Mike had lied down on his back next to Ellen and fallen asleep, but woke with a start when Ellen leaned on him to give him a kiss and he felt her penis brush against his. In an automatic reaction he rolled away from Ellen and fell out of the bed. When he looked up, he saw the shocked look on Ellen's face and felt slightly ashamed that he obviously still had to overcome some of society's programming inside of him.
"I'm sorry, Ellen. I don't know what to say. I still, it still, y'know..." Mike leaned over and kissed her forehead. "When you were lying face down on my bed, with your curves and all that it was easy... easier to forget about..."
Ellen cried a little and then moved into Mike's arms as they sat side by side on the bed.
"Ellen, it'll take some time, but I won't forsake our friendship, no matter what."
"Even if you get a real girlfriend?"
"We'd still be friends if we can't make this work, I'd hope. Too many common denominators. 'If we don't hang together we'll hang separately."
"With everyone seeing you get into my car, that's more true than you think. I mean, people at school are going to give us a harder time thinking they know... What are you thinking?"
Mike was staring off into space looking as if he could see a thousand miles away or ten years into the future. "Hang together... yes... Ellen, I gotta idea. Let's clean up and I'll tell you all about it over dinner."
Ellen shuffled after Mike who guided her into the bathroom. Mike turned on the water and adjusted it to an appropriately warm temperature. He stepped in under the water, then drew Ellen in when she looked reluctant. He handed her the soap and placed her hand on his chest. Slowly she lathered Mike's entire body, and if she paid any additional attention to one area over another, it was smiled upon and left unsaid. After rinsing off Mike used the soap to lather up a loufa ball. He scrubbed Ellen's shoulders and back and breasts while kissing her neck softly, occasionally nibbling on an ear. He then knelt behind her and soaped up Ellen's feet, then moved up her calves and over her knees and around her thighs. Taking a deep breath he passed the loufa over Ellen's penis, gently scrubbing it with the plastic sponge from behind, then bringing it back over her scrotum. Finally he parted her buttocks and cleaned her thoroughly before standing up behind her. Ellen leaned back and was rewarded with a kiss. Then the water began feeling tepid and they stepped out and dried off.
Mike quickly dressed and went to make some phone calls to area restaurants as Ellen got ready for their night out. After putting herself together, she walked out where Mike was, apparently frustrated with his phone search.
"Mike, is everything ok?"
"Not if you're trying to make last minute reservations on Friday night before a four-day weekend. Every nice restaurant I want to take you is booked. Even some not so nice ones like the Stewie Arnerson's Brown Heifer can't fit two more people in! Jeez!"
Ellen blushed; embarrassed at all the effort and attention Mike was spending on her. "I know a place. They'll have a spot for us."
"I just want to take you somewhere nice."
"This place is nice to me. Has been for years. You've shared, well, quite a bit with me already. Let me show you something of mine."
An hour later they were in a semi-private booth at the Tyger's Coffee Shop next to the public library. The staff had been noticeably surprised to see Ellen walk in with another person. Mike was amazed at the super friendly service that the staff gave him and Ellen, and the waitresses who'd befriended Ellen were in turn amazed, shocked and impressed with Mike being Ellen's boyfriend. After a fair amount of gushy service, Mike and Ellen were left alone with their drinks and a plate of onion rings.
"Ellen, I don't ever remember service like that anywhere. Heck, second lieutenants are less deferential to general officers!"
Ellen smiled and nodded. "I come here often to stay away from 'home'. I eat here 'cause the suit provided me with enough money I can avoid my 'guardians', even though I have to sleep at their place or I'm a runaway and get sent to a group home. Those are nasty places. So I stay out of the house in here and the library across the street. Most of the people here know of my, problem, and kinda are as close to family as I get."
"So if I were to turn on you and come here for lunch..."
Ellen arched her eyebrow. "Don't count on seeing dinner". Ellen laughed. "So what was this big idea you had? You were so excited earlier."
"I was thinking there are about five hundred students at school, and we can't be the only two that have fallen victim to society. We need to find them and try to band together."
"What makes you think they'll listen to us? You're new and I'm the person least likely to be taken seriously by the general population."
"Some won't. They'll just keep trying to bang their heads against a wall trying to get into a clique. But some will want the opportunity, if it's offered, I think. But we'll need help if we want to change our situation, let alone survive it."
"What do you mean?"
"If we just form a clique of our own, are we any better? No. What we need is a way to pry the door of the cliques open, information. Most probably have dirty little secrets they'd rather not admit themselves..."
"That's horrible!"
"We wouldn't expose them, but we'd know what does and doesn't motivate them. Then we could meet them on level ground, but we gotta know what it'll take to get out of this fix we're in."
"And if it's nothing?"
"If it's nothing and they're indifferent, well, so be it. But if they're hostile, I mean, it's not fair what we're going through."
"No it's not, but we really can't destroy their lives."
"Even though they're destroying ours?"
"Even so. But maybe if we can waken enough people to see how bad they are, they might expose themselves. Ok?"
"Ok."
"Promise?"
"I promise I won't expose anyone, yeah. I swear by our first plate of onion rings together."
Ellen giggled.
"It's just frustrating, Ellen."
"Yeah, but it would be good to know what's going on around us more, maybe just to keep out of harm's way."
"Yeah. Beginning Wednesday, we look for others to approach. Together, in case something happens."
"Yeah."
They finished their meal and Ellen drove back to Mike's house. Once there Mike got out and peered back at Ellen.
"Comin' in?"
"No. If I don't go home, they'll worry their meal ticket is gone. I'll come back early though. I'm sorry, but I havta kinda give them more notice. Maybe tomorrow I can stay."
"Wait just a moment then."
Mike ran to his door and unlocked it, then ran back to the car. He took off the door key and handed it to Ellen.
"Here, in case I sleep late and I don't hear you knock."
"I can't."
"Yeah, it's ok."
Mike kissed her and shut her door. Waving goodbye as she pulled away Mike went inside and fired off an email to his dad about the day, omitting Ellen's problem. Then he went to bed to dream about the days to come.