Buck's stereo alarm clock cranked out Duran Duran's "View to a Kill" sharply at 7 a.m.
The young man could hardly keep his eyes open.
Trudging his way to school, he soon saw his best friend, also appearing overly fatigued.
"How much sleep did you get?" Buck asked.
He didn't need to hear the answer. Instead, Buck just looked at his bud, pillow-case-sized bags hanging under his eyes.
"Was watching 'Moonlighting' as I tried to study," Dylan muttered. "just kept thinking about Ms. K's big ass..."
"Lucky you. For some reason, I couldn't stop thinking about that dude's massive third leg," Buck mused. "Thing looked like the frickin radiator on my bro's '78 Nova..."
Dylan tried to find amusement with his analogy, just to lighten the mood. But it was difficult.
"Well, whatever the case, we're in deep shit," he had to accept.
"You got that right," Buck fired back.
"It serves us right, I guess," he further contemplated.
"What do you mean?" the friend questioned.
"For trying to steal the test," Buck explained.
Funny, the prospect of stealing the test seemed like a distant memory given what the two opportunistic, 18-year-old men wound up seeing, and experiencing.
"Thing is," Buck went on. "I don't know if what we went through was a punishment...or a reward..."
***********
It was 'Field Day' at Silver Lake High, the time every kid in school was decked out in either maroon or gold, depending on which side they played for. The two teams would battle each other in a whole variety of games and activities on the various athletic fields. The final score would be given at afternoon's end, causing an eruption of cheers from the winning side.
The teachers were also casual, including Ms. K, who sported a snug pair of maroon, satin jogging shorts that showed off her legs, the same legs that haunted Dylan and Buck the past few days.
The atmosphere in the room that day - shortly before the activities began - was loose and easy. But just as the students raced outside to begin their various activities, Dylan and Buck were requested to stay behind.
Ms. K asked the two to have a seat in the front, in the pair of seats closest to her. She sat on her desk, legs crossed sexily, unavoidably putting her wonderful, thick thighs on display.
"Guys," she began abruptly. "What the heck happened?"
She used the word 'heck' so firmly, suggesting she'd rather use a harsher term but she remained discreet.
Dylan and Buck were silent.
"What on Earth has gotten into you two?" she pressed further.
Dylan gulped, nervously. Anxiety raced through Buck's worried mind as well.
"Your test scores!?" she finally belted out.
The two country boys were somewhat relieved. Panic-stricken, they thought maybe Ms. K had somehow, some way, discovered they were in her closet days earlier.
"Dylan, a 43?! Buck, you were even worse. A 36!?" she went on, both shocked and disappointed.
"Gentlemen, this is unacceptable."
"We're so sorry, Ms. K," Buck pleaded, a hint of submission detectable in his voice.
"Sorry doesn't cover it, mister," she fired back.
"Did you two go to the Deep Purple concert? I know a lot of students did," she wondered, neither condemning nor condoning the premise, just offering it as a possible reason for the lapse in their studies.
"Uh, no..." Dylan managed.
"We just...had a lot on our mind," Buck chimed in.
"I guess so," she said, a slight tickle of amusement in her voice.
She sighed.
"You know I can't give you a passing grade after this, right?" she said.
They both nodded.
"So...what I've come up with," she suggested, uncrossing and crossing her legs again, hardly aware the stir she was causing in both Dylan and Buck's shorts - Dylan had maroon ones, gold for Buck.
"You will not only take the test again, and PASS," she persisted, "but also do a small three-to-five page essay on a random topic. The topic is hardly important. It'll be more of an exercise in showing you can properly research a subject and do an adequate, concise report."
"Yes, mam," Dylan replied dutifully.
Ms. K fluttered her lips.
"Pffffwww. Well...lemme see. How 'bout you just pick one of these," she suggested, holding up a stack of various cards depicting animals and plants native to Kansas.
Buck picked first.
"Black Walnut," he said, speaking of the Black Walnut tree, that is.
"Perfect," she gushed. "A little bit of a nature report there for ya..."
"And Dylan, you next, good, sir," she followed up.
He picked a good one.
"Ah, the Gophersnake," Ms. K announced upon seeing his card.
"Largest snake in Kansas..." she said innocently.
Given the events of a few days earlier, Dylan and Buck couldn't help but think of something else.
"They can grow up to 88 inches and weigh up to EIGHT pounds," she said with both fascination and amusement, not purposely trying to give Dylan a head start on his project but rather just displaying her enthusiasm for all things Kansas.
"Eighty eight inches. I believe it," Dylan remarked, again his mind drifting back to the things he and Buck saw from Ms. K's cramped closet.
"What is that, hon?" she asked lightly.
"Oh, nothing, Ms. K. Sorry," he said.
"So...," she said, rising from the desk. "I expect you boys to retake the test on Monday, have your reports in by Tuesday. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Ms. K," they said in unison.
***********
It was a gorgeous afternoon in Silver Lake, hardly the time to be stuck in the library.
"Check this out, check this out," Dylan said as he combed through material on his chosen subject.
"This thing eats rabbits, ground squirrels, birds and bird eggs," he laughed.
After giving it some thought...
"Dude, you think that guy has to feed his dork?" he joked.
"I don't wanna think about it," Buck replied.
"Did you or did you not get a stiffy with her laying down the law like that?" he had to ask.
"Dude, you're nuts," Dylan said.
"I'm just glad this happened LATE in the year," he reasoned.
***********
They passed their tests, handed their projects in as planned.
They had to admit to each other, it was an enjoyable process, simply getting to spend more time with Ms. K, albeit a few minutes after class.
"Dylan, Buck, stay after?" she requested again one day.
"Yes, mam," they said in unison.
"What up, Ms. K," Buck said slickly.
"Your projects. They were..." she began, reaching for them in a pile of reports.
"Excellent," she gushed.
"They were good, really good actually," she insisted.
"So, given your efforts, this should pull both of your grades up to a respectable C," she declared.
"Thank you, Ms. K," they whooped.
"I trust I'll see you both at graduation," she figured.
"Yes, Mam," they insisted, as they could hear the sound of school-bus engines rumbling through the parking lot.
"Well, good work, fellas," she said.
"Thank you, Goddess - uh, I mean, Ms. K," Buck said, catching his own verbal slip-up just in time.
The teacher gave him a surprised look then simply laughed it off.
"Well, boys, if you don't mind. I have papers to grade," she informed them, returning to her desk.
The young men reluctantly exited the room.
"You are such an ass," Dylan scolded his friend.
"I can't keep my mind off that day," he admitted.
***********
His heart racing, Buck snuck back into the closet.
He was surprised to see someone else beat him to it. It was Dylan.
He gasped.
"What are you doing here?!" he asked, shocked.
"What are YOU doing here?!" his best friend countered.
They had, in essence, returned to the scene of the crime. They had gotten away with their casual spying the first time. Now, much like the game show, they were pressing their luck, hoping a whammy wasn't waiting around the corner.
"Aw, dude, we're both addicts," Buck admitted.
"I had to see her again," Dylan confessed. "Her sexy, bossy demeanor...that big ass..."
"What is wrong with us?" Buck asked rhetorically.
They could hear the doorbell ring off in the distance.
The front door to the house whooshed open and the rooms were soon filled with giddy chatter.
"Trish, you were right about the salmon," Darla told her dear friend.
"That's Trish, dude," Buck raved.
"Yeah, I figured that out, Sherlock," Dylan laughed.
They were surprised to see Trish. They were even more surprised to see Trish was twice Darla's age, yet sexy as all get-out.
"Jesus, dude, she's like a sexy grandma," Buck marveled, whispering to his friend.
The slender blonde bounced energetically around the room before sliding down onto the sofa. She had a petite frame yet - much to Buck's delight - sported a rather large rack.
Plus...
"She's got a Quiet Riot shirt on, dude," Buck pointed out. "How cool is this chick?!"
"So...where is our three-legged friend?" Trish boldly announced.
"Ohf," Darla laughed, having to compose herself before she began. "I believe he's sleeping."
"Well go wake him up," Trish countered.
Buck and Dylan remained quiet at this point, their attention focused on the theatrics that were about to unfold.
They heard the footsteps coming up out of the basement, growing louder as they drew nearer.
It was Darla, followed closely by a brawny, middle-aged man, who was completely nude. It was the same gentlemen as before.