Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 �>�Summer at Cache Lake

   Chapter 31: Sharp Tooth

   The trail on the other side of the outlet was different.  Rather than
following the outlet, it angled off sharply into the forest.  That was the
trail that Jill led them down.

    -�Glad to get off the road? -� asked David.

    -�You know it, -� she replied.

   Jill was in the lead, but that didn -(TM)t last for long.  At his first
opportunity, Ryan slipped by.  Jill did her best to ignore him, but it was
pretty obvious that he only wanted to be in front to be in a good position
to glance back at Jill at every opportunity.

    -~At least he -(TM)s not trying to walk backwards today, -(TM) thought
Jill.

   Doing her best to keep her chin up, Jill kept repeating to herself, 
-~At least he -(TM)s not teasing me about last night -(TM)s orgasm. -(TM)
She didn -(TM)t need any more of his Meg Ryan imitation.  Once was enough.
At least his version at breakfast hadn -(TM)t involved any moaning or
verbalizing . . .  leaving her grandparents in the dark.

   Even though he wasn -(TM)t teasing her about the orgasm, he was still
being quite obnoxious.   -�Settle down, Ryan! -� David said at long last.

    -�What? -� asked Ryan.

    -�You know very well what you -(TM)re doing, -� said David.

    -�Worry about yourself! -� said Ryan, turning and stopping in the
middle of the trail.

   Jill slowed and then stopped to keep from running into him.

    -�You spent the entire day yesterday with the topless princess.  I was
grounded . . .  remember? -� continued Ryan.

    -�Deservedly so . . .  and you might be again, -� said David.

    -�Hey, I -(TM)m following the rules you gave me, -� said Ryan.   -�I
haven -(TM)t used the word  -~pussy -(TM) once. -�

    -�Until now, -� said David.

    -�I want Jill to be comfortable just as much as you, -� said Ryan.  
-�I can -(TM)t help it if I love it when she blushes.  You said you enjoy
seeing her turn all red and bashful, too. -�

   Jill turned and looked back at her brother.  He shrugged.

    -�What is it about blushing? -� she asked.  David didn -(TM)t reply.

    -�You -(TM)re just cute when your tits are out and you are feeling 
-~oh, so -(TM) embarrassed.  You turn red . . .  you don -(TM)t know where
to look . . .  you bite your lip . . .  like that, -� said Ryan, pointing
at her face.  Jill hadn -(TM)t realized that she was biting her lip.

    -�Aren -(TM)t the tits enough? -� she asked in exasperation.

    -�Sure they are, -� replied Ryan.   -�But if you want to bare the
pussy, who -(TM)s stopping you? -�

    -�David, he said the  -~P -(TM) word, -� said Jill, turning her back to
Ryan.  She didn -(TM)t want to hear any more talk like that, but she could
feel a little tickle down below.

    -�Come on, Ryan, -� said David.   -�You promised.  Please don -(TM)t
make any more waves. -�

    -�I -(TM)m just having fun, -� he replied.   -�Look how scared and
embarrassed she looks.  You get a kick out of that, too.  Don -(TM)t deny
it. -�

    -�Ryan! -� said David, reprimanding him.

    -�Okay, okay, -� said Ryan, turning to resume walking.

    -�David? -� said Jill, staring back at him, her arms folded.

    -�Hey, I can -(TM)t help it, -� he said.   -�Besides, it -(TM)s not
incest if I think it -(TM)s cute when your face turns red.  We -(TM)re
talking  -~face -(TM) here . . .  as in, above the neck. -� He started
walking.

    -�I guess, -� said Jill, as he stepped off the trail to walk past.

   Jill started walking as well, bringing up the rear.  With her hands, she
reached up and felt her cheeks.  They were indeed warm, pleasantly so. 
Thinking about it, Jill started to realize that the experience of blushing
wasn -(TM)t all negative.  It was a complex sensation.

   For quite some time, they walked along in silence, each of them
presumably processing the short discussion they had all just taken part in.

   Awkward dynamics aside, Jill started to enjoy the hike.  It was a lovely
morning to be walking along the forest floor.  The air was still and rays
of sunshine shot all the way to the ground in places.  The birds and other
forest critters were to be heard even if they were rarely to be seen.  The
endless expanse of nature seemed to offer tranquility and peace to all who
were receptive.

   Jill -(TM)s thoughts turned to how pleasant it was to be outside on a
beautiful summer day, completely unencumbered by clothing above the waist.
Guys did have it good when it came to their ability to go shirtless.  It
was indeed a fun world to visit.

   The trail started climbing and the trees thinned out, becoming smaller
and more snow-tangled as they approached the tree line.  After negotiating
a nearly washed out switchback, the trio followed the trail off across a
bare slope to the south.  The rocky pinnacle of Sharp Tooth towered into
the cloudless blue sky above them.

   Looking up at it, Jill felt that it looked entirely impossible to climb.
She knew otherwise.  From her discussions with Nick, she knew that it was a
Class 5 climb, one that he had actually done.  Determining that had been
difficult as he had never heard of Sharp Tooth.  Via a lengthy discussion,
Jill had learned that its real name was Inspiration Peak.  In her opinion,
the official name was much less  -~inspired -(TM) sounding than their Sharp
Tooth name.  To her utter dismay, she had been unable to convince Nick that
Inspiration Peak looked exactly like a tyrannosaurus rex -(TM)s tooth.

   No matter the name, the face looked unclimbable.  She, David and Ryan
had undertaken their share of climbing, but mostly just Class 2 and Class 3
rock, the kind of climbing that involved some use of the hands but did not
require ropes and other safety gear.

    -�Nick has climbed the face, -� she bragged, pointing up.

    -�He has? -� said David, looking up at the rock wall above them, his
jaw hanging open.

   Jill looked over and saw an expression similar to jealousy on Ryan
-(TM)s face.   -�It might not be that hard, -� he said.   -�If you -(TM)ve
got the equipment. -�

    -�Oh, right . . .  Nick.  We haven -(TM)t heard anything about your
date.  Fill us in! -� insisted David.

    -�It -(TM)s none of your business, -� said Jill.

    -�Did you guys kiss? -� asked David.  Jill saw that Ryan was listening
intently but feigning disinterest.

    -�I -(TM)m not the kiss and tell type.  You know that. -�

    -�So you guys did kiss! -� said David triumphantly.

    -�We did not! -� said Jill in exasperation, not wanting to leave them
with a mistaken impression.

   David laughed.  Jill looked over and saw what looked to be an expression
of relief on Ryan -(TM)s face.  Even though she had been doing her best to
squelch his hopes, she knew that he remained romantically interested in
her.

   In the middle of what looked to be an avalanche chute, they took a water
break.  Jill again looked up, marveling at the peak that they would be on
top of in a matter of hours.  They -(TM)d follow the trail which looped
around to the backside where the slope was much less vertical.  They -(TM)d
be using their hands, but mostly just for balance.

   As they resumed their hike, Jill found herself wondering if Ryan would
ever settle down.  Here she was doing her best to behave like one of the
guys, hiking bare-chested as if it were the most normal thing in the world
to do.  Ryan, on the other hand, was hardly treating her like one of the
guys.  He was constantly leering at her.

   By now, she had tried all methods of dealing with him.  She -(TM)d tried
ignoring him, she -(TM)d tried talking to him, and she -(TM)d tried
scowling at him.  Whatever she did or said, he seemed to just find funny or
encouraging . . .  and all the while he would keep staring at her chest.

   She expected that he -(TM)d get accustomed to seeing her breasts, and
eventually start to treat her more like he had back when they had been
covered all the time.  Well, it seemed as if it would happen.  It was
probably just going to take longer than she might have thought.

   A bit later, realizing that they had gotten an early start and were
making good time, they decided to hold off and have lunch on the summit. 
More typically, they would have taken their lunch break before the last
long steep section of rock.  It was either before or after, as that last
section offered no place to comfortably take a break.

   Jill was, of course, traveling very light.  She was wearing just her
best hiking boots and her shorts and carrying nothing.  Both boys had small
backpacks.  She had offered to carry one, but they had preferred her with
nothing above the waist.  Jill didn -(TM)t see how a backpack might
conflict with the  -~one of the guys -(TM) dress mandate, but she saw no
point in arguing the point.

   The final push to the summit turned out to be more awkward than Jill had
anticipated.  Most of her pairs of shorts were of a certain style that she
found both comfortable and attractive.  They were low rise meaning that
they had very little length to them.  The difficult part for an activity
like climbing was that they flared, the legs being far from tight against
her upper thighs.

   They were absolutely decent in most situations, but just as with a
skirt, the possibility of seeing her underwear from below was problematic.
No matter what she did, that -(TM)s exactly where Ryan always seemed to be
. . .  below and looking up.

   A time or two she forced him to pass her, but a little later, he would
again be just below.  She tried climbing fast in hopes of making his view
more distant.  Somehow he always managed to keep up or catch up.  Even with
her chest visible, he seemed to still have a great interest in viewing her
legs.

   Jill ended up having little success at ensuring that Ryan couldn -(TM)t
get a glimpse of her panties now and then, so she kept reminding herself
that they were not especially brief.  Not only were her girl parts just as
covered as they were by her bikini bottoms, but she was not being teased
about her noisy orgasm.  There was a certain amount of comfort in that. 
Putting that behind her was an important priority.

    -�Okay, Tarzan, time for your Lord of the Jungle yell! -� announced
Ryan enthusiastically as they reached the summit.

    -�Sure, -� said Jill, acting agreeable while also trying to conceal
just how much she liked this new nickname.

   Identifying the boulder that looked to represent the highest point on
the mountain top, she climbed up.  Placing one foot in front of the other
and pulling her shoulders back, she stuck out her chest proudly, her rigid
nipples pointing squarely in the direction Cache Lake far below and to the
west.

   After dramatically surveying the scene, the forest, the hills and other
peaks as well as the lake, much as Tarzan himself would have done, she took
a deep breath.  Holding her head high, she let loose with the loudest, most
awe-inspiring Tarzan yell that she could muster, starting to pound on her
chest a split second later.  Her high pitched jungle scream shattered the
near silence on the mountaintop.  Keeping her elbows high, she pounded
herself solidly, the rhythmic sound echoing deep inside her lungs, causing
the vocal component to reverberate impressively.

    -�Bravo, bravo! -� she heard David yell while clapping, once she had
completed her spirited display.  Ryan joined in the cheering.

   Looking down she saw that Ryan had his fancy camera in hand.

    -�Hey . . .  not cool! -� she yelled, pointing a finger aggressively at
his face.   -�You better not have taken a picture. -�

    -�But can I? -� he asked.   -�It would be such a great photograph. 
Look at the setting . . .  and you look so awesome. -�

    -�Absolutely not, -� said Jill hoping down.   -�Prove to me that you
didn -(TM)t already take one. -�

    -�I didn -(TM)t, -� claimed Ryan.   -�You can trust me. -�

    -�As if! -� she said, laughing uncomfortably.

    -�Okay, I -(TM)ll show you, -� he offered reluctantly.

    -�Trust . . .  but verify,�" said David with a chuckle, as Ryan went
through the exercise of showing Jill his most recent photos.  As he had
indicated, none of them included a topless Tarzan.

    -�I can at least take scenery photos, -� he said, pointing his camera
across the valley at Cornice Ridge.

    -�As long as I -(TM)m not part of the scenery, -� said Jill.

    -�But you are!  You -(TM)re the best part of the scenery, -� he argued.

   Keeping an eagle eye on Ryan, she added,  -�I don -(TM)t think I can
trust you with that camera.  You -(TM)re not the most well-behaved guy. -�

    -�Proudly so! -� said Ryan.   -�Life -(TM)s too short to behave. -�

   Jill saw Ryan grinning at David.  Sighing and shaking her head, she
said,  -�How I ever got into this predicament, I -(TM)ll never know. -�

   Jill didn -(TM)t take her eyes off of Ryan as he went about taking
various photos of the tremendous view stretching as far as the eye could
see in all directions below them.  While he was thus occupied, she renewed
the sunscreen on her most sensitive areas.

   Once Ryan seemed to have taken the photos he wanted, he returned to his
backpack.  Instead of stowing the camera, he removed a compact tripod.

    -�And what might that be for? -� she asked suspiciously.

    -�A group photo, -� he replied.   -�This is an occasion that simply
begs to be preserved. -�

    -�You don -(TM)t need the tripod.  I -(TM)ll take a photo of you and
David, -� she said.

    -�A group photo . . .  The Three Amigos! -� Ryan clarified.

    -�I don -(TM)t think so, -� said Jill sternly, her hands on her hips. 
-�If you haven -(TM)t noticed, I -(TM)m not . . .  umm . . .  presentable.
-�

    -�Don -(TM)t get your nipples in a knot, -� said Ryan.   -�I -(TM)ve
got it all worked out. -�

    -�Nipples in a knot? -� repeated Jill quietly.  She looked down at her
chest, wondering how that might even be possible.

    -�Just hear me out, -� requested Ryan.   -�What if we all stand such
that the gorgeous little titties are hidden from view? -�

    -�Well . . .  not if I look topless -- -� said Jill.

    -�Here, let me take a sample photo and show you. -�

    -�And then you -(TM)ll erase it, right? -�

    -�If you want me to, -� said Ryan.  Assuming that she was in agreement,
he continued,  -�Now stand here, looking down at the lake.  Now fold your
arms . . .  below your . . .  yeah, like that. -�

   Reluctantly, Jill allowed herself to be posed.  Once she was in
position, Ryan walked behind her.  She heard the shutter click.

    -�Hey, -� she said, turning her head and glaring back at him angrily.
She heard the shutter click again.

    -�David! -� she said as if he should come to her aid.

    -�I think you bought into the idea of a sample photo, -� said David.  
-�He did agree to erase it. -�

    -�I did, -� said Ryan.

   Jill frowned, realizing that she had probably agreed.

    -�Okay, now hold that pose, -� instructed Ryan.   -�Hold those sexy
supermodel shoulders up, and look back at me.  Give me your best
happy-to-be-on-a-mountain-top-in-the-sunshine smile. -�

   Looking back at him, her arms still folded, she let her scowl soften
into a smile.  She heard the shutter click a few more times.

    -�Lovely.  You -(TM)re absolutely gorgeous! -� said Ryan with a warm
smile.   -�Now rotate your shoulders a little. -�

    -�But -- -� protested Jill.

    -�Don -(TM)t worry, -� said Ryan.   -�Not so far that things show. 
Just enough to add a sexy twist to your spine. -�

   Jill complied, and she again heard Ryan take a few photos.

    -�Okay, now come look, -� he said.



   Chapter 32: Sharp Tooth, continued

   Jill walked back and Ryan showed her the photos, one at a time.

    -�But I still look topless, -� she observed.

    -�Would they really be all that different if there were a bikini string
across your back? -� he asked.

    -�Yes, -� said Jill.   -�Then you could tell I wasn -(TM)t topless. -�

    -�Look at it this way, -� said Ryan.   -�We -(TM)ve both seen numerous
magazine covers like this in the checkout line at the grocery store . . .
Cosmo, and the like. -�

    -�That -(TM)s different, -� said Jill, trying to think up how it might
actually be different.

    -�It -(TM)s a sexy pose, that -(TM)s all it is, -� said Ryan.   -�But
it -(TM)s still PG-13. -� As Jill seemed to be thinking it over, he
continued,  -�Now picture the three of us in a line, all with our backs to
the camera, all looking over a shoulder and smiling. -�

   Acting as if Jill had agreed, Ryan went about attaching the camera to
the tripod.

   After some consideration, Jill announced,  -�As long as I get to delete
any and all . . .  should that be my decision. -�

    -�That -(TM)s the deal, -� said Ryan.

    -�You have to promise, -� said David.

    -�I promise, hope to die, -� said Ryan.

    -�And, should Jill leave you with any photos, she gets to approve any
and all uses or postings in advance.  Agreed? -� asked David.

    -�Agreed, -� said Ryan.

   With that, Jill decided that it was safe enough to proceed, so she went
back to where she had been.

   Once they were all in position, Ryan took a number of photos, trying to
get the poses and smiles just right.  He insisted that he be in the middle,
next to Jill.  His reasoning was that it needed to go from shortest (Jill)
to tallest (David).  Jill didn -(TM)t really want to be right next to him
in the photo, but after giving it a little consideration, she decided that
it might appear less awkward than if she were topless right next to her
twin brother.

    -�I -(TM)ll look through them and decide if you can keep any this
evening, -� Jill announced.  She wanted more time to consider how damaging
topless photos that did not show her chest might be.  On the one hand, she
knew that she shouldn -(TM)t let Ryan have them, but on the other hand, she
couldn -(TM)t imagine how they might be harmful.  She did think that she
must look really attractive in them, based on the images that she had seen,
but she was not about to admit that out loud.

   As they started down after lunch, Jill found herself thinking about how
bothered she had been on the way up, knowing that Ryan had been trying to
get glimpses of her panties.  It seemed ironic to her that she -(TM)d been
topless the whole time, but worrying about something other than the fact
that her little breasts were on full display.

   Her insecurities about being so light on top seemed to be diminishing,
and yet she knew that it was just around Ryan and David.  Also, she knew
that to an extent it was the fact that there were no other girls around to
compare herself to.  Standing next to a girl with D-cup breasts, she knew
she -(TM)d feel just as inadequate as ever.

   Later that afternoon, after they were back in camp, Jill sat reading her
next book,  -~The Republic -(TM) by Plato.  She was still topless, indeed
all three of them were.  She had moved her chair into the shade so as to
not press her luck as far as too much sun went.

   At one point, she saw Ryan get up and discreetly slip away into the
forest.  She observed him out of the corner of her eye, doing her best to
appear as if she were still reading.  She looked over at David and their
eyes met.

   While she watched, David lifted a hand.  He made a fist, pumping it back
and forth.  Jill scowled, returning her eyes to her book.  She very much
wanted to follow Ryan, to spy on him and see if David was right, but she
couldn -(TM)t do that, at least not with David watching.  She did her best
to forget about it, returning to her reading.

   A few minutes later, David got up and put a shirt on.  It had started to
cool off a bit.  With a sense of relief, Jill got a shirt from her tent. 
She slipped it on, not bothering with a bra.

    -�Thanks, David, -� she said quietly.

    -�Just doing what I normally do, -� he said, brushing off her comment.

   Jill returned to her book.  Even though going topless was doing what she
wanted to do, she wanted it to appear as if she were following the 
-~terms. -(TM) That gave her deniability when it came to admitting that she
liked being topless, actually wanted to be topless.

   That evening in her tent, thinking through the events of the day, Jill
felt the urge to reach into her panties and again give her little slit the
attention it was longing for.  She resisted, doing her best to concentrate
on the noises of the night: the small waves lapping against the shore and
the sounds of crickets or frogs and other small forest creatures.

    -�Remember, Jill, -� she heard Ryan from the other tent say,  -�Free
tongue rides, anytime you like. -� He laughed and then continued,  -�If you
think you had fun last night, just wait! -�

    -�Just shut up! -� she yelled.

    -�Oh, don -(TM)t be angry, -� he said.   -�You know you want to. -�

    -�Do not!  Now be quiet . . .  go to sleep! -� she snapped.

   She thought he -(TM)d continue pleading his case, but instead, she heard
some moaning and then,  -�Oh, oh, oh -- -� accompanied with plenty of heavy
breathing.  Realizing that he was just trying to torture her by imitating
what he had heard the night before, she did her best to block out all sound
by pressing her palms tightly against her ears.

   Many hours later, Jill awoke with an uneasy sensation.  She sat up.  It
was still pitch black, but something was wrong.  At first, she did not know
what it was, but then she felt the ground rocking.  A quick moment later
she realized that it was an earthquake.

   She unzipped her tent and crawled quickly out.  Standing up, she felt
the ground rolling, almost like waves on the ocean.  The boys tripped over
each other getting out of their tent.  In the near darkness, the three of
them all found each other.  They held one another in a tight group huddle,
clinging together for comfort in a suddenly scary world.

    -�What -(TM)s happening? -� asked Jill, of no one in particular, giving
voice to emotions of great concern.  Having grown up with earthquakes, she,
of course, knew the answer.

    -�Just an earthquake . . .  but we -(TM)re fine . . .  nothing to fall
on us here, -� said David reassuringly.   -�It will be over in a moment. -�

   Just then, the sound grew much louder and they heard a thunderous roar
from the north.

    -�What was that? -� Jill called out in shock.

    -�I don -(TM)t know, -� said David.   -�A landslide, maybe. -�

    -�Sounded like a freight train, -� remarked Ryan.

   Thankful that the earthquake had not happened a day earlier when she had
been sleeping nude, Jill realized that both boys were also naked from the
waist up, wearing just pajama bottoms.  Even though they all had so little
on, Jill pulled the guys close.  It felt so very nice to be held, nice to
have their arms around her shoulders.

   The movement and the noise did subside, and Jill became especially
conscious of the fact that she was wearing nothing more than a pair of low
rider panties.

    -�Thank you, guys, -� she said, doing her best to not think about how
she was topless.

    -�Wow, was that ever an earth-shaking orgasm, -� said Ryan, tickling
her ribs with his fingertips.  She jerked in surprise, pulling herself
free.

    -�Not now, -� said David, reprimanding him sternly.

   Jill went back to her tent.  Reaching inside, she found a hoodie and
pulled it on.  A moment later she was thankful that she had done so.

   A giant wave swept across their camp, almost knocking her over. 
Regaining her balance, Jill found herself standing in about a foot of
water. As quickly as it had come, the water started to recede.

    -�What the heck? -� exclaimed Ryan, his pajamas soaked to his knees.  
-�Was that a tidal wave? -�

    -�I -(TM)m guessing a landslide hit the lake, -� said David.   -�The
roar we heard a moment ago. -�

    -�Everything -(TM)s going to be completely soaked, -� said Jill.  She
bent down and reached into her collapsed tent.  Her sleeping bag and all
her clothes were half-submerged, half-floating in standing water.

    -�Well, we can -(TM)t go back to bed, -� she announced.

    -�Let -(TM)s make a fire, -� proposed David, making his way carefully
over to the woodpile.

    -�Won -(TM)t all the wood be wet? -� asked Ryan.

    -�There -(TM)s dry wood on top.  Lucky we have so much wood, -� said
David.

    -�But the paper will be soaked, -� said Ryan.

    -�Stop being such a pessimist, -� said David.   -�Where there -(TM)s a
will, there -(TM)s a way. -�

   Fortunately, there were matches and a flashlight on the table, but the
only dry paper they could find was the book by Plato which Jill had left on
the table as well.  Her other books had unfortunately been in her tent. 
She breathed a sigh of relief realizing that the library books had already
been returned.

   Jill sacrificed the first fifty or so pages of  -~The Republic, -(TM)
pages she had already read, and in short order they had the beginnings of a
fire going.  David made a trip to the Airstream using the flashlight to
check on things.  Returning, he reported that their grandparents seemed to
have slept through the earthquake.

    -�Maybe the trailer -(TM)s suspension or their mattress cushioned some
of the movement, -� he speculated.   -�And the wave did not get that far.
Come morning, they probably won -(TM)t even believe us that there was an
earthquake. -�

    -�Most likely, they -(TM)ll think that it wasn -(TM)t much of one, -�
said Jill.

    -�How strong of an earthquake was that? -� asked Ryan.

    -�Strong, -� said David.   -�I -(TM)m thinking at least 7.0, but we
-(TM)ll find out tomorrow. -�

    -�I doubt it was quite that strong, -� said Jill thoughtfully.   -�
--but surely quite a bit stronger than six on the Richter scale. -� Both
she and David had experienced their share of earthquakes  -" Ryan, too.

   The three of them huddled close to the warm fire, finding comfort in
each other -(TM)s nearness.  As dawn approached, they felt the first
aftershock.  It was relatively mild in comparison to the initial
earthquake.

   They each fished a few articles of clothing and shoes out of their
respective tents.  After wringing them out as best they could, they hung
them up, working together to rig up a clothesline near the fire.

   Sunrise revealed what they had suspected.  A large section of the steep
yet verdant hillside that had formed the north shore of the lake was gone,
obviously having slid into the lake.  In its place was a wide greyish brown
scar, completely devoid of trees and other vegetation.  The view from their
camp had changed dramatically.

   None of their clothes were dry by the time that they were ready to go to
breakfast.  Thanking her lucky stars that she had put on the hoodie in the
nick of time, Jill made her way to the trailer in just that and her
panties. She quickly borrowed a large skirt from her grandmother.  The two
boys borrowed T-shirts from their grandfather.  As suspected, their
grandparents had managed to sleep through the quake; although, her
grandfather did claim to have vague memories of things swaying around.

   After they had eaten, they decided to all drive in to Agency together.
They wanted to see if the road was open and to learn how extensive the
damage had been.  They hoped that no fatalities had occurred, but the
earthquake had been so powerful that they were realizing that it was a
possibility.  The whole region was used to earthquakes, but earthquakes
were the sort of thing that no one ever really got used to.



   Chapter 33: Earthquake Morning

   Suspecting that the road might have suffered some damage, they all piled
into the Jeep due to its four-wheel drive capability.

   In two places, there were numerous rocks and boulders on the road for
them to contend with.  Most were smaller than bowling balls and quickly
taken care of by David and Ryan.  There was, however, one notable
exception: in the canyon, there was one rock the approximate size and shape
of a Volkswagen Bug taking up one of the lanes.

    -�There could be a body under that, -� remarked Ryan.

    -�Unlikely, -� replied David.   -�Anyone out here in the middle of the
night would have been in a car. -�

   Things in Agency were much calmer than they had been expecting.  The
grocery store was open, but it was operating on emergency generator power.
They spoke with Mrs.  Greggory and learned that the epicenter had been very
close, actually between Agency and Stanton.  Preliminary reports had the
quake at 6.7 on the Richter scale.  Mrs.  Greggory had heard of a number of
injuries, but no fatalities.

   She told them that the oldest section of the Stanton City Hall had
collapsed.  It had been made of stone.  The newer sections, built quite
recently, were still standing.  From Mrs.  Gregory, they also learned that
a few houses had burned down in Stanton presumably due to ruptured gas
lines.  In Mrs.  Greggory -(TM)s opinion, it was very lucky that the
earthquake had happened in the middle of the night, otherwise, there would
have been people buried in the rubble of the old city hall.

   Looking around inside the grocery store, they were able to see evidence
of the earthquake.  In places, ceiling tiles had fallen, and one of the
aisles was closed, blocked off with yellow  -~Caution -(TM) tape.  Looking
down it, Jill saw that a great number of jars of jams and jellies had
fallen and broken.  Cleaning that mess up looked as if it might take most
of the day if they had someone to assign to the project.

   Not wanting to go right back to the lake, they headed for Stanton to
have a look around.  On the way out of town, they passed Valentino -(TM)s
Pizza.

    -�They must have power, -� remarked Jill, seeing that the sign was lit.
She also noticed that Nick -(TM)s truck was among the vehicles in the
parking lot, but she kept that to herself.

    -�You must be right, -� said David.   -�I -(TM)m voting that we have
pizza for lunch. -�

   In Stanton, they surveyed the collapsed city hall and noted a few other
buildings with damage, most of it minor.  They also located the cul-de-sac
where the fire department was still attending to a few smoldering homes,
but they kept their distance, not wanting to potentially get in the way.

   At that point, they headed back to Valentino -(TM)s to see if it was
indeed open for lunch.  The stretch of highway just outside of town seemed
to be the only area of Agency with power, and given the significant number
of vehicles in the parking lot, it looked as if they had to be serving
pizza  -" most likely a lot of it.

   They ordered their pizza at the counter and then found a table, cleaning
it off themselves as the pizza parlor seemed short on staff.  As Jill had
again noted Nick -(TM)s truck in the parking lot, she was keeping an eye
out for him.   -~Probably in the kitchen, -(TM) she thought.

   A few minutes later, Nick showed up, sliding onto the bench next to her.
 -�My dad told me you were here.  Glad to see that you -(TM)re all fine, -�
he said, referencing everyone but looking only at Jill.

    -�Grandma, grandpa, this is Nick.  His dad owns the place, -� said
Jill.

    -�Nick Bianchetti, -� said Nick, rising up a little and reaching across
the table to shake hands.

    -�Herbert Wahlund, -� replied her grandfather.   -�And this is my wife,
Helen.  I trust you know the boys. -�

    -�I do, -� replied Nick, glancing down the table.

    -�Nick is Jill -(TM)s boyfriend, -� added David with a grin.

    -�I don -(TM)t think so, -� said Nick with a good-natured laugh.   -�
--but we did see a movie together recently. -�

   Jill smiled.  Nick seemed to have handled being put on the spot like
that quite well.

    -�Working today? -� she asked.

    -�Actually today is one of my days off, -� he said.  Looking across the
table at her grandparents, he added,  -�I don -(TM)t work here, but dad
asked me to help out in the kitchen.  Whenever the power is out, everyone
seems to want to go out to eat.  This time dad won the electricity lottery.
-�

    -�Valentino, -� added Jill for clarification.   -�His name is really
Valentino. -�

    -�But you can call me Val, -� said Nick -(TM)s father, dropping by the
table to say hello and introduce himself.

    -�He seems like a nice young man, Jill, -� said her grandmother, after
Nick and his father had both excused themselves to return to the kitchen.

    -�Nicer than these bozos, -� she said, smiling maliciously at Ryan and
David.  Even though she had not intended it as a joke, her grandparents
took it that way, laughing heartily.

   A few minutes later, Nick returned, carrying a large bowl and a group of
smaller bowls.   -�Dad gave me permission to throw in a salad, -� he said.
As soon as he had set those on the table, he made a quick trip back and
returned with two pizzas.

    -�Can you join us, young man?  I expect there is plenty, -� said Jill
-(TM)s grandmother.

    -�Actually I am due a break, -� said Nick, again sliding in next to
Jill.

    -�Any damage to the restaurant . . .  or your home, for that matter? -�
asked Jill -(TM)s grandfather.

    -�Very little, -� replied Nick.   -�A lot of cans fell off the shelves
here, pizza sauce, olives, that sort of thing.  But cans just dent, so no
loss.  There were some broken dishes to sweep up, glasses mostly.  Some
broken dishes at home, too.  Dad says that a can of paint fell and spilled
in the garage, but I didn -(TM)t see it. -�

   As the discussion continued, they compared their various  -~waking up
during the earthquake -(TM) stories.  Nick was surprised to hear about the
wave that went through their camp.   -�That -(TM)s a new one on me . . . 
but I guess it explains the pajama bottoms, -� he said with a wry smile.

   Jill looked over at David and Ryan and chuckled.  They had both been
quite self-conscious all morning; however, they had not had anything else
to put on.

   A bit later, Nick asked,  -�Hey, want to hear my quake joke? -�

    -�Umm . . .  sure, -� said Jill wincing.

    -�What did one quake say to the other quake? -�

    -�No idea, -� said Jill agreeably.

    -�It wasn -(TM)t my fault, -� said Nick.

   There were a few chuckles and a few groans.

    -�That -(TM)s so lame, -� said David.

    -�Okay, David, let -(TM)s hear your quake joke, -� insisted Jill.

    -�Afraid I don -(TM)t have one, -� he replied.

    -�Then don -(TM)t criticize, -� she said.

    -�Sticking up for her boyfriend, -� teased Ryan.

   Jill scowled, but then ignored him as she returned to her slice of
pizza.

   A bit later Nick pulled Jill aside as she was on her way back from the
restroom.   -�I -(TM)ve got a couple of days off coming up.  Skyline
Adventures is calling.  What do you say? -�

    -�Skyline Adventures? -� asked Jill.

    -�You know . . .  where I work . . .  the aerial park.  Ziplines and
rock climbing.  What do you say . . .  you and me. -�

    -�Umm . . .  maybe, -� she said hesitantly.  Jill liked Nick, but
getting to college without any relationship baggage was job one in her
mind.  -�What day is today? -� she asked.

    -�It -(TM)s Thursday.  If you don -(TM)t want to, you don -(TM)t want
to, -� he replied with a shrug.

    -�No, I want to . . .  but can I let you know? -�

    -�You -(TM)ll text me then? -�

    -�Right . . .  text, -� she said.  She did think it would be fun, but
the look in Nick -(TM)s eyes was confirming her suspicions.  He seemed to
be looking for more than friendship.

   Back at camp, they were all glad that it was such a hot day, but they
had made a significant error by not getting their sleeping bags and more of
their belongings out of their tents and hung up before leaving for town. 
Jill decided that she wanted to wash her sleeping bag.  Even without it
having been soaked in dirty lake water, it had been due for a washing.

   They discussed heading back to Agency to go to the laundromat, but they
knew that it was probably among the businesses that were closed due to the
power outage.  Fortunately, their power had not gone out, so Jill gathered
up her bag and headed to the trailer.  Her grandfather had installed a
washing machine and a dryer in the storage shed there.  It was a standard
home machine, so it would only do one sleeping bag at a time, but one after
the other, they would all be able to get their bags washed.

   Once back at camp, Jill returned to the project of getting the rest of
her belongings out of her tent and taken care of.  While she had been gone,
the boys had kept themselves busy by rigging up still more clotheslines.

   Glancing over at Ryan, Jill saw him take off his shirt.  Her cheeks
flushed as she suddenly realized where things were headed.  She looked over
at David and saw that he was busy.   -~Oh, good, -(TM) she thought.  
-~Maybe he won -(TM)t notice. -(TM)

   She heard Ryan deliberately clearing his throat.  David glanced up and
appeared to be cluing in.

    -�Oh, David, can -(TM)t I have the day off? -� she asked as she saw him
reaching for the hem of his shirt.

   David didn -(TM)t hesitate.  With a smile, he pulled his shirt up and
off.

    -�A day off from being one of the guys? -� he asked.   -�Surely you
-(TM)d rather fit in. -�

    -�I guess, -� said Jill, taking a deep breath and resigning herself to
an afternoon of toplessness.   -�At least I had the morning off, -� she
added with a sigh, forcing herself to reach for the hem of her hoodie.  She
had been feeling way too warm in it as it was.  A moment later she was much
more comfortable, temperature-wise anyway, dressed in just her grandmother
-(TM)s long flowing skirt.

    -�You do look less like one of the guys in a skirt, -� observed David.

    -�Really? -� she asked.   -�So it -(TM)s the skirt and not the boobs
that tips you off that maybe, just maybe, I might not be a guy? -�

    -�I didn -(TM)t say that, -� said David.

    -�I think you did, -� observed Ryan with a chuckle.

    -�Thank you, Ryan, -� she said, surprised to find herself agreeing with
him.

   While David and Ryan continued putting up more clotheslines and getting
everything hung up, Jill took a break to apply sunscreen.  With her back to
the boys, she applied a heavy layer to her chest and shoulders.  After
putting a second coat on her nipples, she again asked David for help with
her back.

   While David was doing her back, she ended up facing Ryan.  She tried to
look away, but Ryan was difficult to ignore; he just didn -(TM)t seem able
to take his eyes off of her chest, and he wasn -(TM)t at all shy when it
came to staring.  Jill knew she was again blushing.

   Finally, she decided that she had to say something.   -�Ryan, Really? 
How am I supposed to feel like one of the guys with you always staring like
that? -�

   After a little bit of consideration, Ryan replied,  -�You -(TM)re so
conflicted, aren -(TM)t you?  You say you don -(TM)t want me staring, but I
know that down inside you enjoy the attention.  I -(TM)ll bet it makes your
little lady lips all juicy. -�

   Jill let out a gasp and turned to face away.   -�Does not! -� she said
in disgust.

    -�You enjoy being looked at as much, maybe more, that I enjoy being the
one doing the looking, -� he continued.   -�You spent the last few years
thinking that no boy would want to see your chest.  You were so wrong!  And
now you -(TM)re loving being reminded just how wrong you were. -�

   Jill felt the need to protest, but never had truer words been spoken. 
But what could she say?  She couldn -(TM)t agree; she had to maintain her
façade.  Finally, she said,  -�You -(TM)re certainly not making this any
easier. -�

    -�Making it easier?  For you?  That -(TM)s not my mission, -� he
replied.   -�I -(TM)ve been very open.  I love seeing our bashful Jill . .
. all shy and embarrassed like this.  Sexy . . .  that -(TM)s what it is.
You -(TM)re so goddam sexy!  And you -(TM)re enjoying the hell out of
having your gorgeous little titties being ogled.  Admit it! -�

    -�Why would you even do this to a girl? -� she demanded, turning back
around and facing him.  She brought her hands up and covered her breasts. 
-�Not only have I been swindled into going topless, but now you want me to
admit that I -(TM)m enjoying it? -�

    -�Well, you are . . .  just be honest and say so. -�

    -�You aren -(TM)t going to be happy until I don -(TM)t have a single
ounce of dignity left, are you? -�

    -�Enough, enough, you two, -� said David.   -�I don -(TM)t want to
listen to any more of your squabbling.  Now let -(TM)s finish getting
things hung up and then let -(TM)s go for a swim.  I think it -(TM)s high
time that the three amigos visit Sunken Island.  We haven -(TM)t been there
yet this summer, not together. -�



   Chapter 34: Return to Sunken Island

   Jill took a deep breath and walked past Ryan, glaring savagely at him.
She returned to the task of getting her wet stuff out of her tent and on
the rope lines that the boys had gotten strung up.  Given how hot it was,
it seemed as if things would dry quickly, but her pillow seemed hopeless.
Like most of her clothing, it was going to need to be washed.  But given
that the sleeping bags were the priority, that was probably going to have
to wait for another day.

    -~How dare he treat me like that! -(TM) she thought as she worked.  She
knew that the boys were on to her.  Indeed, she realized that she must be
an open book, having been caught topless on more than one occasion.  But
she was not about to admit that she liked having her  -~gorgeous little
titties -(TM) stared at . . .  even if it might be true.  Somehow she
needed to maintain her self-respect.  Surely Ryan must realize that . . .
on some level.

   Why wouldn -(TM)t he allow her to keep up pretenses?  And his  -~lady
lips -(TM) comment . . .  why had David let him get away with that? 
Indeed, he had put a halt to the conversation, but he had acted as if they
were both similarly at fault.

   She came across her tried and true tankini in her bag of soaking wet
clothes.  That caused her thoughts to shift to the idea of returning to
Sunken Island.  While the boys weren -(TM)t looking, she slipped her
panties down and stepped into the light blue tankini bottoms.  Given how
warm it was, it actually felt good to pull the damp fabric up and into
place inside the skirt.

   As she hung up the purple tankini top, the top that had played a
starring role in act one, she realized that she hadn -(TM)t had it on all
summer.  She had been wearing her big girl swimsuits.  But now things were
about to come full circle.  She was about to swim to Sunken Island and back
. . .  topless!

   How fitting that she do so while wearing the tankini . . .  the bottoms,
anyway.  She thought back to her traumatic return from Sunken Island the
prior August.  Looking down at her perky nipple capped breasts, on full
display in the bright sunshine, she realized just how much she had changed
in those eleven months; how much more self-confident she had become.

   The Jill of the prior summer would have been aghast had she been able to
look through a crystal ball to witness this Jill, the new Jill,
nonchalantly hanging up clothes while topless.  She would have been shocked
to see her little breasts bobbing around bare on her lean frame in the
presence of both Ryan and David.  That her breasts were nearly as tan as
the rest of her skin would have made it even more unbelievable for that
younger Jill.

    -�Okay, who else is ready for that swim? -� she asked, surprising
herself with how cheery her voice sounded.  But she was in a good mood, a
great mood actually.  Indeed, this particular swim was something that had
to be done, and it had to be done right!

   Both boys were obviously ready.  They had finished first and had been
sitting down, observing her as she had been carefully hanging up the last
of her things.

    -�I think we are more ready than you, -� said David.   -�We -(TM)ve got
our suits on. -� They had changed into them while she had been off putting
her sleeping bag into the washing machine.

    -�Ta-Da!  So do I! -� she announced, removing the skirt with a
flourish. She was glad to be rid of it.  It was way too big for her, but
thanks to the elastic waist, she had managed.

    -�Nice! -� said David.   -�I always liked that suit. -�

    -�Should I put the rest of it on? -� she asked walking toward where the
top was hanging, reaching her hand up as if she were serious.

   David laughed,  -�Very funny, Tarzan! -�

    -�So, I -(TM)m the Lord of the Jungle? -� she asked with a smile, the
top instantly forgotten.

    -�Lord of Cache Lake! -� said Ryan.   -�And such a beautiful one at
that! -�

   Standing there nearly naked, Jill did enjoy his appreciative words but
scowled to keep it from being too obvious.

   As she was now in her swimsuit, she pulled the remaining stakes and
gathered up her empty tent and walked it out into the lake for a quick
rinse.  The wave had washed some dirt and plant matter in through the door
as it had retreated.  Following her lead, David and Ryan did the same with
their tent.

   Once the tents were both hanging on the lines, Jill threw her hands up
into the air and spun around in the sunshine.   -�So flat-chested that I
can pass for one of the guys! -� she announced gleefully.  She knew that
her small boobs became even smaller when her arms were extended overhead. 
-~But why the hell not? -(TM) she asked herself.  Bare in the sunshine,
there was no way to make them look any bigger than they were.

    -�Yep . . .  just one of the guys, -� chuckled David.

    -�Tiny, tiny tits! -� said Ryan.

    -�Thanks a lot, -� said Jill, sticking out her lower lip in a mock
pout.

    -�Just being honest, Tarzan, -� said Ryan.   -�Lots of guys have bigger
boobs than you.  Gus and Keith, for example. -�

    -�Ouch! -� said Jill.  She knew it was true.  She knew both boys well.
They were overweight, but they did need to wear a bra more than she did.  
-�You like man-boobs? -� she asked teasingly.

    -�Hardly, -� said Ryan.   -�I like Jill-boobs.  I -(TM)m just making
the point that it has very little to do with size.  Girl-tits and guy-tits
look completely different.  And Jill-tits look the best of all!  So pretty,
so feminine. -�

    -�Stop it!  You -(TM)re making me blush again, -� said Jill, casting
her eyes bashfully down.  Sneaking a peak, she saw that Ryan looked quite
pleased with himself.

   Tits, tits, tits! -� she said.   -�Enough tit talk!  Now, let -(TM)s go!
-�

   With that, she turned to lead the way south along the beach.  Typically,
they started their swims to Sunken Island from the big log.

   As she walked, Jill felt the boys -(TM) eyes burning into her back. 
This was as naked as she had been around them.  On the hikes, she had been
wearing shorts and boots.  Now she was wearing nothing more than the light
blue tankini bottoms.  They were of a full-coverage style, but she had worn
them for a number of years.  They were getting a little threadbare, but
more than that they were now skintight, a little too small for her and of a
style meant for a girl, not for the young woman she had become.

   For some reason, she started running up the beach.  Suddenly it seemed
as if the summer . . .  her summer . . .  the summer as she had initially
imagined it could be . . .  had begun.  Her spirits soared and she began
skipping.  To her amazement, she was conscious of her toplessness and yet
she wasn -(TM)t.  She was simply a girl, enjoying being who she was,
reveling in the joy of being young and carefree.

    -�Race you! -� yelled Ryan, pulling ahead.

   Jill threw her head back in merriment, shaking it and feeling the wind
in her hair.  She let him go.  David passed her as well.  As much as she
liked running, right then she felt like skipping.  She didn -(TM)t want
their dash up the beach to be over too soon; everything was just too
perfect to rush.  It was one of those moments that she wanted to savor.

   The boys were standing ankle deep in the lake as she reached the log at
water -(TM)s edge.  Just as she might have in prior years, she hopped up
and stood balancing on it, one foot out in front, her toe pointed.  She had
never been a gymnast, but she pantomimed an exaggerated balance beam
routine for her small audience.

   She could not believe how unselfconscious she was feeling.  She would
never have imagined that she might feel like that again, certainly not
while topless.  It was as if she were suddenly young again, a preteen even,
a girl without all the stress that came from worrying about what others saw
when they looked at her.

   With David and Ryan cheering her on, she attempted a cartwheel.  It didn
-(TM)t go well, only one of her feet landing back on top of the log. 
Spinning out of control, she landed sitting in the lake where the water was
about six inches deep.

   The boys laughed, and she threw her hands up overhead, as if she had 
-~stuck -(TM) the landing.  Suddenly, she couldn -(TM)t remember being
happier.  Spontaneously she let fly with her best Tarzan yell, even
pounding her chest.  She knew how ridiculous she must look, sitting there
in the water, doing her triumphant jungle yell even though she had just
fallen clumsily.

    -�Help me up! -� she cried out gleefully, extending her hands up toward
the guys.  Ryan stepped forward and grasped one of them, but as he leaned
back to pull her to her feet, Jill released all tension by launching
herself up with her own powerful legs.  The load on his hand suddenly
disappearing, Ryan stumbled back and fell.  Now that he was the one sitting
in the water, Jill attacked, splashing him relentlessly with both hands.

    -�Now you -(TM)re asking for it, -� said Ryan, shielding his face and
working to regain his feet for a counterattack.

   Jill didn -(TM)t wait around.  She took off at full speed, squealing as
she went, running straight out into the lake and then diving and swimming
once it got too deep to run.

   She swam as fast as she could, but within thirty seconds she felt
someone grab a foot.  Spinning around, she saw that it was David.  He
pulled himself up on top of her, placing a hand atop her head.  He dunked
her firmly, going right on over as she fought to regain the surface.

   No sooner had she gotten her face back up out of the water than Ryan was
there.  wBefore she had taken more than one breath, he had his hand on her
forehead, sending her right back down.  Twisting around under the water,
she aimed a knee for his groin, giving it all she had.  To her
astonishment, she connected like never before.  That hadn -(TM)t really
been her intent.

   As they again surfaced, face to face, she saw a genuine look of agony in
his unfocused eyes.  He actually looked to be having a little difficulty
breathing.

    -�Serves you right! -� she said with a grin as she turned to continue
her swim.  Two strokes later she regretted having said that.  She was
feeling so bad that she stopped to look back.  Ryan hadn -(TM)t moved, and
his expression hadn -(TM)t changed.   -�Are you going to be alright? -� she
asked.  She didn -(TM)t know what it felt like to have nuts, much less to
have them kneed, but rumor had it that only childbirth was more painful.

    -�You -(TM)re gonna pay! -� she heard him grumble as he started toward
her.

   With a squeal, Jill again turned, swimming hard for Sunken Island.  Had
he been joking?  Was this their typical horseplay, or had it suddenly
become more serious?  She wasn -(TM)t sure.  Later, she again glanced back.
Her lead was holding.  She knew that she could beat Ryan in a race.  Not
wanting to continue the encounter in open water, she put her head down and
drove ahead.

   A few minutes later she saw that David had located and was standing on
Sunken Island, his upper body up out of the water.

    -�You gotta protect me, -� she called out as her feet landed on the
familiar surface next to him.

    -�From Ryan? -�

   Jill explained what had happened, how lucky her aim had been, and how
much force she had unintentionally delivered to his balls.  She saw David
wince.

    -�You -(TM)re lucky you don -(TM)t have balls to kick! -� he said, his
levity palpable.

    -�But you -(TM)ll protect me, right? -�

    -�You might want to swim for the far shore, -� he suggested.

   Jill looked toward Cache Lake West.  Seeing a few cabins peeking out
between the trees, she instinctively dropped down, bringing her chest just
below the surface of the lake.

    -�That wouldn -(TM)t be a good idea, -� she replied.   -�Not dressed
like this. -�

    -�You -(TM)ll be there tomorrow, -� he said.

    -�I will? -� she asked, looking fearfully at the visible cabins.

    -�Yep, you -(TM)re our secret weapon! -� he boasted.

    -�I don -(TM)t like the sound of that, -� she said apprehensively.

   Just then Ryan arrived.  Jill jumped behind David, doing her best to use
him as a shield.

    -�She didn -(TM)t mean to kick you like that, -� said David.

    -�Of course she did! -� said Ryan, lunging in an attempt to get past
him.

    -�I meant to knee you, -� admitted Jill.   -�Just not hard.  I didn
-(TM)t even think I -(TM)d manage to connect at all . . .  certainly not
solidly like that. -�

    -�Likely story, -� said Ryan gruffly, making another lunge in Jill
-(TM)s direction.

    -�You gotta believe me.  It just happened.  Truce? -� she pleaded,
extending her arm cautiously around David.

    -�Last time we were here, I took your top.  Now all you have to take is
those bottoms, -� he said pointing down into the clear water.

   Jill gasped in horror.  Unconsciously she grabbed at the straps on her
hips.  Pulling up, she seated the tankini bottoms firmly into her crotch
and held on for dear life.

    -�You better not! -� she said, her voice faltering.

    -�That would violate your  -~no stripping Jill -(TM) pledge, -� said
David, pointing out the obvious.

    -�What pledge? -� said Ryan, acting as if he had no idea what David was
talking about.

   Jill noticed the corners of his mouth curling up as if he might be
joking, but she was feeling extremely vulnerable.  The bottoms were all she
had, and she knew how easily they might be pulled off or torn.  Considering
her peril, even with David there, she panicked.  She saw her chance and she
took it, diving in and swimming off at full speed in the direction from
which they had just come.  She had wanted to spend some time playing and
splashing in the sunshine on Sunken Island, but not anymore, not if her
bottoms were being threatened.



   Chapter 35: Sunken Island, continued

   She could hear the boys calling to her, presumably trying to get her to
come back; she just kept her head down, putting her energy into stroking
for shore.

   As she thought about what had happened, she decided that getting herself
out of there had made complete sense.  Ryan needed to be taught a lesson.
Somehow, he needed to wise up.  Being stripped naked was hardly a laughing
matter; it wasn -(TM)t something he should joke about  -" even if he had
been kicked in the balls  -" not if he wanted her to feel safe enough to
continue as  -~one of the guys. -(TM)

   Being stripped naked  -" she knew she -(TM)d die.  Of course, she -(TM)d
panicked!  Girls that she knew tanned topless; nobody tanned nude.  No
wonder she had panicked; she -(TM)d gotten scared.  Ryan was an idiot  -"
nothing new there.  He seemed to be taking her participation for granted.

   At that point, she rolled onto her side and glanced back.  They were
following, but she had a comfortable lead.

   As she started to get her frazzled nerves under control, she found
herself lamenting what had just been lost.  She -(TM)d been so happy on the
beach.  Even being dunked hadn -(TM)t fazed her  -" that was the sort of
horseplay she had been missing.  However, the knee to the groin had upset
the applecart.  She wished she could go back in time and miss Ryan -(TM)s
crotch, and simply attempt to dunk him instead.

   But what was done, was done.  The more she thought about it, the more
certain she became that Ryan had been trying to get her back by teasing
her. He had probably not intended to try and strip her.  He -(TM)d only
been trying to frighten her.  He had succeeded.  It wasn -(TM)t really
surprising.  She had so many wonderful memories of fun times spent on
Sunken Island; however, there was one terrible exception.

   Things were going to be okay, she reasoned.  But until she was
absolutely certain, she knew she -(TM)d have to keep her distance.  After
all, he was much stronger than she was.  She was glad that her
spur-of-the-moment plan to swim back had succeeded.  Ryan didn -(TM)t know
how good he had it.  Somehow he -(TM)d have to get that important piece of
information in through his thick skull.

   She reached the shore with a small lead and sprinted for camp.  Once
there, she made the conscious decision to remain topless, hoping to somehow
recapture the dynamics that had existed prior to when she had kneed Ryan.
But to be safe, she grabbed a still wet pair of shorts off the line.  She
added a belt for an extra measure of security, cinching it up tight.

    -�I really didn -(TM)t mean for it to hurt like that, -� she apologized
as the boys entered camp.

    -�It -(TM)s okay, -� said Ryan.   -�Not that I -(TM)ll be able to
father any children. -�

    -�I am truly sorry, -� she added.

   Fortunately, Ryan seemed to have cooled off and things seemed to be
returning to normal.  The boys remained in their swim trunks, seemingly
waiting for what they wanted to change into to dry.

   Jill was a bit uncomfortable with her wet swimsuit underneath the damp
shorts, but she was feeling very attached to having something sturdy on her
lower half.  Her trust had taken a bit of a hit.

   David gathered up his sleeping bag and headed off toward the trailer. 
She asked him to transfer her bag into the dryer.  She considered going
with him, but that would require that she put on a shirt, something that
she didn -(TM)t really want to do.  Being topless was nice, and she had
decided that she didn -(TM)t need to be worried about being left alone with
Ryan.

   An hour later they were all doing their thing.  Jill was reading her
now-mangled copy of  -~The Republic. -(TM) David was stretched out in his
tent, the fly tied up for ventilation, and Ryan was whittling.

    -�What are you making? -� she asked.

    -�You -(TM)ll see, -� was his only reply.

   She didn -(TM)t really care what he was making, so she ignored him and
went back to reading.

   A little later, Ryan got up and slipped out of camp, just as he -(TM)d
done the day before.

   Thinking that he was probably going somewhere to  -~relieve -(TM)
himself, Jill decided to follow.  Just in case David was awake, she left
camp headed in the opposite direction, looping back once she was out of
sight within the tree line.

   She made her way carefully along.  She didn -(TM)t want Ryan to see her,
but she realized that it wouldn -(TM)t much matter if he did.  She was, of
course, still topless, but she wasn -(TM)t doing anything to be embarrassed
about.  The embarrassment would be all his if she were to catch him jacking
off.

   She walked slowly and cautiously deeper into the forest in the direction
that she thought he had gone, stopping frequently to scan everything that
she could see ahead carefully.

   She finally caught sight of him at quite a distance.  He was facing
away. Doing her best to keep trees between the two of them, she advanced a
short distance, stopping once she had found a somewhat hidden spot from
which to observe.  She didn -(TM)t dare go any closer.

   Peering around the tree she was hiding behind, she sucked in a breath,
her eyes opening wide.  As suspected, Ryan did look to be masturbating;
that wasn -(TM)t really such a big surprise, given what David had said. 
She had always known that boys did such things . . .  she -(TM)d just never
confronted it personally.

   He was still shirtless and facing away, but his shorts were now down at
mid-thigh level.  Jill was surprised at just how white his buns were.  He
was standing, his left arm draped over a tree branch for support.  His
right arm was hidden from view, but given the rhythmic motion of his body,
it was clearly engaged just as she imagined.

   She pictured Ryan, his eyes probably closed, playing back erotic images
in his head.  Tingly sensations started coursing through her body as she
considered that; she knew that the erotic images were most likely of her,
of her  -~gorgeous little titties -(TM) as he liked to call them.  She
hoped he wasn -(TM)t thinking about stripping her naked, but she wasn
-(TM)t naive; she knew that might be in the mix.

    -~Cute buns! -(TM) she thought, allowing a hand to drift up to cup a
boob.  She tweaked her stiff nipple, lifting her small breast up by it as
she continued to watch with fascination.

   Remembering her phone in her hip pocket, she got it out, quickly
selecting  -~camera -(TM) mode.  Realizing that the images would not be
that great due to the distance, she took a few quick photos.  She also
tried zooming in for a few additional shots, but she didn -(TM)t bother
with looking at the results.  There would plenty of time for that later.

   Returning the phone to her pocket, she went back to observing in
earnest. The scene didn -(TM)t vary, but she just couldn -(TM)t bring
herself to look away.  Actually watching a boy masturbate, even though she
couldn -(TM)t see exactly what he was doing, was enthralling, riveting
even.

   All of a sudden she saw Ryan -(TM)s body stiffen.  A few moments later
he seemed to relax and slump a little.  Realizing that he had just cum, she
decided that her position was suddenly precarious.  If he were to start
back, he would turn and head right toward where she was hiding.  Being
caught spying once was enough.  As stealthily as she could, she turned and
headed quickly away.   -~Best put some distance between us, -(TM) she
thought.

   She was back in her chair reading when Ryan returned to camp a few
minutes later.  He did his best to appear as normal as possible, but Jill
was snickering inside, thinking about how naughty he had been.   -~Naughty,
naughty little boy, -(TM) she thought to herself.  She considered saying
that out loud but decided to keep what she knew to herself.

   She -(TM)d already studied her photos, but she pulled out her phone and
looked through them again.  It was difficult to keep a straight face while
looking at Ryan -(TM)s white buns, especially with him right there.  The
whole thing was just too funny!  The pictures weren -(TM)t that great, but
they weren -(TM)t all that bad either.  The images were clearly of Ryan,
his shorts obviously at half mast, and his right hand obviously busy,
hidden from view.  Most viewers of such photos would know exactly what was
going on.  Many might not be able to recognize that it was Ryan, but almost
everyone would know instantly that the boy in the photos was jacking off.

   After dinner, once all three of them were again wearing their shirts,
Jill excused herself, saying that she was going to spend a little time with
their grandparents.  Indeed, that was her plan, but on the way there she
made a little side trip.

   Guessing that Ryan might make use of that particular spot on a regular
basis, she wanted to get a better look at the lay of the land.  With little
trouble, she found the exact location where Ryan had done the deed.

   She wasn -(TM)t really willing to admit it to herself, but in the back
of her mind, she was forming a plan to watch, maybe even photograph Ryan
from the front the next time.  She looked around for a good place to hide
and a good route to take to get there.  To her delight, there was a low
area, most likely a dry streambed that ran from the lake to an area in
front of the tree that Ryan had been leaning on.  It was perfect, not too
close and yet not too far, and ferns and bushes added nicely to the cover.

   Studying the dry streambed, she realized that if she walked bent over,
crouching low, that she would be able to reach a location that was much
closer than where she had observed Ryan from that afternoon.  She followed
the streambed back to the lakeshore where she placed one rock on top of
another as a landmark.

   At that point, she headed on toward the Airstream.  The first thing she
did after arriving was plug in her phone.  Keeping her phone charged at
Cache Lake had proved relatively easy because she rarely turned it on. 
There simply wasn -(TM)t much point, given the absence of cell towers in
the area.

   She ended up playing a few games of scrabble with her grandparents, but
all the while she was unable to get the image of Ryan jacking off out of
her head.  Even more than that, she couldn -(TM)t keep from thinking about
what she might witness in the days ahead.  She hadn -(TM)t seen a real live
penis in the flesh before, but the idea was intriguing.

   She had never imagined that she would want to see a guy stroking
himself, but now that the possibility seemed to be presenting itself, she
knew that she wouldn -(TM)t forgo the opportunity.  If Ryan was going to do
that, he might as well have an audience, she thought, chuckling to herself.
Considering that, she found herself wondering what his penis might look
like  -" short, long, fat, thin, circumcised or not.

   That evening at the campfire, she discovered that she was looking at
Ryan differently.  Suddenly he seemed to be a bit more of a human being. 
So far that summer he had been little more than an adversary, but now she
realized that he had his needs, too.

   But looking over at him, lit by the glow of the fire, she was still
having a hard time keeping a straight face.  Remembering her own
embarrassment when she had been overheard masturbating made that a little
easier, but she still couldn -(TM)t help herself; she found herself
thinking about the possibilities for a little retribution.

   As she was roasting a marshmallow, David -(TM)s words from their brief
discussion on Sunken Island came back to her.

    -�Pocket? -� she asked.   -�What did you mean when you said I -(TM)d be
going over to Cache Lake West tomorrow?  Something about me being the
secret weapon.  Just how scared do I need to be? -�

    -�Basketball, -� he replied.

    -�Basketball? -�

    -�Right.  As you know, there -(TM)s a clubhouse complete with tennis
courts and a basketball court over there.  Ryan and I met some of the guys,
and this summer we have been going over regularly.  We play a weekly game .
. .  prearranged for every Friday.  Two of them are good players, but . . .
as you know, Ryan doesn -(TM)t have much to offer . . .  in a game of hoops
-- -�

    -�Hey! -� complained Ryan as Jill cracked up.

    -�It -(TM)s true, Ryan, -� she said with a smirk.

    -�Well, two-on-two we struggle, -� continued David.   -� --but
three-on-three we -(TM)ll kick some serious butt.  The Wahlund twins will
be invincible, even with Ryan on our team. -�

    -�I -(TM)ve gotten a lot better, -� Ryan argued, trying hi best to
defend himself.

    -�Kyle and Patrick have beaten us recently, but against the three of
us, they won -(TM)t stand a chance.  They -(TM)ll have to add either Eric
or Hector to their team. -�

    -�What -(TM)s the court like? -� asked Jill, her interest piqued.

    -�It -(TM)s not bad; concrete . . .  some cracks but not much in the
way of loose gravel, no nets, -� replied David.   -�You and I could take
Kyle and Patrick . . .  easy. -�

    -�Hey! -� complained Ryan again.   -�Are you saying that Jill is better
than me? -�

    -�Shut up, -� said David with a smile.   -�You know she is. -�

   Ryan didn -(TM)t reply, but Jill couldn -(TM)t resist the temptation. 
She stuck her tongue out at him.

    -�But . . .  you never know . . .  she might not be at her best with
her itty bitties on display, -� said Ryan, returning the gesture.

    -�What? -� she said in shock, sucking in a quick breath.  Ryan -(TM)s
comment had knocked the wind out of her.  She had been thinking about
basketball, completely forgetting about that possibility.

    -�Earth to Jill, -� replied Ryan.   -�Skins vs.  shirts.  You know how
this works. -�

    -�I miss the game, but I -(TM)m not playing topless! -� Looking over at
David defiantly she added,  -�I -(TM)m not. -�

    -�Well . . .  we -(TM)ll see.  It -(TM)s going to be hot again
tomorrow, -� he said with a grin.

    -�And you -(TM)re one of the guys, -� said Ryan with a sinister
snicker.

   Jill frowned, again looking over at David.  She didn -(TM)t think he
would try and make her play topless, but she knew she wouldn -(TM)t go
along with it if he did.  She knew that Ryan would vote for topless.  There
could be little doubt about that.

    -�It -(TM)s a big day tomorrow! -� said Ryan.   -�A big day for the
gorgeous little titties! -�

    -�We -(TM)ll see, -� said David.   -�Jill only has to take her shirt
off if we both do. -�

   That comment felt slightly reassuring, but Jill still went to bed with
an unsettled feeling deep in her stomach.



   Chapter 36: Game Day

   As she lay down on top of her bag inside her securely zipped tent, she
heard Ryan again offering up the services of his tongue.  The expected
laughter followed right on cue.  Not replying but wondering what that would
feel like, she touched herself down there.  To make it more realistic, she
kicked off her panties.  She was only a little surprised to discover just
how wet she was.  She was very aware of just how stimulating of a day it
had been.

   She hated herself for it, but the twin threats of Ryan talking about
tearing off her bottoms out in the middle of the lake as well as the
possibility of being on the  -~skins -(TM) team had her emotions going
every which way.

   As if that wasn -(TM)t arousing enough, her mind drifted over to her
mental images, much sharper than the photos, of Ryan -(TM)s snow white buns
swaying ever so slightly to a certain pulsating rhythm.

   With her fingers rubbing her moist pussy, she allowed herself to imagine
just how awful it would have been had Ryan succeeded in stripping her naked
out on Sunken Island.  She imagined Ryan swimming away with her bottoms in
his hand, just as he had done the year before with her top.

   Her fingers strayed all around within her slippery folds, but thinking
of the boys in the nearby tent, she forced herself to pull her hand away.

   Listening carefully for breathing, she knew that she just couldn -(TM)t
allow herself to again be caught.  In agony she lay there, denying her
pussy the attention it craved.  It was sheer torture, only serving to keep
her wide awake.

   Given how the earthquake had cut into the amount of sleep she had gotten
the night before, she was of the opinion that falling asleep ought to be
easy . . .  and yet it wasn -(TM)t.  Her clitoris kept her wide awake,
loudly begging for more attention.

   Finally, Jill could take it no more.  She sat up and in the same motion
started unzipping her tent as quietly as she could.  She slipped silently
out into the cool night air.  Due to the ever-present fire danger, they had
doused the fire; only the astonishingly brilliant stars were there to light
up their lakeside campsite.

   Stark naked and barefoot she turned and walked slowly south along the
beach, doing her best to avoid making even the smallest of sounds.  She
scarcely dared to breathe, yet she knew, given the audible lapping of the
small waves against the shore, that it would probably be impossible to hear
a barefoot person walking in the sand.

   Once she reached the log, she felt confident that she had gone far
enough.  She considered the irony of what she was doing, given what she had
witnessed Ryan do that very afternoon, as she sat down on the log and poked
at her pussy.  And yet they were simply two teens responding to the same
sexually charged atmosphere.  Finally, she was able to allow her fingers
free license.

   Feeling the outside of her labia, she made a mental note to do a better
job of staying on top of the shaving; the stubble had to go.  Slipping just
inside her slit, her fingers sought out the tiny nubbin that most enjoyed
her little touches.  Rubbing it felt so good, and she established a
circular rhythm, giving it exactly what it wanted  -" a little bit of
pressure but not too much.

   Because she was on the log, she thought first about her failed attempt
at the cartwheel.   -~My God, did I really do that topless . . .  in front
of the guys? -(TM) She felt shocked at her behavior as she relived the
moment, imagining how she must have looked, bare naked boobies and all  -"
not to mention her klutziness.  Her free hand slid up and pulled on a
nipple as she sought to come to terms with the spectacle she had made of
herself.  She smiled to herself, recalling how she had pounded on her chest
while sitting in the shallow water.

   From there her thoughts drifted out to Sunken Island where Ryan had
toyed with her, threatening to take her bottoms.  Picturing herself butt
naked in the sunshine, she thought back to the time she had actually been
stark naked on Sunken Island  -" the time she had taken off her one-piece
to put it on backwards.  As she imagined herself nude out there  -" nude
and in shock because this time the boys were there too  -" the first waves
of orgasmic bliss visited her sensitive clit.  It started throbbing in
ecstasy.

   As that orgasm subsided, she turned her thoughts to Ryan -(TM)s buns. 
In her imagination, she wandered around him and watched as his fist pumped
back and forth along the shaft of a beautiful rock hard penis.

   Only as she came down from that second orgasm did she realize that she
must have been vocalizing again, surely doing her own Meg Ryan imitation. 
-~I -(TM)m going to get myself in so much trouble if I don -(TM)t stop
this, -(TM) she reminded herself.

   A few minutes later she made her way cautiously back to her tent,
stopping only to pee near the shore and then rinse her fingers in the lake.

   Her tent fly was open, just as she had left it, and within moments of
lying down, she slipped off into a most blissful sleep.

   Upon waking up the next morning, Jill found her head full of thoughts of
basketball.  The more she thought about it, the more pumped up she became.

   She loved camping at Cache Lake, but going all summer without playing
basketball was unthinkable  -" not something that she could imagine doing.
There was an outdoor court at a school in Agency, and each summer she and
David had made trips into town for the sole purpose of shooting hoops. 
Jill and David had long known about the court on the other side of the
lake, but it was for residents of those particular cabins.

   If David thought they could beat the Cache Lake West guys, then they
probably could.  Indeed, she and David should be able to beat just about
any three guys.  They probably didn -(TM)t need Ryan, but he -(TM)d keep an
opposing player occupied, ensuring victory.

   On the basketball court, she and David had all the advantages that twins
were supposed to have in every aspect of life.  They each had a sixth sense
for what the other was thinking.  She could throw the ball anywhere, and
David would be there.  David made similar comments  -" either one of them
could begin a drive and the other always managed to place the ball into his
or her hands such that they never had to break stride.  David was right  -"
they were going to kick some serious butt!

   She became so excited that she started to get angry at him, thinking
about how he had been holding out on her.  He -(TM)d been over there
playing basketball every week, and he -(TM)d never said a word  -" taking
Ryan, but always leaving her back in camp.  Thinking about that caused her
to remember how sad and lonely she had been during those first weeks.

   She pushed those thoughts aside to think about how much nicer things had
gotten.  She wasn -(TM)t even minding the toplessness  -" not really.  It
certainly did seem to add quite a large dose of excitement to activities
that they had done over and over through the years.  She -(TM)d never
blushed as much as she had that summer, but there was something to be said
about that sensation, she now realized.

   She thought about Ryan -(TM)s suggestion that she would be playing
topless.  Such comments were to be expected from him, she realized;
however, she dismissed the possibility.  She didn -(TM)t think that David
would attempt to do that to her, and besides  -" agreement or no agreement,
she wasn -(TM)t about to play basketball topless with strangers.  It simply
was not going to happen.  She was relatively sure that the boys wouldn
-(TM)t strip her and she knew that she would not take her own top off.  End
of story.

   At breakfast, Jill learned that the games took place after lunch, so she
decided to drive her grandparents in to Agency to do a little shopping. 
Even though they had been to the grocery the day before, they had been too
preoccupied with the earthquake to think about what groceries they might
need.  Jill also had a few errands that she wanted to take care of.

   While at the grocery store, she picked out a postcard to send to Tyler.
Her next stop was the post office.  Her order of books had arrived, so
while picking up her package at the counter, she bought a stamp.

   Standing in the lobby of the post office, she addressed the postcard and
affixed the stamp.  She -(TM)d found herself thinking quite a bit about
Tyler that summer.  He was a cutie.  She especially liked his dark curly
hair, and he was amazingly fun to watch at the skate park; he was so
talented when it came to his skateboard.  The two of them had had so much
fun together.

   Jill still remembered how his eyes had lit up as her bra had come off
that first and only time in his bedroom.  The way Tyler had looked at her
boobies reminded her of Ryan -(TM)s expression when she was topless.

   She had decided to write to him but had chosen a postcard because she
had thrown his letter away without reading it.  She didn -(TM)t want to
admit to him that she had done that, so she thought that she might be able
to sidestep the issue with a postcard.  It seemed perfect because there was
so little room to write that she would not have the space to go into any
detail.

   She thought about writing,  -�Hope you are having a nice summer.  Thanks
for the letter.  Jill. -� Or maybe just short and sweet,  -�Hope you are
having a nice summer.  Jill. -�

   However, everything she thought of seemed awkward.  What if the letter
had contained a question or a piece of information that she would appear to
be ignoring purposefully?  What if he had asked her about getting back
together?  What if he had mentioned that one of his relatives had passed
away?  What if he had mentioned which college he had chosen?  The
possibilities were endless.  She stared at the blank space on the card for
over ten minutes, but no good ideas came to her.  In the end, she threw it
away, stamp and all.

    -~Well, that -(TM)s that, -(TM) she thought.   -~I can -(TM)t write him
back, so now maybe I -(TM)ll be able to forget about it . . .  forget about
him. -(TM)

   Thinking about her ex had reminded her that she needed to get back to
Nick.  She had decided that it would be fun to go to the aerial park.  She
thought that she ought to be able to send solid signals so that he would
understand that her interests were limited to friendship.  Before leaving
the post office, she exchanged a few texts with him.  It made her feel good
to have that all arranged.

   She went back for her grandparents and together they all went to the
small Agency library.  To her delight, she found out that the librarian had
gotten two more of the books on her college reading list via interlibrary
loan, so she checked those out.  She then went online and ordered two more
books from the list.  She could have done that with her phone, but it was
easier on the library -(TM)s computer.  Her grandparents also checked out a
few books, and with that, they all headed back to Cache Lake.

   Jill still had to drive carefully.  Someone had pushed some of the
medium-sized rocks off of the road, but many of them were still there, in
particular, the car-sized boulder.

   She, Ryan and David ate a light lunch, and before long it was time to
head over to the other side of the lake for the basketball game.  Swimming
was not an option as they would need their things, especially their shoes 
-" and it all had to be kept dry.

    -�Okay, Jill, -� said Ryan, removing his shirt with a flourish.   -�It
-(TM)s titty time! -�

   Jill looked over at David.  With a feeling of profound relief saw that
it looked as if he was planning to keep his shirt on.

    -�Let -(TM)s be going, -� he said, swinging the small backpack over his
arm.

    -�Aren -(TM)t you forgetting something? -� asked Ryan.

    -�I -(TM)ve got water bottles, -� replied David.   -�What more do we
need?  Kyle and Patrick will bring their ball. -�

    -�Your shirt . . .  duh! -� replied Ryan.

    -�Oh, I might want it, -� said David.

   Jill saw him give her a little wink.  She mouthed a  -~thank you -(TM)
in reply.

    -�I can take it off anytime, -� he added.

    -~So was that it? -(TM) wondered Jill.   -~Was it over, or was David
just playing mind games? -(TM)

   Ryan looked quite disappointed as they headed south along the beach. 
Jill felt like gloating openly, even sticking her tongue out at him, but
she thought better of doing so.  It might not be the best move, from a
strategic point of view, she realized.  It was her opinion that Ryan needed
an injection of maturity.  Maybe she should help by setting a better
example.

   It was indeed very warm.  For that reason, Jill had chosen a sleeveless
top, and she had again not bothered with a bra.  She didn -(TM)t really
need one, not even for basketball, and her level of concern about her
nipples showing wasn -(TM)t at all what it had been.

   She was warm, but she knew that David had to be more uncomfortable.  He
was wearing a heavyweight T-shirt.  Every once in a while Ryan would make a
comment encouraging David to take it off, but to Jill -(TM)s delight, David
-(TM)s resolve didn -(TM)t seem to waver.  She noticed that Ryan was quite
displeased.  He seemed to be moping.

   For her part, Jill was experiencing some conflicting emotions.  She was
overjoyed that she still had her shirt on and had not been forced to go
back on her agreement; however, she found herself missing the rush that she
got from hiking with the guys while bare to the waist.  Even though her
shirt was lightweight, it still felt restrictive compared to the
toplessness that she had enjoyed on a number of occasions.

   As they went past the Chokecherry Ridge cutoff, Jill remembered the
exhilaration that she would typically experience as the distance between
her bare boobs and any clothing she might use to cover them increased.

    -�This hike could be a lot less boring, -� Ryan grumbled.

   To her surprise, Jill found herself in full agreement . . .  not that
she would consider admitting it.  She found herself thinking about how
David could have taken off his shirt to make her hike topless.  He could
have then put his shirt back on before entering the cabin area thereby
allowing her to do the same.  However, things were working out just as she
had hoped.  She was glad that Ryan was suffering as her thoughts skipped
ahead to the basketball game.



   Chapter 37: First Half

   David led the way as they entered Cache Lake West.  To Jill it was a
maze, small winding roads and paths leading every which way  -" and to make
matters worse, there were no signs, just numbers on the cabins.  Those that
lived there had to know it like the backs of their hands, but to Jill is a
confusing labyrinth.

   A number of guys were already on the basketball court warming up when
they arrived.  Jill tried to size them up, attempting to quickly get a feel
for their skill levels.

   David introduced a dark-haired boy to Jill as Kyle.   -�So this is your
secret weapon? -� he asked.

    -�Your twin is a girl? -� asked Patrick, looking genuinely surprised.
Patrick was blonde and first glance looked as if he might be taller than
David.

    -�Not just any girl, -� David fired back.

    -�So you -(TM)re going to kick our butts with your sister on your team?
-� continued Patrick in obvious disbelief.

    -�Yep, -� said David nodding, a confident smile on his face.

    -�That wouldn -(TM)t work for me, -� said Patrick with a chuckle.  
-�My sister -(TM)s fat.  She can only dribble if she uses both hands. -�

   Jill was secretly glad to learn that David had apparently bragged about
her skill without mentioning her gender.  He -(TM)d obviously referred to
her as his  -~twin -(TM) and they had assumed that he was talking about a
twin brother.

   Kyle and Patrick then went about showing David and Ryan two new cracks
that had appeared in the basketball court, surely due to the earthquake. 
Jill didn -(TM)t think they looked like much of an issue.  They weren
-(TM)t the only cracks and the concrete was still all at the same height so
tripping was unlikely to be an issue.

    -�Okay, -� said Kyle.   -�I -(TM)m betting that we -(TM)re skins this
week. -�

    -�We -(TM)ll be skins, -� interjected Ryan.   -�I didn -(TM)t bring a
shirt. -�

    -�Yeah, right, -� said Kyle with a chuckle.  Looking over at Jill, he
reached for the hem of his shirt.

    -�No, I -(TM)m serious, -� said Ryan.   -�I don -(TM)t have a shirt. 
We -(TM)ll be skins. -�

   Kyle and Patrick started laughing, all the time eyeing Jill.

    -�Does Jill have a say? -� asked Kyle.

   Jill fidgeted uncomfortably, worrying that somehow her expression might
give something away that she didn -(TM)t want them to know.  At the very
least, she was glad that David and Ryan hadn -(TM)t given these guys any
hints that might have led them to think that she might be playing topless.
But as she thought about that, she remembered that they hadn -(TM)t even
told them that she was a girl.

    -�Well, Ryan, -� said David.   -�I guess you -(TM)ll just have to
borrow one of their shirts. -�

   Jill was very glad to hear that.  David seemed as if he was going to
stick to his guns.  In a way, she figured she was testing him.  She was
hoping that he -(TM)d come through for her so that she wouldn -(TM)t have
to violate the  -~one of the guys -(TM) agreement.

    -�I -(TM)m not putting one of their smelly shirts on, -� announced
Ryan. Leering at Jill he continued,  -�The solution is obvious. -�

   Kyle and Patrick, as well as the two other guys, Eric and Hector, just
stood looking at Jill, obviously expecting her to object.

    -�Can I talk to you a minute? -� asked David, looking across at Jill.

    -�Umm . . .  Why? -� said Jill, doing her best to convey the
pointlessness of any discussion.

   But David beckoned, so she followed.

    -�You -(TM)re out of your mind, -� she said, once they were near the
trees at the other end of the court.

    -�I think you -(TM)ll enjoy this, -� said David.   -�Just think of how
distracted these guys will be. -�

    -�Umm . . .  no, -� said Jill, scowling and shaking her head.

    -�After this summer, you -(TM)ll never see them again.  We can collect
phones to prevent photography. -�

   Jill felt her heart race as she found herself actually thinking about
what it might be like to play topless surrounded by all these guys.  She
shook her head, trying to appear resolutely against the idea.

    -�We need to be skins, -� said David, taking off his shirt.

   A cheer went up from the guys watching at the far end of the court.

    -�Then I -(TM)ll play for the other team, -� said Jill, turning to walk
back to where everyone else was awaiting the outcome of the discussion.  
-�You won -(TM)t stand a chance against us. -�

    -�Wait, Jilly, -� said David warmly.   -�I need my twin sister on MY
team. -�

    -�Then don -(TM)t do this to me, -� she pleaded, looking deep into the
eyes that she had always thought she could trust.

    -�I -(TM)ve got just the solution, -� said David, unzipping his
backpack.

   She looked down and in his hand, she saw her grey and black bikini top.

    -�What? -� she asked in surprise.

    -�I took it off the line, -� he explained.   -�The International Skins
vs.  Shirts Basketball League rules allow girls to wear bikini tops. -�

    -�There -(TM)s no such league, -� she said, looking at him askance.

    -�So I made it up, -� he said with a shrug, extending the top toward
her.

   Jill looked down at it.  Until quite recently she never would have
considered playing basketball dressed in as little as a bikini top.

    -�I don -(TM)t know, -� she said, thinking through her options.

    -�It -(TM)ll be fun, -� said David.   -�You -(TM)ll be decent.  We
-(TM)ll kick butt! -�

   Jill took a deep breath trying to decide.  At least this was an option
that she might be able to live with.

    -�Okay, -� she said in a reluctant tone, grabbing the top.  She stormed
off into the trees looking for a place to change.

   As she emerged from the forest a minute later, wearing the bikini top
and carrying the shirt in one hand, a cheer went up.  She walked back to
where the guys had all been waiting, looking from face to face.  Everyone
seemed delighted with the direction that things had taken, everyone except
Ryan.

    -�Looks like you got your wish, Ryan, -� announced Kyle.

    -�Yeah, right, -� Ryan grumbled.

   Jill chuckled to herself.  Ryan was scowling at David, shaking his head.
He was obviously fuming.

   Jill was doing her best to hide from this new group of acquaintances
just how self-conscious she felt, having her small breasts encased in
nothing more than the minimalist bikini top.  She hoped that it wouldn
-(TM)t be too obvious how red her cheeks had become.

   David tossed her the ball.  She caught it and started dribbling.  That
helped a lot, taking her mind off just how bare she was feeling.

    -�Okay, -� said David, turning and addressing Kyle, the guy who seemed
to be the spokesman for the other team.   -�Three against three.  Who are
you playing? -�

    -�Myself, Patrick and Hector, -� said Kyle.   -�If you are in
agreement, Eric can ref. -�

   Jill noticed that Hector was staring at her bikini top.   -�Hey guys . .
.  are you sure that -(TM)s a girl? -� he asked.

   Jill was shocked.  Had he really just said that?

    -�Yes, Hector, that -(TM)s a girl, -� said Kyle, giving the back of his
head a glancing slap in displeasure.   -�And a pretty one at that.  Now
mind your goddam manners! -�

   Jill was glad that at least one of these guys knew how a gentleman
should behave, but Hector -(TM)s comment had stung, reminding her of how a
lot of people must view her.

   David and Patrick lined up for the tip-off.  They were the two tallest
players.  Jill saw David wink.  She took off running as Eric tossed the
ball straight up.  David jumped, hitting the ball solidly, right to where
Jill could get to it.  Sprinting, she caught it.  Dribbling twice, she made
an uncontested layup.

    -�Two, nothing, -� announced Eric.

   This time it was Patrick -(TM)s turn to ask,  -�Are you sure that -(TM)s
a girl? -�

    -�Shut up and throw the ball in, -� said Kyle, appearing as if he was
suddenly realizing that Jill had to be taken seriously.

   Jill smiled at Patrick -(TM)s backhanded compliment.  She exchanged a
high-five with David and then went right into man-to-man defense, sticking
to Kyle like glue.

    -�Pick on someone else, -� he complained.

    -�Not a chance, -� said Jill.  Her confidence surging, she added, 
-�You guys are going down! -�

   The look on Kyle -(TM)s face was priceless.  To Jill, he looked as if he
-(TM)d already seen the writing on the wall.  She was suddenly feeling so
good.  Basketball was her element.  The layup had brought back a myriad of
memories and emotions, all of them positive.  Any feelings of inadequacy
tended to melt away as soon as she had a basketball in her hands.

   Patrick did manage to get the ball inbounds to Kyle, but as he turned to
dribble up court, David snuck up behind him and stole the ball.  Kyle had
been concentrating, but only on Jill.  Ryan was open, so David passed him
the ball.  Ryan took a shot, but it bounced off the rim.  David got the
rebound, funneling the ball back to Jill who pumped in a jump shot.

    -�Four, nothing, -� announced Eric.

    -�You weren -(TM)t even kidding, -� said Kyle, looking at David.

    -�What did I tell you? -� said David, looking proudly over at his
sister.   -�I told you we had a secret weapon. -�

    -�That you did, -� said Kyle, shaking his head as he dribbled,
carefully keeping the ball from Jill as he looked for an open man.  He
managed to pass the ball to Hector who scored with a layup.

    -�That was your man, -� said David, reminding Ryan that he needed to
stay closer.

    -�I know, I know, -� said Ryan.

   As Jill retrieved the ball to throw it in, she thought about just how
comfortable she felt.  The fact that she was playing in a bikini top was
turning out to be relatively easy for her to ignore.  All she had to do was
focus on the game.  It seemed as if it might be more of a distraction to
the guys than it was to her.

   To a limited degree the two teams traded baskets; however, the team of
the Wahlund twins plus Ryan pulled steadily ahead.  They were up nine
points when three girls came out of the clubhouse to watch.

   After learning what the score was, the girls all started laughing.

    -�You guys are having your heads handed to you . . .  and by a team
with a girl on it no less, -� said a stocky blonde.

   Jill noticed that the Cache Lake West team was doing their best to
ignore them.

   A short time later, Eric signaled half-time.

   As David tossed Jill her water bottle, the girls approached her to
introduce themselves.  The large blonde girl -(TM)s name was Amanda.  She
was Patrick -(TM)s older sister, presumably the one he had mentioned.  Jill
didn -(TM)t make much effort to remember the other names but caught that
they were all related to one of the boys in some way or another.

    -�You -(TM)re an amazing basketball player, -� said the befreckled
redhead.

    -�Thanks, -� said Jill.

    -�I -(TM)m so glad to see my brother -(TM)s ego being deflated like
this.  How he bragged when he and Kyle beat your brother and Ryan last
week, -� said Amanda.

    -�You have an outstanding jump shot, -� said the younger blonde.   -�I
can -(TM)t believe how high you can jump. -�

    -~Here it comes, -(TM) thought Jill.  All three of the girls were much
larger on top than she was.  She had a hunch that the  -~lucky -(TM)
comment was going to rear its ugly head at any moment.

    -�You really are so lucky to have small boobs.  I -(TM)ve never been
good at sports . . .  with these weighing me down, -� said Amanda,
indicating her exceptionally large breasts by pressing her palms against
them briefly.

    -~No, it -(TM)s because you -(TM)re fat and lazy, -(TM) thought Jill,
but instead of replying she just smiled appreciatively.

    -�I thought about playing basketball or maybe volleyball -- -� said the
younger blonde,  -� --but the sports bras that it takes to strap down big
boobs are so uncomfortable.  They make it hard to breathe. -�

   Jill hated these discussions.  Why did girls with large breasts seem to
always talk as if they wished they didn -(TM)t have them, at least around
her?  It always seemed so disingenuous.

    -�Look at you, -� said the redhead indicating Jill.   -�You -(TM)re so
cute and slender.  Wouldn -(TM)t it be great to be small and not need a bra
at all . . .  girls?  No wonder you -(TM)re so athletic. -�

    -~Oh, brother, -(TM) thought Jill, but what she actually said was, 
-�That . . .  and the thousands of hours I -(TM)ve put into training. -�
She did her best to say that in her most pleasant voice.

   There were a few girls on her high school basketball team that liked to
make similar comments.  They probably did so thinking that it made matters
easier for Jill when they brought up the tradeoffs associated with being
chesty.  However, in Jill -(TM)s case, it only served to make her more
self-conscious.  Having girls commenting on her small breasts simply
reminded her that her minimally padded chest was all that people seemed to
see when they looked at her.

   One girl on her team was always saying,  -�I -(TM)d gladly give you some
of mine. -� How Jill hated that.  In part, because she knew that the girl
was lying; she liked her boobs just as they were.  The only reason she made
the offer was that it wasn -(TM)t technologically feasible.

   Dani, her best friend, was one of the few who seemed to understand.  She
had large boobs, and yet she was able to acknowledge the differences each
girl faced in life due to breast size . . .  without ever making ludicrous
comments, such as telling Jill just how  -~lucky -(TM) she was.

   Jill was so glad when Eric indicated that it was time for the second
half, forcing the three girls to leave the court.  The second half started
with Kyle tossing the ball in to Patrick who scored with a fast-paced
layup.



   Chapter 38: Second Half

   On the next play, Jill decided to attempt the same.  Ryan tossed the
ball in to her.  Dribbling, she charged the basket at full speed, but both
Kyle and Patrick converged to block her intended route.  Quickly altering
her trajectory, she jumped and tossed the ball to David in a graceful arc.
He leapt, catching it in mid-air.  Alley-oop fashion he lobbed it into the
basket from short range, his feet never having touched the ground.

   It was an impressively skillful shot, but Jill -(TM)s role in setting it
up seemed lost on everyone but David.   -�Exceptional pass, Jilly, -� he
said running over to her.  Jill saw the admiration in his eyes.

    -�Learned that one from you, -� she said, a happy twinkle in her eyes.

    -�Funny . . .  I -(TM)m sure I learned it from you, -� he countered
with a smile.

   To prevent their lead from growing any further, the twins started taking
turns feeding the ball to Ryan, who would then take the shot.  At the end
of the game, the score stood 67 to 52.  The girls having long since
departed, everyone met center court to shake hands.  Kyle and team didn
-(TM)t seem too excited about a rematch.

    -�I know, -� said Ryan.   -�What if next week Jill plays without the
bikini top . . .  skins, just like one of the guys. -�

    -�You -(TM)d like that, wouldn -(TM)t you, Ryan? -� said Kyle, laughing
and shaking his head.   -�How do you put up with this idiot? -� he asked,
looking at Jill.

   Jill just shook her head, all the while glaring at Ryan.  She was glad,
at least, that Kyle hadn -(TM)t taken the suggestion at all seriously.  And
he was right!  How in the world did she put up with Ryan?

    -�Well, that might neutralize their secret weapon, -� commented
Patrick. Covering his own chest with one arm, much as an embarrassed
topless girl might, he dribbled the ball with the other hand pantomiming
how that might force her to play.  Advancing toward the closest basket, he
attempted a one-handed jump shot.  It went wide and everyone laughed.

    -�You -(TM)re an outstanding basketball player, Jill, -� said Kyle,
changing the subject.  His expression was one of deep respect.

    -� --for a girl, right? -� she replied.   -�That -(TM)s what you mean
to say. -�

    -�That -(TM)s not what I said.  I said what I meant, -� he replied.  
-� --outstanding athlete. -�

   Jill smiled, nodding appreciatively.   -�How about that rematch then? -�
she asked.   -�You guys aren -(TM)t really going to decline . . .  just
because there -(TM)s a girl on the other team, are you? -�

    -�Well, since you put it like that, I guess we -(TM)ll be here next
Friday, -� said Kyle.

    -�Great, -� said Jill.  She was glad.  She had enjoyed the game a great
deal.  It had proven to be a very welcome respite.

   Early in the game, Jill had noticed cowboy boots under one of the
benches.  She had wondered who they belonged to.  As things were wrapping
up, she noticed Hector go over and pick up one of the two pairs.  He sat
down and after taking off the athletic shoes he had worn during the game,
he pulled the boots on.

   Ryan walked over to him saying,  -�So, let me guess, you must be one of
those Rodeo Club guys. -�

    -�What of it? -� said Hector standing up abruptly.

    -�Hey, I didn -(TM)t call you a Shitkicker, but that -(TM)s obviously
what you are, -� replied Ryan.

    -�It -(TM)s about time I kick your ass, -� said Hector, giving Ryan a
shove.

    -�Hey, hey, hey, -� said Jill stepping in between them.   -�Save it for
next week -(TM)s game. -�

    -�Thanks, Jill, -� said Kyle, walking over and leading Hector away.

    -�Next week, asshole, -� said Hector, pointing his finger back at Ryan.

    -�Next week! -� replied Ryan, trying to sound tough.

   Jill just shook her head.   -~Boys will be boys, -(TM) she thought.

   Once they were back on the trail, David commented,  -�Kyle has a crush
on you, Jilly.  That much was obvious. -�

   Jill did her best to look puzzled.  She had been thinking the same
thing, but she didn -(TM)t want them to know that.  Agreeing would risk
making her appear vain.

    -�Hector sure doesn -(TM)t, -� interjected Ryan.   -�What an asshole! I
had to listen to way too much of his crap.  Hopefully, he and Eric will
switch next week so I don -(TM)t have to have him guarding me. -�

    -�Hmm . . .  I guess he did make the,  -~Are you sure that -(TM)s a
girl? -(TM) comment as the game was about to start, -� said Jill.   -�And
then there was your little  -~Shitkicker -(TM) exchange. -�

    -�I wasn -(TM)t necessarily trying to pick a fight when I brought up
Rodeo Club.  Just making small talk really . . .  but there were other rude
comments.  The one that really pissed me off was,  -~The perfect woman,
just add tits. -(TM) I should have punched him. -�

   David chuckled,  -�That -(TM)s almost complimentary. -�

    -�I guess, -� said Jill, wincing in pain.

    -�It is! -� said David.   -�Perfect in all regards . . .  chest size
being the only exception. -�

    -�Exactly . . .  nothing a surgeon can -(TM)t fix, right? -� she said.

    -�Don -(TM)t be stupid, -� said David.   -�I -(TM)d never let you do
that. -�

    -�And you don -(TM)t need to consider it, -� said Ryan.   -�You -(TM)re
perfect as is . . .  tits and all.  Especially the tits! -�

   Jill looked over at Ryan.  She knew he was telling the truth.  In his
opinion, she didn -(TM)t need breast augmentation.  His feelings on that
subject were more than obvious.

    -�Why does it seem as if we always end up talking about tits . . .  my
tits? -�

   Ignoring her, David remarked,  -�Hector probably just likes big boobs.
-�

    -�You think? -� said Ryan.

    -�Well, more power to him, -� said David.   -�There -(TM)s hardly an
ideal size . . .  just preferences.  Your proportions are nice, Jill . . .
perfect, actually. -�

   Jill smiled.  She knew that David too preferred big boobs, but he never
made her feel bad about her own minimal endowment.

    -�And it -(TM)s time to lose the bikini top! -� said Ryan.   -�It
-(TM)s a tiny top, yet it -(TM)s hiding absolutely everything!  Time to let
the nipples breathe . . .  I fear they -(TM)re suffocating. -� To emphasize
his point, he placed both hands at his throat and acted as if he were being
strangled.

   Now that they were all alone on the trail, Jill had been expecting that
to come up.  Neither David nor Ryan had put on a shirt.  She didn -(TM)t
really mind the idea of being topless, now that she was again alone with
just the two of them; however, she could tell that actually taking off her
top was never going to be easy.  She felt her face flush, realizing that in
a moment she -(TM)d be topless.

    -�Yep, we -(TM)re breaking the rules, -� said David.   -�Time to be one
of the guys. -�

   She hesitated but did manage to reach behind her back and untie the top.
For a brief moment, she held the cups in place, her hands on top of her
young breasts.  As she pulled the top free, she was conscious of just how
small the cups were . . .  just two little round pieces of cloth, cut off
straight and level across the top.  Were it not for the wires, it wouldn
-(TM)t really be possible to view them as  -~cups -(TM) at all.  They
-(TM)d be just circles of cloth.

   She didn -(TM)t really know what to do with the top in her hands, but
David came to her rescue.   -�I -(TM)ll take that, -� he said with a
mischievous smile.  He took the top, stowing it in his backpack.

   Finding herself again topless, Jill looked all around, making certain
that they were indeed alone.  Looking back she verified that it did not
seem as if any of her new acquaintances had followed them.  Still, she felt
like pressing quickly on, putting a little distance between them and Cache
Lake West.

    -�Wait, my sleeveless top, we -(TM)ve got to go back, -� she said,
remembering that she had set it down on a bench next to the basketball
court.

    -�Don -(TM)t worry.  I -(TM)ve got you covered, -� said David with a
smile.   -�It -(TM)s here in my backpack. -�

    -�Oh, good, -� said Jill.   -�I like that top. -�

    -�My God, were you ever in  -~top form -(TM) today, so to speak, -�
said Ryan as they resumed walking.   -�You looked hot and you were on fire!
-�

    -�Thank you . . .  I guess, -� said Jill meekly.  She thought she had
played quite well, especially given how long it had been since she had last
set foot on a basketball court.

   Traveling the long forest path around the end of the lake was largely
uneventful; however, Jill was experiencing the typical amount of nervous
exhilaration that came from walking topless.  The odds of an unexpected
encounter were low, yet she always had her eyes peeled and her ears wide
open, expecting that one day she would need to dash into the forest and
disappear.

   She had learned that she always felt a little tingly throughout, sort of
a goosebumps level sensation, when she was making like one of the guys. 
Indeed, it was quite a bit like goosebumps, as her nipples would always be
at full tilt as well.

   She -(TM)d found that even things that were typically mundane were fun 
-" in a mildly terrifying manner  -" when her tits were out.  She expected
that the boys were experiencing somewhat similar feelings, but surely to a
lesser extent.  Indeed that had been part of the premise that David had
spoken of originally when he had been justifying his involvement in a plot
to get his own twin sister topless  -" that they -(TM)d all have a lot more
fun.

   As they exited the forest and started the beach walk back to camp, Jill
noticed storm clouds above the hills to the west.  A little while later, as
they paused for a quick look around at the log, she asked David,  -�Do you
think we -(TM)re in for a thunderstorm?  Those clouds are looking darker by
the minute. -�

    -�Well, rain for sure, but thunder and lightning?  Maybe, -� he
replied, studying the sky.  It was still quite sunny where they were, but a
change was definitely brewing.

   From there they started on the homestretch down the beach, walking
casually along, three abreast.  Essentially within sight of their camp,
Jill noticed quick movement in her peripheral vision.  Turning her head,
she saw David charging toward her.  She had no time to react.  Without a
word, he grabbed her, knocking her to the ground.  She would have cried
out, but one of his hands covered her mouth before she had the chance.  He
held her to the ground, right where she had fallen.

   Looking up at him, anxious with fright, she saw him glance back to where
Ryan stood stock still, looking down at them, a puzzled look on his face.

    -�Psst!  Ryan . . .  get down! -� he called out is a hushed yet
insistent voice.

   He removed his hand from Jill -(TM)s mouth.  She knew to keep quiet. 
David had obviously seen something.

    -�People in our camp, -� he said in a whisper, unslinging his backpack
and unzipping it.   -�Quick, -� he continued, handing her both her bikini
top and her shirt.

   Jill grabbed them, trembling nervously.  Sitting on the ground, hunched
over so as to be as low as possible, she pulled the bikini top into place
as Ryan crawled over to their hiding spot behind some low brush.

    -�Did you get a look at them? -� he asked.

    -�Not really, -� said David.   -� --but I -(TM)m pretty sure I know who
it is.  Once Jill has her shirt on, I -(TM)ll take a look. -�

   By then Jill had the bikini top tied, so she pulled the sleeveless shirt
on over her head.

    -�I -(TM)m good, -� she said, breathing a sigh of relief once
everything was in place.

    -�Okay, keep low while I look, -� said David in a whisper.  Ever so
slowly he rose up to peer out.  A moment later he was back down.

    -�Who is it? -� asked Jill, her nerves on fire due to the close call.

    -�I was right, -� said David.   -�What day is tomorrow? -�

    -�Umm . . .  Saturday, right? -� she replied tentatively.

    -�Think, sister, think, -� he encouraged.

    -�I don -(TM)t know, -� said Jill.   -�You mean what day of the month?
-�

    -�Month, year, yes. -�

    -�August something, -� she replied.

    -�Really? -� said David in disbelief.   -�Our birthday!  Duh! -�

    -�Our birthday?  Oh . . .oops.  So . . .  you mean, mom and dad? -�

    -�Yep . . .  must have driven out to surprise us. -�

    -�Well, it worked, -� said Jill standing up cautiously.

    -�David . . .  thank you, -� she whispered in a very sincere tone as
she tried to wrap her head around how bad it might have been had she walked
into camp topless with her parents there.

    -�I -(TM)m trying to keep you safe . . .  make it work, -� he replied.
-�I hope you know that. -�

    -�Thank you, -� she repeated.

   A moment later the three of them strolled into camp, doing their best to
act as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on.



   Chapter 39: Parental Visit

    -�Mom, Dad, what a surprise, -� said Jill, as their parents got up out
of the chairs they had been sitting in at the fire circle.  Jill noticed
that there was already an additional tent set up next to hers.  It was
their large blue family tent.

    -�We hoped to surprise you, -� said her mother, giving her a hug.

    -�Oh, you did, -� she replied, her heart still racing as she moved over
and hugged her father.

    -�We have two kids, but only one birthday to celebrate each year, -�
said her father.   -�We -(TM)ve only got the weekend but decided that we
just had to make the drive.  It -(TM)s lonely at home with both of you off
at Cache Lake. -�

    -�Out on a hike? -� asked her mother.

    -�Yes and no, -� said David.   -�We were just over on the other side of
the lake for a game of basketball. -�

    -�I would have enjoyed that, -� said her father.  He was, of course,
the origin of their interest in basketball.

    -�You would have loved it, dad, -� said David.   -�We creamed  -~em. 
Jill was on fire! -�

    -�Yep, 67 to 52! -� she said proudly.   -� --and during the second
half, we were letting Ryan shoot to avoid running up the score. -�

    -�Hey, -� said Ryan.   -�So I -(TM)m not a Wahlund.  But I -(TM)m not
that bad. -�

    -�No, you -(TM)re not, -� agreed Mr.  Wahlund politely.

    -�But we -(TM)ve got a lot to talk about, -� interjected their mother.

    -�We do? -� asked Jill apprehensively.

    -�The earthquake! -� she replied.

   Jill breathed a sigh of relief.

    -�Yes, it made the national news . . .  but 6.7 . . .  that -(TM)s a
serious quake!  We even felt it in Holden, -� said their father.   -�
--woke us up. -�

    -�I was wondering about that, -� said David.   -�I -(TM)m sure you saw
the hillside, -� he added, pointing.

    -�We did, -� replied their father.   -�The trees and whatnot won -(TM)t
grow back quickly.  And I understand it caused a wave that went all the way
across the lake, collapsing your tents.  Your grandparents briefed us. -�

    -�I was very disappointed to learn that you two have been feuding
again, -� said Mrs.  Wahlund, frowning and looking back and forth from
David -(TM)s face to Jill -(TM)s face.   -�Continuing the disagreement that
started last summer . . .  they said.  What -(TM)s that all about? -�

   Neither Jill nor David replied, preferring to just stand there, looking
at the ground.

    -�Ryan, can you tell us what -(TM)s been going on? -� asked Mr. 
Wahlund.

    -�Well -- -� began Ryan.

    -�The important thing is that we are now . . .  again . . .  the most
loving twins on the planet, -� said David, interrupting whatever it might
have been that Ryan was about to say.   -�Isn -(TM)t that right, Jilly? -�

    -�Absolutely, -� said Jill, taking a step toward David and putting an
arm around him.

    -�See, -� said David.   -�We are getting along.  It won -(TM)t help
matters if you force us to revisit all those emotions. -�

    -�It won -(TM)t, -� agreed Jill.

    -�Well . . .  I guess, -� said their mother.   -�I still think that we
are owed some sort of an explanation. -�

    -�Why? -� asked David.   -�We are eighteen.  Doesn -(TM)t that mean
that we are adults? -�

    -�And tomorrow you -(TM)ll be nineteen, -� said their mother as a smile
crossed her lips.

    -�So much to celebrate! -� said their father.

    -�I -(TM)m parched, -� said Jill, walking over to the ice chest and
fishing out a lemonade.   -�Anyone else? -�

   Everyone was thirsty so she and David handed out cans of cold lemonade.

   They all sat down around the fire circle and went about catching up with
everything that had been going on that summer, both back home as well as at
Cache Lake.  David, Jill and Ryan limited the stories to what they had been
doing since Jill had moved her tent out to the point, of course, leaving
out all the toplessness.

   Their parents were also quite interested to hear about the reading Jill
had been doing in order to hit the ground running once she got to college.

   While Jill was talking about the books she had read, Ryan looked quite
bored.  At one point he got up and slipped quietly away, heading off into
the forest.  Jill looked over at David and saw the smirk on his face.

   More than anything she wanted to race up the beach, follow the dry
streambed inland and hide in her preselected viewing spot.  Unfortunately,
she was hardly in a position to do so.  Her departure would be more than
obvious.  She was so disappointed.  Ryan was surely heading into the forest
to beat off, and she was going to miss it.

   About three-quarters of an hour later, well after Ryan -(TM)s return,
they felt the first raindrops.  After quickly throwing things in the tents
and zipping up the flies, they all made their way to the Airstream.

   The trailer ended up crowded and quite cozy with the seven of them
inside, but that was the best option given how hard it was raining.  Jill
curled up, reading in the corner of her grandparents -(TM) bed, while her
mother coordinated dinner preparations.  There wasn -(TM)t enough space at
the table, so they handed her a plate and she ate where she was.

   After dinner, everyone but Jill played several games of Yahtzee.  Jill
actually wanted to play, but she was realizing that she still had a lot of
books to read.  She could picture college life and knew that there would
also be fun activities that she -(TM)d want to take part in.  Best get as
much of this reading out of the way, she decided.

   It rained hard for about three hours, but then the sun came out, shining
in under the lingering clouds, shortly before sunset.  That ended up being
perfect, making it easy for them to return to their tents and sleep in
their own beds.

   Jill went to sleep wondering what to do about her  -~date -(TM) with
Nick the next day.  It was going to be her parents -(TM) only full day with
them and it was her and David -(TM)s birthday.  That complicated things. 
She didn -(TM)t want to cancel on Nick, but she also didn -(TM)t feel as if
she could abandon her family for half a day on their birthday.

   During breakfast the next morning, the subject of choosing a group
activity came up.  Her parents had been thinking that they might all go on
one of the area -(TM)s many hikes, possibly heading up the trail to Cornice
Ridge for the expansive view.

   David mentioned that they -(TM)d all been there quite recently and
suggested that floating the outlet together was worth considering;
although, they had, of course, all done that fairly recently as well.

   Jill, still struggling with her dilemma, brought up her prearranged date
to Skyline Adventures.  She explained that she had not realized that it was
her birthday and had not known that her parents might be coming for a
visit.

    -�Nick?  Who -(TM)s Nick? -� asked her mother.

    -�Well, David will tell you that he -(TM)s my boyfriend, -� said Jill.
-�But he -(TM)s not.  We -(TM)ve only just met. -�

    -� --and started dating, -� added David.

    -�See, -� said Jill in exasperation.

    -�He -(TM)s a very nice young man, -� said her grandmother.

    -�You -(TM)ve already introduced him to your grandmother and this is
the first I -(TM)m hearing of him? -� asked her mother.

    -�OMG! -� complained Jill.   -�Not you too! -�

    -�He just happened to be at Valentino -(TM)s when we went there for
pizza the day of the earthquake, -� explained her grandmother.

    -�Thank you, grandma, -� said Jill appreciatively, explaining that
Valentino was his father.

    -�I -(TM)ve been wanting to go to Skyline Adventures, -� interjected
Ryan.

    -�Me too, -� added David.

    -�Skyline Adventures? -� asked their father.

   David and Ryan explained what they knew about the place.  To Jill it did
sound as if they had done their research; they knew more about the place
than she did.  It had only opened up the year before, so their parents had
never heard of it.

    -�We should all go, -� suggested Jill -(TM)s father.   -�It sounds like
a great place to celebrate a birthday. -�

    -�I agree, dear, -� said Jill -(TM)s mother.   -�But we can -(TM)t just
invite ourselves along on Jill -(TM)s date.  How would you have felt if a
girl brought her family along on a date . . .  when you were Jill -(TM)s
age? -�

    -�Right . . .  I see what you mean, -� he replied.

    -�I don -(TM)t see a problem, -� said Ryan.

    -�Me neither, -� said David.

    -�You wouldn -(TM)t, -� replied Jill.

    -�Jill, it -(TM)s a big place.  Besides, you keep saying that he -(TM)s
not your boyfriend, -� said David.   -�So what -(TM)s the big deal? -�

    -�But it -(TM)s a date, -� said her mother.

   Jill started to say something.  She wanted to claim that it wasn -(TM)t
a date . . .  and yet she knew that it was.  At the very least, Nick had to
be considering it a date.

    -�And we -(TM)ll have to invite Nick out for cake! -� said her mother.

   Again, Jill started to object, but she bit her tongue.  It seemed that
the more she tried to minimize her relationship with Nick, the more
everyone else seemed to read into the relationship.

   As Jill continued to think about it, she realized that everyone going to
Skyline Adventures might actually be the best solution.  She didn -(TM)t
want to cancel on Nick, but she also didn -(TM)t want to go off and abandon
her parents on their one full day at Cache Lake  -" their twins -(TM)
birthday.

   She concluded that they should all drive in to town.  She would then
give Nick a call and explain the situation.  She could even leave it up to
him.  Either they could all go to the aerial park together for a big
birthday celebration, or she and Nick could reschedule their date.

   To her delight, Nick, after initially sounding disappointed, agreed to
the idea of everyone going as a group.  Jill was very pleased about that.
It seemed as if it would make for a fun birthday and it was going to make
things less date-like between the two of them.

   And so, later that morning, everyone rendezvoused at Skyline Adventures,
located in the foothills above Stanton.  Even Jill and David -(TM)s
grandparents had come.  They weren -(TM)t planning on doing any ziplines or
rock climbing, so they had brought folding chairs.  They were hoping to
find a good vantage point from which to observe the others enjoying the
attractions.  There was also a large picnic area where they could hang out,
as well as a restaurant.  They were all planning to have lunch together in
the restaurant during their visit.

   Nick had arranged a  -~friends of an employee -(TM) discount, and a
short time later they were all gearing up.  As Jill was being fitted with a
safety harness, Ryan approached and whispered in her ear,  -�I hope you
enjoy yourself today.  Next time you -(TM)ll be topless! -�

   Jill sucked in a quick breath involuntarily, but cut it short as soon as
she realized what she was doing.  She didn -(TM)t want to give him the
satisfaction of a reaction; however, she wasn -(TM)t able to keep her
cheeks from flushing.  That was a response that she couldn -(TM)t control.
She looked up and saw in his expression his realization that he -(TM)d
gotten to her.

    -�You -(TM)re going to love it, -� he added, smiling in
self-satisfaction.

    -�What -(TM)s she going to love? -� asked Nick.

    -�Nothing, -� said Jill, glaring at Ryan.   -�He -(TM)s just being an
asshole. -�

    -�In that case, keep away from Jill! -� said Nick, pointing right
between Ryan -(TM)s eyes to indicate that he meant business.

   Jill glared at Ryan as he shuffled away, giving them more space.  Jill
was glad that Nick had stuck up for her, but Ryan -(TM)s comment had
definitely had its intended effect.  She was trembling ever so slightly,
suddenly imagining herself right where she was, only bare to the waist. 
She looked around at the other park patrons and tried to picture how they
would react to a topless teen.  On the one hand, she knew she would never
allow that to happen.  But on the other hand, she knew that some of Ryan
-(TM)s predictions had been coming true.  Not exactly right away, but
eventually.

   Once everyone was ready, they climbed a tower constructed of what
appeared to be telephone poles.  At the top was the Eagle -(TM)s Nest and
the start of zipline number one, the Screaming Eagle.  There was a series
of eight ziplines that wound their way through the forest, crossing and
recrossing the river.  Ryan and David were anxious to get going, so Nick
wisely allowed them to go first.

   They all watched as the boys, one after the other, hooked up and swooped
off under the forest canopy, their landing point hidden from view due to
the arc of the cable.  Jill went next.  The ride was wonderfully
exhilarating, and when she landed she felt a spontaneous urge to let loose
with a Tarzan yell; however, her audience wasn -(TM)t there.  Ryan and
David had already departed for the next zipline.  With only a Skyline
Adventure staff member there to witness whatever she did, she restrained
herself, calmly waiting for the others to arrive.  It seemed like a major
opportunity lost.  Here she was, finally swinging through the trees like
Tarzan, and there was no reason to holler and beat on her chest.

   Looking on the bright side, Jill decided that it was for the best that
Ryan and David had taken off.  As it turned out, that would be the last
they would see of them before lunchtime.

   The ziplines were all separated by uphill hikes of various lengths, many
involving stairs, to regain lost altitude.  Nick, Jill and her parents made
their way casually from zipline to zipline, everyone getting to know Nick a
little better along the way.  Even though Jill had decided that it was for
the best that the boys had taken off, she did feel a little regret that she
was stuck doing the ziplines with the adults.  Maturity had its time and
place, but the ziplines were better enjoyed in a youthful frame of mind.

   On one of the walks between ziplines, her mother invited Nick out to
Cache Lake for cake and ice cream that evening.  Jill didn -(TM)t end up
feeling as upset about that as she had thought that she would.  There would
be others around, so it wouldn -(TM)t be like a date.  At least she hoped
it wouldn -(TM)t.

    -�Sure, I -(TM)d enjoy that! -� said Nick enthusiastically, smiling
over at Jill.  She looked away, not really knowing how to keep him from
thinking of her as girlfriend material.

   After completing the eight ziplines, they tracked down everyone else and
went to the Long Branch Saloon for lunch.  The menu was entitled simply, 
-~Grub, -(TM) and their waitress was dressed up as a Wild West era floozy.
She introduced herself as Miss Kitty and along with glasses of water, she
delivered bowls of peanuts to the table.  Jill noticed that the floor was
covered in peanut shells.  Additionally, there was a mounted moose head
above the long bar and a buffalo head on the opposite wall.



   Chapter 40: Skyline Adventures

   Jill ordered Marshal Dillon -(TM)s BBQ Pork Rib Sandwich.  Deciding that
it would be best to avoid the Rootin -(TM) Tootin -(TM) Baked Beans, she
opted for Dodge City Potato Salad as her side dish.  Nick ordered the
Gunsmoked Bacon Burger also playing it safe and choosing the Festus Fries.

   Jill was not at all surprised when Ryan ordered the Rootin -(TM) Tootin
-(TM) Baked Beans or when David ordered them as well.  She looked at her
mother and rolled her eyes.  At least her father had the good sense to
avoid the beans, choosing the Tumbleweed side salad instead.  
-~Fortunately, the Jeep has great ventilation for the ride home, -(TM) she
thought.

   While they were eating, a medium sized aftershock rattled the dishes on
their table.  Jill looked at her glass and noticed small ripples in the
surface of the water.

    -�Do you think there will be another big earthquake? -� asked Jill
-(TM)s mother.

    -�You never know, -� said Nick.   -�Presumably the first earthquake
released most of the tension that had built up in the fault . . .  but you
never know. -� He went on to point out the Buffalo -(TM)s ears.  One of
them was damaged because the mounted head had fallen off the wall during
the recent earthquake.

   As soon as they had finished eating, Ryan and David ran off to the
climbing wall.  Jill felt like hurrying off after them, but Nick seemed
content to sit a while longer.  He seemed to be taking quite an interest in
her father -(TM)s political opinions.  Jill was doing her best to be
patient, but she knew she -(TM)d rather be off with David and Ryan.  They
were quite immature at times, but they were full of energy and she had fun
with them.  Not feeling as if she could just get up and leave Nick there,
she remained; however, she eventually told him that she was ready for the
next activity.

   As with the ziplines, Nick knew the staff at the climbing wall.  Just as
he had done at the multiplex the night they had gone to the movie, he
introduced Jill in a way that made it seem as if she was his date.  She
found herself again wishing that he wouldn -(TM)t do that, and yet she knew
that it was more or less a date.

   She ended up having a great time on the climbing wall.  Nick -(TM)s
experience was more than obvious.  Rock climbing had always been something
that she had been interested in.  Indeed, she had dabbled in it on many a
hike, but this was different; this was a chance to learn and gain skill in
a safe environment.  Climbing the vertical wall was challenging and Nick
turned out to be an excellent instructor  -" a bit too serious maybe, but
she knew that he was probably just following protocol.

   He was also very complimentary of Jill as she went about trying the
various paths up the wall.  He even claimed that she was the fastest
learner that he had ever worked with; although, she suspected he might say
that even if it weren -(TM)t quite true.  However, Jill did know that she
had an athletic aptitude as well as all the arm and leg strength that came
from playing basketball and spending her summers hiking.

   When it came time to say goodbye to Nick, she was glad that they were
surrounded by family.  She knew that Nick would never attempt a first kiss
under such circumstances and he didn -(TM)t.  However, Jill knew that he
-(TM)d be out at the lake for their birthday party.  It would get dark. 
Her family would be there, but there were likely to be opportunities for
Nick.  She tried to think of a way to discourage him so that she wouldn
-(TM)t have to go through the awkwardness of saying,  -~no, -(TM) or
otherwise denying him.  She -(TM)d been trying to send subtle signals, but
given how much she had enjoyed the climbing wall, she knew that the
messages that Nick was receiving were probably mixed at best.

   As they drove through Agency on the way back to Cache Lake, Jill
remembered something that she wanted to do while they had cell phone
reception.  She emailed the photos of Ryan beating off to herself, so that
they would be backed up if something happened to her phone.  Once she had
done that, she logged off.  Those photos could prove valuable; she didn
-(TM)t want to take any chances with them.

   Later that afternoon, they were all relaxing at camp.  Jill was reading,
but out of the corner of an eye, she was studying Ryan.  He was again
whittling.  He had taken off his shirt; much to his credit, David hadn
-(TM)t.  She thought that Ryan might not be experiencing any pent up sexual
tension because she hadn -(TM)t been topless at all during the day.  Maybe
he didn -(TM)t feel the need to go and jack off.  Or maybe jacking off was
simply something he did every day.  She wondered.  Indeed she had heard
that many teen boys masturbated multiple times every day.

   Deciding that she was not going to again miss the opportunity to watch,
she took a chair and moved it into the shade of a tree a short distance up
the beach.  She was still in sight of the camp.  Indeed she needed to be;
she needed to watch Ryan.  But her chosen spot had a distinct advantage;
she would be able to slip away and head north along the beach at a moment
-(TM)s notice, possibly even without being seen.  Earlier she had changed
into khaki shorts and a dark green T-shirt to blend in with the foliage as
much as possible.

   She -(TM)d finished  -~The Republic -(TM) by Plato and had just started
-~Uncle Tom -(TM)s Cabin -(TM) by Harriet Beecher Stowe.  She didn -(TM)t
know if there was an order in which she was supposed to be consuming the
books, but she thought that it probably didn -(TM)t matter all that much.
As she considered that, she realized that there were certain themes, namely
issues of freedom, tying Uncle Tom -(TM)s Cabin and the Alexis de
Tocqueville book together.

   Every few paragraphs, she would look up as part of her plan to keep
close tabs on Ryan.  She found herself getting slightly excited at the
prospect of getting to watch him beating off, and this time from the front.

   As she had been hoping, a little later he did stand up.  He stretched,
set down what he had been working on, and then very casually slipped off
into the forest.  To her surprise, he didn -(TM)t even appear to look in
her direction.  Probably because he was doing his best to attract as little
attention as possible, she thought.

   As soon as she knew that he would not be able to see her, she got up and
stole off up the beach, leaving her book behind on her chair.

   Once she was out of sight of the camp, she broke into a run.  A short
distance up the beach she made a hard right turn at the rock marker and
headed straight into the forest.  If Ryan was indeed headed for the same
location, as she hoped he was, she wanted to already be in position when he
got there.  That was exactly how it worked out.  She had only been there
about thirty seconds, crouching down low, when she saw Ryan approaching.

   She held her breath and peered at him from the depression of the dry
streambed, her chin nearly down at ground level.  To her delight, Ryan went
to exactly the same spot.

   His hands went to his shorts.  She stared at him, in a state of
disbelief, as he undid his belt, the top button and then the zipper.  In a
daze, her eyes wide, she watched as he pushed his shorts and underwear down
his legs together, almost letting out a gasp as his penis flopped free.

   Fortunately, she had anticipated the moment so that she was able to
stifle any sound that might have otherwise escaped her throat.  She stared
mesmerized at the first flesh and blood penis that she had seen . . . 
other than the fleeting glimpse she had caught of her brother -(TM)s.  It
was fascinating.  She had known exactly what to expect, and yet it almost
took her breath away.  It was beautiful, like a work of art, and yet
intimidating and vulgar at the same time.

   While she watched, Ryan shifted his feet a little farther apart,
presumably to keep his shorts from sliding on down his legs.  She saw him
place his left arm on the branch, just as he had done before, likely for
balance.

   With his right hand, he took ahold of the shaft of his penis, gripping
it between his thumb and fingers.  He pulled on it, stretching it up and
out.  She was amazed at how rubbery it seemed to be.  It was hypnotizing,
watching him tugging on himself like that.  As she watched, it grew,
getting both longer and bigger around.  She tried to commit all the details
to memory: the look of the mushroom shaped head, the bushiness of his dark
pubic hair, the partially furry ball sack dangling loosely just below.

   As Ryan kept at it, making himself hard such that his penis pointed
skyward, Jill glanced up and saw that his eyes were closed.  He had a look
of contentment on his face.   -~Obviously fantasizing, -(TM) she thought, 
-~probably thinking about me. -(TM) She knew that sounded vain, yet she was
fairly certain what he was visualizing her  -~gorgeous little titties.
-(TM)

   Since his eyes were closed, Jill pulled out her phone.  Verifying that
it was set to mute, she switched it to camera mode.  She loved the idea of
the photos she was about to take.  Their usefulness seemed infinite.  If
there might be any way to keep Ryan in check, it just might very well be
embarrassing photos.  She imagined his willingness to behave . . .  if he
knew that she had photos of him masturbating.

   Doing so was nerve-wracking, but she rose up a little on her knees to
get her phone above the vegetation.  She wanted a clear shot.  She took
three.

   As quietly as possible, she returned her phone to her pocket, lowering
herself back down.  Once she was back in position, the most that Ryan might
have been able to see would have been her eyes near the base of a bush, and
yet he saw nothing; his eyes were still closed.

   Jill was ecstatic!  She had succeeded in capturing full-frontal photos
of Ryan being bad.  She didn -(TM)t have blackmail in mind; however, she
knew they would be perfect for that.  Instead, her plans were almost the
opposite: using the photos to keep Ryan in line, possibly even preventing
him from blackmailing her, should it come to that.

   Thinking about it, she knew that she probably wouldn -(TM)t even let him
know of the existence of the images . . .  unless she had to.

   Almost in a trance, she continued to watch Ryan.   -~Would that even
fit? -(TM) she wondered.  His dick had grown so much since it had come into
view in its initial flaccid state.  It looked so large, and yet when she
tried to estimate its actual size, she realized that the penis before her
was probably not much larger than average.  She couldn -(TM)t quite imagine
a boy sticking one of those into her.  She knew she might warm up to the
idea, and yet, everything about that was a little difficult for her to wrap
her head around.

   She was feeling quite aroused, watching Ryan pleasuring himself
rhythmically; however, both of her hands were on the ground, supporting her
weight.  Getting a hand free to slide into her own shorts did not seem like
something she should do.  Doing so would involve too much movement,
difficult to accomplish without making a sound.

   Looking up at Ryan -(TM)s face, Jill noticed his expression changing. 
He actually looked to be squeezing his eyes shut.  As she watched his
facial muscles continued to tighten, his expression transitioning into what
could only be described as a grimace.

   Looking back down, she saw his stroking becoming fervid.  Suddenly it
ceased, his entire body stiffening.  His fist appeared to tighten down on
his rigid member, which a split second later twitched visibly, firing a gob
up into the air, arcing toward her but a bit to the left.  She couldn
-(TM)t believe how far it traveled.  Just then she heard Ryan grunt.

   Her mouth fell open in amazement.  His dick continued to fire, pumping
out spurt after spurt, more than one a second, but none of them traveling
quite as far as the initial one.

   At that point, Ryan slumped.  Had he not had his arm on the branch, he
looked as if he might have fallen to the ground.  He looked that weak.

   Glancing back down at his penis, she saw that it was no longer straining
skyward.  His hand was still on it, but now it was approximately
horizontal. It was still spasming, but the spurts were now only adding to
the glistening accumulation on and just below the helmet shaped head.

   She froze, noticing that Ryan -(TM)s eyes were open.  He tilted his head
down and appeared to examine the subsiding erection in his hand.  He gave
it a shake and one last glob fell to the forest floor.  Jill held her
breath, doing her best to remain completely motionless.  With Ryan
relaxing, she sensed that her position had become more precarious.  It
seemed as if he might notice her if she made even the slightest movement.

   Suddenly she found herself wishing that he would pull up his shorts and
leave; however, he didn -(TM)t.  He seemed to need to catch his breath. 
She had to breathe, but she did her best to do so as silently as possible,
opening her mouth wide.  A minute later he did pull up his shorts and
fasten them.  Turning, he wandered slowly back in the direction from which
he had come.

   Jill lay there, thankful that she had not been seen  -" processing her
thoughts and emotions.  She thought about getting up and beating Ryan back
to camp; indeed, she was sure she could.  He had not looked like he was
moving very fast.  Instead, she decided to relax and take her time.

   Rolling over onto her back, she pulled out her phone and studied her
spoils.  A few of the photos were much better than she had hoped.  She
could zoom way in!  In that manner, she was able to study the raised veins
that had been visible on the shaft of his penis.  She had noticed them
earlier, but she was able to get a much better look at them in the still
images.

   Eventually, she did get up.  The idea of looking for semen crossed her
mind.  For some reason, that didn -(TM)t interest her in the slightest.

   Rather than heading back toward the lake, she went deeper into the
forest.  She had decided on a long circuitous route around their camp. 
That would allow her to approach the point from the south.  She thought it
best if Ryan saw her coming from the opposite direction relative to where
he had been.

   As she made her way along, she sought to come to terms with what she had
done.   -~Was she a voyeur?  A stalker? -(TM) she wondered.  Indeed she had
gone looking for the opportunity to invade Ryan -(TM)s privacy.  And yet,
he had been out in the open.  Privacy was pretty limited in a camping
situation . . .  as she -(TM)d learned the night they had overheard her
orgasm.

   In the end, she decided that the ends justified the means.  She
rationalized that she hadn -(TM)t placed herself in that viewpoint for the
sake of her own enjoyment, but rather as a way to regain a measure of
control.  The boys, Ryan especially, had cornered her such that she was now
going topless, essentially on command  -" their command.

   Now that they had succeeded, it seemed as if turning the tables on them
could be easily justified.  Indeed, David might protect her; however, with
this new set of photos, she now had the ability to protect herself!

   With a new sense of self-assuredness, she walked up the beach,
reentering the camp a few minutes later.  Ryan glanced up, but then
immediately returned his attention to the piece of wood he was working on.
Jill was delighted; he really had no idea what had just happened!