This story is only for the one's who appreciate lesbian erotic stories and
are of legal age wherever they live.  If you don't fit in under any of the
two above, please stop read now.
Keywords: lesbian, voyeurism, exhibitionism

   Sandy's fantasies by Sandy

   Chapter 34: Sleepover part 1

   The two girls waved goodbye to the car that they just had stepped out of
and then the blonde started to walk up the driveway and towards the door of
the large house in front of them.  But the brunette hesitated.

   "C'mon, we're late as it is" the blonde, a slender girl named Nathalie,
said.  She was wearing jeans and a red, long-sleeved, low necked top with
lots of cleavage showing due to her nicely developing breasts.  Over the
top she wore a stylish designer jacket.  She had an overnight bag in her
hand and looked impatiently towards her friend.

   Allie, the brunette, was really nervous.  She was very cute, with
adorable dimples and just the right girl-next-door look.  Nathalie liked to
have her hair hanging freely but Allie often had hers with her fringe
sideways and a ponytail at the back.

   Her teenage body was very fit due to a lot of workouts and horseback
riding and it had nice, developing curves at all the right place.

   Allie had moved from the west coast to just outside the town about a
year ago and was really happy to have made such good friends with Nathalie
in the class that she had been transferred to.  Nathalie was somewhat of an
airhead but did her best in school after her abilities.  What she lacked in
brains she by far made up for in other departments.  She was very social
and outgoing and seemed to have friends everywhere.

   Allie had straight A's in all subjects and had found out that it
actually was really nice to have a friend like Nathalie.  She was so
different from the fellow high-achievers that Allie had hung out with
before moving.

   The two ninth graders were both really interested in fashion and had,
through their student counsellor, gotten the opportunity to go visit the
private school in the city to see if it would be anything for them to
choose next semester.

   Four other girls from one of the other classes were also going and it
was outside the house of one of those girls that they were standing right
now.  The girls in the other class were all hanging with the popular crowd
in school but Nathalie of course knew them as well.

   When Zoe, the girl living in the house, approached them in the hallway
and invited them to a sleepover so that they all could go together to the
school the morning after, Nathalie had immediately accepted for both of
them.  Zoe's house was nearby and they only had to walk for about a mile to
get to the school.

   Now they were there and Allie was so nervous.  She really did want to
make a good first impression, but the other four seemed so self-confident.

   'You can do it' she tried to convince herself.

   Nathalie could sense her friend's nervousness and smiled reassuringly.

   "Let's go, Allie," she said.  "They won't bite."

   The brunette composed herself, hooked her small backpack onto her
shoulder and started to walk.

   *

   "Coming!" someone yelled from inside and then the door flung open.  Zoe
was really pretty; in fact most of the boys around found her absolutely
gorgeous.  She had brown eyes, medium length blonde hair with dark stripes
in it, and features that showed promise of her becoming a very beautiful
woman.

   Her 15-year-old body was just right, with a slender neck, round cup cake
formed breasts tucked into a tight-fitting short-sleeved pink top that
ended just above her bellybutton.  A pair of low-cut jeans started about
four inches further down and seemed to go on forever, clinging tightly to
her pear shaped behind and long legs.

   "Hello girls, come on in," she said in a pleasant voice.  "The others
are already here." She stepped forward and quickly kissed Nathalie on both
cheeks.  Then she unexpectedly did the same to Allie.  The sudden, soft
touch of Zoe's lips sent shivers down Allie's spine and she felt her cheeks
get warm.

   "Let's go downstairs and get rid of your bags first" Zoe continued and
let them in.  They hung their jackets and followed the hostess down a
flight of stairs and Allie found herself looking at the two buttocks moving
rhythmically in front of her.

   Allie's own ass-cheeks were really not far behind Zoe's when it came to
shape and sexiness, but no-one had really told her that and she felt a bit
envious watching Zoe walk.

   Soft music and sparse light came from the half-open door at the end of
the hallway in the basement and that's where they were heading.

   The room they entered held a large flat screen TV combined with an
advanced music-system.  A famous, all-female group, were up on the screen
performing their latest hit.  A large sofa, looking extremely comfortable,
along with a couple of equally comfortable looking chairs were placed in
front of the TV, with a table in-between them.  Four mattresses with
blankets and cushions had been placed along the wall on the other side of
the room.

   The main reason for the high-tech, home movie like, system was due to
Zoe's mother.  She was a famous film critic and the room was where she did
most of her work, watching all the latest movie releases.

   "The other girls are out by the pool.  Just put your bags down and then
we'll join them.  This is where we'll be spending the night.  The sofa can
be converted into a double bed and that's where Kelly and me will sleep. 
The rest of you will use the mattresses.  I hope that's ok?"

   Zoe had a really sparkling personality and just continued to talk, not
waiting for a reply.

   "Later on I've planned for a movie, but first I thought that we'd eat
and hang for a while out on the patio."

   Their hostess had already started to walk back and the two friends
followed, with the magnificent buttocks in front of them again.

   'A pool' Allie thought.  Her parents weren't that rich and the only
reason that she was considering a private school was that she had a good
chance to get a scholarship due to her brilliant study results.

   'And this equipment.  Her parents must be really rich.'

   "Mum and dad has left the house for us tonight" Zoe said, talking
continuously, "so we can do pretty much what we want."

   They went through the tastefully decorated living room and out onto the
large patio.  Two girls were sitting by a table, looking relaxed and
holding what appeared to be wineglasses in their hands.  The April evening
was pleasant and there was no need for outdoors clothing.

   The closest girl, tall with a deer like appearance, rose.  She had long,
dark hair and velvety brown eyes.

   "Hello" she said and reached out her hand towards Allie.  "I'm
Felicity."

   Allie took it and smiled shyly.

   "Allie."

   Nathalie looked at the glasses.

   "Is that white wine?" she asked Zoe.

   "Yes, I hope you don't mind" the hostess replied, glancing at Allie.

   "Oh, no!" Allie blurted out nervously.  She felt her cheeks get warm and
silently kicked herself for not being able to control her emotions better.
She was fifteen, like the others, and had never tasted alcohol before.

   'C'mon, don't chicken out now' she said to herself.  Her eyes fell on
the other girl by the table and immediately her nervousness increased.  The
girl's name was Cassy; she was blonde and was looking straight at Allie
with piercing blue eyes.  Her expression was a mix of thoughtfulness and
interest and Allie didn't know what to make of it.

   "Hello, Cassy" Nathalie said.  The girls obviously had met before and
Nathalie quickly bent down, kissing Cassy in a similar way as she had done
with Zoe by the front door.

   "Mum's left us a couple of bottles, she's rather liberated about that.
Feel free to help yourself" Zoe continued, gesturing at a side table with
an open bottle and a couple of empty glasses.

   A splash was heard and their attention turned towards the glass walls
right behind them.  The annex, containing the pool, was at a ninety-degree
angle to the main building and was completely made of moveable glass walls.
The roof was also made of glass and when it got warm it was possible to
mechanically slide the glass to the side, making the pool an outdoor one.

   Someone had just entered the area through a wooden door, probably a
sauna, and had dived into the pool.  Allie could make out a shape under the
surface and the shape came back up, transforming into a beautiful girl with
dark, semi-long hair.  She was wearing a one-piece green suit and her perky
breasts, coming into view as she began to climb out of the pool, were
exquisitely outlined through the wet fabric.

   She adjusted her straps, pushed her hair back over her head and headed
towards a plastic stool where she had put her towel.  Her face and the way
she moved left little doubt that she was very self-confident and used to
getting what she wanted.

   "I was getting lonely in the sauna.  Is there really no-one else that
wants to swim with me?" she said, looking straight at Zoe with glittering
dark eyes.

   "Maybe later" Zoe replied.  To Allie she suddenly seemed nervous and it
looked like she wasn't really able to meet Kelly's eyes.

   "Hello, I'm Kelly" the young beauty said and turned towards the
newcomers.

   "I wouldn't mind getting wet, Kelly" Nathalie then said with a
mischievous smile, "but I didn't bring a suit"

   "Skinny-dipping is allowed" Kelly replied and winked.  She was obviously
joking.

   "You can borrow..." Zoe started and then stopped again.  Nathalie had
begun to unbutton her jeans.

   "I don't mind if you don't" she said and started to pull her jeans down
over her hips.

   "Nathalie!" Allie whispered but her friend continued.  She put her hand
on Allie's shoulder to steady her self and pulled the jeans off her feet.
The socks went the same way and then she started to raise her top. 
Nathalie was an impulsive girl, often doing unexpected things, but this was
way beyond her normal pranks, Allie thought.

   'As if I'm not nervous enough as it is' she said to herself and watched
Nathalie pull the top up over her breasts.  The other girls had gone silent
and an undefined tension had formed among them.  Five pairs of eyes watched
Nathalie pull the top over her head and then reach back to unhook her
push-up bra.

   "Let me help you with that" Kelly suddenly said and stepped forward.

   "Pull your hair away," she continued and, when Nathalie did, the
dark-haired girl swiftly unhooked the pink underwear.  With the aid of
Kelly's fingers it slid of Nathalie's arms and the blonde's breasts moved a
little as they were released.  The bra fell to the patio floor and then
there were just the panties.

   Allie suddenly realised that they were outside, but when she looked
around she saw walls surrounding Zoe's garden and there was no way that
anyone could spot them from outside without climbing a tree or using a
ladder.

   Nathalie hooked her thumbs into the panties and the she started to slide
them down over her buttocks.  She had to bend forward to get them all the
way down and when she did her anus and pussylips were visible to Kelly. 
She was still standing behind Nathalie but didn't look away.

   Kelly had recently come to terms that she had to be bisexual.  She was
really into guys and was going out with one of the hunks from the football
team, letting him fuck her every now and then, but she also had developed a
real interest for the female body during the last year.  Looking at naked
girls was so exciting.  Gym class was heaven and she had even been trying
out some of the lesbian sites on the net.  Especially one with some English
guy doing videos with beautiful eastern European girls had become her
favourite and now she was a regular visitor.

   She hadn't acted on her feelings yet but this sleepover was already
showing great promise.  She quickly took the naked girl in front of her by
the hand and led her towards the pool.

   Allie didn't know what else to do so she poured her self a glass and sat
down next to Felicity.  The alcohol did wonders calming her and soon her
inhibitions were gone.  The girls turned out to be really nice and fun to
talk to and in no time they were deeply involved in discussing their
forthcoming visit to the fashion school tomorrow.

   Allie couldn't help but to glance at Zoe's pretty face.  The girl was
just so picture perfect that it was almost unreal.  After a while she
noticed that Zoe herself kept glancing over Felicity's shoulder towards the
two in the pool.  Allie remembered the way Zoe had acted around Kelly
before and started to get curious.

   'What's up with those two?' she thought.

   The two in the pool had found a beach ball and had begun to toss it
between them.  Nathalie, right at home in the water, was really enjoying
herself and was totally focused on the ball.  Kelly on the other hand was
totally focused on Nathalie's wet, bouncing teenage breasts, jutting just
above the surface each time she moved.

   The dark-haired girl deliberately threw the ball way to far.  It bounced
against the glass wall and landed on the tiles, about five feet away from
the edge of the pool.  Kelly braced herself and then she watched Nathalie
take hold of the edge and slowly pull herself out of the water.  The
blonde's behind looked absolutely awesome as she reached forward and
collected the ball.

   "Come and eat, girls!" someone suddenly said from behind Kelly's back.
Zoe had entered just in time to see Nathalie's buttocks on display and she
must have noticed that Kelly was staring.

   "Coming!  I'm starving" Nathalie replied before Kelly had time to react.
The nude girl pulled herself all the way out of the pool.

   "Can I borrow a towel, Zoe?" she then asked.

   "I'll show you were it is" Kelly interrupted and also swam to the side.
She crossed her arms and supported herself against the pool edge, resting
her shin against her wet skin.

   "Anything you want me to do, Zoe?" she said looking intensively at the
beautiful girl.

   Lately she had felt such an immense attraction towards her best friend
and it had resulted in a strange tension between them.  Part of her wanted
to regain their old relationship while another part of her really wanted to
get into Zoe's panties.

   "You just take care of Nathalie" Zoe replied.  She gave Kelly a shy
smile, turned and left for the kitchen.

   Fifteen minutes later the six of them sat around the patio table, eating
sushi and drinking white wine.  It was seven o'clock in the evening, but
still warm and they all felt really good.  Both Nathalie and Kelly had
taken quick showers and wore nothing but towels around their bodies.  Allie
hadn't eaten sushi before and was blown away with how fantastic it tasted.
Zoe's mum had ordered from the best Japanese restaurant in town and the
meal was absolutely superb.

   "So what do we do now?" Zoe said, putting down her glass.  "Is it to
early to start the film?"

   "Let's stay out here and drink wine a little longer," Kelly suggested,
"the evening is fantastic."

   Nathalie's display in the pool had made the dark-haired girl really
horny and she knew that the alcohol would help her get what she wanted
tonight.

   "We'll drink to that!" Felicity said and giggled.  The slender girl
didn't weigh much and was getting a little drunk.  The six of them raised
their glasses and then the vivid discussion continued.  In just a few
minutes it of course turned into the most common topic for teenagers, sex.

   "I know" Kelly said after another empty wine bottle, "let's play truth
or dare".

   "Oh, that's so childish..." Felicity started and paused, "...but
actually sounds really fun!"

   Allie immediately felt her nervousness return.  What now?  She had no
idea how far these girls went when playing and she hoped that it wouldn't
be to personal.  But the girls were so nice, she felt like she had known
them all her life, and she decided that it was best to go along with what
they decided, not to spoil anything.

   "Where do we play?" Kelly asked, looking at Zoe.  The hostess thought
for a second.

   "Let's go out onto the lawn" she then said.  The grass was neatly
trimmed, almost like a putting green, and they all thought that it was a
good idea.

   "Don't you want to put on more clothes?" Allie asked, looking at
Nathalie but the blonde just shrugged.

   "I'm ok if Kelly are," she said and the dark haired girl smiled.

   "Oh yes, It's way more comfortable like this." They took their glasses;
one full and one empty wine bottle and moved out onto the grass forming a
circle as they sat down.

   "I want to decide the rules," Kelly quickly said, immediately taking
charge.  "We take turns spinning the bottle and the one spinning it asks.
If the bottle points to the spinner it's the girl on her left that has to
answer.  Ok?"

   No one objected.

   "I know" Cassy said.  "If you don't want to do what's asked of you, you
have to remove an item of clothing."

   "But that's rather unfair to you guys" Allie replied, stating the
obvious.

   "I don't plan to chicken out so it's fine by me," Kelly quickly said. 
"Let's begin"

   She took the empty bottle and gave it a real spin.  After about five
seconds it slowed down and pointed towards Felicity.

   "Ok, Felicity.  Truth or dare?" Kelly asked.

   "Truth" the dark-haired girl replied

   "When was the last time you masturbated and who did you fantasise
about?"

   'Oh, god!' Allie thought.  Now there was no doubt that the questions and
dares would be really intimate and sexual and Allie, being a virgin, felt
that it would be really embarrassing to admit it to the others.

   "Oh..." Felicity mused and seemed to think a little.  "Must have been
last Tuesday after having science.  Matthew is so fucking hot!"

   "You thought of Matthew!" Zoe blurted out and stared at Felicity.  Their
30-something science teacher, six foot four with an athletic body, was the
favourite teacher of all the girls at school.

   "Oh yes," Felicity replied and looked really content, almost as if she
had fucked the teacher for real.

   "Your turn" Kelly said passing the bottle to Cassy.  The blonde reached
forward and spun.  The bottle stopped pointing at Allie.

   'Oh, no' the auburn haired girl said to herself.  All she could think of
was not to reveal her virginity and choose dare.

   "Ok, Allie" the cool blonde said almost absently and looked at Allie. 
"Show me...us your breasts".

   "But..."

   "If you don't, it will be a piece of clothing and soon you'll be sitting
here topless anyway" Cassy urged.  "Come on."

   Allie had on a top with bare shoulders and her see-through bra straps
were barely visible against her tanned skin.  The other girls looked at her
expectantly and she decided to do it.  After all Nathalie had already
stripped naked in front of them, hadn't she?  She looked down and slowly
started to raise her top.  Inch by inch her stomach became visible and soon
the top was up by her breasts.  She looked up and stopped when she saw the
excitement in Cassy's eyes.

   "Don't stop" Kelly urged on.  Allie felt really intimidated by Cassy's
open display of interest for her breasts but managed to get her arms moving
again.  She pulled the top over her head and placed it carefully on the
grass beside her.

   "The bra too" Cassy said in a low voice.  "You don't have to unhook it.
Just pull the straps down."

   Kelly was also looking at Allie's breasts with interest and the
inexperienced girl felt so totally exposed.  She hooked her thumb under the
right strap and pushed it downwards, but didn't dare to look down at her
chest.  She felt the cup on which her right breast was resting on loosen
and the she moved her hand to her left shoulder, repeating the process. 
Cassy couldn't seem to take her eyes of the cup cake sized, well-shaped
globes in front of her.

   "Beautiful" she mumbled, seemingly unaware that she was talking out
loud. A strange, sexual tension had started to build among them and was now
lingering in the air.  Kelly, increasingly horny, decided to push on.

   "You can cover them up again, Allie" she said.  "They are really nice,
you know," she then added, making the topless girl blush.

   "Your turn, Zoe" she continued as Allie adjusted her bra.  On an impulse
she decided not to put her top back on and instead she turned her eyes
towards the pretty hostess.  The bottle spun and stopped pointing at Cassy.
The blonde chose truth.  Zoe, having seen Cassy's obvious interest in
Allie's breasts thought for a while and then:

   "Have you ever considered having sex with another girl?"

   Cassy looked at her with her blue eyes.

   "Actually I have already had sex with a girl, or actually two at the
same time for that matter" she then answered creating and astonished look
on each of the other girls' pretty faces.  This was news to all of them.

   "What?  When?" Felicity was totally blown away.

   "That's another question and it's not your turn to ask, but ok, I'll
answer." She paused a few seconds and then continued.

   "It was during the big party, you know that my big brother arranged last
autumn.  I was really to young but Scott allowed me to be there.  I got
really drunk and two of the girls there, they were like eighteen or
something, sort of took advantage of me.  They sure knew what they were
doing and I ended up on my back in my room with the two of them fucking my
brains out."

   The others had fallen silent, listening intently to Cassy's story.

   "Who were they?" Kelly asked.  The itch in her crotch just seemed to
increase and she felt that she soon had to do something about it.

   "It doesn't matter.  I haven't seen them since the party".

   "How was it?" Zoe almost whispered.

   "Absolutely amazing" Cassy replied.  She had a dreamy look on her face,
almost as if she was reliving the encounter in her mind.

   "Let's continue" Kelly was eager to spin the bottle again.

   Allie dared Nathalie to remove her towel, Nathalie asked Kelly if she
ever had performed a blow-job, which she had and Felicity dared Kelly to
show them how it's done using an empty wine bottle which she happily did
and then it was Kelly's turn again.  She concentrated and somehow she
managed to spin it just enough to stop pointing at Zoe.

   Zoe gave her dark-haired friend a quick look and suddenly she felt
nervous.  Kelly had been acting so weird lately and Zoe was becoming more
and more confused.  She couldn't put her finger on what it was but
something had definitely changed.  Kelly looked at her with such intensity
and she felt her cheeks get warm.  She and Kelly had always shared their
secrets so there was really nothing that Kelly didn't already know which
made truth rather pointless.

   "Come on, Zoe, what will it be" Felicity urged her blonde friend on. 
She had definitely had too much to drink and was stumbling on the words a
little.

   "Dare" Zoe said and Kelly's face lit up.

   "Ok then, Zoe.  I dare you to kiss me."

   "What?" Zoe and Felicity simultaneously said.

   "Oh!" Allie almost whimpered.

   Cassy and Nathalie just stayed quiet, eagerly waiting for what was going
to happen next.  It was getting colder and Nathalie, naked as she was,
shivered a little.  But she wasn't going to miss this, no way.

   "You can't be serious, Kelly" Zoe said.

   Her head had started to spin and she felt dizzy.  Was that what it was
about?  Did Kelly have the hots for her?  Zoe had never thought about
another girl in asexual way and the idea was so overwhelming.

   "I sure am" Kelly replied, looking confident as ever and totally
composed but inside her heart was pounding.  She felt her pussy getting
moist and nervously waited for the blonde to accept her faith.

   "Don't be a chicken Zoe, it's only a kiss." Felicity blurted out.  Allie
didn't say anything; she was just sitting silently with only her bra on her
upper body, watching the unfolding scenario with rising pulse and
increasing butterflies in her stomach.

   'Please, please, please...' Kelly said to herself as she watched Zoe
think.

   "Ok" the girl then said.  Kelly, with the towel still wrapped around her
tight body immediately moved forward on hands and knees.

   "I thought Zoe was supposed to kiss you, not the other way around" Cassy
said sounding amused, but Kelly didn't seem to hear.  She stopped in front
of Zoe and put her hand on the blond girl's shoulder.  Zoe jerked a little
but sat still, looking shyly into her friend's dark eyes.  Kelly used her
free hand to pull her hair behind her ear and then she leaned forward.  The
gap between the two teenager's mouths slowly but steadily narrowed and
then, after two seconds of hesitation with only an inch separating them,
the soft lips merged.

   "Oh, god..." Allie mumbled.  She had never seen anything so sexy in her
life and was surprised to feel that way.  The girls just sat silently,
watching their two friends kiss.  At first they seemed almost frozen on the
spot but then Kelly's lips started to move slowly.  Zoe closed her eyes,
titled her head a little and automatically began to follow her friend's
movements.

   Kelly put her free hand on Zoe's other shoulder and pulled the blushing
girl towards her.  She parted her lips slightly and started to press the
tip of her tongue against Zoe's mouth.  Two seconds later her tongue slid
inside and she eagerly began to explore the blonde's mouth.  She moved her
hands up to her whimpering friend's cheeks and in the process, her towel
soundlessly slid off her body.

   "That's so fucking hot" Felicity whispered as she stared at Kelly's
exposed breasts just inches away from Zoe's covered.  The nipples were
really swollen and Felicity started to get an idea really just how excited
the dark haired girl was.

   Kelly now had her tongue way down Zoe's throat and the heavy kissing was
really getting to both of them.  Zoe, with her eyes still closed, was more
or less constantly moaning and Kelly's breathing had become unsteady and
ragged.  Their breasts finally made contact but when Zoe put her hands on
Kelly's waist and felt nothing but naked skin instead of the expected towel
she desperately pulled back and opened her eyes.

   "Oh, no!" she panted, "Please Kelly, that's enough," she whispered,
looking into Kelly's dark, excited eyes.  Her friend looked so beautiful
with the last sunlight from the settling sun shining on her naked upper
body.  Kelly had the towel down by her waist and her nipples were visibly
erect.

   'She really must be turned on' Allie said to her self, both relieved and
disappointed at the same time that the kiss had ended.

   "That was awesome" Felicity said.  Kelly so much wanted to continue but
she could also sense that it was enough for now.

   "Let's go watch the movie," Zoe said.  Her cheeks felt warm and she was
so embarrassed that she had let Kelly kiss her like that.  There was no
doubt anymore that her friend was attracted to her sexually.  She couldn't
think of any other way to interpret Kelly's behaviour.  The kiss had been
completely awesome, by far the best one she had ever had, and that
realisation totally had blown her away.

   Felicity almost fell on her way up onto the patio and Allie had to grab
her arm to help the girl stay on her feet.  She had had way too much to
drink and half an hour later she was sleeping on a mattress in the
basement. Zoe had just pulled off her jeans and the caring hostess had
tucked her in.

   The other five had changed into their nightwear and was now watching the
movie.  No one had mentioned what had happened but they all thought about
the kiss between Zoe and Kelly.  The erotic tension lay thick and Allie
found herself sneaking peaks at the others.  She had seated herself a
little to the side, next to Felicity, and was wearing her favourite
sleeveless top and panties.  She had decided, after some consideration, not
to wear a bra.

   Nathalie was sitting next to her with her knees pulled up to her chin.
She had on a see-through teddy and nothing more, leaving little to the
imagination.

   Zoe and Kelly were on the sofa and it was towards them Allie mostly kept
glancing.  Kelly was sitting up but Zoe was lying on her side with her head
in the other girl's lap.  The dark haired girl had one hand on Zoe's upper
arm, caressing it tenderly, while her other hand softly stroke the pretty
blonde's hair.  Zoe was wearing a tight fitting pink top and a pair of
equally pink panties and looked absolutely adorable while Kelly had on a
lace pyjama and looked really classy.

   On the other side of the sofa Cassy was half lying with her long legs
over the armrest.  She was wearing a pyjama similar to Kelly's and had put
up her long blond hair in a ponytail.

   The movie ended and they all agreed that it was a really good one.  They
were supposed to get up early in the morning and decided to go to bed. 
After twenty minutes, the lights were out and not a sound was heard.