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 ï>¿Saturday Night School byjessica_tang_vonharperÂ(C)

   Saturday Night School Ch.  14

   Michelle reveals her exhibitionistic side to Vanessa.

   Two days later, Charlie was back at Greenholt Gardens.  He sat on a
stack of boxes in a small storage room at the back of the snack bar.  The
room had a small window with a view of the parking lot.  Charlie checked
his phone for the time.  It read 10:06 PM.

   Vanessa was late.

   He could hear Michelle's footsteps, pacing back and forth across the
floor of the snack bar.  She had intended to keep watch with him in the
storage room, but she was too nervous to hold still.  He heard her
footsteps approaching, and her face peeked in.  "Is she here?" she asked.

   "Not yet."

   "Oh god..." Michelle disappeared to continue her pacing.

   At 10:12, headlights appeared at the entrance to the parking lot, and
Charlie watched a black BMW with tinted windows pull into the lot.  The car
parked next to Michelle's car.  The door opened and Vanessa emerged.  She
was dressed casually, in black yoga pants and a black fleece jacket over a
bright red tank top.  She crouched down to glance in Michelle's car, and
then, seeing no one there, looked around, puzzled.

   "She's here!" Charlie called, unnecessarily, because he could already
hear Michelle opening the door to the outside.  Probably she had heard the
sound of Vanessa's car.  Charlie hurried out of the storage room; his job
was to hold the door so that Michelle wouldn't get locked out.

   He didn't know what Michelle had planned; she didn't tell him and he
didn't ask.  But he couldn't miss the significance of her arranging to meet
Vanessa at Greenholt Gardens after it closed.  He knew this was going to be
more than just a conversation.

   Michelle had let the door close behind her.  Charlie pushed it back open
just as Vanessa was saying, "...a strange place to meet.  How do you even
get into this place so late at night?" Vanessa glanced past Michelle,
seeing him in the doorway.  "Oh.  And there's Charlie.  So you're finally
going to tell me that you two are a couple?"

   "Yes," Michelle admitted.  "We're a couple."

   "It's been so obvious," Vanessa said, then quickly amended, "To me, I
mean.  I don't understand why it's been a secret.  Why didn't you just tell
me?  You didn't trust me?"

   "Come in," Michelle said quietly.  "I do trust you and I'm telling you
now.  You'll understand."

   "Fine." Vanessa smiled sweetly at Charlie.  "Hey, Charlie.  How're you
doing?  Talia says hi.  She didn't have a chance to say goodbye to you at
the party." Vanessa coolly sauntered past Charlie into the interior of the
snack bar.  "You disappeared so suddenly.  You both did.  But don't worry.
Talia and I covered for you."

   Michelle followed Vanessa inside.  Anxiety was clearly displayed on
Michelle's face and her hands trembled slightly.  Charlie fought the urge
to reach for her and comfort her.

   Vanessa stood in the middle of the snack bar, looking around as if she
was a prospective buyer of the place.  "How are you able to get in here?"
she asked.

   "Charlie is friends with the security guard," Michelle said.

   Vanessa looked between them.  "So this is where you two have been
meeting?  Your secret spot where you can be alone?"

   "Kind of," Michelle said.  "Charlie's also been using this spot to film
one of his movies." Michelle explained how they had been using the Gardens
as a filming location.  Vanessa listened, her frown growing as Michelle
described her role in the film and several nights of filming with other
actors.

   Finally, Vanessa interrupted.  "This doesn't make sense, Michelle.  I
don't understand why you've kept all this a secret from me.  None of it
seems like a big deal.  Do you really think I would care that you're acting
in a student film?"

   Michelle's hands were clasped nervously in front of her.  "There's
more," she said quietly.  "Will you come outside?"

   Vanessa nodded.  She seemed to sense Michelle's anxiety.  Michelle led
them outside, and Vanessa silently followed.

   They stood on the hill overlooking the gardens.  The Concert Meadow
stretched out in front of them, lush and green, and the lily pond that
bordered it chirped and hummed with nocturnal frogs and insects.  The air
was cool and had the scent of spring flowers.  "Isn't it beautiful?"
Michelle said.

   "It is," Vanessa agreed.  "I've never been here at night before.  It's
lovely."

   "Lovely and empty," Michelle said.  "No one else is here at night. 
That's why we like it." Michelle took a deep breath.  "Vanessa...  do you
want to know how Charlie and I first got together?"

   "Okay," Vanessa said.  Then she stared at Michelle.  "What are you
doing?"

   Michelle slowly undid the buttons at the front of her blue dress.  Her
hands visibly trembled as she fumbled with the buttons.  "We were both at
the school on Saturday.  He was working there, and I was just walking
through the halls.  I want to show you how I looked that first time, in the
hallway at school."

   Vanessa glanced between Michelle and Charlie, clearly confused.  "Are
you undressing?"

   "I want to tell you something about myself," Michelle said.  "Charlie
knows it, and other people know it, and I want you to know it, too."
Michelle slipped the dress off her shoulders and wiggled slightly so that
it slipped down her body to her feet.  Underneath, she wore a black bra and
black panties.  She met Vanessa's eyes as she reached back to undo her bra.
"When I ran into Charlie at the school that day," she said, "I was naked. I
was walking through the school naked, and he caught me doing it." Michelle
let her bra fall to the ground.

   At school, Vanessa always projected an aura of cool confidence, as if
she could handle anything.  This was the first time Charlie had ever seen
her look unnerved.  Despite Michelle's assurance that Greenholt Gardens was
closed and empty, Vanessa still looked around to see if anyone was
watching. It must have seemed to her that Michelle was stripping in a very
public location.  "You were walking through our high school, naked?  Why?
Why would you do that?"

   Michelle tugged her panties down her legs and stepped out of them.  She
stood naked in front of her best friend, her hands behind her back. 
"Because this is me," she said plainly.  "This is what turns me on.  I love
to be naked.  And I especially love to be naked when I'm not supposed to
be."

   "You?  But you're shy!  Aren't you?" Vanessa looked like she was
struggling to reassess several years' worth of assumptions.  "I mean, I
thought you didn't like to flaunt yourself...  you're not like some of the
others..."

   "I know.  I act shy.  I've always been scared that people will figure me
out," Michelle said.  "Like how I am.  And I've always been afraid of
myself, too.  I don't want to start acting a certain way and go too far and
do something I'll regret later."

   "Like what?" Vanessa asked.

   Michelle looked anxiously at Charlie.  "Charlie knows.  Sometimes when I
do this, I start to feel like the rules don't apply to me anymore.  Then he
has to make sure I don't go too far."

   Vanessa looked between Michelle and Charlie.  "You're going to need to
explain that a little bit more," she said.  "Like, with specifics."

   Michelle nodded.  "I will.  But let's walk around the gardens first.  I
want to show you how beautiful it is at night."

   "You're really going to walk around like that?" Vanessa gestured at
Michelle's body.  "I know I've seen you naked a thousand times but this
just seems weird.  I mean, we're at Greenholt Gardens."

   "We're all alone here," Michelle said.  "The gardens are empty at this
time of night.  No one is going to see me.  I do this all the time."

   "All the time?" Vanessa looked at Charlie as Michelle started walking
towards the Concert Meadow.  "What about you, Charlie?  Do you walk around
the gardens naked, too?"

   "I have," Charlie admitted.  "But usually it's just Michelle."

   "Really." Vanessa glanced down at Michelle's clothes, which lay
abandoned on the grass.  Michelle was walking away from the discarded
garments like she had forgotten they existed.  Michelle walked halfway down
the slope, then turned around and faced her best friend.

   "Do you remember what I said about the bridge?" Michelle asked.  "The
Hanson Bridge?"

   "Hanson Bridge," Vanessa repeated.  "You mean, about Kyle?"

   "No," Michelle said.  "I told you I had a fantasy.  About the bridge. 
Do you remember?"

   Understanding dawned on Vanessa's face.  "You said you wanted to streak
across the bridge," she said.  "From one side to the other, in the nude.  I
didn't think you really meant it.  Did you really mean it?"

   "I meant it," Michelle said.  "And I've tried it.  I haven't made it
across yet.  I keep almost getting caught." She waved Vanessa forward. 
"Come on."

   Vanessa followed her down the slope and onto the meadow.  Charlie kept
up with them, staying just within earshot.  The moon was high in the sky,
almost full.  Charlie wished he had a camera to film the two of them.  The
juxtaposition of nude Michelle next to the fashionably-dressed Vanessa made
for an extremely erotic image.

   "We went skinny-dipping in the school pool," Michelle said.  "Do you
remember what happened?  How it happened?"

   "It was Tina's idea." Vanessa frowned.  "Wasn't it?"

   "Tina had a lot of enthusiasm for the idea," Michelle said.  "But it was
my idea.  I knew it was late.  I knew we could get away with it."

   "You were the last one," Vanessa remembered.  "Everyone else got dressed
but you said you wanted to take a shower first.  We were all dressed and
you were still naked.  Hailey thought we were going to get caught..."

   "She was so nervous." Michelle smiled.  "She kept telling us we were
splashing around too much.  Making too much noise."

   "That's right.  She made us all nervous." Vanessa gazed at her.  "Was
that the only time you've swam naked in the school pool?"

   "No," Michelle said.  "What about you?"

   "No," Vanessa admitted.  "There's been other times." She looked at
Charlie.  "What about you, Charlie?  Ever swam naked in the school pool?"

   Charlie shook his head.  "I have not."

   "You should take him sometime, Michelle," Vanessa said.  "We're
graduating soon.  You won't get another opportunity." They approached a
picnic table at the edge of the meadow.  Vanessa turned and leaned against
the edge of the table.  "You weren't worried about getting caught at the
pool that night.  And you don't seem like you're worried now.  You seem
very comfortable in your skin."

   "I feel very free right now," Michelle said.  "Honestly, I'm so happy to
be able to tell you everything.  I've been so worried about what you would
think about me, and what you would think about all of this.  It's been hard
to keep secrets from you."

   "You never had to keep secrets from me," Vanessa said.  "I'm always on
your side.  You know that."

   "I know..."

   Vanessa gestured towards the moonlit meadow that surrounded them.  "So
what do you usually do?  You come here, you take off your clothes, you walk
around?  Do you always follow the same path through the gardens?"

   "No.  We explore.  We go different places," Michelle said.

   "The only rule is, we don't go near the Shamrock," Charlie said. 
"That's the restaurant on the north side.  Sometimes the staff is there
late, cleaning up."

   "That's the only rule, huh?  Good to know." Vanessa turned to Charlie.
She smiled slightly so that he could see her fanglike canines.  "Charlie,
you're good at keeping secrets.  I know you'll keep this to yourself." She
removed her black jacket and draped it over the picnic table.

   Even with his own girlfriend standing in front of him completely naked,
Charlie couldn't help but admire the way that Vanessa's tank top clung to
her body.  In her tight yoga pants and tight top, it was easy to envision
what her body looked under her clothes.  In a flash, Charlie remembered his
dream about Vanessa, where she had undressed in the school cafeteria, and
he felt himself becoming erect.  He forced himself to look away, raising
his eyes to the moon.

   Vanessa was intimidating in real life.  Even Michelle seemed a little
intimidated by her, and Michelle was her best friend.  Charlie wondered how
he could have ever had a dream where Vanessa acted so submissively.  A
dream which had made him climax in his sleep, which was even more
embarrassing.

   "You're really going to?" The excitement in Michelle's voice called
Charlie's attention back to Vanessa, and he was shocked to see that
Vanessa's tank top now lay neatly folded on top of her jacket.  Vanessa
wore a red satin bra and she was preparing to pull down her yoga pants. 
Charlie couldn't stop himself from watching now, just as he couldn't stop
his erection from growing.  He could scarcely believe what he was seeing.
Was this really happening?  Was Vampire Vanessa actually stripping right in
front of him?

   "I've walked through these gardens a bunch of times," Vanessa said. 
"I've never had the chance before to do it in the nude.  Why not?  It seems
like it could be fun." She looked over at Charlie, and he thought she was
going to say something to him, but instead she quickly looked away. 
Leaning against the table, she stripped the tight yoga pants down her legs,
revealing red thong panties that matched her bra.

   "You don't need to wear your shoes if you don't want to," Michelle said.
"I walk around barefoot.  The paths are paved, there's no rocks or
anything."

   "Okay." Vanessa put her shoes on the bench.  She reached back to unsnap
her bra, but hesitated, glancing again at Charlie.  "You don't have to
stare, Charlie."

   Michelle giggled.

   "What's funny?" Vanessa asked.

   "It just reminded me of the first time Charlie caught me naked in the
school hallway.  I told him to look away, and he said, 'if you think I'm
going to pass up the opportunity to see you naked, you're crazy!'" Michelle
stepped closer to Vanessa.  "Here, let me help." Her hands moved behind
Vanessa's back and Vanessa's bra came loose.

   "I really need to hear that story." Vanessa slipped her bra off.  Her
breasts were smaller than Michelle's and her nipples were tiny circles that
looked dark brown in the moonlight.  Her skin looked pale, and Charlie
noted a dark freckle just below her left breast.  Vanessa held her bra to
the side, letting it dangle from her fingers, and Charlie thought for a
moment that she would let it drop to the ground.  Instead, she slipped it
inside her jacket on the table.

   She was still facing the table when she pulled down her panties, so
Charlie got to see her perfect ass first.  She deposited her panties into
her jacket alongside her bra, then boldly turned to face him, allowing him
to see her front.  He wasn't surprised to see that her pubic hair was
removed, just as it had been in his dream of her.

   Michelle grabbed her best friend's hand.  "Run across the meadow with
me!" she urged, and Vanessa laughed.  The two naked girls took off, running
and jumping across the empty expanse of grass, sprinting towards a line of
oak trees on the far side.

   Charlie didn't go with them.  He was happy just watching them.  They
paused under the oak trees to catch their breath, about fifty feet away;
Charlie heard their voices talking, though he couldn't make out the words.
He heard Michelle's laugh, that laugh that he could recognize anywhere. 
Then they were returning, running towards him, and he couldn't help
noticing the way their breasts rose and fell as they jogged.

   "Charlie!" Michelle called to him as she neared.  "Let's go!  Let's walk
up that trail to the fence.  Then we can circle around."

   "Are my clothes all right here?" Vanessa asked.  "Should I hide them?""

   "They're fine.  No one will touch them," Michelle said.  "No one else is
here." She smiled.  "Also, I have some spare clothes in my car that you
could borrow if anything happens."

   "Okay," Vanessa said.  "Let's go for a walk, then.  And you can tell me
more about what you and Charlie have been up to.  Because it sounds like
you've been having a really interesting time."

   Michelle caught Charlie's eye.  "We have," she admitted, and Charlie
wondered again how much information Michelle was going to share with her
best friend.  Was she going to tell her everything?  Everything everything?

   "Tell me about that first time," Vanessa said.  "He caught you walking
naked through the school.  Why were you walking naked through the school,
anyway?"

   "Because I could," Michelle said.  They found a trail that led uphill
and Michelle told the story of her first encounter with Charlie.  Charlie
walked behind them, listening to their conversation.  He listened as
Michelle told her best friend about getting caught in the Front Tee on a
Saturday when Daryl the security guard was on vacation.  About watching
porn with Charlie in the editing bay.  About walking across the parking lot
naked, about having sex in a science room.

   He listened to Michelle's words and he stared at the two naked women
walking in front of him.  He still thought Michelle was the most beautiful
girl at Pine Hills High, but Vanessa was right there with her.  Throughout
high school, he had stood in the stands of football games and basketball
games, getting footage of the cheerleaders doing their routines during
timeouts and between quarters, and Vanessa was often at the center of his
shot.  Now she was naked right in front of him, close enough to touch, and
he could barely believe it.

   Michelle's narrative jumped ahead to her second encounter with Charlie,
a few weeks after the first.  She had taken off all her clothes and slid
them into Charlie's locked car through the partially open window, so that
she couldn't have access to them.  When she appeared to Charlie in the
editing bay, she was already naked.  "Wait," Vanessa said.  "So you ran
into Charlie that first Saturday, you spent some time together and you
ended up having sex.  A couple weeks later, you went back to the school,
because you knew he was there, to have sex with him again?"

   "Uh huh," Michelle said.  "I did."

   Vanessa turned to face Charlie.  "Must've been some pretty good sex,
then."

   He didn't know what to say.

   "It was very good sex," Michelle said.  "Especially after everything
else that happened that day."

   "Do you have a nice cock, Charlie?" Vanessa asked sweetly.  "I bet you
do."

   "Uh..."

   "Let's have a look." She gazed at him expectantly.

   Charlie looked between the two girls.  "Huh?  You want me to take it
out?"

   Michelle just giggled.  Vanessa said, "I'd like to see it.  I'm curious
to see what Michelle's so excited about.  I think it's only fair; Michelle
and I are both naked, and you can see every inch of us.  Plus, it's pretty
obvious you're super hard.  The shape of it is pretty clear."

   It was the truth; he was fully erect, and his cock felt like it was
getting even harder the more she talked about seeing it.  Michelle wasn't
saying anything to stop him, so Charlie gave Vanessa what she wanted.  He
undid his zipper, tugged down the front of his pants and let his cock
spring free.  It jutted towards Vanessa, curling up in a slight arc, the
head swollen and throbbing.

   Vanessa eyed his erection with interest.  "Ah," she purred.  "Now this
whole thing between you and Michelle makes a little more sense."

   She shifted her weight slightly and Charlie felt suddenly certain that
she meant to reach out and catch his cock in her hand.  He flinched, his
foot moving just the slightest bit back, barely an inch, but enough for the
movement to be visible.  His cock, on the other hand, flexed upward, moving
without his conscious thought, as if straining to reach her.

   Vanessa didn't miss either movement.  She smiled, exposing her two tiny
fangs.  Her eyes gazed at his erection as if she was considering the
possible uses for it.

   Then a hand did wrap around his cock.  Michelle's hand.  She squeezed
him in a tight grip and the pleasure it gave him almost made him moan. 
Michelle stepped closer, close enough that he could smell her sweet scent.
Her skin looked flushed and she was out of breath.  Her eyes sparkled with
possibilities.  He knew that if he reached between her legs, he would find
her dripping wet.

   For a moment, he imagined doing exactly that.  He would show Vanessa how
easy it was for him to touch Michelle's body, how he was accustomed to
touching her wherever he liked when she was naked.  He would push his
fingers into Michelle in front of Vanessa, maybe even fuck her.  Would it
turn Michelle on if he suddenly turned her around, bent her over and fucked
her in front of her best friend?

   Michelle released his cock.  She giggled and turned away, darting up the
trail, leaving his erection bobbing in the air.  He was surprised by her
sudden retreat.  Maybe she had sensed Charlie's thoughts and felt a need to
escape them, or maybe she was escaping from her own dirty thoughts.  Maybe
she and Charlie had been close to crossing a line she wasn't ready to
cross.

   Whatever her reason, she left him standing awkwardly in front of
Vanessa, with his cock exposed and erect, pointing towards Vanessa's nude
body.  Vanessa was in no hurry to chase after her friend; she smiled at
Charlie, seemingly amused by his discomfort.  This time, she really did
reach out and take hold of his cock, letting it rest against her palm,
lightly tracing her fingernails across his taut skin.  He didn't flinch
away, although his groin tightened abruptly and he almost thought he was
going to cum right then and there.  "Thank you for indulging me," Vanessa
said.  "You're welcome to leave it out, but I'll understand if you'd prefer
to put it away." She pulled her hand away and walked after Michelle.

   Charlie stood for a moment by himself, his heart pounding, watching the
two naked women disappear into the darkness.  Then he shoved his cock back
into his pants and hurried to follow them.

   When he caught up, Vanessa was saying to Michelle, "...not everything,
but if you've done anything new and exciting, you have to tell me.  You
said no more secrets.  And you know I've always shared everything with
you."

   "I know," Michelle said.  "I meant it.  No more secrets."

   "So tell me."

   Michelle exchanged a glance with Charlie.  "I'm not sure where to
start."

   "Start with school."

   So Michelle began her confession, a list of her scandalous behavior with
Charlie at school.  Every place she'd been naked.  Every place where they
had sex.  The science room, the locker room, the sound booth at the
auditorium.

   "During the performance?" Vanessa was impressed.  "You're a man of many
talents, Charlie."

   The only act that really shocked Vanessa was when Michelle explained how
Daryl the security guard had caught her walking naked by the cafeteria. 
"You kissed him?" Vanessa gaped at her.  "You were naked and you kissed
him? You little slut!"

   Michelle put her hands over her face, embarrassed.  "I know!  I know! 
Please don't tell anyone!"

   "I won't.  But...  wow.  I'm just so surprised that you would do
something like that."

   "I know.  I was surprised, too, when I did it.  When Charlie and I are
together...  it just gets so intense sometimes!  It's like we're constantly
daring each other to go further."

   "If that's just what you've done at the school, I'm almost scared to ask
where you've had sex outside of school," Vanessa remarked.

   "Well," Charlie said, pointing at a bench at the park, "right there, for
one."

   "You've had sex right there?"

   Michelle nodded.  "All over these gardens, basically."

   "We had sex in a movie theater," Charlie said nonchalantly.

   "You did?" Vanessa asked.  "What movie?"

   "It was a bad movie," Charlie said.  "Called 'Night Crew'."

   Vanessa stared at Michelle.  "You're fucking kidding me."

   Michelle hid her face again.  "I know!  I know!"

   "I mean...  I was suspicious because you were gone a while...  but I
thought you were calling Charlie in the lobby...  he was actually there? 
You two were in the same theater, having sex, where we were watching the
movie?" Vanessa shook her head incredulously while Michelle pressed her
hands over her eyes, too embarrassed to look at her friend.  "And you
didn't say a single word about it!  Was he your secret date or something?
You brought him to the theater just so you two could have that moment where
you slipped away to have secret public sex?"

   Michelle was giggling through her fingers.  She couldn't control her
laughter.  "I know!  I know!" she said.  "I'm terrible!"

   Vanessa looked like she had more to say, but at that moment, a voice
came from the darkness.  "Hey, guys.  Is everyone having a nice evening?"

   Charlie realized they had made a mistake when he saw the terrified
expression on Vanessa's face.  They had forgotten to warn her about Nick.

   Nick appeared out of the darkness.  He wore his usual blue security
guard uniform and carried a flashlight, although it wasn't on.  "Hey,
Charlie.  Hey, Michelle," he greeted them.  "Just doing my rounds." He
smiled at Vanessa.  "Hey.  You must be Vanessa."

   Vanessa had her left arm crossed over her breasts and her right hand
pressed between her legs.  Her legs were clinched tightly together and she
stood sideways, as if to make herself harder to see.  "Who are you?" she
stammered.  Charlie had never seen her look so vulnerable.

   Michelle hurried to reassure her.  "Oh, this is just Nick!  He's the
security guard here!  Remember how I said that we're friends with the
security guard?  That's how we get in at night!"

   "I went to Pine Hills High, too," Nick said.  "My sister still goes
there.  Ronni Arthur?  Do you know her?"

   Vanessa nodded rapidly.  "Yes.  I know Ronni.  And I remember you from
Pine Hills.  I just didn't expect..." She glared at Michelle.  "Michelle
should have warned me there was someone else we might run into."

   Nick waved away her concerns.  "Oh, don't even worry," he said.  "I'm
used to Michelle by now.  She treats Greenholt Gardens like it's her
personal nudist resort.  I hardly ever see her with clothes on here."

   "Seriously?" Vanessa asked.

   "Yeah." Nick grinned.  "She's naked before she even walks in.  She
leaves her clothes in her car most of the time."

   "Does she really?" Vanessa asked, glancing at Michelle.

   "Yeah.  She's very comfortable here," Nick said.  "No one else is around
at night.  It's a safe place.  No one is going to see you."

   Vanessa stood up straighter.  With some effort of will, she pulled her
hands away from her bikini areas, allowing Nick to see her body.  "Except
you, I guess.  Yes, I'm Vanessa, Michelle's friend.  Nice to meet you."

   "Nice to meet you, Vanessa." Nick turned towards Charlie and Michelle.
"I'm just checking the perimeter.  I'm headed back now.  Maybe I'll see you
back by the snack bar."

   "Sure," Michelle said.  "See you, Nick.  Thanks for letting us be in the
gardens at night."

   "No problem." He flashed another smile at Vanessa.  "Have fun." He
walked past them and disappeared into the darkness.

   Vanessa waited a minute after he left before she spoke.  "God,
Michelle!" she scolded.  "You said we were alone out here."

   "Sorry!" Michelle exchanged a sheepish look with Charlie.  "Honestly,
I'm just so used to Nick...  I wasn't even thinking about him."

   "Me, either," Charlie said.  "Sorry."

   Vanessa closed her eyes.  "Well, that was interesting.  I've never been
introduced to a stranger before while I was completely naked.  It's a weird
feeling.  I'm glad he was cool about it."

   "He's so nice," Michelle said.  "A real gentleman.  He always treats me
with respect, even when I'm acting crazy."

   "Acting crazy?" Vanessa asked.  "What do you mean?"

   "Mmm." Michelle squirmed, reluctant to answer.  But she had promised
Vanessa, no more secrets.  "I tease him sometimes," she said.  "I probably
tease him too much."

   "Like how?"

   "Like I'll leave my legs open when I'm sitting so he can see me.  Like,
really obviously open.  I'm not very modest at all around him when I'm
naked.  And I give him hugs all the time.  Naked hugs." She shrugged.  "He
knows that I get off on being seen.  But he never tries to take advantage
of it."

   "Does he ever try to feel you up?" Vanessa asked.

   "Never," Michelle said.  "Even when he could.  Like, even when it's
obvious that I'm turned on and he could get away with it, he never does. 
He's always respectful."

   "Even the other night," Charlie said, and Michelle flashed him a warning
look.  It was too late; Vanessa was interested.

   "What happened the other night?" she asked.

   Michelle turned away, too embarrassed to be seen as Charlie told the
story.  "We were putting away some equipment, here in the garden," Charlie
said.  "Me and Nick.  Michelle was naked, sitting in a chair, and she
started to play with herself.  She got into it.  Nick didn't say anything,
and he didn't stop to stare at her.  He just kept working, walking around
her, picking up the equipment while she got herself off."

   "Michelle!" Vanessa was shocked.  "That's so kinky!  Did you actually
have an orgasm while he was right there?"

   Michelle pulled her hands away from her blushing face.  "It felt so
good," she said softly.  "I was so turned on...  knowing everyone could see
me...  it was so hot..."

   Vanessa shook her head.  "I'm so astonished.  I never suspected you were
like this.  You're such an exhibitionist!" Vanessa paused as she made a
connection.  "Wait.  You said you were working on a film here.  What kind
of film are we talking about?  Is Michelle nude in any of it?"

   "No," Charlie said.  "The film we just shot here doesn't have any
nudity."

   "So you've never filmed Michelle while she was naked?"

   "I have," Charlie admitted.  "A few times.  But we've never saved the
footage.  We record over it right away.  And it was never for any movie."

   "What, just for fun?"

   "Yeah.  And for the thrill of being recorded, I guess." Charlie glanced
at Michelle.  "The idea that someone might see it later." He waited to see
if Michelle would bring up the film she wanted to work on.  It seemed like
a good time to pitch Vanessa on playing the role of Ingrid.  But Michelle
was quiet.  Maybe she was still overwhelmed by having her secrets revealed
to her best friend.

   They followed a path that circled through the southwest part of the
garden, and now they approached the Concert Meadow again.  "My clothes are
gone," Vanessa said, peering into the distance.  She pointed at a bench at
the edge of the meadow.  "That's the one, isn't it?  That's where I left
them?"

   "Maybe it was a different bench?" Michelle suggested.

   "I don't think so.  I'm sure it was that one.  My clothes are gone!"

   "Nick might have taken them," Charlie said.  "I'll run over and check
with him.  Maybe he brought them back to the snack bar."

   "Yeah, Nick probably took them," Michelle said.  "It's all right.  Let's
all walk over there together."

   Vanessa followed them reluctantly as they went towards the snack bar. 
"Why would Nick take my clothes?  He wants me to stay like this?"

   "Probably just to keep them safe," Michelle said.  "He's done the same
thing to me before." Michelle took Vanessa's arm.  "Anyhow, there's a
tradition you need to follow."

   "What?"

   "Before you get dressed, you need to steal a drink from the snack bar."

   Nick must have seen them on one of the cameras because he emerged from
the security booth as they walked up.  "Sorry, I saw the clothes on that
bench and I thought they belonged to Michelle," he said, when they asked
about Vanessa's missing items.  "They're in the snack bar, on one of the
tables.  Also, a blue dress I found on the grass here...  that was probably
Michelle's, right?"

   "Uh-huh."

   "It's on the table, too.  Everything I found is on the table." Nick
grinned.  "I should've known the stuff on the bench didn't belong to
Michelle.  Everything was folded and stacked neatly.  Michelle usually just
throws her clothes on the ground and leaves them there."

   The two naked women entered the snack bar to find their clothes.  As
Charlie watched them go, he recalled that Nick had seen Michelle in her
blue dress earlier.  Nick must have suspected when he found the black and
red clothing on the bench, that the items belonged to Vanessa rather than
Michelle.

   Charlie and Nick followed the women into the snack bar, but when they
entered, they found the pile of clothing still untouched on the table and
both of the women nowhere to be seen.  The door to the cooler creaked from
the back of the snack bar; Michelle and Vanessa, still naked, were getting
drinks, fulfilling Michelle's tradition.

   The girls returned.  "A Sprite for Charlie," Michelle said, holding out
the drink, "and a Coke for Nick." Vanessa had Nick's Coke.  Nick accepted
it from her, mumbling a distracted thank you under his breath.  Michelle
was holding her usual Snapple, and Vanessa was holding a beer.  Charlie
waited to see if Nick would say anything about the beer; he had told them
on a previous visit that Greenholt Gardens kept a closer eye on the
inventory of alcoholic drinks.  But Nick didn't say anything.

   The girls continued to ignore the stack of clothing; they remained naked
as they sat down in front of the TV.  If Michelle's tradition was to remain
naked while she stole a drink from the snack bar, it was also her tradition
to be naked while she consumed the drink.  Charlie couldn't remember her
ever drinking her usual Snapple while wearing clothes.  It seemed Vanessa
intended to do the same.

   They sat in the snack bar and watched TV, or rather, the TV was on while
they sat in front of it and talked.  Vanessa's boldness had returned, or
maybe Michelle's praise of Nick had convinced her that she could be relaxed
in his presence.  Vanessa asked Nick about his time at Pine Hills High, and
they talked about the classes he took, the teachers they both knew, members
of his class that Vanessa remembered.  Vanessa was three years younger, but
she and Nick still knew a surprising number of the same people.

   Charlie noticed the relaxed way that Vanessa sat in her chair, and he
wondered if it was intentional.  Michelle had confessed to sometimes
teasing Nick; was Vanessa doing some teasing of her own?  She sat with her
left leg up and to the side, her right leg angled in the other direction.
Her body slouched in her seat so that her ass perched on the edge.  How
could Nick concentrate on her questions when he had such a provocative view
between her legs?

   Charlie couldn't help himself from peeking every minute or so, probably
more than he intended.  He hoped it wasn't obvious that he was admiring
Vanessa's body, especially with Michelle right there.  But he doubted he
would have another opportunity to see the famous Vampire Vanessa Watson
naked, and he didn't want to squander it.

   It turned that Vanessa knew Marta Solkov, the girl Nick had taken to the
prom.  Vanessa had been on swim teams with her.  "She moved to Fresno,
right?" Vanessa asked.

   "Yeah, she did," Nick said.  "We were together all of senior year, but
she moved away after graduation.  We tried to do a long-distance thing, but
it wasn't working for either of us."

   "Do you have a girlfriend now?" Vanessa asked.

   Nick chuckled.  "Nah.  This job, working nights, it gets in the way of
having a normal social life.  I'm not really worried about dating at the
moment.  Just trying to make money so I can get my own place.  The rest of
my life is on pause."

   "Right." Vanessa glanced at Michelle.  "Well, at least you have Michelle
to look at.  Must be nice having a beautiful naked woman coming to visit
you at work, huh?"

   Maybe the direct question was meant to catch Nick off-guard, but Nick
just shrugged.  "Yeah.  But I'm used to Michelle," Nick said.  "These days,
I think of Michelle as a nudist more than I think of her as being naked. 
Yeah, she hardly ever wears clothes when she's here.  She's very
comfortable in just her skin."

   "You don't notice she's naked anymore?"

   Nick chuckled.  "Oh, I always notice.  But it just seems natural to me
now.  It's the way she likes to be.  The way she is." He drank the last sip
of his Coke and tossed the bottle into a nearby recycling bin.  "Anyhow,
she's Charlie's girl." He stood up and motioned towards Vanessa's beer. 
"You want another?"

   Vanessa grinned and lifted the beer in her hand, showing it was still
heavy.  "I've barely touched this one," she said.  "Do you need to get back
to work?"

   "Yeah," Nick said.  "I probably ought to."

   "Then let me say goodbye." Vanessa stood.  "I need to leave soon anyway.
And I want to thank you for letting me walk around these Gardens at night.
It's been an interesting experience." She smiled at Nick, walking over to
stand in front of him.  "Michelle tells me this is how we say goodbye
here." She embraced him in a light hug and stretched up to press a soft
kiss on his lips.

   Nick was clearly surprised.  He stood awkwardly, his hands still at his
side, too astonished to even think of returning her embrace.  Vanessa
released him and stepped back.  She grinned, her fangs visible, amused by
his reaction.

   "I wanted to test something that Michelle said," she told Nick.  "She
said you're such a gentleman that I could step up to you, completely naked,
and hug and kiss you, and you wouldn't even try to touch me.  I guess she
was right, huh?"

   "Uh..." Nick didn't know what to say.

   "Here's the thing, though," Vanessa continued.  "You're careful with
Michelle, because she has Charlie...  she has a boyfriend...  but me, I
don't have a boyfriend..." She reached for Nick's hand and drew it towards
her chest.  She pressed his palm to her breast.  "So maybe you don't have
to worry so much about not touching me when I kiss you."

   This time, when she stepped forward to kiss him goodbye, he accepted her
invitation to put his hands on her body.  One hand slid behind her back,
pulling her against him, the other remained on her breast, squeezing and
fondling it.  Their kiss lasted longer, much longer, and both of them
seemed to enjoy it significantly more than the first kiss.

   Vanessa pulled away.  "There.  Wasn't that better?" Her tongue moved
over her lips, as if sampling the lingering taste of him.  She smiled. 
"I'm going to get dressed now." Nick reluctantly let his hand slip away
from her ass as she turned and walked over to the table that held her
clothes.  With her back towards Nick, Vanessa fished her bra and panties
out of the pile and began to dress.

   Nick watched her for a moment, watched as she pulled on her red thong,
her red bra.  When she pulled on her black yoga pants, Nick turned and
shuffled away, out the front door to the snack bar, into the gardens.  He
still had a vacant look on his face as he left, like a man sleepwalking who
didn't want to wake up from the dream he was having.

   Charlie watched Vanessa as she finished dressing.  She had told Nick
that she didn't have a boyfriend, and that made Charlie wonder about her
relationship with Cody.  Did she not count Cody as a boyfriend?  Or maybe
they had broken up?  Charlie still considered Cody his nemesis, and the
petty part of him hoped that this evening at the Gardens had interfered
with Cody and Vanessa's relationship.  Cody didn't deserve to be dating
someone like Vanessa.

   Hey, Cody, I had fun with your girlfriend last night.  She was naked
most of the time.  She looks amazing naked, doesn't she?  I pulled out my
cock so she could see how hard it was, and she was so impressed that she
had to put her fingers around it.  Your girlfriend's hand felt pretty good
on my cock, Cody.  Or is she your ex-girlfriend now?  Because after she
touched my cock, she said she didn't have a boyfriend...

   "I'm going to walk Vanessa to her car," Michelle told him, pulling him
out of his reverie.  He noticed that Michelle was wearing her blue dress
again.  Vanessa was fully dressed.  "Will you make sure I don't get locked
out?"

   "Sure," Charlie said.  He followed Michelle and Vanessa as they walked
through the snack bar to the back door that led to the parking lot.  The
two girls talked in low voices as they walked, and Charlie couldn't hear
what was being said.  He didn't try to eavesdrop.  A lot had happened that
evening, and the two friends had broken a barrier of secrecy that had been
keeping them apart for a while.  Undoubtedly, they had a lot to say to each
other.

   He propped the back door with the rock that Nick kept there for that
purpose, and stood in the doorway, watching as Michelle walked Vanessa to
her car.  The two girls talked for a bit; they hugged; they talked some
more, and then they hugged again, a long hug.  Charlie couldn't hear any of
what they said, but it wasn't hard to decipher.  Close friends renewing
their friendship, the confession of a secret allowing them both to be
closer.

   Then Vanessa smiled, showing her two fangs, and murmured something to
Michelle.  Charlie didn't know what she said, but he could see the effect
it had on Michelle, the tension that suddenly bloomed between the two
girls. Vanessa's smile was challenging, Michelle was anxious, and Charlie
knew that Vanessa had suggested something that Michelle hadn't expected.

   "Charlie," Vanessa called to him.  "Does Michelle ever say goodbye to
you or Nick in this parking lot?"

   "Yes."

   "Is she ever naked when she does it?"

   "Yes," he admitted.  "She usually is."

   Vanessa nodded to Michelle.  "Well, then."

   Michelle hesitated for a moment.  Then she started to undo the buttons
on her dress.  She only had to do the first couple before she was able to
shrug the dress off her shoulders.  She hadn't bothered to wear anything
underneath; probably she had expected to strip again as soon as Vanessa
left.  When the dress fell around her feet, she was completely nude.

   Michelle stepped forward and embraced Vanessa again.  But this was
different from their previous hugs; this wasn't a friendship hug.  It was
like the goodbye hugs that Michelle gave Nick, the hugs where she seemed to
be offering her body to him, daring him to touch her.  Nick had always
restrained himself, but Vanessa didn't show any hesitation.  First, she
clutched Michelle's ass, pulling the other girl close, then her hands went
to Michelle's breasts, squeezing and stroking them.  Michelle took in a
sharp breath as Vanessa pinched her nipples; her eyes fluttered.  She
leaned forward and kissed Vanessa on the lips.

   Charlie was fiercely erect as he watched the two girls kissing each
other, one of them fully dressed, the other completely naked.  Michelle,
his Michelle, the naked one, her body at the mercy of her best friend's
exploration, no part of herself forbidden.  He watched Vanessa's hand slide
between Michelle's legs.  "You're so turned on!" she purred, delighted by
how easily her finger slipped into Michelle's slick pussy.  Michelle
trembled but could offer no protest.  She had spent the evening confessing
her secret desires to Vanessa: her desire to be naked; to be submissive; to
have her body available for others to touch.  How could she object now that
Vanessa was fulfilling those fantasies?

   Charlie touched the front of his pants, pressing his fingers against the
bulge of his cock.  He could feel it clearly outlined by the fabric, fully
erect, straining against its imprisonment.  Shrugging, he reached for his
zipper; he set it free, opening the front of his pants, pulling the length
of it out and letting it bob in the air.  Why not?  Vanessa had wanted to
see it before, she had touched it.  "You're welcome to leave it out," she
had said.  So why not?  The head of his cock pointed at the two girls like
an arrow; he wrapped his fingers around it, squeezed it, stroked it.  He
knew he could easily make himself cum.

   How could he be expected to remain an indifferent observer of this
erotic display, anyway?  Michelle was his girlfriend, whether Vanessa
appreciated that fact or not, and right now his girlfriend was standing
naked right in front of him, in the middle of a public parking lot, being
fondled and fingered by her equally beautiful best friend.  Was he supposed
to pretend it didn't affect him?

   "Good night, my beautiful darling," he heard Vanessa say to Michelle. 
"Thanks for finally letting me into your world." Vanessa stepped away from
Michelle, leaving the naked girl swaying in place.  A few strands of
Vanessa's dark hair had fallen over her face; Vanessa caught the strands in
her fingers and pushed them back behind her ear.  She was grinning.  Then
she glanced at Charlie and her smile faltered; she stared.  She hadn't
noticed that his cock was out.

   "Will you say good night to me, too, Vanessa?" he asked.  He leaned back
against the doorframe, his hands at his side.  His erection jutted towards
her like a challenge.

   Vanessa regarded his cock silently for a moment.  "Of course," she
answered.  She walked over to him.

   He didn't know what to expect from her, and his cock twitched
involuntarily as she approached.  A kiss on the cheek, perhaps.  Maybe her
fingers on his shaft, lightly cradling him, squeezing him as she had in the
Gardens.  Just being exposed in front of her was turning him on immensely.

   She stopped in front of him, his cock just six inches from her body. 
Her demeanor had changed; her playful smile was gone, and now she looked
very serious.  Had he made a mistake?  Was she offended?  Charlie's cock
remained stubbornly erect, still achingly swollen despite his growing
misgivings.

   "We're a pair now," he said to Vanessa.  "Me and Michelle.  You
understand that, right?"

   Vanessa nodded.  "I do." She reached for the top of her yoga pants and
hooked her fingers in the waistband.  To his astonishment, she peeled her
pants down, bringing them down to her knees, and then her panties followed,
also to her knees.  She stood in front of him with her pussy exposed.

   Vanessa rose up on her toes, opening her legs slightly so that when she
shuffled forward, Charlie's cock slid between her thighs.  Her pussy rested
on top of his shaft; he could feel the heat of it radiating against him. 
He could also feel how wet she was, her labia soft and slick to the point
of being frictionless.  When she moved her body back and forth, his cock
skated easily between her thighs.

   That was how she kissed him goodbye, with his cock squeezed between her
legs, and it wasn't a chaste kiss but a hungry one.  He put his arms around
her, realizing just how petite she was as he held her.  She had always
seemed so imposing in the hallways and classrooms of Pine Hills High.

   She broke their kiss.  For a moment, she moved her body back and forth,
clutching his cock between her thighs.  "Can you feel how horny I am?" she
whispered.  "You can feel it, right?"

   "Yeah." The gap between her thighs was slick with her juice.

   She moved away from him, letting his cock slide almost all the way out.
Then forward again, only this time she tilted her pelvis, and for a moment,
the head of his cock touched her labia, pressing against her before pushing
through.  Her tight pussy gripped his cock as he penetrated her.

   Vanessa sighed as he filled her, inch by slow inch.  He held himself
steady, letting her have complete control of how much of him was inside
her. With his cock just halfway in, she leaned forward to kiss him again,
her lips pressing greedily against his, her tongue invading his mouth. 
When they finally broke this kiss, Charlie realized she had sunk down
lower, and now his cock was almost all the way inside her.

   "I can see why she's into this," Vanessa murmured.

   "You mean being outside?" Charlie asked.

   "That, too." Vanessa smiled.  "Good night, Charlie." She slipped off him
and stepped away.  Just like that, his cock was hanging lonely in the air
and Vanessa was pulling her pants back up.

   Michelle didn't let his erection go to waste.  Suddenly, she was there,
naked, crouching in front of him.  Her mouth slid over his cock while her
hand gripped his shaft.  She bobbed back and forth, sucking on him, teasing
him with her tongue.  It didn't take long, probably less than a minute
before he climaxed.  Michelle leaned back, finishing him off with her hand,
aiming his cock so he spattered cum across her neck and breasts.

   Immediately afterwards, he heard Vanessa's car pulling out and driving
away.  She had lingered just long enough to watch.

   Michelle rose slowly.  Charlie guessed that he had the same expression
on his face that she had on hers - dazed, disoriented, coming down from a
sexual high, trying to comprehend everything that had just happened.  A car
sped by on the road that passed the Gardens; not Vanessa's car, but a white
pick-up truck.  The driver didn't look their way.  Charlie knew that he
should feel a sense of urgency about their indecent state - standing out in
public view, Michelle naked with cum dripping down her front, his cock
exposed and still partially erect.  But it was sometimes hard to remember
what the city of Pine Hills considered indecent.  Greenholt Gardens was
increasingly becoming a place where the regular rules didn't apply.

   Charlie watched Michelle with trepidation as he put his softening cock
back into his pants.  Vanessa.  Michelle's best friend.  He had just been
inside Michelle's best friend, right in front of her.  How was she going to
react to that?  "Why don't you go inside," he suggested to her.  "I have a
towel in my car you can clean yourself with.  I'll grab it."

   Michelle nodded and scooped her dress up off the ground.  She
disappeared through the back door of the snack bar while Charlie went to
get the towel out of his trunk.

   Everything was still vivid in his mind.  The feel of Vampire Vanessa
against his cock, the warmth of her thighs, the clean smell of her.  The
taste of her mouth as she kissed him.  Right in front of Michelle.  Charlie
clutched the towel in his hand as he went back into the snack bar.

   Michelle was sitting down in one of the seats.  She accepted the towel
from him and began to clean her front.  "That was one of the scenarios I
was worried about," she said.

   "It was?" Charlie dreaded her next words.

   "Vanessa being too interested," Michelle said.  "I don't want her to
think of me as a new toy she can play with."

   "Oh." Charlie sat down.  "So, you mean...  you're worried she's too
interested...  in you?"

   "Yeah."

   "You didn't want her to touch you like that?"

   Michelle sighed.  "I can't lie.  I loved it, Charlie.  Every second,
every touch.  It was, oh my god!  it was so hot." She shivered.  Her knees
were pressed tightly together.  "I'm just really freaking out about it
right now.  Nothing like that has ever happened before.  Vanessa and I,
we've never even come to close to crossing that line, not like that.  But
when it happened, it was just so easy to do.  I was so turned on.  I don't
know.  I don't know what it means."

   "Are you worried about seeing her tomorrow at school?"

   "Yeah." Michelle shook her head.  "I mean, I don't know.  She's my best
friend, and that hasn't changed.  Right?  Even if we've kissed now and...
and everything else.  It shouldn't change anything, right?"

   "Right." Charlie stroked Michelle's back in a way that he hoped was
reassuring.  "I think it'll be okay.  Vanessa understands that she needs to
ask permission before she crosses that line again."

   "But that's what I'm worried about," Michelle said.  "She knows what my
fantasies are now, she knows what makes me turned on, maybe she could tell
how little control I have..."

   "Not your permission," Charlie interrupted.  "My permission.  I'm your
boyfriend, right?"

   Michelle blinked.  "Oh!" she said.  "Right."

   "I know we have a crazy sex life, but she still shouldn't be making out
with my girlfriend unless I say it's okay.  She knows our secret now, that
I'm your boyfriend, right?  So she needs to respect that."

   Michelle nodded thoughtfully.  "That's true.  Well, she did kind of ask
you, right?  She asked if I was usually naked, you said yes..."

   "Yeah.  And I told her we're a pair now, one comes with the other."

   "Yes.  And she understood that, too.  Didn't she?" The tip of Michelle's
tongue traced her lips.  "I could taste her on you."

   Charlie said nothing.  His face felt hot.  Tomorrow, he would also see
Vanessa in school, and maybe it would be just as awkward for him as it
would be for Michelle.  He would see Vanessa in the hallway and he would
remember being inside her; his hard dick, her dripping pussy, merged
together.  His arms around her, her arms around him, their bodies pressed
together.  They could have fucked so easily.  Her mouth on his, the hunger
in her kisses.  He could have had her, if he had just fed that hunger.

   "I still feel good about it," Michelle said.

   "About what?"

   "About Vanessa knowing.  I'm glad she knows.  I'm glad I told her."

   "Yeah," Charlie said after a moment.  "Yeah, me, too."

   Nick joined them about fifteen minutes later.  Michelle was still naked,
and Charlie was wiping his face with a wet paper towel, having spent most
of those fifteen minutes with his head between Michelle's legs.  Nick
walked up to their table.  "I want to be in your movie," he said without
preamble.

   "Huh?" Charlie was confused.

   "Your movie," Nick said.  "You want to make a second version, with the
original script.  Right?  I know you've been talking about it.  And I know
you want Vanessa to be Ingrid.  So you still need a Max.  I'm
volunteering."

   Charlie and Michelle glanced at each other.  "It's not a bad idea,"
Charlie said.  "Nick as Max.  Why not?  Nick's used to seeing you naked."

   "You're naked right now," Nick said.

   "Yes," Michelle acknowledged.  "I think you'd be perfect as Max.  Is it
okay, though?  Will it interfere with your work?"

   "It'll be fine," Nick said.  "You've seen how it is here.  It's quiet
and boring, I spend most of my nights watching TV and they still tell me
I'm the best guard they've had in years."

   "Cool," Michelle said.  "So we have our cast.  I'm Gwen...  the real
Gwen this time.  Vanessa is Ingrid, and Nick is Max.  I think that sounds
perfect."

   "Not quite perfect," Charlie said.  "You haven't asked Vanessa yet, have
you?  Maybe she'll say no."

   "I'll ask her tomorrow," Michelle said.  "I think she'll say yes."

   Charlie thought she would, too.

   ***

   Charlie sat with Ronni in the cafeteria later that week.  "You know,"
Ronni said, "I'm glad we're reshooting it.  The first one is fine, I think
it works, and it'll be nice to have a version that we can show people here
at school.  But the original script is better.  The nudity makes it more
surreal."

   Charlie nodded.  "Yeah.  And in theory, it'll be better because we know
what we're doing this time.  Right?"

   Ronni smiled.  "Yes.  We have practice now." She took a bite of her
peach and remarked, casually, "Did you know Vanessa was at Greenholt
Gardens last night?"

   "She was?"

   "Yup.  Apparently, she stopped by to keep Nick company for a couple
hours.  He was pretty happy about it this morning."

   "Wow." Charlie nodded.  Good for Nick, he thought.  Vanessa had already
agreed to be Ingrid in their new film, and she had been intrigued when
Michelle revealed that Nick would be playing the opposite role.

   So maybe, possibly their Max and Ingrid might really be falling for each
other.

   "My brother and Vampire Vanessa," Ronni said.  "I really wouldn't have
predicted that combination.  Look, there she is now.  And there's your
girlfriend."

   Charlie glanced over his shoulder and saw the usual group of senior
girls sitting down at their table in the middle of the cafeteria.  He saw
Michelle and Vanessa, Tina, Hailey.  Now he saw the football players coming
to join them.  Cody, Calvin.  Glenn Mack.

   "Vanessa asked if I wanted to have lunch with them today," Ronni said.

   "Really?"

   "Yeah.  I guess I'm getting more popular.  I already know Michelle, of
course, and now Vanessa wants to be my friend, too."

   "You said no?"

   Ronni smiled crookedly.  "Yeah.  I was going to eat lunch with you. 
I'll join the popular kid's table when you do, Charlie."

   Charlie took a second glance over his shoulder at that table.  It was
still hard to imagine being over there, publicly acknowledged as Michelle's
boyfriend.  He loved Michelle, but he didn't really want to be one of the
popular kids.  "Still a few guys who don't want to see me over there," he
said, as he looked in particular at Cody.  If Vanessa was starting to spend
time with Nick, did that mean she had broken up with Cody?  He could see
that Vanessa and Cody weren't sitting next to each other.

   "That's fine," Ronni said.  "I'd rather be over here, anyway."

   ***

   That night, Charlie couldn't sleep.  The glowing numbers on his digital
clock showed the time was long past midnight, and he was too restless to
drift off.  Finally, he got up and turned on his computer.

   He went through his video files and found the file named "MICHPROJ". 
Putting on his headphones, he started the video playing.

   He had said to Michelle that it wasn't finished.  The honest truth was
that he hadn't made any changes to it in weeks.  The project had been a way
for him to yearn for Michelle while he wasn't with her, when he didn't know
if he had any future with her.  Now that he was spending so much time with
her, he didn't think about his Michelle tribute very often.

   The tone of the project no longer fit his feelings for Michelle.  The
video seemed wistful, like someone in the far-off future recalling fond
memories of a pretty cheerleader from high school.  It lacked the vibrancy
of the real-life Michelle and her constant desire to push at her own
boundaries.  It didn't have the Bonnie and Clyde thrill that was so much a
part of their current relationship.

   Charlie watched the whole video, then closed it.  He gazed at the file
on his screen for a long moment, then he selected it and made a copy.  He
named the copy: "MICHPROJ X."

   Just like his student film.  One version clean.  One version dirty.

   Charlie went to a different folder and found another file.  This one, he
had simply named "File13".  A name so boring that hopefully no one would
consider opening it, even if they found it on his computer.

   He opened the file.

   An image appeared on his screen.  Michelle, in front of the camera,
naked, her hand between her legs.  As she fingered herself, Nick passed by
behind her, carrying equipment.  Thirty seconds later, Ronni was visible
behind her, putting away gear in the background while Michelle furiously
masturbated in the foreground.

   Every night, he told himself he would watch the clip one more time and
then delete it, just as he had deleted it off the camera.  And every night,
he ended up keeping it just one more day.

   Tonight, he opened up the copy he had just created, "MICHPROJ X", in the
film editor, and then he imported "File13" into available footage.  Naked
Michelle appeared on his screen.

   A clean version and a dirty version.  Time to start work on the Michelle
tribute dirty version.
   He began editing.