Will You Say Sarsaparilla?

Abigail -- Friday evening, girl's weekend at Lauren's

"Nice to see you again, Abby." Mrs. Franklin answered the door for her daughter. Lauren was likely already out at the pool. "How's school going?" Platinum blonde hair and an incredible physique were obvious familial traits.

"Good, one more semester, and it's on to law school." Abigail stepped into the massive circular entryway of Lauren's house. She had spent so much time here in high school that it was hard to believe it was the first time she had been here in three years.

"You're only spending three and a half years as an undergrad?" The older woman questioned. She was busying herself, getting some pieces of luggage rolled close to the door.

"Yeah, I had about a semester of credit in high school." Abby had been in high school honors classes and kept the trend going in college.

"Do you know where you're going next?"

"Yup, I already got accepted up north." Mr. Franklin had attended the school's rival that happened to be in Abby's hometown. It was practically local law in this city, not to mention that school's name.

"Boo!" Mrs. Franklin gave a thumbs down but didn't lose her smile. "It's a good school, though. Reggie'll be going to medical school in the same city. You know if you ever need any recommendations, Dennis knows you well." Mr. Franklin was the District Attorney, and his name carried incredible weight in the region.

"Thank you, Mrs. Franklin."

"How's Kevin?"

Abby shrugged. "I haven't seen him in six months. He moved out west and took the ring with him." He was not a topic she wanted to spend any time explaining today.

Kevin had been Abigail's high school boyfriend and proposed to her last Christmas. She had said yes, but something changed a mere month after. He must've expected her to drop everything and move off to the west coast with him. There was a heated argument when he demanded that she go with him instead of letting her finish her last year at school before finding a law program out West. Abby was not one to ever give in to demands or ultimatums from anyone; she took her ring off and handed it back as her way of response. He's lucky I didn't throw it at him.

"I'm sorry, Abby." Mrs. Franklin grasped her shoulder reassuringly.

"Don't worry about it. I guess he wasn't who I thought he was."

"First loves are tough." Mrs. Franklin looked like she had more to say on the matter but shook her head. "Well, Dennis and I are headed to a conference. We'll be out of your hair this weekend. If any of you drink, even a single beer, you're staying here." Mrs. Franklin's countenance became dour for a moment.

"I'm not going anywhere until Sunday. Mom and my brother are off in California meeting Ray's parents." Abby felt that Ray would be asking to marry her mother soon. He was a good guy, treated her mother well, and was a retired Airforce Sgt. turned affable electrician.

"Good, Lauren misses you. It'll be nice for you to catch up in the real world."

Abby talked to Lauren almost nightly, but a computer screen was a poor substitute for their misadventures. "I've been looking forward to it for a month."

"Dennis, are you ready?" The older woman yelled up the winding staircase behind them.

"Yeah, I give up on the backyard camera." The older gentleman came down the stairs with a smile and a wave.

"Oh well, the girls will probably feel better in their bikinis if they're not being watched." Mrs. Franklin rolled her eyes. "That'll teach me to fall in love with a tech nerd." Her green eyes turned to Abby with a hint of a smile.

"I suppose. Make sure no one does anything too stupid, Abby." He gave his wife a peck on the cheek as Mr. Franklin got close. A honk came from out the front door. "We could always trust you."

"The girls are out back with Reggie."

"Reggie's here?" Reggie was Lauren's older stepbrother; he was spending a year studying abroad before he came back for medical school. He also had the prettiest blue eyes that Abigail had ever seen.

"Yeah, he's back from England for a month before next semester."

"Have fun but stay safe. We gotta go." Dennis held the door open for Mrs. Franklin.

Abigail moved through the house, hearing the thumping beat slowly become decipherable as music the closer she got to the rear of the house. She looked down at her summer dress turned cover-up before stepping into the backyard. Knowing that Reggie was here made her question her makeup choices. She hoped he would like her new bikini.

The last time she had seen any of these friends was back during her awkward, lanky days. She had outbreaks of acne and arms and legs that seemed too long for her tall form. Her body had filled out in the last couple of years. Now Abby had curves in all the right places. After months of sulking over how her engagement had almost instantly disintegrated, she felt the vibe to get out and have some fun.

"Abby!" Lauren squealed and came running when she laid eyes on her. Back in high school, they had been best friends. Ab doubted she had been demoted from the position, but all their contact now came through apps. Lauren and her family spent most of their summer in Europe or on the campaign trail, or the pandemic made hangouts impossible the last couple of summers. The magical summer after high school, they spent so much time hanging out at this house and having crazy adventures with their now ex-boyfriends.

When they were in middle school, the girls were neighbors, but Lauren's widowed mother remarried a successful lawyer and moved her daughter into an upscale neighborhood. She and Dennis met in a bereavement therapy group. Mr. Franklin's first wife passed from breast cancer. He was a good man and had been a great surrogate father for Lauren.

Abby's life went in the opposite direction. Her parent's divorce and then her mother getting laid off triggered them to move in with Abigail's grandmother. Her dad moved to the east coast with a much younger woman and now showed up once a year to see Abby and her little brother.

Her mother worked hard to keep her kids in a private high school. It was why Abby had thrown herself into the honors courses so that she could get a full ride through college. It was also why she had to decline spending time in Europe with Lauren's family. She needed to spend the summer working at a law office to afford all the things for school the scholarship didn't cover. Her brother was a college quarterback at a D-II school, he wasn't going anywhere, but it paid for his education.

Lauren was of average height with dark green eyes, and her blonde hair was in a tight bun. Her pink bikini was tiny and showed off her tan skin that must have taken half the summer to get the particular deep tone. Since the end of the summer before starting college, Lauren picked up a pair of significant enhancements. Back in high school, Lauren had been nearly flat-chested. Now, she was far from it. The girls seemed to barely stay contained in her string bikini.

Abigail accepted the hug readily and squeezed her friend back. She had missed hanging out with Lauren. Her best friend was the life of the party and always managed to pull Abby out of her shell. Since her break up with Kevin, Abby had burrowed even further into her nerdy tendencies. Spending the weekend with Lauren again could be a dose of something she needed.

The Franklin's backyard was abutted by tall trees standing sentinel to ward off the encroaching farmland behind. The large backyard, easily more than an acre in size, was bordered by a six-foot tall stone fence. The house itself was on the edge of a circular road and was not directly connected by a neighbor, so there were no second-story windows that overlooked the space. It made the pool into a private grotto where there was no need to feel self-conscious about laying out to get a tan.

"You remember Victoria, Stephanie, and Zara?" Lauren waved to the three other ladies lounging by the pool.

Victoria was about fifteen pounds overweight, but she was still a knockout in her tiny green tankini, with her raven black hair falling loosely over her shoulders. She, too, looked as if she had spent considerable time around this pool. Her usually pale skin had a luscious toasty complexion. Lounging on a white chaise, she gave a quick smile and a little wave.

Stephanie was a tall, slender, leggy woman with olive-colored skin a few shades darker than the last time Abby had seen her. Her white bikini had a linear pattern of black, and what looked like bright pops of color splattered on them. It looked great with her short black hair. She had a tattoo of what looked like cherry blossoms blowing on an unseen breeze on her exposed side. Her wave was more enthusiastic, and the smile stayed pinned to her. Abby had been on the debate team with her back in school.

Abby returned both women's smiles before she turned her attention to Zara. She tried to hide some creeping disgust from coming out on her own face. Zara had been a bully in high school, the pack leader of the mean girls. Zara's snide remarks and shitposts on social media were common throughout her schooling. Lauren had warned Abby that Zara would be here and promised that the woman had changed in the last three years.

Zara wore a metallic gold string bikini that looked good on her deep mahogany skin. Her large breasts were homegrown and barely corralled by her tiny top. She had a frown and only gave the smallest of waves at Abby. Maybe she hasn't changed. Abigail tried to stop freaking out and trust Lauren. She never led her astray.

"Hi," Abby waved and then went to stake out her own lounger.

"And, of course, that's Reggie."

"Hey, Abs! How's college been?" Reggie stopped playing hoops in the pool to turn in her direction with a ready grin.

Since Mrs. Franklin remarried, Reggie had taken too much real estate in Abby's sexual fantasies. Three years had transformed his tall, lanky, but muscular body into something that looked like a Greek statue. Abby wanted to feel his well-toned pecs and washboard abs. It was a wonder how he managed enough gym time to look like that and still become valedictorian of his college class. His short sandy blonde hair and icy blue eyes were an excellent addition to a strong jawline and straight white smile.

"Good, one more semester, and then it's on to law school up north." Abby tried not to stare at the captivating young man. "Who's this, though?"

Abigail waved at a second boy in the pool; he was a couple inches shorter than Reggie and thicker. In contrast, he had a hairy chest and a close-cropped beard as opposed to Reggie's baby face. His chest and arms also looked to be in fantastic shape. He smiled and waved, seeming to be waiting for Reggie to introduce him.

"This guy?" Reggie asked with a smile. "He's just a chap from school. His parents put me up in England, so I let him tag along back to America. Say hi, Jacob." He turned toward the man.

"It's a right pleasure. Abs was it?" He had an almost royal-sounding British accent. He walked toward the pool's edge and extended a hand toward Abby.

"Abigail." She had to crouch down as she shook his hand. He may not have had the smoking hot body of Reggie, but he looked good, and the accent really worked for Abby.

"Where have they been hiding you this whole time I've been here? She's smashing, Reggie."

"Abs has been working back at the capital all summer." Reggie looked on with a bright smile. "Her law firm is preparing a case before the state supreme court. Someday, she'll be the president."

"Smart on top of beautiful, eh? Nice to meet you." Jacob reddened as if he hadn't meant to blurt out the compliment. It was kind of a cute affectation.

"Now, now, let's finish our game before we need to head to the pub." Reggie threw the ball to Jacob, and the pair went back to shooting hoops in the water.

"You want a drink before you get settled?" Lauren asked before Abby could remove her cover-up. "We have liquor in the kitchen. Make yourself something. Just no glass out at the pool."

"Sure, you got rum?"

"They got everything." Stephanie held up a red plastic glass with a smile.

After setting down her purse, Abby wandered back to the house to fix a beverage. She wasn't much of a drinker but was not against it in social situations. Maybe an imbibement or two would keep her from getting flustered in front of Reggie. She didn't hear the backdoor open as she was getting ice from the dispenser; Abigail nearly jumped through the ceiling when she saw that Zara had come in and was pouring herself a refill.

"I'm sorry, Abby. Did I scare you?" It looked like genuine concern on her features instead of the fabricated variety that used to presage a coming insult.

"A little. I guess I didn't hear the door."

"I needed a refill and..." She trailed off, blushed, and looked away for a breath. "I needed to apologize for high school. I was a bitch. I'm sorry. I know it's no excuse, but my parents broke up, and I often lashed out at you. I... I was working through some of my own shit too. It wasn't fair."

"It's okay; kids are cruel, right?" Abby's voice was flat as she poured a strong dose of rum into her cup. She wasn't truly ready to accept an apology yet and was trying to keep herself from running away.

"I've been trying to contact you for two years now. I get it. You had me blocked for a reason. Lauren, rightly, helped me figure things out." Zara looked like she was on the verge of tears.

Abigail couldn't grok whether they were authentic or just another act to drop the hammer on her. "It's okay," Abby repeated herself.

"Yeah, but I don't like who I was or what I did. I don't expect you to forgive me anytime soon, but I wanted to clear the air. Lauren missed hanging out with you. I think our triumvirate is a poor substitute for her bestie." Zara finished pouring her vodka and seltzer. "I'll see you back out there." Before heading back to the pool, she seemed to tip her glass to Abby.

Abby shook her head, finished her rum and cola with a twist of lime, and steadied her breathing before walking back out to the pool. Jacob, Reggie, and Zara had Abby nervous about revealing her bikini. Before college, back when she was all knees and elbows, Abigail wore exclusively one-piece suits to cover up as much as possible. This would be the first time she revealed her two-piece to anyone.

Even this morning, she had stood and stared at herself in the mirror, trying to decide if it was too skimpy for a day by the pool. It was primarily royal blue with white accents around the waist and up to her neck. A white bow between her breasts was decorative, but it made it appear that was what secured the ladies. It looked great on her pale skin and was a nice contrast with her vibrant red hair.

Abby was tall, almost too tall. It had taken her curves time to fill out and make her look less ungainly. She thought she looked good now but was self-conscious about others seeing how she had sculpted herself in the last seven months. In high school, she was rail thin. Before Kevin left, she had gained weight in the previous busy semester. Without him, she had turned that newly acquired mass into something strong and a touch curvy in all the right places.

Not wanting to stew in her thoughts for too long, Abby put her drink on the small table beside her lounger and pulled off her dress with no fanfare. She was glad to have sunscreen, even if it was late afternoon. Abigail didn't tan at all. Time in the sun would just singe her skin and add a few more freckles to her shoulders and the bridge of her nose. She had more than enough of those already.

"Wow..." Either Reggie or Jacob exclaimed from the pool. She couldn't be sure which, but they were both ogling her.

Abigail pretended not to see them staring as she brushed her long red hair over her shoulders and put it in a ponytail.

"I like the bikini, Abby." Zara was the first to say anything.

"Thank you, Z." She tried Zara's nickname, trying to get comfortable with her former tormentor.

"You look awesome!" Lauren crowed out.

They settled into talking about college, guys, and plans for the month and a half left in the summer before they dispersed back to their senior year at their various colleges. After an hour, Reggie and Jacob got out and toweled off before excusing themselves. They had plans to go out with some of Reggie's college buddies downtown. Abby appreciated getting a good look at both of them and was even happier to have mirrored sunglasses to make her staring a little less blatant.

"I'm gonna go get some refills. Does anyone else want one?" Lauren asked.

"Then we can get comfier without the boys?" Stephanie inquired and held out a cup.

"Give them twenty minutes to make sure they clear out first. We don't need them watching us get some sun."

"Good call, one more vodka for me, please," Zara added.

All the girls, save for Abby, asked for a refill. "I only have two hands. Why don't you come help, Abs?"

"I need to use the girl's room anyway."

"And get a refill. Come on, let loose tonight." Lauren grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the house.

When they stepped inside, Abby excused herself to the restroom. She quickly took care of business and washed her hands. Reggie nearly ran into her as she came around the corner to leave. He had styled his hair and put on a nice-looking button-up and a pair of shorts that showed he did not skip leg day.

"Oops, sorry, Abby." He stood face to face in the hallway, staring into her eyes with his beautiful sapphire irises. Reggie looked like he wanted to kiss her.

Go for it! Abigail screamed in her head. Seven months without any sexual contact was too long. She wanted to sate her long-simmering curiosity about how well-endowed Reggie was.

"Maybe we could catch up when I get back from England?" Reggie looked flustered as he asked.

"Are you asking me out?" Abby didn't care for ambiguity. Reggie just nodded in the affirmative, "That's another semester. You better hope no one snaps me up before then. I can be all kinds of fun." She said the last part with as sultry a voice as she could muster.

"Something to look forward to." He smiled and then sidled past her to rejoin his friend.

"I'm worth the wait." She gave him the most confident wink of her life and spun around while he gawked at her booty.

"Took you long enough. Did you fall in?" Lauren was still mixing drinks arrayed in a semicircle in front of her,

"I ran into Reggie."

"Oh, did you?"

"Yeah, he wants to ask me out when he returns from his year abroad."

"About damn time!"

"What?"

"You two have been mooning after one another for years. I've had to hear it from both of you." Lauren rolled her eyes. "You two nerds belong together; you can have like a hundred genius babies."

"Lauren!"

"What? You're both smart and hot. Figure it out! He'd make a good First Gentleman when you get elected. Very photogenic." Lauren's eyes twinkled mischievously.

"No marrying me off instantly! I need to have more fun after Kevin before I find the future First Gentleman." Abby's future political aspirations were mainly ascribed to what Lauren and her family thought of Abigail. Perhaps her stint as student council president also had something to do with it.

"Well, let's start having some fun this weekend. I've missed seeing you in meat-space."

"Gross, but yeah, I missed it too."

"Graduating in three and a half years with a pandemic! I hope you had some fun in school."

"A little more before Kevin got all douchey."

"That sucks, but it's not like Greg worked out for me."

Abigail picked up her glass and took a sip. "Did you put cola in this, or is it just rum and ice?"

"Oops," Lauren had an impish smile.

"Lauren Kinsey, are you trying to get me drunk?"