CHAPTER 8

It’s the weekend again, and Michael is on his computer doing some research for the trading card game that he saw people at school playing the other day. It looked like a lot of fun, and so he’s learning the rules and looking up different strategies and trying to figure out what all he needs so he can play.

After a while, he completes a list of cards he needs to buy, and then gets ready to head out. He looks at his watch and sees that it’s still relatively early in the day, and so he gets an idea. He calls Maria on the phone and asks her if she wants to go out on a date. He has the family car today, so he’ll be able to drive around to wherever they could possibly want to go. She says ‘sure,’ and he explains that he also wants to make a quick stop at some point to buy his cards, and she says she’s completely fine with that.

As Michael is leaving he asks his mom where Sarah is.

“Oh… Steve came by earlier and picked her up. I think they were going to the water park today. I’m surprised you didn’t hear them.” she says.

“Oh wow… I was really in the zone then. Alright. I was just going to borrow something from her, but it’s fine. I’m taking the car.”

“Okay. Have fun.”

“Put gas in it, please!” his dad shouts from the other room.

“Yep!” Michael then closes the door, and heads out.

A short time later, he arrives at Maria’s house to pick her up. She comes out wearing a yellow and white diagonal-striped dress, shoulderless and short, reaching halfway down her thighs. It’s a snug fit, but not too restrictive. Her shoes also have the same matching yellow and white stripe pattern. When Maria gets in the car, Michael can’t help but admire her thighs, which look so damn good in a short dress. Her legs are smooth with a subtle sheen.

Maria leans over and kisses Michael. “So, where are we going?” she asks.

“First, I wanna swing by the game shop and get my cards, that way we can focus on doing whatever we want after.” he explains.

“Okay!”

* * *

Sarah and Steve arrive at the amusement park, which is a water-themed park with rides, aquariums, shows, and lots of souvenir shops. With summer just around the corner, the weather is starting to get really nice. Steve is wearing some loose shorts and a plain white t-shirt. Sarah is wearing a very tight pair of jean shorts that show off her cute booty, as well as a loose t-shirt. Underneath her clothes she is also wearing a pink bikini. There is a water-slide and wave pool here that they plan on checking out.

Once inside the park, the first thing they do is look at the map to see where they want to go. The whole park is a big loop, and so they decide to go clockwise, which starts them at a roller-coaster.

“Woohoo! Now this is what I came here for!’ Steve shouts, as they approach the huge wooden coaster called ‘Waterfall Mountain.’ At one part during the ride there is a long stretch of track that runs along a pond with a water fall in the background. The mist from the pond billows up, like you’re passing into a cloud.

“Ummm I…” Sarah says quietly.

“Hmm… what?” Steve asks.

“I… have never been on a roller-coaster before…” she says nervously.

“What?! No way! Really?!” he asks, surprised. “Oh, it’s so awesome! You’re gonna love it! C’mon… let’s go!”

They get in line, which looks really long. It could end up being an hour before they reach the front. While they’re waiting there, Steve overhears some guys behind them whispering.

“Dude… that girl in front of us is so hot… look at that ass…” he says. “Did you see her face too… damn she’s so cute…”

Steve puts his arm around Sarah and she hugs him back. He then moves his hand down to right above her ass, just on her hip.

“Fuck… that guy is so lucky…” the voice behind says. Steve can’t help but grin as he hears this. It feels pretty damn good.

After 45 minutes they finally get to the front of the line, and are able to get on the ride. They choose to get into the front car of the roller-coaster for the open view. After they’re buckled in, it slowly ascends the track, being pulled up by a rickety chain to the very top. As the coaster tilts forward, Sarah screams, “OH MY GOD!! I CAN’T LOOK!!” and then it drops. With her eyes closed, Sarah feels her stomach levitate inside her body, and then wind quickly rushes by, blowing her long hair around. Steve looks over at Sarah and then grabs her hands and pulls them off her face. “NO! OH MY GOD!” she yells. Once they get to the misty waterfall part, she raises her arms in the air and shouts, “WOOOW!!” Then, for the rest of the ride, she laughs and enjoys it. When they get off, she looks at Steve with a huge smile on her face. “That was so much fun!”

Steve leans in and kisses her on the cheek. “Good.” he smiles. “Because there’s another one.” He then points over at the tall, twisty, steel coaster beside them. “That one has loops and it goes into a tunnel…”

Sarah’s face lights up. “Holy crap!” She then enthusiastically runs ahead down the exit ramp towards the next line. Steve enjoys seeing her so happy and having fun. The way she runs and her hair bounces around, and sweeps in the air is so beautiful and cute. And her body looks so sexy in those tight shorts, it makes Steve’s heart flutter. He finds himself admiring her ass without even realizing it. It’s hard not to. They get in line for the next ride, and excitedly look forward to the fun that’s to come.

* * *

After a short drive, Michael and Maria arrive at a mini-mall where the game store is. They walk into the store, and it doesn’t take long for people to start eyeing up Maria. It’s not often that a perfect-ten, smokin’ hot angel strolls into a place like this. Maria doesn’t mind the attention though. She’s used to it. However, she stops to think about how Michael might feel. That’s when she gets the fun idea to boost him up in front of all these guys by putting on a cute, flirty act.

She smiles and giggles, and points at things to ask him questions. “What’s that? — Oh wow. — That’s so cute. — Oh my gosh! You know so much about this stuff.” Michael immediately knows what’s up, and he grins — completely loving it. He happily plays along and enjoys all the envy he can feel from everyone in the store. He takes every opportunity he can to touch Maria, by placing his arm around her, or on her hips. Some of the guys watch on with their jaws hanging open, leaning over and whispering to each other. He feels a little bit like an asshole for doing this, but sometimes you just can’t help but brag after going for so long without something to brag about.

They get up to the counter and Michael inquires about the cards he needs. The clerk checks his supplies and is able to sell him most of what’s on his list. He’s able to get everything he needs except for a ‘Holy Oracle’ card. This is the only store in town that has this stuff, so he would either have to buy it online, or find someone who already has it.

Nearby a group of guys overhear this, and one of them approaches Michael. “I overheard that you need Holy Oracle — I have that card. I also noticed that you just bought a Mystic Shadow Sword, which I need… so what do you say… we play for them?” he says, raising an eyebrow. “You put up your card, and I’ll put up mine — winner takes them both.”

“Hmmm…” Michael looks down at his stack of newly bought cards. “That would save me the trouble of having to buy it online… yeah… alright.” The guy then smiles and looks over at his friends. Michael quickly goes through his cards and assembles a playable deck. They then sit across from each other at one of the tables, shuffle their decks and begin the game.

A small crowd quickly forms around them. Maria stands on the sidelines behind Michael and watches intently as they play this strange game. Even though she isn’t into this type of thing herself, she still finds it interesting to watch. There’s just something about seeing someone enjoy themselves and having fun that’s really attractive.

The match goes back and forth, with them playing creature cards and power-ups, and declaring attacks that reduces their opponent’s health points. It looks pretty close for the first little while, but after several turns his opponent starts to notice that Michael is playing defensively and is saving up cards on his back row. Michael has 6 face-down cards on his back row, and only one creature, which Michael has powered up to a very high level. Michael sits there with his elbows resting on the table, like he’s bored. His opponent gets annoyed by this and draws a card for his turn.

“I don’t know what you’re planning, but it doesn’t matter, because I’m going to end this right now.” the guy announces confidently. He then plays ‘Flaming Halberd,’ a card that further boosts his own creature’s power to an even higher level, making it strong enough to take out Michael’s last remaining creature. With his creature now at 400 power, and Michael’s creature only at 380 power, he declares his attack, and points to Michael’s card. Michael picks up his now defeated card to reveal that it has a hidden face-down card underneath it. He turns that card over to reveal it’s an ‘Explosive Trap,’ which deals 100 instant damage.

“Pfft…! Is that all…?” the guy laughs. “Such a weak card, why even have that in your deck…? Nobody uses that card.”

“Hold on…” Michael says, reaching for another one of his face-down cards. He turns it over to reveal yet another ‘Explosive Trap,’ and then proceeds to turn over every other card on his back row, all of which are ‘Explosive Traps.’ The card’s effect allows multiple copies to trigger at the same time if they are next to each other on the field.

“W-what the hell…?!” the guy yells. All totaling 700 damage, it hits through the attacking creature, as well as inflicting enough damage to reduce his opponent’s health to zero.

“And match. Good game.” Michael says, standing up slowly. The guy just sits there stunned, staring at the table with his mouth hanging open slightly. “That was a good warm up for my first time playing. Can I get that card now?”

Maria smiles with her mouth wide open while looking around at everyone’s stunned faces. Even though she doesn’t know anything about this game, she knows that Michael just pulled off something cool. The guy goes into his binder and retrieves the card that Michael wanted, giving it to him with his head held low. The guy’s friends can be heard whispering with frustrated tones.

“Alright… we can go now.” Michael says to Maria with a satisfied smile on his face.

They leave the store and get back inside the car. Maria starts snickering with her hand held over her mouth.

“What…?” Michael asks.

“It’s just… *snicker* … that was pretty funny… the way they all looked… and you were just like… like you didn’t even care…” she laughs. “That was so cool…”

Michael smiles. “Thanks.” he says. “I uh… had spent several hours, not just today, but last night too — studying this game, and completely dissecting it apart. Doing all the math, figuring out all the best, most optimal combinations and strategies. And so uhh… I just knew right away what strategy to use to beat him.” Michael then looks down at the floor. “I just… really like games. It’s fun for me to figure out how they work, and learning the optimal way to win. What I wanna do for a living is… I want to make my own games. I already have a few I’m working on.”

Maria sees the sparkle in his eyes and she smiles. “I think you should do it.” she says. “If that’s what you want to do.”

Michael looks up at her. “Thanks. That means a lot coming from you.” They hold eye-contact for a few seconds and then Michael puts the key into the ignition. He clears his throat. “What do you say we go on a little road trip somewhere?”

“Oh, alright. Sure. Where are you thinking?” she asks.

“Ever heard of a place called Lakeridge?”

“No, I don’t think I have….”

“It’s a bit of a long drive, but I really wanna show you…”

Maria can sense the importance in his voice. She puts her hand on his. “Okay! Let’s go!”

They make a quick stop at a gas station to fuel up, and then they hit the highway. Maria rolls down her window, and enjoys the cool breeze.

* * *

After going on a few more rides, Sarah and Steve wander into a random gift shop and look around at all the silly things for sale. They have all sorts of trinkets, toys, shirts, bathing suits, mugs, key-chains, and even novelty giant sunglasses. Sarah puts the giant sunglasses on her face and turns to Steve. “Boy it’s a bright one out there today, lemme tell ya!” she jokes. Steve chuckles and reaches for something off the shelf next to him. He puts on a cowboy hat and turns back to Sarah.

“Howdy there miss…” he says, putting his thumbs into his waistband. “I’m afraid yer trespassing here, and yer gunna have to leave right now.”

Sarah blushes, thinking that Steve looks really hot as a cowboy. She reaches up and grabs the hat, kissing him quickly, before pulling it down over his face. “Make me!”

Steve laughs and puts the hat back on the shelf and then he sees some cheap water pistols for one dollar each. “Go see if there’s a drinking fountain somewhere.” he tells Sarah. She goes, and Steve buys the toy water-gun, and then follows her out.

“There’s one over there.” she points. “What are you–?” she asks, watching him rip off the cardboard backing for the toy. Steve goes over to the drinking fountain and fills up the gun. He then turns back around and points the gun at Sarah. “No…” she says, holding up her hands. He then squeezes the trigger, squirting cold water on her neck. “NNYAAAA!!” she squeals.

“Hahaha!” he laughs cruelly.

“No fair! I don’t have one!” she complains.

“Then you’d better go get one!”

Sarah runs back into the gift shop and buys herself one. Steve lets her fill it up when she comes back out, and then they proceed to have a water-gun fight. After a few minutes the guns run dry. Steve notices that he can see her bikini showing through her wet shirt, along with two small bumps. Her nipples are now erect and very noticeable. Steve gets a tingling feeling while looking at her, and his heart races with excitement.

He walks over to her and grabs her hand. “C’mon… let’s go to the next part.” He points over towards the giant water-slide, which is in the pool area. They get over there, and there’s an area with a bunch of lockers and changing rooms for people to switch in and out of their bathing suits. While still holding Sarah’s hand, Steve looks around, looking back and forth and then slowly walks up to one of the changing booths. “Get in.” he whispers to Sarah, as he opens it. She goes inside, and Steve follows her in and he shuts the door behind them.

“Steve…” Sarah whispers, looking into his eyes.

“I can’t take it anymore…” he whispers. He then places his hands on Sarah’s waist and leans in and kisses her passionately.

“Mm!!” she moans, feeling his eagerness. As they pull away from the kiss, Sarah notices that Steve has a huge erection. His loose shorts don’t hide it at all. “Oh my…” she says, gently wrapping her fingers around it, and feeling how big he is. She looks into his eyes and starts to gently stroke his penis through his shorts.

“Oh god…” he groans.

He grabs Sarah’s shorts and pushes the button through the hole and then unzips her. Sarah starts breathing heavily with excitement. “Yess…” she whispers. She grabs her t-shirt and lifts it off herself. She then steps out of her shorts, and stands in just her bikini. Steve takes one quick look at her and then reaches around behind her and unties the strap of her bikini top. It falls to the floor, leaving her breasts naked.

Sarah’s breasts are small-ish to medium in size with perfect pink nipples that Steve can’t resist. He crouches down and gently cups her breast as he presses his lips to her soft skin. His tongue slides over her nipple, and Sarah jolts from the stimulation. He licks and flicks her nipple continuously, and Sarah can’t help but moan softly and breathe faster with arousal.

Steve then stands back up and looks into Sarah face. “You’re so fucking beautiful…” he whispers. Sarah blushes, and then Steve grabs her and bends her over the bench. He unties her bikini bottoms, and then drops down onto his knees behind her. He places his hands on her ass and then gently touches his tongue to her pussy lips.

“Hahh!!” Sarah gasps. She can feel Steve’s tongue push its way inside the opening of her vagina. “Oh my god… Steve… yess… fuck me… please… I want you inside me…” Steve pulls away and momentarily admires her perfect, pink pussy before standing back up. He pulls his shorts down, dropping them to the floor, and then stands directly behind Sarah. He lifts the head of his penis to her dripping wet pussy and gently pushes the tip inside her.

Sarah gasps loudly. Steve’s cock is quite big, and she can feel it stretching her open as it slowly pushes its way in. She bites her lip and tries not to moan as his cock gets deeper and deeper. She then feels Steve’s pelvis press up against her ass. “Oh my god… yess…” she whispers.

“Holy fuck baby… you’re so tight…” Steve moans softly. He then slowly pulls back and then quickly thrusts it back in, hard.

“Ahh!!” Sarah cries into her arm. “Yess… don’t stop…” she begs. Steve grabs her hips and then starts thrusting in and out at a steady pace. Sarah pants quietly, feeling his hardness thrust in and out of her sends waves of intense pleasure all over her body. His eagerness excites her so much. She loves the way he is being so forceful and masculine. It turns her on like nothing ever has.

Steve’s panting gets louder and faster as the pleasure becomes more and more intense. Sarah’s pussy feels so amazing. The texture of her vagina tickles his penis as he thrusts in, and her tightness pulls his skin back, sending an incredible sensation through his body, and into his spine up to his head. It’s the greatest feeling he’s ever felt. Seeing her beautiful naked body in front of him just adds to the satisfaction.

“Holy fuck…” he whispers. Sarah starts squirming around, and he can feel her pussy tightening. “Oh fuck yeah baby… that’s so hot…” She makes really cute noises trying not to be loud during her orgasm. Steve can’t hold on any longer, and so he quickly pulls out and starts stroking his cock. Sarah turns around and sees him stroking it, and she grabs on and takes him into her mouth. Her lips wrap tightly around the head of his penis, and Steve can feel her tongue sliding around the underside of it. “Oh my fucking… g–” his body tenses up, and he holds his breath. He looks down into Sarah’s cute face and then he unleashes his load into her mouth. “Uuuggghhh…” he groans.

Sarah doesn’t blink or even squint as she takes his full load of warm semen into her mouth. She feels an enormous amount of satisfaction, just knowing that she made him cum. She happily swallows it, without even a second thought. She keeps sucking him and stroking his dick until she feels him going soft, at which point she pulls away, and there’s a long string of saliva that connects from his dick to her chin. Steve thinks it’s a really sexy look for her.

After they catch their breath, Sarah puts her bikini back on, and then puts everything else away into her bag. Steve cracks the door open slightly to look around. People are still carrying on like normal, so it seems like they didn’t get caught. Steve leaves first, and then a minute later, Sarah leaves. They take their bag over to the lockers and put it inside before heading into the pool area. Once they’re through the gates they look at each other and immediately break out into laughter.

“Why’d you laugh?!” she asks.

“Why’d you?”

“You were making a face…”

“Only because you did!”

Sarah’s heart is racing from all the fun she’s having. She grabs Steve’s arm and then reaches up and kisses him. “I love you.” she says, smiling brightly.

He holds her hands. “I love you too babe.” Then they kiss again, and he wraps his arms tightly around her. Sarah stares into Steve’s eyes and fantasizes about their future together. She hopes to someday get married and have kids with him. It’s been her dream since she was a little girl to find and marry her true love. She believes fully in her heart that Steve is her soul-mate.

* * *

After ninety minutes of driving, a gorgeous landscape comes into view. There are rocky hills, lush colorful trees, a big lake, and a small town can be seen in the distance as they come up over the ridge. As they drive further down the road towards the town, a big wooden sign, decorated beautifully with large rocks and bushes surrounding it, reads: ‘Welcome to Lakeridge.’

“Here we are.” Michael says.

“Wow… this place looks so… beautiful.” Maria says, looking around. Everything, from the landscape, to the architecture of the houses and buildings, the colors, and the cobblestone sidewalks, all elicit feelings of calmness and comfort.

They drive into the middle of the town, and the place looks lively, with people walking about, kids playing on their bikes and in the playground. There’s pop-up stand vendors, and small shops and restaurants with big inviting windows to look through.

“What is this place?” Maria asks.

“So… when I was a little kid, my grandpa would bring me and my sister here during the summer, right before school started back up. We would go fishing and eat at this one restaurant that had the best sushi ever. I looked forward to coming here every year… until… well… he died.”

“Oh… I’m so sorry…” Maria says softly.

Michael tries to force a smile. “Well… anyway. I still like coming here. It’s like a paradise. What do you say we get some dinner? I’m starving after that long drive.”

“Okay, that sounds really nice.” She says, smiling.

Michael pulls the car over to an empty parking space, and puts some coins into the meter. “Alright. It’s just over here.” They walk diagonally across the street and it’s just this tiny little place. They get inside and it’s only four tables plus a long wooden counter in front of the chef.

They sit at the table that’s in front of the window, and Michael gestures to the chef, who then walks over and hands them each a menu and brings them some hot tea.

“I love the atmosphere of this place.” says Maria.

“I know right!”

They order some food, and soon after the chef brings over two large wooden planks completely covered in beautiful looking sushi. As they eat it, they talk about their lives and their dreams and desires for the future. Maria tells him about her hair-styling business she wants to open, and she talks about wanting to also get into clothing design. Michael talks more about his ideas for games he’s working on, and how he’s made some decent money from competing in gaming tournaments.

“That was delicious.” Maria says, dabbing her mouth with a napkin.

“Definitely. I’m going to leave a nice tip.”

As they’re about to leave, the chef says “It was nice seeing you again.”

“Oh, you remember me?” asks Michael.

“Yes, of course. You were always the one that would eat the wasabi by itself like it was candy or something.”

“Haha yeah… that was me alright.” Michael admits, with a smile.

“Well.. anyway, I won’t hold you up. Oh and by the way… I must say… your wife is very beautiful.”

“Uh– uhh no-no-no… we’re not… married…” Michael says, embarrassed. Maria smiles awkwardly, covering her mouth with her curled finger.

“Oh… that’s a shame.” he jokes.

They get outside and Michael fidgets around in his pockets for his keys. “A-a-alrighty… that was nice… you know what… I’m in the mood for some ice cream. How about you?”

Maria fights back laughter. She thinks it’s cute that he got so flustered over that just now. “Okay, sure!”

They walk down the street and Maria occasionally stops to look inside some of the shops. She admires the clothing they have here, and she gets inspired from seeing all the beautiful dresses. “Oh wow… I’m going to have to come back here sometime. There’s just so much to look at…” she says with her face pressed up against the glass.

They continue on down the street until they reach the ice-cream parlor. Michael buys them both a cup of vanilla ice-cream with fudge, and then they go for a walk towards the water. Once they get to the boardwalk, he takes her down onto the beach, and they walk over to a small rock formation that has some stairs carved into it, and some benches up on top, where the stone has been smoothed down into a walkway. They sit on the bench, just as the sun is setting.

“Right over there, by those trees, is where my grandpa would take us fishing.” Michael says, pointing. “Ahh… those were good times.”

“Thank you for bringing me here. This place is really wonderful.” Maria says, while enjoying the final few scoops of fudge that has pooled up at the bottom of her cup.

“Thanks for coming with me. This is a really special place to me. I’m glad that I could share it with you.” Michael says, staring off into the red sky. He drifts away into deep thought. With Maria by his side he feels extremely happy. However, he knows that the day he is dreading is coming up soon. Once the school year ends and they graduate… he’ll be alone again. If only this happiness could continue.

Maria leans her head on Michael’s shoulder. His body immediately fills up with warmth and joy. In the next moment, Maria sighs loudly and says, “I don’t want to move away…” Michael’s eyes open wide. Maria then continues. “I just want to stay with you… forever.”

Michael’s heart jumps in his chest. He can’t believe what he’s just heard. His soul feels like it’s leaping for joy. “That’s what I want too.” he whispers.

She lifts her head off his shoulder and leans in close to his face. “I know…” She then kisses him, softly and sensually. After several satisfying seconds, they then slowly pull away from the kiss and Maria whispers, “If you want… just tell me… and I’ll stay for you.”

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