Everybody Meets

Soulmates Saga - Choices Everybody Meets

Donal/Gold

(This our first attempt at a story that uses all eight girls. Also it's the first basketball story. Another bball story is already in the works if the reception is good for this one. Let us know what you think.)

(Author's Note: Where this would fit in the Soulmates Saga universe, I'm not sure, definitely before Future's Imperfect. Let me think about it.)

The St. Francis and Central girls teams were on the floor, warming up, when the announcer came on the PA. "Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and girls. Welcome to the 23rd Annual West Catholic Invitational Basketball Tournament. The St. Francis Sabrecat girls and the Central High Badger girls will start us off. The boys will follow at four. The Washington Huskie girls will meet our own West Catholic Thunderbolt girls at six, with the boys to follow at eight. The consolation girls game will be tomorrow at two, the consolation boys at four. The championship girls game will be at six, the boys at eight."

Sally, Stephanie, and Lisa were in the stands, along with their parents, rooting for Beth. Sarah was on the sidelines cheering for her team. Allison and Rikki were in a corner doing some scouting. Ginny was in the stands with Sarah's mom and dad. A neighbor was babysitting Lauren. Allison's parents and Rikki's mom would be there in time for their game. By coincidence, everyone was sitting on either side of the imaginary line down the center of the stands separating the fans of the two teams. The stands were full.

As Allison and Rikki watched the opposing teams warm-up, they were interested in one person specifically, Elizabeth Wilson. The previous year they were playing at St. Francis as the defending soccer champions of the league. Well, to put things into perspective, it was Beth Wilson that stopped them cold and St. Francis was the one that went on to win the soccer championship that year. They watched her take her practice shots along with the rest of the St. Francis team. They were amazed by her quickness and her agility and knew they would have a problem with her.

"Rikster, you'll need to be very aware of her when you have the ball. She's quick enough to pick your pocket and be laying it up before you can blink."

"I know, and we probably need to throw in some box-and-one and diamond-and-two on defense."

"Of course, that assumes we both win and play tomorrow."

"Word!"

Lisa eyed the Central cheerleaders and wondered. Ever since she'd heard the stories about a girl from Central dating a girl from West, she'd kept her ear to the ground. Another girl'd told her that the Central girl was a cheerleader and the West girl was an athlete. (I wonder if one of the cheerleaders is her?)

The teams finished their warm-ups and went back to locker room. A few minutes later, the starters for each team came out followed by the rest of the teams. They did some drills before gathering around each coach. The starters were announced and circled up for the center jump. Beth got the ball and seemed to take only one step before putting up a shot.

It went in for a three pointer. A yell went up from the St. Francis side with Sally yelling the loudest and Lisa and Stephi not far behind. The ref handed the ball to a Central player who took two steps and passed the ball off to a teammate who almost had it stolen out of her hands by Beth but just managed to get it away to another team-mate who layed it up for two points. Sarah yelled and jumped up and down, getting the Central crowd into the game. Ginny cheered.

The St. Francis point guard brought up the ball and passed to Beth who hit a short jumper for another two points! Sally yelled even louder. Back and forth it went for the next 10 minutes with St. Francis in the lead by only two points when Central called a timeout. Beth was well on her way to a 'quadruple-double' with 10 points, three assists, three steals, and four rebounds.

Still in the corner, Allison and Rikki exchanged knowing glances. The Wilson girl was putting on a clinic. If someone guarded her that could keep up, Beth just shot over her. If it was someone to contest her shot, Beth drove around her. Sometimes Beth would post up her defender. She turned out to be a pinpoint passer. Allison and Rikki watched her hit a teammate cutting the lane in stride with a bounce pass for an easy layup. Sometimes another teammate would cut off one of her fierce screens for an easy short jumper.

St. Francis was only up by six points at half-time, but the writing was on the wall.

Lisa saw two West athletes pop out from beside the stands. They passed by the Central cheerleaders. One of the pair, the one with 'White' on her sweats, brushed hands with one of the cheerleaders. (Ah-Ha!). Lisa looked at her program, Allison White; why did that name sound so familiar? It was a soccer game last year. Beth's team was playing in one of the more crucial games and the winning team would probably go on to win the Championship. White's team was the one that Beth's team beat! Oh?my?god, West might be looking to get some kind of revenge after the loss last year if they both make it to the championship game!

After half-time the score kept on going back and forth. Beth started taking control of the game and moved her team around the court. Sally yelled more. Instead of taking the majority of the shots, Beth realized that Central was starting to key on her so she passed more and set screens. The Central team now had to watch everybody which is what Beth wanted to happen. As a result, St. Francis pulled out to a 15 point lead.

Then Central made a run. They got a few defensive stops. A couple of treys and short jumpers cut the St. Francis lead to five. Beth took over again. She slowed things down; brought up the ball, made a couple of shots. On defense, she challenged the ball and got a steal. The lead was back up to 10 points and Central never got any closer.

After the game ended, the teams met at center court for handshakes, fist-bumps, or high-fives. Everyone congratulated her on her 'triple-double' - she was one rebound short of the 'quad'. The teams headed for the locker room and the boys took over the floor.

During the boy's game, Allison's mom and dad and Rikki's mom joined the crowd. Sarah came up from below and sat down next to them; depressed because Central lost. Beth showed up in her St Francis sweats and wet hair. Sally was hoarse from yelling so much. Lisa watched Sarah pensively trying to decide what to do and how to confront her. Finally it hit her; she would just go up and introduce herself.

Sarah noticed a very pretty girl walking towards her. She looked to be about 5'5" with brown hair. "Hi, my name is Lisa Toms and I just wanted to find out how long you and Allison White have been going together?"

Sarah was stunned, "How did you find out Allison and I were dating?"

"I was watching her walking with another teammate and noticed that she brushed your hand with hers. I put two and two together with some other things I've heard. You don't have to worry though, I'm a friend of Beth Wilson. She goes with the sister of the girl I date," Lisa told her.

Looking at this extremely pretty girl, Sarah decided to be honest with her, "I guess before we find out anything else about each other, I should answer your question. My name is Sarah Black and I go to Central High. Allison and I have been dating for a couple of years now." Sarah reached out to shake Lisa's hand.

"I guess we should find out more indeed about each other then, shouldn't we, Sarah?" Lisa said as a smile passed over her face and reached out her hand too.

The West Catholic and Washington girls teams finally took to the floor. After warm-ups and a final word from the coaches, the teams circled up for the center jump. Allison got the ball and shot a pass to Rikki, streaking down the sideline for an easy lay-up. Ginny and Sarah cheered. Lisa cheered her Huskies and Beth, Sally, and Stephi helped. But Lisa knew, with two all-city, all-state players, the Thunderbolts were favored in this game.

Even though Washington was playing in the clouds, West pulled away. Rikki dropped in treys from way down-town or cut off an Allison screen for a short jumper or easy lay-up. Allison would post-up high, get a pass, and back down for a turn-around jumper or pass back out to a teammate. The West lead at the end of the quarter was six points, even though Washington seemingly couldn't miss from three-point-land.

The second quarter like the first. Washington hit everything they got close enough to throw towards the basket. By causing turnovers and dominating the rebounds, West was able to pull further away. Allison and Rikki were both working on 'triple-double's. West's lead was up 12 points by half.

Beth was truly impressed. She remembered Allison White from the soccer game when she stopped her last shot. She didn't recognize the other girl Allison was working with. It was obvious why Allison was considered one of the best in the state: a deadly shot from anywhere on the floor, a fierce rebounder, a stop-you-dead-in-your-tracks screen setter, an accurate passer, able to see anyone anywhere on the floor, an absolutely dead stop defender against the other team's best player. It would be interesting to go up against her in the championship game tomorrow.

After halftime, Washington came crashing down to earth. They went several minutes without even taking a shot. Allison took a rebound and fired a perfect baseball pass to Rikki on the fast break. The West coach took Allison out and let the second team get some minutes while Rikki stayed in to run things. The lead at the end of the third quarter was 20. The coach took Rikki out and let the scrubs finish up.

The P.A. announcer came on, "The girl's championship is now set. The West Catholic Thunderbolts will meet the St. Francis Sabrecats tomorrow at six pm."

Lisa was brought back to earth by the sobering fact that her team lost to West Catholic even as she was in the process of trying to get to know these girls better. "Sarah, your girlfriend and her teammate were completely dominating out there."

"Yeah, they are impressive aren't they? Speaking of Allison, since she and I have been going together for a couple of years now, we decided that we are secure enough not to hide our relationship from anybody. If they can't deal with it, we just ignore them. How about yourself" Sarah asked her.

Lisa mulled that question around for a couple of minutes before answering. "Actually Sarah, at the beginning when I broke up with my boyfriend it did bother me quite a bit it but rarely occurs to me now. I had a talk with my parents and they told me that as long as I was happy with whoever I was dating, they were happy for me."

"Now that sounds like something my parents would say to me, Lisa." Sarah smiled.

"Sarah, what do you think of all of us getting together after the game tomorrow no matter who wins and introducing everyone to each other?"

Sarah looked a little pensive but thought that was a good idea, "Actually Lisa, it doesn't sound like a bad idea but I'll have to talk to Allison, Rikki, and Ginny about it."

"Who's the other girl who's playing for West with Allison?" asked Lisa.

"Yep, that's Rikki, our AngelFace. She's going with a girl that graduated last year from Central who's now going to UConn." Sarah smiled.

Lisa ventured, "Then I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sounds like a plan." Lisa rejoined a group of people obviously waiting for her and hopped down the bleachers to the floor.

Sarah turned to Ginny and wooshed. For some reason, she didn't introduce Ginny when Rikki was mentioned. "Who were you talking to, Munchkin? It was too noisy to follow what you were saying."

"That was interesting, Gin. The young lady walks up to me, introduces herself, and asks how long Allison and I have been going together."

"And what did you say?"

"I asked her how she found out. She said she saw us brush hands at halftime and put it together with things she'd heard."

"Sounds sinister. What else did she say?"

"That she was friends with the Wilson girl on the St. Francis team."

"Beth Wilson! The girl that stopped Allison's shot!"

"Yea, her. And she said that the Wilson girl was dating the sister of the girl she was seeing."

"Curiouser and Curiouser. Anything else?"

"She suggested a meet-and-greet after tomorrows game, regardless of the outcome. I told her it sounded like a good idea, but I would have to ask you, Allison, and Rikki."

"And what do you think?"

Allison and Rikki were standing at the bottom of the bleachers, motioning Sarah and Ginny to come down. "Let's ask the others. Are you and Rikki joining us in the jacuzzi? She may need a massage."

"I'll ask. Thanks for the lessons. Rikki is definitely in a better mood afterward if she's not hurting." They bounced down the bleachers, hugged, and congratulated Allison and Rikki.

On the way over to Sarah's house, Sarah related her conversation with Lisa to Allison, Ginny, and Rikki. Lisa's bluntness was a bit disconcerting, but the possibility of getting to know Beth Wilson was intriguing to Rikki and Allison. Sarah and Ginny wanted to see how the younger girls were handling the stigma of being lesbian.

Sarah's parents had OK'd a sleepover, figuring it would be easier to get Allison, Rikki, and Sarah to their games on time if they were all together. Ginny and Rikki stopped off to see Lauren and make sure the babysitter was available.

Sarah was working on Allison's hair when Rikki and Ginny arrived. Settling in front of the jets, "Get your hair wet, Angelface, so I can do your do."

"OK, Sihaya." Rikki dunked her head in the water and climbed between Ginny's legs. Sarah was braiding Allison's hair as Ginny combed Rikki's.

Sarah started kneading Allison's shoulders, "So what do you all think of Lisa's meet-and-greet idea?"

Allison spoke first, grunting from Sarah's ministrations, "I don't know about you guys, but I would like a chance to meet the Wilson girl."

Ginny started massaging Rikki's arms and shoulders. Rikki chimed in, "I agree."

Ginny opined, "I guess that makes three votes for with me the decider."

Sarah interrupted, "Hey, wait a minute. I haven't said if I'm for or against the idea."

"Oh, please. It is intuitively obvious to anyone not paying attention that Lisa intrigues you. As I was saying, as long as the 'rents are OK with it, I see no problems. Where do we have the rave?"

Sarah finished with Allison and assumed her usual position, face-to-face with Allison, sitting on her lap. One of Allison's hands started rubbing up and down Sarah's back while the other one disappeared under the water. Rikki just enfolded herself in Ginny's arms - one on a breast and one under the water too.

Sarah's mom poked her head around the corner, "Anybody need medical attention?"

"No, Mom...Dr. Black."

"What were you ladies discussing so intently a moment ago?"

Sarah had to retell the story of her encounter with Lisa. "If you want my opinion...?"

"We do. We want to meet them, but if you said no, we would turn them down."

"Well, I personally think that would be a good idea to meet these girls. After all, one can never have enough friends in this world. But let me say this, what happens when or should I say if something happens on the court and someone gets into a fight and one of you if not both of you has to cross fists with this Wilson girl? I doubt she or her friends would want to 'meet-and-greet'." Mrs. Black smiled at the girls.

Sarah, Allison, Rikki and Ginny all looked at each other and wondered about that. Finally it was Allison that broke the silence, "Dr. Black, thanks for bringing up a sticky subject that I've never really given any thought to. But I don't think you'll have to worry. After all, my parents would definitely make sure that I never saw daylight again if anything like that happened and besides, knowing you, I would never be able to see Sarah again. Now, would I?"

Sarah's Mother looked at Allison and couldn't help but laugh, "You're so right about that, Allison! You and Rikki need to talk to your parents and get their OK before tomorrow's game. If both agree, you can have the party here"

"Thanks. Mom...Dr. Black."

The girls finished with the jacuzzi and dried off before going down to dinner. Since they were at Sarah's house they debated whether or not to go down nude or get dressed. At the last moment they decided to get dressed. Sarah's mom and dad didn't care whether or not the girls were clad.

On the other side of town a similar discussion was taking place with Lisa, Sally, Beth and Stephanie.

Lisa just got finished telling the other girls her conversation with Sarah and they were very interested in meeting with Allison, Sarah, Rikki and Ginny.

"Well, I for one would love to meet Allison White." stated Beth. "After what I did to her last year in the soccer game, I would like to at least get to know her."

Sally was sitting next to Beth shaking her head knowingly, "I wouldn't mind meeting her girlfriend. If what Lisa told us about her was true, it sounds like they've been going together the same amount of time that we have Beth."

Stephanie and Lisa had their fingers interwoven with each other, "I would like to meet the other girls in that group and see how they've been dealing with the situation like we have. From what Lisa has told me, it seems that Lisa and I are the youngest ones out of all of us. I also think we need to tell our parents about this."

Lisa looked over at Stephanie and smiled, "After talking with Sarah, it seems like all of us have something in common with each other. Not only are we dating other girls but it seems like all of us have found our soul mates. Let's go talk with our parents and see what they have to say. After all, we do need their permission for any kind of get together."

Since the girls were over at Sally and Stephanie's they walked downstairs and found the parents gathered in the dining room drinking coffee. "Hey Mom, Dad, and everyone else!" Sally laughed as she said that.

"Well hello Ladies. And what do we have here? It looks like it may be a mutiny tonight?" Sally's mother said.

"MOM...No, we just need to talk to all you, that is if we're not interrupting anything important?" Stephanie added.

Lisa then proceeded to tell all the parents about her conversation with Sarah and what the possible outcome could be. After finishing, Lisa waited for the comments from them.

The parents took their time thinking about what Lisa just told them. "Well Honey, I can see that you've thought about this for a while and you did the right thing about approaching this Sarah girl." Lisa's Mom said.

"I suppose that you all want to meet your "counterparts" as we would call them no matter how that game tomorrow turns out." Mr. Wilson stated.

"We've thought about this among ourselves and find it quite interesting Dad. The percentages are amazingly low for as many girls that we know about going with each other just in our town alone." Beth looked at her Father. "We would like to meet with these other girls after the game tomorrow no matter who wins. I think it would be great and we would get to make new friends too!"

"Well, since you put it that way, who are we to stand in your way. Just make sure you let us know where this "wild party "will take place." Sally's father told them.

Sally and Stephanie jumped into their parents arms and hugged them. Lisa and Beth did the same thing with their parents.

The girls then went upstairs into Sally's room and paired off with their girlfriends. "Well, what do you think, Ladies?" Beth asked.

"I think we'll have a great time no matter what happens during the game. Oh by the way, I forgot to tell you that they seem to have "nicknames"." Lisa told them. "The one, Rikki, is called Angelface but I didn't get the names of the other ones. I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

During the boy's consolation game, everyone was congratulating Sarah on Central's victory over Washington. The two teams had taken yesterday's result in different ways: Central used the loss with St. Francis as a springboard to playing well today, Washington more or less mailed it in. Lisa was unhappy, but knew her team didn't deserve to win.

Sarah hadn't approached Lisa about the meet-and-greet idea yet. She was worried that some or all of Sarah's friends had said no.

The teams were on the floor warming up when the P.A. Announcer began, "Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls. Welcome to the 23rd Annual West Catholic Invitational Basketball Tournament Girls Championship Game. The St. Francis Sabrecats will take on our own West Catholic Thunderbolts in a titanic struggle for the ages."The teams huddled while the announcer spoke. "A coin toss determined that St. Francis would be the home team and wear their white home uniforms, West will be the visitors and wear their dark green road uniforms. The starting lineup for the West Catholic Thunderbolts is... The lineup for the St. Francis Sabrecats is..."

The starters gathered around the center circle for the jump. Allison tapped the ball to a teammate who turned to fire a pass to Rikki, running down the sideline. A blur intercepted the pass and drove for the Sabrecat basket. Beth head faked and when she looked up, Allison was there and took the charge. Less than 10 seconds into the game: no score and one foul.

Things settled down from there. St. Francis went up by a basket. West came back and went up by two baskets. St Francis tied the game again The score was tied at the end of the first quarter. Rikki, with Allison's help, had put the clamps on Beth. The plan was to make Beth's teammates win the game. Beth was still getting some points, but not her usual. She was doing what she could to help others score: passing, rebounding, setting screens, trying to control Rikki.

It looked like West was finally in control. They'd gotten the lead up to eight, with two minutes to go in the half. Beth stepped up her game and practically willed St. Francis to tie the score at the half. If you'd been a fly on the wall, you'd have seen Beth gulping oxygen, and Rikki and Allison downing sports drink to replenish their electrolytes. Both coaches exhorted their players to do more, while the assistants drew plays that they hoped would work.

Lisa looked up and saw Sarah and another girl walking towards her. Lisa recognized her from the game the day before. "Lisa, I'd like to introduce Ginny Browning, Rikki's girlfriend. Ginny, Lisa Toms, a friend of Beth Wilson."

"Hi." "Pleasure."

"Lisa, I talked to my girls and they all would like to take you up on the 'meet-and-greet' idea after the game. My parents said we could party at my house."

Lisa relaxed a bit, "I was worried when you didn't approach me before the game. I thought someone had said no." She turned to two nearby girls and motioned them up, "Sarah, Ginny, I'd like to introduce Sally, Beth's girlfriend, and Stephanie, Sally's sister."

"Hi." Everyone shook hands.

"We'll gather up after the game and our athletes get free."

"OK."

The second half began like the first had ended, with the teams trading the lead. Nobody got ahead by more than four points. The third quarter ended tied. Beth was bring up the ball with 30 seconds to go in the game, Rikki dogging her steps, intending to take the last shot. Time was winding down when Beth crossed over. Rikki reached in, slapping the ball away. Picking up her dribble, Rikki drove for the basket. Just before she was going to take the shot, someone came up behind her and poked the ball away, out of bounds, as time expired - overtime.

Allison came up behind Rikki, "Damn,she is fast. Beth Wilson caught up to you and knocked the ball out of bounds."

"Word?"

"Word."

The first overtime went the same way - neither team could get a lead and keep it for very long. Allison had the ball with 10 seconds left. She put up a shot off the glass for the win and watched it hang on the rim, for what seemed like an eternity, and fall away - more overtime.

The second overtime was more of the same. You could tell that the players were getting tired, but nobody wanted to let up. Lead - tie - lead - tie. Beth was bringing up the ball with five seconds left. She pulled up at the three-point line and lofted a shot. But Rikki was still dogging her steps and got a hand up in Beth's face. It distracted Beth enough so that her shot clanged off the rim to the right - more overtime.

The third overtime continued. Nobody had the energy to fast-break. Both teams walked the ball up and tried to get a good shot every time. Rikki was maneuvering for the last shot, defended by Beth. Rikki cut off an Allison screen, but short-armed the shot and it fell short.

Before they could start the fourth overtime, an official called the refs over. They huddled over a book, obviously discussing some point. They called the coaches over and rehuddled. When they broke up, the official picked up the p.a. microphone, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, a little known, seldom rule has been pointed out to us. It says that you can't start an overtime period after 2.5 hours of game time. This means that we can't continue and this game is a tie and both teams are declared champions. If you give us a few minutes, we'll be ready for the presentation of trophies and individual medals."

A janitor put down a carpet at center court to protect the floor. Both teams gathered, one on either side of the circle. A table was set up with a big trophy and a pile of medals. The tournament director walked out, "I want to thank both the St. Francis Sabrecats and the West Catholic Thunderbolts for a truly memorable championship game. As you can imagine, we were not prepared for the game to be a tie. So we will be awarding the tournament trophy to St. Francis and the individual medals to West Catholic. We will acquire another set of medals for St. Francis and a trophy for West Catholic. Congratulations again to both teams. Tonight is a night you can remember for the rest of your lives."

Beth and her teammates hoisted the trophy to a flash of cameras. Rikki and Allison and their teammates raised their medals. Beth was engulfed by Sally, Lisa, and Steph. Rikki and Allison got hugs from Sarah and Ginny.

Sarah leaned in to speak in Allison's ear, "The party is on as soon as you and Rikki get free. After you shower, Jessica will bring Rik, you, and Beth Wilson to the house. The rest of us are going ahead. Don't worry about your hair, I'll do it when you arrive and Ginny will do Rikki's."

Lisa got close to Beth, "The meet-and-greet is a go as soon as you're done. We're going to Sarah's house. She said to look for Allison and Rikki after you shower. Rikki's mom will bring you three to the party. Sarah also said not to worry about your hair, somebody will do it at the party."

Each coach had a short team meeting. They congratulated everyone and told them to take the next week off. After the cheering died down, the coaches released their teams to the showers. Allison and Rikki finished first and found Jessica. They talked about the game while waiting for Beth.

When Beth came out of the locker room, Allison walked over and reached out her hand, "Elizabeth Wilson, I'm Allison White and we're supposed to give you a ride to the rave. I've wanted to meet you for quite a while now. After that soccer game last year and now this basketball game tonight, I've always wanted to get to know you."

Beth looked at Allison, smiled and instead of shaking her hand gave her a hug which surprised Allison, "Allison, please call me Beth. And like you I've wanted to meet you for a while now too. Who's the other star athlete here that wound up stopping me tonight?" Beth asked as she glanced towards Rikki.

Rikki walked toward Beth, smiled and gave her a hug also. "Hello Beth. Rikki Laveque. It's a pleasure meeting you finally. This is my mother, Jessica. After watching you in the opening game, I knew we would have a problem with you. I do have a question for you though? How did you get so quick and agile?"

Beth just smiled, "Mrs. Laveque. Actually Rikki, being a second degree Black Belt in Karate and practicing magic helped me out quite a bit over the years."

Allison and Rikki just stared at Beth. "You're a second degree black belt? Oh?my?.god! I'm sure glad that we didn't piss you off. We would have definitely been in trouble then! Did you also say that you practiced magic?" Allison asked.

"As a matter of fact I did. Oh by the way, are you missing this?" Beth held up some loose change that she had pilfered from Allison's pocket.

She looked over at Rikki then at Allison. "I knew you were fast but not like that. That's amazing. I'm glad that we're going to be friends because I would really hate to be your enemy!" Allison laughed and with that any tension was gone.

"Are we ready to go, Ladies?"

"Yea, on to the party." The three girls followed Jessica, already deep in discussion about the game and what had happened.

Lisa, Sally and Stephanie went over to their parents before they left the gym to tell them where they were going to be. "Mom, Sarah invited all of us to her house for the "meet and greet" party this evening." Sally told them.

The parents looked over at their offspring and realized that they weren't the little girls they knew anymore. "All right since we have to follow them to their house, at least we'll know where you'll be causing trouble tonight!" Judy told them with a wide smile.

"MOM?why do you think we'll be causing trouble tonight?" Stephanie deadpanned.

"Well, let's see; we have four girls about to get together to talk, laugh, giggle and whatever for the night with four more girls making a total of eight screaming and laughing teenage girls. Please! I used to be that young too so I know what you're going through ladies." Lisa's mother added.

The girls piled into their respective vehicles and followed Sarah and Ginny to Sarah's house.

As they all arrived at Sarah's house, the parents decided to get out and to introduce themselves while the girls went inside.

Lisa, Sally and Stephanie followed Sarah and Ginny in, "Well, since we're mostly all together, I think it's about time we introduced ourselves." Sarah stated. "We'll have to do it again when our athletes arrive."

Sarah walked up to Sally and Stephanie, "I already know Lisa. You must be the sisters: Sally, Beth's girlfriend," and reached out to shake her hand, "and Stephanie, Lisa's girlfriend."

"That's right. Happy to meet you."

Ginny came up beside Sarah, "I'm Ginny Browning, Rikki's girlfriend."

Sarah's mom appeared behind her, "Sweetheart, why don't you take Ginny and your new friends up to your room. That way you can talk about girly things while the adults get to talk and commiserate."

"OK, Momster. Commiserate to your hearts content, free of giggly teenage girls."

"Thanks, Honey. I'll send Allison, Rikki, and Beth up when they get here."

"Thanks Mom. Ladies, we have been banished to the upstairs while the 'rents talk about us behind our backs."

"Sarah..."

"Just kidding, Mom," and ran for the stairs.

While the others were looking at her posters, Sarah made sure the combs, brushes, and hair dryer were ready for when Allison and Rikki arrived. They talked about the usual teen topics of music, movies, makeup, star sightings, etc.

After a bit, Sarah heard the front door close and ran to the door, "C'mon up, Sunshine, and bring the others."

"Be right there, Munchkin. Just paying our respects." Soon three pairs of feet pounded up the steps. Allison burst into Sarah's room, swept her up, and kissed her thoroughly. Rikki did the same with Ginny.

"Now that you're here, Sunshine, sit your bubble butt down and let's get your braid done. I'll do your massage later."

"Bubble butt? You may regret that comment, Cha'trez." Allison plopped down between Sarah's legs. Sarah, with a smile of innocence, picked up a comb and started working, but never missed a beat in the conversation.

"You too, Angleface."

"OK, Sihaya." Rikki sat down at Ginny's feet and leaned back. Ginny picked up the brush and started working on Rikki's hair.

Sarah turned to Sally, "If you do Beth's hair after games, there's an extra comb and a dryer."

Sally looked at Beth and just gave her a "When in Rome" look, "Sure that sounds like an excellent idea. Come on tall, dark, and gorgeous; let me take care of your hair for you."

Beth looked over at her girlfriend and did the most natural thing she could think of; she grabbed Sally, bent her over, and kissed her in front of everyone! After the kiss, Beth pulled her up and Sally started fanning herself, "WOW, you sure know how to fan the flames of passion don't you?" Beth took her place in front of Sally, so she could dry and brush her hair out.

As all the girls were sitting around talking about the game and other assorted topics, Sarah's mom poked her head in the room to see how everything was going, "Hello girls, how's everything going up here?"

"Great Mom. We're getting to know our new friends better. Maybe I better introduce them to you. Mom, this is Elizabeth Wilson, I'm pretty sure you already know about her and this is her girlfriend Sally."

Dr. Black came over and shook the girls hands, "Nice to meet you girls. I don't know if you remember, but I was the doctor at the hospital when Sally was attacked. How're you doing?"

"Fine, Dr. Black. No more nightmares."

"That's great, Dear.

Sarah interrupted, "Mom, you met Beth and Sally before and didn't tell us?"

"Love, you know how I am about patient details. Besides, you're with someone for a few minutes in the ER and you move on. Now who are the other new ladies here?"

Sarah then introduced the other "newbies". "Mom, may I introduce Lisa Toms and her girlfriend and Sally's sister, Stephanie Krieger."

"Please to meet all of you. I hope you enjoy what we lovingly call the local lunatic asylum. Now, ladies, I want you to play nice tonight. By the way, have you all decided what you want for dinner tonight?"

"We were just getting ready to discuss that Dr. Black." Rikki told her.

The girls were all noticeably thinking about it when all of them said at the same time, PIZZA! That was followed by an explosion of giggling teenagers. "Well, I guess that solves that problem, Mom. So, what does everyone want on their pizzas?" Sarah asked them.

"Pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, green peppers, everything!" Everyone yelled out.

"How about we get three pizzas, one with Pepperoni and Sausage, another one with mushrooms and onions, and the third one with everything?" Allison asked.

"Excellent!" everyone agreed.

"Alright, I will call the order in and let you know when they get here." Sarah's mother told them.

As Sally was finishing up her hair, Beth noticed that Allison and Rikki had grown quiet and leaned back against Sarah and Ginny. Maybe what she'd heard was true, that getting your hair combed and brushed could be a sensual experience.

After the girls were done with combing out and drying the hair of their girlfriends, they sat around, talking, and finding out more about each other. After a while they figured out who they had the most in common (with the exception of their girlfriends) and it seemed to be that Lisa and Sarah were the trouble magnets of the group. Allison and Beth, being the all state athletes, had a bit in common. Ginny and Sally seemed to be the "fans" of the group and Rikki and Stephanie were the most inexperienced of the eight girls.

"OK ladies, since we're finally all together I think we need to find out more about each other and how long we've all been going together. What does everyone think of that?" Ginny asked them.

Lisa chimed in, "I would like to know how Sarah and Allison got together."

Allison sighed, "Ah, nostalgia rampant. Not long after I moved here from Minnesota, I saw a coltish figure jog past my house early in the morning. I told myself that, given the opportunity, I would like to get to know her."

Sarah picked up the story, "I was walking home from school and stopped to watch a soccer game at a nearby school. A tall, willowy blonde caught my eye and gave me an unfamiliar twinge. I introduced myself, found out that she lived around the corner from me, and offered her the use of my shower because I didn't want to let her go before I absolutely had to. When I walked her home later, she put her hand on the back of my neck, drew me in, and kissed me for the first time."

Allison continued, "I didn't tell Sarah until later that I recognized her as the figure jogging past my window in the mornings. I invited Sarah to wash my hair the next day. She was lovin' me in the shower when she bumped my knee and I winced. After her mom looked at my knee and ankle, we made love in the jacuzzi. Our moms hit it off. And the rest, they say, is history."

Sally turned to Ginny, "How did you and Rikki hook-up?"

"I first met Rikki when she and Allison returned after winning the State Soccer Tournament. I had been keeping Sarah company while Allison was gone and working with her on a school project. They invited me to a 'study for finals' weekend. I got to dance with Rikki, spend some time with her in the shower and jacuzzi, and sleep cuddled up, one hand cupping her breast. Rikki and I, like Sarah and Allison, are an example of 'love at first sight'. I loved Rikki from the moment I saw her come off the bus."

"Have there been any repercussions to your coming out?"

Sarah began, "I was in a relationship with a guy when I met Allison. He confronted me in the hallway in school and broke up over me just spending time with Allison. A little while after that, someone said something so vile to me that I was mute for most of a day."

Allison interrupted, "Yea, scared me to death. I was new to town, so I really didn't have many friends to lose. Sarah lost some friends and we've gained some. We are secure enough now to ignore comments."

Rikki continued, "I was in an all-girls school before moving here. The only way I could be in the same room with a boy was chaperoned. Allison and Sarah invited me to dinner and took me under their wing. They didn't force their relationship on me. They let me get comfortable. I helped them host a party for a client of Sarah's dad when her mom was on call and had to leave."

Ginny finished, "I had been in a serious relationship with a girl before the guy who got me pregnant. I had just found out when I met Rikki. We've been lucky enough to find a community that mostly accepts us, and partners whom we love, and who love us. That's what really matters in this world, finding someone you can share your life with."

Sarah's mom called up, "Honey, the pizzas are here."

"Oh, goody. C'mon, Sunshine. I need some help." Sarah and Allison flew down the stairs and came back up with three boxes, a couple of two-liter sodas, dessert stix, glasses, and napkins.

As Sarah and Allison were bringing up the goodies for the girls to feast on, Rikki asked Sally how she and Beth met. "I think we should wait for Sarah and Allison to get back so I don't have to tell the story twice, okay?"

"Alright, come and get it!"

They all settled down and Sally proceeded to tell her story. "Well, I was in my sophomore year at St. Francis and I was dating, well supposedly dating, another girl whose name was Mary and I guess things hadn't been going well for us for a few months back then. I was watching our soccer team on the field one day and noticed this tall, gorgeous red headed girl and immediately wanted to find out more about her."

Beth snuggled a little closed to Sally. "Well I watched the game and was amazed by her quickness on the field and how she moved which definitely turned me on. After the game I went up to her and started talking about the game. We shook hands after introducing ourselves and I noticed a little spark of electricity, or whatever it was, happened when we shook hands. And the rest they say is history." Sally laughed.

Beth looked over at Sally with a smoldering look in her eyes, "You can say that again. After that hand shake nothing was ever the same. Like Sally, I never had that happen to me with anyone. Sally and I have been together ever since. We've had our arguments but the best thing about them is the makeup sessions. Don't you agree Sally?" Sally just smiled, leaned over and gave Beth a peck on the lips.

Allison, Sarah, Rikki and Ginny just smiled at them. "How about you Lisa? How did you and Stephanie meet?" Rikki asked.

Lisa looked over at Stephanie who gave her a knowing smile, "Well, that's an interesting one. It came about after my breakup with a boy I was going with like I told you earlier. I had a talk with my parents the day after the breakup which happened to be a Saturday and they both told me that they would support me in any decision that I would make so long as I was happy about it."

"It seems that almost all of our parents are like that." Stephanie said.

"My Mother and I decided to take a walk in the park and talk about it. I noticed a couple of girls coming the other way holding hands, which later I found out were Sally and Beth. My Mother and I went to Wendy's to get something to drink and eat and those two were sitting a couple of tables away. They must have heard what I was talking to my Mom about because evidently they started planning something."

"Who us? Do you think we would have done something like that to you Lisa?" Sally stated with a smirk on her face.

"I know you two better now so I would say the answer to that is a YES! But that's beside the point. On Monday I was walking home from school and passed by St. Francis to watch their soccer game and this one (points to Sally) came sneaking up behind me. She introduced herself and after the game ended, Beth introduced herself. After a couple of minutes of talking they actually tenderly kissed each other in front of me which made me blush but then they told they had recognized me from Wendy's the previous Saturday and would help me out. We all talked and walked towards Sally's home and when we got in she called her sister, who at the time she called her 'Squirt'!" This got a laugh out of everyone there. "Well, Stephanie came flying down the stairs and when I looked at her and she looked at me, it just hit me or should I say us, like an electrical charge. I knew then, that there would be only Stephanie." She smiled at her girlfriend.

You could hear a bunch oohs and aahs from the girls and then laughter.

Beth wanted to know, "Was sex easy in the beginning?"

Allison snorted, "Easy, yes."

Sarah broke in, "She practically attacked me in the shower the second day."

Allison thumped her on the hand, "Hush, Child. The adults are speaking." Sarah stuck her tongue out above Allison's head. Beth and her friends noticed the easy banter. "...Fulfilling, no. In the beginning, it was almost accidental. We did a lot of walking too, so I could burn off energy after a game. We had to learn each other and what worked. Sarah picked up massage to help me relax. We found out that we were friends too, and sometimes it was OK to just cuddle in the jacuzzi, on the sofa, in bed. We learned the waltz, the fox trot, the cha-cha. It's all part of the process of melding two lives into one."

Ginny glanced down at Rikki with a look that asked if it was OK to tell their story. Rikki nodded and stroked her hand. "Rikki wasn't ready for sex in the beginning. She could kiss like a demon though - a tongue sucking, soul searing, reach for the heavens demon kisser. Rikki has a special gift. When she kisses me, she isn't thinking of anything else. She's just thinking of me, just of the kiss." Ginny smiled and Rikki blushed deeply. "I promised her that she would set the pace and we wouldn't do anything she was uncomfortable with. She finally gave herself to me for Christmas and I made sure she thoroughly enjoyed my present."

Rikki interjected, "I'll say. I enjoyed it so much that I took a nap in the middle of things." Stephanie got a look on her face like a light bulb had just lit up over her head.

Sarah looked at Lisa, "Do your parents ever comment about hearing wild animals after a sleep-over?"

"Yea, it wasn't until the second time they did it, that I realized what they were saying."

Stephi nudged Lisa in the ribs, "Sometimes we call her 'The Oblivious One'. We all knew what they meant." Lisa blushed.

Allison smiled, "And sometimes painful too."

Sarah gasped, "Painful?!"

"Yes, painful, Dear. We were curled up in bed just before the Renaissance Foundation Gala. My chin was atop Sarah's head and she was down around my boobs. Sarah was noshing on my nipple when she bit me a little too hard." Sarah blushed. "That precipitated an all-out tickle war. I let Sarah win and we ended up on the floor with her on top of me."

"Let me win?!"

"Let you win. Since we've been together, how many times have you ended up on top after a tickle war?"

"Oh."

"As I was saying, Sarah was atop me. Rather than get back into bed, she pulled down a pillow, put it under my head, and proceeded to ravish me from head to toe, trying to get me to answer a question. That was when I changed her nickname from 'munchkin' to 'runchkin'."

"Runchkin?"

"Ravishing munchkin. One who ravishes innocent maidens."

"Who said you were innocent. Didn't you have your hands all over me just before that?"

"Who me?"

"Yes, you."

Beth, Sally, Lisa, and Stephi watched the easy back and forth and wished they could talk as easily about sex with others as Allison and Sarah. "Did you get back into bed?"

"No. After Sarah was done with me, she pulled a blanket down over us and we went back to sleep. After Sarah's mom woke us up, she turned to me, 'Morning, Love. Did you sleep well?'

'Passably. There seemed to be something lying atop me part of the night.'

Sarah wriggled, 'Something or someone?'

I scrunched up my face like I was thinking, 'No, I'm pretty sure it was something.'

'Oh, you,' and punched me in the arm."

Sarah intoned, "The moral of the story is - Don't bite too hard unless you're sure your partner likes it lest you end up on the bottom of a tickle war."

Beth wondered, "What question did Sarah want the answer to?"

"That's a story for another day."

Stephanie looked at Ginny, "Is it hard, being a mother and going to college?"

"Somedays. Rikki helps a lot. Sarah and Allison and others babysit so we can have some alone time. I have to balance school work, with writing, with Rikki and Lauren. Rikki's mom helped me understand that I have to take care of myself, that Lauren and Rikki needed a healthy me."

"Waitaminnute! Did you say you were a writer?"

Rikki answered," Yea. Jennifer Barrett Browning is a published poetess with four or five (Ginny indicated five) volumes to her credit. I am her postmaster - I handle her fan-mail, and have contributed a piece or two to her work."

"O...M...G. Jennifer Browning?! You are one of my favs. Can I get your autograph?" Sally exclaimed.

"Sure."

Stephanie turned to Ginny, "I've read about authors doing book tours. How do you handle the separation?"

Ginny thought for a moment, "Since Lauren was born, I've tried to stay as local as I can. I do an occasional week-end trip, which puts me gone for one night, maybe two. Before I met Rikki, tours could last a week or longer. Our first Christmas, I was gone the week before. I called every night and sent postcards. Rikki recreated the Twelve Days of Christmas by FedEx with me. She spent a lot of time with Sarah and Allison to decrease the loneliness."

Sarah interjected, "When Allison and Rikki are gone at tournaments, Ginny and I spend time together.

Sally wondered, "Someone mentioned massage. Where did that come from?"

Sarah cleared her throat, "I may be the medic of the group though Rikki is more likely to end up in some form of medicine. I guess with Mom being a doctor, I'm the logical choice. I found out very early, that if I was going to 'beard the bear' in her den, so-to-speak, I needed a way to relax Allison, especially after a bad game or a loss. My first efforts weren't helpful, but I learned what worked. Usually I work on my Sunshine in the jacuzzi after a shower to take advantage of the jets. I looked up aromatherapy for particularly difficult days. I learned a tummy rub for that 'time-of-the-month'. I even fold in a bit of light hypnosis on occasion."

Ginny continued, "When Rikki joined the clan, Sarah worked on her too, until I came along. Sarah showed me how to pull Rikki's 'teeth'. I even learned the tummy rub."

Beth looked jealous, "I could use that too. Can you show Sally?"

"Sure. Why don't you slip off your sweat jacket, Sunshine?" Allison drew Sarah's head down and whispered in her ear, "Sure, Baby. You go ahead." Allison bounced up, grabbed her gym-bag, and ran out. "I'm sorry about that everyone. In her haste to get here, Allison didn't put on anything under her sweats. If it was just us, she would get nude without a second thought. Sometimes we have to remind her to put on clothes. She didn't want to shock you, so she's gone to put on a top."

Beth chuckled, "Surprised, maybe. Shocked, probably not. After all, we're nude at our houses much of the time. And our moms even join in on occasion."

Rikki was surprised, "Wow! Your moms get nude with you?"

"Not every day, but once in awhile." Beth had to tell the story of how she became a nudist, how she'd converted Sally, and how Sally had changed the rules at her house.

Allison came back in a white tank top and cutoff short shorts and resumed her place between Sarah's legs.

Sarah gave her a puzzled look, "Where did those come from? I know you weren't wearing them when we left for the game and you didn't get them from your stash."

"I didn't feel like long pants, so I went downstairs and got them out of the laundry room."

Stephi interjected, "You keep clothes at each other's houses and do laundry."

"Of course. It makes it easier to change after school or when necessary. Doing laundry is simply an extension of helping out - cooking, dishes, etc."

Rikki pulled off her jacket. Sarah started working on Allison's neck. Ginny started on Rikki's shoulders. "It'll take some experimentation to find out what relaxes Beth the fastest. Don't be afraid to try new strokes or sequences." Sarah continued down Allison's back. "You can work with Beth lying on the bed or sitting up. Usually both of you nude is best or lightly clad." Allison and Rikki were soon sighing contentedly

"What is a tummy rub?"

"It's a massage technique used during a woman's period that focuses on the stomach and ovaries. It can reduce aches and pains and make pills less necessary. I have a basic and a full version.

"What's the difference?"

"A basic tummy rub treats your aches and pains and can be somewhat 'exciting'. A full version treats your aches and pains and is definitely 'exciting' and more fun."

"What does 'exciting' mean?"

Beth poked Sally in the arm, "Sally, sometimes you are a nut. You know, 'exciting'!!"

Sally pouted a moment, "Yes, but I'm your nut." Then she said a silent "O" as she finally got what Beth was saying. Turning back to Sarah, "Can you teach me that too?"

"Sure thing. You can come over one day and be my test-dummy. You can teach your friends after that. May I sit behind Beth for a moment?"

"Sure." Sarah and Sally swapped places. Beth took off her jacket and Sarah began demonstrating strokes. It wasn't long before Beth was sighing just like Allison and Rikki.

"Wow. I really need to learn how to do that."

"Ginny, did you know that Beth is a second-degree black belt in karate and an amateur magician?"

"No, that's wild. Beth, have you ever had to use your karate?"

"A couple of times. But the worst was when Sally was attacked after school while waiting for me. Four hate-filled boys cornered her and started taunting and shoving. I broke one kid's knee, kicked another in the 'nads, and chipped a few teeth on the third. Your mom was on duty when the ambulance brought Sally in. When it went to court, Sally got her medical bills paid and we both got a contribution to our college funds."

The girls eyes just went wide with admiration for Beth, "WOW, how hard is it learning the martial arts Beth?" Ginny asked.

"The first thing I had to learn was how to fall. For some reason, falling the proper way protects you from breaking a bone in your body." Beth smiled

"I fall pretty well myself Beth." Ginny laughed

"It's not just about falling but about rolling as you fall to protect yourself. I can show you some basic falls but to really learn it properly you would have to take actual lessons." Beth told them.

As they continued to talk about martial arts, the pizza disappeared in record time. Sarah looked over at Stephanie and smiled. "Stephanie, when you came out to your friends, what did they say to you?"

Stephanie looked over at Sarah and the rest of the girls, "Well, at first I was a little hesitant to say anything. I had just broken up with my boyfriend if you could have called him that. We just walked around the school holding hands and giving each other little pecks on the lips but that's really about it. I never really felt comfortable with him so I told him that we needed time away from each other. He didn't like that answer and tried to hit me."

All the girls gasped when Stephanie told them that, "Steph, why didn't you tell me that?" Sally asked her sister.

"Because I didn't want anyone to find out, that's why Sally." Stephanie sniffled as some tears started falling down her beautiful face. Lisa came over and hugged her girlfriend and felt Stephanie's arms tighten around her.

"Sorry to bring the subject up Stephanie." Sarah told her.

Stephanie wiped her eyes and continued, "That's okay Sarah. It feels good to finally get it out into the open. So, like I said he was about to hit me when Liz came up to him and told him that if he ever laid a hand on me, she would make sure all the girls in the school would come down him so hard that he would never, ever live it down. He walked away with his head hung down. Liz then asked me what that was all about and I told her. She looked at me kind of strange and asked me if I was more interested in girls than guys. I told her that, yes, I was. She looked at me and smiled and that's when she told me that her and a few other girls were going together. It made my day that much brighter when my friends told me that."

"You never told me any of this Steph." Lisa looked at her girlfriend

"That's because I didn't want to worry you or anyone else. When I came out to my friends and they all supported me, it gave me the confidence I needed to go ahead and try to find someone. Then when you came in that day with Sally and Beth I knew that I didn't have to look any further." Stephanie placed her lips gently on Lisa's and gave a her a kiss to stop time with.

Lisa wondered, "Have you been tempted to stray since you've been with your significant other?"

Allison's hand shot up, "Oh, oh?! No. Sarah told me when we first met that she was my last lover. That she would kick my butt if I even looked at another girl. We had a misunderstanding when a friend of mine from AAU ball stopped by for a visit. Sarah kicked my butt pretty bad but we worked it out

Rikki had a look on her face that Ginny had seen only once or twice before, ("Rikki is embarrassed about something and trying to hide it.") Ginny drew Rikki up onto her lap and kissed her forehead, nose, both eyes, both cheeks, chin, and lips. "What's up, Angelface? The last time I saw that face, you had something you absolutely didn't want to talk about."

Rikki buried her face in Ginny's shoulder, "I don' wanna. Not with everybody here."

"We are your friends. We can help and support you. While Ginny was talking, Sarah motioned everyone to move out of Rikki's sight, but quietly. "Now talk to me."

"No."

"Why not?"

Rikki started crying, "You and Allison will be mad at me."

"Rik, I promise that neither Allison nor I will get mad. We just don't want you to be sad." Allison started to agree, but Ginny motioned her to be quiet. "Why do you think Allison and I will be mad at you?" Rikki still hesitated. Ginny pulled her face up and looked her in the eyes, "Look at me, Angelface. No one is here. No one will bother us. What happened?"

"You remember when I told you that when Allison washed my hair in the shower at school, it gave me a twinge. And when Carly offered to wash my hair, it scared me and I turned her down."

"I remember. I told you not to worry about it and enjoy the help. Allison told you that everyone helped everyone all the time and it probably didn't mean anything."

"I did what you suggested, I enjoyed not having to reach around to wash my back or my hair. That is until a new girl joined the team. She offered to wash my hair one day. In the middle of things, she got a little 'handy'. I pushed her back and told her that wasn't the way things happened in the shower-room. Rachel saw what happened and pulled the girl aside. I rinsed off and got out of there. After that. I only let girls I knew wash my hair."

"Sounds like you did exactly what was necessary. I don't understand why you didn't tell me?"

"I didn't want you to worry about me. You were pregnant and didn't need the extra stress."

"Why didn't you tell Allison?"

"I didn't want her to feel guilty about not being there to keep an eye on me or get in trouble for going off on the girl. I asked Rachel not to tell."

"And how do you feel now?"

"Like I should have told you and Allison."

Ginny drew Rikki's mouth up so she could gently kiss it, "I'm not mad. A little disappointed maybe. Part of any relationship is looking out for each other. By not telling me what happened, you didn't let me be there for you. And you bore the burden by yourself."

"But you were pregnant?"

"And I'm telling you that the next time your mental or physical health is at issue, you will tell me. OK?"

"OK." Ginny cupped Rikki's face in her hands and gently kissed her again. Everyone could see Rikki's vulnerability.

"Let's get your face washed and back to the party." Ginny took one of Rikki's hands in each of hers and led her out of the room.

Beth and Allison looked at each other and knew that they both had the same feeling - guilt that they weren't there when someone they cared about was hurt. Sarah turned to the others, "I'm sorry about that. Ginny is Rikki's first serious relationship of any kind and her inexperience can show through. In the beginning, she was a extremely private person that didn't like public-displays-of-affection. She's more open now but takes a step backward on occasion.

Rikki and Ginny came back in and sat down. She looked like she'd regained some of her color. "Can homework take longer than it should sometimes?"

"Sure. Between kissing and patty-fingers, it can be a real chore. Sometimes we have to sit catty-corner across the table, so the most we can do is barely touch fingers. Studying for tests and exams can really be a bother."

"With me in college and Rikki in high school, there is little, if any overlap. We help each other with concepts and techniques. We kiss and hold hands, but being on different levels means we have to concentrate.

Beth was taking all this in while Ginny was telling them all of this. "I know what you mean Ginny. It seems that Sally and I do a bit of hand holding ourselves and never gave any thought to it. When we do study, it's tough to concentrate when we're together because we're always playing "patty fingers" with each other." She giggled. Sally looked over at Beth and nodded for agreement.

"I know what you mean Ginny. Between me and Stephanie we're in different schools and it's the same with us. We try to give each other help but with different career paths, it's a little difficult." Lisa told them.

Stephanie was mulling over this conversation a little, "While Lisa and I have been going together for a couple of years now, when it comes to studying, we take it a little more seriously than my sister does. Since we both have 4.0 averages we want to keep it that way. We always wait till the homework is over, then we play."

"You BOTH have 4.0 averages? Now that's impressive!" Rikki stated

"Well, since Lisa wants to be an architect, and I want to go to Business school, I figured having those averages will help us along the way." Stephanie told them.

"Well, at least with me and Beth, I guess we have it a lot easier than the rest of you. Because we're in the same school and take some of the same classes, we're able to study together. Playing "patty fingers" does get in the way but overall our grades have improved. My grade point average before I met Sally was already good but since we've met, my grade point average has gone from a 3.6 to almost a 3.9 and Sally's has gone from an average of 2.8 to a 3.8!"

"WOW?.a 3.8 Sally?" Sarah exclaimed.

Everyone looked over at Sally and she started blushing. "Well, stop looking at me everyone?.you're making my face red."

"But you look so cute with a red face sweetheart!" Beth told her as she got closer and gave her a peck on the lips.

Lisa was remembering the dream she had not too long ago of the two of them 10 years down the road and wondered if she should tell anyone.

Sarah looked over at Lisa, "You have a very intense look on your face Lisa. Anything you would like to tell us?"

Lisa looked up and saw Stephanie grinning. She decided to tell them. "Right after Stephanie and I started going together, we were sleeping one night, and I had a very realistic dream about the two of us about 10 years in the future." Stephanie moved closer to Lisa.

Allison looked over at Lisa with amazement, "You mean you had a dream about your future? WOW, I had something like that myself but didn't tell anyone about it. What was yours about Lisa?"

"Well, the dream I had, had me working for an architectural firm called "The Phillips Group" and Stephanie was working with her Mom and co-owned the card shop with her."

"Wait a minute; you're talking about "THE" most prestigious architectural firm in the state Lisa." Rikki stated.

"Yep, that one. Well, like I was saying, I had a job with them drawing the plans for an addition to a building for a company called Brown Security."

Sarah looked over at Allison and was dumbstruck. "Did you say Brown Security Lisa?"

"I sure did. Sarah, you look like you've seen a ghost. What's wrong?"

"Lisa, my father is an attorney with a company that just received a multimillion dollar contract for Brown Security! As a matter of fact, not too long ago, Allison, myself and Rikki had to host a party for Mr. Brown, his wife and several other people. They're moving into town and my father's firm will be representing them."

Lisa and Stephanie looked dumbstruck, "O M G?Stephanie, I think my dream might have been a look into our future. Well, let me move on?.as I was saying, I worked for Phillips and at the time both of us were also planning our wedding which was to take place in another two weeks. So, now it looks like it really might happen."

Stephanie came over closer and slipped behind Lisa and wrapped her arms around her. Lisa never felt so at home with everyone here.

Lisa turned to Allison, "You said you had a dream too. Wanna share?"

Allison drew Sarah's hands down around her neck and hugged her, "I guess it was around the time of Ginny's graduation. We'd been talking about our hopes, plans, dreams. That night, I was wrapped up with Sarah when I fell asleep.

Suddenly, I was waking up. Still in Sarah's arms, but the bedroom was different: larger bed, more windows, sitting area, she could see the bathroom through a door. She looked down at a wedding ring on her finger. Sarah looked at her, "Something up, Ally?"

"Just a little foggy this morning, Sweets. What's on your schedule today?"

After graduating from Central, Ginny started at UConn until Rikki graduated from West Catholic, then both began at Cornell. Sarah and Allison went to Yale. Ginny continued her writing studies while Rikki started in Veterinary Medicine. Sarah had a double major in History and Political Science. Allison made a natural extension into Sports Medicine.

Ginny had her PhD and continued to work at the Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines while waiting for Rikki to finish her DVM. Sarah pursued a MBA while Allison worked on her MD. All four girls were on the Dean's List. Both pairs rented houses locally while they were in school. They figured that the furnishings could be used in their next house too.

As often as they could, the four friends met at home or one of their houses. The future was a common topic of discussion. It was assumed that they all would get a house together when everyone was finished. Rikki and Allison could work anywhere. People might even come to them. Ginny would be in demand at almost any university or college. Sarah, as a political consultant, was the one that had to pay attention to where she lived.

Albany turned out to be the consensus choice. Each girl designed her dream office, bedroom, and other wishes. Ginny took the lead and started looking for a house. When she found one and everyone had approved, she began negotiations to buy and furnish it. The first thing she did after closing was to hire an architect. She gave her all the designs, hopes and dreams and set her to work. Cost was no object.

What resulted was a palace. The basement had shared offices for Ginny and Rikki, Sarah and Allison. There was a small conference room for Sarah. A media room, home gym, laundry room, playroom took up the rest of the space. The first floor had a huge kitchen, sun room, butler's pantry, dining room, living room, library. The second floor had twin master suites with bath, Lauren's room, guest bedroom and bath. A huge deck extended off the back of the house. Once the design was final, furnishings were next.

Rikki had her veterinary practice at the house and had privileges at several animal hospitals. Allison was on the staff at a local college, donated her time to a couple of high schools. Ginny was an associate professor in the English Department at the same college Allison was at. Being the seat of the New York state government, Sarah was in heaven. Once established, Sarah had a reputation for listening and coming up with innovative solutions to problems.

"Just a meeting between Brown Security and New York HLS. They want to contract a service and need an introduction. Brown is hoping my connections with both sides will grease the wheels. What's up with you?"

"I'm scheduled for a training session at Benson Hurst in preparation for their fall seasons. I have to stop by the college too."

"I wonder what Rikki and Ginny are up to?"

"I heard Ginny in Lauren's room earlier, She probably has to go to the college. Rikki has appointments."

Allison trailed off. Lisa wondered, "That's weird. Brown Security figures prominently in both dreams.

While the girls were upstairs, discussing the world, their parents were downstairs trying to figure out who belonged to who.

"Good evening everyone. As hosts, I think I'll start. Sarah is our daughter. My name is Alice Black and I'm a pediatrician. My husband is Al and he is a lawyer. We have an older son, William."

"My name is Jean White and Allison is our daughter. I'm a stay-at-home mom and my husband, Robert, is a professor at UConn and an IT consultant."

"My name is Jessica Laveque and I'm a sculptor and artist. Rikki is my daughter. I have an older son, Richard, and I'm divorced from Rikki's father, Gustav. Ginny's parents are Kathryn and Samuel Browning and are both deployed in the Middle East. I've kind of adopted her, though she's extremely self-reliant and generally takes care of Lauren, her daughter, Rikki, and herself fairly well."

Sally's mom picked up the narrative, "Good evening all. My name is Judy Krieger and my husband is Eugene. Sally's father, Alan, is deceased and that is why she has a different last name. Stephanie is our younger daughter. Eugene is an IT consultant and I own K's Hallmark."

"K's Hallmark! I go there all the time," Allison's mom exclaimed.

"My name is Elizabeth Wilson and my husband is William. He is a cardiologist and I am a stay-at-home mom too. Beth is our daughter.

I am Alyssa Toms and this is my husband Walter. He's a General Practioner at the hospital. Lisa is our daughter. We have a son, Walter, Jr.

Sarah's mom had a thoughtful look on her face, "Alyssa, where did you go to college?" Lisa's mom answered her. "And do you remember your first roommate?"

Alyssa got a look on her face trying to remember and then came the shock of recognition, "Alice! Oh...My...God! How are you?"

"Fine, Dear. Why don't you help me with the drinks and we can catch up a bit." The two women went into the kitchen.

Allison's mom asked, "Our young helion would go naked all time if we let her. Do any of you have the same problem?"

Beth's mom laughed, "Sure. Beth has become a nudist true and blue. She's even taught Sally, Lisa, and Steph to love the lifestyle too. After a long day at the card shop, I just want to come home and shed everything, and sometimes I do."

"It's not unusual to find Allison and Sarah nude and doing homework or cooking. Meals with them nude aren't rare. Rikki has joined in too."

Everyone described the house rules on nudity they used. It turned out that they were almost exactly the same.

As soon as Sarah's and Lisa's moms had entered the kitchen, Sarah's mom turned and embraced Lisa's mom, "Lyssa, m'Love. How are you?" She leaned in and kissed her gently, but passionately.

Alyssa leaned into the kiss, "Most exceedingly fine, my friend. A hole in my life was filled when I reconnected with Judy and even better when I recognized you."

Alyssa looked into the face of her ex-lover and friend and smiled, "I always wondered what had happened to you when we graduated college. You never contacted me and I was always thinking about you?.that is until I met Walter. He was studying to become a Doctor and to open his own practice."

"I know Alyssa. I had always wondered myself where we'd be right now if we hadn't married and had our children. When I met Al, it was wonderful. I still thought about you but I had fallen in love with Al and after having William then Sarah, everything just fell into place." Alice looked at her friend and a single tear fell from her eyes.

Alyssa came over to her and wiped away the tear, "Alice, it doesn't matter anymore. We've reconnected with each other, we both have husbands and families that we love dearly and we're friends again." She hugged Alice.

"I think we better get the drinks and get back there before our husbands come looking for us." Alice smiled.

"Just a minute." Sarah's mom called up the stairs, "Sarah, Honey. Lisa. Can you come down and help me for a minute?"

"Yea, Mom. Be right there." Four feet thundered down the stairs and rounded the corner into the kitchen. "Whatcha' need, Momster?"

"We need help carrying the drinks, but Alyssa and I wanted to talk to you first. You remember when you first met Allison and I told you about my roommate in college - my very good friend?"

"I remember."

"Well, Lisa's mom is my old college roommate."

Alyssa continued, "And Sally's mom was my very good friend in high school and Beth's mom was her roommate in college."

"That's quite a coincidence. And all the daughters involved with other girls."

"Like mother, like daughter, you might say."

"Does Dad know about this?"

"Of course. I tell him everything. Now, can you help us carry the drinks in?"

"No problem. Grab a tray, Lisa." Sarah and Lisa helped distribute the drinks to the adults and went back upstairs. Of course, everyone wanted to know why they were called downstairs.

Right in the middle of things, Rikki crawled into Ginny's lap,laid her head on Ginny's shoulder, and went to sleep. Soon, you could hear her snore like the purring of a kitten. Ginny cupped the back of her head, "Let me put her down in the other room. The game and the massage must have really knocked her out. Can you help me Ally? She's a little big for me to carry around."

"Sure thing, Gin." Allison came over and picked up Rikki. Even asleep, Rikki knew who was nearby. She let go of Ginny, wrapped her arms around Allison's neck and rested her head on Allison's chest. Headed for the door, Ginny turned, "I'll come back when I'm sure she's settled."

Everyone called out, "Night, Rikki." Rikki only smiled.

"You know that looks a great idea." Sarah stated after watching Rikki fall asleep on Ginny. "It's been a long two days for all of us. I suggest we adjourn this soiree until another day. I'll call soon and we can do a massage workshop."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Beth, Sally, Lisa, Stephanie, say good night. It's time to go."

"I'll go down with you and be sure you can go nude when you're here." Everyone gathered up bags, jackets, etc. and trooped downstairs. Sarah pulled her mom aside and spoke to her briefly. She talked to the three new moms and nodded. Everyone said thank you and went out to their cars. The girls were still excited about their new friends.

Since it was a long day, their parents agreed to let Beth and Lisa sleep over at Sally and Stephanie's home that evening. Since they had just gotten home from meeting their counterparts, they were too wound up to go to sleep so they stayed up for a little while discussing their new friends while their own parents went back to their respective homes and fell asleep.

"Well ladies, what did you think of our little party tonight?" Beth asked.

"I think it went fantastic. Especially when we were listening to them talk and I realized how comfortable all of them were around each other. It was kinda interesting when they talked about walking around nude in their homes and eating meals like we do." Lisa said with a smirk on her face.

"Remember what it took to get our parents to allow us to do that?" Stephanie asked.

"How long was it before we EVER got any homework done when you got permission to be nude with me!" Beth's eyes twinkled.

"Who said anything about homework getting done?" Lisa stated. The girls just sat around giggling about that last statement.

"I think out of all the girls we met tonight, I liked Allison the best. Oh, don't get me wrong, I think all of them are quite interesting but there's something about Allison that I like." Beth told them.

"Well, I liked Rikki. She seems to me to be the most vulnerable one out of all of them but again, there's that mysteriousness about her that I like." Stephanie said.

"And I liked Ginny. Not just because I love her poetry but I found her funny and very down to earth." Sally said.

Lisa looked at the rest of them, "Well, I thought Sarah was very interesting. She seems to be the quiet one but once you get her started, she's definitely the troublemaker of the group. But overall, all of those girls are very nice and I wouldn't mind being friends with them."

"Here...here...yes, most definitely." All of the girls chimed in.

"But you know what I can't believe, is that my mother had a relationship with Sarah's mother back in college. It seems that my Mom was Sarah's mothers' roommate. Now that's wild." Lisa told them.

"You know something ladies, it seems that we have all taken after our Mothers; they had women sweethearts even though they all wound up getting married to men. It just blows me away when I think of that." Beth laughed.

A similar conversation was taking place in Sarah's bedroom. Sarah, Ginny, and Allison were talking about their new friends. Rikki was asleep in the other bedroom. "Beth is a consummate athlete; capable, skilled, multi-talented, a natural leader, but she wears her heart on her sleeve."

"I agree. Sally, though, is the trouble magnet. I'll bet she flies under the radar most of the time, but can get an evil gleam in her eye if necessary."

"Word. You'd think Stephanie would be the least experienced of the group, but I think it's Lisa. There is a toughness about Steph that might even rival Ginny. Lisa is the emotional heart of the group.

"The parallels between them and us are amazing. The initial pair came together over a soccer game. The third girl arrived over soccer too. The last member came from schoolwork."

"I thought it was interesting when Beth said the moms sometimes joined them in going nude at home. I wonder if any of our moms would do that? My mom doesn't mind me being nude, but I don't know she would ever join in."

"Jessica might."

"Before today, I would have said no way would my mom would get nude with us, but she surprised me when I hooked up with Allison. She told me that she'd had a relationship with a girl in college, but to find out it was Lisa's mom blows my mind."

This particular weekend, the world grew a bit. Eight young women came together in love and friendship, decided they had a connection that was worth keeping, and made a plan to follow up.

Copyright 2011 - Donal and Gold