In Her Cousin's Footsteps Pt. 04

Note -- If you get a chance, watch the movie, "Better than Chocolate" before reading this!

IN HER COUSIN'S FOOTSTEPS- Part Four

Lacey thought about the choices before commenting, "I didn't really bring much money, so I'm not sure. Probably the cheapest option would be good, but I could use my credit card if I have to."

They walked to the car, and Kristi popped the trunk, stuffing her gear inside.

"Well, let's pick up some drinks and maybe a bagel, then head back to my apartment so I can shower. We can figure it out along the way."

"Sounds good."

Lacey again found herself admiring Kristi's glistening skin as they drove through the campus. In a strange way, she actually found her cousin to be more desirable after a workout. As she daydreamed, she realized that -- with the exception of that first shower fantasy, each of her new masturbatory thoughts involved a perspiring cousin, whether it be Kristi holding her calves while doing sit-ups or giving her a lingering hug after a workout. She dangled her left hand on the console hoping that Kristi would take it, but there was too much shifting required as she navigated through the campus, then pulled into the corner deli.

"Coming in?"

"Yep, I'll follow you," she said, blushing as she thought of the reason why she chose to follow. As she watched her cousin flowing through the aisles, she finally admitted to herself that she had developed more than just an envious "crush" on her cousin, and the overheard information made her wonder if it was possible that the feeling could be mutual. Could her cool cousin really be into her in that way? She dismissed it, knowing she was getting way ahead of herself.

They grabbed two bottles of Gatorade, some spring water, and bagel sandwiches. Lacey used the ATM to withdraw enough money to cover some of the costs for the weekend, depending on what they decided to do. They got back in the car and took the short drive to the apartment complex.

"If we have time later, I'll give you a campus tour. Are you thinking about maybe applying here?"

"Maybe, I'm not really sure what I want to do though. I like math a lot, but I don't know. I was thinking of Elementary Education."

"Teaching would be good. That way we could spend the summers at the beach," Kristi smiled.

Lacey wondered if she was only hearing what she wanted to hear. Was her cousin considering more time with her? Maybe summers together after college? Or was it just an innocent comment?

"Well, here we are. Home sweet dump, I mean, um, home!"

"I don't think it's that bad, Kristi," Lacey said as they entered the apartment. It was clear that it was empty.

"Well, I guess everyone's gone for the summer, although Madison was at practice. She could probably stop by."

"Who?"

"Madison, well, Maddy." She's the really bad outfielder on our team. I think she's number twenty-two or twenty-three. I keep getting her number and her 'bookend' friend's number mixed up. It's like I have double-vision when they're together." Kristi's distaste for the two was obvious in her tone.

Lacey's heart sank. "Wait -- she's one of your roommates? Madison, Maddy?"

"Well, she doesn't help with the rent, if that's what you mean. But she's here a lot during the semester. A lot. She studies with Carmen, my roomie. They're both taking pre-med, and the classes are really intense."

"Oh, and her other friend, what did you say her name was, number twenty-three I think?"

Kristi stiffened as Lacey asked, and hesitated before commenting quietly. "That's Stacy. She's in the sorority that I pledged in. She thinks she's 'all that.' She's... she's not a nice person."

Lacey felt Kristi drifting off again, and they both remained quiet as they sat at the small table, eating their sandwiches and sipping their drinks. She tried to connect the dots, and it was pretty clear from Kristi's reaction that Stacy was at the center of her anxiety. She wondered if she should mention the overheard bathroom discussion, but the time didn't seem right.

"So, do you get along with your roommates? It seems like it would be fun to share a place like this."

"I guess. I mean, you learn a lot about people when you live with them. Angie is the perfect roommate. She's quiet, mousy -- kind of a bookworm. She rarely leaves the apartment, and when she does it's usually to go to school or the library. It's hard to tell that she's even here."

"Oh, and how about the other one. Carmen?"

"Carmen is cool. She's outspoken, down-to-earth. Do you know the term, 'butch?' She's like the definition of that word, but she's neat, clean and respectful of our space. I really like her. You would too, I'm pretty sure. And to be honest, she seems to be pretty popular with the girls."

Lacey tried to process the new information. So Maddy spends time here with Carmen, to 'study,' while her supposed friend -- Stacy - digs up dirt on Kristi. Although Lacey was pretty naïve, she did know what the term 'butch' meant.

"Does Maddy stay over sometimes, or is that against the house rules?"

Kristi laughed. "There are no house rules. It's a private apartment, so we make our own rules. Yeah, she studies late sometimes and is still here when I get up. I don't ask any questions though. It's none of my business, really. Plus, Carmen's my friend. She's allowed to be herself. At least she knows who she is, and what she likes..." Her voice trailed off as she said it.

Lacey had to ask. "Has Stacy been here too? I mean, she and Maddy seem like they're joined at the hip."

"No, not that I remember. She wouldn't dare show up here, especially if she knows I'm here."

Lacey didn't respond, and Kristi's fists clenched. She felt Kristi slipping into her dark place once again but hoped she wouldn't get there.

"Kristi, you are sweet, talented and caring. You're everything that Stacy isn't. You're everything that Stacy wishes she could be. Don't let her get to you, okay?"

Kristi looked at Lacey, again with a helpless look in her eyes.

"You don't understand, Lace." She took a deep breath before quietly commenting, "You're going to hear it sooner or later. I'd rather you hear it straight from me, I guess."

She looked Lacey in the eyes. "If I tell you something, promise not to hate me or judge me?"

"I promise." Lacey wondered if Kristi would actually confide in her this time, unlike just dancing around the issue when they were back at the picnic table.

Kristi took another deep breath. "I was a stupid, naïve freshman. I had this distorted view of college life, sorority life. I was so into it, the whole thing, pledging, learning about the history of the sorority, studying with the other sisters, even doing their chores for them. I really felt like I was connecting with them, and I didn't mind doing their laundry or running errands. None of the pledges really minded."

Lacey remained quiet as Kristi gathered her thoughts. "I was loving it, and I was adapting to the workload. When it came time for the sorority to assign our 'bigs' most of the pledges were given really nice mentors. I was assigned to Stacy. I tried to please her, I really did, but nothing I did was good enough. I thought it was just an act, but most of the other pledges really liked their mentors. Stacy was just cruel."

Lacey saw Kristi's lower lip start to quiver, and she shifted her chair over, taking her hand, and saying quietly,

"It's okay, Kristi. You don't have to go on if it's too painful."

With her other hand, she gently stroked Kristi's hair, and Kristi looked at her after a moment.

"She... she did stuff, mean stuff. It was her and another sister. I think they were determined to break me down, but the more they challenged me, the more determined I was to get through it, just to spite them."

"Like what, Kristi. What did she do?"

"Just stupid degrading stuff at first. Stuff that the other pledges had to do, but she would always take it a step further. Most of her tests had some kind of an embarrassing sexual component, and she made sure that my challenges were more private. She told me that she had the power to get me in or keep me out, so I didn't really feel like I had much of a choice, plus I was too far along by that time. I couldn't have gotten into another sorority."

She took a deep breath, followed by a big sip of ice water. "So, is your head ready to explode?" she asked with a faint smile. She allowed Lacey to continue to stroke her hair with her left hand, and they held hands as she continued.

"It wasn't just me who was tormented. There was one other 'big' who was almost as bad as Stacy. They seemed to always get me and one of the other freshman pledges -- Cyndi -- cornered. We just didn't know any better at the time. Let me know if you can't handle what I'm about to tell you and I'll stop, okay?"

Lacey nodded, unsure what was coming, but glad that she was warned. She braced herself as Kristi continued.

"Okay, so you know, I told you that I wasn't a virgin, I mean, I wasn't a slut at all, but I have been sexually active since my junior year in high school. I'm on birth control, but I have only been with five guys in my life. That's nothing compared to what happens on campus. I'm not counting hand jobs and stuff like that, but anyway, I guess I'm saying that I wasn't a prude. So when all of the 'bigs' made us wear dildos under our shorts, it was embarrassing, but it wasn't the end of the world."

"They gave each of the pledges separate routes, and my rubber cock was so big that I had to be careful or the tip would have shown under the hem of my shorts. It was actually kind of funny at the time, silly stuff. Cyndi and I had to wear them to a varsity women's basketball game, and we both had jackets so it wasn't a big deal. When we got back, the other pledges and their 'bigs' were already long gone. They supposedly went to an off-campus party, so the house was empty except for Stacy, Cyndi, her 'big' -- Andrea - and me. Stacy and Andrea were pretty drunk when we got back, and at first we all laughed about it, but then...then, they made us drink shots of tequila with them, and... it got weird. I drank beer before and tried kamikazes a few times, but I was such a light-weight, so it didn't take much for me to get drunk."

Lacey wasn't sure if she should hear the rest, but her mind envisioned the worst. She visualized Kristi and Cyndi with bulges in their shorts, and she knew she should have been repulsed, so why was it having the opposite effect?

"I have hazy memories of the girls telling us to unzip. I remember them making us suck the fake cocks while we still had them sticking through our shorts. Then they had kind of a line-up of like four or five pair of supposedly worn panties, all laid out on the dining room table, with each of them on a paper plate. I just remember them laughing and telling us that we had to match the panties to the wearers -- or else. After that...after that I'm not sure. I don't think I want to know, you know?"

Lacey waited, then finally asked quietly, "So if you did everything they told you to do, why aren't you in the sorority? I don't get it."

Kristi tensed up again and Lacey could see the muscles straining in her neck. She regretted that she may have struck a nerve. She moved her hand from Kristi's hair to her shoulders and lightly massaged them.

"We both got really sick. Cyndi thought maybe they put something in our drinks, but we both blacked out. The next day we were really hung over and we tried to piece things together. She didn't even remember the stuff that I remembered, and she was mortified that she even went that far. The next week when it came time for the vote, neither of us made it. We both missed out by two votes. I was in shock. I asked some of the other sisters what happened. I wanted to know what we did wrong, and all we were told was that from what they knew, we weren't their sorority's 'type.' I could tell there was more to it than that, but we didn't have a choice."

Lacey was sick. It was so unfair, and she knew immediately that Stacy was behind it. Was it jealousy or was she simply evil?

"I'm so sorry Kristi." She shifted over and wrapped her arms around her cousin, holding her tightly.

"Don't...I'm so sweaty," Kristi complained, but she didn't pull away.

"I don't care if you don't," Lacey whispered. She continued, "Don't worry about that sorority. If you aren't qualified, no one should be."

She felt Kristi reaching for her, embracing her. It was an amazing hug between friends, between family members. Was it more, Lacey wondered?

"I didn't tell you everything, Lace," she said as they reluctantly broke the hug.

Lacey assumed there was more, but didn't want to pry.

"One of the other pledges heard during a party that there were some videos. She never saw them, but she said it spread through the sorority that some lez stuff was recorded. She never heard who the participants were, but since Cyndi and I were both booted out, she assumed it was us."

"Did you, did you ask Cyndi about that?"

"I didn't know how to bring it up, but we both were at a house party last Fall, and Stacy and Maddy were there too. That's when I knew by Stacy's reaction that something happened. I wanted to confront her, but Cyndi talked me out of it. Now the whole team thinks that Cyndi and I are lesbians. Probably half the school thinks that too, and there's no way to stop the rumors."

"I know it sucks and it hurts, but do you really care what others think, Kristi? I mean, if they're really your true friends, they shouldn't care about rumors." She tightened her hug, before taking a chance.

"I know I wouldn't judge you, either way."

Kristi pulled away slightly and smiled nervously at her cousin, biting her lip before saying, "But what if....."

"What if what?" Lacey asked.

Kristi looked away. "What if it's true? I mean, to be honest, I'm not really sure what I like, and I hate not knowing. I mean, do you know what I mean? I want to like guys, but... I guess there's a part of me that isn't really sure. Does that make sense?"

"Totally, Kristi. Totally. I ... I'm not really sure either, to be honest. I almost wish I knew that I was one way or the other, like your friend Carmen. It would be easier to know."

There, she said it. She more or less confided to her friend who happened to be the main cause of her confusion, that she had an attraction to other girls.

"Sounds like we both need some good expensive therapy," Kristi said, pulling away and taking a final sip.

They both laughed, and they looked into each other's eyes; both wanting to say more, but the words didn't come out.

Kristi stood. "I really stink. Don't go anywhere, okay? What's mine is yours, Cuz. I'm going to take a quick shower. Make yourself at home, look around," she said, extending her arms to the modest room.

"What's mine is yours," Lacey said to herself, and allowed her imagination to take over as she heard the bathroom door close. She stood and looked around the small apartment. It was tiny, with a public area that amounted to a combination living room/dining area and kitchen all in roughly a fifteen by twenty-foot area. A narrow hallway led to the small bedrooms with two on the left and one on the right. Also on the first door to the right was the bathroom.

Lacey felt herself being drawn down the hallway. She glanced into the front left bedroom, which was obviously Angie's. Inside it contained a single mattress, a small desk with a few books, and an old computer chair. On the wall was a single poster of a smiling Albert Einstein.

She passed the closed bathroom door on the right and walked a few more steps, peeking into the open door on the left. Contrary to Angie's room, Carmen's personality was apparent, with rainbow flags and colorful paintings throughout. The queen-sized bed left no room for any other furniture other than a beanbag chair. A small mirror hung from the wall, and a 3-piece black and white photo set -- the instant kind that typically comes from a small carnival booth -- was tucked into the side of the frame. Hand-scrawled in the border was "Rehoboth -- August Pride 2019."

The subjects were a very affectionate couple in silly poses. She wasn't surprised to see Carmen in the picture, but her jaw nearly hit the floor when she realized that Carmen's very amorous 'partner' in the photo was Maddy! She shouldn't have been surprised, after hearing that Maddy often stayed over, but actually seeing it and knowing the truth was an eye-opener. She hadn't heard of Rehoboth, so she googled it on her phone and found it to be one of the hottest GLBT destinations on the east coast. Interesting, she thought, remembering the overheard discussion in the restroom. If only Stacy knew that her friend was gay, she thought, Lacey could probably sell tickets for that "outing."

She left the room and turned to the only remaining bedroom -- Kristi's. She didn't want to violate her cousin's privacy, but her legs kept moving her, drawing her to the entrance. She lingered at the door jamb and leaned against it as she peered into the small room. It was modestly decorated, with a small twin bed covered by a red NC State spread. There was a chest of drawers with a few family pictures and three trophies, each of which supported a variety of medals which were strung over them. On the wall were framed pictures of famous athletes such as Vanessa Williams, Cam Newton and Steph Curry. There were also inspirational phrases hung throughout the room, and the largest was a photo of Jim Valvano at a podium, with the quote, "Don't Give Up. Don't EVER Give Up!" The room was perfect, she thought, and she imagined herself feeling totally at home living in exactly that type of college bedroom.

As she passed around to the foot of the small bed, she nearly tripped over Kristi's shoes. She looked down at them. In a pile at her feet was Kristi's softball clothing, she felt a flash of warmth coursing through her body. Nearly feinting, she reached for the footboard to steady herself. She took a few deep breaths as her mind reeled, disoriented and confused. She glanced back at the doorway and heard the shower running. Her gaze returned to the small pile, consisting of the rumpled inside-out top and shorts. Aside of them was the pair of bunched up socks and her cousin's sports bra. What totally mesmerized her, however, was the rolled up pair of white cotton panties, strewn on the floor next to the discarded shorts. She felt her heart racing and it felt as though it was beating through her chest as she thought back to Kristi's hazing episode. Another glance back at the door followed, as well as confirmation that the shower was still running. Unable to stop herself, she looked in the mirror and felt as if she was being forced down, she watched herself dropping slowly to her knees in front of the pile. Her hand shook as she reached out to gently touch the clothing, starting with the shorts and top.

In the shower, with her eyes closed to avoid the burn of her shampoo, Kristi reached for the spot where the conditioner normally was. "Damn," she said to herself, realizing that it was missing. Knowing she had a small travel container of conditioner in her overnight bag, she stepped out of the shower, leaving it running as she grabbed an oversized towel to dry off. She wrapped the towel around her and opened the door, shuffling the few steps to her bedroom doorway. She abruptly stopped in her wet tracks, surprised to see Lacey on her knees with her back to the doorway. Kristi eased back into the hallway as she watched her cousin, first out of curiosity, but with mounting excitement. Her cousin's white shorts were tight against her full, sexy butt. As Lacey knelt, her cream-colored panties were exposed just enough above the band of her shorts to trigger a wave of heat down Kristi's body. Kristi watched as Lacey gently touched the dirty clothing on the floor and was embarrassed to find herself hoping that her younger cousin would pick up her panties. When Lacey's hand finally reached for the bunched-up panties, Kristi had to cover her mouth to suppress a gasp. Knowing that she was dangerously close to being caught spying, she slowly backed away, down the hall and into the bathroom.