My name is Sabrina, Jay's daughter. I'm twenty years old, and I've always been daddy's girl. I think that's why my mother may have been jealous of me as I was growing up. My dad always had time for me, no matter what was going on. I loved sports following in his footsteps, being athletic and active. Mom, on the other hand, sort of put up with us. I didn't realize the rift between us until I went off to college. When I would call home, mom might answer, say hello, then pass me off to dad. I'd bring laundry back, and mom would make up excuses not to do it. Don't all moms do their kid's laundry when you dump it on them?
When I'd come home, I could always count on dad to take me out running. It's something we shared that mom declined to participate in. I used that time with him to tell him all my problems and frustrations with college. He'd coached me as much as he could through all my sports activities, bringing me up when I was down. I could always rely on him to help me resolve any issues I'd had with just about anything, mom, not at all.
I guess maybe that's part of the reason I never had a boyfriend during high school. My dad was always there, probably intimidating any boys from asking me out. I tended to gravitate more to the older girls in school; maybe it was because mom was not really a part of my life. I was missing that maternal figure. I enjoyed hanging out with them more than the boys who always seemed to be fawning over me. I did develop early, I guess, and was as tall as most of the boys. I just wasn't that interested in them.
I did notice this past year, my mother growing colder towards us. I'd invite her for 'moms weekend' at the university, and she'd find some excuse not to come. The same thing happened with the volleyball games I got tickets to. Dad would show up sans mom, again for some absurd reason. I asked dad what was going on; he'd just shrug his shoulders and tell me he had no clue.
My visits home this year were almost the same as the previous year. I did start coming home more often in October to run with dad and his new friend, Tanika. I could sense dad was looking forward to running this year more than any other. Tanika was close to my age, beautiful, African-American, tall like me, athletic, and smart. I think if dad weren't married, they might have a 'thing' going. I liked her too. Since dad had to maintain a slower steady pace for the group, Tanika and I would take off ahead of him, gabbing away on all sorts of subjects.
My running visits weren't as frequent as I'd have liked them to be, so I began keeping in touch with Tanika on social media or via email. I was already emailing dad, so half the time, I included him when something was going on, or I was coming home. I did manage to run a half marathon with dad and Tanika in November. It confirmed how well Nika and I got along, sharing a room and running together, utterly unaware of how well we were doing.
A few weeks before Spring break, dad asked me if I wanted to do a destination run with him. It would be the first weekend of the break. I told him I'd love to, and I wasn't going to do anything special, maybe hang out with Tanika some. I'd already done a half marathon with him and Tanika back in November. I got to know Tanika a little on that trip. This one, I was going to get to know her a lot better.
About two weeks later, he messaged me asking would I mind if Tanika came along. She and I would stay in the room he'd reserved for me. My heart skipped a beat as I replied that I didn't mind at all. His reply was a 'thumbs up' emoji, which made me giggle. Dad is a bit of a Luddite.
Oh, I should let you in on a little secret. I'm bisexual. I haven't told my parents because it isn't any of their business. But, this would give me a chance to pick Tanika's brain as to her preferences intimately. I think she has a thing for dad because of the way she's talked about him during our runs. Maybe she could have a thing for me too.
I was excited to get away from school and to spend the weekend with dad and Tanika. When I got home before our trip, mom was her usual self, dry, and unemotional. I wondered if she wasn't depressed. Mom had been like that for most of my life if she were how did she and dad not recognize it?
I had all my things ready to go when dad got home early from work. We told mom good-bye then went to Tanika's to pick her up. The drive to the race seemed to flash by as Tanika, and I caught up on celebrity gossip and a few other things dad didn't follow.
The hotel dad picked was reasonably close to the course, bib pick-up was Saturday, so we unpacked and walked around some before dinner. Dad isn't into bars or clubs, so it was easy leaving him to read or whatever while Tanika and I went out for drinks and some dancing. We didn't get all dressed up, preferring to stay casual since we weren't looking to be picked up or do any pick-ups ourselves.
I have a fake ID just in case someone asks for it when I'm out. This night neither of us got carded; in fact, we didn't buy a single drink. Two sweet looking girls together are prime targets for those who are looking to score. We passed on a few bought drinks and accepted ones with those we wanted to dance with. We never accepted one that wasn't brought to us by one of the servers we'd heard stories about being drugged.
Neither of us are partiers, so it was mostly dancing and flirting with guys. There were a couple of girls that looked at us with appreciative smiles. I don't know if Tanika realized it or not, and if she did, she didn't say anything. I did dance with one while Tanika was occupied talking with some huge black guy.
The girl was propositioning me while we danced. She said her friend was hot for Tanika but was a bit shy about flirting. I politely told her we weren't interested. She smiled and made a few comments about straight girls being teases. I took it all in stride. She wasn't my type anyway.
I figured if anyone was going to have Tanika this weekend, it was going to be me. Our night ended just before midnight. We walked the two or three blocks back to the hotel, laughing and giggling about the people we'd met. We were both feeling good, not quite drunk, but a little buzzed.
We took turns in the bathroom, getting ready for bed, Tanika went first as I changed into my nightshirt. When she was through, I swapped with her. We were talking the entire time about the race, dad, and the lack of decent dates on campus. It was funny; she and I had the same lackluster experiences with guys on campus. They were intimidated, too narcissistic, lazy, or too eager to get into our panties. We told each other dating stories, laughing, and belittling the guys in them. Our conversation slowly died as we both sort of ran out of steam. We climbed into bed after hugging each other good-night.
I think we held onto each other just a bit longer than normal. Tanika felt good pressing her better than average breasts into mine. I did notice her nipples were showing through her top just before I shut out the light, which brought a smile to my face. I could feel my nipples tingling, wondering if she'd noticed them.
I think it was about one in the morning when I got overheated, alcohol does that to me, why? I don't know. Just one drink will do it, beer, wine, or whatever. So, I kicked the covers off of me, used the bathroom, and got a glass of water. I removed my tee before getting back in bed. Luckily there was some light from the parking lot through the closed curtains I could make my way to the bathroom without turning on a light and disturbing Tanika. I pushed the bedspread off me, leaving Tanika with all the covers. I pulled the sheet over me then lay facing the ceiling to try and get back to sleep.
I felt the bed move as I lay with my eyes closed. Opening them, I turned towards my bedmate. I could make out Tanika facing me her eyes open, looking at me.
I smiled, a little tired, whispering, "Hi."
She looked at me, not realizing I was awake. I think I startled her.
She whispered back, "Hi, can't sleep?"
I quietly explained the alcohol thing which she understood. She said she had a hard time sleeping in unfamiliar beds. It takes her like three days to acclimate. We lay whispering, both unable to get back to sleep.
After a few moments, I yawned, looking into her eyes, I asked, "What do you do when you can't get back to sleep, Tanika?"
I could almost feel her blushing; she thought for a moment making up her mind whether to tell me the truth or make something up.
"Just a sec, I need to use the bathroom."