I noticed her my first day in design class, the art design class, an unusual course selection for an engineering major. I could not help looking at her because she looked so very young. She must be, I thought at first, a local high school student, who was smart enough to take a college course. Then I began to see her in many places on campus, so I figured she was some female genius who had graduated from high school at age fifteen and had been admitted to college early.
I saw her seated alone at lunch in the dining hall one day and sat down across from her. The young beauty glanced up and smiled at me. She had a head of hair that was unbelievable, long, wavy, and honey-colored.
"Are you and art major?" I asked. What an inane question!
"Yes," she answered. "I want to be a painter some day."
"I trying to be an engineer," I explained. "I had one year of college and then went into the army. I just got out this June. Now I'm back again, trying real hard to become a student again."
"You do look a little older than the rest of us," she remarked. "It must have been quite an experience, the army."
"That is was. You look really young." I broached the subject that had been hanging in my brain for days. "You must be one of these high school geniuses that graduate early while the rest of us are stuck for a another year or two."
"No," she said, forcing a smile, "I'm older than you think. I'll be eighteen on Wednesday. I did start college last year when I was seventeen, but that's nothing unusual." We talked more as we ate our food. "I belong to the film society and there is a movie tomorrow night," she announced eventually. "Do you want to go to see it?" I was not used to a girl inviting me for a date and was surprised by her offer after just a lunch together, but I had a surprise for her.
I grinned and said, "I joined that too. I'll be glad to see it with you." As we talked further, I discovered her name was Rachel, and she learned that mine was Jimmy. Rachel was interested in my army experiences and my yearlong tour of duty in the Philippines. We met for supper too and became so engrossed in our conversation that we had to rush to the theater in the Arts Building.
We watched the movie closely to the final credits and then sat together in the theater discussing it while everyone else wandered out. I walked Rachel back to her dorm room. We arranged to meet at breakfast the next morning. At lunch we were also together, and then again at supper, but it was Wednesday, so I had a little birthday present for her. It was a little tool box that art students carry their equipment in. I had seen that hers was broken, battered, and taped together.
"This is so nice," she said. "I always wanted to buy a new one, but I never got around to it." For a few dollars I had made her very happy. I was happy too. She leaned over and kissed me. We were not only together only at meals after that, but also studied in the library together. Each night I walked her back to her dorm, and each night the kissing got better and longer.
That Friday night we attended a concert together, and, when I walked her back to her dorm room, we stopped to hug and kiss so many times it took a long time to reach her dorm. Rachel seemed desperate for my attention and my affection, and I wanted to be with her too.
"Do you want to come upstairs and meet my room mates?" Rachel asked. I knew that she lived in a dorm suite with five other girls. Each pair had a small bedroom and they shared a common sitting room. I had heard some anecdotes about them during out long talks.
"OK," I said, "I'd like to meet them and see your suite."
We went upstairs, but only two of the girls were there. They looked at me in a strange way. Rachel introduced me. "This is Jimmy. He was in the army and now he is studying engineering." The two roommates, Jill and Heather, were polite but cool toward me as if I had committed some minor crime. What was the problem?
Trying to be extra friendly, I bought some sodas for everyone from a machine in the hall and we sat talking and taking it easy. The two roommates kept eying me, but finally got up and retired into separate bedrooms.
I turned to Rachel. "What was up with those two girls, Rach?" I whispered. "They seemed a little hostile toward me."
"I'll explain later," she replied.
We sat there quietly for a while. I moved closer to her and we kissed some more. My arm was around her, and she snuggled close to me. "Your hair is really something," I said. She sighed and wiggled against me. "Do you want to stay with me tonight, Jimmy? My roommate is gone; she goes home most weekends. We have my bedroom entirely for ourselves."
Wow! What luck! Thankfully I had a condom in my pocket, not really expecting to need it, but just being ready. "I'd love to stay with you tonight, Rachel. Are you sure?" Her face seemed almost grim now when I looked at her. What was going on here?
"Yes, Jimmy, I'm sure, but," she added, "promise you will stay with me the whole night if you stay. Do you promise that?"
"I thought that was what you meant, that I should stay the whole night," I answered. She stared at me. "Yes, I'll stay until morning. Really, I promise." I began to wonder if some dreadful thing was going to happen to me, but I wanted to be with her so much, that I didn't care.
"Fine," she replied. She jumped up, pulled on my arms to get me to my feet, and dragged me into her bedroom. She closed the door and turned the lock. This was becoming very interesting.
Rachel turned on her radio, reached into her pocket, and handed me her college ID card. "What's my birth date, and how old am I?" she asked.
"You're eighteen," I answered, not looking at her ID. Remember, it was just your birthday on..."
"No, Jimmy, look at my ID card."
I studied the card, read her birth date from it and did a simple calculation and told her she was eighteen. As I did this brief task, I saw that Rachel was already undressing. I watched as she removed each garment, hands shaking. In two minutes she totally bare. I had thought Rachel was fifteen when I first noticed her just weeks ago. Now I would have sworn she was only thirteen or maybe twelve, if I had not just confirmed her birthday on her ID. Her breasts were just soft swellings, crowned by conical areolas with perky, little nipples. Her mound had only a thin tuft of hair. Rachel's hips showed the feminine flare mainly because her waist was so slim. Her entire shape was that of a young, slender, almost pre-pubescent girl.
"You're beautiful," I whispered, meaning it sincerely even though I was amazed by her physical immaturity, "You are so beautiful, Rachel."
Her lips began to quiver and tears rolled down her cheeks. Suddenly in two big steps Rachel was in my arms, her body shuddering and little sobs coming from her lips. I held her to me. "Re-remember, you s-said... you would st-stay... you promised... pl-please don't leave m-me... a-alone," she whimpered.
