Ripple: A Novel

by Cedergreen, L. D.

  “You’re so crazy, Adam,” I said, shaking my head as I felt a blush spread across my cheeks. I had never been good at accepting compliments.

  “Only because you make me that way, Kendi.” He suddenly picked me up and threw me over his shoulder, softly spanking me on the bottom. I screamed and started laughing hysterically. He threw me down in the middle of Jeff’s queen-size bed, straddled me and started to tickle my sides. He knew that it drove me mad. I tried to wiggle free, but he had me pinned. I pleaded for him to stop through my uncontrolled laughter, and he finally gave in.

  Placing a hand on either side of my head, he leaned down and kissed me. First on the lips and then my chin, my neck, trailing his tongue up to my ear. It sent shivers down my spine. He gently nibbled on my earlobe as I reached underneath his shirt and ran my hands up his back. He sat up and pulled his shirt over his head, throwing it to the floor. I admired his chiseled chest and abs as he rolled onto his side facing me, his head propped up in his hand.

  Looking into my eyes, he trailed his other hand slowly up underneath my black top, leaving fire in its wake. I felt his hand cup my breast through my bra, as he leaned down to kiss me. My body burned at his touch, and I could almost hear my own heartbeat. I tried to slow my breath while I concentrated on his tongue exploring the inside of my mouth. I felt his thumb graze my nipple underneath the lace of my bra. He rolled onto his back, pulling me on top of him, his tongue stroking the roof of my mouth.

  I rose up and straddled him so that I could pull my top off over my head, and then I lay down on top of him. The feel of Adam’s bare skin against mine alerted every one of my senses, and I wanted to feel more of him. Adam ran his hands along my back and unclasped my bra, taking it down over my arms as he kissed my shoulder. He pulled me up higher and took my nipple into his mouth. Not able to contain the pleasure that Adam unleashed, I moaned. He flipped me onto my back again and rolled slightly toward me, placing his leg between mine. I could feel his hip digging into my flesh through our jeans; his hand ran along my side, his lips urgently pressed against mine. I sensed a raw hunger rising in me. I had never wanted or needed anything as much as I did him in that moment. His own need for me pressed against my side.

  As if reading my mind, he started to unbutton my jeans. My breath caught in my throat, and he pulled his mouth from mine to look into my eyes. I knew that he needed to know if this was what I wanted. I nodded, and pulled his mouth back to mine, running my hands through his hair. He finished with the buttons on my jeans and pulled them down past my hips. Softly caressing my most sensitive flesh through the sheer fabric of my panties, he rolled on top of me. He pressed his hips down on me, his own hard flesh replacing his hand, and I gasped at the sudden ache building inside me.

  I reached down to work on his jeans, suddenly feeling too much fabric between us. He kicked off his shoes, and I helped him pull his pants and boxers down his legs, his lips never leaving mine. I could feel the smooth skin of his erection against me, and nerves pooled in my gut. He pulled away, kneeling at my feet as he removed my boots and finished removing my jeans from my body. He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a condom before shucking them over his feet and to the floor. He pulled a blanket over the top of us as he lay down next to me. His lips met mine more gently this time as he brushed my hair away from my face.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” he whispered in my ear.

  “Yes,” I said between breaths. He reached down and fumbled with the condom, and I heard the party going on outside the room for the first time. Until this moment I had forgotten where we were, caught up in the intensity of his touch. “Adam, this is my first time.”

  “I know. Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you.” He rolled over, spreading my legs open with his so that he could lie between them. He hovered above me, kissing me intensely, his mouth moving to graze his teeth along my neck and shoulder. I moaned and arched my hips up toward him. He brought his lips back to my mouth, lightly biting my lower lip, and I ached for him. He slowly lowered his hips and gently placed himself inside of me. I cried out softly from the relief and from the pain.

  “Oh, God, Kendi,” he moaned. He moved slowly, circling his hips and then deepening himself inside me gently, sweetly, keeping his promise. It felt incredible, a battle between pleasure and pain. I closed my eyes and took in every sensation. Adam’s breathing heavy at my ear, on my neck. The dew rising on our skin as we moved against each other. I ran my hands along his back, feeling his hard body under my fingers. Adam’s hands were everywhere, caressing my breast, my side, my hip, as he continued to move inside of me. He started moving harder, faster, and I could feel his breath quicken. He moaned my name against my ear, and then he thrust himself deep inside me until he collapsed on top of me, trying to catch his breath.

  After a few minutes, he pulled his weight off me and brushed the hair back from my face again, wiping the beads of sweat from my brow. “Are you okay?” he asked sincerely.

  “Yeah, I’m great,” I breathed, barely a whisper.

  “Your skin is so soft, like silk,” he said as he trailed his hand over my flat stomach. “I already want more of you, and I was just inside you a few minutes ago.” He groaned and buried his head into the sensitive space between my neck and shoulder. I ran my hands through his curls as he placed gentle kisses on my neck. But knowing that the party was in full swing and that we couldn’t hide forever, Adam reluctantly got up and handed me my clothes. I felt a little sore as I moved around to get dressed. I knew tomorrow would be worse.

  Fully dressed I pulled my long locks back into a ponytail in an attempt to tame my wild hair. Adam finished getting dressed and pulled me into a hug. “You’re incredible, Kendi. And I’m not talking about what we just did, although that was incredible too.” He brushed his lips against mine. I wrapped my arms around his waist as we held each other, holding on to the moment for a little bit longer before we joined the party to find Rick and Morgan.

  “Are you guys ready to go?” I asked Mo as I approached a table where she was playing a drunken game of quarters with Rick and a few others.

  “Yeah, sure, right after I sink this last shot.” She smiled as I heard the quarter clink, landing in the shot glass. “Score,” she yelled, raising her arms in the air as the guys at the table all guzzled down their beers.

  We said our good-byes and headed out to the car. I shivered as the cold air hit my face.

  I slid into the backseat next to Mo, and the boys sat up front. I sat quietly staring out the window, lost in my own thoughts, as the other voices in the car faded into the background. Replaying in my head the intimate moments that I had just shared with Adam, I felt myself blush and brought my hand to my mouth to conceal the elation splayed across my face.

  When Adam pulled up in front of my house, the boys both jumped out and opened the back doors for us, abruptly pulling me from my thoughts. As Adam and I walked to my front door, I saw Rick push Mo back against the car and kiss her on the mouth. I was thinking about how excited Mo must be when my thoughts were interrupted by Adam pulling me into his chest, his arms wrapped around me, holding both of my hands behind my back. “Everything okay?” he asked, genuinely concerned. “You were awfully quiet in the car.” He leaned down and kissed me delicately on the lips before I could respond.

  “Mmm, I’m fine. I wish that you didn’t have to go,” I managed to mumble.

  “Me too,” he moaned against my lips. “I’ll call you tomorrow?” he said with a questioning tone. With that he released me and walked toward the car, yelling out, “Hey, Rick, keep it in your pants, we’re late!” By the way that Mo was stumbling up the porch, I was relieved that she was staying at my house and not the other way around.

  “Soooo,” Mo questioned while we were putting on our pajamas in my room a few minutes later. “Where were you guys, and what were you doing?”

  “Nowhere and nothing,” I deflected, wanting to keep my amazing night to myself just a little bit longer. Turning th
e attention to her, I asked what was going on with her and Rick. She beamed and told me about her night. How he had told her how much he liked her, how much fun they had together and of course his dramatic kiss good-night. I was relieved that she was happy doing all the talking. When she had finished with her recap, I wished her good-night and rolled away from her. There was no way that I could sleep with visions of Adam’s naked body replaying in my mind.

  Just when I thought that Morgan had dozed off, she asked bluntly, “Kendi, did you sleep with him?”

  “Yes,” I said, then sighed after several seconds had passed. “And it was so incredible. He was really sweet, and he has the most amazing body.”

  “Do you love him?”

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure what that feels like, but I have definitely never felt like this before, ever.”

  “Sounds like love.” Mo yawned as she drifted off to sleep.

  Love

  The fall flew by, and, before I knew it, winter was upon us and with it the cold and snow. And of course basketball. Adam’s schedule was even more intense with late practices and multiple games each week. I was his biggest cheerleader. I couldn’t get enough of watching him play. He was the top scorer in nearly every game, and it didn’t hurt that he looked incredibly sexy in his uniform. Watching him rip his warm-up pants from his body —the snaps along the outer seams breaking open simultaneously to reveal his bare muscular legs—was worth attending each and every game alone.

  We had to get very creative with our schedules, carving out time in the day to see each other. We still had lunch every day, but we also skipped our sixth period Independent Studies class to spend time together. We usually parked his car on a deserted road and had sex in the backseat. Since homecoming we couldn’t seem to keep our hands off each other. Although many times we would just sit in his car with the heat blasting and talk. We talked about how much he enjoyed farming. His family owned and operated a large successful wheat farm, which was a common way of life where we lived.

  My great grandparents had been wheat farmers as well, and, while most of the family were happy to take over the family business, my grandfather had had other plans. He had gone to college and earned a business degree, starting a small car dealership in hopes to do something different with his life. So while my immediate family was not earning a living from a local crop, most everyone who lived here was. Adam loved the lifestyle and was prepared to return to run the family business after completing college. I wasn’t surprised but could not share in his enthusiasm about coming back here after college. I couldn’t wait to escape the limits of this small town. I was ready for something else entirely.

  We talked about how much I enjoyed writing poetry and short stories. How I would love to pursue a degree in English, but my true passion was medicine. I was a humanitarian at heart, even at a young age. My mother often teased me, reminding me that I couldn’t save everyone, when I had the overwhelming desire to cure world hunger or cancer after watching the nightly news or an ad about starving children in Ethiopia.

  This desire, combined with my ambitious need to do something better—to be better than what I had known, successful enough to escape small-town life—led me to the idea of medicine. My first experience with the medical field in my freshman year sealed the deal for me. I had blown out my knee during a soccer game—probably due to my lack of coordination again. It had been a pretty severe injury, which required multiple X-rays, MRIs and eventually surgery. I became fascinated with orthopedics and radiology, and thus became my dream of becoming a doctor one day.

  Adam wanted to pursue a degree in agriculture or business, but he really wanted to play basketball and was hoping for a scholarship. He had applied to several schools in and out of the state. I was selfishly hoping that he landed a scholarship somewhere close by. I didn’t want to think about Adam leaving for college or what would happen next year when he did, regardless of how much distance would separate us.

  ~

  The crowd around me was cheering loudly, but I stood silently still, nervous for Adam as the tied score glared red from the scoreboard, the clock ticking, leaving only minutes in the game. Adam received another foul and was pulled out of the game, his younger brother, Josh, taking his place. I knew this would only add to his frustration. Josh was a freshman but was getting plenty of playing time on the varsity team. Although Adam never talked about it with me, I could tell that he was more than a little bothered by it.

  Josh was an asset to the team, but, when they were playing side by side, it was hard not to notice the tension. The brotherly competition often elevated to the point that they appeared to be playing against each other rather than on the same team. On a rebound Josh sunk the ball, and the crowd went wild. The other team scored as well, tying the game once again. With seconds left on the clock, Josh banked a three-point shot. And that ended the game. The buzzer was barely audible over the roaring crowd.

  As the two teams shook hands, the crowd rushed the court to congratulate the boys. Mo and I followed the stream of people inching toward the players as they made their way in the direction of the locker room. Adam always waited for me before retreating to the showers, but, tonight, for the first time, he wasn’t there. I shrugged and followed Mo over to the rest of the guys. After telling Rick what an incredible game he had played, I walked over to congratulate Josh on his winning shot.

  “Hey, great game!”

  He thanked me, wrapping me up in a big sweaty hug.

  “Ew, gross, Josh, you’re all sweaty.”

  “Sorry.” He laughed, rubbing his forehead with his hand and purposely wiping more sweat on the back of my shirt.

  I instinctively punched him in the arm, as I would with my own brother, and called out, “See ya later,” as I made my way through the crowd to find Mo.

  Twenty minutes later Mo and I were sitting among a much smaller crowd, clearly the last to leave the gym, as we waited for Adam.

  “Can’t you just call him later?” Mo whined, not wanting to wait around the gym when we had better places to be. “You know that he is going home after this.”

  She was right, but I couldn’t leave without seeing him first. I knew that Adam would have to head home so that his dad could go over the game with him while it was still fresh in his mind. Adam was always so bothered by this. His dad caught the whole game on video so that he could critique Adam’s performance afterward. And after watching Adam gain four personal fouls, I knew that his dad would have plenty to say.

  Adam finally emerged from the locker room, looking awfully sexy in his faded jeans and wet hair, but I could see in his eyes that he was upset. He was so hard on himself. They had just won the game, and he was the top scorer by far, but he still wasn’t happy.

  He walked over to me, and I threw my arms around him while I congratulated him on a great game. He just stood there with his gym bag slung over his shoulder, arms at his sides. He seemed distant and cold.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked quietly.

  He pulled my arms away from his body and led me around the corner where we had more privacy. “Nothing. I have to head home. I’m sure that my dad is waiting for me.”

  He was avoiding looking me in the eyes, so I reached up and cupped his cheek until his blue gaze met mine. “Adam, clearly something is wrong. Why didn’t you wait for me tonight?”

  He pulled my hand away from his face and shrugged. “I was just frustrated with the way I played tonight. We may have won, but it was not my best game.” His face tensed as he continued. “And as if I didn’t have enough on my mind, I see you cozying up with my brother. What the hell was that all about?” he asked with an accusatory tone.

  “Are you serious?” I asked, stunned at what he was insinuating. “He’s like a little brother to me, Adam. I was congratulating him on his winning shot.”

  “Just because he banked a few shots doesn’t mean he won the game. I scored most of those points,” he quickly pointed out, practically jumping down my throat.<
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  I was taken aback by his obvious resentment of his brother, and the jealous and hurtful tone that he was directing toward me. It was infuriating, and I could feel the heat spreading over my face from my anger. “Yes, I know, Adam. You’re being a little ridiculous right now,” I said, practically shooting daggers at him with my eyes. “I’m gonna go. Mo’s waiting for me. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Hopefully you’ll be in a better mood then.” I started to walk away, but he grabbed my arm, pulling me against him.

  “I’m sorry, Kendi. I shouldn’t take my frustration out on you,” he whispered in my ear, stroking my hair down my back with his hand. “I just can’t stand to see you touching anyone else, especially my brother.”

  I pulled away from him. “Well, you should have a little more faith in me,” I replied with an edge in my voice, clearly still upset by his remarks.

  “Where are you girls headed anyway?” he asked, blatantly ignoring my comment.

  “We’re going to Amber’s house for a bit and then home. Mo’s staying over.” I folded my arms across my chest, defiantly.

  “Kendi, please don’t drink tonight. You know I hate it when you go to parties.”

  “Have faith, remember? I can take care of myself.” I kissed him on the cheek and walked away. I was feeling irritable from our conversation and couldn’t get out of there fast enough. I knew I could be stubborn and overly independent—as my mother pointed out repeatedly—but he could also be very jealous and controlling. This was not always the best mix of personality flaws. I cared about him though, and I didn’t want to say anything hurtful that I would regret, so walking away was clearly the best option.

  And just to spite him, I drank four wine coolers at Amber’s house before Mo and I went home. If I was lucky, he would be in a “Don’t ask, don’t tell” mood when I talked to him the following day.

  ~

  Adam and I recovered from our little feud quickly. It wasn’t the first, and I was sure that it wouldn’t be the last either. We couldn’t seem to stay mad at each other for long. It took just one touch of his hand or a quick brush of his lips to ignite the fire that burned in me, leaving behind any trace of frustration that I may have felt. Our relationship was passionate, meaning that the highs and lows were extreme, but I couldn’t imagine it any other way.