The Usual Disclaimer: This is a work of fantasy. All characters featured in sexual situations are over 18. The characters in these stories are fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons living, dead or undead is purely coincidental. Do not try this at home.
Writing this has made me feel really, really old. I was wracking my brain trying to remember what the senior classes were when I was in high school. I realized it was such a struggle because I graduated from high school 31 years ago. So, if you are reading this and it sounds a little dated compared to your high school experience, now you know why.
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I made sure to get up early and eat a substantial breakfast before leaving for school. Not sure what would happen after my English class, I wanted to make sure that I wouldn't be starving if I missed out on lunch. I was preoccupied with that, but I really wanted to talk with Trina today as well. As usual, I scarfed down my workout supplements. After dinner last night, my dad and I had hit the home gym pretty hard. We were both lost in our own thoughts the entire time and barely spoke.
Because I was up so early, I was sitting at the dining room table when I heard my parents' alarm clock go off. I got up and quickly started coffee for them so that it would be ready before they left for work. My dad emerged from their bedroom a few minutes later. He looked a bit worn out and his eyes were bleary as he stalked over to the coffee pot.
"Mornin,' Dad," I called from the dining room table.
He looked up at me and nodded. "Good morning. Thanks for making coffee."
"No problem," I responded, "Looks like Mom wore you out last night."
I had intended it as a joke, but then I saw his back. He had red marks all over from my mother's nails. A couple of those looked like serious welts; she had really dug into him. He turned around to face me then, sipping his coffee while his eyes held a rueful smile.
"Yes. Yes, she did," he said after that first sip.
I realized at that point that he was only wearing boxers. This was new, at least as far as I knew. As a family, we never walked around the house in underwear. I had seen him in shorts and a tank top, and that would have been acceptable attire for me as well. Dad seemed comfortable enough standing and talking to me dressed like that, though. I guess that my parents might have started wearing less clothing around the house when I had been in the hospital and my sister was away at college.
"How's Marty doing these days?" my dad asked. It took me a moment to realize he meant Mr. Delgado, the Chemistry teacher in whose class I was now a lab aide.
"He's doing well," I said, "We never had much time to talk yesterday. I expect that will change going forward."
"Well, make sure you tell him I said 'Hi,'" my dad said. "Ask him if they'd like to come over this weekend. I'd like to use the pool before it starts to get cold."
"Yes, sir," I responded. It had been a while since I had seen their family.
I gave my dad a hug and headed out the door. I wanted to pick up Trina and give her a ride to school, hoping that would give us a chance to talk before school started. We hadn't really had a chance to talk last night, with all of our other online friends chatting and as busy as we had been with our game.
When I pulled up at their house, I saw there was a car in the driveway. I presumed that was Trina's mom's car. I think my mom said her name was Deirdre, but I wasn't entirely sure. I walked up and knocked at the door.
After a moment, the door opened a few inches. I saw a Trina's mom looking out at me with wide eyes.
"Miss Wilkins?" I asked. When she nodded, I went on, "Good morning, ma'am. I'm Josh Thompson. I was hoping to give Trina a ride to school this morning."
She opened the door fully. I saw she was wearing a bathrobe with a floral pattern on it. "Sorry, Josh," she said in a soft voice, "You look so much like your father...I should have known who you were. Come on in."
Trina's mom was a little shorter than Trina, maybe five-four. Like her daughter, she had dark hair that was short, but definitely a woman's hairstyle. Her bathrobe was wrapped tightly around a narrow frame, and I tried not to stare at her dark nipples pressed against the fabric.
I didn't know she knew my dad. He hadn't mentioned it last night when my mom had talked about her. I saw Trina come out of a doorway to my right and I automatically said, "Hi, Trina!" before I realized she was only wearing a bath towel. She blushed and ducked into her bedroom, closing the door quickly behind her. I turned to her mom and said, "Sorry. That was a little awkward."
She was still looking up at me with wide eyes. I felt a bit uncomfortable.
"Have we met before?" I asked her.
"I don't think so," she responded. "Your parents both used to work out at the gym where I work. Your dad still comes by once a week or so."
"Ah," I said, "That makes sense. I still haven't gotten used to how much I look like him now."
She nodded at that. "You sound just like him too," she added.
She shook her head softly after that, and gave me a shy smile.
"Where are my manners? Here, have a seat," she said, indicating the dining room table, "Have you eaten anything?"
"Yes, ma'am," I said as I sat down. "My dad and I have been working out at our home gym, so I always make sure I get breakfast with my weightlifting supplements."
She stopped at that. Turning to face me, she asked, "You have a home gym?"
"Yes, ma'am," I nodded, "Dad put it in while I was in the hospital."
She looked a little troubled at that. I had no idea why, but decided to change the subject.
"Miss Wilkins, did Trina mention that I wanted to take her out on a date?"
"No, she didn't," she said, "But that would be great. I've been trying to get her to get off that computer and go out for two years now."
She was smiling at me as she said it. That was a relief. I had been worried that her mother might be overly protective, from what Trina had said yesterday.
Trina finally emerged from her room, dressed for school. She still looked embarrassed. I preemptively apologized.
"I didn't mean to surprise you like that, Trina," I said, "I would have called first, but I didn't have your number."
Trina's mom spoke up, giving me their home phone number. I did have my cell phone, so I pulled it out and punched the number in, saving it. Trina grabbed some cereal and sat next to me to eat it.
"Why are you here, Josh?" she asked between bites.
"I wanted to give you a ride to school. I was hoping we could talk before school starts," I said. "You never did tell me where I was going to take you on our first date."
Trina's eyes shot to her mom's face. Her mom was smiling at her. Trina nodded at me and kept eating. She finished quickly and kissed her mother on the cheek after depositing her empty bowl in the kitchen sink. I waved goodbye as Trina rushed me outside.
On the drive to the school, Trina turned to me. "Are you and my mom teaming up on me now?" she asked.
"No," I replied instantly, "What do you mean by that, anyway?"
She blew out a frustrated breath. "She has been on me for years. She thinks I spend way too much time on my computer."
I nodded. "I'm sure I would get the same thing from my folks if my dad didn't spend so much of his time working on his computer," I said. "Look, if you don't want me to take you out on a date, you can just say so. I never want to make you do something you don't want to do, Trina."
I was paying close attention to the traffic as we approached the school, so I couldn't read her reaction to that. When I finally parked the car, she was looking out the front windshield and appeared lost in thought. I looked at my watch. We had fifteen minutes before we needed to be in class. I wasn't sure it was enough time to cover what I wanted to say.
"Trina?" I said softly. She looked over at me. "We don't have a lot of time before school starts, here. I really wanted to talk to you. Can I give you a ride after school so we can talk?"
"Sure," she said. She nodded and then grabbed her backpack.
"Oh, one thing," I said, "You don't want to sit anywhere near me in our English class. Just trust me on this, okay?"
She nodded again, but there was a questioning look in her eye as we got out of the car and headed for our Biology class. I had to stop at my locker to grab my bag and textbooks, and Trina and I got separated in the press of all the students in the hallway. I finally caught up to her at the science wing, but didn't get another chance to talk until we were seated in class with Carla. Trina and Carla started talking, and I didn't want to start the conversation I had in mind until we had privacy. It would have to wait until after school.
Miss Green had a really tough time asserting control over her classroom. She cleared her throat a couple of times to try to get the class' attention, but it just wasn't working. I watched her and it made me appreciate Miss Cahill's approach. Finally, I decided to help her out.