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 ï>¿Saturday Night School byjessica_tang_vonharperÂ(C)

   Saturday Night School Ch.  13

   Charlie and Michelle play a game at Glenn's party.

   "You got rid of that other stuff already?" Ronni asked as they attached
the camera to the computer in the editing bay and started to upload the
footage.  "The stuff you filmed at the end?"

   "Yeah, it's been deleted."

   "Good." Ronni crossed her arms.  "This hard drive already has too much
secret porn on it."

   Charlie chuckled.  They watched the data start to copy over.  "Hey," he
said, "do you want to go to a party this weekend?"

   "Glenn Mack's party?"

   "Yeah."

   Ronni smiled slightly.  "I was wondering if you would invite me. 
Actually, Michelle already asked if I wanted to go.  She told me about it
two days ago."

   "Oh.  She did?"

   "I told her I can't go.  My family is driving to Sacramento for the
weekend."

   "Oh.  All right." Charlie leaned back in his chair.  Michelle had
already invited Ronni to the party.  Did Michelle invite her for a specific
reason?  Maybe to keep Charlie company while Michelle was with Glenn?  Or
did Michelle just invite Ronni because Michelle and Ronni now seemed to be
best friends who planned to do things together?

   Charlie didn't want to go to the party alone, but he couldn't see any
other option.  His intent was to find a way to steal Michelle away from the
party, and he couldn't do that if he brought other people with him.  Ronni
might have helped him, she was the only one who knew about his secret
affair with Michelle.  But Ronni was going to be in Sacramento.

   So he would go to the party alone.  He would arrive alone, and later on,
he would leave with Michelle.  That was the plan and the goal.  Slip into
Glenn Mack's party, even though Glenn hadn't invited him.  Locate Michelle,
where she undoubtedly would be, sitting with all of her friends, probably
even sitting with Glenn Mack himself.  Whisk her away without anyone
noticing, even though Michelle was supposedly the whole reason for Glenn
Mack throwing the party.  Charlie's mission if he chose to accept it, a
mission impossible.

   Or he could fail.  He could chicken out.  If that happened, he would
once again be the bearded man at the back of the movie theater.  Sitting
and watching Michelle from a distance, helpless to make any moves that
would win her to his side.  If that was the case, then better to not go at
all.  He could stay home, watch TV, maybe tell himself he didn't go to the
party because he trusted Michelle to stay true to him.

   No, he wouldn't stay home.  He did trust Michelle.  It was Glenn Mack he
didn't trust.

   Saturday came.  Charlie picked his clothes carefully.  He intended to
dress like a spy, someone who would blend in, someone who wouldn't be
noticed.  Black shirt, black jeans, a baggy black jacket.  Looking at
himself in the mirror, he thought he looked less like a spy, more like a
cat burglar.  "I'm the bad guy in this movie," he told his reflection. 
"The party crasher that's going to ruin the party."

   Actually, he wasn't technically a party crasher.  Michelle had invited
him; she had even texted him the address.  Vampire Vanessa had invited him
as well, that day in the hall.  "You should come," she had said.  So there
was that.

   He went to the party an hour and a half after it supposedly started,
half an hour after the time when Michelle said she would be there.  The
party wasn't hard to find; he didn't need to check the house numbers.  The
noise and the mass of cars on the street made it clear which house was
having the party.

   Glenn's house was only a mile away from the juice bar where Charlie had
dropped Michelle off after their brunch date.  Maybe Michelle's house was
in the same neighborhood.  Maybe it was within a few blocks.  Michelle's
mother was friends with Glenn's mother, after all.

   It was a nice house.  Bigger than Charlie's, maybe even twice as big. 
The front door was open and a group of teenagers sat around the front
porch, talking and laughing.  Charlie didn't recognize any of them.  He
also noticed some people walking around the left side of the house, where a
gate stood open and a walkway seemed to lead to the backyard.  He could see
lights glowing in the backyard, and decided to take that path instead. 
Maybe he could slip into the house through the back door and attract less
attention.

   No one noticed him as he walked through the gate and followed the path
towards the back of the house.  He could hear music playing from outdoor
speakers, not obnoxiously loud but loud enough to be heard several houses
away.  Some male singer strumming on a guitar and singing about love. 
Maybe the neighbors would be happy it wasn't rap or electronic dance music.

   Halfway along the path, he noticed something attached to the house that
looked familiar.  He crouched down and let the light of his phone flash
over the object, confirming that it was what he thought it was.  Charlie
glanced towards the back yard, but no one was headed in his direction.  He
was alone.

   He had come to the party with a plan to get Michelle away from Glenn. 
Now, he had an idea for a phase two of his plan.  He leaned over the
object, his hands moving quickly.  Three minutes later, during which
thankfully he wasn't discovered, Charlie rose from his crouch and continued
to the backyard.

   Glenn Mack had a swimming pool, but no one was swimming.  A few groups
sat outside on deck chairs drinking from red cups and talking.  One group
of teenagers smoked by the diving board.

   Kim Mink was in one of the groups, along with several other theater kids
Charlie recognized.  Kim had a large travel mug that she was sipping from,
undoubtedly filled with strong coffee.  "Charlie," she called out to him
when she saw him, and he felt obligated to stop by and say hello.

   "What's up, Charlie," said Toki Cho, a tall, slim Korean boy.  "Heard
you got into the Apex program at Jefferson.  Congrats." Toki was a junior;
he was in Charlie's Theater Tech class.  His real name was Paul, but
everyone called him Toki Doki because of his alleged drug use.  He reeked
of marijuana.

   "Thanks," Charlie said.

   A long-haired blonde girl named Rachel asked, "When do we get to see the
film you've been working on?  Are you going to show it at school?" Rachel
was one of Kim's friends.  Probably Kim had mentioned that she was one of
the actors in the film.

   "Yeah," Charlie said.  "I'll see if I can do a premiere in one of the
rooms."

   No one asked him about Michelle, and Charlie guessed that Kim hadn't
mentioned Michelle's impromptu nude scene to anyone.  Kim Mink always
seemed to have a unique perspective on things and she might not have even
considered Michelle's nudity to be an interesting topic of conversation.

   After a few minutes, Charlie excused himself, telling the group that he
wanted to go inside and get something to drink.  He entered the house
through the back door, which led directly into the kitchen.  It was a large
kitchen with dark granite countertops and a middle island.  The island was
covered with half-empty bottles of alcohol and red cups.  Two tall girls
were in the process of pouring themselves drinks; they didn't even look at
him as he passed.  Charlie didn't really want a drink.  He wanted to find
Michelle.

   The front room was large, brightly lit and filled with people, maybe
fifteen in total.  Charlie scanned the faces and recognized some of them,
fellow seniors from Pine Hills.  He didn't see Michelle or any of her
friends.  One of the walls had family pictures on it: pictures of
little-boy Glenn; teenage Glenn; Glenn's parents; Glenn with another boy
who was probably his younger brother.  Glenn had the same confident smile
in all of the pictures.

   Charlie went through a doorway into a darker part of the house.  He saw
a line of women waiting at a door that was probably the bathroom.  Through
another doorway and he stood in the first of a series of three dimly-lit
rooms that were all open to each other, effectively creating one long room.
The room Charlie stood in was the dining room.  The dining room table
remained, but the chairs had all been taken away.  Charlie could see the
room at the far end held a pool table and a piano.  Two men were playing
pool, while another two watched.  The large room in the middle was the
entertainment room, filled with couches and a large flat-screen television
that was mounted on one of the walls.  This was the room where Charlie
finally saw Michelle.

   She was talking to another cheerleader, illuminated by the glow of
whatever was playing on the TV.  She hadn't noticed Charlie's arrival. 
Glenn stood nearby, less than five feet away.  The groups were segregated
by gender, Michelle sitting with a group of five girls, and Glenn standing
with three other boys.  Cody was one of them.

   Michelle wore a black tank top that showed off her flat midriff.  A dark
skirt flared over her legs, and she wore gleaming black boots.  Charlie
gazed at her and once again marveled that he had become so close to the
woman that he considered to be the prettiest at Pine Hills High.

   Glenn turned towards the group of girls and said something, smiling that
same confident smile.  The girls laughed at his joke.  Michelle laughed,
too.

   "Asshole," Charlie muttered, scowling.

   "Ah," said a sultry voice behind him.  "Charlie.  You've finally
arrived."

   He should have already known who he would see when he turned to look,
but still he had a moment of wondering who could be expecting him.  Vampire
Vanessa was dressed in tight, black jeans and a long-sleeve black shirt
that was also very tight.  Her long, black hair was down and she wore
bright red lipstick.  Pendant earrings looked like wind chimes dangling
from her ears.

   She didn't enter the room but beckoned him to join her in the hall. 
Charlie wanted to glance towards Michelle, to check if she had noticed him,
but Vanessa's eyes were on him and he knew she wouldn't miss such a glance.
He stepped into the hall.

   "Hey, Vanessa," he greeted her.

   Vanessa gazed at him critically.  "You came here by yourself?"

   "Yes," Charlie answered, wondering why it mattered.  Then he noticed
that Vanessa wasn't alone.  A slim brown-haired girl stood next to her. 
She was slightly taller than Vanessa and wore faded blue jeans and a tight
gray t-shirt with the Powerpuff Girls on it.

   "This is Talia," Vanessa introduced her.  "Talia, meet Charlie."

   "Hey, Charlie," Talia said.

   "Hi."

   "Talia is my cousin from Linterna," Vanessa said.  "She's going to be
your friend while you're here at this party.  All right?"

   "My friend?" Charlie was confused.

   "I'll be over with Michelle," Vanessa said, touching Charlie's arm. 
"Maybe I'll see you over there." And she walked away.  Charlie was too
surprised by her sudden departure to say anything, and before he knew it,
he was alone with Talia in the hallway.

   He looked at Talia.  "Uh...  so what is she talking about?"

   Talia shrugged.  "Vanessa asked me to stay with you and keep an eye on
you.  She said you might get into trouble."

   "Trouble?  What does that mean?  What kind of trouble?"

   "Well, I don't know exactly," Talia admitted.  "Vanessa was a little
mysterious about it.  I got the impression that some of the guys here don't
like you very much, and might not be happy to see you.  But if they think
you're here with someone, they'll leave you alone." She hastily added, "Not
that this is a date.  I'm just doing this as a favor for Vanessa."

   "Let me get this straight," Charlie said.  "If Glenn and Cody see me
here alone, they're coming after me?  And Vanessa is trying to protect me
by making it seem like I'm here with you?"

   "I guess," Talia said.  "Vanessa didn't tell me specific names.  Why
don't they like you?"

   Charlie hesitated, reminding himself where the line lay between what was
well known and what was secret.  "They think I'm chasing Michelle," he told
Talia.

   "Vanessa's friend Michelle?  Is she here?" Talia asked.  "I know her
name but I'm not sure what she looks like."

   "She's in the next room, by the TV.  Vanessa's probably with her. 
Michelle's in the black top, black skirt and boots.  Dark hair like
Vanessa's, but wavier."

   Talia peeked into that room.  "I think I see the one you mean.  Wow,
she's beautiful."

   "Out of my league, huh?"

   Talia chuckled.  "Yeah.  No offense." Talia stepped back into the
hallway.  "So are you really chasing after her?"

   "No," Charlie lied.  "I know she's out of my league.  And she just sees
me as a friend.  Everyone knows it.  She's made it pretty clear." Maybe if
he convinced Talia she had no real reason to stay with him, then she'd
leave him alone.

   "Just a friend, huh?  That's rough." Talia nodded towards the kitchen.
"Hey, do you want to get something to drink?"

   "I can't," he said.  "I drove here."

   "Doesn't have to be alcohol.  Let's see what they have." Talia caught
his arm and tugged him towards the kitchen.  "Come on."

   Charlie didn't have a better idea.  He followed her to the kitchen,
where they found a cooler filled with soft drinks and bottles of Gatorade.
Charlie grabbed a Sprite, and Talia poured herself a lemonade with a splash
of vodka.

   "So, you say she just sees you as a friend." Talia continued the
conversation right where they left off.  "And you're not chasing after her.
But some people still have doubts about you, huh?  Glenn and Cody, because
they don't want you here.  Are Glenn and Michelle dating?  Because I know
Vanessa is dating Cody."

   "Why don't you ask Vanessa for all the details?" Charlie muttered.

   "She wouldn't tell me very much.  I think she thought you would be the
one who would tell me everything." Talia paused to think.  "Vanessa must be
on your side.  Right?  Why else would she want to protect you like this?"

   "I have no idea why Vanessa wants to protect me," Charlie said. 
"Although, Vanessa was the one who invited me here."

   "Seriously?" Talia seemed impressed by this.  "Hey, let's go back over
there."

   "You want to find Vanessa?"

   "No.  Not yet.  I was thinking we would just hang out by the dining room
table until Glenn and Cody see you.  To find out if they're cool with you
being here.  What do you think?"

   And Michelle would see him, too.  Charlie checked his phone.  He still
had time before phase one of his plan kicked off.  "Okay," he said.  "Let's
go."

   ***

   "I'm going to school in Linterna next year," Charlie told Talia. 
"Jefferson U."

   "Oh, really?  It's a beautiful campus.  Are you going to move there?"

   "I don't think so.  I'm not sure.  I might commute."

   "I'm taking classes at LCC right now," Talia said.  "Linterna Community
College.  It's on the west side of Linterna." Her eyes peeked to the side.
"Ah.  They see you."

   "Who?"

   "Cody.  He took a long look at you.  Now he's saying something to
Vanessa."

   He wanted to ask, what about Michelle?  Did Michelle see him?  Was she
looking at him?  It took all his will to keep from looking in that
direction.  "What do you think?" he muttered.  "Are they going to be cool?"

   "I think so.  Vanessa's talking to him.  Probably telling him you're
here with me.  After that, it should be no big deal." Talia tapped her cup
with her fingernails.  Her nails were painted purple.  "Let's just keep
talking.  I'll let you know when I think it's safe."

   "Oh.  Right.  Umm...  so you're older than Vanessa?  You're out of high
school?"

   "I graduated last year." She grinned.  "I know.  Everyone thinks Vanessa
is older.  But I'm actually a year ahead of her."

   Charlie felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.  Someone had just sent him
a text message.  He slipped the phone out and glanced at the screen.

   It read: "There you are." It was from Michelle.

   Charlie looked at Talia to see if she had read the message, but Talia
wasn't paying attention.  She was still focused on Vanessa and the crowd in
the adjoining room.  Charlie couldn't stop himself; he glanced towards
Michelle.  She wasn't looking in his direction.  If not for the message he
had just received, he would have thought that she was still unaware he was
at the party.

   Charlie wanted to respond to her text, but he couldn't do it, not while
Talia was standing right there.  Talia wasn't just there to make him appear
less threatening to Glenn and Cody.  She was also there as Vanessa's spy.
Undoubtedly, anything she learned about Charlie's secret relationship with
Michelle would be relayed to Vanessa.

   "...  it's actually a really good price for the amount of food you get,"
Talia was saying.  She was telling him good places to eat around Jefferson
University.  Charlie did his best to seem like he was listening, catching
just enough details to hold up his end of the conversation.

   His phone vibrated again.  Another message.  Fortunately, Talia received
a message a second later, and checked her own phone.  Charlie slipped his
out and read the new message from Michelle.

   It read: "Do you like my heart?"

   Charlie looked over at Michelle.  She was gazing right at him, a tiny
smile on her lips.  She had a small red heart drawn on her left cheek.

   "Just a minute," Talia said.  "Vanessa's texting me." She was distracted
by her own phone, and Charlie took the opportunity to quickly write a
message to Michelle.

   "Yes," he typed.  "I love it." He sent the message.

   He did his best to avoid looking right at Michelle, but out of the
corner of his eye, he could see her check her phone, then write something
back.  His phone vibrated.

   Her new message: "I have five more hearts drawn on me.  I wonder how
many you can find?" He peeked at her.  She had her eyes down, but she was
smiling to herself.  One heart on her cheek, five more hidden elsewhere. 
She had bare arms, bare shoulders, bare midriff.  A stretch of bare leg
between the bottom of her skirt and the top of her boots.  No hearts
visible anywhere.

   Yes, this was a game he was happy to play.

   He considered whether he should try to explain Talia's presence to
Michelle.  He didn't have time to write a long text message, and he
couldn't figure out a concise way to express who Talia was.  Talia, the
spy? Talia, Vanessa's cousin?  Talia, the stranger he had never met before
today, who had attached herself to him?  Before he could make a decision,
Talia grabbed his arm.  "Let's go over there," she said.  "Vanessa says
it's fine."

   They walked into the middle room, and Talia walked right up to Vanessa
and her friends to say hello.  The reception was warm for Talia but
noticeably colder for Charlie.  Cody looked at him with outright disdain,
and some of Michelle's cheerleader friends seemed puzzled by his presence,
as if they didn't feel he belonged there.

   Glenn played the confident and polite host.  He shook Charlie's hand in
a strong grip.  "Glad you could make it," he said.  "There's plenty to
drink in the kitchen.  Help yourself."

   "Thanks," Talia answered before Charlie could.  "We were just there."
She held up her cup, which was now half full.

   "Talia's my cousin," Vanessa said.  "From Linterna."

   "Oh, really?" Glenn said.  "How do you know her, Charlie?"

   Charlie glanced at Talia.  "I met her through Vanessa.  I'm going to
Jefferson U.  next year, I'll probably be in Linterna a lot.  Vanessa
thought it would be good for me to know someone there."

   "Cool." Glenn nodded.  He seemed satisfied with that answer.  His next
words were directed to a tall boy standing nearby, and Charlie had the
feeling that he and Talia had just been dismissed.

   Talia found a place for them to sit, on a couch about five feet away
from where Michelle was leaning against a table.  Close enough to hear her
voice but not close enough to talk to her.  The television was on in the
room, playing a Nicholas Cage movie, one that Charlie hadn't seen before.
No one seemed to be watching the movie; it just played in the background
while people talked.

   Talia already knew some of Vanessa's friends, and easily joined in on
their conversation.  Charlie glanced at Michelle, hoping to catch her eye,
but either she didn't notice him or she was pretending she didn't notice
him.  Charlie wondered how he could get her alone.  He wanted to tell her
about Talia, and about the different phases of his plan.  He wanted to find
some of the hearts she had hidden on her body.  They weren't visible on the
skin she was showing, so that meant they were hidden underneath her
clothes. And she didn't have a whole lot on.

   He checked the time.  Half an hour until things started to happen. 
"How're you doing?" Talia asked him.  "Need another drink?"

   "No," he said.  "Do you?  I can get you one."

   "I'm good for now," she said.  "Maybe in a few minutes."

   He leaned towards her.  "It seems like everything's cool here," he
whispered.  "You don't need to pretend to be my date anymore.  Go and have
fun."

   "No way," she said.  "Vanessa gave me my orders.  She drove me from
Linterna just for this mission.  I'm going to see it through." She smiled.
"Anyways, I am having fun."

   "What do you get out of this, anyway?" Charlie muttered.

   "A favor.  Vanessa asked me to do this as a favor, so I get a favor in
return.  A favor from Vanessa is a valuable thing, trust me."

   "I bet." Charlie took a long drink from his Sprite, nearly emptying it,
then snuck another glance at Michelle.  He was disturbed to see that Glenn
was now standing right next to her.  He was telling Michelle an anecdote,
and when Charlie tried to listen, he couldn't hear anything but Talia
talking next to him.  A girl sitting near them had a sister who was a
junior at Jefferson University, and suddenly, Charlie found himself drawn
into a three-way conversation about the Jefferson University campus.  He
wanted to hear everything, and struggled to untangle the words being said
to him from the words being said to Michelle a few feet away.

   A stupid anecdote.  That's all it was, a dumb childhood story about
catching a big fish on Safira lake.  Glenn was telling the story with that
same confident smile that he used when posing for family pictures.  A
pointless, boring story.  So why was Michelle smiling and laughing as she
listened?

   "Glenn!" Calvin Holtz called loudly from near the TV.  Calvin was
another football player, a wide receiver.  He was beckoning everyone over.
"Come on, bro!  This is the part I was telling about!  You gotta watch it!
It's a classic scene!" On the screen, Nicholas Cage was dressed in a nun
costume, trying to infiltrate the enemy lair.

   Calvin was so loud and enthusiastic that he drew everyone's attention.
People gathered by the TV.  Some of them stood to get a better look. 
Charlie noticed Glenn walking quickly over to where Calvin was standing. 
He also noticed Michelle wasn't following.

   Even Talia stood to try and see the TV.  The gathering crowd formed a
wall facing the screen, and everyone else had to stand and join the wall if
they wanted to see anything.  Charlie made a show of standing behind Talia,
even bumping into her to reassure her of his presence, before stepping
backwards and slipping away.

   The crowd laughed at the scene unfolding in the movie, which reassured
Charlie that no one paid attention to what was happening behind them. 
Michelle lingered towards the back of the room, standing by herself, facing
away from the screen.  She didn't see Charlie as he silently approached.

   "Hello," he said softly, when he was close enough to smell the scent of
her perfume.

   "Hi," she whispered.

   He leaned towards her and pressed a soft kiss against the little red
heart drawn on her cheek.  "That's one."

   "One," she murmured.  "You need to find five more."

   He touched the strap on her right shoulder and pulled it to the side,
checking underneath it.  Nothing.  But when he moved the strap on her left
shoulder, he found a second red heart, just above the swell of her breast.
"I should have known," he said, as he leaned forward and kissed this one.
"Right where your real heart is, right?"

   "Two," she said.  "Keep going."

   Whatever was happening in the movie was still happening.  The crowd
around the TV laughed at something, and the sound of gunfire came from the
screen.  No one was looking in their direction at the moment, but Charlie
had no idea when the scene would finish.  Still, he started to unbutton the
front of Michelle's tank top.  It had three buttons, to allow the woman to
adjust the amount of cleavage she was showing.  Michelle had kept them all
buttoned, but Charlie swiftly had them all undone.  He reached down the
front of her tank top and found her left breast, pulling it free.  No heart
there, but when he pulled out her right breast, he found a red heart drawn
just above the nipple.

   "Talia is Vanessa's cousin," he said.  His fingers stroked her breast,
drawing circles around the heart.

   "I know," she murmured.  "Three."

   He leaned forward to kiss this third heart.  His mouth found her nipple,
and he sucked on it.  Michelle touched his hair with her fingers, sighing
as his tongue swirled around the hard tip of her nipple.  Charlie put his
hand on her other breast, tugging on her left nipple with his fingers while
he sucked on her right.

   Some instinct warned him that he should pull away, that he would be
testing his luck if he went any further.  He stood up straight and took a
step backwards, and a second later the crowd started to turn away from the
TV screen.  Charlie walked at an angle away from Michelle, to make it seem
as if they had been standing a distance apart.  He glanced at Michelle and
could see that she was swiftly pulling up her top and refastening the
buttons.

   Charlie found his spot behind Talia just before she turned around to
look for him.  "Weird movie, huh?" She grinned.  She didn't seem to have
noticed his absence at all.

   "Yeah.  I've never seen this one before," he said.

   "Me, either." Talia leaned closer to him.  "Do you still want to be
here? Look over there." She nodded behind him.

   Charlie glanced in that direction and saw that Glenn had returned to his
place by Michelle.  Michelle was leaning against the table and Glenn stood
in front of her, telling her something which was making her smile.  Glenn
gestured broadly with his hands while he talked; Michelle wasn't saying
much but she listened and nodded.

   "You never said.  Are they dating?" Talia asked.

   "I don't know." Charlie shrugged, as if it didn't matter to him. 
"Maybe."

   "You don't care?  It seems like he's working his charms on her." Talia
glanced at the couple again.  "I like that heart on her cheek.  So cute."

   "Michelle and I are friends.  That's all.  So she can do whatever she
wants."

   "Sure," Talia said.  She raised her empty cup.  "Hey, let's get another
drink."

   "Now?"

   "Yeah.  Come on."

   They went back to the kitchen.  It was empty except for two blonde girls
drinking White Claws.  Talia grabbed the lemonade bottle and the vodka. 
"You want one?" she asked Charlie.

   "No.  I'm driving."

   She poured him one anyway.

   "You're not hard to read, Charlie," she said as she passed him the red
cup.  "I can see the way your face goes expressionless when you look at
them.  You don't like seeing them together."

   Charlie took a sip.  He could taste just the slightest hint of vodka;
Talia hadn't made the drink very strong.  "No," he admitted.  "I don't."

   "Has Michelle always said she just sees you as a friend?"

   Charlie took a sip from his drink.  "Vanessa really didn't tell you
anything, huh?"

   "No.  She really didn't." Talia gazed at him with interest.

   "I might've had a chance, at one point," Charlie said.  He was thinking
of the day that Michelle had confronted him in the cafeteria, in front of
everyone.  If Vanessa hadn't told Talia about that incident before, she
would surely fill her in during the after-party debriefing.

   "A chance with her?" Talia asked.

   "Yeah.  But I messed it up."

   "What did you do to mess it up?"

   Charlie could still smell the faint scent of Michelle's perfume,
transferred from her skin to his mouth while he had been kissing her just a
few minutes before.  "I thought there was no way someone like her could
like someone like me," he said to Talia.  "I thought she was out of my
league, just like we said.  So when the opportunities came, I passed them
up."

   "And now it's too late?"

   "You asked if they're dating," Charlie said.  "Well, Glenn asked her to
the prom and she said yes.  So yeah, they're dating."

   "Oh, that's rough." Talia bobbed her head thoughtfully.  "Well, you
know...  everyone ends up having regrets.  Sometimes you just have to move
on.  You can't dwell on the past."

   "Yeah," Charlie said.  His mind was on the other hearts hidden on
Michelle's body.  How he could get her alone, how he could search for them.
"You're right."

   "It's a party, right?  We don't have to go back to where those two are.
We could go somewhere else.  It's a big house.  Or we could go outside."

   "I guess..."

   "Charlie!" Talia gazed sternly at him.  "Vanessa invited you here,
right? And she asked me to keep an eye on you while you're here.  Like it
or not, she's your friend, and she wants to make sure you don't get
yourself into any trouble.  Don't do something crazy, something that'll
start a fight.  Just relax, have a good time.  You shouldn't get hung up on
what you can't control."

   "I didn't seem relaxed in there?"

   "No.  You were tense.  You had an eye on them the whole time.  Every
time she laughed, you wanted to check on her." Talia shrugged.  "If it's
hard to see them together, maybe the answer is to stop looking.  Go
somewhere else.  That's all I'm saying."

   Her words were like a cue.  As soon as she said them, Glenn came through
the kitchen door, followed by Michelle.  He was saying, "...  it usually
has rum but I can make one without rum and it's just as good."

   "Seriously?" Talia muttered under her breath.

   "Hey, Glenn!" one of the blondes chirped, followed quickly by the other.
They both seemed very happy to see him.

   "Hey, Heather.  Hey, Sloan," Glenn greeted them.  He glanced at Charlie
and Talia and nodded in their direction, acknowledging them.  "I'm going to
make some mint mojitos.  Anyone interested?"

   Heather and Sloan both immediately said yes.  "That's two," Glenn said.
He smiled at Michelle.  "A virgin mojito for Michelle.  What about you
guys? You want a mint mojito?" He looked at Charlie and Talia.

   "Sure!" Charlie said immediately.  He glanced at Talia.  "It's a party,
right?"

   Talia must have expected some tension in the room between Charlie and
Glenn.  She grinned, relieved that he had accepted Glenn's offer.  "I'll
have one, too," she said.

   "Five mint mojitos," Glenn said.  "And one virgin mojito." He smiled at
Michelle.  "Michelle doesn't drink." Heather and Sloan both giggled as if
this was a joke.

   Charlie peeked at Michelle out of the corner of his eye.  She wasn't
giggling or even smiling.  She hadn't said a word to anyone since entering
the kitchen, and she was putting on a show of ignoring Charlie, as if
things were cold between them.  Charlie noted with interest the location
where she had chosen to stand, on the other side of the kitchen island from
Glenn, almost directly behind the tall football player.  A spot where Glenn
couldn't see her easily unless he turned completely around.  "Anything we
can do to help?" Charlie asked.

   "Sure," Glenn said.  "Do you want to cut some limes?" He was pulling out
ingredients.  The limes were large and he set them on a white cutting
board.

   "Okay." Charlie moved towards the counter by Glenn, and Talia followed
his lead, moving in the same direction.  To Charlie, it felt like he was
directing the scene, blocking it out for his actors, putting everyone in
the right place for what would happen next.  He had his red cup in his
hand, and he pretended to carelessly set it on the island, intentionally
perching it on the edge.  It fell.  The cup didn't have much left in it,
but what was there splashed over the kitchen tiles and the cup rolled away.
"Aw, shit!" Charlie exclaimed.  "Sorry, I'll clean it up."

   "No big deal," Glenn said.  "Paper towels are right next to you."

   Some of the lemonade had spattered on Michelle's boots.  She even had a
few droplets on her leg, just above her knee.  She acted as if she wasn't
aware of it; her attention was directed towards Glenn and his mojito
preparation.

   Charlie dropped down next to Michelle with the roll of paper towels.  He
pulled off a few sheets and placed them on the floor over the spill,
letting them absorb the small puddle of lemonade.  Then he pulled off
another paper towel and began to clean Michelle's boots.  Michelle didn't
acknowledge his actions; her only reaction was to cross her arms and lean
against the kitchen island.

   He moved higher up Michelle's leg, cleaning the tiny drops of lemonade
from around her knees.  Then higher still, up under her skirt, pretending
to wipe away drops of lemonade up there.  She wore a black thong underneath
her skirt, which Charlie glimpsed as he raised the skirt higher.  He moved
the paper towel to his left hand, and pretended to be cleaning the floor
while his right hand slipped up Michelle's skirt to press against her ass.

   Glenn was drawing all the attention in the room to himself, talking
through his mint mojito process like he was the star of a cooking show.  It
seemed like he enjoyed being at the center of things, particularly when his
audience consisted of four attractive girls.  No one paid any attention to
Charlie as he squeezed and stroked Michelle's ass under her skirt.  His
fingers explored between her legs, finding the shape of her pussy beneath
the skimpy fabric of the thong.  Heat radiated from this part of her, and
her arousal had already dampened the fabric.

   Lifting up part of her skirt, Charlie glimpsed a tiny heart drawn on her
left thigh.  That made four.  He lifted her skirt and kissed the heart to
let her know he had found it.  A slight smile was Michelle's only reaction.

   Charlie stood and tossed the wet paper towels into a nearby trashcan. 
He was still in a good position, standing behind Glenn and Talia but close
enough to Michelle that he could keep his hand under her skirt.  Both of
them put on a show of being aloof with each other; Charlie only spoke to
Talia and Glenn, and Michelle barely talked at all.  Every so often, they
would exchange a cold glance.  No one suspected that under Michelle's
skirt, Charlie's hand was busy squeezing and fondling her.

   Talia took six glasses out of the cupboard.  "Weak or strong?" Glenn
asked Talia.  He held a bottle of white rum.

   "Umm...  medium," she said, smiling.

   The same question was presented to Heather and Sloan, and they both
asked for a strong drink.  "I'll go with medium, too," Charlie said.

   "And Michelle is our virgin," Glenn said, to more giggles from the two
blondes.  Charlie kept his face carefully neutral.  Michelle's drink might
be a virgin, but Michelle herself currently had her thong peeled down to
her upper thighs and Charlie's hand between her legs stroking her slick
pussy.

   The final step in Glenn's drink preparation required mixing the
ingredients in a cocktail shaker.  "You're first," Glenn told Talia, and
carefully filled the shaker with the ingredients.  He cradled the shaker as
if he was holding a football and bounced it precisely and vigorously back
and forth.

   Charlie turned to look at Michelle's profile.  Despite his manipulations
between her legs, she was maintaining an expression of polite interest on
her face, hiding all evidence of her arousal.  Charlie felt a desire to
test her composure.  He wanted to do something that would startle her. 
Shock her.

   He pulled his hand out from under her skirt.  Pretending to rub his
nose, he inhaled the scent of Michelle on his fingers.  It was a wonderful
scent, bringing with it a flood of memories; memories of passionate
encounters, of danger, of desire.  Leaning forward so that the lower half
of his body was hidden by the kitchen island, Charlie reached down and
tugged his zipper down.  His cock was already hard, and it took some
careful manipulation before he was able to pull it out through the zipper
hole.  It pressed against the cool tile of the kitchen island.  No one
noticed, not even Michelle.

   Charlie slowly stepped sideways and behind Michelle.  He lifted up the
edge of her skirt and let his cock bob underneath it.  The head of it
touched her leg, and he received the reaction he had been hoping for;
Michelle turned her head to look at him in wide-eyed astonishment.  But she
recovered quickly, adjusting her skirt so that it draped over his jutting
erection.  She leaned forward again, resting on the island, and Charlie let
his cock settle against the crack of her ass.  The feel of his swollen
prick resting against the silky skin of her bare ass, knowing that they
dared such a lewd and intimate contact in a room full of people, made him
feel like he was on the verge of cumming.

   Charlie knew that if what he was doing was discovered, Cody and his
football friends would be on him in seconds.  They would beat him to a pulp
and throw him out of the party.  Maybe that was part of what made it so
exciting.

   Loud voices came from near the back door, giving them a few seconds
warning before a line of large guys entered the kitchen.  Michelle reacted
immediately, stepping backwards, pushing Charlie behind her until his back
touched the wall.  His erection, previously pressed against her ass, slid
into the gap between her thong and her pussy and nestled between her
thighs. To the line of men entering the party, it probably appeared that
she was just giving them space to pass.

   "What's up, Glenn!" an enormous man hailed their host.  Charlie didn't
recognize any of the four men, although they looked like football players.
Maybe they were college boys.  They made the kitchen seem smaller, which
was a good thing; it allowed Charlie and Michelle to press together,
Charlie's front to Michelle's back, without it seeming conspicuous.

   Michelle started to slowly move her hips back and forth, sliding over
Charlie's cock.  The pleasure was incredible.  He didn't want to get
carried away, he didn't want to bend her over and start fucking her in
front of everyone.  But he loved the feel of her warmth wrapped around his
cock, the slick desire of her pussy kissing him each time she pushed
against him.

   If I don't cum now, he thought deliriously, we're going to have some
incredible sex later on.  The thought of cumming between Michelle's legs in
the crowded kitchen was both extremely hot and utterly terrifying.  If that
happened, how could they possibly hide it?

   The four big men stood around for several minutes like bulls in a
holding pen, bumping into each other, bumping into Charlie and Michelle. 
Each took a turn greeting Glenn before finally the group proceeded deeper
into the house.  As soon as the men left, Michelle was in motion, stepping
back towards the kitchen island.  Charlie had to step with her or his
erection would pull free and be exposed.  Michelle leaned against the
island, and Charlie managed to extract himself.  He bent over, pretending
to pick up something from the floor, and quickly shoved his cock back into
his pants.

   Michelle murmured something that he couldn't hear.

   "What?" he whispered as he stood up.  No one appeared to have noticed
his odd behavior.

   "Four," she repeated softly.  "Two left."

   "Medium strength mojito, for Charlie Tucker!" Glenn proclaimed loudly,
pouring the contents of the shaker into a glass.  He delivered the glass to
Charlie.  Charlie picked it up; he could see that his hand was quivering
with nervous energy as he lifted the glass to his mouth.

   "Well?" Glenn asked.

   Charlie took a sip.  It tasted strong.  "Best mint mojito I've ever
had," he proclaimed.  Actually, it was the only one he'd ever had.  But
Glenn was happy to accept the compliment.

   As Glenn turned back to make the next mojito, Charlie leaned towards
Michelle.  "When the Thai food comes," he whispered, "go to the backyard."

   "Thai food?" She looked puzzled.

   "Soon," he said.  He couldn't explain his plan beyond that, because
Glenn turned around and presented Michelle with her drink.  "Here you go,"
he said, smiling widely.  "One mint mojito.  No alcohol." He had even put a
little umbrella in it.

   Talia tugged at Charlie's arm.  "Come on, Charlie," she said.  "Let's go
find Vanessa." She had her own mojito in her hand.  Charlie reluctantly let
her lead him away from Michelle, out of the kitchen and into the hallway.
But instead of turning towards the room where Vanessa was, Talia led him
towards the front room.

   "Charlie!" Her voice was scolding.  "What were you doing in there?"

   "Uh..."

   "I just gave you a huge hunk of time with Michelle.  You were standing
right next to her, Glenn was distracted with his whole bartender thing, you
had a great opportunity to talk to her.  But I don't think you two said a
single word to each other."

   "Um...  no.  I guess not."

   "Even if she says you're just a friend, you should still talk to her. 
Nothing gained by being shy.  Right?"

   "Right.  I know." Charlie took a swallow of his drink.  The minty smell
of it reminded him of toothpaste.  "Do you think she was disappointed I
didn't talk to her more?"

   "I don't know.  Honestly, she seemed pretty determined to ignore you."
Talia sipped from her glass.  "Actually, she seemed distracted.  If it
makes you feel any better, I didn't get the sense that she's that
interested in Glenn, either."

   "No?  You don't think so?"

   "No.  It's kind of his fault, though.  He kept flirting with those two
blonde girls, right in front of her...  that's no way to act, if Michelle's
the one he's dating.  He should've paid more attention to her."

   "Yeah." Charlie held up his drink.  "Why did he bring her into the
kitchen to watch him make mojitos?  She doesn't even drink."

   Talia sipped hers.  "Tastes good, though.  Careful.  He was generous
with the rum." Talia watched him over the top of her glass as she took a
longer sip.  "Glenn is interested in mixing drinks.  So he assumes that
everyone else must be interested in it, too.  What about you, Charlie?"

   "Am I interested in mixing drinks?"

   "No.  You say you like Michelle.  Do you know her interests?  Or do you
just assume she likes the same things you do?"

   "I know some of her interests," Charlie said.

   "Really?  Because it didn't seem like you had much to say to her, just
now."

   Charlie started to respond, but he was distracted by noise coming from
the front door.  "Glenn!  Where's Glenn?" someone was yelling, and the call
started to be picked up by others around the front door.  "Where's Glenn?"
"Get Glenn and Cody!" "The food is here!"

   A girl passed through the room.  "Is Glenn here?  Is Glenn here?" she
was asking everyone she passed.

   Heather appeared with her mojito.  "Are you looking for Glenn?" she
asked the girl.  "He's in the back."

   "Can you tell him his food is here?" the girl said.  "The guy from the
Thai restaurant is here.  He has deliveries for Glenn and Cody."

   "Okay." Heather turned and disappeared down the hallway.

   From the front door, Charlie heard voices talking to the deliveryman,
offering to accept the delivery, which had already been paid for.  However,
the deliveryman kept insisting that he would only deliver the food to Glenn
and Cody.  More voices called for Glenn and Cody to come to the front door,
and now other voices shouted that they were on their way.

   "Is it a prank?" Charlie asked Talia.

   "I don't know," she said.

   Glenn appeared in the hallway, leading an entourage of people behind
him. Cody was with him, and also Vanessa.  "I don't know," Glenn said as he
walked past.  "I didn't order anything.  Is he asking for money?" It was
natural for Charlie and Talia to join the end of the group as they walked
by.  Everyone was interested in seeing what was happening at the front
door. But as soon as Talia merged with the group and pulled ahead, Charlie
abruptly stopped walking.

   He turned and looked towards the kitchen.  Michelle was standing by
herself at the kitchen door.  Their eyes met for a moment, then Michelle
walked through the kitchen door, heading towards the backyard.

   Charlie followed.

   He didn't see her in the kitchen as he passed through.  Pushing open the
door to the outside, he stepped out to the backyard and looked around for
her in the dim light.  The backyard held close to fifteen people, some
standing, some sitting, clustered in small groups, drinking and talking. 
He didn't see Kim Mink and that group out there anymore.  It took him a
moment to find Michelle, standing by herself on the grass.

   She watched him as he approached.  "Thai food, huh?" She smiled.

   "This party seemed like it could use some food." He stopped in front of
her, facing her.

   "You still have two hearts to find," she reminded him.  "And there's a
lot of people out here."

   "Not for long," he murmured.

   The sprinklers came on.

   Shouts and laughter came from all around the backyard.  All the
sprinklers had come on at the same time, spraying water everywhere.  It was
like a sudden rain storm; people grabbed their drinks and their bags in a
mad scramble to escape into the house.

   A sprinkler head popped up to the left of Charlie and Michelle, and
launched a thin fan of water which fell onto them like rain.  Michelle
laughed, holding out her hands and letting the drops fall on her palms. 
"Did you do this?" she asked.

   He didn't need to answer.  Maybe he had been the cause, by changing the
times on the automated sprinkler system he had found in the side yard.  Or
maybe it was just magic.  He preferred that she think it was magic.

   They both stood where they were, facing each other, letting the tiny
droplets drizzle over them while everyone else fled into the house.  It
wasn't long before they were all alone in the backyard.  Or almost all
alone.  Charlie glanced to his left and saw Toki Doki about ten feet away,
sitting in one of the deck chairs.  He was slouched down in the chair,
leaning back.  His clothes were already soaked.  "You don't mind the
sprinklers, Toki?" Charlie asked.

   "Nah," Toki drawled.  "Feels good."

   "Okay." Charlie turned towards Michelle.  It was too late to do anything
about Toki; he had two more hearts to find on Michelle's body, and not a
lot of time to find them.  He stepped forward and embraced her, kissing her
hungrily.  In the cold of the sprinkler's spray, the warmth of her body
still radiated against him.  His fingers found the straps on her bare
shoulders; he slipped them to the sides.  Her skin was slick from the
water. He peeled her black top down, exposing her to the point where he
could see the heart he had already found, the one above her right nipple.

   He pulled her close and his left hand found her breast.  His other hand
found the connectors at the back of her top and he swiftly unfastened them.
The top slipped down, falling away from her front, exposing her breasts
completely.  He inspected them and still only saw the one heart above her
right nipple.  His fingers pinched that nipple as he leaned forward to kiss
her again.  Her nipples were easy to pinch, made hard by the cool water
that sprinkled over her front.

   Charlie glanced over at their lone spectator.  Toki was still slouched
in his chair, observing them with interest.  He was watching Michelle get
stripped as if it was a show on television.  Michelle wasn't looking at
Toki but she was clearly very aware of him.  She wanted to pretend to be
oblivious to Toki's presence while her body was exposed to him.

   Charlie turned Michelle in place, moving her in a slow pirouette so he
could inspect her body.  Her top fell away, landing in the grass and
leaving her topless as she spun.  A heart on her right breast, another on
her shoulder.  None on her back.  He lifted her skirt and touched her ass,
rubbing the heart there, then continued to turn her so he could inspect her
front.

   There.  High up on her inner thigh, just below her thong.  Charlie
crouched down on the wet grass, lifting up her skirt.  He could see the
fifth heart clearly, it wasn't covered by her thong, but nevertheless he
took hold of the thong and tugged it down her legs to her feet.  Because he
still had a sixth heart to find, and he suspected it was drawn right above
her pussy.

   Charlie ran his hands up her left leg, and Michelle obediently opened
her stance, allowing him to kiss the heart on her inner thigh.  He moved
his mouth higher, pressing it against her pussy, letting his tongue invade
her.  No sixth heart, but he loved the sweet tang of her arousal.

   "Are you guys, like, a couple or something?" Toki's voice came from
their left.  Charlie didn't bother to answer.  He rose to his feet and
embraced Michelle again, kissing her while his hand stroked her pussy, his
index finger sliding between her labia.

   "You only found five," she said breathlessly.

   "Is that so?"

   "You need to find six to win."

   "I need one more."

   "Yes.  One more."

   "Show me your asshole," he said.

   Michelle's eyes darted nervously towards Toki.  Charlie didn't need to
look; he knew Toki was still watching.  Michelle undid a clasp at the back
of her skirt to make it loose, then pushed it down her hips and let it fall
around her feet.  She was naked now except for her boots.  She turned away
from Charlie and bent over, leaving her legs apart, so that he had a
perfect view of her pussy and ass.  He could see her asshole, but didn't
see any hearts drawn around it.

   We're insane, Charlie thought as he explored Michelle's completely
exposed private parts, looking for that elusive sixth heart.  His heart was
thundering in his chest.  He couldn't believe the risk Michelle was taking,
standing completely naked in Glenn's backyard with her clothes strewn
around the grass.  Glenn would deal with the Thai food delivery; in fact,
he probably already had.  Soon he would notice that the backyard sprinklers
were on.  Any second, someone might push open the back door and see
Michelle standing there totally exposed, offering her pussy and asshole for
Charlie to inspect.

   Charlie stood, and he pulled Michelle upright, spun her to face him. 
"Giving up?" she asked.  Yes, he was giving up, but his blood ran hot for
her, and he pulled her in for another kiss, his hand groping roughly
between her legs.  He pushed two fingers into her; he kissed her mouth, her
cheek, her chin.  She moaned.  He kissed her neck, licking the water that
dripped from the strands of her dark hair.

   "Charlie!" she said suddenly, looking past his head.  He knew they were
caught even before he turned to look.  Talia stood at the back door of the
house, gaping at them.  A moment later, she turned and disappeared back
into the house.

   "Well," Michelle said.  "Shit." She laughed.

   Charlie quickly pulled off his jacket.  "Put this on," he said.  He
crouched and gathered up her clothes, wrapping them up in her skirt.  When
he stood up, Michelle had the jacket on and already zipped up.  The jacket,
which had been big on Charlie, covered her completely, coming down almost
to her knees.

   "Let's go this way," Charlie said, taking her hand and pulling her
towards the path that went around the side of the house.  He glanced at
Toki, still sitting under the sprinklers.  "Bye, Toki."

   "See you," Toki said, waving.  "You guys are awesome."

   The side path was empty except for a boy and girl leaning against the
house in the shadows, kissing each other.  The couple didn't pay any
attention to Charlie and Michelle as they hurried past.  Charlie glanced at
the sprinkler controls.  He had set the sprinklers to go on for ten
minutes, and they were just about to turn off.

   No one paid any attention to them as they slipped away from the house.
Charlie paused on the sidewalk as he recognized a car on the other side of
the street, parked a few houses away.  "Just a second," he told Michelle.
"I need to say thanks."

   He approached the car, a white civic hatchback with "Full Moon Thai"
written on the side.  The driver was an Asian man in his thirties with a
round face.  The driver's side window was down, and the driver glanced at
them as they walked up.  "Oh, hey, Charlie," he said.

   "Hey, Lou," Charlie greeted him.  "Thanks again for your help."

   Lou shrugged.  "It was nothing.  I should give you back your twenty. 
Nice kids, they gave me a tip, even though they said they didn't order
anything." He looked at Michelle curiously.  "So I kept them distracted for
a while.  Did you get to do your prank?"

   "Yeah," Charlie said.  "Everything went as planned."

   "What was it, anyway?  What was the prank?"

   "I turned on all the sprinklers," Charlie said, "and then Michelle here
took off all her clothes and streaked through the backyard."

   Lou blinked.  He looked at Michelle again.  "You really did that?"

   Michelle smiled.  She tugged down the zipper of the jacket and pulled it
open, revealing that she was nude underneath.  "I really did," she said.

   Lou gaped at her.  Then he laughed.  "I really should give you your
twenty back, Charlie," he said.  "A prank like that, I would've helped for
free!"

   "Keep it," Charlie said.  "Have a good night."

   "You, too." Lou grinned.  "Have fun."

   Michelle held the jacket closed until they reached Charlie's car.  Once
she was inside, she left it open.  Charlie started the car and turned on
the heater; they were both still soaked from the sprinklers.  He let the
car idle.  His hand stroked her leg as they waited.  "So where was it?" he
asked.

   "What?"

   "The other heart.  Heart number six.  I looked everywhere."

   Michelle smiled.  She held up her left hand.  Her fingernails were red,
but on her pinky nail, she had a white heart.  "Ta da."

   "Wow," Charlie said.  "How did I miss it?"

   "Maybe because you were too eager to look other places." Michelle tapped
her foot on the dashboard.  "Come on.  Let's go somewhere."

   "Where?"

   "Anywhere."

   Charlie put the car in gear and pulled out into the street.  He knew a
place they could go.

   "Talia's going to tell Vanessa," Charlie said as the car left Glenn's
house behind.  "She probably already has."

   "I know." Michelle sighed.  "It's time anyway."

   "Time for what?"

   "To tell Vanessa.  To tell her everything.  I'm tired of secrets."

   He glanced at her.  "Seriously?  You're going to tell her everything?"

   "No, not EVERYTHING everything." She sat low in her seat, watching the
houses pass outside her window.  For all Charlie knew, they might have been
driving on her block.  It might've been her house they were passing.

   Hello, Mr.  and Mrs.  Santos.  I'm your daughter's new boyfriend.  I ran
into her at the party tonight.  I didn't talk to her very much, but I spent
a lot of time with my hands under her skirt.  Then I took her into the
backyard, stripped her naked and had my hands all over her body.

   But don't worry.  It's only because I love her and she likes it so much.

   Michelle's phone buzzed.  Charlie had no idea where she had been
carrying it, but she had it in her hand, and read a text message.  She put
the phone away without sending a response.  "Charlie," Michelle said.  "I
think Vanessa should play Ingrid."

   "Ingrid?"

   "Yeah.  Instead of Kim.  Don't you think Vanessa would be good for the
role?"

   "Sure.  So you still want to film that first script?  With the nude
scenes?"

   "Yeah."

   "And you think Vanessa would do it?"

   "I think so," Michelle said.  "I want to ask her."

   "Okay."

   Charlie drove them north, out of Pine Hills.  He remembered the exit
that Michelle had asked him to take, the last time they had driven together
on this road, and he took it again.  A turn, another turn, then a long and
winding drive through the forest.  Finally, Charlie pulled off the road by
the bridge that Michelle had named the Hanson Bridge, the bridge that
Charlie already thought of as Michelle's Bridge.

   Michelle insisted on making an attempt to cross the bridge completely
naked.  She refused his jacket, and even took off her boots.  But she was
thwarted in her attempt almost as soon as she started, barely walking ten
feet towards the bridge before they heard the hum of an approaching truck.
She had to sprint back and find a hiding place.  She crouched just down the
slope from the bridge, tucked in the shadows until the truck passed by.

   Her second attempt was also unsuccessful.  Another truck from the same
direction, and she was forced to hide again.  "See?" she said.  "It's
impossible.  Even in the middle of the night.  There's always a truck."

   "Take my jacket with you," Charlie said.  "When you hear the truck
coming, put on the jacket.  Then take it off again after they pass."

   Michelle shook her head.  "No.  I have to be naked the entire way or it
doesn't count."

   Instead, they walked down the hiking path that ran parallel to the
river, traveling downstream to their secret beach, the place where the
river curved to the right.  Charlie spread his jacket on the sand and
Michelle lay down on top of it, her legs carelessly open, an invitation. 
Charlie took a moment to stand over her, admiring her naked body.  He had
stripped her naked in Glenn's backyard and she had been naked ever since,
stolen away from Glenn's party, brought to this place in the woods where he
would make love to her under the night sky.

   "I told you," she said, as if she had read his mind.  "I told you I
would be at the party while you were there, and if you wanted me to be with
you, you just had to come and get me."

   "Well," he said.  "I came and got you."

   "No.  Not all of me." she whispered.  "Not yet."

   At Glenn's party, gazing at her from across the room, in her black top,
her black skirt, her black boots; he had wanted to walk up to her, to pull
up her skirt, to pull down her panties, to put his cock in her.  Now she
was naked, reclining on the sand in front of him, her legs apart and her
pussy glistening.  She was waiting for him, as she had been waiting for him
since Glenn's backyard, maybe even since Glenn's kitchen; waiting and
anticipating, and her patience was almost exhausted.

   He undid the front of his pants and pulled his cock free.  It jutted
towards her, erect and throbbing, and she reached for it.  Her fingers
squeezed it, tugging it towards her as he got down on his knees, crouching
between her legs.  Then he was inside her, plunging into her.  His weight
was on top of her and her legs wrapped around him; he moaned as he pushed
into her again and again.  She was whispering something, the same thing
over and over.  "Finally," she was saying, her voice breathless with
ecstasy.  "Finally."

   Afterwards, they held each other under the night sky, listening to the
burble of the nearby river.  "Bonnie and Clyde," Michelle whispered in the
darkness.

   "Bonnie and Clyde," Charlie agreed.

   Michelle was silent for a moment.  "Do you know what happens to Bonnie
and Clyde at the end of that movie?" she asked.

   "Um..." Charlie tried to remember.  "They get shot?"

   "They go too far," Michelle said.  "And there are consequences."
Michelle glanced up at him.  "You won't let us go too far, right, Charlie?"

   "No," Charlie said.  "I won't let us go too far." But how far was too
far?  He wasn't sure he even knew anymore.