A/N: While lighter in tone than the last chapter and the one coming up next, lots of stuff happens here. Relationships deepen and new relationships begin. I chose to use Ron, Zita, Crystal, Zoe, Felix, and Rufus's Everlot character names during the Vir-tu-lot sequence when they take on the Wraithmaster. Here's a rundown of the character and their Everlot persona: Zita-Zara, She Woman of the Ice Mountains; Ron-Ronicus the Fleet Footed; Rufus-Rufio the Cheese Muncher; Zoe-Zina of the Deep Woods; Crystal-Cassandra Priestess of Galatea; and Felix-Fenrial of the North Castle. I had a lot of fun writing this episode and drew off some of my role-playing experience-in one of the Traveller games I played in, our ship was named "Botany Bay' and it was a cursed ship where nothing went right, and the party I was with did encounter a talking neutron-bomb that the GM threw at us-it was hilarious. As you can imagine also, Sue's going to have to deal with a rather...shall we say tweaked...Bonnie, but don't worry, she'll deal with it with style and grace and if that doesn't work, she'll ram her clarinet up Bonnie's...oops...don't wanna reveal possible plot threads :) I hope you all enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.
In the next chapter we get serious once again as Tara, Hope, and Sergei find themselves in a mystery that gets decidedly personal. Thanks again for reading!
Last, but not least, I'd like to thank campy, Jeriddian, and daccu65 for allowing me to use their original characters in my stories and providing the inspiration for me to write them. If you haven't read their stories yet, please do so, you'll be glad you did.
Danville—Hotel Excelsior—GamerCon
"I'll get us checked in while you guys unload the van." Zoe grinned as she closed the driver's side door.
"That's right." Ron grumbled jokingly, "Let us to do all the work."
"One of the advantages of making the reservation using my credit card." Zoe joked back adding as an inducement. "Buy you a Slurpity Cola later."
"And a nacho platter?" Ron teased, giving the Asian stripper his version of the Puppy Dog Pout.
"All right." Zoe laughed, "A nacho platter too."
"Okay!" Ron commanded, clapping his hands, "Let's get this van unloaded!"
Laughing, Zoe and Crystal walked up to the front desk. "Reservation for five under the name Zoe Chen. Accessible room." The Asian dancer informed the front desk clerk, handing him her credit card.
"Reservation for five. Got it here." The clerk replied as he presented two keycards. "Room 1244. Accessible room. Two double beds, bathroom, balcony, minibar, desk, wireless access, telephone and television with satellite. I'm sorry, we couldn't get a rollaway."
"Hmmm…" Zoe frowned, "When I made the reservations, I made it clear that we needed a rollaway."
"I'm sorry, Ma'am." The desk clerk apologized, "Would you accept a fifteen-percent discount on your stay?"
After a moment's hesitation in which the young stripper seemed to consider the offer, Zoe nodded her head, "Okay, that sounds fair."
"Thank you, Ma'am." The clerk responded before processing the credit card and handing it back to its owner, "Enjoy your stay."
"Room 1244." Zoe declared, holding out one of the keycards as Ron and Zita loaded the last of their luggage on to a cart.
"Thanks, Zoe." Ron smiled back, taking the card. "Let's get moved in. I hear the buffet in the con-suite calling my name."
"You can hear a buffet calling you from the next county, Ron!" Zita laughed as she gave her boyfriend a playful punch in the arm.
"Gotta get registered first." Zoe chuckled.
"Details…details." Ron waved his hand airily. "We get that done, then it's nachos and cola time."
"Felix? You ready?" Crystal asked as the fifth member of their group rolled over to where his friends were gathered.
Grabbing the cart with an extendable mechanical arm that sprang out of his chair, the young genius exclaimed, "What are we waiting for. Let move in and get registered so we can get this con started! Games to play…panels to go to…"
"Costumes to show off." Zoe and Crystal interjected in unison, flashing coy grins.
"Well…" Ron declared, taking the lead, "What are we waiting for?"
"Yeah!" Rufus chittered, popping his head out of his human's pocket, "Party."
"This is nice." Ron exclaimed, letting out a whistle as he appraised their room. "Wow! Refrigerator and everything."
"Don't get anything from the bar or refrigerator." Zoe cautioned, "They charge you jacked up prices for 'em."
"Yeah." Crystal said, echoing her girlfriend, "You wouldn't believe how much that can of Slurpity Cola in that fridge cost."
"How much?" Ron asked, genuinely curious.
Leaning over, Zoe whispered in the blond teens ears.
"No!" Ron exclaimed, his eyes wide open in astonishment. "Really?"
"Really." Zoe chuckled, nodding her head. "And you don't want to even know what they charge for those little bottles of booze. That's why we brought our own."
"How're we gonna handle sleeping?" Zita inquired, "I'm assuming that Felix will get one of the beds."
"If I'm getting a bed all to myself…" Felix declared, "then it's only fair that I pay a little extra."
"You don't have to." Zoe objected as everyone else nodded their heads in agreement.
"What Zoe said." Ron announced, his girlfriend nodding her head in agreement. "You need a bed of your own. You can't sleep on the floor or on a couch. The rest of us can take turns sleeping on the other bed."
"That's non-negotiable." Zita declared, ending the discussion.
"Okay…okay…" Felix chuckled, "I know when I'm beaten. But on one condition…"
"Name it my man." Ron prompted with a big grin on his face.
"I treat everyone to Edna's all you can eat special and blueberry pie when we get back. And that's non-negotiable."
"Deal." Ron agreed with a single nod of his head, "Right, girls?"
"Right."
"So…" Ron asked, "How are we going to determine who gets the bed when?"
"Why don't we flip a coin?" Crystal suggested. "Winner gets to choose tonight or tomorrow night."
"Works for me." Ron nodded, "Zoe? Zita?"
"Sounds cool."
"All righty then." Felix grinned as he produced a quarter from a compartment in the arm of his wheelchair. "I'll flip it. Who's gonna call it?"
"Let Zita do it." Crystal suggested, the other two girls and Ron nodding their heads in agreement.
"Okay…call it Zita!" Felix exclaimed as he tossed the coin into the air.
"Heads!"
"So…Zita…Ron…tonight or tomorrow night?" Zoe asked.
"Why don't we take it tonight and let them have it tomorrow? Zita whispered to her boyfriend, "I have a feeling we'll be crashing out watching vids or in the con suite anyway."
"You're probably right." Ron agreed, "Okay. We take it tonight and they can have it tomorrow."
Raising her voice, the tawny-skinned Latina announced hers and her boyfriend's decision. "Zoe? Crys? You two okay with having it tomorrow while we take tonight?"
Seeing her lover nodding her head in agreement, Zoe replied, "Not a problem. We can make ourselves comfy on the floor. The carpet's nice and soft and we can spread out some blankets and sheets to make a pallet."
"All righty then!" Ron exclaimed, "Sleeping arrangements settled. On to the buffet!"
Popping his head up, Rufus chittered in agreement, "Yeah! Cheese!"
Bonnie and Monique—Friday night
"Guess who just asked me out to dinner at Rivernas and then dancing at Club Rave." Bonnie exulted to her best friend on her cell phone.
"Who?" Monique asked, even though she already knew the answer thanks to her gossip network.
"Jeremy Wendell!" Bonnie replied reveling in her triumph.
"The captain of the state champion hockey team?" Monique exclaimed, happy for her friend. "I hear some NHL scouts are looking at him when he graduates next year."
"Yeah." Bonnie affirmed, "So are several colleges. Right now, he's higher up the food chain than Brick. Thanks to that cheating scandal most of the football players who haven't transferred out to play for Upperton or Lowton have dropped down a link or two or more on the chain—Brick included."
"Told you, that you were gonna land on your, feet, GF." Monique exclaimed, "So…what are you wearing?"
"Remember that outfit I bought last week?" Bonnie smirked.
"Remember it? I helped you choose it!" Monique grinned, "That the outfit you're wearing?"
"Yup." Bonnie smugly replied.
"You are gonna knock that poor boy off his feet." The wanna-be fashion designer chuckled.
"That's the plan." Bonnie declared.
"I want a full report the next day." Monique jokingly ordered before turning to other matters, "Have you heard from Amelia?"
"Not since she left on that cruise her parents bought her for making honor roll." Bonnie replied, "Why? Is something the matter?"
"Hmmm…it's probably nothing. I was just curious. We haven't heard from her since she left." Monique idly mused.
"I'm sure she's having the time of her life dancing and partying with all the island hotties." Bonnie laughed. "Some girls get all the luck."
"Yeah I guess you're right." Monique replied. "She's probably dancing up a storm with some hottie right now."
"Bonnie! Dinner's ready! Say goodbye to your friend and get down here!"
"That's Mom." The teal-eyed cheerleader sighed, "I gotta go now. Talk to ya' later!"
"Later B!"
Sue
"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" Sue called out as she closed the door to her family's nice, but by no means extravagant, suburban home.
"Hi, Dear!" Linda Gibson, a slender brown-haired woman in her early forties with warm green eyes answered back, "We're in the dining room. Get in here young lady or you're gonna miss dinner."
"On my way, Mom." The young clarinet player replied with a smile as she strode into the dining room.
"You're in a good mood, Honey." Jack Gibson, a burly carpenter with short dirty-blonde hair chuckled, "Does it have something to do with that young man who dropped you off?"
"Who is he?" Linda asked as she and her daughter sat down at the table. "He looks awful familiar. I'm sure I've seen him before."
"You probably have." Sue replied with a shy grin as she helped herself to some peas. "He's Brick Flagg."
"The quarterback?" Jack grunted, "I saw some highlights of their game against Upperton on the sports a while back. Didn't he get caught up in some cheating scandal involving the football team?"
"He found out that the coach and some of the players were taking money to throw games—including the State Championship." Sue confirmed, "He took a video of the coach paying the players off. The coach also told some of the players to injury him so that he wouldn't be able to play. A couple of other students found more evidence and they went to Mr. Barkin and the school paper."
Nodding his head, Mr. Gibson recalled, "I remember reading that the school had to forfeit all its games and the players records were wiped out—including his. I also read that the school got put on probation."
"That's right." Sue nodded her head declaring with a note of pride in her voice, "Brick could have pretty much gone to whatever top-ten college he wanted to play at, but he chose to do the right thing."
"Got to respect a young man willing to put everything on the line like that." Jack declared approvingly.
"Yeah." Sue replied, lowering her head to hide the shy grin on her face, "Ummm…he asked me out on a date tomorrow…"
"What sort of date?" Mrs. Gibson asked.
"Nothing big." Sue answered back reassuringly, "Just the early movie and then a bite to eat at Bueno Nachos. We'll be back before curfew."
"I suppose it's all right with me if it's all right with your father." Linda replied with a grin.
"Oh…okay." Jack grunted, "Just be sure he has you back here by curfew."
"Thanks, Mom, Dad!" Sue exclaimed joyfully as she hugged both her parents' necks. "He said he'd call tonight to firm things up."
"That's good." Linda grinned, "Now, don't you think you should finish your dinner before it gets cold?"
Hearing her phone ring, Sue smiled as she recognized the name on the caller ID. Answering the phone, she exclaimed, "Hi, Brick!"
"Hi, Sue." Brick replied somewhat shyly. "Uhhh…are we on for tomorrow night?"
"Movie and Bueno Nachos?" Sue responded, "I can't wait. What movie are we gonna see?"
"What are you in the mood for?" Brick asked.
"Ummm…how about something funny?" Sue prompted.
"Okay." Brick grinned, "I can do funny. How's about The Fearless Ferret vs. The Cobra Queen. Henry—one of the new wide receivers on the squad—says it's a good movie and really funny."
"Works for me." Sue replied,
"Pick you up at seven then?" Brick suggested.
"Sounds good." Sue replied, "I gotta be back home by eleven though."
"Not a problem." Brick chuckled, "I got a curfew too. I'll get you back home in time."
"Great!" Sue responded, "See you tomorrow!"
"Brick? I need you to take out the garbage."
"Gotta go now, Sue. I'll see you tomorrow."
As soon as the phone call ended, Sue leaped to her feet and cried out in joy, "Yes!"
Looking up from her chair, Mrs. Gibson smiled at her husband, "Looks like our little girl's got a date, honey."
"Guess I better warm up the grouchy father act." Mr. Gibson chuckled.
Brick
"Who were you on the phone with earlier, Brick?" Ashley Flagg, a still attractive forty-something year old woman, her sandy-blonde hair now touched by strands of grey, called out to her oldest son as he returned from his chore of carrying out the garbage.
"Oh…" Brick responded with a big goofy grin, "That's Sue. Sue Gibson."
"I don't believe I know that girl." Colonel Brock Flagg, U. S. Air Force (ret) remarked as he looked up from the Air Force Magazine he was reading. "You've never mentioned her before. Is she a new student?"
"Yeah." Brick replied, "She transferred from her old high school last semester. She plays clarinet for the concert band and she's really nice. I'm taking her out on a date tomorrow—if that's all right with you?"
"I don't have any problem with it." Colonel Flagg replied, "But aren't you going out with that Rockwaller girl?"
Shaking his head, Brick replied, "I broke up with her a couple of weeks ago."
"Why?" Ashley inquired, "I thought you really liked her."
"I did too." Brick replied, his mood souring somewhat, "It's just that…well…"
"You can go ahead and tell us, Son." Ashley encouraged.
"Okay…Mom…Dad…you two know I'm not the smartest person at school…"
"Son." Brock interrupted, "What did I tell you about putting yourself down?"
"I'm not." Brick replied with a shake of his head, "You know I'm just keeping a C average in all my courses except PE and shop. It's just that my teachers are either boring or what they're teaching me flies right over my head. But I make up for it in other ways."
"We know, Son." Brock remarked as he set his magazine down, "You're a damned good quarterback, mechanic, and electrician—and you gotta have brains to do well at all those things. So what if you can't conjugate a Latin verb or know how to do a quadratic equation. I doubt most college professors could fix a car or read a defense or do electrical repairs."
"Right." Brick nodded his head in agreement. "I'm also pretty good at…Tara…she's a cheerleader I know…she calls it reading people."
"Okay…" Ashley drawled, "So what does that have to do with Bonnie?"
"Bonnie only wanted to date me because I'm captain of the football team." Brick declared, "She thinks that puts her higher on this strange thing she always talks about…this food chain or whatever."
"So…you're saying she's only using you for status, right?" Brock prompted.
"Yeah, Dad." Brick affirmed, "She doesn't care about me. She only cares about…"
"What you represent." Ashley interrupted, shaking her head sadly. "What about this new girl? Don't you think that she might just be interested in you for the same thing?"
"I don't think so." Brick replied. "She told me that she was proud of me for coming out and telling the truth when that mess with the football team happened. If she was just interested in grabbing a jock for what did you call it…"
"Status." Col Flagg answered back with a smile. "I think I know where you're coming from, Son. I hope this new girl's everything you say she is. Now…where were you planning on taking her for your date?"
"Nothing fancy, Dad. Just a movie and then BN after for a bite to eat and then back home. She has an eleven o'clock curfew."
"Okay." Brock nodded his head, "I don't have a problem with it if your mother doesn't. Just remember to get home by curfew yourself, young man."
"Yes, Sir." Brick acknowledged, turning to his mother, "Mom?"
Smiling at her son, Ashley gave her blessing, "You did the right thing breaking up with Bonnie and waiting a couple of weeks before asking this girl out. Have a good time."
"Thanks, Mom!"
Watching as her son walked up the stairs, Ashley turned to her husband and smiled, "I hope this girl is as good as he says she is. He deserves to be with someone nice for once after all the crap the Rockwaller girl put him through for the past year or so."
GamerCon—Con suite
"Looks like your boys are having fun." Zoe snickered as she pointed to Ron and Rufus plowing through the buffet line.
"Yeah." Zita laughed, "Not a naco, Pop-Pop mini-corndog, popcorn shrimp, or nacho is safe from that pair."
"They got a contest or something going?" Crystal smirked.
"Yeah." Zita chuckled, "See those other two boys?" She pointed to a heavy-set boy with dirty-blonde hair and acne and another, a thin African-American boy, also devouring nacos, tacos, and Pop-Pop's frozen goodies. "They're racing to see who can eat the most before the alarm over there rings."
"How much longer do they have to go?" Zoe asked as the alarm rang. With a snort, the Asian exotic dancer quipped, "Never mind."
"The winners by three plates…" one of the Con staff announced, holding up a plastic trophy in the shape of a Pop-Pop mini-corndog, "Ron and Rufus Stoppable!"
"My hero!" Zita exclaimed as she rushed up to her blond boyfriend and gave him a hug and a kiss. "Taste like cheese." She joked as she took a tissue and wiped first his mouth and then hers.
"Hey…" a certain naked mole-rat chittered as he pulled at the tawny-skinned Latina girl's pants, "What about me?"
"You too, Rufus." Zita cooed as she picked up the tiny rodent and gently petted him.
"Awww…you're sweet too."
"So…where's Felix?" Crystal asked as she picked up two small plates of hors'd'ouveres, handing one to her girlfriend, before taking a bite of the popcorn shrimp.
"Gaming room." Ron chuckled, "Where else?"
"Ask a silly question…" Crystal laughed. "We were thinking about trying out that sandwich shop on the corner…"
"Charley's?" Ron exclaimed with a goofy grin on his face. "They make the best cheese fries…"
"Cheese…Yeah." Rufus chimed in, popping up out of his human's pocket.
"They've also got a pretty good selection of subs." Ron commented, his mouth watering.
"Well…" Zoe quipped, "If it's got the Ron Stoppable and Rufus seal of approval…it's gotta be good." Her lips turning up in a sly grin, she playfully teased the blond sidekick, "You sure you've got room in that stomach of yours for dinner?"
"This is Ron we're talking about." Zita chuckled, joining her friend in the good-natured ribbing of her boyfriend, "He's always got the room."
"Well okay, then." Crystal grinned, "Let's get Felix and grab something to eat."
"Come on, handsome." Zita smirked as she slipped an arm around her boyfriend.
Smirking at the envious looks being shot at him by other male con-goers, Ron quipped, "I gotta be the luckiest man here."
"Why's that?" Zoe bantered back.
"I'm walking down the hall with three bondiggedty gorgeous girls."
"For that, lover…" Zita whispered into her boyfriend's ear after giving him a kiss on the cheek, "I'm gonna…"
"What's wrong, Ron?" Crystal joked, poking gentle fun at her friend as she gave him a kiss on the other cheek, "Your face is all red."
"Ummm….uhhh…" the young man stammered.
"I do believe you've rendered the poor boy speechless, Zita." Zoe remarked as she also gave the teen hero a kiss on the cheek.
Laughing, Zita quipped back, "Then my work here is done." Poking her boyfriend in the ribs, she teased, "C'mon, stud. Let's get Felix and grab some grub. You're gonna need all that energy later."
Charley's Subs
"Gotta say, Ron, you're right about those cheesy fries." Zoe remarked with a grin.
"Ummmph…nomnomnom…"
"Sorry, Z." Zita smirked, "When Ron gets in full garbage disposal mode nothing short of an earthquake can reach him."
"So…how was the game?" Crystal asked Felix as she took a sip of her cola.
"Got in with a pretty good group." The young genius replied with a smile, "We played Traveller. Pre-gen characters, of course."
"So what did you end up with?" Zita asked before taking a bite of her turkey club.
"Scout." Felix replied before taking a bite of his corned beef sandwich. "The GM put us all on a Free Trader and we got bounced by pirates, then ran into a Vargr patrol, and then got boarded by Zhodani who left a talking-neutron bomb behind."
"Damn!" Zoe exclaimed, "That GM was a sadist."
"I should have known I was gonna be in trouble when I saw the name of the Free Trader." Felix laughed.
"So…" Ron asked as he took a big bite from his double cheeseburger. "What was its name?"
"Botany Bay." Felix groaned.
"Ouch." Crystal replied, "You poor boy."
"Yeah." Felix chuckled, "The talking neutron-bomb was kinda funny though." Taking another bite of his sandwich, the young tinkerer asked, "So…we still on for that virtual Everlot game tomorrow?"
"You bet!" Ron exclaimed, the two girls with him nodding their heads in agreement. "I've been looking forward to this all week."
"Cool!" Zoe smiled as she finished her chicken club. "So…what's the plan for this afternoon?"
"Dealers tables…" Zita replied, "And then me and my man are gonna go to the Fearless Ferret panel. They got a couple of actors from the new movie on the panel. What about you, Felix?"
"I'm thinking about swinging by the dealers tables too before checking out the Tunnels and Trolls demo. What about you and Crys, Zoe?"
"We were thinking about doing some gaming and then going back to the room and grabbing a bath and maybe chill out on the balcony for a while." The Asian dancer replied.
"Sounds like we've all got our afternoons planned out." Ron grinned as he bussed the table. "Everyone ready?"
"Back to the Con! Trolls and Dragons await!"
North Dakota—the Willemsens
"Well son…" Gustav Willemsen said as he and his son, Oscar, unloaded the last of their gear into the cabin they had leased for the next couple of weeks, "Looks like we got in at the wrong time to do any hunting unless its varmints."
"That's okay, Dad." Oscar grinned as he checked out the fishing rods and gear, "We can always go fishing and trail riding. Plenty to do."
"That there is, Son." Gustav agreed, "So…how are things between you and your girlfriend?"
"Cindy? Good, Dad. We're taking it slow if that's what you want to know."
"That's good to hear, but you didn't need to tell me that, Son." Gustav declared as he began to prepare dinner. "I'd like to think that your mom—may she rest in peace—and I raised you right, and Cindy's a good girl. I know I don't have anything to worry about from either of you. I'd have been a lot more worried if it had been one of those other two."
"Tara and Hope?" Oscar laughed, "You've got nothing to worry about there, Dad. They're not my type and I don't think I'm theirs. But they are good friends of mine and really…I know you probably don't think so…they're good girls—they're just good in their own way."
"I can't say I approve of the way they live their lives, but I trust you, Son." Gustav declared as he turned on the oven and placed his hand on his son's arm.
"Thanks, Dad. That means a lot to me." Oscar smiled back as he helped with the preparations by setting the table. "We still gonna go over and see Mama tomorrow?"
"Sure are." Gustav nodded his head, "Gotta give her a progress report on how we're doing. "sides, I gotta feeling she's gonna want to know about that girlfriend of yours."
"She'd have loved Cindy." Oscar said in a soft voice.
"She sure would have." Gustav affirmed as a sad smile appeared on his face. "It's been a year…but it feels like…"
"Like it was yesterday." Oscar finished, "I still wake up thinking I heard her calling me and telling me to get ready for breakfast."
"Yeah." Gustav sighed, "Me too." Taking a pan out of the oven, the elder Willemsen ladled out hefty portions of potatoes au gratin with bacon. "Your mom would have had a fit over this, but it's easy to fix and filling. Go ahead and dig in, Son. I know you're gonna want to talk with that girlfriend of yours this evening, but don't forget, we got a long day tomorrow."
GamerCon—the gang's hotel room
"Pretty night." Zoe said as she and her lover sat on the balcony, a table holding their drinks and a pair of ashtrays between them, the couple stretched out, their feet hanging out on the railing as they smoked their cigarettes.
"It is." Crystal replied as she took a drag from her herbal cigarette and exhaled. "Not a cloud in the sky and look!" she pointed up into the night sky, "A shooting star."
"And there's another." Zoe exclaimed, pointing to another meteor shooting through the night. Reaching across the table, she grabbed her girlfriend's hand. "It's been a long time since I've felt this good." The Asian dancer confessed, "I'm glad you made that call. I'll be honest, baby, I wasn't sure you would."
"I wasn't sure either." Crystal admitted, "I was so messed up—so much so that I wasn't even sure about who I was at the time. I kept telling myself that I was straight. That I only liked boys. But every time I went out on a date…"
"It just didn't seem right." Zoe interrupted, nodding her head in understanding. "I know what you mean. Even though the boy you're with is nice and he's fun to be with, there's…"
"No chemistry." Crystal finished. "I just didn't feel attracted to him. I was all confused. I wasn't sure what was wrong with me. And then I walk into Mikey's one day to pick up my comics and I get in line behind this beautiful woman with long dark hair who then buys that Tiamat statue I've been eyeing."
Chuckling, Zoe quipped, "I got you another one."
"I'm curious…" Crystal queried with a smirk, "Just how were you able to get your hands on another one of those? I heard it was next to impossible to get one."
"I had Max put out feelers for collectors wanting to sell—strictly legit—and Big Daddy Brotherson—he's a…let's say mover of goods…said he knew a collector who had one he wanted to sell."
"You went through all that for me?" Crystal exclaimed, her eyes misting, "That's…that's the most wonderful thing anyone's ever done for me."
"It was Max who did all the legwork." Zoe admitted blushing. "All I did was…"
"What you did was perfect." Crystal said as she leaned over the table and kissed her girlfriend, "I…I don't know if you want to hear this…but…I'm going to say it anyway and take my chances. I love you."
Smiling at the tawny-skinned cheerleader, Zoe brushed aside a lock of brownish auburn hair as she leaned over and returned her kiss, "I love you too."
"Knock. Knock! We can go away if this is a private convo!"
"It's okay." Crystal replied, waving the other couple out to the balcony, "Come on out. It's a pretty night."
"You sure we're not butting in?" Ron asked as he noticed the warm smiles on both girls' faces.
"You came in just in time." Zoe grinned, "We have good news for you."
"What?" Zita prompted.
"We just told each other the magic words, 'I love you.'" Crystal blurted out.
"Hey, that's great!" Ron grinned as Rufus popped out of his pocket and applauded.
"Congratulations!" Zita exclaimed, joining in the applause.
"Why don't the two of you pull up a couple of chairs and join us." Zoe invited.
"You sure?" Ron asked, "If you want some more time alone…"
"Oh, don't worry." Zoe replied, flashing her lover a leer, "We'll get our alone time. You can make book on that."
"Yeah." Crystal interjected, returning her girlfriends leer with one of her own, "We'll get our time. Don't worry about that. I've got plans…"
"So…what's the topic of conversation?" Ron asked as he and his girlfriend joined the other couple at the table.
"Before our conversation took a turn, we were talking about how tough it was for me to come out to everyone." Crystal said as she and Zoe both lit up fresh cigarettes.
"I remember you really worried for a while." Ron recalled.
"Yeah." Crystal nodded her head in affirmation, "I'm still worried about telling my folks. Although, they're gonna find out sooner or later whether I tell them or not."
"It'd be better off to tell them first." Ron opined.
Nodding her head, Crystal agreed, "Yeah. You're right. It's just figuring out the best way to tell them."
"Well…" Zoe declared, "Like I said, let me know when you want to do it and I'll go with you."
"Okay." Crystal smiled, "Thanks, sweetie."
"So…" Ron said, getting the discussion back on topic, "You were talking about coming out."
"Yeah." Crystal nodded her head as she took another drag from her herbal cigarette and exhaled, "Coming out to you guys was easy and so was coming out to Jessica and the others. Kim, Tara, and Hope already knew—they just put two and two together."
Ron laughed, "Yeah. They have a habit of doing that."
Chuckling, the tawny skinned teenager sighed, "For a long time, all of us, me especially, bought into the food chain crap Bonnie shoved at us. We had to date jocks—and not just any jock—they had to be jocks from one of the major teams: football, basketball, hockey…tennis, soccer, and golf were acceptable or any boy that fit into what Bonnie called hottie status like Josh or Dillon. Even Kim bought into it for a long time."
"Yeah." Ron reluctantly agreed, letting out a breath of air, "It created some problems with us a couple of times before she got serious with Josh and I did with Zita. She's my best friend, but sometimes…" he shook his head, "she…well…she's a human being. I can be the same way. In some ways, it's actually better being on the bottom of the food chain than the top. You don't have to worry about playing those games."
Zoe sighed, "I remember the popularity game. I played it for a while—cheerleader…"
"Pretty cheerleader." Crystal interrupted with a smile.
Chuckling softly, Zoe squeezed her girlfriend's hand. "Yeah…okay…although you're prettier. Anyway, we had our Bonnie at my school."
"I think every school has its Bonnie." Zita laughed, "We had one at my old school—Henrietta. She was a stuck up little puta."
"The one at my school was Charlotte and she was a first class bitch." Zoe laughed, "I finally broke out of it when I came out." Letting out a snort, the Asian stripper took a drag from her cigarette, "There went my popularity. Poof…just like that. Only thing was…I didn't have friends like you guys."
"Well…you've got 'em now." Ron declared.
"It's starting to get easier." Crystal said as she turned her head and gave her lover a smile. "The big step was when we came out together at Ciera's to Bonnie and Monique. It felt so good to get it out in the open at last and flat out tell those two bitches that I'm gay."
"Congratulations!" Both Ron and Zita exclaimed, patting their friend on her back. "That took a lot of guts." Ron declared.
Crystal snorted, "Once those two start yakking and they tell Amelia when she gets back from her cruise, everyone'll know—if not by the Independence Day picnic, then by the beginning of school this fall." Laughing, she quipped, "Well…at least I won't have to worry about telling anyone anymore. By that time the 'rents 'll know for sure."
"Hey, everyone!" Felix called as he entered the room. "Ya'll on the balcony?"
"Yeah." Zoe shouted back, "Come join us."
"Okay." The young inventor replied, "Give me a moment and I'll be right over." Wheeling over to where his friends sat, Felix grinned, "So what's everyone talking about?"
"Oh…" Crystal replied as she exhaled a plume of smoke, "Coming out…the food chain…you know…the usual."
"Ah." Felix chuckled, "The infamous food chain. The bane of the existence of nerds everywhere."
"It's taken some hits this last year." Crystal noted. "Tara and Hope…then Kim…Jessica and Liz…and finally me. Bonnie's still got most of the rest of the squad and a good chunk of the jocks. But her bite's not as bad as it was."
"Yeah." Zita agreed, "It's mostly bark now."
"A loud bark though." Ron contributed with a laugh. "Very loud."
"Maybe someone ought to slap a cone of shame on her." Zoe joked, yawning as the others laughed. "And on that note…"
"Yeah." Crystal agreed, yawning also, "I'm ready to turn in. Big day tomorrow with the virtual Everlot. I wanna be on my game for that."
"And then there's the costume contest tomorrow night, Love."
"Can't wait for you guys to see us in our costumes." Crystal smirked
"Looking forward to seeing 'em." Ron chuckled as his girlfriend hit him playfully on the arm.
"Come on, lover boy." Zita laughed, "Say goodnight. It's bedtime."
"Good night!"
Vir-tu-lot—the game
"Okay, players…" The game master announced, "Welcome to Vir-tu-lot!"
"Wow!" Ronicus the Fleet Footed exclaimed as he looked down at himself wearing his enchanted leather armor of deflection and holding the Twin Daggers of Askelon.
"It feels so real!" Zara, She Woman of the Ice Mountains, clad in her Plate Armor of the Morning Star and wielding the Greatsword of the Mountain Gods, exclaimed as she held her sword up.
"Look at my staff!" Fenrial of the North Castle grinned as he gestured with his glowing blue Staff of Winds.
"And my mace and shield!" Cassandra, Priestess of Galatea remarked as she held up her glowing gold Mace of Undead to Dead.
"I don't believe it!" Zina of the Deep Woods exclaimed with glee, "They got my Bow of Artemis and Arrows of Unerring Striking right."
"Everyone ready to adventure?" Ronicus cried out as his animal companion, Rufio the Cheese Muncher charged forward.
"You have wandered into your deaths!" A loud voice boomed.
"The Wraithmaster!" Zara spat out as she readied for battle.
"Barrier of Syonis!" Fenrial shouted as he began his incantation.
"Good try!" The Wraithmaster laughed as a bolt of lightning struck Fenrial, knocking him to the ground before he could finish his incantation. "But not good enough!"
"I summon the Healing Winds of Galen!" Cassandra shouted as she placed healing hands on her fallen comrade.
"Show yourself, coward!" Zina cried out, nocking an arrow to her bow.
"Yeah, you wuss!" Ronicus growled, flourishing his daggers, "You wanna rumble…let's rumble!"
"The Castle of Eternal Woes." The Wraithmaster taunted, "Meet me there if you dare!"
Willemsens—North Dakota
Standing solemnly before a certain grave in a well-maintained church cemetery, Oscar, carrying a bouquet of flowers, his father standing beside him, read the inscription on the headstone aloud. "Deborah Marie Willemsen. Loving wife and mother to Gustav and Oscar Willemsen. May you always feel the coolness of the morning breeze." Approaching the headstone, the young man respectfully and lovingly placed the flowers in one of the vases on the stone. "Mama…I met a really neat girl at the school I'm going to now. Her name's Cindy and she's a first team cheerleader and reporter for the school paper. You'd have loved her. She's sweet and nice and…" his lips turning up in a sad smile, the young man continued, "…I know you're looking down watching…so I'm probably not telling you anything you don't already know. I've also met some good friends. Some of them you would probably would have had to take some time to get used to—especially Tara and Hope. But they're good people and very loyal. I'm also on the wrestling team and I'll be playing football this coming season, so wish me luck and maybe put in a good word with the Man upstairs—our team could use all the help it can get next year. I miss you, Mama. Give Grandma and Grandpa a hug and kiss from me when you see them. Well…I'll let Dad talk to you now, I know he's got some stuff he wants to tell you. I love you, Mama."
Waiting patiently until after his son had finished. As his son walked back, the elder Willemsen placed a rugged hand on the younger man's shoulders, giving him a warm smile, "I know she heard every word you were saying Son."
"Yeah." Oscar smiled back, inclining his head at the headstone. "You go on now, Dad. I know she wants to hear what you have to say."
"Thanks, Son." Gustav replied as he approached his wife's grave marker and placed his flowers in another vase. "I miss you Debbie. I think you'd have loved Colorado. It's different from here, but not too different. Oscar and I are living in a good community with good people and we've made friends. Your son's already told you about his girl. Well…let me say that he's right about everything. She's a fine young woman and you'd have loved her. I gotta be honest with you, Deb, I'm not too sure about all of Oscar's friends—especially a pair of girls who are kinda—well kinda wild—a little too wild for my tastes. But Oscar says they're okay, and I trust our son, so for now, I'm not gonna do anything. I gotta go now, darling, but there's not a day I don't think about you. Until next time, honey, I love you."
Walking back to his son, the older man once again placed his hand on the young man's shoulder, "Come on, Son. We'll swing by the little café your Mom loved to go to. Peach cobbler—my treat."
Vir-tu-lot
Recovering from his mishap, Fenrial growled, "He has to be using a hack. There's no way he could have stopped me from casting that incantation otherwise."
"Look at my bow!" Zina exclaimed, holding her bow up, "It should have a gold color, but now it's black."
"Give me a sec." Cassandra said as she casted a quick identification spell. "Shit. He's done something to transform the Bow of Artemis into a cursed bow. You'll be diseased the moment you use it."
"That fucking asshole." Zina growled, "There's got to be some way we can take him down."
"What about Wade, Ronicus?" Zara asked, sneering at her now rusted blade.
Shaking his head, the knave grimly answered, "Can't. If we do, then we're the ones who'll get their accounts suspended for hacking just like Kim's cousin Larry when the Tweebs hacked the Wraithmaster's gear."
"So…" Zara sighed, "What are we gonna do? Just fold up and call it a day?"
"No…my lovely lady." Ronicus gallantly exclaimed, "I think I might have an idea."
"We're all ears, Ronicus." Fenrial exclaimed.
"Fenrial…" Ronicus queried, "Do you think you could write some counters to the hacks as incantations?"
"Hmmm…." The genius tinkerer pondered the problem. "Maybe…but I can't cast them. They'd have to be written as divine healing spells."
"Good thing we've got a healer then, isn't it, Cassandra?" The knave grinned.
"I'd say so, Ronicus." The tawny-skinned Priestess of Galatea replied with a wink.
"What about our weapons and armor?" Zara asked, "Because of the Wraithmaster's hacks they're either cursed or useless."
"Bare hands and basic tunics can't be hacked." Ronicus recalled, "Fenrial…Cassandra…we're gonna need you two to have plenty of buff spells for us ready to go and debuff for anything we run up against."
"Hey! What about me?" Rufio, tugging at Ronicus's pants leg, chittered in an irritable voice, "Not leaving me out."
"You've got the most important job of all, Rufio." Ronicus grinned down at his little animal companion. Kneeling down, he whispered, "Here's what you have to do…" Smiling as the little mole-creature nodded his head, the wily knave stood back up and addressed his friends, "Sorry I can't tell you what I told him, but if the Wraithmaster casts a clairvoyance spell on any of us…"
"What about you, Ronicus?" Fenrial asked.
"Cassandra? I need you to cast a mind blank spell on me so that I forget what I just told Rufio. I'm betting that the Wraithmaster won't cast a spell on him. He'll think he's just an animal companion."
"Sure, Ronicus." Cassandra replied as she readied her incantation, "Just stay still. It won't hurt."
After the tawny-skinned cleric had cast her spell, Fenrial queried the knave. "Do you remember what you told Rufio, Ronicus?"
"Remember what?" Ronicus replied, "I don't remember telling Rufio anything. So…are we ready to go?"
"Here you go, Cassandra." Fenrial said as he handed the cleric a couple of scrolls. "Remember…the only place you can cast them where they'll work is at his seat of power."
"His throne room." Ronicus interjected. "So…we're going to have to punch through any undead we run into on our way to the castle, then get into the castle, fight our way to the throne room, and then give Cassandra the time she needs to cast her spell, right?"
"Right."
"In other words…" Ronicus grinned, "Just another mission. All right. Let's go and kick some Wraithmaster ass!"
Assault on the Castle of Eternal Woes
"I need to rest." Cassandra paused as she caught her breath. "I didn't think we were going to get through that zombie lord and his mob."
"Your spells and undead turning at just the right time saved the day." Zina, caressing her girlfriend on the cheek, declared proudly.
"The rest of you did your share." Cassandra replied, thanking her teammates.
"Hey!" Ronicus grinned, "We're a great guild."
"We sure are." Fenrial agreed.
"I think we can catch a quick rest here." Zara announced, "It's supposed to be a safe area…"
"Unless it's been hacked by the Wraithmaster." Fenrial growled.
"Do you think a detect invisible spell would catch any hacks?" Ronicus asked as he carefully surveyed the area.
"I'll have to do some rewording, but…yeah…" the evocation wizard replied, "I think I can do it. Give me a few moments."
"Okay, everyone!" Ronicus commanded, "Keep an eye out for any surprises until Fenrial's got his spell ready."
Several moments later, the youthful mage announced, "Okay…it's ready. Dominus etheris caela!"
As soon as he had completed the incantation, a pair of giant spiders appeared. "Take 'em down!" Zara yelled as she lashed out at one of the spiders while Ronicus and Zina attacked the other. At the same time, Cassandra casted a bless spell simultaneously with Fenrial casting Fan of Flames, being careful as he did so to avoid friendly fire.
Sighing in relief as the spiders went down, Ronicus sat down on a log. "We should be clear now to take a short rest—long enough for us to regain any spells we burned on the way here."
"Good idea." Zara said as she sat down next to her boyfriend while Zina sat down next to Cassandra, draping her arm around the lovely cleric.
"We need to see about finding you a girlfriend, Fenrial." Ronicus quipped, giving his old friend a warm smile.
"Or a boyfriend." Zina joked.
Doing his best Mongo imitation, Fenrial bantered back bringing everyone to laughter, "Shucks! Fenrial straight."
"Maybe someone at the picnic?" Zara suggested. "There's gonna be a lot of people. You might find someone you like there, Fenrial."
"We'll see." The young wizard chuckled, "Right now, I just wanna take down the Wraithmaster."
"I'll second that motion." Ronicus chuckled as he stretched out.
"We'll take the first watch." Zina volunteered, her girlfriend nodding in agreement.
"Sounds good to us." Zara replied, "Don't forget to wake us up in a few turns so that you can get some rest. That includes you, Fenrial. I gotta feeling we're gonna need our mage when we get in that castle."
"Everyone ready?" Ronicus exclaimed as the rest of the party rose to their feet.
"Yeah." Zara replied with a crooked grin, "Let's go and kick Wraithmaster ass."
"First thing we gotta do," Zina noted, pointing at the castle, "…is find a way in. The portcullis is down and there are an awful lot of guards posted there."
"And they're a helluva lot better armed and armored than us." Fenrial noted.
"Maybe an alternate way in?" Ronicus suggested, "A tunnel or something like that?"
"Might lead to a well or sewer." Zina agreed.
"Gonna mean taking on vermin, but we should be able to handle that." Zara commented.
"All right. Let's see if we can find us a tunnel or a weakness in the wall…anything." Ronicus commanded, taking the lead.
Carefully surveying the perimeter of the formidable castle, wary of traps and making sure they stayed out of range of the archers on the walls, the adventuring party finally found what they were looking for, a cave located near the castle. "This should get us in." Ronicus declared, pointing to the cave entrance. "Me, Zina, and Rufio will scout ahead. Zara, you're our tank so you're in the middle. Cassandra and Fenrial…stay in the back. You're our casters. If this is going to work, we can't afford to lose you." Taking a deep breath, he encouraged, "Okay! Let's do this!"
Entering the cave, the adventurers probed deeper into the cavern. Their way lit by both Cassandra's and Fenrial's light spells, the heroes fought their way through giant rats, a giant ooze, and assorted vermin until Ronicus finally spotted a ray of light.
"Over here!" He whispered, pointing towards the light source. "Rufio? Can you scout it out for us?"
Replying with a reassuring thumbs up, the little rodent companion skittered up to the entrance, an abandoned well. Seeing that the way was clear, he double backed to where his friends could see him and waved them forward.
Climbing out of the well unnoticed, the party slowly crept towards the keep entrance, staying in the shadows until they arrived at the door, guarded by two men-at-arms. "You take the one on the right, Zara…" Ronicus directed, "And I'll get the one on the left. Ready?" Smiling as his lover nodded her head, the handsome knave directed, "Okay, let's do it."
"Wait a second." Cassandra whispered before uttering a quick incantation. "Feather-step." She explained, "It'll help you remain in stealth. Now go before it wears off."
Creeping stealthily up on their foes, their footsteps quiet thanks to Cassandra's spell, the pair struck simultaneously, felling their foes quickly and silently. Motioning the rest of the party to join them, Ronicus, after carefully checking the door for traps, opened it. "We're in." He whispered as the adventurers entered the Wraithmaster's keep. "Now all we have to do is reach the throne room.
"To do that…" Fenrial pointed out, "We've got to get past all those men."
"Leave that to me." Zina smirked as she stood up and walked towards the men, "Oh boys!"
As the men drew their weapons, the exotic beauty chuckled, "I'm not here to fight you, sillies. I'm here to dance for you. The Wraithmaster sent me to entertain you strong, handsome hunks."
"I can't believe this is actually working." Ronicus snickered as the guards sheathed their blades and sat down in chairs or on the floor, some beginning to drool as the beautiful stripper began her dance.
"The Wraithmaster hacked into the AI." Fenrial snorted. "It's all him."
"He's gotta be either a teenage boy or a creep living in his mother's basement." Zara chuckled as Zina continued her dance, sensuously teasing and tantalizing her audience as she slowly loosened the buttons of her tunic.
"We better take advantage of the distraction. I'll check for traps and look for a place from where I can pounce." Ronicus declared as he and Rufio began to circle around.
"I'll take up a position over there." Zara announced, pointing to an alcove hidden by shadows.
"We'll ready our spells." Fenrial replied as his attention was drawn to Zina who, having taken off both tunic and pants, was now playing with the knots of her small clothes.
"Looking at my girlfriend's ass?" Cassandra teased.
"Ummm…uhhh…I mean…uhhh…" Felix stammered.
"Hey." The tawny-skinned cleric grinned, "She does have a cute ass." Her smile now mischievous, she quipped, "And it's all mine."
"Now!" Ronicus shouted, he and Zara both striking simultaneously as Zina rolled away from the casters' impact area.
"Arctic Freeze!" Fenrial chanted, casting his cold spell, freezing the men-at-arms while Cassandra cast her spell.
"Fist of Stone!"
"Bad guys down!" Ronicus shouted as the last of the men at arms shattered under the combined blows of the two warriors and the spellcasters' magic. Pointing to the giant double doors, the blond knave declared, "One more baddie. Wraithmaster! We're coming for you!"
"After I get dressed." Zina quipped as she quickly donned her tunic and pants. "Now we can go and kick the dweeb's ass."
Bursting into the throne room, the party encountered their foe sitting on his throne in all his evil glory. Clapping his hands ironically, the Wraithmaster proclaimed in a loud, booming voice, "You have made it further than I thought you would. I am impressed. But it was all for nothing. Soon you will be my obedient slaves as these wretches are now."
The room, now bathed with light, revealed tens…hundreds…of people of all races and genders—elves, dwarves, halflings, gnomes, even some half-orcs—all wearing rags, shackled and manacled.
"These must be other players." Fenrial whispered. "Instead of being killed and respawning, he's hacked the program where they're imprisoned and enslaved."
"Not only is that violating the TOS in a big way…" Zara murmured.
"It's wrong-sick to the max." Her boyfriend interjected.
"That too." Zara joked back.
"He's incanting!" Zina called out in alarm.
"Now Fenrial, Cassandra! Before he completes his incantation." Ronicus commanded, "Zara! Zina! Charge!"
"We've been frozen in place!" Zara cried out. "Must be a hack."
"Keep chanting!" Ronicus shouted as he began to throw rocks and pebbles at the laughing Wraithmaster.
Rufio, acting according to the instructions he was given earlier, took advantage of his small size and inconspicuous appearance to skirt around the obstacles and traps set by the Wraithmaster until he reached his destination—the throne. The little rodent now had one more duty to perform, and he had better do it soon.
"They're not going to make it in time." Zara sobbed as she turned to her boyfriend. "I'm sorry."
"We're not done yet!" Ronicus declared, radiating confidence as he spoke, "I don't remember what's supposed to go down, but something's gonna happen—soon—that'll change everything." I hope.
Rufio, finding what he was searching for, snickered with glee as he plopped his rear down on the big red button underneath the throne. "Bang." He snidely chittered to the villain, "You're dead."
"No!" The Wraithmaster cried out in a voice equal parts surprise, disbelief, and rage as he fell down the trapdoor the little rodent had triggered. "Impossible. I cannot be beaten!"
"Cancellare!" Felix shouted, finishing his part of the incantation.
"Reveal and Heal!" Cassandra proclaimed, activating the repair and reporting function of the hack override.
Smiling in satisfaction as the chains fell away from the trapped players, the lovers embraced each other as Fenrial petted the little rodent who made victory possible.
"We won!" Ronicus exclaimed, giving Zara a kiss, "We beat the Wraithmaster!"
"Hmmm…" Cassandra murmured as she nibbled her girlfriend's ear, her hand drifting to Zina's rear, "I was right. Nice ass."
The Real World
"We're terribly sorry about this." The Everlot game master apologized profusely, "But thanks to the information you gave us, we were able to track down the hacker. I assure you, appropriate action will be taken. Also, the items that were taken from you and the other players have been restored and you all have been awarded six months premium membership free of charge. Thank you again."
"My hero." Zita grinned as she gave her blond boyfriend a kiss.
"Shucks. Twern't nothin'." Ron quipped with a shy grin as he returned the kiss, "If anyone's the real hero, it's Rufus."
"Yeah." The little mole-rat chirped.
"Extra cheese for the naked mole-rat." Felix proclaimed with a laugh.
"So…what's everyone's plans for the rest of the afternoon?" Ron asked his friends as he and his girlfriend continued their embrace.
"We're gonna chillax in the video room until time to change for the costume contest." Zoe replied answering for her girlfriend who was at that moment playing with the Asian stripper's long and luscious black hair.
"Felix?"
"Video room too."
"Why don't the two of you go to the room." Crystal suggested with a wink, "Enjoy some alone time together."
"Just don't forget the 'Do Not Disturb' sign." Zoe laughed.
"You heard 'em." Zita quipped, grabbing her boyfriend by the rear, chuckling at the resulting "Yelp," from the blond sidekick. "Come on, stud. I got a promise to keep."
As the couple entered their room, Zita made sure to hang the Do Not Disturb sign on the door. Placing her finger on her boyfriend's lips, she pulled his shirt up over his head before kissing and nibbling on him, her kisses getting lower on his body as she undid his belt and trousers. Slowly stripping off her own clothes, she drew closer to her boyfriend and kissed him again before whispering in his ear, "I want to feel your sword deep inside me, Ronicus."
"Are you sure?" Ron asked, his heart racing as his girlfriend led him to the bed.
"Never more." Zita whispered back, "It's not every day a girl tells a man that she loves him."
Taking her into his arms and kissing her, Ron whispered back, "I love you too."
Brick and Sue
Dressed casually in jeans and a pullover shirt with sneakers, Brick knocked politely on the door.
"Just a minute!" A male voice responded and then moments later, the door opened to reveal a muscular man similarly clad with sandy-blond hair. "You must be my daughter's date." The man stated with a grunt.
"Flagg, Sir." Brick politely responded, "Brick Flagg."
"Come in, young man." The burly man opened the door wider, ushering his guest inside. "I'm Sue's father. You can call me Mr. Gibson for now."
"Yes, Sir." Brick answered back courteously.
"Have a seat." Mr. Gibson encouraged, gesturing towards the living room, "Sue will be out shortly."
"Thank you, Mr. Gibson." The all-star quarterback again responded respectfully as he sat down on the sofa.
Mr. Gibson, taking his chair, regarded his daughter's date, nodding his head slightly, "How's the team looking for next year, Brick?"
"We've got a lot of rebuilding to do, Sir." The quarterback replied, "We've lost some good players."
"Graduation?"
"Some." Brick replied, "Others because…well…they were the ones who were…"
"It's okay." Mr. Gibson interjected, "You did good coming forward like that young man. I used to play fullback when I was in school. The sport has no place for cheaters."
"Thank you, Sir." Brick smiled, happy to find some common ground with his date's father. "But losing them's not what's hurting us. Some of our best players transferred to other schools."
"In other words, they chickened out." Mr. Gibson growled, his respect for the young man growing. "The going got tough and they cut and ran. The team's better off without 'em."
"Yes, Sir." Brick agreed as a woman's voice called out in greeting.
"Hello! You must be Brick…Sue's date." A still attractive woman in her early forties with dirty-blonde hair touched with gray emerged from the kitchen. "I'm her mother. She'll be out shortly."
"Ma'am" Brick said politely as he rose from his chair.
"No need to get up on my account, young man." Mrs. Gibson said with a smile as she took the other chair. "Your mother owns that boutique downtown doesn't she?"
"Yes, Ma'am. Designs by Ashley. She's an interior decorator."
"What does your father do?" Mr. Gibson inquired.
"He was a Colonel in the Air Force." Brick replied, "He's retired now, but he stays active in the Air Force Association and does some consulting work."
His heart racing as he saw his date at the foot of the stairs, wearing jeans and a cream colored blouse and brown ankle boots, her long light-brown hair that she normally wore in a pony tail now loose, the young man resisted his first impulse to say "Wow!" instead, rising to his feet, he greeted her, saying, "Hi Sue."
"Hi Brick." The young clarinetist smiled as she approached her date.
"So…where are the two of you going?" Mr. Gibson inquired, even though he already knew the young couple's date plans.
"We're going to the Fearless Ferret movie and then grab a bite at Bueno Nachos and then straight back, Sir." Brick replied reassuringly.
"Sounds good." Mrs. Gibson responded with a smile, "You two have a good time."
"And don't forget—home by eleven!"
"Yes, Sir."
Laughing gently as her daughter and her date exited the house, the pair holding hands, Mrs. Gibson turned to her husband, "So…what do you think, Jack?"
"Looks like a fine young man." Jack Gibson replied with a nod of his head. "He seems to have his head on straight."
"What about all those stories about him being…you know…"
"Not the sharpest tool in the drawer?" Jack chuckled, "Just from talking to him I can tell you that he's not as stupid as he's made out to be. Okay, he might not be an A or B student, but from I hear, he's passing his courses and he looks like he's got a lot of common sense—and that counts as much in my book as book smarts. I think he'll do right by our girl."
Giving her husband a hug, Linda smiled at him, "You know, Jack, you're just a big softie."
"Just don't tell Brick that." Jack said with a laugh. "Now…I got to get limbered up so that I can do my flipping the porch light on and off bit when they get home."
Bueno Nachos—Brick and Sue
"I don't think I've laughed so hard in so long." Sue grinned as she and her date entered the fast-food restaurant hand-in-hand. "Thanks for taking me."
"Thank you for coming with me." Brick responded with a smile, "I hope you don't mind me telling you this, but you've got a nice laugh."
Chuckling, the lovely clarinetist replied as her date ushered her to an empty booth, "As first date compliments go, that's probably one of the nicest ones I've ever heard." Looking about the dining area, she commented, "Doesn't seem to be too many people here for a Saturday night."
"Most of the regulars are off on vacation." Brick responded, "From what I heard, Possible's in Florida with her folks and Stoppable went off with his girlfriend, Zita, to some convention and Crystal…she's one of the cheerleaders, her friend…I think her name's Zoe, and someone who just moved here—I can't remember his name—went with them. The Dirty Pair—Tara and Hope—are in England with their boyfriend."
"Boyfriend?" Sue exclaimed, "Not boyfriends?"
"Nope." Brick laughed, "Boyfriend. Don't ask me how it works. The other regulars—Liz, her boyfriend, Kevin; Jessica and her boyfriend Steve Farley…"
"He's shortstop for the baseball team, isn't he?"
"Yeah." Brick nodded, "He's a cool guy. So's Kevin. He's captain of the chess club and also on the fencing team—you know the swordfighters?"
"Yeah." Sue chuckled. "Anyone else?"
Not wanting to ruin the evening by mentioning his ex-girlfriend and her posse, who only occasionally came here to begin with, Brick furrowed his brow in thought before responding. "Dillon and some of the boys from the track team will sometimes stop off here and the wrestling team likes to come here."
"Sounds like this is the big after-school meeting spot." Sue grinned.
"Pretty much so." Brick affirmed. "So…you hungry?"
"Starving." Sue chuckled, "What do you recommend?"
"Let's see…" Brick pondered the question for a few moments before answering, "Possible and the Dirty Pair like the taco salad. I like their enchiladas and tacos. I don't think you'll want to go with what Stoppable usually orders."
"What does he get?"
"Uhhh…he starts off with a nacho grande platter, then goes on to an extra-large naco grande plate and finishes off with tacos—all with Diablo sauce."
"No." Sue laughed, "I don't think I could do that. I think I'll play it safe and go with a taco salad and diet cola instead."
"Sounds good." Brick said as he got up, "I'll get the order and be right back."
Watching her date as he made his way to the counter Sue sighed contentedly, I didn't expect it, but I'm having fun. Brick's a really nice boy. I hope he wants a second date.
Katey Purcell and Traci Sandisfield, two girls belonging to the school's winning volleyball team, took note of the couple sitting at the booth opposite theirs. "I wonder what dear Bon-Bon would say about her boyfriend going out with that girl." Katey chuckled as she took a sip of her cola.
"Oh, haven't you heard, Katey?" Traci laughed, "Brick broke it off with her a couple of weeks ago."
Laughing, Katey responded, "Come on…you know how it goes with those two. They break up and then a couple of weeks later, Brick comes crawling back to her."
Watching as the star quarterback returned holding a tray laden with food, Traci smirked, "Don't ask me why…" she said as the girls heard the couple laughing together, "…but I've got a feeling that's not gonna happen this time."
"Oh!" Katey chuckled evilly, "Bon-Bon is gonna be sooooo pissed when she finds out."
"You gonna be the one to tell her?" Traci smirked.
"Hell no!" Katey exclaimed with a laugh, "You?"
"No fucking way." Traci chuckled, "Let her find out for herself."
Laughing, Katey declared, "We gotta be sure we've got front row seats when that happens. Ain't no way in hell I'm gonna miss that show."
Gibson House—end of the date
"I had a good time tonight, Brick." Sue said as her boyfriend gallantly walked her up to the well-lit front porch.
"I did too, Sue." Brick replied, stammering, "I was wondering…ummm…if you'd like to go out for another date?"
Beaming her brightest smile, the lovely clarinetist responded, "I'd love to. Give me a call."
"Thanks." Brick smiled back as the porch light went on and off several times.
Chuckling, Sue quipped, "That's my Dad telling me it's time to get inside."
"Thanks again for the terrific date." Brick said as he kissed Sue on the cheek that she had turned towards him.
"No…thank you." Sue replied as she returned the kiss with one on his cheek. "Call me! Good night!"
"Good night!"
Walking back to the car, Brick, thinking that he was out of earshot, shouted out a triumphant, "Booyah!"
As they heard the young man's shout, father and daughter shared a laugh. "Have a good time, Dear?" Jack asked with a grin.
"Best. Date. Ever!"
"So…" Linda asked her husband as the couple watched their go up the stairs to her room, practically floating. "Future boyfriend?"
"I think so." Jack grinned, "Looks like I'm gonna be getting in a lot of practice playing the protective dad."
GamerCon—After the Costume Contest
"You two should have won with your costumes instead of placing third and fourth." Zita remarked to her friends after the judging had been completed and the winners announced. "Your costumes were a helluva lot better than the winners."
Zoe and Crystal, both wearing very skimpy costumes inspired by Frank Frazetta's art: Zoe's by Dejah Thoris and Crystal's by Red Sonja all the way to the long red-hair wig, chuckled as Zoe remarked, "We should have known the contest was rigged when we saw that all the judges were wearing costumes based off Wyvern's Rage: Inquisition armor—ugliest armor ever!"
"It doesn't matter." Crystal smirked, "We still got the most applause."
"Hey…" Ron quipped, "Didn't I tell you that the horny nerd contingent would deliver?"
"So…" Felix asked, "What's the plan for the rest of the night?"
"Dancing until we can't dance anymore and then crashing." Zoe replied with a laugh.
"Then in the morning breakfast and loading up for the trip back." Zita added.
"Well what are we waiting for ladies…Felix…it's time for the Ron-man to show everyone what a bondiggedty good dancer he is!"
Felix laughed as he wheeled himself forward. "What are ya'll waiting for?" He called out waving his hand, "Just because I can't dance doesn't mean I can't have fun watching you all dance while groovin' to the tunes."
"You heard the man." Ron quipped, "Let's boogie!"
Brick after the date
"You have a good time tonight, Son?" Colonel Flagg asked as his boy came into the house.
"Yes, Sir." Brick grinned, "I like Sue. She's neat and…" he paused for a moment before continuing, "She's interested in what I think and what I have to say. She lets me do things like order food and choose where to go. I mean…I ask her what she'd like to do and all—but she always gives me choices. She doesn't make me take her to where she wants to go."
"She sounds like a good girl, Son." Brock said with an approving nod, "Treat her right—you hear?"
"Yes, Sir." Brick respectfully replied.
"You're a good son and a good man." Brock declared as he gazed on his son. "Now go say hi to your Mom—she's got a million questions for you about your date and get to bed. We've got a long day tomorrow out in the yard."
"Okay, Dad. Good night!"
"Night, Son."
Bonnie and Monique—the next day
"Hey GF, how was your date with Jeremy?"
"It was great." Bonnie replied with a grin. "He took me to Rivernas and then we went dancing and had a good time. And…unlike Brick…he's got more than one brain cell in his head. We're doing a repeat next weekend only this time he's taking me to Chez Pierre and then to the Britina concert."
"WTGGF—Way to go girlfriend!" Monique exclaimed before sharing even more gossip with her friend, "Have you talked to Marcella or Melody yet?"
"No." Bonnie shook her head, "Haven't had time. Have you?"
"Yeah." Monique replied, "Marcella called and told me that she saw a car pulling up in front of Amelia's house and a man and women wearing suits getting out and walking to the door. They went inside and then a few minutes later, they left with Amelia's parents carrying a suitcase. Then they all got in the car and left. Do you know anything about what might be going on?"
"No." Bonnie answered back, "Like I said, the last I heard from Amelia was before she went on her cruise. Since then—nada. I thought it was because she'd found some hottie who was keeping her busy. Why? Do you think something else is going on?"
"I don't know.' Monique responded, her voice now taking on a more serious tone. "I'll keep my ears open and let you know if I find out anything—okay?"
"Okay." Bonnie replied also sounding a note of concern. "Let me know the first thing."
"Will do, GF." Monique assured, "Gotta go now. Dad wants us to get ready for church. Talk to ya later!"
Connecticut—Josh and Kim
"Hurry up, Josh!" Aunt Harriet called, "Your breakfast is gonna get cold."
"I'll be down soon!" Josh shouted back, "Kim's on the phone."
"Well hurry up! Your girlfriend can always call you back."
"I don't want to get you into any trouble Josh." Kim said over the phone to her boyfriend. "I can always call back."
"Don't worry about it. If there's any heat, I'll take it." Josh replied reassuringly. "You sound upset. Talk to me. Please."
"You're a good boyfriend, Josh." Kim sobbed, "I just got back from a mission."
"Rough mission?" Josh gently prompted.
"Very rough." Kim responded, "Josh…I can't tell you everything. A lot of it's classified."
"Just tell me what you can." The sensitive artist/musician replied in a gentle voice.
"There's a lot of red in my ledger now." Kim sobbed, "I killed a lot of people last night. I didn't have a choice. They were all bad men and their leader was the worst of all. I shot four men in the head, killed another with a poison dart, stabbed another one in the back with a knife, and killed a whole bunch of others—let's just say that there were a lot of explosions by the time I was done. The head bad guy was killed by a poison trick cigarette I had. Then I put a bullet in his head to make sure he was dead. I wish I could tell you why I had to kill them, but that's one of the things that's classified right now."
"I understand, Kim." Josh said soothingly. "Those men…they'd have killed you, right?"
"In a heartbeat." Kim responded.
"And they were doing bad stuff."
"Very bad stuff."
"Stuff that could and probably did hurt a lot of people, right?"
"Yeah." Kim affirmed, "They hurt and killed a lot of people—innocent people—people like you and me and our friends."
"So…by putting a stop to these people, you most likely saved a whole lot more people right? People like us and our friends. People like Margaret and those other girls who got raped by the frat boys—right?"
"Yeah."
"Then I'd say that the black in your ledger from saving those lives outweighs the red you got from having to kill those bad people—don't you agree."
"When you put it that way…" Kim replied, a smile appearing on her face, "I guess you're right. Thanks Josh. For being such a wonderful boyfriend."
"I'm the lucky one, Kim." Josh stammered, momentarily unsure as to proceed before deciding to throw caution to the winds, "I'm the lucky one because I fell in love with the kindest…most caring…and most beautiful girl in the world."
After what seemed an eternity of silence, Kim said in a low, tender voice, "Do you mean that Josh…that you're in love with me?"
"Yeah, Kim." The young man replied, "I do. I am madly in love with you."
"You've made me the happiest girl in the world." Kim exclaimed, "Cause I've fallen head over heels in love with you too."
"Josh! Finish your call and get down here immediately!"
"Aunt Harriet." Josh chuckled.
"Yeah. I gotta get going too. We're taking Nana to the park. So…when we get home…"
"We're gonna make up for a lot of lost time. I promise." Josh vowed.
"You better believe we are." Kim quipped, "Love you."
"Love you too."