Juicy Secrets Forbidden Tales of Lesbian Love

Cookies

By eloquent delinquent

They’re halfway across the parking lot, almost to the supermarket doors, when Mom tells her, “Go on, go talk to them.”

“I dunno…”

“Oh, come on, Nicole. You’re the one who’s been moping around going, ‘How am I supposed to make friends here?’ This is how you do it.”

The ten-year-old squirms uncomfortably, “I guess, but…”

“But nothing. I know it’s scary, but you were a Forest Girl before. You might have some new friends before school starts if you talk to them now.”

Nicole does some final, mortified stomping. “I suppose.”

Still holding their mother’s hand, Abbey says, “Yeah, don’t be chicken.”

Nicole gives her little sister a glare, but her Mom seems not to notice and says, “You just wait for us here. We’ll come get you when we’re done.”

“Oh all right.”

Her Mom gives her an affectionate little rub on the back, “I know they’re gonna like you.”

“Really?”

Mom brushes a stray brown hair out of her face. “Really. Now go on.”

With a little happy lift, Nicole ambles over to the table where the scouts are selling their cookies. There are five girls about her age, two that are about seven like her sister, and one older girl who’s definitely a teen. They’re milling around, chattering with each other, talking to passersby, making the occasional sale. Only half are wearing the green and tan uniform, but she figures they’re all involved somehow.

She saw a woman earlier, who must’ve been the troop’s Tender, but she’s gone off with another girl to an RV parked on the side of the lot. Somehow, having no grownups makes it easier and harder. Easier because there’s no one looking over their shoulders; harder because there aren’t any rules.

Nicole picks out a girl on the end of the table, wearing a uniform and her long dark hair in a pony tail. She’s got a notebook and is tapping a pen against her lip, but she’s staring off into space as if she’s having a happy daydream, and not really involved with the others, so Nicole doesn’t feel like she’s interrupting.

“Hi,” she offers, but her voice feels small and stupid.

It takes the girl a second to respond, and she does with a kind of little startle. She seems suddenly embarrassed, but covers it up with a bright smile. She’s really cute. “Oh, hi!”

“You’re Forest Explorer Scouts, right?”

“Yeah,” the girl replies. “Not many of us Sprout Scouts, but here we are. Did you wanna buy some cookies?”

Nicole giggles when she hears ‘sprout scouts,’ it’s been a while since anyone said that around her. “I don’t know.”

The girl looks her over, and her smile seems to get a little more genuine. “Oh, come on. Everyone loves the Mint Crisps.”

Nicole gets a boost from the way the girl looks at her. She doesn’t think she’s a beauty or anything, but she guesses she’s pretty enough, with her copper brown hair, big pale blue eyes and upturned nose. It’s summer, so she’s also got a ton of freckles, but she’s still not sure if she likes that or not. But she smiles a bit more confidently when she says, “No, I can’t. I ate so many when I was an Acorn that I nearly barfed.”

It seems dumb to admit, but it makes the girl laugh.

“I can only eat the Cocoroons now,” Nicole adds.

“I know, I know, I’ll probably weigh a million pounds when this is over,” the girl giggles. “You were an Acorn?”

“Yeah, but not here. In Chicago.”

“Oh! Did you just move here?”

“Last month, yeah.”

The Scout looks a little relieved. Her face is very animated, Nicole feels like she can read every little emotion that passes through her. “Oh thank god. I was trying to figure out why I didn’t know you before. Now I don’t feel so bad. I’m Lena.”

“Nicole.”

They share an awkward smile. Another Scout at the table, this one blonde and in pigtails, finishes with a customer and looks in their direction. Nicole thinks she sees the teen girl in the back – who is in a TallTree uniform, with a merit sash and beret, the works – glance at her, but it’s so subtle she’s not sure. She feels herself getting a little nervous, though.

“You’re too big to be an Acorn now,” Lena says, sliding a notebook and her pen to the girl seated next to her. “Did you quit or something?”

“Yeah, I guess I kinda did.”

“How come?”

“I dunno. I guess ’cause we were in the middle of Chicago, so we never did much. I thought Forest Girls would be all about nature walks and learning about plants and that kind of thing, but we never did that. All my Acorn badges were for, like, digital photos and tying knots and crafts and stuff.”

“Oh, geez. All I can say is, this isn’t Chicago! You’re in redwood country now. We get into all that, hiking, camping, botany. Maddy’s mom works for the forest service, so once a month from spring to fall, we all go out and plant little trees.”

“Really?”

“Oh yeah!” Lena replies, and her wide smile tells Nicole she’s excited and proud to be part of this troop. She looks Nicole over closely, and so does that other girl at the table. Nicole can feel their scrutiny, it makes her feel on the spot, uncomfortable but a little special, too.

The two girls at the table share a glance, a little grin. Then Lena tells her, “You should think about joining back up again.”

“You think so?”

“Sure! We could use more Scouts, and we’d have lots to do.”

Nicole smiles at this prospect. The way the girls share looks, how happy they seem together, it’s like they’re all sharing a kind of secret language. She wants to learn what it is, she wants to know.

So she asks, “Who can I talk to? Is your Tender around?”

Lena twists in her chair to the TallTree girl, who’s unpacking cases with a coltish younger girl, and asks, “Hey Robin, where’s Tender Katie?”

The teen gestures, “RV.”

Lena gets up and tells Nicole, “Be right back.”

Then the other girl at the table says, “She’s with Cassidy. It’s her turn.”

Lena flips one of the girl’s blonde pigtails, saying, “Nothing I haven’t seen before.”

The pigtailed girl gives an eye-rolling smile, Oh, you! and turns to Nicole. “Hi, I’m Jenny.”

“Hi.”

“So… you wanna join up?” she asks with a strange little grin. Jenny tucks her knees together and twists toward Nicole.

“I think so. I kinda missed it.”

Jenny just sort of stares at her, looking her up and down, and puts a finger to her lips, and the grin turns into a smile. It makes Nicole feel funny. She could read every feeling on Lena’s face, but Jenny’s just a pile of secrets.

“I think we’d have fun with you,” Jenny says playfully.

“Umm, yeah,” Nicole replies, a little awkward. “Lena, uh, made it sound like you have fun.”

“We do!” Jenny says brightly, and behind her a short-haired brunette Acorn girl giggles.

Starting to feel like she’s being made fun of, Nicole looks over to the RV that Lena just entered. A lady with two boys in her shopping cart pulls up to Jenny at the table and starts asking about cookies, and Nicole’s kind of grateful because it takes the attention off her.

She watches the other girls. There’s Robin the TallTree, and another girl who’s older than Nicole that’s probably a Sapling, with curly red hair. But other than them, everybody’s younger. Lena and Jenny and the lean, doe-eyed girl with the thick French braid helping Robin are all around her age, and then the little Acorns, the one with short dark hair and the other with almost whitish blonde hair in a pixie cut. All of them chat and giggle like normal girls, keeping busy with the sale. But every so often, they sidle close to each other and whisper, not hand on ear like schoolyard secrets, but with their foreheads almost touching, looking into each others’ eyes, and murmuring, and all the while their bodies move sort of strangely, as if some invisible force were gently tickling them.

The RV door claps shut and Nicole is drawn back to it, and sees Lena returning, with an older blonde lady and another girl around their age. The woman is wearing the Tender’s vest over just a plain work shirt and blue jeans, kind of casual. The girl (Cassidy, apparently) has a thick head of chestnut brown hair that’s kind of wild, and she’s trying to smooth it down but it doesn’t want to behave. There’s something more going on with Cassidy, though. Her face is ruddy and blushing, and she’s walking a little unsteady – the Tender actually takes her by the elbow briefly. Cassidy looks like she’s just run a race.

The Tender looks calm and confident, and it’s clear that the girls just adore her. When she daintily wipes her lips with her fingertips, she glances at Lena, who gushes and says something that makes them all laugh. Then they’re under the supermarket awning and approaching the table.

Jenny twists to look, and says, “Hi Mom.”

“Hey, angel butt. How’s it going?”

“Real good, better than last year.”

The Tender raises her voice. “Great job, ladies! I’m really proud, let’s keep this up and fund our trips!” She touches the heads of the doe-like girl and and the elfin looking Acorn, who smile while the others give a little cheer.

“So you’re Nicole, is that right?” She says and suddenly all her attention is focused on Nicole. She has this really strong presence and a natural kind of pretty; Nicole doesn’t think she’s even wearing makeup. She feels small in front of her, but important, too.

“Yeah, Nicole Embry.”

“Lena told me you used to be an Acorn back where you used to live. How was that?”

“Yeah, but I quit after a year and half. I’m ten now, so I guess I’d be a Seedling.”

The Tender is looking at her closely, and asks, “What badges did you earn as an Acorn?”

“I finished my Computer set and my Crafts set, plus I got Junior Aid, Knots, and Indoor Garden. I guess I didn’t get any Nature badges or Camping badges because we never got out of the city.”

The Tender grins and looks impressed. “That’s still pretty good, 19 badges in a year and a half. You still remember what you learned?”

Nicole brightens, “Yeah, I think so.”

“You know this isn’t a big troop or anything. Even if you include Acorns, Seedlings, Saplings, and our TallTree, there’s only sixteen of us altogether, and I’m the only Tender. But I-”

“What about my Mom?” Lena interrupts.

The Tender smiles at Lena. “Your Mom is an honorary Tender, but she’s never been through official training. We all love her to death, and she does a lot. I’m sorry Lena, I should’ve said that.”

Lena looks mollified, and Nicole’s surprised to see a grownup apologize to a kid.

“But what I was saying is I think that’s a good thing. We’re all really close. No matter the age, all the girls are friends. Some are more like sisters. It’s a good troop, and a good place to be a Forest Girl Explorer. I’m Tender Katie, and I think you’ll like it, if you join.”

Nicole finds this little speech rousing, “I think I’d like it, too. Tender Katie, I’d like to be a sprout scout again.”

Lena and Jenny both smile. Even Robin the TallTree has a little grin off in the back.

Katie nods approvingly. “Terrific. I’ve got the signup sheets in the RV. Is your Mom around?”

“She’s in shopping with my sister. They should be back in a minute.”

“Okay. Help me rebuild this display on the table and keep me company til then, would you?”

Nicole nods, and the next few minutes fly by as Tender Katie chats her up, with occasional interjections by Lena or Jenny or Astrid, the little blonde Acorn. They want to know all about her, whether she reads books (a lot) plays sports (a little), or had ever been camping (not at all), but also what she’d done in Chicago and how she was finding Northern California and what she likes at school. She loves all the attention, and asks some questions, too. She already feels kinda close to them, to the troop.

But she doesn’t ask about the thing that made her most curious. Even when they were chatting, Jenny and the dark-haired Acorn (named Heather, she learned) put their foreheads together and had their little private whispering session. That, and the thing with Cassidy, and the thing with Jenny.

This troop has lots of secrets. And Nicole wants to be a part of them.

Her Mom and Abbey eventually turn up, and Nicole introduces them to the Tender. She and Mom hit it off immediately.

“I’m here to teach anthropology at the college,” Mom says, “Primitive peoples and Native American culture.”

“Really!” Katie exclaims. “You’re the new associate professor. I teach psychology there.”

And off they went. They chat, and soon head to the RV to get the forms. Nicole hangs out with Abbey, who’s perched on the side of their grocery cart and is obviously interested in the bustling scouts.

“You wanna join, too?” Nicole asks. “You’re old enough. You could be an Acorn, like I was.”

“I dunno,” Abbey replies. “Could I get a cookie?”

Jenny, who’s been listening, chuckles and hands her a Mint Crisp from one of their display boxes.

Chewing thoughtfully, Abbey says, “Maybe. Could I go with you some time and see if I like it?”

“Sure,” Nicole says, even though she’s not sure if that’s okay. The idea of she and Abbey doing Forest Explorers together is comforting somehow. “I’ll check, but yeah, if you want.”

Abbey nods. “Can we get a box of those?”

Nicole laughs, “We’ll have to ask Mom.”

It turns out Mom wants to buy a few boxes, so she and Abbey choose while Nicole fills out her part of the form. She can tell Mom and Katie have already bonded in that weirdo, teacher-way that’s so nerdy. When she’s done, she turns in the form to Katie, who’s explaining to Mom how they can order the uniform online.

“Maybe you can help me with that,” Mom says to Nicole. “You’re better online than I am.”

Nicole just nods. Everything is working out strangely well. She senses she’s a good fit here.

As Mom and Katie wrap up their chat, Nicole hears a clatter on the ground behind her. She turns to see that a couple cookie boxes have fallen from the stack in front of Jenny.

“Could you get those?” Jenny asks, her finger curling in a blonde pigtail.

Nicole stoops down to pick them up. One of them has gone a little underneath the table and when she reaches for it, she hears Jenny’s chair scrape a little and glances over. As she does, she watches as Jenny’s sneakers lift off the ground until the girl’s knees are pressed to the underside of the table. Then her legs part, wider and wider and the skirt falls away from her open thighs and Nicole can see Jenny’s not wearing any panties.

She can’t believe it for a second, that she’s seeing Jenny’s naked privates right here at the supermarket. Can anyone else see? It’s all bare between her legs. Nicole can see her little puss clearly, the fleshy slit, and a glimpse of the tight pink petals inside as her legs get wider. Jenny shifts a little and reveals even more of her puss and even the bottom of her butt crack, and she’s so pink down there, a bright, girlish, happy pink.

Nicole’s never seen another girl’s puss before, she’s stunned. She feels her heart start to pound, and her own puss suddenly feels sensitive, tingly. She fumbles with the boxes, gathers them up, and stands quickly. Her face is blazing hot, she knows she’s blushing like crazy.

She looks at Jenny. The girl smiles back, her eyes flickering with a kind of naughty joy, and straightens up in her chair. “Thank you,” she says sweetly.

“Uh-huh,” Nicole stammers, setting the boxes down with clumsy hands. Behind Katie, Lena is looking at Nicole closely, quizzically. She’s so embarrassed she blushes harder. What’s going on??

“All set?” Mom says. She and Abbey are both looking her way. If they see anything wrong, they don’t show it.

Nicole nods and moves to join them.

Tender Katie says, “Next meeting’s on Tuesday night at six. There’s an orientation period we do here, so you won’t be a Seedling right away, but I’d like it if you came anyway, get to know the other Scouts. Even if you don’t have your uniform by then, you should still come, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Nicole replies, finally shaking off some of the shock.

“Great!” Katie says, and gives the salute.

Nicole returns it playfully. She hears Lena, Cassidy, and Jenny all say, “See you soon!”

On the way back to the car, Nicole replays those last moments in her head, trying to make sense of the jumble of feelings going on inside her. Surprise a lot, and guilt a little, but curiosity most of all. What were the girls in this troop doing? What did they know and hide?

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Mom chides gently.

“No,” Nicole says, “I’m glad I did it.”

“Me too. They seem like nice, bouncy girls. I’m sure it’ll be a lot of fun.”

She recalls Jenny saying, I think we’d have fun with you.

And she says, “I think I’ll have fun with them. I think this will be really different.”

She doesn’t know why, but when she says it she gets a naughty little thrill. She looks back at the booth and the girls as their car pulls out. Some of them wave, and Nicole waves back.

She turns her head to look at them as the car passes them, then sits back and bounces in her seat. She’s excited.

Continue on to Chapter 2