A Step Apart Ch. 06

"Jesus..." Matt shook his head.

"Yeah," Jessica made a knowing face. "And to top it all off, our star rookie running back- actually, the high school senior we selected over you, in fact, dropped out of camp unexpectedly two weeks ago to pursue the- and I'm not kidding- Amish lifestyle."

Both Matt and Jessica shared an absurd laugh at the randomness of the event and the ridiculous bad luck the Tampa football team was undergoing. It did feel satisfying that his replacement that effectively began his spiraling out of control this summer turned out to be a bad choice. Not much reveling to be had, as all that meant was no one won in the end.

"So, as you can imagine, there has been quite a bit of scrambling going on these past weeks. It has been all hands-on deck, so to speak. But Tampa would like to know if you would reconsider attending our university and playing some football?"

"Wow... I mean... wow..." it was all Matt could think to say in response. It was such an unexpected offer. He felt his palms get sweaty and a mix of emotion swell inside him. "That's- I'm just surprised. I didn't think colleges, you know, did this. So close to the start of the season."

"We usually don't. This is us adapting to a lot of misfortune to try to have our athletics program up on their feet for the fall."

"Well, I- I mean, I just sent in my paperwork for Indiana state, like 2 days ago so, I don't know if I can, you know... I'm kinda already committed."

Jessica nodded, chewing her lip some, "oh okay, that's a nice school. Could be fun. You playing any sports there? Or planning on it?"

"No, no... Tampa was kinda my only chance for that."

"Gotcha, you know what you're gunna major in?" Jessica took a sip of her coffee. Matt only shook his head helplessly. "How about a girlfriend? You have a girlfriend around here or going there?"

"Well, no not really," Matt laughed uncomfortably. He felt like he was interviewing for a job and was unprepared.

"Not really?" Jessica asked with a coy and curious smile. Matt just laughed as he thought of explaining or even what lie to say, but thankfully Jessica continued. "Look I get it. I'm like the queen of being a complicated mess. Especially before college, ugh." Jessica rolled her eyes as her hands put her body on display. Matt had his first chance to see the curves of her body. It was clear she worked out. A bit of her belly showed on her low-cut shirt and it was as taunt and tan as her arms and face. He imagined her a surfer in Tampa and he also imagine she would look amazing surfing in a two-piece bathing suit.

"Yeah, complicated mess. That's exactly my life right now." Matt rubbed his palms on his pants.

"Well, look, I won't try to hard sell you on this offer or anything. I know there's a lot of reasons for going to college near home. I'm sure you're close with your family and friends. You love the Chicago area like everyone does and probably hate the Florida heat."

Matt, in his mind, interrupted to say 'no' after every reason she thought he was staying at a school near home. Actually, every reason she listed for him was a good reason to go to Tampa.

"I don't- we don't typically make house calls like this. My office doesn't even know that I'm here actually," Jessica shrugged. "I'm actually from the South Bend area. I just drove up here to see my family a bit on vacation and felt like I should try to at least offer this to you."

"Wow, that was really nice of you. Why, though? I mean, like if you're not getting paid to be here..." Matt furrowed his brow.

Jessica made a face and bobbed her head from side to side as if measuring how much explanation she wanted to give Matt. "I once was kind of in a similar spot you were in," she admitted. "I played high school basketball and was pretty good. All-State. Even had Tampa recruiters come up here and check me out. But like they did for you, I got passed over for another girl who had a better free throw ratio. It hurt a lot. I know you understand that. I still went to Tampa and- don't get me wrong, I love my life now. You know, I just graduated and have a good job on the administrative side of things, and I can surf and travel all I want but, I never got a second chance to play."

Jessica had a flutter in her eyes, like emotion was creeping into them despite herself. "I mean, I know I never would have gone pro or anything. But my college years would have been drastically different had I played. When I heard the recruiter tried calling you and you weren't answering, then the office tried, and your phone wasn't connecting... I don't know. I looked at your file and just couldn't imagine if I was in your shoes and let a second chance pass me by because I didn't answer a phone call."

Matt watched Jessica struggle with this thought. It truly seemed to haunt her as she brushed something from her eyes. "I don't know. The more I thought about it, the more it bothered me. I'm sorry, I'm over here unloading my laundry on you." Jessica smiled and sniffled as she wiped her eyes again.

"No, no, it's actually refreshing to just have a- I don't know, normal conversation with a friend for a change," Matt smiled. Jessica seemed to perk up when Matt called her a friend, and Matt liked that.

"Well, this is my pitch," Stephanie said, taking a deep breath. "If you truly want to go to school in Indiana, then definitely do it. But if part of you wants this opportunity in Tampa, I think you should take it. We can't offer you a full scholarship, but we have this- it's called a working scholarship." Jessica opened the Manila folder in front of her and slid it in front of Matt to show him the one piece of paper inside it. "Assuming you keep above a 3.0 average, your first year 100% of your tuition is covered. Your second year, 50% is covered. Third, 25%. And Fourth, nothing is covered. You'd have to pay for room and board, too. It's not great, but it helps a lot."

Matt nodded, letting out a long sigh. "What do you think I should do?"

"Nuh uh, it's not that easy, friend." Jessica smiled and gathered her things. "It's got to be up to you. But I've gotta get going. I've got a date with a niece at the mall that I can't be late for. There's a number on the back of that paper. Give that a call by Friday if you decide to come back down to Florida with me." Jessica gave him a wink as she stood up.

"Is that your number?" Matt asked hopefully.

Jessica giggled and shook her head. "no," after thinking about it for a moment, she looked in her purse and pulled out a black pen and uncapped it with her teeth. Scribbling on the corner of the Manila folder, she wrote down a phone number underneath 'Jessica' and surrounded it with a very curvy heart shape. "That's my number."

Jessica has a hint of rosy red cheeks as she went to leave and Matt felt strangely calm considering he just asked for a gorgeous, 22-year-old woman's phone number and got it. A feat that would have had him a nervous stuttering wreck before summer.

"Hey, Jessica?" Matt asked before she was too far from the table. She stopped and turned back around. "Was it worth it? I mean, going to school so far from home, away from everyone. Was it, I don't know, hard?"

Jessica's bubbly smile dissipated as she took on a more thoughtful look. "It was one of the hardest things I've ever done," she admitted, then shrugged. "But becoming your own person is never easy."

Matt watched Jessica give him a nod and a smile before leaving.

Chapter Nine

Matt sat in his living room shrouded in the darkness. It was strange and new being in the living room. He honestly couldn't think of a time he had sat in here in the two years he's lived there. It felt nice being in such an open place for a change. Freeing. It's what he wanted. A change in venue to organize his thoughts and think through things clearly.

It was dark when he had gotten home from his meeting with Jessica. Sharon was often in bed early and his father was out of town on one of his business trips. By the time Matt sat down on the couch, he realized he'd forgotten to turn on the lights and just decided to leave them off.

Minutes turned into an hour as he just sat there, thinking. Matt visualized a white room with blinding light. And the only things in the room beside him were two lipstick red doors. The door on the left read 'Indiana State University' on a wooden placard and the door on the right read 'Tampa University.'

It was like an evil game show. He could not know what's on the other side of the door until he opened it, but once he did open it, he had to walk down it. There was no turning back. It made even this enormous living room feel claustrophobic. But the truth was, no matter how dramatic he acted or how much he struggled over this choice, in the back of his mind he had already made up his mind.

It was like his time spent grappling over his options was more for show. So five years from now, he could say he considered both paths carefully. In truth, it was a no-brainer. Getting the second chance offer from Tampa was nice- it was nice to be thought of and valued, even if he was a second choice, but going to school there was a world of unknowns. He knew no one there, except Jessica, who wasn't even a student. He would have no money. No job. He'd be completely on his own. Plus, there was no guarantee he could even play well enough to start, let alone stay on the team.

At least if he stayed here and went to Indiana State, he would save tens of thousands of dollars on school by having his dad pay for it. Things were familiar to him here. Staying was the safe decision.

When the lights clicked on, it startled Matt. He shielded his eyes until they adjusted to see his stepmother, Sharon, wobbling to the kitchen. She wore a black and pink lacing night gown that hung like a dress off of her thighs as she walked. She hadn't seen him yet and when she opened the kitchen trash, she lazily tossed an empty wine bottle into the trash, nearly missing. Sharon laughed by herself. Setting her wineglass on the counter, she had it all but full from another long pour of wine from a fresh bottle before she saw Matt.

"Oh, jeez-" Sharon did a double take at Matt sitting on the couch, then put her palm to her bare chest as she calmed herself. "Matt, you scared the shit outta me." She laughed.

"Sorry, I was just thinking over some things," said Matt.

"You too, huh?" Sharon said, taking a drink from her glass and nearly spilling it as she walked towards him. His step mom fell into the couch beside Matt. "What a shitty week, huh?"

Matt laughed at her vulgarity and how she was obviously drunk, which was a new sight for him. "Aren't they always," he said.

Sharon giggled at that as she took another long drink. "You betchya they are... What are you thinking about? Giiirls? Love?" Sharon batted her tipsy eyes at him mockingly. She crossed her legs, which only raised her dress higher on her thick thighs.

Matt smiled and shook his head. "No, not really, actually, just... I don't know... life. Decisions. I don't know... for an 18-year-old guy who's not really doing anything with my life, it sometimes feels like I've got the weight of the world on me... it's dumb I know..."

Sharon fell back onto the couch. Her plump breasts bounced in her revealing gown as her hair flowed over her shoulders. "Oh, to be young again. I remember when I had stupid problems, and they felt life altering at the time... I miss those days... try getting pregnant. How's that for weight on the shoulders?"

"Yeah, that's true," Matt agreed. "I just had this meeting with Tampa-"

"I know you fucked Stephanie today- oops! I meant had sex with," Sharon giggled to herself, covering her mouth. Matt went still as he felt a hot sting on the back of his neck. "You guys are crazy to think all that noise you're making doesn't come through downstairs. Just you wait till you have kids and see how little they get away with."

The silence hung between them for a moment before Sharon spoke. "Don't worry!" She shocked Matt's arm, nearly falling over as she did. "Relax. You two are adults. I'm not going today for anything. Honestly. It's not even their weird. Couple of horny teenagers locked in a room together. It's be weird if you guys weren't fucking. It's not till you get old like your dad that you stop wanting to fuck everything that moves."

Sharon stares across the room at nothing as she took another drink. "You probably heard us fighting a lot lately. He- we've been trying to get pregnant. It's important to him but... I don't think he can- not anymore. But he won't go get tested. He just blames me instead... doesn't help that he's barely interested in having sex. He does his few seconds then leaves me to my toys, hm."

Matt sat still as his step mother unloaded on him. The vast majority of the information she shared was not something he wanted to know, but he felt as though staying silent was the best choice here.

"I know- TMI," Sharon laughed, finishing her glass of wine and setting it down on the table beside her. "But hey, I saw your penis today, and I didn't ask to see that!" She blurted out, and Matt turned bright red and looked at her. She must've been even drunker than he thought. "Oh, stop. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You were- are well equipped. Here, see we're even now." Sharon laughed as she adjusted her gown and randomly pulled it down to show her heavy breasts. Her nipples were hard and her plump tits swayed from side to side as she moved her shoulders before covering back up. She laughed, fanning her face. "Maybe I had a little much wine tonight."

"Just a little," Matt said, whatever he could to make the room feel less awkward.

"Oh, come on," Sharon said, scooting a little closer to him as she whispered in a not much quieter tone. "I know about you and Erica while on vacation."

This did catch Matt off guard. He never intended Sharon to find out he fucked her daughter, Erica. Just like he never planned on Stephanie to find out he fucked her mother, Amy. But surprisingly, and maybe it was the wine, but Sharon seemed pretty okay with what happened.

"You knew- you know?" Matt said.

"Hahaha, oh, the look on your face, sweetheart," Sharon giggled. "Wait till you're a parent. We always know. Like I know, you told Stephanie about you and Erica, didn't you? Yeah, Erica and I told each other everything and she told me someone left her a letter at her house."

"What?" Matt shook his head.

"Uh huh, but it's fine. I don't want to know more. Like I said, you're all a bunch of horny teens and I don't want to be involved- although I am kinda jealous." Sharon looked down at her smooth legs and shook her head. "What I wouldn't give to have someone to replace my vibrator..."

Matt shook his head and laughed internally to himself. Of all the sexual positions he imagined himself being in, sitting beside his quiet, polite, milf of a step mom was the least of them. Her words had become so familiar to him over the past weeks, he could hear the door opening for him to make a move on her. She wanted it. The way her fingertips danced across her cleavage, teasing him.

Matt knew just how much worse this could only be if he did touch her. Of the many things he had learned this summer, one was self-control, though.

"Well, I think I'm going to go to bed then," Matt said as he stood. "Have a goodnight." Matt was halfway to the stairs before a surprised and flustered Sharon spoke up.

"Matt, wait, just wait," she stood on wobbly legs. "I'm sorry for- I was just circling the problem that... I need your help. I need you to do something."

"What?"

"I know it's weird, or whatever, but there's a fertility clinic I've been looking into. I need you to come with me there tomorrow to give a sample," Sharon said.

"Why me? Why not get my dad?"

"I told you- he won't go or get checked out or nothing. I mean, if I get pregnant and the kid looks like you, he wouldn't suspect anything, you know? He made you, so... please? This is all I need from you, this one time, then I'll leave you alone," Sharon pleaded.

Leave me alone... need from you... all I need... leave me alone...

The words echoed from one side of his thoughts to the other. Lake a wave that continually crashed. Drowning him. Sinking him deeper into the dark depths of the water. Pulling him further into the trap.

Not even my step mother here even cares about me. She doesn't even want to help me decide on a college or cares where I go. She only wanted me to be her sperm donor. That's what this was. That's what all of this is. She wasn't comforting me by telling me she knew about Erica and Stephanie. She was blackmailing him.

Matt leaned his hand on the back of the second couch that was near the living room entrance. Shaking his head, he saw his life like an established and paved path through a dense forest. The black tar asphalt was as clear and prominent as his past mistakes and future direction.

His step mother stared at him hesitantly. Her fingers fumbling in front of her. Sharon's uncomfortableness with the odd request for her stepson to be her sperm donor was readily apparent. Sighing when she saw him shake his head, she started, "look if you don't want-"

Her words were abruptly stopped when she heard the noise Matt made. The slowly rising laughter that made his shoulders bounce and his hand cup his abs. The longer he laughed, the louder it became until Matt finally had to sit back down on the couch as Sharon joined in with a small giggle. "What? What's so funny?" She asked.

Matt took a long sigh as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "Oh, just everything," was all Matt said. "It's all just so funny."

"Okay..." Sharon smiled, shaking her head. "So, what do you think? Will you come with me tom-"

"Sure," Matt simply said. "But if you want it, you'll have to get it tonight." Matt stared at her with a confidence that wasn't there before.

"What?" Sharon crossed her arms and took a step back.

"You heard me," he smiled, leaning back in his seat. "Come over here for a second." Sharon did and stopped in front of him. The waving skirt of her nightgown brushing the tops of his knees. A curious hesitation in her expression. Matt leaned forward. "I've gone through this too many times, and am frankly kinda done playing these games. So I'll just say it. You've told me how you know I've slept with Erica and Stephanie. You walked in on me naked earlier. You showed me your breasts. If you want my sperm to impregnate you. You have to do it tonight."

Matt leaned back on the couch and undid his jeans. Sliding his jeans down his ankles, he left his boxers on. Sharon backed away, wide eyed and shocked. Her hand pressed to her bare chest. "Matt! I- I- no, we can't. I'm your mother- I mean stepmother, but still I've- we can't!"

"Okay," Matt shrugged. "If you don't want to that's fine..."

Sharon looked between him, the bulge in his boxers, and the floor several times, but didn't move. After several seconds, Matt shrugged and reached down for his pants and began to pull them up. "Wait," Sharon blurted out, taking a step nearer and holding out her hand. She clapped her hands against her thighs and took a deep breath. As if psyching herself up, she clasped her hands and sat next to her stepson on the couch. Her voluptuous hips brushed the thighs of Matt as she made an extra effort to make sure her gown covered as much as it could between her legs, but in doing so she pulled it lower on her cleavage which nearly caused her breasts to fall out altogether.

His step mother took her hand and carefully reached over and petted his bulge through Matt's boxers. Matt's limo shaft stirred instantly and grew half mass under his boxers and her palm cupped it up and down. Sharon's bottom lip was pushed to the side as she bit it. After a moment, she pulled the elastic band down under his balls and marveled at his thick, hard shaft. She shook her head. "This is so wrong," she whispered with her hands in her lap.