********** Verse Two: Kandi and Franchesca ********** It was a bright day today. It often was in Texas. After all, it wasn't exactly the coldest alcove on the face of the planet. But today that heat came with a refreshing breeze. And that helped to make Kandi a lot more at ease than she had felt this morning. School had been the bore it always was during lessons. The only highlight of the day was being able to swim with the others in class at the swimming pool. Even though that temporary coach, Monica Shane, had seemed a little distracted, Kandi enjoyed the whole class There was nothing like taking a dip, even if it was indoors, right? But things didn't really pick up until she left Atlantic High alongside Sarah. They had agreed to go hang out at the mall for a little while after school. And that was where they were now. The way Kandi had been feeling all day, she needed it. The two stood together by a rack of informal leather jackets and coats within a small but aptly expensive clothes store at the north end of the mall. A couple of older woman brooded around her looking for clothes for themselves, for something that might catch their eye. While Kandi ran her fingers up and down the arm of a particularly flashy looking auburn leather jacket, Sarah appeared from the other side of the rack, holding up a lime green, mid-thigh length party/cocktail dress to her nubile young body. "Hey, Kandi!" She said eagerly, "What'd you think of this one? Looks kinda nice on me, don't you think?" Kandi looked up from the garment she had been observing, absently. "Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure." That wasn't nearly as convincing as Kandi had intended it to be. But Sarah didn't begrudge it. She knew what was going on here. And no one could blame Kandi for feeling the way that she was. "You're still thinking about Janelle, aren't you?" "Uh huh," Nodded the redhead, "I can't get her out of my head. D'you think that's like... weird? I mean, I could go about my day before without thinking about her, but now... I like, keep going back to it. I just don't get it. Why won't she call me? What did I do wrong?" Sarah sighed, folding her newly selected dress over her arm. "Geez, when did you turn into such a pessimist?" "A what?" "Stop being such a wet blanket," The blonde commented, "you're the sweetest, prettiest, coolest girl I know. Like I said before, if Janelle can't see that anymore then she's crazy. It's not the end of the world. All you have to do is find something else to think about. Maybe we could go out again tomorrow or something?" Kandi smiled generously at that. She might have been feeling a little low, but Sarah always made a habit of trying to cheer her up. It was just in her nature. Sarah had been as self-assured and caring as this for as long as Kandi had known her. Sarah was nothing like her elder sister, Chloe James. Though Kandi was still upset a little by Janelle's seemingly blatant rejection of her; all it took was a few choice words from her best friend to make that pain a little easier to cope with She couldn't ask for any more than that. When Sarah saw Kandi's cute freckled face pull a moderate but warm smile, she knew she had said the right thing at the right time. So she chuckled with her little 'victory' and said, "That's better. Now I'll just be a minute, okay? I gotta go pay for this." "How much is it?" Asked Kandi. "About sixty bucks. A bit pricey for something 'green' but... I keep being told that this colour looks good on me. And Chloe hates the colour so at least this way I know I can keep her from borrowing my stuff. How's that for a bonus, huh?" Her redheaded friend bobbed her head again. "I get the picture..." "Quoting me, huh? Heh, you'll keep. Anyways, sit tight here for a minute Once I'm done we can hit that new music store I was telling you about My cousin runs it, and he's a freakin' MC wannabe if ever there was one; I'm sure he'll cut us a price slash or something." "Okay." Once Sarah had affirmed that to Kandi, she strode off between the circular clothing racks to the front of the store where she joined in a four-strong queue. Kandi didn't join her in waiting, but rather she took a moment and observed some of the other items on sale. She didn't have much in the way of cash on her, less than twenty dollars, and she could barely find a scarf for that price in here, but she put up with it for now. Kandi had an abnormal habit of shopping her ass off when she was in a bad mood. If she hadn't of been broke right now, that probably would have been the case today. So she went about the process of window shopping while Sarah took care of her business. In that small amount of time, whilst ignoring those around her and focusing on the clothes, she put the Janelle-thing behind her. Just quelling its fervency for a few key moments. And seconds later, as if willed by a higher force, the first step to putting it all behind her for good came around in physical form. At first Kandi didn't notice that someone was watching her. The only thing she directed her scrambled thoughts at were the clothes on the rack beside her. But then she noticed someone unmoving from the corner of her eye. A person that had been standing there for at least six minutes, even while Sarah and herself had been shopping. Kandi blinked and slightly turned her head to the side, glaring in that direction momentarily. Standing beside one of the swivel racks no more than two metres from the redhead was another young woman who seemed to a year or so older than Kandi's own age. A raven-haired thing, beholding the most glossy and silky mane of jet black hair that the freckled teen had even seen. Her long tresses inched all the way down to the small of her back, thrashing around her waist with the tiny little movements she made. The unknown girl stood dressed in an un-seeming pair of denims and a black mini-jacket which had been slung over a white tank top. Her midriff was exposed by it. And her face stared silently and shyly at Kandi. Despite her code of dress she was obviously far less confident. The moment that eye contact between the two extended for more than a second and a half, the black-haired teen looked away with embarrassment and busied herself in leaving. Kandi stared without qualm or understanding when she did this. Almost as quickly as the girl had made her existence known to Kandi, she left, scrambling out the opposing door into the central innards of the mall. "That was weird," Kandi said to herself, "who the heck was that?" ********** "Did you guys catch that nasty little dish rag that Miss Brooke was wearing? Now *that's* what they use to cover up Connecticut!" School was out for the day and had been for the past hour. Shannon, Chloe and Michelle walked down one of the quiet suburban roads that led away from Atlantic High and back into the residential area of the district. They usually went out of their way to linger in the schoolyard for a little longer than necessary after the bell of the final lesson rang. And today was no more of an exception. This was mostly to see off the others of their posse, the less connected 'underlings of brood' who went out of their way to venerate queen Shannon with their empty platitudes of awe (as well as idle insider gossip). Those girls lived further out and so they had to wait for a bus to get them home. Thus Shannon and those others chatted until their bus was in sight of the little stop outside Atlantic High's walls. But now that little part of the day was over. Shannon, Chloe and Michelle walked down that empty street in reflection of all they had heard and gassed about. It tended to be the usual stuff. Slamming the crappy fashion choices of the teachers, those who would or would not be able to make the cheerleading squad this year, the 'stress' of the homework they were given, or even talk about the music singles they had recently heard and liked. Business as usual. As they walked together, Chloe and Michelle giggled at the crack Shannon had taken at Miss Brooks, or as the majority of the pupils of Atlantic High had dubbed her; 'the resident hard ass'. Michelle ran a finger through the curls of her hair and smiled, looking forward. "I guess she must have gotten dressed in the dark this morning." "Nah, I'm pretty sure the old gasbag's got the suckiest wardrobe ever," Shannon replied, "Can you actually believe that that biddy has a husband?" Chloe giggled again. "Then I guess they got married in the dark instead, huh?" The three of them started chuckling between themselves as they walked down the pavement of the street. Soon they turned a corner around the fence that guided their path. When they did, they caught sight of a certain someone standing beside a crimson-finish convertible, which gleamed in the mid-afternoon sunlight with lustrous sheen That certain someone was Terri Marson, the girl with the neo-punk outlook and the dyed pink bangs. She stood dressed in a totally carwash getup; a pair of dark blue jeans shorts trimmed roughly at the leg holes, along with a black tee-shirt with the slogan 'death to the establishment' written across its back. Coming from the radio of her convertible was the loud, headbanging, and ruthless sound of a nu-metal track, pumping out its endless amounts of hellish profanity into an otherwise quiet neighbourhood. Terri had a bucket of soapy water beside her feet and a sponge in hand. In a single moment she dipped the yellow sponge into the bucket of water and dampened it even further than it had been, then dragged that sponge over the beautiful scarlet metal of bonnet. When all three of the posse saw this, they reacted in unison. Shannon scowled, boasting more of her intense dislike for her sister. Michelle sighed, knowing this situation could devolve into some kind of argument. And Chloe grinned, twirling her finger through a lock of her short hair and staring lustfully at Terri as she washed her car, her ample breasts running up and down in rhythmic sync with the circling motions produced by her hand and the sponge. Terri didn't stop until she noticed the three of them standing a little ways to the right of her. When she did, the pot-smoker dropped the sponge into the bucket and turned to her sister and her friends, smirking. "School's out for the day, huh?" "Hello, Terri..." Michelle said awkwardly. "Hiya," Terri nodded to Michelle and darted a lingering gaze at Chloe. The vain teen smiled secretively at that, provoking another (albeit more protracted) form of address, "hey, Chloe." Chloe raised her hand and wiggled her fingers playfully. "Hi, Terri..." The younger Marson sister ignored the lust of Chloe and the awkwardness of Michelle and charged ahead, stomping angrily in Terri's direction. Incidentally they happened to be no more than a few feet away from the Marson household itself, but that didn't stop Shannon from saying her piece. Nothing ever did. "I thought you were at college!" "And since when is what I do any of your business?" Terri replied acidly, "Mom and Dad won't be back until Friday, alright? So keep your goddamned shirt on." Shannon narrowed her eyes and then stole a glimpse of Terri's convertible. Considering the kind of person that she was, such a car wouldn't normally have seemed to be Terri's style. But it wasn't something she had picked out on her own; it was a Christmas gift from her parents last year. And to Terri, wheels were wheels. Of course, every time she saw it, Shannon was green with envy. So expressed now, "My friends are over again, okay? So would you turn that loud-ass music down a notch? I'll never understand why Mom and Dad bought this car for you!" "Well maybe because I actually have enough brain cells to pass a driving exam?" Terri remarked sardonically. "...I can't stand you..." Shannon seethed. Terri grinned at that. "The feeling is SO damn mutual, babe." Ever the one to avoid confrontation, Michelle swiftly interjected while Shannon and Terri glared aggressively at one and other. She quickly worked her arm around Shannon's and dragged the dirty blonde away from a potential argument, towards the stoop. Michelle then nervously looked back over her shoulder at Chloe. "Eh, are you coming, Chloe?" "Um... I'll catch up with you guys in a little bit, okay? Just... uh... gimme a minute." Michelle shrugged and went about pulling Shannon away from the situation. The pair of them ascended the short stone steps of the Marson household's stoop and went inside, the door happened to be open already. The somewhat palpable sense of tension in the air dissolved after that. And that allowed Chloe to concentrate on the real reason she spent so much of her time at Shannon's house. With a finger plucking absently at a tress of her hair (as she often did) she turned to Terri once who again, who directly went back to work on washing her car, lifting out the sponge and wiping across the bonnet and windshield. Chloe couldn't stop herself from smiling and giggling as the older girl went about washing down what looked to be her pride and joy. "Hey, um... how are things?" "You really wanna know?" Terri didn't look back, "Well, aside from my dumb-ass of a sister, not bad. Now that Mom and Dad are gone for the week I have a fair amount of time to myself and the like. Which is good because I have a backlog of goddamned assignments to complete. I guess I shouldn't have left them so late, but when you've got-" Terri stopped herself as she turned around and saw a mystified expression on Chloe's face. It was now clear that she really didn't want to know. Normally when someone just bated her into conversation, Terri would have gotten kind of annoyed about it. But from this girl, this long-banged sleekly voiced hottie known as Chloe James, she wouldn't have misunderstood it. Terri let the suds-covered sponge lay still against the windshield and leaned back against the hood of her car, smirking. If she had been misreading any signals beforehand then she was quite clear on the matter now. "Listen," Chloe began, "do you maybe wanna... do something later on? Like catch a movie or something?" Terri smirked knowingly. "A little forward, aren't you?" Part of Chloe would have understood and agreed with that in a different place and time. After all, she and Terri hardly knew each other. If she hadn't been friends with Shannon, then chances are they would never have met in the first place. But that didn't ring with her right here and now. All Chloe was aware of was what was wanted. And in that constrained mind of hers, Terri Marson happened to be that 'commodity'. "If you don't want to..." "I didn't say that," Terri acknowledged, "it sounds good I've got a ton of work to do right now so I can't put it off for too long. But how about me and you tonight? I'll pick you up at your house in my baby-girl here and then... maybe I'll take you out for the evening. Would that be cool or do you need permission from your parents or something?" It was now that Chloe began to remember the age gap between the two of them. She was a senior in high school and Terri was a freshmen in college, but that difference put them in very different stages of life. The simple fact that Chloe still needed to ask her folks if she could go out on a school night was proof enough of that much. But the difference between them was one of the things that really attracted Chloe to Terri. The older woman seemed so confident and mature in a youthful way Kind of like Miss Blake, but with more vocals and slightly less sensibility. Plus there was the whole bag girl image that Chloe just adored. Everything about Terri was aiming her in the right direction in Chloe's affections. And Terri seemed to be just as willing to explore it. There was no way that Chloe was going to let her parents come up and ruin it; rules or no rules. "Um, don't worry about my Mom and Dad. As long as I'm back by eleven then there shouldn't be a problem. So could you pick me up at about eight?" "Sure. I know where you live already so, just be ready by then." That had Chloe a bit curious. "You know where I live?" "Yeah. You're Sarah's older sister, right? Well we used to be friends" Chloe blinked. "How come I didn't know about that?" "Well, that's probably because we never met before then," Terri admitted, "I went to Saffron-Jameson High, remember? I met Sarah outside of school. Anyways, that was a long time ago, I don't need to re-step it. So I'll stop off at your place by eight and we can... see where it leads us." Chloe didn't know what to make of her sister and Terri knowing each other. From what Terri had said it was nothing more than a friendship (which was obviously over) though she could not help but feel a little jealous of it. Still, this was the here and now; and what mattered was her and Terri. A little voice inside of her told Chloe to be cautious, after all she was flirting with an older college woman. But that voice was overwhelmed by a far deeper urge. Chloe nodded to Terri giddily. "Yeah." ********** Atlantic High. Most people had already gone home by now. Of course, that rule didn't apply to some Some liked to stay over a bit longer. Whether it be from detention or a need to finish up some work in the library, there were always a few stragglers left roaming the halls. Today Holly-Raine happened to be one of them. Finally after all the crap she had been through to write the book report necessary for Miss Blake's English Class, she managed to hand it in. Of course that was not the only bit of work she had left to attend to. There was also the impressionist painting she had scheduled for Art Class. The project was due in in three weeks time. But being the kind of girl that she was, Holly couldn't leave it until the last minute again. So she stayed behind after-school to put in a little extra work on in it her Art classroom. Which was where she was now. Holly sat alone on an elevated stool with an easel and her painting before her. In one hand was a paintbrush and in the other was a thin palette, containing five basic colours (red, blue, yellow, white and black) and seven mixed ones (lime green, olive green, brown, purple, pink, orange and grey). She had dressed herself in a compulsory white jump suit which was now stained in places with blots of paint. With her paintbrush hand she dabbed a little at the painting that she was about 67% of the way through. It was a landscape of a cliff overlooking the sea, but quite a lot of work was left before see could honestly say that it was complete. Holly sighed and leaned back as much as she could on the stool, tilting her head back. What she was doing was not exactly a work of art. But she still found it rather tiring. "Oh, screw this," Holly said irritably, "I'm done." And so she was. The brown-haired teen ambled off the stool and put down the paintbrush and palette. Then she went about removing the jump suit she was required to wear for Art class in the first place. Once that came undone she took her painting and rested it next to the others, those belonging to the other students. Those were all stacked on a large table in the far corner of the room. And they all looked a lot more promising than Holly's work. Even so she just ignored them and added her own to the mix. Then she went about gathering up all her stuff. In no time at all she was making her way for the door. When Holly opened it with her free hand and stepped outside, she was quite surprised to see someone waiting for her. "Sharon!" The Daniels girl was leaned up against the long row of lockers in the corridor across from Holly. She looked up with a smile and shook her head. "You took your time I thought you said you'd be done by now." "I decided to give it a rest," Holly-Raine took a quick peek down the corridors to see if anything or anybody was coming. On inspection it appeared that they were alone. So she hauled off and pressed her lips against Sharon's cheek, giving her a quick kiss, "If I'd known you were gonna wait for me I wouldn't have taken so long." "Well you're here now. You wanna hit my place?" Holly shook her head with a smile and started walking. "I'd like to. But not tonight. I wanna catch up with Jenny and Summer. See what's happening with those two." "You mean what's happening with Summer...?" Sharon proposed inquisitively. "Well... kinda. We've all kinda been drifting part this past while, you know? Jenny has Nathan, I have you, and Summer? Well her nose has been out of joint for so long I just... have to know what it's about. And we have been spending a lot of time together... I feel like I should do something about it." The expression on Sharon's face illustrated that she wasn't very happy about that. She had been virtually infatuated with Holly-Raine ever since they first met. Things had been moving quickly between the two of them and she liked that. All the same Sharon couldn't quite displace the feeling that Holly was avoiding the commitment level. And more important than that was the reaction that Summer had been having recently. Sharon was almost certain that Summer was aware of her relationship with Holly, even though they hadn't told anyone about it yet (anyone other than Cassie). Which led her to believe that Summer didn't think she was good enough for Holly. Whether or not there was more to it than that, she couldn't say. But that was the way it was from Sharon's perspective. Sharon exhaled and said, "You should talk to her." "I know. I will," Holly turned to Sharon as they walked together, "you're not mad, are you?" "...Of course not." The two of them strode down the hall until they reached the thing that Holly had been looking for. Her locker. Both of them stopped before it. With the free hand she had, Holly turned the dial for her locker combination and opened it while Sharon waited next to her. Just as she was about to stuff her Art gear into the metal cabinet, Holly-Raine gasped loudly in that quiet hallway. Sharon looked inside the locker with her after hearing that. And both of them were shocked to see a bouquet of long stemmed red roses slotted inside. Sharon blinked. "What the hell...?" Holly squealed flippantly and dropped her art stuff, withdrawing the wrapped set of roses from her locker. She sniffed them once, and then brought herself to Sharon with another sweet butterfly kiss, this time not checking to see if anyone might be around to catch them. "Oh, Sharon, you're so sweet! But you didn't have to get me anything!" Sharon's eyes darkened. "I didn't." "Huh?" "They aren't from me," She explained, "I don't even like flowers." Holly-Raine's smile faded. And now she was just as confused as anyone else. If she hadn't received the flowers from Sharon, then who had sent them to her? Only a few people knew her locker combination. But these days word always got around fast about those of other people. Someone had obviously found out her combination and had given her this present. But who on earth was it? Sharon pressed a hand into her thigh, her face twisting with annoyance. Somebody out there was making a play for Holly. "Is there a card or something?" "Uh, well..." Holly wasn't sure so she checked. Ever the young wise one, Sharon had been right. There was a card nestled in the heart of the bouquet. Holly withdrew it slowly and then recited it word for word, "It says 'Dear Holly-Raine, I'm thinking of you all the time, sooner or later I'll make you mine. Your Secret Admirer'." "Are you kidding me?" Sharon barked. Holly smiled gently at the card. "A secret admirer, huh?" "Oh this is just priceless. Some idiot starts sending my girlfriend flowers? The hell is this all about?" "It's probably just a joke or something," Holly affirmed, "don't get so worked up." While Holly went about shifting her flowers into one hand and used the other to put away her art stuff, Sharon found herself staring at those roses. This little 'it's nothing' excuse from Holly wasn't fooling her. Someone out there was evidently engrossed in her; and they had plans about it. Logically, Sharon couldn't get over how uncomfortable that idea made her. Or how jealous. ********** Between the two of them, Kandi and Sarah had amassed eight bags worth of shopping at a grand total of $312. It had not been Kandi's intention to spend too much, especially since she hadn't much in the way of money after contributing so much on her last flight back to Dakota (for the purpose of visiting Janelle). But Sarah had loaned her some in her infinite kindness. Kandi was thankful for that The two of them had spent the whole late afternoon in the mall, buying what they could afford and admiring what they couldn't. And after only a moment's rest at a little diner they frequented down the high street afterwards, they both decided that it was time to call it a day. Both of them had parents with controls and rules about lateness. Coming home any later that 6.30 in the early evening would have landed them in trouble. So Kandi and Sarah marched back down the high street they had toured through, back to the large bus stop they had gotten here from. After a ten and half minute wait for the right bus, the friends got the one they wanted and boarded, finding a seat together close at the back of the bus. That was where they were now. Kandi stared out of the window as the bus drove along. All the talk she heard in the background from the other passengers just faded from her mind. Sarah noticed the distraction but didn't say anything about it. The main reason she and Kandi had gone out today was to get her mind off of Janelle. In her heart, Sarah was feeling as if she had failed in that aim. But to be perfectly honest; that was quite far from the truth. Kandi certainly hadn't forgotten about the Janelle situation But what she did have was a new sense of longing. A longing to move on. It was a condition that Sarah wasn't aware of... but one that Kandi certainly was. She wanted to get on with things. No matter what the reason, if Janelle wanted to move on then Kandi knew she had to do the same. What good would it do her to pine after someone who was so clearly accepting the death of their relationship? It was the first step towards maturity. To know when the time came when you finally had to let go of any vain hopes of salvaging something that undoubtedly couldn't be fixed. In the face of that, Kandi was doing no more than what anyone with any keen sense of mind would do. She was truly going to do her utmost in getting over Janelle. It was all she could do, really. Eventually the time came when Sarah had to get off. The bus had turned into her block and Kandi lived a greater distance down the street. Only three stops, but, all the same she didn't feel like walking the rest of the way just to say goodbye to Sarah on the road. The blonde girl made her goodbyes and exited when the bus parked itself at her stop momentarily. Kandi watched Sarah get off and then waved to her gently through the window when the bus started moving again. Sarah waved back. Then before very long she was out of sight. Kandi eased back into her seat with a sigh and shifted her three bags closer to her. At first she looked out the window again; just watching all the houses and parking lots that the bus passed by. Then eventually she found herself staring at some of the people on the bus. She didn't make a habit of it normally. But it was a good thing that she did. Because when Kandi stared at the opposing side of the bus, she saw what was now become quite the familiar little face. "It's that girl." Kandi thought to herself. It was most definitely the same girl that had been staring at her in one of the previous clothes shops. The same long dark hair, the same freshly tanned skin, the same velvety black eyes. She had no idea who the girl was but this was not the first time they had seen each other. In fact this was the third time of the day that Kandi had laid eyes on her. The first had been in that clothes shop. The second was when she and Sarah had walked into a cell phone store. Sarah's one was on the fritz and she was thinking of buying herself a new one. Kandi had accompanied her But she didn't really care for cell phones much, so she didn't pay a lot of attention. She found herself staring out the shop window back then Which was when she noticed that mystery girl standing in line for a hotdog beside a vendor. And now this was the third time that Kandi had seen her. Of course, Kandi wasn't the only one who realized that they were becoming more aware of each other. That raven-haired teen was sitting across from Kandi and two seats ahead. But she made a point of looking over her shoulder and stealing a quick glance of Kandi. Naturally, when she realized that redhead was staring at her too, she quickly looked away and fiddled busily with the Wal-Mart bag in her hand. Kandi smiled at that. This girl wasn't so confident. Kind of bashful. And so began the first page of Kandi's 'Get Over Janny' dissertation Though she didn't really know what she was gunning for when she did it, Kandi gathered together her bags and stood up, abandoning her seat. Her sexy sapphire eyes focused in on the lone dark-haired teen and she started walking down the bay of the bus with her shopping bags in hand. Kandi plastered an awfully sweet (almost saccharine) smile on her face as her shadow was cast over the mystery girl. The nervous look on her face was proof enough that she was pretending not to notice Kandi's advance on her, but that was okay. Kandi would just have to have enough confidence for the pair of them. While holding herself up by the hand railing above, Kandi spoke; "Hi." "...Uh..." The girl pressed her palms into her lap, looking down with flushed cheeks. This was clearly not what she had been expecting, "...hello..." Kandi wiggled her little button nose. "Can I sit here?" The girl shrugged. Kandi took that as a good sign (well, as much as anyone else would) and lowered herself onto the hard yet cushioned seat. When she did that the girl beside her looked out the window, in a shallow attempt at masking her nervousness about all this. It wasn't Kandi's intention to make this girl the least bit uncomfortable. But she had chosen a course now; she wasn't about to abandon it. A silence slid down around the two of them now that they were sitting together. One that Kandi was soon to break. "My name's Kandi," She said suddenly, "well it's my nickname at least." The longhaired teenager next to her swallowed the lump in her throat and stared at Kandi from the corner of her eyes. "...I'm Franchesca." "I've seen you around today. I think we kind of met eyes earlier?" Franchesca, as she was called, was plainly embarrassed by that. "...Yeah. I-I'm sorry." "Oh it's okay. I don't mind." Replied the Dakotan girl Once again another cold silence fell upon them. Franchesca wasn't the brightest example of a conversationalist. But then Kandi had known people like that all her life. The secret was getting them to break out of their shell. "So like, what school do you go to?" "...Saffron-Jameson," Answered the girl, "w-what about you?" Kandi smiled again. "Atlantic High. I heard that Saffron-Jameson can be totally cool too. My best friend's ex-best friend used to go there." Though Franchesca didn't know what to make of something *that* convulsed, the fact that Kandi was the one going out of her way to open up conversation between the two made it easier for her to settle down and adjust to the change in situation "...It's okay there. The teachers can be a little strict, but... I guess I sort of like it there." "Uh huh. I wouldn't mind seeing it from inside for once if-" Franchesca noticed that Kandi had stopped herself. "Is something wrong?" "Damnit, this is my stop," It had come by so fast she had barely noticed it, "I have to go. If I don't my parents are gonna like, totally freak." A smile of disappointment came from Franchesca. One that spoke volumes to Kandi. And it made the situation even more irritating for her. "I-it was nice meeting you." That goodbye seemed almost sudden to Kandi's ear, but she had to get off here. As the bus neared her stop, she stood up with her bags, once again holding onto the railing Kandi looked down at Franchesca with a presumptuous expression, saying, "So... uh... maybe I'll see you again some day...?" "Maybe..." Franchesca said shyly. Kandi forced a smile onto her face and walked down the bay, trying not to seem too upset When the bus stopped she got off angrily and inhaled, hearing the plastic doors close behind her. She watched the bus drive off seconds later. With it went Franchesca and the first efforst she made to get over Janny. And what worse was that she was not in a position to see Franchesca from the window. When the bus chugged down the road, Kandi growled irritably and marched down that particular pavement of her block, pouting. She had so quickly found someone she liked and the rules of her goddamned parents had spoiled everything. "Just my luck..." She complained, "Just my freakin' luck." ********** It was 8.00. Terri put her car in park, stopping right beside the open curb of this quiet residential area. The same area where the James household happened to be. Terri exhaled and leaned back in her driver's seat, staring up into the night sky from her roofless convertible. The agreement she had made with Chloe about picking her up at her house seemed like a good idea at the time. But now it seemed sort of unwise Terri wasn't afraid of running into Chloe's parents and facing a swarm of questions, she had already been through that. What Terri had been thinking of was Sarah. She was bound to be home by now. What would it be like now that they were forced to see each other again? Maybe it was Terri's own fault for taking an interest in the girl's older sister. But there was nothing that could be done about it now. The girl with the dyed pink bangs took her keys out of the ignition and opened the door, slamming it back when she exited. After locking it she started walking up the cobblestone path to the James house's front door, past its front garden. Terri strode up to the door and pressed the little doorbell, hearing it ring throughout the house. There was a call of 'I'll get it' from the inside. It was the voice of someone who was definitely not Chloe. One that Terri was quite familiar with. She waited a moment and then the door clicked open. The one opening the doors was Sarah. And when she saw that Terri had rung, that the punk teen was standing silently in her doorway; her face paled considerably. Sarah was honestly shocked. "...Terri...?" "Yeah," She said, withholding anger, "hey." There was an uncomfortable moment between them. The blonde-headed Sarah stared vacantly in her disbelief. While Terri clenched and un-clenched her hands to keep herself as calm and collected as she normally acted. But that was kind of an awkward act to maintain between the two of them now. Sarah looked at her pink-fluffy slippers, quite guiltily. "It's... been a while, huh?" "Cut the crap, alright?" Terri barked quietly, "I didn't come here for small talk. I'm here for Chloe. I'm here to pick her up." Sarah looked up urgently. "You? You're the one she's...?" "Yes. It's me. Is she ready?" The slightly younger woman stepped aside. "I guess you should... come in..." But Terri was quite hesitant about that, even though her voice and expression appeared to convey some sort of self-confidence. "Is she ready or not?" "She's in her room right now," Sarah explained, catching her breath, "Look Terri, about what happened between us... I'm really sorry-" Any hesitation Terri might have had in entering this place was now gone. Before Sarah could finish what she wanted to, Terri stomped in and passed the girl by, making her way into the hall and then up the carpeted steps. Sarah watched her go. The guilt she felt couldn't be anymore frank than it was right now. And she knew, in her heart, that no one else was to blame but her. Terri didn't look back when she strode up those steps; even though she knew that Sarah was watching her oh so plainly. By now she knew her way around the James house. She knew where the bathroom and bedrooms were. And since the only one she hadn't been in was that of Chloe; Terri knew which bedroom belonged to her. When she came to that door, Terri got herself under control and knocked against it with the back of her hand "Chloe? Are you in there?" Her voice replied casually, with a kind of intentional allure. "...Yeah. You can come in." The door wasn't locked so there were no problems there. Terri turned the doorknob and pushed inward. When that door swung open she stared hard at the girl waiting for her. It was Chloe. But she was in no state that could have been classified as 'ready'. She lay sprawled across the pink spread of her bed with a powerful, almost cunning smile on her face. And her body was almost completely un-clothed. The three items of clothing were about her person. A white lace bra and panties as well as a small silver anklet dangling off her left leg. One of her knees was drawn up to her waist while the other was in full extension. One of her hands was up by her head, rested against the pillow of the bed. The other had a finger twirling at one of her locks of soft auburn hair -- a habit that Terri began to notice a lot from Chloe. The shutters of the room as well as the star-and-moon curtains had been closed; which would have left it in complete darkness; aside from the three scented candles burning on her table, chest of drawers and bedside cabinet. It was just enough romantic light for the important things to be seen. Which was what Chloe had obviously intended. And by the looks of things she wasn't really planning on 'going out' for the night, either. Terri stepped inside and closed the door behind her, wordlessly. She flipped the lock that she barely even noticed, sealing the door, then moved toward Chloe's bed. Chloe was the first to speak between them. "I'm so glad you're here, Terri..." "I... uh," Terri suddenly found her skills of equanimity lacking, "guess the restaurant's out?" The highly sexual pose Chloe had put herself in was abandoned. She placed her smooth legs together and arose from her bed. She brought herself to Terri in the middle of the room with cool, elegant strides. Then stopped as they stood before each other. Chloe pulled a grin and placed her both of her hands against Terri's warm cheeks. The older one was notably confused, but also extremely charmed; so much so that she did nothing to question what Chloe had quite visibly planned for them There was a slight height difference of a few inches. So Chloe leaned up on her tip-toes and brought her lips closer to Terri's; so close in fact that rocker could feel her quickening breath. There was a moment of lingering as they both closed their eyes. Chloe tilted her head to the left with a longing moan, and pushed her lips up against Terri's. Her hands left Terri's cheeks and wound around her neck during their first and probably most important kiss. And Chloe sighed into Terri's mouth gently, while her free hand curled back into the older woman's shortly cut hair. The two remained that way for a few moments, until Chloe slowly pulled back from it, her now moist lips curling into a very breathless smile. "Don't tell... me you don't want this..." Chloe whispered that hard. She was so horny that she had to make an effort to regulate her soft breathing, "from the first time I saw you; I liked you. You're... not gonna... bail on me now... are you?" Terri stood motionless and transfixed as Chloe leaned against her neck by the tip of her toes, and she continued with her slow, lustful whispers, "Don't you wanna be with me...?" Terri closed her eyes and moaned unintentionally when Chloe began kissing at her neck. Light butterfly kisses that trailed up and down. Any concentration Terri wanted to amass was impossible whilst feeling that beautiful girl kiss and suck at the flesh of her neck and collarbone. And more importantly -- seeing Sarah had effected her. Just like she thought it would. The anger that she could remember from that past relationship had been brought all back to her in memory. Terri was no more ignorant of those times than anyone else. And the more she thought about it the more she wanted to put it all away. Right now Chloe was the only thing capable of doing that for her. Chloe's tongue licked up Terri's neck until it reached her jaw line. And she said, "How about it...?" The restraint that Terri had been feeling up to this point was forsaken for sheer animal lust Her hands reached out for the younger woman's cheeks and clasped them quickly. The change in mood and demeanour was evident when Terri thrust her mouth into Chloe's, almost demandingly. Both girl's moaned femininely at this; Terri's kiss planted both hard and fast. Her wet tongue took action moments later, prising apart Chloe's lips and entering into her mouth. Chloe sighed giddily at the feeling of Terri's tongue massaging her own in their kiss, running over each other. She placed her hands against the chest of her older lover and stood taken; with Terri kissing her harder and more forcefully than anyone else ever had. Terri guided her hands to Chloe's bare waist and ran up and down it, admiring the soft feel of her bared flesh. As the two remained locked together they stiffly ambled each other backward to the bed. Chloe struggled to maintain their kiss as she was leaned down to the bed, with Terri's strong but tender hands cradling her. Chloe's back came down to that softness. And Terri quickly mounted her from the waist, her boots dragged up onto the bed. Terri's lips descended for Chloe's once more with another painstakingly fervent kiss, thrusting her tongue into the James girl's moan-wracked throat. As Chloe let herself be kissed so bluntly she awkwardly went about taking Terri's clothes off her. In her haste she chipped the lilac nail polish of her fingernails when she scrambled to unbutton Terri's jeans jacket. They all eventually came loose. Terri broke their kiss once more and quickly pulled her jacket off. Then she crossed her arms over her waist and clasped her undershirt. That she also pulled off, causing her considerably-sized, bra-covered breasts to heave. A second afterwards she reached behind her back and unclipped her black bra to let it drop from her body. With that; Terri launched herself over Chloe again and grabbed her wrists. Both of which she pinned against the younger girl's head. The gasp of surprise that the Chloe felt was muffled when Terri seized her lips once more with that dreadfully overt passion. Terri forced her tongue down Chloe's throat once more, while her larger breasts slowly rubbed up and down Chloe's smaller ones. They moaned in unison through their kiss. With Terri straddling her from the waist and pinning her wrists down on the bed, Chloe was in complete sexual meltdown. Terri handled her with such intensity and firmness that she could barely adjust to it. And yet her touch was so soft. It was the kind of combination you'd search your whole life for but never find. Once again their kiss was broken. Terri dragged her tongue out of Chloe's mouth and lunged at left side of her neck. Chloe was left gasping of both breathlessness and lust. Her bra-enclosed chest heaved up and down while Terri nuzzled and nibbled at the tender lilywhite skin that was bared at her supple neck. With her hands still pinned to the pillow, Chloe could only moan and whimper decidedly for more of the same; her mouth wide open and her eyes wide shut. Terri's actions led her to Chloe's tasty little left earlobe, which she nibbled at, passing saliva over that little diamond stud earring. Her tongue ran up and down it, back and forth, while Chloe lay there clenching and unclenching her hands impotently The older woman then brought her mouth down Chloe's neck once more, dropping kiss after kiss after kiss until she found herself before the cleft between Chloe's rising mounds. One hand she kept on Chloe's wrists, bringing them together. With the other and newly freed hand, Terri grabbed the fabric of the bra; literally tearing it off Chloe's body. But there was no complaint from the high school teen. Because the second afterward, Terri's mouth was suckling at the nipple of Chloe's left breast. Her lips curled around the pink nub and nursed obsessively on it, flashing her tongue around its now erect curves. Chloe tilted her head back even further and bit lightly on her lip as she struggled to keep her moaning in check. Even though her parents weren't back yet, Sarah was downstairs. There was always a risk that she might overhear something. But it was a losing battle The feeling of Terri's moistened lips around her rigid nipple was almost unbelievable. Chloe had never had a sexual experience before; but she thought she knew what to expect. That was until now. Terri was pushing all her buttons and in all the right ways and places. While the college woman slurped and bit at Chloe's now drenched little bud, her freed hand crawled down the girl's body until its fingertips were touching against Chloe's damp panties. Terri took a firm grip of them and ripped them from Chloe's hips, all the while still chewing at the teen's left breast. She tossed the remainders of the panties away and curled her hand around Chloe's wet crotch. Chloe cried a hoarse gasp when she felt Terri's finger trace itself between the fleshy folds of her labia. Her premature moisture was more than enough for the purposes of lubrication. There was no friction what so ever. Terri rubbed her hand up and down between Chloe's hips while her finger parted the girl's labial region. With that, and Terri sucking on her breast with almost perfect synchronization; Chloe was about ready to explode. Her face was twisted in pleasure from Terri's handiwork. Her mouth was open, her cheeks were flushed, her forehead was glistening with a light sheen of sweat, the hands of her pinned wrists were tightened into little fists, and she cried out with broken, disjointed moans It was all too much for her to resist -- in some vain attempt to prolong the moment Terri's finger glided ever faster between Chloe's wet lower lips, knowing that she didn't have to make any attempt to stimulate that little clit of hers to get what she wanted. Chloe's cries grew in both length and vigour until one final one broke the mould. A loud shriek that was undoubtedly loud enough to be heard from outside the bedroom. Chloe's body jerked in one instant, with Terri still mounting her. A gush of fluid followed the contractions and vice-like clenching of her vagina, splattering against Terri's rubbing hand, which began to slow down into a leisurely, careful pace. Chloe weathered the brunt of her orgasmic screaming by attempting to bite her lip again. But all the same, she couldn't prevent herself from bucking and writhing against Terri's slightly larger form, clamping her thighs around the college freshmen's hand to keep it in place. Eventually Chloe regained control over her body, as the layers of pleasure inundating her torso started to lessen. Terri pulled her mouth from Chloe's breast and stared at the girl beneath her, watching her blissful reactions and the light regressions of her moaning. Chloe was left staring at Terri with half-open eyes, her chest and shoulders rising and falling from her heavy breathing. Her lips curled into a smile, as did those of Terri. They had a rare kind of chemistry between the two of them. Even if they were entering into this 'relationship' with different reasons and intentions... both of them were prepared to see where it would take them Perhaps it was for the best that neither of them understood how much they would be hurting Sarah in the process. ********** Chris Angel says, * Chapter no.2 of the Misadventures of Kandi. Hmm. I liked writing this one more than I did the first. Probably because it adds new dimensions to the story. Like what went on between Sarah and Terri, the identity of Holly's 'Secret Admirer', Kandi's desire to get over Janelle, etc. As always, I still take recommendations and requests on what you like to see in the Misadventures Series, so if you have an idea, be sure to drop it off in an e-mail. * Many thanks to 'Stephanie Rioux-Davis' for her Secret Admirer request. I'm sure you all have a rather sneaking suspicion as to who it is, but for now I'll just let the mystery linger... * I always enjoy hearing from the people who read and like my work, so feel free to send me an e-mail with your comments.
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