Ashley had one final bit of exposure she hoped to effect before turning off the light. She had walked slowly from the bathroom to the side of the bed ...in hope that she would have the courage to pull it off. As she stopped near the nightstand she reminded herself again that it was not some stranger that was watching, it was her step-brother who she had been living with for the last five years. With her back still toward the windows, Ashley unbuttoned the shirt and let it fall to the floor. "Oh my. He winked andbegan laughing again. I only smiled and waived him off, andcontinued to walk toward the girl.As I approached she looked up, "Good Afternoon!" I smiled."Would you mind some company?" She scooted over toward herside of the bench, "I figured you looked like you could usesomeone to talk to."She said nothing, but continued to read. I glanced towardher without actually glancing at her. She smiled slowly andremoved her glasses, "Okay... who put you up to this?" Sheturned her face toward. ”“Sorry, but I just couldn’t help myself.”“C’mon, stop fighting and have a drink,” said Amber, who had come out with a tray of frozen Margaritas.Tim was happy that the girls treated him like an adult and he never got drunk, only tipsy. They raised the glasses to bitchy parents and then sat around the table in the shade under a tree.After a while, Amber got up and took off her top before running to the edge of the pool and dove in. Tim followed her with his gaze and Marie caught him.“Hey, stop. Later, I aced the exam. I was so nervousbefore my first day of teaching that I instinctively put on the samebra and panties for luck. Guess they didn't help me as much that day asI'd hoped.Jamie smiled and reached over and held my hand. "Thank you for sharingthat with me. In a way, that was a very female thing for you to do.You've needed a BFF to talk to your whole life. Now you have one. Ofcourse that obligates you to listen to me, let me share my feelings andproblems with you. Ok?" I nodded.