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 ï>¿The Trailer Park: The Fourth Year A Story in the Wynter/Trailer Park
Universe by Wizard CopyrightÂ(C) 2006 by Wizard

   Chapter 1

   "You look beat," Tami said as I skidded to a stop on my bike.

   "I am.  Had a four o'clock game for Babe Ruth on the city field, then a
seven o'clock for American Legion on the high school field.  Not to mention
the four miles on my bike in between."

   "You know, most kids, only play in one league at a time."

   "Where's the fun in that?"

   Tami shook her head as I gingerly eased myself off the bike.  I was
stiff and sore.  Bike ride into town, game, bike ride to school, game, bike
ride home will do that to you.

   "If you were a building, they'd hang a condemned sign on you."

   "If I was a horse, I'd be glue by now," I agreed.

   "Too bad.  I was horny and Mom isn't going to be home for a couple more
hours."

   I perked up.  "Well, I'm really not in the mood, but for you..."

   "Well, if you're not in the mood, Kenny's been hinting that he could
make me very happy."

   "Remind me to punch him again." I reached for her hand.  "I think I'm
getting a second wind." I started walking, but Tami stayed still, pulling
me to a halt.

   "Don't you think you should tell your mom you're home?"

   For a couple of seconds, I didn't have a clue what she was talking
about. Mom?

   "Oh, right."

   Tami just shook her head as I walked in and told Mom I'd made it back.
Usually Dad comes to all my games, but he was in Seattle for some kind of
meeting.  And Mom had to work late, so I told her not to bother.

   Too bad, it was one of my better games.  I'd almost hit a cycle.  A
cycle is hitting a single, double, triple, and home run, all in the same
game.  I'd hit a single, double and a pair of triples in the second game.
And against an eighteen-year-old pitcher too.  The first game, I'd walked
three times and gotten hit by a pitch.

   "Now, you were saying you had a problem that I could help you with," I
said as I took Tami's hand and we started walking toward her house.

   "I was thinking of inviting the girls.  You've been hinting about a
threesome.  I thought I'd skip that and jump right to foursome."

   "Has anybody ever told you that you have a touch of sadist in you?"

   "Just a touch?"

   We were in front of Tami's house.  I stopped and pulled her into a hug,
kissing her all over her face.  Alana had been sitting on her back steps,
and from the corner of my eye, I saw her stand and start over.

   "Tony?" she said as she got closer.  I let Tami go and looked at her. 
God, she was hot.  "Mikee's been looking for you."

   "Thanks," I said as I released Tami.  "And would it be politically
incorrect to say you look awesome?"

   Alana smiled and the barest shadow of a frown crossed Tami's face.

   "No, but Tami may not like it."

   "Tami's a journalist.  She has to respect the truth."

   Tami gave me a half-smile and nodded.  Alana was dressed in very short
cut-offs and a midriff blouse sort of thing that would have put Daisy Duke
to shame.  The original with what's-her-name, not the Jessica Simpson
rip-off.

   Alana gave me the biggest smile.  "You say the sweetest things."

   "I, too, respect the truth." Pompous, but, oh well.  I wondered if Alana
was sending me a signal.  I might be only a sophomore and she graduated,
but I did play varsity on both football and baseball.

   "If you're hinting for Tony to eat your pussy again, he'll be done in
about twenty minutes," Tami said, her face somewhere between a smile and a
snarl.  Apparently if Alana was sending out signals, they were getting
intercepted.

   "No, no, of course not," Alana sputtered, obviously shocked that Tami
knew about our time in the woods.  "I'd never..." She looked from Tami to
me, and back at Tami again.  "He's just a tenth grader.  I was just
delivering a message."

   She turned and walked, almost jogged, away.

   "Tell Mikee I'm at Tami's if she still wants me," I yelled at her
retreating back.  "That was mean," I told Tami.

   "Was it?" she said sweetly.  She turned away from me and walked up to
her house.

   "That's it.  No more hanging out with Robbie," I said as she opened the
door and I followed her in.  "She is definitely a bad influence."

   "Speaking of your favorite redhead, how'd she do today?"

   "Great in the first game, and she didn't come to the second one.  Had to
go somewhere with her dad.  But in the Babe Ruth game, she even pitched an
inning."

   "How was she?"

   I grabbed Tami and pushed her down on the sofa, pressing my body against
her.  "Not bad." I kissed her right tit through her t-shirt.  "Her fastball
isn't as fast as most of the pitchers in the league, but she can really put
it where she wants it, and that helps.  Her curve ball is coming along and
what really helps is, she's got the smarts to figure out the batters."

   I kissed her left tit, then lifted her shirt up and kissed them both
again.  My hand was down between us, rubbing the crotch of her shorts.  Her
nipples were stiff and hard as I sucked one into my mouth and teased the
other.

   "Was Ashley there?"

   I stopped sucking and lifted my head.  "Woman, I'm trying to pleasure
you here, and you're playing twenty questions."

   "Pleasuring me?  Is that what you were doing?"

   I lifted my head higher, trying to look at the ceiling.  "Why me?" I
moaned.  "I could be home soaking in a hot tub."

   "Poor baby," Tami said with mock sincerity, then she rolled out from
under me.  She rolled me on my back and jerked my pants and underwear down
to my ankles.  My cock, being the only muscle I hadn't abused today, popped
up tall and proud.  "Poor, poor baby," she cooed as she took me in hand and
straddled my legs.

   I was going to say something, I don't know what, but all that came out
was a groan.

   She played with it, rubbing up and down its length, giving my balls a
squeeze, pulling it toward her until the tip brushed her labia.  Then she
grinned down at me.  "Now that I'm pleasuring you, was Ashley there?"

   I groaned again.  "Yessss.  At the first game anyway."

   Tami sat up and positioned my cock, then slid it into her.  I remembered
the first time we'd done this, when she missed, but didn't mention it.  "So
have you thought any more about it?"

   I knew what she meant but ignored her, pushing my hips up at her.

   I faced her face and could see something building inside of her.  Then
she shuddered and collapsed against my chest.

   "That was nice," she murmured.

   "You're welcome," I said.  I hadn't cum yet but was content to just lie
there, with my cock buried in her.  She'd said she was horny.  I believed
her.

   There was a knock.  "Come in," Tami yelled, probably thinking it was
Mikee.

   Traci walked in.  "Oh my God!"

   Tami looked back over her shoulder.  "Oh, shit!" she said as she sat up.

   I didn't say anything.

   "I, uh, oh my God," Traci said.

   "It's not...  it's..." Tami stuttered.

   I just lay there.

   "Uh, Mom..."

   "We're..." Tami stuttered.

   I sighed.  "Traci take a deep breath.  Tami shut up." Traci took a deep
breath and let it out.  Tami turned back and glared at me.

   "Mom wanted to talk to you.  I didn't know you were..."

   "It's okay.  It happens," I told her.

   "I thought she was..."

   I reached up and put my hand on Tami's mouth before she could say Mikee.
I didn't want Traci wondering why it would be okay for Mikee to walk in us.

   She did.

   "What's going..." Mikee said as she stepped through the open door.

   "Nothing!" Traci snapped and pushed her back out the door.

   "Oh God!" Tami blurted out.

   I grinned.  What the hell.  Might as well have a party.

   "Traci, it's okay.  Mikee can come in."

   "But..."

   "It's okay, Trace."

   Traci got out of the door and Mikee came in, thankfully pulling the door
closed behind her.

   I wondered where Kelly was.  Maybe Paula could come over.

   Big Tony had lost interest and shriveled up, the head just barely
penetrating between Tami's lips.  As Mikee looked down on us, I realized
that it was the first time she'd actually seen us.

   "Hi, Mikee," I said.  "I hear you've been looking for me." I sounded so
calm, I reminded myself of Mr.  Bower.

   "I was wondering...  I kinda...  I..."

   "Breathe.  No worries," I said.

   "I wanted to borrow some more of those..." she looked at Traci, then
back at me.  "Things."

   "Rubbers?"

   She nodded.

   "Can't have 'em if you can't say 'em."

   "Can I borrow some more rubbers?" She looked at Traci again, turning
red.

   "Sure.  But tell Luke to start buying his own."

   "It's, uh...  it's not for Luke."

   "It's not?"

   "We, uh, we kinda broke up."

   "Oh." I hadn't talked to Luke much since school let out three weeks ago.
Between baseball, Tami, and my job, there just wasn't enough time.

   "He, uh, dumped me for Liz Benson."

   "Oh.  Then who...  ?" I realized it was none of my business before I
could finish.  "Never mind."

   "Chuck Thompson," she answered anyway.

   "Oh." I knew who he was, a freshman like Mikee, but didn't know him.

   "Did you need them now?  I was kinda..."

   Mikee giggled.  "I see." She looked at Traci again and they both
giggled. "I'm, uh, going over to his house tomorrow afternoon."

   "Stop by in the morning."

   Mikee giggled again and left.

   Traci looked more embarrassed after Mikee was gone.  "I should..."

   "Traci, it's okay." And it was.  A year ago, I might have been worried
about blackmail, but Traci and I had gotten a lot closer.  "Tell Mom, I'll
be home in a few minutes."

   "Okay." Traci left, looking glad to escape.

   I looked up at Tami.  "At least life's interesting."

   Tami buried her head on my chest.



   Chapter 2

   I knocked.

   "Come in."

   "Can we talk?"

   "Uh, okay."

   I stepped into Traci's room and closed the door behind me.

   "I'm not going to say anything, if that's what you're worried about."

   "Trace, believe it or not.  I wasn't worried.  Last year, maybe.  But
not now."

   "Oh."

   "I just wondered if we needed to talk."

   "Oh." She had my way with words.

   "I mean you're a third grader now, you're growing up."

   "I am not," she snapped.  "I'm a seventh grader."

   I grinned.

   "Oh.  Damn you."

   I grinned again.

   "Do you and Tami...  ?"

   "Tell you what.  One time only deal.  Ask whatever you want.  No matter
what, I won't get mad.  I may not answer, but I won't get mad.  One
condition."

   "What?" she asked suspiciously.

   "If you ever get confused about anything, you'll ask me."

   "Like what?"

   "You'll know it when you see it."

   Traci blushed, knowing I was talking about her sex life.  Or hopefully,
her future sex life.

   "Do you and Tami...  ?  I mean, how often...  ?"

   "Traci, if this is going to work, you have to be able to talk." Traci
blushed again and nodded.  "How often do Tami and I..." I debated being
make love and fuck, not sure Traci would appreciate the difference yet. 
"Fuck?"

   She nodded, turning even redder.

   "It depends a lot on the outside world.  Some days, we do it three or
four times a day.  Sometimes it's a week or more in between.  It depends on
whether her mom's home, or our parents, or you." Traci looked down at her
feet.  I decided not to mention that sometimes we got around the parent
thing by doing it in the woods.  I didn't want to give her ideas.

   "Do you...  ?  I...  ?  Was she, uh, your first?"

   "Yes.  And I really hope she's my last too."

   "Your last?"

   "I love Tami, and I hope I marry her someday and live happily ever
after, just like in a fairy tale."

   I kinda expected her to make some smart remark.  "You will.  Uh, when?"

   "The first time?  Just after we made up that first summer."

   "Do you, uh, wear a rubber?"

   "No." Traci's eyes got big.  "But, and it's a big but, that's because
Tami has other birth control.

   "Oh."

   "Anything else?"

   "Uh, what sort of things do you do?"

   This time I blushed.  "We're not going there."

   Traci giggled.

   "And no thinking about it."

   Traci giggled again.

   "Is that it?"

   "Did she, uh, and Peter King...  ?"

   I had to think about that one for a minute.  "That's not my question to
answer," I said finally.

   Traci nodded.  I think she understood.

   "What about Mikee?"

   "What about her?"

   "She didn't seem very surprised."

   "She's never seen us before," I said honestly.  "But she knew."

   Traci nodded.  "Kelly?"

   "Kelly too."

   Traci thought about everything.  I waited.

   "Did you and Robbie...  ?"

   "Yes."

   She nodded, unsurprised.  "Do you still...  ?"

   "Yes." That surprised her.  "But Tami knows.  I'm not cheating on her.
It's, it's complicated."

   "It's weird."

   "That too."

   "Do you, I mean, together?"

   "No." Though not for lack of wishing.

   She nodded, accepting that.  "Do you ever..."

   "What?"

   "Do you, uh, jerk off?"

   That one caught me by surprise.  "Not as much as I used to.  I prefer
Tami or Robbie." Or Mikee or Kelly, but I wasn't going there.  "But
sometimes when I can't be with them..."

   "Oh."

   I was tempted to ask if she did.  Standing by her door, I looked down at
my sister.  And I realized that she was hot.  I mean, she'd been my sister
for so long, she'd just been there.  But I think I started to realize she
was a people.  A beautiful people.  Just as pretty in her way as Mikee or
Kelly.

   Her breasts had started to grow, and her nipples were pressed against
the tight material of the long t-shirt she wore as a night gown.  I could
understand why that guy, what was his name?  Oh yeah, Gary Rogers, had his
hand up her shirt.  I had a sudden image of Traci naked on her bed.

   I mentally slapped myself.  I hadn't visited the ASSTR or SOL sites much
lately, but apparently they'd left their mark.

   "Does Mikee always come to you for rubbers?"

   "Don't know." She looked confused.  "I don't know how often she and Luke
did it, so I don't know if she always came to me."

   "Does Kelly?"

   'Not so far, ' I thought.  As far as I knew, I was Kelly's only
interest. "Not your business."

   "You told me about Mikee."

   "You already knew about Mikee."

   "If...  ?"

   Ever had a premonition of impending doom?  "Yes?"

   "I mean, uh..."

   "Traci, ask your question.  I told you I wouldn't get mad."

   "If I need some, will you give them to me?"

   Okay, I lied.  I will get mad.  I counted to ten, first in English, then
Spanish, German, French, Russian, and Chinese.  I took a deep breath, I
really needed to learn numbers in a couple more languages.

   "My first impulse is to say you're not having sex until your fifth
anniversary with your husband.  But I guess that's the big brother in me.
To be honest, if you're having sex, I really don't want to know, but if you
need protection, you know where to find me."

   I opened the door, glad to make my escape.

   "Tony?"

   "Yes?"

   "You're not the worst brother a girl could have."

   "Ditto."



   Chapter 3

   "I'm not sure about this."

   "I am," Tami said definitely.

   "But..."

   "You promised."

   "But..."

   "It's not like you're going to hate it."

   "This is weird."

   "I think the word you used the last time we talked about it was kinky."

   I grinned.  It was definitely kinky.

   "Last year, you said you enjoyed your fireworks," she said with a grin.

   "I did, but that was just a coincidence."

   She grinned bigger.

   "Wasn't it?"

   "Robbie thought you should have a good Fourth of July."

   "I love my life.  I don't understand it, but I love it."

   "So...  ?" Tami rested her fists on her hips.

   "You're sure?"

   "I'm sure."

   I smiled and bowed at the waist.  "Your wish is my command."

   "Just get on your bike and start peddling your cute little ass over
there."

   I looked down over my shoulder.  "You really think my ass is cute?"

   She nodded.

   I got up, took her hand and we walked to the door.  Outside my house, I
swung my leg over my bike, then pulled her close and kissed her.  "I will
be expecting a reward when I get back."

   "Considering your afternoon, you should be expecting a nap when you get
home.  Don't you have a game today?"

   "At five."

   "A nap is in your future," she predicted.

   "We'll see," I said as enigmatically as I could, pushed off and sailed
down the street.

   I knocked.

   A minute later Robbie opened the door.  She was wearing a pair of navy
cut-offs and a white t-shirt tied just under her tits.

   "Hi, didn't expect to see you until the game."

   "Two of the three most beautiful sophomores in the county are alone in
one place, and you didn't think I'd show up?"

   "Not when you live a few doors down from the third, and your parents are
gone for the day."

   I held out both hands, palms up.  "One pretty sexy girl," I said looking
at my left hand.  "Two pretty sexy girls," I added, looking at my other
hand.  I shifted them up and down a few times, then lifted my right hand
about a foot higher than my left.  I grinned at Robbie.  "No contest."

   Robbie grinned back.  "Love." She took my hands and shifted them so the
left was a foot higher than the right.

   I hung my head.  "Tami's mom wanted her to help her with some cooking."

   "Unh huh."

   "So where's Ashley?"

   "In the living room.  We were watching television."

   "It's too nice a day for television." I stepped past her.  "Hi Ash," I
said as I walked into the living room.  Ash was dressed opposite of Robbie.
White cut-offs and a navy t-shirt.  I wondered if they'd planned it, or it
just happened.

   "Tony!  What are you doing here?"

   "I came to seduce you." I pulled her up off the sofa and kissed her, my
tongue worming it's way into her mouth before she knew what was happening.
One hand on her ass and the other on her tit.  She wasn't wearing a bra.

   Behind us, Robbie cleared her throat.

   I let go of Ashley, then took her hand.  "We're going to use your
bedroom," I announced and pulled Ashley behind me as I headed for the
stairs.  I'll treasure the look on Robbie's face all my life.  It's nice to
know I can sometimes take her by surprise.

   Ashley kind of drifted a little behind me as I pulled her up the stairs.
I think I'd taken her by surprise too.  I paused halfway up and looked down
at Robbie standing in the entry of the living room.  "You coming?"

   "What?"

   "We had a bet.  You're not going to welsh are you?"

   I watched as her face changed from surprise, to shock, to...  I wasn't
sure.

   I led Ashley up the stairs and into Robbie's bedroom.  I turned and
pushed the bunched up bottom of her t-shirt over her tits, then leaned down
and took one into my mouth.  One hand started rubbing her other tit while I
teased her ass with the other.  I had to admit, she had a great ass.

   Robbie came to the doorway.  "You're wearing too many clothes," I told
her, and licked around Ashley's nipple and aureola.  "Put on some music," I
suggested as I kissed my way down Ashley's stomach.

   "Someone's horny," Robbie said as she turned on her stereo.

   "Unh huh," Ashley agreed throatily.

   I unfastened the button at the top of her cut-offs, then busied myself
kissing the small patch of skin revealed there as I went to my knees.  I
wanted to give Ashley time to figure out what was happening and decide if
it was going too far.

   I glanced at Robbie, standing by the stereo.  "Why are you still
dressed?"

   Robbie arched a single eyebrow, but started pulling off her shirt.

   I reached up and grabbed the zipper to Ashley's fly and slowly started
pulling it down.  I wanted to use my teeth, but it's harder than it looks.
As the zipper got to the bottom, I spread her cut-offs open and kissed the
silky fabric of her pale blue panties.

   I eased my hands around her back and into the back of her cut-offs and
started pushing them down.  I was surprised as my hands slid over her bare
ass.  "A thong?" I said in surprise.  "I can't believe you wear a thong." I
looked up her body.  Ashley was blushing.  I was surprised because to me,
Ashley didn't seem like the type, though I'm not sure what the thong type
was.  To me, they just looked uncomfortable.

   As I pushed her cut-offs past her knees, I turned her around and started
kissing her all over her exposed ass.  I had to admit, her ass looked hot
with just that little strip of cloth that disappeared between her cheeks.

   Robbie was still standing by the stereo.  I motioned her over.  I
unfastened her cut-offs and pushed them down.  She was wearing yellow
bikini style panties.  I kissed her mound through the cotton, then returned
to Ashley's ass.

   With one hand I massaged Robbie's ass, with the other I gently caressed
the crotch of Ashley's panties.  Damn, I love my life.

   I stood, scooped up Ashley, and carried her to the bed.  Then I returned
and scooped up Robbie and set her next to her friend.  Standing at the foot
of the bed, I admired my handiwork.  "Now that's a picture," I said, trying
hard not to drool.  "One thing would make it perfect."

   "Do I get a guess?" Robbie asked sarcastically.

   I grinned, put one knee on the bed between her legs, and reached up and
grabbed her panties and started pulling them down.  As I got to her knees,
I stood again and eased them the rest of the way off.  I looked at Ashley.
She looked nervous, but ready.  I pulled her panties off the same way.  I
looked down at the two naked girls.  Why the hell had I left my camera at
home?

   I wondered what my friend Luke would say if he could see me now. 
Probably something about hogging all the good stuff.

   "When was the last time you had a tongue in your pussy?" I asked the two
girls.

   Robbie giggled.  "Saturday night." Not a big surprise, since it had been
my tongue.  Robbie had been going out with Fred Clarkson, but I think that
kind of ended when school finished.  Actually, I think Fred was kind of a
project.  He wasn't bad looking, but a bit of a nerd.  Robbie was his first
girlfriend.  I wondered if he was going to be a player, now that Robbie had
built him a rep.

   "Oh God," Ashley moaned.  I wasn't sure if that meant October, when she
had moved, or never.  Ashley sent mixed signals about just how much
experience she had.

   I spread Robbie's legs, then Ashley's, laying Ashley's leg over
Robbie's. I really had to start carrying my camera.  I got on my knees at
the foot of the bed between Ashley's legs.  I kissed her knee, the one that
was lying over Robbie's.  I started kissing my way up her leg, an inch at a
time, one hand caressing Robbie's thighs as I moved up.

   I got to the top of Ashley's thigh and started kissing up her hip, then
across her pelvis and back down the other leg.  When I got to her knee, I
decided that she was ready.  I planted my face in the little patch of fuzz
on her mound and nestled.  There was just something about running my
fingers, or my face, through a patch of pussy fuzz that just turned me on.

   Ashley's clit protruded slightly, and I grazed it with the tip of my
tongue.  "Oh, fuck!" she yelled.  I decided that Ashley didn't have as much
experience as she'd led us to believe.  I kissed my way down her slit as I
played with Robbie's pussy with one hand and Ashley's nipple with the
other.

   Damn, I love my life.

   I gently sucked on Ashley's clit and felt her shiver, then tense up,
then melt, and guessed the girl had just had a nice little climax.

   I sat up on my heels and gazed down at my handiwork.  Ashley lay there,
breathing heavily, a moronic grin on her face.  I reached up and grabbed
Robbie's left hand, then placed it on Ashley's slit, her thumb right on the
nub of Ashley's clit.  Then I reached over Robbie, captured her right hand,
and pulled it over and put it on Ashley's tit.

   I stepped back off the bed.  "Save my place, I'll be back in a minute."

   Robbie lay on her side in an awkward position and looked at me.  I
grinned and backed out of the room.  I walked past the door to the bathroom
and down the stairs.

   "What are you doing down here?" Robbie asked, looming over me.

   "Watching General Hospital."

   "But..."

   "I wanted to find out if Carla broke up with Mark.  Did you and Ashley
have fun?"

   "I..."

   "Actually, did you have fun?  I know Ashley did.  She was yelling so
loud for awhile, I had to turn up the TV."

   "I...  uh, why?"

   "Think about it awhile." I stood up, stretched, and walked toward the
front door.  "Tell Ashley I said goodbye." I grabbed the doorknob and
opened the door.  "You remember last year?" she nodded.  "The talent show?
How somebody, who shall remain nameless, manipulated my life?  Payback's a
bitch." I grinned and shut the door behind me.

   Tami was waiting when I peddled into the park.

   "How'd it go?" she asked before I could even get off the bike.

   "It went," I said as I parked my bike.

   "What happened?"

   "Is it any of your business?" I asked, as I opened my front door for
her.

   "I...  I mean...  You always...  I thought..."

   I laughed.  "Have I ever told you that you're cute when you sputter."

   "I..." She grinned.  "No, you haven't."

   "Tam, I've always told you about me, not other people.  As for me, I
kissed Ashley, I undressed her, I kissed her pussy, I watched General
Hospital." I guided her into my room and closed the door.

   "General Hospital?"

   "Yeah.  Not only did Carla break up with Mark, she's back together with
Tim."

   "General Hospital?  You didn't fuck her?"

   "Now why would I want to fuck a blond when I have a brunette at home." I
fell back on my bed, pulling Tami with me.

   "What about Traci?  Isn't she home?"

   "Do you really care?"



   Chapter 4

   "You think you're pretty smart," Robbie voice accused.

   I opened my eyes.  "Huh?"

   Robbie was towering over me.  Not hard, since I was lying flat on my
back in bed.

   "You think you're smart."

   "Good morning to you," I said and looked at the clock.  A few minutes
after eight.

   "Well?" she glowered.  Robbie definitely had glowering down pat.

   "Yeah, I think I'm smart.  Fourth in my class so far.  I think my GPA is
like twelfth in the school.  Something like that."

   "That's not what I mean and you know it."

   "Robbie, it's eight in the morning.  Until twenty seconds ago I was
sound asleep.  If you want me to understand what the hell you're talking
about, you're going to have to try harder."

   "You set me up," she said flatly.

   Yesterday.  We were talking about yesterday.  "Yep.  I set you up," I
agreed.  "Now I'm going to get a little more sleep."

   I closed my eyes.  Something hit me in the stomach, not hard enough to
knock the wind out of me, but hard enough to get my attention.  I opened my
eyes again.  "What is your problem?"

   "You!' she said and aimed another punch toward my stomach.  I grabbed
her arm and spun her around as I sat up, using her other arm to create a
straight jacket effect.  "You were so into your girl on girl fantasy, your
threesome, that you just had to set one up."

   I laughed as she struggled.  "For someone who finished second in her
class, you're not very bright."

   "What?" She stopped struggling, so I released her.  She stood and faced
me again.

   "If I wanted to watch some girl on girl, or if I wanted to make my
threesome a reality, don't you think I would have stuck around?  Or don't
you think I'm smart enough to have figured that out?"

   "I...  I don't get it."

   "Think on it a little." This explained why she was so different at the
game last night.  I was more than a little annoyed.

   Robbie sat down on the edge of the bed.  "I don't get it," she repeated.

   "You and Tami have been telling me for months that Ashley was horny.  I
took care of it."

   "But why didn't you...  ?"

   "I don't know if she realized it herself, but it wasn't what she wanted.
I wasn't who she wanted."

   "But she could have found someone..."

   "She did." Robbie still looked blank.  "You!"

   "Me?  That's ridiculous."

   "Tell you what.  You think about it the rest of the day.  In fact, go
talk to Ashley with it in the back of your mind.  Then come back tomorrow
and tell me how ridiculous it is."

   "But I'm a girl."

   "Roberta Elizabeth Marie Tate, you are many things, but I refuse to
believe you're naive."

   "I'm not.  It's just, it's different when it's about you."

   "Welcome to the real world."

   "You really think she's..."

   "Unh huh," I said nodding.

   "What do I do?"

   "What do you want to do?"

   "I don't...  I'm not sure."

   I looked up at the ceiling.  "Thank you God, she's human after all."

   The human stuck her tongue out at me.

   "Try to forget Ashley's a girl for a minute.  If Ashley were a boy, what
would you do?"

   "Well, I like her a lot.  Him.  Whatever."

   "So, if it was a guy, you'd go out for awhile and see what happens?"

   "I guess."

   "Sounds like a plan to me."

   "You're just trying to get rid of me.  Of us."

   "Never," I said and pulled her on top of me, kissing her deeply.

   "OH!"

   Traci was standing in the doorway.  My sister was definitely getting an
education.

   "Morning Trace.  You remember Robbie?"

   "Oh!"

   I felt a premonition coming on.

   Another long talk was in my future.



   Chapter 5

   "So got any plans for August?  Like the first weekend?" Tami asked,
looking up from her book.  We'd been sitting on the swings, reading
together.

   "Just one."

   "Oh?"

   "Regionals."

   "I thought baseball was over after this weekend."

   "Only if we lose, and I don't think we will.  And if we win at state,
then regionals in Idaho."

   "Oh."

   "Why?" I asked.

   "Just wondering." Tami went back to the book she was reading.

   God, I was glad that she was a lousy liar.  It seems to me it's time for
some sleuthing, as the Hardy Boys would say.

   The game was on the line as I stepped up to the plate.  Actually, we
were up eleven runs, and had no outs.  For a championship game, this was a
yawn.  We were playing a team from Vancouver.  They'd used all their gas to
get to the championship and had nothing left.

   The pitcher let loose with a fastball that wasn't, and I smacked my
second home run of the game.  As I trotted around the bases, I looked up in
the stands.  Tami was sitting with Traci, between my folks and Robbie's
dad, near the third baseline.  I gave then a wave as I went by.

   Robbie held up her hand, and I gave her a high five as I jumped on the
plate with both feet.  She stepped up to the plate and took a practice
swing.  The pitcher came set, and Robbie stepped back out of the batter's
box.  The pitcher looked disgusted and relaxed.  Robbie smiled at the
umpire and walked around and took her place on the other side of the plate.
She was going to bat left handed.

   The pitcher came set again and fired.  Robbie swung awkwardly.  Strike
one.  Robbie took a couple of practice swings, still awkward.  I'd never
seen her bat left, and this explained why.  The pitcher smiled and fired
another shot.  Robbie swung again, it was almost painful to watch.  Strike
two.  Vancouver just might get an out.  The pitcher set for the third time.
He reared back and threw.

   Robbie swung, catching the top third of the ball.  The ball came off her
bat and dribbled up the third base line.  The pitcher, catcher, and third
baseman all charged after it as Robbie sprinted toward first.

   "Let it go foul!  The coach yelled from the dugout.  The three players
left the ball alone as it rolled down the line and settled, an inch in fair
territory.

   We couldn't even give them an out.

   When I came up again later in the same inning, everyone was pretty
disgusted.  Vancouver had gotten two outs, one when Jimmy Baker stumbled
between second and third, and one when Brian Lasker got hit by the ball
Johnny McBride hit.  Then our next four batters all got solid hits, even
though they all batted left.  Clay Thomas hit our eighth home run of the
game, and it was my turn again.

   As I stepped to the plate I thought about batting left.  Hell, I thought
about batting blindfolded.  I just wanted them to get an out.  We were up
by eighteen.  If they batted and scored less than nine the game would be
mercy-ruled.

   I looked at the coach in the box by third base.  He gave me the sign for
hit away.  I shook my head, held my bat in front of me, and made a bunting
motion.  He shrugged.  Just in case anyone hadn't figured out I was
bunting, I squared up with the bat in front of me and waited for the pitch.

   The pitcher threw.  The ball was high and outside.  I went after it
anyway.  I managed to get a piece of it and knock it down.  I took off for
first.  As I ran, I waited for the ball to pass me on the way to first, it
didn't.  I found out later that the pitcher and catcher got tangled up with
each other.  The ball was almost a second behind me.  I decided
what-the-hell and kept going toward second when nobody tagged me, I turned
the corner and kept going toward third.

   On the video of the game, the first baseman tripped over the bag as he
threw to second and threw into center field instead.  The center fielder
was on top of it, scooped the ball and fired toward third.  The ball
slapped into the third baseman's glove just as my foot hit the corner of
the bag and I turned toward home.  The third baseman hesitated a second,
surprised that I'd do something so stupid, then fired toward the catcher.
The catcher stood straddling the plate and waited.  I slid, going through
his legs, and the damn idiot was so shocked that he forgot to put the tag
on me.

   Robbie gave me a hug as I climbed out of the dirt.  "You tried," she
said with a shrug.

   The guy who wrote Field of Dreams wrote another book about a game that
went on and on and on.  I felt like I was living it.  I tried to remember
just how long that game went on, but couldn't.  I'd have to reread it.  The
title was something about the Iowa Baseball League.  No, The Iowa Baseball
Confederacy, that was it.  Kinsella wrote it.

   Robbie was in the batter's box.  The pitcher threw a slow ball right
down the middle.  Robbie swung and missed.  She was way early.  The pitcher
threw again.  His arm was dead.  Robbie swung late.  Strike two.  The
pitcher threw again.  The pitch was high, just over Robbie's head, but she
went after it anyway.  A miss.  Strike three.

   "Damn!" Robbie said as she walked back to the dugout, though without
much conviction.

   "Your first K of the tournament," I said as I tossed her, her mitt. 
"You must be crushed."

   "Yeah," she agreed.  "Crushed.  At least it wasn't backwards." A
backwards K in the score book indicated a called third strike.

   I was hoping that Vancouver would get a couple of runs, but on the very
first pitch the batter hit a shot straight at Clay, who was pitching.  Clay
caught it in self defense.  The next batter hit a one-bouncer to Robbie,
who threw him out at first.  The third batter popped a high fly ball that
Brian Lasker in center field camped under for an easy catch.

   The game was over twenty-one to two in five innings.

   We were state champions.

   Regionals were next.

   The swings were blowing in the breeze as Robbie, Tami, and I sat on the
grass and enjoyed the chance to cool off a little.  July had kicked the
heat up in the week and a half since we'd come back from the state
tournament.

   "Please," I said, trying to make puppy dog eyes as I begged.

   "I don't think so," Tami said as she idly puled a blade of grass out of
the ground.

   "But I'll miss you."

   "You'll get over it."

   "We need you there.  You're lucky for us."

   "I just don't feel like it, okay?"

   "Okay," I agreed.

   "I'm just tired of baseball.  I mean, I've been watching you guys since
March and it's almost August.  That's half a year."

   "I understand.  I just thought Robbie would like having you along."

   "Robbie, huh?"

   I grinned.  Robbie just shook her head, ignoring us and watched clouds
play tag.

   "I didn't want our second baseman getting lonely all the way in Idaho."

   "Maybe Ashley could go," Tami suggested.

   "Now there's a thought," I agreed, watching Robbie's neck turn red as
she watched the sky.