Chapter 33: Settling Down l

MARCH 2002, SENIOR YEAR

"Hey, Ben!"

I turned and managed a weary smile. "Oh, hey, Allie."

Allison Sanders frowned, folding her arms over her chest and evaluating me with furrowed eyebrows. "You don't seem so excited to see me."

"Sorry, sorry. I just didn't get much sleep last night."

"You didn't forget that we've got a date tonight, did you?" She looked rather nervous.

"No, no, of course not. I've just had a lot on my mind the last couple days."

Allie nodded and leaned forward, touching my arm. "Anything to do with a certain ex-girlfriend attacking you and screaming 'rape' during lunch on Wednesday?"

I sighed. "Something like that."

"You know, we can cancel if you need," Allie began, biting her lip.

"No, no. We're still on," I interrupted, recognizing the crestfallen look on her face. "Believe me, I've been looking forward to this as much as you have."

Allie smirked, twisting slightly in almost the same way Helene McGregory did when she was feeling a little aroused. "Somehow, I doubt that."

I smiled. "No, really. My life's been so crazy the last few weeks, Allie. I'd really love to spend some time with such a good friend."

"MORE than a good friend, Ben," Allie husked, sliding forward and touching my chest. And looking down into the cute brunette's soft golden brown eyes, I felt a little warmth returning into my loins. I hadn't felt aroused for days, not being in the mood after leaving Candy's apartment with Lynne on Wednesday and then turning down Marina Santos' invitation on Thursday because I was still feeling out of it.

But with Allie I didn't feel my usual raw lust. I didn't have the urge to bend her over and fuck her within an inch of her life like I'd been doing lately with Helene and company. Instead, I felt a yearning to push myself inside her and then just hold her tenderly, lovingly. I wanted to feel whole again. So I pulled Allie into my arms, hugging her firmly and even letting a hand slide down to pat her firm little ass.

She giggled and then stepped back. "See you tonight?"

"I'll be there."

Allie spun and walked away, a little skip in her step. I fondly looked after her while idly fantasizing about what she looked like naked before inhaling and turning to walk the other way towards my own class...

... and abruptly came to a halt. Standing ten feet in front of me over by a pole was Adrienne, a cool expression in her eyes. Then without another word, she turned and strode away.

I was two minutes early to the Sanders house. I didn't want to give Allie any reason to believe I wasn't committed to making this night special for her. And to my utter and complete surprise, Kenny Doyle opened the door.

"'Sup, dude." He gave me the usual head nod and fist bump.

"Hey ... what are you doing here?"

Kenny grinned. "With Allie out of the house and the parents gone, Abbie and I can finally use the girls' bedroom without feeling all awkward about it!" Ah, Kenny: still a sex-obsessed teen at heart.

Well, so was I. But anyways ... I just nodded and then walked in. Abbie came down the stairs. "Hi, Ben!"

"Hey, Abbie," I nodded, double-checking to verify I had the right twin.

She smiled and glanced up the stairs. "Allie will be right down. She's just a little nervous and wants to make sure she looks perfect."

I nodded and headed into the living room after Abbie. The three of us then chit- chatted while I almost jealously looked at Kenny and Abbie snuggling together so happily. But I didn't have to wait long. Kenny's eyes traveled up the stairs and the wide-eyed expression on his face told me that Allie had arrived.

I turned and let out a whistle, "Wow..."

Allie blushed halfway up the stairs and then continued the rest of the way down. Her hair and makeup transformed the cute but somewhat plain 17-year-old brunette into a short but sexy young woman who could have passed for early 20s. The twins had both lost some extra baby fat around their faces in the past year, and her hair styling and improved posture displayed Allie's new confidence and poise.

And then there was the dress, a very familiar little black cocktail dress. I glanced up at Allie and asked, "Is that the same... ?"

She blushed and nodded her head. "Haven't worn it since that day."

I whistled again. The same little black dress Allie had worn almost a year ago on our first date still fit her ... mostly. Allie had filled out some in the chest and hips since then and what was once modestly cute was now tight-fitting and more than a little slinky.

Kenny elbowed Abbie. "How come I never see YOU in an outfit like that?"

"Hush," Abbie snarked. "Or you won't be getting' any tonight."

Kenny shut up.

I stepped forward and took Allie's hands into my own. "You look beautiful."

"Even after all the tall, gorgeous women you've been with?" she asked a little hesitantly.

I stepped a little closer, looked Allie in the eyes, and repeated warmly, "You look beautiful."

I was a bad liar. Everyone knew this. So Allie looked into my eyes and saw that I meant it, and her jaw started quivering as she seemed on the verge of crying happy tears.

"Oh, no!" Abbie rushed forward, fanning her hands at Allie's eyes. "We JUST finished your makeup!"

Allie sniffled and smiled even bigger, breaking into cute peals of laughter. And then she slipped her arm around mine and said, "Let's go."

Dinner was really, really nice. Eh, the food was okay. I'd picked the restaurant based on Megan's recommendation and the fact that it was built on the edge of a man-made lake in Orange County, with nice evening views. But then I should have remembered that Megan and I never had the same taste in cuisine.

Still, the conversation was outstanding. It flowed easily, as if Allie and I were just sitting together at the usual lunch table instead of out on a date. And without the usual male posturing or female gossiping, we actually managed to get more deeply personal than ever before.

Allie talked about being the 'younger' twin even though it was only two minutes by C-section. She joked that if it had been her turn to be the fetus towards the bottom, she would have been the 'older' one. And yet somehow everyone in the family always treated her like the baby. At first, she'd enjoyed the extra-special attention. But as she'd grown older, she resented the condescension and patronizing tone, even from Abbie.

From the way I responded to her, Allie said I understood in a way few others did. I chalked it up to living with a set of twin sisters myself, with Eden and Emma forming a similar dynamic.

In the last year or so she'd become much more assertive and independent while I'd been busy with my Dawn and Adrienne drama. And as I listened to Allie, I thought back to something Keira once said: that I'd thought of the Sanders twins as 'them', instead of as individual girls. Now that it was just me and Allie, getting to know her more personally, I was realizing just how different the two really could be, the same way I knew Eden and Emma were almost as different as Brandi and Brooke.

We didn't talk much about me. I spent most of my time just being a good listener, letting Allie talk and laugh and giggle. I interjected little comments here and there, but I sensed that Allie really wanted to let loose with some of these thoughts inside and I let her do her thing.

Even when we left the restaurant, we went for a stroll around the lake while Allie rambled on. And we got about halfway before Allie took a deep breath and realized just how much chattering she'd done. "Now I've gone and talked your ear off, Ben! Not exactly the sexiest thing I could have done."

I smirked. "No worries. Boys are easy, Allie. All you have to say is, 'Wanna fuck?', and we'll think you're sexy as hell."

"Wanna fuck?" Allie giggled.

"Well, maybe not here," I laughed, squeezing her hand tighter in my palm as I kept us walking on our way.

When we'd completed a full circuit around the lake, I found that we were still in the middle of our conversation, this time about politics of all things. I was pretty apolitical, not giving a rat's ass what was going on as long as I could get laid sometime in the near future; but Allie was going off about illegal immigration, California's dependence on cheap labor to turn higher profits and boost the economy, and basic human rights for the common man. I barely understood half the things she was saying, but I was enraptured by the passion in Allie's words. She really believed in something, and somehow that quality was absolutely intoxicating.

So I didn't interrupt her and just kept walking, Allie not realizing this until we were a third of the way around the lake again. "Oh, I'm sorry. I keep delaying us," she apologized.

"Don't be sorry," I replied warmly. "I love listening to you talk."

"Really? Because Abbie is sick to DEATH of me going on and on about this stuff."

"Really," I nodded. Then I changed gears. "But whether the state economy is benefiting or not, shouldn't we be more stringent on border control just on principle? Illegal is against the law, period. They don't pay taxes, do they?"

Allie blushed and then kept going. "No, they don't. But I guess the question for you is: Do you do things just on principle? Even if they ultimately lead to YOU having to pay higher prices or have less luxury goods? Which is better for you? Do the ends justify the means?"

"Well ... uh ... I guess that would depend," I hedged.

Allie's smile lit up the evening brighter than the moon. "Tell me."

I don't know how many times we walked around that lake. I do know that we were out long enough for both of us to get cold, despite both of us wearing warm jackets. Finally we decided to head for my car and I wrapped her up in my peacoat, ignoring her girlish protests.

Then we just sat in my car for another hour talking, and only a slightly panicked cell phone call from Abbie spurred us into finally returning Allie to her home.

We were still talking when I finally got Allie to her front door, and all of a sudden she seemed to remember our original purpose for this date. Her jaw dropped and she stuttered for a few seconds before starting, "Ben, I, uh ... I know I asked to go out with you for a very specific reason. But, uh..."

"Now that we're here you're not sure that's what you want?" I ventured.

"Oh, HELL no! I want! I want!" Allie put in quickly with fresh nervousness on her face. "But I..." she winced, not sure how to complete what was in her head.

I decided to take charge. I stepped forward, wrapped Allie up in my arms, and then bent down to kiss her. She squeaked and then sagged into my embrace, moaning happily as her tongue came out to play with mine. I sensed happiness and warmth in her kiss, even a little arousal. But not yet ... We didn't need to have sex again ... yet.

And almost as suddenly as I kissed her, I pulled away. I held her shoulders and looked down into her eyes while she melted against my chest, and then I said softly, "I had a wonderful evening, Allison Sanders."

"Me, too," she sighed happily.

"We should go out again, sometime."

"I'd like that." She smiled.

"Then we will," I said firmly. "Next Friday?"

"Oh, it feels like forever," Allie breathed.

"I'll still see you at school."

"There's that at least."

"Goodbye, Allison."

"Goodbye, Ben." She tilted her head, acknowledging the end of our evening, even if it wasn't finishing the way we'd first planned. And from the radiant smile on her face, she wouldn't have it any other way.

I waited until she turned and opened the door, slipping inside. Just before she closed the door again, she gave me a cute little wave.

I sighed. I was going to have to go home and jerk off now.

Allie was still floating on air come Monday. She met me outside my locker and slid towards me for a cute peck on the lips. "Heyyy, Ben."

"Hi, Allie," I greeted warmly.

She scanned my eyes for a moment, searching for something. "Any regrets?"

"About our date? No, of course not."

"Not even..." Her voice trailed off as she arched her eyebrows and waggled her head, making her intention clear.

I chuckled. "Contrary to popular belief, I don't HAVE to sleep with every girl I go on a date with."

"Really?" Allie stuck her tongue out while smiling. "When was the last time you didn't get laid after a date?"

"Well I ... I ... uh..."

"Can't remember?"

"No, I can't." I shrugged. "Maybe Megan."

Allie giggled. "I don't know whether to feel proud or pity you."

"Well, I still have hopes for our next date," I smiled.

"That's easy," Allie swept her arm out to the side dramatically, twisting as if dancing at a ball. "Treat me like a princess and I'll reward you like a prince," she giggled.

We chatted for a few more minutes until the first warning bell sounded off. Then Allie twirled away to head for her first period while I went in the other direction.

And then lo and behold, there was Adrienne perhaps twenty feet away, leaning against a wall and staring at me. Lynne was right beside her, saying something while Adrienne nodded and nodded then shook her head, obviously disagreeing with something. And then Adrienne turned and strode away.

Adrienne caught up to me after lunch, not too far from the spot where she'd shoved me into the lockers and started screaming about rape. The instant she approached me, I could actually HEAR the hush of conversations going silent around us while people turned to see what would happen.

Quietly, Adrienne asked, "You went out with Allie Sanders last Friday?"

I nodded. While not widespread knowledge, all of my inner crew of friends knew and we weren't working hard to keep it a secret or anything.

Adrienne fidgeted and looked away for a second before turning back to me. "I've been observing her." For some reason, the way Adrienne said it was a tad bit creepy.

Arching an eyebrow, I fought the urge to feel offended. "Your point?"

Adrienne didn't answer, instead asking, "Did you sleep with her?"

I stood up straight and said honestly, "No."

Adrienne took two steps forward, looking me straight in the eyes. The hazel had turned to a sharp gray as her irises clicked back and forth, left and right, searching and searching for the truth.

I just held her gaze until Adrienne backed up. She swallowed and then nodded slowly. "Okay ... I didn't think so. She didn't, ah, have that look. It was ... different..."

Her task done, Adrienne started to turn away but for some reason, some impulse for complete transparency, I spoke up saying, "That might change, Adrienne. We have another date coming up."

Without looking at me, Adrienne digested that for a moment before cocking her head. "Another date?"

"Yeah." I fidgeted before nervously asking, "Is that a problem?" I mentally kicked myself. What? Like I needed Adrienne's permission?

"No, no problem," she said quickly. And then glancing at me for the briefest of moments, she actually seemed to smile as she said, "Good luck." And then she turned and strode away.

I was more confused than ever.

A couple of girls flirting with me asked about Allie. They'd noticed how the petite brunette had been rather more affectionate with me over the course of the day and they wanted to know if it was anything serious.

I took only a second to think about it before answering, "Yes." I'd made my decision. I was settling down. I was going to show Adrienne that I wasn't a predator, attacking and bedding any girl I could. And there was such conviction in my voice that the two girls almost immediately dropped their jaws and then sort of nervously backed away.

I then went in search of Helene McGregory. She was with Anh Lee and a bit surprised I was approaching them during school hours, but both girls flirted happily and made reference to hooking up that afternoon.

"No, no," I interrupted. "I wanted to tell you that I'm out. I want to get a little more serious with a girl."

Helene looked at me like a beanstalk had just grown out of my forehead. "What? You and Adrienne getting back together?"

"No, no," I shrugged. "Uh, Allison Sanders. We've been friends for a long time and now ... well ... I don't know."

"You serious?" Anh frowned in utter confusion. She knew Allie very well. They'd been friends since grade school.

"Yeah," I nodded.

Helene sighed sadly and frowned cutely. "Well, I can't say I'm happy about it. I WAS looking forward to a few more incredible fucks; but I understand."

"That's sweet," Anh added, smiling at the idea of me and Allie.

Then out of the blue, Helene suddenly grabbed me and planted a fierce kiss on my lips, cramming her tongue down my throat before abruptly pulling away and smacking her lips. "Sorry. Just had to do that one last time," she said with a grin.

And while I was still reeling from the passion and intensity of that kiss, Helene walked past me, patting my butt and pecking my cheek. "See ya around, Ben. Call me if you change your mind before leaving for college."

Anh just giggled and walked past.

I touched my cheek where Helene had kissed me, rubbing off the trace of lipstick that I'd rather Allie not find. And when I turned to look after the girls, instead I caught Adrienne staring at me from across the courtyard. Good freakin' lord. Was she everywhere?

Then Adrienne turned and strode away.

[thump] [thump] [thump]

I palmed the basketball, turning it over in my hand and then trapping it against my waist. I nodded my head back and stared down Daniel Chen. "You ready for this?"

He snorted. "I can school your rusty ass any day of the week. I'll bet you're out of shape after being out for a few weeks."

"Rusty?" I arched my eyebrow. True, I hadn't played basketball since the Adrienne meltdown, but that didn't mean I was out of shape. Hey, fucking improves muscle tone, and I'd certainly done quite a bit of that. I checked the ball forward to Daniel, and then got set waiting for him to bounce it back. "I'll show you rusty."

Bounce, step, bounce, bounce... [clang]. Shit.

"Told ya you'd be rusty!" Daniel cheered over his shoulder as he raced the other way. Sung Joon grabbed the rebound of my pathetic shot and chucked it downcourt, where Daniel settled under it for an easy lay-up while I ran futilely after him.

I sighed as Kaito inbounded the ball into me to go back the other way. "1-oh. This isn't over yet."

Later that night I fell into a deep sleep, pleasantly exhausted from sports exercise for once. And I felt a kind of quiet peace settling over me. It had felt good to get on the court again. Life just seemed so much simpler when it was just the ball, the hoop, and your teammates.

It was lunchtime on Wednesday when for some strange reason, the girls got into a spirited debate over the merits of their various boyfriends ... mostly right in front of us. It went back and forth over various topics before eventually arriving at...

"Come on, Daniel's the smartest guy here!" Elaine Fukuhara insisted.

"Only because Cameron doesn't go to this school, "Cassidy interjected.

"Well if he's so smart, how come you've dumped him twice in the past four months?" Stephanie laughed while Cassidy made a face at her.

"Actually, James here has a perfect 4.0, higher if you count his three A.P. courses," Megan threw in. Kaito blushed beet red and tried to hide underneath his lunch.

"Who needs brains?" Stephanie scoffed right back. "Sung could kick Kaito's ass."

"Oh, really?" Megan laughed and then tapped her boyfriend on the shoulder. "Go on, James. Take him out." Kaito just sunk further into his seat, clearly embarrassed and yet strangely amused by the attention.

"Your boy won't even talk," Abbie put in. "Kenny'll gab circles around any of your guys."

"Oh, really?" Allie nudged her sister in the ribs. "Hey Ben, why don't you explain to Kenny the merits of a state economic policy that runs on the backs of illegal immigrant workers?"

"No! No!" Abbie protested, laughing and waving her arms frantically.

"Hey!" Cassidy jumped in. "What gives YOU the right to throw Ben's name in there, Allie? Is there something you two aren't telling us? Hmm?"

Now it was Allie's turn to blush beet red.

Megan tapped me on the back. "C'mon, Ben. Sounded like Allie just claimed territory over you. You gonna stand for that?"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure."

"Whoaaaa!" Three or four people around the table hooted at my response, several of the others trading mischievous glances.

"Sooo ... one date and you two are an item now?" Daniel nodded at me.

"Allie must be wilder in the sack than we thought!" Cassidy giggled while slapping Megan's shoulder.

"We haven't slept together, Freckles," I said in a quiet voice, my eyes leveled at my ex-girlfriend. "And I'll thank you not to spread rumors about Allie."

THAT shut everyone up. The calm intensity of my tone hushed the table in a millisecond. We were too closely spaced for anyone to mumble a hushed conversation to someone else without everyone hearing so and everyone just started looking at each other again, waiting to see what would happen next.

Megan found her voice first. "So Allie. What did it take to tame the beast?"

Allie was just as in shock by the turn of events as anybody else. She just looked wide-eyed at everyone and blushed. "Uh, nothing. I didn't do anything."

I slid my left arm protectively around her, pulling her against my side while I glanced down and smiled. "And you'll never have to."

Everyone gave us a few weird looks, and then the conversation quickly turned to other, more mundane topics.

Friday night crept up on me faster than I would have expected. Literally, one moment I was just getting home and sagging in front of the TV to fry some brain after a day of classes, the next I was scrambling to get dressed in time to make it to Allie's house.

She greeted me at the door. "What? One date and you think I'll just twiddle my thumbs waiting for you? You're ten minutes late and Kenny already left with Abbie."

The grin on Allie's face and the lack of any heat in her voice just made my chuckle as I made my apologies. "I'm sorry. How can I make it up to you?"

Allie just stretched an arm up the doorjamb and leaned cutely against her raised shoulder. "Kiss me and make it all better."

My kiss more than made it better. And I'd lifted Allie's light body halfway up the doorjamb and palmed her ass while she wrapped her legs around my waist before I remembered that we were still out in the open and I was supposed to be keeping my lustful urges under wraps. It wasn't my fault I was so horny. I hadn't gotten laid since Tuesday.

Even then, it had just been Brooke and me, blowing off some steam. Kady had come in to drop Brooke off but she just patted my ass and then turned to wiggle hers at me. She'd apologized, saying that the novelty had worn off a bit. And while that didn't mean she'd never want to fuck me again down the road, for now she'd satisfied her curiosity.

So even though Allie could feel my three-day-old erection rubbing against her through her panties, and even though I could see the heat in her eyes telling me I could throw her on the floor and fuck her if I really wanted to, I pecked her nose and gently set her down to the floor.

Allie seemed mildly disappointed, but nodded agreeably that we were taking the better course of action. So when I proffered my elbow and asked, "Ready to go?" she latched on and followed me out the door.

This time, I suggested a slightly more social dining location where Allie and I would more likely be seen by some of the High School crowd, instead of the more upscale restaurant we'd been to last time. As soon as I asked, Allie looked at me with a mixture of curiosity and excitement. She realized the implications. After all the rumors swirling about us at school, to step out with her like this on a Friday night would be confirmation that yes, we were an 'item'.

"Why are you doing this, Ben?" Allie asked me while we were driving out.

"Do you not want to?"

"No, no. I do, I do want to," she answered quickly. "I just..." She took a deep breath. "We're friends, right, Ben?"

"Right."

"Just friends?"

"Well ... I'll admit there's a little bit beyond friendship I'd like to do with you ... or TO you if you like it better that way," I grinned. "I thought you did, too. Wasn't that the original point?"

"Yes, but you could have sex with me without all this," Allie waved her hand around. "You don't have to actually date me, Ben."

"But I want to."

"Why? I'm not exactly your type."

"I don't have a type."

Allie snorted. "Sure you do. Tall, beautiful, and with big tits. I think Megan's the only one I've seen you with that DIDN'T fit that description."

"Megan's beautiful," I frowned.

"But she's 5'4" and an A-cup."

"I don't have a type," I insisted.

"Really? Name one girl you've been with under 5'8" and less than a C-cup, if not a 'D' or bigger."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't name names, Allie. You never saw me throwing your name around last summer, and I'd like to think that nobody outside our closest friends even knows that you, me, and your sister ever boinked."

"Well," Allie grinned. "There WAS that time at Elaine's end-of-the-year party. EVERYONE knows what's up when they go inside to borrow a guest bedroom."

"Hey, that one wasn't my fault. And half the people we know just went in there to make out."

Allie snorted again. "When we were like fourteen, yeah. We're Seniors now, Ben. Everyone knows they're going in there to get laid." Then she gave me a strange look. "You're just distracting me away from my original question."

I shrugged. "What do you want me to say, Allie? You're not my usual type? Sure, maybe, whatever. The point is, I LIKE being with you, okay? This isn't a ruse. I'm not trying to manipulate you. But that date we went on was different from almost every other date I've been on for ... for I can't remember how long. My life has been such a mess lately and my mind is running around in circles and for some reason, my brain doesn't feel so cluttered when I'm with you. Fair enough?"

Allie was rolling her face in a little circle just trying to keep up with my rambling, but after a second she stopped and grinned. "Okay." Then she leaned across the center console and kissed my cheek. "Okay."

Brooke came into my bedroom late on Saturday morning. She pulled back the covers and slid herself half-onto me, her head on my shoulder with one arm stretched over my chest, and one leg kicked over the top of mine. I cinched my arm around her back to hold my sister more tightly to me as I came awake and then glanced over at the clock. It was after 11am.

"You're sleeping in late," Brooke smiled at me when I finally looked over at her.

I stretched my neck out. "Didn't sleep so well last night."

"You used to sleep great on Friday nights."

I sighed. "That's because I used to get laid on Friday nights. It's always easy to sleep after three or four orgasms."

"Aww, Allie still won't let you into her panties?"

"It's not that. She'll let me. But we're having such a great time that I don't want to spoil it with sex. I'm learning so much more about her without the physical stuff getting in the way." I sighed. "But it CAN be a little frustrating."

"Poor baby." Brooke brushed my forehead with her hand before getting a wicked grin on her face. Then she started sliding down my body to take the waistband of my shorts in her hands. "Let me relieve the pressure."

"Brooke..." I cautioned, thinking of the time.

"Relax. The 'rents took the twins out for the day. We have all the time in the world, and since you didn't pop off at all last night, I want at least four rounds out of you today. Got it?" And then my little sister bent over and took most of my cock into her mouth on the first go. She'd been practicing deep-throating for a while now, and she was maybe two inches short of completion. I just let my head roll back and enjoyed the beauty of morning.

Where would I be if I didn't have Brooke?

"You still haven't slept with her?"

I jumped out of my skin, completely startled by the sudden voice behind me. I spun in front of my locker and turned to look at Adrienne, who had her arms folded across her chest, this time her books obscuring any possible view of her cleavage.

I shook my head. "That's none of your business, Adrienne."

She stared into my eyes. "That's a 'no', then."

"That's a 'none of your business'," I repeated indignantly.

Adrienne just waved me off and started to leave. But she stopped and came back to me. "Why are you doing this, Ben?"

"Doing what?"

"Are you out to prove a point? Are you just toying with Allie? Because she doesn't deserve to be a pawn in your little games."

"This isn't a game, Adrienne. I like her, alright?"

She stepped forward challengingly, getting about a foot in front of my face. "Just tell me this isn't about me, Ben."

"This isn't about you, Adrienne," I said firmly. But then I felt a tweak of uncertainty in the back of my head. Was this about Adrienne? Was this about proving to her that I wasn't the monster she thought I was?

Adrienne sighed, looking at me quizzically for a moment as if still digesting whatever conclusions she'd drawn for herself from my eyes. Then she said softly, "You were never a very good liar."

And then she turned and strode away.

It was later on Monday when Lynne bumped her hip into me between fifth and sixth periods. "Hey, Ben."

"Hey, Lynne."

"Good news. Adrienne's softening on you. She actually talked to me and Heather about you today. She misses the hell out of you, Ben. Even if she won't admit it to herself."

"Really?" I felt my mood lifting dramatically. "Wow, Lynne. You guys are incredible."

Lynne shrugged. "Can't take all the credit. Candy talked Adrienne's dad into sending her to a therapist again. She told him Adrienne was having some relapses to her childhood trauma and he set up the appointments. I think Adrienne's been craving any attention from her father and she agreed immediately when he told her to go."

"Wow."

Lynne nodded. "And this thing with Allie Sanders, is it real?"

I stopped and turned to my friend, firmly replying. "Yes. Why does everyone think I'm just playing her?"

Lynne shrugged. "Sorry. It's just that she's not your usual type."

"I don't have a type!" I barked rather indignantly.

Lynne chuckled. "Whatever you say..."

I rolled my eyes. "It's real. Okay?"

"Okay, okay," Lynne said with her hands up defensively. "If it's real, keep it up. I hate to say it, but you having a real relationship with Allie might be the best thing for fixing your relationship with Adrienne. She needs you as a friend, Ben, not as a boyfriend right now. She needs to trust you again. And she does miss you."

I sighed and thought of that empty spot in my heart I still had walled up. "I miss her, too."

"Ben, when are we going to sleep together?"

Allie was leaning against my chest while I wrapped my arms around her waist. It was Friday, the last Friday in March and we were in the foothills looking out across the Pacific Ocean on a private picnic. Megan and I had first found this spot long ago.

Allie looked down from the descending sun over the ocean to play with my fingers as she fidgeted nervously after her question.

I glanced down, caught slightly off-guard by her question but after a moment's thought, I replied. "Whenever you want."

She sagged against my left arm, turning slightly to begin rubbing it with her right hand. "Don't you want me?"

I frowned and squeezed her tighter. "Of course I do."

"Then why haven't you already made a move on me? It's already our third date and I can't help but think you've never waited this long before." She shivered in my grasp.

"I..." I began before trailing off. I felt my heart sink into my stomach, a little of my old guilt coming back to me. "I can't make the first move, Allie. Not this time. It has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me."

"What do you mean?"

I sighed. "All my relationships have revolved around sex. When it boils down to it, I've only ever had four girlfriends: Megan, Cassidy, Adrienne, and Dawn. But I've slept with a lot more girls than that. Just sex. Nothing real. I guess..." My voice trailed off as I searched for the right words.

Allie waited me out. And then I took a deep breath. "We're friends, right, Allie?"

"Of course."

"I value that. I never want to lose that. And it would kill me if our relationship ever became just about sex."

"That's not gonna happen, Ben," she said firmly.

"Why not?"

"Because I won't let it." Allie twisted until she was face-to-face with me, the setting sun now completely ignored. "Now shut up and let me fuck you."

I barely had time to react before Allie's hand came up and gripped the back of my head while she planted her lips on mine. I instantly felt my heartbeat speed up and my nostrils flare for more oxygen as the intensity of our kiss built and built until suddenly I realized I was flat on my back while Allie kissed me harder than anything I could remember.

A cool breeze whipped over us and Allie grabbed the thick blanket we'd been using as a shield, pulling it up her back as she bent and started lifting my shirt up. I reached down myself and ripped it over my head before Allie went back to kissing me and then started fumbling with my zipper. With several jerky movements under the blanket, my jeans and shorts were around my ankles while Allie worked in frustration to disrobe herself as well.

"Fucking stupid," she cursed. "Why the hell did I decide to wear jeans tonight?"

I chuckled and ran my hands up and down her sides just beneath her shirt. My fingertips brushed against her bra strap and then while Allie finished stripping herself below the waist, she ordered, "Unhook me." There was no question who was in charge of this, or of who was making the first move.

Absolved from that guilt, I let the excitement of the moment take over as I slid my hands up the insides of her sleeves and expertly whipped both shirt and bra off without either catching on her face. And then we were both buck naked beneath the blanket on our exposed little hill. The sun was almost gone and the air was rapidly dimming, but we didn't need light to find each other's lips as we kissed and tongued and wrapped our limbs around each other in the ancient horizontal dance of lust.

I'm not exactly sure when my dick slipped into Allie. I don't know if she moved me into position or if it just penetrated by accident. But I felt the sudden constriction of her virginally-tight vagina and Allie gasped at feeling her first penis in nearly a year. She humped downward with her hips trying to drive me even deeper and on instinct, I reached up and gripped her shoulders to physically yank the cute brunette down around my cock.

As if we'd both been holding our breath, we gasped together once our pelvic bones mashed up against each other, and Allie turned her head to the side of mine, rubbing her cheek against me while moaning, "It's in meee! It's in me!"

I chuckled nostalgically and slid my hands off her shoulders, feeling the tight musculature of Allie's back as I caressed my way down to her tiny waist and narrow hips, palming both of her asscheeks to tug her down even deeper against my crotch.

"Ungh, ohhh..." Allie groaned, her hips pivoting sideways so that her right hip was in the air before pivoting the other way, rocking herself side-to-side on my shaft and stretching her vaginal tunnel in the process. And then she sat up to once again grab the sides of my head and hungrily attack my lips.

I let Allie take the lead for a while. She'd built up quite a bit of anticipation in her head of her very first fuck since the whole pregnancy scare, and I watched the riot of emotions crossing her face as she humped herself up and down my pole, driving herself nuts with both physical and mental stimulations. She fucked me as hard and as fast and as deeply as she wanted. And with almost no help from me save for my guiding hands on her hips, Allie was bringing herself to her first coital orgasm in a long, long time.

"Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod," she chanted as she ramped up to climax. "I'm gonna cum! So close! So close! So- AAAAH!!!"

Allie squeezed my cock inside her little cunny as she came. She dropped down on me several times so deeply that it felt like the head of my cock was bouncing off the spongy wall at the back of her vagina. And then her whole body trembled and she hunched forward, pressing her perky tits into my face while her ass wriggled like it was on batteries.

Once the orgasm passed, her eyes flew open and she stared at me with an intense golden brown gaze. "Roll me over and FUCK me, Ben!" Allie commanded. "Roll me over and FUCK me."

Quickly, I gripped her ass with one hand and sat up, flipping us over to make sure we didn't roll off the bottom blanket. I managed to keep my cock lodged inside her and paused just long enough to cover our bodies with the top blanket once again. Once that was settled, Allie gripped my head and growled, "FUCK me and cum inside me."

I did as ordered. For the first time in weeks, I could throw caution to the wind and just hammer my way at a willing pussy. Ever since that 'settle down' conversation with Lynne and Candy, I'd held my lustful aggression in check, always worried that the sex-crazed monster inside me would be let loose and I'd never regain control again. I'd flirted less with other girls. I'd resisted having sex with Allie. And even with Brooke I hadn't let myself pound her the way I, or sometimes she, might have wanted.

But I pounded Allie now.

"FUCK ME!" she howled at the night sky.

"FUCK ME!" she screamed.

And I pounded her little pussy without mercy.

I felt Allie's body tense beneath me just before I came. I think she was coming just then, extremely turned on by the frantic fuck and also by my rampant fucking enthusiasm. But I was too lost in my own world to really be sure as I felt my balls suddenly compressing as I began ejecting millions upon millions of live sperm into the back of Allie's womb.

I hadn't even thought about it. I just did it. Yeah, I'd knocked her up the first time we did this, but I had no fear. She promised me she was safe. She promised me we'd always be friends. And she whimpered so happily in my ear, "Cum in me! You're cumming in me! I can feel your hot juices splashing into my pussy, Ben! It's so good! I love it! I love it!"

And then I was done. My balls drained for the moment, I collapsed down and then rolled to the side, pulling my cock out of Allie as what little semen remained inside me leaked out onto her thigh like a garden hose dribbling out the last bit of water. I was gasping for air, panting uncontrollably. And I realized something.

For the last several weeks, every time I'd done this my mind was absolutely blank after I'd finished cumming. Helene, Anh, Brooke, Kady, it didn't matter. My mind was emptied with each orgasm, such a peaceful state that I'd been rather addicted to it. 'Empty' was far better than my usual mental state, which had been to clutter my brain so that I wouldn't think of Adrienne. I couldn't let myself think of Adrienne.

But now my mind wasn't blank. My mind was full ... full of gratitude and affection for this sweet little girl beside me. I was so happy to be lying there with Allie Sanders, watching the twinkle in her eye after a wonderful climax as she panted for oxygen in front of me. And it felt so natural to lean forward and tenderly kiss her.

It wasn't love, at least not like the desperately longing feelings I'd had for Dawn and Adrienne. It was more like the warm, fuzzy affection I'd felt for Megan and Cassidy, and that made sense to me. They were my friends first, and I found a peaceful contentment with them and with their presence beside me. And gratitude; I felt grateful that Allie was with me, so I wouldn't have to be alone.

"Thank you," I said softly.

"Mmm, no, thank you," Allie sighed. "That was better than I remembered."

I hadn't thanked her for the sex, even though that was how she took it. But I wasn't so concerned to correct her. Instead, I simply pulled her head closely to mine as I pressed my forehead against hers. And then I sighed happily.

We lay like that for a few minutes before the chill in the air began to cool down our overheated bodies. Allie picked her head up, noticing how the entire hill had gone dark, only the moonlight showing us the way back to my car. She then turned to me and said, "Kenny should have come to pick up Abbie by now. Wanna go back to my place and try this again on my bed?"

APRIL 2002, SENIOR YEAR

When I heard a key jiggle in the front door lock on Monday afternoon, I was surprised when Brooke burst through the door screaming, "I'm going to Senior Prom!!!"

It took a few seconds for that to sink in. I button-mashed mindlessly until the full details of Brooke's exclamation hit my brain, and then I reflexively jerked to pause the game. "Wait, WHAT?" I turned and elevated my head.

Brooke popped out of the kitchen, sucking down a water-bottle like her life depended on it while Kady followed silently after. I waited while Brooke dropped the water bottle, gulped, and then panted rather dramatically for breath before looking at me and gleefully exclaiming again, "I'm going to Senior Prom!!!"

I winced at the momentary nightmarish thought of my little sister pestering me at Senior Prom, what many held to be the most important night of our lives up till that point. And with a bewildered expression on my face, I asked again, "Wait, WHAT?"

"Ohmigod! I'm only a Sophomore and a Senior asked me to Prom!" Brooke jumped in the air and did a splits-kick cheerleading move, only narrowly managing not to knock over the table lamp.

Kady just leaned back with an arched eyebrow and a look of utter amusement.

"What? Who?" I threw my hands up.

"Drew Walker!" Brooke cheered. "He's sooo popular and sooo gorgeous! I still can't believe he asked me!"

A chill went down my spine. "What? How?" I felt like a broken record, repeating the same three bars over and again. I remembered Drew flirting with Brooke at his first house party, but I had no clue the Senior basketball jock had a serious interest in her.

"He and Kenley broke up!"

"Wait, who broke up with whom?"

"I don't know! I don't care! I'm going to Senior Prom!"

"Tell me this is an April Fool's joke."

"Nope!"

Oh, this was BAD.

But I didn't have any more time to debate the issue. Brooke simply turned to Kady and gleefully declared, "Come on, Kady! I'm excited and you know how horny I get when I'm excited!"

Smirking, Kady just set her water bottle down on the sofa table and turned to follow after Brooke, who was already bouncing up the stairs. With a sassy wave of her ass at my face, she remarked, "If you jerk off outside the door, Ben, try not to leave any stains on the carpet."

No amount of persuasion was going to convince Brooke not to go to Prom with Drew. He was a Senior. He was Captain of the Basketball team. And he was considered quite the babe by Brooke and her friends. I didn't even try very hard.

Even after we had a really rocky start over Cassidy in the beginning, Drew had been a decent enough guy lately. He nodded to me when we passed in the halls and he more or less treated me like a respected equal at all times. Yeah, he was a bit crude with the girls in general, but he had enough charm to still be popular with them and with the Senior class in general. I really couldn't think of anything against him.

Except that the mere thought of him having sex with Brooke curdled my blood.

Still, it wasn't my place to try and interfere at this point. All I could do was be a good big brother and keep an eye out for her. The instant the guy tried to drag her up to a hotel bedroom after Prom, I WOULD knock his lights out.

But Brooke's declaration reminded me that the Prom was coming up in another month, in early May. And it reminded me that so far, I had not yet asked someone to be my date.

My obvious choice was Allie. After all, weren't we getting close and weren't people whispering about how she and I were quickly becoming boyfriend/girlfriend? I hadn't used the term myself and we hadn't discussed going steady or anything, but it was the logical conclusion to our relationship.

But she wasn't who I really wanted to go to Prom with. The instant the word Prom came into my head, I pictured myself looking quite dashing in a tux, and on my arm ... was Adrienne.

Was it fair to take Allie if I really wanted to be there with Adrienne? Was it fair to Allie NOT to take her, given our current relationship? But the problem was that I didn't love Allie. I wasn't in love with her and I didn't think I ever would be. We had a great friendship and I felt sooo comfortable with her. And yes, we'd made love. But I just didn't have those feelings for her.

Maybe it didn't matter. As of right now, Adrienne STILL wasn't talking to me, if you didn't count those brief interrogations out of the blue. And if it wasn't Adrienne, who else BUT Allie. It just made sense.

And so it came to pass that I walked up to Allie on Tuesday morning, gave her a warm hug and kiss in greeting, and asked, "Allison Sanders, will you go to the Prom with me?"

Her eyes flew WIDE open. She gasped and clapped both hands over her mouth for a few seconds, and then slowly dropped her hands down while exclaiming, "Ohmigod!"

I waited for about ten seconds while Allie just stared at me in complete shock. Then I finally asked, "Uh, is that a 'yes' or a 'no'?"

She was beaming and hopping up and down in place. "It's a 'yes'! Yes! Of course, yes!" And then she launched herself into my arms.

Wow. I'd thought she might be excited but you'd have thought I just proposed marriage or something. A few students around us stopped what they were doing and turned to look as Allie screamed, "Yes!" And then she grabbed my head and kissed me.

I enjoyed the warmth of the kiss for a long while before taking a step back and nervously looking around. I was never that comfortable with this many eyes on me at the same time. And then Allie just looped her arm through mine and started dragging me off towards where our friends usually met up before classes started.

"Unbelievable..." Allie shook her head. "If someone would have told me a year ago ... even a month ago ... that I'd be going to Prom with Big Ben, I never would have believed them."

"In just a little more than a month, you'll find out," I grinned.

"Oh, it feels like forever," Allie breathed. But then her mood abruptly changed. "I mean, we haven't even been dating for a month, Ben. A lot can happen."

She stopped walking, turned, and hugged herself too me. At 5'3", the top of her head was smack in the middle of my chest. "Y'know, I spent the weekend terrified, Ben. I was so sure that once we'd had sex again, you'd decide you'd done your duty and break up with me."

"Break up with you?" I turned her face up to me. "What? Why?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. This isn't love, Ben. It's friendship with ... I don't know. I'm attracted to you, but I'm not in love with you."

I nodded. "That's okay. I'm not expecting every girl around to fall in love with me."

Her expression turned concerned. "Ben, where is this going? I thought we both agreed this wouldn't become serious. I'm going to Scripps in the fall and you're heading to Berkeley. I mean, I'm happy you're with me now and I love spending time with you, but circumstances may change over the next few weeks."

I sighed. "Do you want to go to Prom with me, Allie? I mean, if there's another guy you'd rather be with then-"

"No, no. You're it, Ben. You're my number one pick."

"Then no matter what else happens, you'll be my date. I promise you that."

She didn't answer but to reach up to my head and pull me down for another kiss.

Allie and I were headed out after the last class together the same day. We were rendezvousing with the guys for basketball; and some of the other girls, especially the ones with boyfriends in the game, were coming as well.

Speaking of basketball, Drew Walker and some of his buddies were hanging out at the end of this particular hallway. I saw him and a hard look set into my face. He and I didn't necessarily have a problem with each other, but I felt the need to make it clear that situation would change if he hurt my little sister.

"Hang on a sec," I told Allie as I led us to the side and up the guys. "Hey, Drew."

"'Sup, Ben," he gave me the head nod and then gestured with his hands and bowed his head, letting me to go ahead and speak. It was the first time we were running into each other since I found out he'd asked Brooke to Prom, and he was expecting this.

"You're taking my sister to Prom?" I asked in a calm, but not necessarily friendly voice.

"Yes," he nodded. "She's a beautiful girl."

I ignored his complement. "You going to take care of her?"

"Yes," he nodded and kept a straight face. I was on the lookout for the leering grin I knew we guys could get when we were thinking about getting into a girl's panties.

"You going to hurt her?"

"No. No, I won't do that," he said confidently.

I didn't entirely trust the guy. He could be extremely charming when he wanted to, but I was colored by my first impressions and by Cassidy's less-than-glowing review of the guy. I was dead certain he intended to get into Brooke's panties, and while that was ultimately Brooke's decision to make, I didn't have to like it.

Still, I had to accept it. "Okay," I nodded.

"We're cool?" he asked.

"We're cool."

"Good. But before you go, I'm throwing a party Thursday night. Kind of a pre- Spring Break party."

"Thursday?" The day was odd to be sure.

"Yeah, too many people heading out of town on Friday night, so we're doing this early. Everyone's gonna be there: the team, the cheerleaders. And if you want to keep an eye on your sister, Brooke's already said she's coming."

Now I DEFINITELY had to go. "Yeah, yeah, sounds good." And then another thought came to me. "Adrienne's gonna be there?"

"Uh, yeah. She already said yes. Can you handle that?" There was a challenge in Drew's voice.

"Yeah." I glanced at Allie for a moment. "Yeah, I can handle that."

"See you there."

"Mmm ... take it slow ... Like that, Ben ... Mmm..."

"Oh, Allie," I groaned.

We were in my bedroom, the rest of the house empty. The twins were still at their friend's house on this Wednesday. Brooke had cheer practice. And Allie and I were taking advantage of the opportunity to use a bed.

"You're so tense, Ben. Relax, relax. Let it flow. I want to feel it inside me."

"Unnghhh," I grunted. "Just one more."

"I've already come twice, Ben. You made me happy," Allie giggled while rubbing my back.

"One more," I gritted my teeth and then bent to kiss her neck, leaving feathery little kisses along Allie's sensitive skin that trailed down the ridge of her shoulder while I concentrated on carving my cock around her snug pussy. I was rewarded with cute little gasping sounds as Allie's hip rolls got just a little more urgent and I began to pick up the pace, stroking shallowly to help stimulate her more than myself.

"Ugh, men and egos," Allie grunted but closed her eyes and rolled her head back as the pleasure shot through her. I straightened my back, which due to our height difference meant Allie's face was once again level with my chest. At least when she was on top of me, she was at the perfect height to kiss me. But with me on top, I almost felt like I was smothering her.

Smothered or not, Allie certainly didn't mind as her third orgasm built. She started pecking my chest and gripping me as best she could with all four limbs while my powerful body thrust in and out of her. And when she began her familiar, "Ohmigod-ohmigod-ohmigod" whimpering, I started pounding her harder to stimulate my own ejaculation just as she was cresting into hers.

"Oh, I'm cumming, Ben," she gasped softly. "I'm cumming. Cum with me. Cum in me!"

I gasped myself as I felt the release from tension. And then my semen jetted forth, splashing against the deepest reaches of Allie's pussy to meet the wave of honey pouring out of her as well. Her heels dug into the backs of my thighs while I clenched my ass and tried to cram even more of my cock into her, my mushroom head bottoming out and pressing up against the small girl's cervix. And like an elaborate sculpture, muscles tense, we both held that pose for a few more seconds until our orgasms waned and I rolled myself to the side to avoid crushing her beneath me.

"Oh, wow..." Allie groaned. "I can't believe I went this long without having sex again. You've spoiled me, Ben. You're too good. I'll never be able to have a meaningful sexual relationship with another man."

I chuckled and stared at the ceiling. Lost in my own thoughts. Despite the pleasurable climax, I was still a little nervous about tomorrow night.

Allie noticed my distracted nature. "Ben? You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine."

"Ben. We've been dating less than four weeks now and even I can easily tell when you're lying." She clucked over me and ran her hand over my forehead and along my scalp. "You're tense. Nervous about something?"

"Yeah..."

"Drew's party?"

"Yeah..."

"Why? Because Adrienne's gonna be there? She's always around at school."

"Not in such close proximity. I'm just worried things are going to be awkward. And it's not just that."

"What?"

"Brooke."

"She's a big girl, Ben. She can take care of herself."

"She's FIFTEEN. She's a Sophomore. And she's my little sister," I replied somewhat indignantly. "Drew's a predator. How many cheerleaders has he dated in the past two years? Six? Seven?"

"How many cheerleaders have YOU screwed in the past two years, Ben?" Allie asked quietly.

I grumped and rolled away, turning my back to Allie.

She sighed. "I'm sorry. That's uncalled for."

"No, no, it's okay. But that just proves my point. I know how horny I would be around a girl as cute as Brooke. Is Drew really any different?"

"You're not Drew, Ben. Not a single girl I've talked to has a negative view of you once you were done. Not one. Okay, maybe Adrienne. But that's a special case that you STILL won't explain to me," she huffed. "But girls love you, Ben. Every one of Drew's ex-girlfriends hates him like the Devil."

"You're NOT reassuring me about tomorrow night."

She giggled. "Sorry. Was busy making sure you weren't beating up on yourself. The past is past. And I really respect who you are today."

I took a deep breath and then rolled back to Allie. "Thanks. You know, I don't think we ever had the boyfriend/girlfriend, committed monogamous talk yet."

Allie chuckled and rolled onto her back. "And we won't Ben. I won't be your girlfriend."

"What?" I wasn't expecting that response.

"We can date and for however long this lasts, I'll enjoy it. But I'm not your girlfriend. I'm your friend and for now, we're ... together ... ish. But this isn't permanent and I'm not going to kid myself into thinking it will become permanent."

"That's awfully cynical, Allie."

"It's real. I know you, Ben. You're my friend, I respect you, and you're incredible in bed. But you don't love me. And that's okay. I'm not in love with you, either. So let's not pretend otherwise."

I grinned. "Then I must be dense. We've been friends forever and I feel like I'm just now getting to know you."

She laughed. "That's because you're a boy, Ben. All boys are dense." Then she rolled forward so that her head was on my stomach as she looked up at me. "But ... boys DO have a monopoly on wonderful cocks." She smiled as she began slinking her way down my body until her head was over my crotch. And right before she took me into her mouth, she grinned, saying, "And I'm gonna enjoy this one for as long as I can."