Tessie crossed the street, zigzagging to avoid the oncoming cars. She couldn't remember a June so hot, and she tugged at her halter, un-sticking the orange jersey material from her skin, wishing that she had worn a skirt instead of the snug-fitting jeans.
Tessie found it hard to believe that her first year at Thoreau was going to end in three weeks. But when she thought about it some more, thought about the changes she had undergone, then it seemed like the first day of school was years and years in the past. And all the changes made her feel insecure, unsure of everything. She wasn't what she had been then… a little girl… but what was she now? A grown-up?
She wiggled through the mob that gathered in Nick's. It was like that every afternoon after school: young teenage boys and girls jamming themselves together in a smoke-filled, greasy-smelling, small area, being deafened by a much too loud jukebox, with only one goal in mind – to hang out. If you didn't hang out, you didn't belong.
An arm slid around her waist and pulled her sideways. Then someone's lips pressed against hers. She squirmed free of whomever it was.
"Love your bra. Where's your blouse?" It was Billy and he was ogling the flesh spilling from the top of her halter. '
"Don't you think this covers enough?" she said, thrusting her tits out at him; then she continued to make her way to the back where she expected to meet Jeanie.
Nick winked at her as she passed and she blew a kiss to him. Tessie knew that he liked her, that he wanted to make it with her, but it was always too crowded for her to get close enough to seduce him, and he never attempted to seduce her. In fact, Nick, as friendly and kind to the kids as he was, never had more than a business relationship with any of them. He smiled a lot, talked a lot, but said very little, especially about himself.
"Can you send a cheeseburger to the back for me, and an order of fries?" she yelled across the counter, so that he could hear her above the din.
Nick nodded and smiled, his white straight teeth showing themselves, accenting his deep, year-round, tanned complexion. "And the coke is on me." He returned her kiss, blowing it over the tips of his fingers.
She finally reached the back of the store and found Jeanie, scrunched between the wall and the jukebox. Jeanie was stoned on something and stared straight ahead, absorbed in her own thoughts and images. She didn't even recognize her friend.
"Great! What's she on?" Tessie asked Vince, who didn't look like he really knew what was happening, either.
"Dropped a quay. Want… while they last?" His eyelids struggled to stay open.
"No. Who wants to be a zombie?"
"You don't know what you're missing, babe."
"Yes I do. That's why I don't want any." She walked away from him, not wanting to explain that she was sick and tired of ups and downs. Except for grass, she was bored with drugs, and with beer and cheap wine.
Besides, Joey didn't take drugs. He didn't even. smoke grass, or drink. And he didn't approve of Tessie's using drugs. She wished that she was with Joey now, instead of in this crazy place. She liked being with Joey; she always felt at ease with him, and would see him every day if she could. He worked after school though, so they could only be together twice a week. They covered a lot of ground in that short time, however, fucking a full seven days' worth.
After Joey had taken her virginity, Tessie had fucked other boys, too, and some men, but none were as good as Joey was, and Tessie found herself depending more and more on him – for a lot of things.
"Here… you can sit here," Sandy called to her, pointing to a small space on the bench against the back wall of Nick's.
Tessie squeezed her way behind the table and sat down. Nick brought back her order and she ate, talking to Sandy between bites.
"I like your nail polish… best shade of green I've seen yet," Tessie said, then stuffed two French fries into her mouth.
"My father says that it makes me look like I have some disease," Sandy giggled. "My mother wants to borrow it though… to antagonize my father, I think."
"Your mother is an okay lady. I lice her."
Sandy's thinly plucked eyebrows raised. "She's a shithead… always trying to be like me… as if to prove something. I just wonder who she's trying to prove it to."
"Hey, what are you doing this summer?" Talking about mothers made Tessie feel uncomfortable, so she changed the subject.
"I don't know, probably go to summer school. Beats working. What about you?"
Tessie shrugged. "Same I guess."
"Smart girls; like Tessie here, don't have to go to summer school. Do they?" The sarcastic voice belonged to Eleanor Stuart, Thoreau's biggest female toughie.
"Yeah. What's that supposed to mean?" Tessie answered, unintimidated by the girl she thought of as a bitch dyke. Tessie had learned fast that if you act intimidated by someone like Eleanor, all you get is your ass kicked in.
"Well, you know, all you gotta do is lick ass and you get a passing mark… like with Mr. Sands in history." Eleanor bent over the table, bringing her face an inch from Tessie's. "Ain't that right?"
"Honey," Tessie snickered at Eleanor. "It isn't just the ass you're supposed to lick. No wonder you fail everything.
"Bitch! How'd you like me to tear your eyes out?"
Looking the overweight girl straight in her heavily made-up eyes, Tessie asked if she could finish her cheeseburger first. Infuriated, Eleanor grabbed Tessie by the hair, yanked her head back, and banged it against the wall.
"Fight!" someone screamed, and kids bled about, making room for the after-school entertainment. "Girls… the girls are gonna fight!" someone else shouted, and the plug was pulled on the jukebox. A hash fell over the place. There were only two things that could bring quiet to Nick's at this hour: the cops or a fight. The kids favored the fights, but the cops were also always good for a kick or two.
When Eleanor let go of her hair, Tessie regained her composure in seconds. She was frightened, hurt, and confused, and verb determined to keep that a secret from Eleanor. She stared coldly at the girl, defying her to try it again. Eleanor raised her hand, as if to strike Tessie, and Tessie stood quickly, moving the table away with a quick swing of her hip.
The table shoved into her belly only angered Eleanor more. She wasn't about to be made a fool of in front of all the kids. At least not by Tessie, the one girl she hated the most. Always with another guy… just because she wore those fancy purple rhinestone – studded platforms and wiggled her slim ass at every pair of balls that passed by. Eleanor slapped Tessie across the face, and, less than a second later, Tessie was over the table, grabbing Eleanor by her stringy mousey brown hair.
"Outside girls. Outside, please," Nick begged. "My store. It can't stand no more bustin' up." He flung open the heavy black steel door, hoping that the girls would listen to him.
They didn't, but Vince did, and he grabbed each girl by the back of her jeans, dragging them outside. He wasn't being nice to Nick, it was just that everyone could watch the girls wrestle better out there, and the long stretch of dirt and pebbles would give the girls more room to go at each other in.
Once outside, the two young girls circled each other, waiting for the first strike, their eyes glaring widely, both with hands on hips. The. sun beat down on them, and on the large crowd they had attracted.
"I'm gonna cream you," Eleanor threatened.
Tessie didn't answer her. She just smiled wickedly.
"Gonna wipe your ass up and down this fuck' alley."
Still Tessie didn't answer.
"You hear, sonofabitch… you hear?"
Mocking her on purpose, Tessie laughed at Eleanor. Then: "Come on… if you dare." She hissed the words, through clenched teeth.
Eleanor hinged at Tessie, both her hands going for Tessie's hair again, but Tessie, hands still on hips, slid gracefully out of her way.
"Come on, fat girl. Can't you move any faster than that?"
Eleanor's face turned scarlet, fire blazed in her eyes, and once more she lunged, this time falling flat on her stomach as Tessie again swerved away. But Tessie didn't taunt Eleanor anymore, knowing that you can just do that so often before it loses its effect. Instead, Tessie pounced on Eleanor's back, and, not so gracefully, sat on the girl, pinning her down.
Tessie pulled Eleanor's arms up and wrapped them behind the girl's back, while, with one hand, she grabbed long strands of her hair. She used the hair as a handle and wiped Eleanor's face from side to side on the ground.
"Eat dirt, you fuck. Just jealous 'cause you ain't got no boyfriends. Not my fault you're an ugly bastard. It's your father's… if you got one." Tessie was not about to rely on' physical strength to save her from this skirmish. She'd rather bend Eleanor's mind all out of shape, and win that way. It was all so much easier, and so much less painful.
The crowd went wild. The boys yelped and whooped and carried on, cheering mostly for Tessie, but really not caring who won. "Let's see some tit," one of them shouted and then they all started yelling it.
The girls took the fight a little more seriously, rooting for the girl most like themselves.
"Come on, Tessie… tear her head oft," Jeanie managed, just before she passed out.
"Kick her in the cunt," Sandy screamed as Vince slid his hand inside her blouse.
The pinned girl managed to flip herself over so that now Tessie rested precariously on Eleanor's stomach. She scrambled to get off the heaving softness beneath her, but Eleanor drew up her legs and swung to the side, tossing Tessie two feet away, to land tit-down in the gravel. Eleanor raised one leg in the air to stomp on the frailer girl, but Tessie rolled over and grabbed Eleanor's leg, sending her reeling backwards to fall on her ass.
"That's it. You're finished," Eleanor menaced, rising awkwardly.
Tessie came at her quickly, her blood-red nails like claws aiming for Eleanor's face. Eleanor managed to duck her head out of the way, but Tessie wasn't going to retreat. Instead she ripped the front of. Eleanor's blouse; every button popped off, leaving Eleanor's sagging tits to flop about.
The boys cheered, the girls giggled and Eleanor went completely crazy.
"My my, whatcha gonna be like when you're forty, my dear?" Tessie took advantage of the momentary gain to thwart Eleanor.
But all she had was that one moment. As soon as Eleanor got over the shock of being almost naked in front of everyone, she resumed her attach, more viciously than before. A flip of her wrist, and the neckpiece of Tessie's halter was undone; the halter slid down Tessie's body and rested around her waist.
Only Tessie wasn't as upset about being chestbare. She thought it was exciting. And the sun didn't bother Tessie like it apparently was bothering the heavier girl who was huffing and puffing, sweat dripping down her body. The sun made Tessie feel alive and she pointed her pert breasts to the sky, the heat arousing her nipples.
The boys whistled, the girls applauded and Tessie showed off by wiggling her hips and taking a bow. She was going to win now. No question about it. The fight was over. Eleanor just stared at her firm breasts, covering her own up with the shreds of the white blouse. The fight went on, but only for show. Eleanor, defeated, fighting her tears more than she fought Tessie, threw some weak punches, made some feeble attempts at wrestling the girl to the ground, and cursed a few quiet tames. When Tessie held her by the neck and kicked her to the ground, Eleanor meekly gave up.
"What's that you say? No one can hear you… dear:"
One tear escaped and rolled down Eleanor's embarrassed cheek. "You win," she whispered.
"Still can't hear you, you motherfucker. What'd you say?" Tessie would settle for nothing but total victory.
"YOU WIN! Okay, bitch?" At least Eleanor's tears had stopped.
"Yes. Okay."
Tessie let her go and Eleanor rolled over, stood up, and disappeared through the crowd. From where she was kneeling on the ground, tits rising and falling as she caught her breath, Tessie bowed to the crowd. She looked around at all of them, grinning, but stopped stunned when her gaze fell on Nick. He was panting, his face waxen, and there was a large wet stain in the crotch of his pants. He came… he came, her mind whirled.
They made eye contact, Nick looking strangely at Tessie, and Tessie staring bewilderedly back at him, suddenly aware of her own sexual arousal.
The crowd dispersed, some of the kids going back into Nick's, but most of then, going to find a place to get laid. There had been a lot of heavy petting during the wrestling match, bare tits and kicking legs having turned the crowd on But Tessie just knelt on the ground, looking at Nick's hard-on rising anew in his pants, wondering why he… she… everyone… was so turned on.
"Here. You want this?" Nick had picked up her lipstick case when it fell out of her pocket, during the fight.
"Thanks." She looked up at him as he stood in front of her.
"Can I help you with… with this?" His hands started to the halter, but rested instead on her breasts. He touched them softly before his passion made him crush his palms against her.
"Oh, so nice," he rasped "
"Nick! What are you doing?"
He rested one hand on the stain in his light brown pants. "See what you did." Desire made him maul her tits roughly, squeezing them in his hands, pulling them to her sides, pushing them back together again. "You make me hot. A little bitch, huh?" A sinister laughed gurgled up his throat, frightening Tessie.
"Nick! Stop it."
He pinched her nipples cruelly. Kissing her on the lips, he sank his teeth into them, drawing blood from one. Tessie didn't struggle. Her panties were soaking wet from the pure randiness of the moment and she wanted Nick to throw her down on the ground and then fuck her – right there in the alley for all to see. She wanted him to tear her clothes off, what was left of them, and to take her, brutally, stabbing his Cock into the center of her being.
"Get up. We'll go down the cellar. I've got something to show you." Nick pulled her to her feet and into the store. He wanted this little girl, wanted her very badly.
There were only a few kids left in the luncheonette, so Nick locked the front door, telling those that were there to help themselves to whatever they wanted, and to leave their money on the cash register. He didn't think about what they wouldn't pay for, a small loss for this chance to finally get between Tessie's legs. He was going to show her what happened to nice little cockteasers.
Tessie had something else to learn after all… that there is more to sex than just fucking and sucking. A lot more.