# chapters

path: 1133121112112111111132121111132232111221
author_id: rugal
title: Athletic Pursuits
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>By the time you pull into the parking lot of the school you'd long since made up your mind. The idea of letting Eric help provide a jolt to your mostly dead love life, while a nice gesture, however you weren't able to really come to a decision on just who you wanted. Rather, once you thought that it might be too hard to pick somebody it thus became a self-fulfilling prophecy. On the other hand you'd decided fairly early on using Stephanie Wyatt and you're pretty sure, circumstances remaining the same, that you can get her out to make the change happen. But the question is, of course, who will Eric have for you? You're sure he's got someone picked out for both possibilities... at least you hope he does.<br/>
<br/>
So it's with some anxiousness that you stand by your truck waiting for him to show up. You'd exchanged numbers yesterday before leaving so you'd texted him to meet you by your usual parking space making sure to clarify where that parking space is. Time whittles away and you're scanning one direction when suddenly a hard smack on the back causes you to yelp in surprise. You turn hotly towards the source and are met with Eric's smiling, friendly visage.<br/>
<br/>
"Looking for someone, Prescott?" he asks with apparent obliviousness.<br/>
<br/>
"You could've just called out to me or something," you groan.<br/>
<br/>
"Where's the fun in that?" he asks as you begin walking towards the school. "If we're pals then we've gotta greet each other like pals. Calling out just seems like kind of a kid thing, you know?"<br/>
<br/>
You briefly think of the fact usually when you and Caleb greet each other it's cries of "Hey fuckface" or something similar and you wonder if he might be right.<br/>
<br/>
"So, you got anything for me?"<br/>
<br/>
You're broken out of your little reverie by Eric's question. "Huh? Anything for you?" is all you can mutter in response.<br/>
<br/>
"Well yeah," he responds, "because I've got some names myself but I figure I should leave the actual decision up to you since you're the more experienced guy and all."<br/>
<br/>
Now you suspect he's just being lazy and pawning responsibility off onto you. Not that it matters because you'd long since made your decision. Besides part of you likes the light bit of deference. "Sure, I've got someone in mind," you tell him. "So we'd talked about athletes yesterday right? How does Stephanie Wyatt sound?"<br/>
<br/>
Eric stops dead in his tracks and looks at you a bit wide eyed. "Dude," he says as a grin slowly creeps onto his face, "that's fucking awesome! Yeah, and Stephanie's friends with Barbara Powell too from the soccer team and Barbara's totally into me so I could probably get her out easy." He stops to think about it for a second. "Hmm, yeah, but that's not as fun. Not with you as Barbara if it's <i>you</i> diggin' me. The chase just isn't there," he says. Some train of thought considering his offer from yesterday. But his face lights up again almost as quickly. "Nah, I got it! Even more fun than Barbara!" He then shines that bright look on you. "You know Shelby Ho?"<br/>
<br/>
You can only give him a look of confusion at that. "I definitely don't know anyone named Shelby, uh, Ho?" It's wrong and immature of course but you want to laugh at that name. "Who's she?"<br/>
<br/>
"Volleyball," he replies quickly.<br/>
<br/>
Volleyball? You have a volleyball team at Westside? You think hard and then you remember Lacey Salter from your sixth period calculus class. A tall, blonde goddess with strong legs and an ass that's very noticeable in the short shorts she likes to wear. You've heard her chatter, with Cameron and Anne and Cindy and some others, in the class about practices and being excited for the upcoming season. Well if that's the quality of girl on the volleyball team...<br/>
<br/>
"Sign me up," you say with barely masked enthusiasm.<br/>
<br/>
"My man!" he exclaims. "Yeah, that'll be cool! I've got sixth with her and she's buddies with some girls in that class who, like, really dig me too so we get along great. I can get her out to that storage place after school."<br/>
<br/>
With your choices decided, Stephanie Wyatt for Eric and Shelby Ho for yourself, Eric holds out his fist expectantly and you don't hesitate in returning the fist bump. You then walk into the school where, almost immediately, you're accosted by Fairfax (or his Beta in this case) who asks if you've made any decisions. You give him your choices and he ponders over them. He doesn't see too much of a problem and thus doesn't perceive his boss having an issue either. Still he says he'll run it by Maria first.<br/>
<br/>
He pulls out his phone and blasts off a text. A minute or two later his phone dings. Everything's good with the boss is his reply so it's set. Just figure out how to get them out to Top Shelf and you'll be good to go.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Hey, you know Shelby Ho?" you ask Caleb as you walk into Walberg's class and flop down in the desk beside him. Your meeting with Eric and Beta-Fairfax meant that you'd missed him coming into school, something he doesn't seem overly concerned with.<br/>
<br/>
"Shelby Who?" he's quick to reply.<br/>
<br/>
"Ho," you shoot back.<br/>
<br/>
"Ho?"<br/>
<br/>
"Ho," you reply causing him to snicker. It takes you a second. "You motherfucker," you finally say while letting out a small laugh yourself. It's such a childish, dumb joke that it works. "Anyway, you know her?"<br/>
<br/>
"Shelby? Yeah I know her," he says while quickly adding, "well I know <i>of</i> her. She's in my seventh; volleyball player. You know we have a volleyball team?"<br/>
<br/>
"Not until like fifteen minutes ago," you reply. "Remember Eric Murphy? The guy I showed you yesterday?"<br/>
<br/>
Caleb's face brightens and you immediately want to bury your face. "Right, yeah, the guy who," he snickers a bit, "who's jacking your, whatchacallit, personal style?"<br/>
<br/>
"Fuck you too," you say while flipping him off. "Anyway, I ran into him in the parking lot, by chance dickwad," you say as you see Caleb start an attempt at a smart-mouthed interjection, "and I guess he knows Montoya and Hollister too because he was all '<i>oh man, you're going to be by there today right because we're gonna hang out and there's gonna be girls there; Shelby Ho's gonna be there, you know her</i>' and stuff."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, so you think if the girl has absolutely no clue who you are then you've got a shot so you're coming to ol' Caleb to try and give yourself a leg up right?" he smirks. "Well sorry to burst your bubble but I don't know much more than you do. She's on the volleyball team. She's in my seventh. She's usually hanging around Ellie Kemp who's also on the team and Kelly Rinaldi who I think plays soccer. That's about all I've got for you."<br/>
<br/>
"Well is she cute? Is she a bitch? I mean you see and hear things right?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah she's nice looking I guess; nice legs, I think that's a thing with volleyball players or something," he answers. "No I don't know anything else. I'm not a gossipy neighbor lady like you."<br/>
<br/>
You roll your eyes and grunt but as class starts you don't get a chance to say anything else. Instead you spend most of the rest of class, and the rest of the day, both wrapped up in wondering just who this Shelby girl is beyond a volleyball player with nice legs and having to work up every ounce of nerve that you can for the much more arduous task that lies ahead.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Hey, uh, Stephanie?" you say nervously as you approach the girl who's been occupying much of your mind the last week or so. You don't want to be intimidated, you really don't, but then she turns to look at you with a look of pure disregard on her face and you feel yourself begin to wilt. But this is important. You can't allow yourself to wuss out now and besides, if everything goes to plan then she won't be able to give you that kind of look again. So you recompose yourself.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah?" is all she asks in a manner that makes it seem like she's only half paying attention to you.<br/>
<br/>
Again you feel yourself shrink and again you have to mentally pull yourself back up. "So on Monday, um, you needed to borrow my truck right? To move something?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah," she replies simply.<br/>
<br/>
Suddenly you're doubting your plan. It's been a couple of days and if she needs help moving something she's probably already gotten it. Even still, you have to try. "Well, uh, first sorry I blew you off about that," you say apologetically and she just shrugs, "but I don't have anything going on today so, uh, if you still need the truck..."<br/>
<br/>
Her eyes light up at that. "Oh, well, I actually wasn't having any luck finding anyone so if you're offering..."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah! Uh, yeah," you say first excitedly and then a little more calmly. "Do you need a place to store whatever it is you're moving? My buddy's uncle has a storage facility so I can ask him if we can put it there."<br/>
<br/>
"I mean sure if you think it's fine."<br/>
<br/>
So quickly you text... who was it that Carlos was again? Jessica, that's right. So you shoot a text off to Jessica Garner's phone mentioning that Stephanie need s place to store something and you figure that you can use that to get her. Jessica in return asks if that's who you're getting and you mention that it's for Eric. She responds back and says it's fine and asks when you'll be out there. You're not sure how long it'll take so you say to give a time frame of ninety minutes to give yourself some cushion. She tells you that the gang will be out there so just send a text once you're there and they'll help get things handled.<br/>
<br/>
With that you give a small thumbs up to Stephanie and she rolls her eyes. "Everything's cool," you tell her as you lead her out to your truck. From there you follow her directions into the longer than you'd expected drive into Acheson.</span></div></div>


path: 11331211121121111111321211111322321112211
author_id: rugal
title: A Drive with Stephanie
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Stephanie's place is an old and large three story home sitting right at the bank of the river and surrounded by trees and other foliage. It'd be nice but the trees beginning to lose leaves the trek through a poorly maintained yard filled with weeds, dead patches of grass and a rusty swing set that sets somewhat ominously off to the side. There's a certain dreariness that you get, like you're stepping into the pages of some creepy old gothic horror story. As she takes you into the dining room to show you the bureau that needs to be moves and you meet her younger brother you half expect this to be the part where you accidentally open a passage to a hidden room and find out that the Wyatts are mutant vampires or something like that.<br/>
<br/>
Sexy mutant vampires in Stephanie's case.<br/>
<br/>
As you get the bureau out the door and past the gate it's a thought that's not at all helped when an older man, thin both of frame and of hair and weathered in appearance, shows up from the house. <i>Baron von Mutie-Dracula</i> is what you immediately think though of course you keep that thought to yourself. When Stephanie and her brother come back out with some chairs to load up into the bed of your truck she argues with him about how to put everything in and where to store it. It's fine, Stephanie insists, because your friend has it covered. There's a bit more of this back and forth before the Baron -- really her uncle you find out -- gives up and heads back inside.<br/>
<br/>
With some further assistance from Craig, Stephanie's brother, you're able to move the table into the bed just as Stephanie steps out now dressed a little more casually. You give a friendly albeit half-hearted goodbye to Craig as Stephanie goes around and hops into the passenger seat. She briefly wonders, as you start the truck, if she should go back and grab her brother but you dispel that notion quickly. Carlos, that is the guy whose unit you'll be using, will be there with some of your other buddies. More than enough people to get everything done you tell her as you drive around and back onto the road.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Nothing is said for a couple of minutes as you begin the drive to the outskirts of Saratoga Falls on the opposite side of town and the atmosphere grows more and more uncomfortable. Stephanie's quickly losing interest in you, you suspect, but why should that matter? In a short while what <i>she</i> thinks of you isn't going to mean much of anything because it's going to be Eric Murphy running her from now on. Yeah Eric... if you were him surely she wouldn't be losing interest in you. You've seen the girls he's always with and maybe, if you were him, she'd be one of those girls too.<br/>
<br/>
But again this shouldn't be bothering you at all because it won't matter. But it does bother you and you can't stop wondering what she thinks of you. What do the Garners think of you? What would Maria think if she knew you? If you met her for real what would this Shelby girl think? In a sense Stephanie's paying attention to you is what's driven you into these actions, at least in part, and has made you feel more self-conscious over the last week and change. Even when she's not actively trying to Stephanie Wyatt still seems to have a way of cutting you down.<br/>
<br/>
Finally and thankfully, however, the interminable silence is ended by Stephanie herself. "Hey, so what was wrong with Bailey?" she asks.<br/>
<br/>
You're pretty sure you made some kind of goofy noise in response because out of the corner of your eye you can see Stephanie giving you a queer look. "B-Bailey?" is all you can useless sputter in return. "I don't know..."<br/>
<br/>
"You said you had to meet a friend at another party right? So where'd you go?"<br/>
<br/>
"I didn't --" you start and then gulp. "I... I never actually met him. Uh, it fell through you know?"<br/>
<br/>
"Uh huh," comes the thoroughly unconvinced reply. "If you didn't like Bailey you didn't like her, it's cool. Everyone's got taste."<br/>
<br/>
"I-It's not like... like I didn't not like her," you state without really thinking as you're not sure that sentence even makes sense, "but it's just... you kind of threw us together."<br/>
<br/>
"So it was awkward?"<br/>
<br/>
"A little bit," you admit. "Were you trying to, I don't know, hook me up with her or something?"<br/>
<br/>
Stephanie just turns to absentmindedly stare out of the window. "Never said that," she says. "Bailey just felt out of place there and you weren't looking so hot yourself. I was just trying to do something friendly that's all."<br/>
<br/>
Well now you really do feel like an ass. Not only did you leave that Bailey girl out in the cold like that but you've shat all over Stephanie's good will as well. "I wasn't trying to be a jackass or anything," you say. "It's just, I thought you were trying to hook us up or something and, I mean, I'm sure Bailey's a nice girl and all but..."<br/>
<br/>
"But she's not your type."<br/>
<br/>
"Not that!' you exclaim defensively. "Well okay, I mean that wouldn't have been my first choice. But, I mean, I just got out of a relationship with someone and..."<br/>
<br/>
"You did?" she asks and you give an affirmative. She's silent for a few seconds afterwards. "Huh," she finally says, "well sorry. I wasn't trying to push you into doing anything you felt uncomfortable about."<br/>
<br/>
You brush off her concern however. "Don't worry. That was, what, almost a week ago? I've had time to think," you tell her.<br/>
<br/>
"So what kind of girl is your type then?" she asks.<br/>
<br/>
You almost want to blurt out <i>You</i> just to see how she'd react but you keep mum. "I don't know. My last girlfriend she was... sweet, I guess," you state. "Kind of a bright personality. Real light up the room type and positive?"<br/>
<br/>
"Like Ellie?" Stephanie asks and you can only give a confused response. "Ellie Kemp? Volleyball captain Ellie Kemp?"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, right, volleyball Ellie," you say as it jogs loose the memory of Caleb mentioning her earlier. "Uh, well, I mean is she like that?"<br/>
<br/>
"Ellie's a sweetheart if that's the kind of thing you go for. Josie from the soccer team." she says and laughs to herself a bit. "Josie... jeez I've known her since... middle school? Really great girl. You'd like her."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, I mean, I was just tossing stuff out there. Wait, are you saying I ask out this... this Josie girl?" you ask but that only gets a noncommittal shrug so you move past it. "Look, I could've just said, uh, that I just want her to be, you know, smart or that she has to have, I don't know, certain looks or anything. I'm not really thinking," you state.<br/>
<br/>
"Nah, you <i>are</i> thinking and that's the problem Prescott," she tells you. "Stop thinking so much 'cause if you're thinking about you then everyone's gonna know it and they'll be thinking about you too. Just, you know, be natural and people will pick up on that and they'll like that." She gives you another look and snickers. "Some people, anyway. Maybe."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You ignore her little parting jab as its not long before you reach the storage facility. You punch in the code and drive in, making sure to back your truck up to the door that leads into the climate controlled units. If you're going to keep up the charade you're stuck storing Stephanie's furniture since you can't very well just drop it off back at her home. So you send a text to Jessica.<br/>
<br/>
<i>here with steph</i><br/>
<br/>
The reply is quick in coming.<br/>
<br/>
<i>great!!! jus come in a sec but not w/ her<br/>
weve gotta finalize</i><br/>
<br/>
"Hey, uh, mind watching over the truck real quick?" you ask Stephanie as you hop out. "I've gotta run in real quick so I can, uh, get a dolly and some extra help if that's cool."<br/>
<br/>
Stephanie, for her part, just shrugs but you know that you can't keep someone like her waiting for too long. You head into the climate controlled units and pass by the one that houses the recording equipment. That's closed up so that and the light you see from the unit a few doors down tells you that they're in the makeshift gym. It's confirmed when you peek in to see the rest of the group, Eric included, lounging around. You also see.. yourself? Yeah, it's yourself wearing some horribly ill-fighting clothing that you're guessing belong to Carlos.<br/>
<br/>
But why?<br/>
<br/>
"Hey so, uh, what's <i>he</i> doing here?" you ask as you point towards your doppelganger.<br/>
<br/>
"Taking your place, duh," Jessica replies with a quick eye roll. "We're going to send your beta out there with Murphy to bring Stephanie in and get her. Good choice by the way."<br/>
<br/>
You simply nod as you take a few steps into the unit. Then a few more. It's not long before you're face-to-face with your doppelganger; your Beta, as this group likes to call things like him. It's eerie. Nothing's said but it doesn't need to be said. The exact resemblance is enough to make your skin crawl a bit. In fact you're so absorbed in trying to take in your Beta that you barely hear a "think fast" from... Eric?<br/>
<br/>
You turn just in time to see him shove something onto your face and watch as the world goes black.</span></div></div>


path: 113312111211211111113212111113223211122111
author_id: rugal
title: Shelby Who?
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Wow, Monday I can't believe it," Philippa Hosford says to you rather excitedly causing yourself and Hermione Gilbert to throw odd looks at her. "You know, you guys have your first game," she quickly adds nervously, "so I was just thinking... you have to be excited right?"<br/>
<br/>
So that's what it was. You've known Philippa since the eighth grade and Hermione's been hanging out with you since ninth so it's certainly not the first time that either of you have had to deal with Phlippa's non-sequiturs. Not that it's ever made you angry or anything just that the girl has the marvelous ability to get caught up in her own head and some times she can go off on a different track entirely once she returns or she'll be back at the station as it were.<br/>
<br/>
"Well yeah, I've told you that a thousand times already," you say while Hermione titters lightly, "including earlier this period."<br/>
<br/>
Of course this was one of those times where she'd been seemingly stuck on something from earlier. "Yeah, I know, we were talking about..." her face twists up at that, "but I was just thinking that this is a little more positive? Ugh, I don't wanna talk about..."<br/>
<br/>
"Ladies!" comes an exuberant voice from a few rows over and the three of you groan. Philippa's quick to fold her arms on her desk and bury her head. You try to turn away. Bad idea because it leaves you jumping in surprise when Eric Murphy comes up from behind and drapes his arm around your shoulder.<br/>
<br/>
"Get bent," Hermione's quick to say.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, I'm not coming over here to be hostile or anything so I don't know what the attitude's for."<br/>
<br/>
"You know what it's for," Hermione shoots back as you quickly squirm out from under his arm. Eric doesn't seem to press the issue. "I don't want to talk to you, I'm sure Shelby doesn't want to talk to you --"<br/>
<br/>
"I really don't," you quickly jump in.<br/>
<br/>
"-- and Philippa <i>definitely</i> doesn't want to talk to you."<br/>
<br/>
"Doesn't want...? Is this about the Melanie thing?" he asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Thing?!" Hermione explodes as her eyes bug out behind her glasses. "It's not a <i>thing</i> you jackass! Melanie's really, really pissed at you!"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I've heard," he replies flippantly before getting more defensive. "But it's not like I did anything wrong. If she thought, well, whatever she thought then that's her problem!"<br/>
<br/>
The <i>thing</i> being referred to is the fact that Eric and Melanie had spent a lot of time in each others' company, sharing food and canoodling in hammocks, before Eric was seen with another girl and when confronted just shrugged it off and said that he and Melanie had never been dating in the first place. Melanie has gone ballistic since then, not that you can really blame her. Of course, you've known Melanie about as long as you've known Philippa (the two of them are best friends after all) and while she's sweet you know she can be like a little puppy in how she attaches herself to a boy. But it's not the first time you've seen it and you know that she'll cool off eventually.<br/>
<br/>
That still doesn't mean that you're taking his side in this... or any side really but by virtue of your associations, and the fact you find Eric Murphy to be an annoying little twit, your supposed neutrality is highly suspect.<br/>
<br/>
"What was she supposed to think?!" Hermione demands. Of course she'd be taking the lead on this. She won't take guff from anyone, especially not Eric. You half-suspect she'd tell off Chelsea Cooper herself if Chelsea tried something.<br/>
<br/>
"Well I didn't mean anything by it!"<br/>
<br/>
"It doesn't matter what you <i>meant</i>, idiot, it's what you <i>did</i>!"<br/>
<br/>
"What I did was," Eric stops and throws his hands up in frustration. "Look, okay, I'm not here to have this conversation alright? I just wanted to talk to Shelby."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not bailing you out," you say as you cross your arms defiantly.<br/>
<br/>
"I don't <i>want</i> you to bail me out," he insists. "I want you to hang out with me after school."<br/>
<br/>
You see Hermione's face twist up. Philippa groans but keeps hers buried. You retain your poker face. "I've got things to do with some of my teammates after school so I can't," you state. A minor lie because you do plan on hanging out with Ellie, Lacey, Kerri and Kerri's boyfriend but not until evening; but that is technically after school.<br/>
<br/>
"See, that's kind of why I wanted to hang out," he says, "about your team I mean. I'm hanging out with some guys who do video stuff right? And, like, they were saying that with the season coming up they wanted to do like some promo stuff for the volleyball team."<br/>
<br/>
"Video stuff... you mean Mike Hollister?" you ask. You've got second period with him and though you only know him in passing and a few lab partnerships he's mentioned that he does video reviews with one of his friends.<br/>
<br/>
"Right, yeah!"<br/>
<br/>
"Shelby," Hermione warns, "you know he's full of shit."<br/>
<br/>
You suspect she's right but Ellie would definitely appreciate it if you could get the word out about the season even more. If he's not bullshitting you then you can probably get Reagan to get the word out too, she's good about promoting things. So it's against your better judgment that you agree to meet Eric out at the storage facility where Mike and his friend make their videos. When Eric leaves Hermione can do nothing but sigh and shake her head and bemoan that you're loyalty is your weakness.<br/>
<br/>
You insist it'll be fine but Philippa, finally raises her head so she can scrunch her face up at you and call you a traitor. You simply laugh at that, both because you know she's not being serious and because you've always thought of her as rather squirrel-like so even if he was mad it'd be too adorable for you to take seriously.<br/>
<br/>
So once school had let out you'd driven over to the storage facility. Eric was out there and let you in and led you inside to the climate controlled units. It's there that you were surprised to see Maria Vasquez and Chelsea Cooper, of all people, before you'd blacked out.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Jeez, what was all of that? Were those Shelby's thoughts before... Wait, so are you Shelby? That must mean that they'd gotten her before you'd arrived with Stephanie.<br/>
<br/>
You groan as you shake your head. You're cold and naked and desperately you search for some clothes before finding them in a pile. You don't even want to bother touching yourself right now. You just want to get dressed and get up to speed so you grab the underwear and slide it on. You fiddle with the bra and are able to eventually get it on as well. The shorts, short dark ones, are next followed by the loose green top. Finally you slip on the flip-flops that were sitting there.<br/>
<br/>
You want to just get right over into the other unit -- the makeshift gym is now empty so you assume they're all in the video unit -- but then you catch a glance of yourself in the mirror that Carlos has set up. You see an Asian girl that is shorter albeit maybe a little taller than Yumi. She is shaped much differently however. Yumi has the lithe build of a gymnast but this girl... her thighs are nice and large but they're not fat. It's all muscle. You turn a bit and notice that your ass is certainly prominent and well-shaped as well. Caleb is right, it <i>must</i> be a volleyball thing.<br/>
<br/>
In fact, most of the rest of you feels well muscled as well even if, say, your arms aren't showing it beyond the faintest visibility. And you feel great! You feel full of energy to a degree that you don't think you ever realize existed. Compact is how you'd probably describe this person whose face you're now wearing.<br/>
<br/>
And it's a nice face. A bit broad maybe but the features, the almond shaped eyes especially, are placed very nicely on it to not make it seem overly large. Then there's the hair, dark and silky and very, very straight that hangs long to just around the middle of your shoulder blades. Ah, but that's not how it usually is, is it? No, instead you search where the clothes were and find a discarded hair tie. Quickly you slip your hair through and tie it back in a simple, sensible ponytail. A nice way to keep it out of your face and from flying everywhere.<br/>
<br/>
But why should you care about that? Well... <i>you</i> don't but Shelby does. Is that another stray thought of hers that you're picking up on? Like that thought from earlier? And jeez, if that was really a memory of Shelby's from earlier then you feel a bit of disappointment. Not at her but at Eric and you suddenly find yourself feeling very sympathetic to this Melanie girl. You wonder what Eric was thinking. Was he thinking the same thing Lisa was when she broke up with you? You don't want to think of Eric as a bad guy, he's been really cool to you, and you wonder if maybe that's just how it is for people like yourself and Melanie?<br/>
<br/>
Lisa and Eric aren't trying to be insensitive, it's just that as popular and outgoing types they operate on a different wavelength and maybe look a the world a bit differently. Maybe they really did just see it as hanging out that you'd misinterpreted.<br/>
<br/>
But you shake your head. None of that's important. That's in the past now. You're not Melanie, you're not Will Prescott. You're Shelby Ho now and you're going to hang out with your friends. Well Shelby's friends anyway. But is that a good idea? You only just got into her mask. Would you be able to pass? What if you don't and blow the whole thing from the start? Maybe you should just give it some time and hang out with your own friends instead for tonight.</span></div></div>


path: 1133121112112111111132121111132232111221112
author_id: rugal
title: The Pointless Cabal
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>While you are eager to jump right into your new life you decide that the best thing to do would be to hold back for now. You'll have plenty of time to settle in later and you very much do not want to risk ruining the whole thing before you even get a chance. Besides the last thing you need is to let get Fairfax or Maria or whatever he wants to be called pissed at you because if he sees you as a screw up then who knows what he'd do to you. Maybe it's you who winds up under one of those Beta masks instead; that's certainly a very chilling thought.<br/>
<br/>
So you go over to what's left of the discarded items, pretty much just a purse at this point, and dig through it until you pull out a phone. Shelby was supposed to meet Ellie in a little bit if what you experienced as you were coming to was accurate so you figure that it's best to tell her that you won't be able to make it after all. But of course, once you bring up the screen, you curse because of course the phone would have a lock on it. Well now you're stuck right? Well you've got to figure it out somehow although even with only four numbers that's still an absurd amount of possible combinations.<br/>
<br/>
As you wrack your brain trying figure it out you're suddenly hit by something like a flash: 6512 is what suddenly enters your head. Quickly you put it in and the phone, to your surprise, unlocks. Well how did...? You go over the number again and are met by the vague notion that there's a significance attached to it, what it is however you certainly don't know so you let it pass. Instead you pull up the contacts until you find Ellie's name, select it and hit the text icon. <br/>
<br/>
<i>not gonna be able to make it. sorry<br/>
<br/>
you got held up with that video?</i><br/>
<br/>
So it seems like Shelby already mentioned to her that she was going to be out here. <i>yeah. taking longer than i thought</i> you reply.<br/>
<br/>
<i>aww :(<br/>
then i'll have fun for both of us<br/>
see you tomorrow!</i><br/>
<br/>
You think that she's probably half-serious about trying to have more fun now. Another stray Shelby thought? It seems that they're coming a little more frequently than you would've expected. With everything seemingly good you guess that it's about time for you to head out and meet the rest of the group and probably, you would assume, wait for Eric.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
It's with some surprise, then, that you step out into the hall to see... well, nobody. Nobody that is but Eric Murphy and your own doppelganger. Well them and that large bureau that had been loaded into your truck. That's certainly odd because you don't think you could see Eric wanting to move anything really but especially not anything large like that. "Where's everyone else?" you ask as you look around in confusion.<br/>
<br/>
"In the other unit," your Beta replies as he points towards the closed door.<br/>
<br/>
"That's kind of weird," you say making a face, "considering..." You turn your attention to Eric he's standing besides you and close to the door to the makeshift gym. "Hey so how come you're out here anyway? I figured that you would've switched by now."<br/>
<br/>
"The boss? Yeah he did. Or she did," he answers.<br/>
<br/>
"Wait so Eric's already Stephanie?" you ask in surprise.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah huh," comes the reply, "and I gotta say that you picked a good one. Shame she's probably a dyke or something but hey! Of course the boss picked a good one too, huh? So does she play for the other team too or what?"<br/>
<br/>
"Ugh, how should I know?" you ask as you look at him with a disgusted face now that you notice him leering at you. Your Beta, Prescott it's easier to think of him as, at least has the sense to not make his gawking as obvious.<br/>
<br/>
"Well you're her right? I thought those masks gave you, ya know, everything."<br/>
<br/>
"I only just put it on!" you protest in annoyance. "Not like you'd have a chance anyway because I am <i>not</i> interested in hooking up with you Murphy."<br/>
<br/>
"You think I'm cute. Well Shelby thinks I'm cute," he smirks.<br/>
<br/>
You roll your eyes at that. "About as cute as a pile of vomit," you tell him.<br/>
<br/>
"See now that's the kind of flirting me and Shelby like to do," he says still wearing that smirk, "so you're totally in character. It's all good."<br/>
<br/>
You groan in annoyance and push your past Prescott telling him, of course, to finish getting the stuff from the truck into the storage unit before opening the door to the video unit.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Okay so how long have you been up?"<br/>
<br/>
Those are the first words out of your mouth and they're directed right at the person wearing Stephanie Wyatt's grinning, cheshire-like face. "About ten, fifteen minutes maybe? Longer than that?" is the response. "I dunno, I wasn't keeping track of time."<br/>
<br/>
"Wait, what? But you got that mask onto me when I came in right? So shouldn't I have been up before you?"<br/>
<br/>
"That'd normally be the case but for whatever reason it just took you longer," Maria states. Her tone is flat and she doesn't seem overly concerned with it. "It's not as if any of this runs on a set time table."<br/>
<br/>
"He was probably just playing with himself," Stephanie laughs in a way that is very unlike her.<br/>
<br/>
"Is that what <i>you</i> did?" you shoot back without missing a beat.<br/>
<br/>
She just shakes her head. "Nah, that's what home is for. I'm good until then."<br/>
<br/>
It's certainly a thought: Stephanie Wyatt in the privacy of her own room, caressing, massaging and pleasuring herself. On some level, of course, it's a very big turn on but you don't really feel as much of a stirring as you'd expect; probably because you're still settling in you'd figure. "So what have you all been doing then?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Waiting for your slow ass," Eva says in a way that shows no actual ill will.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, your large, great looking, slow ass," Cindy chimes in. "Jeez, maybe Cindy should've joined the volleyball team instead of the cheerleaders if that's what it does."<br/>
<br/>
This time you do feel a bit of a flutter and feel your face get a bit hot. A little more natural because you've always liked Cindy and unlike Stephanie isn't openly disdainful of you even if that's because she doesn't acknowledge you much. Even if it is Keith under her face. "It's not <i>that</i> large," you say as you pat it. "Anyway forget my ass. So what are we going to do now?"<br/>
<br/>
"Formulating our plan for the domination of Westside as we carve out our own little niches like we're gangs," Jessica says completely straight-faced.<br/>
<br/>
"We're not doing that," Maria replies with a sigh.<br/>
<br/>
"But we could!" counters Jessica. "We've got half the cheerleaders and two prominent athletes here. We could totally do it."<br/>
<br/>
"But we're not," says Maria. "That's final."<br/>
<br/>
"Then we're a pretty pointless little cabal," Jessica laughs.<br/>
<br/>
"We're here to observe and study," Maria states. "When you're watching a bunch of chimps you don't just join in and try and assume control of the group. Not that our fellow students are chimpanzees but you get the idea."<br/>
<br/>
"So should I have just gone with to hang out with Shelby's friends?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Definitely not," comes the expected answer. "You made the right call by sticking around here. The memories and personality and everything takes a little while to come in so there's no point in going and blowing your cover, so to speak, right out of the gate."<br/>
<br/>
You make a bit of a thoughtful face at that. "Really? Because I've been getting bits and pieces already," you state. "Hey, what about you, uh..."<br/>
<br/>
"Might as well just go with Stephanie," she replies before quietly adding, "man I'm gonna miss my name. Anyway, can't say that I've been getting anything yet. The tits are there but the brain's not right now."<br/>
<br/>
"But you're saying you are getting stuff?" asks Maria.<br/>
<br/>
You nod. "Yeah," you answer, "like I remembered the how, uh, Eric, that is the real one, got Shelby to agree to come out here. That was when I first woke up. Then when I saw mine and Eric's Betas the Eric one was saying that I was acting pretty in character."<br/>
<br/>
"That's interesting," Maria says thoughtfully. "Ultimately irrelevant though; a few memories or personality quirks here and there aren't really indicative of anything this early. You should have all of this in the morning so at some point I want you both to give me or my Beta a list or chart or anything just kind of explaining the basics of who your imposture knows and all of that."<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, speaking of who Shelby knows, <i>someone</i>," you cast a glare in Stephanie's directions, "got her out here by saying they were doing some filming as like a promo for the volleyball team because their first game is on Monday. Shelby told Ellie about it and Ellie's the captain so she'll be expecting something. We don't really need to make any more switches here do we?"<br/>
<br/>
"We don't need to right now but I don't know what you're getting at," says Maria.<br/>
<br/>
This time you turn your attention to the Garners. "Alright so can we come out here tomorrow? Uh, that is me and the other starts. So we can maybe film something for real. Maybe get your Beats out here to help do that?"<br/>
<br/>
"Uh, yeah sure. I don't see a problem," says Eva who casts a glance at Jessica.<br/>
<br/>
"Great! Oh and Sha--um, Chelsea?" you say and that finally piques her away from looking down at her chest. "Do you think you can get the cheerleaders on board to spread some awareness? Maybe cheer at the game on Monday?"<br/>
<br/>
"I... I guess?" the formerly confident cheerleading captain replies.<br/>
<br/>
"Where'd <i>this</i> come from?" Cindy asks with a laugh.<br/>
<br/>
"I don't know? It just seems natural," you answer. "Well, okay, the cheerleading thing was something Reagan's tossed out before so," you then notice everyone looking at you. "What?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
But nobody says anything. They just shake their heads and the rest of the evening is conducted in a normal, non-eventful manner.</span></div></div>


path: 11331211121121111111321211111322321112211121
author_id: rugal
title: Observing Them In Their Natural Habitat
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You take a little bit longer in the shower than you would normally, relishing in the feel of the hot water as it hits and runs down your body. You take a little bit of extra care in soaping yourself. The feel of it all is exquisite, intoxicating, and thoughts begin to run through your head. You close your eyes and cup a breast, small as it may be, in one hand while the other moves downwards, past your taut stomach and down to your crotch.<br/>
<br/>
You pause briefly; should you be doing this? But you've worked yourself up into this state so there's no point in backing out now so you insert two fingers and gasp. Quickly you go to work however and your thoughts begin to turn towards others as you work yourself up. Them? No. Them? There's nothing there. But... oh yeah, that gets you going, What about...? That too. And if they... harder you go now, your breath coming out faster and shorter, soft moans escaping your lips. You keep going and it builds and builds until finally you can't take it and with one final, loader moan you bring yourself to climax.<br/>
<br/>
And suddenly, just for a second, you are horrified wondering if they might have heard you. So you give a listen for a sound or voice but when you hear nothing you take the time to breathe deep, collect yourself and finish your shower.<br/>
<br/>
You dry yourself and then put on the clothes you threw over the other side of the towel rack: simple dark tight pants, a sleeveless white shirt and a loose, gray, long-sleeve blouse. Something casual but nice. You dry and brush your hair and decide to leave it loose for the day -- practice excepted -- and decide to forgo most make up for now. You look yourself over one more time and decide that you're looking good and definitely looking refreshed. Well you should be after... oh, but why should you feel weird about that? It's a nice stress reliever and with the first game coming up you need all the stress relief you can get. It's certainly not the first time you've "refreshed" yourself like that in the shower before school.<br/>
<br/>
Rather it's not the first time that Shelby's done anything like that. Fairfax was right in that by the time you were awake you'd seemed to have absorbed things completely and for a bit you weren't quite sure where Shelby ended and you began. In fact slipping on Shelby is as easy as slipping on a shirt and you wonder why you'd think you'd be slipping yourself on before quickly slipping yourself off.<br/>
<br/>
That's not to say that you'd need to subsume yourself in her personality totally to pull off this impersonation, in fact it'd be hard to observe for Fairfax if you were doing that full time. But there will be probably times when just going on auto-pilot and letting her take the lead will be for the best. You'd thought the shower would be one of those times so as not to risk exciting yourself before school but that plan obviously backfired.<br/>
<br/>
You head downstairs and pop an English muffin into the toaster, pour a glass of orange juice and when the toaster's done you spread a bit of peanut butter on it (only the best organic kind available of course) and slap the two halves together. You do a quick glance around the kitchen to see if anyone's coming but don't hear anything. Of course you shouldn't, Shelby's parents are usually gone before she is. Not that she minds since the rather nice house is a testament to the hard work that both of her parents, the children of Taiwanese immigrants who came to America with not much to their names, have put in to give themselves and their daughter a good life.<br/>
<br/>
So you take the peace and quiet as a chance to check your phone for any new messages -- a few unimportant ones from Philippa, Hermione, Aria, Cam and some others -- that you discard from your head as quickly as you discard them from your phone, finish up your quick breakfast and then it's out the door and off to what vaguely feels like the first day of school all over again.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"So it was actually legit?" Philippa asks. "I'm honestly shocked. I figured it would be, uh, well something not very legit."<br/>
<br/>
"You were thinking sex dungeon right?" Hermione teases. "Because when you don't think something's on the up and up you always thinking the inevitable end result is a sex dungeon."<br/>
<br/>
"It's not <i>always</i> a sex dungeon," Philippa protests before quickly adding, "Sometimes it's, like, one of those rooms from Saw or something."<br/>
<br/>
Philippa Hosford is a doe-eyed and button-nosed girl whose light brown hair falls loosely in what could only vaguely be categorized as a bob. She's petite both in height and body shape and with her proclivity at times towards sweaters that look a size too big, an occasional fidgetiness and somewhat shy, guarded body language; it's why Shelby thinks of her as rather squirrel-like. At the same time, though, she can have a rather morbid sense of humor and has a love of shlocky horror movies that you would never expect from her otherwise innocent appearance. <br/>
<br/>
That's to say nothing of the fact that occasionally her head seems to get stuck in the clouds.<br/>
<br/>
Hermione Gilbert, meanwhile, is almost Philippa's opposite. Where Philippa is small and thin, Hermione is taller and cello-shaped with a larger chest and larger hips. Where Philippa's face is soft and innocent and her hair short, light and straight, Hermione's is harder and sterner with hair that is longer, darker and falls in thick curls. And while Philippa's not as much the teasing sort, Hermione very much likes to needle her. She's a band geek through and through and takes her duties very seriously yet she's not the pushover that would imply and will, without hesitation, stand up to anyone who she feels is trying to mess with her or her friends.<br/>
<br/>
"How many sex dungeons and Saw rooms have you encountered again?" she grins to which Philippa just grumbles.<br/>
<br/>
"Look, can we please stop talking about Saw sex dungeons? I swear," you say with an eye roll; Shelby doesn't quite share her friends' more eccentric quirks. "But yeah I was surprised that it was legit, especially considering..."<br/>
<br/>
"Considering what?"<br/>
<br/>
You tense up a bit at that. It's not that Shelby hates Melanie Saxon, she absolutely does not, but Melanie is hot under the collar about her ex-boyfriend -- <i>and no matter what he insists they were dating</i> is the Shelby thought that runs through your mind -- and his breaking up with her a couple of weeks ago. You look through Shelby's memories and her thoughts are projected onto your mental screen.<br/>
<br/>
In the version Eric's buddies (and some girls like Brianna Gould) are telling, Melanie is a psycho who will literally kill any girl who so much as glances at Eric out of the corner of her eye.<br/>
<br/>
The reality of the situation is that Melanie is a... passionate person is how Shelby would charitably describe her. She's almost a slave to her emotions, good and bad, and as such when she gets invested in a boy she gets very invested which can make the break up messy. Doubly so in the case of her break-up with Eric because of his insistence that they weren't actually dating which made her feel like she was being used. She had threatened to "rip his dick off and shove it down the throat of any bitch who gets near him if they want it in their mouth so bad" at one point but that was a week ago and now she just gets morose and weepy if he's brought up; no threats of physical violence involved.<br/>
<br/>
Of course Shelby, unlike Philippa or Hermione, has tried to officially stay out of it but she's close friends with the others and has known Melanie a long time (by virtue of her and Philippa being best friends) so the reality is she doesn't <i>say</i> that Eric is a skeevy little playboy looking to get his dick wet in anything with a vagina, she merely thinks it.<br/>
<br/>
But still, the best thing to do is to avoid that you were going to say that it was Eric who'd invited you out. "Just that it was all set up in a storage unit," you quickly improvise but quickly add, "That is, some video thing a guy in my class brought up to help promote the volleyball team. Odd set up but they're nice guys and know what they're doing."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh! Wow, yeah that's awesome! Good luck at your game by the way," she tells you cheerily and the rest of you breathe a sigh of relief. Melanie's a sweet girl but she can be a bit dim at times and thus isn't the hardest to fool or convince.<br/>
<br/>
So you spend the next few minutes talking with the others until realizing that it's getting close to the first bell. You'll need to go and get changed to get ready for practice so you excuse yourself and head towards the gym. You're barely a few steps into the locker room when a girl, coming the other way, grabs you in a tight hug.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey," comes the cheery greeting. "It's too bad you weren't able to come out last night, it was great."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, we'll be able to get together tonight maybe," you say. "We weren't able to get it to go the way we wanted but those guys said we could come out and film something after school. Uh the starters at least. Does that sound good?"<br/>
<br/>
"You don't even have to ask, it sounds great," the other girl chirps. "I'll run it by them and see what they want to do though. See you out in the gym!"<br/>
<br/>
You take a glance at her as she walks off. She's on the taller side, not as tall as Lacey or Jolene but about on par with Reggie, and she's not as built as some of the other girls but she has a nice, trim athletic build and a shorter waist that makes her legs even longer. You watch as her auburn hair bounces this way and that; bouncy hair for a bouncy personality you muse.<br/>
<br/>
Shelby, from your thoughts over the night and morning, thinks the world of her so you're eager to get to know Ellie Kemp, captain of the volleyball team and Shelby's best friend.</span></div></div>


path: 113312111211211111113212111113223211122111211
author_id: rugal
title: Team Introductions
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Ellie may be gone, she's usually the first out to help Coach Schell get everything set up, but the rest of the team is still in the locker room in various states of dress as they change into (or have already changed into) gym clothes. To see them like this is practically a dream come true, something that you could of course never do back when you were still Will Prescott, so you take the time to drink them all in.<br/>
<br/>
But your own sexual interest isn't the only reason you're looking at each member with interest. Fairfax is going to want to know about Shelby and her friends so much like earlier you figure it's best to take stock and make mental note of them to work out a more complete social picture at a later time.<br/>
<br/>
Your eyes are, of course, drawn immediately to Lacey Salter. Tall and blonde with icy blue eyes, a bright smile and an equally bright personality. She's a natural athlete and the team's best player and because of her looks she's probably a big reason any eyes at all, no matter how small, have been drawn to the team. Ellie may be the captain but nobody would argue that Lacey isn't the star.<br/>
<br/>
There's the shaggy-haired Kerri Mullen next. Kerri, notably, has probably the best body of anyone on the team in that she's the most physically fit. She's a longtime skateboarder before joining up with the team on a lark but she's also been dating her boyfriend, Cameron (or Cam as everyone just calls him) Shore from the baseball team, since they were freshmen and the two of them work out together with Kerri bringing over a lot of the more serious routines.<br/>
<br/>
Even now, as she slips her sports bra on, you take a second to marvel at her strong back muscles. She turns you can see a stomach that puts yours to shame; when she sees you she gives a lazy smile. Kerri's the most laid back member of the team and when tensions do run hot during practices she defuses things quickly. She's looked on as something of a pseudo-older sister because of it even among the team members that are the same age as her.<br/>
<br/>
Kayla Shea and Reagan Hackett may as well count as one entity. Kayla was the first serious member after Shelby and Ellie to join and last year managed to bring in Reagan, one of her good friends, as well. Kayla is a very blunt person and if she feels there's a mistake or someone isn't up to par she'll call it out. This contrasts with Ellie's more positive leadership style and the two do butt heads (about as much as Ellie can butt heads with anyone at least) but never to seriously. If Kayla didn't like or respect Ellie then she wouldn't have stayed as long as she has.<br/>
<br/>
Reagan, meanwhile, is something of the team's cheerleader and promoter. She's not the best player really only having the starting position because of seniority (though it's known Aria's going to be eased into a starting role as the season goes on), but she does what she can to keep everyone motivated and to get the word out about the team.<br/>
<br/>
Which brings you to the subs. Of Regina Yost and Whitney Rosenthal, the two seniors, there's not much to say. Whitney's a smart girl who's woefully out of place as she only joined to get a missing PE credit and thought it'd be easy. She's improving and committed but in all likelihood won't see much playing time. Regina (or Reggie as she usually goes by) is about as big a tomboy as you or Shelby has ever seen. A boyish frame, very short boyish hair; definitely more on the butch side of things though to Shelby's knowledge she's not a lesbian.<br/>
<br/>
Then there's the two juniors. Jolene Rooney's certainly a more cornfed girl as she lives on the outskirts of town on a small farm her parents run. Her aunt and uncle run a wildlife clinic outside of town and she spends a lot of time out in the Suffolk Wilderness so of course veterinary work is her career goal.<br/>
<br/>
Aria Giordano, meanwhile, is for all intents and purposes the captain-in-waiting. Originally she'd been intent on joining the JV soccer team to be with her good friend Luz Rosario but both decided that they were a little too similar that, good friends as they are, they'd probably clash too much and it's true: both are natural athletes, very pretty and hold large degrees of self-confidence that they could be seen as haughty and in fact has eared her the nickname of CQ, or Confidence Queen, on the team though only Kerri uses it much. But Aria's a good -- and serious -- learner and it's to Shelby's surprise that she's found that after Ellie it's Aria that she gets along best with on the team.<br/>
<br/>
There's Ava Price, the sophomore, who pushes herself towards the greatest challenge she can find. She's gifted athletically and academically and joined the volleyball team because, well, raising the team's stock was yet another challenge.<br/>
<br/>
Finally there's Libby Wall, the sole freshman. She joined up pretty much due to living in the same neighborhood as Ellie and looking up to her. Her playing time is going to be minimal as she's around more to learn for the time being but she's very enthusiastic and it's something that filters to the rest of the team.<br/>
<br/>
As you finish categorizing each of the members you likewise finish dressing out. You take stock of everyone one more time before the bell rings and everyone heads out to start practice.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Come on Rooney, get your shit together!" you bark as Jolene misses a spike from Kerri. It's the fourth one in a row she's been slow in getting to.<br/>
<br/>
"Shelby's right," Kayla chimes in. "If any of us keep fucking up like this then we'll be lucky to win a game much less the championship. That includes you, Jolene."<br/>
<br/>
"Sorry," huffs Jolene as she pulls herself back up, "I'll make sure to get it next time."<br/>
<br/>
"You'd better," you tell her.<br/>
<br/>
"Shel," Ellie says softly.<br/>
<br/>
"Man, just back off a bit okay? It's cool," says Kerri.<br/>
<br/>
"She's the fucking defensive specialist," you reply. "She's here to play defense. If she can't do that then why is she here."<br/>
<br/>
"Shel, it's fine don't worry," she replies before turning to Jolene. "Don't take it to heart Jolene. Shel just wants to win as much as any of us but she's right in that we need to make sure that all of us are performing at our best level, even you Libby," she says flashing a warm smile at the freshman. "I mean one of us might get hurt and you'll have to step up too."<br/>
<br/>
"R-right!" Libby exclaims, "And I'll do it!"<br/>
<br/>
"<i>We'll</i> do it," Ellie lightly corrects her. "This is a team effort is what I was getting at so every one of us needs to work under the assumption that we're each the key to victory. Whether it's Lacey or Kerri or even Libby. I said at the start of the year that the goal's to win the state title and if we're all working at our best and then I really do believe that nobody's going to beat us no matter how 'new' we are. You guys are the best so just believe and we'll be able to do it."<br/>
<br/>
Jolene nods an approval and everyone else agrees. It's close to the end of practice anyway so you engage in a few more rallies and this time any ball sent her way is deflected and countered with little issue. Coach Schell, a younger woman who can't be any older than her early thirties, the breaks up practice so everyone can rinse off and get changed. There's no hard feelings towards you or to Kayla because these roles are expected now.<br/>
<br/>
If Kayla is the yin to Ellie's yang, then Shelby's the stick to Ellie's carrot. Shelby's been standing by Ellie since freshman year so she's going to take a more drill sergeant approach to repeated screw ups. But you're amazed by Ellie's captaining. You'd assumed that to run a team would've required a firm hand and a somewhat dictatorial style but that does not seem to be her style at all. She's very positive in her feedback and even when critical tries to spin it in a positive way.<br/>
<br/>
The result is a team that is very loyal to her and Shelby's told her more than once that she doesn't seem to be so humble but Ellie will just say something like <i>oh gosh, I'm not trying to be,</i> and deflect it with a laugh. Humility is just her natural nature and while Shelby's got a good idea why but it's not an issue she presses nor would she want to. She's there to support her best friend and help her get to the top.<br/>
<br/>
To the other starters Ellie broaches the idea of going out to the storage facility to film and with only minor convincing most of them agree, only Kayla demures because of a prior appointment though the Confidence Queen herself is quick to step in and offer herself as a replacement which nobody else has an issue with.<br/>
<br/>
The bell finally rings and practice lets out. It's as you get to Mr. Cash's room for Shelby's second period chemistry class that you get a text from Maria asking you to come find her at lunch so you can talk. You text back only a simple <i>i guess,</i> before taking your seat. Obviously it'd be a good idea to go see her but if you want to observe and hopefully get a better picture you may be better off just blowing off the meeting to eat with Shelby's friends.</span></div></div>


path: 1133121112112111111132121111132232111221112111
author_id: rugal
title: Things Important to the Budding Sociologist
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>While blowing off a meeting with the Maria-disguised Fairfax to get some more detailed observations might seem like a good idea in theory, in practice you know that it's probably pretty dumb. For one, it's less out of a desire for observation and more because you really don't want to worry about having to give up some bogus list of who knows who and who likes and hates each other and whatever. You don't have a problem with Fairfax but you find the insistence on this charade to be kind of funny.<br/>
<br/>
You know you yourself don't really care about the sociology of the school. You just wanted an opportunity to get away from yourself and to see what others might have to make them popular that you're lacking. Do Mike and Carlos and Keith and Shank really care too? Eric, you're certain, couldn't care less and you wonder if Fairfax is more convincing himself that there's some grander purpose to what you're doing than the rest of you.<br/>
<br/>
But whatever his or your actual feelings this brings you to the second thing which is that he expects it to at least be treated legitimately so that means you don't really have much of a choice and you thus resign yourself to meeting up with him at lunch.<br/>
<br/>
Cash's class is one of those occasions where you decide that slipping Shelby on completely and allowing yourself to go into auto-pilot is for the best. Science is Caleb's thing, not yours, and even Shelby isn't terribly interested either. The hour (well fifty minutes but who's counting) eventually slogs its way to the end and you bring yourself back so that you can pull Hollister aside and tell him to tell Eva (and Carlos since he'll likely tell Jessica) that the team wants to come by the makeshift studio after school. He's ambivalent to that fact at first until you remind him that means a half-dozen pretty girls in peak physical shape in that small room and he's quick to accede.<br/>
<br/>
Shelby's third period class, accounting with Mrs. Hoagland, is a nothing class. Even worse (as Shelby's mind tells you), is two of the creatures that inhabit this classroom, both people she finds to be nothing more than loathsome hangers-on to Victoria Rodriguez. The first is Faith Becker who's nothing but a drama magnet who has one pregnancy scare after the other, conveniently coming after breaking up with a boyfriend. Probably some dumb attempt at either roping them back in or trying to fuck them over in revenge.<br/>
<br/>
The other is Molly Shaw, the sociopathic little suck-up who she's seen lurking around Joe Ysleta, Victoria's boyfriend. Now Shelby knows Joe as he's teammates with Cam and Joe's a nice guy. But maybe he just doesn't have the best taste in girls considering Victoria's kind of a snooty bitch. Still, she's nowhere near as bad as Molly.<br/>
<br/>
Maybe this little sociology experiment won't be as boring as you think, you decide, so being a nothing class you decide to sketch out some of Shelby's relationships. Obviously she's on good terms with the volleyball team, though on best terms with starters and doubly on best terms with Aria and triply with Ellie. She hates Faith and Molly and is on friendly terms with Joe though is not too high on his girlfriend Victoria. In fact most of the baseball team isn't too bad. Michael Allen, Shep Tsosie (but not some of Shep's friends like Justin Roth) and the like are cool; Jason Lynch isn't of course.<br/>
<br/>
So that brings you to her other, non-athlete group. Philippa Hosford and Hermione Gilbert get big green checkmarks, a sightly smaller one for Melanie Saxon. Eric Murphy would get a small red X, Shelby finds him an annoying goober who doesn't think more than anything. Eric's pals though...? They're responsible for spreading rumors about Melanie the Mad. Not all of them, of course, but some of them; especially Christian Padilla who's only ever able to keep his mouth shut when it's got Hartlein's dick in it. He can go fuck himself off a cliff.<br/>
<br/>
So can Brianna Gould who's every guy's next potential lay and is the main girl spreading crap about Mel.<br/>
<br/>
You try to work out this and that and manage to hammer out a few more things before the bell to signal the end of class finally rings. You look over the list once more and satisfied that Maria will be satisfied you pack everything up, say goodbye to Whitney (who also has this class) and head out to the cafeteria.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Of course unwritten social rules, of which you're now learning, dictate that you can't just go up to Chelsea and Maria and tell them you need to speak with them. The only people who might be able to get away with that are Kelsey Blankenship, ruler of the snooty AP crowd, and Kim Walsh, senior class President. The former because she's defacto head of a powerful group as well but is wealthy -- much wealthier than Chelsea -- on top of it, the latter because she's (Shelby would presume) too nice to do harm but still useful to have on one's side.<br/>
<br/>
No, if you want to speak with them then they come to you. Or more likely they issue a summons.<br/>
<br/>
Fairfax, as Maria, should be aware of these rules if someone like Shelby is so you text back that you'll be with other member of the volleyball team and that she (or Chelsea) should send someone over to get you.<br/>
<br/>
You sit at a group that's far larger than any you'd sat at before. Ellie, Lacey, Reagan, Kayla and Kerri are there; most of the rest of the team has fifth lunch. Libby's the exception but most of the time she's with her own freshman friends anyway. It's a group, though, that also includes Cam, Joe, Victoria and Vanessa Bailey, a member of Victoria's group of friends. Vanessa's there largely because Victoria is, her interactions with Shelby and her teammates never getting better (or worse) than neutral.<br/>
<br/>
It's close to ten minutes before Eva Garner finally makes her way over to stand directly behind you. "Shelby?" she asks in a manner that's a mix between trying to get your attention and uncertainty at who you are. An act on Hollister's part to be sure. So you turn in your seat to acknowledge her. "Chelsea wants to talk to you," she states plainly.<br/>
<br/>
This causes looks of surprise and confusion throughout the group.<br/>
<br/>
"Um, should I come too?" Ellie asks. "If it's about the team or something --"<br/>
<br/>
"Nuh uh, just Shelby," Eva sighs. "I don't know why, that's just what Chelsea said."<br/>
<br/>
You give a pleading "do I have to" look around the table but it's Kerri who just laughs. "Sorry Shel, you gotta do what you gotta do I guess," she says. "Can't keep the other CQ waiting right?"<br/>
<br/>
With a grimace you pull yourself up, promise to be right back and head out of the cafeteria with Eva.<br/>
<br/>
"Other CQ?" she asks once you're past the doors.<br/>
<br/>
"It's Kerri's nickname for Aria," you tell her. "It stands for Confidence Queen because Aria's, you know, confident."<br/>
<br/>
"So is she calling Chelsea that too?" she asks but you give a negative reply. "So what's it mean for her?"<br/>
<br/>
That causes you to look at her with a smirk. "Take a guess," you tell her.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Maria reads over the notebook page that you've torn out in silence. There's not much said between Eva, Chelsea and yourself either. It's instead an awkward silence as the four of you stand outside between the gym and main building, a little corner on the other side of the tutors' office. It's an area not used much during lunch so it's the perfect spot for your group to assemble.<br/>
<br/>
Finally, after a few minutes, she hands the paper back to you. "Is that all?" she asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Is that all?!" you repeat incredulously. "In case you're forgetting I've only been Shelby proper for half a day, if that, and I really haven't had time to think about this stuff yet. That's not enough to whet your appetite for the time being?"<br/>
<br/>
She just grunts. "It's a start. More than I've gotten from Stephanie," she says. "More importantly for now, are you settling in?"<br/>
<br/>
"It's been pretty easy," you admit. "Even got through practice earlier with no one suspecting anything was up."<br/>
<br/>
"And why go through the trouble of telling me to tell Chelsea to tell someone to come get you at lunch?" comes the next question. "That just creates needless confusion."<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea just gives you the smuggest smirk she can find and tosses her hair back. "But I did get to order Eva around," she says with amusement.<br/>
<br/>
"So you're settling in well?" you ask which gets a positive response. You then turn back to Maria. "Anyway, needless confusion is the name of the game if you haven't noticed. Look at what I gave you there: an overview of the social situation with Shelby and her group. A bit of a mess right?"<br/>
<br/>
"I would say yes," replies Maria.<br/>
<br/>
"It's not any different with what I texted you," you state. "Social etiquette means I can't just go traipsing up to you and demanding Josiah talk to me. Hierarchy might be needlessly confusing but it is what it is. If we're going to play these roles then we'll have to do it the right way."<br/>
<br/>
"And how you're doing it is the right way?" Maria asks. "That's very interesting Will."<br/>
<br/>
"Shelby," you correct him which gets an inquisitive response. "If I'm playing the role of Shelby, then you should just call me Shelby. Same as calling Shank Chelsea, or Hollister Eva."<br/>
<br/>
"Even though you're not Shelby," she states.<br/>
<br/>
"I might as well be," you retort. "It's easier that way. You're complaining about needless confusion? Well this is one area where you can help correct that."<br/>
<br/>
Maria gives you a contemplative look for a few seconds before a small smile appears on her lips. "That is very interesting Shelby," she states. "I'll have to keep this in mind."</span></div></div>


path: 11331211121121111111321211111322321112211121111
author_id: rugal
title: A Bit of a Calm
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Wait, she really said that?!" Ellie asks you in wide-eyed astonishment.<br/>
<br/>
"Uh huh," you reply.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh my gosh!" she exclaims as a bit of giddy laughter is mixed in with her words. "This is," she pauses, "wow! I know Reagan just kind of tossed it out there but I kind of thought she was joking."<br/>
<br/>
"You just asked her?" asks Lacey with skepticism. "And she just, like, agreed?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, no, I didn't ask her really," you admit. "Actually she's the one who brought it up. That's why she wanted me specifically because Eva was out at that place yesterday too since Mike and his friends needed a cheerleader for a part in their video. I'd mentioned Reagan's idea to Eva and I guess that's how it filtered back to Chelsea."<br/>
<br/>
The skeptical look continues however. "I'm not sure I buy that," she says before waving it off. "Ugh, I'm sorry Shel. I don't mean that you're lying or anything it's just that it's, you know..."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh no I totally agree with you and if you were telling me this I'd think you were messing with me," you tell her. "But Chelsea was all, <i>'Of course we'll cheer for you. Can you imagine how it would reflect on us if you won? Oh-ho-ho-ho!'</i> and whatever."<br/>
<br/>
"And there's the catch," Lacey states. "Heaven forbid she do anything out of the kindness of her own heart."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, she's doing it right?" Ellie asks. "She didn't have to or anything but she said she would. Chelsea's not a <i>bad</i> person or anything."<br/>
<br/>
Lacey and yourself just exchange glances. "She's not a <i>good</i> person either," you reply which results in a grumble from Ellie.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm just going to look on the bright side, okay?" she counters. "Chelsea helping us out and agreeing to cheer at the game is a good thing no matter what. I mean just think of where we were last year."<br/>
<br/>
"Not playing any games?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah," Lacey adds with a laugh, "I guess you could say we were more of a club than a team."<br/>
<br/>
"That must have been hard for you though," you tell her. "I mean you were on your school's team before you moved here last year right?" You're referring to the fact that Lacey had lived in Evansville, the next town over, before moving to Saratoga Falls at the beginning of the last school year.<br/>
<br/>
"I was but," she shakes her head, "but that wasn't as fun. I mean I like playing volleyball and everything but the team was so... it was all very regimented and stiff. I enjoy it more now. Coach and our captain both play a part in that."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh please, I had nothing to do with it I'm sure," Ellie demures with a laugh. "You probably had to leave behind a lot of friends too."<br/>
<br/>
"Not as many as you'd think," she replies. "But I can still talk to people in a bunch of different ways so they're not gone forever or anything."<br/>
<br/>
"No misgivings about the fact our first game's against your old school?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
Lacey just smiles at that. "None at all. Orange and black's in the past, I bleed scarlet and gold now," she declares before putting and arm around Ellie. "Isn't that right Ellie?"<br/>
<br/>
"Um, I guess so?" Ellie says in confusion but never once dropping the upbeat expression she's been wearing. "Oh! But I really do have to get to class. I mean, it's only yearbook and all but..."<br/>
<br/>
"I know, I know, you're serious about producing a good one," you say as you lightly shove her in the direction of Hart's class. "Go on."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I'll see you guys after school," she says before adding, "well, not you Shel because we've got seventh but..."<br/>
<br/>
"Yes, yes, dear Ellie I know what you mean," you say while jokingly shooing her away. "Now scram."<br/>
<br/>
She laughs at that. "Right! Okay, yeah, I'll see you later," she says as she disappears through the crowd toward Mrs. Hart's room.<br/>
<br/>
The yearbook is mostly made up of some popular kids who just want an easy grade and to help put over their own already popular friends; Ellie's one of the few who takes it with any degree of seriousness. The same thing that can't be said about Kerri and Cam -- one of the few guys in the class -- who treat it as an extra goof off class. The fact that they're not here to join Ellie, yourself and Lacey (who you have a study hall with for fifth that the two of you usually take in the library) inbetween classes means this is one of those days where they dip out of lunch early to enjoy a little bit of private time doing... well, who knows?<br/>
<br/>
Not that they'd do <i>that</i> in school. At least, you hope not.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Sixth period is Classical Literature with Mr. Hagerman and it's one of the classes that Shelby looks forward to for a number of reasons. Not only is the material covered stuff that she finds to be actually interesting or that her friends are in this class, it also helps that Hagerman is a handsome young man with a demeanor that is friendly while still taking his duties seriously. It's assumed that half the girls who wind up in his class do it for him alone.<br/>
<br/>
But the class also includes Brianna Gould. Whether she knows about the ill feelings Shelby and her friends have towards her you don't know but the three of you make it a point to stay on the other side of the room as far away from her as possible.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm gonna kill her."<br/>
<br/>
Those are the first words of out Hermione's mouth as Philippa and her take their seats near you. "What's this about now?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Now Emma's avoiding Melanie too," she grumbles bitterly. "She kept separated from her during practice and Philippa was telling me that in second she was saying that it might be a good idea to distance herself for a while."<br/>
<br/>
"Hopefully you don't mean you're going to kill Emma for that," you say.<br/>
<br/>
"Not her," she replies. "But I'm pretty sure Brianna and others have been getting in her ear."<br/>
<br/>
"She was telling me, like, she feels like she's causing a lot of problems," says Philippa, "so she, I guess, thinks it'd be best to just lay low for a while and distance herself from Mel and everything."<br/>
<br/>
Emma would be Emma Witkin, another member of the school band. She's friends with Melanie but also friends with Brianna... in fact, she's a nice girl who really doesn't want to get on anyone's bad side at all. But unfortunately when she parties she has a tendency to go a little hard which can lead her into trouble. That's how she wound up in a back bedroom with Eric which, when it got out, is what set off this entire thing with Melanie that's been tearing through the band and associated others like Shelby.<br/>
<br/>
Some, like most of Eric's buddies, Brianna and a few members of the band are on the "Melanie the Mad" train.<br/>
<br/>
Others, like your friends, some other band members like Brianna Kirschke and Ben Kleema, and others are firmly on Melanie's side.<br/>
<br/>
Then there's the large contingent people like Anne Starkey, Susie Lekuawehe, Savanna Cross or yourself (officially at least) who are ostensibly neutral or refusing to get involved.<br/>
<br/>
Of course someone would have had to have leaked what happened and for your friends at least it's obvious that it was Brianna, whether to hurt Melanie, get Eric for herself, cause trouble in general or whatever. There's no proof of that, of course, and Brianna's been professing surprise as to why they broke up but your friends see a snake and you're not really inclined to doubt them on that.<br/>
<br/>
Still, it's not long before class starts so quickly you have to drop it and instead, during lulls in the class and as you exit after the end-of-class bell rings you make tentative plans to meet up with them tomorrow and hang out which is something Shelby hasn't been able to do as much over the last week or two with the hecticness of upcoming season.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
The final two periods don't really offer you much in the way of anything interesting either. You share seventh with Ellie which is a nice, the problem being of course is that it's a math class (and a fairly serious one) and Mr. Muniz, the teacher, is not one to tolerate any goofing off, note passing, whispering or anything of the sort. He's also on constantly so very rarely is there ever a dead period where you might be able to get in a minute or two of idle chit chat.<br/>
<br/>
The final period is AP American Government with Mr. Santiago. Now Santiago's not a bad teacher or an asshole or anything but it's an advanced class so it's yet another that's fairly serious. There is, thankfully, a period where Santiago needs to step out so you talk with Lacey about psyching yourselves up for what's coming up, both in just a short while and on Monday, before the teacher comes back in.<br/>
<br/>
Once class, and thus school, lets out you and Lacey loiter outside of the gym on the opposite side of the school. Ellie, Reagan, Kayla, Kerri and Cam (of course he's coming, the two are practically inseparable) and finally Aria arrive. Kayla again apologizes that she can't come -- a family commitment that she has to get ready early for -- but wishes the rest of you luck. It's decided as well that everyone taking their own car to some small storage facility isn't really feasible so you'll split into two with Cam following you.<br/>
<br/>
It's Cam, Kerri, Reagan and Lacey in his old Ford Explorer while in your -- that is Shelby's -- VW Golf you're joined by Ellie, of course, as well as Aria.</span></div></div>


path: 113312111211211111113212111113223211122111211111
author_id: rugal
title: Love & Volleyball
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You're thankful that Saratoga Falls isn't anything larger than its medium size as Top Shelf is clear on the other side of town. Theoretically it's not a bad drive as all you have to do is take Borman east to 20th, head straight south and you're there. The problem however is that for quite a while after school lets out the roads are going to be packed as students from both Westside and Eastman as well as the college converge downtown to get some food, find places to hang out or go to their jobs.<br/>
<br/>
"So, you're cool riding with us?" you ask as you turn back to Aria. It's a dumb question of course, you don't really see why she'd have a problem, but it's yet another red light that you're stopped at and so far the drive has been rather quiet.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah?" comes the expected response which then proceeds to echo your own thoughts. "I don't really know why you'd think I'd have a problem."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, they probably had room for another person," you say. "I know it's kind of cramped back there.<br/>
<br/>
"It's fine," Aria replies. "I said I'd ride with you before the arrangements had been finalized."<br/>
<br/>
"So you're --"<br/>
<br/>
"Light!" Ellie calls out as the light turns green. You quickly get to moving again.<br/>
<br/>
You turn your eyes back to the road but continue talking. "So you're just not comfortable riding with Kerri or something?"<br/>
<br/>
"Why would you think I'd have a problem with Kerri?" asks Aria.<br/>
<br/>
"I dunno," you admit. "Just her teasing you with the nickname and all. I've noticed you get pissy about it before."<br/>
<br/>
"When she first started with it, sure," she states. "But I got to thinking and realized there's no problem at all."<br/>
<br/>
"I like it," Ellie chimes in. "The name I mean. It sounds cool and I don't really see anything bad about it."<br/>
<br/>
"That's how I'm choosing to take it," Aria replies. "Why see it as a negative? There's nothing wrong with having confidence in yourself."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, it's not her relationship with Cam is it? The way they're always hanging off of each other and all that."<br/>
<br/>
"You don't think it's romantic?" asks Ellie. "They're so devoted to each other."<br/>
<br/>
"And that's cool and all but it gets a little excessive and showy at times," you counter. "Especially because--" You then realize that you've made a rather large mistake. "Shit, I'm sorry Aria I didn't mean--"<br/>
<br/>
"It's fine," she says in a flat tone of voice. "You don't need to get concerned on my account; there's not really anything left there. I wasn't too broken up about it remember?"<br/>
<br/>
Aria had been dating Anthony Johnson, a junior on the swim team, for most of the latter half of their sophomore year and through the summer. They'd broken up, however, not long after Aria had joined the volleyball team but are still good friends.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, but even still--"<br/>
<br/>
"I said it's fine, don't worry," she insists. "I could ask you about your love life too you know."<br/>
<br/>
"I don't have anyone," you tell her bluntly. "I mean I could get someone if I wanted to but it's just... it's not a concern for me okay?"<br/>
<br/>
"And what about you Ellie?" Aria asks. "Surely you've got someone you like."<br/>
<br/>
"Do I...?" she wonders but, like usual, demures. "Gosh, sorry but I don't really think about it too much. I've got enough on my plate without adding a boyfriend on top of it. Besides I don't think anyone's interested in me anyway so it's not a big deal."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh come on now, nobody?<br/>
<br/>
"Not that I can think of," comes the answer before Ellie groans in disappointment. "I'm not as pretty as you or Shel so you know..."<br/>
<br/>
She's right in the sense that Aria is very pretty with long hair dyed a deep wine red, Italianite features and flawless olive skin.<br/>
<br/>
But Ellie herself is no dog either with features, especially large emerald eyes, and a chipper attitude that has always made Shelby compare her to a fairy. You know for a fact that a couple of guys, Noah Baker from the baseball team for one, have asked Shelby if she's single as well which is something that Shelby's always brushed off as she feels it's not her place to speak for her friend.<br/>
<br/>
As you turn onto 20th it's to your surprise, then, that it's Aria and not yourself who speaks up. "You don't need to think like that," she says with sympathy. "There's someone out there for you. Have a little confidence."<br/>
<br/>
"It's nice that you say that but," Ellie trails off before switching track. "Um, so I hope it's not rude after, you know, but is there anyone you're interested in now?"<br/>
<br/>
There's a bit of silence and you decide to jump in. "Ellie," you warn her.<br/>
<br/>
"It's alright," Aria says. "Anyway there is, actually. That's sort of what led to me breaking up with Tony. He had his eye on someone else too. It was a mutual thing."<br/>
<br/>
"So you're going to talk to them right?" Ellie is practically giddy now.<br/>
<br/>
"Hmm, I suppose. But it has to be special," declares Aria. "After we win on Monday then I'll talk to them about it."<br/>
<br/>
"And he's going to say yes right? I mean he'd be nuts not to."<br/>
<br/>
There's a few seconds, no more than five or six, before you hear a small laugh escape from Aria. "Naturally," she says in as confident a manner as you've ever heard from her.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Aaaand that's it!" exclaims Carlos after the group has delivered the last line for... well, you lost track some time ago. Carlos had been a bit of a perfectionist constantly tweaking and adjusting and changing who said what, in what order, who stood where, any little detail he could think of really. But finally it seems to be done. "Mike will do whatever editing he needs to do and we'll throw it up on your channel at some point tomorrow; Sunday at the latest."<br/>
<br/>
The six of you cheer at that. Not as much at getting a video up on Youtube that people may or may not even watch, though as Reagan likes to say every little bit helps,<br/>
<br/>
"Thanks a lot you two, I really mean it," says Ellie gratefully before turning to Chelsea and Maria who are here mainly to prevent anyone from accidentally seeing things they're not supposed to see. "You too, Chelsea. Thank you <i>so</i> much."<br/>
<br/>
"Of course," replies Chelsea with a tone and smile that's as dripping with venom as it is honey. Her natural state it seems. "I'm as full of school spirit as anyone."<br/>
<br/>
"I know but," Ellie pauses but not out of doubt, rather she's beaming, "but it's still so cool of you to do it! You didn't have to but... thanks a lot! It means so much to... to all of us! Right?"<br/>
<br/>
There's a few looks exchanged as the rest of you (well barring yourself but you're playing a role as you'd told Maria earlier) don't have the positive outlook on Chelsea that Ellie might have right now. But there's no point in being bitchy so Reagan decides to back up your captain. "Yeah, one hundred percent," she says. "You're doing us a real solid Chelsea and we appreciate it. We'll pay you back for it."<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea turns that gaze right on Reagan. "You can pay me back by winning," she says before scanning the rest of you. "All of you hear that?"<br/>
<br/>
"Loud and clear," says Ellie now with less cheer and more determination. "I've been telling them that since the start of the year. We're not going to just win this game. We're winning state."<br/>
<br/>
"State?" asks Chelsea in surprise. "You don't think that's a little ambitious?"<br/>
<br/>
"Absolutely not," replies Ellie. "These girls, the ones that aren't here either, I believe in them. Everyone's so talented and committed that we can't lose."<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea gives some sort of a reply but you don't hear it as Maria pulls you aside. "She's good," she says quietly and you simply nod. "So it seems like you really are settled in good. Not having any issues or anything?"<br/>
<br/>
"None at all," you reply. "What about Stephanie?"<br/>
<br/>
She grimaces at that. "I think she's blowing me off," she admits. "I haven't heard of any incidents but she never passed anything along to me and I can't get more than basic responses out of her when I text her. Truth be told I'm giving her until Monday and if nothing's new on that front then we're going to deal with it."<br/>
<br/>
That takes you by surprise and you're about to ask what that means but Cam suddenly calls out.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, Balducci's! You guys in?" he shouts to assembled group. There's murmurings of acceptance among the team and words of "great idea for once, Cam". But Cam simply demures to his girlfriend. "Can't take credit. Was gonna be me and Kerri but she thought it'd be better if it was you guys too." He then wraps an arm around Kerri's waist and pulls her in. "She's always got good ideas, right babe?" he says as he leans in close to her causing her to giggle.<br/>
<br/>
"You've got good ones too," she smiles to him.<br/>
<br/>
"Like that time we--"<br/>
<br/>
"Dude!" Kerri exclaims in surprise while lightly swatting him. However with another giggle she's leaned in herself and is kissing him deeply. They eventually finish and give each other one last, affectionate look.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, so you Chels?" asks Cam. "Maria? Video guys?"<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea and Maria exchange glances though it's Chelsea who speaks. "We've got our own places to be, sorry," she says while Maria nods. "You two as well, right?"<br/>
<br/>
She's glaring hard at the betas. You can tell they want to say no but you suppose even a Beta knows that it's best to not run afoul of Chelsea. Or a Chelsea facsimile. "Yeah, us too. We've got to, uh, do the editing right?" Mike says nervously.<br/>
<br/>
So goodbyes are said as everyone decides that, due to the school gate not closing at night, you'll be able to run back to grab cars afterwards. You stop to ask Maria if she wants you to stay too but she simply shakes her head.<br/>
<br/>
"You're fine, don't worry," she says with a warm expression. "Enjoy yourself."</span></div></div>


path: 1133121112112111111132121111132232111221112111111
author_id: rugal
title: A Final Bit of Bonding
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Okay, okay, how about this? When we win you're going to actually have some beer. I don't mean, like, chug a can or something just a little but, you know? Just so you can say that you're living on the edge... by your standards anyway." Kerri then takes another bite of her pizza before speaking again. "I'm right, right? I can totally see it."<br/>
<br/>
"Beer?" Ellie asks making a face. "I'm sorry but you are <i>way</i> off there. I'd never do that."<br/>
<br/>
"You're right," Kerri says, "root beer probably gives you the heebie jeebies."<br/>
<br/>
"It does not!" Ellie insists before quickly adding, "I mean I don't drink any soda though because it's just so... it's not healthy."<br/>
<br/>
"And pizza is?" asks Aria.<br/>
<br/>
"I can allow myself to cheat a little you know," comes the reply before she turns back to Kerri. "And what are <i>you</i> going to do after we win, huh?"<br/>
<br/>
"After we win, huh? We-hehehe, cut it out!" Kerri exclaims as Cam, whose hand is seemingly perpetually locked around her waist, tickles her a bit. Of course no sooner has she said that does she lean over and give him a quick smooch.<br/>
<br/>
In a way you admire them. They've been together so long and yet, with as quick as most teenage relationships are, no passion seems to have faded and they've shown no signs of any waning interest. The flirting and PDA are always there. Ellie's right in that there is something romantic about it.<br/>
<br/>
"You had to get them started," Aria says as she looks away and covers part of her face with her hand.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh come on now, this is only like the twentieth lip lock," Reagan jokes. "They're behind pace."<br/>
<br/>
This causes everyone else, even the totally above it all Aria, to laugh. It's been about an hour, maybe longer, since your group arrived at Balducci's ostensibly for a quick bite to eat but it's a little bit of a final group bonding. Not for the entire team of course since it was both decided on a whim and there are people who wouldn't be able to come normally, but it's enough that it'd be considered a success. A final chance for some of you to get together and loosen up before the big debut.<br/>
<br/>
You find it odd to think of yourself as being smack dab in the middle of everything and "part of the group", even given where you're pretending to be, but it also causes you to think of Shelby's other group of friends and the division that runs rampant through them. There's also the endless stories you've heard about the cheerleaders either filtered down from Jenny or straight from Yumi herself.<br/>
<br/>
By contrast the volleyball team is incredibly tight knit. What arguments there are tend to be light and pass quickly with no ill feelings lingering. You wonder why that is? Maybe it's the very nature of the team. For most of your time in school there was a volleyball team in name only; groups of girls who got together to practice but never with enough people to properly constitute a team and thus in the four years Ellie and Shelby have been part of it they've never played an actual game. The team instead is little more than a motley collection of people with little in common.<br/>
<br/>
A team composed Pollyannas, nerds, enthusiastic cheerleaders, country girls, haughty-but-talented juniors, freshman mascots and the occasional person with actual experience. Maybe that's what works. The team's common bond is that they otherwise have no common bond. Nobody expects anything from them so they have a chip on their shoulder and strong desire to prove everyone wrong.<br/>
<br/>
You don't say much more for the rest of the meal. Instead you're content to hang back and take everything in until it's time to go.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"So do you ever wonder what it is that keeps us together?" you ask Ellie. The group has since broken up for the evening but yourself and Ellie are leaning against her car, parked close to yours, as you look at the last vestiges of sunlight begin to disappear. "Like if you think about it, there's not really any reason for the team to exist right? Aria and Kayla and Kerri and all of them, they could just drop out."<br/>
<br/>
"That's true," Ellie says, "but they didn't. I guess I can't really know why they didn't if I had to think..." She pauses for a moment, bringing her closed hand up to her mouth but eventually shakes her head. "I guess I don't <i>want</i> to think about it. There's not really any reason to. What brought this on?"<br/>
<br/>
"It's just something I was wondering," you tell her. "I was thinking about it back when we were eating. Just that it's nice that we could do something like that when you look through the school and you see so many other groups just at each others' throats."<br/>
<br/>
"Well maybe it's because we've got a goal to work towards," she says before laughing lightly. "It doesn't really matter though, right?"<br/>
<br/>
There's a brief bit of silence when suddenly you start to hear a bit of light sniffling. You look over to see Elle, eyes closed and face pointed towards the ground. "Hey, you alright?" you ask in concern.<br/>
<br/>
She simply nods and then looks up at you, her eyes red and blotchy. You can see her mouth pulled up into a smile however. You don't say anything in response but pull her over into a friendly hug.<br/>
<br/>
"Just... thanks so much," she says quietly. "All of you guys. The fact we've been able to get this far and that all of you have stuck around, it all means so much you have no idea. It makes me feel like I've got some kind of a purpose and to get to hang out with all of you..." She trails for a second before collecting herself. "Oh gosh, that sounds so selfish, I'm sorry I don't mean--"<br/>
<br/>
"God, Ellie, you're not," you tell her. "I could call you a lot of things but selfish is not one of them. Selfless, maybe. Captain. My best friend. My sister. That's what we are, that's what all of us are. I'm glad that you're feeling like that because we <i>want</i> you to feel like that. Seriously everyone, from me down to Libby and up to Coach, we all appreciate everything you've put into the team."<br/>
<br/>
Her face is buried in your shoulder and you can hear and feel her sobs though you know that she's not crying tears of sadness. Still you let her go and when she's finally done she sniffs a little bit and looks up at you, the bright smile she normally wears now making its way back onto her face.<br/>
<br/>
"Thanks," she says quietly. "You're always here."<br/>
<br/>
"I told you," you respond, "we're sisters."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I know," she says before pulling you into another, more sisterly hug. "I love you Shel. I love all of you. You guys mean so much to me."<br/>
<br/>
"I love you too," you tell her. "We all do."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"You're home later than usual," Shelby's mother says as you pass by the kitchen. There's no admonishment in the words, just a simple observation as Shelby is usually home right after school and there by the time her parents get home.<br/>
<br/>
"Sorry mom, I just got caught up in doing some stuff for the team," you admit. "There was a video we did after school that some guys helped us shoot, then we went and grabbed some pizza. Oh, and then I hung out with Ellie for a bit."<br/>
<br/>
"A little team get together? That sounds nice. I suppose, then, you won't be eating the supper I've been making all evening?" she says. She looks at you and there's just the slightest hint of mischief behind those glasses, something that Shelby only rarely sees.<br/>
<br/>
Shelby's mother, Theresa, looks the part of a successful woman in her early forties with a sort of prim prettiness. But when she wants to she can lightly tease her daughter or her husband that, due to its rareness, is often quite effective.<br/>
<br/>
Both of her parents do quite well with Mrs. Ho working as an HR manager at Proteus, the largest single employer in town, while Shelby's father, Stephen, is a regional manager for a bank. Both of them started from practically nothing and have worked incredibly hard to get where they are while trying their best not to be a distant family and have instilled a strong work ethic (and financial sense; like you Shelby's living off of money from a summer job, she's just much better at it) in their daughter.<br/>
<br/>
You simply apologize to Shelby's mother but promise you'll be down to eat after getting cleaned up. At dinner you recount, in a little more detail, your day to Shelby's parents and your potential plans for tomorrow. Afterwards you take the time out to do a bit of homework that still needs to be done before finally turning in for the night.<br/>
<br/>
As you drift off to sleep your thoughts keep returning to how good it feels to be part of a group that's so close, especially with such a clear goal to work for; and for the briefest of moments you feel a little guilty that the real girl won't be witnessing it herself. That thought quickly leaves your head though and you decide that you'll make a decision on how you want to spend your day when you wake up in the morning.</span></div></div>


path: 11331211121121111111321211111322321112211121111111
author_id: rugal
title: A Trip to the Past
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You wake up in the morning feeling as refreshed as you've ever felt in your life. Day one for the new Shelby Ho was a resounding success by your estimate and you can't wait to see just what is in store for day two. You eat breakfast and engage in a little bit of morning chit chat with Shelby's parents. That done and after a morning shower to freshen up for the day (but avoiding the little bit of "extra" refreshment this time), you take a look at your phone.<br/>
<br/>
You'd said that you might meet Philippa and Hermione today and after thinking it over for a minute decide that it's best to keep to that. You decide to send out a group text to them to ask them what their plans are as you get ready.<br/>
<br/>
Hermione: <i>prob going to arnholms.</i><br/>
<br/>
You: <i>oh god that is soooo nerdy lol</i><br/>
<br/>
Philippa: <i>ur surprised?</i><br/>
Philippa: <i>she dressed up as herself for h'ween last year</i><br/>
<br/>
You groan at that. Hermione had dressed up as Hermione Granger last year and Philippa made the same joke back then too. Then kept making it. Eventually a moratorium was put on any and all Hermione jokes unless she wanted any hang out sessions to devolve into watching the movies of which she's not a fan.<br/>
<br/>
Hermione: <i>dont think ur home clear philippa</i><br/>
Hermione: <i>keep it up and we'll go to my house instead</i><br/>
<br/>
Philippa: <i>u wouldnt!!!! okay i'll shut up!</i><br/>
<br/>
You: <i>u made it urself right? it was really good</i><br/>
<br/>
Hermione: <i>and i made that pie that everyone liked</i><br/>
Hermione: <i>i wouldve killed home ec</i><br/>
<br/>
Philippa: <i>tuff for u that the school killed it instead lol</i><br/>
<br/>
You: <i>so is that all ur doin?</i><br/>
<br/>
Philippa: <i>nope! we're gonna go to besandwiched for lunch too</i><br/>
<br/>
You: <i>just u two?</i><br/>
<br/>
Philippa: <i>mel, mack and good brianna r gonna meet us. maybe dom, depends on what his folks want to do</i><br/>
<br/>
Hermione: <i>u want him to come?</i><br/>
<br/>
Philippa: <i>yeah cuz hes my friend? y? u no somethin?</i><br/>
<br/>
Hermione: <i>nothing at all</i><br/>
<br/>
If there's some kind of meaning tied up in Hermione's question then you don't know what it is since Shelby doesn't really know Dom, that is Domenic Johnson, aside from the fact he's also in the marching band.<br/>
<br/>
Philippa: <i>u in shel?</i><br/>
<br/>
You: <i>sure, we can meet at arnholms</i><br/>
<br/>
With that plans are finalized to meet up at Arnholm's in the late morning, then at lunch time swing on over to Besandwiched to meet up with some of the other band members. From there your group is undecided on what to do: whether to hang out for the rest of the day or split. You do know that you'll need to bring some workout clothes because Shelby's mind is practically yelling at you to get out to the gym and get a workout in, something she hasn't done in a couple of days.<br/>
<br/>
You spend the rest of the first half of the morning getting ready. You're not putting in effort per se and in all honesty it does not take a lot to make Shelby look good. But you do find that you're rather enjoying putting in the little bit of effort to find a nice outfit or to style your hair a certain way.<br/>
<br/>
Once it passes into the latter half of the morning you decide that it's time to head out. You say goodbye to Shelby's parents who are in the living room watching TV and tell them you'll be back later.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
The bell on the door chimes and you're greeted by the musty smell of yellowed paper. It's been maybe a month since you were last in Arnholm's and your mind can't help but think of all that's happened since then. Yes, a month ago you'd come in here to find something to toss into a time capsule for a time capsule for Walberg's class and come across that book. It had given you a feeling of great unease so you intended to just put it in the time capsule like you'd originally intended.<br/>
<br/>
But Thomason and his buddies put a stop to that when they stole the book. From there it bounced around until it ended up in the hands of Montoya, Hollister and their friends. They were the ones to unlock the book's secrets and after doing so roped you into their club. Then you -- by complete accident -- roped in Eric Murphy.<br/>
<br/>
A month ago you'd walked into this store as Will Prescott not even knowing a thing about the book you were buying. Now you walk into it as Shelby Ho, a testament to what the book can do.<br/>
<br/>
It's all very dizzying but your reminiscence is broken by the sound of arguing.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm telling you that we don't have it," says Ted Arnholm as you snap back to attention. "You come here every weekend and the answer is the same."<br/>
<br/>
"I am aware of that Mr. Arnholm but--"<br/>
<br/>
"But nothing!" snaps Ted impatiently. "If, and that is a very large if, that book does happen to find its way back here then I will call you. Until that day comes I would kindly ask you to either buy something or please leave my store."<br/>
<br/>
That little outburst surprises the three of you, the only others in the store right now. Soon enough, however, you can hear Philippa tittering.<br/>
<br/>
"Shut up," Hermione says in as loud a whisper as she can.<br/>
<br/>
You, however, see the man's attention drawn to your direction. He's older with glasses, a balding head hid by a bad combover. Most noticeably as well is he's what Shelby would politely term a rather girthy individual. There's something cold and a little unsettling about his eyes as he looks at you and your friends. You wonder if he's going to snap at you for Philippa's outburst but he merely shakes his head and turns back to Ted.<br/>
<br/>
"If that is hot it shall be," he says. "But I do very much expect a phone call when that is the case. Remember that I shall pay you quite handsomely for that book."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, yeah," Ted grumbles as the man then leaves. "Sheesh, that guy."<br/>
<br/>
"He's in here all the time?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Who Blackwell? Yeah, every weekend," he says as he rubs his temple. "Real frustrating guy too. He insists that we have to have some book of his that he had to have mistakenly donated. Keeps asking who bought it, says he'll pay them well for it. No matter how many times I tell him that I'm <i>not</i> going to tell him. So he takes to basically trying to bribe me. Every week, the same little song and dance."<br/>
<br/>
"That's rough," Hermione says sympathetically. "Glad I usually come here on weekdays then."<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, so what kind of book is so important to this guy?" asks Philippa. You and Hermione glare at her but she immediately gets defensive. "I'm not going to ask him who bought it or anything, I just want to know what's got him so worked up."<br/>
<br/>
"It's fine," Ted says waving you off. "Just some useless hunk of junk. Don't know why he'd want it so bad, the damn pages were stuck together; couldn't get them open for the life of me so I unloaded it for two bucks. Maybe it's got sentimental value or something, don't know why he'd want it so badly otherwise."<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe it's like a forbidden tome or something," says Philippa as the three of you move into the area of old fantasy books that Hermione enjoys so much. "Maybe <i>we</i> should try and find it," she teases. "You want a book of magic Hermione?"<br/>
<br/>
"Something like that might actually be interesting to have," replies Hermione. "I mean it's not like magic's real or anything but it'd still be neat. Kind of like if you had some old witch writings or something."<br/>
<br/>
"Ooh, yeah that would be cool wouldn't it?" says Philippa who then starts giggling again. "Sorry, I was just thinking... of course a guy who looks like <i>that</i> is looking for some kind of magic book."<br/>
<br/>
"So you've decided that's what it is? Just like that?" you ask though it falls on deaf ears.<br/>
<br/>
"He looks like he'd be in some kind of old fifties horror movie," she says as she steeples her fingers and puts on a goofy voice. "Yes, ladies, come into my home where everything is fine and there is certainly not some kind of torture dungeon where I shall keep you."<br/>
<br/>
This causes the two of you to laugh lightly at that as well.<br/>
<br/>
As Hermione browses looking to see if she can find anything that catches her eye you do come back to Philippa's words as well as what Ted Arnholm had described. A book whose pages wouldn't open that was sold for two bucks. That's oddly specific and it lines up with the book you'd bought back then. Was that his book that you'd purchased? Is that the book that he's looking for? In a way you'd feel bad for him if that was the case because like Ted said it may hold some sentimental value to him.<br/>
<br/>
But of course, there are a lot of old books here. Surely there's some that might have pages stuck together and be priced low. He didn't say how long this guy, Blackwell, had been coming in. So as Hermione finds something and gets it rung up you dismiss those thoughts. Besides, even if it was his book it's not like he'd have any idea what it actually does or anything since you have to do the spells to turn the pages from what you were told and all of the pages were shut.<br/>
<br/>
So with any worries that you may have, inadvertently, engaged in some kind of wrong action towards that man (creepy as he may have been) dropped from your mind you smile and laugh with your friends as the three of you get in your cars -- you in one, Hermione driving Philippa in her's -- and head over to Besandwiched for lunch.</span></div></div>


path: 113312111211211111113212111113223211122111211111111
author_id: rugal
title: Paninis, Passions and Paranormal Possibilities
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Besandwiched is a small little sandwich shop just off the Keyserling campus and only the next street up in the tightly packed downtown section of town. It's a mystic and occult themed place decorated with all kinds of strange symbols reflective of -- if statement if not in actual practice -- magic, astrology and other forms of mysticism. No surprise that a fantasy geek like Hermione or a girl into things spooky and gory would choose a place like this to eat. In fact, Shelby's mind tells you, this is a fairly normal hangout for her other group of friends.<br/>
<br/>
It's not as large a group as you sat with at lunch yesterday but it's not the smallest group either. Most of them are, rather unsurprisingly, in the marching band as well. There's Domenic Johnson, a sousaphone player who's tall and got something of a brawny look to him. Shelby's never really hung out with him so you don't have much more to go off of except what looks to be a vague nervousness as your group takes its seats and Philippa sits next to him.<br/>
<br/>
There's Brianna Kirschke, Good Brianna as Philippa had called her in the group text. She's been with the group since tenth grade and thus Shelby knows her well enough. She's smart and at times a bit taciturn and serious; that's not to say she's not nice or anything because she is. Just that at times she can kind of come off as unintentionally cool. In fact, thinking about it from your own perspective, that almost makes her seem like a girl version of Fairfax.<br/>
<br/>
There's Melanie Saxon, of course, she who is at the center of a lot of drama. In a way, Shelby feels doubly bad for her as she knows to an extent anyway why Melanie is like she is and this causes Shelby to sympathize. When your home life isn't good then how can you expect the rest of your life to go swimmingly too?<br/>
<br/>
Mackenzie Fuller, a junior, is another member of this little group; Mack is what Philippa had called her and she's the only one who does call her by that name. She's a pretty girl with dark hair and a bright expression and a rather talented flautist as she's one of a number of marching band members who also plays in the jazz band. Not all jazz band members are in the marching band and vice versa but if someone is in the jazz band you can count them among the most proficient musicians in the school.<br/>
<br/>
Conspicuous by his absence his absence is Michael Wilson, Mackenzie's swimmer boyfriend. Why? Well, he's a decent guy but he's (in Shelby's mind) a total hunk and a senior and thus a pretty good example of the kind of guy Mackenzie could get if she were still playing the dating game.<br/>
<br/>
The next hour is engaged in idle, trivial chit chat over some sandwiches. Any drama involving Melanie is, of course, completely off the table. As lunch goes on you can't help but notice the sort of stiff awkwardness Domenic has to him. Then you notice that he keeps glancing at Philippa and acting even antsier. Is she making him uncomfortable? Does he not want to sit with her? That's something you'll have to ask her about.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Goodbyes are eventually said and everybody goes to do whatever it is that they'll be doing for the rest of the afternoon. Well, most everyone anyway. Philippa is still chatting with Melanie when Hermione pulls you aside and out the front door. When she turns around to face you, you notice that the expression on her face is very serious. Not in the focused and stern way that it usually is either.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, so, you noticed it in there too right?" she asks much to your confusion.<br/>
<br/>
"Noticed what?" you ask in return. "I need a little context here."<br/>
<br/>
"It's about," she glances around nervously, "it's about Domenic."<br/>
<br/>
"It's about," you trail off before realization hits you. "Oh! You like him?"<br/>
<br/>
"I... no!" she declares. "I don't like him, not like that at least. But you saw how he tensed up when Philippa sat next to him right? And the little aside glances he'd keep making at her?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah," you start, "I kind of took that as him being uncomfortable around her. Like he didn't like being near her or something."<br/>
<br/>
"Flip that a bit."<br/>
<br/>
Your eyes go wide at that. "Wait," you say, "he likes her?!"<br/>
<br/>
"Well it doesn't take an expert on body language to figure that out," she says. "That and he came to me last week after practice. He was kind of awkward about it really but he was asking me about her, like what she likes and stuff like that. I cut right to the point of course and got him to admit that he's interested in her."<br/>
<br/>
"Well that's great! I'm glad she's got someone who does like her," you declare. "He seems like a good guy."<br/>
<br/>
"The problem is though, if you didn't notice, is that Philippa's kind of oblivious to these things," she sighs. "She's not oblivious to, like, love and stuff like that but she doesn't really notice it when boys have made their interest in <i>her</i> obvious."<br/>
<br/>
"So then we tell Philippa--"<br/>
<br/>
"No way!" Hermione exclaims. "We shouldn't be the ones to tell her, he needs to do it himself. He's a good guy but he's just super nervous about it. I think he's worried about getting rejected."<br/>
<br/>
"Well that's natural," you state, "but he has to try right?"<br/>
<br/>
"He does," she nods, "but he probably would. Philippa ever tell you she likes?"<br/>
<br/>
You simply shake your head at that.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I guess not. I had to squeeze it out of her. Anyway it's Marc Garner. She's had a crush on him since last year."<br/>
<br/>
Marc Garner? As in Eva and Jessica's brother? Suddenly that fires off something in your own brain, or rather the brain that you're currently using to play your current role. Yeah, Marc Garner with those abs and that perfect smile and... god, Shelby has a thing for him too? Does <i>every</i> girl in this school like him? Well, he's only an incredibly handsome athlete with a perfectly sculpted physique, smart and (from the times you've interacted with him as yourself) a good guy to boot. Shit, if you were Wilhelmina Prescott <i>you'd</i> probably have a thing for him.<br/>
<br/>
"I guess that's not surprising," you simply state however. "But I don't think she's got a chance. He's got a girlfriend I think." Suddenly it's like a lightbulb. "So you want to help her out too?"<br/>
<br/>
"Not really like that, no," says Hermione. "I just want don't want to see Domenic beating himself over whether or not to say anything. It's going to mess with him and it'll eventually just create drama. I'd hope she'd say yes but if not you still have to try right? Better to get it out instead of keeping it bottled up."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, there's that slasher flick that comes out next week that she wanted us to see with her," you say. "Maybe we can 'find' some excuses and tell him to invite her out instead. As friends of course, just to start with."<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe," Hermione starts but any further conversation is ended by the appearance of Philippa and Melanie.<br/>
<br/>
"So, we all done for today?" she asks. Hermione says there's some home work she has to get done early while you tell her that you need to hit the gym. Melanie's going to go back to Phlippa's and you're not surprised by that at all. You tell them you'll get in touch with them later if anything interesting comes up, otherwise you'll see them on Monday.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You spend the next hour in the gym lifting weights and doing some other exercises for your arms and back as well as a little bit of focus on your abs; all upper half this time. By the time you've wiped off the equipment and headed out the door you've noticed a couple of messages from Maria.<br/>
<br/>
<i>any updates? how r u doing?</i> they read. Naturally you respond back.<br/>
<br/>
<i>hung out with shelbys other friends for a bit<br/>
just got out of the gym. got some more notes for u</i><br/>
<br/>
You then take the time to type out what you'd remembered regarding Melanie, Brianna, Mackenzie and Domenic. You make sure to mention that Domenic seems to have a crush on Philippa and of course tell her to make sure she tells nobody about that and that it doesn't filter back to Philippa. You then ask if there's any update regarding Stephanie.<br/>
<br/>
<i>yeah. eva and jessica talked to her today<br/>
said that he said he was kinda overwhelmed<br/>
but that there were no incidents or anything bad w/ her</i><br/>
<br/>
That's good then, that meas that Eric's not going to be in any trouble with them you hope. Just a bit of an adjustment period to the mask, perfectly understandable.<br/>
<br/>
<i>thanks for the info btw; anything else to share?</i><br/>
<br/>
That text from Maria brings you back to your stop at Arnholm's earlier. You thought you'd shaken your encounter with that guy and what Ted Arnholm had told you regarding the book's been coming in there to bother poor Ted about. You're still not convinced that it's the book you bought that he's looking for but you can't stop that sense of paranoia, that "what if it is" thought, from creeping into your head.<br/>
<br/>
Sure it's almost certainly a completely absurd thing to worry about but maybe, just to put your mind at ease, you should bring this up to Maria as well. Ask she can get the group to meet out at Top Shelf this so you can all make a little bit of sense of it.</span></div></div>


path: 1133121112112111111132121111132232111221112111111112
author_id: rugal
title: The Strange Ideas of Maria Vasquez
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Whatever misgivings you may have regarding the book and your stop in Arnholm's earlier you are quick to dismiss, especially because a different set of possibilities emerges. Say you tell Maria; the person under her face is, on some level, inquisitive about things so naturally that could mean wanting to then explore and check into what's going on. So then you have to play junior detective on that guy from the store and is that something you really want to do? That'd just be weird and creepy on your part and may end up not going well for you either.<br/>
<br/>
You can imagine that if he found you stalking him and snooping around his property he'd be rightfully upset. Then Shelby's parents would be upset. Then Shelby's reputation is shot which means that <i>your</i> life spirals down until you're back where you were before this switch even occurred. That may seem extreme but it seems a wholly more believable fate than that guy knowing he had a magic book.<br/>
<br/>
<i>nothing,</i> you finally text back after dumping that thought from your head for good. <i>tomorrows looking slow too.</i><br/>
<br/>
"Oh, hey! It is you!" a voice calls out enthusiastically. You look up to see who it belongs to, give a smile of acknowledgment, and quickly turn back to the phone and shoot back a few quick texts.<br/>
<br/>
<i>gotta go okay? some1 just stopped by<br/>
nothing interesting but gotta keep up appearances</i><br/>
<br/>
<i>i understand,</i> she replies before adding, <i>lets get together tomorrow if u can</i><br/>
<br/>
You make no definitive plans to do so and instead simply echo the end of that last text and promise to get in touch with her tomorrow. You put the phone into your gym bag and look up to acknowledge more personally the person who'd called out to you. "Sorry, was just finishing up with someone else. I wasn't ignoring you or anything," you say.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh it's fine don't worry," they reply. "I guess when you're a cool senior you've probably got to deal with getting, like, a <i>ton</i> of messages from a ton of people. I get a few at a time from a few people and it's just... urgh! You know?"<br/>
<br/>
Libby Wall is a girl who's still growing into herself. Despite being a freshman she's actually among the taller members of the team but <i>because</i> she's a freshman it's a height that looks a bit gangly and gawky. Her arms and legs are thin, only beginning to show the slightest hints of muscle development. Her hair, too, is very long and very straight and her face is also somewhat long causing her eyes to droop a bit.<br/>
<br/>
That's not to be mean to her of course because Libby's plenty cute. Just that it may be another year or two before everything's properly in place like it was for Shelby and Ellie. In fact it wasn't really until Lacey and Kerri showed up with their fashion and beauty and workout tips that everything worked itself out. So long as she keeps up with everything it should all work out for her too even once the seniors have graduated.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not quite as popular as you'd think," you'd say slightly more apologetically than you probably mean. "I'm surprised though, I don't think I've ever really seen you out here before."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, but with stuff getting serious the last few weeks I figured that I can, like, cut out a little bit of time hanging out with Olivia and them to get a bit more serious myself so mom's been dropping me off here on the weekends."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, that's good because you're looking better already," you reply encouragingly.<br/>
<br/>
She smiles a bit bashfully at that before speaking again. "Hey, so, since we ran into each other I was just, like, wondering what, you know, you thought about," she trails off a bit, seemingly trying to find the right way to word what she wants to say. "Are you, like, worried about if we lose?"<br/>
<br/>
"I mean in all reality I'd say that the chances are good that we should lose, right?" you reply. "Think about it like this: we're kind of a bunch of rejects thrown together. The basketball team and the soccer team and whoever, they've been doing it a long time and a lot of them probably grew up playing together."<br/>
<br/>
You can notice the downturn in Libby's expression with that so you decide to pick her back up.<br/>
<br/>
"But still, you joined the team despite how ramshackle everything looked right? So why'd you join?"<br/>
<br/>
"Um, because... I thought Ellie was cool?" she says and then gives an embarrassed laugh. "Oh my god that sounds so lame though!"<br/>
<br/>
"It's not," you reassure her. "Just keep that in mind. This motley crew joined because of her. The ship's always running smoothly and who's the captain?"<br/>
<br/>
"Ellie," she answers.<br/>
<br/>
"Right!" you reply enthusiastically. "She believes in all of us so we should believe in her right? She hasn't steered us wrong so far has she?"<br/>
<br/>
It's like a revelation has hit her and you can see her expression change dramatically. It's light but there's a seriousness to it as well. "Yeah, okay, god that makes so much sense," she says as she beams at you. "Oh man, Shelby, that was cool! You and Kerri and Ellie and... it's gonna suck not having you around next year."<br/>
<br/>
"It's not like we're going away forever when we graduate," you reassure her as you place a hand on her shoulder. "We'll still be around town, well some of us will be. Aria's still going to be on the team and I'm sure you can count on Jo and Ava being there too. You guys'll do fine without us."<br/>
<br/>
That seems to do its job. She promises to work hard so she'll be ready come next year. You simply tell her to focus on working hard in the gym tonight. Once the two of you part you head home to spend the evening going over any additional homework before turning in for the night.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
On Sunday morning your parents, for it's so much easier to just think of them as that, tell you they're going out for brunch with a few friends which means you're going to have the run of the house into the early afternoon. Once they're gone you text Maria and say that you'll meet her and that it'll be best if you just come by your place... your current home you have to clarify before texting the address.<br/>
<br/>
"It's a nice place," Maria says with approval as the pair of you sit in the gazebo that stands in the well-maintained backyard.<br/>
<br/>
"They've worked really hard for it," you say. "They deserve a nice place."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not saying they don't," she replies. "I just think it's kind of amusing. Maria's place is nice too but her family's got roots here going back two or three generations. Her dad's on the city council and the board of education. New money versus old money if you want to look at it that way, that's all."<br/>
<br/>
"So what is it you wanted to talk about?" you ask. "I'm sure it's not to compare the finances of the family's we've adopted ourselves into."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, that actually itself is an interesting little wrinkle in this all experiment," she says. "But no, you're right that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. I actually wanted to tell you that you've been doing a good job, a great job actually. I'm very impressed."<br/>
<br/>
"Sorry I haven't really been hanging around," you apologize.<br/>
<br/>
"Don't worry about that," she states. "You've at least kept in regular contact and considering how nothing's filtered back about anything odd regarding Shelby I'd say you're playing her perfectly too. Mike and Carlos and Keith, sorry I mean Eva and Jessica and Cindy, can't stop acting like idiots. It makes me worried that they could blow the entire thing."<br/>
<br/>
"They have the personalities and everything right? It's been close to a week now for them."<br/>
<br/>
"Having them and using them are two different things," she sighs. "You've been exceptional though. You've absorbed yourself into the role in a way that I don't think even the best actors could match. That's why I want to propose something for you."<br/>
<br/>
"A proposal?" you ask with interest. "I'm listening."<br/>
<br/>
"It's simple: you've pulled off this impersonation of Shelby so far without a hitch. So how many could you do?" she asks but that leads only to a confused look. "Think of it like this, then. We put that stuff in your mask and put it on Shelby, she turns into you but under your control thanks to that stuff."<br/>
<br/>
"Okay," you say just to prove you're following along.<br/>
<br/>
"So what if we took that mask of Shelby and put more of that material in it? If it's your hair you should still be able to wear it but if we put it on, say, Kendra Saunders or Marc Garner then they'd turn into Shelby and be under your control. If you had a mask of them you could be Kendra or Marc. Repeat the process with Kendra's mask, get one of Marc, put Kendra's mask on him. On and on, do you see what I'm saying?"<br/>
<br/>
You think you do. "So if I'm following you right, you want to put that Beta paste in Shelby's mask, get a mask of someone else. I wear they're mask, they become a Beta-Shelby."<br/>
<br/>
"Yes, exactly!" she says with the most excitement you've ever seen from her. "Could you be Shelby one day, another person another? Could you manage two impersonations? Three? But also, how many of these masks like this can someone make? There has to be a limit otherwise they would have taken over the world by now."<br/>
<br/>
It is a very intriguing proposal you think. It's also a hell of a lot of trust she's putting in you.</span></div></div>


path: 11331211121121111111321211111322321112211121111111122
author_id: rugal
title: The Day Arrives
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>It may, in fact, be a little too much being thrust on you far too soon for as interesting as you find the idea you don't actually find yourself overly enthused at the idea of switching out through a bunch of lives. Sure they're lives that might be interesting and you might be some handsome, popular guy or some beautiful, popular girl but are they as interesting as the life you're leading now? Are they as nice?<br/>
<br/>
As Shelby you think you're finally finding just what it is about you that didn't work: contentment or rather a lack of it. You think back to what Stephanie, the real one, had said to you as you drove her out to the storage facility. That you think too much and if you're thinking about yourself then it'll show and everyone else will be thinking about you too. But why were you thinking about yourself so much? Well you weren't confident and why? Because you weren't content with yourself.<br/>
<br/>
But Shelby Ho is very content with who she is and her place in the world. Is she the most popular girl in school? Definitely not. Is she the prettiest? Certainly not. But she has friends, plenty of them, with whom she feels closely bonded whether its her teammates from the volleyball team or her friends from the marching band.<br/>
<br/>
As for looks, Shelby is plenty pretty anyway. She's in good health and good shape and if she wanted a boyfriend, really wanted one, she could get one.<br/>
<br/>
She's content with who she is and where she stands and so are you. You should take this lesson to heart and try to apply it to your old life, maybe tell your Beta how to feel or act, but that's a little harder. Much easier to say that you're content as you are now. How long did Fairfax say this could last for? Weeks? Months? Could you go the whole school year as Shelby? Would you want to? Perhaps; at the moment you certainly don't want to stop being here any time soon.<br/>
<br/>
"I definitely understand where you're coming from but if you're asking me to do this then my answer is no," you say turning her down as sternly but friendly as possible.<br/>
<br/>
"You're not at all interested on seeing some other lives and cliques or seeing just how many of these things we could make?" asks Maria.<br/>
<br/>
"I mean it's all very interesting, sure," you say. You offer her a friendly smile though, "But I'm not ready to do anything like that. You're kind of putting it on me so suddenly and besides I've got a game tomorrow. I don't need this additional distraction hanging over me."<br/>
<br/>
"Hmm, I understand then," Maria says as she stands up and pushes in her chair. "Then I'll just get out of your way for the time being."<br/>
<br/>
"You don't have to leave right now," you tell her but she simply denies that.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm glad you're settling in well and are enjoying where you are but I didn't come here to hang out," she replies in a manner that's slightly icy though whether it's because she's just being matter-of-fact or because she's dissatisfied you're not sure. "I would ask that you keep my offer under consideration though. Also make sure not to tell anyone else about it, this stays between us."<br/>
<br/>
"My lips are sealed," you reply in assurance. "And I definitely will keep it in mind. Let me at least get the first game out before I decide on whether or not I want to do anything extra though."<br/>
<br/>
Maria simply nods. As she leaves, however, she states that if you do change your mind to definitely contact her as soon as possible. You tell her that you will and, once she's left, head back into your room and flop back onto your bed ready to take a bit of an afternoon nap.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
There's not much to speak of the rest of Sunday and Monday too passes without much incident. First period practice is half-practice, half-attempt to keep yourselves psyched up. For most of your classes you keep to yourself as you feel too anxious to want to talk to anybody, even Philippa and Hermione in sixth later in the day don't get much more than some customer chit chat. At lunch, of course, the buzz around the table was your game. Even the mostly neutral and stuck up Victoria and Vanessa have warm words to say and you figure you'll take the compliments wherever you can get them.<br/>
<br/>
When the subject comes up of who's going to go, Cam of course is first in line. Joe, bless him, seems like he'd be fine with being there with his buddy but Victoria's insistence that the two of them have other places they need to be means that he has to defer and give an apologetic "maybe next time" answer. Instead, after a look from Victoria, Vanessa says she'll be there. You suppose that's because Victoria wouldn't want to be anywhere there's no buzz but would want some kind of report back. But there's no problem to be had with Vanessa either so you'll take what support, even half-hearted support, you can get.<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea seems to keep good to her word, though you'd have no reason to doubt her given the circumstances, as you see the cheerleaders decked out in their uniforms all day and at least some of them like Cindy and Chelsea herself seem to be actively trying to sell people on coming out.<br/>
<br/>
When the bell to end the school day arrives you can feel a jolt go through you. Judgment Day's finally arrived for the Westside High volleyball team and with increasing anxiousness you head towards the gym.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"So I've told you guys to the point where you're probably sick of hearing it, just have total confidence in yourselves and your teammates," Ellie says. "I don't want you thinking that we can win tonight, I want you to know that we <i>will</i> win! If we're united then nobody, certainly not Evansville, will be able to break us."<br/>
<br/>
That gets some clapping and cheering from the assembled players and Reagan takes the time to stand up and next to Ellie. Then she motions for everyone else to join her in a huddle.<br/>
<br/>
"Ellie's right!" she booms enthusiastically. "You know what they're thinking? They're like 'shit, those Westside chumps are gonna be total pushovers' and shit like that. We gonna let 'em think like that? Ava," she barks catching the girl by surprise,"Evansville thinks they're gonna walk over you. What do you gotta say to that?"<br/>
<br/>
A gleam catches in the sophomore's eye and a smile shows on her face. She's practically licking her lips at the thought. "I say they can bring their A game, their A+ game, their AAA game, it doesn't matter. We're gonna smoke 'em!" she declares to a round of cheers.<br/>
<br/>
"That's right, and you gotta remember that <i>they're</i> coming <i>here</i>. Now who's side is this?"<br/>
<br/>
"Our side!" goes up a simultaneous cry.<br/>
<br/>
"Who's side?" repeats Reagan.<br/>
<br/>
"Our side!" comes the response.<br/>
<br/>
"Who's side?"<br/>
<br/>
"Our side!"<br/>
<br/>
"Our side?"<br/>
<br/>
"Westside!"<br/>
<br/>
With that another cheer goes up and everyone breaks to head out into the gym. You share a glance with Kerri and Aria who simply smile back before going as well. Stuff like that is why Reagan's so valued. She's not the best athlete but she's always thinking of ways to promote the team, to keep up motivation and spirit and to fire everyone up. She's largely successful in it too. Every group needs some kind of hype man and she seems more than happy to fill that role.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You set the ball towards Kayla, Kayla sets it towards Kerri, Kerri jumps and smashes the ball; two Evansville players barely have time to react as it hits the floor between them. Cheers erupt though mostly from your team and the cheerleaders. The crowd, even with all the work the cheerleaders put in, could definitely stand to be bigger. But that's to be expected, nobody knows who this team is so why would they care? But win this match? Win a bunch of matches? Then people will know.<br/>
<br/>
With that point you're a third of the way there. The sets are first to twenty-five points by two and the matches are best three out of five. With Kerri making fools of the Evansville players the first set is yours and rather handily too.<br/>
<br/>
The second set, much like the first, winds up going to you as well though a little closer once the other team gets the idea to start going after Reagan. After the game she's switched out for Aria and it's like you've taken off whatever limiter you've put on your team. You're not scoring many points yourself, that's mainly for Aria, Kerri and especially Lacey who seem to be very effective in inspiring fear in the other team for after some quick points, the Evansville errors start becoming more frequent leading to even more points.<br/>
<br/>
Eventually you can feel yourself getting antsy in anticipation. How noticeable is your fidgeting you wonder? But you can't stop yourself. You look at the board, it's twenty-four to eight. For all intents and purposes you've got this wrapped up but until you see that number change over you won't believe it. Ellie serves, the ball goes to an Evansville player who hits it just a little too hard leaving them with no means of setting up an attack. Instead it sails just past you and to Aria who passes it to Kerri. Kerri passes it to Lacey. Lacey, laser focused, jumps and as hard as she can smashes the ball.<br/>
<br/>
An Evansville player dives quickly but not quickly enough as it zooms past her and onto the floor. You go wide-eyed and glance over at the scoreboard.<br/>
<br/>
Twenty-five to eight, the third set and thus the match is yours.</span></div></div>


path: 113312111211211111113212111113223211122111211111111221
author_id: rugal
title: A Revelatory Epilogue
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>It seems to take you a dumbfounded moment to realize what's happened, as if time itself has slowed down to allow you to process what you're seeing. But in reality you knew what was happening as soon as the ball hit the floor; the look at the scoreboard merely confirmed it and you're screaming in a combination of joy and disbelief. In a flash you've embraced Lacey in a tight hug and just as quick you're experience the feeling of being squeezed in by multiple bodies as you fall into the bottom of the dogpile. You're sweaty and gross and it's hot and suffocating under the there but you don't care. You're too blinded by euphoria to give it any thought.<br/>
<br/>
Quickly enough -- your sense of time is thrown off and you're not sure how long all of this actually lasts -- you're out of pile and walking single file down net slapping hands with the disappointed Evansville players in a customary show of good sportsmanship before it's back to the locker room to shower and change. Once everyone's dressed, on a bench in front of a row of lockers you find yourself seated inbetween Kerri -- who's leaned back with legs outstretched with a large grin -- and Libby whose hand you have to clasp to help calm her down as she's practically shaking with excitement.<br/>
<br/>
Coach Schell makes sure everyone's gathered and then addresses the team.<br/>
<br/>
"That was great work out there," she says. "There were rough spots, especially in the second set, but it's nothing that can't be worked out. The fact that you even made it to tonight is something that a lot of people thought couldn't happen so it's safe to say you've blown away any expectations. We're going to keep working hard, harder even, to do the same to each new set of expectations. Ah, but I don't think you want to hear me blabber so we'll let the hero of the day say something."<br/>
<br/>
Coach Schell motions towards Lacey who stands up but, taking a second to look around, pulls Ellie up, marches her to the front of the assembled group, and promptly sits back down. It's a move that nobody will protest. Lacey made that game-winning attack but Ellie is the one who set her up. Lacey wouldn't be on the team if not for Ellie, none of you would. So when the hero of the day is brought up, who else could it be?<br/>
<br/>
"Oh gosh," she says with nervous laughter, "thanks you guys but it's really Lacey that--"<br/>
<br/>
"Take the credit!" Kerri calls out causing everyone to laugh.<br/>
<br/>
"Okay," Ellie eventually says as things calm down, "but seriously. I'm not the hero here; it's you guys. You're the ones who went along with my crazy dreams and tied yourselves to a ship that wasn't really sinking so much as it was rotting at the bottom of the sea. All I did was fill your heads with nonsense." She stops and her smile, bright as always, beams. "You guys believed and because of that we were able to pull together and not only play our first game but win it!"<br/>
<br/>
At this point her face takes on a more serious tone. "But Coach is right; it's only going to get harder from here on out. We've won one game so let's win two. Let's win five. Let's go undefeated and take the state championship. It's a lofty goal but I think," she pauses as she scans the room, "no, I <i>know</i> we can do it. We can do it because I believe in all of us together. We don't want to just prove that we exist now, we're going to prove to everyone that we belong. Like Coach said, we're going to set new expectations with every game and we're going to shatter them. We can do it right? Reggie," she calls out, "you think we'll win the next game?"<br/>
<br/>
"I know we will," Reggie responds without hesitation.<br/>
<br/>
"Aria, are we going to make the playoffs?"<br/>
<br/>
"Naturally," comes confident response from the Confidence Queen herself.<br/>
<br/>
"Libby!" she calls out causing the excitable freshman to jump. "We're going to win the title, right?"<br/>
<br/>
"Y-yeah," she says with stutters before repeating it more boldly and with more confidence. "Yeah! We'll do it this year! And next year too!"<br/>
<br/>
There's some whooping and cheering at that and it continues for a minute or two before Ellie brings everything back down to normal.<br/>
<br/>
"So we'll get out of here on that then," she states and she's beaming once more. "We're going to work harder than we have from now on but we can do it. As long as all of you believe in our future and each other there's nothing we can't do."<br/>
<br/>
With that goodbyes are said, more hugs and words of encouragement and wishes of good luck are exchanged and the team breaks for the evening. All except Ellie and you. You don't say anything to each other about where you're going. The two of you have done it so often now that it's practically embedded into your subconscious. Instead you give each other quiet affirmation and head out of the gym. As you leave you get a text from Aria.<br/>
<br/>
<i>i'm going to do it<br/>
i'll tell them tomorrow</i><br/>
<br/>
She's probably referring to her saying that she'll talk to whoever it is that she likes after your victory. You make sure to wish her luck. The response, of course, is so very Aria.<br/>
<br/>
<i>thanks but i don't need luck; i already know the outcome</i><br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"That was a great speech back there," you say to Ellie, "but you don't have to be so humble you know? Like you don't need to pull the 'oh it's not me, it's you guys' act all the time."<br/>
<br/>
"But it's not an act," Ellie lightly protests. "You should know that better than anyone, Shel."<br/>
<br/>
You let out a sigh as you lean back in the chair pulled up to a table that sits underneath the gazebo in the Ho residence's backyard. Of course Shelby would know better than anyone, after all for four years the two of them have spent much time underneath this gazebo enjoying the the warm nights of summer and the crisp ones of autumn as they talked about anything and everything that caught their attention: movies, music, crushes, classes, the team but especially the future and the hopes and plans they have.<br/>
<br/>
The two know each other better than anyone.<br/>
<br/>
That's why, while you'd first been surprised to hear Ellie's declaration of a state title after you'd first put on Shelby's mask, Shelby wasn't surprised to hear it at all. Ellie has always thought of the future and always with the best possible outcome in mind. It's been the thing that drives her; she simply can't imagine anything other than success. She won't allow herself to. It's not arrogance that leads her to be like that but an optimistic belief that the right attitude breeds the right outcome.<br/>
<br/>
"Of course I know that," you reply and the time between what the two of you have said is, in reality, much shorter than it would have seemed, "but that's why I want you to allow yourself to take <i>some</i> credit." You turn and give her a serious but friendly gaze. "None of us would be here without you. A lot of us probably wouldn't continue on if it was anyone else leading the team. Let yourself feel a little proud."<br/>
<br/>
"Well I do! But it's about all of you," she says in a serious manner. "I wouldn't be anything without you guys. If you guys weren't around doing everything what would I have to be proud of? I wouldn't have accomplished anything." That look vanishes to a more positive one. "The team would be fine without me, I really believe that. I have that much faith in you."<br/>
<br/>
But it's sentiment like that that makes her completely indispensable no matter what she might think.<br/>
<br/>
The positive leadership and supportive attitude is what motivates everyone else to do their best or even push themselves beyond their limits. Would someone like Aria ever team up with Regina normally? Would Libby be given a chance at all on any other team? You could easily see someone, Chelsea or Kelsey or whoever, scoop up Reagan to talk them up. Without her, despite what you told Libby on Saturday, the team could very well disintegrate. It's Ellie's loyalty in them that in turn inspires loyalty towards her; nobody else could pull that off.<br/>
<br/>
With Shelby's other friends you've seen how quickly discord can spread.<br/>
<br/>
In the days you've spent as Shelby Ho, as part of the volleyball team and with Ellie you've come to feel it too. She's the type of person the school could use more of, but that would be impossible because she's a unique figure. Her confidence in the future, her attitude, you find it very inspiring. The more you think about it the more you realize there's another feeling beyond loyalty, beyond even camaraderie.<br/>
<br/>
Love.<br/>
<br/>
You can feel it from Shelby directed towards Ellie. Shelby was there for the bad times and a sisterly love was formed between them. Not just from Shelby but she inspires it from all of her teammates as well. As you look at her and she looks back at you and gives you that warm, friendly smile you feel your heart flutter and it's for the first time since you've put on the mask that you're regretting the fact you're currently wearing this face.<br/>
<br/>
Because while Shelby Ho might love her best friend, you realize that Will Prescott might just be falling <i>in</i> love with Ellie Kemp.</span></div></div>


path: 1133121112112111111132121111132232111221112111111112211
author_id: rugal
title: The Complete Confidence Queen
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>It's a new day and you're feeling better than you have even over the last few days. Your life, borrowed as it may be, is great. You're brimming with confidence as you take a shower and even though you don't need to you decide to give yourself a little celebratory refresher. You're riding high as you make a quick breakfast and head off to school. Once there you don't catch sight of Philippa or Hermione as you're here a little earlier than normal but you do find Ellie and you have to make sure any non-platonic feelings stay buried.<br/>
<br/>
The two of you chat and decide to stop by the gym earlier to help get practice set up. However when you enter you're surprised to hear sobbing and look not too far from the door to see Kerri and Aria sitting in the bottom row stands. Kerri's got her hand on Aria's back and Aria's face is buried in her hands. Aria Giordano, the unflappable Confidence Queen, is the source of that sobbing. Kerri notices you and points you and Ellie out to Aria who looks up but quickly gets a horrified expression on her face. With no words she shoots up and dashes into the locker room.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh my gosh what happened?" Ellie asks in concern.<br/>
<br/>
"She tell you anything about what she was planning to do?" Kerri asks as she leans forward and clasps her hands together. She's not really looking at either of you now however.<br/>
<br/>
"You're talking about how she was going to talk to whatever boy it was she liked, right?" asks Ellie.<br/>
<br/>
"Probably," you respond while adding, "she talked about it on Friday and she sent me a message about it last night after we left." You cross your arms under your chest while Ellie takes a seat. "But that doesn't make sense, she said she was doing it today. It's first thing in the morning," you state.<br/>
<br/>
"Well I guess CQ got jumpy about it," Kerri says quietly. "She," she pauses and shakes her head, "I guess she... texted them first thing in the morning about it or something. Then I saw her like twenty minutes ago and I guess she wanted to vent because she wanted to talk to me in the gym." She lets out a laugh but it's not a very upbeat one. "Probably she didn't want anyone to see her like this but she told me the whole thing."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh no," Ellie says as she places a hand over her mouth. "Poor Aria."<br/>
<br/>
You're suddenly feeling terrible yourself and your previously upbeat mood is dropping quickly. "She was so sure that everything was going to go well," you state. "She actually said she didn't need luck because she knew what was going to happen."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, she did but," Kerri hangs her head even more and takes a deep breath. "Look, can you talk to her Shel? For me?"<br/>
<br/>
"Why <i>not</i> you?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
Kerri looks over at you, then lays back and sprawls her arms across the row behind her. "Because I'm not good at stuff like this," she says.<br/>
<br/>
"And I am?"<br/>
<br/>
"You and her are tighter than her and me," she says and closes her eyes. "Look man, CQ needs to be CQ. She doesn't need to be like this and I'm just... I'm not the right person for this stuff, get it?"<br/>
<br/>
Well that does make sense as it's not like Kerri's got a lot of dating experience; she's been with Cam longer than you've known her after all. So you agree to go talk to Aria about it because Kerri's right and you don't like Aria being like this any more than she does. You tell them that you'll be back and then head off to the locker room.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You step through the door to see Aria sitting on one of the benches hugging herself. She's still sobbing but it's softer now, not as hard as it was when you'd walked into the gym. "Hey," you say in an attempt to get her attention.<br/>
<br/>
You seemingly startle her because she jumps and then looks at you wide-eyed allowing you to see just how red her eyes are. "God dammit," she says as she turns to look at the ground.<br/>
<br/>
"So do you want to talk?" you ask as you take a seat next to her.<br/>
<br/>
"Kerri told you everything I guess?" she says as she sniffs.<br/>
<br/>
"She said told me that you talked to whoever it was and got turned down. That's really it," you tell her.<br/>
<br/>
She turns to look at you again with a look of confusion. "That's... that's it? She didn't tell you about...?" She pauses for a moment. "She didn't say anything about <i>who</i> I talked to?"<br/>
<br/>
"She never mentioned it. Maybe she didn't feel it was her place, I don't know," you shrug. "I just know that it's got to suck, I'm sorry. You told me you knew what was going to happen and I just felt so happy for you."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I did know what was going to happen," she says. However there's a long pause as she clasps her hands together and rests them against her forehead for a moment. Then she tilts her head back for another moment as she looks up at the ceiling. It's like she's trying to stiffen her own resolve.<br/>
<br/>
"Are you alright?" you finally ask.<br/>
<br/>
Aria just lowers her head a bit and looks straight ahead. "Yeah, I think so. It's just... it hurts even though I knew what was going to happen when I told her how I felt," she says much to your own confusion.<br/>
<br/>
"Her?" you ask. "You mean when you talked to Kerri about it?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah when I talked to," she stops and looks at you. She's stopped crying and her eyes, still red, are now quizzical. "Wait do you think I mean I talked to her <i>because</i> I was upset?"<br/>
<br/>
"That's what she told me," you answer.<br/>
<br/>
"I see," she says before taking a deep breath. "Shelby, please do not tell anyone else about what's said in here. If I want people to know, and I will want them to know, I'll tell them myself so promise me that you won't tell anyone, not even Ellie."<br/>
<br/>
"I... yeah, I promise Aria."<br/>
<br/>
She gives you a smile but it's not a haughty one, instead it's one of relief. As if she's just about ejected a huge weight off of her shoulders.<br/>
<br/>
"Shelby, I'm gay."<br/>
<br/>
You give her a look of confusion. You... heard that right? She said she was... "Aria," you say, "you're..." She nods and she starts to sniff again but her expression isn't sad this time. "Oh my god, Aria!" you exclaim and pull her into a tight hug. You're not sure how long you stay like that but you hold her tightly before eventually pulling apart.<br/>
<br/>
"So how long have you known?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Since I broke up with Tony," she answers. "Well, right before that I guess. That's why we broke up. It was right after I joined the team. We were dressing out before first practice and I saw Kerri in her sports bra and those muscles and I just... it all fell into place."<br/>
<br/>
"So wait," you say, "then when you talked to Kerri earlier it was about that?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah," she nods. "I've dated some real jackasses, guys who were nice to look at but not to be around. I never felt any real attraction to them and I thought that was why. But Tony's a really great guy and we're still close but I felt nothing there either. But when I saw Kerri like that it all clicked. I told Tony and he got it."<br/>
<br/>
"So did anyone else know?"<br/>
<br/>
Aria shakes her head. "No, I didn't tell anyone until I told Kerri this morning," she states. "That's why I told you I knew the outcome. I knew I was going to get rejected but I felt like I had to do it and get that off of my chest. I can't go through the season, through my life, trying to push that away."<br/>
<br/>
"So are you going to tell the others?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Eventually," she says with a nod, "but I'll do it when I feel ready to. I only told you because, well, it's you. I wouldn't have told anyone else."<br/>
<br/>
"Um, sorry if this is rude but you don't, uh..."<br/>
<br/>
"Like you?" Aria asks with a small laugh. "Shelby, dear, I love you but not in that way. You're a great mentor and a great friend. I'll find someone, don't worry."<br/>
<br/>
You can do nothing but laugh at that. "I'm happy to see the Confidence Queen is back," you say.<br/>
<br/>
"Back? She never left," she says while flipping her hair back. "Naturally," she adds.<br/>
<br/>
Both of you laugh now and embrace each other once more.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Practice goes off without a hitch. Neither Kerri nor Aria say anything to you or each other about what happened and the atmosphere is, in fact, mostly normal if not more positive. As it goes on, ends and you make your way to second period you can't stop thinking about what happened however. To admit that at all and to admit it to Kerri knowing that she'd get shot down took a lot of guts on Aria's part.<br/>
<br/>
Maybe if you'd shown that level of courage or any courage at all Lisa would... or maybe you'd have a chance with Ellie. You think back to Maria's offer from Sunday. If you agreed to it, you could put this mask of Shelby under your control and switch back to yourself and then work up the nerve to ask Ellie out. You don't want to put her under a mask, you want to do it yourself... but maybe having Shelby in your corner as it were could help.<br/>
<br/>
But that's also very selfish. If Maria wants you to take part in that experiment, maybe you could use it to help Aria out. No, you wouldn't use it to bust up Kerri and Cam and hook her up with Aria but maybe you can find a girl for Aria, someone she might feel comfortable with to give her a good relationship.<br/>
<br/>
At the same time you're still not sold on doing that experiment at all and maybe it's best to just continue as you are and let everything play out as it will.</span></div></div>


path: 11331211121121111111321211111322321113
author_id: seuzz
title: A Job Done Right
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Can't you guys try it again?" you ask. "Or here, I'll do it, you supervise."<br/>
<br/>
"There's no point, Will," says Beta-Carlos. "We -- "<br/>
<br/>
"Yo! Where you guys keep the cameras?" Eric hollers. You spin about. He's in the doorway, wrinkling his nose. "Jesus, what died? That you, Carlos?" he hoots. "You shit yourself or something?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, there's kind of a mess in here, we gotta clean it up," you reply. "Hey Mike," you call to the other beta, who's followed Eric over. "Take him back into the other room, tell him what we're going to do."<br/>
<br/>
Beta-Mike's eyes pop. "For reals?"<br/>
<br/>
"About the video!"<br/>
<br/>
Eric's grin turns sly. "You guys setting me up for a prank?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, that's it exactly," you shoot back. "We're gonna prank you on camera. Try to look surprised."<br/>
<br/>
Eric opens his mouth to reply, but Mike grabs him by the neck and yanks him back into the hallway.<br/>
<br/>
"I don't think this is going to do any good, Will," Carlos says. Then he shrugs and takes out the knife. "But we'll start over with some fresh ingredients."<br/>
<br/>
<i>Flash forward:</i> Now he's staring into a bowl of off-white paste. A little steam is still coming off it. "I don't know what it was we kept doing wrong," he says. "But that's the stuff the way it's supposed to be."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
It didn't take long -- maybe five minutes -- to put it all together and set fire to it. There wouldn't seem to be any more to it than baking a cake (though you don't know how to do that either), and the only seemingly magical part was when you had to run your fingertip around the sigil while uttering some barbaric incantation. You hope you didn't thereby just sell your soul to the devil.<br/>
<br/>
"What now?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Now we go get your mask from the other unit. Or I will. Mike and I will take care of Eric, too. He's gotta be sick of him by now."<br/>
<br/>
"Who? Eric sick of Mike?"<br/>
<br/>
"Mike sick of Eric."<br/>
<br/>
You catch Beta-Carlos by the arm. "Is there something wrong with that guy in there?" you ask in a low voice. "You guys don't like him?"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, he's fine. He's just <i>on</i> all the time, is all." He pulls away and trudges from the room.<br/>
<br/>
That gibes with the impression you'd been getting. But it's too late for second thoughts now. Besides, you reflect after being startled by a loud clatter from the other unit, it's better to be the person that's <i>on</i> than to be one of the people he's on <i>at.</i><br/>
<br/>
A moment later Beta-Carlos returns with a mask. "All set. Well, it will be once the mask is done copying him. Here. Now you just have to put that stuff we made into the mask. No, with a paintbrush, goofus," he adds as you pick up the bowl and start to tilt it over the mask.<br/>
<br/>
And inside of two minutes that's all done with too. Once the paint-like shell you put into the mask stops feeling tacky, Beta-Carlos leads you into the other unit. Eric, his eyes open but glassy, is splayed on the floor.<br/>
<br/>
You've not really gotten a good look at him before, so now you give him a good once-over. He's not your twin, not by a near mile, but he could be your cousin, you suppose. (Well, not your sexy Japanese-American cousin.) His hair -- a light brown, now exposed as that ball cap has tumbled off his head -- grows curls loosely over the top of his ears and eyebrows. His nose turns up a little, but his face is free of acne and his features are conventionally, regularly handsome, though not especially memorable. Earlier, when he was mobile, he had a raffish grin and the devil's own gleam in his eye. But it's impossible to make out a personality now that his face is slack.<br/>
<br/>
So it's his frame and clothes that remind you most of yourself -- or, at least, of how you imagine yourself. He's lanky and sloppy, with big feet and elbows and -- judging by the size of his shoes, which are torn and dirty, like they've been chewed at by large dogs -- he's got big feet, too. He's dressed in red athletic shorts -- short for shorts, too, with the hems dropping only halfway down his thighs. His gray t-shirt looks about five sizes too large for him and is tangled up around his torso almost like a poncho. You pick his ball cap off the floor and compare it to yours. It's the same make and model, and the same size too.<br/>
<br/>
"You can try it on in a minute," says Beta-Mike. "There comes his mask now." You look down. While you were distracted, that blue oval has reappeared on his face. "I'll take care of sealing it up," Beta-Mike continues as he scoops it up.<br/>
<br/>
You open your mouth to volunteer -- what if they screw this up, like they screwed up that other spell? -- then snap it shut. It won't be a spell, it'll just be spreading another kind of goop on the inside, and Beta-Mike shouldn't be able to screw <i>that</i> up. You vaguely remember Fairfax mentioning that they use the betas to polish the masks with a car buffer.<br/>
<br/>
So a silent minute passes before Beta-Carlos nudges you. "You might want to pop your mask onto him," he says. "So you can get your beta up and running."<br/>
<br/>
"I'll do it in a minute," you reply. "Besides, I'd, uh, kind of like to be alone with him when I do that."<br/>
<br/>
"How come?" Beta-Mike asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Because I don't want to feel outnumbered?" you sarcastically suggest.<br/>
<br/>
The two betas look at each other, then snort. "Whatever," says the Mike clone. "Here." He hands you the mask. "Want us to pull the door down?" he asks when they're outside, and he rolls his eyes when you nod.<br/>
<br/>
Yeah, you sounded sarcastic when you said you didn't want to feel outnumbered, but the fact is that it's pretty close to the truth. It's creepy enough dealing with two fakes. Having a third around, and one that's a clone of you, would be about ten times worse.<br/>
<br/>
But you don't waste any time, and after making sure your mask is dry, you drop it onto Eric Murphy's face.<br/>
<br/>
It vanishes, like a flat stone slipping into a still pool. Only this one leaves a change. Will Prescott opens his eyes and looks at you. "Oh my God," he says, and slowly raises up.<br/>
<br/>
You nod and swallow. Except for the missing hat, even in Murphy's clothes he's a dead ringer for you. He looks down at himself, and waggles his legs. "So I guess that guy showed up." He cocks his head. "The shorts don't leave a lot to the imagination." Then he pales, and his expression curdles. "Oh, Christ! That means I'm wearing his <i>underwear!</i>"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, let's get you out of them," you gasp, though you're in no hurry to get yourself into them. Your beta scrambles to his feet. "What's the last thing you remember?"<br/>
<br/>
"Mike slapping a mask onto me. Except I guess it was Beta-Mike. Shit. I'm one of <i>them</i> now, right?"<br/>
<br/>
"I guess. But be nice to them."<br/>
<br/>
"Okay." He nods soberly.<br/>
<br/>
"And get all your homework done."<br/>
<br/>
He winces a little, but nods. You cock your head and study him. "And stay out of trouble with Dad."<br/>
<br/>
He flinches like he's been gut-punched. "You're asking the impossible."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, try. Otherwise, just be like me."<br/>
<br/>
He stares up at the ceiling and fidgets. "Gotcha, I guess."<br/>
<br/>
You wonder just how seriously this thing is going to take these instructions. You wouldn't take them seriously if someone were giving them to you, but your beta seems pretty pliant. A lot more pliant than the other betas were with you. You make a mental note to ask Fairfax about that.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, okay then. I guess we get undressed." And so you start disrobing. Your beta has his things off inside three seconds.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Your back is very chilly, like you've been laying on concrete. You open your eyes. The world looks like a metal roof.<br/>
<br/>
You blink. <i>Hang on, of course it looks like a roof!</i> You sit up. And no wonder you're cold to the bone, you're naked and sprawled out on a concrete slab!<br/>
<br/>
Now you remember! Carlos and Mike invited you out to make a YouTube video with them! At a self-storage complex -- <i>Weird!</i> -- but that's where they had their studio, it turned out. Some guy named Will Prescott was going to cohost with you. You got there and jabbered at them because, in truth, you were more than a little nervous about it all, but there was a hiccup and you sat around talking with Mike, then suddenly you got jumped and something shoved over your face.<br/>
<br/>
Pretty exciting!<br/>
<br/>
There's a whole lot more back there you could probably remember if you only tried, but you're not interested in trying. <i>The past is dead, only the future lives!</i> You read that once upon a time, but you don't remember where, even though you don't read very many books, so it's funny you'd forgotten where. But it made a big impression on you -- <i>Word!</i> -- and even now you nod in agreement to it as you stroke your shins.<br/>
<br/>
<i>Hmm.</i> They're still smooth and a little raw from your shaving them the other day. You told Tim you were joining the swim team. Pretty soon he's gonna ask what happened to that. Well, you'll worry about it when he asks.<br/>
<br/>
Speaking of people who aren't here, where's Beta-Prescott? You grab up your clothes and sprint next door.<br/>
<br/>
The three betas are outside, and even Beta-Mike turns pale when he sees you. "Jesus, he's naked!"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, we should do the video this way!" you exclaim. "Nude movie reviews!"<br/>
<br/>
"You should just go find the cheerleaders so you don't get in trouble," Beta-Carlos retorts.</span></div></div>


path: 113312111211211111113212111113223211131
author_id: seuzz
title: Wearing Eric
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Cool, yeah, I can get in a lot of trouble with cheerleaders!" you exclaim. "Where they hangin' out?"<br/>
<br/>
"Coffee shop somewhere, I think they said," Beta-Mike tells you. "Flying Saucer?" he asks Beta-Carlos.<br/>
<br/>
"Crystal Cave," he replies. "Yeah, go meet them there," he tells you. "Anyway, you need to stay away from Eric's friends."<br/>
<br/>
"How come's that?"<br/>
<br/>
He gives you a look. "So you don't blow your cover before you get his memories and personality. You know I'm pretty sure we explained all this to you before."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, I'm kind of distracted, you know? New brain, new body." You look down at yourself. "Jeezum Fuck, I'm kinda hung, huh?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'm trying not to look. Oh God!" Beta-Mike cries out when you flap it with your hand.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, I aim to do stuff with it. Aim it <i>and</i> do stuff," you chortle. "Hey, can you guys get yours up?" You look around the room. The beta's eyes have gone wide with what might be horror and what might be shock. "I mean, what's that line they talk about with sexbots and stuff? Are you fully functional?"<br/>
<br/>
Your own beta covers his face with his hands. Beta-Mike turns a very peculiar color, one you don't think you've ever seen on a human countenance before, because it's like green is trying to invade his ruddy cheeks and forehead. Beta-Carlos turns purple under his Mexican tan. He advances two steps on you. "If you want to play with us, I guess we could find out."<br/>
<br/>
"Whoa! Whoa!" You leap back. "That's okay. Just curious. Hey, but if I was gonna run off and see your originals, you know, I thought maybe I could tell 'em you were having all kinds of fun."<br/>
<br/>
Beta-Carlos jumps at you, but you jump back and sprint halfway down the hallway on bare feet before looking back to see that he's not pursued you. Then you quietly scamper back into the weight room to retrieve your clothes. From the other unit you hear low voices but can't make out the words. You creep over to try eavesdropping, but when the voices abruptly cease, you backpedal and run all they way down to the entryway. There you pause long enough to pull on underwear and shorts and shirt, and to jam your bare feet into your shoes. Outside, you scratch deeply at your scalp and squint up at the sun before slapping on your cap and sunglasses.<br/>
<br/>
Then into the Jeep you swing. The key -- its red lanyard dangling almost to the floorboard -- is still in the ignition. You flip the car on with a roar, reverse-jackrabbit out of the space, and drum the steering wheel idly as the front gate drags itself open. Traffic on Twentieth is at a lull, so you leap leftward onto the northbound lane and punch the accelerator, rattling and bouncing along like a tin can that's been kicked hard. Only at the next light do you pause to buckle yourself in.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Half the city separates the Top S(h)elf Storage Complex from The Crystal Cave, but by treating yellow lights as green and just-turned-red lights as yellow, you make it out there in only ten minutes. There's no one inside, though. Okay, that's not true. There's the baristas and a couple of cute college girls, and a couple of dumbfucks studying in the corner, but no one who answers to the description of Eva Garner, Jessica Garner, Maria Vasquez, or Cindy Vredenburg. You wait anyway in case they show, perching on a stool near the front door with a good view of the street while sucking down an iced frappuccino. <br/>
<br/>
Not that you need the sugar. You're vibrating all over, and you jog first one leg and then the other when it can't stand being still anymore. It's like you've huffed a bag of powdered sugar, even though you -- Eric Murphy -- haven't had a candy bar since yesterday evening. But you've got the jitters so bad it's like you can't even think, and not until you catch yourself scrolling through Eric's call list looking for someone to phone or text do you close your eyes and try to get a grip.<br/>
<br/>
<i>What the hell is the matter?</i><br/>
<br/>
But that's just it. It doesn't seem like anything's the matter. When you stop paying attention to what you're doing and thinking and just do what comes naturally, the fidgeting feels completely normal. And, like, even when you do think about it, what's weird about sitting in a cafe, fidgeting with a frappuccino -- <br/>
<br/>
Man, you really need to figure out how to make these things, you could probably make a small fortune if you got permission from Sagansky to sell them at school. Like, there's those guys who sell band candy, maybe you could piggyback off of them. Hey, there's an idea! They could get permission from the school to sell frappuccinos around, and they'd buy them from you and you could make some money that way!<br/>
<br/>
You're actually trying to figure out whether it would be better to work through the band people or the sports teams, and it has just occurred to you that something fancy like a frappuccino would be perfect for the orchestra people to sell, since they should be dealing in something classy -- you're actually pondering all this in a fevered state of enthusiasm before realizing that you've gone spang off the rails again. <i>Get a grip, Prescott!</i><br/>
<br/>
This is not your native personality, which is why it's got you worried (when you pause long enough to worry about it). But it's when you slap yourself across the cheek and mutter that <i>this isn't you,</i> that another explanation occurs to you. <br/>
<br/>
Is this Eric Murphy's personality?<br/>
<br/>
It would make sense if it were. You've got his body, and you woke thinking his thoughts and dragging up his memories of arriving at the complex. You feel a shocking lack of shock at the things you said and did after waking in his body. <br/>
<br/>
On the other hand, the betas did say it would take time for you to start getting that personality --<br/>
<br/>
But then you feel it. Or, more accurately, you are suddenly and vividly aware of what has been there all this time. It's another person, and it feels like he's standing behind you, and he's got his arms draped over your shoulders, and he's put his head so close to yours that they're actually intersecting, so that his thoughts mingle freely with your own. You just have to draw him closer, like pulling a jacket more tightly around you --<br/>
<br/>
You gasp, for he vanishes. But he hasn't gone anywhere. He's entirely inside you, but you're also entirely inside him. You hunch your shoulders and guzzle the frappuccino. Your cock stiffens.<br/>
<br/>
You are Eric Murphy. <br/>
<br/>
If you want to be. <br/>
<br/>
You've got his body -- it's his hand resting on his knee, but it's you who flex the one and brush the other. And if this isn't his mind inside of you, his instincts taking over and driving you when you aren't looking, then you don't know what else they could be. You close your eyes and think of his friends -- Tim Ryan and Lee Reynolds and Connor Davison and Robert Vargas and Mark Szymanski and a bunch of other people that Will Prescott barely knows. But their faces are very clear, and so's the stuff he's done with them, like drinking beer at the old stone quarry and swimming in the river across from the country club. You think of his family -- his dad, a fifty-three-year-old Sociology teacher at the Saratoga Falls Community College, and his mom, the owner-operator of a housecleaning service. They're never around much, which gives Eric free rein to get in mild trouble whenever and with whomever he likes. You think of the Trig homework you need to do and the people you want to hang out with, and <i>Goddamn it,</i> why are you sitting around here instead of being out with <i>people?</i> You pound your knee and crunch down hard on some ice.<br/>
<br/>
Well, you're here because some cheerleaders were supposed to be here, but it looks like you either missed them or they're not showing. You jerk out your phone and quickly thumb in a text to Carlos: <i>thos grils not here wehre r they?</i><br/>
<br/>
His reply, after a long delay, is much cleaner than your query: <i>Nirdlingers shopping.</i><br/>
<br/>
Oh, naturally that's what they'd be doing. You slam back the last of your drink and heave it into the trash basket as you trot out the door. Into your Jeep you swing and jam the key into the ignition. Your phone bleeps again.<br/>
<br/>
This time it's from Tim: <i>video thing done?</i><br/>
<br/>
You chew on your lip and tap at the screen with your typing thumb. You'd told him you thought the whole "video thing" was just a planning session, and you'd hang out with him afterward. You can tell him that it's still going on, and that you can't meet him tonight, and then go out to that department store where the girls are.<br/>
<br/>
You slump in your seat, for the sole purpose of giving your cock room to run. Shopping does not excite you. But shopping with a bunch of girls? With <i>cheerleaders?</i> With Eva and Jessica Garner, and Maria Vasquez, and with <i>Chelsea Cooper</i> and <i>Cindy Vredenburg,</i> probably? You close your eyes and rub your face and let the fantasy stiffen you some more. You picture yourself sitting in a chair and watching as they come out one at a time from the dressing stalls, giggling and showing off the clothes they're trying on and asking you if they look hot and if they're turning you on. <i>That would be so fucking sweet!</i><br/>
<br/>
That's what Eric would race off to do.<br/>
<br/>
But since your little think-through you are much less prone to being stampeded by his instincts. You know who you are, and though you feel Eric Murphy sticking all about you -- as though his mind were a giant cobweb you'd blundered into -- you also know where he stops and you start. You doubt it would play out that way.<br/>
<br/>
There's a good chance they'd yell at you for ... well, for something.<br/>
<br/>
True, you were cautioned to stay away from Eric's friends, for fear of mucking things up. But it would be <i>very</i> out of character if he stayed away.</span></div></div>


path: 1133121112112111111132121111132232111312
author_id: seuzz
title: Party Guy
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>There's something ironic about what you wind up doing, and why. Eric would ditch his friends in a heartbeat to hang out with some sexy cheerleaders, but you're in command of things, and your instincts tell you that it would be much better if Eric Murphy went out to see his friends. Besides, after the way you had to fight your way free of his influence in the coffee shop, you're pretty sure you can act in character as him.<br/>
<br/>
<i>Cindy.</i> Memory of her creamy limbs and golden hair causes you to miss the keys when reaching for the ignition, and you cuss as you bash your knuckles. But it still doesn't change your mind. You pop the motor on and pop backward into the street. With practiced muscle memory you tap Tim Ryan's number into the cell while keeping your eyes on the road. <br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
" -- so I beat him off with the spatula!"<br/>
<br/>
That's Tim, shouting over the rushing wind as you rocket down Harrison Boulevard. He's telling you how he got the last peach of the season away from his little brother. You chortle. "If I had a kid brother like yours -- "<br/>
<br/>
You do have a kid brother. But Eric Murphy's an only child. <br/>
<br/>
" -- I'd drown him in the fucking bathtub!"<br/>
<br/>
"I've thought about it," Tim yells back. "But my mom wouldn't go for it." He grabs onto the frame of the Jeep as you take a hard right onto Hoover at nearly forty miles an hour. "Why haven't you flipped this thing yet?"<br/>
<br/>
"Still trying!" You're flying along at just under fifty, but you half stand up to look sharply over your shoulder at the northbound lane. "Was that Lori just passed us going the other way?"<br/>
<br/>
"Don't know!"<br/>
<br/>
"I think it was!"<br/>
<br/>
"Sit down!" Tim pulls you into the seat. "When you have a wreck -- !"<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not!"<br/>
<br/>
" -- I don't want to be there!"<br/>
<br/>
"But we're here already!" You jerk the wheel hard to the left and skid into a parking lot on two wheels. You flip the engine off, and your face almost meets the windshield as you jam to a stop. "Oh don't be such a pussy!" you grin at your best friend.<br/>
<br/>
He's very white, even whiter than he normally is. Tim Ryan has that Irish thing where the skin is either an ivory white or an angry, sunburned red. In fact, he burns so easily that this is the first day since the end of March that you've seen him in shorts and sandals, and he's the color most people are in February. His lips are like strawberries set on snow as he turns on you with a frown. You don't have to see his eyes -- which are hidden behind sunglasses -- to know he's glaring at you.<br/>
<br/>
"Whatever," he says. "Why are we here?" He looks around.<br/>
<br/>
"It's the park, man." Hochstetter Park, to be precise. You lean back and hook your left leg over the steering column. "So what you wanna do?"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't know, you're the one who decided to come here." He looks over his shoulder. "We should go hang out by the dog park, they got those Frisbee baskets -- "<br/>
<br/>
"I don't ever see any girls at the dog park."<br/>
<br/>
"I don't see any girls here," he retorts. "Do you?"<br/>
<br/>
You jump up and look around. Hochstetter is a small park, near the bad part of town, and not a place that teenage girls would be hanging out. You drop back heavily into your seat and grab the key. "Okay, let's go to South Creek, that's where they -- "<br/>
<br/>
"There's nothing to do at South Creek."<br/>
<br/>
"Nothing but girls!"<br/>
<br/>
"You just gonna walk around and hit on them?<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe!"<br/>
<br/>
"At least we should take a ball or Frisbee or -- "<br/>
<br/>
"But I don't got -- Hang on." You jump out and run around to the back of the Jeep, to look inside the little cargo hold. "Hey! I got my hibachi back here still!"<br/>
<br/>
"You wanna do a cookout?" Tim's tone is disbelieving.<br/>
<br/>
"Why not? We'll go down to the river -- "<br/>
<br/>
"There any girls by the river?"<br/>
<br/>
"There could be! Sure!" You slap your hands together. "We'll call around, get a party going! Get Denise and Rachel and Connor and -- "<br/>
<br/>
"You got charcoal back there?"<br/>
<br/>
"We'll get people to bring stuff." You run back around to leap behind the wheel. "You know, BYOS." Tim at least looks intrigued as you grin at him. "Mid-week party, man. Who's gonna beat that?"<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
If Eric hadn't pulled this kind of thing off before, you'd never have dared try. But somewhere inside this quicksilver scatterbrain is a master of logistics. You first call Cody Wooten, who's up for a cookout and agrees to bring charcoal. Christian Padilla and Eric Harlen agree to bring a couple of pounds of hamburger meat, and Andrew Harding agrees to bring a couple of packages of buns. Once those guys have been nailed down, it's easy to talk other people into each bringing a single large staple: either a bag of potato chips or a six-pack of something cold. And after you've got a dozen of those guys lined up, you make a few more strategic calls to ensure there's enough actual food for everyone.<br/>
<br/>
"So is that one mine?" Brianna Gould asks as she kneels beside you. You're squatting in front of the hibachi and dividing your attention between the sizzling patties and some guys loudly arguing over the merits of a new videogame shooter. The wind has calmed to an evening breeze and the sun is almost down. The country club -- directly across the river from where you and twenty other kids are eating, drinking and smoking a little weed -- stands out blackly against the burning horizon.<br/>
<br/>
"It is if you give me a swallow of that." You reach out, and she hands you the can of watery beer. You gulp back half of it, and your hand brushes hers as you give it back. She lurches a little toward you, and her shoulder touches yours.<br/>
<br/>
It's a good thing you're folded up and she can't see your cock rising between your thighs.<br/>
<br/>
"This was a great idea," she says. "I didn't know you could cook."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm a great cook!"<br/>
<br/>
"Really?" She smiles. "What's your specialty?"<br/>
<br/>
"Lasagna. I make a great lasagna."<br/>
<br/>
"Can you make some for me, bring it in to school?"<br/>
<br/>
"Bring it to you on Friday."<br/>
<br/>
Eric Murphy has never in his life assembled anything more complicated than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But how hard can lasagna be? There's recipes online and you just have to follow them, right?<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, are those things almost done?" Christian Padilla yells from down by the river bank. He and Cody are throwing a baseball back and forth. <br/>
<br/>
"Two minutes!"<br/>
<br/>
"Is that the last of the beef?"<br/>
<br/>
"Unless you get some more!"<br/>
<br/>
You turn back to Brianna. She's smiling at the ground. "It's a good thing Roy brought those burgers from McDonalds," she says.<br/>
<br/>
"I knew we were gonna run low, I asked him to. Thanks for bringing those Ruffles."<br/>
<br/>
She keeps staring at the ground, and even in the dusk you can tell there's trouble behind her eyes. You lightly, on accident but on purpose, jostle her a couple of times, just to let her know that you're paying attention but don't want to press it. A smile creeps onto her face, and she finally breaks out in something halfway between a gasp and a laugh. She looks up and over your head with a look of desperation crawling over her features. "So," she says, "I never heard what exactly happened between you and Melanie."<br/>
<br/>
<i>Mm.</i> You fall back on your ass and cross your legs Indian style. "Nothing happened," you reply. "We never actually said we were dating, you know."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"You son of a bitch!" Melanie Saxon had snarled when Eric told her that. She went at him, too, and he had a brief, vivid vision of her grabbing his genitals at the base and ripping them out by the root. He leaped back. "Don't go psycho on me, Mel!" he yelled.<br/>
<br/>
"You fucker!" She wheeled and stalked off, elbowing her way through the school crowd. But she didn't turn so fast he didn't see the tears springing up in her eyes. He turned stiffly back into Mr. Hartford's classroom and almost bumped into Tim, who was frowning in alarm. "What'd you do to Melanie?" he asked.<br/>
<br/>
"Nothing! Just told her, you know, I wasn't gonna be hanging out with her so much anymore."<br/>
<br/>
Tim gasped. "You broke up with her?"<br/>
<br/>
"We were never dating, man! Like I told her."<br/>
<br/>
<i>"You told her that?"</i><br/>
<br/>
"It's the truth!"<br/>
<br/>
Tim glared with open-mouthed astonishment at his friend. "So why did it suddenly seem like such a good idea to break up with her?"<br/>
<br/>
"I didn't! That's the freaking point!"<br/>
<br/>
"<i>She</i> thinks you did!"<br/>
<br/>
"I can't help what she thinks! And I didn't, because -- "<br/>
<br/>
Eric had spent a lot of the summer with Melanie. She had a hammock in her back yard, and one day in May, when he was over there bragging about how he was totally going to make it onto the basketball squad, she invited him to test it out. Then she crawled into it with him and they fell face to face in it and made out for a long time. After that he was at her place at least three times a week, when her mother was gone. They got a lot of use out of the hammock over the break.<br/>
<br/>
In fact, he's still got selfies he took of them lying there.<br/>
<br/>
But no, they never said anything about going steady.<br/>
<br/>
So when Emma Witkin got blasted on wine coolers at a party right after school started, Eric saw nothing wrong with taking her into a back bedroom for a game of Pervy Gynecologist. <br/>
<br/>
But Melanie heard about it, and then --<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
He's since wondered if he made the right choice, and you wonder too.</span></div></div>


path: 11331211121121111111321211111322321113121
author_id: seuzz
title: Tongue Play
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Somewhere in the back of your head you've a vague idea that Fairfax would be pleased if you hooked up with Brianna. She's friendly with a big crowd of people and can pick up any echoes that go bouncing around with them. <br/>
<br/>
But you're not really thinking with that part of your brain when you decide you'd like to rub up closer to her.<br/>
<br/>
Oh, hell, you're not thinking with your <i>brain</i> at all.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Your dick is straining hard -- hard enough to set you groaning -- as you explore Brianna's mouth with your tongue. Eric Murphy is a good kisser, if he says so himself, and he should be, as he's had a lot of practice.<br/>
<br/>
You're about seventy yards off from the others, under a river birch that half leans over the water. At least, Brianna told you it was a river birch when you asked. "Oh, yeah," you replied. "I knew that."<br/>
<br/>
It's a little awkward the way you're standing, and you shift from foot to foot even as you concentrate on Brianna. You feel her shifting too. But she's rigid and won't sink to the ground or bend to the side when you tug her, so you just stand by the tree, your hands on the small of her back and your face pushing into hers, as she holds you by the shoulder blades and welcomes you into her mouth. If she notices your raging boner -- and Eric is well hung (again, if he says so himself), and the cotton shorts do nothing to restrain it -- she says nothing about it and does nothing about it either.<br/>
<br/>
Maybe, you wonder with a touch of irritation, she just gets off on knowing what she's doing to you.<br/>
<br/>
Her mouth tastes like licorice. Is it her lip gloss you're tasting? Her mouth is also warm and velvety, and you explore it a bit a time, with a sucking taste of it, then a retreat, then another sucking taste, and another retreat. She waits for you after you withdrawl, but when you hold off longer than she wants, she chases you with little nips of her own. When she steps on your foot, you push her off without taking your tongue from hers.<br/>
<br/>
From behind Eric's instincts you watch with a mixture of awe, fascination, jealousy, and joy. You yourself have little experience with making out. With Lisa you only once kissed the top of her head. With other girls, at parties, you've tried a little fumbling with your lips, only to break off with shame at the awkwardness of it all. Does Eric even think about what he's doing, or does he just chase each momentary pleasure with another? Whatever. You close your eyes and sink back and let your mouth do all the work.<br/>
<br/>
When you're finally a little bit sore and a little bit raw, you break off and put your ear to hers while pulling her close. Your cock slides up her, and throbs. She stiffens in your arms, but you just rub her back slowly.<br/>
<br/>
Finally, she pulls away, and you release her while still hanging lightly onto her arm. "I don't bet the ground's too wet here," you say, and make to sit down, but she keeps to her feet. "Or we could keep walking off that way." You point off away from the party.<br/>
<br/>
"We should go back," she says, and it sounds like she's lost her breath. She takes a step, and reluctantly you accompany her. But she falls against your hip and puts her arm around your waist, so you put yours around her shoulders.<br/>
<br/>
<i>So what was this, just a test drive?</i> you're thinking as you trudge slowly back to where the others are still laughing and drinking in the encroaching dark. (And some of them, the guys who brought their own girls, will be doing some petting of their own.) <i>Probably that's just what it was.</i> Brianna isn't shy about making out at parties, Eric has noticed.<br/>
<br/>
And she's always dressed and made up, too, even at school, like she's on the hunt for a guy. She wears lots of white face powder with dark mascara, and shiny lip gloss on a mouth that is usually stretched wide in a desperate smile. Her long, flat hair is an unnatural shade of brown, like she's colored it with tan shoe polish. She likes sleeveless blouses that show off her white, slinky arms.<br/>
<br/>
Just thinking about the way she dresses -- the way she's dressed now -- sets you off again, and you pull her so close that she stumbles a little. But she clutches you more tightly still.<br/>
<br/>
Someone whistles as you draw up. "Hey, you two, gettin' up to no good!" That would be Andrew Harding, recognizable even in the dark by the shape of his shaggy, reddish-gold mop of hair. You've seen <i>him</i> with Brianna at parties, and a spasm of jealousy shoots through you. Has Brianna given <i>him</i> a more thorough test drive? You murmur in her ear. "You sure you wanna come back here?"<br/>
<br/>
"Let's sit by the river. Talk. With everyone." She says it between gulps.<br/>
<br/>
"Lemme check on the burgers first." You let go of her, and she steps away with obvious reluctance before walking off toward the river. You're glad it's now dark enough no one can probably see the tent in your shorts.<br/>
<br/>
You left the hibachi in the care of Daniel Lujan and Aaron Flood, and they're sitting by it still -- keeping themselves chilled with beers -- even though the grill is now bare. "Hey, 's the meat all gone?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"I think Roy's still got a few sandwiches in his bag," Daniel says. He slaps at his bare knee, though he could hardly feel, let alone see, any bugs that had landed there.<br/>
<br/>
Aaron sniggers. "Di'ncha get enough to eat with Brianna?"<br/>
<br/>
You squat and poke at the grill with the spatula. "Gonna go sit with her," you say, as though that's the answer to his question. "I'll take her some potato chips instead." You squint over their heads, into the darkness where Brianna has gone. "Guess we'll hang out with everyone."<br/>
<br/>
There's a pause, then Daniel grunts. "She's a popular girl."<br/>
<br/>
"What's that mean?" you shoot back.<br/>
<br/>
"Uh, nothing." A stammer comes into his voice. "Just, you know, people like her, so if you hang out, uh, it'll be -- "<br/>
<br/>
"<i>I</i> like her," you blurt out.<br/>
<br/>
"Uh ... Yeah?"<br/>
<br/>
"Sure. I could totally have her, you know."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah?" Daniel says the word like it's a very prickly piece of cactus that he's trying to handle without getting poked.<br/>
<br/>
"You gone out with her?"<br/>
<br/>
There's a long silence. Then Aaron speaks. "Daniel's saving himself for after he gets his Ph.D. Ow!" he cries out as his friend punches him in the leg.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I'm gonna go sit with her now," you announce, and strut off to your rendezvous. You're not even sure now why you took a break from her.<br/>
<br/>
She's huddles on the grass with her arms around her knees, and relaxes a little as you sit down and pull her close. "It's a nice party," she says.<br/>
<br/>
"I have great ideas." You put your face close to hers.<br/>
<br/>
"Aren't you cold? You're dressed, like, it's still summer or something."<br/>
<br/>
"Nah. You're cold? It's warmer with two." You pull her even closer, and kiss her eyebrow.<br/>
<br/>
"Yes it is," she sighs, and wraps an arm around you.<br/>
<br/>
There are other kids nearby, sitting on the bank by the softly gurgling river. They talk about games, and sports and school, about what sucks and what's awesome. You keep both ears pricked up to the talk even as you concentrate on he warmth radiating from Brianna. But no one says anything about the two of you, or makes any remarks at all.<br/>
<br/>
Still, when Connor Davison says something insulting about Kold Slushi's latest music video, it's all you can do to keep from running over to straighten him out.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
But it's only coincidence -- though not much of one -- that it's KS's "Baby's Fuck Bump" busting out through your ear buds as you rocket into the student parking lot the next morning. He's one of Eric's favorite artists, and you're liking him too, and you shout the title chorus and pound the wheel thrice as you brake to a hard stop in the far corner of the lot. Never mind what anyone thinks, you bust a couple of moves after leaping from the Jeep, and punctuate the song's final shout by kicking one of your tires. "Fuck!" you shout, and nurse a toe that might be broken.<br/>
<br/>
You switch your phone to something with a mellower beat as you swagger and swing your way over toward the gym. But you're not so distracted you miss the sight of Maria Vasquez standing with folded arms by the entrance to the breezeway. <br/>
<br/>
Any other morning you'd leer at her from behind your sunglasses while strutting past, trusting that she wouldn't notice the eye-fuck. This morning, with some of Tung Kandy's bright music sweetening your ears, you dance up to her with a grin, like you're at a club and she's a hot chick who's just smiled at you. "Love it, spoon it, lick it, come with me, baby," you sing, and thrust your pelvis at her.<br/>
<br/>
She pulls back with an expression like she's going to vomit. She says something, too, and after you reply with a "Huh?" she yanks the ear buds off you. "Cut it out. Everyone's watching."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah! You and me gonna start hanging out a lot, right?" You turn off the music and start packing stuff away.<br/>
<br/>
"Why didn't you answer any of your texts last night?"<br/>
<br/>
"Answered the ones I wanted to, needed to. I was with the guys."<br/>
<br/>
"What guys?" Alarm shows on her face. "Eric's friends?"<br/>
<br/>
"Sure, down by the river. Me and Brianna, we -- "<br/>
<br/>
"You needed to stay away from them! Until -- "<br/>
<br/>
"Fuck an ice cube, okay? Oh, hey!" A thought hits you, and you spin about. "You get Chelsea last night? She showin' up?"<br/>
<br/>
She grabs you by the shoulders and spins you back around. "Yes, and you need to stay away from us. It's not in character. And make sure you answer your texts."<br/>
<br/>
"Whatever you say."</span></div></div>


path: 113312111211211111113212111113223211131212
author_id: seuzz
title: In Which Someone Else's Problems Are Now Your Own
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Your check out your text messages as you swagger down the breezeway, and discover that you turned the alerts off at some point last night. Probably when you went off with Brianna, but you really don't remember. But there's nothing in them you need to worry about now, and the messages from "Maria" and "Eva" and even "Cindy" were only of the impatient <i>wehre r u?</i> kind. It's enough to curdle the temptation to fuck with Fairfax by searching them out.<br/>
<br/>
It's still early in the morning -- only a little after 7:30 -- but you arrived early so you can hit the cafeteria. Since Eric's mom put his dad on a high-fiber diet, breakfasts at home have turned prune-flavored, so he's been coming to school early to supplement his morning meal. He's not on the school food plan, though, so he has to pay some of the guys to bring him eggs and bacon and a powdered donut. Then he sits in a corner and jaws with them.<br/>
<br/>
There's four of them today. Cody Wooten and Roy Booth were at the river last night, so the conversation starts by reliving the party. But after a few minutes of that, and while you're still gulping down some rubbery scrambled eggs, Spencer Osbourne grasps you by the chin and pushes your head back. "Hey, hands to yourself," you yell, and knock his arm back.<br/>
<br/>
"Just checking for hickeys," he snickers.<br/>
<br/>
"Hickeys from what? Oh!"<br/>
<br/>
Everyone at the table laughs. "Nah, we did it all in each other's mouths," you report. "She was, like, I hear you're a great kisser, so I'm, like, sure, lemme show you."<br/>
<br/>
"She's a brave girl," Roy says.<br/>
<br/>
"Eat a dick, man." Then you catch the veiled glances being passed around. "What?"<br/>
<br/>
A couple of shrugs get made, and when you turn back around you find Spencer grinning at you. Spencer likes to act like he's Jack Nicholson or something like that, so he's always arching his eyebrows and grinning like he's just got off the phone to Hell and knows everyone's secrets. "We're talkin' 'bout Melanie," he says, and he laughs dryly in the back of his throat.<br/>
<br/>
"Shut up, man," murmurs Zachary Herman, who's sitting on the other side of him.<br/>
<br/>
"No we're not," you retort. "We're talking about Brianna. I went off with her last night -- "<br/>
<br/>
"<i>We're</i> talking about Melanie."<br/>
<br/>
You blink hard. Then your throat constricts. "What about Melanie?"<br/>
<br/>
Spencer's eyebrows arch a little more. "How much action you been getting since you broke up with her?"<br/>
<br/>
"We didn't break up! We never even said we were dating!"<br/>
<br/>
Spencer's eyes dance. "How much?" <br/>
<br/>
"Plenty!"<br/>
<br/>
"Who?"<br/>
<br/>
You glare at him, then whip your head around to glare at the rest of the table. Cody, Roy, Zachary, even Michael Hurst, who's sitting by himself a little further off, are watching you with bright-eyed interest.<br/>
<br/>
Now that you think of it, action has been a bit thin lately. Every time you got up close to a girl at a party, she would wander off with some excuse or other. You -- okay, <i>Eric</i> -- hadn't really noticed how much of a drought there'd been, though, because when one girl squirmed away he just went and got another one. But now that you think of it, they would squirm away too.<br/>
<br/>
Not that you're about to admit that to these guys. "Okay, so there was Brianna last night." You start ticking off your fingers. "And Rebecca, me and Rebecca danced and made out at the Warehouse last Saturday -- "<br/>
<br/>
"Harlen's Rebecca?" Cody asks. <br/>
<br/>
"She's not <i>his</i> Rebecca. They're not exclusive or anything."<br/>
<br/>
"I'll vouch, I saw 'em dancing together," Spencer says. "Well, I saw 'em dancing and they were kind of close to each other," he snickers.<br/>
<br/>
"That's what happens when you dance with someone. And Hermione, at Philippa's party last week." She was one of the girls that squirmed away. "Philippa, too. Rachel -- "<br/>
<br/>
"Swimmer's Itch Rachel?" Roys asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Eat a dick," you tell him again. "And we almost got interrupted. I mean, we would have totally done it," you hastily correct yourself, "'cept we got interrupted. Donna Hawkins." You have never in your two lives met a girl named Donna Hawkins, but the name passes muster with the table, so you continue inventing girls to have kissed. "Jocelyn, and this girl Anne from Eastman. Um. Susie. And -- "<br/>
<br/>
"Not Susie Luau," exclaims Roy.<br/>
<br/>
"No, Susie something else, she's a sophomore, you wouldn't know her."<br/>
<br/>
"How do you know her?" Spencer asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Met her through one of her friends in my math class," you lie with such fluency that you startle even yourself. "We wound up hanging out after school, gave each other some backrubs and stuff. You know." Best to leave it vague. "Also -- "<br/>
<br/>
"Sure, Eric." Roy pulls off his Mets baseball cap -- a soft, dirty, smelly thing -- and buries his face in it. From the way his shoulders shake, it looks like he's laughing.<br/>
<br/>
"Eat. A. Dick. Man." You feel your face burning. "If you don't fucking believe me -- "<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, <i>we</i> believe you," Spencer says. "I mean, Jesus." He shakes his head in acknowledged tribute to Eric Murphy's prowess at getting kisses and more of off girls. "The problem is," he continues, "is Melanie gonna believe it if we tell <i>her?</i>"<br/>
<br/>
"Why the fuck would you tell her? The fuck is it her business for?"<br/>
<br/>
Spencer grimaces without losing his grin. You look around at the others. Roy still has his face buried in his cap. Zachary looks away. Cody winces. You turn back to Spencer.<br/>
<br/>
"No one wants to tell you, 'cos they know you'll freak out," he says as he leans in close. "But since you broke up with her, Melanie's been -- "<br/>
<br/>
"I didn't break up with her!"<br/>
<br/>
"Melanie's been going around saying she will <i>kill</i> any girl who fondles you back."<br/>
<br/>
Spencer's chin goes down and his eyebrows go up. The devil grins at you from behind his grey-blue eyes.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Eric gets to school early so he can eat with friends, but that means he also has to find somebody to hang out with during his first-period study hall. Sometimes it'll be James Lamont, in the library. Sometimes, God help us all, it'll be David Kirkham and George Mendoza out by the portables. But this morning you pick Christian Padilla and Tim Gerard by the theater wing. <br/>
<br/>
Naturally they hang out by the theater wing. Padilla -- or "Fish Taco," as he's sometimes called, on account of his "Mexican surfer" look -- is one of Charles Hartlein's occasional fuck buddies. Gerard -- who is officially "bi agreeable" but unofficially as straight as a ruler -- is a poet who even in the summer is rarely without a warm latte and a colorful scarf. <br/>
<br/>
"Jeezum Fuck," you groan as you fall dazedly against the brick wall and slide to the grass. "Jeezum Fuck," you groan again as you bury your face in your knees.<br/>
<br/>
You sense, rather than see, them exchange a look. "What's your problem?" Christian asks.<br/>
<br/>
He was at the river last night too, so you can ask him about the Melanie situation and he'll know exactly why you're asking. "So is Melanie going to kill Brianna?" You raise your eyes to meet his.<br/>
<br/>
His broad face -- usually so cheerful -- turns somber. Gerard looks up from the steaming Styrofoam cup he's cradling. "Brianna who?" he asks. "Kirschke?"<br/>
<br/>
"No, Gould," Christian says. "You mean because of last night?" You nod. "Dude, so if you're worried about her, why'd you make out with her?"<br/>
<br/>
"I didn't hear about Melanie and what she's been saying until just now!"<br/>
<br/>
"Your Melanie?" Tim asks.<br/>
<br/>
"She's not my Melanie!" you yell at him. "We never even said we were dating!"<br/>
<br/>
"Dude, you were dating," says Christian. "You didn't have to say." You roll your eyes.<br/>
<br/>
"So what's this about Melanie and Brianna?" Tim asks.<br/>
<br/>
"We were all out at the river last night," Christian says. He's talking to Tim but he keeps his dark, grave eyes on you. "By the way, why didn't you show up?"<br/>
<br/>
"I was studying with Susie."<br/>
<br/>
"Susie Luau?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
Tim turns very prim -- one of his most annoying traits. "Don't call her that. Her name's Lekuawehe."<br/>
<br/>
"But you know we were out at the river," Christian continues. "Eric went off with Brianna Gould and let her play with his hog."<br/>
<br/>
"We just kissed!" But deep down, you're stupidly flattered that he called your member a "hog." Makes it sound fat and strong and meaty.<br/>
<br/>
"Melanie's not gonna believe that's all you did," Christian says, "not after you went spelunking with Emma."<br/>
<br/>
"It's none of her fucking business! But I just heard from Spencer and them -- How serious <i>is</i> she?"<br/>
<br/>
"Who? Melanie?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah! About -- " You shrug and roll your eyes so hard you almost topple over. "About 'killing' anyone who goes out with me?"<br/>
<br/>
"How much action have you been getting?" Christian asks as Tim's mouth falls open.<br/>
<br/>
Normally you (you and Eric both) would be absurdly pleased to have to field that question twice in twenty minutes. Now you just roll your eyes again.<br/>
<br/>
"That's your answer," Christian says. "You know Melanie. And anyone who knows Melanie -- and all the girls you hang out with know her -- Well -- "<br/>
<br/>
"She's talking about <i>killing</i> people?" Gerard squeals.<br/>
<br/>
"Not literally!"<br/>
<br/>
"Dude," says Christian. "We're talking about Melanie Saxon, right? I wouldn't bet against her meaning it literally. Back in middle school, I saw her chop a head off a doll with a meat cleaver, just to make a point. "<br/>
<br/>
"So what am I gonna do?" you cry. "I can't go the rest of the year without -- " You fling out your hands. "You know!"</span></div></div>


path: 1133121112112111111132121111132232111312121
author_id: seuzz
title: Fast Talk at Westside High
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>In point of fact, you could easily get through the rest of the year without ... "you know." You've gone through most of high school without it.<br/>
<br/>
But it was one of the nicer discoveries when you woke in that store room, to find that Eric Murphy gets quite a lot of "you know" and gets it in all kinds of degrees and extents from all kinds of girls, and he has a knack for getting it from them. <br/>
<br/>
So let Fairfax run his dumb experiment. You were looking forward to running it in reverse, by doing a lot of "you know" and watching to see if news of all that "you know" bubbled back up to the cheerleader circle.<br/>
<br/>
But you can't get all that "you know" if Melanie Saxon is running around promising to chop the tits off any girl who lets you fondle them. Which isn't specifically what Spencer told you she is promising to do, but which is pretty much her style. <br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Padilla and Gerard have nothing for you but sympathy, and when you're tired of that -- which is about ten seconds later -- you scramble up to make a long, hustling circuit of the school.<br/>
<br/>
You could use the exercise anyway, as it's a chilly morning and the wind cuts even though you're wearing track pants and a long-sleeve t-shirt. On the back side of the school you pause long enough to watch some PE classes warming up on the practice fields. Eric has hung out with a couple of the girls on the soccer squad, which is jogging around the far perimeter of one of the fields now, and you idly wonder if Melanie could really intimidate someone like Anita Nuevo or Dominique Hughes. She probably wouldn't even try, because even though Mel is psycho, Anita or Dominique could probably just beat her up.<br/>
<br/>
Hell, Anita or Dominique could probably beat <i>you</i> up. <br/>
<br/>
You cock your head thoughtfully as the line of girls makes a turn at the far corner of the field and starts trundling back in your direction.<br/>
<br/>
So there wouldn't be any trouble, you're sure, if you tried getting it on with Anita or Dominique, because there's no way they'd worry about Mel even if they heard about what she's promising to do. <br/>
<br/>
And what's with this "if" you could get it on with them? You could <i>totally</i> get it on with either Anita or --<br/>
<br/>
Alright, Eric might tell himself that, and he might even believe it, but you're pretty sure it wouldn't fly. Best case scenario, those two girls would just laugh if you pitched anything at them.<br/>
<br/>
But Kelly Rinaldi would probably listen. Barbara Powell, too. They're not all hard and compact like the other two. They're more the tall-and-slim type, and they sway invitingly, and like to smile and laugh, which sets you off to smiling now as you imagine yourself with your arms wrapped around either one of them to keep them from swaying. They're just about the right height for kissing, too.<br/>
<br/>
You whip off your cap and scratch deeply at your scalp, for these fantasies are making you break out in a light, itchy sweat. You should totally find out what classes they got, go talk to them, find out what parties they're gonna hang out at this Friday.<br/>
<br/>
Full of these dreams, you break into a jog that takes you around the school, and so distracted are you that you jog around it a couple of times before you stop and look around and see that you're back at the theater wing and that Tim and Christian have moved on. You spend the rest of the period squatting on the grass, firing off texts in every direction, asking if anyone knows Barbara Powell's or Kelly Rinaldi's class schedules.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Actually, you know two of Kelly's classes, because she shares them with Will Prescott. (Not that you've ever said anything to Kelly in either of them.) Eric Harlen's reply comes too late for you to catch Barbara in her second period AP Constitutional Law class (<i>rufkm?</i> you text Eric back) but you detour on your way to third so you can corner her in Mr. Muniz's Statistics class.<br/>
<br/>
She's sitting on the far side of the room with a bunch of soccer and track people: Fred Hildown, Catherine Muskov, Samantha Carpenter, and -- yep! -- Anita. She's caught up in whatever they're talking about, with the kind of look on her face like she's about to jump in at any moment, and she's twisting and untwisting her elbow-length blonde hair into loose braids. None of them pay the slightest attention as you saunter up and slide into a desk next to Barbara -- until you speak, when Barbara does a double take and crinkles her forehead at you.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey," you say, and deep down under Eric's casual calm, you're astonished at how little he cares about barging in on a girl he's never even talked to. "I didn't know you played soccer."<br/>
<br/>
She stares back. Then she say, "Uh, yeah."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I saw you out practicing first period." To Anita: "You guys are gonna win statewide, right?"<br/>
<br/>
"That's the plan," she says. Fred and Catherine leave off talking long enough to squint at you.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I played soccer in middle school. Hey, did you go to Wheeler Middle School?" Barbara and Anita both shake their heads warily. "Yeah, I don't remember you from there. That's where I went, played for them. I was a forward." Actually, he was a defender, and it pissed him off that the coach wouldn't put him up at the front where could score goals.<br/>
<br/>
Fred jumps in. "You don't play anymore?"<br/>
<br/>
"I got into basketball. But, you know." You mime making a free throw. "Steve Patterson said I'd have to bring a stepladder if I wanted to join the squad." Actually, Patterson told Eric to go fuck himself with a stepladder. "But what are you doing this Friday?" you ask Barbara.<br/>
<br/>
Her eyes go a little wide, and she darts a glance at her friends. "We don't have a game, if that's what you're asking."<br/>
<br/>
"No, I mean parties. That was a great one you had last Friday," you tell Catherine. She covers her grin and looks away. <br/>
<br/>
"But are you gonna be out at the Warehouse?" you ask Barbara. "Or, I think someone told me Olivia Byrne was going to be doing something at her place." No such rumor has reached you, in fact, but Olivia seems like Barbara's kind of hostess.<br/>
<br/>
"I wasn't making plans yet," Barbara stutters.<br/>
<br/>
"What about Maggie's party?" Fred says, and Barbara shoots him a dirty look. He grins back at her. "I thought you were all about hanging out at her place this Friday."<br/>
<br/>
"I was just <i>talking</i> about it." Barbara starts looking a little flushed.<br/>
<br/>
"Softball Maggie?" you ask. That would be Maggie Crenshaw, of the girls' softball team. "Cool. Is it a bring your own thing? I always bring my own, you know."<br/>
<br/>
"Maggie doesn't like party crashers," says Anita.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm going." Fred grins at you. "You can come with me."<br/>
<br/>
"Awesome." You put out your fist for a bump, and pound it a couple of different ways when he stretches out his own fist. "I'll get her address, show up there around ten?"<br/>
<br/>
"Bring a twelve-pack of whatever you brought to my place," says Catherine.<br/>
<br/>
"Will do." You sweep off your cap, scratch your scalp, resettle it. "Catch you guys around Friday." You hear them break into gales of laughter as you saunter out.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div>Well so what if they're laughing. They're laughing at Barbara, not you. And who cares if she's probably pissed off at the way you got yourself invited out there. You know where she's going to be, you're going to be there too, and there'll be lots of time to talk her into liking you. Almost every girl you've ever gotten in your arms has been one who got all flushed and stuttery, like Barbara, before you calmed them down and closed in.<br/>
<br/>
Except Melanie. Eric hadn't paid that much attention to her, actually, until that day she invited him out to her house and into her back yard. She was just another band girl -- playing the glockenspiel, of all things -- and though she had a nice face and figure, it had barely dawned on him that she might be available for deep smooching before she was telling him he should try out her hammock. And it was her idea to climb into it with him, and she touched him first, and she was the one who guided his hand down to the warm spot between her legs. <br/>
<br/>
All the time they were hanging out, he really liked being the one who had to run to keep up, instead of being the one who tugged and teased the other along. And on the afternoon of their third date, when she pulled him into her bedroom and yanked her t-shirt and shorts off, and pushed him onto her bed and stretched her long, hard, white body over his, dangling her breasts in his face, it was the culmination of five years of fantasies, even if the fantasies hadn't concerned her specifically ...<br/>
<br/>
But you shouldn't be thinking about Melanie, you should be thinking about Barbara, and so you are thinking about her when you drop into your desk in third-period Biology. Tim looks down his nose at you. "Why you so late?"<br/>
<br/>
"Stopped in another room to talk to someone."<br/>
<br/>
"Barbara or Kelly?"<br/>
<br/>
"Barbara. She invited me to a party on Friday. Maggie Crenshaw's. You're invited too, if you want."<br/>
<br/>
"Who am I going with?"<br/>
<br/>
"Ask around. You can find someone."<br/>
<br/>
Out of the corner of your eye, you catch Carl Dortbruch looking over at you. "Yo, the fuck you lookin' at?" you demand. His expression darkens, and he hunches inside his desk. "Yeah, I'm'a come over there, make you suck me off," you taunt him as he turns away. "Faggot," you mutter, and slouch in your own desk. <br/>
<br/>
You've no idea why Eric and Tim have hated and bullied "Dorkbutt" since middle school, but it comes as naturally as the erection you nurse while thinking of Melanie when you should be thinking about Barbara.</span></div></div>


path: 11331211121121111111321211111322321113121211
author_id: seuzz
title: Fast Talk at Westside High, Part Deux
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Fourth period is when you could go find Kelly Rinaldi in Ms. Gladstone's English IV class -- the one she shares with Will Prescott -- but that's your new lunch period, which Eric always takes with Tim and/or other friends. Tim suggests spending it out on the front quad with Daniel Lujan and some of the other band people, but you run into Lee Reynolds while pushing through the hallways, and so wind up out behind the school with him and some other guys who are rather too skeezy for Tim's taste. So your best friend grumbles with bad grace and sits a little off to the side instead of dropping directly into the circle with you and the others.<br/>
<br/>
They're not a bad group, not by Eric's standards, though you're laughing a little nervously on the inside as you tear the wax paper off your sandwich and jam it in your mouth, for Will Prescott wouldn't much like to hang out with them. Lee is probably the most respectable of the bunch. He's tall and skinny, but Eric has seen him with his shirt off, and knows that he's covered with wiry muscle all over. With his dark hair -- the bangs of which hang down over one of his pale blue eyes -- and his white t-shirt and dirty black jeans, he looks like he should ride a motorcycle to school. Which is exactly what he does.<br/>
<br/>
Roy Booth is with you again, still sporting that backwards-turned Mets cap on his thick mop of brown hair. He's peeled off his heavy jacket, though, to expose his tank top and muscled arms. Like Lee, he wears dark, stiff jeans and boots. Zachary Herman, who is also with you again, has eyes and a muzzle that have been unkindly compared to an orangutan, a resemblance not improved by a mullet of platinum-blonde hair that falls over his eyebrows and ears and the back of his neck. And like Roy, he's flaunting his guns in a tank top.<br/>
<br/>
Kyle Kent is the last of the group. Like Will Prescott, he wears a ball cap jammed down over stiff blond hair. There the resemblance ends, however, for Kent has flinty eyes, a wide, leering smile, and a habit of grabbing things away from people and punching them when they try to take them back. <br/>
<br/>
He also has a new skateboard sticking up out of his book bag, and you ask to look at it and also ask when you're going to get to try it out. "Buy me an ounce," he says as he lounges on one elbow and bites the top off a cupcake, "and you can take it home and fuck it, for all I care," he mumbles around a mouthful of frosting.<br/>
<br/>
"He's not going to buy you an ounce," Tim sneers.<br/>
<br/>
"Sure I can," you retort. "I can do that. I'll get me an ounce too."<br/>
<br/>
"You can't afford it."<br/>
<br/>
"Eat a dick. Chen gives me discounts."<br/>
<br/>
"Chen gives you -- !" Lee arches his back as laughter wracks his long, lean frame. "Chen don't give discounts."<br/>
<br/>
"He does to me. We're, like, simpatico or something. I mean, he doesn't <i>always</i> give me discounts," you hastily add when you catch Zachary staring at you with slack-jawed astonishment. "But sometimes I don't even gotta ask. He'll be like, dude, twenty percent off just for being you." You flash a complicated gang sign that you just made up.<br/>
<br/>
"Bullshit!" Lee howls. "You are so full of <i>shit,</i> man! Bullshit and dogshit and elephantshit and -- !"<br/>
<br/>
Kyle rolls onto his back. "He's back behind the portables, you know, him and his homeboys," he tells the sky. You sit up straight and look in the indicated direction. "So go get me an ounce." He jams the rest of the cupcake into his mouth hole. "Now."<br/>
<br/>
"How about I get you an eighth?"<br/>
<br/>
"You don't get to fuck my skateboard for an eighth."<br/>
<br/>
"I don't wanna fuck your skateboard at all. But I'll get you an eighth." You stand up.<br/>
<br/>
"At a discount?" Lee asks. His eyes are watering with merriment.<br/>
<br/>
"Free. For fucking free," you retort, and you turn out your pockets, dropping two fives and a one to the grass. Zachary scrambles for them. "You can hold my wallet and keys, too," you add as you drop them. "Bring you an eighth, man," you tell Kyle, "and it won't cost me one. Fucking. Dollar."<br/>
<br/>
"Sit down, Eric," Tim says, sounding very tired. "You're gonna get your teeth broke or something."<br/>
<br/>
"One. Eighth. No. Dollars." And off you go.<br/>
<br/>
The laughter that sounds behind you is suppressed and a little nervous. And you're halfway to the portables when you hear running footsteps, and Roy pants up and grabs you. "Dude, if you're gonna do this, I should come with you."<br/>
<br/>
"For what?"<br/>
<br/>
"'Cos of Chen," he says. His smile is like a rictus, and his eyes dart feverishly about. "I know you, man, you're gonna try to bluff him, and he's not gonna go for it."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not gonna bluff anyone, I'm telling you -- "<br/>
<br/>
"What, are you gonna sell your car to him or something, just to get that eighth, so you can bring it back and tell us --? Look, I <i>know him,</i> I <i>know</i> he doesn't give discounts or freebies or -- "<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not shitting you guys," you hotly retort. "I'm gonna get an eighth off him."<br/>
<br/>
Roy gasps. "Well -- Jesus! Can I watch?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not gonna suck him off, if that's what you're -- "<br/>
<br/>
"No, I just wanna see you ask him."<br/>
<br/>
"There's not going to be anything to see!"<br/>
<br/>
"I wanna watch anyway."<br/>
<br/>
You shrug. "Whatever, man." You resume walking, and Roy shuffles along beside you.<br/>
<br/>
But just as you're nearing the first portable, he balks. "I changed my mind," he says, and laughs nervously. "You're on your own." He grins desperately, steps back a couple of feet, then sprints the way you'd come. He glances once over his shoulder, and the terror and wonder in his eyes is visible even at thirty yards. You shrug, and resume walking.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
There are eighteen portables at the rear of the school, backing up against a wide field that once might have been farmland but which is now a pasture thick with broken grasses and weeds. They are arranged in a double row in a horseshoe pattern, so you have to trudge past three trailer-length portables to reach the back of the cluster. They are in pitiable condition, their paint long since blistered and peeled, to expose wood that has turned a jaundiced yellow. Dark, narrow window stare blindly from under their shallow eaves. Distantly, you recall being in this neighborhood a week or two ago, and being ambushed by some guys. It takes you a moment to remember that it happened to you twice, once at the hands of Joshua Call and his friends, and once at the hands of Philip Fairfax and his.<br/>
<br/>
Also, it happened to Will Prescott, not to Eric Murphy.<br/>
<br/>
But you hear no voices now, and you start wondering if Kyle made a mistake, or was just trying to wind you up, or if Chen and his friends have moved on to lurk elsewhere. You hope not, for even if it would be easiest to go back and tell Kyle and them that Chen wasn't there, they wouldn't believe you, and would accuse you of sneaking back like a weaselly little shit. <br/>
<br/>
Because that's what you'd accuse them of doing if it was someone else.<br/>
<br/>
But then you turn the corner, and there he is. <br/>
<br/>
Gary Chen. <br/>
<br/>
He's squatting in the grass with a cigarette. One of his asshole friends -- Joe Thomason -- is with him.<br/>
<br/>
Thomason was one of the guys who tossed you around the day they stole the grimoire out of your backpack. He's a tall, rail-thin skinhead, with a fat metal stud in one ear and tattoos on his hands. He is one of the last people on campus that you'd like to be alone with. <br/>
<br/>
But you'd still prefer his company to that of Gary Chen. <br/>
<br/>
Westside High School's exclusive supplier of weed looks up at you with dark eyes that are curved like scimitars. He's wearing heavy trousers, work boots, a camo jacket, and a tight, gray skullcap. His upper lip pulls back, like a dog showing its fangs. His eyes glitter with suspicion.<br/>
<br/>
And yet your pulse doesn't even race as you chuck your chin at him in greeting. "Hey man," you say. "Gimme an eighth?"<br/>
<br/>
"An eighth? Gimme a fifty," he says, and sucks on his cigarette.<br/>
<br/>
"I don't got fifty."<br/>
<br/>
"Then go take a shit in your hand."<br/>
<br/>
"Come on, man." You put on your friendliest grin. "Some guys dared me, said I couldn't get a freebie off you."<br/>
<br/>
Thomason lets out a low whistle, and looks away. Chen stares at you, then wedges the cigarette in the corner of his mouth and stands up. For a count of three you return his sullen stare with a bright one of your own. Then his hand flies at your face.<br/>
<br/>
You're not even sure what he does, all you know is that suddenly the whole side of your head is on fire, and then your knee acquires a tongue and a mouth and a throat and starts screaming. Something hits you in your hands, and it takes a moment to realize you're kneeling on the ground on all fours. "Say fucking what?" a hard voice demands from above.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, let him fuck off," says another voice -- a weary voice -- Thomason's voice. "He's just a dumbfuck."<br/>
<br/>
"Dumbfucks are too smart to ask for freebies. He's a smart-mouthed fuckface, is what he is." A blow like from a bat knocks you face-first into the wall of the portable. "You wanna fuck with me, you little fuck?" A kick to your stomach knocks all the air from you. "Fuck off. You ever make eye contact with me again, I'll tie you to my front bumper and play chicken with a brick wall."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"He's in a bad mood," you tell your friends when you've staggered back to them. "Someone shat in his stash."<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 113312111211211111113212111113223211131212111
author_id: seuzz
title: A Summons to the Storage Unit
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>And yet your misadventure with Chen seems to have won you more respect. It's pretty clear none of the guys believe you when you stick to your "He was in a bad mood" explanation for the red-and-purple swelling on your face, but they all listen raptly when you tell them how Chen went off on you because he had some "bad shit" happen to his stuff and was out some serious money on account of it and he didn't want to be reminded. Even Kyle says "Dude!" and they all gasp and laugh about it.<br/>
<br/>
All except Tim, who looks seriously annoyed.<br/>
<br/>
When lunch is over, you and him and Lee walk off together to Mr. Hartford's Psychology I class, and you can tell that Tim wants to say something to you, but Lee insists on walking between you with his arm around your shoulders. In class, he leans over to tell Ethan Nieves and Devin Haney -- two of the wrestlers -- that you went back all by yourself to ask Gary Chen for a free eighth, and that your wrecked face is "all" that Chen did to you. "Whoa," says Devin. "Someone's got balls <i>and</i> a guardian angel." You're pretending not to hear, but you can't help sitting up very straight in your desk and preening a little.<br/>
<br/>
The rest of the school day is anticlimactic. Eric takes a lot of bullshit classes, so there's no challenge to the Classical Literature or Career Exploration periods; and seventh period is Chorale.<br/>
<br/>
The only trouble to be had is with the girls. Brianna is in Classical Literature, and she's very stiff and nervous when you drape yourself in the desk in front of her; she smiles at you, but dodges your eye; and when you ask if she's going to Maggie Crenshaw's party on Friday, she gulps and says that she doesn't think so. <br/>
<br/>
Which is fine by you. Mostly you wanted to make sure that she wasn't going to get between you and Barbara. You catch Philippa Hosford looking at you very gravely, though. "What?" you ask. She says, "Nothing," and you make a face at her as you resettle a cap that has gone a little itchy.<br/>
<br/>
Then there is Chorale, which is a little easier to handle, because you're with the tenors while Lisa --<br/>
<br/>
Your Lisa. Lisa Yarborough. The girl who broke up with you even though you never actually said you were dating.<br/>
<br/>
-- is with the altos. You vibrate all through class, wondering what she'd say if you went over and hit on her. Would she smile gently and say, "Sure I'll have coffee with you. You remind me of my old boyfriend"? Or would she turn up her nose at you because ... you remind her of her old boyfriend? Resentment gradually crowds out curiosity, and you work it out by murmuring "Eat a dick" over and over at the back of Martin Gardinhire's head. He's friends with Lisa, and is better friends with Geoff Fucking Mansfield. When he turns around with a slit-eyed glare and asks if you're talking to him, you coldly reply, "If you heard me, I guess I am," but he's too much of a chicken-shit do anything about it.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
As you're coming out of the breezeway into the student parking lot, two figures drop in on either side of you and slip their arms into yours. "Hey hey!" you yell, and start to squirm away, until you see that it's Carlos and Mike. Well, their betas. "Oh hey guys, what's the deal?"<br/>
<br/>
"Just making sure you get the message," says Beta-Carlos. Like Beta-Mike, his face is a cold and expressionless mask as he hustles you along between the rows of cars. "You're going out to the storage unit."<br/>
<br/>
"I am? For what? We doing that video thing?"<br/>
<br/>
"No, you're meeting with some cheerleaders," says Mike.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, totes awesome! But how come I didn't get a text?"<br/>
<br/>
"Don't know," says Carlos. "Maybe 'cos they think we like to be seen with you."<br/>
<br/>
"I'd like to be seen with <i>them,</i>" you retort. "You know I don't got one class with even one of them?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, boo-fucking-hoo," says Mike.<br/>
<br/>
"I know! Bogus, right? I'm supposed to be one of the -- "<br/>
<br/>
"Where the fuck are you parked?"<br/>
<br/>
"Over in the back corner, where no one can scratch me up, and I can get in and out fast." You jerk your chin at the most distant part of the lot, and Carlos flinches. "I always try to get away early, 'cos, you know -- "<br/>
<br/>
"Just get the fuck over to the storage unit," says Mike as he pushes you away. "And when you're done there, give us a call, 'cos we have stuff we want to do after you're all gone."<br/>
<br/>
"Sausage party?"<br/>
<br/>
Carlos snarls, and you leap back. "No," says Mike. "We have a YouTube channel, and ever since someone bought a certain book," he continues while ostentatiously not looking at Carlos, "we've been slacking hard at the uploads."<br/>
<br/>
"Need any help? 'Cos I can totally -- Well, fuck you too," you yell at them as they stalk off. Beta-Mike flips you off.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Of course you're not really that upset. You'd gotten some texts from a couple of people asking if you'd be free for the afternoon, and you'd tentatively scheduled a session of beer and video games with Luis Castillo and some of the other drummers from the marching band, so while slumping inside your Jeep you shoot off texts canceling your attendance. But the beers sound good, so you stop in a liquor store on the long trek across town, and use your -- Eric's -- fake ID to pick up a six-pack. You keep them well out of sight, though, as you rattle along Borman toward the storage complex. Your driving is reckless enough that you're going to get stopped one of these days, and you don't need it to be today, not with beers and a fake ID on your person.<br/>
<br/>
There are two cars by the climate-controlled unit when you slam to a stop at it, and a little pink car comes gliding in while you're hovering over the keypad, trying to remember the code that will let you in. Through the glare on the windshield you can only make out that the driver has a bouffant of hair floating about her face. But when she gets out, there is no mistaking Chelsea Cooper -- the head cheerleader of Westside High.<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea Cooper is a small thing, but she's packed with features. Her thighs and calves are strong and toned, and they connect dainty feet with wide, bowl-shaped hips. Her stomach is a curved pedestal over which hang -- like a balcony -- two great, globular breasts. Her arms, like her legs, are smooth and golden, and her doll-like face with its kewpie mouth, button nose, and glimmering eyes, is enwreathed with fluffy blond curls. <br/>
<br/>
She is giving you a really good look at these assets, for she wearing pink short-shorts, ankle socks with her blazingly white tennis shoes, and a midriff-exposing sports top. Her only concession to the October breeze is a jeans jacket with the sleeves folded back above the elbows. She's pushed her hair back with a simple hair-band. <br/>
<br/>
She is nearly the sexiest thing in school, and in your experience (yours and Eric's, both) just about the snobbiest and nastiest, too. She never looks at you except to wince or to curl her lip in disgust, and she has an astonishing ability to keep her chin turned away from people of your ilk even when she's surrounded on all sides by them. You don't think she's ever said anything more courteous to you than "Get out of my way." And given that her psycho jock-boyfriend is six-foot-four and almost two hundred pounds of purest muscle, you've never said anything to her at all.<br/>
<br/>
Even Eric wouldn't court disaster by trying to talk to her.<br/>
<br/>
But this isn't Chelsea Cooper. It's just someone done up to look like her. So you're not just brave enough to thrust your pelvis and yell, "Hey, sexy thang!" at her. You actually do it. And she titters and covers her grin with the back of her hand. And when you rub up against her, and put your nose in her hair, she giggles. "What you say," you murmur, "we go off somewhere, fool around, make pigs-in-a-blanket with our clothes off?"<br/>
<br/>
"Can't," she gasps, and raises a shining face to yours. "The other guys are waiting for us. That's Maria's car, I think," she adds, looking over her shoulder. "I think, uh, Cindy came with -- " She hiccups. "Eva and Jessica."<br/>
<br/>
"Screw 'em. Or I'll screw 'em after I -- " You put your hand on her ass, and she squeals.<br/>
<br/>
But her phone rings, and she digs it out of her purse, and clucks her tongue. "We gotta go in. That's, uh, Maria, and she wants to know where we are." Sure enough, your own phone buzzes with a similar query just after you're inside the door.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"A, B, C, D, E, F, G, a-uukkkhhhhh," Eva Garner says from inside a long, lingering belch. She laughs into the open can of beer. "Oh, fuck. I can belch the alphabet up to Q in my old body, but this one -- "<br/>
<br/>
"Watch it done right," says her sister, and guzzles back half a can of her own. She opens her mouth, but nothing comes out but little clicking noises. Then she throws her head forward. "God damn it, I can't even get a -- Oohh-uuukkkkhhhhhhhhh!" She rips an even longer belch, but can't get any words or other sounds out of it. Both Garner girls collapse in the giggles.<br/>
<br/>
"I like a good beer as much you guys," says Maria primly, and she raises an eyebrow. "And I know we're alone, and can -- "<br/>
<br/>
"Let 'em have their fun," you say. You're laying on your side, with your head in the lap of the delectable Cindy Vredenburg. "Same as me."<br/>
<br/>
"Dude," says Cindy. "I so can't believe I'm letting you do this."<br/>
<br/>
"Someone has to." You raise up long enough to kiss her creamy thigh. "Now that Seth can't."<br/>
<br/>
"Which is one of the things we need to talk about," says Maria. </span></div></div>


path: 1133121112112111111132121111132232111312121111
author_id: seuzz
title: When the Guards Come Down
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Cindy," says Maria, and she folds her hands like she's a fucking guidance counselor and Cindy's a student who's fucked up her schedule, or something. "How long have you been thinking about breaking up with Seth?"<br/>
<br/>
You cover your face with your cap to keep from laughing.<br/>
<br/>
"For a little while," you hear Cindy reply. And those four words are enough to cause you to lose it. "Oh, God!" you gasp, and shake all over with suppressed laughter. When it's subsided, you listen to the silence from behind your cap.<br/>
<br/>
"Eric," says Maria in that same tone of calm disappointment. "Is there something you want to share?"<br/>
<br/>
You drop your cap and twist onto your back to grin up at Cindy. She glares down at you. "No ma'am," you say.<br/>
<br/>
"He's gonna tell you it's bullshit," says Eva. "We never heard Cindy complaining about Seth. Did we, sis?"<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe I need to refresh your memories," says Cindy. "Seth has always been an asshole. He's always had only one thing on his mind, and I've been getting very tired of -- "<br/>
<br/>
"Is that what this is about, Keith?" says Maria. "You don't want to keep in character as Cindy because she and Seth are, um -- ?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, who would?" you holler. You squirm down more comfortably onto the floor, the back of your head resting neatly in Cindy's lap and your face turned to the ceiling. "Fucking psychotic Javits fuckfaced fuck. He isn't even that good on the basketball court. If Cindy wants to fuck him -- I mean, if Keith wants to fuck him over by breaking up with him, let him." You raise your arm and snap your fingers. "Yo! Josiah! You puttin' out for Gordon?"<br/>
<br/>
"Huh?"<br/>
<br/>
Eva snickers. Jessica says, "Earth to Chelsea, Earth to Chelsea," and they both break into titters.<br/>
<br/>
"Josiah knew what he was getting into," says Maria. "I presumed that Keith did too."<br/>
<br/>
"Sure I did," says Cindy. "But it's one thing to know it and another to, you know. <i>Know</i> it."<br/>
<br/>
"Know it," you muse at the ceiling of the storage unit. "Know it in the flesh. Know it in the hot, turgid, steely, molten, cum-quatted flesh, ramming itself down your throat and up your -- "<br/>
<br/>
Cindy thwaps you. Jessica says, "Kumquatted?"<br/>
<br/>
"I can appreciate that, Keith -- "<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, fuck you, man, no you can't," Cindy snarls, "not until you've done it or remembered doing it." Her legs shake, apparently with a shudder.<br/>
<br/>
You shoot your hand back in the air. "I volunteer for the job of showing Maria what it's like to have a guy's love munchkin nosing up inside her -- " Cindy thwaps you again.<br/>
<br/>
"But this is going to change things for her," Maria says. "We're not going to play these girls forever. We're going to return them to normal at some point, and when that happens -- "<br/>
<br/>
"Uh, Earth to Maria," says Eva. "We've already changed their lives. They're gonna notice they missed some days, and lots of classes, and homework, and -- "<br/>
<br/>
"But that's not a <i>change</i>," says Maria. "That's just -- just stuff they'll have missed. Whereas dumping a boyfriend -- "<br/>
<br/>
"I don't see what the difference is."<br/>
<br/>
"Dude." You raise your head to squint at Eva. "Weren't you, like, telling Jenny and them the other day they needed to talk Cindy out of dumping Seth's ass?"<br/>
<br/>
"So I changed my mind." She shrugs. "I thought about it and now I'm like, whatever makes Keith happy."<br/>
<br/>
"'Cos then we get to be happy doin' what <i>we</i> want to do," says Jessica. She raises her beer. "Cheers, sis." They bump cans.<br/>
<br/>
"And what's that?" Maria's tone is very cold.<br/>
<br/>
"Haven't decided yet," says Eva as Jessica chugs the rest of her beer. "But when we do -- " She leans back and splays her legs as Jessica rips another belch. "I think you're going to hear about it."<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea giggles in the silence that follows.<br/>
<br/>
"I think we are in danger of completely losing focus on the point of this experiment," Maria says. Her voice is tight and frigid. <br/>
<br/>
"Oh, give it <i>up,</i> man!" Jessica flops onto her side. "No one gives a fuck about -- The only reason we're doing this is 'cos, you know, tits." She grabs one of her breasts. "There's the puppy. Are you a sweet puppy?" she coos. "I think you are. I think you're a -- Hands off!" She slaps Eva's hand away. "You some kind of pervert? I'm your sister, God damn it."<br/>
<br/>
"Look, guys, Philip's right," says Cindy. "We said we were going to help him with this thing, and we should. We don't want to break any promises."<br/>
<br/>
"Dumb fucking promise," Jessica mutters.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey! Come on! Yo!" Cindy hurls her own beer can -- thankfully empty -- at Jessica's head. Her friend glowers, but doesn't otherwise react. "How fucking hard is it to -- Basically, you just need us to be in character and to say and do some easy shit for you, right?"<br/>
<br/>
"Spread some talk, plan some parties," says Maria. "Things I thought would be fun in and of themselves."<br/>
<br/>
"Right. We can do that. And the only thing <i>we</i> ask, man, is that you let us have a little fun of our own and not have to do the kind of shit that makes us vomit."<br/>
<br/>
"Like swallowing Seth Javits's cum," you volunteer.<br/>
<br/>
"Exactly," she says. "Like swallowing Seth Javits's cum."<br/>
<br/>
"Besides," you continue and twist around to look at Maria, "isn't Cindy breaking up with Seth <i>exactly</i> the kind of thing you'd want to do, if you're trying to figure out who says what to who and how much they care? It rings a pretty big bell. Everyone talks about it, and then you get to see, you know -- "<br/>
<br/>
Her expression is very dark, but a thoughtful light comes into her eye. "That is a point," she says.<br/>
<br/>
"Damn straight it is. I can tell you at least some people who aren't cheerleaders would be paying attention and would do something about it if they heard about it."<br/>
<br/>
"Who?"<br/>
<br/>
"Me." You fall back to stare up at Cindy. "Hey babe, hear you don't like assholes, so I know you're gonna <i>luuuuuuuv</i> me!"<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
As sexy as it is hanging out with cheerleaders with your head in Cindy's lap, it's not long before you're bored and cross with all the different kinds of stupidity going on in that storage unit, and it's not even five when you scramble up and announce that you've got places to be and girls to do. Three of your friends -- Eva, Jessica and Chelsea -- don't react to your announcement. Cindy gives you half-smile and a little nod. And Maria --<br/>
<br/>
Well, you're in your Jeep and just leaning forward to twist the ignition on when the door to the climate unit opens and she comes out. She must have sprinted to catch you. After a moment's hesitation she climbs into the passenger side with you. You turn to face her, but from behind your shades you're actually staring at her strong, brown thighs.<br/>
<br/>
"It's funny," she says. "But you were the most reasonable person in there."<br/>
<br/>
"Damn straight. Fuckin' A. You wanna kiss me with that mouth?"<br/>
<br/>
She gives you a dirty look, then does a double take at you. "Who exactly am I talking to?"<br/>
<br/>
You resettle your cap. "Who does it look like?"<br/>
<br/>
"That's just it. I'll admit I don't know you very well, Will, but the impression I have off you is, well, that this isn't really your personality."<br/>
<br/>
You grin and slide down in the driver's seat with your legs splayed. "So who you like better?"<br/>
<br/>
"That's not the question or the issue. I'm just noticing that -- " She cocks her head. "Is it on account of your impersonating a guy?"<br/>
<br/>
"What do you mean?"<br/>
<br/>
"I mean that -- Well, I assume that you're being in <i>character</i> as Eric. Because your behavior, as I said, doesn't fit my mental image of <i>you.</i> But it's spot on for Eric."<br/>
<br/>
"Like I asked, who do you like better?"<br/>
<br/>
"And like I said, never mind. But are you <i>trying</i> to be in character as him?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'uh know," you reply. "I just do what comes naturally."<br/>
<br/>
"And it's ... natural? ... for you to act this way?"<br/>
<br/>
"Sure."<br/>
<br/>
You're having a hard time taking this conversation seriously, because it's Maria Vasquez it looks like you're talking to, and it's hilarious to hear her talking like a Vulcan while looking like Mexican cheesecake. But when she frowns, you sigh. <br/>
<br/>
"Look, I don't have to <i>try</i> anything," you tell her. "Eric, he's all in me and around me and when I'm not looking he just happens. Isn't it that way with you?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not sure, but I don't think so." <br/>
<br/>
"Well -- " A thought occurs to you. "Okay, it's like laughing gas. You ever taken laughing gas? If you just roll with it, you can't help acting like a goof. But if you concentrate, you can ignore it. Well, not totally, you know, but it just becomes like this funny-smelling stuff that makes your nose feel all funky. It's like that here. I don't have to act like Eric if I don't want to, but it's still like I've got him in my nose, so it's just easiest to relax and -- Hey, what's that?" You point to a spot on her boob, and flick her nose when she looks down. Then you dart in to kiss her on the cheek. "Act like him."<br/>
<br/>
"Interesting," she says as she wipes the spot away. "I do wonder how you'd do as a girl."<br/>
<br/>
"I'd be sexy. Well, depending on the girl, of course."<br/>
<br/>
Her expression has turned speculative. "Would you like to try the experiment?"<br/>
<br/>
"Would you let me switch?"<br/>
<br/>
She hesitates. "No, I'm not sure I would. Eric is too well placed for what I'm interested in. You've convinced me of that."<br/>
<br/>
"So let's find me a girl who's well-placed like Eric."<br/>
<br/>
"No," she says. "Let's find you two or three."<br/>
<br/>
"Say what?"<br/>
<br/>
"Two or three people to be. Like a pea in a shell game. Let's give you <i>lots</i> of places to work from."</span></div></div>


path: 11331211121121111111321211111322321113121211111
author_id: seuzz
title: More and Merrier?
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Say what?" you ask. <i>Lots of work</i> doesn't sound very inviting, and the rest doesn't make any sense.<br/>
<br/>
"I have to go back in there before they get into worse trouble," Maria says. "But meet me at the municipal library at eight, so we can talk."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Naturally, you forget all about what she said after you get home. But then while you're driving around with Tim and Aaron Flood, you get a text from her, and after making a face at it you tell your friends you'll have to drop them somewhere and split. They let you drop them at IHOP, since they know someone who can pick them up there, and you break a couple of traffic regulations getting to the library -- not because you're eager to get there, but just because who gives a fuck, you know?<br/>
<br/>
<i>Maria Vasquez, studying at the library. What a concept.</i> You swagger through the periodical section, and the children's section, and over by the coffee bar, before giving up and texting to ask her location. She must be trying to hide in the least likely spot, because she's at a desk back in the stacks close to where they keep the physics books. "Hey, how many math nerds does it take to fuck a virgin?" you ask as you slide into the chair opposite her. <br/>
<br/>
Her eyes narrow. "How many?"<br/>
<br/>
"Divide by zero to find the answer. You like it? I just made it up." Actually, Tim made it up, and he had to explain it to Eric, and Eric had to take his word for it that it was funny. But you lean back like a cock-thrusting fool anyway and twine your hands complacently behind your neck. <br/>
<br/>
"Well, thanks for showing up anyway. But have you thought about what I asked you earlier?"<br/>
<br/>
"I didn't understand one word about what you asked. Want me to give you a foot massage while you explain it?"<br/>
<br/>
"No. And can you -- ? Can you put Eric in a box? Blow him out of your nose, or whatever that metaphor was you used this afternoon."<br/>
<br/>
"It's a lot easier for <i>him</i> to talk to a girl."<br/>
<br/>
"Will, that's not a confession you should be making."<br/>
<br/>
"I know, right? But I don't got -- "<br/>
<br/>
She gives you a look. <i>Oh, fine,</i>  you think, and shut your eyes. You draw in and exhale several deep breaths. It's not really necessary -- you just have to <i>think the thought</i> in order to thrust Eric Murphy behind you -- but it probably looks more impressive if you make a great show of it.<br/>
<br/>
When you're done, you open your eyes and put your elbows on the table. "So what's this meeting about? I was actually having <i>fun</i> before you called."<br/>
<br/>
"You can have some more fun this way, if you go along with what I'm proposing. I want to increase the number of impersonations you'd be undertaking."<br/>
<br/>
"What? How would I do that?"<br/>
<br/>
"By making more masks." She blinks. "Isn't it obvious?"<br/>
<br/>
Well, you're really not sure how this mask business works, and it's been pretty mind-blowing just with what you've been doing. "Well, pretend I'm an idiot and you explain it to me. After all, I'm <i>looking</i> like an idiot even as we speak."<br/>
<br/>
"Like I said, we just make more masks. We make betas of some other people for you to be." Her mouth tightens as your brow furrows. "I don't see why this is so hard. Look, there's a Beta-Will Prescott running around now. Correct?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah."<br/>
<br/>
"And if you dropped this current impersonation -- if you went back to being yourself, I mean, then there would be a Beta-Eric Murphy running around."<br/>
<br/>
"There would?" You sit up straightly. "I thought that would just mean he'd go back to normal too, if I went back to being -- "<br/>
<br/>
"Sure, we could work it that way. And in the case of the other guys, that's <i>exactly</i> how we'd work it. But we don't have to."<br/>
<br/>
"Why not?"<br/>
<br/>
"For reasons," she snaps. "But the way it would work -- You remember that stuff we put in your mask, so that we could put it on Eric, turn him into your beta?"<br/>
<br/>
"Sure. That was nearly a major league clusterfuck."<br/>
<br/>
"Right. Well, what if we took your mask off Eric and we put it on -- Oh. Parker Stott, let's say."<br/>
<br/>
"I don't know. What would happen?"<br/>
<br/>
She makes a face. "The same thing that happened to Eric, obviously. It would turn him into your beta."<br/>
<br/>
"And Eric would go back to being himself?"<br/>
<br/>
"He would. But what if we also made a mask of Parker, like we made a mask of Eric, and we put some of that stuff inside it, and we put Parker's mask on Eric? What would happen then?"<br/>
<br/>
"It beats the fuck out of me, man. You're the -- "<br/>
<br/>
"That was a rhetorical question, I'm just trying to get you to visualize what's going on." She holds out her hands, palm up. "We have a mask of you, and a mask of Eric, and a mask of Parker." She fumbles her hands about. "And we put that stuff inside <i>all</i> the masks. Then we put your mask on Parker, and we put Parker's mask on Eric, and then you put on Eric's mask. What would you get? I'll tell you," she continues before you can interrupt. "We would get a Beta-Parker and a Beta-Will and, uh, well, you'd be impersonating Eric, just like you're doing now."<br/>
<br/>
"And this is with putting that stuff inside Eric's mask?"<br/>
<br/>
"Right."<br/>
<br/>
"So what's the point of putting it inside Eric's mask, if it's just like it is now?"<br/>
<br/>
"Because then you could switch masks around. You know what that stuff does, don't you?"<br/>
<br/>
"I think so."<br/>
<br/>
Maria stares at you. "Maybe you don't understand it fully. That stuff has your hair in it, and if you put it inside a mask, it makes the beta obey you."<br/>
<br/>
You feel like you're getting a headache. "I thought it just made a beta."<br/>
<br/>
"It does. But it does more than that. First of all, it hides the person you put the mask on, so that they disappear. And then the mask starts working, and starts acting like the person in the mask. That's how we make a beta. But that beta has to obey the person whose hair got used.<br/>
<br/>
"So, for example," she continues, "we used your hair in the stuff we put inside that mask of you. We put the mask on Eric. He went away, and then there was another Will Prescott. A beta of you. And it had to obey you, because it has your hair in it."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh." You sit up straight and blink. "Is that why it was so nice to me?"<br/>
<br/>
"Was it nice to you?"<br/>
<br/>
"Nicer than the betas of Mike and Carlos."<br/>
<br/>
"I can imagine," she says. "And then, if you put that same stuff inside a mask of Parker Stott, and you put that mask on Eric, Eric would disappear, and then there'd be a beta of Parker, and that beta would also have to obey you."<br/>
<br/>
"Wait, you mean there'd be two betas who'd have to obey me?"<br/>
<br/>
"That's right." Her expression turns grave. "A beta of Eric and a beta of Parker, because Beta-Eric would hide Parker, and Beta-Parker would hide Eric. And both betas would have to obey you."<br/>
<br/>
"Jesus! You could, like, fucking conquer the world if you kept it up!"<br/>
<br/>
"I suppose you could. But actually, I think you can't."<br/>
<br/>
"Why not?"<br/>
<br/>
"Because no one has, right?" She leans forward. "That's a pretty old book, and it must have passed through a lot of hands between now and the time it got written. If you could use this trick to conquer the world, someone would have done it by now. It only stands to reason. So there must be something to stop it."<br/>
<br/>
"Like what?"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't know. I would like to find out, but I've just told the other guys that there must be some kind of problem, some hidden quirk that stops people from making more and more betas, and that's why I've told them we're <i>not</i> going to do what I'm about to suggest to you."<br/>
<br/>
You're really not sure you like where this is going. It sounds like Fairfax is about to propose using you as a guinea pig.<br/>
<br/>
"I don't mean to use you as a guinea pig," she continues, and you stifle an inner yelp. "But there's a bonus to asking you to try it out, so I'm willing to take that risk."<br/>
<br/>
<i>Fucking generous of Fairfax to consider risking </i>your<i> skin in another of his experiments.</i><br/>
<br/>
"So imagine there are two masks, and they're modified so that they can make betas." She lays her hands flat on the table. "Beta Will and Beta Eric. You can switch back and forth between them. And each time you switch, you leave behind a beta you can order around. When you're impersonating Eric, you can order Beta-Will around. And when you're being yourself, you can order Beta-Eric around. So Eric can give you reports on what's going on when you're not impersonating him, and he can carry out some of your orders. Is that much clear?"<br/>
<br/>
"I guess."<br/>
<br/>
"Then we just add a third beta to the mix. Beta-Parker. Or no, since we want it to be a girl," she corrects herself, "make it Beta-Kristina." That would be Kristina Townes, who is Parker Stott's girlfriend. "Now you've got two people you can order around while you're being a third person. And you can shift from one to another to the other, depending on where you think you need to be in order to see and direct things."<br/>
<br/>
"Could we add a fourth?"<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe. In principle, I don't see why not. In practice, there's the fact that no one has beta-ized the planet, so I assume there's an upper limit."<br/>
<br/>
"It might be three. Or two," you say. "Or one. Maybe I can only have my own beta. Beta-Will."<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe," says Maria. "That's what I've told the others. And that's why each of them is only playing one girl, and doesn't have any other impersonations. But I'd like to try it with you. I'd like to give you at least one more impersonation. Ideally, I'd like to give you two or three."</span></div></div>


path: 113312111211211111113212111113223211131212111111
author_id: seuzz
title: A Search for New Servants
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span><i>Yoink!</i><br/>
<br/>
Your mom doesn't actually say that as she snatches your cell phone from your hands, but your brain provides the sound effect anyway. "Have you done your homework yet?" she asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Yes! At the library!" You thrust your hand out, trying to grab the phone back. "I <i>told</i> you! Remember?"<br/>
<br/>
"What did you say the girl's name was?"<br/>
<br/>
"Maria!" <br/>
<br/>
Your dad's voice sounds from the dining room. "Trick question. You didn't tell us you were studying with a girl." He adds, "Supposedly" after you gasp.<br/>
<br/>
"Well it was! Her name's Maria and she needed help on her math, okay?"<br/>
<br/>
"She's doing worse than you?" your mom asks.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not doing -- ! I got an A on my last pop quiz!"<br/>
<br/>
"After getting a D on your last couple?"<br/>
<br/>
"I've been studying! More! Like you told me to!"<br/>
<br/>
Your dad calls out again. "So why didn't you show us this A that you're so proud of?" <br/>
<br/>
"Because I had it out in the passenger seat while I was driving home, and the wind caught it and blew away! I even did a U-turn to try to get back to it, but it was in the middle of Borman and I couldn't get to it without being run over!"<br/>
<br/>
Thomas Murphy comes in. Eric's dad is small and paunchy, with a bald head and a frizzled, graying beard. (It was Eric's mom who gave him the genes for his long legs.) His expression is wry and skeptical. "When's your next pop quiz?"<br/>
<br/>
"Pfthbt! It's a <i>pop</i> quiz, how the -- I'm not <i>psychic!</i>"<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe I should give you one now."<br/>
<br/>
An invented excuse is already rushing up your throat -- <i>That last pop quiz was, like, two weeks ago and we're doing new material now and I haven't figured it out yet, so it's totally not fair for you to test me on it!</i> -- but your mom preempts you. "Tom," she says, "how much trigonometry do <i>you</i> remember? If you gave him a pop quiz, could you even grade it?"<br/>
<br/>
"That's a point," he mumbles, and goes back into the dining room to resume snacking on corn chips and grading his own students' homework. Your mom looks at you. "You know you need to pass this math class."<br/>
<br/>
"Yes," you say through gritted teeth.<br/>
<br/>
"You need the math credit to graduate."<br/>
<br/>
"I <i>know</i> that!"<br/>
<br/>
"I know it's not your strongest subject -- "<br/>
<br/>
You roll your eyes and slump sideways on the sofa.<br/>
<br/>
" -- so maybe you should be getting help instead of giving it."<br/>
<br/>
"I thought you always said it's better to give than to receive."<br/>
<br/>
"Don't be a smart ass. They have tutors at the school, if you want me to I can call and set you up a series of -- "<br/>
<br/>
"I'll get help from one of my friends! From Tim! He's taking advanced superbutt math!"<br/>
<br/>
She puts her hand on her hip. "What is 'advanced superbutt math'?"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't know! You'd have to ask Tim! But that's what he's taking!" You shoot your hand out. "I'll text him right now, and we'll -- "<br/>
<br/>
"Here. In the dining room. Twice a week." She gives you a very firm look.<br/>
<br/>
"Twice a week <i>what?</i>"<br/>
<br/>
"Twice a week tutoring sessions with Tim. Your father can sit in on them too, refresh his own math skills."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, very funny, Constance!" he calls back.<br/>
<br/>
"Fine," you groan, and writhe while clutching both hands out for your phone. "But just. Give it. Here!"<br/>
<br/>
"Tsh." She tosses it into your lap and mutters something about babies and milk bottles as she stalks out, but you ignore her as you bend greedily over the phone again.<br/>
<br/>
You would <i>never</i> be able to get away with all that kind of sassery in the Prescott household, and it gives you an almost post-coital glow to be able to indulge in it here. But Eric's parents have long since reconciled themselves to the fact that their son has neither the native intellect nor the self-discipline to be better than a C student in unchallenging courses, and have apparently decided to hope that college will straighten him out. For his part, Eric is horrified by the idea of college classes, but he's almost frantic with anticipation at moving away from home and getting some cool roommates and having lots and lots of parties with lots and lots of girls.<br/>
<br/>
But right now you've got other things to think about, and after moving to the bedroom -- so you won't be interrupted again -- you resume scrolling through Eric's contact list for possible additional aliases.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Initially, you were really unsure how to respond to Fairfax's idea. If he wants to experiment to see if someone can have more than one beta to control, why doesn't he try it out himself? And if he wants a bunch of minions, why doesn't he make minions of his own?<br/>
<br/>
And on reflection you were still unsure how to respond to his idea. The answer to the first question was so obvious -- <i>Dur, he's scared of accidentally turning himself into a frog</i> -- that you didn't even ask it. And to your second question he replied, "Because I think it's better if I stick close to the other guys. Ride herd on them, I mean. You saw what they were like this afternoon."<br/>
<br/>
"You could still make some of these betas of your own, so you could get these reports you're so interested in."<br/>
<br/>
"I know, and I've thought about it, and I may yet. But I want to be cautious."<br/>
<br/>
Cautious with himself. Pretty goddam reckless with you, though.<br/>
<br/>
But it seemed best to humor him. He's showing more trust in you than in his regular friends. And if you don't quite trust him, it still seems like a good idea to keep on his good side.<br/>
<br/>
So after you said you'd do it, you talked a little about possible minions. You suggested that one of them should be a cheerleader so you could send Fairfax messages through her. That was Eric's idea -- his brain was starting to creep back over yours -- and when Fairfax asked which cheerleaders Eric hung out with, you almost blurted back, "All of them." But he would have seen through that fantasy, so you admitted it wouldn't work.<br/>
<br/>
He then suggested Parker Stott, and you asked what the fascination was with Parker. "Maria has him in her math class," Fairfax said. "They're pretty friendly, so I was thinking that would be a way of keeping in contact."<br/>
<br/>
"Or through his girlfriend?"<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe."<br/>
<br/>
You then tossed out Barbara Powell as a possibility -- "We're going on a date this Friday, I could get her then" -- and after you described the people she hangs out with, Fairfax said she should go on a list for final consideration. But after a little more desultory talk, Eric's personality got sufficient hold of you that you told him you had to go home. You stopped to get a candy bar on the way, but otherwise made a beeline for the living room sofa so you could start studying the possibilities without him bugging you.<br/>
<br/>
There is one name that you keep coming back to, even though that person almost certainly wouldn't work for Fairfax's purposes. But after your fifth crawl through the contact list, you call Tim to talk to him about her. Though, of course, not to talk about her in regard to Fairfax's suggestion.<br/>
<br/>
"Jesus, man," you groan when he picks up. "The fuck am I gonna do about Melanie?"<br/>
<br/>
"I told you at the time it was a mistake."<br/>
<br/>
"We never even said we were -- ! I was totally free to do it with Emma!"<br/>
<br/>
"That's not what I'm talking about."<br/>
<br/>
"That's not what I'm talking about either, okay? Why didn't you tell me Mel was going around telling people she was going to fuck them up if they, you know, put out for me?"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't think it's just 'putting out' for you they have to worry about," he says. "I think just making eye contact with you would get them in trouble with Melanie."<br/>
<br/>
"So what am I going to do? Oh, and fucking answer my question, too. Why didn't you <i>tell</i> me she was going around saying this shit?"<br/>
<br/>
"I didn't want to get in the middle of it. I told you at the time she was psycho and you should stay far away from her. You told me to eat a dick."<br/>
<br/>
"And you're so fucking happy now to remind me. So what's your advice now?"<br/>
<br/>
"Eat a dick, Eric."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm <i>serious,</i> man!"<br/>
<br/>
"So am I. Get yourself a wrestler for a boyfriend. Or one of the basketball players. I hear Steve Patterson loves getting his cock sucked. So, you know, get with someone who's not scared of Melanie."<br/>
<br/>
"I've thought about that," you grumble.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah?"<br/>
<br/>
"Uh huh. But not a guy! Jesus! But you know, Barbara Powell asked me out to a party this Friday. I played it cool, but I think I'm going to take her up on it. I don't think Mel could scare her."<br/>
<br/>
"No, Mel could just throw acid in her face."<br/>
<br/>
"So what am I going to <i>do</i> about her? Oh, and by the way, you're supposed to start tutoring me next week."<br/>
<br/>
"I am? In what?"<br/>
<br/>
"Math."<br/>
<br/>
"Who says?"<br/>
<br/>
"My mom."<br/>
<br/>
There's a pause. "Funny, she hasn't said anything to <i>me</i> about it."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, that's why I'm telling you now. But yeah, starting next week, twice a week, over here, in our dining room."<br/>
<br/>
Another pause. "How much am I getting paid?"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't think anyone said anything about you getting paid."<br/>
<br/>
"Eat a dick, Eric," Tim says, and he hangs up.<br/>
<br/>
So Tim Ryan's name goes on your tentative list of beta-slaves, along with Melanie Saxon's.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
And that's really what it comes down to. Do you design a list that will maximize the kind of stuff that Fairfax is interested in? Or do you design a list that will please and benefit you?<br/>
<br/>
And if you design it to please and benefit you, do you design it with Eric Murphy in mind? Or you yourself -- Will Prescott?</span></div></div>


path: 1133121112112111111132121111132232111312121111111
author_id: seuzz
title: Masks That Would Have Multiple Uses
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Fairfax is reposing quite a bit of trust in you, so you put away the more selfish motives to concentrate on what he would need.<br/>
<br/>
Tim Ryan definitely wouldn't fit in in his plans, because as Eric you would likely already hear and notice everything Tim heard and saw.<br/>
<br/>
You also lay Melanie aside, though with much more reluctance, and have to fight down some pretty good arguments for making her a beta, because you know you're really just looking for a way to get rid of a problem.<br/>
<br/>
So never mind that she has quite a lot of friends in the school band -- school friends who are lot frostier to you on account of the way you ... uh ... wound up ruining your relationship with her. Never mind that as a girl who is very forward sexually you could use her the way you use Eric, to force her into social groups where she can pick up and drop the kind of news that Fairfax is interested in. Never mind that she is tight and lean and her cunny hole is like a hot, wet vice that drips and froths when your dick is close to it, and that when taking a guy inside her she uses her whole body as an adjunct to her sex organs.<br/>
<br/>
You rub deeply at your eyes and try to will the clock forward past bed time, when you'll be able to safely pull out Eric's jerk-off sock from between the mattress and box springs.<br/>
<br/>
Yes, you force all that aside and go again through the contact list, one name at a time, weighing the pros and cons of each.<br/>
<br/>
And yet Melanie will be in the back of your head all the time, so that as you narrow the list down you can't help circling back to certain names that, even if they aren't Melanie's, would help you in dealing with her ...<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Christ!" At the touch of the hand on your shoulder, you wheel around and raise your fist. Philip Fairfax jumps back and raises his own hands -- defensively.<br/>
<br/>
You're in the school parking lot, which at this early hour is mostly empty. It's a crisp, cold October morning, in deference to which you're wearing both a heavy jacket and a sweater over your t-shirt. And yet you're also in cargo shorts and ankle socks. Fairfax -- Beta-Philip, that is -- is in a long-sleeve denim button-down shirt and jeans. He's even wearing a ski cap to keep his head warm.<br/>
<br/>
"Man, don't fucking creep up on me like that!" you yell as you yank your ear buds out. "I almost popped you."<br/>
<br/>
"I was shouting your name all the way over from my car," he retorts. You glance past him and, yes, there's his old white Ford Taurus a few spaces down. You briefly wonder why you didn't spot it, then decide it's because a ten-year-old white Ford Taurus is just so boring it's practically invisible. Kind of like Fairfax himself.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, so, whaddaya want? Maria Vasquez call you, ask you to find me?"<br/>
<br/>
"Exactly. She said you'd have some names for me to pass along to her."<br/>
<br/>
"Why can't I pass 'em along to her myself? Along with some of my -- " You clutch your package and thrust.<br/>
<br/>
Beta-Fairfax's lips disappear. "Because we have the same second-period math class, and I'll see her then."<br/>
<br/>
"You're doing remedial math?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'm taking AP Calculus!"<br/>
<br/>
"Bullshit!" you laugh. "Maria Vasquez ain't taking no -- "<br/>
<br/>
"She is! Never mind, the point is I'm supposed to talk to you. What have you got?"<br/>
<br/>
"Six names. Havin' a hard time narrowing it down."<br/>
<br/>
"Then let's go talk about them."<br/>
<br/>
"Sure thing. You on the food plan here? 'Cos then you can buy me breakfast and I'll pay you back."<br/>
<br/>
He flinches. "You mean eat in the cafeteria?"<br/>
<br/>
"'Course. The fuck you mean?"<br/>
<br/>
"How about I buy you a donut someplace instead?"<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
So you drive him and yourself off campus, to the Mellon Village Shopping Center and the Salvation Donuts shop therein. The beta takes a single maple glazed donut, while you grab three chocolate frosted ones. "So earlier I was asking if you guys were fully functional," you mumble through a mouth jammed with gooey, sugary dough. "You eat, too?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yes," he says, though he's only picking at his breakfast.<br/>
<br/>
"You shit and piss?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yes."<br/>
<br/>
"You have wet dreams?"<br/>
<br/>
"None lately that I remember."<br/>
<br/>
"Can't be all bad for you, then." You shove three-quarters of a second donut into your mouth hole. "Thuhwae Ngkarlosh 'n Mk're -- "<br/>
<br/>
"Just give me your candidates."<br/>
<br/>
You suck the frosting off your fingers, swallow thickly, and tap at your phone with your pinkie. You actually composed a note to yourself because you weren't sure you'd remember the names when you woke up. You spin the phone around so Philip's beta can read it. "So I came up with, like, half guys and half girls," you say, and suck donut goo out of your teeth as Philip bends over the phone. "And, like, two of them each in the same place -- "<br/>
<br/>
"Mark Kinley and Philippa Hosford," he says, and looks up. "Aren't they both in the band?"<br/>
<br/>
"Exactly."<br/>
<br/>
"But we don't want <i>two</i> people in the band, that'd be redund -- "<br/>
<br/>
"Will you shut your cake hole long enough for me to explain, you fucking brainiac? Sorry," you call over to the middle-aged woman behind the counter, who has looked up to glare at you. "My friend's a dumbass and sometimes I gotta remind him what a dumbass he is. But yeah," you tell Beta-Philip. "Two guys in the band. I don't say we go with both of them. Just one of them. But so there's, like, two possibilities."<br/>
<br/>
Actually, you'd like it if both Mark and Philippa wound up as aliases. Philippa is one of the girls who's taking Melanie's side in her feud with Eric, and you're betting you could use Mark to distract her by becoming her boyfriend.<br/>
<br/>
"I see," says Beta-Philip. "And I guess Barbara Powell and Scott Bickelmeir are sports people?" You nod. "Barbara probably overlaps too much with the cheerleaders," he muses while tugging his lip.<br/>
<br/>
"So we go with Scott." That's another possible boyfriend for Melanie.<br/>
<br/>
"Or maybe not. I'll have to ask, uh, my alpha what he thinks."<br/>
<br/>
"Can't you think for yourself?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not in charge of things." He doesn't raise his head. "Perry Small. Another one to ask my beta about. And I'll have to take your word -- We'll have to take your word," he corrects himself, "about Jordana Trujillo." Now he does look up. "Is that all?"<br/>
<br/>
You shrug broadly, splaying chocolate-covered fingers at the ceiling. "Like I told your alpha last night, I had about seventeen people. This is me cutting it down to, like, the best six."<br/>
<br/>
"And we need to cut it down further. Text me this list so I can show it to, uh, Maria. What?" He glowers as you snort derisively. <br/>
<br/>
"Nothing, man. I guess you are fully functional if you can fantasize about sharing a Calculus class with Maria Vasquez."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Traffic is such that you miss the first bell before getting back to Westside, but it doesn't cut you up, for you have a study hall first period anyway. Beta-Philip has to run to class, and you sprint alongside him, but separate just outside the gym. You're unpacking your stuff in the library -- your music stuff, that is; fuck schoolwork, man -- when you look up to see James Lamont coming inside. He has a very black expression on his face, and he ignores you take a table by himself. Well, whatever. Usually you play giveaway chess with him when you hang out in the library, but you've already got your music out to keep you warm.<br/>
<br/>
At the start of fourth period, Beta-Fairfax reappears, catching you as you're sauntering outside with Tim. You tell your friend you'll be with him in a minute, and follow the beta into a corner. "Maria says we're going to start you off with only one alias," he tells you in a low voice, "and then we'll see what comes next."<br/>
<br/>
"You mean in case it kills me."<br/>
<br/>
"We have to be careful, Will," says the fake Fairfax. "We don't know if it's possible to have more than one beta at a time. But if that works, then we'll see about getting you a second, and then maybe a third."<br/>
<br/>
"Assuming the <i>second</i> beta doesn't kill me."<br/>
<br/>
He looks annoyed, but presses on. "He also wants it to be a girl. So, Philippa, Barbara, Jordana, those are your choices for the first alias."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm gonna see Barbara at a party tonight."<br/>
<br/>
"That's good. We won't have the mask ready until five o'clock at the earliest anyway. Can you pick it up at the storage complex?"<br/>
<br/>
You assure him it won't be a problem, and part.<br/>
<br/>
"What did <i>he</i> want?" Tim asks once you've caught up to him. You notice he's steered off in a direction where you're unlikely to run into Kyle Kent or any of your more colorful friends.<br/>
<br/>
"Wants me to hook him up with a girlfriend. I got so many dangling off me, you know." You pat your chest, then flop onto the grass and tear open your lunch bag.<br/>
<br/>
"No, seriously."<br/>
<br/>
"I <i>am</i> serious!"<br/>
<br/>
"Even <i>you</i> couldn't find a girl to be interested in Philip Fairfax."<br/>
<br/>
"How much?" You snap your fingers at him.<br/>
<br/>
"How much what?"<br/>
<br/>
"How much fucking money you want riding on that challenge? Monday morning at the latest, buddy," you boast. "Monday morning at the latest I'll have him hooked up with a girl."<br/>
<br/>
"Who? Melanie?"<br/>
<br/>
"Eat a dick. But I'm serious. I can hook him up. Just." You snap your fingers in Tim's face. "Like." Snap. "That." Snap.<br/>
<br/>
"Jesus." He rolls his eyes. "I thought you'd be on my side. I don't think Fairfax even notices girls."<br/>
<br/>
You snigger long and loudly at that, though not for reasons Tim would understand, but while jawing at him afterward you silently speculate on how to pull it off. Not with a Beta-Barbara, obviously. You want her for yourself. A Beta-Jordana wouldn't be believable. But a Beta-Philippa? Quite likely ...</span></div></div>


path: 11331211121121111111321211111322321113121211111114
author_id: rugal
title: Keys That Open a Lot of Doors
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Likely... but not! Though all of them are certainly interesting to Eric Murphy in their own ways you're left wondering why you or he should care so much about finding a girl that would be a good fit with Fairfax? Well with Eric it's simple: he said it, now he has to follow through. Eric Murphy is a guy who talks big, talks loud and talks nonstop such that it becomes easy for him to convince people of whatever bullshit he's spewing. It's not that he's a liar so much, rather he talks without thinking and then to such a degree that he convinces himself it's true and from there?<br/>
<br/>
Well, believing your own bullshit and having the confidence in it can go a long way towards convincing others to go along with you.<br/>
<br/>
Besides, you're not even sure if Fairfax is into girls; or anything at all really. He definitely wanted to <i>become</i> one and was quick to call dibs on Westside's sexiest cheerleader but you can really only speculate as to the motives of <i>that</i> particular choice and quite frankly you don't want to. So no, picking someone as a romantic partner for Fairfax is certainly not going to be your reason and without that what do you care?<br/>
<br/>
You yourself aren't particularly interested in any of them. Sure, Barbara's a pretty soccer player, Philippa is a tiny squirrelish thing and Jordana is... well, Jordana. All attractive in their own right physically and as prospects otherwise but you're doing this because Fairfax likely wants people in place who can gather a lot of information fairly easily. All of them have their niches which isn't quite as good unless Fairfax was looking for data on specific groups.<br/>
<br/>
But he's casting a wide net which means that you yourself need to as well if you want a truly useful beta. Or rather, you need to think about girls that cast them. Not just any girls though either, but girls that you can get from your current spot. Deanna Showalter, for instance, is a gossip but she's also an AP girl whose path has rarely crossed with Eric Murphy's. Victoria Rodriguez is immensely popular (and immensely delicious, you suddenly have to fight down the raging stiffy that's growing in your shorts) but she would probably jump off of a bridge before speaking to someone like Eric.<br/>
<br/>
There's countless others in that same boat. So who would be good for position Fairfax wants you in while also being an attractive candidate both as a potential and physically (because you sure as hell wouldn't want Wendy Silbert hanging off of you) you're left to wonder.<br/>
<br/>
As you part with Tim you run through a list of names of girls Eric knows. Ones he's friendly with, ones he's crossed paths with on frequent occasions and ones he's been <i>friendly</i> with. The list is quite long and you immediately start chucking out names because you don't quite see the benefit or you figure that some might be a little harder to get than others; that's what leaves names like Emily Sparks or Rebecca Sykes off of your list. After some more thinking and then even more you think you've got it narrowed down pretty well and soon three names stand out.<br/>
<br/>
The first of these is Melissa Adams, a girl that Eric cavorted with at a party just before hooking up with Melanie and who's still friendly to him when she sees him. She's a girl of no notable social rank, nor is she strongly affiliated with any of the different cliques. But those qualities certainly serve her well because Melissa is something of a chameleon, able to slide into most any group and fit in with little problems. She often times hangs around with the partiers that like to make the Warehouse their haunt. But you've seen her with some athletes, with the creative types, even with Cassie Harper who you yourself are on friendly terms with.<br/>
<br/>
Easy to get, able to get into a lot of places and largely overlooked though certainly not unpopular? She's a great choice you think -- and not just because the part of you that's Eric can distinctly remember what she tasted and felt like as her tongue snaked its way through his mouth -- and you put her at the top of your list.<br/>
<br/>
After her is Susie Lekuawehe. A tan-skinned girl of Hawaiian extraction who's as sweet and nice to look at as pineapple... and as thick as one too. A lot of the band girls have sided with Melanie over this whole kerfuffle but Susie, bless her, seems to still try and be pleasant to Eric when their paths cross. Though you wonder if it's because she's being nice or because it's a thought that came and went from the girl's head. She is, after all, rather notoriously flighty. But she's the type of girl few have a bad word to say about and the type of girl Eric would like to have wrapped around him.<br/>
<br/>
So she goes high on the list as well.<br/>
<br/>
Number three is another fairly obvious choice: Kristina Townes. Though associated with many of the band girls like Susie or Genesis Lee she's actually a member of the color guard. Her association with some of the band members might mean a hostility towards Eric but if there is it's not one he's aware of (much as he's aware of anything) and she's also on friendly terms with people closer to Eric like Brianna and Rebecca. More importantly for your current position, she's dating Parker Stott. The very same Parker Stott that Fairfax had thrown out as a suggestion.<br/>
<br/>
With her under control that would mean an easy way to keep in contact with Maria without, potentially, having to use the Fairfax beta as an intermediary.<br/>
<br/>
So you give it another couple moments of thought but finally you're able to settle on someone and text the name to Fairfax. He eventually gets back to you telling you to swing by after four to get things going.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Are you sure they're going to come?" asks Fairfax as he leans against his car in a way that somehow seems to give off the impression of both calm and impatience.<br/>
<br/>
"Of course she'll come, I asked her out here. Gave her a good sales pitch and everything."<br/>
<br/>
"I see," he replies flatly. "It's just that Eric strikes me as the kind of guy who's prone to... exaggeration, let's say, and with you really getting into the role..."<br/>
<br/>
"Pfft!" you reply with a roll of the eyes. "I ain't no liar. She's coming and we'll get that mask slapped on her and then..." You say nothing. Instead you flash Fairfax a knowing look and a knowing grin.<br/>
<br/>
"You'll be sleeping with Eric Murphy?" he asks with a hint of quiet amusement.<br/>
<br/>
"What, no! Of course not! It's gonna be the other way around," you argue.<br/>
<br/>
"I don't think say," he replies. "My alpha didn't explain what was going on to you?"<br/>
<br/>
"Not like he tells me shit," you say and throw your hands up. "All he said is that he wanted to see if we could have more than one beta."<br/>
<br/>
Fairfax apologizes and launches into a long, rambling explanation that you almost instantly check out of. You don't really get all of it, some thing about the mask, original, control layers and this and that. You merely nod along because now other thoughts are occupying your head. Hell no you're not going to suck Eric Murphy's dick inside some girl's body but having her tits and everything else right there to play with, mess with any time you want?<br/>
<br/>
You can hardly contain yourself at the thought of that and the growing hard-on you can feel is proof of that. But maybe that's Eric's own, perverted excitement clouding your thoughts and you'll think differently once you're actually under the girl's mask. Not like you'd still be Eric under there right?<br/>
<br/>
That's certainly a thought you realize. Eric Murphy as a girl like Susie? What if that was <i>him</i> under Maria's mask? What if he got a mask of Yumi or Jenny or, you gulp, Lisa? It's a thought as frightening and unnerving as it is amusing. Thankfully you don't have long to ruminate on it.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey! I don't know the password so can you guys, you know, open the gate for me?"<br/>
<br/>
You look at her, for it's a girl, and shout the number. She punches it and the gate slowly rolls open. She parks her car near where you are and gets out and you're left to look at her with a mix of lust and anticipation. Her expression is friendly as she greets the both of you and she's certainly plenty attractive. And she'll be all yours for the foreseeable future.<br/>
<br/>
Within the hour you'll be saying goodbye to your current life. You'll no longer be Eric Murphy but...</span></div></div>


path: 113312111211211111113212111113223211131212111111142
author_id: rugal
title: The Airy Fairy
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You wake up in a cold room, one that's completely unfamiliar to you. The only things you see are a weight set, some other assorted items and... a mirror? You do what you can to shake the cobwebs out and push yourself to your feet. You're unsteady which is a weird way to feel this early, usually it's not until late in the night where you're like this. But you do make it to the mirror. You're not sure what you're going to find when you take a look but then you see it and you're not surprised either.<br/>
<br/>
In the mirror you see a girl with a broad, round face and soft brunette hair that falls in long waves down to her breasts. Large breasts at that. "Ohmygawd!" you exclaim as you heft and caress them. It shouldn't surprise you of course and yet it always kind of does.<br/>
<br/>
It's not just your breasts that are large but in other places as well. There's a bit of thickness to the arms, to your belly and your hips flare out just enough to imply a matronly fertility before running down into thick thighs. But you wouldn't call yourself fat or even chubby really. No, you don't want have, like, an ego about it because you're so not that kind of person but you're put together well if you do say so yourself. Well enough to rival Victoria Rodriguez or Lin Pol... or so you'd like to think.<br/>
<br/>
But you can't stop from caressing your thighs and wrapping your arms tightly around your torso. Could you stand to lose some weight? Well who couldn't? But it doesn't matter because your people are always a little bigger. As long as you don't get to be, like, your aunt or your cousin you're fine. You like your body and you like how it makes you feel so soft and warm and cuddly. Like that oversized stuffed bear you had when you were six.<br/>
<br/>
Oh, that bear! You took that thing with you everywhere for a while. It got kind of beat up but you loved it to pieces. It always made you feel safe and comfortable. What even happened to it? Did your mom throw it out when it got ripped that one time? Or did you lose it in a move? Wait, no! It was Laney Dunwood! You'd brought it over when you and some other friends had a sleepover for her ninth birthday and you must've left it there because she moved not long after so she had to have taken it with her.<br/>
<br/>
Damn you, Laney Dunwood.<br/>
<br/>
Well, no, you shouldn't think like that. She was your best friend after all so she couldn't have stolen it. You remember crying for a good two days after she moved and that bear was totally there for you. So if she didn't steal it, then who did?<br/>
<br/>
"Yo!"<br/>
<br/>
You let out a yelp of surprise and instantly cover yourself as you look at Eric Murphy's grinning face.<br/>
<br/>
"Not that I don't appreciate what you're showing me Susie Luau but I think Fairfax is gonna wanna see you more."<br/>
<br/>
"Ohmygawd!" you yell in surprise as you look around and find your clothes in a neat little pile. But wait, why are you naked anyway? And what's Eric Murphy doing... oh no! He saw you! He saw everything!<br/>
<br/>
"Eric!" you exclaim as you begin pushing him. "My name isn't Susie Luau! And, like, get <i>out</i>!"<br/>
<br/>
"Alright, alright" he says. "But boring ol' Phil still wants to talk to you in the other room."<br/>
<br/>
"Okay, like, I get it?" you reply in frustration. "Now can you just go home or something?"<br/>
<br/>
"That an order?" he grins. He takes off when you grab one of your shoes and toss it at him.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"I take it everything went well?" asks Beta-Fairfax as you make your way into the adjacent room (and you're loathe to admit it took you a minute or two to remember what the "other room" was).<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah?" you respond narrowing your eyes. "It's not like I forgot... oh god! Did I forget...?" You begin looking through your bag and patting yourself searching for... for...<br/>
<br/>
"Uh, what are you looking for?" Fairfax asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Huh?" you reply as that seems to snap you back into reality. "Oh, um, I don't know?" you say with a giggle as you feel your face heating up. "But you asked me if I forgot anything and I just, like, totally thought that I might've... um... but I totally don't know what I would've forgotten!"<br/>
<br/>
"I see," he says as he eyes you queerly. "I suppose the shock of going from being a guy to a girl could throw you off. It comes with its own distractions I suppose."<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe? But they're nice distractions right?" you smile as you grab Fairfax by his hands and pull him in closer to you while pushing your chest out. "But, like, they're normal so I don't really know what could be distracting about them. Why don't you tell me?"<br/>
<br/>
But Fairfax can only push you away. "Yes, well," he coughs while adjusting his glasses. "That's not why we're here."<br/>
<br/>
"This is why girls don't bother," you pout. "I mean you'd be, like, so much more desirable if you loosed up a bit. Girls like a dependable guy but they also like a guy who can have fun."<br/>
<br/>
"You seem to have had no trouble getting into character," he flatly observes.<br/>
<br/>
"Am I in character?" you wonder. "I don't know, I guess? I'm not really thinking about it. It's kind of fun actually. Like I just don't have to worry."<br/>
<br/>
Indeed, you don't have to worry or really do much thinking at all. That's not to say that Susie's stupid because she's plenty intelligent. But at the same time you don't really find that you're doing a lot of <i>thinking</i>, just kind of... floating. Not like floating down a lazy river but more like floating in the sky as stray thoughts, like birds, flutter their way towards you and just as you think you've got it it's led you right towards another one.<br/>
<br/>
And on a deeper level you know that your friends, Susie's friends, can find that to be so frustrating but maybe it's what also keeps you, keeps Susie, from being weighed down by all the other stuff that seems to consume everyone and keep a positive attitude. Oh sure there's people and happenings that0 frustrate <i>you</i> but thinking about it all the time is just so... so <i>depressing</i>. But you're not, like, actively trying to do anything either. You're just floating and doing whatever comes naturally and you know that people always seem to pick themselves up when you're around.<br/>
<br/>
If people want to call you an airhead or something? Well, like, you need air to <i>live</i> and it's way better to have your head filled with that than ugly, heavy rocks or something.<br/>
<br/>
And you pull back a bit at that. Less than half-an-hour into being Susie and you're already feeling the pull of her personality threatening to lift you up into the clouds with her. It feels so nice, so relaxing that it'd be so easy to just lay back and allow yourself to just float along the way she does.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, so, um, I'll be careful, okay?" you tell Fairfax.<br/>
<br/>
But you don't clarify anything for him because your phone goes off. It's a text from Kristin Yetter: <i>warehouse after maggies?</i><br/>
<br/>
That sounds like a great idea to Susie (and to yourself as you've never been) and you text back the okay. You then send a text out to Brianna Kirschke asking the same thing. This begins a flurry of texts and plans and counter-plans and lots of back and forth that's enough to make Will Prescott's head spin. But Susie is a pro at it and eventually it's a text from relative latecomer Jack Li that settles everything. <i>monte viso</i>, is all that it says and though some drop out and defer that still leaves you with a decent-sized group agreeing to head out.<br/>
<br/>
You let out a long sigh once that's worked out. "Oh god that's just, like, so..." you fan yourself while looking at Fairfax. "I mean aside from the girl I guess that's where you've got it better though. Like trying to work all that junk out is just hard!"<br/>
<br/>
"I'll pretend that's not a dig," comes the simple reply.<br/>
<br/>
That causes your eyes to widen and your face to blush once more with embarrassment. "Oh! Um, I didn't mean it like that? I was just telling you that, you know, maybe not being so popular is pretty good and ohmygawd I am just digging myself in deeper," you say as you smack a hand against your forehead.<br/>
<br/>
"I was just kidding," Fairfax states and you actually think you see a small smile from him. "Though speaking of popularity my alpha's going to want to talk with you; make sure that everything's good with you."<br/>
<br/>
"Couldn't you just, like, tell her?"<br/>
<br/>
"She's going to want to see it for herself," he shrugs.<br/>
<br/>
"Okay? Well, I'll do it tomorrow. I'm meeting some of Susie's friends around seven-thirty," you tell him. "I'm not going to have time."<br/>
<br/>
"That's still a few hours away," he replies. "Sounds like plenty of time to me."<br/>
<br/>
But you simply shake your head. "Susie Time so does not operate the same way normal time does," you say. "I don't even think a few hours is going to be enough."<br/>
<br/>
So insisting that you need to start getting ready <i>now</i>, you wave goodbye to the Fairfax beta, reiterate to him that you'll get in touch with Maria tomorrow and then head home to start getting ready for tonight. Just as you predicted, Susie Time meant a few hours was not enough.</span></div></div>


path: 1133121112112111111132121111132232111312121111111421
author_id: rugal
title: The Girl on the High Horse
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"I am <i>so</i> sorry you guys, oh my god!" you exclaim with embarrassment as you approach the entrance of Monte Viso, a popular hang out for the less wild teenagers or those looking to kill time before a late night trip to out the Warehouse. The latter is what your group will be doing and there's worse ways to pass the night you suppose: mini-golf, those old arcade games that Sam thinks are neat and... go-karts! Oh, you haven't done that in forever. Maybe you'll get the chance to...<br/>
<br/>
But you stop and compose yourself... only to launch into a harried explanation of the myriad of reasons that you're late. It's an absurd, though totally true, chain of events. The kind that Susie's friends tend to shake their head at in an "only Susie" sort of way.<br/>
<br/>
"It's fine," Jack says as he cuts you off. "You're not <i>that</i> late. We haven't even formed groups."<br/>
<br/>
"We're doing groups?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"There's too many of us to just go in one big group," adds Hermione Gilbert.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, 'cause we'll just piss off whoever's behind us and those golf balls will be going at our heads instead of the holes," adds Philippa Hosford.<br/>
<br/>
You take a look at the group. Mostly it's those of you from the marching band: Besides yourself, Philippa, Hermione and Jack you also catch sight of -- and greet -- Brianna Kirschke, Wendy Terrill, Domenic Johnson and Genesis Lee. There's also Leah Simmons who's not part of the marching band at all but friendly enough with most everyone in the group anyway. And standing apart from the group is another girl who catches your eye.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey," you say as you tug on Brianna's shirt and lean in close, "is that Naomi? What's <i>she</i> doing here?"<br/>
<br/>
But it's Jack, who's standing right in front of you, who jumps in. "She came here with Daniel and Aaron," he explains. "Aaron invited her."<br/>
<br/>
"No!" you gasp. "As, like, a date?! Are they a thing?"<br/>
<br/>
"If they are I don't know if it's going to last," Jack answers as his face scrunches up.<br/>
<br/>
"Aaron and Daniel raced off to the go-karts pretty much the second they got here," says Brianna.<br/>
<br/>
"And dumped Naomi on us," adds Jack.<br/>
<br/>
You can't help but let out a small "tch" at that. Susie doesn't hate Naomi Batson but she doesn't particularly like the girl either.<br/>
<br/>
There's something about her that Susie just finds stuck up. Maybe it's because Naomi, unlike most of the others here, is in the orchestra and it's like she looks down on the rest of you for "only" being in the marching band. Of course Susie's part of the orchestra too but that doesn't seem to stop Naomi from projecting that vibe towards her either. Maybe it's because Susie hangs out more with the other marching band people than the orchestra?<br/>
<br/>
From your own perspective the orchestra seems a little on the snooty side and the whole thing just seems kind of silly. But you suppose you can see where Susie might be coming from as well if Naomi really is that bad. So it's with a little trepidation and the hope that you don't get her that Jack (a very with it guy who Susie would find so desirable if he wasn't gay) declares it's time to make groups.<br/>
<br/>
For this it'll be a group of four and two of three and to make things a little more fair it'll be chosen at random. Leah grabs one of the advertising fliers that sits in a stack by the register, Hermione's able to find a pen in her bag, everyone writes their name and it's torn off into pieces that are placed into a pile and mixed up. Leah then pulls names and the first three -- Leah, Genesis, Wendy and Hermione -- are tossed into a group.<br/>
<br/>
Then it's Domenic, Philippa and Jack. You can only let out another small "tch" as though you're more than happy to be paired up with Brianna you're not as thrilled about having to be with Naomi.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"So, like, what's up? Did Aaron dump her already?" You direct the question at Brianna as the two of you hang back while Naomi is up a ways taking her shot.<br/>
<br/>
Brianna can only shrug. "It'd be kind of bad on his part don't you think?" she asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe but I mean, she should be able to take the hint too," you respond.<br/>
<br/>
"Don't you think that's kind of mean though?" Brianna asks as she gets ready to take her own shot. "I mean why even invite her out here if he's just going to ditch her?"<br/>
<br/>
You don't really have an adequate response for that because it <i>is</i> kind of a bad look on his part. But he's a decent guy so it's not like you can imagine him doing it on purpose. "Maybe he just really likes go-karts?" is all you can really add. Aaron and Daniel <i>can</i> still act like boys when paired together and suitably stimulated. But you suppose that even someone as easygoing as him can be put off by her eventually. Especially when Brianna, a few holes later, tells you that Naomi and Aaron had been to a party last week.<br/>
<br/>
How high must that horse be then if Aaron's seemingly (probably, maybe) decided he's had enough of her after only a week?<br/>
<br/>
For her part Naomi doesn't say much as your trio goes through the holes. The same self-assured amusement, broken only by an occasional annoyed glance towards the go-kart track, that you usually see from her is plastered on her face as she watches you whack your ball in such a way that it's able to pop over the curb and roll down the inclined sidewalk to a hole six ahead of -- but adjacent to -- your own leaving you to apologetically retrieve the ball before something about the young woman's shirt catches your eye leading you into a conversation before Brianna finally calls you back over leading to you to offer the woman a grateful goodbye as you head back to your group.<br/>
<br/>
"So like that woman? It turns out she works at the animal shelter and I told her that I was looking for something to do, you know, for like volunteer work right? And I'm looking after my neighbors' dog while they're out and, you know, I love them and all and wouldn't you know it she told me they're looking for volunteers?"<br/>
<br/>
That's the message you excitedly deliver as you return. Brianna gives you a friendly smile but in Naomi's you can't help but see a sarcastic bent.<br/>
<br/>
"That's wonderful," she pithily adds and you want to groan and tell her that's why Aaron ditched her.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div> <br/>
Once the round of mini-golf is done your group decides to do another and this time you're paired up with Domenic and Leah. You make friendly conversation with both and it's at one of the holes that Leah mentions to you and Domenic that she's got a joint in her truck for between here and the Warehouse. Susie's not much of a stoner herself (though she has certainly partaken before) but she'll never pass up on the opportunity to relax with her friends.<br/>
<br/>
For his part Domenic doesn't commit and even through your attempts to be friendly he seems a bit lost in thought and his mood is dampened from what it was during the first game. After the game Genesis tells you that it's because he was separated from Philippa and you gasp as it's obvious what's being inferred. Then you can't help but giggle because Domenic cuts a large figure, tall and girthy, while Philippa is tiny and slim and the visual is just too funny to you.<br/>
<br/>
After everything's turned in, you sit with the rest of the group munching on snacks before excusing yourself to the bathroom. You do your business and are busy primping at the sink when Naomi walks in and stands at the seat next to you.<br/>
<br/>
"You seem like you're having fun," Naomi says as she readjusts the barrettes that hold her hair back.<br/>
<br/>
"Uh huh," is all you can say. You want this to be over quickly because you're not sure if you want to deal with whatever bit of condescension is going to come. next.<br/>
<br/>
"You always seem to," she states and you're taken aback by the tone of it. The condescension is there but there's a bit of uncertainty breaking through as well.<br/>
<br/>
"You're not having fun?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
Naomi studies herself in the mirror for a moment before answering. "Oh no, I am," she says plainly before adding, "it's nice spending time with guys."<br/>
<br/>
You want to take that as a dig but something about it seems off to you. So you decide to press a little bit more. "What about Aaron?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
That causes her to stop. The haughty amusement has faded and she looks much more stone-faced. "He's fun I guess," she says, "when he's around."<br/>
<br/>
"He didn't come back?"<br/>
<br/>
"He did," she says as she leans forward and squints at her reflection before taking a bit of makeup out of her purse to redo her lipstick, "and then he went with Daniel to the arcade. They're good friends, don't you think? I'm glad he's got someone like that. You know, that kind of bond? It's really nice."<br/>
<br/>
There's venom dripping from those words and the implication of it is very obvious. You can't actually... are you feeling bad for Naomi? Well she's not a terrible person or anything, just kind of... annoying. But you think back to Brianna's words from earlier and you can't help but put yourself in her shoes and wonder how you'd feel in her place (something you could do very easily you muse).<br/>
<br/>
Naomi's miffed about getting ditched and more than that she's probably feeling a little hurt and a little lonely. You can feel Susie's own natural empathy flaring up and after a moment you're juggling a wild thought: why not invite Naomi to come along with the rest of you on your post-Monte Viso get together?</span></div></div>


path: 11331211121121111111321211111322321113121211111114211
author_id: rugal
title: The Girl, High and Off of Her Horse
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"So, like, are you coming with us?" You can't believe you're actually asking but there's no real harm in doing it you suppose. Not like someone as prim and uptight as Naomi will come out the Warehouse anyway. "Some of us are heading out to the Warehouse when we leave here? So, like, ya know, I was just asking if you were coming too."<br/>
<br/>
Naomi looks at you and very quickly the same self-satisfied look that Susie's used to seeing show itself on her face once more. "I appreciate the offer but I'm going to have to turn you down, I'm afraid. I've already got plans for later," she says. "With Aaron," she quickly adds. She double checks herself in the mirror and then leaves.<br/>
<br/>
The implication is very apparent; she's telling you that she'd never be caught dead at a place like that. You don't think she's trying to be a bitch, really, but that's just... Naomi. She's very prissy and very straight laced. No, Naomi Batson would never in a million years join Susie and her friends for a night of mild debauchery at a warehouse in the town's run down industrial area staffed by the bullies, blockheads and skeevy burnouts with lots of shady rumors surrounding it.<br/>
<br/>
Like the one about it's actually run by the mob who uses it during the day which is why there's never any action except late at night, even during the weekend. Or that some of the guys working there (especially the really icky older ones) totally use their position there for sex from the girls, especially some of the more naive sophomores  and even freshmen that make their way in. Even, so the story goes, that there's bodies buried under the building itself; probably people killed by the same mob that runs the place (or so the rumors say), or maybe it's some drug gang that used to run it? Or does nobody run it now? Nobody really knows but you'd guess the fact that it's a place where high schoolers go to get messed up is proof that maybe some of it is true.<br/>
<br/>
Which means that someone like Susie probably shouldn't be going there either but she's always in a large enough group to make sure nothing happens even though some times she'd like to go off with a cute guy and...<br/>
<br/>
You're doing it again, falling too easily into the trap that is Susie Lekuawehe where one thought comes and suddenly your brain is spinning you off into twenty different directions.<br/>
<br/>
<i>Well whatever</i>, you think to yourself as you exit the restroom. The bigger point is that asking Naomi was useless since of course she's not going to go.<br/>
<br/>
You, that is Susie, wonder in half-seriousness if Naomi even has fun? Maybe the stick jammed up her ass is why she seems so rigid. You muse that she kind of reminds you a bit of Fairfax, only better looking. Then you're amused by the thought that the two of them might fit well together. They'd go and shop for sets of plain, non-flashy clothing before sitting down for a nice conversation where the only things said are what's necessary and nothing else before settling in for a dinner of plain white bread and a glass of water.<br/>
<br/>
Actually put like that, however, you want to shudder and vow to do everything in your power to prevent <i>that</i> nightmare from ever coming close to fruition.<br/>
<br/>
Once you're back you notice most everyone is gone and Genesis tells you they're going for one last round before heading out. She didn't want to play and it's too late for you to join in so the two of you hang back in the restaurant finishing what remains of the popcorn and chatting. It's very pleasant and Genesis is a nice (if surprisingly foul-mouthed) girl so you enjoy it... but then Susie enjoys most things anyway.<br/>
<br/>
Once the rest of the group comes back you go over your plans for the rest of the night noting that you'll all meat up at the Eastman parking lot to carpool over as. Wendy, Hermione and Philippa bow out (the latter two saying something about checking up on Melanie). Domenic considers it after that which lends credence to Genesis's implication from earlier but Aaron and Daniel convince him to go with them... and weren't Aaron and Naomi supposed to be doing something else?<br/>
<br/>
That certainly seems to surprise Naomi who, though never raising her voice, makes her displeasure clear. But at that point Aaron doesn't seem to be listening and eventually leaves with Daniel and Domenic. Guess that means she really is ditched which is both surprising and not. Though you're in for a larger one as you head out to your car.<br/>
<br/>
"Wait up! I'm coming with you!" Naomi's voice calls out causing you to stop and do a double take.<br/>
<br/>
"What? But Aaron's going too right?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
She responds without missing a beat. "He is, and I'm going with you," she says as she walks past you.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"So I just...." Naomi starts, her voice trailing off into uncharacteristic uncertainty. She holds the joint in front of her, inspecting it like it's some kind of specimen.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, like this," Leah says as she grabs the it from Naomi, puts it to her lips and takes a hit. She then passes it back to Naomi.<br/>
<br/>
Once again Naomi studies it. You can see the gears turning in her head as she wonders about just what she should do. She probably thinks this is all disgusting and low brow and otherwise beneath her so you're not actually sure why she decided to come with you. You're not even at the Warehouse yet, instead what remains of your group is sitting in the bed of Leah's truck, passing around a joint as you try to kill a little more time before things really get started at out there.<br/>
<br/>
"You don't need to let them bully you into doing it if you're uncomfortable," Jack tells her as he leans over and reaches for the joint.<br/>
<br/>
But it's to your surprise when Naomi pulls back. "It's fine," she says, trying very hard to maintain her composed demeanor.<br/>
<br/>
However you can see that it's cracked as, very shakily she brings the joint up. Gingerly she places it to her lips and closes her eyes. Then she sucks in... a little too hard because she immediately devolves into a coughing fit. Naomi then passes it to Jack while your group -- well yourself, Genesis and Leah anyway -- cheer.<br/>
<br/>
"I totally was, like, not expecting that at all!" you say while giving her a broad, warm smile.<br/>
<br/>
"I looked like an idiot," she mutters to herself. "I feel like one too."<br/>
<br/>
"It's fine," Genesis says as she pats her on the knee. "All of us looked like fucking goofs the first time too."<br/>
<br/>
"You can't just suck it all in at once," adds Leah. "Otherwise you're just getting all the smoke and nothing else. I'll show you next time it comes around."<br/>
<br/>
So it passes from Jack to Brianna who passes on it and hands it to Genesis who takes her hit -- with only a modicum more confidence than Naomi -- before passing it to you. You debate it for a minute. Susie's no stranger to smoking but she's not using it on a regular basis either. But you're here, you're her and you want to have a little fun so you figure why the hell not, take your own hit and pass it to Leah. But Leah passes it to Naomi and proceeds to walk her through what she <i>should</i> be doing if she's going to take another hit. Again you can see the trepidation on Naomi's face but there's a little less of it and when she takes a hit this time there's less coughing before she passes it back to Jack.<br/>
<br/>
It's in this manner, taking your hits (or passing when you don't want one) and talking about whatever topics seem to strike someone's fancy that you pass the time until eleven hits and you can then go in Leah's truck, with the rest of you in the bed, to the Warehouse. But there's still some time yet and you're already starting to feel a little bit of a buzz the weed so for once you pass on it.<br/>
<br/>
"This is so... so," Naomi trails off. Her voice is calm but it's a lazier calm than the uptight librarian calm she normally has. "Oh lord, I can't think of it right now," she giggles as she passes the joint back to Jack. "Fun!" she exclaims a minute later. "That's what I meant. It's fun!" Another giggle fit follows.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm honestly surprised," says Genesis. "Didn't think you had it in you."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh no, I didn't either but... well... hmm," Naomi once more trails off. "But I don't get the <i>opportunity</i> to," she sighs. "I've got... orchestra you know? And the AP classes. And I can... I can <i>give</i> you a hundred sentences with 'fun' in French but I can't... you know..."<br/>
<br/>
This leads into another giggle fit. Naomi has been hitting it harder and more than any of you and you're starting to fear that you might've unleashed a beast. It's something that Brianna and Jack must be worried about too because Jack motions for the two of them, yourself, Brianna and Genesis to hop out of the truck for a moment.<br/>
<br/>
"It's good that she's loosening up and all but," he says as he looks back at the still giggling Naomi.<br/>
<br/>
"But the Warehouse might be a little too much for her to handle," adds Brianna.<br/>
<br/>
"I like it," says Genesis with a smile. "I like Fun Naomi. She's better than Prissy Judgmental Naomi. Much more fun."<br/>
<br/>
"I get what you're saying," adds Leah, "but it's probably better that we're the ones taking her than someone else. We can look out for her."<br/>
<br/>
"Ugh, it's like having a pesky little sister," says Brianna. "And sure, better us than god knows who but still... it'd probably be better than that if one of us took her home. Maybe next week or something when we can ease her into things a little more."</span></div></div>


path: 1133121112112111111132121111132232111312121111112
author_id: seuzz
title: Looking Out for Number One
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Whose interests should you be looking out for? When you put it that way, the answer is obvious.<br/>
<br/>
You should be looking out for your own. Will Prescott's.<br/>
<br/>
Mike and Carlos are right -- this "experiment" that Fairfax is running is a lot of bullshit. No one's going to learn anything from it, and it's pretty clear he's only doing it so he and his friends can get into some sexy masks without admitting to himself that's why he's doing it. But that doesn't mean <i>you</i> have take his game seriously.<br/>
<br/>
So you'll just give him a list of aliases that <i>you</i> want. Sure, you'll have to invent some bullshit reasons for those names -- like when you picked Eric -- but that won't be hard.<br/>
<br/>
And as for Eric, Fairfax will probably let you keep him as a beta -- which is fine, he has fun -- and you can set him to doing jobs for Fairfax while you're off impersonating ...<br/>
<br/>
Well, who?<br/>
<br/>
Whoever it's in Will Prescott's interests to impersonate.<br/>
<br/>
But what are Will Prescott's interests?<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Forty minutes later, you only have three notes scribbled on a piece of paper: <i>get laid. boobs. fuck up mansfield.</i> And you're not even sure about the last one.<br/>
<br/>
You only put it down because you remember this afternoon, and the resentment you felt in Chorale while watching Lisa. You also put it down because you remember what Keith told you a couple of days ago, about using this stuff to get back at people you don't like. <br/>
<br/>
But mostly you put it down because it was a specific idea that led in a specific direction, while "get laid" pointed in all kinds of directions, from guys on the basketball and wrestling squads all the way down to the arts mafia crew like Tim Gerard. Same with "boobs," which technically covers half the school.<br/>
<br/>
But you've got an idea as well to go with "fuck up Mansfield." "We never really said that we were dating," Lisa told you, and the echo on what Eric told Melanie naturally suggests fucking up Mansfield with Lisa the way Eric fucked himself up with Melanie. Lisa's not the type to go psycho, but you bet she'd drop Mansfield's smarmy ass in a nanosecond if she heard about him sneaking around with some other girl the way Eric snuck around with Emma Witkin.<br/>
<br/>
And how to do that? The plot clarifies as you concentrate on it. You'd need three aliases: A girl to serve as his cock holster, a guy friend of Mansfield's to encourage him to destroy himself with her, and a girlfriend of Lisa to make sure she hears of the scandal.<br/>
<br/>
It's such a pleasant fantasy that you actually jerk off to it after you've put out the lights and retrieved Eric's jerk-off sock from between the mattress and the box springs.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
But maybe that's all it was, a jerk-off fantasy, for you're much cooler toward the idea when you arrive at school early the next morning. Beta-Philip -- who you've had no talk with yet, but who proves just as coldly logical as the guy he's replacing -- surprises you in the parking lot and asks you for some names; you admit you're having a hard time narrowing it down; and he suggests taking breakfast at a donut shop instead of the school cafeteria in order to talk it all through.<br/>
<br/>
"You have to pick at least one of these people, Will," he says after fifteen minutes have passed and you've dismissed everyone he has suggested. "Or at least <i>someone.</i>" He blinks hard at you from behind those black-framed nerd glasses.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not stoked about any of them," you tell him. It's like talking to your dad.<br/>
<br/>
"You don't have to be stoked about them, you just have to -- "<br/>
<br/>
"Carlos and Mike are stoked about their choices," you retort. "Keith's pretty fucking stoked about his, except for the swallow-Seth's-cum thing." You glance at the fat, middle-aged woman behind the counter, but she's absorbed in her cell phone. "Josiah, I think he's almost, like, passed out from 'gasming or something, he's so stoked to be Chelsea."<br/>
<br/>
"You had a chance to be a cheerleader too," Beta-Philip reminds you. Then he cocks his head. "But you picked Eric. Are you stoked about him?"<br/>
<br/>
You hesitate. Then, because you're talking to a beta and not a real person, you blurt out a kind of confession. <br/>
<br/>
"Look, I picked him 'cos, you know, I thought he could help you out with your project. Your alpha's project. But -- " <br/>
<br/>
You grit your teeth, then plunge ahead. "I also noticed he had a lot of friends. He was, like, super popular, it seemed like." You shrug. "I wanted to see what that was like." You shrug again. "I don't have a lot of friends. I mean, not a <i>lot,</i> just a couple of really good ones." Your voice starts to trail off. "Like Keith. Caleb Johansson." You end in a mumble, and tug awkwardly at a shoelace. "James Lamommmem 'n C'rs'n ... "<br/>
<br/>
Beta-Philip's eyes widen. "Will, if you want to be popular -- I mean, if you want to be someone who's popular, there's dozens of people to choose from, and they'd almost all be useful for this project. They'd be some of the <i>most</i> useful people."<br/>
<br/>
"But I don't just wanna <i>be</i> popular!" you protest, and almost knock over the table as you thrust your arms out. "Not just <i>as</i> someone else," you continue after the beta hushes you. "I wanna <i>learn</i> how to get in good with people." You dart your eyes about. That's why you picked Eric, but he hasn't taught you anything on <i>that</i> score, you think. He just doesn't give a shit about what he says and does, and people tolerate him. "Or maybe it would be enough if I <i>did</i> get in good with them. I guess that's who I want for betas. People I could learn how to be popular from. Or at least who could, like, support me and vouch for me. The <i>real</i> me." You end in a mumble. "Treat me like I'm popular so maybe everyone else would too."<br/>
<br/>
"Ah," Beta-Philip says, and his eyes again widen, this time with enthusiasm. "You want <i>tastemakers</i> for betas." He leans back, his gaze going distant, and he pulls at his lower lip. "Now, that's a very interesting idea. A most intriguing idea for an experiment."<br/>
<br/>
"What is?"<br/>
<br/>
"To see if it is possible to recast a social nobody as a social somebody. There are movies about such things." He cocks his head again. "Disney and Disney Channel movies, mostly, I think. But to run such an experiment in real life, with <i>you</i> in the Cinderella part -- "<br/>
<br/>
"Gee, thanks," you mutter.<br/>
<br/>
" -- would be a most interesting enterprise. I'll talk about this with my alpha."<br/>
<br/>
"What about <i>his</i> project? Isn't he in charge?"<br/>
<br/>
"Certainly, but if I'm intrigued I'm quite certain he will be too. And there's nothing to say that your, uh, sponsors wouldn't be useful to our original project. The overlap between the set of individuals we were originally targeting and the tastemakers this second project would target is bound to be quite large."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, okay." You check the time on your phone. "But we need to get back if we're not gonna be late to class. Philip? Yo." You have to snap your fingers in his face because he is so lost in a reverie of speculation.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Traffic is such that you miss the first bell before getting back to Westside, but it doesn't cut you up, for you have a study hall first period anyway. Beta-Philip has to run to class, and you sprint alongside him, but have to stop just outside the gym to tie your shoe. You're just straightening up when the gym doors burst open and James Lamont falls out into the breezeway. He almost trips over you. "Whoa, watch it, man!" you yelp.<br/>
<br/>
"Watch it yourself," he snarls, and with a pale face hurries off across the quad.<br/>
<br/>
You trot after, for you -- Eric -- sometimes spend first period with him in the library. "Where's the fire, man?"<br/>
<br/>
"Aren't you late for class?" he asks over his shoulder.<br/>
<br/>
"I got a study hall this period. Same as you." You look back over your own shoulder. "What were you doing in the gym?" That's the last place you'd ever look for Lamont.<br/>
<br/>
"Minding my own business," he snaps. Then, in a quiet grumble, as though to himself, "Well, more or less the opposite of that."<br/>
<br/>
You've nothing else to do, so even though he seems not to welcome your company, you wind up in the library with him and fall into a chair at the same table as him. It's that personality trait of Eric's that you rather envy -- his utter inability to take a hint when someone gives one.<br/>
<br/>
Lamont doesn't seem at all interested in you. He shoves his backpack into a chair and with his head in his hands and his elbows on the table hunches over a small notebook. From your angle it's impossible to make out what's written in it. But James is entirely absorbed by it, and every few moments he mutters "The fuck?" and "The <i>fuck?</i>"<br/>
<br/>
"Dude," you demand when you can't stifle your curiosity any more. (That's about fifteen seconds after sitting down.) "What are you obsessing over?" You reach over to grab the notebook.<br/>
<br/>
<i>Wham!</i> James punches your hand so hard you can't even yell. Instead, you gape back as he glares. "None of your fucking business."<br/>
<br/>
"Fine! I don't gotta sit here!"<br/>
<br/>
"I didn't ask you to!"<br/>
<br/>
"Then I'll go!"<br/>
<br/>
And go you do.<br/>
<br/>
But you jog back outside with another idea to play with, as far as aliases go. James and his friend Carson are like secondary friends of yours, and an alias as one of them would bring you back in contact with Caleb, who you're kind of missing.<br/>
<br/>
Besides, they have that cool little two-man club of their own, and it might be fun being part of it. When Fairfax talks to you about aliases, you could give him James's name or Carson's, and let him pick other aliases, as you're not feeling excited about any.</span></div></div>


path: 1133121112112111111132121111132232111312121111113
author_id: seuzz
title: Dream Schemes for Eric Murphy
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Once you've decided to play things for Eric's benefit, it's pretty easy to come up with four names as a starting point. Tim Ryan. Melanie Saxon. Barbara Powell. And Brianna Kirschke.<br/>
<br/>
Well, Barbara's name is tentative. You'll go with her if no one else occurs to you before picking her up Friday for your date.<br/>
<br/>
And yes, in Eric's mind, Barbara Powell has already graduated from "girl he wants to run into at an upcoming party" to "girl he's picking up Friday night for a date."<br/>
<br/>
But you don't give Fairfax these names. You just text Maria: <i>got idesas all dun wen i get masks fr thm</i><br/>
<br/>
She replies thirty minutes later, interrupting your porn time. <i>What are you trying to say?</i><br/>
<br/>
With great care and deliberation you type out your reply: <i>i know who i want for the impersinations. when do i get the masks to use on them?</i><br/>
<br/>
Maria: <i>Who are they?<br/>
<br/>
tog 17 names get frst whos convinent.</i> You follow it with <i>GOT 17 names i men.</i><br/>
<br/>
She calls you directly. "Did someone break your freaking thumbs?"<br/>
<br/>
"What's so hard to understand? I told you I've got, like, seventeen names of people I can use, but who I go with depends on who I catch up to or catch first. So, when can you get me the masks so I can start getting them?"<br/>
<br/>
"Who are some of these people?"<br/>
<br/>
You start improvising. "Brianna Gould, Philippa Hosford, Rebecca Sykes, Kyle Kent, Tim Murphy, Carl Dorkbutt. Uh. Hermione Gilbert. Danielle Decker."<br/>
<br/>
"Danielle would be good."<br/>
<br/>
"I know, right?" <i>Danielle? How did her name slip out?</i> "Barbara Powell, Kristina Townes, Parker Stott -- Yeah, he's on the list. Jack Li and Wendy Terrill, too, since you're so queer for the color guard faggots. Perry Small, Jamie Rennerhoff, Melanie Saxon -- "<br/>
<br/>
Had to slip her in.<br/>
<br/>
"Nancy Trent, Joe Thomason, Brianna Kirschke -- "<br/>
<br/>
"Wait. Joe Thomason?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, you want some guys at the bottom of the class, maybe, to find out how far down any news trickles."<br/>
<br/>
"I don't think we need to go <i>that</i> far down, Will."<br/>
<br/>
"How about Chen, then? Need some drug money to finance this operation?"<br/>
<br/>
"Ugh. Let's stay far away from that kind of thing. Look, the criteria is, people who are maximally distant from each other while still being in proximity to Eric. Or to me. To my own beta, too, I guess." A pause. "Add Howie Baylor to the list."<br/>
<br/>
"Sure," you say, and briefly cradle your nuts. <i>Fuck Howie Baylor as a choice.</i> "But you see what I mean. Just give me some masks and I'll get them onto -- "<br/>
<br/>
"It'll be late tomorrow afternoon before we can get any made, and it'll  probably be early evening. Time enough for you to tell me who you've picked in particular and to invite them out to the storage complex."<br/>
<br/>
"What for? I don't need to do it there."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, to pick up the masks, at least. And you can use our 'making a video' excuse to get them out there where we can do the replacement. We've been pretty successful with that."<br/>
<br/>
You feel like you're arguing with your mom again. "I don't <i>need</i> to do that! I just need to get alone with someone so I can -- !"<br/>
<br/>
"Alright, I don't want to fight about it! Christ, Will, I hope this is <i>Eric</i> you're acting like, and you'll be a lot easier to work with as Parker, or whoever you wind up with."<br/>
<br/>
<i>Yeah,</i> you smirk to yourself. <i>I just bet Melanie Saxon will be a lot easier for you to work with, asshole.</i><br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Beta-Philip is waiting for you in the student parking lot when you arrive early the next morning. He says he wants some names from you -- "Specific names," he says after you start improvising another list. "Four names. Actually, just one, the person you're going to bring out to the complex this afternoon" -- but you put him off by saying you're going improvise. <br/>
<br/>
"Look, just tell Maria I need a mask," you say. "Just one mask this afternoon. I don't need to get into the fucking complex or anything, because I'm just gonna grab 'em when I see 'em. After I get that person, I'll look around and see who would be a good second person. Okay?" <br/>
<br/>
The beta grumbles, but agrees to pass the word on to his alpha.<br/>
<br/>
And that gives you the day to daydream about which of your targets you are going to go for first.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Hey Mel," you pant as you jog up next to her in the parking lot after school. "Got a minute to talk?"<br/>
<br/>
She glares. "Fuck off, Eric."<br/>
<br/>
"No, come on, babe. Seriously."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not talking to you, you son of a -- !" She slaps your hand away as you try brushing her shoulder. <br/>
<br/>
"Babe, I'm sorry, really and for true I am." You hop out in front of her and slide your shades down to the end of your nose. You make big, googly eyes at her. <br/>
<br/>
That stops her in her tracks, and she huffs out a sigh. "So what do you want? I've gotta get home and start an early supper for my mom."<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, I can help you with that! Remember my lasagna, I made that great lasagna?"<br/>
<br/>
That draws a smile from her. "That was a great lasagna." Then she snarls. "But you're still a son of a -- "<br/>
<br/>
"I know I am, baby," you say in a small voice. "That's how come I want to take it all back. I never meant to say we were breaking up."<br/>
<br/>
"You said we were never even dating!"<br/>
<br/>
"I said we never <i>said</i> we were. It was a miscommunication. I assumed something, and that made an ass of you, and it made an ass out of me."<br/>
<br/>
"I guess I've been kind of an ass," she admits, and she hangs her head. "I've been telling people I'm going to -- "<br/>
<br/>
"I heard what you're telling people, baby, and that's what made me realize I was an ass too. I want us to go back to the way we were." You lift her chin with your finger and kiss her delicately on the mouth. She tries to slip you tongue, but you pull back. "We'll drive someplace private," you say, and she puts her arm around your waist as you guide her to your Jeep. "Got something to give you," you say as you unzip your pack. The mask gleams --<br/>
<br/>
-- and the second period bell shatters the fantasy.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"So what are we doing here?" Tim asks as you shut the motor off. The Jeep glides forward a few feet toward the river bank before rocking to a gentle stop. "Oh God, you brought me here to suck me off, didn't you?"<br/>
<br/>
"No! Except I do got something I wanna talk to you about that's got something to do with, uh, you know."<br/>
<br/>
You lean forward and look around. The riverbank is completely empty for hundreds of yards on either side, as it should be, even on a Friday, when it's barely four o'clock in the afternoon. The romancers and sex deviants won't come out until the sun's down, at least. "I want to talk about Melanie."<br/>
<br/>
Tim starts to get out of the Jeep. You haul him back by the shoulder. "No, come on, man, I'm serious. I really got her on my mind."<br/>
<br/>
"Naturally, since you're worried she's gonna come after your cock with a butcher knife."<br/>
<br/>
"I think I want to get back together with her."<br/>
<br/>
Tim instantly says, "Oh God," then follows it up with, "You are so fucked in the head."<br/>
<br/>
"No, I've been thinking about it, and I think you're right. I think I shouldn't have broken up with her."<br/>
<br/>
"I <i>said</i> you shouldn't have been going out with her to start with!"<br/>
<br/>
"But once I started," you counter, "you think I should've stuck with her."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, once you start something, you really should stick with it," he says with surprising earnestness. He puts his hand on your shoulder. "Whatever help or support you need from me, you know you can count on it."<br/>
<br/>
"Thanks, man, that means a lot. Um, I got her a present that I want to give her, to show how sincere I am about getting back together. Lemme get it out of the cargo space and show you."<br/>
<br/>
You scamper around to the back of the Jeep. The mask gleams in the late afternoon sunlight as you lift it from the hold --<br/>
<br/>
"Eric," says Mr. Muniz, "would you like to do the next problem at the board for us?"<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Wow, you sure clean up nice," Barbara says as she pulls shut the front door to her house. "Oops." She covers her mouth, and grins shyly. "I didn't mean to make it sound like you're, you know, a slob or anything at school."<br/>
<br/>
You brush her gaffe aside with a careless toss of the hand. "I like to dress casual at school. But tonight's special, I wanted to look my best."<br/>
<br/>
"You look great," she says, and she runs her eyes up and down your frame with an expression of unappeased hunger. You whirl around once, so she can get a good ogle at your butt in the pressed Levis, and enjoy the sculpted curve of your back and shoulders inside the casual sports coat. You're even wearing a tie. But you're still wearing your ball cap, tilting it rakishly over one eye, so she'll know you don't take yourself too seriously.<br/>
<br/>
And Barbara twirls for you. She's in a simple cotton summer dress with sandals, for the weather turned unseasonably warm when you weren't looking, and the sun is setting about two hours later than it should, so that a golden halo of light enwreathes you as you lead her by the hand to your Jeep. "I love your wheels," she says. "So sporty!"<br/>
<br/>
You help her in. "I didn't bring you a corsage, because it's not prom. Well, not yet." You reach into the back seat, and grasp the cool mask. Barbara squeals and kisses you before you can bring it out, though, and --<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You don't have time to fantasize about Brianna -- one of Melanie's best friends -- before school lets out.</span></div></div>


path: 11331211121121111111321211111322321113121211111131
author_id: rugal
title: The Saxon Invasion
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Probably it's because you don't have time to fantasize about her that you don't give much thought to Brianna. Oh sure, spend another night in Eric and you definitely would give her all the thought you could give her but when you go to bed it will hopefully not be as Eric Murphy. Not that you hate being him, on the contrary it's fun in its own way. Eric is as free spirited as they come and it's kind of liberating to be able to act in a way that you yourself would never be able to do otherwise. But you have to admit it's tiring not just for you but for others as well. Eric's social energy, and his physical energy, is boundless and you've noticed how it wears on people.<br/>
<br/>
So it'll be a relief to take a break from Eric if only for a bit though you wonder how much calmer where you're going will be. But this will be for Eric's benefit, or yours you suppose when you're playing him, and make things a lot easier by taking a troubling piece off of the table. You would be lying though if you said there wasn't even the slightest bit of interest on your part in taking a peek inside Melanie Saxon's head and seeing things from her point of view. After all you only have Eric's and those of his friends and there's going to be a certain bias there; not that there wouldn't be a bias on Melanie's end but at least you'd have both sides.<br/>
<br/>
You know where Melanie will be so you make your way over the the main locker corridor on the back wall and near the corner of E-wing. Fiddling with her locker and shoving books in is Melanie. She looks down though, waiting for someone to cheer her up and that someone would probably be you. But as you get ready to walk up to her you stop. Melanie's not alone and it's who she's with that gives you pause.<br/>
<br/>
Philippa Hosford is not normally someone who would intimidate anyone. She is short and thin and with her thick, curly and dark hair and proclivity for oversized sweaters and hoodies she seems to sink into herself. But she's doe-eyed and has an energetic fidgetiness to her like a squirrel... and she's as cute as one too, Eric thinks. But she's Melanie's friend and not just <i>a</i> friend but her <i>best</i> friend and where Melanie is concerned she morphs from cute squirrel to vicious pitbull. Sure Eric will approach her and Hermione and Shelby in their sixth period class (when he's not hanging around Brianna of course) but that's different. Shelby's there and Shelby is a mature and reasonable person able to temper the other two.<br/>
<br/>
But alone? Bad news. With Melanie? It'd be like taking a bat to hornet's nest. Even Eric has sense enough to stay away and in this case so do you. Instead you hang back out of sight. What they're talking about you certainly can't hear and neither you nor Eric are lip readers. You do notice notice Melanie's head hang a little, Philippa's hand on her back as she leans in and Melanie shaking her head. After a few minutes Philippa gives her a friendly hug and heads off and you're thankful that the crowd of students means she doesn't notice you even as she passes within mere feet. Once she's gone you look to see Melanie still at her locker.<br/>
<br/>
This is your chance so you're going to take it.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Babe!" you exclaims as you place a hand on her shoulder. Melanie jerks away from it though and then just as fast jerks around to stare you down.<br/>
<br/>
"Fuck off," she says with as much bile as she can muster, her face twisted up into a sneer.<br/>
<br/>
You don't like that or rather Eric doesn't like that because it's a pretty face and he doesn't like seeing that kind of ugly expression on it and doesn't quite understand why she would want to wear it. Certainly it looked much better when those hazel eyes, still sharp, were focused on him with a loving softness. And it was nice canoodling in the hammock and running fingers through her soft auburn hair.<br/>
<br/>
"Mel, babe, c'mon," you protest. "You don't need to be like that."<br/>
<br/>
"Be like <i>what</i>, Eric!" she replies, now with more venom than bile. "You think you can do that and then just walk up like everything's fine?"<br/>
<br/>
"I know, I know, I fucked up babe. I'm sorry," you protest. "But I've had the last few days to think and I just know that I was wrong and I wanna make it up to you."<br/>
<br/>
Her eyes continue looking at you with a narrow sharpness. "Who are you and what have you done with Eric Murphy?" she asks but there's no hint of jocularity. "Because Eric is an immature, self-centered asshole and he'd never do things like admitting he fucked up."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I know, I wasn't thinking," you reply in as contrite a tone as you can manage. "But that was then and I've been thinking <i>now</i> and I realize that I want to make things right with you."<br/>
<br/>
"You can make them right by fucking off."<br/>
<br/>
"Or you can come with me out to this place," you say. "I got these buddies and they do these video review things right? It's out at a storage place and shit, it's really cool. But like they want me to star in one but I figure I need a co-star."<br/>
<br/>
"You seriously think I'm going to co-star in anything with you?" she sneers. "That's assuming you're even telling the truth in the first place, Eric."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm on the level right now, I swear!" you proclaim. "Anyway so thinking about us and needing a co-star... I want to use that to kind of tell you that, you know," you grab her hand and she doesn't jerk away, "that I'm sorry and that I want to get together. Like we can do it right an' junk." With another hand you cup her chin.<br/>
<br/>
Melanie again doesn't pull back. Her look his still wary but she was so head over heels for him that in Eric's hands, with a few sweet words, she's putty. But she still resists though less fiercely. "I was going to call my sister to give me a ride home," she protests albeit weakly.<br/>
<br/>
"Forget her," you say as you hold her other hand. "Just come out with me, we'll shoot this, and I'll take you back. Then we can spend all day together tomorrow. Or maybe I won't take you back and we can find somewhere tonight."<br/>
<br/>
She pauses and shifts, she looks down for a moment but when she looks back up her look is hopeful. "Okay," she says meekly while nodding. "I'll go with you and we'll see what happens."<br/>
<br/>
She was as easy to get as you fantasized about earlier... so why does a part of you feel bad about that?<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You awaken in a small room, very cold and very... naked!? Instinctively you your breasts with your hand and auburn hair falls into your face. Your auburn hair. <i>Your</i> auburn hair. It's the same auburn hair that rested on the head of Melanie Saxon but now rests on your head because you're Melanie Saxon<br/>
<br/>
You're Melanie Saxon because as you walked out to the parking lot you'd texted Beta-Fairfax to tell him about who you were bringing and that he needed to be out there like ten minutes ago. You're Melanie Saxon because when you'd gotten there and entered the unit without the video equipment, a blank mask had been placed on her face. Then Beta-Fairfax filled you in on everything; that Melanie wasn't to be your beta for the time being but that Eric was. Then he said he'd treat the inside of the Eric Murphy mask with whatever special goop is needed to control the beta for you. Then he'd pulled off your mask and everything went black.<br/>
<br/>
Then you woke up.<br/>
<br/>
That's why you're Melanie Saxon. A very naked Melanie Saxon. But much as you want to go to town on seeing just what it is that she offers you stop because there are two presences in the room as well. You look to the far side and there is Fairfax trying, you guess, to play the perfect gentleman. Even knowing it's you he's not going to look at a naked girl without her permission you suppose.<br/>
<br/>
But the other presence is much closer. You can feel it almost physically and you want to smack it away. Instead you grab it buy the shirt collar, pull it in and plant a large, wet, deep kiss on it. That serves to start getting you excited and you realize you want this presence not just beside you but inside of you too. Melanie is very much holding Eric to the words that you had him speak: to get back together, to be a real couple. She'd like that very much but you don't think you would.<br/>
<br/>
It's easy of course, especially with you controlling both halves of this tempestuous pairing. But easy doesn't mean best. Melanie was so quick to latch onto your words and her devastation from the "not-a-break-up"? There's a clinginess and a neediness there you suspect and it made you feel kind of bad to take advantage of it.<br/>
<br/>
So putting Eric and Melanie together as an official couple like you'd promised her? It's easy and it makes the most sense. But is it for the best? Even with you controlling them you'd have to play the characters, stay in character, which means Eric has to be a horndog which means breaking Melanie's heart again probably. No, there's a part of you that thinks that maybe Melanie and Eric is in fact a very bad idea for both parties involved... but especially for Melanie.</span></div></div>


path: 113312111211211111113212111113223211131212111111312
author_id: rugal
title: The Saxon Settlement
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>In fact you think it's such a bad idea that you reject it forcefully... and kind of violently as you break things off and give Eric a hard push away. He stumbles backwards, nearly into Fairfax, before he's able to regain his balance and look at you with only slack-jawed, wide-eyed surprise. Probably because he never would've expected Melanie -- even you under her face -- to push him away or to even have that level of strength. Instinctively you cover your new chest with an arm and point at Fairfax with the other.<br/>
<br/>
"My clothes," you say to him, "where are they? Well Melanie's clothes. The clothes she was wearing."<br/>
<br/>
"I've got them," he replies as walks them over to you. You can see that an attempt was made at folding them but either Fairfax just isn't good at that kind of stuff or you woke up before he could really do it. Still you take them, thank him and immediately slip the panties on.<br/>
<br/>
"Babe! Uh, I mean boss? What do I call you?" asks Eric.<br/>
<br/>
"Whatever you'd call Melanie normally," you shrug, "it's not really important I guess."<br/>
<br/>
"Why not?" he asks while giving you a look of confusion.<br/>
<br/>
You begin working the bra and getting your breasts, which aren't big though not tiny either, into the cups. "Because you're not going to be calling me at all," you tell him as you turn away. "I'm putting my foot down actually. Doing what the real Melanie should've done a long time ago."<br/>
<br/>
"What's that?"<br/>
<br/>
"Sever," you state plainly. "Melanie Saxon and Eric Murphy are <i>not</i> good for each other so I don't want us hanging out."<br/>
<br/>
"The fuck?" asks Eric with incredulous confusion. "We kind of have to if we're..."<br/>
<br/>
"We're what?" you as as you lean down to pick up the jeans and pull them on. "Because we're not dating. You've got that?"<br/>
<br/>
"Not dating?!" he sputters. He wants to process but you give him a hard look and being a beta he knows he can't really argue back. Well he could but it wouldn't mean anything. "We've still got this though," he says as he gestures around the room.<br/>
<br/>
"I guess," you reply half-heartedly. "But the only time we'd need to meet about it is if we switch back. I don't know when Fairfax, the real one, will want me back under your mask so who knows when switching back will even enter into it? So just stay away from me unless I seek you out."<br/>
<br/>
"Fuck, man, you know Melanie doesn't have a car right?"<br/>
<br/>
You shrug. "Then I'll call Fairfax or Carlos or Mike," you explain. "God I have options that aren't <i>you</i>." You're channeling the real girl's exasperation with lines like that delivered in that manner towards Eric. "I don't even need you to get home since I was going to get a ride from Cheyanne so you can, I don't know, go do whatever it is Eric Murphy would be doing on a Friday night. That doesn't involve anything with Melanie Saxon or people who happen to be wearing a mask of her."<br/>
<br/>
Again you can see him wanting to protest but instinctively he knows once more that it'll amount to nothing so after a bit of hemming and hawwing he finally heads out leaving you alone with Fairfax as you slip the t-shirt over your head.<br/>
<br/>
"Kind of harsh on him, weren't you?" asks Fairfax.<br/>
<br/>
"You have to be strict with him," you say as you briefly consider figuring out some way to re-braid your hair then realize your story's more plausible with your hair loose. "If you're not then he'll never get it. Melanie knows that way too well even if she was never really strong enough to tell him what's what."<br/>
<br/>
"Very interesting," he says, "and it's a good thing it's ingrained into her as well. It's probably best to be as firm with your betas as possible since us betas can be kind of slippery if the alpha's not clear. Well I suppose I won't be like that but someone like him?"<br/>
<br/>
"Speaking of alphas," you say as you reach your hand out, "can I have your phone real quick? I'll put Melanie's number in it so you can pass it along to your alpha."<br/>
<br/>
You take the moment or two to enter it and then double check to make sure everything's right before handing it back to Fairfax. He asks what you're going to do and you tell him simply that you're going home since that's what the real girl intended on doing. He'll stay to straighten things up so you give him a goodbye and once you're out past the gate you make a call.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Jeez, Mel, I told you. Didn't I tell you about guys like him? You really need to listen to your big sister more often." Cheyanne Saxon's words are full of admonishment but it's a loving admonishment. The type of admonishment where she doesn't want to see her baby sister get hurt again.<br/>
<br/>
"I know, I know," you say grumpily from the passenger seat of her car. "But he gave me that look and god it was just cute okay? Besides you're one to talk. Didn't you go through the same stuff with Dylan?"<br/>
<br/>
"You're thinking of the guy before Dylan; well before we were serious or anything," she replies. "That guy was a douche and as soon as he started his crap I kicked him to the curb completely. Speaking of him, he's got some stuff he's got to do after work and then he's probably going to stop by mine. Think you can watch Logan for a bit?"<br/>
<br/>
Melanie loves her nephew (just over a year old) to death and is usually up for watching him but you certainly aren't, at least not as you're getting adjusted, so you shake your head. "Sorry I'm just kind of not in the mood after, you know..."<br/>
<br/>
"Sure," Cheyanne replies. "Alright I'll just talk to Yolanda then. He likes her."<br/>
<br/>
The woman who lives down the hall from her. Melanie's met her before; she's nice. Certainly not the type of person you'd expect to see in an old place like Crane's Pointe but you'd probably not expect that to be a place for someone like Cheyanne either. Melanie's twenty-two year old sister is way too reasonable for the type of person that live sin that area of town. She's a nursing student although since there's not really money to be made as a mere student she works as a bartender at some place just off campus that's frequented by all of the college students.<br/>
<br/>
In fact you'd expect someone like that to be living close to the campus but you suppose that's part of her being sensible: Crane's Pointe isn't the best place around but it's cheap and she'd rather be able to keep a roof over her kid's head and keep food in his mouth than waste a bunch of money on a better apartment. But once she graduates and is working for real you'd expect her to get a better place. She had been living in the rather cramped conditions of the Saxon home until maybe six months after Logan was born and she realized she needed some space for herself, her kid and her fiance.<br/>
<br/>
And she does listen to her sister. Quite a bit actually. Cheyanne is certainly Melanie's role model for most everything and that's partly why, well, she latches onto guys so hard because maybe things can happen and she can do like her sister did. Anything to get out of there. In fact as the Lexington Park mobile home community hovers into view the mental atmosphere becomes oppressive and anxious. You see her mom's car and that carries a sense of dread as you look for her dad's car which turns into a feeling of relief when you don't see it.<br/>
<br/>
Still it's with that anxious mentality that you hug Cheyanne goodbye and pull open front door to the Saxon home.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
There's not really the smell of any food when you walk in, not that Melanie really expects her mom to cook, and as you walk past her parents' room the door's open just enough that you can hear the faint sounds of a TV and nothing else. Probably she's sleeping then which means a night shift for her at the Layzee-Nites Motel where she works as a front desk receptionist.<br/>
<br/>
Well that's good since a night shift means she won't be around when her husband is which means you won't have to hear the fighting that goes on between them near every night they're together and he's not passed out. Nor will it mean the risk of having to step in and the panic that Melanie feels on an occasion things get physical on either side though of late it's been her mother getting physical at her father's provocations. Because her father, when drunk and in a mood, knows how to get under peoples' skin as he does with Melanie herself.<br/>
<br/>
Oh he won't lay a hand on her; never has actually (and that's at least one thing she can be thankful for). But it won't stop him from ranting and raving to her and to nobody in particular in his room. Certainly won't stop the occasional broken plate or glass either.<br/>
<br/>
It wasn't just the cramped environment of the double wide that led to Cheyanne bolting not long after Logan was born but because she knew that this was not the environment a kid needed to be around. Certainly not after her and the siblings' mother got into an argument which got physical on her mother's end resulting in a nice shiner for Cheyanne. Melanie's sister moved into her boyfriend's apartment within two weeks and it wasn't terribly long after that that the two of them got engaged.<br/>
<br/>
It makes Melanie herself anxious. Dylan Gaines, Cheyanne's fiance, looks a bit rough and can be kind of a dope at times but his heart's in the right place and he's a good father to his kid. That's why Melanie was so hopeful about Eric. He seemed to be the same way and maybe if he could get her pregnant then she'd have an excuse to move out like her sister had. But obviously that didn't pan out.<br/>
<br/>
Partly you wonder, then, if you've made a mistake switching into Melanie but it's the choice you made so you're stuck for the time being. But that doesn't mean you have to be stuck in this trailer tonight. Melanie told Philippa she was staying in and though you don't want to explain things regarding Eric (because of course she texted Philippa about it) it's probably preferable to staying in and hoping the night goes without incident, especially if you can work it into a sleepover at her her place.</span></div></div>


path: 1133121112112111111132121111132232111312121111113121
author_id: rugal
title: Melanie's Endless Waltz
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Her mind tells you that Melanie herself would likely stay in. That she's already committed herself to this being her evening and there's no point in inconveniencing someone else by making them rearrange their plans for her, even someone like Philippa who would likely do it with little hesitation. In fact, you glean that Melanie seems to be somewhat stubborn in that when she commits herself to something she seems to have a hard time de-committing. Whether it's what to do on a Friday night, someone like Eric or her kind of half thought out -- in your view -- ideas about getting out of her current living situation when her mind is made up then her mind is made up.<br/>
<br/>
While you may be playing Melanie that doesn't mean that you <i>are</i> Melanie though which give you the freedom to do things a little differently. Just a little though like, say, hang out with one of her friends.<br/>
<br/>
You grab Melanie's phone and scroll through her contacts -- largely names that are unfamiliar to you -- until you find Philippa's. You'd passed, you hope, with Melanie's sister but even still you need to be perfectly in Melanie's mindset because this is her best friend and if something is seriously off then she'll know. You take a breath and let the mental mask come over you and then you begin tapping out a message.<br/>
<br/>
You stop before you send it however. Something about it doesn't look quite right but you can't quite place your finger on what. It looks right when you look at it or at least you can make it out. Sure there's misspellings and abbreviations but not any more than any teenager would send in a text. Still it's bugging you enough that you erase it and retype it. You still get a weird feeling looking at it but you can make it out so you decide to pay it no mind and send it.<br/>
<br/>
It's a few minutes before a response comes back and sense it's just a series of question marks you decide to be a little more concise: <i>hang out?</i> is all you type.<br/>
<br/>
This gets a much quicker and very positive response asking when you want her to come over. Again you decide to keep it short and simple, this time only the word <i>now</i> is sent which earns another positive response telling you that she'll be there as soon as possible.<br/>
<br/>
It shouldn't take her too long, probably not more than fifteen minutes, so you decide to put your hair back in the braid that Melanie usually has it in. It's something that she's done a thousand times and could probably do in her sleep at this point. You'd had it loose largely due to laziness but also because you figured that looking a bit disheveled would lend credibility to the fact that you'd gotten hot and heavy with Eric again only to back out at the last second and this time <i>you</i> ended things with <i>him</i>. It's the story you'd told Melanie's sister and it's the one you'll give to Philippa when she comes by.<br/>
<br/>
It's just such an un-Melanie move that you hope she doesn't somehow suspect anything is up. You doubt she actually could but it's probably best to not assume either.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Still it seems that your assumptions in this case were correct because from the moment she arrived at the Saxon home Philippa hasn't treated you as anything other than the genuine article. She hugged you in the way that she always does Melanie and she talks to you as if you were actually the real girl.<br/>
<br/>
In fact just to make sure you don't blow the illusion you decide to spend most of the evening not merely thinking that you're pretending to be Melanie Saxon but instead you will yourself into the mindset that you <i>are</i> Melanie Saxon.<br/>
<br/>
This proves to be a good idea when the two of you decide to get something to eat at Panda Garden where you're joined by Brianna Kirschke, one of the others you'd considered earlier this afternoon. She'd originally had plans to go to Maggie's she'd said but it somehow morphed into hanging out with Susie Lekuawehe and Genesis Lee and some others at the Warehouse which kept getting more confusing. So when Philippa texted her that the two of you were hanging out she thought it'd be better to give you a little bit of moral support since you seemed like you needed it.<br/>
<br/>
"If it's about Eric then," you pause as you notice Philippa looking at you expectantly.<br/>
<br/>
She'd been informed that Melanie was meeting Eric somewhere but not much beyond that so she's now eagerly awaiting an update. The same little dance you suspect where you'll moan about him and she'll coo sympathetically about how he's no good for you or you'll fawn over him and she'll give you a friendly chiding about how he's no good for you.<br/>
<br/>
Brianna will then offer her agreement on Philippa's assessment and this will continue probably throughout the rest of your time here. Of course this time it's not going be the same thing.<br/>
<br/>
"Actually we got there and he just, he was being so nice," you tell them, "and he was saying all of these great things. And I just... I couldn't help myself!" With that you notice your companions' expressions darken but when you disappoint them a bit that'll make what comes next all the better. "But after a few minutes, I don't know what happened, but I realized it wasn't right and that's when I kind of, you know, I told him that we were through."<br/>
<br/>
"Through!?" exclaims Philippa in shock. "Like... <i>through</i>!?"<br/>
<br/>
"Totally through!" you say with more excitement. "I mean I don't think, like, he's trying to be an asshole but he's just so... so... I don't know how to put it."<br/>
<br/>
"Childish," Brianna chimes in with more calm. "He can't focus on anything and doesn't really think about anyone else or how his actions affect them. He's a fucking child."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh jeez, Mel!" Philippa says as she pulls you into a tight hug. "I so thought I was going to have to talk you back from the ledge or something but you just... I'm proud of you!"<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not a kid!" you protest though you can't help from laughing and blushing a little either. Philippa is Melanie's best friend but Brianna's been a close friend for most of high school too. They don't mean it but both certainly look out for Melanie so at times, you realize, it can feel like they baby her a bit.<br/>
<br/>
But they're also very honest with her as well both in their assessment of others and when it comes time to talk about her. Brianna provides a good demonstration when she jumps in. "We know you're not, Mel. It's just that we've been through all of this before so it's nice to see you make the rational choice on your own." Very quickly however she adds, "Because seriously fuck Eric Murphy. If he tries that again I'll sock him myself. Maybe I'll do it next time I see him regardless."<br/>
<br/>
You wave her off of having to go that far, telling her that you appreciate the sentiment but it's fine and you know he won't be any trouble for you in the future and decide to try to talk about non-Eric related things for the rest of dinner.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Brianna is right though, this isn't their first dance with Melanie's emotions. Usually it follows a very simple three step pattern.<br/>
<br/>
For the first step Melanie becomes totally head over heels for someone. For the second, the relationship is like a very hot and very bright flame. For the third, it fizzles out quickly leading first to threatening outbursts and then an intense melancholy only for the whole thing to repeat one someone new comes along.<br/>
<br/>
Infatuation, passion, depression. That seems to be the general cycle of life for Melanie Saxon. You can definitely see why she'd have the reputation she does among Eric's friends (and a lot of others probably) but now being in the girl's skin you can't help but feel sympathy either. It's obvious that her living situation has had a large impact on shaping her, especially because her mind is telling you that the situation with her parents has been going on for a long, long time.<br/>
<br/>
She certainly doesn't deserve the mockery she gets from that group and having played the role of Eric Murphy yourself you can't help but to now feel guilt for her. Things really need to change for her you realize.<br/>
<br/>
You're able to convince Philippa to let you stay the night at her place and for Melanie it's something of a little sanctuary away from the chaos of her home life. There's not anything you can really do about her living situation unfortunately and it's likely that Fairfax, that is the real deal, isn't going to want you to rock the boat too badly. After all this is ostensibly just a means of mapping out the school's social landscape, not making life improvements.<br/>
<br/>
But part of you thinks "screw that" because nobody should have to put up with what Melanie has to. You might not be able to improve her home life but you can damn sure improve her romantic life. It's a matter of looking hard and talking to her friends but you're sure that Brianna and Philippa and others can find you a good match and if you had another mask then that'd really make it a non-problem.<br/>
<br/>
But you realize something: if you had another mask you could improve things at home for Melanie. You could use a mask on one of her parents... no! On Cheyanne! Use a mask on her sister and you could move Melanie in with her. That'd have to be a better set up than what she's got now. The only problem would be convincing Fairfax to go with such a radical departure from his plan.</span></div></div>


path: 11331211121121111111321211111322321113121211111134
author_id: seuzz
title: The "Seduction" of Brianna Kirschke
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>It's been a couple of weeks since Eric Murphy texted Brianna Kirschke. Or has it? <i>Fuck, like it matters.</i> You've still got her number, so you tap in a casual note. You only just catch yourself from saluting  her as "babe": <i>yo wanern getetogehter n takkl nd shit.</i><br/>
<br/>
Wow. Even you're embarrassed by that garbage text, so you follow it with another: <i>be af reind n hang ut n tlak to me.</i><br/>
<br/>
When, after fifteen seconds, Brianna hasn't replied, you send another: <i>pls!!!!!!!</i><br/>
<br/>
It's after school, and you're leaning against your locker as you tap at your phone. You're frowning and trying to come up with a fourth text when someone jostles you hard. "Hey, eat a di—! Brianna!" you gasp. "I was just texting you!"<br/>
<br/>
"I'm five lockers down from you!" she hollers. "What's the matter with you?"<br/>
<br/>
"Nothing! I was just texting is all! What're you doing this afternoon?"<br/>
<br/>
Brianna glares at you.<br/>
<br/>
She's not a small girl, but she's at least half a head shorter than you. But what she lacks in height she makes up for in attitude. She wears sober black-framed glasses—a lot like Fairfax's, actually—and pulls her soft brunette hair back in a long ponytail. Between the glass, the sloppy ponytail, the light freckles and the bulging backpack, she looks like a girl perpetually cramming for finals. <br/>
<br/>
But she's also really cute, with a button nose and lips that, even when they are pulled down in a frown—as they are now—beg to be bit and nipped at. Your hands flex and your cock rises as you imagine yourself gripping her butt and pulling her into a clinch.<br/>
<br/>
"I wanna talk," you tell her. "It's been like forever!"<br/>
<br/>
Her frown deepens with suspicion. "Talk about what?"<br/>
<br/>
"About whatever. About us."<br/>
<br/>
The frown remains, but now her eyebrows shoot up. "Us?"<br/>
<br/>
"Sure! I got stuff about me I can talk to you about and I bet you got, like, tons of stuff you can—"<br/>
<br/>
"You wanna talk? Okay, what's that thing you always say to people when you're mad at them?"<br/>
<br/>
You blink. "Huh? What thing when I'm mad?"<br/>
<br/>
"There's a thing you always tell people to go do when you're mad at them. When they piss you off, you tell them to go do this thing."<br/>
<br/>
"The fuck are you talking about?"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh yeah, now I remember what it is." Brianna pokes you in the chest with a very sharp fingernail. "Eat a dick, Eric. Eat a fat, hairy dick."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Well, you're not going to do <i>that,</i> even if she begs, and you're not going to let her duck out on you either, so you go hopping off after her down the hallway. It's like playing bumper cars, and you don't catch up to her until she's outside the building. "I know what we can go do together," you tell her as you jog down the damp sidewalk—it's been raining off and on all day, but it's stopped for now. "You wanna be in a YouTube video?"<br/>
<br/>
"I can be in a YouTube video any time I want," she retorts without turning her head.<br/>
<br/>
"Not like this, babe. I mean, Brianna." You correct yourself with a bashful grin when she glares at you. "I know these guys, and they put up these movie review videos on YouTube, and they get, like a million views and shit."<br/>
<br/>
"You mean Mike and Carlos?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah! Did you know they're quitting?" you tell her in a low voice. "On the level, they're quitting and giving the channel to me. It and all their subscribers."<br/>
<br/>
"They are not!" Brianna quickens her stride, so that you have to hustle to keep up.<br/>
<br/>
"I swear it's true! We'll go out and ask them! They're giving to me but I'm gonna need a co-host, and I figure you'd be, like, a natural, so I want us to—"<br/>
<br/>
She stops, and you almost run into her. "Why? What makes you think I'm a natural?"<br/>
<br/>
"I 'unno. I just do. Please, Brianna?" You catch her by the elbow. "Just come out to their studio and talk to them and look around?"<br/>
<br/>
Brianna's glare sharpens. "Eric Murphy, you are the biggest fucking liar in the school, and everyone knows it."<br/>
<br/>
You grin. "Then come out to their studio and ask them. Ask them, Brianna!" You raise your hand. "I swear I will eat that dick, that big hairy dick you told me to eat. You name the guy and I'll eat his dick if you go out there and Mike and Carlos tell you I'm lying."<br/>
<br/>
Brianna stares at you. <br/>
<br/>
Then she strides off toward the parking lot. "No."<br/>
<br/>
"Why not?" you cry.<br/>
<br/>
"Because I don't hate you enough to make you to eat a dick," she says. <br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Well, it takes a lot more cajoling to get her to go along, and not until after you've stood in front of her car and stopped her from driving off does she finally relent and tell you that she'll stop off at the Top S(h)elf Storage complex long enough to bust your lying ass. With chortling glee you call Beta-Fairfax and tell him that your new identity will be up at the complex at around four-thirty.<br/>
<br/>
You beat both Brianna and the beta by nearly ten minutes, and you're not-so-idly wondering how hard it would be to shimmy up the side of the climate-controlled building and what you'd find on top of the roof when Beta-Philip pulls up in his Taurus. You hop over to him and rub up so close he actually shoves you back before punching in the door code. "Sorry man," you gasp, "just excited for what comes next."<br/>
<br/>
"What does come next?" he asks.<br/>
<br/>
"You know, me turning Brianna into a beta. Then we're gonna go off, her and me, 'cos she'll have to obey me, and—" You almost cream your pants right then and there.<br/>
<br/>
"Are you looking forward to having sex with Eric?" the beta asks as he leads you down the inner hallway.<br/>
<br/>
You almost fall over. "No! Not with! <i>As!</i>"<br/>
<br/>
"I think it's going to have to be 'with'," he says, "on account of—"<br/>
<br/>
"Hey man, don't get me wrong," you protest. "I really love Eric's dick, it's prob'ly my favorite part of his body and I'm really looking forward to trying it out. But ain't no way I'm gonna <i>eat</i> it!"<br/>
<br/>
"You don't have to do anything with it you don't want to," the beta says as he opens the bay with the weight set. "But you're going to be putting on the girl's mask. By the way, who is she?"<br/>
<br/>
"Who says I'm gonna be putting it on?" you demand. "Getting it on, now <i>that—</i>"<br/>
<br/>
"Putting it on. Didn't my alpha explain?" From the foot locker Beta-Philip retrieves a blank mask.<br/>
<br/>
"Your fucking alpha's a fucking ditz."<br/>
<br/>
Beta-Philip frowns. "Odd. I haven't had the impression when talking to him that—"<br/>
<br/>
"He didn't tell me <i>shit</i> about having to put on no—! Wait!" You snap your fingers. "Now that I think about it—"<br/>
<br/>
Yes, now that you think about it, what would be better than playing with Brianna Kirschke's tits and cunny than <i>having</i> her tits and cunny for your own and playing with them with her own fingers? That's the fun those guys are having with their cheerleaders now, isn't it?<br/>
<br/>
"—interaction of a mask of the person with the original, even if mediated by a control layer," the beta is saying.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, fuck, whatever," you say. "I'm into it now."<br/>
<br/>
The beta stares. "I'm surprised I was so convincing. Anyway, who is this girl?"<br/>
<br/>
"Brianna Kirschke. She's supposed to be here—" You glance at your phone. "Fuck!" You shove the beta out of the way and go flying down the hallway.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
It was 4:33 already, and you figured she'd be waiting outside, but it is 4:52 before she actually appears. "You didn't tell me how to get in through the gate," she fumes, but suffers to let you lead her into the climate unit. Beta-Philip is with you, but despite the nudges and meaningful glances you shoot at him, he does nothing but lead the two of you along to the weight room. You're ready to wrest the mask from him, but before you can totally lose your shit, he turns and gently smushes the mask into Brianna's face, and the two of you catch her as she falls. "I didn't want to <i>carry her</i> down all this way," he explains when you ask why he waited so long.<br/>
<br/>
And then he stops you from disrobing Brianna, even though you're nearly frantic with desire. "Just take Eric's mask off," he instructs you. "I'll apply the control coating to it, then put it on Brianna when the mask comes out. Eric's beta can get out of her clothes himself. You can take your own clothes off, though, so he can get into them. After I'm done putting the control layer in, I'll put her mask on you."<br/>
<br/>
"Whatever, just hurry up, man!" you gasp.<br/>
<br/>
He frowns. "I said, you'll have to start by taking Eric's mask off—"<br/>
<br/>
"Jesus, it's like I gotta do everything!" You sprawl out on the floor, and ask him to tell you again how to get masks off. With sweaty, trembling fingers you grasp your forehead in the manner the beta prescribes—and he has to help you position them correctly—then mutter the magic words while pulling. It takes you half a dozen tries, each more frantic than the last, before you feel an ungodly tugging at your face. The world goes dark.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You're very cold when you wake. Miserably cold. Goose bumps prickle all up and down your skin.<br/>
<br/>
But at least it's bracing. The chill of the concrete floor pierces the grogginess, and you quickly scramble up.<br/>
<br/>
Your breasts wobble and bobble.<br/>
<br/>
Your throat constricts: <i>You've got breasts!</i><br/>
<br/>
You've got more than that. Or less, depending on how you look at it. Not that you can see much, for your vision is blurry. But when you peer downs past the rosy tips of your breasts, you glimpse a dark patch between your legs.<br/>
<br/>
You put your hand out, and catch yourself against the wall before you can faint.<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 113312111211211111113212111113223211131212111111341
author_id: seuzz
title: Brianna and the Betas
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>The world is cold and blurry, so you cover yourself as best you can and peer about. Shouldn't you have some clothes here? Or at least your glasses? <br/>
<br/>
"You're not going to freak out on me, are you, Will?"<br/>
<br/>
You whirl, and stifle a shriek at the unexpected voice. There's a figure at the doorway, and by squinting at it hard you recognize it as Philip Fairfax.<br/>
<br/>
<i>Beta-Philip,</i> you remind yourself.<br/>
<br/>
Still, you cover your breasts and your ... other bits ... with your hands. "Is it just us?" you gasp.<br/>
<br/>
"Of course. Well, except for—"<br/>
<br/>
A shadow looms behind and grabs him. A familiar voice looses a lot of silly cuss words.<br/>
<br/>
"Will," Beta-Philip grunts, "would you tell Eric to back off?"<br/>
<br/>
"Eric?" you repeat faintly.<br/>
<br/>
"Yes. He's your beta now. I think." His voice is choked and muffled. "He should do what you say."<br/>
<br/>
Your voice quavers. "Eric, stop fighting, er, Philip."<br/>
<br/>
The other figure just sniggers and punches Beta-Philip. "Eric!" you shout. "Stop it!"<br/>
<br/>
And with that he falls back. "Maybe," Beta-Philip pants, "you should tell him to wait in the other room."<br/>
<br/>
"Eat a dick, man," Eric Murphy mutters. You really wish he'd come up with a different insult, but content yourself with ordering him to wait in the studio. With a shrug large enough that you can make it out even in your semi-blinded state, he retreats.<br/>
<br/>
"Interesting that he resisted you at first," Beta-Philip observes. "Can I help you find something?"<br/>
<br/>
"My clothes. What did you—?"<br/>
<br/>
"Over here." Beta-Philip sweeps a pile off the weight bench and hands it to you. "I tried folding them, but, um—"<br/>
<br/>
"That was sweet of you," you say as you fumble your glasses on. "But could you, um—?" <br/>
<br/>
You almost swallow your tongue as your eyes lock onto Beta-Philip's face.<br/>
<br/>
His beautiful, beautiful face.<br/>
<br/>
He has a red-head's fair complexion, with roses in his cheeks to go with the dusty copper of his hair. His green eyes gleam with a sober, penetrating intelligence from behind his black-framed glasses. He is trim, and you wonder if he works out, even just a little bit, because the drape of his white t-shirt catches on a curve that might be a well-developed set of pectoral muscles. <br/>
<br/>
<i>God!</i> You want to bury your face in his shirt and inhale its scent and his musk, and to rub your nose into his smooth neck. To grip with one hand the butt inside his canvas trousers and with the other to rub his back. To take his mouth in yours, to open your mouth to his, and to taste his tongue upon yours. To fall back onto a soft bed of ... well, of hay or grass or linens or anything, really, and to caress him all over while he gently caresses you. To gaze into his eyes and to see in them a sober but ardent adoration of you.<br/>
<br/>
<i>Oh,</i> says Will Prescott from the back of Brianna Kirschke's brain. <i>That's how come I managed to get her out to the complex.</i> You mentioned that Philip might be out here, and seeing as how she has an enormous crush on him ... <br/>
<br/>
"Uh, Will?"<br/>
<br/>
"Huh?" You blink back into the present.<br/>
<br/>
"Is something wrong?"<br/>
<br/>
"No. No!"<br/>
<br/>
"Would you like some privacy?" Without so much as a flicker of a smile, Philip withdraws and pulls down the door to the storage bay. You sink onto the foot locker and let out a very deep breath.<br/>
<br/>
The personalities inside these masks really do seem to hit you hard.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
The fact of that crush weighs heavily on you as you dress—though of course you keep plenty of attention on your body and clothes and the act of putting yourself for the first time into a girl's things. Brianna is, admittedly, <i>large</i> in certain portions of her anatomy, but they aren't places you mind seeing mass. Her strong, pale thighs support wide, pale hips, of the sort her aunt has reassured her are "child-bearing." Her tummy carries baby fat, but not an inordinate amount of it, and her boobs are wonderfully large.<br/>
<br/>
So she's not built anything like you, and you prickle with wonder at the differences as you slip Brianna's brief up your legs and around your hips. As you hook her bra together, then swing it around to tuck your boobs into the cups. As you slide into her Levis and pull on her black, long-sleeve shirt. As you tug back your hair, which has been falling into your face, and twist a scrunchie around it; as you fluff out the tail and pull at your scalp to get it comfortably loose. As you pull on socks and the hiking boots she wore today as a precaution against the weather. As you pull her crackling nylon windbreaker tightly about you. As you look around for the ball cap she wore to protect against the rain, before remembering that she left it out in her car.<br/>
<br/>
But anyway, as for Brianna and her thing for Philip—<br/>
<br/>
He's not the only guy that she likes, and she's not the only guy who likes him. There are a number of girls she knows who like him for his sexy smarts, his calm demeanor and his ... <br/>
<br/>
Well, so what if he's not a jock. Even his physique—not buff, not scrawny—and his bland wardrobe bespeak a solid dependability.<br/>
<br/>
And is there a fire behind those cool, querying green eyes? No has ever confessed to making out with him. But wouldn't it be awesome to be the girl who cracks his veneer and tease him out, to be the one who can finally teach this sexy, smart guy how much fun a girl can be?<br/>
<br/>
That's what Brianna thinks. And what do you think?<br/>
<br/>
<i>For fuck's sake, how did I manage to score a girl who's crazy for the team leader? And how come it has to hit me so hard?</i><br/>
<br/>
Eric hit you pretty hard too, you now realize. Oh, sure, like most guys you're more than a little nuts for girls. But now, with a little distance, you recognize that where you yourself only feel surges of lust, as Eric you were squirting it out of your ears and from under your fingernails every time you took a step. <br/>
<br/>
You sure as hell hope you can keep it under control as Brianna.<br/>
<br/>
You square your shoulders, take a deep breath, and march out to meet your future husband.<br/>
<br/>
<i>No! To meet Fairfax! Beta-Fairfax! That's all he is!</i><br/>
<br/>
They're in the studio unit, him and Beta-Eric. The latter breaks out in a huge grin and hops toward you until you stop him cold with an upraised finger. "Heh," he says.<br/>
<br/>
"I think I figured out why he didn't obey you right away," Beta-Philip says. "You know how he didn't stop fighting until you told him a second time? It's because you told him to stop fighting Philip. But I'm not Philip, strictly speaking, but only his beta. He knew that I was only a beta, so he interpreted you literally as referring to my alpha, not to me, when you told him not to fight, er, Philip."<br/>
<br/>
So mesmerized are you by his manner that he you let him finish this pompous explanation of something you don't care about. "Okay," you chirp.<br/>
<br/>
"So you'd better be careful when issuing him instructions," Beta-Philip says. "He's tricky."<br/>
<br/>
"I will. What happens now?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, I sent my alpha a text, telling him that you had successfully, uh, procured Brianna Kirschke." He cocks his head. "Are you alright, Will?"<br/>
<br/>
"Why wouldn't I be?"<br/>
<br/>
"You're staring at me." He touches his cheek. "Is there something on my face?"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh. No." You tear your eyes away. Eric grins as your gaze briefly alights on him. But you're pissed at him for luring you into this trap—<br/>
<br/>
Gosh, you really are being influenced by Brianna's personality. Even to the point that your internal setting is to say words like "gosh."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, my alpha would like to meet with you once you are settled into Brianna's memories," Beta-Fairfax continues. "What are you going to do until then?"<br/>
<br/>
<i>That's right! You could go meet Philip now!</i><br/>
<br/>
But you tamp back the surging desire to hang out with your crush, and instead reply that you'll hang loose for now, check up on Brianna's messages and stuff like that.<br/>
<br/>
The beta nods. "I'm going to stay here for awhile," he says, "and get some work done. I believe the plan is to get you a couple of more betas, so you'll need some more masks." He pauses. "If you want to stay here with me, I wouldn't mind the company."<br/>
<br/>
<i>Boom!<br/>
<br/>
Oh my God, is he hoping I'll stay and hang out with him? Does he have the same feelings for me that I have for him? Was he excited by seeing me naked? Oh God, that was awful, but if it got him to think of me "that way"—!</i><br/>
<br/>
"Will?"<br/>
<br/>
"What?"<br/>
<br/>
"You're staring at me again."<br/>
<br/>
Beta-Eric sniggers, and with a snarl you dismiss him with the instructions to "go do whatever you were gonna do tonight." "But don't tell anyone about talking to me, or coming out here!" you add. "All of this, it's a secret!" He gives you a Nazi salute then runs out the door.<br/>
<br/>
Brianna's own plans involve going to Maggie Crenshaw's party. But she was also thinking of going to find Melanie, who was in a melancholy mood today and mumbling about spending the night in. A visit to Eric's ex- would fit in with your original, Eric-based plans.<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 1133121112112111111132121111132232111312121111113412
author_id: seuzz
title: Best Laid Plans, and Other Kinds
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>It's closing on 5:30 when you finally head to your new home. You found a text from Brianna's mom—your mom, now—on her phone, telling you to eat with friends or dig into the leftovers for supper, for she and her husband would be late getting home. <br/>
<br/>
Typical: Brian and Anna Kirschke don't get along and so spend as much time as possible at the two pastry shops they jointly own. (That would be La Patisserie and Cherry Brook Bread and Cakes.) So when you get home you reheat a wedge of spinach and veal lasagna from Ristorante Locarno. Thank God for the special, off-the-books deals whereby the Kirschkes and certain select Saratoga Falls restaurants barter discounted food and meals amongst themselves! It's really delicious, and it's not just Brianna that thinks so. Ristorante Locarno is the most expensive eatery in town, and your parents have <i>never</i> taken you there. So here's another dividend to your new impersonation.<br/>
<br/>
As you munch on the expensive (but discounted!) lasagna, you pour over the texts that have come floating in since the last time Brianna checked her phone. She and her friends have been planning to go to Maggie Crenshaw's party, but Eric Murphy (you know) is going to be there, and your enthusiasm for dealing with Eric has cooled since switching into Brianna. It must have something to do with the personalities inside the masks. Of course you had a lot of fun being Eric, for Eric is totally in love with himself—an opinion you wouldn't dispute even though you know it is mostly Brianna's judgment. But now that you're Brianna—who hates Eric's guts over what he did to Melanie—you have a lot less enthusiasm for dealing with your former alias.<br/>
<br/>
So when Susie Lekuawehe texts something about going to the Warehouse after Maggie's, you text back: <i>How about instead of?</i><br/>
<br/>
A few more texts come in—from Danielle Davis, wondering if you've eaten yet; from Philippa Hosford, asking if you have any IHOP coupons; from Mackenzie Fuller, asking if anyone can give her a ride out to Maggie's—before Susie replies to your suggestion: <i>what do till 11?</i><br/>
<br/>
That is an issue: things don't start happening at the Warehouse until eleven o'clock, at least, and some people say that it's not until two or even three in the morning before things get really fun. (Those would be the people you should stay away from.) But you persist with Susie, telling her that there's some people you know who will be showing up at Maggie's that you don't want to meet. You tell Genesis Lee and Hermione Gilbert the same thing.<br/>
<br/>
But you don't have a lot of luck leveraging a change in plans until Leah Simmons invites you to hang out with Wendy Terrill and a couple of other people from the school's Trivial Pursuit Club at the Koffee Kauldron for an old-fashioned night of board games. You leap at the idea, and try to rope Hermione and Philippa in, and after that things evolve rapidly. Back and forth the texts shoot over the next hour, with groups and plans forming and evolving and dissolving and reviving. It would give you a terrific headache and a raging case of the fuckits if you were in your own skin. But as Brianna you are in your element.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
It is seven-thirty when you park under the blazing mercury lamps of the Monte Viso Mini-Golf and Go-Kart complex. The rains that plagued the afternoon have lifted, and the clouds are breaking up. But temperatures are in the upper fifties as you step out of your car, so your jeans and windbreaker and ball cap are enough.<br/>
<br/>
"Batting cages are inside," Jack Li snarks as you approach. He flicks the brim of your cap.<br/>
<br/>
You step onto his feet and glare up brightly into his face. "What do you know about baseball?"<br/>
<br/>
"Just enough to stay away from our school team," he drawls back. He pushes you gently off his feet. "You're late, so you have to be in my group."<br/>
<br/>
"We're in groups?"<br/>
<br/>
"Too many of us for one group." He leads you inside and up to the register. "We're in two foursomes, plus extras. First foursome's already on the second hole."<br/>
<br/>
"Nice of them to wait."<br/>
<br/>
"Nice of Aaron to leave Naomi to play mini golf with us," Jack retorts. "She was his date, but he's out on the speedway with Daniel." There's a note of sarcasm in his use of the word "speedway."<br/>
<br/>
"No! He left his <i>date?</i>"<br/>
<br/>
Jack smirks under lifted eyebrows. "Sure. Daniel said he wanted to do the go-karts, so Aaron ran off with him. Gonna be awkward for those boys when they go on their honeymoons, and they turn out to be threesomes."<br/>
<br/>
"So where's Parker and Kristin?"<br/>
<br/>
"There's following a train of thought," Jack murmurs.<br/>
<br/>
You slap him in the chest. "That's not what I meant. Are they coming?"<br/>
<br/>
"No. I didn't ask where they were going or what they were doing, though, just told them to keep it off of Snapchat. Oh, speaking of Snapchat, can you go keep Genesis out of trouble? She's waiting for the rest of us, and I think she was logging onto x2z when I came back in to wait for you."<br/>
<br/>
"I'd rather wait with you."<br/>
<br/>
He smiles tightly. "I'm waiting for Susie."<br/>
<br/>
"Then we'll be here till Christmas," you sigh. Susie Lekuawehe, to quote Jack himself, believes in deadlines the way atheists believe in the flying spaghetti monster.<br/>
<br/>
You watch as he saunters back out the front door. Jack Li is on the marching band color guard. He is tall and slim, with a cocky grin and jet-black hair that is cut long on top and short on the sides and back. He is loyal, clever, sympathetic, and stylish.<br/>
<br/>
Also gay.<br/>
<br/>
Lonely, too, except for his many girlfriends, which are no substitute for a nice boy. But he also dislikes what gay scene there is at Westside, for he cordially detests Charles Hartlein and his many hangers-on.<br/>
<br/>
Genesis Lee is sitting on a bench outside, and as Jack had warned you she's got her cell phone out. She only glances up briefly at you before returning to her phone.<br/>
<br/>
So you wave at the four girls at the second hole—Leah Simmons, Hermione Gilbert, Naomi Batson and Wendy Terrill—then take out your phone and send Genesis a text. <i>What's up?</i><br/>
<br/>
You feel her stiffen, but she replies by text too. <i>Chcking whouse stream<br/>
<br/>
Whos playing tnite?<br/>
<br/>
Ian patton</i><br/>
<br/>
"He's not in a band," you say aloud.<br/>
<br/>
"Later tonight, in the bar," Genesis replies. "After things mellow out."<br/>
<br/>
<i>Like things ever mellow out at the Warehouse.</i> But you suppose they must, because Ian Patton fancies himself a solo indie artist, and he's got a reputation, and the Warehouse is where high school musicians go to get a reputation in Saratoga Falls. "So what's this schedule you're checking out?" you ask her.<br/>
<br/>
Genesis gives you a look.<br/>
<br/>
It's a look Brianna might give people and probably has, for she and Genesis look so much alike they've been mistaken for cousins or even sisters. Like Brianna, Genesis wears black-framed glasses. She also has a mane of brunette hair, which she lets fly freely, and the kind of ample figure that suggests <i>fertility</i> rather than sex play. Brianna likes to tease her because she's a lot shyer around boys than her friends; but she's also a lot freer with the gutter talk and the fantasies when she's gossiping with them.<br/>
<br/>
So you're not shocked when admits that she's checking out who'll be staffing security at the Warehouse. "Blake's on duty," she sighs, and she clasps her phone to her bosom, which is even larger than yours. "Let's get there early."<br/>
<br/>
"He won't have time for you," you point out. "And what if he's outside, parking cars?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'll stand outside, smoking and watching him."<br/>
<br/>
"You don't smoke."<br/>
<br/>
"I'll start." She groans and puts her head back. "And they start going off duty, you know, at around four."<br/>
<br/>
"That's when you'll talk to him?"<br/>
<br/>
She looks shocked. "I'm not going to go <i>talk</i> to him!"<br/>
<br/>
"So when are you finally going to talk to him?"<br/>
<br/>
"When he finally asks me out."<br/>
<br/>
You smile to yourself and say nothing. This is at least the seventh guy Genesis has gotten a heart-stopping, tongue-tied crush on in the last two years. All summer long it was Justin Roth—she saw him at a pool party in June with his shirt off—and the spring of your junior year it was Scott Frazier, who at the time was a nice kid who hadn't yet joined the basketball squad. At the start of your junior year she was briefly hooked on that AP snot Martin Gardinhire, of all people, before settling in to worship the football-playing Marcus Johnston from afar. (Blake O'Brien also plays football, so it's in crushing on him it's like Genesis has lapped herself.) You don't remember who was before that, except that one of them was Kevin Wyatt (Stephanie Wyatt's since-graduated older brother), and that they were all of them seniors she shared a class with.<br/>
<br/>
They had something else in common. Genesis, so far as you know, suffered her crushes in absolute silence, never saying a word to them or hearing one back.<br/>
<br/>
So you're feeling really smug, until Genesis opens her eyes and with one sharp question knocks the smile off your face:<br/>
<br/>
"So, was Philip at those guys' video place? Did you talk to him?"<br/>
<br/>
<i>How does she know that Philip was going to be at the storage complex?</i></span></div></div>


path: 11331211121121111111321211111322321113121211111134121
author_id: seuzz
title: Golf and Gossip
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Typical: Susie is running so late that by the time she arrives Hermione and the others are already on the twelfth hole. Also typical: she is blushing with embarrassment at her tardiness.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh my God," she gasps, "you wouldn't believe the night I've been having." She rattles it off—a story about feeding her neighbors' dog, which got loose but that was kind of okay because while she was retrieving it she got to talking with these people a block away who are involved in this charity that, can you believe it, Susie has been thinking about volunteering for because it would look good on her college application, so they got to talking and they told her all about their charity but also about a couple of others, and even made a few calls for her, right there, so that—<br/>
<br/>
Jack turns his back on her as he rolls his eyes. You titter behind your hand.<br/>
<br/>
But that's Susie. With her wide, heart-shaped face and a smile that always looks just a little bashful, just a little embarrassed, she is always being dandled and petted by perfect strangers. <br/>
<br/>
Take what happens just a few minutes later, as she takes her first stroke on the course:<br/>
<br/>
"Does this course have a windmill?" she asks, and she looks around as she swings, knocking her ball over the curb and onto the sixth green, where to his delight it bumps an old man's ball into the cup. So there's another delay so Susie can apologize to him and his wife and explain that no, really, much as she'd like to, she can't come play with them even if they think she's so sweet, because she's got her friends with her, and she blushes very hard when Jack playfully insists that no, he and the others won't hold it against her if she wants to play with her new friends.<br/>
<br/>
So she's also carelessly accident prone, like on the fourth hole, when she plays Genesis's ball by mistake, which causes Genesis to accidentally play Jack's. That leads to an argument about how much of a penalty to assign to each player, with each girl trying to take on a bigger penalty than the other. Jack gently suggests that they skip the hole altogether and move on.<br/>
<br/>
"But that'll throw off the scoring!" Susie protests. "Aren't we playing against Hermione and them?" She goes up on tiptoes to peer about for the other foursome.<br/>
<br/>
"So we'll take an average of our strokes on the other holes," Jack says, "and put that down for the fourth."<br/>
<br/>
"Will they be okay with that?" Genesis wonders.<br/>
<br/>
"It's just a friendly game."<br/>
<br/>
"Is that Naomi with them?" Susie asks. She raises herself up farther on her toes. "What happened to Kristin and Parker?"<br/>
<br/>
"They made other plans," you quickly tell her as Jack's expression tightens.<br/>
<br/>
"But how'd <i>Naomi</i> wind up here with us? Not that I've anything against Naomi," Susie quickly adds, "but I thought I heard she was going to do something with Aaron."<br/>
<br/>
You let Jack explain that Aaron's here, he's just out on the Go-Kart course with Daniel. "Go-Karts!" Susie gasps. "I forgot they have those here!"<br/>
<br/>
Yes, Susie Leukawehe is as soft and sweet as crushed pineapple. And like pineapple, she can be unexpectedly tart. <br/>
<br/>
Like on the eighth hole, after Jack and Genesis have moved to the other side of the mock Eiffel Tower, when Susie sidles up to you: "So how serious are Aaron and Naomi?" she asks as you practice your stroke.<br/>
<br/>
"You got me." You resettle your grip on the putter. "They went to a party together last weekend, I know that."<br/>
<br/>
"Do you think she'll take the hint?"<br/>
<br/>
"What hint?"<br/>
<br/>
Susie gives you a look. "Aaron basically dumped her tonight, don't you think?"<br/>
<br/>
"Like, permanently, you mean?" You strike the ball, which bounces off the leg of the Tower and rolls into a far corner. "So they can't ride in a go-kart together," you observe with a sigh. "Maybe they're planning to do something later, just the two of them, after here."<br/>
<br/>
"I thought we were going to the Warehouse after here."<br/>
<br/>
Now you give Susie a look.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, God!" She strikes you in the shoulder. "They wouldn't! Isn't this, like, their second date?" You only shrug. "You don't like Naomi, do you?" she asks as she sets her own ball on the rubber tee-off mat.<br/>
<br/>
"I like her fine. You're the one who wants her to take a hint."<br/>
<br/>
Susie makes a face. "You like her? Seriously? Don't you think she's all kind of, you know. Stuck up?"<br/>
<br/>
"No."<br/>
<br/>
Well, not in the usual sense. Naomi Batson doesn't sail around with her nose in the air, the way Kelsey Blankenship or Chelsea Cooper do. She's actually a very plain and unpretentious girl, with flat, honey-colored hair that she keeps back with barrettes; a pear-shaped figure; and a wardrobe that is heavily invested in polo shirts and mom jeans.<br/>
<br/>
But you also know what Susie is getting at. Naomi Batson is a high school junior, but she acts like a very prim college student. She's also a violinist in the school's elite chamber orchestra. And although she hasn't got a reputation for brilliance on the strings, the way she talks to you and your friends, who are only in the <i>marching band ...</i><br/>
<br/>
No, "stuck up" is the wrong word for Naomi Batson. But "condescending" (Brianna has always done well on her vocabulary tests) would fit her perfectly. You get the impression that she thinks that it's <i>cute</i> the way all of you and your friends march up and down, tootling show tunes on your brasses and reeds.<br/>
<br/>
So when Susie, <i>sotto voce</i> says that she hopes Naomi will stop hanging around your group, you don't agree, but you don't argue, either, and only offer a tepid shrug.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"You didn't say anything about Philip," Genesis reminds you much later, after you've all turned in your putters and are sitting inside the restaurant, eating cheap popcorn. From the next room over comes the electronic rumble and roar of old-fashioned arcade games. (Monte Viso is <i>very</i> retro.)<br/>
<br/>
No, you didn't reply to her question about whether Philip was at the storage complex. Instead, you pretended to see Leah Simmons waving at you, and scampered over to talk to her. After that, you told Genesis of Leah's whispered confidence that she had a joint in her trunk, and that anyone who wanted to partake between mini-golf and the Warehouse would be welcome to it. That got Genesis off onto one of her favorite topics: Why the hell was everyone on the football team a stoner? You let her rattle on, and tactfully refrained from mentioning that Blake O'Brien was also on the football team, and was rather obviously good friends with the worst of those stoners.<br/>
<br/>
But now she's back onto Philip, and you've had time to think past your original panic. Genesis must have figured that, as Philip is friends with Carlos and Mike, he was likely to be with them when Brianna went out to see them. So you just tell her that he wasn't there.<br/>
<br/>
"He?" Wendy Terrill echoes. "Who's 'he'? Who are we talking about?"<br/>
<br/>
"Philip Fairfax," Genesis says before you can tell Wendy it's none of her business.<br/>
<br/>
"What about him?"<br/>
<br/>
"Brianna was trying to hook up with him after school," Genesis continues, and ignores the frantic kicks you're giving her under the table.<br/>
<br/>
"Not <i>hook up,</i>" you insist as heads turn in your direction. You especially dislike the raffish grin that breaks out across Jack's face. A hot blush breaks out across your own, which makes everything worse. "I went out to meet some guys, Carlos Montoya and Mike Hollister. You know? They have their movie review thing on YouTube?"<br/>
<br/>
"Philip was going to be there, so she went," Genesis says.<br/>
<br/>
"That wasn't the reason!"<br/>
<br/>
"So why'd you go? What happened?" Jack asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Nothing! No one was there!" You grab at Wendy as she takes out her phone. "What are you doing?"<br/>
<br/>
"Just checking my messages! Jeez!"<br/>
<br/>
"Brianna's scared you're gonna get to Philip first," Hermione says. Laughter breaks out all around the table.<br/>
<br/>
But Jack saves you by asking Wendy, "How come Jesse's not here?" which abruptly channels the conversation into talk of Jesse Hughes, the trumpet player who is Wendy's own crush.<br/>
<br/>
The subject of Philip comes up again, though, in a different way, when you're in the restroom freshening up. <i>I'm Brianna Kirschke,</i> you marvel to yourself as you study your reflection in the mirror. You're rubbing your teeth free of little bits of popcorn and enjoying the expression on your face. <i>I'm like a pert little chipmunk, and all my friends love me even though they tease me!</i><br/>
<br/>
You're resettling  your shirt and jacket when Naomi comes in. She gives you a brief smile—the two of you don't seem to have much to say to each other—then starts washing her hands. "So this Philip guy," she says after turning off the water. "Has he got red hair and glasses?"<br/>
<br/>
You tense. "Yeah."<br/>
<br/>
Naomi nods, and studies herself in the mirror. "If it's the guy I'm thinking of, I had him for a couple of classes last year. He's really smart." You nod. "But he's not seeing anyone?"<br/>
<br/>
"Don't think so. Haven't heard. I don't keep up with him much," you stammer, and you wonder, <i>Why am I freaking out so hard about people asking me about Philip</i> while ignoring the obvious explanation from just a minute ago: <i>Because you're Brianna Kirschke and you've got a giant crush on him.</i><br/>
<br/>
"That's too bad," she says. She says it very primly too, which you hate.<br/>
<br/>
"How come?"<br/>
<br/>
She gives you a look of surprise, tinged with a little (characteristic) condescension. "If you like a guy, you should keep up with him."<br/>
<br/>
<i>Ugh.</i> You're starting to tremble all over, and you run some water in the sink to cover up your flustered manner. "I don't think it makes a difference, it's not like he'll ever, you know." That horrible blush returns.<br/>
<br/>
Naomi smiles (condescendingly!) at you. "None of you has a chance with Jack, but look at how you all dote on him," she says.<br/>
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