Becca was surprised to get Emily's messages. She hadn't talked to her friend since graduation. Becca told herself it was because they were both busy getting ready to leave for college, but that excuse became harder to believe as she spent day after day at home alone. Becca had never been comfortable with her group of friends. The only reason she'd stuck with them at all was Emily, though she never admitted why. Others in their class came out in their high school years. They'd not ostracized exactly, but certainly treated differently. The newly outed teenagers would slowly gravitate from their straight friends until they were all one big stereotypical clique. Becca didn't want that for herself, and she certainly didn't want to lose Emily.
Once, she'd come close to telling her friend. It happened at Emily's eighteenth birthday party at Becca's then-boyfriend's house. It was Becca's idea to put the whole thing on, and Nelson had been perfectly pleased to have all the senior girls over for a swimming party. Becca saw a version of Emily that day that she almost couldn't resist -- perfectly tan, beautiful and confident. Becca didn't think her friend had ever been happier. The only thing that stopped her from pulling the other girl aside and confessing her love was Nelson. Despite her preference for other girls, Becca couldn't shake the feelings for Nelson either. Months later, she thought of him bitterly after he broke up with her to date someone else. In particular, one of the other girls at that swimming party Becca knew he'd been ogling the whole time. She couldn't be too judgmental of course, since she'd been doing the same thing.
Ultimately, she kept her feelings to herself. Regret was more comfortable than risk. As they finished their school, Becca told herself she would definitely come clean before they graduated. But that milestone passed as well. Even as the diploma entered her hand, she swore that the graduation party was the moment. The party came and went, too. She spent most of that evening watching Emily laugh. When those fleeting moments of joy by proxy faded, Becca spent her time considering leaving all the people around her behind. Summer came as a bleak and empty void, as if all of her life and ambition had been put on pause, the perfect environment in which to stew on all her past mistakes. All she could manage was empty promises that her future would be different. She wouldn't let college go by without exploring her desires, but she wondered if she would ever forget Emily or be able to put aside the regret of not confessing her feelings.
In the middle of these dark doldrums, Becca's phone chirped with the sound of a robin's call, a noise reserved for Emily in particular. It made Becca's heart jump. The message read, "Going to a party tonight. Want to come?"
After a few moments of breathing to chase out the jitters, Becca replied, "Sure, who all is going?"
"Just us. Pick you up at 8. Dress cute. Can't wait to see you."
Becca wanted to know more, but was too nervous to push the conversation any further. It seemed silly to be so excited about seeing a close friend of many years, but in the idle, lonely hours of not seeing Emily, Becca had nearly deified her crush. She tossed the phone away as if it might suddenly change its mind and forbid her from seeing Emily at all. Her brief period of excitement was soon replaced by the familiar anxieties. She had to figure out what to wear and how to tell her old friend that she'd been secretly in love with her for years. She was unsure which problem was the greater emergency. With only a few hours, she hopped into the shower right away.
Unlike many of her peers, Becca's confidence issues had little to do with her appearance. As she stepped out of the shower, she examined herself in the mirror. She did not appreciate her young, firm body as much as other girls silently envied her. Her breasts jutted out like ripe apples over a flat stomach with a teardrop shaped belly button. Her hips were a little more slender than she preferred, but her bottom was showing improvements from the squats she'd been doing since the beginning of the summer. Indeed, the whole of her body, though unchanged to the casual observer, had become much fitter due to her diligent workouts. They gym was a place where her frustrations could be expressed easily. And she never minded peeking at the other gym rats from time to time.
She fixed her hair while standing naked in front of her bathroom mirror. Her mind drifted to fantasies about the coming evening. She thought of Emily and herself dancing through the night in the middle of a dark club. They would surreptitiously steal drinks to loosen their bodies and minds. They would leave and go to some quiet spot where they would have long conversations interrupted by loaded silences. Becca wouldn't be able to wait any longer, and she would steal a quick kiss on Emily's cheek. The other girl would turn red and start to move away, but at the last moment hesitate, inviting a further impudence from Becca. She would slide over and bring Emily into a long, blissful kiss. Emily's hands would move naturally to Becca's hips. They would progress innocently until Becca's mouth found its way to her friend's breast. Kissing and licking until Emily let out the first moan. Becca's hand would moved down her friend's heaving stomach until it slid between her thighs. -- Becca winced as a knot in her hair pulled, interrupting her fantasy. She tried to put such things out of her mind, but couldn't ignore the wetness between her legs.
"Maybe tonight's the night," she thought wistfully. "No. Tonight, one way or the other. It's my last chance."
***
Becca tried not to worry that she'd been stood up. Emily was five minutes late and had not called or messaged. Becca thought about how foolish she looked waiting out in front of her house, like a child waiting for the bus. Finally, a pair of headlights appeared at the end of the street. The car swerved slightly as it bolted down the neighborhood road to come to a jerking stop in front of Becca. Emily leaned over from the drivers seat, "Hiya! Sorry I'm late, I was helping my dad with something. Hop in."
Becca's nerves subsided as she climbed into the car. To her surprise, Emily immediately leaned over and hugged her. The other girl smelled wonderful and even felt different somehow. As Emily pulled back, Becca looked her over. Even seated, she could tell Emily had changed.
Did she get breast implants? Is that why I haven't heard from her all summer. No, she's different everywhere.
Emily wasn't the thin rail of a girl anymore, but fuller from head to toe. Though Becca couldn't see it at the moment, she assumed that the other girl's ass now matched her full hips. "Wow, Em, you look awesome!"
"You don't look half bad yourself. I could see that tush of yours from the end of the street. You been working out? Wait, hang on!" She did not slow as she reached the curve, almost lifting to two wheels as the tires screeched. "Sorry about that. I'm such a bad driver."
Becca's heart thudded, and her foot searched for a phantom break as she clutched the door. The wonder of seeing Emily and getting to touch her had been shoved out of the way for pure fear. "Um, so where are we going?"
"Have you ever heard of a place called Jeff's Grill?" Becca shook her head. "Oh, well, it's some scuzzy bar on the edge of town. My dad is thinking about buying it."
"Your dad? Mr. Myers? What is he having some kind of midlife crisis or something?"
"You might say that. He's a changed man lately. You think the old Greg would have let me go out alone to a bar like this? Fuck no. I'm glad you decided to come with me though."
"Oh, sure, sounds like fun, I guess."
"Don't worry, we won't have to stay long if it sucks. I just have to give the owner that case," she jerked her head towards a black briefcase in the backseat. "But that's boring. What have you been up to so far this summer?"
They lapsed into banal conversations about their day to day lives. Becca was happy to hear she wasn't the only one having a dull summer. Emily told her of avoiding her family and generally being lazy for the first month, but mentioned her father losing his job had shaken up their household. Her parents were happier than ever and started treating her more like an adult. Becca felt a tinge of jealousy as Emily told her about spending a lot of time with their neighbor Amy. Becca vaguely remembered the older girl from school and a few times when she'd visited Emily years before. Apparently the two had become fast friends over the last few weeks. "I guess she was busy tonight?" Becca asked, trying to hide the mix of curiosity and jealousy that motivated her question.
"Oh yeah. She actually really wanted to come and meet you. But, we might wind up back at my house later, if that's cool. I'd love for you two to meet."
Becca felt her cheeks flush. She couldn't understand why the thought of another woman knowing Emily bothered her so much. She'd gone their entire friendship watching people be closer to Emily than her. Something was different now. A void had formed between them. Emily seemed much more like a woman than the young girl from a few streets over. Becca convinced herself it was all in her head, but started to pout in the darkness of the car.
How could I be so foolish? Why would she suddenly find me interesting after all this time? Her real friend was busy, and so I was called in as a backup because she didn't want to go alone.
As they arrived at the bar, Becca's concerns only grew. When Emily said they were headed to a "scuzzy" bar, she pictured one of the hipster clubs she'd seen a few times. Instead, Jeff's Grill was a run down building in a rough neighborhood. A pair of middle aged men with gaunt faces and pot bellies smoked outside of the door, leering at the two young women as the car pulled to a stop. "Emily, I don't know about this."
"Yeah, you're right. It's a little worse than I thought. Nothing a little paint couldn't fix though. C'mon, we'll be in and out." Emily grabbed the case from behind her and hopped out of the car. Becca watched in disbelief as her friend walked undeterred into such a seedy bar. She spent a few seconds torn between following or staying in the car. Her mind quickly decided the car provided little real safety, and she certainly didn't want Emily to get trapped alone.
They entered the bar and immediately had the attention of everyone inside. Becca counted three women, all looking very poor for what she assumed to be their age, and the rest of the men all looked indistinguishable from the two loitering outside the door. The room glared at them with a mix of confusion and anger, as if the presence of two pretty young girls reminded them painfully of their age and lost looks. Emily walked confidently to the bar and asked to see the owner. The bartender didn't reply verbally, only gesturing to a door at the opposite end. He sucked his teeth and let his eyes fall on Emily's breasts with a casual glance at Becca as well. She stayed close to Emily as they made their way to the back and knocked on the door. A gruff noise came from inside and Emily opened the door.
The man behind the desk was younger than expected, but otherwise seemed perfectly at home in the bar. Covered with a thin sheen of grease from head to toe, he hunched and scowled as a normal resting expression. "What the fuck do you want?" he croaked.
"I'm Emily. My father spoke with you, Jeff."
Jeff's face paled suddenly. "No...that can't be."
"Of course it can," Emily said with a fiendish smile. She walked over to the desk and dropped the case in front of Jeff. "Go on then, open it."
