The Other Side of the Fence

Note: All individuals involved in sexual situations in this story are at least 18 years of age. This story contains the themes of cheating and lesbian activities so if such things offend you, you may want to move on.

Please note this is mainly a romance and is a slow build. If you're looking for sex every page this isn't your kind of story. There is ample sex included in later chapters.

Many thanks go out to Candace who spent many an hour wading through my horrid English grammar skills trying to make sense of things.

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My name is Cadence Austin. I am the youngest of three girls raised in a small southern town. Ours was an extremely conservative Christian home. My sisters and I lived under strict conditions as far as concepts like boys, dating, and drinking were concerned and God forbid the subjects of drugs or homosexuality ever came up.

There was to be no private contact or phone calls with boys and we weren't allowed to date until we were sixteen. And that would only happen after my parents met the young man and vetted him for character flaws that would disqualify from dating their daughter. It sounds like they were caring people. In truth though they were just small minded bigots.

As far as alcohol, drugs, and sex of any kind were concerned, we could either abstain or find another place to live.

We were seldom allowed to spend the night away from home. Those rare occasions only happened with church friends whose families held similar beliefs.

Both my parents worked outside the home for the state. When I was younger that left my eldest sister Sara, who was ten years older than me, in charge of caring for us younger girls. During our summers we weren't allowed to leave the house while they were at work. Without creative outlets that could make for a very boring summer.

By the time I started having crushes, my sister Sara had already been kicked out of our home. At the age of 19, late during her freshman year, she'd gotten pregnant by a boy she'd secretly been spending time with at the local college. The condemnation brought down on her by my parents was of biblical proportions. When she chose to have the pregnancy terminated she was promptly disowned. Apparently, the love and forgiveness taught by the Jesus they knew, wasn't meant to be extended to scared teenage girls who'd made a mistake.

My sister Ann, seemed unconcerned with Sara's plight. It crushed and terrified me though. Ann had always been jealous of Sara's role as her caretaker when my parents weren't home. As a consequence, the two were never very close and she was more than willing to back my parent's decision.

I, on the other hand, cried myself to sleep for the first several months she was gone. She'd been as much a mother to me, if not more so than my Mom ever had. It was she who had cared for me daily since I was about three years old. It was her and not my mom that I always went to if I was hurt or upset. With no way to contact her, it was as if she had died. That was hard on my not quite ten-year-old self.

I was scared because as I said, I was at that age where I was beginning to develop crushes. At that time, they had all been on girls. Yes, at that age crushes are often simple things. Mine, left me feeling confused because I'd always been taught it was wrong to have those feelings with someone of the same gender. I was fairly certain my parents would have rather raised a serial killer than have one of their kids turn out to be gay.

By the time I turned eighteen I had been dating the same boy since my sophomore year. For me he was that rarest of all creatures, a unicorn. A boy I actually found myself attracted to. He was a couple of years older than myself and a year ahead of me in school. Fortunately for me, he also attended my church. He came from a fairly wealthy Christian family and was able to pass my parent's interrogation without wilting under it. Now I knew he wasn't the perfect angel his or my parents thought he was. He was just intelligent enough to go about doing the things he did without any grownups ever finding out about them.

He was a very handsome guy with fairly long brown hair who by the time we started dating had already reached over six foot two and was a lean but muscular 205 pounds. At first, I didn't care for him despite my physical attraction. He was considered by people I attended school with to be a very intimidating guy. I'd heard stories about fights he'd gotten into where he'd badly thrashed the other combatant. That included several boys that were older than him. I didn't care for people like that so I spent very little time getting to know him.

That all changed my sophomore year when I became best friends with a new girl named Karla. At some point, she started dating Dan's best friend Alan. That led to the two of us spending more time together. As a result, I got to know him better and over time discovered he wasn't the bully I thought he might be. Yes, he'd been in several fights during his high school career. What I quickly discovered though was that he didn't seek any of them out. In one case he'd stepped in to prevent a couple of older guys from taking advantage of a drunk girl at a high school party. While one of the potential rapists knew better than to make an issue of it with Dan, the other wasn't that smart. He'd lost four teeth and gained two blackened eyes, a broken nose, and bruised ribs as a result.

In another fight his freshman year, he took on a guy from the junior class who'd been bullying Alan and refused to stop when Dan had asked him to. Instead, the guy, who was several inches taller and about forty pounds bigger than Alan, had sucker punch him a few days later. Dan had waited till later that weekend and beaten the guy to a pulp in response. The bully had been forced to have implants done to replace quite a few of his front teeth along with other assorted injuries. The losing teeth thing, as I was later to discover, was a recurring threat with my boyfriend when he was mad.

As I got to know him I discovered he was a confident, intelligent, sweet and compassionate guy. It also didn't hurt that he was pretty damn hot, for a guy that is.

As for me, a month past my eighteenth birthday I could still pass for a twelve-year-old in some aspects. I was only right at five feet tall and just a shade under a hundred pounds. My frame was very slight. I was small and athletic enough that the cheerleading coach in high school encouraged me to come out for the squad. She wanted me to be the girl at the top of the pyramid or the one thrown high in the air. Of course despite my wanting to do it my parents quickly put an end to my hopes by telling me that it wasn't acceptable behavior for their daughter.

The only thing that prevented me from looking completely like a twelve-year-old was my 34B breasts. While small by most standards they still managed to look bigger on my petite frame. My wavy, dirty blonde hair ended just below my shoulder blades. I kept the front long enough that it could be tucked behind my ears to keep it out of my eyes. I had what had been described to me as beautiful emerald green eyes. The rest of my features were as dainty as the rest of me except a plump, pouty bottom lip. My mother always swore that came about because of an addiction to my pacifier when I was a toddler.

We dated exclusively for twenty-one months leading up to the summer before my senior year. Over that time we'd become very close. If we weren't together in person we were talking on the phone. We were darn near inseparable. He was remarkably patient with me considering my desire to wait until college to have sex. He never complained and other than a lot of kissing, we never went any further.

Life was really good, and then I had to go and screw things up.

A couple of my female friends started giving me a hard time about having only dated one guy. They told me how I needed to get out there and see what else was available. They said I needed to date other men so I could learn what it is I want out of a guy. They made it all sound so good and explained how it was only common sense. Over time their constant hounding on the subject had me considering it.

It never even entered my mind that one of them might have had selfish motives for suggesting the idea.

Despite how much I cared for Dan and how good he treated me, I started to wonder if perhaps I shouldn't hit the pause button and take a step back. I had just turned eighteen and was getting ready to start my senior year. Dan had already graduated but planned to take a year off before starting college to work and save some money. So it wasn't like I would be seeing him as much anyway. In a little more than a year, I would be going to college. I thought maybe I owed it to myself to see what my other options were out there.

Of course I also still had hopes of one day being able to finally experience the other side of my sexuality. My attraction to women hadn't gone away. If anything it had gotten stronger as the girls around me matured and their bodies developed and filled out. Shower time after gym could be damn near torturous. It was all I could do at times to not get caught staring at some of the cheerleaders. There was this one girl who intrigued me. She was fairly tall for her age with a somewhat androgynous look. She was still feminine in the ways that mattered with a very sexy and toned athletic body. She was the first girl I'd ever encountered with somewhat defined muscularity in both her arms and stomach. The sight of her naked body in the shower would leave my pussy soaked and throbbing. Added to her sexy body and good looks was the fact that she was one of the few lesbians I went to high school with, that was out. That served to make her all the more a temptation.

Sex with a woman was an itch that I hoped to finally be able to scratch once I got to college. Unlike my sisters, I had no interest in going to the local school and living at home. I'd worked hard to get excellent grades towards earning a full academic scholarship to a state school. It was located a little more than three hours away from my hometown. I wanted to have my freedom and live on campus far away from my parents interference in my life.

Dan took me on a date in April to watch the sunset out at his parent's cabin. Sitting there on the deck just off the cabin's kitchen he told me that he loved me for the first time. Hearing him say those words made my heart leap but also made me panic. I couldn't be in love, could I? I was just a month past turning eighteen, I wasn't even sure I knew what love was or what it felt like. I had too much I was looking forward to experiencing before love would matter to me, right? So I just gave him a passionate kiss in response then mentioned how badly I needed to get home. When we pulled up in front of my house I quickly kissed him goodbye and ran inside.

I said goodnight to my parents and retreated to my room in a panic. I sat on my bed and picked up my pillow holding it to my chest while thinking about the things my female friends had said. I finally decided what I had to do.

I called him on the phone and broke up with him. It left him totally at a loss for words.

After a long pause, all he could get out was, "But why Cadence? I love you."

I explained to him I felt like I needed to be able to date other people to be sure of what I wanted in a mate. I told him it didn't mean we wouldn't end up together and I meant it. Just that if we did it would be because I knew for sure that he was the one. By the end of the call, it was obvious how devastated he was. I could hear the anguish in his voice as he told me to take care of myself and said goodbye. At the time I didn't realize how much he meant those last words.

Then, even though I was the one who had just broken his heart, I broke down and cried. I really couldn't figure out why, but it still didn't stop me from doing it; I cried for so long and hard I'm surprised I wasn't dehydrated. After a while, I exhausted myself and went to sleep.

I had the most unsettling dream that night. In it, I was several years older and alone with no romantic involvement in my life. At some point, I encountered a more mature and devastatingly handsome Dan at a party. I discovered he was happily married to a beautiful woman. It was so surreal seeing him with her and it only made me feel all that much more lonely. Towards the end of the dream, I found myself standing there talking to him and wondering, what if? He seemed to sense my longing and told me that it could have and maybe should have been me he was building a life with. I'd cast him aside though to go chase mirages. I remember waking up in tears.

The next morning after getting myself ready for Sunday morning services I informed my Mom that I'd need to ride with them to church.

"Why is that Cadence?" she asked, "Is Dan sick?"

Unable to look her in the eye because I knew how much my parents liked Dan, I just stared at the floor and said, "We broke up."

"What happened?" asked my Mom as she sat down next to me placing her arm around me and pulling me into her tightly.

Despite my trying to hold them back, tears began to fall down my cheeks.

"I don't feel like talking about it Mom, please!" I stammered.

She tilted her head down and kissed my forehead. "Cadence, if you're meant to be together things will work themselves out in time no matter the reason for the breakup."

It was one of the few pieces of advice she'd ever given me that I took to heart and still remembered fondly years later.

I reasoned to myself that maybe she was right. Perhaps my breaking up with him right after he told me he loved me didn't make me a horrible person. I mean, maybe I could have my cake and eat it too.

My Mom told me to go touch up my makeup and went to check on my Dad.

By the time my Mother and Father had returned it was obvious from the look on his face that my Mother had made him aware of the breakup. He didn't mention it though instead simply saying, "You ready Kitten?"

I didn't look at him I just shook my head yes. On the ride to the church, I became anxious at the thought of seeing Dan. I also wondered if he would tell anyone how I was the one that had broken up with him. I hadn't lied to my mother but I knew they would be upset if they discovered I was the one who'd dumped him. Dan could do no wrong in their eyes and the thought of how disappointed they'd be in me was crushing. I hated feeling I'd let them down despite what I felt were their obvious shortcomings.

That never happened though as only Dan's mother made it to the service. An attractive blonde who always looked well put together, she instead looked less than her usual pristine self. I noticed she even had a run in her right stocking.

Wanting to avoid her I told my father I was going to head to the lady's room before going in for the service.

"Try not to be too long," was his simple reply.

I looked for Dan during the sermon but never spotted him figuring perhaps he'd stayed home to avoid me. After the service was over I headed directly to our car as fast as I could. When my parents finally got into the car I was sitting quietly, my forehead leaning against the glass of the rear passenger side window.

That's when my Mom turned in her seat and said, "Dan's gone Cadence."

Quickly turning my head and giving her a confused look I said, "What do you mean he's gone, Mom?"

"Audrey said he came home from his date last night and told her you'd broken up but wouldn't say what happened. He then told her he thought it would be for the best if he went and stayed with his Uncle Cameron over in Taylorsville and got a job there. He said he didn't think it was a good idea for him to be around right now. She said they tried to talk him out of it but he insisted if he didn't go to Cam's he was afraid of what he might do if he had to see you with another guy."

I felt numb. Taylorsville was almost an hour's ride away. No, he hadn't reported what I'd done but he was gone. Now his saying goodbye took on a whole new meaning. What if he didn't come back before heading off to college? Worse yet, what if he decided to attend an entirely different University.? I knew he'd been accepted at several. What if I never got the chance to see him again?

"You need to tell us what happened honey," said my mother, "that way maybe we can help you fix it."

I started to tell her no then thought better of it. Instead, I did the second most cowardly thing I'd done in the last 24 hours, I lied intimating that maybe the blame was with Dan.

"It's not my story to tell Mom. If Dan wants it kept quiet I'm going to honor that."

I watched my mother turn back towards the front seat and heard her sigh deeply as her shoulders slumped. I met my Dad's eyes in the rearview mirror. As yet he hadn't said a word, but I could feel that he wasn't buying my story. I held my breath waiting on him to call me on it. In the end, it seemed for whatever reason he thought better of it. Instead, he just started the car, put it in gear. and drove us home.

For the rest of April, we heard nothing from Dan and very little about him. I was too ashamed and embarrassed to ask his Mom about him. She and my Mom did talk though and Audrey said he refused to discuss me or the breakup. He had even hung up on her when she pressed him on the matter. As a result, she stopped bringing the subject up.

Not that I spent a great deal of time thinking about it but once word of our breakup got around the school, quite a few boys started showing interest in me. One guy, in particular, piqued my interest. His name was Aaron and he was the starting running back on our school team. He was just over six feet tall with blond hair and a muscular physique. He wasn't however what my parents would consider boyfriend material. I knew they'd never agree to let me see him.

Despite him being an good looking guy, I really wasn't attracted to him. But after I'd hurt Dan and made myself miserable I felt I had to date someone.

My friend Karla had been attending church with me for close to two years by then so I asked my parents if I'd be able to spend the night with her. After some discussion, they said it would be okay. I quickly ran to my room and shut the door behind me to ensure I had privacy. I then called Karla and explained what I wanted to do. I would stay the night with her on the night of the date. We'd tell our parents we were going to a movie and I would have Aaron pick me up from there.

Monday morning at school I told Aaron I'd love to go out with him. I told him I'd meet him in town at the movie theater on Friday night and we could go wherever it was he planned to take me from there.

As Friday approached I surprisingly thought a tad bit less about Dan and did become somewhat excited about my date with Aaron. Though I suspected he might not measure up to what I'd had, it would at least give me something to compare to Dan.

However, on Thursday morning before homeroom Aaron approached me looking somewhat pensive. He grabbed my hand and pulled me away from my friends to a quieter spot.

I asked, "Is something wrong Aaron?"

He looked over each of my shoulders then rolled his eyes towards the ceiling refusing to look me.

"I have to cancel our date. My Dad's making me work in our store on Friday and Saturday night."

His news left me feeling ambivalent. It both relieved and disappointed me.

"That's okay Aaron. We can reschedule it for the following Friday, right?"

Aaron let go of my hand and stuck his hands in his pockets. Looking at the floor he shook his head no, "I'm afraid not Cadence. I've already made plans with someone else."

It was only then that he looked me in the eye. He chewed on his bottom lip as if unsure of my reaction.