The Boy Next Door

My brother Zach always goes to his friend Johnny's house and won't let me go with him. He is 9 and I am 6, but Johnny is 8. I always follow them around when they are playing games, but then my mom always makes me help her make cookies or watch TV with her. Once in a while Johnny would pay attention to me by teasing me. I don't mind because I have a crush on him.

My parents are good friends with Johnny's parents, and other parents in the neighborhood. Every couple of weeks there will be a dinner party at one of the houses, and Johnny is always there. Though Zach doesn't like me to hang out with him at all, Johnny doesn't seem to mind it.

We usually go to Johnny's room and play video games. I am never too good at them and Zach gets annoyed. Johnny will sit next to me and try to teach me how to play the game.



I am 11 and Johnny is 13. He goes to the middle school, and I am still at the elementary school. The only time I see him is when he comes over to play with Zach. That isn't very often because Zach is 14 now and goes to the high school. I can't wait to be in the same school as Johnny.



This is my brother's last year of school and my first year in high school. I am finally in the same school as Johnny. Friday nights are the best because I get to ride with Zach and Johnny to one of the school's games. After the game we will go out to eat somewhere. I always sit next to Johnny and he sits across from my brother and whoever is with us.

Tonight we are going to a basketball game and hour and a half away from our home. I am really excited because Zach will not be going. Johnny invited me to go with him to the game and his friend will be driving.

Our team won the game. We all jumped up and shouted and clapped our hands. After the ten minute celebration in the gym I followed Johnny back to the car. Before Johnny opened his door I lay down in the back seat. He laughed and lifted my head so he could sit down, then placed it on his lap. I looked at him and yawned.

"I am so tired," I murmured, though I wasn't tired at all. He pulled his arms out of his zip-up hoodie and lay it over my shoulders.

"Here," he whispered. "That was a good game, huh?"

"Yeah, it was!" I exclaimed with my eyes shut. I turned over so I was on my stomach. "Will you rub my back?"

I held my breath as his hands started massaging shoulders. His fingers traced over my shoulder blades and down my arms. The hairs on my neck rose as he trailed his fingertips up my neck and raced them down my back.



Johnny is a senior and Zach has moved to college. I am at Johnny's house for a dinner party. We are sitting on the couch in the downstairs living room. The Simpsons are on the TV and the room is dark because the blinds are all shut. My head is in Johnny's lap and his black, fuzzy blanket is wrapped around me. I am looking up at Johnny. Though he doesn't know, I am memorizing the curves of his cheek, the angle of his chin, the curls of his hair, his quirky smile, and his beautiful brown eyes.

I open my mouth and look up at him with my big, blue eyes. He scoops up a piece of the red velvet cake he is holding and feeds it to me. I never used to like the cream cheese frosting that my mom would make this cake with, but it never tasted better. The metal fork scraped the tips of my teeth as I bit down. Johnny scooped up another bite with whip cream on it and put it in my mouth. We laughed as the white foam smeared across my upper lip.

"Hey," I giggled and grabbed the can of whip cream that was sitting on the coffee table. "Open your mouth."

"I don't trust you," Johnny set his plate down and tried to grab the can away from me. "Give me the can, Grace."

I knew I was at a disadvantage since I was laying across his lap, but I tried anyways.

"Come get it," I teased and put the can beneath. Johnny tickled my sides and soon the fight for the whip cream can was forgotten as we fell to the floor and began wrestling.

"Hey, Johnny," a voice called down the stairs. Johnny was straddling me with my hands pinned to my chest.

"Yeah?" he shouted.

"Come help your mom with the dishes!" the voice echoed down the stairwell. Johnny stood up over me and lifted me up by my wrists. He was strong.



I am a senior and Johnny is a sophomore in a college 2 hours away. Every time he comes home for a holiday he picks me up in a big hug. We don't see each other very often, or for very long. He has a different girl friend that he brings to every dinner. It's okay though, because I have a boyfriend too.



Its my freshmen year in college and I live 45 minutes away from Johnny. He just moved into a house and I moved into the dorm rooms. I talk to him once a month at the most. He gave me a big Thanksgiving hug, but I didn't see him on Christmas.

There are a lot of people at college that I have met. A lot of men. Max is barely taller than I am with a buzz cut. Normally, I wouldn't find that attractive, but every time he flashes those pearly whites at me and shows me the sparkle that hides in his right eye I melt.

Tim is tall with broad shoulders and big hands. He looks amazing with his shirt off. I just can't help myself when we go swimming at the beach or in the pool.

Rick is plain. His hair is blonde and short, his nose small and square, his eyes bright and blue, and his lips are very soft. The way he talks to me makes me feel like I am the only person in the world. He doesn't see anybody else when he is with me.

There are countless others that I have met, and some I have had intimate relations with. I have never felt that warm tingling sensation in your chest that people call love. When you think about it, I am only 19 and have just begun living my life.



"Grace, what did you do last night?" my room mate asked me as I walked downstairs slowly with my hand to my head.

"Mmm," I moaned and plopped myself onto the couch across from her. I curled into a ball with a pillow hugged to my chest. "I had way too much fun, Lana."

"Do you need any advil?" Lana walked into the kitchen as she spoke.

"Yes, please," I groaned. "I have a throbbing headache."

"What happened to you? I saw you playing beer pong outside and then you disappeared."

"Umm...Oh yeah," I sat up and popped the two pills into my mouth. After washing it down with half the glass of water I continued. "Somebody was shouting 'cops' so Jake and I ran down to IHOP. We were there until it closed at 3."

"I think you were fooled," Lana laughed. "There were no cops."

I watched Lana flip through the television channels with boredom. If I didn't have a hangover I would love to go swimming in the lake. The sun was high in the sky and I could feel the heat filling the house. It was thick and heavy on me.

"Do you want to go get some coffee?" my head rolled off my shoulder and dangled off the couch as I asked. Lana didn't look away from the TV, but stopped flipping through the channels.

"Yeah, that sounds good," she clicked the TV off and stood up.

The drive to our favorite coffee shop was very quiet, except for the music that was blaring from the radio. I stared out the window and watched mothers pushing their strollers with toddlers in them, children walking their dogs, and lovers holding hands. Lana was very absentminded as she drove, which was very abnormal for her. Usually she stopped at every yellow light, switched her blinker on 100 feet before switching lanes, and talked about everything on her mind. The fact that she ran a red light, didn't use her blinkers until she had already switched lanes and parallel parked without using a blinker at all meant there was something bothering her.

"Can I have a large, white mocha, please?" Lana asked the barista at the counter. I stood behind her and waited patiently to give my order.

"Medium chai, please," I said quietly. I watched Lana count out her change and blow on her drink through the slit. She walked over to our usual round table in the corner as the man handed me my drink. "Thanks."

We sat across the table from each other as we sipped on our drinks. Lana tapped her fingernails on the table and lifted them up to stare at how even they were. She frowned when she saw a dent in the nail on her ring finger.

"Grace, do you want to go get a manicure?" she asked, still scrutinizing her long, white-tipped nails.

"Uh, maybe," I pushed my drink away and drummed my knuckles on the table. Lana's head snapped up and she smiled. "What is wrong with you today? You are so quiet. What happened last night?"

"Nothing. Not much," she looked down into her lap then back at me with her cheeks reddened. "He kissed me last night."

"That's good isn't it?" I smiled, but Lana shook her head. "Why is that not good? I thought you liked Jasper?"

"I do," she whined and leaned back in her chair. "We kissed a lot last night. I was so happy and thought that he liked me. This morning I woke up on the couch with him, but he said he doesn't remember last night."

"He doesn't remember kissing you?" I said a little too loud in the cafe and received a reproachful look from Lana.

"No," she whispered. "He said he doesn't remember anything after midnight when he finished off that bottle of Tequila."

"That makes sense," I nodded then remembered I was supposed to be making her feel better. "Don't worry. He likes you. There were at least ten other girls at the party last night that he could have kissed and fallen asleep with, but he chose you."

Lana cheered up after that and started chatting away like she usually did. I listened to her gossip about our neighbors and people at the party last night as a I bathed my tongue in mouthfuls of warm chai. Though the tables around us were filling up and emptying, we sat at ours with no intention of moving. My hangover was ebbing away and Lana's banter was giving me energy.

"You ready to go?" I stood up before she answered and tossed my empty cup into the trash. Lana lifted her Styrofoam cup with a look of puzzlement; she didn't realize she hardly drank her coffee while talking.

"Yeah, I guess I'll take this with us," she swung her large, black purse over her shoulder and followed me out the door. "Grace? Can we have people over tonight? Maybe Jasper will kiss me tonight, too."

"Of course!" I shrieked and punched my arms into the air. "It will be our first party in our new place!"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Lana responded with her own shriek then started up the car.

I sat down on the leather seat and felt like I could melt right into it. We had been in the cafe for longer than I thought. The sun had warmed up the car to what felt like ninety degrees. Lana rolled down the windows and blasted the music. We danced, not very well with our seat belts restraining us, and sang out the car windows.

"Oh, wait! Music!" I held up my phone and tried to roll up the windows and explain to Lana to turn down the music. 'Johnny' flashed on the screen of my cell phone as it buzzed in my hand. Once the car was quiet I pushed 'TALK'. "Hello?"

"Hey, Grace! It's Johnny," a deep voice came out of the phone. My heart lept. "It's been awhile. How are you?"

"Yeah, it has," I exclaimed. "I'm good. I just got a new apartment with some of my girl friends."

"That must be fun. When are you going back home? I feel like I haven't seen you in years."

"I don't know when I will be home," I nibbled my lip and looked over at Lana who was mouthing something and nodding her head up and down very slowly. "We are having a party tonight, though. Would you like to come over?"

"Uh...yeah. I don't have to work until tomorrow night," he sounded doubtful and I held my breath. "Yes, I will be there. Can I be there at 9?"

"Yes," I bounced in my seat with excitement. "Well, I'm going to go shopping. Call me when you are on your way."

"Okay. Will do," he said cheerfully. "Bye, Gracie."

"Oh my god!" I shouted in the car. "This boy is so close to me. He is like my brother. But, not really. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yes, I do," Lana laughed at me. "It seems you are very excited. Why did you say we are going shopping?"

"I want to sound like I am not too excited," I said as I blushed.

The next 8 hours seemed to drag on forever. I was filled with nervous anticipation. All the clothes that belonged in my closet were on the floor. I had tried every combination of top and bottoms but nothing seemed to look right. When I finally settled for an outfit I had to spend time on makeup. It couldn't look like I was wearing any, but it had to flaunt my good features. After trying 3 different color schemes I wiped it off and applied mascara. The last step was my hair. I hadn't finished brushing it when my phone rang.

'Johnny' flashed across the screen.

"Hello?" my heart was beating. Was he going to cancel?

"Hey, Grace. I am in the parking lot," he sounded as if he didn't believe himself, and neither did I. "Which apartment are you?"

"If you drive around the circle I am on the back side," I waved my hands through the air even though he couldn't see me. "I will be outside on the porch, okay?"

I shoved my phone in my pocket and ran my fingers through my long, thick hair. After bouncing on my toes for a couple seconds I scooped my hair into a messy bun and ran down the stairs and out on to the porch. Johnny's maroon sedan was just about to pass me.

"Johnny!" I shouted and waved my arms in the air. He pulled in next to my little car and stepped out. I ran down the outside stairs and jumped into his arms.

"You give the worst directions, ever," Johnny said into my hair as he gave me a big hug. "I can't believe I made it."

"I can't believe you came at all," I confessed. Johnny opened his trunk and handed me a handle of Tequila. He followed me back to my apartment with a case of beer.

"Grace," Lana took the handle from me and set in the kitchen as I followed her. "Jasper is coming over! And he is bringing a couple of his friends."

"Oh, that is great!" I smiled and almost laughed at how excited it had made Lana. "This is my friend, Johnny. Johnny, this is Lana."

The party was slow to get on its way. I didn't mind. Johnny and I sat on the couch and talked about the past 6 months. He had just finished his finals at school and was moving into a new house at the end of the month. I told him about how I had to take summer classes while working too. After we talked about the new things we talked about the old things. All the fun times we had in elementary school, but I admitted I didn't have as much fun in their water gun wars against me. I told him how much I missed the big neighborhood dinners when I was in middle school and he was in high school. We both agreed it was different being away from home and missing out on all the things we used to do together, but college had its perks.

"Tequila shots!" Jasper announced coming into the living room with a small tray of empty shot glasses and the bottle in his hand. I didn't know when Jasper had arrived. When I looked around I realized there were 8 people that had come for the party that I did not see come through the door.

"Hey, Jasper," I took two shot glasses as I spoke. "I didn't see you come in. This is my friend Johnny, and this is Jasper."

"How's it going?" Johnny asked as he shook Jasper's hand.

"Good, man," Jasper nodded and sat on the floor in front of us. "How do you know Grace?"

I smiled as I heard Jasper slur his words. In the back of my mind I wondered if Lana had kissed him. This was her chance if she wanted him to remember it.

"Where are you going?" Jasper asked as I stood up. "We need to take this shot first!"

I nodded and knelt down next to him. Johnny and I locked eyes as I licked the skin between my thumb and forefinger. I passed him the salt after giving myself a generous amount.

"Limes?"

"Here you go."

"Cheers," Johnny raised his glass and we clicked our golden liquids together. It was over in a second and I stood up to go find Lana.

"You want a shot?" Lana asked as I reached the kitchen. "Come on, Gracie! Take a shot with us!"

I have no idea how long Johnny and I were involved in our conversation but it seemed Jasper was not the only one that had had a couple of drinks already. Since I had not had anything but the one shot I agreed.

"Yeah, Grace!" a chorus of male voices in the kitchen echoed as I downed the shot of rum. It burned my throat and I closed my eyes in agony.

"That is disgusting," I choked out. Lana wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and started swaying from side to side with the music. "Lana come here."

"Do you think Jasper likes me?" Lana whispered loudly into my ear. She swiped a beer from the dining room table and finished it off before I could answer her.

"How much have you had to drink?" I laughed at how absorbed with Johnny I had been not to see the party starting. "Whatever. Anyways, I think you should kiss Jasper now before he gets too drunk to remember it."

"Really?" Lana whispered really quietly this time. I nodded. "Do you think he would? Oh, I'm done drinking for a bit."

"Yeah, you should hold off for a bit," I took the beer from her that she had stolen from the table. "And, yes. He will kiss you."

I left Lana smiling like a goon. Back in the living room there was another round of shots going around, but Johnny was absent. I stooped down and grabbed a short, round glass with blue stripes down the side.

"Salt and lime please," I prepared for the shot and clinked my glass with Amy, Rick, Mark, and Toni. I didn't taste this one at all, but I kept the lime under my top lip from habit. The outside door opened and I thought more people were coming, but in the lead was Johnny. I dropped the lime out of my mouth and onto my hand so I could smile at him. He returned the smile and came over to me.

"Where's the beer?" he asked. I giggled and pointed to the kitchen. He tickled my side and left. I could feel the alcohol's warmth fill my body, and the happiness envelope me. After another beer or shot I think I could be good for the night.

Half an hour later and Jasper sat on the ground next to me as I lay on the couch.

"Grace, you okay?" he slurred. He handed me some water.

"I just needed to rest," I took the water and chugged it down as he walked away. "Thank you."

"Johnny," I heard a male voice talking close by. It may have been Rick. Or Toni. "You think she will be okay? Should I go see if she needs anything?"

"I'll take care of her," Johnny replied. "She's like my little sister."

Johnny lifted my head and lay it down on his lap. He stroked my back and massaged my scalp. It felt so good. Someone turned on the television. Johnny moved me into the corner of the couch and swung his legs up onto the couch beside me. His arms slipped behind me and his hand held onto my waist. I could feel my heart beat increase as his breath found its way down my shirt.

It didn't take long for the world above to stop spinning and Johnny to be the only thing I saw. When I sat up I saw everyone else dancing in the living room and fall over onto each other.

"You want to go somewhere quiet?" I turned to Johnny. "I have a headache. It would do me some good."

"Yeah, of course," Johnny stood up and took my hand. I stood up but my legs were unsteady and I fell into Johnny's chest. He wasn't as sober as he had seemed, taking a step back to steady himself.

Johnny stepped in front me and led me up the stairs to my room. I lay face down on the bed and shut my eyes. It felt like I was in a tea cup, going round and round in circles. Johnny lay down beside me. He turned me onto my side so I was facing away from him and then pulled me into his body. His thighs were hot under me and his fingers cold against my stomach.

"You feel better? Did your headache go away?" he whispered into my ear. His breath was warm and moist on the back of my neck.

"I never had one," I smiled as i revealed my secret.

He turned me around again so I was facing him. His fingers took my chin gently and kissed me. It was soft and cautious. When he realized I wasn't rejecting him the kiss turned passionate.

I had had dreams of this before. Johnny and I would go to a movie and then he would kiss me and profess his secret crush on me. This was different. We were alone in my room, in my bed, and his hand was crawling up the front of my shirt. He passed his hand over my nipple so every part of his palm touched it and made it stand erect with pleasure. My dream was becoming real. Fast.

My hands were sliding down his lean body and tugging on his belt. It took me more than it should have to unbuckle his belt and unzip his cargo shorts. Johnny rolled on top of me and pulled his shirt off over his head. I ran my fingers down his chest and pulled at his shorts. Instead of obeying my unspoken command, he kissed me chest slowly and took my shirt off. I tried pulling his shorts down again to no avail. Johnny smiled and shook his head. He kissed down my stomach and pulled my shorts off.

"God your hot," Johnny admired my black lace panties and bra. This was the only matching set that I had at the moment, but I was glad it had turned out to be black lace. "We should have done this sooner."

I reached behind me and unsnapped my bra. It slid down my arms. Johnny got to his knees and leaned over me to kiss my neck. I yanked his shorts down as he was busy turning me on more.

"Where are you going?" I pouted as he got off the bed. He pulled the rest of his clothing down to his ankles and stepped out of them.

"Going to a better position," Johnny grabbed my knees and pulled me to the edge of the bed where he was now kneeling.

He slid my panties over my hips and down my legs, making sure he slid his fingers along the length of my smooth skin. My heart was beating hard as he grabbed my butt and pulled me forward to him. I felt his tongue go slowly from the bottom to the top. He kissed the inside of my thighs then kissed down between them. The pressure of his lips was erotic and was driving me crazy. I grabbed his shoulders and pulled him closer. His fingers dug into my lower back as he held me to him and flicked his tongue down below. My hips bucked as sensation flowed through me. Johnny picked me up and lay me down on the bed with him on top. His lips molded to mine and his tongue searched my mouth. He held me by my waist as he kissed me passionately. The feeling was ebbing and he kissed my neck.

"Was that good?"

"Yeah," I murmured. "Now its your turn."

I spread my legs and pulled Johnny towards me as he aimed his member. It slid in smoothly, but was rather large. He moved it in and out slowly, kissing me as he did so. I pulled my knees up higher then grabbed his ass and pulled him hard into me. It was instantly deeper than it was a second ago. He smiled at my non-too-subtle hint.

The moans escaped through my half-parted lips as Johnny pounded into me. He grabbed my ankles and pushed my knees closer to me. I blushed when I saw him look down at where we connected. I don't know if he smiled at the sight of us or at my modesty. He leaned forward and kissed me. I held his face to mine then gasped as he began to thrust hard again.

"Oh, Johnny," I groaned. He filled me up completely, but the more he gave me the more I wanted. I dug my fingernails into his back and scratched down to his ass. "Harder, Johnny."

Johnny grabbed my shoulder and went harder and faster. His free hand went behind me and grabbed my ass before lifting it in the air. My legs were spread wide as I held on to Johnny. I needed release before I were split open, but I wanted to wait for him to cum. My teeth sank gently into his shoulder as my strength to hold out was leaking away.

"Come on, Johnny," I whispered into his ear. "Fuck me harder if you need to."

I didn't think that Johnny would be able to go any faster, but he did. It took no more than 30 seconds for me to scream with pleasure. Johnny kept a tight hold on me as my hips bucked and my body rippled with my orgasm. I felt his legs tighten at my thighs as he came inside of me. He moved his hands up behind both my shoulders and lay softly on top of me. After nibbling my ear he rolled off and settled for stroking my arm.

"Gracie," Johnny sighed. His eyes were closed and mine were struggling to stay open. "You are amazing. Come here."

Johnny pulled me closer to him and buried his face in the back of my neck. He reached down and pulled the sheet up over my breasts. The fabric felt soft and cool against my fiery skin. Johnny's breath was hot, but I liked having him there.

"You still awake, Gracie?" Johnny asked quietly. The alcohol I had consumed was making my limbs heavy, my eyelids tired, and me fatigued. I couldn't answer him, so I continued to drift into a deep sleep. He kissed my cheek. We cuddled naked in my bed all night.



"Wow," Johnny laughed. He lay on his back next me. "I can't believe we just did that."

"Me neither," I replied. I ran my fingers from his collarbone to his bare testicles and back again.

"Hey, don't do that," Johnny grabbed my hand and kissed my palm.

"Why not?"

"Not unless you want to do it again."

"I wouldn't mind," I smiled. Johnny stroked my stomach and kissed me. I felt his tongue probe my mouth as his hard penis poked between my legs. My conscience woke up and I realized what I was doing. "Actually...you might be right."

"Huh? About what?" Johnny asked as he kissed my neck.

"I don't want to have sex," I replied as I pulled the sheet up to my neck and pulled my knees up. At first I didn't think he was going to stop. He kissed my neck, the soft spot under my chin, my cheek, then ended on my lips.

"Okay," he kissed my lips again then took my hand in his. "Have you ever done this before?"

"Had sex or...casual sex? Or was that called a fling?" I answered with a nervous question. I had no idea what he would classify last night. Last night was not anything like I had done before.

"I was referring to last night," Johnny hesitated. "But, I wouldn't call last night a fling."

"No? What would you call it?" I tried to sound flirtatious, but I suddenly felt shy and awkward.

"Aside from a great night," he smiled and kissed my hand, "I would call it...something to expand on."

I accepted the kiss he planted on my cheek and lips, but didn't believe anything he said. Though I had not slept with dozens of guys like some of my friends had, I was not ignorant about what a guy will say to have sex with a girl. They say whatever they need to so that they can gain the trust, but I wasn't going to give in. Sweet words were not going to sweep me off my feet.

"Well, I am going to take a shower," I slipped out of the bed and grabbed a towel from my closet. "What are you planning on doing?"

"Well, after I take a shower with you I was planning on taking you out for breakfast," he stood up and wrapped his arms around me, apparently dismissing the fact that he was still naked. I held on to my towel.

"Yeah right."

Johnny reached into my closet and took his own towel. With two strong shakes of his hand it was unfolded. I watched him wrap it around his waist and caught myself staring at his muscles. He led me out of my bedroom and we tip-toed into the shower across the hall. I felt a little bit uncomfortable about taking a shower with him, but as long as he doesn't touch me, no foul.

"You can't wear a towel in the shower," Johnny slipped his fingers between the top of my towel and my chest. He gave a gentle tug and it fell to my feet as he turned on the shower. After helping me step over the lip to the shower he dropped his own towel and followed me in.

The water dripped down his chest and pooled at his feet. I felt it run over my shoulders, my nipples, and down my legs. It washed off the juices of sex, his and mine. I leaned my head back and let the water run over my face. Johnny ran his fingers from the roots of my hair to the tips. He snaked one arm behind me and held me as I leaned my head into his other head, fingers massaging my scalp. Though his lips brushed the spot between my firm, round breasts I was not going to be wooed by him. Johnny took a step backwards, pulling me out of the downpour of water.

"My turn," he smiled. He squirted a nickel-sized drop of shampoo onto his head and rubbed it through his hair. I watched as he rinsed his curls in the water. I reached behind him as he closed his eyes in relaxation and grabbed my blue bottle of body wash. The scent of jasmine perfumed the air as I lathered my body with it. Johnny opened his eyes and smiled at me.

"Can I help you?" I asked with a giggle at his expression.

"No," he laughed back. "I was just admiring. Can I use some of that though?"

Johnny used a minimal amount of the jasmine soap and washed his body thoroughly as well.



Johnny was laying on the couch in the living room when I entered after blow-drying my hair. I had been scared to see the dozens of beer cans laying around and people sprawled on the floor, but there was nothing there. The mess that should have been there was not.

"I hope you don't recycle," Johnny said absentmindedly as he stared at the television. "I threw all the cans out with the rest of the trash in the dumpster."

I ran his words through my head again, making sure I had heard correctly. "You cleaned all this up?"

"Only what was left," he looked at me. "I didn't wipe the counters or vacuum yet. You look great though."

"Thank you," I smiled. This didn't seem like the normal let-me-in-your-pants behavior. It seemed genuine.

***********************



Over the next month I didn't see Johnny at all, but things had definitely changed between us. It started with the text messages. After he had left he had texted me saying that he had a lot of fun.

"What are you smiling like a goon for?" Lana asked. I stared at the text I had received that described Johnny's favorite position.

"Oh," I reread it, "Nothing. Just thinking of something from last night."

"I bet you are," she grinned and went back to her homework. "You two were in your room all night and this morning."

It was impossible to hide my blushing. I loved the feel of heat that rose in my chest and up my cheeks before it flushed my body with longing. It went on for a month.

"Lana, I'm going to Johnny's for Halloween. Do you want to come?" I asked more out of courtesy than actually wanting her to tag along. Thankfully, she had plans.

"I would love to, but I am taking my little cousins Trick-or-Treating," Lana whimpered. I hoped she didn't see the excitement flash in my eyes.

"That sucks. Are you dressing up with them?"

"Yes," Lana smiled. "I am being an evil witch and they are Hansel and Gretel."

"Doesn't that evil witch want to eat Hansel and Gretel?" I asked a bit confused by this trio.

"Exactly! They know the story well. They are only seven. I told them that if they eat too much candy it will make them fat and I will have to eat them. This way, I don't have to deal with children on a sugar high."

"Nice job," I complimented her on the well-thoughts plan. In my mind I thought I would have done something easier like setting a bed time.

"What are you going as?"

"I wasn't going as anything," this was the truth. "I am just going to hang out. If we go somewhere maybe I'll paint my cheeks red and say I'm Raggedy Anne."

We both giggled at this because that same sort of thing happened the previous year. I had gone with Lana and her sister to a Halloween Party but had not been excited enough to dress up. More than five people had said how much they liked my Raggedy Anne costume. Apparently, my casual wear needed an update.

I had told Lana about my Halloween plans only two days prior to it. Those two days were the slowest I could remember. I kept asking if I could just drive to Johnny early. Eventually, the day came.

"Gracie," I looked over my shoulder at Lana who was in curlers.

"Yes?"

"I thought you said you were not dressing up?"

"I'm not dressing up," I smiled. "I'm just trying to look cute."

"That is not cute. That is sexy school girl outfit," Lana complained. Her hideous, tattered dress was hanging on her door. It covered her feet, her chest, and her arms. Even though most people knew that Lana had an amazing body, she liked to emphasize that point on Halloween when she could. This year, I was the doing that.

"This is not sexy school girl," I contradicted her as she pouted at me and looked me up and down. "It's...Johnny's sexy dream girl."