Guardian Girl (The Chronicles of Staffordshire) by NC Simmons Page A

afraid of me. Do not be afraid of yourself. Come and sit with me."
    With less exuberance than her usual hop from bed to bed, Lena stood and cautiously tiptoed to Lenore's bed. As Lena sat, Lenore kept her hands folded in her lap. They sat silently, looking straight ahead at the wall over Lena’s bed for several minutes, fearing looking into each other’s eyes.
    Lena looked to Shawn Cassidy’s poster for advice. He just stared at her with that doughy come-hither smile of his. No help at all.
    "Lenore… May I… Can I kiss you again."
    Lenore turned toward Lena, nodded, and closed her eyes.
    Lena brought her lips to Lenore's, pressing them together lightly. Lena felt heat welling again inside her chest and face. They could each feel the other’s cheeks blushing. The girls lingered inside a paper-thin kiss, no explosive passion or tongue, just a delicate kiss.
    As they parted, Lena licked her lips. "Okay… I definitely don't know what to do with that feeling, Lenore.”
    Lenore’s eyes remained closed, basking in the afterglow of Lena's awakening love. "I know exactly what to do with that feeling, roomie."
    Lenore pressed her lips confidently to Lena's and returned the kiss, actively filling Lena's mouth with her tongue. Lena gasped, her heart pounding at Lenore's penetration of her virgin body. She felt her pulse race and felt Lenore's heart pounding as their chests pressed together. Lenore’s nipples stiffened, pushing through the thin fabric of her bra. Lena shivered. A trickle escaped her vulva, dampening her panties.
    After several minutes of gentle kissing, Lenore pulled back and smiled. Lena's eyes remained closed, her mind floating atop Lenore's lighter-than-air love. An impassioned blush lit Lena’s dimpled cheeks.
    Lena opened her eyes. The roommates scanned each other’s face, considering the myriad, possible scenarios under which everything could come crashing down around them. They stayed locked on each other's eyes, trying to read the writing on the walls of their roommate’s soul. Was it really, "love," or was it little more than just pent up "lust" awaiting its first chance mess up two tightly-regulated lives?
    "Lenore?"
    "Yes, Lena?"
    A barely audible whisper escaped Lena’s lips. “Oh my God… I really liked that."
    "Yes, dear, so did I."
    "Lenore?"
    "Yes, my beautiful Wild Child?"
    The athlete’s lips quivered. She fought the urge to cry. “Lenore De La Fuente… Did you just give me… A nickname? ”
    Smiling sweetly, Lenore thought for a second and affirmed her transformation. “Yes, my amazing, beautiful Wild Child. I think I just did.”
    Lenore waited patiently as Lena’s lips formed words that never left her mouth. When The Wild Child spoke, conflict was woven with her words. "Lenore… Do you really think it's possible for us to… To get through four years just kissing and not going to… Well… Not going to the next level? Do you think we can just make out here in our dorm room and still save ourselves for… You know… For boyfriends or husbands?”
    Lenore pondered the question in silence, leaving Lena dangling nervously for an agonizing 64.5 seconds. "Wild Child, you and I will never be apart for the rest of our lives. Whoever our future husbands are they must simply accept that their wives will be a very close pair of women."
    "Care to elaborate, Lenore? Do you see something I don't see?"
    Lenore closed her eyes, allowing her mind to wander through dreams and wondrous places beyond the glamour of modeling and pro tennis and Paulson College. She drew a deep breath and let heavenly visions guide her story.
    "We will follow identical tracks through college. We will room together all four years, perhaps three if we fast track our studies. Then we will go to the same law school, probably Harvard. We will graduate in the top three or four of our class. We will live within a few hours of each other so we can lift each other up when our lives become difficult. We will work in the same