Moving around quite a bit throughout high school didn't leave me with much of a chance to make close friends.

Now up at the mountain house with Heather and her friends, I actually felt like I was forming close bonds with other people my age.

Some of those bonds were becoming very close.

Heather and I were getting to know each other's bodies quite well, and I was thoroughly enjoying it.

In the week after we started hooking up, Michelle seemed to take notice. All of us were at Heather's for the night, going night swimming. All of the parents were inside for a game and wine night. Some of the siblings were also with us in the pool, including Justin and Julian's sister, Miranda, who Justin seemed to be getting along quite well with.

Heather and I stood close to each other in the pool, and she said to me softly, "Looking perfect in that pink bikini of yours."

Before I could say anything back, Michelle shook her head and chuckled, "You two are so obvious."

"Obvious about what, Chelle?" Heather asked, feigning innocence.

"If you two haven't hooked up yet, you're totally going to," Haley joined in the conversation.

Heather glanced at me, and I glanced back at her, my face growing warm.

"Ha, guilty!" Michelle laughed.

"I plead the fifth," Heather responded.

"Same," I added.

"Hey, nothing wrong with it if you are hooking up," Julian cut in, "We listen and we don't judge."

Haley rolled her eyes, "Julian, you just want to hookup with Edwin again."

Heather looked at Julian in shock, "You two actually hooked up? I thought you only flirted!"

Julian shot Haley a look and then said to Heather, "He may have...given me a blowjob. Are you mad?"

"Of course not," Heather laughed, "You could have told me!"

Haley nudged me and said quietly, "You're welcome, I got everyone off your back."

"Lucy is coming up next week, right?" Michelle asked Heather, "I really like her."

"She is," Heather nodded, "It'll probably be the only time she comes up for the summer. She's starting an accelerated biology program for college and her classes begin early."

"She's a smart gal, huh?" Michelle asked.

"Extremely," Heather nodded, "She wants to be either a Doctor or get into research. Meanwhile, I could see myself dropping out of college."

"You think so?" Julian asked Heather.

"I don't even want to go to college. My parents are making me. Hence why my degree is liberal arts, I have no fucking clue what I want to do."

"I get it," Michelle nodded, "I'm going to school for nursing, but who knows if I actually want to be an nurse."

Heather nodded toward me, "That's what Alice is going to school for as well."

Michelle grinned at me, "We'll have to let each other know how classes are going this coming year."

The conversation continued and I learned that Haley was going to college in Florida for Business, and Julian was going to be an English major at Drexel University.

I wondered what Heather wanted to do instead of going to college. That night after her and I fooled around in her room, we lay in her bed together. I never left her room right away, she didn't seem to want me to.

She had her arm around me, lightly stroking my hair.

I spoke, "Can I ask you something?"

"I'm always asking you things, so go ahead."

"What do you want to do instead of going to college?"

Heather was quiet for a moment, and she then said, "Promise you won't make fun of me?"

"I promise."

"I want to become a tattoo artist and a piercer. I know I don't have any tattoos yet and literally just a nose piercing, but I really think that's what I want to do. I need to do something expressive and creative. School is stifling, always has been."

"Why would I make fun of you for that? I think that's great," I looked up at Heather, "Are your parents against it?"

"Completely. So, I figure that I'll get my degree in something random just to please them, and then do what I really want. If I didn't go to college, they'd likely kick me out and then I'd be screwed."

"I'm sorry, Heather. I really am, you should be able to do what you want with your life."

"If only it was that easy. You know...I'm actually really nervous about college and how I'll do in school. I barely graduated from Rollins."

"Really? I didn't know that."

Heather chewed on her bottom lip for a second and then said, "I have some learning disabilities and ADHD. School has always been really difficult for me. I just really worry that I'm going to struggle in college and flunk out of my classes. I've always felt like the dumbest person in the room, and like I wasn't getting something everyone else was. I don't want that to carry through to college."

"I promise you're not dumb," I said to Heather, "I hate that you feel that way. Learning disabilities and ADHD does not mean you're dumb. In fact, I think you're really smart."

I then turned to Heather and said in her ear, "Plus you're really charming. And gorgeous."

Heather cracked a smile, and she then whispered in my ear, "Plus I'm good at fucking, right?"

"The best I've ever had."

Heather giggled playfully, and I was just glad to have made her smile.

The next morning, Heather informed me that Edwin was going to be staying for the weekend.

"He's not getting along with his parents and he's crashing out," Heather said to me as we ate breakfast together, "I'm sorry, I hope you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all. You have nothing to apologize for. I like Edwin. Sure, he's a bit...prickly. But I like him, he makes me laugh."

Heather laughed, "He is prickly, isn't he?"

I knew that Edwin must've really wanted to get away from his parents, because not even two hours later he showed up, parking his Honda in front of the mountain house.

He walked in wearing a bubblegum pink t-shirt and baggy jean shorts that cut off right above his knees. Heather got him set up in a guest room, and the three of us went out to the backyard.

Edwin pulled a rolled joint out of his fanny pack and immediately lit it. Heather and I sat with him on a chaise lounge, and we passed the joint around.

"I'm so glad to be here with the both of you," Edwin said, "H, thanks for letting me come up with such short notice."

"What did your parents do to piss you off so much?" Heather asked.

"They just won't get off my back! I came home at 2 AM after a Grindr hookup last night, and my mom stayed up to berate me about it. Like I'm not a whole ass adult who can make his own decisions."

Heather was quiet for a second and she then said, "Could she just have been worried about where you were?"

Edwin rolled his dark eyes, "Don't you go taking her side now! She got pissed that I was out so late and went off on me. She called me 'irresponsible'. If I was that irresponsible, I wouldn't have used a fucking condom."

"Well, at least you had safe sex," Heather chuckled, and took a hit of Edwin's joint, "I know Julian will be happy to see you."

Edwin sat up a bit straighter, "Has he said anything about me?"

"Oh, just that you gave him head last summer. Which you never told me," Heather said to Edwin.

Edwin visibly blushed, "Julian told you?"

"Haley technically did."

"What a bitch," Edwin said in an unserious tone, "Just so you know...I wouldn't mind sucking him off again."

I laughed as Heather said, "You do you, Edwin."

While Edwin was fun to have around, I did miss it just being Heather and me. The night Julian arrived, we all went to Haley's house.

Haley's house was even grander than Heather's. In fact, it was the largest home I'd ever been in.

"Haley, your house is insane," Edwin said to her as we all stood around the floating bar in her pool.

Haley smirked, "Perks of having a dad that's a CEO."

"You make my dad's career as a lawyer sound like nothing," Edwin said to Haley.

"Well, compared to a CEO...," Haley said jokingly, and Edwin flipped her off.

Heather and I stood next to each other at the floating bar, and she sipped a Blue Moon. Her black halter bikini top pushed out her cleavage very nicely, and I had to stop my eyes from drifting down.

"I like the swimsuit you're wearing," Heather said softly to me at one point, "You look really good."

"I was just thinking the same about you," I whispered back to Heather.

She reached around under the water and gave my ass a quick squeeze, which almost made me spit out my hard seltzer.

Julian and Edwin were also being extra flirtatious with each other. Giving each other looks, whispering to each other, and being very touchy.

"Alright you two," Haley said to them, "There are 8 bedrooms in this house, if you want to go into one of them, you're more than welcome to. Just not mine."

Julian laughed somewhat uncomfortably, and Edwin said, "Alright, deal. Which room is yours so we know which one to avoid?"

Julian looked at Edwin, wide eyed, and Haley responded, "My room is the last one down the hall to the right. Any of the other rooms are all yours. I don't care if you do...whatever you're going to do...in one of my sisters rooms."

I watched as Julian and Edwin walked off together, and Michelle said, "Wow. They must be really horny for each other."

Heather spoke, "You know, I'm just glad that Julian is comfortable in his sexuality now. I remember it took him so long to finally accept that he's bisexual."

"I love being friends with all gay people," Michelle said, "You all know how to keep things interesting."

"Just wait until Lucy comes next week," Heather said with a smile.

I wonder how interesting it's going to get?