The Senior Trip

Linda was looking furiously through her drawers for underwear, but her bras and panties seem to have vanished. Her only dress in her closet was the black sheath which was inappropriate, but, search as she might, there was nothing else. Suddenly, she was before the school board, wearing that dress, her nipples projecting completely through the fabric, the material covering her bottom as if it were paint. Everyone was leering at her as she tried to explain that nothing had happened in Washington. Somehow her husband was sitting with the board, accusing her of adultery and threatening divorce. Then, without transition, she was completely naked, running out of the meeting through the school corridors, students jeering making lewd comments as she passed. She was stopped abruptly by flashing cameras putting pictures on a newspaper with the headline,

LOCAL TEACHER IN SEX SCANDAL

. All at once, she stumbled and fell, lying there shivering....

and was awaked by Kenny shaking her, worriedly asking, "Linda, wake up! Wake up, there's nothing wrong!"

She lay there, moaning and whimpering, as he shook her until, finally, her eyes opened and, dazed and half-awake, she looked at him, unable to focus and, at first, unable to recognize who was in bed with her. The dream was still with her, very real, very scary, and, as she finally began to come around, the magnitude of her last night's exhibition descended upon her. Lying there, half awake, everything looked black. Suddenly, rather than feeling like a fem fatale, she felt like a brazen hussy. Her exposure at the Center seemed blatant and shameless, and the events in the hotel beyond belief. "How on earth did I let myself do those things? Wearing the dress like that was bad enough, but exposing myself in front of the girls was unforgivable." All the puritanical mores that had controlled her life buffeted her, making the pleasure she had enjoyed seem sinful. Even worse, finally focusing on Kenny brought back the realization that she had gone to bed with him and committed adultery as soon as the girls were out of the door! Suddenly, she was certain that the girls knew what she had done! They'd be bound to tell someone and she would be ruined! The scandal would kill her! All of these horrible thoughts flashed through her mind in those few seconds while her mind shook off the after effects of her nightmare. She sat up, rigid and panic stricken, crying, "Oh, Kenny, what am I going to do? It's hopeless!"

Kenny, of course, had no idea in the world what she was talking about. She was crying and, obviously distraught, almost hysterical, so he did just the right thing -- put his arms around her, hugged her, saying, "Relax, Linda, honey, there's nothing wrong! You just had a bad dream. Come on, tell me what's worrying you."

His compassionate tone and the endearment, the first she had heard from him, penetrated her terror-stricken mind, breaking her out of the vicious circle of self-condemnation and panic. "Oh, Kenny, I'm scared about all the things I did last night....and us! I dreamed that everyone knew and the scandal was in the paper. I was going to be fired! My husband was there and

he

knew! Then I was

naked

with everyone looking! Oh, what am I going to do?"

"Oh, for heaven's sakes, Linda, it was just a dream! Nothing's going to happen and no one is going to know." Then, with a grin, "

I

certainly am not going to tell anybody....as I told you before, no one would believe it anyway....I hardly believe it myself! I'm sure that the girls won't say anything about last night. In any case,

they

were responsible for everything, anyway. They talked you into going out dressed like that....and you looked

wonderful....

and they certainly were the ones who went crazy and caused everything that went on here! They got us so hot that they practically put us in bed together. Look,

they

enjoyed it,

you

enjoyed it and

I

certainly enjoyed it! The six of us had a good time, no one was hurt or felt bad -- so, what's the problem?" He was hugging her tightly as he said all of this, and his reassurance gradually dragged her out of the dream-generated panic, but she still had those niggling worries from last night because she

had

done things that would cause her to be pilloried if they ever were revealed. Still, Kenny's confidence and unworried demeanor finally calmed her down, and she lay back, relaxed, as he began to caress her. Gradually, she became aroused and, putting her fears aside for the moment, she joined him in what was, probably for the first time, more love-making than fucking.

Afterwards, she took a quick shower that dissipated the last of the cobwebs and fear left by her nightmare, but she still had a residual concern about the girls. However, just after they finished dressing, there was a tentative knock on the door and, when Kenny answered it, all four girls were waiting outside. Beth quietly said to him that they wanted to see Mrs. Kramer alone, so he called in to Linda, saying that the girls wanted to talk to her and that he was going on down and would meet them in the dining room. Linda came out, filled with foreboding about this different morning procedure, particularly when she saw the long faces before her. But her fear were soon allayed when Judy said, "Oh, Mrs. Kramer, we want to apologize for last night!"

Angela chimed in, saying, "We were so happy and excited about the entire evening, that we just got carried away and went too far! We didn't mean to embarrass you or cause you any problems, we just didn't think about what we were doing."

"You looked so lovely and we all felt so good about everything, that we all thought of you as one of us, not a teacher! Are you mad at us?" asked Beth.

Linda's relief was unbelievable. Hugging Judy, the one closest, then the others, she said, "Of course I'm not angry at you. I loved last night and all of you, but, as a married woman and a teacher, I should have had enough sense to stop things before they got out of hand! The truth is, I've never done anything like that in my life before, and I just was so excited by going out dressed as I did, that I wasn't thinking clearly. We

all

got carried away and did things we shouldn't have," blushing furiously, "particularly me. I'm afraid, so no one is to blame! In any case, I don't really regret

anything

I or we did last night, but....but...I'm terrified of what would happen if anyone else found out! If your parents, the school board or," hesitantly and blushing, "my...my husband knew about last night, well, I don't know what would happen!" Her last statement sounded panicky, and the girls instantly tried to reassure her.

"For heaven's sake, Mrs. Kramer,

we

certainly aren't going to say anything....gods,

we

caused everything that happened! You never would have done

anything

if we hadn't urged you, so, regardless of whatever you say,

we're

responsible! Look, we'll always remember everything we did last night, but as far as anyone else is concerned, we had a marvelous time at the concert with a wonderful teacher, came back, had a snack, and went to bed!" Judy gave that promise, but the others all eagerly joined in her pledge, expressing their sincere admiration and love for her. That pledge and their respectful comments made her feel like royalty, and, with her becoming more cheerful, they had no reservations about talking about their nefarious activities of the previous night.

They couldn't say enough about how much they had enjoyed the performance and how wonderful she had looked. They all agreed that they couldn't wait to see the pictures they had taken. No one seemed the least bit embarrassed about what

they

had shown in those pictures, and Angela chimed in with, "I know that

you

look good in them! We could tell that from the little viewer, but how

we

look is hard to tell." And, now that they were sure that she wasn't upset, they seemed to accept her nudity as a matter of course, nothing to make a big deal about. They giggled uncontrollably when someone commented on Kenny's obvious erection, adding, "Boy, was he

hard

, and I'll bet I know where he wanted to put it!"

Linda blushed profusely, looking very embarrassed, leading the other into gales of laughter, as Jenny, the quiet one, added, teasingly, "We know

that

! The only question is whether he succeeded!"

Linda recovered sufficiently to say, with a 'don't ask more questions' smile, "Come on girls, you know that I'm a married woman! Let's go now. Kenny's waiting for breakfast." That ended the conversation, but all of it, even the last part, was very companionable, even conspiratorial, and

very

reassuring. Clearly the girls had a good idea of what had happened after they left, but they approved of

everything

she had done.

So, when the little group joined Kenny for breakfast, the last vestiges of Linda's fears had evaporated and the world looked very bright. Making things even better, when the day's agenda was laid out, the reaction was just what Linda had hoped. "Ok, kids, today, as you know, we're going to the National Gallery, which probably will take all morning. If we've seen everything we want to, we can look around that area for a while. Then, we'll come back here after lunch by 2:00 PM, and then, I have a surprise for you. You all, with Kenny lukewarm agreement, wanted to see the stores and do some shopping. Well, I've arranged with the concierge for us to take the hotel airport shuttle to the big shopping center at Tyson Corners. They'll let us off there on the way to the air field, and another shuttle, coming back from taking passengers, will pick us up around 8:00, getting us back here in time for the nighttime tour of Washington. How does that plan suit you?" Needless to say, the plan was endorsed with enthusiasm, including several hugs.

The day went wonderfully, the students enraptured by the beautiful building and paintings of the National Gallery. While the girls (and Kenny when they were together) still addressed her as "Mrs. Kramer," they actually treated her as one of themselves, kidding and teasing her exactly as they did each other. It was a clear sign of acceptance, and Linda really enjoyed the intimacy of the give and take, doing some teasing of her own in return. They really enjoyed the Gallery, and, without incident, they returned to the hotel in plenty of time to catch the shuttle, arriving at Tyson Corners around 3:00, giving them almost five hours before their scheduled return. As they entered, Linda stopped them and gave instructions. "Notice where we are now. This is the Hecht's entrance where the tour buses and shuttles stop. This is a

big

mall, just a

little

bit bigger than anything we have in Lynwood. They have Lord and Taylor, Nordstrom's, Bloomindales and hundreds more, so there is no way we all want to shop at the same places. We'll separate, but don't get lost. Let's plan to meet at the food court around six and we'll go from there." The group started out together, losing Kenny to a computer store while the others hung together as they looked, mostly, at clothes. There was, of course, nothing remotely like this near Lynwood, so the stores fascinated them, with the group breaking up as they saw new things of interest.

Angela and Judy went together, stopping at a costume jewelry store where Angela looked over a case full of monogram letters on. Selecting one she liked, she glanced over the rest -- and began to giggle softly as she gestured for Judy to join her. "Look! I think that I should buy for Mrs. Kramer!"

Judy's instant response was, "Oh, you wouldn't

dare!

That would be too much! It

would

be funny, though!"

Still, overcome with laughter, Angela did buy it, having the item wrapped as a gift. Meeting the others women at the food court (Kenny had already eaten and left), Angela presented the present to Linda, holding her hand over her mouth to suppress her giggles. Looking askance at the package, anticipating a practical joke, Linda opened the package as everyone else watched closely, expecting the same thing. Seeing the store name on the box, she thought for a moment that she had misjudged Angela, the clown of the group. As the lid came off, however, she flushed as she saw, nestled in cotton, a monogram pin in Angela's letter. It wasn't large, only about one inch tall, or ostentatious, but it was the letter "A" in bright red -- a

scarlet letter

!

"Oh my god," went Jenny, a sentiment echoed by Beth, while Angela's giggled could no longer be controlled.

Almost unable to get the words out, she gasped, "If you don't want to wear it, I'll take it back for me, it's

my

monogram, but it seemed so fitting!"

Linda's face was as red as the pin, but, since she didn't immediately show anger or signs of being

too

upset, the others finally joined Angela in gales of laughter. Linda was stunned at first, totally numb as she had no idea how to react, but, the laughter was infectious and, soon, she was able to see the humor in the situation. It

was

a great practical joke and, more than anything else they could have done, the girls showed that not only did they not disapprove of her adultery, they thought that it was to be expected in the circumstances. In fact, their joking about it proved that they also did not consider it to be a big deal -- and that they

did

consider themselves to be close enough to her that they could kid about it. Finally, she was able to control her embarrassment enough to smile and, with mock seriousness, say, "Angela, when I get you back to school, you're in real trouble!" The chuckling from the others showed their appreciation of her good sportsmanship.

Angela put on a dejected face, saying meekly, "Oh, I'm so sorry, Mrs. Kramer. I didn't mean to insult you.

Please

don't punish me!" Then, grinning, "I'll take it back if you don't like it."

Linda had the funniest conflict of emotions running through her. Obviously, she was inclined, on one hand, to maintain at least the semblance of innocence and laughingly decline the graphic admission of guilt. On the other hand, she was surprised to discover that, in a way, she wanted to admit her adultery to these friends, friends who obviously knew (or guessed) anyway, to share the experience with them. Somehow, it was sort of exciting to have others know of her indiscretion. After a moment of introspection and soul-searching, the latter position won out. Blushing furiously as she spoke, she said,

"Oh no you don't!

You gave it to me and I'm going to wear it! I

earned

it and I'm going to keep it!" Proudly, she took the pin and fastened it to her blouse, right over her left breast."

There,

how does that look?"

The girls stared at her, goggle-eyed, for a moment, having their strong suspicions confirmed -- then, Angela reached over and hugged her, the others quickly coming around to do the same thing. Comments flowed like water, all supportive, all surprised that it actually had happened. It's one thing to suspect, to be almost certain, but another to have a woman admits such an act, and the exclamations came from all directions. "

Wow

, so you

did

do it! We thought that you

probably

had, but we weren't certain.

Wow

!" "

Boy

that was Kenny's lucky day!" "My god, you

must

have been

hot

!" "We

hoped

you had done it!" Their faces shining, their voices bubbling, the girls were ecstatic to be part of her secret and wildly curious about any details she would give them.

"Ok, girls, I'll tell you, although there isn't actually much

to

tell. You had Kenny and me so excited -- you,

Angela,

you troublemaker, putting his hand on my boob and between my legs, for heaven's sake -- that we were on the bed almost before you were out of the room. Neither of us even thought of what we were doing until it was over....and then the shock came! I'd never done anything like that in my life before, and

you four

were largely responsible. You really set me up for it....but I'm glad you did....as long as no one ever finds out about it! I just can't believe how excited I was last night from the time we left for the theatre until Kenny had me! There, that's the whole story....now you know!" She looked around at the awe-struck girls, their mouths

gaping open as they listened, not knowing what, if anything, to say. Suddenly, when it was obvious that the dam about to burst and she was going to be inundated with questions, she said, "Look, girls, we don't have much more time here. Why don't you go on and finish your shopping and, maybe, we can talk about this later if you want to. And, Angela, thank you the pin! I'll wear it with pride while we're here!"

Reluctantly, wanting to hear more, to dissect everything that had happened between her and Kenny, the girls did as she suggested and hurried off, still talking excitedly to each other as they went. Jenny and Beth went with Linda toward Lord and Taylor's while Judy and Angela headed off to Nordstrom's. As they left, Linda warned them all one last time, "Remember, be at the Hecht's entrance as no later than ten minutes till eight. We have to get back for the tour!"

At a quarter to eight, Beth, Jenny and Linda were sitting outside the Hecht entrance, watching a tour bus unload a horde of shoppers, as Kenny came up. Looking at their shopping bags, he said, facetiously, "I hope the bus home isn't crowded...you'll never get on."

A typical male, he noticed nothing new about Linda, so Jenny, with a knowing grin, asked, "Do you see Mrs. Kramer wearing anything different?"

Looking more closely, he, at first, didn't see anything, but suddenly he focused on the new pin. His first reaction was not what was expected, as he said, "Looks nice, but that should belong to Angela, it's not your initial. Why are you wearing it?"

Needless to say, Linda's face again matched the color of the red A, and, as she sputtered to find a non-embarrassing answer, Jenny, giggling, said, "That's her scarlet letter from last night!"

Kenny failed to make the connection at first, but suddenly saw the light. As might be expected, he was startled, knowing of her fears of that morning, and didn't know just how to respond.

Linda saved him from worrying by saying, "Oh, Kenny, they knew anyway! They won't admit it, but I think that they deliberately set us up to do what we did! Angela gave me this, and, damn it, I decided to wear it! "

There are few men, and probably fewer teenagers who would be unhappy having his friends know that he had bedded an attractive woman, and Kenny was no different. In fact, Kenny was pleased to have the girls know that he had screwed Mrs. Kramer, but, when he looked at Beth, it was with a mixture of chagrin and embarrassment, sensing that her enthusiasm was less than it appeared. Accepting the

fait acompli

, however, he acknowledged their awareness with aplomb and sardonically said, "The pin looks nice on you, but I don't think that you should wear it back home! Say, does that mean that I have to wear a hair shirt?"