"Hey Gimpy! Get outta the way!" came the shout, a moment too late of course and the stampeding herd of jubilant seniors crashed into me and shoved me into the lockers lining the hall. I struggled to remain upright as the buffeting continued. Yells, cheers and shouts bounced off the walls to add to the din and confusion. Someone threw an armload of papers into the air and others joined in. I managed to reach a gap by a janitor's closet and waited for the madness to pass. After what seemed an eternity it finally did. It was the last day of school and graduation was two days away. Two weeks ago I had celebrated my Eighteenth birthday. For a while there I wasn't sure I was going to see it.
My name is Charles but only my Dad ever called me that. I never knew my Mom, you see, she died when I was three. Dad raised me without any help, and did a pretty good job too. Then on my twelfth birthday, on our way home after a party at the Perfect Pizza Palace and Arcade, we were hit by a speeding car. The dipshit teenager was only fifteen himself and had stolen the car and taken his friends for a joyride. Dad died and I was in a coma for two weeks. I had a whole summer of rehab just to learn to walk again. When I was released my maternal Grandmother was granted custody. She moved me in with her halfway across the state. I have been fighting battle after battle after battle ever since.
The first was the battle just to stay alive. Then there was the battle to walk. First with a walker and then crutches and canes. Next was the battle to wipe my own ass. Yeah, there was no way I was gonna let somebody else do that. Then there was the battle to get up and get dressed without assistance. Then the battle to return to school and of course the battle to survive without the sports I had so loved. Oh and let's not forget the big battle to remain sane and not suicidal after my whole world had fallen apart.
"Hiya Chuck!" The voice was light, happy, even kind of musical and my mood brightened with it. "Hey buddy, howya doin'?"
"Oh just fine now that the migrating wildebeest have moved on." I quipped. Kate was one of the few who would get the joke and appreciate the comparison.
Nineteen year old Kate Bell was also a senior and my best friend. At only five foot tall, stocky and sporting a fiery red mane that reflected her temper, she had earned the nickname "fireplug". You might not think we would have much in common but we were both handicapped and had found ourselves in many classes together and we just sort of clicked. Now four years later we were set to graduate.
Kate laughed at my lame joke and we wandered down the empty hall together... slowly. Yeah I'm doing much better and now only need one ugly aluminum cane to limp along, but Kate had it worse. She still needed two. Kate had never really opened up about her disability and all I knew was that she had been in an accident too. It had set her back an entire year in school. She was in a wheelchair when we'd met but now she was "on her feet again" as she liked to put it.
As luck would have it, Kate lived in the house across the street from me. Grams picked us both up and drove us home. On the way Kate asked me to hang out for a little while and Grams dropped us off in her driveway.
As we entered the house I noticed how quiet it was.
"My folks will be late tonight," she explained. "Dad and Mom are going out with his boss celebrating some kinda big promotion or sumpthin'," She dumped her backpack on the recliner as I sat on the sofa. She came and sat with me, staring at her hands for a minute and in the silence I realized something was on her mind.
"What's up Kate?" I asked.
She looked up at me and I could see that there were tears about to fall. The only times I had ever seen Kate cry was when she was in pain.
"Chuck..." she was struggling to keep control of her voice, "are we really best friends?"
"Oh hell yeah Kate!" I answered. "Why? What's going on?"
"Well I know you are my best friend and this promotion my dad is getting is gonna make us move.." and her resolve broke down and the tears flowed. I grabbed some tissues from the coffee table and put my arms around her.
"Oh Kate!" I said hugging her. "I'll still be your best friend and maybe we can still see each other. Where will you move?"
"Tokyo!" she said bawling.
"Oh... shit... Japan..." I stammered. "But hey Tokyo is supposed to be great! And you love anime and there's gotta be all kinds of cool shit to see and do..."
"But Chuck," she cried, "I only want to be with you! Don't you see? You're not just my best friend, you're more than that! I, I, I think somewhere, somehow... I fell for you! And now it's breakin' my heart to think I'm gonna fly off without you!"
"But Kate... it's a chance to see the world!" I said.
"That don't mean shit if you're not with me Chuck!" she raised her voice, "I'm in love with you, you fuckin' idiot!" Her hands flew to her mouth in surprise and I... well I couldn't breathe. All of the air was suddenly gone from the room or maybe my lungs forgot how to work...
I was shocked... stunned. Love? How? When? Really? Love? Real love? But Kate mistook my silence for a condemnation and burst into tears. She tried to get up and I reached for her. She lost her balance and everything went into super slow motion. I could see she was falling and I lunged for her. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her to me as I twisted. I hit the floor on my back and Kate lay on top of me. We lay there stunned for a minute.
"Chuck? Are you okay?" she asked as she started to sit up.
"Don't move." I said and she froze. I stared into her hazel eyes from bare inches away. "Do you know that you have tiny flecks of green in your eyes?" I whispered, "And that they are the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen?" Kate's mouth hung open. "And why is it only now that I realize that your lips are so full and pretty and look so soft and, and , I want to kiss you... yes, yes I do."
And I did. I kissed her and she responded and our mouths began to move as we relished this first, deep intense and very exciting kiss. Kate put her hands on each side of my head and I could feel her breasts pressing into my chest and her weight on me was very pleasing and my hands began to explore her back as I held her tightly.
We lay there in the floor for probably twenty minutes kissing. Finally we managed to get up and get back onto the sofa. As Kate leaned back onto the cushions she pulled me to her and we continued kissing. Then she took my hand and placed it on her breast. I don't know what surprised me more, her move or the realization that she had more than a handful! Why was that not something I'd noticed?
"Wow, that's big..." I said and then realized I had said it out loud. I guess because she always wore baggy clothes I never noticed. What else don't I know?
Kate grinned. "Would you like to see them Chuck? I've never shown anybody, but I'll show them to you."
Kate tugged at her t-shirt. I sat up and watched as she pulled it off and dropped it on the floor. Kate was surprisingly busty. She was wearing a very nice bra of a bright electric blue with a very shiny finish and her tits were really straining the cups. I slowly reached out and touched the flesh where it rose above the fabric. Kate smiled and I could see that she was really proud of her tits, or maybe just the effect they were having on me.
