Juicy Secrets Forbidden Tales of Lesbian Love

by Girl Lover

During the following week, Jill and Linda spent much of their time together. Wendy and Tracy continued to sneer and make fun of their friendship at school, but less often than before. Linda wasn’t so frightened with Jill around, and Jill refused to let the insults of these former friends get to her… so Wendy and Tracy were gradually losing interest in bullying them.

As they walked to or from school, Jill often took Linda’s hand in her own. Linda never asked about that, to Jill’s relief, and it soon seemed as if the girl enjoyed it just as much as she did.

By Friday, Jill knew she was in love. Those thoughts of kissing Linda had blossomed into fantasies that unsettled her. And how could she feel that way about such a young girl? Though it bewildered her, she couldn’t deny her heart. In bed at night, she would picture Linda, imagining the child. Her smile. Her arms. Her legs. Her body. Soon she was imagining herself undressing the young girl. Touching her. Making love to her.

Jill ached to tell Linda how she felt, but didn’t know how to do it, what words to say. All she could do was wait for the right moment.

As they walked home after school, Jill took Linda’s hand in hers. “How was school today?” she asked.

“Oh, okay,” Linda answered. “I hafta memorize all the states and capitals this weekend.”

“I could help you with that tomorrow,” Jill offered.

“Oh, that would be great!”

Jill pursed her lips, then shyly said, “I’d like to spend the night with you again.”

“Really?!” Linda gushed, “Oh Emma would love that!”

“I was… kind of wanting it to be just us. Without Emma. And tomorrow, we can all do something together.”

“Just me and you?” Linda asked.

Jill nodded, her pulse racing. Please, please say yes.

Linda thought for a second then replied, “Okay.”

***

That night, Jill spread the sleeping bag on the floor of Linda and Emma’s hidey-hole and waited. She was too nervous to focus on anything. She’d told her parents that she was spending the night with Wendy, because otherwise, they might wonder why she wanted to share a bed with a ten-year-old girl.

Linda wasn’t there yet; she was tucking Emma in back inside the trailer. Emma didn’t like having to sleep alone, but Linda sang to her while rubbing her back until the child finally fell asleep. Then Linda quietly crawled out the window, hastened over to the stand of trees to her secret place, and joined Jill inside.

Jill had made up her mind that she was going to tell Linda how she felt, but was incredibly nervous about it. I’ve never even been in love before, she told herself. Not until now. 

As Linda came in, she saw Jill sitting on the edge of the mattress waiting. Noticing how quiet her friend was, Linda sat beside her. “What’s the matter, Jill?”

Her brow furrowed, Jill quietly said, “I… I need to tell you something.”

Linda grew anxious, “What?”

Jill turned to face the young girl, her fear clearly showing, then suddenly leaned in, kissing Linda before she realized it.

Jill pulled away and, upon seeing the shocked look on Linda’s face, her heart fell and the most dismal feeling came over her. “I — I’m so sorry!” she blurted. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

Leaping to her feet, eyes filling with tears, Jill stumbled toward the door, intending to flee, but then she heard Linda call, “Don’t go.” Jill slowly turned around to stare at the little girl.

“Please don’t go,” Linda repeated. “I liked it.”

Relief washed over Jill as she struggled to catch her breath. Coming back over to join Linda, Jill whispered, “You did?”

Linda nodded. “Is that what you wanted to tell me?”

“Yes,” Jill said, adding quietly in a broken voice, “I’m… I’m in love with you.” Caught up in the passion of the moment, she felt more tears coming.

Linda’s face broke out in a huge grin. “Really?!”

Jill grinned back nervously, “Um, yeah.”

“I love you, too,” Linda said. “I’ve always…” She fell silent.

Jill raised an eyebrow, then took the child’s hands, “Do you maybe want to kiss some more?”

“Could we?” the girl asked excitedly.

“We have all night.” Jill quickly unrolled the sleeping bag, sat down on it and took the little girl in her arms, kissing her again. This time she made the kiss a playful one, nibbling gently at Linda’s lips.

Linda was completely still at first, then tried to copy what Jill was doing, though it seemed to come awkwardly to her. Jill lay back on the bed, drawing Linda down alongside her as they continued to kiss.

Finally, Linda broke away, gasping for air, “H-how do you hold your breath for so long?”

Jill chuckled. “Breathe through your nose, silly.”

She embraced the child again, kissing her passionately as she began to touch Linda’s body. Unable to resist, Jill slipped her hands beneath Linda’s shirt, caressing the ten-year-old’s bare skin.

Linda shivered, giggling, “That tickles.”

Her fingers slowly sliding along Linda’s side, Jill murmured, “You’re really soft. I like touching you.” Her fingers ran across Linda’s prepubescent breasts which were just beginning to blossom. “I want to do more than just kiss,” Jill said, her voice a husky whisper, “I want to see you.”

“Wh-what do you mean?” Linda asked.

“I want to see you without this on.” She tugged at Linda’s shirt.

The little girl’s eyes widened at the remark. “You mean…naked?!”

Jill nodded, sitting up, pulling off her own shirt and reaching behind to unclasp her bra, grinning all the while at Linda. As Linda stared at Jill as if she’d lost her mind, Jill continued to undress, pulling off her pants and panties, tossing everything on the floor.

Now nude, Jill reclined on the bed, letting Linda gawk at her bare body. “Take yours off,” she said.

Linda shook her head, clearly worried, “I — I don’t want anybody to see.”

“It’s just us,” Jill whispered reassuringly as she took hold of the hem of Linda’s shirt and slowly lifted it. “Let me see you.”

“Please… I can’t.” The little girl’s voice was barely a whisper.

“It’s okay,” Jill reassured her as she removed the shirt, not understanding why Linda seemed so agitated — that is, until the child was topless, and Jill saw the red welts covering her chest and arms.

For a few seconds, Jill stared in shock, unable to speak. Linda quickly hunched over, wrapping both arms around her chest in a futile effort to cover herself. Oh, my God, Jill thought. Who did that to her?

Realizing she was upsetting Linda with her staring, Jill quickly composed herself and pulled the sleeping bag flap over both of them. “It’s okay. You don’t have to be embarrassed,” Jill whispered, “You are a beautiful girl, you know”

That took Linda by surprise. She looked up at Jill, “Really?”

“Yes,” Jill’s hands slid down the child’s body, pulling down her skirt and panties.

“What are we g-going to do now?” Linda asked, a tremor in her voice.

“We’re entering a new world.”

“What kind of world?”

Jill stroked the girl’s hair, drawing close to kiss her before she answered. “One we make for ourselves.”

She climbed on top of Linda, who stared in awe at Jill, losing herself and her fears in the older girl’s eyes. She was still covering herself, but Jill gently moved her arms away, revealing the child’s barely budding breasts.

“They’re beautiful,” Jill sighed.

“You don’t think they look weird, then?” Linda asked, frowning.

Jill shook her head. “No,” she said, bending down to place a kiss on each one. It was getting especially warm beneath the blanket, so she pushed it to one side, uncovering their bare bodies.

Studying the older girl’s nudity with interest, Linda noticed Jill’s vulva and said, “Hey, you got hair on yours!”

Jill laughed, “You will too, when you’re older.”

“Um… can I feel it?”

“Of course.” Lying back, Jill spread her legs apart, letting Linda see everything. Nibbling nervously on her lower lip, the child reached out to touch the dark curls.

“It’s soft,” Linda murmured, her fingers moving lower. Jill moaned as the girl’s fingers brushed the moist flesh of her cunt. Linda’s eyes widened in surprise. “Omigosh, you’re wet!” she gasped, quickly taking her hand away. “D-did you pee yourself?”

“That’s not pee,” Jill replied, all smiles. “It’s… well, when a girl gets sexually excited, she gets all juicy down there.” She touched Linda’s cheek. “You make me feel that way, y’know. It makes me want to make love to you for real.”

“Really?” Linda whispered, gazing worshipfully at Jill. “Um… I don’t know how to…”

“I’ll show you.” She drew the little girl into her arms, kissing her. Linda tensed for a moment, then melted into Jill, whimpering as she returned the kiss. Their excitement began to build as they rubbed their bodies together. Almost instinctively, Jill pressed her sex against Linda’s leg.

Shit, this feels good, Jill thought. She couldn’t help but thrust harder, and then Linda was feeling it too, her smooth slit rubbing against Jill’s thigh.

Linda giggled at the funny face Jill was making in her lustful frenzy, but Jill was beyond caring, completely focused on how turned on she was, pumping her hips in a hard, steady rhythm. Her panting became more forceful, and soon a steady stream of profanity began to escape her lips. “Fuck, yes, oh yes! I — I’m fucking you, Linda. I’m fucking you. Oh, God, your cunt f-feels so good, so fucking warm and n-nice against my leg, oh yes, yes! Fuck me back, lover, fuck me like I’m fucking you…”.

Linda’s eyes widened at the torrent of obscenity flowing from Jill’s lips, then she simply forgot to be shocked as the older girl’s movements began to feel better and better. Her breath caught as an intense, almost painful rush of pleasure surged through her, rose to an unimaginable peak, then died away.

She lay quietly, gasping for air, then her eyes slowly fluttered open. Jill, propped up on one elbow, was grinning at her.

“Wh-what…happened?” Linda finally managed to say.

“You just had your very first orgasm,” Jill replied.

“That was…wow,” Linda mumbled, suddenly yawning before she added, “Can you…” Her eyes drifted shut, then popped open. She spoke again. “Can you…”

That was as far as she got, though. Her eyes closed once more. Soon, Jill heard a soft snore coming from her lips. Linda was asleep.

Carefully pulling the sleeping bag flap over them both, Jill embraced Linda, holding her close. For the longest while, she watched her sleep, in awe of how much in love she was with this little girl.

She tenderly kissed Linda’s forehead, then shivered as she noticed the red welts on the child’s chest. Tomorrow, she would have to figure out what to do about this. If she called the police and they arrested her mom, Linda could end up in a foster home somewhere far off and Jill might never see her again.

I’ve got to do something about this. I’ve got to! But what?

***

When Linda opened her eyes, she saw the sunlight peering through the cracks in the walls of their makeshift bedroom. She looked to her left and saw Jill sleeping beside her, the older girl’s hand resting on her chest. She felt their bare skin touch, and just like that, everything came back to her. In disbelief, she peeked inside the sleeping bag and saw that, sure enough, both of them were naked.

Looking up, she saw Jill watching her, wearing a nonchalant smile. A surprised squeak came from Linda and she quickly said, “Hi.”

“Hi,” Jill coolly replied, her finger casually circling Linda’s nipple inside the sleeping bag.

“Did last night really happen?” Linda whispered.

“Yep.” Jill’s smile grew even broader, her eyes sparkling.

“I really liked it.”

“Me too.” Jill rolled on top of her, stroking her face.

“Could we…do it some more?” asked Linda.

“We can,” Jill said, then gently kissed her….

“WHAT’CHA DOING?”

Startled, Jill and Linda whipped around to see Emma standing in the doorway, her arms folded.

Both girls quickly jerked away from each other as a red-faced Linda sputtered, “We’re… we were… just telling secrets.”

“Uh-uh,” Emma objected proudly, “Y’all were kissing!”

“Well, we’re… just practicing, for when we have boyfriends,” Linda tried again as Jill watched her, amused.

“No, you weren’t,” Emma countered with a wicked grin, “Y’all were kissing for real! You don’t have no clothes on, neither!”

Jill glanced at herself, then at Linda. Sure enough, the sleeping bag hadn’t quite been unable to conceal their nudity, Oh, hell, she thought. I sure hope little sister can keep her mouth shut.

“Emma!” Linda cried despairingly, “leave us alone! Go… do something.”

The child frowned. “I don’t have anything to do!”

“Well, go away and… and do nothing somewhere else!”

Emma skipped away, giving the lovers a backward glance as she sang, “Jill and Linda, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G…” Her voice grew faint, then she was gone.

Jill scooted back over to press herself against Linda, wrapping her arms around the girl. “Is there anything you want to do today?” she asked.

Linda shook her head, “I just want to stay here with you.”

In the mood for more lovemaking, Jill kissed Linda’s neck, lightly nibbling her earlobe.

“Jill?”

“Hmm?”

“Can you do that thing again?”

“What thing?” Jill mumbled, her face still buried in Linda’s neck.

“That… thing you did last night.”

Jill sat up “Oh, you liked that?” she teased. Linda gave a little nervous titter. Jill reached out to touch the little girl’s bare slit. “You like this?” Linda nodded. “How much do you like it?”

“A l-lot.”

“What about when I do this?” Jill slowly, carefully slipped a finger into Linda’s vagina. Linda gave a little gasp, the breath catching in her throat as Jill’s finger moved slowly back and forth. Jill pressed her thumb against the child’s clit, getting an even bigger gasp, and continued to pleasure her for a minute, then asked, “Does this feel good?”

“Y-y-yeah…Oh, yeah…” Linda stammered.

“Do you want me to stop?”

“N-n-no… no…” Jill found the little girl’s awed reaction to be amazingly erotic, turning her on more she’d ever been before. She held Linda close, kissing her every now and then.

“That feels so nice,” Linda whispered, then opened her eyes, gazing up at Jill. “I’ve never been in love before. Have you?”

“Yeah, a couple of times.”

Startled, Linda gave Jill a worried look. “With who?”

Jill shrugged. “Well, there were a couple of boys when I was in eighth grade, and one when I was a sophomore… and then there was Jake over the summer.”

“And you were in love with all of them?”

“Don’t be jealous, sweetie. I’m older than you, and I was pretty popular. Besides, I still thought I liked boys back then.”

“But now… you’re in love with me?” She wrapped both arms around Jill, staring wide-eyed at the older girl.

“I am.” She gave Linda a gentle kiss. ”Those guys… they were special, yeah, but it wasn’t like this.” She smiled at the sad-eyed little girl. “I love you, Linda.”

Linda snuggled into her. “I — I love you too.”

They laid there a while, then Jill said, “I need to pee.”

“Me too. And I’m hungry.”

Jill crawled out of the sleeping bag and put on her clothes, while Linda did the same. Stepping out of the ramshackle room, Jill headed towards the trailer, but Linda stopped her. “We can walk down the street to the gas station to use the bathroom there.”

Jill turned around, “Why go all the way over there when we can just use the bathroom in your trailer?”

“The people at the gas station don’t mind.”

“But your trailer’s right here,” Jill protested.

“We can’t.”

Jill narrowed her gaze. “Why not?”

“We — we just can’t!” Linda pleaded.

Jill thought of the welts she’d seen on Linda’s body. Folding her arms, she transfixed the girl with a knowing look. “Linda… I know that your mom is hitting you.”

Linda’s face paled as her eyes widened with alarm. She took a few steps back, “She’s n-not hitting me!”

“I saw the marks on your body.”

“No! You… you’re wrong!”

“Please, Linda… I want to help you.”

“My mama’s good! She loves me!” On the verge of tears, Linda turned and ran toward the trailer, crying, “She would never hit me!”

“Linda!” But the child wouldn’t listen, quickly running inside the trailer and closing the door.

Jill stared at the trailer for a moment, then slowly approached it. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door.

A few seconds later, it was opened, but not by Linda. A large, disheveled woman stood in the doorway, the stench of her body odor and alcohol on her breath sharp in the morning air.

“The fuck d’ya want?!” the woman loudly slurred.

“I — I want to see Linda.” Jill’s normally bold tone was caught off guard, and she was unusually meek before this menacing woman.

“Who’re you?” the woman slightly swayed as if she might fall over.

“My name’s Jill…”

The woman didn’t wait for her to finish, slamming the door shut. Jill went over to Linda’s window and quietly knocked, but no one answered. Inside, she clearly heard the woman yell, then Linda cried out in pain.

Now furious, Jill ran back to the door and pounded hard. It was yanked open and the woman snarled, “Get outta here ‘fore I call the cops!” The door slammed again.

How could everything have gone so wrong so fast? Jill wondered. It seemed as if she had asked herself that same question not too long ago. Not knowing what else to do, she glumly set off for home.

On the way, Jill’s phone beeped. Checking it, she saw that her mom had texted her. COME HOME NOW. WE NEED TO TALK.

***

As Jill walked in the door, she saw both of her parents waiting. She wasn’t sure what it was about, but from the grim expressions on her parents’ faces, she knew it wasn’t good.

Her father spoke first, an icy edge to his voice “Do you know a ten-year-old girl named Linda?”

Jill nodded, suddenly numb with horror. Oh, God… they found out about us.

“Her mother just called. She told me that you forced yourself on her little girl last night… and that you hit her several times.”

Jill’s cheeks paled. “I never hit her!” she cried. “Her mom did that.”

Her mother spoke.  “Who is this girl, anyhow? You told us you were spending the night with Wendy.”

“She–she’s my friend…”

“Why would this woman say you forced yourself on her daughter?”

“I didn’t. I only…” At that instant, Jill realized that she’d said too much.

Her father took a step forward, his eyes narrowing suspiciously, “You only what?”

“We were…” The looks from her parents were playing havoc with her thinking, and in a moment of panic, she blurted out, “I kissed her.”

For what seemed an eternity, no one spoke. Jill knew that she had just sealed her fate. Finally, Mom’s voice broke the deathly silence,  wincing as if she had been struck, “Jill…?”

“It wasn’t a bad thing,” Jill mumbled. “She wanted me to. We… we’re in love.”

“In love…with a ten year-old?!”

“It’s not wrong. You don’t understand–”

“Enough!” her father thundered, “My God… you kissed a child! And a girl, at that! What have you become? One of those filthy perverts we hear about in the news? You’re molesting little girls now?”

“I’m not, I’m not! I love Linda. I would never molest her!”

“I don’t want to hear another word!” her father roared. “I know what caused all of this. It’s that school you’re going to! Filling your head with corruption and filth! I should have taken you out of there when they started teaching sex education, but your mother talked me out of it. Well, no more! You’re going to a good Christian school. And you will learn right from wrong!” He pointed toward the door. “Go to your room, young lady. You aren’t setting foot out of this house until you start school again.”

Sick at heart, Jill rose on shaking legs and made her way down the hall.

And that was the end of it. For the rest of the weekend, Jill was confined to her bedroom except for meals, and a couple of hours after dinner when she was expected to read the Bible aloud to her parents. Her phone and computer were taken away, and her mother made arrangements for her to be transferred to St Paul Lutheran School. Jill knew that she would never see Linda again.

***

Monday morning. A miserable Jill looked out the car window at the drab white limestone building as her mother pulled into the parking lot of St. Paul Lutheran School. Neither Jill nor her parents had spoken a word to each other that morning.

As the car stopped, Jill stepped out, clutching her backpack tightly to her chest. She trudged behind as her mother walked briskly up to the front door and into the lobby. Ahead, a tall older woman with dark, blond hair pulled back into a bun, greeted them. “Why, hello, Margaret!”

“Good morning, Helen!”

Helen Slimp, the school’s headmaster, looked disdainfully at Jill. “And this is…?”

Her mother turned to look at Jill, who was staring at her feet, “This is Jill.”

“Ah… yes. I’ll take her to Miss Lange’s room right away.”

“Thank you, Helen. Jill…” Jill didn’t respond. “I’ll be here at four o’clock sharp to pick you up.” Without another word, she turned and left.

Jill followed Mrs Slimp through the hall until she stopped before a door, then opened it. A few dozen girls stared at her, as did the teacher, a sharp-faced woman with her hair done up in a tight bun.

“Miss Lange… this is our new student, Jill.”

“Yes, Headmaster.” Mrs Slimp left, then Miss Lange pointed to an empty desk, “Take your seat.”

Jill sat down, and life at her new school began.

She quickly learned that the other students had found out about her — nothing very specific, just that she’d gotten in big trouble for doing something perverted. It made the situation even worse; now all kinds of weird rumors were flying around, and no one was willing to be her friend.

At four o’clock, her mother was there to pick her up, driving home without a word, then Jill spent the rest of the evening doing her homework and reading the Bible aloud to her parents.

The following day was the same, except that at one point she was cornered by a couple of girls who gleefully informed Jill that God hated her, and she was sure to burn in hellfire for all eternity.

That night as she laid in bed, Jill thought of Linda, of how much she loved her. Linda’s a prisoner too, just like me. The more she thought about their situation, the angrier she got. I’m not going to live my life like this, she thought, her jaw clenched in determination.

Making a decision, she began to sketch out a plan in her mind.

***

Once she was sure that her parents were asleep, Jill quietly opened the window of her bedroom and carefully climbed out. Soon, she was walking the dark, silent streets of the neighborhood, on her way to the poor side of town where Linda lived. It had been over three days since she’d seen the girl. What worried her most was that she didn’t know if Linda even wanted to talk to her. She might even hate me now, Jill told herself.

Coming up to the trailer, Jill took a deep breath, then quietly knocked on the window.

The curtain drew back slightly and Emma’s pixieish face appeared. Her eyes widened, and she turned to hiss, “It’s Jill!”

An instant later, Linda appeared beside Emma.  She had clearly lost weight, and looked as if she hadn’t slept for days.

She scrambled to lift the window, “Jill! You came back, you actually came back! Oh, God, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean for you to leave! I got you in bad trouble, huh? I’m so, so sorry.  I — I thought I’d n-never see you again!” Tears were streaming down her face.

Jill reached in and tried her best to hug Linda, then kissed her. “I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to say that about your mom.”

Linda pulled away, gazing mournfully at Jill, “No, you were right. I just wanted so bad to have a real mom like everyone else. I was scared of what you would think of me if you knew about her.”

“Listen, Linda… do you remember the other night, when you asked what we were doing?”

Linda nodded, “You said we were entering a new world.”

“One we make ourselves. Well, we’re about to do that for real. I’m going to get us out of here.”

The girl’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

“We’re going to leave here and live our own lives.”

Jill waited as the enormity of that sank in for Linda. “Leave?” Jill nodded. “When? How?”

“I don’t know yet. I’m still trying to work out the details.”

Emma pushed her way beside Linda, blurting out, “I want to go!”

Linda turned to her, “Don’t worry, Em, I’m not going to leave you behind.”

“Once I get everything set up, I’ll come get you both,” Jill said. “Pack anything you want to take, because we won’t be coming back.”

Linda wiped her eyes, “I love you, Jill.”

“I know. I love you too. Okay, I’ve gotta get home.” Giving the girl one last kiss, she began to run, turning back to wave at the girls before the darkness swallowed her.

***

By Wednesday, Jill had learned the routines at her school and kept her eyes open to everything around, searching for one of two things she needed to put her plan into effect. That afternoon, she saw a teacher go into a small office that wasn’t occupied. And right there on the old wooden desk was exactly what she was looking for: a telephone.

Pretending to leaf through a spiral notebook, she watched the woman rummage through the desk, then emerge with a box of paper clips. The teacher left the office, absently pulling the door closed, and Jill allowed herself to smile for the first time in days.

During lunch hour, Jill asked to be excused to the restroom, then quickly went down the hall, darted into the office and closed the door. She dialed, waiting anxiously as the line rang.

Finally, the phone picked up. “Hello?”

“Gramma? It’s me, Jill.”

“Jill! Are you all right?”

“No. Everything’s messed up. I…I can’t live here anymore. I need to leave.”

“Can you tell me what’s going on?”

“No. It’s too complicated and will take too long. Um, I fell in love with a girl.”

“Oh, my. You don’t have to say anything else… I can just imagine what your father had to say about that. Jill, if you feel that you need to leave, you’ll always have a home here. But how can you get all the way to Montana?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out. Thank you, Gramma. I have to go now.”

Jill hung up, slipped out of the office and hastened back to the cafeteria. Now that Step One was taken care of, she needed to access the internet in the library for Step Two. Her class went to the library every afternoon and, while there, Jill settled in front of a computer in the corner searching craigslist for a cheap car.

She only had a half-hour to look, but after about twenty minutes, she managed to find a vehicle in good condition. It was a fifteen-year-old station wagon, but all that mattered was that it worked and she was able to afford it. She quickly emailed the seller that she wanted to make the purchase, then logged off just as her class began lining up to leave.

As school was letting out, Jill went to the gym to ask the coach if she could volunteer to straighten up the equipment room after school the next day. “It’s really messy in there,” she said.

The coach was only too happy to accept the offer. When Jill’s mother arrived to pick her up, the coach explained that Jill would be lending her a hand the following afternoon. Jill’s mom agreed, and said that she’d pick her daughter up at five.

Jill’s plan was now in place. All she had to do was make it happen.

***

The next day in the library, Jill checked her email and saw that the man with the car for sale had replied with his phone number and address. Writing these down, she waited until school let out, then quickly slipped into the empty office and called the man to tell him that she was on her way over to buy it. She had one hour to make the purchase before her mother arrived at five.

Leaving the school, she went to the corner and caught a bus, which she took to the bank. She’d had an account for a couple of years since she first started working in the summer. Jill withdrew all her money, almost two thousand dollars.

Catching the bus again, Jill rode to a stop about two blocks from the man’s address. Getting off the bus, she ran down the street until she found the house she wanted. She knocked on the door, and a kind-looking elderly man answered.

“Hi, I’m Jill. Um, I emailed you about buying your car…?”

The old man squinted at her, “Ah, yes.” Emerging from indoors, he trudged around the side of the house, Jill close behind, and pointed at a station wagon that had certainly seen better days. “This is it. A far cry from a Lexus, but it’ll get you where you’re going.” He took out a key, climbed inside and started it up. The engine sounded good, at least. “The oil’s been changed, and it has a tankful of gas.”

Reaching into her pocket, Jill quickly produced the money, “Here you go. Fifteen hundred dollars.”

They shook hands, and Jill got in. “Take care of yourself,” the man told her, then looked up at the dark clouds on the horizon. “Looks like a storm’s coming.”

Jill looked at the gathering clouds, then quietly said, “I know.”

Once she was on the road, Jill drove to McCallum School, then left the car at the far end of the parking lot, where it wouldn’t be noticed.

By then it was getting dangerously late, so Jill used some of her cash to take a cab back to St Paul to meet her mom. She made it with two minutes to spare.

***

The next morning, she took a last long look at her father before she left the house. Though her feelings for him over the past week now verged on hatred, she still felt a certain sadness, knowing that she was never going to see him or her mother again.

The ride to the school was silent, as usual. Life at home had been cold and empty during the past week, in stark contrast to the joy and liveliness that Jill’s family used to share.

As Jill stepped out of the car, she gazed at her mom for a few seconds, saying a silent goodbye, then closed the door and trudged towards the school doors as her mom drove away. She continued to walk past the doors instead of going inside, then ducked around the corner of the building, out of sight of everyone. Taking a deep breath, Jill ran across the grassy field towards the road.

She caught the bus to McCallum, where she got into the waiting station wagon. With trembling hands, Jill slid the key into the ignition, fired up the engine and exited the parking lot, driving slowly so as not to attract attention.

Her first stop was at Wal-Mart, where she picked up food and a few other supplies that they were sure to need. Then she set off for Linda’s trailer. Parking where the car couldn’t be seen, she ran over to the girls’ window and tapped gently.

Emma’s excited face appeared, then the child eagerly pushed the window up. Before Jill could say anything, Emma pushed a worn duffel bag into her arms, then started climbing out. Jill caught her and helped her to the ground, then Linda began wriggling her way out. Jill helped her too… and once on the ground, wrapped both arms tightly around her little lover, holding Linda close.

“C’mon! Before Mom wakes up!” Emma hissed.

Taking the girls’ hands in hers, Jill hurried to where the car was parked. Linda got into the passenger seat as Emma pushed her bag into the back seat and climbed in next to it.

Jill checked the time, knowing that by then, the school would have noticed that she wasn’t there and would have phoned her parents.

She turned to Linda. “Are you ready to start our new life together?”

Linda nodded, wiping her eyes as Emma excitedly exclaimed, “Yeah!”

Her eyes still tearing, Linda told Jill, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

On to Chapter Three!