Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience. >My Girl Next Door by RickSands Copyright(C) 2021 by RickSands Chapter 11 I woke only slowly, an early morning ray of sun making it through the curtains and lighting up the far edge of the bureau. Sherry -(TM)s bureau, itself covered with make-up and jewelry, bits and pieces of modern womanhood I could happily now claim as a part of my life. Yeah, you can read smug satisfaction in that statement. Waking up in Sherry -(TM)s bed with a very naked Sherry lying next to me gives me that privilege. With one hand I was able to reach out to touch the naked form lying next to me, the woman -(TM)s firm breasts a good two sizes larger than Jennie -(TM)s. My hand dipped down between the woman -(TM)s thigh -(TM)s, her sparse pubic hair no impediment to my fingers as they felt out the small silver ring that punctured the upper edge of her labia. Wet, the inner folds full of moisture, their feel making me smile with anticipation. Sherry had groaned and turned away, but I followed, my own naked body nesting into her back as I bit her neck and breathed in her scent. At that moment life was wonderful, and Sherry was at the very heart of my feeling of great contentment. It had been three weeks since Jennie -(TM)s great disclosure, filling me in on her hidden past and then coming clean with her mom about what she had been up to. I stayed out of it, letting Jennie gloss over details and simplify events as she saw fit while trying to explain herself to her mom. No mention of the harem of guys at Sam -(TM)s house or of Bob or any of that. Just Jennie and the one true love she finally dumped me for. And who was that? Troy. Of course. Even I could have guessed it. Jennie coached me on what to say to her mom should Sherry grill me for details, which she did. Just me and Jennie as high school lovers until the handsome and much older Troy came her way. I practiced that story a dozen times, happy to lie for Jennie -(TM)s sake, but also for my own. Given that Sherry had welcomed me into her arms and between her legs on a nightly basis I really didn -(TM)t care. Jennie could move into Sam -(TM)s place and do whatever she wanted with the entire bunch of guys and all I -(TM)d do is shrug. With Sherry actually expecting me to follow her into the bedroom every night, I was in heaven. Well, almost every night. A couple of times Sherry had come right out and said, -Listen, Taylor, I need some sleep tonight. You go on home and maybe I -(TM)ll see you tomorrow. Okay? - It wasn -(TM)t so bad. After all, what guy doesn -(TM)t like it when the hottest MILF on the block is complaining that he -(TM)s keeping her up all night? On those nights it was hard to walk past Jennie on my way back to my dad -(TM)s, her smirk making me want to drag her into her bedroom and remind her what I could do. But the next day I was sure to have open access to a revitalized Sherry, and if anyone it was me who needed the sleep. In just a few weeks I -(TM)d gone from newbie apprentice to Sherry -(TM)s sexual needs to absolute master lover. At least that -(TM)s how I felt. She wasn -(TM)t at all shy about letting me know what she wanted, what would excite her and what she -(TM)d put up with. Just running it all through my mind made my cock boner-up, even after a night when I -(TM)d emptied myself twice into Sherry. First off, she was real particular about kissing. Mostly just before and during our merging of bodies, but not so much after. We had our best kisses while my cock was pounding into her, her mouth sucking my tongue in just as her pussy climaxed and sucked my cock dry. Of course she really enjoyed me kissing her body, tits and ass and neck and mouth, but after giving me a lesson in female anatomy, she came to really appreciate what my mouth could do between her legs. Sure, Jennie was always happy to have me go down on her as a part of our foreplay, making sure she was wet and willing before I pushed myself inside of her. She liked it nice and long and gentle, and as long as I wasn -(TM)t forcing my cock down her throat, Jennie was up to riding my tongue half the night. Sherry was different. She liked it hard, with my teeth and lips grasping her clit, sucking in and roughly licking her oversized nub as hard as I could. Jennie could take a half hour of my gentle sucking before having an orgasm, but Sherry wanted me chew on her clit and bring her to an orgasm within five minutes, which I -(TM)m proud to say I -(TM)ve done. She was a lot wetter than Jennie and a lot less apologetic, simply crushing my head between her thighs as she rolled around on the bed, then laying back and letting me know she wasn -(TM)t done with me yet. I -(TM)d also gotten to know what she wanted in the way of lovemaking. Or, in my mind, how she liked to fuck. Even after drowning me while climaxing with my teeth wrapped around her over-sized clit, she liked me to push into her slow and shallow before building to a hard hip pounding fuck. I do mean pounding. Sherry was looser than Jennie but she could take my entire length and still ask for more. As she rose to an orgasm she liked it deep, her legs up and waving with our bodies slapping together even louder than the creaking of her bed. She wasn -(TM)t as flexible as Jennie, but Sherry could hold her legs up and out, even wrapping her feet around me as I pulled her ass out and ground my cock as hard and deep as I could. After five minutes of love making, of kissing and tender caresses, Sherry was up for a long hard fuck like I could never give to Jennie. Jennie always wanted me to hold back, happy with just my first few inches, but Sherry was good for an hour-long fuck that would literally have my balls pressing into her ass. I -(TM)ve never experienced anything like it and, according to Sherry and her very wet bed sheets, I was doing a good job of making her a very contented woman. So, here I lay, spooning the naked ass of a woman I -(TM)ve very much enthralled with. Weeks of sex behind us, and in my mind with many more to go. What made it even better was remembering that it was my birthday. Eighteen, a legal adult, and though Sherrie was still well over a decade beyond me in age, I felt as though my childhood was now behind me and I could start being more of a man to her, an equal partner in a real relationship. I wasn -(TM)t thinking marriage or anything, but I was obviously taking my connection with Sherry pretty seriously. I felt like I had moved on, about to graduate from high school and taking on more responsibility with a woman I couldn -(TM)t get enough of. Hell, I was even coming to think of her family as my own. Kind of weird to imagine Jennie as some kind of daughter to me, especially after everything we -(TM)d done together, but that -(TM)s the way it was. It kind of overwhelmed me. My birthday, my adulthood, was in mind as I moved a little closer to Sherry, my manhood pushing into her ass, one hand moving over to massage her nearest breast as I kissed her neck. I was expecting some special present, a moan of pleasure with her legs opening and her already cum-full cunt making itself available to me for a morning run. That was on my mind, but after a pat on my thigh and a quick -morning Taylor, - Sherry rolled away and up and out of the room. Not totally unusual, but I really had been hoping for her to show some appreciation for what I -(TM)d done for her the night before. And besides, it was my birthday. Jennie and I had school. Taking a sack lunch and walking off with a bag of books kind of ruined the whole -Today I am an adult - thing. Even a little embarrassing as Sherry stood in the doorway and waved us off. I played it all down with my friends, plenty of guys lining up to give me a shot in the arm, but I got through it and was pleasantly surprised when Jennie insisted on walking with me all the way home. I enjoyed that, just talking out stuff with her, and it gave me another chance to ask about Troy. Or more importantly, Troy -(TM)s coming face to face with Sherry. That had happened a week before. I had been busy trying to memorize the feel of every bump on Sherry -(TM)s left nipple with my tongue, trying my best to unsnap her shorts when she casually mentioned that Troy was going to come over the next day. It was the kind of thing Jennie should have told me about, but she was still a little miffed about the private time I was spending with her mom and had been doing her best to make sure I knew she was ignoring me. Of course I wasn -(TM)t part of the meeting. I had work and I wasn -(TM)t asked. Sherry kind of filled me in, like letting me know she approved of Troy but not the relationship. No doubt she had a lot of worry about her under-age daughter doing a lot more than just dating a guy who was in his early twenties. Sherry asked me about him and I told her the truth, but only the most rigid version of the truth. Nice guy, really into Jennie, seems kind of straight and law abiding, and that I -(TM)d trust him if he ever promised to do something. Totally true. Sherry wanted more but I played dumb, which wasn -(TM)t hard given how little I really knew about what Jennie and Troy and various others had done over at Sam -(TM)s. Sometimes ignorance can be a wonderful thing to hide behind. Sherry knew Jennie and Troy would be hooking up but decided she couldn -(TM)t do much to prevent it. Otherwise Sherry talked out her worries, her pain at being a mother to a young girl with far too much experience behind her, and tried to see the bright side of Jennie not trying to hide her relationship with Troy. I still wanted to know more about that meeting and walking back home with Jennie on my birthday gave me a chance to pull some details out of her. -Sherry told me a little about what you guys talked about, you know, with Troy. Mostly she -(TM)s just unhappy that Troy is even around but she doesn -(TM)t know how to stop you from seeing him. What went on? - -You mean my mom and you didn -(TM)t talk it all out, like give you all the details of what we said? No surprise there. She -(TM)s not that into sharing. Get used to it. - -She -(TM)s just not as talkative as you are, - I shot back. -Give it. What happened? I know she -(TM)s not going to call CPS but she -(TM)s also planning on keeping you on as short a leash as she can. How -(TM)d it all come down when you guys met? - Jenny shrugged and showed her poker face for a few steps, then broke out into a smile that I only rarely got to see. She looked almost radiant as she recapped what she and Troy and Sherry had talked about. -Troy was, like, real polite, but he never apologized. He just sat down and explained that he knew how young I was and how nervous mom probably was and everything. Troy even offered to show her his work receipts and his mom -(TM)s telephone number. I think mom liked the idea that he still lives with his mother. Mom was bursting, like red in the face and her hands clenched in two fists. You could tell she wanted to blow, but she just sat there and asked questions and Troy answered with me sometimes chipping in. -In the middle of it all, Troy kind of lost it, but in a good way. Mom was essentially asking what his intentions were, meaning she was wondering if he was just going to knock me up and leave me stranded, but Troy interrupted her and said -~Oh, no Mrs. ***. I really like Jennie. Being with her is the closest thing I -(TM)ve ever come to loving someone. She -(TM)s everything to me. -(TM) - I could swear Jennie -(TM)s voice broke, her eyes staring down at the ground, but then she raised her head and looked at me with what seemed to be tears in her eyes and said, -It was the most romantic thing I -(TM)ve ever heard. Almost kissed him right there in front of mom. Stunned her too, but her fists kind of melted away and she seemed softer after that. We talked a little more, just about stuff, but then we all got up and Troy left and that was it. No shouting or anything. Major stress though. Don -(TM)t want to do that again. - To be truthful, I was hurt when Jennie mentioned Troy being so romantic. All my overtures and attempts to get her attention seemed to have just been pushed aside and forgotten. It hurt, but I just shrugged and forced myself to move on. She seemed radiant when talking about Troy and I didn -(TM)t want to come off as some kind of sore loser. -So, she -(TM)s OK with this older guy seeing you. I mean, like taking you home, maybe spending the night and stuff? - Jennie punched me but in a playful way and seemed happy to answer. -You know, they never talked about what we were all thinking, about what we do every time he picks me up. Mom did ask me later about birth control, but she -(TM)s done that before. But no, no spending the night at Troy -(TM)s. And that whole Sami thing is gone too. She didn -(TM)t come right out and say it but I -(TM)m pretty sure she knows Sami was code for spending time with Troy. - Then Jennie stopped and touched my arm and said something that came hard for her. -Thank you. You could have put me through some real shit with mom but kept it all to yourself. Troy is willing to let my past stay that way. Glad you -(TM)re there too, at my back. - Pretty serious stuff, so I of course had to lighten the mood. -So, about Troy coming over to visit. I -(TM)m not sure your little bed is big enough for his much larger frame. It hardly fit the two of us. - -Shut it Taylor, - but Jennie was smiling when she said it. -I -(TM)m sure mom told you that Troy isn -(TM)t allowed any visiting rights. And sure as hell no key to the front door like you had. I -(TM)m pretty sure she -(TM)s going to nail that window shut too. - -So, she really thinks she -(TM)s just going to keep you under house arrest? I know for sure she -(TM)s assuming you guys are going to be getting together every chance you can. - -Oh, yeah. As long as I -(TM)m home before 10 on any given night, she won -(TM)t complain. No visits by Troy unless she -(TM)s there, but she knows that Troy picks me up from school a few days every week. - -Which reminds me. Thanks for walking with me today. Nice to talk with you. - -Happy to hang with you, birthday boy. Just don -(TM)t expect me to do it all the time. - Jennie even let me hold her hand for the last block of our walk home. So, back to my birthday. Total surprise for me when people started showing up about five. Dad -(TM)s little barbeque turned into a major cookout, with him doing burgers and -~tater tots, but otherwise having friends bring in a bunch of other take-out food. Jennie and Sherry and even Tim showed up, along with a few of my dad -(TM)s friends and a couple of my classmates that Jennie had talked to. I was blown away. Didn -(TM)t even know what to say when my dad handed me the keys to a well-used car he and a friend had been fixing up on the side. Seriously, my own car. Totally awesome. Felt good to be friends with Jennie again. I -(TM)d really missed her. There she was, singing happy birthday to me but then under her breath she joked about how now my ass could be hauled into court for statutory rape if I ever snuck into her bedroom again. I would have brought up the names of a dozen other men but her smile told me she was just trying to get to me. I think that was when I realized Jennie was first and foremost my friend, maybe my best friend, and that made me really happy. Then right across the table from me was Sherry, acting polite with my dad and talking with a couple of his friends while seeming to ignore me. She had on a standard one-piece dress, but it showed off everything I loved about her. Sexist male pig that I am, I loved knowing I was the only one in the crowd with the right if not expectation to rip the dress off of her later in the evening. Only one of the friends Jennie had invited over knew anything about me and Sherry. I was busting out with pride because he was there and checking out Sherry while knowing what I had done with her in the bedroom. As it was all winding down I tried to help with the clean-up, but my dad just pushed me off while saying, -Go ahead Taylor. I -(TM)m sure Jennie -(TM)s waiting for you. But you be careful with her in your car. No messing around. Don -(TM)t want to hurt a little thing like that. - It struck me that my dad had no idea what had happened between Jennie and me, or what was going on with me and Sherry. No way I was going to break it to him either. Tell my father that I -(TM)d finished screwing around with the next door girl and had moved on to sleeping with a woman who could almost be my mother? Not going to happen. Not yet anyway. I knew I -(TM)d have to slip it into a conversation sometime, but I didn -(TM)t know how. Walked over to Sherry -(TM)s. Oddest thing was that it felt as much like my home as at my dad -(TM)s, the little house where I -(TM)d grown up. Tim was there doing homework with an extra piece of cake at his side. Sherry was preparing our lunches for the next school day, and Jennie was in her room. All was well with the world, and I couldn -(TM)t have been happier. Until that night of course. Sherry was uncharacteristically frisky. She likes sex, of course, but apart from being a little coy, she -(TM)s pretty straightforward and even in my face demanding of what she likes and how she wants it. So this playing around, like coming at me on her knees with only a pair of lace panties on was totally unusual for her, and boy did I show my appreciation. Straight out of fantasyland and best birthday present ever. I knew it was an act, but just for me and I enjoyed every minute. Pulling me into the bedroom and kissing me, like a real long loving kiss. Not something I normally get from Sherry unless we -(TM)re entwined on the bed and she -(TM)s about to clench her pussy around my cock and let loose with a bed-wetting climax. This time she kissed me as though she really cared, then pushed my jeans down, pushed me onto the bed, and crawled up between my legs with a fun little growl. Seriously, she just doesn -(TM)t do stuff like that, but on that night she did it for me. As she went down on me, and we -(TM)re talking deep-throat ball diving here, I was able to lever her hips over so my face could plunge into that wet river canyon of a pussy I had gotten to know and love so well. It depended on her mood, but on this night she locked her knees around my head and ground down on my tongue as hard as her own head was sucking on my dick. Even without her attempt to suck me into ecstasy, I was always happy to drink her down. She had let me help trim her fur once, at my request, and wound up showing me all the ins and outs of what made up those layers of flesh between her legs. After that graduate level kind of training, my tongue was pretty good at bringing Sherry to a fast boil. I almost lost it first, Sherry knowing even more than I did about how to get a cock to rise and explode in under a minute, but she held back and just played with me. Five minutes of giving her clit a hard sucking tongue lashing and she sat up, grinding down on my face, essentially masturbating on my tongue and teeth. While my head was trapped between her thighs, she began giving out this series of staccato grunts I -(TM)d come to know as a signal that she was about to climax and death to anybody who got in her way. Sherry -(TM)s orgasms were nothing to joke about, especially when it was my face she was smothering. If it was my cock up her hole and me pounding down from on top it was wonderful, Sherry -(TM)s twat twitching in joy, almost clenching my cock and sucking my dick into a climax while she experienced her own very liquid release. This time she let out a low wail, her hips jerking back and forth on my face double time as her climax was made evident by a flood of secretions. I was happy to suck the river of love juice down and swallow what I could, even proud in the knowledge that I was the cause of her release. I knew I had done good when Sherry finally collapsed down onto my chest and groaned out into the darkness, -God but I love a man who eats bush. I needed that. - She only rested for a few seconds, opening her legs to give me a chance to breathe and then turning around, straddling my crotch with her still dripping twat and slowly impaling herself on my very frustrated cock. She didn -(TM)t mind licking her liquid excess off my face either, something Jennie never cared for. We went slow, kissing in a way she didn -(TM)t always get into while slowly stretching her vaginal canal out with my more than eager pole. Five minutes on and she was ready, pounding down onto me for a minute before holding me tight and grinding up and around, her pussy seeming to be unquenchable as Sherry demanded ever more from me. I had to disappoint her that first time, my balls letting loose before she was able to reach a much anticipated second climax of her own. She -(TM)s cursed me out before, but she also knew what I was capable of. As I softened Sherry pulled herself off of me and crawled backwards and did something she had previously shown a dislike for. Probably with my birthday in mind, she sucked my wet and cum slathered cock into her mouth, sucking and tonguing and swallowing down a good portion of what I -(TM)d just blown inside of her. Jennie did this as a matter of fact, like a normal part of our love making, cleaning off my cock while getting me nice and hard for another run through her twat, whether she wanted it or not. Not Sherry, not normally, but she did this time. Five minutes on my cock was not only clean but hard and ready for another round and Sherry was more demanding of my skills than simply willing to put up with my being a randy young man. She rolled over and pulled me on top, wrapping her legs around my waist and waiting for me to do my duty. Happily. With my balls a good couple of ounces lighter than when we had started, I was able to push my hands under her ass and hook my chin over Sherry -(TM)s shoulder and get to business. She had her legs up high and wide at first, pushing her hips up and sucking in my long length of cock as though she couldn -(TM)t get enough. Five minutes on, maybe more, and she had another climax, her cunt almost sucking a second release out of me. That -(TM)s when she slowed, her legs on the bed and light kisses to my face as I pressed on. When I rose to the golden moment and moaned out her name she kissed me, like lips to lips and tongues entwined, as though she really loved and needed me. That was probably the most special moment of the night. That was the best birthday present, Sherry acting as though she really loved me. Which I knew she didn -(TM)t. I was no love-addled kid, but I did kind of hope she -(TM)d eventually come to appreciate me and depend on me and somehow make me an indispensable part of her life. Instead it was me who had made Sherry and her family a part of my life. I was the privileged one, getting to share Sherry -(TM)s bed, enjoying having a younger brother like Tim, and getting ever closer to Jennie. It was a second family, shared in ways I knew I was lucky to know, but I also knew it wasn -(TM)t something that could last. I knew it, even thought about it early the next morning as I reveled in the scent and touch and sounds of Sherry sleeping beside me. I did what I always did, roll into her, snuggle into her backsides and awaken her with my hardened cock slipping along her slit and through her thighs. She normally grunted and demanded more sleep, or more likely rolled out of bed and told me to knock it off, but in a rare gesture of caring she opened her knees and welcomed me in. I was lusty and in need but tried to take it slow, moving only halfway in before pulling back, kneading her breasts and biting and kissing the back of her neck. Sure, I tried to give some back, like with a hand down to play with her clit, but Sherry pushed me away, using her own hand to stimulate my cock to an even faster rise to climax. Which means she had other things on her mind, other things to do, but was willing to let me unload my lusts inside of her more than generous pussy. For me it was a wonderful moment, calling out her name and pulling her close as my balls pulsed out a dozen streams of jism, literally filling her pussy to overflowing and making her mine. Yet just a minute later she was up and out of bed, talking about work and some school activity Tim had brought up just the day before. There she was, throwing on a top to hide her magnificent tits while I lay there focusing on the long line of semen running down her inner thigh. The dollop of viscous goo seemed intent on escaping from Sherry -(TM)s thick feminine pussy lips, gleaming in their wetness, all while I was wishing only to disappear back up inside of her thighs. I couldn -(TM)t understand why life couldn -(TM)t be more simple, more full of the basic pleasures of life. Then I dragged myself out of bed and readied myself for yet one more day of meaningless high school. One day down, another dozen to go. Most of us seniors could hardly wait for it to all be over, but I -(TM)ve got to admit to enjoying the simple pleasures of (almost) always waking up with Sherry at my side and having a kind of family to come home to. Sherry -(TM)s home had become my home, so much so that I hardly ever saw my dad anymore after my party. I even had to kick myself and make sure he knew when my graduation ceremony was. The week-end before the end of my last year, the end of Jennie -(TM)s freshman year, Sherry had a birthday celebration for Tim at a local pizza place. She mostly held it there, away from home, because Tim -(TM)s dad wanted to attend. Didn -(TM)t see him much, usually from across the bleachers when he found the time to attend one of Tim -(TM)s little league games. This was the first time I -(TM)d be sitting with the guy, face to face, having to make small talk while knowing way too much about what he had done to Jennie. Sherry had also warned me that Tim had told his dad about her and me. In the end, we mostly ignored each other and Tim seemed to be totally unaware of all the strain going on under all the fake smiles. Sherry kept Jennie on the opposite side of the table from her dad, right there safely seated between me and Sherry. Sherry pretended politeness, Jennie pretended to be a little girl, and Tim seemed oblivious, happy to eat pizza and open presents. As the party broke up, the dad and I never even bothered shaking hands, just nodding and going our separate ways. That night Sherry wasn -(TM)t interested in doing anything, turning her back on me and wishing me a good night, but then turning back over and holding me. She tried meeting me half way by giving me a hand job, but I pushed her off and somehow whispered out that I loved her. First time and I really meant it. She didn -(TM)t return the sentiment but she did kiss me and we did fall asleep in one another -(TM)s arms. That was good enough. Of course graduation changed nothing. Got more hours of work, more responsibility, a few more dollars a day, but nothing to brag about. I tried using my extra time to turn Sherry -(TM)s place into my real home, like starting a late spring garden and painting the laundry room. Sherry appreciated the effort, so she said. Then I went a little too far, inviting her to a friend -(TM)s blowout party by the river, illegal drinks and drugs and who knows what else. A fun time for everyone, right? It didn -(TM)t go as I had expected. -You want me to go to, what, a high school graduation bash by the river? - -Yeah. It -(TM)ll be fun. We don -(TM)t have to stay too long. Just hang out. - -Right. Girls, boys, booze, and hanging out. I get that Taylor, but, you know, I -(TM)m kind of over that. I really don -(TM)t think I -(TM)d fit in. You understand that, right? - I knew but I didn -(TM)t really want to admit it, just like Sherry didn -(TM)t want to comment on what I was hoping to get out of her being my date at a party full of teenagers. Yeah, I -(TM)d imagined having Sherry walk around in her tight shorts and halter top and make all my friends explode with jealousy. Sherry knew it, I blushed, and she turned away simply saying, -Get real Taylor. Go if you want. - Still, those first few weeks after graduation were a sweet time, me pretending to be a newly minted adult, with a job and a home and a woman to satisfy my every need. I enjoyed pulling Sherry in for a hug, a hand up to weigh one of her breasts, a kiss to her neck with the hope she -(TM)d moan and tell me there was no need to wait until bedtime. Playing catch with Tim, a video game with Jennie, helping with the dinner dishes. Life seemed full and complete, something I hadn -(TM)t had since my sister had left many years before. Then reality set in, taking both of my beautiful women away. First and I suppose most important was Jennie. She -(TM)d been bending the rules since the end of school, sometimes leaving the house early to be with Troy and once not coming home until late the next day, causing Sherry to growl and threatening Jennie with mandatory summer school and a chastity belt. Then it happened again, Jennie not coming back one night, not answering her phone and Troy pretending he had no idea where she was. Sherry was as stressed and angry as any parent could be and as she was leaving for work she pretty much laid it on my head to find Jennie and lock her in her room. I knew where Troy lived but followed my instincts and went to Sam -(TM)s place first. Found Troy and Sam arguing in the back bedroom, and you know who about. As I walked into the middle of their argument, Troy rounded on me and said, -Who invited you? - and then turned to Sam, saying -Did you tell him? - and finally back to me with a blunt -Shit. You wanna come? Fine. Let -(TM)s get moving. - Didn -(TM)t know what Troy was talking about but I had the brains to know this all had something to do with Jennie. I just followed Troy outside and to his truck without any of my normally stupid questions. I got in, he started driving, and not until we were on the highway did I finally ask a question that made no assumptions that I knew what I was talking about. -You know where Jennie is? What happened? - -Didn -(TM)t she text you? Well, you wouldn -(TM)t know anyway. George. Grabbed her yesterday and took her up to a place of his, a friend -(TM)s, up in the hills. Must have taken her phone but she somehow got to use his phone this morning. Sent me a message saying she was up in some dump up in the mountains. - -You know the place? So she gave you an address. - -No address, but I know it. Went to a gathering a couple of years back. George always referred to it as his own private retreat. Jen -(TM)s right. It -(TM)s just a dump. He -(TM)s been hiding from his parole officer this last month and I -(TM)ll bet that -(TM)s where he -(TM)s taken Jen. - -So George kidnapped her. Can -(TM)t we call the police? - Troy gave me a withering look, probably wondering what kind of a loser he -(TM)d asked out for a dangerous raid to save his girl. I winced in imagined pain and tried going in another direction. -Why didn -(TM)t Sam join us? He knows George better (and was a good fifty pounds over my weight). -Marriage. Finally agreed to marry one of his girlfriends and she -(TM)s already got him under her thumb. Meeting her parents today. For the first time. Can you believe it? I -(TM)m betting they -(TM)ll split in a year but he -(TM)s going through with it. - And so it went for more than an hour. Troy and I actually talked for the first time, about nothing, just stuff and work and life. His mother, my rarely seen sisters, his work with the Department of Transportation and my own work overseeing inventory for a local furniture outlet. I -(TM)d say we kind of bonded, but the dire circumstances that had brought us together kept us from admitting it. After a couple of long and winding roads, Troy turned on a gravel road and then down a dirt path, up and around some dry and dusty hills before parking in front of a run-down cabin. I saw electric lines running to the house and a couple of motorcycles on the side, but otherwise the place looked like it was a hundred years past it -(TM)s expiration date. As we got out of the truck, Troy handed me a small aluminum baseball bat. -Let me do the talking. Stay behind me, but keep it ready. - This was way past my pay grade or level of experience, but I pretended to be the enforcer Troy expected me to be, holding the bat as though it had been my weapon of choice for years. As we walked toward the door, we saw movement in the front window. That -(TM)s when Troy turned to me and said, -He knows we -(TM)re here. If George shows a gun, you jump left and I -(TM)ll go right. Don -(TM)t know how this is going to play out. - As I said, way beyond my pay grade. At the door, Troy gave two hard knocks and we heard voices of at least two men. The door opened, first a crack, then all the way, a large man with a sizeable beer belly filling the doorway but without a gun. -Fuck. Troy. What -(TM)re you doing here? - -What do you think. Give her up George, or a lot more than just your parole officer will be crashing down this door. - This was the first time I -(TM)d ever seen George. The almighty, almost mythical George. Six foot, both tall and wide, grizzled and looking as forlorn as any sad sack the movies had ever thrown onto the screen. Really sad, but also the same guy that had Jennie in his grips. Then came the scream of joy and anger, Jennie -(TM)s voice yelling out and demanding her freedom while banging on a door somewhere inside. She was calling out Troy -(TM)s name so she must have heard him. George could have gotten mean, but he accepted defeat and let Troy in. Troy waved me back as he took a step inside, cautiously looking around before continuing on. George walked back and opened up a door in the far corner of the small front room and in a flash Jennie ran out and had Troy in her arms. Couldn -(TM)t tell if she was crying or laughing for joy, but it was obvious Troy was her man. Didn -(TM)t say another word. The other guy in the hovel began arguing with George but we ignored them both, just walking back to the truck and crowding into the front seat. As he helped her in, Troy bent down to kiss Jennie -(TM)s head and used a name I -(TM)d never heard before. -Jennifer. You okay? - Jennie looked up and gave a small smile and nodded. As we were pulling away she looked back, saying something about George having her phone but Troy just said, -Fuck the phone. I -(TM)ll buy you a new one. New number too. - Then Jennie collapsed into Troy -(TM)s side and cried half the way home. The details of what had happened only trickled out in bits and pieces, true Jennie style. George had called her, said he had something for her, to meet at some diner and he -(TM)d buy her lunch. Of course then he talked her into riding with him to some other place which turned out to be the cabin in the woods. It was only by chance she -(TM)d been able to use George -(TM)s phone, pretending to sleep while he got up to make breakfast, sending Troy and Sam both a text with a plea for help. I didn -(TM)t bother raising the point that she could have just as easily included me in the text, but I figured I was so far out of the picture that the point wouldn -(TM)t matter. Jennie wanted to stay with Troy but he proved to be a man of reason, talking her into staying with her mother until the weekend. He promised he -(TM)d come by the next day and talk with Sherry, but wisely told Jennie that maybe she shouldn -(TM)t bring up George -(TM)s name. He gave me a look and I just nodded, agreeing that the further we stayed away from ever mentioning George the better. Sherry was of course full of fire and fury when she got home, assuming Jennie had spent the night at Troy -(TM)s, not quite thanking me for pulling Jennie home and not really sure what she could do with her wayward daughter. Jennie made that decision for her. Two days later Troy showed up at the front door just as I was getting ready for a full day of work. Just to let you know, working the week-end shift sucks. Big time. At least this time I was in on the conversation. It was a lot longer than I have time for, but it essentially went like this: -Mom. Listen. I -(TM)m going to move in with Troy, but just for the work week. I -(TM)ll spend every weekend here, I promise. - Sherry met that bit of news with stunned silence and a dropped jaw, then letting loose with a few rarely heard expletives. They went back and forth but Sherry was feeling weak and vulnerable and eventually caved in. Jennie would stay with Troy and his mother four nights a week while also working some morning hours in the same bakery the mother was some kind of manager in. Then she -(TM)d come back for a long weekend with Sherry and Tim (and me, not that I was mentioned). Jennie assured Sherry that she loved her but that she also loved and needed Troy. In the end, all Sherry could do is nod and give Jennie a long hug. Troy was an accessory to the crime but also got a quick hug from Sherry as the two left. Then back into the kitchen for a glass of wine, Sherry asking rhetorical questions and including me in the picture only because I happened to be sitting next to her. She more talked at me than with me, trying to figure out life and parenthood all the while knowing the person she was talking to was a boy of eighteen years. My phone was burning up, work wondering where I was, but Sherry was more important to me. Sadly, she didn -(TM)t feel the same way about me though I couldn -(TM)t really admit that to myself at the time. Jennie blossomed. After a couple of weeks living at Troy -(TM)s and working with his mom and essentially being on her own, Jennie had grown into a girl with some sense of control over life. Still just a girl of fifteen, but with a glow in her eyes and sense of authority she -(TM)d never shown before. Her second long weekend back at Sherry -(TM)s had the two of them laughing and sharing stories and talking about how maybe Sherry and Troy -(TM)s mom could get together for lunch. It was obvious to Sherry that the change was good for Jennie and when Troy came to pick Jennie up that Monday morning, Sherry gave him a big hello hug. I was happy to see the changes in Jennie and had to give Troy a lot of the credit. It could have gone so wrong in so many ways and he pulled a real miracle out of thin air. Jennie was nice enough to finally get around to thanking me for accompanying Troy up into the mountains and we returned to texting each other almost every day. Once she got the vibe that I wasn -(TM)t jealous or out to hurt her, Jennie began treating me like the friend I should have always been. Between playing catch with Tim and increased work hours and tinkering with my car and visiting my dad on occassion, my life was pretty full. But it was Sherry that really completed my life. For all these too-few months, my every waking moment had her somewhere in my mind. If she wasn -(TM)t literally in my hands she was in my memory, every touch and scent and inflection of certain words, giving substance and meaning to whatever else I was doing. Even now I can call up not just an image of Sherry but a whole list of different things I love to remember about her. Sure, of Sherry in those lace panties, crawling up onto the bed with her tits hanging down, with my hand feeling the heft of her perfect breasts, her hand holding my cock as her mouth sucked me in. I can still imagine going down on her, of how one of her inner labia was a lot longer than the other and the feel of it as I tasted her and played with the bit of flesh in my mouth. The special scent of Sherry -(TM)s perfume mixed with the feel of her hair as I bent in to give a little bite to her neck just as the leading hood of my cock entered the wet warmth of her pussy. Her laugh, the way she used her hands when talking, and the way her ass danced as she walked in front of me, even when she wore a long loose dress. I can close my eyes and call it all up as though its in the here and now. Boy I miss her. Yeah, I was entranced but I still should have seen it coming. Maybe Sherry saw it all in advance but was too nice to say something, but she really isn -(TM)t the type to hold back out of kindness. When something needed to be said, Sherry was usually pretty good at getting a point across. I like to remember everything as being perfect until mid-summer, until the day Sherry walked in and found me half stoned with a friend, playing a well known online game better known for violence than plot development. An open beer, my maniacal laugh when I saw Sherry, and Tim playing on his own in the back yard. Sherry let me know that she and Tim were going out to dinner and before I could think it all through, they were gone. Don -(TM)t know whether Sherry saw me as a younger version of her irresponsible ex or just as young, as in too young. Very likely there were other things going on in the wings I wasn -(TM)t aware of, but it doesn -(TM)t matter. She was nice about it, but the sound of the closing door rang pretty loud in my ears. She had been pushing me off for a couple of days, and finally one night she opened up a bottle (of red, shiraz being her favorite) and poured me out a glass while giving it to me straight. -I think it -(TM)s time Taylor. It was nice, but my head -(TM)s just not in it anymore. If you don -(TM)t mind, I -(TM)d like you to move back to your Dad -(TM)s. - Yep. That blunt. My stomach fell through the floor. I -(TM)d been expecting something, even knew I should have questioned her growing distance, but I was too afraid of bringing my thoughts into the light. Forcing Sherry to bring it out into the open while I sat with hands folded only showed me to be the wimp I didn -(TM)t want to admit to. Knowing it was futile, I protested, if only to say I tried. -It doesn -(TM)t have to be like that Sherry. I like you too much. I can -(TM)t imagine going a day without seeing you, without being with you. What caused you to change your mind? - -It -(TM)s not me changing my mind about you Taylor. Listen, I -(TM)ve loved being with you too, but we were never meant to be forever. It -(TM)s just time. - -Was it Jennie? Her leaving? - -Now that -(TM)s just stupid. You had nothing to do with her staying with Troy. If anything, her no longer being here has left us room to have more time together, but... - Silence, apart from us each taking a sip of wine. I thought of making a scene, acting strong, defying the wimp I had shown myself to be, but I cared too much for Sherry to put her through that. It would have only been an act anyway. In the end I -(TM)m proud to say that I reached over to hold Sherry -(TM)s hand and said, -I -(TM)m really going to miss you Sherry. You -(TM)ll never know how much you mean to me. I wish I had the words. - At least that -(TM)s what I think I said. She smiled, but didn -(TM)t say much more. I gathered a few of my things, a symbolic gesture accepting my defeat, and Sherry gave me a long hug goodbye. She even kissed me, like a real kiss, something she rarely did outside of our being locked together in bed. That -(TM)s when I knew she was really gone from me. I could hardly believe it. Jennie had never really been mine, but there was a real belief that Sherry and I could be together forever. Of course I could only think forward a week or two at a time, things like Christmas or college always being far distant events that would simply occur on their own. But Sherry had become my anchor and I always imagined her being with me, and certainly always sharing my bed. Now here I was, dragging my sorry ass back to my dad -(TM)s in some weird twilight hour between sunset and dark. I felt horrible. The next afternoon after work, I went back over to gather the rest of my stuff. Tim was there, so I threw a few balls with him, then went in to innocently say hello and goodbye to Sherry. Tim asked if I was staying for dinner. I said no but added that I hoped to attend his next game. Got a smile and a nod from Sherry on that one, which made me feel like I was still a part of the family, and maybe less of a loser. Later that night Jennie called. Sherry had shared the -break up - with her and Jennie was nice enough to commiserate rather than rub the salt in. -Should have known my mom was out of your league, you big goof ball. - No, not cutting me any slack, but at least Jennie wasn -(TM)t trying to be mean about it. -Just don -(TM)t take it too personally. Remember the last guy she was with? - -Um, no. Not really. I know she dated a bit but I never really pushed her for information. What about him? - -He never existed. Never with anybody I mean. Sure, dated some. I know a guy from work was real serious but mom said it was all wrong. Only brought a guy home with her once, like with me and Tim finding some strange man at the table the next morning. I gave her this real scathing look, but didn -(TM)t want to get in her face over it. Didn -(TM)t matter. Never happened again, until you. Don -(TM)t know what she saw in you Taylor. Maybe she just trusted you, or maybe she was real lonely. Sure, it was short, but while you were there I could tell she was happy. - -Yeah. Thanks. - -So don -(TM)t go all sorry for yourself and shit. Move on. - I wanted to cut it off there, just to save myself the pain of Jennie trying to be nice to me, but there was one more thing I had to say while I had Jennie on the line, voice to voice instead of texting. -Jennie. I -(TM)m sorry. - -What for? You jack off into my sheets again? - I had to laugh. Busted. -No, not about that. Just, you know, for everything. Busting in on you in your bedroom, doing some of the stuff I did. For everything. I should have been a better friend. - -It -(TM)s not about you Taylor, got that? My life, my choices, so back off. Nothing to apologize for, except maybe for banging my mother when I was trying to get some sleep. You -(TM)ve got some good moves there. Don -(TM)t waste them on your left hand. - We both laughed at that one. -Besides, - she continued, -now I -(TM)ve got Troy. I -(TM)m the lucky one here. Even mom has to admit that. - I had a lot more to say but it was time to hang up and find some direction. I don -(TM)t think I -(TM)ll ever be able to say enough to Jennie. She -(TM)s one special girl. So there I was, stuck back home with my dad and looking forward to a dark dismal future. He -(TM)d seen me moving back in, my boxes of stuff and clothes, even my car being parked in front of his house instead of over by Sherry -(TM)s. Asked if I was okay, if Jennie was okay, if there was anything he could do. It was nice to know he cared and good to get it out of the way without me having to admit to anything. That he thought it was all about Jennie was just fine with me. Last thing I wanted to do is sit down and discuss my love and lust for Sherry. Then a week passed and I came home from work to find dad whistling while prepping some hamburgers for the grill. Hamburgers, sure, but he never whistles. Even he knows how bad he is at it, so I had to ask. -Glad I got home in time to grab a burger before you turned it to charcoal. But what -(TM)s up with the attitude? Your boss give you a raise? - My dad actually blushed a bit, stuttering for a second before going the long way to an answer. -Sherry had a flat. Had to go over and help her change her tire. - My stomach churned and my appetite dropped away. I somehow knew what was coming. -Yeah, so... - -Didn -(TM)t have to fix it. Just traded it out for the spare. She -(TM)ll take it back to the same place she bought them. They -(TM)ll fix it for free. I -(TM)m thinking of getting my next set of tires there. Getting kind of worn. - I knew more was coming. Just had to give him a nudge. -So, what -(TM)d you guys talk about? - I knew something more was coming, maybe a little worried that they -(TM)d talked about me, but that wouldn -(TM)t have explained the whistling. He finally got to that. -Oh, um, all about her work and Tim and Jennie -(TM)s new boyfriend. - This is when he turned to me and said in a real serious voice, -I -(TM)m sorry about that Taylor. It must have been hard on you. I didn -(TM)t know. - -It -(TM)s okay. - I didn -(TM)t want to talk about it and fortunately my dad moved on to the main topic of the moment. -Anyway, we went in and Sherry fixed me a sandwich for lunch. She makes great iced tea, so I asked her if she -(TM)d like to go out this Saturday to a place that I just read about. Some local artist having a show. She said yes, to that and dinner. - -How do you go from iced tea to asking Sherry out on a date? - -I don -(TM)t know. Just seemed like a good time. And she said yes. - That -(TM)s when our eyes locked and my dad asked the ultimate question. -You okay with that Taylor? - He knew. He knew everything I thought I -(TM)d gotten away with. Just as importantly, he cared enough to ask without dragging me through the details. I blushed a bit, my stomach dropped a little further through the floor, but I shrugged and said something like, -Oh yeah. I think you two will be perfect for each other. Hope it works out. But, just to warn you, she likes salads more than steaks. Total opposite of Jennie. - My dad nodded and said, -Good to know. - I was seriously happy for my dad, and of course kind of envious, but I suddenly felt all alone, as though I was by myself in a small boat in the middle of the ocean. It was a horrible feeling I just couldn -(TM)t shake. Texted Jennie, dropped in a line about Sherry and my dad having a date and got an immediate reply. -Yeah. They -(TM)ll be good for each other. - Seemed like Jennie already knew, as though she and Sherry had talked it all through. That made me feel even worse, so two days later, and following Jennie -(TM)s advice, I moved on. Epilogue Just to keep it short, I literally moved, as in out of the house, out of the city, and on to anyplace else. I know, like I -(TM)m running away from what I just don -(TM)t want to face, but there was nothing to face but somebody else -(TM)s life. It was time to live my own. Had a friend whose older brother was in need of a housemate in a low-rent apartment. He demanded first and last but otherwise provided all the bare furnishings of home. My savings kept me going until I found a job doing pretty much what I -(TM)d been doing before, responsible for furniture inventory but this time as a big box store. Full time and with benefits kicking in after I -(TM)d done some time. Kept up on all the gossip with phone calls to my dad and texts with Jennie, and that was enough for me. I -(TM)ll go back for a visit at Thanksgiving if my boss allows it. Just don -(TM)t feel like returning any sooner. Besides, just a month into my new job I ran into Samantha. Yep, the original Sami, the same girl Jennie used to fake Sherry into thinking her dear girlfriend -Sami - was real. I was setting up a desk in an over-crowded aisle display when a voice asked, -Hey, that you Taylor? - I turned and saw a girl from school, the very same one Jennie had bought off for twenty dollars. -Yeah. And you -(TM)re, um, Ramona. Right? Sorry. Haven -(TM)t seen you in a while. - -S -(TM)OK. You working here? - -Yeah. My dad figured that I needed to support myself after graduation. But what about you? Aren -(TM)t you a year behind me? You visiting someone? - -Oh, no, I -(TM)ve actually moved in with my dad. They -(TM)re, you know, separated and he -(TM)s a lot easier to handle. It sucks having to spend my last year at a new school but it -(TM)s fine. - Then she got to the burning question. -How about Jennie? She staying with you? - Being in on the whole fake Sami thing, Ramona knew more than most about me and Jennie. It hurt to have her bring it up, but I acted nonchalant and pretended it was all behind me. -Oh, no. Jennie -(TM)s still back with her mom. It never really worked out. - Ramona waited for some details, looking into my eyes as though wanting to dig them out and suck out the full story. She finally gave up and turned away, saying -Well, too bad. It seemed like you were really into her. - She -(TM)d taken two steps when my fake bravado broke. -Hey, Ramona. You free this weekend? - She stopped and turned, her almond eyes seeming to laugh at me, pausing for a half second before saying, -Except for a ton of homework, yeah. Why? - -There -(TM)s a crafts fair at the river park. - (Just FYI: I -(TM)d never been to the park. I -(TM)d heard about the fair from a coworker). -I can pick you up. I -(TM)ve got Saturday off. - I was ready for a polite -sorry, but... - kind of response, but Ramona nodded for a long moment, pretending she was really thinking it through, then gave me a smile. -Yeah. That -(TM)d be nice. Haven -(TM)t gone anywhere in town except to a movie with my dad. Be a great change. - Two minutes later I was back to work, half my mind on how to find room in the aisle display area for the desk, the other half picturing Ramona walking away from me, her long black hair and a very tight pair of cutoffs waving both goodbye and hello with every step. For the first time in a month I found myself smiling. A coworker even asked why I was whistling. I just told him it was something my dad did. The End