"Do you ever have those days where you just want to break everything you own out of boredom?"

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone before Jeremy finally said, "Tegan, you need to get laid. Or at least get out."

I sighed. "You're right...about both."

"I'm right about everything," he said. "Stop being surprised."

I laughed. This had been what I'd been doing for the last three weeks. I'd get a call from Jeremy a couple days a week, and a call from Sara on Sundays. Other than that, I'd watched TV and stared at the ceiling (all from my bed), and it was driving me crazy.

That was what I'd been complaining about to Jeremy for the last hour, and he continued to essentially tell me to get a life.

"I don't even know what to do with myself. Sara and I barely get any time to talk. I'm not in school. My parents are hovering 24/7. There's nowhere to play around here-"

"Where did you used to play?" he asked me. "Before camp and all that bullshit, where did you go?"

"One night events here and there," I said. "Coffee shops or school stuff. There's nowhere in town that has an open mic schedule or anything."

"I should look for a place by me," he said. "I could drive you."

"We're on the same side, here, but it's not that easy," I said. "My parents are barely letting me breathe, much less leave the house. If I tried, they'd both start going on and on about how I should be taking this time to get 'back to my old self and be happy again' which really means act like I'm happy so they don't have to know I'm not and go back to school."

"Hence why you want to break things, got it." I heard him click his tongue in thought a few times before saying, "I'm pretty sure I can take care of this. What time are your parents in?"

"Around 6. 6:30 if there's traffic."

"You eat dinner right when they get home?" he asked.

"Pretty much. What-"

"Alright. Give me until the end of the night."

"What're you gonna do?"

"Just trust me," he said. "And keep your weekend free. Not sure which cards I'll play yet."

"Um...okay?" I had no idea what I was agreeing to, but he hadn't steered me wrong so far...

"Good," he said. "Now I have to go. My parents are back in town, and I'm getting them at the plane."

"Do you have a private jet?" I asked. I was half joking, but you could never be sure with him.

"No," he said, laughing. "We could probably afford one, though. I'll talk to you tonight, Tegan."

"Bye, Jeremy," I said, hanging up the phone. I sighed and pulled myself out of my bed. I picked up my guitar and strummed it for a while. I wanted to get into the right head space to write something, but nothing came. I hadn't really been able to write anything since camp. It was starting to get annoying, how much camp had completely fucked up my life at the worst possible moment.

I spent the entire day trying to figure out what to do, which amounted to hours of YouTube and trivia apps on my phone. I only left my room when my parents called me for dinner.

"My secretary is sick at work," my mom said as we sat at the table. "You don't have to, but-"

"Okay, I don't want to," I said, pushing food around on my plate as my parents finished their food. My parents were trying to cook at home more, like somehow take-out was the reason for all of my faults.

"Okay," my mom said. After a few more seconds she asked, "What have you been up to in your room?"

"Resting," I said.

"Is that all?"

"Oh, I've also been curing cancer. I forgot to mention."

"Tegan, we're trying," my dad said.

"Trying to do what? Make me uncomfortable? I've been resting. I've been through a lot."

"We know," my dad said. "Look, I don't want to speak for your mother, but I worry that you're getting...depressed maybe?"

I shook my head. How could they figure out I was depressed and not figure out it was their fault? The phone rang before I had a chance to say anything, and my mom went to answer it.

"Hello?...Oh, hello, Jeremy! Tegan's actually eating dinner, but-" My mom went quiet for a few seconds before giggling. "You're very sweet."

I laughed a little, and my dad looked over at me. I just said, "He's so cute," and kept laughing under my breath.

After a few more giggles and "uh huh"s from my mom, she finally said, "Oh, no! That's terrible!" There was another pause. "Well, where do you live, sweetheart?...Well, that's not far at all! You can just come to ours. I can give you the address...okay, Tegan can text it to you. Do you need a ride?...Okay, good...no, it's no problem at all. We're glad to help. We'll see you Sunday!"

I was completely lost when my mom came back to the table.

"That was Jeremy. Poor kid can't find a church around him. Said everything in his town is a little too liberal, so I invited him along with us on Sunday."

"That's a great idea," my dad said with a smile. "Gives us a chance to get to know him better, and gives him a chance to go to a good church."

"Exactly," my mom said, then she turned to me. "Plus, I'm sure that you're happy to see him again! I know how hard it is to stay away when you're young and it's all new."

"Yeah, I've missed him a lot," I said. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I checked it in my lap as soon as the conversation shifted away from me.

U and I need to spend crazy amounts of $ on ourselves. Ill talk ur parents into lettin us go out after church. BEHAVE TIL THEN!

I smiled and tucked my phone away.

"Mom, this is ridiculous."

"I know you don't like wearing them, but-"

"It's not that I don't like them," I said. "It's that this doesn't need to be a huge spectacle. I don't need to wear fancy jewelry to church to impress a boy...that I've already impressed."

My mom and I were standing in my room, looking in the mirror. She was behind me, putting different sets of earrings next to my ears. "This is a little bit special. Aren't you excited to see him for the first time outside of that camp?"

"Yeah, Mom, but that doesn't mean that I need to put on a dress and heels. He started liking me the way I always look."

"That wasn't in the real world," she said. "Don't you want to look cute?"

"No," I said. "No, I don't."

"But why not?"

"Just leave it."

"Tegan, I'm not saying that you should have to dress up for your man forever, but it's nice to do right at the beginning," she said, but she pulled away from me a little. "I understand your point, though.

"Really?" I asked, turning to face her.

She nodded. "I need to let you have your own relationship. You know Jeremy. You're an adult. I can respect that."

I'd gotten into the habit of chewing the inside of my lip whenever my parents would say something like that. They'd always been the supportive types. My mom is a little overbearing, but tolerable, and my dad just wanted me to be happy. They were still trying to seem that way...even though they'd turned away from me when I needed their support the most. They wanted to act like they were letting me live my life when they'd turned their backs on me the second that I'd tried.

"Thank you," was all I could say as I turned back to the mirror and finished with my hair.

"Your father has told me that I'm being too hard on you. I don't mean to upset you, Tegan. I just want to help," she said with a smile.

I was so sick of thanking people for hurting me just because they meant well...or so they wouldn't do it again.

"You guys almost ready?" my dad asked at my doorway. "Just wanna make sure we're there on time so Jeremy doesn't get turned around."

I finished up with my hair and walked out passed both of my parents and waited by the car. I was glad that Jeremy would be there this week, if only for the fact that people would stop staring at me like I was waiting to corrupt their daughters as soon as I got the chance. Church had always been boring, but now it was stressful, and my parents were only getting more and more involved. I lost a little more time every Sunday because my dad had to do the church's financial paperwork, or my mom had volunteered for some kids' event.

"The youth group is really getting going now," my dad said as we drove. "Maybe being around kids your own age would make you more comfortable?"

"Normal service is fine, thanks." There was no way I was going to the youth service, where they expected you to volunteer at whatever horrible crap they were doing (granted, it was real charity work a lot of the time, but it was almost negated by all the "hell house" type of shit) and come to church on other days than Sunday. I hadn't gotten sucked into that even when I was doing things for my parents; I wasn't about to let it happen, now.

"Well, Jeremy might want to try it out," he said. "You wouldn't have to, though."

"Although, with you not in school, you might want something to fill your time. Once you've rested up."

"Maybe," I said. "Not really thinking about that right now."

I found myself questioning if this was going to be my relationship with my parents now. They'd constantly try to push me in one direction or another, and I would deflect. It was just about the only type of conversation that we'd had since I'd left camp.

"Alright, well, your father and I are going to a couple's course after service, so it wouldn't hurt to check out some of the youth activities."

"But you don't have to," my dad said, shooting my mom a look I saw through the rear-view mirror.

"No, you don't," my mom added quickly. "Just figured it would be more fun than sitting in the car or on a bench in the courtyard, but I understand."

I saw my dad smile at her, and I felt my eye twitch. He glanced back at me and frowned.

"Tegan, you know we're just trying to be here for you, right?" I heard him say.

"Look, we're here," I replied. The car was still moving when I pushed the door open.

"Tegan, Jesus!" my dad yelled, slamming on the breaks.

"Dad, this is a parking lot of God. Watch your language." I got out of the car and looked for Jeremy. It didn't take long for me to find him, leaning against his car and on his phone.

It was ridiculous how excited I was to see him. It had been too long without seeing anyone that understood anything about me. He looked up and shot me a smile before running over to me and picking me up in a hug. It took all my willpower not to cry.

"I missed you so much!" I said to him.

"I missed you, too," he said as he set me down. He looked over my shoulder and quickly leaned in to give me a peck on the cheek.

"You two are so adorable!" my mom said as she walked up to us. "It's nice to see you again, Jeremy."

He walked forward and gave my mom a hug. "You, too!" He stepped back and faced my dad. "And you, sir."

They shook hands as my dad said, "Mr. Quin is fine for now. How have you been?"

Jeremy gave him a smile that said that was a privilege instead of an insult. "I've been well. Getting back into the swing of things. I missed some registration dates for school, so I'm going to community college until I can re-apply for the winter."

"That's great!" my mom said. "Good that you're keeping on your feet."

"Oh, I'm trying. Only taking one class at the moment. Just trying to readjust to everything since camp."

"That makes sense," she said. "Tegan is taking some time off, too. She's still planning on going to school, though."

"Yeah, service is about to start," I said, walking toward the church pulling Jeremy with me.

"You're making my job very hard, you know," he whispered to me. "I'm trying to be charming, and you're being difficult."

"Fine. I'm sorry," I said. "They're not your parents."

"I'm trying to break you out for a day, okay? Just don't piss them off."

"Okay," I said to him. We walked into the church, my parents a little behind us. We sat down near the back, and it felt like every set of eyes turned to us.

"Is it usually like this?" Jeremy asked me. His face said relaxed, but he felt a little tense.

"It's just because you're here," I replied. "Sort of. Everyone has been acting weird since I got back, but most of the staring is from-"

"Hello, Tegan!"

I jumped as someone sat next to me. I felt like it was someone I saw around, but there was no way I'd remember his name.

"Hello...sir," I said, and he laughed a little.

"Oh, Harold is fine, Tegan. I've known you since you were a little girl." He looked passed me. "Who is this handsome young man with you?"

"Oh, this is Jeremy," I said. "He's here to see the church."

"Oh, yes, your parents mentioned you'd be bringing your boyfriend along," he said. I almost corrected him, but Jeremy spoke up before I had the chance.

"So nice to meet you," he said, shaking Harold's hand. "Tegan and I are trying to do things right. I'm sure you know we're both recovering. I'm trying to court her before we give it any official titles."

"That's good," Harold said. "Don't rush things. You two make an attractive couple, though."

"Thanks," I said with as much of a smile as I could manage.

"We're so happy for both of you." He scooted closer to me, and I slid further away. "You're both an example for the young kids, you know? They can look at you and know that even if they have...unnatural thoughts, they can get better."

"Um...yeah." How was this place getting even worse? "Although, everyone is different. What worked for us might not work for them."

"Yes, it's sad that some of them will need more drastic therapy," he said. "I just hope none of them are led too far off of the path. Some people never find their way back, and I hate the thought that they won't get well, like you. I look at those kids, and I just want to protect them from all those crazy 'do whatever you feel' types."

"Uh huh." I took a few deep breaths.

"Thank you so much for your kind words," Jeremy said with a smile. Harold looked like he was about to say something else, but my parents came up and distracted him.

"Thank God," I said under my breath, but Jeremy heard me.

"I'm gonna have to volunteer at an LGBT center after that speech about setting an example," Jeremy whispered. "I feel dirty...and evil."

"Yeah, that's church for you."

"I haven't been anywhere like this since camp," he said. "My parents are a lot more about talking than doing as far as God goes."

"I'd say you were lucky, but you still ended up in camp with me, so..."

"Yeah, but at least they aren't really watching me now. I've put on my show. You still have to do yours."

"I'm aware," I said a lot harsher than I meant to.

"Sorry. I wasn't trying to stress you out."

"No, I just want this to be over."

"I promise you an awesome day after this," Jeremy said. "We both desperately need a good day."

"Agreed."

Service started, and it took everything in me not to make sarcastic comments to Jeremy the whole time. I didn't want to risk being overheard and grounded just because I was irritated and bored out of my mind. I spent the time thinking about Sara calling me that night, and then I had to stop, because it immediately went to thoughts of her fucking me, face down in my bed. Even when I was able to put those aside a little, all I could do was think of how much I missed her.

Our pastor wrapped up with, "Alright everyone, we all know that we're not perfect. We all have rough weeks where we succumb to weakness and feel like we have distanced ourselves from Jesus. If you feel like you need some help reaching back out to the lord, or if you're new here, and you just want to dedicate yourself officially, then why don't you come right up here? Come here, and someone can pray over you, and re-connect you to God through prayer."

Immediately, the usual people went up front. I felt several people look at me expecting me to join them, including my parents, but I wasn't moving from my seat. There was only so much I would do for them. I was here. I wasn't causing a scene. That was enough. Jeremy, on the other hand, stood up and stepped out of the pew. He threw me a wink and walked to the front. I saw several members almost jump to their feet to be able to pray over him. I was pretty sure the guy who finally got to him had thrown an elbow.

The guy, I was pretty sure his name was Brian, put his hand on Jeremy's shoulder and started mumbling what I was sure were thinly-veiled prayers about curing homosexuality. I'm sure they wished they could do the same to me.

When Jeremy was finally finished, he walked back to us, and my mother immediately gave him a hug.

"That was very brave," she said.

"Thank you," Jeremy said, that smirk on his face that looked like, 'I'm sincere' but really meant, 'I'm fucking with you right now, and you don't even know it.'

"Good message today," my dad said, and my mom nodded.

"Jeremy, we'll be here for a while. Do you want to check out the youth group with Tegan? I know they're doing activities today."

I clenched my jaw, and Jeremy's eyes went wide.

"Oh...of course!" he choked out."This place is pretty cool. I'd love to talk to a few people our age, right, Tegan?"

I looked up at him, and his eyes told me to trust him. I nodded and smiled at my parents.

"That's great!" my mom said. "They meet in the lower level. We can head down there right now."

"Sure, I'll just-" Jeremy stopped talking and pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Hold on, my parents are calling me. Excuse me." Jeremy walked out of the church.

"He's very respectful," my dad said. "We'll have to invite him over for dinner one day."

"He'd love that," I said with yet another fake smile.

"I'd like to get the chance to really know him."

"I'm still getting to know him, Dad. Don't worry. He'll be coming over for Thanksgiving dinner before you know it."

"That sounds great!" My mom clapped her hands and grinned like she could already see her grandchildren.

"Well, I don't know about all that," my dad said with a laugh.

"Hey, I'm really sorry," Jeremy said, walking back to us. "My parents need me to run some errands for them today. I'll have to reschedule checking out the youth group."

"Aw, that's too bad," my mom said.

"I really tried to get out of it, but we've been rebuilding our relationship since camp, so I'm trying to get along with them. Help them out more, to make up for things."

"We understand," my dad replied. "You should help out your family."

"I'm just disappointed. I was so happy to see Tegan, and just being around her helps me so much." He grabbed my hand. "And I don't know when we'll get another chance. I hope to be able to get out here for church at least once a month, but...it's just so hard."

I wasn't the actor that Jeremy was turning out to be, but I figured it was best to play along. "I guess we should be happy we got to see each other at all," I said. "At least I got to feel normal for a little while."

"Oh, you guys, it'll be okay," my mom said, but I could tell I'd said enough to affect her and my dad. "I know it's a bit of a drive, but we can try to get Tegan out your way."

"I know," he said. "I was just so excited about today. I'm sorry if I'm being a little immature."

"Don't worry," my dad said. "You're being a lot less dramatic than a lot of kids your age."

"It's perfectly normal," my mom said, looking at me. "Wanting to be around your significant other all the time."

Thoughts of Sara flashed through my head, and I felt sad that she wasn't the one holding my hand right then. I wanted to be able to just have a normal date with her. We'd fucked like crazy and fallen in love and we hadn't even been able to go on a date together yet. The closest we'd come was playing cards over stale food at camp. I missed her. I missed her eyes and her crooked teeth and the way her skin felt on my fingertips. I missed her so much that I almost had to sit down and catch my breath, and I hated when it would hit me like this out of nowhere.

Apparently, the conversation had gone on without me.

"I don't think that sounds like a bad idea!" my mom said with a smile.

"Really?" Jeremy asked. "I totally understand if you want to have Tegan stay for youth service-"

"No, it's fine," my dad said. "I think she'd rather you be there with her when she starts going to that."

"Tegan, does that sound good?" Jeremy asked me, and I was totally lost. What the hell had they decided on? I figured it was best to agree with Jeremy.

"Um...yeah! That sounds great!"

My mom laughed a little. "Don't sound too excited!"

"Wha-"

"I'm kidding!" she added laughing more. "I know it's probably just shock. She'll be more excited once you're out."

"I don't know," Jeremy said. "Running errands isn't the most fun thing ever. Most of our time will be in the car."

"Still amazing!" I leaned up and kissed his cheek, finally catching on to everything. "So do we need to take off right now?"

"Yeah, sort of," Jeremy said. "I'm sorry to run out like this. It was really nice seeing you guys again." He hugged my mom and shook my dad's hand again.

"Nice to see you, too. Have her home by ten, and be safe!"

Jeremy and I hurried out to his car and took off out of the parking lot as fast as we could.

"Holy shit that was stressful," I said. "Well done, sir."

"You really think I can't handle some church types and your parents?" he asked.

"My parents are church types," I said.

"Basically, yeah, but I didn't want to offend you," he said with a smile. "How are you?"

"Pretty much ecstatic right now," I said with a laugh.

"Yeah, getting broken out of prison will do that to a person."

"I don't know that I'd call it prison after camp," I said.

"A minimum security prison is still a prison," he replied. "You still can't leave."

"Fair point," I said. "Where are we going?"

"Super mall a town over with all the food and clothes we could want. Plus an arcade."

"Sounds amazing," I said. "What's been going on in your life?"

"Same old, same old," he said.

"Which is what, exactly?"

"It's exactly nothing," he said. "Mostly hanging out with friends I don't care about much, but they're alright, and talking to you."

"How's the boyfriend?"

"Fine," he said. "Me and Jack are a lot less interesting than you and Sara."

He never did talk about himself for long. "Interesting is one way to put it."

"Yeah, I guess I'm making it sound more fun than it really is," he said. "Have you talked to her today?"

I shook my head. "She can't talk until tonight. Some extra church thing."

"She has those a lot, doesn't she?"

"Her dad is the pastor," I said. "Gotta keep her close."

"Not close enough to know about her secret phone," he said. "Or her sneaking out for years. Seriously, I want to hang out with this girl more."

"Yeah," I said. "Me, too."

"Alright, that's enough depressing shit," he said. "I'm turning on the radio."

"Yes. Great idea."

We screamed along with every song that came on, even when we didn't know the words. It was so good having a friend to do something other than talk with. I hadn't been able to fuck off and be a kid since graduation. It made the trip to the mall go by quickly, and we were laughing as we walked in the doors.

"Okay, first thing, I need coffee," Jeremy said.

"I'm pretty sure there are about 100 places to get just that," I said. "I can see three from right here."

"No need to be a smart ass," he said. "Besides, as my good, Christian wife, you're not supposed to speak up to your man. Now get behind me and thank me for the coffee you're about to receive."

I laughed and shoved him into the shop. "Shut the hell up with that."

"All I'm saying is that prayer may have changed me. Maybe I should join that youth group your parents were going on about."

"You're about to make me puke all over you," I said. "Really, though, thank you for getting me out of there."

"Absolutely," he said. "Seeing it all makes me even more glad that I cleared my busy schedule for you."

"What do you do with your time, Jeremy?" I asked. "You're somehow always busy but have no stories."

"Yeah, that's about the gist of it," he said as we got to the front of the line. We both ordered and picked up our drinks and spent the next few hours shopping.

"I feel guilty that I've spent so much of your money," I said as we sat down in the food court to eat.

"Tegan, I've spent more on a single outfit than you have today. Stop worrying."

"Alright, alright," I said. "I'll just say thank you."

"You're welcome," he said with a smile.

"Do you spend this much money on all of your friends?" I asked, and he shook his head, but didn't say anything else. "What are some of your friends' names?"

"They really don't matter," he said. "Just like your high school friends don't matter to you anymore."

He did this a lot. When I'd start to ask him about his life, he'd change the subject or turn things back to me. It felt weird, sharing the details of my life with him, having him help me out so much with advice, and knowing next to nothing about him.

"Well, when was the last time you saw Jack?" I asked him. "What did you do?"

"I told you about it already," he said. "We had some drinks and made out. It was fun. Not everyone's hidden relationships are telenovelas."

"Are you just, like, super private, or are we not that close yet," I said.

"What?" he asked. "What're you talking about?"

"I just feel like...well, you know all about Sara and me. I know that we really haven't known each other for long, but I feel like camp sort of sped our relationship up. We've been there for each other when things got pretty...pretty messed up."

"Johnny and Mike, group, one-on-ones," he said.

"Yeah, and everything else," I said. "I feel like we should be able to share everything with each other, but if you don't want to-"

"I don't really do that," he said. "I never have."

"Well, maybe you should," I said. "You could try-"

"I am trying," Jeremy snapped. "I'm sorry. I'm just...I'm trying."

"No, I'm sorry," I said. "I'll stop. Just want you to know that I'm here if you want to talk."

He sighed and went back to eating. I figured I'd either ruined the day, or Jeremy was going to pretend that this hadn't happened. We didn't say anything to each other for the rest of our meals.

"Jack's acting weird."

He said it right as I was about to suggest we start walking around again. "What?"

"He's acting strange. We've always had fun together. He's always made me happy. I've gone back to that, and he hasn't, and I'm afraid he met someone else at his camp."

Jeremy took a drink of his soda, and I took in his words.

"What makes you think he's cheating?" I asked.

"I don't know. It could be that, or it could be that his camp bothered him more than he thought, but he seems okay with all of our friends. It could be anything, but I know that he's acting weird."

"Have you talked to him about it?" I asked.

"I don't know how to do that, obviously," he said back to me. "My parents didn't teach me how to have feelings. In fact, all they did was teach me how to swallow them until they went away for a while. It's a miracle that they were also absent enough that they didn't notice I was gay until it was too late to train me to force it down. I can fake sincere a lot better than I can be sincere."

"I don't think you give yourself enough credit," I said. "You've been sincerely being my friend since you met me. You helped me make Sara jealous and you got me out today just because I needed to get out."

"Yeah, but that was about you," he said. "That wasn't about me. It's no fun to talk about how my parents and camp fucked me up or how I've spent more days not sober than I'd care to admit. Other people's drama distracts me from my own life. It's not like I have much of a right to hate it. I've got everything I could ever ask for."

"You aren't obligated to love life just because you're rich," I said. "Sure, money could fix a lot of people's problems, but it doesn't fix every problem."

"Wise words," he said.

"I'm glad I'm giving you some for once," I said back. "Look, you've gone through shit. I've gone through shit. Sara has certainly gone through shit, and I'm sure Jack has to. Everyone has. I think maybe you should just talk to him and share your worries. And if he's cheating, I'll murder him."

He laughed. "Yeah, okay. I'll think about it."

"You do that," I said. "In the meantime, you should buy yourself more things."

"Yes, yes I should," he said.

Jeremy opened up a little bit here and there, sharing stories of a nanny or two, and a couple of things from going to prep school as a kid, and I was glad for it. I laughed to myself, thinking that I tended to attract the most emotionally guarded people in the world. I supposed that most closeted kids were like that. I was a bit like that myself.

It felt like we'd barely been out when we were pulling up in front of my house. The day went by way too fast for my liking.

"That was a lot of fucking fun," I said smiling at Jeremy.

"Yeah," he said. "I really needed that, I think. Although we didn't spend nearly enough time in the arcade."

"We'll have to set something else up to hang out again," I said. "Shouldn't be hard. You can play my parents like a fiddle."

"I do have a way with words, yes. Now let me walk you to the door so I can get my 'five minutes early' brownie points."

"You're evil, you know," I said.

"I do," he replied, "but I use my evil powers for good."

"Alright, well, I have to hide all this stuff we bought around the side of the house and bring it in early in the morning so my parents don't notice."

"Decent plan," Jeremy said, helping me grab bags as he got out of the car. We walked to some bushes by my fence and shoved the bags behind them. "Hope it doesn't rain."

"Is it supposed to?" I asked.

"No idea, but I'll pray for you."

I laughed. "My life would be so much simpler if I could be attracted to you at all."

"I could take that as an insult, but I know what you mean."

We walked around to the front of my house, and my parents were waiting for us as soon as we walked in the door.

"Hey, you two!" my mom said with a smile. "We heard you pull up! Have fun?"

"We did," I answered honestly. "A lot."

"We even had a little time to grab a bite to eat after I was done with everything for my parents," Jeremy threw in.

"I'm glad to hear it," my dad said. "Now, I don't want to keep you out, Jeremy. I'm sure your parents want you home."

"Oh, they know where I am, but you're right. I've got a curfew to make." He turned to me. "I'll see you later, Tegan." He gave me another kiss on the cheek.

"Bye, Jeremy." I hugged him, and I didn't want him to leave. "Text me when you get home alright."

We let each other go, and Jeremy walked out the door.

"I'm glad you guys had fun," my dad said. "And he was five minutes early. I'm impressed."

I laughed to myself. "Yeah, it is impressive."

"You look happy," he said with a smile.

"Yeah, I had a lot of fun."

"We're glad to hear it," my mom said. "Jeremy makes you really happy, doesn't he?"

He did, but not for the reasons that they wanted, and it almost brought back my sour mood from the past few months...almost.

"He does," I said. "He likes me for who I really am."

My parents both smiled at me, and I faked a smile back. I was so good at that, now, after seeing so many examples and having so much practice.

"Alright, are you staying up or off to bed?" my mom asked.

"I'm pretty tired," I said, glancing at my phone. No word from Sara yet, and I was glad I hadn't missed her. "I think I'll just watch some TV and nod off."

"Alright, just don't forget to turn it off," my dad said. "It runs up the bill when you just have the TV running all night, and you don't sleep correctly."

"Yes, Dad, I know. I don't keep it on all night. I just have a weird sleep schedule right now."

"Okay, okay," he said. "Just try to get on a more normal one over time. Wake up and go to bed a few minutes earlier every day, and you'll be back to normal in no time."

Always obsessed with making me normal...

"Yeah, I'll start doing that," I said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. Thanks for letting me hang out with Jeremy."

"No problem, sweetie," my mom said. I walked to my room, got into my pajamas, and waited for Sara's call. It was just passed midnight when my phone finally buzzed in my hand. I smiled as the called ID flashed 'SARA' and I answered the call.

"Hey," I said.

"Hi," she said, and she sounded a little tired.

"Are you okay?" I asked. "We don't have to talk-"

"No," she said sharply. "We have to talk. I need to talk to you. Right now."

"Oh." I knew that voice. She wasn't tired...she was desperate. And so was I. I still hadn't touched myself since camp. It had been weeks, and I hadn't touched myself, because I knew it's what Sara would want. She probably could have just whispered 'cum' over the phone, and I probably would have. I definitely would have. I wondered if she'd broken down, yet. Her voice said she hadn't, and I was sure she was feeling even crazier than I was. "Okay, yeah."

"Do you want me, Tegan?"

"God, yes," I said.

"Do you wish I was there to get you off?"

"I wish you were here to fuck me," I said. "I could wait a little bit to get off."

"Are you asking to be teased when we haven't seen each other in weeks?" she asked. She almost sounded angry. "How much could you possibly need me right now if you're willing to hold off?"

"It's not a lack of wanting," I said. "It's that it's so much better when you wind me up."

"You don't make demands," she said like a dare.

"Is that so?" I asked. "Says who?"

"Says me," she said. "You never have before."

"I think I've been making the rules since we started. You just didn't know it."

"So if I told you to flick your clit until you screamed my name, you wouldn't do it?"

"That wouldn't be very smart," I said, pulling off my shorts. "My parents would hear."

"So you admit you would do it." I could hear her smirk over the phone.

"Fuck you," I said.

She laughed. "You're wet."

She said it like a statement. She was so cocky sometimes. "So are you."

"Touch yourself, Tegan," she said, but I could hear the waver in her voice.

"Sara, are you already touching yourself?" I asked, and I heard her trying to even out her breathing on the other end. She tried so hard to act like this seductress, but the truth was that she was just as weak for me as I was for her. I didn't mind letting her take charge most of the time, but it had been too long, and I wanted the control.

"You don't know that," she said.

"I know that you probably have been fucking yourself this whole conversation."

"You don't know that, either." Her voice was even weaker than it had been before.

"You always act like I'm the desperate one, but you're always the one that can't wait," I said. "How many fingers?"

"Tegan-"

"How many?" I asked again.

She was quiet for a minute before finally saying, "Two. I started when you picked up the phone, now shut the fuck up and start touching yourself."

"No, you're in a lot...deeper than I am, Sara," I whispered over the phone, and I heard her breath catch a little over the line. "I don't think you're in the position to make any demands tonight."

She huffed. "What do I do to get you to cum for me?"

"Why don't you focus on yourself for a while," I said. "You know, I didn't get to touch you before we left camp. You wouldn't let me."

"We didn't have time, anyway."

"Keep telling yourself that," I said, "and pull your fingers out."

She groaned, but I could tell that she'd done it by the whine that followed. "This is payback, isn't it?"

"What could it be payback for?" I asked innocently...well, I tried to sound innocent, but it was a hard sell. "Maybe all the times that you've gotten to decide when I have an orgasm?"

"Like you didn't love it," she said.

"Rub your clit, Sara," I said. "Really slow. I'm sure you're about to pop."

"You're so confident when we're not in the same room," she said, her voice becoming incredibly unsteady as she started following my orders. "If I were there, I might have to punish you for doing this."

"Oh yeah?" I asked. "What would you do?"

"I'd push you down on the bed..." She let out a few shallow breaths. "Maybe I'd handcuff you to the headboard. Face down. I'd spank you until you were red. And fuck you from behind. Maybe with my tongue. Maybe with my hand. Maybe with a strap. It wouldn't really matter."

"I...I don't have that kind of headboard." It was all I could manage to say. I sometimes forgot how much more Sara had done than I had. I wasn't worried that she would get bored, but it was intimidating and exciting that she probably had a lot more to show me.

She laughed. "Then we wouldn't do it in your bed. Or I'd find other ways to tie you down."

"Ugh, are you serious?" I was already ruining my sheets.

"Why don't you start touching yourself, Tegan?"

My hand moved without thought, and I was going back and forth between pushing one finger in and doing a circle around my clit.

"You think I'd just let you tie me to the bed?" I finally said after a bit.

"I think you'd beg me to after a while." I heard her let out a long moan, and I got worried that her parents might hear her, but I pushed it out of my mind. I was going to enjoy myself. "Do you know how badly I want to sink my teeth into you right now?"

"All your marks are gone," I said to her. "The last of them faded a couple days ago."

"I didn't bite hard enough," she said to me. "More reasons to have my mouth on you right now. How many fingers are you using?"

"Two, now," I said, adding another finger. "I'm trying to touch myself like you touch me. It feels amazing."

"But you wish it was me," she said. "I can just imagine you trying to hit all the spots I've found-"

"How wet are you thinking about it?" I said quickly, adding another finger to my rotation for a few passes before going back down to two. I had a feeling that Sara and I had entered into something of a contest with each other, and I wasn't about to cum first.

"What do you think?" she asked in a hurry. She could feel herself losing the upper hand, and I smiled.

"Answer me, Sara," I pushed. "How wet are you?"

She moaned a few times, and I was sure she was fucking herself again. Then the sound changed, and I realized that she had her fingers in her mouth. She was making sure that I knew it, too. I could hear her sucking and the pop as her fingers left her lips. I could almost see her tongue trailing from knuckles to tips, like she had with my fingers before. She finally said, "I'm dripping. You?" and I saw spots in my vision I was so turned on.

I was dripping, too. I was so wet that it had gone between my ass cheeks, and I was reminded of my thoughts from the last time we'd been together. I was still afraid to bring it up, but I was more than a little caught up in the moment.

"I'm so wet that you could fuck me in any hole you wanted, Sara."

All sound cut out on the other end of the line outside of a whimper and a few shudders. I heard Sara start making noise again, and I could tell that she'd started fucking herself a lot harder, and I immediately matched her.

"I want you here." She was barely saying words, but I could understand. "I want you bent in front of me. I want your legs spread. I want your thighs shaking. I want your knees weak. And Tegan..." Her voice broke, and I knew that she was a few seconds from her climax. "I want you full. Your pussy...and your fucking ass..."

My toes started curling, and I tried to hold it off, but it had been so long, and Sara always knew exactly what to say and do to get me to break. My back was arched off of the bed, and I only found the strength to hold onto the phone because Sara was cumming in my ear. I wondered if she'd ever really been as loud as she could be when we'd been together.

God, I needed to see her.

When it was over, I felt like jello. I wished I was naked with Sara's arm wrapped around my waist. I was reminded of the nights wishing that Sara would stay in the bed with me, and it was oddly comforting knowing that it was distance and circumstance that kept her away from me now.

"So...do you want to explain at all?" I asked.

"We hadn't gotten a chance, and I knew I didn't have long to talk before I started falling asleep," she said. "I missed it."

"Me, too," I said.

"Don't think that we're not talking about that next time I call you," she said. I could tell she was already half asleep. "I didn't even know that was...on the table."

"I've maybe thought about it," I said. "I just didn't know how you'd feel about it."

"Tegan, after all the things you've tried for me, I don't think there's much you could suggest that would turn me off."

"Have you done it before?"

"A few times. To other people. I've never had it done to me before. Maybe I could try it with...try it with you."

I smiled. "Alright, well, I can hear you falling asleep, so I'll just let you go. That was amazing. Thank you."

"Thank you," she said. "I love you."

She said it every time we were hanging up. "I love you, too. Sleep well."

She hung up the phone. I finally felt a little relaxed after the best day I'd had in a long while. I went to fall asleep happy when I got a text from Jeremy.

I THINK I HAVE A WAY-4-U-2-C SARA! CALL IN THE MORNING!