End of August, north of Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite

"So who exactly is it you know that got us in to this incredible place?" Elliott asked with a grin as he looked around, taking in the incredible scenery.

Ruthie looked up from where she was staking down their tent. Around the clearing, five or six other tents were going up in similar fashion as the sound of hammers echoed around the campsite. Over at the cars, Pepsi and Gordon were unloading sleeping bags and coolers of food.

"The Van Derweide's uncle is a ranger here," she answered. "He's in charge of all the campsites, and this is an overflow site, one of the ones that they only open up if the ones in the lower valley fill up. It's one of the really nice ones, very isolated, with access to that lake, and he lets us come up here for free, every year, because we spend the day cleaning up the trails on the other side of the lake. Small price to pay, don't you think?"

"Definitely," Elliott answered before turning back to arranging the fire pit in the middle of the sandy clearing. He'd never seen such scenery before in his life, and had spent most of the drive through the park in stunned silence. Yosemite Valley was incredibly beautiful.

"Come on, guys, let's get the place set up by lunch so we can get the clean up finished by this evening," Gordon called. "That way we'll have all night tonight, all of tomorrow, and all day Sunday to play, okay?"

Everyone called out agreement and went back to their assigned tasks with renewed vigor.

Later that evening, as everyone took a well-earned swim to cool off after a long afternoon picking up trash and neatening up the trails, Ruthie put her arms around Elliott as they trod water in the comfortable water of the beautiful lake. The sunset dusk created a glowing picture on the surface of the calm water.

"I'm so happy you decided to come back from England to do senior year in Warren," she murmured, leaning in for a comfortable kiss. "I can't believe you did, though, when you had a chance at more work on the West End." She kissed him again as he slid his hands up her smooth, wet back. "Thank you."

"My pleasure," he responded, smiling at her. "There was no guarantee of work, anyway, and there's no harm in getting a high school diploma from an American high school, yeah?" He shrugged. "Feel free to thank me again, though, if you like," he suggested, puckering his lips as he leaned in with a smile.

Rughie laughed her beautiful laugh and kissed him once more, pressing warm lips into his, this time wrapping her legs around his hips under the water. Elliott lowered his hands to grasp her bottom, giving a little moan as he squeezed her and pulled her close.

"Fuck me, you're sexy," he gasped.

"Yeah, and I'm sixteen now, too," she reminded him.

"Oh, I know," he answered, leaning his forehead against hers, eyes closed. "Why do you think I suggested you pitch our tent so far away from everyone else?"

"Elliott, you naughty boy," Ruthie laughed, squeezing his hips with her legs, making him groan.

"Come on, everyone, dinnertime," someone called from the shore.

"Thank Christ," Elliott said with a laugh of his own. "Come on, jellybean, let's go eat some hot dogs and smores."

Dinner was set up buffet style, and everyone tore hungrily into the food that had been brought, including the wonderful salads prepared by Ruthie's pop.

"Oh god, Ruthie, what are we underclassmen going to do when you go off to college and we don't get this amazing chicken salad anymore?" someone moaned.

"I bet my pop could be convinced to make it for you, even after I'm gone," Ruthie responded. "He lives for this shit, you guys, you know that." She pulled out another large container. "Here, here's some fruit salad, too, we should eat it today, I don't know if it will last until tomorrow with this heat."

Through all of the pot luck dinner and the roasting of marshmallows, and the singing of songs after (someone had brought a guitar), Ruthie and Elliott were comfortably aware of each other, of where their arms and legs touched, of how her hair tickled his cheek, his eyes lingered on her form.

After they'd been sitting for a while, Elliott disappeared into their tent and came out with a blanket, which he floated around her shoulders and his, keeping his arms around her, so they could sway back and forth to the music as everyone talked and sang to the music.

"Wow, look at the stars," Elliott whispered, gesturing over their heads. "I've never seen so many. And what's that stripe?"

Ruthie looked at him to see if he was joking. "That's the Milky Way, idiot," she said with a laugh.

"What? Really?" Elliott asked rhetorically.

"If we leave the fire we can see even more," Ruthie told him, rising. "Come on."

They took the blanket and walked away, laying it down on the other side of the clearing. Elliott nearly fell down on it because he was looking up and got dizzy.

"Oh my god, this is amazing," he said, his voice quiet with awe. "I've never seen anything like this in my life!"

"Yeah, it's pretty amazing," Ruthie agreed, feeling pride of place over this national park which was practically in her backyard.

Eventually, however, their proximity to each other overcame even the natural beauty over their heads, and they began kissing.

"Um, Ruthie?"

"Yeah?"

"Shouldn't we be in our tent before we start taking our clothes off?"

"Oh. Good point. Let's go."

They rose and went back to the fire pit, hand in hand.

People had begun going to bed anyway, so they weren't too noticeable when they called out their good nights and headed to their tent.

"Most of them think we're already sleeping together, anyway, you know?" Ruthie said as she unzipped the tent so they could enter. "They have filthy minds."

"I wonder what gave them that idea?" Elliott asked with a smile as he zipped the tent closed behind him.

They unzipped their sleeping bags, opening up one on the bottom, and spreading out the other one on top. They lay down together and turned to face each other, both smiling like crazy. The inside of the tent was illuminated by the soft glow of the small electric lamp they'd turned on.

"Now that we're finally, finally going to do this, I feel kind of weird," Ruthie admitted, putting her hands to her mouth.

"What? You change your mind?" Elliott asked. He pulled her hands from her mouth, concerned.

Ruthie quickly shook her head. "No," she assured him. "But I'm a little worried, because what if you've built it up in your mind so much that it's disappointing? What if I'm disappointing?" she worried. "And you won't even be able to say so, you know?"

Elliott gave a comfortable laugh as he put his arms around her. "Unless you have male equipment under your clothes, which we've already established that you don't, it's impossible for you to disappoint me," he told her. "And at this point, honestly, I don't know if even that could disappoint me," he added with a chuckle. "I might be surprised, but I'd get over it quickly. Now kiss me, my beautiful jellybean--mm, god, the most beautiful girl in the world, fuck--"

Ruthie leaned in and fastened her lips to his, lips that were already hot and swollen with desire for the boy next to her. He could feel her pebbled nipples through her bra and shirt, and he had to tell himself that this was her first time, that she wasn't going to want him to just rip her clothes off and take her.

He reached up under her shirt to the warm, smooth flesh of her waist, loving the narrowing dip of it, how it flowed from her hips up to her ribcage. Knowing that they didn't have to stop tonight was messing with his head, making him feel high.

Ruthie sat up and pulled her shirt off so she was sitting in front of him in just her black lace bra, the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"Jesus, Ruthie," he whispered.

He sat up himself, and she grasped his shirt, lifting it over his head, revealing his thin frame, leaning in to kiss his neck, leaving him gasping.

Elliott could see that her bra had a front closure, and he reached with both hands to open it, loving the way it sprang open to reveal the soft roundness on either side, lifting the lace away to reveal the twin globes. He leaned down to kiss first one side, then the other, loving the gasping noises she made as her head tipped back, loving how her fingers wrapped in his hair and began to tug.

He laid her back on the sleeping bag, aware distantly of the whispering of the wind in the trees and the calling of the night birds in the woods that surrounded them. He could also hear their friends talking and laughing as the campsite shut down for the night, though no one was close enough to hear them.

"Ruthie, you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he murmured, smoothing her hair away from her face.

She looked up at him, blinking smokey eyes, love and trust shining in them as she wrapped her arms around his back. She took a deep breath, making Elliott close his eyes at the feel of her wonderful, soft breasts brushing against his chest.

"I love you, Elliott," she breathed. "I love you."

"Love you back, so much, so much," he told her. He leaned in to kiss her, deeply and long, losing himself in how hot and wet her mouth was, in the feel of her tongue touching his. She rolled her pelvis up into him, making him moan into her mouth, making him want to be inside her immediately.

He sat up so he could undo his jeans and lower them, along with his underwear. Even though this wasn't the first time Ruthie had seen him, she looked with a curious smile, reaching for him, making him hiss at the contact, at how good her fingers felt on him.

Next, she untied her sweats and pushed them down, and even though Elliott had seen her before, he felt like he was going to faint when he saw her completely naked for the first time. Her sex was glinting faintly in the light from the lamp, and he could already smell the alluring fragrance she was giving off, the female scent of her slick sex, her thick excitement.

"Touch me, Elliott," she whispered, rolling her hips again as she reached for him, and he obliged her, rubbing her, making her gasp and jump as she felt his touch on the bundle of nerves that controlled her orgasms.

"Oh god, oh god," she moaned, jerking her hips toward him as she rubbed him, bringing him so close so fast.

"Ruthie, we have to stop, or I'm going to come, and we're going to have to wait a bit for the other," Elliott apologized, pulling her hand off of himself.

"Okay, okay," she answered.

He reached over to where he'd put the condoms, and she helped him roll it on after he tore the packet open.

"You ready for me?" he asked, his voice husky with need.

She could only nod, opening her legs so he could lie between them.

He settled himself, bracing a lot of his weight on his forearms as he kissed her forehead.

"Please, please tell me if it hurts too much and we'll stop, yeah?" he implored her.

"No, Elliott, it's going to hurt, that can't be helped," Ruthie responded, putting her arms around him again. "I think you have to just go hell for leather, you know?"

"I don't think I can, I can't do that to you," he said, shaking his head.

"Try?" She reached up to kiss him. "Just try."

He looked down at her. "You're so fucking beautiful."

She kissed him again, reaching between their legs.

"No," he said gently. "I'll do this."

"Okay," she said. "Go, then."

He nodded, and reached between them, lining up the tip of himself to her warm, wet, inviting entrance.

"Oh, Jesus, it already feels amazing, I don't want to stop," he said in a low voice.

"So don't, then," she encouraged.

He began pushing, and immediately felt a barrier, something blocking his way. He stopped.

"I can't, there's something there," he said. "There's something in the way."

"No there's not," Ruthie laughed. "I have a period every month, the blood couldn't get out if it were blocked."

"Oh. Okay."

"Kiss me, Elliott. Kiss me big. Mmm. I love you, I love you, now try again. Yes, just like that. Go go go. Keep going, keep going."

"Christ, this feels amazing, Ruthie, just, fuck me, like nothing I've ever felt before, shit--

"Are you okay?"

"Hmm? Yes, I'm okay, I'm okay--"

"Oh my god, oh my god, nothing's ever felt so good--"

"Should I move like this? Elliott?"

"Yeah, that feels amazing, just amazing--"

"Good. Good."

"And you're really okay?"

"Yes. I love you, Elliott. I love you."

"And I love you, too, my darling jellybean. Oh fuck, I'm going to come already, I'm going to come-"

"Okay, okay, come then, Elliott, come, come--"

"Here I come, here I come, oh shit--"

Silence.

"Are you okay?"

Laughter.

"Never better, Elliott. You?"

"Me too, Jellybean. Me too. So worth coming back from England, if I may say."

"You want to sleep outside? Hm? Wanker?"

"Well, no, I was hoping for another go, if I'm honest."

Ha! Well, no more remarks like that, then, sir, or no sex for you."

"Oh, I see how it is. Now that sex is on the menu, I guess I have to watch myself."

"Good, as long as we understand each other."

"I guess it's going to be a long year."

"I love you."

"I love you, too, jellybean."