Message-ID: <44676asstr$1065784208@assm.asstr-mirror.org> X-Originating-Email: [revcottonmather@hotmail.com] From: "Rev. Cotton Mather" X-Original-Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 10 Oct 2003 04:05:08.0852 (UTC) FILETIME=[B1D17340:01C38EE3] X-ASSTR-Original-Date: Thu, 09 Oct 2003 23:05:08 -0500 Subject: {ASSM} NEW Playing the Game III: The Competitive Edge, Ch. 7 Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2003 07:10:08 -0400 Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail Approved: Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d X-Archived-At: X-Moderator-Contact: ASSTR ASSM moderation X-Story-Submission: X-Moderator-ID: dennyw, IceAltar Welcome to Two-Fer Friday. Today the Church brings you two chapters for the price of one, a bargain in any currency. Enjoy! RCM Rev. Cotton Mather Senior Pastor, Church of the Erotic Redemption http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/ReverendCottonMather/www http://www.storiesonline.net Would you like to be notified when I post new chapters or stories? Sign up at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RCMStories/join **If I had to do it all over, I'd do it all over you** _________________________________________________________________ Need more e-mail storage? Get 10MB with Hotmail Extra Storage. http://join.msn.com/?PAGE=features/es <1st attachment, "CE7.txt" begin> --------------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to the Church of The Reverend Cotton Mather. This story is the sole property of the author, and may not be copied or downloaded for the intent of profit. Permission is freely given for anyone to download or copy for their personal pleasure or use, as long as there is no intent to charge money or barter for the privilege of acquiring this material. (copyright 2003, Rev. Cotton Mather) E-Mail all comments to RevCottonMather@hotmail.com Don't be shy! I enjoy hearing from you. --------------------------------------------------------------------- THE COMPETITIVE EDGE: PLAYING THE GAME, BOOK III by Reverend Cotton Mather - 7 - GIRLS WITH BOYS' NAMES I was nervous as hell. It was Friday night, and I was going back to the Phi Kap house. They were having another party, this one much more informal. It was kind of an end-of-Rush party for the members and their guests. They would find out how big their pledge class would be sometime during the evening, so the members and their guests were hanging out together while they waited for the paperwork to arrive from the Hellenic Council. Bryan and Melanie had decided this would be a good opportunity for Reggie and me to meet. Maybe they thought, with a crowd around us, things might be easier for everybody. I hoped they were right. As I was getting ready, I kept glancing over at Westy. He was a bundle of nervous energy, too. He had accepted an invitation to join the Sigma Tau Rho fraternity, and he was wired. "Parties, dude," was all he could say when I asked why he wanted to pledge a fraternity. "Doobies, beer and broads." "What about your training? When are you supposed to start swim practices?" I asked. I thought a subtle reminder of his scholarship and its source would be enough to temper his enthusiasm. "Yeah, well, that begins pretty soon," he admitted. "I'm gonna have to store up some good partying, because the good times will definitely slow down once the season begins." "Okay, whatever you say," I told him. He was determined to burn his candle from both ends while he could, and nothing I said to him was going to alter his course. I mentally wished him the best of luck, and didn't give it another thought. It was no skin off my nose if he bit off more than he could chew. It was still blisteringly hot out, and the dress for the party was very casual, but I wanted to make a good impression on Reggie - and on Melanie - so I opted to wear some tan pressed slacks instead of shorts, and topped it off with a plain blue crew-neck shirt. I really didn't want to put on socks and shoes, so I slipped on some leather sandals. I checked myself in the mirror again, making sure my hair was okay and I didn't have any food stuck between my front teeth. I paced the three or four steps between the door and the couch, back and forth, glancing nervously at the clock each time I passed by my desk. Westy was perched on the arm of the couch, his hands slapping his thighs and his feet tapping alternately on the floor, as he listened to his own internal soundtrack. Finally I couldn't stand it anymore, so I left and wandered around down by the lake, until it was time to go over to the Phi Kap house. There were a bunch of joggers out, using the path around the lake as their track, and there was a large group of kids playing at Ultimate Frisbee. It looked like a lot of fun. The walk did me good. I was sweating, but it was from the heat instead of nervousness. I turned my feet in the direction of Greek Row. All the houses were having parties. Music throbbed from every window of each of the fraternity and sorority houses, and there were kids moving across the lawns between the houses, visiting back and forth. The Phi Kap house was no exception. The big wraparound porch was packed with people, and .38 Special's "Wild-Eyed Southern Boys" was pumping from the giant speakers in the television room, loud enough to be heard out on the sidewalk. I skipped up the stairs, but was stopped by a couple of guys sitting on the concrete pillars at the top. "Sorry, man, private party," one of them said as he stood up to block my way. "I'm here to see Bryan Watkins," I said. "He invited me." The other guy spoke up. "Are you Porter?" "Yeah," I confirmed. He looked over at his companion. "Bryan told me he was expecting this guy." He motioned me in. "Him and Mel are over on the side," he said, pointing toward the corner of the house where the porch wrapped around. "Okay, thanks," I said. I wove my way through the mass of bodies in the direction indicated. I had only gone maybe a half-dozen sliding steps when somebody thrust a plastic cup of foamy beer into my hand. "You look thirsty," somebody said. I never did see who my benefactor was. I wasn't much of a beer drinker, but it was hot and the liquid was cold. It went down easily. I finally made my way around the porch and saw Bryan perched on the railing. Melanie was sitting in a big wicker chair across from him. She had on very tight shorts, and her bronzed, thin legs were elegantly crossed. A gold ankle bracelet winked in the sun. She was wearing a fancy white tee shirt, also mouth-wateringly tight, with "Angel" arched across the top of her breasts in rhinestones. I almost had to agree, if I hadn't known a real angel back home, one with white-blonde hair. Melanie held a cup of beer in her hand, and she set it down on the small wicker table next to her chair when she saw me. She smiled at me, stood gracefully, and stepped over to take my arm. "I'm glad you came, Sean," she said as she guided me over to her group. Bryan was watching her, an indulgent smile on his face. I felt a little flustered and flattered, just by being the object of her attention. There was a very attractive, young girl sitting in a wicker chair next to Melanie's. Her hair was long and dark, nearly black, with bangs that just reached her eyebrows. Her eyes were large and brown, and she was watching Melanie and me carefully. She was dressed conservatively, wearing a loose-fitting buttoned sleeveless blouse and a pleated skirt that nearly reached her knees. She looked nearly as nervous as I felt. Melanie led me over. "Reggie, this is Sean," she said. She gave me a little push forward. Reggie licked her lips nervously, and then put out her hand. "Hi," she said, so softly I barely heard her. I shook her hand as gently as I knew how. I didn't want to scare her any more than she already seemed to be, and I certainly didn't want to bruise her. She looked far too delicate for a klutz like me to be around. "Hi," I mumbled, suddenly unable to come up with anything cleverer to say. Bryan laughed out loud at me. "Jesus, Porter, she's not going to break," he cried. "You probably don't have to be quite that careful." I glanced over at him, feeling a little panicky, but seeing him laughing at us pretty much broke the ice. I could see the humor of the situation all too well, and I smiled, a little chagrined. I looked back at Reggie, and she evidently thought the same thing, because she was smiling too, and didn't look nearly as nervous anymore. "Um, can I have my hand back now?" she asked, her eyes twinkling now with amusement. I dropped her hand as if it was a hot iron. I hadn't realized I was still holding it. "Oops, sorry," I said. I moved over to stand next to her chair, so I was facing everybody. She watched me as I moved, keeping track of my whereabouts. Melanie sat back in her own chair, a smug look on her beautiful face. There was a pretty raucous party going on around us. The Phi Kaps had a couple of kegs of beer on ice in the back yard, and it flowed freely. Even the four of us perched against the back rail of the deck were eventually sucked into the party spirit, as plastic pitchers of beer were passed around. I refilled Reggie's glass when a pitcher made its way over to me, and then refilled Melanie's glass. There was just enough left for one more glass, so Bryan grabbed the pitcher away from me, poured the last of the beer into my glass, and headed out into the masses to find his way into the back yard for to replenish our supply. Reggie and I bobbed and weaved our way around conversations, never really addressing each other very directly. My mind was on Kayla and how she would react to this development, and I was sure Reggie was thinking about her boyfriend back home in the same manner. How to explain? How to justify? Finally, though, the beer, the heat, and the crowd around us broke through, and both of us found ourselves relaxing with each other. We were both still holding the other pretty much at arm's length, but at least it wasn't as uncomfortable as it started. Melanie, Bryan, and the rest of the Phi Kaps helped, too. At one point, after the sun had gone down, I heard a squeal, and turned around in time to see Alex jumping up and down and waving. I looked around, wondering who she was waving to, and she laughed, pointed directly at me, and waved even harder. I stared at her and pointed to myself, raising my eyebrows quizzically, and she laughed and nodded vigorously. By this time, Reggie was standing next to me, and she took this all in with an enigmatic smile, glancing back and forth from Alex to me like she was watching a tennis match. Alex weaved her way over and gave me a big hug. I was surprised, and not a little flattered, but I assumed her affectionate greeting was fueled by the alcohol. Alex let me go, and then turned to Reggie. Alex and Reggie both started talking at once. "Oops," said Alex. "Hey, I'm sorry, it's just that Sean was here on Monday, and I met him then, and..." Reggie shook her hand at Alex. "It's fine, really. Sean and I just met tonight..." They both stopped, and then broke down giggling together. Reggie grasped Alex by the upper arms, and they kind of collapsed together as if something was incredibly amusing. I just didn't get it. Alex was several inches shorter than Reggie, but they both were dark- haired, fair, and pretty. They seemed to become instant friends. "By the way, I'm Alexandra Wallace. Everybody just calls me Alex." Reggie was still holding Alex's arm. "I'm Regina Coverdale, but my friends call me Reggie," she said. "Two perfectly gorgeous females who want to go by boys' names," I said. "Maybe I should call myself Sally." "You'd better not," said Alex. She slapped at my arm as if I was the silliest thing she had ever seen. Reggie, in the boldest move I had yet seen her make, looked me up and down. "Definitely not a Sally," she said, smiling. She gave Alex a quick grin. "More like a Mary," she said, and they were off again into a fit of giggles. Alex was definitely the party animal among us, and she took Reggie and me under her wing, introducing us around to nearly everybody. There was hardly a person at the party she didn't know, and she was obviously well liked by just about everybody. It wasn't long before Reggie and I both felt like we were accepted, if not as members of Phi Kap and their Little Sisters, then as friends of the fraternity. Much later, as the party was beginning to wind down a little, Melanie and Bryan came looking for us. "Hey, Porter," called Bryan, once he spotted me. "Mel and I are taking off. Don't forget we've got to catch a bus in the morning." I groaned. I'd forgotten about that. Our bus was leaving about 7:00 AM to go to Tuscaloosa to play Alabama in a conference game. Reggie stood. "Melanie, can you drop me at my dorm?" she asked. "Of course, dear. Sean, would you like a ride, too?" replied Melanie. I was about to tell her I would prefer to walk off the influence of the beer, but the look on both Bryan's and Melanie's faces convinced me I should accept their offer. "That would be great," I said. It took awhile to make our way out of the party. Bryan and Melanie had to stop often to say goodbye to friends, and, of course, Reggie and Alex had to have a last whispered conversation together. They both glanced at me a couple of times during their secret conversation, making me sweat just a little more. I waited around a little awkwardly as the goodbyes swirled around me. Finally, we were walking down the concrete steps, heading toward Bryan's car in the parking lot. I held the door open for Reggie, and slid into the back seat beside her. We sat there, not touching, uncomfortably silent as Melanie and Bryan got into the car. The animation and easy companionability of the couple in the front contrasted sharply with the quiet couple in the back. Bryan started the car, and turned to look through the rear window so he could back up. Reggie was looking out the side window, and Bryan jerked his head in her direction and stared at me, willing me to say something to Reggie. As he drove down the street, he turned the radio on to provide a distraction. I steeled myself for the rejection I knew was coming, and slid over to sit next to Reggie. She looked at me, a bit startled. "Reggie," I began, "I know this whole thing is kind of strange..." She smiled. At least she smiled, I thought. "Here," she said. She handed me a slip of paper. I opened it up. It had her name, her dorm room number, and her telephone number on it. I was suddenly very nervous again. "We're... uh... I won't be back until Sunday..." "You want to get together for coffee or something Sunday night?" she asked. Now her smile was warm. Maybe I hadn't blown it, after all. "I'd love to," I replied. "I'll call you when we get back from Alabama." "Okay," she said. She slipped her arm through mine for the rest of the short ride to her dorm. I walked her to the front lobby of her building. She turned to me at last. "Thanks for being a nice guy," she said quietly. "Mel has good taste in friends." I think I blushed. "I'll talk to you Sunday," I said. We didn't hug, we didn't kiss, but I still felt like the evening went very well. I got the feeling Reggie thought so, too. (Continued in Chapter 8) <1st attachment end> ----- ASSM Moderation System Notice------ Notice: This post has been modified from its original format. 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