year.
When Mikhail arrived in Ashland in late July he was completely out of his element. Here he was, a fast moving, big-city teenager stuck in a backwards hillbilly of a town. He didn’t care for any of the other boys. The girls were all drawn to him, although none of them could keep his eye―except one.
It was the last summer party before the start of their senior year when he met Rochelle. Her light brown skin and long dark hair, coupled with those green eyes made her an exotic beauty he just had to have. It wasn’t long before she was feeling the same about him. At least once a month they would hook-up at some party.
***
When the bell rang that Friday afternoon, Rochelle headed out to her car. “I’ll see you girls around seven after I pick up Mikhail.”
At home she found Chris at the kitchen table having an early dinner. Her mom had a basket of fried chicken and a plate of tamales sitting in the middle of the table, along with a large bowl of mashed potatoes and a plate of corn on the cob.
Rochelle ran a finger through the potatoes and stuck it in her mouth. Her lips puckered as she slowly pulled her finger from her mouth, winking at Chris.
Her mother slapped her on the ass and kissed her. “Keep your fingers out of the bowl. Sit down. Your father will eat later. Chris is on his second plate. Are you still planning on spending the weekend at Jennifer’s?”
“Yep, but I’ll be home Sunday morning before lunch.”
After she finished eating, Rochelle headed for the shower to get ready for the night. Behind the house a curious little friend of Rochelle’s sat in the tall grass. Her father and Chris were oblivious to his presence as they finished working out back. He always crept up to the back of the house through the tree line, then behind the wood pile, and quickly across the clovers and into the tall grass. Windows were plenty in the back of the house. He could always see Rochelle in her room because she never closed her curtains.
After a long hot shower, Rochelle stood in front of a mirror rubbing lotion on her legs, and then she saw him. She always enjoyed his little visits. It was unusual behavior for a rabbit. For four years she kept him a secret and named him Peter Rabbit.
Like he would always do, after watching her for a few minutes he would slip back into the tree line and disappear.
As she left the house, Chris met her in the drive with a small box. “I know this is your last senior bash and I want you to have a good time with your girlfriends, so I got you a little party gift. Pop your trunk.”
“Chris, what are you up to?” Excitedly, she popped the car’s trunk. “What is it?”
“Moonshine. Two gallons of apricot brandy and a gallon of white lightning. Leave it in your trunk behind everything until you get to your girlfriend’s.”
“Chris, baby, you didn’t have to do this. We got a bunch of kegs. Where did you get this?”
“Doesn’t matter. Now listen to me, baby girl. You can’t drink this like you do beer or that other lightweight shit you girls drink. This will knock you on your ass if you drink too much, especially the white lightning. The apricot brandy goes down smooth, so go easy with it.”
“U h, are you worried I might get sick and pass out? Will you come get me if I can’t drive home?” Rochelle started giggling as she teased Chris and leaned up to kiss him.
“Just be cool with this stuff. And don’t let your dad know.”
***
It was after seven when Rochelle and Mikhail arrived at the O’Dwyer estate. After everyone was settled in, Rochelle broke out the moonshine for some drinking games. The apricot brandy was a hit. The three couples ignored Chris’ words of wisdom and kept drinking. Mikhail was the only one drinking the white lightning.
Ideas started flowing through Mikhail’s mind. He had a lot questions that he wanted answers to, so he slowed down on the drinking. He let Rochelle keep drinking, wanting her as lucid as