Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2005 02:17:31 +0100 From: Jan Vincent Subject: Unexplainable Longing - Chapter 8 Hi people Here is the long promised Chapter 8 of the ongoing saga of the McDougall and Southerby sisters. All parallel stories get a bump, including Linda and Nikki's relationship, Zoe and Jeannie and Nadine's. Kate and Jane plot to seduce the straight girl, "The Princess of Jane's Dreams," Miss Avril-Lavigne-Wannabe herself, Sam Neville. Thank you for everything, -jan Unexplainable Longing by Jan Vincent Comments welcome: jan123@hotmail.com Chapter Eight You're the one and you'll always be Linda, Nikki, and Raven had become best friends. Raven had tried to turn them into goths. The McDougall sisters agreed to it for a while, but it didn't take long before they realized that becoming full-fledged goths was not something they would want. It was fun to dress up like that for one party or two, but then it got too predictable. Linda and Nikki discussed finding an apartment for themselves, so they could stay together undisturbed, but their current financial situation didn't allow them to take that step. They simply had to wait. As Raven was usually in the room she shared with Linda, and Valerie McKenzie had already returned to New Zealand, they usually stayed at Nikki's room. Nikki's new roommate, Laura Sanders, was rarely in, and so Linda was able to relax, allowing Nikki to make out with her on her little sister's bed. None of them dared to take the clothes off, however, for the chance of being caught by Laura was always there. There were times when Linda looked at Raven and she wondered whether her friend knew how deep her relationship with her sister was. Linda could have introduced Nikki as her friend, girlfriend even, but that wouldn't work. There were a few people in the campus who already knew they were sisters, including Sven. Besides, now that they were older, their similar facial features betrayed their common genetics. Raven was no fool. Their matching surnames would have betrayed them sooner or later. What Linda didn't hide was her sexual orientation. The fact she was a lesbian was already common knowledge in the campus. Nikki maintained she was bi. Her sister still felt attracted to men, but that was becoming a quite rare event. Raven was mute about the subject, and Linda didn't know what her goth friend thought about it, as sexuality was often discussed with lots of cheeky innuendos, crappy jokes, and uncontained, unbridled laughter. Things started to change when Raven invited them to a techno party. They were all supposed to dress up as goths, with black lipstick and midnight blue nail polish. When they were changing into the outfits made of black lace, Raven went out of the room to check herself up in the bathroom mirror Nikki came up to her and said, "Linda?" "Yeah?" "I have something I'd like to give you. Ta-da!" Linda stared at a little box packaged as a cute gift. Her sister was holding it in her right hand, a wide grin appearing on her nervous, eager face. "What is this?" "What do you think?" "Why? As far as I know this is not my birthday." "I know. I just saw it, and it felt sooo right. I hope you'll like it." "I'm sure I will." Linda tore the wrap to shreds and opened the box. Inside there was a white gold ring, with an intricately woven pattern as though it was made of two rings instead of one. To top it off, a sparkling diamond incrusted in a thin frame of yellow gold held the two smaller rings together. Linda was astonished. "Is this for me?" "No, it's for Raven... Of course it's for you!" "Where did you get the money for this?" "It doesn't matter." "Yes, it does. This is too expensive. You can't afford this. I can't take it." "Look, I wanted to give you a present. Please don't ruin this by being so stubborn. Why can't you be happy for once?" "I am, but you've got to tell me where you got the money for this." "I stole it. Satisfied?" "You steal it? Are you crazy?" "No, I'm not crazy. I--" At that moment Raven returned to the room. Both sisters stared at her and then at each other with obvious embarrassment, and some contained anger too "I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" Raven asked. "Oh, is that a ring?" "Yes, it is," Nikki said, folding her arms, "and my stupid sister doesn't even want it." "You don't want it? Why? It's gorgeous." "It's not that," said Linda, sighing, staring at Nikki with annoyance. "That chick must be crazy about you," Raven said with a wry grin. "What chick?" Linda asked, as she studied the sparkling beams of light reflected by the diamond. "That crazy chick who came on to you yesterday. At Bette's party, remember?" "Yes, I remember," Linda said. "I gave her that," Nikki cut in. "Not that crazy skank." "You?" Raven said. "Oh, I wish I had a sister like that." "Well," said Nikki, "you can have me. Apparently she doesn't appreciate the sister she's got." "Yeah, yeah, yeah." Linda's annoyance grew. "Why do you have always to be so melodramatic?" "Melodramatic, me?" "Yes, you are. I just asked you a simple question and you refuse to answer it. And besides, I don't want stolen goods, thank you very much." "It's not stolen, Linda. I was joking. I worked for it. I saved for it. I had some money left, and I spent it, on you. I thought you'd like it and after all I was wrong. I don't care what you do with it. Throw it away. Give it away. I don't fucking care." And with this, Nikki wheeled around and stormed out of the room. * * * "Zoë, Jeannie, I want to talk to you." The twins looked at each other from their respective beds. Jeannie wondered whether Zoë had squealed on her. Their father's voice sounded somewhat angry. Jeannie got on her feet and walked over to the top of the stairs and shouted, "What's the matter, Dad?" "Come down, I need to talk to you. Now!" "Okay, we're coming." Jeannie went back to her room and said, "Hey, are you coming?" "Yes," said Zoë, displaying some impatience, as she drew her sneakers on. "Did you tell him anything?" "Tell what?" "About our fight." "No," said Zoë, her expression changing from impatience to open irritation. "I don't usually kiss and tell. Let's go, or he'll have a heart attack." The two sisters scrambled down the stairs and looked for their father. He was in the living room, staring at the phone, his hands playing with his pipe absentmindedly. "What's up?" asked Jeannie, trying to hide her nervousness. "You know what I just got?" he said, pointing to the phone with his pipe. "I got a phone call from a reporter. He said he has called you before. He said he wants an interview. Are you out of your minds?" "Dad, I don't understand why you are so angry with us," Zoë intervened. "The guy called us but we said we didn't want to talk to him." "That's not what he said. He said you called him back. Why?" "Because..." Jeannie began. "...we wanted to know why he wanted to talk to us," said Zoë, completing her twin's sentence. "You know how stupid that is, Zoë? What did I tell you? No press, no nothing, or you forgot that your sister can go to prison because of that? They dropped the case against her, they didn't formally cleared her name." "We know that," Jeannie said. "I'm sorry. I thought... if we knew what he was after..." "Well, and do you?" Fred said, waiting for his daughters to speak. "No, he wasn't there when we called," Zoë said. "We didn't say who we were, but he must've figured it out." "Oh, great," Fred said, looking up to the ceiling, breathing in deeply. "I need to make some phone calls. Next time, you don't say anything to the press, or I swear I'll ground you for a whole month. Understood?" "Yes, Dad," said the twin sisters almost at the same time. "Okay, go. And don't you screw up next time." * * * Jane Southerby walked down the hall of St. Patrick when she saw her sister come in with a very tired face. "Hey, Kate, how are you? Has Coach been mean to you?" "Yes, the son-of-a-bitch doesn't like to lose, and so we practice like crazy. I must have hundreds of contusions, bumps and open wounds. Perhaps one or two broken bones, too." "You look fine to me. You just like to whine." Kate laughed. "Yeah, I like it when people pay attention to me, because my sis doesn't." "Oh really?" Kate grinned. "No, she doesn't. Because she's chicken. She doesn't like to take risks." "Very funny." "Yes, I think so too." "Why are you like this? You seem so..." "Perky? Maybe. I'm so perky right now that I may try out for the cheerleader squad. What'd you think?" "Are you on something?" "No. I'm tired, and perky... If that's not a contradiction in terms I don't know what that is." "I knew you were crazy, but I didn't know how much." "Yes, crazy about you," Kate said, whispering with a teasing smile. "Kate, don't. Not here." "Oh, fuck it. They'll think we're just joking around. Relax, big sis. What happened between us is more common than you think." "I'm not so sure about that." "And I have something for you..." "What?" "Something you're gonna like it." "What?" "Something you're gonna like it A LOT." "WHAT, goddammit?" "I just talked to the princess of your dreams." "The princes... You mean?" "Yes, Miss Avril-Lavigne-Wannabe herself." "And?" "I said she should come over to our humble house, since our humble house has a swimming pool." "And?" "She thought it a terrific idea. She's coming with her sexy two-piece suit, so that she can show us her best attributes." "You joking, right?" "No, I'm not joking. I don't joke with life and death situations." "Kate, get serious for once." "I am serious, sis. I am. You must believe me, or I won't speak to you again. Bye. I gotta go. Dream of... us." Her sister winked as she waved at her and walked away. Jane stood where she was, gaping, shocked by her sister's odd behavior. She seemed too energetic, too brisk, as though she was high on something. And that was worrying. This was not the first time she suspected that her little sister did drugs. Crack cocaine, ecstasy, crystal meth, everything could be bought just a couple of blocks down south. * * * Linda was in the library studying cell biology. She was fascinated with how the immune system worked, how lymphocytes and antibodies worked together to ward off potential harmful bacteria and virus. She had impressed most professors with her above-average grades. There was even Professor Michael Solstein whose eyes lingered on her longer than usual. She could sense his interest in her, by the way he searched her eyes. She tried to keep her cool, dodging any eye contact, but he would never lose a chance of establishing a verbal connection with her--either a reprimand about her "bored" face or a question to test her "lack of interest." This was before she turned in the first mid-term. He was impressed with her A-. "You did well, Ms. McDougall. Although it could be better." She didn't reply. Instead, she checked the partial grades she got in each answer. She didn't want to be treated unfairly, either in a positive or negative way. "The cat ate your tongue, Ms. McDougall?" "I'm sorry. What...?" "I said it could be better." "Yes, I heard you." "Good." Linda stared at him as he walked away, and then sighed. The last thing she wanted was to become a teacher's pet. Damn! One hour later Solstein' dismissed his class. Linda packed her things and began to descend the stairs of the amphitheater. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, he called her name. Reluctantly she looked at him. "Yes?" "I need to talk to you." Linda stayed where she stood. "Come over, if you please. It won't take long." She did what she was told. He waited for the last student to leave the amphitheater and then spoke: "I usually let it pass, but I think you owe me an apology." "Apology?" She blinked her eyes, utterly surprised. "Yes, for being rude a little while ago." "When... When was I rude to you?" "'Yes, I heard you,' it's not a polite way to talk to anyone. Didn't your folks teach you any manners?" For a moment Linda didn't know what to say, then anger took over: "If you didn't like the way I talked to you, why didn't you say so? Why are you calling me here, alone, after the fact?" "I didn't want to humiliate you in front of your colleagues, Ms. McDougall. I just don't do those things." "Humiliate me? Why? I know how to fend for myself, thank you. You don't need to protect me." Linda made a pause, adjusting the backpack, trembling with anger and disgust. "May I go now?" "So, you don't think I deserve an apology." Linda pondered her options and then yielded. She apologized and then turned away and left. She didn't have any other choice, she thought. Antagonizing an all-mighty professor could be dangerous to her GPA. She needed it to keep her pre-med scholarship and to be accepted in an Ivy League med school. She had her heart set for Harvard or John Hopkins, but Cornell was also a possibility. Linda's fingers played with the white gold ring, turning it around the forefinger of her other hand. It was a nervous, almost unconscious gesture, while she tried to re-focus on the cell biology textbook. Before she could do that, her eyes caught someone familiar. Her ears confirmed it--it was her sister Nikki. And she wasn't alone. She was with that Swedish guy who had the hots for her little sister. She was laughing about some joke he had told her when she was warned by Mrs. McNamara, the librarian assistant. She excused herself, sending a slanted smile, full of complicity, to Sven. This was the first time Linda had seen her sister after their fight about the ring. She had meant to call her so many times, but every time she opened her cell phone she would close it again. Linda didn't really know the reasons why she chose not to call her. It never felt right to do so, somehow. Then Sven glanced in her direction and seemed to recognize her. Linda saw him whisper a few words; after a few seconds of hesitation, her sister turned and faced her. There was a moment of obvious awkwardness in Nikki's demeanor, until Linda looked away to repress some tears. * * * Zoë stared at her sister while Jeannie and her boyfriend Carlos French kissed each other right in front of her. Frustrated, she left the doorway of the surf school and went inside, searching for Nadine's friendly face. The German girl's revelations had astonished her, but they had brought them close, now that her own twin sister had become boy crazy. Zoë had dumped Todd Remick a week before when she learned that he'd been cheating on her with a mutual friend, a Brazilian girl called Marisa. Zoë wandered through the school's shop, searching for a new bellybutton piercing. Against their mother's wishes, Zoë and her twin had gotten their navels pierced during the summer break. It didn't hurt but a sense of discomfort was always there in the beginning. Right now she found bellybutton piercings sexy, appealing, something any teenage girl would want if she had the figure for it. Zoë's eyes quickly scanned the room, landing on Nadine's concentrated, businesslike face while the older girl tended to some clients' needs and wants. Lately, the German girl had been a major focus of her masturbatory daydreams. She loved Nadine's personality, so very different than most American girls'. She was so poised, tranquil, and yet fun to be with. And on top of that, she was drop-dead gorgeous and definitely bi, with a live-in boyfriend and her own sister Sabine as her top-secret, on-the-side lesbian lover. Zoë had tried to figure out how the older girl managed to have two relationships at the same time, but she couldn't come to any conclusion. In fact, Nadine was cheating on her boyfriend with Sabine, but apparently the German girl didn't think that way She said, "I'm not cheating on him. Sabine was, is, and will be my first love. Before he came into the picture, my sis and I were already lovers. She accepts this arrangement, so in my mind I'm not really cheating on him." Zoë had sensed some ambiguity in her friend's voice, which hinted that Nadine wasn't so sure about her self-proclaimed liberal way of thinking. It was one thing what people said and another what they really thought. It was a lesson she had learned so many times. When Zoë looked up she saw Nadine smiling at her. Zoë smiled back, her whole body tingling. Nadine exuded sensuality and openness. She felt strangely safe around that girl, who had confided in her without reserve or reticence "Good to see you, Zoë." "Hi, Nadine. How are you?" "Quite well, thanks. And you?" "I'm okay. Just left the lovebirds alone." "Carlos and Jeannie. Oh yes, the restless love of the young." "Well, I find it a little disgusting, the way they show off... and kiss in public." "C'mon, Zoë. Just let them be. She's your sister. She'll be your sister even if she has tons of guys." Zoë shrugged. "I don't care. She can do whatever she wants with her life." A pause ensued, Zoë still avoiding Nadine's eyes. "And how about you?" "I'm tired. The surf school's lots of work. Lee's usually not around to help me. He's always competing somewhere, everywhere. Last time I checked he was in Hawaii. And believe it or not, I'm a college student too." "I don't know how you can handle everything so well." "I don't. I just fake it." Zoë giggled, then stared at her friend more intensely than usual. "What?" Nadine asked. "Nothing," Zoë said as blood began to redden her cheeks. "What?" "It's nothing." "Are you attracted to me?" Zoë turned her back on Nadine, fighting off the embarrassment and the shame of getting caught. "It's okay if you are. I'm also attracted to you, Zoë." * * * Jane was nervous beyond belief. Sam Neville had called and was coming over with two girl friends. They were going to spend the afternoon in her swimming pool, which was all right because Jane's father was in downtown L.A. paying visits to clients. Her little sister Kate, the little schemer, wanted them to seduce the "princess of her dreams," and once more her sister was right. Sam was so downright gorgeous, and sexy, and insecure about herself, and yet brash too. This was just the right combination, but Jane knew the perils of seducing a girl who, so far, seemed the perfect straight girl. Recently Sam had toned down her Avril-Lavigne-Wannabe look, letting her own personality come through. The similarities between Sam and the real deal, in terms of personality and looks, were still there, though. When the doorbell rang, Jane jumped, startled. I need to calm down, she thought to herself, or I may ruin everything. Through the peephole, she checked who it was and, as expected, it was the Princess of Her Dreams. She smoothed her top and then her mini-skirt, took a deep breath and opened the door. "Hi, Sam. Great that you could come." "Hi, Jane. This is Sassy Sundale and Mikki Roberts. Your sister said they could come too." "Sure. Come on in." Jane led the three girls to the living room and then to the pool deck. Her anxiety was obvious by the way she kept brushing her hair away from eyes, driving the long light strands behind her ears. Jane could barely breathe. She didn't know why Sam made her lose her composure. "Oh, my," said Sassy, a tall, thin, redhead with freckles on her cheeks. She seemed one of those runway models Jane saw in fashion magazines her mother and her sister bought from time to time. "This is a great place." "Yeah, my father had it built. He's an architect." "Yes, Sam told me." "Where's Kate?" Sam asked, letting her bag fall on to the pool deck. "My sister's a little bit late. She had soccer practice this morning." "Oh, right, she told me about that. Your sis's really cool." "I know. I'm really proud of her." For a moment Jane held Sam's gaze, but then she looked at Mikki, a beautiful buxom blonde with generous curves and one of the most perfect faces she had ever seen. Mikki had blue, shining eyes. She seemed more reserved than her two friends, looking somewhat unsure where to stand, what to do with her hands and body. "So, what do you guys want to drink?" Jane showed them the kitchen, and where the food and the drinks were, should they want more. Back on the pool deck, Sam removed her black top and then her tight designer blue jeans, revealing her pale skin, visibly unaccustomed to the blazing California sun. Jane followed her friend's actions with utmost attention, for she couldn't take her eyes off of Sam's slender, long frame, and her generous cleavage, held in place by a glamorous black sports bikini top, matched by a red-rimmed black bottom. "My sister has a bikini that looks like yours," Jane said. "Does she?" said Sam, as she checked her bikini, making sure the cups were in place and the bottom fit her waif's ass. "Then she's got good taste." Sam folded her clothes in a neat pile next to her lawn chair and took the sunscreen out. "I could do that for you," Jane offered without thinking. Sam took a good look at her with a serious, thoughtful expression, then she smiled. "Are you sure?" "Yes, of course. I do that to my sis all the time." "Okay." Sam lay on the lawn chair face down, twisting her long hair away from her back and into a make-do bun. Jane kneeled beside Sam's chair and started rubbing in the grease on Sam's back. Again, Jane caught her breath, her heart hammering on her chest. She glanced at Sam's face and saw that her friend had her eyes closed, as if she was enjoying the pampering. To her surprise, she noticed that Sassy and Mikki had removed their bikini tops and were covering their bodies with sunscreen too. The unexpected show of naked breasts right in front of her made her body react. Moisture began to gather between her pussy lips, desire began to set in. Sassy had beautiful, milky white, small breasts, but nevertheless alluring by their roundness. Mikki's were far heavier, perhaps a generous C or a D cup. They were not as white as Sassy's but showed some tan lines. "Okay, I'm done." Sam didn't reply. The Princess of Her Dreams had fallen asleep by the little massage she had given her. The princess had become her Sleeping Beauty. Jane smiled at that, feeling somewhat disappointed, as she had anticipated the same treatment from Sam. Oh, well, she thought. Better that way. Jane removed her top and mini-skirt, oiled herself up as well as she could and then stretched herself out on the chair next to Sam's. She shut her eyes, feeling tired, on the account of sleepless, restless nights, dreaming about that very afternoon with Samantha Neville. Jane woke up to girlish screams. Sassy and Mikki were horsing around in the pool. Feeling some dizziness, Jane managed to turn over, supporting her upper body with her elbows. She gazed at Sam, but Sleeping Beauty was still asleep, despite the yelling and the giggling. Jane experienced an overwhelming need for touching Sam's back, her smooth skin, full of a unique aroma, the odor of a girl she would kill for. Desire returned, making her mouth dry, her breath catch, her loins react and twitch involuntarily. She sat up, afraid that the other girls might guess what she was thinking. She took a good look at her bottom's crotch and with relief she didn't see any moisture stain. Unlike her sister Kate and Sam, she wasn't really into dark-colored bikinis. She liked them with warmer colors, liked red and orange, against a light background, which would hardly hide any mistimed wet sign of arousal. "What time is it?" It was Sam's voice. Jane looked back, facing Sam. "Welcome back to the world of the living." "Yeah, you can say that. I needed it, though. What's the time?" "About four." "Is Kate back?" "No, I don't know why she's taking so long, but sometimes my little sis is quite irresponsible." "Probably she's having fun with some guy." "With her, everything's possible." Jane turned over again and lay down in a prone position, her eyes facing Sam's, half hidden behind a mesh of blonde strands of hair. Sam was again half asleep, with seemingly heavy eyelids, which gave her a sexy, languid look. Jane shut her eyes, because the intensity of her feelings for Sam was making her head swim. "Jane?" Jane drew her eyelids open. "Yes?" "Can I ask you a question?" "Sure." There was a moment during which Jane was able to feel some nervousness radiating from her friend's face. The dyed dark blonde was being replaced by a more natural-looking auburn red at the roots of Sam's hair. "Kate told me you'd never had a boyfriend. Is that true?" Jane held her silence, too astonished to reply. She hadn't seen it coming. For a moment she got angry with her little sister. She shouldn't have volunteered that piece of her private life to Sam. But then she understood. That was a part of Kate's grand scheme for seducing Sam. Eventually, Jane nodded, closing her eyes for a while. "Why? Don't you like guys?" "I do. Actually, my best friend is a guy." "I don't mean that. Are you a lesbian? If you are, that's okay. I'm totally cool with that." "You are?" "Sure. Sassy's bi. Mikki's had flings with other girls too, but she dates guys mostly." "And what about you?" "I asked you first." Both girls stared at each other, still lying down on the lawn chairs. Before Jane could reply, Sassy and Mikki were back from the pool, demanding Sam's attention. Jane heard the doorbell and got on her feet immediately. It must be Kate, she thought. She must've forgotten the keys at home. * * * Linda McDougall saw her sister walk towards her. She sat down across from the table and stared at her, without a word. "Hi," Linda greeted. "Hi, yourself. I see the ring fits." "Yeah, it does. Thanks. It's beautiful." "Why didn't you call me?" "Because... And why didn't you?" "Because I wanted you to apologize. You hurt me." "And Sven is the payback, right?" "Sven's my friend, nothing more. You should trust me, like I trust you. You get hit on far more often than me and I don't complain, do I?" There was some protests from nearby tables. They were making too much noise "I think you should go. Mrs. McNamara is really pissed off." "Not more than me. Bye." Before Nikki could stand up, Linda said, "Wait. I'm sorry... for ruining everything. I just..." "You just...?" At that very moment Linda noticed the staring they were causing. "Can I call you?" "No, come and pick me up at seven. Let's go out tonight." "Where?" "It doesn't matter. Just do it." "Okay," Linda said. Nikki stood up and was about to turn to leave, when her older sister asked, "Is Sven coming with us?" "Do you want that?" "No. Do you?" "No. I told you, he's just a friend." Nikki stared at her sister in earnest, and then added, "You're the one, and you'll always be." (to be continued)