High School Mystery

I apologize for the long delay. I finished the remaining chapters and am now submitting them. They should be up in the coming days. I hope you enjoy unraveling the mystery.

---Saturday---

Josh passed by Emma's house in the afternoon. She had sent him a message saying she wanted to know how the date had gone. Her parents were away, so they could talk in private. She opened the door and her natural beauty stunned him once again. He knew she was off limits, but the way her pretty face broke out in a smile made his heart stop for a moment. Josh followed her to the den. She wore a yellow T-shirt with a wide neck. A white bra strap was visible on her bare shoulder where the shirt had slid away. After she brought them glasses of water, he told her about the date and how Liz didn't want to say anything about Brian. He felt it better not to mention anything about Liz saying she and Emma were no longer close. When he got to the part where Liz suggested Wolf Creek he hesitated. He decided he would better just confront her about the accusations Liz had made.

"Liz thought you set up the date so she would sleep with me," he said.

Emma's eyes widened. "Why would she think that, I never suggested anything like that!"

"She kinda assumed I was blackmailing you with something."

Josh hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"She thought I wanted to sleep with you, and you were trying to get out of it."

His eyes studied her face. She had turned a little red at that last suggestion.

"So, did you sleep with her?" Emma asked. She leaned over to him and seemed mesmerized by the idea. His eyes slipped down to where her T-shirt was hanging dangerously low and her cleavage came in view. He swallowed hard.

"No, off course not!" he replied, "I explained it wasn't like that, it was just a date." He thought it best to leave out the whole making out for the moment.

"Oh, I see." She sounded a little disappointed.

"But why would Liz think I blackmailed you?"

Emma blushed a little and bit her lip; it only made her look sexier.

"I don't know, Liz is a little wild, she often gets weird ideas," Emma said. She averted her eyes, her fingers fidgeting a blonde strand of hair. Josh felt there was something she wasn't telling him.

"Are you seeing someone else?" he asked.

Emma's eyes shot fire at the suggestion. "Off course not, why would you think that?"

"I'm sorry, but it would make sense if someone else was involved, he would have a good motive to hurt Darryl. And it would explain why Liz thought I was blackmailing you. That's all," Josh said.

"Well there's no one else!"

He was hesitating; he was probably pushing his luck by continuing. "And there never was. You never cheated on Darryl, right?"

She looked away in silence for a few seconds. When she looked back at him a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Josh, that has nothing to do with what's going on with Darryl!" her voice trembled.

"Maybe, but I think I can only figure this out when I know stuff like that," he said.

She looked away again. "It was nothing," she said, "nothing but a big mistake."

Josh wanted to get up and put an arm around the shoulder of the beautiful girl, but he couldn't muster the courage. Emma drank from her water. She looked like she was lost in thoughts.

"No one can ever know this. Most of all not Darryl, it would kill him."

"Off course," Josh replied.

"A few months ago, Darryl's older brother Chris was home for a week. He's a senior at Florida State University. He and Darryl never got along well. According to Darryl he was kind of a dick, a real womanizer at college, but I had never really met him. That afternoon I was there, and Chris was also around. We were hanging out and Chris was telling all his stories about college life and I loved it. I can't wait to get out of this little town and go to college myself. But you have to know this is a really sore point between Darryl and me. I received the news that I got admitted into Florida state a few weeks ago. But Darryl doesn't have the grades for that. He is hoping he will get into a local college with a Football scholarship and he wants me to go with him. He said we might as well break up now if I'll go to Florida in a few month. I don't want to lose Darryl, but I don't want to give up my dream either."

Her eyes looked at him as if she was searching for confirmation.

"We already fought about it a few times, so all the talk about Florida state and his brother got on his nerves and he went to his room to prepare for his football training. I went to talk with him, but it just became another big fight. He was demanding that I stay here because he wouldn't get into college and then accused me of flirting with his douchebag brother. We were basically just screaming at each other, and in the end he grabbed his stuff for practice and stormed out, leaving me and Chris alone in the house. So yeah, I was shaken and sad, Chris was there to tell me what a selfish asshole his brother was, and he was very good looking."

She hesitated and was chewing her lip again. She looked at him.

"Have you ever had sex?" she asked him.

Her blue eyes gazed deep in his. His face went red, but he couldn't lie.

"No," he confessed.

"But you're curious right?"

"Who isn't?" he shrugged.

"I was too, before I did it. But I only wanted to do that with someone who really loved me. There were more than enough boys who wanted me, and Liz thought I was crazy for waiting so long, telling me all these stories about her fabulous sex-live," Emma sighed.

She stared into nowhere for a few seconds with a melancholic look. Josh wondered where she was going with this.

"When Darryl and I got together I instantly knew he would be the one. We were crazy about each other. It still took a couple of weeks of getting to know each other better, fooling around and all that, but then we did it. The perfect night, the perfect place, so romantic. Everything I dreamed of for so long. And you know what? It was awful!"

"I'm sorry," he muttered, not knowing what else to say.

"I know I shouldn't tell you this and you probably don't want to hear it, but I just want you to understand why I did it."

"It's OK, I don't mind. I want to understand," Josh said.

Emma shot him a grateful look.

"I, I have never been able to tell this to anyone. Not even Liz. I really appreciate you listening to this. Promise me you will never tell anybody about this!"

"I promise."

"The first time with Darryl it was uncomfortable, a little painful, a lot of trying to figure out what we were doing, and once we were doing it, it was over before I felt much. Afterwards we kept doing it regularly and it got somewhat better, but it never was what I fantasized about all these years. We had sweet sex and I liked the feeling of being intimate with Darryl, but when I read women's magazines they talked about sex that made you lose your mind, made fireworks go off. I thought maybe that was just nonsense, but I heard the stories Liz told me about sex with Brian, and it seemed like it was incredible for her."

"Did you talk with Darryl about that?" Josh asked.

She shook her head. "I really couldn't tell him. I almost did a few times, but I couldn't find a way of saying it without making it sound as if he was bad in bed."

"And you thought Chris would be better," he said.

She jerked her head up and looked at him with big eyes. She squirmed a little in her seat.

"I always heard he had all these hookups in college, he was the typical frat boy. And in all the stories he told there were hints that he had lots of sex. So yeah, I thought this guy must really know how to make a girl feel good."

She paused for a moment. He cleared his throat.

"Did he?"

"I hate to admit it, but he knew what he was doing. I'm not gonna go in details but he made me feel things I never felt before. And at the same time I was ashamed when it was over. I felt so guilty and made Chris promise he would never tell anyone. Off course afterwards he acted like the prick Darryl warned me about. But it was my own idea. I can blame Chris for being a douchebag and all, but it's not like he forced me, I felt more like I forced myself," she said with a hollow laugh.

Her eyes locked on his.

"What Liz said, about you wanting to have sex with me, was it true?"

He blushed and didn't know what to say.

"Oh, wait it was?" She seemed very amused.

"No! I mean yes! I don't know...," he mumbled, his face red as a beet.

"Well what is it?" she smirked.

He took a deep breath.

"What I meant is, yes, I have fantasized about you, and if it was possible, yes, I would like to have sex with you, as would any sane man, it's just nature. But I don't want to in reality, if only because I can see what Darryl and you have is very special. Off course that's' not considering that you and I having sex is extremely unlikely in the first place."

"It's okay, it's not like I hadn't expected you to," she said with a satisfied grin.

He desperately wanted to change the topic.

"So, the thing with Chris when was it?" he asked.

"A few weeks ago."

"Is that about when Darryl's problem would have started?"

She frowned. "I guess, I think he first said something like 'do you think it looks different?' the weekend after. I thought he was being paranoid, but I remember I gave him a blowjob because I still felt very guilty about Chris. You don't think there is a connection, do you? Chris is an ass, but I can't imagine him doing anything like that to his brother."

"I don't know, but from what I hear people might have a reason to hate Chris, maybe someone tried to get back at him, but it accidently was Darryl that got the revenge? Like maybe something in food or drinks meant for Chris that Darryl took accidently," Josh suggested.

"Look Josh, that sounds very far-fetched and I really don't want to involve Chris in this. We can't tell Darryl about this anyway," Emma said.

"Maybe, but it's our best lead so far,"

"Well you said you didn't learn a lot about Brian from Liz so why don't you try to get more on him first. You're kind of a journalist, you must have ways right? Please Josh?"

Emma looked at him with pleading eyes, a pained expression on her beautiful face, and Josh knew he couldn't refuse her.

"Sure, I'll try to look further into Brian," he said as they both stood up.

Emma's broad smile breaking out on her face was enough reward in itself.

"I really appreciate that," Emma said, pulling him in for a close for a hug.

Josh felt her soft body pressed up against his. Her head was resting on his shoulder and her lavender fragrance was penetrating his nose. The feeling of her breasts mashed against his chest was turning him on and he could feel his dick beginning to rise. Hoping she didn't feel it, he quickly excused himself and left before things got embarrassing.

---Monday---

He had spent Sunday making his schoolwork, but his mind kept drifting to Liz and Emma, trying to make sense of all that happened. There still seemed to be parts of the puzzle missing. Monday morning in school he felt like people were watching him more than normal. It could have been paranoia from his side, he had no idea how fast something like a date between a nerd and a cheerleader spread around. Knowing the average high schooler, a lot of details would be invented as well. To make matters worse, he had the bad luck of seeing Brian Morris passing by after lunch as Josh stood by his locker.

"Hello Josh," a booming voice said.

Ok, so maybe it wasn't just bad luck that he passed by. Josh took a deep breath and turned around.

"Hello Brian," he replied.

The jock towered over him with his six feet frame and broad shoulders. Josh tried not to show his nervousness. In middle school he had been bullied more than once, although that seemed long ago now. He could see some people in the corridor had stopped to watch the scene unfold.

"I heard you went on a date with Liz," Brian said with a friendly face.

Josh was uncertain where this was going. "Yeah I did," he said.

Brian bent his head towards him so no one could hear what he said. "This is the part where I'm supposed to tell you to stay away from her or there will be trouble. Funny thing is, you don't have to worry about trouble with me. Liz is more than capable of causing you lots of problems by herself. You'll find out soon enough."

Brian stood back up straight and a big smile broke across his face.

"Have a nice day Josh," he said.

"Uh, you too."

With his heart beating fast Josh turned around to grab his books. The people watching started moving again now it was clear there would be no fight in the hallway. During next class Brian's words kept playing in his head. The guy didn't seem to have bad intentions, although he came across a little unstable. But what was that about Liz? Was he just trash-talking his ex-girlfriend, or was he really implying she had done bad things? Is that why she came on so hard on their date, to get him on her side? How could he find out more? His head was spinning with questions.

After school he was going to work on the paper with Katie, but off course she immediately wanted to know about his date.

"So how did it go, Mr. Stud?" she asked as she elbowed his side, "I wanna hear all the details!"

She dragged him by the arm to the small double seated couch in the room where they both dropped down. He was aware of her left leg pushing against his right one. Josh knew what he promised her, but he felt bad about telling her everything. What would she think of him?

"We went out and had a burger, it was good, we had a nice talk. She's a sweet girl. That was all," he said.

Katie slapped his chest. "Liar! I heard this morning that your car was spotted on Wolf Creek!"

He blushed and looked away. "Well you know how that goes..."

"No, I don't," she said, "I never go on dates. And neither did you. So tell me what goes on there."

"We kissed," Josh admitted.

"Yeah, at noon I heard that Liz was saying that nerdboy was a surprisingly good kisser. You might have more dates in the future." Katie was looking him intently with her green eyes. Her face was close to his. He felt tension rising between them, but he looked away. Katie sighed softly.

"What else happened?" she asked, "you didn't just kiss, did you?"

He turned back to her. "I ... I ... we made out a bit"

"Yeah and?" she whispered. He could feel her hot breath on his face.

He squirmed on the seat next to her. Sweat started to break out in his neck. Their faces were close now like two conspirators discussing a secret plan.

"I got to feel around a bit," he hesitated for a moment, "like under her clothes and stuff"

She almost looked impressed. "And ... did she touch you?" Katie laid her hand on his thigh while her green eyes were looking straight at his.

"Katie you can't tell this to anyone, ok?"

There was a worried look on her face as she bit her lip, but she nodded.

"She gave me a blowjob."

"That's disgusting!" Katie shouted as she flew up from the couch.

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" she yelled. "You're such a pig, going on a first date with a girl and getting a blowjob. No wonder you wanted to go out with the school tramp! You boys are all the same!"

Josh felt anger rising inside him. "It's not like that!" he said, getting on his feet, "she's not a tramp and I didn't date her for ... My god, Katie are you crying?"

He grabbed her shoulder and looked at her, she avoided his gaze, but tears ran down her face. She hugged him tight, her head resting on his shoulder while he gently petted her back. She was sobbing a little bit while they were just standing there holding each other. He became aware of the heat of her body against his, her smallish breasts pressed against his chest. His petting slowly became caressing in long slow motions across her back. His other hand found the back of her head and gently rubbed through her hair, trying to sooth her.

He knew he had been in love with her for a while, but he had always wondered if it was mutual, never being sure of her signals and not wanting to risk their friendship. But her reaction now seemed to indicate she had at least some feelings. He felt her head pulling back from his shoulders, he looked at her face, her eyes a little red from the tears. Nothing was said as their lips touched. Hesitant at first, but then their kisses grew more passionate. Standing there for what seemed like ages, the world around them was gone. Hands were gently exploring each other's bodies, crossing the boundary from friendly caresses to a lover's touch.

"Josh," she whispered, her eyes still watery.

"I know," he answered, looking deep in her eyes while he held her head in both hands.

Slowly they sat down on the couch, never losing sight of each other. He couldn't believe his luck. He had dreamed about her, about her body so often. As they sank into another hot kiss, he remembered what Liz had told him about girls wanting a boy to go for what he wanted. He became bolder and let his hands massage her butt through her jeans. Since she seemed to kiss him harder as a result, he went on with new confidence. His hands were roaming over her shirt, now and then brushing her tits and caressing her naked arms and neck. He could feel his excitement grow.

He slid his hand under her shirt. She seemed a little surprised by that but didn't stop him. His fingers explored her warm skin until he touched the underside of her bra. He started tracing circles over the delicate fabric, while she panted between their kisses. But when a finger slipped under her bra-cup he suddenly felt a hand on his arm. He looked at her.

"You're going quite fast there," Katie said.

"You got me so excited, you're just too sexy."

It was a cheesy line, but she smiled.

"It's not like my boobs can compare to Liz's anyway," Katie pouted.

"No, yours are way hotter," he whispered, before kissing her neck.

"Liar!" she giggled.

He kept kissing her neck and she purred happily. The feeling of her delicate hands sliding over his back and wandering to his butt made his spine tingle. His fingers had resumed caressing her breast over her bra. She backed away a bit with his hand still under her shirt. She reached around her back and fumbled a bit; he could feel the bra coming loose. She blushed as she removed it through an armhole. Assuming it was her way of saying boobs were no longer off limits, he renewed his attentions, but this time on the satin skin of her breasts.

"They feel fantastic," he murmured.

Katie's face flushed while he felt around. He took his hand from her shirt to wet his fingers with his spit. With the added lubrication he started gently tweaking and rubbing her nipples, making her moan a little. His other hand drifted down, caressing her thighs and prodding her legs apart so he could inch closer to her womanhood. As he was massaging higher and higher up her thigh her leg started trembling. When he finally cupped her womanhood through her pants, he could feel the heat radiating. She panted as he kneaded her crotch while her body was twisting in his arms.

"Oh my god Josh! What are you doing to me?" Katie gasped.

Josh laid her down across the length of the couch and crawled on top of her. He was wondering if it would finally happen, if tonight he was gonna lose his virginity. His crotch was now lying on hers, and she must have been feeling his hardness through his pants. Instinctively he started rocking his hips, shoving his erection along her womanhood. She started moaning heavily.

"Josh, if you don't stop that we're gonna do something stupid."

"Is it stupid?" he moaned in reply.

She shoved him aside and jumped from the couch.

"Josh, I really like you, but I don't know if I'm ready for this. I've known you for so long and I trust you. I really, really want to do this, and maybe with you. But not now and not like this. Not on an old stained couch in a schoolroom."