EPIC Sides - 1. Girl Bait

EPIC – Girl Bait

Leslie patiently listened to the small boy sitting in her lap. His mother had to be somewhere around the park, the teenager was sure, but a caregiver had yet to come forward to reclaim the child. The kid was adorable, though—sandy blonde hair, pretty blue eyes, chubby cheeks, and the most charming grin. He had come right up the blanket she’d been catching some rays on with her bestie, Kalina, and asked them if they wanted to see the picture he’d drawn. The girls were instantly smitten. Of course, he hadn’t bothered to wait for their answer before he helped himself to Leslie’s lap and pulled out his drawing. It had been folded up and crammed into a child-sized bookbag printed with footballs and soccer balls, and looked like he’d maybe spilled some of his mid-morning snack on it.

“Estos son mis hermanos,” he pretended to read, carefully moving his pudgy little finger along the scribbles across the top of the page while Leslie held it open for him. “That means ‘These are my brothers,’” he added for their benefit. She noticed four stick figures under his scribbles, above each had a “C” followed by a short scribble and what looked like numbers after. “This is Caiden, he’s ten, and Cameron, he’s nine, and Connor is here, he’s twelve, and he’s the best brother in the whole world.” The girls cooed appreciatively. “And, this is me, I’m four.”

“What’s your name?” Kalina asked.

The boy gave her a confused look. He pointed at the scribble above his drawing of himself. “I put my name right there. Can’t you read?”

Leslie just barely kept herself from laughing at her friend’s shocked expression. “She doesn’t like to talk about it, but no one taught her how,” she said in a stage whisper. Kalina narrowed her eyes. “How ‘bout you read it to her so she doesn’t feel bad.”

“‘K,” he answered before turning to address Kalina, his tone somewhere along the lines of what you’d use with animals and the feeble-minded. “It says my name’s Cory.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Cory,” Leslie said.

“What’s yours?” he asked.

“I’m Leslie, and this is my friend, Kalina.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Leslie and Kalina,” Cory said with a firm nod, making both girls giggle. “How old are you?”

“Shouldn’t ask a lady her age,” Kalina chided with a grin.

“I’m fourteen,” Leslie said. “And Kalina’s fifteen.”

“Oh my gosh, that’s a lot!” Cory said, his eyes wide. “You’re really old!”

Leslie laughed at her friend’s shocked expression and squeezed the boy in a hug.

“What’s this supposed to be?” Kalina asked, pointing at a mass of squiggles done in brown crayon with four sticks coming out the bottom.

“Our dog, Buster,” he said, sadly. “He got a bad infection, and we had to put him down.”

“Is that why everyone has frowny faces in your picture?” she said.

“Uh huh.” He pointed at the figure he’d identified as his oldest brother. “Buster was Connor’s dog, but we all loved him. Connor still cries sometimes ‘cause he misses Buster a lot, but he doesn’t like others to know.” Leslie discreetly elbowed Kalina before the other girl could point out the irony of his statement. “I drew this to make him feel better,” he said, indicating his picture, and Leslie fought off the twin urges to squeal and melt from the cuteness overload.

“Did you come to the park with Connor?” Leslie asked.

He nodded. “He’s buying me a raspa right now, then we’re going to his friend’s house, and I’ll get to play with his friend’s kittycat.”

“Don’t you think your brother’ll be looking for you?” Kalina asked.

“Naw, the line’s really long, so he’ll be there awhile,” the boy said. “Connor takes me to look at kitties when I feel sad. It’s really fun, and I always feel better.” He paused. “I wish I knew what would make him feel better. I heard Caiden and Cameron talking about how good they feel when they hug pretty girls.”

This drew more giggles from the teens.

“I’m sure you think girls are icky,” Kalina said, poking his little tummy and making him laugh.

Holy hell! Even his giggles are cute! Leslie thought to herself.

“Girls are nice,” the child said. “Boys are nice, too. I have a friend, and his name is Keenan, and he’s four like me. Hugging him is nice.”

Leslie and Kalina stared at each other over his head, not sure if he was admitting to what they thought he was admitting to. Four was a bit too young to recognize same-sex attraction, right?

“Hugging a pretty girl pro’lly feels like hugging Keenan, so Connor might like that.” Cory considered them for a moment. “You’re pretty girls,” he said. “Maybe you could hug—”

“Cory!”

The girls and the little boy turned at the shout. A boy, jogged to the blanket, slightly out of breath, as if he’d been running awhile. He was a pre-teen with the same fair hair and blue eyes as Cory, and just as cute. Leslie guessed he was about her height, if not a little taller.

Leslie smiled. “You must be Connor.”

“Cory’s picture doesn’t do you justice,” Kalina said.

Cory pouted at her. “It was supposed to be a surprise.”

“I’m so sorry,” he said to the older girls. “My brother doesn’t normally run off like that.” He turned to Cory. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

The pre-schooler pointed at the young lady, whose lap he still occupied, and said, “Leslie and Kalina were just lying there, and I thought they looked bored, and I wanted to show them my picture.”

“It’s okay, really.” Leslie hugged him. “Cory’s a total sweetie.”

“We don’t mind the company,” Kalina said, coyly. She tucked her legs under her and patted the blanket, inviting Connor to sit with them. “We’re just sunbathing anyways.”

Leslie tried not to roll her eyes. Leave it to Kalina to flirt with anything with two legs and a dick.

“Why’d you want a bath like that?” Cory said, as his brother knelt on the blanket. “My teacher says you should cover up and wear lotsa sunscreen when you go outside. Connor didn’t put any sunscreen on us,” he added, while looking at his arms, “but we’re wearing a lot more than you, so we should be okay.”

Leslie watched Connor’s eyes flick down and his cheeks redden as if he’d only just noticed how they were dressed. The string bikinis were recent acquisitions that their fathers still didn’t know about (the bodies to fill out the aforementioned string bikinis were also recently obtained, but Leslie was pretty sure her dad kept his head in the sand about her developing figure). Connor looked down at his knees awkwardly, and she felt her own blush creeping up under her freckled cheeks until two small hands grabbed her face.

“Oh, no!” the boy in her lap cried. “Your face is red! You need to get out of the sun before you get more burnt!” Kalina started laughing her stupid hyena laugh, but soon enough, Connor and Leslie were chuckling right along with her. “What?” Cory said. “What’s so funny?”

Connor stood back up and held out his hand. “Come on, Cory. We gotta get going.”

“But, the raspas,” Cory said.

“Sorry, little dude, but the line is too long,” he said. “We wouldn’t make it to Troy’s in time if we tried to get a snow cone now. You do want to play with Socks, right?”

“Yeah,” Cory pouted, rising from Leslie’s lap. “I guess so.”

“Wait,” Kalina said. “Who’s working the cart?”

“Dunno, some guy,” Connor said. “‘K’ something.”

“Brunette with, like, a dirt ‘stache?”

“I think so.”

“Thought that was Keith Davies.”

“What are you about to do, Kalina?” Leslie asked as her friend pulled out her cell phone.

“Cut in line,” she said impishly. “What kind of snow cone did he want?”

“A blue one!” Cory squealed.

“A blue snow cone, it is,” Kalina said while she tapped a message into her phone. “Were you going to get something, Connor? What about you, Leslie?”

“I don’t think I have enough money for—” Connor said worriedly.

“Keith owes me a favor after I let him feel up my boobs last weekend,” she said.

“Oh my God, Kalina…”

“These puppies hafta be worth some free snow cones, right?”

Leslie sighed. “Black cherry and coconut.”

“And, you?” she asked Connor. “Get whatever you want—my tits are buying.” She jiggled said tits, and the poor guy turn beet red.

“What Leslie’s having sounded good,” he mumbled, making an effort to not look at Kalina’s jiggly bimbo breasts.

“Alrighty,” Kalina said and finished up her text message. Within a few minutes, her cell phone chimed with the response. “Keith says to give him two minutes, then we can pick ‘em up at the counter.” She picked up her cut-off shorts and stood up to wiggle into them. In true Kalina fashion, she buttoned the fly halfway, then folded down the waistband, exposing her lean hips and the stings of her bikini. Leslie pulled on her own shorts up her legs, but she was modest enough to wear them properly. As the girls gathered their things, Connor very helpfully folded their blanket. Cory pretended to wait patiently for his “raspa”.

He didn’t last very long.

“Is it two minutes, yet?”

Leslie laughed. “I think so. We all ready to go?”

“Yes!” Cory said, wiggling like an excited puppy. He held out his hand for Leslie’s, then grabbed Connor’s hand on the other side. “Let’s go!”

They followed as Kalina sauntered the short distance to the snow cone cart. She did some flirting and came back with four cups of crushed ice and sugary syrup. Leslie spotted an empty table nearby for them to sit at while they slurped down their treats.

“Oh!” Kalina said. “We need to commemorate this! Gimme your camera, Les.” She excitedly nabbed Leslie’s brand new digital camera and motioned for them to stand together. Leslie hefted Cory up on her hip and wrapped her arm around Connor’s shoulders. “Come on! Get closer!” Leslie suspected that last part was more about making poor Connor blush than getting all three of them in the shot. Kalina grabbed several shots of the trio, then roped some random passerby into taking pictures with her on Connor’s other side. Once both girls vetted the pictures, and Cory’s sticky face and hands were cleaned up, they walked the brothers to the park entrance. Cory got a kiss on the cheek from both girls, which made him giggle. The more effusive ones given to Connor’s cheeks made the boy blush harder as they said their farewells.

Leslie and Kalina pulled the rest of their clothing on before they went home themselves. The last thing they needed was for their parents to find out about their skimpy swimwear. Talk turned to the boys in they’d meet in high school, and, within a block of Kalina’s house, they forgot about the young boys they’d met at the park.

Leslie wouldn’t think about Cory and Connor again until she went back through the pictures on her camera.

~*~*~*~

Connor tried not to wince as he threw back his brew. The frat had delivered on the cheap beer and chicks, which Tate still had not shut the fuck up about, and he knew a guy his size would need a lot of both if he was going to make it through the night without duct taping his roommate’s mouth shut. But damn was the swill in his cup disgusting.

The guys on the team had warned him about frat parties. Sure, they were fun (and who’s gonna turn down free booze and hot women?), but once rush was over and they had your pledge dues, it would be nothing but bro downs until the next rush season. One of the defensive tackles reminded him that he played football in Texas, for fuck’s sake—Connor could be fat and ugly as fuck, and warming the bench to boot, and he’d still get laid. He wouldn’t need booze and parties to get girls in bed, and he sure as hell wouldn’t need to fork over a few thousand to some frat.

But, Tate had insisted, and so here he was—loud dance music (mostly pop hits that the girls would dance to), warm as piss beer (that tasted about the same), and his over-excited roommate glued to his side.

“I wonder if that DG that Bryant’s been after ever showed up,” Tate shouted over the music. Connor tried to not roll his eyes—he had heard enough about the Delta Gamma that friendzoned the Phi Gamma Delta Rush Captain in the days leading up to this “FIJI” mixer that he was half tempted to tell this “Bryant” guy to grow a fucking pair. “Kirkpatrick said he’d been trying to get her up to his room since freshman year.” Tate rolled up on his toes and scouted the crowd. “Oh, hey, he’s over there. Made me promise to introduce you.”

And with that, Connor found himself dragged across the room, away from the refill he so desperately needed, and shoved in front of some rich bro who’d been in the middle of chatting up a pretty auburn-haired girl in an expensive looking dress and cowboy boots.

“Yo, Bryant!” The guy turned at the sound of his name as Tate held out his fist for him to pound.

“Yo…uhm…” Bryant faltered.

“Tate,” Tate supplied. “Tate Mayhew.”

“Mayhew!” Bryant finally returning the first pound.

“Connor, this is Joey Bryant,” Tate said.

“Your roommate, right?” Bryant asked, and Tate nodded. The FIJI Rush Captain’s eyes lit up. “Leslie,” he said, wrapping his arm around the girl he’d been talking to, “I’d like to introduce you to Connor Card, one of the new guys on the football team.” Connor shook her hand, wondering at the odd look she gave him. “Card, meet Leslie VanOsterman, one of the hottest girls to ever pledge Delta Gamma.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Leslie.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too,” she said. “And, you as well, Tate.” Leslie offered her hand to Tate despite the lack of introduction.

“So, Mayhew tells me you’re from some small town around here,” Bryant said. “Leslie’s from Schertz.”

“Cibolo,” Connor said. “It’s right next to it.”

“Y’all are practically neighbors then,” Bryant said. “With as tiny as they are, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’d run into each other before.”

Leslie’s eyes went wide. “Wait, you’re from Cibolo? You wouldn’t happen to have a little brother.”

“Yeah,” Connor said cautiously. “Three of them.”

“Three?” she replied, getting excited. “Oh my God! I need a computer!” She turned to Bryant. “Is there a computer I could borrow?”

“I have one in my room,” he answered, and she grinned.

“Then, let’s go!” she said. When Bryant turned to lead her upstairs, Leslie grabbed Connor’s hand and pulled. “Come on!”

Connor shrugged at Tate and allowed himself to be dragged off. If Bryant was displeased that the girl he’d been trying to fuck for three years was bringing two other guys with her when he finally got her to go up to his room, he didn’t give any indication. Although, Connor was too distracted by the bouncing beauty holding his hand to notice the older man’s reactions (or the confused look Tate shot him). Something about her seemed familiar to him, but he just couldn’t place it. And, that was driving him crazy.

Leslie finally let his hand go when Bryant booted up his Apple desktop and stood back to let her sit down. “Thanks, Joey,” she said, then opened Safari and logged into her Myspace account.

“What’s this about?” Bryant asked.

“You’ll see,” she said as she started going through her pictures. After a bit of scrolling, she came to an image of a teenaged version of herself in a string bikini carrying a cute little kid on her hip, with a boy sandwiched between her and another similarly dressed girl.

“How do you…?” Connor sputtered.

Leslie pointed to the youth. “That’s you, isn’t it?”

“Holy fuck! I remember that!”

“Oh my God! It is you!” she squealed, bouncing out of the seat and jumping up into a hug that brought her full body and soft scent in full contact with Connor.

“I thought I recognized you,” he said. “I just couldn’t figure out how.”

“I almost didn’t recognize you at all,” she said, holding his face between her hands. “Damn, you filled out nice!”

Connor chuckled. “You did, too.”

“Could someone explain what’s going on here,” Bryant said testily.

“About, what, five years ago…?” Connor started.

“Six,” Leslie corrected.

“I was in the park with my baby brother, Cory,” Connor said.

“I was at the park sunbathing with my best friend, Kalina.”

“And, the little shit ran off while I was getting him a snow cone.”

“And, this little boy comes up to us asking if we wanted to see his picture,” Leslie continued. “Oh my land, he was so adorable.”

“Next thing I know, I find him sitting in her lap,” he said, pointing at Leslie, then snorted. “Her friend used her tits to get us free snow cones.”

“Wouldn’t be the last time she whored them out,” Leslie groused.

“Damn,” Tate said, peering at the image on the screen. “So, that’s you.”

“That’s us,” Leslie affirmed.

“You were so little,” Tate laughed.

“Hey, I was twelve!” Connor protested. “I got bigger!”

“We both got bigger chests now,” Leslie giggled, squeezing his pecs. Connor didn’t quite know how to react to the attention, but was sure she wouldn’t appreciate him returning the gesture. Neither, would Bryant, who now stood with his arms crossed, visibly pissed about being ignored by Leslie.

“I think I saw a picture of you with your brothers on your wall,” Tate mused. “He’s the youngest one, right?”

“Oh! You have recent pictures of Cory? I bet he’s stinking adorable now. I told Kalina y’all’d break hearts.”

“He’s a cute little fucker,” Connor admitted.

“I wanna see!” Leslie squealed. “Got any pictures on Myspace?”

“No,” Connor said. “Just on my computer and a few on the wall.”

“Then, what are we waiting for?” she said, taking his hand once more and dragging him from yet another room. “Let’s go to your dorm.” And off the went.

Leslie’s giggles and Connor’s voice faded as they ran back downstairs, leaving a ringing silence in the room. Bryant, forever friendzoned, and Tate, potentially sexiled, stared at the open door wondering what the fuck just happened.