Rivals

"Yeah, we're proud of you too, now let's get moving," Manny said. Mikey helped Andrew up, handed him a towel, and walked him back to the locker room.

--

In the locker room, Andrew recalled his memory from ninth grade to Mikey. "You're sure?" Mikey asked.

"Very sure. I'm betting she hasn't forgotten." Andrew sighed. "God, my stupid brother."

"What do you mean?"

Andrew explained. "If it hadn't been for Josh scaring her away, we might have been friends. Now we're doomed to be rivals forever."

Mikey rolled his eyes. "Really? Forever? Isn't that a little dramatic?"

"You think she'd want to be friends with me now?"

"Maybe if you apologized?" Mikey suggested. "It's been three years, and you never apologized for your brother's stupid behavior."

Andrew thought about it, but didn't get long. Manny was pounding on the door from the hallway. "What's taking so long? You have three minutes to get to your next period!"

Andrew ran down the hall to the eighth exam, which was in Government. No Megan around to distract him, so Andrew poured his energy into the test. The same went for the ninth period, which was a test in Finance and Statistics. This was another subject he was strong in.

When he emerged, ready to go to his tenth exam, Manny held up her own statistics. "As you know, they won't show the last three periods' scores, so it's a big surprise at the end. But you got 99 in Chemistry and 100 in Fitness, so you're doing great."

"What about Megan?" Andrew asked.

"She got 100 in Fitness too. And 96 in English, beating your 95."

Andrew shook his head. "I mean, where is she now?"

Manny didn't have to answer that question out loud. She just pointed. Andrew turned to see her heading down the hallway. She'd re-donned her white dress, and was like a vision of loveliness headed their way.

Manny poked Andrew to get his attention, but finding it not working, she grabbed his face and turned it to meet hers. "Bottom line. After the first seven rounds, you're ahead by two points."

"I'm ahead?"

"Yes. Now go in there and finish this." She pushed him into the last classroom, and Megan followed.

Home Studies. This category was usually a crap shoot. Some people loathed it, but some people saw it as a cake walk. Andrew liked chemistry, so following a recipe was no different. He picked a random recipe from a hat - chocolate cupcakes. Perfect.

Megan picked a slip from the hat and frowned at it. She walked over to the station set up for her. To Andrew, it looked like she'd have to make some kind of pie. It wasn't until she arrived there that Andrew looked at the station on his own slip. It was the one right next to hers.

Both of them went right to work, mixing ingredients. Other students in the room were chatting easily, and so were the teachers. In their corner, however, Andrew and Megan were both silent, diligently working.

Andrew broke the long silence. "I'm sorry," He started, then fell silent again.

"For what?" Megan didn't look up.

"For my brother. Freshman year." Andrew looked up to see the gorgeous girl. "I had forgotten all about it until a little while ago. He's an ass, and I should have apologized right then."

Megan finally looked at him. "Three years too late."

"I know. But I wanted to make sure I said it." Andrew continued to mix the batter for his cupcakes.

Megan huffed on her side. "Dammit."

"What's wrong?"

"I hate this," Megan was flustered. "Pies are stupid."

Andrew had two thoughts simultaneously. One half of his brain was jumping for joy. 'She's going to blow it! She'll screw up her pie, and I'll finally win!' The other half was having the exact opposite thought. 'You're good at this, shouldn't you help her?'

Andrew decided the second half was right. Megan was on the verge of breaking down, and Andrew could help. He strolled over to her area. "Here, stir this," he whispered, handing her the bowl of cupcake mix.

"What are you doing?" she hissed at him.

"The teachers aren't watching. It's the last period, they don't care anymore." He quickly scanned the recipe for a custard pie, then grabbed Megan's ingredients, salvaging what she'd already started. "Are you stirring?"

Megan had been watching him work, and suddenly remembered there was a bowl and spoon in her hands. "Oh! Right. Stirring." She picked up the spoon and mixed the ingredients into a brown ooze.

Andrew quickly assembled her pie, then took back the bowl. "Put that in the oven, now. You have just enough time to let it bake." Then he poured his cupcakes into their tin, and put his in the oven too.

Once everything was baking, the two sat down at a nearby table.

"Can we start over?" Andrew asked.

Megan finally smiled at him. "You mean from three years ago?"

"Yeah." Andrew offered his hand. "I'm Andrew Collins, from Franklin East, and I think you're pretty."

Megan was stunned at his forwardness, but shook his hand. "Thank you. I'm Megan Mason from Franklin West. And I think you look nice too." She withdrew her hands, and folded them in her lap. "So, Andrew, where are you going to college in the fall?"

Andrew shrugged. "I haven't decided yet. I've gotten a few offers. I bet you have too."

Megan nodded. "Yeah, but I'm still deciding too."

The two compared their short lists of colleges, discovering that Carver University was in the top three for both, and was offering both nice scholarship packages. Then Andrew changed the subject. "I saw your painting in the hallway. It was amazing. It's us, isn't it?"

Megan blushed. "Yes. Can I be honest?" Andrew nodded, so she continued. "I was a little stumped at what to paint. Then I heard you playing the piano next door. I knew it had to be you. It was... beautiful."

"Thank you."

"And it made me think about that moment, in ninth grade. So I painted it. I wanted to capture that special moment." Then Megan's brow furrowed. "Then your brother kinda ruined it."

Andrew quipped, "Remind me to punch him later." That earned him a laugh from Megan.

They chatted until their baked goods were ready to remove from the ovens. Both the cupcakes and the custard pie came out well. Megan sprinkled cinnamon on the pie, at Andrew's suggestion, and watched him spread a little icing on the cupcakes. The teachers came around a minute later to see the results, and gave approving nods for both students.

Megan frowned at the remains of the pie, after the teachers had all had their tastes. "I never liked custard pie," she admitted.

"Want a chocolate cupcake?" Andrew offered. There were two left untouched, and he held one out for her.

Megan grinned and took it. "Why, thank you. I love chocolate."

[Saturday, April 25, 2020, 4:41 pm]

Manny's eyes nearly shot from their sockets when Andrew and Megan emerged from the classroom together, nibbling on cupcakes. "What the hell?" she asked angrily. "Are you two suddenly friends now?"

Mikey handed Andrew's bag to him, so he could grab Manny before she could continue. "Okay, enough. Let's take a walk before they announce the winners." Manny wanted to say more, but she let Mikey drag her away.

"I am still sorry about my brother Josh," Andrew told Megan.

"It's okay," Megan said. "I forgive you."

The two walked down the hall and finished their cupcakes. The hall cleared as everyone else, teachers and students and parents, headed towards either the cafeteria for snacks or for the auditorium to get a good seat. "Just imagine," Andrew pondered aloud, "we could've been friends for three years instead of rivals."

"Yes, we could've been friends," Megan said quietly, then even quieter, "or maybe more."

Andrew took Megan's hand, and she let him. "Maybe more," he repeated. They looked into each other's eyes. There was another moment then, similar to three years ago. The tiny spark had returned, more powerful than before, and it was set ablaze when Andrew leaned in to kiss Megan. Their soft lips met, and the rest of the world went away, if only for a few seconds.

"Wow," said Megan. "I think that was worth the wait."

"Me too." Andrew replied. "Let's not wait three years to do that again."

Megan looked around at the hallway. It was mostly clear now, with a few stragglers left to have friendly conversations. "I agree, but maybe next time in a more private place." One of the stragglers, Yen Chang, had seen their kiss, and gave the couple a sly thumbs-up.

Andrew hoisted the bag onto his shoulder, and heard a jingle he didn't recognize from one of the pockets. He reached in and found the keys to Mikey's van. He suddenly grinned. "Maybe that can be arranged," he said, holding up the keys for Megan to see.

--

Three minutes later, they were climbing into the back of Mikey's van. Everyone was inside, so nobody was in the parking lot. Even if there was, the back windows were tinted so nobody could see in. As soon as the sliding door was shut, Megan started attacking Andrew with kisses. "I can't believe this is happening," she said.

"Me either," Andrew said. Megan was already helping Andrew remove his shirt. "Are we going too fast?"

Megan chuckled. "The way I see it, we've loved each other for three years." It was true. Somehow, their close rivalry, their obsession with beating each other, had been an awkward kind of love.

She unzipped her dress and shrugged it off her shoulders to show her white bra. Andrew held her close, kissing her neck, and managed to unsnap her bra. They managed to toss it aside, and Andrew was finally able to cup Megan's C-cup breasts.

"These are new," he commented.

That made Megan laugh. "I finally got them this year, you like?"

"I love." He squeezed them, and moved his mouth downwards to take a nipple into his mouth. As he teased her there, he asked, "You ever do this before?"

"No, just read about it. You?"

"Same." But Andrew had read stories, and watched a little porn, and he hoped that would be enough. He slid the rest of Megan's dress from her body, leaving her in just her white lace panties. "God, you're beautiful," he said.

"So are you," Megan replied, kissing him again. She went to work on unbuckling his pants. "You really got cute this year, I almost got dizzy when I recognized you this morning." She pulled his pants and underwear down together, releasing his erection to her eyesight. "Oh, my. It's kinda big."

Andrew kissed Megan again, then helped her lean back onto the bench of the van. He peeled off her panties and found her soaking wet. "Megan, are you sure?" he asked, still nervous.

Megan nodded, spreading her legs for him. "I'm sure. I'm on the pill, so don't worry. Just, be gentle."

Andrew gulped down his nerves and put his dick against her tight, wet lips, rubbing it up and down a little. Then, while watching her wide-eyed face, he pushed his way inside. She gasped, but nodded, indicating she was okay. He pushed in more. Her virgin pussy was so tight, but she was so wet. "Andrew," she whimpered from below him. "Make love to me."

Andrew withdrew a bit, then sank deeper in, then gradually started a slow, hesitant rhythm. He was using all his will power to not ejaculate right then and there. Being both of their first time, he wanted it to last and make it pleasurable for both of them.

His cell phone dinged, but it was in his bag, and he was decidedly occupied. The world didn't matter right now. What mattered was Megan, and Andrew, and the cramped mini-van they were sharing, and the love they were making. He continued to fuck her, and as she started to open up inside, he found it was easier to move a little faster and a little deeper.

Megan was moaning beneath him, "Don't stop. Please don't stop." He picked up the speed a little, and leaned in to kiss her more. She moaned into his mouth, and she felt complete with his member so deep inside of her. 'I love him,' she thought, 'I always have. This is what I want.' She reached between them and squeezed her own breasts as he continued to pump in and out of her.

Megan's climax was coming up, she could feel it. "Andrew, I'm gonna come," she said breathlessly, "Come with me." She grabbed his naked ass and squeezed it. "Go faster now, fuck me." She gasped as he gave it to her harder and faster, and she was so close. "Yes, fuck me, fuck, fuck, oh FUCK!" She reached the peak, and it felt like her entire body seized up.

Her inner muscles spasmed, and that drove Andrew over too. "AHHH! Megan!" he groaned, releasing his semen into her, rope after rope, filling her up.

They laid there for a minute, catching their breath, until Andrew's phone dinged again. He climbed off Megan to retrieve it from the bag, then shouted, "Oh shit!"

"What?" Megan asked, still in a post-orgasmic delirium.

"It's 5:20! They're announcing the winners in ten minutes!"

Both teens jumped up and rooted around for their clothes. "Who was texting you?" Megan asked, reclasping her bra.

"Manny," Andrew replied. "She and Mikey have been looking for us."

--

[Saturday, April 25, 2020, 5:33 pm]

Manny and Mikey were waiting in the hall near the auditorium when they finally saw Andrew jogging towards them, with Megan Mason right behind. "Did they start?" asked Andrew.

"Yes, but they're starting with the freshmen, so we have time," Mikey replied. "Manny has something to say." He poked Manny and made her take a step forward.

Manny looked at Megan. "I'm sorry about earlier. Mikey told me about you and Andrew, freshman year. I think it's fine if you guys are friends now." Manny offered her hand.

Megan shook it easily. "It's fine. We've been rivals so long, it's hard to let it go. It took us three years."

Mikey was satisfied with the olive branches that had been shared. "So where have you been, man? Your parents are already inside."

Andrew looked at Megan, who looked back. Neither of them spoke.

Manny looked down. "Andrew, your fly's unzipped."

As Andrew sheepishly zipped himself, Mikey came to the realization. "Hey, wait a minute..."

"Later, Mikey," Andrew said. "Right now, we have to get inside."

--

[Saturday, April 25, 2020, 5:49pm]

As usual, Andrew and Megan were called to the stage as two of the top three students. Andrew had expected that. Since they were called up alphabetically, a petite Indian girl named Harani Gupta now stood between Andrew Collins and Megan Mason. Megan and Andrew shared a look over the shorter girl's head. Andrew couldn't help but wonder if they would have held hands if they'd stood together.

Before going on stage, Andrew had found his parents in the audience and waved at them, while Megan had found hers. But neither one wanted to part from the other. The four seniors stuck together instead, finding four seats together on the far-right side. Andrew and Megan sat on the aisle, of course, knowing their names would be called.

"Third place, senior division, goes to... Harani Gupta!"

Harani smiled and accepted her bronze trophy. She was clearly happy just to be up there, and a group of people, who Andrew assumed her family, jumped to their feet to cheer loudly for her. Andrew and Megan also applauded for her success.

As Harani walked off to the side of the stage, Megan inched closer to Andrew, and subtly took his hand in hers. 'This is how it should have been every year', Andrew thought, 'Side by side. Together.' He looked out to the audience to see Mikey and Manny both giving enthusiastic thumbs-ups.

Megan whispered to Andrew, so no one else could hear, "Good luck."

"You too," Andrew whispered back, and squeezed her hand. He decided, in that moment, trophies weren't everything. He felt he'd already won. And he'd be glad to see Megan hoist a fourth gold trophy.

The announcer started again, now that the audience had calmed down. "Now the moment you've all been waiting for, the winner of this year's Intercity Academic Decathlon, Senior Division." He opened the envelope and paused. The suspense was killing Andrew. Megan squeezed his hand.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, for the first time in over 50 years of the IAD, we have a tie. With equal final scores, the co-champions are Andrew Collins and Megan Mason."

The crowd went wild. Andrew and Megan turned to each other, both absolutely beaming. Andrew couldn't help himself, he grabbed her into a big, tight hug. "I can't believe it," he said.

"Oh my God, neither can I," she replied.

The announcer brought over the gold trophy, apologizing that they'd have to share it for today. "We'll get another one, I promise," he said with a kind smile. Andrew and Megan held the trophy together, and hoisted it up, eliciting more cheers from the crowd.

The announcer returned with a microphone, and ushered Harani back over. "At this time, we'd like to ask our three seniors where they've chosen to go to college this fall. Harani, have you selected your school?"

A timid voice came from the small brown-skinned girl. "I'm going to the University of Texas."

"Congratulations, Harani, thank you." The announcer turned to Megan and Andrew. "Megan, do you have your school selected?"

Earlier, she'd said that she hadn't decided yet, but now the choice was clear for her. "I'm going to Carver." Then gave a significant look to Andrew. He knew what he had to do.

"And finally, Andrew, where are you going in the fall."

"I'm also going to Carver." He turned to Megan, who was beaming that they'd finally be at school together. And, if Andrew had his way, they'd be together longer than that too.

--

[Saturday, May 16, 2020, 6:30 pm]

Andrew sat on the couch as he made small talk with Megan's dad. Mr. Mason was a warm, friendly man who loved his daughter very much. Andrew assured him that he'd take care of his daughter tonight.

"Here she comes," called Mrs. Mason from the hall.

Andrew stood and watched Megan come down the stairs, and was amazed at the sight. She'd done her blonde hair up elegantly, showing off the beautiful bare neck. Her bright red dress was strapless, and ran down almost to her ankles. Her feet were adorned with red open-toed heels. All that was missing was the corsage that Andrew held for her.

"Hi," he said, stunned by her beauty.

"Hi yourself, handsome." Megan adjusted his red tie, which matched the vest under his black tuxedo. "Is that for me?"

Andrew nodded. "Yes, here," he said, removing the corsage from its box and placing it on her wrist.

After a few pictures, the Masons sent them on their way. Andrew took her arm and led her to his car, opening the passenger door for her. "My lady," he said with a small bow.

Megan giggled and got in, and Andrew closed her door before getting in on his side. "Ready to go to my prom?" he asked.

"Ready. Are you ready to go to mine next weekend?"

"Absolutely, but mine will be better than yours," Andrew teased.

"Oh, really?" Megan smirked. "I doubt it."

"What's the matter?" Andrew asked with a grin. "Afraid of a little competition?"

--

THE END

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