Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Once Upon a Time Part 4 - Mr.  Brightside (Live and Let Love)

   Sometimes the last thing I want to do is take a journey through my own
memories, and there's a reason for that.  While it is fair to say that I'm
as much a result of my bad decisions as my good ones, some are just too
painful to watch.  Up until this point I have focused on mostly pleasant
memories, although some can turn bittersweet in a flash it seems. 
Sometimes, usually when I am intoxicated, I can get trapped in painful
memories that I would rather not have to relive.  In most of those cases I
have been able to force the trip to end - either by fast-forwarding to the
end, or simply moving too far away from my younger self.

   As I've stated on more than one occasion, I have never really figured
out how I gained this ability.  No medical doctor has been consulted, and
I'd rather eat my shoes than consult a mental health professional.  To
date, I have settled for ending a bad trip as quickly as possible, and
moving on.  On this occasion, I was not afforded that easy escape.

   Hang on folks, this one is rough...

   If you've been following the story, you know that I was active in sports
when I was younger.  First it was baseball, and then I switched to swimming
as I hit high school.  While I was never world class at either sport, I
enjoyed them both - and many of my memories so far have included those
teams.  Although I never felt at home with the jocks, I was generally
accepted and my participation lasted until I graduated.  Ironically enough,
the injury that precipitated this latest adventure was one that happened
outside of sport, but I've used my swimming as a convenient excuse for it
for my entire adult life.

   My back started to go out shortly before work ended,and I was able to
nurse it long enough to get home before I lost it completely.  As a result,
I was able to ingest a few high-grade painkillers before crawling to my
bed. My wife got home about half an hour later, just as the pills were
beginning to kick in, and when she saw I was down for the count, she gave
me a goodnight kiss and went on with her night.  Her night consisted of
feeding the dogs, and then herself before she took advantage of the empty
house to get ahead on some cleaning.  As usual, this was accompanied by
music and my wife only has two brands - pop country or soft rock.  For some
reason, she'd chosen the Alternative Pandora station that I'd created for
her over either of her normal selections.

   While I was shocked by her selection, it was an act of mercy as far as I
was concerned, and as I was lulled to sleep by the industrial ambiance of
Depeche Mode - I was grateful for the distraction.  Just as the darkness
began to creep up on me, the song changed to one I'd never heard before. 
The last line I heard seemed to follow me down into my forced hibernation.

   'It started out with a kiss.  How did it end up like this?  It was only
a kiss, it was only a kiss'

   As quick as my descent into sleep had been, I would have expected to
remain asleep for the remainder of the night.  So it was a shock when a
moment later, I was wide awake again.  Only the lack of pain in my back
gave an indication of what was happening to me, since I had yet to open my
eyes.  When I finally opened them up, I knew I was in a memory - because
the building I was standing in has been gone for over twenty years.  Of
course, the fact that I went to sleep in Dallas, yet woke in Titusville
would have worked just as well, I guess.  The surprising part was that
there was no sign of my younger self to be seen - that was a new one for
me.

   I was standing in the stock room of the Titusville Save-Mart, a scummy
grocery store I'd worked at for most of my freshman year.  The Save-Mart
had two claims to fame back in those days; most of the customers paid in
food-stamps, and most importantly - they were one of the few places that
would hire kids younger than sixteen years of age.  The only reason I'd
been able to take the job, since the store was about thirty minutes from my
house, was because a neighbor had started a restaurant in the same plaza,
so she could drive me home each night.  This had served me until I got my
license early in my Sophomore year, at which point I moved to a better job
working in various kitchens across town.

   In a panic, I hunted around for my younger self - with no success.  I'd
never jumped into a memory where no one was around, and I worried that my
condition might be worsening.  The thought of one day being stuck in my
past forever raced around my mind for a few tense moments.  My worrying was
interrupted by the sound of laughter and a commotion coming from behind me.
When I turned to identify it, I was staring at a wall of large boxes. 
After a minute of confusion, I realized where and when I was, and climbed
to the top of a pallet of bleach - which afforded me a great view of myself
and the others.  I could only smile as I watched them cavorting like a
bunch of young idiots - which of course is exactly what they were.

   Joel and a few of his coworkers had been ordered to empty the stockroom
and get it all cleaned up before returning all the pallets to their
original locations.  As they moved stack after stack of boxes, they
discovered areas of open space where pallets had not been pushed all the
way together.  One of the guys, an older guy named Jack, had come up with
the idea of moving all that empty space together to form a larger open
area. It had just seemed like fun at the time, but when they were done
there was an eight by ten open space in the middle of the stacks.  By
strategically placing the pallets of heavy items, they'd created a sort of
stairway that provided access to this area from a small walkway behind the
back pallets.

   I fast forwarded a few uneventful days, watching at high-speed as
younger me went about his day to day routine.  He'd wake up and catch the
bus to school, and afterwards he'd take a different bus with his friend
Brandon to the apartment complex that his family owned and lived in - which
was a half mile from the store.  Once or twice, I saw Kandi Williams who
was Brandon's girlfriend at the time.  I assumed that she was the focus of
this memory, but I kept on moving until a few days later when I saw Ginger
show up in the scene as well.  As the scene slowed to real time, I felt a
sinking feeling in my gut - as if I'd eaten a few iron bars for lunch. 
Kandi was indeed part of the memory, but as soon as I saw Ginger I knew it
was going to be bad.

   My feelings were confirmed when I watched Brandon and Joel exit
Brandon's apartment a few seconds later.  Joel had about thirty minutes
before he needed to leave for work, so the two were heading over to shoot
baskets for a bit.  Kandi brought her friend over to meet Joel, "Joel, this
is Ginger she just moved into the apartment complex.  She's from Virginia,
so she doesn't really know anyone around here yet." I watched as Joel said
hi to the new girl, and was not surprised that his gaze never left Kandi
while he did so.  She went over to sit with Brandon, leaving Joel to
discuss schedules and teachers with Ginger, until it was time to head off
to work.

   The next few days went by in a blur as I moved quickly through the
monotonous daily tasks of school and work.  While I have, at times, enjoyed
revisiting some of the friends who have not yet had a key part in any of my
trips - my main goal was on getting through my current adventure unscathed.
While I slowed the playback a bit when I saw Ginger in school, I didn't
dwell on those scenes for too long.  For the detail oriented reader, I can
just say that it was clear early on that the girl was into us.  She would
drop by our locker most days after school, and she would sit as close as
possible on the bus on the days we went home with Brandon.

   Suffice it to say that he/I were less interested in her, we had our
hearts set on Kandi - and had since that summer.  The girl was the epitome
of what we'd wanted back then, she was attractive with a slim waist and
ample chest.  More importantly, to us anyway, she was smarter than most of
our classmates.  We'd spent most of the summer getting to know her, and it
would be fair to say that we were head over heels in love with the girl. 
Back then, there were no cell phones or social media, so we'd spent hours
chatting on the phone, and I'd just listen to her cute little southern
belle drawl and imagine our lives together.  As a clue to where this is
headed, current Joel cannot stand that accent at all.

   Joel was super aware that she was trying to play matchmaker with him and
Ginger, but he didn't care.  In his mind this was her ploy to keep him
around for when she'd break it off with Brandon.  At this stage of his
life, young Joel had yet to develop any sense of loyalty to his friend - if
he had a chance with the girl, he was going to take it.  Looking back now,
I can say that this event is probably what would make that loyalty such a
precious thing to him as he got older.  A simple line that cannot be
crossed would have simplified these events, and prevented a great deal of
pain - both mental and physical.

   As the scene resumes normal speed, all on its own (which is worrying in
its own right), Joel is at work at the store.  Since the store was open,
most of his work was related to refilling items that had run out on the
shelves - most of the heavy work was done later in the evening, and the big
trucks came on Friday night.  As he returned to the stock area to grab some
canned vegetables, he felt a tap on his shoulder.  When he turned, Ginger
smiled up at him and asked how he was doing.  While she was far from
unattractive, she was a bit mousy looking to Joel, who'd grown up on the
beaches up and down the coast for most of his life.  At an even five feet
tall, she had to tilt her head to look him in the eye, and her shoulder
length brown hair was cut in a very bookish style.  While she was
proportioned correctly for her size, she constantly wore bulky sweatshirts,
which gave her a frumpy style that almost made her look plump.

   "Hey Joel, I was out riding around and I figured I'd come in and say hi.
Are you terribly busy?" He really wasn't so he told her to meet him out
back in a few minutes, and they could visit for his fifteen minute break,
which seemed to please her greatly.  He grabbed a couple of Cokes from the
refrigerated case up front, and headed back through the stockroom to meet
her outside.  The first thing he noticed was the impending rainstorm, being
late afternoon in Central Florida these were not unexpected, unless maybe
you'd just relocated from out of state.  Joel passed her a soda and lit a
cigarette, "I know you haven't been here long Ginger, but those clouds
right there mean it'll probably start raining really soon.  If your going
to venture this far out on your bike, you may want to start paying
attention to them.  As if simply mentioning the rain had been the magic
words, the sky opened up and Joel grabbed the girl and pulled her into the
stockroom, but not before both of them had been drenched.

   "Wow, you really know how to sweep a girl off her feet, huh?" she
laughed as he set her down gently.  He smiled at her as he set her down,
not only was she witty but he'd gotten a good feel when he'd picked her up
- and she certainly didn't feel frumpy.  "Am I allowed to be back here?  I
don't want to get you in any trouble." He motioned for her to follow him
and headed around the huge stacks towards the entrance to their hidden
break area.  After he'd guided her up and over the walls of product, he
took a seat on a milk crate and informed her that no one who knew about
this place was working that day.  At the end of his break, Joel grabbed
another round of sodas, some magazines from the news stand, and a roll of
paper towels before heading back.  "I'd love to hang out some more, but I
have to get back to work.  Here is some reading material for you, and I'll
come get you when the rain stops." She thanked him for his assistance,
calling him her gallant white knight, and assured him she would be fine
there until she had a chance of making it home safely.

   As with most afternoon showers, this one had passed on in about an hour,
and Joel went to let her know it was safe to head for home.  He assisted
her in climbing out of the room, and swung her around elaborately before he
deposited her safely on the ground.  "My lady, whilst I'd love to accompany
you home, I fear I have duties here that are pressing.  I bid you safe
passage, until we meet again." He escorted her outside to her bike, and
before he could turn, she hugged him close and laid a sweet little kiss on
him.  "You are my white knight!  Thanks for taking such good care of me,
will I see you tomorrow?" Joel didn't work the next day, but he said yes
anyway.  What was the harm in getting to know her a little better? 
Satisfied with that answer, Ginger took off on her bike - shooting him a
last wave before she turned the corner.

   The following morning, Joel found a note in his locker after first
period.

   Joel, I was really hoping to see you after school, but I forgot I have
an appointment at the doctor.  My mom is picking me up before last period -
so I may make it home before you leave for work.  If I don't, I will ride
up to the store (after I check the clouds!  HA-HA).

   xoxo,

   Ginger

   After reading this, Joel was tempted to ditch the whole deal and just
take his regular bus home.  If he didn't, he'd be forced to hang with
Brandon all night so that he could wait on his neighbor for a ride home. 
He decided to talk to him about options at lunch later to day.

   The high school was pretty large, and had no distinct cafeteria.  They
had two lines in front of the kitchen, and the students ate in the common
areas around the lockers.  Since there wasn't enough room for everyone,
there were three separate lunch sessions.  Joel normally ate with the same
group everyday, and both Kandi and Brandon were part of it.  She was
sitting alone when Joel made it to their table, and she patted the seat
next to her while she smiled at him.  "Where's Mr.  Perfect?" he asked as
he took the offered seat.  "Oh, his father made him go with him to Miami to
look at some property he may buy.  Sucks too, because he was gonna sleep
over tonight.  Now I'll be lonely until my daddy gets home." Joel knew that
she and Brandon had slept together quite often, which was easier to do when
her old man was seemingly encouraging it.

   Joel laughed, "You poor thing, what time does daddy get home tonight?"
When she answered that it wouldn't be until midnight at the earliest - Joel
began scheming.  Kandi was excited that Joel seemed to be into Ginger, so
she quickly volunteered her place as a crash pad for the evening, which
Joel took as proof that she was into him, of course.  Since he'd told his
parents he had to work, he would have the entire evening free to hang out
and try to get something started with Kandi, once Ginger had gone home - so
he was pumped as well.  As lunch ended, they both agreed to meet at his
locker and head for the bus together, then they broke off to head to next
period.  Joel tried to focus on his classes, but he failed miserably, he
was so distracted that even his teachers could tell there was no point
calling on him.  Completely oblivious to his surroundings, he managed to
drift through the rest of his day.

   When the final bell rang, I watched as young Joel sprinted for his
locker.  I found myself driven to grin as I watched the dopey smile on his
face when Kandi showed up a few minutes later.  Despite knowing how this
ended, the idea that my younger self was so smitten was almost funny, and I
decided to jump ahead - if only to save myself the time.  But nothing
worked, I couldn't move the scene forward.  I was stuck in this memory with
no control over the playback, which posed a problem for me as the shit was
getting ready to hit the fan.  I positioned myself in the back of the bus
to observe the ride home - and it was awful.  Joel put on the full court
press, and it was obvious to the more mature, older Joel that this girl
thought of him as nothing more than a friend.  When he would ask personal
questions about her and Brandon, she would deflect with questions about her
new friend - "Don't you think she is the cutest?" and that sort of thing.

   Once the bus had deposited them at the correct stop, she invited Joel in
to her place, and offered him a beverage.  He sat with his soda while she
went in to her room to change out of her school clothes.  She maintained
the conversation from afar as she went about her after school routine,
since her and her father were on their own, she had the task of preparing
food and doing the light housework for the day.  These efforts took the
better part of an hour, and she was the perfect hostess as she glided from
task to task dressed in some very short shorts and an old t-shirt - she was
the picture of white trash perfection.  Having over twenty years of
perspective, current me was in the position to understand how poor she and
her father were, but young Joel had no eye for such things - he simply saw
a hot girl in very little clothing.

   As she completed her chores, her father called, and she assured him that
the housework was complete before finding out that he might have to work
longer than planned - so she should count on just her and Brandon for
supper, he'd grab something when he got off.  She was honest with him that
Brandon had to go out of town with his father, but that I had volunteered
to keep her company that evening.  I couldn't hear his voice, but she
concluded the call with "Yes, I know Dad.  I won't, no really - it's fine.
Nothing to worry about here.  Yes that's the one, We'll see." She hung up
shortly after, and the immediate ringing startled us both.  She answered
again, and after a moment she smiled as she explained about Brandon having
to go south with his father.  "Yes, he's sitting in my kitchen waiting for
you to get home.  He has also arranged to be off this evening, and since my
dad won't be home, I thought you guys could hang out over here - how does
that sound?" She winked at Joel as she replaced the handset once again,
"Ginger will be here in a few, let me make myself decent - can you let her
in?" Not waiting for his answer, she headed back to her room, this time
closing the door between them.

   The expected knock came about two minutes later, and I watched as Joel
greeted Ginger at the door and invited her in.  "Kandi is getting changed,
she'll be out in a minute.  How did your trip to the doctor go?" he asked.
She told him that it was just a general physical that she needed to be able
to take part in school athletics, "I'm not sick or anything, just want to
be able to take part in things.  My old school didn't have much in the way
of extracurricular activities, so I'm hoping to be able to join some team
or group so I have something fun to do after school." She was still wearing
her school clothes, which again was topped off with a bulky sweater or
hoodie type garment.  Joel asked if she wasn't hot in that heavy sweater,
and I could see the look in her eye as she decided that maybe she was.  She
slowly pulled the top off, exposing a thin gray tank top that she was
wearing underneath.  "I don't really have any summer clothes yet, so most
of my wardrobe is better for colder weather.  I can't exactly wear this
shirt to school, I'm sure there are some rules about exposed underwear -
but it does seem that some girls are willing to push it a bit."

   Looking at her at this age, I had to ask myself why I'd been so intent
on dismissing this girl.  Even twenty years later she maintained a
fantastic figure, so it was no surprise that she'd be so attractive at
fourteen.  While she would never qualify for a centerfold with such a small
chest, she was curvy in all the right places, with just a hint of baby fat
left around her middle.  All in all, she was well put together with
smallish B cup breasts that would always lose in any comparison with her
new friend, who was already approaching D cup dimensions - but beyond that,
she was a fit, attractive girl.  Grown Joel could already feel the sinking
feeling in his stomach by the time Kandi returned to the kitchen.  She was
dressed in a much more reserved manner, knee length khaki shorts and a
light colored blouse that did help conceal her attributes a bit more than
the baby t she'd been wearing previously.  "Oh good, you're here!  I am
going to be making us a delicious dinner shortly, you should probably see
if your mom will let you stay over tonight.  That way we can just hang out
and maybe watch a movie on the VCR, waddya say?" She shuffled the pair off
into the living room and made her way into the kitchen without waiting for
a reply from either of them.

   Ginger sat tentatively in the center of the sofa, a move designed to
keep Joel close to her.  It was clear to my educated gaze that she was
nervous as hell, but absolutely committed to her planned course of action.
Joel turned on the television and tuned to MTV, which - believe it or not -
actually played music videos in those days.  As he turned and took the seat
to the left of her on the sofa, the video for Dire Straits' 'Walk of Life'
came on the tube, and he bounced his right leg along to the rhythm of the
tune and engaged in some casual conversation.  At this point, I remember,
the plan was still to get this visit over with quickly - leaving him time
to work on Kandi, but it was obvious that Ginger would not be going
anywhere soon, with the invite to stay over for the night.  The girl kept
turning to her left, as if to look him in the eye as she spoke, but each
movement brought her hip closer to his, and by the time the song was over
her right leg was crossing both her left and Joel's right.  They continued
to chat for a few more songs.  God I had forgotten how much of the music of
the eighties was absolute shit, but after a round of Whitney and Cyndi
Lauper songs - Kandi joined them in the living room.

   "Supper will be ready in about a half hour, can I get you guys anything?
Joel, can I refresh that drink for you?" She was the perfect hostess, about
the only thing she didn't do was suggest they head back to her room for a
quick roll in the hay before dinner.  Her goal was so obvious that I
actually felt bad for my younger self, who was so blinded by his lust for
her that he was actually still entertaining the idea that they'd get some
time alone before this was over.  Kandi took the other side of the sofa,
and from the movement of her body as they sat and watched the videos, it
appeared that she was forcibly shoving Ginger up and onto Joel's lap.  By
this time, the looks that the girls were passing back and forth pretty much
summed up what was supposed to happen here to everyone in the room except
for the blind fifteen year old boy sitting with them on the couch.

   After a few more videos, it was time for Kandi to head back to oversee
the completion of the meal, and she suggested that Ginger give Joel the
grand tour of the apartment while she was finishing up dinner.  He followed
her around for the thirty seconds it took to show off the place, and of
course the tour ended in her friends bedroom.  "And this, as they say, is
where the magic happens" she exclaimed as she entered the room and sprang
onto the bed.  "Would you care to join me, Joel?" As she spoke, she patted
the bed beside her, and I watched as young me had a violent argument in his
head, which he apparently lost - before he joined her on the bed.  As soon
as his ass made contact with the mattress, Ginger was all over him, kissing
him on the neck and nibbling on his ear.

   It is worth noting at this point that up until this exact moment, Joel
had done nothing more than make out with the few girls he'd spent time
with. So it was a tentative young man who reached out to take the girl by
her shoulders, squaring her up for what until this point had been the grand
finale in his sexual escapades - the french kiss.  She practically bit his
tongue off in surprise, but quickly adapted to the foreign object in her
mouth.  Before he could even make a clumsy move for her tank top, she'd
ripped it off and unfastened her bra.  She left it on, however, and Joel
took the move for the invitation it was - removing it from her shoulders
and burying his head between her small breasts.  While a few short months
later, this would ultimately begin to lead to the patented motorboat
maneuver - at this stage he was far too shy to attempt such a thing. 
Ginger groaned as he took one nipple into his mouth and lathed it with his
tongue before moving on to the other, and giving it the same treatment.  He
worked his way back up to her neck, trailing light kisses along her
collarbone and then sucking on her neck like a horny vampire.  He was about
to try a light nip on her neck, to gauge her reaction, when Kandi entered
the room.  "Oh my, you two move fast huh?  Well when you can tear yourself
away - supper is on the table.  And no worries Ginger honey, we go casual
here for dinner time."

   I watched as Ginger turned bright pink, apparently the plan was one
thing, but being walked in on by her new friend had not occurred to her. 
She reached for her bra, but Joel suggested that casual probably meant just
a shirt - so she put her tank top back on and headed for the door.  As he
moved to follow, she turned to him "Don't eat too much, you have to save
room for dessert." When they sat down at the table, Kandi was in full-on
country wife mode.  She handed out biscuits and ladled out some kind of
brown gravy over a plate of turkey and mashed potatoes for each of them. 
She then brought in some new drinks and made herself comfortable opposite
them at the dining table.  "My you look a little flushed hun, I apologize
for walking in like that - I didn't know things were moving that fast! 
Y'all can head back in there after, but I would be a poor hostess if I
didn't feed you.  Dig in Joel, it seems you may need the energy.  Doesn't
she have the nicest breasts?  So perfectly shaped, and she doesn't need a
friggin crane to get them in her bra.  I'm jealous!" Joel just nodded,
unable to imagine such an enchanting creature being jealous of anyone.

   They ate and made conversation for the better part of an hour, and while
it started out awkward - Kandi had a way of defusing the situation and
making everyone feel at home.  Once the meal was done, and the three of
them had cleaned up, Kandi told them that they could head back into her
room if they wanted, but she was going to watch a movie she'd rented.  Joel
and Ginger agreed to watch with her, and took up a position on the couch
under a blanket that she'd grabbed from the bedroom.  Taking the hint,
Kandi took up position in her dad's easy chair and grabbed the remote
control.  As the movie started, Joel realized that no one had made any
mention of the title of this movie - which he knew, even at such an early
age, meant they were going to watch a soppy romance film.  To his great
surprise, she had rented 'Better Off Dead' and they all laughed their asses
off for an hour and a half.  The movie was so good, he and Ginger did
nothing but hold each other as they watched, and neither of them seemed to
be bothered by it.  I could remember thinking at this point, that this was
one cool chick and how it was a shame that she'd come along right as my
plan to seduce Kandi had come to fruition.  Like I said, this was not gonna
be pretty.

   Once the movie was over, the group was still riding high on the laughs
it had provided, but Ginger seemed to be recalling more about what she'd
been planning.  She'd began to rub him through his jeans, and he was
responding quite nicely to the stimulus.  "Kandi, do you have any other
movies?  I'm thinking something romantic.  Do you have anything like that?"
Joel was in no position to argue about watching sappy romance, and he knew
it - so he just laid back and tried to keep a straight face as she worked
on him through the denim of his pants.  Kandi was unsure "My dad has one
that Brandon and I have been dying to watch, but as cool as my old man is -
he said we couldn't watch that one yet.  If you promise not to tell Brandon
that I watched it without him, we could try it out?" Of course, everyone
agreed - in fact Joel was more interested because her dad said no.  What
kind of guy let's his teenage daughter sleep with her boyfriend in his
house, but not watch an R rated movie?

   She went and got the tape, and after slapping it in the VCR she grabbed
her own blanket and hit play on the remote control.  As the movie began to
roll, the screen filled with a warning that the title they were about to
watch had been rated X by the Motion Picture Association of America.  Each
of them kept their reactions internal, but from my perch at the front of
the room, it was clear that they all knew things were about to go to a new
level.  The movie was 'Emmanuelle' and it was (and still is) one of the
most sensual films to come out of France in the history of their cinema. 
As the scenes got steamier and steamier, Ginger got more bold - first
reaching into his jeans to fondle him, and then lowering them enough to get
at him unencumbered.  Being the first girl to ever do this, her touch was
electric, and Joel was very appreciative of the attention.  He focused hard
on not watching the screen too much, as the excitement was almost too much,
and he was afraid he would go off right there on the couch.  This worry as
well as the delight in having a willing partner led to him moving
completely under the cover as he returned his attention to her breasts as
he had earlier.

   Before long, he'd managed to get a hand into the waistband of her jeans,
which was no small feat given their tightness.  He was not completely
clueless as to what he should be doing, but his fear and anxiety were
taking a toll on him.  He ran a finger through her pubic hair, a new
sensation for both of them apparently as she moaned softly as he did so. 
Fearing discovery, he popped his head out of the blanket to check if Kandi
was paying them any attention, but she seemed to be completely entranced by
the scenes unfolding on the screen.  He was brought back to reality by both
the not too gentle squeeze on his member as well as the forceful hand
pushing his occupied hand down further.  He continued his finger walk down
her pubic area until he began to feel the heat coming off her aroused sex.
He tentatively extended his finger and continued downward where he met with
a bit of resistance before finally feeling the heat and wetness of his
first vagina.  At this point, Ginger was acting only on instinct, she was
lost to the sensations racing through her body for the first time.  As Joel
marveled at the silky softness at her center, she began to jerk him with
renewed urgency and she became more vocal.

   Joel decided it was time for another status check, he wanted to make
sure they were keeping their actions well hidden.  First and foremost, he
wanted to maintain a sense of decency - this was not a public show for
anyone else's entertainment.  Secondly, even as this was occurring, a small
part of him was wondering if he could get Kandi into this same scenario in
the near future.  He poked his head out again, first taking a look at the
action on the screen which was hot enough to make his hips buck
unconsciously under the blankets.  He then took a look over at Kandi, and
she'd begun to sweat profusely, but for some reason she remained under her
own blanket and was locked onto the action on the screen.  As he prepared
to duck back under the cover, she looked in his direction and the look in
her eyes was one of pure passion.  She moaned and hers eyes began to roll
back into their sockets as she got a bit louder.  At first Joel was
concerned, thinking she might be sick or something, but then she bit her
lip to stifle a larger moan and his own damn burst under the covers and he
shot off three major shots as he added his own moan to the orchestra.  His
first thought was to escape, but he was a bit tied up - tangled in the
blanket and Ginger's pants as he was, there was no easy way to move.  He
decided to try anyway, and as he turned his wrist to attempt to withdraw
his hand from her pants, he felt the edge of his hand rake over something
hard - and the result was immediate as Ginger screamed "Yes!" and began to
shake.

   Even though I knew where the events of this evening would go, and even
though I'd tried to hit fast forward nearly every second since that ability
had apparently been stripped from me - I had to laugh at the scene before
me.  All three of them had come up for air, and were glancing between the
television and each other on a constant basis as they attempted to not make
eye contact with each other.  Joel finally broke the ice, "This is some
movie, huh?" and the girls were quick to agree.  Kandi added something
about it being too hot in the house, and Ginger volunteered that she needed
to pee.  Everyone chuckled and things returned to a more even keel for a
bit.  Ginger apparently did need to pee, so she buttoned up and pulled down
her shirt before quickly running to the bathroom.  Joel really didn't want
to button up his jeans, since he must be covered in his own cum, but when
he felt around, he didn't seem to find any wetness on his lap.  While there
was quite a mess on the blanket, there didn't seem to be enough of his
spunk anywhere else - at least for what felt like the largest load he'd
ever experienced.

   Once Ginger was gone, Kandi made no effort to hide the fact that she was
pulling her shorts back on under her cover.  She was fully clothed when she
ripped the cover off herself, and she stopped in front of Joel on her way
out of the room.  "I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that your blanket
may need to be washed as bad as mine does.  Don't say anything to Ginger, I
wouldn't want her to be embarrassed, but she looked like she had a good
size load running down her arm as she booked it to the bathroom.  Good job
boy!" She took both blankets and headed to the kitchen, so Joel guessed the
laundry was back that way as well - until she emerged with the blankets in
a basket with a box of Tide detergent.  "Sorry, I need to get these clean
before my dad gets home, or he will be pissed.  I'll be back shortly." She
was out the door before he could say or do anything else, so Joel reclined
on the sofa and waited for Ginger to come back.

   She returned shortly, apologizing for the delay, "Sorry, but I had to
clean you off me, you really let it fly under the blanket.  I wish I'd had
a chance to see it, but I have to be honest - I was peeking out at Kandi.
I'm pretty sure she was masturbating to the movie, and it was pretty hot.
Don't tell her I said that, promise?  Between watching her, and what you
were doing to me, I soaked my underwear so badly that my jeans are wet."
She placed Joel's hand on her crotch, and he imagined he could feel some
dampness, but it was hardly a visible stain.  When she asked about Kandi,
Joel told her about the emergency trip to the laundry room, and Ginger
began to blush again.  "Jesus, could you imagine if Brandon had been here?
They apparently have sex all the time, so could you imagine if they'd been
doing it right on that chair in the same room as us?" Joel could imagine
it, and it bothered him but made him excited at the same time.  He
indicated that he'd rather be the only guy in that scene, and she slapped
him on the shoulder.  "We just got together, and you're suggesting a
three-way?" When he tried to explain himself better, she laughed it off,
"Relax man, I'm kidding!"

   Ginger plopped down on the couch beside Joel, and laid her head on his
shoulder.  "I want to be honest with you, I've never done anything like
this before, and I'm not sure if I want to go any farther, at least for
tonight.  Is that okay?" Joel was somewhat disappointed, but since he was
still scheming for Kandi, it would have been a dick move to be angry about
it, so he nodded.  "Whatever you think, I would never push you into
anything you didn't want to do.  That was great, by the way - sorry for
hosing you down like that.  If we're being honest, I was peeking at our
host as well - that was the craziest thing I've ever taken part in." At
that moment, Kandi walked back into the apartment "I have about twenty
minutes before I have to switch the load to the dryer.  Joel, would you be
interested in staying the night?" When he nodded, she asked if he needed to
call anyone, "No, my parents are already asleep when I get home from work,
so I'll just tell them that Roger came and picked me up for Dawn Patrol. 
It would be good to let him know I'm here so he doesn't drive out to the
sticks to get me thought."

   I hung around the girls while young me went to make arrangements to be
picked up in the morning.  Luckily we'd left our board and gear at Roger's
after our last session, otherwise we'd be shorebound in the morning.  The
girls were careful to keep their voices down, for his sake, but since I
wasn't really there - I heard it all.  "Kandi, I can't believe I let you
talk me into this, I was so scared!  I don't do these kinds of things, what
if he talks about me at school?  I'll be labeled a slut or worse." Kandi,
for her part, seemed to be playing a mix of best friend and big sister,
"Relax honey, Joel is one of the good ones, he won't tell tales.  Hell, if
my old man wasn't so fixed on me marrying Brandon, you might find yourself
with some competition - that boy is cute, and he's funny, and intelligent.
We spent some time getting to know each other over the summer while Brandon
was working with his dad, and I'd have to shower afterwards, I swear -
you're a lucky bitch." This was new information, but as usual I was unsure
of how real these scenes were when my younger self had not been in the room
- it could just be wishful thinking on my part.

   Ginger was still far from sure about how to play this out, and she
voiced that concern to her friend.  She was told, not unkindly, that she'd
have about 45 minutes before it was time for bed.  "In that time, if you
don't want to do something, say so, Joel will not push you - I'm sure about
that.  Once I go to bed, if you have any issues, you just reach for me and
I'll be there to help." I was becoming certain that this dialogue was being
spun out of whole cloth for the purpose of soothing my guilt over what was
to come later, but I realized I would never really know if her intentions
were as questionable as my later behavior would be.  The pair separated as
Joel walked out of the kitchen, "Very good, Roger will be picking me up at
5:45am, so I need some rack time - and I'm guessing that it wouldn't be a
good idea for him to be knocking on your door at that time, right?  So I
may need to borrow your alarm clock, Kandi." She agreed, and suggested that
perhaps she and Ginger could join us for the trip - an idea which Joel
sounded just perfect to Joel.
Kandi led the couple into her room, and pulled the trundle out from
under her bed, "It used to pop-up to be the same height as my mattress, but
it broke awhile back.  Hope you don't mind sleeping or whatever down
there." Ginger said she was fine with it and Joel agreed, as long as Kandi
would promise not to step on him if she woke up in the middle of the night
and had to pee.  "Well then, I have to stay up a while longer, to finish
the laundry.  So y'all tuck in, and I'll try not to wake you when I come to
bed.  Don't do anything I wouldn't do sweetie!" And then the door was
closing behind her, leaving them all alone again.  There was a brief
conversation about who got which side of the bed, and then it was time to
face the facts that they were both getting into that bed together.  "I
normally don't wear much to bed, so I was thinking I'd strip down to my
boxers, if that's okay with you?  I promise not to try anything, at least
unless you start it first." Ginger nodded, sounds fine to me, I'm going to

go change, I'll be right back."

   Joel took the opportunity of her absence to strip down to his shorts,
and then climbed into the bed.  Now the reason we liked to sleep naked was
that we got awful hot at night, so the blankets were a bad idea, but he
considered it an insurance policy.  Even if there was no further action
tonight, he'd be on display to Kandi when she walked in.  In all honesty,
this idea did not bother him too much.  He'd been in the gym and stuff with
Brandon, and if she was able to make a comparison, he knew he'd only
benefit.  But if her dad came home and looked in on her, and got an eyeful
of unknown teen cock, he may react poorly.  He has just settled in when
Ginger came back into the room, her hair was wet and she was wearing only
the small tank top that she'd had on earlier.  She was carrying a small bag
that he assumed held her toothbrush and stuff - and he suddenly wished he
had a toothbrush of his own for a quick brush.

   She sat on the edge of the bed and removed a small bottle from her bag.
"I had some of this massage oil, and I was thinking you might like a
massage, does that sound good?" Joel answered that it did, but only if he
could return the favor afterwards, which made her smile.  "Turn over on
your stomach and I'll start on your back." Joel tensed a bit as the cool
oil hit his skin, but it warmed quickly under the heat of her hands, which
felt great as they kneaded the muscles in his back.  After a moment, she'd
made her way down his back and was massaging the area just above his
waistband.  "Take these off or they will get all oily" she said, and Joel
complied.  Those wonderful hands began to attack his glutes with zeal.  An
ass massage was not something that he'd had before, but all in all he could
see the appeal.  All too soon, she'd moved down his legs and finished off
with a quick rub of each foot.  Joel thanked her as he began to get up,
getting ready to return the favor as he'd promised.  "Hold on chief, we
aren't done yet - it's time to do your front."

   He'd been reaching for his boxers as she spoke, and her tone quickly
made him aware of his semi-erect penis.  Now, most men would say this was
no big deal, but to a fifteen year old, the fact that she'd been jerking it
earlier did not remove his worry about rolling over and exposing himself
like that.  She helped things along by grabbing his shoulders and twisting
him until he rolled with the motion, his dick flapping to and fro as he
finally came to rest on his back in the center of the bed.  She gave it a
look, and then pulled his legs together before straddling his hips and
squirting more oil onto his chest.  When she reached for his shoulders, she
found she was a bit too far away, so she shimmied further up his legs,
until her crotch was bumping up against the bottom of his shaft.  While the
feeling was amazing, Joel could not help but laugh a bit at the sight
before him.  It looked like she had an upside down penis, and he was quick
to point that fact out.

   Ginger grinned, and with one oily hand she grabbed his cock like it was
her own.  "Do you like this?  I have a really nice dick, don't I?" She gave
it a pump and as it became fully erect, she let it go.  "We'll see about
him later.  For now, I must rub!" She then proceeded to follow the same
pattern on his front as she had on his back.  Joel was in heaven, and it
was more than the sensation of this girl's hands on him, it was also the
relaxed nature of her play.  The joke with his penis, along with the voices
she used as she ran her hands over him - ranging from Swedish accents and
several variations of Asian.  While he could not find the right word for
it, I knew he was searching for the word comfortable, and while he could
experience the feeling of it, I knew he was too young to appreciate it. 
All in all, she's spent about twenty minutes rubbing most of his body by
the time she'd repeated the foot rub from the front.  She returned to her
starting position on his lap, and grabbed him with both oily hands.

   "We only have about thirty minutes before Kandi comes in to go to bed,
and while I do want that massage - there is something I need to do before
the lights go off." She slowly ran her hands over his shaft, tracing the
veins on the underside, and staring him directly in the eye.  "I was
distracted when you shot off under the blanket earlier, so I didn't get to
see - so I want to jerk you off and watch it shoot, is that alright with
you?" Even if you've never been a teenage boy, I'm willing to bet money
that you still know the answer to such a question.  As he nodded his
consent, she began to work him over in earnest.  The massage and the image
of her sitting on him naked from the waist down was more than enough to get
him going quickly, and in no time at all he was warning her it was almost
time.  I remembered what was going to happen next, and laughed as I saw
young me begin to shake, then thrash a bit as I tried to buck up against
her downward strokes.  She was a tiny thing, but her weight and the bedding
made it impossible for him to move well, and that coupled with her desire
to see it shoot out would lead directly to young Joel's downfall only one
day later.

   Joel was rolled a quarter way to the side when he finally went over the
edge and unloaded with everything he had.  She and I watched as the first
shot, and then the second shot about a foot into the air, and as the third
shot dripped down her hand, the first two landed on Kandi's pillow.  She
began to snicker, continuing to pump his meat, resulting in more cum
coating her hands - and Joel trying to push her off him as the sensitivity
became too much for him.  She finally gave in and rolled off him laying on
her back still laughing and holding her sloppy hands up to prevent them
being wiped on the bedclothes.  "Holy shit, that must have shot three feet
into the air!  That was just about the coolest thing I've ever seen, can we
do that again?" Joel had calmed a bit by then, and he said that he'd need
some time to recover first, so she decided it was time for her massage. 
She was about to roll over to grab the oil when she realized the mess on
her hands, "Is there something I can use to wipe this off me?" Joel tossed
her his shirt without really thinking about it, and she cleaned up the bulk
of the mess before laying down on her stomach in the center of the bed as
he had.  The shirt was tossed on the floor and Joel took the oil and knelt
beside her.  "Hard to rub a back that still has a shirt on, you know?"

   Before he could get a response, there was a knock at the door, I could
see the look of dismay on his face.  Hard to believe he was still
entertaining the notion of Kandi in that moment - but I knew he was.  "Is
it alright to come in yet?" Kandi asked through the door.  I watched as
Joel told her it was her room, she could do as she pleased.  I grimaced a
bit as the memory of what came next occurred to me, and I watched as the
girl's first step into her room came down on the sodden t-shirt laying on
the floor.  "What did I just step in y'all?  Oh god is that?  Oh sweet
jesus!" I watched as she hopped on to her bead, face first into her pillow,
"Son of a bitch!  What the hell are ya'll doing in here?" I watched as Joel
and Ginger giggled and Kandi headed for the bathroom, taking care to miss
the shirt this trip through.  The pair could hear her mumbling to herself
about that being as close as she got to any sex tonight as she cleaned her
face.  They got under the covers and she turned off the light as she
reentered - throwing the pillow at Joel and demanding his in return.

   As with every other trip, darkness is no barrier for me here - much like
a television show where it gets 'dark' I can still see just fine.  And as I
watched Ginger roll towards Joel, I knew the bad part was about to begin,
and I mentally begged whoever this power comes from to allow me to skip
ahead.  I went so far as to trot out of the apartment and down the street
before realizing nothing was working.  When I returned to the room to take
my licks, Ginger had just climbed onto young Joel's lap and I was powerless
to stop anything - there was no good to come from this trip at all.  As the
young girl eased herself onto him/me, her head swiveled and the initial
shock of that movement almost caused me to miss what happened next.  She
looked dead at me!  Not young me, he was blissfully unaware of anything -
he had some very good moments ahead before it went south on him.  She was
looking at me, dead in the eyes - this had never happened before.

   Before I could move or react, she opened her mouth to speak.  I cannot
say if the words were hers or not, but it was the voice I recalled and had
been listening to all day it seemed.  "Joel, I will give you one chance"
she said, "You can finish this memory, and it will never return again, or
you can cower and run right now.  In that case, it will fester and wait to
come again - choose wisely".  There was no doubt in my mind and I asked for
mercy before she'd finished speaking.  The look on the girl's face almost
seemed to be one of satisfaction before the scene began to dissolve to
black before my eyes.  We've kept in touch - but I have not seen her face
to face in over twenty years.  I have to assume that her face just then is
pretty damn close to the one she'd make if I brought this event up with
her.

   I didn't wake up, I don't think the medication would have let me if I
tried - but the things I saw.  Oh man.  Not another trip, not this one,
this was different.  Imagine floating along in a river, just meandering
around looking at the scenery, got that image?  Now imagine that scenery is
your life, not minute by minute - but a constant stream of feelings and
visions.  People and places whirled by, many familiar but some who I swear
I've never met - I fear what that means to be honest with you.  I'm not
sure how long it lasted, but when I finally woke, it was daylight outside
and the music I'd dropped off to had changed to country and western crap -
another day dawns at casa Joel.

   Did I make the right decision?  I have no clue, but I know that I am
going to have to find a way to figure out what is happening to me soon.  If
I don't, I'll go crazy - if I'm not already...