FRIDAY
I was up early for my last real day of high school. After that, all that was left was graduation on Tuesday. I still had to finish my speech, but I had the weekend to do that (I had to email it to the principal for approval on Monday). I got to school a little early and ran into Dana in the hall. I guess she didn't need any special favors from the teachers, because she was mostly dressed for comfort not coercion, but still looked pretty. My mind flicked through a few choice images from Wednesday, and I thanked her again for it and wished her luck on her tests.
The first test was a little harder than I thought it might be, but, really, it didn't matter anymore. After the test, I saw Natalie in the hall and we talked a little about the tests. I confirmed that I would pick her up at 7:30 for dinner. She squeezed my arm and went off with some friends. I had an hour to kill before the next test, so I found Fred, who was with Emily, and Gina. We went for a slice of pizza, and discussed our next test. Emily was taking a different class, which we had taken the year before, and we gave her a few tips. She seemed bright, and very nice. It was all very friendly, and Fred and Emily really were cute together.
The second test was a piece of cake, and I finished early, as did Gina, and we left the test room together. I looked at her, thinking about what Dana and Sarah had said, and realized that she was cute, and that I was annoyed that there was this tension between us after all these years. But all I could say was, "piece of cake," and she agreed.
"So, that's it, last test."
"Yeah," she said. "Done with this place."
I asked her if she had finished her salutatory speech, and she said it had been done for weeks. I admitted that I wasn't done, and was going to finish it over the weekend. We got into our cars and drove away.
When I got home, Dad and Sarah were packing the car with clothing, food and wine. He was wearing a new polo shirt and shorts and what looked like new sunglasses. He looked great, but was very nervous. Sarah and I tried to calm him down. He remembered to ask me about my tests, and congratulated me on finishing high school. Once the car was packed, he called Mrs. Angelo and drove away. Sarah and I went back into the house.
"He's like a teenager," Sarah said.
"This is a big deal for him," I said.
"You know, he even asked me if I had a joint to give him."
"Did you?" I asked, surprised.
"Yeah, why not?" she responded. "He told me that he hadn't smoked in years, but wanted to have it, just in case he needed it."
"Oh, those zany grownups," I joked.
Sarah laughed.
"Hey," she added, "aren't you done with high school now?"
"I am, and I think I need a beer to celebrate," I said.
Sarah got two, opened one for me and kept the other for herself. We talked about what we needed to do for her Saturday pool party, and she went up to shower because she was meeting Cara and Beth for dinner and drinks at Orlando's, because Ariel was working there, and always figured out a way for them to get a free drink or a discount on the bill. I had more time before my date with Natalie, so I let her go first.
I got a text from Dad, saying that he had left some work documents that he might need, and if I could bring his briefcase out to the car. I heard him pull up, and went out to the car. He had picked up Mrs. Angelo, and I could see her in the car. She looked great, a mix of Ariel's color and Dana's body, mature and sexy. She was wearing a very low cut, tight shirt that showed off her still impressive rack. I sensed that Dad was going to have a great weekend, and not have time to review anything in the briefcase. We said goodbye, and he pulled away.
I showered and dressed to get ready to pick up Natalie. I drove over to her house, and she met me at the door, wearing all black, a short skirt that showed off her great legs and a tight black shirt that hugged her slim body and small, shapely breasts. We got into the car and made small talk as I drove to the restaurant. I had chosen Armando's, a nice, casual Italian restaurant, and we sat in a quiet booth in the corner and ordered.
Natalie really looked beautiful, and we had a great time, talking and eating. I found out about her family. Her parents had had moved to the U.S. from Korea, although she was born in San Francisco, that they moved to our town last summer, right before school started, and how hard she worked studying the cello.
I told her about my Mom, and my family, and random other things. She was clever and smart, and the conversation flowed. We occasionally touched during the meal, and it was not at all awkward. I was impressed that even though Natalie was very skinny, she ate like a normal person. We shared a dessert, and I paid the check.
As we left, I put my hand on the small of her back lightly, just above her small, round butt, and she didn't resist. We got to the car, and I said, "I am having a good time, and don't want it to endβcome back to my house and we can watch a movie." That being teenage code for "come back to my house and let's fool around."
She looked at me as if sizing me up and said, "O.K."
I drove her to my house, and it was, as I knew it would be, empty. "Would you like a beer?" I asked.
"Your father lets you drink beer?" she asked.
"Yes, as long as we aren't stupid," I said. "Dad pretty much wasn't around much for years after Mom died, so my older sister and I took care of ourselves."
We sat on the couch and picked a comedy from last year that neither of us had seen. There was about 6 inches of couch between us, and I could tell that Natalie was nervous. I put my left hand on her thigh, and just rested it there, lightly. As the movie ran, she moved closer to me, and I took my hand off of her thigh and put my arm around her shoulders. She cuddled in and we sat like that, watching the movie. I decided to make my move, and bent my head down to kiss her, and she tilted up her face so that our lips met. He lips were firm, and our tongues flicked softly against each other.
We kissed, passionately, for a while, the movie forgotten, and I began to stroke her back. I started to kiss her neck and ears, and she sighed happily. I put my right hand on her thigh and began to slowly move it up her leg until it was just under her short skirt. We were kissing, but when I moved my hand a little further up her leg, she pulled away.