So, yeah. A bit of a delay on this one. Real life, blah blah blah. Anyway, here's Chapter 3! You met the first main female character -- Taylor -- in the last chapter, and in this chapter you'll meet the other one. This chapter ties directly into Chapter 7 of Brad's Road Trip, where you can find the actual story that gets a Cliff Notes retelling in this chapter. I think I've been detailed enough here that you don't NEED to read the Road Trip chapter, but, ya know... go read it anyway.
Thanks to samuraisan, who is my long time beta reader and now my editor too. He's a great guy with a shit ton of stuff going on in his life that still makes time to clean these stories up for me, and also finds a lot of logic holes that sometimes slip through when you write multiple chapters over years and years (how many years, we won't get into). Also, big thanks to Thatsbogus, who is an author on this site as well. Go check his stuff out. His beta reads are invaluable to me, and every time he publishes something, it gets me re-inspired to fire my own writing back up (so send him feedback begging him to write new stuff)!
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The Scavenger Hunt: Chapter 3
Frat Folks--
Taylor Greene, Soccer Skills Coaching, Objective 4. Saturday night/Sunday morning on the team bus back from Asheville. If you need confirmation, one of her teammates saw.
TT
They were being pretty secretive about all this, and I still didn't know how they'd confirmed Brianne. I wasn't going to make it easy on them, but without me giving them something, confirming would have been impossible since it was on a bus ride. So, I told them someone had seen -- let them figure out who.
I obviously knew Jamar had seen, but I didn't want his unable-to-keep-a-secret ass involved in the fraternity game, so I didn't mention his name. He'd told me that Jaleesa was actually the one who told him about it. And when I'd noticed him looking and thought Jaleesa was asleep on his lap... well, her head had been in his lap, but she wasn't asleep. I told him I didn't need details.
I shot the e-mail out while sitting in my Motor Skills classroom, about 10 minutes before the class started. I'd also transferred the frat's original e-mail to a file on my laptop, so I went in and drew a line through my Soccer class and Objective No. 4. I'd only had the list for a week, and I'd already satisfied two of the eight objectives and knocked out two of my six classes. At this rate, I'd be done well before the May deadline.
The classroom door opened, so I quickly shut the file and closed my e-mail. A few of my classmates streamed in, and the professor followed. Today was the day he assigned us our group projects. The class was about motor skills and development, and one part of the class focused on disabilities that deprived children of learning those motor skills, including ways to help those children stay as active as possible.
I was assigned a group of fourth graders at a local elementary school, and our activity was swimming. Now, I knew very little about swimming -- I could swim, but I doubted any swim coach would be impressed with either my speed or my technique. When I found out who my partner was, though, I became a lot less worried.
Carolina Atlantic didn't have an official swim team, but we did have an intercollegiate club team, and Lexi Briggs was one of its best athletes. She'd been swimming competitively since she was five and actually co-taught an intermediate swim class on campus.
She was built a bit bigger than your average swimmer, but her largish breasts and thick thighs didn't hurt her speed. She had shoulder-length brown hair and a nose ring. Her face was somewhat plain, but she was still plenty attractive. And, since we were partners for our project, she was walking over to me.
"So, how much do you know about teaching special needs kids how to swim?" she asked me with a grin as she sat on the front of my desk.
"I'm the world's leading expert," I replied, knowing she knew the truth. "Of course, I know you barely even know what water is, much less how to swim."
"Exactly," she said. "So, I'll let you handle this one and just get out of your way. I'll of course take the credit when you impress everyone and earn us our A."
We laughed together and she grabbed a seat next to me.
"Aww," I said. "I kind of liked having your ass right there at arm's length on my desk." It was forward, for sure, but I didn't want to waste time. As far as my frat challenge was concerned, I'd gotten the best possible partner. There were other doable girls in this class, but when I thought about her body and her athleticism, Lexi was probably the hottest girl in here. So really, what was the point in being shy about it? Worst case scenario, she'd get a little offended, and I'd apologize and say I was just screwing around.
"Yeah, well, you're going to get to see it in a bikini a half-dozen times over the next few weeks," she replied with a grin. "So stop complaining."
And that was just about the best-case scenario.
"Well, that's something to look forward to," I answered. "Thanks for that image. That's all I'll be thinking about until... when's our first session with the kids?"
"Won't be for a couple weeks," she said, though I did notice her blush at my compliment. "How comfortable are you in the pool?"
"I don't sink," I said. "That's about all."
"You should come to my swim class on Thursday morning at 11, then," she said. "I'll get them started, then work with you a little on the other side of the pool. Give you some ideas as to what we'll be teaching the kids."
"And the bikini, that'll be there, too, right?"
She blushed harder and chuckled. "Maybe if you're good."
"I can be better than good," I said. "The night before that, we have a game against VMI. If you come, I'll show you just how good."
"Well, even without that incentive, I'd be there," she said. "The swim team runs the ice cream stand at home games to fund our trips."
"Save some for me," I said. "I'll be the sweaty guy who just hit a homer to win the game."
"I'll try to come watch a little of it," she said. "Listen, I'm really glad I got you as my partner. I know you don't know a lot about what we're doing, but I can show you. I was afraid I was gonna get one of these football jocks who wouldn't even show up or help me do the research that goes with it. I know you'll at least do your part."
I actually was a pretty good student. Most of this stuff came pretty easily to me, and when it didn't, I wasn't afraid to buckle down and study until it did. Most college athletes had a nasty sense of entitlement, especially those on scholarship. The Marines had broken me of that early.
"That's true," I said. "But only because you promised me lots of time with you in a bikini."
"You're incorrigible," she laughed.
"Hey, just being me and showing a little appreciation for a fine female form."
"I didn't say it was a bad thing," she said with a wink.
She might need a little more softening up, but I was confident I could use her to satisfy this class. I didn't know which objective I could use her for -- she wasn't married or foreign, and she obviously wasn't a professor. I didn't know if the frat would count her as an athlete because her sport was just club, but even then I already had Taylor for that one.
The only ones that left were the public venue, in a class, and the threesome. Lexi didn't really strike me as the threesome type, the frat hadn't told me what the public venue was yet, and doing something with Lexi during this class would be next to impossible. Still, I'd try to figure something out.
I thought I'd made some real progress for the day, but then I went to the first day of the soccer coaching class. Of course, I knew Taylor was going to be there, but when I saw who she was sitting with, I stopped dead in my tracks. A vivid memory of last summer filled my mind, and I almost laughed out loud. Taylor saw me and waved for me to come sit next to her. I waved back, but I shook my head and sat down near the door, earning a glare from her. The person sitting with her hadn't yet seen me, and until I knew what I was going to do about it, I wanted to keep it that way.
I was hoping the teacher wouldn't make us do the little lame introduction thing teachers like to do on the first day of a class, but of course, she did. When Taylor's friend stood up and told us about herself, all I learned about her that I didn't already know was her last name and her major. I tried to keep mine as short as possible, but if she had any kind of memory at all, she'd remember me.
Class let out a little early, and I finally decided to confront the situation. I walked over to Taylor, who was not happy.
"What was that?" she asked, slugging me in the arm. "We mess around one time, and you suddenly don't know who I am?"
I was caught off guard for a moment, but I suddenly understood.
"Oh, no, Taylor," I said. "That's not why I didn't sit with you. I just noticed that you had a friend, is all."
"Beth?" she asked. "Travis Temple, this is Beth O'Neil. Beth, Travis. Now, what the fuck is going on?"
I finally made eye contact with Beth, and I could tell in an instant that she knew me. Her breasts were store-bought and still a size too big for her diminutive frame, but the similarities ended there. Her hair was dirty blonde now, as opposed to the obvious bleached look she sported last summer, and she wore a lot less makeup today than she'd been wearing that night. I didn't remember thinking she was the least bit attractive the first time we met -- right now I was having a hard time keeping my eyes off of her. The biggest difference, though, was her attitude. When we'd first met, she was pissed off at the world and wasn't afraid to let everyone know it. Today, even without speaking, I could tell she was happier and much more at peace.
"Wow," Beth said. "I had no idea THIS was the baseball player you fucked the other night."
"Wait," Taylor said. "You two know each other?"
"Yeah," I said. "Look, Taylor, I'm sorry. Please accept my apology, okay? I'm not the type to blow you off. I was fully intending to come sit with you." I lowered my voice a little and leaned in where only the two of them could hear me. "Maybe even tease you some during class, get you all worked up."
She shuddered briefly, but responded quickly. "So, why didn't you?"
"I just needed a minute to process... her," I said.
"Beth?" Taylor asked. "How do you know each other?"
The other girl opened her mouth to answer, but this wasn't the place. "Not here," I said. "I have accounting in an hour, then I'm free till practice at 4. What about you guys?"
Neither of them had any more classes, so we agreed to meet at a bar just off campus after my class.
Accounting was awkward, especially since Brianne didn't show up until five minutes into the class, so I couldn't ask her about T.J. beforehand. She walked up to me right after to clear the air.
"I'm sorry, Travis," she said. "I guess I should have texted you, but I didn't think he'd do that."
"It's all right," I said. "My jaw was a little sore for a couple days, but it's over with. Why did you even tell him?"
