Rite of Passage

Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction. It involves elements of questionable consent. All characters are at the legal age of 18 or older.

*

Bridget beamed with a happy smile. Today was a good day! Her gaze was fixated on the road ahead, and she knew she would be home soon. She would even make it back a little earlier than usual. The radio was playing relaxing music, and she was tapping her fingers on the steering wheel in rhythm to the tune.

It was a late Friday afternoon, and she usually spent those in the office. However, she intentionally finished work early so that she would be able to take care of some grocery shopping. It wasn't exciting, but it was necessary - after all she knew her daughter had probably neglected doing it.

It wouldn't be the first time.

Under any other circumstance, Bridget reassured herself, she would be a stricter parent. Of course she would be. But, the past few years were already negative and stressful enough. There was no need to spread more negativity, certainly not because of something as silly as grocery shopping.

Still, she knew she would have to scold and correct her daughter

someday

. She was no longer a child. She was eighteen. Sooner or later, she had to learn how to behave like a responsible adult.

Bridget planned to do a brief stop at home, and then take care of the shopping afterwards. What she didn't expect upon her arrival, was the little surprise that was waiting for her right where she usually parked.

"And here...we...are...?" Bridget whispered to herself as she pulled into the driveway. Her eye caught an unusual sight. There was an unfamiliar car parked right there in the driveway to her house. It certainly couldn't belong to her ex-husband. He had left years ago and cut all contact. She couldn't think of anyone else who might randomly come to visit. The license plate indicated it was someone from the same city, at least.

She grabbed her purse, and stepped out of her car. This was a mystery. She couldn't help but wonder who it might be. This was such an unexpected situation that she couldn't help but feel a little thrilled and excited. Her usual daily routine was always the same. It was predictable, dull, boring. It was the simple life of a simple mother. It was rare for her to be presented with something so unexplainable, and potentially special.

The next surprise was when she found the front door to the house unlocked. She could simply open it and step inside.

They didn't live in a particularly bad neighborhood, so it wasn't a big deal, but this was still something she disliked. It's why she always told her daughter to lock the door after coming home. Pretty much anyone could randomly step into the house if the door wasn't secured.

"Gwen!" she said loudly. "I need to speak with you!"

The disgruntled mother hung up her purse and jacket, and was met by a response from the living room just around the corner.

"Mom?" her daughter's quirky voice called out from somewhere nearby. "I'm here... we are here!" she corrected herself. "Join us, come!"

Bridget recognized that tone. It was just a little more cheerful than usual. Something good must have happened, and she could only conclude it had something to do with the car outside.

The curious mother moved on, and peered into the living room. There, Bridget spotted her daughter sitting on the couch in front of the TV. She was in the arms of a stranger. Her initial assumption was that maybe Gwen was hiding a secret boyfriend, someone who she now wished to introduce. That thought left her now that she was looking at the guy. He looked to be in his thirties or forties, he was slightly overweight, and he was a mess.

If anything, he looked more like an uncle who didn't respect his niece's boundaries.

For the briefest of moments, Bridget felt a pinch of disappointment. It would have been a pleasant surprise if her daughter had found a boyfriend. The energetic teen certainly could have used something to keep her busy until her college semesters started...

Since those two seemed to be familiar with each other, though, she tried her best not to overreact. There was a bottle of soda and a bowl of potato chips on the coffee table. Apparently they were having a relaxing afternoon in front of the TV together. Perhaps he was an old teacher who came to visit? She couldn't tell. She didn't want to get angry for no reason. Even though she wasn't happy about seeing a stranger on her couch, no matter who it might be.

"I don't think we have met before," she began. "I'm Gwen's mother, and you are...?" She approached them and continued to inspect him. He didn't particularly strike her as a teacher-type. He was kind of greasy, and pudgy, and... disappointing, if she had to put it in one word. Of course she was too polite to even think of mentioning it.

"I uh..." the stranger began to speak up. His tone was deep and carried by his weight. Whatever confidence he had however, was visibly fading away by the second. She watched him stumble for words to try and explain this situation. He acted like a kid caught with a hand in the cookie jar. If Bridget had to guess, he seemed to feel guilty for being caught like this. "I'm Shawn, Shawn Johnson," he continued. "I'm... a good friend, of your daughter."

Bridget couldn't help but tilt her head in barely concealed disbelief. His façade was falling apart at the seams already. She didn't even get to ask what he was doing here, in her house, together with her daughter. She was eager to ask those questions, too.

When she glanced back at her daughter, she noticed that Gwen was clearly uneasy with the situation. It was hard to tell if she was uncomfortable being caught together with him, or if she was uncomfortable being in his presence.

Considering Gwen was usually the chatty type, Bridget presumed that her daughter was simply being cautious for the moment, and probably thinking that her mother seemed agitated - which was certainly the case. So the poor girl felt like she was already walking on thin ice. Her silence was her way of being careful with this delicate situation.

"And yeah, yes, you're right, we didn't meet yet," Shawn continued to explain. "I moved in a few weeks ago. The big yellow house, a couple blocks down, you know the one I mean? I didn't get around to meeting all the neighbors yet. It's also why I'm here, you know, just meeting interesting new people, that's all..."

If she hadn't felt alarmed before, now she certainly did. Throughout her life, she had met plenty of guys just like him. Men who were preying on girls. Some of them weren't even particularly good with words, or

suave

in any way. Just like him. Considering these two were in the living room instead of in Gwen's bedroom, she could only conclude that he didn't get far with his attempts up to now.

Bridget could scarcely even blame the guy for trying. She looked back at her daughter for a moment, and discreetly glanced at... the two shapely, large, and very convincing arguments for men to be attracted to the teenaged girl. Sometimes, it sure felt like her daughter's

chest

was more blessed than her

head

.

It was reassuring that Gwen had not been in any serious danger. This guy clearly wasn't a big threat. He might even be speaking the truth about being a new neighbor. But, that didn't matter, it was unacceptable for him to be alone with her daughter. If he was an honest person, he should've visited in the evening, and introduced himself properly to the both of them. He was clearly up to something dodgy.

She was just about to speak up and curse him out of the house, when her thoughts continued to trail off. This whole situation had felt so exciting and intense at first. Right up until she understood what was happening.

But... there was still plenty of room for excitement. This didn't necessarily have to be the end already.

The more she thought about it, the more did it also begin to feel like a potential learning experience for her daughter. Gwen had always been a little too bubbly and easygoing. This could very well become a perfect opportunity to teach her to stand up for herself, and to set boundaries. It might even make her more dependable. Yeah, this was the golden opportunity to turn her forgetful teen daughter, into a mature woman.

"Well," Bridget said. "It was nice meeting you, Shawn, but how about you come back again tomorrow?" In the corner of her vision, she noticed Gwen showing a concerned expression. "There's some things I need to talk about with my daughter, but tomorrow, I'm sure we will have time for a proper introduction! So, is that alright?"

"Yeah. Yeah! That sounds just great, I'll do that." With a nervous expression, he looked back at Gwen and untangled himself from her. When he stood up, the poor couch squeaked audibly. "I'll see you tomorrow then," he said towards Gwen. "And you too, of course," the nervous man added as he walked past the girl's mother and quietly left without a fuss.

Gwen exhaled sharply.

"Phew, you didn't scream yet, so that means I'm not in trouble, right?" the uneasy teenager joked. She stuck her tongue out playfully, and crossed her arms behind her head as she stretched and straightened herself. "I have no idea how long we were sitting there like that. Must have been a while, huh... anyway, what's up, mom? You're home early," the lively blonde pointed out.

"I mean... yes, but also, don't you have some explaining to do?"

Gwen gave it a quick thought, and then gasped at the realization.

"The door, right? I forgot locking it after inviting him in, that's my bad... but hey, at least you had no reason to worry, since Shawn was here in case someone broke into the house! So, really, it wasn't a big deal, right?"

Bridget took a second to try and follow her daughter's logic, and then decided to take it from the beginning.

"Who is Shawn?"

"You just met him, mom...duh?"

"No, I mean, who is he? How do you two know each other?"

"Well..." Gwen moved her hands onto her lap, and glanced up at the ceiling. "Well, he came over a couple times, and said he's new to the neighborhood, and that he wanted to get to know me. You know, since he doesn't know anyone else here just yet. So I was just being a good Samosa!"

"Samaritan?"

"Yes!"

Bridget frowned, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and shook her head.

It had been her idea to turn this into something like a test of mettle for her daughter, but she also misjudged just how gullible Gwen really was.

On the other hand, that just made it even more important for the girl to learn the importance of standing up for herself. Every woman, sooner or later, has to learn to say

no

. Especially when it came to strangers who wished to enter the house, and then sit on the couch together with you, and with their arm tightly wrapped around you. That's a big no-no.

She looked over to the coffee table, where she noticed the bottle of soda, and the tall glasses they were drinking from. There were multiple stains left behind on the polished wood of the table. They spilled their drinks, more than once.

"How about you clean up the mess you two made, and I will... do a little bit of research," Bridget said, her voice trailing off towards the end of her sentence.

"Alright, sure! Don't switch the channel though, I'm still watching that movie!"

"Uh-huh..."

Bridget retrieved her laptop from the hallway, and allowed curiosity to get the better of her. Since Gwen was busy, she had ample time to get comfortable on the couch and do a little background check of their new neighbor. She had no doubt that Gwen had not bothered to look up his name even once.

'Shawn Johnson'

she repeated in her head as she filled his name into a search engine, and hit enter. If he had any presence on social media, then she could easily find out what kind of person he really was.

The results were immediate.

His name came up multiple times. She looked at accusations of sexual harassment... stalking... indecent exposure... Bridget felt her heartbeat quicken. She had been in actual danger. Even worse, someone like that was alone together with her daughter? Who knows what could have happened. Their new neighbor had absolutely no respect for women. All he cared about was to objectify them.

Bridget was about to pick up the phone, and call the police... but she hesitated. She continued reading on. He was also listed as sex offender. He was particularly interested in girls that were right there on the edge, all of the girls he harassed were eighteen or nineteen years old. He must have celebrated when he found out that Gwen had just turned eighteen a few weeks prior. Especially because she barely looked the part, since physically, she could easily pass as someone in her twenties.

Gwen had all the attractive traits of a developed woman, but mentally... well, she was just like every other girl her age. Bubbly. Gullible. Very easy to take advantage of, and prone to falling in love with the wrong type of guys.

This was a nightmare. Bridget couldn't even begin to imagine the many ways this could have gone wrong. There was no way she could allow him back into the house. She couldn't risk having this scumbag casually wrap his arm around Gwen, ever again.

She glanced back at the phone.

He was really the bottom of the barrel. He was the last person she would want anywhere close to her daughter. Which... just made it even more perfect. This was the best possible rite of passage for Gwen.

It would be fine. It would be safe. Bridget knew that she would be right there with them, observing, and making sure that her daughter would never be in any

real

danger.

The next question was... how to set up the puzzle pieces, so that everything could fall in place. It needed to be challenging, but not impossible. Most importantly though, there had to be a chance, an opening, for her daughter to do the right thing. This guy was clearly a pervert, but not a very capable one, considering he didn't take advantage of Gwen when they were alone together.

It sounded difficult to pull off, but Bridget could already imagine the outcome. Her daughter would be so

very

thankful for the lesson. It was just like how birds nurture their babies, and eventually, they push the fledglings out of the nest from high above the ground, so that they learn to flap their wings and fly. Because otherwise, they would just spend the rest of their lives inside that tiny nest.

It would be scary at first, but the reward would be worth the small scare. Within a year, her daughter would look back at the experience, and she would surely say

"I've become strong and independent! And it's all thanks to my mother!"

Her imagination was abruptly cut short, by a reminder of how clumsy her daughter truly was.

"Ah! No! Oops," Gwen suddenly exclaimed as she attempted to pick up the last remaining cup, and spilled more soda across the table by accident. "Don't worry. I'll get that mess in a second, too! I'll just get this cup into the kitchen sink, unless it's dripping... ah, shoot! It's still dripping soda!"

Bridget glimpsed past her laptop towards her daughter. This might be even more difficult than she imagined...

The following day, she was ready. She had a plan that gave Gwen the opportunity to stand her ground. She also had the police on speed dial on her phone, just in case anything went wrong. If the old pervert tried anything funny, then it would take just a single call to have him arrested within minutes.

At first, it was a day like any other. Their morning routine was the same as usual, with a hearty breakfast to start their weekend together, followed by some much needed exercise outside, in the sunny weather. When they got back home and began to settle down, it was late in the afternoon already. They were standing by the kitchen counter, still out of breath, with a glass of cold water in hand.

Gwen used the opportunity to speak up and voice her concerns. She could tell her mother was bothered by something. She didn't know what that something might be. The teenager had no idea that because of her mother's plans, she would soon again be in the presence of a sex offender. Someone who feigned interest in her personality, and her interests, just to have the tiniest bit of a chance to see her naked.

"You know, mom, if you have better plans today... you know, I'm just saying. I'd totally understand if you tell Shawn it's not going to work out today," Gwen said. She drank a sip of water, and when her mother seemed to remain quiet, she continued. "I get it, you probably want to make sure he's a good guy, right? Just so you know, he's really just a friend."

Bridget listened to her daughter's reasoning, and gave it a thought. She could just drop the charade and tell her what she found out, about Shawn being one of the worst type of men. Then again, if she still called him a friend without a shadow of a doubt, then she didn't really learn any type of lesson just yet.

"Well, how come? Did you get to know him?" she asked her daughter.

"What do you mean?"

"Is he really just a friend? I mean, I come home and I see the two of you sitting on the couch together, of course I assume there might be more going on. I'm just trying to understand the relationship between you two," she asked bluntly. Though, honestly, she was simply trying to plant that first seed of doubt in her daughter's head. It would raise the stakes for what she had planned later on.

She was also using this chance to stall for more time, considering Gwen usually changed into a fresh outfit right after their weekly exercise.

Which would be a shame.

Her daughter looked perfectly attractive and irresistible in her workout clothes. It was perfect. A cute pair of yoga pants which tightly embraced her long shapely legs, and just faintly outlined the thong her daughter was wearing. And then, the only thing covering her chest was a sports bra, which left her midriff completely exposed, and squeezed her busty tits into an absurd amount of cleavage.

Bridget knew that her daughter was oblivious to her good looks, because she spent the recent years getting homeschooled online, instead of being face to face with male classmates. It was yet another side effect of the pandemic. It made sense. Most girls suffer through plenty of undesired harassment as soon as they hit puberty, it's an ugly truth. For better or worse, Gwen was sheltered from that. All of her interactions with her classmates were in front of a webcam, with a teacher to supervise them. It was only natural that none of the boys dared to be flirty in any way.

"Uh... I barely even know him myself, I guess, so yeah! He's just a friend, mom. You always told me to be friendly to our neighbors, right? I'm just trying to do the right thing... or was that wrong?"

Her mother smiled. It seemed like Gwen was starting to think for herself. She was getting on the right path.

"That's up to you to decide."

Just as her daughter was about to respond, there was a brief knock on the door. Gwen immediately glanced towards the entrance with a subtle look of concern, but her mother was more than happy with this timing. Her daughter glanced down at her revealing outfit and then back at her mother.

"Hold up a moment, don't get the door just yet, give me a moment to change!" Gwen pleaded.

"Oh, don't worry about it, you're looking great," her mother replied overwhelmingly sweetly. Bridget's lips curled into a pleased, gleeful smile. He couldn't have picked a better moment to arrive.

She giddily walked right over to the door. It was no surprise when she opened it and Shawn stood there, ready and waiting. His appearance was... certainly something special. He had shown up in simple sweatpants, and a shirt that did little to hide his potbelly.