Something Old, Something New

"Garrick! Answer the fucking phone!"

The old rotary phone, a black AT&T-issued blowhard her parent's thought was chic, was blaring uncontrollably down the hallway and beyond the bathroom door. Tabitha, freshly stepping from an invigorating shower and quite wet, was in no mood or condition to end the audible torment herself. Cursing aloud and to no one for not bringing the cordless with her, she hoped whoever decided to call her at the inopportune time would give up or at least be interceded by the answering machine. Wrapping a soft towel around her hair, she yelled once more, hoping her younger brother would end her suffering. The old antique phone was too much. She wasn't even sure whether or not he was even home or inside, since his little buddy Leroy had just arrived as she entered the shower. The pair of boys were just beginning to feel the first pangs of hormonal lust and she sure as hell was in no mood to give young prying eyes an inadvertent show just to answer the phone. It continued ringing, the loud sputtering tone finally convincing her that only she was going to be able to end her own suffering. Rearranging the towel to cover her nude body instead of wet hair, she nervously poked her head from the door, looking for some form of devious ambush. No adolescent was in sight and she bound quickly down the hall.

"I swear to God if it's a damn pollster..." She snatched up the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Tab! Thank God!" The voice was Tara's but it was uncharacteristically muffled and sobbing. The wireless connection made it all the more difficult for comprehension.

"Tara? What's wrong?" It was not like Tara to be crying. Immediately suspecting the worse, Tabitha began running down the mental Rolodex of Tara's family and the odds of death for any of them.

"Roger and I..." No more words were necessary. Tabitha was already aware of just what this cry was about. "got into a fight. I slapped him and he left me. I'm stuck." The blubbering and sobbing and sniffling was almost revolting, it was so out of character.

"Shit! Did he hit you!" Thuds from downstairs indicated someone was home. It was the enemy, puberty. She snatched up the phone as best she could and rushed back to the bathroom door, only to be short by three feet.

"Nooo! He left me at Spring Lake! We got into it sooo bad! I don't know what to do."

"Relax Tara! Slow your roll. Where exactly are you?"

"I'm at the Spring Lake pavilion..." More sniffling. "I need a ride. Please come get me!" B.F.E. sprang to mind. Where the hell was Spring Lake?

"Of course I'm coming to get you, girl! Hang tight!" Damn Roger and his temper. Useless fucking bastard. "I just got out of the shower, so give me a minute to get dressed and I'm there!"

"You know how to get here?"

"Not a clue. It's close to Glover right? Off Highway 21?"

"Yeah..."Sniffles began fading, she was calming down. "Take Old Foxhunt Road out to Highway 66. Left on 66 and go to 21. Right on 21 and look for the sign. I'm so sorry. If it's trouble, I'll call Val."

"Shit! Do not call Val! That's starting shit you don't need." Val was Tara's mother, any call to her would go way past trouble. "I'm coming! Give me ten minutes and call my cell. I should be there in like, twenty minutes."

"Okay Tab. Thank you sooo much, girl."

"You're okay where you are, right? Ain't no perverted-looking creeps around, huh?"

"Naw, just some kids swimming and stuff." She laughed a bit. "You know all the freaks are at the beach." It was June.

"Okay, hang loose. I'm haulin' ass!"

"Be careful."

"Hey!"

"Yeah!"

"If that fuckin' Roger comes back around, you run like hell to the water and scream rape okay? Don't let him talk you into leaving alright? I'ma be pissed if I get there and you're making up with him."

"Trust me I won't. I'll tell you all about it when you get here."

"I'm coming."The phone clicked and she dropped the receiver to the base. Turning to return the old phone to its stand, she realized the pair of eyes had been on her for most of the conversation. Leroy was especially interested, since he was getting a decent eyeful of a protruding butt cheek.

"You two grow up for God's sake!" Leroy's eyes were a bit hazy with lust.

"I can't wait to." came his reply.

Tabitha fired off a Camel as she raced into the woods in search of her best friend. She and Tara had met up in high school, becoming fast friends initially because of their shared musical tastes and love of twisted humor. Each had gotten into the minor troubles and corny situations that most high school girls get themselves into. They had dated between them every stereotype of guy available in high school. They went with jocks who rarely picked up a book, newspaper staffers who rarely put books down, ROTC guys who played Army too much, and beer-swilling hicks who liked deer camp. They had each found their true loves, the "One." Tabitha's was Robert Smith of the Cure, Tara's was Roger Gauthieux, whom she had met at a party and decided after many jello shots to go down on. There was no denying the guy was a dish. He was stacked but not athletic, smart but not academic and at first, the two had gotten along. But while Tabitha and Robert decided to go separate ways after high school, Tara and Roger had fallen into a predictable pattern of spending too much time together instead of meeting new people. The same fights, dislikes and jealousies had eroded them to the point of a meltdown and Tab reckoned it had finally come into fruition.

Her cell phone began playing "Ride of the Valkyries," and she answered it to find Tara had called on cue.

"You alright?" Tabitha opened the throttle up a bit on the car, taking curves a little faster than she would have liked but determined to get there quickly. Nothing makes a girl feel as helpless as being stranded alone in strange surroundings.

"I'm fine. Tell me you have cigarettes. I left my pack in Roger's truck and now is no time to be fiending."

"Yeah, I got some. So you slapped him? What's that all about?"

"He's been fucking some skank from Biloxi. I found out from Bryan.

"No!"

"Yes!"

"You sure, Tara? Absolutely sure? I remember one time you thought I was fucking him. You remember going off the deep end about that and I never even talked to the guy." It had been quite a scene for a while, almost to the point of actual slapping. Eventually the drama waned into water under the bridge. Tara did not know she had been right all along, but worst things left unsaid.

"Bryan has pictures of Roger and the cunt together at that Tool show they went to last week. He said they dropped X and got all freaky in the bed of his truck out there by the air force base. They've been fucking behind my back for a year, girl. I went off."

Tabitha lit another smoke. The sign pointing to Spring Lake loomed ahead, denoting only a five mile distance.

"So you slapped him? Damn, I hear you!"

"I just did it. He was coming down here looking for Bryan to kick his ass for telling me. He just stopped and told me to get out. Shit, after I hit him, I figured I had better."

"You're probably right. You know he does that meth shit. He could have killed you."

"That's a lie. He never does that shit."

"Okay." Denial, party of one.

"Thanks again for getting me out of a jam, Tab. You're a great friend."

"You've gotten me out of a jam plenty of times."

Jam? The two had been in plenty. There was the time they went to the house of a black guy they knew who told them he could get them a sack of weed. Little did they know, he had a buddy and the two of them had as much as insinuated that they were under the impression that the girls needed a little brown sugar in their lives. Their tone was growing a bit on the aggressive side, but Tara decided to intentionally take a bigger hit of a blunt than she could handle. The blast of smoke gagged her and she threw up explosively as a result. Apparently, vomiting white girls were not in the equation and the brothers backed off.

Another time, Tara had thrown Tab into her car just as a brawl between a gang of punks and some visiting Pass Christian jocks broke out at one of their high school haunts. The resulting fight injured a number of people on both sides, regardless of sex. Nearly everyone involved had a car damaged and a night in jail to explain to their parents. There were many jams the well-grounded Tara Vellingham had gotten them out of, it was only natural Tabitha reciprocate for an old friend.

"Pretty much everyone is leaving. I heard some teenagers say something about a show at the Coliseum tonight."

"Third Eye Blind is there."

"Maybe Roger can fuck someone there. Bastard."

"Maybe, I'm here!"

"I see you!" Tab could see a waving figure near the dark brown building housing the restrooms and parking area. "I'm hanging up!" The phones went dead.

Parking next to Tara, Tab could see she was made up before her crying destroyed her efforts. Tara was quite tall and had grown into a rather voluptuous woman, something Tab oddly noticed only then. It was an odd thought to have, but she dismissed it as random. Exiting the car, she was intercepted by Tara's warm embrace.

"Thank you, girl! I've never been so happy to see someone in all my life!" The two giggled like kids and bounced up and down together.

"Ready for a cigarette?"

"Damn skippy!" Tab fished out two and shared a light.

"Damn, I need this!" Tara french-inhaled a deep drag. "Thank you again, Tab. I got scared when you didn't pick up your cell and it took so long for you to get the phone at your house.

"I was butt-ass naked when you called! Damn if Garrick and his little friend weren't sneaking a peek at my ass."

"Ewww! Your own brother?"

"Puberty, girl." She laughed. "Adds new meaning to the phrase 'the only girl virgins over the age of 10 in Mississippi are the ones who run faster than their brothers."

"Sick bitch!" They laughed. A vanload of leering kids and their mothers passed by, Tara waved slightly at them.

"One of those little kids came over and talked to me. He was cute. He asked me if that loud man was coming back. He said him and his friends would beat him up if he did for yelling at a pretty lady. Cocky little shit."

"That's so sweet! Was he cute?"

"He was seven, Tab. They're all cute at seven."

"Oh. You're right. It's when they hit nineteen that they start to suck."

"I believe it today." Tara's hazel eyes widened. "Hey!"

Tab looked back in mock excitement. "Hey?!"

"Let's go down and lay out! The lake is empty and it's only six!"

"I just took a shower, girl."

"Come on! We're here. We can definitely use some sun."

The pair of them, having grown up near the Gulf Coast, were seasonally tanned. Few attractive women dared go without a nice bronzing by the time June rolled around lest they be mistaken for snowbirds. A little sun was a prerequisite.

"I could use a bit."

"Let's go!" Tara set the pace, walking quickly toward the sandy shoal.

"Hang on! I'll bring the car down!" Tab rolled the car to as near to the beach as she dared and cranked up the radio. No one living on the coast goes very far without a few necessities. After a little searching, two towels, a lukewarm Diet Pepsi, and some baby oil were found in various crevices within the interior. They stripped down to their underwear, always looking cautiously around the lake for peepers or visitors. The sun was not yet below the distant pine tree line, its heat still apparent on their bare feet. Satisfied that they would not regret it, they coaxed themselves into going the extra step, stripping nude and rushing for the tranquil waters, giggling unashamedly like the seven year olds Tara had met earlier.

"I'm glad the water is warm. I wonder why everyone left?" Tabitha lay on her back in the shallows, throwing her head back to accept the sun's rays on her breasts and neck.

"The beaches are kicking. I heard there's a shit load of dolphins that have been coming up near Cat Island." Tara lay next to her, though her back and rear end got the brunt of the sun due to her lying on her stomach.

"You're probably right."

"I'm glad you and Roger are quits. He has been a dick to you for a while. I always suspected he was cheating."

"Enough of Roger. He can't steal my sunshine." She closed her eyes.

"Good."

"I hate every time he has come between you and me. I spent waaayyy too much time with him."

"Hell girl, he was your man. You're supposed to spend time with him. I've been busy with mine, too." Not really, Tabitha thought. There were a few guys here and there, since Robert was still not answering her fan letters, but mostly she played online or shopped.

"You still seeing that Dave guy?"

"Whenever he calls. He works a lot."

"On you, I hope," Tara chuckled.

"He's not that good, but I'm working on him." Tab smiled back. "At least he has a decent dick. Lack of knowledge is one thing, lack of length is unacceptable."

"Amen, sister! Preach on!" They laughed. Tara stood up on her feet, the water falling off of her, leaving a thin glistening film that reflected the sun as well as any mirror. Totally objective, Tabitha took in the young woman's attributes.

Tara was, as mentioned before, quite tall. Her feet were not large and her toenails were painted a bright crimson. Her calves were slender, both muscles apparent when she flexed her foot. Her thighs were shapely, with a chain of roses tattooed around the circumference of the flesh on her right one, located about four inches below the pubic line. She was a brunette by birth, a fact made readily apparent by her petite patch of well-groomed pubic hair but denied by the fierce red mane that framed her face. Tabitha had bought enough clothes for her over the years at birthdays and Christmases to know that she was a 34-22-32. She had the tiniest of dimples and a patrician nose. Her hazel eyes shone out well on her dark skin, albeit a bit too dark due to the remnants of eyeliner that had been sweated and cried away. All in all, Tabitha's friend of four years had grown into a stunning young woman who, untethered to Roger, would make someone a very happy person if only by virtue of appearance.

"Come on, Tab! Let's swim!" She sloshed out into deeper waters and dove under when a suitable depth was found. Already aware that her prior shower was ruined by her lying in the water, Tabitha stood and followed, her own great curves slowly dissipating beneath the dark water. She reached waist level just as Tara burst back from beneath the murky pool, exclaiming about a cramp.

"Shit! My foot!" She half-laughed and half-cried, bouncing up and down on one leg.

"What did you do to it?" Tab made a beeline for her ailing friend.

"It's just a charley horse. You ever point your foot funny and get a cramp on the sole of your foot?"

"I hate those. They suck."

"Grab me, I can't balance in the sand."

"I'm coming, wait a minute. Damn." She reached her and threw an arm around her, unintentionally resting a hand across a taunt nipple. She quickly repositioned her arm lower and also unintentionally brushed across the fuzzy bit of hair below.

"Damn, I said hold me up, not feel me up!" Tara giggled at her friend's efforts to steady the pair of them.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to..." Tara stared into Tabitha's eyes. The moment stopped, as if the water had a pact with time that insured the two would not move from each other's embrace for fear of slipping away from what was so readily apparent.

Tara's voice dropped to a hush, her sweet lips mouthing the words but not allowing any air to release for fear of never coming so close again.

"Are you sure you didn't?"

"I was, but now..."

"You're not?" Her eyes said it all. Nervous, but the gloves had come off.

"I might be."

The tone set the mood. The slight warble offered each of them the proof of the newfound emotional charge so long repressed and unspoken. Three words, uttered a thousand times a day in a thousand places never heralded such a change in the tempo of two friend's relationships. Tabitha trembled, quite apparently unsure whether to answer the question. To admit it, meant diving into waters infinitely more murky than those of a tiny lake in south Mississippi. To deny it, meant to walking from the whole scenario unsure of whether one or the other would ever look at each other the same way. They risked it.

Tara leaned forward and pressed her lips to Tabitha's, neither moving them as they would with a man. The lips stayed together for an eternity in heartbeats, each pounding beat seeming to echo in little waves of disturbed water traveling away from otherwise still figures. The lips decided they liked what they were receiving and pressed their hearts for more. Tabitha rolled her head slightly, opening her mouth and working Tara's mouth with a nervous twist. Tara's hands released Tabitha's arms, instead wrapping themselves around the small of the back. Despite the warmth of the waters, each of them trembled, Tabitha regressing into a shudder that ebbed in the wake of Tara's fingers pressing into the skin of her back, drawing her closer. Taking the tranquil lake's beauty as a natural sign of liquid courage and desire, they embraced each other, lightly stroking their fingertips up and down each other's backs and kissing increasingly aggressive. It was Tara who moaned first, a low mewl of interest that separated their lips and flailed them suddenly with a whip of reality.

The moan indicated to any man they had ever been with that things could progress further if the current flow of hormonal bliss and genuine affection overwhelmed any moralistic ideals about abstinence. To two good friends on the verge of diving into a completely undiscovered and unexpected country, it signaled the same poignant rise in intensity. Neither had ever discussed gay sex aside from laughing at some unassuming butch or queen walking down the causeway. The moan was a heartfelt sign of affection, but it stopped their lips cold.

"Are we sure? I have never kissed a woman before and I love you." Tara stared slightly at her friend's eyes and whispered.

"I think I'm sure. I have been with a lotta guys, but I can't recall ever feeling so completely uncertain where the kiss may lead. Have you always been gay and never told me?"

"I have never thought of sex with a woman before."

"Sex and being gay aren't the same thing."

"It's a label and I'm not sure I want it. I love you, though." Tara lightly grasped Tab's right hand and brought it to her lips. Kissing her fingertips delicately, she moved the hand to the space between her breasts. The heart beneath was pounding. "You excite me. The thoughts and hopes of us together, intimate, right here, right now, have never entered my mind before this instant. Yet the thought has taken me over completely."

"I love you."

"Kiss me again, Tabitha. See if it's weird this time" She did. It wasn't.

The lips were by then hot with a flush of blood. The sun was settling behind the distant green line, half obscured by forest but still shining enough to heat their faces and force their eyes to close. Tabitha found herself drawing closer, pressing legs and breasts together and again wrapping her arms around Tara. They were in collar-high water and collectively decided to walk each other to a shallower depth to expose more of one another's skin. Tara moved her mouth to the neck, drawing up small pockets of Tabitha's flesh between her teeth and nibbling ever so gently. Tabitha threw her head back, raising her breasts above the waterline. Her pink nipples jutted out and her slender form held them up well. Tara took the momentum up a notch, running a light hand across her ass and moving a wet mouth to an awaiting areola. Her tongue darted and flittered around the nipples, giggling slightly as she suckled them. Their breathing grew flustered, merely deeper at first but haggard and uncoordinated as the emotional level grew.