Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 The Trailer Park The Fourth Year

   Wizard

   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - Standard Disclaimer.  This is a work of fiction for
adults only.  If you are under the age of eighteen, please immediately do
what I would have done when I was your age.  Which is, delete this story
from your hard drive and/or leave this internet site.  I know you've left
now like the good little boys and girls you are.  But if you haven't or for
the rest of you, enjoy.

   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - Author's Note: Special Thanks to Russell Hoisington for
his time and effort in making this almost readable.  His long hours of
correcting spelling, and punctuation are appreciated.  Thanks also to the
Night Hawk for his comments and suggestions.

   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - One Last Note: The Trailer Park started as a short
story, then took on a life of it's own.  This is the fourth book in what
looks to be a seven book series.  If you haven't read the first three
books, I strongly suggest you do so before reading this, as I don't do much
recapping.  The Trailer Park: Road Trip will follow shortly.

   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - -



   Chapter 1



   "You look beat," Tami said as I skidded to a stop on my bike.

   "I am.  Had a four o'clock game for Babe Ruth on the city field, then a
seven o'clock for American Legion on the high school field.  Not to mention
the four miles on my bike in between."

   "You know, most kids, only play in one league at a time."

   "Where's the fun in that?"

   Tami shook her head as I gingerly eased myself off the bike.  I was
stiff and sore.  Bike ride into town, game, bike ride to school, game, bike
ride home will do that to you.

   "If you were a building, they'd hang a condemned sign on you."

   "If I was a horse, I'd be glue by now," I agreed.

   "Too bad.  I was horny and Mom isn't going to be home for a couple more
hours."

   I perked up.  "Well, I'm really not in the mood, but for you..."

   "Well, if you're not in the mood, Kenny's been hinting that he could
make me very happy."

   "Remind me to punch him again." I reached for her hand.  "I think I'm
getting a second wind." I started walking, but Tami stayed still, pulling
me to a halt.

   "Don't you think you should tell your mom you're home?"

   For a couple of seconds, I didn't have a clue what she was talking
about. Mom?

   "Oh, right."

   Tami just shook her head as I walked in and told Mom I'd made it back.
Usually Dad comes to all my games, but he was in Seattle for some kind of
meeting.  And Mom had to work late, so I told her not to bother.

   Too bad, it was one of my better games.  I'd almost hit a cycle.  A
cycle is hitting a single, double, triple, and home run, all in the same
game.  I'd hit a single, double and a pair of triples in the second game.
And against an eighteen-year-old pitcher too.  The first game, I'd walked
three times and gotten hit by a pitch.

   "Now, you were saying you had a problem that I could help you with," I
said as I took Tami's hand and we started walking toward her house.

   "I was thinking of inviting the girls.  You've been hinting about a
threesome.  I thought I'd skip that and jump right to foursome."

   "Has anybody ever told you that you have a touch of sadist in you?"

   "Just a touch?"

   We were in front of Tami's house.  I stopped and pulled her into a hug,
kissing her all over her face.  Alana had been sitting on her back steps,
and from the corner of my eye, I saw her stand and start over.

   "Tony?" she said as she got closer.  I let Tami go and looked at her. 
God, she was hot.  "Mikee's been looking for you."

   "Thanks," I said as I released Tami.  "And would it be politically
incorrect to say you look awesome?"

   Alana smiled and the barest shadow of a frown crossed Tami's face.

   "No, but Tami may not like it."

   "Tami's a journalist.  She has to respect the truth."

   Tami gave me a half-smile and nodded.  Alana was dressed in very short
cut-offs and a midriff blouse sort of thing that would have put Daisy Duke
to shame.  The original with what's-her-name, not the Jessica Simpson
rip-off.

   Alana gave me the biggest smile.  "You say the sweetest things."

   "I, too, respect the truth." Pompous, but, oh well.  I wondered if Alana
was sending me a signal.  I might be only a sophomore and she graduated,
but I did play varsity on both football and baseball.

   "If you're hinting for Tony to eat your pussy again, he'll be done in
about twenty minutes," Tami said, her face somewhere between a smile and a
snarl.  Apparently if Alana was sending out signals, they were getting
intercepted.

   "No, no, of course not," Alana sputtered, obviously shocked that Tami
knew about our time in the woods.  "I'd never..." She looked from Tami to
me, and back at Tami again.  "He's just a tenth grader.  I was just
delivering a message."

   She turned and walked, almost jogged, away.

   "Tell Mikee I'm at Tami's if she still wants me," I yelled at her
retreating back.  "That was mean," I told Tami.

   "Was it?" she said sweetly.  She turned away from me and walked up to
her house.

   "That's it.  No more hanging out with Robbie," I said as she opened the
door and I followed her in.  "She is definitely a bad influence."

   "Speaking of your favorite redhead, how'd she do today?"

   "Great in the first game, and she didn't come to the second one.  Had to
go somewhere with her dad.  But in the Babe Ruth game, she even pitched an
inning."

   "How was she?"

   I grabbed Tami and pushed her down on the sofa, pressing my body against
her.  "Not bad." I kissed her right tit through her t-shirt.  "Her fastball
isn't as fast as most of the pitchers in the league, but she can really put
it where she wants it, and that helps.  Her curve ball is coming along and
what really helps is, she's got the smarts to figure out the batters."

   I kissed her left tit, then lifted her shirt up and kissed them both
again.  My hand was down between us, rubbing the crotch of her shorts.  Her
nipples were stiff and hard as I sucked one into my mouth and teased the
other.

   "Was Ashley there?"

   I stopped sucking and lifted my head.  "Woman, I'm trying to pleasure
you here, and you're playing twenty questions."

   "Pleasuring me?  Is that what you were doing?"

   I lifted my head higher, trying to look at the ceiling.  "Why me?" I
moaned.  "I could be home soaking in a hot tub."

   "Poor baby," Tami said with mock sincerity, then she rolled out from
under me.  She rolled me on my back and jerked my pants and underwear down
to my ankles.  My cock, being the only muscle I hadn't abused today, popped
up tall and proud.  "Poor, poor baby," she cooed as she took me in hand and
straddled my legs.

   I was going to say something, I don't know what, but all that came out
was a groan.

   She played with it, rubbing up and down its length, giving my balls a
squeeze, pulling it toward her until the tip brushed her labia.  Then she
grinned down at me.  "Now that I'm pleasuring you, was Ashley there?"

   I groaned again.  "Yessss.  At the first game anyway."

   Tami sat up and positioned my cock, then slid it into her.  I remembered
the first time we'd done this, when she missed, but didn't mention it.  "So
have you thought any more about it?"

   I knew what she meant but ignored her, pushing my hips up at her.

   I faced her face and could see something building inside of her.  Then
she shuddered and collapsed against my chest.

   "That was nice," she murmured.

   "You're welcome," I said.  I hadn't cum yet but was content to just lie
there, with my cock buried in her.  She'd said she was horny.  I believed
her.

   There was a knock.  "Come in," Tami yelled, probably thinking it was
Mikee.

   Traci walked in.  "Oh my God!"

   Tami looked back over her shoulder.  "Oh, shit!" she said as she sat up.

   I didn't say anything.

   "I, uh, oh my God," Traci said.

   "It's not...  it's..." Tami stuttered.

   I just lay there.

   "Uh, Mom..."

   "We're..." Tami stuttered.

   I sighed.  "Traci take a deep breath.  Tami shut up." Traci took a deep
breath and let it out.  Tami turned back and glared at me.

   "Mom wanted to talk to you.  I didn't know you were..."

   "It's okay.  It happens," I told her.

   "I thought she was..."

   I reached up and put my hand on Tami's mouth before she could say Mikee.
I didn't want Traci wondering why it would be okay for Mikee to walk in us.

   She did.

   "What's going..." Mikee said as she stepped through the open door.

   "Nothing!" Traci snapped and pushed her back out the door.

   "Oh God!" Tami blurted out.

   I grinned.  What the hell.  Might as well have a party.

   "Traci, it's okay.  Mikee can come in."

   "But..."

   "It's okay, Trace."

   Traci got out of the door and Mikee came in, thankfully pulling the door
closed behind her.

   I wondered where Kelly was.  Maybe Paula could come over.

   Big Tony had lost interest and shriveled up, the head just barely
penetrating between Tami's lips.  As Mikee looked down on us, I realized
that it was the first time she'd actually seen us.

   "Hi, Mikee," I said.  "I hear you've been looking for me." I sounded so
calm, I reminded myself of Mr.  Bower.

   "I was wondering...  I kinda...  I..."

   "Breathe.  No worries," I said.

   "I wanted to borrow some more of those..." she looked at Traci, then
back at me.  "Things."

   "Rubbers?"

   She nodded.

   "Can't have `em if you can't say `em."

   "Can I borrow some more rubbers?" She looked at Traci again, turning
red.

   "Sure.  But tell Luke to start buying his own."

   "It's, uh...  it's not for Luke."

   "It's not?"

   "We, uh, we kinda broke up."

   "Oh." I hadn't talked to Luke much since school let out three weeks ago.
Between baseball, Tami, and my job, there just wasn't enough time.

   "He, uh, dumped me for Liz Benson."

   "Oh.  Then who...?" I realized it was none of my business before I could
finish.  "Never mind."

   "Chuck Thompson," she answered anyway.

   "Oh." I knew who he was, a freshman like Mikee, but didn't know him.

   "Did you need them now?  I was kinda..."

   Mikee giggled.  "I see." She looked at Traci again and they both
giggled. "I'm, uh, going over to his house tomorrow afternoon."

   "Stop by in the morning."

   Mikee giggled again and left.

   Traci looked more embarrassed after Mikee was gone.  "I should..."

   "Traci, it's okay." And it was.  A year ago, I might have been worried
about blackmail, but Traci and I had gotten a lot closer.  "Tell Mom, I'll
be home in a few minutes."

   "Okay." Traci left, looking glad to escape.

   I looked up at Tami.  "At least life's interesting."

   Tami buried her head on my chest.

   Chapter 2

   I knocked.

   "Come in."

   "Can we talk?"

   "Uh, okay."

   I stepped into Traci's room and closed the door behind me.

   "I'm not going to say anything, if that's what you're worried about."

   "Trace, believe it or not.  I wasn't worried.  Last year, maybe.  But
not now."

   "Oh."

   "I just wondered if we needed to talk."

   "Oh." She had my way with words.

   "I mean you're a third grader now, you're growing up."

   "I am not," she snapped.  "I'm a seventh grader."

   I grinned.

   "Oh.  Damn you."

   I grinned again.

   "Do you and Tami...?"

   "Tell you what.  One time only deal.  Ask whatever you want.  No matter
what, I won't get mad.  I may not answer, but I won't get mad.  One
condition."

   "What?" she asked suspiciously.

   "If you ever get confused about anything, you'll ask me."

   "Like what?"

   "You'll know it when you see it."

   Traci blushed, knowing I was talking about her sex life.  Or hopefully,
her future sex life.

   "Do you and Tami...?  I mean, how often...?"

   "Traci, if this is going to work, you have to be able to talk." Traci
blushed again and nodded.  "How often do Tami and I..." I debated being
make love and fuck, not sure Traci would appreciate the difference yet. 
"Fuck?"

   She nodded, turning even redder.

   "It depends a lot on the outside world.  Some days, we do it three or
four times a day.  Sometimes it's a week or more in between.  It depends on
whether her mom's home, or our parents, or you." Traci looked down at her
feet.  I decided not to mention that sometimes we got around the parent
thing by doing it in the woods.  I didn't want to give her ideas.

   "Do you...?  I...?  Was she, uh, your first?"

   "Yes.  And I really hope she's my last too."

   "Your last?"

   "I love Tami, and I hope I marry her someday and live happily ever
after, just like in a fairy tale."

   I kinda expected her to make some smart remark.  "You will.  Uh, when?"

   "The first time?  Just after we made up that first summer."

   "Do you, uh, wear a rubber?"

   "No." Traci's eyes got big.  "But, and it's a big but, that's because
Tami has other birth control.

   "Oh."

   "Anything else?"

   "Uh, what sort of things do you do?"

   This time I blushed.  "We're not going there."

   Traci giggled.

   "And no thinking about it."

   Traci giggled again.

   "Is that it?"

   "Did she, uh, and Peter King...?"

   I had to think about that one for a minute.  "That's not my question to
answer," I said finally.

   Traci nodded.  I think she understood.

   "What about Mikee?"

   "What about her?"

   "She didn't seem very surprised."

   "She's never seen us before," I said honestly.  "But she knew."

   Traci nodded.  "Kelly?"

   "Kelly too."

   Traci thought about everything.  I waited.

   "Did you and Robbie...?"

   "Yes."

   She nodded, unsurprised.  "Do you still...?"

   "Yes." That surprised her.  "But Tami knows.  I'm not cheating on her.
It's, it's complicated."

   "It's weird."

   "That too."

   "Do you, I mean, together?"

   "No." Though not for lack of wishing.

   She nodded, accepting that.  "Do you ever..."

   "What?"

   "Do you, uh, jerk off?"

   That one caught me by surprise.  "Not as much as I used to.  I prefer
Tami or Robbie." Or Mikee or Kelly, but I wasn't going there.  "But
sometimes when I can't be with them..."

   "Oh."

   I was tempted to ask if she did.  Standing by her door, I looked down at
my sister.  And I realized that she was hot.  I mean, she'd been my sister
for so long, she'd just been there.  But I think I started to realize she
was a people.  A beautiful people.  Just as pretty in her way as Mikee or
Kelly.

   Her breasts had started to grow, and her nipples were pressed against
the tight material of the long t-shirt she wore as a night gown.  I could
understand why that guy, what was his name?  Oh yeah, Gary Rogers, had his
hand up her shirt.  I had a sudden image of Traci naked on her bed.

   I mentally slapped myself.  I hadn't visited the ASSTR or SOL sites much
lately, but apparently they'd left their mark.

   "Does Mikee always come to you for rubbers?"

   "Don't know." She looked confused.  "I don't know how often she and Luke
did it, so I don't know if she always came to me."

   "Does Kelly?"

   `Not so far,' I thought.  As far as I knew, I was Kelly's only interest.
"Not your business."

   "You told me about Mikee."

   "You already knew about Mikee."

   "If...?"

   Ever had a premonition of impending doom?  "Yes?"

   "I mean, uh..."

   "Traci, ask your question.  I told you I wouldn't get mad."

   "If I need some, will you give them to me?"

   Okay, I lied.  I will get mad.  I counted to ten, first in English, then
Spanish, German, French, Russian, and Chinese.  I took a deep breath, I
really needed to learn numbers in a couple more languages.

   "My first impulse is to say you're not having sex until your fifth
anniversary with your husband.  But I guess that's the big brother in me.
To be honest, if you're having sex, I really don't want to know, but if you
need protection, you know where to find me."

   I opened the door, glad to make my escape.

   "Tony?"

   "Yes?"

   "You're not the worst brother a girl could have."

   "Ditto."

   Chapter 3

   "I'm not sure about this."

   "I am," Tami said definitely.

   "But..."

   "You promised."

   "But..."

   "It's not like you're going to hate it."

   "This is weird."

   "I think the word you used the last time we talked about it was kinky."

   I grinned.  It was definitely kinky.

   "Last year, you said you enjoyed your fireworks," she said with a grin.

   "I did, but that was just a coincidence."

   She grinned bigger.

   "Wasn't it?"

   "Robbie thought you should have a good Fourth of July."

   "I love my life.  I don't understand it, but I love it."

   "So...?" Tami rested her fists on her hips.

   "You're sure?"

   "I'm sure."

   I smiled and bowed at the waist.  "Your wish is my command."

   "Just get on your bike and start peddling your cute little ass over
there."

   I looked down over my shoulder.  "You really think my ass is cute?"

   She nodded.

   I got up, took her hand and we walked to the door.  Outside my house, I
swung my leg over my bike, then pulled her close and kissed her.  "I will
be expecting a reward when I get back."

   "Considering your afternoon, you should be expecting a nap when you get
home.  Don't you have a game today?"

   "At five."

   "A nap is in your future," she predicted.

   "We'll see," I said as enigmatically as I could, pushed off and sailed
down the street.

   * * *

   I knocked.

   A minute later Robbie opened the door.  She was wearing a pair of navy
cut-offs and a white t-shirt tied just under her tits.

   "Hi, didn't expect to see you until the game."

   "Two of the three most beautiful sophomores in the county are alone in
one place, and you didn't think I'd show up?"

   "Not when you live a few doors down from the third, and your parents are
gone for the day."

   I held out both hands, palms up.  "One pretty sexy girl," I said looking
at my left hand.  "Two pretty sexy girls," I added, looking at my other
hand.  I shifted them up and down a few times, then lifted my right hand
about a foot higher than my left.  I grinned at Robbie.  "No contest."

   Robbie grinned back.  "Love." She took my hands and shifted them so the
left was a foot higher than the right.

   I hung my head.  "Tami's mom wanted her to help her with some cooking."

   "Unh huh."

   "So where's Ashley?"

   "In the living room.  We were watching television."

   "It's too nice a day for television." I stepped past her.  "Hi Ash," I
said as I walked into the living room.  Ash was dressed opposite of Robbie.
White cut-offs and a navy t-shirt.  I wondered if they'd planned it, or it
just happened.

   "Tony!  What are you doing here?"

   "I came to seduce you." I pulled her up off the sofa and kissed her, my
tongue worming it's way into her mouth before she knew what was happening.
One hand on her ass and the other on her tit.  She wasn't wearing a bra.

   Behind us, Robbie cleared her throat.

   I let go of Ashley, then took her hand.  "We're going to use your
bedroom," I announced and pulled Ashley behind me as I headed for the
stairs.  I'll treasure the look on Robbie's face all my life.  It's nice to
know I can sometimes take her by surprise.

   Ashley kind of drifted a little behind me as I pulled her up the stairs.
I think I'd taken her by surprise too.  I paused halfway up and looked down
at Robbie standing in the entry of the living room.  "You coming?"

   "What?"

   "We had a bet.  You're not going to welsh are you?"

   I watched as her face changed from surprise, to shock, to...  I wasn't
sure.

   I led Ashley up the stairs and into Robbie's bedroom.  I turned and
pushed the bunched up bottom of her t-shirt over her tits, then leaned down
and took one into my mouth.  One hand started rubbing her other tit while I
teased her ass with the other.  I had to admit, she had a great ass.

   Robbie came to the doorway.  "You're wearing too many clothes," I told
her, and licked around Ashley's nipple and aureola.  "Put on some music," I
suggested as I kissed my way down Ashley's stomach.

   "Someone's horny," Robbie said as she turned on her stereo.

   "Unh huh," Ashley agreed throatily.

   I unfastened the button at the top of her cut-offs, then busied myself
kissing the small patch of skin revealed there as I went to my knees.  I
wanted to give Ashley time to figure out what was happening and decide if
it was going too far.

   I glanced at Robbie, standing by the stereo.  "Why are you still
dressed?"

   Robbie arched a single eyebrow, but started pulling off her shirt.

   I reached up and grabbed the zipper to Ashley's fly and slowly started
pulling it down.  I wanted to use my teeth, but it's harder than it looks.
As the zipper got to the bottom, I spread her cut-offs open and kissed the
silky fabric of her pale blue panties.

   I eased my hands around her back and into the back of her cut-offs and
started pushing them down.  I was surprised as my hands slid over her bare
ass.  "A thong?" I said in surprise.  "I can't believe you wear a thong." I
looked up her body.  Ashley was blushing.  I was surprised because to me,
Ashley didn't seem like the type, though I'm not sure what the thong type
was.  To me, they just looked uncomfortable.

   As I pushed her cut-offs past her knees, I turned her around and started
kissing her all over her exposed ass.  I had to admit, her ass looked hot
with just that little strip of cloth that disappeared between her cheeks.

   Robbie was still standing by the stereo.  I motioned her over.  I
unfastened her cut-offs and pushed them down.  She was wearing yellow
bikini style panties.  I kissed her mound through the cotton, then returned
to Ashley's ass.

   With one hand I massaged Robbie's ass, with the other I gently caressed
the crotch of Ashley's panties.  Damn, I love my life.

   I stood, scooped up Ashley, and carried her to the bed.  Then I returned
and scooped up Robbie and set her next to her friend.  Standing at the foot
of the bed, I admired my handiwork.  "Now that's a picture," I said, trying
hard not to drool.  "One thing would make it perfect."

   "Do I get a guess?" Robbie asked sarcastically.

   I grinned, put one knee on the bed between her legs, and reached up and
grabbed her panties and started pulling them down.  As I got to her knees,
I stood again and eased them the rest of the way off.  I looked at Ashley.
She looked nervous, but ready.  I pulled her panties off the same way.  I
looked down at the two naked girls.  Why the hell had I left my camera at
home?

   I wondered what my friend Luke would say if he could see me now. 
Probably something about hogging all the good stuff.

   "When was the last time you had a tongue in your pussy?" I asked the two
girls.

   Robbie giggled.  "Saturday night." Not a big surprise, since it had been
my tongue.  Robbie had been going out with Fred Clarkson, but I think that
kind of ended when school finished.  Actually, I think Fred was kind of a
project.  He wasn't bad looking, but a bit of a nerd.  Robbie was his first
girlfriend.  I wondered if he was going to be a player, now that Robbie had
built him a rep.

   "Oh God," Ashley moaned.  I wasn't sure if that meant October, when she
had moved, or never.  Ashley sent mixed signals about just how much
experience she had.

   I spread Robbie's legs, then Ashley's, laying Ashley's leg over
Robbie's. I really had to start carrying my camera.  I got on my knees at
the foot of the bed between Ashley's legs.  I kissed her knee, the one that
was lying over Robbie's.  I started kissing my way up her leg, an inch at a
time, one hand caressing Robbie's thighs as I moved up.

   I got to the top of Ashley's thigh and started kissing up her hip, then
across her pelvis and back down the other leg.  When I got to her knee, I
decided that she was ready.  I planted my face in the little patch of fuzz
on her mound and nestled.  There was just something about running my
fingers, or my face, through a patch of pussy fuzz that just turned me on.

   Ashley's clit protruded slightly, and I grazed it with the tip of my
tongue.  "Oh, fuck!" she yelled.  I decided that Ashley didn't have as much
experience as she'd led us to believe.  I kissed my way down her slit as I
played with Robbie's pussy with one hand and Ashley's nipple with the
other.

   Damn, I love my life.

   I gently sucked on Ashley's clit and felt her shiver, then tense up,
then melt, and guessed the girl had just had a nice little climax.

   I sat up on my heels and gazed down at my handiwork.  Ashley lay there,
breathing heavily, a moronic grin on her face.  I reached up and grabbed
Robbie's left hand, then placed it on Ashley's slit, her thumb right on the
nub of Ashley's clit.  Then I reached over Robbie, captured her right hand,
and pulled it over and put it on Ashley's tit.

   I stepped back off the bed.  "Save my place, I'll be back in a minute."

   Robbie lay on her side in an awkward position and looked at me.  I
grinned and backed out of the room.  I walked past the door to the bathroom
and down the stairs.

   * * *

   "What are you doing down here?" Robbie asked, looming over me.

   "Watching General Hospital."

   "But..."

   "I wanted to find out if Carla broke up with Mark.  Did you and Ashley
have fun?"

   "I..."

   "Actually, did you have fun?  I know Ashley did.  She was yelling so
loud for awhile, I had to turn up the TV."

   "I...  uh, why?"

   "Think about it awhile." I stood up, stretched, and walked toward the
front door.  "Tell Ashley I said goodbye." I grabbed the doorknob and
opened the door.  "You remember last year?" she nodded.  "The talent show?
How somebody, who shall remain nameless, manipulated my life?  Payback's a
bitch." I grinned and shut the door behind me.

   * * *

   Tami was waiting when I peddled into the park.

   "How'd it go?" she asked before I could even get off the bike.

   "It went," I said as I parked my bike.

   "What happened?"

   "Is it any of your business?" I asked, as I opened my front door for
her.

   "I...  I mean...  You always...  I thought..."

   I laughed.  "Have I ever told you that you're cute when you sputter."

   "I..." She grinned.  "No, you haven't."

   "Tam, I've always told you about me, not other people.  As for me, I
kissed Ashley, I undressed her, I kissed her pussy, I watched General
Hospital." I guided her into my room and closed the door.

   "General Hospital?"

   "Yeah.  Not only did Carla break up with Mark, she's back together with
Tim."

   "General Hospital?  You didn't fuck her?"

   "Now why would I want to fuck a blond when I have a brunette at home." I
fell back on my bed, pulling Tami with me.

   "What about Traci?  Isn't she home?"

   "Do you really care?"

   Chapter 4

   "You think you're pretty smart," Robbie voice accused.

   I opened my eyes.  "Huh?"

   Robbie was towering over me.  Not hard, since I was lying flat on my
back in bed.

   "You think you're smart."

   "Good morning to you," I said and looked at the clock.  A few minutes
after eight.

   "Well?" she glowered.  Robbie definitely had glowering down pat.

   "Yeah, I think I'm smart.  Fourth in my class so far.  I think my GPA is
like twelfth in the school.  Something like that."

   "That's not what I mean and you know it."

   "Robbie, it's eight in the morning.  Until twenty seconds ago I was
sound asleep.  If you want me to understand what the hell you're talking
about, you're going to have to try harder."

   "You set me up," she said flatly.

   Yesterday.  We were talking about yesterday.  "Yep.  I set you up," I
agreed.  "Now I'm going to get a little more sleep."

   I closed my eyes.  Something hit me in the stomach, not hard enough to
knock the wind out of me, but hard enough to get my attention.  I opened my
eyes again.  "What is your problem?"

   "You!' she said and aimed another punch toward my stomach.  I grabbed
her arm and spun her around as I sat up, using her other arm to create a
straight jacket effect.  "You were so into your girl on girl fantasy, your
threesome, that you just had to set one up."

   I laughed as she struggled.  "For someone who finished second in her
class, you're not very bright."

   "What?" She stopped struggling, so I released her.  She stood and faced
me again.

   "If I wanted to watch some girl on girl, or if I wanted to make my
threesome a reality, don't you think I would have stuck around?  Or don't
you think I'm smart enough to have figured that out?"

   "I...  I don't get it."

   "Think on it a little." This explained why she was so different at the
game last night.  I was more than a little annoyed.

   Robbie sat down on the edge of the bed.  "I don't get it," she repeated.

   "You and Tami have been telling me for months that Ashley was horny.  I
took care of it."

   "But why didn't you...?"

   "I don't know if she realized it herself, but it wasn't what she wanted.
I wasn't who she wanted."

   "But she could have found someone..."

   "She did." Robbie still looked blank.  "You!"

   "Me?  That's ridiculous."

   "Tell you what.  You think about it the rest of the day.  In fact, go
talk to Ashley with it in the back of your mind.  Then come back tomorrow
and tell me how ridiculous it is."

   "But I'm a girl."

   "Roberta Elizabeth Marie Tate, you are many things, but I refuse to
believe you're naive."

   "I'm not.  It's just, it's different when it's about you."

   "Welcome to the real world."

   "You really think she's..."

   "Unh huh," I said nodding.

   "What do I do?"

   "What do you want to do?"

   "I don't...  I'm not sure."

   I looked up at the ceiling.  "Thank you God, she's human after all."

   The human stuck her tongue out at me.

   "Try to forget Ashley's a girl for a minute.  If Ashley were a boy, what
would you do?"

   "Well, I like her a lot.  Him.  Whatever."

   "So, if it was a guy, you'd go out for awhile and see what happens?"

   "I guess."

   "Sounds like a plan to me."

   "You're just trying to get rid of me.  Of us."

   "Never," I said and pulled her on top of me, kissing her deeply.

   "OH!"

   Traci was standing in the doorway.  My sister was definitely getting an
education.

   "Morning Trace.  You remember Robbie?"

   "Oh!"

   I felt a premonition coming on.

   Another long talk was in my future.

   Chapter 5

   "So got any plans for August?  Like the first weekend?" Tami asked,
looking up from her book.  We'd been sitting on the swings, reading
together.

   "Just one."

   "Oh?"

   "Regionals."

   "I thought baseball was over after this weekend."

   "Only if we lose, and I don't think we will.  And if we win at state,
then regionals in Idaho."

   "Oh."

   "Why?" I asked.

   "Just wondering." Tami went back to the book she was reading.

   God, I was glad that she was a lousy liar.  It seems to me it's time for
some sleuthing, as the Hardy Boys would say.

   * * *

   The game was on the line as I stepped up to the plate.  Actually, we
were up eleven runs, and had no outs.  For a championship game, this was a
yawn.  We were playing a team from Vancouver.  They'd used all their gas to
get to the championship and had nothing left.

   The pitcher let loose with a fastball that wasn't, and I smacked my
second home run of the game.  As I trotted around the bases, I looked up in
the stands.  Tami was sitting with Traci, between my folks and Robbie's
dad, near the third baseline.  I gave then a wave as I went by.

   Robbie held up her hand, and I gave her a high five as I jumped on the
plate with both feet.  She stepped up to the plate and took a practice
swing.  The pitcher came set, and Robbie stepped back out of the batter's
box.  The pitcher looked disgusted and relaxed.  Robbie smiled at the
umpire and walked around and took her place on the other side of the plate.
She was going to bat left handed.

   The pitcher came set again and fired.  Robbie swung awkwardly.  Strike
one.  Robbie took a couple of practice swings, still awkward.  I'd never
seen her bat left, and this explained why.  The pitcher smiled and fired
another shot.  Robbie swung again, it was almost painful to watch.  Strike
two.  Vancouver just might get an out.  The pitcher set for the third time.
He reared back and threw.

   Robbie swung, catching the top third of the ball.  The ball came off her
bat and dribbled up the third base line.  The pitcher, catcher, and third
baseman all charged after it as Robbie sprinted toward first.

   "Let it go foul!  The coach yelled from the dugout.  The three players
left the ball alone as it rolled down the line and settled, an inch in fair
territory.

   We couldn't even give them an out.

   When I came up again later in the same inning, everyone was pretty
disgusted.  Vancouver had gotten two outs, one when Jimmy Baker stumbled
between second and third, and one when Brian Lasker got hit by the ball
Johnny McBride hit.  Then our next four batters all got solid hits, even
though they all batted left.  Clay Thomas hit our eighth home run of the
game, and it was my turn again.

   As I stepped to the plate I thought about batting left.  Hell, I thought
about batting blindfolded.  I just wanted them to get an out.  We were up
by eighteen.  If they batted and scored less than nine the game would be
mercy-ruled.

   I looked at the coach in the box by third base.  He gave me the sign for
hit away.  I shook my head, held my bat in front of me, and made a bunting
motion.  He shrugged.  Just in case anyone hadn't figured out I was
bunting, I squared up with the bat in front of me and waited for the pitch.

   The pitcher threw.  The ball was high and outside.  I went after it
anyway.  I managed to get a piece of it and knock it down.  I took off for
first.  As I ran, I waited for the ball to pass me on the way to first, it
didn't.  I found out later that the pitcher and catcher got tangled up with
each other.  The ball was almost a second behind me.  I decided
what-the-hell and kept going toward second when nobody tagged me, I turned
the corner and kept going toward third.

   On the video of the game, the first baseman tripped over the bag as he
threw to second and threw into center field instead.  The center fielder
was on top of it, scooped the ball and fired toward third.  The ball
slapped into the third baseman's glove just as my foot hit the corner of
the bag and I turned toward home.  The third baseman hesitated a second,
surprised that I'd do something so stupid, then fired toward the catcher.
The catcher stood straddling the plate and waited.  I slid, going through
his legs, and the damn idiot was so shocked that he forgot to put the tag
on me.

   Robbie gave me a hug as I climbed out of the dirt.  "You tried," she
said with a shrug.

   The guy who wrote Field of Dreams wrote another book about a game that
went on and on and on.  I felt like I was living it.  I tried to remember
just how long that game went on, but couldn't.  I'd have to reread it.  The
title was something about the Iowa Baseball League.  No, The Iowa Baseball
Confederacy, that was it.  Kinsella wrote it.

   Robbie was in the batter's box.  The pitcher threw a slow ball right
down the middle.  Robbie swung and missed.  She was way early.  The pitcher
threw again.  His arm was dead.  Robbie swung late.  Strike two.  The
pitcher threw again.  The pitch was high, just over Robbie's head, but she
went after it anyway.  A miss.  Strike three.

   "Damn!" Robbie said as she walked back to the dugout, though without
much conviction.

   "Your first K of the tournament," I said as I tossed her, her mitt. 
"You must be crushed."

   "Yeah," she agreed.  "Crushed.  At least it wasn't backwards." A
backwards K in the score book indicated a called third strike.

   I was hoping that Vancouver would get a couple of runs, but on the very
first pitch the batter hit a shot straight at Clay, who was pitching.  Clay
caught it in self defense.  The next batter hit a one-bouncer to Robbie,
who threw him out at first.  The third batter popped a high fly ball that
Brian Lasker in center field camped under for an easy catch.

   The game was over twenty-one to two in five innings.

   We were state champions.

   Regionals were next.

   * * *

   The swings were blowing in the breeze as Robbie, Tami, and I sat on the
grass and enjoyed the chance to cool off a little.  July had kicked the
heat up in the week and a half since we'd come back from the state
tournament.

   "Please," I said, trying to make puppy dog eyes as I begged.

   "I don't think so," Tami said as she idly puled a blade of grass out of
the ground.

   "But I'll miss you."

   "You'll get over it."

   "We need you there.  You're lucky for us."

   "I just don't feel like it, okay?"

   "Okay," I agreed.

   "I'm just tired of baseball.  I mean, I've been watching you guys since
March and it's almost August.  That's half a year."

   "I understand.  I just thought Robbie would like having you along."

   "Robbie, huh?"

   I grinned.  Robbie just shook her head, ignoring us and watched clouds
play tag.

   "I didn't want our second baseman getting lonely all the way in Idaho."

   "Maybe Ashley could go," Tami suggested.

   "Now there's a thought," I agreed, watching Robbie's neck turn red as
she watched the sky.



   Chapter 6

   Nampa, Idaho, was not the most exciting town I'd ever seen, but then I
wasn't there to sightsee.  On Tuesday we polished off a team from Oregon.
Oregon and Washington actually had two teams in the tournament, a Northen
team and a Southern team.  Ashley, Robbie and I celebrated with a dinner at
the local Outback.

   Wednesday we rolled over the team from Wyoming, and Thursday the host
team from Nampa dropped into the loser's bracket.  Friday we went
international.  Alberta's team at ten in the morning, then the team from
Hawaii at six.  Two games, two wins.

   Saturday evening was shaping up into a grudge match.  In the morning we
had Alaska and then, if we didn't get beat, our team, representing Northern
Washington, against the team from Southern Washington.  The last two
undefeated teams.  The loser would still have a chance to come back through
the loser's bracket and play in the final on Sunday.

   * * *

   I suited up in my motel room.  This was the big day.

   I tied my shoes and straightened.  You couldn't pay me enough to miss
this.  I let myself out and walked down the hall to three twelve.

   I knocked.

   "Who is it?" a girl's voice called out.

   "Golden Gate Escort Service!" I yelled, keeping my voice deep.  "You
need an escort?"

   "What?" came a confused voice.

   I knocked again.

   "Who are..." The door opened.  "What...?  how...?  what...?"

   "I think that's why I love you.  Never at a loss for words." I grinned.

   "How...?"

   I stepped in the door and pulled Tami into my arms, kissing her deeply.

   "Tami, did you really think I'd miss this?"

   "But I didn't tell..."

   "Lady, you've been acting weird ever since you found out that the
regional tournament was this weekend.  You think I wouldn't get suspicious
and ask questions?" I kissed her again, and winked at her mother sitting on
the bed in the room.

   "But you're in Idaho."

   "I'm a man of many talents.  Being in two places at once is just one of
them."

   "But..."

   "Tami, I was in Idaho this morning.  We beat Alaska by the way.  Just
after noon, I got on one of them thar flying contraptions, and now I'm
here."

   "But you have a game tonight."

   "No.  I have a date tonight.  Besides, they won't let me wear my tux on
the field." I let go of Tami, stepped back and twirled showing off my
tuxedo.  "And, I'd like to point out, I don't even like to wear a tie, so
you better win tonight."

   "God, I'm glad you're here," she said and melted into my arms again.

   * * *

   "...and thank you.  This was a tough year for the judges.  All the
entries were excellent." the M.C.  said, glancing down at his notes.

   I wondered if any announcer anywhere had ever said it was an easy
decision.

   "One hundred and thirty-six articles were submitted to the panel by the
editors of local papers.  The panel managed to cull them down to the final
eight, represented here tonight.  These eight articles represent the very
best of high school journalism in the western United States.  The Bothwell
foundation is proud of all of them.  All of those final eight will be
receiving a plaque and a brand new laptop from Compaq to make their future
writing endeavors easier."

   "That is cool," I whispered to Tami, who seemed to be in shock.

   "The second runner-up, and winner of a five hundred dollar scholarship,
from the Growl, at North Marion High School in Aurora, Oregon, Jerry Todd,
for his article on dirty tricks in school politics." There was a lot of
applause as a guy about seventeen or eighteen made his way to the podium.
He was only wearing a suit, which made me feel special in my tux, even
though it felt like the damn thing was trying to strangle me.

   It took a couple of minutes for him to thank his writing teacher, his
journalism teacher, and his editor and declare that his five hundred
dollars would go toward a journalism major at Oregon State.

   "The first runner-up, and winner of a twenty-five hundred dollar
scholarship is very special.  Of course all of our finalists are special;
in fact all of our entrants are special.  But this young lady is the
youngest ever to be a finalist.  In fact, she's the first freshman ever
nominated.  From the..."

   "Tami," I said, shaking her.  "He's talking about you."

   ...Washington, Tami Sharp, for her article on wife abuse."

   Tami sat, staring at the podium.  I reached over and pinched her side.
She jumped, glared at me for a second, then stood to loud applause.  She
walked up to the podium in a daze, accepted her plaque, then faced the
audience.

   "I'd like to point out that I'm a sophomore now.  Though I was a
freshman when I wrote it.  But right now, I feel like I'm back in the third
grade, and have to give an oral report to the class."

   The audience laughed, and that seemed to loosen up Tami.

   "I'd like to thank four people tonight.  Mr.  Walker, my high school
journalism teacher.  Miss Kroeger, my middle school writing teacher, and my
mom.  They've all really helped me as I learned to write, or as I'm
learning to write, I should say.  Special thanks to my friend, Tony Sims,
who encouraged me to write this and..."

   `Don't do it, Tami,' I thought.

   "...  who managed to get my article published after the school principal
blocked it."

   She did it.

   "He even got suspended for his trouble.  Without him, I wouldn't be here
tonight.  Thank you all."

   Tami rushed off the little stage, and as she came back, I stood and gave
her a hug.

   It was my fault, of course.  I'd never explained to Tami, that I wanted
to keep it quiet about how her article got published.  We were both so
hyped about her taking second that we didn't even hear who beat her.

   * * *

   "Are you Tony Sims?"

   "Yes," I answered automatically as I turned.

   "Hi.  I'm Roger Mahoney," a tall thin man introduced himself.  "I'm with
the San Francisco Examiner."

   `Unh oh,' I thought.  "Glad to meet you," I said.

   "I've read your friend's article.  It was very well done.  Especially
for a freshman." The eight finalist articles were all in a little book the
association had put together.

   "She's very talented," I agreed.

   "So I understand you had a little trouble getting published."

   "Mostly a misunderstanding," I said, trying to minimize it.

   "You got suspended.  Sounds like more than a misunderstanding."

   "Ancient history."

   Mahoney grinned.  "Obviously you don't want to talk about it.  Afraid of
more trouble?"

   I sighed.  "Sit down and I'll tell you a fairy tale." Mahoney sat and I
told him about school, Parker, and the article.  And about Mr.  Mulino who
would get caught in the middle.  "So if you want to write an article, write
about Tami."

   Mahoney smiled, but didn't commit himself.  We chatted for a couple of
minutes.  It turned out he'd read the article in People and recognized me
from that, too.  So I told him all about Robbie and the real story of the
fire.

   * * *

   "Now what?" Tami asked as we walked to the elevator, her mom trailing
behind.

   "Well first, I tell you for the three hundred and seventy-second time
just how good you look in that dress." Actually, it was more of a gown. 
Low cut in the front without a hint of suspension that I could see.  It was
a pale blue with white highlights.  Tami looked like she was ready for a
trip to the Oscars.

   "Then we figure out how to get rid of your mom for a couple of hours."

   "Not happening," her mom said as she joined us on the elevator.

   "Then at eleven thirty, I get on another big silver bird and fly back to
Idaho." I checked, and we'd beaten Southern Washington, so we were in the
championship game.

   "You have to go back?"

   "Afraid so.  They can't win more than one game without me, you know." We
got off the elevator and headed down the hall.

   Tami pouted.  "I'm sorry you came all this way and missed your game, and
I didn't win."

   "Tamarone Sharp, that's ridiculous.  I didn't fly to San Francisco to
see you win.  I came to be with you.  And I've played ninety-three games
this year, and missed one.  That's not bad.  And for the record, you may
not have won the Bothwell Award, but you came in second out of the Western
half of the country.  And confidentially, that's a lot tougher competition
than the eastern half.  And you were the first freshman ever nominated.

   "Lady, if you want to whine, do it around somebody else."

   Tami looked surprised.

   So did her mother.  "You know, I feel like taking a walk," she
announced. "I'll be back in an hour or so."

   Tami looked even more surprised as she watched her mother disappear down
the hall toward the elevators.

   Tami looked at me.  "I..."

   I grinned.  "Would you get that door open.  She gave us an hour and it's
going to take me half that to figure out how to get you out of that
contraption."

   Chapter 7

   "They probably all hate me."

   It was a beautiful night.  The sky was clear, and every star in the
galaxy was twinkling at full power.  It was cool after the rain.  I'd
gotten back from Nampa yesterday, but a heavy rain had kept me from my
ritual walk with Tami.  The rain finally let up this afternoon, and now the
night was perfect.

   I squeezed Tami's hand.  "Who hates you?"

   "Everybody."

   "Every-who?"

   "Your team.  You lost."

   "We sure did.  But why would they hate you?"

   "I took you away."

   "Tami, love of my life, you're being an idiot." Tami glared at me out of
the corner of her eye.  I squeezed her hand again.  "Worse, you're being
insecure and feeling sorry for yourself, and it doesn't become you."

   "I..."

   "Quiet!  I am speaking," I said pompously.  She giggled, which I took as
a good sign.  "We not only lost, we went down in flames.  But it had
absolutely nothing to do with you."

   "But, I..."

   "Fact: if our team couldn't win without me, then they didn't deserve to
be regional champions.  Fact: the game I missed, we won.  I got back in
plenty of time for the two games on Sunday, and those are the ones we blew.
Fact: we lost because in the first game, we had two hits.  That's out of
the whole team, and even if you hexed me, how do you explain everybody
else? Even Robbie couldn't get a hit.  Fact: the team made more errors in
the first game than in the whole tournament.  What do you have to do with
that?"

   "Nothing I guess."

   "Nothing is right.  And even if my going to San Francisco in the middle
of the tournament jinxed us, you didn't ask me to go.  Hell, you didn't
even tell me about it.  I had to worm it out of your mother.  I decided to
go.  I decided what was important.  Comprende?"

   Tami gave me a half smile.  "Yeah."

   "Besides, as I see it, we're not losers, we're the second best team in
seven states and two provinces.  Just like you're the second best reporter
in the Western U.S.  Figure it gives us both something to work for."

   Tami grinned and nodded.

   "And anyway, now the team from Montana has to go to Texas in the middle
of August, not us.  We can just relax and kick back and enjoy the rest of
the summer."

   * * *

   "Can I talk to you?" Ashley asked, coming out of the kitchen.

   "Sure.  Where's Robbie?"

   "She felt the need to check on the chickens." Robbie's dad had decided
that he wanted to keep some chickens for fresh eggs, so built a coop out
behind the house.

   I'd been sitting on the sofa watching General Hospital with Robbie when
she'd gone to the kitchen for some drinks.  I admit it.  I'd gotten hooked,
but I only watched every couple of weeks.  That was enough to keep current.

   "I thought she was getting drinks?"

   "She was, but I came in the back, and we talked."

   "And now she's chicken girl."

   Ashley nodded.

   "You can sit down, you know."

   "I..."

   I thought about pulling her onto my lap, but we hadn't fooled around
since she and Robbie started whatever they started.

   "Take a breath and talk.  We're friends.  You can tell me anything." I
waited, but Ashley didn't say anything.  "Well almost anything.  Don't tell
me I have big ears.  I'd hate that."

   Ashley smiled and moved to the end of the sofa and sat down.

   "Robbie told me what you did?"

   I smiled.  "That could be a good thing, or a bad thing.  Depending on
which thing I did that she told you about."

   "On the fourth.  You know."

   "Oh.  When I got so caught up in my soap that I totally forgot about the
two hot naked women waiting for me upstairs."

   Ashley sighed.  "No, when you gave me a chance to do something that I'd
thought...  that I'd fantasized about for a long time."

   "Nah.  I just forgot."

   "Tony, somehow, I doubt you ever forgot about any girl.  You were being
sweet."

   "Don't let it get around.  My rep, you know."

   "Thank you." She scooted over and kissed me lightly on the cheek.

   "You can do better than that." I picked her up and lifted her onto my
lap.  Then I kissed her, no tongue but long and hard.  Her breath tasted
pepperminty.  "I've missed that," I said when we finished.

   "Wow!"

   "Thank you," I said,grinning.  I cuddled with her.  "Was it everything
you dreamed?"

   "More." She knew I was talking about her and Robbie, not our kiss.  "And
less.  Want the details?"

   Oh, God, yes.  "Not really." I am such a liar.

   Ashley grinned.  "Yes, you do.  And someday, I'm going to get you naked
on a bed, just the two of us, and tell you."

   Damn, I love my life.

   "Then, I'm gonna lose my cherry."

   My heart stopped beating.  Three, maybe four beats.  Then it started
again.  "What?"

   "Robbie and I talked about it.  We think, when I'm ready, you should be
the one."

   I remembered when Robbie had said almost the same thing.  "But I
thought...?"

   "That I was a lez?"

   "No, that you were in love with Robbie?"

   "I was, I am.  At least I think I am.  But she's not in love with me. 
She's in love with...  She's not in love with me."

   "But you two..." I stammered.  Then I thought, `Robbie's in love?  Who
the hell is Robbie in love with?'

   "We have fun.  Let's just leave it at that."

   "Okay."

   "Unless you want to join us for real?  Robbie's got a big bed."

   "I don't think so."

   Why did I spend so much time, talking myself out of sex?  It wasn't
natural.

   * * *

   I was sitting on a tall stool, mike in hand.  Toby Reyes started in on
the piano.  I listened to the first eight bars, then the spot came up,
centered on me.

   "I don't like to sleep alone,

   stay with me, don't go.

   Talk with me, for just awhile.

   So much of you, to get to know."

   Sally Reyes, Toby's sister, came in softly with a single snare drum and
cymbol.

   "Reaching out, touching you.

   Leaving all my worries, far behind.

   Lovin' you, the way I do,

   My mouth on yours, and yours on mine."

   Tami was sitting in the front row, and I stepped off the low stage and
up to her, talking her hand.

   "Marry me.  Or let me live with you.

   Nothing's wrong, when love is right.

   Like the man said, in his song,

   Help me make it through the night."

   "Loneliness, can get you down,

   when you get to thinking, no one cares.

   Lean on me, and I'll lean on you.

   Together we will see it through."

   I let go of Tami and went back to the center of the stage.

   "I don't like to sleep alone.

   It's sad to think that some folks do."

   "No, I don't like to sleep alone.

   No one does, do you?"

   "I don't like to sleep alone.

   No one does, do you?"

   I took a quick bow, and got the hell out of Dodge.  The Paul Anka song
was a good one, but I still wasn't sure it wouldn't get me lynched.

   Robbie was next.  She belted out Dolly Parton's `I Will Always Love You'
in a voice that Dolly would have been proud of and a style somewhere in
between Parton's original arrangement and Whitney Houston's more modern
one.

   You didn't need an applause meter to know who won that one.

   Paul Walker's garage band did a number, then the high school swing
choir. Then Robbie and I were back, this time with a duet.  Robbie had put
together a small group to back us.  Sally and Toby Reyes, with Chad Davis
on guitar.  She called them Unrehearsed.

   I started on my own.

   "Wrote my whole life down in a notebook,

   songs about you and me."

   Then Chad came in softly.

   "Been singin' to every soul in Tennessee."

   Toby and Sally joined in.

   "Nobody seems to listen.

   No one ever smiles the way that you do.

   So, I guess you'll never hear me on the radio.

   I'd give up this crazy dream of mine,

   to hold you once more."

   Robbie joined in on the chorus.

   "Won't you meet me in Montana.

   I want to see the mountains in your eyes.

   I've had all of this life I can handle,

   meet me underneath that big Montana sky."

   Then it was Robbie's turn.

   "I left home for Hollywood,

   looking for a part to play.

   Well, you always said, I had such a pretty face.

   But I guess, I'm not that pretty,

   cause no one looks at me, the way that you do."

   Me again.

   "Well, you'll always be a movie star to me."

   Robbie.

   "Darlin' now I guess it's time, I let go of that dream."

   The two of us in harmony.

   "Won't you meet me in Montana.

   I want to see the mountains in your eyes.

   I've had all of this life I can handle,

   meet me underneath that big Montana sky.

   Robbie.

   "Well, we're stuck here in these hill that they call mountains,"

   Me.

   "Darlin, back home in your arms is right where I want to be."

   Harmony.

   "Won't you meet me in Montana.

   I want to see the mountains in your eyes.

   I've had all of this life I can handle,

   meet me underneath that big Montana sky."

   "In Montana

   I want to see the mountains in your eyes.

   I've had all of this life I can handle,

   meet me underneath that big Montana sky."

   The applause was almost as good as it was for Robbie's song.  Somebody
yelled encore, but I think it was Robbie's dad.

   We got off the stage and mingled.  The parent association was having a
pre-school-year get together and asked Robbie to organize the
entertainment.

   I was standing to the side, talking to Sally and Toby.

   "Mr.  Sims."

   Some sounds are just always associated with disaster.  Mr.  Parker'
voice.  My name with a mister in front of it.

   "Mr.  Parker." I said, turning around.

   He had a sour look on his face; but then, without it, I might not have
recognized him.

   "That song was completely inappropriate for a teenaged boy.  Especially
for this meeting."

   I smiled.  "You're probably right." I turned back to Sally and Toby,
making a mental note to thank Robbie for picking it.

   "I'm talking to you."

   "That's nice," I said without bothering to turn around.

   "I said, I was talking to you," he said, putting his hand on my shoulder
and turning me toward him.  I noticed that several people were looking our
way.

   "I heard you.  You're talking to me.  But I'm trying to talk to my
friends.  You didn't like my song.  Fine.  That's your opinion, and you're
entitled to it.  Hell, the constitution even guarantees you the right to
speak it.  But I don't have to care." I turned back to the Reyes's.

   "Mr.  Sims, your attitude is going to get you in more trouble." He
grabbed my shoulder again and spun me hard.

   "Parker, this isn't school." I tried to shake his hand off, but he was
squeezing hard.  "I don't give a fuck what you think."

   It was like somebody unplugged the sound system.  Total silence.

   "Mr.  Sims, I've had about enough of your..."

   "If you don't get your hand off my son, I'll take it off," My dad said
in a soft voice.

   "Mr.  Sims, your son..."

   "You may not hear well.  Get your damn hand off my kid!"

   Parker pulled his arm back like he'd been burned.

   "Mr.  Sims, his attitude..."

   Dad stepped up and put his arm around my shoulder.  "Parker, I haven't
been in a fight in twenty years.  Touch Tony again, and you and I will find
out if I remember how."

   "I was just..."

   "You were just being a pompous asshole."

   I couldn't believe my dad used that word.

   "You told Tony you didn't like his song.  He told you he didn't care. 
Was there anything else?"

   "That song was totally inappropriate."

   "Tony also told you, this isn't school.  You don't get to decide what's
appropriate.  His mother and I will decide what's appropriate.  Since this
is Mrs.  Keith's meeting, she can decide what's appropriate.  Nobody really
cares what you think."

   Parker seemed shocked, but wasn't smart enough to quit when he was
behind.  "Did you hear his language?"

   "Yeah, he showed more restraint than I would have."

   "But I...  lack of respect."

   "I totally agree," Dad said, squeezing my shoulder.  "And tomorrow, I'll
take the day off and have a talk with your superintendent about the lack of
respect you have for your students."

   "This isn't about me.  He..."

   Dad held his hand up to stop him, then looked around.  "Mrs.  Keith,
this was your meeting.  Were you offended by any of the music?"

   Mrs.  Keith stepped forward, she was a dumpy middle aged woman.  Her
daughter was the captain of the cheerleaders, and probably the hottest girl
in school, now that Alana had graduated.  I wondered if she'd look like
this in twenty years.

   "I thought the music was great.  Tony's song was touching."

   I found out later that she made some comments to mom about my song being
a little mature.

   "It was inappropriate," Parker insisted.

   "Bonny!" Tami's mom stepped up.  "He was singing to your daughter.  Were
you offended?"

   "My future son-in-law singing to my baby.  There's nothing sweeter in
the world."

   "Parker, if you have anything to say to my son, ever, you'd better talk
to me or my wife first."

   "You don't have to take that tone..."

   "Goodbye, Mr.  Parker."

   Parker glared for a second, then turned and walked toward the door.

   "Thanks, Dad." I said.  I was never so proud of him.

   Dad let go of me and stepped in front, leaning forward until we were
nose to nose.  "If you ever use that word in public again," he said in a
low voice, "I'll pull your pants down and paddle you right here."

   "Yes, sir."

   He started to turn away, then turned back, but not right in my face this
time.  "Unless you're talking to that asshole.  I can only expect so much
self-control."

   I grinned and put my arm around him.  "Mom wants to trade you in on a
newer model, but I'm keeping you."

   Chapter 8

   "How the hell did you arrange this?" I asked, as I settled on the sofa.

   "Well, I'd never lie to your mom, cause I know how you feel about that.
But I may have given her the impression that several more guys and girls
were going to be here." Robbie sat on my lap.  She was wearing a pair of
purple gym shorts, and that was all.  "Oh, and I think I forgot to mention
that Dad is back in Tennessee until Monday."

   "Forgot to mention it?"

   "I planned to, but it slipped my mind." Robbie leaned back against me.

   "Too bad Tami couldn't come." She gone to Seattle with her mom to shop.

   "Still thinking about your threesome," Robbie accused.  "You had your
chance, you chose a General Hospital instead."

   "My life is a soap opera.  I can relate."

   Robbie started to sit up and say something, then relaxed.  I enjoyed the
feeling of her body resting against mine.  "I chose today because I knew
Tami was going to be gone.  She knows.  We talked about it."

   "Oh." More soap opera.

   We didn't talk much, just snuggled as we watched a movie on TV.  My Best
Friend's Wedding.  I'd brought the DVD with me, thinking that Robbie would
like it.  Not realizing until I sat there, watching it with her that here
was a movie about a love triangle, and I was living a love triangle.

   Robbie loved it, almost crying at the end.

   "You ready for bed?" she asked as she clicked the remote, turning off
the TV and the DVD player.

   "Uh, yeah." I found myself slightly nervous.  I'd had sex with Robbie,
and I'd slept with her.  I smiled to myself, remembering the trouble I'd
had with Tami about `sleeping' with Robbie.  But now, I was going to do
both.  Have sex and go to sleep.

   It seemed like a big step.

   I kinda wished it could have been with Tami, but Robbie was almost as
good.

   Robbie climbed off my lap, then held her hand out to help me up.  She
pointed me toward the stairs as she wandered around turning off lights and
locking doors.

   I was sitting on the bed when she came up.

   "In the words of someone I know and respect, you're wearing too many
clothes," she said with a grin.

   With a quick shimmy, she was standing in the door naked.

   `Damn, I love my life,' I thought as I pulled my t-shirt over my head.

   * * *

   Almost two hours later we lay spoon fashion, my cock buried in Robbie's
cunt from behind.  I'd cum twice and hadn't even been sure I could get it
up a third time.  Robbie had scored half a dozen orgasms.  I was catching
my breath.  Bed with Robbie was a lot more workout than football or
baseball.  A lot more fun too.

   We lay for several minutes, just enjoying the closeness of each other
and the bond between us, and I don't just mean my tool.  I listened to
Robbie's rhythmic breathing, finally realizing just why it was so rhythmic.
She was asleep.

   I decided I was secure enough to think she was asleep because she felt
safe and loved in my arms, not because sex with me was boring.

   That left me with one unsatisfied battering ram nestled within her.  I
knew I could never go to sleep like this, but I didn't want to wake her. 
So I lay, holding her, and being content.  I thought about Robbie, and
Robbie and Ashley, and Tami, and football, and...

   I woke.  My cock was hard, but it was trapped between Robbie's thighs,
having slipped out of her pussy.  I wondered if it had gone soft in the
night, then hard again as usual in the morning.  Or had it stayed hard all
night?

   I thought about gently fucking Robbie awake, but my bladder decided to
be part of the equation.  I eased my cock out from between her legs and
rolled off the bed as gently as I could.  I looked forward to coming back
and spending all morning in bed with Robbie.

   When I came back, Robbie's eyes were open, and she watched as I walked
back into the room.  Thankfully, my cock had subsided during my morning
waterworks, 'cause there's just no dignified way to walk with a hard-on.

   "You're worth waking up for," she purred.

   I grinned, "You look pretty good yourself."

   "I need a kiss."

   I grinned again.  "Your wish, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera."

   I stepped over to the bed and leaned down.  I was going to give her a
quick peck on the lips, but as our lips touched, Robbie grabbed me and
pulled me into a long deep kiss.

   "I needed that," she said a few seconds later.

   What can I say, I'm good.

   "Go home."

   "What?" I thought I was good.

   "Go home."

   "I thought we...  I mean, I was going to...  I..." I hate when I can't
put a complete sentence together.

   "Tony, I liked last night.  Hell, I needed last night.  But, we're
done."

   "I...  I don't understand."

   "Tony, it's been great.  But you're in love with Tami.  You need to be
with her."

   "But I...  we..."

   "Tony, you've been my friend.  You are my friend and I hope you always
will be.  We've been and we will be team-mates.  But that's all we are."

   "I don't understand," I said again.

   "I do.  And that's enough."

   * * *

   "Robbie dumped me.  Again," I told Tami as soon as she came back.

   "I know."

   "You do?"

   "She told me what she was going to do."

   "She thinks I haven't been fair to you.  I'm sorry." I reached for her
hand, but she grabbed me in a hug.

   "Don't be sorry, and that's not what she thinks."

   "That's what she said."

   "No, I think that's what you heard."

   "I...  don't...  understand." I was getting real tired of saying that.
Maybe someday they'll discover a Rosetta stone for communications between
sexes.

   We were standing on the front lawn, watching the slow transition from
day to night.  Tami let go of me and turned, looking up in the sky.  Only
three stars had come out to play so far.  She watched them sparkle. 
"Robbie's in love."

   "That's what Ashley said.  So there's some one else."

   Tami kept watching the sky but held her hand out to me.  I took it.

   "Tony, she's in love with you."

   "What?  I don't..." I didn't want to say I don't understand again.

   "Don't be dense.  She's been in love with you since the first day she
showed up on your doorstep."

   "But she dumped me.  Right after the talent show."

   "She told me once that love is doing what's right for the other person.
She knew that you, uh, that you loved me.  And she knew that I loved you.
She dumped you because she thought it was the best thing for you.  That it
was right." Tami lowered her head and looked into my eyes.  "I think she
was right."

   "But we've been happy.  I mean, haven't we?"

   Tami smiled.  "Yeah, we've been happy.  I didn't mind sharing. 
Especially with Robbie.  But it was hard for her.  It hurt her.  She
decided that she had to find something, someone of her own."

   "Ashley," I said softly.

   Tami kissed me gently, then lifted her head to the sky again.  A dozen
stars shone now.  "I think Ashley will help, but she isn't the answer.  Can
you say unrequited?" Tami didn't wait for an answer.  "It's like those
romantic comedies you like.  Ashley loves Robbie, but Robbie loves Tony,
and Tony loves Tami."

   "And Tami loves Tony.  I hope."

   "She does."

   "So does anybody live happily ever after?"

   "Us!"

   "Does that mean you'll marry me?"

   "Tony Marion Sims," she said, looking me in the face again.  "You can't
even get your driver's license for five-and-a-half months.  You're not
talking your mom into signing a marriage license."

   "I can be very persuasive."

   "That you can."

   "So what about Robbie?"

   "We give her space when she needs it.  We be her friends when she needs
us.  We hope she finds what she's looking for."

   "You're a very smart lady."

   "Once upon a time I learned a lot from a very wise boyfriend."

   "What ever happened to him?" I said, losing myself in her eyes.

   "We got married and lived happily ever after."

   Chapter 9

   "I am so glad that's over," I said as I slammed my locker closed.

   "What?" Tami asked, closing hers more gently.

   "School.  Only one hundred and seventy-nine more days to go."

   Tami looked exasperated.  "You like school, and you know it," she said.

   I was always amazed that Tami could say something in such a way that it
seemed like she stomped her foot, but didn't have to.

   "Shush," I said.  "I'm a football player.  That's not the sort of thing
I want to get around."

   "And just what if I want to tell the whole school that Tony Sims is
sensitive and caring AND likes school."

   "You can be replaced you know," I said, putting my hands on her hips and
looking into her eyes.  God!  I loved her eyes.  I understood now why poets
spent so much time talking about limpid pools or lipid pools or tepid pools
or whatever it was.

   "Yeah, by who?" she demanded.  "Robbie dumped you, remember?"

   "There's always Allie.  Major cute, a cheerleader, and she thinks I'm
wonderful.  That's a pretty good combination."

   Tami grinned.  "I realize there's more to Allie than I used to think,
but you'd be bored stiff inside a week."

   "But what a week."

   "Besides, I don't think she'd be as understanding about Mikee and
Kelly."

   "Mikee and Kelly?  But I thought...  I mean, I was gonna stop..."

   "Why?" Tami looked really confused.

   "You know, what Robbie said about loving you and..."

   "Oh!  Would you get it through your head that that was about you and
Robbie, not you and me."

   "But..."

   "But nothing.  I told you before, I don't mind sharing." Tami smiled
again.  "Besides, I think you're good for the girls."

   "What?  They don't get enough exercise?"

   "No.  I think it's good for them to know just how great a guy can be.  I
think a lot of girls get stuck with a couple of jerks in a row and think
that's all there is to choose from.  These girls are going to know better."

   "You're going to make me blush." From the quizzical look on her face, I
had a feeling I was.  "Besides, you're not exactly the voice of experience.
We've been going out since the seventh grade."

   Tami looked sad for a second.  "I've had a chance to see a jerk in
action."

   "Oh.  Yeah, right.  Sorry."

   Tami brightened again.  "Not your fault.  Mine.  I wonder what ever
happened to Peter?"

   "I heard he was cooking meth in Montana," Robbie said as she walked up.

   "You're making that up," Tami accused.

   Robbie smiled knowingly.

   "I hope you're making that up.  He wasn't all that bright, and not very
methodical.  If he's playing with chemicals, someone's gonna get blown up."

   Robbie grinned.  "Actually, I heard he was going to school in
Wenatchee."

   Then Robbie looked at me.  She smiled and I felt better.  It was a real
smile, not forced or fake.  She hadn't been on the bus that morning, and we
didn't have any classes together this year, not even the same lunch period,
so I wasn't sure how we were gonna be.

   "You'll never guess..." she started to say.

   Just as I said, "You won't believe..."

   We smiled at each other, then looked at Tami, then back at each other
and laughed.  "Go ahead," I offered.

   "Tommy Sands came looking for me at lunch." Tommy was a senior and
definitely on the cool list.  "He wants us to be in a show."

   "What kind of show?" Tami asked

   "A play.  A musical."

   I grinned.  "That's awesome.  Too bad we'll be busy."

   "We will?"

   "Kirk Sulvan looked me up fifth period.  He wants us to be in a show. 
It's a play.  A musical."

   God, the look on her face.  I love it when I can really surprise Robbie.
It's hard to do, but worth it.

   "What's going on here?' she asked.

   I shrugged.

   Suddenly, Tami started jumping up and down, clapping her hands.  "Oh
goody.  I actually know something you two brains don't."

   "What?" Robbie and I demanded together."

   "Oh, nothing," Tami said with a grin.

   I looked at Robbie, "You want to hold her while I tickle her?  Or shall
I hold her?"

   Robbie smiled tightly.  She reminded me of little Wednesday Addams in
the second movie when she said, `Be afraid.  Be very afraid.'

   She must have reminded Tami too.  "I'll tell.  I was talking to Mr. 
Walker during journalism.  There's a big state-wide contest for the best
student produced play.  Each school can submit one, then there's going to
be regional contests all over the state, then the winners get to go to the
finals in Seattle."

   "Wow!" Robbie and I said together again.  We looked at each other; then
she giggled and I grinned.

   "They're going to broadcast each of the regional winners.  There's
supposed to be a big prize, too, but Mr.  Walker didn't say what it was."

   "Wow!" I said again, this time by myself.

   "So which one do we pick?" Robbie asked, more to herself than to me. 
"Tommy or Kirk?"

   "Well, we have four choices.  We could go with Tommy.  Or we could go
with Kirk.  Or you could go with Tommy and I'll go with Kirk.  Or we can
skip the whole thing."

   "There's a fifth choice," Tami said.  We both looked at her.  "You could
do your own thing."

   "That's..." I was going to say ridiculous.

   "...  a hell of an idea," Robbie finished for me.  "I'll...  we'll have
to think about that.

   "Right now..." Robbie picked up my wrist and looked at my watch.  "We're
supposed to be dressed and on the football field in three minutes."

   "Oh shit!" I said, reaching down and grabbing my backpack.

   Tami cuffed the top of my head just as Robbie's hand smacked my ass. 
"You're always on the girls about their language," Tami reminded me.

   I grinned, grabbed Robbie's hand, and we ran for the locker room.

   Did I mention, I love my life?

   Chapter 10

   "If we do this, we're going to need..." Robbie started.

   "Not to rain on your parade, but do you even know if we can do this?" I
butted in.

   "What do you mean?"

   "Well, if each school gets to submit one production, and Tommy and Kirk
both plan their own, can we?"

   "Oh?"

   "Well, if the school can submit one," Tami said.  "And Tommy and Kirk
and who knows who else all want to do one, the school's going to have to
produce them all and choose, or come up with a FAIR way to decide who gets
a shot.  So it can't hurt to be ready."

   "True," Robbie agreed.

   "Tommy and Kirk both want to do musicals, but we can do dramas,
comedies, whatever," Tami pointed out.

   "I think if we're..." I pointed at Robbie, then back at myself. 
"...going to do it, we should stick with a musical.  We can get Unrehearsed
back together, then add a few more.  Toby on Piano, Chad on guitar, and
Sally plays like a regular Karen Carpenter.

   "Who?" Kelly piped up from where she was snuggled on my lap.

   "Karen Carpenter.  The Carpenters?" Kelly looked blank.  So did her
sister, sitting between Robbie and Tami on the sofa.  The younger
generation, huh.

   "We need to talk to them."

   "You sound like WE'VE decided."

   Robbie had the grace to look embarrassed.  "I didn't mean it like that.
I meant if we go with Unrehearsed..."

   I smiled and waved her off.  "Robbie you've been making my decisions
since we met.  If you stop now, I'll just get confused."

   Robbie blushed.

   "Pizzas ready," Mom announced from the kitchen, bringing in a large
pizza, paper plates and towels.

   "Thanks, Mom."

   She surveyed the room.  I know she was dying to make a comment about me
hanging out with four cute girls, but I think she decided not to embarrass
Kelly.  She waved and went back to the kitchen.

   Traci looked in from the hall, then started to back out again.

   "Come on in, Trace.  Lots of pizza," I offered.

   She smiled shyly and came in, helping herself to pizza and sitting on
the floor.

   Mom came back with cans of Coke and smiled at me after noticing that
Traci had been included.  Damn, I love racking up those brownie points. 
With my habit of getting suspended every March, they came in handy.

   "So if we're going to do a musical, which one?" Robbie asked around a
mouthful of pizza.

   "Jesus Christ, Superstar," Tami suggested.  "I can picture Tony as Judas
belting out Heaven on Their Minds.

   "So you picture me as the biggest traitor in history?"

   Tami giggled.

   "How about Man of La Mancha, I have a little Don Quixote in me."

   "More than a little," Traci said, then looked away.

   "I can't see Parker letting us stage Superstar.  Too controversial.  And
I'd be willing to bet that there will be a couple of La Manchas from other
schools," Robbie, the cool head of reason, pointed out.

   "There's always Oh, Calcutta!" I suggested.

   "Just where were you planning to hide the body?" Robbie asked.

   I grinned.  "I know a couple of spots in the woods back here where
Parker will never be found."

   "I say we do it," Tami said, surprising me.  "Right after you talk my
mom into letting me go on stage naked."

   "You could do The Sound of Music," Traci suggested.  "I always loved
that one.

   "More schools will do that than La Mancha," Robbie said, a little more
sharply that was necessary, I thought.

   "You might want to think about how big a production you want," Tami
suggested.  "You've got two singing and one non-singing roles." She patted
her chest.  "Two if we shanghai Mikee.  And Tommy and Kirk are already
trolling for talent.  If you decide how big you want to get, that may help
you pick a play."

   "I think somewhere between four and thirty," I said.

   "Thanks, Tony.  That really narrows it down." Robbie said sarcastically.

   "Besides a thirty-way split is no fun at all." Tami added.  We'd
discovered that first prize is five grand.  Half for the school, and half
split among the cast.

   "Greed doesn't become you," I accused.

   "I was thinking of you," she said in defense.  "You've got to start
saving for a wedding ring." Mikee did a classic double take and ended up
staring at Tami, who just smiled serenely.

   "We could do our own." Why did I suddenly feel like Micky Rooney; `Hey
kids, let's put on a show.'

   "Sure," Robbie agreed sarcastically.  "You can probably write a play in
a week.  Of course a dozen songs might take a little longer."

   "I was thinking we could pick some songs, then write enough story to tie
them together.  Something like the Beatles did with Hard Day's Night and
Help."

   I noticed the blank look on Kelly's face.  "Tell me you don't know who
the Beatles are and I have to send you home."

   "Of course I do," she said firmly.  I decided not to put her on the spot
and make her name a Beatles song.  I didn't want to send her home.

   "Now I get to play rain cloud," Tami said.  "If you use other people's
songs on stage, and on television, if you get that far, do you have to pay
royalties?"

   I shrugged.

   "Can I make a suggestion?" Traci piped up.

   "What?" Robbie snapped.

   Traci got off the floor.  "I was just going to say you might want to
talk to Mr.  McCoy at the middle school.  He's been a professional
musician. He might be able to help." Traci turned and walked away.

   I didn't look at Robbie.  I gave Kelly a little shove, and she got the
idea and stood up, then I got up and followed my sister.  She'd already
gone into her room and closed the door.  I opened it without bothering to
knock.  Her back was to me, but I knew that tears would be starting at the
corners of her eyes.

   "You are not going to let someone treat you like that in your own
house," I said to her back.

   "But, she's your..."

   "And you are not going to cry.  Anybody who survived twelve years living
with me, is tougher than that."

   She turned and tried to smile.  Her eyes were already red.

   I held out my hand.  "Come on."

   She took it and followed, though not enthusiastically.

   I walked her back into the living room and stood in front of Robbie.  "I
want to introduce you.  This is my sister Traci.  This is HER house and HER
living room, AND I invited her to join us.  If you have a problem with
that, you can leave."

   Robbie looked up at me defiantly, she opened her mouth, I could almost
feel a wave of sarcasm.  Robbie looked down at her toes.  "I'm sorry." She
looked up at Traci and smiled.  "I'm really sorry.  It's not you.  It's
just...  I'm being real bitchy today."

   Traci nodded.  "Cause you broke up with my brother again," she said
sagely.

   Did I miss a bulletin on CNN or something?

   Robbie nodded.  "Will you please stay?"

   Traci nodded and held out her hand.  The two girls shook.

   I sat back down in Dad's chair and pulled Traci onto my knees.  She
looked embarrassed, but stayed.

   "Can I do anything to make it up to you?" Robbie asked.

   "Can you teach me to hit?  I suck at softball," Traci said without
hesitation.

   "What about Tony?"

   "He's my brother," she said, as if that explained everything.  I guess
it did.

   * * *

   "Tony, can I see you a minute?" Mom called when I returned from walking
Tami and the girls home.  Dad was driving Robbie.  I joined Mom in the
dining room, where she was working on bills at the table..

   I stood by the table as she finished writing a check and stuffing it in
an envelope.

   "You know when you were eight, your sister tried very hard to get you
traded in on a dog.  A golden retriever.  You were a real pain that year.
You were full of yourself because you were the best on your team at
baseball, you were the best at football, you got the best grades.  I almost
went for it."

   I didn't remember being all that bad, and didn't have a clue what she
was leading up to.

   "Tonight, I don't think she'd trade you in, even for a pony."

   Chapter 11

   "And how are we this morning?" I asked as Tami and I walked up the hall.
Robbie was standing by her locker.

   "Fine.  Dad drove me to school."

   "And what's the reading on the bitchiness meter?"

   Robbie looked slightly annoyed.  "About a two.  I'm good."

   "You don't want to hit, kick, or strangle anyone?"

   "Tony, I said I was sorry."

   "It's not that.  It's just that football practice has been canceled for
today.  You won't have a chance to work out your aggressions."

   "Tami's going to be a widow if you don't lay off.  It's been a week. 
Forgive and forget."

   "Oh, I forgave you last Monday.  But I have a memory like an aardvark."

   "An aardvark?"

   "Elephants remember a long time.  Aardvarks remember forever."

   Both girls gave me funny looks.

   I grinned.  "But the good news is, we have an appointment with Mr. 
McCoy after school."

   "When did you set that up?"

   "Let's see, the bus got here about eight minutes ago.  Kevin told me
about practice about six minutes ago, some kind of teacher's meeting.  So
about four minutes ago, Tami and I went to the office and called Mr. 
McCoy. Then about two minutes ago, we walked over here, and here we are.

   "You're annoying," Robbie said with a smile.

   "But cute."

   "Too cute for your own good," Tami said from beside me.

   "I know," I said and flinched as Tami punched me in one arm and Robbie
the other.  "Ow."

   "Why do you put up with him?  Robbie asked.

   "I do it for humanity.  If I dump him, some poor innocent girl will get
stuck with him.  Besides, he makes me laugh."

   I suppose there are worse epitaphs.

   * * *

   "So what do you think?" Robbie asked as we stood outside the middle
school waiting for our rides.

   I squeezed Tami's hand as I looked at Robbie.  "I think Mr.  McCoy's
right.  We should e-mail ASCAP and get good information, but if it's fifty
dollars a day like he thought, that could get real expensive real fast.

   "Yeah, eight to ten songs, that's five hundred bucks a day."

   "Twelve songs."

   "Twelve?" she asked looking at me funny.

   "That's what we figured when we wrote it."

   "Wrote what?"

   "The musical, of course," Tami said with a smile.

   "You wrote an entire musical in a week?"

   I grinned.  "Over the weekend, actually.  Tami, Traci, and the girls
helped."

   "And you were going to tell me, when?"

   "Now."

   "You wrote an entire musical over the weekend," Robbie repeated to
herself.

   "Well, I came up with a storyline, then all the girls helped me find
songs to fit the story, then we just had to write dialog to connect the
songs together."

   "Twelve songs," Robbie repeated.

   "Yep, though that could change.  Right now we have one male and three
female singing parts and one female and three male non-singing parts."

   "Don't forget the angel," Tami reminded.

   "Oh yeah, we have an angel that could be a boy or a girl.  We don't have
a song for him/her now, but we'd like one.  We'll probably have to write it
ourselves.  We can steal somebody's music and do new lyrics.

   "I still can't believe you wrote an entire musical in one weekend."

   "Well, the school has to submit an entry for the contest on November
third.  That gives us less than two months to put everything together."

   "It was nice of Mr.  McCoy to say he'd help with the musicians and
everything," Tami added.

   "That'll help a lot," I agreed.  "How many do you think we'll need?" I
asked Robbie.

   "How should I know?  I didn't even know we had a play already."

   I grinned and nodded to Tami.  She took off her backpack and pulled out
a sheaf of papers and handed them to Robbie.

   Robbie looked down at the papers in her hand.  Forty-two pages, single
spaced, and that didn't include the lyrics of the songs, just the titles.
"I've talked to Sally and Chad, and they're in.  Toby said he'd think about
it.  Do we need more?"

   "Well a hundred piece orchestra would be nice, but we can probably get
by with three.  That gives us piano, guitar and drums," I said.

   "A violin would be nice, maybe a trumpet." Tami mused.

   "You know, Mr.  McCoy knows almost everybody in the high school and
middle school.  He'll have suggestions."

   Tami and I nodded.

   Robbie looked down at the stack of paper in her hand again as her dad
drove up.  "Do I get to know the name of our musical?"

   Tami and I looked at each other and grinned.  "Well, at the moment I'm
calling it Love Stories," I said.

   "And I'm calling it Work in Progress," Tami added.

   "So officially, it's Untitled Project," I concluded.

   "Works for me," Robbie said as she got in the car with her dad.

   Chapter 12

   "Tell Tami I'll be there in a few minutes."

   Robbie followed my gaze up into the stands.

   "You'll never change," she accused.

   I grinned.  "Do you really want me too?"

   She cocked her head to the side.  "Not sure."

   I walked to the end of the bleachers, all the way to the top, over to
the middle and started back down again.

   "You don't look happy," I said as I came up behind her.

   "Huh?" She'd been staring at the field, which, since practice had ended
fifteen minutes ago, meant she was staring into space.

   "I figure you have to be a spy for the Timberwolves."

   "What?" She looked over her shoulder at me.

   "The Timberwolves.  You're scouting us."

   "Why would I do that?"

   "Well you don't go to school here.  Why else would you be watching our
practice?"

   "I do too go to school here," she said, shaking her head.  Her blond
hair was almost shorter than mine, so it didn't shake much.  "And I was
watching the cheerleaders, not the Cro-Magnons."

   "Cute and smart too."

   "That is so sexist.  I...  How'd you know I was smart?" she said finally
turning around and look at me.

   "Most people would have said Neanderthal.  And I still don't believe you
go to school here."

   "I suppose you know every girl in the school."

   "Pretty much." Then I added, "Definitely the cute ones," to annoy her.

   "Argh."

   "When did you start?" I asked, to change the subject.

   "Monday."

   "Are you a cheerleader?"

   "I was `til Monday," she said bitterly.  "Now I can't try out until
spring."

   "Bummer."

   Bummer?  I can't believe I said bummer.  I never say bummer.

   "Your folks move here for a job?  You'll like it once you get used to
it."

   "No, mom got married.  And no, I don't think I'm going to like it here."

   "Sorry to hear that."

   "That mom got married?"

   "No, that you're not going to like it here."

   "You should be sorry that my mom got married."

   "Why, she marry a jerk?  Or don't you want her to be happy?"

   "Of course I want her to be happy!  And Steve's an okay guy, I guess."

   "Well, I guess, I don't see your problem."

   "It's probably stupid, but everything changed.  We moved here.  It's a
new house.  New school.  I even got a new brother and sister."

   "Well, all I can tell you is that change isn't always a bad thing.  I
moved here two and a half years ago.  And I thought my life was over.  I
mean, my school, all my friends, were back in California.  But things have
turned out pretty good.  I'm Tony Sims, by the way."

   "I know."

   "You do?"

   "Yeah, you got pointed out to me yesterday."

   "I did?"

   "She said you were a pretty good guy."

   "Who?"

   "Allie Smidt."

   "That explains it.  She lies."

   "She also said you were cute."

   "She only lies part of the time.  Do you have a name?"

   "Darlene Carter."

   "Well, Darlene Carter, welcome to my school."

   "It's your school, is it?"

   "Pretty much."

   "Now, I'm really depressed."

   I grinned.  "So your plan is to sit and watch the cheerleaders practice
until spring and be depressed."

   "Why do you care?"

   I shrugged.

   "Just what I need.  A teenaged Casanova who thinks he's sensitive."

   I stepped down to her level and held out my hand.  "Come on."

   "Where?"

   "Well, I don't want you catching cold sitting here alone in the
bleachers.  Besides, I thought you might like to meet my girlfriend."

   "Your girlfriend?"

   "Yeah, she's waiting for me out in the parking lot."

   "I don't..." She blinked and reached out and let me pull her to her
feet.

   "You wouldn't believe how long I've been trying to find the right girl
for a threesome."

   She stepped back away from me.  "You're kidding?"

   I grinned and waved down the stairs.  "Ask her."

   Darlene blushed, but started down the steps.  I fell in beside her. 
"You'll like Tami, she's really cute."

   * * *

   "So is that my replacement?" Tami asked as we sat in the back seat.  Mom
had just dropped off Robbie and Darlene, who hadn't had a ride.

   "You can never be replaced," I whispered.  Then, while my mouth was
close to her ear, I kissed it.  "I figured she can be the backup reserve,
in case you get sick or go shopping in Seattle, or something.

   "That's what I like about you, always thinking ahead." Tami turned her
head and kissed me hard, letting her tongue slip into my mouth.

   "Hey, Mom in the car," Mom said from the front seat.  "Try to keep it
G-rated."

   I pulled away from Tami with a grin as Mom turned into the trailer park.

   "Did you notice where we dropped Darlene off?" Tami asked.

   "A house.  I think it was grey."

   "It was Mike Reed's house."

   "Oh.  She said she got a new brother and sister when her mom got
married, I didn't ask who."

   "If she got Mike as a step-brother, she has a right to be depressed."

   "You got that right." Mike had been the starting quarterback last year
as a sophomore and again this year, and was full of himself.  "Mike's a
great athlete but needs work as a human being."

   "Unh huh.  But the good news is, she gets to be your backup reserve
girlfriend."

   "I do what I can," I said pompously.  I wasn't quick enough to duck the
hand that slapped the back of my head.

   * * *

   "Is your mom home?" I asked as Tami opened the door after dinner.

   "No, she had to work late again.  She won't be home till eleven."

   "Then you should invite me in, and we can be typical unsupervised
teenagers," I said with a leer.

   "What's gotten in to you?  The new girl?"

   "No, what's gotten into me is having the sexiest girlfriend in the
county and not being able to touch her in days because too many people were
around."

   "Well, hold that thought, tiger, cause you can't come in."

   "I can't?"

   "`Fraid not.  Talked to mom on the phone a little while ago.  She said I
could take a fifteen minute walk with you tonight, but that's it."

   "What'd I do?" I asked innocently.

   "Not you.  Me." Tami blushed.  "I'm kinda failing Spanish.  I got a D on
the first test and an F on this one.  Mom said no Tony until I'm passing."

   "I knew that backup reserve girlfriend was a good idea."

   Tami stuck her tongue out.

   "I could help."

   "You don't take Spanish, and you speak half a dozen words at most.

   "I can count to ten," I said helpfully.

   "That's a big help.  So you want to take a walk, before I hit the
books?"

   "I've got a better idea.  Your mom's not home..."

   I could see the look on Tami's face as she waited for me to suggest that
what her mom didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

   "Let's go see Paula," I finished.

   "Paula?"

   "Paula." I said firmly.  The way that Tami read my mind sometimes, it
was nice to surprise her now and then.  Actually the look on her face was
beyond surprise.  What's the hyperbole of surprise?  Astonishment?

   "Paula aced Spanish the last three years.  So we go over and I talk her
into giving you a little help."

   "What's that got to do with mom not being home?"

   "While you're getting smarter, I grab Mikee and bring her back to your
empty house."

   "And Robbie wonders why I put up with you."

   I grinned and held out my hand.  "Shall we?"

   Chapter 13

   "You do realize that Tony wrote himself into kissing four different
girls?" Robbie pointed out suspiciously.

   "I noticed that," Tami said, giving me a small glare.

   "I did?" I gave them my innocent face.  It usually worked with Mom. 
"How'd that happen?"

   They ignored me.

   "He wanted to make it six," Traci pointed out helpfully, just when I was
starting to like her.

   "Or seven," Mikee added.

   I was thinking about making a break for it.

   It was Saturday afternoon, and we were all sitting in my living room
again.  I was in Dad's chair with Tami on my lap.  Robbie was sitting in
the other chair with her new laptop in her lap, making notes.  Traci,
Mikee, and Kelly were sharing the sofa.

   "Let's get back to business," I said, trying to change the subject. 
"We've got until Friday."

   Mr.  Mulino had decided that all the projects had to be organized by
Friday, with major casting, stage plans and budgets.  When he saw how many
there were, he'd decide if all of them got to stage their productions, or
just a couple.

   So far, we were sure that Tommy and Kirk were going to do musicals.  And
Leslie Villers was talking about a comedy.  And the rumor was that Jimmy
Waters and Angelina Gomez had talked about doing something.

   We were guessing that Mulino might let three projects stage.  So if
there were six, half would get eliminated just on their plans.  We didn't
want to be in that half.  We thought that doing an original production
might give us a little edge, but a very little one.

   "The things we need to decide right now are cast and musicians," Robbie
said.

   "That means the first decision is whether you want to be girl number
one, girl number two, girl number three, or the angel," I told her.

   "What if I want to be the nurse?"

   "Why do you think we made the nurse a non-singing role?" Tami said and
we both grinned.

   Robbie stuck her tongue out at us.  "The angel would be a good role if
you come up with some decent songs for her."

   "I'm workin' on it." I'd done three so far, stealing music and writing
my own words, but nothing I'd admit to yet.

   "That or girl number one."

   "That's kinda what we were figuring."

   "Are you going to give her a name, or is she going to stay girl number
one to save money in the budget."

   Tami and I looked at each other.  "We work our fingers to the bone
writing a musical..." I lamented.

   "And all we get is sarcasm," Tami finished.

   Robbie looked up at the ceiling.

   "Actually, we thought we'd let the cast choose their own names for their
characters."

   "That's kind of cool," Robbie agreed.

   Tami held her hand to the side of her mouth, as if to keep me from
hearing.  "Actually, we couldn't agree on any of the names."

   Robbie smiled.  "Any ideas for girl number two?"

   "Well, she has to be cute," I said, holding up one finger.

   "Unh huh," Tami agreed with a sharp look at me.  "And she has to sing.
She has two songs."

   "Yep," I agreed, holding up a second finger.  "Oh, and she has to have
an even cuter sister named Kelly." I held up a third finger.

   "WHAT?" Mikee exploded as Kelly giggled.

   "Can she sing?" Robbie asked with a wicked grin.

   "Not a clue, but she's cute, and she has the right sister."

   "I can't..." Mikee sputtered.

   "Think we should have her audition?" Robbie asked.

   "Her singing or the casting couch?" I said, before remembering that
Traci was here too.

   Traci smiled, thinking I was joking.

   "Can you sing?" Tami asked Mikee.

   "I..."

   "She sings great," Kelly said quickly.  "She did a solo in the fourth
grade.

   "Fine," I agreed.  "Then who do we get for girl number three?"

   "Don't I get a choice?" Mikee asked, red-faced.

   "Nope," Robbie told her.  "Now about girl number three?"

   "Who do we know whose cute, has short blond hair, and goes out with
Brian Lake?" I asked.

   "You mean Paula Grey?"

   "That's a great idea, Robbie.  I never would have thought of her."

   Robbie shrugged.  "I still don't know why you put with him."

   Tami kissed me on the cheek.  "He's predictable.  Can she sing?"

   "With her body, nobody will care."

   I really should have anticipated the elbow in the stomach.  I'd seen Mom
do it to Dad enough.  "Ooofff!"

   "I was thinking of Rachel Lewis," Tami said.

   "She's cute too," I agreed.  "But her boobs aren't..." A look from Tami
and I shut up.

   "Gina Richards or Callie Shaw might be good too," Robbie added.

   "Callie's going out with Kirk," Tami pointed out.  "She's probably
taken.

   Robbie nodded.  "What about the three guys?"

   "We kind of thought we could let girls one, two, and three choose their
own."

   "That could work," Robbie agreed.  "Mikee, who would you like for your
man?"

   "You mean, now I get a choice?"

   I sighed.  "Mikee, would you like to be in our musical?"

   "I guess," she said in a small voice.  "Paul Tucker."

   "For your guy?" she nodded.  Paul was a freshman on the JV team.

   "Robbie, what about you?  Somebody cute and cuddly?" Tami asked.

   "Ryan French." Ryan was a junior and a bit of a geek.  I had a feeling
that Robbie saw him as a project.  "But I've decided to be the angel.  And
my songs better be good."

   "So Ryan is just cute and cuddly, but not for the show?" I clarified.

   Robbie grinned and nodded.

   "So lets move Mikee to girl number one, and we'll try to recruit Paula,
Rachel or Gina for girls two and three." Tami said

   "Works for me."

   "Me, too," Robbie said.

   "Now the music."

   "I think I should go talk to Mr.  McCoy on Monday while you two are at
practice," Tami suggested.  "I'll give him our list of songs and see what
he thinks we need.  Then see if he has any suggestions."

   "Sounds good," Robbie agreed.

   "Sounds like we got the major stuff taken care of," I said.  "I vote we
have a make-out break." I leaned forward and welded my face to Tami's.

   The girls all watched for a minute.

   "I move we have Tony neutered," Robbie said.  "All in favor?"

   At least Tami didn't put her hand up.  And Kelly hesitated.

   "Well, if that's the way you want to be," I said when I came up for air.
"I'll run over and see Paula and ask her about being in the show."

   Tami looked at me, then Robbie.  "Is it too late to change my vote?"

   Chapter 14

   There was a knock on my door.

   "Come," I yelled without looking up.

   Traci stuck her head in the door.  "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

   "Sure," I said, still concentrating on the computer monitor.  "Just let
me finish this page." I was about a half page from the bottom, and it took
me about four minutes to finish and hit save.

   "What can I do for..." I started as I swivelled around to look at her.
"What the hell are you wearing?"

   Traci blushed.  "I've got a date.  It's okay."

   Traci was wearing tight hip-hugger pants and an even tighter shirt that
left several inches of her stomach exposed.  She looked somewhere between
Hilary Duff and Britney Spears.

   "You're going out like that?  Does Mom know?"

   Traci set her face.  "Mom knows.  She didn't say anything."

   "Probably in shock."

   "Tony, Mom realizes that I'm growing up.  Why can't you?"

   "I do realize that you're in the seventh grade now, but..." I waved my
hand down and up again encompassing her outfit.

   "You wouldn't complain if Tami wore this."

   I grinned, enjoying the picture of Tami dressed this way.  "When was the
last time you saw Tami dress like a...?" I wanted to say slut, but decided
against it.  "Or Robbie?  Or Mikee for that matter?"

   "Paula does."

   "Paula's a junior and a different person."

   "You can't tell me how to dress."

   "I..." Damn, she was right.  But I didn't have to like it.  "Okay."

   Traci looked like she had won the argument and turned to leave.

   "Didn't you want to talk to me?"

   "Oh, yeah.  Uh, Robbie was saying something about maybe having a couple
of woodwinds in your show."

   News to me.  "Okay?"

   "I was kinda thinking that maybe...  I mean...  if you...  I could..."

   Oh, God.  Traci played the saxophone.  Badly!

   "Well, it's a high school play."

   "Tami said that since it's a student production, the rules didn't say it
had to be all high school."

   Mental note, glue Tami's lips together.  No, that would interfere with
other activities.  Maybe I could have her vocal cords surgically removed.

   "I just don't think..."

   "Okay," she said and her face fell.  "I understand."

   I felt like I'd just taken a candy cane from a baby.

   Mom looked in.  "Tony, could I see you in the kitchen for a minute?"

   "Just a sec," I said.  I turned back to Traci.  "So who are you going
out with?" I asked, trying to make her forget about the play.

   "Casey Morgan," she mumbled.  "I'd better finish getting ready." She
shuffled away.

   I watched her go, then stood and walked to the kitchen.

   "What can I do for you, mother of mine?"

   "Do you think that's totally fair?"

   "Uh, what?"

   "Blowing off your sister like that."

   "I, uh..."

   "I'm not saying you have to let her be in your musical.  I just asked if
you were fair."

   "Mom, have you heard her play?"

   "Yes!  Have you?"

   "Of course I have.  She's really bad."

   Mom arched her eyebrow.

   "She is," I said in my defense

   "And when was the last time you listened to her?"

   "Just last..." When was the last time I'd heard her practice?  It was
when she was practicing for the concert.  The concert just after we moved
here.  I hadn't heard her since she was in the fourth grade.

   "You've heard her play as part of the school band, but you haven't heard
her in a while."

   "I guess."

   "Well, Tami's probably waiting for you.  Have a good time."

   Damn!  Damn!  Damn!  Fuck!

   I walked back to my sister's room and knocked.

   "Come in."

   I opened the door and stuck my head in.  Traci was sitting at her desk
putting on lipstick.  My sister wore lipstick?

   "Traci, I've got a deal for you."

   "What?" she asked listlessly.

   "Change clothes for your date, so that you look more like you, and
tomorrow, Tami and I will audition you for the musical."

   "You mean it?"

   "I realized I haven't heard you play in a while, and a sax might be
cool."

   Traci jumped and hugged me, kissing me on the cheek.  "You're the best
brother."

   "I didn't say you were in," I reminded her.  "I just said we'd give you
a shot.  A fair shot," I added, mentally tipping my hat to my mother.

   "I'll get changed," she said and pulled her shirt off before I could
even back out and close the door.

   Mom was standing behind me in the hall.

   "Nice touch with the clothes."

   I grinned.  "I thought so."

   Chapter 15

   "He's in my room," I heard down the hall.

   "Tony, I need..." Kelly said as she burst into Tami's room.  "Oops."

   `When I grow up, I'm getting a house with locks on the doors', I
thought.

   "Kelly!" Mikee yelled.  She was on her hands and knees, while I knelt
behind her and pounded her pussy with my enormous twelve-inch cock.

   Okay, Big Tony wasn't twelve inches, but it had grown in the last couple
of years.  Five-and-three-quarter inches.  I made a note to look up on the
internet when cocks stopped growing.  Maybe I could hit twelve inches yet.
I pictured myself with a twelve-inch battering ram and almost laughed. 
Maybe I'd settle for seven or eight inches.

   "Uh, hi, Kelly." I said, without missing a beat.

   "You'd didn't invite me," she said in a hurt voice.

   "I didn't invite Mikee either," I said.  "I was hanging with Tami, and
she came over." I reached under and squeezed her tit.  I realized that
they'd grown a lot.  Hers were bigger than Tami's, though I didn't think
I'd point that out to the love of my life.

   Even with the stimulation, Mikee was glaring at her sister.

   "What'd you want, Kelly?" I felt my tension building and picked up the
pace.  Mikee was stiff with annoyance, and I didn't know if Mikee was close
or not.

   "I wanted to borrow some rubbers."

   "What for?" I realized it was a stupid question as soon as the words
were out of my mouth, but it was too late to get them back.

   "You give them to Mikee."

   "You're going to do it with Kyle," Mikee accused, and then shook as her
climax overcame her.  I felt my cock fill with sperm then empty itself into
my rubber sheath.

   "Oh, God!" Mikee and I groaned together.

   "What are you guys doing back here," Tami asked, stepping into the room
behind Kelly.  Her eyes opened wide.  Tami knew I fucked Mikee.  And Kelly
and Robbie.  But knowing and seeing it were different.

   "Kelly wants some rubbers," I said, hoping to divert her.

   "What?"

   "She wants to make it with Kyle Differ," Mikee supplied.

   "Kelly!" Tami said.  "You're too young."

   We all stared at her.  She looked questioningly, then realized the
absurdity of the situation.  I'd been fucking Kelly since she was eleven.

   I pulled my wilted cock out of Mikee and sat back on my heels.  Mikee
lay down.  I halfway expected her to arch her back and purr.  I wondered
where Traci was.  We could add her to the party.

   I got up and went to Tami's nightstand.  I opened it and pulled a box
from the back of the drawer.  I opened it and held it out to Kelly.  She
grinned and took three.  I thought she might be being a little optimistic,
but I didn't say anything.

   She mumbled, "I've got to go," and slid past Tami and out into the hall.

   "Mikee, why don't you take off for awhile," I suggested.  "Traci is
going to audition for us later.  You can come back for that if you want." I
hated to make it seem like wham bam thank you ma'am, but I figured it was
the best idea.

   Mikee nodded and quickly dressed.  Tami just stood in the doorway.

   "Come here," I said after Mikee was gone.  Tami just stood, looking at
the bed.  "Come here," I said a little stronger.

   Tami came over.  I reached out, took her hand, and pulled her down to
sit on the side of the bed next to me.

   "It's different, isn't it?" I asked softly.

   "What is?"

   "Seeing me with another girl."

   "Of course not.  I knew..."

   "Tami, it's different, seeing instead of knowing.  It's okay."

   "I...  it's just...  I mean..."

   I leaned over and kissed her to shut her up.  "I know."

   "I'm being silly," she said, looking me right in the face for the first
time.

   "No, you're not.  It's okay.  I won't..."

   "Yes, you will."

   "I will?"

   "Yes!  I meant it when I said you were good for the girls.  Especially
now, if Little Kelly is going to..."

   "Fuck," I supplied.

   "Kyle," Tami finished.

   "You know, calling her Little Kelly won't keep her from growing up."

   "I know." After a minute's silence, she asked, "Is this what parent's
feel like when their kids grow up?"

   "Kinda, I think."

   "Can we keep our kids from growing up?"

   "Only if we live in Neverland."

   "Let's."

   Chapter 16

   "Any great ideas?" I asked Robbie.  She, Tami, and I were gathered by
our lockers for a few minutes before Robbie and I had to rush off to
football practice.

   "Fresh out," she admitted.

   I'd just reported that I'd talked to Paula, who said she had a great
voice, but no-way-no-how was getting on a stage and singing.  Callie Shaw
had been snagged up by Kirk, like we thought.  And Tommy had grabbed up
both Rachel Lewis and Gina Richards.

   "While you're at practice, I'll ask Mr.  McCoy," Tami volunteered.  "By
the way, I got a B-plus on my Spanish quiz."

   "That's great," I said and hugged her.

   She smiled.

   "You know, you owe big thanks to Paula."

   Tami nodded.

   "Since you probably don't want to kiss Paula, you can kiss me, and I'll
pass it on to her." I took a quick look around and, seeing no authority
figures, gave Tami a long kiss.

   "That was nice, but there will be no passing anything on to Paula."

   "Awww," I said with a pout.

   Tami kissed me again.  "Isn't he cute when he pouts?" she asked Robbie.

   Robbie grinned.  "How long do you think it will take to break him in?"

   Tami shrugged.  "It's a lifetime project.

   * * *

   I took the snap, faded back, and checked out the field.  I looked for
Chad, but he was too well-covered.  Then I spotted Zach.  I fired the ball
twenty-two yards right into his waiting arms, just before three of the
defenders all hit at once.  God, I love football.

   Larry Gordon, one of the linemen who'd hit me, reached out his hand. 
"Good hit," I told him as he pulled me to my feet.

   "Not good enough," he muttered, looking down field to where Zach Hissman
was dancing in the end zone.

   "When you're hot, etcetera."

   He slapped me on the back and headed back to the line.

   "A waste of time, if you ask me."

   I looked behind me.  Mike Reed was standing with Coach Branson.  Mike
was a junior and the starting quarterback.  He'd gotten nominated for
all-state last year, though he didn't make it.  Mike was also full of
himself.

   "You got me, and that's all you need.  The girl's around if I need a
break."

   "Nice pass, Tony," the coach said, ignoring him.

   "Thanks, coach.  And the girl has a name, Mike.  And better stats than
you last season."

   Mike strode forward until his face guard was almost touching mine. 
"That's cause she didn't play as much, and she got the easy assignments."

   "Unh huh."

   "Enough.  Mike, let's run a couple plays with you in the hot seat."

   "`Bout time."

   The coach stepped back as the two lines got setup.  I walked up to him.
"Coach, can I work some defense?"

   The coach gave me a funny look, but nodded.  "Take Jimmy's place."

   I trotted over to Jimmy and sent him to the coach.

   I grinned to myself.

   The first two plays, I did my job covering receivers.  I blocked the
first pass and intercepted the second.  Mike was not happy as he stomped
back to his starting position.  There are advantages to scrimmaging against
your own team.  One of them is knowing everybody's habits.

   Mike took the snap and faded back, looking for a receiver.  I went
through the hole I knew Billy would leave me.  I took about three steps and
launched myself into the air, landing on Mike with a satisfying thud.  The
ball rolled loose.  Larry scooped it up and raced for the opposite end
zone.

   I rolled off Mike and stood up, holding out my hand to him.  "Damn, man,
no wonder you didn't get all-state.  Sacked and fumbled."

   He ignored my hand and climbed up.  "What the fuck was that all about?"

   I grinned.  "It's called football, man.  You're supposed to get rid of
the ball before you get hit."

   "Problem boys?" the coach yelled.

   "Not here," I yelled back.  "You know me, Coach.  I love the world.  You
got a problem, Mike?"

   "Just a line that doesn't know how to block."

   I was tempted to add something like, `life is rough,' but I was good.

   "Having trouble with Mike?" Robbie asked as she trotted over to the
defense.  She'd been trying her luck as a kicker.

   "Mr.  Wonderful?  Not me."

   "Figure roughing him up will make points with his new sister?" Darlene
was sitting in the stands again, watching the cheerleaders.

   "Nope.  Messing with Mike's its own reward." We smiled at each other. 
"Has he ever called you by name?"

   "I don't think so.  When he talks about me it's always `the girl.' He
really wasn't happy about having a girl on the team."

   "And a freshman girl at that."

   "Well, at least I outgrew that."

   "Let's teach Mike why they call you Monster Girl." We grinned and found
our spots.

   Tom Brooks hiked the ball.  Mike faded back, looking at my side.  I
rushed the line.  "I'm coming for you," I growled as I crashed into Billy.

   Mike was watching me and never even saw Robbie coming, She hit him waist
high, and they went down in a tangle.

   "Get the fuck off me!" he yelled.

   Robbie climbed off and walked back to the line.  "You're right," she
said loudly, as we took our places.  "He can't take a hit." Both sides of
the line laughed.

   Mike didn't complete a pass in the next eight tries.  Robbie intercepted
one, I blocked another, and Larry sacked him twice.  The rest were just
off.

   "God damn it!" he screamed loudly enough that the cheerleaders and
Darlene all looked over.  "Would at least one of you mutha fucking idiots
try to block?"

   I think he just blew his shot at team captain.

   "One more time," the coach called, "then hit the showers.

   Tom hiked, Mike stepped back, and Billy stood up.  I had a clear hole
and headed straight at Mike.  From the corner of my eye I saw Robbie,
Larry, and Garth all through the line and headed toward the same trophy.  I
raced the last three steps and launched myself at the quarterback.  Mike
saw us coming and grounded the ball, but I couldn't have stopped if I'd
wanted to.  I crashed into his chest just as Larry crashed into me and
Mike's side, while Robbie's hit took him at the knees.  Garth landed on top
of me as we all went down.

   It took almost a minute for us to untangle ourselves.  I clapped Larry
on the back.  "Nice hit, but I hit him first."

   "Like hell you did," Robbie and Larry said together.

   "Hey Mike, can we do it again?  We're not sure who hit you first."

   "Get fucked!" he grumbled and stalked off toward the locker room.

   "Gentlemen," I said, turning toward the linemen.  "That was some of the
worst blocking I've ever seen." I grinned.  "If this was college ball, I'd
buy you all a beer."

   There was a cheer that ended as quickly as we all noticed the coach's
face.

   "Hit the showers!" he yelled, and we all took off in a jog.

   "Sims, Tate, a minute!"

   Robbie and I stopped, turned and walked back to the coach.

   "I'm not happy," he said when we were standing in front of him.

   "Coach, all I..." I started, but he held up his hand.

   "I talk, you listen."

   We both nodded.

   "You both may think you're good, but Reed's better.  That's why he's my
number one quarterback."

   "I'm not argu..."

   "I said, I talk you listen.  Because, frankly, I don't give a flying
fart if you agree or not.  Reed is my starting quarterback, and if you two
turn the team against him, we're in a world of hurt."

   "I didn't..." I tried to defend myself.

   "Shut up!  I have no problem with dumping you both right now."

   I clamped my mouth shut.

   "I know you didn't come out and say, `Let's get him', or something. 
What you did was bait him until he lost his cool.  We have our first game
in four days, and I expect that you two will be doing everything you
possibly can to build up your quarterback and make sure this team gives
everything it's got for its school and its quarterback.  If you have a
problem with that, we can transfer you to the volleyball team."

   Inside, I was thinking that wasn't such a bad idea.  The girls were all
pretty cute.  Outside, I nodded meekly.

   "You might start with nominating him for captain at the team meeting
tomorrow."

   Robbie raised her hand.  The coach glared at her, but she stood there
with her hand up.

   "What?"

   "No."

   "What do you mean, no?"

   "I mean I won't nominate him for captain.  And I won't vote for him if
he's nominated.  Nether will Tony."

   I won't?

   The coach glared at both of us.

   "If the team is supposed to choose a captain, we're suppose to choose
the player whose the leader on and off the field.  That's Jimmy Prescott or
Larry Gordon.  In the huddle, Mike calls the shots, but I ain't nominating
him for something he doesn't deserve.  If you want him to be captain, then
appoint him, cause that's the only way it's going to happen.  If you have a
problem with that, you can have my jersey right now."

   "Get the fuck off my field."

   We turned and jogged away.

   "You made the coach swear.  I've never heard him do that before," I said
as we ran toward the gym.

   "I have that effect on some people.  Would you have nominated him?"

   "Hell no.  But I wasn't brupid enough to tell the coach that."

   "Brupid?"

   "There's a fine line between brave and stupid.  Brupid's right in the
middle."

   Chapter 17

   "I need to talk to you."

   Six words.

   None more than four letters.

   Yet I felt my eyes glaze over as Tami said them.  It was the sort of
thing girls say at the beginning of a conversation that ends with, `We can
still be friends.'

   It was Wednesday, and I'd just gotten home from football practice.  I'd
come over to see Tami and take our usual walk.

   "Sit down," she said, pointing at the sofa.  As I did, she sat in the
chair opposite.

   I mind raced.  I tried to think if I'd done anything wrong.  There was
flirting with Darlene after football yesterday, but that couldn't be it. 
Could there be another guy?  I didn't see how.  She spent almost all of her
time with me.  Had she decided that I couldn't share my love between her
and Robbie?  But Robbie had ended that.

   "We need to talk about something serious."

   God!  Dumped by two girls in less than a month.  Could be a record. 
Either that or I was dying.  I think I would have preferred death.

   "I don't want you to make up your mind until I'm done."

   Make up my mind?  I had a choice?

   "I know you're not going to want to, but..."

   Not want to?  Was this about Ashley's cherry?

   "It's my dad."

   "That asshole!" My first words since I'd come in, and I called Tami's
dad an asshole.

   "Yeah, that asshole," Tami agreed with a tight smile.

   "Is he bothering you and your mom again?" The D.A.  had let him go back
to Colorado until his trial.

   "No, it's not that.  It's..." Tami swallowed hard.

   I got up, crossed the room, and sat on Tami's lap.  I hugged her and
kissed her nose and eyelids.  "I hope you can talk to me about anything,
anytime," I whispered.

   She swallowed again.  "Go sit down," she said, pointing back at the
sofa.

   "But, I'm comfortable," I complained.

   "I'm not.  Besides, I want to stay apart while you think about this.  I
don't want to influence you."

   I grinned and stood.  "Tami, my love, you influence me by existing.  It
doesn't matter whether you're across the room or across the country." I
reached down, grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet.  "Or in my lap."
I quickly sat and pulled her down across my legs.

   "This isn't going the way I planned," she said and sighed.

   "What does?"

   "I have to do this."

   "Close your eyes," I told her.  "How many times did you rehearse this
while I was at practice?"

   "Once or twice." I kissed the side of her nose.  "Okay, five or six
times."

   "Okay, this is rehearsal number twelve."

   She giggled.

   "Keep your eyes closed.  You're sitting alone at home, waiting for your
favorite reserve backup quarterback."

   Tami took a deep breath.  "Tony," she said, speaking to the wall.  "I
need to talk to you about my dad." She swallowed.  "I want you to drop the
charges against my dad." Tami opened her eyes and looked at me.

   Oh, God.  Now what?  The guy threatened me with a gun.  He attacked
Tami's mom.  He should be locked up.  But, if I put him in jail, what would
that do to Tami and me?

   "I don't know," I said finally.

   "I know what he did was wrong.  He knows what he did was wrong."

   "Tami, he attacked your mom.  What would have happened if I hadn't come
in?"

   "I don't...  he said, he was so mad he might have killed her." The last
two words were a whisper.

   "And you want me to forgive and forget?"

   "He's changed."

   I really wish she hadn't said that.  I'd read a lot about wife and child
abuse since that night.  One common theme in the stories of most battered
wives was husbands who had changed.  Or who'd promised to change.

   "Tami, if I ask your mom, how many times do you think she'll say that
he's promised to change before?"

   "I know.  But this time..."

   "This time will be different.  Out of the thousands of women who've died
by being battered, how many do you think used the phrase `This time will be
different'?

   "All of them."

   I nodded.

   "You don't think people can change?"

   "I know they can.  But I don't want to bet your safety or your mother's
on that."

   "So you think he ought to go to jail?"

   "I'm fifteen.  I don't know.  I don't think jails do a lot of good, but
it keeps him away from you and your mom."

   I thought I saw a tear in the corner of her eye.  "He won't be able to
be a cop anymore."

   Not having him on the street with a gun seemed like a good idea to me,
but I didn't say that.

   "He loves being a cop.  And he's good at it."

   "I wouldn't know.  I only met him once, and he wasn't acting like a good
cop then."

   Tami dropped her head.  "I know."

   Fuck!  I was too young to be thinking about things like this.  We both
were.  We should be making out, not deciding somebody's future.

   "Tami, if you want me to..."

   "No!" she said firmly.  "I don't want you to do this because I want you
to.  I want you to do it because you think it's the right thing."

   "I don't.  Why now."

   "Dad's at home.  He's doing his job, and he's..."

   "He's still a cop?  After being arrested?"

   "I guess the sheriff didn't tell the police in Colorado about the
arrest. But when Dad comes back for the preliminary hearing, it's public
record."

   "Cops protecting cops," I muttered.

   "My dad loves being a cop," she repeated.  "It'll kill him."

   "I..."

   Tami put her finger across my lips.

   "My dad went home and started counseling.  And he promised me that he
wouldn't come back without an invitation."

   "Tami, guys promise..."

   Tami put her hands on the side of my face and turned me so that I was
looking her in the eye.  "My dad has never lied to me."

   "Tami, I..."

   "Never!"

   "Okay."

   "You mean it?" she asked and kissed me before I could answer.

   I nodded.  "I can't believe your mom agreed, though."

   "Well..."

   "Your mom hasn't agreed?"

   Tami shook her head.

   "It won't do any good if I drop my charges and she doesn't drop hers."

   "I know.  I was going to talk to her tonight."

   "Well, if she goes for it, I will."

   "I was kinda hoping that you'd talk to her."

   "Me?"

   "You're so good at talking her into things."

   "No!"

   "But you..."

   "No!"

   "Okay."

   "Tami I'll sit here and give you moral support.  Hell, I'll even hold
your hand and smile.  But if you think this is the right thing to do,
you're going to have to convince your mom."

   Tami nodded.  "I think you're just chicken."

   I grinned.  "You got that right."

   Tami relaxed.  "Thank you.  It's the right thing to do." She leaned back
against me and I just held her as we waited for her mom to come home.

   I wasn't sure it was the right thing, but it made Tami happy, so I knew
it wasn't the wrong one.

   Chapter 18

   "What the fuck are you doing here?"

   I looked up from where I was sitting on the sofa watching TV.  "Hi,
Mike. I was just hanging with Darlene.  Great game yesterday."

   Mike had really shown why a sophomore would even get nominated for
all-state.  Almost every pass he'd put in the air connected.  He'd thrown
four touchdowns and just missed the school record for yards passed.

   "What do you mean by that?" he growled.  "Get out of my chair." He
reached down, grabbed Darlene's upper arm and yanked her roughly to her
feet.

   "I meant, you played good," I said, watching.

   Darlene moved over and sat on the sofa with me.  Mike reached over,
grabbed the remote out of her hand and started flipping through channels.

   "I was watching that," Darlene complained.

   "Tough."

   "Steve," Darlene whined.  Mike's Dad, Steve Reed, had come in the house
behind him.

   "Mike's had a hard day.  Let him watch some TV."

   "But, I..." Darlene sputtered.

   Her step-dad ignored her and stepped toward me.  "Do I know you?"

   I held out my hand.  "Hi, I'm Tony Sims."

   "Tony Sims." He repeated, ignoring my hand.  "I think it's time for you
to go."

   "Honey, Tony was staying for dinner," Darlene's mom said from the
kitchen.

   "I see." He obviously wasn't thrilled about the idea.

   I stood.  "That's okay, I'll take off." I stepped around him and headed
toward the door.  "Darlene, it's been fun."

   As I was closing the door, I heard the words `cheap shots'.  Evidently
Dad was telling Mom why I was persona non grata.

   Mental note, make sure Mike got a few shots on Monday.  None of them
cheap.

   * * *

   "I went over the songs with Darlene."

   "How'd it go?"

   "Pretty good.  She's got a nice voice, though she needs to learn to
project more."

   "Then what'd you do?" Tami asked with just a hint of suspicion.

   I liked that Tami trusted me, but the hint of potential jealousy felt
good too.

   "We sat and talked for awhile and watched some ice skating on TV.  Then
Mike and his dad got home, and his dad threw me out."

   "Threw you out?"

   "Well, not bodily, but he made it clear I wasn't welcome.  Too bad,
because Darlene's mom had invited me to dinner, and they were having ribs.
I love ribs."

   "It must be weird to wake up one morning and have a new dad, new
brother, and new sister."

   "Yeah.  Especially since..." I changed my mind about what I wanted to
say.  "Very weird."

   Tami looked at me quizzically, but didn't press.

   * * *

   "Where do we stand?" Robbie asked.

   "Well, actually, I'm sitting in my father's chair.  Mikee's sitting on
me.  Tami is..."

   "I can hurt you."

   "Yes ma'am.  Sorry ma'am.  Humor, ma'am.  Feeble attempt, ma'am."

   Robbie looked skyward and shook her head.  Tami grinned.

   "Well, I dropped our proposal off with Mulino on Friday afternoon.  He
said ours was the sixth, which is kinda what we figured.  He told me that
he and the school board had had a meeting about the plays, but it would be
unethical to talk about it."

   "And you bought that?" Tami asked.

   "Well, I tried to tell him that ethics were in the eye of the beholder,
but he didn't buy it."

   "You're losing your touch," Robbie said dryly.

   I cocked my head and clicked my tongue.  "Darlene Carter is on board as
girl number two.  She said she doesn't really know any guys yet, so she
didn't care about guy number 2.  I thought we might rope Ricky into it."

   "Ricky would work," Robbie mused.  "But I have a better idea."

   "You usually do."

   Robbie stuck her tongue out.

   "You high schoolers aren't setting a very good example for the middle
school students," Traci said with a grin.

   "You be good or we'll send you out to play on the see-saw," I
threatened.

   "It's raining."

   "I know," I said with a threatening grin.

   My sister stuck out her tongue too.

   "What's your better idea?" Robbie asked.

   "Well, Darlene's kinda short."

   "She's not a candidate for one of Snow White's dwarves, but yeah."

   "Daryl Tabler."

   I pictured it, then cracked up laughing.  Daryl was about nine feet
tall. Okay, he was only six eight, but it seemed like nine feet when you
were looking up at him.  If he had even one coordinated bone in his body,
the basketball coach would be in heaven.

   "I like it," Tami said.

   "Me too," I agreed.

   "All in favor?" Robbie said.

   "You mean we get to vote?" Kelly asked sarcastically.  She was sitting
between Tami and my sister on the sofa.

   "Only if you vote yes," Robbie told her.  "And remember, that see-saw is
built for two."

   Robbie's threatening grin is a hell of a lot scarier than mine, I
realized.  Probably more practice.

   "So we need girl and guy number three, then we're set."

   "Assuming that Daryl says yes, we are."

   "Did Mulino give you any idea about timing?" Tami asked.

   "Probably Tuesday or Wednesday."

   "So, tomorrow at school, we talk to Daryl."

   "Here's the list of names McCoy gave me for girl singers." Tami handed
the list to Robbie.  "I crossed off the three who wouldn't fit the roll.  I
think the rest are cute enough for Tony to kiss."

   I stuck my tongue out at her on principle, but I'd seen the list and
agreed.

   "Since girl number one..."

   "Sabrina," Mikee interrupted.  "I've always loved that name."

   "Since Sabrina is sitting on my lap, we could get in some kissing
practice," I volunteered.

   Traci looked surprised and glanced at Tami, but nobody else batted an
eye.

   "I'll let you know when to rehearse," Robbie said.

   "But she's only a freshman.  I don't know if her technique is theatrical
quality."

   "I have a feeling," Robbie said with a sigh, "that her technique is just
fine."

   "You're the director."

   "Am I?  We never talked about it."

   "Sorry, you're stuck with it.  I put your name on the proposal."

   "We should have talked about it."

   "Why?  I agreed, Tami agreed, Mikee agreed.  That's a third of the cast
right there.  Besides, if we had somebody else, you'd be telling them what
to do."

   "Are you calling me bossy, Tony Sims?" Robbie said, erupting out of her
chair, fists on hips.

   "Pretty much."

   Robbie stalked over and towered over me.

   "Move," she ordered Mikee.  Mikee got up and Robbie sat down.  "I don't
even like you."

   "Ditto."

   Robbie kissed me.  "Will you be my assistant director?"

   "Do I get to talk sometimes?"

   "At least once a week."

   "Deal."

   Robbie got up.  "You can have him back now," she said to Mikee and went
back to her chair.  Mikee sat back down, giving me a quick peck on the
cheek.

   Traci looked confused, but hell, so was I most of the time.

   Chapter 19

   "Tony, could I ask you a favor?"

   Even though it was Tuesday, Allie Smidt was in her cheerleading uniform.
I knew the varsity cheerleaders were doing something at the JV game
tonight, but I didn't know what.

   "Depends, can you sing?"

   Allie's eyes went wide in surprise.  "Of course I can sing.  What does
that have...?" Sometimes you can see a brain make a connection in a
person's eyes.  I saw it in Allie's.  "No.  I don't want to be in your
play."

   "But you said you can sing."

   "I can sing, but I ain't gettin' up on stage to prove it."

   "Why not?  You get up in front of a crowd every Friday."

   "It's different."

   "What is it with you cheerleaders.  You can sing, but you won't
perform." My voice was almost a whine.  I'd talked to all five girls on Mr.
McCoy's list yesterday or today, and none of them were available.  Two
weren't interested, and the other three had already been signed by Kirk or
Tommy."

   "Who else?" she asked.

   "Paula."

   "She's got a fantastic voice."

   "That's what she tells me."

   "You'll never get her on a stage," Allie said, shaking her head.

   "She told me that too."

   "You should talk to Bambi."

   Bambi?  There was no Bambi in our school.  I'd know.  I'd had fantasies
about that name ever since I accidentally ran across Bambi-Model dot Com.
Pure accident.  Bambi was a little younger than me, with long brown hair
just like Tami.  And Bambi just seemed to be a name that screamed sexpot.

   "Bambi?"

   Allie giggled.  "Diana.  Diana Coleson.  Bambi's her nickname."

   I knew Diana.  Or knew who she was anyway.  A cheerleader and a junior,
she used to have long blond hair, but it'd turned black and gotten really
short over the summer.  Hot bod.  "Why Bambi?"

   "Her best friend in third grade was Jennifer Spalla.  Jennifer was a
gymnast, and her nickname was Thumper.

   A wet dream waiting to happen.  A cheerleader and a gymnast.  Except...
"Jennifer's a gymnast?"

   "Was.  She quit when she started putting on weight."

   Jennifer was an inch or two shorter than me, and probably outweighed me
by a good twenty pounds.  It must be like that line in the old James Garner
western, `Puberty hit her hard.'

   "So Diana sings?"

   "Better than me.  Almost as good as Paula."

   I smiled.  Things were looking up.  "Do you happen to know where she is
now?" It was lunch period, though I hadn't gotten near the cafeteria yet.
Probably lucky, considering they were serving their version of meatloaf
today.

   "She usually skips lunch and plays basketball in the main gym."

   "Thanks," I said, giving Allie a wave and turning toward the gym.

   "Wait.  What about my favor?"

   I stopped and turned around again.  "Sorry, you won't sing."

   "Tony!" she said, starting to pout.

   I grinned.  "Allison, oh fairest of all leaders of cheer, what boon may
I grant thee?"

   Allie giggled.  "You're being strange again."

   "Pretty harsh for someone who wants something."

   Allie giggled again.  "Will you help me?"

   I considered offering to help her to a quick orgasm, but I was afraid
she might take me up on it.  My life didn't need more complications. 
Besides, Tami and Allie had actually been friendly lately.  Not friends,
just friendly.

   "What?"

   "Algebra."

   I'd taken algebra last year and aced it.  This year I was in geometry.
"What about it?"

   "I'm flunking."

   "You can't be.  It's only the third week of school."

   "Maybe I'm not flunking yet, but a trend is forming.  And Mr.  Singara
said I may get kicked off cheerleading if I don't get my grades up."

   "I took it from Mrs.  Wayne.  She's better."

   "That's what I heard, but I'm stuck with Singara."

   "What's the problem?" I asked, conscious of the minutes ticking away,
along with my chance to corner Diana.  Bambi.

   "Everything.  I thought letters belonged in English and numbers belonged
in math.  I just don't get it."

   Variables.  Shouldn't be a problem.  Actually the problem was
scheduling. After school, I had football and Allie had cheerleading.  After
that was my Tami time and getting ready for the damn play.

   "When's your next quiz?"

   "Friday, unless he pulls a surprise.  I need at least a C."

   Damn!  That lets out the weekend.  "What do you have third period?"

   "P.E."

   "Tell you what.  Let me think about this, and I'll get back to you."

   "Promise?"

   "Have I ever let you down?"

   "Not once." Allie pressed up against me and kissed me on the cheek just
as Tami came down the hall.  Allie didn't notice.  She let go of me. 
"Thanks," she said as she disappeared down the other hall.

   "What was that all about?" Tami asked as she came up.

   "Cheerleader motivation.  They really want us to win this Friday."

   "Right."

   "C'mon.  There's another cheerleader in the main gym." I took Tami's
hand and started pulling her down the hall.

   * * *

   It had been a good day.  Diana was on board to be girl number three, and
her boyfriend, Jimmy Martin, was signed as man number three.  So the play
was cast.  Now all we had to do was wait for word from Mr.  Mulino.

   I'd talked to Mrs.  Kennedy, the girl's P.E.  teacher, and Mr. 
Calloway, my history teacher, and they were both cool about Allie and me
skipping class for some tutoring.  Mrs.  Kennedy said with all her
cheerleading, Allie could afford to miss a couple classes.  And Mr. 
Calloway made a joke about giving the other students a chance to catch up.

   I'd suited up and was waiting outside the door to the girl's locker
room. Robbie came out, dropped her shoulder, and butted me.  I grinned and
we jogged toward the football field.

   "Sims, Tate," the coach yelled after we'd finished conditioning and
drills with the team.

   "Yes, coach," I said as we trotted up.

   "Good game, Friday."

   "Thanks, coach."

   "Do you two see now why Reed is my quarterback?"

   "We didn't argue that Mike is the best quarterback on the team," I said
quickly, before Robbie could open her mouth.  "At the moment."

   "He's just not captain material." Robbie added.  Evidently the team
agreed, Jimmy Prescott and Larry Gordon had been elected co-captains last
week.

   "But you'll take it easy on him this week?"

   Robbie and I looked at each other for several long seconds.

   "If that's what you want, we won't touch him," I said after I looked
back at Coach Branson.

   "That's not what I said.  Just go easy on him."

   Robbie looked at me again, then shrugged.  "If we don't practice full
out, how are we going to get better?  For that matter, if we take it easy,
how's Mike going to get better?"

   The coach opened his mouth, then closed it.  He opened it again, and
closed it again.  He was looking a lot like a sturgeon.  "Get out there,"
he said finally, waving in the general direction of the field.

   We jogged away.  "How'd I do?" Robbie asked when we were away from the
coach.

   "What do you mean?"

   "Did I cross the brupid line?"

   I grinned and kept jogging.

   The way it worked out, Robbie was on defense while I took my turn in the
slot.  And the very first play, she showed the coach that Mike wasn't the
only one she hit.  I'd taken the hike and faded back, looking for a
receiver.  Larry was rushing toward me, so I jumped and fired the ball down
field, just as Robbie hit me in the air.

   She must have knocked me ten feet.

   It takes a real effort to jump up, smile and say, "Good hit," when what
you really want is your mommy.

   When Robbie took the QB position, I moved to defense.  I'd like to think
I gave as good as I got, but it was nothing like that first hit of
Robbie's.

   Mike moved into quarterback, and Robbie and I moved into the backfield
with him.  I guess that was the coach's solution to letting Robbie and me
practice full out but not cream Mike.  I reminded myself that I owed Mike a
couple of good hits.  Not cheap.

   Chapter 20

   "Where were you?" Tami asked as she came up behind me at my locker.

   I put my old math book in my locker, closed it, and turned.  "Depends on
when you mean.  At six this morning, I was asleep in my bed.  About eight,
I was on the bus with you.  And by nine, I was sitting next to the sexiest
reporter in the Western United States in journalism class."

   Why is it that the girls I love frequently look like they want to grab
me by the throat and squeeze and squeeze?

   "You know what I mean.  Where were you last period?"

   "Did Mr.  Calloway ask?"

   "He didn't even call your name in the roll."

   "Hmm." I hadn't planned to keep my tutoring sessions secret, but I was
having too much fun torturing my beloved.

   "I know a secret too."

   "Do you?"

   "Unh huh," Tami said with a grin.  "Tell me yours, and I'll tell you
mine."

   "There's one problem with your plan," I said as I slipped my arm around
her, my hand sliding into her back pocket.

   "What?  You don't know my secret.  I know you don't."

   "Probably not," I agreed.  "That's not your problem." We walked down the
hall toward the cafeteria.  I kept quiet.

   "What is?" Tami asked as we got into the line by the door.

   I grinned.  "If I tell you, you'll get mad."

   "No, I won't.  What's my problem."

   I looked around.  No teachers or vice-principals in the immediate
vicinity.  I pulled Tami around in front of me, my hand still in her back
pocket, and kissed her.  "The problem is, you want to tell your secret.  I
don't."

   Tami kissed me.  "Damn you."

   I kissed her again.  "Life's a bitch, ain't it."

   "Damn you," Tami repeated and kissed me again.

   "If you two aren't going to eat, could you get out of the doorway?"

   I glanced back at the guy behind us.  "You're a freshman, aren't you?"

   He nodded, warily.

   "Don't you know that freshman are supposed to be seen and not heard?"

   "Mikee is a freshman," Tami pointed out.

   "Your point?"

   "Tony!" Tami said, punching me in the shoulder.  "Be nice."

   I grinned at the freshman.  "Sorry, guy.  Just kidding.  I'm Tony Sims."

   "I know," he said.  I wasn't surprised.  Between football, baseball, and
my clashes with Mr.  Parker, I was fairly well known.  "My brother's on the
football team with you."

   "Do you know Mikee?"

   "I know who she is."

   "Tony!" Tami said warningly.

   I moved Tami and me just inside the doorway.  "Why don't you go on
ahead," I told the freshman.  "Take your friends with you."

   I pressed my lips against Tami's, and my tongue wormed it's way into her
moist warm mouth as lunch-goers moved past us.  My hand moved out of her
pocket and started rubbing along the crack of her ass.  My other hand
cupped her breast and massaged her hard nipple through her shirt and bra.

   "I believe there's something about this in the rules," a deep voice said
behind me.  I pulled my mouth away from Tami's, and looked over my
shoulder. Mr.  Calloway was blocking the doorway.

   "Tami thought her tonsils might be inflamed.  I was just checking," I
said with a grin.

   Mr.  Calloway shook his head and pointed toward the serving line.  I let
go of Tami, and we got trays and silverware.

   "So you ready to tell me your secret?" I asked as we held out our trays
for servings of lasagna.

   "I shouldn't."

   "But you want to."

   Tami turned and glared at me before adding a carton of milk to her tray.

   "You know you want to."

   Tami sighed.  "There's going an assembly this afternoon.  Mr.  Mulino is
going to talk about the plays."

   "Cool.  How'd you find out?"

   Tami smiled enigmatically as I paid for our lunches.  I figured one of
the office aides had passed on the tidbit.

   "So what's your secret about?"

   "You know," I said, as I cut a piece of lasagna with my fork.  "Lasagna
is one of the few things the kitchen people get right."

   Tami didn't talk to me for the rest of lunch.

   * * *

   "I can't believe that Kirk didn't make it," Tami said.

   "I have a feeling he would have, but they didn't want three musicals."

   During the assembly, Mr.  Mulino had praised all six proposals and said
what a tough decision it was, but the school board had decided that they'd
only allow three productions because that would stretch the school to the
limits.  Tommy Sands, Leslie Villers, and us.

   We had four weeks to prepare a run-through.  The student body and
faculty would get a chance to see all three productions and vote.  Then the
school would submit its candidate to the contest, and we'd have another
couple of weeks before we had to be ready.

   "I'll bet Kirk is bummed," Robbie said.  "I know I would be.

   "On the other hand, at least he'll have some free time in the next
month," I pointed out.

   "You can be replaced," Robbie threatened.

   "No I can't.  I'm the star," I said pompously, just before her fist
caused all the air in my lungs to leave quickly.

   * * *

   Wednesday, I met Allie in Mrs.  Wayne's classroom.  It was quieter than
the library, and since the teacher had a free period, she let me use it. 
Allie was starting to get the concept of variables and how they could be
used, but she had a lot of work to do.

   "If I show up on your doorstep after football practice, is your mom
going to have me castrated?"

   Allie giggled, though I really didn't see anything funny about the
image.

   "No, she doesn't like you, but she knows you helped me out of a jam. 
And I'll make sure she knows you're helping me out of another one.  But I
thought we couldn't do this at night.  I thought you were busy."

   "I am, but we need the extra time.  So after cheer practice, get home
and get any other homework done.  I'll be there after six, and we'll spend
a couple of hours pounding this into your cute little skull."

   "You make it sound like I'm hopeless."

   "Not hopeless, handicapped," I said, enjoying the shocked look on her
face.  "Handicapped by a teacher who doesn't know how to teach," I added.

   * * *

   Mrs.  Smidt opened the door when I knocked.

   "Hi," I said, though her face was less than welcoming.

   "Hello.  Allie's upstairs, I'll call her."

   I decided to put all my chips on lucky thirteen and spin the wheel. 
"Actually, we'll be more comfortable studying in her room.  If that's not a
problem."

   I could tell it was, but she nodded.  "I'll come up later, to see if you
need anything." I took that as a threat.

   "You know," I said as I walked toward the stairs.  "If I wanted to take
advantage of your daughter, I could find a more convenient time and place."
I didn't look back to check her reaction.

   I walked to Allie's door and knocked.  I waited a few seconds and opened
the door.

   "Tony?" she said, looking up from her desk.  "Mom let you come up here?"

   I just grinned.  "Ready for some math?"

   "Two minutes," she said and put her head down and typed on her computer.
She was a touch typist, the lucky girl.  I had to hunt and peck.

   As Allie finished what she was working on, she looked up and smiled
warmly.  I had closed the door behind me.  "You know, Mom will be up here
to check on us."

   "I'll bet that she'll hang around outside for an hour or so, then knock
before coming in."

   "No way.

   "A kiss against a dollar."

   "You're on."

   Three hours later we finished for the night

   It was a hell of a kiss.

   Chapter 21

   "Tony, I've been looking for you all over."

   I looked up from the book I was reading.  "Kelly, what the hell are you
doing here?"

   It was the end of third period, and Allie had just left.  I was sitting
in Mrs.  Wayne's classroom waiting for the bell for lunch.  Thursday's menu
was sloppy joes.

   "I snuck over.  I needed to talk to you." The middle school was only a
few blocks from the high school, but she was lucky that nobody spotted her.

   "Wait here," I said.  "Even when the bell rings."

   I grabbed the book I'd been reading and my math book and headed for my
locker, hoping that Mr.  Parker didn't spot me.  Any other teacher wouldn't
say a word, but with Parker it would take twenty minutes to convince him
that tutoring Allie was legitimate and that her teachers and my teachers
all knew about it.

   I made it to my locker and put my books away.  I was starting back when
the bell rang.  Unfortunately, Mrs.  Wayne's room was upstream from the
cafeteria.  Doors flew open and kids streamed into the hall, all heading
the opposite direction.  At times like this, it was hard to believe there
was only six hundred students in the school.

   I finally got back to the class.  Kelly was waiting.  I took her by the
hand and led her toward the back doors.

   "What's she doing here?" A voice asked as we stepped outside.  Kenny and
three of his gang were sitting on the half-wall just outside the door,
smoking.

   I felt Kelly squeeze my hand.  "Didn't you hear, she got promoted. 
She's in our grade now.  Hell, she'll probably graduate years before you
do.

   Kenny surged to his feet, his fists coming part way up.

   "Last time, you sucker punched me," he said in a low voice.

   "Yep, I did," I agreed.

   Kenny looked surprised that I just stood there watching.

   "There are four of us."

   "Your counting is getting better."

   Kenny took another step toward me.  "You don't think you can take all of
us, do you?"

   I looked around.  Kenny was about a half-inch shorter than I was, but
maybe ten pounds heavier.  While he wasn't an athlete, it wasn't fat.  Will
Jennings, who wanted everyone to call him Rocky, stood six foot and looked
like a wall.  And was almost as smart.  Benny Schroeder was small and
didn't matter much.  Bobby Hayes, Kenny's best friend, was almost his twin.
He'd tried out for football but quit after three days.

   "Nope, I can't take all of you.  Of course, at practice this afternoon,
they'll probably want to know where my bruises came from."

   I took a few seconds, but Kenny figured out just how far his little gang
would get against some of the football team.  "You're not worth it," he
said, turning his back on me.

   "Probably not," I agreed.  Kelly and I started walking toward the
baseball field.  I led Kelly past the stands, onto the field, then out the
gate in the outfield into the woods behind it.

   She giggled.  "You trying to get me alone?"

   "I wish," I said with a very real sigh.  "I'm trying to get you back to
school before you get busted."

   "But I need to talk to you."

   "What's stopping you?"

   "Oh."

   "So what's so important that you skipped out of school?"

   "Peter."

   "Peter?" I hadn't seen Kelly's other brother in weeks.  He was a good
kid but stayed mostly by himself.  He was a bit of a nerd.  I wondered if I
could set him up with Traci.  He should be safe.  I had to think for a
second.  Peter was older than Kelly but younger than Mikee, so he was an
eighth grader.  "What about Peter?"

   "He got beat up."

   I didn't see.  I mean, getting beat up is no fun, but it happens.  It
was part of life in the American school system.  Hell, probably the
Japanese and French school systems, too.

   "Again!" she added.

   "Again?"

   She nodded.  "Five times since school started."

   This was the fourth week of school.  Five beatings in four weeks was a
bit much, even for a tough school, which the middle school wasn't.

   "What's going on?"

   "There's a guy.  He doesn't like Peter."

   "I guess."

   "He also wants Peter to do his homework and give him money.  He's
exhorting a lot of kids."

   "Extorting," I corrected automatically.  "What's Peter done about it?"

   "Nothing."

   We came out of the woods onto a quiet residential street.  I turned down
the sidewalk.  "Has he told anybody?"

   "Are you kidding?"

   Sadly, getting beat up once a week was better than getting a rep for
running to mommy or a teacher.

   "He told me to keep my nose out of it."

   I grinned.  Which she obviously was doing.

   "Mikee and I talked about it, and we thought you could help.  We were
going to talk to you this weekend, but..."

   "But he got beat up again, and you decided to cut class." She nodded. 
"Who's class are you ditching anyway?"

   "Mr.  Hallowell's."

   That was something.  I could probably square it with him.  "So who's the
guy?"

   "Tony Gleason."

   Damn!  Some kid with my name was terrorizing the school.  "What's he do
after school?  Tony, I mean?"

   "He usually hangs around the bleachers at the football field for a
while, then walks home."

   I thought for a while as we got to the backside of the school grounds.
We cut across the football field and headed for the back of the gym. 
"Okay, I've got two jobs for you.  One, I want you to tell several people
the story of my fight with Peter King.  Remind them that he was a high
school football player, and I put him in the hospital.  Don't be blunt,
just tell it like a good story.  You know, something like, `Did you ever
hear about the time when that high school kid tried to beat up Tony Sims?'
See if you can tell six or seven people."

   "Okay," she said unsurely.

   "Then I want you to tell Peter to go talk to the guy after school, at
the bleachers.  Make sure it's after school and at the bleachers.  Tell
Peter to stand up to him and tell him he's had enough."

   "Stand up to the bully, and he'll back down?  This isn't `Leave it to
Beaver' or the `Andy Griffith Show' or something.  He'll kill Peter."

   "He won't kill Peter.  I'll take care of it.  Don't tell Peter why."

   "Okay," she agreed without much conviction.  Hell, without any
conviction.

   "Now, you get in there." I pointed at the door to the girls' locker
room. "Go to your next class, just like normal.  I'll see if I can square
things with Mr.  Hallowell." She nodded and walked away.  At the door she
looked back, looking uncertain.  I smiled as certainly as I could.

   She went in.

   Now I had to see two people, then get back to my school, before I had to
square things with a bunch of my teachers.

   * * *

   "Tony, I've been looking for you," Robbie said as I walked into class
sixth period.  I'd gotten back about halfway through fifth period.  Mr. 
Walker gave me a hard look, but didn't say anything.

   "What can I do for you red?"

   Robbie looked surprised.  "You know, a boy called me red once.  It was
in the fifth grade." She smiled evilly.  "He was able to eat solid foods
again before sixth."

   "Point taken.  So what do you need copper top?"

   For a second, I thought Robbie was really going to punch me.

   "Ignore him," Tami said from beside me.  "He's been in a good mood since
he got to journalism late."

   Robbie nodded.

   "And he won't tell me why," Tami added.

   "Not your business."

   Tami glared.  Robbie looked from one to the other of us, then shrugged.

   "I talked to Mr.  Calloway, and he'll let us use his classroom.  Our
first rehearsal is tonight from seven to nine."

   "That's great," I said.  The school, to be fair, was letting each
production company use the stage one night a week and a classroom the rest
of the time.  "But I can't make it."

   "Why not?" Tami and Robbie asked together.

   "Got a prior commitment."

   "He was gone last night too," Tami said to Robbie.

   "Think he's fooling around?" Robbie asked.

   "Not a chance," Tami said firmly.  "He really wants to live until
February twelfth."

   "You have to be there," Robbie said to me.

   "Can't."

   "Why?"

   "It's personal."

   "We could replace you," she threatened.

   "Do what you got to do." I walked to the front of the class where Mr. 
Branson was sitting at his desk.

   "Coach?" He looked up from marking his grade book just as the last bell
rang.  "I just wanted to let you know, I'm going to miss practice tonight."

   "Why?"

   Deja vu.  "Personal business."

   "Unless it's a doctors or dentists appointment, you need to be there."

   You know, I was getting damned tired of people telling me what I had to
do.  And assuming that I didn't have my own priorities.

   "If it was your hotshot, Mike Reed, you'd smile and nod."

   The coach looked surprised.  "I don't treat him any differently than
anyone else on the team."

   "Uh hun," I said nodding.  "I can see that.  I just wanted you to know
that I won't be there tonight." I turned and took a step toward my desk in
the front row, between Tami and Robbie.

   "Sims, I don't think you have the right attitude."

   I got to my desk and slid in, facing him again.  "I don't know anything
about my attitude, though you're not the first to question it.  I just know
that this afternoon, there's something more important than football.  If
that's so bad, fire me."

   Branson started to respond, then realized that the whole class was
watching.  He cleared his throat and stepped to the blackboard.  "Yesterday
we talked about the role of the International Monetary Fund in world
economics.  Today..."

   As I watched him lecture I could feel Tami's eyes boring into one side
of my head, and Robbie's the other.  I was so tired of confrontation, but,
unfortunately, I wasn't done yet.

   * * *

   "Tony, I want to talk to you."

   Tony Gleason looked over his shoulder and saw Peter walking up to him.
"So talk."

   Peter swallowed hard.  "I've, uh, I've had all I'm going to take."

   "Really?" Gleason had been sitting on the bottom of the bleachers.  Now
he swung around to look up at Peter.

   From my vantage point next to the snack shack, I could see that Gleason
was almost my size, which meant he would tower over Peter by at least four
inches.

   "Really.  We're going to finish it today.  I'm not doing your homework.
And I'm not giving you any more money.  And if you want to hit me..."

   "Yes?"

   Peter swallowed again.  It was a cool afternoon, but I could see him
sweating.

   "You know, I really love this part.  When the good kid stands up to the
bully, and the bully backs down.  Kid, you've been watching too many
sitcoms," Gleason said.  He stood up, flexing his fists.  "Now this is my
favorite part, where the bully, who really has a heart of gold, beats the
good kid into hamburger."

   "That's my cue," said the man behind me.

   "Wait a few seconds.  It'll be better with blood."

   "I can't..." Mr.  Reed started as Gleason's fist smashed into Peter's
stomach.

   "Go!" I whispered as Gleason's second fist collided with Peter's nose.

   Mr.  Reed stepped around me, then looked back for a split second.  He
was surprised at how cold I was.  "What's going here?" he bellowed.

   Gleason was caught leaning over Peter, his fist cocked.  He looked ready
to run.

   "Freeze, Gleason."

   Within a couple of minutes, he was marching Gleason toward the school,
his hand holding the back of Gleason's shirt.

   I stepped out from behind the snack shack.

   "Peter, you okay?"

   Peter was sitting on the ground, his head up, and pinching his nostrils
together, trying to stop the seeping blood.

   "What are you doing here?"

   "Taking care of business." I reached down, grabbed Peter by the armpit,
and pulled him to his feet.  "Let's get you to the nurse's office."

   "I'm okay," he protested.

   "Sure you are," I agreed.  "C'mon.  I have ten minutes before act two."

   "I let you get hit," I said as we got to the office.  I had him sit on
the examining table.  The school didn't actually have a nurse, but we had a
good first aid room.

   "I don't understand."

   I rinsed a wash cloth in the warm water in the sink and walked over to
him.  I gestured for him to take off his shirt.  I took it and used the
bottom to wipe off some of the blood on his face, then tossed it onto the
counter.  I took the wash cloth and, trying to be gentle, cleaned up his
face.

   "I mean, I could have had Mr.  Reed stop him before he swung."

   "Why?  I mean, I don't understand."

   "This is going to hurt," I said, as I rubbed his nose with the
washcloth. I was pretty sure it wasn't broken.  I wasn't a doctor, but
after years of sports, I'd seen more than a few.  "What I mean, is, I
wanted some blood."

   Peter stared.

   I walked over to the sink and rinsed out the washcloth.  "Here, put this
on," I said, tossing him a t-shirt.  It was from high school football and
supposed to be for the team only.  It was the smallest one we had.

   I pointed toward the phone on the wall.  "Do me a favor.  Dial extension
one hundred and tell Mr.  Reed, `Two minutes.' I'll be back."

   "I don't get it."

   I grinned and picked up his bloody shirt.  "Act two."

   * * *

   I walked into the outer office carrying Peter's shirt.  Bloody side out.

   "Hey, you." I called to Gleason, who was sitting on the bench in front
of Mr.  Reed's office.  Somehow I couldn't bring myself to think of him as
Tony.  It seemed like a betrayal of the name.  The rest of the office was
empty.

   "What?"

   "Do you know this school?"

   "I guess."

   "I'm Tony Sims." I could see a small reaction.  I guessed that he'd
heard the story that Kelly was spreading.  "Do you know Peter Temple?"
Another reaction, just a little apprehension.  I forced myself not to
smile. "He's a friend of mine, and somebody's been using him for a punching
bag.  Any idea who?" I wanted to look menacing but really didn't know how.
So I settled for keeping my expression blank.

   "I, uh, I'm..."

   "Tony, what are you doing here?" Mr.  Reed asked, coming out of his
office.

   "Peter Temple's a friend of mine.  Somebody's been beating on him.  I
was going to have a talk with him."

   "Tony, we don't want a repeat of the Peter King incident." Gleason
flinched at the name.  "He was in the hospital for a month.  Mr.  Reed
looked down at Gleason, then quickly back at me.  "Gleason, why don't you
wait for your parents in my office?" he suggested.

   Gleason scampered off the bench and into the office, looking relieved.
Mr.  Reed closed the door.

   "A month?" I protested.  "Three days tops."

   Mr.  Reed shrugged.

   "In the words of Hannibal Lecter, `I love it when a plan comes
together." "

   "Hannibal Lecter?"

   "Something like that."

   Mr.  Reed smiled.  "Tony you should be an actor."

   "Back at ya," I said, grinning.

   * * *

   "You ready to go home?" I asked as I walked back into the nurse's
office.

   "I missed the bus."

   "I have a limo in the parking lot," I said, grinning.  Actually, Mom
with her new mini-van.  "Let's get you home so your mom can freak."

   "You going to tell her?"

   "Everything."

   "Are you going to tell me what happened?"

   "Let's just say that when Tony Gleason comes back to school, I think
he's going to stay a long way away from you.

   * * *

   "What did you do to him?" Peter's mom moaned as she opened the door and
saw us.  "First Kenny, now..."

   "Mom, leave him alone!" Kelly shouted.  "He didn't do it!"

   Why do parents always assume I'm guilty when I bring their kids home? 
I'm going to stop helping people and go live in a cave in the mountains. 
People just aren't worth the trouble.

   "Mikee, would you take Peter back to the bathroom and help him get
cleaned up?"

   Mikee started to protest, looked at my face, and reconsidered.  She
nodded for Kelly to come along.  I love Mikee, she's smart enough to know
when I need a private moment with Mom.

   I took a deep breath.  "Mrs.  Temple, Peter's been having trouble at
school with a bully." I saw her start to speak and held up my hand.  "Kelly
told me about it, and I made sure that Mr.  Reed knew.  He caught the kid
today just after he hit Peter." I decided that mentioning this was the
second time today was superfluous.

   "I don't...  why didn't he come to me?  Or his father?"

   "Because you would have tried to help.  You would have gone to Mr. 
Reed."

   "I...  but that's what you did."

   "It's about perceptions." I said, shaking my head slightly.  "If Peter
had talked to you, you would have gone very publicly to Reed, he would have
called in the kid and his parents, and Peter would have gotten branded as a
momma's boy.  Somebody who runs to his mommy whenever he gets in trouble."

   "But, that's what I'm here for.  To help my kids."

   I smiled as reassuringly as I could.  "Life's weird.  You're right,
parents are here to help us.  But if they help too much, kids get a rep
that causes them trouble."

   "But you said, you went to Mr.  Reed."

   "The difference is, nobody knows that Kelly came to me for help.  Nobody
knows that I talked to Mr.  Reed.  What people will know is that Mr.  Reed
caught the kid after he hit Peter.  So, Peter gets a reputation for
standing up for himself, and Mr.  Reed can work on the troublemaker."

   "I guess I owe you thanks."

   "You don't owe me anything.  I did it for Peter.  And because I don't
like bullies."

   "You didn't tell me the bully's name."

   "I'll tell you, but my advice is, don't make a big deal about it.  Mr.
Reed's a good guy.  He'll take care of it.  Tony Gleason.  He's an eighth
grader, like Peter."

   "I'll call Mr.  Reed in the morning, but I promise..." she crossed her
heart with a smile, "I won't make a big deal about it."

   I smiled.  "Peter's a good kid.  Take him out and buy him an ice cream
or something."

   I heard something behind me, turned, and looked.  Kenny was coming up
the steps.  I looked back at Mrs.  Temple.

   "Tony, you've been a good friend to the girls and now Peter.  I think it
was very lucky when we became your neighbor."

   I know Kenny heard that as he pushed roughly past me and into the
house..

   Sometimes life is good, and I don't care who hears me say it.

   * * *

   "And how are you tonight?" I asked pleasantly as Allie's mom opened the
door.

   Her face pinched like she'd just smelled something unpleasant.  "Tony,"
she acknowledged.

   I grinned.  "Beautiful night, isn't it?"

   "Yes."

   I figured I'd given small talk enough chance.  "Well, I'd better get to
work." I started up the stairs.

   "I think you could leave the door open tonight," she suggested.

   "I could," I agreed.  "If you didn't trust your daughter." I smiled to
myself.

   * * *

   "Who was that?" Tami asked after Mr.  Smidt drove off.

   "A father.  He gave me a ride home." It was a little after nine.  I
managed to get three more hours with Allie.

   I know Tami wanted to ask whose father it was, but she didn't.  "You
have time for a walk?"

   "With you," I grinned.  "Anytime."

   I went inside and told Mom I was home but going to take a tour of the
park.  I came back out and took her hand.

   "You've had a busy day," she commented.

   "Pretty much," I agreed.

   "You disappeared during third period again."

   "Yep."

   "You disappeared during lunch and the first half of fifth period."

   "Yep."

   "You took off right after school and skipped football practice."

   "Yep."

   "I hear the coach was pissed."

   "Probably."

   "You missed the first play practice."

   "Yep."

   "Robbie was not happy."

   I stopped and turned toward Tami and grinned.  "Did you have a point?"

   Tami shrugged.  "Just that you've been busy."

   I kissed her, then started walking again.

   "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

   "Nope."

   "I hate you."

   "As long as you marry me."

   "If I marry you, will you tell me?"

   "Depends.  Can you wait almost two years to find out?"

   "No.  I don't know if I want to marry somebody as mean as you."

   "Well, if you dump me, maybe Robbie will take me back."

   Tami growled and stomped her feet.  "I hate my life."

   "I love mine.  You know what else?"

   "What?"

   "I love you." I pulled her to me and kissed her.  I never got tired of
the feeling of her lips against mine.  Her breath pushing into my mouth.  I
lifted my mouth off hers and leaned close to her ear.  "Ask me tomorrow
after school," I whispered.

   "Promise?"

   "Ask me?"

   Chapter 22

   I was waiting outside the classroom when the bell rang for the end of
fifth period.  Mr.  Walker had let me out a few minutes early.  The door
opened.  Allie was the first one out.  Her face looked horrible, worse than
Peter's yesterday.  Her makeup had streaked and run down her face.  Her
face was puffy and her eyes red.

   She saw me and ran straight toward me, ignoring the looks she was
getting from other kids streaming into the hall.  She grabbed hold and
buried her face in my chest.  I could feel her sobbing.

   I laid my arm across her shoulders and pulled her to the side of the
hall and out of the river of humanity.  "What's wrong?"

   Allie just kept squeezing me and sobbing.

   Luke came out of the classroom and saw us.  He drew an F in the air and
shrugged.

   An F?  How could she get an F?  She knew this stuff.

   I put my hands on Allie's shoulders and gently pried her off me, pushing
her back far enough that I could look at her face.  "You got an F," I told
her.  She stared straight past me.  "What happened?  Did you choke?"

   Allie barely shook her head.  "I...  he...  he said I cheated."

   Cheated?  She didn't need to cheat.  She knew this stuff.  Had she
gotten scared?

   "Allie, did you...?" I couldn't finish.

   "I didn't.  I swear, I didn't."

   Confusion.  Mass confusion.

   "So why does Mr.  Singara think you cheated?"

   Allie sniffled.  "Because I got a good grade."

   I was amazed.  I thought I had teachers as a species figured out.  The
man thought she cheated, and gave her an F, because she got too good a
grade?  Why the hell were we here?  Why do they tell us to study?

   "Singara thinks you cheated because you got a good grade on a test?"

   Allie sniffled again and nodded.

   Now what?

   * * *

   "Do me a favor."

   "I'm still mad at you for missing practice and rehearsal.  Why would I
do you a favor?" Robbie asked.

   "`Cause I'm cute."

   "Huh!"

   "`Cause I'm cuddly."

   "Huh!"

   "And `cause you're a great friend."

   "What?"

   "Come with me for a couple of minutes and make sure I don't get
suspended."

   Robbie's eyebrows shot up, but she nodded.

   * * *

   "Mr.  Singara, could I talk to you a minute?"

   He looked up from the papers on his desk.

   "I'm Tony Sims." I didn't introduce Robbie who was standing behind me.

   "Yes, Mr.  Sims.  You're not one of my students?"

   "No, sir." See, I can be polite when I want to.  "But it's about one of
your students.  Allie Smidt."

   "What about Miss Smidt?"

   "Well, you..." there was no delicate way to say it.  "Accused her of
cheating."

   Behind me, I heard a small gasp.

   "I think that's between her and me," Singara said.

   "I understand, and I didn't want you to talk about one of your students
to me."

   "Then what is this about?"

   "I hoped you'd listen to me talk about one of your students to you.  I
don't think Allie cheated."

   "Unfortunately, this isn't about what you think.  It's about what I
think."

   I wondered if he was related to Mr.  Parker.

   "I have a reason for what I think.  You see, this last week, I spent
almost ten hours with Allie, working on her math."

   There was another small gasp behind me.

   "I'm sure that was very nice of you.  But that doesn't change the fact
that she cheated." Singara stood and started gathering his papers into a
briefcase.  "She's getting a F on her test and I'm meeting with her parents
in ten minutes."

   "She didn't cheat!"

   He smiled condescendingly.  "It's good to be loyal to your friends." He
closed his briefcase and snapped the locks.

   "She..."

   Robbie put her hand on my shoulder.  "Tony, we have to get to practice."

   "In a minute."

   "Now!" she said and squeezed.  It may not have been the Vulcan
death-grip, but it got my attention.

   I nodded to the teacher and followed Robbie out of the classroom.

   "We don't have practice today," I said when we were in the hall.

   "You're not suspended."

   "Thanks for that."

   "It would have given you an excuse to miss more rehearsals."

   * * *

   "I'm very disappointed, young lady," a shrill voice declared.

   Mr.  Parker's door opened.  Allie rushed out, and, for the second time
that day, into my arms.  Her mom and dad followed.

   "Tony!" she wailed.

   "She didn't do anything," I said.

   "Mr.  Singara said..."

   "Mr.  Singara is an idiot."

   "Mr.  Sims, that's enough." Just what I needed.  Parker to get into the
act.

   "The fact is, Allie's only crime is to study hard and do good on a test.
She didn't cheat."

   "Mr.  Sims, this has nothing to do with you."

   "That's where you're wrong, Mr.  Parker.  This has everything to do with
me, because I spent the time teaching her the math.  Something someone else
was paid to do.  And I know that Allie knew the material.  I know she
passed the test on her own.  No cheating.

   "What Mr.  Singara knows," I continued.  "Is that one of his students
improved.  Because she improved, he decided she cheated." I looked at
Allie's dad.  "You know your daughter.  Do you think she cheated?  What's
more, are you willing to accept she cheated based on the fact her grade
went up?"

   Mr.  Smidt looked at Allie, who had spent this whole time sobbing
against my chest, then at Mr.  Parker, then back at Allie.  "Honey?" he
said finally.  Allie didn't look up, but I could feel her tense a little.
"Allie, did you pass this test on your own?"

   Allie sniffled one more time, then turned around to face her dad.  She
reached up with her hands and wiped tears away from her cheeks.  "So far,
Tony's the only one who asked that question.  And the only one to believe
me.  Daddy, I didn't cheat.  I studied!  I studied hard.  Tony worked with
me third period for four days.  He came over to the house Wednesday and
yesterday, and spent three hours of his own time trying to cram this stuff
into my brain.  And I worked on my own, making sure I understood what he
taught me.  I studied harder than I ever have before, and today I went into
that class ready to take that test.

   "And I did great.  I did so good, that Mr.  Singara called me a cheater,
tore up my test, and gave me an F.  I did so good, that Mr.  Parker called
me a cheater and told me I was lucky I wasn't being suspended.  I did so
good, that my mother is disappointed.  I can't understand why more kids
don't study."

   I grinned.  I didn't know Allie had the sarcasm in her.

   Clap!  Clap!  Clap!  Came from inside Mr.  Parker's office and Mr. 
Singara stepped out.  "That's a nice story young lady.  But I know you
cheated.  And your F stands.  And if you cheat in my class again, you fail
the entire course."

   "But what if she didn't cheat?" her dad said.

   "Oh, Daddy!" she wailed, turned, and ran out.  I nodded to Robbie and
she quickly followed.

   I looked back at the assembly of teachers and parents.  "It's nice to
know the constitution is alive and well here at good old..."

   Parker cut me off.  "You've caused enough problems, Mr.  Sims."

   "Free speech, too." Parker glared at me, and I wondered if I gone a step
too far without Robbie to keep me from getting suspended.

   "I'll be generous," Mr.  Singara said, with a smile for the parents. 
"She can take a new test on Monday."

   "Thank you, Mr.  Singara," Allie's mom gushed.  Her dad glanced
apprehensively at me.

   "But, since, right now, she's failing my class, she's off the
cheerleading squad until she brings that grade up."

   I opened my mouth, decided that there was no possible benefit to
anything I had to say, and closed it again.  In the words of that famous
sage, Quick Draw McGraw, I exited stage right.

   It had been a hell of a day, and it wasn't over yet.

   Robbie and Allie were sitting in front of some empty lockers.  I caught
Robbie's eye and motioned her toward an empty classroom.  She helped Allie
to her feet, and they disappeared just as the office door opened and
Allie's parents came out.

   "Where is she?" her mother asked sharply.

   "I think Robbie took her home." Not exactly a lie, just looking ahead
into the future.

   "She should be coming home with us."

   "Considering the support she gets there, I don't know why she ever
would."

   CRACK!  The sound of her hand slapping my face echoed down the empty
halls.

   "How dare you!  I have a good mind to call your mother and tell her just
how terrible you are."

   I stood without flinching though I knew there was a large red handprint
on the side of my face.  "I have my doubts about your good mind, but my
number is 555-3612.  My mother's usually home by now.  Feel free."

   I turned and walked away.  Behind me, I heard their footsteps get softer
as they went the other way.

   * * *

   "C'mon, we don't have much time," I told the girls after I'd retraced my
steps to their classroom.

   "Where are we going?" Robbie asked, holding the still-sobbing Allie.

   "Mrs.  Wayne's room.  I'm hoping she's still here."

   We gathered up Allie and quick marched her down the hall to the other
end of the building.  As we walked in her classroom, Mrs.  Wayne was
gathering papers for an open briefcase.

   "I need a big favor," I said.

   "Tony, what are you still doing here?  Don't you have a game tonight?"

   "Yes ma'am.  And my time is ticking away."

   Mrs.  Wayne smiled.  "What's the favor?"

   "A math test."

   "A math test?" Allie, Robbie, and Mrs.  Wayne all said together.

   "Yes, ma'am.  Allie needs to take a test on chapters fourteen, fifteen
and sixteen of the beginning algebra book."

   "Do I have to do this now?" Allie whined.

   I turned to her and took her face in my hands, using my thumbs to wipe
tears from under her eyes.  "It's important."

   Allie sniffled and nodded.

   I looked back at Mrs.  Wayne, who said "Tony, I know you have a
reason..."

   "Yes, ma'am."

   She reached down and unlocked a drawer and started rummaging through her
files.  "Here."

   I stepped forward, took the paper, and laid it on a desk, then motioned
Allie to sit down.  She did, then looked up at me.  I smiled reassuringly,
then grabbed a pencil off Mrs.  Wayne's desk and handed it to her.

   "Do your best."

   She nodded, then looked down at the paper and started writing.

   "Would you do me three more favors?" I asked the confused math teacher.
She shrugged.  "Watch her take the test, then grade it.  And don't tell
anyone about this."

   Mrs.  Wayne's eyes got bigger, but she nodded.  "Should I start checking
the want ads?"

   I grinned, as I watched Allie's pencil move confidently across the page.
"Can't hurt."

   Chapter 23

   Friday night lights.

   That'd make a great title for a movie.  Damn, it's been done.

   The overhead lights were blazing as the team charged onto the field. 
The stands were packed.  This was probably our second toughest game on the
schedule.  The coach was hinting that we could go undefeated, and if we
beat the Tigers tonight, we'd be on our way.

   The team, lead by Larry and Jimmy, circled the field, then formed up in
the end zone for some calisthenics.  When it was over, we jogged to our
bench.  I grinned at Robbie.  "Wish me luck."

   "You're nuts, you know."

   "No, I just have this thing about doing what's right.  You know, once
there was this girl, and the coach wouldn't even let her play."

   Robbie's eyes misted, but she nodded.

   I trotted toward the stands.  Allie was sitting next to Tami on the
first row.  I went up the steps from the field and stood in front of them.
Tami stood and hugged me, hard to do with all my pads.  "You're sure?" she
whispered.

   "Never surer!" I gave her a quick kiss, then held out my hand to Allie.
"C'mon, we'll be late."

   "I can't go out there.  They won't let me cheer."

   "You're not going to cheer.  You're going to be inspirational." I took
her hand and -half-pulled her out on the field toward the team bench.  The
crowd quieted, sensing that something out of the ordinary was happening.

   I sat Allie on the bench, right in the middle.  "No matter what happens,
you don't leave without me."

   She nodded.

   "Promise?"

   "I promise," she said quietly, looking more confused than ever.  I stood
next to her and waited for the explosion.

   "What's she doing here?" the coach thundered when he saw her. 
"Cheerleaders belong over there," he said waving toward the space in front
of the grandstand.

   "She's not a cheerleader tonight.  She inspiration."

   "I don't care what you call your girlfriend.  You know the rule: only
players and coaches on the bench."

   "She's not my girlfriend.  My girlfriend is in the stands."

   "I don't care what she is.  She doesn't belong here."

   I stood up as tall as I could.  "She's staying coach."

   "Sims, I've had just about all your attitude I can..."

   Seven words.  I thought they'd be hard to say, so I'd practiced.  But
they slipped out easily.  "If she doesn't stay, I don't either."

   The coach looked like he'd been pole-axed.  "You're not that
indispensable."

   Robbie stepped up next to me.  "If Tony doesn't stay, I don't either."

   "I will not have the two of you tell me how to run my team."

   Larry Gordon and Jimmy Sexton stepped up next to Robbie.  "If she
doesn't stay, we don't either." I called them earlier and told them what I
was going to do.

   The referees were standing in the middle of the field with the captains
from the other team, looking impatient.  They were waiting for captains who
apparently had just quit.  The stands had grown real quiet as we stood
waiting.  I don't know whether they heard Paul when he said, "If they don't
stay, I don't either." But they saw him join the growing group facing off
against the coach.

   Mike stood off to the side watching.  "What the hell are you guys doing?
She's just a girl.  We don't need them," he said waving his arm toward us.
"Let's play football.  I'll go do the damn coin toss."

   We watched as Mike walked toward the center of the field.  Then, slowly,
every other member of the team joined us.

   The coach threw up his hands.  "Okay, she stays," Nobody cheered.  We
just nodded.  "Sims, you might as well sit next to her, you're done."

   Robbie started to protest, but I caught her eye and shook my head.  I
knew what I was doing when I started this.  And I'm smart enough to know
the consequences.  I'd led a mutiny.  They usually hang mutineers, not just
bench them.

   "You didn't have to do this," Allie said softly as the two teams lined
up for the kickoff.  Mike had won the toss and elected to receive.

   "Yes, I did," I told her.  Despite warming the bench, I felt very
satisfied with the world.  Robbie caught the kickoff on our twenty and
zigged and zagged to their forty.

   The teams lined up.  Mike took the hike, scrambled back, and looked for
a receiver.  The receivers were standing in their places waving at the
audience.  The front line had stood and were watching.  Six startled but
happy defenders rushed past and barreled toward Mike, who grounded the ball
before he could get hit.

   "What the hell?" The coach exploded.

   "Call a time-out," I suggested.

   The coach stared blankly.

   "Coach, we need a time-out," I implored.

   The coach made a T with his hands, and Mike called for the time-out.

   I rushed out onto the field as the team circled up.

   "What the fuck do you think you're doing!" I yelled, probably loud
enough that I'd hear about it later.  "I did not come out here to watch you
give away the game to a team we should beat in our sleep.  I don't care if
you think I should play," I said, staring at Robbie.  "Or if you think Mike
is a class A jerk." Mike looked like he wanted to protest, but, for once,
kept his mouth shut.

   "Get out there and play football, or go home and let somebody in the
game who will."

   I didn't bother waiting for anybody to say anything.  I ran off the
field.

   I'd love to tell you how the team tried its best but was losing until
the coach, in desperation, called me back into the game and I inspired them
to play their hearts out and win.  But unfortunately, or fortunately,
depending on your point of view, we dominated from the next play on.

   Mike threw three touchdowns and Robbie threw one.  Larry had the game of
his life, with three sacks, a fumble recovery, and an interception that he
ran the back sixty-four yards for a touchdown.  I sat on the bench and
watched, my arm around Allie and Tami's eyes boring into my back.

   * * *

   "Do I want to ask why you spent the whole game on the bench?" Dad asked
when I got home in my nice clean uniform, Allie by my side.  Mom, Dad, and
Traci had been at the game, though I'd come home with Tami and her mom.

   "Something you haven't done since you were eleven," Mom added, looking
at Allie.

   "Successful mutiny," I muttered.  "We'll be back in a few." I took Allie
to my room for a talk, then out for a walk.

   "Do you think you want to tell us what's going on?" Mom asked, when I
came back alone.

   "Depends.  Would you buy, I'm tired and going to bed early?"

   "At nine on a Friday, before you've taken a walk with Tami?  Try again."

   So, I told them most of the story.  About helping Allie all week.  About
her taking the test and doing better than Singara thought she should. 
About her being thrown off the cheerleading squad, and my getting her on
the bench.  I just left out a couple of details, totally unimportant,
like...

   "Mom, there's a police car out in front," Traci said from the window.

   Like the fact that Allie's parents had no idea where she was.

   We were all looking at the door when the knock came.  Mom looked at me,
then dad, then me again.  Dad looked at me, then Mom, then me again.  Traci
just stared at me.  There was another knock.

   You know, for someone who doesn't like confrontations, I sure seem to
find them easily enough.  I walked to the door and opened it.  Deputy Boyd,
the cop who lived in the park, was standing there.  Allie's mom and dad
behind him.

   "Uh, Tony, I need to talk to you.  It's serious."

   Mom had stepped up behind me.  "What's the problem, Dan?"

   "Allie Smidt is missing.  Her parents seem to think that Tony knows
something about it."

   "He kidnaped her," her mom accused.

   "She was at the game," I volunteered, before Mom or Dad said something
about her being here.  "I was with her then." Even behind me, I could feel
Mom's eyes drilling into the back of my head.

   "Where is my baby?  I want her home?" Allie's mom wailed.

   "Did you ever think she doesn't want to come home?"

   "Tony, this is..." Deputy Boyd started

   "You fucking bastard.  What have you done with my baby?"

   I held out my hands to Deputy Boyd.  "You might as well slap the cuffs
on me and drag me to jail.  I'm done talking to this bitch."

   "Tony!  That's enough.  Apologize!"

   I considered `I'm sorry you're a bitch', but decided that Mom was right.
I'd lost my temper and gone too far.  "I'm sorry, Mrs.  Smidt.  That was
inappropriate."

   "Now, let's sit down and figure this out," Mom said reasonably.

   While Mom was getting everyone settled, I gave Mr.  Smidt a note I'd
written when Allie and I were in my room.  I gave him the phone too.

   With Dad sitting in his chair, Mom on the arm, Deputy Boyd and Mrs. 
Smidt on the sofa, Traci in the other chair, and me standing in the center
of the living room, I felt like the Grand Inquisition was alive and well.

   "Tony, this is serious.  You might think you're helping a friend, but
Allie belongs at home," Deputy Boyd said, trying to calm the situation.  "I
know you didn't kidnap anyone, but it could be considered custodial
interference."

   I considered a nice diatribe about supporting their children, or maybe a
nice innocent-until-proven-guilty recitation.  But I went with a simple,
"Yes, sir."

   "Do you know where Allie is?"

   There are times when I wished lying came easy to me.  "Yes."

   "You need to tell us."

   All in all, a very reasonable request.  "No."

   "Tony, this has gone far enough," Dad sad.

   "Dan, she was here about half-an-hour ago." Mom volunteered.

   Damn!  I was hoping to keep that fact out of the equation.

   "Do you know where she is now?"

   "They took a walk and Tony came back without her.  I'm guessing, you'll
find her at Tami Sharp's." My mom, the traitor.

   "Tony, is that where she is?" the deputy asked.

   "I haven't seen her for fifteen minutes.  I don't know where she is," I
said stubbornly.  I had a good idea, but I didn't know.

   "Tony, did you leave Allie at Tami's?"

   Damn!  Mom had learned how to ask questions with minimum squirm room.  I
wondered how long I'd live by referencing the fifth amendment.  "No."

   "No?" I'd surprised her at least.

   "Isn't Paula Grey a cheerleader?  Maybe she's over there."

   Dad never ceases to surprise me.  I didn't even know, he knew who Paula
was, let alone that she was a cheerleader.

   "Tony," Mom started, and I felt another no-squirm question coming on.

   "Dan," Mr.  Smidt interrupted from the entryway.  "There's been a
mistake.  We're sorry to have wasted your time."

   "John, what?"

   "Annie, we're going home."

   "John?"

   "Annie, we're going home.  Now!"

   "Allie's okay?" the deputy asked, standing.

   "No." He walked up to me and handed me the phone and the note.  "But she
will be.  She's got good friends." He held out his hand and I shook it,
smiling tightly.

   Deputy Boyd watched us.  "Someday," he muttered, "I want a job with easy
questions.  Maybe astrophysics where all you have to do is figure out what
makes the universe tick."

   John Smidt faced him.  "Come on over for a beer sometime, and I'll tell
you a story about a kid who doesn't know how to stop being a hero."

   I felt my cheeks get hot.

   "But, John!"

   "Annie, get in the car." He looked at my parents.  "Sorry to have
bothered you.  That's quite a son you have there."

   A few seconds later they were gone.  I stood with Deputy Boyd at the
door and shook his hand.

   "Tony, it's always interesting.  At least this time I didn't need my
gun."

   "It's early yet," I said glancing at my parents.  "Want to stick around
and prevent a murder?" I asked in a low voice.

   Dan Boyd looked from me to my parents and back.  "They don't pay me
enough."

   I smiled and closed the door behind him.

   "What just happened?" Mom asked when I faced them again

   "I believe, that your son, Anthony Marion Harry Houdini Sims, just did
it again," Dad said with a stunned expression.

   "My son?"

   "He must get it somewhere.  I was never that good at getting out of
trouble."

   "Tony, you've got some explaining to do," Mom said stiffly.

   I handed Dad the note.  "Read this.  I need to get Allie."

   "She was at Paula's?" Dad asked before looking at the note.

   "Nope.  Kathy's."

   * * *

   The first part of the note, I'd written on my computer and printed out.
At the top, I'd written in all caps.

   MR.  SMIDT

   PLEASE DO ME A FAVOR AND CALL MRS.  WAYNE AT 555-4910 AND ASK HER ABOUT
ALLIE'S MAKE-UP TEST BEFORE YOU READ THE REST OF THIS NOTE.

   A line of asterisks separated the rest of the text, and I continued in
regular case.

   Allie took a make-up test today because she refuses to take one from
Singara on Monday.  And even if she took it on Monday, he'd accuse her of
studying over the weekend and she'd still be branded a cheater.

   She shouldn't have had to take a make-up test anytime.  She was accused
without proof, based solely on doing better on the test than a
narrow-minded teacher thought she could.

   Allie Was Very Hurt That No One Considered for Even a Few Seconds That
She Was Not a Cheater.  A Teacher Said She Was, and Her Parents, Who Have
Known Her All Her Life and Should Know What Kind of Person She Is, Just
Accepted It, and Were, in Her Mother's Words, Very Disappointed.

   If You Will Take Advice from Just a Kid, Right Now, She Needs Some Space
and Some Time.

   Allie had written underneath,

   Please Daddy.

   I added one more note at the bottom:

   Admitting that you made a mistake and saying you're sorry couldn't hurt.

   * * *

   I brought Allie back and settled her in my room before facing my parents
again.  "She's spending the night, if that isn't a problem."

   My parents looked at each other, then Mom shrugged.  "We've taken in
strays, why not a fugitive?"

   "You expected all this?" Dad asked.

   "The Smidts?  Yes.  The sheriff was a surprise."

   "I assume Allie passed her test?" Mom asked.

   "She got a ninety-four, two points higher than the test Singara said she
cheated on."

   "Now what?"

   "Now, I'm hoping for one peaceful day without a confrontation," I said
with a sigh.

   "Just one?" Dad asked.  "Why not try for two?"

   I shrugged."Cause Monday, I get suspended again."

   Chapter 24

   "So just how long are you planning to have a red-headed cheerleader
living in your room?"

   "I'll probably get tired of it by March, maybe April."

   From the look on Tami's face, she didn't appreciate my humor.

   "Tami, you ask a red-blooded American guy a question like that and what
do you expect?"

   Tami shrugged.  "What I got, I guess.  So how long does Allie plan to
live in your room?"

   "Actually, she moved out yesterday and into Traci's room.  They're
getting along great.  But I think she'll go home tonight or tomorrow.  She
had a long talk on the phone with her dad last night."

   "Did she talk to her mom?"

   I shook my head.  "Her mom evidently said that she was being a good mom
and had nothing to apologize for.  Allie says there's nothing else to talk
about."

   "That's sad."

   I nodded.

   "So, viva le revolucion?"

   I grinned.  "Viva le revolucion!"

   * * *

   "Mrs.  Porter?"

   "Yes?"

   "I just wanted to say I think you're a good teacher."

   "Why thank you Tony."

   "And no matter what happens today, it's not about you, it's about the
school."

   Mrs.  Porter, who was twenty-four and as cute as any girl on the
cheerleading squad gave me a suspicious look.  "That sounds... 
interesting." She taught a double class of health.  Mr.  Wiltkins was
supposed to teach half the class, but he'd broken his leg a week before.

   "Could even be a good day for Mrs.  Jeffries to do classroom
observation."

   Mrs.  Porter's look got even more suspicious.

   * * *

   "You have forty-five minutes.  Go!" Mrs.  Porter said.

   I stood, holding the three pages of the test in front of me.  "No."

   "Tony, what was that?"

   "I said, no.  I won't take this test.  Or any other test in this
school."

   That got everybody's attention.  Tami in the seat next to me, grinned up
and mouthed the words, "Viva le revolucion!"

   "Tony, I don't understand.  It's just a test.  You've taken dozen of
tests."

   "Hundreds." From the corner of my eye, I saw Mrs.  Jeffries and Mr. 
Parker along the wall, walking toward the front of the room.

   "Then why?"

   "I took tests when I thought I had a fair and equal chance of passing
them.  That was before I discovered that school policy was that any teacher
can call me a cheater and fail me on a whim."

   "That's enough!" Mr.  Parker said, stepping forward.

   "What, you don't want all the students to know that Mr.  Singara accused
Allie Smidt of cheating without any proof, and failed her?  You don't want
everyone to know that you upheld his decision, again without any proof?"

   I looked around the room, every face was on me.  "Do you really want to
take a test when Mrs.  Porter can decide you're cheating, just because she
doesn't like blondes, or tall kids, or whatever?"

   Robbie stood.  "I'm not taking any test where a teacher can call me a
cheater for no reason."

   I held my test paper in front of me and tore it neatly in two.

   "Mr.  Sims, Miss Tate, maybe we should discuss this in my office?" Mrs.
Jeffries offered.

   "Why bother?  You've made it clear in the past that you won't overrule a
subordinates's decision.  Mr.  Singara decided that Allie was cheating. 
Mr. Parker decided she was too.  You won't do anything.  Talking to you is
a waste of time."

   "Mr.  Sims, you've gone too far," Parker thundered.

   "Do you folks know what Allie's crime was?" I looked around at a sea of
shaking heads.  "She studied.  She wanted to do better, so she studied. 
And when she got a better grade than Singara thought she should, he tore up
her test in front of everyone and gave her an F.  Why take a test when a
so-called teacher in a bad mood can do that?"

   "Mr.  Sims, my office," Parker almost screamed.

   "I say, no more tests until we get a fair chance of passing them."

   "No more tests," Tami said in a chanting voice.

   "No more tests," Robbie added her voice to Tami's.

   That was all it took.  A second later fifty voices were chanting, "No
more tests.  No more tests."

   I grinned at Parker.  I'd never been suspended in September before.

   * * *

   "You three are the ring-leaders.  I know it." Parker snarled.

   "But can you prove it?" I asked, just to be difficult.

   "I don't have to."

   God, I couldn't believe just how stupid you could be and still get a
master's degree and a job running a school.  "And that, is the problem."

   "Mr.  Sims, you can't just refuse to take tests." Mrs.  Jeffries said
reasonably.  We were sitting in her office.  They never had gotten the test
in health restarted.  Now it was second period, and I had a feeling that my
revolution was spreading.

   "And Mr.  Singara can't just call someone a cheater and fail her.  But
he did."

   "Why didn't you come to me with this problem?"

   "Because you're a figurehead.  You don't make decisions.  And, in your
own words, you make it a point never to overrule your subordinates.  I
already knew Mr.  Parker's opinion, so talking to you would be a waste of
time and breath."

   Mrs.  Jeffries' mouth worked, but nothing came out.

   "Twelve days, Mr.  Sims." Parker said.

   "Ah, the maximum.  Nice to know you're cracking down."

   Mrs.  Hatcher walked in the open door.  "Mrs.  Jeffries, I thought you
should know.  Mr.  Tatley just called, and so did Mrs.  Wayne.  Their
students are refusing to take any tests.

   "Oh, God!" Jeffries muttered.

   Parker just glared at me.

   "Interesting situation, we have here," I said, just to make small talk.

   "I don't know what you think you're doing..." Parker started.

   "Oh, this is just phase one.  Phase two is a lot more fun."

   "Phase two," Mrs.  Jeffries stammered.  "What's phase two?"

   "This." I reached into my backpack and pulled out a mockup of the front
page of the school paper.  The headline, nice and bold, read STUDYING A
WASTE OF TIME.  The article stated that school teachers and administrators
had decided that studying was ineffective, that students could not better
themselves by studying.  It was a masterpiece.  Tami had done it again.

   Parker grabbed the paper out of my hand and scanned the article and
handed it to Mrs.  Jeffries.  "We're not going to print that."

   "I know.  You have no interest in printing the truth.  That was just a
mockup.  That's why it's going to the paper in Seattle." I reached into my
backpack again and pulled out a large envelope, already stamped and
addressed.  "Personally, I think they'll love it."

   Parker grabbed that out of my hands too.  He grinned and holding it out
in front of him, slowly ripped it in half.

   If you ever played baseball, and if you were any good, you know the
feeling.  The feeling of swinging the bat, and knowing, even before it
connected with the ball, that the ball was going the distance.  I had that
feeling as I watched the envelope rip.

   I leaned back in my chair, resisting the urge to put my feet on the edge
of the desk, and smiled.

   Parker looked at me, confused.  "What are you so happy about?"

   It was like the old Mission: Impossible shows where the crew started
pulling off their masks, but the bad guy hadn't quite realized he'd been
had.  "Mrs.  Hatcher, Mrs.  Jeffries, I'll need you to sign statements
about what you just witnessed."

   "Witnessed?  Nothing happened," Parker said.

   "Robbie, synonyms for a thousand, a communication in a stamped addressed
envelope?"

   "What would be mail, Alex."

   "Mrs.  Hatcher, would you mind getting the FBI on the phone?  Tampering
with the mail is a federal offense, and we all just witnessed a crime."

   "That's ridiculous," Parker said, less than convincingly.  The look on
his face was close to the one in the show when the villain knew he'd been
had.

   "And Mrs.  Hatcher, you might want to let Mr.  Mulino know that he'll be
needing a new vice principal for two to five years.

   I looked at Robbie on my left, put my forefinger on my nose and flicked
it forward.  Then I looked at Tami on my right and did it again.  Both
girls grinned and repeated the gesture we'd borrowed from The Sting.

   * * *

   "What do you want, Tony?" Mulino asked from behind his desk.

   "You really don't want to know, sir." Allie, Tami, Robbie, and I were in
an empty classroom with our parents, Mr.  Mulino, Mrs.  Jeffries, and Mr.
Parker.

   "But I do, Tony.  I do." Mr.  Mulino looked tired.

   "I want Allie to get the grade she deserves on her test, unless Mr. 
Singara can prove she cheated."

   Mulino looked at me, then behind me to where Singara was leaning against
a wall.  "Mr.  Singara, do you have any proof that Miss Smidt cheated?"

   "No, but her grade..."

   "Fine, Allie you get a ninety-two.  With the grading curve, I believe
that's an A.

   "Anything else?" he asked, looking back at me.

   "I want Allie transferred to Mrs.  Wayne's class, where she can actually
learn something."

   "I will not stand here and be insulted by a..."

   Mulino gave Singara a hard look.  "Do you really want to finish that
sentence?"

   Behind me, I heard silence.

   "And I think a public apology would be in order."

   "I agree," Mr.  Mulino said before Singara could object.  "Anything
else?"

   I grinned, I knew what he was expecting.  "No, sir."

   Mr.  Mulino looked stunned.  "You're not going to demand that we fire
Mr. Parker?"

   I shrugged.  "Why bother, you won't do it.  We both know that the FBI
isn't going to prosecute Parker for ripping up a letter.  Technically, it
was a federal crime, but they won't bother.  All we can do is get a lot of
bad publicity for our school.  The whole situation will be front page, and
the NEA and the Washington education association will be in the awkward
position of having to defend a teacher who basically feels that studying
hard doesn't work."

   "I never said that," Singara challenged.

   I turned around in my desk and looked at the so-called teacher.  "But
you decided that Allie couldn't have achieved that grade without cheating.
Maybe you're not against studying.  Maybe you just think cheerleaders are
stupid.  Or women."

   "I never..."

   I looked back at Mr.  Mulino.  "If Mr.  Parker is going to be in charge
of discipline, and Mrs.  Jeffries refuses to properly oversee him, it would
be nice if he would at least pretend to investigate both sides of a
situation." I looked over at Parker and smiled.  He glared.

   I stood.  "Now if you'll excuse me.  I'm suspended for the next twelve
days."

   Chapter 25

   "What's the problem, dude?" Larry asked as I slipped my shoulder pads
over my head.

   "Just wondering if I'm wasting my time."

   "Ya lost me," Larry said, pulling on his jersey.

   "Well, you may have noticed that I got a little less playing time than
usual on Friday."

   "Yeah, I noticed.  But you did have one shining moment." Larry put his
hands on his hips and screwed up his face.  "What the fuck do you think
you're doing!" he said in a passable imitation of me.  "My dad said he
heard you clear as day, and he was sitting halfway up the stands.  Said it
was downright inspirational.  It reminded him of the good old days, playing
tackle for Oklahoma.  Of course, almost everything reminds him of the good
old days, playing tackle for Oklahoma."

   I grinned.  Then frowned.  "I'm just wondering if I'm still on the
team."

   "Of course you are.  We won't let him can ya.  We got Allie on the
bench, didn't we?"

   I smiled, thinking of Larry and the team standing up for me.  And Mike
saying, `What do we need him for?'

   "No!"

   "What do you mean no?  We didn't get Allie on the bench?"

   "No, I mean, if the coach wants to sack me, you let him."

   "I don't get you."

   "Larry, Branson's a good coach, a little hard-headed a times, but a good
coach.  If we push him too far, we lose football.  We've got a good team
this year.  No, a great team.  I'm not going to be the reason that we sit
the rest of the season out."

   "It won't come to that."

   "It could.  How would you like to coach a team where the players kept
over-ruling you."

   "Okay, you got a point.  But we can't just let you get dumped.  You're
the star."

   I grinned, that felt good.

   "No, Mike Reed's the star, and you and Robbie are the money players.  I
just show up and try to look good for the girls." I pulled my jersey on,
and Larry slapped me on the back.  "Promise me you won't let anybody do
anything stupid."

   Mike nodded.

   "Especially Robbie."

   "Monster Girl's going to do what she wants.  But I'll try."

   I slapped him on the back and we headed for the field.

   * * *

   Robbie was waiting for me outside.  Larry tossed me a salute and started
jogging.

   "You ready for this?" she asked.

   "Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more into the breach."

   "My, you're getting literary."

   "Ain't I?"

   "But this isn't the Charge of the Light Brigade, and you don't have
cannons to the left of you and cannons to the right.  Just a coach in
front."

   I figured literary had worked so far.  If I couldn't be a jock, I'd be a
geek.  "T'will do, t'will suffice."

   "Mercutio now.  You do have pretensions."

   * * *



   "Tony, over here."

   I picked up my helmet and trotted to the coach.

   He'd called me Tony.

   He never called me Tony.  He always called me Sims.

   This was either a very good sign or a very bad one.

   "Yes, Coach." We were on the opposite side of the field from the team.
We'd just finished calisthenics, and Mr.  Vickers, one of the assistant
coaches, was giving everybody their assignments.

   "Tony, do we have a problem?"

   Damn, that was a loaded question if I ever heard one.  Of course we had
a problem.  I led a mutiny of his team and he benched me.

   "Not me, Coach.  Not a care in the world.  I fought all my battles this
morning."

   "Yeah, I heard about your battles.  It's a good thing I wasn't giving
any tests today."

   "I planned it that way."

   "Uh huh," he said, shaking his head.  "Tony, I'm glad Mr.  Mulino
decided not to suspend you.  We need you on the team."

   "Thanks, Coach.  In that case, I want a private dressing room, a raise,
and two cheerleaders to rub my shoulders between plays."

   "I'll give you a boot in the ass," he growled.  "Now get out there and
throw the football."

   "Yes, Coach," I said grinning.  "Right away, Coach."

   I was back.

   * * *



   "Ladies and gentlemen!" Robbie shouted over the din.  "In case you don't
know him," she continued in her normal voice as everyone quieted down,
"this is our star, who missed all our rehearsals last week because he
thought that just because this is a school, math is more important.  And
who almost missed the next twelve rehearsals because he was busy leading a
revolution."

   There was a loud cheers, and suddenly all the girls were kissing me and
the guys were slapping me on the back.  Darlene and Diana Coleson were both
tasty.  And Mikee, Tami, and Robbie were nice distractions, too.  Allie,
who'd come to watch, grinned at me from next to the wall.

   "Okay, here's the plan.  Today, we'll continue to block out our scenes."
She gave me a piecing look, "Which will be easier now that the guy who's in
almost every scene is here."

   "Sorry, Chief," I apologized, then winked at Allie.

   "Tomorrow and Wednesday our band is here, and we'll work on the songs
all night.  Thursday we get our turn to use the stage, so we'll finish
blocking.  And Friday..."

   "We get the night off, since you and Tony have a game in Wenatchee,"
Darlene finished for her.

   "Bossy, isn't she," I said to no one in particular.

   Robbie looked at the ceiling and waved her hands.

   Why are girls always beseeching deities when they're around me.  A guy
could get a complex.

   Chapter 26

   "You want to fuck her, don't you?"

   I looked up at the stars.  I wondered if one of them was a deity I could
beseech.  "I know we've had this conversation before, but to refresh my
memory.  Who do I want to fuck?  And why?"

   "Allie.  You lived with her for five days."

   "One, I'm a teenaged boy.  I'm red-blooded and full of hormones.  Two,
Allie is a beautiful, athletic, and limber girl, plus she has red hair.  Of
course I want to fuck her."

   "That's okay.  I understand," Tami said without looking at me.

   "You don't, or we wouldn't be having this conversation." I didn't add,
`again.' "I like Allie a lot.  Physically, I'm attracted to her.  But
emotionally and spiritually, I'm attracted to you."

   Tami smiled.

   "If you want me to swear on the stars up there never to touch another
girl again, I will.  Though I do need a waiver for the play.  I have to
kiss three girls in it, or Robbie will hurt me."

   "No, that's not what I want.  And it's okay if you want to fuck Allie.
It's just..."

   "Tamarone Elizabeth Sharp!  If I ever go to jail it will be for
strangling the life out of you.  Lovingly, of course," I added with a grin.
"You are usually a smart, witty, self-confident person, but every now and
then you get full of self-doubt, and it drives me nuts."

   "I don't..."

   "You do.  You've been thinking about a beautiful redhead living in my
house, and you decided that I couldn't help myself and probably fucked her.
Then you decided that it was okay if I slipped.  Then you started this
conversation to let me know it was okay."

   "I...  how do you know me so well?"

   "My cock wants Allie.  Hell, Big Tony wants Darlene, Robbie, Diana, and
half-a-dozen others I can think of off the top of my head.  But my heart is
stubborn.  It wants you."

   "Tony, why do you put up with me?"

   "Like I said, my heart is stubborn.  No matter how much I tell it about
other fish in the sea and the grass is greener, it wants you.  Damn heart."

   Tami stopped walking and pulled me into a kiss

   "I don't know why you put up with me, but I know why I love you," she
said when we finished.

   We were nearing the front of the park, so I pulled her toward the front
lawn, and a minute later we settled on the swings.  "And why is that?" I
asked.

   "Cause you make me feel good.  You make me like being me."

   We started swinging.  Without trying, we swung together, side by side.
In sync.

   "You can, if you want?"

   "Can what?"

   "Fuck Allie.  And Darlene, and Diana.  And Paula, Alana, and anyone else
you want."

   "All at once?" I asked, being a smart ass.

   "If you want."

   "Tami..."

   "No, it's okay.  That's not my self-doubts talking.  It's...  it's...  I
don't want you to miss out on anything."

   We swung together for a while as I digested that.  Then I started
dragging my feet on the ground and came to a stop.  When Tami saw me
slowing down, she did too.  When she'd stopped, I reached over and pulled
her toward me.  She giggled and moved to my lap.

   "You know my sweet little chinchilla..."

   "Chinchilla?"

   "I've been thinking that I really don't have any pet-names for you.  I
was trying it on."

   "Did it fit?"

   I shrugged, "Not even close.  You know, Tami, if a meteor lands on my
house tonight and I wind up standing in front of St.  Peter or whoever
guards the gates upstairs, I can honestly tell him, her, or it that I
haven't missed out on anything."

   Tami looked skeptical.

   "You know, my little petunia," I said, pausing as Tami shook her head.
"There are guys who make it through four years of high school and never
even kiss a girl.  There are guys who go through their entire lives and
don't fall in love."

   "Well, my big strong mastodon..."

   "Mastodon?"

   Tami grinned.  "Even if you haven't missed out, I give you my permission
to fuck Allie."

   "If it will make you happy I'll go home, see if Mom will drive me over,
and plug Big Tony into her pussy right now.  I'll even let her mom watch.
Then we can stop by Darlene's, and since her step-dad doesn't like me
anyway, I can take her right on the coffee table."

   "And I'll be waiting here for you when you get back."

   "You're strange, woman."

   "I'm in love, man."

   I figured that was a cue for a kiss if ever there was one.  One of us
needed a breath mint.  Tami must have had something with onions for dinner,
but I didn't care.

   "You know, as I think about it," I said several minutes later, "Mom was
real tired after the game tonight.  Said something about screaming herself
raw.  She's probably not in the mood to drive me to Allie's."

   "That's too bad," Tami said and kissed me again.

   "And I got real horny talking about it." I sucked on her earlobe.

   Tami giggled.  "Sorry about that."

   "It's all your fault, too." I slipped my hand under her shirt and
massaged her breast through her bra.

   "I guess I should do something about that." She reached down and gave
the crotch of my jeans a squeeze.  Big Tony had only been about half hard,
but now jumped to attention.

   "Is your mom going to be home tomorrow?" I asked as I pushed the cup of
her bra up off her breast.

   "In the morning.  But she'll be gone in the afternoon."

   "Damn.  Well, in the afternoon we'll..."

   "In the afternoon, we have play practice at Robbie's house."

   "Damn play.  Who's idea was this anyway?"

   "Mine," Tami said with a little pout.

   "And a great idea it was.  What do you think your mom would do if I
showed up about nine and she heard moans and groans and bedspring noises
coming from your room?"

   Tami gave Big Tony another squeeze.  "Tony, just because she left us
alone in a hotel for an hour once..."

   I nodded.  "That's what I thought." I kissed her neck.

   "Can't you kids find a better place for that?" interrupted a voice from
the street.

   Mr.  Edders was walking his dog.  Nasty little mutt.  Only a couple of
pounds, all hair and teeth.  I love dogs, but that thing would make good
wolf bait.

   "Not at the moment.  Think we could use your bedroom?" Tami yelled,
surprising the hell out of me.  Edders grumbled something and walked away.
Tami looked at me staring at her, then laughed.  "I know.  I've been
hanging around Robbie too much."

   * * *

   I was sitting on the porch, enjoying the sunshine.  It was a beautiful
day for the second day of October, but the forecast said it was supposed to
start raining this afternoon.  Then forty days and forty nights.  Actually,
I don't know about forty, but the long-range forecast said seven at least.

   I was thinking that it'd be a great day for a swim.  The wind was a
little cold, but with the sunshine, not too bad.  But I'd noticed last
night that the manager had drained the pool and locked it up.

   Tami walked up.  "Are you going to sit there all day?"

   "Maybe.  At least until my maniacal director makes me sing until my
throat is raw."

   "But Mikee's parents are gone."

   Apparently Tami had joined the neighborhood watch.

   "And Alana's at college..."

   She was good at it too.

   "And Peter's at soccer..."

   I wondered if she knew where Jimmy Hoffa and Amelia Earhart were.

   "And Kenny's on some highway doing community service..."

   "And your point is?"

   "You doofus!  There's an empty bed, and Mikee says we can use it."

   I jumped up.  "Why didn't you say so, instead of wasting all this time
on the Temple location report." I reached for her hand, and we started
walking toward Mikee's house.

   "Of course, she expects to get serviced too."

   "Serviced?"

   "Not her exact word, but close enough."

   "I feel so cheap," I complained.

   "You love it and you know it."

   I grinned and shrugged.  When she's right, she's right.

   "She says Danny just isn't as good."

   "Danny?  Danny who?"

   Tami shook her head.  "Danny Kessler.  They've been going together for a
month and a half.  Can't you keep up."

   "Apparently not.  I thought she liked Paul Tucker.  Isn't that why she
chose him for the play?"

   Tami giggled.  "I think he's the backup reserve."

   "Oh."

   * * *

   "Yesssssssss?"

   "Just watching," Mikee giggled.  "It is my bed after all."

   I was lying in the middle of Mikee's queen bed while Tami rode me like
Annie Oakley.  A pair of bunk beds rested against the wall.  Kelly's was
the bottom.  When Alana came home from school she'd get the queen again,
and Kelly would get bumped to the top bunk.

   "Come here, my little cheerleader," I beckoned.

   Mikee came over and stood by the bed.  "I'm not a cheerleader anymore. I
didn't make it this year."

   I slipped my hand around her, cupping her denim-encased butt cheek. 
"They're fools.  But you'll always be my little cheerleader."

   "Aw, that's sweet," Tami said, with just a hint of sarcasm.  She stopped
bucking and sat on my hips, my cock embedded in her.

   "Ignore her," I told Mikee.  "Have I mentioned," I whispered loudly,
cupping my hand on the side of my mouth as if to keep a secret from Tami,
"that I have a thing for cheerleaders?  And ex-cheerleaders?" I squeezed
Mikee's cheek.

   "You know," Tami said, starting a slow forward-and-up, back-and-down
rhythm, "between your thing for cheerleaders, your thing for red-heads, and
your thing for anything female under the age of fifty, it's amazing that
Allie was safe."

   "I also have amazing self-control," I said modestly.

   I pulled Mikee to me and kissed her hard, my free had slipping under her
t-shirt to squeeze her small, firm tit.

   "I can see that," muttered Tami.  "You know, if I could figure out how
to cut you off without cutting me off..." she left the threat unfinished.

   Mikee looked nervously back at Tami, unsure of her place in this.

   Tami giggled.  "You might as well take your clothes off.  He's really
horny today.  It think it was living with Allie for a week."

   "I think you're right," I agreed, then lifted Mikee's shirt and fastened
my lips around one of her nipples.

   "It's okay, I'll share," Tami said and leaned down, took Mikee's face
gently in her hands, and kissed her.

   I didn't cum, I exploded.  No warning.  No building toward a climax. 
Just a massive rush of pleasure as I watched their lips meet.

   Tami giggled.  "I'm not sure what's left is worth sharing." She wiggled
off my hips and took my shriveled cock between her thumb and forefinger.

   Remind me to be insulted when I get my breath back.

   Mikee wiggled down the bed and gave the formerly Big Tony a lick.  Tami
giggled, then leaned down and licked the other side.  Then they licked
together.  They started at the bottom and licked up until their tongues met
at the top.  It was only an inch, maybe two, but it seemed to take forever.
The tips of their tongues came together and stayed as the girls rose up and
stared into each other's eyes.

   They stayed like that for hours.  Noses almost touching, tongues just
barely connected, not even breathing.  Then Tami's head tilted and she
pressed forward until their lips met.  Just before I lost sight of it, I
saw Tami's tongue dart into Mikee's mouth.

   As the two kissed, Big Tony started living up to his name.

   I couldn't believe what I saw.  I'd fantasized about Tami and Robbie. 
About Tami and Ashley.  About Tami and Allie.  About all four.  I'd even
dreamed of Mikee and Kelly together.  But I'd never pictured Tami and
Mikee.

   "Oh, God, where did you learn to kiss like that?" Mikee whispered when
they finally broke apart.

   "Him," Tami said, hooking her thumb at me.

   "And who taught you to kiss?" Mikee asked, almost suppressing a giggle.

   I thought about saying Kelly, just to tweak her, but I didn't want to
change the mood.  "Maryann Simpson.  Fourth grade."

   "Lucky girl," Tami said.  She reached down and grabbed the bottom of
Mikee's t-shirt and quickly pulled it over her head.  Mikee raised her arms
when she realized what was happening.

   "Where's Kelly?" I asked as I watched Tami fling the shirt off to the
side.

   "Mom and Dad took her to a gymnastics meet in Yakima."

   "Too bad.  She's the limber one in the family." Mikee glared at me.  So
much for not changing the mood.  Sometimes I just can't help myself.

   "Who needs him?" Tami said and reached for Mikee again.  She pulled her
forward, over my body.  Mikee's hand landed on Big Tony and pressed it to
my stomach as Tami's lips mashed against hers for the third time.  I
watched as their nipples came together in a dance, sometimes touching,
sometimes pulling away.

   Tami twisted, pulling Mikee over my body and onto her back, continuing
the kiss.  I rolled to my hands and knees and crawled to the bottom of the
bed.  I unfastened Mikee's jeans and pulled them and her underwear down her
legs and off.

   A small part of my mind wondered if Tami was doing this for me.  Part of
her campaign so that I `wouldn't miss out'.  The rest of my mind was on
stand-by, all the blood having left for my other head.

   I scooted forward and leaned down to lick Mikee's cunt.  I heard her
moan into Tami's mouth.  Mikee's back arched, and she thrust her hips
toward my face as her first orgasm hit her.  I used my thumbs to separate
her lips as I pushed my tongue deep into her, trying to make it last.  From
the corner of my eye, I saw Tami's hand settle on one of Mikee's breasts
and her thumb start to tease her nipple.

   "Oh God, oh God, oh God, ohgodohgodohgaohgaohhhhh..." Mikee shuddered,
grabbed my ears, and tried to pull me deeper into her pussy.

   I stabbed my tongue deep one more time, then reached up and pulled
Mikee's hands away from my now-tender ears.  I crawled up alongside Mikee
and pressed my lips against both of theirs.  Tami's head turned enough so
that I was kissing both of them.

   I reached down and stroked Mikee's pussy, surprised to find Tami's hand
already there.  Our fingers played together, sometimes intertwining,
sometimes stroking Mikee's lips.  Almost simultaneously, our lips pulled
away from Mikee's mouth and we lowered ourselves to her nipples.  As my
mouth closed on Mikee's right nipple, Tami's hand slid on top of mine and
her middle finger guided mine into Mikee's pleasure cave.  Mikee's hips
surged forward as both our fingers penetrated her.

   "Oh fuck, fuck, fuc...!" she shouted.  I hoped the neighbors, especially
Tami's mom, all had their TV's on.  Loud.

   Tami pulled her finger out of the girl and wrapped her hand around Big
Tony, and I almost yelled, too.  It felt so good I came, hard.  Four big
surges of creamy goo landed on Mikee's knee.

   "God damn, I can't take anymore!" Mikee almost screamed as my finger
kept plunging deep into her slit.  I felt her shudder again.

   As Mikee lay panting and glassy eyed, I crawled to Tami and lay on top
of her.  Big Tony, whose new name was Limp Tony, rubbed against her slit.

   "That was incredible," I whispered softly.

   "Should I lick her pussy now?" Tami whispered, sounding unsure.

   I looked at the near-comatose freshman.  "If you want to, save it for
next time.  If you don't, don't."

   "I didn't know what to do."

   "You did fine," I assured her.  "Sex isn't about what you're supposed to
do, it's about what you want to do.  I don't think Mikee has any
complaints. I know I don't."

   "So Tony finally got his threesome," Tami giggled.

   "My threesome?"

   "Robbie told me about your bet."

   "Robbie has a big mouth." I grinned.  "But then again, so do I." I slid
down her body and put my big mouth to good use.  And Tami had no complaints
either.

   Chapter 27

   "Thanks, Mom.  I really appreciate this," I said as the car rolled to a
stop.

   "Just remember this in a few months when you get your license and I ask
you to take Traci somewhere."

   I looked blank.  "Traci, Traci who?" I started to open the door.

   "It's a long walk to Robbie's from here."

   "Oh, Traci!  My beautiful, talented, loving sister.  Why didn't you say
so?" I grinned as I stepped out of the car.  The raindrop hit right in the
center of my head.  I looked up and a second drop landed in my eye.  Damn
forecasters were right.  "I should just be a minute."

   Mom nodded and opened the magazine that had been in our mail.

   Another drop landed on the back of my neck, and I raced toward the front
door and knocked.

   "Tony!  What a nice surprise.  How are you?"

   "Fine Mrs, uh, Reed." I almost called her Mrs.  Carter, which probably
wouldn't have gone over very well with her new husband.  "I just came to
pick up Darlene."

   "I'll see if she's ready.  Come in out of the rain."

   I stepped inside and closed the door behind me.

   "What are you doing here?" Darlene's step-dad asked, unpleasantly, from
the sofa.

   "Just picking up Darlene for play practice."

   He looked up at his wife as she and Darlene came into the room.  "Honey,
we have that dinner with the Jameson's tonight.  I thought Darlene was
going to watch the girls." Darlene had an eight-year-old sister and had
inherited a nine-year-old step-sister.

   "Mike can watch them," Darlene said quickly.

   "Can't, got plans," Mike said from his chair.

   "So do I.  What are you doing?"

   "Brian and I thought we might go to a movie."

   "Might!  Mike can watch them," Darlene said firmly.

   "Mike has plans," her step-dad said.  "You'll just have to stay home."

   "I've watched the brats the last five times you've gone out, cause Mike
always has plans.  If he can't change his plans, why don't you change
yours."

   Her step-dad exploded out of the sofa.  "I've had enough of your
attitude, young lady!  You can go to your room." Darlene started to speak,
"Now!"

   Darlene looked at me, her eyes starting to fill with tears.  I shrugged
and gave her a small smile.

   Her step-dad looked at me.  "Did you have something to say?"

   I bit my tongue.  Hard!

   * * *

   "Madame director," I said, walking up to Robbie after Mom dropped me
off. "Darlene can't make it," I said softly.

   Robbie looked like she wanted to kick something.

   "That's just great.  First you skip out on a week of practice.  We
finally get you back, and now Darlene can't make it," she said
sarcastically.

   "Roberta!" Robbie had been looking down at a clipboard of notes.  Her
eyes snapped to me at the use of her full name.  "You can talk to me that
way all day, but you use that tone of voice on Darlene when she gets back,
and I'll take you over my knee."

   Robbie's nostrils flared.

   "I may get a lot of bruises doing it," I continued, "but sitting down
will not be a pleasant experience for awhile.  Darlene CAN'T make it.

   I watched her face as she processed what I'd said, both the threat and
the emphasis on can't.  The anger faded and she nodded.  "What's wrong?"

   I hesitated.  "She'll tell you if she wants you to know."

   Robbie nodded again.  "Okay, I can do my part and her part too.  But I
ain't kissin' ya."

   "Draft Kelly.  We're all using scripts anyway.  Kelly can read Darlene's
part."

   "You just want someone to kiss," Robbie challenged.

   I grinned.

   * * *

   Mikee, Kelly and Tami were standing together, talking.  Paul Tucker,
Mikee's leading man, was standing just outside the group.  I nodded to him
as I walked up.  Mikee and Tami looked at me with Cheshire cat smiles.

   "You two know something I don't know," I accused.  I didn't know how. 
I'd just left them twenty minutes ago.  Kelly had just gotten home.  She'd
come in third in her meet.  She'd even shown me her medal, so that wasn't
it.

   "I know too," Kelly boasted.

   The only thing I could think of was that Robbie had a new boyfriend; but
then, she ought to be in a better mood.  I shrugged.

   "Fresh meat," Tami said.

   "Fresh meat?"

   Kelly giggled at my expression, then Mikee and Tami joined in.

   I grabbed Kelly, pulled her arms together in front of her, and held them
with one hand while my other hand slid into her armpit and I started
tickling.  "Talk!" I commanded as the younger girl squirmed.

   "New girl.  Just moved into the Martin's old trailer with her family. 
Tami said you'd think she was cute," Kelly reported breathlessly.  I
released her and she spun and stuck her tongue out at me.

   "Okay," I said, looking at Tami.  "Name, age, shoe size and what'd she
get on her last math test?"

   "Zoe, thirteen, nine, and an A."

   "You're making that up," I accused.

   Tami shrugged.  "Her names Zoe.  Zoe Morganthal.  She turned thirteen
two weeks ago, but she's a freshman cause she skipped a grade.  I'm pretty
sure about the shoe size, and I figured if she skipped a grade, she
probably gets A's on tests."

   I nodded.  My own little secret agent.  "And what...?"

   "I refuse to tell you her bra size," Tami interrupted proving yet again
that telepathy existed and she had it.

   * * *

   "You know, it hasn't been a bad day," I mused to Tami as we left her
house.

   "You're just saying that cause you finally got your threesome."

   I reached over and slid my hand into the back pocket of her jeans and
gave her butt a squeeze.  It was just after nine and it had finally stopped
raining, so Tami and I were trying to get a walk in before it started
again.

   "Actually, it was a pretty good day even without sex.  The sex made it
great.  It was a beautiful morning, rehearsal went great, and I'm walking
with the bestest girl in the whole world."

   "Rehearsal did go pretty good.  Too bad Darlene couldn't come.  What
happened anyway?  You went over to get her."

   I started to give her the same answer I'd given Robbie, then changed my
mind.  I told her what it was like for Darlene living with her new family.

   "That poor girl," she said when I'd finished.

   "You want a sister, I'm pretty sure she'd love to get adopted."

   "I'll talk to Mom," she said, and I knew she was serious.  "And while
you're cataloging the day, don't forget the new girl.  You're going to
think she's cute."

   "And just how do you know I'll think she's cute?"

   "I know your tastes."

   "You do, don't you," I said with a grin she couldn't see in the dark. 
"After all, you sure liked Mikee.

   I didn't have to see her to know she was bright red.

   "Maybe we should invite the new girl for a walk.  Just to be
neighborly," I suggested.

   "Can't."

   "Why?"

   "She's going to be playing Monopoly with Mikee, Kelly and Peter in a few
minutes."

   "Oh."

   "At my house."

   "Oh."

   "And if you're good, I'll let you come."

   "And just what do I have to do to be good?"

   "Damn!  There's never a bed around when you need one," Tami complained.

   * * *

   Zoe was cute.  No, Zoe was hot.  Silky black hair that hung to her
shoulders.  Large but firm breasts, about the size of cantaloupes.  Legs
that seemed to go on forever.

   Definitely a work of art to be admired.

   But I didn't like her.

   She and her family had just moved from New York, and she seemed to have
taken the New York City stereotype to heart.

   She was brash.

   She was loud.

   And she complained.  A lot.

   It rained too much.  We only had four screens at the local theater. 
There was no indoor ice skating rink.  The list went on.  And on.  I
decided that the only way I wanted her in my bed was with one of those
rubber ball gags I'd seen in S-and-M cartoons.

   And...

   She was lucky at Monopoly.  She creamed all of us.  Chapter 28

   "I will be so glad when this week is over," I moaned.

   Tami grinned and patted my arm.  "Poor baby."

   "You do know we have to go back in there."

   She picked up my wrist and looked at my watch.  "Not for another three
minutes we don't," she said firmly.  It was raining, but we were sitting on
a low wall near the side door getting some fresh air.

   October was almost gone.  In fact, Sunday was Halloween and the end of
the month, if I made it that far, cause everything had waited for this
week.

   Monday, yesterday, and today we had standardized testing.  The whole
sophomore class spread out at tables in the gym, taking tests from first
bell till the end of the day, with only a few breaks like this one to keep
us from cracking up.

   Then last night, Tommy Sands and his crew performed The Music Man and
did awesome.  A fact that even Robbie admitted, though I thought I'd have
to hold her down and tickle her before she would.  Tonight, Leslie Villers
and her group were doing Inherit the Wind, about the Scopes monkey trial,
then tomorrow we were up.

   Add to that, Friday night we played the Huskies, the toughest team on
our schedule.

   Then add to that waiting all weekend for the election on Monday when the
student body would decide which play got to enter the contest.

   Robbie walked up and stood behind us.  "I've got good news and I've got
bad news," she announced.  We turned to look at her.  "Which do you want
first?"

   "The good news.  I could use some good news," I said, and Tami nodded.

   "The quarterback from Goddard High in Vancouver was caught taking
steroids.  His team's been disqualified and we're in the Halloween Bowl."

   I looked at Tami, not knowing what to say.  Tami did.  "What's the bad
news?" she asked.

   "The quarterback from Goddard High in Vancouver was caught taking
steroids.  His team's been disqualified and we're in the Halloween Bowl."

   Tami looked confused, but I got it.  Maybe because I'd already been
thinking about Hell Week.

   "That means Friday night we play the Huskies, then win or lose, we jump
on a bus, ride half the night to Seattle, and play again Saturday morning
at ten," Robbie explained.

   "Wow," Tami said in understatement.

   "But we're the first school to ever send both a middle school team and a
high school team to the bowl," Robbie pointed out.

   "Big deal.  It's only the Halloween Bowl's third year." I was in no mood
to be happy.

   "Yeah, but we'll always be the first.  And the best part...?"

   "What?" I almost growled.

   "We've got about fifteen seconds to get back in the gym for more tests.

   * * *

   "Everybody over here!" I yelled, then waited while the cast, crew, and
musicians slowly gathered.  "I've got a few things I want to say."

   "We don't have time.  We need..."

   "Ricky!" I interrupted.  Ricky Calloway stepped up behind Robbie.  Ricky
was running our sound system.  "If she talks again, gag her."

   "With pleasure," he said laying his hands on her shoulders.

   "When we started this, she promised I could talk at least once a week.
Since I haven't ever gotten my quota, I get to talk now," I explained.  The
group applauded and Robbie glared.  "It's been a hell of a month.  Robbie
worked us like slaves, but I don't think we could have made it without her.
Thanks, Madame Director." I stepped in front of her and kissed her.  Then
Paul Tucker, Daryl Tabler and Jimmy Martin, the other male actors all
thanked her and kissed her.  Then the guys in the band and crew all thanked
and kissed her.

   "The hell with the play, let's keep doing this," she said after Toby
Reyes was done.

   I grinned, then looked around the circle.  "You've all seen The Music
Man.  It was great.  And Inherit the Wind last night was out of this
world." Leslie Villers had taken a few liberties.  Instead of Clarence
Darrow, she played Clarice Darrow and should have gotten a Tony.

   "So we know this school will be sending a great production to the
contest, so we can relax and have fun.  Right, madame director?"

   "What he said.  Relax, have fun, and don't miss your cues."

   * * *

   Basically, Tami and I had stolen It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas
Carol, rubbed off the serial numbers, and added music.

   Act 1, Scene 1:

   I played the man.  No name was ever given.  I was in a hospital just
before a surgery and lamenting my life and the fact that I'd never had a
love that lasted and that I'd ruined the lives of the loves that touched me
at all.  Tami was my nurse.  She fluffed my pillow a lot.

   When she left me alone I lay in my hospital bed and sang a very maudlin
version of When I Was Seventeen.  Tami came back and sat on the bed.  We
watched a movie on television.

   "I just love when love wins in the end," she said, dabbing her eyes with
Kleenex.

   "Love is a cruel joke perpetrated by a god with a mean sense of humor,"
I told her flatly.  In the original story I said `Bah humbug!,' but Robbie
said the serial numbers were etched too deep in that phrase.

   Tami looked at me and ran from the room.  I lay, staring after her.

   "She loves you, you know," came a voice from nowhere.

   "Then she's an idiot!"

   "Love makes idiots of wise men and wise men of idiots," came the voice.
I think I stole that line, but had no idea from where.

   "Why would anyone want to love me?" I asked and started looking around,
apparently just realizing that I was talking to thin air.  "Who are you? 
Where are you?"

   "Perhaps she's seen the real you," came the voice.  "And I am me.  And I
am everywhere.  And nowhere."

   "What the hell do you mean, the `real me'?  And where are you?"

   Then my buddy Luke shined his spotlight into a conveniently placed
mirror which created a nice flash of light and Robbie was standing there.
She was dressed in a diaphanous pale blue gown.  "Now I am here.  You must
remember that inside you are many me's.  There is the me that your friends
know.  The me you show your co-workers.  The me you use for the babes you
pick up in bars."

   "But that nurse, she has seen the real you.  The you inside." Which was
a song cue if ever I heard one, and Robbie sang The You Inside, an original
creation, lyrics by me and music by Toby Reyes.

   "But how would she see the real me?" I asked when Robbie had finished,
to a hell of a lot more applause than I got for When I Was Seventeen.  Of
course, it was a more upbeat number.

   "She has seen you with the children, when you go down to their ward. 
They are scared, and you make them smile.  She has seen you with the old
ones as you listen to them telling you the same stories over and over.  She
has seen you with a mother outside the emergency room, waiting to hear if
her little one would live or die."

   "That's not the real me.  I was just bored.  I wandered around."

   "She has seen the real you."

   "Well, if she's seen the real me, and still loves me, she's a fool."

   "She may be a fool, but she's a fool in love.

   "I've destroyed everyone who's ever loved me."

   "You've destroyed no one."

   The lights went black, I jumped out of bed and stripped off my pajama
shirt, I was wearing a blue sport shirt underneath.

   Act 1, Scene 2:

   Mikee and I came on stage on the opposite set.  This one looked like a
living room.  We acted in love, then sang People Will Say We're in Love.  I
figured as long as we were doing a musical, I might as well steal, that is,
borrow some of the best songs from other musicals.  I wanted to, uh, borrow
I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General but just couldn't make it fit
in the plot.

   Mikee and I acted in love some more, including a couple of passionate
kisses, then I told her that I had a business trip, sang Leaving on a Jet
Plane, and left.

   Mikee sat and waited, then sang Please Mr.  Postman, then sat and waited
some more.

   "She's probably still waiting," said my disembodied voice as I changed
pants and shirts backstage.

   "No.  She stopped waiting long ago."

   On stage, Paul Tucker had joined Mikee.  He rubbed her stomach where she
had shoved a pillow under her shirt to make her look pregnant.

   Fade to black.

   Act 2, Scene 1:

   Back in my hospital bed, my pajama top on over my shirt again.  Tami
fluffed my pillow and hummed as she tidied up the room.

   I watched her as she smiled, waved, and left.

   "Wow, that was some dream," I said to myself.

   "A dream.  An illusion.  A mirage.  A half-remembered memory.  I am all
that and more," came Robbie's voice from everywhere.  Luke hit the mirror
with his spot again and Robbie appeared in a flash of light.

   "She's very happy, but she still thinks of you fondly and occasionally
wonders where you are and why you never came back."

   "Okay, Sabrina may be happy, but I ruined Carly's life."

   "You have learned nothing.

   Fade to black, as I jumped out of bed again, and got out of my pajama
top.

   Act 2, Scene 2:

   Darlene sat in the middle of the living room set.  The same pillow Mikee
had used was stuffed under her shirt.  I walked in the door, singing You're
Having My Baby.

   We talked of future plans and houses with white picket fences.  We
kissed.  Then I left.

   "And I never came back," I said into the microphone back stage as I
changed clothes again.  "I left her alone, no money, with a baby on the
way."

   Then Darlene sang I'm a Survivor.

   As she finished she walked to the window in the set and looked out.  She
smiled.  "Jeff!  Jeff come here."

   Daryl Tabler walked onto the set and crossed to the window.

   "Look at him," she said proudly.  "Isn't he just perfect?"

   Daryl put his arm around Darlene and kissed her.  "Of course he is. 
He's your son."

   Fade to black.

   Act 3, Scene 1:

   The lights came up on the hospital set again.  Tami came in and fluffed
my pillow.  She held my wrist while looking at her watch, wrote something
on the clipboard at the foot of my bed, and left.

   I watched her go.

   "Are you here?" I asked.

   "I am everywhere, and nowhere.  I am as light as a mountain and as heavy
as a thought."

   "Is Carly really happy?"

   "She has her son.  She has her husband.  She is content."

   "Does she ever remember me?"

   "Everyday.  She gave him your name."

   "What of Marie?"

   "Ah, Marie.  Your last love."

   Fade to black.

   Act 3, Scene 2:

   When the lights came up on the living room set, rearranged enough so
that it seemed a different room, I was sitting on the sofa, Diana Coleson
on my lap.  We sang Endless Love, then kissed.

   I moved to the desk and pretended to work on the computer there.  Diana
tried to talk to me, but I brushed her off, concentrating on work.  Then
she sang As Long as He Needs Me.  When she finished, I stood, gathered
papers into a briefcase, and left.

   Diana sang Hard Candy Christmas.

   The lights faded as she sang.  Jimmy Martin was supposed to do a scene
with her, but he'd managed to break his foot last week.

   "Is she happy?" I asked when she finished.

   "She has a new love just around the corner, besides Marie sees the
possibilities in life."

   "Does she ever..." my voice trailed off.

   "She thinks of you, and wonders what could have been."

   "Why are you showing me these things?"

   "Because I can." Then she launched into her second song, Where There is
Love, There Are Angels.  Sally Reyes wrote the music, and I did the words.

   Act 3; Scene 3

   As the lights came up on the hospital set, Tami was gently shaking me.
"How are you feeling?"

   "Like I've been sleeping a hundred years." I tried to sound groggy.

   "Well, Rip Van Winkle, the doctor says your surgery was a success. 
You've got a lot of years ahead of you.  Try not to sleep them away." Tami
walked away.

   "That was a hell of a dream," I said to myself.

   "It was a dream, wasn't it?" I asked the room.  "I knew it, things like
that just don't happen.  Must be the drugs."

   Tami came back in.  "Are you going to be feeling like dinner tonight?"
she asked as she stepped to the side of the bed.

   "No, I don't think so." I reached up, and pulled her down to me and
kissed her for almost a minute.

   "What the hell was that!" she blasted when I let her go.

   "I needed a reason to live."

   "A reason to live?"

   "Getting you to do that again." She giggled.  "And again, and again."

   The lights slowly faded as Tami sat on the edge of the bed and we
talked, as Robbie stood in a single spot in the other set and sang A Reason
to Love.  Music by Sally and Toby, words by yours truly.

   Ring down the curtain and send us our checks.

   * * *

   Since it was a school night, we couldn't have a big cast party, but we
hung for awhile on the stage after the audience left.

   "I told you you'd better give me a couple of good songs," Robbie said as
she hugged me.  "You outdid yourself.  Especially the last one."

   "Don't thank me, thank Toby and Sally.  The words are the easy part."

   "I am so glad that's over and we can relax," Tami said, walking over and
putting her arms around both of us.  "Oh, wait.  Not all of us can relax.
You have games tomorrow and Saturday."

   It's always nice to know I can count on Tami for comfort.

   Chapter 29

   "The most beautiful quarterback in football has conveyed to me many
interesting things," I said as I walked up to Tami after the bell for
lunch. I was in too good a mood for a Monday.  I slipped my hand into her
back pocket, then pulled her around and gave her a quick kiss.

   "The most beautiful quarterback in football?"

   "Both American and European."

   Tami giggled.  "And what interesting things has this beautiful and I
assume red-headed quarterback conveyed to you?"

   "Well, she told me that our beloved coach has taken pity on our poor
bruised bodies and given us the day off.  No practice."

   "Ohhh, remind me to send the nice man some flowers.  I actually get my
boyfriend for awhile." Tami looked around and, seeing no authority figures,
returned my kiss.  With interest.

   "But there's more."

   "I can't wait."

   "You won't have to.  She has informed me that her father has gone back
to Tennessee til Friday and won't be home."

   Tami frowned.  "Does this mean she wants your bod?"

   "There's more, my love."

   "What?"

   "She told me that she will not be home until late." Tami smiled.  "And
she reminded me that I know where they hide the spare key."

   Tami grinned.  "I always liked that quarterback."

   "The coach wants to see us for a few minutes after school, then I'm all
yours."

   "What about?  Are you in trouble again?"

   I shrugged.  "I don't think so, but you never know.  I haven't been
suspended since March, you know."

   "And I'm so proud of you."

   I wish she'd stop taking sarcasm lessons from Robbie.

   * * *

   It had been a hell of a weekend.

   Friday night the Huskies came to win, but we wanted it more.  Robbie
spent most of the night on the field, playing offense and defense.  When
the gun sounded at the end of the game, the Huskies knew why she was called
Monster Girl.  Three sacks and an interception on defense, and almost two
hundred yards rushing on offense.

   Mike was on fire too.  He threw pass after pass, right on target.  When
it was over, he'd accumulated just shy of four hundred yards in the air,
missing the state record by a dozen yards, and blasting the old school
record.

   Larry was the star.  Four sacks, five fumble recoveries and an
interception that he ran back eighty yards for a touchdown, missing the
state record for an interception return by a yard.

   We set five school records that night and sent the Huskies home with
their tails between their legs and a fifty-six to three loss in their score
book.

   Saturday should have been a disaster.  We didn't get to the hotel in
Seattle until after two in the morning and had to play at ten.  Then we
found out we'd been matched against Cougars out of Pasco.  The number one
ranked team in the state.  We were ranked eighth, but that was before we
crushed the Huskies.  The Cougars, knowing weeks ago they were in the bowl,
had played on Wednesday and were fresh.

   A lot of people having tickets for the Halloween Bowl didn't even show
up for our game.  They missed a hell of a contest.

   The Cougars won the coin toss and elected to receive.  Bart Hayes, the
running back being courted by every college in the country, caught the
kickoff and ran it all the way to our eight yard line before I brought him
down.

   With first down and eight yards to go, ten seconds into the game, it
looked like the blowout everyone predicted.

   "We get tough or we go home now and beat the rush," Robbie told us as we
took our places.  Then she showed us what she meant, by sacking the
Cougars' all-state quarterback.  Larry showed he understood by getting his
own sack on the second down.

   Being a little more show-offy, I intercepted their pass in the end zone
and ran it back twenty-three yards.

   They sacked Mike twice before a fumble on our thirty-five turned over
the ball again.

   That was the story of the first quarter.  We never got back across the
fifty yard line, but they never crossed our goal line.

   The second quarter moved the ball up and down the field.  And up and
down again.  Mike came out after the second play.  His arm must have felt
like Jell-O after yesterday.  Robbie and I split the QB duties.  She threw
for over a hundred yards in the second quarter, and I added sixty-five to
that, but we just couldn't move that damned ball over the goal line.  But
the good news was, neither could they.

   The half ended nothing to nothing.

   The coach got us in the locker room.  "I know you're tired after last
night, and that was a hell of a first half against the toughest high school
team I've ever seen." He took a breath and looked around the locker room.
"Let's call it a day and go home."

   Naturally we shouted him down.

   We charged back out on the field as if it were the first game of the
season.  Unfortunately, so did the Cougars.  By the end of the third
quarter, Robbie had racked up another hundred and twenty yards in the air
and fifty on the ground.  I'd gotten seventy rushing and thirty more
passing and we still hadn't passed the damned goal line.

   "I don't know about you guys, but I'm too damned tired to play
overtime," Robbie said between quarters.

   The fourth started like the third as the two teams danced up and down
the field.  With just over a minute left to play, we had the ball on the
Cougars' twenty on third down.  With a nothing to nothing ball game, it was
the perfect time to kick.  One problem.  None of us were any damned good at
it.

   Robbie stepped up to me, grabbed my face mask and said two words.

   I nodded.  I signaled the sidelines that I wanted Larry and he jogged
out, looking confused.  He almost never played offense.  I quickly
explained what was happening.

   We set up for the kick with me taking the hike and Robbie going for the
kick.

   I called out the numbers.  The ball was hiked.  I caught it and held it
for the kick.  Robbie ran forward, and just before the kick, I picked up
the ball and started running.  Larry moved in front of me and Robbie to the
side, and we were halfway to the goal before the shock wore off.

   The entire Cougars team seemed to be rushing at me, and I questioned
whether football was the sport for me, but then the Rebels caught on and
were picking them off one by one.  I was at the five, then the three,
something hit me, but I took another step, then one more, and lunged
forward.  I reached the ball in front of me as I went down, several bodies
landing on top of me.  I held onto the ball and waited for the whistle.

   When everyone climbed off of me, I saw my outstretched arms and the
ball, a good two feet past the goal line.  We scored.  I climbed slowly to
my feet, wondering if I had a muscle in my body that wasn't complaining. 
Robbie rushed up and gave me a half hug, half tackle.  I winced, but
enjoyed it.  Hugging Robbie was always fun, though hugging Robbie when
we're both in pads wasn't nearly as satisfying.

   "That was a hell of an idea," Larry congratulated me with a slap on the
back.

   "Robbie's idea.  She told me The Replacements.  We both liked that
movie."

   The Cougars were still in shock and we made the extra point when Robbie
fired a pass to Phil Barnes.

   We kicked off with forty-two seconds on the clock.  Their superstar
running back took the kick and ran it back to our forty.  Then they slowly
moved down the field.  They made two yards, then three.  Then five.  Always
running out of bounds to stop the clock.

   Twenty-two seconds with a first down on our twenty-three.  Robbie and I
watched from the sidelines.  We hadn't played defense since Mike had come
out and we took over the quarterbacking duties.  Their all-state
quarterback handed off to their superstar running back and suddenly he was
streaking down the field with nothing in front of him.  If I chewed my
fingernails, I'd be up to my elbows by now.

   He was at the five.  Where was the damn gun?  Larry came barreling at
him.

   He was at the three.  Where was the damn gun?  Larry was closing the
gap.

   He was at the one.  Where was the damn gun?  Larry launched himself and
hit him.

   He was down.  The ref came running up, then we saw the signal, less than
a foot to go.  I looked up at the clock, eight seconds.

   The cougars didn't huddle.  The clock was running.  They set up and
hiked the ball.  The quarterback took the hike and ran straight forward at
the line.  Their was a tangle of bodies.  Then a whistle.  We watched. 
Then the damn refs hands jerked up in the air.  Touchdown!

   It would all come down to the extra point.  If they made it, we went
into overtime, and looking around, I didn't think we had it in us to play
another quarter.  If they didn't, we won.

   Robbie was standing in front of the coach.  "Put us in." I realized she
was talking about me too, and right then, I'd rather be in the hot tub back
at the motel than in the game.  The coach considered, then shook his head.

   We watched as the teams lined up for the extra point.  The ball was
hiked, the quarterback faded back looking for a receiver, he faked a pass,
then handed off to the superstar.  The superstar took it and...

   And ran into a wall named Larry.

   Game, set and match.

   Yes, it had been a hell of a weekend.

   * * *

   "Miss Tate, Mr.  Sims, come in," the coach's voice bellowed as we stood
in the door of his classroom.

   "Hi, Coach.  You wanted to see us?" Robbie asked as we stepped in.

   "Yes.  You're not going to miss the bus or anything?"

   "Uh, no Coach.  We have a ride coming." News to me.

   "I imagine you're not disappointed about no practice today," he
commented as he finished writing in his grade book.

   "No sir," we said together as I glanced at the window.  It was raining
so hard that I couldn't see the wood shop building that I knew was less
than a hundred feet away.

   The coach looked up at us, then quickly looked out the window himself.
He almost seemed embarrassed.

   "That was some game Saturday," I said to cover the silence.

   "That's what I wanted to talk to you about.  Uh..." The coach leaned
back in his chair and templed his fingers as he continued to stare at the
rain.  "I don't know if you were aware, but a friend of mine came to the
games this weekend."

   Somehow that didn't seem earth-shaking.  I wondered why the coach didn't
look at us.

   "Barry and I played ball together at Washington."

   Not even earth-trembling.

   "We roomed together."

   Not even earth-quivering.

   "Now he's an assistant coach at USC."

   I considered looking over my head to see if there was a lightbulb
hanging there.

   "He came to take a look at Mike."

   I can't say I was surprised.  Mike was good.  He was going to have a lot
of colleges looking at him.  But USC did impress me.

   "Mike was awesome Friday.  Did your friend draw up the schoolership
yet?" From the corner of my eye I saw Robbie jerk her head toward me.  She
knew how Mike and I felt about each other.

   The coach smiled, still not looking at us.  "He was impressed.  He said
he'll be keeping an eye on Mike the rest of this year, and then next year."

   `Good for Mike', I thought, but didn't understand why we were having
this conversation.

   "He was more impressed by the team as a whole.  He said we had a lot of
heart.  Barry's always been big about heart.  He still cries whenever he
watches Rudy."

   Cool!

   "He's going to be offering Larry a full ride."

   "That's great!" I said.

   "That's fantastic!" Robbie said at the same time.

   "That's not for publication.  Larry doesn't even know yet."

   I nodded, though the coach couldn't see.

   "Barry was also impressed by a couple other players.  He said he was
going to keep an eye on them the next two years."

   The next two years?  Oh!

   I looked at Robbie.  She was looking back at me.

   "Barry said neither of you has the arm that Mike has, but your instincts
are almost as good.  And he said you both know how to get the most out of
your team.  In his words, `You make your team play better than they are.'"

   "I mentioned the stunt you pulled with the cheerleader, and the idiot
just shrugged and grinned at me.  I know that if Mike had tried it, most of
the team wouldn't have backed him." The coach swivelled around and looked
at me.  "They all backed you."

   "They backed Allie," I said.

   "You know son, you'll be a hell of a football player if you ever learn
to stop arguing with your coach."

   I nodded, not knowing what to say.

   "I just wanted to say, that old dogs sometimes learn new tricks.  I'm
proud to have both of you on my team.  Especially my last team."

   "Your last team?" I asked.  "You can't retire." I'd had my problems with
Coach Branson, but I knew he was a good coach.  Besides, I didn't want to
break in a new one.

   "I'm not retiring.  I've been offered a coaching job at Oregon State
next season.  And that's not for publication either.  Mr.  Mulino knows,
but otherwise I've been keeping it quiet."

   I looked at Robbie.  "We'll have to start thinking about a going away
present for him."

   "What do you think, a trophy about yay high?" Robbie held her hand about
three feet off the floor.

   "Sounds good to me," I said, grinning.

   "Get out of here," the coach growled.  "I've got work to do."

   * * *

   "So what do you think?" I asked as we walked down the hall.  "USC or
Oregon State?"

   "How about, you take USC and I'll take OSU.  They're both Pac-10, we can
find out which one of us is better."

   "Sounds like a plan."

   "Yeah, I've never sacked a Pac-10 quarterback."

   "In your dreams, Monster Girl.  In your dreams."

   Chapter 30

   "Aren't you ready yet?" I said, walking into Tami's house.  "I have an
empty house just sitting there and a mother waiting to drive us."

   "I'm guessing that when you asked your mom to drive us to Robbie's
house, you forgot to mention that Robbie wouldn't be there."

   "Slipped my mind," I said with a grin.

   "You know," Tami said, as she loaded the dishwasher, "ever since you
told me that you were getting a day off, I've been thinking that I need to
burn some incense to the sports gods, to thank them for putting basketball
in between football and baseball.  I'll actually get to see you a little."

   "Uh Tami..."

   "You're NOT playing basketball!  You've never played basketball.  I've
never even seen you shoot a basket." She slammed the dishwasher closed,
turned it on, then stomped out into the living room until we were standing
face to face.  Tami glared at me.

   She was cute when she stomped, but I decided this wasn't the best time
to mention that.

   "I'm not playing basketball."

   Her face softened.  "Anthony Sims, you had me worried." She turned
around.  "I'll get my coat.  It's in my room."

   "Uh, Mr.  Reed came to see me today.  Sixth period."

   "Mr.  Reed?  What did he want?" echoed her voice down the hall.

   "The middle school is starting a gymnastics team."

   "Good," came the voice.  "That'll make Kelly happy." Tami started coming
down the hall.  "I don't understand why Mr.  Reed would come to tell you
about...  Tony, you didn't!" she exclaimed coming to a stop.

   "Miss Calloway is going to coach the team, but she needs some help, and
Kelly suggested me, and..." I shrugged.

   "What do you know about gymnastics?" Tami challenged, stomping toward me
again.

   "I can do a cartwheel," I said in my defense.  "And a headstand.  I won
the headstand contest in PE last year."

   "What do you know about coaching gymnastics?"

   "Not a thing," I cheerfully admitted.  "But Mr.  Reed said that Miss
Calloway thought I could help.  I guess she can show me some basic things."

   "I guess...  damn!"

   I wrapped my arms around her and pressed my nose against hers.  "You
know, love of my life, you could come help, too.  Helping to coach a middle
school sport will look good on your resume."

   Tami pulled her head back, then lunged forward and bite my nose.  "You
just want to see little girls in skimpy leotards."

   "Nah, I'm hoping if the team works out, the high school will start one,
and I'll have an in.  Then I can see big girls in skimpy leotards."

   Tami laughed.  "My boyfriend.  He may be a pig, but he's an honest pig."

   * * *

   "You had kind of a funny look on your face when you got to my house. 
Before we got sidetracked by gymnastics." Tami said as I unlocked Robbie's
door and put back the spare key.

   "I was kinda surprised by something," I said, opening the door for Tami.

   "And?"

   "Well, Robbie had a ride home arranged after we talked to the coach."

   "So?"

   "It was Mike Rose."

   "The basketball player?" I nodded.  "He's a senior isn't he?"

   I nodded again.  "She drove off with him after they dropped me off."

   "Robbie and Mike Rose," Tami mused.

   "I know.  Somehow it just doesn't fit.

   "Well, whatever floats her boat.  I just want her to be happy."

   "Me too.  But Mike Rose?"

   "You know, she hasn't really gone out with anybody since she..."

   "Since she dumped me," I finished for her.  "You can say it.  I'm almost
over it.  My one true love," I said wistfully, tilting my head to the side.


   I really should have expected the fist in my stomach.

   I looked at her.  "I meant my other true love."

   Tami balled her fist again.

   "I meant that girl who meant absolutely nothing to me."

   Tami grinned and kissed me.  "I know you love her.  It's okay."

   I slipped my arm around her, and we started upstairs.  I wondered if any
teenager ever had a life as complicated as mine.  Maybe Romeo, and we all
know how he turned out.

   "Do you think," Tami started in a normal voice, "if I hadn't moved
here," she continued in a whisper, "that you and Robbie..."

   "You're slipping," I accused and kissed her cheek as we got to the top
of the stairs.

   "Slipping?"

   "Normally you ask your inconvenient questions right at the moment of
climax."

   Tami blushed and looked to the side.

   "Actually I've wondered about that," I admitted.

   "You have?" Tami seemed surprised.

   I opened Robbie's door, and we went inside.  I led Tami to the bed and
sat her down, then flipped on Robbie's stereo.  Frank Sinatra started
crooning.  Not my first choice, but not bad.  Robbie's musical tastes ran
the gamut.

   I stepped back to Tami, pushed her back, and lay beside her, my mouth
covering hers.

   Tami pushed me onto my back and mounted me, her hands on my shoulders,
holding me down.  "Just a minute buster.  You were telling me about
wondering about life without me."

   I grinned up at her.  "I like my life.  Hell, I love my life.  But,
sometimes, when I have a minute to myself, without football, plays,
sisters, parents, or you.  Or homework.  Or suspensions.  Or..."

   "I get the point."

   "Sometimes, I wonder what my life would be like if we hadn't moved from
California.  Or you hadn't moved from Colorado.  Or if..."

   "So would you and Robbie be an item?"

   "Definitely." I waited a second while she processed that.  "Definitely
yes and no."

   "Yes and no?"

   "I don't think that Robbie and I could ever be a forever-and-ever-amen
kind of couple.  Not like you and I.  But I think we'd be together.  Then
apart.  Then together."

   "Then apart," Tami finished.  Her eyes kind of glazed over while she
thought about it, then she nodded.  "Kind of a fire that burns real hot and
burns itself out, then smoulders until there's some new fuel.

   "Something like that."

   "And what did you decide your life would be like back in California?"

   "Ordinary."

   Tami grinned and nodded.

   I reached up, grabbed her arms, and rolled her onto her back.  She
giggled as I sat on her and held her down like she'd tried to do to me. 
"And you, milady.  Do you ever muse about life's other paths?"

   "`Life's other paths.' I like that.  You should be a writer."

   "Don't change the subject.  Besides, there's already one writer in the
family."

   "There is, who?"

   I stared down at her until she thought about it.

   "Oh."

   "So, do you ever think about the path not taken?  And I can't take
credit for that one.  I stole it somewhere."

   Tami turned her head and looked out the window.  The rain was still
pounding down.  "I do.  Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I
hadn't been in such a hurry to grow up."

   "You lost me," I admitted.

   "If I hadn't wanted to go to a high school dance.  If...  Peter King."

   I reached down and put my finger on her chin and gently turned her head
until she was looking up at me.  "I really need to thank him someday."

   "Thank him?"

   "I think he helped make us what we are.  If not for him, we might have
gone out for awhile, then moved on to other people.  We might never have
realized what we had."

   "Allie other people?" Tami asked suspiciously.

   "Oh yeah," I said enthusiastically.

   "I hate you," she said, grinning, and without an ounce of spite.

   "I know." I leaned down and kissed her nose.  "Do you realize that two
hormonally-driven teenagers, a boy and a girl, I might add, are alone in a
house, totally unsupervised, and they're spending all their time talking?"

   "Seems wrong, doesn't it?'

   "Sick and wrong," I agreed.

   "What else can we do?" she asked innocently.

   "I'll think of something."

   Chapter 31

   "Ah, one of my main headaches."

   "I haven't even talked to Mr.  Parker in almost a month," I said
quickly, hold up my hands palms outward.  "I swear," I added.

   Mr.  Mulino smiled.  "Sorry, didn't mean to put you on the defensive."

   I'd been sitting on the brick half-wall outside one of the school's back
doors.  Mr.  Mulino settled himself on the opposite wall.  It was still
raining.  The forecast said it would all week, but it had lightened, and
there was enough overhang that I could enjoy the fresh air without getting
wet.

   "Not to put you on the defensive again, but aren't you supposed to be in
a class?"

   I nodded barely.  "I've got P.E.  this period, but I've got a monster
headache, so Mr.  Tolland said I could skip.  He seemed to think Coach
Branson would give me a workout this afternoon."

   "Do you want an aspirin or something?"

   "Thanks, but I don't take aspirin for anything less than a brain tumor."

   "Really?"

   "I think we're an over-medicated society.  Most people start popping
drugs at the first sniffle, so their immune systems never get stronger."

   "Interesting theory."

   "I figure a little fresh air and I'll be good as new."

   Mr.  Mulino nodded.

   "So what are you bummed about?" I asked.

   "What makes you think I'm bummed?"

   "You just have that look."

   He sighed.  "Just normal frustrations of running a school.  Though
you're not helping."

   "What did I do?  Like I said, I haven't even talked to Mr.  Parker in
almost a month."

   "Your play."

   "My play?  What happened?  Did Mr.  Parker complain about the pregnant
girls?"

   "No, he didn't.  And, actually, he was very impressed by what you put
together in a month."

   "You're kidding."

   "No, though he probably won't ever admit it."

   I laughed, then stopped quickly.  It made my head hurt.

   "So, if Mr.  Parker isn't complaining, what's the problem?" I asked.

   "Well..." he hesitated.  "I suppose it can't hurt to tell you.  We
counted up the votes in the election.  Two of the plays are tied for first,
and the third production is only four votes away."

   "You're kidding."

   "No.  Like I said, you're one of my headaches."

   "Let me guess: us and Inherit the Wind are tied?

   Mr.  Mulino hesitated again, then nodded.

   "You could use a Parker solution.  Expel me and Robbie, problem solved."

   "And after he said nice things about you." Mr.  Mulino said with mock
disappointment.

   "Sorry, force of habit."

   We sat and watched the rain.

   "Is it too late to change my vote?" I asked.

   "What?"

   "I voted for us, but I've thought about it, and I think I want to vote
for Inherit the Wind instead."

   "I don't know..."

   "If you change my vote, Inherit won by two," I pointed out.

   "Why would you do that?"

   I knew he was watching me, but I watched the grey sky.  There was one
patch that was darker and headed our way.

   "Except for Leslie, most of the people in Inherit are seniors.  Robby
and I can try again next year.  Besides, Leslie is super-serious about the
acting thing, I just did it for fun.  Besides, she's good."

   "You're sure?"

   I looked at him and nodded, then looked back at the dark patch of sky.

   "Okay, we'll announce that Inherit the Wind will be the school's
production."

   "Do me a favor though.  Don't let it out, how close the vote was.  As
competitive as Robbie is, she'll want to check for hanging chads."

   "I probably shouldn't mention that you changed your vote either?"

   "Not unless you want the janitors cleaning blood and guts off the
floor."

   I looked at the administrator and grinned.

   "Tell you what, I won't let it slip if you'll do me a little favor."

   "My own superintendent, a blackmailer."

   "You use the leverage you've got," he said with a smile.

   "I suppose you want me to be nice to Mr.  Parker?"

   "I said a favor, not a miracle."

   I grinned and nodded.  "What can I do for you?  I guess it never hurts
to get some points with the big boss.  Especially with March coming up."

   "March?  What's March got to do with anything?"

   I grinned again.  "I seem to have a habit of getting suspended in March.
I'm trying not to make it three years in a row."

   "Well, considering some of the stunts you pull, I can't make any
promises."

   "I'm planning to spend the entire month of March in the library studying
quietly."

   "That I'll believe when I see it."

   "You're pretty skeptical for someone who wants something.  What is it?"

   "Well, I've got this..."

   * * *

   "Do you even know how to be a girl?"

   Tami and I stepped out of the lunch line holding our trays and into the
cafeteria.  Lunch today was chicken chow mein on rice, and I wasn't in that
much of a hurry.  I looked at the voice.  Kate Green and her band of clones
were standing around Robbie.

   I looked at Tami, then back at the confrontation.  Tami grabbed my arm
and pulled me toward an empty table.  We set our trays down, but didn't
sit.

   "Do you even own a skirt, or a dress?  All you ever wear are those
jeans. And I know you don't have a mom, but you could get someone to teach
you about makeup."

   I saw Robbie's hand jerked closed into a fist and then slowly, as if she
were struggling, open again.  Kate was the reigning queen of cool.  She was
a senior, and I don't think I'd ever seen her without her collection of
Kate wannabes surrounding her.

   I decided that I'd had enough confrontation to last me a lifetime. 
Besides, Robbie was a big girl, she could take care of herself.  I'd sit
down with the love of my life and try to choke down lunch.

   My feet had other ideas.  I was halfway across the cafeteria before I
realized what I was doing.  "When you're one of the two sexiest girls in
the school, you don't need to trowel on makeup," I said as I stepped next
to Robbie.

   Kate looked at me as if I was something scraped off the bottom of
someone's shoe.  "What would you know about anything?"

   "Well, since the other sexiest girl is my girlfriend..."

   "Her?" Kate said, glancing at Tami, then looking away as if Tami were
completely beneath her notice.  I felt my own fist clench, and forced it
flat again.  "You're one of her football buddies.  She thinks she's one of
the boys."

   "She know's she's not one of the boys.  She's all girl."

   "She doesn't look like it."

   "Just cause Robbie's got enough self-confidence to wear what she wants,
doesn't make her less of a girl.  Have you ever worn anything that wasn't
in a teen magazine first?"

   Kate's eyes blazed.  "Sophomores!" she spat, then spun and walked away.

   I looked at Robbie.  "What was that all...?"

   SLAP!

   Robbie's open hand almost took the top of my head off, it was a good
thing my headache was gone.

   "I didn't need your help." She spun and walked the opposite direction
from Kate.

   "That is a cool hand print," Tami cooed as I sat down.

   I tried to remember that I loved her and that strangulation wasn't
conducive to a lasting relationship.

   Chapter 32

   "Oh, Tony!"

   I looked to the side just as Allie launched herself at me.  I caught her
and fell back against my locker.  I slid to the ground with Allie on my
lap. As my butt hit the floor, Allie pressed her mouth against mine and
kissed me.

   Not the worst way to finish the school day.  Not the worst way to finish
a week of school.  Not the worst way to finish nine weeks of school.

   "Get a room," Tami suggested when I looked guiltily up at her.

   "I got an A," Allie told her, and started climbing off my lap.  Tami
held out her hand and helped her up.  "Actually an A minus."

   Tami looked blank, and I'm sure I did too.

   "In algebra.  Mrs.  Wright told me.  My report card, I'm getting an A
minus."

   Tami hugged her.  "That's wonderful."

   They both looked down at me, sitting on the floor, my back against my
locker.

   "Are you going to sit down there all day?  Or are you going to help
Allie celebrate?"

   "Well, I don't know if I can get a hotel room for the three of us on
such short notice," I said, climbing to my feet.  "And I have a game in two
hours."

   Allie blushed.

   "No, that would be you celebrating," Tami accused, punching me in the
shoulder.  "Besides, if Allie wants your bod to celebrate with, she doesn't
need my help."

   Allie blushed deeper and her eyes widened.

   I kissed Tami on the nose and Allie demurely on the cheek.  Then I
grinned.

   "I am very disappointed, young lady," I said in a passable imitation of
her mother.  "If you'd worked a little harder, you could have gotten rid of
that minus."

   Allie giggled.  "Maybe next nine weeks."

   "I'll reserve the hotel room.  Seriously, I couldn't be prouder if you
were my own daughter."

   Allie giggled again.  "Want to adopt me?"

   "In a heartbeat."

   * * *

   "So when are you and Allie going to...  celebrate?" Tami asked.

   I figured words weren't enough and buried my face between Tami's
breasts. We were sitting in Dad's chair in my living room, Tami on my lap.

   "Don't you two ever stop?" Traci asked, walking into the room.

   I looked up at her, grinned, and buried my face in Tami's breasts again.

   "Nope," Tami said with a giggle.

   "Do you think I should go out with a high school guy?" Traci asked
innocently.

   I suddenly lost interest in Tami's twin projections.

   "I don't think you should go out at all," I said, looking up at her.  "I
think you should stay in your room, Dad and I will build a moat around this
place, and we'll chase off the boys with shotguns and pitchforks."

   "Tami..." Traci said pleadingly.

   "Don't look at me.  I'm going to get a slingshot and help."

   Traci pouted.

   "Who?" Tami asked, taking pity on her.

   Traci grinned.  "Kenny Temple."

   "WHAT!" I surged out of the chair.  Tami barely managed to jump to her
feet before I dumped her on her ass.

   Traci laughed.  "Would you relax.  I'm not going out with Kenny.  Though
Peter's kind of cute."

   "Why would you even suggest that?" Tami asked, glaring at me.

   "Well, on the bus this afternoon, Kenny suggested there was a lot he
could teach me."

   "I think Kenny and I need to have a talk," I said as I started toward
the door.

   "Tony, no!" Traci yelled.

   "We're just going to talk," I said as my hand rested on the doorknob.

   "I can take care of myself," Traci protested.  "I don't need your help."

   "I just want..."

   "Anthony Marion!" Traci interrupted.  "I won't ever speak to you again.
I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF!"

   I started to argue, then remembered Robbie and the scene in the
cafeteria two weeks ago.  She was still a little cool towards me, and I
really didn't understand why.

   I let go of the doorknob and turned back toward my sister.  "I know you
can," I admitted.

   Traci stepped up and hugged me.  "You're not the worst big brother a
girl could have.  I guess I shouldn't tease you."

   "You're a decent little sister yourself."

   * * *

   "Sims!"

   I was standing on the sidelines talking to Larry and a couple of other
guys, waiting for the game to start.  It was the last game of the regular
season.  It was also our homecoming game.  We'd already won the league, so
tonight's game didn't matter much, but we were hoping for a perfect season.
We were playing the team from Wenatchee.  They were good; we were better.

   I looked out on the field and saw one player standing there.  Number
sixty-four.  He was just standing halfway across the field watching us.

   "Sims!" he yelled again.

   I shrugged and walked out to meet him.  The referees were still talking
together further down the field.  According to the clock counting down on
the scoreboard, there were two minutes until kickoff.

   "Sims!" he said again when I was about halfway there.  "Remember me?" he
asked when I was about five feet away.

   I shrugged.

   Sixty-four took off his helmet.

   Peter King.

   "I remember you," I said simply.  He wasn't as big as I remembered. 
Then I realized that he was about the same.  I'd grown up a bit.

   "You called me a liar," he accused.

   "I did," I agreed.  I felt like there was a switch in the back of my
head ready to flip to fight or flight.  I kinda favored flight.  If I got
into a fight in the middle of the football field with everybody watching,
it would make Parker's year.

   "I wasn't lying."

   "No you weren't."

   We stared at each other while the clock counted down.

   "I hear you and Tami Sharp are pretty tight?"

   "I plan to marry her."

   He nodded, accepting what might be considered an outrageous statement.

   "That why you did it?"

   "I didn't like her much at the time, but she was a friend, and I thought
she deserved better."

   Peter nodded again.

   Peter's hand started to rise and I got ready to make my decision, fight
or flight.

   Peter held his hand out to me.  "I'm sorry."

   "You're..."

   "Sorry," Peter finished.  "You were being a good friend.  I was being
a..."

   "Jerk," I finished as I took his hand and shook it.

   He smiled and nodded again.  "Would you tell her I said I was sorry."

   "Tell her yourself," I suggested.  "She's in the stands."

   Peter nodded and smiled again.  "Of course, this doesn't mean, I won't
try to tear your head off if you get the ball."

   "I wouldn't expect anything less," I said slapping him on the shoulder.

   I walked back to the sidelines, smiling to myself.

   The world is a very interesting place.

   Chapter 33

   "Oh, God!"

   Robbie grinned.  "You say the sweetest things."

   "Oh, God!"

   Robbie spun, and I watched as the hem of her dress lifted and twirled.
The dress was pale blue and came to the tops of her knees.  The front
started on her right shoulder and plunged diagonally to under her left arm
with just a hint of her left breast.

   "Oh, God!"

   "You know, Tony, I think the thing I like most about you is your way
with words."

   "Oh, God!" I'd waited for her after the game outside the trainer's room.
The visiting team used the girl's locker room, so Robbie changed in the
training room because it had a shower.

   "If you can't come up with anything more than that, I'm going to the
dance."

   "Tami who?"

   Robbie smiled.  "Even if I know you don't mean that, it's the sweetest
thing a guy's ever said to me."

   "Will you marry me?" I asked, dropping to one knee.

   "I think you've already asked Tami.

   "We can all move to Utah."

   * * *

   "Can I ask you something?" I said as we climbed the stairs to the main
hall.  The dance was in gym two at the other end of the school.

   "You can ask me anything," Robbie said quickly.  "Of course I reserve
the right to throw a major temper tantrum.

   "Uh..." What was that old saying?  Discretion is the batter part of
survival.

   "Tony, ask."

   "Uh, you've been kind of, uh, cool, towards me the last couple of weeks.
Since that thing with Kate in the cafeteria."

   "If you thought I was just a little cool, I wasn't doing something
right."

   "I was just trying to help.  I mean, that's what friends do, right? 
Help each other."

   Robbie stopped, so I stopped too.  We happened to be right in front of
our lockers.  "Tony, we need to get you a big white horse, cause you're
always riding to someone's rescue."

   "I..." What the hell do you say to something like that?

   "I was annoyed.  Hell, I was mad that you thought I needed rescuing."

   "Oh!"

   "It was that kind of day.  First Leslie's lame play beats us out.  Then
Kate decides to jump me, probably because I was talking to all the cute
football players and she felt left out.  Then you decide I'm a damsel in
distress and coming riding to my rescue.  You're probably lucky that you
still have all your teeth."

   "Losing the play competition bothered you that much?" I knew she could
care less about what Kate thought.

   "We were good.  I can't believe we lost."

   "We were good, but we put it together in a month.  Leslie's been acting
since...  she was probably doing Romeo and Juliet when she was still an egg
in her mother's tummy."

   "Eggs aren't in the tummy."

   "Don't get clinical on me.  You know what I mean."

   "I do.  And Leslie was good.  And her play wasn't lame.  I just get so
competitive.  I just can't believe we lost."

   "If I tell you something, will you promise never to mention it again. 
To take it to your grave?"

   Robbie looked at me, then slowly nodded.

   "We lost by two votes."

   "Two votes!  We should get a recount.  What about the kids who were
absent that Monday?"

   "Robbie!"

   "We should...  get over it and think about next year."

   I nodded.  "We should go to the dance, and you can dance with Mike and
I'll dance with Tami.  Then Mike can dance with Tami and you and I will do
whatever it is you do to the light fantastic.  Then Mike and I can have the
slow dances..."

   "You keep your grubby hands off Mike.  He's mine."

   I bowed and we walked down the hall to the dance.

   * * *

   "You okay?" I asked Robbie as everyone applauded.

   "I just thought....  I...  I'm okay."

   Jenny Velesquez, the student body president, had just announced the
sophomore homecoming princesses.  Tami was one of the four, Robbie wasn't.

   "I guess Katie Green is right.  People don't think of me as a girl."

   Mike Rose, Robbie's date, stood on the other side of her, his arm around
her shoulder, watching the four sophomores join the freshmen and get
crowned, but she spoke quietly with me.

   "Try to remember that a lot of the kids in this school don't have an
opinion until Kate or somebody else gives it to them," I said.

   "I guess," she muttered, biting her lip.  "I'm glad Mikee made it."
Mikee was standing in the middle of the freshmen looking like she was going
to bust.

   "Me, too.  And you've got something better than homecoming court. 
You're a member of the first team in school history to have a perfect
season."

   "Regular season anyway," she said with a small smile.  We'd won
tonight's game easily.  In fact, Robbie and I had only played a few
minutes. The coach used a lot of the kids who didn't play much.  I'd only
handled the ball three times, and Peter King did his best to take my head
off, nailing me once just after I launched a long pass that just grazed the
ends of the receiver's fingertips.

   "Plus, from the looks you've been getting, I think you answered Kate's
question of whether you know how to look like a girl."

   "I didn't even need help with my makeup."

   I'd been watching the stage as they announced the juniors, and my head
jerked to look at Robbie.  "You're not wearing any."

   Robbie giggled.  "Of course I am.  I just like makeup to highlight me,
not change me into someone else."

   "Amen," I agreed and looked back toward the stage.

   "Paula Grey!" Jenny announced.  `Not a big surprise,' I thought as I
applauded.  In fact, the buzz around school had been that Paula might make
queen, though it was almost always a senior.  Paula hugged all the
princesses already on the stage, especially Tami and Mikee.  The trailer
park was well represented.

   Jenny announced the senior princesses, finishing with Kate Green, who
looked annoyed.  Being a princess meant she wasn't queen.

   "Before we get to the queen's coronation, I'd like to remind everybody
that Inherit the Wind will be performing for the regional judges next
Saturday.  Be sure to come out and support them.  To announce this year's
queen, I present to you last year's queen, Alana Temple," Jenny said into
the microphone, then started clapping.  Alana, who'd been standing off to
the side stepped forward, wearing the tiara she'd owned for the last two
years, having been elected her junior year too.

   "This is a special year.  For the first time in the thirty-three year
history of this school, our team has had a perfect season."

   The gym erupted into applause and yells that lasted almost two minutes.

   "And we're going to bring home the state championship for the first time
since 1993."

   This time the applause lasted almost five minutes.

   "And I couldn't help notice that for the first time in the history of
the school, a girl was on the team." Not completely correct since Robbie
had been on the team last year too, but close enough.

   There was a stunned silence for several seconds then Tami yelled,
"Robbie!"

   A few seconds later, it seemed like every girl in the gym was chanting
her name.  Robbie looked at me, blushing deeply.  I reached over and took
her hand and squeezed.  Then all the guys were chanting and stomping too.

   Alana held up her hands and eventually the noise quieted.

   "Enough already.  Just announce the damn queen." I heard Kate say behind
Alana.

   Alana turned and gave Kate a glare that could have cut down a redwood.
Then she turned back around and smiled.  "In college, I'm taking a class in
logic, and I can't help but wonder: first girl on the team, first perfect
season, hmmm."

   That brought a lot of laughter and renewed chanting.

   "This is a year of firsts.  For only the third time in school history,
the queen is not a senior."

   I looked around trying to figure out what junior could have beaten out
Paula.

   "And for the first time it's not a junior either."

   A sophomore?  It couldn't be a freshman.  That would bend the laws of
time and space and cause the Earth to collapse into a black hole.

   "And the first football player."

   Robbie spun and faced me, Mike's arm falling off her shoulders.  "Did
you do this?"

   "Your 2004 Homecoming Queen...  Robbie Tate!"

   "I didn't even vote for you," I said honestly.  I had voted for her for
princess.  But I voted for Paula for queen.  I found out later that Larry
had started the campaign for Robbie.  She got twice as many votes as the
other eleven nominees combined.  I put my hands on Robbie's shoulders and
turned her toward the stage.  "You deserve this," I whispered in her ear as
I pushed her forward.

   * * *

   "I guess Robbie figured out how to be a girl," I said to Kate later that
night.

   "That is a cool hand print," Tami said a minute later.

   I grinned.  This one, I considered a badge of honor.

   Chapter 34

   I noticed Tami's mom's car wasn't in the driveway as I walked up to her
house the next morning.  I grinned.  A Saturday with nothing to do for a
change, and a teenaged girl alone in her house.  Life is good.

   I knocked, and Tami opened the door almost immediately.

   "Hi, Tony.  Guess..."

   I didn't wait for her to finish.  I stepped inside, pulling her to me,
and pressed my lips to hers.  One hand squeezed her butt cheek through her
jeans, the other quickly found her breast, protected only by a thin
t-shirt. Even as we kissed, I turned her and took a step toward her
bedroom.

   Tami pulled away.  I was surprised.

   "Tony, have you met my grandmother?"

   My head jerked toward the sofa where an older woman was sitting, her
hand covering her mouth.

   "Uh..."

   "Tony, I've heard so much about you," the woman said.  She stood and
held out her hand.  "I can see all of it's true."

   I wondered if I could go home, get back in bed, and pull the covers over
my head until Monday.

   * * *

   It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon for the middle of November.  I'd
spent the morning working on a term paper for history.  It wasn't due until
the end of January, but why wait for the last minute?  I'd written a great
conclusion; now I just had to find enough facts to support it.

   I didn't even glance at Tami's house.  I knew she, her mother, and her
grandmother were off shopping.  That was one of the reasons I was working
on my paper.

   I noticed Kelly and Mikee sitting in garden chairs outside their
trailer. They were wearing shorts and halter tops, enjoying the sun after
all the rain that had cursed the month so far.

   Their chairs were facing away from the street, so I walked quietly up
behind them.  I reached down and grabbed their shoulders.  "Hi, girls. 
Enjoying the sunshine?"

   Mikee jumped at my unexpected touch, but Kelly jumped harder, jumping up
and jerking away from me.

   "You okay?" I asked after glancing at the cornered-animal look in her
eye.

   "Fine.  I just don't want to be touched.  Okay?" she spat and raced back
into her trailer.

   I looked at Mikee.  "I..."

   Mikee got up and hugged me.  "It isn't you.  She's been weird for a
couple of weeks."

   "What's wrong?"

   "I don't know.  She won't talk about it."

   Mikee looked up at me.  "Can we...?" There was a lustful look in her
eye.

   "I don't know.  I've never done it with a princess.  I'm a commoner, I
might burst into flames or something."

   Mikee giggled.  "I'll get Queen Robbie to knight you."

   "As it happens, my house is empty.  Traci's got a concert tonight, and
the folks took her to rehearsals." I looked at the trailer.  "What about
Kelly?" I wasn't being greedy.  Really I wasn't.  I wasn't even looking for
another threesome.  I just didn't want her left out.

   Mikee sighed.  "I don't think she'll be interested."

   * * *

   "You know, you've grown up a lot since I've known you." I looked down at
her naked body laying on my bed.  My eyes were drawn to her pussy.  She had
a lot more hair than Tami, and it was darker too.

   "If that's your idea of seductive conversation, you need a lot of work,"
Mikee said with a smile.

   "I just meant...  hell, I don't know."

   "Don't sweat it.  Sex is confusing.  We'll have it all figured out by
the time we're sixty."

   "Comforting thought." I pushed my pants down and stepped out of them.

   I grinned and lowered myself onto Mikee's pussy.  Her lips were more
open than Tami's, so my tongue had no trouble pressing in.  I wondered if
there'd ever be a time when I had sex, or girls, all figured out.  Or was
it that when you got older, you just stopped caring.

   "Would you please fuck me?" Mikee moaned.

   I lifted my head enough to look up Mikee's body.  "Not getting enough
from Brian?"

   She'd been going out with Brian Thomas since the middle of October.  He
was a freshman on the JV football team and had a pretty good rep as a stud
for a ninth grader.

   "I'm not getting anything from Brian."

   "I thought he..."

   Mikee giggled.  "Brian's a lot of fun, but I'm not going to let him do
anything.  He'd tell half the school in an hour."

   "How'd you get so smart?"

   "I had a good teacher." She reached down, grabbed my ears and pulled. 
"Now get up here before I find a new teacher."

   I let her pull me up until my crotch was above hers.  She let go of my
ears, reached down, and guided my cock toward her pussy.

   "What if I'm not in the mood?" I asked.

   "You're always in the mood."

   "Not always.  There was an hour about two years ago when I wasn't."

   "And there'll probably be an hour two or three years from now when you
aren't," she said as she pulled my cock into her.

   It's hard to argue with a girl when she's wrong.  When she's right...  I
drove Big Tony forward.

   "It's a good thing for you that Mom and Dad dropped me off, then went
shopping."

   My head jerked toward the door.  I hadn't closed it.  Traci was standing
there.  The look on her face was hard to read.  I don't think she was
surprised that she'd caught me fucking.  I do think she was surprised at
who I was fucking.

   "I can't believe that you'd do this to her." Traci backed out and ran
toward her bedroom.

   I had a feeling that the `her' in that sentence wasn't Mikee.

   Mikee reached down and pulled my soft little worm out of her pussy.  Big
Tony had run away.  "I think that's my cue to go home."

   "Mikee, I..."

   Mikee put her finger on my lips.  "I hope I haven't screwed things up
between you and Traci."

   "I..." I didn't have the first clue what to say.

   Mikee slid out from under me, dressed quickly, and left.

   My own place.  That would solve so many of my problems.  Nothing fancy.
Maybe a studio apartment.

   Chapter 35

   Tami came with me to Traci's concert.  We sat up front, away from my
parents, and had a chance to talk between performances.

   "I need a favor."

   "Here?  Now?  What will people say?"

   I grinned and wondered what had happened to the shy girl I'd met almost
three years ago.

   "I need that too.  But I need a different favor more."

   Tami started to ask, but the next song started.  This was Mr.  McCoy's
advanced band, and Traci had a solo coming up, so Tami waited.

   "What favor?" she asked after we'd given the advanced band and
especially Traci a standing ovation for their first song.  I still couldn't
believe how good Traci had gotten, considering how bad she'd been.  I guess
that's what practice is all about.  I was glad she'd been a part of our
play.

   "Remember when I asked you to give Traci the talk?"

   Tami nodded.

   "She needs part two."

   "What part two?  I told her everything.  Unless you mean kinky stuff,
and I don't know that much about the kinky stuff."

   "It's pretty kinky.  I need you to talk to her about Mikee and me."

   Tami's eyes almost bugged out as the band started their second number.

   After the song, I told Tami about my afternoon.

   "Oh, boy!" she said.

   "That would be the G-rated response."

   "Oh, shit!"

   "That would be the PG-response."

   "Oh..."

   "I know," I interrupted.  "I tried to talk to her, but she won't let
me."

   "What makes you think I can talk to her?"

   "I don't think she's upset that she caught me fucking Mikee.  I think
she thinks I'm betraying you."

   "Oh, boy!"

   "Yeah."

   "What makes you think I can get her to listen if she won't even talk to
you?"

   "I have a plan."

   * * *

   "What's wrong between you and your sister?" Mom asked as soon as Traci
excused herself to get her saxophone.

   "It's, uh, private." I said.  Tami and I had joined my parents after the
concert.  When Traci came over, we congratulated her, but she totally
ignored me.

   "And how long is this private problem going to last?"

   "It kinda depends."

   "On?"

   "I want to drive the rugrat home."

   Mom and Dad looked at each other.  "I don't see how that's going to
help, but okay." I'd been driving since my birthday in February.  I'd even
driven Traci a lot with either Mom or Dad.  She didn't even pretend to
cringe anymore.

   Now came the hard word.

   "Alone." We'd come in two cars, since Dad had gone back to work after
shopping and had driven straight here.

   "You can't.  You don't have a license," Mom said immediately.

   "I will in three months."

   "You can't," Mom repeated.

   "It's important?" Dad asked, speaking for the first time.

   "It's important," I confirmed, nodding as solemnly as I could.

   "I would like to point out that if you get caught driving before you get
your license, they won't let you get it until you're seventeen.  Is it that
important?"

   I nodded again.

   Dad looked at me for a minute, then reached in his pocket and handed me
his keys.

   I looked bug-eyed down at the keys in my hand.  I thought I was
negotiating for Mom's keys.

   "He can't," Mom said again.

   "Honey, if Tony drives everybody home, you can take me out for that
birthday dinner you've owed me for a month.  The kids can order a pizza."

   "I..."

   "And we have the extra advantage of not being there when the cops bring
him home."

   "Maybe it'll be that nice Deputy Boyd.  He likes Tony.  Maybe he won't
use the handcuffs," Mom said, agreeing to the inevitable.

   "Or his nightstick," Dad added.

   I was still staring at Dad's keys.

   "You scratch my new baby, and you won't see daylight until Traci can
drive," Dad threatened.

   I nodded, still looking at his keys.  Dad had bought himself a Porsche
for his birthday.  I never thought he'd let me take it.  Actually, I would
have preferred Mom's mini-van.  I know that sounds un-American.  Even
un-teenage.  But I was a lot more comfortable with an automatic.

   "You scratch my old baby," Mom said.  "And you'll never see daylight
again."

   I looked up at them and nodded again.

   * * *

   Tami, Traci, and I stood on the steps of the school, watching the
parking lot clear out.  It was raining lightly, but we were under the
overhang.

   "Where's Mom and Dad?" Traci asked after a couple of minutes.

   "They went out to dinner."

   "How are we getting home?"

   "I'm driving."

   "You can't drive," she said, then added, "by yourself."

   "I am.  Let's go." There were only a couple of cars left.  I figured
they belonged to janitors or people who were staying awhile.

   Traci looked reluctant.

   "Trace, it's either get in the car or walk home in the rain.  You know
I'm a good driver."

   Traci hesitated, then nodded.

   We ran to the car.  I clicked the button on the keychain when we were
halfway there so at least the doors were unlocked.  I could have been a
gentleman and gotten the car and pulled it around to them on the step, but
to be honest, I didn't think of it until we were running through the rain.

   Traci and Tami got in the front seat together and pulled the seat beat
around them.  I belted in and started the car.  I looked at Tami and
nodded. Then I looked out the windshield at the rainy parking lot.

   My first solo.  In a car with too much power, a stick shift, and on
rainy roads.  Well, if this didn't work, there was always the bus.

   Tami and Traci talked intently all the way home.  I didn't hear much,
just an occasional word.  I was concentrating hard on the road.  Once, when
I stopped at an intersection, I did hear Tami sigh and say, "It's
complicated." Then I pulled the car away from the stop sign and couldn't
hear again.

   At the trailer park, I pulled the car into the driveway and killed the
engine.  I leaned back, still clenching the wheel.  Traci undid the seat
belt and got out.  Tami sat there, looking out the rainy windshield.  After
a minute, Tami leaned forward and, one at a time, pried my fingers off the
wheel.

   "Well?" I asked after the last one.

   She smiled.  "We'll see.  How'd you like driving the Porsche?"

   I looked at the steering wheel, expecting to see the impressions of my
fingers permanently embedded.  "Cool.  Maybe in a year or so, I'll try it
again."

   Chapter 36

   "How's it going with Traci?" Tami asked on Monday.

   "Better.  She's a little cool, but she isn't ignoring me." I got my
books for first period and closed my locker.

   "What's wrong with Traci?" Robbie asked.

   Tami smiled and told her about Traci catching me with Mikee and the talk
she'd had with her.

   Robbie laughed.  "Tony, you're turning the whole county into the
twilight zone.  I keep expecting Rod Serling to step out of a doorway."

   "What'd I do?" I protested.

   "You keep getting caught cheating on your girlfriend by everyone but
your girlfriend, then you get her to bail you out of trouble."

   "It's not cheating when I know about it," Tami said, snaking her arm
around me.

   "It's still kind of twilight zone."

   "No, it's the Trailer Park Zone.

   * * *

   "Uh, hi, Tony."

   I looked up.  I'd been resting my throat on Tami's shoulder as we waited
in line for lunch.  We'd been talking, but mostly to hear each other's
voices.  I was hungry and concentrating on watching the line move slowly.
It was mac-and-cheese Tuesday, something the lunch ladies hadn't figured
out how to screw up.  Yet.

   "Hi, Darlene.  Just the person I wanted to see." I hadn't really talked
to her since the play.

   She smiled self-consciously.  "You did?"

   I grinned.  "I have good news and bad news."

   "Damn, I hate this game.  What's the bad news?"

   "Tatiana Reid is pregnant."

   Darlene looked confused.  Tatiana was a senior, and Darlene probably
hadn't even talked to her before.  "Uh, what's the good news?"

   "Tatiana Reid is pregnant."

   "Umm, okay." I loved the look of total confusion on her face.

   Tami brought her elbow back into my sternum.  "Stop teasing.  Tell her."

   "Yes ma'am.  Tatty's a cheerleader." Darlene nodded, but didn't look any
more enlightened.  "She's not going to be cheering anymore, I don't know if
it's her mom or her doctor or what, but she's off the squad."

   Darlene nodded dully.

   I grinned.  "I talked to Paula.  She and the other cheerleaders would
like you to try out after school today."

   Darlene's face lite up.  "You mean it?" I nodded.  Darlene surged
forward and hugged me.  A pretty good trick, since I'd been pressed against
Tami's back.  "Oh, God, I can't believe it."

   Tami had stepped to the side when Darlene grabbed me and was watching us
with an amused smile.  Darlene noticed and let go of me so fast you'd think
I had leprosy.

   "I'm sorry, I didn't mean, I..."

   Tami stepped forward and hugged the other girl.  "It's okay, he's pretty
huggable."

   I put my arms around both girls and guided them into the space that had
opened up in front of us.  "How about I buy you two ladies lunch to
celebrate."

   Tami looked around me at Darlene.  "He's also a big spender."

   * * *

   "I have a plan," I announced, sliding my arms around Robbie and Tami
who'd been putting books in their lockers.

   "Should we be afraid?" Robbie asked.

   "Somebody should," I said and laughed maniacally.  Which earned some
strange looks from people in the hall.  "Do you know what day this is?"

   "Uh, Wednesday," Tami ventured.

   "Exactly."

   The girls looked at each other, then me.  "Is there more to it than
that?" Tami asked.

   "We are halfway through the first week of our second nine weeks.  We
need to celebrate."

   "It was obvious," Robbie said, nodding to Tami.

   The girls closed their lockers, and we started up the hall toward lunch.
Mike Rose came up, and I surrendered Robbie's back to his arm.

   "What kind of celebration did you have in mind?" Tami asked after Mike
and Robbie slipped into an empty doorway for a quick game of tonsil hockey.

   "Well, Saturday, we're all going to the play.  I thought after that we
could have a Monopoly marathon."

   "Could be fun," Tami agreed nodding.

   "Oh, little one, my plan is lot more devious than that."

   "Really?"

   "Yeah.  You know how my sister always beats us?"

   "I still think she cheats."

   "And you know how Zoe always beats us?"

   "She cheats too."

   "We'll invite both of them.  Maybe they'll cancel each other out and one
of us can win."

   Tami nodded.  "Not bad.  You might not be Fu Manchu when it comes to
devious plans, but not bad."

   "I have my moments."

   * * *

   TONY SIMS, ROBERTA TATE.  PLEASE REPORT TO THE VICE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE.

   I was sitting next to Tami in Journalism when the announcement came of
the P.A.  system.

   Tami looked at me accusingly.  "What did you do now?"

   I shrugged.  "Nothing I know about.  Maybe they discovered one of my old
crimes."

   I stood and started gathering my books.

   "You're not coming back?" The period had just started.

   "I doubt it, as long-winded as Parker is."

   "Try not to get suspended, March is three-and-a-half months away."

   I nodded, wondering if March was becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. 
"I'll try, but it's not always easy."

   * * *

   I got to the office first and waited for Robbie.  When she saw me she
spread her hands, palms out and looked at me questioningly.  I shrugged. 
Robbie nodded and together we walked to Parker's door.  I knocked.

   "Come!" his voice said from behind the door.

   I looked at Robbie and smiled, I hoped encouragingly.

   I opened the door.

   "You wanted to see us?" I asked in a tone I hoped would pass as
respectful.

   "No, I didn't," he said without looking up.

   "But the P.A.?"

   "I had you called.  Mr.  Mulino would like to see you both."

   I wondered exactly what the standards were for a master's in education.

   "Wouldn't it have made more sense for the announcement to send us to the
superintendent's office then?"

   Parker half stood, glaring at me.  "Are you trying to tell me how to do
my job?"

   "No.  I just thought that would be more efficient.  I don't pretend to
know anything about running a school.  I guess efficiency isn't important."

   I closed the door, hoping I hadn't gone too far.  I really didn't want
to get suspended, now or in March.  Though more than one of my friends has
suggested that I do it on purpose.

   "What's it all about?" Robbie asked as we walked down the hall.

   "Not a clue," I admitted.

   "Start any revolutions lately?"

   "Not in the last hour, hour-and-a-half.  I do have a small coup
scheduled for tomorrow.  How bout you?"

   "Me?  I'm a good girl.  I just associate with a bad class of people."

   "Hi, Mr.  Mulino wanted to see us," I told the secretary as we walked
into the office.  I realized that I didn't know her name, though I'd seen
her a dozen times.  She didn't have a nameplate on her desk.

   "He's waiting.  Go right in." She nodded toward his door.

   "You've changed your hair," I said as we started back.

   She sat up straighter and primped the back of her hair.  "How nice of
you to notice."

   "It looks good," I added before leading Robbie to Mulino's door. 
"Brownie points," I whispered.  "You can never have enough."

   Robbie laughed softly.  "You've been watching Eddie Haskell on Leave It
To Beaver reruns, haven't you?"

   "I try to learn life lessons wherever I can," I said and knocked.

   "Come in."

   I opened the door.  Robbie walked in, and I followed before I noticed
the three grown-ups seated in his office.

   "Your secretary said to come in, we knocked," I explained quickly,
thinking we'd interupted a meeting.

   "It's okay Tony.  We were all waiting for you." If it was Parker waiting
with three strangers, I'd feel like an animal in a trap.  With Mr.  Mulino,
I was only a little nervous."

   "Tony, Robbie, this is Robert Anolly, Tom Baxter, and Janet Martin." As
he introduced them, they stood and shook hands with both of us, then sat
back down.

   There was an awkward silence after he finished, the Mr.  Mulino laughed.
"I'm sorry," he apologized to his guests.  "Tony is such a self-confident
young man for his age.  I was enjoying the look on his face.  I kind of
liked having him off-balance for once."
Memo: Take Mr.  Mulino off Christmas card list.
Mr.  Mulino looked up at us.  "They're the committee from the Prentiss

Foundation."

   Another silence.  The name sounded a little familiar, but...

   "The play contest," Robbie blurted out.

   Mr.  Mulino nodded.  "Exactly, they're the judges for the play Saturday
night."

   That wasn't helping.  Our play lost.

   Janet Martin looked at us.  "Did you two really write a whole musical in
a month?"

   "Tony and his girlfriend did," Robbie said before I could act modest. 
"They wrote most of it in a weekend, though we tweaked it a little here and
there.  I just directed."

   "That's amazing," Baxter said.

   "They were hoping to see it," Mr.  Mulino suggested.

   I wondered if one of the parents had videoed it.  My mom talked about it
but couldn't find the camera.

   "We were wondering if you'd consider an encore performance on Sunday,"
Anolly said.

   "We'd lov..."

   "That depends," I interrupted Robbie.  "This wouldn't take anything away
from Leslie's play?  She's the school's choice."

   From the corner of my eye I saw Robbie ready to object, and I knew she
was thinking about those two votes.  I gave her my most intimidating look.
I don't think she was intimidated, but she kept quiet.

   "No, it won't affect Inherit the Wind in any way.  We just heard about
some students writing a musical in a month, excuse me, a weekend, and Mr.
Mulino was telling us how good it turned out.  We were, are, curious,"
Baxter said.

   I could see Robbie going into executive mode.  "I assume we can get the
stage Sunday or Mr.  Mulino wouldn't have asked us.  I'll have to talk to
all the cast members and see if they're available."

   "I'll be available," I said.  "She'll hurt me if I'm not."

   "I can let you know by the end of the day," Robbie finished, ignoring
me.

   It looked like I was back in show business.

   Chapter 37

   "Sims!"

   Why were people always bellowing at me?

   I looked up from tying my shoe.  "Yes, Coach?"

   "Get over here."

   I sighed and stood up.  The coach was standing by the locker room door.

   "Yes, Coach?"

   The coach scowled.  "There's a cheerleader outside who wants a word with
you.  We're not going to have a repeat of the last time, are we?" The coach
wasn't speaking in the friendly supportive tone I'd come to know and love.

   "I don't think so.  She didn't say anything about flunking any classes,
did she?"

   The coach's look wasn't friendly.  "Just a minute with the girl, then
collect your pal and get her in here."

   I snapped to attention, snapped off a snappy salute, British style, palm
outward, then beat a hasty retreat.

   "Looking good," I said when I saw Darlene.  Darlene smiled and twirled,
showing off her cheerleader's outfit, her short skirt flying up to show off
her dance pants.  "Looking very good."

   "You can't imagine how good it feels to wear this.'

   "I don't know," I said, thinking about last year when I got called out
to play varsity.  "I think I can."

   Darlene hugged me.  "I wanted to, I mean, that is, Mom wanted me to
invite you to dinner.  She says she owes you a dinner."

   "That's nice but I don't think it would be a good idea.  Mike, your
step-dad, and all."

   "Mom said, I wasn't to take no for an answer.  You don't want to get me
in trouble?  Tomorrow night?  Before the play?"

   "Well, I'd hate to disappoint your mom."

   "You are so cool," she said, hugging me and planting a kiss on my lips.
"Gotta run."

   I watched her cute little ass as she ran up the stairs.  Damn I liked
cheerleaders, I thought as her skirt flipped around.  I wonderd if I can
talk Tami into trying out.

   * * *

   "You decent?" I called, knocking on the training room door.

   "Close enough."

   I opened the door.  Robbie was just pulling a t-shirt of her head.  I
had a brief view of her green bra.  Before she pulled the shirt down and
flipped her hair out from the back of it.

   "A padded bra?  Robbie, I'm so disillusioned."

   Robbie shot me a dirty look.  "You wearing a cup, boy?"

   I considered taking the fifth, wondering if she was planning to test it.

   "Uh, yeah."

   "Like the extra protection down there?"

   I nodded.

   "Think about it."

   I'm slow, but I do catch on, eventually.

   Robbie pulled on her shoulder pads.  They had more padding in front than
mine.  Then her jersey.  I stepped behind her and pulled her long hair out.
She usually tucked it into her jersey when she played, but liked it out
until then.

   "Did you want something, or did you just come to watch?" she asked,
picking up her helmet in one hand.

   "Coach sent me to get you.  I think he wants to do the pep talk thing."

   Robbie reached up and grabbed my chin, then rubbed her thumb over my
lips.  "Eye-black not enough for you anymore?" she asked, showing me the
red smudge on her thumb.

   I grinned.  "Darlene was thanking me."

   Robbie shook her head, then all of a sudden she was pressed up against
me, her lips molded to mine and her tongue trying to worm it's way into my
mouth.  I was so surprised that I almost forgot to open my mouth.

   "That was...  We haven't done that for a long time," I said a minute
later.

   Robbie smiled.  "No, we haven't."

   "Uh, what was that for?" I realized the question was looking a gift
horse in the mouth, but on the other hand, the Trojans didn't, and look
what happened to them.

   "Just saying thank you."

   "For what?"

   "Just being Tony."

   * * *

   "Congratulations," the coach said when we were all sitting on the
benches in the locker room.  "There are only sixteen teams playing football
this Friday night and you're one of them."

   We cheered and stomped our feet.

   "If we should lose tonight, we'll still be nine and one, and that's a
great season in anybody's book."

   "We're not losing!" Larry yelled, and we all yelled too.

   "Maybe we will and maybe we won't.  This is football.  You never know.
But the important thing is, this is the best team the school has ever had."
More cheering.  "Now I don't know if any of you have been reading the
papers, but the sports writer seem to think we're nine and oh because we
have the easiest schedule in the state.  That's why we never ranked higher
than sixth.

   "The sportswriters who make predictions are almost all picking the Pasco
Cougars to be champions this year.  The fact that we beat them at
Halloween, they're calling a fluke.  Most of them expect us to get beat
tonight."

   "Not happening!" I yelled, jumping to my feet.

   The coach smiled.  "Maybe it was a fluke, but four more flukes, and we
put a trophy in the case upstairs

   "Let's show those sports writers there's more to football than stats,
let's..."

   "Coach, can I say something first?" Robbie interrupted.

   The coach hesitated then nodded.  He headed for the door.

   Robbie stood up in the middle of the floor, her eyes scanning all four
benches of players.  "A lot of teams might have let a girl play, especially
one as good as me." That got a laugh.  "But you've really made me a part of
this team." She looked at Larry and motioned him with her finger.  He stood
and stepped towards her.  She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and
kissed him for almost thirty seconds.  He looked dazed when she finished.

   She looked at Jimmy Prescott, the other co-captain.  He stood and she
flowed onto him.  His kiss was only about five seconds, but it's the
thought that counts.  One by one, she kissed every player, even Jeff the
equipment manager.  I had a feeling that some of them had never kissed a
girl who wasn't at least a cousin before.

   Finally, there were only two left.  Mike Reed and me.  She grinned. 
"What, you need an invitation?" Mike jumped up and practically tackled her.
As he kissed her, I saw his hand reach around and fondle her butt.

   "It'd be a shame if you couldn't throw tonight because of four broken
fingers," she whispered and his hand pulled away.

   "What about me?" I protested.

   Robbie laughed.  "You got yours already."

   "Awww."

   Robbie grinned.  "Come here," she said motioning me with her finger.

   "You guys gonna play football or what?" The coach yelled, sticking his
head back in the door.

   Robbie shrugged.

   I smiled, picked up Robbie's helmet off the bench and tossed it to her.

   Story of my life.

   As we jogged toward the field, Mike pulled up beside me.  "Think she's
got more for us if we win?"

   I wondered if I could accidentally smash my helmet through his teeth. 
"Why don't you suggest it to her."

   * * *

   Mike didn't suggest anything to Robbie.  I knew because he was still
breathing at kick-off time.  And could use all his legs and arms.

   For a team the sportswriters said was going to lose, we didn't play like
it.

   It was Mike's game.  It seemed like everything he put in the air landed
in friendly arms.  And when he wanted some exercise he went running, the
ball tucked under his arm.  By the end of the first half when the coach
pulled him, Mike had over two hundred yards in the air and a hundred and
fifty on the ground.

   If the team from Redmond thought things would get better in the second
half with Mike resting on the bench, they hadn't heard about Monster Girl.
Robbie took the kick-off and ran it seventy-one yards for our fourth
touchdown.

   Then, after we kicked off, Larry intercepted them on their first down.
That seemed to take the heart right out of them.

   * * *

   "Settle!" the coach ordered, when we were back in the locker room.

   It was hard, but we stopped jumping around and sat down on the benches.
I pulled Robbie onto my lap.

   "It will be interesting to see what the sports hacks have to say after
tonight," the coach started.

   We yelled so much my throat was raw.  The coach held up his hands. 
"There are a couple of interesting things about tonight's game.  The record
for returning a kickoff for a touchdown in the state tournament is
sixty-nine yards.  At least it was until tonight."

   I slapped Robbie on the back, and felt several hands slap my hand.

   "The record for most touchdown receptions in the state tournament is
two. At least it was until tonight." I felt a dozens hands slapping my
back. I would have stood and taken my bow, but I was enjoying holding
Robbie.

   "And the tournament record for biggest margin is forty-two back in 1995,
and lady and gentlemen, we tied that one tonight."

   Jimmy Prescott cleared his throat loudly when the cheering stopped. 
"For the record, when Curtiss beat Kamiakin by forty-two points, their
score was forty-nine to seven.  We didn't let Redmond get on the board.

   In the background I heard Mike saying something about setting a few
records if he'd played the second half.  I wondered if we could trade him
to Pasco.  I'd settle for two cheerleaders and a mascot to be named later.

   Chapter 38

   "I've come to a conclusion," I announced.

   "A conclusion, that's almost like a thought," Robbie pointed out.

   "And he had a plan.  Don't forget that." Tami added.

   "A plan and a conclusion, all in the same week.  We are so lucky to have
him," Robbie said.

   I looked out the big picture window in my living room at the big wet
snowflakes coming down and wondered if it wouldn't be warmer outside.

   "There are girls who appreciate me."

   "Name one," Robbie challenged.

   I thought of Allie, Darlene, Mikee and Kelly, but decided to pout
instead of answering.

   "Ah, you hurt his feelings," Tami cooed.

   "No, I didn't.  He just thinks if he pouts long enough, I'll kiss him
and make him feel better."

   "It does seem to cheer him up," Tami agreed.  Tami got off my lap and
went over to Robbie on the sofa, whispering in her ear.

   Robbie got up, and they both walked back to me, each sitting on one of
my legs.  Robbie leaned close.  "If you smile, you can feel my butt."

   I put my hand on her butt and grinned.

   Then I put my other hand on Tami's butt and grinned even bigger.

   "And just think," Robbie said, laying her head on my shoulder.  "We get
to hang out together all day." Tami copied her on the other side.

   "Well, `till five anyway," I said, giving both butts a squeeze.

   "Why five?" Robbie asked, lifting her head.  "The play's not until
seven-thirty."

   "He's dumping us for Darlene at five."

   "Darlene?"

   "Darlene's mother invited me for dinner," I explained.

   Robbie laid her head back down.  "Two of us aren't enough for you
anymore?"

   I decided that silence was the best answer to that question.

   Besides, I had no clue where this was going.  Were Robbie and I us
again? Or was she just kidding around?  Should I keep my hand on her butt,
or check out how much her breasts had grown?  Life was so much easier when
girls still had cooties.  Maybe I should...

   "I see what you mean about complicated."

   Traci was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, eating a banana.

   Maybe I could send her out to wash Dad's car.  I'd let her come back
before frostbite set in.

   "Trace, Mom and Dad won't be back for a couple of hours.  Why don't you
see what Ann's up to."

   "You know, most big brothers pay big bucks to get rid of their little
sisters when they have a girl over.  You have two."

   My sister, the hustler.

   Then she grinned.  "Have fun." She got her coat off the coat rack and
left.

   "You heard the girl," I said when the door closed.  "We're supposed to
have fun."

   "And just what did you have in mind?" Robbie asked suspiciously.

   "I don't know.  Three is such a hard number.  Too many for chess, not
enough for poker."

   "Subtle, isn't he," Robbie said.

   "Not really, but he's cute when he's horny."

   I couldn't believe Tami said that.

   "He's even cute when he's not," Robbie added.

   "When was that?"

   The girls laughed and I wondered if I should be insulted or flattered.
Maybe both.

   "Didn't you come to a conclusion a while ago?  What was it?" Tami asked.

   "I forgot.  That was a long time ago."

   "It was five minutes," Robbie pointed out.

   "Five minutes is a long time when all your blood is in the other head."
Tami laid her hand on the bulge in my jeans and squeezed.

   "Oh, God!"

   "Do you two want to be alone?" Robbie asked.

   "Not right now," Tami said, squeezing again.  "How about you two?"

   Robbie looked obviously down at the hand massaging my crotch.  "Not now.
Maybe later."

   "Would you two like to be alone?" I said, getting into the spirit of
things.

   "Okay," Tami said, taking her hand off my crotch and offering it to
Robbie.  Robbie grinned and took it.  The girls got up and walked off
toward my bedroom.

   "What just happened?" I asked the empty room.

   * * *

   "Let's go for a walk," Tami said, when the girls came back half-an-hour
later.

   Both girls smiled at me, but I refused to ask what they'd been doing.  I
knew they'd just been talking.  They wouldn't do any more than that.  They
just stayed back in my room to bug me.

   Of course, Robbie did have her sometimes thing with Ashley, but Tami
would never...

   Of course Tami had played around with Mikee and me that one time, but
she'd never...

   They just talked.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

   "You do realize there's a blizzard outside?"

   Okay, blizzard might be an over-statement.  But it was snowing.  The
wind was blowing.  And it was darn cold out there.

   "Wimp," Robbie accused.

   "That's okay.  We'll go together," Tami said, taking Robbie's hand
again.

   "I'll get my coat."

   * * *

   It actually wasn't that bad.  All bundled up, I was warm and the fresh
air tasted good. "So what was this conclusion you came to back before I
ravaged your girlfriend?" Robbie asked.

   She was kidding.  I know she was kidding.

   "I decided that the reason trouble seems to find me so easy is I get too
involved in other people's lives.  From now on, I'm going to concentrate on
me and Tami and my family." I wondered if I should include Robbie in that
too.

   "I'll take that bet," Robbie said.

   "What bet?"

   "I'll take twenty of Robbie's action," Tami said.

   "I just meant...  aw, skip it."

   A guy tries to improve his life and what does he get?

   * * *

   "Tony, I'm so glad you come," Darlene's mom said as she hugged me. 
Since the resemblance between Darlene and her mom was obvious, I didn't
mind.

   "Yeah, glad to have you," Mike's dad said from the sofa without getting
up.  Or taking his eyes off Sports Center.

   Darlene gave me a quick tour of the house, even Mike's room since the
door was open.  I was glad to see he was a bigger slob than me.

   I also got to meet her eight-year-old sister, Teresa, and her new
nine-year-old step-sister, Dana.

   Before dinner, we all sat around in the living.  Small talk was not a
success.  Darlene talked to me, Mike talked to his dad, and Darlene's mom
tried to bridge the gaps.  The little girls were smart.  They disappeared
to their room.

   Most of the dinner conversation centered on Mike.

   "Did you see that pass Mike threw at the end of the second quarter. 
Forty-three yards and right into the receiver's arms.  No wonder all the
scouts are checking him out," his dad said around a mouth of potatoes.

   I considered pointing out that I was the receiver and had something to
do with it, but just nodded instead.  Nothing wrong with being proud of
your son.

   "Honey, Tony's the one who got Darlene on the cheerleading squad." her
mom said.

   "I didn't get her on the squad.  I just told Paula about her.  Darlene's
the one who tried out and made it."

   "That's nice," Mike's Dad said.  "And that forty-seven yard run in the
first quarter, nobody could touch Mike."

   I remember that one.  The rest of us just stood around and watched in
awe.  It's not like any of us blocked or anything.

   I looked down at my ribs.  I'd been looking forward to them.  Darlene
had told how good her mom's ribs were, and ribs were one of my all-time
favorites.

   "Darlene is so looking forward to basketball season.  She'll only get to
do a couple of games for football, but she'll have the entire basketball
season."

   Mike's dad speared a glazed carrot and popped it in his mouth.  "I'm not
sure that's such a good idea."

   "Why?" Darlene and her mom asked at the same time, though in very
different tones.

   "Because young lady, you have responsibilities.  Who would watch the
girls after school?"

   "What about Mike!"

   "Don't you use that tone on me!"

   "Sorry, what about Mike?" she asked softer.

   "I have things to do." Mike protested.

   "But..."

   "We'll discuss it later."

   I could see that Darlene was about ready to explode, but I don't get
involved in other people's problems.

   I looked down at my plate.  The ribs looked delicious.

   I set me fork down, wiped my lips with my napkin and stood up.  "I'm
afraid I can't stay," I announced.

   Mr.  Reed looked at my untouched ribs and barely touched potatoes. 
"What?  My wife's cooking isn't good enough for you?"

   "Mrs.  Carter, everything was wonderful," I said, looking at Darlene's
embarrassed mother.  "I just need to leave now." It occurred to me that it
was cold and snowing outside and these people were my ride to the school.

   "You're going to just get up and leave?" Mr.  Reed barked.

   "Both my grandmas tried to beat into me, `If you can't say anything
nice, don't say anything at all.' My dad, knowing me, added, `If you can't
say nothing at all, leave.'"

   "You had something you wanted to say?"

   "You don't want to know."

   "But I do.  I'm sure we all do."

   I took a breath, and considered my grandma's advice.  And my dad's.  But
decided that sometimes it didn't apply.  "You don't have a step-daughter,
you have a built-in-babysitter.  You crow constantly about Mike's
accomplishments, What about Darlene's?"

   "Is that all?" he asked sarcastically.

   "No, now that you ask.  You talk a lot about Darlene's responsibilities.
Does Mike help out?  Does he do anything?"

   "He's older.  He has things to do."

   "I've seen the kid's rooms.  Mike's is twice the size of Darlene's.  Or
the little girls."

   "You can't expect Mike to give up his room.  He's had it all his life."

   "Darlene, how long did you have your room in your old house?"

   "All my life."

   "That's different." Mike and his dad said together.

   "I'm sure it is.  Dana's had her room all her life too, but now she has
to share it with Teresa, so she has half the space.  But I'm sure that's
different too."

   "Tony..." Darlene's mom said, almost pleadingly, but I was on a roll.

   "Darlene said you made a big deal out of Mike getting an A on his report
card.  Even gave him twenty bucks.  How much did you give Darlene?  She got
three A's.  How `bout the girls?"

   "That's enough!" Reed said threateningly.

   "Mike walks in the living room and changes the TV to whatever he wants,
and it doesn't matter if someone else was there first.  You got Mike a car
when he got his license.  Darlene turns sixteen next week.  She getting one
too?"

   "Get out of my house.  Don't bother coming back."

   "Trust me, I don't want to.  I was getting an ulcer watching how you run
a family." I walked towards the front door.

   "You have a bad attitude," he told my retreating back.

   Halfway across the living room, I stopped and turned.  "A lot of people
agree with you.  Mrs.  Carter, I apologize for ruining your dinner."

   "It's Mrs.  Reed," her husband growled.

   "Not if she's smart."

   For a second, I thought I'd gone to far.  Reed looked like he was ready
to pound me into hamburger.  The good news is, then I could call Deputy
Boyd and have him put away.  The bad news is, pain hurts.

   "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

   "Darlene, when you get tired of the way you're treated, my mom always
takes in strays."

   I left.

   Chapter 39

   "Thanks for the ride."

   I got out of the backseat of the car.  "You were a real lifesaver."

   Mrs.  Stiller got out of the driver's seat.  "I still don't understand
why you were walking down the highway in a storm." Kevin got out the other
side.

   "It wasn't that bad.  I would have made it.  Of course I would have been
just in time for the curtain call.  But I would have made it.  Thanks
again," I said with a wave.  "Bye, Kevin."

   I walked quickly to the front doors of the school.  I was still a little
cold from my fifteen minute walk before Kevin and his mom spotted me. 
Inside, I paid my last five dollars for admission and a program.  You'd
think a fellow thespian would get in free, but I guess that's the business
part of show business.

   In the auditorium, almost everybody was standing around.  Only a few
people were in their seats.  I saw Robbie and Tami talking with Mike Rose
over on one side.  Mom, Dad, and Traci were standing with some other adults
near the back wall.  I went over.

   "Hi, runt.  How you doing?" I said, coming up behind her and putting my
hands on her shoulders.

   "Okay, I guess," she said without enthusiasm.

   "What's wrong?"

   "I wanted to spend the night at Lizzie's house, but Mom said no."

   "That's too bad.  Why?" Mom gave me a warning look.  I winked.

   "She just said because."

   I leaned down.  "Sometimes moms just get cranky," I whispered.

   "You got that right," she said and wandered off to find one of her
friends.

   "What was that all about," Mom asked.

   "Traci's a little annoyed cause you're getting all dictatorial and won't
let her go to Lizzie's.  Poor girl."

   "Poor girl?  You're the one who asked me not to let her sleep out."

   "You didn't have to be so mean about it," I said with a grin.

   I don't think my mom ever came closer to hitting me than that moment.

   "Dad, I need a favor."

   "I'm not sure doing you a favor right now would be beneficial to my
marriage." Dad glanced at Mom who was glaring at me.

   Then Mom smiled.  "Oh, find out what he wants.  You know he'll get it
eventually."

   Dad sighed.  "What?"

   "I was wondering if you had two twenties I could borrow until I get
home?"

   "Forty dollars?  What do you need forty dollars for?  Here?"

   I shrugged.  Dad and Mom exchanged looks, then Dad reached for his
wallet.

   It might be my imagination, but there seemed to be a lot more of those
looks since we moved from California.

   * * *

   "Ladies," I said as I walked up to Robbie and Tami.  Mike Rose was just
leaving to join his parents, and we nodded to each other.

   "Here," I said, handing each of them a twenty.

   "What's this for?" Tami asked, looking down at the bill in her hand.

   "You won.  I lost." I told them about my dinner.

   Tami smiled.  "You did what you had to.  I can't take your money," she
said, handing back the bill.

   "I would have done the same thing," Robbie agreed.  "But I'm keeping the
money." She tucked the twenty into the front pocket of her jeans.

   "I vote Robbie buys the snacks at intermission," I suggested.

   "I second that motion," Tami agreed

   "That okay," Robbie said with a smile.  "I'll still make a profit on the
deal."

   There are times when I don't like Monster Girl very much.

   * * *

   The play was awesome.  Even better than the first time.

   Last year I'd watched the Tony awards on TV.  Not by choice.  It was an
assignment for English class.  But during the show, they showed clips of
the nominated plays and actors.  Leslie had them all beat.

   The scenes between Leslie as Clarice Darrow and Louis Frey as William
Jennings Bryan were riveting.

   For added drama there was one more scene after the curtain fell.

   "You have raised an extremely rude disrespectful brat," Mr.  Reed yelled

   Mom's eyes bugged a little as Mr.  Reed charged at her after the play.

   "Excuse me?"

   "You haven't bothered to teach him any manners.  Or respect for his
betters," Reed said wagging his finger in mom's face.  Mom hates that.

   "He's right you know," I said walking up with Tami.  "No respect at
all."

   Reed glared at me.  Mom looked confused while Dad looked amused.  I
noticed Mrs.  Carter standing back looking embarrassed.  I didn't see
Darlene.

   "What'd he do?" Mom asked.  She knew I had dinner out tonight, but I
don't think she'd ever met the Reeds.

   "He sat at my table and tried to tell me how to raise my family."

   "He's almost right, but I was standing when I told what he was doing
wrong.  Mom, this is Mr.  Reed, Darlene's step-dad."

   "You see!" Mr.  Reed was wagging his finger again.  "He's not even
sorry. He's not even apologizing."

   "Blame him," I said, pointing at my dad.  "He said you never have to
apologize for the truth."

   Reed glared at me, then dad, who was watching silently, then Mom, then
back at me.

   "What are you going to do about him?" Reed demanded.

   "I'm not even sure what he did," Mom said with a shrug.

   "I might have known.  At least we can see where he gets it.  I
demand..." his finger was practically in my Mom's nose.

   I knocked his arm away and stepped between them.  "Feel free to say
anything you want about me.  But get in my mom's face again, and we'll find
out if a tenth-grade football player can knock the shit out of a big
asshole like you."

   He had a few pounds on me, but it was flab, not muscle.  I was pretty
sure I could beat the hell out of him if I tried.

   "TONY!  I won't stand for that kind of language.  Apologize!"

   "I can't.  Not this time."

   "You see what he's like.  And what about his threat?"

   "I'll take..." Mom started.

   "We won't punish a boy for defending his mother," Dad said firmly.

   "He..."

   Dad stepped up, pushing me out of the way and standing between Reed and
Mom.  "And yell at my wife again, and Tony's not the only one who'll be
taking you down."

   Reed's finger came up and his mouth opened, but he changed his mind,
turned and stomped off.

   Dad looked at me.  "The language was unnecessary.  Tomorrow, you will
clean the house, top to bottom, then again Wednesday.  Understood?"

   I nodded.

   "Anything else?" Dad asked Mom.

   She looked at me.  "Tomorrow afternoon, I would like a complete, and
hopefully objective report about what just happened, but I have no
intention of letting this ruin my night."

   I nodded again.

   I decided that I needed to put some real thought into Christmas this
year.

   * * *

   "What did your mom mean?" Tami asked after Traci had stomped off toward
her bedroom.

   "Traci doesn't know about tonight," I whispered.

   "I don't get it," Robbie said.

   "Well, she's feeling a little picked on.  First Mom wouldn't let her
spend the night at Lizzie's, then you heard her on the way home.  She told
Trace that she and Dad were spending the night out, and that since I was
having friends over, she should stay out of the way in her room."

   "You're mean."

   I picked up Robbie's hand, bowed, and kissed it.  "I learned from the
best.

   Robbie grinned.  "You say the sweetest things."

   I was wondering if I should try kissing my way up Robbie's arm, a la
Gomez Addams, when there was a knock.

   Tami opened the door.  Mikee was there with Zoe, Kelly standing in the
background.

   Mikee looked in the door.  I was still bent over Robbie's hand.  "Are we
interrupting something?" she asked.

   "I can only hope," I said before Robbie pulled her hand back.

   The girls came in and shucked coats.

   Tami and I went to the kitchen.  I started opening cans of pop while
Tami poured Doritos into a bowl.  Cokes for Tami, Mikee, Robbie and me,
root beer for Kelly, and Sprite for Traci who was trying to decaffeinate
for some reason.  Dr.  Pepper for Zoe, but she was from New York and
probably didn't know any better.

   I put all the drinks on a tray, and we went back to the living room.

   The phone rang when we were halfway there.

   "Robbie, would you get that?"

   She did as I set the tray on the coffee table and started handing out
cans.

   "Tami, it's your mom."

   Tami set down her bowl and took the phone.

   She gave me a funny look as she talked, Robbie looked at me
questioningly, and I shrugged.

   "Darlene's at my house," Tami announced when she hung up.

   "What's she doing there?" Robbie asked.

   Tami shrugged.

   "I invited her to the monopoly-a-thon when I was at her house, but I
figured that was a no-go," I said.

   "She probably figured asking to spend the night with Tami was safer than
using your name," Robbie theorized.  Tami and I nodded.

   "I'll go get her," Tami said.

   "I'll go with you," Robbie volunteered.

   I sat down in Dad's chair.

   "Alone at last," Mikee announced, plopped in my lap, and kissed me.

   "What about us?" Zoe asked, her eyes getting big.

   Mikee broke her lips from mine.  "If you want a turn, you'll have to get
in line." Zoe's eyes got bigger.

   "Where's Traci?" Kelly asked.

   I darted my tongue into Mikee's mouth and teased the roof of her mouth.
She started giggling and pulled away.

   "She doesn't know she's invited yet."

   Zoe was still staring, so I decided to feel up Mikee and kiss her again.
I reached up and squeezed her breast, my thumb easily finding her nipple
since the darling wasn't wearing a bra.  I heard the door open while our
tongues wrestled in her mouth.

   "Leave you alone for three minutes and there's another girl in your
lap," Tami said as she took off her coat.  I could see Darlene's eyes were
as big as Zoe's.

   I grinned but didn't break my kiss with Mikee.  My left hand eased down
her butt and started caressing her through her jeans.

   "Aren't you going out with Brian Thomas?" Darlene asked.

   Mikee pulled away from me.  "Sure.  Brian's a great guy, but Tony kisses
better," she said with a big smile.

   "Kissing isn't all he's doing," Zoe said.

   Mikee looked down at her tits.  "Tony, you're not supposed to touch me
there," she said as if surprised.

   "You want me to stop?" I asked as I moved my thumb in a circle around
her stiff nipple.

   "You probably should."

   "When?"

   "Sometime tonight."

   I was afraid that Darlene and Zoe were going to throw their necks out as
their heads ping-ponged back and forth between watching me and Mikee and
looking at Tami.

   Kelly giggled.

   Tami sighed.

   "Mikee get off Tami's boyfriend," Robbie ordered.

   "Awww," but she did.  Robbie came over and plopped down.

   Tami shook her head.  "What about Traci?" she asked.

   "Are you a good actress?" I asked, then blew lightly into Robbie's ear.
I still wasn't sure where we were.

   "I was in your play," Tami pointed out.

   "We lost."

   "You were the one who was on stage the most."

   "That's why we came close."

   Tami stuck her tongue out at me.  The Robbie stuck her tongue out too. I
kissed it.

   "Did you have a point?" Tami asked.

   "After the phone rings, go back and get Traci.  Try to make her think
I'm really mad."

   "You ARE mean," Robbie said.  I nibbled her earlobe.

   I looked over at Kelly, pointed at Dad's cell phone sitting on the
coffee table, and pantomimed dialing a phone.  She nodded, picked up the
cell, and dialed.  A second later the phone rang.  I let it ring twice,
then signaled to Zoe to answer it, since she was the closest.  She did,
then tossed the handset to me.

   Tami stood by the front of the hallway and held out one finger.  Then
two.  Then three.  Then four.  Then her hand out with her thumb extended.
She grinned, turned, and went down the hall.

   We heard her knock.

   "What?"

   "Tony wants you."

   "Why?"

   "I don't know, but he seems mad."

   We could hear her door open.  I nodded for Robbie to get off my lap,
then held the handset to my ear.  Kelly held the cell down by her leg.

   The two girls walked into the living room.

   "Just a minute," I said into the phone and held my hand over the
mouthpiece.  "Mrs.  Gordon is on the phone.  She's been talking to David.
Is it true?" David Gordon was Traci's current boyfriend.  She actually
thought going to a dance with him was more important than going to my game
last week.

   "What'd she say?"

   "Just a minute," I said and put the phone back to my ear.  "Could you
tell me that again.  Unh huh.  Unh huh.  She didn't?" Traci was getting
very red and I wondered just how far she and David had gone.  Maybe I
should get Tami to have The Talk, part three, with her.

   I lowered the phone, my hand on the mouthpiece again.  "She says you're
the reigning queen of Monopoly."

   "What!"

   "Ask her yourself." I tossed her the phone and she brought it up to her
ear.

   "Hi, Traci," Kelly said into the cell.

   Traci glared at me and I wondered for a second if I'd gone to far.  I
slid off the chair and onto my knees.  "Traci, my beautiful, intelligent,
and forgiving sister.  We're going to have a Monopoly marathon and need you
to join us.  I asked Mom to do everything she did as a joke, because I know
your incredible sense of humor."

   Traci glared.

   "Did I mention your forgiving nature?"

   "I don't know if I want to play with you."

   "Did I mention that Zoe's pretty good and wants to be queen?" Traci
switched her glare from me to Zoe for a few seconds, then grinned.  "Bring
it on," she told the other girl.

   * * *

   Traci and the others started clearing the dining room table and setting
up the game, but Darlene signaled that she wanted to talk to me alone.  We
went to my room.

   "I'm a little mad at you," she said as I closed the door.

   I turned and faced her.  "I don't blame you."

   "You don't?"

   "I shouldn't have blown up at dinner."

   "No, you shouldn't," she said forcefully.

   "If it means anything, I wasn't trying to interfere.  I didn't even do
it for you.  Not really."

   "You didn't?"

   "I just...  I got so mad listening to him talk.  Knowing that he didn't
have a clue how he was treating everyone.  He doesn't even realize that
everyone in the house is like a peasant and Mike is royalty.  All hail
Prince Mike the Magnificent."

   Darlene smiled and sat down on the bed.  "You said everything I've
wanted to say since Mom got married.  Almost everything."

   "What'd I miss?" I asked, surprised.  I thought I threw a pretty
complete tantrum.

   Darlene grinned.

   "It won't help," I told her, sitting down next to her.  "He didn't even
hear what I said."

   "No, but maybe Mom did.  I haven't said anything because I didn't want
to ruin anything for her."

   "You know, it's not fair to her if you don't let her know every now and
then what you're feeling."

   "How'd you get so wise?"

   I grinned.  "I get asked that a lot." That, or why did I have such a bad
attitude.  Maybe the two go together.  "You should talk to her."

   "I will," Darlene promised.  "Maybe things will get better.  When I said
I wanted to spend the night at Tami's, Steve said no, but Mom over-ruled
him.  I don't think he realized that you lived so close, but I know Mom
did."

   "I'll cross my fingers for you.  And I meant what I said, if things get
too bad, Mom lets me bring home strays."

   "So I'm a stray?"

   "An awfully cute one."

   Darlene smiled and hugged me.  Then she seemed to realize that she was
sitting on my bed, hugging me, with the door closed and Tami outside.

   She jerked away, blushing furiously.  "I didn't mean...  I mean... 
Tami..."

   I smiled, reassuringly.  "Darlene, If you ripped off your clothes and we
had wild passionate sex right now, Tami wouldn't mind."

   "She wouldn't?"

   "She might be annoyed that we held up the game, but she wouldn't be
mad."

   I could tell the exact second that Darlene imagined the two of us naked
on the bed.

   * * *

   The game was all set up when we came back, eight chairs around the
table. I could see the questions on everyone's face.  Everyone except Tami
and Robbie, since they knew about the dinner scene.

   I sat down between Tami and Kelly.  Darlene took the other open chair
between Tami and Robbie.  As I sat, I reached down and squeezed Kelly and
Tami's knees.  Kelly jerked hers away.  I was surprised.

   "If you can't beat a ten, Traci and Zoe need to have a roll off," Mikee
told me as she handed me the dice.  I took them and rolled a two.  Mikee
rolled her eyes.

   I passed the dice to Darlene.

   She rolled an eleven.

   Some guys might think that a fifteen-year-old, almost sixteen, playing
Monopoly on a Saturday night is pretty pathetic.  But I was the only guy
with seven of the hottest babes in the county, only one of them a relative.
I sure didn't feel pathetic.  And as the ranking family member, I could
always send Traci to bed.

   * * *

   Eight-sided Monopoly can be a long process unless somebody gets lucky
early.  I thought when Traci rolled a five and bought the Reading Railroad
on her first turn that the game might be a short one.  When Zoe landed on
Chance and went straight to Boardwalk on her first outing, I was sure of
it. But two hours later, as the clock ticked past midnight, everyone was
still in the game, and the property was so spread out that nobody had a
complete set or any real advantage.

   Deals were offered, but nobody took one, things were just too even, and
nobody wanted to give any other player an advantage.

   About one o'clock Tami sighed and stood up.  I wondered if she was going
to throw in the towel, but she leaned over the board and surveyed the
situation.  I knew what she wanted, North Carolina to give her the greens,
and Robbie had it.

   She leaned toward Robbie.  "Time to deal.  Kentucky for North Carolina."

   She'd offered the deal before.  She and Robbie were the closest to a
deal.  Kentucky would give Robbie the reds, and North Carolina would finish
the green set for Tami.

   Robbie considered.  "No deal," she said again.

   "I'll throw in Baltic." Zoe had Mediterranean.

   "Nope."

   "And a thousand cash."

   "Not happening."

   "And five minutes alone in the bedroom with Tony."

   "What?" several voices exploded.  Including mine.

   Robbie grinned.  "Ten."

   Tami grinned back.  "Seven."

   "You can't do that," Traci protested.

   "Quiet.  We're wheelin' and dealin' here."

   "Wait!" Mikee said urgently.  "I'll trade you twenty minutes with Brian
for Ventnor." She had the other two yellows.

   "I don't even know Brian," Robbie protested.

   "He's a great kisser."

   "You already said Tony was better." She reached her hand to Tami. 
"Done."

   Tami shook it and handed other her two properties and two
five-hundred-dollar bills.  Robbie passed back the green card, and stood
up. "C'mon, big boy."

   "Don't I get a say in this?" I asked.

   "No!" The two girls said together.

   Robbie took two steps toward the back of the house while everybody but
Tami watched.  She snapped her fingers, "Heel!"

   I considered saying `Woof!' but stood and followed her to my room.

   I wasn't thrilled about having been sold, but my big problem was, I
didn't know how far this was going to go.

   I sure didn't mind being alone with Robbie in my room, for seven minutes
or seven hours, but I didn't want to go too far and hurt our friendship if
she was just joking around.  I felt like I was on that funny floor in
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  Some steps were safe, but with some
steps, it was a long way down.

   I walked in first.  Robbie followed and closed the door.  I turned and
was going to say `Now what?' but Robbie was skinning down her jeans and
panties.

   She pointed to her pussy, "Go to it, slick, and you better be worth it."

   "Robbie, I..." I still felt like I was walking on quicksand.

   "What's the matter?  Forgotten how?" she asked challengingly.

   If there's one thing I can't resist it's a challenge.  If there's
another thing I can't resist it's a red-haired pussy.  If there's one other
thing I can't resist it's Robbie.  Well, you get the idea.

   I dropped to my knees, and walked forward until I could press my face in
her crotch.  Strangely, the first thing I noticed was that she'd changed
soaps.  Now she smelled kind of piney, but I remembered her more citrus.

   I plunged my tongue into her gash and wiggled it around.  Then I pulled
it out and looked up at her.  "Not getting enough from Mike?" I kidded.

   Robbie put her hand on the back of my head.  "Mike's a pretty good fuck,
but he doesn't eat pussy," she said before pulling me back to the target.
`More information that I needed to know,' I thought as my tongue
re-explored familiar territory.

   Her clitoris slightly protruded her outer lips.  I didn't remember it
doing that.  I wondered if clits grew.  Cocks did.  Maybe clits did too.  I
teased it with my tongue, thinking about Ashley's tongue doing the same
thing.  My cock, which had gotten hard when Tami first offered my services,
jerked and sprayed semen all over my underwear.

   Robbie bucked and tried to pull my head even closer.  I wrapped my lips
around her clit and tried to suck it into my mouth.  "Oh, fuck!" She
spasmed again.  I released her clit and plunged my tongue as deep as I
could.  "Of fuck, fuck, fuckfuckfuck!" she moaned as her body spasmed
again.

   I leaned back on my heels and looked up.

   "I've missed that," Robbie said when she got her breath back.

   "So have I," I admitted.

   There was a long silence.  What do you say in a situation like this? 
How the hell did I get in a situation like this?

   "We'd better get back," Robbie said pulling up her panties, then her
jeans.  "My seven minutes will be up." She opened the door and left.

   I watched her go, then got off my knees.  I wiped my face on a t-shirt
that was lying on my bed, then followed.

   Everyone but Tami and Robbie stared as I came back.  Robbie seemed to be
trying to memorize the board, and Tami was busy straightening the three new
hotels she'd erected on the greens.

   I stepped behind her, tilted her head, leaned down, and kissed her.  I
thrust my tongue into her mouth and wondered if she could taste Robbie.  If
she could, it didn't bother her as she sucked greedily on my tongue.

   "Some of us are trying to play a game here," Traci complained.

   I broke away and sat down, my hand settling on Kelly's thigh as I did.
She picked it up and dropped it between us.  I looked over at her, and she
quickly looked away.

   Robbie took a five-hundred-dollar bill from her pile and handed it to
Tami.

   "What's this?" my sweetheart asked.

   "Rebate."

   I don't know how Darlene and Zoe's eyes stayed in their heads.

   When it was Zoe's turn, she looked straight at Mikee.  "What's it going
to take to get Park Place?'

   Mikee giggled.  "Seven minutes in heaven."

   Darlene almost choked.

   Zoe looked at me.  "I'll give you New York to spend seven minutes with
Mikee." New York would complete my oranges.

   I tried to look thoughtful.  "Stand up," I told my favorite freshman. 
Mikee stood and posed.  I looked back at Zoe.  "Throw in five hundred
dollars."

   Zoe looked startled but handed over the orange card and money.

   I stood and held out my hand to Mikee, and we walked back to my room.  I
knew Zoe and Darlene's eyes were glued to our backs.

   In my room, I peeled off my jeans and soggy underwear.  I threw the
jeans on my bed and tossed the underwear in a hamper in my closet.  If
Mikee noticed the condition of the underwear, she didn't say anything.  I
got fresh underwear out of my bureau and tossed them on top of my jeans.

   I turned back to Mikee.  "You're wearing too many clothes for someone on
the clock."

   Mikee grinned and started to pull her t-shirt over her head.  I went for
the good stuff.  I tried to push her jeans down, but they were too tight,
so I had to unfasten them first.

   Big Tony had come back harder than ever.  I was turned on by having five
hot babes in the other room, all wondering what was happening in her.  I
was even a little turned on about Traci wondering too.

   I'd finally had my first three-way.  Maybe tonight could be my first
orgy.  I wondered if it was to late to send Traci to Lizzie's.  Or even
Ann's.

   I stepped forward, Big Tony pointing the way.  I pushed Mikee against
the door and let Big Tony's head rub against her lips.  She reached down,
grabbed me at the base, and pulled me forward.

   I pushed forward, filling her cunt.  The door rattled.  I drove forward
again.  The door rattled.  I wondered if they could hear it in the living
room.  I decided to give them a good show if they could.

   I reached down and grabbed the backs of Mikee's legs, lifting her off
the floor as I built up a nice rhythm.  Mikee moaned, and I felt her
fingernails dig into my back as I licked her nose.

   "Oh, yes, fill me up."

   I grinned, thinking about poor Brian who wasn't getting any of this
because of his big mouth.  `There are better uses for mouths,' I thought,
thinking of Robbie's tasty little pussy.

   "I'm gonna cum," she groaned.

   "That's good, `cause I'm almost there."

   I slowed my pace, drawing each stroke out as long as I could.  I felt
that familiar tightening in my balls, and then my love juice gushed out as
I drove home one last time.  Mikee pulled me close and hugged me, the walls
of her vagina milking out every drop.

   Which is when I thought about my box of condoms in the closet.

   I could have panicked, but I figured what was done was done.  I pulled
the formerly `Big' Tony out of her and used the t-shirt from my bed to wipe
it off.  Then I wiped off her pussy.

   While I wiped, I looked her in the eye, then kissed her.  "I thought you
promised me you wouldn't let any guy put his cock in there without a
sheath."

   Mikee blushed.  "I..."

   I kissed her again.  "That's okay.  I forgot too."

   I decided to research male contraception on the internet, `cause
frankly, waiting the ten seconds it would have taken to get a rubber and
put it on was not an option.

   Back at the game, it was Kelly's turn.  I looked around the board as I
sat down.  "What?  No hotels?" I asked Zoe, looking at her naked
properties.

   "She forgot," Traci told me.  "She was too busy listening to the sounds
coming from the back of the house.

   "I'll trade you my utilities and one railroad for seven minutes," Kelly
said suddenly, which made not only Zoe and Darlene's eyes bug, but Traci's
too."

   "Anytime."

   "Hey!" Mikee protested.  "You made Zoe pay an extra five hundred
dollars."

   I grinned.  "Kelly's cuter."

   I stood and offered my hand to Kelly.  She took it, stood, and we
skipped out of the room.

   In my room, I pulled Kelly to me, one hand on her ass and the other
going to her tit, and kissed her.  Kelly seemed to melt against me.  Big
Tony hadn't stirred, but I figured after Mikee he needed his rest.  Then
she stiffened and pulled away.

   "I...  This was a mistake." She looked at me, then fled down the hall to
the bathroom.

   I took a couple steps backward and plopped on the bed.

   I leaned back on my hands, my face to the ceiling.  What the hell was
going on?

   My right hand landed right in the middle of my cum-cleaning t-shirt.

   I jumped up, then wadded the t-shirt in a ball and threw it at the
hamper.  It landed half-in, half-out, and lay on the edge.

   I waited in the hall for Kelly.  After several minutes, the door opened
and she stepped out, blushing when she saw me.

   "Are you...  is everything okay?"

   "I'm fine.  I just didn't want to." She pushed past me and went back out
to the living room.  Her face had been red, even before she blushed, but I
didn't think she'd been crying.  I walked back to the game.

   Darlene was rolling the dice.

   "I rolled for you," Tami said as I sat down.  "You landed on
Pennsylvania, so I paid me the fourteen hundred out of your cash."

   "Hey!  I was going to take that out in trade."

   Tami laughed.  "You didn't have that much trade, even before Robbie,
Mikee and Kelly."

   The game went on.

   Everybody seemed to gravitate toward the row of green properties. 
Darlene managed to spend a few turns in jail, but then landed square on
Pacific.

   Zoe was the first one gone.  She mumbled something about unfair
advantages as she handed over the last of her cash and property.  Tami
built two hotels each on Boardwalk and Park Place and added second hotels
to all the greens.  We had a house rule that if you controlled all the
colored properties on a side of the board, you could build a second hotel.

   Around and around we went.  Kelly and Darlene were gone, but Traci
managed to trade for the Connecticut and complete the light blues.  Mikee
landed on the double hoteled Boardwalk and threw in the towel.  Then I
landed on Park Place and had to sell off all my hotels, my utilities and
one railroad.  All I had left was my reds.  My naked reds.

   Robbie rolled doubles and landed on Illinois.  I collected my forty
dollars, then she rolled again.  Double fives.  Pennsylvania Avenue.  With
two hotels, twenty-eight hundred.  Robbie, stood, bowed to Tami and handed
over everything.

   I picked up the dice.  A three would land me on Go.  I could collect
four hundred and add a couple houses.  A five and a four.  Nine.  I counted
it out.  That put right on one of Traci's blues.  With a big red hotel in
the middle of it.  Five hundred and fifty bucks.

   I had five dollars.  Plus two hundred for passing go.  If I mortgaged
all three red, I'd get three forty.  I'd still be five dollars short.  I
reached out to tip my top hat piece and knowledge defeat.

   "He could give you seven minutes," Mikee suggested.

   The look on Traci's face was...  interesting.  I think she actually
considered it.

   "Nah, he's my brother," she said and held out her hand.  I passed her my
cash and property.

   The game lasted another ten minutes.  Robbie went first, then Traci, but
Tami was the winner.

   "I'm still queen," Traci announced.  "Doesn't count when you put my
brother out for stud."

   It was after two.  I moved the chairs, sofa, and coffee table out of the
way and started spreading out sleeping bags.  Mikee, Kelly, Robbie, Tami,
and Zoe had brought theirs by this afternoon, and I'd gotten mine and
Traci's out of the hall closet.  That left us one shy.

   "Use this one," I suggested to Darlene.  "She won't need it."

   "Why?" Tami asked.  "Am I doubling with Robbie?"

   "Maybe later." I pulled her down onto my sleeping bag.

   "She can share with me," Mikee offered, then giggled, joking.  But I
remembered a hot scene with both of them on the bed, and Big Tony announced
he'd be coming back soon.

   Traci turned off the light and everybody started to settle.

   I wiggled out of my jeans, then stripped Tami of hers.

   Robbie stood up.  "I'm getting comfortable." In the light from the
window I watched as she pushed her jeans down and stepped out of them.

   "Me, too," Mikee said and duplicated her act.

   Kelly followed suit without an announcement.

   Then Traci, Darlene, and Zoe.  If Darlene and Zoe were embarrassed, they
probably figured that in the dark the most I could see was their
silhouette. But I remembered something they'd probably forgotten.  Dawn was
in about five hours.

   I pictured getting them all up about eight.  Seven beautiful girls all
standing around in the panties and t-shirts.  Then I thought about running
them thru some calisthenics.  Jumping jacks, push-ups, dog-leg extensions.

   "You're thinking evil thoughts," Tami whispered.

   Damn mind reading.  Then I realized it wasn't mind reading.  Big Tony
was pressing into her thigh.  It was the dog-leg extensions that did it. 
The thought of all seven girls in a line on their hands and knees,
thrusting a leg backward and up, was too much for it.

   "You're thinking evil thoughts about our friends," she accused.  So it
was mind reading.

   "I..."

   "One at a time, or all at once?" she asked in a whisper.

   "Can I take the fifth?" I whispered back.

   "Only if you want to get out of this sleeping bag and go lie on the
sofa."

   So I told her about the picture in my head.  And as I told her, I eased
her panties and my underwear down our legs.

   When I told of my vision of seven cute butts as their legs drove back
and up, she said, "You're wicked."

   "Yes, I am," I agreed as I worked my sword between her lips and into
it's favorite scabbard.

   "Tony!" she protested, still whispering.  "Everyone's in the room. 
Darlene and Mikee are right beside us."

   "Darling, the only thing that will surprise anyone in this room is that
we didn't start as soon as Traci turned out the lights."

   Tami giggled.  "Be gentle."

   "Always."

   Chapter 40

   I awoke.

   It was that simple.

   One micro-second I was asleep, the next I was awake.  No transition.

   It was very comfortable.  I was lying on my side, the warmth of Tami
nestled next to me, surrounded by the soft breathing of all of my friends.

   My cock was still hard and sheathed in Tami's warmness.  In fact, I
didn't remember if I'd ever cum.  Tami and I had fucked slowly for what
seemed like forever and ever.  Now my arm was under her and my hand gently
caressed her ass.  My other arm, behind me, gently caressed her other ass.

   Her other ass?

   I came even more awake.  I realized that my arm was inside Mikee's
sleeping bag and inside her panties, my middle finger pressed against her
rosebud anus.  When did that happen?  Mikee's body was pressed up against
me, spooning against my back, separated by the two sleeping bags.

   I lifted slightly and turned my head to see her sleeping face.

   It was Darlene's sleeping face.

   Fuck!  I had my hand down the back of Darlene's panties.

   I pulled my finger gently out from between her cheeks, then out of her
panties, and out of her sleeping bag and back into mine.  That could have
been embarrassing.  Or fun, depending on how Darlene took it when she woke
up with a finger practically up her butt.

   My cock was aching, and I knew I needed a fuck or a piss real soon.  I
thought about fucking Tami as she lay sleeping, but thought she might not
like it, particularly, if she woke to a loud orgasm in the middle of all
our friends.

   The feeling of pulling Big Tony out of her cunt when I was so hard and
needed to piss so bad was incredible.  I didn't know whether it hurt so bad
that it felt good, or felt so good that it hurt.

   I wiggled out of my sleeping bag, then onto one knee, and reached back
in to retrieve my underwear.  I found Tami's panties first, then my
underwear.  Tami purred as my arm brushed her pussy, and then she rolled
over on her other side.

   I looked around the room.  Everything was different.  When the lights
went out, Darlene was on my right and Mikee on my left.  Kelly was next to
Mikee and Zoe on the other side of Darlene.  Traci and Robbie were on the
other side of Mikee.

   Now Darlene was on my left and Zoe on the right.  Mikee and Kelly were
kind of bundled together, though each in their own sleeping bag near the
foot of my bag.

   I slipped on my underwear and padded toward the bathroom.  As I went in,
I noticed that Traci's door was half open.  I didn't bother to close the
door.

   I think I came during my piss.  It was the best one I'd ever had, and
morning pisses are always good.  As I shook my shrunken cock I wondered
what would happen if I went back to wake the girls with it hanging out. 
After all, everybody had already seen it except Darlene and Zoe, and
Darlene had had my finger up her butt.  That made us pretty close.  Traci
may not have seen it recently; or, considering the number of times she'd
caught me, maybe she had.  I sighed and closed my underwear.

   As I stepped out of the bathroom I noticed a leg on Traci's bed.  She'd
probably gotten tired of sleeping on the floor and had come back and gotten
into her own bed.

   I walked back and looked in.

   Traci was sleeping, all right.  So was Robbie.  The two of them were
naked and pressed together.  I stumbled backwards down the hall.

   Sex was good healthy fun.  But Traci was my sister.

   Robbie was my friend.  I wanted her to be happy.  But Traci was my
sister.

   What two consenting people did together was okay.  But Traci was my
sister.

   My little sister.

   Normally seeing two girls sleeping in a naked embrace would be the
biggest turn-on in the world, but Big Tony wisely stayed hidden.  Which is
good, `cause I just wasn't in the mood.

   Chapter 41

   "What are you doing out here?"

   I hadn't even heard the door open.

   I mumbled something, I'm not even sure what.

   "Do you have any idea how cold it is?"

   I glanced at the thermometer next to the doorbell.  "Thirty-four."

   "Thinking of going for a spin?"

   I'd been staring straight ahead at Dad's snow-covered Porsche.  "No."

   Tami opened the door wider, stepped out, and closed it behind her.  She
was back in her jeans and t-shirt from yesterday.  She sat next to me on
the porch, leaning up against me and putting her arm around me.

   "What's wrong?"

   Let's see.  I got a freshman pregnant, and, oh yeah, my other best
friend just seduced my little sister and turned her into a lezbo. 
"Nothing."

   "Nothing?  Nothing!  Tony you're sitting outside on the porch in your
underwear in sub-zero weather, when inside there's heat and cute girls. 
What's wrong?"

   "Nothing."

   "You're skin is like ice.  How long have you been sitting here?"

   A couple minutes.  A couple hours.  A day.  How the hell should I know?
"Not long."

   "Tony..."

   "Okay, I'll come inside." I stood up.  It was hard.  My bones felt like
they were eighty years old, probably the cold.  I opened the door.  When
Tami stood and went in, I followed.

   Inside, the four other girls were still sleeping.

   "Wait here," I told Tami.

   "But..."

   "Wait here!" I left her by the door and walked down the hall.  I closed
Traci's door without looking in.

   When I came back out, Tami put her hands on my arms and started rubbing.
It felt good.  I hadn't realized how cold I was until she got my
circulation going again.

   "You need a hot shower," she proscribed.  "Maybe we could..."

   "Not today," I cut her off.  "I'll use the one in Mom and Dad's room. 
You can use the other one if you want."

   I turned and went to my room, getting fresh clothes and underwear.  When
I came out, I walked past her and down the hall again.  Mom and Dad's room
was at the end of the hall, opposite Traci's door.  I hesitated for a
minute outside her door, staring at it, then went into my parent's room.

   While the warm water played over my body I wondered if I was responsible
for Traci's...  adventure.  I mean, of course I was responsible.  I brought
Robbie into the house.  But maybe I as too casual about sex.

   Was I teaching Traci that everything goes?

   What was next?  Threesomes?  Foursomes?  Orgies?

   Hell, I was thinking about an orgy last night.  I practically had one in
front of Trace, taking Robbie, Mikee, and then Kelly back to my room.

   What comes after orgies.  Dogs?  Ponies?  That was an image I didn't
want in my head.

   I turned off the water and quickly toweled off, then dressed.

   Now what?  Do I bust her?  Them?  Or do I ignore it and hope it goes
away.

   I felt like I was taking a test I hadn't studied for.

   Outside Traci's door I hesitated again, then knocked.  "Time to get up,"
I called.

   Tami was sitting on the sofa when I came back to the living room.  Her
eyes fastened on me and followed me as I walked into the room.  I ignored
her, or tried to.  It was like being a protozoa and ignoring that big
eyeball that stared at you from the top of a microscope.

   "Everybody up!" I yelled.  "I won't look."

   And I didn't.  I walked to the kitchen and started pouring glasses of
orange juice.

   "Are you okay?" Tami asked from the kitchen doorway.

   "I'm fine.  Why wouldn't I be?"

   "There are four half-naked girls in there, and you're out here, playing
waiter."

   "I figured they deserved their privacy."

   "Where's my Tony and where's your pod?"

   "I don't know what you mean." I put the glasses on a tray.  "Is
everybody decent out there?"

   Tami looked over her shoulder out into the living room.  "All but
Darlene.  I think she's waiting for you to catch her in her panties.

   "Tell her to hurry up," I said as I preheated the over to four hundred.
I pulled the two pans of cinnamon rolls that mom had made out of the
refrigerator.

   "Tony there's a girl out there waiting to scream when you catch her in
her panties, and you're in here hiding."

   "I'm not hiding.  I'm getting breakfast for my guests."

   "You're hiding."

   "I..."

   "What happened?  I thought we could talk about anything.  No secrets."

   "We can.  I just...  it's...  Sometimes, it's not my secret to tell," I
said looking at the floor.

   Tami came up to me, put her fingers in my hair, and brushed it back. 
Then she kissed me.  Gently, her lips just barely brushing against mine. 
"It'd be a hell of a lot easier to love you if you weren't so damn noble,"
she whispered.

   "Yeah, noble." I was so noble, trying to get into the pants of every
female mammal in the damn state.  So noble that my sister was becoming a
fucking queer.

   Tami had pulled away from me and gone back to the door of the kitchen.
She was watching the living room.

   "Fuck!"

   "What?" I was surprised.  Tami didn't use that kind of language often.

   Tami spun, staring at me.  "You caught them.  Didn't you?"

   "Them?  Caught who?  I don't know what you mean."

   Tami came back and captured my face in her hands.  "Tony Marion Sims,
one of the things I love about you is that you're a terrible liar.  You
don't like lying, so you don't put much effort into it."

   "I don't know what you're talking about."

   "Yes, you do.  And when you're ready to talk about it, I'll be here."

   She was still holding my face, so I reached up and took hers in my
hands. "Tamarone Elizabeth Sharp, do you know why I love you?"

   She shook her head.  At least as much as she could with it trapped
between my palms.

   "Cause you're the only girl dumb enough to put up with me."

   "Duh, you got that right."

   * * *

   "Ladies," I said after everyone was seated.  "Are any of you on the
naughty list?"

   "The naughty list?" Kelly asked.

   "You know.  Santa Claus.  The naughty or nice list.  Which one are you
on?"

   "I'm on the nice list," Tami piped up.

   "Me too," Darlene agreed.

   "Plates," I prompted.  The two girls held out their plates.  I dished up
a pair of cinnamon rolls each.  "Mom's rolls are special.  You have to be
on the nice list.  What about you?" I asked Zoe.

   "Definitely the nice list," she said.  "Those smell great."

   "They taste even better."

   "I was nice," Mikee said, holding out her plate.  I gave her and Zoe two
rolls each.

   "I'm always nice," Robbie announced, I rolled my eyes.  I also thought
about the picture in my head of her and Traci as a tangle of arms and legs,
but gave her two.

   "Me, too," Traci said.  I reserved comment but dished up her rolls.

   "I was borderline," Kelly admitted.

   "That's good, cause I only have one left." She pouted as I dished up the
last roll.  Then I took the empty pan to the kitchen, coming back with
another pan.  I put two more on her plate and dished up a pair for myself.

   "How come she gets three," Traci protested.

   "She's cute."

   "I'm cute."

   "Only in the middle school universe," I teased.  "Kelly would be cute in
high school too." I laid my hand on Kelly's shoulder.  She shrugged it off.

   I stared at her back for a second, then sat down between Tami and
Darlene.

   * * *

   "Ladies, I must bid you all adieu."

   "It's only ten," Robbie complained.  "When are your parents coming
home?"

   "About one.  They were going to try that new place on the highway for
lunch first."

   "We've got hours yet."

   "Some of us have to clean the house," I pointed out.

   "We could help," Zoe offered.

   "Not this time.  I'm being punished."

   "Is it about me?" Darlene asked.

   "Nope.  Me.  Inappropriate word choice."

   "What if I want another seven minutes," Robbie asked seductively.

   I pictured her on Traci's bed.  "Call Mike."

   Robbie seemed surprised.

   "You don't have to go home.  You can move to Tami's house," I suggested.

   "But I never got my seven minutes," Darlene complained.  I think
jokingly.

   "Maybe Robbie or Mikee will share their boyfriends." Or maybe Robbie
will take care of you herself.

   The girls grumbled, but started gathering their stuff.

   It wasn't that I wasn't horny.  Seven beautiful girls kept Big Tony up
and ready.  But I kept thinking about Traci and wondering if my playing
around was what turned her into a...

   I shook off my thoughts and watched the girls.  Six girls, seven minutes
each.  We had time for three rounds, and I could still get a good start on
the house before the parental units showed up.  All of them looked like
they'd been poured into their jeans except Mikee.  Hers were a little
baggy. I couldn't believe I was trying so hard to get rid of them.

   "Tony, could I talk to y..."

   "No!" I interrupted Kelly.  "It's time to go home."

   Kelly's face clouded, and I realized that she hadn't been hinting at
anything.  "Kelly..."

   She set her face.  "No, you're right.  It's time to go."

   Shit.  Shit!  SHIT!  Something's bothering her, and I snap her head off.
Some friend.  Big Tony shifted in my pants, and I knew everything was his
fault.  I wasn't ready for castration, but I decided that from now on I had
to control it, not it control me.

   The girls all had their coats on.  I decided I had to try again.  I
scooped up Kelly and carried her toward my room.

   "Where are you going with my sister?" Mikee asked with a giggle.

   In my room I kicked the door closed with my foot before I set her on the
bed.  I dropped to one knee in front of her.  "And what, my fair princess,
did you want to talk about?"

   "I...  it's nothing."

   "I don't think it's nothing.  I think it's something."

   "It's not important."

   "Did I ever mention that you're my favorite?  Everything about my
favorite is important."

   "Your favorite is whatever girl has her clothes off at the time."

   She had a point.  "How'd you get so smart?"

   "`Cause you're all alike!" she spat.  She jumped off the bed and was
gone before I knew what was happening.

   We're all alike?  We who?

   I needed to find out from Mikee or Tami who she was going out with.  And
I needed to find out fast.

   Everyone was outside except Traci.  "You might want to go, too.  Or go
over to Ann's.  I'm going to be doing a top to bottom clean."

   Traci looked at me funny.  "Tony are you mad at me?"

   The damn picture popped into my head again.  "Why would I be mad at
you?" I asked evenly.

   "I..." For a second I thought she was going to say something about her
and Robbie.  I couldn't decide if I wanted her to or not.  "I don't know.
You just seem..."

   "I know.  I woke up in a mood," I lied.  "Maybe it's my time of the
month."

   Traci laughed.  "I'll go see if Ann is up." She headed down the hall
towards her room, probably to get shoes.  "Make sure your floor is picked
up and I'll vacuum in there too," I yelled after her.

   * * *

   "So are you going to talk to her?"

   "Talk to who?" I said, my head in the oven.  "About what?"

   "Your sister.  About what happened."

   I pulled my head out of the oven and took a deep breath.  The chemicals
in the oven cleaner were making me woozy.  "What happened to Traci?" I
asked innocently before sticking my head back in the oven and starting to
scrub.

   "Tony, I could just kick you sometimes."

   "Go ahead, I'm an easy target." I was sitting on the floor, trying to
get the damn oven clean.  I think the black gunk that wouldn't scrub off
was burnt on cinnamon roll topping.  I wasn't sure I'd ever look at my
mom's rolls the same way again.

   "I want one straight answer.  Did you catch your sister having sex with
Robbie?" Tami was learning about no-wiggle-room questions, but she wasn't
there yet.

   I leaned out of the oven, and looked straight up at her.  "No." They
weren't having sex, they were sleeping.  "How could you say such a thing?"

   Tami glared.  "Do you think your sister had sex with Robbie?"

   Damn!  No wiggle room.  "I thought you said one straight answer."

   "Answer the fucking question." I hate when she swears.

   I went back into the oven and scrubbed at the last stubborn spot for
over a minute.  Then I stopped and looked at the shiny metal.  It was
clean. Finally.  "Yes, I think Robbie fucked my sister."

   I knew Tami was waiting, staring at me, but I just stayed in the oven,
staring at the spot I'd finally gotten clean.

   "You hate it, don't you?"

   "Yes."

   "Come here."

   I pulled my head and arm out of the oven.  Tami was standing over me,
her hand out to me.  I took it.  She pulled me up, then pulled me toward
the living room.  We sat on the sofa, which was still pushed back against
the wall.

   "So who are you mad at?  Robbie?  Or Traci?"

   Both.  Neither.  How the hell should I know?  "I..."

   "You're mad at Robbie for seducing your sister.  You're mad at Traci for
getting seduced."

   "I guess."

   "But you're mostly mad at yourself."

   "Would you get the fuck out of my head?"

   "No."

   "I don't know who I'm mad at."

   "You're mad at the world.  Like I said, you're mad at Robbie for
seducing your sister.  You're mad at Traci for getting seduced, and you're
mad at yourself for leading Traci into a life of sin."

   "No, I'm not."

   "Tony, have you thought today something like, `If only I hadn't brought
Robbie into the house'?"

   "I guess."

   "And you've thought about Traci catching you having sex and about taking
Robbie, Mikee, and Kelly back to your room?"

   "Nothing happened with Kelly."

   Tami's eyebrow arched.  "I didn't know that, so Traci didn't."

   "I guess."

   "So you've decided you're evil and you're never having sex again."

   "Well you nailed the evil part, but I hadn't decided never to have sex
again."

   "How about with Mikee and the others?"

   "I don't know.  Maybe it's time to be monogamous."

   "Why?"

   "Because I'm in love.  Because I'm supposed to be."

   "Says who?"

   "Everybody."

   "Like you listen to everybody."

   "Tami, what do you want from me?"

   "I want something hard.  I want you to be happy."

   "Oh, God!" I moaned.  "You don't think I can be happy with just you?"

   "I hope so, but if I don't mind, why not have fun?"

   "I have fun with you."

   "Yeah, and you didn't have any fun with Robbie and Mikee.  And what
happened with Kelly?"

   "She's been weird for a month.  Do you know who she's seeing these
days?"

   "I don't think she's been seeing anybody, but I'm not sure." She
shrugged.  "So what are you going to do about Traci?"

   "I don't know.  I don't want her to be a lezzie.  I..."

   "Tony!"

   "Sorry."

   "Have you been thinking things like that about Traci?"

   "I..."

   "Maybe I don't know you as well as I thought I did.  Traci is no lezzie.
She's not gay, queer, homo, or anything else.  She's just you're sister.

   "My little sister."

   "Traci's just experimenting.  You didn't call Robbie and Ashley queer
did you?"

   "No.  That was..."

   "Different," Tami finished.

   "It was," I defended myself.

   "Poor Tony," she said patting my hand.

   "We're home," Mom announced as the door opened.

   I looked over as both my parents came in with big smiles on their faces.
"I'm guessing from your expressions that last night was good."

   "Very good," Mom agreed.

   Dad looked around and his expression changed.  "Tony, I'm disappointed.
I thought we had an understanding."

   I got off the sofa without defending myself.  "I'll get right on it."

   "Where's your sister?" Mom asked.

   "I kicked her out a couple hours ago.  She's at Ann's." I started
picking up but didn't move furniture, I wanted to vacuum first.

   Mom nodded, and the two of them headed toward the back of the house.  A
couple minutes later, I heard Mom call, "Honey." Then I heard Mom and Dad
in the kitchen.  A minute later Dad came back looking sheepish.

   I grinned to myself as I unwound the cord for the vacuum and plugged it
in.

   "Uh, Tony..."

   "Yeah, Dad?" I said without looking.

   "I'm sorry about..."

   "Hurt yourself?"

   "What?"

   "Jumping to that conclusion.  I wondered if you hurt yourself."

   "I admit it.  I saw the condition of the living room and you sitting on
the sofa with Tami and thought you were blowing off your cleaning."

   "Unh huh."

   "Tony most teenagers don't always do what they're told.  It throws me
sometimes."

   I grinned.  "I just don't get caught as often," I assured him.

   Dad shook his head.  "I'm not sure that makes me feel better."

   Mom came out of the kitchen.  "Tony, I can't believe what you did to the
oven."

   "Yeah, about that.  The next time we do cinnamon rolls, let's take them
to Tami's house to bake, then bring them back to eat."

   "Hey!" Tami protested.

   "They do make a mess," Mom agreed.  "So has Traci forgiven me?"

   "I think so."

   "Is she still the queen of Monopoly?" Dad asked.

   "Well, Tami won last night, but we got a little flaky on the rules, so
it probably doesn't count for the queenship." I hoped they wouldn't ask how
flaky.

   "That was mean, the way you had me tease your sister," Mom said.

   "And you loved every minute of it."

   Mom grinned.

   After I finished cleaning, I sent Tami home and took a long walk.

   I knew Tami was right.  She usually was, but I was still trying to get
everything straight in my head.  When Robbie and Ashley became lovers... 
Hell, when I helped them become lovers, I didn't think bad things about
them.  I didn't think about them as lezzies, or queer, or homo.  I just
figured it was two friends, making each other happy.

   The same when Mikee and Tami made my dreams come true and fooled around
a little.  It was two girls and a guy and everybody was feeling good.

   So what was different now?

   What was different was Traci was my sister.  My little sister.  And it
was my job to protect her.

   So I guess the question of the hour was did she need protecting?

   I was annoyed with Robbie, but I knew she hadn't forced Traci to do
anything.  Like Tami said, Traci was experimenting.  And I guess if Traci
was going to fool around with another girl, I was almost glad it was
Robbie, cause Robbie wouldn't hurt her.

   So I shouldn't be mad at Robbie.  And I shouldn't be mad at Traci

   But I was.

   Traci was my little sister.  She was supposed to be a virgin and not
supposed to even think about sex until she was thirty, married, and had two
kids of her own.

   I decided that I couldn't change things, so I might as well accept them.

   Of course, the next time Robbie came over, I was putting both of them in
chastity belts.

   * * *

   I decided that applause was addictive.

   I'd never tried the drug scene, but I couldn't imagine that any chemical
felt like this.

   We were taking our second bow.  We'd taken a bow after the last curtain,
then Robbie had come out and done an encore of Where There Is Love, There
Are Angels, the song that Sally Reyes and I had written.  Now the cast was
taking a second bow.

   Everything had been spot on.  I think we did better tonight than the
first time we performed it.  In the back of my mind I wondered if I'd done
the right thing, changing my vote.  The idea of going to Seattle and
performing in a big theater, maybe even on television, was major cool.

   Robert Anolly, Tom Baxter, Janet Martin, and Mr.  Mulino came back stage
after we'd finished.

   "I was very impressed," Mr.  Anolly said.

   "It's hard to believe you put all that together so quickly," Mrs. 
Martin added.

   I was standing slightly behind Tami and Robbie as we talked to the four
adults.  "We stole most of the songs.  That made it easier."

   "You still had three originals.  That's not bad," Mr.  Mulino said.

   "Well the Reyes, Toby and Sally, had already written the music.  They're
pretty talented.  The words just seemed to write themselves," I said.

   "It was fear," Tami said.

   "Fear?"

   "Robbie told Tony she'd hurt him unless she got some really good songs.
You noticed that she got all the originals," Tami explained.

   Robbie blushed.  So I decided to rub it in.

   "Yeah, Robbie plays football too.  They call her Monster Girl.  She can
be pretty scary."

   Robbie's face went even redder.

   "It's still pretty amazing," Mrs.  Martin said.  "It would be hard
enough to stage a show in the time you had when it was already written."

   "So was it better than Inherit..."

   I clamped my hand over Robbie's mouth.  "What my friend and collaborator
is trying to say is we're glad you liked it and realize that this has
nothing to do with Inherit the Wind or any other play you're judging."

   Robbie bit me, but not hard enough that I let go.

   "How many more plays do you have to see?"

   "We have two more.  One Wednesday and one a week from Friday.  Then
we'll make our decision."

   Robbie reached up and pulled my hand away.  "Should we make our
reservations for Seattle?  Nobody can beat Leslie."

   The three judges smiled.  "We're not making any decisions yet, but your
friend has a good chance," Baxter said.

   "A very good chance," Martin added.

   "I still think it should have been us," Robbie muttered after the adults
left.

   "Well if it makes you feel any better, we were a sellout, and that was
with only a couple days notice.  Inherit had at least a dozen empty seats."

   Robbie grinned viciously.  "Ya think it's too late to get a recount?"

   Chapter 42

   The Fall Concert had been rescheduled four times before we finally got
it done on Monday.  Between the plays, the football team making the
play-offs, and Mr.  Wade, the band teacher, breaking his foot, it was
beginning to look like we'd have to combine it with the Spring Concert.

   The show started out with the beginning band.  It was weird to watch Mr.
Wade conducting them without tapping his foot in time to the music, but it
was still wrapped up in a big walking cast.

   He told everybody that he broke it slipping on some ice, but his wife,
the typing teacher, let it be known that they were having an argument and
he slammed the door on it.

   After the beginning band, Robbie and I did a duet of Don't Fall in Love
With a Dreamer.  Our duets were almost becoming a school tradition.  Toby
Reyes accompanied us on the piano, then he and his sister Sally did a
four-hand piece called Variations on Chopsticks that was amazing.  I hadn't
even known Sally could play.  She usually had a drumstick in her hand.

   The chorus did three songs, then I got to sing Forever, a Beach Boys
song, though I'd heard it first on Full House when John Stamos did it.  I
dedicated it to Tami and stared down at her in the first row as I sang. 
Luke was working the lights and put a single spot on me and another on
Tami. I almost forgot anybody else was there.

   "If every word I said,

   Could make you laugh,

   I'd talk forever.

   I'd ask the sky just what we had,

   It shone forever.

   If the song I sing to you,

   Could fill your heart with Joy,

   I'd sing forever..."

   She was the only person in the world.

   The advanced band was next.  They did a great version of Hawaii Five-O,
Then Also Sprach Zarathustra, the 2001: A Space Odyssey theme, and finished
with the Braveheart theme.  It was almost perfect.  They needed Traci on
the sax.  She was better than the junior they had.  Oh well.  Two more
years.

   Then it was my turn again.  I brought out a stool, and Luke hit me with
the spot again.  Chad Davis was sitting a little behind me with his guitar.
"This is a very special song for a very special girl.  Ashley, this is for
you.  Hidden Feelings."

   Ashley was sitting in the front row next to Tami, and in the dim light I
could see her look down in embarrassment.  I'd thought about having Luke
hitting her with the other spot, like he'd done to Tami in my other song,
but I figured Ashley would try to crawl under her chair.

   Chad did eight quiet bars on his guitar, then I joined in.

   "No one knows my true feelings,

   Least of all, my friends, or you.

   But I'm always there when you need me,

   I'm always around, right on cue."

   "I ask myself so often,

   How do you talk to someone you love.

   How do I tell you, standing right there,

   That you're the one my dreams are of."

   "Hidden feelings.  Why do we have to hide them?

   Why are we afraid to try them?

   Why is it so hard to say out loud?

   The words that we hear inside."

   "Watching you dance, another guy in your arms,

   It's Impossible to be more alone.

   But I pick myself up, and try to stand tall,

   Besides, who cares if I moan and I groan."

   "Hidden feelings.  Why do we have to hide them?

   Why are we afraid to try them?

   Why is it so hard to say out loud?

   The words that we hear inside."

   "We grew up together, laughing at games that children play.

   Together, but always apart.

   Friends, never lovers, we'll always be,

   cause you never looked deep in my heart."

   "Hidden feelings.  Why do we have to hide them?

   Why are we afraid to try them?

   Why is it so hard to say out loud?

   The words that we hear inside."

   "Hidden feelings.  Why do we have to hide them?

   Why are we afraid..."

   I faded as Chad finished four more bars.  I looked out at the audience
as the polite applause started.  Ashley was staring up at me intently.  I
wondered if Robbie was history.  Tami looked amused.

   I gave the audience a quick wave, swept my arm back to indicate Chad,
then Luke cut my spot and opened another on the swing choir already on the
risers.  They opened with The Lion Sleeps Tonight.  Not one of my
favorites, but they did a good job.  Then they sand a jazzy version of the
sea chanty What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor?  with Mike Reed in his
football jersey acting drunk and staggering around the stage.

   Then the stage went dark.  From the wings I could see a couple of guys
carry a lectern out and set it up in front of the risers.  Then still
without lights, Toby started a light piano melody.

   Then out of the darkness came Robbie's voice, throatier than usual.

   "Hot August Night,"

   Sally started beating out a soft rhythm on the snare drum.

   "And the leaves hanging down,

   And the grass on the ground smelling sweet.

   Move up the road,

   To the outside of town,

   And the sound of that good gospel beat."

   "Sits a ragged tent,

   Where there ain't no trees.

   And that gospel group,

   Telling you and me,"

   Luke brought up a pair of reddish tinted spots onto the swing choir. 
They came in on the chorus.

   "It's Love.

   Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show.

   Pack up the babies,

   Grab the old ladies.

   Everyone goes,

   Everyone knows,

   Brother Love's show."

   The three rows of singers in the swing choir were swaying in time to the
music.

   The Robbie started again.

   "Room gets suddenly still,

   And when you'd almost bet,

   You could hear yourself sweat, he walks in."

   Another spot hit Robbie as she walked from the wings, singing into her
microphone.  She was wearing a black suit, her hair pulled back into a
ponytail.  She strode to the lectern and looked out over the audience.

   "Eyes black as coal,

   And when he lifts his face,

   Every ear in the place is on him."

   "Starting soft and slow."

   ("Startin' slow," the swing choir sang behind her.)

   Like a small earthquake

   ("Small earthquake", they echoed)

   And when he lets go,

   ("Lets go.  When he lets go.")

   Half the valley shakes."

   They came back hard on the chorus.

   "It's Love.

   Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show.

   Pack up the babies,

   Grab the old ladies.

   Everyone goes,

   Everyone knows,

   Brother Love's show."

   Robbie came out from behind the lectern and walked toward the audience.
"Brothers and sisters," she shouted.  Most of the swing choir started
humming, the rest throwing out hallelujahs.  "You got yourself two good
hands," she said in a sing-song preacher's voice.  "and when your brother
is troubled, you got to reach your one hand to him, cause that's what it's
there for." She reached out toward the audience.  "And when your heart is
troubled, ya got to reach out your other hand, reach it out to the Man up
there.  Cause that's what He's there for." She reached her other hand
toward the sky and followed it with her eyes.

   She walked back to the lectern, and sang.

   "Take my hand in yours,

   ("in yours.")

   Walk with me this day.

   ("Walk with me.")

   In my heart, I know,

   ("I know, I know."

   I will never stray.

   (Never stray.")

   The swing choir joined her,

   "Halle, halle, halle, halle, halle, halle, halle"

   "It's Love.

   Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show.

   Pack up the babies,

   Grab the old ladies.

   Everyone goes,

   Everyone knows,

   Brother Love's show."

   I had goose bumps.  Her performance was almost enough to make me become
a Baptist and join a traveling gospel show.  Okay, maybe not.  But they
don't have agnostic gospel shows, do they?

   The show ended, and I went out into the auditorium to meet and greet.

   Okay, I went out so that a lot of people could tell me how wonderful I
was.  I have an ego, I admit it.

   "Mr.  Sims."

   There are sounds that are repulsive to people.  For a lot of people, the
sound of fingernails on a chalk board.  For me, those two words in Parker's
voice.

   I turned.  "Yes?"

   "Do you think that was appropriate?"

   Now there's an open-ended question if I ever heard one.  And there was
no way I was going to commit myself.  "What was appropriate?"

   "Trying to turn our school shows into your own personal dating service."

   I wondered if the blood vessel on his forehead had finally burst and
he'd lost it.  "Excuse me?"

   "First you seem to think these shows are all about you.  That the band
and the chorus and all the others are just the opening acts for your
concert."

   He had a point, though I'd never admit it to him.  Three songs in one
show was too much.  I was supposed to do two, the duet with Robbie and
Hidden Feelings, but Mr.  Wade had asked me that morning if I'd like to do
another.  Someone else had backed out and he wanted a vocal between the
piano and the advanced band.  I'll never turn down a chance to tell Tami
how I feel.

   I grinned.  "That reminds me.  I was thinking we need a new name. 
Instead of the Fall Concert, how about Tony Sims, The Tornado Tour?"

   Parker's expression didn't change.  "Then you use your talents to pick
up girls.  Roberta Tate, Tami Sharp and Ashley Burke."

   Parker had just admitted I was talented.  I was afraid to look up, a
rift might be opening in the universe.

   "I think in the future..."

   "Charley?"

   Parker turned, his face going a little green when he saw Mr.  Mulino
standing there with my parents.

   "Marty."

   "Tony wasn't trying to pick up Miss Burke.  He was doing a favor for
me."

   "He was...  a favor?"

   "Yes, a favor.  Was there anything else?"

   Parker looked disappointed.  He shook his head and wandered away.

   I think Mr.  Mulino was trying not to smile as he watched Parker drift
away.  He did smile as he looked back at me.  "Tony that was excellent as
always.  Especially Hidden Feelings."

   "It's a decent song.  Now if you'll excuse me, I need to finish
connecting the dots."

   Mom looked confused, but nodded.

   I looked around and spotted my targets.  I collected my first one, then
escorted him to my second one.

   "Ladies," I said as I walked up to Ashley and Tami.

   I wasn't sure whether to be amused, flattered, or scared by the look on
Ashley's face.  Before, when she'd looked at me, she sometimes looked
hungry.  Usually before we'd do some making out or serious feeling up.  Now
she looked almost vampiric.

   I indicated the boy next to me with a sweep of my hand.  "Ashley, do you
know Robby?" Ashley giggled.  The boy, Robby went scarlet.  "Her best
friend is Robbie Tate," I explained to him.  "They've known each other
since kindergarten."

   Ashley blushed, though not as red as Robby.  "I've seen him in the
halls, but never met him."

   "Hi," he mumbled.  He seemed to be staring at Ashley's kneecaps.  Maybe
her shins.  Ashley had nice kneecaps.  Good shins too, but there were
definitely better parts to look at.

   "Robby wrote Hidden Feelings.  And he wrote it about you."

   I didn't think it was possible, but Robby turned even redder.  I was
reminded of Rudolph and his nose.

   "I, um, yeah."

   How he could write lyrics and still not be able to speak in complete
sentences, I didn't understand.

   I stepped behind Robby, reached over his shoulder and lifted his chin
until he was looking straight into Ashley's eyes.  "Okay, say, `I'm Robby.
Nice to meet you.'"

   Robby tried to drop his head, but I held it in place.

   "I'm Robby.  Nice to meet you," he stammered.

   Ashley stared, swallowing twice, then looked down at Robby's feet.  Tami
stepped behind her, grabbed her chin and lifted it until she was looking
back at Robby.  "Say, `I'm Ashley and I think you're cute.'"

   "I'm Ashley," she said.  "And I think you're cute." Her words trailed
off until I couldn't hear the `t' in `cute.'

   My turn.  "Say, `I think you're keen.  Do you want to go to the malt
shop?'"

   "What?" they said together.

   "Guys, you're on your own," I said, releasing Robby.  Tami let go of
Ashley.  I held my hand out to Tami and we walked away.

   "You're a nice guy," Tami whispered, laying her head against my
shoulder.

   "Nah.  Just doing a favor for the boss.  Robby's Mr.  Mulino's nephew."

   "Right," she said as if she didn't believe me.  "Think he'll kiss her?"

   "Oh, yeah.  I figure he'll work up the courage sometime before they
graduate." I smiled to myself.  "College."

   Chapter 43

   "Before we begin, I think we should say a few words."

   Dad set down the steaming bird, picked up his knife and his steel, and
started his ritual sharpening.  Like Mom didn't keep all her knives sharp
and ready.

   "Traci..." Dad began.

   "Would you mind if I went first?" I asked, standing.

   "Tony?" Mom said in surprise.  "Usually we have to practically threaten
you to get you to say anything.  And then you mumble something about
football or baseball, and sit down."

   "Last year it was both," Traci said helpfully.

   "Let's just say that this year, I have a lot to be thankful for." I
looked at dad, standing over the turkey, running his blade up and down the
steel.  "You might want to sit down.  This is going to take a couple of
minutes."

   I took a deep breath.

   "I'm thankful for a lot of things this year.  First of all, I'm thankful
that I've grown up enough to realize that I have a lot to be thankful for."

   Mom laughed into her napkin, then exchanged looks with Dad.

   "I'm thankful for my sister Traci, who has turned from an evil brat into
a human being."

   Traci, across from me at the table, grinned and stuck out her tongue.

   "Mostly," I added, and she blushed.  "I'm not sure exactly when this
transformation happened, but I assume it was my outstanding example as a
role-model that did it.

   Traci stuck out her tongue again.

   "I'm thankful that we finally got the Fall Show done."

   "And I'm thankful that you made it through it without getting
suspended," Mom added under her breath, though not far enough under.

   I smiled at my mom.  "I was glad I didn't get suspended too.  And I got
brownie points with Mr.  Mulino.  They ought to be worth something."

   I didn't add that I was glad for uric acid crystals.

   Mr.  Parker suffered from gout and had missed Tuesday and Wednesday,
making for a peaceful end for the short week.  I'd never heard of gout
outside of old movies about British aristocrats and had looked it up on the
internet.  While Mom didn't have any more use for Parker than I had, I
didn't think she'd appreciate my thankfulness.

   "I'm thankful for good friends." Robbie, Mikee, Kelly.  Peter, the
girl's brother.  Ashley.  Zoe, who could be annoying.  Paula, Darlene,
Allie.  Luke, who I'd grown away from but was still a good friend.  Ricky
Calloway.  Toby and Sally.  Larry.  Hell, the whole football team except
Mike.  I had too many friends to count.  "A lot of good friends."

   "I'm also thankful for good enemies," I added, thinking about Peter
King.

   "I'm thankful for our storm and its perfect timing." I looked out the
big picture window, where snow was still pelting against it.  The snow had
started last night.  In fact, I saw the first snowflake when we were lining
up for our first first-down.  It landed on Alex's butt as he got into
position to hike the ball.  It came down harder and harder.  By the second
quarter the entire field was white, but it never got bad enough to shut
down the game.  But it did manage to shut down the airport.

   I glanced down at Tami beside me, then smiled at her mother at the foot
of the table.  "While I'm sorry that you couldn't spend Thanksgiving with
your mother," I said to her, "I'm not sorry that you're spending it here
with us."

   She smiled back.

   "Like Mom pointed out, I'm thankful for football and baseball.  Though
I'd be more thankful if the damn sportswriters gave us any credit at all."

   The second game of the play-offs was yesterday because of the four-day
weekend.  The team from Yakima was good.  After all, according to all the
sportswriters, they were supposed to win.

   We were better.  Five touchdowns better.

   In the Seattle paper today it wasn't so much that we won as Yakima lost.
The writer deplored that a great team hadn't played their game.  I guess
all we did was show up.  But still, only four teams were going to the
Tacoma Dome next week for football, and we were one of them.

   "I'm very, very thankful for two parents who have taught me that there
is a time to respect authority and a time to rebel." I gave them a warm
smile.  "And even more because they usually support me in my revolutions."

   "I hope that's not a hint," Dad said.  I grinned and shrugged.

   "Mostly I'm thankful that I've already found somebody very special to
me," I said, looking down at Tami.  She looked up and smiled, and for a
moment we were the only people in the universe.  "I know Mom cringes when I
use the L-word, probably Mrs.  Sharp too, but I know we know what we have,
and we're thankful for it.

   "And I'm thankful that I like cold turkey, since I've been standing up
here a long time."

   Chapter 44

   Tami was sitting in the driver's seat of Dad's Porsche when Larry
dropped off me and Robbie.

   "Lookin' good, girl." I said, leaning in the window.

   Tami grinned, gripped the steering wheel and pretended to steer.

   "Should I even ask why you're sitting there?"

   "Your dad gave me a driving lesson.  I'm basking."

   "My dad let you drive his baby?"

   Tami nodded.  I opened the door and held out my hand to Tami.  "I guess
it's official.  Welcome to the family."

   Tami climbed out.  "He said I was easier on the clutch than you are."

   My jaw dropped.

   "I wonder if I can talk him into a lesson too," Robbie said.

   "Probably," I said with a grin of my own.  "Weakness for redheads runs
in the family."

   "I am kinda cute."

   "The poor man hasn't got a chance."

   Tami nodded.

   The snow that had almost buried Thanksgiving was mostly gone now.  In
fact, for the last day of November it was beautiful.  The temperature was
in the low fifties, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.  It was gonna be a
crystal clear night.

   "So how'd you get home?"

   "Larry brought us," Robbie said as she ran her hand over the hood of the
Porsche.

   "I'm gonna be so glad when February gets here and I won't have to beg
rides anymore," I said.

   "You know, just because you get your license doesn't mean you'll have a
car," Robbie cautioned.

   "If you get your license," Tami added.

   "What?"

   "Don't forget, I've ridden with you."

   I stuck my tongue out at her and pretended to pout.

   "Awww, you hurt his feelings," Robbie said.

   "Not really.  He's just hoping I'll cheer him up." She did, pressing up
against me and giving me a kiss.

   "So, your parents going to buy you a car for your birthday?" Robbie
asked when we came up for air.

   "Not hardly."

   "Well, maybe your mom will let you borrow the mini-van.  At least it has
an automatic so you won't have to worry about burning out the clutch," Tami
suggested.

   "I am NOT that bad on a clutch.  Dad was just joking." I really wasn't.
I don't like the things, but I can use them.  "And I'll get a car."

   "What?  A VW bug older than my dad?" Robbie asked.

   "Or something." I'd been saving for a car since I was eleven.  Most of
the money I'd made mowing lawns or, since moving to Washington, shoveling
snow, wound up in my bank account.  The last two summers I'd managed to
have a real job washing dishes at the Three Blondes, a restaurant in the
center of town, and that added a nice chunk too.

   I had the incentive that Grandpa Doug said he'd match whatever was in
there on the day of my birthday.  And, of course, when I told Grandpa
Cooper about that, he said he would too.  I knew he would.  He and Grandpa
Doug have never really gotten along, and they're just a bit competitive.

   What they don't know is that I've mowed a lot of lawns.  I have a bit
more than eight grand in savings.  Mustang convertible here I come.

   "At least it'll have four wheels," I told the girls as we went up the
stairs.

   * * *

   "So how was practice?" I asked the next day.

   Tami giggled.  "I usually ask you that."

   "You do, don't you?" I said as I got out of the mini van and kissed her.

   "OHHHH!" several young girls standing by the door of the gym said.

   Tami looked over at them.  "Extra sit-ups tomorrow." They giggled.

   I slid open the door of the van and helped Tami in, then followed her
in.

   "I hope you two aren't setting a bad example."

   "No ma'am," we said together.

   I saw mom shake her head.  "We have to pick up your sister in front of
the school," she said.

   "We could leave her and rent out her bedroom."

   "We could sell you to the circus as a dog-faced boy," Mom said as Tami
punched me in the arm.

   Mom pulled up to the curb, and Traci got in the front seat.

   "You know, squirt, if you're going to stay after school, you could walk
around to the gym with Tami and save Mom an extra stop."

   Traci turned pink for some reason, but nodded.  "I'll remember
tomorrow."

   I turned to Tami.  "So how was practice?  What's your team like?"

   "It's your team too, if you ever get done with football."

   "Next Monday, if we play like we practiced today.  A week from next
Monday if we play like usual."

   "Not a good practice?"

   "Rotten would be a compliment for what we did today.  I don't think Mike
completed a single pass.  He was all over the place."

   "What about Robbie?" Tami asked.

   "She was about fifty percent."

   "How about my superstar brother?" Traci asked from the front seat.

   "I was worse than Mike."

   "I don't believe that!" Traci declared.

   I smiled.  "Remind me to talk to dad about raising your allowance," I
said to the back of her head.  "So how about the team, how do they look?"

   "There's nine girls.  Seven, like Kelly, have been taking gymnastics for
years.  Two are just starting."

   "Just what we need.  Bench warmers," I mumbled.

   "Anthony Sims, that wasn't very nice!" Mom said quickly, and with a
little more venom than necessary.

   "Sorry.  I just meant that if they haven't done gymnastics before, they
probably won't be much help to the team."

   "What makes you the expert?  You've never coached gymnastics before,"
Tami snapped.

   "I'm not an expert," I defended myself.  "But if they haven't done it,
how much can they learn in three months?"

   "It so happens that EVERY girl there tried their best today," Tami said
and turned away from me to look out the side window.

   "Do you only coach superstars?" Traci asked.

   "No, but..."

   "Isn't sports about trying your best?" Mom asked.

   "Yes, but..." I realized that no one was listening.

   It's amazing just how long a ride two miles can be.

   * * *

   "WILL THE FOOTBALL TEAM AND CHEERLEADERS PLEASE REPORT TO THE FRONT
LOBBY?" the P.A.  blared.

   I closed my book and stood.  I nodded to Miss Renland, today's
substitute, and walked out of the classroom.  I was the only football
player in the class, but out in the hall, I was joined by more members of
the team.

   There was a lot of back slapping and high fives as we headed for our
lockers.  I put my book away, grabbed my backpack, and headed for the
lobby. I'd dropped my suitcase off that morning, and hopefully it and my
equipment bag were already on the bus.

   In the lobby as we gathered I noticed Coach Branson talking to two men I
didn't know, but I noticed that one of them had a camera.  "Settle!" he
yelled as we drifted in.  "This is Bob Lewis and Mark Rees.  They'll be
riding to Tacoma with us.  They work for the Wenatchee World, and Bob isn't
very smart." The coach grinned.  "He's the only sportswriter in the state,
outside our town, that has picked us to win tomorrow."

   I happened to be standing behind Paula.  I leaned forward and whispered
in her ear.  A minute later, she and the other cheerleaders were chanting
"Bob, Bob, he's our man.  If he can't pick `em, no one can!" It wasn't much
of a cheer, but on a minute's notice, not bad.

   Before we got on the bus, Mark the photographer took some shots.  He got
the team, the cheerleaders, the offense, and the defense.  He took one of
Mike, Robbie, and me.  Then he took several of just Robbie.  I might have
been annoyed if I hadn't been having so much fun watching Mike fume.

   We piled on the bus, and I took a seat about five rows from the front
while most of the team headed for the back.  I looked out the window and
watched the sky.  It had been threatening all morning, but so far hadn't
done anything.  I'd seen two forecasts.  One said snow, and the other snow
mixed with rain, so I didn't know what to expect.

   Tacoma was a little over a hundred and eighty miles away, so if we
didn't hit weather, about three to four hours.  We were supposed to get to
the motel about five, and it was just eleven, so that gave us some leeway.

   "Can I sit here?"

   "Me too?"

   I looked up and saw Darlene and Allie standing in the aisle.

   "I wouldn't recommend it.  I may be contagious."

   "Why?" they asked in stereo, then looked at each other and laughed.

   "Tami's mad at me.  Robbie's mad at me because Tami is.  My mom and
sister are mad at me."

   "What'd you do?" Allie asked.

   "I'm not sure," I said with a shrug.  "But whatever it is, I'm sure it's
my fault."

   "Why?" Darlene asked.

   "I'm male.  It has to be my fault."

   Allie reached out and patted me on the head.  "He can be taught." She
swung in and sat between me and the window.  Darlene squeezed onto the seat
on the other side.

   "So, what'd you do?" Allie asked again as the bus driver closed the door
and put the bus into gear.

   "I really don't know.  Yesterday, I was riding home with Tami and my mom
and my sister.  We were talking about the new gymnastic team at the middle
school.  Then all of a sudden, no one was talking.  Tami wouldn't even say
hi on the bus this morning.  Then she talked to Robbie and I was in the
doghouse with her too."

   "Poor baby," Allie said and patted my thigh.

   "So what's your sister think of the team?" Darlene asked.

   "My sister?"

   "Yeah.  Dana went to watch, and said Traci was there."

   "My sister?"

   "Yeah.  She was working out, so I figured she was on the team."

   "Shit!"

   "Tony!" The girls did the stereo thing again.

   "Thanks," I said, then kissed Darlene on the cheek.  "At least now I
know why I'm in trouble, and it's deeper than I thought."

   "What?" Allie asked.

   "Well, Tami said there were two girls on the team who hadn't done
gymnastics before, and I said something about bench warmers and not being
able to help the team.  I didn't know Traci went out."

   Allie looked over me at Darlene.  "Maybe we should move.  He just might
be contagious."

   "Not me," Darlene said and put her arm around me.  "Without Tony, I
wouldn't be on the bus right now."

   Allie looked inquiringly.

   "Steve, my step-father," she added for Allie's benefit, "thought I
should stay home and baby sit Dana and Teresa, while he and my mom came to
root for Mike.  If not for Tony's temper tantrum, my mom might have let him
get away with that."

   Allie looked confused, but nodded anyway.  "Come to think of it, without
Tony, I wouldn't be on the bus right now either." She put her arm around my
shoulders too.

   We rode like that for awhile.  It gave me time to think.  Tami was mad
at me, because I'd hurt Traci.  I didn't know why Trace was keeping
gymnastics a secret, but I needed to find a way to make it up to her.

   "Team Romeo," I heard and looked up, just in time to get a flash in the
face as Mark took a picture.  Bob swung into the empty seat in front of me
and looked back.  "Tony, isn't it?" I nodded.  "You must be doing something
right, to be sitting here all by yourself with a pair of cheerleaders."

   What can you say to something like that.  I shrugged.

   "I'll be right back," Darlene announced and headed for the back of the
bus.

   "Your coach tells me you're responsible for two thirds of his offense."

   "Excuse me?"

   "He says you got Monster Girl into football."

   "Not exactly.  She's played football all her life.  I just helped get
her on the middle school team when she moved here from Tennessee.  Coach
Feldman was..." I searched for the right word, "reluctant."

   "Now you, Reed, and her share the quarterbacking duties?"

   "Yeah."

   "And you and her play some defense too?"

   "Yeah." I had a feeling that he was looking for more than one word
answers, but I didn't know what else to say.

   Darlene came back, Paula and Diana `Bambi' Coleson with her.  Before I
could say anything, Paula and Bambi had each climbed on one of my legs and
Darlene taken her seat beside me.  She smiled at the reporter, "Tony's
depressed.  His girlfriend's mad at him."

   "His girlfriend?" the reporter repeated with wide eyes.

   "It's not..." I started to say when Paula kissed me.  It may have been a
couple of years, but damn, can Paula kiss!

   "Feeling better?" she asked almost a minute later.

   "I..." Bambi shut me up, her tongue going deep into my mouth.

   At some point I decided to relax and enjoy it.  After all, Tami was
always telling me that she wanted me to be happy and that messing around
was okay.  Of course, she didn't mention if it was okay when she was mad at
me, but if there were exceptions, I'm sure she would have mentioned them.

   Bambi reclaimed her tongue, and I leaned over kissed Allie.  Bob gave up
on his interview, but Mark stuck around and took some pictures.  I wondered
if I could order a set of prints.  Someday I'd be old, sitting in my rocker
on the front porch of the home, and I could tell the other old fogies about
my glory days, making out with half the cheerleading squad.

   And have pictures to back it up.

   * * *

   One Seattle paper headlined their sports:

   GRIZZLIES DROP THE BALL IN YAKIMA

   The other:

   KENNEDY'S F'BALL RUNS OUT OF STEAM

   The Yakima paper said:

   VANCOUVER'S HOPES DASHED
Spokane:

   GRIZZLY'S ERRORS LOSE GAME
Vancouver:

   MAYBE NEXT YEAR

   And the Wenatchee World headed their front page:

   WE TOLD YA SO

   Chapter 45

   "Traci, get your big fat butt out here!" I yelled from the living room.

   "What?" she asked a minute later, looking a little apprehensive.  I'd
rode back from Yakima with her and the folks yesterday, and she hadn't said
five words to me.  Now Mom and Dad were off having a quiet Sunday brunch,
and I was calling her butt fat.

   "You are going to learn a back walkover and back handspring if it kills
you," I said as I pushed the chairs and sofa out of the way to create room.

   "What?" she said again.

   "No sister of mine is going to be one the first gymnastics team at the
middle school and embarrass herself by not doing her best."

   "But..."

   "No buts.  Start stretching.  Though you may want to change first. 
It'll be easier in shorts than jeans."

   "But..."

   "No buts.  You're on the team, and I'm one of the coaches.  I said
stretch."

   "You knew," she accused.

   "Traci." I scooped her up and sat down with her on my lap.  "In the car
Wednesday, I didn't know.  And I didn't mean what I said to be mean, even
if it wasn't you being one of the new girls.  Basically, it's going to be
harder for you and the other new girl to be competitive when you're in with
a bunch of girls who've been doing this for years.

   "You may not be very good this year, but you're a Sims.  Look at Mom,
college softball and volleyball.  Then there's me." I buffed my fingernails
on my shirt.  "Of course there's also dad, but we'll just have to hope you
don't take after him."

   I pushed her off my lap.  "Go get changed."

   "Do you want me to tell Tami I'm not mad anymore?"

   "Nope.  It's good for her to be mad at me every now and then.  We were
due."

   She took a couple of steps, then turned back and stared at me.  "Do you
know what you're doing?"

   "Would I be your coach if I didn't?" She seemed to accept that and
nodded.  "Traci, I haven't got a clue what I'm doing," I admitted before
she started back to her room.  "But after we got home yesterday Kelly
showed me some stuff, and she's coming by in a while to help."

   "Okay," she said, nodding again.  My sister is way too trusting to be my
sister.  She must be adopted.

   * * *

   "Where's Zoe?" I asked, looking around.  "She didn't ride the bus
yesterday either."

   I was talking to Traci since Tami was still ignoring me.

   "I think she's sick.  She misses a lot of school."

   "I hadn't noticed," I admitted.  Usually I was too focused on Tami.  I
guess there's a silver lining to everything if you look deep enough. 
Having Tami mad at me, gave me a chance to notice the rest of the world.

   Yesterday had been a pretty good day for a Monday.  The whole school was
psyched about our win and the fact we were going back to the Tacoma Dome
for the state championship.  In fact, the only black mark, aside from the
fact that I don't get my Tami-walk when Tami's mad at me, was that Mom and
Dad seemed upset about something after dinner, and I couldn't find out what
it was.

   The bus pulled up, and we started piling on.  I noticed that Traci sat
with Kelly.  The two had been real friendly since our impromptu lesson
Sunday.  I also noticed Ann glare at them as she sat with a girl I didn't
know.

   I swung into an empty seat, and a second later Tami sat next me, then
continued to ignore me.  Which was cool.  I'd rather be close to her mad,
than far away in love.  I think.

   * * *

   "Mr.  Walker, I had an idea," I said as soon as journalism had started.

   Mr.  Walker groaned.  "Is this going to involve you getting suspended or
me getting fired?"

   "I don't think so.  But with Parker and I in the same school, you never
know."

   "Mr.  Parker," he corrected automatically.

   "Isn't that what I said?" I asked innocently.

   Mr.  Walker sighed.  "What's your idea?"

   "We've been running profiles on student athletes..."

   "And you think it's your turn," he finished for me.

   "Actually, it should have been my turn a month ago, but that wasn't my
idea."

   "Well?"

   "I think we should do a weekly profile on students who make a
difference."

   "I see.  What do you mean by make a difference?"

   `Well, Brenda Kelly volunteers at the hospital.  Paul Reiser and Susan
Sherman help out at the Humane Society.  Cindy Brady helps with the girl
scouts.  Her troop has been tops in cookie sales the last couple years."

   "That's a good idea, Tony.  But why do I have a feeling that you have
somebody else in mind to start with?"

   "I was thinking, to start the series, just off the top of my head, you
understand..."

   Mr.  Walker sighed.  "Tony, did you ever think about getting straight to
the point?  I already like the idea.  You don't have to sell so hard."

   "Where's the fun in that?" Mr.  Walker looked at the ceiling.  Maybe I
should be a priest.  I seem to inspire a lot of people to look to God. 
"Something wrong?"

   "Just trying to remember why I wanted to be a teacher."

   "`Cause you wanted to mold bright, impressionable minds," I suggested.

   "Yeah, that's it.  Okay, what's your idea?  And without all the B.S.  I
want to get home before midnight."

   "Well, you probably know that the middle school is starting a gymnastics
team this year." Mr.  Walker nodded.  "There's a girl here at the high
school who is giving up all her afternoons to help out with them.  And she
isn't even a gymnast."

   "I see.  Do I know her?"

   "She's a solid student.  A's and B's.  Involved in extra curricular
activities like the newspaper.  And a real school supporter.  Hasn't missed
a football game this season."

   "Sounds good," he mused.  "You know what would really sell it?  If she
had a boyfriend on the team."

   "As a matter of fact.  Though she's mad at him at the moment."

   He smiled.  "Use B-4 for the interview.  I want a first draft on my desk
in the morning."

   "Have I mentioned you're my favorite teacher?"

   "Only when you want something." He turned away to check on the rest of
the class.

   "Tami." She looked up from what she was writing.  "We're in B-4."

   She glanced at Mr.  Walker, and he nodded.

   I walked out into the hallway and down to B-4.  The journalism room, for
reasons known only to long gone administrators, was in the basement under
the main gym.  As you came down the stairs, B-1, the dark room, was on your
left.  The journalism room, B-2 was next to it.  Then B-3 and B-4, two
smaller classrooms that we used for special projects.  Across from the
journalism room was the boys' locker room, and just past B-4, the girls'.

   I was already sitting at the work table, a steno pad open in front of
me, when Tami walked in.

   "Go ahead and close the door."

   She looked at me suspiciously, but closed the door behind her.

   "Have a seat." I pointed at the chair across from me.  "So, Miss Sharp,
how...?'

   "Miss Sharp?"

   "I know you're mad at me, so I figured you'd want to keep this on a
professional basis."

   "Professional," she echoed.

   "So, Miss Sharp, how do you like working with the middle school
gymnastics team?"

   Tami looked startled, but recovered quickly.  "This is only my second
week, but so far it's been a lot of fun.  I'm learning a lot."

   I wrote quickly and wondered how hard it was to learn shorthand.

   "I understand you never did gymnastics yourself?"

   "That's true.  Just forward rolls and cartwheels in P.E.  Sometimes we'd
walk on the beam."

   "What made you volunteer?"

   "A, uh, friend of mine was going to help out.  I thought it would be fun
to do it with him.

   "Has it been fun?  Coaching with your friend?"

   "He's on the football team, you doofus, and since they're in the
play-offs, he hasn't been able to start yet."

   I wondered if I should include doofus in her quote.

   "You know two of your gymnasts pretty well.  Kelly Temple and Traci
Sims. Does that make it harder or easier?"

   "Traci?"

   "Yes, Traci Sims, I believe her name is."

   "You knew.  You bastard, you knew."

   "My birth certificate is dated well after Mom and Dad's wedding license.
Now about the question?"

   "You knew."

   I set down my pencil and looked up at Tami.  "No, I didn't.  I had no
idea that Traci was thinking of going out for gymnastics.  In fact, I still
don't know why.  In the car, I hurt her feelings, and I know that's why
you've been mad at me."

   "I, uh, yeah."

   "I found out Thursday that Traci was on the team, and figured out what
had happened.  I talked to her after we got back from the game.  I
explained that I wasn't being mean.  I was trying to be realistic. 
Gymnastics is a year-round sport.  The middle school season is like twelve
weeks long.  It's almost impossible to learn enough in twelve weeks to be
any good.  Especially when you're competing with girls who've been doing it
for years."

   "I'm kinda learning that.  The other new girl, Christy Romano, has
already dropped out."

   "Traci won't.  She's tenacious."

   "I wonder where she gets that from?" Tami grinned.

   "So are we cool?"

   "That depends on two questions."

   "Shoot," I said, hoping that I had the right answers.

   "You figured out why we were all mad on Thursday."

   I nodded.

   "And you fixed it with Traci on Saturday."

   "Sunday," I corrected.

   "And you let me be mad for two more days."

   I knew that was the question, even though it didn't sound like one.  "We
have a weird relationship.  I think it helps us to get mad now and then."

   Tami thought about that, then nodded.

   "What's the other question?" I asked after a minute of silence.

   "Does that door have a lock on it?"

   * * *

   "You guys gonna leave before lunch tomorrow?" Tami asked the next day as
she, Robbie, and I stood in line outside the cafeteria.

   "I think so," Robbie said and looked at me.

   I shrugged.  I hadn't heard.

   "I was talking to Mr.  Mulino yesterday.  He thinks school Friday is
going to be like a ghost town.  He figures three quarters of the student
body is going to Tacoma for the game." I said.

   "He should just cancel it then," Robbie said.

   "You'd think," I agreed.

   "Guess what?" Tami said.  "I heard Robby and Ashley talking in complete
sentences."

   I slapped Robbie on the back.  "Congratulations.  Complete sentences."

   "The other Robby, you jackass."

   "Oh." I leaned forward and whispered, "Does this mean you're dumped?"

   "Yep," she whispered back.  "Do you want to console me?"

   I grinned.  "I can see if B-4 is available."

   Tami turned deep red.  Robbie looked blank.  Life is good.

   * * *

   The weather was cooperating so that Tami and I could take our last
evening walk for awhile.  Tomorrow the team would leave about eleven and
spend the night in Tacoma.  Friday was the game.  And I mean THE game. 
We'd come back Saturday.

   It was cool, but we wore sweatshirts without jackets.  My hand was in
its accustomed place in her back pocket, and her hand was in mine.

   All was right with the world.

   So it was time to push my luck.

   "Remember in the eighth grade when I went to the Halloween Bowl?"

   "I remember you spent the bus trip down making out with Robbie."

   "Funny that should be the first thing you think of."

   "You didn't!" she said, stopping and pulling away to look at me.  "Did
you spend the bus ride last week making out with Robbie?"

   "Of course not," I said with a laugh.  "She was mad at me too.  I made
out with Darlene."

   "Darlene?"

   "And Allie."

   "Allie?"

   "Paula and Bambi too."

   Tami came to an abrupt stop.  "You made out with four cheerleaders on
the bus?"

   "The other four weren't interested."

   Tami took a few seconds to process the information.  "They don't know
what they were missing," she said finally, and started walking again.  I
fell into step and our hands found their accustomed places.  "Did you, uh,
did you sleep with anybody?"

   "Yeah," I admitted.

   "You did?"

   "Yeah, Larry," I said, putting her out of her misery.  "He snores."

   "Four cheerleaders.  I'm surprised you had anything left for the game
Friday."

   I pulled her closer as we walked.  "That's why I think I'll cut back to
two tomorrow."

   Tami giggled.  "Darlene and Allie?"

   I nodded, then realized that Tami was looking up at the starry sky and
couldn't see me.  "Probably.  Paula and Bambi's hearts just weren't in it."
Then I told her about the trip, and how Paula and Bambi had played along.

   "Maybe Mikee will make cheerleading next year.  That'll give you another
one."

   I grinned.  "Remember yesterday, when I said our relationship was
weird?"

   Tami nodded.

   "I'm beginning to think that weird isn't a strong enough word."

   Chapter 46

   "I'll take two."

   Mike slid a card off the deck and across the bed.  I lifted the corner.
A ten.  He slid me another card.  I peeked.  Another ten.  Life is good. 
Larry took one, then Mike didn't take any.

   Jimmy Prescott made a disgusted sound and tossed his cards in the
middle. Phil Barnes laughed, then opened for a nickel.

   I looked confident as I picked up my cards and fanned them out.  I took
a quick look, then folded them together again.  I smiled and picked up a
quarter.  I hesitated, dropped the quarter and tossed in a nickel.  "I
call." I knew Mike would build the pot.

   Larry tossed in a nickel, then another dime.

   Mike grinned and put in fifteen cents, then another twenty-five.

   Somebody knocked as I watched Phil.  His hand hovered over his change.
He only had two quarters there.  Finally, he tossed his cards into the
middle, along with a comment I won't repeat.

   Jimmy got off the bed and went to the door.  "Hi, Coach," he said after
opening it.  The coach walked into the motel room.  I tried to look
thoughtful as I tossed in thirty-five cents.  Then I smiled as fakely as I
could and tossed in another quarter.

   Larry studied me, then tossed two quarters of his own.

   Mike didn't hesitate.  He flipped a fifty-cent piece up in the air, and
it landed in the pot.  Then he added another.  I felt a large body behind
me as I studied the pot, I knew the coach was watching.

   I got a thing for Kennedys.  I wanted Mike's.  I added seven quarters
without a pause.  Larry folded.  Mike dropped a dollar bill in the pot. 
His hand hovered over another.  He looked at me, I looked calmly back. 
"Call."

   I laid down my cards.  "Three kings."

   "Ha!" Mike said, triumphantly.

   I fanned my cards out a little more.  "And a pair of tens."

   Mike looked stunned, like he'd just been sacked by Monster Girl.  He
tossed down his cards, full house, sixes over fours.  I raked in the pot.

   "Sims, I might have known," the coach said.  I wasn't sure if he meant
the gambling or the winning.

   "Just a little math lesson."

   "And the money?" the coach asked.

   "Unimportant.  Just a way to see who's learning and who needs more
tutoring." I glanced over at Mike and he glared back.  Poker had been his
idea.  I was up about twenty bucks for the afternoon.

   "Okay, guys, enough homework."

   The coach made a funny?

   "We're heading to Sizzler for dinner," he continued.  "In the lobby in
five.

   I stood and stretched.

   "Not you, Sims.  You're staying here."

   "What?  Why?  How long?"

   "You stay here."

   Mike grinned.

   "But...  For how long?"

   "You'll know."

   Larry and Jimmy shrugged as they looked at me but grabbed their jackets
and followed the coach.  Phil went next and Mike last.  "Just can't stay
out of trouble, can ya?" he said as he closed the door.

   I stared at the closed door.  Now what?  There was a Denny's next to the
motel.  I could go over there if I got hungry, I looked down at the bed. 
After all, dinner was on Mike.  But how long was I supposed to stand here?

   Why was I standing here?  Was it about the poker game?  The other guys
were playing too.  I won, but the whole thing was Mike's idea.  Now what?

   I started gathering my winnings while I tried to figure that out.  As I
was dumping the loose change, minus the Kennedy fifties and the dollar
bill, into my backpack, there was another knock on the door.

   "Yes?" I called.

   "Ya want dinner?" a distorted voice called through the door.

   "I..." I pulled the door open.  "Oh, fuck!"

   "Tony, your language," Tami laughed.

   "What are you doing here?"

   "I came to watch you play football, if you're not too busy with
cheerleaders."

   "I, uh, I meant, I thought you were coming tomorrow with Traci and the
folks."

   "I got a different ride."

   "Who?"

   "Just someone I know." I could tell Tami didn't want to say any more
right then, so I dropped it.

   "I can't believe you're here." I stepped forward and pulled her into my
arms.  My mouth found hers.  We were half-in, half-out of the door and an
elderly couple was passing.  The man gave us a disapproving glare, but his
wife smiled and winked.

   "I needed that," Tami said a minute later.  "It was a long drive."

   "When did you get here?" I asked, not letting go of her.

   "About ten minutes ago.  I saw Coach Branson in the lobby and asked him
if I could shanghai you."

   "Remind me to put the man back on my Christmas card list."

   "You ready for dinner?  I'm starving."

   It occurred to me that I had a motel room that would be empty for at
least an hour, but I nodded.  "The team went to Sizzler.  I suppose we
could get a taxi."

   "I like Outback better.  I used to go out with a guy who played on their
Babe Ruth team.  Besides, I don't feel like sharing you."

   I grinned.  "Let's go down to the desk.  They can call us a taxi."

   "The motel has a shuttle.  It should be waiting for us."

   "You have this all planned," I accused.

   "That's not all I have planned, if you're good."

   * * *

   We got back about nine.

   There were a dozen football players and all the cheerleaders hanging out
in the lobby when we came in.

   Robbie saw Tami and came over to give her a hug.  Then Darlene and Allie
too.  We hung out and talked for about a half-hour, then headed upstairs.

   Larry lay sprawled on his bed, reading Garrison Allen's Movie Cat.  His
mp3 player was plugged into some portable speakers and playing something
ragtime.  "Hi, guys," he said when he looked up.  "The coach had a message
for you."

   "Yeah?"

   "He said to tell you he was tired and wasn't going to do a bed check,
but to get lots of sleep.  The team's meeting in the lobby at ten to go to
breakfast next door." He was looking at Tami as he said it.  Without
looking, I knew she was blushing.

   "Obvious, aren't we?" I asked, knowing from an afternoon of watching
that poker game-face that Larry had a card, a queen, hidden up his sleeve.

   Larry shrugged.  "Well, I figured that way my snoring wouldn't bother
you."

   I grinned.  "Larry, you're a saint.  And just which cheerleader were you
planning to do bible study with?"

   Larry blushed, and Tami's elbow hit me in the side at the same time.

   "It's not a cheerleader?" I blurted out.

   "He's quick," a voice said behind me.  "No wonder you like him." Robbie
pushed past us and sat on the bed next to Larry.

   "Robbie?  Why...?"

   Tami reached over, turned my head, and kissed me.  "The only way you're
ever going to get your foot out of your mouth is to shut up."

   I nodded and kissed her again.

   "Get your stuff.  My room's just down the hall," she said.

   "You're alone?"

   "Sort of."

   I wondered for a second if she'd brought Mikee or Kelly, but when we got
to her room a couple of minutes later, it was empty.  Just her suitcase
sitting on the king bed.

   "The coach wants you in bed early.  I hope you're not going to
disappoint him."

   * * *

   There's something especially nice about waking up with a soft bundle of
Tami in your arms.  I don't want to sound like I'm in touch with my
feminine side or any nonsense, but it's just nice.

   I opened my eyes.  She was looking at me.  "Good morning.  Sleep well?"
I asked before kissing the tip of her nose.

   "Not really.  The first few hours, somebody kept waking me up and
sticking hard things into me."

   "I seem to remember somebody waking me about two and wanting some
attention." "That was different," she protested.

   "Why?"

   "Cause I'm the girl and you're the guy."

   "I should have known."

   "You really should have," she agreed.  "I thought you were smarter than
that."

   "If you keep doing that, you're gonna be complaining about hard things
again." Tami's hands were under the blankets, massaging my cock and balls.

   "Who's complaining?"

   I grinned and rolled onto my back, pulling Tami with me so that she was
sitting on my hips.  "Be gentle with me."

   Tami smiled and reached down to grab the base of my big stick.  She
eased herself up, then guided Big Tony into his home-away-from-home.  I
grinned, thinking of our first time when she'd almost crushed my balls. 
Now it seemed so natural.

   "You know, I read in sex ed that most guys prefer the missionary
position, guy on top."

   "Uh huh."

   "I can never figure if you like this position cause you're sensitive to
letting the girl be in control, or if you're just lazy."

   "Bit of both."

   "Oh, God!" She moaned and shuddered, and I knew Tami was already
reaching her climax.  Me, I could hardly believe that Big Tony was hard. 
We must have done it four or five times last night.  Maybe six.  I didn't
know whether I could cum again, but I was glad Tami had.

   Tami sagged against me, lying on my chest.  I rolled again.  On top, I
started pumping.  I might not cum, but maybe I could bring Tami off again.
And again.  And again.

   Tami was having her second orgasm.  I rolled onto my side, hugging her
to me.  I could stay like this forever.

   Or maybe another thirty seconds before I had to hit the bathroom.

   I pulled Big Tony gently from my love and rolled off the bed.  Someday,
sleeping with Tami wouldn't be unusual, but it would still be special.

   I went to the bathroom and pissed.  And pissed.  It seemed to go on
forever.  I came back and found Tami sleeping.  I stood and watched.

   Chapter 47

   "Are you an angel?" Tami asked when she finally opened her eyes twenty
minutes later.

   I grinned down at her.  "I thought that was my line."

   She smiled.

   My weekend was made.  Who cares about a silly state championship?

   Tami folded down her blanket, and her tits became my whole world.  Which
is too bad, `cause I was about to cure cancer.  Then she folded it down
further and I forgot all about her tits.

   I crawled up between her legs and buried my face in her crotch.

   Tami giggled.  "Didn't you get enough?"

   I licked down one side of her slit and up the other.  "Have you?" I
said, looking up her body with a smile.

   She giggled, but slipped out from under me and ran to the bathroom.

   I wondered if the coach would notice if I stayed here all day.

   "So what's on the agenda today?" Tami asked as she padded back into the
room.

   "I thought I'd stay here in bed all day."

   "Works for me," she said and crawled up on the bed next to me.  "Of
course, I had my heart set on sleeping with a state champion tonight, but I
can always find out where the Pasco team is staying."

   "Revised agenda.  I guess I'm either winning a football game or beating
up an entire football team."

   "Works for me.  Seriously, what's your schedule?"

   "Well, we're supposed to meet for breakfast at ten.  Then we're going to
some athletic club for a little workout and to meet the Seahawks with the
Cougars.  We're supposed to be back here at two and have a couple of free
hours, then we leave for the game about four.  You are, of course,
invited."

   "Oh, boy, I could meet the Seahawks and the Cougars.  I don't know if I
can handle the excitement."

   "Sarcasm.  I've got to keep you away from Robbie."

   "Phu-leese, I did know how to be sarcastic before Monster Girl came
along."

   I nodded.  She may have known how, but didn't get nearly as much
practice.  "So you're just going to hang here?"

   "I've got some plans, but maybe you could pencil me in at two."

   "I don't know.  I had cheerleaders scheduled from two to three.  And
groupies from three to four."

   "You've got groupies?"

   "I sing.  I tackle.  I pass.  Of course I've got groupies."

   Tami pretended to swoon.  "I'm so lucky that you even talk to me."

   "That you are," I agreed.

   "Maybe you could squeeze me in between the cheerleaders and the
groupies. I'd be so grateful." She reached down and started massaging my
balls.

   "How grateful?"

   Her hand closed on my jewels and squeezed.  "I just might let you keep
these."

   "I'll rearrange my schedule," I said quickly, and the squeeze turned
back into a massage.  Note to self: Never negotiate with unprotected
testicles.  "So what are you going to do till then?"

   "I'll have breakfast with you, and then I'll go shopping or something
while you meet the Seagulls."

   "Seahawks," I said automatically, though I knew she knew the difference.
"So how are we going to kill a couple hours until breakfast?"

   "Maybe I can teach you to tell time."

   What?  I looked at the clock.  It was ten till ten.  I couldn't believe
it was so late.  We were in bed at ten.

   "I've got to get back to my room and get dressed," I said, jumping up.

   "You might want to shower too."

   I made a face at her as I climbed into yesterday's clothes.

   I raced down the hallway.  Just as my hand reached for the doorknob of
my room, it opened.  Robbie and I looked at each other.  "Can't talk now.
Gotta run," we both said as she raced out and I raced in.

   Larry was lying naked on the bed, looking dazed.  I ignored him, grabbed
some fresh clothes, and headed for the bathroom.  In five minutes I was
showered, deodorized, brushed, and dressed.  Larry was still lying on the
bed, looking up at the ceiling.

   "You want me to tell the coach you're fasting?" I asked as I sat on the
bed to tie my shoes.

   "The coach!  Oh, fuck!" he yelled, and rolled off the bed.

   `There, but for the grace of God, go I,' I thought, as I tied my second
shoe.  Or maybe `There, but for a girlfriend who can tell time, go I.'

   "I'll tell coach you're too tired for breakfast," I yelled as I opened
the door.  "If you're lucky, he won't ask why." I closed the door before
Larry could answer.

   In the lobby, the coach and his assistants were standing by the front
desk.  The coach was drumming his fingers.  I looked at the clock, straight
up ten o'clock.  I looked around.  About half the team was here, including
Robbie.  I couldn't believe she'd beat me.  And I couldn't believe how good
she looked doing it.

   The cheerleaders were all here.  I wondered how many spent the night in
the right rooms.

   The elevator dinged, and I looked over.  Tami and Mike got off.  She was
laughing at something he said.  I was surprised, `cause she didn't like him
because of the way he treated Darlene.  But then again, Tami tried to be
nice to everyone.

   Tami walked over, and I hugged her as if I hadn't seen her all night.  I
wondered if I was fooling anyone but myself.

   * * *

   Darlene, Allie, Robbie, and Larry shared breakfast with us at the next
door Denny's.  Robbie was her usual self, but Larry kept sneaking looks at
her.  Monster Girl strikes again.

   Darlene and Allie were quiet until Tami asked, "Did you guys share him
with Paula and Bambi again?" She timed it so that they both were sipping
their milk.  Darlene spit hers halfway across the table, and Allie
swallowed wrong and started choking until Larry pounded her on the back a
couple of times.

   "She's very understanding," I explained.  "She wouldn't even mind if she
knew I was stroking your leg."

   Darlene was sitting next to me.  "But you're not..." She stopped when my
hand settled halfway up her leg.  You got to love those cheerleader
outfits: short skirts and lots of leg.

   After breakfast, Tami went back to the motel and the rest of us piled on
the bus for the trip to the athletic club.  The club was great.  I think
they had every piece of exercise equipment ever imagined.

   We got there about eleven, and the Cougars were about twenty minutes
behind us.  For the next hour the two teams ran around the club trying
everything.  There was a lot of trash talk, but no trouble.  After all this
was Washington, not Chicago.

   The Seahawks were scheduled to meet us at noon and managed to get there
before one thirty.  It was obvious that they had better things to do.  At
least, it was obvious after the cameras were off.  One guy was on his cell
to his agent about a cologne ad before the cameraman got his equipment off
his shoulder.

   There were only three who seemed to be actually interested in being
there, and they weren't the three I would have expected.

   * * *

   Tami was in the lobby when we got back.  Her hand slipped into my back
pocket as we kissed, and it stayed there as we walked toward the elevator.

   "I thought maybe you went straight to your cheerleaders," she said as
she pushed the up button.

   "Nah, I rescheduled the cheerleaders for three and the groupies for
three-thirty.  The damn Seahawks were over an hour late."

   The doors opened and we stepped in, then got pushed to the back as a
dozen of my team-mates joined us.  A couple got off on two, but most stayed
with us to three.  After they'd stampeded off, Tami and I followed more
sedately.

   "Your room or mine?" I asked suggestively.

   "Uh, mine." Her answer was less enthusiastic than I expected.

   "Is something wrong?"

   "Uh, no." She didn't say anything else as we walked down the hall to her
door.  She pulled her keycard out of her pocket and inserted it in the lock
until the little light turned green.  She pushed the handle down and the
door swung open.  "One of your groupies wants to talk to you."

   "I always have time for a groupie," I said and pushed her through the
door.  I swung the door closed with my foot and kissed her for real.  As I
did, my hand slipped under her shirt and cupped her breast through her bra.

   "He..." she started a minute later.

   "Oops.  Sorry.  All groupies most be female and between the ages of
thirteen and twenty."

   "One of your fans then.  He..."

   "Nope.  All fans most be female and between twelve and thirty."

   "That's very democratic of you," she said dryly.

   "I thought so," I agreed.

   "Okay, my dad wants to talk to you."

   "Your dad?"

   Tami nodded.

   "He wants me to call him?"

   Tami hesitated, then shook her head.  "He's next door."

   You know, my all-time favorite show is Mission: Impossible.  The old
ones from about sixty-nine with Peter Graves and Leonard Nimoy.  My
favorite part was the very end when the dictator or spy or general or
whoever realized that he's been setup.  I didn't know why that was flashing
through my mind now.

   "I don't have anything to say."

   "Will you listen?"

   I ignored the question.  "Did he bring you here?" she nodded.  "And he
was in the room last night?" she nodded again.

   Nine months ago he was going to blow my kneecap off for calling myself
Tami's boyfriend.  I didn't want to think about what he'd want to blow off
now.

   "I think I'll go back to my room now.  You and your father can spend
some quality time together." I guessed that was safe.  Tami always insisted
that her dad had never hit her.

   Tami stepped between me and the door.  "Anthony Marion Sims!  I love
you, and you say, you love me.  I'm asking you to talk to my dad."

   I stared at her face for a long time.

   "Lady, you fight dirty."

   "I learned from the best." She smiled, then added, "Robbie."

   She reached out, and I took her hand.  "Let's go." Why did I feel like a
priest should be following me, reading scripture?

   We went next door and knocked.  "It's us, Daddy," Tami called,

   "Come in."

   Tami smiled at me before putting her hand on the door handle.  "You
ready?"

   No!  Not even.  I want to go hang by the pool with the cheerleaders. 
"Let's do it."

   Tami opened the door, and I saw Daddy.  I hadn't forgotten how big he
was, but I'd tried.  I'd called him King Kong.  Now, standing in front of
him, I was thinking more like Godzilla.

   "Daddy, this is Tony."

   "I remember," he said, his voice neutral.

   Now I was supposed to talk.  What to say?  I could go with the standard,
`Nice to meet you,' or `Good to see you again,' but both would be lying
through my teeth.  The man beat his wife.  There was nothing nice or good
about this.  He'd be in jail if I'd had the guts to say no to Tami.

   "Uh, hi."

   The silence after that was like a huge weight.  We stood there, not
moving, not talking.

   King Kong finally broke the spell.  "Baby, maybe this would be easier if
you waited in your room?"

   I wanted to volunteer to wait in her room.

   Tami looked at me.  "Daddy, I'm not sure..."

   He smiled down at her.  "It'll be okay."

   She looked from her dad to me, then back at Daddy.  "Promise?"

   "I promise."

   Tami turned toward me and held out both hands.  I took them, and she
squeezed.  Then she smiled and was gone.  I took a deep breath and looked
back at King Kong.

   "Tony would you sit down?" he asked, pointing at the bed.  I wanted to
stay on my feet.  It would make it easier to run.  "Please?"

   I walked to the bed and sat down.  King Kong walked to the window and
looked outside.  I could see that the sky had turned darker.  There was a
flag in the distance that was whipping furiously in the wind.

   "My little girl loves you."

   I figured that was enough talk right there.

   "That must mean you're something special."

   Now comes the part where he threatens, `if I ever hurt her.'

   "I think you're special too."

   Huh?

   "You came charging to the rescue when you thought Tami and her mom were
in trouble.  That means a lot to me.  Even though I was the trouble.  That
says a lot about the kind of person you are, and the kind of feelings that
you have for Tami.

   "You may not believe this, but I am so glad that you stopped me when you
did.  I was so mad that night that I don't know what I would have done.  I
still love Tami's mom.  I don't know what I would have done if something
happened to her.  Especially if I was that something."

   "How can you say you love someone and hurt them?" I asked, knowing I
should keep my mouth shut.

   King Kong turned and looked down at me.  I figured I could be off the
bed and out the door in a second or less.  "I don't know," he said and
turned back to the window.  "I just don't know."

   For a second I almost felt sorry for him.  Then I remembered the look on
Tami's mom's face when he had his hand on her throat.

   "The department has a shrink, and I've been talking to him ever since I
went home.  I'm trying to understand, but I don't."

   "So you're still a cop?"

   "Yeah.  Yeah, I am.  It's important to me that you understand.  I had
three things in my life that were important to me.  They were what my life
was all about: being a cop, Bonny, and Tami.  I almost lost all three."

   "I know that I've lost Bonny.  And I almost lost Tami.  And I could have
lost being a cop, if not for you dropping the charges.  That's why I
finally went to counseling."

   "I didn't do it for you.  I did it for Tami."

   He turned and looked at me again.  "And I'll bet you didn't like it a
bit."

   "I'm still not sure it was the right thing to do."

   "The right thing can be elusive at times," he agreed, looking back at
the sky.  "Tami talks about you constantly.  She really wanted me to watch
you play today."

   Another one of those what-do-you-say moments.

   "She says she's gonna marry you."

   "That's the plan."

   I think he smiled, but with his back to me, it was hard to tell.  "She
could do worse," he said to the window.

   I decided to take that as a compliment.

   "The head doctor seemed to think that talking to you was part of the
process."

   "Is it helping?"

   "I don't know.  Part of me wants to throw you through this window.  The
guy who took my little girl's innocence."

   I looked at the door and judged the distance again.

   "But part of me realizes just how happy she is.  She was never that
happy when we lived as a family."

   I felt that I should say something here, but my throat was too dry and
my brain too numb.

   He turned and walked to the bed, towering over me.  He held his hand
down to me.  "I was hoping you'd shake my hand."

   I looked up at him.  King Kong.  Godzilla.  It wasn't hard to imagine
him with a rubber hose in a back room.

   "No," I said, standing and ignoring his outstretched hand.  I reminded
myself of the fine line between brave and stupid.

   "No?"

   "There's a lot of things I'll do just because I love Tami.  Shaking your
hand isn't one of them."

   He looked down at his extended hand.  Slowly, he let it drop to his
side. "I understand."

   "I'm not sure you do.  I'd be happy to, proud to, shake the hand of the
man that Tami sees when she looks at you.  I'm hoping to meet that man
someday.  And shake his hand."

   King Kong walked back to the window.  He didn't look as big anymore.

   I let myself out of the room, wondering how somebody could go so wrong.
`There but for the grace of God, go I.' That could never be me, grace of
God or not.  I knew it couldn't.

   In the hall, I turned away from Tami's door and walked to the stairs.  I
climbed up and through the door marked STAFF ONLY.  Outside, I stood and
looked at the building storm.  A few rain drops hit me, and a snow flake.
Mostly the wind tried to rip my clothes off.

   I wondered if Tami and I could go to Honolulu and hire a boat for a
three-hour tour.  Life would be so much simpler without other people.

   Chapter 48

   The ref blew his whistle, and the battle for the state championship was
on.  We ran forward.  Jimmy kicked the ball, and we watched it sail through
the air deep into the Cougar backfield.  I looked out of the corner of my
eye.  Robbie was streaking ahead on the left and Larry and Jimmy in the
center.  The idea was simple: get to the ball fast and force a turnover.  A
blocker came up in front of me.  I hit him, spun to my right and kept
going.

   I picked up on the ball and put on the speed, but another blocker hit me
from the side and I almost lost my balance.  By the time I regained it,
Larry was all over the guy.  The ball went loose, and there was Robbie
scooping it up.  Before she could take a step, two Cougars hit her.  She
went down hard, but held onto the ball.

   The story of the first half was turnover.  I'm pretty sure we set a
state record for turnovers in the first quarter, and the second quarter was
worse.  When the gun signaled the end of the half there were nine
interceptions.  Mike had thrown three and Robbie one.

   I not only didn't have any interceptions charged against me, I led the
game in passing yards.  Twelve.  That's for the half.  It was obvious that
the battle was going to be on the ground.

   But on the ground wasn't much better.  Eighteen fumbles, nine for each
side.  It was like the battle for the Eastern front in World War Two.  We
gained a yard, we lost a yard.

   At least the sports writers were wrong.  With a nothing to nothing score
as we trudged toward the locker rooms, the Cougars weren't dominating
anything.

   It was one of the quietest half-time locker rooms I'd ever been in.  We
weren't whipped, we were determined.  We didn't need rah-rah.  We just had
to go back out and fight for every yard.

   Robbie motioned to me, and we found a private spot between rows of
lockers.  "Hold me," she asked quietly.

   Hugging a girls when you're wearing full pads isn't very satisfying. 
When she's in pads, too, it's downright frustrating.  But I held her.

   "I want it so bad." I knew she meant the game and not anything with me.

   "Shhhush.  Just relax.  Try to remember that in the real world, we're
not even supposed to be here yet.  We're just sophomores."

   "That doesn't help," she said and held me tighter.

   "How `bout this: if we lose, we blame everything on Mike."

   Robbie laughed.  "Works for me." She let go and stepped back.  "Are we
going to lose?"

   I knew she wasn't looking for confidence building.  I shrugged.  "We're
good, so are they.  We want it, so do they.  It may come down to luck.  I'm
just glad to be playing ball."

   "That's what I like about you.  You see the big picture."

   "It's not a big picture, it's a very small one.  I like what I'm doing.
It's all about me.  How far can I push myself?  I guess I'm an individual
in a team sport.  That's why baseball is my favorite sport, it's the most
individual team sport there is.  Don't get me wrong, I like to win.  Hell,
I love to win.  But this is about me looking good."

   Robbie grinned.  "You're so full of it."

   "Ready to play some football?"

   "Yeah, I think I am.  But I still want to win."

   "Well if Monster Girl wants to win, it's all over.  The Cougars might as
well go home.

   * * *

   The Cougars kicked off to start the second half.

   Mike was supposed to take the kickoff, but Robbie accidentally bumped
him out of the way and caught the ball.  Larry and I jumped in front of
her, and the phalanx charged forward to the Cougar forty-nine.  As I helped
Robbie back to her feet I noticed Mike still standing on our twenty,
watching.

   The next play I took the hike and faded back.  I was supposed to hand
off to Mike, but saw Robbie was open and fired a short five-yard pass to
her.  Monster Girl found a hole and added eight yards to our total.

   Mike grabbed my face mask.  "That wasn't the play."

   I grinned.  "That's a first down.  Want to ask the ref to call it back?"

   We set up again.  I took the hike, faded back.  Robbie and Mike were in
motion.  The plan was fake to Robbie and hand-off to superstar.  I slammed
the ball into Robbie's gut.  Our line shifted right to cover Mike.  Their
line shifted to cover ours, and Robbie punched out another nine yards.

   "That wasn't the play I sent in," the coach yelled when I trotted to the
sidelines a minute later.

   "It worked.  We're second down with a yard to go."

   "I send in plays for a reason."

   "Robbie's on fire.  I saw openings, I exploited them."

   "Sit!" he pointed toward the bench.

   I sat and watched Mike get thrown for a six yard loss.

   Third and seven.  Mike took the snap, faded back, then instead of the
handoff to Robbie, he tucked the ball in and headed toward our sideline. 
Unfortunately, so did two of the largest tackles I'd ever seen.  I wondered
if they had Sasquatch blood.  Mike reversed and headed the other way. 
Another Cougar broke through our line and headed right at him.  Mike
reversed again, and all three of them hit him at once.

   As I watched them climb off our star quarterback I almost felt sorry for
him.  That lasted until he got back to the huddle and I heard him yell
"...block for a change."

   "Sims!" The coach yelled, and I jumped off the bench.

   "Yes, Coach."

   "You're in for Mike.  We're going to punt.

   I popped off a snappy salute and rushed onto the field, pulling my
helmet on as I ran.  I got to the huddle and tapped Mike on the shoulder.
He looked up, and I jerked my thumb over my shoulder toward the sideline.
He nodded and trotted off.

   "Okay, ladies and Monster Girls, We're gonna punt on two or Monster them
on thirteen."

   "Is that what the coach called?" Jake Avery asked.

   "Who's the quarterback here?" I asked with a grin.

   Jake shook his head.  "You are, at least, for one more play."

   "On the punt, get down field as fast as you can and stop them hard. 
They don't cross the fifty.  Right?" I looked around the huddle, everybody
nodded.  "Let's do it." We clapped and rushed to our positions.

   Robbie hung back.  "You sure about this?"

   I smiled.  "Can you get me a first down?"

   She grinned back.  "Can you get me the ball?"

   We set up, Jake at center.  Mark Russell, who had the only decent foot
on the team was about six yards behind him.  I was three yards from the
line and a yard-and-a half to the right.

   "Down!" I looked around.  "Set!" I saw Robbie at the far end across from
one of the Sasquatch twins.  "Fourteen!" Their backfield was spread out
waiting for the punt.  "Eleven!" Well, thirteen always was my lucky number.
"Thirteen!"

   Jake snapped the ball diagonally to me.  I caught it, shifted it until I
could feel the threads.  Mark took two steps forward and kicked thin air. I
pulled the ball up by my ear and fired a short pass.

   Robbie hit Sasquatch with her left shoulder, then rolled right and to
the side of him.  She reached up in the air and pulled the ball down and
into her side.  She'd gotten three good steps before anyone knew she had
the ball.

   Robbie took about three more steps, then jerked to the right just as one
of the Cougars dived for her legs.  He missed, and she spun out of another
defender's reach and started running toward the sideline.  A Cougar grabbed
her by the shoulder pads from the back, but she refused to go down.  She
took a step, then another, dragging him along.

   Another Cougar hit her from the side, and she almost went down, but
managed to struggle up.  The player on her back had been knocked off.  She
jumped over a player diving for her knees and managed another five steps
before the Cougar quarterback nailed her right in the chest and knocked her
onto her back.

   Seventeen yards.  We had our first down with four yards to spare.  I
might actually get to play some more ball.

   The Pasco coach was yelling that she'd gone down, her knee had touched,
but all three officials were shaking him off.

   I rushed to Robbie.  "You okay?"

   She smiled weakly.  "You got me the ball."

   I grinned back.  "You got me the first down."

   She slapped me on the back and started to jog toward the huddle, but she
looked a little shaky.

   Mike was running onto the field pointing at me.

   I nodded, then looked toward the sideline and caught the coach's eye.  I
pointed toward Robbie, then toward the sideline.  He nodded, and called up
Cory Wood to replace her.

   I ran toward Robbie, caught up, and steered her toward the sidelines.  I
parked her on a bench and ran to the coach.

   He grabbed my face mask and pulled me close until his forehead was
almost touching my helmet.  "What do you think you're doing out there?" he
yelled.

   "Playing football," I yelled back.  "Ya see an opening, you go for it."

   The coach stared, then jerked me forward, his head bumping my helmet. 
"Good job.  Go make sure she's all there."

   I grinned and nodded.

   I sat next to Robbie, putting my arm around her.  "How's my Monster
Girl?"

   "Okay," she said without enthusiasm.  "How come I always get tackled by
guys bigger than me?"

   "I don't know.  Maybe because you're the smallest person on both teams."

   "Doesn't seem fair."

   "If it was any more fair, they'd outlaw you."

   "I say we call it a draw, and you and I go jump in a hot tub."

   "That is the best plan I've heard today.  Think you can sell them on
it?" I pointed to the opposite sideline.

   "Damn competitive bastards," she muttered.

   I laughed at Monster Girl calling anyone competitive.

   "It's been a long season," she sighed.

   "It's not over yet.  You think next year we should throw a game or two
so we don't have to mess with play-offs?"

   "Bite your tongue," Robbie said with a laugh.

   I glanced at the field.  "Thirty-nine right," I said before looking back
at Robbie.  "I think I'll let you bite it for me."

   She watched the play unfold.  Mike gained three yards, third and seven.

   "So what are you going to do with yourself without football or the
play?" I asked as the team huddled again.

   "I don't know.  What's next?" She nodded toward the field.

   "Twenty-two left."

   "I suppose I could catch up on my homework," she mused.

   "Like you're behind," I scoffed.

   "I'm not behind, I'm just not as far ahead as I'd like."

   I nodded and we watched the play on the field.  We gained another two
yards.

   "Punt," we said together.

   "That's a given," I added.

   "Unless you're on the field," Robbie accused.

   "Sometimes I even surprise myself."

   Robbie looked at me thoughtfully, then we watched the game.  Pasco
received the kick and brought the ball back out to our thirty yardline.

   Our defense did a hell of a job, and four downs later the Cougars
punted. Mike took the kick on our forty and ran it back to their
forty-nine. So far we were keeping the game on their half of the field.

   "Okay, hotshot," Robbie challenged.  "What's he gonna run now?"

   "Eighteen to Brian," I said confidently.

   We watched as Mike executed number eighteen in our playbook.  The pass
to Brian was blocked by a Cougar defender.

   Robbie looked at me.

   I shrugged.  "Probably twenty-three left or he might get tricky and go
seven tackle eligible."

   Robbie got off the bench and wandered over to the coach.  A second later
he yelled, "Sims!"

   I jumped up and hurried over.

   "Tate says you think Mike is predictable."

   "I'm not complaining," I explained, wondering why Robbie would rat me
out like that.  "Mike's doing a great job.  The Cougars have to be the
toughest team in the state."

   "Sims..." he paused while we watched the play, twenty-three left.  Mike
gained four yards.  Second and six.  "What's next?"

   "I don't know, I'm just guessing."

   "Sims!"

   I sighed.  "He'll probably go thirty-nine right again."

   "Do you know what the play is when I send it in?"

   "About half the time," I admitted.

   The coach shook his head.  "No wonder we can't get anywhere.  We're
predictable, and they've studied us."

   "Our big plays have come when Tony was out there," Robbie added.  "Even
he doesn't know what he's going to do next.

   The team ran thirty-nine right and gained two whole yards.  Third and
four.

   The coach slapped our backs.  "You're in."

   I pulled my helmet on as we ran out.  I tapped Mike, while Robbie called
out her guy.  I leaned into the huddle.  "Okay guys, thirty-one right. 
Robbie, you're a distraction.  Next play, no huddle.  Robbie, you take it,
what's up?"

   She nodded, "Fourteen.  Brian you're the man."

   Brian grinned and nodded.

   We clapped and headed for our spots.  On the snap, Robbie took off and
streaked down the field, three Cougars trying to pace her.  Brian was about
five yards down the opposite sideline.  I sent the ball spiraling right
into his arms.  He caught it easily and got another four yards before
getting bumped out of bounds.  First down on the thirty-five.

   No huddle.  Jake hiked the ball almost before the Cougars knew what was
happening.  Robbie took the snap, took three steps back, the ball coming up
by her ear.  This time, it was my turn to sprint down the left side, then
button hook back toward the center.  Robbie faked a passing motion toward
me, then underhanded it to Brian.  He caught it and plunged straight up the
middle, making five yards.

   We trotted back to the huddle.  "Okay ladies, thirty more yards and we
put some numbers on that big scoreboard.  Forty-four.  Brian, you're gonna
get a workout." He nodded.  "Then we go no huddle with Robbie in the slot
running sixty-nine."

   We clapped and broke.

   Jake snapped the ball.  I took three steps back, looked for Brian, and
found one of the Sasquatch twins sitting on my chest.  Note to self: ouch.

   No huddle, we set up and Robbie called the count.  On four, Jake snapped
the ball.  I started from the left and ran behind Robbie.  She slapped the
ball in my stomach but didn't let go.  I passed Brian coming from the right
side.  Robbie faked the handoff to him too, then plowed up the middle.

   First down on the Cougar twenty.

   Three more plays and we only made four yards.  The damn Sasquatch Twins
seemed to be everywhere.  Maybe we could get the refs to check their birth
certificates.  They probably went to UW.

   We got back to the huddle, fourth and six.

   "We gonna punt?" Robbie asked.

   "Hell no.  Jake, you make a touchdown this year?" Jake shook his head.
"Here's your chance.  On two."

   We hustled out of the huddle.  "Fourteen!" The Cougars could see we
weren't gonna punt.  "Six!" Robbie was in motion, running behind me from
the left side.  "Two!" Jake snapped the ball between his legs.  I touched
it, then took three steps back, looking for Robbie.  Jake pulled the ball
back to his stomach and blocked the Cougar in front of him.  The Cougar saw
a hole open up between Jake and Doug and rushed through it, crashing into
me before I could pass my imaginary ball.  Jake started running.  A Cougar
brought him down on the eleven, a yard short of our first down.

   The third quarter ended with nobody on the scoreboard, but we hadn't let
the Cougars past the fifty.

   Mike went back in when we got the ball, but the coach had gotten through
to him about being predictable, cause now, even I didn't know what he was
going to do.

   But both teams were getting tired.  The fourth quarter turned into a
dance, up and down the field.  The Cougars got within five before we
stopped them, then we fought back to their ten.

   With four minutes left, we'd fought our way to their twenty and the
coach decided to go for the field goal.  I called the count, "Sixteen,
fourteen, seven!" Jake snapped the ball.  I caught it and centered it on
the ground.  Mark ran up and booted it right down the center.  I stood, and
we watched it sail through the air--right into the damned crossbar--and
bounce back.

   As I jogged off the field, I wondered if maybe we could raid the soccer
team for a kicker.  Hell, even the girl's soccer team.  None of us could
kick worth a damn.

   At the two minute mark, the Cougars had gotten to our twenty-five and
tried their own kick.  It was perfect as it sailed right between the
uprights.  Pasco was on the board and we had one hundred and eleven seconds
to get there too.

   Mike, Robbie, and I jogged out to the field.  Halfway there, I clapped
Mike on the back.  "After tonight, I'll be the quarterback for this team,"
I said with a sneer.  I sped up before he could reply.

   Mike glared at me in the huddle.  He called for twenty-one right on two.
On the snap, he faded back and fired a bullet right into Robbie's arms. 
She ran out-of-bounds before she could get tackled and stopped the clock.
First down on our twenty.  I ran off the field and told Cory to go in for
me.

   "What are you doing here?" the coach growled.

   "Mike's not going to use me.  Might as well let Cory get some playing
time."

   "Now what?" His exasperation showing.

   "This is a good thing," I said.  "I hope," I added under my breath.

   I watched as Mike took the snap and plowed through the Cougar line for
another seven yards.  But the clock was ticking away.  Forty-four seconds.

   We didn't huddle.  Mike called a fast count, Jake hiked it right into
his hands, Robbie was streaking down the field.  Mike launched the ball
high in the air.  I watched as it came down right where Robbie was.  A
Cougar brought her down before she could get out.  First down on the Cougar
thirty-two, but only twenty-eight seconds and the clock was ticking down.

   Mike didn't huddle.  He called something I couldn't hear, and the team
took their positions.  Another short count and Mike took the snap.  He
pretended to hand-off to Robbie, then fired an eight-yard bullet right to
the waiting Brian.  Brian made another six yards before running out of
bounds.  First down on the eighteen, but at least the damned clock had
stopped.  I looked up.  Fifteen seconds.

   One, maybe two plays and eighteen yards.  It was doable.

   The team huddled, and I saw Robbie point toward me, but Mike shook his
head.  They broke and headed for their positions.  Jake snapped the ball.
Mike faked the handoff to Brian, then slapped the ball into Robbie's
stomach.

   Robbie sprinted toward the sideline, then turned toward the goal, making
nine yards before running out-of-bounds.  We were second and one, but more
important, we were nine yards from the state championship.  Three seconds
on the clock.

   A field goal would tie it up, but even from this distance our kicking
was too iffy.  I saw the coach signal to Mike to go for it.

   This was what football was all about.  One play for the state
championship.

   "He's gonna run it himself," I said.

   "What?" the coach asked, standing beside me.

   I hadn't even realized that I'd spoken out loud.  I wasn't sure if the
coach was asking what I said or why I said it.  I decided to answer the
second.

   "We've seen the same movie." The Replacements.  Gene Hackman to Keanu
Reeves.  "A winner always wants the ball."

   Which was okay, unless they showed the movie in Pasco too.

   Mike took the hike, faked a handoff to Robbie, then tucked the ball
under his arm and started running.  At first it seemed to be working.  Most
of the defense seemed to be keyed on Robbie.

   Mike was past the line of scrimmage.

   The defense realized that Robbie didn't have the ball and looked around.


   Mike was at the seven.

   The Cougars picked up on the ball.

   Mike was at the six.

   The whole Cougar team seemed to be homing in on him.

   The five.

   The Sasquatch Twins were out in front of the mob.  They were big, but
they could move.

   The four.

   It was going to be close.

   The three.

   I could see Sasquatch number one getting ready to lunge.

   The two.

   Sasquatch number one launched himself toward Mike's knees.  Number two
launched toward Mike's chest.  Mike leaped toward the goal line.

   The three of them hit in the air and went down.  Three more Cougars
joined the pile.  Part of the pile was over the goal, but where was Mike?
And where was the ball?

   The refs all came running up, and slowly the pile unpiled itself.  Then
the head ref was looking at the stands, his arms over his head and waving.
No touchdown.  Mike was less than six inches from the chalk line, but close
only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.  We lost.

   Bedlam.  A small word, only six letters.  But that's what the field
became.  Hundreds of Pasco fans poured onto the field, surrounding their
team.  Our team slunk toward our sidelines.

   It took almost fifteen minutes before the state officials could restore
enough order to present us our two-foot trophy and Pasco their five-foot
one.  Then the two teams lined up and shook hands.  Robbie had taken off
her helmet and shaken out her hair, and it was obvious that most of the
Pasco players wanted to do more than shake her hand.

   As we went back toward our sideline, I walked over to Mike and held out
my hand.  "Great game.  Especially that last drive."

   Mike ignored my hand and turned toward me.  "Remember this," he said and
I sensed his fist coming toward my stomach and tensed up just in time. 
"There's only one quarterback on this team."

   I doubled over as the air left my lungs before I was done with it.

   I stood back up, taking small breaths.  "That was fun.  Want to try it
again?"

   Mike looked surprised.

   Robbie came up next to him.  "If you were half as smart as you think you
are, you'd realize that Tony was making you mad to get you at the top of
your game.  And it worked."

   Mike's face fell as he realized what she was saying.

   Robbie reached down and, with her fist, rapped on Mike's protective cup.
"And sucker punch one of my friends again, and I'll make you a eunuch."

   Mike turned white and walked away.  I hoped he believed her.  I know I
did.  The team was sitting and standing around the benches, looking like
they'd just heard that the cheerleaders were going to start wearing parkas
and snow pants instead of short skirts.

   "What is your problem?" I asked.

   They looked at me, but nobody said anything.  "You're bummed because
we're the second best team in the state?  Last year we lost more games than
we won; this year we lost one.  And the one we lost was by inches.  And
people will talk about that last drive for years."

   Larry stood up.  "Goddamned sophomores.  Don't even know enough to be
depressed."

   "He's a sophomore?" I looked behind me and saw the Cougar quarterback.

   "They both are," Larry said, pointing to Robbie beside me.

   "I'm glad I'm a senior then.  I just wanted to tell you guys that you're
the toughest team we've ever faced.  This was a hell of a championship."

   Most of the team perked up at the compliment.

   He looked at Robbie.  "Ever date quarterbacks?"

   "Him," she said, hooking her thumb at me.

   "Ever consider moving to Pasco?"

   "No way.  But maybe I'll visit." She stepped forward and wrapped her arm
around him and kissed him.  Hard.  And long.

   "Oh, God!" he moaned when she let loose.

   "Holy shit!" Larry said with a grin.  "If you'd done him like that
before the game, we'd be the champs now."

   Chapter 49

   It had been a hell of a Monday.  If anyone learned anything, it was a
pure accident.  The school was celebrating.  We were the second-best team
in the state.  And compared to the last several years, that was something.

   We'd won the championship in `93 and hadn't even made the play-offs
since.

   First period, half the student body was still in the halls talking
half-an-hour after the bell rang.  It could have been a problem, except
most of the teachers were out there with us.

   Second period, we had an assembly where Larry and Jimmy, as co-captains,
presented our nice shiny-if-short trophy to Mrs.  Jeffries and Mr.  Mulino.
She cried, and he grinned a lot.  We were supposed to have the presentation
outside in the bleachers at the football field, but an unforecast freezing
rain moved it into the auditorium.

   The coach handed out our letters, along with miniature trophies for
second in state.  Normally, we had an athletic banquet for all the fall
sports for things like that.

   We got some certificates for the school, league, and state records we'd
broken during the season.  He also had special awards for everyone on the
team.  Mine was for widening his bald spot.  Jimmy and Larry shared one as
the heart and soul of the team.  Mike got his as the team mover, and I had
to admit, he'd moved the ball.

   Robbie got MVP, which was the only award voted by the team instead of
made up by the coach.  I found out later that it was one vote short of
unanimous, and I had a good guess who'd voted for himself instead of
Monster Girl.  I thought the coach was gonna cry during the presentation.
He told a whitewashed version of how she had to trick her way onto the
middle school team.  He didn't mention my name, but I noticed a lot of
heads turning toward me as he spoke.  He said that the school and
Washington football would be poorer if she'd just taken the rejection and
gone on to other things.

   When he pointed out that Robbie was not only the only girl to have won
the award, but the first sophomore, Robbie got a standing ovation.

   Then they added some future awards that Larry and Jimmy had created. 
Mike got Most-Likely-to-Lead-His-Team-to-a-Super-Bowl.  Robbie got the
First-Woman-in-the-NFL, and I got
Most-Likely-to-be-Traded-by-Every-Team-in-the-League.  I wondered if the
coach suggested that one.

   The poor basketball teams had it the worst.  As we swaggered the halls,
basking in our almost glory, we kept challenging them to keep the winning
tradition alive.  The boy's team hadn't made the play-offs since
ninety-four.  The girl's team had made play-offs six years in a row, but
hadn't gone the distance.

   Lunch was Round Table Pizza.  The booster club arranged it.  I don't
know how many boxes of pizza and bread sticks they brought in, but nobody
in the school went hungry.  It was definitely a step-up from the
pork-gravy-and-rice on the lunch menu.

   * * *

   "Sims!  I want to talk to you."

   Ever notice how, when one guy says something like that to another guy in
a school hallway, that the center of the hall will open up, no matter how
crowded it is.  It was like two gunfighters squaring off in the old West.

   I glanced sideways at Mike about twenty feet down the hall.  "Just a
minute." I finished jamming books into my backpack and closed my locker.  I
set my backpack, jacket and gym bag down at Tami's feet.

   "What can I do for you?" I asked as I stepped out into the hall.  It was
unconscious on my part, but Mike and I were each in the center, with fifty
or sixty students squished against the walls and lockers.  I wished I'd
been wearing a jacket.  I could open it up and push the flap back behind my
imaginary holster, then flex my fingers a few times.

   "In private." He nodded his head toward Mr.  Howard's room.  I nodded
and followed him in and closed the door.  Mr.  Howard's room was the only
classroom in the school that didn't have a window in the door, which must
have disappointed our fans.

   "I don't like you," he said, when I faced him again.

   Damn!  Major newsflash.  Stop the presses.  Extra!  Extra!

   "That's too bad.  I like you a lot.  I want to be just like you when I
grow up."

   Mike looked like I hit him between the eyes with a baseball bat.  He
hesitated, then started over.  "I don't like you.  But I wanted to say I
respect you."

   Huh?

   "You're a great football player.  Maybe even better than me, since you
play almost everywhere."

   That had to hurt.

   "And I realized that Robbie was right.  You were trying to get me mad
Friday night, to get me to play better.  I realized that even if you'd
thought those things, you wouldn't have said them, especially not there."

   Yeah.  I did all the work, and he got the trophy for game MVP.

   "I know you're good.  And Robbie too.  And that made me work harder to
stay out in front.  And the coach told me that you're the one who figured
out that Pasco was anticipating me."

   I wondered if Mike had actually learned something or if he was trying to
practice team leadership the same way he practiced passing by throwing the
football through a tire.

   Mike stepped closer to me and held out his hand.  "Thank you for being
on my team."

   I decided that he was practicing team leadership.  If he'd learned
anything he would have said, `Thanks for being on THE team with me.'

   I shook his hand anyway.  "It was a pleasure," I lied.  "I learned a
lot."

   * * *

   "You're awfully quiet," Tami observed as we walked toward the middle
school.  At least the rain, freezing or otherwise had stopped.

   "I was just wondering if it was too early to start campaigning for team
captain next year."

   "Just so Mike won't get it?"

   "Do you really think I'm that petty?"

   Tami slip her arm around me and into my back pocket, then laid her head
against my shoulder as we walked.  "Yep."

   Don't you just hate when a girl knows you too well?

   * * *

   "Ladies, this is Tony Sims.  He's going to help Tami and me with the
team."

   Eight smiling faces looked up at me.  They all had big smiles, but about
half showed strain beneath the smiles.  The girls were all in the splits.
Four of them were all the way down and seemed relaxed.  The other four were
pushing down and obviously uncomfortable.  Kelly was in the first group;
Traci was in the second.

   "We always do our team meetings while the girls are in their splits,"
Miss Calloway explained.

   "Yeah, it's so much easier this way," one of the straining girls
grunted.

   I grinned at her, and she stuck her chest further out.  Beneath her
form-fitting leotard it looked like there were two M&M's glued to her
otherwise flat chest.  I wondered if they were plain or peanut.

   I looked around.  They were all cute.  And all had the beginnings of
nice bodies.  Five of them wore single ponytails, two had doubles.  I had
an e-mail friend who was really into ponytails.  I'd have to take a picture
and send it to him.  Between the leotards and the ponytails, he'd be in
heaven.

   "Tony is going to help with the spotting," Miss Calloway continued.

   "He'll be a big help," Kelly said.  "He knows nothing about gymnastics."


   I think she was just joking around, but there was a slight edge to her
jibe.

   "Kelly, two extra laps tonight," Miss Calloway said.

   "Yes ma'am," Kelly said and looked down at her pointed toe.

   "You know," I said with a smile, "Kelly's right.  I don't know much
about gymnastics."

   "He's teaching me," Traci interrupted.  "And you know I'm getting
better."

   Several girls nodded, including Kelly.

   I decided not to point out that Kelly had taught me most of what I was
teaching Traci.  "I was going to say that I don't know much about
gymnastics, but I don't think it's fair that half of you are working and
the other half relaxing."

   "It's not my fault that I've got my splits and they don't," Kelly
protested, and the other three girls who were down nodded.

   "A couple of years ago, a bright, cute girl was explaining why
gymnastics was better than football or baseball.  She said, `In gymnastics,
no matter how good you get, you can always try to get better.'"

   "I said that?" Kelly asked, sounding surprised that I'd remembered.

   "You think she's cute?" a blond who was all the way down asked.

   "She was.  She outgrew it."

   Kelly stuck her tongue out.

   "Since gymnastics is all about pushing limits..." I walked over to the
wall and picked up four pieces of hard foam.  I came back and started
putting them under the front foot of the gymnasts who had their splits. 
The first three got foam blocks that were about six inches square.  As I
lifted their foot to slid the foam under, their hips lifted, and they
started to press down and obviously felt some of the strain the other girls
were in.

   The last block was about twelve inches square.

   "No way," Kelly said as I started lifting her foot.

   I lifted her foot higher.  "You showed me one of your gymnastics
magazines last summer, there was a picture of a gymnast with her foot on a
chair.  That's twice as high as this, and her split was all the way down."

   Kelly nodded reluctantly, and I slid the foam under her heel and set her
foot down.

   Point for my side.

   "I thought there were nine of you," I said.

   "Candice quit," one of the girls explained.  "She'd never done
gymnastics before."

   "Neither has Traci," Tami pointed out.

   The girl shrugged.

   "Relax," Miss Calloway said.  The girls got out of their splits and
shook out their legs, then stood and jumped a couple times.  "Second side."
The girls got down on their knees, put their other foot in front, and slid
down into the splits.  Three of the four girls who were all the way down on
the first side were still all the way down, so I went around and lifted
their feet onto their blocks.  I learned later that the girls did their
best side first.  "Introduce yourselves," Miss Calloway suggested.

   "I'm Stephy Ward.  I'm an eighth grader, and I'm on the team in town as
a level seven.  I've been doing this since I was four." The girl was the
smallest in the group, and I was surprised that she was an eighth grader.
She had medium length brown hair pulled back into a loose ponytail and a
chest without a single bump.  She was one who had her splits.

   "Oh, and I do all four," she added.  Tami had explained that in high
school and middle school gymnastics, the team would have six girls compete
each event, and the top five scores would count for the team.  Usually, one
or two of the girls would be all-around, would do all four events.  The
rest specialized in just one or two.  In club gymnastics, like the team in
town, almost all gymnasts competed all-around.

   "I'm Rachel Clark.  I'm in seventh.  I'm a five in town.  I do beam and
floor.  I've been in gymnastics two years." Rachel was a blond, her hair
cut so short that she didn't need a pony tail.  Rachel also had her splits.

   "I'm Kelly Temple," Kelly said with a grin.  "I'm a seventh grader and a
level six.  I'm the other all-arounder."

   "You forgot to mention that you're a pain, but have two beautiful
sisters." Kelly stuck her tongue out at me.

   I looked at Tami.  "Remind me later to ask Miss Calloway if I can give
out those penalty laps." Tami nodded, and Miss Calloway, who was sitting
two feet away smiled.

   "I'm Brianna Lane.  I vault.  I'm in seventh, and I used to be on the
team in town, but I dropped out, I hate the bars." Brianna was a strawberry
blond, hair medium short and a Pebbles Flintstone ponytail coming out of
the top of her head.

   "I'm Susie Calloway.  No relation," she said, nodding at Miss Calloway.

   "How about Coach Calloway at the high school?" I asked.

   "He's my uncle."

   "Then you're Ricky's cousin."

   "No.  He's mine."

   "He's a good friend of mine."

   "I know.  He says you'd be a great baseball player if you'd stop getting
suspended during baseball season."

   I felt my face getting red, but couldn't stop it.  Several of the girls
giggled.

   "I do bars and vault," Susie continued.  "I used to be on the team, but
had to drop out when I didn't keep my grades up." Susie was blond and had
stereo ponytails.

   "I'm Miranda Williams.  I do vault, bars and floor.  I hate the beam. 
I'm a six in town and an eighth grader." Miranda had black hair in a loose
ponytail.

   "I'm Maria Hernandez.  I do beam and floor.  I'm in eighth.  I was on
the team before I started playing soccer." Maria was Hispanic, like her
name suggested, and beautiful, kind of like Catherine Zeta-Jones in the
Zorro movie.

   Traci grinned.  "I'm Traci Sims.  I've never done gymnastics before, but
I've got a big brother who's a superstar athlete and wanted to try this. 
I'm learning beam."

   I nodded.  "If I added right, that's five on vault, beam and floor.  And
four on bars.  I thought there was supposed to be six on each?"

   "It's a small team," Miss Calloway explained.

   "That's easy.  Traci, you'll do vault, bars and floor too.  Now we just
need another girl for bars and one for beam."

   "Tony!" You gotta love that look on Traci's face.

   * * *

   "Is she always like that?"

   Tami looked over at the bars where Kelly was practicing her routine. 
"Pretty much.  Why?"

   I shook my head.  "That's more than practice."

   "She likes to win.  She practices hard.  You're the athlete, I'd think
you'd understand that."

   "I understand practice, and, like I said, that's more than practicing
hard.  That's attacking.  She's working off a mad."

   "But, she's always like that."

   "It must be a hell of a big mad."

   Chapter 50

   "Sit down.  Both of you."

   Damn!  Family meeting.  Never good.  I knew Tami and I should have
gotten out right after dinner.

   Traci and I sat on either end of the sofa, Dad in his chair, and Mom
hovered behind him instead of settling on the arm.  No wonder Mom had asked
Tami to wait for me in my room.

   "We, uh, I, uh, we have something important to talk to you about." Dad
couldn't decide how to assign blame, or responsibility, or whatever. 
Definitely not a good sign.

   "I, well, uh, I lost my job."

   "What?" Traci exclaimed.

   "How could that happen?" I demanded.  "They need you."

   To be honest, I wasn't all that sure what dad did.  He was some kind of
strategic planner for the state.  I didn't understand it, but I had the
impression that he was good at it.  At least his boss, Bill Miller, always
said he couldn't do his job without Dad.

   "I don't get it.  How could they fire you?" I asked.

   "They didn't exactly fire me.  I quit."

   "Why?"

   Dad looked up at Mom, then back at Traci and me.  "They moved my job to
the capital.  To Olympia."

   "Oh." I'd been upset when we moved here from California.  I'd had to
leave my old school and all my friends.  Dad didn't want to do that to me
again.  I looked over at Traci.  It was obvious that she'd figured it out,
too.

   "If we have to move, I'll understand," I said.  Traci nodded.

   Mom smiled.  "And I thought you didn't like to lie."

   "It's a done deal." Dad said.  "I quit two weeks ago."

   Thank you, God.  Wait a minute.  "Two weeks ago?  Why didn't you say
something?" That explained why they'd been acting weird.

   "You were in the middle of play-offs.  I, we, your mom and I, decided to
wait till that was over."

   "Well, at least you get unemployment while you find something else," I
said, trying to look at the bright side.  I wondered if anyone around here
needed a strategic planner besides the state.

   "Uh, not exactly.  The employment department say that since I quit, I
don't qualify.  I'm appealing that I wouldn't have quit if they didn't want
to move me halfway across the state, but it could take awhile."

   "So, for now, we're living on my salary," Mom said.  "Things may get
tight, but we'll be okay."

   Traci and I nodded.

   "Honey, I know you wanted to take some classes at the gymnastics club,
but that'll have to wait awhile."

   Traci's face scrunched up a little, but she nodded.  Maybe I imagined
it, but I thought I saw a tear in the corner of her eye.

   I snagged the phone on my way back to my room.

   "What's up?" Tami asked.

   I explained about Dad and his job.

   Tami had been sitting at my desk and playing solitaire on my computer. I
picked her up and deposited her on my bed, then took her place.  As I
angled the monitor so that she couldn't see, she gave me a funny look. 
"It's not a secret," I explained as I called up my special spreadsheet and
entered the password to unlock it.  "It's information that's temporally
inconvenient."

   "Temporally inconvenient," she repeated, but seemed to accept.  She
probably assumed it had to do with Christmas.

   My spreadsheet had my bank balance as of last week, and my total
available with the anticipated matching payments from my grandfathers.  It
also had the total price of my car, equipped the way I wanted.  At the
moment the two totals were only seventeen dollars apart.  I sighed and
removed the DVD player and thirty gig MP3 player and replaced it with an
AM/FM/Cassette.  The total for the car changed.  I sighed again, saved my
change and closed the spreadsheet.

   I made a call that took about ten minutes.  When I finished, I looked
Tami in the eye.  "You saw nothing.  You heard nothing."

   Tami shook her head.  "Damn, it must be hard work keeping everyone from
knowing you're a nice guy."

   "Brutal," I agreed.  "Ya think if I slip your mom ten bucks, she'd take
off for a couple of hours and see a movie."

   Tami grinned.  "What's playing?"

   "Not a clue."

   "We can take a shot."

   I grinned, stood, and held out my hand.  Tami took it, and we went out
to the living room.  Mom was perched in her usual spot next to Dad.  Traci
was on her stomach on the floor.  They were watching the first Harry Potter
movie.  I didn't know if it was on TV or a DVD.

   "Squirt, you should sit in the splits while you watch."

   Traci looked up and stuck her tongue out.

   "Sit-ups during the commercials wouldn't hurt either."

   "Hah!" she said triumphantly.  That told me it was a DVD.

   "We're going over to Tami's," I announced, and nobody reacted.

   Tami and I got our coats out of the closet and got ready to go.  At
least it wasn't raining at the moment.  "By the way, Mom!"

   She looked up.

   "Traci needs a ride to gymnastics tomorrow."

   Mom looked confused as I put my hand on the doorknob.  "What do you
mean? Gymnastics is at the school.  She's already at the school."

   "Not that gymnastics.  The club in town," I explained as I opened the
door.  Now Traci and Dad looked confused too.

   "What are you talking about?" Traci demanded.

   "You got a scholarship.  You've got classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays at
six-thirty."

   "What scholarship?" Mom demanded.

   My mind went blank.  "It's, uh, it's, it's for sisters of football
players whose teams finished in the top three in state."

   Mom smiled.  "You want to think about that and try again in an hour?"

   "Can I do that?" I asked innocently as I ushered Tami out the door.

   Chapter 51

   It wasn't exactly raining.  Raining implies that water is coming from
point A and going to point B.  The water was here.  It was just hanging.  I
guess you'd call it misting.  Add to that a cold wind swooping down from
the North, and it was a miserable morning to be standing on the highway
waiting for a bus.

   And I felt good.

   Fifty-eight days from now, I'd stand here for the last time.  After
that, I was mobile.

   I looked around the familiar group.  Traci was the only one who seemed
in a good mood.  She was still bubbly from her first gymnastics class last
night.  I'd signed her up for an advanced beginning class, arguing that
since she was already on the middle school team, a beginning class would be
too slow.  She had her class, and they moved her up to the intermediate
group.  I figured it would be Christmas break before her feet touched the
ground again.

   I looked at Tami, her face cocooned in the fur-lined hood of her jacket.
She looked apprehensive, though I couldn't figure why.

   Zoe was back.  She'd missed Monday and yesterday.  I didn't know if
she'd had the flu or what, but she didn't look all that hot.  She had all
the color of Wednesday Addams.  I was wondering...  The bus pulled up and I
couldn't remember what I'd been wondering.  Ah well, such is life.

   I swung into the third seat, and Tami sat beside me.  The rain must have
had everybody down because the bus was almost silent as it worked up the
highway, stopping every couple hundred yards to pick up one or two
passengers.

   We drove past Robbie's road, since she wasn't on the corner.

   "Where's Robbie?" I wondered out loud.

   "Her dad's bringing her in this morning," Tami supplied.

   "Oh."

   "She called a few minutes before I went out to the bus."

   "Oh."

   Tami was looking everywhere in the bus except at me.  I grinned. 
"You're hiding something," I accused.

   "I'm not," she stammered.  "No secrets.  Just some things that are
temporally inconvenient."

   "Temporally inconvenient?" An odd phrase.  Then I remembered where I'd
heard the phrase before.  "Oh."

   "I was thinking about the Brady Bunch," she said whimsically.

   My mind immediately pictured Marsha.  I may lust after red-heads and be
in love with a brunette, but Marsha was just, well, Marsha.

   "Stop drooling, and wipe that stupid look off your face," Tami
commanded.

   I don't think I actually drooled, but I tried to compose my face.

   "Remember the episode where Greg wrote a song, and the kids got a chance
to record it, but Peter's voice was changing?"

   "Uh, yeah.  I think so."

   "So Greg wrote a new song, Time to Change."

   "Yeah?"

   "Well, it just goes to show that change can be a good thing."

   "I guess.  You weren't thinking of flying to Sweden for an operation
were you?"

   It took her a second to figure out the reference.  "Yuck!  No."

   "Just checking." I laid my arm across her shoulders and hugged her.

   Tami flung her hands up in front of her.  "I give up."

   * * *

   "Tony!" Tami said solemnly.  "Look at me.

   I'd been rooting through my locker looking for my history notes.  I
looked up.  Tami's locker is to the left of mine, but she'd moved to my
right.  I straightened up and faced her.  That put my back to the front
entrance.

   "I want you to take a deep breath."

   I cocked my head slightly in surprise but followed her instruction.

   "Let it out slow and remember to think before you speak."

   I always think before I...

   "Hi guys," Robbie's voice said from behind me.

   I turned, planning to make a comment about Tami's weirdness.  "What the
fuck did you do?"

   "Tony, breathe," Tami recommended from behind me.

   I looked at Robbie again.  "What the fu...  hell did you do?"

   "Like it?"

   "No!"

   Robbie frowned, and I knew that Tami's face behind me mirrored hers.  "I
mean, I liked it before.  This is going to take some getting used to.

   Robbie's long red hair was gone.  It was still red, but now it was
shorter than mine.

   "I want it back," I whined.

   Robbie's frown was turning into a mad.  "Get used to it.  It would take
me ten years to grow it all back.  If I want to."

   "But you were so beautiful." Did you ever say something and realize even
as the words left your mouth that it was a big mistake?

   "I WAS?"

   I wondered if I could handle Monster Girl in full eruption.  One little
past tense.  I thought about hiding behind Tami, but sensed that she'd
taken a step back and I was on my own.

   "Roberta Elizabeth Marie Tate.  You are a beautiful..." My brain went
into hyper-drive.  This was one of those word choices that I hated.  Woman,
young woman, girl, lady.  All were correct, but all had connotations that
could sink me further into the pit I was digging.

   "...very beautiful girl." To hell with it.  She's fifteen years old, if
she's offended by girl, too bad.  "If I was seeing you today for the first
time, my mouth would be hanging open and the drool flowing freely.  But
I've known you for two-and-a-half years with your long flowing locks.  I
loved your hair.  This is going to take some getting used to."

   Robbie's face softened.  "I know it will.  You definitely had a thing
for my hair.  I thought about going blond too, but decided you were too
young for a cardiac care ward."

   "My heart thanks you."

   Robbie giggled.  "Tami suggested that I take off an inch or two a week,
so that you could adjust."

   I whirled.  "You knew!" I accused, pointing my finger at her nose.

   "I tried to talk her out of it."

   "She did too," Robbie said from behind me.  "But it was time for a
change."

   "But your hair," I whimpered.  "All your beautiful hair.  Just lying on
a beauty shop floor."

   "Not exactly."

   I turned to look at Robbie again.  She still didn't look like Robbie. 
"What not exactly?"

   "It wasn't just swept out with the trash."

   If I looked as lost and confused as I felt, I was truly pathetic.

   "Do you remember that story that you printed out for me to read?"

   Story?  What's a story got to do with anything?  I shrugged.

   "The one by that Night Hawk guy.  Once More with Feeling."

   I tried to remember.  I read so much that it was hard to keep straight
sometimes.  Night Hawk was one of the authors on ASSM.  I remembered.  Once
More with Feeling was the reincarnation story.  It was only about half
done. It was a serial that had a lot of chapters to go, but it was great so
far.

   "I remember the story, but..." I made a note to see if he'd posted any
more chapters, I think twenty-four was the last one out.

   "Remember when the girl decided to cut her hair?"

   I probably read a hundred thousand words a week, not counting school
stuff, and I'm supposed to remember one haircut in one story?  Let's see.
The girl, whatever her name was, was going to a boarding school.  She went
out for basketball.  No, volleyball.  She decided to cut her hair to make
life easier.

   "Cancer."

   Robbie smiled.

   "She gave her hair to a hospital for kids with cancer," I said.

   "I looked on the web.  I found a group called Wigsforkids dot com. 
They're getting almost all of my hair."

   "You didn't cut your hair..."

   "Just so I could give it away?  No.  And not because of the story
either. I just decided it was time to try something new.  But that kind of
made it easier.  I didn't like the idea of fifteen years of hair lying on
the floor."

   Tami stepped up beside me, slipped her hand into my back pocket, and
hugged me.  "I'm kinda surprised that you didn't do it before football
season."

   Robbie flashed a lop-sided grin.  "That would have made sense, but I
didn't want to then.  But it felt right now."

   I shook my head slowly.  "Would it be politically incorrect to want to
go home to bed and hope that I wake up and this was all a bad dream?"

   "Yes," both girls said together.

   Robbie stepped up to me, shaking her finger in my face.  "Listen slick,
you have forty-eight hours to get used to this, or..."

   "Or what?"

   "Or I won't give you your present."

   "Present?"

   Robbie smiled and pulled my present out of her pocket.

   A thick lock of hair, coppery red and almost three feet long.

   * * *

   I was bored.

   It was Saturday afternoon, and everybody had something to do except me.

   Traci had gone to some open gym thing at the gymnastics club, and Mom
and Dad were at a wine tasting.  Robbie had taken Tami to her beauty shop,
though with a promise that Tami's hair would come back intact.  Mikee and
Kelly had gone to some cousin's baby shower.  The whole damn world had
stuff to do.

   I thought about taking a walk, but it was drizzling outside.  I'd
finished my homework.  Hell, I'd already finished the two papers and extra
reading for Christmas vacation, and that didn't start for five more days
yet.

   I'd looked on the internet, and the Night Hawk dude hadn't put up any
new chapters, and nothing else on ASSM grabbed my interest.

   I decided to read a book.  Nothing new.  I'd re-read an old favorite. 
Maybe some Heinlein, Citizen of the Galaxy or Starship Troopers.  Or
Asimov, the robot or foundation stories.  Or Bova's Weathermakers.  No, I
decided.  I know what I'd read.  This will keep me busy for a long time.

   A few minutes later, I was settling on the sofa with a Coke, a box of
girl scout cookies--peanut butter sandwich, my favorites--and The Invader's
Plan, the first book of L.  Ron Hubbard's Mission: Earth magnum opus.

   I had a David Lanz CD on the stereo.

   I put my feet up on the arm of the sofa.

   I opened the book to the first page, My Lord...

   The doorbell rang.

   I closed the book and swung my feet down to the floor.  First I have
nothing to do.  I finally come to terms with that, and the damn doorbell
rings.  I swear if it's somebody trying to bring me to God, I was going to
convert them to Satan.

   I opened the door.

   "Peter!  I haven't seen you in a long time."

   He smiled.  "Can I come in?"

   "Sorry," I said, opening the door wide.  "I was just surprised.  Not
invited to the baby shower?"

   "I don't have enough X chromosomes."

   I pointed him toward Dad's chair, since all my stuff was around the
sofa. "Want a Coke or something?"

   "That'd be great."

   I went to the kitchen and got another Coke.  I came back, handed it to
him and sat down on the sofa.  We sat there in silence for a couple of
minutes.

   "Having more trouble with Tony Gleason?"

   Peter smiled.  "No, he's been pretty quiet since he came back from
suspension." Peter's smile turned into a big grin.  "He asked me about you
once.  Wanted to know if you were as tough as he'd heard."

   "What'd you tell him?"

   "I told him that when you were in the seventh grade, you took a gun away
from my brother, smashed it, and laid him out."

   I smiled back.  "Well, that's not lying.  Exactly." There was another
silence.  "So, what's up?  Just bored?"

   "Not exactly.  I, uh...  Are we friends?"

   That surprised me.  "I'd like to think so.  I mean, we don't hang much,
but I think of you as a friend."

   "Good!"

   "Are you in trouble?  Is there something I can do?"

   Peter smiled shyly and looked down toward his feet.  "It's not like
that. It's...  Mikee says that you don't like the guys Traci goes out
with."

   "Well, she's my little sister, and most guys only want one thing, and
she's sorta innocent.  You know how..." Light bulb.  Okay, I admit it.  I'm
slow at times.  "Traci?"

   "I wanted to ask her to the dance next week."

   Inside I smiled, but I tried to keep a straight face.  "Are you asking
me for my sister's hand?"

   "No.  Well, not exactly.  It's just that, well, you helped me and
everything, and I didn't want you to hate me."

   "Peter, I wouldn't hate you.  Not unless you mistreated Trace, and I
don't think you'd ever do that.  I have no idea if Traci likes you or not,
but if you want to ask her, I say, go for it.  I can't think of anyone I'd
rather see go out with Traci."

   Peter grinned.  No, not grinned.  Peter beamed.  "I feel the same way
about you and my sisters."

   "Go out with your sisters?"

   "I, well, I know you kinda fool around with Mikee and Kelly."

   Is there anybody in the world who doesn't know about my sex life?  Hell,
you'd think I published my diary on the internet.

   "I, uh..." It was my turn to stammer.

   "It's cool.  I've known for a long time.  I know you wouldn't hurt
them."

   "I don't know what to say."

   Peter grinned again.  "You could say you'll put in a good word with your
sister."

   "Blackmail?" I asked jokingly.

   "Desperation."

   "As long as we're talking.  Any idea what's going on with Kelly?"

   Peter's smile faded.  "She hasn't been herself for a long time.  About a
month."

   "I've noticed.  Any idea why?"

   Peter shrugged.

   "Is she going out with anybody?"

   "I don't think so.  She was going out with David Carpenter about a month
ago and just kinda stopped.  She doesn't even go over to friend's houses
much anymore.  She just sits around.  Either in the living room with me and
Mikee, or in her room."

   I processed that.  It was worse than I thought.  What the hell could be
bothering her?  I needed to talk to Tami and Robbie about it.  Mikee too.

   "You know Peter, my man, my beautiful, talented, sexy sister should be
getting dropped off in about a half-an-hour.  It occurs to me that if you
wanted to hang out, you could accidentally run into her, and that might
give you a chance to ask any questions you might have on your mind."

   Peter grinned.

   "And, slip me a buck and I might even disappear on cue."

   Peter stood and turned out a pair of empty pockets.  "Take an IOU?"

   Chapter 52

   "Damn dance!"

   I looked over at Kelly, who was muttering under her breath as she
chalked her hands for the bars.

   "Did you say something?" I asked.

   "I said, oh never mind." She clapped her hands to get rid of excess
chalk and stepped in front of the bars.

   I looked around the gym.  Miss Calloway was spotting some girls on the
vault, Tami was helping Traci make up a beam routine, everybody was
working. I looked back at the bars and watched Kelly's routine.

   "So how was it?" she asked after she'd landed her dismount.

   "Depends?"

   "On what?"

   "Do you want the spectator answer or the coach answer?"

   "The spectator answer."

   "It was awesome.  I can't believe the way you jump from bar to bar and
then the flip off the bar at the end.  Incredible.  Shannon Miller better
start worrying."

   "She's retired," Kelly informed me dryly.  "What's the coach answer?"

   "Well, one leg was higher than the other on that swing beneath the bar."

   "It's called a glide."

   "Thanks," I said, and meant it.  I was still learning the lingo.  "It
looked like you struggled a little with your kip." I cocked my head at her
and she nodded that I'd used the right word.  "Legs were apart when you
jumped to the high bar." She nodded again.  I think she was agreeing with
my assessment.  "And your dismount did look incredible to me, but I've seen
you go higher."

   Kelly smiled.  "Not bad, coach."

   "Can I ask you something?"

   She nodded.

   "Why are you mad at the dance?"

   Kelly looked surprised, then embarrassed.  "I'm not mad at the dance. 
Well, not really.  It's just that everybody else is going, and they all
want to get ready, so we're cutting practice short.  And it's our last
one."

   I nodded.  I knew that all the girls were going to the dance except
Kelly, but that was Kelly's choice.  Traci said at least half-a-dozen guys
asked her.  And I knew that we were only practicing until four-thirty
tonight, instead of five-thirty.  And since tomorrow was only a half-day of
school, there was no practice tomorrow or during Christmas, excuse me,
Winter vacation.

   "Will you watch me again in a little while?"

   I nodded, then went over to the beam to help Traci with her cartwheels.

   I wished I knew what was bothering Kelly.  At least today she wasn't
biting my head off.  But she didn't seem to be having any fun.  Life is
supposed to be fun.  Especially when you're twelve.

   Then I had an idea.

   I told Tami about it as we stood together while Traci showed me the
routine she and Tami had put together.  Routines for beam and floor are a
combination of dance and gymnastics.  Traci's was mostly dance, but the
fact that she did it four feet in the air on a four-foot-wide strip of wood
impressed me.  I sure wasn't getting up there.

   * * *

   "Ready to show me your bars again?" I asked Kelly almost an hour later.

   "Practice is almost over."

   "We've got time."

   Kelly shrugged and walked to the chalk bucket by the bars.  Most of the
girls were already putting stuff away.  Since it was a short practice, Miss
Calloway wasn't going to do conditioning drills.

   Kelly clapped her hands and stepped in front of the bars.  She saluted
me as if I were a judge, then started her routine.  Tami and Miss Calloway
came up beside me as Kelly jumped toward the high bar.  We watched together
as she finished her routine and landed her dismount.

   "Your, uh, glide looked a lot better.  Your kip too.  But your legs were
still apart on your jump to the high bar, and I know you can make that
dismount higher.  Do it again."

   Kelly looked around the gym, all the girls were gone.  "But practice is
over."

   "Don't argue with your coach," Miss Calloway said.

   "Yeah," Tami agreed.  The two of them turned and walked toward the
locker room.

   "But..."

   "Do it again."

   "But..."

   I smiled at her confused face.  "Kelly, is there something you'd rather
be doing?"

   "Uh..."

   "Do it again."

   "But my mom will be waiting."

   "Your mom knows that my mom is picking us up at six.  I called her."

   "But Miss Calloway?"

   "Miss Calloway said that we could stay until six.  The school is open
for the dance anyway.  Are you going to do it again, or just stand there
all night?"

   Kelly re-chalked her hands.  "You did this for me?"

   "Nope, for the team.  If you don't learn to keep those legs together,
we're gonna lose points.  Besides, I had nothing better to do tonight."
Which was true.  The high school dance was tomorrow night.  Why they
decided to have the middle school dance on Tuesday and the high school on
Wednesday, I didn't understand.

   Kelly blinked, a tear forming in the corner of her eye.  "You're a nice
guy." She wiped her eye with her wrist, not wanting to use her chalky
hands.

   I was tempted to tell her to remember that the next time she snapped at
me, but decided that it'd ruin the moment.  I just nodded, then folded my
arms across my chest and tapped my foot as if impatient.

   Kelly smiled.  "I'm going already," she said.

   "How was that?" she asked a minute later after she'd landed.

   "Speaking as a spectator, awesome.  Speaking as a coach, awesome.  That
was incredible."

   Kelly beamed.

   "I was thinking."

   "Robbie says that's a bad sign."

   Sigh.

   Kelly giggled, a sound I hadn't heard in awhile.  Then she put on an
exaggerated straight face.  "Sorry.  What were you thinking coach?"

   "That dismount would look even better if you did it with a straight
body."

   "You mean lay-out my flyaway?"

   "I guess that's what I mean." Note to self, look up a gymnastics
terminology site on the internet.  "Do you think you could?"

   "Maybe.  I've never tried.  I'd need a spot."

   "Okay."

   "Do you know how to spot laid-out flyaways?"

   "Not a clue," I admitted.

   "Flyaways?"

   I shook my head.  "Maybe you could talk to your coach in town," I
suggested.

   She started nodding, then froze.  "Nope.  I'm going to teach you to
teach me."

   So Kelly taught me how her coaches spotted flyaways.  Spotting flyaways
or anything else isn't hard.  It's just a question of timing and leverage.
The hard part is figuring out the timing and leverage.  Of course, working
with a gymnast who could already do the skill helped.

   "You ready to try my lay-out?" Kelly asked as she climbed onto the low
bar.

   "I guess."

   Kelly jumped to the high bar and pulled herself up until she was resting
on her hips.  "It's just like spotting a flyaway when I'm tucked, except
I'll rotate slower." I nodded.  "I think," she added under her breath.

   "I heard that."

   Kelly smiled, then nodded that she was starting.  She pushed backwards
and swung down.  Before, she'd swung up almost even with the high bar, let
go, tucked as her body flipped, and landed lightly on her feet.  This time,
she let go almost as soon as her body passed under the bar and shot
straight forward.  I grabbed her as she went upside down and managed to set
her down on her hands and knees.

   I let go, and she sprawled onto her back.  "Thanks," she said looking up
at me.  "I released a little early."

   "Ya think?" Her life had passed before my eyes.  All except that part
about a month ago that had her so moody.

   She smiled and stared up at the high bar.

   "Want to call it a night?"

   "Nope.  I'm going to get this.  Besides, I trust my spotter."

   I wished I did.

   Kelly climbed to her feet, grabbed the support pole for the high bar,
and shinnied up.  "Ready?" she asked when she was resting on her hips
again.

   I nodded, though inside I was thinking about how Mrs.  Temple had
freaked when I brought Peter home a little bloody.  What was she going to
do when I brought Kelly home with her head hanging off to the side.

   Kelly pushed backwards and swung down.  She passed under the high bar,
then started swinging up the other side.  As she got to about a thirty
degree below horizontal angle, she released and started pulling her toes
over her head.  I reached in, grabbed her hips, and helped her rotate.  She
landed on her feet with one big step forward to catch her balance.

   "That's what I'm talking about," she said sassily.

   We did it eight more times, the last four all by herself.  I just stood
back and watched.  Her form wasn't great, but considering that she'd
basically taught herself in less than an hour, I was impressed.

   We sat on a stack of mats.

   "Feeling better?" I asked.

   Kelly nodded.

   I took a deep breath, held it, and let it out.  "So how come you didn't
go to the dance?"

   I was watching Kelly from the corner of my eye, trying not to be
obvious, and saw her tighten up.

   "I just didn't feel like it."

   "Is it all dances or just this one?"

   "Just this one, I guess."

   "Good."

   I let her sit and think for awhile.  "Why?" she asked after a minute.

   "Well, I need a date for the dance tomorrow, and I was hoping you'd go
with me."

   Kelly stood and pivoted to face me.  "I can't go to the dance.  It's for
high school."

   "So?"

   "I'm in seventh?"

   "So?"

   "You can't ask me to the dance."

   "Why?"

   "I'm a seventh grader."

   I stood up and put my hands on her shoulders.  "Kelly, are you cute?"

   "Kinda."

   "Are you sexy?"

   "I dunno."

   "You're right.  I can't ask you to the dance."

   "What?"

   "My criteria are cute and sexy.  You're kinda and I dunno."

   "I'm cute." Kelly blushed and looked away from my eyes.  "And I'm sexy."

   "Then, will you go to the dance with me?"

   Kelly turned even redder, but looked me in the eyes.  "Yes.  But what
about Tami?"

   "She can stay home and watch television." Now to find out if I knew as
much about girls as I thought I did.

   "You could take her too.  Have two dates.  Like you did with her and
Robbie when you were in the eighth grade."

   Bingo!  Of course, having Tami tell the team that story during the break
today didn't hurt.  First the fish takes the bait.

   "I don't know." Then you set the hook.

   "Tami said Mr.  Parker hated it when you took her and Robbie.  He'll
probably be pissed off if you take me and Tami."

   "Well..." Then you reel it in.  "Okay."

   "I can't believe it.  I'm going to a high school dance.  Everyone will
be so jealous."

   "I just had an idea."

   "What?"

   Good.  She was so excited that she wasn't making a Robbie-style crack.
"Don't tell Mikee."

   "Why not?  She's my sister."

   "Tomorrow night she'll go to the dance.  Think how surprised she'll be
when you show up."

   "Cool," she said with a big grin.

   She was looking and sounding more like the Kelly that I knew and loved.
If only I could keep her that way.

   "One thing."

   Kelly's smile faded.

   "Don't get too excited."

   A frown replaced it.

   "Your mom may not like the idea of you going to a dance with a tenth
grader.  The age difference and everything."

   Kelly grinned.  "She'll say yes.  She likes you."

   Yeah.  She liked me a lot when I beat up her oldest son.  She liked me
even more when I brought home a bloody Peter.  But this one was in the bag.
I'd talked to her about it when I called about Kelly staying for practice.
She'd noticed the changes in her daughter too.

   "Just one thing I forgot to ask."

   I sat back down, and Kelly plopped onto my lap, something she hadn't
done in a long time.  "What?"

   "You do know how to dance, don't you?"

   Chapter 53

   The good news was...

   Kelly had a blast at the dance.  Robbie and Tami grabbed her right after
school, and as the last day before Winter break, it was only a half-day. 
The three of them spent the rest of the day making themselves pretty.  I
stopped by Tami's house about three and was told to "Buzz off!"

   Whatever they did, it worked.  Robbie always looked good at the dances
with her long hair cascading down her shoulders and back, but somehow her
shorter hair accented her body more.  She was beautiful, though I refused
to tell her just how good she looked.  I wouldn't want her getting the idea
I approved of her haircut.

   Tami looked good to me even when she had the flu, so it wasn't hard to
look beautiful in her new dress.  But it was Kelly that amazed me.  She
didn't look like a seventh grader.  She was wearing one of Tami's old
dresses, and she looked like she belonged at a high school dance.

   I walked in the dance with Kelly on one arm and Tami on the other, and
they both got the stares they deserved.  I thought I'd take some flack for
bringing a seventh grader--you know, cradle robber, that sort of thing--but
nobody said anything.  I don't think anyone realized her age, at least not
at first.

   Several guys came over and wanted to dance with my spare, whichever one
it was at the time.  Larry did a slow dance with Kelly, and I saw him cop a
feel of her butt.  I couldn't wait to tell him he was feeling up a
twelve-year-old.

   Only two people recognized Kelly.  The first was Mikee.  She was dancing
with her current boyfriend, whose name I didn't know, and did a double-take
worthy of a classic TV show like Dick Van Dyke or Mary Tyler Moore.  Her
mouth hung open as she watched me walk her little sister out onto the floor
and start dancing.

   The other person was Kenny.  He came over about half-an-hour after we
got there.  I was standing by the refreshments, Kelly's hand lightly on my
arm, and we were watching Tami dance with my old friend Luke.  Luke used to
be my best friend, right after I'd moved here, but over the years, we'd
grown apart.  Or maybe Robbie grew between us, but he was still a good
friend.

   "Like `em young?" I heard behind me.

   I turned and saw Kenny standing there.  "All the Temples are fun to be
with.  Except one." I felt Kelly's fingers digging into my arm in
embarrassment.

   "I'd think you'd be embarrassed to be seen with a twelve-year-old."

   "At least she's female." I nodded toward Kenny's buddies standing behind
him.  They'd all come to the dance together.

   Kenny turned red and his fists flexed.  I waited, smiling.  He stomped
off.

   I grinned at Kelly.  "You know, I use that arm to throw with.  It'd be
nice to have some circulation."

   Kelly blushed, and her grip eased up.

   I was surprised a few minutes later when Robbie came in with Mike Rose.
"What's the deal?" I asked Tami.

   She looked surprised at me.  "What do you mean?  They've been going out
for over a month."

   "But I thought...  I mean...  her and Larry."

   Tami smiled at me as if I was feeble.  "That was just a fling."

   "Oh."

   I spent another three hours dancing with Kelly and Tami.  I even got in
a couple with Robbie, Paula, and Darlene.

   It was a great night.  My only disappointment was that Parker didn't
chaperone.

   The bad news was...

   Kelly's good mood didn't last.  By Friday, she was back to moping around
her house.

   * * *

   Saturday, Christmas day, was the best Christmas ever.

   First of all, I was in love with Tami, and Tami was in love with me, and
nobody was mad at anybody.  Mom and Dad gave me a new mp3 player.  Not one
for my soon-to-be car, but a Creative Nomad Jukebox that would fit in my
pocket.  Thirty gigs of music that I could take anywhere.  I figured that
if I ripped every cd that I, Robbie, and Tami owned I might have 5 to 7
gigs worth.  I decided that I needed to expand my musical horizons.

   Traci gave me a couple of computer games and I gave her a turquoise
bracelet.  I thought she was going to faint for a minute.  She tackled me
with a hug that Robbie would have been proud of.

   I don't know if my grandparents understood the concepts of mp3's and
ripping, but all of them gave me CDs.  Lots of CDs.  Granny Vickie gave me
the Time-Life collection of Jazz.  Granny Carol also Time-Lifed me, but
with a collection of country.  Grandpa John sent a dozen and a half new age
cd's, including some Cusco, David Lanz, and a lot of Yanni.  But it was
grandpa Doug, the colonel who surprised me.  Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath,
Leonard Skinnard, the Who.  There was no way that I was going to believe my
favorite marine even knew who they were, let alone listened to them.

   I gave Tami a sapphire necklace, admittedly a small sapphire, but those
things aren't cheap.  She gave me a new watch.  The one I had, I'd been
wearing since sixth grade, and it definitely showed the wear and tear of
years of football, baseball, and generally being an active kid.

   Tami and her mom came over for Christmas dinner.  And we're not talking
some dumb turkey who didn't move fast enough, my family does prime rib. 
And not just any prime rib, my dad's prime rib.  Dad doesn't cook much, but
he knows how to do a prime rib.  He says if I don't get suspended more than
once or twice between now and graduation, he'll teach me.

   After dinner, Tami, Traci and I took a walk while the adults sat and
complained that they'd eaten too much.  It was a great night.  It'd been
raining for several days, but now the rain was turning to snow.  There was
a light dusting everywhere.  It would have been nice if it started last
night for Christmas eve, but you take what you can get.

   We wound up at Tami's where Traci sat and watched Miracle on 34th Street
on TV and played lookout while Tami and I gave each other one more present.
I was beginning to be glad that I hadn't talked Mom and Dad out of a new
baby sister when I was three.

   Like I said, the best Christmas ever.

   * * *

   Sunday I was out on the front lawn with Traci making a snowman.  It
wasn't easy, the snow was too dry to pack good.  Tami was with her mom
picking up her grandma at the airport.  Tami only had one grandparent and
that was hard for me to imagine.

   I had four, and they all seemed like they planned to go on forever. 
Grandpa John and Grandma Carol were in Mexico helping an Aztec
archaeological dig.  Grandma Vickie was in Houston helping a friend open a
new restaurant, they were planning to have beer from over thirty different
countries.  And the colonel had just left for New Zealand, where he was
going to hop a Navy C-130 for Antarctica, where he was going to consult on
cold weather survival.  No rocking chairs in my family.

   I'd just put the head on our snowman for the third time.  And watched it
crack and crumble for the third time when Mikee walked over.

   "How's my favorite freshman?" I called.

   "If I'm your favorite, how come you took my sister to the dance?" she
said with a small pout.

   "One, she's not a freshman, and two, you had a date."

   "I could have dumped him."

   "Would you have dumped him for me?" I asked as seductively as I could,
as I tried to pack a fourth head for frosty.

   Mikee grinned.

   "Would you two like to be alone?" Traci asked.  "I could go home."

   The snowball I threw disintegrated on its flight, but enough snow landed
on Traci's face to make my point.

   "So how was your Christmas?" I asked Mikee.

   "Okay, I guess."

   "That was enthusiastic," Traci said.  "You sound like you got socks and
underwear."

   "No, I got a great mp3 player."

   "Me too," I told her.

   "Mine's better," we said together.

   We both had ours in our pockets, so we pulled them out and compared. 
Hers was an Ipod with twenty gigs.  I liked my Nomad better.

   "So with a great present like that, why aren't you more excited?" I
asked as we put them away.

   "I don't know, it's just..."

   "Kelly," Traci and I said together and Mikee nodded.

   "She was so happy Wednesday after the dance, she was bubbling.  It was
like having my sister back again.  Then yesterday she might as well have
been a mannequin."

   "Mannequin?"

   "You know, they have them in stores, they put clothes on them."

   "A mannikin."

   "Whatever.  I called them mannequins when I was younger and I think it's
cute.  So sue me." I shrugged.  "I think Kelly said one word yesterday. 
After she unwrapped her big present, she got an Ipod too, she said
`Thanks.' A few minutes later, she took her new Ipod, went to her room, and
spent the day reading and staring out the window."

   "Maybe if she'd gotten a Nomad?" I suggested.

   Mikee stuck her tongue out at me, but I was ready.  I shoved a small
handful of snow into her open mouth.  Mikee sputtered as she spit out snow
and glared at me.  I made a mental note not to turn my back on her anytime
soon.

   Mikee reached down, picked up a handful of snow and started packing it
tightly between her hands.  "I want my little sister back," she said as she
inspected her work.

   "You know, I'm getting real tired of your mannequin." I backed up about
ten feet.

   "Nah-nah-na-na-nah," I said as I stuck my thumbs in my ears and wiggled
my fingers.  "Nah-nah-na-na-n..." her snowball hit me just over my left
eye.

   Chapter 54

   I took a deep breath and turned the door knob.

   The backdoor opened into a hallway.  There was a door straight in front
of me, one to my left about eight feet, and another to my right the same
distance, with a fourth door at the very back end of the hall.  I knew the
door I wanted was the one in front of me.

   I stepped into the hall and closed the door behind me.  I took another
deep breath and considered retreat.  After all, there was no shame in
retreat.  Most famous generals retreated at one time or another.  Wasn't it
Patton who said, "I'm not retreating, I'm advancing to the rear"?  Or
something like that.

   But, I decided, this isn't the time for retreat.  I stepped forward to
the door.  As I reached down for the doorknob, I remembered General Custer,
who hadn't known when to retreat.  I opened the door.

   She was sitting next to the window staring out, watching the snow fall.
I thought about retreating one more time, then cleared my throat.  "Hello,
Kelly."

   Kelly jerked and spun around, looking wide-eyed.  "What are you doing
here?"

   I smiled, hopefully reassuringly.  "We need to talk." I'd known that her
Mom had gone to lunch with Alana and that her dad had gone bowling with
Mikee and Peter.  Kenny was off doing whatever it was he did, so she was
alone.

   "Why?"

   "Cause you're not happy, and I want to know why."

   "I'm fine," she said, turning back to the window.  "Just fine."

   "No, you're not." I crossed the room and laid my hand on her shoulder.

   Kelly jerked, spun again, and stood.  "I said I'm okay.  You can go
now."

   "Kelly, I want to help."

   "I don't need any help.  Go away." She pointed toward the open door.

   I grabbed her wrist and pulled her down to the floor and sat on her. 
"I'm staying here until you decide to talk to me." After all, it worked
with Tami.

   Kelly didn't struggle, she just glared.  "I'm not your fucking
girlfriend.  And I'm not a fucking little girl.  And I'll decide who I want
to talk to, and when.  Now get your fucking hands off me and go away." Her
words were so cold that I almost imagined icicles hanging from them.

   I stared down at her.

   "You're right." I got off her and stood up.  I reached a hand down to
her, but she ignored it and stood on her own.  "I'm sorry.  That was out of
line.  But I really think you need to talk to someone.  Your mom, Mikee,
Tami.  There's a lot of people of care about you."

   Kelly turned her back and went back to the window.  I watched her stare
out for several minutes, then left.  Man had I blown it this time!

   I mean, if you can't learn life lessons from George Custer, who can you
learn them from?

   * * *

   As I walked down the street, I wondered if Robbie was home.  Maybe she
could use me as a tackling dummy.  Better yet, she could use my chin as a
pitching target, since baseball was coming up next.  All I'd done was make
things worse.  I should have respected Kelly's privacy and let her talk
when she wanted to.  Instead, I charged in like the damn knight on the
white horse that I keep telling Tami I don't want to be.  Hell, Robby could
pitch at my balls.

   I don't think I've ever felt lower.  I wished that Tami was around so I
could at least talk to her about it, but she, her mom, and grandma had gone
to Seattle for a couple of days.

   I let myself into my empty house.  It was the middle of the week, so Mom
was at work, and Dad was looking for work.  Traci was at the gymnastics
club, doing an open gym.  I picked up the phone and tried Robbie but didn't
get an answer.  She was probably out with Mike Rose or something.

   I wandered around the house.  I looked at my computer, but there wasn't
anything in cyberspace that I cared about right then.  My homework and
reading were all done.  I thought about reading for fun, I was up to book
five in the Mission: Earth series, but just wasn't in the mood.

   I drifted back to my parent's room, I noticed the stack of bills on
Dad's desk was bigger than usual, there was also a stack of resumes that
he'd printed up.  I grabbed the clothes hamper out of their closet and took
it to the utility room and started a load of clothes.

   I thought about cleaning the house from top to bottom, but Mom had
gotten used to me being helpful, and that kinda took the fun out of it.

   Finally, I decided to run.  I'd do about five miles.  I hate running, so
that could be the start of my penance.  It was still snowing but fairly
warm, so I went to my room and changed into shorts and a t-shirt.  I went
back to the living room and started stretching.  Maybe I'd do ten miles. 
That'd teach me.  One thing, my New Year's resolution was clear.  I wasn't
going to get involved in anyone's life but mine.  Maybe Tami's, but that
was almost the same thing.

   I finished stretching.  Maybe I'd try for a marathon.  Was that
twenty-one miles or twenty-six.  I opened the door.

   Kelly was standing there.  It looked like she'd been there a few
minutes. She looked surprised to see me.

   "You don't have to say anything," I told her.  "I'm sorry I tried to
interfere.  I'll make sure I respect your privacy from now on."

   Kelly nodded.  "Can I come in?" she asked in a little girl voice, she
sounded about ten.

   I opened the door wide.  "You're always welcome here, you know that."

   "Were you going out?" she asked as she came in, she stopped in the
middle of the living room looking uncomfortable.

   "I was going to run."

   "It's snowing."

   "Yeah, but it's not that cold.  I hate running, but it keeps me in
shape." I didn't add that I could stop thinking when I ran, and that right
now I didn't want to think.

   "I wanted to say I'm sorry." Now she sounded about six.

   "You don't have anything to be sorry about.  I was out of line.  I tried
to force you to do something that you didn't want to do."

   "I..." She rushed forward and hugged me.  Hard.  "I shouldn't have
yelled.  And I shouldn't have said fuc...  those words you don't like."

   "You're a big girl.  I shouldn't have tried to make you tell me
something you didn't want to."

   Kelly buried her face in my chest.  "I don't want to be a big girl," she
said, her voice muffled.  Then she sobbed.

   I wrapped my arms around her and just held her for a long, long time.

   * * *

   "Do you want to talk about it?" I asked twenty minutes later.  I was
sitting on the sofa, and Kelly was sitting on the edge of the coffee table,
facing me.  Mom wouldn't have been happy about that, but right now I didn't
care.  I was holding both of her hands.  She squeezed tight.

   "I..."

   "If you don't want to talk to me, you could talk to Tami or Robbie. 
They both care about you a lot."

   "I don't know."

   "Or Mikee.  She's real worried about you.  She told me that she wants
her old sister back.  Or your mom."

   "I don't want to talk about it."

   "Okay." See, I can be taught.  I wasn't going to try to force anything.

   "But I have to," she added, her voice a whisper.

   `I shot a man just to watch him die.' I almost wished she'd said that.
It would have been better that the three words she did say.  Three words,
nine little letters.  "I was raped," she said, her voice flat and
emotionless.

   Some knight in shining armor I am.  My first instinct was to tell her to
go back to sulking in her room, and I'd pretend she'd never said anything.
Still it made a kind of sense in a senseless world.  For almost a month,
she hadn't wanted to be touched.  But how could anybody be so horny that
they'd force a beautiful, innocent girl like Kelly?

   "Are you okay?"

   "It's been a month and a half.  I'm...  I'm fine."

   "Did you tell anyone?"

   Kelly shook her head and wouldn't meet my eyes.  "I couldn't"

   I tried to remember who she'd been going out with back then.  Tami had
told me once.  "Was it Tyler what's-his-name?"

   Kelly shook her head.  "He's harmless," she mumbled, still not looking
at me.

   "Who was it?"

   "It's...  it's not important."

   I thought it was.  She needed to tell it all.  "Kelly, if you're afraid,
there's a lot of people who'll protect you.  Your dad, me, Peter, even
Kenny." Her head jerked up and she looked straight at me.  "You know we're
all here for you."

   "I don't want to talk about this anymore." She tried to pull away but I
held onto her hands.

   "You don't have to." I smiled and stared into her eyes.  Fuck!  I was so
in over my head.  And I knew she was going to make me promise not to tell
anyone.  And I might have to break that promise.

   "Thanks," she said as she looked back down to the floor.

   Now what?  Do I push, or do I back off?  Psychologists get their
bachelors, masters, and doctorates.  That's like eight or ten years of
school.  Psychiatrists add medical school to the equation.  All I do is
read an occasional Psychology Today.

   Kelly looked up and smiled weakly.  "You're a good friend."

   I smiled back.  "Remember that when I ask you again who did it." Kelly
shook her head.  I suppose it could have been a stranger, but then Kelly
would have said so.  It had to be somebody she knew.  One of the guys she
dated.  I wished I'd kept track.  I made a mental note to start keeping up
on the guys Traci was going out with.  Better yet, I was going to chain her
in her room and dig a moat.

   "I don't..." she said dropping her head again.

   "Kelly." I let go of one hand and put a finger under her chin and
lifted. She didn't resist.  "It's not just about you.  If he did this to
you, he could do it to someone else.  Traci, Zoe, the girls in gymnastics."

   Kelly blinked hard and the tears started flowing.  "He wouldn't do
that."

   "Why?"

   "`Cause I deserved it.  He said, I asked for it." Kelly pulled her hand
away from my finger and twisted her head as if she was trying to cry on her
own shoulder.

   I let go of her other hand and grabbed her head gently with both hands.
I turned it until our eyes locked together again.  "Kelly, nobody deserves
to get raped.  Nobody asks for it.  If you walked naked into the boys'
locker room, you aren't asking for it.  You deserve to walk out again."

   Kelly tried to drop her head again, but I wouldn't let her.

   "Kelly, if there's a guy out there who thinks he knows more about what
you want than you do, he's dangerous.  And not just to you.  What if he
decides that Tami is asking for it?  Or Rachel Clark?" Of course, if
there's any justice in the world, he'll try Robbie and she'll rip his nuts
off and feed them to him.

   "He wouldn't."

   "Are you sure?" I asked and let go of her head.  Her head dropped, and I
watched as tears flowed freely down her cheeks and dropped onto her legs.

   I wasn't helping, I was making everything worse.  I tried to imagine
what she was feeling.  What it must be like to have someone hold you down
and force his cock into your most private area.  At least she hadn't been a
virgin.  Maybe that made it easier.  Then I felt ashamed of myself for
thinking that anything could make it easier.

   I reached out and gathered her into my arms and pulled her across my
lap. I just wanted to hold her, as much for me as for her.  I sat and
rocked, holding her, and let her cry.

   She pressed her face into my chest, and the force of her sobs shook me
to my very soul.

   "Itwsmibraw" she mumbled after awhile.

   "What?"

   She lifted her head and looked straight at me.  She took a deep breath.
Her tears made fresh tracks down both cheeks, replacing those she'd wiped
away with the front of my shirt.  "It was my brother.  It was Kenny." She
let out the breath that I hadn't realized she'd been holding and turned her
head onto my shoulder and rested it there.

   I held her tightly as her heavy sobs continued, slowly dying out.

   If she'd said it was George W.  Bush or Tom Cruise, it would have made
more sense.  Hell, if she'd said John Lennon or Elvis, it would have made
more sense.  He was her brother.  A brother couldn't do that.  I mean,
Kenny was a shit, but rape his sister?

   "I..." I had absolutely no idea what to say.  I wondered if Kelly could
wait while I got my degree in psych.  If I worked really hard, I could
probably cut it down to five years.

   "It's okay," she said, her head resting on my shoulder.  "You don't have
to say anything." She sat there for about a minute, then continued softly.
"It was just after Halloween.  I'd been going out with Tyler McMartin for a
couple of weeks.  He came over one day.  No one else was home, and we kinda
started making out on the couch.  We were kissing, and he was feeling me up
through my shirt when Kenny came home.  Tyler jumped away like he been
shocked and left a few minutes later."

   "Kenny started making a lot of jokes about me and Tyler.  And asked a
lot of questions about what we'd been doing and how far I'd gone with him
and other guys.  I ignored him and went to my room.  He followed me and
came in, even after I tried to push him out."

   "You don't have to..." I started.

   "Yes, I do, so shut up.  When I tried to push him out and close the
door, he pushed me hard and I landed on Mikee's bed.  He came in and stood
over me.  `So how big is Tyler's weenie?' he asked.  I didn't know.  We
hadn't gone that far yet, and I wouldn't have told Kenny if I did.  I just
ignored him and tried to get up."

   "He pushed me down again.  `It's time you saw a real cock,' he told me
and pulled his fucking cock..." She looked up at me.  "Sorry."

   I smiled.  "No, this time I think it's appropriate."

   "...his fucking cock..." she laid her head back down again, "...out of
his jeans.  It was about the same size as yours."

   Damn!

   "But I laughed and asked why it was so small.  He got mad and slapped me
with the back of his hand.  It really hurt."

   "I'm sorry."

   "Then he said since I'd gotten it so hard with all my slutting around
with Tyler, that I could take care of it for him.  He grabbed me by the
back of the neck and pulled me up until his pecker was right in front of my
face, and then he pushed my cock in his mouth."

   I remembered some old western where the Indians had tied some guy to an
ant hill, poured honey on him, and let the ants eat him alive.  I wondered
if we had the right kind of ants.

   "I bit him."

   I laughed.  "You bit him?"

   She looked up and nodded.

   "Good for you."

   She laid her head back down.  "Not real hard.  I didn't want to hurt
him, just make him go away."

   "You should have bit it off."

   "Yuck.  He pulled back real fast, and my teeth scraped him.  He slapped
me a couple more times and called me a bitch and a slut and some other
things.  That's when he held me down by the throat and pulled off my jeans
and panties.  Then he..."

   "That's enough.  I get the idea."

   Kelly nodded without lifting her head.  "Afterward he said it was all my
fault.  That I was a cock-tease and asking for it.  And that Mom and Dad
would send me to a girl's school, cause I was such a slut."

   "You're too smart to have bought that."

   "I know, but..."

   Yeah, it's the damn `but' that will get you in trouble.

   "And you've been keeping it inside all this time?"

   She nodded.  "I couldn't tell anybody.  I mean, I almost told you after
the Monopoly sleepover, but..."

   Fuck!  But I snapped at her, and she went home instead.  I decided that
letting Robbie throw baseballs at my balls wasn't enough.  I deserved
worse.

   She lifted her head and looked at me.  "And you can't tell either."

   "Kelly, I think we need to..."

   "You can't tell!  And you can't hurt Kenny."

   Damn!  Now she's learning to mind read.

   "I...  we, have to do something."

   "You can't hurt him.  He won't do it to anybody else."

   "Kelly, if he'd..." I couldn't bring myself to say rape.  "...force his
sister, he'd force anybody.  What if he sees Tami at the pool and decides
that her bikini is so small that she's asking for it?"

   "He wouldn't.  He's afraid of you."

   "What about Zoe?  Or Paula?"

   Kelly bit her lip.

   "What if he comes after you again?"

   "He won't."

   "Kelly if he, uh, did it the first time, he's going to decide that you
not telling means you liked it.  He's going to think that's an invitation."

   "He won't."

   "How about if I talk to him.  Explain that I wouldn't like it if he..."
Damn, there's that word again.  "...bothers you again."

   "It's not necessary."

   "I think it is."

   "You can't tell him.  You can't tell anybody."

   Damn!  Double damn!  I'm a believer in self-determination.  A firm
believer.  I thinks kids can make their own choices.  One of the reasons
that Parker and I clash so much is he's the type who believes he knows
what's best for everyone.  Especially everyone under twenty-one.  Now my
theory gets the test `cause I know Kelly is smart.  And I think she's
mature enough to make her own decision, but...  Here's the damn `but'
again. But, I don't think it's the right decision.

   Can I really stand back and let her make it?  And what about all the
other girls around?

   There are times when I wish someone would make my decisions for me. 
Where's Parker when you need him?

   "Here's the deal.  I won't talk to your brother.  And I won't hurt him
as long as he doesn't bother you again.  And YOU have to promise to tell me
if he so much as looks at you funny.  No promise, no deal."

   Kelly hesitated, then nodded.

   "And if I find out he's bothering anybody else, all bets are off and
he's mine."

   Kelly nodded slowly.

   "I'll tell you something else.  I don't think we should leave it here. I
think you need to talk to your parents or someone." Kelly started to
object, but I continued.  "But for now, we'll do it your way." And if I
didn't see the old Kelly in the next couple weeks, we'd do it mine.  I
didn't tell her that, `cause I didn't want her to try and fake having fun.

   "Will you do me a favor?" she asked, the little girl back in her voice.

   "Anything."

   "Will you make love to me?"

   "I'm not sure..."

   "Please.  Not just sex.  I want you to make love to me.  Like you do to
Tami."

   I smiled.  I thought I felt some moisture in the corner of my eye. 
"No."

   She stiffened.

   "I won't make love to you like I do to Tami, but I'll make love to you
like I do to Kelly."

   I stood, picking her up as I did, and carried her toward my room.

   "`Cause Kelly is very special to me too."

   Chapter 55

   Luck was on my side.  Or fate.  Or God.  The Goddess, Odin, Isis,
whatever.  Things worked out.

   Kenny was gone until after New Year's visiting friends, so I didn't have
to worry about breaking my promise to Kelly.  And Tami was busy with her
grandma, so I didn't have to worry about her.

   I spent almost every waking moment with Kelly.  Mikee gave me some
strange looks, and so did their mom, but I think they both figured out it
had something to do with Kelly's mood, so neither said anything.

   And Kelly was becoming more and more her old self.  I didn't take any
credit for that.  I figured it just helped to say the words.

   Friday I went with her and Traci to her gymnastic club for an open gym,
and she introduced me to her coach, Gary.  While the girls played on the
trampoline I explained about helping with the middle school team, and he
took a lot of time showing me how to spot some of the tricks the girls were
working on, or would be.

   That night, Kelly and Traci went back to the club for a New Year's Eve
sleepover, and I had a chance to hang with Tami.  About six my parents
left. They were going to the party at the Holiday Inn and going to spend
the night, so the house was ours, for a little while anyway.

   "Paula says you're dumping me for a seventh grader," Tami said as she
settled on my lap.

   "Damn!  I wanted to break it to you gently."

   "I've always wanted to scratch somebody's eyes out."

   "No you haven't."

   "I haven't?"

   I nodded.  "Nope, too nice."

   "Damn," she said in mock frustration.  "Aren't you turned on by the idea
of a cat-fight?"

   "Not even a little.  I'm weird.  I also don't see the appeal of two
girls wrestling in mud."

   "You're not weird, you're evolved."

   "Unless it's with me," I added.

   "I withdraw my comment."

   I grinned, and we sat there, looking out the big picture windows at the
gently falling snow.  I rubbed the ass of her jeans with one hand and
traced designs on her thigh with the other.

   "Want to tell me about it?" she asked after almost ten minutes.

   "Yes."

   "Well?" she asked several minutes later.

   "Can't.  Not my secret to tell."

   Tami nodded.  "Kelly." I didn't acknowledge her guess, but I knew she'd
know she was right.  "She seems a lot better."

   "She's getting there, but it's going to take some time."

   "I'm glad she has a friend who can help her." Tami laid her head on my
chest and hummed something I couldn't make out.

   I thought about Kelly and my promises.  Not to tell.  Not to deal with
Kenny.  Breaking a promise was worse than lying, but I didn't see how I
could keep either of them.

   As I thought, I watched the snowflake fall, and eventually my mind
cleared and the snow was all I knew.  Each snowflake different, unique. 
Each, insignificant, but put enough together and they could stop the world.

   I think Tami sensed my changing mood because she asked, "So if you keep
asking me to marry you...?"

   I smiled.  "Will you marry me?"

   "Not today.  So if you keep asking me to marry you, and if I say yes
someday, where are we going to live?"

   "Metropolis."

   "Metropolis?"

   "You're Lois Lane.  That means you have to go to work for the Daily
Planet."

   I felt rather than heard Tami giggle.  "You'd live in New York?"

   "Not my first choice, but if that's where you are..."

   "Don't you have to live in Houston?  Or Cape Kennedy?  I mean, you ARE
going to be the first G-Y-N in space aren't you?"

   "Nope."

   Tami lifted her head and looked at me.  Studied me.  "You've decided,"
she announced.  "You know what you want to do."

   I wondered of University of Washington or Washington State had a
parapsychology lab where I could get her tested.  I nodded.

   "What?"

   I hesitated.  I'd kinda known for a while, but had never put it into
words.  "I want to coach.  I want to work with kids and teach them about
sports and all the things that sports can do for them.  So I guess that
means I'll probably teach too."

   "Tony, that's perfect."

   Tami laid her head down again.

   "So do you think a Pulitzer winning reporter and a middle school
baseball coach can be happy together?" I asked.

   Tami didn't get a chance to answer because right then, there was a knock
on the door.

   "Come in!" I called.

   Mikee opened the door and stepped inside, shaking snow off her coat. 
"Hi, guys," she said looking at us.  "I'm kinda tired, so I'm just gonna
lie down on Traci's bed and read a little." She hung up her coat and took
her bag to the back.  Mikee hadn't wanted to go to the sleepover with
Kelly, and all of her friends were busy or out of town, so she was spending
New Year's Eve with us.  Her parents were going to the Holiday Inn party
too.

   "You do know she's lying, don't you?" Tami asked.

   "Yep."

   "Are you going to go get her?"

   "Someday."

   "Anthony Marion S..."

   "Tami, my love, that very nice girl is trying to give us some alone
time. Do you really want to waste it." I slipped my hand under her shirt
and cupped her breast.

   "I..."

   "The night, as they say, is young." With my other hand, I lifted her
shirt and covered her other nipple with my mouth.

   "Here?"

   "Unless you have someplace better in mind."

   * * *

   An hour later, I went back to get Mikee.

   "You gonna stay back here all night?" I asked as I opened Traci's door.
"Or join the party?"

   "I didn't want to be in the way," she said, looking up from the book she
was reading.

   "Mikee, my girl, if we didn't want you here, we wouldn't have invited
you."

   "I thought that was because my mom asked."

   I grinned.  "If that was the only reason, I'd be charging her seven
bucks an hour to babysit." Mikee bristled at the thought of being babysat.
I stepped into the room, reached down, and scooped her into my arms.  She'd
been lying on her stomach to read, so as I straightened up, I tossed her
into the air with a one hundred and eighty degree spin and caught her
again, right-side-up.

   "It wouldn't be a party without Michelle," I told her.

   "I thought you'd rather have Kelly."

   I tossed her into the air again, spinning her so that I caught her
stomach-side-down, then lifted my foot and put it on Traci's bed.  I laid
her across my knee, let go so that she sagged into an inverted V, then
smacked her hard on her upturned butt.  Before she knew what was happening
I had picked her up again, spun her right-side-up, and was carrying her out
of the room.

   "There are less than five hours left in 2004.  There WILL BE NO sibling
jealousy allowed."

   Mikee giggled and nodded.  "That hurt."

   "It was supposed to."

   "I'm not really jealous of Kelly," Mikee as said as I carried her out of
the room.  "I know you've been spending time with her to make her feel
better."

   "I've been spending time with her cause she's my favorite."

   "That's okay, I don't mind being second."

   "What makes you think you're even in the top ten?"

   I saw Mikee's mouth open and knew her tongue was about to make an
appearance.  I made as if to flip her again.  Mikee reconsidered, only the
tip of her tongue showing as she closed her mouth.

   "Kelly seems better."

   "She has a ways to go.  Be patient.  And do me a favor: let me know if
Kenny gets on her case." I tried to say it casually, not giving away too
much.

   "Yeah, he can be a pain.  I wish there was a place to trade in your
brother."

   "If there was a place like that, do you think Traci would still be
around?"

   "You can't fool me," she accused.  "You like your sister."

   "Yeah, now.  It's taken me years to civilize her enough to be out in
public."

   "I'm telling her you said that."

   "Feel free.  I've told her enough."

   * * *

   When we got to the living room, Tami was dressed, though in shorts
instead of the jeans she had been wearing, and was sitting in Dad's chair.
I dumped Mikee into Tami's lap, took one of Tami's hands, and put it on
Mikee's tit, noticing for the first time that Mikee's tits were actually
bigger than Tami's.

   "Have fun," I told them, then retreated to the kitchen to work on
dinner.

   * * *

   Dinner was my specialty.  Rib-eyes.  I'd seasoned them with my own blend
of spices, then marinated them in a herb/garlic butter sauce, then broiled
them to a perfect medium-rare.  I only did medium-rare.  You want them more
done than that, I'll loan you a lighter.  Giant baked potatoes with
one-part whipped herb butter to one-part potato.  A small tossed salad with
a garlic vinaigrette, also my own recipe.

   And last, something new, lobster tails.  I know the best cooks say to
drop live lobsters into a pot of boiling water, and lobsters may be related
to bugs, but I ain't doing it.  Dad picked me up some fresh lobster tails
from a seafood place in town, and that would have to do.

   Throw in some King's Hawaiian rolls--I don't bake, so sue me--and you
have a dinner fit for a king.  Or actually, a dinner fit for two of the
cutest girls in the state.  After dinner we were so stuffed that we passed
on the homemade brownies that Mikee baked and brought with her.

   We played three-handed pinochle and listened to music while waiting for
the ball to drop.

   * * *

   "Thirty seconds," Mikee announced.

   Nothing like a little more pressure.  I thrust faster with my hips and
tongue.

   "Twenty seconds." This time it was Tami with the countdown.

   Tami had decided that bringing the New Year in with a bang meant her and
Mikee having orgasms at the stroke of twelve.  More than a second either
way and the whole year was shot.  Have you ever tried to give your partner
a orgasm by a time-clock?  Hell, a lot of guys don't even care if their
partner finishes, and I'm supposed to time it to the second?

   "Ten seconds," they said together.

   A whole year down the drain if I didn't do this right.

   "Nine seconds."

   They'd tossed a coin for choice of position.  Mikee won, but decided to
let Tami have Big Tony.

   "Eight seconds."

   If this worked, I could write a book, How to Schedule Your Pleasure. 
There were sillier titles out there.

   "Seven seconds."

   I was pretty sure both girls were getting close, but seven seconds
close?

   "Six seconds."

   Even trying to make two girls cum at once was hard enough.

   "Five seconds."

   Big Tony was close, that was something.

   "Four seconds."

   Damn!  Damn!  Damn!  This was never going to work.

   "Three seconds."

   I was sure that Mikee was on the edge as I worked at her clit with my
tongue, but I didn't know about Tami.

   "Two seconds."

   I thrust my hips upward as hard as I could, trying to fill Tami.

   "One second."

   Now or never.

   "Happy New Year!" they yelled, but they didn't cum.

   "One second," Tami said, her voice slightly strained.

   Maybe we could try again for the Hawaiian time zone and the year
wouldn't be a total loss.

   "Two seconds," Mikee announced.

   I wonder if Hallmark has a card for this: Sorry you didn't cum at New
Years.

   "Thee..." Mikee started.  "Oh boy, oh boy, oh my God!"

   Well, three seconds late, maybe the year was salvageable.

   Tami was rocking back and forth on Big Tony, and as Mikee rolled off my
face, I saw Tami's face and knew she was close too.  Maybe the sound of
Mikee's orgasm helped push her over, because a second later she was moaning
too.  Big Tony decided he was done and joined the party, coating her
insides with baby batter.

   I might have been a few seconds late, but I had a feeling that 2005 was
going to be a hell of a year.

   Chapter 56

   Now this is the way to start a week.  School first thing Wednesday
morning.  We should do this more often, get Monday past that blah
reputation.

   I knew Kenny had come back, but he wasn't at the bus stop, so I didn't
have to deal with him.  Everyone was pretty subdued about starting school
again, everyone but Mikee and Kelly.  They were pumped and ready to go. 
Behind Kelly's back, Mikee pointed at her sister and flashed me a high
sign. I guessed that Kelly was becoming more her old self.

   The ride to school was pretty quiet except when Robbie got on the bus.
"Are you ready to be educated?" she yelled, before sliding into the seat
with Tami and me.  The responses she got were rude and semi-pornographic.

   Tami and I had art third period.  Not by choice.  It was a required
subject.  It hadn't been so bad in o-four, but now it sucked.  Last year we
got a lot of early art history: Rembrandt, Da Vinci, Michelangelo.  Plus
our own pathetic attempts at drawing and painting.  But now Mr.  Kincaid
was onto abstract art, an art form that he thought was the height of human
endeavor, but which, I thought was a waste of paint and canvas.  Fifty
minutes of listening to why Pablo Picasso was the greatest artist ever
definitely fell under the cruel-and-unusual punishment provision of the
constitution.

   Afterward, Tami and I escaped to the middle school.  Thursday was the
first meet of the season, and since the girls hadn't practiced, officially
at least, for two weeks, Miss Calloway had made arrangements that we could
be in the gym all day to supervise anyone who had a free period.  Since I
got almost all A's and Tami got A's and B's, none of our teachers minded
our missing today and tomorrow except Mr.  Kincaid.

   It was a pretty slow day.  The girls showed up in ones and twos and
worked on their routines.  All of them managed at least one trip to the
gym. Most did two of three.  Traci showed up four times.

   Thursday was a lot like Wednesday, except that after art we caught a
ride to the middle school with Mr.  Mulino, who had a meeting, instead of
walking.

   Our first meet was at Stoner Middle School, about seventy miles away, so
the bus loaded a little before three.  The girls were all excited.  They
all looked good in their practices, and I had visions of a state
championship.  Kelly had looked especially good.  She still worked her
routines hard, but now she wasn't trying to murder them.

   Tami and I sat together and talked the first hour on the bus.  She
actually liked some of the art that Mr.  Kincaid had showed us today.  I'm
sorry, but a square girl with three breasts isn't art, she's a circus
freak. And I never liked the freak show.  We also talked about college.  I
was thinking Stanford.  She was thinking Harvard.

   "You going to go talk to her?" Tami asked in an unexpected change of
direction.

   "Who?"

   "Your sister."

   I looked behind us.  Traci was sitting by herself, staring out the
window a few seats away from the rest of the team.

   "What's wrong with her?" I asked, and Tami gave me a look that told me
I'd just asked a stupid question.  But if it was a stupid question,
shouldn't I know the answer?

   "She's nervous.  Haven't you ever been nervous before a game?"

   I shrugged.

   Tami sighed.  "Go," she said, pointing her thumb over her shoulder.

   I shrugged again, but got up and walked back to Traci.  I sat down in
the seat in front of her and hung over the back of the seat.  "Hey brat. 
Why so quiet?"

   She looked at me, then back out the window.  "Just thinking about the
meet."

   "Everyone's worked real hard.  You realize that if we lose today, it's
all your fault."

   "It is?"

   Okay, wrong approach.  "Trace, do you know how we get scored?"

   "Sure," she said, looking at me again.  It was the same stupid question
look Tami had given me.  "The judges score us up to ten points for
difficulty and grace and mistakes and things."

   "No, I mean the team."

   Traci shook her head.

   "Each school can put up to six girls on each event.  They add the top
five scores, then they add all the events together.

   Traci shrugged.  "So?"

   "So, how many girls are supposed to compete on beam today?"

   "Five.  Kelly, Rachel, Stephy, Maria and me."

   "How many on bars?"

   Traci gave me another stupid-question-look.  "Five.  Kelly, Stephy,
Susie, Miranda, and me."

   "So what happens if you totally screw up and get a two on bars and
beam?"

   "We lose."

   "No, we have four points more than if you weren't here."

   Traci thought about it.

   "So as your coach, I have a goal for you.  I want you to try and get at
least two points on bars and two points on beam."

   "That's easy."

   "If you think it's so easy, do better.  But that's your official goal."

   I started to get up.

   "Tony."

   I looked back at her.  She was almost smiling.

   "You're not the worst brother."

   I thought about Kenny.  "Second worst, maybe."

   * * *

   The meet was incredible.  All perfect tens.  We scored two hundred out
of a possible two hundred and the TV people said we'd be on ESPN.  It
was...

   It was not that good.

   Stoner scored one hundred and fifty-three point two.  And beat us by
over twenty points.  I thought our girls were good, but they were just
better.  They did harder tricks and did them better.  And they had six
girls on each event, which gave them a cushion.

   There were two high points.  Kelly scored a thirty-three all together
and won the all-around, beating Stoner's two all-arounds by more than two
points.  And Traci got a six on beam and a four point three on bars.  Not
bad for a girl whose been in gymnastics two months.

   The bus ride to Pizza Hut after the meet wasn't fun.  Most of the girls
were complaining, either about the judges, or their teammates.  Mostly
their teammates.

   The bus pulled into the parking lot and stopped.  I got up and blocked
the aisle, my back to the girls.  "Miss Calloway, would you and Tami go in
and snag a couple of good tables?" The coach looked like she was going to
object, but changed her mind.  She and Tami got off the bus.

   "Joe, you look like you need a drink.  Go on in and have a Pepsi on me."
The bus driver nodded.  He was a pretty good guy.  I would have bought him
a Coke, but since Pepsico used to own Pizza Hut, we were stuck.  "Would you
mind closing the doors for a minute?" He pushed them closed when he was
outside.

   I turned to the team, who were all standing in the aisle and staring at
me.

   "SIT THE FUCK DOWN!" The girls all looked at each other and me.  "NOW!"
I bellowed, and they quickly sat.

   "I was very happy after the meet." Damn, I'm getting good at lying. 
"But I'm not happy now.  Can anyone guess why?"

   No one said anything.  Even Traci and Kelly looked shocked.

   "You ladies have spent the last twenty minutes tearing each other apart,
and it's ridiculous.  With one exception, all of you have competed in
sports before.  And with one exception, all of you have gone to meets
before.  And that exception is my sister."

   "Maybe if your damn sister had done better than a four point three and a
six..." Brianna Lane started.

   "What?  If my sister, in her first meet in her life, had gone out and
scored perfect tens, we still would have lost.  And lost by more than ten
points.  Maybe if you had done better than a seven eight on vault..."

   "The top of their vault was slippery."

   "The fact is, we lost as a team.  But there are a few things you might
want to think about.  One, Stoner has had a gymnastic team for over twenty
years.  This is our first.  Two, Stoner has eighteen girls on their team.
We have eight.  Three, Stoner has at least ten girls working every event.
That means they can pick the top six for each meet.  We have five girls for
each event, so we can't even drop our low score.  And four, Stoner has two
coaches who were both college gymnasts and three assistants who are level
eights and a nine.  You have Miss Calloway, who learned some gymnastics in
college, and Tami and I, who know nothing." I'd had a chance to talk to one
of Stoner's assistants during the meet.

   "So here's your last fact.  If we work really, really hard every day,
we're probably going to lose every meet."

   From their faces, none of the girls wanted to hear that.  "But..." I
looked around.  They were all listening hard.  "But, we can start cutting
that margin down.  The only way that'll happen is if you work together as a
team.  Instead of complaining about what your teammate did wrong,
compliment her about what she did right.  If you see mistakes, tell them.
Not to cut them down, but so they can fix it.  It would really help if we
had six girls on each event, but to do that, some of you will have to do
events you don't like.  Traci doesn't like bars, but she did them so that
we could have a fifth score.  And you may not think a four three is very
good, but it's four point three points more than we would have had without
her.  And Monday, Trace is going to learn to vault."

   "I am?" she said, surprised.

   "Either that, or I'm copying your diary and handing it out all over
school."

   "I'm gonna vault," she said proudly.

   I looked directly at Traci.  "Go tell Miss Calloway that we'll be in, in
one more minute."

   Traci hesitated, then got up, squeezed past me and went into the
restaurant.

   "I don't know what you're like on your other gymnastics team, but this
is unacceptable.  I'm going to talk to Miss Calloway.  There won't be any
practice tomorrow.  I want you to think about whether you want a middle
school team and whether you want to be part of it.  If you show up Monday,
I'll consider that your answer."

   "You might want to give each other a hug before you come in to eat," I
suggested.  Then I turned my back on them and walked out.

   I was sitting between Miss Calloway and Tami when the girls trooped in a
few minutes later.  Miss Calloway had scored two long tables, one for us
and the parents who'd come to watch, and the other for the girls.

   Traci was sitting by herself at the other table nursing a root beer. 
Brianna Lane led the girls in.  She walked up to Traci and said something I
didn't hear.  Traci stood up and Brianna hugged her, then all the rest of
them hugged her too.  I did my best not to smile.

   The girls, including Traci, all came over and stood behind us.  Stephy,
who'd been elected team captain before the meet, cleared her throat, "Can
we ask you something?"

   Miss Calloway, Tami, and I all turned around.  "Sure," Miss Calloway
said.

   "Can we please have practice tomorrow?"

   "Uh, okay," Miss Calloway stammered, since I hadn't told her about
canceling it yet.

   "Thank you," Stephy said and hugged Miss Calloway.  Then all the girls
hugged all of us.

   Kelly was the last one to hug me, and as she did she whispered in my
ear, "And you and I are going to have a long talk about your language."

   Chapter 57

   "Beat it, Temple!"

   Kenny tried to look innocent.  "I'm just watching my sister.  Can't a
guy watch his little sister practice?" He and three of his friends were
leaning against the door to the gym.

   "Not here, and not now," I said as I walked up to him.  "Get out."

   "Listen, Mr.  High-and-Mighty football hero.  You're not the boss of our
school, and you're not the boss here."

   "Haven't you heard?  Football's over.  I'm just killing time until
baseball hero season." I stepped up until I was in his face.  I have to
admit, I was praying that he'd do something.  Self-defense wouldn't be
breaking my promise to Kelly.

   "I can watch if I wanna."

   "I'm one of the coaches, and this is a closed practice.  Now you can
walk, or I can help you out."

   I could almost see the wheels spinning round in his head.  He was
wondering if I could take him.  He was wondering if his friends would back
him up.  I don't think he was smart enough to be thinking about the
aftermath.  After all, I was supposed to be here and he wasn't.

   "It's not worth it," he muttered and slipped to the side, turning his
back on me.  "Some people need to learn," he said as he slapped the push
bar on the door.

   "Anytime you want to try teaching me," I told his back.  His friends
slunk out after him.

   "Problem, Tony?" Miss Calloway asked when I walked back over to where
she and Tami were talking to Gary, the gymnastics club coach.

   "They just wanted to watch little girls in tight leotards," I said.

   "And you don't?" Miss Calloway accused, laughingly.

   I grinned.  "There's a difference." I hope.  Damn, hoist by my own
petard.  What is a petard anyway?  And why would anyone want to hoist me by
it?

   "There sure is," Gary agreed.  "I won't let him hang around the club,
either."

   "Anyway, Kelly looks relieved that he's gone," Tami added.  We all
glanced to where Kelly was working on the beam.

   "So, you were about to tell us what we were doing wrong," I prompted
Gary.

   "Oh, I don't think you're doing anything wrong."

   "We're just not doing it right," Tami said.

   Gary laughed.  "It's not that either.  It's just a young team.  Stephy's
the only level seven, so she's the only one who's done an optional routine
before.  The others are all used to compulsories."

   "What's that?" Tami wanted to know.

   "Well, Kelly and Miranda are level sixes.  The rest are, or were, level
fives.  In club competition, like we do, the levels up through six do
compulsory routines.  That is, they all do the same routine.  When they get
to seven or above, they do optionals, where every girl has her own routine.
In middle school and high school competition, they all do optional
routines."

   "Yeah, I helped Traci with hers on beam," Tami said, showing that she
understood.

   "So how come Kelly, who's a level six, beat Stephy, who's a seven?" Miss
Calloway asked.

   "Well, Kelly's a really hard worker, and she'll be a seven this summer.
But the problem is Stephy.  She's really inconsistent.  Some days she looks
like she's headed for the Olympics, and other days..."

   We all nodded.

   "So is our problem the routines or the tricks in them?" I asked.

   "Skills," Gary corrected.  "Tricks are for magicians."

   I nodded.

   "Sorry, pet peeve of mine.  The answer is, probably both."

   "That helps," Miss Calloway sighed.

   "I'll try to watch everyone do a routine today, and then I should have
some suggestions about how you can tighten them up, or skills you can add
to improve their difficulty."

   "We appreciate it," Miss Calloway said.  "As a PE teacher, I know a
little about a lot of sports and not enough about this one."

   "No problem.  When Stephy and Kelly asked, I was glad to do it.  I just
wanted to make sure I wasn't stepping on anyone's toes."

   Miss Calloway laughed.  "I've got big toes, but feel free to step all
over them."

   "Well, I've got to go teach my sister to vault," I announced.  "Now if
someone would teach me."

   Gary smiled but didn't rise to the bait.  Apparently I was too subtle
for him.

   * * *

   Vaulting is easy.  You just have to throw yourself headfirst at the
vaulting table.  Spotting vaulting is easy.  I just have to make sure they
can walk away from it.

   I'd already learned to spot vaults on the girls, but they already had
the basics.  With Traci, I'd be starting from scratch.

   First I called over all of our vaulters and told them what I wanted to
see.  They lined up at the end of the runway, and I watched as they took
turns doing handsprings, which is the most basic vault and the one I wanted
to teach Traci.  I'm not very analytical, but I was trying to correlate
what they did with how the vault looked.

   After they'd each done three handsprings, they started getting fancy. 
In a meet, each girl gets two vaults, and the judges take their best score
of the two.  They can do the same vault twice or two different ones.  So
all the girls did a nice safe handspring for their first vault and a more
difficult one for their second.  Miranda and Suzie did half-ons, where they
did a half twist in the air before landing on the vault.  Stephy and Kelly
did half-halfs, a half twist on and another half twist off.  Brianna did a
half-on-full-off.

   The girls vaulted for about ten minutes, then went off to other things,
and I called Traci over.  The first five times she jumped she got halfway
up and fell back.  The sixth time she went over with just a little tap on
her stomach.  The gym erupted with cheers.  I hadn't even realized anyone
was watching.  Traci beamed as all the girls yelled and applauded.

   I wanted to clap too, but I didn't want my favorite brat getting a
swelled head.  "Do you have any idea how ugly that looked?" I asked.

   "I suppose you could do better?"

   "A pregnant hippo could do better."

   Traci bowed to me and, with a flourish, waved her arm at the vault. 
"Show me."

   "Yeah, Coach," Stephy said from the side of the floor mat.

   "I don't like to show off."

   "Show us!" Kelly yelled from the bars.

   "I..."

   "Come on, hotshot!" Tami yelled.  "Give the girls a treat."

   Now I knew how George Washington felt when he heard about Benedict
Arnold.  Then I saw my out.  "I'd like to, but safety rules.  Nobody vaults
without a spotter there."

   "I think I can handle that," Gary said.  I knew I never liked the guy.

   I sighed and walked toward the end of the runway.  I was trying to
remember everything that Kelly had ever told me about the vault.  And
trying to analyze what I'd watched earlier.  I was an athlete.  I could do
this.

   I got to the end of the runway and turned to face the vault.  Gary had
the springboard standing on end and was putting some extra springs in. 
Probably a good idea.  I was heavier than any of the girls.  He looked at
me, then set the board down.  He looked at me again, then moved the board
away from the vault a few inches.  He nodded.

   I took a deep breath.

   Everybody had gathered by the vault to watch.  I wondered if screaming
and running away was an option.

   `I'm an athlete,' I told myself.  `I can do anything.'

   "Do you have any idea what you're doing?" I looked to the side at Kelly
standing there.

   "Not a clue," I admitted.

   "But you're going to try anyway, cause you're too macho to back down."

   "Pretty much."

   Kelly sighed.  "I'll miss you."

   I swallowed.  "Thanks, you're a big help."

   "Just remember, don't reach for the vault.  Hit the board and go up,
then kick out with your legs to get upside down.  If you reach, you'll
bullet right over the top."

   "Got ya, Coach.  Tell Tami I love her, and she gets all my stuff."

   I took a step forward and started running.  I was trying to think about
what Kelly had told me.  Don't reach.  Don't reach."

   The runway was eighty feet long.  I ran as hard as I could, my eyes
focused on the springboard.  Even as I ran, I could feel my body wanting to
reach for the vault, wanting to get my hands in place as soon as I could.
Don't reach.  Don't reach.

   I hit the board doing about a hundred and ten miles-an-hour and took off
almost straight up.  I didn't reach.  As the board pushed me into the air,
I kicked my legs up behind me and felt myself going upside down.  My arms
were up by my ears, and I could see the suede surface of the vault rushing
at me.  I braced for impact, and my hands hit it, then I was flying off the
other side.

   I was doing it.

   I was vaulting.

   This was easy.

   The momentum of my legs was carrying me over the vault and
right-side-up. I was coming in to land.  Maybe I should be a gymnast.  My
feet were coming down on the mat, but I realized that my feet were behind
my body.  I landed on my toes, and fell on my face.  Hard.

   "Are you okay?" several of the girls asked.

   I rolled over and looked up at the ceiling.  "Ow."

   * * *

   As the bus rolled down the main street of the town, I stood up in the
aisle and faced the group of giggling girls.

   "Ladies!" I said to get their attention.

   "He's going to yell at us again," Stephy said.

   "It's a tradition," Kelly explained.  "He always yells at us after a
meet."

   "You should try living with him," Traci lamented.

   Rodney Dangerfield thinks he gets no respect.  He should try coaching a
group of middle school girls.

   "I just wanted to say I thought you had a great meet."

   "Were you at the right meet?  We lost," Brianna said.

   "Yeah, but, one..."

   "He's counting again," Miranda moaned.

   "One!" I said a little more loudly.  "Robert Kennedy Middle School is a
better team than Stoner.  They won the district last year.  And two..." I
waited for the interruption, but it didn't come.  "They only beat us by
fifteen."

   The girls cheered.

   "Like I told you, if you work really hard, we won't win a meet, but
we'll keep closing that gap."

   "What if we want to win a meet?" Brianna asked.

   "Can't be done," I said positively.

   "Oh yeah?" Maria challenged.

   "Yeah," I said with a nod of my head.

   "Oh yeah?" several of the girls asked.

   "Yeah."

   "Oh yeah?" they all screamed.

   "Maybe." The girls applauded and stomped their feet.

   I waited till they calmed down.  "The thing that made me proud to be one
of your coaches was the way you guys supported each other as a team. 
Somebody, who shall remain nameless, fell off the beam four times..."

   "Traaaccciii," they all yelled, and my sister turned a delicious shade
of red.

   "Who shall remain nameless, but when she finished you were all there
with hugs and nice words."

   "But she got a six on vault," Brianna pointed out.

   "You gonna make her learn the floor this week?" Miranda asked.

   "Actually, I was thinking of getting you on the beam."

   "I hate beam."

   "Gary says you have a great beam routine."

   "But that's a compulsory routine."

   "So we take your compulsory routine, change a couple of things and call
it an optional routine.

   "Can we do that?"

   I nodded.  "We can do that." I'd talked to the Kennedy coach before the
meet, and he said I wouldn't be the first one to use that shortcut.

   "Cool.  Then I'd be an all-around.  I can beat Kelly." Kelly had come in
third all-around tonight, but she'd beat Stephy by two-tenths of a point.

   "In your dreams!" Kelly yelled from the other side of the bus.

   My pep talk degenerated into a series of taunts and jibes from there. 
As I sat back down next to Tami, I couldn't help thinking that a team that
acted like a team and wanted to get competitive could be a very dangerous
thing.

   Chapter 58

   `I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date,' I thought as I jogged
out of Mr.  Calloway's room.  He'd asked me and Ricky to come in and talk
about the baseball season after school, so I was late for gymnastics.  On
the plus side, the girls should be all stretched out and working when I got
there.

   I figured I'd hit my locker, grab my stuff, then cut through the south
hall, out the back door, across the football field, and jog through the
woods to the middle school.  In a month, it'll be easier: jump in the car
and speed over.

   At my locker, I dumped the steno pad I'd been doodling in at the meeting
into my backpack, stuffed in my science book, and closed my locker.  It was
about ten to four, and I figured I could get away with jogging in the
hallway, so I took off toward the south hall.

   When I turned into the hall, the first thing I noticed was Kenny opening
a locker, which was strange cause his locker was in the same section as
mine.  Then I noticed a kid standing on the other side of him.  The kid, I
think he was a freshman, looked nervous and was shifting from foot to foot.
I stopped and watched.  Neither of them noticed me, though I was only ten
feet away.

   The kid dipped into his pocket and pulled out a folded bill, it looked
like a twenty but I wasn't sure.  Kenny grabbed it, unfolded it, and
smiled. `Extortion,' was my first thought, but then Kenny reached into the
locker and pulled out a baggy.  Something green and leafy.  Probably
oregano.  Kenny was running an herb store for aspiring cooks.

   I took three big steps and kicked the locker door hard.  It smashed
closed, not quite catching Kenny's hand.  As Kenny's head snapped toward
me, I reached out and grabbed his wrist.

   "Let go!" he yelled.

   I squeezed, and he dropped the baggy.  "Not in my school," I told him
coldly.  `Please throw a punch,' I begged silently.  The kid looked like he
was about to wet his pants.  "Take your money and go," I ordered.  "Don't
come back."

   The kid reached for the money still in Kenny's other hand.

   "No!" Kenny bellowed.  I squeezed his wrist harder.  The kid grabbed the
twenty and jackrabbited down the hall.  I made a note to tell the track
coach about him.  The kid could move.

   "You don't want me to catch you selling again," I told Kenny as I
released his wrist.  `Please try to hit me.  You're tough, you know you
want to.'

   Kenny glared.  "You don't run the school.  You don't tell me what to
do."

   I grinned.  "You're right, we could discuss it with Mr.  Parker.  Or
maybe Deputy Boyd."

   "Narc," he growled.

   The truth was, I had an ingrained resistance to tattling on anybody,
even Kenny.  I just smiled.

   "This isn't over," he said threateningly as he walked away.

   I hoped not.

   * * *

   I finally got to practice and spent most of it working with Miranda. 
First she showed me her level six routine, then we talked about the changes
we could make.  She wanted to change the back walkover to a back
handspring.

   The only problem was, she couldn't do a back handspring yet.  I'd
spotted back handsprings on the floor, but not on the beam, so I told her
to talk to Gary.  If he thought she could get them before the season was
over, he could start teaching her and then teach me to spot.

   * * *

   The phone was ringing as I walked in the house.  Tami's mom had dropped
me off.  Since it was Friday, Traci was spending the night with Rachel
Clark, and Mom and Dad had said something about dinner out.

   I dropped my bag and ran to the phone, wondering who was calling at six
on a Friday.

   "Hello."

   A recorded voice said, "This call may be recorded or monitored for
training purposes."

   "Mr.  Sims?" a human voice said.

   "This is Tony Sims."

   "This is Clark with Gringott's Bank and Trust."

   Somebody for Dad.  "You want..."

   "I was just calling to remind you that you're seriously behind with your
mortgage.  When can we expect payment?"

   "You've made a mistake.  You..."

   "There's no mistake.  We gave you a mortgage in good faith.  Now what
are you going to do about it?"

   "But I'm not..."

   "You can't just stop paying because you feel like it."

   This guy was getting on my nerves.  "I'm trying to explain...."

   "I don't need excuses.  Everybody has excuses."

   I had enough.  I thought about just hanging up, but figured that would
hurt Dad, not this clown.

   "Your supervisor, NOW!"

   "What?"

   "Do you speak English or what?  Get your supervisor on the phone."

   "Now see here..."

   "No, you see.  Unless you're the chairman of the board, you have a
supervisor.  I want him or her on the phone."

   There was a long silence.

   "This is Candice Hall.  Is there a problem?"

   "A big one." I took a deep breath, I'd almost lost my temper and said a
fucking big one.  Right now, I needed to come off as reasonable.  "Your man
Clark there called and asked for Mr.  Sims, I identified myself as Tony
Sims.  And he started lecturing me about my responsibilities to pay my
mortgage on time."

   "Well he..."

   "Please let me finish.  My name is Tony.  I'm fifteen years old and
don't have a mortgage."

   "I see."

   "I assume Clark wanted to talk to my dad, but he wouldn't let me explain
that I'm not him.  Your call says you record these conversations.  My
advice is that you review the tape and try to teach Clark some manners. 
Even if my dad or someone is behind in their payments, they don't need to
have Clark lecturing them like they're a child or treating them like
they're a deadbeat."

   "I agree."

   "I'll tell my dad you called."

   "On behalf of the bank, I'd like to apologize."

   "Maybe you should listen to all of Clark's calls and then make some more
apologies." I hung up wondering just how far behind Dad was.

   Chapter 59

   I hate life.

   But I ain't all that thrilled about the alternative.

   Maybe I should say alternatives.

   I mean, a beautiful garden where I'm attended by twenty-four virgins
doesn't sound too bad.  Except they have no souls.  Without souls, I'd
think they'd get pretty boring after a while.  Kind of like all those mind
control stories on the net.  I figure having sex with a controlled girl
would be a lot like masturbation.

   Then there's Heaven with it's streets paved with gold.  I mean, after
the first hundred years, would you really care what the streets are paved
with?  Hell, after the first hundred minutes.

   Reincarnation could be cool unless I came back as a cockroach or a
maggot or something.

   I read somewhere that the stars are all people who died, but I'm not
sure a couple million years of turning hydrogen into helium, or is it
helium into hydrogen, before burning out, would be a lot of fun.

   Then there's the idea that you just end.  You're done.

   I guess the problem is that nobody's sure which alternative is the real
deal.

   No, that's not right.  The problem is that everybody's sure which
alternative is the real deal, they just can't agree.

   It's like the old joke:

   St.  Peter is standing at the gates of heaven sorting the recently
deceased.

   "John Smith, Baptist, you're in.  Please go to room 321, but be very
quiet going by 317.

   "Jenny Taylor, Jew, you're in.  Please go to room 324, but be very quiet
going by 317.

   "Carl Reed, agnostic, you're in.  Please go to room 342, but be very
quiet going by 317.

   "Excuse me St.  Peter," the next man says, "I was wondering why you tell
everyone to be quiet when they go by room 317?"

   St.  Peter smiles.  "Room 317 is for the Catholics.  They think they're
the only ones here."

   Anyway, I hate life, but I'm stuck with it.

   * * *

   I stood outside Tami's trailer for a long time making up my mind.

   At least it was a nice night.  The stars were out in full force.  All
six thousand, three hundred and thirty-two of them.  There were only a
couple of clouds, and a warm wind was moving them west.

   On the one hand...

   I could hear the TV inside, but couldn't make out what was on.  It was
Sunday.  There wasn't much worth watching on Sunday anyway.

   On the other hand...

   I saw a light go on in Tami's Mom's bedroom.  If I stood here long
enough, they'd both go to bed and I wouldn't have to decide.

   But I knew that not deciding was a coward's way of deciding no.  I
walked up the step and knocked before I could change my mind.

   "Tony?" Tami said in surprise as she opened the door.  She glanced
toward the back of the trailer to make sure her mom was out of earshot.  "I
thought you were busy seducing Mikee."

   "No, she just wanted to talk."

   "About Kelly?"

   "And other things."

   "Kelly seems so much better.  I'm glad you could help her."

   "All I did was listen."

   We stood in awkward silence for a minute or more.

   "Did you want to come in?" Tami said, opening the door wide.

   "No, I just stopped by to give you a message."

   "A message?"

   "I love you."

   Tami blushed.  "I..."

   I put my finger across her lips before she could say more.  "And I'll
love you forever.  Or like the song says, forever and ever, amen."

   I took my finger away, leaned forward and gently kissed her on the lips.
Then I turned and walked away.

   Chapter 60

   I walked up to Elizabeth Taylor Lane to Zoe's house.  She lived right
next to the rec center.  This time I didn't hesitate, but walked up on the
porch and knocked.  A woman answered.  She was mid-thirties and could have
been pretty except she seemed worn out.

   "Hi, I'm Tony.  Is Zoe here?"

   She looked surprised but glanced behind the door toward the living room.
A few seconds later, Zoe appeared and looked just as surprised as her mom.

   "Hi, Zo, I thought you might want to talk a walk with me."

   "I...  What about Tami?"

   "Tonight, I wanted to walk with you."

   Zoe looked questioningly up at her mom.

   "I don't know..." the woman said.

   "Moooom."

   "Okay, but just a little while.  It is a school night."

   "It's nice and warm.  How about half-an-hour?"

   The woman hesitated, then nodded.

   "We're just going to walk around, enjoy the night, and get to know each
other," I explained while Zoe got a jacket.

   "I just..."

   "I'll take good care of her."

   * * *

   "So tell me about New York.  I've been all over the West Coast, but
never even close to the Big Apple," I asked and she was off.

   Zoe could talk.  And talk.  And talk.

   But I enjoyed listening to her.  She'd lived in New York all her life
before moving here and thought it was an exciting place.  When I'd first
met her, I hadn't liked her, mostly because she complained so much, but the
complaining had died down.  I figured it was mostly due to culture shock,
and now there was just excitement about her old home.

   I didn't think I'd ever want to live there, but Zoe made me want to
visit as she went on and on about skating at Rockefeller Center or summer
days in Central Park.

   I don't think I said five words after my first two sentences, but the
half hour went fast.  As I walked her to her door I suggested, "Maybe we
can do this again tomorrow."

   Zoe smiled.  I mean really smiled.  She nodded, "I'd like that."

   Before I opened the door for her and gave her a quick kiss.  "I would
too."

   * * *

   "Pretty ladies.  It almost makes it worth it to drag myself out of bed,"
I said the next morning as Traci and I walked up to the bus stop.  Tami,
Mikee, and Kelly were already there, coats pulled closed and collars turned
up against the cold wind that was blowing.

   Peter slipped his arm around Traci, but I ignored it.

   "Give it up.  Everybody knows you like school," Tami said, then blew on
her hands and stuffed them back into her pockets.

   "You haven't told anybody?" I said in mock horror.  "It's supposed to be
a secret." All three girls, Traci too, shook their heads.  "Besides,
there's a difference between liking school and liking getting up in the
morning to go," I added, watching my words come out in a white fog.

   "Ya got that right," Tami agreed, and the other girls nodded.

   I mumbled something, and somebody mumbled something back.  I don't think
any of us were keeping track of what was said.  We were talking to see the
white clouds and to keep our throats warm.

   Zoe walked up, bundled into an oversized parka.  "How's my favorite New
Yawk-kar?" I asked.

   Zoe laughed.  "That's more Brooklyn, I was Manhattan."

   I shrugged as I stepped closer.  "Looks like Peter and Traci have the
right idea," I said as I nodded toward where they huddled together.  Zoe
looked toward them.  Then, before Zoe could reply, I slipped my arm around
her.  "Strictly to conserve body heat, you understand," I whispered.

   Zoe looked nervously toward Tami, but she was ignoring us, talking to
the girls.  "What about Tami?" she asked.

   "What about Tami?"

   The bus pulled up, saving us from further conversation.  I let the girls
get on first, then followed.  We were one of the first stops, so there were
less than a dozen kids on the large bus.  We'd pick up another dozen before
we got to Robbie's stop.

   Tami swung into the third seat from the front.  Mikee and Kelly took the
seat behind her and Peter and Traci the one behind that.  Zoe had settled
into the seat opposite Mikee and Kelly, and I swung in next to her.

   "But..."

   "I want to hear about subways.  I've never been on one, so all I know is
what I see on movies and TV, and there, they're always filled with monsters
or muggers or both."

   Zoe started talking about subways and buses that took her all over the
island.  I noticed Traci and Kelly sneaking looks at us, but mostly I just
watched Zoe as she talked.

   She was still talking about subways when Robbie got on.  One of Robbie's
eyebrows arched as she saw me and Zoe, but she didn't say anything as she
swung in next to Tami.

   * * *

   Tami, Zoe and I walked toward the middle school mostly in silence.

   Despite what I had told Kenny about gymnastics being a closed practice,
I'd invited Zoe to come and watch.  When I told Tami after school that Zoe
was coming with us, I thought I saw a twitch in her cheek, but other than
that, she smiled as usual.

   The strange thing, I reflected as we walked toward the other school, is
that no one had said a word about my switch in female companionship.  Well,
nobody but Luke, who made a comment about my expanding harem.

   Robbie had given me a couple of strange looks, but didn't say anything.
Tami and I shared most of our classes, and we were as friendly as always,
just not touchy-feely.

   I slipped my arm around Zoe, letting my hand rest on her hip.  It took a
conscious effort not to slide my other arm around Tami and my hand into her
back pocket.

   * * *

   Practice seemed to go faster than usual.  I spent most of it with
Miranda, helping her change her compulsory beam routine into an optional
one.  She'd talked to Gary about her back handsprings.  Saturday afternoon,
he'd spotted her on several.  Now it was my turn.

   My big problem was, I wasn't tall enough.  I had to stack several mats
next to the beam to get to a comfortable place to spot her.  Then, the
first one she did, I lifted her clear off the beam because I was so worried
about her crashing.  But after a dozen or so, we were getting into the
groove.  She was doing most of the work, and I was letting her.

   I spent most of the rest of my time with Traci and her vault.  She was
getting a lot better.  When we finished, she asked if I wanted to try
again. I was tempted.  I thought I could do better, but decided to wait
until Gary was around.  He may have let me go splat on my first try, but I
had a feeling he'd be handy to have around if I had more serious problems.

   * * *

   "Hi, Mrs.  Morganthal," I said as the woman opened the door.  "I was
hoping that Zoe could take a walk with me again.

   "It's too cold," she said quickly.  "Besides, I think Zoe overdid it
today.  She's pretty tired."

   "I see.  Well, tell her I stopped by."

   Zoe's mom closed the door.

   I decided to see if Mikee could take a walk.  Besides I had things to
talk about with her.

   Chapter 61

   I held hands with Zoe as we walked to the mail boxes.  For the last day
of January, it was gorgeous.  The fact that it was Monday but there was no
school because of an in-service day just made it better.  It was about
fifty degrees, with just a light breeze blowing and not more than three
small white clouds in the sky.

   I unlocked the box with my key, pulled out a small stack of mail, and
wasn't surprised that most of it was bills.  There was one from the Porsche
finance company that somehow looked more official than usual.  Two from the
bank.  And several from credit card and insurance companies.

   As I closed and locked the box, I wondered how bad our finances were. 
Dad wouldn't talk about it, and Mom said to ask Dad.  But nether of them
looked happy.

   I looked at my watch before taking Zoe's hand again.  A little after
eleven.  I didn't have gymnastics until three.  Almost four hours.

   "It occurs to me that you've never had a tour of the house," I said as
we started back.

   "I've been to your house lots of times.  I spent the night there in
November."

   "Yeah, but you've never had the official tour."

   Zoe gave me the you're-weird-look, but didn't put it into words.

   We walked to the house.  Inside, I took her jacket and hung it up. 
"This would be the living room.  Please not how clean the floor is, that
would be because one of the Sims family knows how to use the vacuum." I
didn't even buff my fingernails when I said it.

   We moved through the living room.  "I know you're familiar with this
room.  Officially this is the dining room, but actually, it's where you and
Traci cheat at Monopoly."

   "I don't cheat," she protested.

   "Un huh." We'd played a few times since the sleepover.  Zoe won if Traci
wasn't there.  Traci won when Zoe wasn't there and the one time they both
played, Tami won again.

   "This is our kitchen.  Please note the immaculate oven.  That was a
major part of my punishment after the slumber party." Zoe opened it and
looked inside, grunting appreciatively.

   "As we continue onward, we come to our small but functional utility room
with matching washer and dryer." I noticed that the washer had stopped. 
I'd put in a load before going to get Zoe.

   I ignored my closed door.  "This of course is our main hallway. 
Actually our only hallway.  On your right is my bathroom, which I sometimes
let Traci use."

   She looked in.  "Very nice."

   "At the end of the hall is Traci's room.  This has been declared a
hazardous area.  You must be fully insured to enter." I opened the door,
and it was immediately apparent that Traci hadn't picked up in a couple of
days.  "The EPA assures us that it isn't actually toxic."

   "You're mean."

   "Only to Traci," I said, closing her door.  "To our left is the master
suite, where parental units go to conspire against me." I opened their
door.

   "Just a little paranoid," she suggested.

   "It's not paranoia if they're actually out to get you." I waved at the
room.  "That would be the bed where absolutely nothing happens, or at least
that's what Traci and I tell ourselves.  And my dad's desk where he pays
bill as the mood strikes him." I added the mail to his stack.  Obviously,
the mood hadn't struck him recently.

   I put my hand on her back and steered her out and closed the door.  "And
finally," I said as we walked back up the hall, "the nerve center of the
entire operation, my room." I opened my door and maneuvered her in.

   "My desk, my chair.  And the heart of the nerve center, my bed.  That is
where I lie to think deep thoughts, solving the ills of humanity."

   "Deep is right," she said despairingly.

   I grinned.  "It's also where I ravage young girls.  Say, you're a young
girl." I gave her a small push.  She stepped forward, off-balance and fell
on the bed.  I stepped to the bed, rolled her on her back, and lowered
myself on top of her.

   "Tony!"

   I grinned down at her.  "I have a strong suspicion that you're not
nearly as sophisticated and experienced as you imply."

   "I..."

   "All you have to say is stop."

   I lowered my lips onto hers and kissed her deeply.

   "Tony, I..." she said when I broke away.

   I lifted my head and looked down at her.  "You're very beautiful."

   Zoe blushed and I kissed her again, this time gently putting my hand on
her breast.  Damn, the girl was wearing a bra.  I was really going to have
to break her of that habit.

   "That's kind of nice," I said, grinning down at her.  "We should do it
again." She didn't object, so I did.

   "Isn't this better than just talking about it?"

   Beneath me she nodded and I squeezed her breast.

   "What about your parents?" she asked breathlessly.

   "Gone for the day." I kissed her forehead, nose and chin.

   "Traci?"

   "Hanging with Miranda until gymnastics." I kissed her throat, then
nestled my face in the valley between her breasts.

   She giggled.  "I haven't...  no ones ever done that before."

   "That's too bad.  I guess those New Yawk boys are slow." I kissed the
tops of those two mounds.

   "I guess they are."

   "Maybe I should visit the big orange and teach the girls there what
they're missing."

   "Apple," she said automatically.  "And you stay right here."

   "Yes ma'am." I buried my face between her breasts again.  I wondered how
she'd react if I started unbuttoning her shirt.  I had a feeling that she'd
let me, but wouldn't be comfortable about it.  I could wait.  After all, I
had all the time in the world.

   Chapter 62

   "What are you playing at?"

   "Excuse me," I said, looking up at Robbie.  I'd been sitting in the
library reading about Custer's early career.  I couldn't decide if the man
was a genius who got unlucky at Little Big Horn, or an idiot who got lucky
in the Civil War.

   "What's with you and the Bronx princess?"

   "Manhattan.  She's from Manhattan."

   "Quiet!" Mrs.  Conners snapped from the circulation desk.  I nodded, and
Robbie slipped into the chair opposite me.

   "What about you and Tami?"

   "Tami's my...  my friend.  She always will be."

   "I thought she was more.  I thought you loved her."

   "I'll always love Tami.  She was my first."

   "But not your last?"

   "Life's complicated."

   "That's always your excuse.  Life's complicated.  Maybe you'd better
uncomplicate it."

   "Wouldn't that be nice," I said wistfully.  "A life without
complications.  I think they call that death."

   "God, I hate you sometimes."

   "That's too bad, I've always liked you."

   * * *

   "Ladies!" I shouted to get their attention.

   "He's going to yell at us again," Miranda complained.

   "I thought he only yelled on the bus," Stephy said.

   "It's tradition.  He has to yell after every meet," Kelly explained.

   I looked at Miss Calloway standing next to me.  "Is spanking allowed?"

   "No, you'd enjoy it too much," Stephy said.

   Damn, these girls have gotten to know me quick.

   Tami smiled.  "Sit!" she said loudly, and the eight girls all settled on
the bench.  "Listen!" The girls looked up at me attentively.  Sometimes I
think they behaved for her just to annoy me.

   "I just wanted to say that you ladies did a great job for your first
home meet." We'd had a weird schedule, maybe because we were the new team
in the district.  Four away meets, then two home meets, then districts.

   "You managed to lose another one." The girls booed, and I noticed that
some of the parents watching from the bleachers looked shocked.  "But, you
only lost by four points.  That's a long way from twenty."

   "Stephy almost won the all-around..." Stephy stood and clasped her hands
together over her head like a boxer, "...and Miranda was right on her
heels."

   "Hey!" Kelly protested.  "I've got a cold."

   "And Kelly did a great job competing with a cold.  We've got one more
home meet a week from now on the eleventh, then districts.  And I think
Rachel should compete bars so that we have a sixth.  All in favor?"

   Before Rachel knew what was happening the rest of the team had their
hands in the air.

   "And that means," I continued, "that Brianna or Susie need to do floor.
What do you think girls, rock, paper, scissors or flip a coin?"

   The two girls looked at each other, then back at me.  "You're mean,"
they said in stereo.

   Kelly stood and walked up to me.  "They're a little slow if they're just
figuring that out," she whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear.

   I waited for the laughter to stop.  "They're a lot slow if they're just
figuring that out," I whispered back.  The two girls turned deep red as
their team laughed.

   "Four laps, then get out of here," I yelled.  "Let your parents deal
with you.  I want to go make out with my girlfriend." Zoe, who'd been
sitting on a chair behind the bench, blushed as the girls jumped up and
started running around the outside of the gym.

   I looked over at Miss Calloway.  "Maybe a boys team would have been a
better idea."

   She smiled.  "Then I wouldn't have you to help."

   Damn!  Why does everybody know me so well?

   Chapter 63

   To sleep, perchance to dream.  And what a dream.  All eight cheerleaders
begging me to judge a softest pussy contest.  I was about to agree when...

   DING DONG!

   The blasted doorbell pulled me back to the reality of my bedroom.

   DING DONG!  DING DONG!  DING DONG!

   Somebody was anxious.  I climbed out of bed and pulled on a pair of
shorts.  Mom and Dad had gone to visit Mom's sister, so it was just Traci
and me.  As I walked to the door, the doorbell went off again.

   I opened the door, and Kelly evaporated from the porch and reconstituted
herself holding onto me.  "Kelly?" I said in surprise.

   "I might have known." Traci was standing at the end of the hallway in
her nighty.  She shook her head and turned back toward her bedroom.

   I put my arm around Kelly and held her.  "What's wrong?"

   "I..." she lifted her head and looked up at me.  Her eyes were red. 
She'd been crying.  "I shouldn't have come.  It's silly."

   "You should have come," I told her.  "There's nothing silly, nothing
wrong with needing a friend now and then.

   "But it's stupid.  It was just a dream."

   I nodded, though she couldn't see me, having buried her face in my chest
again.  I held her tightly and maneuvered her backwards into my bedroom.  I
sat on my bed and pulled the frightened girl onto my lap.

   "There's nothing stupid about being upset by a dream.  Dreams can be as
powerful as reality." I thought for a second about my cheerleaders, then
pushed them out of my head.  "Do you want to tell me about it?"

   She nodded without looking up.  "It was happening again."

   Damn!  Damn!  Damn!  Fuck!  I knew I was in over my head.

   "Kenny was..." she sobbed into my chest.  Maybe I could cut his brake
lines.  Kenny had turned sixteen back in November and had an old beat-up
van.

   I rubbed her back.  "It's okay.  It was just a dream.  It wasn't
happening again."

   "It was worse."

   "Worse?"

   "Mom and Dad were sitting there watching.  Mom was saying what a bad
girl I was, and Dad was talking about sending me away."

   Damn!  Damn!  Fuck!  Fuck!

   "Kelly look at me." It took a minute, but she lifted her head and looked
up at me.  "You know your parents love you."

   "I guess."

   "You know.  And you know that if they knew what had happened, it
wouldn't be you they were mad at.  It wouldn't be you they were sending
away."

   "I know, but..."

   "There is no but."

   "I...  I guess.  I shouldn't have come over.  I woke you."

   "No, you should have come over.  I was getting up anyway." I glanced at
the clock beside my bed.  Seven thirty.  Yeah, I was getting up, in about
three hours.  "I mean it's Saturday.  Can't sleep the day away." Though I
could have tried.

   That's when I noticed how funny Kelly looked.  She was wearing a jacket
over a long flannel nightgown with untied tennis shoes.  And her hair would
have made the Bride of Frankenstein look good in comparison.

   "Did you wake Mikee when you had your nightmare?"

   "She wasn't there."

   "Where was she?"

   "Uh, she spent the night at her friend Paula's house." Somehow I had the
feeling there was more to that story, but I let it slide.

   "Did anyone notice you leave?"

   "Peter spent the night at a friend's, too.  And Mom and Dad had to work
early."

   "So you were alone?" Please say you were alone.

   "No, Kenny was there, but I think he's still asleep."

   My heart was pounding.  I wondered if Kelly could hear it with her head
pressed against my chest.  "I really don't want you there alone with Kenny.
If Mikee and Peter are going to be gone and your parents aren't there, you
can come spend the night with Traci."

   "I can take care of myself."

   "I wonder how many dead girls said that before they got killed."

   Kelly jerked her head up and looked at me.  "Kenny wouldn't kill me."

   "I didn't think he would..." damn, I still couldn't bring myself to say
rape out loud, "attack you either."

   "You worry too much," she said, laying her head back against my chest.

   "You don't worry enough," I said as I picked her up and stood.  I
carried her to my bed and laid her down.  I pulled off her shoes, then
covered her with my blanket.  It was electric, and since I hadn't turned it
off yet, it was nice and toasty.

   "Back in a minute," I told her and stepped out of the room.  I went to
Traci's room and opened the door.  She was lying in bed, reading.  "Good,
you're up."

   She looked at me, annoyed.  "You might have knocked."

   "If you'd gone back to bed, I would have woke you." I walked in and
plucked the book out of her hand.  Nancy Drew and the Spiral Staircase. 
Well, it was better than nothing.

   "What are you doing?" she demanded.

   I ignored her, pulled back her blankets, and picked her up.

   "You can't just do this," she said as I carried her down the hallway.

   "I think I just did." I carried her into my room and set her next to
Kelly and tucked her under the electric blanket.  "Stay!" I ordered.  "I'll
be back," I added in a really bad Schwartzenegger.

   I smiled at their confused looks as I left them there and went out to
the kitchen.

   In less than a minute I had eggs whipped up, the frying pans
pre-heating, and was chopping cheese, ham, and onions.  I decided to skip
the hash browns and bacon, didn't want a quarter of my gymnastics team
getting fat.

   A few minutes later I loaded a tray with three plates full of huge, and
may I say fluffy, ham and cheese omelets.  I added buttered toast and
carried it to my room.  The two girls were snuggled together talking about
American Idol.  They both thought Carrie Underwood was going to win.  I
figured they were nuts.  It was between Constantine and Bo.

   "Ladies, breakfast in bed."

   Both girls grinned.  "You know what I was saying about trading
brothers?" Traci said.  "I take it all back."

   "Damn.  Peter's never even made me a P, B & J."

   * * *

   "She's coming back," Traci announced, looking out the window.

   I looked up from the book I was reading, number ten of the Mission:
Earth series, in time to see Kelly hurry by the front window.  Traci went
to the door and opened it before Kelly could knock.  Kelly's face was red,
and she looked upset.  She hurried in, barely glancing at Traci, and
settled on my lap.

   "You okay?" I asked.

   "He came home," she said softly.

   Kelly had hung around that morning until after eleven, when Kenny had
left to do whatever it was that Kenny did.  Then she went home.

   That had given me some time to hang with Zoe before she and her folks
left for Seattle.  They were supposed to be back on Wednesday.

   "You want me to heat up your electric blanket?" Traci asked
sarcastically.  I threw her a dirty look, and she left us alone.

   "It's okay," I told Kelly as I rubbed her back.  "You can hang here
until your mom and dad come home." I stole a look at my watch, the one that
Tami had given me for Christmas.  A couple minutes to four.  Her parents
ought to be home by five.

   "It was..." she buried her face in my chest again.

   I decided that I wanted to be Greg Brady.  I wanted to live with the
Brady family where the hardest problem I'd have to face was hiding the
other team's goat mascot or Bobby's shampoo turning my hair green--or was
it pink?  Greg liked girls too.  Of course, he didn't know what to do with
them, but maybe I could fix that.

   I lifted Kelly's head until she was looking at me.  "What happened?"

   "Kenny came home about half-an-hour ago.  Bobby Hayes and Benny
Schroeder were with him.  I was sitting in the living room watching TV.  I
tried to ignore them..."

   "And?"

   "Kenny was making a lot of remarks about girls and sex and stuff.  A
couple minutes ago he started, uh, he started...  He felt up my tits and
said he was thinking of sharing." Kelly pulled her head out of my hands and
buried it again.  "That's when I came over here."

   I held Kelly for a long time.  I didn't think about what to do.  I
didn't think at all.  I just held on to her.

   * * *

   Traci came back about fifteen minutes later.  "Is everything okay?" she
asked quietly from the doorway.

   I motioned her over.  I stood and put Kelly down in the chair.  Then I
pulled Traci into the seat with her, putting her arm around the other girl.
"Don't let go," I told her.

   "Where are you going?" Traci asked.

   I stopped at the front door.  "I'll be back," I told the girls.  I
didn't bother with the Schwartzenegger accent.

   "You promised," I heard behind me before I closed the door.

   * * *

   I walked quickly down the street toward Kelly's house.

   Tami was just coming out of her house.  "Good, Tony.  I wanted to ask
you about our journalism assignment."

   "Not now," I said and walked past.

   I walked up into the porch and in the front door without pausing.  Kenny
and his buddies were sitting in the living room drinking cans of beer. 
Kenny made it easy.  He was closest to the door.  I grabbed the front of
his shirt and pulled him to his feet.

   "You can't just barge in..." Benny started to complain, jumping to his
feet.

   "Sit down," I ordered coldly.  Benny flushed and complied.

   I held Kenny by his bunched up shirt and stared.  I really wanted to see
what his nose would look like concave, but I kept hearing Kelly's voice
saying, "You promised."

   "What?" Kenny said after a long time.

   I took a deep breath, trying to stay in control.  "Don't ever treat you
sister like that again."

   "We were just joking around."

   I lifted his shirt higher.  Kenny was standing on his tip toes.  "Don't
ever treat you sister like that again," I repeated slowly, emphasizing
every word.

   "Or what, the brat will go crying to you, and you'll beat me up?"

   I held him there and stared, trying to see into his brain, trying to
figure out what made him tick.  Is this how sociopaths started out?  Then I
decided that I'd been watching too many cop shows.  I stared.

   Kenny squirmed, standing on his tip toes.

   I stared.

   "Let him go already," Bobby said.  "It was just a joke."

   I stared.

   I knew the exact second when Kenny knew that I knew what he'd done.  The
blood drained from his face and his eyes changed, fear replacing defiance.

   He knew, and I hadn't told him.  I hadn't broken that promise.

   "The only reason you're not bleeding," I said quietly, "is that Kelly
doesn't want me to hurt her brother.  She still cares.  Please give me an
excuse."

   Kenny held absolutely still.

   I let go, and he sagged onto the sofa.

   "My advice to you is to pretend that Mikee and Kelly don't exist.  Don't
look at them.  Don't talk to them.  Because if either one of them ever
cries again because of you, I will take you apart."

   I looked over at the other two.  "That goes for you too.  Don't look. 
Don't talk.  Don't even say hi."

   I looked back down at Kenny.  "Consider running away."

   I walked to the door.  "And change your pants," I said without looking
back, remembering the small wet spot on his crotch.

   * * *

   Tami was waiting outside.

   "Feel better?"

   "No." I remembered a scene in Rocky when he went to a meat packing plant
and pounded on big slabs of beef.  Why didn't we live closer to a meat
packer?

   "You want to tell me about it?" she asked gently.

   "No."

   "Tony, I realize that you have secrets that aren't yours to tell..."

   "And I won't."

   "Even though it's tearing you up?"

   "Even then," I agreed.

   "I think I can guess."

   "God, I hope not." I didn't want to think that Tami could even conceive
of something like what Kenny had done to her sister.  It'd be nice if one
of us could have a little innocence.  "I've got to go.  I told Traci she
couldn't move until I got back."

   "I want to help."

   "There's nothing you can..." I thought about it and smiled.  "Why don't
you come over for some Monopoly."

   Tami looked surprised but nodded.

   Kelly won, and I don't think anybody realized just how much I cheated.

   Chapter 64

   Monday I cut several classes.  I knew none of my teachers would mind
except Mr.  Kincaid, and I didn't particularly care what he thought.  I
spent the first two periods talking to Miss O'Keefe, the counselor, and the
next two on the phone.  Mrs.  Hatcher, the secretary, didn't mind.  She
assumed it was for some kind of class project.

   When Tami and I got to gymnastics, the girls were dressed down and
stretching.  I walked over to Kelly and kicked her lightly.  "C'mon, we got
an appointment."

   "We do?"

   "Yep, get dressed.  My mom will be here any minute."

   Kelly looked confused.  So did the other girls, but she ran down to the
locker room and came back a couple of minutes later wearing jeans over her
leotard and tennis shoes without socks.  I'd already told Tami and Miss
Calloway that I thought we'd be back in an hour.

   Mom was waiting, and the two of us piled in the back of her van.  I
think she was looking forward to my new car almost as much as I was.  She
could resign as chauffeur.

   On the other side of town we pulled up in front of a large house with a
sign SARABETH WILLIAMS HOUSE.  "What's this place?  What are we doing
here?" Kelly asked.

   "This is the women's shelter.  I need to interview the director for a
project."

   "Oh." I knew Kelly assumed I meant a school project, but I can't be
responsible for what people assume, can I?  "Why am I here?"

   "I need a woman's point of view," I explained as I slid the door open.

   "Why me?" Kelly asked, but puffed up slightly at being called a woman. I
saw Mom's eyes glance at me in the rear view mirror, but couldn't read her
expression.

   "Well, Zoe's gone for a couple of days, Tami and I can't both miss
gymnastics, and Robbie's mad at me."

   "Why's Robbie mad?"

   "She's a redhead.  She doesn't need a reason." I got out and held out my
hand for Kelly.  We walked up the path toward the house.

   "What about Mikee?"

   I leaned down and whispered, "She's a little immature."

   Kelly giggled as I straightened and knocked.

   A woman with a black eye and swollen jaw answered.  "Hi, I'm Tony Sims.
I have an appointment with Mrs.  Fletcher."

   The woman nodded without speaking and closed the door in our faces.  I
assumed she was getting Mrs.  Fletcher.

   "That woman had a black..."

   "I know.  I leaned down until Kelly and I were eye to eye.  "Do you know
what a woman's shelter is?" She hesitated, not wanting to appear stupid,
then shook her head.  "Sometimes guys beat up on their wives or their kids.
They can come here to be safe."

   Kelly processed that.  "Guys are jerks," she said finally.

   "You got that right," I agreed as I straightened.

   The door opened, and a woman stood there.  She was mid twenties and
could have been a model with her golden blond hair and sensational body.  I
guess with a name like Mrs.  Fletcher, I'd been expecting an Angela
Lansbury type.  "Hi, I'm Kate Fletcher."

   "Hi.  I'm Tony Sims, and this is Kelly Temple.  We talked on the phone."

   "You wanted to hear my story?"

   I nodded.  "Please?"

   She looked down at Kelly.  "She's a little young," she said
apprehensively.

   "Kelly's very mature for her age." Without looking, I knew the
twelve-year-old would be puffing up a little.

   Mrs.  Fletcher nodded and led us back to her office.  A minute later we
were sitting.  She looked at Kelly.  "Do you know what incest is?"

   Kelly hesitated.  I knew she hated admitting she didn't know something,
but then, so did I.  "I know it's a bad thing, but I don't really know what
it is."

   Mrs.  Fletcher sighed, steepled her fingers and looked up at the
ceiling. "Incest is sexual relations between two people who are related. 
Like a father and a daughter, a brother and a sister, or cousins." She was
looking up and didn't see Kelly flinch when she mentioned brother and
sister.

   "There are a lot of people," she continued.  "Who will tell you that
incest is always bad, always harmful.  There are some who say it's never
bad, that it's natural.  The truth, like usual, is somewhere in between. 
Part of the problem is the legal system.  Incest is against the law almost
everywhere, but in some states it's just parents and their children or
brothers and sisters.  Other places it's cousins or even second and third
cousins.  Some places even include steps, though, technically, they aren't
related.  In my case, it was my grandfather."

   Kelly's eyes got real big.  "You had sex with your grandfather?"

   Mrs.  Fletcher sighed again and looked at Kelly.  "Lets just say, he had
sex with me."

   "But, your grandfather?"

   Mrs.  Fletcher nodded.  "It started when I was five.  Mom would leave me
with him a couple a nights a week when she had to work late.  It started
with touching.  He'd touch me in..." she hesitated, "my private place."

   "Your pussy," Kelly suppled.

   Now it was Mrs.  Fletcher's turn to be surprised.  "Yes, my pussy.  And
he'd want me to touch his...  his cock."

   Kelly nodded in understanding.

   "When I was nine or ten, I told him that I didn't want to do it anymore,
but he said I had to.  By then he was licking me all over and wanted me to
lick his cock too.  I didn't want to, but he was my grandfather, and kids
are supposed to do what their parents or grandparents tell them, right?"

   Kelly and I both nodded.

   "When I was eleven we had full sex."

   "He fucked you," Kelly said bluntly."

   "Yes, he did."

   "You know, I need some air," I announced.  "I'll be back in a few
minutes." Without waiting for an answer, I got up and left.

   Outside, I walked to the van.  Mom was reading a magazine.  I looked
over her shoulder.  Cosmopolitan.  "There's a little store on the next
block.  Want anything?" I asked.

   "A Pepsi would be nice," she said without looking up.

   "I want a DNA test.  We can't be related." Mom was one of those people
who didn't care if it was Coke, Pepsi, RC, or something in-between.  Though
she did draw the line at the Safeway and Wal-Mart house brands.

   I walked to the store and came back a few minutes later with two cans of
Coke.  We sat in the van and drank.  "Were you planning to tell me what
this is all about?" she asked after a couple of minutes.

   "Did Traci tell you that she landed ten cartwheels in a row on the beam
Friday?" I asked.

   "I'll take that as a no then." she went back to her magazine.

   Thirty-five minutes later I saw the door open and Kelly step out.  I
rushed up the walk to meet her.

   "You told her, didn't you?" she accused.

   "No, I didn't.  When I talked to her on the phone, I told her that you
had a secret that wasn't mine to tell.  But lots of people have secrets."

   Kelly nodded.

   "Did you tell her?"

   Kelly bit her lip and nodded.

   "Did it help?"

   "I guess so." She kind of cocked her head as she looked at me.  "Why did
you bring me here?"

   "Kelly, you were having nightmares."

   "One."

   "It starts with one.  I was out of my league.  I didn't know how to
help."

   "You helped, just by being my friend."

   "It wasn't enough.  Mrs.  Fletcher has a degree in psychology, plus
she'd been through something like what you're going through."

   "Did she tell you she hasn't talked to her grandfather since she was
twelve?"

   "Yeah."

   "That's kinda sad."

   "Yeah, it is," I agreed.

   "She thinks I should tell Mom."

   "I do to."

   "I can't."

   "Kelly, you know your mom loves you.  And you know she's not going to
think it's your fault."

   "What if Kenny tells her I wasn't a virgin?  What then?"

   Good question.  Damn good question.  Good questions are even better when
you have good answers to go with them.

   "Kelly, if you want me to go with you to talk to your mom I will.  I'll
even tell her that I popped your cherry."

   Kelly gave me the kind of look usually reserved for people with IQ's of
sixty or below.  "Are you nuts?"

   "I'm not afraid of your mother." Of course when Alana comes home from
college, she'll probably have Big Tony stuffed and mounted.  "Whatever it
takes to make you comfortable telling her."

   "Something that doesn't involve us both being grounded to the year
twenty-five twenty-five would be nice."

   A Zager and Evans reference.  I didn't think she had it in her.

   "Maybe we could start off easy.  We could tell your mom about my
cherry," she suggested.

   "Are you nuts?  I had to sit through a two-hour sex lecture when she
found out Traci had kissed some boy at a dance.  She finds out about your
cherry, and we're talking a week, minimum."

   "With slides and diagrams," Kelly agreed.  "Let's take it a step at a
time.  I'm coming back to talk to Kate some more on Saturday afternoon."

   "Saturday afternoon, I'll be a licensed driver.  May I transport you to
your appointment?" I said with a bow.

   Kelly giggled, looked at me, and giggled again.  "No, you won't."

   "You've been talking to Traci.  I assure you, I'll pass my test on the
first try."

   "That's not what I meant.  You can't take the test till you're sixteen,
and your birthday is on Saturday.  The DMV's closed Saturday.  So you can't
take your test until Monday."

   I laughed.  "Ordinary mortals can't take it Monday either.  DMV will be
closed while they install some new software and train everybody on it.  But
I am no ordinary mortal!" I puffed out my chest like George Reeves on the
old Superman TV show.

   "What gives?"

   "Well, way back in June, I called the DMV and made an appointment for
the twelfth at eight AM.  A week ago, a guy calls and says there's been a
mistake, that I had an appointment for a Saturday drive test, but they
don't give Saturday drive tests.  I said they'd made the appointment; they
should honor it.  He pretty much laughed in my face, told me the office was
closed Monday and booked solid Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, but that if
I asked nice, I could have an appointment for Friday.

   "I called the director."

   "The director?"

   "The big boss of the DMV.  I looked up his phone number on the internet.
I called and told him all about the phone call I'd gotten, especially the
tough-luck-kid attitude of the guy who called.  I told him my call was just
a courtesy and that next I was calling the paper in Seattle and telling
them all about it.  The DMV has gotten a lot of bad press lately over
customer service and attitude.

   "He asked if I'd mind waiting an hour, and I agreed.  About ten minutes
later I got a call from the guy in the local office who apologized up and
down and told me I could test Saturday morning."

   "Too cool.  Will you have trouble from the guy when you take the test?'

   "I don't think so.  I've still got the director's phone number."

   Chapter 65

   "Want a job?"

   "A job?" I turned and looked at Gary.  It was Wednesday, the day before
our last home meet, and he'd come to watch practice.

   "Yeah a job.  It's this wild concept.  You do work, people give you
money, the government takes most of it." I wondered if he'd taken lessons
from Robbie.

   "I know what a job is.  But..."

   "Do you want one?" he repeated.

   "I've got a job.  I'm a dishwasher at the Three Blondes.  Though between
football, gymnastics, and baseball next month, I only work a couple a days
a month until summer."

   "My job's more fun."

   "They're going to make me a cook."

   "I pay more."

   "How much?"

   "How bout eight to start."

   Eight bucks an hour.  I'd be rich.  I was only getting minimum wage at
the restaurant.  "Why?"

   "I watched you work with these girls.  You get good results.  They like
you, and though they give you a hard time, they respect you.  And you're
picking up the spotting pretty quick, too.

   "How bout nine?" I said just to see how he'd react.

   He smiled.  "Nine if you wear a cute little pink leotard like Stephy,
eight-fifty if you want to wear shorts."

   I looked at Stephy's leo.  It was cute, on her.  "Eight-fifty," I agreed
and we shook.

   "I can live with that."

   We focused again on the girls doing their sit-ups and push-ups.

   I couldn't believe it.  Eight-fifty an hour.  And fifty cents of that
just because I had a big mouth.

   "You sure you want to hire a coach who's o and five, and will probably
be o and seven?"

   "You gonna be o and seven next year?"

   "Not a chance."

   * * *

   I got a ride home with Kelly's mom.  Tami's mom met her, and they went
to eat.  Traci was going to Miranda's house for dinner, and my folks were
out doing a dinner slash interview with some guy who might hire dad.  So I
had the house to myself.

   I grabbed a ribeye out of the freezer and popped it in the microwave to
defrost.

   While my steak was being bombarded with radiation, I decided to snoop. I
went back to Mom and Dad's bedroom and looked through the stack of bills on
Dad's desk.  On top was one from the bank about the mortgage.  Big black
letters, NOTICE OF DEFAULT.  Further down the stack I found out why we were
so far in the hole, even though Mom was working and made pretty good money.
When Dad quit, the state had stopped paying for health insurance.  He'd
kept it up, and the premiums were outrageous.

   I put everything away and went to fix dinner, thinking that maybe a
hamburger would have been a better choice.  Or a grilled cheese.

   * * *

   Zoe and I got off the bus and walked to the mailboxes.  Tami, Mikee, and
Kelly got off behind us and headed for their houses.  Traci had gone to
Miranda's.  Since we had our meet at six, we were actually getting a chance
to go home first.  I got our mail--more bills--then took Zoe's hand and
walked her to her house.

   "I have some things to do before the meet tonight," I explained.  "So
I'll pick you up about five-thirty."

   Zoe nodded, and I leaned forward and kissed her.  I'd planned a quick
one, but as our lips locked together, I found I didn't want it to stop.  I
put one hand on the back of her head and the other on her back and pulled
her closer.  My tongue snaked out of my mouth and rubbed against her lips.

   Her mouth opened, and for the first time, my tongue moved inside just as
her door opened.  For the corner of my eye, I saw an annoyed mother.  I
didn't pull away, but kept kissing the girl.  My tongue brushed against
hers, and I felt her jump.  I kept kissing for another twenty seconds or
so, then pulled back.  I ignored her mother and looked down at my watch. 
"I'll see you in ninety-four minutes.

   She nodded and turned, seeing her mother for the first time.  Her mother
started talking in a low voice as I jumped off the porch.  The only words I
caught were, "almost sixteen".

   I guessed the age thing was rearing it's ugly head.  I hoped it wasn't
going to be a major problem, I really didn't want to go to Plan B.

   I took the path next to the pool.  As I passed Tami's house, I could
hear the bass of the stereo, but I couldn't tell what song it was.  I
glanced in the window and saw Tami and the girls dancing.  I smiled.

   `Maybe Greg Brady isn't simple enough,' I thought.  Maybe I should be
Opie Taylor in Mayberry.  Talk about no problems.  But what the hell kind
of name is Opie?

   * * *

   I got home, snagged the phone, and headed for Dad's bedroom to add to
his stack of bills.

   Mom got home just before five thirty.  We picked up Zoe, Tami, and Kelly
and headed for the meet.

   * * *

   "Ladies!" I yelled.

   The girls rushed into a straight line, tallest to shortest in front of
the bench, and popped off some snappy salutes.  They'd obviously practiced.
"Team all present and accounted for, sir!  Ready to be yelled at!" Stephy
said and popped another salute.

   "Sit," I said tiredly.  I was beginning to think my decision to become a
coach was a little hasty.  Either that, or I had to find a school to coach
at where spanking was allowed.

   "That was our last home meet, and ya lost again."

   "Sir, yes sir!" they yelled together.  I thought about the eight-fifty
an hour I was going to get from Gary to coach gymnastics and wondered if
now would be a good time to ask for a raise.

   "But you lost by less than two."

   Stephy stood up.  "Sir, one point two two five, sir!"

   If her parents hadn't been sitting in the bleachers I would have put her
over my knee right then.

   "I think you've all improved a lot, and I hope you've all had fun. 
Except for Stephy, Maria and Miranda who'll be at the high school next
year..."

   "If Miranda passes math," Traci interrupted.  Miranda who was sitting
next to her gave her an elbow in the stomach.  "Coach, she hit me," Traci
complained.

   "Come here for a second, and I'll hit you too." The brat stuck her
tongue out.  "Except for the eighth graders, who plans to compete again
next year?"

   All five seventh graders raised their hands.

   "Well, start recruiting.  We want enough girls next year so that we can
have seven or eight per event.  Then we won't be so desperate that we have
to use Traci."

   The look on Traci's face was worth all the abuse.  Stephy jumped to her
feet.  "As team captain, we resent that remark.  Traci is a valuable member
of this team."

   "Yeah!" the others yelled.

   I bowed to the girls.  "I withdraw the comment."

   "You'd better!" Kelly, sitting on the other side of Traci, yelled.

   "Next week, we have districts on Friday and Saturday in Wenatchee. 
Everybody competes on Friday for the all-around and the team, and that's
when we lose our last meet..."

   "Boo!" they yelled.

   "Then Saturday, the top twelve girls in each event compete.  I hope we
have at least one girl in every event."

   "You better believe it!" Kelly yelled.

   "Captain, would you muzzle her?"

   Stephy shook her head.  "Nope, she bites."

   Kelly showed her teeth and did a couple of exaggerated bites.

   I sighed and looked over at Miss Calloway.  "Anything you want to add?"

   She shook her head.  "No, I'm afraid of them."

   "No practice tomorrow, so have a good weekend, and we'll see you on
Monday.  No laps tonight.  Go home and remind your parents why they should
have contributed to planned parenthood."

   Stephy jumped up for the third time.  "Sir, permission to kiss, sir!"

   "Excuse me?"

   Stephy stepped forward and kissed me on the cheek.  "Thank you." Then
she hugged Tami and Miss Calloway.  One by one the girls came forward and
kissed me on the cheek and said thank you.  When it was Traci's turn, she
held her hand out to shake, then blushed and kissed me on the cheek too.

   Suddenly I remembered why I wanted to be a coach.

   Chapter 66

   I really hate when they misfile things.

   According to the computer, the book I wanted was in the library, but it
sure wasn't on the shelf it was supposed to be.  Which meant either a brain
dead library aide had misfiled it or somebody had picked it up, then put it
back in the wrong place.

   The book had a four hundred number, I wondered if somebody might have
read it as a nine hundred.  I moved over to that book case.

   "...just is." I heard Tami say from the other side.

   "How can you defend him?" I recognized Robbie's voice.

   "Cause he's Tony." Damn, they were talking about me.

   "That's not an excuse."

   "No, it's not an excuse," Tami agreed.  "It's a mission statement." I
felt the heat rushing to my cheeks.

   "That's no excuse for the way he's treating you."

   "We're friends.  That's how he treats me."

   I figured it was about time to make a quiet escape.

   "He just wants to get in her pants.  Like he did you, me, Mikee, Kelly,"
Robbie charged.

   Damn.  That hurt.  But it wasn't like that.

   "It isn't like that," Tami said in my defense.  "Besides, if he wanted
in her pants, all he had to do was smile.  She's been crushin' on him since
that first Monopoly game."

   "For three years he's told you he loved you.  He's asked you to marry
him a dozen times.  Then he dumps you for a skanky thirteen-year-old bitch
from New York."

   "Zoe is..."

   "Zoe's my friend," I said, stepping around the bookcase.  Tami was
sitting at a table, and Robbie was leaning over the other side.  "And I
really don't see how who I love or don't is any of your business."

   Robbie straightened and we stared at each other about eight inches
apart. "Tami's my friend.  I don't want to see her hurt."

   "She's mine too.  But so is Zoe, and I don't want to hear you talk about
her."

   "Or what?" she challenged.  "She's a guy stealin' little bitch."

   "For your information, she didn't go after me.  I went after her."

   "What's the difference?"

   "The difference is, keep talking and we'll find out if I think of you
more as a girl, who my mama taught me not to hit, or a football player
who's trashing my girlfriend."

   Robbie looked surprised.  I didn't know if I'd actually hit her, but I'd
done a lot of things lately that surprised me.

   Tami jumped up and grabbed my arm.  "C'mon, walk me to my locker." I
glared at Robbie for almost a minute, neither of us willing to give an inch
before I let Tami pull me away.

   * * *

   I was still in a rotten mood when I got home at four.  Since we didn't
have practice, I actually got to go home for a change.  Traci and I walked
in the door and saw my parents sitting in the living room.  I grunted
something and headed for my room.  I don't get in bad moods often, but at
least I recognize them when they hit, and I've discovered that I have less
bridges to mend if I just avoid people as much as possible.

   "Tony, could I see you a minute?" my dad yelled a few minutes later.

   "Yes, oh wise and compassionate one?" I said when I walked into the
living room.

   Mom, sitting on the arm of Dad's chair, giggled.

   "I got a call about you this morning," Dad started.

   A call?  I hadn't even seen Parker since before Christmas.

   "Clark, from the bank.  He said he talked to you last month, and you
were rude and disrespectful."

   "Clark called to complain about me?" I said in amazement.

   "Well, he called about something else, but then he told me that you were
extremely..."

   "The mortgage payment.  He called about the mortgage payment?"

   "Well, yes," Dad said, looking embarrassed.

   "Excuse me a minute," I said and picked up the phone.  I found the
number I wanted in the caller ID list and pressed dial.  "Candice Hall
please," I asked when the phone was answered.  Mom and Dad looked at each
other confused.

   "Miss Hall, this is Tony Sims.  Your man Clark called my dad this
morning to hound him about the mortgage payment."

   "Yes I realize that, apparently he didn't" I said after she replied.

   "He also took the time to complain about my rude and disrespectful
attitude last month."

   "I would think so."

   "Thank you.  I appreciate it." I hung up.  The folks looked even more
confused.

   "The bank apologizes, and you won't hear from Clark again.  In fact, I
think Clark may be looking for new employment." Maybe I should let him know
that a dishwashing position at the Three Blondes would be opening up.  I
stood.  "Anything else?"

   "Sit down," Mom said sharply.  "What was that?"

   I took a deep breath, Dad was not going to be happy.

   "Clark called last month and was somewhat condescending.  I talked to
his supervisor, Miss Hall.  She apologized for his attitude.  I was calm
and polite during the entire conversation.  Apparently Clark carried a
grudge.  He shouldn't have called today."

   Dad shook his head.  "No, maybe Clark shouldn't have complained about
you, but he was just doing his job.  We're behind and he..."

   "No, you're not."

   "We're not?" Mom said.

   "As of yesterday, you're not only current, you're a month ahead.  Clark
evidently didn't bother checking the computer before calling."

   Mom's expression was priceless: a mixture of surprise, disbelief, and
relief.  Dad's was less priceless.  He shot to his feet so fast that Mom
almost hit the floor.  "What did you do?"

   "I paid the mortgage," I said simply.

   "With your car money?"

   "Who needs a car?  I have the school bus and Mom."

   "How dare..." Dad thundered, but Mom interrupted.

   "Tony, would you wait in your room please."

   My retreat would have been a credit to any military genius.

   Yesterday when I called Candace Hall and used my savings account to pay
the mortgage, utilities, and back park rent, I'd known Dad wouldn't be
happy.  It was a pride thing.  That was why he hadn't asked any of my
grandparents for help.  None of them were rich, but they were all pretty
well off.

   Traci stuck her head in my door.  "Are you in trouble?" Once upon a
time, she would have asked that with hope.

   "Not sure yet."

   "Is it bad?"

   "Not sure yet." If Dad was mad now, when he found out I'd also paid up
his Porsche, he was going to hit the roof.  "If you're smart, it would be a
good time to visit Ann or Kelly."

   Traci thought about that, then nodded.  A minute later I heard the front
door.

   "Tony, would you come here please," I heard Mom yell a few minutes
later.

   Dad was sulking.  Mom was back on the arm of his chair.  "First of all,"
she said.  I'd like to know how much you have left in your bank account."

   "A little over eighteen dollars," I admitted."

   "You spent eight thousand dollars!" Dad thundered before a sharp look
from Mom sent him back to sulking.

   "Well, four months of mortgages took half of it.  Then I paid the park
rent, the electric, the water, the Porsche, the phone, the...i"

   "You paid my car!" Dad shot to his feet again.  This time Mom was ready
and jumped to her feet herself.

   "Sit," she instructed, and Dad sat and sulked again.  "You felt you
needed to do this?"

   "Well, you guys put a roof over my head for sixteen years.  I figured I
could do my part for a couple of months."

   "Eight thousand dollars," Dad moaned.

   "Why would you do this without talking to us first?" Mom asked.

   I looked at her.  "If I'd offered him the money, what would he have
said?"

   "No," Dad said without looking at either of us.  "You've been saving for
that car since you were old enough to know what a car was."

   "Not quite.  Besides, they say that waiting for something makes you
appreciate it more."

   "Who says?" Mom asked, knowing how my mind works.

   "Mostly the guys who can't afford a new car."

   "You shouldn't have done this," Dad said, sounding a lot calmer.

   "Why?  The reason you don't have a job is because you didn't want Traci
and me to have to move.  And the reason you're behind on the bills, even
though Mom is working, is that you've kept up the health insurance.  I
figure a large part of the reason for that is my baseball and football and
Traci's gymnastics."

   Dad nodded, accepting the situation.  "I'll pay you back."

   "You better believe you will," I said with a grin.  "Besides I had an
ulterior motive."

   "What?" they said together.

   "March is coming up.  I figured if I get suspended like usual, you can't
ground me as long if you owe me money."

   Chapter 67

   Saturday, I passed my drivers test with ease.  I got a ninety-nine, and
I still say I checked my sideview mirror before I merged left.  Mr.  Gates,
the guy from DMV, was nice and professional about the whole thing.

   Mom let me celebrate by using her mini-van all day.  I took Kelly to see
Mrs.  Fletcher, then later, I took her and her sister, Zoe, Tami, and Traci
to a movie.

   * * *

   Sunday a pick-up showed up out front.  It belonged to a friend of dad's,
and he was letting me use it.  It was older than Traci and pretty beat up,
but I had wheels.

   I took Zoe for a long drive.  We found several secluded spots to test on
dark nights.  Her mom still wasn't thrilled about Zoe going out with a
sixteen-year-old.  She might be a freshman, but she'd skipped a grade and
was only thirteen.  But so far, her mom hadn't said I couldn't see her.

   * * *

   Monday, I drove to school for the first time.  The cab was a little
crowded with Traci, Zoe, and Tami.  Robbie decided she'd rather take the
bus.

   That afternoon I tracked down Larry and Jimmy before gymnastics.

   "Guys, I need a favor."

   "Anything, for our second favorite sophomore," Larry said with a grin.

   "Second favorite?"

   "Robbie's cuter," Jimmy explained.  "What do you need?"

   "Who do you know who deals drugs?"

   * * *

   I knocked, and Zoe answered the door before the echo died.  At least she
wasn't the type to keep a guy waiting on general principle.

   "Wow!" was all I could think of to say.  She was wearing a long dress in
the palest pink I'd ever seen.  Her shoulders were bare, and her hair was
done up in some kind of bun arrangement that left her neck naked.  The
whole effect made her seem too mature for me.

   "You clean up nice yourself," she said.  I was just wearing jeans and a
dark blue sport shirt.

   "All I can say is I'm glad Hershey and Hallmark invented this holiday."

   Zoe giggled.  "They didn't invent Valentine's."

   "Are you sure?"

   Mrs.  Morganthal's face was a study in contrasts.  Proud of her little
girl and how beautiful she looked, nervous about her going to a dance,
worried cause Zo had missed school today because she hadn't been feeling
well, and apprehensive cause a handsome sixteen-year-old was taking her
daughter out.

   Being the considerate guy I am, I decided to put her mind at ease. 
"We'll be home by five.  Six at the latest."

   Zoe giggled.  "He's kidding.  We'll be home by midnight," she said
quickly before her mom could explode.

   I smiled and gave her mom a half-bow.  "Actually, it's a short dance
since it's a school night.  We'll be back by eleven."

   Mrs.  Morganthal looked like she wasn't sure whether to be relieved or
banish me for life, so I took Zoe's hand and we made a quick getaway.

   Considering how classy Zoe looked, I thought about asking Dad for the
keys to his Porsche.  He'd made a comment yesterday about me owning more of
it than he did, which wasn't true cause of the trade-in on his old car, but
sounded good.  But I decided the truck was mine, for a couple of months
anyway.

   We went into the house so that I could show off Zoe to Mom and Dad. 
They oohed and aahed appropriately.  Traci's face was another study in
contrasts.  On the one hand, she thought Zoe looked beautiful, on the
other, she was annoyed at me because it wasn't Tami, and on the third hand,
she was mad at the world cause the middle school wasn't having a
Valentine's dance since it was a school night.

   In front of the house, I opened the truck door for Zoe, then kissed her.
I helped her in, copping a quick feel of her butt, then kissed her.  I
closed the door, went around and got in behind the wheel, and kissed her.

   "Maybe we should skip the dance and go test out some of those secluded
spots we found," I suggested.  I was leering suggestively, but in the dark
truck, she couldn't see.

   "If you think I got this dressed up to sit in the dark, you're nuts.  I
want everyone to see me."

   I started the pickup.  "And they shall."

   * * *

   The dance had a good turn-out.  I thought being on a Monday night it
might be dead.  Robbie was there with Mike Rose.  I liked Mike, but I had a
feeling his days were numbered.  Mikee was with a freshman boy I'd seen
around but didn't know.  Ted something, I think.

   Allie surprised me.  She was there with Jason Kent.  Jason wasn't a
jock, he was a nerd.  Speech team, debate team, honor society, the works.
He was a pretty nice guy, though a bit hung up on his IQ.  He'd tested out
at one thirty-seven.  Three points below genius.  I'd never bothered
telling him that I tested higher.

   Personally, I don't think kids should know their IQs.  It causes
problems.  When I'd first learned mine, I found myself looking at my
teachers and wondering about theirs and why I should listen if I was
smarter than they were.  I'd gotten over it.  Mostly.

   Tami was there with Ricky.  She was wearing a blue dress she'd worn
before, but looked incredible anyway.  Ricky looked proud enough to burst,
as the saying goes.  I was glad that Tami had come, though if Ricky touched
her, I was going to break all his fingers.

   Even Kenny was there, and for once with a girl.  Suzie Donaldson.

   I danced the first three songs with Zoe, then one with Allie while Zoe
took a breather on the sidelines.  The band was a local one, OverAchievers,
and I was surprised how good they were.  I was also surprised, and maybe a
little jealous, when they asked Robbie to come up and sing.  She did two
songs, I Hope You Dance and the Stevie Wonder classic, I Just Called to Say
I Love You.  Stevie would have been proud.  Zoe and I sat and listened.

   The band started a slow one, and Zoe and I went out again.  It felt nice
just to hold her, her head resting on my shoulder and just sway to the
music.

   "Miss Morganthal." I discovered that it wasn't just Parker saying my
name that was like fingernails on a chalkboard.

   "Mr.  Parker," she and I acknowledged together.

   "Do you think it's appropriate to miss school, then come to an
after-school event?"

   "Yep," I answered before Zoe could say anything.  "Especially when she
has a three point five grade average." I smiled.  "Or is it three six?" I
added with a sideways look at Zoe.

   "I didn't want your opinion," Parker said dryly.

   "Maybe if you ever bothered to care about anybody's opinion, the school
would be a better place." I noticed that most of the couples around us had
stopped dancing and were watching the show.

   "Is there a problem here?" Mrs.  Jeffries asked before Parker could
answer me.

   "Nothing that couldn't be solved by non-dancers getting off the floor,"
I told her.

   "Once again, Sims seems to think that the rules don't apply to him or
his friends," Parker said.

   "When he's right, he's right," I agreed, took Zoe in my arms and started
to dance.

   "Don't you ignore me!" Parker thundered.  The band stopped playing and
everybody stopped dancing and stared.  "The dance is only for students who
bothered to attended school today.  You don't belong here."

   I wasn't sure whether he was talking about Zoe, me, or both of us.  I
stopped dancing, looked at him and Jeffries and grinned.  "The man's right,
we don't.  "Let's go make out." I took Zoe's hand and headed for the main
door.

   If I'd ever wanted eyes in the back of my head, now was the time.  I
would have loved to have seen Parker's face as we made our exit.

   * * *

   I pulled back and looked at Zoe.  "You know, you might want to have
those tonsils out.  They feel inflamed."

   Zoe cocked her head and looked at me.  "You couldn't feel my tonsils."

   I grinned at her in the darkened truck.

   "You couldn't?"

   I leaned forward and kissed her again, my tongue continuing it's
explorations.  I held her with one arm while my other hand caressed her
breast.  I hadn't broken her of the bra habit yet and could just barely
feel a hard little nipple beneath my palm.

   "I'm so happy," she said a minute later.

   "I aim to please," I said and started kissing her neck and shoulder.

   Have you ever watched somebody and known the second they made a
decision? I didn't see Zoe make a decision, I felt it through her body as I
was kissing her shoulder.

   She pulled back a little and looked at me.  "You...  you can make love
to me."

   I was surprised, but recovered quickly.  "Nope." I scooted to her and
started kissing her shoulder again.

   "You don't want to?" I could her every iota of teenaged self-doubt in
her voice.  "You made love to Tami."

   "What I did or didn't do with Tami has nothing to do with us.  Every
relationship is different.  We have to find our own path."

   "You don't want to!" she accused again.

   I looked up at her and kissed her nose.  "It's not that I don't want to,
it's that you're not ready."

   "But I am."

   I kissed her other shoulder.  "I don't think so.  Besides, I don't want
your first time to be in an old pickup truck."

   "But I thought..."

   "Are you in a hurry `cause you want to, or because you think I do?"

   "I guess..."

   I smiled and kissed her gently on the lips.  "Not every guy can't wait."
Big Tony jerked in my pants to remind me what a liar I was.

   I kissed her again.  "When you're ready..." I left the rest unsaid.

   Chapter 68

   Friday, Tami and I left school about one-thirty to drive to the middle
school, so we missed all the excitement.

   Deputy Boyd showed up about half-an-hour later with the county's drug
dog, Boomer.  They went straight to a locker in the south hall, where
Boomer got real excited.

   Mr.  Parker showed up and said the locker was unoccupied.  He opened it
up, and they found almost half a pound of marijuana and some real other
nasty stuff.  Felony amounts of crack and meth.  They also found eight
hundred dollars and Kenny's wallet.

   Everybody said that when they were leading Kenny away, his hands cuffed
behind his back, he was complaining that all he had was a couple of ounces
of grass.

   Johnny Dempsey, the entrepreneur that Jimmy and Larry had told me about,
never mentioned a visit from three pissed off football players who
confiscated his entire stock and cash.  In fact, he decided that he'd
learned all he could and dropped out.

   Mikee never mentioned borrowing Kenny's wallet and giving it to me.  In
fact, she never mentioned it again.

   And Deputy Boyd never did figure out where the unsigned e-mail about the
locker came from.  You gotta love those anonymous remailers.

   But Tami and I missed all that as we got on a bus with the gymnastics
team and headed for Wenatchee.

   Nothing exciting ever happens when I'm around.

   * * *

   "Ladies!"

   The girls rushed to line up.  "Team all ready to yelled at, boss!"
Stephy said a few seconds later with a snappy salute.

   I glanced at Tami and Miss Calloway beside me, then popped off a salute
of my own, British style.  I always thought that was classier, click the
heels together and salute palm outward.  "At ease."

   Damn if they didn't assume a passable version of parade rest.

   I smiled.  "No yelling.  I just wanted to say that you guys were
awesome, and I was wrong."

   "Wrong?" several of them mumbled looking confused.

   "Wrong!  Miss Kelly, how many teams at districts?"

   Kelly stepped forward and saluted.  "Seven boss.  Including us."

   "That would be correct.  And Miss Traci how did our team place?

   Traci stepped forward as Kelly got back into line.  Her salute would not
have passed muster at West Point, but in the Wenatchee Middle School gym it
was okay.  "We didn't get a trophy, so we weren't in the top three. 
Seventh?" I shook my head.  "Sixth?" I shook it again.  "Fifth?" I nodded.

   "And Miss Stephy, if there were seven teams and we came in fifth, what
does that mean?"

   "We beat somebody?" She said without stepping forward.  "We beat two
somebodies," she added more definitely.

   "So, I was wrong `cause I said we wouldn't beat any..."

   I didn't get to finish as the girls broke ranks and rushed forward to
hug Tami, Miss Calloway and me.  I even got some more kisses.

   * * *

   I was lying in bed in the motel room, wondering if I could talk Kelly
into visiting.  The problem was, Kelly was rooming with Susie.  I thought
about giving Stephy those spankings I owed her, and damn if Big Tony didn't
second the idea by jerking upright.  But Stephy was rooming with Maria.

   I lifted my right hand and looked at it.  `Guess it's just you and me
again,' I thought.  At least my imagination had plenty of fodder. 
Seventy-some-odd girls running around in skimpy leotards, and there were
maybe three I wouldn't touch with the proverbial ten-foot-pole.  The rest
were very touchable.

   I was thinking of one little blond pixie in particular and rubbing the
crotch of my jeans when there was a knock on the door.

   "What are you doing here?" I almost shouted as I open the door.

   Zoe grinned.  "With a greeting like that, I'm not sure."

   "It's not that.  It's just, I mean, what are you doing here?"

   "I came to watch my boyfriend's team win."

   "We didn't win."

   "From the celebration you guys were having in the gym, nobody would know
it."

   I grinned.  It's not often you see that much excitement for fifth place.
"But, how did...  You were there?"

   "I was in the bleachers with your mom and dad."

   "You didn't tell me," I accused.  "You didn't come down."

   "I figured I'd let the team have there moment."

   "But how did you get here?" I still couldn't believe it.

   "I came down with your folks."

   "Remind me to get them something real nice for mother's day and father's
day."

   Zoe pouted and turned her head to the side, widening her eyes and
looking about four years old.  "But now I have a problem."

   "And what's your problem?"

   "Well, my mom thinks I'm spending the night with Traci.  But Traci's
sharing a room with Rachel."

   "Yes."

   "And your folks think I'm sharing with Tami, but she's in with Miss
Calloway."

   "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive."

   "I have no place to stay," she said, sticking her lip further out to
make her pout bigger.

   "That IS a problem.  I was talking to the desk clerk when we checked in,
and the motel is booked solid.  I think he said there's a flea-bag motel
about a mile down the road."

   Zoe nodded resignedly, "That's too bad, cause I'm ready and that..." she
pointed at my bed behind me, "doesn't look like the front seat of a
pickup."

   I have few real talents, but one is the ability to take a hint.  Well,
most of the time.  I pulled her inside and closed the door.  I scooped her
up, carried her to the bed, and fell across it, Zoe in my arms.

   I kissed her several times, then kissed her throat, then the spot just
below where her Adam's apple would be if she were a boy.  Damn I was glad
she wasn't a boy.

   I unbuttoned the top button of her shirt.  "Your mom thinks I'm too old
for you."

   "I know," she said as I kissed the newly revealed skin.

   "She thinks I'm more sophisticated and experienced." I unbuttoned the
next button.

   "I know."

   I kissed the spot just above the beginning of her breasts.  "She thinks
I'm a guy and guys only want one thing." I unbuttoned another button.

   "I know."

   Damn, another bra.  Did her parents own stock in Playtex or Victoria's
Secret r something?  I kissed the clasp that held the two cups together. 
"Your mother's right." I unfastened the clasp.

   "God, I hope so."

   I kissed the base of her cleavage, then gently lifted one cup away from
her breast and started kissing up the slope as I unbuttoned the last three
buttons.  "You should listen to your mother," I said just before my mouth
enveloped her nipple.

   "I will, I will," she promised as I teased at her areola with my lips
and her nipple with my tongue.

   I kissed her nipple.  "Boys are evil.  All we want is to get your
clothes off." I separated her shirt and pulled the bra cup off her other
breast.

   "Mama was right," she agreed as I leaned down to plant kisses all over
her other breast.  I put my hand on her thigh just below her crotch.  "Mama
is always right," she said as she reached down with both hands and pulled
my hand onto her crotch.

   I gave her a quick squeeze, and I think she had her first orgasm.  But
it sure wasn't going to be her last.

   "Mama never told me about that," she said a minute later as I unbuttoned
her jeans and pulled them off.

   "And what would you have done if she had?" There were a pair of big pink
lips on the crotch of her panties.  I took that as an invitation.  I
crawled between her legs and kissed them.

   "Not wasted all that time running away from boys in kindergarten."

   I peeled down her panties and kissed the real lips underneath.  I looked
up her body at her, "We don't have to do this."

   "Oh, yes, we do," she said and pulled my face back into her crotch.

   I pulled her legs wider apart, then separated her pussy lips with my
thumbs and resumed my kissing.  Her back arched, and she shuddered with
another orgasm.  I'd say this girl was more than ready.

   I lay beside her and waited for her to return to this reality.

   "Are you going to fuck me?" she asked several minutes later.

   "Is that what you want?"

   "Is it going to be like that?"

   "Better, I hope." Considering I hadn't even gotten in her pussy yet.

   "Nothing could be better than that."

   I kissed her gently.  "Let's find out.

   I undressed, then got between her legs.  I gave Zo the spiel about pain
and discomfort and explained about her hymen, since I didn't know if the
girl's health classes got into the mechanics of devirginization.

   I made a point of her watching as I rolled a rubber onto Big Tony.  I'm
glad she didn't ask why I had a box with me, since I hadn't planned to see
her that weekend.  In truth, I hadn't been with anybody since I started
going with Zo, but in the back of my mind, I'd thought that Kelly might
need some more comforting.  It was entirely altruistic.

   I could tell that I scared her a little, but she still wanted to go on
with it.  I leaned forward, letting Big Tony rub against her pussy.  The
little minx was wet, I'll say that for her.  I leaned on one elbow as I
positioned my head against those sensitive lips of hers.  She shuddered.  I
pushed forward, separating the outer lips and she moaned.  I kissed her
gently and tried to slide into her just barely, but without warning, she
grabbed my hips and pulled me down hard.

   I felt the slight resistance as my cock tore through the thin membrane
of her maidenhead.  I imagined I could feel the warm blood envelope my
cock. But between her natural lubrication and the warmth of her love
tunnel, I knew it was just imagination.

   Beneath me, Zoe whimpered.  I rolled to my back, bringing her with me,
my cock still impaling her.  "Shhhhushhhh.  Just relax," I cooed into her
ear.

   "It hurts.  I don't want to be a baby."

   "There's nothing baby about it.  There are ten year-olds who don't feel
a thing." I tried to remember how old Kelly had been that first time.  "But
there's twenty-somethings who cry and scream.  Just remember that everybody
is different.  Give your body a chance to get used to the invader inside
it."

   Big Tony jerked, and Zoe moaned.  I just held her and wondered if she'd
really been ready for this.  While I was holding her, there was a knock on
my door, and she and I both froze.  I heard a lot of young voices outside
and figured the entire team must be out there.  I glanced at the clock. 
Just a few minutes after nine.

   "He must have gone for a walk," I heard Tami say.

   "Knowing my brother," Traci said, "he figured out what room those high
school gymnasts were in." The rest all laughed.  One of the teams had
brought their high school counter-parts to do a group demonstration while
we were waiting for the final results.

   "That's okay." Stephy's voice, I was pretty sure.  "We'll get ice cream
without him." The voices moved down the hall.

   I looked up at Zoe.  "Damn.  Because of you, I missed ice cream."

   It was such a stupid thing to say, Zoe started laughing, and didn't seem
able to stop.  And as she laughed, she rubbed against my cock deep inside.
I could tell she was still having some discomfort, but some of the good
stuff was starting to come through too.

   "What do you think, girl, shall we take a vow of chastity?  Never do
this again?"

   "I..." She moved experimentally.  "Don't..." She lifted about two inches
off my pelvis, then pushed back again.  "Think..." She tried again, this
time three inches.  "So." I could tell she was still feeling some pain, but
she was also feeling a cock rub against all those sensitive nerve endings.

   I stayed still and let Zoe experiment with the new sensations.  As I lay
there, I thought about first times.  There'd been a lot of them.  Tami. 
Robbie.  Mikee.  Kelly.  Now, Zoe.  They'd all been different.  All
special.

   Five girls in three years.  No, Tami had been in July of o-two.  Just a
bit over two-and-a-half years.  I wondered if I was becoming a first-time
fetishist.  I wondered if the Guinness People kept track of things like
this.  Maybe I could paint little cherries over my headboard.

   Zoe was starting to moan again, but this time I didn't think it was
pain. If the team girls had showed up now, they'd really have had something
to talk about.

   Zoe collapsed on top of me, breathing hard.  I gently stroked her back,
Big Tony still at attention and buried inside her.  "How do you feel?" I
whispered.

   "It still hurts a little," she admitted.  But the good feeling is...  I
can't describe it."

   "Sounds like we're doing something right."

   "Am I?  Am I okay?"

   "You're fantastic," I assured her.

   Big Tony, still at attention and waiting his turn, might not agree, but
despite what most girls think, guys don't always think with that head.

   No, really.

   Chapter 69

   Grounded.

   Sent to my room like a two-year-old.

   I couldn't believe it as I paced back and forth.

   For the record: the bedrooms in mobile homes are not designed for
pacing. Not when you have furniture in them anyway.

   It had been a good week until this morning.  Last Saturday, we'd had
girls in every event.  Miranda had surprised herself by making the finals
on beam, then surprised herself again by finishing forth.  Stephy took
second on floor and Kelly fourth on bars.  But the big news was that Traci
made the finals on vault.  She finished twelfth, but she made the finals.
That may not sound impressive, but when you consider where we started...

   One of the best things about the week was, I had nothing to do.  I mean,
other than school.  Gymnastics was over and baseball didn't start till the
twenty-eighth.  I could come home and do nothing.  Not that I came home,
cause I was mobile.

   After school, Zoe and I would jump in the truck and explore our little
corner of the world in a way we never could before.  It was like... 
freedom.

   Then Wednesday, Dad got his job back.  Actually, he got a new job.  His
old boss, Bill Miller, hadn't been able to replace him, so the state
personnel department gave him the authority to hire an outside consultant.
Bill hired Dad.

   They set it up so that he would tele-commute, working from home most of
the time, with his computer tied into the state's network.  A couple of
times a month, he'd have to go to Olympia, but the state would pay for his
hotel, his meals, and everything.  He wasn't getting the benefits he had as
an employee, but Dad figured with the extra pay, after paying his own
insurance and pension, he was still making twenty per cent more than he had
before.  And the best part was, he had a five-year contract, which got
Traci almost through graduation.

   Dad decided he'd get a small office in town.  When he was looking for
work, he'd found several small companies that could have used a strategic
planner, but couldn't afford a full time one.  Now that Dad was going to be
a consultant, he figured he could do deals with them too.  Besides, the
office would be tax-deductible.

   Thursday, the world got even brighter for my main man.  The Unemployment
Department had their hearing and decided that Dad qualified for benefits,
since his job left him.  They told him he'd be getting a check for all
those months within ten days.

   Then Friday, I got to see Mom in action.  We'd had the insurance on the
mortgage and the Porsche that was supposed to make the payments if Dad lost
his job.  But when the Employment Department denied him, the insurance
companies did too.  I got to watch Mom on the phone as she explained that
the Employment Department had reversed themselves and that if didn't have a
check in her hands within five days, she'd be filing complaints with the
state insurance commission.  And if the checks weren't there in ten days,
we'd see them in court where they could pay costs and additional for the
inconvenience.  If lawyer wasn't a dirty word in our family, Mom would have
made a good one.

   All-in-all, a great week.  Until I got up this morning about ten, stuck
my head in the living room, and was told to go back to my room.  I was
grounded.

   There was a knock.

   "Come in."

   Zoe opened the door.  "Your mom said I could have two minutes."

   "That's something," I muttered.

   She closed the door behind her, and I pulled her close and kissed her.

   "Mmmmm that was nice," she said.  "What did you do?"

   "Not a clue," I said, shaking my head.

   "No, really."

   I shrugged.  "I don't know why I've been banished."

   Zoe looked over her shoulder at the closed door, nervously.  "You don't
think it's about us?"

   I smiled, hopefully, reassuringly.  "I doubt it.  You wouldn't be in
here if it was."

   "Time's up!" Mom called from somewhere out front.

   I kissed her one more time.

   "Any idea when you'll be out?" she asked, putting her hand on the
doorknob.

   "Since I don't even know why I'm in..." I shrugged.

   Zoe smiled encouragingly and left.

   I paced.

   * * *

   Traci knocked and stuck her head in about one.  "Mom wants you outside,"
she said quickly and left.  I figured it was the leper syndrome.  She
didn't want to catch guilt by association.

   I took a deep breath.  Maybe I'd at least find out what I was in trouble
for.

   I opened the front door and looked outside.  Mom and Dad were standing
in front of the Porsche in the driveway.  They didn't look happy.  Mom
looked up when she heard the door.

   "Do you think this is appropriate?" she asked.  Actually she barked. 
Definitely an open-ended loaded question.

   "Uh..."

   "What if your dad wanted to leave?"

   They're getting a divorce and it's all my fault?  "I..."

   "You're going to have to do something about it." Why is it, parents
either give you too much information or not enough?

   "I will?"

   Dad laughed.  Mom shot him a dirty look, then started laughing too.  I
watched them, wondering if the stress of Dad's unemployment had knocked
them both off the deep end.

   "Your car is blocking your dad in," Mom managed to choke out as she
laughed.

   My car?  I parked the pickup behind Mom's van in front of the trailer. I
looked at the end of the driveway.  Behind Dad's Porsche was a dark blue
Mustang convertible.  The top was down, and it was filled with girls. 
Kelly, and Zoe were in the front passenger seat.  Mikee, Traci and Tami in
the back.

   "Where did that come from?" I asked, open-mouthed.

   "Detroit, I think," Dad stammered, still laughing.  "Your face!" He bent
over double laughing.

   I knew I'd been had.

   "It was your sister's idea," Mom said, still laughing.  "She said
something about Monopoly night and payback."

   I jumped off the porch.  "I sure hope she has a quarter," I said walking
to the car.  I put my hand on the passenger side hood and walked around the
front.  It was perfect.  Just the way I'd imagined for the last five years.

   "Why?" Traci asked, suspiciously.

   "`Cause we're going for a test drive, and I'm dropping you off in the
next county."

   "If you drop her off, you're dropping me off too," Tami said in my
sister's defense. "Me too," Mikee chimed in.

   "Me three," Kelly added.

   "Better and better," I said, leering at Zoe.

   "My mom wouldn't want me to be alone with a guy who owned a hot car like
this.  I'll have to get out too."

   "Damn!  Well I guess I'm bring the runt home after all." I looked back
at Mom, who'd finally managed to stop laughing.  Dad was holding his side
and gasping for breath.  "But how?  Dad just got his job back three days
ago."

   Mom grinned.  "I was talking to my mom and dad the day after you sprung
your little bombshell on us.  Dad called the dealership that afternoon and
ordered it."

   "Cool." I wondered if this meant that Dad still owed me eight grand?  I
decided that asking would be pushing my luck.  "I take it I'm ungrounded?"

   "Go."

   I jumped in and started the car.  Damn, that was the most beautiful
sound in the world.

   * * *

   We drove around for almost five hours.

   The sun was out, and I think it was really trying to be spring, so a lot
of people were out as I drove up and down almost every street in town.  I
have to admit, I enjoyed the jealous looks I got, whether it was from the
car, the five beautiful girls, or both.

   I decided I was even going to skip getting even with Traci.  I mean,
what I did on Monopoly night was funny.  What she did was just plain mean.
But I was feelin' way too good to worry about it.

   Life was good.

   Chapter 70

   "What is this supposed to be?" Mr.  Kincaid asked, interrupting my
daydreams about baseball practice that afternoon.  It hadn't rained in
almost a week, so the field should be perfect.

   "My project." Sometimes teachers could be so dense.

   "Your project," he said stiffly, "was an abstract art piece on an
emotion.  This is...  is...  is almost representational."

   My drawing was a guy standing on a hill.  He was surrounded by a heart,
and the heart was surrounded by a sunburst as the guy stared at a girl on
another slightly higher hill.  It was supposed to represent my undying love
for the girl on the other hill.  For once, it didn't take a lot of
imagination to see a boy and a girl in the picture.

   I don't like to draw or paint, and I ain't good at it.  And I really
don't want to be.

   "That's not a bad thing.  Art should be representational."

   "No, no, no.  This is art," he said pointing to a copy of a Jackson
Pollock on the wall.  "It's bold, it's evocative, it makes you think."

   "That is a guy cleaning his paint brushes on a canvas and laughing all
the way to the bank.  Pollock, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Picasso,
they're all playing this huge joke on the world and laughing `cause we
don't get it."

   "I'm afraid you don't get it.  You're getting an F on your project and
an F in my course."

   An F.  I'd never had an F.  Hell, I'd never had a C.

   "No wait." I grabbed a fresh sheet of paper.  Tami was working on a
painting next to me.  I grabbed the brush out of her hand and smeared some
paint on the paper before handing it back.  It was a dark purple.  Then I
took a jar or red paint and tipped a little onto the paper letting it run
down and through the purple smear.

   I showed it to Mr.  Kincaid.  "I call it Portrait of a Failed Artist Who
Pretends to Teach and Criticize."

   Mr.  Kincaid's face went through almost the entire spectrum.  First
white, then pink, red, and purple.  He opened his mouth to speak several
times, then shut it again, before stomping out of the classroom.

   I looked at Tami.  "Do you think I should sign it Tony, or Sims, or do I
need a pen name?"

   "I think you went too far this time," she said as she put her brush
down.

   "I think you need to learn to read a calendar," Robbie said from across
the room.

   "A calendar?"

   She pointed at the one behind the teacher's desk.  "It's still February.
March doesn't start `till tomorrow."

   * * *

   "Mr.  Sims, I am extremely tired of your attitude.  Of your disrespect
for this school and it's teachers."

   My stomach growled.  Parker had kept me sitting outside his office for
over an hour.  It was lunch time, and I was hungry, though I figured it
wasn't the best time to mention it.  "Don't forget you.  I have no respect
for you."

   Parker went crimson.  "You see what I have to put up with," he said,
looking at my mom.  Parker had gotten smart.  He called Mom before he
talked to me.  She and I were sitting on one side of the large conference
table.  Parker and Kincaid on the other.  Mr.  Mulino and Mrs.  Jeffries
sat on the side, though they said they were just observing.

   "Tony!" Mom said warning.

   "Just trying to be helpful," I said with a shrug.  "Mr.  Parker knows I
have no respect for him, though I have to show him respect due to his
office."

   "Stop helping," Mom instructed.  I shrugged again.  "What seems to be
the problem this time?"

   "Just Mr.  Parker's continued persecution of me," I answered before he
could.

   "This is not a persecution, it's a prosecution.  Persecution is
something completely different." He said with an air of superiority.

   "Please don't lecture me on my word choice.  I know the difference
between persecution and prosecution.  In fact I'd be happy to match my
vocabulary against yours anytime."

   "Tony, Mr.  Parker is not persecuting you," Mrs.  Jeffries said.

   "I wonder how the state board of education would see it.  I'm one of the
top students of this school..."

   "According to who?" Parker asked.

   "Well, at the end of the first semester, I was number four in my class
academically.  That probably puts me in the top ten for the school.  I'm
involved with two extra curricular sports and all the performing shows.  I
recently participated in the state-wide play competition and just spent two
months helping the middle school gymnastics team.  By most people's
standards, that would make me one of the top students.  What's your
criteria?"

   "That's not important.  Nobody's persecuting you."

   "How many times have you suspended me?  Or attempted to?"

   "Are you saying you didn't deserve it?"

   "No, I'm just wondering how even-handed punishment is in this school.  I
know one student who's been caught smoking three times and hasn't been
suspended.  Of course, he's a favorite of yours."

   "That's a lie!" Parker thundered.

   Mom sighed.  "I still don't know why we're here."

   "Your son said some distasteful things about me," Kincaid accused.

   "I did?" I asked in my best surprised innocent voice.

   "Don't try to deny it.  You know what you said.  I have witnesses."

   I looked at Mom and shrugged.

   "What did he say?" she asked.

   "Wait, I have an idea," I interrupted.  I reached into my notebook and
pulled out my masterpiece.  "Mr.  Kincaid assigned us to do an abstract. 
He didn't like my first one, so I did this." I showed them all the
painting. "I told him I was calling it Portrait of a Failed Artist Who
Pretends to Teach and Criticize."

   "There!" Kincaid said, sounding satisfied.  "You see."

   "What does the painting have...  wait!  Do you see yourself in that?" I
looked at the painting closely.  "I don't see it." I laid down the
painting.

   "You did it deliberately," Kincaid accused.

   "Yes I did.  I deliberately smeared some purple paint there.  I
deliberately dripped some red paint there, then I gave it a title and
called it art.  If there's a crime, it's calling that art." I looked up at
Parker.  "You going to suspend me or what?"

   "I..." Parker looked sick.

   "Personally, I don't think you can make it stick."

   "I..."

   "That's enough," Mulino said standing.  "Mr.  Kincaid, you can go back
to class now.  Charley, I think you have things to do too." Parker and
Kincaid gathered their things and left.  Mrs.  Jeffries hesitated, then
followed them.  Mr.  Mulino took Parker's seat across from me.  "Tony, I'm
disappointed."

   I considered and rejected an innocent look.  "I'm sorry to hear that."

   "You baited Mr.  Kincaid.  On purpose."

   "I did.  He has such a superior attitude, and it was so easy.  Mr. 
Parker was a bonus."

   "It's still not like you."

   I decided that Mr.  Mulino didn't know me as well as he thought he did.

   "Besides, I figured that next week I had to sue the school district
anyway.  I figured I could get an early start."

   "Sue the school district?" Mom and Mr.  Mulino said together.

   I smiled and nodded.

   Mom got the question out first.  "Why would you want to sue the
district?"

   "Today is the start of baseball try-outs.  I'm a sophomore, but I'll
probably make the team." Both of them nodded.  "That means that starting
next week, my teachers will make a weekly grade report for my eligibility.
Mr.  Kincaid's report will keep me off the team."

   "You don't have at least a C in Art?" Mr.  Mulino asked, surprised.

   "I have somewhere between a D and a F.  Mr.  Kincaid said today it was
an F."

   "Then you can't play."

   "I want to play, so I have to sue."

   "The eligibility guideline is district policy.  A lawsuit won't change
it."

   "That's not why I'll sue."

   "Why?"

   "They made art a required subject."

   Mr.  Mulino leaned back in his chair, looking surprised.  "I hate to
break it to you, Tony, but the district has the right to do that.  Just
cause you don't like a subject..."

   "But they made it a required subject without making any guidelines."

   "Mr.  Kincaid makes the guidelines."

   "That's the problem.  He's biased."

   Mr.  Mulino looked surprised again.  "Are you saying he doesn't like
you?"

   I smiled.  "Before today, I think he liked me just fine.  The problem
is, he likes abstract art."

   "You want to sue because your teacher likes abstract art?"

   "Pretty much.  Mr.  Kincaid is a nice guy.  And a pretty good teacher.
But we've spent four days talking about the old masters and renaissance
art. Three days on the impressionists.  And four weeks on Picasso." That
caused one of Mr.  Mulino's eyebrows to go up.

   "Here's one of my tests," I said, pulling a paper out of my notebook and
handing it across to Mr.  Mulino.  "You'll see I got seventeen per cent. 
That's an F.  Question one, name the greatest artist?  I said Van Gogh and
got it wrong.  The answer he wanted was Picasso.  Question two, name the
greatest painting?  I said Rembrandt's Last Supper and got it wrong.  He
wanted Picasso's Blue Boy.  Now those are both opinions.  His.  I'll grant
you that he'd told us those answers several times, and I knew what he
wanted on the test.  But couldn't bring myself to write that.

   "About half of our grade comes from our art projects.  I'm a lousy
artist, I admit that.  But he's not grading us on technique, he's grading
on artistic content.  I'm sorry, but you can't grade art.  Look at Warhol's
Soup Can.  Mr.  Kincaid sees a great work of pop art.  I see a Campbell's
commercial."

   Mr.  Mulino looked at Mom.

   "This is the first I've heard of it, but I think he's got a point," she
said.

   "I suppose you'll let him sue?"

   Mom shrugged, "If we don't he'll probably name us as co-conspirators."

   "If I graduate him today, will you send him off to college far, far
away?"

   I smiled and shook my head.

   Mr.  Mulino rested his elbow on the table and rubbed his temple.  "Tony,
go ahead and try out for baseball.  I'll look into it.  No promises, but
I'll look into it.  Go to class," he said waving his other hand in
dismissal.

   "Do you mind if I make a Wendy's run first?  I kinda missed lunch."

   Mr.  Mulino put his other elbow on the table and lowered his face until
his hands covered his mouth and just kind of stared at me over the tops of
his glasses.

   I took that as a yes.

   Chapter 71

   "Where have you been?"

   I finished dialing my combination, opened my locker, then looked up at
Robbie.  "You're talking to me today?"

   Robbie blushed.  "I figure we're on the same team.  Short and second are
neighbors.  We're going to set a state record for double plays this year,
so I have to talk to you."

   I nodded and put my backpack in my locker.

   Robbie waited almost a minute while I got out my books for first period.
"So where have you been?  I mean, you were around for spring break, and a
couple of days after, then you disappeared.  It's been two weeks.  You
missed six games."

   I nodded.  "I heard you took over for me at shortstop."

   "Where'd you hear about that?"

   "I talked to the coach last night.  He said I should watch my back
`cause you were pretty good."

   Robbie smiled and turned red.  "I prefer second.  Glad to have you back,
but you still didn't tell me where you've been."

   "You're right, I haven't."

   "Zoe was gone too.  You two been shackin' up?"

   "Something like that," I said as the bell rang.

   * * *

   "Did you hear about Kenny?" Mikee asked, walking up to us.  Robbie,
Tami, and I were standing in line waiting for lunch.  Mental note: talk to
student council about petitioning for an open campus at lunchtime.

   "What?" the three of us said together.

   "The D.A.  offered him a deal.  He could go to the boy's school at Green
Hill `till he's nineteen or go to trial and the D.A.  was going to
prosecute him as an adult because of the amount of stuff they found.  He
took Green Hill."

   "I guess Kenny's not as stupid as I thought," I said.

   "They took him last night."

   "How are you parents handling it?"

   "Pretty good.  I think they kind of expected something like this."

   "How's Kelly doing?  I haven't seen her in weeks."

   "She's back to her old self.  She says she misses the middle school
gymnastics, but the club keeps her busy.  I still don't know what
happened."

   "Probably just a phase.  You know how girls are." Robbie and Tami both
smacked the top of my head.

   * * *

   I was just taking the first bite of my hamburger when a shadow fell over
my lunch tray.

   "Mr.  Sims."

   "Mr.  Parker," I acknowledged without looking up.

   "It's nice that you finally decided to join us."

   I swallowed and looked up.  "Well, the school has such a friendly
atmosphere, how could I stay away.  I mean the vice principal himself comes
to welcome me back."

   "Do you know what Friday is?"

   I nodded.  "I believe I do.  It's the ninth of April.  Be sure to stop
by any time you need information." I took another bite of my burger.

   "It is also the end of the third nine week grading period," Parker said
with way too much satisfaction.

   "It's also our game against Apple Valley," Robbie added helpfully. 
Parker's glare made it clear he didn't appreciate the help.

   "A nine weeks you will be repeating in summer school."

   The idea surprised me.  Not just that I didn't want to give up my
summer, but that Parker would want to have to put up with me during his.

   "That wouldn't be convenient.  I think I'll pass."

   Parker grinned.  It was not conducive to my digestion.  "You missed ten
days.  School policy is that you can only miss eight per nine weeks."

   "Just out of curiosity, whose policy is that?  Yours or the district'?"

   The look of annoyance that flicked across his face answered that
question nicely.  "Also out of curiosity, what's the purpose of my going to
summer school?"

   "To make up the work you missed."

   "Well, grades come out after Friday, and I'd be very surprised if, with
the exception of art, I have anything lower than a B.  And since the
guidelines for art changed, I should have a solid C there.  I'm not sure I
see the point."

   "The point, Mr.  Sims, is that the rules are for everybody."

   "There is that, I suppose," I agreed.  "Tell you what: I'll pass this
all on to Mom.  She can decide whether to give it to our attorney or just
call Mr.  Mulino directly."

   Parker glared, turned and walked off, not quite stomping.

   "You just love to push his buttons, don't you?" Robbie accused.

   I grinned and finished eating my hamburger.

   * * *

   A week later I was sitting in history class.  Normally that would be a
good thing.  I like history, but today Mr.  Calloway had a dentist
appointment, so Parker was subbing, which pretty much meant that he was
talking about things he didn't understand and didn't want questions or
comments.  We were supposed to just soak up his wisdom.

   Dad's cell phone in my shirt pocket started vibrating.  It tickled. 
Cell phones were strictly forbidden in school, so I pulled it out and
looked at the screen, recognizing the number.  I cupped it in my hand and
held it up to my ear.  "Tony," I said quietly.

   "It's time," the voice in the phone told me.

   "Mr.  Sims!" Parker had stopped lecturing and was standing in front of
my desk.  "I believe you're familiar with the rule against cell phones in
school."

   I nodded as I clicked off the phone.

   "I'll take that."

   "I don't think so," I said, slipping the phone back into my pocket. 
"It's my dad's.  He doesn't like me giving away his stuff." I closed my
notebook and text.

   "What are you doing?"

   "Leaving," I said as I stood up.

   "You can't just leave."

   I smiled tightly.  "We have differing opinions on so many things." I
stood up.

   "You can't leave."

   "Watch me."

   "I'll suspend you."

   "Do what you got to do.  Right now, I've got a better place to be. 
That's a Harry Chapin song by the way." I left Parker with his mouth
hanging open.

   * * *

   I called mom from the highway.  "I'm going."

   "Be careful."

   "Parker was subbing in history class.  He wasn't happy about me
leaving."

   "Did you explain."

   I smiled to myself.  "Honestly, the thought never occurred to me."

   I could hear her sigh.  "I'll see what I can do."

   * * *

   I hate hospitals.  Calling it a medical center doesn't help.

   * * *

   "There you are."

   I looked up at Tami standing there.  She was wearing one of the school
sweatshirts, the hood pulled over her head to protect her from the rain.

   "What are you doing here?"

   She smiled.  "I had to be someplace.  Here seemed like a good choice.

   I nodded.  It made sense.

   "These work better with two people," she said, nodding toward the teeter
totter.

   I stood up so that the other end came down.  Tami climbed on, then
pushed off.  I went down again, pushed off, and went up in the air.  For
awhile we teeter-tottered, up and down, up and down, while the hard, cold
April rain soaked us.

   "I made love to her.  Two months ago today for the first time."

   "I know." Tami stopped off and slid off.  She walked to the swings.

   I got off and followed.  "You know?"

   "At districts.  She was different Saturday."

   I nodded and got behind Tami and started pushing.  "How'd you get here?"

   "Greyhound.  I left the driving to them."

   "No, here?"

   "I went to the hospital..."

   "Medical center," I corrected.  "They like to call it a medical center."

   "I went to the medical center, you weren't there, I came here."

   Made perfect sense to me.  In a city of half-a-million people, Tami came
straight to my little playground a dozen blocks from the medical center.

   "It's nice."

   I nodded, feeling possessive.  "You should see it when the sun is
shining.  Lots of kids." Thursday and Friday had been beautiful days, and
the playground was packed with kids, screaming and running and just having
fun.  Yesterday the rain had started.

   "Are you okay?" Tami asked as I pushed her higher and higher.

   "Not really."

   "Were you...?"

   "I was there."

   * * *

   Zoe had a rare form of leukemia.  Between her red cells and white,
something didn't work.  That was why she got sick so easy.  Just after
spring vacation she'd gotten sick again.  This time I came with her when
her parents brought her to the medical center at University of Washington.
She hadn't wanted me to.  She didn't want me to know just how sick she was.
But I knew, so I insisted.  I'd stayed for two weeks, then had to go back
to school when it looked like she was getting better.

   Then, a week later, her mom called to let me know that `it's time.'
She'd slipped into a coma by the time I got here Wednesday afternoon.  I'd
sat with her and prayed.  I'd never really prayed before, but I prayed for
Zoe.  When I couldn't take just watching her lie there, I walked.  That was
how I found my playground.  I watched and prayed.  I walked and prayed.

   Friday she'd come out of it.  She seemed the same old Zoe.  Her mom
hugged her.  Her dad hugged her.  I hugged her, and we all talked for hours
and hours.  Yesterday morning, I'd been holding her hand, listening to her
talk, and she slipped back into her coma.  Then this morning I'd watched as
the Marcus Welby and Doctor Kildare types unplugged their tubes and wires
and said their `I'm sorries'.

   I'd always remember that last conversation.

   "It hasn't been so bad, has it?" she asked, her face pale and breathing
raspy.

   "Bad?  Of course it hasn't been bad."

   "Can we go on forever?"

   "Forever," I agreed.

   "You're a terrible liar.  I think that's why I love you."

   "I'll get better.  When we're married and I want to sneak out with my
buddies for some poker, I'll have to."

   Zoe smiled.  "Will you go back to her?"

   "Who?"

   Zoe smiled again.  For a second, she seemed to have some of her color
back.  "Will you marry her?"

   "I..."

   "Please." She smiled a third time, then she squeezed my hand and closed
her eyes.

   * * *

   I stopped pushing Tami and went over and sat on the merry-go-round.  It
was wet, but I didn't care.  Tami followed me.  "Do you want to talk about
it?"

   "No."

   "Okay." Tami sat down beside me and started pushing us slowly in a
circle.

   "It was Mikee who told me.  Back in January.  Zoe had told Mikee her big
secret, and she thought I should know."

   "Because Zoe loved you."

   I swallowed hard.  "I don't know if it was really love, or just a crush.
Zoe talked about all her boyfriends back in New York, but she confided in
Mikee that she'd never really had one."

   "She had one," Tami said and laid her head on my shoulder."

   "It wasn't fair.  She deserved better.  I didn't really love her, I just
pretended."

   "Tony, I know you better than that.  You may have started out
pretending, but in the end you loved her.  You love her.  You already said
it.  Two months ago today, you made love to her.  You didn't fuck her, you
didn't have sex with her, you made love to her."

   Tami put her foot down and stopped us.  She stood up and held out her
hand.  "Come on, lets go home.""

   I took her hand and stood.  "You know, she asked me if I'd go back to
you."

   "Did it bother her?"

   "No, she wanted me to."

   "She was a very special girl.  It's not fair that she had such a short
time."

   We started to leave.  Suddenly Tami stopped and turned to me.  "Tony,
will you marry me?"

   I smiled for the first time since Zoe's hand had slipped out of mine. 
"First chance I get." I put my arm around her and we walked off into the
rain.  I thought about two more years of school.  Two more years of the
trailer park.

   "The very first chance I get."

   {The Trailer Park: Road Trip will be the next book in the series and
will come soon.}