them.


    The disgust on the man''s face when he accepted the brooch could clearly be seen. The others ignored it and followed along with the ritual. The chalk circle started to glow as each of them pricked their fingers with needles and they rubbed their blood on the jewels... except for the man. He chuckled and just stood there... then he yelled in pain.


    ¡°AHHH!¡± The man screamed as a sword ran him through the middle of his chest. A hand caught the man''s hand before he dropped the brooch, then the hand rubbed the brooch in the blood spilling out of the grievous wound. Everyone stood there in shock at the sight of Arnold holding the man up and the blood spilling on the floor and into the ritual circle.


    ¡°He said to do it over his dead body.¡± Arnold said and pulled the sword out of the man''s back. He held the man''s hand and didn''t drop the brooch. ¡°What do I do now?¡±


    The ritual circle glowed twice as brightly as the blood seemed to gather only along the words and the outer ring of the circle.


    ¡°Um... p-place the brooch on the spot by... his feet, then step back.¡± The woman said and Arnold used the man''s hand to put the bloody brooch in the right spot, pried the man''s fingers apart to let the jewel go, and stepped back. The others put their items down in their spots and stepped back as well. The woman put hers down and said the final three lines.


    The ritual circle glowed brightly as the center of it opened up to reveal a black expanse. A dark cloud floated up out of the hole and the seven jewellery items lifted up into the air with it. They started to turn around in a circle in place, then those circles rotated around the cloud. They went faster and faster, spinning and circling, almost faster than the eye could see, then the items were sucked into the cloud.


    After a bright flash of light, the black cloud was gone and a very beautiful ghostly woman stood there. She was clad in a white flowing gown and her bright golden hair shined as if she was bathed in sunlight.


    ¡°She completely manifested!¡± One of the others gasped and immediately knelt.


    ¡°Matriarch of the Dynasty.¡± The woman who issued the quest said and bowed deeply as the others knelt. None of them had ever seen her in person before, because it had always been a cloud and a disembodied voice. ¡°Please accept our sincere apologies for allowing your personal jewellery to be stolen.¡± She said. ¡°Had I known my husband was so untrustworthy...¡±


    The Matriarch looked at her and then down at the dead body. ¡°Who has slain a member of the family that I swore to protect for all eternity?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± Arnold said and stepped forward.


    ¡°ARNOLD!¡± Kelly gasped.


    The Matriarch looked at him and down at the body. ¡°You made me break my vow.¡±


    ¡°No, I protected your family.¡± Arnold said and she looked at him with surprise on her face, as did all of the others. ¡°He gave up your protection when he decided to not complete the ritual.¡±


    The Matriarch looked at the blood covered brooch on her chest. ¡°You did this?¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°His blood was needed and he said with his own words that the ritual would be completed over his dead body.¡±


    The Matriarch looked at the woman, who was the current head of the family. ¡°Is this true?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Matriarch of the Dynasty.¡± The woman said and the others nodded their heads. ¡°I wasn''t sure how we were going to sanctify the new jewellery items without his blood...¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± The Matriarch said and the woman fell silent as the pressure in the room intensified. ¡°The ritual was completed, and yet, these are not my possessions.¡± She said. ¡°How is this possible?¡±


    ¡°The adventurers provided them.¡± The woman said and didn''t explain further.


    ¡°Why?¡± The Matriarch asked, confused.


    ¡°I...¡± The woman looked at Kelly.


    Kelly pointed at Arnold. ¡°Ask him.¡±


    The Matriarch turned to him. ¡°You have spent a fortune... several fortunes... to ensure my vow.¡± She once again looked at the body on the floor. ¡°Mostly.¡±


    Kelly barely managed to hold in her laugh.


    ¡°It was the only way to ensure that the enchantments would last.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I didn''t ask for a guarantee; but, the items are so expensive that I knew the enchanter would have done everything he could to ensure that his work would last for a long time.¡±


    The Matriarch''s ghostly fingers touched each of the beautiful jewellery items she wore. ¡°Your words, and your intent, have touched me.¡±


    Arnold stepped into the ritual circle and reached out to take her hand.


    ¡°NO!¡± The woman yelled, a little too late.


    Either fortunately or unfortunately, Arnold had some of the man''s blood on his clothes and on his hand. Instead of the insubstantial substance that he should have felt, his bloody hand took the ghost''s hand.


    The Matriarch gasped as his hand gripped hers and her other hand reached out and touched the blood stains on his clothes. ¡°I can touch you.¡±


    ¡°It''s probably because I protected your family and wear the blood of your enemy.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°It''s more likely that the enchantments you have provided me have given me more substance.¡± The Matriarch said.


    ¡°Let''s test that.¡± Arnold said and boosted his speed as he chose the ''kiss on the lips'' personal action several times. Everyone in the room was shocked as he kissed the ancient head of the family.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Kelly gasped.


    ¡°Mmm.¡± The Matriarch moaned at the very quick succession of kisses he gave her.


    ¡°Perhaps it''s the combination.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°P-perhaps.¡± The Matriarch said and looked into his eyes. ¡°Tell me your name, adventurer.¡±


    ¡°Morbid.¡± Arnold responded and she smiled.


    ¡°That is appropriate.¡± The Matriarch said and she reached into her own chest. She pulled something out of it and held it up to his mouth. ¡°I am so very glad that you haven''t chosen a class yet, Morbid.¡± She said. ¡°If you would like to continue our conversation, please accept this.¡±


    Arnold didn''t ask what it was and opened his mouth. The Matriarch smiled and pushed it inside and Kelly was surprised that she could see... something... go down his throat. It stopped partway down and tendrils of ghostly mist spread out from whatever it was. They seemed to find purchase all over Arnold''s body, then the ghostly form faded. She saw him swipe at something and wondered what the popup was.


    The Matriarch took in a deep breath and Arnold''s avatar did as well. ¡°Ah, it worked.¡± She said and gave him a kiss. ¡°Thank you very much, Morbid. You will not regret this.¡±


    Arnold heard his alarm beep at him. ¡°I need to go.¡±


    The Matriarch nodded. ¡°Godspeed, Morbid.¡±


    Arnold stepped out of the ritual circle, completely unharmed, and went to Kelly. ¡°I have to go to work.¡±


    ¡°I''ll stay here and finish the quest.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Are you staying at the dorm all day?¡±


    ¡°Can I?¡± Kelly asked, surprised. She thought that he might want her out of there as soon as possible, after what had happened between them.


    ¡°If you want to.¡± Arnold said and left the attic.


    ¡°He is remarkable.¡± The Matriarch said and reached down to pick up the dead body, then she stuck her hand into the skull. ¡°All he wanted was a day without my protection?¡± She chuckled and shook her head. ¡°What a fool, since he was killed as soon as he didn''t have it.¡± She said and the black hole beneath her opened up. She lowered the body into it and then it closed.


    ¡°Oh, boy.¡± Kelly whispered.


    The Matriarch looked at Kelly. ¡°You have completed your assigned task, adventurer.¡±


    ¡°Fervent_Wish.¡± Kelly said, then covered her mouth.


    The Matriarch chuckled. ¡°Freely giving your name to a spirit is not always a wise choice.¡±


    Kelly caught her breath. ¡°But... he...¡±


    ¡°Morbid isn''t you.¡± The Matriarch said and waved her hand at the woman. ¡°Please finish this adventurer''s requirements.¡±


    The woman nodded and went over to Kelly. ¡°Thank you for your help, great adventurer.¡± She said and took out something that looked like a sash. ¡°This grants you protection whenever you are outside the borders of a town or city. Use it well. If you ever decide that you want to sell it, go to any of our stores and tell them I sent you. They will buy it back for what it is actually worth and not the paltry sum a normal store will buy it for.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Kelly said and accepted the item, the very valuable item according to the internet, then she dismissed the popup for completing the quest. The experience she gained put her up another level and she unlocked another spell from her Book of Magic. ¡°If you need any more help in the future...¡±


    ¡°I don''t believe that will be necessary.¡± The Matriarch said with a smile.


    To Kelly''s surprise, and the shock of everyone else, the ghostly form of the Matriarch stepped out of the ritual circle.

 141 Facing Reality

    Kelly was summarily dismissed and ushered out of the house by one of the family members, then the door was pretty much slammed in her face. She turned around and thought about spending the money for a fast travel trip to Langport to get to the inn that Arnold was staying at, then she saw the nag stood there and waited for her.


    ¡°What...¡± Kelly shook her head and walked over to the nag. ¡°He sent you back for me?¡±


    The nag neighed at her and Kelly pet it, because she assumed that was confirmation.


    ¡°Then let''s get back to the inn and get you settled in the stable.¡± Kelly said and the nag neighed happily. She was only a little surprised at that response, because she knew that Arnold would treat anything he owned well. She climbed on and said the name of the inn, then the nag flew her back to there. Everything was already paid for, so she handed the nag over to the stable hand, went inside to their room, and logged out.


    Kelly took off her VR things and saw that Arnold was already gone. She glanced at the closed dorm room door and nodded. ¡°At least he didn''t leave it open.¡± She said and looked down at herself. She still only wore the panties and t-shirt she had slept in and sighed. Her plan to sneak a quick blowjob that morning, to try and repay him for the times he had gone down on her, had blown up in her face... and not in the way she had wanted.


    *


    Arnold worked for the entire morning as he and the professor prepared new specimens for the upcoming classes. Once again, they had to make enough for all of the students taking the biology class and not just for the ones that were only taking the biology curriculum and its related courses.


    ¡°You don''t know how much I appreciate that you are willing to do all this menial work, my boy.¡± Professor Hamil Crenslav said. ¡°I can sometimes convince the others to do some, even Cissily and Amy; but, all of them would have been bored after we did the first fifty of them.¡±


    ¡°They don''t understand that repetition is the key to perfection.¡± Arnold said and expertly sliced open the next specimen to let the student have easy access to the chest cavity, then he made several precise partial cuts to show the students where they should cut themselves. After that, he tacked it back into place and it was done.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Hamil said. ¡°I doubt they could have halted their cuts in the exact same spot on each specimen like you are.¡± He smiled. ¡°It''s quite remarkable that you can fight your instincts so well to not continue the cut.¡±


    ¡°I''ve had to fight my instincts a lot over the years, sir.¡±


    Hamil chuckled. ¡°I can imagine, my boy. I really can.¡± He said and finished the last specimen. ¡°I am going to miss your steady hand and your diligence when the fall session starts.¡±


    ¡°I can still help, sir.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°You are going to be much too busy to work, go to school, and do your assignments.¡± Hamil said, a little sadly. ¡°There is only so much time in the day to get things done. I know for a fact that some students need all the spare time they have to get their other course materials completed in time, which is why we usually allot free periods during the school day for those things.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you only have your main course students take labs on Mondays and Fridays?¡± Arnold asked.


    Hamil nodded. ¡°It gives them time to catch up with the written parts of the afternoon classes and the textbook work.¡± He chuckled. ¡°It''s not all fun and enjoyment with the lab portion, I''m afraid. There is lots of studying and research as well.¡±


    Arnold nodded, because he remembered Janet and Pam labouring over their desks to write reports and to do their homework.


    ¡°You have a very large lead on both the biology course and the chemistry course, according to Professor Power.¡± Hamil said. ¡°That doesn''t help with actually doing the homework, however. That still requires time and effort on your part.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡± Hamil said with another smile. ¡°Give me a hand putting these things away and you can go.¡±


    Arnold nodded and the two of them make quick work of it and had the lab cleaned up in no time.


    ¡°Oh, before I forget, there''s something I need to tell you.¡± Hamil said as Arnold reached for the door. ¡°Just before the fall session is to start, you have the last week in the month off.¡±


    ¡°Sir?¡± Arnold raised his eyebrows.


    Hamil knew that was almost a shout and laughed. ¡°Don''t worry, you still get paid. After working for three months straight, all the workers get the week off to rest before the next semester starts.¡±


    ¡°You''ll be here alone.¡± Arnold said.


    Hamil nodded. ¡°Don''t worry about that. All I do during the week is accept the deliveries for the new specimens.¡± He saw the pained look on Arnold''s face and managed to not go to the boy to reassure him. ¡°It''s not that bad, my boy. I only accept the crates and tell the delivery men where to put them.¡± He said. ¡°I leave the unpacking to the lab workers when they come back at the start of the term.¡±


    ¡°Which isn''t me.¡± Arnold said.


    Hamil opened his mouth to respond that he could still help, then sighed. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± He apologized, because as a student, Arnold wouldn''t have access to the specimen storage anymore. ¡°Does it make things better if I tell you that the funding from the equestrian school came through and that we will be starting on the horse next week?¡±


    ¡°I can''t help finish it.¡± Arnold said, his face sad. ¡°With the size of the horse, the prepping materials, and the procedures, it will take two to three weeks to complete it.¡±


    Hamil took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Perhaps I can make an exception...¡±


    ¡°I can''t qualify as a lab assistant until the second year, according to the college rules.¡± Arnold said.


    Hamil reluctantly nodded. ¡°Damn seniority procedures.¡± He almost spat. ¡°I can''t extend your current job past the summer semester or repeal the mandatory vacation.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°This week will be the last time you can work here.¡± Hamil said, sadly.


    ¡°I''ll try to make the most of it, sir.¡± Arnold said and left the lab. He nodded and waved to people that nodded and waved to him, greeted them as he passed, and went back to the dorm.


    ¡°You''re back early.¡± Doris said as he entered the lobby, then she saw his face and went right over to him. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°This next week is the last time I can work in the lab.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I have a week mandatory vacation before the start of term.¡±


    Doris caught her breath, then she reached up and gently pulled him into a hug. ¡°Oh, you poor thing.¡± She said and nestled his face into her cleavage as she pet his head. ¡°I''m so sorry.¡±


    Arnold hugged her back and the two of them stood there for several minutes, despite the girls around them and their low whispers.


    ¡°MA!¡± Cissily exclaimed as she came into the dorm with her mother''s lunch.


    ¡°Cissily this isn''t what you think.¡± Doris said and let Arnold go. ¡°I was just...¡±


    ¡°I don''t care what you were doing.¡± Cissily spat and walked over to her. ¡°You can get your own lunch from now on.¡±


    ¡°Cissily!¡± Doris nearly yelled as Cissily shoved the bag into her mother''s hands and she almost dropped the food.


    ¡°Goodbye.¡± Cissily said as she turned around and started to walk away.


    ¡°Don''t you dare walk away after doing that to me, young lady!¡± Doris said loudly.


    ¡°I can''t hear you.¡± Cissily said and tried to open the door. It wouldn''t budge and she pulled again. ¡°What the...¡± She looked around at what could stop it and saw a nice black shoe was jammed against it. She followed the foot up the leg and across the nice suit to end at Arnold''s face. ¡°Let go.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and took her hand and pulled her back over to her mother.


    ¡°Hey! Let me go, you fucker!¡± Cissily spat and tried to pull away.


    All the girls in the lobby had fallen silent and watched with fascination at the scene playing out in front of them.


    ¡°I''ve taken just about all I can take of your attitude, young lady.¡± Doris said, anger clear on her face. ¡°I was giving Arnold a hug. A COMFORTING HUG!¡± She yelled and waved at the quiet girls in a group off to the side. ¡°Ask them what he said when he came in! ASK THEM!¡±


    Cissily''s face was just as angry as her mother''s and she defiantly kept her mouth shut.


    ¡°The next five days is all Arnold has left to work in the lab!¡± Doris exclaimed. ¡°The next week is the last week before the fall semester starts and he has to take it off, which means he can''t go to the lab! He doesn''t have a job anymore, Cissily! How is he going to take care of his mother now? How? HOW?!?¡±


    Cissily''s angry face faded to indifference. ¡°He can find another job.¡±


    ¡°Only if there was two of him!¡± Doris scoffed. ¡°He will have classes and schoolwork to do. He doesn''t have time to work somewhere else.¡± She said in a more reasonable tone as she calmed down. ¡°Plus, he would have to look around and try to find a job that could give him enough flexible hours and won''t interfere with his studies.¡±


    ¡°Other students do it.¡± Cissily countered.


    ¡°Arnold isn''t like the other students.¡±


    ¡°You''re right. He isn''t.¡± Cissily said with a smirk. ¡°He''ll fuck anything if given half a chance.¡±


    *SLAP*


    The sound cut through the silence in the lobby like a clap of thunder and every girl there gasped in surprise. It wasn''t the first time that Doris had slapped her daughter to try and smarten her up. However, it was the first time she had wiped a satisfied smirk off of her daughter''s face with it.


    ¡°You can keep your biased opinions to yourself.¡± Doris said to Cissily''s now shocked face. ¡°Arnold has been through enough in his life without you saying things like that about him.¡±


    ¡°M-m-ma.¡± Cissily reached up and touched her sore cheek.


    ¡°Has he slept with Fareena? Or Maxine? Or Gail? Or Hanna? Or Shaniqua?¡± Doris asked and named the girls at the lunch table that she and Arnold ate with during the week. ¡°What about all of the girls on his floor? Has he slept with all of them? Has he?¡±


    Cissily didn''t say anything and just rubbed her cheek.


    ¡°You can''t stand there and claim that he didn''t have the chance to, not after everything else that has been going on and how long he has been without a girlfriend.¡± Doris said and her anger at her daughter faded away. ¡°I''m not saying he won''t. I''m only saying that you categorizing him like that is both unfair and unjustified.¡±


    ¡°But... Ma...¡±


    ¡°Cissily, I told you. Until we can work around the restrictions on you, you will be unhappy with him. There''s no other outcome. Nothing you can do can mitigate the circumstances. Nothing.¡± Doris let out a sigh. ¡°Arnold''s life is going to change again. He won''t have access to the lab, where he enjoys everything, and the financial future of his family is in doubt.¡±


    Cissily looked at Arnold and back at her mother.


    ¡°I was giving him a hug, because he deserves to have someone hold him in his time of need. I wasn''t flirting or trying to do anything except give him a loving hug.¡± Doris said and looked at Arnold. ¡°You can let her hand go.¡±


    Arnold opened his hand and Cissily looked at her hand. There were no marks, finger indents, or blossoming bruises, despite how tightly Arnold had held her and how hard she had tried to get away.


    ¡°I will see you at home tonight.¡± Doris said, pointedly. ¡°We need to have a little talk about your public outbursts.¡±


    Cissily opened her mouth to tell her off, glanced at the group of still silent girls off to the side, then she thought better of it and turned around. She left the lobby at a normal walk, to her mother''s surprise.


    ¡°I''m sorry about that, Arnold.¡± Doris said and looked up at his face. ¡°Thank you for not saying anything during all of that.¡± She touched his hand and held it for a moment, then let it go. ¡°I think she would have ranted and raved at you if you had.¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°I can''t ask my mom to change her mind.¡±


    Doris chuckled, despite not being in a laughing mood. ¡°She might be just as angry as Cissily if you did.¡±


    Arnold nodded again.


    ¡°I have a half-squashed lunch that might still be edible if you want to share it.¡± Doris held up the bag.


    ¡°Kelly''s still here and she might have lunch ready.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I assume so.¡± Doris said and used one arm to give him another hug, then whispered in his ear. ¡°Come down after roll call and I''ll make love to you as much as I''m able.¡±


    ¡°If Kelly leaves.¡± Arnold said and she nodded. He walked over to the elevator and stepped inside, then rode it up to the top floor. Half of the doors were closed and he greeted the remaining girls as he walked passed them to his closed door. It wasn''t locked, so he knocked once, waited several seconds, then opened the door.


    Arnold''s tactic had worked and Kelly had just enough time to duck out of view of the hallway. He shut the door and saw that she wore a tiny pair of shorts and a low cut t-shirt.


    ¡°I have lunch ready.¡± Kelly said and went over to the counter, then put the two plates of food on the table. ¡°I wasn''t sure if you were going to be late or not.¡± She said and sat down as Arnold stripped off his suit. ¡°Do you have to go back to work?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and pulled on a pair of basketball shorts. He came over to the table and sat down. The both of them ate their food and then washed the dishes in the sink.


    ¡°Arnold, you look sad.¡± Kelly said. She had noticed it while they ate and had waited until now to mention it. Arnold explained about this being his last week to work and how he was on mandatory vacation next week. Kelly almost shouted in happiness that he would have an entire week off and would be back home. She knew that wasn''t the response he needed to hear, despite how happy Annie would be to have him back.


    ¡°I''m sorry you can''t go back into the lab as a worker after that.¡± Kelly said and stepped close to him. ¡°The professor can''t make an exception?¡±


    Arnold shook his head. ¡°College rules say I need to earn seniority for a year to gain access to the lab.¡±


    Kelly took in a sharp breath. ¡°No, that...¡± She put her arms around him. ¡°Those idiots.¡± She said and pressed her chest into his. ¡°They are going to lose their best worker for an entire year, just because they think you need to earn seniority?¡± She shook her head. ¡°You''re the second assistant to the professor! You''re already head and shoulders over the other lab workers!¡±


    Arnold put his arms around her and held her. Kelly didn''t say anything and rested her forehead against his. The two of them stood there for several minutes and just held each other.


    ¡°Do you want to play Fortune''s Favour for a while?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Did you complete the quest?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I got the protective sash, but...¡± Kelly sighed. ¡°...you''re not going to believe what happened.¡±


    ¡°The Matriarch stepped out of the ritual circle.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly gasped and stared into his eyes. ¡°How did you know that?¡±


    ¡°It''s one of the abilities I have access to now.¡±


    Kelly blinked her eyes for a moment. ¡°What? How did you...¡± She stopped and thought about what she saw him do in the ritual circle. ¡°You received a popup after that spirit thing. What did it say?¡±


    ¡°It gave me a new sub-class.¡±


    ¡°What? How? You need a main class in order to have a sub-class.¡± Kelly said, then she frowned. ¡°Wait a second. What class lets you do things like that with ghosts?¡± She asked, because she hadn''t heard about anything like that happening in the game before.


    ¡°My new sub-class is Shaman.¡± Arnold said with a hint of a smile.

 142 Something Special

    ¡°Shaman?¡± Kelly gave Arnold an odd look. ¡°But...¡± She walked over to her computer and woke it up, sat down with her back straight, then did a bit of searching. ¡°Oh, wow.¡±


    Arnold walked over to her and looked over her shoulder. If he cared for such a thing, his position gave him a spectacular down the blouse shot of Kelly and her perky and unrestrained breasts.


    ¡°There really is a Shaman sub-class.¡± Kelly said, shocked. ¡°It can''t normally be taken if you have any of the main classes, because you need to meet certain requirements.¡± She read through them. ¡°Good god, are they serious?¡± She asked, absently. ¡°That''s... totally ridiculous.¡±


    Arnold read the requirements and according to the normal rules, they would be ridiculous for any class, even a specialized magic user class geared towards magic point generation and high stamina. Luckily, he had met all the requirements, even the one where he had to have some kind of magic class to take it and access to five top tier spells.


    Kelly turned slightly and looked up at him. ¡°Arnold, you''re the only one to qualify. Ever.¡±


    Arnold looked at her and her cropped and low-cut t-shirt showed off a lot of her cleavage. ¡°I''m surprised that the minimum level is so low, actually.¡±


    Kelly barked a laugh and her breasts jiggled enticingly. ¡°That''s because they probably didn''t expect anyone to ever unlock the damn thing.¡± She turned back to her computer. ¡°I mean, look at what the class can do.¡±


    Arnold leaned down close and put a hand on her shoulder and almost hugged her as he braced himself. He read the details and the things he could do with the class, once he earned enough stat points to level up the abilities.


    ¡°It''s a good thing I didn''t have a class, because I haven''t spent any stat points.¡±


    Kelly gasped as she turned back towards him and essentially put herself into his embrace at the same time. ¡°Arnold.¡± She breathed. Her face was right next to his and she had a desperate urge to kiss him. ¡°What level are you now?¡±


    ¡°Fifty eight.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly quickly did the math in her head, then her arms reached around him to hug him. ¡°You get ten stat points per level to spend on skills.¡± She whispered and gave his cheek a gentle kiss. ¡°If you''re careful with how you spend them, you could... in theory... gain the best skills for the sub-class.¡±


    Arnold turned his head slightly and kissed her on the lips for a second. ¡°Show me what you mean.¡±


    Kelly took a slightly shuddering breath and nodded, then she let him go and turned back towards her computer. ¡°All right.¡± She said in an almost normal tone. ¡°First off, you know all about the skill tiers and...¡±


    Arnold watched as she brought up a normal class skill tree and how it branched as points were added to unlock the next tier. The technique only used the minimum amount to skip to the next level and once the desired skill was reached, enough points were dumped into it to get the maximum effect.


    ¡°Everyone does this?¡± Arnold asked and reached by her to type with one hand as he tried to look for the Shaman skill tier.


    ¡°I''ve done it and so have a lot of the people I''ve talked to.¡± Kelly said and managed to not react to Arnold''s arm rubbing her breast, despite really liking the sensation.


    ¡°There''s no tier map for the Shaman.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly chuckled and her breast rubbed his now still arm. ¡°Arnold, if anyone was going to make it, it would be you. You''re the only one that has the class.¡±


    Arnold thought about it. ¡°No, it''s a waste of points to try and make a map that no one else can use.¡±


    Kelly put her hand on his to hold his arm steady, then turned towards him again and dragged her breast across his arm to make herself shudder. ¡°You''re going to have to try to unlock everything, just to see what you can get and where.¡± She said. ¡°All you have is the skill list and not how to get them. We don''t even know which ones are the high level ones.¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°I need to send another email to the developers.¡±


    *


    The developer named ''Lance'', a self-chosen name, was currently getting an earful from his supervisor for how he had treated their latest acquisition. He was tuning a lot of it out, because the questions the guy had asked were stupid and not worth his time. He was a hardcore programmer and getting asked why the bonuses they had for classes wouldn''t work for someone that doesn''t have a class, was just the dumbest thing he had ever heard.


    ¡°Lance.¡± The supervisor said and picked up his soft sponge stress ball and tossed it at the chest of the half-asleep guy across his desk. ¡°LANCE!¡±


    ¡°Huuuhhhhh.¡± Lance sighed. ¡°What?¡± He responded and didn''t even notice the ball had bounced off of him and had landed back on the desk.


    ¡°Get your head out of your ass and listen.¡± The supervisor said. ¡°This guy brought Fortune''s Favour back into the limelight and gave us tons of new customers.¡±


    ¡°He was a newb that got spammed, man.¡± Lance said. ¡°I saw the vid. It looked like a setup to me.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t ask for your opinion.¡± The supervisor said. ¡°Of course it was a setup. According to the forums, those guys have been picking on him since he was a kid.¡±


    ¡°They picked on everyone, not just him.¡± Lance said.


    The supervisor sighed this time. ¡°You''re not going to take this discussion to heart, are you?¡±


    ¡°Sure I will.¡± Lance said. ¡°I''ll try to be less condescending to the idiots that message me in the future.¡±


    ¡°You''re lucky that you''re under contract for another six months, because I''m pretty sure you would have been out on your ass over this.¡± The supervisor said.


    ¡°You''re the one that''s lucky.¡± Lance said. ¡°If your company didn''t have the car bonus, I would have gone with your competitor.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know.¡± The supervisor said and shook his head. ¡°I recommended against that bonus.¡±


    Lance chuckled. ¡°Only because you didn''t get it when you signed on.¡±


    The supervisor was going to respond when his computer screen lit up and he heard a beep. ¡°Great, he just sent me another message.¡±


    ¡°Better you than me, man.¡±


    ¡°Did you even look at the things he''s done in the game so far?¡± The supervisor asked.


    ¡°That''s not my department.¡± Lance said, completely disinterested.


    The supervisor gave him a glare, then sighed again. ¡°I hope it''s not another complaint against you for not responding properly.¡± He said and decided to click on it. His face froze as he read the subject header, then he stopped breathing as he read the actual message. ¡°No, how...¡± He read it again and shook his head. ¡°It''s not possible to get a sub-class without getting a main class.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lance perked up at that.


    ¡°Quiet.¡± The supervisor said and started to type several things and opened several windows, one of which included the Morbid character''s usage, stats, and completed quests. ¡°Jesus.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Lance asked, because he could no longer feign disinterest.


    ¡°It''s not your department.¡± The supervisor said and picked up the phone. ¡°Please get Paul to call me asap.¡± He said. ¡°No, wait. Tell him to grab the last game update data and get up here to my office. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°What''s going on?¡± Lance asked, because he hadn''t liked having his own line thrown back at him.


    ¡°I''m tempted to say that it doesn''t concern you; but, I want you to see this.¡± The supervisor said.


    The two of them sat there for five minutes and waited for Paul to show up. He came in with his laptop and put it on the desk.


    ¡°What do you want to look at?¡± Paul asked.


    ¡°I want you to bring up the data we have on the Shaman sub-class.¡± The supervisor said.


    Both Paul and Lance stared at him with surprise on their faces.


    ¡°Come on, I don''t have all day.¡± The supervisor smiled.


    *


    ¡°I need to go to the lab and pick up a few things.¡± Arnold said and changed his clothes. He put on a pair of jeans and then a shirt, left it hanging out, and didn''t button the top two buttons.


    ¡°Do you need a hand?¡± Kelly asked. She had meant to ask when he spoke, then she was distracted by him changing.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and walked over to the dorm room door. He waited for a moment and looked at her.


    ¡°It''s okay. I don''t feel like hiding this time.¡± Kelly said with a smile.


    Arnold opened the door and walked down the hallway. Only a few of the girls were there talking, so he greeted them as he passed.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Rebecca said and came out of her room wearing shorts and a bra. ¡°Where are ya goin''?¡±


    ¡°Just to the lab to get some things.¡±


    ¡°The lab?¡± Rebecca asked, a little confused. ¡°What are ya gettin'' from thare?¡±


    ¡°Just my specimens and some working materials.¡± Arnold said. ¡°This is my last week working and I can''t go back after that.¡±


    Rebecca gasped and walked over to him. ¡°Oh, Ahrnold! I''m so sorry!¡± She said and took him into a hug. ¡°You love that job.¡± She said and looked up slightly at his face. ¡°You mus'' be so vury sad.¡±


    Arnold nodded and didn''t say anything.


    ¡°Well, you stand right thare and wait fer me. I''ll be right back.¡± Rebecca said and walked back over to her room and went inside. Two minutes later, she was back out and had on one of the prettiest blue dresses that any of the other girls had seen her wear. The bottom flared out and showed off a lot of leg when she walked, and the top showed just enough of her cleavage to be both daring and modest at the same time.


    Arnold looked at her dress and then at her face. ¡°You look very pretty.¡±


    ¡°Thank ya, Ahrnold.¡± Rebecca said with a huge smile and tucked her arm around his and held on. ¡°Now be a gentleman an'' escort this little filly, will ya?¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Arnold asked as the the two of them walked down the rest of the hallway towards the elevator.


    ¡°Anywhare ya wanna take me.¡± Rebecca said and beamed a smile at him. ¡°Right now? It''s to tha'' lab.¡±


    Arnold pushed the button and the door opened. They stepped inside the elevator and the door shut a moment later.


    Rebecca squeezed his arm. ¡°Ahrnold, ah''ve been thinkin'' about ya evah since we all wen'' bowling.¡± She said. ¡°Ah know yer busy, especially afta hearin'' tha'' yer losin'' yer job.¡± She said. Her southern drawl was so prevalent, because she had a hard time keeping her mind on what she wanted to say while being so close to him.


    ¡°Rebecca.¡± Arnold said and she shivered at the look in his eyes.


    ¡°Ahrnold.¡± Rebecca whispered.


    ¡°Do you want me to fuck you?¡±


    Rebecca shivered again and her face flushed red as she blushed. ¡°Tha''s why I put on a dress fer ya.¡±


    Arnold gave her a smile that made her catch her breath. The elevator door opened and Arnold escorted her out into the lobby. ¡°I''m just going to the lab to get a few things.¡± He said to Doris and took Rebecca out of the building.


    No one said anything to them or commented on why Rebecca''s face was so red. They had all heard the story about their kiss at the bowling alley. A few people were envious of both Arnold and Rebecca, which was no surprise. They were both good looking in their own right and they seemed like nice people. No one begrudged them getting together and hoped for the best, not knowing that they weren''t looking for a long term relationship.


    Arnold took Rebecca into the biology building and didn''t bother going up the stairs. He knew that no one except the cleaners were there on the weekends, and only at night, so there was no chance that they were going to be walked in on. He took her right over to the supplies closet and Rebecca didn''t say a word as he led her inside and shut and locked the door. There were no security cameras in the half-decently sized room and Arnold quickly made up a spot for them to lay down.


    ¡°Have ya done it in here before?¡± Rebecca asked as she pulled her dress off to show that she wasn''t wearing a bra and only a pair of pink panties.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and quickly stripped off. ¡°You''re the first.¡±


    Rebecca stopped her gasp at those words. Even though she knew he had slept with a couple of other girls, it was nice to be the first one he had brought there. She remembered that he wouldn''t be back to work after next week, which meant that she might be the only one that he brought there. She licked her lips and reached out to touch his chest.


    ¡°Ah like yer muscles, Ahrnold.¡± She said and kissed his chest and rubbed her hands over his skin. ¡°Ah knew ya were strong. Ah like tha''. Ah like tha'' a lot.¡± She said and looked at his face. ¡°Do ya wanna wear a condom?¡±


    Arnold raised his eyebrows and her face flushed red.


    ¡°Ah don'' mind feelin'' all of ya, an'' I mean all of ya.¡± Rebecca said. ¡°As long as yer careful and pull out when ya need ta finish.¡±


    Arnold gave her another of his angelic smiles and she put her arms around his neck.


    ¡°Pick me up and... f-f-fuck me.¡± Rebecca said, her face beet red.


    Arnold kissed her to distract her, then he reached down and gripped her ass with both hands.


    ¡°MmmmMMMmmm!¡± Rebecca moaned as he moved her back against the wall and then lifted her up.


    Arnold rubbed himself on her belly to get hard, rubbed it over her opening a few times, then he lifted her all the way up to his shoulders, to her surprise.


    ¡°Ahrnold what... OhhhHHH!¡± Rebecca moaned as he kissed her between the legs.


    Arnold rested her thighs on his shoulders and he stayed there for several minutes. Rebecca was both surprised and pleased that he wasn''t struggling to hold her up. She came twice, quite happily, then tapped the top of his head.


    ¡°Ah''m ahl ready... fer ya ta... take me.¡± Rebecca said.


    Arnold eased her down and held onto her, then very slowly touched himself to her opening. He let her feel it for a moment, then he slipped the tip inside.


    ¡°OHHH!¡± Rebecca moaned and came hard. ¡°Yer a... good...¡± She started to say, then he put it all the way in. ¡°Lord Almighty!¡± She said loudly and held onto him tightly, then he started to move. ¡°Ohhh... yes, baby... oh, my sweet, sweet stud.¡± She panted and kissed him. ¡°Ah... love it.¡± She moaned. ¡°B-b-breed me.¡± She said. ¡°Yer mah stud... an'' I''m yer mare... so ride me... like ya wanna.¡±


    Arnold understood what she meant, so he moved them to where he had made a makeshift bed for them to lay down on, then put her right into position seven and really got to work on her by riding her hard, just like she wanted.


    ¡°OH SWEET JESUS! IT''S HEAVEN!¡± Rebecca yelled. ¡°AH''M COMIN'' TO HEAVEN! AH''M COMIN''! AH''M COMIN''!¡±

 143 At The Movies

    Bokuboy


    An hour later, Arnold left Rebecca in the storage closet to go and get his things ready. He went into the specimen storage and retrieved a proper container, donned the right safety equipment to protect himself, then transferred his specimens and everything else he needed into the container, including cleaning items and anything else that was used in the lab. He made sure to only take exactly what he needed and closed the container.


    Arnold cleaned up and picked up the container and went back to the storage room. Rebecca was fast asleep and he set the container down, then went up to the lab. He took out the laptop and the pile of paper sheets, then erased the number of rats and changed it to one. He also adjusted the appropriate cleaning supplies to reflect him taking them, which covered his tracks. He saved his work and put everything back, then went down to the storage area.


    ¡°Rebecca.¡± Arnold said and knelt as he gently shook her awake.


    ¡°Ahrnold.¡± Rebecca whispered and opened her eyes. ¡°Mah dream came true.¡±


    ¡°We have to get back.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Shore.¡± Rebecca said and he helped her stand. ¡°Ah''d like fer ya ta do this whit me again sometime.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and waited for her to put her dress back on.


    Rebecca picked up her panties and looked at them, then at Arnold. ¡°Do ya wanna keep these?¡± She asked. ¡°Ya earned ''em.¡±


    Arnold raised his eyebrows at her and she laughed.


    ¡°Nah, I guess ya would have a pile of ''em by now if''n ya collected ''em.¡± Rebecca said and took a deep breath and let it out. She bent over and stepped into the panties and pulled them up, then put the bottom of her dress back into place. ¡°Okay, I''m ready.¡± She said and there was no trace of her accent.


    Arnold opened the door of the storage area and picked up the container, then Rebecca led him out of the building and back to their dorm. She asked him what he was going to do during his time off and he tapped the container with his thumb.


    ¡°Hey, you two.¡± Doris said when Rebecca held open the door for Arnold. ¡°Should I ask what you''ve got in there?¡± She motioned to the large container that Arnold had.


    ¡°They are specimens I caught and prepped for myself.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Caught?¡± Both Rebecca and Doris asked, a little surprised.


    Arnold opened the container and showed them.


    ¡°Rats!¡± Both women exclaimed and let out girly shrieks at what they saw.


    ¡°Close it! Close it! Close it!¡± Doris said and retreated to her desk. ¡°Good lord in heaven.¡± She said and waved a hand in front of her face. ¡°I knew I shouldn''t have asked.¡±


    Arnold closed it and went over to the elevator. He put the container down and pushed the button. A moment later, the door opened and he carried the container inside. Rebecca stayed in the middle of the lobby and hadn''t moved.


    ¡°Are you going back to your room?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Ah''ll... um... wait fer tha next elevator.¡± Rebecca said, her accent back in full force. ¡°Ah need ta ask Doris something.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and let the doors close.


    ¡°What do you need to ask me?¡± Doris asked.


    ¡°Tha'' wuz jus'' an excuse.¡± Rebecca said and walked over to her. ¡°Ah just didn''t wanna be in tha elevator whit a buncha rats.¡±


    Doris took a breath and let it out, then she nodded in understanding.


    *


    Kelly was in the middle of texting Annie about Arnold''s situation with him having a whole week off before the fall semester starts, when she heard a beep from Arnold''s computer. She walked over to it and woke it up, to see a message from the developers. A second later, another message appeared from the first guy Arnold had emailed and she read the subject line with a frown.


    I''m sorry that you didn''t understand what I meant? Kelly shook her head at the arrogance. She clicked it and read it, and it was full of self-serving comments and explanations of why he reacted like he did. There wasn''t a hint of an apology, or even remorse, because the message was all about him and not about Arnold at all.


    Kelly sat down and she copied everything, including the subject line, and sent it to the head developer with her second formal complaint about the guy''s behavior. She didn''t bother opening the other email, because that was something she knew that Arnold would want to see for himself. She was tempted to read it and then mark it unread, so it wouldn''t look like she read it, then decided that she couldn''t do that to him.


    No sooner had she decided that when Arnold came into the dorm room. He carried a large container that she recognized as a specimen container.


    ¡°I was just sending another email to that idiot about the game.¡± Kelly said and stood up as Arnold put the container down at the side of the room and out of the way. ¡°His apology wasn''t anything of the sort, then he had the gall to ask for your help!¡± She said and looked at her phone. ¡°Oh, and Annie said that she can''t wait to see you back at the house, so she can...¡± Kelly scrolled back and read the message. ¡°...give you as many hugs and cuddles as she can to make up for your job ending early.¡±


    Arnold nodded and walked over to his computer. He saw the unread message and clicked on it.


    ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Kelly said as she saw what it was over his shoulder.


    It was the Shaman skill tree and the full descriptions of the skills and what they did, how they affected the game, and how many points it would take to unlock all of them.


    ¡°You were right, Arnold. It would be a waste of points to mark everything and to make a map of the skill tree.¡± Kelly glanced at some of the skill descriptions and shook her head. ¡°Why the hell would you want to experience the spirit''s death for?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know.¡± Arnold said and read the rest of the message. ¡°You were right, too. I am the only one to qualify for the sub-class.¡± He said. ¡°I''m also the only one to ever complete the Training Witch''s open quest.¡±


    Kelly chuckled. ¡°I bet they were pretty shocked that you qualify as a magic user without being a magic user.¡± She said and leaned against his back as she got a closer look. It pressed her breasts into him and she knew that he wouldn''t react to it. ¡°Wow, look at the new user numbers they claim you''ve generated for them.¡± She said, then she gasped and pointed. ¡°They''re raising the level cap!¡±


    Arnold read the part she pointed to and the developers said that there was no need to have the high level players stagnate while the new players gained new things.


    ¡°This is great!¡± Kelly said and hugged him from behind. ¡°All of the old players are going to freak out when they make the announcement!¡±


    ¡°Next week.¡± Arnold said. ¡°We have to stay quiet about it until then.¡±


    Kelly nodded, even though... technically... Arnold had already violated his non-disclosure agreement by letting her see it. She didn''t point that out, because the last thing she wanted was to stop him from telling her things.


    ¡°Arnold, what do you want to do this afternoon?¡± Kelly asked and hoped that he didn''t say specimens.


    Arnold just shrugged and that rubbed her chest.


    ¡°What about... going to the movies?¡± Kelly asked. ¡°Annie said that the two of you had a great time when you went.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and stood up, so Kelly had to let him go. ¡°You need to get ready. We can get the bus in half an hour.¡±


    ¡°That''s plenty of time.¡± Kelly said and walked over to the room door and shut it. ¡°I took a shower while you were gone.¡± She walked over to what was supposed to be her part of the closet and dug out a nice outfit. She stripped off completely and stood there as she played a little with the bra. She tried to delay putting it on, that way Arnold could look at her as much as he wanted, then she put it on. Her panties were next and then she dressed in a stylish outfit that showed off her curves and still left her concealed enough that she wasn''t uncomfortable.


    Kelly went to the bathroom and did up her make-up, just like how Annie had shown her, and she came back out. ¡°I''m all ready.¡±


    They left the dorm room and walked down the hallway. The few girls still there only waved and Arnold and Kelly rode the elevator down to the ground floor.


    ¡°We''re going to the movies.¡± Arnold said to Doris before she could ask them where they were going.


    ¡°Cell phones?¡± Doris asked and they both took them out and showed her. She nodded and they left.


    They walked off of the campus grounds and over to the bus stop, then boarded the local line. They had two transfers before they reached the spot where the theatre was and went inside. It was in the afternoon, so it was relatively quiet and only a little crowded.


    ¡°Oh, hey!¡± Pam said and smiled at them. ¡°What are you guys going to see?¡±


    ¡°Is that fish movie still playing?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°Nope, that stopped last week.¡± Pam said. ¡°If you''re looking for a jump scare movie like that, I can recommend a couple of them.¡±


    ¡°As long as it''s not too scary.¡± Kelly said, a little sheepishly.


    Pam told her the least scary one. ¡°I counted them and there''s only six jump scares in the whole movie.¡±


    ¡°Whew, okay.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I think I can take that.¡±


    Pam laughed. ¡°You''ve got a big strong hand to cover your face when it''s necessary.¡± She said and looked at Arnold. ¡°I can tell you when they happen if you want me to.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and leaned over the counter. Pam whispered in his ear and he nodded his head several times. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and gave her a quick kiss. ¡°I want two tickets and the number three combo.¡±


    ¡°You got it.¡± Pam said as she fought to keep the blush off of her face. She did up the combo and then printed off the two tickets. She took the money and gave him the change, then he did up an appropriate tip and gave it to her. ¡°Thank you, Arnold.¡±


    Kelly led Arnold away from the counter and down to the right theatre. They went inside and all the lights were on. ¡°We have about half an hour before the movie starts.¡± She said and picked good seats for them to watch it. She wiped at some perceived dirt on the seat and sat down.


    Arnold sat beside her and put the large cup of soda into the holder between them.


    ¡°Arnold, do you...¡± Kelly wasn''t sure how to ask him what she wanted to know, without just saying it outright and it sounding like an accusation. ¡°Are you thanking people all the time by kissing them?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and she relaxed.


    ¡°That''s good.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Annie was worried that you would go back to that behavior when... well...¡±


    ¡°When we broke up.¡± Arnold finished for her and she nodded.


    Kelly looked at his profile and she knew that he wasn''t going to do anything with her. Even though they were at the movies, and he had bought the tickets and the popcorn, he wasn''t going to try and take advantage of her. The problem was, she wanted him to.


    The two of them sat there and snacked on popcorn, the bag of candy that came with the combo, and sipped on the same soda. The lights started to decrease in luminosity and it plunged the theatre into darkness.


    ¡°Arnold, have you taken anyone else to the theatre like this?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°Just mom.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°So, you haven''t... shared a combo with anyone else?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and took another small sip of soda. Kelly smiled and took a sip herself, then the movie started.


    It was absolutely terrifying.


    *


    Pam worked hard and she kept a huge smile on her face the entire time. It turned out to be the best day for tips as everyone seemed to enjoy seeing her so happy. She served them quickly and efficiently and made sure they were happy with their orders, then waved as they left.


    ¡°You''re in a good mood.¡± Mike said from the door of the manager''s office that was beside the concessions counter.


    ¡°It''s just a nice day.¡± Pam said and gave him the same huge smile. He couldn''t help but smile back at her obvious happiness.


    ¡°Well, keep up the good work.¡± Mike said and went back into the office.


    It''s not every day that I can torment Arnold''s ex-girlfriend for trying to abuse his good nature. Pam thought, happily. She hadn''t even gone to watch them during her break, because she knew exactly how their ''date'' was going to go while watching that movie. Badly. She couldn''t stop herself from smiling, even if she tried, and she didn''t try. She wanted to keep this smile for as long as she could.


    *


    Oh. My. God. Kelly thought in shock as they left the darkened theatre. Her arms trembled and her hands shook after experiencing the scariest movie she had ever seen. Her mind reeled over the gory scenes she saw and to Arnold''s credit, he blocked her eyes with his hand for every single jump scare. It was just unfortunate that he didn''t do it for the whole movie. Also, he couldn''t block her ears.


    Kelly very easily imagined what was happening on the screen during those jump scares by the sounds she heard. She shook her head to try and get the imagery out of her mind and she knew that she wasn''t going to forget that movie for a very, very long time. She clung to Arnold''s arm tightly and didn''t look up as they walked to the lobby.


    ¡°Hey, there!¡± Pam said and Arnold brought Kelly over to her. ¡°I hope you liked the movie.¡± She said and looked at Arnold. ¡°You protected her at the right times, didn''t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said. ¡°She didn''t see any of the jump scares.¡±


    Pam nodded. ¡°I''m glad I sent you to that one, because the other movie has eleven jump scares.¡±


    ELEVEN! Kelly yelled in her mind and shivered.


    ¡°It''s restricted, too.¡± Pam said. ¡°It''s too scary for anyone under fourteen.¡±


    Kelly shook her head again. She couldn''t imagine a more scary movie than the one she just saw, and she didn''t want to think about what could possibly be in that movie to make it even more scary.


    ¡°Thank you both for coming by today.¡± Pam said and glanced at the office to see that Mike was busy. ¡°You made my day so much better than it was.¡± She leaned over the counter. ¡°Thank you, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold gave her a quick kiss and she leaned back to her side of the counter.


    ¡°Have a great day!¡± Pam said and watched Arnold lead a slightly shaking Kelly out of the building. You really made my day. She thought, happily.


    Another movie let out and Pam smiled and waved to the people as they left, then the time for another movie to start approached. She became busy again as she sold tickets and snacks to the start of the evening crowd, their busiest time, and it seemed to fly by like it didn''t even happen.


    Being happy at your job really does make the time go by quicker. Pam thought.


    By the time her shift ended, the whole place had cleared out and it was only her and a couple other workers doing the final clean-up on the last theatre. They laughed and carried on, quickly finished up, and went back out to the manager''s office to sign out on the sheet.


    ¡°See ya, Pam.¡± One guy said.


    ¡°Bye, Pam!¡± The other guy and girl said at the same time, then the three of them left.


    ¡°Pam, can I talk to you?¡± Mike asked.


    ¡°Oh, shit. You''re firing me.¡± Pam said and her smile faded. ¡°I knew you stayed behind for a reason.¡±


    Mike laughed and shook his head. ¡°No, I''m not firing you.¡± He said. ¡°I did stay behind for a reason, though.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Pam said and braced herself for the worst.


    ¡°I''m giving you a raise.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Pam yelled and it echoed through the empty lobby.


    ¡°Geez, Pam. Tone it down a little.¡± Mike rubbed his ears. ¡°I didn''t want the others to know.¡±


    Pam stared at him in disbelief. ¡°You''re serious? You''re actually giving me a raise?¡±


    Mike nodded. ¡°I hope you''re happy with it.¡± He said and passed her a paper with her new pay on it. ¡°You''ve always been a good worker; but, the last few weeks you''ve been exemplary.¡± He said. ¡°Whatever you''re doing, keep it up.¡±


    Pam blinked her eyes and had to read the paper a few times. ¡°Mike.¡± She looked up from the paper. ¡°If you weren''t my boss, I would almost be tempted to offer to kiss you.¡±


    Mike laughed. ¡°That''s the most mealy-mouthed anti-sexual assault wording I''ve heard yet.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I gotta be careful.¡± Pam said with a grin. ¡°These lips are a dangerous weapon.¡±


    She skipped continuing on and saying that they were cocked and loaded, even though she wanted to.


    Mike laughed again. ¡°Yeah, okay. Get out of here.¡± He said. ¡°See you next weekend.¡±


    ¡°You sure will!¡± Pam said as her good mood became great. She grabbed the full garbage bag of popcorn from behind the counter and left the theatre almost jumping for joy.

 144 Almost Over

    Arnold and Kelly rode the bus lines back to the college campus and Kelly had clung to his arm the entire time. It wasn''t until they stepped off the bus and started walking over to Arnold''s dorm building that she started to calm down. Her grip lessened and her breathing had evened out to a normal rate.


    ¡°Hi, there.¡± Doris said when they came into the lobby, then she saw Kelly''s face. She knew terrified when she saw it. ¡°Are you all right, Kelly?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Kelly said. She was still shaken up a little; but, she was getting a handle on it. ¡°It was a scary movie.¡±


    Doris only nodded and looked at Arnold. ¡°Someone else called for you and didn''t leave a name.¡±


    ¡°Did you tell them where I was?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Doris laughed. ¡°Your privacy is one of the things I guard here.¡± She said walked over to meet them. ¡°I won''t let anyone bother you that doesn''t have your permission to call.¡±


    Arnold glanced at Kelly and Doris nodded slightly.


    ¡°Give me a hug.¡± Doris said and when he bent over slightly, her lips brushed his and Kelly didn''t see it. ¡°Kelly, are you staying again tonight?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Kelly blinked her eyes and looked at the well dressed black woman. ¡°Um... no, I... my dad wanted me to come home last night.¡±


    Doris snorted and then laughed. ¡°Oh, you poor thing!¡± She said and suddenly Kelly was in Arnold''s place and Doris hugged her tightly. ¡°You tell him that I made you stay, because it was too late and you were in no shape to go home.¡±


    ¡°I''m not really in the shape to go home now.¡± Kelly said with a sigh.


    ¡°I know.¡± Doris said and let her go. ¡°All you want to do is stay and take care of Arnold.¡±


    Kelly took in a sharp breath and then looked at Arnold. It was in that moment that she realized she had made a terrible mistake. Ever since they had broken up, nothing she had tried had worked. It had all culminated this weekend and she messed up so badly with him this morning. Now she knew why.


    She had been doing it all for herself.


    Kelly had only thought of herself and did the things that benefited her the whole time. Everything she said and did was self-serving and Arnold''s welfare hadn''t entered her mind. Not once. She took in a long slow breath and let it out.


    ¡°I think... I''m ready to go home.¡± Kelly said. She didn''t let her failure color her voice, so neither Arnold nor Doris knew that she admitted to herself that she had been as manipulative and suggestive as Heather was. Kelly hadn''t realized that she had picked up so many things from her friend over the years and she had tried them without even considering the consequences. Namely, driving another wedge between her and Arnold.


    Arnold led her to the elevator and they went up to the top floor. A few more doors were open and some of the girls greeted them. Arnold opened his dorm room door and Kelly went inside. She grabbed her suitcase and went to the closet.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Packing what I can.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Why aren''t you leaving it here?¡± Arnold asked. ¡°Even if you find somewhere else to live, taking it from here would be easier than taking it home and bringing it back.¡±


    ¡°I... it''s the gesture.¡± Kelly said and she knew that Arnold didn''t really understand. ¡°I''m moving out and showing you that I am.¡± She clarified and kept packing. ¡°It''s like... when you brought Janet to the beach party. I''m showing you that you can find another roommate.¡±


    Arnold looked around the room at her things and then at the suitcase. His face lost its expression and went blank as he nodded.


    ¡°I''m still your friend.¡± Kelly said. ¡°We can always be friends. I''ll be close by, especially if I can get a room on another floor or at one of the other dorms.¡± She said and closed her suitcase. ¡°I''ll keep my word to Annie and I''ll try my best to help you as much as I can...¡±


    Arnold stood there and didn''t say anything, because he knew how busy the both of them were going to be when classes started. He picked up her suitcase and Kelly picked up her overnight bag. They stayed silent as Arnold led her from the room and he didn''t shut the door. The girls in the hallway were deathly quiet as they watched Kelly leave with a suitcase that she hadn''t brought with her the day before.


    They all knew what that meant.


    Arnold and Kelly rode the elevator down to the ground floor and stepped out. Doris saw them and managed to not gasp or run over to get an explanation. She let it happen, even knowing what it meant for Arnold''s future at the dorm.


    Arnold stood at the bus stop with Kelly and they waited for the right bus that would take her on the two hour drive back home. When it arrived, Arnold climbed on first and paid for a single passenger, dropped off her suitcase, and stepped off.


    ¡°Goodbye, Arnold.¡± Kelly said.


    Arnold didn''t even put his arms around her as he gave her a quick kiss. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Kelly thought about saying a few things, like how much she had enjoyed their time together, then she remembered the last two days and the last time they saw each other at the beach party. She definitely didn''t want him to think that she enjoyed those times, so she kept her mouth shut and boarded the bus.


    Arnold stood there and watched the bus drive away. He waited until he could no longer see it, then he walked across the street and went back to the dorm. When he stepped into the lobby, Doris was there and pulled him into a hug.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Arnold.¡± Doris said. ¡°When she said that she wanted to go home, I didn''t think she meant that she was going to give up trying to live with you.¡± I can''t even tell him that she won''t be leaving for good. She thought and wasn''t sure what she could say to make things better.


    Arnold put his arms around her and held her tightly. They stayed that way for several minutes, then Doris let him go and looked into his eyes.


    ¡°I know you aren''t in the mood right now; but, if you decide that you need to have me later, my offer still stands.¡± Doris said. ¡°You come down just before my shift ends and I''ll do my best to make you feel better.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and kissed her. He left her there in the lobby and went back up to his room and the girls there gave him sad smiles and offered condolences. They all knew that Kelly had planned to stay there with him for years, while they were in college together, and now she had left. On purpose.


    Rebecca stepped out of her room and gave him a hug. ¡°If yah wanna talk, jus'' come on over and come right inta mah room.¡± She whispered. ¡°Or if yah wanna jus'' hold somebody fer a while, ah''ll gladly keep yah company.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and gave her a kiss. She let him go and he walked over to his room and went inside. The girls in the hallway watched him cook a meal for one and then watched him eat it. After that, he disassembled Kelly''s computer and put it aside, then he packed all of her things into the boxes they had brought them in and added them to the pile. The few dry cleaning bags with her full outfits were next, carefully laid on top, and the task was done.


    *


    Pam parked her car at the restaurant and honked her horn. Janet came out of the front door and her face was a mix of happiness and frustration. Pam kept her mouth closed until her friend was seated beside her and had buckled her seat belt.


    ¡°How''s the family?¡± Pam asked with a sly grin.


    Janet chuckled and shook her head. ¡°Mom''s still trying to marry me off and Dad''s happy that I''m still single.¡±


    Pam laughed and backed out of the parking lot, then pulled into the light traffic on the main road. ¡°What about baby sis?¡±


    ¡°She''s still starry-eyed and innocent.¡± Janet said. ¡°She wants to come to the college and have me take her on a tour of the place next week.¡±


    ¡°Well, she is starting there next year.¡± Pam said. ¡°Did she decide what her major is going to be?¡±


    Janet shook her head. ¡°She said she wants to finish her last year of high school before she locks in her choice.¡±


    ¡°That figures.¡± Pam said. ¡°She must have great grades in every subject if she thinks she can pick and choose what she wants, instead of concentrating on one subject and excelling at it.¡±


    ¡°Hey, not everyone has the same foresight as you.¡± Janet said with a smile.


    ¡°It was more like boredom bordering on apathy.¡± Pam said with a laugh, and Janet laughed, too.


    The two friends shared small talk for the entire drive back to the campus. Pam parked the car and Janet hopped out.


    ¡°Hey! Don''t forget your bribe!¡± Pam said loudly.


    ¡°What?!?¡± Janet exclaimed and looked into the backseat. ¡°You didn''t!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did.¡± Pam said and got out. ¡°I know it''s a bit much, considering I gave you some yesterday...¡±


    ¡°I didn''t eat it all because I was trying to make it last!¡± Janet said and opened the back door of the car and lifted out the full garbage bag. ¡°Oh, my GOD!¡±


    ¡°It was super busy for the last showing tonight and we had to keep the machine full.¡±


    ¡°I love you!¡± Janet said and carried the bag over to the dorm''s front door.


    ¡°Are you talking to me or the popcorn?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Janet said and they both laughed.


    Pam opened the door for her and they went inside. ¡°Hi, Doris.¡±


    ¡°Pam.¡± Doris said and Pam knew something was wrong.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Pam asked.


    Doris quickly explained what happened with Arnold and Kelly. Pam didn''t say anything in response and walked over to the elevator. Janet followed and they rode it up to the top floor. Neither of them said anything and walked down the hallway to Arnold''s open door. He was laying down on the bed and stared at the television with a blank expression on his face.


    Janet put her garbage bag down and shut the door, then she locked it. She knew that she and Pam had work to do and needed privacy to do it.


    ¡°Arnold, I''m so sorry.¡± Pam said. ¡°I wouldn''t have recommended that movie if...¡±


    ¡°She was leaving anyway.¡± Arnold said.


    Pam thought about arguing, then she changed her mind and started to take off her clothes. She left her bra and underwear on and climbed onto the bed. Not surprisingly, Janet was right behind her, wearing just her bra and panties, and she laid down on Arnold''s other side. They didn''t do anything except snuggle in and put their arms around him.


    At random times, Pam would lift her head and give him a kiss and then snuggle back down. Not to be outdone, or be seen as not caring the same amount, Janet would wait a few minutes and then she would kiss him, too. Her hand would occasionally rub his chest as well. They stayed there for quite some time and just held each other. Arnold''s hands didn''t roam and their hands didn''t try to play with him or urge him to do anything else.


    Eventually, the three of them drifted off to sleep with the television still on.


    *


    Doris wasn''t surprised when Arnold didn''t come down to meet her before her shift ended. Both Pam and Janet had a determined look in their eyes when she had told them about Kelly leaving, so she was sure that they were doing their best to comfort Arnold. She was glad that he had at least two people that also understood what she had meant to him, then she was sad that she wasn''t the only one.


    Doris smiled at herself for thinking so selfishly and left the dorm. I can''t begrudge him having someone else to comfort him, even if they take my place. She thought and quickly walked across the campus. She needed to go home and get to bed, now that she wouldn''t be staying at the dorm. She entered her house and Cissily''s bedroom light was on. She walked over to the door and peeked inside, only to see her daughter was passed out on the bed and several empty beer cans were scattered around her and on the floor.


    Doris went inside and gathered the cans she saw, then tucked a blanket over her daughter. ¡°I''m very sorry about everything, baby girl.¡± She whispered and gave Cissily a feather light kiss on the cheek. She turned off the light as she left the room and shut the door.


    Cissily opened her eyes and looked at the closed door. She had pretended to be drunk to see what her mother would say about her doing it on a school night and she had been surprised that Doris hadn''t complained or ranted at her about it. She knew she would have to wait until morning to see if her mother would still stay silent about it; but, she felt like she was going to get a pass on the lecture this time.


    Cissily fell asleep while wondering what could have happened for her mother to forgive her behavior.


    *


    The next morning, Arnold''s alarm went off and he, Pam, and Janet woke up.


    ¡°Arnold, do you want me to take care of that for you?¡± Pam asked and touched his erect penis.


    ¡°I need to shower.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Not a problem. I need one, too.¡± Pam said and took his hand, gave Janet an apologetic look, then led Arnold into the bathroom.


    Janet thought about leaving for several minutes, changed her mind, and waited for her friend and to see how Arnold was feeling. They came out of the shower twenty minutes later and Pam didn''t have a big smile like she should have had.


    ¡°It''s not as fun if your partner isn''t into it.¡± Pam said. ¡°He still got off in record time, though.¡±


    Janet nodded and went to Arnold. ¡°Look at me, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold stopped drying himself and looked into her eyes.


    ¡°No, not like that.¡± Janet said and shook her head, then she did her best to copy his normal stare and stared at him intently. ¡°Look at me like you''re supposed to.¡± She pointed at her eyes. ¡°Let me see that you actually see me.¡±


    Arnold raised his eyebrows slightly and Janet reached up and cupped the sides of his face.


    ¡°I''m going to be just down the hallway for the next two years, assuming I leave for work and don''t keep studying for my doctorate.¡± Janet said. ¡°Two whole years, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold''s eyebrows dropped and his eyes changed slightly as he went into the stare that she had come to both be unnerved by and liked.


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Janet said and smiled. ¡°Now kiss me like you mean it.¡±


    Arnold dropped the towel and put his arms around her and kissed her for several seconds.


    ¡°That''s better.¡± Janet said with a smile. ¡°Get changed for work and for the next week, you do the best damn job that anyone at the lab has ever seen.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and took out one of his suits and dressed.


    ¡°Show them that they are going to regret not giving you seniority.¡± Pam said and adjusted his shirt collar and his cuffs. ¡°I''ll try my best to stay here for the next two years, too.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and gave her a kiss for several seconds.


    ¡°We''re best friends.¡± Pam said. ¡°We''re going to do our best for you, so you better do your best for us.¡±


    Arnold nodded and walked over to the door of his room.


    ¡°Oh! I forgot to tell you both the good news!¡± Pam said loudly. ¡°I got a raise at the theatre!¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Janet exclaimed and jumped on her friend to hug her. ¡°That''s wonderful!¡±


    ¡°What''s wonderful is that I''ve got a bit more breathing room, finance-wise.¡± Pam said, happily. ¡°I can afford to have a slow day at the bar now, without having to worry if I''m going to be eating that week.¡±


    Janet squeezed her. ¡°I''d never let you starve.¡±


    ¡°Neither would I.¡± Arnold said and hugged the both of them. ¡°I need to go.¡±


    ¡°Make sure you enjoy work today.¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I will.¡± Arnold said and kissed her, kissed Pam, then left to start his last week of work.

 145 That’s Amazing

    For the next five days, Arnold did exactly as Janet and Pam had asked him to do. He showed the entire department that he was the best damn lab assistant they ever had. Not only did he do all of their jobs before they could, he also walked around the classroom, unasked and unprompted, and gave each and every student tips and examples of how to make their work that much better.


    Everyone was stunned.


    Even Cissily, who had been ignoring Arnold as much as she could, couldn''t help but see the new and outgoing man as someone who was changing his life for the better. He was nice to everyone and had dropped his cold facade, he worked ten times as hard as everyone else, and he never once got angry when someone made a mistake.


    Arnold did his best to help the students fix the damage when they messed up, and if that wasn''t possible, he immediately retrieved another specimen and quickly did everything to get it exactly to the same point it had been before the mistake for them, then let them take over and helped them continue it.


    Professor Hamil Crenslav was doubly impressed with Arnold''s work, both on a personal and professional level. He never imagined that the entire time Arnold had been working there, that he hadn''t been challenged in the least. Not once. He regretted that he hadn''t pushed the boy more or given him much more difficult things to do. He had thought the introduction of the horse dissection would tease the boy enough to keep his interest, and he hadn''t been more wrong.


    The professor, Arnold, and Amy had started work on the horse on Monday afternoon. They had a very long and detailed discussion about how to handle the work, and then they had barely started it when the school day ended. They worked until suppertime and then left it for the next afternoon to continue it, or so Hamil had thought. Arnold had come back to the lab after eating and continued to work until midnight, which advanced their completion timetable significantly.


    Arnold did the same thing the next day and the next, advanced the work beyond what Hamil had thought possible, and on Friday afternoon after lunch, Hamil and Amy were surprised to find that Arnold had finished completely dissecting the horse the night before. Everything was laid out and completely labelled. It only had to receive the same treatment as the normal display specimens and it would be ready to ship out to the equestrian school, two weeks before it was due.


    ¡°Arnold, my boy.¡± Hamil said reverently as he gazed upon the completed work. ¡°I honestly don''t know how you did all of this without us here.¡±


    ¡°That''s how.¡± Arnold said and both Hamil and Amy turned to stare at him. ¡°You work too slow.¡±


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Amy gasped. ¡°The professor...¡±


    ¡°...is getting old.¡± Hamil said and couldn''t help but smile. ¡°I need more time to be as precise, especially when working with such large specimen pieces.¡±


    ¡°Professor!¡± Amy gasped.


    ¡°No, it''s all right.¡± Hamil said and put a hand on Amy''s bare shoulder, which definitely got her attention. ¡°Remember what I told you when Arnold started working here.¡±


    Amy closed her mouth on her hot retort as the professor''s words passed through her mind again. We must be prepared to have him surpass our own work. She recalled. ¡°But... professor...¡±


    ¡°No, even I didn''t anticipate for him to achieve it so soon.¡± Hamil said and gave her shoulder a squeeze. ¡°Well, there''s nothing left to do except to prep everything for the display.¡±


    The three of them did so, which gave Arnold an experience that he hadn''t had before. It introduced him to preservation materials, suspension materials, bonding and mounting materials and procedures, and he learned how to make and construct them all. They worked right up until suppertime and Hamil called an end to the day.


    ¡°That''s it, I think.¡± Hamil said and the three of them cleaned up everything. ¡°It''s going to take a few more days of work to finish prepping everything and then remounting it all properly.¡± He looked at Arnold. ¡°I''m sorry that you won''t be a part of that.¡±


    ¡°I wasn''t going to see it fully assembled before it was sent off, anyway.¡± Arnold said with a blank face.


    Amy hadn''t seen that face all week and she thought about saying something to him, then thought better of it. There wasn''t really anything she could say to make things better. She glanced at the professor and knew that he might have been able to, if he wanted to potentially get in trouble with the review board for bending the rules for a second time.


    ¡°Then I suppose this is it.¡± Hamil said and held a hand out to Arnold. ¡°We will be parting ways until your classes start next week.¡±


    Arnold took the hand and shook it for barely a second and let it go.


    ¡°I hope you enjoy your time off.¡± Amy said and held a hand out to Arnold as well.


    ¡°I hope so.¡± Arnold said with a smile and took her hand, shook it briefly, then he stepped close.


    Amy widened her eyes as he took her into a hug and whispered into her ear.


    ¡°Did Cissily tell you why she''s angry at me?¡± Arnold asked her, his voice barely above the sound of a breath.


    ¡°No.¡± Amy whispered back. It had been something that had been bugging her for a while now.


    ¡°I fucked her and I''m not allowed to kiss her.¡± Arnold whispered and his lips softly brushed her ear.


    Amy''s entire body stiffened up and she clamped her mouth shut before she yelled in surprise. He didn''t! It''s not possible! His mother... oh, fuck! His mother!


    Arnold held her for a few more moments. ¡°You kept your word to my mother.¡± He whispered and licked her earlobe, then he lightly bit it. ¡°Your hair is loose. Mom can''t pull those mini-braids out if you aren''t wearing them.¡±


    Amy stared at him with her mouth open as he let her go. Arnold saw the shocked look on her face and gave her his best smile, then he walked towards the door and left the basement.


    ¡°Miss Hollister? Is everything all right?¡± Hamil asked her.


    Fucking no! It''s not all right! Amy thought, still in shock. It took her a few moments to compose herself. ¡°I''m fine, professor.¡± She managed to say without stuttering and stared at the now closed door.


    ¡°Would it be all right if I recruited you for a bit of extra work tomorrow?¡± Hamil asked. ¡°If we can get this finished by Sunday, I can call the shipping company on Monday morning.¡±


    ¡°S-sure, Professor.¡± Amy said. ¡°I''m not going to be busy.¡±


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Hamil said and walked over to the door. ¡°Make sure to turn the lights off when you leave.¡±


    ¡°Yes, professor.¡± Amy said and didn''t move. She stayed there for almost ten minutes as she thought about everything Arnold had said. Oh, my god! She thought when she finally understood what he meant. He''s not my assistant anymore and my restrictions no longer apply!


    Amy ran to the door and opened it, turned off the lights and closed and locked the door, then she ran to the elevator. She knew it was pointless, since she had waited much too long before she reacted. She had to try, though. The elevator arrived and she rode it up a single floor. It was maddeningly slow and she was almost hopping in anticipation for the door to open. It didn''t occur to her to just go up the stairs.


    The elevator door opened and Amy strode with purpose across the lobby of the biology building and went out the front door.


    ¡°There you are!¡± Cissily said. ¡°We''re going to miss...¡±


    Amy ignored her and walked right by her without saying anything.


    ¡°Fareena?¡± Cissily looked at her friend''s back as she walked away, then had to jog to catch up to her. ¡°Hey, what''s up?¡±


    ¡°You fucked Arnold!¡± Amy spat at her and Cissily gasped.


    ¡°How did you...¡± Cissily started to say, then she became angry. ¡°That fucking bastard told you!¡±


    Amy slowed down and came to a stop, then turned to her friend. ¡°Yes, he did. Why didn''t you?¡±


    ¡°I... well, he...¡± Cissily stopped walking as well and sighed. ¡°It was weeks ago and...¡±


    ¡°And what?¡± Amy said angrily. ¡°Was he holding your tongue hostage? Bribed you? What?¡±


    Cissily opened her mouth and closed it. Did it again, then she whispered. ¡°He did my mom.¡±


    Amy blinked her eyes for a second. I didn''t actually hear that, did I? ¡°What... what did you say?¡±


    ¡°The... the night we went to the bar to see that band, I... when I left...¡±


    Amy stepped close so that no one else would overhear. ¡°Was that when you and Arnold...¡±


    ¡°No, we... it was before that.¡± Cissily said. ¡°I went out to get sex revenge on him and it was horrible.¡±


    Amy nodded understanding, because it almost always was. The regret afterwards was no picnic, either.


    ¡°When I went home, I walked in on Ma and Arnold going at it like...¡± Cissily shuddered and sighed.


    ¡°No. Fucking. Way.¡± Amy said, haltingly.


    ¡°She said...¡± Cissily took a breath and let it out. ¡°She claimed that she was teaching him.¡±


    Amy opened her mouth to respond, then she slowly closed it as she thought about it.


    ¡°I know that look.¡± Cissily said. ¡°You''re supposed to be just as angry at him as I am because of it!¡±


    ¡°But, your Ma never lied to us, Sis.¡± Amy said and used her nickname to get her friend''s attention. ¡°If she said she was teaching him, then she must have been.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°How long have they been going at it?¡± Amy asked, both curious and anxious about the answer. Has Doris been enjoying that body all summer?


    Cissily sighed. ¡°That night.¡±


    ¡°I can''t believe she... wait, what?¡± Amy looked at Cissily in surprise. ¡°Did you just say ''that night''?¡±


    Cissily nodded.


    ¡°So... she wasn''t... only then...¡± Amy muttered, then she shook her head. ¡°I don''t know how she managed it.¡± She said. ¡°Did she tell you...¡±


    ¡°She promised him.¡± Cissily said. ¡°Once he didn''t have a girlfriend, she would teach him everything she knew about... sex.¡± She said with a sour look on her face.


    Amy was flabbergasted. Every... everything she knows? She asked herself. A forty-five year old woman taught an eighteen year old... no, a nineteen year old man everything she knows about sex? Amy couldn''t help her mind go over all of the things that Arnold had possibly been taught. Good god. She thought. I need to talk to Arnold as soon as possible!


    Amy grabbed Cissily''s hand and she dragged her friend across the campus. She thought about just running on her own; but, she knew that Cissily would just run after her. They both walked as quickly as they could towards Arnold''s dorm building.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Cissily asked and started to resist being pulled along.


    ¡°I need... we need to talk to Arnold.¡± Amy said and opened the front door of the room.


    Almost as if she knew what they were there for, Doris spoke. ¡°He packed a bag and left already.¡±


    ¡°What? When?¡± Amy asked, her voice slightly higher than normal.


    ¡°You just missed him.¡± Doris said. ¡°I''m sure if you run, you might catch him at the bus stop.¡±


    Amy let Cissily''s hand go and took off running.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Cissily said loudly and ran after her.


    They both reached the main road just in time... to watch the bus pull away from the curb.


    ¡°FUCK!¡± Amy yelled and resisted the urge to stomp her feet in frustration. ¡°Fucking fuckety fuck!¡±


    ¡°Fareena, what''s wrong?¡± Cissily asked.


    ¡°I missed my fucking chance is what''s wrong.¡± Amy said and crossed her arms in a huff.


    ¡°Your chance for... wait, are you serious?¡± Cissily looked at her like she was crazy. ¡°He fucked my mother, Amy!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and in case you miss it, she also taught him everything she knows.¡± Amy said. ¡°Think about it, Sis. Arnold, a nineteen year old guy, now has all of the knowledge of a forty-five year old woman that''s had decades of sexual experiences and getting her rocks off with a man.¡±


    Cissily stood there and wasn''t sure what point she was trying to make, then it hit her. ¡°Oh, fuck.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Amy said and looked at the bus that was just disappearing from sight. ¡°If he realizes that he has the knowledge to pretty much make any woman come as much as they want...¡±


    Cissily turned to look and the bus was gone.


    *


    ¡°This is going to be a really long week.¡± Pam said a little sadly as she got dressed for work. Both she and Janet had given Arnold a nice long kiss goodbye and she regretted that it wasn''t quite long enough.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Janet said, then she helped her friend look prim and proper. ¡°The good news is, it''s only for a week and then he''s going to be a student.¡±


    Pam smiled. ¡°Yeah, and that means even less time to spend with us.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Janet said with a knowing smile.


    ¡°Oho! You know something!¡± Pam said and tried to tickle her.


    Janet easily dodged her and laughed anyway. ¡°I may or may not have talked to the class registrar.¡±


    ¡°You sneaky little scamp!¡± Pam laughed and gave her a hug. ¡°Tell me!¡±


    ¡°Well, it seems Arnold is being advanced in a couple of classes, because of his extra knowledge from the lessons Professor Crenslav and Professor Power have been giving him.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Pam gasped. ¡°They gave him extra course credits!¡± She said and let Janet out of the hug and gripped her shoulders. ¡°Tell me it''s true!¡±


    Janet nodded. ¡°He''s in our third year biology and chemistry classes, and both labs.¡±


    ¡°OH, BABY!¡± Pam yelled happily and hugged her again. ¡°We only have to wait a week!¡±


    Janet hugged her back and laughed at Pam''s complete emotional turnaround.


    *


    Annie was at home and she was a little excited over having her son coming back home for a whole week. She had tons of things planned for them to do, if he wanted to do them. She even received a message from the same charity that had done that afternoon long fun and games thing and they were having another get-together next week.


    This is going to be the best week! Annie thought, happily.


    *


    Kelly was at home in her room. She was staring at a copy of the dorm room map and sighed. Her father had finally arranged for her to get a room at one of the dorms at the college. He spent a little extra and secured a single room for her, just so she wouldn''t have to deal with living with some random girl for the next few years.


    The problem for her was that it was in the newest building and it was clear across the campus from Arnold''s dorm. Her father was perfectly fine with that, though.


    I guess it''s going to be a lot harder to keep my promise to Annie than I thought. Kelly sighed again.


    She put the paper aside and laid back on her bed, then picked up one of the special order items she had bought several days ago. It was the second size of the set of six and she tried to relax as she spread her legs a little. She took several slow and even breaths and slowly tried inserting it, then she grit her teeth as her vagina gripped it hard.


    Shit. Shit. Shit. Kelly thought and did the relaxing breathing technique that the manual told her about. She felt herself loosen a little and she pushed it in further. After a little tension, it was in and she relaxed. Finally! She thought in relief, because it had taken her two days to get it in.


    She moved it in and out several times and started to pant. She really felt the friction, thanks to her overly sensitive vaginal opening, then she had to let it go as she came.


    ¡°HnnnnnnnnNNNN!¡± Kelly clamped her mouth shut as her vagina squeezed the thing tightly. It hurt a little, because it was still tender from the stitches, even though they had dissolved weeks ago. She panted for several minutes and then her vagina relaxed and let the thing go. She let out another sigh of relief and laid there for another few minutes, then she pulled it out.


    Kelly put it aside to be cleaned off later and grabbed the next size up. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. She chanted in her head and pressed the tip of it to her opening, then she slowly started to push it in.

 146 Shopping At The Mall

    Annie greeted Arnold with a tight hug and a quick kiss. ¡°I''m so glad that you''re home.¡± She said and then she sighed. ¡°I''m also sorry that you''re home and can''t work in the lab like you should be.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and gave her another quick kiss.


    ¡°I know how much you enjoyed that job.¡± Annie said and had him leave his suitcase and the large plastic container at the bottom of the stairs. ¡°I''ve got a late supper ready for you.¡± She said and led him into the kitchen. ¡°Don''t worry. It''s not too heavy and you''ll have time to digest some of it before going to bed.¡±


    The two of them sat down at the table and enjoyed their first meal together in a while. Annie made small talk and asked him how everyone reacted to him having to leave. When Arnold told her about him completing the huge project for the professor almost two weeks before it was due, she almost shouted in anger at the professor.


    ¡°I can''t believe that he won''t include you in it, even as an observer!¡± Annie spat. ¡°Imagine! You did all that work and he has the gall to cut you out of it?¡± She made fists and closed her eyes, then took several deep breaths to calm down. She felt strong arms go around her from behind and that made her relax. She opened her hands and lifted them to hug her son''s arms. ¡°I''m sorry. I shouldn''t get angry, especially since you were paid very well for working all summer.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. I wasn''t going to see it anyway. Mandatory vacation applies to all the workers, not just me.¡±


    ¡°He''s going to be there all week by himself?¡± Annie asked and Arnold nodded. ¡°So, either he''s going to have to do the work all alone or there''s no work for him to complete.¡±


    Arnold nodded again. ¡°New students start in the fall semester and everyone has a week of orientation and specimen prep doesn''t start until the next week.¡±


    ¡°That should give his other helpers enough time to do what they need to.¡± Annie said. She knew a lot more about the goings on there than she thought she should know; but, that usually happened when you were in constant contact with someone that was deeply involved in something. You always picked up on the things going on in their lives.


    The two of them cleared the table and washed the dishes, then went to the living room. They settled down on the couch and Arnold assumed his position with his head on her lap. Annie turned on the television and her other hand rubbed his chest.


    ¡°I''ve got a few things planned for us to do this week.¡± Annie said and Arnold looked up at her. ¡°I''m thinking we need to do a little bit of shopping for college student clothes.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Wearing suits all the time made you stand out while you were working, and that was the point.¡± Annie said and smiled down at him. ¡°Who wouldn''t notice my smart little boy dressed up like that?¡±


    Arnold raised his eyebrows slightly. It looked weird with him laying down and Annie chuckled.


    ¡°I think you can wear the shirt and suit pants occasionally, and that''ll be okay. The coat and tie would make you stand out for a much different reason when you''re a student.¡±


    ¡°It''s bad?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Not in the way you might think.¡± Annie said. ¡°Being a student and wearing a tie is kind of...¡± She thought of a good way to say it. ¡°...like violating social protocol.¡± She nodded. ¡°Some of the ignorant people, namely people that don''t know you, might brand you with teasing nicknames and might make fun of you.¡±


    Arnold shrugged slightly and Annie chuckled again, because that looked funny laying down, too.


    ¡°I''ll help you pick out a nice mix of clothes that will mitigate as much of that as possible, and they should all be interchangeable and can be worn with the suit pants or instead of the suit pants.¡± Annie said. ¡°Once we have everything, I''ll even do up a clothing schedule for you, just like I did for you in school.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and puckered his lips.


    Annie snorted a laugh and bent down to lightly kiss him. ¡°I think I might be spoiling you.¡±


    ¡°Or I might be spoiling you.¡± Arnold countered and that made her laugh.


    ¡°I can''t argue that, since I think we''re both spoiling each other.¡± Annie said and rubbed his chest. ¡°That''s all right, though. I love you and being spoiled by you is one of the best things in the world.¡±


    Arnold nodded his head and put a hand on hers.


    Annie took a long slow breath and let it out. ¡°With you here, this next week is going to be the best week ever.¡±


    Arnold nodded again and let her hand go. They stared at each other for several moments, then they both looked at the television at the same time and started watching it. They didn''t have to speak anymore and just kept each other company for several hours. They both started to doze off at the same time, so Annie called an end to their evening.


    They went into the hallway and Arnold picked up his specimen container and his suitcase, then they went up the stairs together. Arnold put his things in his room and they both changed for bed. Neither Annie nor Arnold asked the other one if they wanted the other one to cuddle. They both assumed the other wanted it and they went into Annie''s room. She had the much bigger bed and it was a lot more comfortable for two people to share.


    The next morning, Arnold woke up at his usual time, even though he didn''t have the alarm set. He moved and tried to take his hand from around his mother''s waist.


    ¡°N-n-no.¡± Annie mumbled. ¡°Don''t leave.¡±


    Arnold remembered this happening back at the dorm when he had to go to work. He didn''t want his mother to cry, so he moved back in close and hugged her tightly. Annie shuddered and let out a happy sigh, then started to snore. It wasn''t loud and Arnold peered around to see that her face was partially buried in the pillow. He didn''t have a free hand to help her, so he used his nose to move her hair out of the way and kissed the back of her neck.


    Annie let out a little giggle and shook her head slightly. The snoring stopped and Arnold saw she had her face uncovered now. He laid back down and closed his eyes. He couldn''t remember the last time he had slept in and fell asleep before figuring it out. Almost four hours later, the alarm went off.


    Beep. Beep. Beep.


    Annie sighed when her alarm went off, then she remembered why she had set it. ¡°Arnold.¡±


    The large warm presence behind her moved and she let the arm that she had a death grip on go. Arnold rolled away from her under the blanket and hit the alarm. She shivered at the loss of his warmth and she berated herself for being selfish. She rolled over in bed to apologize for using him like that and Arnold was already staring at her.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Arnold said and leaned close to give her a quick kiss.


    Annie couldn''t apologize for something he apparently liked as well, or with his sincere face so close. ¡°Good morning.¡± She said instead. ¡°Do you want to shower first?¡±


    Arnold nodded and he was up and out of the bed, then went to the bathroom. He was out fifteen minutes later in just a towel and grabbed a change of casual clothes from the suitcase in his room. Annie went into the bathroom next and Arnold dressed and went downstairs. While she showered, Arnold made breakfast for the two of them and it was ready by the time Annie came down to the kitchen.


    ¡°You didn''t have to do that, Arnold.¡± Annie said and gave him a hug. She was very tempted to tell him that she had planned on doing everything for him all week, then thought better of it. With his expanded knowledge, ''everything'' could now mean a lot of things, which included a few things that she was definitely not going to do with her son.


    The two of them sat down and ate the food and Annie said they were going out shopping. Saturday mornings were usually the best time for shopping, with stores not too busy or crowded at the mall, and she was pretty sure that they could find almost anything that they needed. They left the house and she drove them to the mall. As soon as they stepped through the doors of the mall, Annie entered shopping mode.


    ¡°The first store we need is right over there.¡± Annie said and pointed. Being a dutiful son, Arnold followed her and let his mother handle everything, from picking out good clothing items to coordinating color schemes to make everything match in some capacity. Annie was happy that they were doing this, because Arnold had grown slightly during the three months he was working at the college.


    That meant a lot of Arnold''s old clothing, which had been close to being too short, now actually was. Plus, most of that had been ruined when the house was wrecked. Using some of the house insurance money to replace his clothing was something that gave Annie a sense of completeness and moving on from what happened.


    Over the next several hours, Annie bought him several pairs of jeans in various colors from blue to black, pants of different fabrics and different colors, long and short sleeved shirts, long and short sleeved t-shirts, a muscle shirt or two, both thick and thin sweaters, jockey shorts, briefs, socks galore, a few belts as complimentary items, three pairs of sneakers, and several pairs of normal shorts and basketball shorts.


    At one point, they had to find a shopping cart to help carry everything. By the time they were done shopping, it was practically overflowing with their purchases. They went to the food court and sat down to both rest and to get something to eat, because they had missed lunch. As they ate, they heard a womanly laugh as someone approached.


    ¡°Good lord, Annie! Are you buying out the whole mall?¡± Claire asked as she stopped at their table.


    ¡°Claire!¡± Annie almost yelled and stood up to give the other woman a hug. ¡°It''s been so long!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Claire said and managed, barely, to not stare at Arnold. ¡°You could call me, you know.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Annie said with a smirk and let her go. ¡°That goes for you, too.¡±


    Claire laughed again. ¡°Touche.¡± She said. ¡°It''s so nice to run into you here.¡± She almost gushed, then she looked at Arnold. ¡°Hello, Arnold.¡±


    ¡°Hello.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°How is work?¡± Claire asked.


    ¡°Over.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Claire looked from him to Annie. ¡°But... there''s another week before...¡±


    ¡°Vacation.¡± Annie said without fully explaining and sat back down to continue eating.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Claire said, a little sadly. ¡°I was bringing Heather to the college this week to get her set up in the dorm and to tour the campus.¡± She reached out, almost against her will, and touched Arnold''s shoulder. ¡°I was looking forward to seeing where you worked and what you did all day.¡±


    ¡°I''m not working anywhere now.¡± Arnold said. ¡°It was Building F in the large lab on the second floor.¡±


    Claire gave his shoulder a light squeeze and let it go. ¡°I''m sure Heather and I will check it out, even if you''re not there.¡±


    ¡°MOM!¡± Heather yelled loudly and strode over to her mother. ¡°You are not going to believe the sale that''s on at...¡± She stopped talking when she saw who it was that her mother was talking to. ¡°Arnold!¡± She gasped. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Shopping with mom.¡± Arnold said and pointed.


    ¡°Hi, Mrs. Strickland.¡± Heather said, a little embarrassed that she hadn''t noticed her right away.


    ¡°It''s... just Ms. Strickland.¡± Annie said, then she took in a breath and let it out as she straightened her back. ¡°It''s been almost six months since my husband died.¡±


    Claire smiled and nodded at Annie''s confidence. I''m glad you decided to move on. She thought. She would never say that out loud with their kids there. ¡°Heather actually has a room in the newest dorm on the campus.¡±


    ¡°Yes! It''s great!¡± Heather said. ¡°The pictures online look a bit touched up, though.¡± She said with a laugh. ¡°The room doesn''t sparkle in the sunlight!¡±


    Claire had to laugh at that. ¡°The damn thing should sparkle! Ten grand a year for a single bed and a desk in a private room is a bit much!¡±


    ¡°It''s twelve hundred dollars less for a shared room.¡± Arnold said, to their surprise. ¡°Of course, you have a roommate as a trade off.¡± He looked at Heather. ¡°You should have talked to Kelly.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Heather asked.


    ¡°She''s not sharing Arnold''s room at the dorm anymore.¡± Annie said and kept the sadness out of her voice. It had been her idea for Kelly to surprise him and stay over for the weekend. She never expected Kelly to surprise her instead and move out before she officially moved in.


    Both Claire and Heather caught their breath at the news. They were silent for several moments as they thought about it.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said when he finished eating and all three women looked at him. ¡°Heather can''t move in with me.¡±


    Heather''s face flushed red. ¡°I... um... wasn''t...¡±


    Claire put a hand on her daughter''s shoulder. ¡°It''s all right to say it. I was thinking it, too.¡±


    Heather sighed. ¡°Okay. Yes. It was the first thing I thought of.¡±


    ¡°I''ve kissed too many girls for you to be happy as my roommate.¡± Arnold said to Heather and stood up as he gathered up the trash and tossed it in the garbage can. ¡°You broke up with me and it was just a picture of a goodbye kiss. What would you do if I kissed a girl in front of you?¡±


    Heather opened her mouth to respond that she would be okay with that, even though she wouldn''t be.


    ¡°Where''s Eric?¡± Arnold asked and interrupted her. ¡°What would he say if you did move in with me?¡±


    Heather''s mouth snapped closed, because she hadn''t been thinking about Eric for the last few minutes while talking with Arnold. Eric hadn''t crossed her mind at all.


    Arnold didn''t say anything else as he walked around Claire and Heather and stood at the back of the shopping cart. Annie took the cue and tossed her garbage into the trash and stood.


    ¡°Well, this was...¡± Annie started to say.


    ¡°...awkward.¡± Claire said and sighed. ¡°Really awkward.¡±


    Annie nodded and touched her arm for a brief moment, then she and Arnold left.


    Claire watched them for a few moments, then turned to her daughter. ¡°He''s on vacation for a week.¡±


    ¡°That figures.¡± Heather shook her head. ¡°I finally get the chance to let him show me around the campus before classes start and he won''t even be there to do it.¡±


    Claire put an arm over her shoulder. ¡°I''m just as disappointed as you are.¡±


    Heather nodded, because she knew how much her mother liked having Arnold around. She could dress how she wanted and he never took it the wrong way. In fact, Heather herself had liked that about him. When she tried to strut around her room in just her bra and panties with Eric there, he practically tore them off of her. It had been fun; but, also disappointing.


    Heather knew that Eric would always see that as an invitation for sex. That meant she couldn''t really relax around him, which meant that her mother couldn''t really relax around him, either. That underlying tension was always there and it wasn''t a good environment for her mother... or her. The problem was, that would always be the case with every other guy on the planet... except for Arnold.


    ¡°What was it you were saying about not believing a sale?¡± Claire asked. She saw that her daughter had been thinking hard about something and wanted to distract her.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Heather snapped out of her thoughts. ¡°It''s over that way.¡± She said and pointed. ¡°It''s the cutest little...¡± She droned on about something and led her mother over to the store.


    Claire stopped herself from sighing. They were walking in the opposite direction of where Annie and Arnold went. She fought very hard to not turn around and see where Arnold had gone. She just hoped that they were still going to be there shopping and she would run into them later. Maybe then she could somehow get Arnold alone to talk to him.


    She was disappointed an hour later when she and Heather left the mall and hadn''t seen a trace of him.

 147 A Little More Shopping

    Annie and Arnold went home and took their purchases upstairs and into Arnold''s room. He emptied his suitcase and they packed what they could inside. The rest they packed into several boxes and set them beside the door. The clothes from his suitcase were put away in several drawers in the dresser and hung up in the closet. That used up most of the time until suppertime. They had eaten a late lunch, so neither of them were hungry.


    ¡°We can go for a walk.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°Did you plan it?¡± Arnold asked and she laughed.


    ¡°No, I''m just thinking of something to fill the rest of the evening.¡± Annie said. ¡°I thought we would spend a lot more time at the mall than we did.¡±


    ¡°We didn''t buy any winter clothing.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie took in a sharp breath. ¡°I completely forgot about that!¡± She said and grabbed his hand. ¡°We lost all of our packed away winter things, too.¡± She led him back downstairs and they hopped in the car. ¡°If I remember correctly, there was a store not that far from downtown that had some nice winter things.¡±


    They drove around for twenty minutes and they both looked for the store.


    ¡°There.¡± Arnold said and pointed.


    Annie nodded and drove over to it and parked. ¡°It''s still open, too.¡± She said and they went to the door. ¡°The sign says we have a few hours before they close. That might be enough time.¡±


    Arnold raised his eyebrows slightly and she laughed.


    ¡°Yes, I''m kidding.¡± Annie said and they went into the store. ¡°We''ll have a look around, maybe try on a few coats, and I''ll buy you a nice big pair of fluffy mittens.¡±


    The two of them did just that. They walked around and checked out several nice coats and tried them on, picked out their favourites, then went over to the mittens.


    ¡°Oh! Look at these things!¡± Annie exclaimed and picked up a pair that looked like they had been made from a white long haired angora cat. ¡°They''re so soft and fluffy!¡±


    ¡°Those are our best sellers.¡± A man said as he came over to them. ¡°You should definitely buy them for your girlfriend.¡± He said to Arnold as Annie rubbed the mittens over her face.


    ¡°She''s not my girlfriend.¡± Arnold said and the guy''s face changed from happy to something that he didn''t like.


    ¡°Really.¡± The man said with a sly smile and turned towards Annie with that look.


    Arnold stepped between them and stared at the man.


    The man immediately stepped back. ¡°Hey, I was just...¡±


    ¡°She''s my mother.¡± Arnold said in a flat voice and didn''t change his stare.


    ¡°Ah... yeah. Okay.¡± The man said, a little unnerved by the weird guy. The hot woman wasn''t worth the hassle if her son was around all the time, anyway. He walked away and went back to stocking the shelves.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Annie whispered and he turned around to look at her. ¡°You scared him away for me.¡±


    Arnold nodded and took the mittens from her hands, then he lifted them and rubbed them on her face.


    Annie laughed as they tickled her. ¡°Yes, these are the mittens!¡±


    Arnold stopped and they went over to the winter boots. They tried on several different pairs and styles and Annie picked out two pairs for herself. One pair was for when things were wet and not a lot of snow was down. They only went to mid-calf and were stylish. The other pair was for deep snow. They went right up to her knee and were nice and toasty warm inside with the thick fake fur lining.


    ¡°I won''t even have to wear socks with these.¡± Annie said jokingly and brought them over to the counter with Arnold''s single pair of boots, the mittens, and two nice winter coats.


    ¡°I''d suggest at least ankle socks, just so you don''t sweat directly into the lining.¡± A young woman said and started to ring in the items. ¡°They''ll last longer and you won''t have to deodorize them as much.¡±


    ¡°Do you have those?¡± Annie asked. ¡°Maybe you can recommend the best one, since I haven''t seen this style of boot before.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± The young woman said. ¡°Rob? Can you grab me a Hen 23 foot massage odour pad?¡±


    The man that had approached them earlier appeared from behind a shelf and saw who the customer was. ¡°Yeah.¡± He said and quickly walked away.


    ¡°I''m sorry about him trying to hit on you.¡± The young woman said. ¡°He''s a bit full of himself when it comes to the fairer sex.¡± She shrugged. ¡°He''s a good worker, otherwise.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn''t be so bad if he toned it down a little.¡± An older woman said when she came back to the counter with the requested foot odour pads. ¡°I''m afraid one of these times, he''s going to hit on the wrong woman and it''s going to backfire on him.¡±


    ¡°Or she decides to make a fuss.¡± The young woman said and added the foot pads to Annie''s purchase.


    ¡°We would have to take action officially if that happens.¡± The older lady said. ¡°Oh, I love those mittens.¡± She said and caressed the fluffy angora mittens. ¡°We sell out of them so quickly because everyone loves them.¡±


    The young woman finished tallying up the cost and Annie paid with her debit card. She turned to tell Arnold to take the biggest bag and he wasn''t beside her.


    ¡°Arnold?¡± Annie turned around and looked for him. She saw him come back to the counter with the other four pairs of white angora mittens and laughed. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Buying the rest.¡± Arnold said and the young woman rang them up and he paid with his debit card.


    ¡°O-kay.¡± Annie said and told him to take the largest bag, then she took the other bag and the one with his mittens. They left the shop and went outside, put the bags in the backseat, then climbed into the front of the car. ¡°Who did you buy them for?¡±


    ¡°Doris, Pam, and Janet.¡± Arnold said without hesitation.


    Annie glanced at him and started the car. ¡°What about the last pair?¡±


    ¡°The lady said they always sell out.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie''s eyes widened for a second, then she burst out laughing. She was glad that she hadn''t put the car in gear yet. ¡°I love you so much!¡± She said and leaned across the seat and hugged her son, then gave him a quick kiss. ¡°You''re just too adorable!¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to stop?¡± Arnold asked, even though he wasn''t sure how to stop being something that he didn''t really understand.


    ¡°Good lord, no.¡± Annie said and looked into his eyes. ¡°You keep being you, no matter what.¡± She said. ¡°There''s no one else like you in the world and I have been blessed beyond all reason to have you in my life.¡±


    Arnold hugged her back and held her as she eased back and used a hand to cup the side of his face.


    ¡°Even though both of our lives haven''t turned out like I had thought. With everything that''s happened and what we had to go through...¡± Annie leaned in and gave him a feather light kiss. ¡°...we''ve gotten through it because we''re family. No matter what happens, I won''t give you up for anything.¡±


    Arnold nodded and she let his face go.


    ¡°We should grab some fast food and head home.¡± Annie said and pulled out of the parking space, then drove to the closest fast food restaurant. She bought two combos and drove back home.


    They brought in the food and the clothes they bought and then sat down to eat.


    ¡°I think you''re taking more clothes with you now than you did the first time.¡± Annie said with a smile on her face. ¡°Make sure to exchange the old things and put them into the packing boxes before taking out the new things.¡±


    Arnold nodded and kept eating.


    ¡°It''s not that I''m worried about them mixing, although I am, it''s so I can take them right to the donation box and they''ll get another home as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and they finished eating. After that, they brought his new things up to his room. It was positively crowded with everything that Annie had bought. They took the few things Annie had bought for herself, including the fluffy mittens, and put them into her closet for winter.


    ¡°There.¡± Annie said and sat down on the bed. She thought about all of the stores they went through and looked at her son. ¡°We covered a lot of ground today, Arnold.¡± She said and pat the bed.


    Arnold sat down beside her and turned slightly to look at her. ¡°Did you have some nice clean fun?¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°I really did.¡± She said and put her arm around his shoulders. ¡°I also noticed that if I wasn''t wearing my heeled shoes, you are actually taller than me now.¡±


    Arnold blinked his eyes for a moment and then stood up. Annie knew what he wanted and she stood as well. She stepped close and pressed the tip of her nose to his... or tried to. They used to match perfectly, and now the tip of Arnold''s nose was a quarter of an inch higher.


    ¡°See? We don''t match any...¡± Annie stopped talking when Arnold tilted his head the exact amount to put the tip of his nose on hers.


    ¡°We still match.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Arnold...¡± Annie started to tell him that he was growing up and he spoke again.


    ¡°I''ll do anything for you, Mom.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie opened her mouth to tell him that he didn''t really mean that, then she couldn''t help but look into his eyes and see the sincerity there. ¡°Arnold, I...¡±


    Arnold moved his head to the side a little and took her into a hug as he rested his chin on her shoulder. ¡°I love you, Mom.¡±


    Annie put her arms around him to hug him back. ¡°I love you, too.¡±


    After a few moments, Arnold eased his hold and leaned back to look at her face. ¡°I need a shower.¡±


    ¡°So do I, after all that running around we did.¡± Annie chuckled. ¡°I''ll go first this time.¡±


    Arnold nodded and went to his room to get his sleeping clothes ready, namely a pair of shorts that he only wore to bed. He sat on his bed and waited patiently. No real thoughts passed through his head, since nothing demanded his attention at the moment. He couldn''t do anything that he wanted to do until he knew what his mother had planned for him.


    The bathroom door opened and Annie came out wearing only a towel. ¡°There''s tons of hot water left.¡± She said and used a towel to dry her hair. ¡°I forgot to tell you that I had the construction crew install a double capacity hot water heater. I think the foreman said it would last for an hour on full hot or something.¡±


    ¡°You would look like a raisin.¡± Arnold said and stood up.


    Annie laughed and held a hand up. ¡°More like twenty minutes!¡±


    Arnold walked over and took her hand in his, rubbed her wrinkled fingertips lightly with his thumb, then kissed them. ¡°They will be back to normal in ten minutes.¡± He said and went into the bathroom and shut the door.


    Annie had a slightly red face and her hand was still in the same spot that Arnold had held it. She turned it over and looked at her wrinkled fingertips. He kissed them to make them better, just like he did to my knee the last time I fell out of bed and banged it.


    Annie stood there for several minutes and stared at the bathroom door as she wondered who else he had been doing that to. She chuckled at herself and finished drying her hair, grabbed her sleep clothes, and put them on.


    He''s such a sweet boy. Annie thought and pulled the blanket aside and laid down on her bed.


    Arnold came out of the bathroom and dried himself off, slipped on his sleeping shorts, and went to his mother''s room. ¡°What are we doing tomorrow?¡± He asked and climbed into bed behind her and pulled the blanket over them.


    ¡°I''m planning on sleeping in late and cuddling you until the alarm goes off, then we can eat and I''ll leave the house for a few hours to let you do one of your specimens.¡± Annie said.


    Instead of just one arm, Arnold used both arms to hug his mother.


    ¡°Arnold?¡± Annie turned in his arms and looked at his face. ¡°I can''t sleep with your arm under my...¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and gave her a kiss, then he rolled onto his back and kept her in the hug. Annie had never been held like that before, even after nearly twenty years of marriage, and she wasn''t sure what to make of it. It was both comfortable and uncomfortable, since Arnold wasn''t her usual soft pillow that she normally slept on.


    Almost as if he sensed her thoughts, Arnold moved slightly and adjusted himself, rather than making her adjust her position, and suddenly Annie only felt comfortable as her head rested against his chest.


    How did he do that? Annie asked herself in surprise.


    Her mind starting going over the things Arnold had been doing and she wondered, once again, where he was learning all of it. She remembered him mentioning special biology periodicals that he had access to and the things they taught him about human behavior.


    Could one of them teach him how to make a woman comfortable when laying against a man''s body? Annie asked herself.


    She honestly didn''t have an answer and she couldn''t even call the college and ask, since they were all on vacation. Not that she would know how to phrase that particular question, anyway.


    Excuse me, could you tell me what periodical or book you have that taught my son how to let a woman use him like a pillow? Annie thought with amusement and stopped her laugh before it escaped. Just ignore it for now. She told herself and calmed down. Just go to sleep and enjoy it for now. You can worry about it tomorrow.


    Annie settled down and let out a sigh as she fell asleep against her surprisingly comfortable son.


    *


    Arnold had felt his mom as she tensed up, relaxed, tensed up again for several moments, shifted slightly, then she had relaxed and fell asleep. It was then that Arnold discovered that the knowledge that Doris had imparted to him was actually useful for something other than just having sex. It was versatile and could be used in different situations. All he had to do was test it on other women and confirm it.


    Little did he know that was exactly the warning that Amy had given Cissily the day before about him.

 148 Testing, Testing

    Annie and Arnold slept in and didn''t get up until the alarm went off at ten in the morning. Annie was quite surprised when she tried to move and a large gob of drool was left where her mouth had been on Arnold''s chest. When she tried to sit up, it kind of stretched and left a thin strand of spittle between her mouth and his chest.


    ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Annie whispered. She used her hand to catch it and break it, then she quickly rolled out of bed and went to the bathroom. She came back with a box of tissues and climbed back onto the bed, then did her best to wipe up the mess she had left.


    ¡°Mom.¡± Arnold said and opened his eyes.


    ¡°I drooled on you.¡± Annie said, her face slightly red from embarrassment. ¡°I''ve never done that before, not even on my pillow.¡±


    Arnold let her wipe it off, then he sat up and took a tissue and used it to wipe at her face. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Annie chuckled. ¡°For what? Leaving my mouth open and letting my drool flow out?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said and she blinked her eyes at him.


    ¡°Arnold...¡± Annie reached up and stopped his hand. ¡°I think...¡±


    ¡°You were completely relaxed. There was no tension in you all night.¡±


    ¡°A-a-all n-night?¡± Annie asked, surprised.


    Arnold nodded. ¡°I had to make sure you were comfortable.¡±


    ¡°A-Arnold!¡± Annie gasped. ¡°You... you didn''t have to...¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Arnold said and gave her a quick kiss. ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°G-good morning.¡± Annie said and stared at her son, then she couldn''t help but ask a question. ¡°Who else have you...¡±


    ¡°Just you.¡± Arnold said and climbed out of bed. ¡°I''ll make breakfast.¡± He said and left the room.


    Annie sat in bed and stared at her open bedroom door. Just me. She thought, in shock. She was sure... no, she was absolutely positive that he was sleeping with Janet on a regular or semi-regular basis. Why wouldn''t he do that with her? I''m sure she would love it.


    She wouldn''t admit that her reasoning was that she had loved it and pushed those expectations onto Janet. She also didn''t want to admit how flattered she was that he had only done it with her and no one else.


    What am I thinking? Annie asked herself and shook her head. I need to get dressed.


    Annie dressed in clothing she wanted to go out in, popped into the bathroom to check herself in the mirror and did a quick fluffing and brushing of her hair, then applied a minimal amount of makeup. She went downstairs and ate breakfast with her son.


    ¡°I''ll be out in the shed.¡± Arnold said when they were washing the dishes. ¡°I don''t want the smell in the house.¡±


    Annie nodded and didn''t say how relieved she was. It had taken several days to get the smell out of the house the last time a specimen was dissected in the dining room. Now they had a new dining room and she didn''t want it marred by mistake or by accident.


    ¡°I''ll be out getting groceries and I''ll take my time.¡± Annie said and gave him a smile. ¡°I''ll save getting any frozen things until I''m about to leave the store.¡±


    Arnold nodded this time. ¡°I might not come out when you come back.¡±


    Annie chuckled. ¡°I know. There''s no interrupting you when you''re busy doing something important.¡±


    Arnold gave her a hug and a quick kiss. ¡°I love you, mom.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Annie said. ¡°I don''t have anything planned until tonight, so don''t rush. Do what you need to do and then come back into the house.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and watched as his mother left. He went upstairs and dressed in a pair of dress slacks and a blue shirt. He took his mother''s advice and didn''t add the tie or the suit coat, although he did put the tie into the pocket of his jacket. He picked up his specimen container and left the house through the back door and went into the little shed.


    Arnold had cleaned it up a long time ago and had made a space for himself to work. He took out one of his prepared rats and popped the seal on it, to let the smell out, then he took out his cell phone and tucked it under the protective cloth he had laid out. He stepped out of the shed and closed the door, pulled the barely visible string, and the latch inside on the door clicked shut.


    He tried to open the door and it wouldn''t move, nodded, and walked around the shed to the spot where the neighbour''s security cameras couldn''t see him. He walked in an exact diagonal to the yard fence, moved the loose fence picket out of the way, and stepped into the next yard. He made his way across it and over to the next street, went down it to the bus stop, then hopped on the bus and paid with cash, rather than use his bus pass.


    Twenty minutes later, he was back in a familiar place, the Plaza. He knew where he wanted to go, since he had visited there before, and went into the courthouse. It was the weekend, so he knew it would be deserted except for the clerk that worked the window.


    Arnold would be out of luck if it was the judge that had been there the last time. She had said it was rare for her to work and cover the normal clerk''s shift, so he wasn''t worried about it. He slipped on the tie he had in his pocket and tied it, then took off his jacket and held it in his hand. He opened the door to the little office and stepped inside.


    *


    Ethel was having another boring and well paid shift at work when for the first time that day, someone came into the office. She saw the nice shirt, the tie and dress pants, and the casual jacket in the man''s hand. She knew that not everyone would get dressed up to come there on a Sunday and she waited for him to hang up his jacket and turn around before she spoke.


    ¡°Good mo-¡± Ethel''s words froze in her mouth when a familiar handsome face gave her the most angelic smile she had ever seen.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± The handsome man said and walked over to her.


    Ethel couldn''t help but relive that moment from the beginning of summer when she had met the young man and helped him find the way to get to the address he wanted. She had felt the press of his lips on hers for days afterwards. She had done her best to remember the curve of his cheek, the ridge of his brow, and the strength of his hand that had held her neck steady as he kissed her.


    ¡°I was wondering if you could help me again.¡±


    ¡°YES!¡± Ethel exclaimed and covered her mouth. ¡°I''m sorry for my outburst.¡± She moved her hand and composed herself. ¡°I meant that I would be glad to help you as much as I can.¡±


    The handsome young man gave her an even bigger smile and her heart went pitter-patter. ¡°You look a little tense.¡± He said. ¡°Would you like a shoulder massage while you look up a few little things for me?¡±


    Oh, dear lord. Ethel thought and her hands shook a little. ¡°I... that would be nice. However, you... can''t be back here.¡±


    ¡°Is it against the law?¡± The handsome man asked confidently, as if he already knew the answer.


    ¡°N-no.¡± Ethel said, barely above a whisper, and she didn''t say anything as he casually sat on the little wooden door that divided her work space from the rest of the office. He flipped his legs over it and was suddenly standing right behind her.


    ¡°I''m doing a project on the legal system and how it can be subtly subverted for personal gain.¡± The handsome young man said and his strong hands slid onto her shoulders.


    Ethel closed her eyes as his fingers and thumbs dug into just the right spots for her nearly sixty year old muscles.


    ¡°If I gave you case numbers, could you look them up for me?¡±


    ¡°E-e-easily.¡± Ethel said and barely stopped herself from moaning.


    The hands stopped and then she felt his hot breath on her neck. ¡°38567.¡± He whispered into her ear and she actually did moan a little. Her hands moved on their own and quickly typed up the case. She had been typing without looking at the keyboard for nearly forty years, so having her eyes closed made no difference to her.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± The man''s voice said and he lightly kissed her neck. ¡°92341.¡±


    Ethel''s whole body shivered at the touch of his lips and she brought up the information. The handsome young man kept giving her case numbers and she entered them all, just to receive another tender kiss on her skin. After what seemed like forever to her, his hands slid down her arms and took her hands off of the keyboard. She didn''t ask him what he was doing as he turned her chair around and then her hands felt the hard muscles of his chest.


    ¡°Oh, good lord.¡± Ethel whispered. She had kept her eyes closed the entire time, because she didn''t want whatever was happening to end, and she opened her eyes and all she saw was an expanse of chest looming over her. She couldn''t help but kiss that wonderfully thick muscle, even though she had no business doing so, let alone at work. She left a perfect imprint of her lipstick there, right around the nipple, and she felt so much satisfaction from it that she came a little.


    ¡°OHH!¡± Ethel gasped loudly, because it shocked her.


    The handsome young man stepped back slightly, with his shirt open and the tie pulled to the side. ¡°Thank you for your help.¡± He said and gave her that angelic smile, then he bent over to put his face right in front of hers. ¡°I''m supposed to ask someone if they want me to kiss them goodbye.¡± He whispered and Ethel wasn''t sure her heart could take the look in his eyes. ¡°Do you want...¡±


    Ethel didn''t let him finish as she moved her head forward and kissed him. Her head swam as he kissed her unlike any man ever had. It seemed to go on forever and also seemed agonizingly short at the same time. He broke the kiss and stood up straight as he buttoned his shirt. As he tucked it in, her eyes couldn''t help but look at the bulge in his pants.


    Ethel blushed hard and her blood pressure rose through the roof. ¡°Did... is that...¡±


    ¡°You made me hard.¡± The handsome young man said, to her surprise and shock. ¡°If we weren''t on camera right now...¡±


    ¡°THE CAMERA!¡± Ethel yelled and covered her mouth. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± She covered her face with both hands. ¡°I''m going to be fired!¡±


    The young man took her hands from her face and she saw his angelic smile. ¡°It can only see my back.¡±


    Ethel looked deep into his eyes and then she realized he was right. He had stood behind her the entire time. ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°I can''t let them see what I did.¡± He said and gave her hands a squeeze. ¡°Thank you for helping me again.¡±


    Ethel took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I hope you found out what you wanted.¡±


    ¡°I need to do more tests.¡± The handsome young man said and gave her a smile, bent down and gave her a brief kiss, then he walked over to the wooden gate and did the same thing to get over it without opening it. He walked over to the door, put on his jacket, and left.


    Ethel stared at the door and didn''t move for nearly half an hour before she shook herself and looked at the computer. To her surprise, none of the things she had looked up for him were on the screen. She quickly typed the command to check the search history and nothing was there. She blinked her eyes and shook her head.


    Did... did that really happen? Ethel asked herself. It wasn''t just a delusion, was it?


    She picked up her purse and took out the small compact mirror she owned and checked her face. She smiled at the smudged lipstick on her face and she used some tissues to clean it off, then she reapplied it expertly. Once she did, she imagined giving that handsome young man a matching lipstick mark on his other nipple. Of course, that thought gave her a little thrill and she came a little bit more.


    Oh, damn. I need to go to the bathroom. Ethel thought and stood up, put up a piece of paper that said she would be back in ten minutes, then she went to the bathroom to take care of some business.


    *


    Arnold walked down the hallway until he came to the security room. According to the schedule on that woman''s computer, no one was on duty there today. He tried the handle and it was unlocked, so he opened the door and peered in. No cameras were there, so he stepped inside and went to the main computer. After only a little bit of searching, he found the footage of him in the clerk''s office. He also found footage of him entering and leaving the office, so he copied over the files from earlier that day.


    There was nothing Arnold could do about the timestamps on the footage and it didn''t really matter much. He had erased his presence there as much as possible and he wiped his fingerprints off of everything he had touched. He left the room and went down the hallway and left the building. He now had somewhere to go and wanted to get there as soon as he could. He was working on a limited time budget and hopped on the cross-town bus.


    *


    An hour later, Officer Charlie Hallman was relaxing on his couch with a beer when he heard something tap on the back door. It wasn''t quite a knock and it wasn''t a bang, so his interest... and suspicion... was piqued immediately. He got up and put the beer down, then reached for his gun.


    He didn''t cock it and put a bullet in the chamber, even though his instincts told him to. He was in a residential neighbourhood and they frowned upon unnecessary weapon discharges. That thought made him smile as he approached his back door cautiously. His police training had kicked in, even though he had had a few beers, and he peered out of the window of the door. He didn''t see anything until he looked down at the step and saw a little bird laying there. It wasn''t moving.


    Charlie sighed and put the gun down on the counter by the door, then opened the door and stepped out. ¡°Poor little guy.¡± He said and nudged it with his toe. ¡°Did you kill yourself by flying into my door?¡± He asked as he looked down at it, then suddenly a strong arm grabbed him from behind and a damp cloth was pressed to his face.


    ¡°No, I killed it.¡± Arnold said and held onto the man as he barely struggled. When he was unconscious, Arnold carried him into the house and closed the door.

 149 Plans Can Change

    Arnold slipped off his shoes just inside the door and walked in just his socks as he carried the unconscious officer through the house. It was only a single level, so he had no trouble finding the bathroom. Once there, he sat the man on the toilet and striped him off completely. Once he was naked, Arnold set him down into the tub and turned on both the hot and cold faucets after plugging the drain.


    In ten minutes, the tub was filled to three quarters full and reached the man''s chest. Arnold used his intimate biology knowledge and used his scalpel to make two discrete cuts to the man''s legs in a particular spot on each, that just happened to be very similar to how he had killed the Greater Elder Tasmanian Devil in the game. In less than a minute, the water had turned red. Four minutes after that, the man breathed his last and became still.


    Arnold waited a few more minutes and pulled on the little chain of the plug and let the water drain. He turned on the shower and let it wash off the red tinge that the body had. While he waited for that, he left the bathroom and started his search. He knew what he wanted to look for and found the items he needed in the dresser drawer in the bedroom. He went back into the bathroom and rolled the body over and let the wash continue.


    He went back to the bedroom and opened the closet. He found several sets of uniforms in dry cleaner bags and took one. He checked inside to see that it was all there, then he rolled it up into a tight bundle and looked down at the large black duffle-like bag on the floor, which looked like it was used for carrying equipment. It was a bit too big for just the dry cleaner bag, then he spotted several new shoe laces in their package and smiled as he had an idea.


    Arnold went back into the bathroom with the large duffle-like bag and turned off the shower, then used several towels to dry the body. He used the laces to tie the hands behind the back and then used another to tie the ankles together. He tied those laces together with another, hog-tying the body, and lifted the much lighter body with the lace handle and tucked it into the bag.


    It didn''t quite fit, so he had to apply some judicial pressure and popped both kneecaps out of joint. It fit now, so he took the bag back into the bedroom. Surprisingly, there was still a lot of room in the bag, so he quickly emptied several drawers of clothing and tucked them into the bag. After that, he went back into the bathroom and took the man''s other clothes as well. He found the wallet and some money, tucked the clothing into the bag and closed it.


    He had intended to just use a blanket to wrap the body, like he had done at the beach party to Micheal; but, the duffle-like equipment bag was working out so much better, since it was much more discrete than a large blanket. If someone stopped him, he wouldn''t have to explain why he was carrying around a stuffed blanket.


    Arnold unrolled the dry cleaning bag he had intended to steal and opened it again. He checked the sizes and they were very close to his new slightly taller self, so he took off his pants and shirt and put them into a side pocket of the duffle-like bag, along with the dry cleaning bag.


    He dressed in the freshly cleaned police uniform and like his mother recently taught him, he used the bathroom mirror to make sure everything looked right. He picked up the equipment belt and put it on, picked up the hat from the bag and put it on as well, then his outfit was almost complete. He pinned the badge he had found earlier to the pocket and nodded in the mirror.


    Arnold now looked like a respectable a police officer.


    Because of his earlier search, he easily retrieved the man''s cell phone, keys, and a box of bullets. He picked up the duffle-like bag by the versatile handle and walked through the house to the back door. He picked up the gun and put it in the holster on his hip and it didn''t sit properly. He took it out and saw a little leather clip, moved it and put the gun back, and it slid in properly.


    Arnold snapped the clip closed and the gun remained in place. He walked all the way to the front of the house and locked the door, made sure the windows were closed and locked, then went back to the back of the house. He tucked his shoes into a different pocket of the bag, picked it up by the handle, and carried it out the back door. He grabbed the police jacket and put it on, then locked the door with the keys. He put them back in his pocket and picked up the dead bird with his still rubber gloved hand.


    ¡°Good job.¡± Arnold whispered to it and tucked the bird into his new jacket''s pocket. He walked around the house to the police car and took the keys out again. He popped the trunk and put the bag inside, then he closed it and climbed into the driver''s side. He sat there for a minute and used the officer''s cell phone to look up driving manuals. He remembered what Detective Tanner had told him about what the witnesses said about his driving afterwards. At the time, it fit perfectly and he was glad for that. Now, he had to actually drive.


    If Arnold was prone to such things, he would have laughed at how ridiculously easy it was to learn the rules of the road and to get a driver''s license. The manual was barely fifty pages and most of it was pictures and guidelines. Nearly a third of the book was for all of the various caution signs he would encounter, and as far as he knew, most of them have never been put on the roads he had travelled so far.


    He also would have laughed at how to learn to drive, because he had done it properly and hadn''t realized it. You only had to go to a secluded spot, practised with a licensed driver in the car, and drove until you could handle it properly. He found a suggestion that said to keep a driver''s handbook in the glove compartment as a refresher when you needed it, so he checked the glove compartment.


    Sure enough, there was a handbook.


    Arnold flipped through it and confirmed that it was the same as the one he found online. He put it back and saw another handgun there, a really small one, so he took it and put it in his pocket and added the small box of ammunition to his other pocket. He turned the car on and put it in gear, then carefully drove down the driveway.


    When he reached the road, he used the signal like the manual said, waited for the traffic to clear, then pulled out and maintained the proper driving position for his hands. He was on his way.


    *


    ¡°Aww, man.¡± William ''The Kid'' Becker said and stood up straight after picking up another piece of wet cardboard that was like mush in his gloved hands. ¡°Cleaning the park sucks balls, man! It sucks balls!¡±


    ¡°It''s better than jail.¡± Henry said and tossed another piece of garbage into the rolling garbage can he pulled behind himself. ¡°So much better than jail.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Kevin''s being railroaded.¡± William said and tossed the cardboard into the can. ¡°There''s no way he was stupid enough to jump Arnold like that.¡±


    ¡°If that was true, he''d be out by now, wouldn''t he?¡± Henry asked. ¡°His mom said that he''s taking it like a man, though.¡±


    ¡°Like a man with a gun to his head, you mean.¡± William said with a laugh. ¡°I heard that you should never make trouble while in jail. It like doubles your sentence or something.¡±


    ¡°Naw, they just charge you with more things.¡± Henry said.


    The two of them worked for the entire morning, had a conversation about everything and nothing, then a police car arrived and honked the horn as the driver''s side window rolled down.


    ¡°Boys, it looks like the men in blue finally managed to get off their asses to help out.¡± Their supervisor said. ¡°It''s about time, too.¡± He looked at his watch. ¡°I won''t even dock your pay for leaving early.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha. Yeah.¡± William said and as he walked towards the car, he whispered. ¡°Fuck you, too.¡±


    ¡°What was that?¡± The supervisor asked.


    ¡°I said see you next week!¡± William said and then mumbled. ¡°Asshole.¡±


    Henry chuckled under his breath, because he didn''t want to give his friend away.


    ¡°In the back.¡± A deep voice said and the window went up.


    ¡°They''re still treating us like criminals, man.¡± William said and hopped in the back.


    Henry climbed in behind him and shut the door. ¡°Thank god that''s over for today.¡± He said and sighed. ¡°I feel like I''m eighty years old!¡±


    The car slowly pulled away from the curb and out onto the street.


    ¡°Jesus, man! Step on it! We don''t have all day to waste!¡± William said loudly.


    ¡°Neither do I.¡± The deep voice said and didn''t pick up speed. The car slowed down to a stop at the stop sign, the signal came on, and the car made a perfect turn and then accelerated to the posted speed limit.


    ¡°That''s more like it.¡± William said and turned to Henry. ¡°Hey, did you get a chance to look at those things I sent you?¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah.¡± Henry said and grinned, then he glanced at the officer. ¡°We shouldn''t talk about shit like that here.¡±


    ¡°What''s he going to do? Arrest us?¡± William laughed. ¡°We''re already in the back of the car!¡±


    Henry laughed, too. ¡°That''s a good point.¡± He said and they leaned in close and started whispering back and forth about something. A short time later, the car came to a stop.


    ¡°Henry.¡± The officer said and got out and Henry''s door opened.


    ¡°Later, man!¡± William said and the door shut. He felt the car''s weight shift slightly and then the trunk closed. He turned to see what was going on, then the officer climbed into the driver''s side. ¡°Hey, what was that?¡±


    The officer didn''t say anything as he put the car into gear and drove.


    ¡°Hey.¡± William said and leaned forward towards the thick wire mesh that was between the front and back seats. ¡°I asked you a question.¡±


    ¡°I was checking the bag in the trunk.¡± The officer said.


    ¡°Jesus.¡± William said and sat back. ¡°Was that so hard to say before?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The officer said. ¡°I was distracting you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± William said. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We''re here.¡± The officer said and the car came to a stop.


    ¡°That was fast.¡± William said and waited until the back door opened. ¡°I''m glad you took my advice about stepping on it.¡± He said and stepped out of the car with a sigh. ¡°Home sweet... hey!¡± He exclaimed at seeing nothing but woods and turned around to look at the officer. ¡°Where the hell... are...¡± His words died in his mouth at the calm face staring at him.


    ¡°Hello, William.¡± Arnold said and pressed the cloth full of chloroform into the other young man''s face.


    *


    Detective Olivia Tanner was having the best two weeks of her life. Despite the absolutely horrible way it had started, when she had been violated by her prime suspect in two murders, after that it was almost a dream come true. It was only almost, because she was still on administrative leave. Even though Internal Affairs had cleared her of all wrongdoing in every other case she had been involved in, they were being pansies about her handling of Arnold Strickland during his assault.


    She was okay with that, though. She had handled it professionally and she had answered everything they had asked truthfully. They already had all of the evidence she had gathered, circumstantial though it may be, and she told them her explanations and her reasoning. She knew she was very close to convincing them, since they had unofficially given her approval of her stakeout at the beach party.


    It was just too bad that it had turned out like it had. As long as they didn''t find out about her unintended sexual liaison with the suspect, everything would be fine and the investigation would proceed as planned. Olivia sighed as she remembered that little fiasco, then she rolled over in bed and looked at the man beside her. His sleeping face had quickly become a welcome sight to her mind and she suspected that he felt the same way.


    She had caught him giving her certain looks when he thought she was asleep. To her surprise, she actually liked seeing those looks on his face. It wasn''t something she was used to seeing and every time she did, it made her a little more emotionally invested in their budding relationship. She had taken a fair amount of teasing and friendly ribbing over how they had fallen for each other during a stakeout, too.


    Olivia had to smile at that. Unlike her, he had been congratulated for acting so well that he had made his partner fall for him for real. He was a great guy and said that it wasn''t like that, even though it kind of was, especially since they had sex before even discussing going on a date.


    ¡°You''re thinking too hard.¡± Mark said and opened his eyes to look at her.


    ¡°Your dick is too hard.¡± Olivia countered and he laughed.


    ¡°It knows something delicious is right there, waiting to be devoured.¡± Mark said and it was Olivia''s turn to laugh.


    ¡°Devoured, huh?¡± Olivia asked and moved close. ¡°Who is the one that can''t wait to see me do my magic trick?¡±


    Mark opened his mouth to deny it, then he smiled. ¡°You''re just so good at making it disappear.¡±


    Olivia laughed again and gave him a kiss. ¡°Look, there''s nothing up my sleeves.¡± She whispered and moved down and the blanket moved down with her. ¡°Witness my slight of hand...¡± She gently stroked his erect penis. ¡°...as I perform the best magic trick in the world.¡±


    Mark stared at her and she stared right back, then she slid her mouth over him and went right down to press her top lip to his skin. ¡°Good lord.¡± He whispered as she easily took all of him into her mouth and partially down her throat. ¡°The best magic trick in the world.¡±


    The look on his face and the tone of wonder in his voice, made Olivia very happy. She would never admit that the best relationship she had ever had, was all because of Arnold.


    *


    Annie was taking her time shopping for groceries and was actually having fun browsing through everything that the store had to offer. She had a specific list to buy and she did buy them; but, she also looked at a few guilty pleasures like marshmallows and double butter popcorn. They were definitely not healthy items to eat, by a long shot, and she put them in the cart anyway.


    She also grabbed a bag of soft candy to put in a bowl for picking at occasionally. It was a little thrilling to cheat a little and do things like that. She also picked up some instant hot cocoa for the marshmallows. The weather would be turning cold soon and she wanted something besides tea to help keep her warm.


    Annie thought about how Arnold had no problem cuddling her and she liked that he didn''t see it as weird or was disgusted by it. It was a little weird, since he was almost a grown man and she was his mother; but, neither of them were thinking anything sexual at all and they just liked being there for each other.


    She picked up a few frozen meals, for the times that she didn''t feel like making a huge mess and cooking a meal just for herself, and added them to the cart. A bag or two of frozen vegetables were next and her order was complete. She marked the last item off her list and put the paper away, then took the cart to the checkout. She was buying a little more than she normally would, because she was wasting time for Arnold. She chuckled at the thought that she had to leave the house, just so he could work on a specimen.


    At least he''s doing it in the shed. Annie thought and watched the clerk ring her things through and bag them, then that thought finally registered. Oh, my god. She thought and stopped herself before she laughed. I''m so stupid! He''s doing it in the shed and I didn''t have to leave at all!


    With her mind full of amusement, Annie left the store and loaded the bags into the trunk of her car. She drove home to tell her son how she had completely missed the obvious.

 150 Covering Things Up

    Bokuboy


    Arnold drove across the city to a part of it that wasn''t on Officer Hallman''s normal patrol route. He stopped at a hardware store that he had looked up on Officer Hallman''s phone and bought a trusty shovel, a spade, and a pick with Officer Hallman''s money. He also bought several bags of lime, compost, and soil with the excuse that he had a pile of tree roots to deal with.


    No one questioned the officer about it and he loaded his purchases into the back seat of the patrol car. That was a bit odd, because he wasn''t putting them in the trunk; but, no one questioned it. He drove back to Officer Hallman''s residence and carefully backed the car up the driveway as close as he could get to the back door. There was a fence around the backyard and he needed that cover again.


    He carried the first unconscious young man, William, into the house and made sure to bang his arms and shoulders on various things, used his hand to leave fingerprints all over the place, then took him into the bathroom. He went back out to the car and retrieved Henry, then did the same thing. As far as anyone was concerned, Officer Hallman had two visitors at his house after he had picked them up.


    Arnold knew exactly how long it took to completely drain a body of blood to make it lighter. He had it down to a system and used the same technique on the two young men that he had so easily captured. The blood filled tub was quickly drained and both bodies scrubbed, quickly dried off and hog tied, then he used two blankets to recreate the same basic shape as the duffle-like equipment bag.


    He popped their knees out of joint and stuffed even more of Officer Hallman''s clothes into the blankets to round out the shape. The more clothes missing, the more it looked like Officer Hallman had packed up and left. Arnold tied the blankets up and the top knots could easily be used as handles. He carried them back out to the police car and neither of them looked like bodies as he put them in the trunk.


    Arnold had taken a bit longer dealing with three people all at once and he had adapted his plans to allow for the extra time. He pulled onto the express highway and accelerated to the speed limit. He took the very next turn off and followed the GPS to a different wooded area than he had been in to capture the two young men.


    He found an old service road that wasn''t on the GPS and turned up it. He quickly drove there, completely ignoring the bangs and rocking of the car, and came to a stop a few minutes later. He couldn''t go very far into the woods, since he knew his limited ''safe'' time was soon coming to an end. He knew his mother would be getting bored with only grocery shopping soon and he had to hurry.


    With that motivation, he took off the cop jacket and shirt and quickly transferred the two blanketed bodies into the woods about fifty feet in. He made sure the spot wasn''t visible to the service road, even though he intended for the police to find the place. He didn''t want it to seem too obvious that he was leaving the bodies to be found.


    Arnold quickly dug appropriate holes for them, opened the blankets and untied the laces holding the arms and legs together, then liberally spread lime over them, then compost, then soil on top. He used the shovel on their necks, just as he did for Micheal at the beach party, then he covered up the soil with the local dirt he had dug up. Of course, there was a lot more left over dirt, so he did the same thing he did at the cabin and tossed it around.


    With that done, he went back to the police car and used a fresh towel to dry off his sweat. He put the cop shirt back on and tucked it in, put the shovel back into the trunk with the remaining bag of lime and soil, then drove the car all the way back to town. Once there, he knew there was nowhere he could safety park a police car and not have it be easily found... except for one place.


    The police station.


    Arnold pulled into the parking lot and no one even blinked twice at seeing a police car pull into the police station. He found a nice parking spot and carefully parked, just like the manual had shown him, and turned the car off. He turned off the cell phone and put it in the glove compartment, then he stepped out of the car. He popped open the trunk and put on the cop jacket, picked up the duffle-like bag and closed the trunk. After locking the car doors, he walked over towards the police station.


    No one looked at him at all and just as he was about to enter the building, he took a sharp left turn and walked along the side of the building instead and went around it. In behind was a cross street and then an alleyway. No security cameras could be seen, so he stepped into an alcove between two dumpsters and took out the dry cleaning bag. He stripped off the cop uniform and put it in the dry cleaning bag and put it and the equipment belt inside the duffle-like bag.


    He quickly dressed in his own clothes except for the shoes, which he left on for now, and he took off his rubber gloves. He shoved them into his jeans pockets and picked up the duffle-like bag, then walked down the alley and came out on the other street. Arnold walked calmly towards the bus stop just in time, because the cross-town bus arrived and he climbed on.


    Arnold paid the fare and took the slip, sat down and waited for his transfer to come up, and rode the buses all the way back to the bus stop that was only a few streets away from his house. He changed his shoes and walked normally and carried the bag down the street, crossed a yard, then went to the loose fence picket. He slid it aside and carefully squeezed the bag through the opening, followed it in, and put the fence picket back in place.


    He walked on the exact diagonal to hide his approach from the neighbour''s security cameras and reached the shed. He slipped around it, pulled the little string and unhooked the latch, and opened the door just enough to go inside. The smell of preservation chemicals was strong in the small space, just as he planned. Arnold held his breath and put on a safety mask, quickly hid the duffle-like bag under his bench, then he manhandled the specimen in the bag.


    Arnold was practically an expert in handling the tiny specimens and used his tools to dissect it in only a couple of minutes. Even Professor Hamil Crenslav would have had difficulty duplicating it when he was at the top of his game.


    With the ''work'' in the shed done, Arnold quickly cleaned everything up and put it away and retrieved his phone. He left the shed and locked it again, then walked over to the back door of the house. He unlocked it with his keys and stepped inside.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Annie said loudly and walked over to him, then she stopped a foot away. ¡°I''ll hug you after you get a shower!¡± She waved her hands in front of her face. ¡°Whew! Maybe the shed isn''t the best place. It''s concentrated the smell!¡±


    Arnold nodded and walked around her.


    ¡°I''m not washing those clothes.¡± She said and held a plastic bag out to him. ¡°Clean out the pockets and tie them up in this.¡±


    Arnold took the bag and nodded again. ¡°We can have a little fire out back.¡± He said, because he had seen how they had done it at the beach party.


    "We don''t have anywhere to do anything like that!¡± Annie said with a laugh.


    ¡°I''ll make a barbecue pit.¡± Arnold said and Annie gave him a look of surprise. ¡°I helped fix the one at the beach party.¡±


    Annie gave him a huge smile. ¡°All right.¡± She said. ¡°Is there anything you need?¡±


    ¡°Either stones or bricks, depending on what you want it to look like.¡± Arnold said. ¡°They had both at the cabin, so it was a mix.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. No, I don''t think a backyard pit would look good with stones, unless we had a lot and made it a whole theme.¡± Annie said. ¡°We can pop out to the hardware store and see what kind of bricks they have tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and went upstairs to his bedroom and emptied his pockets. He put the police ID card, the gun license card, and the set of keys inside a new pair of socks and rolled them up. He tucked them into the suitcase, then he went to the bathroom and stripped off. He stuffed his clothes into the plastic bag and tied it, then took a thorough shower.


    When he dressed and went back downstairs, Annie gave him a hug for several moments, then she told him about how stupid she was for making herself leave while he worked, when he was out of the house anyway.


    ¡°You are not stupid.¡± Arnold said and Annie was a little surprised that he was so adamant about it. ¡°You were being nice to me and you wanted to give me space to work. That''s not stupid.¡±


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Annie said and eased her hold on him. ¡°I only meant...¡±


    ¡°No. You do everything you can for me.¡± Arnold said and gave her a quick kiss. ¡°I love you, Mom.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Annie said. She didn''t try to explain that it was more of an expression than anything else and she didn''t mean to call herself down... then she thought about it. Maybe... maybe I was calling myself down. I was berating myself for being stupid and I was being completely serious about it. She gave Arnold a smile and let him go. ¡°Go into the living room and give me some space to work.¡± She said jokingly. ¡°I''ll have supper ready soon.¡±


    Arnold nodded and did as she asked.


    ¡°Why don''t you text one of your friends and see what they are doing tonight?¡± Annie said loudly from the kitchen. ¡°It''s Sunday and they''re still on break, so you know they shouldn''t be busy.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and took out his phone. He saw a couple of texts from Kelly and read them. She apologized for what happened and asked for forgiveness. He quickly typed back a simple ''okay'' and closed the conversation. He brought up the list of contacts for ''school friends'' that he had on his phone and picked the first name on the alphabetical list, which just happened to be Leann, or who he knew as Three.


    *


    Leann was sitting at home on the couch and was completely bored. Her boyfriend had ditched her for a night out with the guys and that pissed her off. Not that he had gone out without her, since he did that regularly when they had a fight, it was that she hadn''t had time to arrange to do anything with her friends Sarah and Tanya.


    Her phone vibrated and beeped at her and she sighed. He''s probably wondering if I''m sitting at home and waiting for him to come and apologize. She thought and picked it up... then she gasped.


    ''Hi, Leann. It''s Arnold.''


    Oh, my god. Oh, my god. Oh, my god. Leann thought frantically and quickly stood.


    ¡°Did it bite you?¡± Her older sister asked with a laugh.


    ¡°No, I... it''s a stupid spam message.¡± Leann said and quickly left the room and went to her bedroom. Okay, okay. Calm down, Leann. She thought, then typed a response. ''Hi, Arnold. What''s up?''


    ''I''m home for a week and want to know what you''re doing tonight.''


    ¡°Oh... my... god.¡± Leann plopped down onto her bed. She was breathing heavy and she hadn''t even done anything yet. All she could think about was what Janet said about them not saying no if Arnold asked them out. She was right. She thought and closed her eyes as her breathing slowed down. ''I''m not really doing anything.'' She typed. ''My boyfriend and I had a fight, so we''re taking a break from each other until he apologizes.''


    ''Is anyone else busy?'' Arnold sent.


    ''Yes, both Sarah and Tanya are doing something, which is why I''m home all alone.'' Leann typed.


    ''I''m not busy, either. Do you want to do something?''


    ''Yes!'' Leann quickly typed. ''I''d like to.''


    ''Should I come over or do you want to meet somewhere?''


    Come over? Not a chance! My sister would totally steal you from me! Leann thought and almost laughed. ''Meet.'' She typed. ''I don''t have a car, though.''


    ''I can get anywhere I need to.'' Arnold sent.


    I hope so. Leann thought with a laugh and quickly came up with a good place to meet. ''We can meet at the park and then maybe walk for a bit.'' She typed. ''There''s a nice pavilion where we can sit, too.''


    ''Okay. See you in twenty minutes.'' Arnold sent.


    ''See you then.'' Leann typed, then she stared at the phone. How did he know that I needed twenty minutes to get there? She asked herself, then she gasped. ¡°I only have twenty minutes to get there!¡±


    Leann pulled off the jogging pants and t-shirt that she had on, looked at the underwear she had worn all day, then cursed at herself for skipping a shower that morning to wait until tonight. She pulled the underwear and bra off and was glad that she didn''t smell anything except some sweat, which she would generate by walking to the bus stop and after walking around the park, anyway.


    She picked out a nice pair of panties, applied some judicious perfume to certain areas close by, then dressed in her best pair of jeans and a thin sweater. She quickly spruced up her brown hair and then applied some make-up as she checked herself in the mirror. It was getting a little chiller at night, so she knew she wouldn''t need much more than that on. She took a small jacket, just in case it was a bit colder than she thought it was going to be when she stopped walking.


    Leann went downstairs and peered into the living room to see her sister was preoccupied with her cell phone. ¡°I''m going for a walk.¡± She said as she walked by the doorway and opened the front door.


    ¡°Whatever.¡± Her sister said, dismissively.


    Leann smiled as she stepped outside and closed the door with barely a sound. She walked with a purpose and made her way to the closest bus stop. She couldn''t really contain her excitement and had to stifle her giggles as she climbed onto the bus. No one looked at her odd behavior, since they were all used to seeing odd people on the bus, and she rode it to where she needed to go.


    After only a single transfer, Leann rode the same bus all the way downtown to the park. There was a stop right beside it, so when she stepped off the bus, she saw the sight she had been so excited to see.


    ¡°Hi, Arnold.¡± Leann said and beamed a smile at him.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Arnold said, then to her surprise, he slipped his arms around her back and gave her a hug. ¡°It''s nice to see you after so long.¡± He whispered in her ear, lightly brushing it with his lips. ¡°You look very pretty.¡±


    Leann blushed hard at the compliment and when Arnold let her out of the hug, he saw it and smiled at her. She caught her breath at how handsome he looked with such an angelic smile on his face. It was so different than what she had been used to seeing on him, that she was at a loss for words and didn''t know what to say.


    ¡°The pavilion is over that way.¡± Arnold said and motioned in the right direction, then he put his arm back around her waist and started walking.


    Leann liked that he did that. She liked it a lot. He was only a few inches taller than her, so it wasn''t awkward like it was with her boyfriend, who was really tall. She was actually starting to hate having her face buried into his chest when they hugged, and he didn''t try to kneel or make it easier for her, either. Her thoughts were cut off as Arnold''s arm moved up from her back and he put it over her shoulders, then he leaned in as they walked.


    ¡°I checked the pavilion''s design and it has a few secluded spots for people to sit and enjoy themselves.¡± Arnold whispered to her.


    Leann shivered at both the words and the implication and stopped walking. ¡°Arnold... I...¡± She turned her head to look at him and he kissed her. Oh, god! She thought and closed her eyes as she put her arms around him.


    It was amazing, wonderful, stupendous, and every other adjective that she could think of as Arnold kissed her. She tried to keep her mind going, because if she didn''t, she was worried about what she would do to him if she gave in to her desires so quickly. When he broke the kiss, Leann took in a deep breath and let it out. She had forgotten to breathe while they kissed.


    ¡°I almost suffocated.¡± Leann said and laughed a little. ¡°You''re a great kisser, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold smiled at her again and she licked her lips. He turned and they started walking again and went over to the pavilion. It was only partially lit up tonight, so there weren''t a lot of people walking around the park. He found one of the secluded spots that hid them from view of the walking paths and also gave them a view of the park and the small pond that reflected the lights of the pavilion.


    ¡°This really is a nice spot.¡± Leann managed to say without her voice shaking. She sat there beside Arnold and she liked the warmth that he was sharing with her by holding her tightly. After a few minutes, she turned her head to look at him. ¡°Arnold, I... I know this might sound weird; but, I... well, I...¡± She took a breath and squared her shoulders. ¡°I don''t want to miss this chance.¡± She said, her voice a lot more confident than she really was. ¡°I know you can''t have a girlfriend, so... if you''re okay with it, I... I want you to make love to me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I knew it was going to take some convincing to...¡± Leann stopped talking and looked into his eyes. ¡°Hold on. Did you just say yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said and reached up to caress her face. ¡°Do you want to do it right now?¡±


    Leann shook a little at that, then she looked around. ¡°Um... no, I... not outside.¡± She mumbled. ¡°There... there''s a nice hotel...¡±


    Arnold stood up and took her hand and helped her stand. ¡°Point the way.¡±


    Leann pointed and Arnold led her out of the pavilion and along the path to get them out of the other side of the park. He led her across the street and down a little ways to the hotel. He held the door open for her and they went inside.

 151 Date Night

    No sooner had they walked through the door, Leann pushed them to the side and whispered to Arnold.


    ¡°Please hide and don''t come out until I call for you, please.¡± Leann whispered. ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and moved behind a potted plant and sat down in one of the chairs. He was almost completely hidden, so he moved the plant a bit and it obscured him completely.


    Leann nodded and walked back over to the door, then turned towards the registration desk. ¡°TODD!¡±


    A tall man and a tall woman with short red hair turned towards her shrill cry.


    ¡°Leann!¡± Todd gasped.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Leann asked and walked over to them. ¡°Not that I really need to ask.¡±


    ¡°Ah... this... it''s not what it looks like. She''s... ah... my aunt!¡± Todd said.


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Both the woman and Leann yelled at the same time.


    Todd winced at the surprise and venom in their voices.


    The woman stood up to her full height as she straightened her back. ¡°I will have everyone know...¡± She said, anger on her face. ¡°...I am not your aunt... and I am NOWHERE near old enough to be!¡±


    Todd''s face fell at her words. He knew he had screwed up majorly. Not only had be been caught, now both of them were angry at him for such a blatant and reputation damaging lie.


    ¡°Is this what all of our fights have been for?¡± Leann asked. ¡°This is you going out with the guys?¡±


    ¡°ExCUSE me?¡± The woman spat at Todd. ¡°I''m an excuse?¡± She asked him and looked at Leann. ¡°I assume you''re his girlfriend like I am, that he''s been too busy sometimes to see?¡±


    ¡°Worse. Like I said, we fight occasionally and he ditches me for a few days to hang with the guys to cool off, then he comes back and apologizes.¡± Leann said, her face also angry.


    Both women turned to Todd and glared at him.


    ¡°It seems you have some explaining to do.¡± The woman said, a little more calmly. She had to agree with the really short woman that did have it worse, since Leann had to fight with him to have Todd leave and all the tall woman suffered was being brushed off occasionally.


    Todd didn''t really say anything, because there really wasn''t anything he could say.


    ¡°Ask him if there''s someone else.¡± A woman''s voice asked from across the lobby.


    Both Leann''s and the tall woman''s faces became furious.


    ¡°No!¡± Todd said and held his hands up. ¡°It was just the two of you!¡±


    ¡°You do realize that''s not a good thing to admit.¡± The tall woman said.


    ¡°Look, I didn''t plan for this.¡± Todd said and both women growled at him. ¡°I mean it.¡± He said. ¡°Leann, you''re great and cute and we have a lot of fun...¡±


    ¡°But.¡± Leann said for him, because she knew it was coming.


    ¡°My chest is getting sore from hugging you.¡± Todd said. ¡°Sex is great, since we''re laying down and your height isn''t a problem.¡±


    Leann blushed. ¡°If you would bend over occasionally, you wouldn''t jam my face into your chest!¡± She spat at him. ¡°I hate it when you hug me and do that!¡±


    Todd looked at the tall woman. ¡°When we met, I was excited, because I could finally hold someone while standing up and it wasn''t awkward...¡±


    ¡°But.¡± The tall woman said, also because she knew it was coming.


    ¡°When we have sex, it''s... it''s like... two bags of bones rattling together.¡± Todd said and the tall woman''s face flushed to a deep red. ¡°I have bruises and sore joints the next day and...¡±


    ¡°That''s enough.¡± The tall woman said. ¡°I thought... you understood.¡± She said as tears came to her eyes. ¡°I was waiting for someone who would accept me, gangling limbs and all, only to find out that you''re just like every other man I''ve dated and you can''t see past my body.¡±


    ¡°That''s not what I said!¡± Todd exclaimed.


    ¡°It''s not what you said; but, it''s what you meant.¡± The tall woman responded and used a tissue to dab at her face. ¡°I never want to see you again, Mr. Masterson.¡±


    ¡°That goes for me, too.¡± Leann said. ¡°If you can treat me like you have, just so you can run off and cheat on me without cheating on me, then heaven help any other girl you date!¡±


    ¡°You tell him!¡± The same woman from before said.


    Todd looked at Leann and then at the tall woman, decided that silence was the better choice, and walked away. He left the lobby and it didn''t occur to him to ask Leann how she had found him.


    Leann looked at the tall woman. ¡°I''m so embarrassed.¡± She said. ¡°I''m sorry that you were caught up in all of this.¡±


    The tall woman couldn''t help but smile. ¡°I was going to say the same thing to you.¡±


    ¡°Kiss her already!¡± A guy''s voice said.


    Leann and the tall woman blushed at his words, then smiled, then they laughed.


    ¡°I assume he always used a condom?¡± The tall woman asked.


    ¡°Yes, thank god.¡± Leann said. ¡°Even though he said he hasn''t... well...¡±


    ¡°It''s so nice to have the reassurance that it''s only us.¡± The tall woman said, then whispered. ¡°Although, we should probably get tested, just in case.¡±


    Leann nodded and turned her head to look at the side of the lobby. ¡°Arnold.¡±


    Arnold stood up from his hiding spot and walked over to them.


    ¡°What is he... oh.¡± The tall woman smiled. ¡°A little payback, I assume.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said before Leann could deny it. ¡°We went for a walk in the park and now I''m going to make love to her.¡±


    The tall woman smiled at the simple date. ¡°I wish I had such uncomplicated relationships.¡± She said and held out a key. ¡°This room is already paid for, so you might as well use it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and looked at the room number, then looked at the clerk. ¡°It has a big bed?¡±


    ¡°King size.¡± The clerk said and glanced at the tall woman.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and put the key in his pocket, then he took the tall woman''s hand.


    Leann saw it and she was about to ask him what he was doing, then his other hand took hers.


    ¡°Let''s go.¡± Arnold said and walked towards the elevator.


    ¡°W-wait!¡± Both Leann and the tall woman said at the same time as he pulled them along.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and the other people in the lobby stared at them, the clerk included. ¡°Hit the button.¡±


    Leann and the tall woman looked at each other for several moments, then the tall woman reached out and pushed the button. Her face was a little red and she was pretty sure that she was going to back out of whatever this bold man proposed. At least, she thought she was.


    The elevator opened and Arnold pulled them in. The tall woman didn''t wait to be asked this time and hit the button for the fourth floor. The doors closed and they rode the elevator up to the fourth floor. It opened and Arnold led the two of them down the hallway until they came to the right door.


    ¡°Leann, the key is in my pocket.¡± Arnold said.


    Leann opened her mouth to say that he could get it himself, then she realized that he was intentionally holding both of their hands and wasn''t letting them go. That was a little flattering and a little pushy, and in her mind it was just the right combination to turn her on. She glanced at the tall woman and she was pretty sure she was going to back out of whatever Arnold proposed. At least, she thought she was.


    Little did she know that she and the tall woman had nearly identical thoughts. Leann used her free hand and dug into his pants pocket. Her hand grazed something else in there and her face flushed red, then she managed to get the key out. She used it and opened the door, then Arnold led the two of them in. He let their hands go at the same time, plucked the key out her hand, then shut the door and locked it.


    ¡°Arnold...¡± Leann started to ask him what he thought he was doing and he gave her a kiss.


    ¡°Do you want me to deal with him?¡± Arnold asked.


    Leann didn''t have to ask what he meant. ¡°N-no, I... I think just breaking up with him is enough.¡±


    Arnold looked at the tall woman. ¡°Do you want me to deal with him?¡±


    The tall woman wasn''t sure what to say. ¡°Are... are you asking to... come to my rescue?¡± She asked. ¡°Would you really do anything I wanted you to do to him for hurting me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said.


    The tall woman looked at the sincerity in his eyes and she gave him a genuine smile. ¡°I appreciate the gallant gesture, brave knight.¡± She said. ¡°I must decline your very generous offer.¡±


    Leann thought her comments were a little odd. ¡°I know I don''t have a right to ask, but... where do you work?¡±


    ¡°I''m the curator at the museum.¡± The tall woman said.


    Leann took in a sharp breath. ¡°You''re Miss Miller?¡±


    ¡°Call me Francine, please.¡± The tall woman said. ¡°I take your recognition as proof that Todd has talked about me in some capacity?¡±


    ¡°You''re all he ever talks about.¡± Leann said and rolled her eyes, then she realized what she just said. ¡°That bastard. He was talking about his other girlfriend right under my nose and I never caught on.¡±


    Francine laughed. ¡°Some people do say that love is blind.¡± She said. ¡°I believe it''s more appropriate to say that it lets you avoid and ignore the things you are actually seeing.¡±


    Leann sighed and nodded. While they were talking, they hadn''t noticed what Arnold was doing.


    ¡°This is a big bed.¡± Arnold said and the two of them turned to look and saw that he was naked.


    ¡°Oh, god.¡± Leann whispered and stared at his firm backside as he bent over to pull the blankets down.


    Francine admired the sight and the manly bits dangling down that she had glimpsed.


    Arnold turned around and both women gasped at his firmness. He walked over to them and took Leann''s hand. ¡°You first.¡±


    Leann''s mouth was open in shock and she didn''t say anything as he led her over to the bed. She stood there, dumbfounded, as Arnold carefully undressed her. Before she knew it, she was on the bed and having the best sex she had ever had.


    Ever! Ever! Ever! Leann''s mind repeated, because it couldn''t contemplate anything else as Arnold made love to her. He filled up and occupied both her mind and her body completely.


    Francine was completely astonished at the sight. She had thought of leaving when it started, then her trained eye had caught sight of what he was doing and she watched Arnold work. His deft movements, his smooth execution, and his ability to wring out the cutest sounds out of the short girl he was with, had ensnared her just like a spider web did with a fly.


    Oh, dear lord. Francine thought as he switched positions and the girl practically screamed her pleasure. I really, really want to be next.


    She was.


    *


    Leann had come so much that she wasn''t even sure where she was anymore. She also didn''t care. What Arnold had done to her was beyond anything she had ever thought was possible. It shouldn''t have been possible. He knew things about her body that she didn''t know herself and he had played her like a violin and plucked every single string so many times that her entire body had become an erogenous zone for him.


    Leann laid in the bed for an unknown amount of time. She didn''t know, nor did she ask, how long it had been. Her mind was so full of the remnants of pleasure, she saw everything with a slight glowing shimmer. If she had blinked her eyes, she would have discovered it was her own moist eyes, though.


    Leann turned her head and saw a very pretty woman''s face beside hers. Her short red hair was matted and messy and her mouth was slightly open as she panted. Leann''s eye moved to the source of the tall woman''s pleasure and saw Arnold.


    ¡°I always thought you were handsome.¡± Leann said lazily. ¡°Even when everyone thought you cheated, me included, I still liked you.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Arnold said and she gave him a big smile.


    ¡°Is that why you agreed to make love to me?¡± Leann asked, even though she didn''t care if that was the reason. It happened and that was all that mattered to her at the moment.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said and then did something with his hips and his hands.


    Suddenly, the redheaded woman''s face was hovering over Leann''s face and she stared up at it.


    ¡°Miss Miller.¡± Leann said when she finally recognized her. ¡°Your hair is a mess.¡±


    Francine almost laughed at her. ¡°That''s... because I... OHHHHH!¡± She moaned loudly as she came and leaned down to rest her head on Leann''s ample chest. ¡°Good... lord.¡± She panted. ¡°He... he''s not... stopping.¡±


    ¡°Not until he''s done.¡± Leann said, because that was what Arnold had said to her.


    What neither woman knew was that one of the things that Doris had taught Arnold was to contract the little muscle around the part that would let ejaculate escape. He could hold it in for as long as he needed to and make sure that the woman he was with had as much pleasure as she could take before he would finish, just like Doris told him to.


    ¡°You have... a nice chest.¡± Francine said to Leann and lifted her head just enough to place a kiss on one of her breasts. ¡°Much... bigger than... mine.¡± She said and laid her head back down.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Leann said and appreciated the compliment. ¡°I''d love to have your legs.¡±


    Francine smiled. ¡°They''re... being used... at the moment.¡±


    Leann turned her head to look at Arnold, who was laying down beside her. Francine''s legs were somehow up over his shoulders and he was kissing the inside of her thighs.


    ¡°I wouldn''t mind... another set of lips... kissing me.¡± Francine said and blushed.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Leann said, to her surprise. She had tried kissing her friends and they had fun doing it, because it was playful and a little naughty. They never meant anything by it, though. When Francine lifted her head from her chest and Leann leaned in to kiss her, it felt totally different. She lifted her arms and wrapped them around Francine''s neck automatically and kissed her like she would kiss a man. With tongue and everything.


    A short time later, Leann had Francine''s tongue buried deep between her legs and Arnold''s manhood was in her mouth. It never crossed her mind that he had just had it inside another woman. All she cared about was paying him back for making her feel better than she had ever felt in her life.


    A while later, Leann was kissing Francine''s hairy coochie and she was surprised that it didn''t turn her off like she thought it would. It was soft, and hot, and it tasted like Arnold. A second later, Arnold pushed himself inside of her from behind and she didn''t bother trying to think about anything and she munched down on that tasty muffin like it was the best thing in the world.


    An hour later, Leann laid under the blanket between a very tall redhead and a buzz-cut blonde man. She had no idea how her fun date with Arnold had turned into her very first threesome. Her mind went over the things they had done and she blushed hard. She had licked another woman. All over, too. She glanced at Arnold and had the same thought. She had licked him all over, too.


    ¡°Shh.¡± Francine whispered into her ear. ¡°Don''t panic.¡±


    Leann turned to look at her. ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°We just had the most exhilarating experience of our lives.¡± Francine said softly. ¡°I''ve never done... well... anything with a woman before.¡± She admitted. ¡°When you kissed me, though...¡±


    ¡°M-m-me?¡± Leann asked, her face a deep red as she blushed.


    ¡°I really liked it.¡± Francine said. ¡°I never thought... well...¡± It was her turn to blush. ¡°You''re very cute.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Leann repeated. ¡°But... you... you''re so beautiful!¡± She said. ¡°You''re graceful and statuesque...¡±


    ¡°What was it Todd said? A bag of bones?¡± Francine asked with a sigh.


    ¡°I didn''t feel any bones.¡± Arnold said and both women caught their breath and looked at him. ¡°I felt your breasts, your ass, your thighs, and your vagina. A lot.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, you did.¡± Francine said.


    ¡°If Todd felt your bones, then he wasn''t doing it right.¡± Arnold said and sat up. ¡°I need to shower and then I need to go.¡±


    ¡°Me, too.¡± Leann said as Arnold got up and went to the bathroom. ¡°I told my sister I was going for a walk.¡± She smiled. ¡°Over four hours ago.¡±


    Francine laughed. ¡°You took a nice long walk on the wild side tonight, that''s for sure.¡±


    Leann wasn''t sure what to say to that. It was definitely a wild time.


    ¡°You know, I was thinking.¡± Francine said. ¡°I wouldn''t mind seeing you again.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Leann looked at her with wide eyes.


    ¡°No, no. Not like this.¡± Francine chuckled. ¡°Although this was a very wonderful time, I think we would both be spoiled if it happened too many times.¡± She said. ¡°I meant going out for coffee or something. It seems we have a lot more in common than either of us thought earlier tonight.¡±


    Leann was once again unsure how to respond to that. Luckily, Arnold came out of the bathroom with a towel and was drying himself off, so she hopped out of bed and went into the bathroom to shower.


    ¡°I might have scared her a little.¡± Francine said.


    ¡°Just kiss her when she least expects it and ask her out again.¡± Arnold said and pulled on his underwear. ¡°She''ll say yes.¡±


    Francine gave him an appraising look. ¡°You''re very observant, aren''t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said and finished getting dressed.


    ¡°Have you visited the museum before?¡± Francine asked.


    ¡°I licked my ex-girlfriend''s vagina in the Egypt exhibit.¡± Arnold said.


    Francine laughed. ¡°That''s one use I hadn''t expected for the ancient dead to be a part of.¡±


    ¡°What''s funny?¡± Leann asked as she came out of the bathroom in a towel.


    ¡°Arnold went down on his ex-girlfriend in the Valley of the Kings exhibit.¡± Francine said.


    Leann laughed. ¡°I thought the wildlife exhibit would be used for that!¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± Francine said and stood up, completely naked. ¡°I have regular security patrols to scare people away.¡±


    ¡°You should put up a ''no fornicating'' sign at the entrance.¡± Leann said with a smile.


    Francine walked towards the bathroom. ¡°People would stop visiting if I did that.¡±


    When the bathroom door closed, Leann let out a sigh. ¡°What a night this was.¡±


    Arnold walked over to her and opened up her towel. Leann didn''t react, because she fully expected him to grab her breasts or suckle them, or even whip out his wonderful penis to ravage her again, and she was perfectly fine with that.


    Leann never expected him to finish drying her off, dry her hair, and then help her get dressed. She stared at him the entire time and not once did he leer at her, grope her, or even imply that anything was going to happen. It had stunned her almost as much as having a threesome did. Almost.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Leann whispered when she was fully dressed. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I would ride the bus home with you; but, we''re going on two different lines.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°You can cross link at Alexander Street.¡± Francine said as she came out of the bathroom. ¡°All of the city bus lines have a stop there.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Leann asked.


    ¡°It''s part of my job to know the traffic patterns of public transit. I can easily predict how many people we can safely move through the museum in a given day, depending on the bus routes and how they change them, which also depends on the amount of people using them in certain areas.¡±


    ¡°Like here in the downtown area where the museum is.¡± Leann said and Francine nodded.


    ¡°We need to go.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Right.¡± Leann said to him and turned to Francine. ¡°Despite how it started out, it was nice meeting you.¡±


    ¡°Likewise.¡± Francine said and glanced at Arnold, who nodded. She stepped forward and bent down to take Leann into her arms, much to Leann''s surprise, then she kissed her. They stayed that way for several moments, then Francine reluctantly broke the kiss.


    Leann stared at the tall woman with her mouth open.


    ¡°If you''re not busy, please come to the museum tomorrow and I''ll give you the full tour.¡± Francine said.


    ¡°O-okay.¡± Leann mumbled, her face red.


    ¡°So cute.¡± Francine said and gave her another quick kiss. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°G-g-goodnight.¡± Leann said.

 152 At the Museum

    Arnold handed Francine the room key and took Leann''s hand. He led her from the room and to the elevator. They rode it down to the ground floor in silence and no one said anything as they left the building. They went through the park to the bus stop and waited for the next one to arrive.


    ¡°Arnold? Did... did I just make a date with Francine?¡± Leann asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°But... I... well, I don''t... I mean, I like guys.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Arnold responded.


    Leann opened her mouth to explain, then what Arnold said registered and she didn''t say anything. The bus arrived and they both got on and rode it to Alexander Street.


    ¡°What do I do?¡± Leann asked.


    ¡°Bring nachos.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Nachos make people become friends.¡±


    Leann remembered that first day that she, Sarah and Tanya had joined Kelly and Arnold at their table. She had forgotten to ask for cheese on her burger and Kelly had offered a nacho covered in cheese. It was delicious and they had all become good friends after that.


    ¡°I think I''ll do that.¡± Leann said. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Arnold turned to her and gave her a kiss, then gave her another.


    ¡°Arnold, what...¡±


    ¡°Thank you kisses.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I forgot to give you one back at the hotel room.¡±


    Leann raised her eyebrows as she looked at him.


    Arnold knew what that meant, a shout, so he put an arm over her shoulders. ¡°Did you have fun?¡±


    Leann didn''t even have to think about it. ¡°Yes, I did.¡±


    ¡°Francine was part of that.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Leann said and her face flushed red. I still can''t believe that we did all of that.


    ¡°Then have fun with her tomorrow. If you don''t, then you know it was because we did it together.¡±


    ¡°I guess... I could give dating her a try.¡± Leann said and she reached up and intertwined her fingers in his hand that was over her shoulder. ¡°Will you still make love to me later?¡±


    ¡°I''m home all week.¡± Arnold said. ¡°You can come over to stay for the night.¡±


    Leann was surprised he would offer so easily, then she smiled. ¡°I might just do that. Thank you.¡±


    Arnold leaned in and kissed her.


    Leann blinked her eyes. ¡°You''re going to kiss me every time I thank you, aren''t you?¡±


    ¡°I''m the kissing bandit.¡± Arnold said.


    Leann was quiet for a second, then she laughed. ¡°That''s why you had to apologize when you started dating Kelly! She said you couldn''t kiss anyone else!¡±


    Arnold nodded and the bus stopped at Alexander Street. He stood to get off and Leann held onto his hand, because she realized something.


    ¡°Arnold, you didn''t kiss Francine.¡± Leann said.


    ¡°You kept kissing her and I didn''t get a chance.¡± Arnold said.


    Leann caught her breath and she let his hand go. She watched as he stepped off and she waved to him as the bus pulled away. He waved back and she turned in the seat to stare at the seat in front of her.


    It was just me that kissed her the whole time? Leann asked herself, surprised. She tried to think over what happened to try and remember if it was true, then she quickly stopped herself because she didn''t want to remember all of it while on the bus. She would have to wait until she was home before she tried to confirm what Arnold said.


    The bus came to a stop and Leann transferred to another bus, then she rode it the rest of the way back home. She walked back to her house and went inside, then no one said anything to her. She had been worried that she wouldn''t be able to come up with some excuse as to why she had been gone so long, and her sister didn''t even remember she had left. Her parents on the other hand, were just glad she was back so early.


    Leann went to her room and changed for bed. She climbed under the blanket and grabbed a box of tissues, just in case, then she thought about everything that happened with her, Arnold, and Francine. Her body grew hot as her mind replayed some of the more... prolific... things that had happened and she had to play with herself.


    After she came, it was like her mind unlocked. She could remember things much better and she licked her lips as she kept rubbing and thought over what she had done to both Arnold and Francine. Her mind raced as she thought over all the little touches, the soft caresses, and then having her tongue between another woman''s legs.


    It had been so different than sucking on a guy''s thing that the novelty took her over the edge. Leann came again and she lay there, a little tired and very happy, and she remembered that Arnold was right. Every single time she could, she was making out with Francine as much as she could.


    Her lips were so soft. Leann thought. The neat little thing she did with her tongue when she... OH! Her thoughts cut off when she came yet again.


    After a little while, she cleaned herself up, checked online for when the museum opened and set her alarm, then she laid down and went right to sleep.


    The alarm went off and Leann got up, took a shower, and dressed in one of her nicer outfits. She went downstairs and ate breakfast, then she went back to her room to get her phone. She went to text Francine to ask when it would be an appropriate time to visit, then realized she didn''t have her number.


    Leann sighed and checked the museum''s website for the number. It was only for general information and for making appointments for tours. She remembered that was what Francine had offered; but, she didn''t want to call and book a whole tour. She also didn''t know if it cost anything and she didn''t know if she would even get one for today.


    She dithered over it for several minutes, then she decided to just go and be there as soon as the doors opened for the public. She suspected that Francine would have work to do, especially first thing in the morning, and there was nothing she could do about it. She left the house with barely a ''see you later'' to her family, then went to the bus stop. She rode the bus and switched lines at the right stop, then rode it all the way back downtown.


    Leann stepped off the bus and remembered Arnold''s advice. She quickly found a good place to get them, ordered the large one, then took the container to the museum. The doors had opened barely ten minutes previously, so she walked right up the steps and went inside. She stood there in the lobby and looked around for some kind of signs that pointed to the curator''s office.


    ¡°I''m very sorry, miss. You can''t bring food in here to snack.¡± A woman''s stern voice said from behind her. ¡°I''m going to have to confiscate it or ask you to leave.¡±


    Leann recognized the voice and she slowly turned around. She looked up and up at the tall woman and the sun was almost directly behind Francine''s head. Her short red hair almost glowed and her red rimmed glasses made her green eyes pop. She wore a very stylish business skirt and coat, with a frilly blouse and an extra wide tie.


    ¡°H-h-hi.¡± Leann said and she blushed a little, because she had been staring at the beautiful woman.


    ¡°Leann.¡± Francine''s face went from stern to happy almost instantly. ¡°I''m sorry. Even being cute, I can''t let you bring food into the exhibits.¡±


    Leann had forgotten what she carried. ¡°Oh!¡± She looked down at the brown bag. ¡°I brought this for you.¡± She said and looked back up at her and held the bag out. ¡°It''s nachos and cheese.¡±


    Francine gave her a disbelieving look for a moment, then her face broke into a smile. ¡°Well, I suppose confiscating them is pointless if you''re giving them to me.¡± She said and took the brown paper bag. ¡°I have some work to do in my office, so if you want to come along and wait...¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Leann said, nervously.


    Francine managed to stop her laugh. ¡°This way, please.¡± She said and put a hand behind Leann''s back and led her off to the side and down a short hallway into a very nice office. She shut the door and put the bag onto the edge of her desk.


    ¡°What made you think of nachos?¡± Francine asked as she had Leann sit in front of the desk, then she sat behind it.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Leann responded and looked around the office that was full of so many interesting things. ¡°He said nachos make friends.¡±


    Francine couldn''t stop her laugh this time. ¡°I only met him last night, and yet I can tell that is so him.¡±


    ¡°It really is.¡± Leann said and looked at her. ¡°He''s pretty straightforward.¡±


    Francine nodded. ¡°He doesn''t mince words and that is very rare to find.¡± She said and opened a file folder on her desk. Inside were a few papers, a couple of pictures, and a small piece of stone.


    Leann sat there for several minutes and her eyes looked at a lot of things, then she spoke. ¡°I tried to text you this morning to see when it would be a good time to come see you.¡± She said and her eyes locked onto Francine''s. ¡°I... ah... didn''t have your number.¡± She blushed a little. ¡°The number for the museum doesn''t have anything to contact the curator and only has information and tour booking options.¡±


    ¡°That''s by design.¡± Francine said. ¡°If anyone could call me whenever they wanted, I would never get any work done.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Leann dropped her eyes to the desk and fell quiet.


    ¡°I meant about info for the museum. I didn''t mean you.¡± Francine said and Leann looked back up. ¡°I forgot to give you my personal number last night before you left.¡±


    ¡°P-personal?¡± Leann asked.


    ¡°Of course. I can''t have you slowed down by the office or any red tape that''s designed to stop businesses and private collectors from soliciting the museum for exhibits and display pieces.¡± Francine said and took out her cell phone. ¡°Someone like you deserves to talk to me directly.¡±


    Leann''s blush was back in full force and Francine almost giggled at how cute she was. ¡°T-t-thanks.¡±


    They exchanged numbers and then Francine closed the folder.


    ¡°Why don''t we dig into those nachos?¡± Francine asked and moved the other folders aside and cleared a good amount of space. She stood up and waved to Leann, who also stood, then Francine moved the guest chair over to her side of the desk and then waved for Leann to sit down.


    They both sat down again and Leann looked a little nervous.


    ¡°Leann.¡± Francine said and the young woman turned her head to look at her. She took Arnold''s advice and leaned in and kissed her. She was only a little surprised when Leann kissed her back. She broke the kiss and looked into her eyes. ¡°Will you help me eat these nachos?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes.¡± Leann said and opened the bag, pulled out the container and put it back on top of the bag, like a makeshift tablecloth, then the two of them shared the quite tasty treat.


    After that, Leann sat quietly and let Francine get back to work, after another short and slightly cheese covered kissing session, which made the both of them laugh. Leann sat there for almost two hours and didn''t complain or fidget. Francine was surprised and she admired the young woman''s composure.


    They left her office when Francine was done working and Leann had the most extensive tour of the museum that she ever had. The things Francine knew about everything was so fascinating that Leann was pretty much enraptured at the beautiful woman''s vast knowledge.


    Francine easily noticed this, of course. ¡°Leann, nearly everything I''ve told you are just the things I''ve picked up while working here.¡± She said as they went back into her office.


    ¡°I know.¡± Leann said. ¡°You also remembered it all and can keep track of everything in the whole museum.¡± She smiled. ¡°You can''t tell me that''s not impressive.¡±


    Francine opened her mouth to say just that, then she chuckled. ¡°I''m sure you can do it with the things in your room.¡±


    Leann laughed. ¡°I had to look for fifteen minutes to find both of my shoes!¡±


    Francine stared at her for a moment, then she laughed, too. ¡°Honestly, I''m the same at home.¡± She said and tapped her own forehead. ¡°There''s only so much space up here and it''s pretty much full.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you studied so much today?¡± Leann asked.


    ¡°Yes, that was it exactly.¡± Francine said. ¡°You actually noticed what I was doing?¡±


    ¡°I did a lot of studying just before I graduated high school.¡± Leann said. ¡°I''m sure that I''m going to be doing a lot of it, now that I''m starting college next week.¡±


    Francine opened her mouth to say something, then closed it with a sigh.


    Leann reached out and took her hand. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°We''ll only have a week to date.¡± Francine said, a little sadly.


    ¡°Why? Are you busy on the weekends?¡± Leann asked.


    ¡°What?¡± Francine asked, her eyes a little wide.


    ¡°My friends and I all agreed to meet once a month, no matter where we were, so we would all come back here one weekend a month to hang out for the whole summer.¡± Leann said. ¡°The college is only a couple hours away. I don''t see why I can''t come back here for a weekend or two every month.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Francine started to say that she didn''t want her to make such a huge commitment right away.


    ¡°I''m sure I''ll need a Saturday or two, for writing reports and things...¡± Leann said.


    ¡°Leann.¡± Francine said and the young woman looked at her. ¡°Are you... do you really...¡±


    ¡°I won''t know until we... um...¡± Leann looked around as if there was someone else in the office, then she leaned in to whisper into Francine''s ear. ¡°...have sex again.¡±


    ¡°You want to?¡± Francine asked, even more surprised by the admission than she had at the young woman''s composure.


    ¡°Last night on the way home, Arnold made me realize something.¡± Leann said and then she blushed. ¡°I stole all of your kisses and he didn''t kiss you even once.¡±


    ¡°But... no, he... I''m sure that...¡± Francine''s mind went over everything the three of them had done, things she hadn''t done with anyone else, and her face flushed red. She felt like she needed to rub herself. A lot. She looked at Leann and saw a similar look on her face, so she once again took Arnold''s advice and kissed her.


    Leann''s arms went around her neck automatically and they made out for several minutes.


    ¡°I think... we need to go out for lunch.¡± Francine said, her face still flushed red from a blush.


    ¡°O-okay.¡± Leann said, her face nearly the same shade of red.


    The two of them left the curator''s office and walked out of the museum side by side. As soon as they hit the street, they held hands and walked the three blocks to the hotel.


    *


    ¡°That giant hot dog was great!¡± Annie said and held Arnold''s hand as they walked down the street from the vendor. ¡°I didn''t get to see much of this the last time we were here, so we had to come back today.¡± She said as they walked up the steps to the museum. They didn''t know that they had just missed Leann and Francine leaving and went inside and did their own tour of all the exhibits.

 153 Now We Know

    Not surprisingly, Annie had a great time. She and Arnold went everywhere that they were allowed to in the museum and saw everything that was available to the public. If she had known that Leann had a full tour, including exhibits about to be put out and new display pieces, she would have been envious. As it was, Annie was blissfully unaware that Leann was currently quite happy as she enjoyed the rest of the full tour that Francine had offered her.


    Annie and Arnold went out to have a light lunch after that. It hadn''t been very long since they enjoyed the giant hot dogs and didn''t want to bloat themselves. Plus, Arnold warned her that she was already reaching her daily recommended salt intake.


    ¡°Hey, you are too!¡± Annie said with a laugh as she scooped up the last of the ice cream from the dish in front of her with her spoon. She had wolfed it down faster than she had intended, because she forgot that she had wanted to make it last. It wasn''t often that she had double chocolate fudge ice cream with chocolate syrup and chocolate chips sprinkled on top.


    ¡°I''m sixty pounds heavier.¡± Arnold said and looked at his half-eaten dessert, then slid it over to her. Annie almost gasped at the sudden appearance of more ice cream and took a big spoonful, making sure to get some syrup and at least six chocolate chips on it.


    ¡°More mah mess.¡± Annie said and then swallowed what she had in her mouth. ¡°You''re the best!¡±


    ¡°We''re having rice and par-boiled vegetables for supper.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie gave him a wicked smile. ¡°It''s totally worth it.¡± She said and went back to work on finishing off the newly acquired, and in her mind, forbidden dessert. It tasted even better than the one she just had.


    *


    Officer Paul Candle, aka ''Wick'' to his friends, was in a bit of a quandary. He had shown up for work in his regular car that morning and he waited for an hour for his partner to show up. When he didn''t, he called his home phone and there was no answer. That didn''t really bother him at first, since Charlie usually ignored his home phone most of the time when it wasn''t work related.


    What worried him was when he called Charlie''s cell phone and there was no connection. That shouldn''t happen, even during days that an officer had it off, because they needed to be able to respond if called. It made him leave his desk and he left the police station, hopped in his normal car and drove all the way over to Charlie''s place.


    The first thing he noticed was that his car was gone. Not his patrol car, his normal car. Of course, the patrol car was gone as well. Paul pulled into the driveway and parked, then walked over to the front door and knocked. He knocked again and there was no answer. He pounded on the door, worry clear in his actions, and he peered in through the window by the door.


    Paul couldn''t see anything and he went around the entire house and looked in every window. He tried the back door and it was locked as well. Struck with inspiration, he went to every window again and tried to open them. They were all locked. That struck him as odd, since at least one window was always forgotten, especially the bathroom window. It was locked, too.


    He went to the bedroom window and held his hands over his eyes against the window to block out as much sunlight as he could, kept his eyes closed for nearly a full minute to let them adjust to seeing better in the dark, then he opened his eyes and peered into the bedroom.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Paul whispered at the sight of the closet open with a lot of the clothes gone. Several dresser drawers were opened and empty as well. The more he looked around, the more he saw was missing, which included the equipment bag Charlie always kept inside the closet. He didn''t want anything he put in it to smell like spare tire, which it would if he kept it in the trunk.


    ¡°I need to report this.¡± Paul said and went back to his car. He hit the button on the radio and picked up the receiver.


    ¡°Dispatcher, over.¡± A woman''s voice responded.


    ¡°Hey, sexy. I have a problem.¡±


    ¡°We''re both working, so you need to save that ''problem'' for later.¡± The voice responded and he heard the laughter in her voice.


    Paul chuckled. ¡°Ah, not that problem. Although...¡±


    ¡°Paul.¡± The woman''s voice said, a little sternly. She could take a little banter; but, she didn''t want you wasting her time with it, either.


    ¡°Right.¡± Paul said. ¡°I''m out here at Charlie''s place and it''s locked up.¡±


    The voice was quiet for a minute. ¡°He''s scheduled for office work today.¡±


    ¡°I know. He wasn''t at the office and he''s not answering his phone.¡± Paul said. ¡°Either of them.¡± He corrected. ¡°I was wondering...¡±


    ¡°Checking now.¡± The woman''s voice said and the radio clicked off.


    Paul sat there and waited. He knew it would take a few minutes for her to check and see if Charlie was given an assignment that his fellow officers wouldn''t necessarily need the knowledge of. A lot of undercover work came up unexpectedly and if an officer matched a profile or a look that a sting task group needed, then you were reassigned without warning, usually until you weren''t needed anymore.


    ¡°Paul.¡± The woman''s voice said when the radio clicked back on. ¡°He''s not assigned to anything on record. Or off.¡±


    Paul sighed in both relief and worry. ¡°Thanks.¡± He said. ¡°Now, do you have any idea how I can legally break into my partner''s place without causing a huge mess if there''s an investigation?¡±


    ¡°What does the situation look like?¡± The woman asked.


    Paul wouldn''t normally ask things like that to a dispatcher; but, she was one of the people that heard and seen a lot of stuff around the precinct. Of anyone that worked there, only the chief of police himself knew more than the dispatcher. Maybe.


    ¡°Everything locked up tight. No answer. Bedroom looks like a lot of clothes and things are missing.¡±


    The woman was quiet for a minute again. ¡°Normal police procedure...¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Paul said and cut her off. ¡°I need to get in there and see what the deal is.¡±


    ¡°Does he rent the place and have a landlord?¡±


    ¡°No, he owns it. Whether completely or not, he''s never said.¡± Paul said.


    ¡°Natural gas or other volatile utility on site?¡±


    ¡°Just a sec. I''ll check.¡± Paul said and ran over to the house and checked the meter, then looked into the kitchen to confirm it and saw a pot on the stove. He ran back to the car and grabbed the radio. ¡°You''re a genius!¡±


    ¡°That''s why they pay me minimum wage.¡± The woman said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Look, I''m off tomorrow...¡±


    ¡°...then you better make reservations at that nice Italian place downtown.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking more about serving you breakfast in bed tomorrow.¡± Paul said.


    The woman was quiet for a moment. ¡°Croissants and that nice jelly, too?¡±


    ¡°I only keep that stuff in the house for you, so yes.¡± Paul said.


    ¡°Pick me up tonight at eight.¡± The woman said. ¡°Dispatcher, out.¡±


    Paul immediately called the local natural gas monitor and told him the address. He didn''t say there was a leak or anything, because he didn''t want to cause a panic. He just said he wanted the place checked.


    The rep showed up half an hour later and Paul explained the situation. He gave Paul a look that said he was clearly not happy about being used to check a pot on the stove.


    ¡°It''s there and I don''t see a flame. If it''s blown out and the kitchen''s filled with gas...¡± Paul said.


    The rep sighed. ¡°All right, officer. You have my permission to ''open the door'' for me to go and check.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Paul said, sincerely.


    The rep nodded and watched Paul very carefully break one of the small windows near the door and leaned in to unlock the front door. Both the rep and Paul walked inside and Paul held the rep back.


    ¡°Let me check some things first.¡± Paul said and went deeper into the house, careful of where he stepped. He was pretty sure he wasn''t going to mess up any evidence by walking normally; but, he wasn''t an experienced officer for no reason. He treated it like a crime scene and he was glad he had. An unfinished beer was in the living room, the television was still on, the bathroom smelled like copper, and there were fingerprint smears and shoe prints that were definitely not Charlie''s.


    He went into the bedroom and it was more of the same. Nearly everything had been touched or moved, because the dust had been disturbed, and he didn''t have to look at all to notice that his partner''s equipment belt... and his gun... was nowhere to be found.


    Paul went back out to the rep for the natural gas company. ¡°Thank you very much for allowing me to gain access.¡±


    ¡°I can''t smell any leaks, so you can rest assured that no one is in danger.¡± The rep said.


    I wouldn''t be too sure of that. Paul thought and didn''t say it. ¡°I''ll show you out.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to lock up again and...¡±


    ¡°No, there''s a lot of evidence that something happened here. I have to call it in officially and then...¡± Paul sighed. ¡°This is going to be a long day.¡±


    The rep nodded and he left.


    Paul went back to his car and called in what he had found. He was definitely looking forward to his date tonight, especially if what he suspected had actually happened. He would hold off on his assumptions until he had definite proof; but, he knew in his gut that someone was killed in that bathroom.


    Charlie, where are you? Paul asked himself as he waited for everyone to show up at the crime scene.


    *


    ¡°Oh... wow.¡± Leann whispered as she rested her head on Francine''s shoulder. ¡°That... that was...¡±


    ¡°A lot more fun that I thought it was going to be.¡± Francine said and almost laughed at the younger woman''s surprised look. ¡°I was a little worried that it was...¡± She smiled. ¡°...that we needed the three of us to recapture the feelings and the passion.¡±


    Leann''s face flushed red. ¡°I was worried about that, too.¡±


    Francine turned her head and gave Leann a kiss for several seconds. ¡°I''m very happy that wasn''t the case.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Leann looked into her eyes. ¡°I am, too.¡± She said. ¡°I mean, I like guys. A lot.¡± She said. ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°...they can be annoyingly frustrating most of the time.¡± Francine finished for her, and Leann nodded.


    ¡°I love the feel of them inside when... well...¡± Leann smiled. ¡°It''s so nice and...¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Francine said. ¡°I don''t want to give up on feeling that either.¡± She smiled, too. ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°...maybe we can give guys a break for a little while.¡± Leann finished for her.


    Francine gave her another kiss. ¡°They do make substitutions.¡±


    ¡°You mean toys?¡± Leann asked.


    Francine nodded. ¡°All different kinds. The problem with them is...¡±


    ¡°...the more you use them, the less satisfied a guy will make you feel, because his penis doesn''t vibrate.¡± Leann said with a big smile and Francine laughed.


    ¡°I would normally say that, and yet, that young man did things to us that a toy just can never duplicate.¡± Francine said. ¡°You say that he''s a free agent and is planning to stay that way?¡±


    Leann nodded. ¡°That''s what his sex friend said.¡±


    ¡°His sex friend?¡± Francine asked, a little confused about the term.


    ¡°She''s not his girlfriend and they don''t date, so she''s only his friend and they have sex.¡± Leann said.


    Francine fell quiet and thought about that for several moments, then she made a decision. ¡°Leann.¡± She said and the younger woman turned her face to look at her, then Francine kissed her for several minutes. She broke the kiss and Leann''s face was flushed red. ¡°Will you be my girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes.¡± Leann said and then she blushed harder. ¡°Um... well... I should tell you something.¡± She said and told her what Arnold said about her having fun today, and if she didn''t, he would be available for her tonight.


    ¡°Are you going to accept his offer?¡± Francine asked.


    ¡°Well, I...¡± Leann said and she propped herself up on an elbow. ¡°I had fun today. A lot of fun.¡± She said and her hand reached out and lightly caressed Francine''s palm-sized breast and her blush didn''t fade. ¡°You just asked me to be your girlfriend.¡±


    Francine understood immediately. ¡°I think we can both agree that Arnold is an exception.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Leann asked.


    ¡°I don''t want you riding him every time I turn my back, however.¡±


    ¡°Franny!¡± Leann gasped and Francine laughed.


    ¡°I know you''re not like that.¡± Francine said. ¡°Look how long it took you to finally take one of your breaks with Todd seriously and found someone to dally around with.¡±


    ¡°I... well, yeah. I thought... you know...¡±


    ¡°I understand perfectly.¡± Francine said and gave her a kiss. ¡°If you wish to have Arnold assault your ramparts, then I have no objection.¡±


    Leann thought about that for a minute. ¡°Do you... want to help me mount a defense?¡±


    Francine''s eyes widened, then she let out a chuckle. ¡°I suppose if it will ease your worry about cheating on me, even though I don''t consider it cheating with my approval, then yes. I would very much enjoy having another gathering with that handsome young man and you.¡± She said, then her eyes became serious. ¡°Will you allow me to kiss him, in case it happens?¡±


    Leann didn''t even have to think about her response. ¡°I won''t mind... if I fail to steal all of your kisses for myself again.¡±


    Francine laughed and put her arms around Leann''s neck. ¡°I wish you all the luck in the world for your valiant quest to keep the purity of my lips all to yourself, dear lady.¡± She said and pulled her down into another long and very enjoyable make-out session.


    *


    Annie plopped down onto the couch and only slightly regretted eating so much ice cream. She was a little bloated; but, it had tasted so good that she was prepared to pay the price, even eating only rice and veggies for supper. Not eating some kind of meat wasn''t going to bother her. Arnold laid down on the couch and put his head on her lap.


    ¡°I feel so full.¡± Annie said with a chuckle, then she pulled up her blouse and looked at the slight bulge. ¡°Look at that.¡± She said and used a fingertip and poked it.


    Arnold turned his head and looked. ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°Only a little.¡± Annie said. ¡°I''m sure the feeling will go away in...¡±


    Arnold moved slightly and placed a gentle kiss on her belly, just above her belly button, then he turned his head and looked the other way at the television.


    Annie thought about saying something, then she smiled as she remembered the other times he had done it. He really does want me to feel better. She thought happily, since that was something she had doubted that she would ever see from him. She let her blouse go and placed a hand on his chest, then slowly rubbed it, as was her habit, because she knew that it made him feel better, too.

 154 Similar Interests

    Bokuboy


    Paul was asked, politely, to keep his nose out of the detective''s case. He sat on the hood of his car and watched the entire proceedings. He understood on an intellectual level about not being unbiased in investigating what happened to his partner. He knew things inside that house were... very damaging to his friend''s reputation, especially if it turned out to really be what he thought it was.


    Paul really hoped that it wasn''t. He heard shoes on pavement long before he heard them speak.


    ¡°Hello, Paul.¡± A woman''s voice said from not far behind him.


    ¡°Oh, geez.¡± Paul sighed and turned his head to look at Detective Tanner. ¡°They let you off your leash?¡±


    Detective Tanner shrugged. In fact, they needed the manpower and she was told she was being very closely watched as she resumed her duties. She walked over to him and then leaned against the front of his normal car and propped one leg up to keep her balance. She did not miss the fact that he looked right at her ass as she did it, which was why she did it.


    Use the tools you have access to. Detective Tanner thought. ¡°Relax, Paul.¡±


    Paul sighed. ¡°Is there a reason you''re not calling me officer?¡±


    ¡°I''m trying to make the point that I''m not here for the case. I''m here as a friend.¡±


    Paul gave her a skeptical look for a moment, then sighed again and waved at the house. ¡°This is a huge fucking mess, Olivia.¡±


    ¡°I know. It''s already all over the station.¡± Detective Tanner said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡±


    Paul huffed. ¡°Yeah.¡± He said. ¡°IA is already breathing down my neck about ''what I know''.¡±


    ¡°Don''t mind them.¡± Detective Tanner said. ¡°Mostly bark and a little bite.¡±


    Paul had to chuckle at the altered phrase of ''all bark and no bite''. ¡°What the hell am I going to do?¡±


    ¡°You mean we.¡± Detective Tanner said and he gave her wide eyes. ¡°I''m thinking we both have a vested interest to find out what happened here.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said you weren''t here for the case.¡± Paul said, almost angrily.


    ¡°I''m not.¡± Detective Tanner said and tentatively reached out with her hand. She rested it on his and his wide eyes returned, bigger than ever. ¡°I''ve been... a little naughty by doing my own personal investigation of whom I believe is a suspect in two murders.¡±


    Paul sighed for a third time. ¡°IA didn''t tell you to stop looking at the Strickland kid?¡±


    ¡°Tell me to stop?¡± Detective Tanner smiled. ¡°They approved an undercover op to look into his activities while he''s at home from college.¡±


    ¡°Jesus.¡± Paul whispered. ¡°Are you serious? Are they serious?¡±


    Detective Tanner nodded and pat his hand, then took her hand back, because she didn''t want to seem too friendly. Guys always seemed to get the wrong idea when they thought you were.


    ¡°I only managed to get a little dirt on him personally and not... criminally. Unfortunately.¡± Detective Tanner said, because she knew that she could never mention what actually happened. She would lose all credibility if anyone found out she had sex with Arnold, consensual or not. She would be ostracized further if they knew she actually really liked it.


    She felt herself contract down below and successfully ignored it. She hadn''t even told Mark that she wanted him to do the same things to her, because she was too embarrassed about the whole thing to ask him for a blow by blow replay. She really wanted it blow by blow and she would never ask him for it. Never.


    ¡°What''s the kid been doing personally?¡± Paul asked, actually curious.


    ¡°Nearly every girl that moves.¡± Detective Tanner said, a little disgusted.


    ¡°What? Really?¡± Paul perked up at that. ¡°I''d ask how you found out; but, girls gossip about stuff like that even more than guys do, right?¡±


    ¡°We''re a lot more discrete about it.¡± Detective Tanner said to cover up her own guilt. She couldn''t quite stop her face from flushing a little red, though.


    Paul smiled at her and wondered what she had been doing with the new recruit she was dating, then his mind snapped back to reality. ¡°I don''t see how any of this concerns a college kid.¡±


    ¡°No?¡± Detective Tanner asked with a sly smile. ¡°Don''t you remember the shouting matches a while ago that Charlie and I had with the chief?¡±


    Paul went quiet for several minutes. ¡°No, that... it was kind of his fault for not informing the victims right away, but...¡± He fell silent as he thought about the whole thing.


    ¡°Let me add some fuel to that budding fire.¡± Detective Tanner said and leaned in close. ¡°The leader of the group that skated on the vandalism is dead.¡±


    Paul blinked his eyes. ¡°He was... caught...¡±


    ¡°...mid-rape and murdered.¡± Detective Tanner said. ¡°A little convenient, wasn''t it?¡±


    ¡°Convenient? How would...¡±


    ¡°Arnold was home that weekend.¡± Detective Tanner said. ¡°It took me a lot of personal time and digging to find out that a bunch of teenagers have little discrete parties every few weeks, part way down the service road along the power lines.¡± She said. ¡°Guess what was going on while Brad was only a few hundred feet away on the access road where the service truck was parked?¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Paul asked, his voice angry. ¡°There was a bunch of teenagers that close to the murder scene and no one mentioned it?¡±


    Detective Tanner shrugged. ¡°It was ruled self-defense and covered up. There was no real need to ask more questions than that.¡±


    ¡°You did.¡± Paul said.


    Detective Tanner nodded. ¡°I already had Arnold pegged as a suspect in his own father''s accident and...¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Paul yelled and a few people turned to look at them. ¡°Let''s take this somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Detective Tanner said and hid her smile as she went back to her car, then she followed Paul to wherever he wanted to lead her.


    If she could convince him with her circumstantial evidence, as skeptical as Paul was normally, then he could be a huge asset in bringing Arnold to justice. She really regretted not being able to do anything about the sexual assault she suffered at Arnold''s hands and she was going to do everything she could to get him some other way.


    Detective Tanner felt herself contract between her legs again. It seemed to have a tendency to do that when she thought about what Arnold did to her. She sighed and ignored it again, then resolved to never think about having that wonderful penis used so skillfully on her that she squealed.


    Stop thinking about it! Detective Tanner thought angrily, then it contracted again as if begging for it. Goddammit.


    *


    ¡°Do you have anything planned for us this afternoon?¡± Arnold asked his mother when she was done watching her shows.


    ¡°Only you making that barbecue pit for us.¡± Annie said with a smile. ¡°Those steaks I bought are going to taste so great on an open flame.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow.¡± Arnold said and she laughed.


    ¡°Yes, I know. I''ll start prepping the vegetables while you work.¡± Annie said.


    Arnold got up from her lap and walked towards the front door.


    ¡°You better change into some old clothes first.¡± Annie said. ¡°And be careful.¡±


    ¡°Changing clothes?¡± Arnold asked, a little confused.


    Annie laughed again and walked over to him. ¡°No, working with the bricks. Wear the work gloves we bought when you were working for Claire, too.¡± She took his hands and rubbed them. ¡°You need to protect these fingers as much as possible.¡± She looked into his eyes and in the back of her mind, she liked that she had to look up slightly now. ¡°You would be so sad if you couldn''t do your work.¡±


    Arnold turned his hands over and cupped her hands to hold them as he nodded. ¡°I love you, Mom.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Annie said and gave him a quick kiss.


    Arnold went up the stairs and quickly changed into old clothes, then went out to the car and opened the trunk. It took him several trips to transfer all of the bricks to the backyard. He had taken his mother''s advice and worn the gloves and taken his time. He went to the shed and retrieved his trusty shovel, picked a good spot that he knew didn''t have any of his hidden specimens in it, then dug out the exact dimensions of the barbecue pit at the cabin.


    The bricks he had came with a small lip on the bottom and an indent on the top, which made them stackable. He easily made the outer dimensions and added both the underlining and then the large rack that spanned the whole thing. He added the rest of the bricks and it was finished.


    The whole process only took him two hours. When he stood up straight and took off his gloves, he felt small hands go around his waist and his mother''s arms hugged him from behind.


    ¡°That was amazing.¡± Annie said, impressed that he had completed it so quickly. ¡°You''re barely even sweating.¡±


    ¡°You told me to be careful.¡± Arnold said and turned around in her arms. ¡°I still need a shower.¡±


    Annie leaned in and pressed her nose to the edge of his armpit and took in several sniffs. ¡°Actually, that''s not too bad.¡± She said and looked up at him with a crooked smile. ¡°Just in case you''re wondering, that''s also not too good.¡±


    Arnold smiled back and Annie chuckled.


    ¡°I approve of your shower request.¡± Annie grinned at him. ¡°I''ll have the rice done by the time you are.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and put the shovel and work gloves back into the shed. The smell of a specimen had almost disappeared and he popped open the container for a moment, then shut and locked the shed. He went inside and had his shower, then came downstairs and supper was ready. He and his mother ate the food and cleaned up the kitchen after doing the dishes.


    Arnold''s pocket beeped at him and he took out his cell phone. ¡°Leann says she''s not busy again tonight.¡±


    ¡°Just her again?¡± Annie asked. ¡°I wonder what the others are doing?¡±


    Arnold typed on the phone. ¡°Sarah and Tanya are with their boyfriends and Francine wants to come along.¡±


    ¡°Well, at least it won''t be just the two of you.¡± Annie said. ¡°Go ahead and tell them you accept. I need to head to bed early after such a long day, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and sent the text. ¡°They''ll be here to pick me up in a few minutes.¡±


    Annie chuckled. ¡°How much do you want to bet that they were waiting down the street for you to accept?¡±


    ¡°A thousand dollars.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie burst out laughing. ¡°I''m not taking that outrageous bet! I need that money!¡± She said and gave him a hug. ¡°I''ll see you later if I''m up. If I''m not, I''ll see you in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and left the kitchen and went to the front door of the house. He opened it just as a nice car pulled over to the curb. He grabbed a light jacket and put it on as he walked over to the car.


    ¡°I''m glad you''re not busy.¡± Leann said as Arnold climbed into the back seat. ¡°Francine and I...¡±


    ¡°...really enjoy your company.¡± Francine said. ¡°I''m tempted to go to the hotel again; but, I promised my girlfriend that I would take her to my place.¡±


    Leann''s face flushed a little red and turned to look at Arnold. ¡°She means me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    Leann gave Francine a look that said, ''I told you so''. Francine nodded slightly and then drove them part way across the city to her place. It was in a medium high rise building and on the twentieth floor.


    ¡°I thought you would own a nice house or something.¡± Leann said as they stepped out of the elevator.


    ¡°I do own it.¡± Francine said with a smile and took out her keys and opened her apartment door.


    ¡°You own an apartment? I thought you could only rent?¡± Leann asked and then gasped when she saw the inside of her girlfriend''s apartment. ¡°It''s like a mansion!¡±


    Francine shut the door behind them. ¡°It''s about a quarter of the whole floor, so it''s a lot of square footage.¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡± Leann said as she kicked off her shoes and walked into the plush living room. ¡°My girlfriend is rich!¡±


    Francine laughed softly and led them to a closet to hang up their coats. ¡°I''m only modestly wealthy. I barely have anything to spend my salary on, since I spend most of my time at the museum.¡± She said and led them across the living room to the view out the side of the building. ¡°All that money just sits there and builds and builds. After a while, it just becomes a bunch of numbers.¡±


    Leann looked out at the skyline and was glad that she had the opportunity to meet such a nice person.


    ¡°Arnold, Leann and I have already eaten.¡± Francine said. ¡°Do you want something...¡±


    ¡°I had supper.¡± Arnold said and stood beside Leann. All he saw was buildings and cars. The great view and the majesty of the city was completely lost on him.


    ¡°Well, then.¡± Francine was at a bit of a loss for words and wasn''t sure how to proceed. ¡°Should we... perhaps... go...¡±


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Leann said and turned to him. ¡°We... Franny and I... want to have sex with you again.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and started to strip off.


    ¡°In the bedroom!¡± Francine said and waved in the right direction.


    Leann giggled at her girlfriend being flustered, then she went to her and took her hand. ¡°I told you that Arnold was straightforward. You just have to ask.¡± She smiled. ¡°I did, and look what happened.¡±


    Francine let out a sigh. ¡°I may be calm and composed at work from years of experience; but, when it comes to matters of the heart, I am but a babe in the woods.¡±


    Leann was a bit surprised at that, then she remembered what she said when they had broken up with Todd. ¡°I agree with Arnold. We''ve been in bed together twice and I didn''t feel any bones.¡± She said. ¡°Todd was definitely doing it wrong.¡±


    Francine smiled and put her arms around Leann and hugged her. ¡°Now that I have you and Arnold to compare it to, he barely did it at all, let alone wrong.¡±


    Leann tried not to laugh, then she couldn''t help it. ¡°After being with Arnold, that''s so true!¡±


    The two of them walked towards the bedroom, arms around each other, and weren''t surprised when they saw Arnold was completely naked and already hard. What did surprise them, was what he did.


    Arnold walked over to them and took Francine''s hand. ¡°You first.¡±


    Leann stood there and watched as Francine was carefully and tenderly stripped naked, then laid onto the bed. She realized that she was seeing exactly what Francine had seen the last time and she had no idea how Francine had resisted going over and joining in. She walked over to the bed, shed her clothing along the way, then climbed onto the bed and kissed her girlfriend.

 155 Undeniable Facts

    Bokuboy


    Leann and Francine were amazed as they laid in bed together and cuddled. They had thought that their last time with Arnold, their first full threesome together, was beyond what they could ever have hoped to enjoy in their lifetimes.


    Until this time.


    Now they had a new benchmark for pleasure and their sex-addled minds knew that this time, there was no possible way to top what they had experienced. It was like magic.


    Every touch, every caress, every stroke of his magnificent love tool, had made them writhe with pleasure. Neither of them had felt left out, or neglected, or even marginalized. He treated the both of them equally and fairly, which seemed like such an impossible task while in the throes of passion. To them, anyway.


    To Arnold? It was just him expanding his skills and knowledge base. Thanks to Doris'' teachings, he had pleased himself as well and made sure that the women he was with enjoyed it when he did.


    ¡°That is the key to a healthy and productive sex life.¡± Doris had told him. ¡°A woman''s desire to please you has to be entwined with her own pleasure. The more she enjoys having sex with you, the more she will want you to enjoy it as well.¡±


    Arnold had only nodded at the time of their lesson, not really understanding what she meant. He had had sex quite a few times since then. With the last two threesomes, he now had the proof that she was right. Leann and Francine, two very different women... one relatively short and voluptuous and the other tall and statuesque with a slim figure... both reacted just like Doris had said. The more he pleased them, the more they wanted to please him in turn.


    Arnold kissed both of them on the cheek after his shower, as per Leann''s request, and left Francine''s apartment. He didn''t want to stay overnight, even though Francine and Leann had said that they wouldn''t mind waking up with him in the bed. He had learned all he wanted to from them and he only had two last bits of data to gather.


    He had tried his skills on a woman he knew a short while, on a woman he knew longer, and on a woman he had only met twice. All of them worked. The two experiments remaining were on a woman he had known for a long period of time and then a woman he had never met before.


    His purpose set, Arnold found the closest bus stop and climbed aboard.


    *


    ¡°Are you kidding me, Wick?¡± Penelope asked her bed partner. ¡°Are you kidding me?!?¡±


    Officer Paul Candle sighed. He had just told the dispatcher a condensed version of everything that Detective Tanner had told him. ¡°No, it''s not a joke.¡±


    ¡°Good god.¡± Penelope whispered and laid her head back down on the soft pillow. ¡°She''s... boy, is she reaching with some of that garbage!¡±


    Paul nodded and realized that she couldn''t see it. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± He said. ¡°Some of her other arguments made a lot of sense.¡±


    Penelope sighed this time. ¡°Paul, I know you hate to think the worst of people...¡±


    ¡°Don''t say it!¡± Paul said, angrily.


    ¡°...you shouldn''t buy into Detective Tanner''s conspiracy.¡± Penelope said and Paul turned his head to look at her and she was looking at him.


    ¡°I thought you were going to say...¡±


    ¡°I can''t judge him like you can, Paul.¡± Penelope said. ¡°I can only make up my own mind with the facts and the things I hear and see.¡±


    ¡°Penny, please...¡±


    ¡°Paul.¡± Penelope said in a stern voice. ¡°They found his patrol car parked at the station. It was hidden in in plain sight.¡± She said, then her voice went soft. ¡°They tracked the GPS.¡±


    Paul put his hands over his face and tried to not listen.


    ¡°I''m not breaking protocol telling you this, since it''s all over the station. They found fingerprints that matched the ones in his house.¡±


    ¡°They can''t nail down the timeline, though.¡± Paul said to defend his partner, Charlie.


    ¡°Now... I...¡± Penelope sighed. ¡°Now I am breaking protocol.¡±


    ¡°Don''t.¡± Paul said.


    ¡°Two missing teenagers, Paul.¡± Penelope said. ¡°They were picked up by a police car and driven off. The GPS tracked the route. The car took them to a secluded wooded area. It stopped once and then after a moment, continued on and stopped again.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Paul whispered.


    ¡°The car went back to Charlie''s place. It stayed there for only a short while.¡±


    Paul had tears in his eyes.


    ¡°They found matching hair and blood samples in the trunk of the car with those in the bathroom.¡±


    Paul let out a soft sob.


    ¡°It''ll only take a few days for the rush on the DNA, since the two teenagers had submitted samples after being incarcerated briefly and released on work detail.¡± Penelope said and touched his shoulder. ¡°You know it''s going to match.¡±


    Paul reluctantly nodded. He knew there would have to be way too much blood to make that copper smell. Something bad had happened, that was for sure. He didn''t want to admit that it was Charlie that did it, though.


    Paul moved his hands from his face and rolled onto his side to face her. ¡°You might as well tell me the rest.¡± He said with a weak smile and wiped at his face. ¡°You kind of have to, now.¡±


    Penelope returned the weak smile. ¡°The GPS left our jurisdiction after that house visit and we had to petition the next county for continued tracking.¡±


    ¡°You found the bodies.¡± Paul said.


    ¡°Two teenage males in a very large shallow grave in a very secluded area.¡± Penelope said. ¡°Whomever did it, made sure the dug up area couldn''t be seen from the road. When the local officers dug it up, they found the bodies covered in lime and partially wrapped in their own clothes... with blankets from the house underneath them.¡±


    ¡°Lime?¡± Paul asked, slightly confused, then he took in a breath. ¡°How long?¡±


    ¡°The GPS track was all on the same day, barely within an hour. It happened fast. Those bodies have been...¡± Penelope sighed. ¡°They can get DNA; but, the faces, hands and feet are barely bones.¡±


    ¡°Shit!¡± Paul exclaimed. ¡°Charlie wouldn''t do that, Penny! You know he wouldn''t!¡±


    Penelope stayed quiet and Paul rolled onto his back.


    ¡°He wouldn''t try to erase someone like that.¡± Paul whispered. ¡°I won''t deny that he could kill... I mean, anyone could kill when push comes to shove...¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t.¡± Penelope said. ¡°I don''t think I could hate someone so much that I could take their life.¡±


    Paul huffed. ¡°Hate? That''s not the only reason. Love. Money. Drugs. Because they can. It was fun. They didn''t care.¡± He said and listed a few other things. ¡°A person can kill for almost anything.¡±


    Penelope fell silent at his words. ¡°I can''t imagine doing it.¡±


    ¡°That''s what makes you such a great person, Penny.¡± Paul said. ¡°That''s why I like spending time with you. You are like a breath of fresh air after dealing with all the crap we deal with every day.¡±


    Penelope''s face flushed red. ¡°Paul...¡±


    ¡°Hey, I mean it. You know I do.¡± Paul said. ¡°I can''t tell you how much I looked forward to our date tonight.¡± He turned back onto his side to look at her. ¡°I needed to have someone so pure to be around.¡±


    Penelope blushed hard. ¡°P-p-pure!¡±


    Paul reached over and cupped the side of her face. ¡°I meant that your soul is completely untainted by the world. Even though you direct us to some of the worst things that humans can do to each other, you''re still that pretty and innocent young girl from next door that I met all those years ago.¡±


    ¡°It''s only been three years, Paul Candle!¡± Penelope exclaimed.


    ¡°I know. It''s been forever.¡± Paul lamented and rolled away from her.


    ¡°Paul!¡± Penelope reached for him and touched his back.


    ¡°I''ve waited a long time to say this.¡± Paul said as he reached into his nightstand and pulled out a little box. He rolled back over and he was suddenly in Penelope''s arms. ¡°This is convenient.¡± He said and opened the little box. ¡°Will you marry me?¡±


    *


    Arnold took several bus transfers to get close to where he needed to go. Once there, he walked for ten minutes to get to the right address. He walked up the long driveway and went to the front door. He didn''t even hesitate as he knocked. A few moments later, the door opened and his ears were assaulted by a shriek of shock.


    ¡°ARNOLD!¡± Heather yelled and her voice was several octaves higher than normal. She stood there and her mind raced over what reason he could have for being there.


    ¡°Hey, Arnold.¡± Eric said as he came down the hallway behind Heather.


    Heather froze as Eric stepped beside her and put his arm around her waist, quite possessively. Her racing mind came to a screeching halt as the situation changed and now she had a potential minefield to walk through. She tried to come up with something to say to break the silence and her mind was suddenly blank.


    ¡°Arnold?¡± Claire asked tentatively as she came down the stairs. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Claire wore a large baggy sweater and a long skirt. If Arnold cared about such things, he would have commented about how much she looked like Kelly in that moment, because Kelly always hid her body from people, too.


    ¡°I came here to make love to you.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Heather and Eric yelled in shock.


    Claire ignored them and finished walking down the stairs. She pushed them apart, since they were blocking the door, and she took Arnold''s hand. She didn''t say anything as she turned around and led Arnold back up the stairs.


    Heather and Eric stood there in stunned silence as they stared at the two retreating figures. Neither of them knew what to say or what to do. They both knew that they should do or say something, and they couldn''t.


    Claire led Arnold down the hallway to her room and closed the door. ¡°Arnold, I... I''ve been trying my best to try and get you alone, so we could talk.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve been... I''ve tried to... I missed you a lot for the whole summer.¡±


    Arnold didn''t say anything and he very tenderly undressed her. Claire''s face was bright red by the time he was done and her nakedness was revealed. She stood there and watched as Arnold undressed, then the two of them went to bed.


    Claire had so many fantasies about having her handsome young dream lover back, ever since she had to break up with him, and she thought that all of her expectations were going to be left unfulfilled. Instead, her mind was blown as he exceeded all of her expectations. He did things that she hadn''t known could be done to her to make her come and she revelled in his expert hands as he pleased her, over and over.


    Two hours later, after a few glasses of water and several relaxing breaks, Claire was cuddled into his chest and she kept giving his muscles kisses. She couldn''t help it. Her entire body was full of little electric shocks and she had to try to thank him for everything. She lifted her head to look into his eyes and she saw what she expected to see.


    ¡°This was the last time, wasn''t it?¡± Claire asked, her voice sad.


    ¡°It was an experiment.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Now I know that whenever I come by, you''ll open your house and accept me, even if Heather is here.¡±


    ¡°A-Arnold! Do... do you mean that?¡± Claire asked, surprised. ¡°Will you show up at random times, just so I can make love to my forbidden lover once again?¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to?¡±


    ¡°I really, really do.¡± Claire said and gave him a kiss on the lips. ¡°Ever since I couldn''t have you as a boyfriend, having sex with you is all I''ve ever dreamed about.¡± She admitted out loud. ¡°I''ve called the college every weekend to see if you were there, then I would drive around in the faint hope that I would run into you.¡±


    ¡°Why didn''t you leave your name at the college?¡± Arnold asked. ¡°Doris is discreet. She would have only told me about it.¡±


    Claire opened her mouth to say she didn''t trust her, then what Arnold just said registered. ¡°I should have asked her if you trusted her. I''m sorry that I didn''t.¡± She said. ¡°My own need to try and protect you from embarrassment of having an older woman like me wanting to be around you, stopped me from just showing up at your dorm.¡±


    Arnold nodded. He understood having to sneak around to stop others from seeing what you were doing.


    ¡°I won''t ask you when you''ll be back, since I assume you won''t know until it happens.¡± Claire said and he nodded again. ¡°Then... before you go...¡± She gave him a sexy smile. ¡°Your old ex-girlfriend wants to thank you one more time.¡±


    Arnold held up the blanket for her and she slid down and used her mouth to please him. He knew she wanted to make him finish quickly, because of her frantic movements of both her mouth and her hands, so he relaxed that little muscle. Only a couple of minutes later, Claire was very happy that he had finished so quickly for her.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Claire said and gave him a kiss on the lips. ¡°You should shower before you go.¡±


    Arnold climbed out of bed and tucked the blanket back over her, then he went to the shower, dried off and then dressed again.


    Claire had watched him the whole time and when he was dressed, she was horny again. ¡°I want you again and I know you need to go.¡±


    Arnold leaned over the bed and whispered. ¡°If I told you that I love you, would you cry?¡±


    Claire didn''t hesitate like she had after the first time they had had sex and he asked her. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Arnold kissed her as he slipped his hand down under the blanket and expertly played with her. He flicked one of her spots several times and she moaned into his mouth as she came almost instantly. He broke the kiss and looked at her with such intensity that she held her breath and waited for him to say it. She wanted him to say it. She really, really wanted him to say it.


    Please! Say it! PLEASE! Claire yelled in her mind. SAY IT!


    Arnold stood up straight and left the bedroom without saying anything. Claire started crying anyway.


    *


    Heather and Eric had stood at the bottom of the stairs and stared upstairs. The whole time. The two of them could clearly hear almost everything, because Claire didn''t hold anything back. She was as vocal as she could be, and if the houses of her neighbours had been even a little bit closer, they would have heard her, too.


    After Claire had pushed them apart to take Arnold up the stairs, they had stayed separated. Neither of them had wanted to be touching the other while Heather''s mother made those kinds of noises. The noises that only someone having great sex made.


    It was quiet for a short while, then they heard the bedroom door open and close. They stayed there as if rooted to the spot and watched as Arnold appeared at the top of the stairs. He came down them at a normal pace and he wasn''t strutting or looked pleased with himself after doing Heather''s mom.


    Arnold walked by them and went out the front door without saying anything, despite Heather''s apparent apoplexy. Eric saw it when he turned to watch Arnold leave. He was about to comment when Heather''s anger let lose.


    ¡°MOTHER!¡± Heather yelled and turned and ran up the stairs. ¡°MOTHERRRRRR!¡±


    Eric wasn''t stupid enough to run after her and stayed exactly where he was, because he knew that Heather would kill him if he ever saw her mother naked. He turned to look at the closed door.


    Lucky bastard. Eric thought.

 156 Answering Questions

    ¡°P-P-Paul!¡± Penelope exclaimed at the large diamond ring in front of her face. ¡°Wh-what...¡±


    ¡°I want you to be my wife.¡± Paul said.


    Penelope went quiet for a moment, then spoke. ¡°Why, Paul? Why now?¡±


    Paul opened his mouth, then sighed. ¡°You should be asking me why I waited so long.¡±


    ¡°What... what do yo mean?¡± Penelope asked, tentatively.


    ¡°I told you, it''s been forever since we met.¡± Paul said. ¡°I''ve had this ring for two and a half years.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Penelope exclaimed.


    ¡°I wanted to give you this way back then; but, I knew if I tried, you would have laughed it off and would have either kicked me to the curb or wouldn''t take me seriously, even if I kept asking you to marry me.¡±


    Penelope closed her mouth on her response and she reluctantly agreed. If he had tried to propose barely six months after they had met and only two weeks after they started dating, she would have thought he was crazy or making fun of her. She really would have taken it as a joke and probably ditched him for not taking their relationship seriously, even that early.


    ¡°I know that look.¡± Paul said with a smile. ¡°I knew I was right to wait... except... it became a longer wait, then longer, then it just became something that I thought I would never find the right time to ask.¡±


    ¡°Now wasn''t the right time, either.¡± Penelope said in a whisper. She hadn''t told him the most damming evidence against his partner, that he had no alibis and his whereabouts couldn''t be determined for any of Detective Tanner''s supposed times that Arnold was home and had committed the ''murders''. The circumstantial evidence could be applied to Charlie as well.


    ¡°Is that a no?¡± Paul asked, hurt clearly in his eyes.


    ¡°It''s not, you dunce.¡± Penelope said as tears came to her eyes. ¡°I just meant that you''re going through a horrible time and...¡±


    ¡°I need you, Penny.¡± Paul said. ¡°If anything, this... whatever is going on with Charlie, I... it''s made me see that I''ve waited far too long to ask you. I just became so used to having you near me that I''ve been taking our relationship, and you, for granted.¡±


    ¡°Paul, that... that''s not... I don''t see how you''ve done that.¡±


    ¡°Just today when I called you, I assumed that you would say yes, because I love you and I wanted to be with you.¡± Paul said. ¡°I didn''t ask you what you had planned for tonight, or tomorrow. All I was thinking about was my own desire for you and I was blind to everything else.¡±


    Penelope had to agree with that. He didn''t ask her and she did kind of have plans for tomorrow afternoon, that she would either delay or cancel, depending on what he wanted to do all day.


    ¡°I know that look, too.¡± Paul said with a knowing smile. ¡°Now you understand what I meant.¡±


    ¡°Paul...¡±


    ¡°Penny... Penelope.¡± Paul said, his voice serious again. ¡°I don''t want you to believe that I only think about my own feelings and desires. I want you to understand that I believe you are just as happy to be with me as I am with you.¡±


    ¡°I... I am.¡± Penelope whispered.


    ¡°Then please, will you do me the honor of being my partner in this relationship, my partner in life, and the partner to my heart?¡±


    Penelope looked at the ring... the very large ring... and she thought about him having it for nearly their whole relationship. ¡°You... were serious about us, right from the start.¡±


    Paul nodded. ¡°I''ve always tried my best to make sure that when we had time to spend together, it was just us. No distractions, no emergencies, and no intrusions.¡± He said. ¡°The time I spent with you was precious... you are precious... and I want to have you all to myself, from now until the end of time.¡±


    ¡°P-Paul.¡± Penelope said, her voice almost caught in her throat.


    ¡°I want to love you so much that there''s a chance you''ll get sick of me.¡± Paul said with a bit of a smile and she frowned. ¡°Yes, that''s a bit of a joke, since I sincerely hope you''ll never be sick of how much I love you.¡±


    Penelope took in a deep breath and let it out, then smiled. ¡°I think I have to take you up on your offer.¡±


    ¡°Have to?¡± Paul asked, a little concerned.


    ¡°Information passed between husband and wife is privileged and we can''t legally testify against each other.¡± Penelope said and her eyes almost twinkled.


    ¡°You''re covering your own ass for breach of protocol?¡± Paul asked, quite surprised, then he laughed. ¡°I''ll take it!¡±


    Penelope couldn''t help but laugh, too. Her eyes teared up as he slipped the perfectly sized ring onto her finger and the diamond sparkled. ¡°I love you, Paul Candle.¡±


    ¡°I love you, Mrs. Candle.¡± Paul said and kissed her. They made love again and after they were both done, they cuddled together.


    ¡°You know, it''s a little sexist to assume that I''m going to change my name when we get married.¡± Penelope said.


    ¡°Well, both of our initials are going to be PC, so...¡± Paul said with a grin.


    ¡°You''re throwing Political Correctness at me?¡± Penelope asked, a little incredulous, and he laughed.


    ¡°You could change your name to Countess Marmalade for all I care.¡± Paul said and gave her a kiss. ¡°All I want is for us to be happy together.¡±


    Penelope stared at him. ¡°Countess Marmalade?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. I meant Croissant Marmalade.¡± Paul said.


    ¡°PAUL!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That''s not funny.¡± Penelope said and pouted.


    ¡°I bought a case of it, just so you know.¡± Paul said.


    ¡°You WHAT?!?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to make sure you''d never run out for a long time, so...¡± Paul shrugged.


    ¡°You actually bought...¡± Penelope whispered. ¡°You really do love me.¡±


    ¡°More than I can ever tell you with words.¡± Paul said. ¡°I had to show you with diamonds and jelly.¡±


    Penelope was about to say something, then she caught her breath. ¡°Diamonds? Plural?¡±


    ¡°Hey, we''ve been together for two years. I had to buy you appropriate gifts.¡± Paul said.


    ¡°You''ve never given me...¡± Penelope looked at the ring on her finger. ¡°You bought them as if you had proposed right after we started dating.¡±


    Paul nodded. ¡°Earrings at six months, a bracelet after a year, and a necklace last month.¡±


    Penelope''s face was flushed red. ¡°You spent... how could... we weren''t...¡±


    ¡°I love you.¡± Paul said. ¡°If you want to see them, they''re in the gun safe.¡±


    Penelope gave him a serious look, as if he was pulling her leg or joking.


    ¡°You know the combination.¡± Paul said with a smirk.


    ¡°I always wondered why you gave me that.¡± Penelope said and slid out of bed. She walked over to his closet and knelt down, quickly entered the number code and opened the gun safe.


    ¡°I trust you.¡± Paul said. ¡°What better way to prove that, than giving you access to deadly weapons?¡±


    ¡°You knew I would never open the thing.¡± Penelope said and pulled out three velvet boxes.


    ¡°That''s kind of what trust is.¡± Paul said.


    Penelope opened the top case and it was the earrings. Two half-carat diamonds greeted her surprised expression. She closed it and moved it aside, then opened the next larger box. Inside was the diamond encrusted tennis bracelet. Her breathing sped up and she closed it and moved it aide, then she sat on the floor and she wasn''t sure if she could handle looking at the last one.


    ¡°Let me.¡± Paul said and she looked up at him. He took the earrings out and put them on her. The bracelet was added to her left wrist next, then he opened the largest velvet case.


    Penelope gasped at the long string of glittering diamonds. ¡°P-P-Paul.¡± She whispered in disbelief. She automatically pulled her hair out of the way as he took the necklace out and put it around her neck. Her fingers lightly caressed the expensive item and she looked into his eyes.


    ¡°I love you.¡± Paul said and kissed her. They made love again, right there on the floor.


    *


    Arnold stepped into the house as quietly as possible. He locked everything up and went to his bedroom. He changed for bed, then instead of climbing into his own, he went to his mother''s bedroom. The door was open, so he didn''t have to sneak in or chance the door making a noise if he had to open it. He climbed into bed with his mother and slid under the blanket close to her.


    He felt her tremble slightly as he put his arm around her waist to hold onto her. He wasn''t sure if it was the slightly cool air he had brought with him or his touch that made her react. In the next moment, it didn''t matter, because Annie had a death grip on his arm and held it tightly to her belly. He tucked his head into her hair and rested his forehead on her neck, then he drifted off to sleep.


    *


    Claire sat up in bed and had absolutely refused to discuss what she had done with Arnold. No matter how Heather had ranted and raved at her for stealing Arnold from her, she never rose to the bait to counter Heather''s arguments. Even when she asked, point blank, if her mother had slept with him before, Claire only reminded her about Arnold''s peculiarities.


    ¡°So, you did have sex with him!¡± Heather spat.


    ¡°I didn''t say that.¡± Claire said.


    ¡°You just said...¡±


    ¡°I swear on your father''s grave that this was the very first time Arnold ever came to the house and asked me for sex.¡± Claire said.


    Heather gasped. ¡°M-mom!¡±


    ¡°I hope you aren''t going to try and convince me to not do it again.¡± Claire said and Heather stared at her. ¡°I warned you about him a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°Mom... but... why...¡± Heather''s resolve floundered.


    ¡°Arnold is a good man.¡± Claire said. ¡°Despite his quirks, he''s loyal to a fault, completely honest, and one of the best lovers I''ve ever had.¡±


    ¡°MOM!¡± Heather yelled.


    Claire gave her daughter a smug smile. ¡°Don''t you dare stand there and tell me that he isn''t.¡±


    Heather clamped her mouth shut on her retort.


    Claire nodded. ¡°I''ve heard you in your room a few times.¡±


    ¡°M-mom.¡± Heather whispered.


    ¡°If he ever shows up again, I won''t turn him away.¡± Claire said.


    ¡°But... he''s only... you''re...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I''m your mother and almost double his age.¡± Claire said and sighed. ¡°I''ll be quite sore tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Mom.¡± Heather said in a defeated tone.


    ¡°I''m going to warn you now.¡± Claire said in a stern voice and Heather straightened her back to listen. ¡°Don''t go behind my back and tell Annie that I''ve slept with her son.¡±


    Something flashed in Heather''s eyes and Claire held the blanket to her chest and got out of bed.


    ¡°Don''t you dare hurt that woman again!¡± Claire spat in her daughter''s face.


    ¡°A-a-again?¡± Heather asked.


    ¡°Did you so quickly forget that you gave Brad and his friends her address and they wrecked the place?¡± Claire asked. ¡°If you tell her, even second or third hand, that Arnold came here to have sex with me, the only thing you''ll manage to do is hurt her feelings.¡±


    ¡°But... you''ll stop...¡±


    ¡°No, I won''t.¡± Claire said and Heather gasped. ¡°We agreed that if at any time Arnold comes to me, for anything, my home will always be open to him.¡±


    Heather squinted her eyes. ¡°You mean your legs, don''t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Heather. My legs, too.¡± Claire said, which surprised her daughter. ¡°Can you honestly tell me that you wouldn''t if he came to you and asked?¡±


    Heather actually wanted that. A lot. Or, at least she thought she did. After seeing that her mother had sex with him, her desire for Arnold had diminished somewhat.


    Claire nodded. ¡°I see. Now that you know he''s slept with someone else, you don''t want him as much.¡±


    ¡°J-just you.¡± Heather whispered.


    Claire nodded again. ¡°Then your time at the college is going to be that much easier over the next few years.¡± She said. ¡°He''s going to date a lot, or at least have a lot of girls in his life.¡±


    ¡°Like you.¡± Heather said.


    ¡°If he ever comes back, yes.¡± Claire said. ¡°He''s going to be very busy, however. I doubt I''ll see him again for another few months. In fact, I think you''ll see him more than I will.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Heather asked, surprised.


    ¡°I meant you''ll be on the same campus and may even have similar classes.¡± Claire said.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Heather said and couldn''t help letting some disappointment leak into her voice.


    ¡°Don''t throw away what you have for something you might never have.¡± Claire warned her, then she walked by her daughter and went to the bathroom to take a shower. She had a lot to clean off of herself and she was quite happy about that.


    *


    Detective Tanner was as close to being livid as she had ever been while she paced the bedroom.


    ¡°Calm down.¡± Mike said.


    ¡°I can''t believe they think Charlie did all of that!¡± Olivia exclaimed and halted her walk. Her naked breasts jiggled and Mike stared at them, then looked at her face.


    ¡°The evidence...¡±


    ¡°Do you really think that Arnold couldn''t frame him for it?¡± Olivia asked.


    Mike chuckled. ¡°Anyone could have framed him for it.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on.¡± Mike said. ¡°Olivia, it''s like an open secret that Officer Hallman had the hots for the Strickland woman.¡±


    ¡°That... that''s immaterial.¡± Olivia said with a soft voice.


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Mike said. ¡°I''m not saying he''s guilty, since we have to find him, charge him, wait for trial, then find out if he''s guilty or not.¡±


    Olivia scoffed. ¡°It''ll never get that far.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter this soon in the investigation; but, if you had the power to intervene on someone''s behalf to do something, wouldn''t you?¡± Mike asked.


    ¡°Not murder.¡± Olivia said.


    ¡°What if he just saw it as taking out the trash?¡±


    ¡°He wouldn''t.¡± Olivia said as she relaxed. ¡°He wouldn''t.¡±


    ¡°There''s no proof, one way or the other, what he would do in a similar situation.¡± Mike said. ¡°Temporary insanity? Premeditated murder? Negligent homicide?¡± He shook his head. ¡°All we know is that there were two kidnappings, two murders, and buckets of blood dumped down the drain.¡±


    Olivia sighed and walked over to the bed. ¡°I can''t believe you''re okay talking about all of this.¡±


    Mike chuckled. ¡°You haven''t been in the squad room the last two days.¡±


    Olivia gave him wide eyes and he took her into his arms.


    ¡°It''s all anyone can talk about.¡± Mike said. ¡°Especially now that IA released... discreetly... Officer Hallman''s unauthorized patrol route alterations.¡±


    Olivia let out a sigh and cuddled in. ¡°Okay, even I have to admit that so many trips by her house is suspicious.¡±


    ¡°More like unhealthy.¡± Mike said and she reluctantly nodded. ¡°I don''t know what he was thinking. Even if it was perfectly innocent, he didn''t even add to the logs that he was only keeping a closer eye on the property.¡±


    Olivia didn''t want to admit that Charlie must have been a little obsessed with Annie to have done that.


    ¡°He could know when she was there, when she wasn''t, and when her son was there.¡± Mike said.


    ¡°Can we stop talking about it?¡± Olivia asked, because she didn''t want to start convincing herself that Arnold didn''t have a hand in it, even though she didn''t have a shred of proof. The only inclination she had was that the two missing teenagers were two of the crew that had wrecked Arnold''s house. There''s only one left now. She thought. Kevin is well protected and in police custody at the jail, thankfully.


    ¡°We can do whatever you want.¡± Mike said with a smile on his face.


    Olivia lifted her head to give him an incredulous look. ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Does that mean you''re not in the mood after your little rant?¡±


    Olivia opened her mouth to say no, then she pushed her reaction aside and knew he was right. ¡°How can you read me so well?¡±


    ¡°Your nipples popped out.¡± Mike said. ¡°Don''t tell me you didn''t see me looking.¡±


    Olivia could feel her hard nipples poking into him. ¡°I saw, but...¡±


    Mike chuckled. ¡°I know. I''m always looking.¡± He admitted. ¡°It''s hard not to when you strut around like that and you''re full of passion, you know. ¡±


    ¡°Don''t you mean full of piss and vinegar?¡± Olivia asked.


    Mike laughed. ¡°So, you have been listening when the guys talk at the station.¡± He said. ¡°I always try to tell them you''re not like that. You''re just driven and need to prove yourself.¡±


    ¡°I don''t need to prove myself to them.¡± Olivia frowned.


    ¡°I know.¡± Mike said. ¡°You need to prove it to yourself.¡±


    Olivia looked into his eyes and saw that he was serious.


    ¡°You don''t have to prove it to me, either.¡± Mike said and kissed her to make her frown go away. ¡°The only real opinion that matters is your own. So, you do what you want, be careful, and I''ll try my best to not get in the way.¡±


    Olivia gave him a squinted eyed look. ¡°What if I need your help again?¡±


    ¡°I''m here, naked in your bed, and discussing things that can get me fired if anyone found out.¡± Mike said. ¡°I''ll pretty much do anything you want, short of breaking the law.¡±


    ¡°Bending it is okay with you?¡± Olivia asked.


    ¡°Naked. Bed. Hard as a rock.¡± Mike said. ¡°Do you want any more proof?¡±


    Olivia opened her mouth to say yes, then he kissed her.


    ¡°That was a rhetorical question.¡± Mike said and pushed her onto her back, then he slipped inside of her to make her gasp. Even though they had sex not that long ago, she had tightened up considerably during her rant.


    ¡°M-more... proof.¡± Olivia whispered as she panted and Mike doubled his efforts. She didn''t ask again.

 157 Fun Activities

    Arnold and Annie had another couple of days of activities that Annie really enjoyed, especially having Arnold there with her. Her mood was happier and she never stopped smiling. Just like she had predicted, the week Arnold was home was the best time she had ever had. She didn''t begrudge his occasional visits out to the shed to work, since he did it at night and he made sure to change out of his old clothes before coming into the house.


    What Annie didn''t know, was that Arnold was actually working on the police ID to try and figure out if he could put his own picture into it. They had visited the library the day before and he took his time looking for a book that he wanted on counterfeiting. It didn''t really have what he wanted; but, it was enlightening in its own way. He had to use one of the library''s computers to look up what he wanted.


    Arnold made sure that he used some of the tricks Kelly had taught him about hiding his digital tracks, including using a VPN, or virtual private network, to hide the computer''s identity. Once he did that, he discreetly looked up how to switch someone''s picture in an ID. After a quick stop at a photo booth to get the right sized picture, his dissection tools and equipment he had brought home from college, turned out to be the perfect method to complete the task.


    Of course, with no one able to trace his tracks, he looked up a few other things that he could work on in the shed. He memorized what he could, which was everything, since he was very interested in the materials and procedures for what he wanted to do, then he wiped the browser history and copied over files into the same directory to overwrite the physical space.


    Arnold had worked every evening at a late time to finish his work and it didn''t disrupt his mother''s plans at all. He also burned up all the ''old contaminated clothes'' he had, which just happened to include all of Officer Hallman''s clothes that he had taken from the house. Since he had already established that he would burn the old clothes, his mother never questioned why the barbecue pit was used every night.


    On the Saturday before he had to go back to the college, Arnold surprised his mother and his neighbour Beth by offering to trim her hedges and bushes next weekend. Neither of them had the proper equipment and he told them not to worry about it, because he knew exactly where to get it. Annie didn''t say anything, even though she knew where he meant to go to get them.


    Annie drove him all the way over to Claire''s place and they both went to the front door. Arnold knocked without preamble and a few moments later, the door opened.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Claire gasped when she saw them. She wore loose jeans and a t-shirt so baggy that she looked tiny inside of it. ¡°Annie, how are you?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Annie said and hid the fact that she was a little uncomfortable at the situation. ¡°Arnold was wondering if we could borrow some of your lawn care equipment.¡±


    ¡°I really should ask what for.¡± Claire said with a smile. ¡°I''m pretty sure I know why, though.¡±


    ¡°I need the large hand shears and the hedge trimmer.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I already have a hatchet for the tree branches.¡±


    Claire nodded. ¡°You know where everything is in the tool shed.¡± She said and waved her hand behind her. ¡°Help yourself to whatever is there.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said as he stepped forward and gave Claire a quick kiss, which shocked her. He walked around the house and disappeared from sight.


    ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± Annie whispered. ¡°Since the break up, he''s been a little more outgoing lately.¡±


    Claire took a breath and tried to get her blush to go away. ¡°It''s all right.¡± She said. ¡°I mean it. I know he can be like that. I just... it was unexpected that he would do that in front of you.¡±


    Annie chuckled. ¡°You should have seen Katheryn''s face when he thanked her that time she let us stay over for the weekend.¡±


    Claire''s eyes went wide. ¡°He did not!¡±


    Annie nodded several times. ¡°She hid in the kitchen when he left Sunday night, just so she didn''t have to tell him not to kiss her goodbye.¡±


    Claire laughed. ¡°Oh, that poor woman. It must have been a thrill for her.¡±


    ¡°Or mortifying, considering how Arnold''s and Kelly''s relationship had become so rocky at the time.¡±


    Claire gave her an inquisitive look for a moment, then she caught her breath. ¡°That''s what Heather meant when she told me about it.¡± She said. ¡°Katheryn tried to... tempt him... despite Kelly''s restrictions.¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°It was a right mess and I was tempted to speak my mind...¡±


    ¡°You mean yell your head off and curse at them?¡± Claire asked and Annie laughed.


    ¡°Pretty much.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°I''m sorry about how things turned out.¡± Claire said, her voice low.


    ¡°So am I.¡± Annie said. ¡°So are Kelly and Arnold. Kelly''s father? He''s ecstatic.¡±


    Claire sighed. ¡°Yes, Kenneth would be.¡±


    Arnold walked by them and went to the car. He put the items into the trunk and went back to the front door of the house. ¡°I also took the long handled cutters.¡±


    ¡°Be careful with everything, all right?¡± Claire stepped out and hugged him. ¡°The last thing any of us wants is you getting hurt.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and hugged her back. ¡°I''ll bring them back when I''m done.¡±


    ¡°I''d appreciate that.¡± Claire said and let him go. ¡°Make sure you''re not rushing to do it, though. I don''t mind letting you keep them for longer if the job is a bit too big for two days work.¡±


    ¡°I''ll get it done.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Then I''ll see you next weekend.¡± Claire said to him and looked at Annie. ¡°You, too.¡±


    ¡°Arnold would look a little funny trying to ride the bus with a hedge trimmer.¡± Annie said with a chuckle. ¡°See you then.¡±


    ¡°Bye.¡± Claire said and watched them walk back to the car. She gave them a wave and then they were gone. She closed the door and leaned against it as she touched her lips with her fingers. Annie didn''t react at all when he kissed me. She thought. She noticed how much I liked it and thought I was just embarrassed and she apologized. She smiled. It''s a start, I guess.


    Claire walked back to the living room and picked up the stock catalogue for the store and got back to work. She didn''t have to do this, she knew she didn''t, and she did it anyway. It was all for appearances and she would never let anyone accuse her of dumping everything onto the manager, especially the manager. She took out her cell phone and typed up a text to tell the manager that she was ready to resume their conference call.


    *


    Annie had booked that park excursion event again for the day, so they drove all the way to the college to meet up with everyone else that was going. Doris took the day off to join them, as did most of the girls on the dorm floor and a couple of their friends. Cynthia rented another bus to bring everyone and the charity organizers were shocked when the bus pulled up and twenty people stepped off of it.


    ¡°Hi, again!¡± Annie said as she dragged Arnold out of the crowd and over to the table that the man and woman stood behind. ¡°I told you that I''d bring more people next time.¡±


    The two people just stared at her with surprised expressions.


    ¡°Um... yes, you...¡± The woman blinked her eyes and looked at them all. ¡°You might have to share some of the blankets and picnic baskets.¡±


    Annie chuckled. ¡°That''s not going to be a problem.¡± She said as Doris and Janet came over and stood behind her and Arnold.


    ¡°We will wait for another ten minutes to see if anyone else will show up, then we''ll get this show on the road.¡± The man said with a smile, happy at the larger turn out than he expected.


    Annie dropped a donation into the can they had on the table, then Arnold did. Doris and Janet did it next, then every other person that had arrived on the bus made a donation. The two people running it were once again stunned as the donation can quickly filled up.


    Ten minutes later, a dozen more couples showed up for the activities and the day of fun began.


    *


    Janet couldn''t believe what she was seeing. Doris and Annie, both in their forties, were acting like little kids at a playground. They were laughing and carrying on, without a care in the world about who was seeing them act that way, namely college girls half their age and everyone else at the park. It totally destroyed Janet''s previous opinions and preconceptions of Arnold''s mother and Doris the Dorm Mother.


    The biggest surprise had been Dianne and two other lab workers had come, too. Janet was pretty sure that they found out through Cissily complaining about her mother Doris going. Of course, Arnold going was next to be leaked as was his mother being there. She hadn''t known the reason why Dianne wanted to be there, not until they played Human Checkers and Dianne had taken it upon herself to ''help'' Annie by holding her hand and did her best to keep Annie''s laughing under control.


    Despite Dianne''s best efforts, it didn''t work and Annie still lost. That only made her laugh more, though. She really was there to have fun and she did. There were other activities, different from the last time, and Annie pretty much led everyone around to do them all.


    Where is she getting all of her energy? Janet asked herself when the organizers finally announced it was picnic time and they were bringing the activities to a close. She followed Annie, like she had all morning, over to the large area where several dozen picnic blankets were laid out. She sat down with a huff and a sigh, missed that Annie and Dianne walked away, and looked at Arnold. ¡°Can I bother you to be my pillow for a bit? I''m bushed.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and sat down next to her and pat his lap.


    Janet didn''t hesitate as she moved over to the side, then she laid her head down on his thighs and stared up at his face. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Arnold bent down and gave her a quick kiss. Doris had stood there and watched, a little amazed at it.


    ¡°Aww, that''s so cute.¡± Dianne said as she and Annie walked over. ¡°Annie grabbed the basket with ham and cheese sandwiches.¡±


    ¡°Nope. I grabbed the one with brownies in it.¡± Annie said and Doris sat down beside Janet''s knees as she looked at Annie''s brownie covered lips.


    ¡°I think one tried to escape and you applied corporal punishment.¡± Doris said with a smile.


    ¡°It was two and they deserved it.¡± Annie said with a smug expression, which made Doris and Dianne laugh.


    ¡°I''d still be holding her hand if she didn''t insist on carrying the basket and making appropriate brownie sacrifices.¡± Dianne said and half-knelt half-sat, with her legs only partially out from underneath her, then she motioned for Annie to sit. She did, right beside Arnold, and Dianne finished her movement and copied Janet by laying down on Annie''s lap. ¡°Annie, this was a great idea.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Annie said and looked down at the young woman on her lap. ¡°You''re not going to be able to eat like that.¡±


    ¡°You can feed me.¡± Dianne said and opened her mouth as she stuck out her tongue. ¡°Ahhhh!¡±


    Annie chuckled and held out a sandwich. ¡°Up, missy.¡±


    Dianne sighed and sat up, then took the sandwich. ¡°I was just copying Janet.¡±


    ¡°She''s not staying there, either.¡± Annie said and Janet sat up.


    ¡°I was only borrowing his lap for a bit.¡± Janet said with a smile and took the sandwich Annie handed to her. ¡°I might need it again after I eat. I''m still tired.¡±


    ¡°I hear that.¡± Doris said and took a sandwich as well. ¡°It was fun while it was going on...¡±


    ¡°...our bodies are going to pay for it later.¡± Annie said and poured out five small plastic cups of soda pop for everyone. ¡°It''s worth it, though.¡±


    ¡°I''d say so.¡± Janet said and started eating. ¡°This was really odd and fun at the same time.¡±


    Dianne chuckled. ¡°It really was.¡± She said and looked at Annie. ¡°It would have been a great date if someone would only admit that she likes my company more than she thinks she does.¡±


    Annie shook her head. ¡°I told you. I''m flattered. Really flattered.¡± She said and took a bite of her sandwich. ¡°It doesn''t matter how many passes you make or how pretty you are, I just can''t date you.¡±


    ¡°You... you think I''m pretty?¡± Dianne asked and her face flushed red as she blushed. ¡°Th-thank you.¡±


    Doris chuckled. ¡°Even though people tell her she''s pretty all the time, she dismisses it and only blushes when she knows the person actually means it.¡± She said and took a drink of soda pop.


    ¡°Really?¡± Annie looked from Doris to Dianne and both of them nodded. ¡°I don''t really know what to say to that.¡±


    ¡°A genuine compliment always makes me emotional.¡± Dianne said and took a drink of pop. ¡°To you it was an off-hand statement describing me, and to me it was confirmation that you do see me as pretty and I''m not just some girl you met at college.¡±


    ¡°You are some girl I met at college.¡± Annie said and Dianne laughed softly.


    ¡°You''re such a kidder.¡± Dianne said and looked at Arnold. ¡°You''re so lucky to have such a wonderful mother.¡±


    Arnold nodded and they finished off the sandwiches, brownies, and pop. The organizers announced the same thing as last time, that they had to relax and gaze at the clouds. Arnold packed everything up and laid down right in the middle of the blanket. Janet, Doris and Annie exchanged looks.


    ¡°I called dibs on his lap before.¡± Janet said with a smile.


    ¡°Share the chest?¡± Doris said to Annie, who chuckled.


    ¡°He has two shoulders, so we should fit.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°Can I use your lap, Annie?¡± Dianne asked.


    ¡°I guess so.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Dianne said happily and waited for Annie to lay down and cuddle into Arnold''s shoulder, then she laid down nearby and rested her head on Annie''s lap. Doris was tucked into Arnold''s other shoulder and his arm was partially around her, which she really liked. Almost as if they coordinated it, all four women let out contented sighs. A moment later, the four of them laughed.


    They spent the next few minutes making jokes at the clouds and the shapes they made, then they fell silent as the activities of the day hit them and they dozed off a little. Even Arnold took the cue and let the feeling of people using him as a pillow lull him to sleep.


    Half an hour passed and a low buzzing sound flowed over everyone. A whispered announcement said that the time booked in the park was coming to an end and that the day of activities was over.


    ¡°I don''t want to get up.¡± Janet admitted. ¡°This is just too nice to give up so soon.¡±


    ¡°I agree; but, we can''t just stick around and stop them from packing up.¡± Annie said and gently touched Dianne''s shoulder. ¡°We need to get up.¡±


    ¡°Five more minutes.¡± Dianne whispered. ¡°Janet''s right.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Annie started to object.


    ¡°Everyone else is going over to them right now and they''re busy.¡± Doris said, also reluctant to get up. ¡°I think we have a few minutes to spare.¡±


    Annie took a breath and let it out. ¡°A few more minutes won''t hurt, I suppose.¡±


    They laid there for several minutes and Annie glanced over at the table where the organizers were and saw the crowd was almost gone.


    ¡°We need to go.¡± Annie said and pat Arnold''s arm that was partially around her. He let her go and let Doris go, then Dianne and Janet sighed as their pillows started to move. The four of them got up and helped fold the blanket up, then they walked over to the table.


    ¡°Thank you so much for coming today.¡± The woman said and accepted the blanket. ¡°You really helped us out a lot with everyone you brought.¡±


    ¡°It was no trouble.¡± Annie said. ¡°Once I told them what it was like, they all wanted to come.¡±


    ¡°I know Pam really wanted to.¡± Janet said. ¡°She had to work and couldn''t take it off.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡± Annie asked as they walked over towards the bus.


    ¡°She just got a raise from the boss and can''t slack off.¡± Janet said with a smile.


    Doris chuckled. ¡°Can you imagine that conversation? Pam, here''s a raise for doing good work. Thanks, boss. Can I take the day off to laze around at the park?¡±


    Annie and Dianne laughed.


    Janet laughed, too. ¡°That would definitely piss him off royally.¡±


    ¡°Piss who off?¡± Cynthia asked as they passed by her to get on the bus.


    ¡°Pam''s boss if she asked for a day off after getting a raise.¡± Arnold explained.


    Cynthia laughed. ¡°Yes, that would do it.¡± She said and followed them onto the bus. When everyone sat down, she stayed standing. ¡°I''d like to thank Arnold and his mother for inviting us out to this thing today.¡±


    There was a chorus of agreement and a few offers to repay Arnold that Cynthia chose to ignore.


    ¡°I had a lot of fun.¡± Cynthia said.


    ¡°We all did!¡± Someone shouted. ¡°I love you, Arnold!¡±


    ¡°Debbie, you''re supposed to be the quiet one.¡± Cynthia admonished her and Debbie giggled. ¡°As I was saying...¡± She looked at Annie and then at Arnold. ¡°Thank you for today.¡±


    Arnold stood up and gave her a quick kiss. ¡°Thank you for the bus when we went bowling.¡± He said, to her surprise, then he kissed her again. ¡°Thank you for the bus today.¡±


    Cynthia''s face was bright red. ¡°You''re welcome.¡±


    Arnold sat down again and Cynthia told the driver to take them back to the college and sat down herself. She did her best to not look across the aisle at Arnold or try to let on that she really liked those brief kisses. She also remembered him kissing Rebecca, really kissing her, and she wanted to experience it like she had.


    The bus dropped them off at the college and after a brief goodbye, Annie and Arnold drove back home.

 158 One Last Hurrah

    Bokuboy


    Once they were home, Arnold took the borrowed tools out of the trunk and changed into old clothes, then he started working on the neighbour''s hedge. If he cared about such things, he would have been pleased that Beth watched him closely the whole time to make sure that he was doing a good job and didn''t hurt himself. He piled all of the branches and leaves beside his shed and worked until suppertime. He quickly ate and went back out to continue working.


    Beth''s hedges were nowhere near the size and length that Claire''s had been, so he did all of one side of her yard and even trimmed a few overhanging branches from the tree in her yard. Once that was done, Arnold stored the tools inside the shed and stayed inside for several minutes to work, then he called the same number that Claire had to rent one of the large wood chippers. They delivered one to the end of the driveway beside the house. It was near the shed, which was perfect for his purposes, and he grabbed a box of garbage bags from the house.


    He set it up properly, since he knew exactly what to do, and he started making short trips from the pile of wood beside the shed to the wood chipper. It was loud, so even Beth was discouraged from looking for very long. No one noticed the extra things Arnold added during some of his trips back and forth. He changed garbage bags frequently as they filled and he was very efficient with the work. It was all gone barely twenty minutes later and he turned off the machine.


    Arnold called the number on the side of the machine and had the money ready for the man when he came to pick it up. ¡°There are a lot of small leaves still inside.¡±


    The man accepted the money. ¡°Don''t worry. We always wash the things out with an industrial hose to stop things from building up inside and rotting. The last thing people want to smell when renting a machine like this, is compost.¡±


    Arnold smiled and nodded. The man hooked the wood chipper up to the back of his truck and drove away. After that, Arnold chose a few particular bags, seemingly at random, and went to the large barbecue pit he had. None of the neighbours questioned him burning the contents up, especially when he was also taking some of the other bags and spreading the mulch around Beth''s hedges and bushes.


    Arnold ran out of space at Beth''s place and started going to the other neighbours and using their yards to dump the excess. The neighbours were getting free mulch for their bushes and trees, so they didn''t object to that. Most actually appreciated him doing that for them, because he didn''t have to. He could have just burned it all up instead. When he was done, Arnold went back home, finished burning up the last of the chosen bags, then he went into the house to get a shower.


    ¡°That was some great work, Arnold.¡± Annie said when he came in through the back door. ¡°I''m very proud of you.¡±


    Arnold opened his arms with a smile on his face and walked towards her.


    ¡°No! Nonono!¡± Annie laughed and avoided him for several moments as he pretended to chase her around the kitchen. ¡°Get your ass upstairs and shower first!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and did so, changed into his sleeping clothes, and went back downstairs to give his mother a hug.


    ¡°That''s better.¡± Annie said and held him tightly. ¡°If I hadn''t taken a shower already, I would have hugged you when you were all sweaty and covered in dirt.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I love you, Mom.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Annie said and gave him a quick kiss. ¡°We can relax on the couch for a bit, then we should go to bed.¡±


    Arnold nodded and they went into the living room and watched television for a little while. He didn''t bother asking what his mother had planned for them the next day, because it didn''t matter to him. He would do everything she wanted, just like he had promised himself so long ago, and he would see that beaming smile again and hear his mother''s laugh.


    *


    ¡°I can''t believe Arnold''s mother set this up for us.¡± Tanya, formerly One, said with a giggle. ¡°How long do you think she''s been planning it?¡±


    ¡°Weeks, I''d say.¡± Sarah, formerly Two, said and picked up the imitation golfing outfit from the box.


    ¡°More like months.¡± Leann, formerly Three said. She had already changed into the cute outfit and did a little twirl to make the pleated skirt flutter out. ¡°Who goes to this length to have her son''s friends go mini-golfing?¡±


    ¡°A mother who loves her son very much.¡± Francine said. She wore a similar outfit that was a surprising match to Leann''s. She wasn''t sure if that was coincidence or on purpose, though. Would Arnold have told his mother about her and Leann? Would she have understood it or accepted it, or is she ignoring it like Sarah and Tanya?


    Francine looked at Leann''s two best friends and they had been... a little uncomfortable... when she had shown up holding Leann''s hand. Both she and Leann explained that they weren''t gay, not in the sense that they were looking at the two other girls as sexual objects, or that Leann had always thought of them like that.


    It was difficult to explain that it was only a recent development between them and that neither of them had even considered another woman as a viable person to date. Of course, Sarah and Tanya had claimed that they understood and brushed Francine''s concerns aside. She was older than them and she could see the tension the girls had when they had any physical interaction with Leann.


    Some people just won''t understand, no matter how much you explain. Francine thought. ¡°You should hurry up and get changed. Your boyfriends should be here to pick us up soon.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Tanya said and started to unbutton her top. When she pulled it open to take it off, she caught her breath and froze. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights as she looked at Leann and then Francine.


    Francine touched Leann''s shoulder to stop her from saying something that could hurt her friendship with the other two. ¡°Tanya, for the last time, we don''t see you or Sarah as a sexual object. You could strip off completely and play with yourself in front of us, and just like Sarah, neither Leann nor myself would have the urge to join you or try to help.¡±


    Tanya''s eyes were wide and her mouth made that little ''o'' of surprise, Sarah''s face was bright red, and Leann covered her own mouth to stop from laughing.


    ¡°What Leann and I discovered with each other is just between us. We still like men. In fact...¡± Francine had to stop talking when Leann covered her mouth.


    ¡°They both know we dated Todd at the same time, or at similar times anyway.¡± Leann said. ¡°If they can''t accept that I want to try dating another girl after he hurt me... hurt us both... then that''s their problem.¡± She said, wisely. ¡°Plus, I''ve seen them both completely naked and they''ve seen me completely naked. I''ve never had the urge to do anything with them, for years, and they know that.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡± Tanya asked. ¡°Did you never have the urge to... you know...¡± She looked down at her own skirt and then back at Leann.


    Francine laughed. ¡°You should have seen the look on her face when I went down on her! It was so cute! Shock, surprise, delight, and fear all mixed together.¡±


    ¡°F-F-Francine!¡± Leann blushed.


    ¡°It''s all right. They need to know that what we did was as much of a surprise to us as it is to them.¡±


    ¡°It is?¡± Sarah asked, surprised. She took off her sweater and unbuttoned her jeans.


    ¡°I definitely haven''t had any inclinations towards another girl until I met Leann and we...¡± Francine had to stop when Leann covered her mouth again.


    ¡°They don''t need the details.¡± Leann said, her face still bright red.


    Francine kissed her palm and moved her hand. ¡°I wasn''t going to tell them everything.¡±


    ¡°It sounded like you were.¡± Leann said and couldn''t stop her smile. Their relationship was still in the early stages, so it was all new and exciting. She had not told her sister or her parents yet. She needed to save that for when things started getting serious.


    ¡°We can discuss it again if you want.¡± Francine said with a matching smile, because that was a discussion they had in the middle of sex the night before.


    ¡°Francine.¡± Leann whispered, her blush wasn''t going away.


    ¡°I already agreed that most of what happened was only between us, until such time it either comes out on its own or someone else mentions it.¡± Francine said, indicating Arnold. ¡°We both know what that means.¡±


    Leann nodded, because she knew that Arnold wouldn''t say anything unless prompted to. She thought about reminding him to not say anything, even if someone asks him directly, then shrugged mentally. If he hadn''t said anything to their friends by now, he was never going to say anything.


    ¡°Were there that many people at the hotel where you confronted Todd?¡± Tanya asked. She was only in her bra and underwear and she observed both Leann''s and Francine''s eyes as she reached for the golf shirt and skirt.


    ¡°There were a few shouted comments at the time.¡± Francine chuckled. ¡°Mostly encouragement.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Sarah asked and slipped on the knitted vest. It was bright yellow and went well with the rest of the outfit. ¡°What did they say?¡±


    ¡°I believe the guy shouted something like, ''kiss her!''.¡± Francine said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Did you?¡± Tanya asked and pulled on the skirt. She was glad that her friends didn''t give her the look a guy would when she was only wearing underwear.


    ¡°Are you kidding? He said it so loudly in the quiet lobby that it made us laugh.¡± Leann said.


    ¡°I can imagine.¡± Sarah said and slipped on the shoes. ¡°It''s too bad there wasn''t video of the thing.¡±


    Tanya nodded agreement. ¡°I definitely would have liked to see the snake get caught.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know about liking it.¡± Leann said. ¡°It was more... satisfying... and heart breaking.¡±


    Francine put her arm around her shoulders and Leann looked up at her with a look on her face that both Tanya and Sarah had seen her use when she looked up at Todd. Her two friends glanced at each other and nodded slightly.


    ¡°So, I heard that you had a full tour of where Francine works.¡± Tanya said to Leann as she put on the cute little golfing hat. ¡°What is it like seeing the bowels of the museum?¡±


    ¡°Bowels!¡± Francine almost exclaimed, then all four of them laughed.


    Friendships could start with jokes, too.


    *


    If he cared about such things, Arnold was dressed in the most garish and color uncoordinated outfit that his mother could find and put together. Annie wanted him to look just like a professional golfer, ugly checkered shorts, knee-high socks, multi-colored vest and all. She just loved shopping at thrift stores and it hadn''t taken her long to put everything together.


    Annie beamed a smile at him as she plopped the golfing hat on his head. ¡°You look perfect!¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and gave her a hug and a quick kiss.


    ¡°I''m glad I could find enough to make my outfit match yours.¡± Annie said. ¡°I hope you''ll be my partner on the course, assuming no one else claims you first.¡±


    ¡°You just claimed me.¡± Arnold said and Annie chuckled.


    ¡°I guess I did.¡± Annie said. ¡°We better go. The tee-off time is at ten o''clock.¡±


    Arnold nodded and they left the house. When they approached the car, they heard a loud creak.


    ¡°You two look adorable!¡± Beth said as she stood up from her porch swing.


    ¡°You look like you''re enjoying a public cup of tea.¡± Annie responded.


    Beth laughed and raised the cup up in a salute. ¡°I''ve taken to doing this for an hour on the weekends. Keeping an eye out and all that.¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to do that.¡± Annie said. ¡°But, thank you.¡±


    ¡°It''s no trouble.¡± Beth took a sip of her tea. ¡°Arnold, the hedges on this side of the yard look great.¡±


    ¡°I''ll do the rest next weekend.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I''ll see what I can do for you next weekend to thank you.¡± Beth said. ¡°Something in the kitchen, I think.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said. He and his mother drove over to the mini-golf place and met several other vehicles there. All of the doors opened, as if they were all waiting for them to arrive, and almost two dozen people got out and stood up at the same time as Annie and Arnold did.


    ¡°Oh, my GOD!¡± Annie yelled and started laughing. Her eyes almost hurt at all of the different golfing outfits that all the teenagers and a few adults were wearing. Of course, her happy laughter was infectious and it spread out to cover everyone and they all laughed, too.


    ¡°I''m glad you are enjoying our collective embarrassment.¡± Francine said as everyone gathered together in a group.


    ¡°I do! I really do!¡± Annie said and dabbed at her happy tears. ¡°You are all so great for doing this.¡±


    ¡°Well, it''s the last time we can all get together for a while.¡± Leann said. ¡°Even my sister came with us, despite my shouting and arguing that Nicole had no business coming along.¡±


    That made Annie laugh again and the sister in question came over.


    ¡°Hey, this was a brilliant idea.¡± Nicole said and looked over everyone. ¡°I''ve never seen such a spectacular eye assault before.¡±


    ¡°That was exactly what I was going for.¡± Annie said, her eyes twinkling. ¡°Everyone is going to remember this.¡±


    ¡°It''s burning into my brain, that''s for sure.¡± Nicole said and then she turned and saw Arnold. ¡°So, you''re the famous Arnold.¡± She said and stepped close as she held out a hand. ¡°I''m Nicole, Leann''s slightly older sister.¡±


    ¡°By like three months.¡± Leann said and rolled her eyes.


    ¡°You weren''t in school.¡± Arnold said as he took her hand and shook it. He did a little flicking and rubbing on her wrist with a fingertip and Nicole''s eyes widened at the blatant and subtle flirting.


    ¡°I was at another institution for a while.¡± Nicole said and gazed into his eyes as she let his hand go. ¡°I came back home to go to college.¡±


    ¡°Before you ask, she liked the look of the other school better and went there instead.¡± Leann said.


    ¡°I like aesthetics.¡± Nicole said with a shrug. ¡°So sue me.¡±


    Several people chuckled.


    ¡°Come on, let''s get registered and figure out who''s teaming up or if we''re all playing for ourselves.¡± Someone said.


    ¡°With this many of us? I''d say teams.¡± Wayne said and put an arm around Sarah. ¡°I''ve got my partner.¡±


    Everyone quickly divided up, even the parents that had come along, and it left Nicole all alone.


    ¡°She can come with us.¡± Annie said, to Leann''s and Nicole''s surprise.


    ¡°I thought I would just hang around and...¡± Nicole started to say.


    ¡°No one is going to be left out of the fun today.¡± Annie said. ¡°Arnold, you''re responsible for that.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    Oh, damn. She''s going to steal him. Leann thought as she watched Nicole''s hand being taken by Arnold and they walked off.


    ¡°It''s okay.¡± Francine whispered to her.


    ¡°But...¡± Leann sighed. ¡°I guess there''s nothing we can do about it.¡±


    ¡°We could warn him about using a condom.¡± Francine whispered.


    Leann looked up at her girlfriend. ¡°Wh-what? You don''t think...¡±


    ¡°If my observation skills are still up to snuff, then I''d say that by the time we are all the way through the course, Arnold is going to be all the way through her.¡± Francine said. ¡°You know what he can do.¡±


    Leann blinked her eyes for a moment, then she chuckled. ¡°I guess we better catch up to them before he gets her motor going.¡±


    ¡°That would be a good idea.¡± Francine said and bent down to give her a quick kiss, then they walked hand in hand after their quarry.

 159 Golfing Fun

    Arnold hung back and let his mother and Nicole handle registering while he accepted a brief whisper from Leann about making sure that he used a condom. He gave her a look with raised eyebrows.


    ¡°I won''t tell you not to do it, even though I don''t want you to.¡± Leann whispered. ¡°I''m not your keeper. I can''t tell you who you can and can''t sleep with. All I can do is warn you that she might not like being used and discarded.¡±


    ¡°What if I tell her beforehand?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°She might like that even less or she might not care. She''s pretty hard to judge.¡± Leann responded.


    Arnold nodded and Leann and Francine went to register as his mother and Nicole came back with three golf clubs and a small bag of balls.


    ¡°It looks like we''re starting on the windmill hole.¡± Annie said and looked at the schedule. ¡°They start everyone on different holes and rotate them through, up until they get to the final holes. By then, we can all go through fairly quickly.¡± She said. ¡°According to the girl behind the counter, anyway.¡±


    Nicole looked at her and then at Arnold. ¡°I really can just stand off to the side and watch, you know.¡±


    ¡°Not a chance.¡± Annie said. ¡°We have three clubs and several balls that I do not intend to waste!¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°If you just smile and pretend that you''re having fun for a while, you will eventually actually have fun.¡± Annie said.


    Nicole opened her mouth to say that it couldn''t possibly work, then she looked at Arnold. ¡°I guess I can try that. For a while, anyway.¡±


    ¡°That''s the spirit.¡± Annie smiled. ¡°The windmill is over there.¡±


    The three of them went over to the right hole and saw several hills, divots, fake sand traps, and the windmill spun at a set speed and blocked the hole in the bottom of the windmill every second.


    ¡°Who wants to go first?¡± Annie asked them and they looked at each other.


    ¡°You.¡± Nicole and Arnold said at the same time.


    Annie laughed. ¡°I guess I am a little excited about all of this.¡±


    She handed Arnold his club and the small bag of balls, then she took one of the balls and set it on the spot to start. She positioned herself over the tee and swung her hips, which made her pleated golf skirt sway and showed off the tops of her thighs, and she tapped the golf ball. It went up a hill, bounced over a divot, ricocheted off the barrier on the side, went over another small hill, then went right towards the windmill.


    ¡°Come on, baby! Get in there for momma!¡± Annie said loudly and hopped up and down slightly. ¡°Come on! Come on!¡±


    The blade of the windmill looked like it was going to interfere until the last moment, then it edged out of the way and the ball slid by and into the funnel. The ball came out the other side of the windmill, went down a slight incline, then bounced off the barrier at the back and rolled right over the small green and into the hole.


    ¡°YES!¡± Annie yelled and jumped up high. The wind caught her skirt and when she landed, everyone that looked over at her shout had gotten a great view of Annie''s cute and frilly blue underwear.


    ¡°Ms. Strickland.¡± Nicole said and quickly grabbed Annie''s skirt and folded it back down into place. ¡°You can''t jump in a loose skirt like that or you''ll flash everyone your underwear.¡±


    Annie laughed. ¡°Thank you for protecting my modesty.¡± She said and did a little twirl to make the skirt float out and almost showed everything again. ¡°I wore my frilly pair because the frills cover everything.¡± She said. ¡°I could roll around on the ground and no one is going to see anything.¡±


    Nicole gave her a knowing look. ¡°That was a smart idea.¡±


    ¡°I warned everyone, assuming they didn''t come to the same conclusion when they saw the skirts.¡± Annie chuckled. ¡°I wonder how many wore normal underwear? Or better yet, thongs or g-strings?¡±


    Nicole''s face flushed slightly red and Annie pat her hand.


    ¡°Don''t jump up and down like I did.¡± Annie cautioned her unnecessarily.


    ¡°No duh.¡± Nicole said and rolled her eyes, which made Annie laugh.


    ¡°Go ahead and take your shot.¡± Annie said and waved at the tee for the golf ball. ¡°I''ll go down the other end and get my ball.¡±


    Nicole took a ball from Arnold and set it up on the tee, then she held her club wrong and tried to swing. She missed the ball completely and her face went bright red from embarrassment.


    ¡°Do you need assistance?¡± Arnold asked, because he recognized the familiar look from several students that he had helped while working in the lab. He didn''t wait for her to say yes as he stepped behind her.


    Nicole''s breathing sped up as he gently put his arms around her, then he slid his hands down her arms to grip the golf club. He was so close to her that his shorts and her skirt proved to be a very thin barrier between them. She felt his firmness press into her and she caught her breath.


    ¡°You need to hold it like this.¡± Arnold said. He had looked it up on his phone on the way there and showed her how to grip the handle. He did a test swing with her, which pushed her ass into his erection. ¡°Now, step back a step to get in the right position.¡± He said and put his hands on her waist and took a step back as he pulled her with him.


    Nicole''s face was still bright red, only it was from a different kind of embarrassment, because the move had kept Arnold pressed against her. Is this guy for real? She asked herself and turned her head to look at him and ask.


    Arnold recognized the movement and leaned forward to give her a quick kiss, like Doris had taught him. ¡°Do your best.¡± He said and let her go and stepped away.


    Nicole stared at him as if she didn''t understand what had just happened.


    ¡°Do you want me to show you again?¡± Arnold asked.


    Nicole took in a sharp breath and nodded her head. Arnold gave her a smile that made her heart flutter and he stepped close again and did the same lesson he had just done with her. She even turned her head to look at him again, just to see if he would kiss her again, and he did. It kind of blew her mind that he was flirting so much and so openly with her, especially with all of the other people around them.


    ¡°Go ahead and hit the ball.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I can tell you when to swing.¡±


    Nicole nodded and he held up a hand with three fingers, then two, then one. She did exactly as he said and swung the club when the last finger dropped. She hit the ball and it did almost exactly what Annie''s ball had done, except that the windmill was about to cut off the access to the funnel and not open it. The ball slid in just fine and went down the incline, bounced of the back and rolled across the small green, then plopped right into the hole.


    ¡°I... I did it.¡± Nicole said, disbelief evident in her voice. ¡°I did it.¡± She said, much more confidently. She turned to look at Arnold. ¡°I did it!¡±


    Arnold nodded and she took a step towards him and hopped. He caught her and held her skirt down as she hugged him, which also let him grab her ass firmly and discreetly.


    Nicole softly moaned into his ear and then she let him go and stepped back. ¡°I couldn''t have done it without your help.¡±


    Arnold put his own ball on the tee, took the proper stance, then hauled the club way back over his shoulder.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Nicole asked, surprised.


    ¡°Playing the hole.¡± Arnold said.


    With two balls hit similarly and reacting nearly identically, he knew exactly where he had to hit the ball to get it to go where he wanted it to. He didn''t want the hills to interfere, so he whacked the ball and it skipped right over the hill. It flew between the windmill''s propellers and went right into the funnel underneath with a rattling sound, which meant it killed most of the momentum that Arnold had given it, then it went down the incline and bounced like the other two balls and went right into the hole.


    ¡°How the hell did you do that?!?¡± Nicole asked, completely shocked.


    ¡°Math.¡± Arnold said and took her hand, led her over to where Annie stood, and she was laughing at the two of them.


    ¡°That was amazing! Both of you!¡± Annie said, her face bright with mirth. ¡°I could swear you were both experts and I know for a fact that Arnold''s never played before.¡±


    ¡°He hasn''t?¡± Nicole asked and stared at him.


    ¡°I looked it up on the way over.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Good lord.¡± Nicole whispered.


    ¡°Let''s head on to the next hole.¡± Annie said. ¡°This should be great! There''s a moat and maybe a hidden crocodile in front of the castle.¡±


    The three of them moved off and continued to have fun. After an hour or so, everyone that came with them took a break and discussed what to do about lunch. No one wanted to leave and come back, though. Arnold suggested ordering pizza and getting it delivered, which surprised everyone, because none of them had ever thought of getting pizza delivered somewhere that wasn''t their home.


    They all pitched in and made a huge order, which surprised the pizza place, and since they didn''t need it for another two hours, both the people there and the pizza place were happy with the arrangement. Everyone kept playing until the pizzas arrived, then they laughed as the one guy did his best to try and deliver all of the pizzas at once with two cases of soda pop.


    They all helped him and brought them over to some nearby picnic tables, paid him the money and gave him a large tip. After that, no one spoke as they all picked through the pizzas to get the pieces with their chosen toppings, then they all sat down all around the picnic tables and ate.


    ¡°Arnold, you always have great ideas.¡± One of the guys said and raised his bottle of pop to toast him. ¡°To Arnold!¡±


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Everyone said loudly.


    ¡°It was my mom''s idea to come here.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°To Arnold''s sexy mom!¡± Another guy said as a toast and the reactions were mixed. They went from amusement to slight anger. ¡°Relax, everybody. I''m not hitting on her or anything. It was just a compliment.¡± He looked around and smiled. ¡°Go ahead and tell her that she isn''t sexy. I dare you.¡±


    A lot of them had contemplative looks on their faces, even the girls and adults in the group.


    ¡°He''s right.¡± Sarah said and raised her bottle of pop. ¡°To Arnold''s sexy mom.¡± She said and everyone did the same.


    ¡°Geez, you guys!¡± Annie said with a blush. ¡°Stop staring at me to see if it''s true.¡±


    That made a few people laugh and they all went back to eating. When they were all done, a few people decided to let the food settle and relax for a little while, one of which was Annie.


    ¡°You two go on and have some fun.¡± Annie said and waved them away. ¡°Don''t worry about waiting for me. I''ll catch up, or I''ll cheat and just mark that I made perfect shots for every hole.¡±


    Nicole chuckled and Arnold gave her a look. ¡°She''s joking, of course. Your mom kicks mini-golf''s ass, just like you.¡±


    ¡°That''s so true.¡± Annie said with a laugh. ¡°Now go on. Leave me to languish in my food coma.¡±


    Arnold nodded and he led Nicole back over to the mini-golf course. Once they got there, they quickly played another hole, thanks to Arnold''s direction and Nicole couldn''t hold in her question anymore.


    ¡°Arnold, are you trying to convince me to have sex with you?¡± Nicole asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said as they walked towards the next hole.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°To see if I can.¡±


    Nicole frowned slightly. ¡°I''m not some plaything that...¡±


    ¡°I can''t have a girlfriend because I''ll be too busy with school and homework.¡± Arnold said. ¡°We only just met and I wanted to see if I could use my techniques to seduce you.¡±


    Nicole blinked her eyes in disbelief for a moment. ¡°You want to... I... I''m just a test subject?¡±


    Arnold stopped walking and turned to look at her. ¡°Yes.¡± He said and looked deep into her eyes. ¡°The last one.¡±


    ¡°The last one.¡± Nicole said softly as she felt the intensity of his gaze.


    Arnold nodded and put his arms around her. ¡°I need to know if you like the feeling of having me buried deep inside of you.¡±


    Nicole took in a shuddering breath and let it out. ¡°Arnold, we... we''re outside and...¡±


    ¡°There''s a bathroom in the main building.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I have a condom.¡±


    Nicole thought about refusing, then his hands slid down and casually gripped her ass for a moment. She felt the strength in his hands and she wondered what they would feel like gripping her breasts. She nodded slightly, so he led her away from the course and over towards the main building. When anyone asked where they were going, Arnold said he was showing her where the bathroom was. Even his mom asked and it was the same answer.


    Annie took the clubs and the golf balls from them and they went over to the main building. Around the other side, away from everyone''s sight, they both went into the woman''s bathroom. Arnold looked down to see a door stop that was used to hold the door open and wedged it under the closed door to stop it from opening.


    ¡°Smart.¡± Nicole said and then Arnold picked her up and sat her on the sink. ¡°What are...¡± She stopped talking when he flipped her skirt up and pulled her g-string underwear out of the way. In the next moment, she couldn''t help her moan of pleasure as he went to work on her. His initial probing tongue gave her some great sensations, then he found all the little spots that made her react and he explored them judiciously.


    According to Nicole, things only got better and better after that.


    *


    Twenty minutes later, no one noticed as Arnold discreetly helped Nicole walk over to the car she had arrived in. She had a blissful look on her face and her body was completely relaxed. She could barely stand on her own and she pretty much flopped down onto the back seat when Arnold let her go. He put her feet inside and closed the door, then went back over to the mini-golf course.


    ¡°Where''s Nicole?¡± Annie asked as her son came over to her.


    ¡°After going to the bathroom, she needed to lay down for a while.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I put her in the backseat of Wayne''s car.¡±


    ¡°Maybe that pizza didn''t agree with her.¡± Annie mused. ¡°She did eat two pieces.¡±


    ¡°So did you.¡± Arnold said and she chuckled.


    ¡°I could have eaten three, except I wouldn''t have been able to move afterwards.¡± Annie said. ¡°Give me a hand with this one, will you?¡± She pointed at a large fake log. ¡°I think there are dividers inside the log and I''m sure that you can''t hit the ball hard to get it through.¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡± Arnold asked and looked inside as best as he could.


    ¡°The ball keeps bouncing back out when I whack it.¡± Annie said with a grin.


    Arnold stayed there with his head in the log and watched. The inside turned slightly for several seconds, then closed again. ¡°Okay.¡± He said and stood up. ¡°Let me show you.¡±


    Annie nodded and he stood behind her, in a similar position that he did with Nicole. He wasn''t erect, so Annie didn''t feel him pressing up against her, not that she would feel it with the thick underwear that she wore.


    Arnold showed her the swing to use and then counted. ¡°Get ready.¡± He said and did the dropping finger thing. Annie hit the ball when the last finger dropped and she giggled at the sound of the ball ricocheting a dozen times inside. The ball shot out of the cut off branch near the other end, bounced twice, then plunked right down into the hole.


    ¡°Yay!¡± Annie said happily as she raised her arms up and jumped twice into the air, then she lunged at Arnold and hugged her son. He held her for a brief moment, then his hands slid down to pull her skirt back into place. He pat her backside to make sure she was covered and Annie blushed.


    ¡°Th...¡± Annie stopped herself before she thanked him, knowing he would give her a kiss if she did. She leaned in and whispered in his ear instead. ¡°I''ll thank you later.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and let her go.


    They continued playing mini-golf and finished the remaining holes. Of course, they were both the fastest and finished the entire course long before everyone else, so they sat at the picnic tables and watched everyone else play. When everyone was done, they all gathered back together again.


    ¡°Thank you all for coming out, even the people that weren''t invited.¡± Annie said pointedly and quite a few people laughed. ¡°You all dressed up the best you could and it just made everything that much better.¡± She looked at everyone. ¡°I appreciate it. I really do.¡±


    ¡°So do we.¡± Leann said and everyone turned to look at her. ¡°If you can''t make yourself look ridiculous for friends and loved ones, who are you going to do it for?¡±


    That made nearly everyone laugh and Francine gave her a hug. Unlike when Todd did it, Francine had natural cushions for her face and she smiled up at her.


    ¡°On that wholesome note, I think I can safely call an end to all of the golf shenanigans.¡± Annie said. ¡°I hope you all had as much fun as I did.¡±


    ¡°Is that possible?¡± Tanya asked and wiggled a finger in her own ear as if to clear it. ¡°I think I can still hear you laughing hysterically.¡± She said and Annie laughed, so Tanya pointed at her. ¡°Yeah, like that.¡±


    Annie laughed a bit more. ¡°All right, go on home.¡± She said and made shooing motions with her hands.


    ¡°Yes, mother.¡± Tanya said sarcastically, then she waved. ¡°Maybe we can do this again sometime.¡±


    ¡°Keep the outfits handy and maybe in a month or two, we can have a snow covered revival.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°Brrr!¡± Sarah said and pretended to shiver. ¡°Nope! Not going to happen!¡± She said. ¡°I only want toasty warm indoor activities until next summer!¡±


    ¡°I can arrange some of those.¡± Wayne said and gave her a kiss to make her blush. ¡°Let''s go.¡±


    Everyone said thanks, that they had fun, and left as well. All that remained were Annie and Arnold, as well as a dozen pizza boxes. They went through them and gathered the remaining pieces into several boxes. Arnold put the empty ones in the trash and then he and his mother left the mini-golf area and drove home.

 160 Back To Actual College

    Annie and Arnold arrived home and there was still some time left to the afternoon. They couldn''t waste any more of it, though. They both changed into normal casual outfits and then Arnold packed up everything in the car, since he didn''t want his mom to strain herself. She accepted his decision, especially when he pointed out that she would be driving him all the way to the college again.


    Annie thanked him for his concern and then thanked him for saving her modesty back at the mini-golf course. Two quick kisses later, Arnold visited the shed and brought out his things, which also included his old backpack full of the items that had been inside the duffle-like bag he had taken from Officer Hallman''s place. He still had his new backpack and would be using it for classes, too. He added the large wooden case of specialized tools that Annie had bought him for his birthday and the packing was complete.


    Annie locked up the house and let out a sigh as she walked towards the car. ¡°Here I am, willingly letting my only child go off on his own again.¡±


    Arnold walked over to her and took her into his arms. ¡°I''ll be back every weekend, just like when I was working, unless I have school things to do.¡± He said. ¡°Next weekend I can guarantee, since this week is just the introduction to the courses. If the professors give me a lot of homework besides reading, I''ll have it done before coming home.¡±


    Annie hugged him and held on for several moments. ¡°You''re growing up so fast.¡± She said and let him go. ¡°I think I would be scared to go off like you are.¡±


    Arnold thought about what she said and decided that she needed reassurance. ¡°Only if I was never coming back.¡± He said and her eyes widened. ¡°I will always come back for you, mom. Always.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Arnold.¡± Annie leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. ¡°You''re such a good boy.¡±


    They climbed into the car and drove off towards the college, with the car almost as loaded down as it had been the first time. The drive seemed to pass quicker than it should have and they arrived at the college. Annie parked in his spot and it was just barely suppertime. Arnold did the trick that Janet showed him about unloading the car completely first and piled everything beside the elevator.


    Doris hadn''t come over to him while he did it, though. She had a group of girls around her and one of them was a foot or so taller than everyone else there. The tall woman had long blonde hair that she had tied up in a ponytail that was high up on the back of her head, which let her hair cascade behind her like a curtain that spanned her shoulders. She also wore a black frilly sleeveless blouse and beige dress pants that hugged her tightly.


    ¡°I''m very sorry.¡± Doris said with an apologetic tone. ¡°I don''t know what else to tell you.¡±


    ¡°I do not belieywe this.¡± The woman said in a very distinct Swedish accent and yet she also spoke English very well. ¡°How can my room not be awailable? I booked it two months ago.¡±


    ¡°There''s no record of any booking, and I''m the dorm mother. I would know.¡± Doris said. ¡°Of course, usually the rooms are assigned when you register with the college for boarding and pay the fees.¡±


    The tall blonde woman sighed. ¡°I suppose the yury is out and I cannot apply for recondishoning?¡±


    ¡°Apply for what?¡± Doris asked, confused.


    ¡°She means the staff that assigns the rooms and getting a new room assignment.¡± Cynthia said and held in her sigh. Sometimes she regretted being her father''s representative, because she was now stuck in a very difficult position. Ida was the daughter of one of his rich friends and he had asked her to look after her while she was here on her exchange student program.


    ¡°Yah, the yury.¡± Ida said. ¡°I need a new room right now. I have to move in and get ready for orientashon tomorrow.¡±


    Doris managed to not rub her temples in frustration. She had been talking with this young woman for half an hour now and it was wearing on her patience. Apparently, Ida just didn''t know that no rooms meant no rooms and she kept asking for Doris to magically produce a room for her to move into.


    ¡°I can pay.¡± Ida said and reached into her purse.


    Cynthia let out a sigh as Ida plopped a stack of money on the shelf of Doris'' desk.


    ¡°Ten thousand. That is what a room is.¡± Ida said and looked at Doris as if she didn''t understand why Doris wasn''t accepting the money.


    Doris sighed as well. ¡°It''s not about the money...¡±


    ¡°You need another? Is that it?¡± Ida asked and pulled out another stack of money and added it to the other one. ¡°There! Double the monies. I would like my room now, please.¡±


    Neither Cynthia nor Doris knew what to say as the other girls around them eyed the pile of money. Their thoughts were full of living away from campus for that much money.


    ¡°Does your room need to be a single?¡± Arnold asked from behind the group.


    ¡°Hmm? What?¡± Ida turned around to look at the first male voice she had heard. She was a little surprised that he was only seven inches shorter than her, which made him several inches taller than nearly everyone else around her.


    ¡°I have a double room on the top floor and no roommate.¡± Arnold said and looked at her. If he cared about such things, he would have noted that her breasts seemed to be in proportion to her height, namely quite large, and she had a slender waist and nice hips. If he was a poet, he would have described the space between her thighs as inviting as a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter''s night.


    Ida''s face lit up with happiness. ¡°My sayweor!¡± She exclaimed, grabbed the two stacks of bills from Doris'' desk, and handed them to him. ¡°This is yours for helping me when no one else would.¡±


    ¡°Mom.¡± Arnold said and turned to the side to see a shocked face. ¡°Here.¡± He said and put the money into her hands.


    Annie''s hands shook as she looked down at the twenty thousand dollars that had just seemed to magically appear. ¡°But... this is...¡±


    ¡°It''s only for this year.¡± Arnold said and looked back at Ida. ¡°How long are you staying at the college?¡±


    ¡°I am taking the arts degree for four years.¡± Ida said. ¡°It may change next year if the yury fixes their mistake by then. I would like a double room all to myself.¡± She said and ignored Doris'' words about those being reserved for special cases, like Arnold.


    ¡°What is a yury?¡± Arnold asked as Annie used trembling hands to tuck the money into her purse.


    ¡°She means ''jury''.¡± Cynthia said and hid her dismay at having the Swedish woman on the same floor and staying in the most eligible man''s room. ¡°Her learned vocalization can''t handle the hard ''j'' sound we use and she replaces it with ''ye''.¡±


    Arnold looked up at Ida. ¡°What else can''t you say?¡±


    Ida laughed a normal laugh and not the fake laugh that some rich people used to convey amusement. ¡°You are wary amusing.¡± She said. ¡°If I cannot say them, then how would I tell you?¡±


    ¡°You just said wary instead of very.¡± Arnold said.


    Ida laughed again. ¡°I think I am going to like leywing with you.¡± She said and held a hand out with the palm down for Arnold to take. ¡°I am Ida Theresa, daughter of...¡± She droned on and on, giving everyone a history lesson of her family members, much to their dismay. Several of them had even walked away, their interest in the very tall woman waning, now that they knew what her personality was like.


    Arnold had taken the hand and Cynthia leaned in close and whispered in his ear about what to do. He placed a gentle kiss on the back of it and kept holding her hand until Ida was finished talking.


    ¡°I need to finish moving my things.¡± Arnold said and let her hand go.


    ¡°My helpers will deleywer my things as well.¡± Ida said and made a motion towards the front door. ¡°It''s too bad it is against school policy to keep a serwent around.¡± She said, a little sadly. ¡°I am going to miss my maid.¡±


    Cynthia closed her mouth and didn''t remind Ida, again, that talking about people as if they were less than you, was not the way to endear yourself to people you wanted to become friends.


    ¡°Mistress!¡± The maid in question held the door open and two men brought in several suitcases and put them beside the elevator, then left to get more. ¡°I just heard from the college office! They only have a rule against me staying the night! I''ll get to visit you all the time now!¡±


    ¡°Wonderful!¡± Ida said happily and waved for her to come over. ¡°This is my sayweor and new roommate.¡±


    ¡°Hi! I''m Dalla!¡± Dalla said excitedly. Her voice was an octave higher than normal and she held a hand out to him. ¡°What''s your name?¡±


    ¡°Arnold Strickland.¡± Arnold responded and took her hand, then did the same thing he did to Ida''s hand.


    Dalla blushed at being treated like her mistress. ¡°My... mistress called you her savior.¡± She said and recovered her composure. ¡°You have saved her from embarrassment and from having to commute to campus from our temporary home. Thank you very much.¡±


    Arnold pulled her in close and gave her a quick kiss before Annie could stop him. Nearly everyone stared at him as he let her go.


    ¡°I really should tell the kissing bandit to stop shocking people.¡± Doris said into the silence and laughed. That broke the tension and a few of the remaining girls laughed, too. Ida just stared at him, as did Cynthia.


    ¡°I should have, too.¡± Annie said with a chuckle.


    ¡°I''ll try to keep a closer eye on him.¡± Doris said. ¡°No promises, though.¡±


    Annie nodded her head and looked at Arnold. ¡°Let''s get your things up to your room and bring your old things down.¡±


    The impromptu gathering broke up as Arnold, Annie, Ida, and Dalla took their things into the elevator. They went up to the top floor and all of the girls in the hallway greeted Arnold and Annie as they passed by, then whispered questions about who the two new girls were.


    Annie was both relieved and sad that all of Kelly''s things were gone and her key was on the table with a short note that said where her room was and that she hoped to see Arnold in class. What Kelly and Arnold didn''t know was that he had been advanced in his biology and chemistry classes and they wouldn''t discover that until the next day at the official course registry. When they received their class schedules, both of them would discover the truth.


    Once everything was transferred to the room at the end of the hallway, with Ida''s helpers moving all of her things, the other girls in the dorm realized that the tall blonde that looked like a swimwear model was now Arnold''s new roommate.


    They didn''t know what to do about that information.


    Annie and Arnold took the boxes of his old casual clothes and transferred them to next to the elevator.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Daisy asked, since her room was right by the elevator.


    ¡°I''m taking Arnold''s outgrown clothes and dropping them off at the donation box at...¡±


    ¡°I''ll take them!¡± Daisy said.


    ¡°That''s not really what...¡± Annie tried to explain what she wanted to do.


    ¡°Did you say you''re donating his clothes?¡± A girl''s voice said from two doors down. ¡°Hey, everyone! Arnold has old clothes that he doesn''t want anymore!¡±


    ¡°Hey, wait just a second...¡± Annie started to say, then suddenly there were a dozen girls rooting through the boxes. ¡°Oh, come on.¡± She said and crossed her arms as she waited for the fervor to die down.


    ¡°I need a few t-shirts.¡± Rachel said and pulled a couple of them out of a box.


    ¡°I really liked him in this shirt!¡± Rebecca said and took it out. He kissed me with this on!


    By the time the girls had taken all of the things they wanted, half of the boxes were mostly empty. Annie and Arnold repacked the remaining clothes into about a third of the boxes and put them inside the elevator. They transferred them to the trunk of the car and went back up to the room.


    Annie went right over to Ida, who was packing things into the large shared closet. ¡°You and I need to have a talk.¡±


    Ida smiled and waved at her maid. Dalla stepped forward and pulled out several sheets of paper from somewhere.


    ¡°What''s this?¡± Annie asked and looked at them.


    ¡°Financial information for you to safely deposit the money at your bank.¡± Dalla said. ¡°It''s proof the money isn''t stolen and you received it as a gift from Mistress Theresa.¡±


    ¡°A gift?¡± Annie asked, a little surprised. Didn''t she pay Arnold for staying in his room?


    ¡°It''s a gift and you won''t have to pay as much taxes on it.¡± Dalla said with a smile. ¡°Ida is smart like that. She knows how to do proper business here.¡±


    Annie looked from the papers to the maid, then to Ida. ¡°I... well, this definitely helps.¡± She said and tucked them into her purse next to the money.


    ¡°Is there anything else you need to talk about?¡± Ida asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Annie said, undeterred at the distraction. ¡°Can we go into the bathroom for some privacy?¡±


    Ida knew the woman was her new roommate''s mother, so she decided that she would promise her that she wouldn''t destroy the poor boy''s heart when he eventually fell in love with her. She led the way to the bathroom and then the conversation didn''t go the way she thought it would. Warnings, cautions, conditions, and several other things she wasn''t sure of, were hurled at her with such speed that her head was spinning with the details.


    She was from another country and her upbringing gave her a different fundamental basis of understanding... or misunderstanding, as the case may be. The biggest thing she learned was that Arnold wasn''t going to be enamoured of her as she assumed, since all boys fell for her, either immediately or eventually.


    He is not going to fall for my ''tricks''? Ida thought in surprise. Why would I perform a children''s show for him? He is in college.


    ¡°That''s all I have to say.¡± Annie said with relief. She hadn''t had this kind of conversation in a while and she was only a little dismayed that the tall girl didn''t ask questions or interrupted her. ¡°Please be kind to my son and don''t treat him like a servant.¡± Even if he acts like one sometimes. She added in her head.


    Ida didn''t say anything in response, since that was just common sense to not treat people like that unless they were servants. Annie thought she saw understanding in Ida''s eyes and on her face, so she nodded and left the bathroom.


    ¡°Goodbye, Arnold.¡± Annie said and gave him a quick kiss. ¡°I''ll see you next weekend.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Mom.¡± Arnold responded.


    Annie left at a normal pace and managed to not look at the girls in the hallway. She knew that they were just as nervous about Arnold having that tall beautiful woman staying with him. Even with Ida being rich and having a maid there, didn''t calm her down. In fact, she hoped that Ida''s upbringing and attitude didn''t rub off on her son. She couldn''t really tell him something like that with Ida right there, so she decided to text him later and let him know that way.


    Annie said a brief goodbye to Doris and left the dorm. She sat in her car for several minutes and digested what just happened. Arnold just took another roommate that paid him... gave him... twenty thousands dollars for the privilege. She touched the purse on her hip and sighed. He handed it right to me without batting an eye, too.


    Annie rubbed her hand on the bulge in the cloth of the purse for a moment, started the car, and drove out of the parking lot. She had a long drive ahead of her and then she had to drop off the remainder of Arnold''s old clothes and stop at the bank. She chuckled at the remembered scene of the girls practically tearing through everything to get some kind of memento of his. She had been annoyed at the time and now it was just funny.


    ¡°Oh, Arnold. I think I should have given you the warning that Ida tried to give me.¡± Annie said with a knowing smile. ¡°Try not to break their hearts when you let them down and refuse their advances.¡±

 161 Making Claims

    Not surprisingly, Dalla the maid stayed there and helped her mistress Ida settle in and the other two male helpers left. Arnold quickly finished hanging up the clothes that needed to be, since he had done it several times already, and he had no problem with only having access to half of the closet. The clothes he hung up were not nearly enough to fill the space on his side, however.


    ¡°Mr. Strickland?¡± Dalla looked at the large space between Ida''s currently hung up clothing and his. ¡°Can I hang a few more things up and let them stay on your side of the closet?¡± She asked, batted her eyelashes at him, and tried to look endearing as she swayed slightly.


    Arnold gave her an intense look and she froze in her motions. ¡°Your mistress paid for using half of the room. Half of the beds, half of the closet, half of the refrigerator, and half of the electricity.¡±


    Dalla opened her mouth to say that it would only be polite to share the space and she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at Ida and saw her disappointed face.


    ¡°You are not here to conwince him to hand things over if he isn''t using them.¡± Ida said.


    Dalla blushed and ducked her head. ¡°I''m sorry, mistress. I just thought...¡±


    ¡°You can''t offer to rent the space, either.¡± Ida said, thinking that reverse psychology would make Arnold offer the extra space for a nominal fee. ¡°Another thousand dollars for the year won''t convince him.¡±


    Arnold didn''t think that way, though. Her attempt to coerce or tempt him with the offer of more money wasn''t going to work. He ignored her and finished putting his things into the closet on the floor, then put his new clothes away in his dresser to almost fill it. He went to the kitchenette and efficiently sorted the dry goods and cleared half of the space for his new roommate, then did the same with the small refrigerator. After that, Arnold started to cook something for supper.


    ¡°We didn''t bring any food.¡± Dalla whispered in understanding. ¡°I can''t cook you a meal.¡±


    ¡°Then we can order out.¡± Ida said. ¡°Arnold, can you tell us where the best food can be found?¡±


    Arnold pointed at the two seat table and the small stack of take-out menus there. ¡°I''ve had the Chinese food several times and the pizza twice.¡±


    Dalla went over to the stack and picked up the pizza place menu. ¡°If you are going to indulge in junk food, pizza is the first thing you need to try.¡±


    Ida laughed and nodded. ¡°Then order it and we can keep unpacking.¡±


    ¡°I have pizza.¡± Arnold said and the two women looked at him with surprise on their faces. ¡°I already ate a slice today and I need rice to counter the salt intake when I eat another.¡± He said and dumped the long grain rice into a pot of boiling water. ¡°The boxes are in the oven.¡±


    ¡°Boxes?¡± Dalla asked, confused. People usually only order a single pizza.


    Arnold stepped back from the stove and opened the oven door. Inside were six pizza boxes. ¡°They are all different toppings.¡± He took them out and put them on the table. ¡°I''m having the cheese, pepperoni, and mushrooms.¡± He said and opened the top box to show the three different kinds of pizza inside and pointed to his choice.


    He went back to the stove and stirred the rice to stop it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Dalla and Ida exchanged looks and then they looked through the other five boxes.


    ¡°Can we really have some of this?¡± Dalla asked, just to be sure.


    ¡°You can use the microwave or the oven to warm it.¡± Arnold said. ¡°After I eat, I''ll bring them around to the other girls in the hallway and see if they want a piece or two.¡±


    ¡°That is wary nice of you to offer.¡± Ida said and took two pieces from the second box.


    Dalla took one from the top box and looked at the microwave. ¡°Can we borrow a couple of plates?¡±


    ¡°Ceramic there and paper there.¡± Arnold said without looking and pointed to the right cupboards.


    Dalla took two of the ceramic plates, because they conducted and retained heat better than paper, and she expertly warmed up Ida''s pizza slices first, then her own. They moved the pizza boxes to the closest bed and sat down to eat. Arnold finished cooking his rice and added two slices of his chosen pizza to a paper plate. He warmed it up in the microwave and then spread some of the rice out onto the plate. He held the pot out to Dalla and Ida, to their surprise.


    Dalla accepted on their behalf and added some rice to Ida''s plate and to her own. About half of the pot of rice was left, so Arnold dumped the remainder into a large bowl and left it on the stove top to cool. He walked over to the closest bed and sat on the corner of it and ate his meal. Ida and Dalla kept looking at him occasionally, as if they couldn''t believe that he hadn''t demanded to sit at the table with them, even though only two people could sit there.


    Dalla had assumed that she would have to move, since she didn''t live there, and instead Arnold inconvenienced himself to let her eat in comfort. She looked down at her half-eaten pizza and her mind immediately went to when she had thanked him for helping her mistress and he had kissed her. It had happened so quickly that Dalla couldn''t judge if he was a good kisser or not, then her face flushed red.


    Why am I thinking about that now? Dalla asked herself and kept eating.


    Arnold finished before they did, to their surprise, and he put his plate into the garbage and spoon into the sink. He picked up the six pizza boxes as if they weren''t the large and awkward things that they were, and left the room.


    He really is going to share them with everyone on the floor. Dalla and Ida thought in surprise. They both watched from the table as Arnold went to each room and offered the girls pizza. None of them declined his kind offer. Even the girls that had eaten already accepted a slice to eat later. He had to brace the boxes against the wall to knock on a few doors, one of which was Janet''s.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Janet exclaimed and waved him into the room. ¡°You''re back really early.¡±


    ¡°I had to bring new clothes and get rid of the old ones.¡± Arnold said.


    Janet was about to express sadness about not coming out to check what the shout earlier had been about, then she chuckled. ¡°I bet the hallway was full of girls going through your old things.¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°I have pizza to share.¡±


    ¡°No kidding?¡± Janet asked and helped him put them down on her table. ¡°Let''s see what you have left.¡±


    She said and looked through the six boxes. ¡°Did you visit everyone on the floor yet?¡±


    ¡°I only have two rooms on this side left. Both are shut.¡±


    ¡°They''re gone for the day, just like Pam.¡± Janet said and helped Arnold consolidate the remaining slices into two boxes. ¡°Can I have a few slices and take some for Pam, too?¡±


    Arnold picked up one of the now full boxes and gave it to her.


    ¡°I didn''t mean...¡± Janet started to say, then she put the box down and put her arms around him. ¡°Thank you very much for looking after us.¡± She said and kissed him. She hadn''t done it in a while and she let herself enjoy it a lot more than she thought was fair for a woman to enjoy it. ¡°Arnold, I really want you to make love to me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and took her to her bed and stripped her off.


    Janet had lots of practice with what to do to keep her loud pleasure sounds contained and picked up her pillow. She buried her face into it to stifle her screams and Arnold started pleasing her. An hour later, the dorm room door opened and quickly shut.


    ¡°I recognize those muffled sounds.¡± Pam said with a chuckle as she walked over to Janet''s bed.


    Janet move the pillow for only a moment. ¡°H-h-hurry! He needs you!¡± She managed to say, then she had to muffle her moan.


    ¡°I''m on it!¡± Pam said with a happy smile and assumed the position as she rested her head on Janet''s abdomen. ¡°Go ahead, Arnold. I''m ready for you.¡±


    Arnold made Janet come again, then he pulled out and slipped himself right into Pam''s mouth without missing a stroke or stopping his hip movements. Pam moaned as he did so expertly and didn''t cause her strain or even discomfort. He always knew how to treat her properly and she sucked harder to thank him. From one stroke to the next, Arnold spilled himself out and down her throat.


    Pam moaned loudly and had an orgasm, just from that, and she struggled with pulling her pants down to stop her wetness from ruining her theatre uniform. Arnold helped her and she mumbled her thanks, then she was upside down with him still in her mouth, and Arnold was licking her. She thought about telling him that she worked hard and had sweat a lot down there, then realized that she couldn''t speak like she was. She didn''t stop, though. He rarely held her up in the air like this and she enjoyed letting gravity do a lot of the work as she kept sucking on him.


    ¡°I would... pass out... if we did that.¡± Janet commented as she calmed herself and heard Pam mumble something in response. ¡°You shouldn''t talk with your mouth full.¡± She said and laughed.


    Half an hour and three bottles of water later, Janet tried to tell Pam that she had school work to do.


    ¡°Just... one more.¡± Pam said and turned around in Arnold''s arms. ¡°Do me quick this time, because I want to cuddle you afterwards and tell you that I love you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and did just that. He finished barely ten minutes later, to Pam''s surprise and pleasure.


    Pam cuddled into him and kissed him several times. ¡°I love you so much, Arnold.¡± She said and kissed him again. ¡°You let me have as much fun as I want and you do what I ask without question.¡± She said. ¡°If I didn''t think you would say no, I might ask you to marry me.¡±


    Arnold''s eyebrows rose up slightly, which she knew was significant for him.


    ¡°I won''t ask, because that''s like the exact opposite to the situations we''re both in.¡± Pam said. ¡°If we don''t have time for dating properly or to be girlfriend and boyfriend, how in the world would we have a successful marriage?¡±


    ¡°Good lord, Pam.¡± Janet laughed. ¡°Don''t scare him off!¡±


    Pam laughed, too. ¡°It''s okay, Janet. You know he would need a mistress.¡±


    ¡°PAM!¡± Janet yelled and then they both laughed.


    Pam kissed Arnold again. ¡°Seriously, though. I would want to be your wife.¡±


    Janet made a noise like a grunt.


    ¡°So would Janet, apparently.¡± Pam corrected with a smile. ¡°We know that''s not something that we can do with our lives the way they are right now, so all we can do is be here for you when you want to come over and have sex.¡± She said and looked into his eyes. ¡°We can also tell you that we love you.¡±


    Arnold reached up and combed his fingers through her hair. ¡°Would you cry if I said I love you, too?¡±


    Pam didn''t even have to think about it. ¡°Yes.¡± She said and kissed him passionately.


    ¡°Yep, I definitely feel left out.¡± Janet said when Pam broke the kiss.


    ¡°You shouldn''t.¡± Pam said and rolled over Arnold to let Janet get close to him. ¡°Arnold, Janet loves you, too.¡±


    Janet opened her mouth to say no, which was a lie, then she looked into Arnold''s eyes and couldn''t.


    ¡°Would you cry if I said I love you, too?¡± Arnold asked her.


    Janet knew he was just repeating the question, and yet, her heart didn''t care. Tears came to her eyes and she nodded without saying anything, then Arnold kissed her just as passionately as Pam had just kissed him. He broke the kiss and wiped at Janet''s face for her.


    ¡°Pam and I need to get our schoolwork done.¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and gave her another kiss, then kissed Pam, and went to the shower to clean up. He was back out twenty minutes later, dressed, and left their room with one of the pizza boxes.


    ¡°That was intense.¡± Pam said and Janet nodded. They both cleaned themselves up and got to work. Thankfully, Janet was prepared to help Pam and they both worked hard to finish their homework.


    *


    Ida and Dalla were surprised that Arnold hadn''t returned right away. They didn''t know anyone in the dorm, so they couldn''t ask them what his relationship was with the girls that lived in that room. He was in there for a long time, so both Ida and Dalla assumed that it had to be sexual in nature.


    They finished putting away most of Ida''s things and they only had a few things that would have to remain in the suitcases that they piled into the closet. It was mostly shoes for all occasions and a few dry cleaning bags with outfits that she may or may not need, so they could be stored out of sight for now.


    It was late when Arnold came out of Janet and Pam''s room with only a single pizza box and he walked back over to his dorm room. Everyone could tell that he had taken a shower and knew what he had been doing in there. He shut the door when he entered his dorm room and put the pizza box down on the stove. He used several paper plates to put the slices on, wrapped them and the bowl of rice in plastic, then put them in the small refrigerator.


    Arnold went to his dresser and took out a pair of jogging pants and a long sleeved t-shirt to sleep in, since it was starting to get a little chillier at night and shorts and t-shirts were only summer time sleeping attire. He took off his pants and shirt, hung the shirt and pants up in the closet, then pulled on his new sleeping outfit.


    Ida and Dalla had been sitting on Ida''s bed while they discussed certain things about her stay in the dorms and how it was going to be different than what she was used to, and they had paused in their conversations while they stared in surprise at Arnold.


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Arnold said and climbed under the blanket on his bed.


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Both young women said to the man that had changed his clothes and was almost naked in front of them barely moments before. They exchanged looks and then Dalla helped Ida get changed for bed. They both had an early day tomorrow and they couldn''t really talk about anything else, now that someone was in the bed next to them.


    They didn''t know that Arnold could tune them out, because of all the practice he had with watching television blankly for years and from all the bullying he had suffered through as a child. He just pretended the sounds and voices were from the television or from bullies and he could ignore them as unimportant and not worth bothering with.


    Dalla really wanted to stay for the night; but, it was against the school rules and the dorm policy for guests to stay, except for special circumstances or occasional exceptions from the dorm mother. She thought about how to gain one of those exceptions as she tucked her mistress into bed, just so she could surprise Ida one of these nights by staying over.


    ¡°Goodnight, Miss Ida.¡± Dalla whispered as quietly as she could, then she left the dorm room and locked the door. All of the other doors were now closed and she walked to the elevator unimpeded. She left the dorm building and noticed that the first spot was empty, which she immediately attributed to the woman that was the mother of her mistress'' roommate. She smiled as she walked all the way over to where she had to park and climbed in.


    Miss Ida is renting half of that parking spot if it''s for that room. Dalla thought.


    The small car drove out of the parking lot and pulled out onto the practically deserted street. She always thought that night was the best time to drive around, precisely for that reason.


    Dalla glanced at her watch and saw that she would have to be back in less than six hours. Maybe I''ll sleep in the car tomorrow night to cut down the travel time? She asked herself, then she had a different idea. Maybe a small camper could fit in that space? She thought happily. I''ll mention it to Miss Ida tomorrow, after I ask the dorm mother if the spot is reserved for that dorm room.


    The car sped up and the driver''s happy thoughts propelled her to hurry up, as if that would make the night pass by faster.

 162 Class Struggles

    The next day, Dalla was back very early and didn''t park in the space reserved for her mistress'' dorm room. She parked fairly close, thanks to no one else being there that early. She went into the dorm building carrying a large bag and no one was behind the counter, which meant she didn''t have to explain the tasty food smell.


    She rode the elevator up to the top floor and walked down the silent hallway. She used the key that had been on the table, since it was her job to keep track of her mistress'' things, and went inside the dorm room. She went into the kitchenette and put the bag on the counter, opened it, and quickly sorted out the contents. Freshly baked tea biscuits, a block of real butter, and a large tea service came out and were set on the table.


    Dalla felt a little guilty about bringing the entire setup, then remembered that Miss Ida''s father wanted her to be as comfortable in the strange place as she possibly could. It made Dalla''s job harder to make everything so accommodating; but, that only made her want to do her job even more. It wasn''t that she was paid well, it was because she genuinely liked the people she worked for and it gave her satisfaction to make them happy.


    She quickly boiled up some water to set up the tea service and while she waited for that, she put away the piles of dried goods she had brought. She left out the pancake mix and lifted out the waffle maker. She carefully put it on the counter, plugged it in and turned it on, then did up the batter mix for it to the right consistency.


    Dalla thought she heard something like cloth sliding, so she turned around to look at the beds and see if her mistress was up. She caught her breath and froze, because Arnold stood right in front of her and she hadn''t heard him cross the room.


    ¡°Good... good morning.¡± Dalla whispered.


    Arnold leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. ¡°Good morning.¡± He whispered back and picked up a tea biscuit. ¡°Will you make me a waffle, too?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes.¡± Dalla whispered and then watched in fascination as Arnold split the tea biscuit with only one hand and buttered it with the other, which inadvertently showed off his dexterity. It impressed her.


    Arnold ate the biscuit in barely a few seconds and then went to the bathroom.


    Oh, my. Dalla thought and poured some of the batter into the waffle maker and closed it. I really should tell him to stop kissing me.


    Dalla adjusted the temperature on the waffle maker to make it brown, popped the waffle out onto a plate, then turned the temperature back down and added more batter. She heard the shower and it seemed really loud, so she turned her head to look at the bathroom.


    The door''s still open! Dalla thought in surprise and walked over to shut it, then saw what the shower contained. Her mouth dropped open at seeing Arnold completely naked. Her eyes immediately dropped down to look at all of him and she gasped at seeing that he was erect. She closed the door silently and walked back over to the waffle maker, did her browning trick, and popped the waffle out.


    Dalla''s thought of telling him to stop kissing her had mysteriously disappeared from her mind. She made more waffles and emptied the bowl of batter. She made more than she should have, because she forgot that she was only making them for Miss Ida and herself and was supposed to cut the recipe in half.


    It''s a good thing that Mr. Strickland asked for some. Dalla thought and then the bathroom door opened. She tried to resist looking, she really did. Her head turned against her will and she looked at him. He was wearing only a towel and as he walked by her, she caught a wonderful smell and her heart sped up.


    ¡°Something smells good.¡± Ida said as she sat up in bed and stretched her arms.


    ¡°It''s the waffles!¡± Dalla exclaimed nervously and Ida laughed.


    ¡°You always spoil me in the mornings.¡± Ida said and slid out of bed and walked over to the table. ¡°Is the tea ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes, mistress.¡± Dalla said, happy to get back to familiar territory. She poured out the tea for Ida and added a drop of milk and one cube of sugar. After that, she gave her a plate to serve herself as many waffles as she wanted and put a bottle of expensive syrup on the table. She was happy that she had let Ida serve herself, because at the moment over her mistress'' shoulder, Arnold removed his towel and tossed it on the bed.


    Dalla successfully stopped herself from gasping as he started to dress barely ten feet away from her. What is he doing? He can''t... it''s just... why is he... oh, my god. She thought as Arnold gave her several more flashes of himself and he consulted the clothing schedule his mother gave him.


    ¡°You can eat, Dalla. You don''t have to wait for me.¡± Ida said and poured syrup on her waffles.


    ¡°Yes! Right.¡± Dalla said and barely managed to tear her eyes away from Arnold to take a single waffle to put on her plate, then she put two of them on another plate and put it aside.


    Ida gave her an inquisitive look and Dalla discretely pointed to Arnold. Ida nodded in understanding and started eating. Arnold finished dressing and came over to the small table, added some butter and syrup to the two waffles, grabbed a fork, and sat on the corner of Ida''s bed.


    Ida let it go the night before and now she had to ask him. ¡°This is the second time you''ve let Dalla sit in the other chair to eat.¡± She said and turned to Arnold. Her eyes widened slightly at the stylish shirt and the half-rolled up sleeves he wore and her eyes went down to see what looked like expensive dress pants and black dress shoes.


    ¡°I always sit off to the side when there''s two other people.¡± Arnold said and started eating.


    ¡°It doesn''t matter to you who those people are?¡± Ida asked.


    Dalla''s face went a little red at the implied insult of her only being a maid, even though she knew Ida didn''t mean it that way.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and kept eating.


    Ida gave him an odd look, then kept eating herself. Dalla did as well and finished first. She offered another waffle to Ida, who declined. She looked at Arnold and he walked over to the table to take another tea biscuit.


    ¡°These are good.¡± Arnold said and did the same one hand trick to split the tea biscuit and rubbed it in the melted butter and syrup still on the plate.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Dalla said and watched as he ate it and put his plate in the sink.


    ¡°She bakes them fresh eywery few days.¡± Ida said. ¡°She is quite the cook, I must say.¡±


    Arnold looked at the time and decided that he could get a head start on everyone else. He needed to show up at the main concourse in the registrar''s office to make sure that his name really was in the master''s course for Biology, then he had to visit the individual teachers and get his class assignments. He emptied his new backpack of almost everything, except for what he believed were the essentials, and he left the dorm room.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Pam said as she stepped out of her room. ¡°It looks like we had the same idea of going early.¡±


    Janet came out of the room and yawned. ¡°I need more sleep.¡± She said and locked the room door.


    ¡°Did you get your work done?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Thanks to brainy over here.¡± Pam said and put her arm around her best friend. ¡°Both of our year end summary reports are done and we can pass them in to the teachers when we get our class schedules.¡±


    ¡°You''re just lucky...¡± Janet paused and yawned again. ¡°...that they let us take the extension.¡±


    ¡°Definitely.¡± Pam said and squeezed her shoulder, then the three of them walked down the hallway towards the elevator. ¡°I thank them as much as I can, without seeming like I''m brown-nosing.¡± She said and laughed. ¡°They might think that anyway, considering how many times I need extensions on the work they assign.¡±


    ¡°They know how much you work to stay in college.¡± Janet said and they stepped into the elevator. ¡°They give you a lot of leeway because of it.¡± She turned and looked at Arnold. ¡°Good morning.¡±


    Arnold gave her a kiss. ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Gooood morning!¡± Pam said exaggeratedly and kissed him, too.


    They rode the elevator down to the ground floor and stepped out to see that Doris was there already.


    ¡°You''re all up early.¡± Doris said when she saw them.


    ¡°I''ve got stuff to pass in.¡± Pam said.


    ¡°Same here.¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I''m trying to be first in the biology course line.¡± Arnold said, which made the three women laugh.


    ¡°There''s not going to be too much competition for that this early, so you''re going to be first.¡± Doris said. ¡°Just make sure you look at the course list they give you. I''m sure your requirements are going to be different since you''re going for the full ride with everything covered.¡±


    Arnold thought about it for a moment. ¡°Does that mean my electives will be chosen for me?¡±


    Doris had to think about that, too. ¡°It''s possible. Or they might recommend that you don''t take any extra courses, that way you can focus solely on the biology course work.¡±


    ¡°Will I be able to take electives if they say that?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°I don''t see why not, as long as they can schedule the extra classes around your main courses.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and he, Pam, and Janet left the dorm to head to the main concourse.


    *


    ¡°He seems like a nice man.¡± Ida said as Dalla helped her dress in a stylish white sleeveless dress that hugged her curves tightly. It covered her from the neck to her knees, and yet, it didn''t leave too much to the imagination. She had to wear a strapless bra because of the tight fabric, so it looked like her breasts were floating out in front of her with no support.


    ¡°Who?¡± Dalla asked as she gently poked the bra to see how much jiggle room it had. Ida''s breasts didn''t move much and she nodded in satisfaction.


    ¡°Arnold Strickland.¡± Ida said.


    Dalla caught her breath and turned to pick up the thick black belt that would highlight Ida''s waist and the shiny belt buckle would draw people''s eyes away from her assets, even though Ida was showing them off. She didn''t want to be too blatant about it, though. Beautiful people seemed to want attention; but, it had to be the right kind of attention for them to be flattered by it.


    ¡°What do you think of him?¡± Ida asked, knowing her maid wouldn''t have reacted like that if she didn''t have an opinion.


    ¡°I... well, he...¡± Dalla started to say and then paused. I saw him naked. She thought, then pushed the image of Arnold''s erect penis aside. ¡°I''d like to observe him for a few more days to form a full opinion.¡±


    Ida nodded in agreement. That was why she said that Arnold seemed like he was nice, not that he was nice. ¡°We should both keep a close eye on him to find out what kind of man he really is.¡±


    Dalla was going to warn her about what she might see if she looked too closely, then changed her mind. ¡°We should head out to try and beat the rush of new students.¡±


    ¡°And old students.¡± Ida said. ¡°At least they won''t take as long to get their business done, since they are mostly adwancing their preyweous courses.¡±


    Dalla nodded and handed Ida her purse, then slung a large backpack across her own back. They left the dorm room and went down the hallway, that just happened to be the same scene that Arnold had seen so many times during the last three months. Girls half dressed and in towels stood around and chatted, then they all stopped talking as Ida and Dalla walked by.


    ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Hi.¡± ¡°How are you?¡± Ida said as she passed each of them. She didn''t wait for a response and just walked on, because she would never get out of there if she stopped to talk to each of them on the way by. She could do that later when she wasn''t in a hurry.


    What Ida didn''t know was that nearly every single one of the other girls in the dorm were both envious and jealous of her. If she did, she would be assuming it was for the wrong reasons. It wasn''t that she was tall and gorgeous and rich, it was because she was going to live in the same room with the object of their affection. He was the only man to ever treat them as people and not as only sexual objects, which endeared him to them unlike anyone else had ever been.


    *


    ¡°Welcome to the registrar''s office.¡± The pretty clerk said as Arnold approached the desk. ¡°Is this your first time doing something like this?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said and handed over the paperwork he had received when he accepted the job from Professor Crenslav. ¡°My name is Arnold Strickland.¡±


    The clerk took in a quick breath as she finally laid eyes upon the young man that had rumors and outrageous stories flying around the entire campus practically every week. She took the paperwork and gave it a cursory glance.


    ¡°I''ve heard so much about you.¡± The clerk said as she remembered the leaked pictures of him being discreetly sent around to everyone. If she had been honest with herself, she barely looked at the face in the pictures at all. She only had eyes for the rippling muscles and the lower things that had been showcased in a few of them. She kept her head down to stop herself from ogling the poor boy like she wanted to.


    The clerk felt bad and was a little disappointed in herself, because all she could think about was sex when she saw those pictures. It wasn''t difficult to imagine seeing him rising and falling above her as he made hot and passionate love to her, and her face flushed red as she thought about him hopping over the counter and taking her right then.


    ¡°I''ll just... give me a moment to...¡± The clerk couldn''t finish her sentences. She took a deep breath and let it out. Come on! You''re a professional! Get it together! She thought and berated herself over being so hot and bothered by him, even though he hadn''t done anything to her or implied that he would. She entered his name into the system and then she gasped at the results it gave her. She shook her head as the sex haze in her mind faded and was replaced by astonishment as she used the file number and received the same results.


    This can''t be real. The clerk thought to herself. She picked up the phone and called her supervisor. ¡°Hello. I''m sorry to bother you.¡± ¡°Yes, I think it''s important.¡± ¡°All right, I''ll wait.¡± She hung up and looked at Arnold. ¡°My supervisor will be right out to handle your case personally.¡±


    Arnold stood there and waited for the supervisor for several minutes, then an older lady with greying hair tied up in a bun, came out of an office at the back of the room. She had hawkish features, with sharp cheekbones and a pointed nose, wore small steel rimmed glasses, and had hazel eyes that seemed to bore into you when she stared at you for more than a few seconds.


    ¡°What is this about?¡± The older lady almost snapped at the clerk, who winced. ¡°I am quite busy.¡±


    The clerk didn''t say anything and just waved at her computer screen.


    The older lady leaned over and looked at it. ¡°You must have recalled that improperly.¡±


    ¡°I used the file number and his birth name.¡± The clerk said to defend herself. ¡°It''s the same result.¡±


    The older lady frowned and picked up the telephone. ¡°What''s Professor Crenslav''s number?¡±


    ¡°The exchange for the biology department is 616.¡± Arnold said.


    The clerk paused in looking it up and the older lady gave him an odd look.


    ¡°I worked there for the summer term.¡± Arnold said.


    The older lady punched the numbers into the phone and had a terse conversation with the professor. To her surprise, he confirmed the information on the screen and also told her to expedite Arnold''s approval. She hung up the phone and her odd look didn''t change.


    ¡°Come with me, please.¡± The older lady said to Arnold as she took his paperwork and walked away.


    The clerk hopped up and went to the wood divider and unlocked it to let Arnold pass, then she waved him through to follow the supervisor. Arnold did so and the older lady opened her office door and held it for him. He stepped through and she closed the door.


    ¡°Even with the evidence Hamil provided, I still have a hard time believing your grade point average.¡± The older lady said and walked over to her desk and sat down. She brought up the same information on her computer and she shook her head. ¡°How did you get such a high score?¡±


    Arnold explained what he had done to get it and the woman stared at him as if he was a particularly interesting specimen that she was trying to mentally dissect.


    ¡°Why weren''t you valedictorian?¡± The older lady asked and started to do out his paperwork.


    Arnold explained about several teachers trying to get him to blow his exam results to raise the class average, then him discovering it was wrong for them to do that, ignoring them, then passing the exams with full marks. He also said that the vice-principal had to step in to make sure they marked his exams fairly. Because of that, they wouldn''t vote for him as valedictorian.


    The older lady stared at him over her folded hands and stayed that way for several minutes. ¡°Young man, I am sorry that they tried to reduce your brilliance to make the mediocre students seem brighter.¡±


    Arnold raised his eyebrows slightly and she smiled.


    ¡°It always irks me when teachers try to cram individual students into a mold to spit out carbon copies of themselves.¡± The older lady said. ¡°When I saw your marks, I thought they were somehow hacked or altered. They are just so spectacular that they are unbelievable.¡±


    Arnold didn''t say anything in response and she finished up his paperwork and slid it across the desk.


    ¡°I was tempted to accuse you of cheating or gaming the system until I talked to Hamil.¡± The older lady said and gave Arnold a chance to claim that he didn''t. ¡°Even then, I was tempted to ignore his words.¡±


    Arnold remained silent as he took the paperwork and she nodded her head slightly.


    ¡°It wasn''t until he said that he petitioned to have the established rules bypassed to allow a first year student to work in his lab while taking the class.¡± The older lady stared deep into Arnold''s eyes. ¡°That has never happened before, and that alone told me everything I needed to know about you.¡±


    That got Arnold''s attention and he tilted his head slightly.


    ¡°You object to that assessment.¡± The older lady said and he nodded. ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°My academic record doesn''t show that I can make you scream with pleasure as we have sex.¡±


    ¡°E-e-excuse ME?!?¡± The older lady stood up. ¡°WHAT did you SAY?¡±


    Arnold stayed seated. ¡°I can bend you over this desk and make you yell my name within ten minutes.¡±


    The older lady opened her mouth to respond hotly, then she realized something. He wasn''t boasting or exaggerating as he stated the truth. She lost some of her bluster and tried to compose herself.


    ¡°How dare you insinuate that...¡±


    ¡°I can prove it if you want me to.¡± Arnold said and stood. ¡°I don''t see a ring on your finger and if you are as busy as you claimed, then you don''t have a boyfriend, either.¡±


    Boyfriend? The older lady asked herself, surprised. I''m too old to have a boyfriend! ¡°Now see here, I''m old enough to be your grandmother!¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Arnold said and the older lady seemed to stagger slightly.


    ¡°You... you can''t really mean...¡±


    ¡°By the looks of your skin tone and the excess hair growth on your arms, you''ve passed menopause and there''s no danger of getting pregnant.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I''ll still wear a condom if you want, just in case.¡±


    The older lady stared at him and she couldn''t believe what she was hearing. ¡°Are you for real?¡±


    ¡°I am standing right in front of you.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I... well, I... can I think about it?¡±


    Arnold shrugged. He already had his paperwork and he turned and reached for the door handle. The older lady let out something like a squeak and he turned back to her. He saw her shake her head, so he opened the door and left the office. He had some individual classes to finish registering for and to fit them into his preset schedule.

 163 Class Assignments

    Arnold stood in the line for chemistry and he was only a few people back. His meeting at the registrar''s office had been a bit longer than he had planned and he only managed to get the class schedule for his main required classes and labs. He had raised his eyebrows when he saw that his biology class and the lab were allocated for the third year course for both the study and practical work portions.


    When he reached the front of the line for chemistry, he discovered that it was the same and he was set for the third year class instead of the first. The teacher''s assistant filled in his schedule with the classroom assignments and then added the labs.


    ¡°There you go.¡± The okay-looking brown haired girl with thick glasses said as she handed back his schedule. ¡°You can pick up the required books at the college bookstore.¡±


    ¡°Is Professor Power here today?¡± Arnold asked. ¡°I want to know why I''m in the third year class.¡±


    The teacher''s assistant smiled. ¡°It''s because you received private tutoring from her over the summer. She tested your knowledge and gave you course credits to advance you to the proper class.¡±


    Arnold was about to ask if that was possible with the college''s current policies when someone bumped into his backpack.


    ¡°Hey, watch it.¡± The guy said and Arnold turned around to look at him. ¡°You''re lucky I don''t pound you for bumping into me like that.¡±


    ¡°Give it back.¡± Arnold said and ignored the guy''s threat.


    ¡°Give what back?¡± The guy asked with a snarky smile and his friend had the same look.


    Arnold punched him square in the jaw, to the shock of everyone in the line and every line around them. The guy was knocked out immediately and dropped to the ground, unconscious.


    ¡°HEY!¡± The guy''s friend yelled.


    ¡°ARNOLD!¡± The teacher''s assistant yelled at the same time and stood up from behind the table.


    Arnold ignored them and bent down to pick up his old dissection tool case from behind the guy''s back. ¡°Don''t steal from me.¡± He said and stood up to look at the guy''s friend. ¡°You can tell him that when he wakes up.¡±


    ¡°You can''t go around punching people at random!¡± The teaching assistant said loudly as she walked around the table to check on the guy on the ground.


    Two campus security guards came over and one spoke. ¡°What''s going on here?¡±


    ¡°That guy just punched my friend for no reason!¡± The guy''s friend said and pointed at Arnold.


    ¡°He stole from me.¡± Arnold said. ¡°He took my dissection tools and my small box of rubber gloves.¡±


    ¡°No, he didn''t!¡± The guy''s friend exclaimed. ¡°It was a completely unprovoked assault! He bumped into us!¡±


    ¡°My box of rubber gloves is still underneath him.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°We''re going to have to take you to the campus jail to get this sorted out.¡± The other guard said.


    ¡°Are you taking them, too?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°No, you were the aggressor here.¡±


    ¡°Then I refuse.¡± Arnold said and rolled the unconscious guy over and picked up his squashed box of rubber gloves. ¡°I don''t trust you to actually look at the evidence in front of you.¡± He said and stood up.


    ¡°You can''t refuse a legal order.¡± The first guard said and reached for his baton.


    ¡°It''s not a legal order.¡± Arnold countered. ¡°As a campus security force and not actual police, all you can do is detain me, right here, and call the real police to see if they can come here and handle the case properly.¡±


    ¡°Why you...¡± The guard pulled his baton out of his belt.


    ¡°I am performing a citizen''s arrest on this man for stealing, that man for lying about a crime, and you for brandishing your lethal weapon at a college student unprovoked.¡± Arnold said in a calm voice and everyone froze, especially the guard.


    ¡°You can''t do that.¡± The second guard said.


    ¡°You can''t interfere in this situation, unless you want to be charged with interfering with an ongoing police investigation.¡± Arnold said and took out his cell phone.


    ¡°You can''t call...¡±


    ¡°Nine One One.¡± A woman''s voice said loudly and the speaker option on Arnold''s phone cut through the silence.


    ¡°My name is Arnold Strickland. I am currently involved in an altercation at the college campus that involves a robber that committed petty theft, his accomplice, and the campus police. I request an officer of the law be sent out and I would like advice on to how to proceed until they arrive.¡±


    Everyone stood there in stunned silence, especially the campus police.


    ¡°Please describe the situation.¡± The operator asked.


    Arnold described it exactly as it had happened. He didn''t exaggerate, or embellish his part, or even made the campus police seem unfair in their treatment of him. He just relayed the truth to the operator.


    ¡°Stay right where you are. I will have an officer there in ten minutes.¡± The operator said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°As for advice on how to proceed, don''t do anything else and tell the campus police to also not to anything else. A higher authority will be there to sort the whole thing out.¡±


    ¡°You are on speaker mode and they heard you.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Good thinking. That makes my job that much easier.¡± She said. ¡°Everyone remain calm. This has gotten out of hand and you are not to escalate it further. I will stay on the line and will listen to everything until the police arrive.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your help.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I would kiss you if you were here.¡±


    The woman was quiet for a moment. ¡°That wouldn''t be necessary.¡±


    ¡°I''m the kissing bandit.¡± Arnold said, to everyone''s surprise.


    She let out a short laugh, coughed, and cleared her throat. ¡°I''ll keep that in mind.¡±


    Everyone stood there and waited for the ten minutes for an officer to show up. Surprisingly, two of them did and one was a woman. She was very short, barely five feet tall with short blonde hair, and was full of attitude. She tried to hide it as she and her partner approached the scene, and she only scoffed at the campus police and at the weapon in his hand.


    Their job is to keep the peace, not make things worse! She thought and looked at the young man with the cell phone in his hand.


    ¡°The police are here.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I want to stay on the line to see if this gets cleared up properly.¡± The operator said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and then he described the scene, once again exactly as it had happened, as if he had rehearsed it. Later on, when the dispatcher listened to both recountings of the story, she wouldn''t be able to tell the difference, and decided that he would be the best witness to have for a crime.


    ¡°So, you''re admitting to assault and to punching first.¡± The female cop said, her face in a frown.


    ¡°I am admitting that instead of a long and drawn out tussle that could have damaged my property more, I took the initiative and struck an incapacitating and non-harmful blow to end the conflict as soon as possible.¡± Arnold said. ¡°The shock of it also stopped his accomplice from retaliating and escalating it further.¡±


    The woman gave him her best cop stare. Compared to Arnold''s normal one, it was pathetic. ¡°You have an answer for everything, don''t you?¡±


    ¡°If I know the answer, yes.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I don''t like your attitude.¡± The female cop said and took a step forward.


    ¡°Officer!¡± The operator''s voice almost shouted from the phone in Arnold''s hand. ¡°You will remain impartial and do not escalate things.¡± She said and the female officer took a step back as her frown deepened. ¡°He does not have an attitude. He is speaking calmly and concisely and telling you everything you want to know.¡±


    The female officer managed to not huff in frustration. How was she supposed to rattle the suspect when she wasn''t allowed to try and intimidate him?


    The police stayed there for half an hour, until the guy woke up. He started to yell and berate Arnold for bumping into him and falsely accusing him. He must have thought that if he yelled loud enough, no one would listen to the truth, because he kept protesting his guilt and claiming innocence. That is, until Arnold spoke in his calm voice.


    ¡°If you didn''t take my things, then your fingerprints won''t be on them.¡± Arnold held up the box of rubber gloves. ¡°This box is especially susceptible to fingerprints because of its glossy surface. A simple dusting for fingerprints will prove that you had it in your possession, which could only happen if you took it from my backpack without my permission.¡±


    ¡°All of this drama over a box of rubber gloves?¡± One of the campus police asked in disbelief.


    ¡°He took my dissection tools, too.¡± Arnold said and put the other box in his backpack and took out the wooden case. When he opened it, everyone saw the expensive and well maintained tools. ¡°He could have hurt himself or someone else, or sold them.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve had them for years.¡±


    No one questioned his reaction over defending his prized possession.


    ¡°Unless you both drop the charges, we''re going to have to take you both in.¡± The female officer said and both her partner and the operator on the phone sighed.


    ¡°Yes! I want him charged for punching me!¡± The guy said, satisfaction in his voice.


    ¡°Don''t be stupid.¡± The other officer said and he didn''t glare at his partner for cluing the idiot in about reciprocating charges. ¡°If we take you to the station, you''ll miss class registration.¡±


    ¡°I can just...¡±


    ¡°It''s only for today. If you skip it, you won''t get put into any classes.¡± The teacher''s assistant said. ¡°You''ll be wasting all that money for tuition and won''t be able to attend.¡±


    The guy had his friend whisper to him and he sighed. ¡°All right. I''ll drop the charges.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now that that''s settled...¡± The officer started to say.


    ¡°Do you have the authority to cancel my citizen''s arrests?¡± Arnold asked, knowing the answer.


    ¡°Mr. Strickland, if you don''t stop this nonsense, you won''t be attending classes, either.¡± The teacher''s assistant said.


    ¡°I already have my main course schedule for the Masters in Biology and I was only assigning the electives to my schedule.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Advanced Chemistry, Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Calculus, and Geometric Progression of Civilization. The last one is only a half credit, since all it does is give me a general direction of where the biology of the planet is going to evolve to.¡±


    ¡°Those are your electives?¡± The teacher''s assistant and several people around them exclaimed.


    ¡°My course already has a prerequisite relaxation course in the arts building.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I don''t know what it''s about, though.¡±


    ¡°Good lord.¡± The teacher''s assistant whispered and a lot of people shared her opinion. She stepped to Arnold and put a hand on his arm. ¡°Please, let it go. I know he tried to steal from you; but, it''s not worth causing a scene like this.¡± She motioned around and indicated all of the people looking at them.


    ¡°What would be worth it?¡± Arnold asked her, to her surprise. ¡°When he attacks me later, or breaks into my room to rob me, now that he knows I have expensive things, will that be enough to let a scene be caused? Can I have him arrested then? Will he stay in jail or get out? It would be classed as his first offence against me when he''s caught, because this incident won''t be considered.¡±


    Everyone just stood there and didn''t say anything, not even the police or the operator that was still on the phone.


    ¡°Shall I hold you responsible when it happens?¡± Arnold asked her and her face drained of color. ¡°Should I blame the officers for convincing me to drop it, or should I be angry at the system for letting things like this happen in the first place?¡± He asked and no one answered.


    The guy that tried to rob him had a smug smile on his face, so he turned to him.


    ¡°Since nothing of this incident will be recorded, I want to give you a piece of information.¡± Arnold hung up the phone and cut off the operator. ¡°Come near me again and I''ll treat you exactly like they used to treat thieves in the middle ages.¡±


    Everyone had confused looks on their faces.


    ¡°The internet is a wonderful thing.¡± Arnold said and walked over to the calculus class line. No one said anything as the girl in front waved for him to go first. He went right to the front of the line and got his class, then he went to each line that he wanted to go to. Each one let him go first and he had his weekly schedule half filled. Most classes were only once a week, except for the biology related courses, so he had a lot of free time during the day, even though he was taking so many courses.


    Arnold left the main concourse and stopped when Pam and Janet came out of the registrar''s office. It had taken them a lot longer to get their options sorted out, since they didn''t have a set course curriculum and were flexible in their options. Especially Pam, since she had to juggle her classes, her ability to pay for those classes, and her work schedule.


    ¡°This is my course list.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Are you taking any of these?¡±


    Pam didn''t even have to look. ¡°The biology and chemistry, since we''re both in the third year.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the arts class as well, since it''s for relaxation.¡± Janet said as she actually looked at the schedule. ¡°We''ll try and get the same time slot for that and we''ll be in three classes together this year.¡±


    ¡°Paying for the biology and chemistry books is going to be a pain in the ass.¡± Pam said with a sigh. ¡°They are always the most expensive.¡±


    ¡°Don''t buy the books.¡± Arnold said, to her surprise. ¡°I''ll get them and we can share.¡±


    ¡°But... no, we can''t...¡± Janet started to say.


    ¡°We can pitch in and...¡± Pam started to say at the same time.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. ¡°We can do our homework together and won''t need more than one book.¡±


    ¡°But... Arnold, you...¡± Janet couldn''t tell him to not shoulder that burden.


    ¡°You don''t have to do that; but, I''m glad that you are.¡± Pam whispered. ¡°Thank you for being so considerate and saving us so much money.¡± She stepped close and put her ams around his neck. ¡°Is it okay if I kiss you in public?¡±


    Arnold nodded and Pam hugged him tightly as she gave him a passionate kiss. She broke it a few moments later and her face was flushed red.


    ¡°I want to suck you off so bad.¡± Pam whispered. ¡°Janet and I will try to finish our class schedules quickly and then we can have the whole day to spend together.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and left.


    Pam and Janet walked over to the lines for classes and were surprised when there were two officers and two campus police just standing there. They looked kind of at a loss at to what to do now.


    ¡°Hey, what''s going on?¡± Pam asked the girl in front of them in the short liberal arts line.


    ¡°The handsome guy that just left had the cops and campus security all worked up over him allegedly being robbed.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Pam yelled and a bunch of people looked at her. ¡°What happened?¡± She asked in a normal voice and the girl relayed what had happened. She got a lot of the details wrong, even though it just happened right in front of her, and both Pam and Janet resolved to get the real story from Arnold later.


    Ida and Dalla showed up and waited in line as well. Neither of them took notice of the two officers or the campus police, since they just expected that there would be some kind of police presence in such a large gathering of people.


    By the time Pam and Janet waited through three lines, several other people showed up to register for courses. Leann, her sister Nicole, Tanya and her boyfriend Richard, Sarah and her boyfriend Wayne, the guy and girl that sat at the end of the high school lunch table, Kelly and her mother, then Heather, Claire, and Eric showed up and went to the registrar''s office.


    Janet pointed them out to Pam as they passed and described who she remembered meeting. Pam nodded slightly and marked them mentally to keep an eye out for them. Especially Kelly, since she had a determined look on her face. For some reason, Pam had a feeling that she wasn''t only determined to get the classes she wanted, because she looked like she was searching for something.

 164 The Beginning

    Janet had been right and she and Pam were in Arnold''s biology class and chemistry classes. They also received the last couple of spots in the lab sections, mainly because of everyone else that had been in the lines ahead of them. Once they had seen and heard Arnold, they all wanted to get into the same class as him, just to see what he would do next.


    Practically no one else wanted the same art class, since it was for relaxation, and most people thought it was a waste of time. Of course, most of them didn''t have the same amount of stress as Pam and Janet, either. Arnold was required to take it and Janet and Pam were glad that they were going to help him either relax or have him help them relax. They exchanged looks when they thought about what they could do, then they laughed under their breath about shocking the art teacher.


    They went around to the other classes and filled out their schedules to nearly the same as Arnold''s, since Janet had practically memorized it, and she made sure to give them the same off classes. She knew Arnold''s reasoning about doing as much work as he could during those times and she wanted to make sure that Pam did as well. This year was going to be different, for all three of them, and Pam was more than happy to allow more time with Arnold.


    ¡°That''s not what I meant.¡± Janet said and Pam put her arm over her shoulders.


    ¡°I know that''s not what you meant. It''s what''s going to happen, though.¡±


    ¡°Arnold is going to do school work, Pam.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is.¡± Pam said with a smile and led her away from the main concourse. ¡°We''re not going to have the same workload as him.¡±


    Janet sighed and then whispered. ¡°You can''t suck him off all the time, you know.¡±


    ¡°You won''t know that until I try.¡± Pam said smugly, then they both had to laugh. ¡°How much do you want to bet that he''s already in our room and naked?¡±


    ¡°He doesn''t have our room key.¡± Janet said, then she chuckled. ¡°I''ll cook the pizza and let you go first if he is.¡±


    Pam gave her shoulders a squeeze. ¡°I love you, too.¡±


    ¡°You know I... well, even though we''ve...¡± Janet dropped her voice to a whisper. ¡°Even after all the things we''ve done with him together, I still don''t want to kiss you.¡±


    Pam chuckled. ¡°I''ll kiss your cheek in a friendly manner; but, I feel the same way, too.¡± She said. ¡°Although, you do have those cute little dimples at the top of your...¡±


    ¡°Pam!¡± Janet exclaimed, then she blushed.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I don''t want to kiss you there, either.¡± Pam said and let her shoulder go. ¡°That''s a line I don''t think we can ever cross, no matter how horny we are.¡±


    Janet nodded in agreement and they went back to the dorm. Neither of them were surprised to find Arnold was inside their room. He was naked and also quite ready for them.


    ¡°I''ll warm up the pizza.¡± Janet smiled and waved Pam forward, who quickly stripped off and was on Arnold a moment later.


    *


    ¡°Hey, I looked up what they did to thieves in the middle ages.¡± Dave''s friend said and showed him.


    ¡°Are you fucking kidding me?¡± Dave asked as he read it again. ¡°That bastard threatened me like that and the cops didn''t even blink an eye!¡±


    ¡°He was smart, since he didn''t actually threaten you.¡± Dave''s friend said. ¡°He only said he would treat you the same way, and since there are so many options for him to chose from...¡±


    ¡°We can''t let this go.¡± Dave said and looked at the other eight men in the living room. ¡°No one gets away with threatening an Alpha Kappa Alpha. No one.¡±


    ¡°We can start tailing him to see where he goes and what his schedule is like.¡± One of the others said.


    ¡°I can get my girlfriend to check if he has a main squeeze, too.¡± Another guy said. ¡°She''s pretty subtle and she knows how to cozy up without actually giving herself away.¡±


    Dave nodded. ¡°He''s only a first year student, so we''ve got the hometown advantage and numerical superiority.¡± He said with a smile. ¡°Once we find out where he''s staying, we can pay it a little visit.¡±


    ¡°Is it true that he had an expensive dissection kit on him?¡± One of the other''s asked.


    ¡°I didn''t know that''s what it was when I tried to take it.¡± Dave said. ¡°It just looked like a jewellery box or something.¡±


    ¡°I can''t believe he was carrying stuff like that around on the first day and we don''t have classes until tomorrow.¡± His friend said. ¡°Who does that?¡±


    ¡°He must be some kind of weirdo.¡± Dave said. ¡°We''ll take care of him soon enough.¡±


    ¡°We can''t do anything to him personally. You heard what the cops said.¡± His friend said.


    ¡°No, they said that I can''t do anything to him personally.¡± Dave corrected and his friend''s eyes widened, then they both looked at the others and held their hands out and bent over into a football huddle. ¡°Operation Restrict The Strickland is a GO!¡±


    ¡°HOO-AH!¡± The others yelled.


    *


    ¡°I was really hoping Arnold would have been here.¡± Heather said with a disappointed look on her face. ¡°I really needed to give that bastard a piece of my mind!¡±


    Eric sighed for the tenth time in response. They had both gotten their class schedules sorted out and her mother had left them with the same disappointed look.


    Kelly stayed quiet and didn''t remind her that she knew where Arnold lived, mainly because she wanted to be the first to approach him. She had worked hard to get herself prepped for him, in the hopes that he would finally accept having sex with her. She had only reached the fourth size in the special set she had bought; but, she was sure that she could have the fifth one ready to go by the end of the month.


    She was sure that was the one that matched him and she was struggling a little with the fourth one. She was really, really tight with it and she kept working with it to try and get herself looser. She was just so sensitive that she came almost right away when using it and that tightened her up a lot more. Barely moving it made her finish and she kept trying. She wanted to make love to the man she loved so badly.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Sarah asked her.


    ¡°Just... we have a lot of the same classes.¡± Kelly lied and nearly everyone around her nodded. ¡°I thought we would barely see each other when we got here, and I''ll be seeing a lot of you every day.¡±


    ¡°You sound a little disappointed.¡± Tanya asked with a laugh, and everyone else laughed, too.


    ¡°No, I... well, it''s just...¡±


    ¡°I laughed because I''m thinking the same thing. We all are.¡± Tanya said. ¡°We thought we were leaving everyone behind and now we''re all going to be here together.¡±


    I certainly hope so. Kelly thought as she imagined Arnold holding her in his arms again.


    ¡°Come on, everyone. Let''s go check out where we''re going to live and how far apart we are.¡± Leann said and started to walk away.


    ¡°We''re living together.¡± Her sister Nicole said with a sigh and followed.


    ¡°It''s better than living with some random girl, right?¡± Leann asked. ¡°Plus, we can ignore each other and neither of us has to feel bad about ignoring our roommate.¡±


    Nicole opened her mouth to argue, then she chuckled. ¡°Okay, that''s a good point.¡±


    They all moved off towards the newer dorm building and only Kelly was a little saddened by the prospect. She knew that Arnold''s dorm was all the way across campus and she would have a long walk ahead of her every time she wanted to go over there. She couldn''t get away from the others right now. She had to go along and pretend that she hadn''t already been there a few times, even though she and her father had already moved her in.


    *


    After Janet had a turn with Arnold and the three of them ate some pizza, Pam became the happiest she had ever been in her life. She told Arnold a long time ago that if she had the opportunity, she would stay in bed all day with him and please him orally.


    Pam finally got her wish.


    She knew that Arnold liked having it done to him and she absolutely loved that he would let her indulge herself so much. It wasn''t really a fetish, since she wouldn''t do it with just any random guy. She just... when she invested herself emotionally, she did it wholeheartedly, and it fulfilled something inside of her to both please and be pleased.


    Pam''s words about marrying him were also from her heart. She would marry Arnold the very second he asked her. She also knew he wouldn''t ask until they were both in different places than what they were in now. They were both too busy to devote themselves to each other and all they could spare were these moments together. That was why getting the whole day to do what she wanted made her so happy.


    Of course, she didn''t have to tell Janet that. Her friend knew her well and didn''t try to interfere, or distract them, or even mentioned doing something else. Janet just handed them water occasionally and then a piece of pizza when it was time. She was the perfect host and didn''t hinder Pam''s fun in the least, even though she very easily could have.


    I''ll get her two garbage bags of popcorn this weekend. Pam thought when the day was over and she cuddled Arnold''s penis. She gave it a kiss, then another, then slipped it back into her mouth. It responded to her and became hard, just like it had all day, and that made her love Arnold even more. It''s so good of him to let me do this all day! She thought happily and kept going.


    *


    Ida and Dalla had discussed the parking space situation, after confirming with the dorm mother Doris that it was reserved for that room. They agreed that putting a small camper there was a little too obvious that someone would be staying there. They thought about a nondescript van and a mattress in the back, especially since the van wouldn''t need anything except storage for some of Dalla''s things and the bed.


    She could easily use the bathroom in the room, or one of the public bathrooms in any of the buildings nearby. She would shower in the room when necessary and being nearby all the time would be best for both Ida and Ida''s family. Of course, they needed to discuss the parking space with the other room''s occupant... that seemed to have disappeared for most of the day.


    Ida thought that he must be hiding, after she had heard the whispers about what had happened in the main concourse, and Dalla wasn''t sure if she agreed with that. To her, Arnold didn''t seem like the type to hide. She didn''t know him very long and she couldn''t really judge his personality on the limited amount of data she had. She immediately thought of him walking around naked in front of her and she knew then that he wouldn''t try to hide from bullies.


    It was getting late by the time Ida had ordered the van with the makeover inside and they were both a little worried that Arnold hadn''t shown up yet. Even if he wasn''t hiding, he had been gone all day and they wondered where he was.


    The door of their dorm room opened and Arnold came into the room. He looked freshly showered and his erection proceeded him into the room. Dalla''s mouth dropped open slightly in surprise.


    Ida''s mouth formed into a sly smile. So, that was where he was.


    Arnold shut the door and walked over to his dresser.


    ¡°Miss Ida.¡± Dalla said to try and get her mistress'' attention. ¡°You should head to bed soon as well. Tomorrow is the first day of classes and you have an early class.¡±


    Ida took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Yes, you''re right. Help me get changed.¡±


    Dalla smiled and led her to the dresser by her bed and made sure she was turned away from Arnold and him getting changed. I don''t want Mistress Ida to see such a wonderful... ahem... unsightly thing as a man''s naked body. She thought and couldn''t help herself as she stared at Arnold and helped Ida get changed. ¡°I''ll be back in the morning to help you prepare.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Dalla.¡± Ida said and climbed into bed.


    ¡°Sleep well.¡± Dala said and tucked her under the blanket, then she left the room.


    Ida laid there and listened to Arnold''s breathing. She was tempted to talk about the parking space and decided that was something that could wait until the van was delivered. She had her arguments and Dalla had hers as well. With the two of them to gang up together, she was sure that she would get her way, especially with the fact that Arnold didn''t have a car and almost never used the space. She drifted off to sleep with the warm feeling of having Dalla so close, just like she had when staying at the mansion.


    *


    Kelly laid in her bed in her small room and regretted that she had to move out of the spacious room Arnold had. It was cramped where she was now and she would have to be careful how she played her games when she had the chance. She imagined getting to play with Arnold and the thought filled her with warmth. Her mind changed from playing VR to playing with something else, and she felt herself become wet.


    She rolled over and took out number four, just because she didn''t want to skip any opportunity to keep working herself over. She grabbed a towel she had close by for it and then she proceeded to please herself while imagining it was Arnold. She knew it was unrealistic of her to expect him to accept her like she was and she did her best to try and change herself.


    Kelly just wouldn''t accept that she could be happy with anyone else. Arnold had accepted her for who she was, shyness and body consciousness and all, and she wanted to regain that feeling again. She remembered the story she had heard earlier about how he had handled a thief and her hands sped up.


    *


    Heather was a little regretful that Eric had stayed over for one last sex session before he headed to his own dorm room. It wasn''t that she didn''t enjoy it, because she almost always did. It was because all she could think about were the whispers and rumors about Arnold that she had heard. It had put Arnold securely into her mind and she recalled the times he had defended her.


    It had been distracting to have her mind think of him while having sex, and she had barely managed to not scream out his name when she came. That could have been terribly embarrassing for her and she was glad that she avoided that mistake.


    *


    Janet laid in bed and she thought about Pam and Arnold going at it all day. Her friend was happier than she had ever been when she left for work, so she felt a little guilty about having fun with Arnold while she was gone. At least, she did until Pam came home with almost two hundred dollars in tips and asked her how good Arnold had felt while making love to her. Janet couldn''t answer and only blushed, which made Pam laugh.


    ¡°We''re best friends, remember? You know I don''t mind sharing everything with you, even if it''s our new best friend.¡± Pam said. ¡°He saved us over five hundred dollars in books, each, and we''re going to be spending a lot of time together.¡±


    ¡°I know, it''s just... he really likes you doing that and you really like doing that to him... and I...¡±


    ¡°...better not feel left out.¡± Pam said. ¡°He''ll go down on you as much as you want, remember?¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°No buts!¡± Pam said, then she had a contemplative look on her face. ¡°You know, I never thought that a guy wouldn''t want to try doing that to a girl at least once.¡±


    Janet laughed and threw a pillow at her. ¡°I like keeping that untouched, thank you very much!¡±


    Pam caught the pillow and handed it back. ¡°I''m kind of glad, actually. It takes a lot of prep work to get ready for that, especially if you don''t want to taste...¡±


    ¡°STOP!¡± Janet covered her ears. ¡°La la la la la!¡±


    Pam laughed. ¡°Relax. I won''t bring it up unless he asks. Okay?¡±


    Janet nodded and put her pillow back under her head and watched Pam undress.


    ¡°Are you feeling anything for me now, bestie?¡± Pam asked and posed sexily.


    ¡°Not even a tingle.¡± Janet said with a huge smile.


    ¡°Good! Now get to sleep! We''ve got first class with Arnold and I am not missing it for the world!¡±


    ¡°The alarm is set for half an hour early, just so you can shower before we meet him in the hallway.¡± Janet said and tucked herself into bed.


    ¡°You''re the best.¡± Pam said and slipped on a small nightgown, then climbed into her bed. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Janet said, let out a yawn, and fell asleep.


    *


    Leann laid in bed and she couldn''t get Francine out of her head. This would be the first time that she would be away from her for a whole week and she was a bit nervous. When she thought about what Francine had said to her when she gave her the necklace she wore, her heart sped up.


    ¡°Don''t be scared.¡± Francine had said the day before as she put the necklace on her. It was a single solitaire diamond worth about half a carat. ¡°You''re one of the strongest people I know and you''ve got me to support you.¡± She said, then turned Leann around and kissed her.


    Leann had stared into her eyes for several moments, then tried to speak. ¡°I... I think... I lo...¡±


    ¡°Shh.¡± Francine put a finger on her lips. ¡°It''s too soon for that.¡±


    ¡°But... does... does that mean...¡±


    ¡°I didn''t say I didn''t feel it, too.¡± Francine whispered. ¡°It''s just too soon for either of us to say it.¡±


    Leann had tears come to her eyes and then they kissed. They made love after that, then they parted ways. It felt like they were breaking up, even though they had only said goodbye.


    Leann''s heart trembled at the thought of not seeing her again. No, I''ll see you again. Four days. I''ll see you in four days.


    There was a slight vibration from her phone and she grabbed it.


    ''I hope I didn''t wake you.'' Francine typed.


    ''No, I...'' Leann paused and decided to tell the truth. ''I was just thinking about you.''


    ''I really miss you, too.'' Francine typed.


    Leann sent a kiss emoji and then her phone lit up with fifty of them. She chuckled and put a hand over her mouth to muffle it. ''How long have you been waiting to send that?''


    ''All day.'' Francine typed. ''Good luck tomorrow.''


    Leann nodded. ''Only four more days.''


    ''I''ll be there.'' Francine sent. ''Goodnight.''


    ''Goodnight.'' Leann typed, then she turned off her phone and went right to sleep.

 165 First Day Of Classes

    Arnold was up and dressed in a nice pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, then he put on an unbuttoned blue shirt and rolled the sleeves up. He loaded up his backpack with what he needed for the day and took his new dissection kit that his mother had gotten him for his birthday. With that guy potentially coming after him, he would have to take steps to protect the things he cared about. He would ask Professor Crenslav to store it in his office for the time being, until he bought a safe that could hold them.


    It was an expense that was going to hamper his savings, especially since he didn''t have a job and a steady income. He couldn''t buy one of the smaller ones, either. They could easily be taken and just hidden, which would defeat the purpose of keeping them in the safe in the first place. That is, unless it was a decoy. That gave him another idea and he thought about it as he went to the kitchenette and ate a piece of pizza.


    Arnold ate it cold, since he didn''t want to bother warming it up, then he washed his hands and carried his backpack, rather than sling it over his shoulder like he normally did. He hadn''t known they were so vulnerable to theft. He would have to buy little locks and keep the backpack within his eyesight at all times.


    He left his room and saw Dalla coming down the hallway in a rush. They both ignored the girls in the hallway and Arnold held the room door for her. She nodded her thanks as she jogged by and then he shut the door. He went to Janet''s and Pam''s room and didn''t have to knock. The door opened and both girls came out with big smiles on their faces.


    ¡°Good morning!¡± Pam said and gave him a kiss.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Janet said and kissed him, too.


    The other girls in the hallway kind of stared at that exchange. They thought Pam was his unofficial girlfriend. What was Janet doing giving him a kiss, too?


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Arnold said and the three of them walked down the hallway to the elevator.


    They were quite a bit early in heading off to class; but, that was all right. Pam and Janet had agreed beforehand that it was better than almost being late like they usually were. Plus, this was a new year. They had their new best friend to go to classes with and they were going to take full advantage of the opportunity that presented. They rode the elevator down to the ground floor and Doris laughed when she saw them.


    ¡°I''m happy to see you up this early.¡± Doris said. ¡°Just don''t think you''re always going to be this gung-ho about getting to class.¡±


    ¡°We aren''t.¡± Janet said. ¡°We''re just excited about going with Arnold.¡±


    ¡°They advanced him ahead two years!¡± Pam said excitedly. ¡°I never imagined getting to spend more than a few minutes with him, and we''re going to have hours every day!¡±


    Doris laughed again. ¡°That would be great motivation.¡± She gave Arnold a knowing look. ¡°I hope you don''t try to do certain things in the middle of class.¡±


    ¡°I promised Janet and Pam that we can only have fun during off periods and sometimes when we''re doing homework or studying.¡±


    ¡°That''s... a lot.¡± Doris said with a smile. ¡°Try to remember what I said.¡±


    ¡°I won''t forget.¡± Arnold said and the trio left the dorm building.


    ¡°What did she mean?¡± Janet asked.


    ¡°She told me to pace myself and to not cause strain to myself or my sex partners.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Stay hydrated, eat when necessary and take breaks. It''s essential to a healthy sex life.¡±


    Janet and Pam exchanged looks and then they both looked at Arnold. ¡°You''ve been staying healthy.¡± They both said, then they both chuckled.


    They walked the eight minutes to Building F and went inside. They went up the stairs at Arnold''s direction and then passed the lab. Janet and Pam didn''t ask where he was going, because they had both visited the professor''s office a few times over the last two years. Arnold knocked and the door opened.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Amy almost yelled, then she saw the two girls behind him and stopped talking.


    ¡°I need to talk to Professor Crenslav.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Come in, my boy.¡± Hamil said and Arnold stepped by Amy. ¡°What can I do for you today?¡±


    ¡°I want to store my expensive dissection set here in your office.¡± Arnold said and took it out of his backpack. Amy, Pam, and Janet all caught their breath at the large wooden box.


    ¡°Of course, of course.¡± Hamil said. ¡°You really can''t be carrying something like that around.¡±


    ¡°Someone tried to steal my basic set yesterday.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°That''s terrible.¡± Hamil said and opened the bottom drawer of his desk. ¡°I''ll put it right here and you can come and get it whenever you need them.¡±


    Arnold handed the box over and Hamil put it in his desk.


    ¡°Who is that with you?¡± Hamil asked.


    ¡°They are my lab partners.¡± Arnold said and both Amy and Hamil knew what he meant. He didn''t need a lab partner and was going to supervise these two girls.


    ¡°That''s fine.¡± Hamil said with a smile. ¡°It saves us from having you just be a lone student.¡±


    Arnold nodded and the three of them left the office.


    ¡°I didn''t know that was a thing.¡± Pam whispered. ¡°Would they really have left you without a partner?¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°It wouldn''t disrupt the class if I was by myself or they had to rearrange others to fit me in.¡±


    ¡°Then I''m doubly glad they didn''t object to the three of us.¡± Pam said. ¡°Three best friends getting to do all this work together is going to be much better than doing it alone.¡±


    ¡°Definitely.¡± Janet said and opened the door to the lab. ¡°We''re usually at table six.¡±


    ¡°That''s Cissily''s table.¡± Arnold said. ¡°She isn''t speaking to me.¡±


    Janet and Pam exchanged looks and Pam spoke. ¡°I hope no one objects if we move.¡±


    ¡°We can go to table six.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Janet asked. ¡°We don''t want to make things awkward.¡±


    ¡°Moving after two years will make things awkward.¡± Arnold said and settled down at table six. ¡°I''ll get a spare stool.¡±


    ¡°There are spares?¡± Pam asked as Arnold went over to the side room and took one of the extra stools.


    ¡°The replacement order for them came in last week.¡± Arnold said and brought it back to the table. ¡°The worn ones needed to be replaced.¡±


    ¡°I can''t believe they wouldn''t keep you on, even as a lab worker.¡± Janet said and touched his hand. ¡°You love this place.¡±


    Arnold nodded and the lab door opened. Amy and the other lab workers came into the room. They were chatting loudly and then they all stopped when they saw Arnold sitting at the table.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Cissily spat, then immediately regretted being so openly hostile. The two girls beside Arnold glared at her and stood defiantly.


    ¡°I''m in the third year biology course.¡± Arnold said and remained seated. ¡°These are my lab partners.¡±


    ¡°You can''t have two lab partners.¡± Cissily said.


    ¡°Why?¡± Arnold asked.


    Cissily blinked her eyes. ¡°Because... it''s... never been done before.¡±


    ¡°There are no rules against it.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Professor Crenslav also approved it.¡±


    ¡°I can''t... there''s not enough specimens for...¡±


    ¡°I ordered extras for all years of the course, since mistakes happen.¡± Arnold said.


    Cissily couldn''t think of any other excuses to not have him at her table, then the professor came in.


    ¡°Places, everyone. It''s just theory and procedures for the first few classes, so it''s an easy day for most of you.¡± Hamil said and went to his desk. ¡°Arnold, I sorely missed having your expert hands to help set everything up for me this morning.¡±


    Arnold looked around and there was nothing on any of the desks.


    Hamil laughed. ¡°There were a lot of behind the scenes things that needed attention.¡±


    Arnold nodded and he didn''t look at Amy, even though he knew it was her job as the professor''s assistant and she either didn''t do it or only did exactly what was needed.


    Amy''s face still flushed red, however. She had tried to emulate Arnold as much as she could and it didn''t work. She just couldn''t do things the same way that he did. She knew it wasn''t her fault and she hadn''t failed in doing it; but, she disappointed herself that she couldn''t get her own talents up to the same standards.


    She remembered Arnold''s comment about them being too slow to get the horse specimen ready on time and that had bugged her. She couldn''t increase her own speed, because all that did was invite disaster. Her normally precise cuts became sloppy and the follow-up cuts to clean the first cuts up just made a mess of things and she had to resign herself to the fact that she could only work at her own pace.


    The other third year students came into the lab classroom and a few of them caught their breath at seeing Arnold sitting at one of the tables. None of them asked what was going on, even though they were practically dying to find out how he was in their class when he was supposed to be in the first year class.


    Hamil saw the reactions and thought about explaining, then shrugged mentally and started the class instead. ¡°You all know my normal procedure by now.¡± He said with a smile. ¡°I''m only going to give a general outline for this class and then I''ll assign some reading materials. I''ll give a list of things we''ll be working on and I''ll also take any questions during the last half hour of the class.¡± He said. ¡°So, any questions?¡±


    ¡°We can''t ask until the end of the class.¡± Arnold said and a few people laughed.


    ¡°That''s right, my boy.¡± Hamil said, glad that Arnold took the opportunity to endear himself to the other third years. ¡°So, this year we are beginning with...¡±


    *


    Debbie was shocked that the guy her boyfriend had asked her about was actually in her very first class. She couldn''t believe her luck. All she had to do was keep an eye on him and see what kind of girls he meets up with. Her thoughts froze as she sat down at her normal table and the two girls he sat with had just given him quick hugs. Both of them.


    Oh, my god. Debbie thought. Is he a playboy? She asked herself. This might actually work out better than I thought. She smiled and listened to the professor''s explanation of what was going to happen that year. If he''s open to having new girls poking around, then I won''t even have to bother with the girls he''s near. I can go directly to the source!


    Her mind went over the best ways to introduce herself as she wrote down everything that the professor said.


    *


    Arnold had an off class next, as did Janet and Pam, because they knew that they would need the extra time to do the biology work when there was normal class content to muddle through. As it was, they only had some reading to do. Or Arnold did, since he only had to read it once to memorize it, and Janet and Pam could take the book and read it on their own later.


    They didn''t have the biology lab until Friday morning when the reading would come into play and they all had different classes before then. They went to an empty classroom and sat down to wait for their next class.


    ¡°Pam, don''t.¡± Janet whispered to discourage her friend. ¡°We can go back to the dorm for a while if you want to do anything.¡±


    Pam chuckled. ¡°I''m not some horny teenager that can''t get enough of Arnold''s wonderful penis, Janet.¡± She whispered back.


    ¡°No, you''re a horny twenty-two year old that can''t get enough of it.¡± Janet countered and Pam laughed.


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Pam whispered. ¡°Arnold was so thoughtful to let me have so much fun yesterday.¡± She reached over and pat his crotch. ¡°I can restrain myself for a while.¡±


    Arnold kept reading as he used one hand to unbutton his jeans and pulled his underwear down just enough to let himself pop out.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Janet blushed and moved over to block the view if anyone looked in through the classroom door''s window.


    ¡°Arnold, you don''t have to do this.¡± Pam whispered.


    ¡°You only have forty-five minutes left.¡± Arnold said and flipped the page. ¡°I have Calculus next, you have Business Administration, and Janet has Statistics.¡±


    Pam looked down at him and then at his face. ¡°I love you.¡± She said and then moaned as she went down on him.


    Janet had to clamp her mouth shut to stop her laugh. ¡°I think you''re both crazy for doing this outside the dorm room.¡±


    Arnold reached out with his free hand and cupped the side of her face, stroked it very lightly, then rubbed his hand through her hair. Janet''s face flushed red, because he was doing that to her and not to Pam, even though Pam was the one going down on him.


    The three of them stayed there for the entire class, then they had to split up. Pam had been diligent and cleaned Arnold up very well, so neither of them needed to go visit the bathroom. The cleaning wipes that Arnold always kept handy were quite useful as well. For some reason, Janet felt like she got more out of Arnold than Pam did, and she wasn''t sure why. It wasn''t just the attention, since he had been reading the whole time and had given her the book when he was done.


    I think... I think it was because if Pam wasn''t there, he would still have done the same thing with me. Janet thought. He would have caressed my cheek, played with my hair, and spent the time with me.


    *


    Debbie was surprised that the three of them had hidden themselves away in a classroom the whole time. She had passed by on her way to class and then passed by again when her class was over. She was off to her next class and she inadvertently followed Arnold to his calculus class by mistake. She was lucky it wasn''t far from her business administration class and rushed to get there.


    She saw a very happy Pam sitting near the back of the classroom and decided to avoid her for now. She sat down in a seat near the door and waited. Like the other classes she had been to, it was just the introduction and outline for the year. When it was over, she dropped her things off at her dorm and went off campus for lunch. She went to the Alpha Kappa Alpha house and found her boyfriend on the couch watching television.


    ¡°I want you to guess who I found in my biology class this morning.¡± Debbie said, her voice full of self-importance.


    ¡°The tooth fairy!¡± Her boyfriend said and laughed his ass off.


    Debbie let him roll around and laugh himself out as she thought about not telling him.


    ¡°All right, who was it?¡± He finally asked when he calmed down. ¡°Was it that tall blonde babe we saw at registration?¡±


    Debbie glared at him. ¡°No, it was not the Swedish bitch!¡±


    Her boyfriend laughed. ¡°Don''t get mad at me over you being jealous of her.¡±


    ¡°It''s envious, you idiot.¡± Debbie spat, then she calmed down. ¡°I found Arnold.¡±


    The guy sat up straight and looked at her. ¡°You''re not joking, are you? You actually have him in one of your classes?¡±


    Debbie nodded and he stood up with a big smile on his face. He gave her a hug and a quick kiss.


    ¡°I can''t wait to tell the guys!¡± He said and ran out of sight, which left her alone in the living room.


    He didn''t even ask me for the details. Debbie thought with a sigh and went to the kitchen to get something to eat. She was halfway through her sandwich when she was suddenly surrounded by ten guys bombarding her with questions and demanding answers. She just smiled at them and kept eating without saying anything. She knew she had all the power in their dynamic and they knew it, too.


    Debbie took the last bite of her sandwich, licked her fingers, then pointed at the head of the fraternity. ¡°What do you want to know?¡±


    The guy smiled at being picked before her own boyfriend and started asking questions.

 166 School Daze

    Arnold only had two more classes that afternoon, with a class off in between, and he was done for the day. So were Janet and Pam, and they met up outside the main building. They discussed their classes and if they had any work to do, then they went back to the dorm.


    The three of them had completely missed the fact that Arnold didn''t have anyone else he knew in his classes so far. That seemed a little odd, until you looked at the number of new students. There was a reason a new dorm building needed to be built. The leaving students were far too few to clear enough living space for the potential new students.


    Most of the people living in their dorms were still there, so familiar faces were around for practically everyone. Of course, most generic college degrees were only three year courses, assuming you crammed as many credits as you could into each semester. A few people, like Pam and Janet, spread out their workload and expanded it to four years. It took longer and it was a bit more expensive; but, it gave them a bit of breathing room and the expense was spread out over a longer period of time.


    Richer people could expand it even more and take as many courses as they wanted over five or six years, some even going for their masters degree. Arnold was in the full ride scholarship, so he had a lot of leeway in what he could take, how many credits per semester, and his final completion date. His primary focus was biology with a side of chemistry and he was very far ahead in both. All he needed now was time to spend actually doing the lab work that was required for the courses.


    The other courses Arnold took, because they seemed to be the best to round out his academic record, just like it had been in high school. He didn''t take history or geography type courses, since those weren''t relevant to him. He had been tempted to take some law courses, just to see what other ways he could manipulate them to his advantage, until he talked to the teacher''s assistant for the law degree during his last off class of the day.


    She informed him that all they did in class was study the law and then debate the merits and failures of old cases as practice for the courtroom. Arnold wasn''t interested in that aspect at all. He used a few quick techniques that Doris had shown him and the teacher''s assistant recommended a few books that her professor adored about case law. Arnold thanked her for the information and gave her a three second kiss. When he had left her office, she understood why he was called the kissing bandit.


    She just wished she didn''t have a boyfriend, just so she could ask him to keep kissing her, even though she wasn''t that fussy about swapping spit like that normally. If her boyfriend kissed her like that, she was sure that she would be happier with their relationship. Little did she know the extent of Arnold''s skills, because she wouldn''t just be imagining his kisses.


    Pam ordered take-out for supper and they ate together, then she had to go to work. She kissed Arnold goodbye and said she would see him tomorrow for relaxation during the first class. She left Arnold and Janet alone and went to work at the bar with her spirits high and a smile on her face. She had another record total for tips that night and came back to the dorm even happier.


    *


    Despite Dalla''s best efforts to save her mistress, Ida finally caught sight of Arnold changing his clothes. He only stripped down to his underwear and she didn''t get the whole show; but, it had been enough for her to see that much of him. He wasn''t self-conscious of his body in the least, just like she wasn''t, and she wondered why he was like that.


    For Ida, she had accepted that she was a tall beauty when she was younger and would have to weather the people that would hate her for that, namely other women. That was why she liked her maid so much. She didn''t even glance at her with envy when helping her change. If Ida knew the real reason he wasn''t self-conscious, she wouldn''t understand it at all.


    Arnold just didn''t see things that way. Clothed, naked, half-naked, none of it really mattered to him. That was why he always had trouble with wearing the right clothes, because he couldn''t grasp why you needed to change clothes at all. As long as they were clean and covered you, it shouldn''t matter what they looked like.


    Arnold was about to climb into bed when his cell phone beeped at him. He checked it and saw that it was Kelly.


    ''Hi, Arnold. How are you? I didn''t see you today.'' Kelly typed.


    ''I must have different classes than you.'' Arnold responded.


    ''Send me your class schedule and I''ll see if we have any in common.''


    Arnold took it out of his backpack, snapped a picture of it, and sent it to her. She didn''t respond for several minutes.


    ''We only have sociology on Wednesday afternoon together.'' Kelly typed. She was sad that even though they had several similar courses, they didn''t have the same time slots.


    ''I''ll see you Wednesday.'' Arnold said.


    ''Okay. See you then.'' Kelly sent. ''Goodnight.''


    ''Goodnight.'' Arnold put his phone on the dresser and went to bed.


    *


    The next day, Gary and his fraternity canvassed the campus for new recruits and pledges for their fraternity, Alpha Kappa Alpha. They were getting ahead of the normal scramble that the other fraternity houses went through, as a cover to look for Arnold. To his surprise, he was the one to spot Arnold as he came out of the Liberal Arts building with three other girls.


    ¡°I can''t believe we have the same Arts class for relaxation!¡± Heather said with a laugh. ¡°Mom was actually against me taking it, even though I needed the course credit.¡±


    ¡°I can''t believe we got to play with clay on the very first day.¡± Janet said. ¡°Who does that? She didn''t even give us an outline of what to expect for this semester.¡±


    Pam laughed and put an arm over her shoulders. ¡°I''m pretty sure Miss Julienne would smack you if you asked her for a lesson plan!¡±


    Heather laughed, too. ¡°You are so right! I have her for three of my main courses and she''s what mom would call a ''free spirit''.¡± She looked at Pam, Janet and Arnold with a grin. ¡°I haven''t gotten a straight answer out of her yet.¡±


    Janet had to smile, because she had asked, point blank, what she was supposed to make.


    Miss Julienne had smiled at her, put her hands on hers, and then squeezed the lump of clay. ¡°Feel the texture and let it guide you into what to make. Don''t concentrate on perfection or you might lose your inspiration. Let your emotions freely flow out and let the clay take that shape.¡±


    Pam had made something that looked like a dog, that was actually a horse. Heather had made a coffee cup with a handle. Janet wasn''t inspired at all and had made an ashtray, even though she didn''t know anyone that smoked.


    Arnold made a cube. It was exactly three inches on every side and was perfectly smooth. He hadn''t used a ruler or any other real measurement device. Nearly everyone in the class had noticed it, including the teacher, and she had complimented him on it, even though she said to not strive for perfection. She explained that just because you don''t have to strive for it, that didn''t mean you shouldn''t or that she wouldn''t praise you if you did.


    ¡°She really is going to cook them up in the kiln to harden them, too.¡± Heather said. ¡°We''ll be painting them next class and probably glazing them after that.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Janet asked, curious.


    ¡°Those are the next logical steps.¡± Heather said. ¡°Assuming they survive the heat the first time.¡±


    Pam laughed again. ¡°I doubt my horse is going to survive to get to the rodeo. His legs were practically falling off when I handed it over.¡±


    Janet had to smile. ¡°At least you had fun making it.¡±


    ¡°That was the point.¡± Pam said. ¡°Next time, ask me what you should make.¡± She said and smiled slyly.


    ¡°I am not making a ceramic dildo.¡± Janet said with a straight face, then she, Pam, and Heather laughed.


    Gary didn''t try to approach them as they passed, even though he had the flyers in his hands that asked for pledges. For some reason, he knew that if he tried to interrupt, things wouldn''t go well.


    I think I will take Debbie''s advice and let her handle it. Gary thought and took out his cell phone. He sent her a text about where to meet, gave her one of the flyers, then let her get to work.


    Debbie was more than happy to help the fraternity, especially since they would owe her two favors now. She wasn''t sure what those favors were going to be; but, it was always nice to have an entire fraternity owe you. She managed to track Arnold down easily, since she was in the same chemistry class as him. Her attack strategy was derailed slightly, because both of the girls that had sat with him in biology were sitting next to him in chemistry as well.


    Professor Felicia Power was her usual aloof self until she reached the ''S'' section of the roll call. ¡°Arnold.¡± She whispered, then she coughed and cleared her throat. ¡°Strickland, Arnold.¡±


    ¡°Present.¡± Arnold said and let her finish the roll call, then put his hand up.


    ¡°Yes, Arnold?¡± Felicia asked and couldn''t hide her smile.


    ¡°Do I need to make an appointment with you to discuss my class placement?¡±


    ¡°Is there something wrong with it?¡± Felicia asked, a little worried that he didn''t want to see her anymore after their little affair.


    ¡°No. I was wondering how I could earn course credits without taking an exam.¡±


    Felicia had to hold in her laugh of relief. ¡°Depending on the circumstances, oral exams can stand in for written ones, especially when you can demonstrate both your knowledge and skill.¡± She said. ¡°I actually was tempted to give you a complete pass, then had to agree with Hamil... Professor Crenslav. You still need to do the lab work to gain the proper experience from a classroom perspective, that way you know the difference between what is expected from a student and what is expected from a worker.¡±


    Arnold nodded and a few of the people around him nodded as well. Now they understood how he could have advanced through two years of course materials before even taking the first class.


    ¡°Any other questions?¡± Felicia asked and looked around at everyone. ¡°Then we can start by you writing down everything on the board.¡± She moved a sliding white board out of the way and a few people groaned at the sight of several very intricate formulas and she pointed at them. ¡°These are going to be the base formulas for a few of the things we will be exploring this semester.¡±


    ¡°On the first day?¡± Someone asked loudly and a few people laughed.


    ¡°I don''t expect you to do much this class except write them down and read them over. The components are what we''ll be delving into, that have their own formulas, and those are the building blocks you''ll need for later on in the course.¡± Felicia said and everyone copied them down. ¡°Now, can anyone tell me what this first integer stands for and what chemical formula brought it into existence?¡±


    Several hands were raised, one of which was Arnold''s.


    ¡°Please come to the board and demonstrate it for the class.¡± Felicia said kindly, and that surprised a lot of people in the class, except for Janet and Pam. They had to cover their mouths and leaned in close, conspiratorially. They exchanged whispers and slight nods, then sat back up straight as Arnold finished writing out the right chemical formula.


    ¡°How did he do that?¡± Someone asked in a whisper. ¡°He''s not even looking at the book to get the annotations right.¡±


    He already read the book. Felicia thought. ¡°Excellent work, Arnold.¡± She said and just barely caught herself before she thanked him. The last thing she wanted to do was give herself away by kissing him in the middle of class. ¡°You can return to your seat.¡±


    Arnold did so and Janet and Pam whispered several things to him. After a few moments, he nodded slightly and whispered back. The two girls exchanged looks and smiled, then looked at the teacher.


    ¡°Who wants to do the next section?¡± Felicia asked and pointed to a girl that had raised her hand up. ¡°You know what to do.¡±


    The girl stood up and looked at her book, then looked back at the board nervously.


    ¡°You can bring the book.¡± Felicia said with a smile.


    The girl visibly relaxed and she picked up her book and strode to the front of the class and copied out the right reference for the next part, added in the annotations and the reference page for the book.


    ¡°Knowing where to look to find what you need is as valuable of a skill as memorization.¡± Felicia said. ¡°Thank you, Stacy.¡±


    ¡°You''re welcome!¡± Stacy said with a huge smile and went back to her seat.


    When Felicia asked for someone to do the next part, nearly all of them put up their hands. Thank you, Arnold. She thought and pointed to a guy in the back. They all want to prove they are smart, which is the best teaching aid that a teacher could ask for.


    Debbie ended up participating in completing the third formula on the board. She actually enjoyed the class, even though she hadn''t really liked the teacher before that day, and then the class ended. She followed Arnold to see where he and his two friends were going after class, which was the cafeteria.


    Dammit. Debbie thought and had to go to class. I''ll have to wait until after lunch and the double chemistry lab to approach him.


    Debbie was disappointed again when to her surprise, Arnold was teamed up with both of the girls he had with him. He didn''t even have to argue with the professor or her assistant and they just accepted that he was going to be their partner without a fuss. Debbie looked around and realized that if he hadn''t done that, he would have been the odd man out.


    She sighed, because that would have been perfect for her. She spared a glance for her lab partner, who smiled at her as if she knew what she was thinking.


    ¡°I wouldn''t mind being his partner, too.¡± Her lab partner said.


    Debbie didn''t bother correcting her and they listened and performed some safety procedures that would be used in the very next lab session. They both paid attention and wrote down everything, because any mistake could be very dangerous when dealing with corrosive materials. Even the fumes had to be regulated, and that was something they all paid strict attention to.


    After the lab was an off class that Debbie shared with Arnold and not Janet and Pam. They had another class that she didn''t bother learning about, and she followed Arnold as he had dropped the two girls off at their class. When he left there, she followed him and waited for the best opportunity to present him with the fraternity pledge. He walked around a corner and out of sight, so she walked a little faster and stepped around the corner to see... that he was gone.


    Oh, damn. Debbie thought and looked around. Where the hell did he go? She started to turn around and then she felt a strong hand take her by the arm and yanked. She let out a little ''eep'' sound and then she was behind a door she hadn''t noticed before. She was shrouded in semi-darkness and then a handsome face appeared in front of her.


    ¡°Why are you following me?¡± Arnold asked her.


    Debbie''s mouth had dropped open in surprise at the turn of events and she was left a little breathless. She hadn''t seen him up close before and she had to admire the symmetry of his face. Almost against her will, her hand reached up and touched the side of his face. She ran it up the side of his head and caressed his blonde buzz-cut, then she took in a breath and let it out.


    ¡°Do you want to have sex?¡± Arnold asked, just to be sure.


    Debbie caught her breath and thought about her jock of a boyfriend. He immediately left her mind when Arnold reached out and took her into a hug. His firm hands held her expertly and she nodded slightly. The following twenty minutes were the best twenty minutes of her life.


    Arnold finished her off and didn''t bother finishing himself, since he knew that Pam would want him to save it for her. She hadn''t specifically said to do that, he just assumed that she liked it enough that he shouldn''t waste it on anyone else. He reached for the door of the supply closet and felt a hand take his.


    ¡°W-wait.¡± Debbie whispered, then with a shaking hand, dug out the fraternity pledge from her backpack. ¡°This will tell you... who''s after you and where they are.¡±


    Arnold took the folded piece of paper and glanced at it, then put it away. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and kissed her for three seconds. He left her in the closet to recover and went back to his dorm room. He had a few things to prepare if the guys looking for him were going to be discouraged properly.


    Debbie didn''t feel guilty that she had betrayed the fraternity so quickly. I need to break up with my boyfriend. She thought and took out her cell phone. Her hands were still shaking and she let out a little laugh at how much Arnold had made her come in so short a time.


    ''I''m sorry. I don''t think things are working out between us.'' Debbie eventually typed. ''I gave that guy Arnold the pledge notice. I don''t know if he''ll show up or not.''


    There was no response, so she had to assume that her ex-boyfriend was coming to look for her.


    I guess this is as good of a hiding spot as anywhere else I could find. Debbie thought with a smile.

 167 Maid To Order

    Bokuboy


    Arnold finished his preparations while Ida was still out. He stashed everything out of sight again and looked at the pledge flyer for Alpha Kappa Alpha. It gave him the date and time for their hazing ritual. He had looked up pledging a fraternity on the internet and saw what some people did to the pledges. He knew that something similar would be what they wanted to do to him, especially after what had happened. He also knew they would say no after torturing him, so he couldn''t join them and then destroy them from the inside.


    ¡°What a great day for being learned.¡± Ida said as she came into the room with Dalla. ¡°I''m also glad that no one spoke up about you being there with me.¡±


    ¡°Your father paid for me to audit your classes.¡± Dalla reminded her as she took off the backpack she wore and put it beside the dresser. ¡°I''ll be sending him reports about it and your progress.¡±


    Ida chuckled and then with one fluid motion, pulled off her top to reveal a strapless bra that seemed to be held up with gravity defying magic. She pulled out the tie in her ponytail next and swished her head from side to side, to make her hair spread out in a straight blonde curtain that went past her shoulders and halfway down her back. The motion also made her large breasts jiggle from side to side.


    ¡°I''m making spaghetti and meatballs for supper.¡± Dalla said and walked over to Arnold to distract him from her mistress'' blatant flirting. ¡°Would you like some?¡±


    ¡°Are you using crushed crackers or rice for the binding ingredient?¡± Arnold asked and turned off his computer.


    ¡°I usually use long grain rice, then precook the meatballs to let them retain their shape while the sauce slow boils. I don''t cook the spaghetti until fifteen minutes before it''s to be served.¡±


    ¡°I can help.¡± Arnold said and stood up. He couldn''t make spaghetti in his good college clothes, with so many chances of splashing sauce, so he changed into jogging pants and a t-shirt. Dalla had watched him for several moments, then she went to the kitchenette to start working on supper. Arnold joined her when he was dressed and after the rice was cooked, the two of them had the raw meatballs made in under ten minutes.


    Two sets of hands made quick work of it and Dalla put the meatballs on a rack over a large pan and put them into the oven to cook. Any extra grease would drip out of them as they cooked. She and Arnold contributed different things to the sauce, with spices and herbs that neither of them had used before, which made Dalla smile. She didn''t think he would know how to cook and his choices would add a nice flavor to her normal sauce.


    Ida sat on her bed, a little perturbed that Arnold wasn''t ogling her. She hadn''t put on her other top like she had intended, because she had been waiting for his gasp or a sharp intake of breath at seeing her breasts mostly exposed. Instead, he had practically ignored her. She looked at her maid, Dalla, and thought she had intentionally distracted him with the food offer.


    She sat there and waited for half an hour to see if anyone would mention her being almost half-naked, and they didn''t. It was then that she realized Arnold must have been like Dalla and the statement that Arnold''s mother had told her made more sense now.


    Don''t treat him like a servant. Ida thought and nodded mentally. He''s giving me the same respect as Dalla does by not noticing if I''m naked or not.


    Ida stood up and went to her closet, took off her skirt and her strapless bra, then put on a sports bra that was a lot more comfortable. She didn''t bother with the over-shirt she normally wore and put on a pair of jogging pants that she usually reserved for relaxing out of sight of everyone.


    ¡°You two are working well together.¡± Ida said and sat down on her bed again.


    Dalla caught her breath and turned to look at her mistress. ¡°I''m sorry! I forgot to help you change.¡±


    Ida chuckled. ¡°It''s all right. You were busy and I did manage to mostly get dressed.¡± She joked and Dalla had to smile. She knew her mistress was in her relaxing mode and wouldn''t necessarily need the over-shirt she usually wore.


    ¡°Arnold, can you watch the sauce for me?¡± Dalla said to Arnold and he nodded as he took over stirring it occasionally. She turned back to her mistress. ¡°You should probably start the required reading for tomorrow''s class.¡± She said and retrieved the book from her backpack and handed it to Ida.


    ¡°I suppose you are right.¡± Ida said with a bit of a sigh and partially reclined on her bed. Dalla puffed up her pillow to let Ida prop herself up on her side. Ida started reading and Dalla put the backpack beside the dresser.


    Things became quiet, even with the cooking going on, and the delicious smell of spaghetti sauce and cooking meatballs filled the room.


    ¡°Why didn''t you eat in the cafeteria?¡± Arnold asked as he and Dalla carefully combined the oven cooked meatballs into the large pot of simmering sauce.


    ¡°Sometimes eating food you made yourself is better than what you can buy.¡± Dalla said. ¡°I try to make at least one home cooked meal every week for my mistress, just so she doesn''t get too used to the food here.¡±


    Arnold thought about that. ¡°Does that mean these are Swedish meatballs?¡±


    Both Dalla and Ida let out laughs at that.


    ¡°No, that''s a different recipe.¡± Dalla said. ¡°I just meant that I don''t want her eating out all the time.¡±


    ¡°My mom is the same way.¡± Arnold said. ¡°At least one home cooked meal a week.¡±


    ¡°Is she visiting again this weekend?¡± Dalla asked, genuinely curious.


    ¡°No, I''m going home to visit.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Dalla quickly glanced at Ida and back to Arnold. ¡°I want to use the parking space while you''re gone.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Actually, we meant to talk to you about it.¡± Ida said and closed her book. ¡°You don''t own a car and we do.¡±


    ¡°My mother uses the space when she''s here.¡± Arnold said. ¡°When I go get groceries, it''s been occupied as well.¡± He didn''t mention that he no longer had a ride, because Cissily wasn''t talking to him.


    ¡°Do you drive?¡± Dalla asked.


    ¡°Occasionally.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°What if we put our vehicle at your disposal?¡± Dalla offered. ¡°If we share the parking space and the vehicle, that''s only fair.¡±


    ¡°I''ll need it Friday afternoon for an hour.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I''ll also need you to drive me there.¡±


    Dalla glanced at Ida, who nodded. ¡°I would be happy to, and I''ll make sure I park the van in another parking spot on the weekends, until you tell us your mother isn''t coming.¡±


    Arnold thought about that, then nodded and stepped close. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and briefly kissed her.


    Ida took in a sharp breath and stared at them. What is he doing to my maid?


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Dalla whispered and looked into his eyes. ¡°Why do you do that?¡±


    ¡°I''m the kissing bandit.¡± Arnold said and stepped back. ¡°The sauce is ready.¡±


    Dalla blinked her eyes for a moment, then nodded and put the spaghetti on. She wasn''t sure what to say to that. She was both angry and pleased that he had a perfectly good reason for doing it. Angry because it wasn''t because he liked her and pleased that he would kiss her anyway. Of course, her anger overrode her judgment and she spoke.


    ¡°Don''t you like me?¡± Dalla asked, then she caught her breath. ¡°I''m sorry. I don''t know why I asked you that.¡± She said and blushed. ¡°You don''t have to answer...¡±


    ¡°I do like you.¡± Arnold said and both she and Ida caught their breath this time. ¡°You''re taking care of your mistress as if you are her mother.¡± He said and took her into a hug. ¡°I won''t insult you by not paying you the proper respect.¡±


    Dalla''s mouth made that little ''o'' of surprise, which looked just like the cue for a kiss, so he took the cue and kissed her like he kissed Doris. Very well and for several minutes, while his hands discretely probed and caressed certain places.


    Ida was shocked that he would do that in front of her. Just as she was about to say something, Arnold broke the kiss. Dalla was just as shocked and her face was bright red as she held onto him tightly. Her blush wasn''t from embarrassment, though. She was quite turned on and she wasn''t sure what to do about it.


    Arnold noticed her reaction and put his lips by her ear to whisper. ¡°I can fuck you after we eat.¡±


    Dalla gasped and her hands clenched into fists, which pulled up the back of his t-shirt from being tucked into his jogging pants. Arnold leaned back to look at her face to make sure she had accepted. Dalla looked into his eyes as they stood there and hugged each other. She couldn''t believe that he was completely serious and wasn''t joking. She just couldn''t.


    ¡°Ten minutes left for the pasta.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Oh! Right. Yes.¡± Dalla said and opened her hands to let him go. She turned to the stove and then fumbled the large pasta fork. She almost dropped it and took several deep breaths as she recovered her composure. It''s all right. He won''t actually do it. He was just joking. Just a joke. No, he won''t do it.


    Arnold helped her disperse the spaghetti and then added a few meatballs to each plate as Dalla scooped out a ladle of sauce onto the pasta. It looked and smelled delicious, and Arnold let Dalla and Ida sit at the table again.


    Dalla was too stunned by what he did to mention that he should sit down to eat. Ida on the other hand, wasn''t sure what she could say. Not about the seating arrangements, since those really didn''t matter to her. It was the fact that Arnold, a good looking man and her roommate, said he liked her maid and not her. He had even kissed her several times and Ida couldn''t help admire the techniques he used. She was also quite envious.


    The three of them ate in silence and Dalla took extra time to eat. She was subconsciously delaying the end of the meal, so that she wouldn''t finish when her mistress Ida did. Ida had noticed, since that was the very first time Dalla had done that, and she assumed that the kiss had shaken her maid up even more than it had shaken her. When Ida stood up from the table, she saw that Arnold was still eating, too.


    What''s going on? Ida asked herself as she went to her bed to keep reading. She only pretended to as she watched Arnold sit at the table in her spot and he exactly mirrored her maid. What is he doing?


    When Dalla''s last forkful of spaghetti entered her mouth, the last one on Arnold''s plate did, too. Without a word, Arnold cleared the table and put the dishes in the sink to soak. He came back to the table and took Dalla''s hand. She didn''t resist as he helped her stand up, then he led her across the room to his bed.


    Ida''s mouth dropped open in shock as Arnold started stripping her maid. She closed her mouth and turned away, because she didn''t want to witness what she thought she was going to witness, then she heard several loud moans. She just couldn''t resist turning her head to look to see what was going on. She saw Arnold had his face buried between Dalla''s legs and she quickly turned away.


    I didn''t want to see that! I didn''t! Ida thought furiously.


    When there were some sloppy wet sounds and muffled moans, Ida absolutely refused to look. She didn''t want to know that badly. Or so she thought. After about ten minutes, the sounds changed to a kind of slapping wet sound and the urge to look was just too strong to resist. She turned her head just enough to peek over the top of her book and saw Dalla''s joy filled face as her head hung off the side of the bed.


    Arnold had one of her breasts in his mouth and sucked on it hard as he covered Dalla''s mouth with his other hand. He also moved in and out of her at the same time, which was amazing for Ida to see. She pulled the book back up and turned her head back to pretend reading, because she had been right. Seeing Dalla like that was not how she wanted to see her maid. Her well composed maid. Her maid that was making moans and squeals that Ida had never heard someone make before.


    What is he doing to her to make her make sounds like that? Ida asked herself. She didn''t let her curiosity override her common sense this time, though. She stayed facing away from them and didn''t do or say anything that would let them know that she had noticed them or what they were doing. To her surprise, the sounds didn''t lessen or abate until half an hour later.


    Ida was about to comment that she needed to change for bed, when a naked backside walked by her and Arnold bent over and grabbed two water bottles from the refrigerator. She nearly choked when he turned around and his erect penis was almost fully revealed. It was wrapped in a condom and it glistened when the light hit it. Her eyes immediately saw that the little receptacle on the end didn''t have anything in it.


    But... he just... Ida couldn''t finish forming the thought, because it just didn''t make sense to her.


    Arnold walked back to the bed and Ida heard several gulps of water be drunk, then there was a loud sigh and a moan mixed together and the slapping wet sounds started up again.


    I think I''ll sleep in these clothes tonight. Ida thought and managed to put her book down, lifted the blanket on her bed, and climbed inside without looking at what was happening over on Arnold''s bed.


    *


    Sometime later, Dalla was snuggled up to the handsome man that had made love to her like she was the only girl in the world. He was attentive and read her body and her reactions like he had a road map and she was a twisting highway. He knew every curve to hug, every hazard to avoid, and then he rode on her pavement like he owned it and had ridden on it for years.


    It took Dalla nearly half an hour to realize what had happened and she gasped and sat up. I did all of that with my mistress right there! She thought in surprise and looked over at Ida''s bed. She looked like she was asleep and Dalla wasn''t sure if that was better for her chances of keeping her job or not. ¡°I hope I don''t get fired for this.¡± She whispered and looked at the man in bed with her.


    ¡°I can fuck her, too.¡± Arnold whispered and sat up.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Dalla whispered loudly in surprise.


    ¡°She can''t fire you for doing something she did, too.¡± Arnold responded. ¡°She''s only pretending to be asleep.¡±


    ¡°You... would you really do that for me?¡± Dalla asked in disbelief.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said and got out of bed. He walked over to the bathroom and used it, disposed of the condom, then came back out.


    ¡°No.¡± Ida said and looked up at him. ¡°I don''t want to be used like that.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to fire her?¡± Arnold asked.


    Ida sighed. ¡°No, she... she didn''t do anything wrong.¡± She glared at Arnold. ¡°You did.¡±


    Dalla gasped. ¡°Mistress, please...¡±


    ¡°You wanted to be first?¡± Arnold asked and Ida had a strange look on her face, one that he recognized as the same one that Heather wore when they had broken up. ¡°You wanted to be the only one.¡±


    Ida open her mouth and then closed it, then she sighed. ¡°I have huge breasts, hips that men would kill to feel, and legs that most girls hate me for.¡± She said. ¡°You, on the other hand, treated me with the same respect that Dalla does and ignored my body. I was fine with that, until you said you liked her and then slept with her.¡±


    ¡°Mistress!¡± Dalla exclaimed.


    ¡°It''s all right, Dalla.¡± Ida said. ¡°I don''t blame you.¡±


    ¡°No, you blame him.¡± Dalla said with a sigh. ¡°I''m sorry. I didn''t meant to...¡± She shook her head. ¡°I promise to never sleep with him again.¡±


    Ida gave her a surprised look. ¡°Dalla, that... you don''t have to give up...¡±


    ¡°I''ve made you uncomfortable with this and I''m very sorry.¡± Dalla said, her voice adamant. ¡°Having sex with Arnold isn''t worth hurting you.¡±


    ¡°Dalla...¡± Ida started to say.


    ¡°Arnold, we can''t have sex anymore.¡± Dalla said.


    ¡°What about fucking?¡± Arnold asked and Ida took in a sharp breath.


    ¡°Nothing sex related, named something else, or simulated.¡± Dalla said. ¡°Please respect my wishes.¡±


    Arnold nodded and walked over to her. Dalla thought about covering up, then realized how stupid that would be after everything that happened in the bed. Arnold took her hand and helped her stand, then he took her to the bathroom.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Dalla and Ida asked at the same time.


    ¡°Cleaning up.¡± Arnold said and did exactly that. He gave Dalla a full shower and cleaned her, everywhere, then he dried her off. He took her back out to the bedroom and dressed her in reverse. That surprised both Dalla and Ida, especially since he was pretty much doing Dalla''s job. ¡°Goodnight.¡± He said and kissed her for three seconds, then he led her to the door and opened it.


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Dalla said and stepped out, then the door closed and she thought that was more than just a simple door closing. She walked down the hallway and went to the elevator, then she thought about what was going on in the room, now that she wasn''t there. She took out her cell phone and sent a quick message to her mistress.


    ''Everything''s fine. He''s taking a shower.'' Ida responded.


    ''I was worried he would be angry at me for refusing him.'' Dalla typed.


    ''You didn''t have to do that.'' Ida responded.


    ''Yes, I did. I can''t have him distract me like that again. My priority is taking care of you and ensuring your welfare.'' Dalla sent and her phone was quiet for almost ten seconds. The elevator arrived and she stepped in. ''I''ll have the van with me and parked in the morning. I''ll be that close every night from now on.''


    The elevator arrived on the ground floor and her phone beeped.


    ''Thank you, Dalla.'' Ida sent.


    Dalla smiled, because she gave her mistress a way to thank her without her embarrassing herself for giving up a guy for her. She left the building, walked over to her car, and drove back to their temporary home. She couldn''t wait to start living with her mistress again.

 168 More Classes

    The next morning was Wednesday and Arnold was up and changed for class. Ida didn''t move, even though she was awake, and she only watched him. She was actually trying to see if his behavior was going to change towards her, after what had happened yesterday. It didn''t and neither did his disposition towards her. She wasn''t sure if she was happy about that, because she enjoyed the show he put on and she knew that nothing was ever going to come of it.


    Arnold left the room by himself. Janet and Pam had the first class off, which gave them a rare morning to sleep in and they didn''t meet him in the hallway. As he walked through the gauntlet of half-naked girls, they all greeted him normally and he returned those greetings without asking why they hadn''t tried to do it the last two days. He had to assume it was because he was with Janet and Pam, for some reason.


    The first class Arnold had was Physics and he wasn''t alone. Both Leann and Tanya were in it with him and came in only a few minutes after he had arrived.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Leann said loudly when she saw him and went right over to his desk. She gave him a quick kiss and beamed a smile at him. ¡°I was hoping to see more of you during our first year classes.¡± She said and sat down beside him. ¡°Can I check your schedule?¡±


    Arnold took it out of his backpack and handed it to her.


    ¡°Oh, damn. Just this one?¡± Leann asked with disappointment. ¡°We have a few similar subjects; but, our class times are different.¡±


    ¡°I was at class registration early and got all my classes assigned almost right away.¡± Arnold said as Leann handed the schedule to Tanya.


    ¡°Oh! We''ve got first year statistics after next class together.¡± Tanya said. ¡°I think Kelly''s in sociology this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°She is.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I''ve got animal biology for second class this afternoon at the same time, so I just missed your first class.¡± Leann said, not realizing that Arnold''s was a third year class. ¡°I believe Sarah is taking that civilization class tomorrow, so you''ll probably see her there.¡± She made a weird thinking face to make Tanya laugh. ¡°Maybe she''s in your Latin class, too. I don''t know anyone else taking those classes.¡±


    ¡°I''m pretty sure that my boyfriend Richard is taking the same English class tomorrow afternoon.¡± Tanya said and handed the schedule back to Arnold. ¡°How can you take so many subjects and also have so much time off in between?¡± She asked with a chuckle. ¡°Most of our schedules are packed tight!¡±


    ¡°I asked for the classes I wanted instead of just taking the next available slot.¡± Arnold said and both girls looked at him with surprise on their faces.


    ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Leann whispered, then she laughed. ¡°Now I really wish I had met you on registration day! I never thought about asking for a specific time slot!¡±


    Tanya laughed, too. ¡°I was wondering why most of my off classes are in the afternoons and most of my heavy subjects are all in the mornings.¡±


    ¡°A lot of people here don''t like working late.¡± Arnold said, referring to his personal experience with the lab workers during the summer.


    ¡°That figures!¡± Leann said and then quieted down when the teacher came into the room. She hadn''t noticed that the room had filled up completely while she had been talking to her friends. ¡°It looks like we just barely got into this class with you.¡± She whispered and Arnold nodded.


    ¡°All right. I know this is our first class together, so I''m going to tell you something very important.¡± The man said and glared at them. ¡°Physics doesn''t care what day it is.¡±


    A few people groaned, because they knew what that meant.


    ¡°I''ll assign the reading for next class in a minute, which you had better read or you''ll be lost next time.¡± He said and took out the roll call sheet, looked around the room to count the empty seats, which was none, and put the paper back in his desk with a smile. ¡°Who can tell me Newton''s laws and the fundamental concepts they represent?¡±


    A few hands raised, one of which was Arnold''s.


    ¡°Is that all?¡± The teacher asked and glared at everyone. ¡°Is it a lack of knowledge or the lack of guts that''s stopping you from raising your hands?¡±


    ¡°Guts!¡± Someone yelled from the back of the full class and quite a few people laughed.


    ¡°Your guts seem to be fine.¡± The teacher said and a few more people laughed. ¡°I''m tempted to make each and every one of you come up to the front of the class and introduce yourselves...¡±


    ¡°Oh, god.¡± A girl croaked.


    ¡°...but, I''m not that cruel. As long as you try to participate in the class in some capacity, you''ll do fine. I won''t force anyone to embarrass themselves.¡± He looked at the girl who spoke and she blushed. ¡°Please relax. You are going to have more fun in this class than you thought was possible.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Someone asked.


    ¡°My toy box.¡± The teacher said. ¡°I''m one of those people that believes a physical example demonstrates things much better than a drawing or a picture can.¡±


    ¡°That won''t work for quantum mechanics.¡± Arnold said and the teacher chuckled.


    ¡°Most people believe that.¡± The teacher said. ¡°I assume you''re taking my other class?¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°Then you''re getting a dose of the macro scale today and the theoretical micro scale tomorrow.¡± The teacher said. ¡°I''ll save my other speech about visible quantum mechanics until then.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Now, back to this class.¡± The teacher looked at them. ¡°The fundamental concepts that Newton based his laws on can be defined and measured...¡±


    *


    Debbie had mostly managed to avoid her ex-boyfriend. She had been smart to make sure she was exactly in the opposite spot where she thought he would look for her. It had worked like a charm until early this morning and he had cornered her outside her dorm room. It was the one place that he had known she had to be to sleep and she hadn''t thought far enough ahead to get up earlier to leave.


    ¡°What the hell happened between us, Debbie?¡± Her ex-boyfriend asked.


    It''s what hasn''t happened between us in a while. Debbie thought and sighed, because she definitely didn''t want to tell him that. ¡°I just... I thought about what I want in a relationship, and...¡±


    ¡°I''ll give it to you!¡± He responded and cut her off.


    ¡°...interrupting me is getting annoying.¡± Debbie said and the guy made an unhappy face. ¡°Look, it''s not you...¡± Of course it''s you, you idiot. ¡°...I just need some alone time to think about things.¡± Like how to get that hunk Arnold to do me again.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I get it.¡± He said with a frown. ¡°You''re getting bored using the same dick all the time and you''re looking for another guy to climb onto.¡±


    Debbie frowned back and fought her urge to spit at him that she already did, because that would justify his anger. ¡°If that was true, there are nine other guys in your fraternity.¡± She said instead and his frown changed into a look of surprise. ¡°How many of them would jump me in a heartbeat, huh? How many?¡±


    Her ex-boyfriend closed his mouth, because he knew at least three of them, including Gary the head of the fraternity, would like nothing better than to get a piece of Debbie''s ass. Their own girlfriends wouldn''t even be considered if Debbie said she wanted it from them.


    ¡°Yeah, I know that look.¡± Debbie said with a smile. ¡°Don''t worry, though. I''m not looking at moving up the fraternity stepladder, bed by bed.¡±


    The guy let out a relieved sigh. ¡°Debbie, I... can''t we just...¡±


    ¡°I''m taking a break and I don''t know for how long.¡± Debbie said and walked by him. ¡°I don''t expect you to wait for me, either.¡±


    The guy knew what that meant. If he did sleep with someone else, she would never come back. Then again, if she never came back, he would have the worst case of blue balls in history if he didn''t find someone else to relieve it. He decided that he would give her a week to work things out, then he would start playing the sympathy card with some of the other girls he knew. A break-up sympathy sex session could get him in the door and he might be able to turn it into another relationship, if he was lucky.


    He watched Debbie walk away and her swaying hips were almost hypnotic. Dammit! I forgot to demand one last time in bed! He sighed as he ducked his head slightly in dejection, then he walked down the hallway and took the stairs. He didn''t want to stand beside her at the elevator after missing such a great opportunity.


    A few of the girls around had seen him and felt bad about him getting dumped like that, which meant his ploy had worked. He already had an ''in'' with them when he got around to trying to cash that in.


    *


    Arnold did his physics homework during the next class then went to Statistics with Tanya. They sat together and the class flew by before they knew it. Arnold met up with Janet and Pam and they went to lunch at the cafeteria. They sat together and enjoyed the meal, talked about their classes, then left when lunch was over, with a promise to meet after first class. Arnold went to Sociology and Kelly was already there waiting for him.


    ¡°I thought you''d be here earlier than this.¡± Kelly said and managed to keep her slight annoyance out of her voice.


    ¡°I was eating lunch with Janet and Pam in the cafeteria.¡± Arnold said and sat down beside her.


    Kelly didn''t tell him that she had brought her lunch because she didn''t want to waste time in the cafeteria, not realizing that Arnold almost always ate lunch there. She berated herself for not asking him what his plans were.


    ¡°How have you been adjusting to taking normal classes?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°I''d rather be working in the lab in the mornings and taking classes in the afternoons like the lab workers.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I''m not allowed to apply for a job with the lab until next year.¡±


    ¡°Will there be a space for you by then?¡± Kelly asked, knowing there were only six main lab tables. ¡°The others are there for another year, aren''t they?¡±


    Arnold''s face went blank and lost all outward emotion.


    Kelly immediately regretted telling him that he might not be allowed to work in the lab for at least another year. ¡°I''m sorry, Arnold.¡± She said and put her arms around him to hug him. ¡°I thought you checked on all of that.¡±


    ¡°The professor and Amy said that they only stopped first years from applying. They didn''t tell me there had to be an open spot for me to start working there again.¡± Arnold said and ducked his head.


    Kelly gave him a squeeze and held him for several minutes. ¡°Maybe you can come up with another job you can do until then?¡±


    Arnold knew he would have to think about that for a while. What else could he do until he could work in the lab again?


    ¡°Ah, I see someone is practising sociology already.¡± An older lady''s voice said and Kelly gave a little jump and let Arnold go. The woman pat Kelly''s shoulder. ¡°I wasn''t telling you to stop. Sometimes people just need a hug.¡±


    Arnold lifted his head and looked at the teacher, who took in a sharp breath.


    ¡°A-A-Arnold.¡± The older lady whispered. Her grey hair was out of the tight bun it had been at the registrar''s office and the waves of hair sat on her shoulders and made her look ten years younger.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Do you know each other?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°She''s the supervisor at the registrar''s office and she handled my registration and course selection personally.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I.. well... I handled the paperwork.¡± The older lady said and avoided saying she hadn''t handled anything else, despite Arnold asking her to. She decided a retreat from the conversation was in order, before either she or Arnold let slip what he had offered to her. ¡°I need to start the class.¡±


    Kelly wasn''t sure what was wrong; but, she knew something was up with the way the teacher seemed flustered around Arnold. She watched the older lady walk to the front of the room and wondered what happened between them.


    The teacher waited until the appointed time, a very long three more minutes, then she took out her notes. ¡°Unlike a lot of the other classes you''ve had so far, this isn''t a formal ''this rule says this'' class. That''s not how sociology works. It''s a person''s interpretations that make up their psyche and their opinions are based on their preconceptions, usually based on previous data.¡±


    A few people were a bit surprised to hear that and she had to smile at the confusion she saw on a lot of faces.


    ¡°We will be discussing social movements, class conflicts between the high class, middle class, and lower class of society, youth culture and the impact on the status quo, the formation of cults, clans, gangs, and even normal communities.¡± The older lady said and that earned the interest of a lot of the students. ¡°One of the biggest things we''ll tackle is mass media and its role in society as a whole.¡±


    ¡°That''s what I''ve been talking about with my friends.¡± A young woman said. ¡°My friends don''t believe me when I say that it''s a cancer that''s infected humanity.¡±


    The older lady had to chuckle at that, as did a few other students. ¡°You are entitled to your opinion; however, I must ask you to keep an open mind. I believe when we reach that topic, you may discover that even if it is a cancer, it could be classed as both benign and malignant.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± The young woman exclaimed.


    ¡°It all depends on the use and the target audience.¡± The older lady said. ¡°That discussion is for a later class in the semester.¡±


    ¡°I want to talk about it now.¡± The young woman said with a slight pout.


    ¡°You can see me after class, or come to the registrar''s office when you have a free class and I''ll discuss it with you.¡± The older lady said and the young woman smiled happily and nodded. ''¡±Did you all witness that? That right there could be a sociology discussion all by itself. A social interaction where two opinions were expressed, a disagreement happened, and a resolution was found... or in this case, delayed until one is found.¡±


    A few people chuckled.


    ¡°This month''s topic is something that should be quite poignant and relevant to the youth of today.¡± The older lady said. ¡°The sociology of gender and sexuality. That includes gender equality, the use of sexuality in both professional and personal capacities...¡±


    ¡°Hookers?¡± A guy in the class asked. ¡°We''re going to talk about hookers?¡±


    The older lady looked at him. ¡°Your name?¡±


    ¡°John.¡± The guy said.


    ¡°John, the proper term is prostitute or sex worker. Hooker is slang and the use of slang by both the younger and older generations is a topic for another day.¡± The older lady said. ¡°However, your point is valid. Not only will we discuss the professional use of prostitutes, we will also discuss the subtle and not so subtle ways that normal men and women also use similar techniques to get ahead in both their professional and personal lives.¡±


    The older lady pointedly did not look at Arnold when she said that last sentence. She would never admit that her meeting with him had made her rearrange her normal teaching schedule to address this topic first.


    ¡°Now, does anyone here know what the very first thing that happens in a conversation is?¡± She asked.


    Everyone raised their hands and she polled several of them that all gave good answers and the wrong ones. The teacher eventually had to point to Arnold to get his answer.


    ¡°It''s eye contact.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± The teacher asked, a little surprised he got the right answer.


    ¡°It shows your intent to actually speak to someone. If you look off to the side, at their cheek or nose or even eyebrow, it makes them think you are insincere and you''re talking at them and not to them.¡±


    ¡°That is it, exactly.¡± The older lady said and the remaining people put their hands down. ¡°Where did you learn that from?¡±


    ¡°My mother.¡± Arnold said. ¡°She taught me at a young age to make eye contact when I''m speaking.¡±


    ¡°Your mother must be a very smart woman.¡± The older lady said and he nodded. ¡°Eye contact really is the very first step in conducting a conversation.¡± She said. ¡°What you said also starts us on the topic I wanted to discuss. Gender and sexuality. Your mother taught you the things you needed to learn, did she not? Everyone?¡±


    Arnold nodded again, as did Kelly and a bunch of other people.


    ¡°The role of a mother, be it a birth mother, a person that raised you, or someone that takes care of you...¡± The older lady turned to the board and started to write certain things down. Everyone in the class started to write it down as well.

 169 Set Off

    Bokuboy


    The sociology class ended and Kelly had to say goodbye to Arnold. She thought about asking him to meet up with her later, then decided that she should wait before she started to get back into his circle of influence. She hoped that once she was close enough to him, and was properly prepared, she could finally make love to the man she loved.


    They split up at the door and Arnold went to his next class. It was a rare spot where he didn''t have an off class next; but, he had been told the format of the sociology class and that there wouldn''t be much actual homework, unless you chose to have some to prepare for the next class. Since he wasn''t going to have the class for a week, he had plenty of time next week to prepare for it.


    Arnold finished the day''s classes and went back to the dorm room. Since he finished early every day, no one else was there. Janet and Pam were both at another class, as was Ida and her maid. He went to his room and shut the door, changed into casual clothes, and took out the Civilization book he would need for tomorrow. He set the alarm for supper and sat at his desk to start reading the book.


    His alarm went off sometime later, so he put the book down and left the dorm room. He saw a familiar scene with half-naked women and he greeted them.


    ¡°I''m going for supper, too.¡± Rebecca said and closed her door. ¡°Walk with me.¡±


    Arnold gave her his elbow, like he had the last time they had walked together, and Rebecca beamed a smile at him.


    ¡°Yer such a gentleman!¡± Rebecca said and snaked her arm through the hole and held on as they walked down the hallway. ¡°Where''s Janet and Pam?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know.¡± Arnold said. They hadn''t told him what they were doing for supper today.


    ¡°I guess they''re busy with something.¡± Rebecca said as they rode the elevator down to the ground floor.


    Just then Arnold''s phone beeped. He took it out and read the text as the elevator door opened. ¡°Excuse me, Rebecca.¡± He said and shook off her hand from his elbow and darted up the stairwell.


    ¡°Huh? Wha...?¡± Rebecca said in confusion as he disappeared from sight.


    It had been a text from Janet saying that the fraternity had taken Pam.


    Arnold''s plan had just been accelerated from the weekend, and the pledge party, to now. He kept saying ''excuse me'' to the girls that asked him what was going on and entered his dorm room. He closed the door, which surprised them, and he was inside for several minutes. When he came out, he had his old backpack and it looked stuffed with something.


    ¡°Arnold! What''s going on?¡± Emily, his neighbour, asked.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± Arnold said and walked so quickly down the hallway that everyone was surprised at the speed. He didn''t bother with the elevator and went down the stairs. He darted across the lobby and past Rebecca, who was still standing there and didn''t know what had happened, and he left the dorm building.


    Arnold quickly calculated the odds of what would happen to Pam, with her being kidnapped by a group of ten guys. Most, if not all of them football players, considering their physical builds, which meant that Pam was going to be subjected to unwanted sexual advances. That assumed she would be kept conscious and that was not a guarantee with ten of them to deal with.


    He knew he couldn''t prevail physically without resorting to bodily harm, which would subject him to criminal scrutiny, and he definitely didn''t want that. The last thing he needed was to be investigated here at the college, so he made his way off campus towards the house that the Alpha Kappa Alpha fraternity used.


    *


    ¡°This was a brilliant idea.¡± Gary said to his girlfriend. ¡°Thanks for stealing her cell phone.¡±


    ¡°No problem, babe.¡± The short and nondescript brunette said as Gary bent way over to kiss her. She could be in any crowd and no one would notice her, because she blended in so well. ¡°Once I knew where she stashed it, it was easy to get.¡±


    They kissed for several moments and one of the guys gathered in the living room turned away to give them privacy. It put him facing the air vent and he took in a breath. The air exchanger they bought two years ago still worked well and they always had fresh air inside the large house. The old musty smell that used to be so prevalent was long gone and their lives inside the house were so much better.


    The guy caught a whiff of something odd. He turned around again and didn''t smell it, then turned back. It was definitely coming from the air vent and he walked over to it. As he approached, the smell became much stronger and he felt very tired. He sat down on a nearby chair and closed his eyes to rest, them promptly fell asleep.


    ¡°Do you smell something?¡± One of the other guys asked and looked around. ¡°Everyone take a sniff and tell me where it''s coming from.¡±


    ¡°Whoever smelt it, dealt it!¡± One of the other guys said and everyone laughed.


    ¡°Seriously, though. It''s like... some kind of... medical smell?¡± The guy asked and blinked his eyes. ¡°Damn, I shouldn''t have stayed up so late. I''m really tired.¡±


    A couple of the other guys nodded and yawned, which sucked in even more fumes. They all moved towards the couch and the other chairs, and sat down. Gary looked at them and was about to call them all pussies for not staying awake, then he yawned and sucked in more fumes himself. His girlfriend laughed at him and that gave her a bigger dose as well.


    ¡°I''m... tired, too.¡± The short brunette said and yawned, then she started to walk towards the couch. She didn''t quite make it when she fell asleep and slumped to the floor.


    Gary frowned at her for doing that, then he started to think that something was wrong. Everyone was asleep in front of him and he yawned again. The smell was pretty strong now and he blinked his eyes. He turned around when he thought he saw movement and then he felt the phone be taken from his hand.


    ¡°Hey...¡± Gary said and turned again. In front of him was a police officer wearing a medical mask that had air filters on it for toxic fumes. ¡°Wh-what... what...¡± He closed his eyes and slumped to the floor.


    *


    Arnold checked the phone and he had been right. It was Janet''s and the text had been sent from it. When he checked the GPS tracker history, he saw it be taken from one of her classes and it went straight here. He assumed that both she and Pam must have been taken, so he acted appropriately. He kicked Gary in the crotch for kidnapping his best friends, girls that accepted him, and Gary didn''t even grunt.


    Arnold counted the men there, all ten of them, and saw the girl on the floor. He checked her face, so he would remember the girl that was involved in the kidnapping, and left her there on the floor. He had to check the whole house for Janet and Pam, so he grabbed one of the cell phones on the coffee table and checked for the house plans on the internet. He smiled and left the living room.


    He went right to the basement as he followed the house plans and luckily it hadn''t been renovated. It was an older home and the entire basement could be seen from the basement stairs. It was filled with junk and there wasn''t a space to hold one person, let alone two. He made a quick run through it, just in case, and went back up the stairs.


    Arnold followed the layout of the plans and quickly searched every room, closet, and hiding space that someone could potentially hide a body. He didn''t bother checking the attic, since it was a pull down trap and looked like it hadn''t been used in a while. He went back to the living room and thought about the problem. Janet and Pam were not in the house, and yet her phone came right here from the college.


    His eyes fell on the girl on the floor and he frowned when he realized that she must have stolen Janet''s phone. Of course, Janet and Pam were probably looking all over the college, because she ''lost'' the phone somewhere. He knew it was a trap to bring him here to the fraternity, so they could get their revenge on him. He had to do something to get back at them for making him waste his plan.


    Arnold''s eyes roamed over the sleeping people in the living room and then looked at the unconscious girl. A smile appeared on his face as an idea came to him and he bent down to start undressing her.


    *


    ¡°Uh.¡± Gary grunted as he woke up with a slight headache, then he felt an intense pain in his groin. ¡°Ugh!¡± He reached down to cup himself and found something else. Hair. He opened his eyes, despite the pain he felt, and looked at his crotch... only to see his dick was in a sleeping Jerry''s mouth. ¡°AHH!¡±


    ¡°Muh mgh.¡± Jerry mumbled as he woke up with a headache and found something in his mouth. He gagged a little at the taste and moved his tongue to see what it was, then realized his mouth was full. He used a hand to reach for it as he opened his eyes. He thought the guys had pranked him with a dildo and lifted his head from what he thought was a pillow. A real erect dick popped out of his mouth and he just stared at it in disbelief.


    ¡°Don''t suck it! Get OFF! OFF!¡± Gary yelled.


    Jerry turned his head towards the sound that didn''t make sense. ¡°G-Gary? What... why did you...¡±


    ¡°I DIDN''T DO IT!¡± Gary yelled, and his shout made everyone start to wake up.


    ¡°Huh... what...¡± One of the guys started to say as he woke up with a headache, then he looked down to see Gary''s girlfriend had his dick in her mouth. ¡°Oh, god.¡± He said and reached down to pull her off.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Gary''s girlfriend mumbled and felt a hand in her hair and she had a nice hard penis in her mouth. She sucked on it automatically, since her boyfriend liked to tease her in the mornings sometimes, so she started moving her head. She had a bit of a headache and ignored it, because she knew he wouldn''t like her complaining about having a headache.


    ¡°Oh, fuck!¡± The guy she sucked on exclaimed and then he came. ¡°Ohhhhh, fuuuuuck!¡±


    She slurped and sucked on it as she opened her mouth to let it dribble out. She didn''t like it when he didn''t warn her beforehand, so he didn''t deserve to have her swallow it this time. She slipped her head off of the penis she just sucked on and opened her eyes.


    ¡°Tell me next time.¡± She said and then she saw that it wasn''t her boyfriend. Or his dick. ¡°What the fuck?!?¡± She asked as she felt something move between her legs and looked over to see one of the other guys had his dick inside of her. ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?¡±


    The guy groaned and rubbed his forehead. ¡°Who''s yelling so much?¡± He asked and opened his eyes. ¡°God, what a headache I... JESUS CHRIST!¡± He yelled and several people groaned at the yell.


    ¡°Get off! Off! OFF!¡± The girl yelled and tried to let go of what she had in her hands, and she couldn''t. She pulled and pulled to get her hands loose and two guys started to moan. ¡°Don''t you dare enjoy seeing me like this!¡± She exclaimed, then she felt her hands and some of her arms be sprayed in hot liquid.


    ¡°Ugghhhh.¡± The two guys moaned as they came.


    ¡°I... I can''t... move away.¡± The guy inside of her said as he tried to move away and it pulled on the skin of her ass and his thighs. He pushed back in and the girl moaned automatically at the motion.


    ¡°S-stop... stop moving.¡± She said, but it was too late. The guy had heard her moan and the back of his mind took over and he moved in and out again. The pulling of her skin in between each movement gave her a sensation she hadn''t felt before as it pulled on her, then she started to pant.


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡± The guy said and leaned forward to loom over her as he kept moving. ¡°You feel so damn good!¡± He said and looked into her eyes. ¡°I don''t know what happened to let me make love to you like this, and I don''t care! I''ve been in love with you ever since you started dating Gary!¡±


    The girl blushed at the confession and her eyes looked at the guys around her. She moved her head a little and saw a very surprised Gary with Jerry''s hand on his penis and a line of drool from the tip of it to Jerry''s lips.


    ¡°Wh-what... no, you... what...¡± She closed her eyes and shook her head. ¡°You''re not... I can''t believe... oh, god... this feels...¡± She panted and tugged on her hands to get the two guys going, then she had a huge orgasm and moaned loudly. ¡°HmmmmMMMM!¡±


    ¡°Oh, shit!¡± One of the guys she tugged on said loudly and he came again.


    ¡°Stop! STOP! Everyone STOP!¡± Gary yelled and it didn''t matter.


    ¡°Suck me next!¡± One of the remaining guys said and lightly slapped his erect penis on Gary''s girlfriend''s lips. She opened her mouth for him and he slipped it in. ¡°Oh, baby! I love you, too!¡±


    ¡°We all do.¡± The other guy she had her hand glued to said and she used her hand to jerk him off and he came again for her. Of course, the other three guys wanted in on the action, now that she seemed more than willing to accept their affection.


    Gary just stared at his friends having their way with his girlfriend, the girl he loved, and then he felt lips on him. ¡°NO!¡± He yelled and tried to pry Jerry off before he went too far.


    ¡°My hand''s glued to your thigh.¡± Jerry said. ¡°Whoever did this, made sure we were all in compromising positions.¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t mean you have to suck my fucking dick!¡± Gary said loudly.


    ¡°Eh, you already had it in my mouth for a while. It''s not so bad.¡± Jerry said.


    ¡°Are you INSANE?!?¡± Gary yelled.


    ¡°After this?¡± Jerry looked over at the orgy going on next to them. ¡°I think we all are. A little.¡±


    Gary looked over at his girlfriend and she had her eyes wide open and she was sucking hard on a different guy, then she switched to another and looked happy.


    Gary closed his eyes and let out a sigh, then felt someone suck on him. It''s my girlfriend. It''s my girlfriend. It''s my girlfriend. He chanted in his head and his body didn''t care that the mouth giving him head wasn''t female. Not in the least.


    ¡°I think... the glue is letting go.¡± The guy having sex with his girlfriend said and his movements pulled out farther and farther after each thrust, which meant he was working the glue free, then there was one long pull and the two of them were separated. ¡°Finally!¡± He exclaimed, then he picked up her hips and put himself back inside. ¡°Gary, your girlfriend is the best!¡±


    ¡°Me, next.¡± One of the guys said. ¡°I want her to feel my love, too.¡±


    ¡°Me, too.¡± Another guy said. ¡°She deserves it.¡± He leaned down and looked into her eyes as she sucked another guy off. ¡°You do so much for us and we all appreciate it.¡±


    She stopped sucking and looked back at him. ¡°P-prove it.¡±


    The guy smiled at her. ¡°We love you.¡± He said and gave her a kiss.


    She gasped at that, especially since she had just sucked on five different penises, his included.


    ¡°Was that enough proof?¡± He asked her and she hesitated for a moment, then she nodded.


    *


    Arnold raised his eyebrows at the scene playing on the stolen cell phone that looked like his. He had only intended to take a few pictures and to record their awkward reactions to being set up like that. He sat in Janet''s dorm room after tracking her and Pam down and delivering Janet''s cell phone back to her, after deleting the incriminating text, of course. He didn''t say where he found it and they didn''t ask.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Janet asked and peeked over his shoulder.


    ¡°A sociology experiment. Can positive physical stimulation counter negative mental stimulation?¡± Arnold responded.


    ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Janet exclaimed when she saw what it was.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Pam asked and came over to them. ¡°Oh, wow. Is that the girl that sits behind... hey, it is!¡± She said when she got a clear shot of the girl''s face. ¡°Look at her gobbling that penis!¡±


    Janet chuckled. ¡°Don''t you dare tell me you''re envious of her.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I may like sucking off a nice penis; but, I''m not a cock gobbler like that.¡± Pam waved at the phone and the girl switched to another penis. ¡°I''m a bit more picky than that.¡± She said, almost proudly. ¡°Look how long it took me to find Arnold''s penis!¡±


    Janet laughed and then she took in a sharp breath when the guy having sex with the girl on the screen yelled his pleasure.


    ¡°My turn.¡± The guy next to them said and the first guy moved out of the way. The other guy started going at her and both Janet and Pam were surprised that the girl started moaning louder instead of protesting.


    ¡°I don''t really approve of gang-bangs like that... but...¡± Pam licked her lips and kissed Arnold''s cheek. ¡°It''s kind of turning me on.¡±


    ¡°M-me, too.¡± Janet said. ¡°She''s definitely enjoying herself.¡±


    ¡°So should we.¡± Pam said as she took the cell phone from Arnold''s hand and put it down on the table. ¡°Arnold, we need you to make your two best friends feel good.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and took the both of them to bed.


    The cell phone was still on and recording, so they made their own sounds to accompany the sounds from it.

 170 A Few More Classes

    Bokuboy


    Arnold left his friends tucked in their beds and went back to his own dorm room. He quickly saved the video and pictures, under different names and in various spots on his computer in hidden and password protected directories, then he wiped the cell phone''s data, pulled it apart and removed the sim card, the battery, and the backup. He would have to wait until the next day to dispose of it properly by crushing it and then dropping it in the street near the frat house.


    The next day, he was up early and left the room to head to class. He took a quick detour to the Health and Wellness building and their weight machines. He knew exactly how to crush the phone in one of them, thanks to his physics knowledge and the use of excessive weight and a lever. He ''dropped'' the phone, in case anyone could see him setting up the machine, then ''accidentally'' let the machine go to catch the phone.


    ¡°Oh, no. It''s crushed.¡± Arnold said, in case the gym had the same parabolic microphones that his neighbour had trained on the front yard to listen to conversations. He picked up the smashed and clearly in pieces cell phone, left the building, and made a circuitous route near the frat house and cleaned off his fingerprints from the cell phone. He dropped it into the gutter at the side of the street and left the area before he was seen.


    Arnold arrived in the Civilization classroom with plenty of time to spare and Sarah came in soon after him. She greeted him with just a hello and sat down next to him at the two person table. She hadn''t gotten much sleep the night before and she was exhausted. She apologized for that when she saw his face and gave him a hug.


    ¡°Wayne had me up half the night talking about his new professor and his crazy physics ideas.¡± Sarah lamented and rubbed her face. ¡°Good lord, I just... I need a good back rub and... maybe a nice relaxing bath.¡±


    Arnold slid his chair back from the table and turned hers away.


    ¡°Arnold, what... ohhhh.¡± Sarah moaned as his hands dug into her back muscles. She closed her eyes and held her mouth closed to stop from moaning more. He worked on her for several minutes as the class filled up with people, then the teacher came in and Arnold gave her shoulders a light squeeze.


    ¡°Class is starting.¡± Arnold whispered softly into her ear.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Sarah opened her eyes and turned to look at him. ¡°Class?¡±


    ¡°Geometric Progression of Civilization.¡± Arnold whispered.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Sarah blinked her eyes and looked around to see that the class was full and the teacher was setting up a projector. ¡°Oh. I guess...¡± She looked back at Arnold. ¡°...this wasn''t a dream.¡± She looked into his eyes and he looked back. ¡°Thank you for the back rub.¡±


    Arnold leaned in and gave her a brief and tender kiss, then he turned her chair back to face the table. Sarah stared at him for the entire time that the professor took roll call and she couldn''t believe it. When her name was called, Arnold took her hand and she caught her breath. He raised it up for her and a few people around them laughed.


    Sarah blushed and the class continued. She got to work copying down the information the teacher gave her and she would occasionally glance at Arnold to see if he was trying to put the moves on her or if he was just being friendly. She didn''t dare ask, because no matter what he said, she knew she would have to be disappointed with the answer.


    If he was making a pass at her, then he didn''t respect her relationship with her boyfriend. If he was only being friendly, she would be insulted that he wasn''t using the great opportunity to make a pass at her. Sarah''s mind warred with the conflicting emotions, because no matter the outcome, it was bad. So, she did the only thing she could logically do. She ignored the kiss and tried to forget the wonderful feeling of his lips on hers after he had massaged her back.


    The class ended and Sarah said she would see him later. She went to her next class and managed to put it out of her mind. Her back felt great, though. Her muscles had been tense for a while and this was the first time she felt relaxed, and it was because of Arnold. She went through her class and marked where she had to read in her notes, then she gathered her things and went to her next class. She had always been interested in the Latin language, since it was the basis for so many other languages, and it was just a little romantic to learn about it and to eventually be able to read it.


    Sarah entered the classroom with a smile on her face and then she gasped when she saw the handsome familiar face sitting at the desk in front. ¡°A-Arnold? What are you doing here?¡± She asked. Despite her urge not to, she walked right over to him and sat down beside him.


    ¡°Taking Latin.¡± Arnold said.


    Sarah''s thoughts about the romance of it still filled her mind. ¡°Why?¡±


    Arnold already had his book out and was copying things down from it. ¡°Most of the scientific names for biological creatures are written in Latin or a derivative mixed with English called Pig-Latin.¡±


    ¡°Very good, Mr. Strickland.¡± The woman at the front of the class said. She was wearing all beige. Her pants, her undershirt, and her vest were all shades of beige. Even the frames of her glasses were beige. ¡°I''m glad you can recognize the bastardization of Latin to make it easier to learn by those that don''t want to put in the work to learn the real language.¡±


    ¡°Is that how it happened?¡± One of the other students asked.


    ¡°That is a very good question, Mr. Sabastian.¡± The teacher said.


    ¡°How did you know my name?¡± He asked, surprised.


    The teacher just smiled and didn''t say anything.


    ¡°She memorized the roll call and cross-referenced it with the registrar''s office.¡± Arnold said without looking up from his notes. ¡°They have our IDs on file and she matched our faces to our names.¡±


    ¡°Very good, Mr. Strickland.¡± The teacher said. ¡°I assume you are taking the investigation course?¡±


    ¡°No. Masters in Biology.¡± Arnold said and the class seemed to grow quiet. He finished writing and looked up at the teacher to see her surprised face. ¡°I want to read and write Latin to understand why it''s used for scientific names and then use it myself. I want to know why things are named that way.¡±


    The teacher came around her desk and went over to him. ¡°Then I think you and I are going to get along very well this term.¡±


    ¡°What about next term?¡± Arnold asked, since that was the next section.


    The teacher smiled. ¡°If you do well on my first test, then you and I will be seeing a lot of each other.¡±


    ¡°When is the first test?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°In ten minutes.¡± The teacher said and the rest of the class groaned, Sarah included. ¡°I would tell you all to relax and that this is just a basic knowledge test to gauge your Latin background; but, I''m not going to lie so blatantly.¡± She chuckled as they all groaned again, except Arnold. ¡°I''ll give a quick overview and then hand out the work sheets.¡±


    She did just that, with the course materials and knowledge she would share, then what her expectations of the students would be. After that, she handed out the test sheets and warned them that cheating wouldn''t help them, because it was based on their own previous knowledge. If they falsified it now, it would only compound their mistakes later.


    Sarah read through it and she had a vague understanding of a lot of it, which brought her happy mood back. All of her previous fascination with the language was going to help her immensely. She filled out the test sheet as best as she could, then she flipped it over to show that she was done. She even had ten minutes left of the class. She sat back and relaxed, her back easing on the hard chair as if it was a soft cushion, thanks to Arnold''s magnificent hands.


    Stop that. Sarah berated herself. Keep your mind on the prize! Her head turned and her eyes went right to Arnold''s crotch. She jerked her head up and looked at the teacher that sat on the edge of the desk at the front of the room. She had a smile on her face and Sarah blushed.


    ¡°Time''s up. Pencils down.¡± The teacher said. She hopped off the desk and strode around the room as she collected the papers. Her beige pants looked very loose from the front, probably because the seam was so much lower than it was on normal pants. The backside, however... was deceptively tight. She swayed her hips a little as she went back to her desk with the papers, then she quickly turned around to see how many sets of eyes had been staring at her ass.


    It was a test she always performed to see what students were going to study harder, just to stay in her class. She wasn''t surprised to see that every guy and several girls had been looking down at her, except for one. Arnold stared at her face and her eyes locked onto his.


    ¡°What class do you have next?¡± The teacher asked.


    ¡°I have an off class.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Would you like to stay for a few minutes? I''ll mark your test first.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said. ¡°It''s the seventeenth one down in the stack.¡±


    The teacher squinted her eyes for a second, then she turned around and walked behind her desk. She made it a point to show everyone that cockiness wasn''t welcome in her class. She put the first paper down and counted out loud.


    ¡°One.¡± The teacher said and kept going. ¡°Two. Three...¡± When she reached sixteen, she smiled at Arnold and picked up the next paper, then she gasped. ¡°What... how...¡±


    A guy near the teacher''s desk stood up and looked. ¡°It''s his paper!¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± A girl exclaimed.


    ¡°He wasn''t even looking at her as she gathered them up.¡± A guy said. ¡°At least, I don''t think he was.¡±


    He wasn''t. Sarah thought. She had watched him and his eyes the entire time and he hadn''t looked at the teacher, or her ass, once. How did he do it?


    What they didn''t know was that it was just a simple numbers game. Arnold had beaten hundreds of puzzles in virtual reality games as practice that were much harder than counting the different combinations the teacher could use to gather up the papers. The trick was knowing where she started and then when she picked up his paper.


    With those two bits of information, Arnold quickly counted in his head how many students were between there and his desk, with the caveat that the teacher was keeping her ass facing the class for as long as possible.


    The buzzer rang and everyone but Arnold stood up. They all gave him contemplative looks as they passed him, even Sarah. When he and the teacher were alone, she spoke.


    ¡°Do you always show off for the class?¡± She asked and waved his paper at him.


    ¡°I wasn''t showing off.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°No? What would you consider showing off?¡± The teacher asked before she could stop herself.


    Arnold stood up and walked over to her. ¡°You''re wearing a g-string right now; but, your normal panties are usually too tight and have left creases in your skin. When you walk, it looks like you''re still wearing them.¡±


    The teacher''s mouth dropped open in shock.


    ¡°I suggest compression bicycle shorts that will keep your ass in a single shape for a while.¡± Arnold said.


    She just stared at him and didn''t say anything as she thought about him taking a masters in biology.


    ¡°Mark my paper.¡± Arnold reminded her and she nodded as she sat down at her desk.


    ¡°I was sure that you didn''t stare at my ass when I was walking around.¡± She said as she started marking his answers.


    ¡°I stared at it when you were giving the outline.¡± Arnold said. ¡°You look very pretty.¡±


    The teacher caught her breath and looked up at him. ¡°You do realize saying something like that is inappropriate, don''t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said and gave her an angelic smile.


    She shivered a little, then she chuckled and looked down at the paper again. ¡°You''ve got balls.¡±


    ¡°One of my best friends said that even though she doesn''t normally like doing it, when she sucks on them, they taste great.¡± Arnold said.


    The teacher''s pencil scratched across the paper when she jerked. ¡°Wh-what did you say?¡±


    Arnold repeated it and the teacher blinked her eyes for several moments. She shook her head and finished marking the paper, calculated the total, then looked up at him.


    ¡°Eighty-five percent.¡± She said, completely surprised. ¡°How did you do that?¡±


    ¡°I read the book.¡± Arnold said and went back to his desk, gathered his things, then left the class with his backpack.


    The teacher stared at him as he walked away. He learned that much from just reading the book?


    *


    Janet and Pam met Arnold for lunch in the cafeteria. They shared food and stories about their classes, Pam laughed at the Latin teacher''s behavior, then she and Janet speculated about what she was going to do, now that she knew Arnold had actually saw her ass in those tight pants without her realizing it.


    ¡°I doubt she''ll make a play for you.¡± Pam said to Arnold, sure of her conclusion. ¡°She already knows you''re smart enough to study when she wants and she doesn''t have to resort to flaunting her body at you, like she does to the other students.¡±


    ¡°I think so, too.¡± Janet said. ¡°It''s a pretty sneaky tactic and it''s probably a lot more effective than just telling them Latin is useful to know.¡±


    Pam chuckled. ¡°Do you remember that professor we had during our first year? Mr. Fancy Pants?¡±


    Janet laughed. ¡°Oh, god!¡±


    ¡°The guy flirted like there was no tomorrow to keep his students interested in his subject.¡± Pam said.


    ¡°He lasted half the term.¡± Janet said. ¡°One of his more eager students accepted his blatant advances and... ah...¡±


    ¡°Let''s just say that he didn''t expect his flirting to become an obsession.¡± Pam smiled. ¡°That poor guy.¡±


    ¡°He didn''t think so!¡± Janet said with another laugh. ¡°Just a minute. I think I still have the picture.¡±


    Arnold waited as Janet searched through her cell phone and then she barked a laugh.


    ¡°Get a look at this!¡± Janet said and handed him her phone.


    Arnold looked at the picture and it was the inside of a janitor''s closet. The teacher''s arms were tied to opposite ends of a broom and he was naked. He also had a ball gag in his mouth and another man sat on top of him. The man on top wore make-up and the lipstick was smeared. The smears were on the teachers nipples, face, and his abdomen, with streaks on the edge of his penis. Surprisingly, the man on top''s penis also had lipstick on it, as did his nipples.


    ¡°Caught in the act and spread all over the school in an instant.¡± Pam laughed as she cuddled into Arnold and looked at the picture. ¡°We all wondered how he could flirt so much with the girls in his classes and not be reprimanded for it. Apparently, the other staff knew it was because he never intended for it to go anywhere. With the girls, anyway!¡±


    Janet laughed again and took the phone back. ¡°Once his secret was out, the girls dropped his class in droves because they felt cheated. The college had to reject them doing that and fired the professor instead.¡±


    ¡°The moral of this lesson? Be upfront with your intentions.¡± Pam said and kissed Arnold''s cheek. ¡°Just like you, the kissing bandit.¡± She said and he turned his head towards her. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips. ¡°We have to say goodbye for a bit and go to our afternoon classes.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye for a bit.¡± Arnold said and gave her a three second kiss.


    ¡°Now I don''t want to go.¡± Pam said with a grin.


    ¡°Oh, geez.¡± Janet said and tapped Arnold''s cheek. ¡°Goodbye, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold turned to look and she gave him a kiss, too. Janet pried Pam''s arms off of him and then dragged her giggling friend away from the cafeteria. Arnold left the cafeteria himself and went to his first class in the afternoon, Quantum Mechanics with the physics professor. Sarah''s boyfriend Wayne was in the same class and it was just a general outline for what was to come, unlike the physics class. Arnold did get the different speech about visible quantum phenomenon, though.


    Arnold had the next class off, then he had English with Tanya''s boyfriend Richard and was done for the day. There was only one day left. Friday. Biology lab day.

 171 Friday’s Freedom

    Bokuboy


    Arnold woke up the next morning, showered, and dressed appropriately for a biology lab. No loose clothing and no watch or other adornments to get in the way when working on things. He was sure there wouldn''t be anything for them to dissect and the professor would just go over procedures and things. He dressed appropriately and took his backpack, just in case, then left his dorm room and met Pam and Janet in their room.


    ¡°Good morning!¡± Pam said and gave him a kiss. ¡°Do you think ol'' Hamil is going to give us a difficult task right off the bat?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and gave Janet a kiss. ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Buttered toast and a slice of cheese this morning.¡± Janet said and the three of them ate the quick breakfast sandwiches. ¡°Just in case he does break out the preserved specimens.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don''t need my breakfast coming back up before its digested.¡± Pam laughed. ¡°I don''t mind some of the specimens, since we''ve moved on to larger ones...¡±


    ¡°She can''t handle the hamsters or gerbils.¡± Janet said with a smile.


    ¡°The little darlings are just too cute!¡± Pam exclaimed.


    ¡°My class project in elementary school was taking care of a hamster.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Mine, too!¡± Pam said. ¡°I played with it every damn day!¡±


    ¡°So did I.¡± Arnold responded.


    ¡°I think that''s how they wormed their way into my heart.¡± Pam chuckled.


    Arnold gave her an intense stare, a bit more intense than normal. ¡°Pam.¡±


    ¡°How much time...¡± Pam started to say. Suddenly, she was unceremoniously plopped onto her bed, her jeans down to her knees, then Arnold was inside of her and making her moan and pant with pleasure.


    Janet''s mouth was slightly open at the reaction, because Arnold usually prepped them before going at them. She started to get in the mood as well, just from the sounds Pam was making. She walked over to the bed and rolled up her skirt pulled off her panties, then gave Arnold a kiss. She crawled onto the bed beside Pam and waited for her turn.


    *


    ¡°I am not looking forward to today.¡± Cissily said.


    ¡°You should have showed up yesterday for the class you usually take off and Hamil might have given you today off.¡± Amy said.


    Cissily sighed. ¡°I forgot, okay?¡± She said and walked with her friend and the other lab workers to the lab.


    ¡°I''d switch with you if my students didn''t ask me to stay with them.¡± Dianne said.


    ¡°We all would.¡± One of the others said. ¡°Same reason, though.¡±


    Cissily nodded. ¡°Thanks, guys.¡±


    ¡°I''m sure if you don''t concentrate on him, things will be okay.¡± Amy said, especially since she was taking her own advice. She didn''t want to concentrate on him, either. Or his abs. Or his penis. Or his kissable lips.


    Cissily sighed again when she saw her friend''s face. ¡°Let''s just get this first class over with.¡±


    None of the others had the heart to remind her that it was double lab day for the third year class. When they entered the lab, however... Arnold was not there... and neither were the two girls he was with in class on Monday. He was always early, even when he didn''t have to be there, so something had to have happened for him to be late.


    They got to work and set up the preparation materials. The professor arrived at the lab class a few minutes later and he prepped his own work station. They all finished just in time, when the buzzer went off and the lab door opened. The students poured in and assumed their proper seats at their designated tables.


    The problem everyone soon discovered was there were three people missing from Cissily''s table. The professor noticed the absence and looked at Cissily.


    ¡°Don''t look at me! I haven''t seen him since Monday''s class.¡± Cissily said.


    She didn''t curse. A lot of the other people in the room thought.


    ¡°Well, I guess we can get started...¡± Hamil started to say, then the lab door opened and two slightly dishevelled girls came in with huge smiles as the buzzer rang again. Right behind them was a slightly dishevelled Arnold.


    ¡°We... just... made it!¡± Pam panted and plopped down onto her stool. ¡°Hoo. Hoooo.¡±


    ¡°I''ve never... run... that fast.¡± Janet said and plunked down on her stool. ¡°Thanks, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold sat down between them at Cissily''s table.


    ¡°Where the fuck were you?¡± Cissily snapped at them.


    ¡°Right there!¡± Pam said and looked at Janet, then the both of them burst out laughing. Everyone just stared at them as they laughed themselves out.


    ¡°S-s-sorry, Professor.¡± Janet said. ¡°The run here... made us giddy.¡± She said as an explanation and calmed down. ¡°I''ll change my alarm again to make sure we''re not almost late again.¡±


    Hamil nodded and started the class. Arnold had been right. It was all going to be procedure and proper handling of the new specimens, and to familiarize them to the different setup and requirements. It wasn''t much of a modification to the standard he already knew, so he picked it up quickly. Pam and Janet were seeing the new setup for the first time, since they were now third year students, and Arnold assisted them with everything.


    Cissily couldn''t very well get angry at him for it, since he wasn''t wasting her time; but, he was technically doing her job with two of her students. She had to take Amy''s advice and did her best to not concentrate on him and she took better care of the two remaining students.


    The class passed by and came to an end, then there was an off class before lunch. Pam and Janet knew Arnold had to go somewhere, so they kissed him goodbye and went to the cafeteria alone. Arnold went to Ida''s class and went right inside. Ida looked at him with a bit of surprise, then he held a hand out to Dalla.


    No! She promised that... Ida started to think.


    ¡°Oh, right! You needed me to drive you somewhere today.¡± Dalla said. ¡°Mistress, I''ll be back later. I need to fulfill our part of the agreement.¡±


    Ida could only nod as Dalla took Arnold''s hand and they left the classroom together.


    Arnold led her all the way back to the dorm. He waved to Doris as he passed her and rode the elevator to the top floor. No one was in the hallway, because they were all in class, and he took Dalla into his room. He let her hand go and changed his clothes from lab appropriate into one of his suits. Dalla was actually impressed as he went from college life to professional life so easily. She had also stared at the bulge in his underwear when it had been revealed.


    Arnold took her hand again and left the dorm room. They went down in the elevator and left the building. The van was parked in his spot and he opened the driver''s side door for her. She climbed in and he shut the door for her, then he went around and climbed into the passenger side.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Dalla asked and started the van.


    ¡°The Department of Motor Vehicles.¡± Arnold said.


    Dalla didn''t ask why and pulled out of the parking lot. It wasn''t really any of her business, even though she was curious about the answer. She drove him to where it was and parked in the large government building parking lot.


    ¡°Do you want me to come in with you?¡± Dalla asked as she let her curiosity get the better of her.


    ¡°If you want to.¡± Arnold said and unbuckled his seat belt. She did as well and they both stepped out of the van. To her surprise, he took her hand again and led her across the parking lot and into the building. It was only a little crowded and he looked at the different lines. He went to the general one and waited. When he reached the window of the cubicle, the woman behind it spoke.


    ¡°What can I do for you today.¡± She said as a statement and not as a question.


    ¡°I want to take the written driver''s test.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°ID please. If you don''t have ID, then a birth certificate and Social Security is required.¡± The woman said and Arnold gave her what she asked for. She worked on her computer for several minutes and handed the things back to him. She reached behind herself to a large stack of papers, without looking first, and put the paper on the counter. ¡°You have thirty minutes to complete it.¡± She said and looked down to get one of the cheap pens from her desk drawer.


    Arnold took out his own pen and started filling out the multiple choice answers.


    ¡°When you are finished, it will be marked. If you pass with a high enough percentage...¡± She picked up the pen and went to put it on the paper, then she saw him finish the test. ¡°What did you...¡±


    Arnold handed it to her. ¡°Mark this, please.¡±


    The clerk took the sheet and put it down, saw that the little check boxes under the questions had a mark in them. She opened her drawer and took out the cardboard template that showed only the right answers to lay over it. Her eyes scanned down it to count the wrong answers and to subtract them from 100, then her eyes widened. None of the boxes were empty. She frowned and checked to see that she had it facing the right direction and right side up, then checked again.


    She blinked her eyes in disbelief and moved the template out of the way and marked 100 on the top of the sheet, signed it herself, then used her computer. A minute later, she printed out a paper version of a beginner''s license permit.


    ¡°You have limited driving permission for six months. You must have a licensed driver with you at all times and you can''t drive at night. You need to make an appointment to take the full driving test before the six months is up, or you will need to take the written test again.¡± She said, then she smiled. ¡°It''s a different test and you can''t have memorized the answers.¡±


    ¡°Do you have it?¡± Arnold asked.


    The clerk gave him a skeptical look for a moment and shrugged. She had to turn around this time to open a filing cabinet and took out a test sheet. She handed it over and Arnold did the same thing he did with the first test. He barely read the questions and marked the answers, then handed it back.


    ¡°You didn''t just...¡± The woman shook her head and took out a different template. It matched perfectly and none of the little boxes it revealed were empty. ¡°You did.¡± She said, completely surprised.


    ¡°Who gives the driving tests?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°I do.¡± She said. ¡°In fact, I have an appointment in twenty minutes.¡± She looked into his eyes and was intrigued at the bright blue. ¡°You still have to call for an appointment.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and walked over to the seats. He still held Dalla''s hand, so she went with him. He sat down to wait and she sat down as well.


    ¡°Arnold, what are you doing?¡± Dalla asked.


    ¡°Waiting for an appointment.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°You heard what she said, right?¡± Dalla asked and he nodded. She let out a sigh and leaned back in the seat. She didn''t have to be back at the college until late that afternoon, since Ida had a double class of Liberal Arts and wouldn''t need her there until afterwards. It wasn''t until ten minutes later that Dalla realized that she actually liked just sitting there and holding someone''s hand.


    Dalla wasn''t rushing around or trying to prep something for someone else. She also hadn''t thanked him for what he did earlier that week. ¡°Arnold.¡± She said and he turned his head to look at her. ¡°Thank you for this week.¡±


    Arnold leaned in and gave her a soft and tender kiss. She reacted without thinking and a quick kiss became a deep and passionate kiss. After several seconds and a bit more public excitement than she was normally used to, Dalla let out a gasp and broke the kiss.


    ¡°I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to...¡± Dalla''s face flushed red. ¡°...I mean, I did. I just couldn''t help myself.¡±


    Arnold gave her a smile and sat back.


    ¡°I regret telling you that we can''t have sex anymore.¡± Dalla admitted and she blushed harder. ¡°It was wonderful and I can''t thank you enough for making me feel so good.¡± She said, then her blush faded. ¡°I can''t let it interfere with taking care of Ida, though. I know you understand what I mean.¡±


    Arnold nodded and looked at the clerk that administered the written test as she changed places with another woman. He stood up and Dalla stood up with him, since he still had a hold of her hand.


    The clerk put on her jacket and came around her desk with a clipboard and a stern expression. ¡°Eleven-thirty appointment with...¡± She stopped talking and looked at Arnold with surprise on her face. ¡°...Mr. Strickland.¡±


    ¡°Good god.¡± Dalla whispered. ¡°When did you make the appointment?¡±


    ¡°Last week when I knew I''d need a license.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°But... you just... only today...¡± Dalla remembered him saying he drove occasionally, which meant he had been driving illegally.


    Arnold gave her a quick kiss. ¡°Shh.¡± He whispered.


    ¡°I assume you have a vehicle.¡± The clerk, now instructor asked.


    ¡°Dalla, I need to borrow the van.¡± Arnold said and she handed over the keys without a word. ¡°It''s in the parking lot.¡±


    The instructor nodded and the three of them left the building and went to the van. What followed was the most perfect driving test she had ever administered. It was almost mechanical in its precision and she wondered how he had learned to drive so well. He didn''t get anything wrong, even when the trick portion of the test came and she told him to turn right up a one way street. He passed it and turned right at the next street and went around the one way, then resumed the direction she had previously indicated.


    They pulled into the parking lot of the government building and parked, also with precision in the exact middle of the parking space, and the instructor held her hand out. Arnold took the hand and bent over it to kiss the back of it, just like he had for Ida and Dalla.


    The instructor blushed at the gallant gesture, then she smiled. ¡°I need your temporary permit.¡±


    Arnold kept hold of her hand, took out the permit, and put it in her hand. She clipped it to her clipboard as she wrote out the information again, then somehow pulled out a small ink stamp and tapped the temporary license.


    ¡°Congratulations, Mr. Strickland. You can pick up your official beginner''s license in a few days or we can mail it to you.¡±


    ¡°I''ll pick it up.¡± Arnold said. ¡°It''s Friday, so a few days is Monday.¡±


    The woman chuckled. ¡°A few business days, so Wednesday. I can actually print one off right now; but, red tape and bureaucracy require me to make you wait.¡±


    Arnold nodded his understanding. After reading about laws, the cases that secretary had shown him, and the handbook on police procedure he had found in the duffle-like equipment bag, had given him a good knowledge base to pull from.


    ¡°What I can do is thank you for showing me what a fantastic driver you are.¡± The instructor said and Dalla took in a quick breath. ¡°So, thank you.¡±


    Arnold leaned over and was about to give her a kiss.


    ¡°You''re welcome!¡± Dalla said as she moved forward to intercept him and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Don''t mind him. He''s a kidder. A real ham.¡±


    The instructor gave her an incredulous look, then she looked at Arnold. ¡°You were going to kiss me just now, weren''t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said and Dalla sighed.


    ¡°Why?¡± The instructor asked, curious.


    ¡°It''s a thank you kiss.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°He''s the kissing bandit.¡± Dalla said and covered her mouth. ¡°I wasn''t supposed to say I knew that.¡±


    The instructor had to smile at that. ¡°So, it doesn''t matter if I''m married?¡± She asked and he shook his head. ¡°Gay?¡± She asked and he shook his head again. ¡°What if I was as ugly as a dog?¡±


    Arnold looked at her face with scrutiny. ¡°Are you?¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± The instructor gasped at the insult, then she realized what she had asked and sighed. She worded that poorly and he asked if she had thought that she was that ugly. ¡°It was just a question.¡± She said. ¡°IF I was ugly...¡± She heavily emphasized the ''if''. ¡°...would you still kiss me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Do you know that it''s inappropriate to kiss random women?¡± The instructor asked.


    ¡°You''re not a random woman.¡± Arnold said. ¡°You gave me a written test and a driving test.¡±


    She had to think about that for a minute. ¡°You don''t stop random women on the street and kiss them?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°It''s good to know that you have some standards.¡± The instructor said, then she chuckled. ¡°I can''t believe I''m sitting in a stranger''s vehicle and discussing the merits of kissing strangers.¡±


    ¡°You know my name.¡± Arnold said. ¡°What''s yours?¡±


    ¡°Karen.¡± She said. ¡°Karen Harper.¡±


    Arnold slid close and put his arms around her. ¡°Hello, Karen.¡± He said and kissed her.


    Dalla sat there and stared at him. He was kissing a woman he just met as if he had known her all his life and was deeply in love with her. He doesn''t do anything by half measures, does he? She asked herself and waited to see how long he would do it for.


    It took him ten minutes.


    Karen was starry eyed and breathing a little heavy when Arnold broke the kiss. She had hugged him tightly and gave as good as she got. ¡°How many girlfriends do you have?¡±


    ¡°None.¡± Arnold said and she gasped.


    ¡°I... well, that is... if you...¡± Karen didn''t want to admit that she was married.


    ¡°We can''t have sex.¡± Arnold said and let her go, then took her hand and tapped the ring on her finger.


    Dammit. Karen thought, then sighed in disappointment. ¡°I wish my husband could kiss like you.¡±


    ¡°Teach him.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Kiss him like you just kissed me.


    ¡°But... won''t he ask...¡±


    ¡°He''ll fuck you wherever you are if you do.¡± Arnold said.


    Karen gasped at the curse, then she felt herself tingle between her legs. ¡°We are both off for lunch.¡±


    ¡°Then go and get him.¡± Dalla said and the instructor nodded, picked up her things, and left. ¡°We should head back.¡±


    Arnold nodded and drove the van back to the campus.

 172 Home Again

    Bokuboy


    Arnold parked the van in his spot and he and Dalla climbed out. He took her into his arms and held her tenderly. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°W-wait...¡± Dalla stated to protest, then he kissed her for several seconds and she stopped thinking.


    Arnold broke the kiss and gave her the keys to the van, took her hand, and led her inside to the front desk. ¡°Hi, Doris.¡± He said and Doris beamed a smile at him. ¡°I''m going home for the weekend. Is it all right for Dalla to stay in my bed until Monday?¡±


    ¡°Well, as long as you''re okay with it.¡± Doris said and picked up a piece of paper. ¡°If anyone says anything to you, just show them this.¡± She signed it and handed it to Dalla.


    ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Dalla said, completely surprised that it was so easy to get permission to stay over.


    ¡°I''ll be back down in ten minutes. I need to pack.¡± Arnold said and Doris knew what that meant. She nodded happily and Arnold took Dalla to the elevator. They rode it to the top floor and stepped out into the hallway. It was almost lunchtime, so it was practically empty again. He took her to the dorm room and let her hand go.


    Arnold sat down at his computer and printed off several pictures. He stashed them in his drawers, in the closet in his new backpack that held his school books, and under his bed in his suitcase where he had left his old dissection tool kit. He also had the rat specimen container there and was tempted to leave one on it, then shrugged. The smell would be enough of a deterrent if they opened it.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Dalla asked.


    ¡°Prepping for the worst.¡± Arnold said and handed her the last picture. ¡°If any strange men... or a brunette with short hair...¡± He pointed to the girl in the picture. ¡°...show up here looking for me and where I live, show them that and let them know that one of the frat boys gave it to me.¡±


    Dalla''s mind finally made sense of the picture. ¡°OH MY GOD!¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Tell them if they don''t leave me alone, it will be all over social media.¡±


    ¡°That... it would ruin...¡± Dalla couldn''t finish the thought.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Arnold said. ¡°They shouldn''t show up, considering they don''t know it was me that received the pictures and video.¡±


    ¡°There''s VIDEO?¡± Dalla gasped loudly.


    ¡°I''ll show you when I get back.¡± Arnold said and went for the door.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Dalla said and went to him. ¡°Why are you letting me handle this?¡±


    ¡°I don''t want you and Ida to get hurt over their stupid revenge.¡± Arnold said.


    Dalla took a deep breath and let it out, then she put her arms around his neck and kissed him, as if she had loved him for all her life. ¡°Thank you, Arnold.¡±


    ¡°We can''t have sex. I have to go.¡± Arnold said.


    Dalla laughed softly, surprised that he could read her so easily. ¡°If you get back late Sunday night, I''ll still be in your bed.¡± She said and blushed a little. ¡°I''ll set the alarm for early enough as well.¡±


    Arnold gave her another kiss, picked up his already packed backpack, and left the dorm room. He rode the elevator down to the ground floor and saw that Doris was already away from her desk and her ''gone for lunch'' sign was on top of it. He went around the desk and entered the back room and shut the door.


    A very horny black beauty reclined on the bed and she had her legs spread wide for him. ¡°Your hot box lunch is ready for you, my handsome young lover.¡± Doris purred. ¡°It has missed your expert lips.¡±


    Arnold quickly took off his suit, climbed onto the bed, and went down on her.


    *


    An hour later, the bus pulled to a stop and picked up a casually dressed young man.


    ¡°Hey, there! Heading home so soon? I didn''t expect you until tomorrow morning.¡± The bus driver said.


    Arnold took out his bus pass and scanned it. ¡°I made sure to keep my Friday afternoons clear.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Your mom''s gonna love that.¡± The bus driver said and pulled away from the curb. ¡°How was your first week at school?¡±


    ¡°Quick.¡± Arnold said. ¡°We barely had any work to do.¡±


    ¡°You won''t be saying that next week when the professors get revved up.¡± The bus driver laughed. ¡°I doubt I''ll see you again for a couple of weeks.¡±


    They chatted occasionally during the long two hour drive and the bus pulled over at the bus stop.


    ¡°See you Sunday night.¡± The driver said and watched the young man leave his bus.


    *


    Annie sat on her comfy couch and watched mind numbing television programs that she watched every day. She wore loose jogging pants and a long sleeved t-shirt that was so big, three of her could fit in it. It was like a tent and it fell down to her knees, and she laughed every time she put it on. She had bought it as a joke when she had passed by one of those big and tall stores, then soon discovered the thing was the most comfortable and soft piece of clothing she owned.


    She sipped her giant mug of tea and waited patiently for Arnold to call and let her know if he was going to be home this weekend. She looked at the clock and saw that she had another hour or so before he was out of class and would contact her. Her sigh was loud when she let it out, because she still couldn''t find a job.


    Staying at home and taking care of her family was all Annie had known for twenty years. No one was willing to take a chance on her, not even herself. She didn''t argue very hard when she was rejected, because she knew if she screwed up, she would have no one to blame but herself. That was a hard thing to admit to yourself, that when it came to certain things, you were afraid.


    There was a knock on her front door and she put her tea down to go and answer it. She had no clue who it could be, so when she opened the door, she let out a shriek of surprise.


    ¡°ARNOLD!¡± Annie yelled and jumped into his arms. She hugged him tightly and held on for several moments. She gasped and let him go. ¡°Wait, why are you home so early? Did something happen? Oh! Don''t tell me they kicked you out! I''ll kill them!¡±


    Arnold raised his eyebrows at her, which made her laugh, because she knew he was practically shouting with that reaction.


    ¡°Don''t mind me.¡± Annie said, then she realized what had happened. ¡°Why did you have to knock?¡±


    ¡°My keys are in my other pants.¡± Arnold said and pointed to the bag in his hand.


    ¡°You changed so fast to get here that you didn''t take your keys?¡± Annie asked and laughed again. ¡°Come on. Get in here.¡± She said and dragged him into the house. ¡°I was just thinking about you while I waited for your call.¡±


    Arnold put his bag down and took off his jacket.


    ¡°Is there anything special you want for supper?¡± Annie asked. ¡°I was going to cook something fast...¡±


    ¡°That''s fine.¡± Arnold said and took her hand, then led her into the living room. He sat her on the couch then laid down to rest his head on her lap.


    Annie had expected it and had pulled her huge top out of the way for him, then she grinned and let the fabric go. ¡°You really can fit inside of it with me!¡± She said and burst out laughing as Arnold''s head and chest were completely covered by it.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Arnold asked and started to dig through it and ended up inside of it with her. He saw the underwire bra his mother wore and frowned. ¡°You shouldn''t wear bras like that.¡± He said and dug his fingers into the thick understrap, and lifted it.


    ¡°ARNOLD!¡± Annie gasped as her bra was lifted and her breasts were set free. She tried to grab them over the fabric, then she felt his hand go behind her back and undid the clasp. ¡°What are you doing?!?¡±


    ¡°Look at the damage it does.¡± Arnold said and he gently rubbed the red indents in her skin that were just under her breasts. ¡°Do you have any moisturizing creme?¡±


    Annie just sat there, her hands cupping her own breasts through the top, and her bra was only held on by the shoulder holes. She watched wordlessly as Arnold came out from under the large top and he left the living room. He was back a minute later with the creme and she didn''t say anything as he ducked back under the large top and laid back down.


    She shivered as Arnold carefully applied the slightly cold creme to the crevasses the underwire had left in her skin. ¡°Arnold... you...¡± She swallowed audibly as he massaged the skin. ¡°How do you know how to do that?¡±


    ¡°I help Doris when she wears one.¡± Arnold said and heard his mother gasp. ¡°She wears it to give her shoulders a break, because of all the weight they normally carry with her large breasts.¡±


    ¡°Arnold... do you... do you play with her breasts when you do that?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Why would I play with them?¡±


    Annie let out a sigh of relief. Her hands were cramping from holding her breasts so tightly, so she let them go.


    ¡°Your nipples are poking out.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Don''t touch them!¡± Annie gasped.


    ¡°Why would I touch them? It''s because of the cold creme.¡± Arnold said and kept working. When he had finished, he came back out from under the top.


    ¡°Arnold... I... you have to know that... that wasn''t okay.¡± Annie said, her face red.


    Even though it had felt really good, and she was very happy that he was that concerned for her, having her own son massage her like that wasn''t something she had ever thought he would do for her.


    He''s wrong about the cold creme being the reason. Annie thought, nervously.


    Her body had reacted to the contact, even though it wasn''t intimate contact, and her mind couldn''t handle that her own son made her nipples pop out, and he hadn''t even been trying to do it.


    ¡°I love you, Mom.¡± Arnold said and hugged her.


    ¡°I... I don''t want... to hear...¡± Annie tried to say that she didn''t want to hear that he loved her, not with her body reacting like that, and yet, she couldn''t tell him.


    ¡°I will never try to caress, molest, grab, pinch, lick, or kiss any part of you in a sexual way.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie shivered, because that was what her mind was thinking. If he tried anything, would he take her rejection... her adamant and instant rejection... as a sign that she didn''t actually love him?


    ¡°You told me the difference. I''ve had sex. I''ve seen and felt the difference between normal touching and sexual touching.¡±


    ¡°A-Arnold, I...¡±


    ¡°Mom.¡± Arnold let her out of the hug and looked into her eyes. ¡°I will never have sex with you.¡± He took her hand and pushed it towards his crotch.


    ¡°NO!¡± Annie tried to pull her hand away and she couldn''t.


    ¡°It''s not hard, Mom.¡± Arnold said and put her hand on the bulge in his jeans. ¡°I saw you naked a lot, and I just saw you with excited nipples, and it''s not hard. I rubbed the soft and supple skin under your breasts and it''s not hard.¡±


    It''s not getting hard with my hand on it, either. Annie thought, then she shook her head at having such a stupid thought. ¡°L-let me go.¡±


    ¡°I love you, Mom. I will never do anything to harm you.¡± Arnold said and let her hand go. ¡°I promise.¡±


    Annie took in a sharp breath, because he hadn''t said anything like that before. ¡°Arnold!¡±


    Arnold thought back to his sociology class. ¡°You are my mother. You gave birth to me. You love me and you raised me. You taught me everything you could to help me. You nurtured me and let me grow into the man I am today.¡±


    Annie''s face turned sad and she started to berate herself for assuming he would try something.


    ¡°I''m sorry you thought I would take advantage of you, Mom.¡± Arnold said and wiped at her face as she started to cry. ¡°I''m sorry.¡±


    Annie sobbed and took him into a hug. She held him tightly for several minutes as she cried, then she calmed down and eased her hold on him. ¡°I''m the one that''s sorry.¡± She said and gave him a quick kiss. ¡°I thought... with what was happening...¡± She shook her head. ¡°If you did grab my breasts and tried to... play with them or... or tried to suckle...¡±


    Arnold didn''t say anything and waited for her to finish.


    ¡°It would... it would break something inside of me, Arnold.¡± Annie admitted as she tapped her temple, then she looked deep into his eyes. ¡°If you ever tried anything, I... I wouldn''t... I couldn''t be your mother anymore. I wouldn''t be me, anymore.¡± She said, then she asked something that she never thought she would ask, because she always assumed he did. ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mom.¡± Arnold said. ¡°If I tried to have sex with you, my mother would die and another person would be in your body.¡±


    ¡°That''s right, and I don''t know what that person would be like.¡± Annie said. ¡°Vengeful, possessive, loving, horrible, angry, evil.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I don''t know what I would become if you crossed that line, and I never, ever, ever, ever want to find out.¡± She said. ¡°Is that clear?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mom. Perfectly clear.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Good, because I never thought I would have to have a ''please, no sex with your mother'' conversation.¡± Annie said. ¡°Now kiss me and I''ll try to push this whole conversation out of my head.¡±


    Arnold caressed the side of her face. ¡°I love you, Mom.¡± He said and gave her a brief kiss.


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Annie said. ¡°Let''s go make something quick to eat.¡± She stood up and slipped her bra straps off her shoulders and then let the bra drop to the floor. She was never wearing it again, considering what it had just caused.


    ¡°Do you have anything planned for tomorrow?¡± Arnold asked as they went to the kitchen.


    ¡°Only you finishing Beth''s hedges on the other side of the property.¡± Annie said and took out two cutting boards. ¡°I think she''s been getting more and more concerned as the week went on that you might not finish it this weekend.¡±


    ¡°I''ll do it early in the morning. I don''t need the wood chipper. I already covered everything in mulch.¡± Arnold said and handed her two knives.


    Annie took the one that she preferred. ¡°We can store the excess branches in the back of the yard until next year, or we can gather them together and have a bit of a bonfire party.¡±


    ¡°It would be very smoky.¡± Arnold said and she chuckled.


    ¡°Oh, right. I guess it''s next year after all.¡± Annie said. ¡°Hand me the carrots and you start the potatoes.¡±


    Arnold did so and they spent half an hour making themselves a quick and nutritious meal that they both liked. After that, they went back to the couch and resumed their places. Annie was a bit more careful with her large top and Arnold ignored her attempt and pulled it over his face.


    ¡°Arnold, what...¡±


    Arnold pulled it away from his face. ¡°Peek-a-boo.¡± He said and covered his face again.


    Annie chuckled and shook her head, then he did it again and she laughed. ¡°Arnold!¡±


    ¡°I like your laugh.¡± Arnold said and she smiled as she rubbed her hand over his blonde buzz-cut.


    ¡°You don''t know how happy it makes me that you can say that.¡± Annie said. ¡°Oops! I just told you!¡±


    Arnold smiled and she laughed again, then she bent down slightly and briefly kissed him.


    ¡°My sweet little boy.¡± Annie whispered. ¡°How I wish things like sex never came up.¡±


    ¡°According to the sociology professor, it always comes up.¡± Arnold said. ¡°She also said to excuse the pun; but, I don''t know what she meant.¡±


    Annie chuckled and she didn''t dare enlighten him. ¡°What else did she say?¡±


    ¡°That your mother is the first woman you ever love.¡± Arnold said. ¡°All other loves can only compare to it.¡±


    Annie opened her mouth to say that wasn''t true, since the first girl you fell in love with was usually the one great love of your life. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I only told two people that I loved them.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie didn''t even have to think about it. Kelly and myself.


    ¡°Empirical evidence tells me that it has to be true.¡± Arnold responded.


    Annie''s heart went pitter-patter at the admission that the love he felt for her, he used as a comparison for any other love that he felt for someone else. The both of them fell silent after that and they pretended to watch television.

 173 Yard Work

    When it was time to go to bed, Arnold and Annie went upstairs and stopped in the hallway.


    ¡°Arnold, I... I want to... well, I don''t want to... I love you and...¡± Annie mumbled.


    ¡°I haven''t slept in my bed in a while.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie took in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Arnold, I just...¡± She sighed. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    Arnold gave her a quick kiss. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    Arnold went into his room and changed for bed, and Annie only had to change her large top. For the first time ever, she was a little self-conscious about being naked with Arnold in the house, and that bothered her. It bothered her a lot. She knew it was her own fault and she berated herself for thinking that her own son would try anything with her. She left her top off and walked across the hallway, topless.


    ¡°Arnold, I changed my mind. I want to cuddle my sweet little boy in bed tonight.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and got out of bed. He followed her to her room and she put on a normal t-shirt, then the two of them climbed into bed and laid down.


    ¡°I''m sorry for acting so silly.¡± Annie said as he put his arms around her from behind. ¡°You''ve grown up so much and I''m having a difficult time with my own feelings about everything.¡± She hugged his arms and let out another sigh. ¡°I was so worried that these strong and comfortable arms of yours might change and become things I would fear touching me.¡±


    Arnold kissed the back of her neck and then rested his forehead against it, the way he always did. It ensured that certain parts of their anatomy never touched in a sexual manner and now that Annie was hyper-aware of her body in relation to her son, she realized he had always done that. He never rubbed her by accident, or moved in his sleep, or even... heaven forbid... dry humped her in the mornings when he was practically guaranteed to have an erection.


    ¡°You''ve always been careful, haven''t you?¡± Annie asked. ¡°Of me... sexually, I mean.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°When did you know I might start getting nervous?¡±


    ¡°After I broke up with Heather.¡± Arnold said. ¡°You didn''t hug me as much and you didn''t walk around in your bra and panties in front of me.¡±


    Annie sighed. ¡°I''m sorry. I didn''t realize I did that.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Arnold said and she turned around in his arms.


    ¡°Why didn''t you say anything?¡±


    ¡°I started dating Kelly and you went back to normal.¡±


    Annie opened her mouth to respond, then she chuckled. ¡°Do you like seeing me like that?¡±


    ¡°You''re very pretty.¡± Arnold said and she laughed, because she knew that was his automatic response.


    ¡°I''ve been more foolish than I thought I was.¡± Annie said and gave him a kiss. ¡°I''ll try to stay normal from now on, okay?¡±


    ¡°Can I poke your pokey nipples when they poke me? They are very pokey.¡±


    Annie laughed and put the tips of her index fingers on his. ¡°No.¡± Poke. ¡°You cannot.¡± Poke. ¡°Poke my pokey nipples!¡± Poke. ¡°It''s not my fault I was born with pokey nipples!¡±


    ¡°You didn''t train them?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°How in the world would I train them to poke harder?¡± Annie asked and laughed for several moments, then she calmed down. ¡°Ooh. Oooh. That''s funny.¡± She moved her hands to his face and cupped the sides of it. ¡°Thank you, Arnold. Thank you.¡±


    Arnold gave her two quick kisses and she laughed again.


    ¡°The kissing bandit?¡± Annie asked and he nodded. She turned back around and they settled into bed. ¡°Just be careful who you do it to. It could really backfire if you''re not careful.¡± She warned him. ¡°Not every woman will like getting a kiss from a stranger, even if she likes kissing.¡±


    ¡°I can introduce myself first.¡± Arnold said, recalling the instructor at the DMV.


    ¡°Ha ha! Hi, there! I''m the kissing bandit! Mmmwah!¡± Annie made a kissing sound and laughed.


    ¡°That should work.¡± Arnold said and she laughed harder.


    After a few minutes, Annie took several deep breaths and her breathing slowed down. ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Arnold said and hugged her tightly, then eased his hold and the both of them drifted off to sleep.


    *


    The next day, Beth was having her early morning cup of coffee and she went out onto her front porch to sit down and enjoy the cool air. Despite her complaints to her friends and neighbours about the mornings getting colder these days, she put on a sweater and went out anyway. She had just sat down when she saw Arnold come out through the front door of the house next door.


    She held in her shout of surprise, because she didn''t want him to know how nervous she was about him not coming home to complete the yard work. She had already put some money in an envelope for him, even with the job half finished, and she kept it on her refrigerator as a reminder. She watched him go to the backyard and lost sight of him, then he came back out with the tools.


    ¡°Hello, Arnold.¡± Beth said and her back straightened automatically.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Arnold said and he started to work. After a few minutes, she caught her breath when he paused and took off his shirt, because it was getting too warm to work and stay covered.


    ¡°I''ll hold that for you.¡± Beth offered and Arnold walked over to hand it to her. What followed was her having a satisfying cup of coffee as she watched Arnold trim off the hedges in the front yard. The cooler weather kept the coffee at a manageable level and she drank it at a steady rhythm, just like Arnold worked at a steady rhythm.


    Beth went inside the house and hung the shirt next to the jackets and went to the kitchen to get a bottle of water. He looked like he was sweating a little, so she also grabbed a small hand towel from the bathroom and went back outside. She waited for him to finish a particularly difficult cut and he put down the hedge trimmers to collect the branches.


    ¡°You should wipe yourself off and have a drink of water.¡± Beth held the towel and water out to him.


    Arnold accepted the towel and wiped off his face and neck, then did a quick swipe over his blonde buzz-cut. He handed her the towel and took the water, took only a few small sips and not the guzzling gulp she thought he was going to take, then he handed the bottle back.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. He started to load the branches and leaves into the wheelbarrow and took them to the very back of his backyard. He came back and loaded it again, dumped that load, then did it again. He went back to trimming the hedge and kept working.


    Beth stood there with her mouth slightly open in shock the entire time.


    Every half an hour, Arnold returned to her and used the towel and sipped the water. He didn''t thank her each time, though. Since she stayed right there, he assumed it was the same gesture and he had already thanked her for it. If Beth had been smart, she would have left and come back out each time and he would have kept thanking her. Arnold had almost finished the entire job by lunch time and Annie came out with a plate of sandwiches.


    ¡°Hi, Beth.¡± Annie said as she came over to her. ¡°It looks like he''s almost done.¡±


    ¡°Y-y-yes.¡± Beth said and looked at her hands. ¡°Oh, damn. I ran out of water. Be right back.¡±


    Annie chuckled and Arnold came over to her. ¡°I''m glad she''s staying out here to keep an eye on you.¡±


    ¡°She''s taking care of me, too.¡± Arnold said and took a sandwich. ¡°Thanks, Mom.¡± He said and gave her a quick kiss.


    ¡°I have more water.¡± Beth said and walked over to them with a couple of bottles. Seeing Arnold thank his mother the same way, made her relax. ¡°Why don''t we all sit down?¡±


    The three of them sat on her porch and had a sandwich each with some water.


    ¡°I don''t have any plans for this afternoon, so we''re just going to relax and let you rest.¡± Annie said. ¡°We can worry about bringing Claire back her tools tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and went back to work.


    ¡°See you later, Beth.¡± Annie said and took the empty plate back to her house.


    Beth waved and went around the house to watch Arnold finish the job. ¡°Put your tools away and come into the house. I have something special to give you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    Beth went in the back door that led directly to the kitchen, while Arnold returned everything to the shed. She put the empty water bottles into the recycle bin and saw that her hands were a little messy from eating the sandwich. She went to the sink and washed her hands. It was then she realized that she had nothing to dry her hands.


    She flicked her hands as if to dry them and sprinkled water all over her own face, sweater, and the counter. That made her laugh and she wiped her hands on her now wet sweater. It was red, so the wet parts were clearly visible.


    ¡°What were you thinking? Now it''s soaked through!¡± Beth laughed and walked towards the bathroom as she lifted up her sweater to take it off. She had one arm out and then she froze when she saw Arnold come in through the front door. ¡°A-A-Arnold!¡±


    Arnold shut the door and walked over to her. ¡°You look very pretty.¡±


    Beth blushed deeply, because she was half naked in front of her neighbour''s son and he just complimented her.


    ¡°Let me help you.¡± Arnold said in a calm voice and then pulled the wet sweater off.


    ¡°A-Arnold.¡± Beth whispered.


    ¡°Hi, there. I''m the kissing bandit.¡± Arnold said and put his arms around her.


    Beth''s mouth opened in surprise, then he kissed her unlike anyone had ever kissed her before. Before she knew it, her hands dug out his t-shirt and she rubbed her hands over his muscles and she kissed him back. A few moments later, her bra was gone and he was suckling her breasts. She moaned loudly as he played and teased her, then he picked her up.


    ¡°Bedroom.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Up... upstairs.¡± Beth whispered, instead of saying no or telling him to stop. She knew she should have, since it had started as a simple accident, and then she was on the bed and felt things she hadn''t felt in years. His tongue and fingers were in places she was surprised he knew of, considering how young he was, then he did things to her that she absolutely loved.


    It wasn''t like she hadn''t been touched or had sex in a while. In fact, just last month she had dated a handsome older man that had caught her interest. The sex was good, too. That thought brought her back to reality.


    ¡°Condom!¡± Beth exclaimed. She did NOT want to get pregnant by her neighbour''s son.


    Arnold stood up and he was already wearing one.


    Beth started to relax and as Arnold climbed on top of her, she realized what was about to happen. ¡°I''m old enough to be your mother!¡±


    ¡°I can''t have sex with my mother.¡± Arnold said and slid inside of her.


    ¡°OHHHHHH!¡± Beth moaned loudly. She had never had anyone say something like that to her and something clicked inside of her head. Whatever that statement had changed in her brain, it made sex with him feel very, very naughty and extremely pleasurable. She came, and came, and came again as he moved in and out of her, then he started to use some more of the things Doris had taught him.


    Beth writhed on the bed and moaned as Arnold made love to her. He changed positions and rolled her over, then suddenly his rock hard penis was digging so deep inside of her that her entire body shivered at the pleasure she felt. She came again and her eyes tried to roll into the back of her head. She fought the feeling, because she didn''t want to pass out... not now... and she struggled to stay conscious.


    ¡°Ch-ch-change.¡± Beth managed to say.


    Arnold moved on to the next position and she relaxed. She felt him moving and it didn''t bother her as much. She was still being pleased; but, it wasn''t mind numbing or too much for her to handle.


    For about ten seconds.


    Arnold switched again and then she felt him pressing himself inside of her and rubbing the deepest part of her. She came and came, then she couldn''t fight the feeling anymore and her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she blacked out.


    *


    Arnold felt it when Beth passed out, so he stopped having sex with her and checked her. He had read about basic medical procedures after Kelly''s incident and knew what to do with someone that was unconscious. He did everything to make sure she had a clear airway and wasn''t going to choke, checked her pulse, and since she was naked, he didn''t have to loosen any clothing. He turned her onto her side and made sure that she looked comfortable.


    He thought about leaving, then remembered that someone had to stay and make sure the person woke up. He picked up the phone and told his mother that he was staying at Beth''s for a little while and that she insisted if he was going to rest from a job he did for her, it was going to be at her place. Annie laughed and told him to come home whenever Beth lets him leave.


    Arnold laid down beside her to look into her eyes, so he would know exactly when she woke up, then he started to count. This was definitely going to add to his data collection set. He hadn''t had sex and knocked someone unconscious before, so it was a new experience for him. With the look on Beth''s face, he guessed that it was a new experience for her, too.


    *


    Beth opened her eyes and her body still tingled from what had happened, then she gasped. ¡°Arnold!¡±


    ¡°You were unconscious for thirty four minutes and ten seconds.¡± Arnold said. ¡°How do you feel?¡± He asked, since that was what the instructions had said.


    ¡°I... oh, my god.¡± Beth closed her eyes. ¡°We had sex.¡±


    ¡°You did.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I haven''t finished yet.¡±


    ¡°WH-WH-WHAT?!?¡± Beth yelled.


    ¡°I stopped when you fell unconscious.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I didn''t want to hurt you if I kept going.¡±


    ¡°That... was nice of you?¡± Beth asked and shook her head. ¡°Oh, god. I just had sex with Annie''s son.¡±


    ¡°I''ll try not to knock you out this time.¡± Arnold said and sat up.


    ¡°What... no, you...¡± Beth started to say, then he was on top of her and back inside. ¡°OhhHHHH!¡± She moaned loudly as she came again, to her surprise, and he hadn''t even started. ¡°Arnold, please...¡±


    ¡°I''ll be more careful. I know your tolerance now.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Number four is the best for you.¡±


    ¡°Number four wha... OH MY GOD!¡± Beth yelled when he put her into position four and all she felt was his penis as he rubbed her all over on the inside. She had never... never... had anyone do that to her before. She didn''t know something like that was even possible and she came again and again.


    Arnold was right, though. She didn''t black out from pleasure, even though she really thought she should have.


    One person shouldn''t feel this much pleasure! Beth thought, because she couldn''t speak out loud through her grunts, moans, and yells of pleasure. It''s too much! I''m coming too much!


    Arnold slowed down to check her and she suddenly reached up and grabbed onto his shoulders.


    ¡°D-d-d-don''t.... s-s-s-stop!¡± Beth squeaked out.


    Arnold took her at her word and kept going.

 174 More Yard Work

    ¡°What in the world am I going to say to your mother?¡± Beth asked out loud half an hour later as she laid on the side of the bed and faced Arnold, who stood in front of her with his erect hardness in front of her face. ¡°I''m sorry that I had sex with your son, Annie. At least I didn''t suck on his co-mmmMmmm!¡±


    Arnold slipped his penis into her open mouth and Beth gave him an incredulous look, as if he had taken her last excuse from her, then she did what he wanted and pleased him. Less than ten minutes later, his technique faltered.


    ¡°Inside or out?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°MOH!¡± Beth mumbled loudly and pointed up.


    Arnold slipped out and jerked on himself, right in front of her face, and she couldn''t help but stare at the thing that had made her feel more like a woman than she had ever felt before. At the last moment, she rolled onto her back and cupped her breasts together, just to make sure that he didn''t try to splash it on her face. She hated it when she got it in her eyes, because it itched for a long time afterwards.


    He obliged her and sprayed it all over her chest. Beth was actually a little surprised at the amount that shot out, because it went on and on, with several heavy squirts, and then he was done.


    ¡°Good lord.¡± Beth said at the huge mess he had made. ¡°Did I really make you come that much?¡±


    ¡°I came in the condom, too.¡± Arnold said.


    Beth gave him a pointed look, then she looked at his penis. She could see there was still some left on it, so she nodded at it and opened her mouth. Arnold put it back in and she sucked and licked it, then she forgot that she only wanted to give him that one little tease and kept going. Another ten minutes later, Arnold asked her where she wanted it.


    Beth put her arms around his backside and held on as she squeezed his firm cheeks. ¡°MmmmMMM!¡± She moaned as he came inside and the pulse and twitching his penis did in her mouth made her come a little, too. It was the first time someone had come so many times so quickly because of her, and she liked it. She liked it a lot.


    Arnold pulled out and bent over her. ¡°Don''t tell my mom.¡±


    ¡°But... Arnold, she... we''ve known each other for...¡± Beth stopped talking, because she was about to say that she knew Annie for longer than Arnold had been alive.


    ¡°Mom might be sad if you tell her. I don''t want her to be sad.¡± Arnold said and handed her a towel.


    Beth took the towel and sighed. ¡°You''re right. She might think that I betrayed her if she knew.¡± She wiped up the mess she could see and sat up. ¡°I didn''t though. You''ve become a man...¡± She looked at his still erect penis. ¡°...and you can make your own decisions.¡± She looked at his face as she stood. ¡°I won''t hurt her by telling her what happened here.¡±


    Arnold stepped close and ran his fingers through her hair, then he put his arms around her. ¡°We need to shower.¡±


    ¡°Definitely.¡± Beth said and moved to go into the bathroom. He didn''t let her go, though. ¡°Arnold...¡±


    ¡°Together.¡± Arnold said and picked her up.


    ¡°What?!?¡± Beth exclaimed as he carried her into the bathroom. He put her in the shower and turned the water on at the perfect temperature, then she was pressed against the wall of the stall. He had on another condom and was inside of her again. She did nothing except moan his name, over and over.


    *


    Annie sat on the couch and watched television. It was almost like she was home alone and she was a little saddened about that. She couldn''t begrudge Beth for wanting Arnold to relax at her place, not after all the work he did for her.


    For free, no less. Annie chuckled. Like Arnold would ever ask her for money!


    ¡°Mom.¡± Arnold said when he came in the front door. He was freshly showered and she nodded her approval. ¡°Beth gave me this.¡± He said and handed her an envelope.


    Annie opened it and it had a hundred dollars inside. ¡°Arnold! This...¡±


    ¡°She said she had it on the refrigerator all week for me.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Beth, you sneaky little...¡± Annie chuckled and handed it back. ¡°No wonder she was getting nervous about you not showing up!¡±


    Arnold handed it to her again.


    ¡°Arnold...¡± Annie sighed. ¡°You should keep it.¡±


    ¡°I still have money left from what you gave me going to work.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Still? I thought... aren''t you spending it?¡±


    Arnold shrugged. He didn''t really have a lot of things to spend money on, except cafeteria food, occasionally going out to eat, and groceries. That wasn''t really going to change in the near future, so he had plenty of money left.


    ¡°You''re giving everything to me.¡± Annie said in a soft voice as she stood up and hugged her son. ¡°Your salary all summer, the money for that girl to share your room, and now this.¡± She said and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    They stood there and held each other and didn''t say anything for several moments, then Annie let him go and took him into the living room.


    ¡°I hope Beth didn''t annoy you too much by making you stay over there.¡± Annie said and sat down, then Arnold laid down and put his head on her lap.


    ¡°I had fun.¡± Arnold said and Annie ran her hand over his buzz-cut.


    ¡°I''m glad.¡± Annie said. ¡°Sometimes I... I get a little worried that having you come home on the weekends you can, just to spend time with me, might be boring for you or not keep your interest, especially with everything you''ve got going on in your life now.¡±


    ¡°I''ll always come back to you.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie''s heart went pitter-patter. ¡°My sweet little boy.¡± She said and gave him another kiss. ¡°Do you want anything special for supper? Broiled or baked chicken breasts?¡± She asked, then she chuckled. ¡°I even bought that giant box of rice that''s going to last me forever.¡±


    ¡°Baked and diced chicken. We can add some sauce for flavor. The rice alone is too dry sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know.¡± Annie said. ¡°I cooked it once for a bit too long and it came out of the pot as a solid mass and thumped onto my plate.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I was too late to save it, so now I don''t leave the stove when I cook it.¡±


    Arnold nodded and she smiled.


    ¡°Do you want to wait here or do you want to supervise?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°Supervise.¡± Arnold said and they both went to the kitchen.


    Annie had fun just puttering around the kitchen with her son as they cooked. It wasn''t a big deal, or happened all the time; but, she cherished these moments for as long as she could. She knew that they were going to be few and far between, so she enjoyed it as much as she could while she could.


    They ate and spent the evening together in the living room, while Annie made fun of some of the new shows on the television. Some of the premises were ridiculous and she couldn''t believe that they would be approved for a pilot, let alone for an entire season. After that, they went upstairs and changed for bed, then spent the night cuddled together.


    Annie didn''t have any kind of impure thought even once.


    *


    Claire woke up the next morning and she was once again delighted and saddened that she was all alone in her large house. Heather had planned to come home with Eric, then his plans had fallen through and Heather had stayed at the college to work on her first project. Claire left her bedroom wearing a long nightgown and didn''t bother putting on a robe. It was a little chilly, so her nipples popped out and could be clearly seen through the thin silky fabric.


    ¡°It''s too bad that Arnold''s not here to take advantage of these things.¡± Claire joked with herself and flicked them with her thumbs. She prepped her morning cup of tea and waited for it, then she dug out one of the danishes she had taken home from working in the store yesterday. It had been her one Saturday a month that she visited and took care of things. The sad part was that she was starting to get a little tired of having to do it. She chuckled, because it was only one day a month and she was thinking about not doing it anymore.


    ¡°I''m really getting spoiled if I don''t want to work even one day a month!¡± Claire said out loud and laughed.


    There was a knock on her front door and she almost spilled her tea. There was only one person that she knew that would knock before trying to ring the doorbell. She practically ran from the kitchen and stopped at the closet, slipped on a thin jacket in case he wasn''t alone, and went to the door as she held the jacket closed. Her heart sped up when she opened the door and it was Arnold, then was glad she had grabbed the jacket, because Annie was beside him.


    ¡°I came to return your tools.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Did we catch you at a bad time?¡± Annie asked and looked at the jacket and the nightgown under it.


    ¡°I was having tea and forgot my robe.¡± Claire said. ¡°You know why.¡±


    Annie chuckled. ¡°So does Arnold.¡±


    Claire had to laugh. ¡°I was a bit cautious for nothing.¡± She said and let the jacket flop open and one of her poking nipples could be clearly seen. ¡°Can you come in or are you heading somewhere?¡±


    ¡°We''re not busy.¡± Annie said. ¡°Arnold, go ahead and put the tools back in the shed.¡±


    Arnold left and Annie went inside with Claire, who dropped off her jacket and Annie''s. They went to the kitchen and Claire made another cup of tea and freshened up her own.


    ¡°So, are you feeling Empty Nest Syndrome as much as I am?¡± Annie asked as Claire gave her a cup.


    ¡°Is it that obvious?¡± Claire asked.


    ¡°It''s almost ten and you''re still wearing your nightgown.¡± Annie said with a smile and took a sip of tea. ¡°That was me on Friday.¡±


    Claire chuckled and sat down. ¡°I''m both happy and sad that the house is empty. It''s really confusing!¡±


    Annie laughed and nodded. ¡°Now you know why I sometimes go to visit Arnold when he can''t come home for the weekends.¡±


    ¡°Is that even possible? Where do you sleep?¡±


    ¡°Did.¡± Annie said, then she sighed. ¡°Arnold has a new roommate.¡±


    ¡°Already?¡± Claire asked, surprised.


    ¡°He got one on the very first day, if you can believe it.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°That... well, that''s...¡±


    ¡°Amazingly frustrating.¡± Annie said, then they both laughed.


    ¡°That''s almost as bad as having a child in a small single room.¡± Claire said. ¡°I honestly can''t remember the rooms being that small when I went there.¡±


    ¡°I see it the same way as when I visited Arnold in elementary school.¡± Annie said and Claire nodded.


    ¡°We''re so much older than when we went there.¡± Claire responded.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Annie leaned back in her chair and took another sip of tea. ¡°It''s like a whole different world that we left behind.¡±


    Claire sighed and leaned back herself. ¡°Our lives have changed so much since then.¡±


    Arnold came in the door to the kitchen from the outside. ¡°Your lawn needs to be cut.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Claire stood up and looked out the large windows. ¡°Oh, damn. I forgot to call someone...¡±


    ¡°I''ll do it.¡± Arnold said. ¡°For the tools.¡±


    Claire looked at Annie. ¡°Do you mind me borrowing him for a few hours?¡±


    Annie shook her head. ¡°We don''t have any plans.¡±


    ¡°I''ll have him home by two.¡± Claire said and looked at the lawn again. ¡°Um, maybe three.¡±


    Annie laughed. ¡°As long as he''s home for supper. We''ll have a few hours to hang out and then he has to get the bus back to the college.¡±


    Claire nodded. ¡°I better get changed if we''re doing yard work.¡± She said and looked at Arnold. ¡°I''ll grab jogging pants and a shirt for you. Those look too new for this.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I better go.¡± Annie said and drank the last of her tea. ¡°Arnold, I''ll see you at home.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and Annie left.


    ¡°Arnold, we might as well go and get changed together.¡± Claire said when the front door closed. She took his hand and led him through the house and up the stairs, down the hallway, and into her bedroom. ¡°Please tell me that we can make love right now.¡±


    ¡°We can make love right now.¡± Arnold said.


    Claire whipped off her nightgown, which left her in just her panties. ¡°Look, Arnold. I''m soaked for you already and you haven''t even done anything to me yet.¡±


    Arnold stepped close and gave her a kiss, then he started to kneel. He gave her hard nipples two quick sucks, then he pulled her panties off. He kissed her there and she moaned loudly and came, just like that.


    ¡°My handsome young lover.¡± Claire said and pulled him up to stand, kissed him with her own taste on his lips, then she knelt and pleased him the same way. She noticed that he was a lot more responsive and that made her enthusiastic about it as she sucked on him. She looked up at his face and he stared down at her.


    ¡°Mm hmm.¡± Claire mumbled and he came for her. It was the best feeling to have him do that to her, or in her mind for her, and she cleaned him up with her mouth and tongue. They went to the bed and Arnold put her right into position six to make her scream his name as soon as he entered her.


    An hour later, Arnold was washed, dressed, and out cutting the lawn. Twenty minutes after that, Claire came out wearing skimpy shorts and a t-shirt that barely covered her bra. She was feeling extra sexy and she wanted everyone to know it, even though subconsciously, she knew that she really shouldn''t be advertising herself like this.


    Anyone with half a brain would know that something had happened, especially since her long blonde hair was all teased out and she wore her best make-up. She made sure to not flash either her ass or her breasts at the neighbours as she worked at trimming the bushes. It wasn''t until they went to the backyard and had more privacy, that she would flash a nipple or bend over to show Arnold exactly how far her short shorts had ridden up on her.


    That last move had earned her a very fulfilling lick, then a wonderful sex-capade in the shed. Claire actually wasn''t sure how that had happened, either. She didn''t realize that there was enough room for two people to do what they did in there. It had made her laugh and she kissed Arnold.


    They cleaned up and went into the house to get a quick bite to eat, then they went back out to finish the lawn. When it was all done and the tools were put away, they went inside and used her bathroom to shower, dried off, and changed. They went downstairs and Claire reached for the front door to open it, then she let it go and turned to Arnold.


    ¡°Thank you very much, Arnold.¡± Claire said and kissed him passionately. ¡°I sincerely hope to see you the next time you can come by.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and they left the house.


    Claire drove him home, well before suppertime, and dropped him off. She resisted the urge to kiss him one last time, because she knew there were cameras around now. Plus, she didn''t want to say goodbye.


    ¡°See you later.¡± Claire said.


    Arnold nodded and left the car, walked over to his house, and went inside.


    Claire drove back home. Her Empty Nest Syndrome was still there; but, she had forgotten a very important factor. Arnold. He could stop in at any time and she would do everything she could to be with him as much as possible, for whatever time she could keep him in her arms. After everything that happened, he deserved to have that much devotion from her.


    Plus, he can fuck like a demon! Claire thought, then she laughed and laughed all the way home.

 175 Back To Learning

    The bus pulled up to the stop and Arnold climbed on board with his bag.


    ¡°Hey there, young fella.¡± The bus driver said. ¡°I hope you had lots of fun.¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± Arnold said and scanned his bus pass. ¡°A few times.¡±


    The bus driver laughed, completely understanding what he meant, and they drove back to the college. The two hours always seemed to pass quickly for the bus driver with the young man sitting in the front seat, even with other people on the bus. He could talk, or he could not, and the boy never tried to keep him talking or repeated himself. It was a companionable silence that the driver would actually look forward to on the weekends.


    They arrived and Arnold departed the bus and went over to the college campus. He saw that the van was still in the parking spot and went inside the dorm. It was pretty late and Doris wasn''t there, so he walked up the stairs. He always thought that the elevator was too loud at night, with no other sounds going on to deafen its movements and dings.


    Arnold''s soft footfalls barely made any sound as he walked down the hallway. All the doors were closed and he opened his dorm room quietly. He closed it just as quietly and crept over to his bed. He put his bag down without unpacking it and slipped off his clothing, then climbed into bed. Beside him was a wide awake and naked Dalla. Her eyes were wide and her face was expectant.


    Arnold gave her a gentle kiss to start, then used the kiss to keep her quiet as he had his way with her. He didn''t go overboard, since he had to stay quiet; but, he still made her feel very good. Dalla appreciated his efforts in that regard and she enjoyed it a bit more than she normally would have. He wasn''t trying to overload her like he had the first time and took his time with her, all to make sure that she came.


    After a quick mutual clean up, they snuggled in and Dalla kind of wallowed in the fact that he would hold her like that and not distance himself afterwards. She wasn''t used to having such an attentive lover and she almost regretted that Arnold chose her over Ida. She loved her mistress and wanted the best for her. Arnold was definitely the best lover she ever had and she was a little sad that Ida didn''t want to sleep with him.


    Dalla laid there in his comforting embrace and hoped that her mistress smartened up and accepted Arnold''s offer. For some reason, having nice uncomplicated sex occasionally was both enjoyable and a little freeing. She knew that Arnold would never demand more of her time, or to date, or even to take the next step and have a relationship. He was a wonderful thing for a smart and independent woman.


    Dalla whispered a thank you and gave Arnold the same tender kiss that he had started the sex with, then she promptly fell asleep. Arnold held her and eventually fell asleep himself.


    The alarm went off the next morning and Arnold hit the snooze button, gave Dalla a kiss and whispered ''snooze''. She nodded understanding and Arnold slipped out of bed, grabbed different clothes and his school backpack, and left. She stared at the closed dorm room door and she promised herself to thank him again later, especially for not using that very hard morning erection to make her scream like he could have.


    *


    Janet felt her bed move and she rolled over to see what Pam wanted, then caught her breath. ¡°Arnold.¡± She whispered, then she noticed that he was naked. ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± She breathed as she lifted her blanket for him.


    Arnold climbed in and they made love as he held her mouth closed. Janet had taken to being vocal during sex and she was at the point that when Arnold licked or kissed an intimate part or one of her erogenous zones, she would moan loudly. Like she had told him before, she couldn''t help tell him how good he made her feel and that he deserved to hear her squeals and moans that he made her make. They had some time together before the real alarm time arrived and then it went off.


    ¡°Clean up crew!¡± Pam said and threw off the blanket, then sucked on him until Arnold went off, too.


    ¡°We have to get ready for class.¡± Janet said and sat up.


    ¡°You set it early, right? We can shower.¡± Pam said.


    Janet gave her a skeptical look and Pam laughed.


    ¡°Actual shower. It''s just too bad we can''t all fit in there.¡± Pam said.


    ¡°Yes, too bad.¡± Janet said and she laughed, too.


    ¡°You take Arnold this time. I''ll go next.¡± Pam offered.


    Janet looked at Arnold''s still erect penis and smiled. ¡°I''ll go in alone. Our best friend''s little friend needs a little bit more attention this morning.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Pam asked. ¡°I don''t mind waiting.¡±


    ¡°It''s great that you keep letting me try.¡± Janet gave Arnold a kiss and climbed out of bed. ¡°I know where my skills are lacking, no matter how much I practice.¡± She pat Pam''s head with a laugh and walked into the bathroom.


    ¡°You''re the best!¡± Pam said loudly to her, gave Arnold a kiss on the lips, then dropped down to please him... and herself.


    *


    Professor Hamil and the lab workers were only slightly surprised to enter the lab to see Arnold, Janet and Pam already there, with their equipment already set up.


    ¡°I''m surprised you didn''t set up all the others.¡± Cissily said to him as she approached the table.


    ¡°He tried to.¡± Janet said with a chuckle. ¡°Pam had to distract him.¡±


    ¡°Somebody''s earning a full garbage bag of popcorn this week.¡± Pam said with a grin and they both laughed. The others didn''t really get it. Janet was giving Pam what she wanted and Pam would give her what she wanted in exchange. It was a win-win for the both of them. Well, the three of them. Arnold was having fun, too.


    Barely five minutes later, the rest of the students came in and were tasked to set up their own work stations like they had been taught last week. The lab workers had to assist, since it had been a week and the students had done a lot of other things. Some of them had mostly forgotten the exact procedure and set up. The class resumed when everyone was ready and the new specimens were brought out for them to do the preliminary work on. Chickens.


    It was a very interesting class to learn all about the internal workings about the chicken, especially the magical orifice called the cloaca and all of the functions it had. It also wasn''t exclusive to birds. Snakes, some reptiles, and frogs had them... both the males and the females. The reproductive cycle of chickens and how it shouldn''t be possible to work, considering that there was no penetrating rod that was essential for insemination in nearly every other animal species in the world.


    After that class, thankfully no more work or reading was necessary, so Janet, Pam, and Arnold went to the same empty classroom and spent their time there. The rest of the day passed like the last Monday had and then it was over. They parted ways and went to their own dorm rooms to do their own things. Arnold went into his room and saw that the bed was made and Dalla was in the kitchenette making supper.


    ¡°Hi, Arnold.¡± Dalla said. ¡°Ida''s still over at the Liberal Arts building. She''s discussing project ideas and modifications, so I came back here to get supper started.¡±


    ¡°Do you need help?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Dalla said. ¡°More hands makes quicker work.¡±


    Arnold came over and they cooked supper together.


    ¡°Thanks for the help.¡± Dalla said and puckered her lips automatically as Arnold gave her a kiss. She was already used to him doing that and was ready for it.


    Ida came into the room with a happy face. ¡°She approved my idea!¡±


    ¡°That''s wonderful!¡± Dalla said and served up three plates of food. ¡°I hope it works out.¡±


    ¡°She gave me strict guidelines to ensure that it does.¡± Ida said with a laugh and sat down. ¡°This looks delicious. Thank you, Dalla.¡±


    ¡°Arnold helped a lot.¡± Dalla said, giving credit where credit was due. ¡°I thanked him already.¡±


    Ida smiled and nodded slightly in understanding, knowing Dalla meant that she took the kiss he offered, so that Ida wouldn''t have to. After the meal, she had some reading to do, so she changed into comfortable clothes and reclined on her bed as she discreetly watched Arnold working on his computer. She couldn''t quite see what he was working on, though. It looked like a wire mesh or something and he was moving his mouse around and clicking a lot.


    Arnold stopped working and went to his bed and ducked underneath it, pulled out a large plastic specimen container, and went into the bathroom and shut the door.


    ¡°I wonder what he''s doing?¡± Dalla asked, genuinely curious. She had seen the container when she cleaned the room and was respectful enough to not open another person''s things. Arnold came out a few minutes later with rubber gloved hands and put the container back under his bed, then he went back to the bathroom and came out with something wrapped in paper towels. He dabbed at it and with more paper towels and that got both Dalla and Ida''s interest as he sat down at his desk.


    ¡°Arnold, what is it?¡± Ida asked as she stood up to look over his shoulder and Dalla looked over his other shoulder.


    ¡°A specimen.¡± Arnold said and unwrapped the bundle.


    ¡°AAAHH!¡± Dalla and Ida screamed when the huge rat was revealed.


    ¡°It''s just a rat.¡± Arnold said and pulled open the flap he had tacked into place and started pulling out the dissected insides.


    ¡°I''m going to be sick!¡± Dalla covered her mouth and ran to the bathroom. When she hit the ammonia smell that was in the bathroom, her stomach heaved and she almost didn''t make it to the toilet in time. The sound of throwing up was loud in the silent dorm room and Ida had to go into the bathroom right behind her maid.


    Arnold went over and shut the bathroom door, because he didn''t want the smell of ammonia and stomach acid to escape. He had sprayed some deodorizing mist to counter it; but, it needed time to work. By the sounds of two women throwing up, he would have to spray it again. He went back to his computer and resumed modelling the inside of the rat. He had done what he could from memory and now he needed the actual pieces to make them accurate.


    Ten minutes later, Dalla and Ida came out of the bathroom looking a little green. They took one look at Arnold holding up the little heart from the rat and went right back into the bathroom.


    *


    Detective Olivia Tanner was at a loss at what to do next. It had been a while since any crimes related to Arnold had happened and she wasn''t sure what she could recommend to IA to advance the case against him.


    ¡°It''s too bad you don''t have anyone at the college to keep an eye on him.¡± Mark said as he changed for bed. ¡°I doubt you could do it yourself, though. He''d know right away what''s going on if he saw you.¡±


    Olivia sighed and nodded. ¡°I''m tempted to visit, just so he knows that I haven''t given up on catching him.¡±


    Mark chuckled. ¡°That might inspire him to try something.¡±


    Olivia chuckled, too. ¡°I wish he would make it that easy!¡±


    Mark went to her and gave her a kiss. ¡°If catching them was easy, anyone would do it.¡±


    Olivia took his hand and led him to the bed. ¡°Mark. Baby.¡± She said sweetly.


    ¡°Oh, no. I know that tone.¡± Mark said. ¡°It can''t be me. He knows my face, remember?¡±


    ¡°Do you have any friends or people you can trust?¡± Olivia asked and gave him a sexy smile and blinked her eyes inticingly.


    ¡°Ha. No.¡± Mark said, kissed her again, and climbed into bed. ¡°You would be better off trying to turn one of his friends or classmates.¡± He laid down and pat the bed beside him. ¡°Don''t try for one of the teachers. They''re too institutionalized to jeopardize the college.¡±


    That gave Olivia another train of thought and she smiled. ¡°Not the teachers, no.¡± She said and climbed into bed. ¡°Remember the lab assistant that he kissed? They plastered her picture all over the paper and social media.¡±


    ¡°Ooo, an existing possible grudge. Nice.¡± Mark said and took her into his arms. ¡°How much of a chance do you think you have to convince her to keep an eye on him for you?¡±


    ¡°I won''t know until I talk to her.¡± Olivia said. ¡°I should be able to arrange a private meeting off campus pretty easily.¡±


    ¡°I hope she bites and can give you some information that you can use.¡± Mark said. ¡°The longer Arnold is out and free, the more people he''s going to kill.¡±


    Olivia didn''t remind him that there was only one person left for Arnold to take care of. Kevin. He was in holding at the police station until the end of the month, then he was being transferred to the minimum security prison across the state until his trial. He had pleaded not guilty, even with all the evidence against him, so they had to give him his time in court.


    Olivia was going to testify on his behalf, just to try and give the poor kid a lesser sentence. It had been her enabling him to do what he did, so it was the least that she could do. She put that out of her mind and concentrated on the man in front of her. She kissed him and teased him a little, then she moved down and kept her eyes on his face. She really enjoyed seeing the anticipation there.


    Mark''s eagerness to have her do it, got Olivia dripping wet for him, too. It had almost become a ritual for them, like the opening move in a game of chess. Even though it was technically the same start nearly every time, the entire game could change after that.


    It was also fun for the both of them and that was important for any good relationship.

 176 Art Class

    Arnold stayed up all night modelling the rat. He took exact measurements and made sure that it was as accurate as possible. He wanted to reproduce the creature and make a digital version of it, not just a representation. It was the one thing that he didn''t like about the other models he had found. No one spent the time to make it look like what it was supposed to look like.


    Of course, this was his very first model and he only concentrated on making the organs outer surfaces and everything else that could be seen and not what was inside of them and their structures. He knew that he could export each piece as a separate file when he was done. He could work on them individually when he wanted, like adding the valves of the heart and the membranes in the lungs.


    You wouldn''t be able to see them, though. He would have to make them into two models and split them to view the inside. The more he worked on it, the more work he found to do on them. Unfortunately, he had to settle on just the initial visual work and left it at that.


    Arnold went to the bathroom and the smell had dissipated, so he didn''t have to spray the air again. He took a shower and dressed for his college classes, the first of which was his relaxing class in the Liberal Arts building with Janet and Pam. He picked up his school backpack, left his room and went to theirs, knocked, and went inside. They were already up and the three of them shared breakfast and left to go to class.


    ¡°Hey, guys!¡± Heather said as the three of them approached the classroom. ¡°You''re not going to believe what happened!¡±


    ¡°My horse''s legs fell off.¡± Pam said with a laugh.


    ¡°Your horse''s legs fell off! Ha ha!¡± Heather laughed and waved at the large cooking tray that their projects were on. ¡°The tail and the head are fine, though.¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure how that happened.¡± Pam poked the pieces. ¡°I put them on the same way.¡±


    ¡°There was more clay to adhere to the main body.¡± Arnold said and picked up his cube. The solid mass of clay was heavy and also cured. The corners had retained their sharpness as well.


    ¡°What''s my snake look like?¡± Another girl asked as she came into the room.


    ¡°Slick and slithery.¡± Heather said and moved over for her.


    ¡°That''s great!¡± The girl said and picked up the half-coiled snake that looked like it was about to strike. ¡°I was worried the fangs wouldn''t stay.¡±


    ¡°It weel paint up nicely.¡± A french woman said as she came into the room. She wore a loose smock and black tights. Her long brown hair was mostly done up in a bun at the back of her head. ¡°They all weel.¡±


    ¡°Is it fair for me to paint bloody stumps on my horse?¡± Pam asked and Janet and Heather laughed.


    ¡°I am sure we can think of something to save your creation.¡± Miss Josephine said.


    ¡°Just use a small slab of clay as a muddy field. Place the legs into it a little to hold them steady, and the body can be attached to them with more clay after painting them. When it''s fired again to settle the paint, it will also cure the new clay and hold it together.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Oh, Arnold!¡± Pam said and gave him a hug and a kiss. ¡°What a great idea!¡±


    ¡°Veery good, Mister Strickland.¡± Miss Josephine said. ¡°That would be an excellent solution.¡±


    Two more students came in and retrieved their items and they all sat down at their desks to work on them. Miss Josephine monitored them and casually touched them as she passed. An arm holding here, a shoulder rub there, until she came to Arnold. She saw him using a dull grey paint to paint his cube and she had to ask him what he was doing.


    ¡°Arnold, why are you using such a bland color? I expected something like a different color on each side.¡± Miss Josephine said, in reference to a popular children''s toy, and she slid her arms around his waist from behind and rested her chin on his shoulder to look from his perspective.


    ¡°Do you want me to do that?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°No, I am just curious of your choice of color.¡± Miss Josephine said. ¡°Does the grey make you feel anything? Is the grey what you are feeling? Are you feeling anything as you work?¡±


    ¡°Grey is neutral. Neither good nor bad. It doesn''t create emotions in people or squash emotions.¡± Arnold said, quoting from the class book. He turned his head and put his lips by her ear. ¡°I can feel your breasts pressing into my back and you are not wearing a bra.¡± He whispered. ¡°Did you do that for me?¡±


    Miss Josephine nodded her head. ¡°Can you keep working?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold turned his head back to the cube and kept painting.


    Miss Josephine turned her own head to whisper in his ear. ¡°You seem to be good friends with several of the girls here. Have you made love to them?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Did you know it''s frowned upon for a teacher to sleep with a student?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Would you do it anyway, if no one found out about it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Miss Josephine''s nipples popped out as she became excited. She wasn''t sure why she was teasing the poor boy so much, and so openly in class. She had heard some rumors about him kissing the cafeteria lady and of him being assaulted and taking it like a man. She hadn''t seen the pictures floating around of him, though. She also didn''t know of his liaison with Professor Power. All she knew was the ease at which three of her students were around him and she was envious of it.


    ¡°What if I said I had a husband?¡± Miss Josephine asked as her hands slid down to feel Arnold''s hard member.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Oh? That is your line? What about a boyfriend?¡± She asked and rubbed him a little.


    ¡°Is it exclusive?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°It could be.¡± She hedged.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. So, any relationship you think you could cause trouble in, you say no.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± She asked and traced his shape through his pants with her fingertips.


    ¡°Sex is supposed to be fun. If people are sad afterwards, that''s not fun.¡± Arnold said as he finished painting his cube.


    ¡°I see.¡± Miss Josephine said and rubbed him again. ¡°What about you? Do you have...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Miss, could I get your help here?¡± Another guy said, in the hopes that the sexy french woman would hang all over him, too.


    ¡°Of course, Henry.¡± Miss Josephine said and reluctantly let Arnold out of her embrace.


    Unlike the other boys that had gained her interest over the years, he didn''t try to grab her, use her hands to rub himself more, or even asked for her to come back. That made him even more appealing in her eyes. When she stood up, no one saw her nipples were hard, because she had worn her thicker smock for that purpose.


    ¡°I was trying for this color of blue.¡± Henry said and showed her the color swatch, then his paint palette.


    ¡°You have muddied it by adding too much of each color.¡± Miss Josephine said and didn''t put her arms around him, to his disappointment. ¡°You need to start small and gradually add in the proper pigment.¡±


    A couple of students looked over to watch attentively as she demonstrated her expert technique. Pam was a bit smarter and went to Arnold''s side instead.


    ¡°You two were talking a lot.¡± Pam whispered.


    ¡°She was asking me what my standards were for sex partners.¡± Arnold whispered back.


    ¡°No. Way.¡± Pam whispered.


    Arnold took her hand and put it on his erect penis.


    ¡°I was wondering what she was doing with her hands.¡± Pam whispered. ¡°Drop your paint brush.¡±


    Arnold let the paint brush go and it clattered to the floor.


    ¡°I''ll get that, Arnold. It''s my fault.¡± Pam said and climbed under the table. ¡°Oh, damn. It''s made a mess and there''s paint all over. I better clean it up. Hand me the roll of paper towels.¡±


    Arnold did so and she tore off several of them, then she reached up and opened his pants.


    ¡°I''ll take care of that for you.¡± Pam said and slipped his wonderful hardness into her mouth and started sucking. Her hands moved the paper towels on the floor as if she was cleaning it diligently, which made enough noise to cover the sounds she made.


    Miss Josephine looked over at Pam on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor. ¡°Such a good student.¡± She said and then looked at the boy she stood beside. ¡°Do you see this, Henry? This is how to get the color you want.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for showing me, Miss Josephine.¡± Henry said and didn''t sigh. Instead of the hug he wanted from her, she had talked down to him instead and taught him a valuable lesson.


    ¡°How long did that take to learn?¡± Janet asked, covering up for her friends by distracting everyone.


    ¡°Several months of intense brush use and searching for the best paints to perform it to perfection.¡± Miss Josephine said to the surprise of her students.


    ¡°So that''s why we had to buy specific brushes and materials.¡± Heather said, finally understanding. ¡°It was so you could show us with our own things the right way to do it.¡±


    Miss Josephine gave Heather a beaming smile. ¡°Yes, that is it exactly. If you change your tools and materials, your techniques must change as well. Some items can significantly alter how you do things and most students do that... after they learn the proper techniques and adapt them for their own use. After that, they usually specialize in a chosen medium and buy tools appropriate for it.¡±


    ¡°You''re so knowledgeable.¡± Heather said, a bit of awe in her voice. ¡°I hope I can learn everything I can from you.¡±


    Miss Josephine laughed. ¡°Don''t worry, Miss Bradshaw. By the time you graduate from my course, you will have learned all that you can learn from me.¡±


    No one except Janet noticed Pam and Arnold having fun right under everyone''s noses.


    *


    It didn''t take long for Detective Olivia Tanner to track down Amy''s cell phone number, even though Amy wasn''t her real name. She waited until Amy was between classes before she sent a probing text. It didn''t give any details and only asked for a meeting about Arnold. She also said she would do it whenever Amy wanted and would like to meet off-campus. She even offered to pay for lunch.


    After an hour, Olivia received a response and it was a yes for a lunch date. She danced around her office for several seconds, then calmed down. If she left now, she would get there just in time. She grabbed her jacket and holstered her weapon, buttoned her jacket, and left her office and the police station. She hopped in her car and was tempted to step on the gas to get there sooner, then chuckled.


    I can''t be seen this eager during the meeting. If I let her know how eager I am to get any dirt at all on Arnold, I might scare her off. Olivia thought. I need to approach this calmly and show her that I''m cool and collected.


    She actually laughed at that thought. She wasn''t sure what she could get from Amy or even if it would be useful at all. She pretty much just wanted to get as much information as she could. If she could somehow convince Amy to spy for her, that would be the very best outcome.


    Olivia drove the two hours to get to the college area and arrived early at the slightly crowded Chinese restaurant. She walked in and looked around for a discrete table or even a booth, then she caught sight of Amy. She held in her sigh, because Amy wasn''t alone. Two black women sat at the table and the other one had a crisply styled short afro.


    Olivia hid her dismay as she sat down across from them and saw the slightly unhappy expressions on the both of them. Little did she realize that the woman she didn''t know, was going to be the best source of information she was ever going to have about Arnold, especially after she indoctrinated her with all of the things she knew and suspected about Arnold.


    *


    For the rest of the morning, at random times Pam would interrupt their conversations and tell Janet and Arnold that their relaxing art class was the best relaxing art class that they ever had so far. It made Janet laugh every time and she was tempted to warn Pam that she wouldn''t cover for her all the time, then realized that she couldn''t lie like that. She would do everything she could to help her friend, and that was that.


    Their afternoon chemistry lab passed by before they knew it, because they were in such good moods, and even the professor picked up on it. Felicia regretted that she couldn''t give Arnold private lessons anymore, especially since he had allowed her to finally get over the hatred she had for her ex-husband. Well, the settlement she got from him helped a lot, too.


    The day ended and Arnold went with Janet and Pam to their dorm room. They had work to do for class and spent an hour finishing up the lab reports. They were all still in good moods when they were done.


    ¡°Okay, even I have to admit that was a lot better than trying to struggle through it alone.¡± Pam said. ¡°Janet''s good; but, Arnold, you''ve got the best observation skills I''ve ever heard of.¡±


    Janet chuckled. ¡°Am I so easily replaced?¡±


    ¡°Never.¡± Pam said. ¡°He helped the both of us.¡±


    ¡°He really did.¡± Janet said and gave Arnold a kiss. ¡°Thank you for the help.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Pam put a hand over Janet''s face to make her laugh, then she kissed Arnold, too. ¡°We know you would have finished half an hour ago if we weren''t bugging you so much.¡±


    ¡°I think best friends are supposed to bug each other sometimes.¡± Janet said and pushed Pam''s hand away and then pinched her ear. ¡°It makes things a bit more enjoyable with some carrying on.¡±


    ¡°Owowow!¡± Pam jumped up and down a little and her nipples started to poke out. ¡°No fair!¡±


    ¡°Pokies.¡± Arnold said and used his fingertips to poke Pam''s nipples between each bounce.


    Pam let out a cute little giggle and tried to cover her breasts as Janet let her ear go.


    ¡°No fair.¡± Arnold said and Pam took his hand and squeezed her breast with it.


    ¡°Is that better?¡± Pam asked and he massaged it for her. ¡°Oh, yeah. Definitely better.¡±


    ¡°Me, too.¡± Janet said and took his other hand.


    Arnold gently rubbed them both and then put his arms around them and cupped their breasts from behind. Both of them moaned as he teased them, then his hands slid down their bodies to touch them between the legs.


    ¡°Oh, god.¡± Janet whispered. ¡°I... I really...¡±


    ¡°Janet, just tell him.¡± Pam said.


    ¡°I need you, Arnold.¡± Janet said, her face a little red. ¡°I want you inside me.¡±


    Arnold let Pam go and helped Janet undress, then put her on the bed. Pam joined them and the three friends had fun for the rest of the evening.

 177 Fun All Around

    Bokuboy


    The rest of the week passed by and Arnold had classes, did his work during the off classes, then worked on modelling the rat specimen for a few hours in the evenings. By Friday morning, he had finished it completely and saved his work, dropped it onto a small USB storage device that was the size of his thumb, and left his dorm room.


    Arnold met Janet and Pam, like he did during the mornings they had the same first class, and they went to the biology lab together. They would be physically working on the chickens today and he wanted to pass in his digital model before class. They arrived and the three of them set up their work stations, then he left them to go to the professor''s office.


    ¡°Ah, Arnold.¡± Hamil said when Arnold knocked, then he opened the bottom drawer and took out Arnold''s wooden case.


    ¡°I have something for you.¡± Arnold said and handed him the USB storage device. ¡°It has models and images, so you need the viewing program that I included.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What is it?¡±


    ¡°A specimen I modelled.¡± Arnold said and left the office before the professor could ask him any more questions. He went back to the lab and Janet and Pam gasped at the large and expensive tool set he showed them.


    ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Janet said and stroked the outside of the case. She knew better than to touch the tools and utensils directly. ¡°Is that what your mom got you for your birthday?¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°She definitely loves you a lot.¡± Pam said and put an arm over his shoulders. ¡°A lot.¡±


    The lab workers came into the lab carrying several cases, put them down, then left again to get more. The specimens were quite big, so it took a couple of trips for them to get enough specimens for the entire class. Pam was grateful that she was partners with both Janet and Arnold, because with the three of them, they only needed one specimen.


    With only one other set of lab partners at their table, that meant only two specimens were needed. The lab workers distributed them to everyone and the professor came into the lab. He set up his own specimen and didn''t notice the intense stares that Amy and Cissily gave Arnold. The class started and Arnold enjoyed working on something he had never seen before in person.


    Both Pam and Janet noticed the change in his behavior as they worked with him. They asked a lot of questions and made sure that they weren''t getting in his way, since this was something they knew he wouldn''t take any carrying on about. He was as serious as they had ever seen him and that made them respect him just a little bit more than they had before.


    Any time they were told to make a cut, they whispered to him to ask if it was right. Arnold would nod or assist them in correcting their technique, or the teacher''s oversight, then he would let them continue. Pam and Janet were amazed that Arnold wasn''t trying to tell the rest of the class, or even their own table assigned lab worker Cissily, about the corrections.


    What they didn''t know was that Arnold was noting everything in his head and would write a separate report to hand in to the professor, to show why their specimen had slightly different incisions. Cissily didn''t notice the slight changes either and didn''t mention it.


    The long morning lab came to an end and Pam, Janet, and Arnold had one class off before lunch. On his suggestion, they went to an empty classroom and wrote out the required report for the lab. Because Janet and Pam had relied on Arnold and he had told them everything, they easily filled out the reports on their own, almost as quickly as Arnold wrote his out.


    ¡°They really messed up by not letting you continue working there, didn''t they?¡± Pam asked and looked at her report. ¡°I don''t think I''ve ever been able to fill one out by myself before.¡±


    Janet laughed. ¡°Nope, you never have.¡±


    ¡°You would know!¡± Pam countered and laughed, too. She put her report down and put her arms around Arnold''s neck. ¡°Thank you for teaching us better than the teacher and his lab assistant.¡± She said and gave him a kiss.


    ¡°Cissily didn''t even notice your improvements.¡± Janet said and looked at Arnold''s corrections report. ¡°How could they miss doing it this way? It''s much better for the specimen and makes it easier to continue the dissection, considering we had to stop halfway.¡±


    ¡°I''m so glad we''re not going to be the ones that have to continue with the other specimens.¡± Pam said. ¡°When they try to reopen them without fixing those cuts...¡±


    ¡°We should hand our reports in right now.¡± Janet said, to Pam''s surprise. ¡°If they have them now, maybe they''ll be able to let the other students know and they won''t mangle the other specimens during the next class.¡±


    ¡°Janet.¡± Arnold said and gave her a look that was much more intense than it usually was.


    ¡°I''ll block the door!¡± Pam said and ran over to it, then quickly taped papers over the window and locked the door. She knew what was coming next, because he had reacted the same way to her when she mentioned sharing their passion for hamsters when they were kids.


    ¡°A-Arnold...¡± Janet managed to say, just before Arnold kissed her passionately. She moaned as her skirt was lifted up and her underwear disappeared, then Arnold was on top of her and holding her mouth closed to muffle her screams of pleasure.


    ¡°Good god, that''s so fucking hot.¡± Pam whispered and walked over to them. ¡°Look at how cute she is, trying to keep quiet.¡± She said and put an arm under Janet''s head to help soften the pounding Arnold was giving her, then she took over holding Janet''s mouth closed. ¡°I''ve got this part, Arnold. Show your best friend how much you like that she cares about the other specimens.¡±


    Arnold kissed Pam just as passionately, then he really got to work on Janet, whose moans couldn''t be contained so easily, despite Pam''s best efforts.


    *


    Halfway through lunch, Professor Hamil Crenslav stopped eating when a knock interrupted him. He opened his office door to see two very giddy young women and Arnold. He was handed four reports, which was a little odd, since there were only three of them, then the trio left without a word. Hamil shrugged and didn''t bother commenting that the reports weren''t due until Monday''s class, then he saw the title on the top report.


    Modifications to Standard Dissection Procedure: Fowl Specifications, Organ Displacement and Properly Angled Cuts for Contents Retention.


    What in the world? Hamil asked himself and went back to his desk. He sat down and kept eating, then started to read the short report. By the time he was done with it, his mind was slightly blown away. Arnold had detected the potential problems with the dissection procedure and the damage that a paused follow-up procedure could cause, if the procedure wasn''t corrected beforehand.


    Hamil read it through again and then he looked at the three reports under it. In them, they described how much easier it was to manipulate the specimen with the slightly altered cuts during the dissection.


    It''s no wonder why they spent so much time whispering. Hamil shook his head. I thought they were goofing off and I didn''t say anything, since Arnold was such a great assistant. Now I feel like a fool, because they were discussing why it wasn''t done another way instead and then mapped out how it could be better.


    He picked up his pen and marked all three reports, graded them all As, then he picked up the first report. He thought about cleaning it up and adding in a few technical terms, then he chuckled and took the report out of his office and over to the main administration building. He had the secretary make two copies, then he submitted one copy to the review board to adopt it into the curriculum.


    If Arnold''s lucky, they''ll approve it and he''ll get some official recognition. Hamil thought and asked for an envelope. He put in the second copy and told the secretary to send it to the biology department of the Board of Education. Just in case someone tries to steal his ideas. He smiled at the secretary and left the office. He was sure that he had an old frame somewhere in his office to put the original report in.


    *


    ¡°I wish we could go home with you.¡± Janet said in the dorm room, after their shared shower, and kissed Arnold goodbye. ¡°I''ve got these damn English essays to write and that''s going to suck up most of my weekend.¡±


    ¡°I''ve got work and a new movie''s opening tonight.¡± Pam said and kissed him goodbye. ¡°The boss wants me to be there early and I quote, ''bring that bubbly smile with you''.¡±


    Janet laughed. ¡°You? Bubbly? Is Mike blind?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I can be bubbly.¡± Pam said with a stern expression, held it for a second, then they both laughed.


    ¡°We''ll see you again on Monday morning.¡± Janet said, gave Pam a sly grin, then kissed Arnold again.


    ¡°You''re gonna make him miss the buuuus.¡± Pam said exaggeratedly and Janet broke the kiss.


    ¡°All right, all right. Goodbye, Arnold.¡± Janet said and gave him another kiss.


    Pam shook her head and laughed. ¡°Two can play that game.¡± She said. ¡°Good...¡± She gave him a kiss. ¡°...bye.¡± She said and kissed him again. ¡°Now run before we keep going.¡±


    Arnold nodded and ran down the dorm hallway with his bag. He dashed down the stairs and out of sight.


    ¡°He''s so lucky to have Friday afternoons off.¡± Janet said and picked up her books for their afternoon classes. ¡°Grab your things and let''s go.¡±


    Pam did and they left their room and walked down the hallway. ¡°I think he planned it.¡± She said as they went to the elevator. ¡°He gets to leave the college half a day before anyone else and doesn''t come back until late Sunday night. It''s like he gets three day weekends every week.¡±


    Janet thought about it as they stepped onto the elevator. ¡°You''re right. That would be both smart and nice to have.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Pam said as they rode the elevator. ¡°I don''t remember the last time I had a day off.¡±


    ¡°You don''t?¡± Janet asked. ¡°I could have sworn we spent like all day in bed with Arnold.¡±


    Pam chuckled. ¡°Oh, yeah. We did.¡± She said as the elevator doors opened. ¡°When was that?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea.¡± Janet said, then they exchanged looks and laughed.


    *


    ¡°I can''t believe I''m doing this with you.¡± Amy said with a sigh.


    ¡°We''re just hanging out together.¡± Cissily said and took out her new cell phone. ''He''s getting the bus to go home. ETA 2 hours.'' She typed out and sent the message.


    ¡°We''re keeping an eye on a potential serial murderer, Sis.¡± Amy said and watched the bus drive away.


    ¡°Weren''t you all hot and bothered that you missed having him?¡± Cissily asked.


    ¡°I was.¡± Amy said, sadness in her voice. ¡°His appeal is... well...¡±


    ¡°He''s fucking gross.¡± Cissily said. ¡°Did you hear the rumors that he slept in his dorm with his mom?¡±


    ¡°You really shouldn''t have told the detective that.¡± Amy said.


    ¡°It definitely makes her anger at him dating someone else more believable.¡± Cissily said. ¡°That bitch was jealous of all the pussy he was going to get and she cock-blocked him.¡±


    ¡°He got your pussy.¡± Amy said.


    ¡°Yeah, and he''s a mother-fucker. Literally.¡± Cissily spat. ¡°How could I have been so stupid to let that murdering bastard fuck me?¡±


    Amy did not point out that it was her idea. She was never reminding her friend of that. Ever. ¡°Who else has he done in his dorm?¡±


    ¡°The two girls he hangs out with, and people have seen him making out with the southern chick and the rich bitch.¡± Cissily said. ¡°Hot and heavy, too. He''s definitely doing the both of them.¡±


    ¡°What about the new roommate?¡± Amy asked.


    ¡°Ma says no, because that tall bitch is always cool when Ma talks and mentions him.¡± Cissily said. ¡°The maid, though...¡±


    ¡°She blushes a lot.¡± Amy said. She heard the story about Arnold taking the maid by the hand out of a class last week and them leaving for a while. In a van. With a bed in the back.


    ¡°I''d say he''s either doing her or is about to.¡± Cissily said. ¡°I can barely mention his name and her face goes red.¡±


    Amy chuckled. ¡°He could just be waving his dick around the dorm room.¡±


    Cissily shrugged. ¡°He''s definitely not shy about it.¡± She said and saw her friend''s face change from humor to contemplation. ¡°Don''t you dare think about asking him to see it.¡±


    ¡°Well...¡±


    ¡°He''s a suspect in his own father''s accident!¡± Cissily exclaimed, as if she was personally affronted by the crime. ¡°What would you give to have your dad back right now?¡±


    Amy didn''t say anything and shook her head.


    ¡°He threw away his dad, Fareena.¡± Cissily said. ¡°Even if he wasn''t involved, the video of him in the morgue showed you what Arnold thought of him, just by the way he acted.¡±


    Amy sighed. ¡°I... I still think it''s wrong to spy on him.¡±


    ¡°You''re not doing anything except keeping me company.¡± Cissily said. ¡°Let''s go. We have to get our things before we head to class.¡± She started to walk away. ¡°Don''t you think it''s suspicious that nearly all of the guys that wrecked their home are dead?¡±


    ¡°The paper said...¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on.¡± Cissily said. ¡°You don''t really think that a cop would go criminal and do Arnold''s dirty work, do you?¡±


    ¡°They haven''t found him yet, so they can''t find out the truth.¡± Amy said.


    ¡°We could ask Arnold all about it, now that we know a lot of the details.¡± Cissily said with a smile. ¡°I doubt he''ll deny it, especially if we prove that we know more than the paper revealed.¡±


    ¡°Nuh uh. If you''re going to confront him directly, I''m going to tackle you and beat some sense into you.¡± Amy said. ¡°If he really is this horrible serial killer, then telling him you know he is, will only get you dead.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think I want a witness?¡± Cissily asked.


    ¡°Witness? I''d just be another victim.¡± Amy said, wisely. ¡°If he can handle three football players and three of their friends, what are we going to be able to do against him?¡±


    ¡°Team up and strike first, of course.¡± Cissily responded with a gleam in her eyes.


    ¡°Ohhhh, fuck.¡± Amy sighed, resigned to actual helping her friend in whatever scheme she had come up with.


    Cissily put her arm over her shoulders and gave them a squeeze. ¡°Stick with me, bitch! We''ll get this asshole to confess and he''ll be behind bars for the rest of his life!¡±

 178 What They Are Up To

    Bokuboy


    Annie was once again surprised when Arnold showed up early. ¡°You sneaky little bugger! You''re supposed to call!¡± She exclaimed and hugged him tightly.


    ¡°Only when I can''t make it.¡± Arnold said with a slight smile.


    ¡°Cheeky, too.¡± Annie said with a chuckle and gave him a quick kiss. ¡°I''ve had supper slow cooking for a couple hours, just in case.¡±


    ¡°You knew.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I suspected.¡± Annie said with a slight twinkle in her eye. ¡°Thank you for confirming it.¡± She gave him another quick kiss and led him into the living room. ¡°Now sit and tell me all about your week.¡±


    They sat and Arnold told her all about the things that happened in class and the lab.


    ¡°Ewww! Chickens!¡± Annie laughed. ¡°Please tell me they were plucked first.¡±


    ¡°Completely clean.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Annie said. ¡°I can only imagine the mess you would have while trying to work with all those feathers and things around.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I can''t believe you''re starting at chickens!¡±


    ¡°The professors pushed me to the third year in Biology and Chemistry.¡± Arnold reminded her.


    ¡°That''s absolutely amazing, Arnold.¡± Annie said. ¡°Those extra lessons during the summer must have really boosted your understanding of both subjects.¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°Professor Power said that she regretted that our lessons had to end.¡± He said. ¡°She also said that she couldn''t give me the rest of the course credits, because I needed to log in enough actual lab time and file the course reports to qualify.¡±


    Annie nodded in understanding. ¡°You definitely need physical proof to show the professors that you actually know the work.¡± She said. ¡°That is, I meant the other professors. I can only imagine what Hamil and Felicia''s peers are saying about you having two years of their credits for summer lessons!¡±


    *


    ¡°I can''t believe you actually got away with that.¡± The sociology teacher said to Professor Felicia Power during the evening faculty meeting.


    ¡°I didn''t ''get away'' with anything.¡± Felicia said with a stern expression. ¡°I performed several oral examinations on the young man and he proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he knew the course work and the proper indexing for the formulas required.¡±


    ¡°Actually, he knows the formulas as well and not just the index.¡± Hamil said, a little proudly.


    ¡°That''s not possible.¡± The sociology teacher said. ¡°I admit that he seems intelligent...¡±


    Felicia, Hamil, and several other professors and teachers let out barks of laughter.


    ¡°Lissa, you need to listen to the people that have spent the last three months in his company.¡± Miss Josephine, the Liberal Arts professor said.


    ¡°It''s Alyssa.¡± The sociology professor corrected. Her grey hair was done up in a complicated bun and she wore a nice conservative business suit and skirt, even though it was after school hours.


    ¡°That''s what I said. Lissa.¡± Miss Josephine said with a smile. ¡°He is a remarkable young man.¡±


    ¡°His mind is invigorating.¡± The physics professor said. ¡°Did you know he''s taking both the first year Physics class and the Quantum Mechanics class? I honestly didn''t think that was possible.¡±


    ¡°That was my fault, I''m afraid.¡± The Dean of Sciences said and they all looked at him. ¡°When he was accredited with the first and second year biology and chemistry courses, his elective choices were expanded automatically.¡±


    ¡°Then I''m surprised he didn''t take full advantage of that.¡± The sociology teacher said.


    ¡°Arnold doesn''t think like a typical nineteen year old.¡± Hamil said. ¡°I''m sure that most would have tried to dive head first into taking as many new courses as they could.¡±


    The sociology teacher nodded her head.


    ¡°Arnold only took what he thought he could benefit from.¡±


    ¡°How in the world does quantum mechanics benefit a biologist?¡± The sociology teacher asked.


    ¡°The same way that advanced chemistry does.¡± Felicia said with a chuckle. ¡°It gives him ideas as to why some observable and non-observable phenomenon contradict what is supposed to be happening.¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± The physics professor said. ¡°It''s more erroneous data for him to collect, even though he''s not as invested into it as much as his other courses.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I understand that.¡± The sociology teacher said with a sigh. ¡°He does volunteer occasionally; but, he pretty much just sits there and writes.¡±


    ¡°I assume you saw what he''s writing?¡± Hamil asked with a smile.


    ¡°He was doing his statistics homework.¡± She answered and the statistics teacher laughed.


    ¡°He still answered your questions when you asked, didn''t he?¡± The statistics teacher asked.


    ¡°Unfortunately.¡± The sociology teacher said and everyone else laughed, too.


    ¡°He is definitely not fitting the normal student profile.¡± The Dean of Sciences said and tapped the small folder in front of him. ¡°I''m actually tempted to fill his free periods with other courses, just to see if he could handle a normal student workload.¡±


    Hamil chuckled. ¡°He''s handling the normal workload expertly, Neil. Have you looked closely at the specific spacing of his free periods? He''s given himself time between classes to complete as much of the work as he can, before he goes to the next class.¡±


    ¡°That''s kind of the problem I have.¡± Neil, the Dean of Sciences said. ¡°He''s not taking the work back to his dorm and studying.¡±


    ¡°He doesn''t have to study it, not if he''s had time to read through the book.¡± Felicia said. ¡°His mind is like a sponge.¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± The physics professor said. ¡°He had to read a particular passage from my text book twice before he could tell me what a quark was.¡±


    Hamil thought about that. ¡°Ah, I understand. You said it yourself. He''s not that into the subject. It''ll take him longer to adjust or assimilate the information.¡±


    ¡°His chemistry knowledge is well above par for my class.¡± Felicia said. ¡°He''s also read every book in my private collection.¡±


    ¡°Mine, too.¡± Hamil said, a little surprised. ¡°I''m actually having a hard time digging up good periodicals for him to browse through.¡±


    Felicia laughed. ¡°I know! He can get through one in half an hour and knows it inside out! It''s amazing.¡±


    Neil, the dean of Sciences held up his hands. ¡°All right. I can sign off on him having such a skewed education for now, until he messes up.¡± He looked at everyone and most of them nodded. ¡°Now, about these rumors...¡±


    Hamil sighed, the physics and math professors perked up, and every single woman in the meeting had slightly red faces.


    ¡°I see that quite a few of you have heard them.¡± Neil said and a couple of the women blushed more. ¡°I was willing to overlook them, then this police incident happened.¡±


    ¡°It was completely swept under the rug.¡± The sociology teacher said. ¡°How, might I ask, did that happen?¡±


    ¡°You''re the sociology teacher.¡± Miss Josephine said with a sexy smile. ¡°Wouldn''t you know already?¡±


    ¡°All I have is suspicion and conjecture.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Didn''t you send one of your students out to investigate?¡± Felicia asked, a little snidely.


    The sociology teacher sighed at being caught so easily. ¡°I did, and he reported that Arnold was actually the subject of one of my third year students.¡±


    ¡°This should be good!¡± The physics professor said and leaned forward in his chair.


    ¡°You know I can''t discuss a student''s dissertation before it''s judged.¡±


    ¡°Miss Kinneson, I know it is under review by you, your assistant, and the previous sociology teacher.¡± Neil said and she nodded. ¡°I won''t ask you for details or ask for a preview of what the paper will be graded as.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I will ask you for a general overview, and possibly the introduction the student herself wrote.¡± Neil said. ¡°Assuming that she never mentioned the subject by name.¡±


    Miss Kinneson was quiet for a moment. ¡°She didn''t.¡±


    ¡°Then, please. Enlighten us.¡± Neil waved at the other people in the meeting.


    Miss Kinneson saw all of the expectant faces. ¡°She observed the subject for nearly three months. During that time...¡± She started the story of everything that the girl at the end of the lunch table had written in her dissertation about Arnold. Everyone''s attention was held firmly, even after the mention of the multimedia component that consisted of a presentation with both photos and video.


    *


    ¡°You know that you don''t have to come all the way out here to pick me up, right?¡± Leann asked after she put her overnight bag into the trunk and climbed into Francine''s car.


    ¡°You mean, just like you don''t have to come home every weekend to spend it with me?¡± Francine responded with a smile.


    Leann gave her an intense look for a moment, then she leaned over the center console and kissed her.


    ¡°Homework?¡± Francine asked as she pulled out of the parking spot.


    ¡°I didn''t have that much to do, so I brought it with me.¡± Leann said. ¡°Maybe a couple hours on Saturday.¡±


    ¡°Good. I''ve got a tour that I have to conduct for a business that wants to donate a good chunk of money for a loan of one of the central pieces.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Leann turned slightly in the seat to look at her. ¡°I hope it''s not one of the nice ones.¡±


    Francine chuckled. ¡°If you promise not to say anything to anyone, I''ll let you in on a little secret.¡±


    Leann leaned in close to whisper. ¡°I... promise.¡± She lightly pressed her lips to her girlfriend''s cheek.


    Francine blushed a little. ¡°I''ve been meaning to rearrange the main gallery for a few months, so I can bring out some of the other pieces that are sitting in storage.¡±


    ¡°Ooo, sneaky.¡± Leann said and leaned away. She didn''t want to distract Francine while she was driving. Well, not too much.


    ¡°It''s not sneaky.¡± Francine said and her blush went a little deeper. ¡°It''s just good business sense and...¡±


    ¡°Make sure you add in the costs of replacing the main display when you do up the loan contracts.¡± Leann said with a big smile.


    Francine gave her a quick glance and saw her huge smile. ¡°Tease.¡±


    ¡°I am not.¡± Leann said and leaned back over. ¡°I''m doing my best to not distract you while you''re driving.¡±


    ¡°It''s not working.¡± Francine said and gave her another quick glance.


    ¡°Eyes on the road.¡± Leann said. ¡°Unless you want to pull over and...¡±


    Francine put on the signal and took the first turn that came up. She pulled over and parked, then wrapped her arms around Leann and kissed her.


    After only a few minutes, they had both gotten each other off, had the windows of the car steamed up, and had made a mess of their clothes. They looked at each other and then down at themselves, with their breasts hanging out of their tops and their pants half off, then they looked back at each other.


    ¡°We... have to... wait.¡± Francine panted.


    Leann licked her lips. ¡°Just one more.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Francine agreed immediately and started kissing her again.


    *


    Kelly was in her dad''s car and was trying her best to ignore his grumbling about the traffic. She had wanted to stay at the college, then made the mistake of telling her mother that she didn''t have a lot of homework to do. She joked in her head that her father had set an all time speed record coming to get her and it made her smile. She closed her eyes and relaxed as she remembered her dad''s bright red face as he walked down the dorm hallway.


    Every single girl screamed and covered herself up, even if she was wearing normal clothes, They cursed, threw socks and towels and things as he passed, and made him feel the lowest of the low for coming into the dorm unannounced. Kelly had stayed completely quiet, even after Kenneth had reached her room. His head was ducked down and he stared at the floor, with three socks on his head and shoulder, and a pair of clean panties comically stuck to his back.


    Kelly had handed him her bag and books, then she quietly handed back the things thrown as they walked back down the gauntlet. She also mouthed the words ''thank you'' to each and everyone one of them. Each of the girls had nodded and smiled in satisfaction for the successful, and appreciated, hazing. Her father was definitely going to think twice about coming to get her like that.


    Kelly fell asleep with her head against the window and a smile on her face.


    *


    Heather rode the bus and wondered where every one of their circle of friends were. It was a little odd for her to be the only person leaving the college that weekend, even though she knew that both Arnold and Kelly had little to no homework. She hadn''t seen the other girls Kelly was friends with, either.


    Maybe I should have asked them? Heather asked herself and then shrugged.


    She suspected that it wouldn''t be the only time she would be riding the bus, especially if Eric kept screwing up and getting himself more homework and messing up their weekend plans. She sighed and rested her head against the window. Little did she know that pretty much all of the others had taken some other form of transportation and even the bus, except at different times. It was a long two hours for her to get home.


    *


    Detective Olivia Tanner now had three different people lined up for the weekend to monitor Arnold and his last victim, Kevin. The Thomas girl had been absolutely vicious when she had learned what some of the circumstantial evidence against Arnold was and had spilled everything she knew, what her mother knew, and what all of her friends knew. She was a treasure trove of gossip, conjecture, and insinuation.


    Olivia couldn''t have been happier.


    She didn''t know that her efforts would be in vain. She would waste all of their weekends as they tracked Arnold while he enjoyed the sights and events with his mother. Kevin didn''t need to be tracked, because he sat in the detention cell at the station. The thing that gave her relief was that Kevin would be moved at the end of the month and it was on a Wednesday, which meant that Arnold wasn''t going to be around to possibly mess things up.

 179 Another Week

    Arnold returned to college on Sunday night without incident, much to Detective Tanner''s dismay and Dalla the maid''s delight. Both of them had been waiting for him to try something and only one was disappointed. Just like the last time, Arnold made sure Dalla was satisfied and kept quiet, then snuck out of his own room in the morning.


    Of course, Janet and Pam were also waiting for him, in the hopes that he would repeat his appearance from last week. When he did show up, it was Pam''s turn to be first. They knew that Arnold was spoiling them and they tried to not take advantage of his good nature. They did their best to help him in other things, like interacting with other people in the class and the teachers, even when he didn''t have to, and everyone noticed the difference.


    Arnold wasn''t being as cold or indifferent towards people that he didn''t know. This was the most prevalent during their relaxing art class on Tuesday. After his particularly brilliant fix for Pam''s horse, that actually worked, the other students asked him his opinions and views on different things. The teacher let it go on for a while, then she let out a laugh and interrupted everyone.


    ¡°This is supposed to be a relaxing class for everyone.¡± Miss Josephine reminded them and a few of them nodded, some smiled, and Pam gave Arnold a kiss on the lips. ¡°Not that relaxing, Pam.¡±


    ¡°But that is relaxing.¡± Pam said, a little smugly. ¡°If my best friend wants a kiss, I''m going to give it to him. Right, Arnold?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I thought Janet was your best friend?¡± Heather asked with a bit of vindictiveness.


    ¡°She is.¡± Pam responded. ¡°She''s also Arnold''s best friend, too.¡±


    ¡°Wow, really?¡± One of the other girls said. ¡°Can you really be best friends with a guy?¡±


    Pam chuckled. ¡°Before you start assuming things, no we aren''t dating and we don''t plan to date at any time in the future.¡±


    That surprised quite a few people in the class, including the teacher.


    ¡°Well.¡± Miss Josephine said and couldn''t help go over in her head what the sociology teacher had told her about her student. ¡°Let''s all get back to work, shall we?¡±


    The class passed without anything else notable happening and the trio of Pam, Janet, and Arnold had Chemistry class, then to the lab in the afternoon. They did up a lab report for it and passed it in and had the rest of the day off. They ate out at the Chinese restaurant and Arnold didn''t offer to pay for everything. The three of them split the bill equally and Pam was very horny afterwards because of that.


    Being frugal was just something that did it for Pam and Arnold helped her with the problem. They went back to the dorm and both Pam and Janet enjoyed the solution. Arnold knew better than to leave Janet out, even though she said that she was okay with not participating. Once she was involved, though... she was just as eager as Pam was.


    After that, Arnold returned to his dorm room and asked to borrow the van. Dalla didn''t ask where he was going and just handed him the keys.


    ¡°I''m going to be late.¡± Arnold whispered in her ear. ¡°You can stay over.¡±


    Dalla''s face flushed red and she nodded in understanding and acceptance. Arnold left the dorm and waved to Doris as he passed her desk. She was even busier this term with all of the new students that had moved in and she regretted not having the time available for her young lover.


    Arnold hopped into the van and checked the gas gauge and saw the vehicle was full, so he drove the very familiar route all the way back home. He didn''t go to his place, however. Instead, he went to another address and parked down the street. He had to confirm the details he had found on the receptionist''s computer and nodded when an expensive car appeared on the street. It pulled into the driveway that he expected it to.


    He waited a short time, then drove part way across the city to another address. There was already a car there and he couldn''t confirm the right time; but, it was close, so he had to accept it. He drove all the way back to the college campus and parked the van. Just over five hours had passed since he left, so it was pretty late at night. He entered the dorm and went up the stairs, down the hall, and quietly entered his dorm room.


    Arnold stripped off and climbed into bed to see Dalla was wide awake. ¡°Thank you.¡± He whispered and kissed her, then he made slow and passionate love to her. He stared into her eyes the entire time and she stared back as they shared an occasional kiss.


    Dalla had become accustomed to this treatment already and her body desired it each time, even though this was only the third time. She wasn''t sure why she was so eager to let him have his way with her, except that it felt great and he never demanded anything from her. She hadn''t told Ida what was happening every time she stayed over and she hoped that her mistress didn''t suspect anything.


    Ida laid in bed and played with herself. She could hear the low and muffled moans from under the blanket of the bed that wasn''t quite that far away from her. She had thought about saying something the first time and exposing Dalla for breaking her word... then she had realized that Dalla hadn''t really broken it.


    Dalla had promised that Arnold having sex with her wasn''t going to interfere with her taking care of Ida, and so far, it hadn''t. It was just a bit maddening that her maid was already getting laid and having the perfect college experience, while she was still trying to navigate through the social niceties to find someone to date and to get the same experience.


    Ida came at almost the same time as Dalla''s muffled squeal of pleasure and both of them relaxed at the same time. They drifted off to sleep with one hoping to experience it for herself and the other in the arms of her not-so-secret lover.


    Arnold was up and gone in the morning before either woman woke up, stopped briefly in Janet and Pam''s room to shower and change, then he went to class. He had Physics with Leann first thing and when she entered the room, he saw that she was dressed a little nicer than normal.


    ¡°Hi, Arnold.¡± Leann said and walked over to him. She bent down and gave him a two second kiss. ¡°Francine said to say hi.¡±


    ¡°Give her a kiss for me.¡± Arnold said.


    That surprised her, because he had never kissed Francine, then Leann realized what he meant.


    ¡°I could swear you just made a joke.¡± Leann chuckled and gave him three more quick kisses. ¡°I''m sure she owes you a lot more than that, though.¡± She said and gave him several more.


    ¡°Oh, geez. Get a room.¡± Tanya said with a laugh as she entered the classroom. ¡°What''s Francine going to say?¡±


    ¡°You should let me do that.¡± Leann said with a smirk, then they both laughed.


    ¡°Okay, yes. I bet she would.¡± Tanya said and sat down beside them.


    ¡°So would you.¡± Leann said smugly.


    ¡°Only if I wasn''t dating Richard.¡± Tanya said. ¡°A kiss isn''t worth risking our entire relationship.¡±


    ¡°Would it be at risk?¡± Leann asked with a chuckle. ¡°I think someone is envious that it might be.¡±


    ¡°A kiss from the kissing bandit?¡± Tanya laughed. ¡°I think anything could happen.¡±


    The physics professor walked into the class and had heard Tanya''s words. ¡°You mean it''s true?¡± He asked and the three of them looked at him. ¡°Ah, I mean... forget I said anything.¡±


    Leann and Tanya exchanged looks, then gave the teacher the same smirking grins.


    ¡°Yeah, never mind.¡± The physics professor whispered and went to his desk to drop off his book and a few papers, then he went to his toy box and took out a pretty elaborate mechanism. Leann would remember it as one of the best classes she had that term and Tanya would remember it as the opportunity that she had missed to kiss the kissing bandit.


    The rest of the day passed without incident, even with Kelly''s sociology class that afternoon and the teacher and her pretty much staring holes through Arnold. He easily ignored the attention and went about his day.


    The next day, Arnold spent with Sarah in two classes, one of which was Latin, and her heart kept going pitter-patter when Arnold showed his knowledge of the subject. She knew it was the hopeless romantic inside of her that was reacting and she couldn''t help herself. She was going to have to try and distance herself from him, to save herself some embarrassment... then the two of them were assigned as partners to translate a lengthy passage in Latin for the term''s project.


    Sarah didn''t argue or show that she wasn''t going to be comfortable spending so much time with Arnold, especially when her boyfriend found out. She wasn''t going to lie to him, though. She met Wayne at lunch and she told him about the assignment and her misgivings.


    ¡°All right.¡± Wayne said, a bit dismissively. ¡°If you''re worried about it, then tell Arnold or the teacher.¡±


    ¡°I can''t.¡± Sarah said with a sigh. ¡°I should have said something when it was assigned...¡±


    ¡°...but, you didn''t want to bring attention to it.¡± Wayne said and she nodded. ¡°Then suck it up and do the assignment.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°It''s the term project. I assume it''s going to be a good portion of the class mark.¡±


    ¡°Thirty percent.¡±


    ¡°Whew, that''s a good chunk.¡± Wayne said with a chuckle. ¡°So, you have a choice. Blow off the assignment and do everything else to pass with seventy percent, or do the assignment and then coast through doing other things to get a passing grade. It''s pretty simple.¡±


    Sarah took a deep breath and let it out, because she didn''t want to tell her boyfriend that Arnold was turning her on because he was smart and was just as passionate about Latin as she was.


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Wayne asked, knowing what she was going to say.


    ¡°I''ll do the work with Arnold.¡± Sarah said in a defeated tone.


    Wayne laughed as he gave her a hug. ¡°That''s my girl.¡±


    Sarah closed her eyes and hugged him back. I hope I still am by the time the assignment is over.


    That afternoon, Wayne was in quantum mechanics class with Arnold and didn''t mention Sarah''s misgivings about the Latin project. It was something that they had to work out on their own and Wayne was sure that Arnold wouldn''t cross a line with Sarah that he hadn''t crossed with anyone else.


    The next day, Arnold, Pam and Janet had their biology lab and continued working on the chicken specimen. The three of them discretely checked the other specimens and saw that the proposed alterations that Arnold had submitted, had actually been performed on the specimens.


    ¡°They did it and saved the specimens.¡± Janet whispered into Arnold''s ear. ¡°I''m so glad.¡±


    Arnold turned to give her a quick kiss, then turned the other way to get a kiss from Pam, who was a bit more enthusiastic and it wasn''t quite as quick as Janet''s kiss had been.


    Amy, Cissily, and Professor Crenslav stared at them when they had the opportunity. Unlike the two lab workers, Hamil wasn''t being malicious in his observations. He was genuinely curious as to how someone like Arnold, with his odd quirks, was able to procure and sleep with so many girls with little to no effort.


    That wasn''t quite true, however. There was actually quite a lot of effort on Arnold''s part, it was just so subtle and disarming that it almost went unnoticed. The girls responding to his advances also weren''t sure how he had worked his way into their hearts and minds, either. It didn''t matter to them, though. He was there now and they wouldn''t give him up for anything.


    This effect would also explain why Cissily had reacted so badly to him sleeping with her mother, finding out all the rumors about him, and the crimes he might have been involved in. There was nothing as hateful as a woman scorned that wanted to get back at someone. It was just too bad that she didn''t have the time or the patience to watch him all the time and only when she was available. To her surprise, none of her other friends wanted anything to do with trying to spy on Arnold.


    To her credit, Cissily didn''t get angry at them, even when they argued about the circumstantial evidence. Maxine responded that if he was smart enough to get away with killing all those people, there was no way that she wanted to be involved with trying to trap or catch him. The black woman with dreadlocks was actually more intrigued by Arnold after the arguments, almost for the same reason. She had a thing for bad boys and knowing he wasn''t the clean cut guy she thought he was, turned her on.


    The girl that wrote the dissertation on Arnold had absolutely refused and warned Cissily and Amy about messing with him, if he really was what they suspected he was. His sociopolitical powers were too advanced for anyone to navigate, let alone overcome. She had received her mark for it and had only come back to the college for her final credit, a course that she had dreaded taking for the three years that she had been there.


    Liberal Arts and their Impact on Society.


    She was glad that it was only one class a week and the course load was fairly light. The problem she had was the teacher that was so laid back and lackadaisical that she couldn''t stand the woman''s teaching technique. To her, each class felt like sitting through an hour and a half of fingernails on a chalkboard and her irritation was so high that she needed all the free time she could get to relax each week.


    The rest of Ciccily''s friends just didn''t want to be bothered doing extra work of observing Arnold between and after classes, even if it meant they got to see him in compromising situations. Cissily had reached out towards the frat house that Arnold had a brief tussle with, and every single one of the members had refused to even speak to her. She tried to approach one of their girlfriends and was warned to stay away from both the frat house members and Arnold, if she knew what was good for her.


    That response only made Cissily even more determined to find out all of the wrongdoings that Arnold was involved in and not avoid them. She followed Arnold after his class and waited outside the dorm to see if he was leaving on the bus early again. She didn''t make the connection that he had most of the day off every weekend and only reported when he actually did leave on the bus.


    *


    For Detective Tanner and her helpers, it was another wasted weekend. She was almost fine with that, because in two weeks was Kevin''s transfer and there was no way that Arnold was going to get into the prison to take care of him. Olivia had failed to prevent the other deaths and she was going to do as much as she could to save Arnold''s last victim.

 180 An Opportunity

    The next week passed in almost the same manner as the last one, with one exception. When Arnold asked to borrow the van, he also took along a bag with a few things in it. Dalla didn''t ask what he was doing and she didn''t care, because it let her stay next to her mistress. She could be there for her at night and first thing in the morning, so it was a win-win situation for everyone.


    Arnold drove back home and went to the first address that he had visited the week before. Once there, he went into the back of the van and changed out of his normal clothes and put on the police uniform that he had taken from Officer Hallman''s house. He added the hat, the badge, the equipment belt and radio, disconnected of course, and the police ID with his picture on it that he hung on his front pocket with the attached clip. The two handguns were next and then he put on the jacket. With his costume complete, he sat there and waited for the car''s arrival.


    When Arnold saw the car''s lights, he didn''t immediately jump out to go over. No, he was smarter than that. He waited half an hour and snuck out of the van, made his way as discretely as possible to the house in question, then knocked on the front door.


    ¡°Just a minute.¡± A voice said from inside and the door opened. ¡°Oh! What can I do for you, officer?¡± The redheaded woman asked. She wore a conservative skirt and a thick sweater that hid her chest completely.


    ¡°It''s nothing serious, ma''am.¡± Officer Arnold said with a hint of amusement in his voice and in a deeper tone than normal. ¡°I''m just following up on a report of a 10-33 from this residence.¡±


    ¡°A 10-33?¡± The woman asked, completely confused.


    ¡°A security alarm was tripped recently?¡± Officer Arnold asked.


    The woman''s face went a little red. ¡°Oh, damn. I knew I didn''t enter the code quickly enough the other day.¡±


    Officer Arnold let out a little chuckle. ¡°Ma''am, it''s perfectly fine.¡± He said and gave her a big smile. ¡°I get the clean-up calls all the time. If it had been serious, there would have been a much quicker response than this.¡±


    The woman''s face went redder at the smile and the pleasant tone of his voice. ¡°I suppose you want to come in and have a look around?¡± She asked and couldn''t keep the hope out of her voice.


    ¡°As long as I''m not intruding.¡± Officer Arnold said. ¡°I don''t want to bother such a beautiful woman over something so trivial.¡±


    The woman blushed to a deeper red. ¡°It''s no bother.¡± She said and stepped back. ¡°Would you like some tea?¡±


    ¡°Ma''am, I would like nothing more.¡± Officer Arnold said and stepped by her.


    ¡°My... husband...¡± The woman said, almost like a curse. ¡°...just came home and he''s enjoying a drink in his study.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think I''ll need to disturb him over something like this.¡± Officer Arnold said. ¡°May I see your... security panel?¡± He said suggestively.


    ¡°It''s...¡± The woman gave him a longing look. ¡°...right over here.¡± She said and led him through the small porch and motioned to the panel. ¡°I tried to get to it in time and fumbled one of my packages.¡± She said as an explanation. ¡°The buttons are small and are a little worn out.¡±


    ¡°I can see that.¡± Officer Arnold said as he opened the little plastic flap that covered the keypad. ¡°Some of the numbers are almost worn off.¡±


    The woman nodded. ¡°The back door panel is in much better shape.¡±


    ¡°I''d say one of the buttons might not have registered quickly enough.¡± Officer Arnold pointed to the number 5 button that was very worn, then he took out a small notepad and wrote a couple of sentences. ¡°I suggest getting it replaced as soon as possible.¡± He put his notebook away. ¡°I''m quite relieved that it''s only a mechanical issue and no one actually managed to come onto the premises.¡±


    The woman sighed. ¡°Considering the work my husband does, that is a constant worry.¡±


    Officer Arnold gave her an inquisitive look. ¡°What does your husband do?¡±


    ¡°He''s the District Attorney for the city.¡± The woman said and she almost laughed at the officer''s raised eyebrows. ¡°I can tell you all about it while we have tea.¡±


    Officer Arnold gave her an angelic smile. ¡°Thank you, ma''am.¡±


    ¡°Please, call me Charlotte.¡± The woman said, her face red again.


    ¡°You can call me Charlie.¡± Officer Arnold said and followed the woman to the kitchen.


    What followed was the best game of flirt tag that Charlotte had ever played. She was a married woman and had been for several years; but, she knew the game well, being the DA''s wife and attending so many public functions. This time was different, however. For some reason, she was quite turned on by the handsome young man that sat next to her.


    ¡°Ma''am... Charlotte.¡± Officer Arnold said and leaned close.


    Charlotte''s eyes went wide and she thought he was going to kiss her. She didn''t move to stop him.


    ¡°Bathroom.¡± Officer Arnold whispered.


    Charlotte blushed and let out a soft laugh. ¡°Second door down the hallway. The first door is the den.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Officer Arnold whispered and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.


    Charlotte stared at his retreating figure and she couldn''t believe that he really did kiss her. She was a little miffed that he hadn''t used her lips when he took the liberty, though. He came back into the room a few minutes later and walked over to her.


    ¡°I think I need a tour of the house, just to make sure everything is fine.¡± Officer Arnold said and held a hand out to her.


    Charlotte took the hand and stood up as she looked into his eyes. ¡°Where would you like to start?¡±


    ¡°The bedroom.¡± Officer Arnold said in a deep voice.


    Charlotte saw that look in his eyes and she knew that this man was going to make love to her. ¡°My husband...¡±


    ¡°...is much too busy right now to bother us.¡± Officer Arnold said.


    ¡°He''s always busy.¡± Charlotte said and held onto the handsome officer''s hand as she led him from the kitchen and took him up the stairs. She just hoped that he could measure up to the last man that she had taken to her bed. To her delight, he kept the police hat and uniform on.


    After the first couple of minutes, her expectations were completely blown away.


    After half an hour, she pledged undying love to Charlie and cursed her husband and every other man that had touched her.


    After another half an hour, she was deep asleep from physical exhaustion.


    Officer Arnold left her in the bed and went back to the den. Inside was the dead district attorney, a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead and Officer Hallman''s backup revolver in his hand with a homemade silencer attached. Officer Arnold used the man''s computer, brought up the security footage of his visit, and checked to make sure that his face was never seen on any of the footage.


    He brought up the video file of him having sex with the DA''s wife, set it to loop and play continuously, then went back to the upstairs hallway and unholstered the normal handgun. He added a homemade silencer and stepped into the room, using the police standard crab walk, and shot the sleeping woman in the head.


    Officer Arnold cleaned up anything he had touched and removed all traces of his fingerprints, then used alcohol wipes to muddle and destroy any DNA he may have left. He kept the used condom and would dispose of that later. He went back to the den and checked the little safe that wasn''t even disguised. The combination had been on the computer, along with the security code for the house alarm and computer passwords for his work.


    The safe had about six thousand dollars in cash, a small stack of bonds worth another ten thousand, and several jewellery items. A pair of earrings, a necklace, and a diamond ring were there in nice cases. It also had certificates of insurance and the serial numbers for the jewellery, their value, and where they were registered. Arnold took it all, since he wasn''t sure what he could use.


    Also, leaving anything during a robbery was just plain stupid.


    Officer Arnold quickly went through the man''s wallet and found another thousand dollars and three credit cards. He took the wallet and the man''s personal security ID for the courthouse, just in case his Officer Hallman ID didn''t work, and then he went through the house. He searched all the basic places where valuables would be stashed and pocketed them, then did the same with the woman''s purse. She had a few hundred dollars and he took that and her credit cards.


    His task done, Officer Arnold locked everything up as he turned off the lights in the house. He cranked up the heat to thirty-four degrees Celsius, or ninety degrees Fahrenheit, which was as high as the temperature gauge would go. He went to the back door after locking everything up, typed in the security code to set the alarm, then pulled the locked door closed.


    Officer Arnold snuck off to the side of the house and into the bushes. He made his way back to the van and slipped inside, quickly changed into his normal clothes, then drove away in the other direction. He was tempted to drive over to the other address that he knew, then decided that two incidents on the same night would be too suspicious. He drove the two hours back to the college and parked in his space and went inside the dorm.


    It was late, so he went up the stairs and no one else was awake. When he quietly entered his dorm room and climbed into bed, he wasn''t surprised that Dalla was wide awake and waiting for him.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold whispered and kissed her, then made slow and passionate love to her, just like she wanted him to.


    *


    It took three days for someone to wonder why the district attorney hadn''t been to work.


    His secretary had noticed the first day and she had called several times, both him and his wife, and neither of them answered. On the second day, she went to the house herself and saw the DA''s car was still in the driveway. The door was locked and she was sure that the alarm was on, too. That meant he was either sick or had sequestered himself. She went back to work and started to go through official channels to report the incident.


    She was ignored until the next day when the judge of an important case didn''t see the district attorney and only saw the aide. When asked, the aide let the judge know that he hadn''t been seen for three days and everyone assumed that he was sick.


    The judge wasn''t stupid enough to accept that flimsy excuse and issued an order to have the police find the DA and to ask what was going on. ¡°I''ll give you a warrant for entry.¡± He said and did so. Two police officers were given the warrant and proceeded to the DA''s home and parked right out front. They both got out and one went to the car and touched the hood.


    ¡°Cold.¡± The officer said and went to the front door with the other officer. ¡°Police! Open up!¡± He said and pounded on the door.


    ¡°Try the doorbell.¡± The other officer said and he pushed it. Nothing happened, so he pushed it again. ¡°Hold it in.¡±


    The officer held it for thirty seconds and nothing happened. ¡°Crowbar?¡±


    ¡°Crowbar.¡± The other officer said and went to the trunk of the car and took out a two foot long pry bar. There were no nearby windows to break and get in, so they had to rely on brute force. It took them almost ten minutes to pry out the deadbolt lock on the door and they pulled the door open and went inside.


    ¡°Jesus!¡± One of them exclaimed when they hit what felt like a solid barrier of heat and started to sweat instantly. ¡°It''s like an oven in here!¡± He said, then caught a whiff of something that almost choked him. ¡°Ugh!¡± He covered his mouth and nose at the prevalent stink.


    The house alarm went off and neither of them did anything about it. After a moment, it went off by itself, because they had called the security company and they reset it remotely for them.


    ¡°I know that smell.¡± The other officer said and didn''t bother covering his nose. ¡°Call it in.¡±


    ¡°Why do I...¡± The first stopped and gagged. He nodded and stepped back outside and pulled the door almost all the way closed, then clicked the button on his shoulder radio. ¡°Dispatch, this is Officer 6432. We have a 10-54 and a possible 187. I repeat, ten-five-four and one-eight-seven.¡±


    ¡°Roger that.¡± The female voice said. ¡°Notifying the chief and the coroner.¡±


    ¡°Judging by the smell, there''s no real rush.¡± The officer said. ¡°I suggest medical masks all around.¡±


    ¡°I''ll pass that along.¡± The dispatcher said. ¡°ETA of first responders, thirteen minutes.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. Officer 6432 out.¡±


    ¡°Dispatch out.¡± The female voice said and clicked off.


    The door opened and the officer''s partner came out. ¡°Shit, shit, shit.¡± He said and pulled the door closed. ¡°I knew I should have called in sick today.¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to know, do I?¡± The other officer asked.


    ¡°No.¡± His partner said. ¡°In fact, I don''t want to know, either.¡± He sighed. ¡°You don''t happen to have a mental scrubbing brush, do you? My brain needs a good scouring.¡±


    The other officer shook his head. ¡°I think I''ll just stay out here and guard the door.¡±


    ¡°Me, too.¡± His partner said and zipped up his jacket.


    Five minutes later, the other officer couldn''t contain his curiosity. ¡°What''s got you so rattled?¡±


    ¡°The DA''s wife is upstairs.¡± His partner said. ¡°It''s not pretty.¡±


    ¡°Well, fuck.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± His partner said and they stood there in silence as they waited for someone with more seniority to show up, so they could take this mess off of their hands.

 181 Another Weekend

    Bokuboy


    Arnold finished out the week at college without any problems and went back to the dorm to change and to pack his bag for the weekend. He was going to show up early again, even though Annie knew he was coming and it wasn''t that much of a surprise for her. She still enjoyed seeing him early, so he would keep doing it when he could.


    ¡°There''s a rogue cop on the loose.¡± Dalla said when Arnold came into the room and she held up the newspaper. ¡°This says he killed a couple of teenagers and now he''s dispatched the district attorney.¡±


    ¡°Dispatched?¡± Arnold asked and Dalla chuckled.


    ¡°One of the people the reporter interviewed said that.¡± Dalla handed him the paper. ¡°They said that the cop was doing everyone a huge favor by getting rid of the corrupt system from the top down.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°I have no idea.¡± Dalla said. ¡°I only get the paper for Ida, since it''s part of her project for the Liberal Arts professor. I had to call the newspaper to get copies of the back issues from when she started college.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Arnold asked and handed the paper back. There were almost no details about the crime itself and only had people''s reactions to what happened. They hadn''t even published the address.


    ¡°She''s making a Headlines of the Year scrapbook with her observations of our ''culture'' of information.¡± Dalla said with a smile. ¡°I tried to tell her how much work that was going to be and how big it could turn out to be. She just laughed and said she would just buy more scrapbooks and fill them.¡±


    Arnold finished packing and then changed his clothes. Dalla watched him as if he was the most fascinating thing ever and then she felt anticipation when he walked over to her.


    ¡°Goodbye.¡± Arnold said and she puckered her lips for him and he kissed her.


    ¡°See you on Sunday.¡± Dalla said and Arnold nodded and walked over to the door. ¡°Arnold.¡±


    Arnold stopped walking and looked at her.


    ¡°Thank you for letting me stay over so much.¡±


    Arnold walked back over to her and gave her another kiss for several seconds. ¡°I know how important it is for you to be here as much as you can to take care of Ida.¡±


    ¡°It really is important to me.¡± Dalla said and cupped the sides of his face. ¡°I appreciate you doing your best to not interfere with that.¡± She leaned in and gave him a long and tender kiss for almost ten seconds. ¡°Thank you very much.¡±


    Arnold stared into her eyes for several moments, then he stepped back and went for the door. Dalla watched him go and she was glad that she had changed her decision about sleeping with him. It never occurred to her that she could have both a work life that was all encompassing and a private life that she could keep to herself.


    Arnold went home on the bus and the bus driver had an enlightening conversation with him. He knew a lot more than the paper did about the crimes that happened, unofficially of course, because it was mostly rumors and whispers from around the building where he worked and where he stopped to take breaks from driving. His details were fairly accurate, which meant information passed through professional channels fairly quickly, no matter the source.


    The two hours passed quickly and Arnold was dropped off, with a little regret from the bus driver, because Arnold was such a good listener. Arnold walked over to the other bus stop several streets over and rode the normal line back to a nearby street to his home and walked there.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Annie said excitedly when he came in through the front door of the house. She gave him a hug and a quick kiss. ¡°How was your week? Did anything happen?¡±


    ¡°It was murder.¡± Arnold said and Annie laughed.


    ¡°It sure was!¡± Annie exclaimed and took his hand as she led him to the living room. ¡°Everyone is talking about the district attorney and the scandal.¡±


    ¡°Scandal?¡± Arnold asked, just to see if she would confirm what the bus driver said.


    ¡°Beth told me yesterday that the DA''s wife has been sleeping around on him for years and he finally had enough.¡± Annie said and they settled down on the couch in their normal positions. ¡°I know that they said a rogue cop was responsible; but, you don''t know how jealous some people can get when they think their loved ones are going to be taken away from them.¡±


    ¡°Is it always like that?¡± Arnold asked as he looked up from her lap.


    ¡°No.¡± Annie said and slowly rubbed his chest. ¡°I bet if it was the DA having the affairs, the wife wouldn''t have cared.¡±


    ¡°Because she was getting it, too?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°No, because he had lots of money, fame, and was a part of high society.¡± Annie said. ¡°Some women will give up pretty much everything to get into a position like that.¡±


    ¡°How do you find women like that?¡± Arnold asked.


    Annie chuckled. ¡°It''s actually really easy. You just need fame, fortune, and be a part of high society. Believe me, they will flock to you.¡±


    Arnold had to think about that for a minute. ¡°Is that related to procreation and continuing the species?¡±


    ¡°In some respects, yes. The woman would have access to food, wealth, and power. It''s the perfect breeding ground.¡±


    ¡°The DA didn''t have children.¡± Arnold said, sure of the fact. There were no pictures in the house that showed children or teenagers.


    ¡°It wasn''t for lack of trying.¡± Annie said. ¡°I think that was why his wife started having affairs.¡±


    Arnold closed his eyes and took a deep breath, let it out, then opened his eyes and looked up at his mother. ¡°Why am I an only child?¡±


    Annie was surprised for only a moment, then she smiled a smile that was as angelic as the one Arnold used. ¡°That answer is as easy to say as it was for me to have you.¡± She leaned down to give him a quick kiss. ¡°Once I had a son like you, there was no other room in my life for another child.¡± She said and her hand kept rubbing his chest. ¡°I knew I needed to give you as much attention and love as I could. If I had another child, that would mean I couldn''t do that.¡±


    ¡°So, if I wasn''t me, you would have had more kids.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°If you weren''t you, then we wouldn''t be having this conversation.¡± Annie chuckled. ¡°There would be no point. Our lives might be different or they might be the same, just without you in it.¡± She said, then she gave him an intense stare. ¡°However, you were born and I dedicated my life to you, and not once did I ever doubt my decision to do that.¡±


    Her hand rubbed his buzz-cut blonde hair and she smiled at the two very different sensations her hands experienced.


    ¡°I also don''t regret it.¡± Annie said. ¡°You are, and always will be, my smart little boy. If I had to do it all over again, I would still make the same decision to take care of you.¡±


    Arnold stared up at her for a moment. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and puckered his lips.


    Annie chuckled and leaned down to kiss him, then they spent the rest of the afternoon and evening watching television, with a short break for supper in between. After that, they changed for bed and cuddled together. Annie always slept better with Arnold home and she cherished her time with him.


    The next day, the next door neighbour Beth needed help cleaning out one of her bedrooms. She had bought a new armoire and wanted an extra pair of hands. Annie volunteered Arnold, since she was doing a little baking and couldn''t do it herself. Arnold spent several hours at Beth''s place and came back freshly showered.


    ¡°Just in time.¡± Annie said and pulled a large pan of homemade tea biscuits from the oven. ¡°The only thing better than eating hot tea biscuits is having them slathered in butter and then eating them.¡±


    Arnold sat down at the kitchen table and he and his mother had tea and pretty much made a meal of the freshly baked tea biscuits.


    ¡°Why don''t you bring over a plate for Beth?¡± Annie asked when they were done eating their fill.


    ¡°She''s sleeping.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I can bring some over later.¡±


    Annie nodded and she and Arnold spent the rest of the day lightly cleaning. After the intense cleaning they had done under a month ago, only maintaining the house''s cleanliness didn''t take much work at all. Arnold brought over the tea biscuits to Beth and came back ten minutes later. Annie didn''t ask what happened and just assumed that Beth had talked to her son about something, probably about the possibility of doing more work around her house.


    In actuality, Beth had been on her knees the entire time pleasing Arnold. He had asked her if she wanted it done to her and she said he could do it tomorrow, after he helped her with cleaning out some of the attic.


    Arnold spent the evening with his mother and they talked about what to do next weekend, if he was still available. They planned for both eventualities, just in case, and Annie promised to not get her hopes up. Of course, she was lying through her teeth because she wanted to spend the time with her son while she had the chance and he wasn''t too busy. She knew all too well what it had been like with him busy and working every second or third weekend.


    They slept in the same bed again and Annie wallowed in the uncomplicated warmth that her son gave her. She had felt guilty about it at first, since it wasn''t really what she should be doing; but, she loved him and he was all that she had in this world. Both her parents had passed away before Arnold was born and Gerald''s mother had run out on him when he was a teenager.


    His dad was still alive; but, the man never approved of Annie and had disowned Gerald when he moved out to be with her. He hadn''t even come to his own son''s funeral, just to spite her. She hadn''t told Arnold any of that, though. Which was fortunate, because if she had, Gerald''s father wouldn''t have stayed in the world for much longer. She didn''t know that, though.


    The next day was spent just hanging around at the house and they kept each other company. They cooked some, cleaned some, laid on the couch for a while, then they both grabbed books to browse. Annie''s was a dirty romance novel and Arnold''s was his quantum mechanics textbook. He struggled with it, just because it wasn''t really something he was interested in.


    After a while, Arnold discussed with his mother about dropping the subject after getting the credit for the term. He would get a decent mark in it and that was all. He wasn''t going to follow up with anything that branched from it.


    ¡°Then there''s no point in continuing it.¡± Annie said without looking up from her book. ¡°At least it will look good on your resume.¡±


    Arnold nodded and closed the book, decided that he only needed to read the next chapter, which he had already done, and he moved over next to his mother on the couch and snuggled into her side. Or tried to. He wasn''t very successful.


    ¡°I think you''re too big for that to work.¡± Annie said with a chuckle and tried to accommodate him. It still didn''t work, so Arnold changed tactics and waved for her to snuggle into his side instead. Annie laughed and tried to tuck herself under his arm and turned slightly away as she laid against him, then she was pleasantly surprised that she actually fit and was comfortable.


    ¡°I can''t believe that worked.¡± Annie said, genuinely surprised. ¡°You''ve grown a little bit more than I thought you did.¡±


    Arnold had her in a half-hug and Annie took several relaxing breaths. She went back to her book and Arnold held her as he shared his body warmth with her. If you asked Annie at that moment what made her happy, she would point at the current situation and say ''this right here''.


    Arnold''s phone beeped at him and he took it out of his pocket and checked it. ¡°Beth changed her mind and doesn''t need me to come over.¡±


    ¡°She might have someone coming over.¡± Annie suggested.


    Arnold typed with one hand and sent the message. ¡°She says an old friend from college.¡±


    Annie looked up from her book, thought about it, then shrugged. ¡°I didn''t go to college, so it can''t be anyone I know.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and typed it as well, then ended the conversation.


    *


    ¡°Well, damn.¡± Beth said and looked at the last word Arnold sent to her and sighed. ¡°I just hope he can forgive me for breaking our date.¡±


    There was a honked horn and she stepped out of the house to wave at the older man. What Beth hadn''t told Arnold was that it was one of her old professors from college. He had tenure, a very high salary, and he didn''t mind showering her with jewellery and expensive dinners. He had called at the last minute to say that he was free and she pretty much dropped everything for him.


    Beth would soon learn that it wasn''t a smart thing to do. The food was going to be sub-par and not very appetizing, the conversation was going to be dry and not inspired, and the sex was going to be the same as it had been the last two times they had been together. She would get a new pair of diamond earrings out of it at the end of the night and it still wasn''t going to be worth it.


    Her snap decision had cost her Arnold.


    *


    Arnold and Annie had a late supper and Arnold left her with a kiss and a promise to be good. He rode the bus line back to the main line to the college and was surprised to see Heather waiting there.


    ¡°Oh, hi!¡± Heather said and gave him a hug. ¡°I missed you on Friday''s bus.¡±


    ¡°I left at lunch.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Just my luck!¡± Heather laughed. ¡°That would explain riding the bus pretty much alone.¡±


    ¡°Where''s Eric?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°The idiot volunteered for an after class project to construct a viable business model for a made up product.¡± Heather said with a sigh. ¡°I was supposed to be spending the last two weekends with him and all I got for my troubles was sitting at the college last weekend and sitting at home this weekend.¡±


    Arnold didn''t see anything wrong with that, so he stayed quiet.


    ¡°I''m thinking of breaking up with him.¡± Heather said and waited to see if Arnold would ask her why.


    The bus they were waiting for came to a stop in front of them and they climbed aboard.


    ¡°Hey there, Arnold.¡± The bus driver said. ¡°How''s your mom?¡±


    ¡°Happy.¡± Arnold said and swiped his bus pass.


    ¡°Having you home for nearly three days and all to herself? I can imagine so!¡± The bus driver laughed. ¡°Howdy, miss.¡±


    ¡°Hi.¡± Heather said and paid the fee, a little confused. She put her bag on the rack next to Arnold''s bag and sat down next to him and whispered. ¡°How do you know him?¡±


    ¡°He''s the bus driver.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I''ve ridden the bus nearly every weekend since high school ended.¡±


    Heather opened her mouth to respond, then what Arnold said hit her. ¡°N-n-no, you... you didn''t...¡±


    ¡°Mom said I was lucky that I had to work the weekend that Brad and his friends wrecked the place.¡±


    ¡°A-Arnold, I... I''m so sorry.¡± Heather said as tears came to her eyes and she put her arms around him. ¡°I didn''t know that you came home on the weekends during the summer.¡± She said and held back the sobs that tried to escape. ¡°I thought you were safe at the college. I didn''t know that you were really in danger!¡±


    Arnold nodded and didn''t say anything.


    Heather let him go and used a tissue as she wiped at her eyes. ¡°Are you...¡± She stopped herself before she asked if he was angry at her. ¡°Are you going to ask me why I want to break up with Eric?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said, because he assumed it would be a stupid reason, just like when she broke up with him.


    Heather was a little surprised by his answer, then shrugged. ¡°Well, anyway...¡± She started to tell him all about her Liberal Arts course and all of the wonderful things Miss Josephine was teaching her.


    Arnold sat there and tuned her out, just as if he was watching television.


    The bus driver had to stay quiet and he felt really bad for the poor kid having to listen to the pretty and self-important girl babbled into his ear for the whole two hour trip.

 182 Odd Choices

    Bokuboy


    Professor Hamil Crenslav had a very informative weekend. He had finally managed to squirrel away enough spare time from preparing the medical school specimens to take a look at Arnold''s display model. He didn''t know much about the fancy parts of computers, because his world was made up of the physical things he interacted with and not really the virtual. Or so he thought.


    Hamil loaded the model view onto his laptop and chose the only model on the USB thumb drive. He almost laughed at the scientific name for the common sewer rat, then he took in a sharp breath of surprise when the model loaded up.


    ¡°Did he get this done professionally?¡± Hamil asked and used his mouse to click on the viewer. It started to slowly rotate the model and it looked just like a rat, albeit with a smooth surface and not covered in hair. He saw the ''expand view'' button and clicked it, not knowing what to expect, and the rat flipped up to present its belly. The telltale flap was there and Hamil clicked on it.


    He took in another sharp breath in surprise when the flap disappeared and inside was everything that was inside the rat. He moved the mouse over the organs and the names popped up when he did. He clicked on the heart and it jumped out at him, then started rotating as well.


    ¡°Good lord.¡± Hamil said and clicked it again. It went back inside the rat and he clicked the lungs. They popped out and spun slowly as well. He clicked the stomach and it popped out and replaced the lungs as they retreated into the rat''s body cavity. He checked all of the organs and they were all there, quite detailed, which meant that the specimen had been completely dissected.


    During any spare moment he had all weekend, Hamil would load up the viewing program and take another look at the specimen that Arnold had modelled. It amazed him each time and he knew that a tremendous amount of work went into creating it, even not knowing about how it was created. When he went to work Monday morning, he made a mental note to ask Amy about it before class started.


    *


    Amy wasn''t sure why Hamil wanted her to show up ten minutes early and go to his office. Did he find out we''ve been spying on Arnold? She asked herself, nervously. If that was the case, how would she explain herself? She didn''t have any of the evidence that the detective had presented her with and she knew that as soon as she mentioned Arnold was a potential serial killer, Hamil would laugh in her face.


    Or worse, he might get angry at her for thinking such thoughts and might fire her and Cissily over it. Amy sincerely hoped that wasn''t the case as she knocked once on the door frame and entered the professor''s office.


    ¡°Ah, Amy. Thank you for coming early.¡± Hamil said and waved her to come over to his desk. ¡°I want you to look at something for me.¡±


    Amy almost sighed in relief and walked around the desk.


    ¡°Sit down and look at this.¡± Hamil said and pointed to something. ¡°Click that.¡±


    Amy sat down and looked at the laptop, clicked the program he indicated, then she gasped in surprise. ¡°Where did you get this?¡± She asked and clicked the different organs in rapid succession to see if they were all there, just like Hamil had the first time. The organs were all present and she looked at the professor. ¡°It''s amazing!¡±


    ¡°I''ll give you three guesses.¡± Hamil said and pointed to a wooden frame on his desk. It contained a certificate of recognition for contributions to the college curriculum. It had surprised him that it took two weeks for it to come through and made a mental note to remind his peers to get off their duffs when something like that came across their desks.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Amy said, her tone defeated.


    ¡°What''s wrong? I thought you would be happy for him.¡±


    ¡°It''s not that.¡± Amy said, reluctant to explain. She didn''t want the older man to react poorly. ¡°It was a long weekend.¡±


    Hamil chuckled. ¡°I know. I''ve been preparing the medical school specimens.¡±


    ¡°Professor!¡± Amy exclaimed. ¡°You were supposed to call me!¡±


    Hamil waved away her concerns. ¡°It''s just make-work.¡±


    ¡°That you shouldn''t be doing all alone.¡± Amy countered and he laughed.


    ¡°Thank you for your concern.¡± Hamil said and touched her shoulder briefly, then he pointed to the laptop''s screen. ¡°Now tell me about the work that went into making that. I know it''s a lot; but, I don''t have the technical background to grasp just what it entails.¡±


    It took Amy several minutes to explain, the last few minutes they had to spare before class, and Hamil''s appreciation for the model was raised even higher. They went to class and everyone was already there, including Hamil''s favorite student. He sincerely regretted that he wasn''t permitted to allow Arnold to help with the lab work and the work the lab did for external clients.


    That reminded Hamil that he had received high praise and glowing reviews from the equestrian school for the full size horse specimen that the biology department had prepared for them. He had forgotten to pass that along to Arnold and made another mental note to mention it when he handed over the certificate.


    ¡°Arnold, would you come to my office after class? I have something to give to you.¡± Hamil said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold responded.


    Hamil asked for last week''s lab report and everyone handed them to their lab workers, who brought them to the professor''s desk. After that, he taught them about the changes that the next specimen would need for proper dissection.


    After class, Arnold, Janet, and Pam followed Hamil and Amy to the office to see what it was the professor had for Arnold. They never expected to see a framed certificate of contribution, a check for five hundred dollars, and another frame with Arnold''s dissection report that corrected the procedure.


    ¡°I thought you would want the original report back and preserved.¡± Hamil said and handed Arnold the three items. ¡°If you don''t, I''ll gladly add it to my own wall of achievements.¡±


    ¡°My mom will want it.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I''m sure she will.¡± Hamil said with a smile.


    ¡°Professor.¡± Amy said.


    ¡°Yes, the next class. I know.¡± Hamil said. ¡°Arnold, remind me during the lab on Friday to ask you about the digital model you made.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and he left with Pam and Janet.


    ¡°You''re going to ask him to make another one, aren''t you?¡± Amy asked as she followed the professor back to class.


    ¡°How did you guess?¡± Hamil asked with a smile.


    ¡°You want proof that it wasn''t a fluke.¡± Amy responded. ¡°Do you want me to dig something out of storage?¡±


    ¡°Do we have any extras?¡± Hamil asked as they entered the classroom that was already full of students.


    ¡°Did you even look at the specimen inventory that Arnold and Cissily did?¡± Amy asked, exasperated.


    Hamil chuckled and waved for her to take her spot and then he started the class without answering her, which meant that he didn''t, even though they had done all that work.


    *


    Arnold took his new accolades back to his dorm room, then he celebrated by making love to both Janet and Pam on his bed. They hadn''t done it in his bed in a long time and the novelty helped them get off quicker. After a quick shower, they went to their next class and then went to lunch.


    Arnold paid and said that he wasn''t wasting the money by taking his friends out to eat. Pam couldn''t really argue with that, because she had splurged after she got a raise. It always gave you a bit of a euphoric feeling when you could occasionally do things like that. She was adamant about covering the tip for him, though. He nodded and she left the proper amount.


    ¡°Do you want dessert?¡± Arnold asked.


    Pam felt a bit naughty, so her hand stroked him a little. ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    ¡°Pam, we''re in the middle of a restaurant and...¡± Janet stopped talking when Arnold''s pants were opened and Pam ducked down to rest her head on his lap. ¡°I can''t take you anywhere.¡± She chuckled and propped the cardboard menu on the table in front of Arnold to block Pam''s head from being seen. ¡°You''re lucky no one''s seated behind us.¡±


    ¡°Mm hmm.¡± Pam mumbled and kept going.


    Arnold pulled Janet''s chair closer and put an arm around her shoulders. She turned towards him, knowing what he was going to do. When he kissed her passionately, Janet moaned a little and she put her arms around him to hug him back.


    A few people in the restaurant saw them making out and that gave them the idea that it was okay. Two of the other couples briefly kissed and one man leaned towards his date.


    ¡°Don''t even think about it.¡± The woman said and kept eating her meal, to her date''s dismay.


    Arnold, Pam and Janet left the restaurant and went back to the college, had to go their separate ways and attended different classes that afternoon, and finished out the day. They had Art first thing in the morning, so Arnold told Dalla he was staying in Pam''s and Janet''s room that night. She thanked him with a kiss and Arnold spent the night with his best friends.


    Not surprisingly, they had sex.


    The next morning, it was Janet''s turn with Arnold in the shower and Pam showered alone, then they dressed and went to art class to ''relax''. The thought made Pam laugh and she explained it to Arnold when he asked. He would remember what she said for a long time.


    ¡°When sex is as good as you do it, it''s the most relaxing thing that any woman could ever have.¡± Pam said as they entered the classroom. ¡°Remember what you told Janet and me that time about dopamine levels and seratonin?¡±


    Arnold nodded as they sat at their table and Pam leaned in close.


    ¡°Always remember that your penis is the best relaxation tool I have ever found.¡± Pam whispered and gave him a kiss. ¡°I love it and I love you.¡±


    ¡°It''s good that you have such a close relationship with your friends.¡± Miss Josephine said from the front of the class.


    ¡°Arnold makes me very happy.¡± Pam said, a bit proudly. ¡°He and Janet have improved my life so much since I met them than I can never thank them enough for it.¡±


    ¡°Aww! That''s so romantic!¡± One of the other girls said.


    The guy beside her sighed and shook his head slightly, because he was never going to come up with something like that to tell her and still have her believe it, now that they both heard what Pam said.


    Heather sat at the next desk and didn''t say anything, because her life hadn''t really improved after meeting Arnold. It had definitely changed; but, had it improved? No, it hadn''t. Not really. Not with everything that had happened since.


    Janet reached around Arnold and put a hand on Pam''s shoulder, then she rested her head on Arnold''s shoulder to hug him. ¡°I feel the same way.¡± She said and Pam reciprocated and copied her.


    ¡°Do I have to make you sit at separate desks?¡± Miss Josephine asked with a laugh. When the two girls let Arnold go, she walked over to them. ¡°I was only joking.¡± She said. ¡°I would never try to come between such strong bonds of friendship.¡±


    Arnold, Janet, and Pam nodded and the teacher went back to the front of the room.


    ¡°Your other projects have come out fantastically, so now we''re switching to music.¡± Miss Josephine said.


    ¡°Yes!¡± A guy said loudly and a few people laughed.


    ¡°Don''t jump to conclusions.¡± Miss Josephine warned him. ¡°Just because you like listening to your favorite music, that doesn''t mean it relaxes you.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± The guy said.


    ¡°Once again, don''t jump to conclusions.¡± Miss Josephine said with a laugh. ¡°That''s what this class will be focused on for a while. We will find the best music to calm your mind and to soothe your soul.¡± She said. ¡°It may only take you an hour, or it may take you all month. We will take this journey together and we will discover your harmonic resonance eventually, even if it kills you.¡±


    A few people laughed and Arnold was actually intrigued by the idea.


    Could music kill? Arnold asked himself. Is it the sound or the wave frequency? Does the amplitude variance cause the vibration in the air to vibrate the ear drum and could that kill?


    Miss Josephine saw that her stoic and handsome student, that was quite the ladies man according to the rumors, had his interest piqued. I may have found a way to get closer to you. She thought and smiled. ¡°Let''s get started by having you write some of your favorite music and artists down for me.¡±


    As they did that, Miss Josephine went around the classroom to each student and talked about their choices and what they liked about the music.


    For most of them, it was actually a great class and they enjoyed it immensely. For Arnold, who had no particular tastes at all, nor cared at all what he was listening to, was at a complete loss as to what to write or to say.


    Miss Josephine was glad that she had saved her handsome student for last, because after she talked with Pam and Janet to get their opinions and their views, she was met with a blank piece of paper and just as blank of an expression on Arnold''s face. She opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong, then the bell rang and ended the class.


    ¡°We will continue this next week.¡± Miss Josephine said as Arnold left her class and left her with a conundrum. If he didn''t have a favorite artist or song, then finding his personal music was going to be quite the difficult task. She watched his retreating back as the two girls tried to comfort him and she wondered if her popular choice to switch to music was going to be a bad one for him.

 183 Professor Pressure

    ¡°It''s all right, Arnold.¡± Janet said as she walked down the hallway and cuddled him. ¡°It''s not your fault that you''re not interested in music at all.¡±


    Pam had a hold of Arnold''s other hand. ¡°I don''t think we can fake it, either.¡±


    Arnold turned his head towards her and she gave him a quick kiss.


    ¡°Miss Josephine wants her students to feel relaxed using music and that''s not something you can do.¡± Pam said. ¡°In fact, the only time I''ve seen you even remotely relaxed is right after biology lab.¡±


    ¡°I''m glad you didn''t say after sex.¡± Janet said. ¡°There''s no way we can ask the teacher to let something like that happen!¡±


    Pam laughed. ¡°Arnold does relax after that... when he''s done. Class would be long over by then and he wouldn''t be relaxing at all.¡±


    Janet nodded. ¡°I wonder if we can somehow bring in a specimen for you to work on?¡±


    ¡°Now that''s a great idea.¡± Pam said. ¡°I''ll go to Miss Josephine during the break and see about that.¡±


    Arnold came to a stop and both girls half turned and stopped as well.


    ¡°Arnold?¡± They both said as one, a little surprised.


    ¡°I want to fuck you both right now.¡± Arnold said, his eyes intense.


    ¡°But... chemistry...¡± Janet barely started to halfheartedly protest when Pam dragged them into the closest classroom.


    *


    Professor Felicia Power was surprised that three of her students, one of which was her secret ex-lover, weren''t in her class. She still taught the class and she successfully maintained her now expected happy demeanor, even without Arnold there to keep her emotions intact. The downside to them not being there was that they were missing the information needed for them to perform in the lab that afternoon. That was going to be a problem.


    When the class ended, Felicia took her time packing up her things. She was in no rush to get back to her office to get back to the paperwork that always built up when she wasn''t looking. With a last look at those three empty seats, she opened the door to leave and saw three people come towards the class. She was relieved for a moment, then she remembered them missing the class and would have to skip the lab as well.


    ¡°We''re really sorry for missing your class, Professor Power.¡± Janet said. ¡°Something important came up...¡±


    ¡°Arnold''s penis.¡± Pam whispered.


    ¡°Pam!¡± Janet exclaimed with a blush.


    Felicia ignored the two girls and looked at Arnold. ¡°I hope you realize that by missing this class, you don''t have the necessary information to participate in the lab this afternoon and that will be two absences marked against you.¡±


    Janet and Pam let out long sighs and nodded acceptance.


    ¡°Can you teach us what we need to before lunch?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°What?¡± Felicia blinked her eyes.


    ¡°We''re off this period and so are you. You can give us the class we missed and then we can participate in the lab.¡± Arnold explained.


    ¡°Do you seriously expect me to drop everything and teach you after you skipped my class to have sex?¡± Felicia asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said.


    Janet and Pam stared at the two of them as the silence stretched out. After nearly a full minute, Arnold was as stoic as ever and Felicia finally gave in.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Felicia said. ¡°We just need an empty classroom.¡±


    ¡°I know just the one.¡± Pam said with a grin, took Arnold''s and Janet''s hands, and led their professor back to the classroom they had just used.


    To her surprise, Felicia found it much easier to convey the same information to the three eager students than it had been to the whole class. It only took half the time, because she could tell when those three students understood what she meant and moved on to the next item, unlike the large class that needed a lot more time and effort to get the same points across.


    It also let Felicia understand why she was seeing her work as more of a job than a passion that she wanted to pass on. The gems in her class were getting overlooked because of the mediocrity of the people that weren''t as interested. In fact, she thought that Pam was one of the mediocre ones, until Arnold appeared in the class. Now, Pam was one of the best students she had... and she knew it was because of Arnold.


    She knew he wasn''t doing Pam''s work for her, though. No, what he did was make Felicia act friendlier and that let her teach better, which let her students perform better. It was a tactic that she didn''t know was possible, let alone implementable. The handsome young man just seemed to bring out the best in some people. Especially her.


    ¡°And that''s it.¡± Felicia said and leaned on the front of the desk. ¡°I won''t feel trepidation when you show up this afternoon, because you are no longer unprepared for the lab.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much for doing this, professor.¡± Janet said. ¡°We all appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°We do. Especially Arnold.¡± Pam said and then whispered in his ear.


    Arnold stood up and walked over to Felicia. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Felicia didn''t get a chance to react before Arnold kissed her. Her arms went around him and she kissed him back, like she had all summer during their private lessons. It went on for several moments, then she realized what was going on and broke the kiss.


    ¡°You''re my student!¡± Felicia gasped and let him go.


    ¡°It''s just a thank you kiss.¡± Arnold said and went back to his desk to pack up his things.


    Felicia stared at him as he did, then she saw the two girls on the verge of laughing. ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°He''s the kissing bandit!¡± Pam laughed, because she couldn''t hold it in anymore. ¡°Come on, guys. We have just enough time to grab an early lunch at the cafeteria before the rush.¡±


    ¡°Don''t tell.¡± Felicia said as the trio went to the door.


    ¡°You don''t have to worry about that, Professor.¡± Janet said. ¡°We can keep secrets.¡±


    ¡°Like Arnold having sex with us on that desk.¡± Pam said with a grin, opened the door, and the three of them left.


    They had sex on this desk. Felicia thought and looked at her papers that were spread out. She gathered them up and her fingers brushed the surface of the wood. It''s still warm.


    She shook her head and packed up her things, then left the classroom at a fast walk. She was going to be behind in her paperwork now and for some reason, she didn''t mind it this time. She wasn''t sure if it was that she enjoyed teaching such a small class or the kiss she got as a reward. Either way, she was glad that it had happened. She was also glad that the desk wasn''t wet.


    *


    ¡°Did you see her face after Arnold kissed her? That was priceless.¡± Pam whispered as they entered the cafeteria.


    ¡°She definitely like it, that''s for sure.¡± Janet said and they joined the line. ¡°I wonder if she''s dating anyone?¡±


    ¡°No time.¡± Arnold said and came face to face with the woman behind the counter. ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Hi, Hun.¡± Mabel said. ¡°What can I get for you today?¡±


    ¡°Fish and salad, please.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I thought you might want that.¡± Mabel said and took out a piece of fish that was prepared differently than the others. ¡°It''s broiled in the oven and not fried or baked.¡± She smiled, then she whispered. ¡°You can''t kiss me to thank me, even though I''d like that.¡± She said. ¡°I''m not allowed to encourage the kissing bandit.¡±


    Arnold nodded and accepted the fish and then she handed him the salad. He skipped dessert and moved down the line to pay.


    ¡°Hi.¡± Angela said as Arnold got his own drink. He paid her and she gave him his change. ¡°I suppose you haven''t been bored lately.¡±


    Arnold shook his head and waited for Janet and Pam to get their food, then the three of them went to a table and ate.


    ¡°I''m really glad you convinced her to teach us, Arnold.¡± Janet said. ¡°I was okay with missing a class...¡±


    ¡°...missing the lab would suck so bad.¡± Pam said.


    ¡°We only have so many of them for the term, so missing one and not filing the report might drop our marks more than we think it would.¡± Janet admitted.


    ¡°Having a whole afternoon off would have been nice, though.¡± Pam said with a wicked smile.


    ¡°Quiet, you!¡± Janet said and waved her spoon at her. ¡°If we had one off legitimately like Arnold does on Fridays, then yes. That would be awesome. Skipping and making college harder for us? Not on your life.¡±


    Pam chuckled. ¡°Okay! No skipping an afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Or classes.¡± Janet corrected her. ¡°Unless we''re sick and can make up the work, or get a pass by the professors.¡±


    ¡°Aye, aye, ma''am!¡± Pam said and saluted Janet with her fork, which still had a bit of spaghetti sauce on it. It flung off the fork and splattered on her own forehead. She jerked a little at the wetness and then sighed. ¡°Is it bad?¡±


    Arnold put a hand behind her head and pulled her close. Pam thought he was just getting a good look, then she felt his tongue as he licked all of the sauce off of her forehead.


    ¡°You could have wiped it off.¡± Pam said when Arnold let her go. She was surprisingly turned on that he would do that for her, since it was a sensation she hadn''t experienced before.


    ¡°I don''t have a napkin.¡± Arnold said and went back to eating his fish.


    Pam looked at all three of their trays and chuckled. ¡°We really did forget the napkins.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Janet had been distracted by Arnold''s chivalrous act and looked down and saw the same thing. ¡°Hey, you''re right.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Arnold.¡± Pam said and he turned with puckered lips for her. She chuckled and gave him a quick kiss, then the three of them went back to eating.


    *


    After lunch, the other students in the chemistry lab were surprised when Arnold, Janet, and Pam came in and sat down at their desk. No one said anything, though. Not even Kristy, and she had been looking for a way to get back at Arnold for having evidence of what she had done with almost the whole Alpha Kappa Alpha fraternity.


    She didn''t feel guilty about having an orgy, even though a couple of the guys had girls they were dating at the time. She had had so much fun that she just couldn''t regret it happening. It also felt absolutely wonderful, especially when all the guys had proclaimed their love for her. It almost blew her mind.


    Kristy was still officially dating Greg, the head of the fraternity; but, that was just for appearances. When she went to the fraternity to visit, she was pretty much everyone''s girlfriend. The guys liked that a lot, as did she, and they treated her very well. Except for Jerry. She didn''t like having competition when going down on a guy, so she avoided him because of that.


    The professor came into the class and she also didn''t mention the addition of the three students that hadn''t been in the preparation class. The lab officially started and the other students saw that Arnold, Pam, and Janet knew what was going on and they participated in the lab as if they had been in class.


    That shocked Kristy, because it meant that Arnold somehow knew what was coming. If he knew what was going to happen in class, then he would know... she discretely took out her cell phone and sent a text message. She turned off her phone after that, just in case they were stupid enough to try and message her back.


    *


    ¡°Ahh, shit.¡± David said. ¡°Operation''s a bust.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Greg asked and David showed him the text. ¡°Message her back to make sure.¡±


    David typed and waited. ¡°Your message was not sent.¡±


    ¡°Dammit.¡± Jerry said. ¡°What do we do?¡±


    ¡°I''m not going against Kristy''s advice.¡± David said and put his phone away. ¡°I''m not that stupid.¡±


    ¡°Me, neither.¡± A guy said.


    ¡°Nor me.¡± Someone else said.


    Greg sighed. ¡°If we''re not going to raid his dorm, then we might as well go to class.¡±


    A collective groan came from the others as they turned around and walked back to the frat house to change. Going to class was nowhere near as fun.


    *


    The chemistry lab finished and Janet, Pam, and Arnold went to an empty classroom to write the reports, then they took them to the professor''s office. Her assistant accepted them and the trio left.


    ¡°We''ve got another class.¡± Janet reminded Arnold and he nodded. ¡°We''ll see you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye.¡± Arnold said and gave her a kiss, then kissed Pam, and he watched them walk away. He left the building he was in and went back to the dorm.


    ¡°Hi, Arnold.¡± Doris said as he entered the lobby and it was clear of other students. ¡°I''ve booked off tomorrow night and I''m cooking supper for you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and walked over to her, took her into an embrace, and kissed her the way she liked it.


    Doris let out a little moan and let her hands roam a little. She broke the kiss and licked her lips. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said and gave him another quick kiss. ¡°See you later.¡±


    Arnold left the lobby and rode the elevator up to the top floor. Most of the room doors were closed, so he wasn''t stopped as he went all the way to his room. Dalla was there and cooking a meal for Ida.


    ¡°I''m staying with Janet and Pam tonight.¡± Arnold said and Dalla gave him a huge smile.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Dalla said and he gave her a kiss. ¡°What are you going to do until then?¡±


    ¡°Research.¡± Arnold said and sat down at his computer.


    ¡°Would you like to eat with us?¡± Dalla asked.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and started searching for information on sound and all of the different things it entailed. It was a lot to take in. The mechanisms and components were both elaborate and varied, and there were even plans for large scale sonic weapons. It was fascinating and he lost himself in it for hours.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Dalla''s soft voice whispered in his ear. ¡°It''s time to eat.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and saved his work, stood up and gave her a hug, then kissed her.


    ¡°What was that for?¡± Dalla asked.


    ¡°You reminded me to eat.¡± Arnold said and went to the table, picked up the plate set out for him, and sat on Ida''s bed to eat. ¡°I always forget when I''m busy.¡±


    Ida had a surprised look on her face and she wasn''t sure if she regretted not reminding him herself, because that looked like a great kiss.


    Dalla sat down at the table and the three of them ate the meal she had cooked for them. After that, Arnold went back to his research and found 3D models of a sonic apparatus and even detailed plans for making things. He lost himself in them again and after an unknown amount of time, Dalla''s soft voice was in his ear again.


    ¡°Aren''t you leaving for the night?¡± Dalla whispered.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold whispered back and stood up, took her into another hug and gave her an even better kiss. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Dalla said and watched as he picked up his bag, then he went to the bathroom. She was already changed for sleep and went to Arnold''s bed and climbed in. He came out of the bathroom a couple of minutes later and saw that both Dalla and Ida were in bed. He carefully picked up Dalla''s van keys and left the room.

 184 A Night Out

    The night guard at the police station didn''t look up from his cell phone as the police officer signed in and showed his ID. He just waved him through and hit the buzzer to let him in. It was two in the morning and whoever it was this late at night, he assumed that they needed to get in for something important.


    That police officer knew exactly where to go to avoid the cameras and didn''t show his face to any of them. The jacket and hat hid almost everything and he made his way down to the holding cells. He wasn''t surprised there was no one on duty to sit there and guard people that were secured in cells. He thought they had better things to do, then he heard a door open and the sound of a flushing toilet.


    Before the man in the bathroom could react, he was subdued and his neck broken. He didn''t die right away, since it wasn''t really a killing blow, only an immobilizing one. He could only gurgle a little as he was ''walked'' to his desk and sat down at the monitor station, then the officer that assaulted him hit several buttons to change the camera settings. The officer grabbed the keys from his belt and found the right one and left.


    The paralyzed man watched the monitors as the officer walked by two cameras, then he entered one of the cells. He was in there for several minutes and then he came out, passed by both cameras again, and went back to the monitoring desk. He gave him the keys back for some reason, then leaned over him to hit the buttons to return the cameras back to their normal positions. The one thing the crippled man saw was the police officer''s ID tag flop out of his jacket.


    Officer Charlie Hallman! The man thought in surprise, then he was all alone. He took a small breath, which was all he could manage right then, and thanked his lucky stars that Charlie had only snapped his neck and hadn''t killed him. He knew people healed from broken necks and he hoped that he would be one of them.


    *


    The courthouse was visited next and Officer Arnold had no trouble getting in. There were no guards and no one to check his ID. It wasn''t until he made it up to the District Attorney''s office that he met some resistance. A keypad and a swipe space for ID. He used the DA''s ID and entered the code, opened the door, and saw it was an outer office that led to the main one.


    He entered the main office and sat down at the computer. After a quick search, he found what he wanted and copied the data. He was tempted to copy everything and realized the storage device he had wasn''t sufficient for that. He also couldn''t take the computer with him, because that would be giving himself away.


    ¡°I''m so glad you''re still here and working late, Sandra.¡± A man''s voice said as he opened the door to the outer office. ¡°I knew appointing you as the temporary DA was the right choice.¡± He walked towards the inner office and opened the door. ¡°I really need to talk to you about...¡± He started to say as he walked into the office and approached the desk, only to see that no one was there. ¡°Sandra? Are you in h-UGH!¡±


    A hard blow from a nightstick hit him in the back of the head and he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.


    Officer Arnold checked the man''s wallet and read who it was. ¡°You just saved me from trying to get to you at home.¡± He said and had to check the computer. The file copying was done and he took the USB from it and went back to the man on the floor. He picked him up in a fireman''s carry over his shoulder and left the DA''s office and carried the man back to his own office. He was sure there would be something incriminating on there, too.


    *


    The newspaper reporter had been having a banner year for her news stories and exposing corruption in the bank. Several people had been fired over it and she took that as proof that the truth always came to light and you had to face the consequences eventually. She believed that, because she had been celebrating an award for journalism earlier that night and was now paying for it as she hovered next to her toilet at four in the morning and expelled said celebrations. They didn''t taste anywhere near as good coming back up.


    Her cell phone beeped at her and she thought about ignoring it, especially considering her head was starting to throb with a headache. It beeped again and she let out a groan. She left her bathroom, fully prepared to run back in at a moment''s notice, and picked up her phone from the nightstand.


    ¡°Jesus Christ!¡± The reporter exclaimed, her hangover and headache forgotten. On her cell phone were two texts. ''I''m a horrible person'' and ''I''m going to end it all''. That wasn''t really the shocking part. What was shocking was that it was from the senior judge at the courthouse. How did he get my number?


    Her phone beeped again and she looked at the file transfer. It was going to take a couple of minutes, so she walked to her kitchen and put the phone down, made some instant coffee, and drank it before the transfer was done. She caught her breath when the files popped up on her screen and it was all official documents that concerned city zoning, legislation, and hefty, hefty bribes from local businessmen.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!¡± The reporter said and kissed her phone. ¡°I love you!¡±


    *


    Arnold parked the van in his spot and he climbed into the back after locking the doors. He laid down on the bed and set his watch for the morning. It was to give him enough time to go in before everyone woke up, to have a shower, return the van keys, and get his school things. He went to sleep with his hand beside his ear to ensure that he would hear the beep as soon as it went off.


    *


    Janet was having the most wonderful dream, then she felt her bed move and woke up to see the dream was there in front of her. ¡°I love you, Arnold.¡± She whispered and took him into her arms and made love to him. She was surprisingly quiet this time as she poured her heart out and told him all of the things she loved about him.


    ¡°I''m really sorry to interrupt.¡± Pam said in a whisper twenty minutes later. ¡°You''re both going to need a shower if we''re going to make it to class on time.¡±


    ¡°Oh! This isn''t a mutual class day.¡± Janet said in realization and looked down at Arnold. ¡°What are you doing here so early?¡±


    ¡°Making love to you.¡± Arnold said.


    Janet''s heart didn''t need more of an excuse than that. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said and kissed him.


    ¡°You can finish in the shower.¡± Pam said and pointed.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and hugged Janet as he sat up, then he stood and walked to the bathroom with himself still inside of her.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Pam said. ¡°You''re doing that to me tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and took a shower with Janet after he finished making love to her.


    *


    ¡°Oh, fuck no!¡± Detective Olivia Tanner nearly yelled when she showed up for work that morning and saw the ambulance instead of the prisoner transfer bus. She went inside the precinct and it was like the inside of a stirred up hornet''s nest. Everyone was talking at once and running around, as if that was going to help at all. She made her way through the squad room and knocked on the chief''s door.


    There was a loud sigh and then a low grumble. ¡°Come in.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry to disturb you, Chief.¡± Detective Tanner said as she entered and shut the door.


    ¡°You''re a horrible liar.¡± The chief said.


    ¡°So, it really happened?¡± Detective Tanner asked. ¡°He''s dead?¡±


    ¡°Which one do you mean?¡± The chief asked.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°More than one person died last night.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Detective Tanner exclaimed. ¡°Who else did Arnold kill? How many officers did we lose?¡±


    ¡°Arnold?¡± The chief asked. ¡°I thought I told you to drop that.¡±


    ¡°IA thinks differently.¡± Detective Tanner said.


    ¡°Fuck them and their idiocy.¡± The chief spat. ¡°It was Charlie!¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡± Detective Tanner yelled.


    ¡°His ID was shown, he signed in, and he''s seen on no less than five cameras.¡±


    ¡°No, he... why...¡±


    ¡°The duty officer on the cells also saw his name tag after having his neck broken.¡±


    Detective Tanner sat down in the visitor''s chair in front of the chief''s desk. ¡°No, it can''t be Charlie. He loved the force. He would never...¡±


    ¡°He didn''t kill him, thank god.¡± The chief said. ¡°He did just enough to immobilize and not murder. That takes precision, especially considering the circumstances.¡±


    ¡°What about the kid?¡± Detective Tanner asked.


    ¡°Hung by his bed sheet from the top of the bars.¡± The chief said. ¡°It was a stupid move to keep out of prison.¡±


    ¡°He didn''t commit suicide.¡± Detective Tanner said. ¡°What are the odds that Charlie would come here and just talk with him? It has to be murder.¡±


    ¡°The only prints in the cell are Kevin''s and the knot was a slip knot. Tension had to be kept on it to hold the body up. That''s not a slow process.¡±


    ¡°He would have lost his grip long before he died! He wouldn''t be hanging there and...¡±


    ¡°Who said he was still hanging? We found him on the floor, cloth marks on his neck and hands, consistent with holding and sliding cloth.¡±


    Detective Tanner sighed and closed her eyes. ¡°Chief, it''s murder.¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to attribute another death to the rogue cop, as the papers dubbed him.¡± The chief said.


    ¡°You can''t just dismiss...¡±


    ¡°If we say he was killed in our custody by a police officer, even if we had some kind of evidence that showed it, we will still be crucified in the press.¡± The chief said. ¡°Of course, his parents are still going to crucify us for letting their son die, no matter the circumstances.¡±


    Detective Tanner thought about protesting and she couldn''t. That would be how it was portrayed and handled, no matter what the actual evidence was. The whole department would be seen as incompetent.


    ¡°I won''t be giving you the case, since you''re biased against the evidence.¡± The chief said.


    ¡°I''m not! I just... I know Arnold is somehow responsible.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can relax now. There are no more victims left for him.¡±


    ¡°Chief!¡± Detective Tanner exclaimed.


    ¡°I''m trying to see the bright side here.¡± The chief said. ¡°If the deaths stop, that''s a good thing, right?¡±


    Detective Tanner sighed again and had to nod in agreement.


    ¡°I do have another case for you, though.¡± The chief said and handed her a manila folder. ¡°I need you to get over to the courthouse right away.¡±


    ¡°The courthouse?¡± Detective Tanner asked and opened the folder. ¡°NO!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± The chief asked.


    ¡°This... no, you...¡± Detective Tanner shook her head. ¡°I can''t take this case.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± The chief asked, a little angrily.


    ¡°Because that''s the judge that let those vandals off in the Strickland case. They only had community service when they should have been in jail.¡± Detective Tanner said as she closed the folder and put it back on the chief''s desk. ¡°If I can''t have Kevin''s murder, I can''t have this one, either.¡±


    ¡°It wasn''t murder. He jumped from the top of the courthouse.¡±


    ¡°He WHAT?!?¡±


    ¡°Suicide. He killed himself. He also sent a bunch of evidence to a reporter before he did, too.¡±


    ¡°Oh, fuck.¡± Detective Tanner said in a defeated tone.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± The chief almost sighed himself. ¡°This is going to be a circus. A three ring circus.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry I can''t be the lead on this.¡± Detective Tanner said.


    ¡°Well, at least you didn''t screw the department over by not telling me your connection with the judge.¡± The chief said. ¡°If it came out that you were even partially involved and hadn''t recused yourself...¡±


    Detective Tanner nodded. ¡°IA is my friend right now; but, it wasn''t always that way.¡±


    The chief nodded as well. ¡°You might as well take the day off, since there''s nothing you can do here.¡±


    ¡°Chief, I''m sure that there''s...¡±


    ¡°...nothing that can''t wait until tomorrow.¡± The chief finished for her. ¡°I''ll give your rookie the day off, too. Go have fun and enjoy it.¡±


    ¡°My rookie?¡± Detective Tanner asked, then she understood. ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Go on. You can''t do anyone any good here today.¡± The chief said.


    Detective Tanner nodded and left the office. She took out her cell phone and messaged Mark to see where he was, then let him know that the chief ordered them both to take the day off. She left the precinct and got back in her car to go and pick him up. For the first time in a while, she had an entire day off and the Chief of Police''s blessing on her relationship with a coworker. That wasn''t something that she was going to squander when it was pretty much handed to her.


    Plus, it would give her a chance to talk things out with Mark while they had fun. She always seemed to think better and also relax after they had sex. She wasn''t sure why. At the moment, it didn''t matter and she drove to where Mark had said to meet.


    *


    ¡°Hi, Arnold!¡± Leann said happily as she and Tanya walked into the physics classroom. ¡°Francine said she wants us to get together this weekend, if you''re free.¡± She said and gave him a three second kiss. ¡°I know you love hanging out with your mom during the day, so we were thinking we can pick you up Saturday night at around seven for a late supper.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Great!¡± Leann said and typed up a quick message on her phone. ¡°We''re all set.¡± She said and turned off her phone as she sat down. ¡°Thank you, Arnold.¡± She leaned in and gave him another kiss. ¡°We both appreciate spending time with you.¡±


    Tanya sat down on Arnold''s other side and she wondered when her friend had changed so much that she barely recognized her. She wore more expensive clothes and her attitude and demeanor were more of a higher class than it had been. Or she thought so. She wasn''t sure about it and she couldn''t pinpoint when the changes became so pronounced. She shrugged and turned to look at the physics professor when he came into the room.


    Now there''s a hunk of a man. Tanya secretly thought. She would never admit that smart guys turned her on, which was why she had such a crush on Arnold in high school. She knew it was just a crush and wouldn''t lead to anything, though. That wasn''t what she wanted. She was looking for a long term relationship and not just fun... and Arnold since he broke up with Kelly was just all fun and wasn''t worth the risk of losing a steady boyfriend over.


    *


    Arnold finished the classes that day and changed into one of his suits. Dalla commented that he looked sexy like that and he thanked her and gave her a ten second kiss. He left her stunned and Ida surprised, said he was staying out for the night and picked up his bag, and went down the elevator.


    A different woman was at the reception desk and he waved to her as he passed, then he left the dorm room and walked off of campus and down the street. He had a date with Doris and she had missed him a lot the last couple of weeks. Arnold rang the doorbell and the door opened to reveal a scantily clad black woman in a dress that was more of a wish than an actual covering.


    ¡°You look wonderful, Arnold.¡± Doris said and licked her lips at the handsome young man.


    ¡°You look delicious.¡± Arnold opened his bag, took out a handful of roses, and handed them to her.


    ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Doris said and gave him a deep and passionate kiss. ¡°Please, come in. Supper is almost ready.¡±


    Arnold nodded and shut the door behind him.

 185 The Weekend Comes

    The next day was Thursday and Arnold had Civilization class with Sarah, a break, then Latin with Sarah. They were each asked to read a single paragraph from their project and Sarah trembled with desire as Arnold stood and easily pronounced some of the more difficult words that even the teacher had trouble with. When it was Sarah''s turn, all she could do was shake her head. She couldn''t stand up just then, because she had made a little bit of a mess of her jeans.


    After lunch was Quantum Mechanics and Arnold confirmed that he wasn''t retaining the information like he wanted. He was sure that he could pass the tests and that was it. He also didn''t try to do harder, since he knew there was no point. It just wasn''t a subject for him. He didn''t tell the professor that, though. He would drop the course at the registrar''s office when the fall term was over and he would be done with it.


    Arnold had English next and breezed through it. It was ridiculously easy to read the Old English literature when compared to Latin. He could even speak it when asked questions, even when they were unrelated to the quotes from the book. That impressed both his professor and the other students, Tanya''s boyfriend Richard included. Because the next day was Friday, Arnold spent the night in Janet and Pam''s room, to the delight of Janet, Pam, Dalla, and Ida.


    Friday was Biology lab day, so Arnold, Janet, and Pam spent the morning working on their specimen. A musk rat. Arnold had some experience with it, since he had done his college admittance test with it. He was told in a not-so-subtle way that he had to keep his hands to himself for the important parts. He didn''t get upset, thanks to both Pam and Janet whispering in his ears that he was much better than he was when he took the test and that he could guide them to do the work for him.


    Both girls took turns keeping him calm and working on the specimen and they followed his instructions perfectly. By the end of the class, they were the only lab partners to have finished the entire dissection. That actually surprised everyone, especially the professor and the lab workers. None of the students had ever completely finished off a specimen that large so quickly, not without mangling it.


    ¡°We''ll have our reports submitted by lunchtime.¡± Pam said, a bit angrily, and she led Arnold and Janet from the lab. ¡°Imagine the nerve of them to tell you to not do the work you love, when you can clearly perform better than the rest of us, just because you have previous knowledge of the specimen!¡±


    ¡°It was completely unfair.¡± Janet said and shook her head. ¡°Let''s get the reports done and submitted.¡±


    ¡°Arnold, make sure you emphasize that you didn''t touch it and still had the specimen done before them.¡± Pam spat. ¡°Janet and I will do the same and we''ll emphasize that your superb teaching skills allowed us to perform beyond our own expectations.¡±


    Arnold nodded and they left the biology building to enter the next one that had an empty classroom for them to use. They had the reports finished in only half an hour and brought them back to the biology building. The professor was still there with the lab workers and they were cleaning up.


    ¡°We''re done.¡± Pam said and slapped the three finished reports on the desk. ¡°See you on Monday.¡±


    The professor stopped working and looked at them. ¡°I''m sorry for how I handled that, Arnold.¡± Hamil said. ¡°I didn''t want you taking over and doing it all yourself.¡±


    ¡°He has never done that!¡± Pam spat. ¡°You should be thanking him for what he''s done and instead you''re stopping him from doing what he enjoys!¡±


    ¡°That wasn''t my intention.¡± Hamil said. ¡°I''m sure that the next specimen will...¡±


    ¡°That''s two weeks away.¡± Janet said, getting into the conversation. ¡°We don''t have to show up to next week''s lab because everyone else has to finish their specimens.¡± She said. ¡°In fact, what will Monday''s class be about? The same specimen, isn''t it?¡±


    Hamil nodded, albeit a bit reluctantly.


    ¡°Then we''ll see you in a week and a half for the next Monday class.¡± Janet said and took Pam''s and Arnold''s hands. ¡°Let''s go.¡±


    They left the lab and went to the cafeteria to eat, then had to go their separate ways.


    ¡°Arnold, I''m sorry that happened.¡± Pam said and gave him a kiss. ¡°Instead of using the resource they have, they tried to marginalize you.¡±


    ¡°It''s all right, though. Did you see how sad the professor was?¡± Janet asked. ¡°He knows he did you wrong and I bet he regrets it a lot.¡±


    ¡°He sure will.¡± Pam said. ¡°Not having you in his class for two weeks is going to bother him so much!¡±


    ¡°Oh, definitely.¡± Janet said and gave Arnold a kiss. ¡°Have fun when you go home and make sure you give those framed things to your mom.¡±


    Arnold nodded and left them to go pack. Back at the dorm, Dalla was happy that he was going home again and gave him a very thorough kissing as a thank you. She had spent practically every night in the room with her mistress that week and it was something that she had thought wouldn''t be possible. Arnold deserved a proper thank you for that, so she whispered something she never thought she would say to someone she didn''t intend to have a relationship with.


    ¡°You won''t need a condom when you come back on Sunday night.¡± Dalla breathed into his ear. The danger of something happening made her feel very naughty and her face was red when she leaned back and gave him another kiss. ¡°Goodbye, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold grabbed his things and left the dorm, made his way off campus, and waited for the bus to take him home. He had no idea that his odd hours of coming and going from the dorm had made the other girls in the dorm disappointed. They hadn''t seen him for almost two weeks and their lives were just a little bit sadder because of it.


    *


    Annie waited anxiously for Arnold to come home. In her mind she was still prepared to get a call or a text from him that said he was busy, and yet, she almost vibrated as she waited to see him. She wasn''t sure when she had become so dependent on spending time with him and she didn''t care. She loved her precious little boy, even if he was a bit taller than her, and she wouldn''t give him up for anything.


    It approached the time when he would appear and she stood up from the couch and checked her long blonde hair to make sure the waves had stayed in it, then looked at her clothes. Her blue jeans were new, fit well, and were comfortable. They were worth the extra bit of money she had spent for comfort alone. Her top was a little fancier than she normally wore at home and was a bit snug on spots. She tugged on it to try and alleviate that, then she heard the key in the door.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Annie exclaimed, practically the same as she always did, and she went out to the door to give her son a quick kiss and took him into a hug. ¡°I''m so glad you made it home.¡±


    ¡°I have something for you.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie let him go and he dug into his bag. She almost gasped when he took out the framed certificate of contribution. ¡°Oh, Arnold!¡± She said and held it in her hand. ¡°I''ve been looking for something to take up some of the bare wall space in the living room.¡±


    Arnold gave her a smile and handed her the framed report.


    Annie laughed. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said and gave him another quick kiss. ¡°We can hang these up after we talk about what you did all week.¡±


    Arnold nodded and put his bag down, then he followed his mother into the living room to sit and talk.


    *


    Beth had been watching almost as anxiously as Annie and she felt a little tingle down below as Arnold passed by her place and went inside his house. She knew she had it bad for her neighbour''s son and she did feel a little guilty about that. He was a fantastic lover, though. She could pretty much justify anything in her mind because of that.


    She couldn''t pounce on him right away, though. She needed to be smart and try to get him to come over, then she could pounce on him. The thought made her smile as she imagined herself jumping onto him and riding him as soon as he stepped into her house.


    Of course, she would have to apologize for ditching him last week. Beth regretted her decision almost immediately, then really regretted it by the time the night was over. She sighed as she remembered the lackluster food, the horrible foreplay, and the rote sex that she had to pretend got her off.


    At least he kept the condom on. Beth thought. She hadn''t been in the mood at all to clean off the mess at the time, unlike when Arnold did it to her. Oh boy, she definitely didn''t mind cleaning off the mess when Arnold did it. In fact, she didn''t mind letting him finish in her mouth and swallowing it for him. She chuckled, because she wasn''t a woman that normally did things like that. It wasn''t something she liked; and yet, she did it for Arnold without question.


    Maybe I can mention doing something in the morning when I go out to have my cup of tea on the porch. Beth thought and went upstairs to her bedroom. She needed to relieve some of her mounting tension before she did something stupid like going over Annie''s right now to ask Arnold to visit her.


    *


    Claire wasn''t bothered at all that she hadn''t seen Arnold in a while. She knew, in the back of her mind, that he could show up at any time, and that was enough for her. She almost laughed at that, because she had been going crazy for most of the summer by not having him and no real prospects to have him in the future... then he showed up out of the blue and bedded her. It was even better than she had thought it could ever be and then he said he would visit her randomly, just like she wanted.


    It''s funny how the mind works. Claire thought as she took a sip of wine and absently watched the television. Just the promise of sex with him was enough to calm my libido down.


    Claire took another sip of wine and smiled as she remembered the last time he had visited. She knew she would wait as long as she had to for him to visit again and she wasn''t anxious about it. If there was one thing that Arnold was, it was tenacious. He would keep his word, no matter what.


    *


    Francine picked Leann up at the college and they had a short make-out session. Friday nights were their date night and they thoroughly enjoyed them. Dinner, dancing, sneaking kisses in public, holding hands, and teasing a little. They were like giddy little girls as they played and had fun with each other. Neither of them had ever had so much fun with another person.


    After they started dating, they had discovered that they actually liked each other as people. Mutual respect and a bit of professional adoration paved the way for them to learn more about each other. They shared interests and likes, didn''t mind long silences when their conversations ended, and touching each other was both thrilling and exciting. In essence, they clicked together.


    They both acknowledged that it was because of Arnold and they wanted to thank him for getting them together. That wouldn''t happen until Saturday night, though. Tonight was their night and they were going to enjoy it as much as they always did. Or even more. They were just a little bit happier at the thought of meeting Arnold the next night and it made them more enthusiastic in their own outing.


    *


    The mounting evidence against Charlie Hallman was starting to become irrefutable and that pissed off his old partner, Paul Candle. He tried, desperately, to be assigned to any of the cases that were being attributed to his friend. Instead, he was actually pulled from active duty by both Internal Affairs and the chief. It was rare that they would agree on anything and Paul was ashamed that he was the cause of their cooperation.


    He had heard that Olivia Tanner had been sidelined by the chief and was surprised that she hadn''t come to him to complain about it. Of course, she was up to things that the chief didn''t like, namely doing a side investigation on Arnold Strickland and the people he interacted with, so not confiding in him might be a good thing. It left Charlie out in the wind, though.


    Charlie never showed up at any of their old hangouts, or even contacted their mutual friends and informants, so Paul had no back channels left to try and get a hold of his friend. They had tracked his cell phone to the glove compartment of his squad car and the search history on it was pretty incriminating.


    Paul wished his fiance hadn''t told him that bit of information; but, he loved her and he would never say or do anything to hurt her or get her in trouble. Her excuse that they would be husband and wife soon and covered her indiscretion, as if they were actually married, made him laugh. It was foolish and endearing and he loved her that little bit more because of it.


    All Paul could do about his friend was wait. He couldn''t interfere in the investigation or in any case that was related, which left him with absolutely nothing to do. Since he couldn''t do anything at work or in the back alleys of the city, he resigned himself to let things play out and hoped for the best. The best being that Charlie turned up at some point and turned himself in. He knew there wasn''t much hope for that and he wished for it anyway.


    The only thing that Paul really wanted was to have his old partner back.


    It was getting late, so he cleaned off his desk and went down to the dispatch office and waited for his fiance. She saw him and was just as eager as he was to get out of there and go home. The mood of the place had taken a turn for the worse during the week and they both needed a nice break from it. They both booked off the whole weekend and they both intended to spend as much time in bed together as possible.


    *


    Sarah was in Wayne''s car and she wasn''t as happy about going home for the weekend as she normally would be. She wasn''t sure why, though. Her boyfriend droned on about his physics and quantum mechanics professor and she tuned him right out. She let her mind wander and it kept going back to Arnold''s eloquence in Latin class on Thursday.


    His confident stance, his command of the long dead speaking language, and his ignorance of how sexy that was, drove her a little insane with desire. She knew it was just her own personal taste and not something that a lot of people would find attractive. Still, that did it for her, and she imagined him speaking in Latin as he went down on her. She held in her shudder as she came a little.


    Sarah had learned her lesson in class when she made a mess, so now she wore an extra thick pad that she usually only used during her time of the month. It caught everything and she relaxed. She needed to get a grip on her emotions soon or she was going to mess up her relationship with the great guy that Wayne was, and all for the fantasy that Arnold represented.


    She knew it was just a fantasy, and for some reason, she wanted it to be real. She really, really wanted it to be real. Her eyes drifted over to Wayne''s animated face as he kept babbling about things she had no clue about and she realized that they didn''t really have a lot in common. They liked each other and the sex was great; but, there wasn''t much else to it. That was when Sarah knew she was in trouble.


    They didn''t share interests, they didn''t have any classes together, and they didn''t see each other during the day, except when they managed to meet for lunch occasionally. Sarah stopped her sigh before it escaped, because she realized she was too late to reign in her emotions. She was already loosing interest in Wayne and their relationship was crumbling before her eyes. She didn''t know how to save it... or even if she wanted to.

 186 Finishing The Weekend

    Bokuboy


    Arnold spent the next day out with his mom and Annie had a great time. Arnold liked seeing her happy, so he would do anything she wanted. That evening, he was dressed up and and waited at the front door for Leann and Francine. A horn sounded and he kissed his mother goodbye and said he would see her in the morning, because he didn''t want to wake her in the middle of the night. Annie appreciated his concern and waved at him as he climbed into the fancy car.


    ¡°He knows so many people now.¡± Annie said as she watched the car drive away. ¡°Important professors at the college, a museum curator, and so many friends that he has classes with.¡± She smiled and closed the door. ¡°My smart little boy is managing to build a life for himself.¡± She went up the stairs and changed for bed.


    The day had been wonderful and Annie knew that he was indulging her and wanted her to be happy. She had thanked him for it several times and she chuckled, because he had puckered his lips each time and expected a quick kiss.


    ¡°The kissing bandit indeed.¡± Annie said and tucked herself under the blanket. She was exhausted and fell asleep almost right away.


    *


    ¡°Isn''t this place great?¡± Leann asked in reference to Francine''s apartment as they ate the meal that she and Francine had prepared. ¡°I absolutely love it here.¡±


    ¡°It has lots of windows.¡± Arnold said and Francine laughed.


    ¡°The view was one of the selling points for me, since I don''t really get out that much.¡± Francine said, then smiled at Leann. ¡°Well, used to. I''ve been out quite a lot the last little while.¡±


    ¡°Yep! That''s totally my fault.¡± Leann said with a grin. ¡°I can''t help wanting to go to all the tourist attractions with you.¡±


    ¡°Every dance club in the city can''t be tourist attractions.¡± Francine joked and they both laughed.


    ¡°She''s kidding. We''ve only been to a half dozen or so.¡± Leann said and waved a hand in dismissal. ¡°I won''t even look at some of the dives that are around.¡±


    ¡°Both I and my reputation appreciate that.¡± Francine said with a twinkle in her eye.


    ¡°You drag me to that exercise class every Sunday morning, so I need a reason to need to exercise.¡± Leann countered. ¡°When we dance, I can''t be looking flabby in those skirts you bought me.¡±


    Francine shook her head. ¡°I don''t care what you look like in a skirt. I love you just the way you are.¡±


    Leann caught her breath and her eyes widened. ¡°You said it was too soon to say it!¡±


    ¡°That was a few weeks ago.¡± Francine said, her face red from a blush.


    Leann stood up and walked around the table, then sat down on her lap. ¡°I love you, too.¡±


    The two of them made out for several minutes, then they remembered they had a guest over.


    ¡°We should probably finish eating before taking this to the bedroom.¡± Francine said demurely.


    ¡°I''m ready now.¡± Arnold said and stood up.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Leann asked. ¡°Franny and I planned this whole night to thank you for bringing us together.¡±


    Arnold walked over to her and gave her a quick kiss. ¡°You can kiss Francine to thank her for me.¡±


    Leann gave him a smile. ¡°You really are a good friend, Arnold.¡± She said and looked at Francine. ¡°Are you ready to share another mind blowing sexual experience with the best lover in the world?¡±


    ¡°I think you both deserve that.¡± Francine said and they both stood up. ¡°Arnold, there''s no need for you to take just one of us first. We are here to share you, so you don''t have to make us come in order to switch between us.¡±


    Arnold raised his eyebrows slightly and she smiled.


    ¡°I think there are a few positions that can only be achieved when there are multiple people in the bed.¡± Francine said and took Leann''s hand and Arnold''s. ¡°Let''s explore them together.¡±


    Arnold smiled an angelic smile and both Leann and Francine caught their breath. He led them towards the bedroom and all three of them stripped off, then climbed onto the bed.


    What followed was an intense love making session that Leann and Francine enjoyed even more than they thought they would. Some of the positions they had used before, like Arnold screwing Francine, Leann sitting on Francine''s face, and Arnold kissing Leann. It was pretty basic, as was the three way oral train that they would reverse so that they all experienced the other people''s mouths and skills. Then things started to get interesting.


    Having two women giving him a blowjob was a new experience for Arnold. One sucked the tip and the other sucked the side, then they would switch, then both sucked on the sides and moved up and down. He hadn''t felt anything like it before and he liked that he had learned a new way to kiss his penis. Of course, tongues were everywhere as well and they all liked that.


    When Leann laid down and pressed her crotch on top of Francine''s, she turned her head to look at Arnold. ¡°Pick one, or both, or go in between.¡±


    Arnold looked at the options and he smiled. He knelt first and licked Francine, then licked Leann, then he licked the both of them and used his fingers. They both moaned as he played with them. After a few minutes, he stood and slid himself between them and rubbed both women''s clits as he had sex with the both of them.


    ¡°OhhhhhH!¡± Francine and Leann moaned together and they started kissing.


    Arnold moved slightly and slid inside Francine to make her cry out, then he pulled out and slid into Leann. She cried out as well, then Arnold kept switching between them. A stroke here, a penetration there, kisses and licks, and then Arnold slid in between them again and pumped to rub them. Both women came at the same time, almost squirting.


    ¡°AHHHHHHH!¡± Leann and Francine screamed their pleasure and their come slicked Arnold''s penis up a lot. It made things even more slippery and they continued on. It was some of the best sex the women had ever had, especially since they were both getting it at the same time from a man that knew what he was doing.


    ¡°Where do you want it?¡± Arnold asked a few minutes later.


    ¡°Inside!¡± Leann and Francine exclaimed together and looked into each other''s eyes. ¡°Inside.¡± They both whispered and kissed each other passionately.


    Arnold slid into Francine and started to ejaculate as he pumped his hips, which made her come again. He stopped it by squeezing that little muscle to hold it and pulled out, slid himself into Leann, then let that muscle go and kept ejaculating inside of her.


    ¡°Oh, god!¡± Leann gasped as she felt him fill her up. ¡°That feels so goooood!¡± She said and came from it. She stared into Francine''s eyes and knew she wanted to feel that feeling with her again.


    ¡°I know.¡± Francine whispered and kissed Leann passionately.


    They waited for an hour to rest and recover, with a quick snack and some water, then started again.


    *


    Arnold left the apartment freshly showered two hours later, after Leann and Francine had thanked him with another double blowjob and a promise to do it again in a couple of weeks. He rode the bus line across the city and arrived at the stop that he hadn''t used in a while. He walked down the familiar street and went to the front door. He knocked and waited, then he hit the doorbell, waited for a few seconds and knocked again. He heard loud thumping as someone ran down the stairs inside and then the door was flung open.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Claire panted, shock on her face. ¡°I thought I was dreaming when I heard the doorbell!¡±


    Arnold didn''t say anything as he stepped into her embrace and kissed her.


    *


    Annie was up and making breakfast when the front door opened. ¡°I''m making waffles!¡± She said loudly and Arnold walked into the kitchen. ¡°You stayed out all night.¡±


    ¡°I left Leann and Francine''s late and rode the bus.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie chuckled. ¡°I''m glad I didn''t introduce you to the bus lines years ago, even though you were old enough to go places on your own.¡±


    ¡°I know you were protecting me from the danger.¡± Arnold said and she nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and gave her a quick kiss.


    ¡°I was a bit overprotective and I had a good reason.¡± Annie said and rubbed her hand over his buzz-cut. ¡°We should get that touched up.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and they sat down to eat breakfast. Making Sunday plans was easy when you didn''t have anything specific to do. Arnold changed while Annie got dressed in a nice outfit, then they left the house.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Beth said and saluted them with her tea cup. ¡°Where are you headed today?¡±


    ¡°Arnold needs a fresh haircut.¡± Annie said and climbed into her car. ¡°Bye!¡±


    Beth waved as they left and sighed. Dammit. No luck getting him alone. She thought. They''re going to be gone all day again. She thought and then wondered about texting him and shook her head. No, I can''t text him a question like that! I''d be discovered immediately. She went back into her house and forgot that she was supposed to spend an hour out watching the street.


    *


    Doris sat at her desk in the dorm building and she had a perpetual smile on her face. She hadn''t been able to lose it since her date with Arnold on Wednesday. That handsome young man had given her flowers, roses of all things, then they had a date. Her, a forty-five year old woman, had an actual date with a nineteen year old man... and oh, what a date it was.


    She knew he was using some of the moves that she had taught him and her mind and her body didn''t care. She enjoyed the playful flirting, the conversational banter, and sharing the meal. The occasional caresses, the engaging eye contact, and the brief kisses between bites of food and sips of wine, made the night become almost magical.


    Doris had been surprised when Arnold started the music and then they slow danced for several songs. His tight embrace and his soft whispers of how beautiful she was and how much he wanted to fuck her and forced himself to wait, just so he could romance her first, made her heart absolutely melt. When he told her that he was spending the whole night with her, she couldn''t take it anymore and kissed him hard.


    Her dress was off a second later and she had his rock hard penis inside of her. She moaned loudly, much louder than she ever moaned before, and Arnold had her right there on the living room floor. It was quick, and passionate, and quite satisfying. She hadn''t come that hard in a while and she felt him come, too. After a few minutes of panting and catching her breath, she spoke.


    ¡°We need to go to bed.¡± Doris said.


    Arnold nodded and picked her up easily, then carried her to her bed. What followed was some of the best foreplay Doris had ever experienced. Arnold started at her feet and kissed, tickled, and licked all the way up her body. She was laughing when he reached her face and she thanked him for making it fun. He had smiled at her and rolled her over, then went all the way down and back to her feet.


    Doris had laughed as he did, then she gasped when he pulled her hips up and entered her without warning. She moaned and buried her face into the pillow as she tried to help him move in and out of her. It always felt a little better for her when he did it from behind and she came several times before he came, too. She knew he was doing that for her, so she would know that he wasn''t holding himself back to last longer.


    ¡°Thank you, Arnold.¡± Doris whispered as he rolled her over, then he kissed her and entered her again. She liked the basic missionary position, because she could kiss him as much as she wanted while they had sex. His technique faltered and Doris broke the long and lingering kiss. ¡°Up here.¡±


    Arnold nodded and pulled out, climbed over her and slid his penis into her open mouth just in time. Doris moaned as he unloaded his semen into her mouth and down her throat. She knew he liked it when she did that for him, so she kept sucking. He moved his hips a little for her and she didn''t have to wait long for him to go again.


    Arnold took several deep breaths and moved back, then laid down beside her. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and kissed her.


    ¡°This is one of the best dates I''ve ever had.¡± Doris said and kissed him again. ¡°Thank you, too.¡±


    ¡°It''s not over yet.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I''m staying all night.¡±


    ¡°My sweet, handsome lover.¡± Doris said and rolled over on top of him. She rubbed her dripping wet vagina on him and she moaned as he grew hard for her again. He rolled her over and put her into position nine and she screamed her pleasure for him.


    Doris grinned at the remembered date. We had sex so much that night! She thought happily as one of the girls in the dorm lobby came over to the desk. ¡°Hi, there! What can I do for you today?¡±


    ¡°My friends and I were just wondering why you were smiling so much.¡± The young woman asked.


    As if I could ever admit it! Doris thought and then laughed. ¡°I''m just in a really good mood.¡±


    ¡°Since Thursday?¡± The girl asked, surprised.


    ¡°I think I''ll be in a good mood for quite some time.¡± Doris said and her smile didn''t lessen as the girl walked back over to her friends. She kept the smile all day and thought about staying up for Arnold, then shrugged and left the dorm. She knew she couldn''t hog him all to herself, because that wouldn''t be fair to his other women.


    *


    Dalla laid in Arnold''s bed and waited anxiously for his appearance. She almost shivered in anticipation, because it was going to be the first time that she would have unprotected sex. She had tried, quite fruitlessly, to convince herself that it was a bad idea. She just couldn''t bring herself to think that baring herself completely for him was wrong. She believed that if anyone deserved to feel all of her, it was him.


    She heard the door open and close almost silently and she opened her eyes to watch him undress. The sight of him dangling free made her heart race. For the first time, she moved to show that she was awake and reached out for him. Arnold turned to her as Dalla stroked his penis for him, then she looked up at his face. He nodded to her and she slipped her mouth over him. He grew hard immediately and she stifled her moan at his reaction.


    Dalla stopped sucking after a minute and Arnold climbed into the bed with her. ¡°Arnold, I...¡± She whispered, then hugged him and put her lips by his ear. ¡°You''ll be my first without a condom.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold whispered and kissed her, then he moved down under the blanket.


    Dalla had to hold her mouth closed as he went down on her. It seemed to go on forever and she came several times, then she was staring into Arnold eyes as his hot member touched her opening. She almost cried as he rubbed the tip over her several times, then he eased the tip inside. She gasped and clamped her mouth shut as her vagina tightened up considerably, even though he had just worked on it to widen it, then he pushed himself all the way inside.


    Her mind couldn''t believe how good it felt. She couldn''t grasp why she had always asked him to wear a condom. It didn''t make sense. She had denied herself such a wonderful feeling all this time and she hated herself for waiting so long. When he started to move, all of her self-hating thoughts fled and she loved herself for finally giving in and letting it happen.


    Dalla ignored her own common sense as she moaned and begged and pleaded for him to do more to her and to make her feel even better than she was. Arnold complied and did his best while also trying to keep her quiet. Only one attempt was successful and he knew that Ida was wide awake again and knew exactly what he was doing to her maid.

 187 Changed Expectations

    Ida never looked and both Arnold and Dalla knew that took a lot of self-restraint, especially for someone who was used to being taken care of. Her personal resistance to Arnold''s charms was vexing to Dalla, now that she felt the full extend of Arnold''s ''charm''. Of course, she was a bit too engrossed by that charm to care what her mistress was thinking about her at the moment. Dalla enjoyed it so much that she came again and again until she was exhausted, both mentally and physically.


    When Dalla fell asleep, Arnold slipped out of bed and went to the bathroom. He washed up and came back out. He looked at his bed with a satisfied woman in it, then looked at Ida''s bed. He walked over to it and eased the blanket down to look at her face. It had no expression and she had her eyes closed, so he knelt beside the bed and put his mouth by her ear.


    ¡°Did you know that a passive woman can still come so hard that they cry out?¡± Arnold whispered into her ear. She didn''t react, so he reached out and gently stroked her cheek. ¡°I haven''t seen you naked yet.¡± He whispered and slid his hand down to her thin top.


    Arnold plucked at each of the tiny buttons and waited for her to react or say something between each, and she didn''t. He opened her top to see her large breasts for the first time and her nipples were standing at attention.


    ¡°You look very pretty.¡± Arnold whispered and kissed her cheek, then he moved down and kissed the side of her breast and ignored the nipple. He kissed it all along the side and moved down as he eased the blanket off to her thighs. He smelled a very distinct smell when he looked at her tiny panties and saw that they were soaked. ¡°I should clean this mess up.¡± He whispered and moved her panties out of the way.


    Arnold was met with a thick blonde bush that matched the blonde hair on her head. He used his fingers and eased the hair out of the way to expose her and flicked her little nub with the tip of his tongue. It twitched, even though the rest of her stayed perfectly still. He moved her legs apart just enough to make room for his face, then he went to work cleaning her up.


    It took a while, because Ida kept making a mess as she came, over and over. She still didn''t react in any way or showed that he was doing anything to her. Arnold took that to mean he should try harder, so he played and teased her for an hour. He used every trick he had learned with every woman he had been with and repeated them. There was still no reaction, so he decided it was time he got what he wanted. He moved up to the head of the bed and leaned in close.


    ¡°I like blowjobs.¡± Arnold whispered in her ear, stood up and placed his raging hard penis on her lips. He rubbed the tip over them for a moment, then eased the whole shaft along her mouth. ¡°Your lips are so soft.¡± He whispered and kept going for several minutes, then he reached down and turned her head to the side and pulled her chin down to open her mouth. He put the tip in and she didn''t react, so he eased even more of himself in until he hit the back of her throat.


    Arnold knew that doing more than that or trying to force himself down when she wasn''t actively trying to take him in, that she could be hurt. So, he had his scope of movement, barely over half of him, and he moved in and out. After a few minutes, he felt her tongue move and she started to actively suck. She kept her eyes closed and stayed still as she pretended to be asleep.


    ¡°I need to come.¡± Arnold whispered a few minutes later. ¡°Inside or out?¡±


    Ida stopped sucking and flicking her tongue, a clear sign to remove himself, so he pulled out and grabbed a tissue. He came into it, making sure to not spill any, then tossed it into the trash.


    ¡°I''m going to fuck you now.¡± Arnold whispered into her ear and Ida couldn''t help her shiver. ¡°If you don''t want it, say no.¡±


    Ida still pretended to be asleep and didn''t say anything. To her surprise, Arnold put on a condom and eased her over onto her side. She wondered what he thought he was doing when he pulled her ass over to the side of the bed and tucked the blanket back over her. A second later, he slid right inside her. She clenched up at the pleasant intrusion and the odd sex position, then she couldn''t think as Arnold started moving and had sex with her.


    It went on and on and she didn''t know how Arnold could keep going. She came several times and he stayed there and kept going. He leaned onto the bed with his arms to brace himself and then he moved in earnest. She couldn''t help but pant at his efforts.


    ¡°HnnnnNNNN!¡± Ida moaned as she came and gripped him hard, then he came inside of her. She felt the condom fill up, that''s how tightly she was gripping him, and he eased out and carefully disposed of the condom and its contents.


    Arnold went to the bathroom and washed up, then came out with a wash cloth and cleaned her up as well. He put her panties back into place and then carefully moved her back to the middle of the bed and turned her onto her back again.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold whispered and gave her lips a gentle kiss, tucked her back under her blanket, and went to his closet. He grabbed clothes and his school things for the next day, and quietly left the dorm room to go to Janet''s and Pam''s room.


    It wasn''t until ten minutes later than Ida stopped pretending to be asleep and opened her eyes. She saw her maid staring at her and her face flushed red from embarrassment. She didn''t need to be, though.


    ¡°Isn''t he wonderful?¡± Dalla whispered. ¡°Even while you pretended to be asleep, he still respected you and asked you what you wanted.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°He could have taken advantage of you and he didn''t.¡±


    ¡°He did.¡± Ida said. ¡°He penetrated two of my holes and...¡±


    ¡°...he didn''t come on you. He could have. All over.¡± Dalla said. ¡°He even washed after using your mouth, just so there was no chance that any would get on you.¡± She rolled onto her back to look at the ceiling. ¡°He even used a condom and he didn''t have to. You were going to stop him from going too far, or try to, until you saw that he was being responsible.¡± She chuckled. ¡°It''s hard to not appreciate it, isn''t it?¡±


    Ida didn''t say anything in response, because she did feel that way.


    ¡°Did you notice that he almost completely ignored your large and luscious breasts?¡± Dalla asked.


    ¡°Luscious?¡± Ida asked with a smile.


    Dalla smiled back as she looked at her mistress. ¡°How many guys had tried to bury themselves into them and said that?¡±


    ¡°Too many.¡± Ida said. It was starting to become a bit of a turn off for her, actually.


    ¡°I wonder how he knew you wouldn''t like it if he played with them?¡± Dalla asked absently and then shrugged. ¡°We need to get back to sleep or we''re going to be exhausted tomorrow.¡±


    Ida nodded and rolled onto her side. A few minutes later she spoke. ¡°He didn''t wash you off.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t want him to.¡± Dalla responded. ¡°He felt so nice inside of me that I wanted to keep that feeling for as long as I could.¡± She said. ¡°Hey, wait. You''re right. How did he know...¡± She stopped talking and smiled. ¡°I think he knows us a little bit better than we know him.¡±


    Ida didn''t comment that he had sex with both of them and of course he knew them better. He had been inside of them and made them react. She completely ignored the fact that she wasn''t interested in him at all and had conveniently forgotten that she didn''t want to have sex with someone that wasn''t enamoured with her. He wasn''t falling over himself to be near her, like almost every other guy she met. For some reason, that did not make him more appealing and she wasn''t sure why.


    She was so used to men treating her with reverence and ogling her that she didn''t know how to react when a man didn''t do that. It was such a rare occurrence that she had almost no experience in dealing with the situation, which was probably why she let him have his way with her and tried to not react to the attention. She was almost completely successful in her attempt and had only failed at the very end.


    Damn him and his wonderful penis! Ida thought a little angrily, then the irrational anger fled. Dalla was right. He is a great lover. I''m surprised that I lasted as long as I did without moaning.


    Ida let a proud feeling fill her as she drifted off to sleep. For some reason, all she could think about was the gentle kiss at the end when he thanked her.


    *


    Janet, Pam, and Arnold got to sleep in for the first time in a while. All three of them enjoyed it and actually slept.


    *


    Professor Hamil Crenslav and his lab workers were a little surprised when the class wasn''t as enthusiastic to go over the material for the continued dissection. They suspected that Cissily''s practically empty table had something to do with it, because it seemed that when the trio was there, they garnered a lot more attention than everyone thought they did, themselves included.


    Just like Pam and Janet had said, Hamil actually did regret his actions during the previous Friday''s lab. Other than apologizing like he already had, there wasn''t much he could do about it, though. He would have to wait until he saw the young man again the following Monday, before he could try to make amends.


    For now, Hamil didn''t mark their absences. It was his own fault that they weren''t required to attend his superfluous classes. His assistant Amy didn''t like how they had spoken to him before they left; but, that was no reason to give them marks on their attendance. It was a personal grievance, nothing more.


    *


    Arnold, Janet and Pam eventually showed up for their other classes and finished out the day. The three of them were in good moods because of the late morning, and great sex, so the day passed by before they knew it.


    Pam went to work at the bar that night and made great tips. In fact, the last few weeks had been fantastic for her in tips. Ever since the fall term had started and she and Janet attended classes with Arnold, she had been as happy as she had ever been, and it showed. Her smile was warm and welcoming as she served drinks, she spoke with a happy tilt to her voice, and she was prompt with the orders.


    On the weekends, the movie theatre was the same. Pam''s happy attitude actually started to infect the other workers. Her mere presence made things start to be fun and a few of them didn''t really see it as a job anymore. They actually enjoyed being there and people started to bid to have the same shift as her.


    The manager of the theatre was delighted by this, because he had people that actually wanted to work and not just laze around. He gave Pam another raise and gave it to a few choice others, which made her and them even happier. The whole theatre was abuzz with a great attitude and the customers noticed.


    Pam was also staying ahead of her course work for the first time in two years. It wasn''t easy, not by any stretch of the imagination; but, she was handling it and not struggling to get papers or reports in on time or depending on Janet to do the majority of the work for her and then finishing it off to hand in. That made her happy as well. Extra money, great friends, and a stable life were exactly what she wanted.


    *


    Dalla didn''t bother leaving the dorm room when it was time to go to bed and just changed and climbed into Arnold''s bed, even though he didn''t have plans to go anywhere else. Arnold changed for bed as well and climbed in with her. He made gentle love to her and she made out with him as he did, then they drifted off to sleep together, while in each other''s embrace.


    In the morning, some time before the alarm went off, Dalla was awake and felt his erection pressed against her. She stroked it a couple of times, spread her legs for him, and let him make love to her again. In the back of her mind, she wondered why she was being so accommodating for him and the front of her mind convinced herself that it was because he had been so accommodating to both her and her mistress.


    Both parts of her mind were wrong. Dalla just liked having an undemanding lover like him. She let him finish inside of her again and she kissed him as she thanked him. Arnold left the bed, had a quick shower, then grabbed his clothes and school things for the day.


    *


    Pam and Janet were woken up pleasantly by Arnold, then prepared for their morning art and relaxation class. It was music exploration day, so they had their cell phones and their selections ready. Arnold tried to pretend to want to do it and both Janet and Pam told him not to bother. Liking music wasn''t something you could fake and he would fail the project if he did. The three of them went to class and sat at their normal table. The teacher came in and she looked around at all of the eager faces... and saw one exception.


    Miss Josephine walked over to Arnold and handed him a small container. ¡°Pam said to give this to you during class.¡± She said. ¡°I just hope she knows what she''s doing.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Pam said with a sly grin.


    ¡°All right, class.¡± Miss Josephine said and went back to the front of the room. ¡°I''ve got privacy screens that will deaden some sound and keep the reverberation within a small space, so come and take one for each table. If that''s not enough, you can use one ear bud for sound. You can''t use both, because then you won''t hear me trying to teach you.¡±


    Several people nodded and Janet went to get one of the large folding screens.


    ¡°Don''t open it yet, Arnold.¡± Pam whispered. ¡°Let the others get set up first.¡±


    Arnold nodded and they waited for everyone else to set up and they started their music therapy sessions. Janet deployed their screen around their table and both she and Pam started their music.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Pam said and Arnold opened the container. Inside were two bright white mice, perfectly preserved. ¡°You''re going to need these.¡± She said and nodded to Janet, who took out his large wooden case of dissection tools that she had retrieved from the biology professor''s office.


    ¡°I love you.¡± Arnold said and both women caught their breath. He turned and gave Pam a three second kiss and then turned to Janet and gave her a three second kiss.


    He meant both of us. Pam and Janet thought at the same time. ¡°We love you, too.¡± They said at the same time, smiled and nodded to each other, then kissed his cheeks.

 188 A Bit More

    It was the best Art and Relaxation class they had that term. Even Arnold had a great time as he dissected both mice with music playing in the background. When asked by the teacher, he said he was relaxed because he was with people that cared about him and he was doing what he enjoyed.


    Miss Josephine thought that was a perfect answer.


    After that class was a break. Arnold took the specimens to his dorm room and Janet and Pam returned his dissection tools to Professor Crenslav''s office. The three of them went to Chemistry next, where they learned what the next lab was about. They spent the next off class carrying on, went to lunch and ate together, then went to the chemistry lab. They performed it perfectly and filled out the reports afterwards, submitted them, then had to go their separate ways.


    Arnold gave them a bit longer kisses than he normally would and went back to his dorm. No one was around, since they were in class, and he stopped at Doris'' desk. They had about an hour before classes changed again, so they went into the back room and spent some personal time together.


    ¡°You''ve... become a... very fine man.¡± Doris panted as Arnold made love to her. ¡°I''m so glad... you''ve learned your... lessons so well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and kissed her. ¡°Inside or out?¡±


    ¡°Inside... please.¡± Doris almost begged, then she felt the wonderful feeling of being filled up. She knew it was just a chemical reaction in her brain that told her being potentially impregnated felt really good, even though she was fixed and couldn''t get pregnant. It was just something her body needed to feel occasionally and Arnold was nice enough to provide her with whatever feelings she wanted.


    It was during little moments like this that Doris could admit to herself that she loved the young man. She knew it was silly and a flight of fancy, because there was no way that he could love her back, not in the same way, and she tried to keep her silence. She didn''t want to see an indifferent look on his face when she said those three magic words, because it would make her feel horrible to put him in such a compromising position. Of course, Arnold chose that time to shove himself deep inside of her.


    ¡°I love you!¡± Doris moaned as he rubbed her deepest part, then she gasped when she realized she had said it. ¡°Arnold, I... I...¡±


    Arnold gave her an angelic smile and leaned down to give her a brief kiss as he rested, still sheathed inside of her. ¡°Would you cry if I said I love you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Doris said and looked deep into his eyes. ¡°We can have sex, so loving you doesn''t strain my heart.¡±


    ¡°Pam and Janet didn''t cry, either.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°You said it first.¡± Doris said and he nodded. ¡°I''m so very proud of you.¡± She said and kissed him. ¡°They must have done something very special for you to admit it.¡±


    ¡°They did.¡± Arnold said and pulled out almost all the way, then slid back in.


    Doris moaned as he did and she closed her eyes.


    ¡°So did you.¡± Arnold said and she opened her eyes in surprise. ¡°You taught me everything I needed to know about sex.¡±


    Arnold slid in and out of her slowly, which was something she wasn''t particularly fond of, then he rubbed a certain spot and she felt her orgasm start to build. He teased and played with the spot and she writhed under him, then he suddenly shifted into high gear and pounded himself in and out of her as fast as he could. Doris cried out in pleasure as he gave her exactly what she wanted and she came, and came again.


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°OhhhhHHHHH!¡± Doris moaned as she came very, very hard.


    *


    When classes were over for the day, Dalla and Ida went back to the dorm room. Arnold was there on the computer and Ida blushed. She couldn''t help it and sat down on her bed as she tried to get her emotions under control. Dalla stood by her side and didn''t say anything as she let her work it out for herself. When her blush faded, she looked at Dalla.


    ¡°How can you face him after what he did to us last night?¡± Ida asked in a whisper.


    ¡°He doesn''t see things that way.¡± Dalla whispered back with a smile. ¡°You need to understand that. His mind hasn''t categorized us in the same way you''re trying to categorize him.¡±


    ¡°I... I don''t understand.¡± Ida whispered.


    ¡°The simplest way to think about it? We''re friends. He''s kind and treats his friends with care. He''ll take care of us for as long as we want him to. As soon as you say no, he''ll stop.¡± Dalla whispered and leaned in close. ¡°But, please don''t make the same mistake that I almost made. I started to say no and that would have lost me having him as a friend. I caught the mistake before he accepted my decision and I retracted it, to my utter joy and happiness.¡±


    Ida''s eyes widened at her maid.


    ¡°He has let me stay in this room every night instead of ushering me out like he did before.¡± Dalla said. ¡°I get to stay around you constantly and I would do anything to keep it this way.¡±


    Ida didn''t really have a response for that, so she only nodded.


    ¡°Now go over there and kiss him hello.¡± Dalla teased in a whisper.


    Ida''s face flushed red as she blushed and shook her head.


    ¡°I''ll do it for the both of us.¡± Dalla said and she nodded.


    Ida watched as Dalla walked over to Arnold and leaned down to whisper in his ear. He turned his head and gave her a brief kiss, then Dalla whispered something else and kissed him again.


    ¡°I''ll have supper ready in an hour.¡± Dalla said and stood.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and went back to working on the computer.


    Dalla walked over to Ida. ¡°See? It was that easy.¡±


    ¡°What... what did you whisper to him?¡±


    Dalla smiled and put a finger over her lips in a ''hush'' gesture, then she went to the kitchenette and started cooking supper for the three of them.


    Ida found out later that night what Dalla had whispered.


    Ida changed for bed, once again a bit disconcerted about Arnold not ogling her body, and climbed into bed. A short time later, Arnold finished whatever he was doing on the computer and changed as well... or, he didn''t quite change... he just stripped off. He was naked and walked around the dorm room, his member swinging around, and Ida couldn''t help but stare at him.


    It didn''t look like Arnold had any particular destination, then to Ida''s surprise, he turned and walked over to her bed. He reached down and stroked himself to get hard, right in front of her face. Ida opened her mouth to ask him what he thought he was doing, then suddenly had it in her mouth. His firmness was familiar as she remembered the night before, then his gentle hands caressed her hair as he moved in and out. Ida sucked and played with it, now that she couldn''t pretend that she was asleep, and her hands joined in and she went at it.


    ¡°Inside... or out?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°HMM!¡± Ida moaned loudly and kept going. Arnold didn''t pull out and finished in her mouth. Ida took it all and didn''t spill a single drop. In fact, she kept going. She had done similar things before and she knew that if she went a little overboard now, he would last much longer when he got to the intercourse part. Once again, she forgot that she didn''t want to have sex with someone that wasn''t enamoured of her and pushed the blanket off.


    Her nightie and panties were discarded as she sat up and then she really got to work on his penis. What she lacked in technique, she made up for with sheer enthusiasm. She thought, quite wrongly, that if she impressed him with sex, he would fall for her. Arnold didn''t think that way, though. It took very different things for him to start accepting someone like that.


    Arnold ignored her breasts again as he pushed her down onto her back. He touched her between the legs and felt that she was already pretty wet, applied a condom, then shoved himself right in.


    ¡°HnnnnNNNN!¡± Ida moaned as she came, just from him forcing his way in and not prepping her first. What followed that initial insertion, kind of blew Ida''s mind. Dalla had severely underestimated Arnold''s love-making skills. The things he did to Ida and the things he made her feel, were unlike any other time she had sex, including with him the night before.


    By the time Arnold was done, Ida had felt so good for so long, she had forgotten that she could speak English. Several streams of Swedish words came from her mouth and she kissed him and hugged him, then she closed her eyes and went to sleep.


    ¡°Okay, I didn''t expect her to react like that.¡± Dalla whispered.


    Arnold got out of bed and disposed of the condom. ¡°She might be nicer from now on.¡±


    Dalla chuckled. ¡°If she remembers to speak English, maybe.¡±


    Arnold went to the bathroom and washed up, then came back out, still naked.


    ¡°Please help me feel good, too.¡± Dalla said as she dropped her nightie to the floor. She wasn''t wearing panties, so when she bent over Arnold''s bed, it completely exposed her.


    Arnold gave her several kisses there to prepare her, then slid inside to make her moan. He made love to her for quite some time, then he tucked her into bed.


    ¡°Thank... you.¡± Dalla whispered.


    Arnold bent down to give her a kiss, then he went to the bathroom and washed again. He dried off, dressed, grabbed his bag and the van keys, and left the dorm. He drove all the way back home, because he had one more person that was directly involved that needed to be taken care of.


    *


    Detective Olivia Tanner laid in her bed and went over in her head how Arnold could have done it. She knew, absolutely knew without a shred of doubt, that he was involved in the latest crimes. She wasn''t sure how... maybe he and Officer Hallman were working together...


    There was a knock on her front door and Olivia hopped out of bed, grabbed her service revolver, and crept through her house to the front door. She crouched down, so she wouldn''t be seen from any of the windows, then she peered out through the small peephole in the door.


    ¡°Oh, it''s you.¡± Olivia said and stood up as she opened the door.


    ¡°Good evening to you, too.¡± Mark said and stepped in, gave her a kiss, and shut the door. ¡°You look great and tired.¡±


    Olivia chuckled and shook her head. ¡°You know you could have waited until morning to visit, right?¡±


    ¡°I''m on back shift for another month, so no.¡± Mark said and grabbed her ass, then started to strip off. ¡°I need sleep and I can''t think of anywhere else I want to fall unconscious.¡±


    ¡°I think I created a monster.¡±


    ¡°It''s definitely your fault that I can''t get enough of you.¡± Mark said and put his clothes on the chair by the bed. ¡°I mean, damn. Look at you.¡±


    Olivia looked down at herself. ¡°What? It''s just a slip.¡±


    ¡°No, it''s just a slip.¡± Mark corrected. ¡°I can see the little bumps on your nipples from here.¡±


    Olivia laughed. ¡°All right, I''ll give you that it''s skimpy.¡±


    ¡°I bet your panties are skimpy, too.¡± Mark said and moved the blanket down to get in the bed.


    ¡°What? This thing?¡± Olivia asked and pulled the bottom of the slip up.


    Mark saw the tiny piece of cloth and it was wedged between her lips. Part of her was actually sticking out and he grew hard just from that. ¡°Fuck, you are so hot.¡±


    Olivia couldn''t help her blush at the compliment, vulgar though it was. She climbed into bed and kissed him, then climbed on top of him.


    *


    Brad''s father sat at his desk, half drunk, and stared at the newspaper. They had been running an expose on the judge that had killed himself and all of the vice and corruption that was running rampant through their city. Of course, this paper had his name plastered on it and gave surprisingly accurate details of the backroom deal he had arranged for his son and his friends to plead down to a misdemeanor crime and only have to perform community service.


    It wasn''t illegal to make contributions to the city for improvements and if someone did him a favor in return, there wasn''t anything wrong with that, or so he had convinced himself. Printed in black and white, it looked much worse... especially when referenced to the waste it had been, considering the boys had been allegedly killed by the rogue cop.


    Brad''s father took another gulp of twelve year old scotch. It burned his throat, because he was drinking it straight. He was too distraught to go and get ice from the refrigerator. He put his drink down and sighed, then he took in a breath when he saw movement in the doorway.


    ¡°Oh, it''s you.¡± Brad''s father said as the rogue cop stepped into the room. ¡°I''m sorry to say that you wasted a trip.¡± He said with a chuckle and picked up a small hand gun. ¡°I''ll be doing your work for you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± A deep voice said.


    ¡°Although, there is one thing I want to know.¡± Brad''s father asked. ¡°Are you killing all criminals that get away or just certain ones?¡±


    ¡°Certain ones.¡± The deep voice said.


    ¡°Well, you keep reading the paper and maybe you''ll change your mind.¡± Brad''s father said and picked up a report, then put it on the edge of the desk.


    The rogue cop looked at it and his eyes flashed anger.


    ¡°Yes, old Charles from Charles and Associates has screwed more people out of their proper insurance money than most high class criminals in existence.¡± Brad''s father said and pointed the gun at his own face. ¡°I hope this doesn''t hurt as much as I think it will.¡±


    The rogue cop watched as he pulled the trigger. The bang was loud in the small home office and the back of the man''s head disappeared in a spray of blood and gore. The office was in the middle of the house and the house was on a huge lot, which deadened the sound some. The sound would still carry; but, it was the middle of the night and no one would react immediately.


    The rogue cop checked the man''s wallet, found the safe combination, and unlocked it. Inside were several stacks of hundred dollar bills. He took one and flipped through it, then smiled. They were non-sequential, which meant they weren''t recorded and couldn''t be tracked. There was also an expensive gold watch, a gold wedding band that matched the one on the man''s hand, and the deeds to the house, several properties, and three cars.


    He took the money and closed the safe, then left the office. He hadn''t wasted a trip, because he now had someone else to look into.

 189 Interesting Subjects

    Bokuboy


    Dalla woke up when the bed moved. She blinked her eyes and looked at Arnold. ¡°Where...¡±


    ¡°Bathroom.¡± Arnold said and gave her a kiss, then he put his arms around her and went right to sleep.


    He didn''t try to play or have his way with me. Dalla thought in surprise as she leaned close and pressed her lips to his. She cuddled in and held him as well, because sometimes, sleeping in someone''s arms was enough.


    Arnold woke up when the alarm went off and he had Physics with Leann and Tanya first thing. He showered and dressed, took his backpack, and went to class. Just as he sat down, Leann and Tanya came in.


    ¡°Hi, Arnold!¡± Leann said happily and gave him a hug, then several kisses. ¡°Franny and I had the best time last weekend.¡± She said and gave him a single kiss for several seconds. ¡°Thank you again for everything!¡±


    ¡°You''re being extra thankful today.¡± Tanya said with a laugh as she sat down beside Arnold.


    ¡°Arnold is why Francine and I got together in the first place, so he deserves to be thanked for giving us such a great gift.¡± Leann said with a huge smile and draped an arm over Arnold''s shoulder. ¡°If it wasn''t for this handsome man right here, I wouldn''t be as happy as I am now.¡±


    ¡°You really are happy, aren''t you?¡± Tanya asked, a little surprised.


    ¡°Unbelievably.¡± Leann said with a chuckle. ¡°It''s amazingly wonderful!¡±


    ¡°With another woman?¡± Tanya asked, not really understanding how that would work. She also secretly wondered what it would be like.


    ¡°I''m ecstatic that the relationship happened.¡± Leann laughed. ¡°It''s not like... even we didn''t think...¡± She shook her head. ¡°Francine is just Francine and I''m just me. We like each other for who we are and it doesn''t really matter that she''s a girl, too.¡±


    Tanya thought about asking what it was like and the professor came in.


    ¡°Good morning!¡± The Physics professor said to the class. ¡°I hope you''re all ready to calculate the speed of Earth and the moon around it.¡± He stopped at his desk and looked at them. ¡°A show of hands of anyone that knows...¡±


    Arnold was the only one to put up his hand.


    ¡°I should have known.¡± The professor chuckled. ¡°I assume you can quote the formula?¡±


    Arnold recited it and the professor wrote it out on the board.


    ¡°Very good, Mr. Strickland. You even added in the gravitational forces of them acting on each other and not just from the sun.¡± The professor said, impressed. ¡°What about the co-efficient of drag from moving through space?¡± He asked and wrote it into the equation.


    ¡°It''s negligible.¡± Arnold said. ¡°It would barely change a tenth of a decimal place in the final result.¡±


    ¡°What about solar winds?¡± The professor asked.


    ¡°There''s no way to calculate them, since they fluctuate constantly. It would be like adding random wind gusts to an already flying airplane. They might make a difference if they were large enough, say from a solar flare, and that''s only if it hits the Earth directly, which would be bad.¡±


    ¡°Why would that be bad?¡± The professor asked with a smile, knowing the answer.


    ¡°A solar flare large enough to reach us, would burn through the atmosphere and cook us within minutes.¡± Arnold said and the girls in the class gasped.


    ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Leann whispered in shock.


    Tanya seriously considered having another girl go down on her before she lost the chance.


    The professor chuckled and held his hands up. ¡°Please, don''t overreact.¡± He said. ¡°It''s alarming; but, the odds of an event of that magnitude is astronomical. Not only that, it would have to happen and the Earth would have to pass into that space.¡±


    Nearly everyone sighed in relief.


    ¡°Arnold has just provided us with the perfect reason to do the proper calculations, hasn''t he?¡± The professor asked.


    ¡°Thanks a lot, Arnold!¡± A girl near the back of the class exclaimed.


    Arnold started to stand and Leann caught his arm and stopped him.


    ¡°She''s being sarcastic and isn''t actually thanking you.¡± Leann advised him.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Arnold sat back down. ¡°I can''t kiss her for that.¡±


    Several gasps came from the class.


    ¡°Well.¡± The professor said, a little surprised at that interaction, then he remembered the rumors of the kissing bandit and smiled. ¡°Let''s get started, shall we?¡±


    *


    Kelly sat in the sociology class that afternoon and waited desperately for Arnold to appear. She had been working hard for weeks and she finally managed to get herself worked up to what she thought was the proper size for him. She almost shook in anticipation as she saw him enter the room, because she couldn''t wait to tell him.


    Arnold came over to her and sat down at the desk beside her. ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Hiiii.¡± Kelly said and her face went a little red. ¡°Arnold, I... I have something to tell you.¡±


    Arnold turned to her and stared into her eyes.


    I really miss that look. Kelly thought and leaned in close to whisper. ¡°I''m ready to have sex with you.¡±


    Arnold raised his eyebrows slightly, which she knew was a shout of surprise. ¡°Who have you slept with?¡±


    ¡°No one.¡± Kelly said, a little proudly. ¡°Even with my hymen fully torn, I''m still technically a virgin, because I haven''t has sex yet.¡±


    ¡°How did you...¡± Arnold stopped talking as he thought about it. ¡°Toys.¡±


    Kelly nodded. ¡°I''ve done my best to prepare for you, ever since that happened and I started feeling better.¡± She said. ¡°I wanted my first time to be with someone I love and I''ve saved myself for you.¡±


    ¡°Your father told me to stay away from you.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I don''t care what my father said and neither should you.¡± Kelly responded. ¡°I love you and I want to be together with you.¡±


    Arnold sat there for a moment and didn''t say anything.


    ¡°Arnold? What are you thinking?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°I''m wondering if you want me to give everyone else up for you.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Every... everyone else?¡± Kelly asked, surprised. ¡°I thought you said you couldn''t date?¡±


    ¡°We aren''t dating, except for once. We''re having sex.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Oh. Well, just stop and explain that...¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°No, I won''t stop having sex with other people.¡±


    Kelly blinked her eyes for a moment. ¡°But... Arnold, I... I want you to make love to...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold sat up straight. ¡°I gave you the chance to accept me before and you refused.¡±


    ¡°Arnold, I... I''m not... I love you and I don''t want to share you.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I know it''s selfish, and I''m sorry about that. I just... I want you all to myself and I want you to make love to me.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and turned to face the front of the room. ¡°Your father was right.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    ¡°I''m promiscuous.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I was Heather''s boyfriend and that showed me what sex was like. After her was you, then we broke up. I''ve had lots of sexual partners since then and I am not stopping.¡±


    Kelly sat there and didn''t know what to say. She knew, intellectually, that Arnold had been with one, maybe two girls... Janet being the proof... but, she didn''t think he had lots of women.


    ¡°How... many...¡±


    ¡°I can''t tell you.¡± Arnold said, because a few of them were still a secret, even from each other.


    ¡°Don''t... don''t you know...¡± Kelly shook her head. ¡°No, I... I don''t want to know. I don''t care how many. I don''t.¡± She said adamantly, trying to convince herself. ¡°I want to have sex with you, Arnold.¡±


    ¡°Just sex?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Yes. I''m sure once we...¡± Kelly started to say.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and cut her off.


    ¡°What?¡± Kelly frowned at him.


    ¡°You''re lying.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I... I''m not. I just...¡±


    ¡°You said a minute ago that you wanted me all to yourself and just now you said that we would just have sex.¡± Arnold said and didn''t look at her. ¡°Either the first was a lie or the second one was.¡±


    Kelly didn''t want to say that she thought if they had sex, he would give up the others.


    ¡°If I gave you the same choice as last time, would you make the same decision?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°No. I''d chose to... suck on it.¡± Kelly said and ignored several muffled laughs from the other students, who could clearly hear their conversation for the last few minutes.


    ¡°Even if it was just inside another girl?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Kelly said and suppressed her shiver at the thought.


    Arnold took out his cell phone and sent a quick text.


    ¡°What... what are you doing?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°Getting proof.¡± Arnold said and put the phone away.


    ¡°Ah''m here, suggah.!¡± Rebecca said in a thick southern accent as she came into the room. ¡°Ah nevah thought yah''all would call durin'' class, though.¡±


    ¡°We only have a few minutes.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Don'' you worry none, darlin''.¡± Rebecca grinned. ¡°Ah c''n git yah off in two shakes of ah lamb''s tail.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and gave her a quick kiss, then Rebecca climbed under his desk.


    ¡°She is not...¡± ¡°I can''t believe...¡± ¡°What''s her name?¡± Several girls and guys said at the same time.


    Kelly tried to not look. She really did. Her eyes went down, completely against her will, and looked at Arnold''s penis as it was very thoroughly sucked on by one of the girls from the dorm. She was turned on by it and she didn''t know why. She felt a bit of anger, too. Arnold was doing this to prove a point, except she wasn''t sure what point he was trying to make.


    That he could call a girl and she would do this for him? That he could do things in class and no one would say anything? Or that I might not be able to do what I claimed I could? Kelly asked herself.


    The sociology teacher Miss Kinneson came into the room and put her things on her desk, then she looked at her watch. She had a minute or so for class to start, then she saw something odd. Someone was under Arnold''s desk. She was about to ask what was going on, then she saw movement.


    ¡°MmmmMMM!¡± Rebecca moaned, made several slurping sounds, then she climbed out from under the desk.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Anytime, suggah.¡± Rebecca said and gave him a kiss. ¡°Make sure ta stop by one ah these nights. Ah shore does miss yah.¡±


    ¡°How about tonight?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Ah''d be delighted tah have yah ovah fer comp''ny.¡± Rebecca said with a happy face. ¡°Round eight?¡±


    Arnold nodded and she kissed him again, then she walked by the shocked teacher with a wave and left.


    That wasn''t... was that... it couldn''t be. Miss Kinneson thought in confusion and couldn''t make sense of what she might have just seen.


    Arnold turned his head to look at Kelly. ¡°Go ahead. Prove it.¡±


    Kelly moved close and leaned down, then she stopped. Her eyes were locked onto the slightly slobbery and still erect penis that was waiting for her. She inched forward and tried to ignore what she just saw. She tried so hard to ignore that another girl just sucked Arnold off... and she couldn''t. She didn''t cry, though.


    ¡°Miss Kendall, what are you doing?¡± Miss Kinneson asked when she saw Kelly try to move towards Arnold''s waist behind the desk.


    ¡°I... I was just...¡± Kelly sighed and sat up straight. ¡°Dammit, I can''t.¡± She looked at Arnold. ¡°I''m sorry, I just can''t.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Arnold said. ¡°You just had to admit it to yourself.¡±


    ¡°But... I... I love you.¡± Kelly said in defeat.


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Arnold said and tucked himself back into his pants. ¡°I can''t be who you want me to be and you can''t be who I need you to be.¡± He said. ¡°You can find someone else who will make you happy. It took me a while to find someone after we broke up.¡±


    ¡°But, I thought...¡±


    ¡°No, we aren''t dating or boyfriend and girlfriend.¡± Arnold corrected. ¡°That doesn''t mean we''re not happy.¡±


    Kelly took in a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. ¡°I messed up again.¡±


    ¡°No. We just aren''t compatible anymore.¡± Arnold said. ¡°If things had been different when we tried the first time, I would have been yours forever.¡±


    Kelly couldn''t stop the tears this time.


    Arnold handed her a tissue. ¡°We''re both different people now. Our friends are different. Our lives are different.¡±


    Kelly wiped her eyes and remembered her mother telling her almost the same thing. ¡°Mom said that each time something changes, our whole world is destroyed and a new one takes its place.¡±


    Arnold took in a sharp breath and froze still.


    ¡°Arnold?¡± Kelly asked, concerned. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I understand it now.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Quantum mechanics. I get it.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Kelly looked confused.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and moved in close to kiss her.


    Kelly backed away automatically, then she sighed. ¡°Dammit.¡±


    ¡°You can''t force things.¡± Arnold said and looked at the sociology teacher. ¡°I''m sorry for the delay.¡±


    Miss Kinneson stared at him for several moments, then she shook her head. ¡°I never expected to have someone else teach an aspect of sociology for me.¡±


    The rest of the class looked at her in surprise.


    ¡°People''s expectations when compared to reality.¡± Miss Kinneson said. ¡°Obviously, Miss Kendall expected her personal efforts to be acknowledged and for her advances to be reciprocated by her chosen mate. She didn''t factor in the conditions around that choice or even if the choice would want to accept her advances.¡±


    Kelly blushed at being pointed out and put on display like that.


    ¡°It''s all right, Miss Kendall. We have all had similar experiences when dealing with emotions, especially love.¡± She looked around the class. ¡°You don''t have to respond if you don''t want to; but, if anyone has expressed themselves or their feelings for someone and had them rebuffed, you may raise your hands.¡±


    The entire class raised their hands and she did, too.


    ¡°Look around, everyone.¡± Miss Kinneson said and they did, then they all looked surprised. ¡°It''s funny, isn''t it? We''ve all had similar experiences. We''ve all felt what it was like to be refused.¡± She said and put her hand down. ¡°I can almost guarantee that most of us have been refused several times.¡±


    A lot of heads nodded in response.


    ¡°Now you all know that it''s perfectly normal... and it hurts like a son of a bitch.¡± Miss Kinneson said and that got a few laughs and a lot of nods. ¡°It''s a sociology dynamic that has existed for thousands of years, even way back in the age of the cavemen.¡±


    ¡°He has a bigger club than me!¡± One of the guys said loudly and a lot of people laughed.


    ¡°A little inaccurate and also succinctly put.¡± Miss Kinneson said and nodded to the student. ¡°Better gatherers and better hunters always had a greater chance of getting the mate they desired. However, they could still suffer rejection, especially if there was a better hunter or more competition.¡± She walked around her desk and started to write on the board. ¡°The same could be said during the middle ages when knights and soldiers had a better chance at romance than farmers and townsfolk...¡±


    Everyone wrote down what she was writing and listened attentively.

 190 More Revelations

    Rebecca was damn near over the moon emotionally the rest of the day. She only ate a light supper, knowing what was coming later in the evening, and she took several hours trying to come up with the perfect outfit to wear. She instinctually discarded all of her normal clothes, as if they weren''t worthy, then she had a bout of inspiration.


    She smiled as she dug out her old pair of white daisy duke short shorts, ones she hadn''t worn in a couple years, then she pulled out the sleeveless plaid shirt that she just couldn''t make herself throw away, despite it being years older than the shorts and quite faded. She put it on, braless, and only half buttoned it. That way, when she moved her arms or turned to the side, it would give the best little peekaboo glimpses of her nipples.


    Rebecca slipped on a high hipped pair of white lace panties and then put on the white shorts. She checked herself in the mirror and she was very happy that they still fit as snugly as they used to. She wiggled her ass and almost laughed at how sexy it looked. She knew that he didn''t really notice those things unless you pointed it out to him, so she would do that, just so he knew she was doing it for him.


    There was a knock on her room door and she ran over to the door and opened it up. She caught her breath when he held out a single large yellow rose and a six pack of beer.


    ¡°Tha yellow rose ah Texas!¡± Rebecca said as she accepted the flower. ¡°Ahrnold, yah''all are the best!¡±


    She took a big sniff of it, gave him a huge smile, then took his hand and led him inside. She elbowed the door shut and he saw her place was fairly small, especially compared to his spacious room.


    ¡°Ah dressed up jus'' fer you.¡± Rebecca said and motioned for him to sit on the bed. She turned around and bent over for him as she turned on her little television. ¡°These shorts have been sitting in mah closet forevah and ah hope yah like''em.¡±


    Rebecca jumped slightly as she felt his hand touch the cheek of her ass, then his other hand rubbed the other cheek. She pushed back slightly, so he could get a good grip and she moaned a little as he massaged her. She stayed there for about thirty seconds, then she stood up. She propped her hands onto her hips, which pulled open her half-buttoned shirt, and one of her nipples popped out.


    ¡°Ah didn'' even bothah with a bra, ''cause ah know yah likes seein'' mah breasts.¡± Rebecca said. ¡°With this ol'' shirt, every time ah move, yah can see some ah me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said, looked at her nipple for a moment and then at her face. ¡°You look very pretty.¡±


    Rebecca smiled and bent over to give him a kiss and then both of her breasts popped out of the shirt. ¡°Ah might not have thought about tha logistics of this top too much.¡± She said and chuckled, then she climbed onto his lap and kissed him.


    Arnold''s hand was inside her shirt and massaged her breasts as they made out.


    Rebecca broke the kiss and smiled. ¡°Ah can'' believe yah brought beer inta tha dorm.¡±


    ¡°It''s non-alcoholic.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I knew yah''d figure out a way around tha dorm rules fer no alcohol!¡± Rebecca laughed. ¡°Let''s have some!¡±


    Arnold popped the top and gave her one, then did the same for his own. They watched television for half an hour and had two beers each.


    Rebecca couldn''t contain her desire anymore. ¡°Ahrnold, ah really liked tha'' yah called me.¡± She said, almost in a purr, as she gave him a kiss. ¡°Did Kelly understand tha message yah were tryin'' ta give ''er?¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°There''s a chance we can still be friends.¡±


    ¡°Ah shore hope she takes it, ''cause having yah as a friend is tha best!¡± Rebecca said and gave him another kiss. ¡°Yer smart, yer loyal, and yah would do anythin'' fer yer friends.¡±


    Arnold nodded again and rubbed his hand across her thigh.


    Rebecca shivered in anticipation. ¡°Ah shore would appreciate yah makin'' me feel good, yah handsome devil.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to peel off your shorts?¡± Arnold asked.


    Rebecca chuckled. ¡°Ah''ll do it, so make shore ta watch close-like.¡±


    Arnold nodded and she stood up right in front of him, then she undid the shorts and slowly pulled them down. She really did have to peel them off, they were that tight, and she bent over at the waist to get them down over her thighs.


    Rebecca caught her breath when his finger dug into the edge of her lace panties and pulled them aside. She twitched when his tongue touched her, then she had to brace her arms on the television stand as he kissed and licked her, quite thoroughly. She came several times and thought he would go on forever, then she was suddenly pulled down and he was buried deep inside of her.


    ¡°HEAV''N HAVE MERCY!¡± Rebecca yelled, then she moaned as he pulled her up and down on top of him and he felt very hard. She helped and moved her hips for him. It was so sharp and good and it filled her up as it hit some of her good spots inside. Rebecca couldn''t do anything except move as she felt another orgasm building up.


    She wanted it... needed it... and she rocked her hips faster and faster as he thrust himself inside. The pressure inside built and built and it almost started to hurt.


    Then, from one thrust to another, the pressure burst and Rebecca screamed out her pleasure. She was hugged from behind and dragged onto the bed, then she panted as Arnold kept going. She didn''t bother telling him that she was too sensitive at the moment, because he knew and used it as he flicked her nub with a fingertip. She came hard again and started to shake from it.


    Arnold didn''t stop, though. He knew what she liked and he gave it to her, over and over, then in the middle of her next orgasm, he whispered in her ear. ¡°I''m staying all night.¡±


    ¡°OHHHHHHHHH!¡± Rebecca moaned loudly and came multiple times. Getting her wish just plain did it for her and her mind''s and body''s pleasure centers lit up like Christmas trees and everything became more intense for her. It was the best sex she had ever had, even better than the last time she had been with Arnold, and that was a miracle in and of itself.


    At least, that''s what she would tell everyone that asked her about it... and they would ask.


    *


    The next day, Sarah sat in her Geometric Progression of Civilization class when Arnold came in. Her mind reacted almost immediately and she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he had sex that morning, probably just before coming to this first class.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Sarah said as he sat next to her. ¡°Arnold, I... I''m sorry that...¡±


    Arnold turned and looked at her with an intense stare.


    ¡°If I had been smart, I would have jumped all over you back in high school.¡± Sarah said. ¡°I knew you were smart and that doesn''t really turn me on... but... if I''d known...¡±


    ¡°You have a boyfriend.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I do.¡± Sarah said. ¡°We don''t have a lot in common. All we do when we get together is make-out and have sex. We don''t really have time to do much of anything else.¡±


    ¡°It won''t be any different if it was with me.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Sarah blinked her eyes.


    ¡°I don''t have much free time, outside of the spare classes that I use to do the work I''m assigned during other classes. The most I can do is fuck you every couple days, maybe more, since we have two classes together on the same day.¡±


    Sarah''s mouth dropped open in surprise. In her mind, Arnold was still the ''perfect'' boyfriend that Heather and Kelly had described in high school. Plus, he was interested in Latin and was so good at it. It never occurred to her that he wouldn''t be a good boyfriend now. She had only been thinking of what she had and imagining what she could have, without seeing what was actually there.


    Arnold saw her reaction and understood. ¡°My sociology teacher taught us a lot yesterday...¡± He started to tell Sarah all about what the teacher described and it fit her situation almost perfectly.


    The teacher came into the class a few minutes later and started the lesson, which Sarah completely missed, because she was too busy going over everything in her life. The class ended and she went to her next class, still mulling over everything, missed what that class was about, then she went to Latin class. She sat down beside Arnold and all she could think about was that he wasn''t a suitable gatherer as he was. It would take time for him to become one and she knew that she didn''t want to wait.


    ¡°Arnold, thank you for helping me.¡± Sarah said, not remembering what that meant, then Arnold kissed her. She gasped and covered her mouth. ¡°You just...¡±


    ¡°I''m the kissing bandit.¡± Arnold said and flipped open the class textbook to the current chapter.


    ¡°But... my boyfriend...¡±


    ¡°When was the last time you kissed him and meant it?¡± Arnold asked and she gasped again. He gave her another intense stare. ¡°Now you know that kissing me is wrong.¡±


    Sarah opened her mouth to say something, then she realized what he said. ¡°You did that on purpose.¡±


    ¡°Enjoy what you have while you have it.¡± Arnold said and started copying out the next part of the passage for their project. It was going to be a difficult translation this time, because a few of the words had multiple meanings that changed the meanings of the other words, which changed the whole interpretation of the entire passage.


    Sarah sat there and wasn''t sure what to say in response. Arnold, the stoic and almost robotic Arnold, is telling me to have as much fun as I can while I still can. She thought in surprise. ¡°I... I will.¡±


    ¡°All right, people! Get to work.¡± The teacher said. ¡°Those projects aren''t going to do themselves.¡±


    Sarah nodded and started copying out the same passage Arnold was. As she did, she realized the same thing he did and it was going to be difficult to do with several words with different meanings.


    ¡°We''re going to be talking this part over a lot.¡± Sarah said and tapped her copy.


    Arnold nodded, then they both got to work doing just that.


    *


    Later that night, Annie was siting on the couch and was cuddled up under a blanket. She wore her oldest and most comfortable jogging pants and a top that had seen better days. She watched television mindlessly as she hoped beyond hope that she would see her son in the afternoon the next day. She was always a little worried that he would call and say that he was too busy, even though she knew it was going to happen eventually.


    A knock on her door surprised her. It was late on Thursday night and nearing nine o''clock. For the life of her, she couldn''t think of anyone that would show up so late to someone''s house. Not even her neighbours would come knocking this late. She threw off the blanket and strode to the door, her ponytail wagging behind her. She looked out the peep hole in the front door and gasped.


    ¡°ARNOLD!¡± Annie yelled and yanked the door open. ¡°What the hell are you doing here so late?¡±


    ¡°Surprise.¡± Arnold said and held out a handful of daisies.


    ¡°Aww!¡± Annie took the bundle of her favorite flowers and took a big sniff. ¡°Thank you!¡± She said and gave him a quick kiss. ¡°Now tell me the truth or I''ll swat you with these.¡±


    Arnold smiled. ¡°My lab partners finished the specimen last week, so I don''t have to go to the lab class tomorrow.¡±


    Annie caught her breath. ¡°It''s the only class you have on Fridays!¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°I came right home for you.¡±


    Annie''s heart went pitter-patter at the admission and she took him into a hug. She felt his jacket a bit more than usual, then remembered what she was wearing and let him go.


    ¡°Oh! Close your eyes! I''m wearing my old things!¡± Annie said, a little panicked.


    ¡°You look very pretty.¡± Arnold said and she laughed.


    ¡°That''s really nice of you to say; but, look at this!¡± Annie plucked at the top that was worn through in a few spots and could almost be seen through. ¡°The jogging pants aren''t much better.¡±


    Arnold put his bag down and took off his jacket. ¡°I love you, Mom.¡± He said and gave her another quick kiss, then hugged her tightly. ¡°You could wear a bed sheet and I would tell you it was a nice dress, because you were wearing it.¡±


    ¡°Th-thank you, Arnold.¡± Annie said and gave him another quick kiss. ¡°What''s gotten you into making so many compliments? Oh, and the flowers?¡±


    ¡°It was something I found online about making women happier while I was looking up sonic death rays.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie burst out laughing. ¡°Only you would find both of those things at the same time!¡± She said happily. ¡°Come on.¡± She took his hand and led him to the couch in the living room. She dropped the flowers into the nearby vase.


    Arnold picked up the blanket, knowing she wanted to get back under it, and they sat down together and cuddled. He told her about some of his classes that week and about his encounter with Kelly during sociology. Edited of course. He didn''t tell her that Rebecca had sucked him off, because it wasn''t really relevant to the story.


    ¡°Oh, Arnold.¡± Annie said and cuddled in close. ¡°I had hoped the two of you would work things out.¡±


    ¡°We did; but, we aren''t together.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I''m sorry, Mom.¡±


    ¡°It''s all right.¡± Annie said and didn''t sigh. ¡°She didn''t like that you had sex with someone else?¡±


    ¡°No. She also wanted me to be exclusive and I said no.¡±


    Annie sighed this time. ¡°I hope that Janet didn''t tell you to...¡±


    ¡°No, I did it on my own.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I haven''t told them what happened yet.¡±


    ¡°Them?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°Pam is Janet''s roommate and they spend a lot of time together.¡±


    Annie nodded. ¡°I hope they are understanding and don''t pressure you to not be friends with Kelly.¡±


    ¡°They wouldn''t even think of that.¡± Arnold said. ¡°They are my best friends.¡±


    Annie was surprised for a moment, then she had to smile. ¡°Best friends? Both of them?¡± She asked and he nodded. ¡°Are they helping you as much as they can?¡±


    ¡°More than that.¡± Arnold said and told her about them arranging specimens for him to dissect and relax with during Art class.


    ¡°Okay, wow.¡± Annie said, surprised. ¡°They really are good friends if they went that far to arrange that for you.¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°Well, I''m glad you''re not all alone at the campus and someone besides Doris has your back.¡± Annie said with a smile. ¡°Will you thank them for me? I appreciate them looking out for you.¡±


    Arnold nodded again and the two of them spent the rest of the evening watching television and talking about his roommate and her maid. It was soon time to go to bed and they went up the stairs. Neither of them mentioned changing in another room as they went to Annie''s room and changed for bed, then climbed in together and went right to sleep.


    As far as Annie was concerned, this was the start of a wonderful and very long weekend. She had her son home for three whole days and she was going to make the best of it.

 191 The Unexpected

    Professor Hamil Crenslav had completely forgotten to praise Arnold for the spectacular three dimensional specimen that he had constructed. In fact, he had also forgotten to assign another specimen for him to do. Since he missed classes all week, he did something he never thought he would do. He submitted Arnold''s electronic biology work to the review board.


    It was technically against the rules to suborn the work of someone else, so he added his name as a contributor to add legitimacy to the submission. He felt a little guilty about that, because the only contribution he did was adding his name and submitting it; but, it should garner a bit more attention than Arnold submitting it by himself. Amy helped him copy the data over onto another USB thumb drive and then he sent it off.


    Hamil just hoped they listened to his last missive and they got off their duffs to actually review it within a reasonable time. He always hated having to wait for their response. Little did he know that was exactly why they did it. He was the top in his field and it was a little petty of them to do it, and they did it anyway. They couldn''t have him be too full of himself.


    *


    Beth was suffering from the worst frustration she had ever felt. Her neighbour had monopolized Arnold all weekend and she never got the chance to talk to the boy, let alone get him to do her like she wanted. She ended up calling an old boyfriend to try and relieve some of it, and all it did was create more frustration. She had even asked the man for what she wanted and he still messed it up. It bothered her that she had to speak about it and he didn''t automatically know what she wanted, like Arnold did.


    Oh, Arnold. Beth thought with a sigh as she watched him leave the house next door on Sunday night. She sincerely hoped that she could get him alone next weekend, not realizing that he was going to refuse and say no, even after she apologizes for ditching him, which she still hadn''t done. She wanted to do it in person, not understanding that it was much too late now.


    It had been cemented in Arnold''s mind that she would leave him for another man and that was all he would remember about her. He never took betrayal lightly.


    *


    Detective Olivia Tanner watched the video footage of Arnold with his mother out and around town and she just couldn''t make the proper connections. Her contact at the college kept reporting him in his classes, in his dorm, and when he left. None of them could possibly be matched to the crimes Officer Hallman committed. She was frustrated that she couldn''t even come up with a plausible explanation for when they could have met to arrange the crimes to be committed.


    Her scout reported him getting on the bus to the college and she thanked him for the hard work and to head home. She sat in her living room and looked at the restored white board and there were a lot more people and more crisscrossing lines as connections... except for the floating picture of Charlie Hallman. He barely had any connections to Arnold and only a couple to Arnold''s mother, Annie.


    ¡°Why would he go rogue for a chance to be with her?¡± Olivia asked and tapped Annie''s picture. ¡°What''s so great about her?¡±


    ¡°Maybe she''s as good in bed as her son?¡± Mark asked as he came into the room and gave her a kiss.


    ¡°Bye, sweetie.¡± Olivia said and looked back at the board. ¡°No, she... wait. If she did sleep with Charlie, then he... well, it''s possible that... Annie could be calling the shots instead of Arnold.¡±


    Mark chuckled. ¡°See you later.¡± He said and put on his police hat, then left the house. He wasn''t going to tell her that she was reaching, because she had to consider all the possibilities and then work backwards to see if any of the evidence matches her conclusions. If it didn''t, all she did was waste a bit of time. If she stumbled onto anything, then it was worth the effort.


    He doubted Annie was responsible, even knowing about the reports of her vehement defense of her son against several police officers. She might be a spitfire like Charlie had told the other officers; but, that didn''t lead to cold and calculated murder. It took a certain mind to accept ending someone''s life like that and going through with it.


    Mark climbed into his patrol car and called in to dispatch to start his shift. He drove off with the knowledge that his sexy detective girlfriend was still going to be awake when he came back.


    *


    Kristy lay in the king-sized bed at the fraternity with six guys around her. They had just had another orgy and she had loved every second of it. Every single second. She felt so needed, so loved, and so desired, that she knew she would do anything for the fraternity and to keep things the way they were.


    She was also smart. She had been tested and she made everyone else get tested, too. She was clean, as was everyone else, to her surprise. She had thought that at least one of them would have picked up something from the girls they had dated. She was extremely happy that they hadn''t, though. Saying no to one of them would have made her feel so bad, especially just before joining everyone in bed.


    Kristy felt a hand caress her side and she turned her head to look at David. ¡°Again?¡±


    David nodded and she smiled, then she rolled onto her side to face him and spread her legs. He kissed her and slid inside and took his time this time. He had rushed the last time and he wanted to savour each and every squeeze, touch, and kiss that their hot communal girlfriend would give him.


    ¡°So beautiful.¡± David whispered into her ear and he felt her shiver and come a little. He was definitely going out and buying her flowers tomorrow. Maybe chocolates, too. He thought, because he needed to thank her for everything she did for him.


    *


    Dalla laid in bed later that night and she waited in anticipation. She knew Arnold was coming back soon and she couldn''t wait to surprise him. She almost trembled as she imagined his reaction to what she had planned and then she took a deep breath to calm down. The dorm room door opened and closed again, then she watched him. When he pulled up the blanket on his bed, he stopped and stared at the woman in his bed.


    It was Ida.


    She stared at Arnold and expected him to tell her to get out of his bed, because he had expected Dalla to be there, then he climbed in with her. He kissed her and made slow and passionate love to her, just like he did with Dalla.


    It was the most frustratingly wonderful sex Ida ever had. He didn''t pound her like he had before or was rough in any way. He even gently and lovingly caressed her breasts and suckled her nipples briefly. It almost drove her crazy that he could do something like that and not lose control of himself as he slid in and out of her, so agonizingly slow, and then the orgasm suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks.


    Ida''s whole body locked up and she shook as she came hard and her arms and body gripped Arnold tightly. He stopped moving to let her recover for a few minutes, then he kept going. She almost glared at him for doing that to her and making her react like that, then he bit her nipple and she came again. She didn''t think about protesting at all after that.


    *


    ¡°Good morning!¡± Pam exclaimed when Arnold came into their room for breakfast. ¡°Kisses!¡±


    Arnold gave her several quick ones.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Pam said and dished out scrambled eggs for everyone. ¡°Janet next.¡±


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Arnold said and gave a slightly laughing Janet the same quick kisses.


    ¡°Toast.¡± Janet handed them to him and he put them on their plates. ¡°How was your long weekend?¡±


    ¡°Quick.¡± Arnold said and the three of them sat down at the table to eat.


    ¡°I can imagine.¡± Pam chuckled. ¡°I bet your mom was ecstatic to have you home for so long and took you everywhere.¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°She told me to thank you both for taking care of me and for having my back.¡±


    Janet looked at the time. ¡°We''ll have to wait until after first class for you to make love to us.¡± She said and gave him a kiss. ¡°Your mom is the best.¡±


    ¡°I totally agree.¡± Pam said and kissed him, too. ¡°I bet this biology prep class is going to be interesting.¡±


    Janet chuckled. ¡°A full week without having Arnold around? I bet the whole class is going to welcome us back.¡±


    Pam laughed. ¡°Won''t that be funny if we are the highlight of the class? Ha ha!¡±


    Arnold smiled and both women leaned over and kissed his cheeks.


    ¡°We know it''s all you.¡± Janet said. ¡°You make everything that much better.¡±


    ¡°Definitely.¡± Pam said. ¡°I even got another raise at the theatre!¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± Janet said. ¡°You''ve been kicking ass over there, haven''t you?¡±


    Pam snorted and then laughed. ¡°I think it''s because I stopped doing that to get them off their asses.¡±


    Janet laughed, too. ¡°They definitely like you a lot more, then!¡±


    Pam nodded and they finished eating breakfast. They cleaned up and gathered their things for class and left the dorm room.


    *


    Hamil was surprised when a large manila envelope was delivered to his office by hand. He accepted it and then went to his desk. He sat down and saw that it was from the review board, took several deep breaths, and opened it. He gasped at the contents.


    ¡°Good morning, professor.¡± Amy said as she came in. ¡°I''ve got the materials you requested.¡±


    Hamil didn''t say anything as he stared at the things on his desk.


    ¡°What is it, professor?¡± Amy asked and put the things he wanted on the side of his desk.


    ¡°Get Arnold in here.¡± Hamil said. ¡°If he''s not in class already, wait for him and bring him to me.¡±


    Amy glanced down at the things he was looking at and she caught her breath. She left the office at a fast walk and went to the lab. Arnold wasn''t there, so she went to the stairs and went down them, then walked over to the front door of the building.


    Come on, come on, come on! Amy thought with excitement, then she saw Arnold approaching with his two girlfriends. She stepped out through the door and waved to him. ¡°Arnold! Get your ass over here! The professor wants to see you right now!¡±


    All three of them walked faster and Amy thought about saying only Arnold was needed, then shrugged. She held the door for them and they went by. She followed them inside and up the stairs and over to the professor''s office.


    ¡°Ah, Arnold.¡± Hamil said and stood. ¡°Thank you for coming.¡±


    Arnold stepped into the office with Pam and Janet flanking him and Amy came in behind them. She stepped around them and stood beside the professor.


    ¡°I''m not really sure how to say this without making myself sound like an ass, so I''m just going to say it.¡± Hamil said. ¡°I put my name on your digital model as a contributor and submitted it to the review board.¡±


    Pam and Janet took in sharp breaths and Amy''s mouth dropped open in shock. ¡°Professor!¡± The three of them exclaimed at the same time.


    ¡°I know, I know.¡± Hamil said and held his hands up in surrender. ¡°I forgot to give Arnold the praise his work deserved and wanted to make it up to him...¡±


    ¡°...by stealing his work?!?¡± Pam accused. ¡°How the fuck is that making it up to him?¡±


    ¡°Please, hear me out before you rake me over the coals, as the old saying goes.¡± Hamil said.


    ¡°Can''t we do both?¡± Janet asked.


    ¡°Now hold on...¡± Amy started to say and Hamil touched her arm.


    ¡°You all have every right to be angry and I am sorry that I did what I did... to an extent.¡± Hamil said.


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Pam asked.


    ¡°I felt very bad that I had to add my name to it, just to make it legitimate, and to give it the clout it needed for the review board to consider it.¡± Hamil said. ¡°I thought it was worth the risk, just to see what they would say.¡±


    ¡°They think it''s your work and you''re the top of your field of study.¡± Janet said and shook her head. ¡°How is that a risk?¡±


    ¡°Because of this.¡± Hamil said and picked up a half inch thick stack of paper.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Pam asked.


    ¡°It''s a university grant.¡± Hamil said and handed it to Arnold. ¡°The review board wasn''t quite fussy over the subject material of the submission.¡± He held up the cover letter. ¡°That is, until they looked at all of the features that Arnold had included with it. Once they saw the detail and work that went into the creation of a digital specimen, they rushed through this grant approval.¡±


    ¡°It''s a grant for you.¡± Arnold said as he read the top few pages.


    ¡°No, it''s for us.¡± Hamil corrected. ¡°Not the biology department as a whole, because it is an adjunct and not a direct biology field.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Amy asked, a little confused.


    ¡°The first part of the grant is for the construction of a computer lab for the creation of digital specimens.¡± Hamil said. ¡°The second part is for creating or recreating the specimens themselves.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Amy said. ¡°That... that''s...¡±


    ¡°Years of digital work.¡± Hamil said with a nod. ¡°The initial grant is for two hundred thousand dollars to either rent or buy space from the college and to build the equipment needed.¡±


    ¡°Good lord.¡± Janet whispered and held onto Arnold''s arm.


    ¡°I know that''s not much, especially for an endeavor this huge.¡± Hamil said to Pam''s surprise, because she thought it was a lot of money. ¡°We will have to make due and scrimp as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°What about the follow up grant?¡± Amy asked.


    ¡°There is literally no other college or university creating digital models for dissection purposes. They are already discussing how much the college is going to make from selling them to every other college, university, school, and business that needs them.¡± Hamil said. ¡°The second grant comes into effect when the lab is completed and only has a starting annual budget of a million dollars.¡±


    ¡°A million dollars?!?¡± Pam asked, completely shocked, and gripped Arnold''s other arm tightly.


    ¡°Yes, I know it''s not much, especially once we start recruitment and training assistants to handle the sheer workload it''s going to entail at the beginning.¡± Hamil said, a little sadly. ¡°In fact it''s one of the cheapest grants the college can fund.¡±


    ¡°They don''t want to risk too much, in case it doesn''t take off like they hope.¡± Amy said and he nodded.


    ¡°However, I think they are short-sighted.¡± Hamil responded. ¡°I believe that once it gets out that it can be done, lots of colleges and universities will try to out-perform us.¡±


    ¡°Patent it.¡± Arnold said. ¡°If anyone wants to duplicate our work, they have to pay us or get sued.¡±


    ¡°That is an excellent idea, Arnold.¡± Hamil said and let a smile spread across his face. ¡°We won''t even have to take it out of the budget. The university will cover it, especially if we grant them exclusive usage rights to the patent and the digital models as they are created.¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°Is this going through the bank or is it a private investment?¡± He asked and handed the papers back.


    ¡°I''m tempted to leave everything private, just to keep a lid on things.¡± Hamil said. ¡°I assume you want this to go through your bank?¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°They helped my family get through a really rough time and then made sure we were debt free after my father''s life insurance settlement.¡±


    ¡°Then I''ll leave this to you.¡± Hamil said and put the things into the large manila envelope and handed it to Arnold. ¡°It''s going to be your project and only has my name on it, so I''ll only be around for administrative purposes and recommendations.¡± He said. ¡°Oh, and from now on, you are excused from both the class work and the lab work for the official course.¡±


    Arnold frowned a little and didn''t say anything.


    ¡°Don''t worry. You''ll get the course credits from your project, because you''ll have to dissect the specimens first to create the digital copies.¡± Hamil said with a smile.


    Arnold nodded. ¡°I''ll be hiring my first two assistants right away with a potential third assistant to help me with the lab creation.¡±


    ¡°Who do you have in mind for the first two?¡± Hamil asked and pretended that he didn''t know.


    ¡°They are holding onto my arms right now.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Pam and Janet gasped.


    ¡°I want my best friends in on this, because you helped me and have my back.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°You will also be excused from attending my normal classes and labs and will have full credits.¡± Hamil said. ¡°As long as you attend Arnold''s dissections and file the proper reports.¡±


    ¡°Arnold can count on us, sir.¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Well, then.¡± Hamil said and smiled at the trio. ¡°I think if you head over to the administration building, they can give you a list of available spaces and their costs for rent and purchase.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Arnold said and led Pam and Janet from the office.

 192 Planning Things

    Bokuboy


    There were a surprising number of available spaces at the college. They had built it with the intention of expansion, so there were a lot of empty rooms scattered all over the place. Of course, the spaces that were closer to the college''s main buildings were more expensive to rent, so Arnold focused on the outlying buildings. There was a smaller one with several rooms, practically at the very end of the property, and it was near his dorm building.


    One of the other departments had abandoned it when a better spot became available and gave them more exposure and prominence, so it was relatively cheap to rent. Arnold didn''t want to rent, though. He did the math and if the professor was right about it being years of work, then buying the building was actually the cheaper option. At least then the building would be owned and years of rent money wouldn''t be wasted.


    Since it was the college and it was going to be paid for by a grant from the college, there were no lengthy negotiations on the price or even working out the financing. The contract was just handed to Arnold to present to the bank and he took it, along with the keys. It was the easiest money the college ever spent, since it was staying in-house and wasn''t going anywhere. It would look great on their taxes and income revenue returns, too.


    Once they had the space reserved for their use, Arnold, Pam, and Janet went right over to it. It was only a couple minutes walk from their dorm and the building looked fine on the outside. Inside... was kind of a mess. The trio stood in the middle of a fairly large room and looked around.


    ¡°Boy, they left here in a hurry!¡± Pam said and looked at the electrical cords that were haphazardly strewn about for equipment that was no longer there. The spots the equipment used to be was a darker color than the rest of the walls, which meant they had been there for a while.


    ¡°This place definitely needs a good cleaning and maybe even a paint job.¡± Janet said and walked over to one of the several doors. ¡°A small office, same state. The carpet''s a mess, though.¡±


    Pam opened another door. ¡°Huge bathroom and it stinks! Whew!¡± She shut the door. ¡°I think we''ll need a professional cleaning crew.¡± She opened another door. ¡°This looks like a meeting room. There''s still half a dozen chairs. No table and the carpet''s gone.¡±


    ¡°Another office that''s pretty big and they left the desk.¡± Janet said and closed the second last door. ¡°All in all, it''s not too bad. I can see why it''s only eighty grand, though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Pam said and opened the last door. ¡°Basement access.¡± She closed it and walked back over to Arnold. ¡°Janet, lock the door. Our best friend is about fit to burst out of his pants, he''s so horny for us.¡±


    Janet locked the front door without question and walked over to them. ¡°Arnold, do you still have a blanket on you?¡±


    Arnold nodded and took off his backpack and pulled out the two thin blankets.


    ¡°Perfect.¡± Pam said and started to strip. ¡°I''m horny for you, too.¡±


    Both Arnold and Janet stripped off and Pam laid down for Arnold to take her. He easily slipped in and she moaned.


    ¡°Th-thank... you.¡± Pam said between moans. ¡°You didn''t... have to... hire us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did.¡± Arnold said and kissed her. ¡°I need help and you can help.¡± He said and sped up his movements.


    ¡°Oh, god!¡± Pam exclaimed and came. ¡°I really will!¡±


    Arnold slipped out of her and sat back to give Pam a rest and presented himself to Janet. Janet straddled his waist and sat down on him without a worry about him just being inside Pam. She was long past caring about that, because they both shared him equally. Making him clean up or wearing a condom between them was as pointless as it was unnecessarily wasteful.


    ¡°We both will.¡± Janet said and kissed him as she rode him.


    They barely finished christening their new place by the time the next class was about to start. They had to rush to clean up and get dressed again, using the stinky bathroom briefly. Luckily it looked clean and they didn''t spend much time in there, thanks to how prepared Arnold was for cleanup and the supplies he always carried.


    They met again for lunch and discussed the best cleaning business to hire. They needed the space done as soon as possible, so Arnold called his account manager at the bank. He needed to get the grant settled and put through to get access to the money to pay for the cleaners.


    ¡°I didn''t even think of that.¡± Pam chuckled. ¡°We''re here making plans and we don''t even have any money yet.¡±


    Janet chuckled, too. ¡°It''s hard to not get all wrapped up in it, isn''t it?¡± She asked. ¡°It''s all so exciting.¡±


    ¡°The bank is open late, so he''s going to stay and wait for me.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Wow, really?¡± Pam asked. ¡°I wonder why?¡±


    ¡°I''d say the million dollars a year follow up grant.¡± Janet said with a smile and Arnold nodded. ¡°His bank is going to just love him for the next few years!¡±


    ¡°Not as much as us.¡± Pam said and kissed him. ¡°Are you sure you''re only going to keep us to working school hours?¡±


    ¡°For now.¡± Arnold said. ¡°We have enough free classes during the week for meetings.¡±


    Pam nodded. ¡°We can get a lot of the details hammered out for the work space during this week.¡±


    ¡°You have to use the large office for the dissection room.¡± Janet said. ¡°There''s enough room in there that you can make it into a small biology lab with all the necessary equipment.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if there''s enough room for specimen storage in that meeting room?¡± Pam said. ¡°No, wait! You can make that little office room into a full storage unit. We can use the meeting room as a communal office and put our desks and things in there.¡±


    ¡°That leaves the huge main room for desks, computer setups, and anything else we need.¡± Janet said. ¡°We''ll have to get the floor plan or something to get the logistics worked out.¡±


    ¡°We also have to figure out what computer setups we need and the amount of room needed for them.¡± Pam said.


    ¡°I did the first model on my computer.¡± Arnold said. ¡°We can buy more of them.¡±


    ¡°That''s not a bad idea.¡± Janet said. ¡°Your computer is pretty top of the line.¡±


    ¡°It''s also expensive.¡± Pam said. ¡°I''ve seen similar setups and the cost alone might be too much for the budget if we get too many.¡±


    Arnold thought about it and nodded. ¡°I need to hire my third assistant for that.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Both Pam and Janet asked.


    ¡°Kelly.¡± Arnold said.


    Janet took in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Arnold, you need to be very careful.¡± She cautioned him. ¡°She might think you''ve changed your mind and want to get back together with her.¡±


    ¡°What Janet is trying to say is that you need to be clear and concise right from the beginning.¡± Pam said. ¡°Don''t give her false hope or let her think that she can worm her way into your bed in order to kick the rest of us out of it.¡± She leaned in close to whisper. ¡°I am never giving up on my best friend. Kelly has a reality check to cash if she thinks she can stop me from loving you.¡±


    Arnold smiled and gave her a kiss. ¡°Okay.¡± He said and took out his cell phone. He typed up a message and showed it to both Pam and Janet, who nodded. He sent it and waited, then heard a bit of a shout from across the cafeteria.


    ''Are you serious?'' Kelly send back.


    ''Yes. I''m at the tenth table from the cafeteria entrance.'' Arnold sent back and then raised his hand.


    ¡°Here she comes.¡± Pam whispered as Kelly shot to her feet, said something to the other people at her table, then started walking towards them with her food tray. Heather stood up as well and followed her.


    ¡°With company.¡± Janet whispered and Arnold put his hand down.


    ¡°So, what''s this about offering Kelly a job and not me?¡± Heather asked as she beat Kelly to the table and sat down across from Arnold.


    ¡°Geez, Heather.¡± Kelly sighed and sat down next to her. ¡°I showed you the text.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it''s a new building, right?¡± Heather asked. ¡°You need a decorator.¡±


    Pam rolled her eyes and Janet barely held in her laugh.


    ¡°Hey, it''s a legitimate profession.¡± Heather said at their reactions. ¡°My class project is to design a living space that''s both welcoming and relaxing.¡±


    ¡°It''s going to be a computer lab and an office.¡± Janet said. ¡°There''s not going to be a lot of living or relaxing there.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about the layout.¡± Heather said and started eating again.


    Janet looked at Arnold and he shrugged. ¡°All right. It''s like this...¡±


    Heather nodded her head occasionally as Janet described everything, then she shook her head when Janet mentioned making the small office a storage space for specimens.


    ¡°Nope, not a good idea.¡± Heather said. ¡°It''ll be too expensive to convert the small office for that and the cost to keep it chilled will skyrocket in the summer months.¡± She looked at Pam. ¡°What''s the basement look like?¡±


    ¡°We didn''t go down there.¡± Pam said.


    ¡°Well, depending on what it''s like, a section or even the whole thing can be adapted for storage.¡± Heather said. ¡°It''s below ground, so temperature regulation should be easy to maintain. A cold storage generator or even just an air exchange and dehumidifier could be enough.¡±


    ¡°The biology lab has their storage in the basement.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Heather said with a smile. ¡°Look, you don''t have to hire me for full price, since I just started the Liberal Arts course. You definitely need someone to make sure that the place doesn''t sap all of the excitement out of people when they enter the lobby.¡±


    ¡°There''s no lobby. It''s just a big main room.¡± Pam said.


    ¡°Then that has to change. You need a partition or something and put a desk for the secretary to answer calls and a small waiting area for chairs.¡±


    ¡°A waiting area for what?¡± Janet asked.


    Heather laughed. ¡°You don''t want people just walking through the door and coming right into people''s workspace, do you? How disruptive is that?¡±


    Arnold, Janet and Pam couldn''t argue the point.


    ¡°I can not believe you are actually convincing them.¡± Kelly said in disbelief as she ate.


    Heather laughed a soft laugh. ¡°I''m only saying what needs to be said.¡± She pat Arnold''s arm. ¡°When can I come over and look at the place?¡±


    ¡°It needs to be cleaned first.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Depending on what needs to be done, it might be better to strip it first.¡± Heather said. ¡°Cleaning it and then stripping it is a waste of money and time, especially if it has to be cleaned again.¡±


    Arnold exchanged looks with Janet and Pam. The three of them remembered the professor saying that they needed to scrimp and save for the construction of the computer lab.


    ¡°I have a free class this afternoon. I can take you over there then.¡± Arnold said and Heather beamed a smile at him.


    ¡°We can talk budget then, too.¡± Heather said and Janet let out a groan. ¡°It''s all right. I know it has to be as cheap as possible and it also needs to look good.¡±


    ¡°Just don''t screw us over.¡± Pam said. ¡°If we blow this part, the second part of the grant won''t come into effect and none of us will get paid.¡±


    Heather opened her mouth to tell her that she wouldn''t do that and Kelly touched her arm. ¡°I was going to say I wouldn''t do that.¡±


    ¡°Arnold''s your ex-boyfriend and you haven''t been too fond of him since then.¡± Janet said.


    Heather let out a sigh. ¡°Yes, I was angry at him for a while.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Pam said. ¡°You didn''t take him dating Kelly very well, either.¡±


    ¡°He told you that?¡± Heather asked, a little surprised.


    ¡°Arnold tells us everything.¡± Janet said. ¡°We''re his best friends.¡±


    ¡°We tell him everything, too.¡± Pam said, seeing how Kelly and Heather reacted to the ''best friends'' comment. ¡°Even when it''s our time of the month.¡±


    Both Heather and Kelly took in sharp breaths.


    ¡°It''s information he needs to know, especially if we''re irritable.¡± Janet said and took Arnold''s hand. ¡°We apologize beforehand if we overreact to something while it''s going on and we apologize after for acting a little crazy.¡± She smiled. ¡°Of course, the simple solution is to just not see each other for a couple of days and then we have nothing to worry about.¡±


    ¡°For the last couple of months it''s been on the weekends, thankfully.¡± Pam said and took his other hand and gave it a squeeze. ¡°He goes home, has a great time with his mom, then comes back and everything''s good.¡± She let his hand go and finished eating.


    ¡°It''s been absolutely perfect.¡± Janet said and let his hand go, too. She slid her tray over to Pam and she stacked their things together. ¡°Now to the actual business we should be discussing.¡± She looked at Kelly. ¡°Arnold says you were the one that got him his computer for such a great deal.¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± Kelly said and remembered that time. She had been so happy then to help out. ¡°I''m sure that I can talk to the guy and try to use my discount to get you a few more of them.¡±


    ¡°I want ten of them.¡± Arnold said and the four women around him gasped.


    ¡°Arnold, that... it''s a little excessive...¡± Kelly started to say, doubtful that she could swing that much.


    ¡°I also want the full dive systems as well as the normal gaming VR helmets and controllers.¡± Arnold said and Kelly gasped. ¡°Despite what the professor said, I''m not skimping on required equipment. They can easily be upgraded later as well, so the investment now is worth it.¡±


    ¡°T-ten. You want ten full dive systems.¡± Kelly whispered.


    ¡°Once they are all set up, they will have to be tested as well.¡± Arnold said and let an angelic smile spread across his face. ¡°Who wants to play Fortune''s Favour in the full virtual reality experience?¡±


    The four women stared at him for nearly a full minute, then Kelly smiled as well.


    ¡°I''ll take the bus to the electronics shop after classes and see what he can do for me.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°I''m going home as well.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I need to get things set up at the bank.¡±


    ¡°We can go together.¡± Kelly said and Janet and Pam gave her a look. ¡°Arnold and I understand each other now.¡± She reassured them. ¡°I can''t bring myself to accept him sleeping with someone else if he sleeps with me and he can''t accept that I want to be his only bed partner.¡±


    Heather thought about saying that she was in the same emotional boat and stayed silent. Pam and Janet didn''t need to know that was how she thought about Arnold as well. She also kept Arnold sleeping with her mother to herself as well. It was just a bit too embarrassing for her to admit that Arnold had sex with both her and her mother.


    ¡°As long as you know that we will do everything we can to protect him.¡± Pam said. ¡°Even if it means protecting him from you.¡±


    Kelly looked surprised for a moment, then she sighed and nodded. ¡°I wouldn''t expect anything less from his best friends.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Heather said and everyone turned to look at her. ¡°Arnold, I''ll meet you this afternoon at your dorm to get that tour of the place.¡± She stood up with her empty tray. ¡°Kelly, let''s go. We have business management in fifteen minutes.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Kelly stood up with her tray. ¡°I''ll meet you at the dorm after classes.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and both of them walked away and watched them bring the trays to the counter.


    ¡°All right, now you need to be careful around Heather, too.¡± Pam said. ¡°She pretty much ran away after Kelly''s declaration.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± Janet said and looked at Arnold. ¡°Even if she yanks your pants down and sucks you off, do not sleep with her. She''s even more possessive than Kelly is.¡±


    ¡°She''s allowed to suck me off?¡± Arnold asked with slightly raised eyebrows.


    ¡°Only if you want her to.¡± Pam said. ¡°We know how much you enjoy that.¡±


    ¡°Don''t ask her, though. You''ll give her the wrong impression.¡± Janet reminded him. ¡°If she offers, you can accept. Just don''t accept anything else.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Thank you.¡± He gave her a kiss and then kissed Pam. ¡°We need to get to class.¡±


    Arnold took their trays and dropped them off at the counter and the dishes into the tray. The three of them left the cafeteria to go to class and went their separate ways.

 193 Airing Things Out

    Arnold went back to the dorm during his first off class that afternoon and Heather was standing just outside the lobby door waiting for him.


    ¡°Hi!¡± Heather waved enthusiastically.


    ¡°You skipped class.¡± Arnold said and she laughed.


    ¡°Technically.¡± Heather said. ¡°When I told Miss Josephine that I might be hired to help decorate a work space for several people, she practically shoved me out the door and told me to follow my dreams.¡±


    Arnold raised his eyebrows slightly and Heather laughed again.


    ¡°All right, she''s a little impulsive.¡± Heather took Arnold''s hand. ¡°She''s also a great teacher and gives her students a lot of leeway to complete the tasks she assigns them.¡±


    Arnold had to nod at that, because she had let Pam and Janet arrange for him to relax in his own way in class. He wasn''t going to complain about it or stop taking advantage of it.


    ¡°It''s this way, right?¡± Heather asked and started walking in the right direction as Arnold guided her. ¡°Well, the outside is college chic anyway, even if it doesn''t have a letter on the front.¡± She joked. ¡°I think a nice sign might go a long way.¡±


    They went inside and Heather gasped at the state of it.


    ¡°They left in a hurry!¡± Heather said, echoing Pam''s words. ¡°All right, I think I can work with this.¡± She said and let Arnold''s hand go, then she checked the other rooms. ¡°Ah, here''s the basement stairs.¡± She waved for him and she took his hand and led him down the stairs. ¡°Ooo, look at all this space!¡±


    Arnold looked around and the place was huge. Upstairs seemed small in comparison and that was because it was all rooms. In the basement, there was nothing but a wide open space.


    ¡°We can definitely section off half of the basement, with a quarter of that for cold storage.¡± Heather pointed. ¡°Dammit, I forgot my sketchbook!¡±


    Arnold took out a notepad and pencil from his backpack.


    ¡°Ha! Thanks!¡± Heather said and accepted them, then she did a rough sketch to keep track of her design. ¡°I''m pretty sure you''re going to need a hazardous materials section, too.¡± She marked out a nice spot that was close to the size of the cold storage on the untouched part of the basement. ¡°We can put up a partition or even a solid wall to hide the duct work and the pipes.¡±


    Heather finished her rough sketch and they went back up the stairs. She marked out the general shapes of the rooms and the available space, then she did the large main room last. She made a sketch for a half wall to divide off a quarter of the main room with a desk on one side and a nice waiting area across from it.


    ¡°If you''re doing both a normal VR setup and the full dive for ten systems, then you''ll need a small desk for each computer system, racks for both helmet sets, comfortable chairs for sitting in, enough space around them for some movement, then a reclining chair or a small couch to lay on for the full dive.¡± Heather said.


    She sketched out what she meant and then she did a preliminary measuring walk around the room to gauge how much space they had for the systems.


    ¡°You should get eight of them here in the main room and no more than that.¡± Heather said. ¡°You also don''t want too much crowding. You want happy workers and they need space to work, so maybe only six setups in the main room.¡± She looked at Arnold. ¡°You should take the small office for yourself, since this is your project, and put a setup in there for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Pam, Janet and I were putting the office in the meeting room.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Is everyone going to be in there or just you three?¡± Heather asked. ¡°Kelly''s a worker now, too.¡±


    Arnold had to think about that. ¡°I need to talk to Pam and Janet about it.¡±


    Heather nodded. ¡°We''re just doing preliminary discussions, so there''s no real rush... unless there is a rush and we need it up and running as soon as possible?¡± She asked, hopeful.


    ¡°Both.¡± Arnold said. ¡°That''s why I need to go to the bank to get things going.¡±


    Heather nodded again. ¡°Well, I''ll go back to my dorm and I''ll do up a few design variations for you to decide about.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll even make a few calls to try and get pricing for some things.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and stepped close and kissed her. It was only brief; but, Heather immediately thought of all the times they had kissed. She missed those times a lot, even if he did sleep with her mother.


    Heather thought about asking why he had done that, then decided that she didn''t want to know. ¡°Um... Arnold.¡± She looked into his eyes. ¡°Do you think... for old times sake...¡± She blushed a little. ¡°I want to have sex with you.¡±


    ¡°Are you still dating Eric?¡± Arnold asked.


    Heather opened her mouth to say no, then sighed. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then no.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Not even... you know.¡± Heather looked down at his crotch. ¡°A blowjob?¡±


    ¡°Would Eric want you to do that?¡±


    Heather sighed again. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then no.¡± Arnold said and stepped away. ¡°I have class soon.¡±


    Heather nodded and went to the door. ¡°What if I break up with Eric?¡±


    ¡°I won''t drop everyone just to be with you again.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Why would you do that for me?¡±


    Heather took a deep breath and let it out. Because you are so much better at it. She thought. ¡°See you later.¡± She said and left the building.


    *


    Kelly walked across campus when classes were over, after dropping her things off and changing into a really nice outfit. She did it for Arnold and also to gain points from the guy at the electronics store. She knew he liked her, in that way, and she was going to be a bit shameless in flirting with him. She was also going to tell him right out that was what she was doing. It was blatant flirting and that was all it was.


    Kelly saw Arnold had done the same and was wearing a nice business suit. ¡°You look nice.¡± She said as she came to a stop in front of him. He looked refined with the fresh buzz-cut and crisp suit, even with the new backpack over his shoulder.


    ¡°Pam''s car is right there.¡± Arnold said and pointed.


    ¡°Pam''s?¡± Kelly asked and the woman in question came out of the dorm wearing a waitress uniform.


    ¡°Hi!¡± Pam said. ¡°Hop in. The bar''s a little drive away.¡±


    Kelly climbed into the backseat and Arnold sat on the passenger side. They didn''t speak as Pam drove them for about ten minutes through the streets to the bar. The roads started to get congested with traffic, so she took a back street and came around a corner to a stop in a large parking lot.


    ¡°The bar''s right there.¡± Pam said and pointed it out to Arnold. ¡°I''ll see you here again tonight at one in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and kissed her for several seconds. Pam handed him the keys and hopped out, then walked away.


    Kelly just stared at the woman that had just abandoned them in a parking lot nearly fifteen minutes away from the college and she was too surprised to say anything.


    Arnold got out of the car and walked around to climb into the driver''s side and started it up. ¡°You can get in the front if you want.¡±


    Kelly was too stunned to speak as she transferred to the front seat. She sat down and watched as Arnold backed out of the spot, turned down the back street, and retraced Pam''s route back to the college. When they passed it and kept going, Kelly finally managed to make her mind and her mouth work.


    ¡°When did you start driving?!?¡±


    ¡°I only got my license recently.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I didn''t want to depend on the bus if there was an emergency or if my friends needed an extra driver.¡±


    ¡°And Pam let you take her car all the way home?¡± Kelly asked, surprised that she was so trusting.


    ¡°This is the first time.¡± Arnold said and she caught her breath. ¡°The bus home runs on a set schedule and we would have to wait until tonight to take it, since we missed the afternoon run. Pam offered to let us take her car, since she didn''t really need it.¡±


    Kelly sat there and watched Arnold driving, actually driving, and she couldn''t quite make herself accept that he was doing something that she hadn''t done herself. In fact, it had never crossed her mind to get her license so soon, mainly because she was in college and didn''t plan on driving anywhere for a long time.


    They pulled over at a gas station and Arnold asked the attendant to fill the car up. He had pulled into the full service lane and the guy set the pump, washed the windows of the car, rubbed the dust off of the headlights, then went back to the pump. It clicked and stopped pumping, so the guy gave it an extra squirt to top the tank, closed it up, and went to Arnold''s window.


    ¡°Fifty-four seventy.¡± The guy said.


    Arnold handed him three twenty dollar bills. ¡°Keep the change.¡±


    ¡°Hey, thanks buddy!¡± The guy said. ¡°Enjoy your fancy date.¡±


    Arnold nodded and drove away.


    ¡°You didn''t correct him.¡± Kelly said and gave him a pointed look.


    ¡°We are both technically going on a date with other people tonight.¡± Arnold said and Kelly took in a sharp breath. ¡°We both dressed up, called ahead to have them meet us, and we''re going to share some time together.¡±


    ¡°It... it''s just business.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°That doesn''t mean it''s not technically a date.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly fell silent for several minutes and then turned in her seat to look at him. ¡°You''re okay with dating another guy?¡± She asked. ¡°Not that there''s anything wrong with that. I''m just asking.¡±


    Arnold shrugged. ¡°I won''t be kissing him, if that''s what you mean.¡± He said. ¡°Once he sees the length of the grant and the money the bank will be holding onto for the follow up grant, he might get excited.¡±


    Kelly just stared at him and didn''t say anything for a while. Nearly half an hour passed and she sighed. ¡°Did you shower before you changed?¡±


    ¡°You can give me a blowjob if you can get over that Pam gave me one just before we came downstairs to the car.¡± Arnold said. ¡°She was so excited about me seeing her at work that she forgot her keys and went back up to get them.¡±


    Kelly opened her mouth to accuse him of lying, just to put her off, then she remembered something. Arnold never lied to her. He was too straightforward to keep secrets. At least, that was what she believed.


    ¡°Will you tell me who you''ve slept with?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°They don''t want anyone to know.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly had to think about that. ¡°Are you having sex with one of the teachers?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said, honestly. He wasn''t having sex with one. Not now.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Kelly thought some more. ¡°It has to be someone you know and in a kind of authority.¡± She reasoned, then she gasped. ¡°It better not be your mother, Annie!¡±


    Arnold glanced at her and gave her an angelic smile, because she immediately thought the worst of him, then the smile disappeared. ¡°No. I will never do anything sexual with my mother. I love her and will never hurt her like that.¡±


    Kelly relaxed and let out a sigh. ¡°That''s a relief.¡± She said and then she took in a sharp breath. ¡°Not my mother!¡±


    Arnold raised his eyebrows and glanced at her again, then looked back at the road.


    ¡°You''re right. Mom would probably faint if you gave her anything more than a thank you kiss.¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°Speculation won''t get you the answer. No matter what you ask, I will deny it.¡±


    ¡°That''s not like you.¡± Kelly said. ¡°What if we meet that person in public? Would you deny it then?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Same reason.¡±


    Kelly sat silently for another little while. ¡°Are you disappointed that I can''t get over you having other women?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said, to her surprise. ¡°I love you and want you to feel good.¡±


    ¡°...just not at the expense of everyone else.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold didn''t look at her. ¡°You would take me away from my friends if we got back together.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I just...¡± She stopped talking and sighed. ¡°You''re sleeping with Pam, too.¡±


    ¡°That''s not a secret.¡± Arnold said. ¡°The whole dorm knows I visit their room three times a week when we have morning classes together.¡±


    ¡°No one says anything about it?¡± Kelly asked, a little surprised. ¡°I mean, like jealousy... or wanting...¡± She took another deep breath. ¡°...wanting a turn with you?¡±


    ¡°Not that I know of.¡± Arnold said. ¡°The last while I have pretty much missed all the times necessary to walk the gauntlet.¡±


    Kelly chuckled. ¡°That''s the word I was looking for. Gauntlet.¡± She said. ¡°That hallway is a gauntlet.¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°I haven''t been in the dorm room long enough to change my clothes for them or shower with the door open.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Kelly gasped. ¡°When did that start?¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter. When classes started for me, my spare time for that seemed to disappear.¡±


    Kelly wanted to ask how long he had been flashing all of the girls in the hallway and then she realized he was right. They weren''t together and it didn''t matter now when it happened.


    ¡°That''s because you share the same schedules now instead of you working and being off at different times.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I doubt they realize that and must think you''re avoiding them.¡±


    Arnold nodded. He assumed the same thing, especially after Rebecca''s comments about missing him so much. He hadn''t intended to cause that and he didn''t have an easy solution. He was just too busy to hang around the dorm like he used to.


    ¡°Now you''ve got this grant from the college and your spare time is going to disappear like water down a drain.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Are you sure you can handle this and still do normal classwork?¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°Professor Crenslav excused me from his classes and labs to work on it.¡±


    ¡°I''m glad.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I should tell you to not push yourself and be careful.¡± She reached over and touched his arm. ¡°I''ll only say that I''ll try to be a good friend and help as much as I can.¡±


    Arnold nodded again and the rest of the drive passed in companionable silence.

 194 More Than What You Buy

    ¡°Oh, Heavenly Lord.¡± One of the officers said as they opened the door to the study and covered his nose and mouth with a hand. It didn''t help. ¡°Call it in.¡±


    ¡°Why is it always us that finds these things?¡± His partner asked as they stepped in and gave a cursory look around.


    ¡°We''re just lucky, I guess.¡± He said as they backed out and closed the door.


    ¡°Yeah, luck.¡± His partner said and used his shoulder radio to call it in.


    Half an hour later, Detective Olivia Tanner showed up at the residence and sighed. Despite knowing the man was involved in Arnold''s cases, according to her, she had been assigned to the suicide. She almost scoffed when the chief told her that''s what it was. There had been far too many deaths that involved people who had crossed Arnold and she didn''t like that they were ruled suicides and accidental deaths.


    Why can''t the chief see the connections? Olivia asked as she got out of her car and went inside the house. It was expensive, ostentatious, and more than a little gaudy. She did her best to ignore that nothing had been taken and waved the two officers aside from the closed door they were guarding. She slipped on a medical mask that she hoped would help her from gagging and opened the door.


    Olivia heard the two officers cough and she stepped in and closed the door. She did a cursory look around and she sighed. It really did look like a suicide, even to her expert eyes. Just the splatter alone told the tale. It would be extremely difficult to get that by shooting someone across the room, unless you shot them on an upward angle. She mentally drew a line from the middle of the splatter, across the head, and to the floor at her feet.


    They would have to be laying on the floor or crouched in front of the desk. Olivia thought. If all that paperwork was out of the way.


    She glanced at it and right on top was the newspaper with Brad''s father''s blatant bribes to the judge, the county, and to the prosecutor. Of course, next to it, on the corner of the desk, was the denied life insurance policy that the company refused to pay, because Brad had died under suspicious circumstances and in the middle of a potential crime.


    Olivia sighed and searched around for anything useful and couldn''t find anything. Nothing was disturbed, nothing appeared to be missing, and she couldn''t understand why someone would take their own life over things like this. Of course, she didn''t have children herself and might not ever have them, so losing a child wasn''t something she had personal experience with. Not that she would ever want to experience it.


    She stayed as far away from the body and the blood splatter as possible while she examined them, then her eyes caught glint of something. She moved around and bent over close to see the golden band on the victim''s ring finger.


    Dammit. Olivia thought and walked over to the door, then slipped out into the hallway. ¡°Check the phone. This man is married and if he''s been undiscovered for several days...¡±


    The two officers nodded and went down the hallway to the house phone with a display for them to check. ¡°We''ve got ''mother'' and ''Carol'' as the last two entries and they are from two days ago.¡± One of them said.


    ¡°He''s been here a lot longer than that.¡± Olivia said. ¡°Probably close to a week.¡±


    ¡°We''ll keep checking.¡± The other officer said after writing down the numbers.


    Olivia nodded and took out her cell phone. She needed forensics there as soon as possible to determine the real time of death. She thought about the cause and held in her sigh, the only consolation was that at least it was quick. For some reason, she believed this was a genuine suicide and she wasn''t going to find any evidence that either Arnold or Charlie were there at all.


    Little did she know that the two officers walking into the room had added their police issue shoe prints to the carpet that matched the pair Officer Arnold had worn. That was twice that she had been so very close to getting evidence of him being at a crime scene.


    *


    Arnold shook the account manager''s hand first and then the woman accountant stood up and had a smile on her face. ¡°I know I need to ask if you want a kiss or a handshake now.¡± He said to her.


    The woman glanced at the account manager and then she smiled. ¡°Oh, what the hell. Kiss, please.¡±


    Arnold stepped close and took her into his arms as he gave her a kiss. The woman shivered a little and put her arms around him as she kissed him back. The kiss went on for several minutes, then the woman shivered a little again and broke the kiss. Her face was flushed red and she stared at Arnold like he was a particularly delicious scoop of ice cream that she wanted to eat.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± The account manager said and the woman jumped a little from being startled. ¡°Mr. Strickland, I believe you have a college grant for us to look at.¡±


    Arnold nodded and took out the large manila envelope from his backpack and handed it over. The three of them sat down and the account manager and the woman quickly read over the relevant points in the thick grant.


    ¡°Surprisingly, this is quite similar to your scholarship grant and we should have no problems setting up another account with it.¡± The account manager said. ¡°I''m surprised it''s for so little.¡±


    ¡°You skipped the third page where it details this is only the construction grant to build or rent appropriate facilities and to buy equipment.¡± Arnold said and waited for them to flip back. ¡°On the fifth page, it details there will be a rolling contract for a follow up grant.¡±


    They flipped to the fifth page when they were done reading the third page completely. The man gasped when he saw the amount that was the annual budget and the woman shivered again. A rolling contract for a million dollars a year, that Arnold wanted to deposit into their bank and not use the local branch near the college.


    ¡°W-why...¡± The man started to say, his voice breaking up, so he coughed and composed himself. ¡°May I ask why you''ve brought this to us?¡±


    ¡°You both helped my family deal with everything after my father''s death.¡± Arnold said. ¡°When I told the professor I wanted to use this bank and gave the same reason, he gave it to me and told me to take care of it.¡±


    The account manager and the accountant exchanged knowing looks. ¡°Well, I''m sure it won''t take us long to handle this for you.¡± The man said. ¡°We can have this processed as quickly as possible and...¡±


    ¡°I have a building purchase contract as well.¡± Arnold said and took out the contract for a building for nearly half of the grant.


    ¡°I think I love you.¡± The woman said and both Arnold and the account manager looked at her. ¡°I knew it was the right thing to do everything we could to help you last time and... and I never thought you would come back to us with something like this.¡± She touched both contracts. ¡°You don''t know what this will do for our bank or the doors this will open for us.¡±


    ¡°He doesn''t really need to know that.¡± The account manager said. ¡°It doesn''t affect him or his business with us.¡±


    ¡°But, don''t you see? It does.¡± The woman said. ¡°If he knows that bringing us business like this gives us more clout and financial stability, as well as access to other government and private grants...¡± She smiled. ¡°His own money, clout, and financial stability is also important.¡±


    Arnold raised his eyebrows slightly at her.


    ¡°Just wait. You are going to have several private inquiries over the next few weeks when this goes through.¡± The woman said. ¡°I''m an accountant. Money attracts money, you see. The more you have, the more you have access to.¡±


    Arnold thought about it and nodded. He had definitely found more money on richer people.


    ¡°Don''t worry about it for now. We can handle all the little details when you leave.¡± The woman said and tapped the account manager''s arm. ¡°Bring any more contracts or grants directly to us and we''ll take care of them for you.¡±


    Arnold nodded again and the woman smiled.


    ¡°Let''s get started.¡± The account manager said.


    *


    The electronics store guy laughed when Kelly tried to flirt with him, then he really laughed when she told him what she was trying to do. Apparently, Arnold''s honesty policy when speaking didn''t always work.


    ¡°You''re so cute.¡± The guy said and Kelly blushed a little from both embarrassment and the compliment. ¡°So, what can I do for you today?¡±


    ¡°I... well...¡± Kelly wasn''t sure how to broach the subject if her flirting had failed so spectacularly. ¡°Do you remember that computer you built for me a few months ago?¡±


    The guy nodded. He had given her a ridiculous deal on the price, just because he wanted to test the build. ¡°What about it? Is it on the fritz?¡±


    ¡°No, it still works great.¡± Kelly said. ¡°It works so well that... well...¡±


    ¡°Your friend wants one, too?¡± The guy asked with a knowing smile. He was glad that his system was wanted by someone else that wasn''t a computer junkie.


    ¡°No, he... he wants ten of them.¡± Kelly said.


    The guy''s eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. ¡°I might be able to hide one, maybe two...¡± He started to say.


    ¡°He also wants both a normal VR headset with the gaming controllers and the full dive headsets.¡±


    The guy just stared at her. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±


    Kelly shook her head.


    ¡°Jesus.¡± The guy said and rubbed his face. ¡°Oh, man. Man, oh man.¡± He took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I never thought I would regret giving you a store discount.¡±


    Kelly blushed for a moment, then she had an idea and the blush faded. ¡°What if we advertise that it was your store that provided the equipment?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± The guy asked, curious.


    ¡°I''m buying the equipment anyway, since we need it, and I already warned you that I was going to abuse my discount.¡± Kelly said with confidence. ¡°That doesn''t mean I''m not appreciative of your work.¡±


    The guy made the ''go on'' gesture with his hand.


    ¡°We''re building a computer lab at the college and I''m sure my friend won''t mind having your flyer in the window and maybe a business poster on the wall of the waiting room.¡±


    ¡°For free?¡± The guy asked, surprised.


    ¡°In exchange for the discount on new purchases.¡± Kelly said, getting into the groove of negotiation. ¡°Everyone that passes by the building will see your ad and will know you provide equipment for a college grant.¡±


    The guy stood there and thought about it. ¡°Do you want the latest versions of the helmets?¡±


    ¡°No, as long as they work.¡± Kelly said. ¡°You get to clear out the older stock, I get my discount, and you get free advertising in another market area.¡±


    The guy smiled as he reached across his desk and held a hand out to shake. ¡°You''ve got a deal.¡±


    Kelly smiled back and shook the offered hand.


    *


    The account manager wasn''t surprised that arranging a grant was almost as easy as setting up Arnold''s scholarship account. Even the follow up grants could be folded into the setup when they came through and he would handle any hiccups that might come up.


    ¡°...and we''re done.¡± He said and nodded to the accountant who had helped getting everything sorted. ¡°Great work.¡±


    ¡°It was my pleasure.¡± The woman said and stood up as she walked around the desk they sat behind. ¡°Arnold, thank you for using our bank for all of your needs.¡±


    Arnold stood up and the two of them made out for several minutes.


    The account manager just sat there, a little stunned at the public display. He was glad that he had his own office and no one else was seeing this.


    The woman stopped kissing him with a sigh. ¡°Are you in a rush to go anywhere?¡±


    Arnold took out his cell phone and exchanged several texts with Kelly. ¡°The computers are being built now, so I have a couple of hours before I have to go there and buy them.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful.¡± The woman purred and caressed his suit jacket. ¡°I only stayed here for you, so I can leave at any time.¡± She looked at the account manager. ¡°I''ll see you tomorrow.¡±


    The account manager could only nod in response.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and held a hand out for the man to shake, then he left the office with the arm of the accountant around his waist and his over her shoulders.


    What... what just happened? The account manager asked himself as his door shut behind them.


    *


    Arnold drove Pam''s car down the street to what looked like a big fancy hotel. The woman on the passenger side hummed appreciatively and the two of them got out of the car and went inside.


    ¡°We need a room for the night.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Presidential suite.¡±


    The woman on his arm took in a sharp breath.


    ¡°Cash, debit, or credit card?¡± The clerk asked.


    ¡°Cash.¡± Arnold said and the woman raised her eyebrows slightly, because she thought he would debit with his new card, especially for such an expensive room. The clerk told him the price and Arnold took out a small wad of bills and added enough to cover the cost and then some. The woman stared at the money and then looked at his face. He smiled and gave her a kiss as he put the wad of money away, left the change as he picked up the key, and they went to the elevator.


    What followed was several hours that the accountant would never forget. The expensive room, even more expensive room service, and the best sex she ever had. When asked about it the next day by several of her female friends, she wasn''t sure what she liked more. Being treated like a lady for an hour, being treated like a tramp that loved sex for an hour, or being treated like a queen for the last hour.


    It had all melded together and created the best time of her life. In fact, she had stayed there all night, at his insistence before he left, and she ordered breakfast the next day and checked out before going back to work. He had even prepaid for breakfast and she appreciated his forethought to handle it for her. All in all, it was a great time and she would eagerly await any news about him coming back to the bank.

 195 Picking Up Kelly

    ¡°There he is.¡± The guy at the electronics store said when Arnold came into the store.


    ¡°How did you know?¡± Kelly asked. ¡°It''s been months since we''ve been here.¡±


    ¡°You kind of match.¡± The guy said with a smile. Both Arnold and Kelly were dressed up for a date. ¡°I''ve got all ten systems built, so I hope you''ve got a nice big truck or something.¡±


    ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Kelly said and then sighed. ¡°There''s no way we''re getting all of this packed into Pam''s car. It''s a good size; but, these boxes are huge.¡±


    ¡°Do you have delivery?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°No, sorry dude.¡± The guy said. ¡°I''d offer to take it myself but I''ve only got a small two seater.¡±


    ¡°We can take one, maybe two.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Can I come back tomorrow to get the rest?¡±


    ¡°If you pay for them, you can do whatever you want with them.¡± The guy said.


    Arnold took out his new debit card and showed him.


    ¡°Right this way.¡± The guy said as he picked up the long list of price stickers and Arnold followed him to the front of the store.


    ¡°I thought I told you to call me before just showing up with a private purchase?¡± The young woman at the counter said when the guy walked behind the counter and Arnold stood in front.


    ¡°Aww, come on, baby. You know I wouldn''t bother you if it wasn''t important.¡± The guy said with a grin and the girl huffed as she held her hand out.


    ¡°Just give it to me.¡± She said and motioned to the list of stickers.


    ¡°Hey, we''re at work.¡± The guy said. ¡°I don''t mind meeting you later...¡±


    ¡°Eww.¡± The girl said and snapped the list from him, then gave it a cursory glance. ¡°What is this, a wet dream?¡±


    ¡°You wish.¡± The guy said and stood there as she scanned each thing in.


    The total increased and increased, then increased some more... and the girl''s eyes kept darting to him and then to Arnold. She almost couldn''t breathe when she reached the end of the list and stuttered as she tried to speak the total. Arnold wagged the debit card at her and she nodded, set it up, then he swiped his card through the little machine.


    ¡°I''ve got a few extra things, too.¡± The guy said and dug behind the counter. He ignored the girl''s protests and put two posters, a stack of newsletters, and two flyers on the counter. He tore off the receipt from the machine and handed it to Arnold. ¡°Your ex-girlfriend is going to put these at the new place when it''s up and running, so everyone will know you got the equipment from us.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and took the receipt. He picked up the items and walked to the back of the store, put them on top of the closest box, and lifted it. Kelly grabbed the monitor and the VR headset and walked ahead of him and used her back to hold the door open. Arnold opened the trunk of Pam''s car and it was pretty spacious.


    They managed to fit two of the computer bases inside the trunk and two of the monitors, then one VR headset. They piled the other helmet, two of the full dive helmets, the two printers, keyboards, mice, and speakers into the backseat.


    ¡°You were right, we can''t take more than two of them.¡± Kelly said and Arnold nodded. They went back inside and helped the guy put the rest of them into a storage area and marked ''sold'' on them after wrapping the whole pile with plastic to ensure no one took anything.


    ¡°I''ll be back tomorrow night.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Not a problem, fella.¡± The guy said. ¡°You just bought a crapload of electronics from the store and agreed to some free advertising in exchange. I don''t mind waiting.¡±


    Arnold nodded and he and Kelly left the store. They hopped into the car and drove away from the store and back towards the college.


    ¡°I hope you''re not angry.¡± Kelly said. ¡°He wasn''t happy about giving me the discount until I came up with advertising for him.¡±


    Arnold glanced at her and then looked back at the road. ¡°That was smart.¡±


    Kelly let out a relieved sigh. ¡°He only wanted to give me one or two machines at the discount and then charge full price for the rest. I knew that would destroy our budget, especially if Heather designs us something good.¡± She relaxed in the seat. ¡°He practically jumped at the chance when I said we didn''t need the brand new helmets.¡±


    ¡°They aren''t new?¡± Arnold asked and she chuckled.


    ¡°They''re two months old.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Remember what I said about them being almost the same, just the design was slightly different?¡± She asked and he nodded. ¡°The new versions will be out in a couple months for Christmas.¡±


    ¡°So, you got the discount on his old stock and he gets free advertising.¡± Arnold said, catching on immediately.


    ¡°You got it.¡± Kelly smiled. ¡°I think we both made out great on the deal and no one could ask for anything better than that.¡±


    Arnold nodded and they drove on in silence for a little while.


    ¡°Are you going to rent something to get the rest?¡± Kelly asked, curious.


    ¡°No. Dalla has a van.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly remembered seeing a van in that first parking space. ¡°She won''t mind you taking it, or is she driving?¡±


    ¡°She won''t mind and she might drive. It depends on if she''s busy.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Why wouldn''t she be busy?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°Ida doesn''t need as much mothering when she''s relaxing in the dorm room. After Dalla makes supper, she isn''t really needed.¡±


    ¡°Does she clean?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She is a maid.¡±


    ¡°She doesn''t really dress like one.¡± Kelly commented.


    ¡°Ida doesn''t want her to stand out at school.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Dalla said she doesn''t care if people know she is Ida''s personal maid. She puts the uniform on during the weekends and doesn''t leave the dorm.¡±


    ¡°Do you like seeing her wear it?¡± Kelly asked and kicked herself mentally for asking a stupid question.


    ¡°I haven''t been at the dorm on the weekends since school started.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°You''ve gone home every weekend?¡± Kelly asked, surprised. ¡°What about homework?¡±


    ¡°I do it before I leave.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°But... isn''t it...¡± Kelly wasn''t sure how to ask him if he had difficulty with it or why he didn''t have difficulty with it. She was getting by; but, the course load was pretty heavy.


    ¡°I spread my classes out to give myself off classes in between.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I do the work then if I can''t finish it in class.¡±


    ¡°That... was really smart.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I wish I had thought of that.¡±


    ¡°I''m on a full scholarship and I can take as long as I want to complete the program.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly nodded and regretted that she hadn''t done the same thing.


    ¡°You can change your course load when the fall term ends.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly looked at him in surprise. ¡°You can? Really?¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°Our sociology teacher also works at the registrar''s office.¡±


    ¡°Well, that''s convenient.¡± Kelly said with a chuckle. ¡°Do I want to know how you know that?¡±


    ¡°She handled my enrolment personally when they didn''t believe my grade point average.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I can definitely believe that!¡± Kelly chuckled. ¡°I bet she was shocked it was true and not faked.¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°That''s what she said. She thought I had somehow entered a false number into their system and it was too ridiculous of a number to be believable.¡±


    Kelly snorted and then laughed. ¡°That sounds about right.¡± She said. ¡°It''s suspicious for anyone that doesn''t know you personally, that''s for sure.¡±


    They fell silent again for a while.


    ¡°Do you want to stop for something to eat?¡± Kelly asked. ¡°I haven''t eaten anything since lunch.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Search for one on your phone.¡±


    Kelly nodded and did so. She told him the directions and he and took the next off ramp, drove for several minutes, then stopped at what looked like a nice restaurant. They got out of the car and Arnold locked it up, set the alarm, and they went inside.


    ¡°Reservations?¡± The man at the little podium asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said before Kelly could say anything. ¡°Do we need to step out and call to make them and come right back in?¡±


    The man chuckled. ¡°No, we accept walk in customers.¡± He said and stepped out from behind the podium. ¡°Right this way.¡±


    They followed the man into the dining room and it was mostly empty.


    ¡°Monday nights are slow, so even if you had shown up without a suit jacket, we would have provided you with one.¡± The man said and sat them at a nice table. ¡°What would you like to drink?¡±


    ¡°We''re driving back to the college, so nothing alcoholic.¡± Kelly said. ¡°Water or soda.¡±


    ¡°Do you have root beer?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°I will check.¡± He said. ¡°I will return with the menus.¡±


    ¡°I doubt they have root beer.¡± Kelly whispered when the man walked away. ¡°This looks like a more upscale restaurant.¡±


    ¡°We can find somewhere else.¡± Arnold suggested.


    ¡°No, this should be fine.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I haven''t been to any that were this nice before.¡±


    The man came back with the menus and a slightly sad face. ¡°No root beer, I''m afraid.¡±


    ¡°Just cola is fine.¡± Kelly said and accepted the menu. ¡°If it''s not too rude to ask, why are you serving drinks?¡±


    The man chuckled. ¡°I take up the slack when I''m not busy.¡±


    Several of the people at other tables stood up as they prepared to leave.


    ¡°...and now I must go.¡± He walked away towards them.


    Kelly looked at her menu and admired the professionalism of the host and the high quality menu. ¡°Some of these look delicious.¡± She said and read everything that was available. She was a bit surprised that it was just the names and no actual prices. It must be expensive if they won''t even tell you how much it is.


    ¡°I''m getting the Pasta Primavera with Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Mini-Peppers as an appetizer.¡± Arnold said and closed the menu.


    Kelly blinked her eyes for a moment at the quick decision that people usually mulled over as they chatted about the food available. It took her another few minutes to decide on a variety seafood platter. She had chosen just in time as the man came back with their drinks.


    ¡°Are you ready to order?¡± The man asked and Arnold and Kelly nodded. ¡°I''ll send the waiter over.¡±


    Kelly stopped herself before she said thank you and only smiled and nodded again. That was close. She thought and looked at Arnold. She wasn''t sure what he would do if she said those words.


    The waiter came over and took their order, told them an estimate of how long it would take, then left to go to the kitchen. He was back out with a big plastic pan and cleaned off the other table.


    Kelly talked about Arnold''s plans for the computer lab and he repeated that they would need to be fully tested. He knew she wanted to try the full dive system and having several people go along to try the game would make it that much better for her. Neither of them had tried it before, so it was going to be a new experience for the both of them. They lost track of time as they talked and their food seemed to show up out of nowhere.


    ¡°I almost forgot we were waiting to eat.¡± Kelly said with a laugh. ¡°I was having fun talking to you.¡±


    ¡°Me, too.¡± Arnold said and added some pepper and a sprinkle of salt on the pasta.


    Kelly was only slightly surprised that he said that, then she realized he said that he had fun talking to her, too. He had fun just talking to me. She thought and felt happy about it.


    They ate their meals and picked at Arnold''s appetizer. They were surprisingly tasty, even though the appetizer was usually served first. The host noticed them and started to walk over and ask them something, then he turned and went to the kitchen instead. He came back out, his face both sad and apologetic, and came over to them.


    ¡°I am very sorry that you were not served properly.¡± The man said. ¡°Thankfully, the appetizer was fresh and took longer, because the chef hasn''t made that dish in several weeks.¡±


    ¡°It''s all right.¡± Kelly said. ¡°They''re very good.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the kind words.¡± The host smiled. ¡°You should have had them ten minutes before being served the main meal, so there will be no charge for them.¡±


    Kelly was a little surprised by the offer and she smiled. ¡°That''s very nice of you. Thank you.¡± She saw Arnold give her a look and she almost laughed.


    ¡°You are quite welcome.¡± The host said and bowed a little. ¡°Enjoy the rest of your meal.¡±


    Kelly watched him walk away for a second and then turned her head to say something to Arnold about not reacting when someone near him said thank you. Instead, his lips met hers and she let out a little moan before she could stop herself.


    Arnold held the kiss for four seconds and then broke it, ignored Kelly''s shocked face, and kept eating as if nothing happened. Kelly stared at him for several moments, hoping that he would kiss her again, then she let out a sigh and kept eating, too.


    They finished their meals and declined dessert, then the host brought over the bill in a small folding leather pouch and handed it to Arnold. He checked it, dug out several bills out of his pocket, tucked them inside and handed it back.


    The host saw what he did and couldn''t quite hide his surprise. ¡°It was very nice having you as guests tonight.¡± He said, his voice a slightly higher pitch, and he led them to the door. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    When the well dressed couple left through the door, he opened the small leather folder and counted the four one hundred dollar bills. He shook his head at the massive difference between the actual meal price and the tip he had left. He had seen the man do it, so it wasn''t a mistake, either.


    So much for giving him the appetizer for free. The host thought with a smile.

 196 Picking Up Pam

    ¡°That was a great meal!¡± Kelly said, a little more excitedly than she thought she would be, as they climbed back into the car. ¡°Thank you, Arnold.¡±


    Arnold leaned over and gave her a quick kiss, then started the car.


    Kelly sat there and wondered if she could do her old trick of saying thank you several times in a row to get him to kiss her multiple times. He had already done it twice so far and it was very, very tempting for her to get him to keep doing it. She held herself in check and Arnold drove out of the parking lot. He drove back the way they came and got back on the highway, then sped up.


    ¡°Where are we going to store the equipment?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°In the basement of the building.¡± Arnold said. ¡°It''s warm enough down there as long as we leave everything in the boxes.¡±


    Kelly nodded and went quiet for a while as he drove. She looked at Arnold and wondered when he became the person he is now. If she had met this Arnold in high school, would she have liked him? Is this a better version of him? Did she miss her golden opportunity with him and can''t recover it, all because she can''t take him having more people in his bed than she had friends?


    Of course, she was just assuming that last question. Kelly didn''t know if he was sleeping with that many people, or if it was a constant thing or one time only deals. By the looks of that southern girl, who was fine with giving Arnold a blowjob in front of everyone in class, she figured he had to have several girls on the go. Pam, Janet, and the girl made three, which means the number of girls he''s sleeping with starts from there.


    Kelly couldn''t help but think about it, even though she didn''t want to. She didn''t want to know that there were girls having sex with the man she loved. It wasn''t something she had thought was going to happen. She thought she would meet the one guy who accepted her and that would be it for the rest of her life. She didn''t want to look for someone else. Her heart told her mind what she wanted and she wanted it.


    If I wasn''t such a... such a... traditionalist. Kelly thought, finally coming up with the word to describe her ingrained values for a happy life with the man she loved. She didn''t need the picket fence, or the two point three kids, or even a steady income. All she needed was the man she loved and she thought that love would get them through everything that life would throw at them. The problem was, it would have... if they hadn''t tried to have sex.


    It had ruined everything.


    All her hopes and dreams, her own mother''s expectations of the same hopes and dreams, and Annie''s plans to have someone she trusted looking after her son. All of them were wiped away by that one attempt to make love to the man she believed was going to be her future husband. His own mother had said so, too.


    Kelly had wanted him so badly and he had been so caring, so patient, that she wanted him to have all of her and she wanted all of him. That was the problem she had now, actually. She still expected an equal exchange. If she gave herself over to him completely, she wanted him to do it, too. She knew it was unfair and she knew she was being unreasonable to think that way... and yet, she still wanted it.


    She loved him. According to her heart, that was all that mattered, and everything else just needed to be worked out somehow. So, she sat in silence all the way back to the college as she mulled everything over.


    Instead of parking beside the new building to unload the equipment, Arnold drove all the way across campus to drop her off at her dorm. Kelly thought about protesting until he spoke.


    ¡°Thank you for your help buying the equipment.¡± Arnold said and gave her a kiss for two seconds, then to her utter shock, he pulled out a stack of bills in a little bundle.


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Kelly gasped as he handed it to her.


    ¡°The employee contracts become available when the computer lab is built and I can start paying you a salary then as my third assistant.¡± Arnold said and looked into her eyes. ¡°Until then, it''s cash only.¡±


    ¡°This... this is...¡±


    ¡°Ten thousand dollars.¡± Arnold said and Kelly stared at him with her mouth open. ¡°It''s the difference between the equipment you bought and the actual price.¡±


    ¡°But... but...¡±


    ¡°You earned it.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I have to pick Pam up in an hour.¡±


    Kelly opened her mouth to say something, then realized she had nothing to say. There wasn''t really anything she could say to what he just did. She couldn''t. It was just too unbelievable.


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Kelly said and he leaned over and kissed her for three seconds. Her heart went pitter-patter and she looked into his eyes. Say it, Kelly. Say. It. She sat there for only a moment. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    Arnold raised his eyebrows slightly, then he leaned back in and kissed her again for three seconds. He reached by her and opened her door.


    Kelly knew he wouldn''t let her keep saying it, so she tucked the money into her purse and stepped out of the car. ¡°See you Wednesday.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly jumped a little, then she ducked back into the car to give him a quick kiss. She got back out and closed the door, then watched as he backed up and drove away. She walked over to her dorm''s front door and went inside, rode the elevator up to her floor, and went to her room. Only one door was open and she did her best to not disturb the occupant as she went to her own door. She unlocked the door and opened it.


    ¡°Did you enjoy your date?¡± Heather asked from the other open door.


    ¡°It... wasn''t...a...¡± Kelly stopped talking when she remembered that Arnold said it did count as a date, just not with each other. At least, until they stopped to eat and then kissed at the end.


    ¡°Is that guilt face I see?¡± Heather asked with a chuckle as she walked across the hallway and came into Kelly''s room and shut the door. ¡°At least you didn''t have sex.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°Um, best friend. Known you for years.¡± Heather said and pointed to herself. ¡°You''re nowhere close to having orgasm face.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Kelly asked, surprised.


    Heather laughed. ¡°You know, that goofy grin we can''t help putting on our faces when we have a good one.¡± She said and sat down on Kelly''s bed. ¡°I''ve seen you with it a couple times.¡±


    Kelly opened her mouth to say she hadn''t, then she had to smile. ¡°Prom.¡±


    ¡°Prom.¡± Heather said. ¡°I think we both had really good ones that night.¡±


    Kelly''s face went from happy to a frown. ¡°You started dating Eric then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and it was slick of him to save me from Brad.¡± Heather said. ¡°I''m not going to apologize that it happened. It was great and Eric and I have had a lot of fun.¡±


    ¡°Even knowing what he did to me.¡±


    ¡°Especially because of that.¡± Heather said and Kelly''s eyes widened. ¡°He changed after he did that, you know. He regretted it a lot and he loved you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right.¡± Kelly said and started to get undressed.


    ¡°He treats my breasts like they are made of glass.¡± Heather said. ¡°It was annoying at first, until I realized why he was doing it.¡±


    ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Kelly said and hung up her outfit.


    ¡°Nope. In his own way, he was trying to make up for handling you so roughly.¡± Heather said. ¡°It''s almost sickeningly sweet, you know? I kind of want him to be a little rough sometimes.¡±


    ¡°No, you don''t.¡± Kelly scoffed and grabbed a nightgown to put on.


    ¡°I said a little.¡± Heather chuckled. ¡°Having your breasts manhandled actually feels pretty good when the guy knows what he''s doing.¡±


    Kelly remembered the few times that Arnold had touched hers and she had to reluctantly agree.


    ¡°So, how was Arnold? Was he a compete gentleman or did he try to ravish you?¡± Heather grinned.


    ¡°Do you even have to ask?¡± Kelly countered.


    ¡°What about you, then?¡± Heather asked. ¡°I can tell you ate...¡±


    ¡°Not that!¡± Kelly said and sat down beside her. ¡°Although, he did ask me to.¡±


    Heather pat her knee. ¡°Let me guess, he said he just got it from someone else?¡± She asked and Kelly nodded. ¡°You do realize he''s done that a couple times to you, right? He''s been testing you to see if you''ll get out of your comfort zone.¡±


    ¡°I... look, I can''t, okay? He''s a great guy... or used to be... or is a different great guy now.¡± Kelly said as her eyes glanced at her purse and thought of the ten grand inside of it. ¡°I can''t go down on him after another girl does it and I definitely don''t want to... taste... another girl if I do it.¡±


    Heather gave her a stern look this time. ¡°You''re not worried about him peeing first? Or not washing properly? Or the worst of the lot, doing anal and then expecting you to suck it?¡±


    Kelly''s mouth dropped open at her words and she wasn''t sure how to respond.


    Heather laughed. ¡°You see? Worrying about if he just had a blowjob is nothing compared to what he could have been doing with it.¡±


    Kelly had to agree with that and nodded. Those weren''t things she considered or was even thinking about when the subject came up.


    ¡°I see your thinking face.¡± Heather said and pat Kelly''s knee again. ¡°I can''t believe I''m the one reminding you of this.¡± She said and turned to look at her. ¡°Once you knew what Arnold was like, what was the very first thing you were warned about?¡±


    Kelly had a hard time thinking back and coming up with something.


    Heather sighed. ¡°When Arnold asks you for something, it means he really wants it.¡± She said and Kelly caught her breath. ¡°What are you supposed to do if he asks you for something?¡±


    ¡°You''re supposed to do it right away or promise to do it as soon as you can.¡± Kelly responded.


    ¡°How many times has he asked for a blowjob from you now?¡± Heather asked, even though the number didn''t matter. It was the principle of the thing.


    ¡°I...¡± Kelly sighed. ¡°I just keep messing up.¡± She said in a defeated tone.


    ¡°You''ve been getting in your own way and that''s something you need to work on.¡± Heather said. ¡°I mean, I asked him for sex and to give him a blowjob.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡± Kelly yelled and saw the big grin on Heather''s face. ¡°I''m overreacting.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and do you know what he said?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Only after he asked me if I was still seeing Eric and if he would want me to do it.¡± Heather said and Kelly stared at her. ¡°I told him a while ago I was thinking of breaking up with Eric.¡±


    ¡°So... he would have let you...¡± Kelly whispered and her words trailed off.


    ¡°Yes, and not once was I asking myself if he just did someone else or if there was still some saliva on it.¡± Heather said and Kelly winced a little. ¡°I''m not criticizing you, Kelly.¡± She said and put an arm over her shoulders. ¡°It''s not something you can just get over with just some resolve and pretty words.¡±


    Kelly nodded, because she had tried that. Twice now. She just couldn''t do it. She didn''t know if it was a mental block or her brain just refusing to touch him if he touched another girl first.


    ¡°What... what should I do?¡± Kelly asked, completely unsure that was a good thing to ask her friend.


    Heather let a smile grow on her face and squeezed her shoulder. ¡°There''s only one real way to get over whatever it is that''s holding you back.¡± She said. ¡°Practice.¡±


    ¡°Practice?¡± Kelly frowned a little.


    ¡°No, don''t think about it. Put it right out of your head.¡± Heather said and stood up. ¡°I''ll take care of everything.¡± She went to the door and smiled at her friend. ¡°I''ll text you when it''s set up.¡±


    ¡°When what''s set up?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°I said not to think about it. Goodnight.¡± Heather said and left her dorm room.


    *


    Arnold dropped off the computers at the building and drove towards the bar. He had enough time to get there, using the same route Pam had used before, and he parked in the parking lot. He sat there and waited, because Pam specifically told him that he was not to come into the bar. It wasn''t because he wasn''t allowed, she explained that it was not an environment that Arnold would like or be comfortable in. At all.


    He waited patiently and he watched several people leave the bar, some wobbling as they walked to a waiting taxi, and then Pam came out the door. She scanned the parking lot and then smiled as she saw her car parked in the same spot it had been in when she arrived for work. She walked over to the car and climbed into the passenger side.


    ¡°Hi, Arnold!¡± Pam said happily as she leaned over and gave him a kiss for several seconds. ¡°Thanks for being here on time.¡± She said and gave him another kiss. ¡°Are you staying over tonight?¡±


    Arnold nodded and she gave him another kiss.


    ¡°Then let''s get back to the dorm.¡± Pam said and buckled her seat belt. ¡°It was a slow night, so not many tips to be had.¡± She said as Arnold pulled out of the parking lot. ¡°Wow, it''s so weird being on this side of the front seat.¡±


    Arnold gave her a glance and she chuckled.


    ¡°I''m not complaining.¡± Pam said and reached over to put her hand on his shoulder, so she wouldn''t interfere with his driving. ¡°I''m glad that I can depend on you for a drive, especially since the boss asked us all to try the new liquor blend the bartender made.¡±


    ¡°Someone liked it.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Mitch is plastered!¡± Pam laughed. ¡°The poor bastard said he couldn''t taste the alcohol and downed two of them before we could stop him.¡± She shook her head. ¡°He''s going to feel it tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°I''m hoping you''ll do me hard enough tonight that I''ll be feeling it tomorrow.¡± Pam said and laughed.


    ¡°I meant the drink.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I had three sips and goddamn, it was strong.¡± Pam said and blinked her eyes. ¡°I told him to scrap it. Too much of a buzz too quick and we lose repeat customers.¡± She took a deep breath and looked at Arnold with longing in her eyes. ¡°I want to go down on you now.¡±


    Arnold reached down and undid his pants to reveal himself.


    ¡°I really love you.¡± Pam said and kissed his cheek, then she put her head down into his lap and went to work.


    Arnold grew hard for her almost instantly and she moaned. His hand rested on the back of her head for a moment, then he started to pet her as she sucked on him. He would occasionally push down and she would moan, because he wanted her to enjoy it and she wanted him to enjoy it, too. Even a little tipsy like she was, she knew what he wanted and she was determined to give it to him.


    Arnold pulled the car into the college parking lot and parked it in the spot reserved for Pam, then he sat there as Pam really got going. She absolutely loved that he would let her indulge herself and she never wasted the opportunity when it presented itself. When he finished, she clamped her mouth on him, right down the entire shaft. She let out a long pleased moan as he gave her exactly what she wanted.


    Pam pulled her mouth off of him with a slurp and a swallow, then she looked into his eyes. ¡°You made me come, too.¡± She purred and kissed him. ¡°We better get upstairs before my pants are soaked through.¡±


    Arnold nodded and they left the car, arms around each other, and went into the dorm building. They went up in the elevator and down the long hallway, entered Pam''s room, and then stripped off. Janet was asleep long ago and they stayed quiet as Arnold did his best to make Pam feel tomorrow what he was doing to her right now... and she loved him even more for it.

 197 Kelly’s Test

    When Arnold, Pam, and Janet arrived at their Art class the next morning, the privacy screens were already in place around their tables. The teacher waited until everyone showed up to speak.


    ¡°I want you all to try and refine your choices for music. Don''t go directly for what you enjoy this time. Pick something just slightly out of your genre.¡± Miss Josephine heard a groan and chuckled. ¡°I don''t mean you should pick classical if your music choice is pop rock. I mean, if your choice is easy listening, try classical. If it''s pop, perhaps slip into a rock song. If it''s rock, try a ballad from the same genre.¡±


    She saw understanding on their faces and nodded.


    ¡°I''ll be passing around sheets for you to write down your change of selections, then I''ll step out to give you all more privacy. I don''t want to hover too much and dampen your exploration.¡± Miss Josephine said and handed the papers to the students. ¡°Have fun and don''t be shy about trying new things.¡±


    The students watched her leave and then went behind their screens.


    Arnold, Pam, and Janet sat down and the girls took out their cell phones to start searching for something to add to their revised song list.


    ¡°Arnold?¡± Heather whispered as she poked her head around their privacy screen. ¡°One of your friends needs your help.¡±


    ¡°Heather, I don''t think...¡± A very familiar voice whispered.


    ¡°Get in here.¡± Heather eased Kelly into the closed off area. ¡°She''s having a lot of trouble with her shyness and her decision making.¡±


    ¡°That... that''s not...¡± Kelly blushed.


    ¡°I''ve convinced her that she needs to get over her distaste of sharing.¡± Heather said, confidently.


    ¡°You don''t like sharing, either.¡± Kelly countered.


    ¡°That''s beside the point.¡± Heather said. ¡°Kelly needs to learn to relax about it. This is a relaxing class and since you don''t give two shits about music, I thought you could help her relax and she can help you relax.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Pam asked, surprised. ¡°You can''t just...¡±


    ¡°She needs your help, too.¡± Heather said with a smile. ¡°Someone needs to suck on Arnold first for her to try and get over the thought of sharing.¡±


    ¡°I''m in.¡± Pam said.


    ¡°Pam!¡± Janet gasped.


    ¡°I doubt she can do it.¡± Pam said. ¡°But, she deserves a chance to try.¡±


    ¡°She already tried.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°She didn''t have a cheering section before.¡± Heather said. ¡°We''re going to help and encourage her.¡±


    ¡°I really don''t think...¡± Kelly and Janet started to say at the same time.


    ¡°Look, it''s simple, right?¡± Heather said. ¡°Arnold''s already hard.¡±


    The four of them looked down and saw the bulge of his erection in his pants.


    ¡°I won''t have sex with you.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I... I know.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I''m not going to magically be fine with all the girls you sleep with.¡± She admitted to the surprise of the other girls. ¡°I just want to... to...¡±


    ¡°She needs to try. It''s the first step.¡± Heather said.


    ¡°What about you?¡± Janet asked.


    ¡°Eric and I are taking a break for a few weeks while he''s busy with his damn class project.¡± Heather said with a sad tone. ¡°He hasn''t touched me besides kissing for weeks.¡±


    ¡°That sucks.¡± Janet and Pam said together. Neither of them asked if there were any girls in his class project. That would set her off on a tirade and they both knew it.


    ¡°Don''t worry, though. I haven''t done anything with Arnold since we broke up in high school.¡± Heather said. ¡°A whole bunch of things have happened since then and the way I see him... well...¡±


    ¡°We''re going off track here.¡± Pam said and looked at Kelly. ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡±


    Kelly took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I want to try.¡±


    ¡°Just so you know, Pam absolutely loves doing this.¡± Janet said, almost as a warning. ¡°If you see her getting enthusiastic about it, don''t start freaking out that she''s doing too much. It''s just normal. For her.¡±


    Pam chuckled. ¡°Geez, thanks a lot.¡±


    ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Janet said and smiled.


    ¡°Arnold, if you would.¡± Heather said and Arnold carefully moved the chair back from the table and sat on the edge of it, then undid his pants and exposed himself.


    All four women reacted in some way. Pam moaned a little, Janet licked her lips, Heather bit her bottom lip, and Kelly blushed.


    Pam didn''t hesitate and knelt on the floor as she gave the tip a kiss. ¡°Hi, there. I''m going to suck you now.¡±


    Janet chuckled and Pam gave her a wink, then Pam gave Arnold several licks. She worked around the head and teased a little, gave the shaft a few licks and kisses, then she slipped the tip into her mouth and flicked her tongue over it.


    The others saw him throb for her, then she plunged down onto him. Heather and Kelly were actually surprised she went all the way down and took all of him into her mouth. It was impressive to start out that way and not have to work up to it.


    Pam did half a dozen long sucks and then eased off and worked the tip. ¡°You do not want to start off like that.¡± She said as she paused. ¡°Use your hand as a brace and try not to choke yourself.¡± She wrapped her hand around him and it left less than half of him for her to suck on. ¡°You might need to choke up more than this, depending on if you want him to hit the back of your throat or not.¡±


    Heather and Kelly watched as she demonstrated it for them and the strokes and sucks were shorter and faster, because she wasn''t working with very much.


    ¡°You''re not trying to gag yourself, either.¡± Pam said. ¡°You want him to feel good and you want to enjoy him feeling good. Otherwise, there''s no point.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°He could use a sock to get off, or his hand.¡± Pam said. ¡°That''s a waste, though.¡± She saw their faces asking why and she smiled. ¡°It''s supposed to be fun. The look on his face when you get him off is almost as good as when he''s inside you.¡±


    Heather and Kelly were a little surprised to hear that.


    ¡°It takes work and cooperation.¡± Arnold said and the four of them looked at him. ¡°It doesn''t just happen. If you both aren''t into it, it won''t happen.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Pam said and wagged his penis. ¡°You both have to like it or there''s no point.¡±


    ¡°You said that about making him feel good, too.¡± Kelly said.


    Pam nodded. ¡°There''s lots of things to consider... at first.¡± She smiled. ¡°Once you get a good rhythm going, then instinct usually takes over. You can still use techniques; but, it''s mostly automatic when it''s happening. You get into the groove and go at it until, whammo blammo, it''s over.¡±


    ¡°That... that''s another thing.¡± Kelly said and blushed again. ¡°What do you do with it?¡±


    ¡°There''s lots to do with it and every girl will handle it differently.¡± Pam said. ¡°Personally, I absolutely love getting a load sprayed down my throat.¡±


    Janet and Heather shivered for different reasons. Janet because she hadn''t been able to do it and Heather because she had gotten used to Eric doing it to her.


    ¡°Don''t worry about that today, though.¡± Pam said. ¡°It''s much too soon for you to decide what you like and don''t like, so I''ll take it.¡±


    Kelly''s eyes widened. ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°We can''t leave any evidence.¡± Pam said with a smile. ¡°Not that I ever do, anyway.¡±


    Heather and Kelly exchanged surprised looks and Janet hid her laugh with a cough.


    ¡°My knees are getting sore.¡± Pam said.


    ¡°I''ll grab a couple of the cushions.¡± Janet said and disappeared for several moments. She came back with two of them and Pam knelt on one.


    ¡°Come on, Kelly.¡± Pam pat the second one. ¡°You need to be close and watch.¡±


    Kelly took another deep breath and let it out, then she knelt. Arnold''s slightly wet penis was right there in front of her and she stared at it.


    ¡°I''ll do what I did before, so watch carefully.¡± Pam said. ¡°You use your mouth and gauge the distance you think is safe for not gagging.¡± She did it and put her hand to her lips around the shaft, then slid off. ¡°Give yourself another finger''s width of grace.¡± She moved her hand up and not down. ¡°Then have fun. No danger of choking, gagging, or cutting off your airway.¡±


    Kelly watched as Pam easily sucked and played with Arnold. Right there. She was sucking off the man she loved right there in front of her. The emotions she felt were new for her. Indignation, jealousy, envy, desire, hatred, denial, and so much frustration that it almost overwhelmed everything else. Suddenly Pam stopped and let it go.


    ¡°None of us expect a miracle from you, Kelly.¡± Pam said. ¡°It''s difficult to share, especially for single kids like us.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Kelly looked at her with surprise.


    ¡°I used to be such a greedy bitch.¡± Pam said and looked up at Janet. ¡°Then I met my first best friend and I realized I was being stupid. It actually felt good to share. Food, a room, classes, homework, other friends, it all became easier and easier over time.¡±


    ¡°Then we met Arnold.¡± Janet offered and Pam nodded.


    ¡°It didn''t start out well and we all made mistakes... then... then we miraculously became friends. After that, sharing was better. It was conversation first, then meals, then time together. After that... well...¡±


    ¡°Now, we''re best friends and share everything.¡± Janet said and Kelly and Heather stared at her. ¡°No, not each other.¡±


    ¡°Nope! No kitty licking for this confirmed penis only lover.¡± Pam chuckled. ¡°Not that there''s anything wrong with that. I just can''t see Janet that way. I love her and that''s all. No sexual feelings at all.¡±


    ¡°I''m the same way.¡± Janet said. ¡°Not once did I look at them going at it and want to kiss her.¡±


    Kelly almost looked relieved and Pam touched her shoulder.


    ¡°I''m sorry you thought we shared each other as well as Arnold.¡± Pam said. ¡°No wonder you are having a hard time adjusting.¡±


    ¡°I... but...¡± Kelly stammered.


    ¡°I''m not going to kiss you, or rub your parts, or in any way will make you uncomfortable.¡± Pam said. ¡°Neither will Janet.¡±


    Kelly looked from one to the other, then at Heather.


    ¡°Hey, we''ve tried kissing and there was nothing. It was like kissing my sister.¡± Heather said and looked at Arnold''s penis. ¡°However... in the heat of the moment... I can''t honestly say if I would or not.¡±


    ¡°Well, at least you''re honest about it.¡± Pam said. ¡°Anyways... Kelly.¡±


    Kelly turned and looked at her.


    ¡°Do you love Arnold?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Kelly said without hesitation.


    ¡°Then stand up and kiss him.¡± Pam said. ¡°Arnold, five seconds. Get her going.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and held a hand down for Kelly.


    Kelly took it and stood up, then he kissed her very well for five whole seconds. Her face was flushed red when he stopped.


    ¡°Kneel down again.¡± Pam whispered and she did. ¡°Now kiss this.¡±


    Kelly hesitated and was sure that she couldn''t do it.


    ¡°Close your eyes.¡± Pam said. ¡°You just kissed the man you love, didn''t you?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Do you want to kiss him again?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Oh god, yes.¡±


    ¡°Keep your eyes and mouth closed and Arnold is going to kneel for you.¡± Pam said and held her hand up in a stop gesture to Arnold and shook her head. ¡°Now give him a kiss on the cheek.¡±


    Kelly leaned forward and did just that. Her lips met blistering hot skin and a thrill went through her.


    ¡°Again.¡± Pam whispered.


    Kelly did it again. With her eyes closed, the sensations were unlike anything she had felt before. She wasn''t sure why she liked it. Did she love him so much that even kissing his cheek gave her a thrill?


    ¡°Now kiss him... and open your eyes.¡± Pam whispered.


    Kelly did and slowly opened her eyes to see that her lips were firmly pressed to the head of Arnold''s penis. She gasped and opened her mouth, which gave Arnold''s penis the perfect opportunity to slip right in.


    Pam put her hand there as a brace and pushed on the back of Kelly''s head.


    ¡°Muh!¡± Kelly mumbled.


    ¡°It''s in now, so do what I said.¡± Pam said.


    Kelly moved down to where it almost touched the back of her throat and used her hand to make a stopping point for her. She started to move off and met resistance when she was going to pull his penis all the way out.


    ¡°Don''t half-ass it.¡± Pam said. ¡°If you stop now, you''ll never want to try it again.¡±


    Kelly looked at her with her eyes and saw her smile.


    ¡°Trust me. You do not want to stop.¡± Pam said. ¡°Oh, and stop looking at me. If you''re going to look at anyone, look up at the man who loves you back.¡±


    Kelly did so and she saw a look on his face that she hadn''t seen before. Is... is that... pleasure? She asked herself in surprise and sucked on the tip a little. She saw his reaction and it made her heart go pitter-patter. She wanted to see more emotion on his face, so she started to move her head and kept her eyes on him. His face started to go back to his normal expression and she knew she was doing something wrong.


    ¡°Change things up a little.¡± Pam whispered.


    ¡°Throw in a little tongue action near the top.¡± Heather said. ¡°They all like that.¡±


    ¡°Watch the hole, though. That can be too tender to touch sometimes. Flick the little bit of skin under the tip.¡± Janet encouraged.


    ¡°Add an occasional long lick.¡± Pam said and Kelly tried to pull him out of her mouth. ¡°No, do it with him still in there.¡±


    Kelly raised her eyebrows and she chuckled.


    ¡°Yes, it''s possible.¡± Pam said. ¡°Just lay your whole tongue against the shaft and move up and down. Not too many times, though. It''s supposed to be titillating, not repetitive.¡±


    Kelly started taking their advice and she felt Arnold throb in her mouth. She looked back up at his face and saw pleasure there. Her heart beat faster, knowing she was making his normal stoic expression change like that. She kept going and going, changing things, listening to the other girls and their encouragement.


    ¡°P-Pam.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Kelly. The expert has to take over.¡± Pam said and tried to pry her off.


    ¡°Mhm hmm!¡± Kelly mumbled and held on.


    ¡°You''re not ready for that, dammit!¡± Pam exclaimed and then it was too late.


    Kelly felt him finish and it filled up her mouth, with what she thought must have been an impossible amount, and it didn''t stop. She started to choke and cough, sending it everywhere, and she had to let go.


    ¡°Tissues!¡± Heather handed over a wad of them.


    Kelly grabbed them and coughed and gagged. She spit out most of it and she tried to wipe it off, then some dribbled out of her nose.


    ¡°Jesus, Kelly!¡± Pam used more tissues to wipe off Arnold and the spray that Kelly had spread over his pants. ¡°Not only did you make a mess, you wasted a great opportunity!¡±


    ¡°Pam.¡± Janet said.


    ¡°She did!¡± Pam said and sighed at the state of Arnold''s pants and tucked him back in and did them up. ¡°Dammit. You need to change, Arnold. I''ll run to your dorm and get you clean pants.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and bent over to kiss her, then handed her the key.


    Pam stood up and glared at Kelly. ¡°I hope you understand what you just did.¡±


    Kelly coughed again and looked up at her. ¡°I... what...¡±


    ¡°Do you think Arnold enjoyed seeing you do that?¡± Pam asked, almost as an accusation. ¡°You finally got your chance to please him like you''ve always wanted! He allowed you to and you ruined it by getting hurt!¡±


    ¡°I''m... not.¡± Kelly said and coughed again. Her face was red and her eyes watered from choking.


    ¡°It''s coming out of your goddamn nose!¡± Pam exclaimed.


    ¡°Pam, calm down.¡± Heather said.


    ¡°You!¡± Pam turned to glare at her. ¡°Stop pushing so fucking much!¡±


    ¡°Hey! I''m trying to help my friend!¡± Heather said.


    ¡°At Arnold''s expense!¡± Pam said loudly and the rest of the class went quiet as all the music turned off. ¡°I went along with this because he loves her. He wanted to make it up to her after what happened the last time. He does not want to hurt her again!¡±


    Heather opened her mouth to argue when the teacher came back into the room.


    ¡°I hope you''ve all found something that has taken you out of your comfort zone.¡± Miss Josephine said.


    ¡°Some of us definitely have.¡± Pam said. ¡°Janet, watch them and keep Arnold safe. I''ll be back.¡±


    Janet nodded with a determined look on her face. Pam left the classroom without even asking the teacher if she could leave.

 198 Heather’s Designs

    The next ten minutes were awkward for Heather and Kelly as they sat there and waited for Pam to return. Of course, they weren''t really sure why they stayed there behind Arnold''s privacy screen. They could have easily moved back over behind Heather''s and didn''t. The teacher had even started walking around and checking different students and their music choices and they still didn''t make any attempt to move.


    Janet sat there, holding Arnold''s hand, and didn''t quite glare at the two of them. She was definitely on guard and neither Kelly nor Heather could muster the courage to say anything to Arnold as she watched them like Pam commanded. Kelly had almost fully recovered from the incident by the time Pam came back into the classroom. She carried a plastic bag and inside was clean underwear and dress pants nearly identical to what he wore, just a different color.


    Pam used some of the cleaning supplies in Arnold''s backpack to clean him up a bit better than she had before she left and then handed him the underwear and pants. He transferred everything in his pockets to the new pants and she gave him back his keys. She put Arnold''s dirty clothes into the bag and tied it, then put it on the table as a reminder.


    ¡°What are the two of you still doing here?¡± Pam whispered the question as she took Arnold''s hand and Janet took the other one.


    ¡°We aren''t done talking about this.¡± Heather said. Her bubbling anger at being accused of pushing things had faded during the long silence and now she only wanted to discuss things to make her position clear.


    ¡°Oh, I think we are.¡± Pam said. ¡°What''s to discuss? We saw what happened. Kelly got greedy and hurt herself, because she didn''t want to stop, even though she knew... knew... that she hadn''t done anything like it before. I was trying to help her and she ignored me, suffered for it and ruined Arnold''s enjoyment, not to mention his underwear and pants.¡± She looked at them like they were beneath her notice. ¡°What else do you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Kelly said. ¡°I didn''t mean to...¡±


    ¡°...to what? Almost choke to death? Get sperm in your sinuses and your lungs?¡± Pam said. ¡°Forget about apologizing to me for not listening. You should be apologizing to Arnold for what you did.¡±


    Kelly opened her mouth to do so when the teacher came over.


    ¡°Can you show me what you chose to get out of your comfort zone?¡± Miss Josephine asked.


    Pam immediately leaned in close to Arnold to whisper. ¡°She means us and the music.¡±


    Arnold nodded and Pam held out her cell phone with her search on it to the teacher.


    ¡°Ah, yes. Very good.¡± Miss Josephine said. ¡°Did you find the experience put things into perspective?¡±


    ¡°Definitely.¡± Pam said, her voice almost as hard a steel. ¡°Sometimes it''s not a good idea to do something you haven''t done before without at least some experience.¡±


    Miss Josephine gave her a happy smile. ¡°Very, very good.¡± She said and handed Pam the phone back. ¡°I''m so happy that you caught onto the lesson so quickly.¡± She looked at the bag on the table and saw Arnold''s different color pants and understood where Pam had went, which saved her from asking about it. That was very nice of her to do that for him. ¡°Well, then. Carry on.¡± She said and walked away.


    She didn''t even talk to the rest of us or ask why there was another girl in the class. Janet thought.


    After a few more awkward moments, Heather spoke.


    ¡°I have some preliminary designs done up for your office space.¡± Heather said, hoping the change of subject would change the kind of oppressive atmosphere that Pam was giving off.


    ¡°We''re off next class. We can stay here or meet you at the building.¡± Pam said, which caused no argument about her inviting herself along. There was no way she was leaving Arnold alone with either Heather or Kelly in the foreseeable future.


    ¡°At the building.¡± Heather said, a little dismayed at Pam''s attitude. ¡°I have to go get it from my dorm.¡±


    ¡°We''ll see you there.¡± Pam said and picked up her cell phone again, then ignored the two girls as she wrote out on her sheet the choices from her search.


    Janet took the cue and did the same thing. Heather and Kelly exchanged looks and looked at Arnold. His face was impassive and they knew the conversation was over. Kelly thought about apologizing to Arnold for what happened and she couldn''t make her mouth open. She had tried, she really tried. Should she apologize for that? She didn''t think so. She should apologize for how it ended, though.


    ¡°Let''s go.¡± Heather whispered to her and led her away from Arnold''s table.


    After class, when Pam, Arnold, and Janet left the building, Pam led them to her car in the nearby parking lot.


    ¡°I had to drive back.¡± Pam said and waved for them to get in. ¡°It was too far to run both ways. I would have been out of breath.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and gave her a kiss.


    ¡°Arnold, I''m sorry for how that ended.¡± Pam said. ¡°I wanted to introduce her to it, not traumatize her like that.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Arnold said and gave her another kiss.


    ¡°That''s all she''s going to think about, isn''t it?¡± Janet asked as they all climbed into the car.


    ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Pam said with a sigh and started the car, pulled out of the parking lot, and drove across the campus. ¡°It was supposed to be a nice and enjoyable experience for her, something that she would want to keep doing, and all she''ll see in her mind and remember feeling is the choking and tears instead of how good it felt to have Arnold inside her mouth and making him feel good.¡±


    Janet nodded. ¡°It was pretty awful to see.¡±


    ¡°Her nose is going to be itchy for a while, too.¡± Pam said and shook her head. ¡°I don''t know if she''s going to recover from it.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Janet asked.


    ¡°Whenever she sees Arnold''s penis now, all she''ll remember is the feeling of what it did to her, both times it''s been inside of her.¡±


    ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Janet said and she reached over the seat to Arnold and hugged him from behind. ¡°I''m so sorry, Arnold.¡±


    ¡°Hey, seat belt.¡± Pam admonished her.


    ¡°Oops, sorry.¡± Janet said and sat back to buckle up just in time to laugh as they pulled into the dorm parking lot and unbuckled it.


    ¡°They''re probably going to be twenty minutes, maybe more.¡± Pam said. ¡°I know if I were them, I wouldn''t be in a rush to get here.¡±


    ¡°They?¡± Janet asked.


    ¡°You can bet your ass that Kelly''s coming with her. I guarantee it.¡± Pam said. ¡°Once she broods over it for a bit, she''s going to want to apologize when she gathers up the courage again.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can see that.¡± Janet said and took Arnold''s hand. ¡°It''s okay. We''re here. We won''t let them take advantage of you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and kissed her.


    The three of them walked over to their building and went inside to wait.


    *


    ¡°Good god, how could I have been so stupid?¡± Kelly asked as she went with Heather to the dorm to grab the design portfolio.


    ¡°You tried your best.¡± Heather said and went over to her desk. She put the samples inside the large folder with the nice computer assisted designs. She had easily found the building''s floor plan in the administration building and had been working with actual dimensions and not her makeshift walking feet measurements.


    ¡°I did and they looked at me like I had kicked them in the teeth or something.¡± Kelly said.


    Heather snorted and then laughed. ¡°You? Kicking someone''s teeth in? Really?¡±


    Kelly gave her a stern look and Heather laughed again.


    ¡°I''d tell you to keep that attitude if it wouldn''t wreck everything you''re trying to do to get him back.¡±


    Kelly lost the expression and sighed. ¡°It''s not working out very well.¡±


    ¡°What''s the old saying about trying too hard? I can''t remember.¡± Heather picked up the folder and shut and locked her dorm room door.


    ¡°I can''t either.¡± Kelly said.


    ¡°Well, as long as you don''t do that, you''ll be fine.¡± Heather said with a smile.


    ¡°Thanks a lot.¡± Kelly said sarcastically and Heather gave her a one arm hug.


    ¡°It''s okay. I''ll keep trying to help.¡± Heather said.


    ¡°What about what Pam said?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°She hasn''t seen me being too pushy yet.¡± Heather let her shoulder go and they walked down the hallway. ¡°You know what I can get like when I do.¡±


    Kelly nodded and the pair made their way across campus. It never once crossed her mind to not go.


    *


    ¡°I told you.¡± Pam whispered to Janet and Arnold as they saw Heather and Kelly come in the front door.


    ¡°Hi, there.¡± Heather said in her best presenter voice. ¡°Can we use the big office? There''s a desk in there.¡± She lifted the big portfolio folder to show there was a lot to go through.


    The five of them went into the office and Heather walked around the desk to the position of authority. The symbolism was not lost on Pam or Janet.


    Heather had as big of a smile as she could manage and opened the folder. ¡°I started off with just a basic design and went from there.¡± She said and started to lay out all the things she did in a progressive timeline and made her presentation. She made her arguments for the changes she wanted to make and justified the designs, the layout, and even the colors of the carpet.


    To her surprise, Pam was actually impressed. She had assumed that Heather was a bit of an airhead... and in some respects she was... but, she also had talent and an eye for aesthetics. Janet shared both views and looked over everything that Heather had presented to them. It made sense. The decisions and the color palate would work well in the space they had and sectioning it up also gave them the best use of the space.


    ¡°How long will this take?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Two weeks, maybe three. It depends on the state of the floors under the carpet.¡± Heather said. ¡°If they''re fine, then most of it''s just cosmetic and not structural.¡±


    ¡°When can you start?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Heather looked at him in surprise.


    ¡°Do this.¡± Arnold pointed at it.


    ¡°But... don''t you want to discuss...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Then... I''ll need money to...¡±


    Arnold reached inside his backpack and pulled out a small stack of money, then did it again. ¡°Here''s twenty thousand.¡±


    All four girls stared at the money in shock. He was walking around with that in his backpack? They all thought at the same time.


    Heather looked at his face and then at the money he held out to her. ¡°You''re really hiring me for the job.¡±


    ¡°You''ll have the fourth assistant salary when the secondary grant comes through.¡± Arnold said.


    Heather knew what that meant and she smiled. ¡°I''ll have a work crew here by noon to get it started.¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°I''ll have another set of keys made for you.¡±


    Heather nodded and looked down at all her hard work. It had taken her several days to get everything together and to call around to get the samples and estimates. She looked at the money in her hands and then she looked at Arnold.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Heather said. ¡°Thank you very much.¡±


    Pam had a restraining hand on Arnold''s shoulder to stop him from going around the table and kissing her. It was one thing to share him with a girl he loved before her, it was quite another to allow him to kiss someone that had thrown him away over a meaningless kiss.


    ¡°Until you get the keys, Arnold, Janet, or I will open the building for you and the work crews.¡± Pam said and Heather nodded. ¡°We have to get to Chemistry and another class after that. Call when the workers get here.¡±


    Heather nodded again and gathered everything up. Her design plan was set, without argument, and she was ecstatic that she was going to see one of her works come into being. She carefully put the money into her purse and then she and Kelly led the way out of the building. They exchanged numbers with Janet and Pam and left them at a fast walk.


    ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Heather whispered excitedly when they were far enough away. ¡°Oh, my GOD!¡±


    Kelly nodded several times. She still hadn''t told Heather she had gotten ten grand from Arnold the night before from buying the computers. She wasn''t sure if she was going to, either.


    ¡°I need to get on this right away.¡± Heather said and handed Kelly the portfolio. ¡°Can you hold this for me? Thanks.¡±


    Kelly took it and Heather took out her cell phone and dialed the number for the first company she had called when building the design. Kelly listened to her negotiate for someone to come over that afternoon to start stripping the place. She next called a dumpster company and had them deliver one to the side of the building. After that, she called the painters to make an appointment for the next week.


    Look at her go. Kelly thought as she watched and listened to her friend.


    *


    Chemistry class was almost fun as the teacher gave them the information and background for the lab that afternoon. Pam was only a little sad about Art class that morning and happy that Arnold had been so decisive with Heather. He cut her off when she tried to talk and that made her feel a lot better about the whole thing. She still regretted that Kelly had messed up the great chance she had.


    Pam looked at Arnold''s face from the side and she hoped that Kelly smartened up. He was too good of a man to let slip through your fingers over something so stupid. She almost laughed as she realized that she could have really overreacted and banned Kelly and Heather from even looking at Arnold, and she hadn''t. Almost as if he knew what she was thinking, Arnold turned to look at her.


    ¡°I couldn''t tell Kelly to stay away from you.¡± Pam whispered. ¡°I love you too much to hurt you like that.¡±


    Arnold gave her an angelic smile and leaned in to give her a kiss. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Pam received a text during lunch and ran over to the building to open it up for Heather and the work crew. They were barely in the door when they started stripping everything. She left them to it and went back to finish lunch. They had Chemistry lab that afternoon and during the free class afterwards wrote out the lab reports. After passing them in, Pam and Janet had other classes and Arnold had the last class off.


    Arnold went to his dorm and borrowed the van from Dalla. She showed him how to fold the bed up and away to get more storage space in the back. He left to go and pick up the rest of the computers and Dalla stayed to make supper, despite her desire to accompany him.

 199 Electronic Buzz

    Bokuboy


    Arnold stopped at the bank first and withdrew twenty thousand dollars and wrote decorator / initial construction on the slip, then withdrew another ten thousand for computer accessories. After another moment, he withdrew another ten thousand and wrote business and administration computers on the slip. He told the clerk that he might be back to get more, depending on what the construction people needed for the renovations. With his paper trail for the money he had given Kelly and Heather covered, he left there and drove over to the electronics store.


    ¡°Hi, there! Welcome back.¡± The blonde girl behind the counter said as Arnold came into the store. ¡°It''s so nice to see you again.¡±


    Arnold stopped walking and went over to her with a smile on his face. ¡°Hello.¡±


    The girl''s face flushed red, because she had only intended to say hello to the handsome and rich man that had made the huge purchase the day before and to catch his attention. Now that she had it, she wasn''t sure what she wanted to do with it.


    ¡°Wow, Gail.¡± The guy at the back of the store said as he came over. ¡°You have to up your game if you want to catch bigger fish.¡±


    Gail''s face went redder at being called out for her mistake. She couldn''t deny it, though.


    ¡°Come on, fella. I''ll give you a hand loading up your van.¡± The guy said and Arnold turned to follow.


    ¡°Do you want me to get Jimmy to help?¡± The girl blurted.


    ¡°Heh, sure. Why not? It''ll give him something to do.¡± The guy said.


    Gail picked up the intercom phone and paged the stock clerk working in the back room. He came out and the three men quickly transferred the remaining eight computers to the back of the van. There was plenty of room for them all.


    ¡°Thanks again for all your business.¡± The electronics guy said and shook Arnold''s hand.


    ¡°I have a few more things to buy.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Ha! All right, come on back in.¡± The guy said and they went back into the store. ¡°Hey, Gail! He said you''re delightful conversation convinced him to buy more stuff!¡±


    ¡°You''re such an asshole.¡± Gail''s face went red again as she blushed. ¡°This is why I never want to go out with you!¡±


    ¡°Heh, you''ll come around eventually.¡± The guy said and looked at Arnold. ¡°What can we get for you?¡±


    ¡°I need two standard business computers with full setups. Upgrade the printers to full color laser printers and give me enough cartridges for a year.¡±


    ¡°Jesus.¡± The stock clerk said. ¡°I''ll see if we have that many cartridges in stock.¡± He said and took off running.


    ¡°You made him run.¡± The electronics guy laughed. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°I need to connect them all together.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Do you want physical or wireless?¡± The guy asked.


    ¡°I''d rather wires for the computers and wireless for cell phones.¡±


    ¡°Ah, making it a hotspot for the internet. Nice.¡±


    ¡°How do I upgrade the speed of the line?¡± Arnold asked. ¡°I don''t want any slowdown.¡±


    ¡°You''ll have to take that up with your service provider.¡± The guy said as he grabbed a large routing station with enough ports for twelve computers, twelve coils of network cables, and a wireless router and booster. ¡°Man, oh man, I''d love to see all of this set up.¡±


    ¡°It won''t be for a couple of weeks, maybe three.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I hope you''ve got a good computer guy to set all this up for you.¡±


    ¡°She was here yesterday.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°She is pretty knowledgeable.¡± The guy said and put two of the laser printers onto the counter and added the two cartridges they had left on the shelf with them.


    ¡°I got them!¡± Jimmy said as he came out of the back with a brown box. ¡°Gail, we''ll need to order more. There''s nothing left in the back.¡±


    ¡°I''ll add it to the order sheet for the end of the week.¡± Gail said and took out a clipboard and wrote out the serial number and the product ID. She looked at Arnold when the electronics guy went to get the two business computers. ¡°I can call you and let you know when they come in.¡±


    ¡°That''s a pretty slick trick to get his number, Gail.¡± The guy said as he came over with two computer bases. ¡°Reminds me of me.¡±


    ¡°Shut it.¡± Gail said and he laughed. ¡°Don''t mind him. He''s a bit of a joker.¡±


    ¡°Jimmy, give me a hand with the monitors and accessories.¡± The guy said and the two of them went to the back of the store.


    Arnold took out his cell phone and exchanged numbers with Gail. He didn''t notice that it was her personal number and didn''t match the one for the store.


    ¡°I better start ringing this up.¡± Gail said and got to work. The guy and Jimmy brought over the accessories and things and she made sure they were included in the business computer package, that way it saved the handsome guy, Arnold, a little money.


    ¡°You know, if you''re setting up the internet there, maybe a couple of your workers might need tablets to help them keep track of things.¡± The electronics guy said. ¡°We''ve got a great one on sale this week...¡±


    ¡°Steve!¡± Gail gasped. ¡°He''s already spent...¡±


    ¡°Show me.¡± Arnold said.


    Steve went over to the shelf behind the counter and came over with one. ¡°It''s got great onboard memory, an expansion slot if that''s not enough, has the best operating system on the market, and the processor is better than the business computers you just bought.¡±


    Arnold thought about it for a moment. ¡°Give me twelve of them.¡±


    Gail''s, Steve''s, and Jimmy''s mouths dropped open in shock.


    ¡°Um...¡± Jimmy shook his head a little. ¡°I need to check if we have that many.¡± He took off running again. Steve didn''t laugh this time. He thought he could sneak a few of them into Arnold''s order and pad the guy''s bill a little, just so they could say they had a fantastic sales month. He never thought the guy would want twelve of them.


    Jimmy came out from the back with a small crate. ¡°They come ten per crate.¡± He said and put the crate on the counter. He opened it and checked each box to make sure nothing was visibly damaged.


    ¡°There''s another one on the shelf.¡± Steve said, recovering from the shock.


    ¡°I want the memory card expansions and the extended warranties on everything.¡± Arnold said and Gail caught her breath.


    ¡°Damn. You might as well get the nice cases, too.¡± Steve joked.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    The three of them stared at him for a moment, then Gail smacked Steve''s arm.


    ¡°Right! I''ll go get the ones on the display.¡± Steve said. ¡°Jimmy, stockroom for the rest.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Jimmy walked to the back room this time. He was getting tired of running.


    Gail added the tablets to Arnold''s bill and Steve came back with a handful of memory chips and two blue hard cases for the tablets. She rang the new items in and Jimmy came out with a large package. He gave her ten more cases from it. They added the charging wires and adapters, too. She looked at the final total on her screen with the tax included and she wasn''t sure she wanted to say it.


    ¡°Oh, god.¡± She whispered, because she felt like they were taking advantage of him. ¡°Your total is nine thousand, nine hundred and sixty three dollars... and twenty cents.¡±


    Instead of the shock or surprise she expected to see on his face, he gave her an angelic smile that made her breathing speed up.


    Arnold nodded at her, because he had only guessed at needing ten grand. ¡°Is cash okay?¡±


    ¡°Jesus.¡± Jimmy said and walked away without looking back. ¡°I''m taking a break.¡± The surprises were just a bit too much for him and he needed a rest.


    Steve stood there and stared at him as Arnold took out a huge stack of bills and counted out the right amount. He didn''t say anything as Gail took the money and rang the purchase through and gave the man his change and the receipt. He went around the counter and helped Arnold take all of the things out to the van. To his surprise, Gail grabbed what was left and followed them out of the store. When it was all loaded, she spoke.


    ¡°I know Steve teased me a little about it...¡± Gail said. ¡°...but, I... do you want to have supper with me?¡± She asked, her eyes full of hope. ¡°My shift ends in ten minutes.¡±


    Arnold checked his watch and it was about suppertime. ¡°I''m not looking for a girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°Me, either.¡± Gail said, then she smiled. ¡°I mean, not a boyfriend. I just... you bought a lot from the store and...¡±


    ¡°She''s horny for you.¡± Steve interrupted, because it was just too tempting to not take the dig when it was presented to him on a silver platter.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Gail smack his arm and pushed him towards the store. ¡°Get out of here!¡±


    Steve laughed and walked back into the store, positive that the guy was going to say no.


    ¡°Do you need to change first?¡± Arnold asked.


    Gail took in a sharp breath. ¡°I''ll be back in five minutes!¡± She said and ran into the store. ¡°Steve! You''re on the front counter until Nancy comes in!¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Steve stopped walking towards the back of the store and his desk as he turned to look at her in surprise.


    Gail opened the door to the storeroom and ran inside. Five minutes later, she came out with her hair dishevelled and wearing a normal top. She had her bag with the change of clothes and her purse, clocked out just as her shift ended, and tossed Steve the keys to the store to give to Nancy. She gave the middle finger to his surprised face and then ran out the front.


    ¡°Ready!¡± Gail said to the handsome man that had stood there and waited for her. She had expected him to be waiting in the van and it was nice that he hadn''t. He opened the passenger door for her and she beamed a smile at him and climbed in.


    Arnold climbed into the driver''s side and started it up.


    ¡°Is this your van?¡± Gail asked.


    ¡°No, my college roommate''s maid owns it.¡± Arnold said and drove out of the parking lot. He knew a good restaurant and drove towards it.


    ¡°Your college roommate has a maid? At college?¡± Gail asked, shocked. She didn''t know something like that was allowed, no matter how rich you were.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said. ¡°She cooks and cleans.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± Gail said. ¡°I wish I had a maid in college. My room was always a mess.¡± She looked around to see where they were going and her eyes widened when he pulled into the upscale restaurant''s parking lot. She dug into her purse and grabbed her brush, then she quickly ran it through her shoulder length wavy blonde hair several times to put it back in order.


    Her door was opened and Gail stepped out. Did he do that to give me time to freshen up? She asked herself and the two of them went into the restaurant. They stood by the sign to wait to be seated. She thought about talking while they waited and became nervous. She looked at his face and he turned to look at her. His gaze caught her own and her heart sped up.


    ¡°Right this way, please.¡± A dark haired woman in a vest and pants said and waved them forward. ¡°I''ll have a waiter bring the menus momentarily.¡±


    Arnold and Gail followed her and were seated at a nice table.


    ¡°Have you eaten here before?¡± The woman asked Arnold, because she thought she recognized him.


    ¡°I had a birthday meal here with my mother in August.¡± Arnold said. ¡°You sang to me.¡±


    The woman gave him a warm smile and touched his shoulder briefly. ¡°She did a lot to arrange that.¡±


    Arnold nodded and she walked away a bit happier than she had been a moment before.


    ¡°Do you go out to eat with your mother a lot?¡± Gail asked, now that she had something to talk about.


    ¡°When I''m home on the weekends.¡± Arnold said. ¡°We usually go out and do something, too.¡±


    Gail had to smile at that. ¡°It''s really nice that you make time for your mom like that.¡± She said, then her smile faded. ¡°My mom died a few years ago.¡±


    Arnold reached over and took her hand, then gently rubbed it. ¡°Tell me what happened.¡±


    Gail looked into his eyes and his intense stare convinced her that he was actually interested and wasn''t just pretending. He actually was pretending, just like Doris told him to when engaging a woman in conversation. He was to give her all of his attention and let her see it. Gail couldn''t tell, so she laid it all out. Her mom becoming ill one day, quickly deteriorating, then the cancer diagnosis and her death right after. It was sudden, devastating, and had changed Gail''s life.


    The waiter had seen them talking and stayed away, because he didn''t want to interrupt such an in depth conversation. When there was a pause, he quickly went over and presented the menus and retreated. The sign of a good waiter was to be as unobtrusive as possible. He went back after observing them peruse the menu and took their order. He retrieved the menus and went to order their dishes.


    He came back and refreshed their water during another lull in their conversation, then brought over their meals. He stayed poised as he did the same thing to the other three tables in his section.


    Gail was having a wonderful time. No matter what she talked about, Arnold kept up his side of the conversation. He was smart, handsome, rich, and his gently stroking hand on hers as they talked and ate was making her tingle all over. She didn''t know how he could keep doing three things at once like that, though. She was having a hard time just talking and eating and it made her smile.


    When the meal was done and the desserts finished, the waiter brought over the check. Arnold looked at it and put three hundred dollars into it and handed it back. The waiter sputtered a little at getting an almost 180% tip.


    Gail almost laughed at his reaction, then she was distracted when Arnold stood and helped her stand as well. He escorted her out of the restaurant and back to the van. She was only a little sad that it was over, then she told him where she lived. It had surprised her that she told an almost stranger her actual address and didn''t lie like she usually did. Even Steve at work didn''t know where she really lived.


    Arnold pulled into the tiny parking lot of the small apartment building and turned off the van. He turned in the seat and looked at Gail as he took her hand. She was startled for a moment, then she beamed another smile at him.


    ¡°This was a great date.¡± Gail said and gave his hand a squeeze. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Arnold leaned over and gave her a kiss for a second.


    Gail gave him a longing look, put a hand behind his neck, and pulled him back in for another kiss. They made out for several minutes and she felt the tingle return. She broke the kiss and looked into his eyes again. She saw the intense stare and she knew, knew with all her heart, that he wanted her as much as she wanted him.


    ¡°I want you to come upstairs with me.¡± Gail said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said, and her heart leapt.


    I knew it! Gail thought in satisfaction.


    They left the van, Arnold locked it and set the alarm, and Gail took him up to her own apartment. She couldn''t tell you why she was letting him into her home when they could easily have done it in the van or gone to a motel or something. It was only their first date, too. She had always waited and checked to see if he was worth her time before even suggesting sleeping together, and now she was unlocking her door and pulled him inside to kiss him again.


    ¡°Make me remember this forever.¡± Gail whispered and held him tightly.


    ¡°Condom or no condom?¡± Arnold whispered back.


    Gail shivered, because he had asked her what she wanted, instead of assuming. ¡°I know we should start with a condom...¡± She started to say and let him out of the embrace she had him in. ¡°...just to be safe.¡±


    She started to undress and pulled off her top, then unhooked her bra. Her tiny little breasts were firm and perky, barely bigger than a mouthful, and her nipples were hard as rocks. She took off her pants and slipped off her panties to show him that she was completely shaven.


    Arnold had stripped off as well and when Gail saw his fully erect penis waiting for her, she became so wet that she dripped onto the carpet.


    ¡°Forget being safe.¡± Gail said and stepped close and stroked him and kissed him. ¡°I want this buried so deep inside me that I have a hard time walking tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and picked her up easily.


    Gail let out a little shriek of surprise, then she gasped and moaned as he slid her down onto him. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and kissed him hard, then she started moving her hips. She felt her first of many orgasms building and he thrust up as she moved down. She came hard and splashed it all onto his abdomen as she twitched and held on.


    ¡°B-b-bedrooommm.¡± Gail said with a moan.


    Arnold walked into the room she nodded towards. He stayed inside of her, to her delight, then they were on the bed. She moaned as he nearly pulled all the way out, then he did as she asked him to. He buried himself deep into her and she came again.


    ¡°Mmmmore.¡± Gail stared up at the handsome man poised above her. ¡°Give... give me more.¡±


    Arnold did.

 200 The Road To Greatness

    Bokuboy


    Gail popped two more pain pills just before she opened the door to the electronics shop. She looked like an old woman as she half-waddled half-walked inside and Steve was there to laugh at her.


    ¡°Jesus! Did he give you rickets or something?¡± Steve asked as he handed her the store keys. ¡°You''re as bowl-legged as those equestrian girls after a long competition ride in the saddle!¡±


    Gail gave him a huge smile at that comparison, except in her mind she switched the roles, because it was her that was ridden so hard that she felt it the next day. I asked him to do it, too. She thought and then gripped the counter as she remembered some of it and came.


    Oh, fuck. Gail thought and shivered. ¡°I need... the bathroom.¡±


    She waddled by the electronics guy and went to the employee bathroom in the back. She checked her pad and was relieved it had caught it all. She changed it after cleaning herself and tried not to touch herself too much. She could still feel him inside of her and she had almost called in sick. She was like a switch that might turn on at the slightest reminder of the night before and she had brought the whole box of pads with her, just in case.


    Gail went back out front, clocked in a few minutes before her shift started, then went behind the counter. The smile plastered on her face was genuine, despite the soreness she felt. She did her best to keep what happened at the back of her mind and away from the forefront. Unfortunately, her brain just wasn''t going to let it go that easily.


    Arnold had to leave around four in the morning to get back to the college to shower and get ready. Unlike the night before, when they had sex, he made slow and passionate love to her because she was so sore.


    It had driven her wild.


    His deep control was impossible in her eyes. No man she knew of could hold himself back like that. It wasn''t natural. She knew he could ravage her and she expected it again, and it didn''t happen. His constant whispers of how good she made him feel, how privileged he felt to see her naked body, and how he wanted to make love to her for as long as he could, blew her mind and made the sex that much more intense and pleasurable for her.


    Gail actually felt dehydrated after coming so much last night and suddenly she had a water bottle in her hand and he told her to drink. She had felt better after that and then he went down on her for the upteenth time. To her writhing body''s pleasure, he covered her with soft and gentle kisses and told her that he wanted to make it better by kissing it. It was so sweet and endearing that she came again and he cleaned up the mess for her.


    Arnold had stood up afterwards and leaned over her. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and kissed her passionately, then he was dressed and out the door before she could thank him back. She had fallen asleep right afterwards and didn''t wake up until her alarm went off. It had been a difficult shower, and even harder time walking all the way to the store in her current state, and she wouldn''t trade any of it away. She had wanted the reminders and he had given them to her, so she would savor them for as long as they lasted.


    *


    Arnold had dropped off all of the new equipment in the basement of the new building and he saw the main room had been stripped of everything, right down to the paint from the walls and the floor coverings. He had just enough time to go into his room and give Dalla a kiss to thank her for the use of the van, grab a shower and change for class, then he went to Physics class with Leann and Tanya.


    ¡°Hi, Arnold!¡± Leann said as she came into the classroom and strode over to him. She gave him a kiss and sat down next to him.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Arnold responded and she looked into his tired eyes.


    ¡°Somebody didn''t get enough sleep last night.¡± Leann said as recognized the look. ¡°You shouldn''t push yourself too much, you know. You''re only one person.¡±


    Arnold raised his eyebrows slightly.


    ¡°I know, I know.¡± Leann laughed and gave him another kiss. ¡°That''s like me telling Francine that she needs to hire an assistant to help her. She likes what she does too much to delegate some of it away.¡±


    Arnold nodded agreement.


    ¡°Well, if you want, you just lean your handsome head on my shoulder and take a nap. I''ll take notes and let you know what the homework is when you wake up.¡±


    Arnold thought about it and nodded again. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and gave her a three second kiss, then he did as she said and rested against her. He promptly fell asleep and became a dead weight against her.


    Leann almost laughed at him doing it so quickly, then she realized something. He trusted her to keep him safe while he was asleep. That wasn''t something that anyone would do. Apprehension or unease would be normal for someone to feel, even when around friends, and Arnold went right to sleep when she had offered. She put her arm around him to hold him steady.


    The professor came into the class and saw the scene with Arnold leaning against the young woman next to him and he smiled. I guess he must be involved with her to give such a public display of affection. He thought, then he taught the class. It was just lecture time and no visuals this time, so Arnold actually didn''t miss anything.


    Leann wrote down the important notes and marked the pages the teacher covered in the book, then the class was over. Arnold had slept through the whole thing and her heart went out to him, because she was going to have to wake him up. She had to get to the next class and Tanya had already left.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Leann whispered and shook him a little. ¡°Arnold.¡± She said in a normal voice.


    Arnold opened his eyes and blinked them for a moment. He felt the warm arm around him and lifted his head from where it rested. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and kissed Leann for several seconds.


    ¡°I wanted to let you sleep; but, I have a class to get to.¡± Leann said, regretfully.


    Arnold nodded and they stood up together.


    Leann put her other arm around him and held him tightly for a moment. ¡°You''re off this class, right?¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°Then come with me and I''ll keep holding you.¡± Leann suggested.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and they left that class and went to her next one. Leann sat near the back at one of the large tables and Arnold sat next to her. He used her as a pillow again and went right to sleep. She almost laughed again at the ease he could do that and the professor came into the room. She listened attentively and made proper notes, using only one hand again, and Arnold slept through the whole thing, despite the loud teacher and the student answers.


    Leann had to wake him again and he thanked and kissed her again. ¡°I''ll walk you to Statistics, just to make sure you get there.¡±


    Arnold nodded and she escorted him to the class. Tanya was there and saw Leann with a protective arm around Arnold. She didn''t comment about it, even when Leann sat Arnold in the seat next to her.


    ¡°I''ve texted Pam and Janet. You sit here and wait for them to come and get you after class.¡± Leann said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and he was already dozing off. She helped him fold his arms and Arnold put his head down on them and went back to sleep.


    ¡°Tanya, he''s going to need your notes for this class.¡± Leann said and the other girl nodded. ¡°See you later.¡±


    Tanya had watched Leann''s concerned face and she wondered why Arnold wasn''t depending on her to take care of him. The class passed and there wasn''t much new, just the teacher regurgitating what was in the next chapter in the textbook, so she marked the highlights and the class ended. As she was quickly copying her short notes over, Pam and Janet came into the room.


    ¡°Oh, you poor thing.¡± Janet whispered and she and Pam gently woke him up.


    ¡°Let''s take him right to his sociology classroom.¡± Pam suggested. ¡°He can keep sleeping through lunch and then the class.¡±


    ¡°That''s a great idea.¡± Janet said and they helped Arnold stand.


    ¡°He needs these.¡± Tanya said and handed Janet the notes for the class.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Janet said and took them and then the two women led Arnold from the classroom.


    *


    Kelly was very nervous about going to her sociology class. It would be the first time she would be seeing Arnold alone since the incident and she wasn''t sure how he was going to treat her. In her mind, she knew that he probably wouldn''t treat her any differently. In her heart, she was worried he would be as cold towards her as he was to everyone else.


    She needn''t have worried, because he was asleep when she entered the classroom. He also had Pam and Janet sitting on either side of him. A partially eaten lunch was in front of them and the two women packed it up as more students came in. Kelly walked over to them and waited for Janet to move, because she was in her seat.


    ¡°Arnold, class is starting.¡± Pam whispered.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Arnold mumbled and Pam and Janet exchanged looks, then they looked at Kelly.


    ¡°If the teacher asks, he didn''t sleep at all last night.¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Don''t bother him.¡± Pam said, a bit sternly. ¡°Especially about what happened.¡±


    Kelly opened her mouth to say that she wouldn''t, then decided silence was a better choice to arguing.


    ¡°We''ll be back when this class is over and take him to his next class.¡± Pam said, then she and Janet left to go to their own classes.


    Kelly sat down next to the man she loved, who was sleeping soundly, in the middle of class. She had been worried about how he would treat her and he wasn''t even going to be awake for her to find out if things were going to be awkward between them.


    The sociology teacher came in and immediately saw the sleeping student in the front row. She walked over to him and was about to clap her hands when the girl next to him held up her hand to stop her.


    ¡°Please, he''s exhausted. He didn''t sleep at all last night.¡± Kelly whispered.


    ¡°With you?¡± Miss Kinneson asked before she could stop the question from slipping out.


    Kelly didn''t blush at all. ¡°No, and I don''t know why. His best friends said to just let him sleep.¡±


    The teacher gave her a disbelieving look for a moment and then sighed. ¡°He''s been getting to classes all morning like this?¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡± Kelly said with a shrug. ¡°This is the first time I''m seeing him since yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Very well. I''ll let him sleep.¡± Miss Kinneson said and tucked some of her greyish brown hair behind her ear. ¡°When he wakes up, tell him he has an appointment with me in my office at four.¡±


    Kelly nodded and wrote it down. The teacher taught the class and Kelly took detailed notes of everything when she could. She was involved in the discussion herself, so writing at the same time wasn''t viable. When the class ended, she sat there and waited. Two minutes later, Pam and Janet came in and saw Arnold was still asleep.


    ¡°The teacher gave him an appointment at four in the registrar''s office.¡± Kelly said and handed Janet the note.


    ¡°We knew he wouldn''t get away with doing this all day.¡± Pam said and gently shook him. ¡°Arnold? Sweetheart?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Arnold sat up and blinked his eyes. ¡°What...¡± He looked at Pam. ¡°What time is it?¡±


    ¡°First class in the afternoon just ended, so two o''clock.¡± Pam said.


    Arnold stood up and the three of them saw he had an erection.


    ¡°It''s a good thing we have the next class off.¡± Pam said with a smile and took his hand. ¡°Come on. We''ll fill you in on what you missed all day.¡±


    Janet grabbed his other hand and they led him from the room.


    Kelly thought about following them as she gathered her things up and decided she needed to get to class instead. Unlike Arnold, she needed to pay attention to the lessons the professors taught. She went about her day and went back to her dorm when classes ended at four. The first thing she thought of was what the sociology teacher was going to talk to him about.


    *


    Miss Kinneson sat in her office and waited for the intelligent young man that had slept through her class to arrive. She had analyzed her own emotions for the whole encounter and she was surprised at the near full range she had experienced. It was all because she felt slighted by him having the nerve to sleep through her sociology class. She had even tried to use him as an example of defying authority and social ignorance, which wasn''t something she should have done.


    Singling out a student as an example could backfire, especially since you are drawing attention to that student, wanted or otherwise. She would have to both admonish his behavior and apologize for her own. She let out a long and drawn out sigh as she waited patiently for four o''clock to arrive. Or more precisely, five minutes after, since that was the approximate walk time from Arnold''s last class to the registrar''s office.


    Almost exactly when she had calculated it, there was a knock on her door. Before she could open her mouth to tell him to enter, the door opened and he came right in. He closed the door with a slightly louder click and he walked over to sit in the chair in front of the desk. She let him sit there for precisely two minutes before she spoke.


    ¡°Did you have fun in my classroom today?¡± Miss Kinneson asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold responded.


    Miss Kinneson didn''t quite believe him, not knowing what the term ''fun'' meant for Arnold. If she had asked if he ever had fun in her class, he would recall Rebecca giving him a blowjob and would have to say yes.


    ¡°Is the subject boring you?¡± Miss Kinneson asked, genuinely curious of what his answer would be.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I''ve learned a lot in your class.¡±


    ¡°Prove it.¡± Miss Kinneson said as she prepared herself for a lively debate on social structure and a person''s relationship status with those around them, including friends, family, and acquaintances. She expected him to toss in a few arguments about multiple gender references, possibly cancelling each other out as the debate wore on. Her mind ramped itself up to speed and she tried to not smile as she prepared to tear him up, verbally.


    Unfortunately, a debate was not what Arnold was going to do.


    Miss Kinneson watched as Arnold stood up and had an unsure look on his face. He walked, almost haltingly, around her desk and perched on the edge as he looked into her eyes.


    ¡°I am so very sorry.¡± Arnold said sincerely as he took her hand and gently rubbed the back of it with his thumb. ¡°I never meant to hurt you or cause you to doubt your ability.¡± He slid off the edge of the desk as he reached with his free hand and tucked her greyish brown hair behind her other ear, then he caressed the side of her face. ¡°Such a beautiful creature should never doubt themselves.¡±


    Miss Kinneson stared at the young man as if she had never seen him before. Her heart was beating very loud into the silence that seemed to stretch out between them.


    Arnold let her hand go and he cupped both sides of her face. ¡°A woman of your stature deserves to be loved unconditionally.¡± He leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss. ¡°A man needs to know that making love to someone like you is a privilege.¡±


    Miss Kinneson''s breathing sped up as this young man pretty much pushed all of her buttons, then he kept going and she didn''t stop him, even though she suspected what he was going to do.


    Arnold stood up straight and stood her up as well, then he slowly opened up her top. Miss Kinneson flinched a little when he opened her bra and her secret of a padded bra was revealed. She was an older woman and her breasts, although voluptuous when she was younger, had deflated over time and lost a lot of their mass as she aged. She was nearing sixty and she saw the changes in the mirror every morning.


    ¡°The ravages of time are harsh for those that notice them.¡± Arnold said and then smiled. ¡°I am not one of them.¡±


    To her utter surprise, he mounded up one of her sagging breasts to make it appear to be like a normal breast, then he attacked the nipple with his mouth and tongue. She moaned as he did and her legs became weak. He braced an arm behind her back to hold her up and did the same to her other breast. She reached down and found him to be very ready for her and she quickly undid his pants. Her skirt soon followed and then she was on the desk and he was licking her thoroughly to get her wet.


    Miss Kinneson''s body replied to the attention immediately and then she was staring into Arnold''s intense gaze as he pushed his way into her. She clamped her mouth shut to stop her moans as he worked his way in. He struggled against her body and fought for every inch, because she hadn''t had a man in a very long time. She was almost like a virgin, actually.


    She was so tight that she was a little worried that she would start bleeding and would ruin things, then suddenly the pressure released and he was all the way in. Her body remembered what to do on its own and the handsome young man took her right there on her desk. Her mind fought against her body''s reactions, because she hadn''t been given pleasure like it before.


    Intellectually, she could debate techniques and proper use of a man''s tool. She loved debates like that, because for her she got to speculate on her own reactions and hear about others. She had no clue what to actually do if it ever happened to her... and now she did. She gave herself over to the sensations and let him do whatever he wanted. She did her best to help when she could and his gentle hands eased her back onto the desk to make her relax.


    ¡°Let me do all the work for this, our first time together.¡± Arnold whispered into her ear.


    Miss Kinneson''s whole body tensed up as she had a mind-blowing physical orgasm. Just the implication that it would happen again made her finish, then he made her go again and again as he whispered into her ear all of the things he had learned from her in her class. That he could recite everything like that gave her another mind-blowing orgasm, this time it was a mental one and her brain almost shut down from too much stimulation.


    Arnold stopped moving, as if he sensed her distress, then he gave her several soft kisses. ¡°I know your tolerance now.¡± He whispered into her ear, then he brought her to the edge, over and over and over. Her mind and her body raged with pleasure and her soul soared as he made her his. He used everything he had learned and the aged woman felt like she had when she enjoyed her very first orgasm.


    It hadn''t happened the first time she had sex, oh no. No, it took almost a year before she figured out her own body enough to have an actual orgasm. Over the years, it had been fleeting and few and far between. She had given up having one for years and then lost interest in sex almost completely. Until now.


    Miss Kinneson wanted to do everything. She asked, then pleaded, then begged for him to do everything with her. She wanted to feel it. She wanted to feel it all. Now that she had someone that could do it properly, someone that had no problem with her older body, she wanted him to have all of her, because he deserved it. He had awakened her sexual being and it desired him above all other concerns. Between her moans of pleasure, she told him this.


    Arnold smiled an angelic smile and kissed her passionately.


    She had completely forgotten why she had asked him to come to her office in the first place.


    *


    Heather had been right. It only took a week for the construction crew to strip out and clear the building down to the bare walls and floor, then two weeks to rebuild everything up to her design specs. She had to get more money from Arnold for proper furniture and accessories and he gave her another ten thousand dollars. She kissed him several times, platonically of course, because Janet and Pam were there.


    Fancy-looking desks, chairs, and plants were scattered around the whole building. Paintings and sculptures bought from the Liberal Arts students adorned the waiting area and the main office. They were both cheap and eye catching, perfect for a budget, and the students had free exposure. It had been one of Heather''s more brilliant ideas. She even hired them on the cheap to do up a nice mural for the waiting area.


    Kelly hooked up all of the computers, since she knew a lot about it all. She appreciated Arnold giving her the job, because she could earn a very nice living while going to school. The awkwardness that she had expected to develop between them, never did. Of course, any time she was there, so was either Pam or Janet. Not once was she ever alone with him, except during sociology class. She didn''t know why the teacher was always in a great mood, either. Miss Kinneson didn''t strike Kelly as someone who was always happy, considering the way she had acted during the beginning of the year.


    When the building was finished, Arnold was awarded the remainder of the grant for finishing well under budget, something that the grant committee had never expected, and his personal account grew by thirty-eight thousand and sixty dollars and eighty cents. Annie was absolutely ecstatic at the news.


    The secondary grant was submitted and given to Arnold. He took it right to the bank as soon as he could. To the bank''s surprise, the rolling contract had been increased to two million dollars a year. It was quickly sorted out and Arnold stood up and held a hand out to the accountant.


    ¡°Oh, damn.¡± The woman said and took his hand. ¡°Are we going to repeat what happened before?¡±


    ¡°I want to buy you dinner first.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°We can have room service at the hotel again.¡± She said with a smile and he nodded. They left the bank and she caught her breath when Arnold led her to a very expensive looking car. She ran her hand along the fender and looked at him. ¡°Nice taste.¡±


    ¡°My mother picked it out.¡± Arnold said as he opened the passenger side door and she laughed. She stroked his cheek and climbed in, then he drove them down the street to the hotel. They didn''t stop at the reception desk and went right to the elevator. She hugged his arm, happy that he had prepared for it beforehand, then they enjoyed eating a lavish supper.


    ¡°I have something to ask you.¡± Arnold said after the meal and they walked towards the bed.


    ¡°It must be important.¡± She said as she took off her black blouse that matched her hair. ¡°You should be all over me by now.¡±


    Arnold slid his arms around her and unhooked her bra. ¡°How much do you make at the bank?¡±


    The woman chuckled as he played with her nipples to make them pop out. ¡°Are you going to hire me away?¡±


    Arnold suckled on them for a moment and looked into her eyes. ¡°Unless you can work on the side for me.¡±


    ¡°On a... personal basis?¡± The woman asked with a sexy smile.


    ¡°I need an accountant and someone to handle the payroll for ten months of the year that the computer lab operates.¡± Arnold said and opened up her pants and knelt to pull them and her thong down. He started kissing and licking her down there and she rubbed her hands over his buzz-cut.


    ¡°OH!¡± She gasped as she came. How does he do that so fast every time? She asked herself as he kept licking and sucking for a moment. ¡°How... many...¡±


    ¡°Eleven employees total with you included.¡± Arnold said as he stood up and gave her a kiss. ¡°I have four positions filled and will hire more as I find them.¡±


    ¡°What... is the initial balance?¡±


    ¡°Half of my yearly budget.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Oh, god!¡± She gasped. ¡°That''s an annual gross salary of almost ninety-one thousand dollars!¡±


    ¡°You''ll be responsible for taking out the taxes, fees, social security, and insurance to submit to the proper agencies.¡± Arnold said. ¡°What do you say?¡±


    She knelt down and undid his pants and pulled them down with his underwear. ¡°I''m going to suck this thing as hard as I can.¡± She said and did just that.


    Arnold dug his fingers into her hair and helped her do it. When he felt it was time, he told her and she stopped sucking and leaned back. He stroked himself for barely a second and unloaded himself over her tongue and into her mouth. She stared at him intensely as he gave himself over to her like that, then she decided that she didn''t have to wait for him to finish and started sucking again. He finished coming and she kept sucking. He came again for her only a few minutes later.


    She moved her mouth off of him and stood up. ¡°I''ll submit my resignation tomorrow.¡± She said and laid down on the bed and spread her legs for him. ¡°You know what to do, you magnificent man.¡±


    Arnold gave her an angelic smile and she caught her breath, then he entered her and she absolutely loved that the hour of her being treated like a slut had officially begun.


    *


    The next day, Gail was standing behind the counter at the electronics store and then the man who had wrecked her weeks ago walked into the store.


    Arnold saw her and approached. ¡°Hello, Gail.¡± He said and gave her an angelic smile.


    Gail came just from that and she put a hand down to check her pants. Yep, soaked. She thought as she felt the damp cloth. ¡°What can I do for you today?¡±


    ¡°Would you like to be the secretary for my computer lab?¡±


    ¡°YES!¡± Gail yelled.


    ¡°I haven''t told you about...¡±


    ¡°Fuck that!¡± Gail interrupted. ¡°When can I start?¡±


    ¡°You have to give notice here.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°STEVE!¡± Gail yelled and kept looking at Arnold as the wet stain on her pants started spreading even wider as she remembered the things he did to her.


    Steve came up from the back of the store. ¡°What are you yelling for?¡± He asked and saw Arnold. ¡°Oh, hey guy.¡±


    Arnold nodded to him.


    ¡°I quit.¡± Gail said.


    Steve sighed. ¡°You can''t just quit. You need to put in your two weeks notice...¡±


    ¡°I submitted it two weeks ago. I got my last pay yesterday and only came in today to get my things.¡± Gail said with a grin and Arnold smiled back at her.


    ¡°I didn''t see anything on the manager''s desk.¡± Steve said.


    ¡°His desk is a mess, so I''ll bring my copy of it in tomorrow.¡± Gail said and handed him the keys to the store. ¡°Goodbye, Steve. It''s been okay knowing you.¡±


    Steve let out a chuckle. ¡°Well, at least Nancy''s going to like getting more hours.¡±


    ¡°Arnold, I''ll be right back.¡± Gail said and went to get her things out of her work locker.


    ¡°Hey, man. I hope you''re happy.¡± Steve said. ¡°You''re stealing one of the store''s best workers.¡±


    Arnold gave him a smile and didn''t say anything in response.


    ¡°I got everything. Let''s go.¡± Gail said as she came out of the back room.


    ¡°Jesus, did you piss yourself?¡± Steve asked at the huge wet stain that had blossomed around Gail''s crotch and could easily be seen.


    ¡°I''m just too happy to hold it in.¡± Gail said and took Arnold''s hand. ¡°I brought a plastic bag to sit on, so you don''t have to worry about your car seat.¡±


    ¡°I wasn''t worried.¡± Arnold said. He could smell the familiar smell and knew it wasn''t urine. He gave her a kiss for several seconds, then he left the store with a very happy Gail that practically danced beside him.


    Bokuboy


    I would like to thank you all for reading this, especially the fans and the people who donated, and even the people that don''t like aspects of it and downvote it. At least it gave you something to complain about, right? Ha ha!


    All things considered, it''s been fun. So, thank you. Thank you all.

 Morbid Alternate Universe 105 – 120: Turning Tides Turn Back

    Bokuboy


    Arnold walked over to his house and went inside. ¡°Mom? Kelly?¡± He asked into the silent house.


    ¡°ARNOLD!¡± Two female voices said as one, then Annie appeared from the kitchen and Kelly appeared from the living room and they both tried to hug him at the same time. They ended up hugging each other more than him and the two of them burst out laughing.


    ¡°Mothers first.¡± Kelly said and stepped back.


    Annie gave her a grin and hugged and briefly kissed her son. ¡°Welcome home.¡±


    Kelly took her turn and hugged and kissed him. ¡°Welcome home.¡±


    They both took his hands and led him into the kitchen to give him the first homemade breakfast he had had in a while. It was well balanced with a variety of foods and essential nutrients, so Arnold ate it all.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and gave his mom a quick kiss, then did the same to Kelly.


    ¡°How did you know I helped?¡± Kelly asked, surprised.


    ¡°I asked you to help my mom a long time ago and that''s what you''ve done.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Oh, Arnold!¡± Kelly exclaimed and kissed him passionately.


    Annie let it go on for a full minute before speaking. ¡°On that happy note, I have got to go and buy some groceries.¡±


    ¡°We can all go.¡± Kelly said and stood up.


    ¡°That''s okay. I''m a big girl and I can push a cart all by my lonesome.¡± Annie said with a chuckle. ¡°You two stay here and visit with each other. I''ll be back in a little while.¡±


    Kelly watched Annie grab her keys and walk down the hallway, then the front door opened and shut.


    ¡°We have about three hours before she comes home.¡± Arnold said, which was one of the first times he actually volunteered information and didn''t wait to be asked.


    ¡°Three hours.¡± Kelly said and he nodded. ¡°Then... then we can...¡± She stopped talking and took his hand, then led him up the stairs. They went to his old room, which was also her new room, and she had him sit on the bed. ¡°I''ve been thinking about this for a while now, and...¡± She walked to the side two paces, turned around and walked four paces to the left, then crossed her arms and looked at him. ¡°Arnold, I want to try sex.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and stood up, then stripped off and put his clothes on the chair by the desk. Kelly''s face was red at how quickly he had stripped off in front of her and now she could see all of him. Her body reacted to her mind making the decision and she blushed as she felt warm all over. She didn''t move and Arnold did the same to her and undressed her.


    Kelly trembled a little from excitement, because she had finally decided that this was going to happen, and Arnold kissed her several times and then laid her down on the edge of the bed. He knelt between her legs and got to work preparing her. She moaned as he kissed and licked her all over her special place and then he used a finger. After a few minutes, he used two and tried to stretch the hymen.


    Kelly twitched when he did, which showed that she was going to feel it a lot, and he gave her a few extra licks to distract her. Arnold knew what was going to happen when he tried to put his penis inside of her, so he stood up and sat down beside her.


    ¡°Arnold?¡± Kelly opened her eyes and looked at him. Before she could ask him what was wrong, he spoke.


    ¡°Kelly, this is going to hurt.¡± Arnold said and put a hand on his hardness.


    Kelly let out a sigh. ¡°I know.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve read a lot about it and I also talked to Annie.¡±


    Arnold turned his head to look at her. ¡°I read a lot, too.¡±


    ¡°I''m sure that... I can take it.¡± Kelly said. ¡°She said it would only hurt a little.¡±


    Arnold recalled the words that Doris said and repeated them for her. ¡°Kelly, it could be anything from a light pinch to feeling like being stabbed.¡±


    Kelly gasped and put a hand over her mouth. ¡°R-really?¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°You are really sensitive down there and when I lick your hymen, you really feel it.¡±


    Kelly reluctantly nodded. She really did enjoy it a bit too much. ¡°Arnold, I... I still want to try.¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to hurt you.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly caught her breath and sat up. ¡°Arnold, I... if it does hurt, I forgive you in advance.¡± She said and hugged him, which pressed her bare breasts into his chest. ¡°I love you and I won''t get angry at you. Okay?¡±


    Arnold nodded and Kelly laid back down, then he dug into his backpack and pulled out an unopened box of condoms. The sight of that touched her heart, because it meant that he hadn''t opened them and used some with anyone else.


    ¡°You haven''t had sex with anyone since you broke up with Heather?¡± Kelly whispered.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and put a condom on. He used a tissue to wipe off his hands, then he bent down to kiss her between the legs to get her going again. Kelly squirmed at the intimate attention, then Arnold knelt and placed himself near her opening. Her hymen was only a couple of centimetres from the surface, so it wasn''t going to take long for them to find out if it was going to hurt or not.


    Arnold looked at her face and she nodded. He rubbed himself up and down on her, slicking up the condom a bit more, then he pushed forward slightly. Kelly grit her teeth as she felt the weird pressure, then Arnold pushed a little more. The condom squeezed him down a little, so the tip of him wasn''t as pronounced as it usually was, so he moved in a bit further than if he didn''t have the condom on.


    Kelly grunted at the increased pressure and she gripped the blanket she was on, as Arnold pushed in a bit more, then Kelly felt like something let go between her legs. It was a sting that felt like some had slapped her abdomen hard and Arnold felt her tense up. Arnold took Doris'' advice and didn''t move because of the trickle of blood that seeped out of Kelly''s vagina around the condom.


    Kelly felt relieved that the sting started to fade after a couple of minutes. ¡°Okay, I think... you can...¡±


    Arnold pushed himself all of the way inside of her.


    ¡°OOOOOOHHHHHHHH!¡± Kelly yelled and then moaned very loudly as she came.


    Arnold felt her grip him down there and he waited for her to finish having an orgasm. When she loosened up a little, he slid back out.


    ¡°OOOOOOHHHHHHHH!¡± Kelly yelled and then moaned very loudly as she came again.


    Arnold was surprised at her overreaction and then remembered Doris warning him that Kelly would get a lot more out of sex with him than a normal girl would. He only moved slightly into her again and her moan was more manageable.


    He couldn''t take a full stroke in and out or she would tense up and orgasm, so he did it in starts and stops, trying to find a good rhythm for her to have as much enjoyment as possible while also getting himself off. He knew that she wouldn''t like it if he didn''t finish at least once, not after her having so many orgasms.


    ¡°Arrrnnnooolllld.¡± Kelly moaned and her half-lidded eyes stared at him. ¡°Kissss. Kissss meeee.¡±


    Arnold laid down on top of her and slid inside of her again, changing the angle, and Kelly moaned loudly again and kissed him both lazily and desperately. At this angle, she only tensed up half as much, so he started to do full insertions and paused, then pulled out. Kelly moaned loudly into his mouth and her arms wrapped tightly around his neck to keep him there. Arnold kept moving and Kelly kept moaning and kissing him.


    Kelly''s whole body vibrated as she came, over and over, and her nipples were rock hard and dug into Arnold''s chest. Her mind was flooded with pleasure and her body sang in harmony with the man she loved. She had thought he would be good in bed, especially after he had been with Heather. She had never expected for sex to feel this wonderful with him.


    Kelly broke the kiss and looked into his eyes. ¡°Come... come for me.¡± She whispered, her voice a little hoarse because of her loud moans.


    ¡°I have to move faster.¡± Arnold said.


    Kelly came again, just at that thought. ¡°Ohhhh, god.¡± She moaned and eased her hold around his neck. ¡°Dooo it.¡±


    Arnold gave her a smile that made her heart melt, then he sped up him movements and Kelly''s brain shut right off. All she did was moan and pant as Arnold moved in and out like a machine, especially when he added in the different hip movements that he had learned from Claire.


    ¡°Ohhhh... ohhhh... ohhhh... ohhhh... ohhhh... ohhhh... ohhhh...OHHHHH!¡± Kelly moaned as she came very, very hard. Her body locked up and trapped Arnold inside just in time, because he came as well from the excessive pressure she put on him. Her brain kicked back in a few moments later and she felt something expanding inside of her. She felt very satisfied at the look on Arnold''s face and then he moved up and off of her to pull out.


    ¡°Ohhh.... god.¡± Kelly whimpered and then she caught her breath at the expanded tip of the condom. ¡°How... how did... it not... break?¡±


    Arnold stood up by the bed and carefully pulled it off, tied it, and tossed it into the trash. ¡°They are very pliable.¡± He said and looked down at his girlfriend. By the look on her face, he had made her feel very good and he bent down to give her a kiss.


    Kelly hummed appreciatively and then she watched him walk out of the bedroom to the bathroom across the hall. In her sex-satisfied mind, she hadn''t realized that they had sex with the bedroom door wide open and anyone could have seen them. She also didn''t realize that anyone inside the house would have easily heard her, too.


    Arnold walked back into the room, his erection proceeding him, and saw Kelly''s eyes lock onto it. ¡°We should wait for a bit.¡±


    Kelly frowned and didn''t know why she shouldn''t let him do her again. It felt wonderful and she wanted to do it again.


    Arnold laid down beside her and his hand lightly touched her breast.


    Kelly gasped and shivered at his touch, as if he had shocked her.


    ¡°You are very sensitive all over now, not just down there.¡± Arnold said. ¡°It was a possible effect from how you reacted from just sex.¡±


    Kelly stared at him and didn''t know what to say.


    ¡°We have another two hours before mom comes home.¡± Arnold said and Kelly shivered and came again. ¡°I should get dressed and...¡±


    Kelly''s hand shot out and pressed down on his chest. ¡°N-n-no. You... you stay.¡±


    Arnold nodded and Kelly relaxed. After a few minutes, she rolled over onto her side and most of her body rested against his. She moaned as her breasts pressed into his muscled arm and then she came a little as her abdomen rested against his hip.


    Kelly closed her eyes and stayed there by Arnold''s side, as if trying to get used to it. She hadn''t slept beside him while completely naked before, so it was a whole new experience for her sex-filled brain. She was starting to return to her full faculties as she laid there and held onto her boyfriend... to her lover... and she knew now that she had chosen right.


    ¡°You... you are... mine.¡± Kelly whispered and her breathing started to even out. ¡°All mine.¡± She said, a bit more confident. ¡°Now that we... we went all the way... I don''t want you to masturbate anymore.¡±


    Arnold turned his head to look at her with raised eyebrows.


    Kelly knew what that meant, so she smiled. ¡°We can text and do it together like before, if you want to do it during the week. I would rather you save it for me and we can have sex on the weekends, though.¡±


    ¡°But, what about...¡± Arnold started to say.


    ¡°Please, Arnold. Only me.¡± Kelly said. ¡°If we don''t have time for sex when we get together, we can sneak around a little and masturbate then.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Kelly said and kissed him. It became a bit more passionate and then Arnold was sucking on her very sensitive nipples. She came several times, just from that, and then he had another condom on and he had flipped her over to enter her from behind. ¡°OHHHH FUUUUCCCKKK!¡±


    She sprayed her orgasm out onto the bed beneath them and then Arnold started moving. Her brain shut off again and their second time having sex became one long orgasm for her.


    *


    Annie parked the car in the driveway and was glad that she was finally home. Buying food for three people again was oddly satisfying for her, even if she had to restrict some of her guilty pleasures. She laughed at the thought of having to sneak treats into her own house and opened the car door. She grabbed her keys and stepped out to start ferrying the bags of groceries from the car to the house.


    She didn''t notice the bushes shaking nearby and suddenly there was a large and angry young man turning her around and he grabbed her arms.


    ¡°Where is that murdering bastard?!?¡± Kevin shouted into her face.


    Annie was terrified and didn''t answer.


    Kevin shook her. ¡°WHERE?!?¡±


    Annie screamed at the top of her lungs and the sound carried a very long way, then she spoke a name. ¡°A...a... ARNOOOOLD!¡±


    Kevin was startled by her inarticulate scream and realized that he was hurting her. He hadn''t come there to do that and let her arms go... just in time... because he felt two bare feet slam into the side of his face. He was thrown several feet down the driveway and then felt a heavy weight land on his chest. In the next instant, he was unconscious as elbows rained down onto his head and face. He didn''t even feel them.


    *


    The entire neighbourhood heard Annie scream and they all ran out of their houses to see a tall angry young man shaking her.


    ¡°A...a... ARNOOOOLD!¡± Annie yelled.


    Before everyone could do more than take a few steps towards the altercation, a very naked Arnold drop-kicked the tall young man in the head and then they were on the ground with Arnold slamming his forearms into the criminal''s head.


    They all felt satisfaction at the sight.


    *


    Detective Tanner stood inside her cover and cursed under her breath. She had thought her plan to catch Arnold in a crime was foolproof, except she had used a fool to do it. There was no way she could claim Arnold was the aggressor with a witness right there. However, she could stop the retaliation and claim it was excessive.


    She stood and drew her gun before walking over to the front lawn. Unfortunately, she had taken too long to make her decision and several people, Annie included, had pulled Arnold off of Kevin.


    ¡°He''s not worth it, Arnold.¡± Their neighbour Beth said. ¡°I''ve got it all on my security camera.¡±


    Oh, shit. Detective Tanner thought and slid her gun back into the holster.


    ¡°Detective Tanner.¡± Arnold said as Annie took off her coat to tie around his waist. ¡°You were here earlier and I asked you if anyone was around committing a crime. You lied and said no.¡±


    The entire neighbourhood gave her very angry looks.


    ¡°You shouldn''t have invited him over.¡± Detective Tanner said, trying to cover up her involvement.


    Annie made a growling sound and took out her cell phone. She dialed a number from memory and waited until it clicked. ¡°Hello, Chief Morris. It''s Annie Strickland calling again and Detective Tanner set me up to be sexually assaulted and possibly murdered by Kevin McNally.¡±


    Everyone gasped, even the man on the phone.


    ¡°My son saved me and has beaten the criminal unconscious, even though he was a target as well.¡± Annie said. ¡°Yes, she is right here and accusing my son of inviting McNally to our house, even though we have a restraining order against him.¡±


    ¡°There''s an email and...¡± Tanner tried to say.


    ¡°She''s also planting false evidence about emails that Arnold has never used.¡± Annie said with a grin and all of the neighbours nodded. ¡°He doesn''t have access to a computer here at the house, either. The dozen witnesses around us right now agree with my statement.¡±


    Detective Tanner cursed silently at those words. She had been sure that Arnold would have an online presence, because of the gaming and the video.


    ¡°Yes, sir. This situation is a complete setup. She was here earlier and Arnold confronted her about being here and asked about a possible crime. She denied it and drove away. Now, after Mister McNally started to commit the crime she was waiting for and lied about, she showed up. On foot. No car, no sirens, nothing.¡± Annie said and then she let a grin appear on her face. ¡°I can perform a citizen''s arrest with your permission? Thank you very much, sir. If you can hold on for a moment, I''ll do so.¡±


    Everyone waited as Annie paused and listened.


    ¡°Oh, not a problem. My son will hold the phone and I''ll switch to speaker for you.¡± Annie said and hit the button before passing the phone to her son.


    ¡°Can you hear me?¡± Chief Morris said from the phone that Arnold held out in front of himself.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°Detective Tanner, you are relieved of duty and on suspension. I am charging Annie Strickland to perform a citizen''s arrest on you to detain you while I send a squad car over to take you into custody.¡±


    ¡°Sir, I can explain...¡± Detective Tanner started to say.


    ¡°I''ve already heard your idiotic theories that have no proof, former Detective Tanner.¡± Chief Morris said and a lot of people gasped. ¡°I am ordering you to hand over your handcuffs and to let Miss Strickland apply them to you.¡±


    Detective Tanner sighed and popped open the little holder on her belt to hand the handcuffs to Annie.


    ¡°She''s giving them to me, sir.¡± Annie said and accepted them, then Detective Tanner turned around and held her arms behind herself. The handcuffs were applied and not tightened. ¡°Sir, where would the keys to the cuffs be hidden?¡±


    ¡°Good thinking, Miss Strickland. If they aren''t in the little pocket, they are on her keys or in her pocket.¡± Chief Morris said. ¡°I cannot authorize you to handle the firearm, so leave that for now and have her sit down on the ground. The squad car will be there in a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Annie said and searched the detective. She found two sets of handcuff keys. ¡°Sir, I have both sets of cuff keys.¡±


    ¡°Will the squad car be driven by Officer Hallman?¡± Arnold asked.


    Chief Morris was quiet for several moments. ¡°It was.¡± He said. ¡°I apologize for not checking first and only alerted the car in the area. I''ve changed the assignment and another will be there in ten minutes.¡±


    ¡°What do I do if he shows up anyway?¡± Annie asked.


    ¡°Inform him that Chief Morris has ordered him away. If he doesn''t leave immediately, he will be charged as an accessory to Tanner''s setup of you and your son.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Annie said as a squad car pulled up.


    ¡°It seems Officer Hallman has ignored your order.¡± Arnold said as the officer got out of the car.


    Annie pointed to the cell phone and repeated the chief''s order.


    ¡°Annie, you can''t threaten a police officer like that.¡± Officer Hallman said. ¡°I''m only here to make sure that you''re okay and...¡±


    ¡°...hand over your handcuffs to Miss Strickland, Officer Hallman.¡± Chief Morris said loudly from the phone. ¡°I charged her with placing Tanner under arrest and she warned you if you didn''t leave immediately.¡±


    ¡°S-sir?¡± Officer Hallman said, his voice unsure.


    ¡°You will be held as an accessory to Tanner''s crimes, since you perpetuated the danger that Miss Strickland and her son have been in.¡± Chief Morris said. ¡°Now hand over your cuffs and sit beside Tanner. The actual assigned car will be there in a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Sir, I was only...¡± Officer Hallman started to defend himself.


    ¡°Either hand over the cuffs or you can kiss your job goodbye right now.¡± Chief Morris said with venom in his voice. ¡°The both of you have messed with that family too much to let it go. I''ve already contacted IA and I''m sure that your actions show a blatant bias against having anyone protecting that family.¡±


    Officer Hallman sighed and handed Annie his cuffs. ¡°Annie, I''m sorry that...¡±


    ¡°It''s MISS Strickland, you ignorant asshole.¡± Annie said and slammed the cuffs on his wrists. ¡°How many times do I have to tell you to never call me by my first name and to stay away from me and my family?¡± She asked and pushed him down to sit on the grass. ¡°How. Many. Times?¡±


    Officer Hallman didn''t say anything in response.


    ¡°I''ll be going to the courthouse again on Monday to get restraining orders against the both of you and if I can swing it, your associates. I don''t want anyone that knows you anywhere near us.¡± Annie said and glared at him. ¡°Do you hear me THIS time, officer? DO YOU?!?¡±


    Officer Hallman sighed. ¡°Yes, Annie.¡±


    Annie reacted immediately and slapped the man''s face. ¡°SHUT YOUR MOUTH!¡± She yelled and everyone winced as her slap formed a red mark on the man''s face. ¡°I just told you to NEVER call me by my first name! Are you a fucking idiot?¡±


    ¡°Hallman, remain quiet. I am ordering you to never speak the victim''s name ever again.¡± Chief Morris said. ¡°I suspected that you have been obsessing over her, with the odd talk in the squad room; but, I never expected you to be so blatant about ignoring a victim''s pleas to leave her alone and right in front of her, her family, and a dozen witnesses.¡±


    Officer Hallman seemed to realize that the chief was right, because he chose to look around and saw a dozen pairs of accusing eyes staring at him. He sighed and closed his eyes. He had really screwed up this time.


    Another squad car pulled up and two police officers stepped out, saw the scene, and weren''t sure what to do about it. Just then, an ambulance siren cut through the air and the vehicle appeared at the end of the street.


    ¡°The ambulance is to check you, your son, and the assailant. In that order.¡± Chief Morris said. ¡°If he needs the hospital, I''ll have an officer waiting for him there.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Chief Morris.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°It''s about time I stepped in to clean up this mess.¡± Chief Morris admitted. ¡°I''ve been too busy with other things to deal with this directly until now.¡±


    ¡°It was just to blatant to ignore any longer.¡± Arnold said and the man signed on the phone. ¡°Mom? Who do you want to control the phone?¡±


    ¡°I''ll do it.¡± Beth said and took it as the ambulance parked and the paramedics jumped out to run up the driveway.


    ¡°Thanks, Beth.¡± Annie said and then the whole situation hit her when the paramedics started to check her. She burst out crying and it wouldn''t stop. She kept crying as they made sure that she wasn''t too physically hurt, made note of the excessive bruising on her arms where the assailant grabbed her roughly and the witnesses said she was shaken violently.


    ¡°She''s suffering from shock.¡± One of the paramedics said and looked at Arnold. ¡°Do you know how to...¡±


    ¡°Yes. I will take care of her after you clean my arms off.¡± Arnold said.


    The paramedic smiled and nodded, then did as Arnold asked. Luckily, he didn''t have any abrasions and the blood was the assailant''s. When his arms were cleaned and dried off, Arnold took his mother into his arms and held her tenderly. Annie kept crying and he whispered how he was going to take care of everything and she would never be afraid again.


    The neighbours felt their hearts go out to the Strickland family. Annie''s anguish and Arnold''s stoicism to defend her, made them all feel sorry and proud at the same time.


    Kevin was checked next and they worked on him for about ten minutes before going to get the stretcher. He was still unconscious and Arnold told them how long it had been before they showed up. That surprised everyone, especially Detective Tanner and Officer Hallman. The paramedics thanked him for the information and then the ambulance left.


    The chief ordered the two new officers to take Detective Tanner into custody in their car and to take Officer Hallman into custody in his car, then to drive both vehicles back.


    ¡°They''re gone, sir.¡± Beth said as the two police cars left.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Chief Morris said and then sighed, because he could still hear Annie crying. ¡°Tell the Stricklands that I''ll do my best to make sure that they won''t be bothered again.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Beth said. ¡°Goodbye, chief. I''ll be sure to vote for you next year.¡±


    The chief chuckled and then coughed. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Beth hung the cell phone up and walked over to Arnold. ¡°You better take her inside. Standing around here any longer won''t help her.¡±


    Arnold nodded and put the cell phone into Annie''s jacket that was still wrapped around his waist. He turned to coax Annie into walking and brought her to the front door of the house. It opened without him touching it and they saw Kelly standing there, tears flowing down her face, and wrapped in a bed sheet.


    Now we know why Arnold was naked. Beth thought, as did a lot of the neighbours.


    *


    ¡°I''ll get the bath going.¡± Kelly said and shut the front door before locking it. She ignored her own tears and gave Annie a quick hug. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± She said to Arnold and then she went up the stairs to discard the sheet and started the bath. She quickly washed herself up in the sink just enough to be comfortable and dressed in her old clothes, then she went back downstairs. She knew the bath took five minutes to fill and she motioned to take Annie from him.


    Annie let out a howl of anguish when Arnold started to let her go, so he shook his head at Kelly and he went upstairs with Annie to the bath. Kelly thought about following, then decided that she didn''t want to interfere with Arnold trying to deal with Annie''s emotional breakdown. She had seen her friend close to that before and this was quite a bit worse, in her opinion.


    Today had been the last straw for Annie''s composure, and Kelly regretted that it happened and didn''t want to miss anything else. So, her decision made, she went up the stairs as quietly as possible and sat down just beside the bathroom door.


    *


    Arnold dropped the jacket around his waist and he stripped Annie''s clothes off. She clung to him as she cried, making it a little difficult to do. He took his time and turned off the water when the tub was nearly full. When he was done removing Annie''s clothes, her crying had reduced to soft hiccuping and the river of tears had slowed to a trickle.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Mom.¡± Arnold said and carefully stepped into the tub with her, then he sat them down and held her tightly. ¡°I''ll take care of everything.¡±


    ¡°A-A-Arnold, I... the car...¡±


    ¡°I''ll get the groceries later.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°F-frozen... things.¡± Annie whispered.


    ¡°Already melted.¡± Arnold said. ¡°We can send the bill for the ruined food to the police station and they can get it from Tanner.¡±


    Annie couldn''t stop her huff and then she hugged him tighter. ¡°Why? Why would she do this to us?¡±


    ¡°She''s hunting me.¡± Arnold said. ¡°Probably since the morgue and I didn''t react to dad''s death.¡±


    Annie shook her head. ¡°What a stupid reason. You didn''t react because you''re you.¡± She said and her hand slid over his chest and the well-formed pectoral muscles that were partially covered in bubbles.


    Arnold nodded. ¡°She doesn''t see it that way.¡±


    ¡°She''s an idiot.¡± Annie said and rested her head on his shoulder. Playing with the bubbles on Arnold''s chest was oddly fascinating and she kept doing it. ¡°If she talked to anyone, they would have told her what you''re like.¡±


    ¡°She might ignore that for her own needs and think I''m only reserved.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie almost barked a laugh. ¡°Then she''s a stupid idiot. No one would ever say you''re reserved if they knew you.¡±


    Arnold nodded and they laid there for several minutes without saying anything.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Annie whispered. ¡°Why were you naked when I screamed for help?¡±


    ¡°I just finished having sex with Kelly.¡± Arnold admitted.


    Annie caught her breath. ¡°You... you really...¡±


    ¡°Yes. She''s very sensitive and I took my time with her.¡± Arnold said.


    Annie didn''t really want to know about that part. ¡°Did you use protection?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Even first time sex can result in pregnancy. We did it twice, so the chances were doubled.¡±


    Annie sighed. ¡°Did you at least do it in a bed?¡±


    ¡°Yes, mine. Or Kelly''s. Is she still living here?¡± Arnold asked.


    ¡°Not officially.¡± Annie said. ¡°After the house was wrecked, her parents are a bit reluctant to let her live here for the rest of the summer.¡±


    Arnold nodded. ¡°We can''t convince them after this.¡±


    Annie sighed again. ¡°No, if the others decide to come here after you again, it''s not safe.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, Mom. I told you that I''ll take care of it.¡±


    Annie stiffened slightly at his words. ¡°A-Arnold, you... you don''t mean...¡±


    ¡°Mom.¡± Arnold said and Annie lifted her head to look into his eyes. ¡°Your arms are severely bruised and he attacked you. I will not let that happen again.¡±


    ¡°Arnold... you... you can''t just...¡±


    ¡°Why not? No one else is stopping them. The cops let them run around without supervision and Tanner brought Kevin here to get us.¡± Arnold said and Annie closed her eyes. ¡°Are they going to stop now that they might lose their jobs?¡±


    Annie shook her head. ¡°No, they... they will want to get us even more because of it.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said. ¡°They will be desperate to get revenge on us now and they know how to do it.¡±


    Annie sucked in a sharp breath and her eyes snapped open. ¡°Kelly!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said again. ¡°If she''s back home, we can''t protect her properly. Heather would have told them all how pathetic her father is with confrontations.¡±


    Annie was quiet for a minute. ¡°We don''t have a valid argument to keep her here with us, not for her parents to believe it, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Her father is too possessive to let her go without an extensive argument.¡± Arnold said. ¡°He doesn''t even want me to kiss her. When he finds out we had sex...¡±


    ¡°...he''s going to freak out and will try to break you up.¡± Annie finished.


    Kelly stood up and stepped into the open doorway. ¡°Then we fake breaking up.¡±


    ¡°Kelly!¡± Annie gasped and tried to cover herself up, even though the bubbles already covered her.


    ¡°It''s the best way.¡± Kelly said and ignored Annie trying, and failing, to recover the concealing bubbles her movements pushed away. ¡°Dad will be happy and we can spread the word around and make sure it gets to everyone that needs to know.¡±


    Annie gave her a sad look. ¡°Kelly, you don''t know what that will mean.¡±


    ¡°It will keep me safer, won''t it?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°You, yes.¡± Annie said and turned her head to look at Arnold. ¡°Arnold will be left alone and everyone will believe he''s single.¡±


    Kelly sighed. ¡°I know; but, as long as he keeps his word...¡±


    ¡°He lives in a dorm full of women that are only kept at bay because he has a girlfriend.¡± Annie reminded her. ¡°What is his life going to be like if they think he''s single?¡±


    Kelly caught her breath. ¡°I... I didn''t think about that.¡±


    ¡°No one but me does.¡± Annie said and lightly stroked Arnold''s face. ¡°My beautiful little boy can''t be left vulnerable, even if it''s only a ruse.¡±


    Kelly sighed. ¡°What do we do?¡±


    ¡°We keep going like we are.¡± Annie said and turned her head back to Kelly. ¡°We''ll try to have you over as much as possible, so that everyone will know you''re still together and that I want you to be a part of this family.¡±


    Kelly wasn''t sure why that made her feel all warm inside. It wasn''t like she hadn''t known about it before. She looked from Annie to Arnold and saw that they were completely relaxed together, naked in a tub, and just holding each other. Then it hit her. She wanted that. That thing right in front of her. The relaxed comfort of someone that loved her so much that nothing else mattered to them except her.


    Kelly walked over to the tub and knelt beside it. ¡°Okay.¡± She said and took Annie''s bubble covered hand. ¡°I''ll do what I can to be here as much as possible.¡± She smiled. ¡°My father is going to be so sick of me making excuses to come over here that he won''t even blink when I mention you.¡±


    Annie snorted and then laughed. Her hand gripped Kelly''s and she nodded. ¡°We''ll both do what we can to be here for Arnold.¡±


    Kelly nodded back. ¡°I''ll go check on the groceries and leave you to your relaxing bath.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Annie said and let her hand go. ¡°Ignore the melted frozen things, unless it''s the chocolate ice cream. The middle should still be good.¡±


    Kelly chuckled. ¡°I''ll try to rescue what I can for us to have later.¡±


    ¡°Good girl.¡± Annie said and smiled.


    Kelly stood up and dried her hand off, then left the bathroom.


    ¡°How much did she hear of what we talked about?¡± Annie asked Arnold.


    ¡°All of it.¡± Arnold said and Annie looked surprised.


    ¡°A-Arnold...¡±


    ¡°If she had a problem with what I said, she would have mentioned it.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°But... you said...¡±


    ¡°She knows we have no other choice.¡± Arnold said and hugged her close. ¡°It''s we deal with it or we deal with being attacked at random times for however long they are out there.¡±


    Annie sighed and snuggled into her son. ¡°I love you, Arnold.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Arnold said and the two of them stayed in the tub for quite some time.


    *


    The next day passed quickly, much quicker than either Annie or Kelly wanted it to. Unfortunately, they spent the time together, because of the incident the day before. Arnold and Kelly couldn''t sneak off to have sex or to play with each other.


    Annie drove the both of them to the bus stop and parked. ¡°I''m sorry I didn''t let you hide somewhere today and have sex.¡±


    Kelly gasped and Arnold smiled.


    ¡°Yes, I know you wanted to. I''m not ignorant.¡± Annie said with a smile that matched Arnold''s. ¡°I just... I wanted you both as close as possible before we were forced to be apart.¡±


    ¡°I love you, Mom.¡± Arnold said and leaned over to give her a light kiss. ¡°If I''m not working, I can make Kelly scream in pleasure next weekend.¡±


    ¡°Arnold!¡± Kelly gasped and blushed hard.


    Annie laughed and reached into the backseat to take Kelly''s hand. ¡°You know he says what he means.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but... that doesn''t mean it''s not embarrassing to hear it.¡±


    ¡°You need to get used to it.¡± Annie said and let her hand go. ¡°I won''t make Arnold change his behavior. He''s been through enough in his life without me telling him to be quiet... which I will never do.¡± She reached over to cup the side of his face. ¡°You keep saying the truth and I''ll keep loving you with all my heart, just like I always have.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and kissed the palm of her hand as the bus appeared at the end of the street. ¡°I need to go.¡±


    ¡°We''ll see you soon.¡± Annie said and Arnold got out of the car with his bag.


    Kelly stepped out and gave him a kiss. ¡°Bye, Arnold.¡±


    ¡°Bye.¡± Arnold said and walked over to the bus stop. He stepped onto the bus when it came to a stop and the driver greeted him warmly.


    ¡°Hey, kid. Did your mom like having you there the whole weekend again?¡±


    ¡°I saved her from being assaulted.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Jesus, kid! What happened?¡± The driver asked.


    Arnold swiped his bus pass and sat down on the seat by the driver and told him the whole story.


    ¡°Goddamn.¡± The driver said and glanced at Arnold''s face briefly. ¡°I hope you made him pay for it.¡±


    Arnold let a smile out on his face as he nodded.


    ¡°Good for you.¡± The driver said with satisfaction in his voice. They shared a light conversation for the entire two hour drive back to the college. It was something that the driver had come to enjoy during these long treks. He could talk or stay quiet as much as he wanted and his passenger accommodated his whims. ¡°Well, good luck at work this week, kid.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arnold said and stepped off the bus with his backpack. He crossed the deserted street, since it was pretty late at night, and went to the dorm building he stayed in. He took the stairs, because the elevator was quite loud when there weren''t a lot of ambient sounds around to cover it up.


    He entered his dorm room after crossing the completely silent hallway, and closed and locked his door. He stripped off his clothing and changed for bed, then laid down and stared at the ceiling. He had a few plans in his head that he would need to work out before he could sleep.


    *


    Kevin woke up in the hospital and didn''t know where he was, just that it was dark. When he lifted a hand to touch his very painful face, his hand stopped after a few inches with a clink. He blinked his eyes and looked at his handcuffed wrist and sighed.


    Fuck! Kevin thought, angrily. The rotten bastard beat me again!


    ¡°Kevin?¡± A woman''s voice asked from the darkness beside the bed.


    ¡°Mom?¡± Kevin asked back and he turned his head that way as she leaned forward to give him a hug.


    ¡°Why?¡± His mother asked. ¡°Why did you assault that woman?¡±


    ¡°I... I didn''t mean to. I went there after Arnold and she wouldn''t tell me where he was.¡±


    His mother shook her head as she let him go. ¡°Kevin...¡±


    ¡°He killed Brad and Jake!¡± Kevin said and she gasped.


    ¡°Kevin!¡± She said his name harshly. ¡°Stop saying such nonsense!¡±


    ¡°Mom...¡± Kevin started to say.


    ¡°Jake was a tragic accident. They even showed the pictures in the paper. He fell and hit his head and his blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit.¡± Kevin''s mother said. ¡°I''m surprised he could even stand while being that drunk.¡± She caught her breath and sighed. ¡°I guess he didn''t, actually.¡±


    ¡°Mom...¡±


    ¡°About your other friend... no one has said anything officially about what happened with Brad... but... there are rumors.¡± His mom said, not really comfortable talking about it with her son. ¡°He was... trying to... force sex on his supervisor.¡±


    Kevin looked at her with surprise on his face. ¡°Brad wasn''t forcing it!¡±


    His mom caught her breath. ¡°You knew he was...¡± She shook her head. ¡°You better keep your mouth shut if you know what happened to him.¡± She said in warning. ¡°If the police knew you knew about it, I think they would have some very hard questions for you to answer.¡±


    ¡°Mom, it''s not like that.¡± Kevin said. ¡°They were...¡±


    ¡°I don''t care what you think it was like between them.¡± His mom said and cut him off. ¡°If you mention it to anyone, the trouble you''re in now will be that much worse if they connect you to yet another crime!¡±


    Kevin looked at the handcuffs that secured his wrist.


    ¡°I''m supposed to tell them when you wake up, so they can take you to jail.¡± His mom said and leaned back into the darkness. ¡°Go back to sleep and I can pretend that you didn''t wake up.¡±


    ¡°Mom...¡±


    ¡°At least close your eyes in case they look in and see you.¡± His mother said as she took his hand and he closed his eyes. ¡°This may be the last bit of being outside that you... are going to have... for a while.¡± She sniffed and let out a soft sob, and Kevin felt really bad about making his mother cry. He didn''t sleep a wink all night and neither did she.


    *


    Arnold got up in the morning, had a quick shower, and left his room. He greeted the girls in the hallway and they all said good morning back to him. He waved at Doris as he passed through the lobby and she waved back. She would have hugged him if she didn''t have two students in front of her desk asking questions.


    Arnold went to work and it was a normal day, so he had the lab set up quickly and sat to wait for everyone else to show up.


    ¡°Ah, good morning.¡± Professor Crenslav said as he entered the lab. ¡°You always have everything ready for me. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°It''s my job.¡± Arnold said and he laughed.


    ¡°You''re very good at it, my young friend.¡± Hamil said and sat down as he took out his teaching notes. The other assistants entered and greeted them both, then assumed their positions before the students showed up. The morning passed quickly and Arnold ate lunch with Amy and her friends, like he did most days. He had the afternoon off, so he went back to the dorm building and Doris was still busy. He waved and went up the stairs to go to his dorm room.


    Arnold greeted the girls there that were going back to class and they greeted him back. With no one else in the hallway, he entered his dorm and closed the door. He had books and a few periodicals to read for both Professor Crenslav and Professor Power, so he stripped his suit off to keep it clean and sat at the little table with just his underwear on to start reading


    When classes ended for the day, Arnold stood up from the table and opened his dorm room door, then he made up a quick meal to eat for supper. He knew the girls would be coming back soon and opening their own doors, so he did as well, just so they would know he was there.


    A short time later, Janet and Pam walked up the hallway and Janet stopped to open their dorm room while Pam kept walking and went right over to Arnold''s room and saw that he was eating.


    ¡°Arnold, can I talk to you?¡± Pam asked and he nodded. She turned around and started to shut the door, which caught the attention of everyone in the hallway.


    A few of them started to walk over to put their ears by the door to listen and Janet stepped in front of them.


    Pam smiled and closed the door, then walked over to Arnold. ¡°I''m sorry for the way I acted the other day.¡± She said and sat down on the other chair at the small table. ¡°I know Janet already apologized for me; but, I wanted to say it myself.¡±


    Arnold kept eating and didn''t say anything.


    ¡°I was angry at you for something that I had no right to be angry about.¡± Pam said. ¡°Like Janet said, it''s your money and you can do what you want with it.¡±


    Arnold nodded and kept eating.


    ¡°I''m sorry that I didn''t help you... masturbate.¡± Pam said and remembered what he did with Janet. ¡°If I''d known...¡± She sighed. ¡°No, I can''t make that excuse after the fact. I should have kept my word and I didn''t.¡±


    ¡°Do I have to keep mine?¡± Arnold asked and looked at her.


    Pam knew exactly what he meant. ¡°Arnold, I... I would like for you to... but...¡± She sighed again. ¡°No, you don''t have to have sex with me first if you and Kelly break up.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and finished eating, then took his plate to the sink and washed it.


    ¡°Can I help you masturbate?¡± Pam asked, hopeful that she could still participate in some capacity.


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said, because Kelly had told him that he couldn''t do that anymore.


    Pam stopped her sigh this time. ¡°I guess that''s fair.¡± She said and stood up. She gave him a sad look, because she was sure that she had messed up something that could have been great. ¡°See you later.¡±


    Arnold nodded and Pam opened the door.


    ¡°Thanks for running interference for me.¡± Pam said to Janet and the two of them walked down the hallway to their dorm room.


    ¡°How did it go?¡± Janet asked as she opened their door.


    ¡°About how I thought it would.¡± Pam said and they stepped inside to shut the door.


    Arnold cleaned up his dishes and washed his hands, then went back to reading at the kitchen table.


    Janet and Pam came out of their room a short time later. Pam gave Arnold a sad look and left while Janet stood in the hallway. She had a brief conversation with Cynthia from the room next to hers and they left together.


    Arnold kept reading until Janet made an appearance.


    ¡°Hi, Arnold.¡± Janet said and closed the door of his room. ¡°I''m sorry about Pam.¡±


    Arnold looked up from his book and didn''t say anything.


    Janet sighed. ¡°I know, it doesn''t mean much, does it?¡± She asked and unbuttoned her jeans and let them fall to the floor. ¡°I didn''t realize for a long time that actions speak louder than words.¡± She said and pulled off her t-shirt, then she unhooked her bra and took it off before she slipped off her panties. ¡°So, here I am, Arnold. Look at all of me.¡± She said and slowly turned around. ¡°I''m here to offer this to you.¡±


    Arnold raised his eyebrows at her, which was his equivalent of a shout. ¡°I have a girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°I know, and I know it''s not really fair to say that you can have sex with me whenever you want.¡± Janet said and looked at the bulge in his underwear. ¡°Your body knows I''m serious.¡±


    Arnold''s mind replayed what his mother had said about the girls in the dorm taking advantage of him if they thought he was single. He wasn''t single and they were still doing things like this.


    ¡°I can''t have sex with anyone else except Kelly.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I know.¡± Janet said and knelt by his side as her hands reached for his underwear. ¡°We can still masturbate and...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said and she froze.


    Janet took a deep breath and let it out as her hands dropped. ¡°I thought... with everything that...¡±


    ¡°I can''t do that anymore. I don''t want to be taken advantage of.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I understand.¡± Janet said and nodded. She stood up and pulled her underwear back on and then her bra. She thought about everything that happened and she had to admit to herself that it really had been too good to be true, just like she thought. When she was fully dressed, she turned to look at him. ¡°We... we can still be friends, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arnold said and she nodded again.


    ¡°See you later.¡± Janet said and walked over to his door.


    *


    ¡°What do you think they''re doing in there?¡± Cynthia asked in a whisper. ¡°Janet''s been in there for a while.¡±


    ¡°The door''s locked, too.¡± Emily whispered back.


    ¡°How do you know... never mind.¡± Cynthia responded. ¡°Do you think they''re... you know...¡±


    ¡°From everything I''ve heard, Arnold wouldn''t cheat on his...¡± Another girl started to say when the door opened and Janet almost walked into them.


    ¡°Thanks for giving us privacy.¡± Janet said with a roll of her eyes and ignored their surprised faces as she walked through them. She had to get to her room and start on the homework that she needed to get done for the next day''s classes.


    Arnold went back to reading and ignored the group of girls that slowly dispersed and went back to their rooms. He made it through the book from Professor Power and he looked forward to her lesson tomorrow to show her that he had learned it. He also had to tell her that he couldn''t help her masturbate anymore and he wasn''t sure what she was going to say about it.


    He went to bed that night, slept well, and got up the next morning. After a quick shower and dressing in the suit set aside for that day, he went to work and it was another fast morning. At lunch, he ate with Amy''s friends again.


    ¡°I''m tempted to invite you over to my house to watch a movie.¡± Cissily said, completely out of the blue. The other girls just stared at her.


    ¡°I have an appointment with Professor Power after supper.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Oh, that bitch!¡± Cissily said angrily and the girls at the table laughed. ¡°If she wasn''t so good at her job, people wouldn''t tolerate her ''holier than thou'' attitude!¡±


    ¡°You just can''t stand that she''s got milky white legs that go on forever.¡± Maxine said with a grin. ¡°While your thunderous black skinned ones...¡±


    ¡°If you dare try to finish that fucking sentence, I''ll cram my fist so far up your hoohah that you''ll be able to taste my fingers from inside your mouth.¡± Cissily said in a deadly voice, and the other girls laughed.


    ¡°I don''t think that''s physically possible.¡± The black woman with the dreadlocks said. ¡°It''s a great threat, though.¡±


    ¡°That''s the point.¡± Cissily said and they laughed again. They all ate their food and shared conversation that was practically meaningless to anyone except them, since they referenced things that only they knew and used some slang that was also a local variety and wasn''t common knowledge. When they were done, Cissily turned to Arnold.


    ¡°Any night you want to come over and visit, you let me know.¡± Cissily said.


    ¡°Hey, what about us?¡± Amy asked.


    ¡°You bitches can come, too.¡± Cissily said and squinted her eyes at them. ¡°Unless you decide not to.¡±


    Maxine laughed. ¡°Uh huh. You let us know when he takes you up on the offer and we''ll see if we''re available to join you.¡±


    Cissily nodded understanding, because she knew they would pretty much tease her relentlessly if she did tell her friends to fuck off when Arnold came over. If he came over. She corrected. I hope he comes over. She thought and looked at him. ¡°I''ll see you tomorrow.¡±


    Arnold nodded and left the cafeteria. He took instruction from Professor Crenslav in the biology department for the afternoon, ate in the cafeteria for supper, and went to his appointment with Professor Power.


    Felicia couldn''t hide her reaction to seeing him after him being away all weekend. ¡°Arnold, I''m so glad that...¡±


    Arnold handed her the book. ¡°My girlfriend said that I can''t help you masturbate anymore.¡±


    Felicia gasped and put a hand over her mouth. ¡°You... did you tell...¡±


    ¡°No. She said I can''t masturbate at all, now that we''re having sex.¡±


    Felicia let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Oh, thank god.¡± She whispered and then went to the shelf of her favorite books. ¡°This is the last book and our private sessions were soon going to come to an end anyway.¡±


    Arnold took the textbook called ''Masters Of Chemistry'' and it was several inches thick. After he read it, he would have all of the important knowledge that she could teach him, besides some miscellaneous information.


    Felicia was both proud and sad about that, because he had learned so much from her in such a short time and she wouldn''t feel his wonderful tongue between her legs anymore. Her biggest regret was that she hadn''t wrapped her body around his magnificent manhood when she had the chance. Only getting to suck on it seemed to pale in comparison, now that she thought about it.


    Arnold stayed there for an hour as she asked him a bunch of questions about the previous book and then he left her to go back to his dorm. Doris wasn''t busy and he went over to her.


    ¡°Hey, handsome.¡± Doris said and gave him a quick kiss. ¡°How was work today?¡±


    ¡°Fast.¡± Arnold said. ¡°This is the last chemistry book I need to read, too.¡±


    ¡°Good for you!¡± Doris said and pat his shoulders. ¡°You''re going to find it odd with having some evenings free.¡±


    Arnold shrugged and she chuckled.


    ¡°You are the last one for roll call, so I''m heading home. If you need anything, my house is just off of campus. Call me and I''ll come running.¡± Doris said and then laughed softly. ¡°Well, I''ll come walking. If I ran, I wouldn''t be much help to you afterwards!¡±


    Arnold nodded and bent down to give her a hug. He buried his face into her cleavage, just how she liked it, and Doris hugged him tenderly.


    ¡°You''re a good boy, Arnold.¡± Doris said and he let her go. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    Arnold gave her a three second kiss. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    Doris smiled at him and they went their separate ways.


    Arnold went to the elevator and rode it up to the top floor. Most of the doors were closed and he walked down the hallway. No one reacted to him passing by until he reached his dorm room and Emily came out from the room next to his.


    ¡°Arnold.¡± Emily said as Arnold unlocked his door. ¡°If... if I asked you to have sex with me right now, with no strings attached and your girlfriend wouldn''t find out, would you do it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Arnold said. He didn''t say that he didn''t want to be taken advantage of, because he was sure that she knew that. She listened at his door a lot.


    Emily took a breath and let it out. ¡°All right.¡± She said, sadly. She stepped back into her room and slowly closed her door. She had tried too many times, all unsuccessfully, to gain his attention. This last attempt was too blatant of a rejection for her to think that Arnold would ever pay her any attention. She had no clue that wasn''t how Arnold''s mind worked.


    The rest of the week passed by and Arnold was quite busy and didn''t really have to avoid the advances from the girls because he didn''t have the time to do anything personal all week. The girls had seen and heard, about Pam''s, Janet''s, and Emily''s failed attempts at trying to get around Arnold''s girlfriend restrictions. A lot of the girls had taken Janet aside individually and grilled her over what she and Pam had done to have Arnold react differently to them.


    Janet wasn''t stupid enough to tell them what had happened and she also didn''t try to get Arnold alone to apologize again. Emily had freely admitted to asking him directly to have sex and he refused, so they all accepted that he loved his girlfriend too much to ignore her, or break up with her, just for them.


    When Arnold did have spare time, he sat at the kitchenette table in his underwear and read the biggest chemistry book that any of the girls had ever seen. He never spoke, either. He quietly sat there and let them see him in just his underwear, a constant temptation for them, and someone they knew would probably always be out of their reach.


    On Friday afternoon, Arnold was dressed nicely and had his backpack packed, then rode the bus all the way back home. He then took the local buses to the street a few streets away from his own and walked the rest of the way. He didn''t see Detective Tanner''s car or a patrol car anywhere. He also quickly went around the house and looked for anyone waiting for him. No one was there.


    ¡°I''m home!¡± Arnold said loudly after he opened the front door.


    There were two shouts of surprise and then Annie and Kelly ran out of the kitchen and almost tackled him. They didn''t bother taking turns hugging him this time and just held each other and him at the same time.


    ¡°If you didn''t realize it Arnold, we missed you.¡± Annie said and Kelly laughed softly.


    ¡°How was work?¡± Kelly asked. ¡°I hope they aren''t doing too much for you to handle.¡±


    ¡°It''s easy.¡± Arnold said. Once he had seen the different setups a few times, he could recreate them for any biological sample the students would be working on.


    ¡°I''m very glad to hear that.¡± Annie said. ¡°Come into the living room and tell us all about what you did this week.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and dropped off his backpack in the hallway before going with them and sitting on the couch. Annie sat on one side of him and Kelly sat on the other, both cuddled in, and listened to what Arnold went through all week. The chemistry book was a chore to listen to and Annie''s eyes glazed over, which made Kelly laugh.


    ¡°Maybe a little less specific content when it comes to things like that, unless it''s just me. I understood most of that.¡± Kelly said.


    Arnold nodded and filled in the rest of the things he did. He said it was mostly a normal work week and nothing specific happened to stand out.


    ¡°Well, that''s good in a way.¡± Annie said. ¡°I just wish the professor was pushing you to learn more.¡±


    ¡°I''ve read almost everything he has, even the periodicals.¡± Arnold said. ¡°I''m refining my techniques when he instructs me during some of the afternoons.¡±


    ¡°Then you''re getting all you can out of him that he''s willing to teach you, then.¡± Kelly said and a beeping sound came from the kitchen. ¡°Supper''s ready.¡±


    ¡°Kelly did most of it herself.¡± Annie said, proudly.


    ¡°Annie told me what to do.¡± Kelly said as the three of them stood. ¡°We prepped everything and it''s been slow cooking since this morning.¡±


    Arnold nodded and the three of them went to the kitchen and sat down to eat a tasty meal of chicken and vegetables.


    ¡°Say, why don''t we go to the movies?¡± Kelly asked. ¡°We haven''t done anything like that yet.¡±


    ¡°I guess that''s my cue to get out of the way.¡± Annie said with a laugh.


    Kelly shook her head and put a hand on hers. ¡°I said ''we'', not Arnold and I.¡±


    ¡°If it''s your first date, you can''t expect me to go along.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°Prom was technically our first date.¡± Kelly said with a grin. ¡°Do you really think having a couple hundred other people along and then a bunch of friends eating afterwards made any difference to us?¡±


    Annie had to laugh at that. ¡°All right, you don''t have to twist my arm.¡± She touched Arnold''s hand. ¡°That''s a verbal cue and not to actually be done physically.¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°We better get changed.¡± Kelly said and stood. ¡°I''m not going out looking like this.¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong with casual slob?¡± Annie asked, because she was wearing a near identical outfit of jogging pants and loose t-shirt.


    ¡°Nothing... if we were staying at home and cuddling Arnold. No one else gets to see me like this.¡± Kelly said with a smile.


    Annie snorted. ¡°Okay, that''s a good point. If anyone else was going to be here instead of you two, I would at least put on my comfy jeans.¡±


    ¡°You found another pair?¡± Arnold asked, because he knew she lost most of her clothing because of the house incident. The small amount she managed to save was still partially contaminated and had to be thrown out. Once fabric absorbed some fecal matter and rotting compost, there was almost nothing that could save it, no matter how many times you cleaned and washed it.


    ¡°I did and they are really comfy!¡± Annie said and led them out of the kitchen. ¡°I''ll put them on tonight and show them off.¡±


    ¡°You''re not going to wear them for the movie?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°Oh, no. My comfy jeans are for house relaxing only! When they go on, I am doing absolutely nothing until they come off!¡± Annie said with a big grin as they went up the stairs.


    ¡°Is that why I''ve shown up twice this week and you let me putter around a few times to do things for you?¡± Kelly asked.


    ¡°Yep! My comfy jeans sucked you right in and you never even noticed! Ha ha!¡± Annie laughed.


    Kelly laughed as well and they split at the top of the stairs. Annie went into her room and Kelly and Arnold went into their shared room. They changed into their ''going out'' outfits, which both Kelly and Annie helped Arnold with, and they left the house.


    They drove to the next town to go to the theatre there, just so they wouldn''t have to deal with potentially running into one of Brad''s friends. With Kevin in jail, they were sure that they would be that much angrier than they had been before.


    They spent some time looking at the movie posters to decide on what to watch. Annie picked one with a boat and several small fins in the water.


    ¡°That one looks good, as long as Arnold covers my eyes when appropriate and covers my mouth when I scream in fright.¡± Annie joked. ¡°Oh! And have your arm squeezed tightly for the jump scares, too.¡±


    ¡°Me, too. I don''t really like horror that much.¡± Kelly admitted.


    Annie reached over and pat her arm. ¡°Trust me, it''s so much better when you have Arnold there watching out for you.¡±


    Kelly nodded and they went inside. Annie paid for the three tickets and the action reminded Arnold about Pam and the argument they had.


    ¡°Mom, teach me how to tip properly.¡± Arnold said as they walked towards their theatre.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Annie looked at her hand and the change she had just slid across the counter. ¡°All right.¡± She said and then she taught him about giving a percentage of the bill, then varying the amount of the tip by the quality of the service and the food. ¡°If you''re not sure about most of that, just give fifteen percent. Oh, and make sure that they didn''t already include the tip on the bill.¡±


    Arnold nodded.


    ¡°I''m glad he didn''t ask me that.¡± Kelly said with a laugh. ¡°I had no idea! I just leave a couple dollars.¡±


    ¡°The tip I gave might have been more, if we hadn''t eaten at home and we had to get popcorn and drinks.¡± Annie said and they entered the slightly darkened theatre.


    ¡°I hope it''s not too scary.¡± Kelly said as they walked up to the row of seats in the middle of the room and then sat down in front of the screen. They were all alone and talked about what they could do tomorrow as they waited for the movie to start. No one else came in as they realized they should have gotten the popcorn and the drinks for later, then the movie started.


    Annie and Kelly let out appropriate squeals of terror at the first jump scare and Arnold did his best to cover their eyes for them. Annie peeked around his hand and clung to Arnold''s arm when she expected the next jump scare, then smiled when she saw that Kelly didn''t even try to look at the screen.


    We''ll get you used to it, now that we''re going to be doing this more often. Annie thought and went back to watching the movie.


    When it was over, Kelly nearly shouted ''finally!'' and made Annie laugh.


    ¡°That was great!¡± Annie said when they left the theatre. ¡°If I could pronounce the name, I would try and remember it when it comes out for sale.¡±


    They walked back up the hallway to see the theatre lobby was crowded and there were three people behind the concession stand to handle the crowd.


    ¡°It looks like we were lucky and just missed the afternoon rush.¡± Annie commented and they walked by the mass of people. They left the building and hopped into the car, then they drove around for a bit to wait, for some reason. Arnold didn''t ask and Kelly gave Annie a pointed look, then they both nodded.


    About ten minutes later, Annie pulled into a nice restaurant that she had found online. She had booked a table, just in case, and the three of them went inside.


    ¡°A table for Strickland.¡± Annie said to the host.


    ¡°Yes, right this way.¡± The man said and led them over to a small table at the side of the room. ¡°I''ll send the waitress right over.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Annie said and they sat down. ¡°I booked ahead in case it was busy.¡± She said. ¡°I hope the food is as good as the reviews said.¡±


    Arnold nodded, because he assumed she wanted a response. The waitress came over to them and delivered the menus as she gave them a quick rundown on the specials for the day.


    ¡°The fish fillets do sound good.¡± Annie said and browsed the menu. ¡°Is it a platter or do I have to order french fries separately?¡±


    ¡°It''s a huge platter.¡± The waitress said and held her hands over a foot and a half apart. ¡°Believe me, you get your money''s worth.¡±


    Annie chuckled. ¡°All right, you convinced me. A fish fillet platter for me.¡± She looked at Arnold. ¡°Any preferences?¡±


    ¡°If the platter is that big, we should share it.¡± Arnold said.


    Aw, that''s so romantic. The waitress thought and did her best to not gush about it, even though he had two pretty girls at the table.


    ¡°That''s a good point.¡± Annie said and looked at the back of the menu. ¡°Um... in case that not enough, let''s get a nice appetizer.¡± She said. ¡°Potato skins or nachos?¡±


    ¡°Nachos help make friends.¡± Arnold and Kelly said at the same time and Annie laughed.


    ¡°Nachos it is.¡± Annie said and nodded to the waitress.


    ¡°Anything to drink?¡± The waitress asked as she took the menus back.


    ¡°We didn''t have anything at the theatre, so we should get something with the food.¡± Annie said and both Kelly and Arnold nodded. ¡°Root beer and no ice, please. Three glasses with straws.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be back with your appetizer in a few minutes.¡± The waitress gave them a huge smile and left. ¡°Arnold, I wanted to talk to you about Kelly.¡± Annie said without any preamble or building up to it.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°I''m giving you permission to enjoy yourselves in your room only. I don''t want to ever walk in on you in the kitchen or in the laundry room because the washer is on.¡±


    ¡°Annie!¡± Kelly gasped and blushed.


    ¡°Hey, I''m a healthy woman. I''ve sat on it a few times.¡± Annie said and Kelly blushed a little more. ¡°It''s a poor substitute...¡±


    ¡°Not... for me.¡± Kelly whispered.


    Annie blinked her eyes several times and then chuckled. ¡°Wow. Arnold said you were sensitive.¡±


    Kelly let out a choking sound and ducked her head.


    ¡°You don''t have to be embarrassed.¡± Annie said and took her hand. ¡°I wish I could get off that easily.¡±


    ¡°I... you...¡± Kelly looked at her face and kept blushing. ¡°It''s both good and bad.¡±


    ¡°I can imagine.¡± Annie said and let her hand go. ¡°I just want you to know that I''ve always tried my best to be direct as possible with Arnold. If I can''t, I always explain why I can''t.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Kelly looked at Arnold and back at Annie. ¡°He''s your son and... well...¡±


    ¡°I love him with all my heart. I always have.¡± Annie said. ¡°You''re going to be a huge part of his life now and I want you to know that unlike your parents, I want you to be comfortable about telling me everything.¡±


    ¡°E-e-everything?¡± Kelly asked, shocked.


    Annie laughed at the look on her face. ¡°No, not specific details. I don''t need to hear about how much you like him sucking on your nipples or something.¡±


    Kelly let out another choking sound and Annie laughed.


    ¡°I know you''re going to have sex, and I''m okay with that.¡± Annie said. ¡°If there''s something you''re nervous about or curious about, you can tell me.¡± She looked at Arnold. ¡°That goes for you, too.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said.


    The waitress came over to their table and dropped off their nachos and cheese. ¡°There you go.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Annie said and looked at Arnold and Kelly as they all started eating. ¡°You have a month before you''ll be living together permanently at the college and I''m going to do my best to make sure that the two of you are as comfortable with each other as possible.¡± She looked at Kelly. ¡°That includes your time of the month and your regular cycle.¡±


    Kelly blushed again and nodded.


    ¡°Good. Don''t hide it. You tell him when you''re irritable and he''ll know to not do anything to annoy you for a couple of days.¡± Annie said and looked at Arnold. ¡°When Kelly menstruates, give her affection like quick hugs and kisses if she wants them. She most likely won''t.¡± She chuckled. ¡°You should never try to have sex with her, though. If she''s sensitive normally, during her period she is going to be impressively irritated if you try touching her there.¡±


    ¡°Annie!¡± Kelly gasped and her face went very red.


    ¡°Believe me, after you''ve had sex, things change down there.¡± Annie said. ¡°Most of it for the good, because it feels wonderful at the time. The downside is that it gets tired occasionally and the normal bleeding you''ve been used to since your period started, could be a lot less or a gushing amount. You won''t know what it will be until it starts.¡±


    Kelly closed her eyes and sighed.


    ¡°It''s all right. I''m here.¡± Annie said and pat her arm. ¡°Now you know why I said that you should get used to talking frankly with us.¡±


    Kelly opened her eyes. ¡°My dad would be apoplectic right now.¡±


    Annie laughed softly. ¡°You''re not far from that and you''re as level-headed of a girl as I''ve ever met.¡±


    The main dish arrived and the three of them dug into the fish and fries platter. Their moods improving slightly as the food was consumed. Arnold had been right about it being lots of food and the three of them barely finished off the platter and the nachos.


    Annie sat back and looked at her son and smiled, then nodded at Kelly. She waved to the waitress and the woman disappeared into the back. A few minutes later, she came out carrying an elaborately decorated birthday cake and two other waitresses walked behind her. They gathered around the table and sang a very subdued version of ''Happy Birthday'' for Arnold, then they put the cake down and left.


    ¡°Make a wish and blow the candles out.¡± Annie whispered.


    Arnold closed his eyes and blew out the candles. When he opened his eyes, there was a large wooden box in front of him. He looked at his mother with wide eyes.


    ¡°Go ahead and open it. It''s from Kelly and myself.¡± Annie said.


    Arnold popped the clasp and opened the wooden lid. His mouth opened slightly in surprise at what was inside. He had never seen anything so beautiful before.


    ¡°We talked to Professor Crenslav on the phone and he said that this was the best and most extensive tool set for a dissection specialist.¡± Annie said, her face slightly red, because she had gotten exactly the response from him that she wanted.


    ¡°Mom.¡± Arnold whispered and resisted the urge to rub his fingers over all of the gleaming tools inside the box. He stood up and went to her side of the table. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and bent down to give her a kiss. He only held it for three seconds as he kissed her like he kissed Kelly, because in his mind, she deserved it. He knew not to push it, though. ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Annie said, her face bright red, because that wasn''t a response she had expected. At all. She couldn''t say anything with them in the middle of a restaurant, either.


    Arnold went to Kelly next and he saw the surprise on her face. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and then he bent down to kiss her for six seconds, making her moan a little. ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°I-I-I love y-you, too.¡± Kelly said, her face bright red as well.


    Arnold went back to his seat and sat down, then stared at the contents of the box. After a few minutes, he closed it and hooked the clasp, then he smiled at the both of them.


    ¡°I think... I think we can skip cutting the cake for now and take it home.¡± Annie said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Arnold said and waved to the waitress. She brought over a cardboard box for the cake and gave Arnold the check. He took out enough money for the meal, did the math in his head, and took out some more money.


    Annie motioned at the cake and subtly pointed upwards and he nodded. He showed her how much he was going to tip and she nodded, so he kept them separate and handed the bill with the money on it to the waitress, then he held out her tip in the other hand.


    ¡°Oh! Thank you very much, sir!¡± The waitress said as she accepted the money. ¡°I''m very happy that you enjoyed the food.¡± She packed the cake in the box for them and handed it to Arnold. ¡°I hope you come back to eat here again.¡±


    Arnold looked at his mother, who shrugged, so he didn''t say anything. He, Annie, and Kelly left the restaurant and climbed back into the car with the cake and the wooden box in the back seat, and drove back home.


    It was an evening full of scares, shocks, and surprises for all three of them.


    *


    The next day, they cut up the cake and went to all of the neighbours to hand out several pieces to each of them. Annie thanked them for their help last week and for being there for them, while also promising to do the same for them if anything ever happened. They were all touched by her sincerity. The cake was delicious, too.


    Arnold spent several hours with his mother and Kelly, just hanging out on the couch and talking, then Annie suddenly remembered that she needed groceries to replace some of the ones she lost the week before.


    ¡°I won''t be gone as long and I will call before I come home.¡± Annie said and stood. ¡°Arnold, when I call, go out and search the yard and the yards nearby.¡±


    ¡°I do that every time I come to the house.¡± Arnold said and she nodded.


    ¡°All right. I''ll see you later.¡± Annie said and grabbed her keys. Just before she stepped outside, she leaned back in to look at them. ¡°When you''re done this time, either make the bed or shut the bedroom door, so I don''t see the evidence.¡± She said, teasingly.


    Kelly made a choking sound and Annie laughed as she stepped out and shut the front door.