Holiday: Part 3

Chapter 7

Heather gave Alan directions to the theater room, so he went right there on his bicycle and then locked his bike up nearby. Alan had never been in that room before, since it was in a little-used part of the campus and always locked. He had to knock to get in, because now that Heather had access, she was very careful to make sure the door stayed locked.

He was surprised that there was such a big, unused room in their overcrowded school. Apparently it couldn't be used as a classroom because the floor sloped slightly, providing stadium seating (where the back seats are higher than the front seats) before the seats had been removed. An un-level floor was hardly ideal for cheerleading practice, but Heather figured secrecy was more important. Besides, it was flat just in front of the stage and on the wooden stage, so they had plenty of space. It was a very big room indeed.

Practice stopped when Alan entered the room. The mood changed because everyone was curious about what he'd do. He was briefly introduced to the other cheerleaders, but in fact he knew them all by name already except for Janice and Joy. He looked around the room and thought, Dang! I'm sexually involved with ALL the cheerleaders except for Janice and Joy. That's pretty cool!

Heather looked at Alan and smirked. She walked up to him and spoke quietly near his ear, so only he could hear. "How do you like the room? I came up with the idea of using it earlier today, thanks to our conversation. I've got the only key, and official permission to use it. Soundproof walls, perfect privacy. It's the ideal place to give a naughty slut her well-deserved reward, don't you think?"

She stepped back and flashed him an even more knowing and seductive smirk. She loved the blindsided look on his face.

He thought, Dang! How the hell did she find a room like this, especially on a holiday? So much for my plan to say her private spot isn't private enough. Damn! This changes everything. He felt aroused by the prospect of fucking her in that room in the near future, but he also worried. He could never permit himself to forget that she was really dangerous to his family, and that he was supposed to be winding down his sexual relationship with her.

Speaking loudly again, she said to him, "See her? That's Joy. She's the one you have to paint." She was surprised at how difficult it was for her to act normally around Alan, but she was good at hiding her emotions. Even so, she found it surprisingly hard to suppress her desire to hug and kiss him.

Alan looked at where Heather pointed and briefly checked out Joy. She was rather short compared to the tall females Alan was used to, but she was not as short as Kim. She looked like the stereotypical brown-eyed, brown-haired, fair-skinned California cheerleader. Overall she had a nice body, but nothing really stood out. Her boobs were, if anything, average or less than average. But she had very big brown eyes and a really winning smile. She briefly flashed him her smile and acted as if everything was normal, but quickly went back to acting worried and nervous.

Alan decided the best way to handle this extremely odd situation was to be quick and business-like. "This is really awkward for everybody, I'm sure, so let's get this done as fast as possible. I'm going to be strictly professional about this. Joy, please take off your underwear, then turn around and tie this string around your waist to hold up your skirt. We need to keep that completely out of the way."

Joy reluctantly did as she was told, even though she trembled in fear. Her eyes were clenched closed, fiercely tight.

"There's nothing to worry about," Alan said as he tried to calm her while gathering his supplies. "Just imagine you're a marble statue and I'm a painter painting the marble. Like I said, even though I'm a guy, I'm going to be completely professional. I've painted both my sister and Kim in a completely nonsexual way, so I can do that to you too." His words had a definite calming effect. "This is already old hat for me. And you can be sure I won't snitch to anyone about anything."

That last comment seemed to strike a nerve, causing her to sob a bit.

Heather pointed out, "Joy is getting punished because she told someone about what happened to Katherine and Kim. But luckily that person didn't tell anyone else."

"Oh," said Alan as he realized what he'd said to set her off so abruptly. "Sorry. I'm going to start painting your rear end now. Are you okay with that, Joy?"

"I guess so. Please hurry and get it done."

"I'm hurrying. The first thing I'm going to do is draw the outlines with this small brush and then I'll fill in the rest with a bigger one." He began to paint quickly.

The rest of the cheerleaders gathered round and watched with great interest. Only Katherine and Kim had seen any panty painting before, and both of them had been too busy with each other or with Alan to really watch how he did it, so even they were interested.

Alan finished Joy's backside in record time and, after a few minutes for it to dry, had her turn around. She put her hand over her bush and squealed, "Please don't look at that!"

"Sorry, Joy, but I have to," he said reasonably, with a sympathetic look on his face. "How can I paint without looking?" He gently placed his hand on hers and moved it away.

"I'm just so embarrassed!" Her friend Janice took one of her hands and Kim on her other side took the other. Together they gently stroked her hands and comforted her.

Alan put the paint aside momentarily. "Okay, Joy, before I go on, you need to get shaved. I've never shaved, um, one of these before," he lied, in an effort to make her feel more comfortable. He hoped that if someone else could do it she might relax, so he asked, "Does anyone else want to do this part?"

There were no takers. Katherine and Heather, who normally were bold enough to have helped, wanted to see him shave Joy, so he could push things further along with her.

So Alan began to shave Joy's quivering mound. As he did, her aroma began to waft up to his nose, forcing him to fight valiantly with himself to ignore it. "I guess it's not that different from shaving my face. Could someone talk to Joy while I'm doing this, just to distract her a bit and help her relax?"

Kim and Katherine talked to her, telling of their own experiences of being a shaved cheerleader without underwear. But they stressed only the positives and, needless to say, omitted that Alan had shaved either of them (as well as all the sexual antics that had later occurred).

Joy made brief comments and asked a few nervous questions.

It took a while for Alan to shave Joy. He went to great lengths to avoid touching her private parts, but some contact couldn't be helped. He touched her clitoris a couple of times, and had to wipe off the last of the shaving cream from her skin with his hand. But he generally maintained as professional and dispassionate an attitude as anyone could have hoped for in such circumstances. It helped that Joy was too nervous and shy to get even slightly sexually excited, so her pussy wasn't wet and her pussy lips weren't engorged.

"We're all done with the shaving," he eventually announced. "Does anyone have a mirror, or even two?" It was no problem to find a couple of mirrors, since the room was filled with cheerleaders who obsessed over their looks. "Here, see how it looks," Alan said as he handed a mirror to Joy.

She held the small mirror away from herself, nervously positioning it until she got the angle right to see her own bare pussy. "OH ... MY ... GOD! I'm soooo embarrassed!" She closed her eyes again and put her hands over her face, as if that would make the naked privates go away.

Alan then got to work on touching up the paint on her butt, now that the primary painting had dried.

After a few more minutes of cajoling, Joy was convinced to look in the mirror again. This time they also positioned the second mirror behind Joy so she could look at her painted butt. That caused even more squeals of mortification.

The other cheerleaders watched all of this with rapt attention. Already a good fifteen minutes had elapsed.

Alan was finally able to move on to painting her front. He painted it all quickly, including most of her shaved pussy.

But after all this painting of private parts, Alan found his nobility slipping a bit. He decided to push things just a little, both out of selfish desire and because he simply had to in order to get the job done right. So before he was done with her pussy, he said, "Uh-oh, we have a problem."

"What is it?" Heather asked.

"When I painted Katherine and Kim, they were both ... sexually excited at the idea of not wearing underwear in front of a big crowd. That would excite anybody, I thought." It was true that they'd been excited, but much more by the fact that Alan was painting and touching them, but of course Alan didn't mention that part. "But Joy is so frightened, I guess, that she's not excited at all. So her, uh, nether lips aren't aroused. That means I can't paint very much of them. Which means that if the game comes and she gets excited, then a lot of pinkness will be exposed and it could be highly embarrassing."

"Hmmm. I see," Heather said. "Can you do something about that, Joy, and open up your pussy lips? Maybe hold them open?"

"What, right now?!" she asked in total amazement. "No way!"

"Well, do you want him to paint that part, or would you rather be pink for the game?"

"I-I-I-I guess, paint that part. But I just can't do it right now! I'm so embarrassed, I'm ready to die!"

"Okay, okay, relax," said Heather calmly. Turning to Alan, she asked him, "Katherine probably told you this would be a one-day thing, but could you come back tomorrow to touch up that part?"

"No way!" he protested. He was hoping by pressing the pussy lips issue he'd maybe get to see someone stimulate Joy, rather than him being **** to come back. Being with his sister in such a situation was too dangerous; secrets might come out. He said, "I'm pushing my luck doing this kind of thing. Do you realize the risk I'm taking? And for what? Just to be nice and do you all a favor. What if someone came in right now? Don't even make me think about it!"

Heather said assuredly, "No one is going to come in. You know the school is deserted on a holiday like this."

"Hey, anything is possible," he said. "Maybe the very fact that nobody is supposed to be here would cause the janitor to come investigate. I've got my bike parked out front, you know."

She replied, "Why would the janitor or anyone else be working today? You saw that the door is locked. Face it, we have perfect privacy."

She flashed him a knowing, sexual look, as if to say, I want my reward, and I want it now! This is where you're going to be fucking me soon!

Alan was rightfully dubious about her claim to have "perfect privacy." He knew that there were all kinds of practical problems and risks with having sex anywhere on school grounds. It seemed more likely that she was simply trying to put his concerns at rest so they could get down to some sexy fun. He decided not to challenge her on it, since he figured he had little to no chance of getting the truth out of her easily.

She asked, "Anyway, what about lunch time tomorrow?"

"Well ... I guess. I'm busy at the start of lunch tomorrow, though." He tried to figure, How can I possibly juggle this with my sexual session with Glory tomorrow? Ah well, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

He concluded, "Maybe ten or fifteen minutes into lunch I can come by for a few minutes, I guess. But, please, let's not make a habit of this!"

Heather looked around. She was bothered by the fact that the other cheerleaders were there and obviously listening. She grabbed Alan by his arm and started to pull him away. "If you're going to be the 'official painter' of this cheerleading squad, we need to talk. In private."

Alan was well aware of what might happen once Heather had him alone in private. It was clear she was raring to fuck him, and she didn't much care about getting caught. So he said, "Fine. Over here, on the other side of the room."

Heather didn't like that, because the other cheerleaders would still be able to see. But the truth was she didn't really have anywhere private to take him in the first place. She was hoping to get him outside and then see where her feminine charms could take her. But she realized she'd have to make do with this.

Once the two of them were standing well out of hearing range of the others, Heather spoke to him quietly. "So ... I want my reward. Today."

"Heather, what are you talking about? There is no reward. That'll only happen once you get the FINAL lab results."

"Why are you being such a hard ass about that?" she griped. "Do I need to remind you that I'm the head cheerleader and the most beautiful girl in school?"

"Yeah, and you're also a self-admitted 'naughty, shameless, cock-hungry slut.' Those are the very words you called yourself earlier. Which means who knows who you've been with? I'm not sticking my dick in you until I get the all clear. Period."

She glared at him. "Alan, you're starting to really annoy me. It looks like I need to remind you that you're a social nobody. Harsh, but true. Most girls wouldn't even give you the time of day. And yet, here I am, practically begging-" She cut herself off, because she believed that she never begged anyone for anything. "Well, not begging. Let's say I'm strongly encouraging you to have sex with me. And yet you say no. Do I need to turn the screws on you?"

"I don't know what that means. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and act like you're not thinking of blackmailing me or some crap like that. That's not going to work with me. Look. It's clear that I'm not like the other guys you've been with. I'm not going to be pushed around. You're right that I'm a 'social nobody, ' but that means I have nothing to lose. I don't give a shit about my reputation here. And I could care less about girls not giving me the time of day. That's because I have other lovers outside of school, lovers who are even more beautiful than you are."

She snorted. "Yeah, right. As if that's even possible!"

He rolled his eyes at her hubris. He decided to hype up some mysterious intrigue about himself, to keep her at bay. "There's a lot of things about me you don't know. I keep a very low profile here at school, on purpose. The truth is, I'm quite a player, but I prefer older women, because they've got the voluptuous, busty bodies I like best, and they've got the sexual experience to tear up the bed sheets. A girl like you, well ... you're just not all that, in my book."

She pointed at him, practically poking his chest. "Hey! I'll have you know that I'm VERY sexually experienced!"

"Yeah, but not in a good way. Fucking a bunch of sexually clueless teenage boys doesn't help anything. And you're a selfish lover. For instance, your blowjob skills, frankly, are pathetic."

"I can learn! Give me a chance, right here, right now. I can dismiss these other losers no problem. Then you and I can use this room and I'll show you what I can do." She felt insulted and did want to prove her skills to him. But also, she figured that if she could get him to agree to that much, he'd end up fucking her as well before they were done.

He shook his head. "Not gonna happen. I'm not even tempted. You have very little hold over me. I'm not all wowed by the 'great' Heather Morgan." He gave her a dismissive look. "So don't play games. I'll fuck you tomorrow, if you have the right results, and a place to do it."

She was miffed, but her gut instinct made her think he was telling the truth. She decided to back off on pressuring him, at least for now. "Of course I have a place. You're standing in it. How about tomorrow at lunch?"

"We'll see. I highly doubt you'll get the final test results that fast."

"You'll see. Don't worry, I'm on it!"

Alan was able to leave a short time after that. Heather had to be careful not to talk to him too much, given that the other cheerleaders were watching and paying attention.

As Alan unlocked his bike outside the theater room, he thought, Man, I'm really pissed at Heather and her vague threats. If I look up "bitch" in the dictionary, I expect to see her face there! But, I must admit that I'm getting a kick out of "riding the tiger" with her. It's true that I don't have much invested in my social status here at school, so why not? I don't have much to lose if things went sour with her.

Besides, she IS a babe! Of course I had to be harsh with her. No way could I tell her how she thrills me. Maybe I get off on the danger. Man, I've got a major boner right now just from talking to her and seeing her practically beg to give me a blowjob! My life has changed in such a dramatic way that it's totally unreal. Heather wanting ME?! Heh!

He got on his bike and started to ride through open parts of the school grounds. I can't wait to get home. Sis still has her punishment, but Mom will be waiting with her eager mouth. Or even better, her cleavage and mouth! I could go for a titfuck-blowjob combo to take the edge off. Sweet!

Chapter 8

But as Alan passed the main school building, he had another idea. Hmmm. I wonder if Glory is in her classroom right now. I know she likes to work there over the weekend sometimes so she can grade papers without any distractions. Hmmm. I can have fun with Mom all day long. But it would be great to further my new relationship with my sexy teach!

He stopped at one of the entrances to the main building and got off his bike. He tried the doors, but found they were locked. Damn! So close and yet so far. And I totally bet she's there too. It's times like this I wish I had a cell phone. Bummer!

He got back on his bike and continued through the school. He tried the main doors on the other side of the building, but they were locked as well.

However, while he was biking around and looking for a way to get in, he happened to notice Christine with some girls on the sports field. At first glance, it looked like a typical baseball practice. He thought he'd stop and say hello.

However, once he'd stopped his bike and got a closer look, he saw Christine seemed to be having an argument with the four other girls there. It was too far for him to hear what was being said, but the girls looked angry at Christine and appeared to be haranguing her. However, she was fiercely standing up for herself.

Uh-oh! Alan thought as he got off his bike. That looks serious. It might even come to blows! And Christine is outnumbered four to one! She needs my help!

There was a chain link fence between Alan and the field, but he quickly ran back to where he knew there was an entry and raced across the field to where the confrontation was taking place. He threw his backpack down, just in case he needed to use his body to defend Christine.

His rather dramatic appearance had caused a break in the argument. Everyone, including Christine, stopped and stared at him to see what he was doing there. Trying to take charge, he growled, "What's going on here?"

He didn't know the names of any of the girls confronting Christine, but he had a general idea that they were part of Heather's inner circle. (He didn't know it yet because he didn't stay up on school social politics, but this group was generally known as the "Blondies" because they were mostly blonde. And in fact, three of the four girls standing around Christine actually were blonde.) The tallest blonde glared at him and asked, "What's it to you?"

He replied, "Hey, I'm one of Christine's friends, and I don't like to see her getting pushed around."

Christine was irked at that. She said, "Thanks, Alan, but I'm not being pushed around, and I can handle it myself just fine. We're just having a ... difference of opinion." She added sarcastically, "Apparently, it's some kind of crime around here for wanting to be good at something."

The one brunette confronting Christine looked at Alan as she complained, "Hardly! It's one thing just to be good. But she's mostly just trying to make the rest of us look bad!" She turned to Christine accusingly. "Haven't you done enough already?" Then she turned back to Alan. "If you're her friend, maybe you can get her to stop."

Alan held his hands up. "Hold on, hold on. I have no idea what's going on. Can someone please tell me what this is all about?"

The shortest blonde spoke up, nodding at Christine's body. "As you can see, we're all on the varsity team."

Alan hadn't been paying attention, but now he took a closer look at Christine and saw that she was still wearing her softball uniform, as well as holding a glove and ball. The four other girls were dressed in street clothes.

The short blonde continued, "In the last game we played, Christine kicked ass. As usual." She said this like it was highly annoying. "She hit not one but TWO home runs, and a double besides! And she made a spectacular catch." The words seemed like praise; however, the girl's tone of voice was accusatory. She went on, "So you'd think she'd be happy with that, right? But noooooOOOOoooo! It's a friggin' holiday, and she's STILL out here practicing!"

Alan asked, "But aren't the rest of you practicing too?"

The girl explained, "Well, yeah, but only because Christine pretty much dragged us here. We were the only ones who showed up. The reason we're arguing is because we've been here for an hour and we want to go home." She pointed accusingly at Christine. "But SHE says we need 'more work on the fundamentals.'"

Christine explained defensively, "Look, I'm not even into softball that much. I don't practice outside of these team practices. But if you're gonna do something, you might as well do it right. That game she was talking about? We LOST! I don't like losing! We all made simple mistakes. I let an easy ball go right past me. So, yeah, we DO need more work on the fundamentals. If we quit now, we're going to skip some important things."

One of the other girls griped, "Big deal."

"That's a nice winning attitude," Christine said sarcastically.

The tallest blonde rolled her eyes. "Some of us have social lives, and know how to have FUN." Her eyes narrowed and she asked Christine accusingly, "How are you so good, anyway, if you don't practice on your own?"

Christine shrugged. "I play other sports and I practice martial arts. If you develop quick reflexes in one thing, it carries over to other things. And martial arts weapons training teaches you how to make things into body extensions. I don't think of hitting the ball with the bat; for me it's as if I'm hitting it with my hand that just happens to be extended by the bat. Your reflexes would be a lot more accurate if you approached batting that way."

The tall blonde said with a scowl, "Gee, thanks for the tip, Miss Know-It-All."

"Hey, sorry for trying to be helpful. I'm not trying to make anyone look bad, really. I wouldn't play softball at all if it wasn't something our coach kind of pushed me into for fall P.E. class."

The other girls groaned at that. It was obvious to Alan that the others liked softball, wanted to win, and practiced it a lot. Even though they wanted to go home, they did show up when they didn't have to. The fact that Christine bested them so effortlessly only added to their frustration.

Christine added, "All I was saying was that we should field some grounders before we call it a day. Practice makes perfect. But we can stop now since you're annoyed, Why don't we just all go home?"

The most muscular blonde, the one who hadn't spoken yet, asked Alan, "Are you her boyfriend or something? Can you tell her to kind of lay off and take it easy? I wanna practice as much as anybody, but I'm TIRED. Enough is enough already, but I swear she never gets tired. And she never screws up. Everybody knows that she gets A's in everything. Sports is all I'm good at. But she's ruining the grading curve even in this!"

Before Alan could answer, the short blonde spoke in a cutting tone, "Boyfriend? Are you kidding me? Christine doesn't have a boyfriend. That's why she's so good at everything, because she's a prude. She has all kinds of free time to practice every damn thing she does because she has no social life at all. Hey you, what's your name? Alan? Are you sure you're her friend, because I thought she didn't have any friends."

He said defensively, "Hey! That's unfair. Sure she has friends, and I'm one of them."

The tall blonde said, "Yeah, you're just about the ONLY friend, from all I've seen. And hell, not only does she not have a boyfriend, everybody knows she's a virgin." She turned to Christine, asking with a sneer, "Have you ever even kissed a boy? No. I thought not. Pathetic!"

Christine had been standing defiant, but once her sex life became the focus she slumped and looked abashed.

Sensing weakness, the other girls piled on. The lone brunette said, "Who would want to kiss the Ice Queen anyway? Sure, she looks good, but she's so cold and nasty! Brrr! You'd need an Eskimo parka just to hug her!"

Before, Christine had looked ready to kick ass and take names. But now she was practically cowering, suddenly unable to even make eye contact. It was obvious to Alan that the other girls were envious and resentful, and they were probably just getting warmed up with their insults. So he shouted at them, "HEY! Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about! Do you think a girl as beautiful as Christine is a total virgin? Give me a break. I know for a fact that she's kissed guys. Heck, she's done a lot more than that."

The short blonde put her hands on her hips and challenged Alan, "Oh yeah? And how do you know that? And why hasn't she ever said one word about it?"

He said, "You don't know anything about her. Her martial arts code - that's an honor code. When she promises not to kiss and tell, she actually means it. You wouldn't be able to even **** it out of her."

The muscular blonde scowled. "That sounds like a whole helping heap of bullshit, if you ask me. We've all been in the same social circles for years, and nobody I know has ever heard of Christine having a boyfriend or even going out on a date."

Alan said, "That shows what you know. She's a very private person, and most guys here just don't interest her. But if you've known her for years, you also know that she's scrupulously honest, right?"

"Right," the muscular blonde conceded.

"Have you ever known her to totally lie about something?"

"No."

"Okay, then. It was a private thing, because I'm a private guy too, but I'll have you know that she and I have dated in the past. We're talking sexy dress, nice suit, fancy restaurant - the whole nine yards. With kissing and everything. You know, dating, the thing you say she's never done. Right, Christine? Have we or have we not done all that dating stuff?"

Christine grinned and stood up straight. "We have. I can say with total honesty that we have." She held out a fist in Alan's direction. "Thanks for letting me finally mention that. It drives me crazy - all this 'Ice Queen virgin' talk - and never being able to defend myself."

"No problem." He raised his fist and made a friendly fist bump against Christine's. They smiled at each other as they withdrew their hands. "If I'd known it was a problem, I wouldn't have held you to your silence."

"Damn," the tall blonde griped.

"Fuck," the short blonde complained. "She kicks ass in sports and in school, AND she has a real social life too? That's just ... fuck me!"

That revelation took the wind out of the sails of the four "Blondie" girls. After a little more griping and small talk, they left as a group, leaving Alan and Christine standing in the middle of the field.

Once they were out of earshot, Christine said with a big grin, "Hey. Thanks."

He smiled from ear to ear. "Hey! No problemo!"

She added a bit shyly, "It's not like I needed your help. I wasn't worried they were going to beat me up or anything like that." Even that was being modest: thanks to her martial arts training, she knew she'd never been in any physical danger at all. "But it was nice for you to come up with ... well, let's just say ... some creative truths."

His smile widened. "Yeah, but it was all true, right? After all, we HAVE dated. It just so happens that we've only dated twice, and they were just practice dates. But we did technically do everything I said, including kissing."

She chuckled. "Yeah. One kiss on the cheek. Big whoop."

He chuckled too. "Hey, that counts as kissing. That's all I claimed. If they want to read more into that, that's up to them, right?" Actually, he knew that he had outright lied at least once, when he'd mentioned that Christine not only "kissed guys" but had "done a lot more than that." However, if Christine was overlooking that prevarication, he wasn't about to remind her of it. Instead, he said, "The main thing is, now they won't give you such a hard time on the whole 'virgin Ice Queen' thing. Let their imaginations run wild."

She nodded happily at that. Then she asked with renewed doubt, "You think they'll figure that we're still 'dating?' I mean real dating? I don't want to give you trouble with that, if you're dating someone else right now." She was fishing with that comment, hoping he'd confirm or deny if he was really dating and maybe even mention any girls he was involved with.

But he just said, "Nah. You took care of that with your comment about how you were grateful that you could 'finally' mention our dating history. That definitely left the impression that it happened a long time ago. So just keep the ambiguity going and if they ask you for more details, just say you don't kiss and tell."

She was all grins. "Hey, I didn't lie. I COULD 'finally' talk about it, after hours and hours."

He had a good laugh at that. "Yeah, a whole fifteen hours ago, maybe." But then he grew more serious. "Unfortunately, there's a problem. Obviously these girls are envious of your great abilities. I know you're not gonna deliberately suck at softball or anything else. Nor should you. Thinking that you had an Achilles heel with your love life probably cut down on their resentment. Now that we've misled them on that, I'll bet they'll be even more pissed off at you."

She shrugged. "Let them be. I don't care. I can't let what other people think about me slow me down. Besides, I know them. Some people are the kind who take action, but all they're gonna do is grumble and gripe some more."

He stepped closer to her and stared deeply into her eyes. "Good. I know you've faced this kind of envy thing for years, so you're probably used to it. But listen to me. You're special. For one thing, you're very beautiful, but that's just icing on the cake. What's really amazing is how talented you are. No matter what you do, you somehow end up being the best at it. That's talent plus drive. Amazing! I'm so in awe of you!"

"Hey, you're pretty talented too."

"Yeah, I have some smarts, but I don't have your drive. Plus, your talent is on a whole 'nother level. And I know what you're thinking: 'But those girls are right, because I don't really have a social life. We didn't lie, but we misled them. They were only practice dates, after all, not real dates. And I'm still a virgin. No matter how good I am at everything else, all four of those girls are still more experienced than me at that.'"

Christine's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you know all that?"

He grinned impishly. "Hey, I may not be Christine smart, but I'm not a dummy either. That's what I'd be thinking if I were in your shoes. But here's the thing: it doesn't matter. Sure, you may not have all that experience NOW, but you're still not even friggin' eighteen. A few weeks ago, I was in the same situation. You don't have anything to be ashamed about. It's true that nowadays kids are getting sexually experienced younger and younger, but it wasn't that long ago when you would have been branded a slut if you were eighteen and NOT a virgin. Cultural standards change all the time. The important thing is that you've got plenty of time for all that. And thanks to our practice dates, once you do, you'll be able to come off like a pro from the get-go. So it's all gravy. Soon you'll be in Switzerland, dating Nobel Prize winners and stuff."

She smiled at that. "Why Switzerland?"

"I don't know. In my mind, that's where the special people like you end up, working in a cutting-edge research lab in Geneva, or something. But my point is, hold your head up high and keep on keeping on. Like I said, you have talent AND drive. A girl with looks like yours - there's no way the guys can ignore you. And once you get started on romance ... Whoa! When you turn some of your talent and drive to that? Watch out! I actually pity the lucky guy who ends up being your boyfriend. He'll be lucky, but unlucky too, because you're gonna wear him out and leave him half-dead, like a wrung-out dishrag."

Acting on impulse, she gave him a big bear hug. "Thanks! You know just what to say to make me feel better."

"No worries. There's only one thing that bothers me."

She pulled back so she could make eye contact again. She asked with concern, "And what's that?"

"What's this I heard about you letting an easy ground ball go right past you? For shame! And you only hit TWO home runs in the whole game? I'll bet you had FOUR at bats, if not five. What happened there?"

Seeing that he was playfully teasing her, she punched his shoulder (forcefully, but not too forcefully). "Hey, I'm only human, you know."

"Hmmm. I'm not so sure about that. I did hear the news stories about a mysterious alien crash-landing in these parts the very month you were supposedly 'born.'" He made quote marks in the air with his fingers when he said "born."

She snickered at his joke. "Yeah. Right."

He coughed, and muttered under his breath, "Hatched!"

She had a good laugh at that.

Then he pretended to have an epiphany. "Hey! I just figured out how you can be so smart AND so blonde. Maybe it's different on your home planet."

She played along. "Actually, we don't have hair at all on my planet." She tugged at her hair. "This is a wig."

"A-HA! You admit you're a space alien!" He started jumping around in apparent glee. "Major scoop! Somebody call the newspapers!"

They joked around some more. Needless to say, Alan couldn't help continuing to tease her about her supposed space-alien origins. After a couple of minutes, she asked, "So, what are you up to anyway? What are you doing here?"

He wanted to dodge that question, since he didn't have a good reason. So he said brightly, "Hey! I just got an idea! You know what? You know what would be totally fitting to show those girls didn't get to you? You should practice fielding grounders, like you wanted to. With me."

"But you don't have a glove," she pointed out. "And we don't have a bat either."

"So what? I'll just bounce the ball somewhat near you, and then catch your return throw with my bare hands. After all, it's only a softball. It's not like you're playing with a REAL baseball."

She growled, but she knew he was just teasing, especially since he'd winked after he'd said that. She tossed the softball that was still in her hands up in the air and then caught it on the way down. "You say that now. Just wait until I whip this thing in your direction."

"That's the spirit." He walked towards home plate so they could start practicing.

Alan knew that he was probably going to have a hell of a lot of sexual fun once he got home, and he couldn't wait to get there. But he also wanted to be a good friend to Christine, and he knew there was still plenty of time in the day. So he was willing to help her practice whatever she wanted to practice until she was satisfied.

In between fielding grounders and returning the ball, Christine pondered her relationship with Alan. You know, he's really a nice guy. Sure, he lusts after me, but then again so does every other guy. What's different is that he actually cares about me, the real me. And it's true that I'm smarter than him in many things, certainly as measured on test scores at least, but nonetheless we can engage as intellectual and emotional near-equals. He's not awed or afraid of me; he's just ... a friend. That's so special for me! In fact, when it comes down to it, he's my only true friend who's not also a relative.

Damn, I really screwed up. Why did I turn him down when he asked me out? Was I really so shallow to worry that he wasn't "cool" enough? Hell, those Blondies who were bothering me are supposed to be some of the coolest girls in school, so that shows how much "cool" is worth. And our practice date last night ... God, that was great!

Maybe it's not too late. I know there are rumors flying all over the place about him and other girls, but I also know that he has special feelings for me. I just need to be bold! Like a few minutes ago, when we were practically touching noses and he was telling me all that encouraging stuff, I should have just kissed him! On the lips! He told me I was "special" and "beautiful," which was the perfect opening, but I just stood there with a blank look on my face.

Dammit! Why am I so chicken?!

During their softball practice, Alan was busy thinking too. You see? This is how it's supposed to be with Christine. Just friends. Good friends. I talked to her for a good while, and for once I didn't even get a hard-on. I helped her out like good friends do, without my dick leading me around.

He thought with more amusement, I really do pity the first guy who gets to be her boyfriend. Poor guy, heh-heh! If there ever was anyone who's a raging sexual dynamo just waiting to be unleashed, it's her. If nothing else, she's so physically fit that she could fuck all night long. But, sadly, that guy can never be me. Just think about Mom and everyone else waiting for me back home. That's beyond awesome! I need to be content with that.

Chapter 9

After about fifteen minutes, they decided to take a break. They sat down in the shade next to each other.

They made some more small talk. Alan managed to work in another dumb-blonde joke, except he changed it slightly in light of their earlier joking around: "So what did the freakily talented, sexy, space-alien babe wearing a blonde wig say when the pizza man asked if she wanted her pizza cut into six or twelve pieces?"

She laughed just from his description of her. "What? No, wait, I know this one. She said, 'Six, please. I could never eat twelve.' But I'll have you know that was a different 'freakily talented, sexy, space-alien babe wearing a blond wig.' She's a friend of a friend."

He chuckled at that.

After a while, Christine switched to a serious topic. She asked, "So, did you talk to the college counselor on Friday?"

Alan had a sinking feeling that he was in danger of getting caught in a lie, because he didn't remember anything about seeing a counselor. "Wait. What? When?"

Christine reminded him, "You know, fifth period on Friday. You were excused from class early with a note. Remember?"

He said, "Oh yeah, that." But while he pretended to understand, he scrambled to recall what the heck she was referring to. Then it hit him. Oh yeah! Heather! Fucking Heather in the parking lot! Literally fucking her! Fuck!

Luckily, they were sitting side by side, and Christine happened to be staring straight ahead into the distance. So she didn't see the brief look of panic on his face.

He quickly added, "It turned out it wasn't a college counselor thing, just a boring bureaucratic thing." Before she could poke a hole in that flimsy lie, he asked her a question to distract her. "So ... have you started your college applications yet?"

"Started them? I've pretty much finished them. I'm just waiting for a few things. How 'bout you?"

He thought, She's finished them?! Shit! Man, I haven't even started yet, except for the essays I wrote last summer. But that's just another example of why Christine is so kick-ass. I'm sure most everyone else is procrastinating like me. Still, I need to get my act together and not just lose myself all the time in a haze of sexual pleasure. Damn!

He lied, "Um, yeah ... I'm working on it. I haven't gotten very far yet though."

She nodded. "Do you have your three recommendations lined up yet?"

He thought, Shit! I forgot all about that, too. Oh no, what an ethical dilemma. If I weren't having sex with Glory, she'd be my first choice. She'd give me a glowing recommendation, for sure. But if I pick her now, it might seem like I'm fucking her for a good recommendation. Damn! Maybe I should just find three other teachers.

He answered, "Uh, no. I'm still thinking that over."

Christine chided him, "Well, don't put it off until the last minute."

He nodded. Wanting to get off that difficult topic, he asked, "So ... ready for some more grounders?"

"Actually, I'm good. I did what I wanted to do. It wasn't that much longer, was it? I don't see why those girls got all in a huff. By the way, what's up with you? I noticed you kind of dodged my question earlier about where you were going."

Since then, Alan had been able to think up an excuse, since he obviously couldn't tell her about his panty-painting task. He said, "Well, it's just kinda stupid, 'cos it's like I'm my sister's personal go-fer. So I was hoping not to talk about it. It turns out the cheerleading squad is still having a practice today."

"Really? That's kind of unusual."

"Yeah, well, I didn't ask why. I guess maybe they need the extra practice, like you wanted with the ground balls. But anyway, Katherine forgot some stuff, since she forgot she couldn't get to her hall locker, so she called me and had me bring some spares from home."

Christine nodded with understanding. She had no reason to think he'd lie about this, and if she did get suspicious, she could easily find out whether there had been an extra practice, and even whether he stopped by.

Alan added, "So you can see it's not exactly something to boast about. But the plus-side is, I got to see you and we got to hang out."

Christine smiled at that. "Yeah. Cool." She wanted to hold his hand, but she chickened out. "Don't worry about not having much to boast about today. It's kind of silly that I'm here today too. I spend waaaay too much time at school, and doing school-related stuff. Those girls are basically right that I don't have much of a social life."

He put a hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture. "Hey, you're changing, right? And I'm happy to help you change. Like our practice dates. And we don't have to stop there. We can practice other stuff."

Her face lit up hopefully. "Like what?"

He shrugged. "I don't know..." He looked around, trying to think of something. "It's a nice day. What about ... going to the beach?"

She snickered. "We don't need to practice doing that."

"Not true. A good friend of mine once said, 'practice makes perfect.' In fact, those words are practically still ringing in my ears, for some reason."

She chuckled, because she remembered saying that not long after he'd showed up.

He went on, "There's a fine art to lying on the sand and hanging out. Most people flop down any old way without knowing the subtle nuances."

She laughed at his obvious bullshit. "Okay, funny guy. But I know what this is about: you just want to see me in a bikini."

"Well ... yeah!" He opened his eyes wide to express surprise. "Actually, I'm totally pleasantly surprised to hear you're gonna wear a bikini! Cool!"

"Hey, I didn't say that. I didn't even say I'd go. I've got a lot of things to do."

He'd suggested going to the beach on a whim, not thinking she'd actually agree. But now he was starting to get really excited about the idea, especially at the prospect of seeing her in a bikini, or even just a one-piece bathing suit. He practically drooled as he pictured her in a shockingly revealing red bikini. Man, this could be totally historic! Christine, in a bikini?! "Pristine Christine?" The notorious "Ice Queen?" Nobody would believe me! I just KNOW that she's totally smoking hot, from head to toe! But to see it with my own eyes ... Especially if she wears a really skimpy one ... Oh MAN! Not like THAT is ever gonna happen, but still, a guy can dream!

He **** himself to remain outwardly calm as he replied. "I know you do, but you always have a lot of things to do. You need to make time to have fun. Remember how you were just bemoaning how you don't have a social life? Surely you could spare an hour or two at least."

She thought it over. He's got a good point. I do need to make time. Actually, I'd totally love to go, but I don't know about wearing a bikini in front of him! Did I really promise to do that? Heck, any kind of bathing suit would be daunting!

She said carefully, "Well ... maybe. Although we get school off today, I have some things later in the afternoon, like my martial arts practice, that are still on my schedule. But ... I suppose ... between one and three today would be good."

"Excellent!" He held out his hand and clasped hers. "It's a plan, then."

She was still looking and feeling ****. "The only thing is ... could we go somewhere other than White Sands Beach? That's where everybody from school goes. And on a beautiful day like this, with the holiday and all, practically everyone we know is gonna be there."

He nodded. "I get it. You'd be feeling self-conscious wearing a bikini in front of all those people you know. I must say, I'm really impressed that you're going to wear one. I know you're self-conscious about that kind of thing, but this shows you're making a serious effort to change and not let that stuff bother you."

She groaned quietly, because she felt locked into having to wear a bikini after he'd said that.

He patted himself on the back for cleverly making her bikini a fait accompli. But he softened the blow by saying, "Don't worry; we can go to another beach. I don't care. The main thing is that you and I can hang out together. It's not exactly a practice date, but it'll still be a lot of fun."

They made their plans, picking a different beach that was still nearby but not frequented much by kids from their school.