Taking Root
The tailgate on the dirty green pickup drops with a clunk, and the girls line up to get their trees, two by two. Up in the bed of the truck Maddy’s mom Mrs Wheeler puts her heavy canvas gloves on over her petite hands. Together she and another ranger-guy named Lee, who has square shoulders, square jaw, and a square flat-top haircut hand the saplings out. Once in hand, the pairs of Scouts head down the slope to find a spot to plant them.
It’s a glorious day on the mountain, even more incredible than Nicole hoped it would be, and she’s kind of wandering around in a happy daze. The sky is an enormous cloudless bowl of brilliant blue overhead, and even though it’s late morning, this high up the air is still crisp. And it smells so wonderful! Clean air and pine and cedar and that earthy scent of freshly turned dirt. The mountainside they’re working on today was clear cut not that long ago, so they have an unobstructed view of the valley and the hills beyond, a silver ribbon of river (that everyone calls a creek for some reason) wriggling through the basin. The hillside opposite them is a patchwork of brownish, stubbly logged acres, other areas of light yellow-green reforested land, and the deep velvety green of rich old forests and their carpet of evergreens.
She sometimes forgets what she’s doing, just staring at the majesty of it all. Until Amber nudges her or coughs pointedly. Amber grew up here, but she’s still being a good sport about Nicole’s amazement.
Nicole comes back to herself and Amber hands her the shovel so she can have a turn digging. The soil’s loose and a little damp, it sticks to the blade, but it’s not very hard. Plus Amber’s doing about two-thirds of the work and doesn’t seem to mind.
Amber’s one of those super sporty girls who just seem so capable and good at everything. If Amber acted any different, Nicole would be tempted to call her a tomboy, but she’s all girl. There’s none of that angry competitiveness, boasting or looking down at people who don’t play. Amber told her it’s because she has two older brothers. “Believe me,” she tells Nicole, “they have all that stuff covered.”
“What’s it like, having brothers?” Nicole asks when Amber straightens from shoveling.
The girl shrugs, thinking it over. She takes off her baseball cap, tosses it aside, and pulls the tie out of her ponytail. It’s hard for Nicole to tell the color of Amber’s thick shoulder-length hair, it’s so sun-drenched it’s equal streaks of blonde and brown and gold, all these different colors. She wipes her brow with the back of her dirty hand, leaving a smear, but really the dirt is only slightly browner than her very tan skin, then she kind of squints at Nicole and asks, “What’s it like not to?”
Now it’s Nicole’s turn to shrug.
But before she can answer, Amber waves her hand. “Just kidding. I mean, they’re both a lot older. Brad’s fifteen and Caleb’s in college or surfing in Costa Rica or whatever, so I hardly ever see him any more. I mean they’re boys, and they’re older, so they’re gross as shit sometimes, and sometimes they’re mean or whatever, like bullies. But then, they taught me so much, and really helped me get good at these things I do now, I’d never be able to do any of that without their help. So it’s a mixed bag, I guess.”
As Amber takes the shovel and returns to digging, Nicole says, “Well I guess it’s nice that your brothers taught you to be good at sports and stuff, but… I dunno. My sister Abbey can be a total brat, but I think I’d rather have her than two big brothers picking on me all the time.”
“Is she here?” Amber asks, looking around.
“Yeah,” Nicole points. “She’s over with the Acorns, in the kinda peachy dress.” Abbey’s standing off to the side of where three of the youngest Scouts – Astrid, Joy, and Penny – are working as one big group to plant their tree. There’s this one green uniform surrounded by little brown ones, and that’s Britt, the youngest member of the Seedlings, she just turned 9 in June,. Combing her thin brown hair back from her eyes, she looks every which-way, helping them and kind of herding them at the same time. Britt’s still really close to the Acorns, and they look like they’re hanging on her every word.
She’s even trying to get Abbey involved, but Nicole’s seven year old sister stays back a ways and touches her face nervously. She cranes her neck to watch them work, and is obviously peppering the Acorns with questions, but Nicole’s pleased to see that Abbey’s not getting completely underfoot. And it’s kinda nice to see her so interested in the Forest Girls; maybe she’ll join.
Amber shields her eyes and watches Abbey for a moment. “She’s so cute,” she says. “I’d rather have sisters too. Why do you think I joined the Scouts?”
Nicole smirks, “The uniform?”
Amber returns the smirk, takes a step back, and shrugs, waving her free hand at the baseball outfit she’s wearing, the jersey with its three-quarter sleeves, and those really snug fitting pants that are kinda like pedal-pushers, only with a little stripe down the leg. Amber’s got a game this afternoon, so she’ll have to leave early. At least her team’s colors are green and white, so she still kinda looks like a Scout.
The outfit really shows off that even though she’s just twelve, she’s starting to get boobs and hips. Nicole’s really impressed by Amber’s body, has been sneaking peeks at her since they first met. She’s so fit! Fawn may be graceful, but Amber’s athletic. At first it was just admiration, but now, since she’s kissed Lena, there’s a funny feeling that’s even stronger but harder to describe. Amber’s uniform only makes Nicole think about it more.
“Ugh, everyone’s got a uniform they want me to wear,” Amber says, and rolls her eyes. “I like the days where I can just wear some old shorts and a loose crop top.”
“It’s my only one,” Nicole says, a little defensively. “I like it.”
“But it’s cool ’cause, like, you do all that stuff on your own, reading books and being smart and whatever.”
“I dunno, not that much.”
“Compared to me, yeah.” Amber jabs the ground with the shovel. “Lena tells me you two read all these neat books together, like mystery stories and books about teen wizards. I think I’d like reading, if it was books like that. I tried reading my brothers’ books, but they’re all about war or dudes with swords and like princesses chained to rocks or whatever.”
“You… you wanna read with us? The same stories?” Nicole can’t keep the surprise out of her voice. Amber can surf and play baseball and soccer and even does crazy things like rock climbing and shooting arrows. Does she really want to sit around and read the Babysitter Mysteries books with her? She can’t believe that such a capable girl would want to do the same nerdy things that she does.
Amber hears the tone and her head ducks down a little, suddenly self-conscious. She gives Nicole little darting glances as she replies, “Sure. I guess. I mean, yeah. If that’s okay.”
Seeing Amber get so shy makes Nicole feel this big shining ball of pride in her chest. She’s good at something! So she says, “Yeah, okay. And maybe… someday, you can take me to the ocean? I’ve driven past it but still never went in.”
Amber smiles, her white teeth bright on her tan face, and her eyes squint and to Nicole she looks exactly the way she imagines a ‘California girl’ would look. Pretty and healthy and super mellow.
“Cool,” is Amber’s response.
They’re quiet for a second as Amber scoops out a little more dirt. There’s some high pitched, distressed shrieking up the hill a bit and Nicole looks over. Fawn and Cassidy are dancing around like someone’s shooting at their feet. Robin and Tara drop their shovels and dash over. A moment later, Robin darts down and comes up holding a little black snake just behind its head. The other girls take a step back, amazed and frightened, even Tara grabs her sister Fawn’s hand in surprise. Robin just carries it over to the edge of their work area. Nicole sees the snake wrapping around her arm as she heads away, but Robin might as well be carrying a cup of tea, she’s so casual.
Amber chuckles. Her laugh is low and a little rough, almost boyish. It makes her seem older. “Wow.”
“That’s amazing! She’s not even scared.”
“That’s Robin for ya. It’s like there’s nothing she can’t do.”
“She’s practically a grownup.”
“She’s seventeen. She’s been a Scout since she was an Acorn, way before Katie was Tender. You know, she’s got every badge you can get? Not just the normal ones, but the impossible ones too, like Judo and Snorkeling and Trailblazing. Every last one.”
“Wow,” Nicole says, but it gets swallowed up in a sudden yawn.
“Yeah, you sound totally impressed or whatever,” Amber responds with some good-natured sarcasm.
“Sorry,” Nicole giggles, embarrassed. “I’m still a little sleepy.”
“Here,” Amber offers her the shovel. “You finish. Maybe it’ll wake you up.” Nicole dutifully takes it and continues digging.
They got up before sunrise to get here. Mom followed Sophie’s car in the train of vehicles headed up. Abbey snoozed curled up on Nicole’s lap most of the way, and with her drowsy warmth nestled against her, Nicole had dozed off a couple of times, too, even though she wanted to see this wild new landscape unfold as the morning mist evaporated.
They’d driven north for a while, then turned into the rising sun on a narrower winding road that led them up and up. Finally they’d turned onto a dirt road that went up even more steeply, the occasional switchback revealing the line of vehicles in front and behind them. Then they’d come to this clearing, and despite the fact that they’d only been driving for an hour, they might as well have been on another planet or back in time or something.
But here they were, and everybody’s here, even people who aren’t Scouts or their mothers or sisters. Both Katie and the Greenbergs brought their RV’s, and now they’ve got their awnings rolled out from the side and both their grills out and all these folding tables set up and most of the grownups are laying out what’s going to be a marvelous picnic.
All the Scouts have been paired off to work in teams to plant the the little trees. Robin teamed up with Fawn’s big sister Tara, two of the oldest girls in the troop. Fawn naturally got with Cassidy. Hanna was with her bestie and newly-minted Sapling Lori. Britt was supposed to be paired with 7 year old Penny, but was somehow now in charge of Joy and Astrid, too. The only Acorn not with Britt was Heather, who strangely enough was working with Estela, a Sapling who at 14 was twice her age. The two of them adored one another, though; Nicole had seem them together often.
Nicole was hoping to be working with Lena, but Jenny swooped in as soon as they all got there and claimed her. For a minute, she just stood there, feeling set adrift, and it must have showed because Lena immediately hopped back and took Nicole’s hand.
Her deep brown eyes very big and serious, she begged Nicole, “Don’t be mad, okay?”
She squeezed Lena’s hand back and said, “But, I just… I thought we could talk about, you know, what happened yesterday…” In truth, she hadn’t been able to think about much else. She’d played with herself under the covers last night, even though Abbey had tossed and groaned next to her, she couldn’t help it. Her puss was still tender and ready to be touched again, and she’d hoped they’d be able to sneak off and have another affirmation.
But Lena just glanced around, “We can’t talk about that here anyway. It’s a secret, remember?”
Nicole just shrugged and looked at the ground, “I guess.”
“Jenny misses me, Nicole. We’ve been friends forever, since her mom took over the troop. And I haven’t seen her much, ’cause I wanted to spend time with you. But we always do planting together, it’s kind of our thing.” She paused, trying to catch Nicole’s eye. “Please don’t be mad?”
She looked back at Lena, and then at Jenny with her blonde pigtails, waiting a little impatiently. Jenny gave her a chummy smile, and Nicole managed a grin. Because she really did understand now. They weren’t leaving her out, they just wanted to be together, too. It was just disappointing. “It’s okay.”
Lena’s seriousness turned into a beaming, grateful smile, “You’re so nice! I wish I could be with you both!” Then Jenny called Lena and they scampered off. Nicole sighed, trying to be grownup about it, but she missed Lena anyway.
Still, she’s been partnered with Amber, and that’s pretty cool. Nicole’s been as interested in the twelve year old as much as she’s been intimidated by her. And now it turns out that they have stuff in common! Maybe the girl athlete admires her nerdiness as much as she admires Amber’s sportiness. It’s kind of awesome. Things are going so well that she wonders if Katie might have planned it this way.
She wonders a lot about Tender Katie, how much she might understand, how much she might know. She seems to be able to guess how different girls are going to get along, and what mood they’re in, almost like she can read their minds. It seems like she knows Nicole, too, even though she’s so new.
Nicole wonders about other things when it comes to Katie, too. She knows from the other Scouts that it was Katie who made up the affirmation, and the rule about the troop not wearing panties with their uniform. It seems like her Tender is almost guiding the Scouts to their private parts, acknowledging what nobody else will, not even her Mom.
It’s weird, but Nicole feels like she could never talk to her Mom about all her new, wild feelings. But maybe, just maybe, she might confide in Tender Katie about them. She’s seen that Katie’s own daughter Jenny is really candid about her privates – Nicole’s seen Jenny’s muff, and on the very first day, too! Katie must know about all that, and the fact that Katie and her daughter get along so well makes Nicole think Katie would accept what’s happening with her, too. And even though Nicole’s pretty sure she’s paying too much attention to her tingly puss, she imagines that Katie might understand her weird urges and pleasures, and not judge her too much.
As she and Amber unwrap the root ball on their little seedling, Nicole scans the picnic area until her eyes settle on Katie, who’s organizing drinks for the thirsty Scouts. Sadly, no strawberry limeade this time. She’s stacking cups with Fawn’s mom Mrs Kirkpatrick (her first name’s Mary, but she isn’t casual like Katie or Sophie), and it’s kind of fun to watch Katie from a distance, unobserved, just to see the way she laughs or moves her shoulders, or how the loose bits of her blonde hair catch the sunlight. She’s pretty, but it’s hard for Nicole to just look and appreciate most times because Katie seems to see everything.
And at just that moment, Katie looks right at her. Nicole’s heart skips, and she looks back down at her busy hands in the burlap. Together, she and Amber lift the seedling and lower it into the whole they’ve dug.
“Do you have another vitamin packet?” Amber asks.
Nicole starts patting the pockets on her shorts, “I think so.” But after a few seconds of patting, she’s way too aware that she’s got nothing on underneath, just her smooth happy muff, waiting for attention. She’s still not used to not wearing panties; it feels thrilling and kind of naughty. So she just shrugs.
Amber nods to Hanna and Lori working just a little downhill from them. “Vitamins?”
A few seconds later Lori tosses Amber a foil pouch, which she passes on to Nicole. Carefully tearing it, Nicole pours the slightly smelly liquid all around the hole before they start filling it in. According to Mrs Wheeler, the nutrients help the seedlings from getting shock from being planted, and help it to take root in the new soil.
They’re so busy pushing earth back around their little tree that they don’t hear Lori coming up until she’s right behind Amber. For someone so confident, she sure startles and squeaks like a little girl.
Amber’s sun-washed hair swishes as she swings around, “Ah! What?”
Lori comes even a step even closer, standing wide as she stops, her green explorer shorts seeming very short on the thirteen year old’s long lean legs. It looks like she’s not wearing socks with her boots. She says, “That wasn’t free, you know.”
Both girls look at her blankly.
“You owe me for that packet I just gave you.”
This makes Nicole nervous, but Amber just shrugs and asks, “What do you want?”
Lori replies, “One of you should girl-heart me,” but she’s looking right at Nicole as she says it.
Nicole tries to break Lori’s gaze, but she can’t manage it, and she gets really worried. She hardly knows Lori, only talked to her a couple of times during crafts. Lori’s on a different level, and the Saplings tend to keep to themselves. What does she have to tell her? She was afraid a moment like this would happen, somebody calling her out, and proving that she doesn’t belong. Her hands flutter, but she can’t make a peep.
Amber doesn’t seem to notice her turmoil, but she still comes to her rescue. She holds out her hand for Lori to take, saying, “Fine,” like it’s no big deal.
For her it probably isn’t.
Lori obligingly pulls her to her feet with a little heave, and the two girls look at each other for a moment without talking, like they’re sizing each other up. Lori’s almost a full head taller than Amber, but the younger girl is much more fit. Lori looks almost willowy by comparison, her long, wavy brown hair bunched at her collar by a wide clip and fanning halfway down her back, her delicate eyebrows and features seem very feminine next to Amber’s tan skin and strong jaw.
“How do you want it?” Amber asks, almost like a challenge.
Lori chuckles in response and steps in, and when her hands move to hold Amber’s waist she copies the older girl and then they’re holding each other like it’s a slow dance back at school. But there’s no romance between them. They both lean in giving the other cheeky smiles and Lori says, “You first.”
Amber cocks her head, then the two of them meet, touching foreheads and staring into one another’s eyes. There’s a little pushing back and forth, and both girls chortle as their heads are forced back and then surge ahead. Nicole’s reminded of nature shows where deer lock antlers, but those were boy deer, and they’re both girls.
Nicole glances over to Hanna as Amber starts to whisper to Lori. It’s too private to watch, even if she can’t hear what they’re saying. She’s hoping that she might get a clue of what’s going on. Any confidence Hanna might’ve shown at the pool has vanished, she anxiously runs a hand through her spiky blonde hair, and then wraps one arm across her tummy, holding her other elbow. She watches the girl-hearting with an almost plaintive expression. Whatever’s happening is bothering Hanna as much as it is a mystery to Nicole.
Amber finishes and lets Lori force her back as the older girl bites her lip and smiles. One hand rises from Amber’s waist as Lori gives her cheek a brief, surprisingly gentle caress, then it drops back into place, and the staring contest resumes.
Hanna shifts uncomfortably. Nicole feels like she’s dithering, just kneeling there like a ninny. Lori starts to murmur after only a few seconds of girl-hearting time, which seems like bad form by what Nicole’s seen, but what does she really know? She sees Amber’s mouth open in a big, shocked smile after only a few seconds more, and a few seconds after that, the younger girl’s hands flit off of Lori’s waist, and in a flash physically shove Lori back away from her.
“No way,” Amber chuckles, her eyes shining with something brash. “Nah-ah!”
“Why not?” Lori challenges, recovering her balance. “Since when do you mind?”
Turning back toward Nicole and stepping away, she says, “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?”
Behind them both, Nicole sees Hanna silently nod in agreement.
“That’s not what I feel like today,” Lori replies dismissively, and turns her attention back to Nicole, giving the scrappy twelve year old a wide berth as she saunters over to where Nicole’s still kneeling next to her planting.
Her heart is in her throat as she watches Lori approach. She’s not tough like Amber, she doesn’t even know what’s going on. What is she going to do?
“Hey,” Amber protests as the thirteen year old draws up to Nicole, but Lori doesn’t acknowledge her.
She swaggers to a stop, unnervingly close, in that same wide stance, less than a foot away with her shorts right at Nicole’s eye level.
“I hear I really missed out, not making it to your little pool party last week.”
Craning her head to look up at Lori, unable to control how much she’s blinking, Nicole responds, “It wasn’t a party.”
“Still. You made quite an impression. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to see you.”
“I thought you already knew how to swim.”
“I do,” she says, and she’s starting to do this thing, where she’s swaying her hips slowly, subtly, back and forth, like an elusive dance that reminds Nicole of a cobra.
“Then I don’t get it.”
Lori leans down a little. Her face is pretty, heart-shaped and delicate, she has rosy cheeks, but there’s something in it that’s not pretty at all, like there’s someone else inside. “I’m a good swimmer. I could teach you. Would you like that?”
“I dunno. Maybe?”
The teenager’s wide pink lips curve in a sly grin. “Maybe we could have a lesson today.”
Seemingly far away, she hears Hanna saying, “Come on, Lori…”
Despite her nerves, on some level Nicole feels herself getting annoyed with Lori and all her riddles. “I don’t think there’s any water around, is there?”
“We could pretend,” Lori offers, “we could go find a field and pretend it’s water and I could show you how. You’ve got a daydreamy kind of face, Nicole. I’m sure you make believe all the time.”
That feels like an insult somehow. She starts to feel very alone and under the spotlight, like she’s being forced to go along with something… she doesn’t even know what, or else get pushed out. This is what she was afraid of all along. That she wouldn’t figure things out fast enough, that she wouldn’t really fit in, and in the end she’d just be the butt of jokes that only they understood.
She feels a lump in her throat and her eyes start to well up. She doesn’t want to cry, it’s so stupid, but she can’t think of anything to do that won’t be wrong.
Off to her left she hears a voice bark, “Hey, Lori, what the hell are you doing?”
“Oh Robin, why don’t you go earn a badge?”
“Leave her alone. She’s not even a Scout, you know the rules.”
“I think she can make up her own mind.”
“No, she can’t. Look at her, she doesn’t even know what you’re talking about. What’s gotten into you?”
“Nothing. That’s kind of the problem.”
“Just cut it out,” Robin says, and Nicole finally turns to see her standing nearby with an exasperated look on her face.
“Or what? Are you going to tell?”
Robin’s jaw sets at that and she starts toward Lori, decisively closing the distance. “Yeah Lori, I am telling. I’m telling you. Knock it the fuck off.”
By then she’s standing nose-nose with Lori, staring into the thirteen year old’s eyes, and it’s nothing like girl-hearting. Lori’s visibly shaken by this turn of events, and quickly gives up trying to match eye contact, looking down and away, trying to make it look casual, like she wanted to do that.
Robin tells her in a low voice, “You are out of control today. You could mess this up for everyone, acting like that. So you’re gonna go with Hanna, and you’re going to do whatever she wants. She’s a year younger than you, but still more level-headed. You’re running around acting like a hot and bothered brat.”
Lori’s lips and jaws work, but she doesn’t say anything. When Hanna comes over and takes her hand, she lets herself be drawn back downhill to their own planting.
From a safe distance Lori looks back over her shoulder and says, “You’re not Wonder Woman, you know? You can’t stop me. Keep pushing til you get what you need. You taught me that. Remember?”
Robin spends a good moment with her arms crossed, looking very unimpressed down at Lori. The girl refuses to notice, suddenly focused on her seedling. Then suddenly Robin’s demeanor changes and she turns around and says to the girls, “Good job with that tree. Come on, let’s get you another one.”
Amber takes Nicole’s hand and easily pulls her to her feet, Nicole grabs the shovel and they walk alongside Robin back up the hill, passing the other girls working away. Some of them watch them pass, wondering about the drama from a moment before, but most are too busy. Fourteen year old Estela’s on her knees facing seven year old Heather, their hands are crusty with mud, and they’re wiggling claw-like witch hands at each other, making funny monster faces, and giggling wildly.
“Sorry about Lori,” Robin says evenly, “she was out of line.”
Nicole has no idea how to respond to that, so she just nods like she gets it.
But Amber chimes right in. “What’s with her? She’s getting as bad as Jenny or whatever.”
“She’s spending too much time with Jenny,” Robin pronounces. “That’s where she’s learning it from. If she and Lena weren’t so happy over there, I’d throw Jenny at Lori just to calm her down.”
“She was so rude and bossy, especially to Nicole,” Amber complains. “That’s not cool. Maybe we should tell.”
Robin’s head tilts, as if she were weighing the possibility. Then she tells her, “Don’t be too tough on Lori. Thirteen’s not an easy age. You’ll see.”
This seems to give Amber pause, and Nicole takes advantage of it to glance up at Robin. Her hair is nearly the same color as Nicole’s, though it’s mostly under the beret, just two braided pigtails dangling to her collar with yellow rubber bands tying off the ends. She’s got high cheekbones and full, pouty lips, and her expression always seems calm and alert and just on the verge of having fun.
It occurs to Nicole that she rarely sees Robin participate in activities with the younger Scouts. If what Amber says is true, and she has every badge already, then why should she? She mostly seems to help Katie and the other moms when things are going on. She’s just kind of in the background, but always there whenever something special is needed. She feels another wave of admiration for the TallTree, the oldest in their troop. For a second, she imagines that she could turn out to be like her, and it gives her this happy, inspired feeling.
“You know, there’s an open spot down there, next to where Tara and me are working,” Robin says, pointing. “Maybe you can come down and plant there, if you want.”
Amber and Nicole exchange a glance, and they both shrug at the same time, as if to say, why not? But Nicole’s sure they both secretly know that Robin wants to keep an eye on them. And that’s okay.
So they get another tree from the green pickup and plant it just down the hill from the oldest Scouts. Then they plant two more. Where they’re working now is closer to Lena and Jenny, and she sees them chattering and joshing and basically acting like besties. She still feels a little pang of jealousy at that, but it’s softer because she likes seeing Lena so happy.
She remembers Amber and Robin mentioning Jenny before. Like she’s trouble, or a bad influence or something. But Jenny’s never been anything but nice to her, even if she keeps her distance a little. A lot of the things she does are still confusing to Nicole, but the other Scouts seem to understand just fine. It’s another part of being outside. She thinks of Jenny secretly showing Nicole her puss that first day, and it makes her wonder. Jenny is Tender Katie’s daughter after all. Maybe she knows more secrets than the other girls do. Maybe that’s why they haven’t grown closer, so that Nicole won’t accidentally find out.
Now she really wants to talk to Jenny. But it’ll have to wait.
While they’re working Britt comes over, her three little Acorns trailing along like brown-uniformed ducklings – Astrid with her mischievous narrow eyes, eflin features, and cloud of curly angel white-blonde hair; Joy the wild, free, chestnut haired moppet; and Penny, looking chipper with her freckly face and sandy colored pixie cut. And following a little ways behind is Nicole’s little sister Abbey, looking very unique and colorful in her peach colored sundress.
She and Amber straighten and take a rest as the younger girls approach.
After Britt just looks at her shyly for a moment, Nicole offers, “Hey Britt. Everything okay? Is Abbey bugging you too much?”
Britt grins and looks down and replies, “No, no, everything’s fine. I just wanted to, um, ask you something?”
“Sure,” she says, trying to catch her eye, get her to look up, make her feel less awkward. Though she’s perfectly comfortable with the Acorns and knows all of them really well, Britt is still new to the Seedlings, and obviously anxious about them. Nicole can’t imagine why Britt would be nervous around her – she not even a Scout, let alone a Seedling.
Her effort works and Britt meets her eye. She has these sleepy-lidded hazel eyes, a long, straight nose over a little mouth set in a round face framed by short, mousy brown hair. If Nicole hadn’t met Lena, she would’ve thought Britt was plain. But looking closer, she found the new Seedling has a gentle way that made people feel comfortable, that she hugs people at random, that she’s probably read more books than Nicole, and that when she smiles, it’s like dazzling and the whole world seems good again.
Britt gives her the hint of one of those smiles now. It’s heartwarming. She asks, “I was just wondering if, um, you know when they’re gonna make you a Scout?”
“Nope. Lena’s Mom thinks it’ll be soon, but Katie hasn’t said anything yet.”
Britt looks off to the side when she says, “Well, I think you should.”
“Thanks.”
“And when you do, do you think you could, um… that we could, you know, hang out?”
Nicole giggles softly at what seems like a silly question. “Of course.”
Shrugging, Britt tosses her short hair and glances at Amber, then faces Nicole again. “It’s just, um, we would both be new, you know? I’d be a new Seedling and you’re, like, new to everything. The Seedlings are different than Acorns. They do different stuff, they expect different things. It’s um, more challenging. Everyone else seems good at it, but you know it’s like they all came up together. I’m the only one my age. I was thinking we could, like, help each other out?”
“Figure things out together? Like that?”
Britt gives her the first genuine smile of her visit and melts Nicole a little. “Yeah! Yeah, just like that.”
Nicole reaches over and squeezes the younger girl’s shoulder. “Well, let’s wait to make sure I get in first. But if I do, I’d for sure hang out with you. You may feel new, but I don’t know anything.”
The nine year old nods as she thinks that over. “Yeah, I guess that’s true. I could help you too.” That seems to make her happy. Britt smiles again, almost laughing, then she steps forward and gives Nicole a quick hug.
Chuckling as they part, Nicole just goes, “Thanks!”
“Let me know when you, um… know. Okay?” They nod at each other, then Britt says, “We’ve gotta go get another tree.”
She waves the Acorns forward, and it takes their usual second before they notice and follow. When Abbey traipses by, Nicole touches her arm and tells her, “You be good, okay?”
“I am, jeez. I’m just looking.” She rolls her eyes and skips ahead to catch up.
Amber and Nicole shrug at each other, and go back to work.
After that fourth planting, it’s early afternoon. A breeze comes up the valley, but it’s warm and getting hotter. Almost as if by telepathy, all the girls wrap up their work and head up the hill to the RV’s and the tables. By now they’re piled with chips and veggies and sandwich stuff. Katie and Astrid’s mom Miss Kristanson are on one grill, making hamburgers and hot dogs, and Mr and Mrs Greenberg are on the other grilling shrimp and barbecue chicken legs and these little cornbread patties.
It’s quite a crowd all of a sudden, everyone gathered around tables piled with fresh cut veggies and crackers and potluck salads. She lets Amber go ahead to make up a plate and check in with her mom, while she decides to round up Abbey, just in case her kid sister needs help serving up. A little before everybody came together for the picnic, she saw Britt leading the Acorns into Katie’s RV. Seems like they might still be inside, and Abbey might be there.
Everyone’s crowding the tables and the grill, so under the awning by the door it’s deserted but still noisy. Nicole tries the door, but it’s locked, won’t even budge. She thinks about knocking, but decides to circle around instead. Maybe there’s another door she doesn’t know about.
As she gets to the far side, the bulk of the vehicle blocks out most of the sound from the picnic, and she can hear noises coming from inside. It’s little girls, giggling like they’re being tickled, and making other cooing and awww-ing noises like somebody’s showing them a puppy. But that’s not quite it, there’s something funny about it. Listening to it makes her tummy flutter.
Turns out there’s no door on this side after all. But there’s a stump next to the RV. Nicole climbs up, and by standing tiptoe on it, she can see through one of the windows, even though the miniblind inside is mostly slatted shut. As her eyes adjust, she sees something that makes her heart race. There is a little girl reclined on a wide bench just before her inside. Her head is out of sight below the edge of the window. All Nicole can see is that she’s resting on her elbows, her little body exposed with her unbuttoned shirt laying to her sides. Her shorts are nowhere to be seen and her chubby mound is visible as she waggles her calves and feet over the edge.
Nicole trembles, thunderstruck. She takes a sharp breath as she cranes forward, trying to see more. Seeing a young girl without her clothes on is such a surprise, unbearably exciting. She’s so small, six or seven, her nipples just these cute brownish points on these tender pads of satiny flesh, her soft round belly with its adorable navel, her plump smooth thighs jostling. She feels so sneaky but she can’t look away. There’s something like hunger in her, stronger than just curiosity even though that’s part of it, too.
The carefree naked girl, swinging her carefree legs, now lightly scratching her tummy, is part of the secret. The things the girls do when no one’s around is part of a secret. What Lori wanted to take Nicole away and do is part of the secret. The affirmation Lena showed her is part of the secret. And how it all makes Nicole feel, that soaring, hot, quivering feeling, is part of the secret. It’s only now that she notices the she has one hand between her legs, gingerly cupping herself over her shorts, her muff throbbing as if it called her hand there without her knowing. She can’t resist, and after casting a look up and down the length of the RV, she squeezes herself.
Her tummy knots up and her legs shake so bad she almost falls off the stump. She catches herself and, leaning one hand to the side of the window frame, she looks back in. Gazing at the nude body of the mystery Acorn, hearing those strangely excited little girl noises from somewhere inside the RV, she squeezes herself again. The rush of hot yummy feelings is so much better than just using her imagination. She’s being so naughty, so naughty, and then she squeezes again and it’s even better.
Then, two things happen.
First, she recognizes the tickling, giggling groans of one of the girls inside. It’s Joy, Cassidy’s little sister. And the reason she knows is that she remembers those sounds from when she accidentally spotted her and her mother among the windblown sheets behind their house.
And second, someone else comes into view in the same state of undress as the Acorn on the seat before her, except her unbuttoned shirt is green and her hair is short and mousy brown. It’s Britt. Nicole freezes, wondering how easy it would be to get spotted, even as Britt moves to face her and come closer.
But the young Seedling’s sleepy eyes are focused on the girl on the seat. With another of those sunshiny smiles, Britt reaches out, and the girl eagerly sits up and takes her hand. It’s Penny, with her pixie cut standing up in funny directions after pressing against the back of the seat for so long. Nicole has a perfect view of Penny’s sweet little bottom, her cheeks pale and round and riding high.
The two girls get close enough to embrace but instead kind of sway like they’re dancing, giggling and talking low to each other. Penny puts her forehead against Britt’s and they start girl-hearting, but while they do it their hands wander all over each other’s bodies, caressing and tracing their childish curves. Whatever they’re whispering gets interrupted a bit by the sighs and yummy noises they’re making.
An alarm sounds somewhere deep in Nicole’s mind, but it’s getting drowned out by the crashing feelings of pleasure and wanting that surge through her. She keeps squeezing herself watching the girls do their sensual dance, it’s so pretty, so nice to look at them. She’s still shaky and her tummy keeps clenching. When she lets out a helpless sigh, her breath fogs the glass.
The girl-hearting ends, and without breaking eye contact, Britt takes Penny’s hand and draws her further into the RV and out of sight, to where she can hear those other girl voices, giggling and tickling and making sounds of delighted surprise.
As soon as they’re out of sight, the dismay in her starts forcing its way to the front. And when it gets to the point where it’s conscious thought, it’s only two words: Where’s Abbey?
There’s something akin to panic rising in her. She’s so confused right now, her thinking and her wanting wrestling for control. That naughty feeling is rousing itself hotly all through her middle, enjoying the sight of such cute bare bodies, of those enticing, mysterious sounds, despite her protective feelings and what she knows is the right thing to do. She’s torn, worried about what might be happening to her little sister but at the same time feeling almost compelled to keep touching herself. Her hand’s still poised, her muff is steamy, and her body is singing that this is more important than anything.
But concern for her sister wins out, and the panic starts to gallop. Abbey might be in there doing who knows what! What if it’s something to do with their muffs, like she’s doing now?! If they’re looking at them, or touching them? Would that be good or bad or something else entirely? Does she want Abbey knowing about that, doing that? What would Mom think?
Her first thought is to run around the door and pound on it, demand to be let in. But that thought scares her, too. What’s happening inside is a complete unknown. It’s so much bigger and stranger than she’s ready to deal with.
She’s ashamed at what she thinks next. It’s so stupid, so childish. But she can’t help it. She wants her Mommy.
Continue on to Chapter 7