First off, I finished my round of edits and re-reading on Chapters 1-9. They have been updated on both Ream and Vella, so anyone with access over there can read the revised versions now.
I’m also pleased to report that I’ve got 1500 words of Chapter 10 written, which means it’s a little bit past the halfway point. My chapters in P4 tend to be around the 2500-3000 word mark. So, I’m going to share a little treat: the setup to the next big group scene.
The no-spoiler update here is that Phil and Faye have just spent a wonderful night together, and have called over Faye’s friends to drive them to her place in the country. Things are about as normal as Phil Young’s life ever gets – which is to say, he’s about to get a whole lot of women pregnant.
Faye found an empty box and put the perishables from the refrigerator into it, then I carried it out as we went out the front door. Ernesto and Berta’s vehicle, a sensible mid-sized four-door SUV, was parked in the driveway.
My attention was focused on watching Ernesto get the rear hatch open, when it should have been on the street behind me. I set the box of perishables in the SUV, then turned around to discover that my life’s path hadn’t really changed much.
I was surrounded by a ring of tall, athletic college women wearing Dashburn University logos on their shorts. I looked around in puzzlement, and another couple of stragglers jogged up to the group and stopped, joining the ring. I’d apparently been surrounded by a college running team practicing in this neighborhood while I was distracted loading the SUV. So I stepped away from the vehicle and began to edge my way towards the house. I wasn’t sure quite what would happen, but whatever happened should do so as far away from the busy street as possible.
“Can I help you, ladies?” asked Berta. And they ignored her.
“Ladies, can I trust you not to make a mess if you come inside?” I asked.Faye was ahead of us – she was already opening up the front door to the house. “There’s going to be an even bigger mess outside if you don’t take care of it inside,” Faye warned.
“Fine – follow me,” I told them. The ones standing between me and the house got out of my way and followed behind.
Berta, back at the SUV, was astonished and whacked Ernesto’s shoulder in disbelief. “Nothing to say?”
He blinked and turned back to her. “I’m sorry, what?”
I lost track of their conversation as I made my way into the house, then led the girls to the bedroom. A quick glance behind me showed that every college guy’s dream was happening – the girls were leaving a trail of clothes behind them. Most of them were stripped down to a sports bra and underwear, but a couple had already stripped topless. One of them about halfway down the line managed to trip herself trying to get her shorts off, and created a pileup that looked like a game of strip Twister gone horribly wrong. Or right, depending on your perspective.
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