The Boy Next Door

"Deal!" He said simply, then walked passed me and out of the room. At least he had the courtesy to shut the door behind him. I sat heavily on the bed and rubbed my eyes with the tips of my fingers. Well that was a welcome home I had not expected. With the music still pounding downstairs, I crawled under the duvet, still in my jeans, the smell of his semen filling my nostrils. If I was going to tackle that beast again, I was going to need my sleep.

..

Over the next couple of weeks I didn't give Josh, Alicia or their strange relationship another thought. As old school friends started to drift back from their various colleges, the evenings were spent in the pub catching up on what everyone else was up to.

It's a brilliant time. Whilst university is all about finding yourself as a person, making new friends and enjoying the experiences that that brings with it, coming home, making sure everything is still in order and hooking up with long-term friends is unbeatable. Although it is also noticeable that each reunion contains one or two less familiar faces as people find new places and new people with which to spend their spare time.

...

My parents treated my return as if it was Christmas. On the first Sunday I was back my mother cooked a celebratory meal to match any Christmas day and the drink flowed until we were all rosy cheeked and giggling. By the time we left the table, still covered in the detritus of the colossal meal, and had been slumped on various seats around the lounge for an hour or so, my mother was watching something black and white on the television through heavy eyelids and my father was asleep on the sofa, the newspaper spread across his chest.

I hauled myself off the sofa, threw on a fresh pair of ancient, faded blue jeans and a new camisole I'd bought myself in Germany, grabbed my phone and purse and headed back downstairs to find my mother now also barely awake. She looked up with heavy eyes as she heard the door brush over the carpet.

"I'm heading out." I whispered and she nodded, I'm old enough at last for her not to ask where I'm going or when I'll be back. I closed the door behind me, grabbed my coat and left the house.

On the way to the pub I dialled round a couple of friends, also knowing that Sunday afternoon in the Olde Bell has always been something of a tradition, so although I struggled to raise many people, I'd have been surprised if most of the old crowd that were back from university weren't in there already having a drink. I was not disappointed. Two tables had already been pulled together and a group of people sat huddled conspiratorially around it, laughing and chatting in hushed whispers.

With a beer in one hand, I dragged a spare chair across the wooden floor and squeezed between one old friend that I'd known since primary school and an ex-boyfriend -- kissing them both on the cheek as I sandwiched myself in between them and their conversation.

...

"Hey G." I looked up at the familiar voice of Alicia. I shook my beer fuddled head a little to clear my thoughts.

"Hey. I didn't even know you were here." I turned back to William, my ex-boyfriend. "You remember my kid sister, right?" They looked at each other briefly and Alicia nodded her head at him almost imperceptibly. After a slight pause, William stood with a flourish, took her hand and kissed it theatrically. I smiled, but noticed Alicia pull her hand back quickly, almost wiping it on her jeans as she stuffed it into her pocket.

"Walk me home, sis." She said, and immediately began to edge away from me towards the door.

"Hey. I'm not finished here yet." I said, causing her to stop and look back impatiently. She looked at her watch.

"Mum's expecting us both back for tea." She said. "You know what she's like about family Sundays. Besides, I don't want tea to be late, I've got to be out again by eight-thirty." I turned back to William and shrugged.

"Looks like I've got to be somewhere else." I said and took a gulp of my beer. "You out later?" William shook his head. "Okay." I said and as I grabbed my coat off the back of my chair he stood, hugged me briefly and pecked me lightly and unexpectedly on the lips.

"Good to see you again." He said. "Shame you've got to go, we should catch up sometime, it's been fun." I nodded, zipped up my coat and followed Alicia towards the door.

The heavy pub door swung shut behind us with a solid slam and I thrust my hands into my pockets despite the mild summer's evening. It was still light, but dark clouds hung heavy overhead and the air was dank and threatened rain. A light mist had begun to settle and hung around the lamp-posts like halos.

"Doesn't that feel better." Alicia said, linking her arm through mine and pulling herself close to me.

"Doesn't what feel better?" I snapped, still feeling a little pissed that she'd dragged me away from William and a fresh drink.

"Well, for a start, knowing that you're not going to wake up in the morning and realise that you've fucked William again."

"I wasn't going to fuck William. And what fucking business is that of yours anyway?" I said, stopping and turning towards her. She clearly had something to say, and from the way she'd reacted in the pub, clearly had a problem with Will.

"None whatsoever." Alicia said, holding my gaze intently. "Of business to anyone of several other girlfriends though." She paused and when I said nothing, she took my arm again and we began to walk along. "And you were going to fuck him. I could see it in your eyes." I stopped again, but this time she just dragged me alongside her, her gaze fixed intently at some point in the middle distance.

"Who the fuck made you some kind of relationship guru? And how do you know so much about Will?" The first question, was perhaps a little snappy, the second was angry and aggressive and I regretted the tone as soon as I heard it. This time Alicia stopped, dragging me to a halt in the process by keeping a tight grip on my arm.

"Right." She said, fixing me again with that intent stare of her striking jade eyes. "Firstly, and indeed most importantly, I love you. You're my big sis, and you've spent most of your life looking out for me. But secondly, he's a wanker. He cheated on you, he treated you like shit. He fucked you up and you're still not over him. Thirdly, you don't live around here anymore, I do. You don't see him. I do. He's a leech. He's dating someone in my year for Christ sake. He's also fucking Fiona."

"Fiona from my year?"

"Yep. Little blond Fiona from your year at school. Quite frankly, he'll dip his dick in anything that doesn't move fast enough. He's a tosser. That's why I dragged you out of the pub. Because sis, you know what, you would've fucked him."

We walked along the deserted streets, the silence only broken by the steady clop-clop of our shoes on the pavement.

"You out again tonight then?" I asked finally just to say anything to break the silence.

"Yep. Quick sandwich, change, then out again. Mum and dad have got friends coming over."

"Who's coming over?"

"There's about ten of them I think, both sets of neighbours, Josh's mum and dad, a few others, that's all really."

"What's that all about?"

"Nothing really. Let's face it, there's nothing else to do." Alicia said.

"So what are you up to then?"

"The same thing, just over at Josh's. Me, Josh, the lad from next door, a few others from school, just hanging around. Tag along if you like, depending on what you're up to." Not a lot as it happened, there didn't seem to be that many people keen on re-grouping down the Olde Bell, not even Will. And Alicia was right, I didn't need to go there again. Besides, the lad next door was my age and I'm guessing all of Alicia's friends were her age and still in the mood to celebrate the end of their exams. ...

We left for Josh's house when his parent's turned up at ours. We stood in the hall briefly with the usual pleasantries, then made our excuses and swapped houses.

We arrived to find Josh there, obviously, and the lad from next door -- who it would be easier to call Matthew. In terms of age, he was between Alicia and me, so had just completed his first year at university. I was a little surprised that he had nothing better to do with his evening, then out of the kitchen came his girlfriend, a tiny, slight girl with a startlingly pretty face that I couldn't help but remember from the year below me at school. She introduced herself as Natalie, then apologised for not realising we had arrived, took our drinks order and returned to the kitchen.

"Expecting anyone else?" I asked the crowd in general as Natalie handed both Alicia and I the beers that we'd asked for along with a flute of sparkling wine. I must have looked a little strangely at Natalie.

"Hey, we're going to celebrate the end of school all summer." Natalie said. I could appreciate that. I toasted her and sipped the wine.

"Sarah and Dave should be here before long, and I guess Michael will come too, but whether he'll have found anyone to bring with him remains to be seen. Just a few friends, nothing too grand." Josh said.

"Very cosy." I whispered to Alicia and gave her a nudge in the ribs. "Quite the little orgy you've got going here, once you lot have had a drink or two." I was joking.

"Well, you never know your luck." Alicia replied, with an unmistakable twinkle in her eye that somehow suggested that not only was I right, but it might not be the first time. It seemed nothing I could say could phase her. Thankfully, before I had to find something else to say, music burst forth from speakers that seemed to be all around the lounge as Josh plugged his i-pod into his parent's stereo system.

"Right, right, right." Josh hollered above the music. "Who's for table tennis?" I stupidly looked around for a table, but fortunately kept my mouth shut as several others dived for the Wii sat beside the enormous television set and various controllers were thrown around. As I made room for the first players, I leant casually against the dividing wall of the huge living room that at some point had probably doubled as a dining room at the back of the house and a lounge at the front. In the back room a Twister mat was already spread out across the carpet -- and I noticed the video camera was perched atop a cabinet nearby. Well it certainly didn't look like we were going to be sitting around gossiping all night. I wondered what on earth I had let myself in for. I drained my beer and headed out to the kitchen for a refresh just as Sarah and Dave arrived. By the time I returned from the kitchen, carrying as many beers as I could manage, the first game of table tennis was already coming to an end and Michael too had made an appearance, as anticipated, by himself.

After everyone had had the chance to warm up with a couple of games -- which was enough for everyone except me, who'd never played before -- there was a bit of a huddle between the group.

"Same rules as last time?" Josh said. Some nods were immediate, some minds had to be cast back a little, then nods followed. "Excellent. Let the games begin." And with that the group broke up, controllers were grabbed and suddenly I felt on the outside of a personal joke. As the first game started I sidled slowly up to Josh.

"What were the rules last time?" I asked casually, reaching up on the tips of my toes to whisper into his ear.

"Oh sorry Grace. Rules are simple. Whoever loses removes one item of clothing. Strip Wii. Not strip and wee though, that's something entirely different and I draw the line way before that!" I dissected the statement in my mind. Strip Wii?

"Joking right?" Josh shook his head slowly. "What have I let myself in for?"

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't go home without a smile on your face -- or something on your face at least."

"I'm not wearing much as it is." I said, but Josh just shrugged. "And, I've never even played on one before." But he was uninterested by my protestations.

"Don't worry about spending most of the night naked. This lot have already seen you like that anyway." I coughed and nearly spat my beer all over the carpet. Josh was smiling, but not in a way that made me think he was joking.

"Am I the only person who's not seen these videos?"

"Yup"

"So what's Twister for?"

"Patience." He said. "One thing at a time."

"Right you lot." He said to the group as he stepped away from me. "Grace is up next with Matthew, but she's a Wii virgin, so be gentle." Then he turned back to me. "Shoes don't count." He said, pointing at my ancient Reeboks. "They should have come off at the door when you came in. Have some respect for the crib, man."

...

Needless to say, I lost. I tried to claim a moral victory by the fact that I'd not lost six-nil and had actually managed to claim a point, but it fell on deaf ears. Unprepared as I was for Strip Wii, I wasn't even wearing socks beneath my trainers. The journey around the corner to Josh's house was maybe 150 meters at most and I did have a habit of going barefoot when indoors. So not only was I the crappest in terms of my Wii expertise, I was wearing less than anyone else, and as such already had a decision to make. Off with my jeans and continue in my knickers, or off with my camisole and be immediately down to my bra. All eyes were on me, I looked down at my cami, it was not going to offer me any protection, hanging as it did to just over the waistband of my jeans. Oh well. I unbuttoned my jeans and pushed them down over my hips, kicking them into the corner of the room before standing before the group with my hands on my hips. Eyes roved over my body before Josh directed everyone back to the next round of games.

Josh moved my turn to the final game of the next round, but it only prolonged my demise rather than avoiding it. By the time I lost my second game Alicia had also lost twice - and as a result both socks, Sarah had lost twice and had removed both hold ups, a few other items, mainly socks lay strewn around whilst both Josh and Michael were still fully clothed. Once again, all eyes are on me. I looked from face to face.

"Oh fuck it!" I said, and hooked my thumbs under the waistband of my knickers and drew them slowly down my legs, before stepping out of them, stooping down and plucking them off the floor. "It's not like there's anyone here who hasn't already seen my pussy." A low whistle escaped someone's lips. "Okay, maybe there was one."

"Right. Let's move on. What next?" After a brief discussion, which revolved around the fact that the boys still possessed most of their gear and we were playing sports that they were better at, it was decided to move onto Wii Fit and from somewhere a balance board was produced.

A quick flick through the activities did a little to put my mind at rest. I might be rubbish at table tennis, but as captain of the university hockey team, and unbeknownst even to my little sister, a trained, qualified fitness instructor, I was hoping this would give me a bit of a head start. I was after all, down to my last two items of clothing.

I figured I'd take the bull by the horns and I challenged Josh to the jogging. It was simple, I let him keep up with me until the final straight, then as the finishing line appeared, I out-sprinted him to the line and after a brief celebration, I feigned exhaustion and hunkered down by the settee as if to get my breath back.

"Oh that was close." Someone behind me trilled.

"Lucky bitch!" Was Josh's less than generous interpretation between deep breaths.

"Not luck, I'm just better than you." I said, standing up and stretching my fingers towards the ceiling, both to extend the muscles in my lower back and to flash him an eyeful of my naked pussy.

"Let's go again then." Josh said, suddenly bouncing lightly on his toes.

"Rematch, rematch, rematch!" Broke out amongst the group before Alicia pushed me towards the television to accept the challenge.

The immediate rematch was very one sided. By the halfway point, Josh was already struggling, a diet of beer and cigarettes taking their toll. I crossed the line first with a healthy lead. Josh had, in the space of six minutes, lost both his socks and finally we had progress!

I retreated to the kitchen to refresh my beer. As I let the fridge door swing shut with a thump I noticed Sarah watching me from the doorway.

"Beer?" I asked, and when she nodded, I slid the bottle across the kitchen worktop towards her and retrieved a second one for myself. The silence seemed to stretch, the atmosphere somehow a little strained.

"You okay?" I asked, a little uneasily as I felt her eyes roving all over me. Sarah just nodded again. I started to walk towards her, there wasn't much of a conversation going on here, but as I approached she finally spoke.

"Wait." She croaked, then supped from the bottle and cleared her throat. "Can I, er," she paused, took a deep breath and looked down at her shoes. "Can I touch it?"

"Touch what?" Although to be fair, I had an idea. She'd not taken her eyes off me since I'd flipped off my knickers.

"Erm." I leant across and lifted her chin with the tip of my finger. Finally she lifted her eyes to meet mine.

"Only if I can touch yours as well." She flinched a little, then smiled weakly. "Just joking. Why the fascination? Never seen one before?"

"I've never seen a shaven one before." I must have laughed a little, I didn't mean anything by it. I guess some people have seen a bit more and done a bit more than others.

"I've led a pretty quiet life." She said, as if she could read my mind.

"Nothing wrong with that." I said. Gently I took hold of her hand and as she watched me, I brushed her fingers over my cleanly shaven pussy. Sarah gasped. I felt her fingers spread inside my lips. I gasped.

"It's so smooth.". She whispered. "It's such a, erm, clean feeling."

"And so much bigger than when you started." I groaned. "If you don't stop soon, I'll not let you go until I'm done with you." Finally, Sarah looked at me with intrigue and maybe just a little lust, but even as she did so she retracted her hand.

"Curiosity sated?" I slipped my arm around her shoulders. "Come on, let's get back to the party before anyone misses us."

"Thanks." She said with a nervous smile.

"The pleasure really was all mine. Perhaps I'll let you finish me off properly later, or maybe I'll return the favour, once your clothes are off."

Back in the living room the jogging continued. In our absence Natalie had lost her top and was down to her bra, and Matthew was finally topless. Finally, the boys were getting a decent challenge.

"Come on you two, you're both up next." Matthew said, pointing towards Sarah and me.

Sarah made a decent game of it, but she was never going to win. I let her think I'd just pipped her at the post, then before she had the chance to do anything else, I pulled her shirt off over her head.

"Hey you. I've still got my socks on."

"Too late. What's next, jogging's not really fair on any of you, I'll have you all naked in no time."

Natalie chose the Step routine -- again assuming that the boys would be rubbish. She was right, but had no idea that she'd not put a challenge up to me at all. I've been teaching classes most of the way through university. Once you're qualified and know what you're doing it's a damn easy way to make money. I can make more in a couple of classes than the girls are making at the dancing clubs - and with a hell of a lot less hassle.

Two rounds later I was still in my camisole and bra. The boys had lost both rounds, all were suddenly topless, now also presumably down to just trousers and boxers. I was certainly hoping there were not any Y-fronts in the room. I noticed them exchanging a couple of glances between them. I think they'd assumed the girls would all be naked by now, yet suddenly they were in danger of being the first.