Nerds of a Feather Pt. 01

Note: this is a slow moving story, if you like quick bang-bang stuff it ain't for you.

This is set in Ontario Canada, in 1980. There is no internet, there are no cellphones, no streaming video. These are fictional 18 year old characters.

Nerds of a Feather - Chapter 1 The Ask

Thursday Oct 16 1980

Jake Martini was sitting in the cafeteria across from his lab partner Kara Martins, working on their grade 13 chemistry lab report during one of their study periods. They were nerds by any measure. They sat next to each other in just about every class they had, all through high school, because the teachers at their school had a policy of seating students alphabetically. They had been lab partners in every physics, biology, and chemistry class they took. Jake and Kara were both in grade 13, and both were on the honour roll, competing for top of the class. And they were both loners, far too shy for any social activity. They didn't really have friends at school, just a small circle of acquaintances, all mostly nerds like themselves.

Jake was 5' 7", a scrawny kid with light brown hair, wearing glasses since second grade. Typical nerd, interested in science & math, reads a lot, and is painfully shy around girls. He had always been teased and pushed around by bigger kids, so he kept to himself most of the time. Any time he tried to talk to a girl he blushed and stammered; he was always rejected or ridiculed. The way girls hung around in groups meant that there were always a couple of them available to make snide remarks if he tried to speak to one. He was smart too, too smart, and was teased for being a 'brainiac'. By this time, at age 18, he was pretty much a full time loner. Never had a girlfriend, had never even been on a date.

Kara was tall for a girl, just shy of 6 feet, skinny, and not well endowed, with bad skin due to acne and eczema, and wore her dark brown hair short. Long hair and the dandruff from her skin conditions did not go well together. She was very shy with boys due to her self-image issues. She didn't have the curves that the other girls had. She was tall and thin, and wore mostly baggy shapeless clothes that covered her completely, partly to hide her lack of shape, and partly to hide her blotchy skin. Other kids teased her, calling her Crater-Face, which hurt a lot, and made her withdraw from most social contact with others. She spent a lot of time reading books about science and SF/fantasy. She too was an 18 year old loner. Never been on a date, never had a boyfriend, and never expected anyone to ever find her attractive. Not that she didn't dream of having a boyfriend...

Jake looked across the cafeteria at a group of the popular kids. The ones with social skills and interests & activities outside of school. The jocks and the cheerleaders, ones with boyfriends and girlfriends, who dated and partied, the popular kids and the cool kids. Sometimes they were the cruel kids too. The nerds, the outcasts, kids like Jake, were always on the outside, bullied, and always left out, pushed out, teased or ignored. He wished he could break that cycle. Life was OK, mostly, but he felt that it could be so much better. But there was no way to get involved, he was too shy, and felt rejection too keenly. He wished he had a girlfriend, but his shyness and fear of rejection prevented that.

He looked across the table at Kara and asked her "Do you ever think you might want to be part of that?" as he gestured towards the other kids.

She looked over at the group who were laughing and talking and listening to music on a boom box, and she said "Yes, sometimes, but I don't want to ruin my grades by wasting my time like most of them." Many of those kids were barely passing, and Kara was at the top of the class. 'And they would never have me in any of their groups anyways', she thought privately. She would've liked to have had a boyfriend, but she was so ugly and flat chested no one would ever be interested in dating her.

"Yeah, good point," Jake said. Then he looked down at his lab report, thinking about what she had just said, about wasted time and grades, looked over at the other kids, and then looked back at Kara. "Hey, so, um, how much actual homework do you take home? I do all mine at school, during lunch and spares." Being in Grade 13, he had two study periods plus lunch, which was loads of time to get all his work done. Especially for brilliant students who aced just about every test. He might work a bit at home, if it was a large essay or a big project, but 99% of his homework got done here at school.

Kara looked at her notes, then at the other teens, and back to Jake. "Oh! I never thought about it that way. That's an interesting observation. I finish all my work at school too. I spend half my study period just reading, for fun." She had a surprised look on her face as she continued, "I could easily spend time in social activities after school, and still have lots of time available for homework. That wouldn't hurt my grades at all" she said. She had never thought of this before. Most of her evenings were spent reading, watching TV, or researching personal projects. Kara looked at the others again, frowned, and said "I'd like to, but they're a very, um, exclusive group. I don't think they want someone like me hanging around with them."

He was surprised at her answer. It sounded like she really was interested in some kind of social activity. It made him think. It made him look at Kara, really look at her. Not the lab partner, not the kid who sat next to him in all his classes, but at the girl. Her answer indicated they both seemed to be interested in doing some kind of social activities, and she was a girl. He had never really seen or thought of her as a girl before. She was certainly not what you would call pretty, but at this point, someone familiar was as good as anyone Jake could think of. He hated the idea of 'settling' for someone, but who else was there? He didn't know any girls he could actually talk to, except maybe Kara.

Jake wanted to make a change in his life, so he dug deep inside and fought to keep a steady voice as he said "OK, so, um, would you, would you like to do something together, like after school, or something, like with me, maybe?" He could feel his face burning with a serious blush and steeled himself for the expected rejection. That's all he ever got from girls, rejection. It wasn't that he was particularly attracted to Kara, she wasn't pretty, but she was familiar, having sat next to him for 4 years. She was smart too, not one of those airhead cheerleader types. And she was a girl, despite the lack of figure and her acne-scarred face. But she probably wasn't interested in him anyways, he thought. What girl would be? Scrawny weak little nerd, can't even talk to a girl.

Kara sat up straighter, her eyes widened a bit and she blushed too. Having a poor self-image, she was more or less resigned to being alone most of the time. This sudden interest from a boy, even though she knew him pretty well, was a bit of a shock. She'd never considered Jake as a boy, he was just her lab partner, just someone from school, but yes, he was a boy, not one of those tall handsome hunks, but a boy nonetheless. Jake's earlier comments about time and homework made her think seriously about this. The two of them were not particularly close, just acquaintances really. But they worked well together, and he was smart, as smart as she was, far smarter than most of the other people in their class.

The seconds dragged by, time made slow and ponderous by anxiety, and Jake was on the verge of grabbing his books and fleeing the situation when she finally said "You mean, um, like a date?" Jake hadn't thought this far ahead. A date!? Did he just ask a GIRL out on a DATE? 'I'm doomed', he thought, 'she's gonna point and laugh, there's gonna be insults and humiliation'.

"Uh, I, yeah I, I uh guess so?" stammered Jake.

Instead of rejection, she said "Okay. What did you have in mind?"

Jake's heart was hammering as he thought frantically for something reasonable, and all he could come up with was "How, um, how about dinner and a, maybe a movie, um, tomorrow night?"

Kara blushed harder and said "Oh. Uh, OK that sounds good. Where and when, and um, which movie were you thinking about?"

Jake decided to pick something easy and said "How about Mother's Pizza at 5:30? We can decide on the movie when we get to the Cineplex. I guess I need to see if I can borrow the car, unless you have one."

She was sure she could borrow her mom's car so she said "I can drive us. I'll pick you up tomorrow at 5:15 if you give me your address". They exchanged addresses and phone numbers and then finished their lab report. The rest of the day progressed as if nothing new had happened, but both of them were nervous and jittery inside.

Jake was pretty much beside himself with fear, hope, and anxiety. He'd managed to get a girl's phone number, and ask her out on a DATE! Like a real guy! True, it was only Kara, but it was an actual date with an actual girl.

Kara was nervous and excited and afraid as well. A boy had asked her out! It was just her lab partner Jake, but it was a date. Her first date! It was scary and exciting, and she had butterflies in her stomach.

Nerds Of A Feather Chapter 2 First Date

Oct 17 1980

Friday was mostly the same as every other day but Kara and Jake spent most of the day blushing furiously every time he thought about this first date. They both carefully avoided the subject most of the day, fearing that any reminder would make the other back out. Especially any mention in front of their classmates. The teasing and ridicule from them would be nonstop and vigorous. He finally brought the date up with Kara during their afternoon study period when they were alone in the caf. "Are we, um, still on for tonight Kara?" he asked quietly.

"Of course, but I'm kind of nervous. It's, um, my first date, like a real date, with a boy and everything." She blushed and kind of shrank into herself a bit, fearing his rejection once he realized he was going on a date, in public, with "crater-face".

Jake smiled nervously at her and said "It's my first date too. I'm so nervous I can't think straight. But I'm kind of excited about it too."

She relaxed a bit then, and said "I'll pick you up at 5:15 then?" Jake nodded, and relaxed too. Maybe it would be OK. They finished their homework and went to the library to read.

When Jake got home he changed into nicer clothes. When his mom got home at 5, she saw him dressed in a button-down shirt and slacks, pacing nervously, and she asked him what was up. He told her he had a date, and Kara was picking him up in 15 minutes. She was surprised and happy that he was getting out and doing something. An actual date? Well, that's a nice change. She told him to have a nice time. He looked nervous enough already, and probably didn't need to be hassled about when he was getting home or where they were going and who was this girl? 5:15 rolled around and Kara arrived promptly. Jake was nervous and sweating. Kara wasn't much better off. She drove to the restaurant, they got a booth in the corner, and ordered a pizza and a pitcher of cola.

Kara started the conversation with "Jake, if we're going to be, um, dating, I guess we'll need some ground rules. I have no idea how this is supposed to work. I've never done this before."

"Dating? Um, yeah, I guess this is a date, isn't it?" said Jake with a small smile and a blush. He thought for a bit, then said "Well, um, communication is supposed to be the foundation of a good relationship so we'll need to talk. Honestly and openly. About everything we feel. We can't keep secrets, we have to be honest with each other." That was way more than he had intended to say, but his fears of rejection made him want to be sure of what she was thinking.

"OK" she said nervously, "That sounds like a good idea. Honesty and openness." She sat for a minute staring at her hands which were clenched together on the table. "I, um, this is my first date, so I'll probably say all the wrong things and screw up completely. I was so nervous all day, I had butterflies in my stomach. I don't even know if I can eat anything right now. No boy has, no one has ever, um, no one has ever treated me like a girl, like a woman, like asked me out, or anything. Oh god, I'm screwing this up already" she said, burying her face in her hands.

Jake touched her elbow, she pulled her hands away from her face, and he replied "It's OK. I kinda feel the same way. All I ever got from girls was rejection. I almost ran away when you didn't answer right away, when I asked you yesterday. I could barely eat lunch today, my stomach was in knots. I'm so nervous I'm sweating all over. It's my first date too." He shook his head. "Aren't we a sad pair, 18 and never gone out before. I think we have an awful lot in common besides being smart."

Kara felt an immense sense of relief. Jake understood. They did have a lot in common, they were both afraid of the same things, both too smart, and both too shy, "Then I guess we should just relax and stop worrying." Her relief was such that she laughed at their situation.

Jake was transfixed by her laugh. It was a clear bell-like sound that, combined with her smile, made him suddenly see her in a new light. "Your laugh is wonderful," he said, blushing. Complimenting a girl had only led to disasters in the past and he hoped it would be OK this time. "I've never heard you laugh before, I hardly ever see you smile. It's amazing. You um, you have a really pretty smile."

She sat back, her eyes went wide and she said "Oh". Jake felt like things had just gone off the rails but then she smiled again and said "Thank you Jake, I think this project of ours could be a great success. Can we get together tomorrow and plan out some more dates? Is your house OK?"

"Um, s-sure, how about uh, 10 am?"

"Perfect" she replied.

The pizza arrived and they ate and talked a bit about possible activities for future dates. They split the bill and went to the cinema where they settled on The Elephant Man. Not exactly a romantic movie, but it was quite interesting. Sitting next to each other they both wondered if they should touch, and how, and when. Eventually Jake reached out and took Kara's hand. She leaned against him and sighed, holding his hand and feeling a little less self conscious. They both felt thrilled at this simple contact as it was so new and unique to their experience.

After the show she drove him home. She got out of the car with him and said nervously "I, um, think this is where you, ah, kiss me goodnight Jake"

"Oh. Uh, this is my first time, I hope I don't screw it up."

"First kiss? Wow. Mine too. I hope I don't mess it up either."

Jake had to tilt his head back a bit due to their height difference and they tentatively kissed. The kiss grew bolder and their arms went around each other. As first kisses go it was not the greatest of all time but it was certainly very good. They were both astonished at how nice it was to hold and kiss someone. Other than a chaste kiss on the cheek with a relative, neither had any experience at all. They broke the embrace and Kara laughed and said "Thank you for the wonderful evening Jake. I'll see you tomorrow at 10, OK?" Kara drove off leaving Jake with an erection like a bar of iron. For herself, Kara felt warm and tingly in ways she had never felt before. They both masturbated that night before falling asleep.

***

Oct 18 1980

The next morning Kara showed up at 10 and Jake told his mom they would be down in the basement rec room. "We should review last night's date first, I guess, before making plans for more," she said after they sat down. Kara had been trying to decide what to say about their date last night, especially what happened after she got home. She was terrified to actually admit that she had masturbated, but their agreement was that they be honest. Was this too much? How far did honesty go? She had no experience with this kind of thing, and no one to ask except her parents, and she didn't want to do that.

To buy some time she asked Jake to go first. He was faced with the same problem, and he felt that she would be disgusted with him if he told her the truth. But honesty and openness was what they had agreed upon. He decided to take a chance, and tell her everything. He took a big chance on Thursday when he asked her out, and he could do it again now. "Kara, this may get very, um, personal. What happens if I say something horribly embarrassing? I-I don't want to offend you".

"Wow, I was worried about what I was going to say as well. We need to trust each other and share. Open and honest communication, right? Jake, just say what you feel. I won't be offended." She was getting very nervous now, fearing that Jake was unhappy with how the date went, and that this was the end of their nascent relationship. She thought the date went well, and was eager to go out with him again. That kiss last night was wonderful and she wanted to do that again. That embrace, that closeness, that intimacy, it was amazing.

OK, he thought, this might end badly, but I will say it anyway. Jake told her how nice it felt to be sitting with Kara at the restaurant, and at the movie. How proud and pleased he felt to be seen with her, on an actual date. He told her how pretty her smile was, how captivating her laugh was, and how nice that first kiss felt. How wonderful it was to be in such close contact with her when they embraced and kissed. Then he told her how horny that kiss made him, and how he masturbated before going to sleep. He described what he felt, how he imagined her arms around him again, her solid warmth pressed to him, her scent, her lips, and the extraordinary sensation of that embrace and kiss. How it fueled his orgasm and how good it felt. His face was bright red with embarrassment and he stammered as he finished speaking.

Kara's eyes did that widening thing Jake had seen a couple of times now. She blushed, and then stumbled through her answer. Her view of the date was similar to his in most respects, right down to the masturbation. Kara described how she felt overheated by the memory of their kiss, how wet she got, and how her insides dissolved as she came. She blushed furiously and stared down at the floor, embarrassed and flustered.

"Wow Kara, I didn't expect to hear that. I thought only guys got so horny that they masturbated."

"Girls have hormones too." she said, looking back at him. "I'm glad we took this step in keeping this an open and honest relationship. We might embarrass ourselves once in a while, or um, in my case, every time we talk, but this will make for a good relationship. Speaking of which, are we going to be making this a boyfriend/girlfriend thing, like publicly?"

"Wow, I have a girlfriend?" said Jake, smiling, his heart leaping, "that would be amazing, um, I, if, ah, if you wanted to..."

"I guess that's another first for both of us. I've never had a boyfriend before," Kara responded shyly. "So, um, what will we do for our next date?"

"I liked the dinner and movie thing, that was nice. Can we do that again? And it's Halloween in a couple of weeks. There's a school dance, everyone is supposed to wear costumes. Would you um, like to go to that?"

"I've never been to a dance. I don't even know how to dance. That's kind of scary, but I think we could go. Do you have any costume ideas?" she asked.

"I don't know how to dance either. As far as costumes go, um maybe a famous scientist? I could be Einstein. And you could be Marie Curie?"

Kara laughed at the idea of him as Einstein, and once again Jake felt a chill run down his spine. Her laugh did something to him that nothing else did. "Kara, your laugh is amazing, and you're, um, you have a really pretty smile," he said, blushing.