Team Spirit: Part 7

Mercedes, Eleanor, and Betsy too.

By FinalStand. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.

“Don't fear the waves, fear the undertow.”

 Emily isn't an idiot so trust her enough to uphold her end of the friendships she's forged.

(Two Weeks Later)

School has a pattern; first is the uncertainty of taking something new and deciding if you are going to drop the course before the deadline. Then the boredom sets in as you get the hang of what you think you are doing. Finally comes the abject terror that you've committed yourself to a course you hate/can't complete. We were all on the cusp of Stage Three.

You could say everyone in the house was a bit stressed about school; when you added in the hormones of the young and things got down right anxious. We dealt with this in a number of ways. We divided up kitchen duty, times for our study groups, and who needed rides to work. For that one day, that Thursday, I was pretty sure we had it all under control.

Barney, Betsy, and I are in one corner of the living room doing our history thing while Jesse and his boyfriend Derrick have the other. Mark and Jamie are playing with the X-box, Gina is at work, and Emily and Amber are studying in the kitchen when the doorbell rings. Since none of us are expecting company we look around the room to see who would stop what they are doing to answer the call.

Barney losses the battle of wills, sighs and trots to the door. He opens it and stammers something which translates over from Awkward Man-speak as 'hot woman at door'.

"May I come in," a hauntingly familiar and frightening voice asks. She doesn't wait for Barney to answer opting to push past him and enter the entry hall.

I am staring at Mercedes and three thoughts rush through my head; how does she know where we live, what's her plan, and can I reach Jamie before she erupts?

"Hey Craig," she purrs at the same time that Emily skips down the hallway with a big smile on her face.

"Mercedes!" she squeals as she runs up and hugs the newcomer. I would admonish Emily if I wasn't racing to catch Jamie as she comes off the floor.

"Bitch!" Jamie screams as she thrashes in my bear hug. Since I am holding her arms pinned to her chest she kicks out instead.

"Please," Emily pleads to Jamie. "We've made up and Mercedes is very sorry about what happened."

"That's right," Mercedes smiles mischievously. "I was very bad and I'd like to apologize to both you and Craig."

"Oh, to hell you say!" Jamie thunders. "I'm not forgiving shit because you haven't changed, you cunt."

"I accept your apology," I tell Mercedes, taking a different tact.

"Craig, you can't believe this shit?" Jamie gawks as she turns to see if I'd drunk the Kool-Aid.

"I'm cool with it if Emily is," I soothe Jamie as I back out of the living room toward the bedrooms.

"You are a bitch," Jamie screams at Mercedes as we exit the room. Once we are in our bedroom and the door is shut I put Jamie down and she promptly slaps me.

"Don't you ever do that to me again," she snaps.

"Listen Jamie, it is better to have her and Emily where we can keep an eye on them than have her telling Emily that we aren't really her friends," I explain. I also fail to promise her that I wouldn't remove her from an awkward situation when needed.

Jamie vibrates with poorly contained energy, her gaze toward me alternating between impressed and furious. When smoke starts boiling out of her ears I take action. I grab Jamie and kiss her violently, crushing her to me. I give her a little room after a minute.

"Sex! Now!" Jamie demands.

"Later," I assuage her, "we have company."

"Urr" Jamie responds accompanied with some heavy breathing. My eyes gravitate to her braless breasts, a move that Jamie catches.

"You are hopeless," she says as she rolls her eyes, but I can tell I've temporarily defused her wrath.

I take Jamie's hand and lead her back to the main room. The conversation subsides when we return.

"So, are we okay?" Mercedes asks sweetly.

"Sure," I respond. Jamie glares at Mercedes but keeps the peace and resumes her place with the X-box. Emily looks at me nervously so I give her a wink and a smile only belatedly catching Mercedes taking in the whole exchange.

I rejoin my study group and we get back to business. I catch Betsy tossing me a questioning look but I indicate that it is a story that takes more than one breath so she lets it lie. Emily and Mercedes go back to their room to 'study' while Amber comes over to the sofa and sits down next to me very platonic-like.

I end up being the one to take Betsy home, stopping on the way to pick up Gina from work. Gina is her warm friendly self as she gets into the back seat of my car, hugging me and almost hugging Betsy who barely recoils in time. Once again Betsy gives me this curious look.

"I have a bunch more girls as friends than actual girlfriends," I try to explain.

"Of course," she says with a straight face. "It is none of my business anyway."

"Wow," Gina snickers, "she's so hot for you."

"I am not," insists Betsy. "He's not my type."

"No she's not (hot for me)," I add, then, "I'm not?"

"No, you are not and if he's so hot why are you sharing him with all those other roommates of his?" Betsy asks Gina. Gina chuckles.

"I'm not sleeping with Craig. He's Mark's best friend and I'm with Mark. So, what is your excuse?" Gina replies.

"I prefer a prospective boyfriend to have more morals," Betsy informs us. Gina and I exchange looks by way of the rearview mirror.

"What do you mean Betsy?" I inquire. "I've always been nice to you."

"Craig, you sleep with every girl you meet," Betsy explains. Okay...

"What makes you think that?" I have to ask causing Betsy to sigh patiently.

"How many women have you slept with, if you haven't lost count?" she says with a heavy dose of condescension.

"Three," I fire off immediately. I remind myself that Betsy alienates almost everyone she knows in a matter of months.

"Do you seriously expect me to believe that?" Betsy replies.

"Craig," Gina questions me playfully, "how many girls have hit on you?" I have to think about that.

"A few," I prevaricate. Gina snorts.

"Mark says that you get all kinds of play at those football parties," she grins.

"Having some sluts rub up against him hardly makes Craig more appealing," Betsy counters.

"One; they are not sluts. Two; it was all harmless fun," I grumble.

"If you say so," she sniffs a rebuff.

"Betsy, do I bother you?" I inquire. She gave me a serious once over.

"No, you behave yourself around me and you are pretty smart for a jock," she admits.

"I feel the same way about you Betsy. You may keep looking at my crotch but you are discrete about it," I tease her. I expect some sort of snappy denial so when she turns and looks out the window without comment I am a bit floored.

"Betsy, I'm sorry. That was uncalled for," I apologize after a moment.

"Okay," is her clipped reply.

"That's good," I tell her. "After all, if you dumped me it would ruin my reputation as a man-whore."

"Well," groans Betsy, "we can't have that." Shortly after that we drop Betsy off and Gina has joined me in the front seat, Gina smiles at me and says,

"You like her."

"Sure I like her but I wish she'd notice that Barney existed. He is so into her and I think he could put up with her crap if they ever got into a relationship," I respond.

"That's very nice of you. I'm sure she'd sleep with you if you went after her," Gina comments.

"I think we both know I don't want to sleep with every woman I find attractive," I reply.

"Don't I know it," she sighs playfully. Getting back is fun to say the least. I really need some quality time with Jamie. Between Mercedes and Betsy I am getting too wound up.

Of course, coming through the door Barney 'manhandles' me into the kitchen.

"Craig, I called Betsy and asked her out on a date," he blubbers.

"Well, good for you," I smile and pat him on the back.

"She said yes ... what am I going to do?" he continues to stutter.

"I imagine you'll pick out a nice place to eat and a movie you think she'll like to see," I suggest.

"Umm ... okay, right," Barney nods.

"Barney, relax; this is not the end of the world. Take it one step at a time," but I have a feeling Barney isn't really listening anymore.

The thankful thing is everyone else has crashed out so I clean up and creep into my bedroom, hoping for a little comfort. I am about to pad over to Jamie's bed when I see her in mine. As I slip under the covers she moves over ... and I know I've made a mistake.

"Amber?"

"Yes," she whispers back. "Emily and the whore are getting busy so Jamie said I could crash here." I remain silent. "Yes," Amber snickers, "she is the dark psychic girl," and by she I know she means Jamie.

"This doesn't change anything between us right?" I say quietly.

"No," she answers, then, "Is that your thumb between my legs or are you not hard yet?" I shift around to clarify the matter to her. "Oh fuck, Craig," she hisses, "you are hard as a rock. If you are going to fuck me at least me get my underwear out of the way."

"Do you want to fuck?" I all but beg urgently.

"Wouldn't you rather we cuddle instead?" she tests me. The short, truthful answer is 'no, but would you at least let me get the K-Y under the bed and beat off first', but that's not how I respond. I snuggle up, wrap an arm around her waist and pull her tight. Amber presses her head against my neck and takes a deep breath.

"Good night," Amber breathes into me. I resolve to somehow will my erection to obedience and I am making some headway, no pun intended, when I hear a woman go off in a very passionate and vocal orgasmic explosion. It has to be Mercedes, the bitch, and because love obviously abhors a vacuum Mark and Gina begin getting busy on the other side of the wall. Now I know what Jesse had gone through last semester.

(Friday)

I blame myself, really I do. I am so busy getting the story from Emily on how she and Mercedes have hooked back up – Mercedes had come crying to her full of remorse (yeah right) that I forget the other emotional train wreck in my life. Sometimes I think Emily is way too nice a person. An apology led to a coffee, to a walk in the park, to heavy petting at Mercedes' apartment to having sex here at our place.

Barney borrows my car for his date; so far so good. He chose one of the nicest places to eat near campus; even better. Had he remembered his wallet things would have worked out, but he didn't, so Betsy ends up paying for their meals. Betsy asks that she drive back to our place to get his wallet, but Barney insists that he drive and of course he is pulled over.

That is when Barney apparently losses the ability for coherent speech so he ends up going to the police station with a D U I. Betsy is smart enough to call me to come bail him out; I bring Jamie along to take my car and would have brought her in but she decides Barney was humiliated enough. Jesse is good enough to let me use his car for the pick-up.

At the station I meet a fuming Betsy and a friendly officer. After a bit of 'shop talk' about the team's chances next season he agrees to have Barney ROR'ed and he gets to show up to court on Monday to clear this up. The ride back to Betsy's dorm is done in tomb-like silence. At least Barney has enough dignity not to sob.

"Betsy, I'm sorry," Barney mumbles once we stop to drop Betsy off.

"Okay," she says curtly then gets out. I can't bare Barney's heartsick look.

"I'll be right back," I tell Barney. I jump out of the car and race to catch up with Betsy. I find her in front of the elevator.

"Betsy I'm ... Listen, I know Barney can do better. Please give him another shot," I plead.

"Are you serious?" she snaps. I nod and to her credit she takes a moment to think it over. She steps into me, puts a hand to the back of my head and draws me down into a kiss. Tentative at first then our tongues began to dart back and forth.

"Okay," she relents once we break our kiss, "but now we are even for the research paper."

"Huh? You came back and helped me with the English paper. You don't owe me anything," I respond.

"Craig, I would have been lost without your help and I'm smart enough to know it. You would have finished your English assignment with or without me," Betsy relates.

"Why the kiss then?" I have to ask.

"I wanted to see what all the fuss was about," she states.

"I ... well ... how was it?" I inquire.

"I'm going out with Barney again, am I not?" she smiles. Now I can't decide if that's a good thing or not. Barney is my buddy and I want him to go on a date because his lady wants to spend time with him, not because she feels she owes me something. I guess I have to be satisfied with the hope that this time the real Barney will shine through and impress Betsy with the good guy I know him to be.

Barney and I get back without exchanging a word. I have a grand total of a year and a half dating experience and I have never experienced anything like this. Barney is even worse off in the girl-thing than me, so he is of no help. When we get home no one acts out of the ordinary.

"Barney, Betsy called and she wants you to call her when you got in," Jamie says nonchalantly.

Barney looks at me fearfully for an explanation like I'm some guru.

"Call her," I advise. Like a man walking to the gallows Barney walks over to the phone in the kitchen. The gang (Mark, Gina, Jamie, and Amber) are watching the TV and aren't likely to cut down on the noise. I figure Jesse and Derrick have already headed out for the night.

I head to the bathroom; see the door is somewhat ajar so I stroll on in. I catch Derrick drying off and our eyes lock.

"I need to use the toilet," I inform him. Derrick secures the towel around his waist before walking past me on the way back to Jesse's room. He smacks my ass as he does so.

"Don't you be play'en now," I tease him which is clearly the last thing he expects me to say. "I know you're someone's bitch."

Derrick gives me another look then laughs out loud.

"I'm going to tell Jesse you said that," he chuckles.

"What; that you are playing around, or that you're his bitch," I grin.

"Maybe I'll tell him you hit on me," he suggests.

"He'll never believe it," I reply. He looks for the punch line and I deliver. "He knows I'm far too afraid of Jamie to ever piss her off by pissing Jesse off that much."

"Ha," he laughs again. "I believe it. Jesse's told me about the scars she's left on your back. I'd be afraid of her too."

"I'll tell her you said that. It will make her night," I snicker. Derrick heads his way and I relieve myself. I pass Barney on the way back to the living room; he looks somewhat beyond stunned.

"Everything okay?" I question.

"Betsy asked if we could try again tomorrow night. I said yes," he mumbles.

"Good for you," I tell him as I put a hand on his shoulder and turn him around. "Jesse and Derrick are getting dressed."

That is code for gay guys doing stuff that us straight guys might not want to wrap our minds around – being confident heterosexuals and all. For all I know they are really getting dressed for a night on the town, but letting Barney stumble in on them probably isn't wise. We return to the living room, Barney takes the recliner and I start to lay out on the sofa. Before I can get comfortable, Jamie and Amber get off the floor and settle in on either side of me – just like old times.

(Monday)

I'm in second semester Advanced Biology when I get a text from the Coach to contact him ASAP. I muddle through the rest of the class and give him a call in the hallway, or I start to.

"Hey Craig! Congrats," an upperclassman I barely know says as he comes up and slaps me on the back. I think his name is Tony or Tom.

"Huh?" I wonder.

"Lawrence Morgan announced he's going into the NFL draft," he grins. Oh hell, I was supposed to have this responsibility until year after next.

"Thanks, but I think I should see what the Coach has to say about that," I respond. I hope my smile doesn't come across as too feeble.

I toy with the idea of blowing of Organic Chemistry but I think the Coach will understand that I put a high premium on my course load. Besides, I'm not going to blow off Eleanor and Barney. I call the man and give him my decision. He understands and asks me to come around to his office before lunch because there are things we need to discuss. I can't tell if that is good news or not.

I arrive at the Coach's office without too much drama. He is on the phone, but waves me to a seat. My Father has been out of the picture for some time so I'm a bit thin on male role models, but in the short time I've known him I think I could do worse than Coach. He does his best to tell you the right thing to do and makes you feel small if you don't do it without saying a word.

"Craig, I'm prepared to bring in a rising senior out of Fresno State to take the top spot as quarterback," he begins without preamble. "It is not a rebuke of you or your style, but I want you to get a bit more experience before saddling you with team leadership. You may still end up with the top slot. I'm keeping the team's options open; okay?"

"Absolutely," I nod. I'm neither elated for dodging the burden nor deflated for missing the limelight for another year. I was promised the lead position for my junior and senior years so I'm not really missing anything. "I still want the quarterback slot if I can get it," I add.

"I know you do Craig," Coach grins. "I also want you to know something. You were right and I was wrong."

That catches me off-guard. What can he be referring to?

"Mark Quantrill; I know you encouraged him to come here and try out for the team. You were so impressive at All-State I under-estimated his talent. He's become a real asset and it proves I was right about you; you read your players well. I'll tell you something else."

"Sir?"

"Morgan isn't going to last three years in the NFL. He has a fantastic arm but he doesn't play well with others. There is also the fact that this conference has some of the worst secondaries in the nation. Morgan is going to learn what it is like when he goes up against the professionals. I think he is going to have a rude awakening."

"He still has the best arm I've ever seen," I counter.

"One of the differences between the two of you is you both have good arms – his is better – but you have a better head for the game. You know what your people can and can't do which makes you a far deadlier opponent. Besides, you should see our defensemen flinch every time you take a hit. I've never seen a defense care so much for the guy on the other side."

By that he means someone on the offense. There is always a rivalry between offense and defense. Whenever one side succeeds in a scrimmage, the other side gets yelled at. It is the way of things. Sometimes we forgot we are on the same team so I make a point of hanging out with the other half of the team when I am on the bench. It is a technique I had learned in high school. After all, you can't win a game if you can't stop the other team from scoring.

The phone rings and Coach answers it. He says a few words before catching my eye.

"Get out of here Dawkins, but I am going to need some of your time next week. We have some recruits coming by the University and I want you to meet them," Coach tells me. The phone rings and I'm dismissed to get back to the scholastic duties.

It is right at nine o'clock in the evening when the doorbell goes off once more. It has not been a great day. I became top quarterback and lost the slot all in a few hours. The Organic Chemistry lab was brutal and Eleanor took particular pleasure in torturing me for reasons unknown. It has also gotten a lot more crowded at our place.

Miracle of miracles, Betsy is spending time with Barney though I have to keep pulling him aside and remind him to grow a spine and stand up to Betsy. Bowing to her every whim is the surest way in my mind for her to go elsewhere. It is not a matter of domination; if you don't challenge her she loses all respect for you – it is that simple.

Like Betsy, I don't mind Derrick all that much. He is a bit of a flirt but Mark tolerates him and Barney is pretty clueless to his advances. Jamie has threatened to put a GPS tag on his ear so that Jesse can figure out whose room Derrick's snuck off to. Despite the age difference (Jesse is a freshman and Derrick is a junior), Jesse is the more adult member of their relationship and usually keeps Derrick in line.

No, the problem is Mercedes. She's making hanging out at our place a very regular occurrence. Worse, I think I know the reason and that is that Emily is such a wonderful freaking person. It doesn't stop Mercedes from being a vicious, manipulative bitch – that would be too easy. Mercedes has come to appreciate how nice, beautiful, and pleasant a person Emily is and she is falling into Emily's orbit. Since that makes Emily happy we have to lump it.

To make my evening perfect, when I came home from lab today I found out that Jamie has 'borrowed' one of my credit cards to purchase a king sized bed and had our two twin beds taken away; all without my knowledge or approval. It wasn't like I use that card for important stuff – like food, clothing and gas.

I'm so pissed with Jamie that I've rebuffed all attempts by her mollify me. She's been sexy, cute, sarcastic and even pleaded but I want nothing to do with her. Even Amber is starting to look worried. Barney has gotten up to get some drinks from the kitchen when the doorbell causes him to deviate and answer it.

"I ... I" Barney stammers. There is a woman at the door but I sense fear more than lust.

"Can I come in Mr. Ross?" the woman asks. I leap off the sofa and race to the door.

"Ah, sure," Barney gets out. Eleanor has barely stepped inside when I wrap her up in a hug and squeeze her tight.

"Dude, it is Eleanor!" Barney hisses in shock.

"Yeah, I know," I respond softly. Eleanor takes a half-step back and looks up at me warmly.

"I guess I didn't make a mistake coming here tonight," she smiles. Barney is dumbfounded.

"It is okay man," I tell him. "We've been together for a while." To Eleanor, "Come on in and meet the gang."

She puts her hand in mine and I lead her back to the living room. Introductions go around with varying degrees of interest. Okay, it is more like 'Who is this girl hanging on me, and why is Craig with her?' because they see a slightly older woman who initially comes across as relatively less attractive than every other woman I've been with.

Eleanor flinches when I point out Amber and is decidedly nervous when she is introduced to Jamie and Emily. Emily perks up and turns on her friendliest manner. Jamie grins as well as she stands up and heads our way. Amber is much tenser. This is the woman, after all, that I let break us apart.

"Hey; The Eleanor, eh?" Jamie beams. "Come over and sit with us," she motions to the sofa.

Jamie separates me from Eleanor, peeling her off to the sofa where she sits Eleanor down between her and Amber. Emily detaches from the love seat and Mercedes to squeeze in on the far side of Amber, effectively denying me a seat.

"Eleanor, do you want something to drink?" Jamie asks.

"Um, a Coke or some hot chocolate would be nice," Eleanor suggests quietly.

"Craig, get us some hot chocolates," Jamie commands.

"Get your own damn hot chocolate," I mutter back.

"Are you saying you want to sleep on the sofa tonight?" Jamie teases.

"Are you saying you want to sleep on the roof?" I retort.

"Craig, would you please get us some hot chocolate?" Emily asks politely. I shrug and head off. Mark and Gina are huddled on the floor and I see him cuddle up next to her.

"Babe, I love you," he tells Gina. He looks back at my four women on the sofa and adds, "I love you now more than ever." Bastard; like having one woman who adores him is so much better than four who torment and confuse me.

I get the water boiling before slipping back to the kitchen door so I can listen in to what the ladies are talking about.

"It is so good to finally meet you," Jamie starts. "Craig talks about you a lot."

"He does?" Eleanor seems both frightened and curious. I'm not ashamed of Eleanor, but I don't share our private life either.

"It is more like the way he smiles when he's spent time with you," Jamie confesses, "or going to spend time with you."

"He sees us all the time," Emily chimes in, "so we know he makes a special effort to spend the night with you when he can." Eleanor now looks embarrassed and confused.

"Amber," gulps Eleanor, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I messed up you and Craig's relationship and I'm sorry I didn't have the courage to come talk to you sooner." Amber stares at her somewhat blank-faced. I really have no idea what is going on inside her head at the moment.

"It is okay," Amber sighs. "It isn't like you tied him down. Craig made his own decisions and I made mine."

"Okay, I admit I hated you when Craig and I first broke up – really hated you," Amber continues. Eleanor is back to being frightened. "I was upset he wouldn't dump you. Over time I realized that wouldn't be Craig. Hell, I got between him, Jamie and Emily and the world didn't end."

"Thank you, I think," Eleanor responds tentatively. "That sort of leads up to one of the two reasons why I came here tonight; I wanted to meet all of you – Craig talks about you all the time."

"All the time?" teases Jamie. "I sincerely doubt when you two are sexing it up in bed he's thinking about anything but you." Eleanor flushes a furious shade of red.

"I --," stammers Eleanor.

"So, has he started tying you down yet?" Jamie leans in eagerly. Eleanor's mouth falls open.

"That would be a big 'Yes'," taunts Amber. The water starts boiling so I miss part of the conversation. When I get back I'm feeling like a damn waiter. Shouldn't a major university's potential starting quarterback be accorded more respect?

"Thanks," Jesse smirks as he takes his mug. "Are you sure it was wise to give your other girlfriend your home address so she could hook up with your other current and your ex-girlfriends?"

"Don't' do the crime if you can't do the time," I quote.

"Dude, I like you," Jesse laughs. "That is the exact same look you had on your face right before those two linemen from Central buried your ass last season. No fear!"

"Hey, I got the ball off, didn't I?" I chuckled. I had my wisdom teeth knocked down my throat for an eight yard gain – not my finest moment. I finish up by circling back to the ladies then prop the tray against the side of the sofa before settling down on the floor. I elect to position myself between Eleanor's and Amber's legs because if anyone deserves to kick me its Amber.

Eleanor puts a hand on my head and flexes her hand in my hair in a caring gesture.

"You've got it bad," Jamie tells Eleanor.

"What?" Eleanor questions.

"It is same look I get when I wake up to hear him snoring softly next to me and I suddenly realize he's there for me," Jamie relates.

"For me it was the night of the Prom," Amber adds. "We had gone to the lake after the dance. I felt that first shiver and he had his coat around my shoulders before I could even think to let him know. That's when I figured out he was looking out for me even when I wasn't looking out for myself."

"I'm not Houdini," I sigh. "I could feel the cold breeze coming off the water and if I was cold you probably were too."

"Craig," Eleanor murmurs, "you lost that argument when you put me on your lap when I had the flu. It was a dumb thing for an athlete to do but it was exactly what I needed."

Amber and Eleanor getting along famously is freaking me out so I change the subject.

"So Eleanor, you said there was a second reason for coming over tonight?"

"Yes," she sighs. "I have been accepted for a doctoral program in Chicago; I'm heading there at the end of the semester."

I twist around, get on my knees and settle between her legs with my face within inches of hers.

"Congrats Babe," I beam. "I know this is what you've been working for." I'm about to kiss her when Mercedes chimes in in a sinister probing voice.

"So, to be accepted you had to have finished your Master's program. When did that happen?"

"Last year," Eleanor replies weakly.

"So, why have you been hanging around?" Mercedes persists. I know the answer to that.

"I hope I can make your last few months here as memorable as possible," I promise Eleanor.

"That is incredibly insane, stupid ... and desperately romantic," Betsy admits. "Barney, - pay attention."

"Sorry," Barney gulps. "I'm still dealing with the fact that I went through a semester of hell with Craig for no good reason."

"I apologize for deceiving you Barney," Eleanor responds, "but I would have ridden you both just as hard. You both want to consider a Master's program and that means as high a GPA as possible, especially in the Sciences."

"Speaking of being ridden hard, Eleanor you are spending the night?" Jamie inquires boldly.

"I couldn't," protests Eleanor who is finding it difficult to stand with me in her face. "I have classes tomorrow ... and stuff."

"I have a friend who has a friend in the National Weather Service," Jamie counters. "They say that big storm is coming quicker and harder than projected by the local weather wonk. He says we should get dumped on somewhere between eight and ten tomorrow morning and expect around thirty inches!" The last was pronounced with a Donner Party glee.

"I had better be going," Betsy states.

Barney is struggling to say something but Emily is ready with the hospitality.

"Come on and stay with us. You don't want to be stuck in the dorm if the power goes out."

"Where would I stay if I remained here?" Betsy asks skeptically. The obvious answer (and the one least likely to happen) is that she stays with Barney.

"You could stay in our room," Gina offers. "We never use the other bed." Mark isn't jumping for joy over her suggestion but isn't totally put out by the turn of events either.

"Fine," Betsy accepts a bit too eagerly for my taste, or maybe I'm learning to distrust women; I'm not sure.

"Whose bed would I sleep in?" Eleanor inquires quietly.

"I tell you what," Jamie grins sweetly, "I'll take you back to our room and if you can pick out which bed is his you can spend the night with him." No one steps up to help Eleanor (tell her that our room has only one bed) and since I want her to stay, I stay quiet as well.

"Okay," Eleanor says cautiously. I sit back to let Eleanor stand. Jamie takes her by the hand and leads her back to our room.

"I like her," Amber comments out of the blue once Jamie and Eleanor are gone.

"Would you like her less if she was better looking than you?" is Emily's insightful question.

"Well," Amber huffs, "I guess I would. I know that's superficial; besides she's also so damn sincere it is hard to stay angry with her. I'll save my hate for Craig," she continues as she thumps me on the back of the head. "Maybe I'd be a little less pissed if you could have Mercedes smack him upside his head again," Amber suggests to Emily.

"I've got you covered," Mercedes grins wickedly as she hops off the love seat and comes my way.

"Seriously?" I look to Amber.

"Fine," Amber grins down at me. "Kiss Mercedes feet and I'll call us even."

I can see there is a still a level of hurt behind her taunts, something that comes from once believing you are the most important person in someone's life and having that certainty torn away. I can't say I regret going with Eleanor; that would be neither right nor true.

"If that brings us a little closer together," I respond.

"I didn't say that," Amber grins mischievously.

"Get to the kissing, Jock," Mercedes snickers as she extends a black booted foot my way. I gaze at Emily but she seems secretly amused which is starting to make as much sense as the rest of my day.

I put one hand underneath the soul of the boot and the other on her calf (they are calf boots). I contemplate how much fun it is going to be kissing leather.

"Not the boot, the foot," Amber insists.

"Fine," I groan, "Mercedes would you ... please sit down?"

"Scoot over Amber," Mercedes chortles, "I want to kiss Emily while Craig is on his knees before me." Amber moves down the sofa and I'm soon kneeling at Mercedes's feet, working her boots and socks off. I can thank my luck stars her feet aren't pungent enough to make this worse than it already is. I rub one hand up Mercedes's calf until it is right beneath the knee.

"Make it count Craig," demands Amber. I nod and place a small kiss on the tip of Mercedes's right big toe.

"Is that it?" Mercedes starts to sneer then I kiss the top of her nail with a tiny show of affection, the first knuckle, the outside then the inside and finishing up with the bottom of the toe.

"That's nice," Mercedes purrs.

"That's Amber and I having a serious fucking talk when this is over," warns Jamie. Eleanor is looking over in shock.

"Is this some sort of bizarre Jock-Cheerleader ritual?" Betsy inquires.

"No and Amber is testing the limits of our God-damn friendship. She knows Craig is crazy about her," Jamie growls, but somehow the heat isn't there. Something fucked up is going on and I haven't a clue what it is.

I keep kissing the entirety of Mercedes's right foot ending at the back of the heel.

"That was nice," she grins victoriously before diving into Emily's lips. She hoists her left foot into my lap and I get back to work.

"Mark, would you do that for me?" Gina whispers to my buddy.

"I will kiss every part of you," Mark murmurs to Gina as he rolls her up in his arms.

"Great," grins Gina, "let's go back to our room for a little oral stimulation."

"Alright," he smiles lustfully at her; the fool is expecting a blowjob. Once they are up, Gina starts to lead him back to their room by the hand.

"I have been dying for you to go down on me," Gina giggles. Mark stumbles, shoots a confused look my way. I see that look as accusatory because he knows a great deal about my sexual exploits.

"I suppose it is a good thing they are getting this out of their system now," Betsy mutters. Only Derrick snickers. We all know that Mark and Gina can often have three or four sexual sessions on a non-school night.

"We should all be calling it a night on the off chance Jamie is wrong about classes tomorrow," Jesse announces as I finish up on Mercedes's other foot. I take a long swig of hot chocolate to drown out the taste.

Amber, Barney and I clean up the living room as everyone else goes to the bathrooms then to bed. I watch Amber and Betsy talk in the hallway as Gina and Mark finish up round one. Since Mark and Gina's room is right across from Amber and Emily's it isn't too awkward. Inside my room I can tell that Jamie and Eleanor are having some issues.

Mainly it seems to be that Eleanor wants to sleep in her jeans, shirt and hoodie while Jamie is sleeping in solely a shirt. I smirk their way and start shedding my own clothes – I often sleep in the nude; especially when a woman is involved.

"Craig, you could have warned me that there was only one bed in the room," Eleanor evades Jamie's glare.

"Eleanor, if you stayed here tonight I would be elated and if you left I was going to leave with you," I confide in Eleanor. Eleanor shoots a guarded look Jamie's way.

"Well," Jamie hesitates, "I did sort of 'steal' Craig's credit card to buy this bed – so he's a bit pissed with me right now."

"Uh," Eleanor purses her lips, "that could be – bad. Are you sure I shouldn't leave?"

"Please don't," Jamie requests. "I'd like to spend the night in my own bed, not tied up in front of the fireplace."

"Craig," Eleanor sounds a bit scandalized (I hadn't completely informed Eleanor about Jamie's and my 'somewhat freaky' relationship; "Would you have done that to her?"

"No," I assure her. "I would have left her on the sofa; tied up and gagged, but on the sofa." Eleanor studies me to make sure I'm telling the truth.

"Okay then," Eleanor takes a deep breath. She starts stripping out of her clothes which makes Jamie grin while I'm somewhat baffled.

We are all under the covers lickety-split; Jamie, Eleanor and I, leaving Eleanor to wonder why she's ended up in the middle. She's still working on that dilemma when Jamie maneuvers over her and kisses Eleanor on the lips.

"Hi," Jamie moans, "I find you terribly sexy."

Eleanor opens her mouth to protest, I think, but Jamie lunges down and sticks her tongue down her throat. I give it about five seconds before pulling Jamie away. This becomes more difficult when Eleanor decides to not let her go. Jamie gives me a wild, passionate grin, pumps her eyebrows twice and dives back in to Eleanor. She runs one hand through Eleanor's hair while the other slithers down below the covers.

"That won't be necessary," I inform Jamie. "Her whole body is electric."

"Ow!" Jamie squeals as she pulls up from Eleanor's lips. "This is going to have to be a regular thing."

"Jamie, I'm not a lesbian," Eleanor insists.

"Technically, liking me would make you bi-sexual, not a lesbian," Jamie teases. "Now, if you want me to cease, all you have to do is stop me from kissing you again." She leans down, Eleanor tenses then melts under Jamie's tender attention. I take the moment to kiss Eleanor's ear and earlobe.

Jamie and I move in tandem to teasing her delicate nipples, rolling them and pulling playfully. Eleanor starts whimpering and rocking her hips back and forth. Those precious warbling noises are coming forth from Eleanor's lips, escaping between kisses. I almost miss Amber slipping into the room, pad over to the bed and slip under the covers next to me.

"Wow," Amber whispers, "she looks like a real dynamo," referring to Eleanor. "Mercedes is tearing up Emily so I left before she starts screaming. The thought of Mercedes in bed with her makes me want to vomit."

"Come here," I reply softly. "Let me make it better."

Amber pulls off her shirt, shimmies out of her underwear and crawls on top of me.

"So you are going to make it all better?" she giggles as she wiggles her hips over my hard on.

"I'm going to try," I promise.

"Good, now scoot over," she snickers. Huh? I can't get much closer to Eleanor which means ...

Amber wedges herself between Eleanor and me, blows me a 'Thank you' kiss then rolls over to the Jamie-Eleanor duo; now a trio with me on the outside looking in. Seriously? There are three wonderful women on my brand new king sized bed and I'm not getting any play. How does this happen to me?

"I – I came here for Craig," Eleanor gasps when Jamie lets her up for air.

"We'll back off if you want," Amber soothes her, "but Craig is here for you all night long and tomorrow too. "Let's share what we've learned from him." Eleanor tries to muddle through with her thoughts but Jamie is nibbling on her neck so that all Eleanor can manage is a nod.

Now it is Amber's turn to drink from Eleanor's lips and they are both pretty passionate about it. Despite my isolation from the action I find the interaction between the three very special ladies in my life to be highly-charged and erotic. The only time Amber's hand drops below the breast line Jamie stops her.

It doesn't take Amber long to figure out that the muscle that connects the breast to the chest is incredibly sensitive in Eleanor. She strokes the spot, kisses and licks it until Eleanor stifles a scream into Jamie's shoulder.

"Good girl," Jamie coos, "good girl."

The three stay where they are, Eleanor panting on her back with Jamie and Amber hovering over each side. When Eleanor catches her breath Jamie lets a small smile slip to her lips.

"Get on top of me," Jamie tells her. "I want to rub nipples together and let you hump me." Eleanor shoots me a look seeking reassurance which I quickly give. She's quickly on top of Jamie, hands running through her hair and tongues dueling in their mouths. I can't imagine Eleanor ever this brave if she hadn't saved me that one drunken night.

"She's making up for lost time," Amber whispers to me. Eleanor is reacting better than expected but I'm hardly disappointed. I know that when she lets herself cut loose she can be so dynamic. By the pleasurable murmurs Jamie is emitting, she's surprised and pleased with Eleanor as well. Amber kneels beside them, running one hand between them and playing with their nipples.

With her other hand she starts at the base of Eleanor's skull and languidly traces a series of circles down to her tail bone.

"Have you broken her in yet?" Amber whispers to me. I assume she means anal sex.

"Once with a finger but she's not a huge fan," I reply quietly. Amber winks at me.

Angling down with her middle finger she goes past the tailbone and between Eleanor's ass cheeks. Eleanor's ass is small but really firm so Amber caresses the cheeks with her splayed fingers with several up and down passes. She finally approaches the anus but instead of running across it she taps it several times with her finger tip.

Eleanor isn't cautious or unsure; she takes Jamie's hands in her own and pulls them over Jamie's head and presses them into the bed. Eleanor didn't miss Jamie's 'tie you down' comment earlier this evening. She also doesn't seem to mind a careful attentiveness to her anus. Amber keeps up her side of the bargain, gliding past the pink star and onto Eleanor's juicy slit.

Both Amber and Eleanor grunt as Amber inserts a finger into Eleanor's cunt. I should have prepared Amber for how tight Eleanor is – isn't hindsight grand? Amber still twists and wiggles it deeper in bringing forth a moan from Eleanor as she looks over her shoulder and smiles dreamily at Amber.

Jamie gets a wicked glint in her eye and starts raising her legs up and open wide. This spreads Eleanor's stance and pulls her knees forward. Soon the two are pussy to pussy; Amber gets the message and starts fingering them both. After less than a minute of that Amber moves behind the two and spreads out on her stomach so that she's eye to cunt with her objective.

I'm taking in the show when the door opens and Betsy stealthily slips inside. She shuts the door behind her, takes in the scene and starts to work the door open again. A look of helplessness comes over her. Betsy shuts the door and slides down it onto the floor, clearly depressed. I grab a shirt off the floor, cover myself and move to her side.

"What's the problem?" I inquire quietly.

"Gina and Mark are at it again," she sighs bitterly, "Mercedes and Emily are doing something that involves buzzing, Derrick and Jesse are clearly busy and Barney is asleep on the sofa. I've got nowhere to go."

"You could share the sofa with Barney," I suggest hopefully. Betsy glares in response. We sit in silence for a bit and observe Amber going from solely fingering my two girlfriends to working her lips and tongue into the mix. Betsy seems both entranced and depressed.

"Why don't you tell me about it?" I ask.

"Wouldn't you rather join in on the orgy?" she angrily challenges me.

"I go where I'm both wanted and desire to be," I shrug. "Tell me what is on your mind." Betsy's shoulders slump before she takes a deep breath.

"I started dating this guy in the middle of my junior year," she starts. "We were in the same advanced classes, had the same circle of friends and I thought we had the same plans."

"His hobby was being a musician; he loved to play bass guitar and I loved to listen to him. It wasn't until last winter that things changed. He was invited to join a band. It was kind of fun at the beginning; going to parties and hanging out with the popular people. We sent in our college applications and we both were accepted to State with scholarships."

"The problem came right after Prom. David, my boyfriend, decided that he would rather give the whole band thing a shot. He told me he'd wait for me – he wasn't into the groupies – but he was staying behind in Houston. He liked going to parties and clubs and smoking dope with his friends. That had become the scope of his ambition. I felt totally betrayed."

"I wasn't there, I don't know the guy so I'm not sure what to say," I admit. "Maybe you two didn't communicate or perhaps he changed his mind there at the end. College can be pretty intimidating. Knowing what little I do about you, I know he must have been a special guy. I bet he discovered something about himself in the music that he couldn't ignore, even if it cost him you."

"Guys don't always make the best decisions when love is on the line," I confess. "I like to think your man made a difficult choice and it wasn't an easy one. You are a very special woman," I tell her as I take her hand, "so his musical talent must have been pretty impressive for him feel that was the path he couldn't live without pursuing." Betsy was silent for a while as we were bombarded by the noise of Jamie and Eleanor racing toward climax.

"He was pretty good; everyone said so," Betsy admits.

"He must have been pretty strong willed to put up with your pushy ass too," I joke softly. Betsy glares at me a few seconds then nods.

"He usually did what I wanted, except for the important things," she admits. "It didn't matter how much I argued with him then; either I did it his way or he did it alone, but he always did what he wanted."

"That sounds about right. You wouldn't settle on just anybody," I grin. She studies me again before finally grinning back.

"So why can't I have you instead of having you throw me at Barney?" she inquires.

"For starters, Barney is a really great guy – just terribly shy because he thinks you are the best thing since the discovery of DNA," I try to explain.

"He is smart, funny, a happy drunk, and he has a game plan for the future," I continue.

"Oh, I agree; he is all that but he's so – wishy-washy," she states then looks forward at the action on the bed.

"He's also – below average." It takes me a second to figure out what she means.

"Are you sure?" I mutter.

"Yes," she sighs, "I tried; I tried really hard. He's around four inches and thick as my thumb." Oh sweet Mother of God! Penis size doesn't have to be a deciding factor in a man's sex life, but it matters. Girls still have to deal with it probably in the same way guys joke about girls with small breasts or vaginas so loose you can barely feel anything going in.

"Is that a deal breaker?" I groan.

"Pretty much," Betsy replies. "Maybe if his technique was better – maybe, but I'm not a starter girlfriend Craig. I don't have the patience. Does this mean I'm out of the study group?"

"Of course not," I assure her. "We agreed to be a study group, not based on sex but on smarts and the willingness to work. You are still just as smart and hardworking."

Eleanor exulting in a raw, wild shout preempts Betsy's words. We now both watch Amber tear into Jamie who doesn't last more than twenty seconds before she bucks so hard that Eleanor nearly spills off the bed. I recognize Amber's frenzied gulping noise from my own long experience with Jamie. When Amber returns to a kneeling position between Jamie's outstretched legs she looks to me and smiles. Her face is covered from eyebrows to chin in Jamie's love juice and she's grinning happily.

"Yes?" she teases me. I get up, drop the shirt covering my crotch and take the very short journey to the foot of the bed and the waiting Amber. I alternate between kissing her and licking her face clean of fluids.

"I should be going," Betsy mumbles.

"No, stay," Amber insists. "You can sleep in Craig's side of the bed. We won't bother you."

"All of you are going to fit on Jamie's half?" Betsy scoffs.

"Hey, Jamie, Emily, Craig and I used to all snuggle into the bed in his dorm," she confides to Betsy. It was actually pretty comfortable except for Craig. Our combined body heat would cook him like a Thanksgiving turkey."

Betsy did the geometry of the situation and unbidden, a smile crept onto her face.

"Wouldn't that be more like a male baked potato surrounded by a layer of feminine aluminum foil?"

"That's rich," Jamie panted and chuckled at the same time. "I've never thought of Craig as a big ole baked potato, but it fits."

"Careful Jamie or I may be fitting you with a baked potato of your own in a place that will make sitting down – interesting," I caution her. I should know better.

"Oh Daddy," Jamie squeals. She shimmies out from under Eleanor, who has been resting dreamily on Jamie's chest, rolls over and thrusts her ass high up in the air.

"Punish me Baby," she looks my way coquettishly, nibbling a finger. "Hammer me up my tight little bum like the bad little ass-bunny I am." Eleanor and Betsy are stymied by Jamie's actions but Amber laughs.

"You had better nail her hard or she'll keep us up all night long," Amber chuckles.

"I'm not sure I want to forgive her yet," I dig in my heels.

"Please," Amber persists, "let it go; she's your best friend and you're hers."

"Jamie do you know why I'm so pissed?" I ask.

"Yeah," Jamie sighs. "I took you for granted. I knew you'd say 'yes' but I did it anyway without asking. I hate it when people think I'm poor and I did something to prove I wasn't."

"Jamie," I grumble. "Scoot." By the look on Eleanor's face, she's disappointed in what she thinks is my pig-headed rejection of Jamie. Betsy appears a bit put out too. All that dissipates the moment Jamie whoops out, leans off the bed and grabs the tube of KY.

"Jamie was Craig's first and until he gets married he's going to keeping going back to her no matter what," Amber chuckles.

"What if Jamie gets married first?" Betsy questions as she reclines onto one elbow on the far side of the bed. Amber snorts and Jamie laughs uproariously.

"I'm never getting married," Jamie declares. "I love Craig, he means more to me than anyone else ever has and I'd never marry him. I hope that whomever he marries will let me share him from time to time, but I could never submit to another person."

Jamie hands me the tube which I immediately hand-off to Amber.

"This was your idea," I tease Amber. "Get her ready. Eleanor, do me a favor and spank Jamie for a bit." This is a gambit to draw Eleanor further in to our little community. She looks from me to Jamie who promptly resumes her ass-up position.

"Spank me Teach," taunts Jamie. "Imagine how you would feel if I handcuffed Craig to the bed when he promised to spend the night with you."

"Honestly I would stop by to check on the problem," Eleanor reasons, "but I do have a past relationship that will put me in the mood."

Eleanor sidles up to Jamie's side on her knees, bends over Jamie's back facing rearward and starts to play out a rhythm on Jamie's cheeks. It doesn't cause Jamie to scream, but her ass reddens and the blows elicit gasps and moans from the victim. As a counter-point, Amber squeezes some cool viscous liquid on Jamie's ass cleft letting it ooze down to her anus.

Amber retrieves a slender dildo from Jamie's panty drawer, lubricates it and starts to rub it along Jamie's anus. Eleanor and Betsy seemed entranced with the action.

"You two have never had anal sex?" Jamie gasps between spankings.

"Never," Betsy responds. Eleanor shakes her head, flashing me a quick, worried look.

"Yum, yum," Jamie wiggles her ass. "Class is in session."

"Humph," Betsy grumbles. She doesn't look away though, "Jamie, if there are not Prophets of Doom plowing through the snow drifts, preaching about the impending Ice Age, you and I are going to have a serious discussion about the price of deception."

"I've known her known her a year and a half," Amber chortled then shoved the dildo two inches deep. Jamie squealed and involuntarily pushed her herself away from the intrusion and deeper into the mattress.

"Ow!..." Jamie panted. Then, because this was Jamie, "Please Amber, do that again!"

"I am only doing this because I know you Jamie," Amber sighed. "Ladies, never ever just ram it in unless you absolutely know the recipient likes it this way."

"Amber – what do you mean 'one year'? We grew up together and I've known you since kindergarten."

"Please," Amber snickered, "I am forever grateful that you didn't demolish my formative years." She started rotating and working the dildo in deeper. "Would you prefer that I openly fall on my knees and pray to God?"

"Falling on your knees," Jamie grunted, "is enough – grunt – for me. I'll take – grunt – care of the rest."

So I'm sitting on my bed with four beautiful women and not currently having sex with any of them. Why do I want to be chief quarterback to one of the most famous and storied football teams in the nation? I'm certainly not doing it for the quick hook-up every weekend, hunting for a plush pro contract and an easy diploma and I only have myself to blame.

By FinalStand for Literotica.