In Her Cousin's Footsteps Pt. 12

From chapter 11: As it neared bedtime Lacey again felt her phone beckoning, tempting her to text Kristi. After the week that she had, she knew now more than ever that what they had was real, was precious, was amazing and rare. She felt her hand reaching out again as if it had a mind of its own. Did she have the willpower to avoid texting? Even she wasn't sure.

IN HER COUSIN'S FOOTSTEPS- Part Twelve

Lacey scrolled over Kristi's final texts to her, now more than a week removed. She knew that she should delete them and block Kristi's number, but she knew that there was no way that she could. She tried to convince herself that they weren't soulmates, that they weren't meant for each other, and that life would be much less complicated without Kristi, but her heart told her otherwise. Still, she knew that she couldn't change Kristi and her nonchalance toward meaningless sex with others. Was it so meaningful to Lacey because Kristi was her only experience? Lacey didn't think so. She couldn't see herself as someone who would drop to her knees in the darkness of a storage shed, unless it was with someone she loved - unless it was with Kristi. She dropped the phone and pulled the sheets up over her, fighting back tears before drifting off to sleep.

The next morning she awoke with a pounding headache. Although she never drank, she wondered if this is what a hangover feels like. She struggled to get out of bed and freshened up. Her dad was making breakfast downstairs, and she greeted him.

"Hey princess. The usual? Bacon, eggs, toast?"

"Um, no dad. I think I'm just going with yogurt and some fruit." He shrugged and said, "Okay, more for me I guess," as he grabbed 4 pieces of crispy bacon and wolfed them down.

What had gotten into her, she wondered? She was starting to like her new trimmed down and toned self and the last thing she wanted to do was weigh herself down for the game.

"Dad, wanna play some catch when you're done?"

"Sounds good. Wow, we haven't done that in years. I really like this new 'Lacey.' "

She smiled, mainly wanting to occupy her time to keep her mind off of Kristi until game time. They cleaned up, met in the back yard and started with short tosses to each other.

"I'm going to be really sore tomorrow," her dad said. "Your throws are much stronger than I remembered. Kristi has been good for you."

Lacey stopped in mid-throw when he said that, then composed herself. "Yeah, she's really special dad."

"So, did you give any thought to college next year? Maybe follow in your cousin's footsteps and apply to NC State?"

"I don't know dad. Maybe it's better for me to find someplace where I'm not in her shadow. Not that I'm going to be good enough to play any sports, but I was thinking of a smaller school."

She wanted to say, "One where I won't be near Kristi," but she didn't want him asking why.

He threw her a few pop-ups and she fielded them easily. "So, you and Kristi aren't hitting any frat parties when you go there, right?"

"No, it's all workouts and training. We're exhausted after practices so no parties for us. Besides, I'm only eighteen. They're all older."

"Well, just be careful. I know you already know, but there's lots of stuff that goes on in college from what I heard. Drinking, drugs. Just be really careful."

"I am, dad. You know that. And I have no desire to drink. I want to be in control," she said, although the thought of being in a collar for Kristi was the complete opposite of 'control.'

"Good. I'm a guy - an old guy, but still. Guys are out for one thing - at least they were back when I was your age, so I'm guessing that hasn't changed."

"Well, that hasn't been a problem for me. Trust me dad."

She almost wanted to say something to him, to provide him with a hint about her sexuality, but she knew she wouldn't have the nerve. She wondered if he sensed it, and if he would be disappointed in her if he knew. This wasn't the time to bring it up, but would there ever be?

"Are you coming to our game today? Maybe we can ride over together."

"I think I am, sunshine, but...well, I may have to leave a little early."

"Oh, hot date?"

He blushed when she asked.

"Seriously dad? You have a date? Who?"

"Just a friend of your aunt's. She has wanted to set us up forever and I finally ran out of excuses."

"That's good dad. I'm happy for you. Um, dad? One of the girls is inviting some of us over to her house afterward if that's okay."

"Sure. I'm glad you're making new friends. Will Kristi be there?"

She paused, deciding to just tell him. "No dad. Kristi and I aren't really hanging out anymore. It's silly really," she lied, "but we just decided to take a break for a while."

"Well, that happens. Sometimes a little distance is good. Makes you closer even."

She shrugged. "Well I better get ready for the game. Thanks for playing catch. This was fun."

She gave him a hug. If he would have seen her face, he would have been surprised at the look of agony as she thought about Kristi and their relationship.

She relaxed a bit before leaving again for the game. This time she batted eighth and played right field again. The opposing team was pretty weak, but she didn't do quite as well as she had in the prior game, striking out twice and hitting a shallow pop-up. She misplayed a ball in the outfield, but they still won handily. Afterward Susie again invited everyone back to her townhouse for a small get-together, and most of them agreed to meet there. She noticed that April and Connie again drove together, so she followed them to Susie's place. They all celebrated another victory, and Susie told the group that they could help themselves to whatever they wanted to drink. She turned the stereo up and put some snacks out. Most of the girls chose wine or mixed drinks, while Lacey again sat with a Sprite. She relaxed in the living room on a love seat, while three others - Katie, Samantha and Alex - were stuffed on the couch, and Susie sat apart from them in a comfy recliner. They compared statistics and toasted their still-undefeated season. Connie and April were out in the kitchen. When they finally joined the others, Connie quickly squeezed onto the sofa, leaving April to sit down on the love seat next to Lacey.

The drinks were re-filled, and the chats became sillier as the girls got more tipsy. They compared notes on dates, boyfriends and girlfriends. Susie suggested a game of "truth or dare," and everyone agreed to participate. Lacey nervously watched. Although she knew of the game, she never played. Being the only sober one, she feared that she would be too inhibited to really get into it. April rose and came back with two glasses of white wine, handing one to Lacey, who promptly handed it back.

"I don't, I mean...I'm only eighteen, so I'll stick with my Sprite."

April gave her a look. "It's just wine, it's like table wine. Did you ever take communion?"

"Yeah, but..."

"But? It's just like taking three or four communions. It's fine," she said quietly and handed it back to her. This time Lacey kept it, and slowly sipped it as the game started.

Susie started and turned to Katie. "Truth or dare, Katie?"

"Truth."

"Um, let's see. How old when you felt your first penis?"

Katie blushed and giggled, as did the rest of the girls. "Sixteen, no. Yeah, sixteen."

"That's it? No details? Okay, next?"

Katie turned to Sam. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare, I guess," which drew an "ooh" from the others.

Katie thought about it for a few seconds, then decided.

"Crawl on the floor like a doggie and fetch Susie's slippers." They all exploded in laughter and Sam proceeded to get down on all fours, barking and even lifting her leg as she pretended to pee on the coffee table. She crawled into Susie's room and brought back a pair of slippers in her mouth, dropping them at Susie's feet and panting obediently. Two sips into her first ever glass of wine, Lacey laughed along with them but flashed back to her play collar with regret.

Sam sat back up and turned to Alex. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"First time you gave oral - to a guy."

They all laughed, and Alex hesitated before commenting, "Did it have to be a guy?"

They all burst out laughing and Connie blurted out, "You're such a whore, Alex!"

Alex finally controlled her laughter and said, "First time with a man, seventeen."

"How about with a woman," Connie asked.

"You should know, Connie," Alex laughed as she responded, prompting Connie to blush and look at April, shaking her head.

"She's just kidding honey," she said to April, who didn't seem amused.

"Okay, your turn Connie. Truth or dare?"

"Truth. I'm not crawling around like a dog!"

Sam asked in total seriousness, "Last time you masturbated?"

Everyone got quiet, and Connie asked, "What time is it?"

Everyone laughed. "No, it was, I think, yesterday morning at work."

April nearly spit her wine out. "Wait, at work?"

"So, like you never did that?"

April rolled her eyes but laughed too.

"Okay rookie - Lacey. Truth or dare?"

She took a sip of wine and said quietly, "Pass."

Everyone booed. "No way, no passing. Truth or dare."

"Okay, dare I guess." She put her head in her hands as she waited for the dare. April moved over and whispered in Connie's ear. Connie blushed. "No, we can't have her do THAT."

Connie thought for a while longer. "Okay, I have one. Pick any of us. Whoever you pick will have to sit on your lap for a minute while you sing 'happy birthday' to her."

"Seriously?" Lacey took a quick sip and looked around the room. She knew she wanted April to sit on her lap but feared Connie's wrath.

"Okay - Susie." She blushed as Susie smiled and rose, crossing the short distance and awkwardly sitting on her lap with her arm around Lacey.

"I'm waiting," Susie said. Lacey cleared her throat and held on to Susie, weakly singing, "Happy Birthday to You," while the others watched intently.

"Thank you, Rookie," Susie said and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as she rose before returning to her chair. Alex and Katie decided they had enough and rose to say their goodbyes.

"See y'all at the next game," they said as they left, leaving just Sam, Connie, April, Susie and Lacey in the living room.

"Okay, another round?"

Sam said, "Either one more round or - how about 'spin the bottle.'? That was fun the last time." All eyes shifted to Lacey, who after four sips was losing her inhibitions.

"Your choice, Rookie. Another round of Truth, or 'spin the bottle'?"

They all waited for her answer, and her head was spinning. She flashed to a thought of Kristi at NC State with her head buried in Jake's lap, before deciding.

"Let's spin," she said boldly before taking another sip.

They looked at each other and Connie said, "Okay, let's move the coffee table and get the game started!" Susie went into the kitchen and retrieved an empty bottle. They all dropped to the floor, giggling. Susie took the bottle and gave it a long spin. It stopped at herself, so she gave her hand a kiss, smiling.

April giggled. "You don't know where that hand last was," and they all cackled.

"Yes I do. Do you really want to know?" Which prompted more laughs.

Sam took the bottle and gave it a quick spin, where it landed between Susie and April, prompting confusion.

Connie blurted out, "Three-way kiss!" They shrugged and the three girls put their faces near and gave each other a kiss on the cheek.

Connie spun next, and it landed close to Lacey who giggled nervously, looking Connie in the eyes.

"Oh, I have been waiting for this, rookie," Connie said kiddingly as she puckered up exaggeratingly. Lacey eased over on the floor and Connie gave her a lingering kiss on the cheek, dropping her hand onto Lacey's knee as she did.

Lacey smiled and spun the bottle. Again it pointed near Connie.

"Can't get enough of me, huh Rook?"

Lacey smiled and leaned over again, but this time Connie gave her a quick peck on the lips, surprising her.

April grabbed the bottle and spun it. Again it stopped at Connie. Both girls smiled and leaned across the bottle. This time the kiss was a bit longer on the lips, and the other girls got quiet.

"Time's up," Susie said kiddingly, but they let the kiss go on for a few more seconds before breaking their contact. April shifted over between Connie and Lacey, and both held hands as they awaited Susie's spin. Lacey was relieved when it landed right where she had previously been, now facing April. She leaned across Connie and pulled April to her, kissing her on the lips and allowing a moan to escape. Lacey watched almost casually as Connie reached to run her hand over Susie's back, rubbing it as the girls made out. Lacey looked at Sam, the only other participant and shrugged before taking another sip.

Connie said hoarsely, "Susie. Can you show me where the bathroom is?"

Susie smiled and stood. "There's one upstairs or a powder room."

"Um, where upstairs?" Susie motioned for Connie to follow her, and Connie grabbed April by the hand, pulling her up. Lacey and Sam watched them go upstairs together and they closed a door behind them.

"Well, that was...quick," Sam commented, blushing.

"Yeah, I mean... I figured Connie and April were a thing, but..."

"The funny thing is, Connie has been here dozens of times. She knows where the bathroom is," and she laughed as she rolled her eyes.

"Oh," Lacey said, feigning innocence. "They're not just using the bathroom then?"

"Every party ends with them 'using the bathroom' if I'm being totally honest," Sam said.

They stayed seated on the floor across from each other with just the bottle between them. Lacey noticed Sam at the last game. She seemed a bit older, possibly in her late twenties, with long dark hair in a ponytail. She was thin and toned, with a very quiet demeanor similar to Lacey's. She was athletic and seemed to be an above-average player. Just a really nice, normal woman with an amazing shy smile. Tonight they were the last players in the living room, and they made small talk while sipping their wine.

"You're a really nice player, Lacey. I'm glad you are on our team."

"I'm glad too. I really like everyone. They seem so nice. You seem really nice."

"You do too," Sam said as her hand fumbled with the bottle. They remained quiet, with both watching her hand before looking into each other's eyes.

"Should I?"

Lacey felt her heart racing and shrugged. "If you want... I guess so."

The bottle spun for what seemed like an eternity before pointing right back at Sam, who mimicked Susie's earlier actions and kissed her own hand as they laughed.

Lacey looked at her and spun. It stopped pointing just to the side of Sam. "Just missed," she said kiddingly, biting her lip.

They both looked up at the closed door before turning to each other.

"Should we?"

Lacey shrugged, "I guess it's the rules, right?" She knew she was tipsy for the first time in her life, but she still felt as if she was in control.

"Meet you halfway?" Sam said quietly, shaking a little bit. Lacey nodded and shifted a bit closer. Her heart felt like it was going to pop right through her uniform. Both girls leaned in at the same time, bumping their foreheads hard and prompting yet more giggles.

Sam said, "Boy, we're smooth, aren't we?" Both girls laughed before getting quiet.

"Try again?" Lacey asked, with one last glance up the steps. When she turned to face Sam, they were inches away and their lips met with a kiss that was similar to one that a shy couple on a first date would expect. They pulled away for a few seconds, and Lacey didn't resist when Sam's hand reached to hold hers on the carpet.

"That was nice, Rookie." She hesitated, twirling her hair. "Truth or dare?"

"I'm not sure, I mean. I'm not really a 'Truth or Dare' fan, I don't think. My truths are so boring that you would fall asleep, and I'm not very daring," Lacey commented.

"Well, it's either that or another round of 'the bottle.'" Sam smiled nervously, waiting for an answer.

"Okay, truth or dare, but I go first."

Sam conceded.

Lacey asked, "Truth or dare?"

"Truth, for sure."

Lacey thought, not wanting to embarrass Sam but still curious about her.

"Best kiss you have ever had?"

"Um, a guy that I dated in college. He was so tender, so caring. His hands held my face when he kissed me. I never had a man kiss me like that before or after."

"Wow, he sounds perfect."

"Well, he was - he now has a husband, so... I guess I didn't impress him," she smiled.

"Seriously? Wow."

"Your turn. Truth or dare?"

Lacey felt comfortable with Sam, surprisingly so. "Dare."

Sam looked at her with a hint of desire in her eyes.

"I...I dare you to take his place as my best kiss ever." She blushed as she said it.

"I'm not.. very experienced, to be honest. I mean I really only have ever kissed one person and we hardly ever..."

She couldn't finish before Sam leaned over and pressed her lips against Lacey's with a force that nearly dropped her onto her back. The bottle skidded out of the way and Lacey found herself wrapping her arms around Sam, holding on, wanting her. Lacey was the first to allow her tongue to escape from her lips, touching Sam's moist soft upper lip before gently pressing into her mouth. Sam's mouth opened just enough to allow her inside, and both girls melted in a deeper kiss, now lying on their sides on the floor. Lacey tasted the wine on Sam's lips and pressed deeper, searching for Sam's tongue. They remained in the kiss and embrace for several minutes before coming up for air.

"Wow," Sam said. "I need to change my last answer."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. I mean, can I be honest?" Lacey nodded.

"When we decided to play 'spin the bottle' I was hoping mine would land with you, but I just thought you were straight, so..."

"I'm glad...that it's you here," Lacey said before they embraced and kissed again. Their hands touched, and their fingers connected until Lacey pulled back.

She looked down at Sam's left hand with the ring on her finger.

"You're...married?"

Sam nodded. "It's complicated, but yeah. I'm, I don't know. I guess I love him but I still like being around the girls here. I know it sucks. I'm sorry."

Lacey felt somewhat deceived, but quickly recovered.

"It's ok Sam. Seems like there are lots of confused people around me. I guess I'm lucky. I'm not confused. I mean, I know I like girls. I know I'm gay."

It was the first time she admitted it, and it actually felt liberating to hear herself say it.

"Well, you're lucky. It sucks not being sure. I mean, I like you and I'm serious. Your kiss was, oh my God, it made me, you know..."

Lacey smiled but it was a sad smile if one looked closely enough. Once again, she was in a position where she had desires that she knew would go unfulfilled. This time it was actually with a married woman. She was unwittingly the "other woman."

"Well, I'm happy that we had a chance to meet," Lacey said as she composed herself. "But believe it or not, I have a curfew. I guess I'll see you at the game next week? That is, if they need me. The way I'm playing they may not want me around much longer."

"Well, I wouldn't worry about that. Connie has you in her sights, so she's not about to kick you off the team."

"Um, okay," Lacey said, unsure what was meant by that. "Anyway, thank you for, well.. you know. See you soon!"

Sam watched her leaving, wishing that she could have thought of a way to get her upstairs. Instead, she looked up and waited until Lacey was out of the house before climbing the stairs to join the others.

Lacey walked down the street to her car, but realizing that she was a bit tipsy, she wisely chose to call an Uber. She could get her car tomorrow after church.