The following story is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Jessie Collins stood impatiently by the mall entrance waiting for her best friend Alyssa to get off work. It was hot, the Friday before the July first long weekend and the mall was busy. People rushed in and out, hurriedly picking up those last minute necessities before taking off for the beach, the cottage, or wherever it was they were escaping to. She checked her watch for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last fifteen minutes. Two-thirty. Alyssa’s shift at the Dairy Queen was supposed to have ended at two. She was probably talking to some friends and lost track of time. That would be typical of Alyssa. Being both pretty and outgoing, she made friends easily and completely lost track of time when talking to someone. She and Jessie had been best friends since they were six years old.

“Two more minutes,” Jessie muttered, checking her watch again. “And I’m going in after her.”

Just two months before her nineteenth birthday, Jessie was a strikingly beautiful girl. She stood about five foot seven and weighed about 120 pounds, with long straight blonde hair that reached to the small of her back. She had long slender legs, a pretty face with high cheekbones, and a pair of emerald green eyes that lit up her face when she smiled. She was wearing a revealing white tank top that showed off her perfect pair of 34C breasts, and no bra. A pair of khaki hiking shorts that showed off her perfect heart-shaped ass and a pair of white sneakers completed her ensemble. She knew that every male within eyesight would be staring and she kind of liked the attention, but pretended to ignore their leering looks.

She inherited her looks from her mother, who had a brief modeling career before giving it up to get married and raise a family, a decision she always said she never regretted. Jessie was always popular in school and had good grades, but wasn’t the cheerleader or student council type. She had a beautiful singing voice and had taught herself to play guitar when she was thirteen. She was working on learning piano now. She also loved the outdoors and spent many summers camping, boating, fishing, and hiking up at the lake with her family.

Her father was a successful realtor who was still passionately in love with her mother. And from the sounds she often heard coming from their bedroom, they led a very active sex life. They lived in a nice middle class neighborhood along with her older brother, Mark, who just completed his first year of university, studying architecture.

Just as she was about to go in search of Alyssa, the mall doors opened and she appeared talking with two other girls Jessie didn’t know. She spotted Jessie and waved, smiling broadly. She spoke again to the two girls, then ran over to where Jessie was waiting.

Alyssa was a brunette, about five foot two, dark complected, with thick wavy dark hair that was as long as Jessie’s and framed her apple-shaped face. She had full pouty lips and large brown eyes that literally sparkled when she smiled, which was often. She bounced up to Jessie with a big smile, her short pleated skirt showing off her sexy bare legs. She was also eighteen, only a month younger than Jessie. She looked at her watch and grimaced.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said apologetically. “Tammy called in sick and there was a lot of cleanup to do.” As usual, Alyssa’s bright smile and bubbly personality erased Jessie’s irritation and she smiled warmly at her.

“No problem. I wasn’t waiting long and besides . . . ” She checked her watch again. “Stacy isn’t supposed to meet us for another forty-five minutes.”

“Perfect!”, Alyssa said, flashing a brilliant smile. “We have time to make a quick stop at my house so I can change out of my work clothes, then head right over to your place!”

“Sounds good. You all packed?”

Alyssa nodded. “Just about. I just have to put the food in the cooler and I’m all set!”

The three girls were going on a camping trip for the long weekend. Jessie’s parents had a small motor boat and owned a piece of land out on the lake that Jessie’s father had bought years ago. He was planning to build a cottage there, but so far there were no roads to it. Besides a five-mile hike through rough woods, the only way to reach it was by boat. They had used it as a campsite for years. It was the perfect spot for privacy. It was on a small cove that had a hidden entrance. You had to know it was there to find it, and not many people knew about it. At the far end of the cove lay a pebble beach with a small creek running out next to it. About fifty yards up the creek there was a swimming hole with a small waterfall that was perfect for bathing. Jessie’s father and brother had placed a large flat rock under the waterfall so you could stand under it and shower.

About a hundred yards from the beach, a rock cliff about thirty feet high rose out of the forest. There was a flat clearing at the base of the cliff surrounded by a mix of pine and spruce. The clearing was on a little rise about twenty feet higher than the beach. A short path led up from the beach around several large boulders to the clearing. A large piece of the cliff had broken off eons ago and had fallen out by the beach in such a way that it separated the beach from the campsite, hiding the campsite from view while at the same time providing a nice flat surface for sunbathing.

To the right of the campsite, a twisting path led down a short hill to the swimming hole and waterfall. On the other side of the clearing, another path led to an outhouse hidden in the trees. A shed was hidden in another part of the woods that contained tarps, rope, folding tables and chairs, and other campsite necessities. A large picnic table leaned against the shed. Basically, everything they would need for a weekend getaway was there.

“This is going to be great!”, Jessie said as she started the car. She looked over at Alyssa and grinned. “Just a girl’s escape weekend!”

Alyssa nodded and smiled at her beautiful friend. ‘If it goes the way I hope, it’ll be more than just great!’, she thought. Jessie pulled out of the parking lot, talking excitedly about their plans.

Jessie sat on Alyssa’s bed flipping through magazines while Alyssa changed.

“Are you wearing your suit under your clothes or packing it?”, Alyssa asked as she unfastened her skirt and began unbuttoning her blouse.

Jessie glanced up as Alyssa removed her blouse, her 34Ds straining at her bra. She couldn’t help admiring Alyssa’s large beautiful tits. While hers were full C cups and were perfectly sized for her body, she sometimes wished they were as large as Alyssa’s.

Suddenly aware she was staring, she turned quickly back to the magazine. “I think I’ll wear mine. It’s early enough that we should still be able to catch some sun when we get there,” She said without looking up.

“Sounds good!”, Alyssa said, releasing the clasp of her bra with a relieved sigh. She tossed it onto her bed. “Won’t be needing that this weekend!”, she laughed.

Jessie looked up again and got an eyeful of Alyssa’s full bare breasts. They were large, but firm, with her nipples and unusually large areolas pointing slightly upwards. Alyssa noticed her gaze as she reached into a drawer for her bikini.

“Sometimes I wish they were smaller,” she said, looking at herself in the mirror. She looked at Jessie in the mirror. “I could never get away with going braless in public like you can.” She turned and looked at Jessie’s perky tits under her tank top. “Don’t get me wrong,” she said. “They’re ok now, but when I get older . . . ” She cupped her hands under her tits and lowered them to her waist. They both giggled.

“That’s still a long way off,” Jessie said. “Longer if you take care of them.”

“I know, I know,” Alyssa sighed, rolling her eyes. “Mom brings it up all the time. ‘Make sure you always wear a bra or they’ll be dragging on the floor’!” They both laughed again. She put on her bikini top, then slipped off her thong panties to reveal a clean-shaven pussy, like Jessie’s was.

Jessie found herself getting a little turned on by the sight of Alyssa’s bare pussy. She didn’t understand why. She’d always been attracted to guys. Still, was. But lately she’d found herself thinking more and more about Alyssa as more than a friend.

She turned back to the magazines while Alyssa finished putting on her pale blue bikini, then a blue t-shirt and a pair of tight white shorts over it. She picked up her bags and gestured toward the door.

“OK. Let’s pack the cooler and get out of here!”

They filled the cooler and put it along with Alyssa’s bags in the car, then drove over to Jessie’s. The rest of the camping equipment was there and that was where they were supposed to meet Stacy, the third member of their group.

They pulled into the driveway to find Stacy and Jessie’s mother, Debbie, chatting on the front porch. They waved and walked over to the driveway as Jessie pulled up to the garage. Debbie was literally an older version of Jessie. Although in her late thirties, she maintained much of her youthful appearance and her and Jessie could easily pass for sisters.

Stacy was a petite blonde, about five foot two and weighing barely one hundred pounds. She was seventeen, a year younger than Jessie and Alyssa with a pixieish face that matched her small body. One part of her that seemed disproportionate was her tits. They were roughly the same size as Jessie’s, but looked larger on her tiny body. She had moved to town about a year and a half ago and the three had been practically inseparable ever since. She had the clearest blue eyes that Jessie had ever seen and always seemed to be in a good mood.

“Hi guys! You’re late!”, she called out in mock seriousness as she walked up to the car.

“Sorry, Stace,” Jessie relied, nudging Alyssa. “You know ‘Lyssa. Had to have her hair and makeup just right for all the forest critters!” Alyssa rolled her eyes and grinned.

“I was hoping some cute guys might show up. I don’t want to scare ’em off like Jessie might!” She poked Jessie in the ribs and they all started laughing.

“What’s so funny?”, Debbie asked as she walked up digging in her purse for her car keys.

“Aww . . . they’re picking on me, Mrs. C!”, Alyssa moaned, faking a sniffle, then burst out laughing, unable to keep a straight face. This started Jessie and Stacy laughing again.

“OK, OK!”, Debbie laughed. She turned to Jessie. “All your food is in Tupperware containers in the fridge – make sure they come back with you. You know where the tent and other camping stuff are, right?”

Jessie nodded. “Did Dad get the boat all ready?”

“Uh-huh,” her mother replied with a nod, finally retrieving her keys from her purse. “He took it to the marina, filled the fuel tank, and made sure it ran ok. The marina security guard has the key to the padlock.” She turned toward her car. “I have some errands to run. You girls have fun and . . . ” She turned back to them. “The life jackets are in the boat. Use them!” She glared at them for a second, then smiled. “And be careful, please. I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Yes, Mom!”, they all replied in unison then waved as she drove off.

Jessie looked at her friends and clapped her hands together. “Ok, let’s get moving!” She glanced at her watch. “It’s getting late. I’ll go load up the cooler and grab my bags. You guys go find the tent and stuff.” She ran into the house while Alyssa and Stacy went into the garage.

“Over here!” Alyssa pointed to a group of shelves on the wall near the back of the garage. They dug through the boxes and quickly located the tent and camp stove and put them in the car. “Now we just need the lantern and fuel,” Alyssa said, returning with Stacy to the shelves. Alyssa soon found the lantern along with the can of fuel next to it.

“Ok! Got them!”, she called, turning toward Stacy.

Stacy was getting up from an open box on the floor. “What’s this?” She held up a homemade video cassette with “XXX” handwritten on it.

“What’s what?”, Jessie asked as she entered the garage carrying her backpack and cooler. Stacy held up the tape and passed it to her. She studied it curiously and shrugged.

“I’ve never seen it before. Where exactly did you find it?”

Stacy pointed to the box on the floor. “In there.”

“That looks like a box of Mark’s stuff from college,” Jessie said, turning the tape over in her hands. “But I thought he brought all his movies up to his room.”

“Guess he missed one,” Stacy said with a shrug.

“You wanna know what I think?”, Alyssa said with a grin. “I think he left it here so no one would find it!” Jessie looked at her, then at the tape. Suddenly she realized what Alyssa meant and broke out into a wide grin.

“What?”, Stacy asked, puzzled by their expressions.

“Well,” Alyssa said with a giggle. “I’ll bet ‘XXX’ isn’t the Vin Diesel movie!” She and Jessie laughed as Stacy stared at them, a look of bewilderment on her face. She thought for a moment then her eyes grew wide.

“You don’t mean it’s . . . ”

“Porn!”, Jessie and Alyssa said at the same time. They began laughing as Stacy continued to stare at the tape. Finally Alyssa spoke up.

“Let’s watch it!” She looked from Jessie to Stacy. “C’mon! We might learn something!” She grinned mischievously. Jessie laughed nervously. Stacy just stared at them.

“D.. do you think we should?!”, she asked breathlessly.

Alyssa’s eyes flashed. “Let’s do it! Your Mom won’t be home for a couple of hours and there’s really no big rush to get to the lake!” Jessie looked at her. Alyssa had a determined look on her face and Jessie knew she wouldn’t let it go until she agreed to watch it.

“Ok,” she sighed resignedly. “We’ll watch it.” Alyssa’s eyes danced again and Jessie couldn’t help notice her large nipples making little bumps through her t-shirt. “But . . . ,” she added, averting her eyes from Alyssa’s chest. “We have to leave by 4:30 so we can get there in time to set up the tent before it gets dark, ok?”

Alyssa nodded exuberantly and snatched the tape from her hand. Stacy still looked hesitant, but the followed them downstairs to the family room. She sat nervously on the couch with Jessie as Alyssa put the tape in the VCR, then sat next to them. Jessie picked up the remote and pressed play.

The scene was a bedroom with a beautiful blonde sitting on the edge of the bed. Another woman, Asian, came in and sat next to her. As they began to kiss and undress each other, Stacy looked at Jessie, who only shrugged at her questioning look. Alyssa’s eyes never left the screen as they began to lick and suck each other’s tits. Stacy gasped in shocked surprise as the blonde stretched out on the bed and spread her legs, allowing the other woman to crawl between her legs and start licking her pussy.

“I’ve heard of guys doing that . . . but two women?!”, she exclaimed.

“Sure,” Alyssa replied, her eyes still glued to the screen. “How do you think lesbians have sex?”

As the blonde writhed and moaned in response to the Asian woman’s tonguing, a naked man entered, sporting a hard on at least ten inches long. All three girls gasped at the sight of it. He stuck it in the blonde girl’s face and she immediately sucked it into her mouth as the dark-haired woman continued to eat her cunt.

“Oh my god!”, Jessie exclaimed. “Would you look at the size of that!”

“Are . . . are all men that . . . big?”, Stacy asked, watching as the woman swallowed about half of the huge cock. Alyssa glanced at Jessie, who shrugged non-committedly, then looked at Stacy.

“You mean you’ve never even seen a real cock?”

Stacy turned back to the movie, shaking her head. “No. I’ve let Steve feel me up but that’s about as far as I’ve gone.” Stacy knew Steve from school and they had started dating a few weeks ago, but had only gone out two or three times. None of the girls had much sexual experience. Jessie had given her ex-boyfriend a couple of hand jobs and let him feel her tits, but that was about it. Alyssa was the only one who wasn’t a virgin, but she’s told them it wasn’t that great and was over almost as soon as it started.

The truth was that last summer, Jeff – a guy she had been seeing off and on – had taken her to a party and they’d both gotten a little drunk. They slipped into a bedroom and began making out, but things got a little out of hand. Before she’d even realized it, Jeff had hiked up her skirt and was pulling her panties off. He began rubbing her bare pussy with his finger and she was surprised at how good it felt. She was so caught up in the wonderful sensations he was creating that she didn’t notice he had taken his cock out until he crawled on top of her and pressed it to her virgin pussy. She remembered the pain as well. He was inexperienced and hadn’t been very gentle. He came after only four or five thrusts, then rolled over, got dressed, and rejoined his buddies at the party. Alyssa laid there for a long time before finally getting up and cleaning herself up. She snuck out of the party, too humiliated to show her face, and walked the two miles back home feeling hurt and used. She managed to hold off her tears until she crawled into bed, then they came in a flood and she ended up crying herself to sleep, terrified that she might be pregnant.

“No, Stacy,” Alyssa said softly. “These guys are way above average!”

They all stared as the man fucked the blonde doggie style while she buried her face in the other woman’s pussy. After a few minutes, he pulled his cock out and held it up to the girls’ faces, stroking it.

When he finally shot his load all over their faces, Stacy cried, “Ewwwww!” Jessie had a slightly disgusted look on her face. Alyssa just stared silently, her tongue moving across her lips as she watched them lick the cum from his spurting cock and each other. The scene ended and Jessie looked at her watch.

“Ok,” she said as she got up to eject the tape. “It’s 4:25. We’ve gotta go!”

Stacy stood up. “I need to use the washroom before we go.” She padded off down the hall and closed the door.

Alyssa stood and looked at Jessie, her nipples leaving prominent bumps on her t-shirt. “That was really hot!”, she said with a grin, then pouted. “Now I’m all turned on and we’re going on an all girl’s camp out!” She sighed and started toward the stairs.

Jessie turned the tape over in her hands, looking at it. “Looked to me like these girls were having fun before the guy even showed up!”, she said quietly. She couldn’t believe she’d just said that, but it was too late to take it back.

Alyssa stopped, then slowly turned to face her, a curious look on her face. Then a sly smile crossed her lips. “You thought that looked like fun?”

Jessie shrugged and could feel her face getting hot. “I dunno. I’m not saying I’m gay or anything.” Her eyes shifted to Alyssa’s beautiful tits, then back to her warm brown eyes. “But maybe . . . a little curious.”

To her surprise, Alyssa smiled seductively and moved closer. “And maybe just a little horny, too?”

Before Jessie could reply, Alyssa pulled her face to hers and kissed her. Jessie was taken by surprise. Could Alyssa really be having the same thoughts about her?! She could feel Alyssa’s soft, moist lips on hers; her tongue probing Jessie’s lips; urging them apart. Suddenly caught up in the moment, Jessie parted her lips, returning the kiss and allowing their tongues to intertwine and explore each other’s mouth.

Suddenly, they heard the bathroom door open and broke off the kiss seconds before Stacy came into the room. Jessie and Alyssa stood staring at each other. “Ok, let’s get . . . ” Her sentence trailed off as she saw them. “Did I . . . miss something?”

Her question startled Jessie from her reverie. “Uh, n.. no. No. Let’s go.” She went quickly up the stairs. Stacy looked questioningly at Alyssa, who only shrugged and followed Jessie upstairs.

The drive to the lake was uncharacteristically quiet. Stacy tried to start up a conversation a couple of times, but the one word answers she received convinced her to stop trying.

What Jessie and Alyssa didn’t know was that she had come out of the bathroom quietly enough so that they didn’t hear her, although not intentionally. She had walked out and saw them kissing. Stunned, and not wanting them to see her, she slipped back down the hall and composed herself for a moment, trying to absorb what she’d just witnessed. Then she noisily opened and closed the bathroom door before coming back out to the family room.

Sitting silently in the back seat, Stacy once again attempted to break the uncomfortable silence.

“Did Mark pick up the booze?” Since none of them was old enough to buy liquor, Jessie had talked Mark into picking it up for them. After all, she would be nineteen in two months. He agreed without too much pleading.

“Uh-huh,” Alyssa replied. “We stashed it in the woods.”

About a mile from the marina, Jessie slowed and turned onto a dirt road. A half mile later, she pulled the car onto an old logging road. They bumped along slowly for a few minutes, avoiding the ruts, until Alyssa said, “Stop here.” She pointed to a thick pine tree a few yards into the woods. “It’s right over there.” Jessie stopped the car and they all piled out. They walked over behind the tree where there was a slight depression in the forest floor. Alyssa reached down to the pine needle covered ground and picked up the corner of an old blue tarp from under the needle. She pulled it away to reveal a small cache of vodka coolers, rum, vodka, and mix.

“Sure was nice of Mark to pick all this up for us,” Alyssa remarked as they began gathering it up and carrying it to the car. “Too bad he had to leave though. . . ” She winked at Stacy. “. . .he’s kinda cute!”

Jessie rolled her eyes. “For Pete’s sake, ‘Lyssa! That’s my brother you’re talking about!”

Alyssa grinned. “So? Does that mean he can’t be cute?”

They started chattering away as they loaded the liquor into the car about how much fun it would be to have a few guys along on the camping trip. Stacy was relieved to see their mood returning to normal.

Jessie turned the car around at a fork in the road and they made their way back to the pavement. A few minutes later, they arrived at the marina. Stacy and Alyssa started loading their gear into the boat while Jessie went to get the key from the security guard. By the time she returned, they were about finished loading the small aluminum boat and they all climbed aboard. It was only a thirteen-foot rowboat with a 9.9 horsepower Evinrude outboard and there wasn’t a lot of room left after their gear was loaded. Jessie sat at the rear where she could operate the motor while Stacy and Alyssa made themselves comfortable amidst the duffle bags and camping gear. Jessie gave the pull cord a few quick tugs and the little motor sputtered to life. She expertly steered them out of the marina and out into the lake, staying clear of the wakes from the big cabin cruisers that seemed to be everywhere.

After a few minutes, Stacy called out over the motor and wind, “How long does it take to get there?” Of the three, she was the only one who’d never been to the cove.

“About forty-five minutes!”, Jessie yelled back. “You might as well get comfortable!”

Stacy and Alyssa moved the gear around so they could stretch out and get some sun. About a half hour later, Alyssa sat up and pulled off her t-shirt. “Think I’ll work on my tan!”, she called out to Stacy. She removed her shorts and lay back down, her big tits flattening only slightly under her blue bikini top.

“Good idea!”, Stacy called and removed her t-shirt and shorts as well. She lay back next to Alyssa, her already tanned young body looking very sexy inside her very revealing white thong bikini. Stacy was the shyest of the three and it took considerable coaxing by Alyssa and Jessie to talk her into buying the skimpy bikini, but she had to admit she liked the way she looked in it. Jessie found herself thinking the very same thing as she tried not to stare at the two beautiful girls stretched out before her. Where were these thoughts coming from? She had always been a little curious about the lesbian lifestyle, but never had she been so preoccupied with it. And then there was Alyssa’s kiss! It had been so much different than kissing a guy; more tender; and her lips were so soft! She gazed down at Alyssa’s curvaceous body, her long tanned legs almost reaching to Jessie’s knees. Her eyes moved up her friend’s hard body across her flat stomach to those gorgeous full tits, and up to her beautiful face. Alyssa’s eyes suddenly opened and locked onto Jessie’s. They held the gaze for a few seconds, then Alyssa smiled and sat up. Still keeping her eyes on Jessie’s, she reached behind her back and unfastened the strap of her bikini and pulled it free. Her large tits bounced slightly and she lay back down. She glanced over to Stacy, who was still lying undisturbed, her eyes closed against the glare of the afternoon sun, then turned back to Jessie. She began erotically squeezing and caressing her large tits until the nipples stuck out nearly a half inch. She licked her fingers and began rubbing her erect nipples, making small circles around them with her fingers. Jessie was so amazed, and more than a little turned on, by Alyssa’s actions that she almost missed the entrance to the cove.

She cut back the throttle and the little boat slowed quickly, its bow dropping into the dark water. Stacy opened her eyes and sat up, immediately noticing Alyssa’s topless state. Alyssa gave her a grin and shrugged. As she began slipping her bikini top back on.

“No tan lines!”, she explained.

Stacy grinned and nodded. “Maybe I’ll try that later!” She looked at the seemingly unbroken shoreline, then turned to Jessie. “This is it?”

Jessie killed the motor and tilted it so the propeller was out of the water. She picked up two oars and passed one to Alyssa. “Not exactly.” She and Alyssa began rowing the boat toward the shoreline, which looked to Stacy much like the rest of the land they had passed; a lot of thick trees and grass poking up from the water near the edge. “This is why it’s called Hidden Cove. You’d never know there was anything here.”

A couple of minutes later, they reached the shore. “It’s really shallow here until we get through the trees, then it gets deeper and we can use the motor again,” Jessie explained. They all had to duck a couple of times to float under some low-hanging branches. Jessie and Alyssa steered the boat through the trees and grass and around a few small outcroppings of land until the trees parted and they emerged into a beautiful little inlet with thick trees and foliage on both sides and a large rock wall at the far end, about two hundred yards away.

“See that rock wall at the far end?” Jessie pointed toward the cliff. Stacy nodded. “That’s where we’re camping. We’ll pull the boat into the small creek on the right side of that big rock and no one will know we’re here even if they do make it through the trees!” Stacy nodded again, awed by the beautiful scenery. Jessie dropped the motor back into the water, started it up, then steered toward the creek.

At about the same time Jessie was meeting Alyssa at the mall, a beat up old Chevy pickup pulled into the marina and parked in the dirt parking lot. Mike Jenkins, a tall athletic, sandy-haired nineteen year old got out of the driver’s seat. The passenger door swung open with a loud creak. Rick Markham climbed out and looked out over the pristine lake, already busy with weekend boat traffic. He was a couple of inches shorter than Mike at five foot nine and weighed a little less than Mike’s well-muscled one hundred and ninety-pound frame. Unlike Mike’s short, nearly blonde hair, Rick’s was a darker brown and fell to his shoulders.

“There she is!”, Mike said, pointing to a beat up old twelve foot aluminum boat in one of the berths. Rick squinted and looked hard at it. It was mostly an olive drab color, but the paint was peeling off in large sections and he could see from the truck where it had been patched in at least two places. There was an even more decrepit looking outboard motor hanging from the stern.

Rick frowned as he began helping Mike unload their gear from the bed of the truck. “Think we’ll get there without sinking?” He shot Mike a concerned look. “Or at the least, rowing?”

Mike laughed and hefted the tent and a large duffle bag effortlessly from the truck. “Don’t worry. She’s shipshape! Don’t let the looks fool you!” They started hauling their gear to the dock and loaded it into the tired looking old boat. Rick brought along his guitar and placed it carefully among the bags so it wouldn’t get wet or damaged. Mike climbed into the stern and Rick stepped gingerly into the center of the boat.

“If this tub sinks and ruins my guitar I’m gonna be pissed!”, he exclaimed. Mike rolled his eyes and patted the crusty old motor affectionately.

“Will you please stop insulting my boat?”, he said, poking Rick with an oar. Rick pushed it back at him and double checked their gear, paying special attention to his guitar.

“Just as soon as we get there, dry and in one piece!”, he replied with a grin. Mike pretended to be insulted, then they both laughed.

“Too bad Mark couldn’t make it,” Rick said, then added “But I sure hope his sister and her friends show up!”

Mark and Mike had been best friends since grade school. Rick worked with Mike at the meat packing plant and they had all become good friends. The three of them had planned a fishing trip to the cove that weekend, but Mark had a chance to go to a college lecture and decided to back out. They were going to postpone the trip until Mark let it slip that Jessie, Alyssa, and Stacy might go since they weren’t using the campsite. Rick had met Jessie at Mark’s house a few times and thought she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. Her friends Stacy and Alyssa were hot, too. After Mark had left, Rick talked Mike into going anyway, hoping the girls would show up and have a chance to get to know Jessie better. It didn’t take much convincing.

Mike sat at the back of the boat and dropped the motor into the water. After many pulls and a few choice words, the motor finally coughed to life and they idled out of the marina. Mike noticed the Collins’ boat still tied up at its berth but the red fuel tank was in it, meaning someone was planning to use it soon. They pulled out into the lake and made their way to the campsite, arriving a few hours before the girls.

The bow of the boat scraped onto the pebble beach as Mike eased into the mouth of the creek and cut the motor.

“Wow!”, Rick exclaimed, looking around. “This is a really nice spot!”

“Yup,” Mike replied as he tipped the motor forward out of the water. “And not many people know about it, so the fishing’s pretty good!”

Rick grinned as he stepped out onto the beach and pulled the bow of the boat a little further on shore. “Well, if the girls do show up, I doubt I’ll be doing much fishing!”

Mike chuckled as he tied off the bowline to a fallen tree. “You dog!”, he muttered, shaking his head.

“Hey, now! No need to get nasty!” Rick tossed a sleeping bag toward Mike, catching him by surprise as he turned from tying off the line. “Just remember, I get first try with Jessie, ok?”

“Sure, sure.”, Mike replied with a sigh. He looked over at Rick, his face serious. “Just be nice to her. I’ve known her since she was four and she’s almost like a baby sister to me. I don’t want her to get hurt. Understand?” He fixed Rick with a stern look.

Rick nodded, his expression becoming somber. “Relax. I’m just shootin’ the shit with you.” He looked out across the cove. “To be honest, I’ve been trying to work up the nerve to ask her out for a while now. But every time I see her, I just. . . lose it. I dunno,” he added, looking down and shaking his head. He kicked nervously at some loose rocks, then looked back at Mike. “She makes me feel like a kid in junior high trying to get a date with the hottest girl in school. You know what I mean?”

Mike smiled and nodded. “I know. She’s definitely a knockout.” Then he added, “but she’s also smart and has a great personality. And she plays guitar, too. There’s something you both have in common!”

Rick’s mouth twisted thoughtfully. “I didn’t know she played.”

Mike nodded and tossed his duffle bag ashore. “Just talk to her. I’m sure she’ll like you.”

Rick gave him a weak grin. “I’ll try, man. I’ll sure try!”

They finished unloading the boat and carried all their gear up to the campsite. No one was there and the campsite area was clean and well ordered. There was a rock-ringed fire pit near the large slab of rock and lots of room for several tents on the soft pine needle floor. Two large logs lay on two sides of the fire pit, the bark long worn off. A small pile of firewood lay nearby.

“We should gather up some more firewood and get the picnic table,” Mike said as he dropped an armload of bags. “Then we’ll get the tents set up.”

An hour later, there was a good sized pile of firewood and the picnic table was set few yards from the fire pit. They had also retrieved the folding table and set it up with the camp stove on it. Mike had finished setting up the tent and was arranging his sleeping bag inside while Rick dug through the cooler for some cold beer. They sat down at the picnic table and he passed one to Mike.

“Wanna se if we can catch some supper while we wait?”, Mike asked, taking a long pull from the bottle. Rick glanced at his watch.

“It’s four-thirty. If the girls are coming, they’ll be along soon.”

Mike nodded in agreement. “You’re right. Tomorrow’s another day, right?” He held up his beer and Rick clinked his against it, then they took another swallow.

Mike stood up. “I’m gonna go move the boat a little further up the creek. Out of sight.” Rick eyed him cooly.

“You want to hide from them?”

Mike laughed. “Naw! It’s sort of a tradition. You can’t see the camp from the water, but you can see the boat. We always move them in case someone finds the way in here.”

“Ahhhh,” Rick said, taking another drink. “You need a hand?”

Mike shook his head and waved him off. “It’ll only take a minute!” He disappeared down the path toward the beach. He returned a few minutes later and they busied themselves putting the rest of the camp together. Mike gave Rick the grand tour, showing him the paths to the waterfall and the outhouse.

Around six o’clock, they heard the sound of an outboard motor start up at the far end of the cove. Rick climbed up on some smaller rocks and peered over the large rock that blocked the camp from the lake.

“Boat coming!”, he yelled excitedly. “Looks like. . .three people. And at least one. . .no two bikinis!” He jumped down, grinning like an idiot.

“Down, boy!”, Mike scolded with a grin. “You go drooling all over them and they’ll turn around and head for home!” Rick continued grinning and held up two fingers in the Boy Scout salute.

“I’ll behave! Scouts’ honor!”

“You were never a Boy Scout!”, Mike laughed, shaking his head.

“Aw, hell!,” Rick replied with a toothy grin. “You know what I mean!”

The buzz of the little outboard grew louder as they approached, then cut out as they glided onto the beach. Mike and Rick started down the path to meet them. Mike reached out and grabbed Rick’s arm, stopping him in his tracks.

“Now remember. Act surprised. We didn’t know they were coming, right?” Rick nodded. They walked up to them just as Alyssa was tying the bowline to the same tree Mike had used earlier.

– To Be Continued… –