I GOT HOME TO FIND out I’d made the local news. Count on someone to have a video camera on their phone. They showed some of the lowlights from the game. I was surprised when they interviewed Mr. Fog. It turned out he was an assistant coach at State, and Rusty was a high Division One prospect.
“St. John’s brought this on themselves. They played their best varsity team against Lincoln’s JV team to get what they called ‘batting practice.’ At the time the game was called, Lincoln was beating St. John’s 1–0 and I think they actually had a chance today.”
“What did you think of the shot David Dawson put on your son, Rusty?” the reporter asked.
“I saw the hit, live. I knew Rusty was out cold before he hit the ground. I have thanked David for showing restraint.”
“David’s an All-State football player. Don’t you think it was a little unfair for him to hit your son that hard?”
It dawned on Mr. Fog who I was.
“Rusty’s lucky he didn’t kill that kid with his pitch. He’s also lucky that David didn’t pound on him after he had him down. Based on what I saw, I think that was about as good an outcome as we could have gotten. A few bruises, my boy learned something important, and there was no lasting damage.”
Friday March 28
JUST BECAUSE I WAS suspended didn’t mean that Coach Herndon was going to let me slack on pitching. He had me throw batting practice today like it was a simulated game. He made me go through the whole process as if I were playing tonight.
While practice was going on, they had me throw in the cage. They had the guys, and Eve, come up in order. Bert was the other pitcher working with me. Mike and Justin were saved for tomorrow’s game. I pitched until I got my three outs, and then he would step in and pitch his inning. By the fifth inning, Bert and I were struggling. Bert was starting to feel the strain on his arm, so he quit. I went one more inning and then threw in the towel. I didn’t need to injure myself in practice.
I GOT HOME FROM SCHOOL to find Mom smiling.
“I got my results back, and I’m cancer-free!”
Hell, yes! I put her in a bear hug as Angie, Greg and Kyle came in. Greg had gone and picked up Angie from her last class.
“Does this mean what I think it does?” Angie asked.
“Yep, cancer-free,” Mom beamed.
Greg called his wannabe-girlfriend at Monical’s to reserve their back room. Then the phone tree started to invite everyone to celebrate with us. I called Eve and talked to her mom. She told me they would be there. I’d completely forgotten that Harper was coming until our doorbell rang.
Angie led Harper in with a gleam in her eye. Mom had heard me call Eve’s mom and started chuckling at my predicament. Greg summed it up nicely.
“Dude, you’re a dumbass.”
I stood there, trying to figure out what to do.
“Hi, I’m Harper, by the way.”
That shook me out of my brain freeze. I introduced her to everyone. They had met at Eve’s iTunes launch party. Mom patted my hand and sent Harper and me to the office.
“Not happy to see me?” Harper asked.
“It’s not that. We got good news today. My mom is cancer-free.”
“That’s great news!”
“In the excitement, I forgot that you were coming, and invited Eve to a party for Mom.”
“I can’t wait to tell Tami,” Harper teased me.
“I’m sorry, how do you want to handle this?” I asked.
Harper slowly grinned.
“Tami was wrong. You’re not really a ‘stupid boy,’ are you?”
I just kept quiet. This was a no-win situation.
“I’ll let you off the hook. You go out with Eve tonight. I’ll find something to do.”
“No, you’re coming with me. You didn’t drive all the way up here to just sit around.”
“Are you nuts? What’s she going to think?”
“Look, there will be a few other of my friends there. She’ll be fine.”
“I reserve judgment on the whole ‘stupid boy’ thing.”
EVE TOOK IT MUCH BETTER than expected. She already knew that Harper was coming this weekend. Harper also handled it well. She hung out with Greg and Angie most of the night. Dad surprised me when he lifted the girl ban on the apartment for the weekend. I’m sure Mom told him to do it.
HARPER WAS IMPRESSED with my apartment. Angie had helped me slowly turn it into a bachelor pad. My latest purchase was a leather couch. I hated the look of the big round overstuffed arms that seemed to be what everyone carried. When I was in New York, I’d seen a more modern look with squared-off arms and chrome legs. Angie had found a furniture store that could order what I wanted.
She also found the coolest coffee table. It unfolded and raised itself into a dining room table. In my small space, having a dual-purpose piece made sense. The next project was the bedroom set. Angie liked big wood pieces. I wanted a California King because of my height. It was four inches longer and four inches narrower than a true king-sized bed. I was afraid that what Angie was talking about would make my bedroom claustrophobic.
Angie had already told Greg that we were painting the apartment this summer. She and Mom were discussing colors and drapes. So far I’d been lucky, and none of the other girls had picked up on the project. I might let it slip to Cindy, though, because she had great taste when it came to decorating.
Harper was taking in the pictures that Kendal had hung. Angie wanted to get everything reframed and matted. I about choked when I heard how much it would cost. We were waiting to find out what the wall color was going to be before we did the pictures. Angie also wanted track lighting to highlight them.
Harper showed signs of being nervous. I wasn’t sure she had ever been involved sexually in such a casual setting. It was getting late, and I needed to get up and work out the next day.
“Why don’t we call it a night? I can sleep out here if you’d be more comfortable.”
She gave me a thoughtful look.
“No, I’d like to sleep with you tonight, but that’s all. Is that okay?”
“Of course it is.”
She followed me into the bedroom as I carried her bag. I put it on my desk so that she could get at it. I undressed and got into bed.
“I guess you sleep in the nude,” she stated the obvious.
“House rule. The bedroom is a no-clothing zone,” I said, bluffing.
Harper just shrugged and got undressed. Harper had a nice athletic build with a cute butt and small breasts. She had long black hair that hung halfway down her back. She wasn’t shy about snuggling up against me. She went right to sleep and was softly snoring. There was a smile on my face when I fell asleep.
Saturday March 29
I WOKE UP BEFORE HARPER and had to pee. When I came back, she was on her back with her legs spread. I remembered how much I enjoyed waking up to a blowjob and figured Harper would probably like to be wakened by oral sex.
I used my tongue gently to moisten her sex. As I softly worked her over, her lips began to swell and part. My first indication that Harper was awake was when she tried to rip my hair out to hold me in place as she had her first orgasm. Harper was funny: when she came, she made little grunting noises, but otherwise was very quiet.
While she was calming down, I sat up and put on a condom. I rolled her over and straddled her legs. I rubbed the head up and down her folds and found her entrance. With slow, steady pressure, I buried myself in her snug wet sheath. Harper’s tight body was made for this. I got a good rhythm going and Harper was almost purring. I had never had a girl act this way, and it was sexy as hell.
When she came, she reached up, grabbed the edge of the mattress, and pushed her butt up at me. Her tight little tunnel fluttered up and down my member, causing me to get off with her. I buried myself as deep as I could and played with her butt as we both climaxed. When I was done, I pulled back, remembering to grab the condom, and Harper attacked me. She buried her tongue in my mouth and wouldn’t let go. Mr. Happy firmed back up and I reached for another condom.