February 21, 1996

Clang. The basketball impacted on the front of the rim and ricocheted away at an odd angle.

“Damn it!” Tracy yelled out as someone passed the ball back to her. She dribbled several more times, raised the ball once more… clang. Another miss.

Tracy couldn’t shoot free throws. She had always been miserable at it—ever since she was a girl playing little league. Now, here she was a freshman on the college basketball team and she still couldn’t shoot them. She tried, she really tried. She’d spent hours practicing but never could get any better. Fortunately, she was really good at everything else or she wouldn’t have received the partial scholarship that she did.

“All right ladies, let’s shut it down!” the coach shouted across the gym. “Hit the showers,” she added.

Tracy slammed the ball onto the rack in frustration and stormed into the locker room. She was furious with herself for not being able to crack that one remaining element of her game. The one thing that might have prevented her from playing for a division-one school. She loved the team she was on and she loved her teammates. There was still that lingering thought in her mind though, “what if”. What if I shot free throws better in high school? Could I be playing for a division-one school right now? Probably not… but still, she wondered.

She flung herself down on the bench in front of her locker, pouting, and began fumbling with her shoelaces. So lost in her own thoughts, she was only vaguely aware of the other players around her, starting up the showers, changing their clothes, laughing and talking amongst themselves. Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice startled her out of her introspection.

“Hey, it’s not that bad,” the voice said as Tracy felt a big, firm hand on her shoulder.

Tracy glanced at the hand and followed the long arm all the way up to its owner. Kellie Pratt. She was a senior, one of the oldest girls on the team. Kellie was the starting center and one of the tallest women that Tracy had ever met personally. The other girl smiled down at Tracy, who reluctantly returned the grin. She didn’t feel like smiling.

“Do you want to work on it?” Kellie asked. “Your free throws, I mean,” she explained. “I might be able to help you.”

If Tracy had been a senior, she would have probably said, “Thanks, but no thanks,”. Instead, she heard herself respond, “When? Right now?”

Kellie nodded. “Sure, why not? You’ve still got your shoes on.”

Tracy hesitated. All she really wanted to do was go back to her dorm room.

“Just for a little while,” Kellie encouraged.

“Sure, okay,” Tracy finally agreed as she retied the one lace she had managed to undo.

Kellie had never shown much more than politeness towards Tracy. Sure, it was a small team, so they all knew each other on a first name basis, but after all, she was a senior, and Tracy was just a freshman. They didn’t really have much in common—other than both being basketball players. Kellie didn’t have the most outgoing personality and usually kept to herself. However, she had never been antisocial either.

A few minutes later, the two girls were back on an empty court, shooting free throws by themselves. The gym seemed so much larger, so much quieter without all the other girls there. The sound of the ball bouncing against the floor echoed throughout the arena.

“My freshman year, I shot about twenty-five percent from the line,” Kellie explained with a good-natured chuckle. “This year, I’m at about sixty-five percent.”

Tracy giggled. “Twenty-five percent? Really?” she asked in disbelief.

“You can go ahead and say it. That’s really, really bad. I know,” Kellie joked.

The two young women continued practicing for about thirty minutes or so, before calling it a night. The next night, they worked some more and the night after that as well. By the middle of the next week, it had basically become a standard routine.

In a strange way, Tracy had grown to look forward to her after-practice sessions with Kellie. They got along well with each other and Kellie had a very simple, pleasant manner of talking that made Tracy feel at ease. She was funny too. Tracy never failed to laugh during one of their free throw practice sessions.

Aside from practicing her free throws, Tracy also learned a lot about Kellie. She was from a small town on the eastern side of the state. Her parents were farmers, but she was studying to be a physical therapist. Kellie was also a four-year starter for the basketball team and, as a result, she was slowly approaching the record for “most points scored in a career” for their college.

“You’re still thinking about it too much,” Kellie coached that Wednesday night, towards the end of their sixth session. “It’s just one fluid motion. Just bring the ball up and shoot, like you do any other shot.” She dribbled the ball twice. “Like this,” she said as she raised the ball and took a shot, sinking it.

Tracy mimicked her new friend’s motion and made her own shot as well. She was forced to admit, she was getting better. She had noticed a marked improvement over the last week, or she probably would have given up already.

That evening, they had stayed behind extra late. All the other players had long since gone, even the coaches, janitors, and anyone else left in the building had evacuated as well. They decided to call it a night and made their way into the locker room.

Kellie picked a shower stall, disappearing behind the curtain, and Tracy entered her own. She tested the water for temperature, disrobed, and stepped into the stream of water. Just a few minutes later, she exited the shower, refreshed, a towel wrapped firmly around her torso.

Kellie too stepped out of the shower just a moment later. Tracy turned to speak to her, and to Tracy’s surprise, Kellie did not have a towel wrapped around her. She was using her towel to dry off, but Tracy was staring at all God had given Kellie. Stare is the only word that applied, because Tracy couldn’t take her eyes off the other woman.

Kellie’s body was—well, stunning. Tracy had never even considered Kellie’s physical attractiveness before. She was so tall, and carried herself in such a plain, simple way, that Tracy had never really thought of her as “pretty”. But now, seeing her completely naked for the first time, seeing those incredible, athletic legs, still glistening from the shower, her flat tummy, her firm breasts—yes, Kellie was big, but everything was proportionate. She had a great body.

Tracy had really been caught off guard. The two girls had been in this situation before, five times to be exact, but both had retained a good deal of modesty. Neither one of them were the type to go parading around the locker room naked (some of the other girls on the team did so without hesitation). Tracy assumed that their recent history together had probably made Kellie feel comfortable enough around her that she could do something like that and it wouldn’t bother either of them.

Tracy’s stare lasted only a second or two before she averted her eyes. She wanted to look longer, she really did. But she knew she couldn’t.

The two chatted as they dressed, and made their way out of the locker room and back across the gym floor, just after ten o’clock. Tracy followed Kellie to one corner where they found all the correct switches and turned off the huge overhead lights. The enormous empty building was spooky in the darkness. They hurried across the floor and exited through the main entrance.

“How are we going to lock the—” Tracy started, but stopped in mid-sentence as she watched Kellie pull a key ring out of her pocket. “You have a key to the gym?” she asked in amazement.

A moment later, the doors locked, Kellie turned towards the parking lot. “You want a ride?” she asked.

“Sure,” Tracy instantly agreed. It had been unseasonably warm that day, nearly eighty degrees, and Tracy had decided to walk to practice. But now, she was exhausted, and as late as it was, she really had no desire to walk back.

She hopped into Kellie’s car, a small, black, Dodge Daytona from the late ‘80s, and they quickly made their way from one side of the small campus to the other. As they drove, Tracy noticed how far back Kellie had the seat pushed.

“You need a bigger car,” Tracy joked, glancing down at Kellie’s legs.

Kellie shrugged. “Well, when I turned sixteen, my parents and I were looking at vehicles and I liked this one. Besides, my parents could afford it.” She smiled weakly. “At the time, that was all they really cared about.”

Tracy nodded, feeling bad that she had tried to make a joke and had never even considered why she might be driving such a small car. Tracy’s family was a little better off than most and sometimes she forgot that finances played a role in such decisions. They made the rest of the short drive in a sort of awkward silence.

The dorm they lived in was not an athletic dorm. Their college was too small to have a dormitory committed just to athletes. In fact, Tracy didn’t even live with another player. Her roommate was her longtime best friend, Heather. Tracy knew that Kellie lived on the third floor. She knew this because they had been on the elevator several times together and seen her get off there. Aside from that, this was all she knew of Kellie’s living situation.

As they stepped into the elevator together, Tracy punched both buttons, the three and the seven. She and Heather’s room was on the seventh floor of a seven story building. This was also known as the freshman floor.

When the door opened on the third floor, Kellie started to walk out when she turned to Tracy. “You want to come hang out for a while?” she asked suddenly.

Tracy raised her eyebrows and hesitated for a moment. For the second time that evening, Kellie had caught her off guard.

Apparently noticing her hesitation, Kellie added, “I don’t have a roommate or anything, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Sure,” Tracy replied, suddenly realizing that she really did want to go hang out with Kellie in her room. In fact, it sounded like an amazing idea. She stepped off the elevator, leaving it to roll up to the seventh floor, empty.

She followed the older girl down the hall to room 314. A moment of keys jangling, the knob turned, and Kellie opened her door wide, inviting Tracy inside.

“So, this is my room,” Kellie said, nervously.

Tracy was amazed by its plainness. There were no posters on the walls. No pictures. No signs, or banners, or old jerseys, or—well, anything else. Kellie had a small thirteen-inch television, a mini-fridge, and a stereo. The best word that Tracy could use to describe Kellie’s dorm room was “Spartan”. The room had the standard pair of twin beds that all dorm rooms had. Both were made up, but it was clear that one was Kellie’s bed, while the other had never been slept on.

“Damn, it’s hot in here!” Kellie hollered almost instantly.

Indeed, it was very warm. The temperature from earlier that day had made all of the dorm rooms hot. Everyone had their windows open with fans going, trying to find alleviation from the heat.

Kellie strode over to her own window and slid it open wide. “They won’t turn the air conditioning on until after spring break,” she informed. “Same thing happened two years ago. A big heat wave like this came in and everyone roasted.” As she spoke, she picked up a large box fan and placed it in the window, wedging it between the window on one side and the window frame on the other. “That’ll help considerably,” she announced.

As she turned the unit on, Tracy immediately felt the relief of the cooler, outside air. Unfortunately, the old box fan hummed and, at first, made it difficult to hear each other. But they adjusted, and in moments, they were chatting away with each other as if there was no fan in the room at all.

Kellie first switched on her small television, leaving the volume turned off, and then retrieved an ice pack from the top portion of her mini-fridge. She eased onto her bed, stretching out her long legs. She placed the ice pack on her left knee and glanced at Tracy who was watching with interest. “These old knees have taken a pounding over the last eight years,” Kellie joked.

As a half hour turned into an hour, Tracy continued to feel more and more comfortable in the room. She stretched her own legs out in the empty twin bed, with her back against the wall. They talked with each other so easily. It didn’t seem to matter what the topic was.

Kellie talked about how she had become interested in physical therapy and Tracy explained the difficulties she had in just trying to pick a major. Kellie told Tracy about small-town life in the eastern part of the state, and Tracy told Kellie about small-town life in the western part of the state—turns out, there’s not much difference.

Suddenly, Kellie sat up and turned towards Tracy, dangling her legs off the side of the bed. “You know what,” she started, “sometimes I almost feel like a stranger on that team.”

Tracy matched her pose, sitting up, and adjusting herself so that her own legs were on the side of the bed. Their legs were both so long, that their bare knees knocked against each other in the middle. “What do you mean?” Tracy inquired, genuinely interested.

“I mean, it doesn’t feel like my team anymore,” Kellie attempted to explain.

“But, you’re a starter. You’re one of the team captains. One of the team leaders,” Tracy argued.

“I know, but,” Kellie paused seeming to try and find the right words. As she did, she placed her big hands on Tracy’s knees and wobbled them from side to side—a playful gesture, but one that did not go unnoticed by Tracy. “I guess what I mean is, all my friends are gone,” Kellie concluded. “All the girls that I grew up with, all the girls I played with for the last three years. They’re just—not here anymore. Slowly, one by one, they all graduated.”

Tracy reached out and put her own hands on top of Kellie’s. “I’m your friend,” she said, smiling. “Aren’t I?” As she spoke the words, she suddenly understood so much more about Kellie. This is why she always seems so distant from the other players. This is why she has never really associated with us.

“Yes, of course, you are,” Kellie responded. She gazed deeply into Tracy’s eyes, fixing her with an intense stare.

Tracy returned the stare, focusing on Kellie’s eyes for the first time. They were very pretty eyes. Eyes that held so much emotion, sadness, longing, warmth, tenderness, and intelligence too.

Their hands were still touching. No, suddenly, Tracy realized with a start, that the two were now holding hands. When did that happen? She couldn’t remember.

Silence reigned. The hum of the box fan and some noisy girls yelling down the hall were the only sounds Tracy could hear. Her mind quickly filled with dozens of questions, her heart raced with hopefulness, mixed with a hint of insecurity and doubt.

Kellie suddenly jerked her head towards the television screen. “Five-day forecast!” she blurted out, cutting through the tension of the moment instantly. “Damn, it’s going to be ninety-two degrees tomorrow!”

The television was in such a position that Tracy couldn’t see it clearly from her vantage point. So, she absentmindedly moved over to Kellie’s bed, sitting down just behind her, looking at the screen over her shoulder.

“Ninety-two?!” Tracy repeated. “It’s still February!”

“No kidding,” Kellie replied. “Look at that, if it actually gets that high, it’ll be a record.” She turned back around, facing Tracy, who was now much, much closer to her. Kellie turned her body away from the television completely, giving her full attention to her young friend once more. “So, where were we before my short attention span kicked in?” Kellie teased.

Tracy decided to take the initiative. She took Kellie’s hands in her own again and cautiously offered, “Well, I’m not sure, but I think maybe you were getting ready to kiss me?” She spoke the words as a question, raising her eyebrows hopefully as she did so. If she was wrong, it could ruin a friendship that was only a week old.

“Was I?” Kellie asked, mischievously. “Oh, yes, I was,” she continued. She leaned in and kissed Tracy’s lips. A surprisingly delicate kiss for a woman who was so forceful and dominating on the basketball court.

Tracy kissed back. She felt Kellie’s tongue inside her mouth. It was soft, gentle. The kiss was sweet, and simple—just like Kellie’s dorm room.

As Kellie kissed her, Tracy couldn’t help but think her new friend seemed confident and sure of herself. Kellie knew she wanted to be kissing Tracy. There was no hesitation or reservation to it at all. Just strength. It wasn’t aggressive or overbearing, it wasn’t forceful or intimidating—just strong. Like Kellie.

Tracy, meanwhile, was a nervous wreck. Her lips trembled with each kiss. Her hands shook. Her heart pounded inside her chest. The two girls had become fast friends in such a short period of time. Are we spoiling what could be an otherwise great friendship? Why is she interested in me? She’s so much older. I feel like a child compared to her. But ultimately, those thoughts were washed away. It didn’t matter. It felt good. It felt right.

Kellie pulled her lips away for just a moment and put a reassuring hand on Tracy’s thigh. Those strong, confident hands. “You’re shaking,” she observed. “It’s okay,” she soothed. The other hand now gently moved to Tracy’s shoulder. “Have you never kissed a girl before?”

Tracy giggled, thinking back to her previous experiences. “Oh, yes, I’ve kissed girls before.” For some reason, the tension immediately flowed out of her as Kellie kneaded her shoulder.

Kellie chuckled. “Oh, girls!” she repeated, emphasizing the S. “I see how it is.”

“Just three,” Tracy acknowledged.

“Then why so nervous?” Kellie questioned. Without waiting for an answer, she leaned in again and kissed Tracy once more. A little more aggressively. More passionately.

“Make that four,” Tracy continued, breathlessly. She was aroused like she couldn’t believe. Kellie had just awakened something inside her that had been dormant nearly the entire school year. The switch to college life had been so extreme, she had not had much time to think about things like sex.

She’d been so busy with her coursework, and basketball practice, and just—adjusting to the hectic pace of life. She was always rushing around, doing anything and everything. But now, at this exact moment, the entire world stopped. Time didn’t matter. She didn’t care how late it was, or how much homework she had to do the next day. She just wanted to stay with Kellie.

Their tongues darted in and out of each other’s mouths. Their breathing grew heavy. Kellie’s hand began sliding further up Tracy’s thigh, underneath her baggy athletic shorts.

“So,” Kellie started, pulling away from her kiss once more. “Those three girls you kissed,” she said, as she spoke she rubbed her nose against Tracy’s in an affectionate manner. “Ever go any further than kissing?”

“Oh yeah,” Tracy admitted. “A lot further.”

“That’s good,” Kellie said, encouragingly. Their noses continued to rub against each other. Kellie’s hand continued migrating further up Tracy’s thigh. “So, did you like what you saw?” she asked.

Tracy was confused. “Saw what?”

“In the locker room this evening,” Kellie explained as she moved her kisses to Tracy’s neck and shoulders. “When I got out of the shower. You looked.”

“Oh,” Tracy responded, embarrassed that she had been caught. She rolled her head to one side, exposing her neck further, to indicate to Kellie that she approved of what she was doing, and wanted more. “Yes, I liked it. I liked it very much in fact,” she stated. “You have an exquisite body.”

“People have called my body many things,” Kellie answered in between kisses. “A brick wall.” Kiss.  “A mountain.” Kiss. “The Titanic.” Kiss. “But one thing no one has ever called it… is exquisite.” Kellie’s hands ran up under Tracy’s shirt, feeling the sides of her tummy, then her ribs.

Tracy leaned backwards a little, letting Kellie’s hands roam further north. “Trust me, it is.” She reached down and pulled her T-shirt off. In another moment, both girls were topless, T-shirts and bras tossed aside. Tracy glanced down at Kellie’s tits once more. Of course, she’d seen them already, but they still mesmerized her.

Kellie must have noticed her peeking. “You don’t have to be shy,” she joked. “You can look at them.”

Tracy unabashedly stared down at her friend’s breasts. “They’re beautiful,” she commented. “They really are.”

“So are yours,” Kellie whispered as she planted a kiss right in the middle of Tracy’s chest. Then, one of Tracy’s nipples was in the older girl’s mouth. She felt Kellie’s lips press up against her areola, her tongue teasing the nipple, flicking it skillfully. Then the other nipple. Back and forth, pleasuring both breasts with her mouth.

Kellie straightened her back for a moment and Tracy decided it was her turn. She quickly leaned in and kissed Kellie’s chest. For a brief moment, the thought flashed through Tracy’s mind that her chest was so wide, so muscular, it reminded her of kissing a man’s chest. But then she found Kellie’s tits and those thoughts were completely erased. They were perfect. Her erect nipples felt wonderful in Tracy’s mouth. She buried her face between the other woman’s breasts. She breathed deeply, taking in the smell of her body. It wasn’t perfume, or deodorant, or even body odor. It was something more natural. Whatever it was, it drove her wild.

Tracy ran her hands up Kellie’s bare back, and then back down. She wanted to feel every inch of her friend’s body. On the court, Kellie really was a brick wall. She was imposing and intimidating. But now, here, in the privacy of her dorm room, she could feel that the brick wall had some softness to it. Muscular, yes, but Kellie’s skin was smooth and pale. Even though she was bigger than most women, her body still felt—there was no other word for it, feminine.

“My turn again,” Kellie whispered, as she reasserted herself. She took Tracy into her arms and started kissing her once more. Just a moment before, Tracy had been thinking about how feminine Kellie’s body was. But now, as she felt Kellie’s arms around her, she also understood there was great strength in them. She urged Tracy onto her back, easing her head down onto the pillow.

As Kellie continued to bombard Tracy with passionate kisses, her hands worked their way down to Tracy’s shorts. Kellie slid two fingers into the elastic waistband and began tugging them downward. Tracy helped and the shorts fell to the floor on the side of the bed.

Kellie’s hand landed on Tracy’s inner thigh. Her fingers quickly crawled towards the elastic lining of her panties where Tracy’s thigh met her nether regions. She tickled the crease between her leg and her waiting pussy for just a moment, before working the fingers underneath Tracy’s panties.

Tracy gasped audibly as Kellie’s finger grazed across her labia. She exhaled sharply as Kellie penetrated her. She spread her legs apart as Kellie began to work at her. Tracy attempted to pull her panties further to the side, but they had become an intolerable obstacle.

Kellie realized the predicament and pulled her hand away. A moment later, the panties joined the shorts in a growing pile of crumpled clothes on the floor.

Kellie immediately returned to the task at hand. She re-inserted her finger into Tracy’s snatch and began working in earnest. She started aggressively gyrating her hand back and forth, with her palm mounted firmly on top of Tracy’s mound. This caused an unusual sensation.  It was not just Kellie’s digits providing the pleasure, but her entire hand. Tracy had never had this done to her. At least, not like this. She’d been fingered before. But this was different. This was not being fingered. This was a sexual act unto itself.

Tracy lay prone, on the bed, her legs spread apart, merely panting. Paralyzed by the intense sensation that Kellie provided, Tracy gazed up at her friend with an expression that probably made her appear drunk. From the look Kellie returned, both of them knew she was doing something right.

A moment later, she slackened her pace. She brought her hand back to Tracy’s waist and held her on the side of the tummy. Tracy could feel her own wetness on Kellie’s hand—an odd sensation, but she didn’t mind.

Tracy sensed an opportunity to turn the tables and offer Kellie pleasure as well. She sat up on her elbows and maneuvered herself so that Kellie was the one leaning back against the pillow.

“You still have your shorts on,” Tracy teased. “We gotta fix that.” She positioned herself at Kellie’s waist and began working the shorts and panties over Kellie’s hips. She tugged them down slowly, revealing the close-cropped hair between Kellie’s legs that she had seen just a few hours before. Tracy continued to tug, pulling both garments all the way down those long, luscious legs. The dim lamp light from Kellie’s nightstand accentuated her smooth skin perfectly. Finally, down around her ankles, over her calloused feet, and Tracy added the shorts and panties to the pile of clothes.

Tracy sat back for a moment, on her knees, resting her ass against her heels, and simply admired this naked woman lying on the bed in front of her.

“What are you thinking?” Kellie asked playfully, putting her hands behind her head, revealing her bare underarms, and stretching her lengthy body out even further.

Tracy just shook her head. “I’m just taking the longer look that I wanted to take when you got out of the shower,” she admitted. “Good God, you’re gorgeous.”

“Says you,” Kellie chided. “Seriously, you’re the first person who has ever told me that.”

“Well, you sure look gorgeous to me,” Tracy argued. As she spoke, she made an aggressive move inwards, towards the triangle between Kellie’s legs. Tracy knew what she wanted. She’d had her eyes locked on it for several seconds, and she could no longer resist.

Kellie expected it. She parted her legs accordingly as Tracy dove in. Tracy wasted no time. No teasing. No foreplay. No delicate kissing or petting. She stabbed her tongue into Kellie’s waiting slit. It tasted wonderful. It had been so long since she’d had her tongue in a pussy. She instantly recognized the familiar, tangy taste, and gorged herself. She dug her face in, gripping Kellie’s thighs and nuzzling her nose into the bristly hair on her mound.

Tracy probed her tongue deep inside, plunging it in, over and over. She lapped at Kellie’s labia, all reserve abandoned. Her mouth working in a frenzy of licking, lapping, slapping, lashing, slurping, sucking, and drooling. She found Kellie’s clit and started flicking it over and over. Rolling her tongue across it, kneading it, sucking it. Within just a few minutes, she could hear Kellie’s breathing change. The tall girl’s hips started rocking in motion with Tracy’s tongue. Her powerful fingers gripping the back of Tracy’s head, planting Tracy’s face firmly against her muff.

Kellie made a sound. At first, Tracy thought she was coughing, or maybe sneezing. A sharp exhale. This turned into a high pitched squeal that lasted only a couple seconds. Those long thighs shook. Her knees buckled. Then, a long slow sigh.

“Dear God, you’re good at that,” Kellie panted.

Tracy grinned sheepishly, and blushed. For some reason, it embarrassed her to be told that she was really good at eating out another woman. Even though she knew it was true. She could see that from the look on Kellie’s face and could feel it through the way Kellie’s body had reacted.

She slid up to Kellie’s side and laid down next to her. They kissed for a moment. Tracy knew her face must be a mess—still dripping with Kellie’s wetness. Yet, Kellie kissed her anyways. They relaxed for a moment, but Kellie’s hands began exploring Tracy’s body once more. Tracy knew her friend wanted something else. So did she.

“I think it’s my turn,” Kellie whispered into Tracy’s ear. Without another word, she began kissing her way down Tracy’s body. Her chest. Her breasts. Her tummy. Her mound. Tracy spread her legs apart and closed her eyes, waiting. She felt Kellie’s tongue dive inside her. Felt the tip of the tongue trace her lips. Felt Kellie’s lips press against her pussy. Once more, the tongue stabbed deep into her slit.

Kellie began a rhythmic motion, shoving her tongue in and out. She was quite literally tongue-fucking Tracy in a manner that she had never known was possible. Tracy nearly laughed as she thought, I guess her legs aren’t the only thing that’s long. The woman had better control over her tongue than anyone else Tracy had ever met.

A moment later, Kellie shifted her attention to Tracy’s clitoris. Tracy was already so aroused, that she knew it would not take much effort to bring her over the edge. She was right. Kellie’s tongue flicked back and forth, rapidly. She’d never felt a tongue that fast. Kellie was obviously an expert. Tracy bucked her hips and rolled her ass against the mattress.

In just a few seconds, Tracy felt a sensation well up from deep within her. She attempted to breathe slowly, trying to hold it off. She didn’t want this pleasure to end. She wanted it to last as long as possible. She clutched the sheet with one hand. The other, she reached down and clasped Kellie’s hand, which was at her waist.

She gripped her friend’s hand tightly. Tracy moaned. Loudly. It caught her completely off guard. She wasn’t a moaner. But it came out, instinctually. She moaned again. Followed by a throaty, guttural exhale that probably made her sound possessed. Her thighs snapped shut as the orgasm hit her in full force. She playfully trapped Kellie’s head between her legs for a moment… and then relaxed—completely.

As her orgasm subsided, they heard giggling laughter out in the hall. One of the annoying voices Tracy had noticed earlier yelled out, “Did you hear that? Sounds like someone’s getting their muffin buttered!” More laughter as the voices trailed off down the hall. But at that moment, neither Kellie nor Tracy cared what anyone else thought.

As Kellie returned to her side, Tracy’s muscles turned to mush. Kellie took her in her arms and Tracy allowed herself to melt into them. The two lay motionless for several minutes. Relaxing and luxuriating in each other’s arms. Another kiss shared between them. Their long legs intertwined. Kellie’s feet feeling up and down Tracy’s smooth legs.

“By the way,” Kellie said, breaking a comfortable silence, “I should probably tell you, I’m a lesbian.”

Tracy laughed, a genuine, hardy laugh. “Yeah, I kinda figured that out,” she joked.

As she lay there in Kellie’s arms, she came to the startling realization that, over the last week of her life, she had grown to adore this woman. She was so emotionally and mentally strong. She was so confident. She was so—everything that Tracy hoped to be when she was a senior.

“I think—” Tracy started, then stopped. “I think I am too,” she finally blurted out.

Kellie squeezed her a little more tightly, their breasts pressing together. “That’s not a statement to be made lightly. Either you know you are, or you’re not.”

“Then, I am,” Tracy stated.

Kellie looked deeply into her eyes. “Have you ever said it out loud?”

Tracy shook her head, “No.”

“Then tell me,” Kellie encouraged. “You’d be surprised. It makes it so much more real when you say it out loud to someone else.”

Tracy gulped. Her mouth suddenly felt very dry. This was a moment of truth in her life. A real turning point and she knew it. “I’m a—” she started, but the words got caught in her throat. “I’m a—” she tried again.

“You’re a what?” Kellie teased. “A muff diver? A rug muncher? A clam digger? A scissor sister?” As she uttered each phrase, she squeezed Tracy and giggled, pronouncing each expression in a sarcastic manner.

Tracy laughed again. Kellie put her at such ease, her nervousness again drained away. “I’m a lesbian,” Tracy finally said, confidently this time.

“Are you sure?” Kellie challenged.

“Absolutely,” Tracy countered.

“What are you again?” Kellie prodded.

“I’m a lesbian,” Tracy repeated.

Kellie kissed her and held her tightly. “I’m proud of you,” she said. “It feels good to say it out loud, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, it does,” Tracy admitted. “I’m a lesbian,” she said once more, just for fun.

Kellie giggled. “Well, at the risk of sounding cliché, I can promise you, you’re not the first female basketball player to make that declaration.”

Tracy laughed again.

Tracy stayed in Kellie’s arms that night. They shared the little twin bed that was far too small for their basketball player bodies. They said goodbye to each other the next morning, kissing each other deeply, just before Tracy opened the door to the hallway. As she got on the elevator to return to the seventh floor, she glowed with a radiant smile that wouldn’t wear off for days.

Authors note:  I remember this night so well. I mean, obviously, I wasn’t there. Most of the specific details were supplied by Tracy herself. But, what I mean is, I remember the night Tracy didn’t come back to the room. I remember the first night she spent with Kellie because I spent a large portion of the night wondering where she was.

When she came in the next morning, she was so elated, that I couldn’t bring myself to be mad at her. She told me everything about what had happened. Then, she says to me:

“Heather, I have something important to tell you.”

“What’s that?” I said.

“I’m a lesbian,” she replied.

My reply to her? “I know you are. Tracy, you just spent the last twenty minutes telling me about having sex with another woman.” I didn’t bother pointing out that she and I had had sex on multiple occasions.

She laughed and then explained that she had never said it out loud to anyone before and that truthfully, she had never been completely sure of it until last night. I congratulated her on this revelation and gave her a big hug.

She and Kellie continued to be good friends for the remainder of Kellie’s senior year. They both insisted that they were not “dating”. They were just… “close friends.” Very close. I know, Tracy, I know, you weren’t dating her… you just—went to the movies with her, went out to dinner with her, spent time with her otherwise, and had sex with her on numerous occasions—but you weren’t dating her. I got it.

Seriously though, as I understand it, the nature of their relationship caused much lighthearted and good-natured speculation amongst the other basketball players. Let’s just say it was one of the worst kept secrets on campus.

Kellie’s career goals of being a physical therapist required her to move off to a different college the next year for her graduate work. But Tracy’s experience with Kellie was truly life-altering for Tracy. She ended up changing her major at the end of her freshman year and began down the same path towards being a physical therapist. A goal which she accomplished and a career move which proved to be quite lucrative—in other words, she makes a hell of a lot more money than I do, and let’s just leave it at that.

By the way… just for the record… yes, it really did get to 92 degrees the next day. In fucking February! It was the hottest I’ve ever been in a dorm room.  Absolutely miserable.