The Friends List Ch. 01

"And that's what makes you special, Peter. There aren't a lot of guys out there like you. And that's why I'm willing to help you."

"Why?"

"Because I know if you sleep with any of my other friends, you'll take good care of them. You'll give them the straight girl equivalent of what I've had this past eight months. I'm not telling you any of my hookup stories now, at least not without a couple drinks in me, but suffice to say having incredible sex for the past eight months has made such a difference to my mental health, not to mention helping me to accept and love my body the way my partners seem to.

"If you did that for Laura after all the history you have with her, I know you'd do it for others, because that's just who you are. Most of the straight girls I know could really stand to get laid properly, by someone who knows what he's doing. And maybe once they've had really good sex, they'll stop settling for terrible sex."

"You're a good person to know, Monique Lachance."

She smiled as she finished her coffee. "I know. But I'm not going to make it easy for you. I can't tell you anyone else's secrets. I'll just... you know, talk you up behind the scenes. Girls talk. Laura's going to tell everyone she knows how good you were, but she's so much in love with you that the others might not believe her. I'll make sure they do. I'll make them interested in finding out for themselves."

"What about Vanessa?"I asked. "Isn't this going to create drama?"

"Probably." Monique shrugged. "But she can deal with it. Lord knows she's created enough this year."

"Oh?"

Monique took a deep breath. "People change when they go away to school. I'm living proof of that. Like you said last year, you get out on your own for the first time, try new things, get exposed to new ideas. You make mistakes and learn from them. And you party a whole lot. Vanessa, as far as I've seen, hasn't grown a lot, but she's legal to buy booze now and she's gotten deep into it."

I nodded. I'd suspected as much.

"I mean, lots of people get drunk and stoned all the time when they're 19. It's not like I'm worried about her... yet, anyway. But she's gone off the deep end a little bit. Sure, I've partied this year, but as self-discovery. She's just seeming like she's developed a little too much of a taste for the liquor in particular, and I hope for her sake it's just a phase, not the start of a problem."

"Her Dad drinks a fair bit," I replied, thinking about Walt. "I don't think he's an alcoholic; he goes weeks without drinking anything here and there, and I've never worried about him. But he drinks a lot more than Mom or I ever did. Mom's basically a teetotaller, I never have more than a couple drinks in a night and only socially. Maybe that gene is in their family tree."

Monique nodded. "She's made some questionable decisions over the past year, but nothing life-altering. I'm curious what you think."

"I'll keep you posted. What kind of drama has she created?"

"Just..." Monique paused, thinking. "Just stupid catty girl bullshit. She's a different person when she's drinking. I'm sure you'll see it for yourself eventually."

Just then, Laura entered the room, wearing a towel around her midsection and another wrapped around her hair. Her skin still had visible droplets of water on it, and she smelled freshly clean. "Good morning."

"Morning."

She sat down facing me as the towel slipped open at the bottom. I could easily see her bare vulva between her spread legs, and I could tell she was doing it on purpose. I tried not to look.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked.

I nodded.

"So did I. It's easy after you've that the best sex of your life."

Monique and I exchanged a look.

"I know you said last night that it was a one-time thing," she continued. "But if you ever change your mind... you can have me any time you want me."

I felt like a bit of a heel. "Okay, thanks, Laura. I had fun last night too."

She spread her legs wider. I noticed Monique noticing the bare pussy on display and trying not to stare. "Do you want to do it again?"

"I'm good," I answered. "Thanks, but I'm still pretty worn out."

Laura's legs clamped shut as her face fell. "Okay."

She got up, heading for the bedroom.

"How bad did I fuck up?" I asked as soon as I heard the door close.

Monique cackled. "She can be creepy, eh? If a guy acted like that it would be a massive red flag. Girls get more of a pass for being sexually awkward."

I nodded. "Double standards are fun, aren't they? That's the biggest reason I never got closer to her before. No matter how flattering it was being lusted after, it always was weird, too."

"She'll get over it. It'll just take time. She just got something last night she's wanted for years, and it was even better than she was fantasizing about all that time. But I think deep down, she knows you're not ever going to be together."

"I sure hope so. I already wish I hadn't done that last night."

"Regretting your drunken hookups is a part of being a university student, Peter."

"Yeah, but then you hopefully never see them again. I'm not going to have that option this time."

Laura emerged again, wearing the same outfit as last night. "I'm going to head home."

I nodded. "See you around."

I stood to say goodbye, then Laura hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. I could feel her hands lingering on my body, then down to my ass, copping a feel before she left. I could tell she was horny again, and I did my best to ignore it as she gave up and left.

"Ahh, young lust," Monique giggled after Laura had left. "Shall we get started on cleaning up?"

"I'm not cleaning shit. Vanessa made this mess, she can clean up the worst of it."

Monique sat back down, and looked me in the eye. "I told her I'd stay and help her clean up, and it looks like it's just going to be the two of us. Everyone else that's slept over has left. Can you please help us? For my sake, if not for hers." She gazed at me with pleading eyes and my resistance melted.

"Fine. For you. But not until she's up."

"Thank you, Peter." She leaned over and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. We kept talking for another half hour or so, catching each other up on our lives since we'd last seen each other. Eventually, I heard movement down the hall, and before long Vanessa emerged.

She looked like she'd been hit with a truck. Her brown hair was a dishevelled mess, and her face was slightly green as she sipped on water from a water bottle. She was wearing tiny shorts and a tank top, with the shape of her body clearly visible beneath it. I had never looked at her in that way, but it had once been an adjustment getting used to having a girl hanging around the house in skimpy clothes and I couldn't help noticing her tits straining against the top. They were noticeably bigger than I remembered - I thought she'd put on weight since I'd last seen her in person, but it had distributed itself in a flattering way on her body.

"Morning," I said evenly, holding back my annoyance.

"Morning," she croaked.

"So your new life includes trashing the house?"

"Relax, Peter. Nothing major broke." She filled a cup of coffee and took one long gulp.

"Did you even know all the people here last night?" I continued.

Vanessa shrugged. "I dunno. I guess they were all friends, or friends of friends."

"Having a party is one thing, but I'd have expected you to show some respect to the house and your family."

"It's my house," she responded airily. "It was Dad's first."

I glared at her. "Mom bought a share in the mortgage and you damned well know it. It doesn't matter who had it first. This is my home and Mom's home and you'd better show it some respect."

Vanessa glared at me. "You were never nineteen?"

I thought back to the debauchery of my first year in university, all-night keg parties, drunken hookups followed by STD screenings, occasional house parties not unlike the one I'd just attended. Fine.

"I was nineteen once," I answered evenly, "but I really wanted to sleep last night. You must have known I was coming home."

"Diane mentioned you were back this weekend, but I thought it was today you were arriving. I figured I was in the clear." She paused for a moment, rubbing her temples. "I'm sorry if the party kept you awake, okay? It wasn't my intention."

She extended a hand in contrition, and my annoyance softened at what appeared to be a heartfelt apology. I shook her hand lightly. "Fine, I accept your apology, on the condition you do most of the heavy cleaning."

Vanessa laughed. "They're not home until late. They're seeing the symphony tonight at Roy Thomson Hall and then driving back after, so it should be at least eleven-thirty or later. I'll get cleaning once this hangover subsides a little. I was expecting Monique and I would have to do all of it, so I'd be grateful for any help you can offer."

Just then there was a noise in the hall, and a tall, handsome, shirtless, guy with washboard abs and a hockey haircut emerged from Vanessa's room, looking dazed. "Anyone got coffee?" he asked.

I indicated the pot. "Help yourself."

The guy poured himself a cup, then drained it, black, in one long gulp. He leaned over and kissed Vanessa on the forehead. "I had fun last night. Text me?"

"You're not staying to help with the cleanup?" I asked pointedly.

The guy laughed. "Nah, bro."

After a moment, Monique piped up. "I think your shirt's over behind the couch."

"Oh, thanks!" He headed over and picked up a V-neck shirt in dark grey, sniffing it experimentally before pulling it on. "Later!"

"Who's that?" I asked as the guy left.

"His name's Carson," Vanessa answered defensively.

"First name or last name?"

"I don't know." She reddened.

"He seemed to know you."

"I'm a grown woman and my sex life is none of your business." Vanessa's tone was sharp.

I glanced at Monique, who shrugged. "You're right," I admitted. "Sorry. Not trying to judge. We've just got a huge mess to clean up and I think there's only the three of us left."

"Like I said, I wasn't expecting you to be home to help, so I'll take it," Vanessa replied.

Monique and I got started on light cleaning as Vanessa lay down on the couch. We saved all the heavy stuff for her, and after an hour or so my stepsister got up and started helping. I had to hand it to her, she did all the stains and deep cleaning without assistance or complaint.

Finally, by early afternoon, the house was reasonably back into shape, to a point that Mom and Walt would never know about the wild ruckus the night before. Monique left, Vanessa went back to bed to sleep, and I headed for my room to unpack my suitcase. Monique's words were still running through my mind. Who else among Vanessa's friend group had a crush on me? Who else would "for sure" sleep with me if they had the chance?

I was flattered and also frustrated at Monique's hinting. I'd never looked at any of Vanessa's friends in that way before, but Laura was significantly prettier than I'd remembered. Monique's confidence and new body both were attractive even if she wasn't interested in men. Even Vanessa's extra weight looked great on her. Her body had always been beanpole thin, but the freshman fifteen she'd clearly put on had filled out her frame, and she now had boobs and hips and an ass in a way she hadn't before.

I hadn't been expecting to have a great deal of casual sex living at home this summer, but the possibilities were turning over in my mind as I unpacked. Until last summer, Vanessa's core group of friends had once seemed to me to be indistinguishable, but getting to know an 18-year-old Monique a little last year had let me start seeing them as individuals. I found myself wishing I'd paid them more attention.

Besides Monique and Laura, there was Michelle Mackenzie, a chubby, dark-haired former figure skating champion whose hopeless devotion to her long-term boyfriend and low-level internet fame for doing makeup tutorials on YouTube were the only things I really knew about her. Given her devotion to whatever his name was, I figured she wasn't the girl with the mystery crush. Monique had said 'would say yes', hadn't she? Not 'would have liked to say yes?' I struggled to remember her exact wording.

Samantha Fischer was a gorgeous raven-haired girl whose father was the CEO of the local hospital system. She'd always rubbed me the wrong way as a spoiled rich kid; while my family was comfortable now, there had been times in my childhood where Mom had struggled to put food on the table consistently as a single parent, and kids who didn't appreciate their privilege had always bothered me. She was the only one of Vanessa's friends who'd been popular in high school. She wore high-end fashion and I'd never seen her without perfect hair and makeup on. I'd kept my distance from her over the years, and I didn't really know the first thing about her. If she was the yes girl, I didn't know if I'd go through with it even if I had the chance. But my goodness, she was a looker.

Natalie Chen was the most likely candidate in my mind. Second-generation Hong Kong-Canadian, her parents owned the neighbourhood convenience store. She was nerdy, highly intelligent and had a slightly off-kilter sense of humour I found charming. I'd always sort-of liked her, but she was shy around boys and never paid me much attention. I didn't really know much about any of Vanessa's friend in a sexual sense, but if Natalie had ever even kissed a boy, let alone had a boyfriend, I hadn't heard about it. I could see her shyness around me as being the product of a crush.

And finally, there was Kirsten Bäumler, the late addition and the one I knew least out of the core group. She'd moved to town in the eleventh grade, the year after I'd left high school, and around the time Vanessa had stopped hanging around our house with her friends. While I knew Kirsten was just as close a friend as everyone else, she'd never been to our house for a giggly sleepover or birthday party like the others had. What I did know about her was that she was a skilled musician, playing multiple instruments as well as singing. She had always been aloof the odd times she'd met me, to the point that I didn't think I'd ever even had a conversation with her. She was a small, blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl with a round, cherubic face who'd come over from Germany as a child. She was fair-skinned and very pretty, and her Dad's German-accented voice was familiar to all of us from local radio commercials advertising his used car lot.

Vanessa also had other, less close friends, and Laura had hinted she'd made more friends in university, but I didn't know who in that group also knew Monique well, so I assumed my crush was one of those girls in her core group from high school. If she wasn't, then maybe I could pry another hint or two out of her.

I considered, as well, the possibility that Monique was fucking with me. It was obviously possible, but Monique had never seemed like the type to do that, and I decided that if she had really wanted to create drama, she'd have named names and sent me off hitting on someone for her own amusement. By keeping it mysterious and not violating the girl code, she'd not only piqued my curiosity, but also convinced me that she wasn't telling tall tales.

But I still knew I needed to tread carefully. Vanessa's friends were a close-knit group, and the last thing I wanted to do was create drama. My potential regrets about hooking up with Laura aside, I had been enjoying my own slutty period in my life after breaking up with my second serious girlfriend last fall. For the first time in my life, I'd been having a lot of casual sex, and I'd been enjoying the hell out of experimenting with different people, learning new bodies and minds, gaining experience and confidence. If I could keep that going over the summer, I was down for it.

As I finished putting my stuff away and took the suitcase down to the basement, I smiled to myself. I'd been expecting a summer of studying for LSAT's and living at home with my parents and boring stepsister. But the possibilities of having an epic summer ahead were suddenly endless, and I couldn't wait for the weather to warm up and see where the next few months led me.