Passions Unleashed

June North was already winding up for her next throw, saying, “That was for laughing at me, Lori Hunter.”

Lori ducked most of the next sloppy cannonball but was completely unprepared for June’s bold charge. When she saw the attractive young woman splashing through the mud at her, Lori’s eyes opened wide and she started to chuckle. The very feminine woman looked like a silent banshee, high stepping to no avail. Every one of her steps splashed black stuff up her bare legs, all over her yellow shorts, and even onto her face. Lori laughed harder and barely got her arms up in time as June barreled into her. She felt herself knocked backward several steps and then dragged sideways into the mud hole. With a huge splash, she sprawled flat on her back.

Meanwhile, Coach Olsen had sent Jodi Nelson back to see what had happened to the rest of her caravan. Jodi was jogging along the densely wooded, winding road, when she came to some short bushes. She could see the cars off in the distance and she saw June push Lori into the mud. Jodi started running faster, saying, “Damn her! And I’m so far from them!”

Unhurt, Lori started belly laughing as she sank deeper in the soft mud. Leaning back on her elbows, she tried to keep her head up out of the gooey stuff and her mouth shut.

June quickly sat on Lori’s stomach and, with both hands, dripped mud all over Lori’s chest. The look on June’s face gave Lori a déjà vu of Julie, several times at camp, when her pretty but dainty lover was trying to give her ‘what for’. Lori’s vision began to blur with tears as she laughed even harder. At the moment, June was not in any danger of being tossed off, because Lori was laughing uncontrollably in spasms. June took advantage of the young athlete and scooped a big glop up on top of Lori’s head.

Lori looked up at June helplessly through tear-filled eyes. She was too weak even to try to flip her off and realized how silly she must look.

Taking a quick look around and seeing no one, June smirked coyly and said, “I wonder how you’d look with a mustache,” and began drawing the black design on Lori’s face with delicate fingertips.

Her stomach muscles were still jiggling with giggles but Lori managed to take in a few deep breaths and concentrated on getting her strength back. She tried to stop smiling and she looked into the treetops past June’s face, instead of looking at her close up. In the distance, Lori could hear the others shouting and charging through the woods, so she concentrated on that.

June found herself momentarily hypnotized by Lori’s calm, determined eyes as the sun reflected in them a bit. For once, she could see under the long, thick black lashes. Those tiny brown flecks in her light green eyes really do keep changing color.

June watched as the mud running down Lori’s cheeks missed her deep dimples. The attractive dimples unexpectedly showed at times, even though Lori wasn’t smiling. June forgot to dab her anymore and just sat there thinking about touching Lori’s lips with her fingertips.

June forced herself out of her reverie and readied another handful of the black goop. “How about a beard?” she said with a little snicker and a smirk. June leaned forward and picked up a handful of sloppy black muck.

Lori, finally able to be serious, took one last deep breath and got ready to flip her tormentor into the mud. As Lori looked her in the eyes, June looked back with a strange look on her face. Lori hesitated and felt like June’s eyes were communicating with her deeply …right down …into her soul.

Suddenly June froze and looked toward the road. Lori looked, too.

Jodi was running right at them, fast, with rage and hatred in her eyes. Lori had a flashback of Lu, a girl at camp, once running right at her, the same way.

June started to get up and, putting her hands out toward Jodi said, “Wait!”

The lanky senior dove in the air, right at June’s shoulders. The young assistant-coach screamed as Jodi’s shoulder struck hers, full force. Jodi wrapped her arms around June and the force and speed of her run carried them both right over and past Lori. The two landed in the deep part of the mud with a gigantic splash.

Lori struggled up to her feet and with difficulty, trudged toward them.