Second Chance Ch. 01

"I'm cumming," he groaned. She held him tightly and with a last few, fevered thrusts, he felt the climax erupt. He pushed all the way inside her and wrapped his arms around her body. Shaking, he held her close, reveling in the feeling of her body against his, almost as if they were sharing the same sensations. They kissed feverishly as the waves ebbed, leaving him drained, but feeling more complete than he had ever imagined.

"I love you," she repeated, staring at him intently.

"I love you too, Donna," he whispered.

******

The rest of the school year was a blur. Although he did his best, Tim's grades dropped a bit because of all the time they spent together. Donna made him her personal project; helping him pick out clothes, introducing him to influential people on campus, and explaining how to get along with the various social cliques. She was the very definition of a social butterfly, coexisting with virtually everyone. Whether it was a loud drunken party or a quiet gathering where people talked about the issues of the day, Donna knew exactly the right thing to say and who to talk with.

When the summer break arrived, he was devastated to go. She was staying at college to work and take a couple of classes, while Tim was off for home and to work with Pete again. He was supposed to visit her a few times and she was going to come see him once as well, but after daily visits for months, the weeks apart felt like forever. Tim decided to use the time wisely, so went back to work for Pete and studied endlessly to make up for the slight drop in his GPA. He knew when school started again, he needed to be ready to make the most of it, both for himself and for their future.

Pete secured a few days off for Tim's trips to see her, and again when she came to town for her twenty-first birthday. He insisted on taking them both out when she visited, so they double-dated with him and his wife Trisha. Both of them doted on Donna and they all had a wonderful evening sharing each other's company.

When the night was over, Donna came back to Tim's place where his folks thankfully allowed her to spend the night. They tried to be as quiet as possible as they enjoyed each other enthusiastically for hours. It was an amazing night, filled with a combination of unbridled passion and tenderness that he never imagined was possible, and knew he'd never forget.

When Donna left for school, Tim dragged himself back to work for the last three weeks before classes started again. Although their communication over the break wasn't the same as it usually had been, Tim comforted himself with how great the sex was. He knew that as soon as he was able to get his work and studies on track, they'd settle back into the same type of rhythm they had during the previous school year.

He confided in Pete that he was hopelessly in love and wanted to ask her to marry him when the time was right. Pete warned his young friend that he might be moving too quickly. Tim agreed and planned to put it off until Christmas, but couldn't resist going to a jewelry store and blowing half his summer earnings on a ring that the saleswoman promised would stun Donna, whenever he asked. He was sure that when she saw how he had secured a future for them, there wasn't a chance she could say no.

Tim arrived at school on a Tuesday, and went straight to his dorm to get cleaned up. Opening the door, he found Donna waiting on his roommate's bed, dressed in white thigh-high stockings, a garter belt and nothing else. A voice behind him loudly exclaimed, "Holy Shit!" startling Tim from his shocked paralysis. Laughing, he hurried inside and closed the door.

"Wow, you look...wow!" he said stupidly. His immediate problem was the pain he was feeling from the angle his erection was growing in. He tried adjusting it without being too obvious. "This is a great surprise, but how did you know we were going to be alone?"

"I bribed your roommate. He's going to the movies, then dinner so we have all day to ourselves," she said with a determined look that let Tim know he had no say in the matter.

They spent the afternoon making up for the time they had been apart. It was a magical day and a perfect way to start the new school year.

Things went well over the next month. Donna was more attentive than ever. There was still some difficulty with how they managed their day to day time. Tim was surprised how great their sex life was while everything else seemed to feel forced. He concluded it was most likely typical for that type of serious relationship, especially one happening in the chaos of college life. Since the intimate side of their relationship had continued better than ever, he was sure the rest would work itself out when they finally could get more time. She knew that he was working so hard to insure their future, and was sure she was completely supportive of his efforts.

Tim was looking forward to the last week of September as a great week to enjoy with Donna. There were several parties at the end of the month to celebrate the football team, which was nationally ranked for the first time in years. He didn't hang out much in those circles, but since Donna knew practically every group on campus, they had been invited to three different bashes. She wasn't sure if they should stop by all three or just pick one and stay, but assured him than any of them would be a lot of fun. The party was going to be the culmination of the week, but the main focus was the activities leading up to it, which was sure to be light on schoolwork, and heavy on time for them to spend together.

Unfortunately the entire week turned out to be a bust. Tim had two teachers who weren't big football fans, that left him buried in homework and several upcoming quizzes that were crucial to getting the year off on the right foot. In the little free time he could carve out, he kept missing connections with Donna, who had become involved in planning one of the parties. He'd talk to her answering machine, then she'd talk to his. It was frustrating, but every day he would look at the ring buried in his sock drawer and remind himself that it would all pay off one day.

To add insult to injury, he had to cancel on the party because of a paper that needed to be finished by Monday. It was going to take all day, and he decided he'd prefer to spend Sunday with her alone, doing something romantic, than in a noisy party with a bunch of people he didn't know. Friday they missed each other again, but he left her a message to go have fun with her friends.

When he got back from the library Saturday, he saw that his message light was blinking. He walked to the machine and punched play.

"Tim, it's me." Donna's voice sounded strained, and Tim immediately was concerned. He'd heard every mood she had, and there was obviously something wrong. "I know we've both been really busy lately, but we need to talk. I'm going to call you tomorrow at 1:00, please try to be there. It's important."

A thousand thoughts flooded him at once, each more concerning than the last. He looked at the homework that was left and decided it could wait until the next day. It was about nine o'clock already, so he knew she'd be tough to find, but Tim wasn't going to stop until he made sure everything was all right.

He stopped at the party most of her sorority sisters were going to be at first. It didn't take long to confirm she wasn't there. The girls seemed to be having a great time and no one mentioned Donna being upset, so he started feeling a little better, wondering if he'd just over-reacted because of the stress he'd been under. He decided to try the jock party next. Many of the guys from the football team were going to be there and although Tim didn't know most of them, he had been to enough of the parties to know some of the people from their crowd.

When he got to the door, he immediately regretted not going to the third party instead. Tim only saw a few people that he knew, and that wasn't by name. He asked around a little, but didn't get much help. One of the football players heard him asking about Donna and matter-of-factly said she was upstairs. He ignored the condescending look and started up the stairs. It was a pretty big house, and took him a while to get around because of the crowd.

After another ten minutes he still hadn't seen her and was beginning to doubt that she was even at the party, since there had to be more than one Donna there anyway. Before giving up, Tim decided to ask a girl he vaguely recognized. She was a freshman and drunk off her ass. She had several large hickeys on her neck and her make-up was smeared. He assumed she was just getting another drink before heading back to screw whichever stud she was with for the night.

He caught her arm, "Hey, do you know Donna?" After a quick affirmative nod, he added "Have you seen her here?"

The girl looked blankly for a second, then the drunken haze cleared enough for her to comprehend the question. "Oh, I saw her a little while ago. I think she's in Jake's room. Hold on, I'll go check." She crossed the hall on unsteady legs and knocked on a door, then stuck her head in and began talking to someone.

Suddenly Tim felt very uncomfortable. Did she mean Donna was in someone's room hanging out, or something else? He had never experienced any jealousy with her; there had never been a reason. Donna always let him and everyone else know that she had no interest in anyone else, so he never felt the need to worry about her. He scolded himself for making too much out of something that had to be innocent. His girlfriend was the kindest, most faithful person he had ever met.

The girl stepped away from the door and a guy opened it wide. Tim recognized him right away. He was the All-American linebacker from the team, Jake Stillwell. They had run into each other once or twice, although certainly never in a classroom. It was widely known that he got a lot of "help" getting through school so that the team could keep winning. The guy was a block of granite, 6'1, 235lbs of solid muscle. He was dressed only in a pair of shorts with a smug expression that instantly bothered Tim.

"So this is the boyfriend," he said with a sneer. "I don't think you're needed here. Donna is in good hands."

"I think there's been a mistake, we're talking about a different girl," he said, desperately hoping that this was some kind of misunderstanding. Tim was scrambling for a logical explanation for the mix-up when a familiar voice came from behind the player.

"Jake, have you seen my top?"

He stepped back with an evil grin and Tim saw Donna walk out of his bathroom, wearing only his jersey. She froze when she saw him through the doorway and tears welled up in her eyes. "Tim," she whispered before turning around and running back into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Tim immediately turned and rushed for the stairs, not caring who he ran into, desperate to get out of the house before he made a bigger fool out of himself.

'How stupid could I have been?' he thought as tears clouded his eyes. 'Like there's any way she'd ever marry someone like me.'

He made it out of the house and slowed to a walk, trying to cope with the crushing swirl of emotions, when a voice from behind yelled, "Hey, needle dick!" He stopped and turned, realizing that his humiliation wasn't over yet.

"Don't go getting any ideas about my girl," Jake said. "We've been hitting it all week and she said she couldn't wait to let you know so she could stop feeling sorry for you."

Although Tim knew Jake could literally kill him, he was so angry and confused he didn't care about anything about anything but finding a way to shove aside the pain. He stepped toward the much larger man. "Go fuck yourself you brain-dead puke."

He noticed a group of people behind Jake spilling out of the house to see what was going to happen. Tim stood his ground and waited.

"Donna's got a tight little pussy; obviously she hasn't been getting enough cock lately. I had her screaming so loud earlier that people were stopping by to see if she was OK." He turned away from Tim to the group of friends standing around him. "Who heard Donna cumming an hour ago?" A cheer went up from the small group of guys standing around.

When Tim heard that, he lost it. He went up to Jake, grabbed him by the shoulder and took a swing. The athlete blocked it effortlessly and countered with a shot to the stomach, dropping Tim to the ground. He felt like he'd been kicked by a horse, It seemed impossible that anyone could hit that hard. Jake jerked him to his feet, then punched him in the side of the head, putting him back on the ground.

Tim looked up and was amazed to see everything moving in slow motion. He could no longer hear out of his right ear, other than a dull, indiscernible din. He had the sensation of being pulled to his feet again, but was too confused to be sure. Suddenly he realized that someone was holding him up and Jake was in standing in front with his fist pulled back. He never even saw him throw the punch; everything just went black for a second, followed by thousands of bright points of light.

The next thing Tim knew, he was back on the ground on his hands and knees, trying to make sense out of what was happening. He saw Jake coming at him one more time and felt his side explode as he was kicked hard enough to hear his ribs crack.

As he lay on the ground, completely out of it, there were detached voices arguing. "Stop it Jake, if you get busted by the cops you'll get suspended."

Tim looked over in confusion and saw him being dragged away by some of his teammates, mouthing threats, but couldn't understand what he was saying. Unlike the movies, he never lost consciousness. There was just a stabbing pain that made him wish he could have. A couple of guys picked him up and dragged him back toward the dorm.

"You better not mess with him again, he might kill you," one of them warned. "Take my advice, forget about your girlfriend. If she's with him, you're better off without her. She's damaged goods."

The words didn't make sense as he was saying them, but they kept running around in Tim's head as struggled to understand what was happening. His head was throbbing and the pain in his side was excruciating. Every step seemed to make it worse. It became difficult to breathe. He must have told them where his room was, although he couldn't remember doing it. One of them took his keys, let themselves in, and walked Tim into the room. They deposited him on the bed, then exited quickly, telling him not to call the cops or else.

He lay there in the dark for an unknown amount of time, unable to move. The pain was getting worse and he didn't know what to do. He finally reached into his pocket and grabbed his phone. He weakly hit his speed dial and held it to his good ear.

There was a moment of loud rustling, then a tired voice answered. "Yeah?"

"Pete?" he groaned hoarsely.

The man's voice immediately took on an alarmed tone. "Tim, are you all right?"

"No, I need help. Please..." then mercifully the pain finally faded.

~~~~~

Tim stirred when he heard pounding on his door, but couldn't force himself upright to answer. The door handle turned and he cringed, afraid Jake might have come to finish him off. He breathed a sigh of relief when Pete stepped in.

"What the fuck happened? Are you all right?" he asked, concern etched on his face.

Tim was still having trouble breathing, so just shook his head. Pete looked him over briefly and immediately insisted he go to the hospital.

He carefully helped Tim out of bed and half-carried him down the stairs. His car was right in front of the door and once they were in, Pete drove to the closest hospital, about a mile from the campus. The doctors took some X-rays and did a full exam. They said Tim would be all right, but would need considerable rest and something to temporarily knock down the pain. He'd need to be watched for a concussion, which Pete promised to do, and the doctor wanted him to see his personal physician for a follow-up visit within a week. He wrote a prescription, then told Pete to take him home.

"Would you like us to contact the police?" the doctor asked.

Tim could hear the words of the guys who took him home ring in his head. "No," he conceded, feeling beaten. He ignored Pete's furious glare. "I just want to go home."

When they got in the car, Pete tried to temper his earlier frustration. "Are you ready to tell me what happened?" Tim shook his head, too humiliated to talk about it. "Well, do you want to go back to the dorm?"

"No, I'm done. There's nothing for me here. Will you take me back home?" Tim felt terrible asking so much from his friend, but he couldn't stay at that place for another minute.

A couple of hours later the car pulled up in front of Tim's house. Pete had called them from his cell phone, so they were waiting for him at the door. They were too concerned with how he was to pepper him with questions about what had happened. He kept things vague, grateful to put it off until later.

They thanked Pete profusely for taking care of their son. His help was way above and beyond the call and Tim let him know how grateful he was. Pete just said to take time to heal and to call when he was ready to go pick up his stuff. He promised to make some phone calls to some friends from the school he attended to see if he could pull a few strings. He still had a lot of friends in the administration department. With any luck, Tim would be able to pick up his academic career with minimal interruption.

After he left, Tim accepted another worried hug from both his mom and dad, then trudged up the stairs, hoping for a little sleep so he could stop thinking about how his life had turned to shit.

~~~~~

A week later Tim decided it was time to get his things from school. He considered Pete's offer, but decided it wasn't necessary. Even though Jake was obviously trying to provoke him at the party, if Tim had walked away, he was fairly sure nothing would have happened. He wanted to get to the dorm in the morning, so hopefully he could get packed up and out of there while most of the kids on the floor were at class. He didn't know if anyone knew or cared about what had happened, but wasn't interested in finding out.

Tim's parents had hired a lawyer and were going to be contacting the University the minute he arrived home. There was a hospital report and pictures, which the lawyer believed would be enough to get his tuition reimbursed. They definitely wouldn't want a scandal with their star football player involved. The team was in contention for a major bowl bid and the last thing the school would want is to see his face on ESPN next to the words assault and battery.

Since Tim's car was still down at school, he had to take the train. It gave him a chance to think about everything that could go wrong, most of all that he might run into Donna. He knew that she had called his cell phone more times than he could count, because he checked the messages from his parents' house. Tim only knew of one time that she tried the house directly. He wasn't around, but his mom confided that she talked to her briefly. There was a smoldering look in her eyes and Tim knew that it must have been quite a discussion. He didn't know what was said, but she never called the house again.

While home, he spoke briefly to his roommate Andy, letting him know that he'd be back soon and to ask if anyone had been around. Donna had been there several times, but no one else had stopped by.

The train pulled into the station, leaving Tim a five-minute walk to the campus. It was cold enough that it forced him to wear a jacket with a hood, which made him feel a little less conspicuous. He wasn't really worried about problems; it was more a matter of the embarrassment over falling so hard for someone who could have publicly humiliated him like that. His royal ass kicking just added a little something extra special to the memory. Tim vowed that once this place was in his rear-view mirror, he'd never think about it again.