Arnold walked over to his house and went inside. “Mom? Kelly?” He asked into the silent house.

“ARNOLD!” Two female voices said as one, then Annie appeared from the kitchen and Kelly appeared from the living room and they both tried to hug him at the same time. They ended up hugging each other more than him and the two of them burst out laughing.

“Mothers first.” Kelly said and stepped back.

Annie gave her a grin and hugged and briefly kissed her son. “Welcome home.”

Kelly took her turn and hugged and kissed him. “Welcome home.”

They both took his hands and led him into the kitchen to give him the first homemade breakfast he had had in a while. It was well balanced with a variety of foods and essential nutrients, so Arnold ate it all.

“Thank you.” Arnold said and gave his mom a quick kiss, then did the same to Kelly.

“How did you know I helped?” Kelly asked, surprised.

“I asked you to help my mom a long time ago and that's what you've done.” Arnold said.

“Oh, Arnold!” Kelly exclaimed and kissed him passionately.

Annie let it go on for a full minute before speaking. “On that happy note, I have got to go and buy some groceries.”

“We can all go.” Kelly said and stood up.

“That's okay. I'm a big girl and I can push a cart all by my lonesome.” Annie said with a chuckle. “You two stay here and visit with each other. I'll be back in a little while.”

Kelly watched Annie grab her keys and walk down the hallway, then the front door opened and shut.

“We have about three hours before she comes home.” Arnold said, which was one of the first times he actually volunteered information and didn't wait to be asked.

“Three hours.” Kelly said and he nodded. “Then... then we can...” She stopped talking and took his hand, then led him up the stairs. They went to his old room, which was also her new room, and she had him sit on the bed. “I've been thinking about this for a while now, and...” She walked to the side two paces, turned around and walked four paces to the left, then crossed her arms and looked at him. “Arnold, I want to try sex.”

“Okay.” Arnold said and stood up, then stripped off and put his clothes on the chair by the desk. Kelly's face was red at how quickly he had stripped off in front of her and now she could see all of him. Her body reacted to her mind making the decision and she blushed as she felt warm all over. She didn't move and Arnold did the same to her and undressed her.

Kelly trembled a little from excitement, because she had finally decided that this was going to happen, and Arnold kissed her several times and then laid her down on the edge of the bed. He knelt between her legs and got to work preparing her. She moaned as he kissed and licked her all over her special place and then he used a finger. After a few minutes, he used two and tried to stretch the hymen.

Kelly twitched when he did, which showed that she was going to feel it a lot, and he gave her a few extra licks to distract her. Arnold knew what was going to happen when he tried to put his penis inside of her, so he stood up and sat down beside her.

“Arnold?” Kelly opened her eyes and looked at him. Before she could ask him what was wrong, he spoke.

“Kelly, this is going to hurt.” Arnold said and put a hand on his hardness.

Kelly let out a sigh. “I know.” She said. “I've read a lot about it and I also talked to Annie.”

Arnold turned his head to look at her. “I read a lot, too.”

“I'm sure that... I can take it.” Kelly said. “She said it would only hurt a little.”

Arnold recalled the words that Doris said and repeated them for her. “Kelly, it could be anything from a light pinch to feeling like being stabbed.”

Kelly gasped and put a hand over her mouth. “R-really?”

Arnold nodded. “You are really sensitive down there and when I lick your hymen, you really feel it.”

Kelly reluctantly nodded. She really did enjoy it a bit too much. “Arnold, I... I still want to try.”

“I don't want to hurt you.” Arnold said.

Kelly caught her breath and sat up. “Arnold, I... if it does hurt, I forgive you in advance.” She said and hugged him, which pressed her bare breasts into his chest. “I love you and I won't get angry at you. Okay?”

Arnold nodded and Kelly laid back down, then he dug into his backpack and pulled out an unopened box of condoms. The sight of that touched her heart, because it meant that he hadn't opened them and used some with anyone else.

“You haven't had sex with anyone since you broke up with Heather?” Kelly whispered.

“No.” Arnold said and put a condom on. He used a tissue to wipe off his hands, then he bent down to kiss her between the legs to get her going again. Kelly squirmed at the intimate attention, then Arnold knelt and placed himself near her opening. Her hymen was only a couple of centimetres from the surface, so it wasn't going to take long for them to find out if it was going to hurt or not.

Arnold looked at her face and she nodded. He rubbed himself up and down on her, slicking up the condom a bit more, then he pushed forward slightly. Kelly grit her teeth as she felt the weird pressure, then Arnold pushed a little more. The condom squeezed him down a little, so the tip of him wasn't as pronounced as it usually was, so he moved in a bit further than if he didn't have the condom on.

Kelly grunted at the increased pressure and she gripped the blanket she was on, as Arnold pushed in a bit more, then Kelly felt like something let go between her legs. It was a sting that felt like some had slapped her abdomen hard and Arnold felt her tense up. Arnold took Doris' advice and didn't move because of the trickle of blood that seeped out of Kelly's vagina around the condom.

Kelly felt relieved that the sting started to fade after a couple of minutes. “Okay, I think... you can...”

Arnold pushed himself all of the way inside of her.

“OOOOOOHHHHHHHH!” Kelly yelled and then moaned very loudly as she came.

Arnold felt her grip him down there and he waited for her to finish having an orgasm. When she loosened up a little, he slid back out.

“OOOOOOHHHHHHHH!” Kelly yelled and then moaned very loudly as she came again.

Arnold was surprised at her overreaction and then remembered Doris warning him that Kelly would get a lot more out of sex with him than a normal girl would. He only moved slightly into her again and her moan was more manageable.

He couldn't take a full stroke in and out or she would tense up and orgasm, so he did it in starts and stops, trying to find a good rhythm for her to have as much enjoyment as possible while also getting himself off. He knew that she wouldn't like it if he didn't finish at least once, not after her having so many orgasms.

“Arrrnnnooolllld.” Kelly moaned and her half-lidded eyes stared at him. “Kissss. Kissss meeee.”

Arnold laid down on top of her and slid inside of her again, changing the angle, and Kelly moaned loudly again and kissed him both lazily and desperately. At this angle, she only tensed up half as much, so he started to do full insertions and paused, then pulled out. Kelly moaned loudly into his mouth and her arms wrapped tightly around his neck to keep him there. Arnold kept moving and Kelly kept moaning and kissing him.

Kelly's whole body vibrated as she came, over and over, and her nipples were rock hard and dug into Arnold's chest. Her mind was flooded with pleasure and her body sang in harmony with the man she loved. She had thought he would be good in bed, especially after he had been with Heather. She had never expected for sex to feel this wonderful with him.

Kelly broke the kiss and looked into his eyes. “Come... come for me.” She whispered, her voice a little hoarse because of her loud moans.

“I have to move faster.” Arnold said.

Kelly came again, just at that thought. “Ohhhh, god.” She moaned and eased her hold around his neck. “Dooo it.”

Arnold gave her a smile that made her heart melt, then he sped up him movements and Kelly's brain shut right off. All she did was moan and pant as Arnold moved in and out like a machine, especially when he added in the different hip movements that he had learned from Claire.

“Ohhhh... ohhhh... ohhhh... ohhhh... ohhhh... ohhhh... ohhhh...OHHHHH!” Kelly moaned as she came very, very hard. Her body locked up and trapped Arnold inside just in time, because he came as well from the excessive pressure she put on him. Her brain kicked back in a few moments later and she felt something expanding inside of her. She felt very satisfied at the look on Arnold's face and then he moved up and off of her to pull out.

“Ohhh.... god.” Kelly whimpered and then she caught her breath at the expanded tip of the condom. “How... how did... it not... break?”

Arnold stood up by the bed and carefully pulled it off, tied it, and tossed it into the trash. “They are very pliable.” He said and looked down at his girlfriend. By the look on her face, he had made her feel very good and he bent down to give her a kiss.

Kelly hummed appreciatively and then she watched him walk out of the bedroom to the bathroom across the hall. In her sex-satisfied mind, she hadn't realized that they had sex with the bedroom door wide open and anyone could have seen them. She also didn't realize that anyone inside the house would have easily heard her, too.

Arnold walked back into the room, his erection proceeding him, and saw Kelly's eyes lock onto it. “We should wait for a bit.”

Kelly frowned and didn't know why she shouldn't let him do her again. It felt wonderful and she wanted to do it again.

Arnold laid down beside her and his hand lightly touched her breast.

Kelly gasped and shivered at his touch, as if he had shocked her.

“You are very sensitive all over now, not just down there.” Arnold said. “It was a possible effect from how you reacted from just sex.”

Kelly stared at him and didn't know what to say.

“We have another two hours before mom comes home.” Arnold said and Kelly shivered and came again. “I should get dressed and...”

Kelly's hand shot out and pressed down on his chest. “N-n-no. You... you stay.”

Arnold nodded and Kelly relaxed. After a few minutes, she rolled over onto her side and most of her body rested against his. She moaned as her breasts pressed into his muscled arm and then she came a little as her abdomen rested against his hip.

Kelly closed her eyes and stayed there by Arnold's side, as if trying to get used to it. She hadn't slept beside him while completely naked before, so it was a whole new experience for her sex-filled brain. She was starting to return to her full faculties as she laid there and held onto her boyfriend... to her lover... and she knew now that she had chosen right.

“You... you are... mine.” Kelly whispered and her breathing started to even out. “All mine.” She said, a bit more confident. “Now that we... we went all the way... I don't want you to masturbate anymore.”

Arnold turned his head to look at her with raised eyebrows.

Kelly knew what that meant, so she smiled. “We can text and do it together like before, if you want to do it during the week. I would rather you save it for me and we can have sex on the weekends, though.”

“But, what about...” Arnold started to say.

“Please, Arnold. Only me.” Kelly said. “If we don't have time for sex when we get together, we can sneak around a little and masturbate then.”

“Okay.” Arnold said.

“Thank you.” Kelly said and kissed him. It became a bit more passionate and then Arnold was sucking on her very sensitive nipples. She came several times, just from that, and then he had another condom on and he had flipped her over to enter her from behind. “OHHHH FUUUUCCCKKK!”

She sprayed her orgasm out onto the bed beneath them and then Arnold started moving. Her brain shut off again and their second time having sex became one long orgasm for her.

*

Annie parked the car in the driveway and was glad that she was finally home. Buying food for three people again was oddly satisfying for her, even if she had to restrict some of her guilty pleasures. She laughed at the thought of having to sneak treats into her own house and opened the car door. She grabbed her keys and stepped out to start ferrying the bags of groceries from the car to the house.

She didn't notice the bushes shaking nearby and suddenly there was a large and angry young man turning her around and he grabbed her arms.

“Where is that murdering bastard?!?” Kevin shouted into her face.

Annie was terrified and didn't answer.

Kevin shook her. “WHERE?!?”

Annie screamed at the top of her lungs and the sound carried a very long way, then she spoke a name. “A...a... ARNOOOOLD!”

Kevin was startled by her inarticulate scream and realized that he was hurting her. He hadn't come there to do that and let her arms go... just in time... because he felt two bare feet slam into the side of his face. He was thrown several feet down the driveway and then felt a heavy weight land on his chest. In the next instant, he was unconscious as elbows rained down onto his head and face. He didn't even feel them.

*

The entire neighbourhood heard Annie scream and they all ran out of their houses to see a tall angry young man shaking her.

“A...a... ARNOOOOLD!” Annie yelled.

Before everyone could do more than take a few steps towards the altercation, a very naked Arnold drop-kicked the tall young man in the head and then they were on the ground with Arnold slamming his forearms into the criminal's head.

They all felt satisfaction at the sight.

*

Detective Tanner stood inside her cover and cursed under her breath. She had thought her plan to catch Arnold in a crime was foolproof, except she had used a fool to do it. There was no way she could claim Arnold was the aggressor with a witness right there. However, she could stop the retaliation and claim it was excessive.

She stood and drew her gun before walking over to the front lawn. Unfortunately, she had taken too long to make her decision and several people, Annie included, had pulled Arnold off of Kevin.

“He's not worth it, Arnold.” Their neighbour Beth said. “I've got it all on my security camera.”

Oh, shit. Detective Tanner thought and slid her gun back into the holster.

“Detective Tanner.” Arnold said as Annie took off her coat to tie around his waist. “You were here earlier and I asked you if anyone was around committing a crime. You lied and said no.”

The entire neighbourhood gave her very angry looks.

“You shouldn't have invited him over.” Detective Tanner said, trying to cover up her involvement.

Annie made a growling sound and took out her cell phone. She dialed a number from memory and waited until it clicked. “Hello, Chief Morris. It's Annie Strickland calling again and Detective Tanner set me up to be sexually assaulted and possibly murdered by Kevin McNally.”

Everyone gasped, even the man on the phone.

“My son saved me and has beaten the criminal unconscious, even though he was a target as well.” Annie said. “Yes, she is right here and accusing my son of inviting McNally to our house, even though we have a restraining order against him.”

“There's an email and...” Tanner tried to say.

“She's also planting false evidence about emails that Arnold has never used.” Annie said with a grin and all of the neighbours nodded. “He doesn't have access to a computer here at the house, either. The dozen witnesses around us right now agree with my statement.”

Detective Tanner cursed silently at those words. She had been sure that Arnold would have an online presence, because of the gaming and the video.

“Yes, sir. This situation is a complete setup. She was here earlier and Arnold confronted her about being here and asked about a possible crime. She denied it and drove away. Now, after Mister McNally started to commit the crime she was waiting for and lied about, she showed up. On foot. No car, no sirens, nothing.” Annie said and then she let a grin appear on her face. “I can perform a citizen's arrest with your permission? Thank you very much, sir. If you can hold on for a moment, I'll do so.”

Everyone waited as Annie paused and listened.

“Oh, not a problem. My son will hold the phone and I'll switch to speaker for you.” Annie said and hit the button before passing the phone to her son.

“Can you hear me?” Chief Morris said from the phone that Arnold held out in front of himself.

“Yes, sir.” Annie said.

“Detective Tanner, you are relieved of duty and on suspension. I am charging Annie Strickland to perform a citizen's arrest on you to detain you while I send a squad car over to take you into custody.”

“Sir, I can explain...” Detective Tanner started to say.

“I've already heard your idiotic theories that have no proof, former Detective Tanner.” Chief Morris said and a lot of people gasped. “I am ordering you to hand over your handcuffs and to let Miss Strickland apply them to you.”

Detective Tanner sighed and popped open the little holder on her belt to hand the handcuffs to Annie.

“She's giving them to me, sir.” Annie said and accepted them, then Detective Tanner turned around and held her arms behind herself. The handcuffs were applied and not tightened. “Sir, where would the keys to the cuffs be hidden?”

“Good thinking, Miss Strickland. If they aren't in the little pocket, they are on her keys or in her pocket.” Chief Morris said. “I cannot authorize you to handle the firearm, so leave that for now and have her sit down on the ground. The squad car will be there in a few minutes.”

“Thank you, sir.” Annie said and searched the detective. She found two sets of handcuff keys. “Sir, I have both sets of cuff keys.”

“Will the squad car be driven by Officer Hallman?” Arnold asked.

Chief Morris was quiet for several moments. “It was.” He said. “I apologize for not checking first and only alerted the car in the area. I've changed the assignment and another will be there in ten minutes.”

“What do I do if he shows up anyway?” Annie asked.

“Inform him that Chief Morris has ordered him away. If he doesn't leave immediately, he will be charged as an accessory to Tanner's setup of you and your son.”

“Thank you, sir.” Annie said as a squad car pulled up.

“It seems Officer Hallman has ignored your order.” Arnold said as the officer got out of the car.

Annie pointed to the cell phone and repeated the chief's order.

“Annie, you can't threaten a police officer like that.” Officer Hallman said. “I'm only here to make sure that you're okay and...”

“...hand over your handcuffs to Miss Strickland, Officer Hallman.” Chief Morris said loudly from the phone. “I charged her with placing Tanner under arrest and she warned you if you didn't leave immediately.”

“S-sir?” Officer Hallman said, his voice unsure.

“You will be held as an accessory to Tanner's crimes, since you perpetuated the danger that Miss Strickland and her son have been in.” Chief Morris said. “Now hand over your cuffs and sit beside Tanner. The actual assigned car will be there in a few minutes.”

“Sir, I was only...” Officer Hallman started to defend himself.

“Either hand over the cuffs or you can kiss your job goodbye right now.” Chief Morris said with venom in his voice. “The both of you have messed with that family too much to let it go. I've already contacted IA and I'm sure that your actions show a blatant bias against having anyone protecting that family.”

Officer Hallman sighed and handed Annie his cuffs. “Annie, I'm sorry that...”

“It's MISS Strickland, you ignorant asshole.” Annie said and slammed the cuffs on his wrists. “How many times do I have to tell you to never call me by my first name and to stay away from me and my family?” She asked and pushed him down to sit on the grass. “How. Many. Times?”

Officer Hallman didn't say anything in response.

“I'll be going to the courthouse again on Monday to get restraining orders against the both of you and if I can swing it, your associates. I don't want anyone that knows you anywhere near us.” Annie said and glared at him. “Do you hear me THIS time, officer? DO YOU?!?”

Officer Hallman sighed. “Yes, Annie.”

Annie reacted immediately and slapped the man's face. “SHUT YOUR MOUTH!” She yelled and everyone winced as her slap formed a red mark on the man's face. “I just told you to NEVER call me by my first name! Are you a fucking idiot?”

“Hallman, remain quiet. I am ordering you to never speak the victim's name ever again.” Chief Morris said. “I suspected that you have been obsessing over her, with the odd talk in the squad room; but, I never expected you to be so blatant about ignoring a victim's pleas to leave her alone and right in front of her, her family, and a dozen witnesses.”

Officer Hallman seemed to realize that the chief was right, because he chose to look around and saw a dozen pairs of accusing eyes staring at him. He sighed and closed his eyes. He had really screwed up this time.

Another squad car pulled up and two police officers stepped out, saw the scene, and weren't sure what to do about it. Just then, an ambulance siren cut through the air and the vehicle appeared at the end of the street.

“The ambulance is to check you, your son, and the assailant. In that order.” Chief Morris said. “If he needs the hospital, I'll have an officer waiting for him there.”

“Thank you, Chief Morris.” Annie said.

“It's about time I stepped in to clean up this mess.” Chief Morris admitted. “I've been too busy with other things to deal with this directly until now.”

“It was just to blatant to ignore any longer.” Arnold said and the man signed on the phone. “Mom? Who do you want to control the phone?”

“I'll do it.” Beth said and took it as the ambulance parked and the paramedics jumped out to run up the driveway.

“Thanks, Beth.” Annie said and then the whole situation hit her when the paramedics started to check her. She burst out crying and it wouldn't stop. She kept crying as they made sure that she wasn't too physically hurt, made note of the excessive bruising on her arms where the assailant grabbed her roughly and the witnesses said she was shaken violently.

“She's suffering from shock.” One of the paramedics said and looked at Arnold. “Do you know how to...”

“Yes. I will take care of her after you clean my arms off.” Arnold said.

The paramedic smiled and nodded, then did as Arnold asked. Luckily, he didn't have any abrasions and the blood was the assailant's. When his arms were cleaned and dried off, Arnold took his mother into his arms and held her tenderly. Annie kept crying and he whispered how he was going to take care of everything and she would never be afraid again.

The neighbours felt their hearts go out to the Strickland family. Annie's anguish and Arnold's stoicism to defend her, made them all feel sorry and proud at the same time.

Kevin was checked next and they worked on him for about ten minutes before going to get the stretcher. He was still unconscious and Arnold told them how long it had been before they showed up. That surprised everyone, especially Detective Tanner and Officer Hallman. The paramedics thanked him for the information and then the ambulance left.

The chief ordered the two new officers to take Detective Tanner into custody in their car and to take Officer Hallman into custody in his car, then to drive both vehicles back.

“They're gone, sir.” Beth said as the two police cars left.

“Thank you.” Chief Morris said and then sighed, because he could still hear Annie crying. “Tell the Stricklands that I'll do my best to make sure that they won't be bothered again.”

“I will.” Beth said. “Goodbye, chief. I'll be sure to vote for you next year.”

The chief chuckled and then coughed. “Goodbye.”

Beth hung the cell phone up and walked over to Arnold. “You better take her inside. Standing around here any longer won't help her.”

Arnold nodded and put the cell phone into Annie's jacket that was still wrapped around his waist. He turned to coax Annie into walking and brought her to the front door of the house. It opened without him touching it and they saw Kelly standing there, tears flowing down her face, and wrapped in a bed sheet.

Now we know why Arnold was naked. Beth thought, as did a lot of the neighbours.

*

“I'll get the bath going.” Kelly said and shut the front door before locking it. She ignored her own tears and gave Annie a quick hug. “I'll be right back.” She said to Arnold and then she went up the stairs to discard the sheet and started the bath. She quickly washed herself up in the sink just enough to be comfortable and dressed in her old clothes, then she went back downstairs. She knew the bath took five minutes to fill and she motioned to take Annie from him.

Annie let out a howl of anguish when Arnold started to let her go, so he shook his head at Kelly and he went upstairs with Annie to the bath. Kelly thought about following, then decided that she didn't want to interfere with Arnold trying to deal with Annie's emotional breakdown. She had seen her friend close to that before and this was quite a bit worse, in her opinion.

Today had been the last straw for Annie's composure, and Kelly regretted that it happened and didn't want to miss anything else. So, her decision made, she went up the stairs as quietly as possible and sat down just beside the bathroom door.

*

Arnold dropped the jacket around his waist and he stripped Annie's clothes off. She clung to him as she cried, making it a little difficult to do. He took his time and turned off the water when the tub was nearly full. When he was done removing Annie's clothes, her crying had reduced to soft hiccuping and the river of tears had slowed to a trickle.

“Don't worry, Mom.” Arnold said and carefully stepped into the tub with her, then he sat them down and held her tightly. “I'll take care of everything.”

“A-A-Arnold, I... the car...”

“I'll get the groceries later.” Arnold said.

“F-frozen... things.” Annie whispered.

“Already melted.” Arnold said. “We can send the bill for the ruined food to the police station and they can get it from Tanner.”

Annie couldn't stop her huff and then she hugged him tighter. “Why? Why would she do this to us?”

“She's hunting me.” Arnold said. “Probably since the morgue and I didn't react to dad's death.”

Annie shook her head. “What a stupid reason. You didn't react because you're you.” She said and her hand slid over his chest and the well-formed pectoral muscles that were partially covered in bubbles.

Arnold nodded. “She doesn't see it that way.”

“She's an idiot.” Annie said and rested her head on his shoulder. Playing with the bubbles on Arnold's chest was oddly fascinating and she kept doing it. “If she talked to anyone, they would have told her what you're like.”

“She might ignore that for her own needs and think I'm only reserved.” Arnold said.

Annie almost barked a laugh. “Then she's a stupid idiot. No one would ever say you're reserved if they knew you.”

Arnold nodded and they laid there for several minutes without saying anything.

“Arnold.” Annie whispered. “Why were you naked when I screamed for help?”

“I just finished having sex with Kelly.” Arnold admitted.

Annie caught her breath. “You... you really...”

“Yes. She's very sensitive and I took my time with her.” Arnold said.

Annie didn't really want to know about that part. “Did you use protection?”

“Yes. Even first time sex can result in pregnancy. We did it twice, so the chances were doubled.”

Annie sighed. “Did you at least do it in a bed?”

“Yes, mine. Or Kelly's. Is she still living here?” Arnold asked.

“Not officially.” Annie said. “After the house was wrecked, her parents are a bit reluctant to let her live here for the rest of the summer.”

Arnold nodded. “We can't convince them after this.”

Annie sighed again. “No, if the others decide to come here after you again, it's not safe.”

“Don't worry, Mom. I told you that I'll take care of it.”

Annie stiffened slightly at his words. “A-Arnold, you... you don't mean...”

“Mom.” Arnold said and Annie lifted her head to look into his eyes. “Your arms are severely bruised and he attacked you. I will not let that happen again.”

“Arnold... you... you can't just...”

“Why not? No one else is stopping them. The cops let them run around without supervision and Tanner brought Kevin here to get us.” Arnold said and Annie closed her eyes. “Are they going to stop now that they might lose their jobs?”

Annie shook her head. “No, they... they will want to get us even more because of it.”

“Yes.” Arnold said. “They will be desperate to get revenge on us now and they know how to do it.”

Annie sucked in a sharp breath and her eyes snapped open. “Kelly!”

“Yes.” Arnold said again. “If she's back home, we can't protect her properly. Heather would have told them all how pathetic her father is with confrontations.”

Annie was quiet for a minute. “We don't have a valid argument to keep her here with us, not for her parents to believe it, anyway.”

“Her father is too possessive to let her go without an extensive argument.” Arnold said. “He doesn't even want me to kiss her. When he finds out we had sex...”

“...he's going to freak out and will try to break you up.” Annie finished.

Kelly stood up and stepped into the open doorway. “Then we fake breaking up.”

“Kelly!” Annie gasped and tried to cover herself up, even though the bubbles already covered her.

“It's the best way.” Kelly said and ignored Annie trying, and failing, to recover the concealing bubbles her movements pushed away. “Dad will be happy and we can spread the word around and make sure it gets to everyone that needs to know.”

Annie gave her a sad look. “Kelly, you don't know what that will mean.”

“It will keep me safer, won't it?” Kelly asked.

“You, yes.” Annie said and turned her head to look at Arnold. “Arnold will be left alone and everyone will believe he's single.”

Kelly sighed. “I know; but, as long as he keeps his word...”

“He lives in a dorm full of women that are only kept at bay because he has a girlfriend.” Annie reminded her. “What is his life going to be like if they think he's single?”

Kelly caught her breath. “I... I didn't think about that.”

“No one but me does.” Annie said and lightly stroked Arnold's face. “My beautiful little boy can't be left vulnerable, even if it's only a ruse.”

Kelly sighed. “What do we do?”

“We keep going like we are.” Annie said and turned her head back to Kelly. “We'll try to have you over as much as possible, so that everyone will know you're still together and that I want you to be a part of this family.”

Kelly wasn't sure why that made her feel all warm inside. It wasn't like she hadn't known about it before. She looked from Annie to Arnold and saw that they were completely relaxed together, naked in a tub, and just holding each other. Then it hit her. She wanted that. That thing right in front of her. The relaxed comfort of someone that loved her so much that nothing else mattered to them except her.

Kelly walked over to the tub and knelt beside it. “Okay.” She said and took Annie's bubble covered hand. “I'll do what I can to be here as much as possible.” She smiled. “My father is going to be so sick of me making excuses to come over here that he won't even blink when I mention you.”

Annie snorted and then laughed. Her hand gripped Kelly's and she nodded. “We'll both do what we can to be here for Arnold.”

Kelly nodded back. “I'll go check on the groceries and leave you to your relaxing bath.”

“Thank you.” Annie said and let her hand go. “Ignore the melted frozen things, unless it's the chocolate ice cream. The middle should still be good.”

Kelly chuckled. “I'll try to rescue what I can for us to have later.”

“Good girl.” Annie said and smiled.

Kelly stood up and dried her hand off, then left the bathroom.

“How much did she hear of what we talked about?” Annie asked Arnold.

“All of it.” Arnold said and Annie looked surprised.

“A-Arnold...”

“If she had a problem with what I said, she would have mentioned it.” Arnold said.

“But... you said...”

“She knows we have no other choice.” Arnold said and hugged her close. “It's we deal with it or we deal with being attacked at random times for however long they are out there.”

Annie sighed and snuggled into her son. “I love you, Arnold.”

“I love you, too.” Arnold said and the two of them stayed in the tub for quite some time.

*

The next day passed quickly, much quicker than either Annie or Kelly wanted it to. Unfortunately, they spent the time together, because of the incident the day before. Arnold and Kelly couldn't sneak off to have sex or to play with each other.

Annie drove the both of them to the bus stop and parked. “I'm sorry I didn't let you hide somewhere today and have sex.”

Kelly gasped and Arnold smiled.

“Yes, I know you wanted to. I'm not ignorant.” Annie said with a smile that matched Arnold's. “I just... I wanted you both as close as possible before we were forced to be apart.”

“I love you, Mom.” Arnold said and leaned over to give her a light kiss. “If I'm not working, I can make Kelly scream in pleasure next weekend.”

“Arnold!” Kelly gasped and blushed hard.

Annie laughed and reached into the backseat to take Kelly's hand. “You know he says what he means.”

“Yes, but... that doesn't mean it's not embarrassing to hear it.”

“You need to get used to it.” Annie said and let her hand go. “I won't make Arnold change his behavior. He's been through enough in his life without me telling him to be quiet... which I will never do.” She reached over to cup the side of his face. “You keep saying the truth and I'll keep loving you with all my heart, just like I always have.”

“Thank you.” Arnold said and kissed the palm of her hand as the bus appeared at the end of the street. “I need to go.”

“We'll see you soon.” Annie said and Arnold got out of the car with his bag.

Kelly stepped out and gave him a kiss. “Bye, Arnold.”

“Bye.” Arnold said and walked over to the bus stop. He stepped onto the bus when it came to a stop and the driver greeted him warmly.

“Hey, kid. Did your mom like having you there the whole weekend again?”

“I saved her from being assaulted.” Arnold said.

“Jesus, kid! What happened?” The driver asked.

Arnold swiped his bus pass and sat down on the seat by the driver and told him the whole story.

“Goddamn.” The driver said and glanced at Arnold's face briefly. “I hope you made him pay for it.”

Arnold let a smile out on his face as he nodded.

“Good for you.” The driver said with satisfaction in his voice. They shared a light conversation for the entire two hour drive back to the college. It was something that the driver had come to enjoy during these long treks. He could talk or stay quiet as much as he wanted and his passenger accommodated his whims. “Well, good luck at work this week, kid.”

“Thank you.” Arnold said and stepped off the bus with his backpack. He crossed the deserted street, since it was pretty late at night, and went to the dorm building he stayed in. He took the stairs, because the elevator was quite loud when there weren't a lot of ambient sounds around to cover it up.

He entered his dorm room after crossing the completely silent hallway, and closed and locked his door. He stripped off his clothing and changed for bed, then laid down and stared at the ceiling. He had a few plans in his head that he would need to work out before he could sleep.

*

Kevin woke up in the hospital and didn't know where he was, just that it was dark. When he lifted a hand to touch his very painful face, his hand stopped after a few inches with a clink. He blinked his eyes and looked at his handcuffed wrist and sighed.

Fuck! Kevin thought, angrily. The rotten bastard beat me again!

“Kevin?” A woman's voice asked from the darkness beside the bed.

“Mom?” Kevin asked back and he turned his head that way as she leaned forward to give him a hug.

“Why?” His mother asked. “Why did you assault that woman?”

“I... I didn't mean to. I went there after Arnold and she wouldn't tell me where he was.”

His mother shook her head as she let him go. “Kevin...”

“He killed Brad and Jake!” Kevin said and she gasped.

“Kevin!” She said his name harshly. “Stop saying such nonsense!”

“Mom...” Kevin started to say.

“Jake was a tragic accident. They even showed the pictures in the paper. He fell and hit his head and his blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit.” Kevin's mother said. “I'm surprised he could even stand while being that drunk.” She caught her breath and sighed. “I guess he didn't, actually.”

“Mom...”

“About your other friend... no one has said anything officially about what happened with Brad... but... there are rumors.” His mom said, not really comfortable talking about it with her son. “He was... trying to... force sex on his supervisor.”

Kevin looked at her with surprise on his face. “Brad wasn't forcing it!”

His mom caught her breath. “You knew he was...” She shook her head. “You better keep your mouth shut if you know what happened to him.” She said in warning. “If the police knew you knew about it, I think they would have some very hard questions for you to answer.”

“Mom, it's not like that.” Kevin said. “They were...”

“I don't care what you think it was like between them.” His mom said and cut him off. “If you mention it to anyone, the trouble you're in now will be that much worse if they connect you to yet another crime!”

Kevin looked at the handcuffs that secured his wrist.

“I'm supposed to tell them when you wake up, so they can take you to jail.” His mom said and leaned back into the darkness. “Go back to sleep and I can pretend that you didn't wake up.”

“Mom...”

“At least close your eyes in case they look in and see you.” His mother said as she took his hand and he closed his eyes. “This may be the last bit of being outside that you... are going to have... for a while.” She sniffed and let out a soft sob, and Kevin felt really bad about making his mother cry. He didn't sleep a wink all night and neither did she.

*

Arnold got up in the morning, had a quick shower, and left his room. He greeted the girls in the hallway and they all said good morning back to him. He waved at Doris as he passed through the lobby and she waved back. She would have hugged him if she didn't have two students in front of her desk asking questions.

Arnold went to work and it was a normal day, so he had the lab set up quickly and sat to wait for everyone else to show up.

“Ah, good morning.” Professor Crenslav said as he entered the lab. “You always have everything ready for me. Thank you.”

“It's my job.” Arnold said and he laughed.

“You're very good at it, my young friend.” Hamil said and sat down as he took out his teaching notes. The other assistants entered and greeted them both, then assumed their positions before the students showed up. The morning passed quickly and Arnold ate lunch with Amy and her friends, like he did most days. He had the afternoon off, so he went back to the dorm building and Doris was still busy. He waved and went up the stairs to go to his dorm room.

Arnold greeted the girls there that were going back to class and they greeted him back. With no one else in the hallway, he entered his dorm and closed the door. He had books and a few periodicals to read for both Professor Crenslav and Professor Power, so he stripped his suit off to keep it clean and sat at the little table with just his underwear on to start reading

When classes ended for the day, Arnold stood up from the table and opened his dorm room door, then he made up a quick meal to eat for supper. He knew the girls would be coming back soon and opening their own doors, so he did as well, just so they would know he was there.

A short time later, Janet and Pam walked up the hallway and Janet stopped to open their dorm room while Pam kept walking and went right over to Arnold's room and saw that he was eating.

“Arnold, can I talk to you?” Pam asked and he nodded. She turned around and started to shut the door, which caught the attention of everyone in the hallway.

A few of them started to walk over to put their ears by the door to listen and Janet stepped in front of them.

Pam smiled and closed the door, then walked over to Arnold. “I'm sorry for the way I acted the other day.” She said and sat down on the other chair at the small table. “I know Janet already apologized for me; but, I wanted to say it myself.”

Arnold kept eating and didn't say anything.

“I was angry at you for something that I had no right to be angry about.” Pam said. “Like Janet said, it's your money and you can do what you want with it.”

Arnold nodded and kept eating.

“I'm sorry that I didn't help you... masturbate.” Pam said and remembered what he did with Janet. “If I'd known...” She sighed. “No, I can't make that excuse after the fact. I should have kept my word and I didn't.”

“Do I have to keep mine?” Arnold asked and looked at her.

Pam knew exactly what he meant. “Arnold, I... I would like for you to... but...” She sighed again. “No, you don't have to have sex with me first if you and Kelly break up.”

“Okay.” Arnold said and finished eating, then took his plate to the sink and washed it.

“Can I help you masturbate?” Pam asked, hopeful that she could still participate in some capacity.

“No.” Arnold said, because Kelly had told him that he couldn't do that anymore.

Pam stopped her sigh this time. “I guess that's fair.” She said and stood up. She gave him a sad look, because she was sure that she had messed up something that could have been great. “See you later.”

Arnold nodded and Pam opened the door.

“Thanks for running interference for me.” Pam said to Janet and the two of them walked down the hallway to their dorm room.

“How did it go?” Janet asked as she opened their door.

“About how I thought it would.” Pam said and they stepped inside to shut the door.

Arnold cleaned up his dishes and washed his hands, then went back to reading at the kitchen table.

Janet and Pam came out of their room a short time later. Pam gave Arnold a sad look and left while Janet stood in the hallway. She had a brief conversation with Cynthia from the room next to hers and they left together.

Arnold kept reading until Janet made an appearance.

“Hi, Arnold.” Janet said and closed the door of his room. “I'm sorry about Pam.”

Arnold looked up from his book and didn't say anything.

Janet sighed. “I know, it doesn't mean much, does it?” She asked and unbuttoned her jeans and let them fall to the floor. “I didn't realize for a long time that actions speak louder than words.” She said and pulled off her t-shirt, then she unhooked her bra and took it off before she slipped off her panties. “So, here I am, Arnold. Look at all of me.” She said and slowly turned around. “I'm here to offer this to you.”

Arnold raised his eyebrows at her, which was his equivalent of a shout. “I have a girlfriend.”

“I know, and I know it's not really fair to say that you can have sex with me whenever you want.” Janet said and looked at the bulge in his underwear. “Your body knows I'm serious.”

Arnold's mind replayed what his mother had said about the girls in the dorm taking advantage of him if they thought he was single. He wasn't single and they were still doing things like this.

“I can't have sex with anyone else except Kelly.” Arnold said.

“I know.” Janet said and knelt by his side as her hands reached for his underwear. “We can still masturbate and...”

“No.” Arnold said and she froze.

Janet took a deep breath and let it out as her hands dropped. “I thought... with everything that...”

“I can't do that anymore. I don't want to be taken advantage of.” Arnold said.

“I understand.” Janet said and nodded. She stood up and pulled her underwear back on and then her bra. She thought about everything that happened and she had to admit to herself that it really had been too good to be true, just like she thought. When she was fully dressed, she turned to look at him. “We... we can still be friends, right?”

“Yes.” Arnold said and she nodded again.

“See you later.” Janet said and walked over to his door.

*

“What do you think they're doing in there?” Cynthia asked in a whisper. “Janet's been in there for a while.”

“The door's locked, too.” Emily whispered back.

“How do you know... never mind.” Cynthia responded. “Do you think they're... you know...”

“From everything I've heard, Arnold wouldn't cheat on his...” Another girl started to say when the door opened and Janet almost walked into them.

“Thanks for giving us privacy.” Janet said with a roll of her eyes and ignored their surprised faces as she walked through them. She had to get to her room and start on the homework that she needed to get done for the next day's classes.

Arnold went back to reading and ignored the group of girls that slowly dispersed and went back to their rooms. He made it through the book from Professor Power and he looked forward to her lesson tomorrow to show her that he had learned it. He also had to tell her that he couldn't help her masturbate anymore and he wasn't sure what she was going to say about it.

He went to bed that night, slept well, and got up the next morning. After a quick shower and dressing in the suit set aside for that day, he went to work and it was another fast morning. At lunch, he ate with Amy's friends again.

“I'm tempted to invite you over to my house to watch a movie.” Cissily said, completely out of the blue. The other girls just stared at her.

“I have an appointment with Professor Power after supper.” Arnold said.

“Oh, that bitch!” Cissily said angrily and the girls at the table laughed. “If she wasn't so good at her job, people wouldn't tolerate her 'holier than thou' attitude!”

“You just can't stand that she's got milky white legs that go on forever.” Maxine said with a grin. “While your thunderous black skinned ones...”

“If you dare try to finish that fucking sentence, I'll cram my fist so far up your hoohah that you'll be able to taste my fingers from inside your mouth.” Cissily said in a deadly voice, and the other girls laughed.

“I don't think that's physically possible.” The black woman with the dreadlocks said. “It's a great threat, though.”

“That's the point.” Cissily said and they laughed again. They all ate their food and shared conversation that was practically meaningless to anyone except them, since they referenced things that only they knew and used some slang that was also a local variety and wasn't common knowledge. When they were done, Cissily turned to Arnold.

“Any night you want to come over and visit, you let me know.” Cissily said.

“Hey, what about us?” Amy asked.

“You bitches can come, too.” Cissily said and squinted her eyes at them. “Unless you decide not to.”

Maxine laughed. “Uh huh. You let us know when he takes you up on the offer and we'll see if we're available to join you.”

Cissily nodded understanding, because she knew they would pretty much tease her relentlessly if she did tell her friends to fuck off when Arnold came over. If he came over. She corrected. I hope he comes over. She thought and looked at him. “I'll see you tomorrow.”

Arnold nodded and left the cafeteria. He took instruction from Professor Crenslav in the biology department for the afternoon, ate in the cafeteria for supper, and went to his appointment with Professor Power.

Felicia couldn't hide her reaction to seeing him after him being away all weekend. “Arnold, I'm so glad that...”

Arnold handed her the book. “My girlfriend said that I can't help you masturbate anymore.”

Felicia gasped and put a hand over her mouth. “You... did you tell...”

“No. She said I can't masturbate at all, now that we're having sex.”

Felicia let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank god.” She whispered and then went to the shelf of her favorite books. “This is the last book and our private sessions were soon going to come to an end anyway.”

Arnold took the textbook called 'Masters Of Chemistry' and it was several inches thick. After he read it, he would have all of the important knowledge that she could teach him, besides some miscellaneous information.

Felicia was both proud and sad about that, because he had learned so much from her in such a short time and she wouldn't feel his wonderful tongue between her legs anymore. Her biggest regret was that she hadn't wrapped her body around his magnificent manhood when she had the chance. Only getting to suck on it seemed to pale in comparison, now that she thought about it.

Arnold stayed there for an hour as she asked him a bunch of questions about the previous book and then he left her to go back to his dorm. Doris wasn't busy and he went over to her.

“Hey, handsome.” Doris said and gave him a quick kiss. “How was work today?”

“Fast.” Arnold said. “This is the last chemistry book I need to read, too.”

“Good for you!” Doris said and pat his shoulders. “You're going to find it odd with having some evenings free.”

Arnold shrugged and she chuckled.

“You are the last one for roll call, so I'm heading home. If you need anything, my house is just off of campus. Call me and I'll come running.” Doris said and then laughed softly. “Well, I'll come walking. If I ran, I wouldn't be much help to you afterwards!”

Arnold nodded and bent down to give her a hug. He buried his face into her cleavage, just how she liked it, and Doris hugged him tenderly.

“You're a good boy, Arnold.” Doris said and he let her go. “Goodnight.”

Arnold gave her a three second kiss. “Goodnight.”

Doris smiled at him and they went their separate ways.

Arnold went to the elevator and rode it up to the top floor. Most of the doors were closed and he walked down the hallway. No one reacted to him passing by until he reached his dorm room and Emily came out from the room next to his.

“Arnold.” Emily said as Arnold unlocked his door. “If... if I asked you to have sex with me right now, with no strings attached and your girlfriend wouldn't find out, would you do it?”

“No.” Arnold said. He didn't say that he didn't want to be taken advantage of, because he was sure that she knew that. She listened at his door a lot.

Emily took a breath and let it out. “All right.” She said, sadly. She stepped back into her room and slowly closed her door. She had tried too many times, all unsuccessfully, to gain his attention. This last attempt was too blatant of a rejection for her to think that Arnold would ever pay her any attention. She had no clue that wasn't how Arnold's mind worked.

The rest of the week passed by and Arnold was quite busy and didn't really have to avoid the advances from the girls because he didn't have the time to do anything personal all week. The girls had seen and heard, about Pam's, Janet's, and Emily's failed attempts at trying to get around Arnold's girlfriend restrictions. A lot of the girls had taken Janet aside individually and grilled her over what she and Pam had done to have Arnold react differently to them.

Janet wasn't stupid enough to tell them what had happened and she also didn't try to get Arnold alone to apologize again. Emily had freely admitted to asking him directly to have sex and he refused, so they all accepted that he loved his girlfriend too much to ignore her, or break up with her, just for them.

When Arnold did have spare time, he sat at the kitchenette table in his underwear and read the biggest chemistry book that any of the girls had ever seen. He never spoke, either. He quietly sat there and let them see him in just his underwear, a constant temptation for them, and someone they knew would probably always be out of their reach.

On Friday afternoon, Arnold was dressed nicely and had his backpack packed, then rode the bus all the way back home. He then took the local buses to the street a few streets away from his own and walked the rest of the way. He didn't see Detective Tanner's car or a patrol car anywhere. He also quickly went around the house and looked for anyone waiting for him. No one was there.

“I'm home!” Arnold said loudly after he opened the front door.

There were two shouts of surprise and then Annie and Kelly ran out of the kitchen and almost tackled him. They didn't bother taking turns hugging him this time and just held each other and him at the same time.

“If you didn't realize it Arnold, we missed you.” Annie said and Kelly laughed softly.

“How was work?” Kelly asked. “I hope they aren't doing too much for you to handle.”

“It's easy.” Arnold said. Once he had seen the different setups a few times, he could recreate them for any biological sample the students would be working on.

“I'm very glad to hear that.” Annie said. “Come into the living room and tell us all about what you did this week.”

“Okay.” Arnold said and dropped off his backpack in the hallway before going with them and sitting on the couch. Annie sat on one side of him and Kelly sat on the other, both cuddled in, and listened to what Arnold went through all week. The chemistry book was a chore to listen to and Annie's eyes glazed over, which made Kelly laugh.

“Maybe a little less specific content when it comes to things like that, unless it's just me. I understood most of that.” Kelly said.

Arnold nodded and filled in the rest of the things he did. He said it was mostly a normal work week and nothing specific happened to stand out.

“Well, that's good in a way.” Annie said. “I just wish the professor was pushing you to learn more.”

“I've read almost everything he has, even the periodicals.” Arnold said. “I'm refining my techniques when he instructs me during some of the afternoons.”

“Then you're getting all you can out of him that he's willing to teach you, then.” Kelly said and a beeping sound came from the kitchen. “Supper's ready.”

“Kelly did most of it herself.” Annie said, proudly.

“Annie told me what to do.” Kelly said as the three of them stood. “We prepped everything and it's been slow cooking since this morning.”

Arnold nodded and the three of them went to the kitchen and sat down to eat a tasty meal of chicken and vegetables.

“Say, why don't we go to the movies?” Kelly asked. “We haven't done anything like that yet.”

“I guess that's my cue to get out of the way.” Annie said with a laugh.

Kelly shook her head and put a hand on hers. “I said 'we', not Arnold and I.”

“If it's your first date, you can't expect me to go along.” Annie said.

“Prom was technically our first date.” Kelly said with a grin. “Do you really think having a couple hundred other people along and then a bunch of friends eating afterwards made any difference to us?”

Annie had to laugh at that. “All right, you don't have to twist my arm.” She touched Arnold's hand. “That's a verbal cue and not to actually be done physically.”

Arnold nodded.

“We better get changed.” Kelly said and stood. “I'm not going out looking like this.”

“What's wrong with casual slob?” Annie asked, because she was wearing a near identical outfit of jogging pants and loose t-shirt.

“Nothing... if we were staying at home and cuddling Arnold. No one else gets to see me like this.” Kelly said with a smile.

Annie snorted. “Okay, that's a good point. If anyone else was going to be here instead of you two, I would at least put on my comfy jeans.”

“You found another pair?” Arnold asked, because he knew she lost most of her clothing because of the house incident. The small amount she managed to save was still partially contaminated and had to be thrown out. Once fabric absorbed some fecal matter and rotting compost, there was almost nothing that could save it, no matter how many times you cleaned and washed it.

“I did and they are really comfy!” Annie said and led them out of the kitchen. “I'll put them on tonight and show them off.”

“You're not going to wear them for the movie?” Kelly asked.

“Oh, no. My comfy jeans are for house relaxing only! When they go on, I am doing absolutely nothing until they come off!” Annie said with a big grin as they went up the stairs.

“Is that why I've shown up twice this week and you let me putter around a few times to do things for you?” Kelly asked.

“Yep! My comfy jeans sucked you right in and you never even noticed! Ha ha!” Annie laughed.

Kelly laughed as well and they split at the top of the stairs. Annie went into her room and Kelly and Arnold went into their shared room. They changed into their 'going out' outfits, which both Kelly and Annie helped Arnold with, and they left the house.

They drove to the next town to go to the theatre there, just so they wouldn't have to deal with potentially running into one of Brad's friends. With Kevin in jail, they were sure that they would be that much angrier than they had been before.

They spent some time looking at the movie posters to decide on what to watch. Annie picked one with a boat and several small fins in the water.

“That one looks good, as long as Arnold covers my eyes when appropriate and covers my mouth when I scream in fright.” Annie joked. “Oh! And have your arm squeezed tightly for the jump scares, too.”

“Me, too. I don't really like horror that much.” Kelly admitted.

Annie reached over and pat her arm. “Trust me, it's so much better when you have Arnold there watching out for you.”

Kelly nodded and they went inside. Annie paid for the three tickets and the action reminded Arnold about Pam and the argument they had.

“Mom, teach me how to tip properly.” Arnold said as they walked towards their theatre.

“Hmm?” Annie looked at her hand and the change she had just slid across the counter. “All right.” She said and then she taught him about giving a percentage of the bill, then varying the amount of the tip by the quality of the service and the food. “If you're not sure about most of that, just give fifteen percent. Oh, and make sure that they didn't already include the tip on the bill.”

Arnold nodded.

“I'm glad he didn't ask me that.” Kelly said with a laugh. “I had no idea! I just leave a couple dollars.”

“The tip I gave might have been more, if we hadn't eaten at home and we had to get popcorn and drinks.” Annie said and they entered the slightly darkened theatre.

“I hope it's not too scary.” Kelly said as they walked up to the row of seats in the middle of the room and then sat down in front of the screen. They were all alone and talked about what they could do tomorrow as they waited for the movie to start. No one else came in as they realized they should have gotten the popcorn and the drinks for later, then the movie started.

Annie and Kelly let out appropriate squeals of terror at the first jump scare and Arnold did his best to cover their eyes for them. Annie peeked around his hand and clung to Arnold's arm when she expected the next jump scare, then smiled when she saw that Kelly didn't even try to look at the screen.

We'll get you used to it, now that we're going to be doing this more often. Annie thought and went back to watching the movie.

When it was over, Kelly nearly shouted 'finally!' and made Annie laugh.

“That was great!” Annie said when they left the theatre. “If I could pronounce the name, I would try and remember it when it comes out for sale.”

They walked back up the hallway to see the theatre lobby was crowded and there were three people behind the concession stand to handle the crowd.

“It looks like we were lucky and just missed the afternoon rush.” Annie commented and they walked by the mass of people. They left the building and hopped into the car, then they drove around for a bit to wait, for some reason. Arnold didn't ask and Kelly gave Annie a pointed look, then they both nodded.

About ten minutes later, Annie pulled into a nice restaurant that she had found online. She had booked a table, just in case, and the three of them went inside.

“A table for Strickland.” Annie said to the host.

“Yes, right this way.” The man said and led them over to a small table at the side of the room. “I'll send the waitress right over.”

“Thank you.” Annie said and they sat down. “I booked ahead in case it was busy.” She said. “I hope the food is as good as the reviews said.”

Arnold nodded, because he assumed she wanted a response. The waitress came over to them and delivered the menus as she gave them a quick rundown on the specials for the day.

“The fish fillets do sound good.” Annie said and browsed the menu. “Is it a platter or do I have to order french fries separately?”

“It's a huge platter.” The waitress said and held her hands over a foot and a half apart. “Believe me, you get your money's worth.”

Annie chuckled. “All right, you convinced me. A fish fillet platter for me.” She looked at Arnold. “Any preferences?”

“If the platter is that big, we should share it.” Arnold said.

Aw, that's so romantic. The waitress thought and did her best to not gush about it, even though he had two pretty girls at the table.

“That's a good point.” Annie said and looked at the back of the menu. “Um... in case that not enough, let's get a nice appetizer.” She said. “Potato skins or nachos?”

“Nachos help make friends.” Arnold and Kelly said at the same time and Annie laughed.

“Nachos it is.” Annie said and nodded to the waitress.

“Anything to drink?” The waitress asked as she took the menus back.

“We didn't have anything at the theatre, so we should get something with the food.” Annie said and both Kelly and Arnold nodded. “Root beer and no ice, please. Three glasses with straws.”

“I'll be back with your appetizer in a few minutes.” The waitress gave them a huge smile and left. “Arnold, I wanted to talk to you about Kelly.” Annie said without any preamble or building up to it.

“Okay.” Arnold said.

“I'm giving you permission to enjoy yourselves in your room only. I don't want to ever walk in on you in the kitchen or in the laundry room because the washer is on.”

“Annie!” Kelly gasped and blushed.

“Hey, I'm a healthy woman. I've sat on it a few times.” Annie said and Kelly blushed a little more. “It's a poor substitute...”

“Not... for me.” Kelly whispered.

Annie blinked her eyes several times and then chuckled. “Wow. Arnold said you were sensitive.”

Kelly let out a choking sound and ducked her head.

“You don't have to be embarrassed.” Annie said and took her hand. “I wish I could get off that easily.”

“I... you...” Kelly looked at her face and kept blushing. “It's both good and bad.”

“I can imagine.” Annie said and let her hand go. “I just want you to know that I've always tried my best to be direct as possible with Arnold. If I can't, I always explain why I can't.”

“But...” Kelly looked at Arnold and back at Annie. “He's your son and... well...”

“I love him with all my heart. I always have.” Annie said. “You're going to be a huge part of his life now and I want you to know that unlike your parents, I want you to be comfortable about telling me everything.”

“E-e-everything?” Kelly asked, shocked.

Annie laughed at the look on her face. “No, not specific details. I don't need to hear about how much you like him sucking on your nipples or something.”

Kelly let out another choking sound and Annie laughed.

“I know you're going to have sex, and I'm okay with that.” Annie said. “If there's something you're nervous about or curious about, you can tell me.” She looked at Arnold. “That goes for you, too.”

“Okay.” Arnold said.

The waitress came over to their table and dropped off their nachos and cheese. “There you go.”

“Thank you.” Annie said and looked at Arnold and Kelly as they all started eating. “You have a month before you'll be living together permanently at the college and I'm going to do my best to make sure that the two of you are as comfortable with each other as possible.” She looked at Kelly. “That includes your time of the month and your regular cycle.”

Kelly blushed again and nodded.

“Good. Don't hide it. You tell him when you're irritable and he'll know to not do anything to annoy you for a couple of days.” Annie said and looked at Arnold. “When Kelly menstruates, give her affection like quick hugs and kisses if she wants them. She most likely won't.” She chuckled. “You should never try to have sex with her, though. If she's sensitive normally, during her period she is going to be impressively irritated if you try touching her there.”

“Annie!” Kelly gasped and her face went very red.

“Believe me, after you've had sex, things change down there.” Annie said. “Most of it for the good, because it feels wonderful at the time. The downside is that it gets tired occasionally and the normal bleeding you've been used to since your period started, could be a lot less or a gushing amount. You won't know what it will be until it starts.”

Kelly closed her eyes and sighed.

“It's all right. I'm here.” Annie said and pat her arm. “Now you know why I said that you should get used to talking frankly with us.”

Kelly opened her eyes. “My dad would be apoplectic right now.”

Annie laughed softly. “You're not far from that and you're as level-headed of a girl as I've ever met.”

The main dish arrived and the three of them dug into the fish and fries platter. Their moods improving slightly as the food was consumed. Arnold had been right about it being lots of food and the three of them barely finished off the platter and the nachos.

Annie sat back and looked at her son and smiled, then nodded at Kelly. She waved to the waitress and the woman disappeared into the back. A few minutes later, she came out carrying an elaborately decorated birthday cake and two other waitresses walked behind her. They gathered around the table and sang a very subdued version of 'Happy Birthday' for Arnold, then they put the cake down and left.

“Make a wish and blow the candles out.” Annie whispered.

Arnold closed his eyes and blew out the candles. When he opened his eyes, there was a large wooden box in front of him. He looked at his mother with wide eyes.

“Go ahead and open it. It's from Kelly and myself.” Annie said.

Arnold popped the clasp and opened the wooden lid. His mouth opened slightly in surprise at what was inside. He had never seen anything so beautiful before.

“We talked to Professor Crenslav on the phone and he said that this was the best and most extensive tool set for a dissection specialist.” Annie said, her face slightly red, because she had gotten exactly the response from him that she wanted.

“Mom.” Arnold whispered and resisted the urge to rub his fingers over all of the gleaming tools inside the box. He stood up and went to her side of the table. “Thank you.” He said and bent down to give her a kiss. He only held it for three seconds as he kissed her like he kissed Kelly, because in his mind, she deserved it. He knew not to push it, though. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Annie said, her face bright red, because that wasn't a response she had expected. At all. She couldn't say anything with them in the middle of a restaurant, either.

Arnold went to Kelly next and he saw the surprise on her face. “Thank you.” He said and then he bent down to kiss her for six seconds, making her moan a little. “I love you.”

“I-I-I love y-you, too.” Kelly said, her face bright red as well.

Arnold went back to his seat and sat down, then stared at the contents of the box. After a few minutes, he closed it and hooked the clasp, then he smiled at the both of them.

“I think... I think we can skip cutting the cake for now and take it home.” Annie said.

“Okay.” Arnold said and waved to the waitress. She brought over a cardboard box for the cake and gave Arnold the check. He took out enough money for the meal, did the math in his head, and took out some more money.

Annie motioned at the cake and subtly pointed upwards and he nodded. He showed her how much he was going to tip and she nodded, so he kept them separate and handed the bill with the money on it to the waitress, then he held out her tip in the other hand.

“Oh! Thank you very much, sir!” The waitress said as she accepted the money. “I'm very happy that you enjoyed the food.” She packed the cake in the box for them and handed it to Arnold. “I hope you come back to eat here again.”

Arnold looked at his mother, who shrugged, so he didn't say anything. He, Annie, and Kelly left the restaurant and climbed back into the car with the cake and the wooden box in the back seat, and drove back home.

It was an evening full of scares, shocks, and surprises for all three of them.

*

The next day, they cut up the cake and went to all of the neighbours to hand out several pieces to each of them. Annie thanked them for their help last week and for being there for them, while also promising to do the same for them if anything ever happened. They were all touched by her sincerity. The cake was delicious, too.

Arnold spent several hours with his mother and Kelly, just hanging out on the couch and talking, then Annie suddenly remembered that she needed groceries to replace some of the ones she lost the week before.

“I won't be gone as long and I will call before I come home.” Annie said and stood. “Arnold, when I call, go out and search the yard and the yards nearby.”

“I do that every time I come to the house.” Arnold said and she nodded.

“All right. I'll see you later.” Annie said and grabbed her keys. Just before she stepped outside, she leaned back in to look at them. “When you're done this time, either make the bed or shut the bedroom door, so I don't see the evidence.” She said, teasingly.

Kelly made a choking sound and Annie laughed as she stepped out and shut the front door.