Education of a Jezebel Pt. 06: AP Classes

They dried each other off, she wrapped a towel around her wet hair, moved into her own bedroom, shut the door behind her. She took nearly half an hour to dry and brush her hair, make her face. Dressing in shorts and shirt, she joined the group in the kitchen.

"Thank god you made it down," Ashley said, "the boys were about to go off with hunger. I kept telling them they had to wait."

Ashley threw Kelley an apron, they went to work on a good American breakfast, orange juice and coffee, fried eggs and bacon, pancakes with real maple syrup, toast, and blueberry muffins from a mix for dessert. The meal ended with loud belches.

"We've got time for more canoeing," Don suggested.

"Not for me," Kelley denied. "My shoulders are killing me from yesterday."

Ashley offered, "Oh, I've got a great salve for that. Let me run up and get it." To the men she said, "You go ahead, I'll stick around here."

After the men left, the women sat in the living room, a romantic movie on the tube, magazines at their beckoning.

Looking at the floor where she'd been laid by two men, Kelley's sense of strangeness returned. After a few minutes talking to herself, she pushed her emotion from her mind.

Mattresses were stripped, the sheets were washed and dried, the beds remade. By the time the boys were back, Kelley was packed, she sat on the patio as the chaos of leaving swirled around her. "Okay, we're ready," Don announced. "Which car should we put your luggage in, Kelley?"

She didn't realize there was an option. "Nick lives closest to you," Ashley explained, "and Don can ride back with me. If that's okay with you."

"Sure," Kelley agreed, "Fine."

Fifteen minutes later they left the house, the foursome stopped at a sports bar for burgers and fries - Kelley promised herself she'd hit the gym five times in the coming week - then there were kisses on the cheek all around, Kelley climbed into the passenger seat of Nick's sedan, soon they were driving the country roads and then the freeway back to the city. Nick said, "So, about the Book of Concord. On the same level as Scripture, or not?"

"What is it with you?" Kelley laughed. "How the hell do you know so much about Lutheranism?"

Nick smiled. "I actually thought of going into the seminary when I was in High School. I was Missouri Synod!" One of the most conservative of Lutheran bodies.

"No shit! So you've been yanking my chain."

"It was easy. You can get pretty serious about it."

By the time they'd hit Kelley's block, they'd solved the problems of eschatology, creationism and evolution and the new hymnal. There was even talk of going to Reformation Day ceremonies together at the cathedral and dragging Don and Ashley with them.

"Want to come in?" Kelley asked as he carried her luggage to her porch.

"I'd better not. Kelley, I'm really attracted to you. I'm surprised at how much. However, I've grown to love Ashley. If you were anybody else, that wouldn't be a problem, she doesn't expect me to date her only while she's got a husband. But since you're Ashley's best friend, I'm not sure I could keep everything straight."

"Okay, but we'll see each other again, won't we?"

"I'm sure we will. At least at Ashley and Don's house. It would be fun going out on a double date."

She started to give him a peck on the cheek, it turned into a full kiss.