Ring in Mine
Kim Terry
I decided to take a break from mainstream writing and do something a little different. Novel number three can wait.
Ring in Mine began as a short story back when I was writing children's books. It takes place when personal computers still used green monitors and the video game PONG was cutting edge. Much of it really happened. Some of it is fantasy.
Though there are no adult intimate situations in the first chapter, down the road there will be. If this bothers you don't read it.
I would appreciate hearing from you, the reader. ringinmine@yahoo.com
All rights are reserved to the author except those given to Nifty to publish and archive this work. Please do not repost without permission of the author.
(If there are errors I do apologize up front. I am used to getting things as clean as possible and then the editor takes care of the rest.)
Kim
Ring in Mine Chapter 1
Tomorrow I would be heading home for the Thanksgiving break. The last two months of college had stretched on forever. It had been the first time I had been away from home longer than a sleepover next door and emotionally I hadn't dealt with it well. It was only a two hour drive from the small college town where I was a freshman but with the price of gas, this was my first trip home. It was still in the days of expensive long distance. I had only called home once.
I had spent my life being the smallest kid in class and all of the abuse that goes with it. I had hoped things would be different in college but there always seemed to be some lumbering lump of testosterone that needed to prove their manhood by stomping on the little guy.
I had wanted to pack it in and quit numerous times but I had worked hard for my scholarship. My dad was a blue collar worker, just as his father and his father before him. We had never been hungry but there weren't any extras. They were so proud I was going to college, I couldn't give up.
I had worked odd jobs in high school. There weren't that many jobs for young people in our small town. The same select few that had made it their mission in life to torment me since kindergarten were given the best jobs. I had saved enough doing things no one else wanted to do to finally purchase my grandparents big beautiful Buick the week before school. It was in good condition but those eight cylinders could really suck up the gas.
Computer cataloging was just being introduced into the campus library. Being an instructional media major, I was given a work study job entering data from the card catalog into the mini computer system. The name mini computer was misleading. It filled a small room. The job wasn't much but it paid for what the scholarship didn't. More than once, overcome with homesickness and feelings of worthlessness, I had hidden in the library stacks for a good cry. There were corners the cleaning crew didn't even visit on a regular basis.
My roommates weren't so bad. Mike became my favorite the day two seniors decided to play catch with my back pack. Mike and his friends from the football team stepped around the corner. It was almost like a football game. They went into a huddle. A moment later my tormentors feet were no longer reaching the ground. Each had the massive arms of a football player wrapped around them.
"Are you alright buddy?" He asked as he helped me to my feet and brushed the grass clippings from my pants. Without waiting for me to answer, one of the cheerleaders handed me my backpack.
"Is this the one?" She asked.
"It's him." He answered. This gorgeous blonde cheerleader walked up to me and kissed me right on the lips. I hoped the instant reaction below my belt wasn't visible.
"Thanks," she said as she broke the kiss. My first kiss except for my mom and grandma was definitely memorable if not a little puzzling.
"We are heading to the library. Why don't you walk with us." Mike asked and introduced his brilliant roommate to his friends. `Brilliant' was his word not mine. I had helped him with more than one of his homework assignments.
With his dark italian looks and wavy black hair he fit into the in crowd and he had invited me to walk with them. I was just a little overwhelmed. I silently followed as they discussed the group psychology project. They were on cloud nine. The project was half of the quarter's grade and they had just received the maximum points. I recognized the topic. Their research was good but the final paper had been a disaster. I was good at writing and I typed 75 words a minute. I hadn't changed their ideas, I just made them flow and hold together.
I had also suggested that they use some graphics for their presentation. It was before PowerPoint and personal computers were still monochrome monitors. They found the pictures and drew the graphs. I turned them into slides in the instructional media lab. Initially they grumbled about paying for the supplies but from what I was hearing it was the slides that clinched the high marks.
I was a little confused. I watched my handsome hero and this beautiful cheerleader walking across the quad. I wasn't sure which one I enjoyed looking at more.
As we arrived at the library the cheerleader physically thanked me again. I was beginning to like this kissing stuff.
"Mike aren't you going to thank him?" She asked. Mike gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.
"It was half your grade." She reprimanded.
He put his hands on either side of my head and pulled me into his lips. With a little leaning to one side his mouth met mine. I felt his tongue slip past my lips. I was really hard now.
"Thanks buddy." He turned to his friends. "That's how grateful I am."
Not to be outdone, I soon had her tongue playing tag with mine. I was a little shocked when her hand brushed my hardness.
"It looks like he appreciates our gratitude." She pointed out. They all laughed at my expense. But before I could really feel embarrassed she kissed Mike and brushed the front if his jeans.
"Feels like you appreciate a good kiss too." She laughed.
I found myself laughing also. There were high fives all around. I felt the best since I had left home. I did rush to the men's room. A few minutes later I headed toward my workstation, relaxed with a smile on my face.
That was last week. I had to work the weekend and Monday. I was the only one in the apartment. I packed my dirty laundry and homework. In the morning I would be on the road home. Tonight I dreamed of kissing. Somewhere in the dream I realized I would have to throw the sheets in with the laundry.