The Bonding Chronicles Ch. 03

"No, you can't be serious?"

Turning, Sara saw Andrew entering the cafeteria more content and carefree than he had seemed all day. She turned back to Allison with a large grin. "Yup, tha'ts my man," she said before swallowing another bite of apple.

"What the hell? Is he like, twelve? Why would you settle for that?"

Allison had just finished her last question when she realized she should have stopped one question earlier. Sara's happy playful smile was replaced by a defensive and protective sternness in an instance. The young goth girl couldn't help but swallow as a bit of fear washed over her.

"He is eighteen, and he is wonderful. No one settled Alli, we are lucky that we found each other."

Sara stared at her friend until Allison wilted beneath her glare. "Sorry Sara, I'm sure he's the cutest little garden gnome ever. I'm just surprised is all."

Sara was struck by the realization that she may have overreacted. "No, you're right, it's all happening pretty fast. It's just... I don't know... We understand each other. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lashed out at you like that." The two friends smiled at each other as the tension faded away. At that moment Andrew came up and sat beside Sara with an excited but nervous smile on his face.

With a bit of trepidation he said to Allison, "Umm, hi, I'm Andrew. You must be one of, like, one of Sara's friends?"

Allison looked between Andrew and Sara. Seeing the warm smile on Sara's face she just rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, I'm Allison." Taking a pointed look at Sara she finished, "Sara's friend."

Andrew could tell that Allison didn't like him, which he found somehow comforting and familiar. "It's great to finally, you know, meet one of Sara's friends," Andrew's voice was happy yet nervous.

"Yeah, it's great to meet you too squirt." Allison said as she tried and failed not to roll her eyes. Looking at Sara, Andrew could see that she was smiling at her friend while she took a bite of her almost finished apple.

"Apple? After all that running in the gym, and you are just going to eat an apple?"

Sara looked at him and her cheeks flushed with a subtle blush as she said, "Well I did have a pretty good sized snack earlier." Andrew blushed a deep red. "Besides," Sara continued, drawing Andrew's attention, "I also have this pudding!" She waved a pudding in his face.

Looking down Andrew saw a pizza pocket, cheese zombie (It's like a pizza pocket, but with only cheese inside), a milk, and of course, his pudding had been stolen. Looking back at the culprit he could see a satisfied smile on Sara's face.

She opened the pudding with a slow and deliberate movement, while smelling the edge in triumph. Andrew laughed and shook his head. "That's my svelte little hunter." He passed her his spoon with a grin.

"Fucking rainbows and unicorns..." Allison's tone was dismissive as she spoke from across the table. Sara laughed as she scooped the first spoonful of her chocolate prize.

Andrew looked between the two women in confusion until Allison said, "It's nothing champ, just a joke between us girls."

Sara looked annoyed at her friend while Andrew picked up his pizza pocket. Pointing it at Allison casually he said, "You know, Zack seems to like 'Spaz', you should try that next," before taking a bite of his food.

Allison studied Andrew for a couple of seconds before giving a small smile to Sara and then saying, "'Shrimp' maybe?"

Andrew chewed while he considered her offering, and then said, "Nah, too on the nose. 'Peanut' perhaps?"

Sara watched as her best friend and boyfriend tried to decide on the most condescending nickname for him. After a couple of minutes her favorite was 'under-tall', but she just stayed quiet and enjoyed watching two people that she cared about getting to know each other.

"Hey, Andrew. You all mind if we join you?" Seth was standing at the end of the table, his nervous eyes darting between the three of them. A short and overweight kid that Andrew didn't recognize stood beside him, struggling to find a place to look as he shifted in discomfort.

Before anyone could answer, Sara offered, "Any friends of Andrew are welcome at this table." Allison was staring daggers as the two newcomers sat beside her. Settling across from Andrew, the teens set down their backpacks and half eaten trays of food.

"Sara, Allison, this is Seth and..."

The dark haired young man looked around with nervous eyes, too shy to speak until Seth volunteered, "This strapping sack of man meat is Marcus!" He planted a playful slap on his friend's back.

Marcus blushed and looked at his tray of food petrified. Andrew said, "It's a pleasure to meet you Marcus. We are having a 'little' trouble with this 'tiny' problem, we've only been able to think of a 'short stack' of nicknames for me. It is an 'itty bitty' problem but I think we can 'squash' it. Think you can help?"

Marcus smiled with a little chuckle as he quietly said, "A 'teeny' bit, maybe." Everyone laughed as the mood lightened around the table.

Sara rubbed Andrew's leg and he could see pride in her eyes as she winked at him. Smiling Andrew gave her a gentle kiss before returning to the conversation as the table continued brainstorming.

The debate around the table developed into a frenzied back and forth of escalating frivolity as each person took the joke in wild and unexpected directions. Sara leaned against Andrew and watched the trees sway in the late summer breeze while the happy voices drifted into the background. An intense sense of fulfillment fell upon Sara and she sighed in contentment while listening to the laughter and joy of the people around her.

After a while Andrew's whole body shook with laughter bringing Sara back into the moment. She could see that everyone at the table was crying with laughter. Several other tables were failing to hide their amusement as many of the students were shaking with their heads on the table in front of them. The air was rich with the sound of uncontrolled laughter.

"Ohhh, god!" Andrew said as he tipped his head back, wiping tears from his eyes. "Ohhh, man, with a nickname like that I would HAVE to wear a purple sailor's hat and greet everyone like..."

Taking a small drink of milk he closed one eye, put both arms straight against his side and stood. Leaning across the table with a rigid arched back he shook and moaned for a few long moments. Suddenly the milk started dribbling down his chin and he said, "It sure was great to have you on board." He then collapsed onto the table and let out a loud exaggerated snore.

Everyone almost fell over laughing. Even Sara was caught up in the moment as Andrew slid back onto the bench. He buried his face against her chest and shook with laughter as she held him. Sara chuckled and watched a crater of laughter induced devastation spiral out from their table. Students were holding their sides, many were gasping for air and it took quite a few seconds before anyone was able to start pulling themselves together again.

"Please, no more," Seth pleaded as he waved his hand around the table while holding his side and crying. As the laughter started to die down Andrew emerged from Sara's embrace. While wiping the tears from his eyes he let out a loud exhale, trying to keep himself from starting up again.

"What the hell was the nickname?" Sara pleaded, overwhelming curiosity plastered upon her face. As Andrew tried to answer he kept almost bursting into laughter again.

"Captain L..." he had to stop while Allison, Marcus and a few people at another table burst into renewed laughter. Holding up his hand in a desperate attempt to control himself he pressed his lips together until they were thin lines of pale white flesh while he struggled not to laugh. With a determined look he spoke in a sudden burst, "Captain Lovepump." He fell against her in fresh laughter while many students joined in. Sara laughed and held him, rubbing his back and enjoying the moment.

Pulling back Andrew continued to chuckle while he gazed into Sara's eyes. She was startled by the overwhelming sense of gratitude and love radiating from him. He kissed her for several long and passionate moments. All sense of place was lost in those few blissful seconds. The cafeteria faded, the laughter vanished and all that existed was them.

When their lips parted Sara became aware of the continued silence around them. As she scanned the room she could see many surprised but happy faces. Almost everyone was smiling and she could see a few boys who looked at her in sad resignation.

Turning her attention back to Andrew she could see him watching her with pure adoration which she returned in kind. Darting her eyes around the room pointedly, she again looked at Andrew and his smile brightened as he shrugged and said, "Fuck'em."

***** Routine? *****

Andrew and Seth bantered while they walked towards Calculus, the new friends joked and distracted themselves from the frustrating teacher that loomed before them. Andrew wondered if perhaps he should have taken "Wellness and Nutrition" with Sara and Allison, before settling on the fact that while he hated his teacher he loved the material.

"So, space cadet, think you can keep from daydreaming this time? I don't know if I have it in me to save your sorry ass again," Seth said with a chuckle.

"Well, given my track record I am going to have to..." Andrew was launched sideways into a locker, bouncing brutally off his shoulder and collapsing to the floor with the air knocked out of his lungs.

"Watch where you're going loser!" a large jock said before laughing as he walked away with his friends. "Guess he don't got much to say when his girlfriend ain't here to save him." They all laughed as they continued down the hall.

Gasping for air Andrew struggled to stand as Seth and a couple of other teenagers he didn't recognize helped him up. Rubbing his shoulder he was able to take a ragged breath. Andrew thanked the helpful students who looked at him with recognition and pity before dismissing his gratitude with polite gestures and going back to their routine.

Looking down the hall a part of Andrew was disappointed not to see Sara storming towards him in a fury. The rest of him was grateful that the bond they shared was not that sensitive. He knew that whatever she would have done would have made this situation far worse.

"What the fuck man?" Seth said towards the distancing jocks while he helped Andrew towards class.

"Don't worry about it," Andrew said while still rubbing his shoulder and considering what he could do. It wasn't until they were taking their seats at the back of class that Andrew realized he had paid almost no attention to the numerous people who snickered and laughed when he was attacked. He wasn't even concerned about the people who were watching him while they walked to class.

Shaking his head Andrew chuckled and smiled.

"What?" Seth asked with concerned curiosity.

"I think Sara is rubbing off on me," Andrew responded, causing Seth to raise an eyebrow.

"Yeah?"

Andrew smiled at his friend. "You remember how shy and embarrassed I was this morning, right?" Seth looked at him in confusion, and while stretching his shoulder Andrew directed his gaze around the room.

Seth noticed that several students were looking at them with a wide variety of emotions. Turning his attention back to Andrew, Seth said, "Awww, you're all growed up now." They both chuckled as they finished setting up their desks for class.

Andrew realized that this was the first time he had felt this confident while under the scrutiny of so many students without having Sara there beside him. He smiled as he opened his notebook, ready to doodle.

Class got underway and Andrew was pleased that after a couple of questions Dr. Blake tired of trying to corner him and started focusing on the other students. Taking out Sara's phone he popped open the back while listening to the teacher drone on about "Limits" in the most confusing example he had ever heard. Shaking his head he popped out the battery and pulled the SIM card, amazed at the damage within the phone.

From his side he was startled to hear, "What the fuck?" whispered by Seth who had a shocked expression as he looked at the open phone on Andrew's desk.

Andrew grabbed his pencil and with haste wrote down "ASYMPTOTE DEF." Angling the paper towards his friend Andrew looked to the front of the room. Seth struggled but managed to define the term after a couple of stumbles, to the great disappointment of the teacher.

The SIM card was partially melted between a few of the electrical pathways, and looking at the phone he could see similar damage on the few exposed circuits. Putting the phone back together he tucked it into his bag and pulled out Sara's charging cable where he was surprised to find no damage at all.

Andrew puzzled over the state of her phone until class ended. While packing up he turned to Seth and said in a hushed tone, "You're right, he's definitely an arrogant little tiger with downs."

Seth laughed and confirmed, "Told you," while the two friends headed out to the hallway. "Well, guess I will see you in art man," Seth called back with a smile as he headed down the hall.

"See ya later," Andrew responded before turning and walking in the other direction towards his next class. He was still rubbing the dull ache out of his shoulder.

The halls are busy and Andrew realized that he was moving with careful determination. He studied all the people around him with nervous suspicion as he anticipated an attack around every corner. A couple of students he didn't recognize smiled and waved to him saying, "Hey, Andrew." He returned their greeting in pleasant surprise, before continuing his anxious journey to class.

***** Unexplained Devastation *****

Karen smiled at Andrew from behind her book as he waved to her before walking to the back of class. As usual, Sara was looking out the window with a wistful expression. Andrew planted a gentle kiss on her neck, startling her out of her revelry. Closing her eyes she moaned and said, "Mmmm, not fair," in a dreamy voice.

A couple of students blushed and turned away as Andrew opened his bag saying, "I can't help myself." He started to set up his desk for class.

"Learn anything fun in Health?" Andrew asked with a playful and dismissive tone.

Beaming Sara said, "Ohhh yeah, I learned that I had the perfect lunch." With a questioning expression Andrew waited until Sara gave him a proud smile from ear to ear. "Deliciously high protein with a side of fiber!"

They both laughed while Andrew blushed and looked around the room.

"How was Dr. McButtface?" Sara's voice dripped with venom.

"Ohh, he is just a little ball of over educated sunshine." Andrew responded causing them both to chuckle. Andrew noticed that Bruce, who was getting situated a few seats ahead of him, was laughing while he took his book out of his bag.

"So I took a quick look at your phone and I'm afraid it's toast."

He took her phone out of his rucksack and popped open the back, removing the battery and showing her the electrical damage. "Did you notice anything else not working this morning? The kind of electrical surge that would do this to your phone, well it should have fried pretty much everything in your house not connected to a surge protector."

Looking at the phone Andrew thought of something, and as he reached into his bag Sara responded, "No, everything was working great. I used my alarm last night since my phone was dead, and the microwave and TV were working just fine this morning."

Taking the charger out of his bag he set it down next to her phone, "Were you using this charger last night?"

She looked at the cable before answering, "Yeah, it's the only one I have. Why?"

Andrew considered this for a second before responding, "Ohhh, it's probably nothing, I am going to talk with Seth about this next period." Studying Sara's beautiful eyes Andrew gave her a remorseful smile and said, "I hate to have to tell you this, but I think the patient is dead."

Sara pouted as she asked, "Can we at least get my contacts?"

Studying the dead device Andrew shook his head and said, "They can try, but my guess is the memory in this thing is gone. We should probably stop off on the way home and get you a new phone."

While gazing at her phone with a sad expression, Sara perked up and said with excitement, "Oh well, guess it's time for a road trip then!"

Andrew was puzzled by her statement before he realized where they lived. After a moment he remembered that the closest city with a cellular store was at least an hour away. He became excited as he realized he would get to spend at least two hours alone with Sara.

Andrew reached out and caressed her cheek which Sara leaned into with a grateful and contented smile. He realized how much he loved her and how much he still had to learn from her amazing and carefree spirit. They looked at each other with longing and Andrew could feel himself harden in desire as Sara gave her lips a teasing lick. The bell jolted the young couple out of their erotic mesmerism and class got underway.

By the end of class Andrew had filled a couple of pages with dates and numerous impressive events through European history. Reading his notes over he realized that he was incapable of capturing the excitement and energy of Karen's lecture. He hoped that his notes would be enough to help him pass the tests. Writing down the assignment requirements Andrew looked over at Sara who was standing by his side watching him with a leering smile.

"So, think you can meet me at my locker about 15 minutes after school?" he asked.

Sara raised an eyebrow, "Sure, whats up?"

Andrew smiled, "I just want to talk with Mr. Spencer about some extra phys ed."

Looking up at Sara he could see that she was almost giddy as she said, "You know, if you want more exercise we could always explore the woods together."

Closing up his rucksack Andrew stood and pulled Sara into a welcome embrace, "That sounds amazing, Kitten." She pulled him against her body and he could feel her warm happiness as her nipples hardened against his upper chest. Pulling away he stood on his toes and kissed her before saying with intense desire, "We can explore more than just the woods."

Blushing, Sara bounced and said, "Ohhhh, now that is really unfair."

Slapping his ass with a loud and dull thud against his diaper she walked out of the room followed by Andrew who studied the room with a nervous glance. He was happy to see that no one seemed to have noticed the odd sound the slap made. Karen was shaking her head, smiling at the young couple as they exited the room.

Andrew's knees went weak as Sara nibbled his neck before whispering in his ear, "Tonight." She disappeared down the hall while her word rattled around in Andrew's brain.

***** Routine??? *****

Smiling to himself Andrew slung his rucksack further up his shoulder and straightened his graphic tee as he walked down the hall. Thoughts of Sara swam through his imagination giving him lurid glimpses of enticing fantasies.

Without warning Andrew was on his back, unable to breath. The brutality of the unexpected attack was shocking as stars filled Andrew's vision. He could remember feeling his left leg jerk forward and a powerful force against his chest slamming him backwards onto the floor.

"Ooops, didn't see you there jackass!" the jock from earlier said with disdain as he continued walking down the hall with his laughing friends. Andrew again struggled for breath as another student helped him stand.

"You OK man?" the young student asked from Andrew's side.

"Yeah," Andrew responded while wobbling on his feet disoriented. Shaking his head he said, "Thanks for the help."