All persons depicted in this story were 18 years or older at the time of the events.
* * *
I first saw her in 12th grade. I was 18, new to town, and didn't know anyone. It was the first day of school, and I needed to catch my bus for the first time.
My parents told me which intersection and gave me a bus number. When I got there, there was a group of teens, so I joined them. After a while, a second group of teens formed across the street. Great, I thought. My first day and I'm already confused about where to go.
Sure enough, a bus arrived and picked up everyone on my corner except me. I stood there, desperate to not look ridiculous, wondering if the other group were from my school. I was too nervous to walk over, too nervous to ask. Too nervous to make a bad first impression. Yet making one anyway by standing there all by myself.
Then I saw her. She was 5'4. Petite. A smile that would have stopped me in my tracks if I wasn't already standing still. Shoulder-length brown hair, tied up in a pony tail.
In short, she was the textbook definition of the girl next door. Absolutely stunning, yet not trying to show off in any way. She wore simple jeans and a hoodie. She carried her backpack on both shoulders. She looked like she'd never experience a day of doubt or low confidence in her life.
I loved her instantly.
"Hi, are you waiting for the bus to go to St. Jude's?"
I could see a hint of the shape of her small breasts under her sweater. They looked perfect.
"Yes," I said. "It's my first day."
She smiled. I tried to smile back, but only managed an awkward grimace.
"I figured! I'm Julia," she said with her hand extended.
"I'm Tommy." I shook her hand lightly, hoping she wouldn't notice how sweaty my palms were.
"Our bus should be here soon. It stops over there."
Julia walked me over to the other side and introduced me to the others. I couldn't tell you any of their names, or how many there were, or if any of the girls were pretty. In fact, I can't remember anything else from that day other than Julia herself.
It was probably a long, lonely, and stressful day.
Much to my surprise and delight, we struck up a friendship.
Every day that I got to ride with Julia to school was a good day. Any day she didn't make the bus was a bad day.
I should mention at this point that Julia was the first girl I fell in love with. Sure, I'd liked other girls before. But nothing like this. To my teen brain, the gods had conspired to bring us together that day.
At the end of that first day, I walked off the bus and discovered Julia and I were walking the same way. In fact, she seemed to be walking me home.
It turned out that she lived across the street. She was my actual girl next door. Can you blame my hormone-addled mind for thinking this was fate?
I would later learn just how wrong I was.
* * *
My first clue should have been the fact that she already had a boyfriend. His name was Luke. I hated Luke. I hated him before I knew he was Julia's man. He was just that cocky kind of guy with an imminently punchable face. (You know the type.)
It took me weeks to figure out that she was already spoken for. We were walking and riding to and from school, and this Luke hadn't even come up in conversation for weeks. How important could he be?
Julia didn't strike me as someone who was interested in the dumbest piece of meat you could find, yet here we were. My delightful, adorable, and brilliant girl-next-door was dating a beautiful moron.
Still, it was just a young romance. Those never last, so I figured I had a good chance.
We quickly became the very best of friends. We talked about everything. We talked late into the night on the phone. Sometimes we would sit by our front windows while talking on the phone, so that we could see each other across the street.
There weren't enough hours in the day for her to also be talking to Luke even half as much as she was talking to me. I figured it was only a matter of time before they broke up and she would see that I was as perfect for her as she was for me.
* * *
One Friday night, Jules (as I'd come to call her) was having some people over for a small party. When I got there, I walked in on a conversation that I can still remember to this day.
Jules was talking to our other neighbour, Liette. Liette was cute. I probably would have found her hot if I wasn't so head-over-heels for Julia.
"You can do that?," Jules asked her.
I remember the smile on Liette's face. It was pride.
"I can take the whole thing."
"You don't gag?"
"Nope."
"Is he small or something?"
Liette burst out laughing.
"Hardly. Even with two fists, his cock sticks out enough to add a third hand to it too."
Jules jaw dropped. "I need to see it."
Liette laughed some more as she pulled out her phone. She showed Jules something on her screen.
"Fuck," Jules said with a grin. "You're such a bitch! He's huge. And girthy. Oh my god. I hate you."
They didn't seem to have noticed I'd walked in yet, so I coughed a bit.
"Uh, hey guys," I said. "How's it going?"
Julia looked at me with her eyes popped open wide. "Oh, hey Thomas! You made it!"
She was the only person who ever called me Thomas. The only person I allowed to call me that. I don't know why, but I got chills every time she would.
"What's happening?"
"Liette was just showing me something cool," Jules said.
Liette looked over at me. "Hey Tommy." I waved back.
I sat down next to Jules on the couch. She was wearing these cute booty shorts and a tank top, and somehow still looked perfectly innocent.
Fucking Hell, I loved this girl.
Anyway, the rest of that night was uneventful, but I kept thinking about the conversation I walked in on. Three hands? Liette's boyfriend's dick was that big, and Jules liked it?
I certainly wasn't THAT big. But, at the time I figured dick size couldn't be all that important to someone like Jules. And besides, it's not like I was tiny, right? I just wasn't some horse-hung freak like Liette's dude.
Nothing to be worried about. Nope. Nothing at all.
* * *
A few months later, Jules and Luke broke up. I knew they would. This was my time to shine!
But I didn't want to be a creep and make any moves too soon. She deserved to have some time to process her feelings and start dating again whenever she felt ready.
Instead, I did what I always did: I was there for her. I listened. We talked for hours and hours.
A couple days later, my parents were out of town. I thought this would be the perfect time. I'd invite her and some other people over for a chill night, find the right time, and let her know how I felt. I figured I'd be totally non-threatening about it. More confessional, letting her know I had no expectations about her reciprocating the feelings. The last thing I wanted to so was risk our friendship.
That was the plan.