Bookworm

Alexus Mitchell sat quietly behind the library information desk hoping no one would come up to her with questions. She desperately wanted to be back sorting and filing the returned books and straightening up the stacks. It was far more peaceful and she didn't have to worry that someone might be making fun of her.

And the poor girl had reason to feel that way. All her life, she had suffered from poor vision and had to wear glasses. Even as a child, before she entered kindergarten, she had to wear large, heavy-framed glasses because the optician had convinced her parents that children shouldn't be trusted with the more stylish, more fragile frames available. With Robert, her older brother, already a playground bruiser, her parents were easily convinced.

But the glasses had been the focus of Alexus' torment, torment far worse than most children endure from their peers. None of it took physical shape, not after Robert made the only boy to push her eat dirt.

However, the resulting verbal abuse - taunting and jeering - lowered the already shy girl's self-esteem to even lower levels. She made few friends and went straight home every day to watch cartoons and old sitcoms while eating junk food. She also buried herself in books - both for school and for her own escapism. But the lack of activity and the snacking, naturally, led her to put on weight. And this added another factor to the ceaseless childhood teasing.

Her parents didn't understand what was wrong with their little girl. But they had no idea of how much their little Alexus was the schoolyard joke. Robert did but couldn't seem to make their parents understand.

So he became the closest thing she had to a friend. He made sure no one hurt his little sister and even tried to stop them from picking on her. But he couldn't be with her all day since he was two grades ahead of her.

In high school, like all students, she was required to take physical education classes. Alexus hated them. Hated having to change clothes and shower with others. Hated having her roly-poly body on display for all to laugh at. Hated being unable to participate without looking awkward and clumsy.

And she still wore thick-framed glasses.

By this time, her parents finally seemed to understand that their love and her brother's love just wasn't enough to overcome the girl's engrained shyness. They tried to help her open up and feel better about herself. She vowed to try.

At her brother's urging, she asked about getting nicer glasses. Her parents agreed and she got an attractive pair of wire-frames with a new type of thin lenses that allowed her to see without the ugly glasses she was used to.

Robert also helped her to lose weight. He was on the varsity football and baseball teams and finally convinced Alexus to run with him every morning before school. At first, she hated running and hated her brother for putting her through the torture. But mostly she hated herself for being so fat.

In a few months, she was able to keep up with Robert easily as the weight melted away. She began to look like what she really was, a lovely young girl. The problem was, even with her new glasses, she couldn't see it.

By her senior year, she was not the outcast she had been. But her friends weren't the socially elite of the school or the jock set. She hung out with a small group that was a mix of average kids. She was still the quiet one.

Her brother, who was attending a nearby college, talked one of his former teammates into asking his sister to the Homecoming Dance. The boy was willing as he had no date and his old girlfriend had apparently dumped him for no reason.

And he thought he'd get some action from the lonely girl.

The night of the dance, Alexus came home in tears, her dress torn at the shoulder. Robert, home for the weekend, heard her sob as she told how her date tried to make her 'put out'.

Robert, who wasn't normally a violent or mean person, made sure his former friend couldn't play football for the balance of the season.

Alexus ended up going to the same college as her brother, a small state school about a hundred and fifty miles from home. She managed to get a private dorm room and then looked for a job to supplement the allowance her parents provided.

The college library was perfect. She loved it. She had access to all the books she could want. And her work kept her from having to deal with other students too much, something she naturally couldn't avoid in classes or the dorm.

She was hired back the next year, and the next. She majored in English Literature and minored in Library Science. The last was a concession to her parents when they questioned what she could do with a degree in English Lit.

And Alexus loved her work. She could see herself becoming a librarian in a big city where she could do the behind-the-scenes work and have access to any book she wanted.

Unfortunately, this day was not one of her happier ones. Several of the other student workers called in sick and she was assigned the information desk. Already she had to deal with the usual inane questions college students ask.

She tried to ignore most of the people going by simply by keeping her eyes glued to the book she was reading. It seemed to help weed out the people who really needed information from those who just wanted to play games.

Alexus glanced up when she heard some voices raised in discussion. She frowned, a library was supposed to be quiet. Even if this was not the library proper but outside the 'quiet zone'. Then she recognized the girls, all from one of the sororities. One was the reigning Homecoming queen, one the captain of the cheerleaders and the other was the student body representative to the school's Board of Regents.

That last one also happened to be in one of Alexus' elective classes: Mythology and the Origin of Heroic Fiction. Her name was Megan Watson. And she always managed to catch Alexus' eye when the shy girl happened to glance her way.

This time was no exception. With a smile and a small wave, Megan acknowledged Alexus' glance. Alexus' hand started to rise to return the gesture but she stopped when it was a few inches over the book in front of her.

Then, to her surprise, Megan dismissed her two friends and walked towards Alexus with a friendly smile on her face.

'Oh god, what does she want?' Alexus thought. This girl, while seeming to be friendly, reminded her of one of the girls in high school who managed to make her life miserable.

"C-c-can I h-h-help...you?" Alexus managed to ask, her eyes locked on the desk in front of her.

* * * * * *

Megan Watson was almost the polar opposite of Alexus Mitchell. She was happy and outgoing. Her childhood was fun and relatively carefree.

In grade school she made several friends, a few of whom she managed to stay close to through the years. She was president of the sixth grade class and a member of the Brownies then the Girl Scouts.

By high school, she had developed into a lovely young girl. She had bright, blue-green eyes and thick blonde hair with a natural wave to it. As she matured, her figure became curvaceous.

Megan liked to play outdoors and rode her bicycle for miles and miles. She also played softball - was even the captain of the junior varsity softball team in high school. She was co-captain of the varsity cheerleader squad. And Megan was either the president or at least an officer in several of the many after-school clubs her high school sponsored.

She wasn't picky about who she dated. She wanted to go out and have fun. If that meant a movie and Steak'n'Shake, great. If it was dinner in a restaurant and dancing that was fine too. She didn't care as long as her date was intelligent, friendly and attentive. And definitely not full of himself. She dated jocks, socials, brains, and even some of the geeks.

Megan always made sure the prospective date knew she was out to have fun and that she would not 'put out'. Here was where her life paralleled Alexus'.

On the night of her senior Homecoming Dance, her date didn't seem to understand that 'no' meant 'no'. As he pawed at her, she slapped him and jumped out of his car. The jerk followed her and she planted her knee solidly in his groin, the pain obviously excruciating judging by his expression and how quickly he fell to the pavement.

Becoming known as a virginal goody-two-shoes would bother a lot of people but Megan didn't care. She had needs just like everyone else but hers led in a different direction.

She knew she was different shortly after she passed through puberty. Her friends and she would sneak looks at Playgirl magazines but she found she preferred her father's Playboys.

Fortunately for a young girl dealing with lesbian tendencies, she was in an open-minded, loving family. Add to that the fact that her father's favorite sister, Aunt Julia, was out of the closet and Megan never felt that there was anything wrong with her.

She never announced her lesbianism to her family for several years but she did come out to Aunt Julia. Megan never considered sex with her aunt, nor did Julia look on the young teen as a potential lover. Instead, the older woman became Megan's support as she learned more about her interests.

Just after Megan turned eighteen, she had her first experience with another woman. A young couple had moved into the neighborhood. Megan and her mother went to welcome the newcomers. Megan and Cynthia became friends and Megan spent a lot of time over there. Steve, the husband, was away for months at a time and Megan helped keep Cynthia from being too lonely.

One afternoon, Megan came by. Finding the door unlocked, she walked in, as she often did. In the living room, she found Cynthia masturbating furiously. Megan found herself fascinated and turned on. She quietly watched as Cynthia brought herself to orgasm. Then she came into the room, startling and embarrassing the young bride.

They began to talk and soon, Cynthia was telling the young woman how she liked to masturbate when she was feeling especially lonely. She even showed Megan some of she and her husband's favorite adult movies.

Megan finally felt she could tell another person and revealed her personal preferences to Cynthia. Before the afternoon had passed, the two became lovers and Cynthia, an avowed bisexual, showed Megan just how wonderful sex, with a loving partner, can be.

They got together whenever Steve was out of town. Cynthia told Steve of their sessions but they never tried to coerce Megan into a threesome as Megan made it clear she wasn't interested in men sexually.

Surprisingly to Megan, Steve was very cool about that - as long as Cynthia told him, in detail, what the two women did together.

Their relationship continued until Megan left for college. It was a tearful parting but they both knew they would have wonderful memories. And Megan had the benefit of a tremendously exciting teacher. Cynthia joked that the college girls had better watch out when Megan came to town. She even gave her a t-shirt with the letters BWOC.

Megan laughed and replied, "It should be BLOC - Big Lesbian On Campus."

Megan also had one last major thing to take care of before she left. She told her parents about her lesbianism. And, as Aunt Julia had assured her, they were loving and supportive. And not a bit surprised. They just wanted their 'little girl' to be happy.

Megan had fun in college. She loved learning and also enjoyed the parties and clubs in the small farm town. And the local farmgirls as well as the female collegians gave her quite a crop to pick and choose from for her more earthly desires. And, even in that small, backwater town, she didn't have to bother with the facade of dating guys.

But the one thing she desired above all else was the special feeling of having one person who was both a lover and a friend and confidante. In three years, she had not found anyone who really filled the emotional void she felt since she and Cynthia had been lovers.

Then came the day at the library. She was there with some of her friends to study for midterms. At the information desk she saw the quiet girl who sat near her in Mythology.

Megan had been fascinated by the girl for the past two months - quiet, reserved but very cute. Megan couldn't help wondering what she'd look like with her hair down. That quickly led to her wondering how the little brunette would look when she came. Was she a moaner? A screamer? Or was she one of those rare ones who had quiet but intense orgasms?

Megan decided it was time to explore this. It would be challenging but she loved a challenge.

"I'll see you guys in a while. Gotta find out about a book I need," Megan told her friends.

She walked over to the information desk. The girl, who had been glancing at her, and even started to return her wave and smile, dropped her eyes to the book in front of her.

In a quiet, nervous voice, the girl asked, "C-c-can I h-h-help...you?"

* * * * * * Alexus finally raised her eyes, peaking at the girl in front of her over her glasses. The blonde was everything Alexus wanted to be: beautiful, outgoing, poised, graceful.

Megan, for her part, looked quietly at the girl sitting timidly in front of her. She had a quiet, natural beauty that really didn't require much makeup. Her eyes, dark brown, were framed nicely by her stylish glasses. And her dark auburn hair, though pinned up in a stereotypically tight, librarian bun, looked thick and lush.

"Hi, we're in the same class. I'm Megan Watson," she said, extending her hand.

Alexus took it quickly then let go, "I...I know. Uh, that is, I... My name is Alexus...Alexus Mitchell."

"That's a beautiful name."

"Uh, so...so's yours," Alexus said, her voice a hoarse whisper throughout the exchange.

"Thank you."

"Uh, what do you w-want?"

Megan was even more intrigued by this timid girl. She decided then and there that she was going to help Alexus break out of her shell. She wanted to befriend this shy beauty.

But, truth be told, if she could share Alexus' bed, all the better. She decided to test her new friend's reactions.

"Well, I saw that there are several books on Sappho. Do you happen to know which one is the best? Both about her and with samples of her poetry?"

Instead of finishing that thought, Alexus looked up again at Megan and was momentarily stunned by the girl's beautiful eyes. "Um, well...there isn't too much of her actual poetry left anymore. But there is a book..." Alexus turned to the computer terminal next to her and quickly typed in a request.

"Uh, h-here is... This book..." Alexus stopped when she realized that Megan couldn't see the screen. Then, when Megan came around the desk and leaned over Alexus, the brunette's mouth went dry.

Megan lightly brushed her breast against Alexus' shoulder in a move that most would consider accidental. She noticed the girl didn't wear perfume but she had a healthy, clean aroma that was infinitely sexier.

"Oh, yes, I saw that book. But it's checked out. Well, maybe I can get on a list to get it when it comes in?"

Alexus, conscious of the heat on her back where the girl's breast accidentally brushed her. glanced back and said, "I...I suppose so..."

"Can you help me with that?" Megan asked brightly. She still leaned over the other girl. She knew she was pushing it but there was something about Alexus Mitchell. Finally she moved back to the front of the desk - she didn't want to spook her.

She reached over and took the slip Alexus was offering and filled in her address and phone number. Then she smiled again and handed it back. "And here's my phone number.

"You can get me there just about any time. Or leave a message. Thank you, Alexus. Nice to finally talk to you too."

"Uh, yeah, n-nice to meet you, too," Alexus said quietly.

Megan smiled and headed towards one of the study rooms. Alexus sat there lost in thought. She could still feel the soft weight of the other girl's breast on her shoulder and smell her perfume. And her smile...there wasn't anything there but friendship and... What?

Alexus forgot the book in front of her, all she could see was Megan's face with that beautiful smile and those incredible eyes...

Those eyes almost had Alexus tell the blonde that she was the one who had checked out the book of ancient lesbian love poems.

* * * * * *

For two weeks, little changed. Megan always had a bright smile and a cherry 'hello' for Alexus when they saw each other before or after class. Alexus gave her a timid reply, somewhat afraid of the bouncy young woman again.

Megan was becoming disheartened. While she didn't expect the girl to just call her up out of the blue, she had hoped that Alexus would say something more than a grunted 'hi'. She had attempted to initiate a conversation but the girl gave mono-syllabic replies and grunts in response to Megan's questions and statements.

While discouraging, it also made the girl more interesting to Megan. And, the young blonde had to admit, sexier for some reason she couldn't quite pin down.

One Saturday afternoon, Megan was down in the Stacks looking for a particular book. As she wandered through the endless rows of books, trying to figure out the Dewey Decimal System, she caught a glimpse of Alexus, in her usual drab sweater and long skirt, down one of the cross aisles reshelving books. With a plan beginning to form, she headed for the shy brunette.

Alexus heard and saw Megan but hoped she wasn't coming over. She was scared at how she was reacting whenever the other girl was near. Her throat would go dry, her knees become slightly unstable and she felt a strange, tingly warmth between her legs.

"Alexus! Hi!" Megan said.

Alexus glanced at her then back to the cartload of books. She managed to mutter, "Uh, hi."

"Could you help me? This Dewey guy must've been a practical joker. I can't figure this system out to save my life," Megan chuckled.

Alexus looked at her and quietly said, "It's really very simple."

Megan smiled, "Well, maybe to you but I'm just a dumb blonde..."

"No...no you're not."

Megan smiled, "Thanks. I'm not but I am confused. I need to find this book..."

Alexus took the slip and nodded. "It's over here..."

The girl led the way through the vacant rows to the aisle in question. "Why..."

"Why what?" Megan asked.

"N-nothing."

"No, please. Ask me."

"Wh-why did you say you were a dumb blonde?"

"It was a joke. I know I'm not or else how could I keep getting the grades I do since I wouldn't be caught dead sleeping with any of our professors." Megan winked at Alexus as she added, "Well, not most of them anyway."

"I...I can't believe..." Alexus was turning bright red and looking around for something that could take her away from this very uncomfortable discussion.

"What? That I find a teacher attractive? Or that I find most of them not attractive?"

"Th-that you... At all!"

"Don't you, Alexus?"

"No. I don't think..." Alexus turned her back on her companion.

"How about Coach Johannsen?" Megan asked, picking the faculty member that the school paper named most eligible bachelor on campus.

Alexus shook her head. But whether she was shaking her head in amazement at the conversation or she was indicating the football coach wasn't attractive was impossible to deduce.

"What about Professor Mills?" Megan asked, naming their mythology instructor. And one of the most attractive female professors in the entire school. "Don't you think she's attractive?"

"I... Well, I suppose that... But I'm not..." Alexus felt her heart hammering in her chest. What was this girl trying to do? Why was she asking these questions?