A College Education Ch. 01

She said she never really cared to have a boyfriend in high school because she had us and we were great friends, sex or not. That and no guy ever asked her out because of the way she dressed, which was fine by her. But by the end of freshman year at college she had had enough, she said. So right after we left and her summer school started she changed her image. Still, not many guys paid attention to her, but she had chalked it up to the fact that there were very few guys around during summer school, and the few she had classes with were gay. One gay even confesses to her later that if she didn't have a boy friend that he would have asked her out. She was too embarrassed to correct him by saying that she had never had a boyfriend.

Jay in his drunken state began telling stories of all the chicks he's been with. All of them, sadly enough, were true. As odd as I thought Jay was, truth was he was a lady's man. He was always with girls. He had good looks, and his money and flashy cars definitely helped, not that he needed it though. He could have gotten by with his smooth talk alone, then add in his looks and the money aspect just becomes gravy on top. And all of them good looking. He was a true playboy. But his lifestyle was his own, and not one that I'm particularly envious of.

While Jay talked aloud, sharing his stories of his many achievements with himself in an incoherent banter that only he himself could decipher Ashley and I had our own conversation.

"You know, I really respect that you're still a virgin," I told Ashley, truthfully.

Ashley just stared at me as if I were just whispering sweet lies to get into her pants. I felt hurt so I laid some truth of my own on her.

"You know, I'm actually a virgin still, too."

"Now I know you're lying."

"No, I'm serious Ash."

"Oh, really? I remember one time Nicole told the girls in the locker room about sucking you off."

"OK, well... yeah, that is true, Nicole did suck my dick, as did Kate, and..." I stopped myself.

"And?"

"Nothing," I mumbled.

"No, you were going to say someone else. Who?"

"Well, Jessica."

"Get out, she did? She sucked your dick? Was she good?"

"Well, she wasn't the best, but truth be told there isn't really a 'bad' blowjob."

She giggled, "did she swallow?"

"Actually, I shot it all over her face, against her request. She wanted me to warn her so she could catch it in a tissue. And I was like, fuck that, so I just pulled out and went all Jackson Pollack on her face."

She laughed loudly, "that's fantastic. But see, you're not a virgin."

"That doesn't count, it's only oral. I've never been inside a girl, so in my book, I'm a virgin."

"Well, in that case, I must be a super virgin or something because I haven't even so much as touched a cock."

"Really? Not even a hand job?"

"Not even a hand job. Besides, I told you I didn't go out with any guys. I always hung out with you guys, and I also thought of you guys sort of like brothers. And let me tell you, you don't give your brother a hand job."

Those words hurt. She had basically told me that she had no desire to ever be with any of us, including me. Ashley then got up and got a bottle of Jay's moonshine and poured four shot glasses.

"Four?" I asked.

"Two for me, two for you. We can refill as we go."

"As we go?"

"I thought we could play 'Never Ever Have I Ever'", she smiled.

"Ah, the classic. But what about Jay?" I looked over and he had fallen asleep in his recliner. "Alright, I'm in," we used to play this back in high school. If you don't know what it is, it's kind of like a more adult version of 'Truth or Dare', if you will. Usually you play with more people, but the way it works is that you go around and each person starts a saying with "Never ever have I ever," and then something like "kissed a girl". For everyone that the statement is false, meaning you have kissed a girl, you take a shot. It's a great way to find stuff out about people, and an excuse, as if you need one, to get wasted.

We played a couple rounds, each of us only taking a couple of shots. Then I started to get a little more sexual as my drunkenness returned.

"Never ever have I ever kissed a girl," and I took a shot. To my surprise so did Ashley.

My expression must have given away my shock, because Ashley justified herself, "with Jessica. Start of freshman year, at a sleep over, she suggested we practice making out so we don't seem so inexperienced when we meet a guy."

We both laughed. Then she shocked me, "never ever have I ever had a crush on someone in our group."

First she just stared into my eyes with enquiry. I was trying to figure her out but I couldn't get what she thought. She wasn't taking a shot so I was skeptical. But, in true spirit of the game, I took a deep breath and took a shot. She grinned and then too took her shot.

However, before either of us could find out more, our attention shifted to the rustling in Jay's chair. He was twitching and then suddenly he sat up wide eyed.

"Fuck, I fell asleep didn't I?" he asked.

"You did indeed, there, chief," I replied.

"Huh," he said and then just stared blankly at us. "So wait, you were taking shots and didn't wake me?"

"Well, actually we were playing 'Never Ever Have I Ever'," said Ashley.

"What a fucking stupid game," replied Jay, "fuck that, I'm going to bed."

"Yeah, I think I'll join you," I said.

"Like hell you are, I ain't gay, no way in hell you're getting in my bed," snapped Jay.

"I didn't mean that way..."

"Like hell you better not have. Put your ass to the curb else wise," he said. All three of us enjoyed a laugh while heading up stairs to our respective bedrooms. Jay and my bedrooms were fairly close, while Jay had offered the farthest bedroom for Ashley. Even though Jay's master bedroom literally took up a third of the second story, all the room's were decent sized and had their own baths. A balcony the overlooked the entry foyer and the family room separated Jason and my bedrooms; way down at the other end of the hall, separated by Jay's distillery room, library, and two bedrooms, was Ashley's bedroom, which was actually the guest suite, and was actually quite similar in terms of amenities and layout to her dorm suite, only Jay's guest suite was a little larger, mostly in the bathroom space though.

After I got undressed down to my sleep wear, my boxers, I crawled into bed and just stared at the darkness that filled the vaulted ceilings in my room. Shortly after, however, there was a faint knock on my door. At first I didn't notice it but then it grew a little louder. I got up and answered it. What I saw next I could not have prepared myself for.

Already today I had seen Ashley as never before, a full fledge beautiful girl, and now she was standing before me in nothing but matching pink silk and lace, bra and panties. I was jaw dropped. It was too much to handle. I was already falling for her as I began to see her in new light, but now I was past gone and had at the least a full blown crush on her, one of my best friends.

"Hey, Kevin, the air conditioning blows straight onto my bed and I don't have anything to sleep in but this," she said as she shivered, before crossing her arms. I just took in her feminine perfection. "Do you have a t-shirt or something I could sleep in?"

At first I just froze. I'm sure I had a hard on, or at least the start of one, but I didn't care. Then it registered what she said in my mind. I turned as I responded, "oh, sure. Here you go." I said as I handed her one of my sleeping shirts from my dresser.

She took it and put it on immediately. "Thanks a lot, Kev. See you in the morning."

"Good night, Ash," I called after her as she walked off into the darkness down the hall.

As I crawled back into bed the night's events flashed in my mind and certain events began to fall into place like puzzle pieces. The signs were all there and I missed them, well, most of them, at least the ones that mattered. I had passed up Ashley offering herself to me. I kept replaying in my mind the key events: us staring at each other at dinner, sharing the couch in the family room, her randomly wanting to play the drinking game, asking that last question, coming to me in her underwear... She wanted to at least sleep in the same bed with me, maybe not for sex but for comfort. How stupid was I? Then it hit me harder, she had this planned. She had planned to stay over, which means she picked out the underwear on purpose, and it wasn't particularly cool in the house and I'm pretty sure her bed didn't have any vents directed to it. Man, what a dumb ass...

It was too late now, I couldn't just go down the hall and crawl into her bed, not now, not after essentially turning her down. 'I just hope she doesn't feel dejected now,' I thought. Then I thought about her crying as she lay in her big bed, alone. Then I thought about her perfect body, her flat stomach, her tits pushed tightly together by her cute bra, her perfect ass walking away, her perfect, tan legs. Before I knew it I was hard again. My hand found its way between my legs and I rubbed one out thinking about my hot friend. It still seemed odd.

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The next morning I woke up late, almost noon. I went through my normal morning routine. As I got out of the shower, however, Jay was in my room, sitting on my bed, watching TV. Luckily I had my towel wrapped around me.

"What are you doing in here?" I asked.

"I want to talk to you."

"Sure, makes sense, come into my room while I'm the shower, nothing wrong with that."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Listen, I think we have a problem." I thought Jay was going to throw me out of the house right after I had moved in and before school started, but I was wrong, at least partially. "It's about Ashley."

"I know what you mean." I replied.

"When did she get so hot, man?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Hey, I thought you didn't watch TV?"

"Just started. I mean, what kind of idiot has as many high def plasmas in house and only watches DVDs. So, yeah, I watch TV now. And don't start with the Jack Shephard shit."

I laughed, "I take it you saw Lost?"

"I did, good show, and he does kind of like me. But that's not the point, I was talking about Ashley."

"Right. Yeah, so when did that happen?"

"I really don't know. To be honest, not quite sure she's even the same person," said Jay.

"I know what you mean. I mean, damn, she's gorgeous."

"I jerked off to her last night," admitted Jay.

"OK, I didn't need to know that."

"You did too, didn't you?"

"I... let's not go over this."

"You did, I know it. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Who cares if she's our best friend, I'd fuck her."

"Come on, dude. We've known her for like six years, don't start with this, don't make it weird."

"I won't, I'm just saying. Anyway, I'll get breakfast going and let you get dressed."

"Thanks," I said as he closed my bedroom door behind him. I could have told him about how we had been flirting the night before or that she showed up at my door in her underwear, but I didn't want things to get weird between Jay and I, let alone all three of us. I kept my mouth shut, as did Ashley, throughout breakfast.

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As school started and the weeks went on the six of us hung out regularly. Things between Ashley and I didn't change. I began thinking that I had looked into that evening too much. I was kind of upset but at the same time still happy that we still got to see each other regularly. Then one weekend a perfect storm culminated.

Alex and John were going back home for whatever reason, I wasn't really paying attention to what they said. Sean was going down to Florida to be with his girl for their third anniversary. Once again, it was Friday night and it was just Jay, Ashley and I sitting in Jay's family room, watching a movie. No one was really in the mood to drink. At around 11pm or so the movie ended and Jay got a phone call.

Jay left the room as he talked on his cell. Ashley and I chatted idly about how our school week had been, then she started telling me some stories about her being the RA, including busting eight girls drinking in a single dorm. Shocking enough that they were actually caught, more interesting was the fact that eight girls actually fit into those tiny dorm rooms.

Jay finally came back after his phone call. "Well, that was Kristen..."

"Kristen?" I interrupted.

"Yeah, she's this girl I met in one of my classes. Anyway, she invited me over to her apartment, seems her roommate went back home for the weekend, too, and is feeling a bit lonely. So, I'm going to spend the night over at her place, and..."

"And?" Ashley asked.

"And I'm taking her out to dinner tomorrow night. I'm sorry to leave you guys alone for the weekend."

"That's alright", said Ashley, "we'll find something to do, I'm sure."

"Yeah, we'll be alright. But hey, I have some questions: why didn't you invite her over tonight and why are you going over to her apartment rather than bringing her back to you huge house?"

"Yeah, good point, Kev. What's up with that, Jason?"

"Well, her friend kind of left sudden, seems her brother is in the hospital or something, and Kristen doesn't have her own car."

"So, bring her back here then," I suggested.

"That's alright; I'll have her over some other time. Well, I'm off then," Jay said, heading toward the garage. We followed him out.

"What car you taking?" I had to ask.

"I'm thinking the GT."

"In a hurry to get to her?" laughed Ashley.

"Yeah, something like that," little did we know that she actually lived in the same apartment complex as our buddies, and she very well could have walked over here. He just wanted to get away.

"So, what are we suppose to do now?" asked Ashley as we waved to Jay leaving. My mind flashed to grabbing her and kissing her all Hollywood style, bending her over and everything. But I came to in time to see Ashley smiling at me.

"What are you smiling at," I asked, smiling back, knowing I had been caught in daydream.

"You. What were you thinking about just know?"

"Oh, you know, a great many things, namely life, our purpose here, whether to get Taco Bell or McDonalds," I joked.

"You ass," she said, jokingly hitting my arm. "Seriously though," she continued, "what should we do?"

We ended up doing what any two single horny college co-eds would do when left alone together in a party house; we went for a drive in my Bronco.

At first we thought about following Jay but then we said screw it, it's not like we would have seen anything, we joked. Instead we took a drive out to the corn fields, and just pulled over to the side of some rural, gravel road. I grabbed a blanket out of the truck, which was conveniently left there from the summer when I went with my family to watch some Fourth of July fireworks. Not that I don't clean my truck regularly. Truth is my truck looked like it rolled off the showroom floor. But the blanket was shoved under the back seat and there it stayed. Sure I saw it there, but it was out of the way and I thought maybe one day it might come in handy, turns out I was right.

So there we were, gazing up at the stars, listening to the breeze blow through the corn. While not as romantic as hearing wave crashing on a tropical beach, it does deliver a sort of serene romance.

Ashley sat up and turned to me, "you remember before school started and we all went out for dinner and then I stayed over at Jay's?"

I had a bad feeling about where this conversation was heading. I sat up, "yeah, what about it?"

"I was late that evening because of a meeting, right?"

Now I wasn't sure where this was going, "yeah, I think so, why?"

"Nothing, it's just I got into an argument with another RA from the boy's wing accusing me that I wasn't there."

"Were you?"

"Yes, that's why I was late to dinner."

"I didn't know, thought maybe you skipped."

"No, I was there. I just think the guy is an ass and that was his excuse to start talking to me."

"Dick move on his part."

"I know, right," Ashley said with a little glee in her voice. "But there was something else about that night."

I had dodged the bullet once but I had a feeling this one was aimed at my head, point blank, "what's on your mind?" How lame, I was so nervous that 'what's on your mind' was all I could have said? It didn't matter; I was being set up, regardless of what I said.

"You remember we were playing 'Never Ever'?"

"Yeah, I remember. Just as we started sobering up we decided to get shit faced again."

"Right," she laughed awkwardly, "well, I have a confession to make about that. The reason why... oh God, I don't know how to say this..."

I knew what she was getting at. I tried to speak up to tell her how I felt but my mouth had gone as dry as the desert and my tongue rusted stiff.

"Well," she continued, "the reason I wanted to get tipsy was because I had something to tell you, and I was too nervous to tell you sober. The game seemed like a good excuse, and, and, I'm sorry, Kevin. I should have told you about this earlier, some other time, not now, I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. I," in mid-sentence my mouth went dry and I instinctively swallowed hard because I was so nervous. "I have something to tell, or ask, you and now is as good a time as any. That night, were you flirting with me?" I asked, my voice squeaking for the first time in probably five years.

"That's what I have been trying to tell you. Yes, I was, because, well, because I think I like you," said Ashley who was just as nervous as I was, I could tell.

"No, I understand that," I said, "I mean, were you coming on to me?" I felt bad for saying that. I don't know why, but it seemed like I was accusing her. So I had to justify myself, "what I mean is, you came to me in the night asking for a shirt... in your underwear."

Ashley went wide eyed and I could hear her swallow the lump in her throat. "Yes," she barely whispered, but then she spoke up, "but I was kind of drunk and alone, and I don't think I wanted sex... I mean," I could tell that the instant the word 'sex' left her lips she wanted to take it back, but she went that far so she continued. "But I just wanted to share a bed with you, and lay down with you and feel you hold me. Over the summer, when you guys weren't around I began to feel so very lonely. And each night that I went to bed I would think about you guys. And as the summer dragged on I began to think more and more about how I was probably closest to you. I mean, sure I hung out with the other guys and they're good friends and all, but you're the only one I have ever hung out with just alone. Then I started to think that I had a crush on you and I started to get weirded out because you guys are like brothers to me. So when I went out to dinner with you guys I decided to take a chance. Over the summer I sort of found my feminine side, as you all noticed and commented on, but when I went out with you guys I took it a step further. I wasn't sure why, but I put on the matching set of pink underwear." I knew at that point she had a lot on her mind she wanted to get off so I just sat back and listened, even though I knew where she was going with this.

In my heart I was smiling but my face was emotionless and she poured herself to me. She went on: "I don't know if I wanted one of you, any of you guys to fuck me that night, or what but I dressed that way on purpose. What purpose I don't know. And then when I came to you asking for the shirt I was drunk and didn't know what I wanted. At the time I thought I wanted you and I felt bad that you turned me away, but then as I lay there in that bed thinking about it I was happy you did what you did. But then my mind started thinking, when we were playing that game the last thing I asked was if you had a crush on someone in our group and we both took a shot. I was referring to you and at the time I took it as a sign you for me, but then I thought maybe I was wrong, maybe you were gay. But I knew that wasn't the case because I felt that you had a hard on while I sat on your lap earlier, and I saw you get an erection right before my eyes as I stood there in my panties. Then I knew you did it because you cared for me. I knew right then that I had to at least take my shot at you. I hope you're not upset with me," she finished, as tears began trickling down her beautiful face.