Thanks to all who liked Chapter One enough to ask for a sequel. I'm not sure this is quite what you want, but kpandron seemed to like it. This is the male conversation, female conversations coming up in Conversations II.

It's Addictive

Chapter 2: Conversations I

I.

Steve Barkin sat at his desk massaging his forehead with his left hand while his right wrapped white knuckled around a phone.

"Yes, ma'am…yes, ma'am...of course ma'am… we'll do our best ma'am…yes, ma'am…we appreciate your concern, ma'am…thank you for calling, ma'am."

He gently placed the receiver back in its cradle with the air of a man releasing an armed bomb.

"Troubles, old buddy?"

Barkin glared at the figure in his doorway, his long time friend and fellow ex-marine, Chief Robert 'Barney Fife' Huxley.

"What do you want?" Barkin growled.

"Coffee first, then information."

Barkin waved at the coffee pot, "Help yourself." Steve knew his bud was called 'Barney Fife' by his friends for his physical resemblance to the TV deputy, not for a similarity in mental acuity. His response was cautious.

"What kind of information?"

"Oh, this and that," Huxley took a cautious sip, "Jesus, Steve, what do you do, just keep adding new grounds to the old? The navy makes better coffee than this sludge."

"I like character in my coffee."

"Well, you got that, a little more 'character' and you'll have to fight it before you can drink it."

Barkins' preferred method of caffeine delivery was an old joke between the two, but now it was time for business.

Barkin stood, and walked over to refill his cup. "What is it this time? Somebody's yard get trashed? Another streaker in the supermarket?"

"No, a little more serious this time."

"If it's drugs, I haven't heard anything."

"No drugs." Huxley forced a sip down, "The mayor came to see me this morning."

"That must have been a barrel of laughs." Barkin took a healthy swallow.

"Oh, yeah, just roll on the floor funny. Steve, this is a little awkward, but the mayor is convinced that you have a female Nazi wannabe group starting."

Barkin's cup hit the carpet, his jaw hit his chest. Of all the things he expected, this was so far out it was beyond last.

Ignoring the shattered china and growing stain, he stomped to his desk and dropped heavily into his chair, again massaging his forehead. "Bob, I know politicians' aren't the most mentally capable group around, and even in that company, his honor's bulb isn't the brightest in the box, but where did he come up with this one?"

"His daughter."

"His daughter thinks there's a Nazi group in my school?"

:"No, he thinks his daughter is a member of a group in your school and he wants it stopped. Bad for the old public image if daddie's little girl is an SS groupie."

Barkin thought a moment, "Bob, is there a reason you said SS specifically, instead of Nazi?"

Chief Huxley was having trouble staying with the conversation, "Uh, Steve," Huxley's eyes were glued to the smoky fumes rising from the shattered bits of china, "your, ah, carpet is…"

"Forget the damn carpet, why the SS."

Bob stared suspiciously at his half empty cup, "What? Oh, she's taken to wearing a piece of SS jewelry."

"Runic?"

"No, not the SS runic emblem, a rather pretty stylized SS, according to his honor." Bob couldn't keep his eyes off the growing fumes from the carpet.

"Oh, Jesus, those damn things!" Barkin moaned.

Chief Huxley's eyes snapped back to the assistant principle, "What do you know about them, Steve? Them? How many are there?"

Barkin jerked upright and marched around his desk toward a filing cabinet. Along the way he absently snatched a carafe off his desk and casually dumped half its contents on the smoky stain.

Pulling a file folder from the cabinet, Barkin walked back to his desk, tossing the folder to Huxley. "You can look at what I've got, but it isn't much. After you look at it we'll walk around the halls between classes, you'll see a few. By the way, did the mayor's baby girl say what the SS stood for?"

"Sterling Silver, which it is."

"Damn, same answer I got."

Huxley opened the folder enthusiastically. Middleton was a very low crime town, something that his buddy knew about but couldn't' stop or find out more about might just be something to break the boredom of his endless report shuffling.

After quickly scanning the files, Bob groused, "These don't say anything, except this one girl…"

"Miss Rockweiller."

"Right. She seems pretty adamant about nailing this Stoppable kid's hide to the wall. Maybe I should talk to her, you know, the old chink in the damn."

"Don't bother, compare her second interview with her first."

"Huh?"

Bonnie's Interviews:

First Interview

"I want his head on a platter!"

"Rockweiller, sit down and calm down. Now, what did Stoppable do?"

If he hadn't known the girl, Barkin would have sworn she blushed.

"I don't want to talk about it, just punish him."

"Bonnie, you have to tell us what happened." The always perky school councilor interjected in her too sweet voice.

Bonnie glared at her, "That's none of your business. He thinks he's so smart but even with the mask and costume I knew it was Stoppable."

"If whoever was masked and costumed, how did you recognize him?" Barkin jumped in.

Bonnie was becoming frustrated and indiscreet. "I've been over his lap before and he has the biggest…hands…in school."

Both adults' eyebrows went up. "Over his lap?" the councilor questioned.

"At cheerleading practice, Ok? Now are you going to punish him or not?"

"If you never actually saw his face I'm afraid there's not…"

"Fine, whatever, I'm out of here!" Bonnie turned and stormed out of the office.

Second Interview:

"Miss Rockweiller, Bonnie, we've heard some rumors that we hope you can help us clear up." The councilor began.

"Whatever."

"Now you said Mr. Stoppable assaulted you…"

"I did not, you did."

"All right, when you were attacked…"

"I was not attacked!"

"What would you call it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Can I go now?"

"I suppose so." The clearly flustered councilor managed.

"Fine."

END INTERVIEW

"Not much help, is it?'

"No," a clearly frustrated Huxley replied, "do you think this Stoppable threatened her?"

"I doubt he ever threatened anybody in his life, with a few exceptions."

"Exceptions?"

"You know the kid, Bob."

"I do?"

"Team Possible? The male half?"

"The skinny kid? You're kidding?"

"Nope, the exceptions are anyone that threatened Possible, and I don't think he'd talk then, I think he'd act."

"You seem to like this guy."

Barkin thought a moment. "Bob, would you like to know what my sources say? Strictly between the two of us, it goes no further and always remembering that most students view teachers as the enemy?"

"Go ahead, it goes no further."

Steve looked uncomfortable. "Bob, I seem to have a, well, a serial spanker in my school."

The Chief's whole face quivered.

"Dammit, Bob, it's not funny!" Barkin complained, "Well, maybe if I wasn't concerned it would be, but I can't do anything."

"It's your school, why not?"

"C'mon, Bob, even in high school I have to have someone complain, or catch him in the act before I can do anything."

Huxley managed to choke out, "So, you have a rogue high school spanker randomly…"

Barkin broke in, "It is not random, Bob, that's part of the problem."

"You just lost me."

"Have you ever met the mayor's daughter?"

"Once or twice, why?"

"Impression?"

"Let me think, Ok, five foot six or seven, slender, long straight blond hair, dark framed heavy glasses, kind of shy, that's about it."

Barkin pulled a folder from his desk drawer, removed a photo, and tossed it to the chief.

The photo showed a serious, almost frowning young girl, wearing dark glasses, with long, limp, blonde hair.

"Yeah, that's her." Nodded Huxley.

"Straight A student, vice president of the chess club." Barkin amplified.

"So?"

Barkin glanced at his watch, stood, and gestured his friend to follow, "Come on."

A few seconds after the two men exited the office, a bell rang, and students erupted from classrooms. Bob watched the stampeding herd, but did not see the mayor's daughter.

Barkin nudged his friend and inclined his head toward a slender blond. Full golden hair, nicely dressed, smiling as she greeted friends, and wearing on her left breast a silver, stylized, interlocking, double S.

"Ok, that's the pin, kinda pretty. Wonder where the mayor's daughter is?" The chief saw a few more of the pins, all placed in different locations on their owners, but all displayed prominently.

Satisfied his friend had seen enough, Barkin edged him back into the office as the halls began to empty.

"Well, see my problem?"

"Other than the ones I saw seemed proud to display their pins, no, I don't. And where was the mayor's daughter?"

"You saw her."

"No, I did not."

"Slender blond with a pin?"

"Yeah, what about…" Bob's eyes bulged, "you're kidding."

"Nope, that's her. Good kid, just low self image. Since she was 'chosen' her confidence has soared. That's the problem/"

"I don't understand."

"Teenagers!" growled Barkin.

"I still don't understand. Why would Mr. Mayor be upset with his girl's improvement?"

"Simple, she's daddy's little girl, and with the change the boys have started flocking around. Stay focused, Bob, that's not the problem."

"Ok, you've lost me." The chief was clearly puzzled.

Barkin began massaging his forehead again, "It's the girls. Instead of being upset, they're proud of their pins, just like the mayor's daughter. The things have become a kind of medal, a badge, a mark of distinction. a…a…seal of approval."

"So the problem is?"

"I told you. Teenagers!"

II.

Certain males of Middleton High were not happy. Something had to be done, and they were gathered today to decide what. They had to take some action before a full scale, and spreading girlfriend mutiny erupted on them. As it was, those whose girlfriends had already been 'chosen' were the most insistent on action. Strangely enough, those whose girlfriends had not been 'chosen' were almost as committed.

"He has got to be stopped! Amelia called me a "brute" and slapped me yesterday!" One jock bitterly shouted.

"What did you try to do?"

"Same thing he did."

"And the problem was…?"

"I don't have any "empathy", my touch was brutal. Until I learned how to "treat a woman", I didn't need to come around."

"That's harsh, man."

"You think that's harsh," moaned another jock, "Diana just looked at me, me the star fullback, with contempt, said I didn't have what it took and walked out."

"I feel your pain, man." Commiserated Brick, "Bonnie hasn't gone that route…yet."

"What did she do?"

"Same old, same old, I can take her places, buy her things, that hasn't changed. But up close and personal? Forget it."

"You jocks make me sick!" shouted a skinny, acne faced teen, shoving his way to the front, "All about yourselves, your troubles, your problems, what about the rest of us, huh?"

The huge quarterback growled at the newcomer, "Who are you, Dude, and what's your problem."

"My problem is that you guys can get other girls, I only had one girl who would go out with me, not a girlfriend, just every now and then, and thanks to him that's over with."

Some sympathy was voiced, "What happened, dude."

"Any of you know Melody, vice president of the chess club?"

A moment of silence as memories were searched, then light bulbs lit up.

"Oh, yeeaahh."

"Man, she's turned into a little fox."

"Wooo, baby, hot."

"Yeah, that's her, and ever since she got 'chosen', so many of you clowns have been sniffing around her, I can't get close!"

There was some rude laughter, but even more worried comments, as all thought of their own girls.

Brick had assumed leadership of the meeting due to his size and position as quarterback, "Jack, you want to tell us why you're here, your Suzie hasn't been 'chosen', has she?"

"Not yet," was Jack's bitter retort, "and that's the problem."

"Say what?"

"She told me to leave her alone. She didn't have time for me. If she wasn't good enough to be 'chosen' yet, she was going to be. And that's all she's doing, exercises to tighten her…ah…attributes, practicing her walk! And man has her walk…" Jack wiped his brow.

"I say we pound Stoppable, that'll stop this." one anonymous attendee yelled.

A chorus of agreement roared out, with one objection.

"Look," Josh groused, "I know we all want a piece of Stoppable, but what good would it do? We're not even sure it's him."

"Bonnie said…"

"Bonnie changed her mind," growled Brick, "says she made a mistake."

"And even if we were sure," Josh continued, "the problem's not only him, it's the girls. Tara told me I didn't have any feelings for the 'deeper' side of a woman. That I was shallow! You believe that? Me, shallow? And have you been by his locker or his house?"

There were a few affirmatives.

"There's almost a parade of girls, all by themselves, shakin' and showin' it. It's disgusting." Josh complained.

"Bet he's loving it though."

"Nope, acts like he doesn't see a thing."

"Yeah, well, with sixteen King Fu Possible standing there, I wouldn't notice either." Shouted another player.

"Not if you valued your health."

Josh waited for the laughter to die down, "Nope, he acts the same way when she's not there."

"Now, that's just strange."

"So what do we do?"

"Nothing! That's what we do." Josh vented, "according to the girl's grapevine, the guy who lays a hand on Stoppable might as well change his name and move to a monastery, he'd have a better chance."

The meeting broke up in gloom