My cousin Tessa and I are eighteen. Each summer, we spend time together at our grandparent's vacation place on the lake. It is isolated, but beautiful. Lots of woods and a long, but manageable, bike ride to town. Our grandparents are friendly, relaxed and easy to live with. We have to help with some chores, but most of the time is just having fun.
I'm thin, short and, as with many in my family, a late developer, so not fully developed. Tessa is the opposite. She has long legs, the athletic build of the swimmer she is and good sized breasts. I wore my brown hair long and in a loose ponytail. Although not as bad as many girls, I spent a lot of time trying to get it right. Tessa never had that problem. Much to the dismay of her parents, she kept her red hair cropped short. However, with a simple shake of her head, it seemed to fall just right and always looked both slightly tousled and sexy. To be honest, she had the body I wished to grow into. I also admired her confident manner and the quick connection she made with people.
One hot July day, we put on our bathing suits and walked through the woods from the cottage to the rope swing.
Leading the way, Tessa called back over her shoulder, "Let's race, Polly," and took off.
My name is Carol, but Tessa had called me Polly since forever. It started when she thought I acted like some character in a long forgotten childhood book she was reading. I had given up trying to get her to use my real name. In some fashion, the nickname made me feel a little special in her eyes.
Despite the fact she was bigger and stronger than me, I never conceded anything. I set off after her and kept my eyes on the fluid movement of her red bathing suit as she glided smoothly through the trees. When we reached the clearing at the swing, I had gained some ground, but was breathing hard from the effort.
Tessa was barely winded at all. "You're getting faster, Polly. If you keep developing, you'll be some real competition."
I knew there was little possibility of that. Nonetheless, I was pleased she noticed I was still growing and there was a chance I wouldn't always be her scrawny, little cousin.
We dropped our bags. Tessa kicked off her shoes, ran to the lake and plunged under the clear water in a deep, long dive. I took more time. First spreading the blanket and then sitting to remove my sneakers. I adjusted my bathing suit for comfort. Tessa wore her one piece racing suit. I had on a brown bikini with small pink polka dots and a small bow at the waist band.
After swimming for a while, we took turns on the rope swing. We both loved the giddy rush of the high release point and the long fall. Compared to my frantic flailing and awkward splash, Tessa could twist and manage a graceful entry. However, most of the time, she attempted some playful maneuver and dared me to copy it. I tried some, but was handicapped by trying to make sure my top didn't slide off on the impact with the water.
Eventually, we retreated to the shore and stretched on the grass to dry in the warm sun. I fetched the lunch we had packed. Tessa devoured her sandwich and burped proudly with a loud guffaw. I chastised her manners and picked more daintily at my sandwich.
After lunch, we lazed on the blanket and enjoyed the beautiful day doing what teenage girls do. We read magazines. Talked about music and clothes and boys. And maintained a constant, aimless and teasing banter.
We also talked about sex. Or Tessa did. I mostly listened. Although Tessa was something of a tomboy, she was very interested in and very open about all things sexual. I was personally more reticent. And, I certainly was not as knowledgeable as my cousin claimed to be. I was nonetheless fascinated by her descriptions of the male and female bodies and her lurid stories of seemingly impossible sexual positions and bizarre practices. I think Tessa saw it as a challenge to see how quickly she could make me blush. I tried to act casual, but I was far to interested to pull it off. Nonetheless, I discounted a lot of what she said. I couldn't see how my cousin could know some of the things she talked about.
After one particularly fantastic tale, I couldn't help myself. I said, "That could never happen. You are so full of crap."
Tessa looked at me in mock horror. "You're questioning me about sex, Miss Pollyanna. I think you should stick to things you know about."
