Randi and Josie first met in kindergarten, and were rarely apart from then on. Close friends often begin to resemble each other, and in their case that was not only true but amazing as they were astonishingly pretty girls. They seemed to absorb each other's most attractive qualities, both in looks and personality, until they became the most fantasized about girls in their school. Though Josie was a blonde and Randi had auburn hair, no one could deny the similarities in the way they walked, the way they dressed, even how they wore their hair. Quite the sight they made walking to the beach in their cutoff jean shorts and bikini tops, still too young to know exactly why men stared at them hungrily from their cars, and still too young to really care.
All through grade school and junior high, the girls did everything together. When Randi decided to try softball in fifth grade, Josie played center field. When Josie tried out for the junior high swim team, Randi signed up with her. Hardly a day passed without seeing each other, or at least talking to each other on the phone, usually for hours (to the great annoyance of both sets of parents).
It all changed with Greg and college.
Three years older than the girls, Greg couldn't take his eyes off them - especially Josie - when he first spotted their lovely legs walking across the lawn to the college cafeteria. Freshman weren't usually his taste, but he couldn't resist Josie's amazing oval face, almond eyes, and athletic body. She fell equally as hard for him, stunned that a senior (as well as a varsity swimmer) would give her the time of day. He sent flowers to her house, took her to the movies and for long car rides down the beach. It was with him, in his convertible MG parked one evening by the ocean, where Greg tenderly introduced Josie to the wonders of sex. Straddling him in her miniskirt as he sucked her breasts, she knew that she'd finally what she'd yearned for all her life - completely and unblemished pleasure.
None of this pleased Randi. Instead of taking the bus home with her, Josie preferred to be driven home by Greg. Ever the gentleman, he offered to take Randi home as well (pleased at the prospect of being seen with two gorgeous girls in his car) but Randi refused on general principle. She would not support Josie in this craziness. Eventually, Randi believed, Josie would see what a moron he was despite his cologne and his car and his cock, and she'd be back to hanging out with Randi again.
Josie wasn't coming to her senses anytime soon. A month passed - a month Randi spent alone on the city bus, alone on weekends, waiting impatiently for Josie's brief late night post-date phone calls. Instead of growing use to her time alone, Randi grew sadder and more lonely as she listened to Josie's explicit descriptions of her wild romps. So, when Josie offered to set her up with a friend of Greg's, Randi told herself she'd accepted to teach Josie a lesson - to show her that she wasn't the only girl on the planet who could get wrapped up in a guy, and to make her suffer the same feelings of jealousy she'd suffered. In reality, she'd agreed on the date because being with Josie in a crowd of people was better than not being with Josie at all.
The four of them - Josie and Greg, and Randi and Allen - went to Edwards and caught a movie, then ate at the pizza place next door to the theater. Halfway through dinner it became all too obvious that Randi and Allen were not getting along. Randi didn't help the situation by sulking and making sarcastic remarks, but Allen was far from sensitive. They drove to Greg's house to take advantage of his parent's absence. Allen - oblivious of Randi's dislike of him - tried to grope her as they sat alone in the living room listening to Greg and Josie make out in his bedroom. Randi slapped him, which prompted him to call her a nasty name and slam the door on his way out of the house. Now, in the cold, dimly lit living room, she felt more alone than ever, and she started to cry.
Like every other time in her life when she'd felt sad or angry, Randi went to Josie. She knocked on Greg's door. After a silence, she heard Greg's voice: "What?"
"I need to talk to Josie," Randi tried not to sob, but the tears flowed again. She heard them whisper angrily at each other, then Josie opened the door. She wore an annoyed expression, which dissolved when she saw Randi's tear-streaked cheeks.
