THE FABULOUS FEMMES OF FAIRDELLS  Part 1 
By Marlon G. Silversteel - silversteel2002@yahoo.com
Three of a Kind


Fairdells, California is much like many other small West Coast towns. It
enjoys relatively nice weather year round, is within a two hour drive from
mountains, woodlands, lakes, or beaches, has friendly people, and is all in
all a wonderful place to live. What makes this San Francisco Bay Area bit of
residential heaven unique, however, are three very special young ladies who
grew up here, go to school here, and are among my very best friends.

Kathleen Nelson, Julie McKinley, and Danielle Silverman shared some things in
common. They were all born the same day, October 17th 1972, in the same
hospital, Fairdells Community Medical Center, and within a couple of minutes
of each other. Everyone passed this off as an incredible coincidence, of
course, seeing that they weren't triplets, or even related to each other. It
was an interesting bonding experience for their mothers, I've been told! But
coincidence as most believed, or something more, as I believed, it was clear
that these three girls were extraordinary, as I came to learn and understand
during our teenage years.

All three of these girls were great friends, since the day they first could
crawl and pull each other's hair practically! They were in the same class
through school, were excellent students, smart, pretty, and fun to be with.
They borrowed each other's clothes all the time (they were almost the same
size, all three of them), and did everything together, whether it be going to
get their hair done or roller blading down to the mall.

But they had some differences as well. Kat was a dyed-in-the-wool cheerleader.
Her mom had gotten her into gymnastics and ballet when she was little, and her
biggest thrill was twirling a baton and throwing a pom pom. When freshman year
of high school rolled around, she went for the Cheer Squad! Kat was a very
outgoing girl, full of energy, flirtatious as hell, and always smiling. She
was the tallest of the three, standing about 5'8" with long, wavy, flowing
dark brown hair and lovely hazel eyes. Her father was Swedish, his name having
originally been Nilsson, but anglicizing it to Nelson a couple of generations
back when his family came from overseas. Her mother's heritage was Moraccan,
which is where Kat got her darker complexion and hair from. She had a gorgeous
figure, with large, beautiful breasts (well-developed for a 14 year old), and
the sexiest legs I have ever seen.

Julie was a light brown/auburn-haired, blue-eyed princess. Fair skinned, tall
and slender, she had the look of a model, and the face of an angel. She gave
the appearance of being delicate, but she was no priss. At 5'7" she was
well-built, yet gentle. Her hair was long and curly, and she often wore it in
a pony-tail. She usually wore shorts and a halter top, showing off her
fantastic ab muscles and creamy thighs. Jules was an artist, and although
fun-loving and cheerful, was a little more reserved than Kat. She loved
theatre, and was in all the school plays. She sang in the chorus, and had a
lovely soprano voice. And I have yet to see a woman who could dance with more
grace, more charm, and more sensuality than her! As children, we had played
together and had known each other quite well, mainly due to the fact that her
father, Preston McKinley, was my father's friend and business partner at their
law firm, Madison-McKinley.

Dani was the shortest of the three, 5'5" which was obviously still pretty tall
for a teenage girl. She was a soft-spoken, tan, raven-haired, brown- eyed
goddess, sexy in every way. She was the most athletic of the three, having
been in all sorts of girls' sports since early grade school. She had played
soccer, softball, volleyball, and had excelled in them all. When freshman year
started, she tried out for the Water Polo team, which was fine by me because I
too was a swimmer in high school. There were only a couple of girls on the
team back then. She had broad shoulders for a girl, strong, muscular arms, and
the firmest, most gorgeous ass in the world. Dani was kind of a tom-boy in
some ways, a little rough around the edges, liked to play around with the
guys, but out of the three girls, she was the closest to me, perhaps because
of our common athletic interest. Her family was Jewish, one of the wealthiest
in town, but Dani was the most down to earth, easy-going, and least stuck up
person I knew in Fairdells.

It was Fall 1986, a couple of months into Freshman year. I was a slightly
awkward, half JV jock, half nerd, struggling with most things 14 year old boys
struggled with. I was on the Water Polo team, starting Junior Varsity, and
involved with Freshman Debate and Chorus as well. It didn't leave me much time
to get into trouble, but somehow trouble managed to find me anyway!

I was walking home from practice one Monday afternoon when Kat came running up
behind me to walk with me. She had just finished cheerleading drills. Her
house and mine were only a half mile or so away from Fairdells High, and only
a block or so apart from each other.

"John, wait up!" she called, picking up her pace to catch up with me. Her
cheerleader's skirt that she was still wearing fluttered frivolously in the
wind, as her beautiful breasts bounced in rhythm with her effortless jog.

"Hey, Kat!" I responded, looking back and smiling, pausing for a moment.

"How was work out?" she asked, coming alongside me walking.

"A work out," I replied, laughing. "My legs are killing me!" I reached down to
massage my calves, which were in fact tender and a bit sore.

"Ah, poor baby!" Kat teased, putting a quick twirl in her step. "Little Johnny
not tough enough to swim with the big boys?"

"Hey, what do you mean?" I exclaimed, laughing a bit in return, realizing she
was just playing. "I don't see you treading water and scrimmaging for two and
a half hours every day!"

"I'll bet Dani doesn't get sore after practice," Kat sighed, still smiling.

"Yeah, well Dani's a little buff aquatic tank!" I stated.

"Oh, jealous, are we?" she chided.

"Not even!" I shot back, still being playful. "Dani's strong as hell, but she
wouldn't stand a chance one-on-one against most of the guys on the team, not
in the water anyway!"

"Including you?" Kat asked, making it obvious that she was enjoying getting me
going like this.

"Of course!" I scoffed. "I mean she's a girl. Tough, yeah, but still a girl."

"Oh really?" she suddenly said, stopping in her tracks, and me as well, with a
sudden step in front of me, and a hand to my chest. "Are you saying that boys
are just naturally stronger than girls?"

"Yeah," I responded, as if it was obvious, gently pushing Kat's hand away and
resuming my pace.

Kat just smiled and laughed a bit, but didn't resist and continued to walk
with me, not saying anything more about it.

We were out of sight of campus, but not in sight of our block yet, when a pick
up truck came driving around the corner, and pulled up next to the curb where
we were walking. The truck had a couple of guys in the cab, and about three or
four more in the back, all upperclassmen, and all varsity football players.
Damn! I had totally forgotten. It was Hazing Week, and that meant open season
on Freshmen, especially athletes like myself!

"Hey, Freshman!" one of the Seniors in the back yelled. The truck came
screeching to a halt, and the husky posse jumped out. The fellow riding
shotgun got out the other side and joined them. Kat and I stopped dead in our
tracks.

"You know the drill Fish!" he said, grinning. "Get in the back, you're taking
a ride with us before walking home to Mommy!" The rest of the guys laughed.

"Kat, you better keep walking," I said softly, preparing to get "initiated."

"Not on your life!" she replied, a little louder so that the fellows could
hear. "Come on, we're walking home together!" She took my hand and started to
divert me away from my date with disaster.

"Whoa, hold on there!" one of the guys said, blocking our path. "Little Miss
Pom Pom ain't gonna help you here!" He separated the two of us, and started to
escort me to the truck.

"Hey, let him go!" Kat exclaimed firmly, setting her backpack down, glaring at
the jocks.

This just got them even more into it. "Haha!!!" he jeered. "What, is your
girlfriend gonna protect you Fish?" The others roared boisterously.

"Get in, Water Boy!" they demanded, trying to pick me up and throw me in the
back of the truck.

"Stop it!" Kat yelled, taking a step closer. "This is so stupid, this ... this
Hazing shit! Don't you assholes have something better to do than ride around
and pick on Freshman guys?"

"Wh-hoa!" they exclaimed, feigning shock. "Little Miss Pom Pom's got a mouth
on her!"

"Beat it, Barbie!" one of the Seniors said, trying to push Kat aside. "Before
some of the big girls come and haul your little sweet ass away!"

Tried was the operative word. As the muscular upperclassman was finishing his
retort, Kat responded by taking his arm that he used to push her away and
forcefully shoving him towards the cab of the truck. With a bewildered look on
his face, the bigger boy went flying back against the hard metal as if he was
a rag doll. The other guys stopped their assault on me to witness the
remarkable feat.

"Don't call me Barbie," Kat stated, with a deadly and menacing calm in her
voice.

"Holy shit, Finch!" one of the guys said to the victim of her defense. "What
the hell are you doing? She's a fucking girl!"

"Goddammit!" Finch yelled, pulling away from the truck, rubbing his elbow that
obviously got banged up a bit. "Listen, bitch, you better back the fuck off! I
don't care if you're a girl. You fuck with us, and you'll get hurt!"

"Don't call me bitch, you cocksucking jock!" Kat seethed, taking another step
towards the boy. Two of the guys who were dealing with me let go in order to
flank their buddy.

"Shut the fuck up, and take a hike!" Finch shot back, and walked back to the
bed of the truck to finish with me. His buddies stayed behind to obviously
make sure Kat didn't try to interfere again.

The two boys stood between Kat and the back of the truck, where I was in the
process of being picked up forcefully by the three others and tossed in the
bed. Kat bit her lip slightly, then went for it.

She tried to just slip between the two behemoths, hoping that her agility
would be sufficient to avoid a direct and forceful encounter. It didn't work.
The boys were watching, and closed the gap. I landed head first on the metal
lining, the force of the throw causing me to yell out in pain. Kat's reaction
was immediate.

"STOP IT!!!" she screamed, and flung herself into the line of varsity flesh in
front of her.

The effect was stunning. The boys' cocky smiles faded in an instant as they
found themselves knocked back and sideways like a couple of bowling pins, with
Kat as a merciless formidable oncoming ball aiming for a strike. Both ended up
on the ground, astonished, if not quite humiliated!

"What the ... ?"! Finch started to cry out, but was interrupted by a powerful
blow to his jaw by Kat's strong yet graceful fist. I swore that I could hear a
crack in his neck or shoulders as he spun around and landed on the pavement
head first near the rear tire, knocked out cold. The two others who had just
deposited me into the truck along with Finch were bewildered.

"How the hell ... ?!" they started to curse, but they didn't have a chance to
react. With cheerleader dexterity and precision, Kat proceeded to grab them
both by the collar, one in each hand, and pulled them away from the truck like
ragdolls. Both boys landed on their backs next to their buddies already on the
ground.

Kat turned and looked at all four, then glanced at Finch's unconscious frame
lying a few feet away.

"All right, who's next?" she challenged, firmly, but with a hint of mischief
in her voice.

"This is bullshit!" one of the four shouted, jumping to his feet. "That does
it, bitch. Girl or no girl, you're going for a ride with your Fish boyfriend!"

The other three muttered in agreement and got to their feet. As a group, they
blitzed the beautiful cheerleader as if rushing the line in a game.

Kat didn't sidestep, nor did she step back. And it was over in about ten
seconds. A punch to the stomach, a kick in the groin, and a couple of flips
and all four bullies had joined their fallen leader next to the curb. Smiling,
and wiping her hands on her skirt, she walked over to me, lying in the back of
the truck. She held out her deceivingly mighty yet lovely hand as if to help
me down. I took it carefully, looking at her in amazement.

"So," she said to me, her tone much different now than before when dealing
with the now-beaten jocks, "what were you saying about boys being naturally
stronger than girls?"

I blushed a bit in embarrassment, but managed to jump down from the truck
assisted by Kat. She took my arm gently, leaned in and kissed me softly on the
lips, then grinning at my baffled but kind of excited expression, started
walking with me down the street again towards our homes.

I didn't say anything until we reached her front porch. I paused before saying
goodbye to her.

"Kat," I said, not really sure how to say what I wanted, "how did ... I mean,
how is it that you ... " I stopped, my mouth not able to communicate what my
scrambled brain was trying to put out.

She put her finger to my lips, completing my pause. She then took a step back,
taking my hand in hers. She extended her other arm, bending it inwards and
upwards, her short-sleaved cheerleading tunic allowing me a good clear visual
of her beautiful muscles. She then placed my hand on her bicep, keeping it
there while she proceeded to flex. With my hand, I could feel the most
incredibly strong muscle being made in her gorgeous arm that I had ever felt!

"Oh my God!" I whispered under my breath, feeling a surge of excitement
welling up inside me. In all the years I had known Kat, I would never have
guessed ...

She didn't offer a reply, but merely allowed my hand to massage her steel-
hard, sexy bicep while taking her other hand and putting it on my shoulder,
drawing in a bit closer. She then took her flexed arm, relaxed it, and moving
it away from my hand, placed it on my other shoulder. She looked directly into
my eyes with an expression that no girl had ever given me before, and leaned
in closer to whisper into my ear.

"You haven't seen nothing yet," she said softly, and then removing those tan
feminine arms of both iron and silk and kissing me on the cheek, stepped back
and went inside her house, leaving me in awe standing on her porch.

I walked home in a daze, confused, yet somehow exhilarated. After seeing a
slender girl my age clean the clocks of five older boys each nearly twice her
weight and size, I couldn't help but wonder ... what else could that strong,
sexy body of hers do?

I didn't really get an answer to my question, well, not exactly anyway.
Definitely not the way I expected! I did notice, however, that during the
remainder of Hazing Week, I got off scott free. Fairdells was a small town
after all. Word had a way of traveling fast, around campus or otherwise. The
joke around school was that Fairdells High was the kind of place that a person
couldn't take a shit without everyone else knowing what color it was!

It was November 1986, a week or so before Thanksgiving Break. Water Polo
season was over, but that didn't mean I had much free time. Being in chorus,
we were getting ready for our Christmas Concert, and that meant a little extra
dedication on the part of everyone involved.

I was a pretty good singer, and so I was given a solo part for one of the
numbers. Well, not really a solo. A duet, actually, with Julie McKinley. This
was quite fun. Julie was an incredible singer, as well as being one of my best
friends. As the weather got colder, and the date of the concert drew nearer,
we both found that we needed some extra time to rehearse and get everything
down just right.

Julie was over at my house one Sunday afternoon working with me on our song.
My older sister Nancy was 16, and a Junior in high school. She could also play
the piano really well, so I had asked her to accompany for us on my parent's
piano while we practiced. It was a couple hours later, after we were done and
Nancy had gone over to her boyfriend's house, and Julie and I were just
hanging out for a while watching TV that the subject came up.

"Do you think it's possible for a girl to be stronger than a boy?" I asked
during a commercial break.

"What do you mean?" Julie replied. "Like women bodybuilders? Yeah, sure. I can
see one of those woman wrestlers on TV kicking your ass anyday!" She laughed.

"No, no, that's not what I mean, smart ass!" I laughed back. "Obviously that's
true. No, I'm talking about, say, a girl your size being able to whip five
guys who are older and much bigger."

"Mmmm," Julie said, smiling. "Your ego still a little crushed from Kat's
daring rescue last month?"

I sighed, and huffed a bit. Yeah, she was right. It did sting a bit,
especially in light of the fact that I had been forced to take quite a bit of
shit at school lately for it!

"Okay, okay," I stated, shaking my head. "No, really, I'm seriously curious. I
was there, remember? I saw Kat single-handedly take Finch and his buddies to
the cleaners! I mean, how is that possible? Sure, Kat's tough. She's a
cheerleader, she's in pretty good shape, she's ... got muscles you wouldn't
believe ... " I paused a minute, reflecting back on the experience, and
listening to how I must have sounded to Julie at that moment. I could feel my
face getting warm.

"Yeah?" Julie exclaimed, grinning in amusement. "So, you got to see Kat's
muscles?"

"Holy shit, did I ever!" I blurted out, not thinking. "I mean ... " I tried to
back-peddle a bit. "Yeah, I saw her arms. She's really strong ... for a girl
... I just can't explain ... " I sat back, sighing.

Julie walked over to the couch where I had been sitting alone. Her stride was
a bit different. Not quite casual, a bit more slow, seductive. She sat down
next to me, keeping her eyes on me. I couldn't help but look back into her
pretty blue eyes, uncomfortable as it might have seemed.

She put her beautiful bare legs up on the couch (her shoes were off), and sat
cross-legged, facing me. She leaned against the back of the couch, her right
arm up on the crest, her fingers starting to gently stroke the upholstery.

"What would you say if I told you that Kat wasn't the only one with muscles?"
she said, a little playfully, but still sounding like she meant it.

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking at her, smiling a bit. She was probably
just messing with me!

"Come over here," she stated, decisively. She hopped up off the couch and
grabbed my hand, leading me over to the dining room table. I followed,
chuckling a bit, wondering what the hell she was up to.

"Okay, what?" I demanded, quite amused. Julie sat down in one of the chairs.
She pointed at the seat across the table from her.

"Come on, sit down," she insisted. I kind of laughed, but sat down, facing her
with a sarcastic look.

"Okay, now what?" I asked, having fun. "Arm-wrestling?" I put my right arm up
on the table, just for emphasis.

"Exactly!" Julie exclaimed, putting hers up as well and grasping my hand in
arm-wrestling style.

"Oh come on!" I laughed, letting go and playfully slapping her arm. "Give me a
break, Jules! What, are you and Kat brewing strength potion in the basement or
something? Get real!"

"No, you get real!" Julie replied, good-natured but surprisingly on the level.
I knew she was serious. "Put your arm back up here and let's wrestle."

"All right," I shrugged, getting my hand in position. "But I'm not going to
let you win, okay? Even though you are my friend."

"Sure," Julie responded, looking at me devilishly. "And you'll make sure to be
gentle, right?" she asked, with a little mockery in her tone.

"Nope," I stated, grinning. "You asked for this one, remember?"

"Ready? Set?" Julie said, counting down. "Go!"

I smiled as I started exerting pressure. I was sure this was going to be over
quick. I was serious. Normally I would just play with her, but she was
obviously trying to make a point. So, I was going to make one too. That
incident with Kat wasn't going to make me subject to just any old shit that my
friends wanted to pull!

I was no weakling, even though I was just a Freshman in high school. I was an
athlete, after all. I could stand toe-to-toe with any of my classmates, and
even quite a few Sophomore guys, I was sure. What the hell was Julie trying to
prove?

I kept going, putting more into it. My smile started to fade after a few
seconds. Julie's arm wasn't budging. I exerted more pressure. My arm started
trembling slightly, and my feet took stronger footing on the floor beneath.
What in the world was going on?

"What, having a bit of trouble?" Julie asked me, trying to sound sincere, but
I could tell she was enjoying this. And she didn't seem to be straining at all
to keep my arm at bay.

"All right, Jules," I said, breathing a little heavy. "I'm through fucking
around. No mercy!" I figured a warning was in order before I ripped her arm
off. I grunted once and then leaned into it, giving everything I had.

Nothing happened. I couldn't put her goddamn arm down! This wasn't happening!
She just sat there, smiling, her arm perfectly erect, holding me firmly in
place, unable to push down at all.

"Ready to give up?" she asked.

"Hell no!" I grunted under my breath, trying to push even harder. It was no
use. There was no fucking way that I was going to give up!

"Well, John, I don't want you to hurt yourself, so ... " Julie gave me a quick
look, then gave her arm a flex as she seemingly effortlessly pinned my
trembling, straining arm down on the table with one thudding push!

I was stunned. I looked at her arm, that fair, gentle, slender arm that had
just once again emasculated me with a single blow. Julie was a good sport,
however, and standing up, came around the table to where I was still sitting
as if in a coma, put her arm on my shoulder, bent over slightly and kissed me
on the cheek.

"You're actually pretty tough ... for a guy," she said, winking at me before
walking back into the den.

I finally got up and followed her. It didn't make any sense. First Kat, now
Jules. What was going on here? How could these sweet teenage girl classmates
and friends of mine possess such awesome strength? I looked at her, beautiful
as she may have been, and just couldn't imagine such power being contained
within such a delicate, feminine and incredibly lovely frame.

"Jules," I said quietly, sitting back down next to her on the couch, where she
had resumed watching the TV program, "you gotta tell me what's going on here.
I mean, are you and Kat doing some stupid shit, like steroids or something?"

"John, give me a break," she replied lightly. "I'm not on drugs, and neither
is Kat. It just goes to show you that boys aren't always stronger than girls,
that's all."

"Yeah, but Jules, come on!" I exclaimed, not letting it go that easy. "It's
not like you and Kat are just a bit stronger, you're ... I mean, you're ... "
It was kind of exciting, but scary to think and say at the same time.

"We're what?" Julie inquired. "Mutants? Freaks?" She laughed.

"No, no!" I exclaimed, trying not to sound as if I was covering up some nasty
insinuation. "I just can't understand how ... "

"Look," Julie said, leaning in closer to me on the couch, and lowering her
voice. "There are just some things that can't really be explained, okay?" She
patted me on the leg, smiling.

I nodded, trying to accept her answer. We sat quietly for a while, watching
some TV. I waited until another commercial before making another comment.

"Hey Jules, would you mind showing me your arm again?" I asked, trying not to
sound like a geek.

She giggled, and shook her head. "Boy, John, you really can't stand it, can
you?" she replied. "Well, I guess it's cool."

She extended her arm, the same that had pinned mine a few minutes ago, and
flexed her bicep for me. She was so incredibly strong, it was unbelievable! I
ran my hand along her muscle, feeling how hard and powerful it was, yet how
soft and smooth her fair skin was, hiding the ball of steel that lay beneath.

"God, it's just like Kat's!" I whispered, enjoying the feel of Julie's arm,
and feeling a bit of that same excitement as before.

Julie took back her arm, relaxing it, then stood up, holding out her hand to
help me up.

"Walk me to the door?" she asked, signaling that she was going to leave now.'

I showed her out, saying goodbye, that I would see her the next day at school
and so forth. She was halfway off the porch and almost to the sidewalk when
she looked back for just a second, pausing, and grinned at me the same way Kat
had when she had said the same thing.

"You haven't seen nothing yet."

And with that, she strolled off, down the street towards her house, her long
sensuous legs carrying her in stride.

I watched as she walked away, remembering those words, and wondering ...

I didn't have a chance to talk to either Kat or Jules again about my peculiar
encounters again. The opportunity just never came up, but I never forgot
either. Christmas came and went. School started up again in January after
Winter Break, and within a month, we were starting pre-season workout for
Swimming. This was a busy time for me. Fairdells High had a tight meet
schedule, and the coach kept us in line quite well! We were doing weights and
running early in the morning before classes started, for two hours, then after
school practice in the pool for another two hours at least. I was tired by the
time I got home! And I somehow had to balance this with the occasional weekend
debate, and the Spring concert preparation in May.

Swim Team was great, though. Most of my friends were on the team, guys and
girls both, Dani included. She was so awesome. She made the Girls' Varsity
Team that year, even though she was just a Freshman, like me. She was a
popular girl among her teammates, one of the co-captains. The guys liked her
too, partly out of admiration for her skill, and partly because she was such a
hottie. But what I thought was cool was that she hung out mostly with me when
she had the opportunity. That really made me feel special. But it wasn't until
about halfway through season that I found out just how special Dani was, above
and beyond what I already knew about her!

It was after practice one afternoon. Dani and I were the last ones at the
pool, our turns for clean-up, putting away the equipment, rolling the tarp
back over the water, removing the lane ropes, etc. It was after 5:30.

"See you tomorrow morning, John!" Dani said, waving to me as she picked up her
towel and goggles and headed to the other side of the pool to the girls'
locker room entrance. I watched her for a moment, smiling as she walked away.
She is such a goddess, I thought to myself.

I turned and walked over to the guys' locker room door. It was locked! The
custodian must not have realized that I was still in the pool area. And with
my backpack, clothing and everything else except my speedo inside ...

"Shit!" I said, frustrated, loud enough for Dani to hear. The outside gate to
the pool was already chained. I suppose I could've hopped the fence and gone
around to the front entrance of the gym... but in my speedo? And through the
parking lot? And if that door was locked as well?

"What's wrong, John?" Dani called out, stopping in the doorway on the other
side.

"Oh, nothing," I replied. "Just that the door's locked!"

She turned and walked back over to me, leaving her stuff by the door. She took
hold of the knob and gave it a slight tug.

"Damn," she said, seeing that sure enough it was locked. "Do you have your
backpack out here?" she asked. "You could just shower and change in the girls'
room if you had to ... "

"No, it's all in my locker," I replied, pointing to the door. "In there."

Dani looked over at the chained gate for a moment, and into the parking lot
beyond. There were a few cars still there, but no one around. And all other
sides of the pool area were enclosed with buildings and walls.

"Hey, give the chain a check," she said to me, motioning over to the gate.
"You know how Coach sometimes leaves the padlock unlocked but in position, you
know?"

"Sure, what the hell?" I replied, walking over that direction. I could walk
around if I had to, even in my speedo.

I was almost at the gate when I looked back at Dani to say goodbye. I guess I
figured she was just going to get her stuff and head to the girls' showers.
But she was still by the door to the guys' locker room. She had her hand on
the handle again, and it looked as if she was going to give it a second try,
locked as it might have been.

I was about to check the chain when I noticed that Dani was doing far more
than just trying! With her muscular arm, she gave the handle a pull. I could
see the way her muscles flexed as she pulled. I knew she was strong, but I had
never seen a girl flex like that before, not with so much visible results! I
wondered what it would be like to feel those muscles as she flexed like that
...

But what caught my attention even more was what happened with the door. With a
single, powerful jerk, Dani opened it! I stopped, dead in my tracks, staring
at her.

She turned and saw me looking. For a second, her expression seemed surprised,
then a bit embarrassed, like a kid caught with his hand in the proverbial
cookie jar. But she recovered quickly and just smiled to me, gesturing me to
come back.

"Must have just been stuck or something!" she called out. "It probably needs
some WD-40 or something."

I walked back to her, still staring in awe. That door had been locked, with a
dead-bolt, I was sure of it! How the hell could Dani have opened it?

"Umm ... thanks," I said, looking at her still, not sure how to respond
exactly. A couple thoughts raced through my head, but I couldn't accept it,
not at the moment. Then again ... those moments with Kat ... and Jules ...

"Sure, buddy," Dani replied, smiling and giving me a little pat on the arm
before walking back to the other side. "See you tomorrow!" Then she went
inside.

I looked at the door. It might have been stuck, sure, but ... what the fuck? I
noticed the deadbolt, or rather where it should have been. It was missing!
There didn't seem to be any other answer. Had Dani really ripped a heavy,
bolted door open with shear strength and force?

I went inside and showered. Walking home a few minutes later I resolved myself
to ask her tomorrow, regardless of how stupid it sounded. There had just been
too many strange things happening lately, I couldn't ignore it!

(to be continued)