Looking pretty wasn’t easy.

That was Addison’s thought as she remembered the ordeals she had been through the last couple of days, all in the name of looking pretty for Bethany. She had been trimmed, styled, painted and had two new holes in her body that hadn’t been there on Wednesday.

Her mother had talked her into getting her nails done to match her dress. She had never had her nails done, and it seemed a lot more complicated than it needed to be. When she said that to her mother, the woman had said with a straight face that it’s nice to be pampered. That was when Addison realized her definition of ‘pampered’ was very different than her mother’s. Having some stranger shape her nail with an emery file, shellac her nails with funny smelling paint, then have to sit with her hands in a dryer for twenty minutes wasn’t her idea of relaxing.

She must have been a little loopy from the chemicals fumes at the nail salon because she let her mother talk her into getting her ears pierced, which is where the extra couple of holes in her body came from. She couldn’t even take the little studs out until her ears had healed. She was forced to wear earrings for the next couple of days.

As bad as those two experience had been, they weren’t the worst ordeal. The worst was when her mother decided she needed a strapless bra to go with her dress, not realizing that not many stores carried ones in Addison’s size. By many, she meant any in a twenty-mile radius of her town. She knew this for a fact because she got dragged to every store that sold clothing in the area. Addison had complained that she didn’t even have enough upstairs to really worry about a bra, but her mother wasn’t having it. She even offered to duck tape the girls in place, which horrified her mother.

Finally, they found a lingerie store two towns over that for some unknown reason had a strapless bra small enough to fit her. It had been ridiculously expensive, and Addison had cringed, expecting her mother to make them keep looking. Luckily, by then, even her mother was tired of shopping.

That was how she had spent her Thursday and Friday afternoons. It was Saturday morning, now. The day of the dance. She had just sat on the closed toilet seat for two hours while her mother did her hair and makeup. Unable to see what the woman was doing, Addison had grown antsier and antsier as time passed. By the time her mother finally let her look, she was almost too scared to. There had been a curling iron and hairspray and lipstick involved, and she really didn’t know what to expect when she looked in the mirror.

She barely recognized the girl in the mirror, and her hand came to her mouth in shock. She was beautiful. Addison hadn’t realized she could look like this. She saw her mother standing behind her, smiling proudly. Turning, she hugged the woman tightly.

“You… I… I mean,” she said, then took a second to draw a breath, “Wow, Mom.”

“You look so beautiful, Kiddo,” her mother said, beaming at her, “with your dress on, you’ll look like a princess.”

For once, that actually made Addison smile. Most days she would have just rolled her eyes, but she wanted to look like a princess today. She wanted Bethany’s jaw to hit the floor when she saw her. Thanks to her mother, it just might.

“Thanks, Mom,” Addison said, hugging her, again, “for everything.”

“You are more than welcome, Sweetie,” she said, tears in her eyes. She cleared her throat, took a second to collect herself, then said, “Let’s get you into your dress, so we can show your father before he goes to work.”

“Okay,” Addison said.

In her bedroom, Addison carefully pulled her shirt up and over her head, so she didn’t mess up her hair. She slipped into the strapless bra, blinking when she suddenly developed cleavage. She smiled when she realized it was a push-up bra and padded to boot. Most of her bras were bought for utility at a department store, but this was designed to enhance, not just restrain. It gave her a little more va-va-voom.

She slipped out of her shorts, then went to her closet for The Dress. Taking it out and holding it up to look at it, Addison couldn’t help but get excited. It was still the one, so beautiful and sleek, feminine but not frilly.

She put it on, smoothing the silky material into place. It still fit her perfectly, clung to her in all the right places. She didn’t know why anyone would make such a slinky dress in her size, but she could kiss them for it. She loved everything about it, especially how pretty it made her feel.

Dying to know how she looked, Addison still took the time to step into her high-heels. She took a measure of pride in the fact she wasn’t wobbly on the awkward shoes anymore, stood tall and steady in the kitten heels. She had put a couple of miles on them, walking around the house, even wore them around the mall Thursday when she went to get beautified. She guessed when compared to writing a symphony or curing cancer, it wasn’t much of an accomplishment, but she still counted it as a feather in her cap.

Finally, she stepped in front of the mirror, closing her eyes at the last second. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and was nearly floored by the girl in the mirror. Addison didn’t know who she was, but she looked stunning. Surely, that couldn’t be her reflection.

“Oh,” someone said behind her.

Turning, Addison found her mother standing in the open doorway, her hand on her chest and tears in her eyes. She seemed as surprised at how well her daughter cleaned up as Addison was that she could look like this. The look on the woman’s face, a strange mix of sadness and pride and love and fear, was a look only a mom could pull off. It made Addison feel warm and safe, sure that her mother loved her deeply and that she was proud of her, even if she wasn’t exactly the daughter she had hoped for.

“You… Wow, Kiddo,” her mom said, laughing, “it might be a bit much for a middle school dance, but you look… I have just the thing to finish this off. Don’t go anywhere.”

Addison looked back at the mirror, touch her finger to her nose to make sure it really was her reflection. She smiled and when the girl in the mirror smiled too, she put her hand to her mouth in amazement.

She said, “It’s really me.”

“I know it’s hard to believe, but it is definitely you,” her mother said, coming back into the room. She seemed amused by Addison’s disbelief.

“Did you use some wizardry to do this? Some magic spell?” Addison asked, unable to look away from her reflection.

“Nah,” her mother said, stepping behind her, “just some eyeliner and lip gloss. The rest is all you, Addie. The potential was there all along; I just help you see it.”

Laughing, Addison said, “You are the second person to tell me that.”

“Well, maybe you’ll listen this time. You are a very pretty girl, even without trying to be,” her mother said putting her hands on Addison’s shoulders and smiling at her in the mirror, “and that’s not just a bunch of motherly bullshit, Kiddo.”

That line made Addison snort in surprise, and she asked, “Do mothers bullshit their kids?”

“All the time,” her mother said, reaching around to slip a dainty little gold chain around Addison’s neck. As she snapped it in place, she said, “Don’t tell your father but my first love gave me this necklace.”

“Really?” Addison asked, fingering it, “Who was he?”

“Um,” her mother said, looking away from her reflection, “just someone from my past. It wasn’t meant to be, and we went our separate ways.”

Addison frowned, wondered why her mother had dodged the question. She thought about asking, but she figured the woman had her reasons. Instead, she said, “The necklace is perfect, Mom.”

“I knew it would be,” her mother said, then smiled brightly at her, “if you want, I can show you what I did with the makeup when you get back from Bethany’s Sunday.”

Meeting her mother’s eyes in the mirror, she asked, dubiously, “You really think Dad will let me wear makeup? Really?”

“Don’t worry about him,” her mother said, amused.

Addison shrugged and said, “If you say so.”

Laughing, her mother said, “Come on. Let’s go show your father before he leaves.”

She followed her mother out of the room and down the hall to the master bedroom. Her father was buttoning up his work shirt in the mirror. He was an auto mechanic, tattooed and burly and handsome in a hard sort of way.

Addison often wondered how he and her mother ever became a couple. Polar opposites these two, but it seemed to work for them. Addison loved them both equally and often for completely different reasons. They were hot and cold, night and day and Addison found a place right in the middle for herself.

He saw them enter and turned to look at his only daughter in her dress, his eyes getting impossibly wide. His gruff, intimidating exterior cracked and the big guy had to sit down on the bed. He seemed at a loss about what to do.

Laughing, her mother went to him, put an arm around his wide shoulders and said, “Doesn’t she look beautiful, hon?”

“You do, Addie,” he said, his voice a little thick with emotion, “you look so grown up. Like a fine young lady.”

“Dad,” Addison said, embarrassed. She liked him better when he was gruff. She didn’t know what to do with the big oaf when he got all squishy.

Her father got up, and Addison found herself in a bear hug. He didn’t know how to give any other kind of hug. Still, she smiled happily as she hugged him back. She breathed deeply, feeling safe as his aftershave tickled her nose.

“Careful, hon. Don’t mess up her hair,” her mother said.

Letting her go, her father said, “You look amazing, Kiddo. You’ll be beating them off with a stick.”

“He means when you are sixteen, you’ll be beating them off with a stick,” her mother said, pointedly.

“Right, what your mother said,” He said, laughing.

“Don’t go anywhere,” her mother said, getting up and heading for the door, “I need pictures before you go to work.”

—————————

Glancing at the clock for the umpteenth time, Addison saw it was time to get dressed, and she dried her sweaty hands on her comforter. She didn’t know why she was so nervous. It wasn’t even the dance and coming out to the whole school that had her palms sweating or her heart racing in her breast. She might get around to freaking out about those things, but right now she was anxious to see Bethany and be seen. She hoped the girl’s reaction to The Dress and how she looked would make this whole week of misery worthwhile.

After taking like a thousand pictures with her father, Addison had changed out of her dress. It had been way too early to get dressed for the dance. He had gone to work, and she had gone to her room to watch the sweep of the second hand of the clock hanging on her wall slow to a crawl. Three hours had taken an eternity to pass.

But, it is time to get dressed, finally, Addison thought, looking to her left at The Dress, laid out on the bed and waiting for her to put it on. In about twenty minutes, Bethany would be here, would get to see her in it.

Even better, she’d get to see her girlfriend all dressed up. Bethany was beautiful in sweatpants with her hair pulled into a ponytail. Addison couldn’t wait to see how she looked when she was dressed to the nines. The girl had called her excitedly after finding her dress, wanting to talk about it so bad but wanting to keep it a secret, too. All Addison knew about Bethany’s dress was that she bought it at the same place Addison bought hers. That alone was enough to get Addison excited to see her.

She stood up and slipped out of the shorts and tank top she had been wearing. She shivered as the silky material of the dress caressed her skin when she shimmied into it. Smoothing it into place, she stepped into her shoes, became instantly a couple inches taller.

“Addie, Bethany is here!” Her mother called from downstairs.

“She’s early,” Addison said, taking a quick peek in the mirror. Satisfied, she grabbed her backpack and left the room.

She came to a stop on the stairs, rooted to her spot by the sight of her girlfriend in her dress. She had known Bethany would look amazing, but she still wasn’t ready for the dress the girl had picked. It was a dark blue off the shoulder gown that was snug around Bethany’s midriff, but the skirt billowed prettily as it fell almost to the floor. Like Addison’s dress, it appeared to be scaled down and cut to flatter someone their size. It fit Bethany like it was tailored for her.

Her hair was pulled up, and she wore a little makeup, all that she really needed. She looked so lovely that Addison couldn’t help but stand there and stare. She knew she was drawing too much attention to herself, that she was all googly-eyed, but she couldn’t stop.

Bethany gasped when she noticed Addison on the stairs, and her eyes grew impossibly wide. Her hand came up to her heart in surprise. A huge smile spread on her face as she drank in Addison in her dress. She was having the same problem as Addison, couldn’t seem to look away. A moment stretched way too long as they just stood like that, looking at each other.

Addison’s feet finally started working, and she hurried down the stair and into the living room. She wanted to fly into the girl’s arms and kiss her until she had to come up for air or pass out on the floor. It took all of her willpower not to do it. She did steal a quick hug, thinking even friends would have hugged in this situation. Bethany wore a faint perfume and Addison didn’t want to pull away, wanted to bury her nose in the crook of the girl’s neck and breath her in.

She finally had to force herself to let go of Bethany, not sure if their hug had lasted too long or not. This was a dangerous situation for her and Bethany. Speaking for herself, Addison knew she was having a hard time keeping up the ruse with Bethany looking so absolutely stunning standing there in her dress. She wasn’t sure she could keep the love out of her eyes.

Smiling nervously, Addison said, “You look…Wow!”

“Me? Who are you? What have you done with Addie?” Bethany said, laughing, “You look so beautiful. And your ears are pierced! Nail polish?”

I did it for you, Addison thought, aching to tell the girl that. She met Bethany’s eyes, and she saw that the girl already knew. The smile she favored Addison was one of pure affection. Then she seemed to remember her mother standing by the doorway and Bethany looked away in a hurry.

“Let’s get a couple of pictures of you two,” Addison’s mother said. She hurried out of the room to get her camera.

Addison rolled her eyes and looked at Bethany, said, “A couple hundred.”

“I know,” the girl said, laughing, “my mom is the same.”

Sure enough, Addison saw Bethany’s mom digging her own camera out of her purse. Smiling, she met Bethany’s eyes, and the girl could only shrug.

“It’s okay,” Addison said, then much lower, “I don’t mind. I never want to forget how you look right now.”

Smiling warmly at Addison, Bethany said, “I’ve never wanted to kiss you so bad.”

“What are you two whispering about?” Addison’s mother asked, coming back into the room with her camera.

“Nothing,” Addison said, a little too fast.

“Uh huh,” her mother said, then to Bethany’s mother, “Can I get one of you and Bethany ?”

“Yeah,” Bethany’s mother said, smiling, “I want one of you and Addison, too.”

So began the twenty-minute ordeal of flashing white lights and colorful dancing spots, of carefully composed photographs and both mothers oohing and ahhing over how mature and pretty the girls looked. Eventually, they seemed to be done; Addison figured mostly because they had used up all the storage on their cameras. Then her mother had another idea for a picture. Addison saw the lightbulb go on over her head, and she cringed.

“Let’s do one with you two as a couple,” she said, grinning.

Gasping in surprise, Addison stammered, “A- As a cou-ple?”

She glanced at Bethany and saw the girl looked as freak out as she felt. She could read it her eyes the same question she was thinking: had her mother figured it out? Did she know that she and Bethany were together?

“Oh, I love it,” Bethany’s mother said, excitedly, “they make an adorable couple!”

Freaking out, Addison said, anxiously, “We aren’t a couple.”

“I know,” her mother said, laughing, “but we are going to pretend, anyway. Like they do for prom pictures. Won’t that be fun?”

Addison had to hold in a sigh of relief and wasn’t sure if she kept her face neutral. She felt like she looked guilty as hell, her hands shaking and her whole body jittery with adrenaline. Her face felt hot and she knew her cheeks had to be red. She glanced at Bethany, and she hoped she didn’t look as obvious as the girl did. Her girlfriend looked like the cat who had canary feathers in its teeth and she had the sinking feeling, she didn’t look any better.

Luckily, the maternal types were discussing the goofy picture idea excitedly and didn’t seem to notice Bethany’s and Addison’s momentary lapse of decorum. Addison took a few deep breaths, trying to get herself under control.

“Let’s do one with Addison standing behind Bethany with her arms around her waist,” Bethany’s mother said, physically arranging the two girls in the tableau she had envisioned.

Addison was standing behind Bethany, her arms around Bethany’s waist and her fingers interlocked on Bethany’s stomach. Bethany covered Addison’s hands with her own, gently squeezing them. It was subtle but Addison didn’t miss the gesture and it made her feel all warm and fuzzy. She didn’t need to fake a smile for the picture.

They took another one, with their roles reversed and Addison wished Bethany didn’t have to let go. When the cameras were done flashing, Addison thought, I need to get a copy of those two pictures. They are the perfect keepsake.

“Let’s do one more,” Addison’s mother said, grinning, “but facing each other.”

“Facing each other?” Addison asked, frowning.

“I think she means like this,” Bethany said, taking Addison’s hands. As they stood facing each other, Addison couldn’t help but smile at the girl. Bethany smiled back at her and Addison felt all warm and fuzzy, again.

There was a flash, just the one. They held the pose, knowing a second flash was coming. Addison was okay with standing here all day, lost in the love in Bethany’s eyes. When the flash didn’t come after a few seconds, she finally realized something was amiss.

Figuring her mother was having camera problems, she glanced at the woman. Her mother was just sort of staring at them, the camera in her hand forgotten. A faint frown tugged at the corners of her mouth and she looked lost in thought about something. Seeing Addison looking at her questioningly, she shook it off and offered her daughter a distracted smile. Raising the camera up, she motioned for Addison to resume the pose.

Wondering what that had been about, Addison looked back at Bethany. The girl looked as confused as she felt and she could only shrug. As soon as she settled into her pose, the strobe on her mother’s camera went off.

“Are we good?” Addison asked, laughing, “I think I’m all photographed out.”

“Yeah,” Bethany agreed.

“I’m done,” Bethany’s mother said, glancing at Addison’s, “You?”

Rubbing the back of her neck, Addison’s mother said, “Um, yeah. I’m done.”

“Then we better get going,” Bethany said, picking up Addison’s backpack.

“Okay,” Bethany’s mom said.

Addison went to her mother to give her a hug goodbye and found herself in a rib torturing squeeze. A little surprised, she hugged the woman back and asked, “Are you okay, Mom.”

Pulling back, her mother said, “Yeah, Sweetie. Have fun at the dance. You too, Bethany.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Bethany said, smiling at her.

Addison’s mother smiled back, but there was a curious look in her eyes. Addison had never seen that look before.

As Addison followed her girlfriend out the door, she wondered what the hell that look was about.

—————————————

Standing on the front steps of the school, Addison watched as Bethany’s mom’s car drove away. She turned back to her girlfriend and saw the girl looked as nervous as she felt. They were about to walk into the crowded gymnasium hand in hand, basically saying ‘Hello World, we are in love. Be happy for us or leave us alone’.

She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t scared. By coming out to the school, she was opening herself up to the potential for harassment by her classmates. She wanted them to be happy for her, but she knew some kids were just assholes. She’d be okay if they just left her and Bethany alone.

Addison wasn’t having second thoughts, just wondering what sort of can of worms she was about to open. She guessed she’d find out soon enough.

Bethany’s mom’s car disappeared from sight and Bethany said, “Are you ready for this?”

Offering her hand, Addison said, “To let everyone know how much I love you? More than ready.”

“Whose the romantic one, now?” Bethany said, smiling affectionately at Addison as she took her hand, “I love you, too. Now, let’s go let everyone else know.”

Hand in hand, they walked into the school. Addison moved closer to Bethany, needing her support. Her heart was racing as people looked up as the door closed behind them. Bethany squeezed her hand a little tighter and Addison smiled warmly at her. Relaxing some, she knew she’d be okay as long as the girl was at her side.

“Holy shit!” Someone exclaimed.

Addison saw Tara coming toward them with Ethan in tow. Her eyes were huge and she was grinning ear to ear. Laughing, Addison said, “Here we go.”

“Wow, look at you two,” Tara said, hugging Bethany, then squeezing Addison hard enough to make her ribs groan.

“You look amazing,” Addison said, looking her friend up and down. Tara really did look amazing in her floor-length, pale pink gown, her hair up in a twist. She looked almost out of place as Addison did, yet, paradoxically, right at home in her dress. Much as the dress Addison wore was The Dress for her; this was definitely Tara’s Dress.

The dress looked kind of familiar and Addison thought she might have bought it at the same place Addison had found The Dress. Looking around, she saw a lot of dresses that sort of looked familiar and she grinned, thinking the dress shop must have made a killing off this dance.

Addison looked at Ethan, noticed that he had combed his hair and actually appeared to be wearing a tuxedo. Smiling at him, she said, “I guess you clean up okay.”

“Jee, thanks,” Ethan said, laughing.

“She’s kidding, Ethan,” Bethany said, swatting Addison playfully on the shoulder, “you look very handsome.”

“He does, doesn’t he?” Tara said, smiling at Ethan.

“Aww,” Addison said, only half-teasing. They really were adorable together. They had only been officially dating for a little while but they had been really, really close friends for a while and that showed in how comfortable they were with each other.

“Shut up,” Tara said, laughing, “I’m not ‘Awwing’ you two, am I… Although, I kind of want to. You two are so cute together. Look at you holding hands!”

“Jeez, Tara,” Addison said, looking around nervously, “I don’t think the people in the gym heard you.”

“Was it supposed to be a secret?” Tara asked, grinning at her.

“Well, no,” Addison said, then offered her a sheepish grin, “I just want to sort of… wade in instead of diving head first.”

“Come on,” Tara said, inclining her head towards the gym, “you can ‘wade in’ on the dance floor. Everyone is inside.”

Addison looked at Bethany, and the girl gave her a nervous smile. Returning it with one of her own, she nodded. They followed Tara and Ethan into the gym. Addison’s heart was racing, and she felt a little jittery with adrenaline. She couldn’t believe she was really doing this. She felt eyes on her, but she was probably just being paranoid. Everyone seemed too involved with their own conversations to pay them any attention. Still, she felt like a spectacle.

She saw the little group of her friends standing in one corner, talking excitedly and she felt better. There was safety in numbers. When the four of them stepped up to the group, everyone fell silent, staring at her. Addison squirmed, not sure what to do.

“Holy shit,” Heather said, putting her hand to her mouth, “Addison?”

Laughing, Addison said, “Um, yeah. It’s me.”

“Wow,” Alison said, grinning at her, “you really do clean up nicely.”

“So I’m a mess most days?” Addison teased.

“Well, I wasn’t going to say it,” the girl said, laughing when Addison shot her a dirty look, “I’m kidding. I’ve never seen you wear makeup before, and your hair is up. Wait… Are you wearing earrings?”

Blushing, Addison said, “Um, yeah. My mom talked me into getting my ears pierced. I blame the paint fumes.”

“Paint fumes?” Heather asked, then her eyes got wide, “You got your nails done, too? Seriously, who are you?”

“This seemed like a big day and… And I let my mom have some fun at my expense,” Addison said, then a little sheepishly, “although I’ll admit I like the color.”

Her friends were amused, and her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red.

“Well, you look beautiful,” Alison said, then added, “I love that dress! Never thought I’d say this, but it is definitely you.”

That was how it went for the next fifteen or so minutes, everyone fussing over how each other looked. She thought everyone looked absolutely amazing, was amused to see that every one of her friends was as overdressed as she was. Then again, she shouldn’t be all that surprised, she guessed. After all, they were all friends for a reason.

Addison found herself relaxing, comforted by the familiar rhythms of the group’s conversation. In this little huddle of friends, she felt safe because she was still inconspicuous and because she loved and trusted all of them.

It wouldn’t be until she and Bethany stepped out onto the dance floor, that she’d be in uncharted waters. She didn’t kid herself; some of the girls here at St. Micheals were like sharks stalking the shallows, ready to tear a girl to shreds if they strayed too far from shore. In this case, shore meant the norm- liking boys, wearing whatever was popular at the moment, not really standing out but not being so bland that you disappeared. Normal.

Addison was already close to the sharky waters with her general disregard for the latest trends; when the girls realize she and Bethany were dating…

She shrugged off the thought, not willing to let the what-might-happens ruin what was actually happening. She smiled and talked with her friends, enjoying the warmth of Bethany pressed against her flank.

There was music playing, and the current song came to an end. Addison froze when she recognized the song that came on after it. She flashed back to her bedroom, to dancing with Bethany. This was the song that had been playing when Addison asked Bethany to the dance. Well, sort of asked her. The girl actually answered before she could get the question out, but this was definitely the song.

She glanced at Bethany and saw that the girl recognized it, too. Her heart was racing as she glanced toward the dance floor and the hand Bethany held started sweating. If they were going to dance together, this was the song. She saw that Bethany was thinking the same thing.

“Excuse us,” Addison said, and everyone stopped talking as she and Bethany left the safety of their little circle, walking out onto the dance floor. She felt their eyes on them as they found a spot in the crowd, but she didn’t look back.

Stopping, Addison turned to face Bethany, smiling nervously at the girl. She offered her hand and Bethany took it. When the girl moved close, Addison put her arm around her, her hand in the small of Bethany’s back and Bethany’s hand was on her hip. They were nose to nose and Addison couldn’t help but meet the girl’s eyes. She smile became warm as she saw the love in the girl’s eyes and she wanted to kiss her so bad, but didn’t. She wanted to have at least this one dance with Bethany before she tried her luck with a kiss.

“I love you,” she said, instead, as they began to move with the music.

“I love you, too,” Bethany said, smiling at her.

They danced in slow circles, lost in each other’s eyes. The crowd around them disappeared, and they were alone with each other. They danced and danced, hoping the song would never end. Addison was so happy in Bethany’s arms that she forgot to care about the girl’s from her school staring at her and Bethany.

It wasn’t until the song ended that she became aware of the fact she and Bethany had become something of a spectacle. Blushing, she said, “God, everyone is staring at us!”

Bethany put a hand on Addison’s chin, turning her face up. The girl smiled warmly at her and said, “Let them stare.”

Addison forgot to breathe as Bethany leaned in for a kiss. The girl stopped with her lips just inches from Addison’s. Addison cast one glance at the chaperons, saw they were distracted by something happening elsewhere. This might be her only chance to steal a kiss, and her heart was racing in her breast. She pressed her lips to Bethany’s before she could chicken out, letting the girl’s tongue into her mouth when it touched her lips. She heard some very audible gasps around her, but she didn’t stop kissing Bethany. Wouldn’t have stopped for all the money in the world.

When her girlfriend finally pulled back, she was grinning playfully, and she said, “That should give them something to gossip about.”

“They are already starting to talk,” Addison said, looking past Bethany at a gaggle of girls talking excitedly. Their eyes kept coming back to them, and Addison knew they were the topic of the conversation.

“Let’s go back to our friends,” Bethany said, inclining her head in that direction.

Tara was grinning at them as they joined the group, again. She said, “Got to steal a kiss, I see.”

“Everyone saw it,” Heather said, grinning mischievously, “did you hear the wave of gasps, as the people around you started to notice? That was priceless.”

“Oh God,” Addison said, embarrassed.

“You have nothing to be embarrassed about; that was one helluva kiss,” Alison said, laughing.

“You two were so cute dancing together,” Tara said, making a face she usually reserved for puppies and kittens or a sweet Fender Stratocaster.

“Well, next time,” Bethany said, punching Ethan in the shoulder, “you two could join us. We can’t be the only ones dancing.”

“Ow,” Ethan said, then looked at Tara, “um, do you want to dance?”

“Yeah,” the girl said, grinning at him, “we’ll be back.”

“Come on,” Addison said, laughing, “everyone on the dance floor.”

————————————————

Dancing slowly in Bethany’s arms, Addison couldn’t remember being happier. They were dancing close, much closer than they should be allowed. She noticed the chaperones disapproved but seem hesitant to say anything. They didn’t seem to know how to handle two girls dancing, didn’t seem to know the protocol, so they just sort of let it happen. It made Addison grin, made her feel special. Privileged.

“Mrs. Harris wants to tell us to separate so bad, the vein in her forehead is sticking out more than usual,” Bethany said.

Laughing, Addison said, “You noticed the chaperones are upset, too?”

“Yeah, but I’m not going to let you go unless they make me,” Bethany said, smiling at her.

“You better not,” Addison said, wanting to kiss the girl, but she figured that would be trying their luck.

“At least, our classmates aren’t freaked out by us anymore,” Bethany said.

Addison had noticed that, too. The shock of seeing two girls dancing together and kissing had worn off and, for the most part, she and Bethany had stopped being the center of attention. Now and then, she’d catch someone looking at them, but it was mostly out of curiosity, not malice.

Mostly. She caught Janice Ratcliffe leering at her and smiled sweetly at the girl. Janice had huffed and looked away indignantly. Addison figured she had garnered the girl’s disdain, and Janice was one of the biggest sharks in the water. The girl was very popular and an undistilled bitch to anyone who didn’t match her standards. Her teasing was ruthless, and Addison had already been on the receiving end of it a few times.

Sighing, she thought it would only get worse now.

She met Bethany’s eyes and asked, “Any regrets that we did this?”

“None,” the girl said, smiling at her, “wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

“I’m glad we came, too,” Addison said, returning it, “I love how you look in this dress. I spent a lot of time wondering what kind of dress you’d get, how you would do your hair… You still managed to surprise me. You look stunning.”

“You, too,” Bethany said, laughing, “I almost fell over when I saw you coming down the stairs. God, you looked so beautiful. And this dress… The designer should be ashamed for making something so sexy in your size.”

Smiling, Addison put her head on Bethany’s shoulder, and they danced in slow circles. Around and around they spun until the song ended and a more upbeat one came on. Finally, they separated, and Bethany said, “I need to go. Come with me?”

“Yeah,” Addison said, and they headed out of the gym to the bathroom. Addison groaned when she saw the line stretched out for the bathroom a mile long. She didn’t really need to go bad, but she figured by the time it was her turn, she’d be in bad shape.

“Come on,” Bethany said, taking her hand and leading her away from the line. Following her, Addison wondered what the girl had in mind. The rest of the school was blocked off, the bathroom they had bi-passed the only one open to the students.

They turned down one of the halls, out of sight of everyone. Bethany approached one of the barriers, pulling it back as far as the chain would allow. It was enough for a girl their size to squeeze through. Grinning at Addison, she said, “After you.”

“Maybe we should just get in line,” Addison said, looking over her shoulder.

“I’ll have made a puddle by the time we make it into a stall,” Bethany said, inclining her head toward the gap, “come on.”

With one more look over her shoulder, Addison squeezed through the gate, then held it open so Bethany could do the same. They hurried down the hallway and ducked into the ladies room. Addison closed the door behind them, giggling.

“If I didn’t need to pee before, I would now,” Addison said.

“Let’s just do what we came to do so that we can get back to the dance,” Bethany said, entering one of the stalls.

Addison did just that and was washing her hands when Bethany came out of her stall. The girl stepped up to the sink beside her, meeting her eyes in the mirror.

“Kind of nice having the bathroom to ourselves,” Addison said, smiling at her, “can’t even say that during school.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Bethany said, grabbing a paper towel to dry her hand on. Blinking in surprise, she said, “We have the bathroom to ourselves.”

“Well, yeah,” Addison said, laughing, “I just said that.”

“No, I mean we have it to ourselves,” Bethany said, moving against Addison, “no one here but you and me.”

“Oh,” Addison said, her heart racing as she got what Bethany was insinuating, “What? You mean here?”

“I’ve wanted to kiss you so bad the whole time we were dancing,” Bethany said, wrapping her arms around Addison’s neck and smiling at her, “and I’m not going to miss an opportunity.”

“When you say it like that,” Addison said, laughing as she kissed the girl. The laughter dried up but the kiss didn’t. As she started to respond to the eagerness of Bethany’s kiss, Addison began to thinking making out in the bathroom wasn’t such a bad idea.

Pulling back, she husked, “Our friends are going to wonder where we are.”

“Let them wonder,” Bethany said, letting her hand slide up from Addison’s hip to cup one of her breasts.

It was getting hard to think straight with the girl’s body pressing against hers, the hand on her breast dragging deliciously across her stiffening nipple. Addison kissed Bethany, then said, breathlessly, “What if they come looking for us?”

“They won’t,” Bethany said, kissing Addison’s neck where it met her shoulder.

She loved when Bethany kissed her there. It was one of those sensitive little spots that made her knees a little weak when Bethany pressed her lips against it. Addison leaned against the sink for support, her hands slipping down to grab Bethany’s backside.

“Let’s at least go into one of the stalls,” Addison said, grabbing the girl’s hand and dragging Bethany with her. Inside, Addison barely managed to fumble the door closed before Bethany pinned her to one of the particle board walls, kissing her deeply.

“God, this such a bad idea,” Addison said. She knew it was the truth, but it didn’t stop her from kissing Bethany back passionately. She couldn’t keep her hands off the girl, and she had to keep reminding herself not to touch her hair. She loved running her hands through Bethany’s hair when they made love, but she didn’t want to mess up the hard work Bethany’s mother had put into styling it.

“A horrible idea,” Bethany said, gathering Addison’s dress up around her hips.

Addison moaned as Bethany’s hand massaged her girlhood through her panties. She couldn’t believe this was really happening, but she didn’t want to stop. The pressure of the girl’s able fingers sent pleasure coursing through her young body, short-circuiting her common sense.

She heard the squeal of hinges, and it took her pleasure fuzzy mind a few seconds to recognize the sound as the door to the bathroom opening. Gasping, she looked wide-eyed at Bethany and saw the girl had heard it, too. She froze with her hand still between Addison’s thighs. Addison blushed, pushing her hand away and smoothing out her dress. Sliding the latch to the right, she locked the door to their stall and put her finger to her lips as she heard multiple voices enter the bathroom. Bethany nodded, giggling into her hand.

I knew this would happen, Addison thought, smiling and shaking her head, why did I let Bethany talk me into this?.

To be fair, Bethany didn’t have to twist her arm very hard. At least, she had had the foresight to go into one of the stalls. Otherwise, the girls might have walked right in on them, catching Bethany with her hand under Addison’s skirt.

Hopefully, the girls wouldn’t notice the extra pair of shoes in the stall. There were six other stalls, and they had ducked into the last one in line, so Addison hoped they wouldn’t even notice the last door in the row was closed and locked.

Shaking her head, again, she pulled Bethany close, wrapping her arms around the girl. If she was going to get busted, might as well get busted with her girlfriend in her arms. She listened to the girls talking outside their stall, hearing three distinct voices, none of which Addison recognized.

Three stall doors banged shut, and Addison breathed a sigh of relief that no one tried the door to the stall they were hiding in. They might have caught a break. She listened as the girls did their thing, hearing three toilets flush. She heard water running in the sinks as they washed their hands, then the slam of the bathroom door closing behind them as they left.

“That was a close one,” Bethany said, laughing.

“It’s not funny,” Addison said, laughing, in spite of her words.

“You know, we are alone, again,” Bethany said, smiling playfully.

“That’s not going to happen,” Addison said, fixing her dress, then doing the same for Bethany.

“You are no fun,” Bethany said, playfully pouting.

“I promise to make it up to you tonight,” Addison said, opening the stall door, “let’s get back to the…”

Her words dried up when she saw the girl who sat two desks up from her in English class looking at them with wide-eyed amusement. Addison’s face turned scarlet when she realized they had been busted, after all.

“Um, hi Veronica,” Addison said, embarrassed.

Laughing, Veronica said, “Wow.”

“Would you believe it if I said, it wasn’t what it looked like?” Bethany asked.

“You should try to look less guilty when you ask that,” Veronica said, laughing as she took one more look at her makeup in the mirror and left the bathroom.

“Oh God,” Addison said, putting her hand over her mouth, “she is going to tell everyone.”

“Probably,” Bethany said, shaking her head.

“I thought she left with the others,” Addison said.

“Me, too,” Bethany said, then started laughing.

Unable to resist, Addison joined her, even though her face was hot with embarrassment. Still laughing, she said, “We better get back to the dance.”

Their friends looked at them expectantly as they joined them and Tara asked, “Where did you disappear to?”

“Um, we needed to use the bathroom,” Bethany said.

“You actually stood in that line?” Alison asked, making a sound of disgust.

“No,” Addison said, blushing, “we used the one by the cafeteria.”

“I thought they had the gates closed,” Heather said, frowning, “why is your face all red?”

Ignoring the second question, Addison said, “The chain is long enough that you can squeeze through.”

“Nice,” Tara said, turning to Ethan, “I’ll be right back.”

“I’m coming, too,” Alison said.

Addison watched them go, then turned around. She fidgeted when she saw Heather was still looking at her.

“So what happened in the bathroom?” The girl asked, stepping closer.

“Nothing,” Addison said, too quickly.

“Might as well tell her, Addie,” Bethany said, laughing, “the whole school will know about it soon enough.”

“Oh, this has to be good,” Heather said, her eyes bright with excitement.

“God,” Addison said, sighing and shaking her head, “we might have got caught coming out of the same stall.”

“And what were you doing in the same stall?” Heather asked, grinning when Addison’s cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red, “For shame.”

Laughing, Addison said, “Shut up.”

————————————-

As much fun as the dance had been, Addison was glad it was over. Back in jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt, she felt like herself for the first time all afternoon. She had undone what her mother had done to her hair and washed the makeup from her face. Bethany had done the same, and they sat on the couch in her bedroom.

“Am I just being paranoid,” Bethany asked, frowning as she looked at Addison, “or did my mom seem weird when she picked us up? She kept looking at us in the review mirror with this weird smile on her face.”

“I didn’t notice,” Addison said, then thought about something, “my mom was looking at us weird, too, now that I think about it. Remember when we were taking pictures?”

“Yeah,” Bethany said, shaking her head, “that was kind of strange.”

“Huh,” Addison said.

“I don’t know,” Bethany said, then started grinning, “at least, Mom’s seems to have forgotten about catching us together in the bathroom. Well, I think she has forgotten. She hasn’t mentioned it since it happened.”

“Still, I think we should stick with showering one at a time,” Addison said, shaking her head, “that was just too close. Assuming, we actually got lucky.”

“I think we are okay,” Bethany said, then gave Addison a playful grin, “I can’t make you any promises about the shower, though. I get all horny when I think about you wet and soapy.”

“You’d really try your luck, again?” Addison asked, laughing.

“Well, yeah,” Bethany said, leaning in for a kiss, “you know I can’t resist you.”

“Better stop that,” Addison said, her heart beating faster in her breast, “it’s going to be a long time before your parents go to sleep.”

Sighing, Bethany said, “Yeah, I know.”

Addison gave her one more, quick kiss, then said, “They’ll go to bed eventually.”

“Not soon enough,” Bethany said.

That made Addison smile, mostly because she was feeling it, too. Bethany had looked so stunning in her dress, her hair up, that it had been a struggle to behave at school. Not that they really behaved very well at the dance. She smiled, thinking about their little trip to the ladies room.

I wonder if that particular rumor is already spreading around the school, Addison thought, blushing at the memory of being caught coming out of the same stall as Bethany. She felt a shiver of excitement work up her spine, thinking about making out in the school bathroom, about the way Bethany had pinned her to the stall wall and kissed her until her toes curled. If the group of girls hadn’t walked in on them, who knows how far out of hand that would have gotten.

Just thinking about it now, she was getting excited, again. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was not the time for this, for getting horny. It was still too early. A little frustrated, she shook her head.

“What?” Bethany asked, seeing her shaking her head.

“Your parents need to start going to bed earlier,” Addison said, some of her frustration seeping into her voice.

Amused, Bethany asked, “Thinking about the bathroom, aren’t you?”

Giving her a funny look, Addison asked, “How do you do that?”

“Because I was thinking about it, too,” Bethany said, then giggled, “do you think we would have done it in the bathroom if we weren’t interrupted?”

“I don’t know,” Addison said, then grinned at her, “probably.”

Bethany giggled, again, said, “Me too. I wanted you so bad.”

You need to stop talking like that, Addison thought, warmth blossoming between her legs, it’s too early to be getting this excited.

She probably should have said it out loud, but she found herself saying, instead, “You could have had me, if we weren’t interrupted. God, you had me so… Mmm, I was ready to strip out of my dress right there in the stall.”

Addison heard Bethany’s breathing change, knew the girl was getting excited, too. There had already been a little ember of desire burning between them, and she had just poured gasoline on it. Their eyes met, and Addison knew they weren’t going to make it until Bethany’s parents went to sleep. Sure, enough, when Bethany leaned in for a kiss, Addison gave in. The kiss deepened in a hurry, both girls eager for more.

Swinging her leg wide, Addison crawled onto Bethany’s lap, sat facing her girlfriend. Her voice was husky with excitement as she said, “The clothes stay on.”

“Right,” Bethany said, her hand slipping under Addison’s shirt to cup one of her breasts.

Addison moaned thickly as her nipple drug across the girl’s palm. Bethany smiled at her, kneading the breast until Addison’s back arched. She bit her lip to keep quiet as her nipple began to ache sweetly. It only helped a little. Bethany pushed her shirt up onto the slopes of her breasts, pulling the cup of her bra down so she could kiss the rigid nipple. Addison couldn’t hold her cries in check as the girl used her tongue and lips to torture her.

Remembering the clothes stay on rule, Bethany slipped Addison’s bra back into place and let her shirt drop. She gave Addison a playful smile and said, “Letting you keep your clothes on isn’t going to be easy. I want to get you out of them so bad.”

Laughing, Addison kissed her deeply. Her own hand slipped down the girl’s taut belly and onto the crotch of her jeans. She massaged the girl through the thick denim and Bethany moaned into her kiss. Bethany finally had to break it as Addison’s fingers had her hips moving on their own. Bethany met her eyes, and Addison could see the pleasure coursing through her girlfriend’s body. It was very intimate and very sexy, watching the girl’s pupils dilate as she became aroused.

Addison lifted off Bethany, and the girl pulled her legs up, so she was sitting Indian style. Sitting back in her lap, Addison moved until their bodies were nested together. Even through their jeans, there was a lovely friction as Addison rubbed her body against Bethany’s. She really had to grind against the girl to keep the pressure on her bud, but it still felt good.

Their soft moans soon filled the basement, mixed with murmurs of encouragement. Both girls did their best to keep quiet, but as their nerve endings started singing, it became difficult to hold in those little sounds of enjoyment.

Letting her hands run up Bethany’s stomach, Addison cupped her breasts through her shirt. She could feel the girl’s nipples straining against the thin material and teased them with her thumb. Bethany bit her lip, her face screwing up in pleasure. Addison didn’t stop until the girl’s back arched off the couch’s back.

Bethany’s hands were on her backside, urging her to move her hips faster. Grinning at her girlfriend, Addison let her pace pick up, her body undulating against the girl’s. She was breathing heavily and starting to perspire, but it felt so good. Much too good to stop.

Addison’s eyes went to the stairs leading up to the kitchen, and she hoped Bethany’s parents had something to keep them busy. This was kind of dangerous, and Addison knew, at any moment, one of them could get the urge to check on the two girls alone in the basement. Even with their clothes still on, they would look suspicious as hell. Looking at her girlfriend’s flushed face, hearing their ragged breathing, Addison knew they’d have to answer a few awkward questions, lying the whole time.

She remembered the scene in the bathroom and she really, really hoped not to have a repeat.

“Hey,” Bethany said, drawing Addison’s attention back to her.

“Sorry,” Addison said, kissing her deeply.

“One more kiss like that and you are forgiven,” Bethany teased, her eyes flashing at Addison.

Laughing, Addison kissed her again, let it linger until she had to come up for air. She smiled warmly at her girlfriend, feeling all warm and fuzzy when the girl smiled back with love in her eyes. God, she loved it when Bethany looked at her like that, the love and lust making Bethany’s eyes heavy.

She hadn’t known it was possible to love someone as much as she loved Bethany. Addison has always loved the girl, her best friend and sister of sorts. That love had changed when Bethany put the note in her locker, but it hadn’t diminished in the least. If anything, it had grown stronger, had become as deep as the deepest trenches in the ocean floor and as wide as a starry sky. She was still her best friend and still her sister of sorts, but she was so much more.

Something of her thoughts must have shown on her face because Bethany touched Addison’s cheek lovingly, then kissed her gently.

Their pace had slowed some, both girls somewhat distracted by the intimate exchange. Addison let it build back up, the roll of her hips coming faster and faster. She grabbed the back of the couch, using it for leverage so she could really grind against Bethany. Her fingers tightened on the cushions as the lovely friction sent pleasure coursing through her young body.

Addison’s eyes widened when she felt the first stirring of an orgasm deep inside. She met Bethany’s eyes and saw the girl was close, too. It took all of her focus to keep her hips moving as she started to come. As all grace left her body, she managed to keep it together long enough to finish herself and Bethany off. With one more breathless cry, her body locked up, then shook itself loose. She felt Bethany trembling beneath her, and she wrapped her arms around the girls neck. Forehead to forehead, they drifted down from on high, feeling as light as a feather on a breeze.

“Shit, that works,” Bethany said, laughing.

“Yeah,” Addison agreed, still trying to catch her breath. She managed a smile for the girl, said, “I think I still prefer it without the clothes, though.”

“Definitely,” Bethany said, kissing her.

Realizing she was still sitting on the girl’s lap, Addison glanced in the direction of the door to the upstairs. Knowing she should but not really wanting to, she got off Bethany’s lap.Best not try our luck any more than we have to.

“Where are you going?” Bethany asked, pouting playfully.

Laughing, Addison leaned in and gave her a toe curling kiss, before saying, “We got lucky because no one came to check on us. I don’t want to risk getting caught because I want to keep getting lucky.”

Bethany’s eyes got big as she got the double meaning and she grinned, said, “Good one.”

“I thought you might like that one,” Addison said.

“Um, speaking of getting lucky,” Bethany said, nervously. She glanced toward her bed and Addison could almost see the wheels turning behind her eyes.

“I’m okay with it,” Addison said, smiling at the girl and taking her hand.

“You don’t even know what I’m going to ask,” her girlfriend said.

“You want to try out your other new toy,” Addison said, laughing when the girl looked surprised that she had guessed correctly, “come on, Bethany. We’ve been friends forever. Are you really that surprised that I know what you are thinking about?”

Bethany met and held her eyes, then asked, “Are you really okay with it? I’m not pressuring you into trying it. We can wait until you are ready.”

“That is sweet of you to say,” Addison said, kissing her, “but I think tonight is the night, don’t you? It seems sort of… fitting, after the dance.”

“You know what we are talking about, right?” Bethany asked.

“Yeah,” Addison said, smiling warmly at her, “I do.”

“Are you sure?” Bethany asked, her eyes searching Addison’s.

Laughing, Addison kissed her deeply, said, “I love you, silly girl. I want you to have my virginity. Or, what’s left of it.”

“So we are really going to do this?” Bethany asked, with a nervous little laugh.

Giving her a funny look, Addison asked, “Are you sure?”

“I really didn’t think you’d say yes,” Bethany said, blushing, “I mean, I wanted you to, but…”

“But I do want to,” Addison said, kissing her, again.

———————————–

Addison unbuttoned her jeans, wriggling out of them. Kicking them aside, she stripped out of her shirt, as well. In just her panties, she slipped under the covers, smiling when Bethany moved against her. Bethany’s parents were still awake, but the girls had decided to ‘go to bed’. They had gotten tired of waiting for the adults to go to sleep, so they had thought they might get a head start on the fun.

In the dark, Addison kissed Bethany, giggling when the girl kissed her back eagerly. Bethany was just as horny as she was. The tension between them had built up and up as the second hand on the clock took minutes to move and the minute hand hours. Now, all that nervous excitement came to a head, and they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

“Slow down,” Addison giggled, pulling back from the girl, “we need to slow down. It’s still too early to break out your toys.”

“The toys can wait,” Bethany said, moving against her, again, “I want you now.”

“Oh my,” Addison teased, kissing her deeply. When things started to get heated between them, she didn’t pull back this time.

She let her hand slip down Bethany’s taut belly and onto the soft cotton of her panties. The girl moaned into Addison’s kiss as Addison massaged her bud through the thin material. Bethany opened her legs a little, giving Addison easier access. The girl’s hips began to undulate against her hand as she responded to Addison’s touch.

Bethany’s hand slipped from her back, and Addison shivered as the girl’s fingers slipped inside her panties. The lovely pressure of the girl’s caresses sent pleasure through her young body. When Bethany hooked her thumb in the waistband of her panties, Addison helped her slip them off her hips and down her long legs. Bethany ran her hand up the inside of Addison’s thigh, making her shiver. Rolling onto her back, she opened her legs so Bethany could move between them. She moaned thickly as the girl’s fingers found her bud, again.

Addison gasped as the girl’s fingers moved lower, lightly caressing the opening of her vagina in slow circles. It tickled, and she squirmed. She saw Bethany looking at her in the gloom, and she met her girlfriend’s eyes. Addison saw what Bethany had in mind, and she got butterflies in her stomach. She had said she wanted to do this while they were sitting on the couch, but now that it was actually time to go through with it, she was nervous. Not nervous enough to change her mind, though. She bit her lip and nodded. Bethany offered Addison her hand, and she took it, gratefully.

Bethany pressed a little harder, and Addison waited for the pain. There was a breathless moment when nothing happened, her body resisting Bethany’s finger. Just a single moment, but long enough for Addison to wonder if she was too young, then her body accepted Bethany’s finger. She gasped as it eased deep inside, then blinked in surprise when it didn’t hurt.

“Are you okay?” Bethany asked, not moving inside of her.

“Um, yeah,” Addison said, frowning, “I thought this was supposed to hurt.”

“Not necessarily,” Bethany said, then added, “it might if my finger was bigger. I probably haven’t broken your hymen, yet.”

“Oh, right,” Addison said, remembering what she had learned in health class now.

“What’s it feel like?” Bethany asked, still not moving her finger.

“Try moving it a little,” Addison said, then moaned as Bethany moved her finger slowly in and out of her, “Oh, wow. That’s… that’s…I don’t know how to describe it.”

“It’s kind of weird on this end,” Bethany said, giggling.

“Weird?” Addison asked, frowning. She wasn’t sure if she should be offended or not.

“Not bad weird, just… weird,” Bethany said, leaning in to kiss Addison, “you’ll see when it’s my turn.”

“Okay,” Addison said, laughing.

“Um, I’m going to try something,” Bethany said.

Addison gasped as the girl pulled her finger out and replaced it with two. This time she felt her body stretch to accept the girl’s fingers, but still no pain. All Addison felt was pleasure as the girl slowly worked her fingers in and out of her sopping wet core. Not that she was complaining.

“Are you still okay?” Bethany asked, tenderly.

Smiling at her in the gloom, Addison half sat up so she could give the girl a slow and affectionate kiss. Bethany had been her first for many things- first real romantic kiss, first time have sex, first girlfriend- and she was happy to share this with the girl, too. If Addison had her way, Bethany would always be her first when she tried new things and would continue to be her first for a long, long time. Like forever.

Bethany’s fingers found a spot deep inside of her, and she gasped at the intense pleasure that surged through her. She grasped the sheets at her side and her hips bucked. Alarmed, the girl stopped. Addison shook her head, and the girl found that magic spot, again. Bethany’s eyes were wide as she watched Addison writhe in ecstasy.

“Jesus, that feels so good,” Addison hissed through clenched teeth. She was trying to bite back the cries of enjoyment that wanted to escape her. She knew she needed to keep quiet, Bethany’s parents still awake upstairs but the lovely sensations Bethany was awakening in her body were making it hard to hold them back.

She had a death grip on the sheets, and her back kept arching off the bed each time Bethany’s fingertips brushed against that certain spot inside of her. Bethany had her right on the edge of an orgasm, ready to topple her into blissful release. She grabbed a pillow to muffle her cries, no longer able to hold them back. Then Addison gasped as her body locked up and exploded with pleasure. She jerked like she had been shocked, as Bethany eased out of her, and she was left trembling all over. As light as a feather, she drifted back down from on high, sighing at the lovely feel of her body, post orgasm.

Bethany pulled the pillow from Addison’s face and appeared in her field of vision, grinning down at her. Addison smiled back, propping up on her elbows to kiss the girl. Putting one of her hands on the girl’s hip and the other on the back of her neck, she urged Bethany to her back. Addison rolled atop her, kissing her, again.

Pulling back, she said, “I don’t know what you were doing, but… It was… Well, you saw what happened.”

Grinning up at her, Bethany touched her cheek and said, “Yeah, I did. Looked intense.”

“It was,” Addison said, kissing the girl’s neck, then her collarbone, “hopefully, I can do the same for you.”

“Um, there is this place… It feels sort of different than everything else. Spongy, I guess,” Bethany said, sighing as Addison kissed the slope of her breast, “it is on the belly side.”

Addison winked at her, kissing Bethany’s straining nipple. She ran her tongue over her areola, teasing a moan from the girl. She kissed the girl’s breast bone, letting her hands slide up her taut belly to cup her breasts. The girl sighed and her back arched. Addison kneaded her breasts as she continued to kiss her way lower. She could feel Bethany’s muscles tighten every time her lips brushed against her stomach and she heard the girl’s breathing get a little funny the lower she went.

Hooking her fingers in the girl’s panties, she tugged them from Bethany’s hips, and the girl lifted up so she could remove them completely. Addison tossed them aside, then lowered her mouth to her girlfriend’s bud. She smiled when Bethany moaned thickly as her tongue teased her sensitive clit.

Without stopping, she lightly caressed the girl’s vagina, making the girl shiver. She looked up at the girl, saw her biting her lip nervously. Addison raised her eyebrows questioningly, and Bethany took a deep breath and nodded. Addison pressed a little harder with one of her fingers, inhaling sharply when Bethany’s body accepted her inside of it. She wasn’t ready for the slick, velvety feel of the girl, to feel Bethany’s body grip her eagerly. She hadn’t known what to expect, but this wasn’t it.

I see what Bethany meant, now, Addison thought, smiling, it is a little weird.

She glanced up at Bethany, asked, “Okay?”

“Um, yeah,” Bethany said, giggling excitedly, “I can’t believe you are inside of me.”

Carefully, Addison moved her finger in and out, making the girl sigh and moan. Remembering what the girl had said, she turned her hand palm up. She found the spot Bethany had described when she heard the girl inhale sharply, then let it out in a protracted moan. Her body began to move against Addison’s hand eagerly.

“Should I try another finger?” Addison asked.

The girl nodded, propping up on her elbows to watch. Addison slipped her finger from the girl, then eased two into her. She felt Bethany’s body stretch to accept her, and she heard the girl hiss in pain. Addison froze, looking up at the girl in wide-eyed concern.

Bethany took a deep breath and said, “It’s okay. I think that was my hymen breaking. It stings a little.”

“Should I stop?” Addison asked, her heart sinking. She didn’t want to hurt Bethany any more than she already had.

Smiling at her, Bethany said, “No. I think that’s supposed to be the worst of it. Just go slow for a second.”

“Okay,” Addison said, leaning in to kiss her, “I’m sorry.”

“You did nothing wrong,” Bethany said.

“It didn’t hurt for me, so I assumed…” Addison said.

“Hush,” Bethany said, kissing her deeply, “it didn’t hurt that bad and… I’m just glad it was you. I always wanted it to be you.”

Tears stinging her eyes, Addison said, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Bethany said.

Hesitant to hurt Bethany anymore, Addison took a deep breath and slowly moved her fingers inside of Bethany. She cringed, expecting another hiss of pain but Bethany only moaned. As Addison found that magic spot, again, Bethany seemed to forget all about the discomfort from losing her virginity. Her hips rolled against Addison’s hand eagerly, and her soft cries filled the room. As her girlfriend started to feel really good, Addison felt better about hurting her. She’d never forget that hiss of pain nor the fact that she had caused it, but at least she could make it up to the girl now.

She lowered her mouth back to Bethany’s girlhood, let her tongue flick back and forth across the girl’s bud. The dueling sensations seemed almost too much for Bethany, and her body was trying to escape the intense pleasure even as she breathlessly begged Addison not to stop. Addison used her free hand to trap one of Bethany’s thighs, holding her writhing body to her mouth.

Bethany borrowed Addison’s trick, putting the pillow over her mouth to muffle her cries of enjoyment. Addison smiled when she could still hear the girl. Bethany squeezed the pillow even tighter to her mouth as her hips began to lose their grace. Addison knew she was coming, even before then, had seen it in the way her stomach muscle were clenching up. She kept pushing until Bethany climaxed, hard. The girl’s whole body arched off the bed, then collapsed into a boneless puddle after the tension left her. Addison kept massaging her g-spot and Bethany gasped and jerked like she had been shocked. She grabbed Addison’s hand, not letting her move. Grinning at her, Addison wriggled her fingers, making little come-hither motions. Bethany looked like she was being electrocuted. Even in the dark, Addison could see her eyes were wide in shock.

“Okay, stop. Please stop,” Bethany said, laughing. She sighed when Addison stopped moving her fingers, running a hand over her forehead to push the hair out of her eyes. She gave Addison a slightly dazed smile, said, “Jesus, you weren’t kidding. I can’t feel my toes.”

“Am I forgiven?” Addison asked.

“Honey, you never needed to be forgiven. I told you that,” Bethany said, kissing her, “but, yes, you are very, very forgiven.”

Smiling, Addison tried to remember if Bethany had ever called her ‘honey’ before, or any other pet name for that matter. She kind of liked it, and it seemed significant somehow. She wanted to call Bethany a pet name, too, but it would seem fake now, forced. Addison knew she was probably being silly and overthinking it, but she wanted the little affectionate name to just roll off her tongue like ‘honey’ had just rolled off Bethany’s. Spur of the moment, with no calculation. She wanted to call Bethany ‘honey’, or ‘sweety’, or ‘babe’, or even ‘sugar’ without even meaning to. Bethany was all those things to Addison and more, and she was ready to let the girl know. By accident, of course.

God, I’m a mess. I think those nail polish fumes cause permanent brain damage, Addison thought.

“Do you think it is safe to turn the light on, yet?” Addison asked.

“Um,” Bethany said, glancing at the alarm clock.

Addison followed her eyes, saw it was a little after eleven. They were still in that gray area, where her parents were probably asleep but it was still early enough that they couldn’t be certain. Addison sighed, a little disappointed. She loved being able to look at Bethany, was madly in lust with the girl’s lovely body. Addison was in love with the girl’s sense of humor and her romantic heart, but it was the way her backside looked in a pair of jeans that made her horny.

“I might have something,” Bethany said, kissing her.

Intrigued, Addison watched as the girl rolled over and dug something out of her nightstand drawer. In the gloom, Addison couldn’t quite make out what the girl had in her hand. There was the sound of glass hitting wood, then a curious clicking sound. The noise came again and suddenly an orange flame appeared above the bed. Addison saw Bethany had struck a lighter and was holding it to the wick of a candle.

“A candle?” She asked, as the wick caught and the area immediately around the nightstand was illuminated by the flickering flame, “is that really any better than the overhead lights?”

“Much better,” Bethany said, rolling onto her side to smile at Addison, “not least of all because it is more romantic.”

“What about the crack under the door? Won’t your parents see the light?” Addison asked.

“Actually, no,” Bethany said, kissing her, “I checked.”

“Really?” Addison asked, then gave her a look, “you were planning this all along, weren’t you?”

Laughing, Bethany said, “I thought after the dance we might need a little mood lighting. Was I wrong?”

Addison kissed her and said, “No. It is kind of romantic.”

“Good,” Bethany said, smiling at her.

Returning it with a playful one of her own, Addison asked, “Are you going to get your toys out now?”

“I was thinking about it,” Bethany said, laughing.

“I think you should,” Addison said.

Bethany reached under the bed for the little chest she had liberated from the attic. Sitting it on the bed between them, Bethany opened the lid, taking out the strap-on harness and dildo. As an afterthought, she grabbed the vibrator, too. It made Addison smile and wonder just where the night would take them.

“Um, do you want to go first?” Bethany asked.

“First at what?” Addison asked, laughing.

“Yeah, I guess I should have asked if you want to use the strap-on first or not,” Bethany said, untangling the straps.

“It’s your toy; you should go first, I think,” Addison said, picking up the purple dildo.

It was about six inches in length and about as big around as a C-cell battery, with a slight curve to it. Addison didn’t claim to be an expert, but she thought it was on the smaller size. Still, it looked plenty big to her. Remembering the way Bethany’s two fingers had stretched her, she bit her lip nervously thinking about it inside of her.

“Um, maybe we should try this without the harness first,” Addison said.

“I was going to suggest that,” Bethany said, smiling at her. She had the harness untangled, and she took the dildo from Addison, said, “Lie back.”

Taking a deep breath, Addison did as she was told and Bethany moved between her spread legs. Addison propped up on her elbows and, from between her knees, the dildo looked even bigger. She suddenly wanted to squeeze her thighs shut but she couldn’t with Bethany kneeling between them. Her heart was racing as Bethany pressed the tip of the dildo against her vagina. Bethany looked up at Addison, wanting her permission. Chewing on her lip some more, she nodded. Her girlfriend pushed gently, and Addison gasped as her body stretched to accept the toy. She moaned as it slipped deep inside of her.

“Wow, that’s bigger than your fingers,” Addison laughed, her eyes wide as she looked at the sex toy sticking out of her. It was the craziest thing she had ever seen, surreal. She could hardly believe it was inside of her, even though she could definitely feel it.

“How does it feel?” Bethany asked, her eyes bright with excitement.

“Big,” Addison said, laughing when Bethany gave her dirty look, “kind of like your fingers only more so.”

“Can I move it?” Bethany asked.

“Um, yeah. I think I’m okay,” Addison said, holding her breath.

The toy moved inside of her, and Addison’s fingers tightened on the sheet. The curved shaft made the dildo rub deliciously against that magic spot Bethany had found, earlier, and she moaned thickly. When the dildo bit deep, again, it forced another moan from her. Addison saw Bethany grinning at her, and Addison nodded, laughing.

“I’d ask how it feels now, but I think I can already tell,” Bethany said, easing the toy out of Addison.

She slipped the dildo into the opening on the harness, snapping it into place. Addison watched with amusement as the Bethany slipped into the strap-on, finding it hilarious that her girlfriend had suddenly sprouted a purple penis. Bethany looked at her, raising her eyebrows, which only made Addison laugh harder. As usual, the girl was on the same wavelength as Addison and began to mime jerking off, and Addison completely lost it.

“You need to stop doing that before I pee myself,” Addison said, wiping her eyes.

“You know what’s crazy,” Bethany said, moving between Addison’s legs, again, “I could feel it when I was doing that.”

Surprised, Addison asked, “Really?”

“Yeah,” Bethany said, laughing, “it actually felt kind of good. Probably not as good as it does for a boy but…”

“Huh,” Addison said, sitting up. She wrapped her fingers around the dildo, running her hand up and down its shaft. She looked up at Bethany when she heard the girl’s breathing get a little funny, and she realized it really did feel good for her. Bethany’s hips began to move as Addison stroked the fake penis and she moaned.

“That’s crazy,” Addison said, thinking, I’m jerking Bethany off.

The thought made her giggle. Then she wondered if she kept tugging on the dildo if Bethany would have an orgasm. She was tempted to try, but she sensed Bethany was ready to try her new toy on something other than her hand.

With her hand still on the dildo, she guided Bethany toward her vagina, help the girl line the toy up and slip it into her. She moaned as it slipped deep into her slick core. When Bethany settled between her thighs, supporting her weight about Addison with her arms, Addison half sat up to kiss her passionately. Bethany kissed her back, slowly starting to thrust with the toy.

The motion was unfamiliar to Bethany, and she was trying to move her whole body. Seeing her struggling with it, Addison put her hands on the girl’s hips and said, “Try just moving your hips.”

Bethany tried it and started grinning when it worked so much better. She leaned in and kissed Addison, then pulled back and said, “You are so smart.”

Addison smiled at her, wondering if she should tell Bethany about finding a video on using a strap-on when she was doing her research on whether or not she was a lesbian. It had been very informative and very graphic, both arousing and educational. She had stored its wisdom away, thinking it might come in handy someday. It turned out she was right, although she never expected it to be useful so soon. She figured she’d at least be in high school before she needed it.

She decided not to tell Bethany about the video, mostly because the girl already liked to tease her about her ‘research’. She didn’t want to give the girl more ammunition.

As Bethany’s familiarity with the strap-on increased, so did her confidence and then her pace. Each time the toy bit deep, it would draw a moan from Addison and Bethany would smile. Addison thought the girl was enjoying this almost as much as she was.

It felt so good, the curve in the shaft of the toy making it rub deliciously against that lovely spot deep inside, that Addison’s fingers dug into the girl’s buttocks, urging her to thrust faster. She forced herself to let go before she hurt Bethany, grabbing at the sheets, instead. She pushed her hips up into the girl’s thrusts, gasping as the dildo slipped even deeper into her with each thrust.

She really hoped Bethany’s parents were sound asleep because she couldn’t hold back the little sounds of enjoyment she was making. It felt too good to be quiet, and she was too excited by the sexy flex of Bethany’s body as Bethany thrust the dildo into her. Her hands let go of the sheets and roamed over the girl’s stomach as she pushed her hips forward. Addison thrilled to the coiling of Bethany’s muscles, could feel the thrust coming even before the toy began to move. The anticipation was maddening, making her so excited she could hardly stand it.

Her eyes went to Bethany’s jiggling breasts and her hands roamed higher. She cupped them, teasing a moan from the girl. Bethany’s back arched, pushing them against her hands. Getting the message, Addison didn’t let up until the girl was as excited as she was.

A light sheen of sweat broke out on Bethany’s body, and the girl was breathing heavily from her efforts. Mixed in were little moans and sighs. Addison grinned up the girl, wondering how much Bethany felt as she thrust again and again into her. Seeing the girl’s face pinched in pleasure, she thought Bethany was definitely feeling something.

Addison thought about waiting to come with Bethany, but it just felt too good. Even as that thought crossed her mind, she felt an orgasm stir to life inside of her. Her girlfriend must have seen it on her face, because Bethany’s thrusts came harder and faster. Tension stacked on tension in her body, building up until she must surely come or just explode. Then she did, her back arching off the bed as her body exploded with pleasure.

“Holy shit,” Addison said, laughing. She was trembling all over, and she could still feel the dildo buried deep inside of her. Every little move she made was a sweet torture on her very sensitive body, drawing a sigh from her.

Bethany eased out of her, gasping for air as she stretched out on her back next to Addison. Rolling against her, Addison kissed her appreciatively. Bethany kissed her back as best she could, still trying to catch her breath.

Seeing the glistening dildo still standing erect, Addison bit her lip and reached for it. She began to run her hand up and down it, her cheeks turning red at how slick it was with her juices. She had been a little excited, she guessed.

Hearing Bethany moan, she looked up at the girl. The girl gave her a curious look, asked, “What are you doing?”

“Jerking you off,” Addison said, smiling playfully at her.

“I can see that, but why are you doing it?” Bethany asked, her voice a little breathy with excitement.

“Because I want to make you come,” Addison said, kissing the girl.

“There are other ways of doing that,” Bethany said.

“Yeah, but I want to see if this works,” Addison said.

Bethany bit her lip as the stroke of Addison’s hand began to feel good. Propping up on her elbows, the girl watched Addison’s hand as it glided up down the length of the toy. She met Addison’s eyes, and Addison saw the girl was amused by what was happening to her, but it must also feel pretty good because her face screwed up in pleasure. Her soft moans and thighs filled the room, and her hips began to move on their own.

“God, this is weird,” Bethany said, laughing around a moan, “Don’t stop, though.”

Laughing, Addison let her pace quicken, and she heard Bethany’s excitement grow as her cries of pleasure got louder. She leaned forward, teasing one of Bethany’s nipples with her tongue. She could taste the salty sweat on Bethany’s skin, and it was intoxicating. She couldn’t get enough of it. Bethany’s hand came up, slipping behind Addison’s head to hold Addison to her breast. Getting the hint, Addison teased a groan from the girl, didn’t stop torturing her stiffened nipple with her lips and tongue until the girl’s back arched off the bed.

Addison’s eyes widened as she heard a change in Bethany’s little cries. They became urgent and louder, and Addison knew the girl was about to come. She looked up, and it was confirmed by the look on Bethany’s face. It was a mixture of surprised amusement and ecstasy. She stroked the dildo harder, faster, wanting to finish the girl off. Bethany gasped as her body locked up on her, her eyes wide as her body went crazy.

Grinning down at Bethany, Addison said, “I guess that does work.”

Bethany laughed and brushed the hair from her face, “Yeah, I guess it does.”

Addison started unfastening the straps to the harness and noticed the girl had added holes. She glanced up at Bethany and saw that the girl had noticed her looking at them. Grinning sheepishly, the girl shrugged.

“I take it today wasn’t the first time you’ve had this on,” Addison said, playfully.

“I might have tried it on,” Bethany said, laughing when Addison gave her a knowing look, “it is a good thing I did; it would have been too big without the holes I made.”

Addison finished with the straps and Bethany lifted up so Addison could remove the harness. Bethany bit her lip nervously as Addison liberated the dildo from the harness, her eyes on the purple sex toy. Moving between her spread legs, Addison got the girl’s attention. Tearing her eyes from the dildo, Bethany met Addison’s eyes, saw the question in them. Taking a deep breath, Bethany nodded. Addison gently pressed the toy against the girl’s vagina, putting a little pressure behind it. Bethany gasped as her body accepted it, taking it deep inside of her.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding about it being big,” Bethany laughed, propping up on her elbows to take a look at the toy inside of her.

“It feels really good once your body gets used to it,” Addison said, slowly moving the shaft in and out. Bethany moaned thickly, and she smiled up at Addison.

When she thought Bethany was ready, she slipped the toy from her and reattached it to the harness. Sitting up, the girl helped Addison into it, holding it in place while Addison secured the straps. With a playful smile, Bethany tugged on the dildo and Addison’s eyes widened when she felt the lovely pressure it put on her bud.

Bethany kissed her deeply, then got to her hands and knees. When Bethany looked over her shoulder at her, Addison raised her eyebrows questioningly. The girl wriggled her hips in an invitation. Laughing, Addison got the message.

On her knees, she moved behind the girl. She put her hand on Bethany’s lower back, urging the girl to spread her legs a bit more. Bethany did, and Addison lined up the dildo with her vagina. Bethany moaned as it slipped deep. Grabbing the girl’s hips, Addison thrust slow and easy. When Bethany started pushing back into her eagerly, Addison let her pace increase.

Letting one of her hands slip from the girl’s hip, she reached under the girl to tease her bud as she continued to thrust her hips forward. Bethany’s little sounds of excitement grew louder almost instantly, and the girl looked over her shoulder at Addison. Seeing the look of pure enjoyment on the girl’s face, Addison smiled at her.

Smiling back, Bethany got to her knees, craning her neck so she could kiss Addison. Wrapping an arm around the girl, Addison supported her as she continued to slip the dildo home, her fingers still massaging her tender bud. Her arm moved higher, and she cupped one of Bethany’s jiggling breasts. Bethany had to break the kiss, moaning.

“God, this feels so good,” Bethany said, pushing back into Addison’s thrusts, eagerly.

Bethany leaned forward, again, laying her head on the mattress, so her backside was up in the air. Addison’s hand returned to the girl’s hips, and her pace quickened. She listened to the sounds of pleasure the girl was making, found the perfect rhythm to drive Bethany wild. She grinned as the girl clutched at the sheets and her cries filled the bedroom.

“Do you like this?” Addison asked, playfully.

“Yeah,” Bethany moaned, looking at Addison over her shoulder.

“You like when I fuck you like this?” Addison asked, making the girl gasp in surprise. Addison had a mischievous shiver work up her spine, using the f-word. Especially in this context. It kind of turned her on, talking dirty. Judging by the smile Bethany gave her, it had turned the girl on, too.

With a naughty giggle, Bethany said, “Mmm, yeah. Fuck me just like that.”

Hearing her girlfriend drop the f-bomb was almost as exciting as saying it herself. The harness rubbing against her bud started feeling even better, and her moans started mingling with Bethany’s sounds of enjoyment. Letting go of Bethany’s hips, Addison cupped her own breasts, teasing them until her nipples ached sweetly.

Bethany saw her and grinned, twisting her body so she could snake her arm between her own thighs. Addison moaned as Bethany’s fingers slipped inside of her. It became hard to focus on thrusting as Bethany’s fingers began to move in and out of her ready core. Luckily, Bethany kept pushing back against the dildo.

Urgency entered Bethany’s cries, and her hips started to lose their grace. Addison thought the girl was coming, grabbed her hips to finish her off. The girl’s cries brought her own orgasm on, the fingers inside of her driving her body wild. It took all of her focus to keep thrusting into Bethany. The girl grabbed the sheets in front of her and her fingers tightened and tightened as her body gathered tension. Addison kept pushing her hips forward even as her own body began to fall apart. Then Bethany cried out one more time, stiffening. Addison felt the fluttering of the girl’s vagina around the shaft of the dildo, a crazy sensation that toppled her over the edge and into orgasmic bliss, as well. They shook together.

Addison eased out of the girl, and Bethany rolled onto her back, looking a little dazed. Laughing, Addison leaned in and kissed her, said, “That was amazing, hon.”

Blinking in surprise, Addison realized she had gotten her wish. ‘Hon’ had just rolled off her tongue, no forethought or pretense involved. She smiled at Bethany, said, “I love you, so much.”

Bethany grinned at her and said, “I love you, too. Even if you have a dirty mouth.”

She kissed the girl tenderly, said, “Tonight was amazing.”

“Yeah,” Bethany said smiling at her.

“The dance was amazing, too,” Addison said.

“It was a pretty good day all around,” Bethany said, kissing her.

“One to remember,” Addison agreed.

“Always,” Bethany said.

——————————————————–

“Have a seat, Addie.”

Cringing, Addison wondered if she was in trouble. When a conversation started with those four words, she usually ended up grounded. As she sat down across at the kitchen table across from her mother, Addison frantically thought about what she could have done. Well, there was a lot of stuff she had done recently that would get her grounded, but she didn’t think her mother knew about them.

“Did you have fun at the dance?” Her mother asked, fiddling with something. Addison saw it was a photograph, turned upside down. Instantly intrigued, she wondered what it was and why her mother had it face down.

“Yeah,” Addison said, truthfully.

Nodding, her mother asked, “And at Bethany’s?”

Feeling like she had just heard the snap of a twig and realized she was standing in a hunter’s snare, Addison said, “Yeah.”

Does she know something, Addison wondered, her heart starting to beat a little faster.

Her mother nodded again, said, “Good.”

Invoking her fifth amendment right, Addison kept quiet. She waited to see what her mother knew, if anything, before she incriminated herself.

“Did you know I knew Bethany’s mom from college?” Her mother asked.

Blinking in surprise, Addison said, “I think she mentioned it once.”

“We actually shared a dorm room for two years,” her mother said, smiling.

“Really?” Addison asked, frowning. How had she not known that?

Her mother looked at her, then started laughing, “It’s a funny story, but can I ask you something first?”

“Um, sure,” Addison said, wondering where this conversation was heading. She wasn’t entirely convinced she wasn’t in trouble, but usually, her mother was yelling at her by now.

“Have you and Bethany been having sex?” Her mother asked.

Her mother said it evenly, but Addison flinched like she had been shouted at. She gaped at her mother, too stunned by the question to even try to deny it.

Laughing, the woman said, “I guess that is answer enough. When I saw you two looking at each other in your fake prom pictures- although I guess they weren’t that fake, after all- a few things finally clicked into place… I was so sure you had a boyfriend. Every mother bone in my body just knew it. I was only half wrong, I guess. You were smitten with someone, just not a boy.”

Addison knew she should say something, but she couldn’t work up enough saliva to do so. She wanted to run away, but she couldn’t get up from her chair.

“I don’t know how I missed it,” her mother said, shaking her head, “it seems so glaringly obvious now.”

Now the shouting begins, Addison thought, ready for the ass chewing of the century. Strangely, her mother didn’t seem all that mad, just sort of… Amused. Addison blinked dumbly, trying to figure out why her mother would find any of this amusing.

Her mother saw the confused look on Addison’s face, and she laughed, said, “That necklace you are wearing… I told you it was from my first love. Remember that?”

Addison nodded, wondering about the change of subject. She still couldn’t relax, figuring the ass chewing was imminent.

“Bethany’s mother recognized it when she saw you wearing it,” her mother said, rubbing the back of her neck nervously, “she called me after she dropped you two off at the school. We talked about it for a while.”

“Why would she recognize it?” Addison asked even though she felt the reason just tickling the back of her brain. It was like she kind of knew, but her brain wouldn’t accept it.

Taking a deep breath, her mother said, “Because she gave it to me.”

It was lucky that Addison was sitting down because that bombshell would have floored her. Her mother laughed at her reaction, blushing as she flipped the photograph over and slipped it across the table to Addison. She saw the truth of what her mother was saying in the photo. It showed their mothers, younger but still very recognizable, in each other’s arms, kissing. It wasn’t a kiss between friends but a full on passionate kiss. The fact that her mother was cupping Bethany’s mother’s breast, only confirmed that.

“Jesus, Mom,” Addison said, laughing.

Addison thought about the box Bethany had found, the one marked ‘college stuff’. Looking down at the photograph, a few things click into place in her mind, and she made a face. She hoped Bethany really, really cleaned her new toys before she used them on her. She wasn’t too keen on the idea of sharing a dildo with her mother.

“What’s that face about? We made a cute couple,” her mother said, pulling the picture back. She smiled fondly down at it.

“It’s not that,” Addison said, then realized she didn’t have a better reason for the face she had made that didn’t involve sex toys. She hoped her mother wouldn’t ask. Hoping to distract her, Addison asked, “What happened?”

Shrugging but not carelessly, her mother said, “It was fun while it lasted, but it was never meant to be forever. We both wanted kids, so…”

“You could have adopted,” Addison said, then grinned, “but I guess I wouldn’t be here if you had.”

“Wouldn’t trade you for anything, Kiddo,” her mother said, smiling warmly at Addison, “and I wouldn’t have you any other way. Wherever your life takes you, know I’m proud of you, Addie.”

Caught off guard by the unexpected sentiment, Addison didn’t know what to say. She looked away, a little embarrassed. Tears stung her eyes, and she took a second to get herself under control.

“We were so in love in this picture,” her mother said, looking down at it. When she finally looked up, she said, “She used to smile at me the way Bethany smiles at you.”

Addison grinned sheepishly, met her mother’s eyes. The woman searched her face, looking for something. Addison felt her cheeks color when she realized the woman’s statement had been designed to get a reaction from her.

“You do love her, don’t you?” Her mother asked.

Taking a deep breath, Addison grinned excitedly and said, “With all my heart.”

“Yeah, I thought you might,” her mother said, smiling affectionately at her, “you got that look in your eye.”

Addison looked at the woman for a long while, then finally asked, “Um, am I in trouble?”

“You mean because you are twelve and sneaking around, having sex?” her mother asked, in one of those patented mom tones that made Addison squirm in shame. Her mom saw it and started laughing, said, “Maybe I’m a hypocrite, but I don’t see any harm in you and Bethany being together. You are a little young to be fooling around, but I guess that ship has already sailed. So, no… You aren’t in trouble.”

“Really?” Addison asked, finding it hard to believe she wasn’t going to be grounded. She half expected her mother to say, Nah, just kidding. You are grounded until you leave for college.

“Unless you’ve been up to anything else you want to get off your chest? Any other bad habits I should know about, hmm? Smoking or drinking, maybe? Tattoos? Anything like that?” Her mother asked, squinting at her. The woman was being funny, really didn’t think her daughter was doing any of those things.

“Um, no,” Addison said, laughing.

“You are lucky it isn’t some boy or even a trouble making girl, for that matter,” her mother said, giving her a very pointed look, “if it were anyone other than Bethany, you’d be grounded until you leave for college, young lady.”

Do I know my Mom or what, Addison thought, amused. She didn’t say anything out loud, though. She seemed to have made it out of this particular minefield unscathed and didn’t want to give her mother a reason to make her turn around and make another pass.

“Bethany is a lovely young lady with a good head on her shoulders and no antisocial tendencies and you… I guess you clean up okay,” her mother said.

“Hey,” Addison protested, playfully.

“So, her mother and I discussed it,” her mother said, meeting Addison’s eyes, “and we decided to pretend we didn’t notice anything going on between you two.”

Blinking stupidly at her mother, Addison asked, “What exactly does that mean?”

“Mostly, it means I’m going to start knocking on the door before I enter your room when she stays over,” her mother said, winking at her.