My Best Friend Atie

This is the first part of this series. Enjoy!

Part 1

*****

Chapter 1

'Can you believe she's wearing that???'

The note slid onto my desk, scrawled in the margin of a map of 1600s Asia. I looked over at Katie Perkins, my best friend and the note's author, and back to the note's subject. Alicia Smith was sitting three rows in front of us, her miniskirt so short we could practically tell what underwear she was wearing. I looked back at Katie, who raised her eyebrows like she usually did when we were sharing a private joke. Katie liked to predict the skankiness of Alicia's outfits, and today she was on the mark.

'Good guess,' I scribbled back. 'Maybe it helps her grades?' The map slid back to Katie's desk. We were paired up, working on our history project. Our teacher, Mr. Andrews, was once again hung over, so he had us pair up and work 'as quietly as possible.' This let Katie and me write as many notes as we wanted. In other classes, we had to be more clandestine.

'Grades, not so much,' Katie replied on the note. 'Guys staring, definitely.'

'Jealous? That doesn't seem like you...' I wrote back. She looked at me and rolled her eyes.

'THAT kind of attention, I don't need. Thanks, dick.'

Katie took her map back, and started to work quietly. I had clearly touched a nerve. I took my own map, scrawling a poorly executed attempt at apology and flattery. She read it, rolled her eyes again, and replied on the corner of my map.

'You are clueless about girls, Jimmy, so I'll let it pass this time.'

By the end of our lesson, we had finished out work and spent the last ten minutes passing more notes about other topics. When the bell rang, Alicia Smith stood up, to the silent appreciation of every guy in class, and attempted to straighten her skirt. As she tugged it lower, she exposed more of her waist and a hint of ass crack. I turned, dreamy-eyed, to find Katie's eyebrows furrowed at me.

"Really?" she said, exasperated.

"Katie, I'm an eighteen-year-old virgin. You put a half-dressed girl in front of me, it's like putting a ham sandwich in front of a starving man," I said defensively as we filed out of the room.

"I just thought someone who claims to be as smart as you do would be less shallow." There wasn't a hint of anger or hurt in her voice, but I could tell I was in hot water. Twelve years of friendship and Katie was in many ways still a mystery to me. I could tell, however, when she was pissed; that, at least, I could detect.

"You know that I wouldn't be that shallow," I said, trying to get her to smile. Katie looked at me reproachfully with her light blue eyes. We paused in the hallway, the crowd going around us, looking pissed that we stopped and blocked the way.

"Come on, Katie-Just because I took a look doesn't mean I'd want to date a moron like that. It's just my inner primate reacting."

"Fine," she said coolly. I couldn't see why she was mad. Katie and I were both single, and so it didn't seem like I should have to defend myself. But before I could continue, she spoke.

"Are you still coming over tonight for dinner? Your mom has some big announcement, right?" She pushed her long, black hair behind her ear, tossing the other side of her hair behind her back.

"Yeah, I'm coming. I still don't know what she's up to. You never know with our moms." Our moms were friends, and when Katie and I were introduced in kindergarten, they were ecstatic that we took to each other as well as we did. So Katie was not only my best friend, but also I saw her most nights of the week; whether we were studying or hanging out trying to play guitar. Over the years we had started finishing each other's sentences and knew everything about the other. She punched me on the arm, her usual goodbye, and walked off to her last class of the day. It was the only class we didn't share, and it always felt like an odd parting as she headed to AP French and I headed to AP Spanish. A minute later I took my seat near the back of the room. Our Spanish teacher, Señor Reynolds, also had us work in groups. We were preparing a skit about buying a car-in Spanish, of course. I was working with two of my other friends, Denny and Harry. Denny was the drummer in my non-existent band with Katie. She and I played guitar-poorly. We were lacking a bass player, and also songwriting talent.

"Holy crap, did you guys see Alicia Smith today?" Harry asked. Denny nodded, grinning. I just nodded. They both paused, setting their pens down and looking at me seriously for a moment.

"What, you didn't like the skirt?" Harry asked. "Or did Katie give you shit again?"

"Why would Katie give me shit?" I asked, a little too defensively. Sensing the truth behind my words, they pounced.

"Hmm, good question, Jim," Denny said. "Maybe it's because every time I hang out with you two, and you see some girl walk by, she gives you shit about it."

"Totally, Jimbo," Harry nodded wisely.

"You two are full of shit, you know that," I said. "Besides, Katie is my best friend, she just doesn't want to see me act like a tool, like you two," I said with a smirk.

"Laugh if you want, dude," Harry said. "I'm just saying that if I had a best friend like Katie, and she pouted every time I looked at another girl, I'd..." he trailed off, breaking into Spanish as Señor Reynolds walked by.

"Cuando por la coche?" he asked in Spanish. Señor Reynolds nodded in approval as Denny replied, "Como coche quierres, señor?" When our teacher was out of earshot, Denny added. "Harry is right, Jim."

"About what," I asked, getting annoyed as we started the same circular conversation I had been having them with for four years.

"I'd be all over Katie if I had the chance. No offense, no offense!" he chortled as I shot him a look. "I'm just saying-and don't get all protective of her again-but Katie's pretty hot. Shit she's drop dead beautiful, and if I even suspected I had a chance I'd be on that ass in a second. I mean, she's smart and all, which is cool, but she has an amazing body. Remember last year at your birthday party? That bathing suit she wore?"

"Yeah that was amazing. I still dream about that," Harry chimed in.

"I mean she has that amazing ass and...well, I could go on but I'm going to get overexcited. Bottom line, she's hot, and she probably likes you. If it were me, I'd be all over her. Am I right, Harry?"

"In a heartbeat, Jim," Harry said seriously. "Why don't you just ask her on a date? You two hang out by yourselves so much anyway, what would be the difference? I mean, you might actually get some."

"Nah, not Katie," Denny said. "She's too virtuous. You might at least get to touch her tits, but that's it."

"Alright, knock it off," I said in a tone that ended the conversation. "I'm not asking her on a date. We're friends, that's it. And no more talking about her like she's a piece of meat."

"You mean like Alicia Smith?" Harry asked, breaking into laughter.

"Excelente!" Harry said. "Cuando por el coche azul?" he said as Sr. Reynolds walked by again. As the subject changed to the buying and selling of cars in Spanish, I couldn't help but think about what Denny and Harry said, and about Katie, and about what it would be like to...

"Jim, pay attention!" Harry said, shutting his book loudly. I snapped out of my reverie. Class was ending, and everyone was getting up except me. Harry chortled and Denny gave me a "he's hopeless" look as they said goodbye. "Have fun with Katie tonight," Harry said, and Denny made a rude gesture indicating he hoped I'd get some as they left me to pack up by myself.

Katie and her family didn't come over until seven o'clock. By that time, I was already finished with homework and was trying to figure out a song on my guitar. I was in the middle of playing when I heard a knock and then Katie slipped into my room.

"I don't think it's a seventh chord," she said, picking up an electric guitar and showing me what how she thought the song should go."

"Thanks, Katie," I said. She beamed at me, then her face took a more serious look.

"About today," she began. "I wanted to..." but I finished her sentence for her.

"It's no big deal, Katie."

"No it is. You shouldn't have been ogling Alicia but I shouldn't have overreacted. After all, we're friends..." her voice trailed off and she looked away for a moment before continuing. "So how are Denny and Harry?"

"Same as always. You know, they drooled over Alicia..."

"Typical," she said.

"And they talked about all the things they'd do to you if you were their girlfriend. The usual."

"Figures," she said, still avoiding eye contact with me. "At least someone notices."

"Plenty of people notice you, you're beautiful," I said. She looked at me but her eyes pierced into me. I flinched and tried to change the subject.

"Anyway, any idea what your mom is up to?" I said.

"I have no idea, still. And, for the record, I wasn't apologizing earlier. I was just going to say that I think you shouldn't objectify women like that."

"How about objectifying them by mocking their skanky clothes?" I asked in as non-confrontational a voice as I could muster.

"That's different. We're mocking, not turning them into sexual trinkets."

"Sexual Trinkets. That, Katie dear, is an awesome song name. Let me write it down," I said. She busted out laughing, almost letting the guitar slip out off her lap as she covered her face with one hand, giggling.

"That is a good name. Okay, okay," she said, panting for breath, "I'll drop it."

"Well, I'll just say that my eyes mean no intent as far as girls like Alicia go. Besides, you're much prettier than she is." As I said this she looked at me quizzically, her eyebrows arched.

"Oh, really? You finally noticed?" she said sarcastically. She was sitting very close to me, I could almost feel the warmth of her body. Her shorts were very short and showed a lot of her toned legs. They were so short that they almost revealed the gently curve of her ass, and I looked her up and down and realized how much I'd like to do some of the things Denny and Harry had mentioned in Spanish class. I leaned toward her slightly, not sure of what to say, but Katie suddenly straightened up, her eyes narrowed to slits.

"Let's get back to this song," she said, but before she could start playing again, there was another knock on my door. In walked our parents, the four of them looking as upper-middle class as they could get.

"Hey kids!" our moms chimed. Katie rolled her eyes covertly. "We've got some good news. Next week is Spring break, and we're all heading to Cedar Bay for the week! No phones, no work, no school, just sun and fun!" her mom said, sounding like a travel agent. Our parents all beamed at us. Our moms, having been friends for years, always tried to vacation together, so this was nothing unusual. Our dads grinned as they imaged uninterrupted golfing and our moms imagined uninterrupted shopping in all of the quaint shops.

"What do you think?" My dad asked.

"Sounds, great," Katie said, sounding deflated. I couldn't figure out why the idea had appealed to her so horribly. I wasn't thrilled about a fun-filled weekend with our parents, but Katie looked like a girl heading to the gallows.

"Everything alright?" I asked her when our parents headed out the door to say goodbye. Katie set the guitar down, stretching her arms and yawning. Her shirt rode up a bit, exposing her firm midriff. Her tits, while not as ridiculously large as some of the girls at school, where still very nice and I was getting an erection while looking at them. This was a continuing problem-the only problem-with my friendship with Katie. The guys were right that she was incredibly hot. I had noticed this when we were fourteen, and had been hiding erections when I was around her since. She finished her stretch, and turned to look at me.

"I'm fine," she said. "Just, a week with the family, how much fun will that be?"

"Hey, I'll be there!" I said defensively. "I think it will be fun."

"You won't mind being seen with me? Because I don't want to sit on the beach and stare at girls."

"Katie, I promise I'll only stare at you. Um, what I meant was..." I began, but she giggled.

"Stop there, before you ruin it," she said, still giggling. "I've gotta go, come here," she said, moving in for a goodnight hug. She hugged me close so that our bodies pressed together, and I was acutely aware that I was still erect. I don't know if Katie felt it or not, but I was embarrassed enough to blush.

"See you tomorrow, Jimmy," she said, and walked out the door. She turned just before she left my line of sight, and smiled, her blue eyes sparkling.

The following day passed as any usual school day would, although Katie was more talkative than usual. Since Katie loved to talk, it was not lost on anyone that she was very excited. That evening she and I attended a church youth group activity. We always paired up, much to the snarky delight of our friends in the youth group. Tonight we were split into pairs, with one person holding a Styrofoam cup of water.

"Okay, everyone," our youth director called out. "They idea is to negotiate. One of you will pick up the cup of water, the other will try and convince you to give it to them. If you spill the water, you lose. You'll need to share with the group what you did to get your cup of water, so don't cheat. And no bribing with actual money, folks," she added as she surveyed us.

"There is no way you are getting this cup," Katie said playfully. She held it up level with her face, taunting me with it. I made to grab it but she backed away.

"You're going to spill it and then we'll lose. And we've never lost one of these stupid games," she added. We knew each other so well that our inside language let us use code words to get around most word games, and we worked so well together that every team game was a cinch. Pitting us against each other was a new tactic, and I suspected that we might lose this time. Katie was grinning, waiting for me to say something.

"May I have the cup, please?" I asked, knowing it wouldn't work. She shook her head, stepping close to me. Around us, people were trying to cajole their partners into relinquishing their cup.

"I could say something embarrassing about you out loud," I said casually, checking my watch.

"You could, but I could say something equally embarrassing, and I'd still have the cup. Like the time you got an erec-"

"Okay, okay!" I said quickly, and she laughed, almost spilling the water. She was referring to the time I had an erection at the movies, and at the end, when I stood up, it was obvious to Katie and anyone else nearby. She had teased me, saying I had a crush on the actress on screen, but really it was because Katie had lifted the armrest between us and was snuggled up against me. Even though we were best friends, I couldn't keep my physical reactions at bay, much to her amusement. Katie had never threatened to tell anyone that story before, and I was surprised by her boldness. Around us people were getting no further than me.

"Well, if you want to win this, then you can just give me the cup," I said. "Then we'd be finished."

"A very compelling argument, Jimmy, but I don't think so," she said, looking mischievous. "Try again."

"Okay," said, stepping closer. We were standing much closer than anyone else, only inches apart. "There's no way you're going to just give it to me to win this?" I asked. She shook her head. "But you want to win, right?" This time she nodded, cocking her head to one side and smiling.

And I have no idea why, but I reached my hand around her waist, pulled her close to me, and kissed her on the lips. It was just a quick one, but it was something I had never done before. Her eyes opened wide and she let go of the cup, which I caught in my hand. Several people around us noticed and stopped talking, staring at us both.

"Well, we have our winners, although I will remind you that this is a church youth group," our youth coordinator declared as she walked over to us. I was grinning, Katie stood there in shock, her mouth open as if to say something, but she didn't move. It was only after youth group wrapped up, and she was driving me home, that she brought it up.

"Jimmy," she said quietly. Her face was somber, reflective. "What was that about? The kiss."

"Well, I admit it was a flash of inspiration," I said, trying to sound calm, but wondering if I had pissed her off or not. "You did, after all, want to win. And, you wouldn't just hand it over to me."

"And you thought kissing me would distract me." She said quietly, her eyes glued to the road.

"Katie, I'm sorry if I upset you, I wasn't trying to. I just thought..." but I didn't know what I thought, and I could tell Katie was upset. "I mean, it's not like I wanted to. Well, no, I mean I did want to, I've always wanted to..." and I trailed off, realizing what I just said and how much of my inner desires had just escaped into the car and the space between us.

"You've always wanted to kiss me?" she said, still not looking at me. Her voice wavered. She broke her gaze on the road to look at me for a split second before slowing down to pull into my driveway. "Well, you better get going," she said as she pulled to a stop in my driveway.

"Katie, I..." I began, but she cut me off.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" she said quietly, still not looking at me directly. I started to get out of the car, but she leaned forward, pulling me toward her. Our lips met for a split second before she pulled away, looking awkward.

"See you tomorrow," she said, and this time did not try and pull me back in as I got out of the car-as confused as she must have been-and headed inside.

Chapter 2

We left the next day later for our vacation. It was Saturday. My mom and dad drove ahead, and Katie and I were sitting in the back seat of her parents' car. When we went on trips with both of our families, they had long ago let us ride together rather than listen to use talk on the phone. Katie sat with her feet curled up on the seat, reading a magazine and occasionally looking over at me and smiling. We were almost there, and Katie's mood toward the trip had improved after her initial reaction. She reached up absentmindedly, playing with a lock of her jet-black hair as she read. And that's when I saw it; her bracelet.

Katie and I went to a church that was moderate in their views, but really promoted abstinence. Katie had, years ago, attended a youth camp for girls that talked about sexual education. When she came back, she told me she was going to forgo sex until she met her future husband. I had shelved the information under "irrelevant" at the time. Now, when I was truly starting to appreciate Katie as a blossoming young woman, I was reminded that, like Harry and Denny said, nothing was going to happen.

"What're you staring at, Jimmy?" she asked, looking up from her magazine.

"Oh, nothing," I said. She smiled and slid over toward me until she was sitting next to me, leaning on me. It was her favorite way to sit, with her legs curled up and leaning on me. It was how she watched every movie with me, much to the delight of my teasing friends. I couldn't help but notice how soft her skin felt next to me.

"Come on," she whispered, "you've been in space for days. What gives?"

"Just excited about the trip," I said quickly.

"Mmmm, me too," she said quietly.

"Why the change of heart? I thought you were going to be bored out of your mind," I said in a whisper.

"No, you're right. You're here, I'm bound to have fun. Besides," she added, "have you seen the place we're staying? It's a bed a breakfast. We've got a whole floor to ourselves, and it's on the beach."

We sat like that for the rest of the trip, my body taking notice of her proximity. After a while she nodded off to sleep, and as I looked down I noticed her knit shirt was partly open. I could just see a hint of cleavage, which made my shiver with excitement. While Katie's ass and legs commanded most of my sexual attention, I appreciated her pert breasts as well, and my body was reacting instinctively. Although I had always appreciated Katie's physical appearance, our long-standing friendship muted many of the normal teenage desires other girls stirred in me. I always thought she was beautiful, but also felt that she was off limits, in a way. How had I gone on so long under-appreciating her?